Hong Kong: Govt assists traffic accident victims

A Hong Kong resident died and two others were injured in a traffic accident in Shaoguan, Guangdong yesterday afternoon. Officers of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Government were deployed to render assistance.

The Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office in Guangdong today said it had deployed officers to Shaoguan to assist residents and their families upon learning of the incident yesterday evening.

The three Hong Kong residents were passengers on board a Mainland-licensed private car when the accident happened, the office noted.

The office and the Immigration Department will continue to liaise with the residents concerned, and their families, to render all practicable assistance.

Hong Kong residents who need assistance when travelling outside of Hong Kong may call the departments Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit 24-hour hotline on (852) 1868. They can also call the 1868 hotline using network data via the departments mobile app, send a message to the 1868 WhatsApp assistance hotline or submit an Online Assistance Request Form.

This story has been published on: 2023-12-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Chinese new-style tea brewing global appeal via overseas expansion

Xinhua) 08:24, December 26, 2023

A tourist, with a new-style tea drink in her hands, enjoys the view near the Bell Tower in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Zou Jingyi)

* Chinese new-style tea brands such as HEYTEA have stepped up overseas expansion this year to seek new growth opportunities outside the heatedly competitive domestic market.

* Featuring a diverse combination of materials like fresh fruits, fresh tea leaves, milk and cheese, new-style tea drinks make tea taste better and drive the demands for tea leaves as raw materials, and their overseas ventures have boosted the tea trade.

* There is much market potential to be tapped among western consumers while the Southeast Asian countries remain a major overseas expansion destination for Chinese new-style tea brands.

BEIJING, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- Once a prized product and signature cultural symbol of ancient China in global trade, China's tea is seeking to refresh and recapture the world with a modern look and flavor.

TAPPING OVERSEAS PALATES

In early December, HEYTEA, a leading brand of Chinese new-style tea, opened its first U.S. store on Broadway, New York, selling over 2,500 cups of new-style tea on the first day of business.

"By providing high-quality products and services, we aspire to deliver a joyful brand experience to consumers in New York City and beyond, contributing to the ongoing development of the U.S. tea industry," said Gu Yujia, vice president of strategy at HEYTEA.

Exhibitors make milk tea for visitors at the third China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province, April 12, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

HEYTEA, which has over 3,000 domestic stores, launched its first overseas store in Singapore in 2018, and accelerated its globalization pace in 2023, opening outlets in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, among others, this year.

The Shenzhen-based firm is not alone in venturing abroad. This year, counterpart Naixue opened an outlet in Thailand, while peer brand ChaPanda entered the Republic of Korea.

"It's a natural development for China's growing new-style tea industry to expand overseas, which is still a blue ocean compared with the domestic market and the overseas coffee market," noted Liu Chang, chief food and drink industry analyst with Huafu Securities.

RECIPE FOR INTEGRATED GROWTH

Featuring a diverse combination of materials like fresh fruits, fresh tea leaves, milk and cheese, new-style tea drinks have become a cup of tea for many young Chinese consumers, who would queue for modified tea drinks featuring rich flavors and colors.

The innovative combinations not only make tea taste better, but also drive the demands for tea leaves as raw materials, according to Wang Yuefei, deputy director with the China International Tea Culture Institute.

The overseas ventures of new-style tea brands have also boosted the tea trade, creating new sales opportunities for tea processing firms.

Houtang, a tea bio-tech firm in southwest China's tea hub of Guizhou Province, has inked partnership agreements with more than 100 new-style tea brands, whose products are supplied to over 50,000 new-style tea stores across China and in some Southeast Asian countries.

This photo taken on March 9, 2023 shows a workshop of Houtang, a tea bio-tech firm in southwest China's tea hub of Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Liu Zhiqiang)

The company is also creating new tea combinations more suited to local tastes in overseas markets, as some new-style tea brands step up their global expansion efforts, according to Houtang's general manager Wei Chuwei.

The market value of China's new-style tea drinks is likely to surpass 200 billion yuan (about 28.17 billion U.S. dollars) in 2025, according to an industry report jointly released by the China Chain Store &Franchise Association and e-commerce platform Meituan.

WIDER REACH EXPECTED

Drinking tea is popular in over 160 countries and regions and is a daily routine for nearly half of the world's population, who would consume over three billion cups of tea on a daily basis, according to Wang.

So far, the Southeast Asian countries, which have a large number of young consumers and relatively low costs for transporting raw materials, remain a major overseas expansion destination for Chinese new-style tea brands.

Lai Yang, an expert with the China General Chamber of Commerce, is upbeat about the overseas market prospects of new-style tea, which has potential for gaining wider popularity among western consumers given the rising influence of Chinese culture globally.

A farmer picks tea leaves at a tea plantation in Meitan County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, April 4, 2023. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

HEYTEA said its London store has registered maximum sales of some 2,000 cups a day since opening, while its average daily sales exceeds 1,300 cups. The brand's Melbourne store saw nearly 3,000 cups sold in just a day.

"Challenges and opportunities coexist when doing business overseas," Lai noted. "To survive and thrive in overseas markets, new-style tea brands have to optimize products and services based on a deep understanding of the local market."

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
CHICAGO  Generations of Chicagoans accustomed to grimy politics might view former Ald. Ed Burkes federal racketeering conviction last week as just another case in a long conga line of crooked aldermen.

But Burke was an undisputed Democratic kingpin. He not only set a record for serving 54 years in the City Council, but he departed in May as the last alderman who rose to power in the era of Mayor Richard J. Daleys vaunted Democratic machine.

And, as such, his downfall will reverberate in City Hall history.

Days after a federal jury convicted Burke on all but one of the 14 counts against him, friends and foes alike remained stunned that Burke, who once was viewed as untouchable, is now a convicted felon. Found guilty by a jury of using his public position to leverage property tax appeal business for his law firm, Burke, who turns 80 on Friday, is looking at a potentially long term in prison.

The pre-Christmas verdict also capped a year of extraordinary public corruption victories racked up by federal prosecutors in cases arising from a sweeping investigation of ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, the once-all-powerful state Democratic Party chairman.

Burkes conviction and Madigans upcoming federal corruption trial mark the end of an era for the two legendary Southwest Side Democrats from neighboring wards who long held almost unchecked political power.

In addition, the jurors on Thursday did far more than topple Burke, a stalwart political figure with old-school connections and a wife, Anne, who once was chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court.

They did what very few of even his fiercest political enemies could ever do: They humbled him.

A long list of corrupt City Council aldermen

As the verdicts were read in U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendalls 25th floor courtroom, Burke kept his hands clasped and rested his chin on his fingers, his face flushed. For much of the trial, Burke had worn a slightly more subdued version of his trademark pinstriped suits, flashy green ties and pocket squares. But on the afternoon he was convicted, Burke dressed in a black suit and muted black tie.

Moments after the verdict, acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual noted the thriving culture of corruption at City Hall, telling reporters, Ald. Burke obviously joins a long list of corrupt City Council aldermen who have been convicted of corruption charges over here in federal court.

Asked whether Burkes conviction would serve as any kind of deterrent to others at City Hall, Pasqual suggested solemnly that many may think twice once they see Burke fully face the consequences when hes sentenced in June.

We have not had the sentencing yet, Pasqual said. Obviously Ald. Burke was a very powerful alderman, this case has had massive publicity, and Id like to think that public officials out there who are tempted to start down this path will be even further on notice that the federal government is out there  and were aggressively pursuing these kinds of matters.

Pasqual also stood behind his offices choice to cut a deal with former Ald. Daniel Solis, 25th, who will avoid punishment for his own misdeeds in exchange for secretly recording Burke.

The audio and video Solis recorded, Pasqual said, represented the best evidence going to show Ald. Burkes knowledge and intent: The words out of his own mouth.

We dont regret that trial strategy one bit, Pasqual said.

Solis improbable turn as an undercover FBI mole pierced the veil that may have protected Burke through his five decades on the City Council, even as Burke watched dozens of colleagues carted off to prison as he built a lucrative private law practice that constantly commingled with his duties as alderman and Finance Committee chairman.

Through Solis cooperation, Burke was memorably caught saying such lines as he was not motivated to help developers since the cash register has not rung yet. When the developers dragged their feet, he told Solis as far as Im concerned they can go (expletive) themselves. And perhaps most notably, he asked Solis on a wiretapped call: So did we land the, uh, the tuna?

One juror told the Tribune the members of the jury listened to every single recording during their 23 hours of deliberations.

The number of Chicago aldermen convicted of wrongdoing is breathtaking: 38 since 1971. Three died while charges were pending; only one was acquitted.

Charges are pending against former 34th Ward Ald. Carrie Austin, who had been the second-longest serving alderman next to Burke when she was charged in 2021. Solis has also been charged, although that case is expected to be dropped once his cooperation is complete.

Former Ald. Dick Simpson, who served with Burke from 1971 to 1979 and led the councils small reform-minded bloc, viewed Burkes conviction as a continuation of a terrible pattern of corruption in which public officials have used their public power for private gain.

The Richard J. Daley era created the modern political machine, which spawned the highest level of corruption in the country, said Simpson, who previously represented the North Sides 44th Ward.

Despite Burkes long tenure, he leaves in disgrace, Simpson said.

Madigan trial looms

Burkes racketeering conviction comes with a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison, though hell likely receive a much lower term. Burkes conviction undoubtedly puts in jeopardy his nearly six-figure pension.

Burkes attorneys had no comment after the verdict, but an appeal is likely. And they surely will cite Burkes age, the length of his public service, and lack of any previous criminal history in trying to minimize any time behind bars.

With the Burke verdict, federal prosecutors have continued to build momentum that began in May with convictions they got in the ComEd Four case that netted a close Madigan confidant, the utilitys former CEO and two other lobbyists in a bribery-related scheme to boost the utilitys legislative agenda. In a separate case, the longtime speakers ousted chief of staff got nailed for lying to a federal grand jury even though hed been granted immunity.

All of the convictions serve as precursors to the scheduled April 1 corruption trial of Madigan himself, the prosecutions main target.

Madigan, who holds the nationwide record of 36 years as speaker, has filed a motion to delay his trial, citing an Indiana case now before the U.S. Supreme Court that challenges some of the same laws Madigan is accused of violating, including whether a quid pro quo is required to prove bribery under the statute.

A judge ordered Madigan to be in court in person on Jan. 3, which will be his first public courtroom appearance since being indicted nearly two years ago. The issue Madigan raises is one that Burke also may cite on appeal.

Madigan, like Burke, faces federal racketeering charges. And, if the Madigan trial date holds, its expected to wrap up only weeks before next summers Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Convention officials looking for a positive boost might be asked to defend Illinois national reputation as a politically corrupt state following high-profile convictions of two iconic Chicago Democrats who followed their fathers into politics and looked to the first Mayor Daley for guidance.

Over the years, Burke and Madigan also managed to find a political balance in their off-and-on relationships with Mayor Richard M. Daley, the son who exorcised the ghosts of Hizzoners 1968 DNC billy-club debacle by running a successful 1996 Democratic convention in Chicago.

Mr. Chairman

Until Thursdays guilty verdicts, Burke was a survivor, a tenacious backroom insider who seeded City Hall with an army of loyalists ready to give him the latest political intelligence or insider tips that could enhance his knowledge on all matters big and small.

He showed his greatest political resilience when he carried out his role as one of the two Eddies in the Vrdolyak 29. He and then-Ald. Ed Vrdolyak, 10th, led the anti-administration bloc of mostly white ethnic aldermen who tried to block nearly every issue pushed by Harold Washington, the first Black mayor of Chicago, a period known as Council Wars.

At the height of his power, Burke spent decades commanding the all-powerful position of chairman of the councils Finance Committee under the second Mayor Daley, a nod to the notion that it was better to have a savvy political operative such as Burke working on the mayors playbook than against it.

Being Mr. Chairman made Burke a player on virtually every significant issue that affected the city. He continued in that role under Mayor Rahm Emanuel until an FBI raid of the aldermans City Hall and 14th Ward offices five years ago led to the federal case that eventually forced him out of the coveted chairmanship.

Despite winning reelection in 2019 with a federal charge pending, Burke became a political punching bag for Mayor Lori Lightfoot and opted not to run for his aldermanic seat again this year with the trial pending. He also would have had to overcome the extra challenge of running in newly redrawn ward boundaries that he had almost no say in redrawing unlike previous remaps.

The indictment against Burke centered on a series of schemes to win private law business for his firm, Klafter & Burke. Among them were attempts to shake down the developers of the $600 million Old Post Office renovation and the owners of a Burger King in his ward who needed permits for remodeling work.

Burke also was convicted of taking property tax business from a developer who wanted a pole sign permit for a Binnys Beverage Depot. The jury also found him guilty on charges he threatened to block an admission fee increase at the prestigious Field Museum when the daughter of former 32nd Ward Ald. Terry Gabinski, a longtime Burke ally, didnt get a paid internship despite Burkes support.

As a student of history, Burke surely knows the uncanny parallels between his rise and fall and that of longtime 31st Ward Ald. Tom Keane, who preceded Burke as head of the Finance Committee.

In the 1970s, when Burke was still relatively new on the council, Keane, the first Mayor Daleys City Council floor leader, was convicted on 17 counts of mail fraud and one of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. He was sentenced to five years in prison and paroled after serving 22 months.

Keanes downfall came in 1974, when an ambitious federal prosecutor named James R. Thompson directed Keanes conviction on charges stemming from his City Council votes on the citys purchase of real estate in which he had a vested interest. Some counts were overturned on appeal.

The U.S. Supreme Court subsequently held unconstitutional the portion of the mail-fraud law under which Keane was found guilty, but it refused in 1989 to grant his request to have the conviction removed from his record. Thompson, a Republican, went on to serve a record 14 years as Illinois governor.

Like Burke, Keane had moved up to his fathers seat in the City Council upon his death.

At one point in the early 1970s, Burke and Keane actually clashed. A small group of Young Turk aldermen, including Burke, staged a brief Coffee Rebellion, so named because the young aldermen held their meetings in the mornings. They challenged the iron-fisted rule of Daley and Keane. As a result, some of the rebels were given committee chairmanships and more voice in the council.

As his council status grew, Burke would adopt much of Keanes style of politicking, enforcing loyalty among his colleagues by honing his parliamentary skills and know-how to tie up mayors agendas.

With the Cook County Democratic Party, Burkes chairmanship of the judicial slate-making committee meant he could make or break future judges.

If he goes to prison, Burke will experience a severe shift in his lifestyle  from impeccably coifed clothes and private dining in downtown clubs to an oversized jumpsuit and a drab prison cell.

A closing of a door to old-school politics

The potential 2024 trial for Madigan may also serve to hobble a man who was once the most influential politician in the state, even more powerful than governors.

His status as the Democratic leader was first weakened in 2018 when several aides and allies, including Timothy Mapes, the chief of staff convicted of lying to a grand jury, were accused of sexual harassment.

The scandal lingered in the minds of many lawmakers, particularly women, when the U.S. attorneys office entered a deferred prosecution agreement with ComEd in July 2020 and gave Madigan the ignominious title of Public Official A. ComEd paid a record $200 million fine, and a bribery charge was dropped against the company following an agreed-upon three years of cooperating with federal authorities.

ComEd also admitted it sought to influence Madigan into supporting the utilitys successful legislative agenda by showering his allies with no-work jobs, giving internships to a bevy of college students from his Southwest Side 13th Ward, and appointing the person he wanted on the state-regulated companys board of directors.

In January 2021, Madigan lost the speakership when 19 members  mostly women  refused to support him for another term as head of the House. A few weeks later, Madigan quit the House, where he had served for more than 50 years, and resigned his post as chairman of the state Democratic Party.

He was indicted in March 2022 in the racketeering case involving ComEd and in a superseding indictment in October 2022 for a similar scheme tied to AT&T, which also paid a $23 million fine.

Madigan has emphatically denied wrongdoing in what prosecutors describe as a criminal enterprise, and so far has spent $8 million from his campaign war chest on defense lawyers.

For now, though, the politically seismic impact of Burkes conviction alone may not be fully grasped by many everyday Chicagoans.

It is a closing of a door to old-school politics that were run by bosses, a closing of a door of several generations of tactics run by old-school bosses when the peoples voices were not respected and not valued, said Eddie Read, chairman of Chicago Black United Communities, a group founded by activist Lu Palmer that became a leading supporter of Washington for mayor.

While Burkes supporters have often praised his contributions to the city and decried his prosecution, the ex-aldermans comedown is also seen in some quarters as an overdue comeuppance.

Sending him to prison is one thing, Read said of Burkes potential sentence. But to me a greater sense of justice would be to have him pay for the injustices done to the people who didnt have the old Democratic hookups  contractors, workers, developers and investors who probably would have given resources back to the broader community. They were robbed of the opportunity.

________

(Chicago Tribunes Rick Pearson and A.D. Quig contributed.)

____
Sigmar Gabriel, former Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister and Chairman of the Atlantik-Bruecke Association, speaks at the ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Atlantik-Bruecke Association in the Orangery of Charlottenburg Palace. Gabriel has said he believes that the country is failing with the integration of migrants. Carsten Koall/Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH/dpa

The former leader of Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) and former German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel has said he believes that the country is failing with the integration of migrants.

"People are not blind and can see that, on the one hand, Europe is not effectively protecting its external borders and, on the other, that we are failing in many areas when it comes to integrating migrants who have arrived here," he told the newspaper Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung, in remarks published Tuesday.

"The results of the recently published PISA education study are one of the many proofs of this," he said.

In the PISA study published at the beginning of December, 15/16-year-olds in Germany achieved the weakest performance values in reading, maths and science that have ever been measured for Germany.

Gabriel called for a new course in migration policy in Germany ahead of the European elections next year.

"The less the democratic parties talk about this difficult topic in an enlightened way and without election campaign bluster, the easier it will be for the AfD (the extreme right-wing Alternative for Germany)" he said.

"Because for many people in Germany, the issue of migration is a symbol of growing insecurity," he said.

From January to November 2023, almost 305,000 people applied for asylum in Germany for the first time - an increase of around 60% compared to the same period last year.

The democratic parties are afraid to really tackle this issue, said the former Vice-Chancellor.

"On the one hand, because there are no 'picture book solutions' and many things require hardship, which we find difficult for human reasons. And on the other hand, because the parties are afraid of getting too close to the AfD."

The EU member states and the European Parliament agreed on standardized procedures at Europe's external borders before Christmas.

The plan is to deal much more harshly with people from countries that are considered relatively safe. The distribution of refugees among EU countries will be reorganised - instead of taking them in, for example, a monetary payment is also possible.

The parliamentary groups of the parties of the governing coalition also agreed on a compromise on two draft laws for easier deportations and faster naturalization.
Four former UK defence secretaries from the Conservative Party have called on Rishi Sunak's government to urgently announce the amount of military assistance London will provide Ukraine with in 2024.

Source: European Pravda with reference to The Telegraph

Details: In their joint appeal, Michael Fallon, Ben Wallace, Liam Fox and Gavin Williamson called on the UK government to announce a commitment to allocate at least 2.3 billion in military assistance to Ukraine next year, which is the same amount as in 2022 and 2023.

"Ukraine could be entering its darkest hour. Now is not the time for Britain to be dithering. Britain is at risk of throwing away its leadership in supporting Ukraine for no apparent reason. We need to demonstrate long-term commitment," Wallace stressed.

In addition, Williamson noted that the war between Russia and Ukraine has been ongoing since 2014, and he emphasised the importance for the UK to provide Ukrainians with "confidence on the type of backing that we provide for their struggle against Putin".

"The Government pledged 2.3 billion in 2022 and again in 2023 but has still not announced how much will be given for 2024", writes The Telegraph.

The UK increased military assistance to Ukraine following the full-scale invasion of Russia on 24 February 2022. In particular, it provided Ukraine with M270 rocket launchers, drones, anti-tank weapons, Challenger II tanks, AS-90 self-propelled guns and armoured combat vehicles.

The UK Prime Minister and his ministers have repeatedly stated that London would continue to support Kyiv and that military assistance would also keep flowing.

UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron expects that London will not reduce the level of military support to Ukraine in 2024, or will even be able to increase it.

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The Fort Meade City Commission voted 4-0 in a special meeting Thursday night to approve a contract offer to Pat Oman for the city manager position.

Fort Meade has officially hired a new city manager.

The City Commission voted 4-0 in a special meeting Thursday night to approve a contract offer for Pat Oman, currently county administrator for Becker County in Minnesota. Oman said Friday evening that he had signed a contract earlier in the day and expects to join the city on Jan. 22.

Samuel Berrien, appearing at only his second meeting after winning a November election for an open seat, joined Mayor James Watts and fellow commissioners Bob Elliott and James Possum Schaill in voting to approve the contract negotiated by City Attorney Chris Berg. Commissioner Petrina McCutchen was absent.

Fort Meade offered Oman a salary of $125,000, nearly $17,000 less than he currently makes. The contract includes moving expenses of up to $5,000, a $400 monthly vehicle allowance and a contribution of 12% of Omans salary to a retirement investment.

"I think its an interesting opportunity," Oman said. "In interviewing with the city commissioners, I really appreciated what theyre looking for in a city manager. Theyre looking for a chief administrative officer that will run the city and implement strategic growth and economic development opportunities, and thats something thats really part of my background. And thats an opportunity Im not seeing in my current position."

Berrien asked for a delay in the vote, which took place at the final meeting for Elliott, who has served on the commission for 26 years. Jaret Landon Williams defeated Elliott in the November election and will take office at the Jan. 9 commission meeting.

Jan Bagnall resigned as Fort Meades city manager in August after 2 years in the job. Assistant City Manager Maria Sutherland has served as interim city manager, but a clause in the city charter limits the duration of interim service to five months. Sutherland will reach the five-month mark on Jan. 21.

Elliott and other commissioners cited the time factor in pushing to move the hiring process forward before both of the newly elected members take office.

Berrien suggested consulting with the International City/County Management Association to find a retired professional willing to serve as temporary city manager, allowing a delay in hiring Oman that would not cause a charter violation. He said that would give Oman time to talk to Williams and be certain that he is comfortable with the composition of the commission he will take direction from.

I'm not opposed to offering Mr. Oman, Berrien said. But what I am opposed to is not allowing the next commissioner to have that same opportunity.

Schaill said there was a genuine risk that Oman might reconsider if the commission did not act quickly. He said he had talked with Oman for an hour by phone a few days earlier.

I see where Sams coming from, but if we don't hire this man, we're going to lose him, Schaill said. I can tell you that right now, because hes got another job coming up, an interview coming up tomorrow (Friday), if we dont hire him tonight. And he wants to come here. He likes the town.

When the other commissioners declined Berriens suggestion of a delay, he said he would vote to approve the contract offer for the sake of a unanimous statement.

The City Commission had voted 3-1 at a Nov. 29 meeting to make an offer to Oman. McCutchen was the sole dissenter, raising the fact that Berrien and Williams had not yet taken office after winning their elections.

Oman, 56, assumed his current position in northwest Minnesota in December 2021. He oversees 10 departments with 377 employees and an operating budget of $68 million, according to his resume. Among his accomplishments, he cited improving the countys Standard and Poors credit rating from AA to AA+.

Most of Omans previous employment has been in Minnesota. He served from 2015 to 2021 as county administrator in Mille Lacs County and has held administrative roles in Moose Lake and Carlton County, his resume states.

'Long time coming': Fort Meade celebrates construction of new bridge over Peace River

Oman worked as a corporate manager and product development engineer for Honeywell International from 1995 to 2002 and has also held two positions in economic development, according to his application packet.

He received bachelors degrees in biology and art history from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and a masters degree in business administration from the University of St. Thomas-St. Paul in Minnesota, his resume states.

Oman emerged from an initial pool of 22 applications, whom city commissioners narrowed to eight candidates by individually submitting lists of applicants they deemed worthy of consideration. Of that group, only five returned pre-interview questionnaires, Sutherland said, and one dropped out before virtual interviews were scheduled.

The commission settled on two finalists: Oman and Patrick Marsh of Port Charlotte. Marsh most recently served as city manager in Fernley, Nevada, his resume indicated. The commission conducted in-person interviews with both Oman and Marsh at the Nov. 29 meeting.

Commissioners submitted rankings of each based on the interviews, and Oman received an average score of 39.5, compared to 37.5 for Marsh. In the previous virtual interviews, Marsh had scored higher than Oman.

Fort Meade promoted Bagnall from director of the electricity department to city manager in April 2021. Bagnall, who had endured frequent criticism of his performance from a group of residents active on social media, submitted his resignation in 2022 but withdrew it and was allowed to remain in the job.

The City Commission gave Bagnall a letter of reprimand in May after learning that he had signed off on the purchase of a fire truck without their approval, in what Bagnall said was confusion about what he was signing. While receiving reproofs from some citizens, Bagnall said that he had helped Fort Meade secure an unprecedented volume of grant money during his time as city manager.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Fort Meade Commission approves city manager offer to Minnesotan
FORT WORTH, Texas - A woman is dead after a Christmas Eve fire inside her Fort Worth apartment.

The Fort Worth Fire Department said the woman and a man were initially pulled from the burning complex on King George Drive Sunday around 8 p.m.

They were taken to nearby hospitals where the woman later died. The man is in critical condition.

A firefighter also suffered a knee injury while battling the flames.

The fire damaged 16 apartments in total and left about 25 people homeless just hours before Christmas.

The Moreno family is one of the two displaced families with children. They told FOX 4 they would be staying in a motel.

The American Red Cross is helping their family and others with donations and gifts.

Montgomery Strategies, a Fort Worth company, donated $500 in gift cards to the two families with kids.

"As you can imagine, they just lost all their clothes and, and their toys," said Brian Murnahan with the American Red Cross North Texas. "Thats not a Christmas story that we want anybody to have."

Murnahan said the Red Cross wanted to make sure their Christmas Day was much better than their Christmas Eve.

"They need support," Murnahan said.

The Red Cross is always accepting donations to help families like these.

This year, the organization has responded to nearly 900 disasters in North Texas. Most of them have been fires.

Members of the public can donate by visiting www.redcross.org/local/texas/north-texas.html.

Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fatal fire.

"Fire is under investigation right now. We're trying to determine whatever we can," said Kyle Clay with the Fort Worth Fire Department.

As part of a typical investigation, the fire is being looked into by the arson and bomb teams.
The single mom who fatally shot a 14-year-old she said was trying to enter her window has established a GoFundMe after she and her children were evicted from their south Fort Worth duplex.

The money will help ALeah Wallace and her four young daughters get a fresh start in a new home, according to the fundraiser, which has been verified by the platform.

Wallace called 911 in the early morning hours of Dec. 14 to report a prowler. When officers responded to the Peppertree Acres Apartments in the 5200 block of Southcrest Court, she told them the person had left the area, police have said.

Wallace called again shortly before 3 a.m. to report the person had come back and was attempting to enter her home. When they returned to the scene, officers found 14-year-old Devin Baker on the ground in the front yard with at least one gunshot wound to his torso, according to police. Devin died at the scene.

Wallace told KDFW Channel 4 in an exclusive interview that she didnt know the age of the person on the other side of the window, but she was afraid they would come in and hurt her or her daughters.

I stood in the hallway, and I could see him standing at the window, lifting it up, Wallace told KDFW. I just shot.

Online police reports show officers responded to Wallaces home at least twice before the night of the shooting. A window was vandalized or damaged on Nov. 29, and several Nike Air Jordan shoes are listed as items stolen in a burglary at that address on Dec. 12.

According to the fundraiser, Wallace got a gun for protection after experiencing several break-ins at her apartment.

This went against my apartment rules, Wallace wrote. However the(y) provided no security or assistance with fixing the broken window that gave the burglar easy access to my home.

The Peppertree Acres Apartments declined to comment on their gun policy or the eviction, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.

Officials from J. Allen Management Co., Inc., the company that manages the apartments, were not immediately available for comment by phone on Tuesday.

Today's top stories:

 Buc-ees in Fort Worth getting feature drivers have been waiting for

 Woman, 30, dies in North Texas gas station parking lot after medical emergency

 H-E-B begins construction on first North Texas location of Joe Vs Smart Shop

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Found star Shanola Hampton wants us to see her character Gabi Moselys humanity and why shes going after criminals through unorthodox methods.

Hampton talked with Blavitys Shadow and Act ahead of the midseason finale about working on NBCs newest hit procedural, which has been renewed for a second season. She also wants viewers to know why its important that the series showcases the unheard stories of missing marginalized people being overshadowed by their white counterparts.

Her character Gabi, who works on paper as a public relations specialist but is actually more like a hero vigilante for the people who go underserved by law enforcement, has ways of finding people that the police wouldnt ordinarily use, including keeping her own kidnapper, Sir (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), in her basement. Hampton said that as an actor, her goal is to embody her character, not judge her for her decision-making.

Well, one of the things that I wanted to make sure is that I never judged her and judge her choices. I think its so easy to automatically assume, Oh my gosh, she has somebody in the basement. Shes bad. Or, you know, judge those actions. For me, it was really about what could be something that puts someone in the mental space where they feel like this is the choice, she said. And so I approached her by trying to just get into her mentals what it might be like to have been taken to lose control, but to also find her purpose through losing that control, which is a very confusing thing. You had this horrible thing happen to you, yet its the thing that defines your life and helps so many other people, so it kind of plays with your mind. I really wanted to get into her mindset and thats really how I approached her and really got into her heart and what made her feel good and made her feel happy and that was helping other people. So thats how I approached her first, starting with the love.

Hampton said that Gabis decision to find missing people her way is what separates her from law enforcement; while her methods might seem uncouth or not by the book, as it were, its these methods that give her the happy outcome shes looking for reuniting family members.

Gabi could have very easily become a lawyer, she said. Gabi could have been in law enforcement. But in order for her to really save the people that need to be saved, need to be foundthe [ones] that no one was looking for, she had to be a private a PR specialist and get people that can get things done. Theres nothing that she wont do to save a life. And with that being her logline, she will cross every line. She doesnt mind if she has to spend some time in jail for it, because that person is home with their family. And thats the most important thing to her.

The main throughline of Found is to bring to viewers awareness the very real instances of marginalized people who are missing going under the radar or even forgotten about at the expense of prioritizing white missing people. Analysts and some members of the media have dubbed the phenomenon Missing White Woman Syndrome. A 2016 paper written by Zach Sommers for Northwestern Universitys Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology cited a study completed by Scripps Howard News Service, which found that in CNN and Associated Press reports on missing children between 2000 and 2004 dramatically overrepresented white children. The paper also cites studies that found that found that missing Black children were drastically underrepresented in news broadcasts.

Black and Missing, a website created to address the gaps law enforcement and the media have created when it comes to informing the public about missing Black and brown children, cites from the 2022 NCIC Missing Person and Unidentified Person Statistics report that out of the 546,568 people reported missing in 2022, nearly 40 percent were people of color, despite Black people comprising only 13 percent of the population. The site states that even though a disproportionate number of missing people are minorities, and despite their population percentage, many are disregarded. This is because they are either initially classified as runaways (such as like what happened in Founds pilot episode) and dont receive an AMBER Alert, are classified as criminals with involvement in drugs and gangs, or the average Americanin and out of law enforcement and mediais desensitized to the stereotype that those marginalized people who go missing live in poverty and crime. This makes the added weight of being missing just another part of their lives.

Hampton said that what she hopes Found can do is continue to raise awareness about this continuing problem in America.

One of the things that I hope has already happened and that isto start moving the needle. These are conversations that people in certain communities, my community included,have been having, she said. The lack of media attentionyou can have two cases of two girls the same age who are from different backgrounds and only one of them gets [coverage.] Everybody knows their name and is a hashtag and the other one whos just as missing and has family that loves her just as much is not getting that same attention. So to have a show thats actually dealing with finding underrepresented people and to make it more real and put it on the lips of the mouths of people who have not been discussing it before is already happening. My hopes for the show are already being realized, which is a beautiful thing because at this point, [weve only aired a few] episodes and yes, people are being entertained, but people are starting to check themselves as well. And I think that thats a beautiful thing.

[The show] was created right to be able to have these conversations, she continued. There [are] so many [underrepresented people]the elderly, people who have different sexualities, the Indigenous, theres just so many underrepresented and we have a culture where weve seen a lot of one face on our screen when it comes to being missing and its time to change those faces and make them more real. And I think the show is doing that is adding some, some colorful faces to a really terrible epidemic.

Hampton addressed the moment in the pilot episode when the chief of police wrongly assumes the missing person at the center of the episodea Black girlis simply a runaway who knows what shes doing and will eventually turn up. As it would turn out, she was kidnapped and trapped where no one would find her, unless those people were Gabi and her team.

Our writers have done such a great job of putting those different nuances in the script so you can see what the conversation really is and how it gets justified, she said. Theres so many things that get swept under the rug. And thats somebodys child and thats why the writing is so good and so important. Even when we did the Indigenous episode, which was the last episode [at the time of this interview], that was a community of people, [the episode showed] what a reservation looks like, the different laws that go into [a reservation], [why] jurisdictions are different. Thats not something thats common knowledge that you have to really know it. And so just even as having that episode in there with all of those tidbits of information, I thought was so great and so important.

On the personal side, Gabis relationship with Sir, her former kidnapper, is one that is still developing and shows just how Gabi has and has not healed from her time in Sirs captivity. As Hampton said, there is no reckoning within Gabi regarding her new partnership of sorts with Sir.

I dont think theres a reckoning at all thats happened. Theres no healing that has really happened, she said. There is only day-by-day survival. Its very much, her life was rocked from a teenager by someone she trusted, and youll come to find out why she trusted him so much. And then her entire life changed. But what she wanted to do was turn her trauma into purpose for her. It was how do you get into the mind of a monster? Oh, you kidnapped the monster and you use that monster to help no one else have to feel the pain that you felt for the year that you were abducted. And its not really well thought out after that, right? Its very much emotion.

Yes, there is a revenge thing there, of course, but more than revenge is the fact that she wants to turn this person that she was truly impacted by, make him feel what she felt, but also use his mind, she continued. Because the one thing Sir has is a great mind, and he has the mind of a maniac. Some would argue Gabi has gotten that mind as well from him, but the way that they work together in the way that they were able to solve cases is all the justification she needs for why he is down in that basement because people are going home to their families and theyre finding people before its too late.

The series has been renewed for season 3, which means that its well on its way to becoming what Hampton hopesa series with longevity that can tell even more stories about missing marginalized people as well as get deeper with Gabis feelings regarding Sir and her own captivity.

What I love is whenever you have a series and especially a network series, if allowed to, I would like for the audience to go through their own journey of healing as Gabi is going through her journey of healing. And if you know anything about trauma or healing, it is not something that takes a week. It takes time. And then there are setbacks and there are triggers and all of that, she said. So what I would like for the character is by the end of itseven years, lets saythat she has found whatever version of a healthy healing. Even though it looks bad once you have faced the music of all of your actions, you can find some peace. Thats what I would like, [for] her to find that piece and whatever version of that looks like, but I want us to go through that journey of finding it with her. And hopefully, not only would we have bridged the gap more between whats being recognized in the media when people go missing, but we will also have helped others on their healing journey. And those are my two wishes, as well as give you a really kick-behind show.

Found airs on NBC and is streaming on Peacock.
Russian forces have shelled Toretsk and Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast, killing four people and injuring three others, Ukraines Prosecutor General Office reported on Dec. 26.

The Russians carried out an artillery shelling of Toretsk at around 8 a.m., local law enforcement said. An explosion killed a 67-year-old woman in her backyard, and a 74-year-old man was killed on a road near the local hospital.

Invaders also shelled Pivnichne, a village near Toretsk, killing a 73-year-old man and injuring a 62-year-old resident.

Russian forces later targeted Avdiivka where a shell hit a private residence, killing a 61-year-old man, and trapping his 56-year-old wife under the debris. Emergency services transported her to hospital in critical condition.

Russians also struck Kostiantynivka village, Pokrovsk district. A 61-year-old woman was killed in her house when fragments of a Russian shell pierced her chest and abdomen.

Read also: Russians persist in attempting to encircle Avdiivka  General Staff

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
France has handed over a second ship to Ukraine to help it with grain exports.

Source: European Pravda; Clement Beaune, French Transport Minister.

Details: He noted that the ship had already been sent from Dunkirk. "(The ship) will help with grain exports to better supply the world with food. We are fully engaged, and our solidarity will not stop," said Clement Beaune.

#Ukraine | Ce matin, la France a livre un deuxieme navire pilote pour soutenir lUkraine, comme je my etais engage.

Parti de Dunkerque, il permettra lexport de cereales, pour mieux nourrir le monde.



Notre engagement est total, notre solidarite ne sarretera pas  pic.twitter.com/I7iDEJmyCX  Clement Beaune (@CBeaune) December 25, 2023

The attached photo shows a small boat, apparently intended for patrolling or escorting.

Reminder:

In December, Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian railway network) announced that it had built the first grain carrier adapted to the European gauge.

The European Commission earlier promised to give Ukraine 50 million to repair its ports in the wake of Russian attacks in order to facilitate the export of Ukrainian agricultural products to the global market.

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The Safe Ride Home Program will return for residents celebrating New Years Eve in the local area.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

Farah & Farah announced the return of the free transport program in which it will offer thousands of free Uber and taxi rides for residents.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

In an announcement, this year, New Years Eve Safe Rides will expand to St. Augustine, Savannah, Georgia, and for the first time, Fort Myers, Florida. The program started in Jacksonville in 2015.

Keeping our roads safe is an important mission, and one were determined to improve every year, Chuck Farah, senior partner at Farah & Farah, said. The best way to avoid a tragedy is to make sure celebrants have a safe ride home, and were happy to do our part by offering rides for free.

Read: Top 5 Action News Jax online stories as 2023 comes to an end

The Safe Ride Home Program offers those who need a ride home a $50 Uber credit or a taxi ride.

According to the National Safety Council (NSC), several hundred Americans die in car accidents during a New Years holiday each year, Farah & Farah said in a statement. Last year, the NCS expected that over 400 Americans would lose their lives on U.S. roads during the most recent New Years holiday due to a high volume of travelers and alcohol consumption.

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The NYE Safe Rides credit will be available on Sun., Dec. 31, at 6 p.m. until New Years Day. Visit FarahandFarah.com/NYE for more information and how to secure a free ride.

Farah & Farah said that during the lifetime of the program it has given away almost 9,000 rides.

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.
A mother and her four young children were murdered in their home in a city near Paris in what local police said was a "very violent" crime over Christmas.

The bodies of the family members were found on Christmas Day in their apartment in Meaux, France, the AFP news agency and the Associated Press reported.

Prosecutors said the primary suspect is the children's 33-year-old father, and he was arrested on Tuesday.

Neighbors alerted police after spotting a pool of blood outside the family's door, and officers then discovered the bodies, prosecutor Jean-Baptiste Bladier told reporters.

He said the 35-year-old mother and two daughters, ages 7 and 10, had been stabbed to death, and two boys, a 4-year-old and the 9-month-old baby, were suffocated or drowned.

"The mother and the two girls had received a very high number of knife wounds," AFP quoted the prosecutor as saying.

Flowers lay at the building gate where four children between 9 months and 10 years old and their mother were found killed, Dec. 26, 2023 in Meaux, France. / Credit: Nicolas Garriga / AP

"The human toll is horrifying, a whole family was killed, stabbed in an atrocious conditions," Meaux Mayor Jean-Francois Cope told the AP. "It's an absolute horror."

The suspect had known his wife since high school and they had been together for 14 years, but this reportedly wasn't the first encounter with violence.

Citing the prosecutor, the BBC reported that the suspect had attacked his wife with a knife in 2019, a month before she gave birth to their third child. That case was dropped. Upon his arrest in the killings of his family, the man told police he "knew why he had been detained," and "spoke of his unhappiness and depression," Bladier said. The suspect was also seen with wounds on his hand.

The prosecutor said the man will undergo psychiatric examinations.

Neighbor Maissa Ketfi told the AP that the mother was "fighting for her children."

"She was never complaining and one day you just learn this," she said Tuesday. "Yesterday at night, we all had a big knot in our stomach when we learned. We were terrorized, four kids and the youngest was nine months. We cannot even imagine the scene."

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Friends of Cypress Wetlands is asking for the publics help in naming a new alligator sculpture thats been guarding the entrance to the popular wildlife sanctuary in Port Royal since November.

The contest ends Dec. 31.

The sculpture of a full-sized alligator was unveiled in November at the wetlands, which is home to real gators and countless species of birds. Artist Cathy Pender Emmert created the exhibit out of rebar, steel, copper, chain link and welded wire mesh. She was commissioned by the not-for-profit Friends of Cypress Wetlands, a group that raises awareness about the popular wetlands and rookery in the heart of the town.

Cathy Pender Emmert, a metal artist, created this 7 1/2-foot-long alligator using chain, rebar and other materials. Its now on permanent display at the Cypress Wetlands and Rookery in Port Royal, where real alligators live. Filled with litter, the artwork is a reminder to visitors how harmful garbage is to wildlife.

The 7.5-foot-long metal gator is stuffed with trash collected from the wetlands as a reminder of how garbage can harm animals that live in local waters.

But the gator is still nameless.

Since the contest was announced, 22 entries and counting have been submitted, including Allie, Garbage Gator, PRinCess of the Wetlands, Dundee and the Littergator, according to the namecontest.com web site the group is using for the contest.

Friends is asking residents to submit possible names at https://namecontests.com/ch1y0dpg/entries or like a name thats already been submitted.

The Friends of Cypress Wetlands will announce the winner in January.

Along with Sands Beach, Port Royal Cypress Wetlands and Rookery is one of the towns most popular attractions and one of the most important rookeries in the Lowcountry. A boardwalk cuts through it, giving visitors a front-row seat to watch great egret, snowy egret, tri-color heron, little blue heron, black-crowned night herons, green herons and white ibis hunting for crabs and toads in the shallow waters and roosting and nesting in the trees. Alligators and turtles and other swamp creatures also live there.

The alligator sculpture at the Cypress Wetlands in Port Royal sports a holiday hat.
Palestinians wait to collect food at a donation point in a refugee camp in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Bashar Taleb/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

After Israel's offensive in Gaza expanded into the central section of the coastal strip, there is even less room for Palestinian internally displaced persons, the UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA said on Tuesday.

"Rafah in the south is now bursting at the seams," Thomas White, the director of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), wrote in a post on X.

"More people in less space ... No respite. Time for a humanitarian ceasefire," White wrote.

Israel's ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, which began two months ago, was initially focused on the northern area of the territory. The army called on the civilian population to flee to the south.

Since then, the military has expanded its attacks to the central and southern regions of Gaza. The Israeli army also called on residents in central Gaza to flee further south.

Residents of the town of Khan Younis in the south-east were also urged to seek safety in Rafah on the Egyptian border.

Israel has hit Gaza with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive since the militant Palestinian Hamas organization and other extremist groups carried out the worst massacres in Israel's history on October 7.

The UNs human rights office spokesperson, Seif Magango, said on Tuesday that the agency was "gravely concerned" by continued Israeli bombings in central Gaza.

Since December 24, 137 people have died in two urban refugee camps alone, the office said, citing information from the aid organization Doctors Without Borders.

"It is particularly concerning that this latest intense bombardment comes after Israeli forces ordered residents from the south of Wadi Gaza to move to Middle Gaza and Tal al-Sultan in Rafah," he said.

"The Israeli Air Force reportedly carried out more than 50 strikes across middle Gaza on 24-25 December, including on three refugee camps, al-Bureij, al-Nuseirat, and al-Maghazi."

All roads between the camps have been destroyed, worsening the already catastrophic situation when it comes to the distribution of supplies.

The UN Human Rights Office reminded that in order to comply with international humanitarian law, Israeli forces must do everything possible to avoid harming civilians.

"Warnings and evacuation orders do not absolve them of the full range of their international humanitarian law obligations."

Meanwhile in New York, following a request by the UN Security Council in a resolution passed last week, Dutch politician and veteran diplomat Sigrid Kaag was appointed UN coordinator for humanitarian aid to Gaza on Tuesday.

The most powerful UN body had called for an increase in aid for the some 2 million people in dire need in the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing Israeli bombardment.

Palestinian sources said that Israel handed over the remains of 80 Palestinians killed during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip.

On Tuesday, Palestinian companies Jawwal and Paltel said that telecommunications services in Gaza have gone down again.

Both West Bank-based telecom companies posted messages on X confirming that "Gaza is blacked out again" due to Israel's "ongoing aggression" in the Palestinian territory.

Since the beginning of the war, communication networks in the sealed-off coastal strip have failed several times.

Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that dozens of Israeli fighter jets attacked more than 100 targets in Gaza, with over 50 people reported to have been killed.

The Israeli Air Force struck tunnel shafts and military installations used by Palestinian extremist organization Hamas among other targets, the IDF said.

At least 52 people were killed in the attacks, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza.

A terrorist cell in Jabalia that had attempted to plant explosives near an Israeli tank was eliminated overnight, the IDF report said, adding that ground troops had targeted the fighters before they were killed by a fighter jet.

It was not possible to independently verify the claims.

Hamas fighters had also been killed the previous day in the southern city of Khan Younis, the army added.

Israel's all-out assault on the Gaza Strip was triggered by the bloody attack carried out by Hamas fighters in Israeli border communities near Gaza in which more than 1,200 people, mainly civilians, were killed.

The Hamas-controlled health authority, said that more than 20,600 people have been killed and more than 54,500 injured so far during Israel's offensive.

It is not possible to independently verify the figures but various UN bodies, in the past, have said that figures from the Gaza health authorities are credible.

Palestinians walk with their belongings after an Israeli air strike on the Abu Al-Awf family's building in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Two people were killed inside. Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa

A man looks at a destroyed house after an Israeli air strike on the Abu Al-Awf family building in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Two people were killed inside. Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
Visiting the State Department 10 days after his inauguration, President Joe Biden said his foreign policy would prioritize an approach to diplomacy defined by: defending freedom, championing opportunity, upholding universal rights, respecting the rule of law, and treating every person with dignity.

Nearly three years later, Bidens handling of the biggest international crisis of his presidency  a shock Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and a devastating U.S.-backed Israeli campaign of retaliation since  has shattered any credibility he had in claiming those guiding lights.

Bidens narrative of championing human rights globally crumbled in striking ways throughout his presidency. But foreign affairs watchers say his actions over the last three months have dealt a knockout blow to that image  and to Bidens pledge to represent America in the world in a meaningfully more humane way than his predecessor and likely 2024 presidential election rival Donald Trump.

Biden and his administration told us in their own words  how all this stuff is important, so this is the standard that they created for themselves, said Yousef Munayyer, a senior fellow at the Arab Center think tank. The scale of destruction of Palestinian life, the mass killing, the cruelty that were seeing the United States support and stand by is unlike anything we have ever seen, and not like anything we saw during the Trump administration.

Israels onslaught in Gaza, where Hamas is based, has killed more than 20,000 Palestinians in Gaza, the vast majority women and children, local health officials say, and displaced nearly 2 million people. The Biden administration has rejected nearly all global calls to force Israeli restraint. Officials say they are encouraging Israel to avoid hurting civilians, but repeatedly note Biden is establishing no red linesin support for the U.S. ally that the president has long defended, even despite concerns from other Israel supporters who see its war strategy as self-defeating.

The U.S.s reluctance to rein in Israel drove United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres to invoke a rarely used emergency article of the U.N. charter for the first time in his seven-year tenure, and has sparked huge anxiety among American partner nations and U.S. officials.

The internal effect of Bidens hardline views on Israel-Palestine was clear to Josh Paul, a veteran State Department official who resigned over the Gaza policy in a development first reported by HuffPost. I have had my fair share of debates and discussions, he told HuffPost in his first interview after quitting. It was clear that theres no arguing with this one.

Widespread frustration among rights proponents and international relations experts extends to the rest of the Biden administration, notably controversial advisers like White House Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk.

Yet the presidents specific influence over foreign policy makes the Biden administrations rights record even more disturbing for many observers.

No principal in this administration is an equivalent heavyweight when it comes to experience or foreign policy to the president himself, Munayyer noted. He anticipates political headwinds for Biden in 2024 given his prominence on global affairs and his limited ability to sell himself as different.

I dont find it a very convincing argument to tell people your only chance of saving democracy is voting for this one candidate because the alternative is youre going to get deported, Munayyer said, referring to the Biden reelections campaigns recent focus on emphasizing Trumps hardline immigration policies. Thats not exactly how democracy works, and the fact that its come to that speaks volumes about how much things have deteriorated already.

Early Hope, Rapid Disappointment

In his first months in office, rights advocates celebrated as Biden took steps to address a policy that began with President Barack Obama and expanded under Trump, ultimately creating the worlds worst humanitarian crisis: U.S. support for one side in the civil war in Yemen.

Biden barred American offensive weapons for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, close U.S. partners in the Middle East that had been bombing Yemen since 2015 and arming fighters there to battle an Iran-backed militia called the Houthis. He appointed a special envoy to try to end the Yemen war. And he moved to make good on his campaign promise of a less pro-Saudi policy than Trump by declassifying a U.S. intelligence determination that de facto Saudi ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

Yet it soon became clear the old-school president would not truly break with the old U.S. foreign policy habit of treating human rights as a secondary concern. In April 2021, HuffPost broke the news that Biden greenlit the biggest arms deal of the Trump era, a $23 billion package for the UAE that many lawmakers and national security experts saw as destabilizing, given the Emirates pattern of fueling conflicts across the Middle East.

A U.S.-backed campaign of air strikes by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates devastated Yemen. Biden promised to alter the policy but quickly drew close to the Saudis and Emiratis.

A U.S.-backed campaign of air strikes by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates devastated Yemen. Biden promised to alter the policy but quickly drew close to the Saudis and Emiratis.

Critics of the Saudis soured on Biden by fall 2021, saying his initial response seeking greater Saudi appreciation for universal values was undercut by moves guided by McGurk, his Trump-era adviser, to grow closer to the repressive kingdom. By summer 2022, Biden traveled to Saudi Arabia and met with bin Salman in a move widely interpreted as signaling impunity for the princes past and future abuses.

In the interim, Biden sparked worldwide horror by fulfilling his promise to withdraw from Afghanistan through a chaotic August 2021 pull-out that abandoned thousands of Afghans who worked with the U.S. and ushered in mass rights violations, particularly against women and religious minorities, by Taliban militants.

The trauma remains deep years later, current and former officials told HuffPost this spring, as well as the impression that Biden botched it: There were challenges that were inherited, but I do not believe they couldnt have been overcome, noted civilian protection expert Marla Keenan.

The administration continued to try to bolster its pro-human rights credentials. It restored U.S. membership to the U.N. Human Rights Council, which Trump had ended, and launched a new program of Summits for Democracy which, while controversial, spurred some hope among analysts of resisting the trend of resurgent global authoritarianism.

Bidens team also rolled out new regulations U.S. officials and outside experts described as valuable tools to prevent and seek justice for rights violations internationally. Those include a new Pentagon plan to reduce the civilian toll of American military operations; a new policy governing arms deals that bars weapons transfers if U.S. officials determine it is more likely than not those arms will be used to violate international law; and a new system for tracking whether American partners use U.S. equipment to injure or kill civilians. They additionally wound down Americas drone program to some degree.

But Biden continued to be selective in treating concerns about universal values as his priority.

Earlier this year, he hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a high-level White House visit without securing any serious commitment by India  the worlds largest country  to address its worsening repression of its minority communities, primarily Muslims, and of anti-Modi voices. Modis red-carpet treatment was a significant endorsement of his governance, and one few world leaders have received, wrote Knox Thames, a senior State Department official under both Biden and Trump. Modis damaging policies should not lead to self-censorship.

And since the Israel-Hamas war began, the administrations refusal to challenge Israeli actions widely seen as war crimes  from collective punishment of Gazas civilian population to attacks on civilians  has made it impossible for most observers to take Biden seriously on human rights.

Annie Shiel, the U.S. advocacy director for the rights group CIVIC, reflected on the contrast in a Dec. 21 statement reacting to the Defense Departments announcement of a policy to shield civilians.

For this policy to be meaningful, it must be applied consistently. The departments response to catastrophic civilian harm and destruction in Gaza, caused by Israeli operations directly supported by U.S. assistance, has failed to live up to and actively undermined U.S. civilian protection efforts like this policy, Shiel said. A true commitment to protecting civilians must go beyond rhetoric and be backed by action and leverage  including the political will to suspend military aid that is directly contributing to the deaths of thousands of civilians.

The same day, The New York Times reported that Biden was lifting his ban on offensive weapons for the Saudis  a shift HuffPost first reported as under consideration despite deep wariness about it among U.S. national security officials.

The Overwhelming Pain Of Gaza

Israels U.S.-backed operation in Gaza has created a crisis that United Nations officials and humanitarian experts call unprecedented and horrifying.

Amid Bidens refusal to seriously limit American support for the campaign and attempts to shield the U.S. ally from global accountability for actions from killing journalists and destroying tens of thousands of homes to repeatedly striking medical facilities, the Israeli offensive has continued to expand.

Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks are buried in a mass grave as some cemeteries run out of space due to the rising death toll as Israeli attacks continue in Gaza City, Gaza, on Dec. 23.

Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks are buried in a mass grave as some cemeteries run out of space due to the rising death toll as Israeli attacks continue in Gaza City, Gaza, on Dec. 23.

U.S. officials and outside analysts say the upshot is deep unnecessary civilian suffering and an erosion of any American ability to promote human rights globally, from Europe to Asia.

Tobita Chow, the founding director of the advocacy group Justice Is Global, noted the hollowness of American condemnations of Chinas deepening crackdown in Hong Kong.

Gestures like this might be more effective coming from a government that was not busy sacrificing its international legitimacy along with the lives of the people of Gaza, Chow wrote on X in response to a recent statement from Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Antonio De Loera-Brust, a former aide to Blinken, has warned against the administrations approach to seeking a new aid package for Israel and Ukraine, which involves accepting reduced U.S. protections for migrants. U.S. support for Ukraine must be attentive to the perspectives and interests of the Global South, especially given the wedge the conflict in Gaza is already creating between the United States and nations in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. The negative optics of U.S. aid to Ukraine (and Israel) coming at the expense of Latin America would be unavoidable, he wrote in The Washington Post.

And within the administration, officials say the presidents treatment of Israel policy conflicts with his claims of improving American foreign policy by boosting diversity among national security personnel.

One reason to want a diverse staff is to have a variety of inputs into your decision-making, not just to check a box on a little quota sheet, a person in the administration told HuffPost in October. The inner, inner circle on [Gaza] is not at all diverse. Does that completely explain the monstrous disregard for innocent Palestinian lives? No, but its hard to think these things are entirely disconnected.

A sliver of faith in Biden persists among human rights advocates going into 2024, but it could quickly dissipate.

From India, to Ethiopia, to Saudi Arabia, and beyond, the administration has appeared to put partnerships over human rights, said Amanda Klasing, the national director of government relations and advocacy at Amnesty International USA. It is also hard to imagine the unfolding catastrophe in Gaza will not define [Bidens] legacy, without a significant shift in policy.

In 2024, we hope to see actions that match the administrations rhetorical commitment to human rights, Klasing told HuffPost.
Palestinians transport the body of a victim found under the rubble of destroyed buildings after heavy Israeli bombardment of the Al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip. The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health said more than 70 people were killed. Mohammed Talatene/dpa

Israel's war cabinet is to discuss a proposal from Egypt to end the Gaza war, according to the Jerusalem Post newspaper on Monday, as Palestinians and Israelis continue to count the cost of the conflict.

While Gazans searched for bodies after the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health said Israeli raids on Al-Maghazi had killed more than 70, Hamas said its fighters have inflicted heavy losses of life on Israeli forces - with Western media reports partly agreeing.

The push for peace is intensifying amid the deaths, with the Jerusalem Post quoting an official from Islamic Jihad - allied to the militant Palestinian organization Hamas in Gaza - as saying that talks in Cairo would centre on "ways to end the Israeli aggression on our people."

The Times of Israel newspaper reported that Israeli officials confirmed that Egypt had submitted a new proposal for a ceasefire and the release of further Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement released Monday evening, Hamas said it will not settle for a temporary ceasefire, and instead is calling for a permanent truce.

"We emphasize that there will be no negotiations without a comprehensive end to the aggression," Hamas said.

The Hamas leadership is pushing for "a complete and not just temporary end to the massacre of our people," the statement further noted.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on a troop visit on Monday that his nation will "deepen the fight in the coming days," seemingly dashing any hope of an immediate cessation.

Netanyahu said on Sunday that they would continue to fight until Hamas had been completely defeated.

The Israeli army's offensive to eliminate Hamas from Gaza was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel's history, carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other groups on October 7. Around 1,200 people were killed. About 240 were taken hostage, some of whom were released during a brief truce.

Large parts of Gaza have been destroyed during the Israeli offensive. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, more than 20,400 people have been killed.

A large proportion of the 2.2 million inhabitants of the coastal enclave have fled their homes.

Saudi TV channel Asharq News reported on Sunday, citing sources, that Egypt's proposal envisaged an end to the war in several stages.

In the first phase, the aim would be to enforce a ceasefire lasting at least two weeks. During this time, 40 hostages would be released.

In return, Israel would release 120 Palestinian prisoners. This would be followed by dialogue under the auspices of Egypt.

A third phase would then provide for a complete ceasefire and a comprehensive agreement on the exchange of hostages and prisoners.

In a final step, Israel would withdraw its army and all displaced persons could return to their homes.

The carnage continues for now though, with the Al-Maghazi neighbourhood of Gaza the latest to be hit.

The tally of over 70 dead from Sunday's airstrikes could not be independently verified. Women and children were also among the victims, the ministry said.

According to UN figures, more than 33,000 people live in Al-Maghazi. The Israeli army said it was investigating the reports.

There were also reports of airstrikes on the Gazan neighbourhood of Al-Bureij. On Friday, the Israeli army called on the people there to flee, even though many have no electricity so miss the warnings.

They were told to seek shelter in Deir al-Balah, about six kilometres to the south, despite Israel previously hitting areas it said were safe.

Meanwhile, the Times of Israel reported that 156 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the two-month ground offensive following the attacks on Israel on October 7.

Hamas is increasing Israeli losses by switching to guerrilla tactics, the Wall Street Journal reported, with 14 Israeli soldiers killed on the weekend alone.

The Hamas head in Gaza, Yehya al-Sinwar, spoke of a bitter, brutal and unprecedented battle against Israel being fought by the Qassam Brigades, the organization's armed wing, in a letter to colleagues.

He asserted that the Qassam Brigades had attacked at least 5,000 Israeli soldiers, killing a third, seriously injuring another third and permanently incapacitating another third.

These figures contradict the Israeli figures in the conflict.

Al-Sinwar also wrote that 750 Israeli military vehicles had been completely or partially destroyed.

Hamas's Gaza chief concluded by saying that the Qassam Brigades had "crushed" Israeli troops and were in the process of decimating them. The armed wing of Hamas would not submit to Israeli conditions for an end to the armed hostilities, he added.

News channel Al-Jazeera said Islamic Jihad had also announced on Monday that it would continue to fight in response to the bloodshed.

The highest representative of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, expressed solidarity with the people in the Gaza Strip and Israel at a Christmas midnight mass in Bethlehem.

Cardinal Pizzaballa compared the situation to the biblical story of Mary and Joseph, for whom there was no room in the inn.

Pope Francis used his Christmas message in Rome to call for the end to the Gaza war and a lasting solution to the conflict.

Palestinians search for victims under the rubble of destroyed buildings after heavy Israeli bombardment of the Al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip. The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health said more than 70 people were killed. Mohammed Talatene/dpa
JOHANNESBURG  New misery on a biblical scale has been forced upon the people of Sudan this week as the Biden administration is accused by some of standing "idle." Amid the war, Russias Wagner Group continues to mine and export Sudanese gold to finance the Kremlins war against Ukraine.

Rebel militia from the Rapid Support Force or RSF, are terrorizing residents and looting everything they can lay their hands on in the regional capital of Wad Madina, according to eyewitnesses who have talked to Fox News Digital.

At least a quarter of million people have fled the area in the past few days, on top of the six million who have already had to quit their homes, according to U.N. sources.

Many of these have only recently run from fighting in the capital, Khartoum, to a place they thought theyd be safe.

WORLD, PROTESTERS SILENT ON SUDAN MASSACRES: 'NO MOB OUTSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE'

Sudanese greet soldiers loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan on April 16, 2023. (AFP via Getty Images)

"This is a terrible and traumatic turn of events," Mathilde Vu, advocacy manager for Sudan for the Norwegian Refugee Council, told Fox News Digital. "Wad Madani has been a safe haven for 84,000 people who fled Khartoum just a few months back."

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"Many of them have lost everything already: their homes, their assets, sometimes even their relatives. Now they are living this nightmare again  only this time, with even less resources and abilities to flee."

"Sudan is a state that has collapsed," intelligence analyst Jasmine Opperman told Fox News Digital.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier this month accused the two sides in Sudans conflict, the governments Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of war crimes, and singled out the RSF for committing "crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing."

Both sides, he added, "have unleashed horrific violence, death and destruction across Sudan."

"Across Sudan," Blinken continued, "the RSF and allied militias have terrorized women and girls through sexual violence, attacking them in their homes, kidnapping them from the streets, or targeting those trying to flee. In haunting echoes of the genocide that began almost 20 years ago in Darfur, we have seen an explosion of targeted violence against some of the same survivors communities."

Over 12,000 have been killed since the conflict began April 15, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

BIDEN ADMIN'S DRIVE FOR GREEN ENERGY LEADS TO ACCUSATIONS OF FORCED CHILD LABOR MINING FOR EV BATTERY METALS

People flee their neighborhood amid fighting between the army and paramilitaries in Khartoum on April 19, 2023.

In addition, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, Sudan has "one of the worlds largest displacement crises."

"About 5.3 million people have been displaced within Sudan," OCHA stated this past week, citing the International Organization for Migration Displacement Tracking Matrix. It added that about 1.3 million people crossed into neighboring countries.

"Achieving a sustainable solution requires ending violence and resuming a civilian-owned political process to form a civilian government and restore Sudans democratic transition," the State Department spokesperson continued. "Our message is clear and consistent: The United States and our regional and international partners are unified in calling for the parties to immediately end the fighting in Sudan, and for the SAF and the RSF to silence the guns."

The message may be clear, but critics say it is not being delivered with sufficient persuasion.

"It is difficult to end such a war unless a powerful regional or international force would intervene directly," Walid Phares told Fox News Digital. Phares is a Washington-based foreign policy expert and secretary general of the Transatlantic Parliamentary Group. He is the author of 15 books, including "Iran and Imperialist Republic and U.S. Policy."

"But no neighboring government, Arab country, or international party was willing to partake in such a mission," Phares added.

"In the era of the Ukraine war, and now since Oct. 7 and the Gaza war, literally all players are focused on their national interest and not peacemaking in a difficult and large country. Sudan is too large and too complex to digest."

"The Biden administration is dealing with too many crises as it is entering its election year. From today's attacks by the Houthi Iran-backed militia against civilian ships in the Red Sea, to the Ukraine war, to the transfer of power to the Taliban, and last but not least the Gaza War, the Biden administration is perceived as weak and unable to act internationally. Thus regarding Sudan, Washington is idle, vague and seems to not intervene to stop the tragedy," Phares said.

US TAKES AIM AT KREMLIN OVER RUSSIA-AFRICA SUMMIT: 'NO MEANINGFUL COMMITMENTS'

A wounded man lies in a Doctors Without Borders hospital, where refugees receive treatment after fleeing ethnic violence in Ardamata, West Darfur, in the border town of Adre, Chad, Nov. 10, 2023.

Opperman agreed. She told Fox News Digital: "Any intervention through peace talks will merely be words on paper. Indeed, a hopeless case. There needs to be a complete rethink beyond the two leaders, the two bullets, now at play. That will take time."

"What is the United States doing with its sanctions?" Opperman asked: "Its voice, and its influence is diminishing by the day."

Opperman believes the leaders of both warring factions in Sudan "have one aspiration, and that is to become president. But we are currently looking at warlords in full force. To talk about an official Sudanese army at this point in time is a joke."

Sudan researcher Eric Reeves also has little faith that peace talks in Saudi Arabia, in which the U.S. are involved, will bear any fruit. He is concerned that such fruit, and other food and aid, are not getting through to Sudans civilians. "The convoy routes from Port Sudan (a principal supply corridor) are even more dangerous  and thus less used  than just a few weeks ago," Reeves told Fox News Digital. "The perfect storm for large-scale famine is visible... and the international community really has not engaged in a useful way. It is an unspeakably grim outlook."

Enter the Russians, in the shady shape of the Wagner Group, literally a combination of mercenaries and precious metal extractors.

Phares notes, "The Wagner group now seems to have chosen a partner in Sudan, the (rebel) RSF, complicating the situation further."

MILLIONS IN EASTERN CONGO IN NEED OF URGENT CARE AS HUMANITARIAN CRISIS, SEXUAL VIOLENCE WORSEN, UN SAYS

Opperman added: "Wagner cannot be ignored in Sudan." The Wagner Group mines gold in Sudan, and exports it, with the proceeds reportedly helping to bankroll its war against Ukraine. Wagner reportedly supports the anti-government RSF and, Opperman told Fox News Digital, wants this African conflict to continue: "Wagner will counter any attempt at seeking a democratic consolidation within Sudan, because of the economic profits they are making from the mining industry. Ignoring darkening Sudan will be a pivotal mistake."

Sudan is a key country for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Rebekah Koffler told Fox News Digital. Koffler is president of Doctrine & Strategy Consulting, and a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer. "Moscow views Sudan as the key 'gate to Africa.' Gold mining and the establishment of a Red Sea naval base at Port Sudan are top priorities."

Demonstrators carry banners in Bangui, on March 22, 2023, during a march in support of Russia and China's presence in the Central African Republic.

"Now that Iranian proxies have turned the Red Sea into a battlefield disrupting maritime traffic through the Suez Canal," Koffler continued, "Putin wants to make sure Russia is positioned well in this geographic choke point."

"Putin is not necessarily pulling the strings in Sudan, but Russia is taking advantage of the conflict and is fueling it to some extent, by flowing new weapons, riot gear and fighters, through the Wagner Group."

"Wagner is not acting on its own", claims Koffler. "They are a proxy force of the Russian government that directs their activities at the strategic, but not tactical, level. Wagner is effectively executing Putins Great Game in Africa."

Meanwhile, many of the ordinary men, women and children of Sudan are homeless  and hungry. "The humanitarian appeals for Sudan are largely unfunded," the Norwegian Refugee Councils Vu told Fox News Digital, "After nine months of constant violence and displacements, we are reaching the limits. The international solidarity must step up and fund the response."

Opperman is pessimistic about the future: "Sudan, yet again, is repeating its own history and inclination to destroy itself by means of warlords."

As a solution, Phares believes the U.S. should move firmly, and now. "Washington should have at least moved to stop the most recent massacres in West Darfur perpetrated by the old Jihadi Janjaweed, who were responsible  according to the U.N.  of a genocide against Black Africans in 2004-2005," he said. "The U.S. should lead a peace force, enter Geneina, the capital of Darfur, and establish a safe zone."

However, Phares has reservations: "One could believe that short of a massive change in U.S. foreign policy by early 2025, the Sudan conflict will still be raging, and possibly all other tensions in the region as well. One more time, it is a presidential election in the U.S. that could impact Sudan and the world."





Original article source: Genocide, famine in Sudan as Biden admin accused of being idle
PORTLAND, Ore. (PORTLAND TRIBUNE)  George Fox University will utilize a hefty grant to strengthen female preachers ability to spread the gospel in more engaging and effective ways.

The $1.25 million grant is one of 81 meted to organizations across the country by the Lilly Endowments Compelling Preaching Initiative, which aims to foster and support preaching that inspires, encourages and guides people to come to know and love God and to live out their Christian faith more fully, a release from George Fox said.

Investigators close Barbur Blvd. after driver died in single-car crash

The grants from the national organization totaled more than $95 million and ranged from $275,000 to $1.25 million. Locally, they will be administered through George Foxs Portland Seminary and its partnership with Religion for Her, a female-led online learning community.

The grants were awarded via a competitive process and went to a broad spectrum of Christian traditions in the United States, the release said, including mainline Protestant, Evangelical, Catholic, Orthodox, Anabaptist and Pentecostal faith communities.

1 person dies after stabbing at MAX station

Since the earliest days of Christianity, preaching has played a key role in communicating the good news of Gods love and nourishing the spiritual lives of Christians and their communities, Christopher Coble, the Lilly Endowments vice president for religion, said. Throughout history, preachers often have needed to adapt their preaching practices to engage new generations of hearers more effectively.

Read more at PortlandTribune.com.

The Portland Tribune and its parent company Pamplin Media Group are KOIN 6 News media partners

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
GEORGETOWN, Texas - The Christmas spirit was alive and well in Georgetown on Monday morning, with a first-of-its-kind event in the town square.

"We found out about this about an hour ago on Facebook, and we thought, well, let's come out and support them," said Michelle Cousineau of Georgetown.

The Georgetown Beard Club hosted the first-ever Christmas Day Coffee and Hot Chocolate on the Square.

"About five days ago, we posted it on social media, and within 2 hours I had all the funding that I needed," said Michael Price of the Georgetown Beard Club.

For two hours on a chilly Christmas morning, hundreds of people bundled up and stopped by the town square for a warm beverage, along with muffins, pastries and breakfast tacos, all donated by local businesses.

"We opened up some presents and then let mom get some rest and get out of the house for a little bit," said Zach Goebel of Georgetown.

"I think it's great. People who don't know each other get a chance to meet and make some new friendships," said Jeff Cousineau of Georgetown.

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Organizers also handed out warm coats and cold weather bags to those in need.

"We take care of each other here and are all welcome at the table," said Price.

"We all still come together and help one another," said Pam Holifield of Jarrell.

Despite Georgetowns massive population boom, as it was dubbed the fastest-growing city two years in a row, events like this keep the sense of community alive.

"That is the most amazing feeling for us," said Price.

"Ive been here since 2009, and it has grown so much. But we still have that small town feel to it," said Pam Holifield.

"Since my wife and I moved here a few years ago, its just a town with a sense of community. It feels like more and more of a rare thing in this day and age," said Goebel.

"Regardless of our viewpoints or political stuff, any of that, to just be a community again," said Jay Holifield of Jarrell.

The Beard Club says they have every intention of bringing this event back next year.
GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN)  Earlier this month, the nations fastest growing city adopted its Future Mobility Plan. It laid out improvements that could help local roads keep up with the rapidly growing population over the next 10-25 years.

Census Bureau: Texas continues to top the charts with fastest-growing cities

The Georgetown City Council adopted the plan at its December 12 meeting. The plan analyzed traffic data across the city, identifying several high-crash areas and areas prone to traffic bottlenecking.

In its recommendations, the plan suggested realignments of certain thoroughfares in the city, road classification changes, additional roadways that could extend connectivity, and roads that could be removed in the future.

The plan said many of these areas identified are already undergoing some form of improvement, such as the areas around Williams Drive and the countys Southwest Bypass Extension project.

Lua Saluone, Georgetown transportation manager, said the last time the city evaluated its transportation master plan was back in 2015. He said the rapid growth thats happened since then, which is projected to continue, prompted this new assessment.

He said the new plan has mostly tentative ideas laid out in it, depending on growth over the next couple decades things could change.

We model it out 10 years, 15 years, 25 years, right. So theres not necessarily a plan of when these roads would come in. Its as it develops and as as its needed, right. So if we see a dip in development or growth were not going to go ahead and build these roads, Saluone said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
A GOP experiment forcing low-income people to work to qualify for public health insurance benefits is stumbling in Georgia.

The states Republican governor, Brian Kemp, expected 31,000 Georgians to sign up in the first year of the program, which started in July. Through four months, only 1,800 people enrolled  and critics blame the paltry expansion on an overly complex program with too many hurdles for people to clear.

With such low enrollment numbers [in Georgia], it does feel a bit like that, said Chris Pope, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank. "Its a mountain of paperwork, and its burdensome for people who are in a tough spot."

Democrats have long tried to persuade red states to expand the federal Medicaid program and bring health insurance to more of their most vulnerable residents. The Biden administration sweetened the pot in 2021 with additional federal money, but GOP officials, including Kemp, have been reluctant to take the offer unless they can tie benefits to employment.

The slow uptake in the Georgia program has done little to change the states double-digit uninsured rate, one of the highest in the U.S. And it could dissuade other red states that have yet to expand Medicaid  including nearby Alabama, Mississippi and South Carolina  from following in Georgias footsteps even as they come under increasing pressure from the health care industry to expand the government-run health insurance program.

Some in Georgia, however, maintain its too early to draw conclusions about the program and that many people may still be unaware the program exists.



Ive got my fingers crossed its going to be a good solution, said Georgia state Rep. Lee Hawkins, a Republican who chairs the House health committee. Getting the word out is always difficult with any new program.

Georgia is the only state that has a Medicaid work requirement, though Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, recently proposed one to entice the Republican legislature. Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is awaiting federal approval for a similar idea.

Work requirements were a feature of the Trump administrations plans to overhaul Medicaid, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved them in 13 states. But court rulings and the Covid-19 pandemic snarled implementation, and the Biden administration subsequently rescinded the approvals. Georgia, however, won a federal court challenge in 2022 allowing it to implement the policy while partially expanding Medicaid.

The move followed years of public debate over whether to expand the low-income health insurance program, with Democrats making it the centerpiece of gubernatorial campaigns in 2018 and 2022.

Kemp, who won both those elections, opted instead to limit expanded coverage to adults earning up to the federal poverty line  $14,580 for a single person or $30,000 for a family of four. But coverage for this new group is available only to those who document they are working, studying or volunteering 80 hours a month.

It feels like a political compromise between people who wanted an expansion and people who didnt want an expansion, Pope said. And it ended up being a fairly slight expansion.

Republicans in Georgia urge patience and note that the state Medicaid agency has been busy reviewing eligibility for millions of people for the first time since the pandemic.

As with any newly launched program, we expect enrollment to build over time, a health department spokesperson said.

Kemps office did not respond to a request for comment.

For those on the right who have long wanted to limit Medicaid, the low enrollment numbers are proof that too many people are content to rely on government help that they dont need instead of finding employment or going to school.

As so few able-bodied adults are willing to work, train or volunteer even part time to qualify for the Pathways program, its clear that a full expansion would discourage employment for those who can work and risk resources meant for the truly needy  low-income children and people with disabilities, said Jonathan Ingram, vice president of policy and research at the Foundation for Government Accountability.



There is bipartisan agreement that the lack of awareness about the program is also likely contributing to the low enrollment.

Its still early, and I think people need to be educated, said Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.). I wouldnt read too much into that at this point.

For opponents of the limited expansion, the slow start has led to renewed calls for the state to adopt full Medicaid expansion, covering people who earn up to 138 percent of the poverty level without work requirements.

Pathways to Coverage has cost Georgia more money and covers far fewer people than if the state simply joined 40 other states in expanding Medicaid, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) said in a statement to POLITICO. While state politicians continue playing games with peoples lives, Georgians are dying because they cant afford the health care they need.

The final judgment on Georgias program could determine whether red states try again to impose Medicaid work requirements, especially if a Republican wins the White House.

Making sure that the path is cleared, and states like Georgia taking the lead, might help create a new pathway that is seen as less full of barriers and obstacles, said Nina Owcharenko Schaefer, director of the Center for Health and Welfare Policy at the Heritage Foundation. Its important to have these kinds of experiments. We have to learn from them. They're not intended to be, hit it out of the ballpark in one hit.

In Kansas, Kellys proposal  to add a work requirement that is reported once a year  is a concession that comes after five failed attempts to convince the Republican-dominated legislature to expand Medicaid.

The governors office rejected the idea that its program will face a similar fate to Georgias.

The reason theyve struggled to get few enrollees is because of the bureaucratic hurdles people have to jump through to prove theyre working, said Kelly spokesperson Brianna Johnson.

Arkansas has an application pending before CMS to reinstall work requirements, but beneficiaries wont lose coverage for not complying. Instead, beneficiaries will receive more care coordination, services and outreach.



The state imposed requirements in 2018, and more than 18,000 people lost coverage over seven months. A federal judge struck down the program in 2019, ruling that work requirements undermine Medicaids primary mission to provide health care.

Courts also struck down work requirement programs in New Hampshire and Kentucky. Other states like Arizona and Indiana paused their programs due in part to actions in other states.

Liberals hope the Georgia programs slow uptake gives states pause before trying anything similar under a future Republican administration.

Given where we are with the enrollment, it seems that would be extraordinarily foolish, said Joan Alker, executive director of Georgetown Universitys Center for Children and Families. Never say never, but  the fact that nobody is getting covered doesnt address the pressures that states are feeling.
Gas prices in Georgia are on the rise, now five cents higher than the week before, according to AAAs gas price tracker.

In the past month, prices at the pump have gone up 22 cents, making a 15-gallon tank cost more than $45 to fill, on average, the company said in a Christmas Day release.

Compared to last year, AAA said Georgians are paying about $5 more to fill up than they did last year. The state average on Christmas Day was $3.01 per gallon for unleaded gasoline.

AAA said one reason gas prices are going up is conflict in the Middle East.

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The upward trend in crude oil prices, and attacks on ships in the Red Sea caused gas prices to increase across the country, said Montrae Waiters, AAA-The Auto Club Group spokeswoman. This is not the news Georgians wanted to hear ahead of the new year, but unless wholesale gasoline prices change course and drop considerably, pump prices may continue to rise.

Despite the overall trend upward, Georgia gas prices are still lower than the national average of $3.12.

In the Atlanta metro area, prices are highest in Fulton County, according to AAAs tracker. The countys average gallon of gas is costing drivers $3.16.

Still, Fulton County gas prices arent the worst.

In Georgia, the highest gas prices are in Treutlen County, where they have a reported $3.22 per gallon, while the lowest is right at the Tennessee border in Dade County at $2.81 per gallon.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
Some family photos are just so awkward, they deserve to be in a museum.

The Columbus Museum in Columbus, Georgia is hosting an exhibit brought to the public by AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com. Through Jan. 7, visitors can explore more than 200 blown-up portraits that bring laughter, nostalgia, and a celebration of the wonderfully imperfect moments that define family life," according to the museum's website.

Joel Reyna looks at an Awkward Family Photos exhibition at the Haggin Museum in Stockton, California, on April 4, 2021.

Awkward family photos are nothing new but there's been rising interest in recent years in people purposefully creating  or re-creating  their own or sharing their favorites with the #jcpenneyportraits hashtag.

"Were just so glad to see people coming in and laughing and reminiscing, and going, Oh, this reminds me of this picture, or even just a story of something that happened in their own family," Rebecca Bush, the Columbus Museums curator of history and exhibitions manager, told WAGA-TV in Atlanta.

How to view the awkward family photos exhibit

The Columbus Museum is in the middle of renovations, so the gallery has been assigned a temporary location that happens to be an old photography studio where similar photos were once captured, the outlet reported.

The awkward family photo exhibit is 1327 Wynnton Road in Columbus. The gallery will be up and running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time Tuesday through Saturday until Jan. 7. Entrance is free.

If you can't make it to Georgia, the exhibit will be heading to the Ellen Noel Art Museum in Odessa, Texas, from March to June, the Spiva Center for the Arts in Joplin, Missouri, in July and August, and the Laurel Historical Society in Laurel, Maryland, from September to November. Check here for exact dates and other information.

Past exhibits have been held across the U.S., from Santa Monica, California to Middlebury, Vermont.

Viral awkward family photos

Of course, there isn't an exhibit large enough to contain all of the awkward family photo gold. Here are a few of the internet's most viral birthed from the JCPenney Portraits trend this holiday season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Columbus Museum in Georgia hosts awkward family photo exhibit
Rome police on Monday contacted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's security team, who confirmed there was no emergency at the congresswoman's home and the police response was called off. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI

Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said she was targeted by a "swatting" hoax on Christmas Day after a caller reported a bogus shooting and potential suicide at the lawmaker's residence in Rome, Georgia.

"I was just swatted. This is like the 8th time. On Christmas with my family here," Greene, R-Ga., posted Monday on X.

An unidentified man from Rome, N.Y., placed the emergency call to the suicide prevention hotline in Rome, Ga., falsely claiming that he shot his girlfriend inside Greene's home and next planned to take his own life.

The emergency call led to a 911 dispatch that sent officers scrambling toward Greene's home.

Before deputies arrived, local authorities reached out to Greene's security team, who confirmed there was no such emergency and the police response was called off, according to Rome police Major Rodney Bailey.

Police have not disclosed whether they were able to trace the prank call.

Greene, who represents the 14th Congressional District in northwest Georgia, including Rome, Calhoun, and Dalton, thanked police for responding quickly.

"My local police are the GREATEST and shouldn't have to deal with this. I appreciate them so much and my family and I are in joyous spirits celebrating the birth of our savior Jesus Christ!" Greene wrote.

Elsewhere, Rep. Brandon Williams, R-N.Y., said he was also targeted by a swatting incident on Monday.

"Our home was swatted this afternoon," Williams said. "Thanks to the Deputies and Troopers who contacted me before arriving. They left with homemade cookies and spiced nuts! Merry Christmas everyone!"

Swatting involves perpetrators falsely reporting a critical incident such as a violent crime with the goal of prompting a SWAT team-like response to a targeted location.

The incidents are notorious for wasting valuable law enforcement resources while they often lead to serious criminal charges for offenders.

Greene has been targeted by the practice numerous times over the past year, with callers falsely reporting shootings and other various crimes in and around her home.

In 2017, Thomas Finch was shot dead by a police officer in his Kansas home in a swatting incident. Tyler Bariss, of Los Angeles, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to making the call.
Police stand at the entrance to Cologne Cathedral before the start of early mass on Christmas Day. Due to indications of a planned Islamist attack, the police have stepped up security measures. Roberto Pfeil/dpa

German police said Tuesday that a man had been taken into custody in connection with a possible plot to attack the iconic Cologne Cathedral on New Year's Eve.

Police detained five men as they searched an apartment in the town of Wesel, some 100 kilometres north of Cologne, on Sunday.

While four of them were later released, a 30-year-old Tajik man remained in custody in order to "avert danger," a statement said.

A district court has confirmed the detention order until January 7 at the request of the Cologne police.

Police have revealed little about the man, but said they had obtained information that was relevant to state security.

"We are exhausting all legal possibilities to protect the people, the cathedral and the upcoming New Year's Eve celebrations," Cologne police chief Michael Esser said in a brief statement.

The police said they would not provide any information on the man nor his link to cathedral threat due to their ongoing investigations.

The police had increased security measures at Cologne Cathedral on Saturday due to indications of a possible attack planned by an Islamist group on December 31, dpa has learned.

While religious services continue to take place, the cathedral has been closed to tourists until further notice.

Cologne's Cathedral, a major tourist draw located right next to the city's central train station, is usually visited by more than 100,000 people between Christmas and New Year.

Careful checks of people entering Cologne Cathedral ahead of the traditional Christmas Eve service on Sunday were without incident, a police spokeswoman said on Monday.

The surroundings of the cathedral, where police had increased their presence, had also remained quiet, she said.
(Bloomberg) -- A dormant North Korean port near the border with Russia has sprung back to life, fueling what experts say is a burgeoning trade in arms destined for the frontlines in Ukraine that is simultaneously bolstering the anemic economy managed by Kim Jong Un.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Satellite imagery of the Najin port taken from October to December shows a steady stream of ships at the facility, hundreds of shipping containers being loaded and unloaded, and rail cars ready to transport goods.

The activity appears to have picked up since early October, when the US accused North Korea of sending munitions to Russia. The White House provided imagery it said showed weapons later being delivered thousands of miles away to a depot in the Russian town of Tikhoretsk for use in Ukraine.

The flow of munitions that the US and South Korea say have included hundreds of thousands of artillery shells could grow far greater in importance as divisions in the US Congress and European Union over military aid threaten Kyivs ability to repel Russian President Vladimir Putins invasion.

Pyongyangs decision to deliver munitions at scale once again underscores the grave threat that North Korea poses to international security, this time feeding a conflagration on European soil that has already cost the lives of tens of thousands of Ukrainians and consumed tens of billions of dollars in Western military support, according to a report by the Royal United Services Institute, a UK security think tank.

Pyongyang, which has been banned from arms sales for about 15 years, has repeatedly rejected accusations it is supplying Russia.

Analysis of the satellite data suggests otherwise. In a recent example, an image from Dec. 9 seems to show the Russian container ship Angara, sanctioned by the US, in Najins port unloading cargo while containers from North Korea await loading at an adjacent pier.

Satellite imagery shows that round trips of cargo vessels between Najin, North Korea, and Dunay, Russia, have continued unabatedly despite additional US sanctions and widespread reporting on this activity in the past few months, said Jaewoo Shin, an analyst at the Open Nuclear Network in Vienna.

Shin said that while the nature of the cargo cant be confirmed with available imagery, the number of round trips and transferred containers suggest a significant and ongoing exchange, possibly including weapons and other military supplies.

As the North Korea-Russia trade picks up, the flow of US military aid to Kyiv has been increasingly under threat, with the Pentagon saying it will run out of money to replace weapons sent to Ukraine by Dec. 30 unless Congress approves additional funding. Thats unlikely now, with most lawmakers out of Washington for the year-end holidays.

With an effective stalemate on the battlefield, the Kremlin is increasingly confident Russia can consolidate its control over occupied regions of eastern and southern Ukraine and wait for international support for Ukraine to erode. Putin said this month that therell be peace when we achieve our goals.

For many US partners, the flagging support for Ukraine is tied in part to a much-vaunted counteroffensive during the spring and summer that failed to deliver on the high expectations of allies.

Read: Zelenskiy Feels the Chill From Ukraines Allies in a Tough Week

While satellite imagery shows steady activity at Najin, the vessels docking there appear to have turned off international maritime transponders that give their location, effectively turning them into ghost ships as they make the relatively short trip between Najin and Dunay  also written as Dunai  about 180 kilometers (110 miles) away. The Central Intelligence Agency identified the port as a Soviet submarine base during the Cold War, according to a document obtained by RUSI, the UK think tank.

RUSIs October report analyzed dozens of high-resolution images that it concluded showed a few cargo vessels repeatedly making the trip between Najin and Dunay, likely packed with North Korean arms that are then sent across Russia.

That trade appears to have continued in the time since the report was published, according to Joseph Byrne, a research fellow at RUSI and co-author of the report.

There has been a continuation of deliveries by these vessels, he said, adding there is a continuation of the unloading of boxes loaded in Russia and delivered to North Korea and then the loading of containers that have seemingly comes down from rail cars from other places in North Korea to apparently be shipped back to Russian military facilities.

South Koreas National Intelligence Service told lawmakers in November there had been about 10 shipments of weapons from North Korea to Russia since August, likely encompassing more than 1 million rounds of artillery. North Korea holds some of the worlds largest stores of munitions, much of it interoperable with weapons Russia has on the front lines.

About six weeks later, Ive seen no signs of the transfer rate slowing down  so for all we know thats another half million shells, said weapons expert Joost Oliemans, who co-authored the book The Armed Forces of North Korea.

Oliemans said hes identified four types of munitions that have been a part of recent deliveries: 120 millimeter mortars, 122mm and 152 mm artillery shells and 122 mm rockets based on an analysis of what is making its way to the front lines.

The situation on the battlefield is impacted by those deliveries, he said. Rather than seeing a notable change in tactics or swaths of land suddenly changing hands, it will allow Russia to keep up much higher pressure for longer on Ukrainian forces.

An extra one million shells means about 2,700 rounds more per day Russia could fire at Ukraine, which is already having trouble procuring artillery and may face more difficulty if aid from the US isnt secured.

How much exactly North Korea will be able to deliver is anyones guess, Oliemans said, adding that deliveries will likely slow down once inventories become depleted, with North Koreas manufacturing capabilities insufficient to keep up with the pace of demand.

Russias importance to North Korea had waned after the end of the Cold War, with China becoming Pyongyangs biggest benefactor. Trade between Russia and North Korea slowed to a trickle when Kim shut the borders at the start of the pandemic.

But as Covid protections eased, and international sanctions hung over Moscow and Pyongyang, the two rekindled ties, finding they each had something the other wanted and could trade without real repercussions from the outside world.

Kim heralded the glorious course of development his country has been taking over the past year as his ruling party opened a policy-setting meeting, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Wednesday.

The assistance Kim receives from Russia is easing the pressure of years of sanctions over his increasing nuclear arsenal and potentially making the already-tense situation on the Korean Peninsula worse.

With both Kim and Putin recognizing the utility and benefits of partnership, cooperation is likely to continue between North Korea and Russia into next year, said Soo Kim, a former Korea analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency, who now works at US-based management consulting firm LMI.

The give-and-take between the two countries is unlikely to be stopped so long as the international consequences  sanctions, reputational shaming  remain symbolic and largely insufficient to deter bad behavior, she said.

--With assistance from Kevin Varley.

(Updates with North Koreas policy meeting.)

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A 5-year-old girl was killed in a house fire in Englewood early Tuesday morning, according to police and fire officials.

Firefighters and police responded to a multifamily home in the 500 block of West Marquette Road around 7:15 a.m. A passing ambulance saw smoke coming from the window of a second-floor apartment, Deputy Commissioner Marc Ferman of the Chicago Fire Department told reporters Tuesday morning.

When firefighters arrived minutes later, they got word that a child was still inside the burning apartment, Ferman said. The 5-year-old girl was dead by the time firefighters reached her.

These guys got in quick. They extinguished this fire pretty quick, Ferman said.  They knew where to look, but unfortunately the child was deceased when they found her.

The two-floor, four-unit brick building is across the street from Benjamin E. Mays Elementary Academy and Zacks Food Mart, both shuttered for the holiday week.

The child shared the apartment with her parents and two siblings  an infant and a 6-year-old. Both siblings survived the fire uninjured, Ferman said.

The girls father was injured while trying to get into the apartment, Fire Department spokesperson Larry Langford said. He had been trying to rescue his family members from the fire, Ferman said.

The man was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center with non-life-threatening burns, Langford said.

Ferman became emotional as he described the fire to reporters Tuesday morning.

Its always tough, with children especially, Ferman said. Its rough on the family, of course, and even the guys that responded. Just looking in their eyes, coming out knowing that they couldnt get there in time.

As firefighters battled the blaze Tuesday morning, several windows were blown out. Firefighters stepped around a burned laundry hamper and the splinters of a coffee table on their way in and out of the building.

The preliminary cause of the fire is careless use of smoking materials, Langford said.

Firefighters are looking into the possibility that someone in the house was playing with matches or a lighter, Ferman said.

We just want to reinforce and monitor children with playing with matches, Ferman said.

The building remained blocked off midmorning as fire and police personnel sifted through rubble on the second floor. Flames charred the roof of the building Tuesday morning, coating cars below with ashy debris.

The family whose apartment burned will be displaced due to the level of damage, Ferman said. The unit directly below may also have been damaged.

Tuesday morning, residents of other units in the building gathered in a nearby lot, some in their cars and some still in pajamas. They declined to comment. Several families shared a large box of White Castle sliders with emergency personnel as they waited for updates.

Check back for updates.
Renowned Australian chef Bill Granger - the "godfather" of avocado toast - has died.

A self-taught cook from Melbourne, Granger became a celebrated global restaurateur and food writer.

He passed away in a London hospital on Christmas Day, aged 54, his wife and three daughters by his side.

"He will be remembered as the 'King of Breakfast', for making unpretentious food into something special filled with sunshine," they said on Instagram.

"He will be deeply missed by all."

His cause of death has not been made public by his family.

Over his 30-year career, Granger published 14 cookbooks, made multiple television cooking shows, opened more than a dozen restaurants around the world, and won legions of fans - many his own peers.

Celebrities including Australian actor Hugh Jackman, former Masterchef Australia judge Matt Preston and culinary legend Jamie Oliver were among those who paid tribute to the star as a kind, lively and charming man.

"He was the loveliest man, and the joy he gave us - whether through his food, his books, the spaces he made for us or in person - came from the kindness and generosity and sheer, shining exuberance of his very self," food author and TV chef Nigella Lawson wrote on Instagram.

"So devastated for his family. It's too cruel."

Granger began his career in 1993, after he dropped out of art school to open his first restaurant in Sydney when he was just 23 years old.

Bills - a sunny corner cafe - became renowned for simple dishes like avocado toast, ricotta pancakes with honeycomb butter, and top-quality coffee.

Its popularity exploded, and from there he opened more cafes in Japan, Korea and London, where he also created an offshoot chain called Granger & Co.

Australian chef Darren Robertson said Granger had "changed the entire breakfast game" while Masterchef Australia alumnus Adam Liaw described him as "arguably [the] most influential pioneer of modern Australian food".

"His 'sunny'... codification of Australian cafe culture at Bills is the model on which every Australian cafe around the world is now built. Great guy, too," Liaw wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Such was his impact that in January, Granger was recognised with the Medal of the Order of Australia - one of the country's top honours - for his contribution to tourism and hospitality.

Speaking to the BBC in 2019, the chef reflected on the humble foundations of his breakfast empire.

"I've done all these extraordinary things, just from liking to cook pancakes and scrambled eggs, which is pretty amazing."

Granger is survived by his wife and business partner, Natalie Elliott, and his three daughters, Edie, Ines and Bunny.

The British Broadcasting Corporation
A Republican congressional candidate posted an image of a Christmas tree decorated with ornaments of Democrats in nooses and later expressed regret after being hit with backlash.

Former West Virginia state lawmaker Derrick Evans shared and quickly deleted the image, which showed miniature versions of politicians like President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Barack Obama and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., hanging from nooses, according to The Messenger. A Donald Trump ornament beside the display appears to be raising his hand in approval of the hangings.

WEST VIRGINIA: A Christmas tweet from Derrick Evans, who resigned from the WV house after being charged for his role in the insurrection 



He says he is now running for congress. pic.twitter.com/kouf7Sebjd  The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) December 25, 2023

After his post to X, formerly Twitter, was screencapped and embroiled in backlash, Evans claimed the pictured tree wasn't his and conceded that the image of the president hanging by a noose wasn't a good way to celebrate the holiday.

"Not my tree. Not my ornaments. Not in good taste. NOT a call for violence," Evans tweeted. "I shouldn't have used a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus for anything political (good taste or poor taste). Let's go celebrate this time with our families in love and peace."

Not my tree.



Not my ornaments.



Not in good taste.



NOT a call for violence.



I shouldnt have used a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus for anything political (good taste or poor taste). Lets go celebrate this time with our families in love and peace.  Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) December 25, 2023

"Ive been very clear that I do NOT support violence," he added in a separate post before making a "Home Alone" reference.

Ive been very clear that I do NOT support violence.



Have a Merry Christmas ya filthy animals!  Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) December 25, 2023

Evans, who resigned in January 2021 from the West Virginia House of Delegates after being federally charged over his participation in the Jan. 6, Capitol riot, is running for Congress in 2024.

He is a vocal supporter of Trump and the former president's baseless claims about the 2020 presidential contest being fraudulent and stolen. The former West Virginia legislator pleaded guilty to one felony count of civil disorder in March 2022 and later served a 3-month sentence in federal prison for his role in the riot, during which he livestreamed his felonious activities on Facebook, according to NBC News.

Were taking this country back whether you like it or not!  Shame on all of you!  You listen to your liberal mayor instead of the Constitution  Patriots aint being quiet anymore. Patriots aint gonna stand down to tyranny anymore! Patriots aint gonna stand down for stolen elections anymore! prosecutors said Evans yelled.

I bet Trump would pardon anybody who gets arrested for goin in there," he said on the livestream.

Evans said he was only in the Capitol for approximately 10 minutes.

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

On the second anniversary of the Capitol attack, the West Virginian announced he was running for Congress.

"I chose today to announce my bid for the House of Representatives because it is an important anniversary in US history," he wrote at the time. "While my name will indelibly be part of it, we should also use as a chance to remind ourselves about why democracy is so important and how easily it can be threatened."

In another Christmas Day post this year, Evans exclaimed that "Trump Won" after asking his followers to keep Jan. 6 prisoners in their thoughts during the holidays.

"Please remember my fellow January 6th Patriots today. Im happy to be out of prison and home with my family, but others are not as fortunate," he tweeted. "Prison is hard in general, but holidays are much harder. So many families being hurt by this illegitimate Biden regime."

Please remember my fellow January 6th Patriots today. Im happy to be out of prison and home with my family, but others are not as fortunate.



Prison is hard in general, but holidays are much harder. So many families being hurt by this illegitimate Biden regime.



Trump Won!  Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) December 25, 2023
Congress faces more government funding headaches in 2024 as lawmakers stare down what could be steeper spending cuts than leaders bargained for as part of a previous bipartisan budget deal.

Under legislation Congress passed last year to raise the debt ceiling, known as the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA), lawmakers agreed to budget caps for defense and nondefense spending for fiscal 2024.

House conservatives have since sought to lower spending under those caps, and the House and Senate have yet to complete their 12 annual spending bills.

Thats raising concerns that automatic spending cuts set into the deal to incentivize lawmakers to act quickly will go into effect, making cuts on both sides of the ledger.

Changes in Congressional Budget Office scoring have complicated matters further. When the deal was initially struck, it was thought that defense spending would be hit harder by the automatic cuts than nondefense spending. But the scores have reversed that outlook, and nondefense spending prized by Democrats could be set for much deeper cuts.

No one seems quite sure what will happen next.

The world is our oyster in terms of possibilities here, said Marc Goldwein, senior vice president and senior policy director for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. I dont have any expectations, and I dont think anyone really knows what is going to happen.

The 1 percent cut

PUEBLO, COLORADO  NOVEMBER 29: US President Joe Biden speaks about Bidenomics at CS Wind on November 29, 2023 in Pueblo, Colorado. CS Wind, the largest wind turbine tower manufacturer in the world, recently announced they were expanding operations as a direct result of the Inflation Reduction Act. (Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)

Lawmakers agreed under the FRA to cap base discretionary spending in the next fiscal year to $1.59 trillion. That includes a ceiling of about $886 billion for defense spending and almost $704 billion for nondefense spending.

Experts say a handshake agreement made as part of the larger debt limit deal would allow for north of $60 billion in additional funding on the nondefense side.

Lawmakers were expected to work from these numbers when crafting their 12 annual funding bills, but the law also included a penalty meant to incentivize the House and Senate to finish their work by Jan. 1.

More Congress coverage from The Hill

Under the penalty, Biden officials say, a 1 percent cut to defense and nondefense programs  made from fiscal 2023 funding levels  will be enforced after April 30 if the Jan. 1 deadline is missed.

The inclusion of the penalty drew immediate pushback from defense hawks at the time, who worried about how an across-the-board cut would impact national security.

As part of the debt deal that set new spending ceilings, defense spending was given a 3 percent increase from the previous fiscal years levels. Experts said the overall deal would effectively freeze nondefense spending year over year when accounting for the handshake deal, though hard-line conservatives are pushing for leadership to abandon the agreement.

Experts and congressional aides are now warning that nondefense funding could wind up seeing a harder hit from the threat of the automatic 1 percent cut. This is because the new scoring by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) shows funding for nondefense is over $30 billion higher than its recorded levels initially set by lawmakers for fiscal 2023.

Experts and aides say the increase is due to a combination of factors, including funding changes for veterans programs and the Indian Health Service.

On the other side, aides say dollars for defense could see a cut, known as sequestration, of about $10 billion, if Congress fails to approve full-year spending bills by April 30.

So, both sides, if were under a part-year [stopgap funding bill] on April 30, will face that sequestration, one congressional aide said.

Some experts expect the bulk of agencies with spending subject to the annual appropriations process to suffer a blow program by program once cuts are applied, with few exceptions in areas like veterans funding.

If you are trying to figure out how to cut government, you would never do a blanket across-the-board cut because it removes your ability to do marginal prioritization, said Bobby Kogan, senior director of federal budget policy for the Center for American Progress.

If it were a 5 percent cut, then it would be 5 percent to WIC, 5 percent to LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program), 5 percent to Section 8, he said.

House Democratic Appropriators also said in a notice released during the holiday recess that the administration would have no flexibility in how to administer the cuts, while also warning the timing of the cuts could add to their severity.

Other areas of funding they warned would not be exempted from sequestration include disaster funding and supplemental funding for Israel and Ukraine.

The notice also read that a sequestration more than halfway through the year would feel more than twice as painful, as the cuts would be spread out over only 5 of 12 months.

In a memo to federal agencies over the holiday break, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) put offices on notice about the sequestration threat, but otherwise advised that agencies should continue to operate as they normally would for the time being.

OMB will determine whether or not a sequestration is required and, if required, the amount required to be sequestered, when OMB issues the Final Sequestration Report required by law, it said. That report is due on the earlier of: 15 working days after all full-year discretionary appropriations bills are enacted, OR April 30.

What about under a full-year stopgap?

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.)

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) answers questions after a closed-door House Republican Conference meeting on Thursday, November 2, 2023.

While there is a lot of concern in Washington about how the sequestration will impact federal programs in April, Democrats say a simple full-year stopgap, also known as a continuing resolution (CR), would yield steep cuts that might pose a more immediate threat to nondefense programs.

Thats something that would give new Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) potential leverage with Democrats if he moves toward a long-term CR. Johnson wants to avoid a short-term CR given opposition to a shorter measure from conservatives who ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

Once they go past January, the official caps will change to 1 percent below 2023 [levels]. But the complication is, the caps change back if they then enact full-year appropriations, Goldwein said, adding there is some ambiguity as to whether a full-year CR would be considered full-year appropriations.

Experts are waiting for the OMB to weigh in on the issue, but many think its possible the on-paper rules for the $1.59 trillion spending level would end up applying in the event of a simple full-year CR.

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If so, that begs the question of whether a component of the previous debt limit deal not reflected in the law, in which nondefense programs stood to gain additional funding through a list of budget maneuvers, will be upheld.

House Republicans have been pushing for a full-year stopgap that would run through fiscal 2024, which ends in late September, if Congress fails to meet the mid-January deadline to prevent a partial government shutdown.

The push also comes as hard-line conservatives are seeking to put pressure on Johnson to abandon any handshake agreement to plus up spending for nondefense beyond the caps written into law.

But Democrats have pushed back strongly against the idea, with top appropriators warning such a proposal could translate to 3-4 percent less for defense dollars than the levels leaders agreed to as part of the debt limit deal, and as much as a 9.4 percent cut for domestic programs, excluding Veterans Affairs medical care.

Some Republicans have also pushed back against the plan in recent weeks, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who said before the Senate left for their end-of-year recess that a CR is simply unacceptable for a year.

McConnell argues this would also hurt defense spending, and defense hawks could end up scuttling such a plan.

Its devastating, particularly for defense, and weve got all of these wars going on. So, we need to reach an agreement on the top line and get about getting an outcome as soon as possible.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Grandmother Of Juneteenth Opal Lee, Forced Out From Her Fort Worth Home By A Racist Mob In 1939, Now Gifted With The Same Land | Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Opal Lee, the 97-year-old civil rights activist who was forced to leave her familys Texas home 80 years ago when a racist mob damaged the property, has now received the same land as a gift. Lee is receiving the land from Habitat for Humanity, which builds affordable housing in communities across the U.S.

The Texas activist contacted Habitat for Humanity when she noticed that they owned the lot that once belonged to her family in Fort Worth, Texas. Gage Yager, the CEO of Trinity Habitat for Humanity, said Lee called him and asked if she could buy the land. Yager, who has known Lee for 30 years, responded with an even better offer.

You know, it pulls up on my phone, I say, Hey Opal, how are you doing?,' Yager said in an interview with WFAA. And shes like, You guys own my lot at 940 East Annie. Shes like, Gage, can I buy that lot from you? And I say, You know Opal, were not going to sell you that lot. But well give you that lot.'

Habitat Humanity also decided to build a home for Lee on the same lot.

I could have done a holy dance, I tell you, Lee told WFAA. That was really, oh boy!

As Habitat begins construction of the house, community members are also helping out with funding and labor skills. The community came together in September to break ground on the new home while celebrating Lees birthday.

Were there to partner with a friend to build a home and in a little way erase a big negative from all those years ago, Yager said. How can it not be, with all the hate and violence thats been out there  to play a small part in a bigger story and hopefully a narrative thats going in a good direction.

Lee is recognized for leading the effort to make Juneteenth a national holiday. The 97-year-old, who is known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth, has received honors for her role in social justice. Lee was chosen as an honorary guest at the White House and was also nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
In this photo released by the Romanian Emergency Services Prahova (ISU Prahova), a guesthouse is in flames, in Tohani, Romania, Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023. A huge fire at a guesthouse in Romania on Tuesday morning has left several people dead, including a child, and some people are missing, authorities said. (Romanian Emergency Services - ISU Prahova via AP)

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP)  A massive fire at a guesthouse on Tuesday morning in Romania left six people dead, including at least one child, authorities said.

Emergency intervention teams were deployed to the blaze in the village of Tohani in Prahova county, where 26 people were staying at the guesthouse, according to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations.

Initially the death toll was four. Before the emergency authorities confirmed the fourth and fifth fatality around noon, search and rescue teams were set up to find five missing persons. It wasnt immediately clear if the additional two dead had been among those listed as missing.

Authorities said they couldn't determine whether the sixth victim was an adult or a child.

Authorities said 18 people managed to escape the fire and two of them were being treated for burns. The blaze was extinguished shortly after noon but by evening, the search for the missing was still ongoing.

The affected area was about 1,000 square meters (10,800 square feet). There was no indication as to what caused the blaze.

Photos of the fire shared by emergency authorities showed a near hollowed-out structure engulfed in flames as firefighters worked to put it out.
For yet another year, hackers stole billions of dollars in crypto. But for the first time since 2020, the trend is downwards, according to crypto security firms.

This year, hackers stole around $2 billion dollars in crypto across dozens of cyberattacks and thefts, according to De.FI, the web3 security firm that runs the REKT database. The site ranks the worst-ever crypto hacks, from the breach of the Ronin network in 2022, where hackers stole more than $600 million in crypto in what stands as the largest incident in history, to the hack against Mixin Network this year, which netted the hackers around $200 million.

This amount, though dispersed across various incidents, underscores the persistent vulnerabilities and challenges within the DeFi ecosystem, De.Fi wrote in its report, which the firm shared with TechCrunch. 2023 stood as a testament to both the ongoing vulnerabilities and the strides made in addressing them, even as interest in the space was relatively muted by the ongoing bear market in the first half of the year.

Earlier in December, blockchain intelligence company TRM Labs also released an estimate of the amount of crypto stolen by hackers this year. According to the company, the total as of mid-December stood at about $1.7 billion.

Among the other worst crypto thefts of the year include the hack against Euler Finance, in which hackers stole almost $200 million; as well as major hacks against Multichain ($126 million), BonqDAO ($120 million), Poloniex ($114 million) and Atomic Wallet ($100 million), among hundreds of others.

Last year, blockchain monitoring firm Chainalysis reported that cybercriminals had stolen an all-time record of around $3.8 billion in crypto. Of those, $1.7 billion were stolen by North Korean government hackers known as Lazarus Group, one of the most prolific groups of crypto thieves, as part of an effort to fund the regime's sanctioned nuclear weapons program.

"It isnt a stretch to say that cryptocurrency hacking is a sizable chunk of the nations economy," Chainalysis said in its report last year.

The year before, hackers stole $3.3 billion in 2021, according to Chainalysis,

Its impossible to predict what will happen in 2024. But given the poor security implemented by many crypto and web3 projects and the sheer amount of monetary value they hold as discussed earlier this year at TechCrunch Disrupt, we can expect hackers to continue targeting the growing industry.

Correction: Amended attribution to the REKT Database in the second paragraph.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHU5ucl-Hqs?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=640&h=360]
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley dropped a new GOP primary ad in New Hampshire Tuesday featuring Gov. Chris Sununu (R), as Haley pushes to challenge former President Trump in the states primary.

The ad features Sununu, four-term governor of the Granite State, praising Haley as the best choice in the Jan. 23 GOP primary.

Shes a leader who builds people up. Shes a Live Free Or Die Republican who understands fiscal responsibility and individual liberty, he says in the ad, referencing the states motto. Shes a new generation of conservative leadership who can help leave behind the chaos and the drama of the past.

Sununu has become Haleys loudest surrogate in recent weeks after he officially endorsed her. Haley has risen in New Hampshire polls, becoming the first candidate to come within striking distance of Trumps primary lead in any early voting state.

[Sununus] endorsement is the latest evidence of Nikkis growing momentum, campaign spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas said in a statement. With just 28 days until the New Hampshire primary, Nikki Haley is ready to bring Live Free or Die to the White House.

Despite the momentum, Haley and other GOP primary candidates still trail far behind Trump.

She has about 27 percent support in New Hampshire, compared to Trumps 44 percent. Haley leads all other GOP candidates, however, with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie taking 11 percent support and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis holding about 8 percent, according to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ average of polls.

Nationally, Trump holds a wider lead. There, Trump has about 65 percent support, trailed by DeSantis at 11 percent and Haley close behind with 10 percent support, according to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ average.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Palestinians inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings after heavy Israeli bombardment of the Al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip. The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health said more than 70 people were killed. Mohammed Talatene/dpa

The militant Palestinian organization Hamas rejected a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza war and instead is calling for a permanent truce in a statement released Monday evening.

"We emphasize that there will be no negotiations without a comprehensive end to the aggression," Hamas said.

The Hamas leadership is pushing for "a complete and not just temporary end to the massacre of our people," the statement further noted.

The response comes following an Arab media report suggesting that Egypt has drafted a proposal to end the Gaza war in multiple stages.

According to the report, the initial phase involves enforcing a ceasefire lasting at least two weeks, during which 40 hostages held in the Gaza Strip would be exchanged for 120 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.

This would be followed by dialogue mediated by Egypt.

A third phase would then provide for a complete ceasefire and a comprehensive agreement on the exchange of hostages and prisoners.

The final step would lead to Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and all displaced persons could return home.

Palestinians inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings after heavy Israeli bombardment of the Al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip. The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health said more than 70 people were killed. Mohammed Talatene/dpa

Palestinians inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings after heavy Israeli bombardment of the Al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip. The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health said more than 70 people were killed. Mohammed Talatene/dpa
Hannah Waddingham has called out those who criticise Tom Cruise, saying she has no time for it.

The Ted Lasso star has been filming scenes alongside the controversial Hollywood star for the concluding instalment of Mission: Impossible  Dead Reckoning, which is set to be released in 2025.

Waddingham appeared on the festive special of ITV series James Martins Saturday Morning on Christmas Day, when the subject of Cruise came up.

The actor and musical theatre star, who appears in her own Christmas variety show on Apple TV+, had nothing but kind words for the actor, whose hit films include Minority Report and Top Gun: Maverick.

After recalling how she spent five intense days with Cruise on the USS George HW Bush fighter carrier, Waddingham told TV chef Martin: I have to say, I have a real problem with anybody that goes at him now.

She continued: He is without doubt one of the loveliest and encouraging, positive and inspiring human beings I have ever met. Isnt he gorgeous? I have no time for anyone saying anything about him.

While Cruise remains one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood, he is also known for his outlandish off-screen behaviour and is often the subject of intense media speculation. In 2005, he made headlines after jumping on the sofa during an appearance on Oprah Winfreys chat show to declare his love for then girlfriend Katie Holmes and, that same year, quarrelled with Matt Lauer about the practice of psychiatry, which he called a pseudo-science.

Most of Cruises controversy, though, surrounds his association with the Church of Scientology. In 2008, a leaked promotional video showed the actor discussing the benefits of the controversial religion, which bewildered his fans.

At the Golden Globes in January 2023, Cruise was roasted by host Jerrod Carmichael, who made reference to Shelly Miscavige, the wife of Scientology leader David Miscavige who has not been seen in public since 2007.

Backstage, I found these three Golden Globe awards that Tom Cruise returned, the comedian said, adding: I think maybe we take these three things and exchange them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige.

Tom Cruise is one of hollywoods most bankable  and controversial  stars (Getty Images for Paramount Pictu)

The Church denied the accusations in response, which echoed earlier denials that Miscaviges wife is missing. Last year, the LAPD issued a statement confirming that officers had personally made contact with Shelly in 2014, and they had subsequently closed the missing persons investigation.

An attorney representing the Church of Scientology said in 2018 the claims were appalling, adding: Mrs Miscavige is not missing.

Earlier this year, Judd Apatow also took aim at Cruises links to Scientology in a series of jokes while hosting the Directors Guild of America Awards.

He quipped that, every time he does a high-octane stunt for a new Mission: Impossible film, it feels like an ad for Scientology

The eighth Mission: Impossible film, also starring Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames, will be released in July 2025.
Attacks by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, which once held large swathes of territory stretching from north-eastern Syria across western and northern Iraq, showed signs of a significant drop in 2023, according to data collected by BBC Monitoring.

IS claimed a total of 838 attacks globally this year, excluding December, compared to 1,811 for the same period last year, marking a 53% drop.

The analysis and findings on attack figures are based on BBC Monitoring's collection of data from IS' own official claims - as such the figures may be exaggerated or sometimes downplayed - and on IS' official messaging and propaganda, and that of its supporters.

All figures cited for 2023 represent attacks conducted between 1 January and 30 November.

What do we know about IS attacks?

Since the loss of Baghouz - the last stronghold of IS in Syria - in 2019, IS has focused on building up its Africa branches.

The group is still conducting insurgent operations in Iraq and Syria and overseeing networks in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, but a significant drop in their activities has been observed.

IS' Sinai branch claimed no attacks this year, compared to 102 last year, suggesting it suffered a blow by Egypt's armed forces. This was after the group carried out attacks in late 2022, close to the Suez Canal.

The attacks by IS' so-called Khorasan Province branch (ISKP) in Afghanistan also dropped, as the group claimed 20 attacks in 2023, compared to 145 last year and 293 in 2021, the year the Taliban returned to power.

In Iraq, IS claimed a total of 141 attacks in 2023, compared to 401 for the same period last year, marking a 65% drop. In Syria, where IS claimed 112 attacks this year, down from 292 last year.

IS-claimed attacks 2018-2023

Decline in annual attacks across key IS branches

Is IS growing in Africa?

IS has shifted its propaganda to focus on its "expansion" and "victories" in sub-Saharan Africa, where it has five branches: the Nigerian-focused West Africa Province (ISWAP), the DR Congo-focused Central Africa Province, which occasionally makes incursions into Uganda, the Sahel branch, the Mozambique branch and the Somalia branch.

The most active branch was ISWAP, which mostly operates in north-eastern Nigeria and the surrounding Lake Chad region, but in 2023, their activities have dropped too. The group claimed 470 attacks in 2022, and 266 in 2023.

The group's Central Africa Province and Mozambique branches also claimed fewer attacks, although they remained a key threat. Both have continued to claim attacks on local and regional forces as well as against soft targets, namely Christian villagers. IS Central Africa Province claimed four attacks this year in Uganda, but did not claim the deadly June attack on a secondary school in western Uganda, for which it was widely blamed.

Overall, IS-claimed attacks from its sub-Saharan Africa branches combined fell to 508 in 2023, from a total of 847 the year before. However, this still constituted 60% of all IS attacks globally - the largest proportion for Africa to date.

Africa remains the most important region for IS, despite continuing declines globally

What's happening in the Sahel and the Philippines?

According to data collected by BBC Monitoring, IS' branches in the Sahel region and in the Philippines were more active this year.

IS has been reportedly expanding in eastern Mali near the border with Niger since April, in an apparent attempt to exploit ongoing political and security upheavals affecting the Sahel region.

Following the July coup in Niger, IS claimed a succession of mass-casualty attacks against the army in the west of the country. One attack in early October reportedly killed around 60 soldiers, prompting the Niger government to declare three days of mourning.

Since 2014, IS has been receiving pledges of allegiance from militant groups in South East Asia. The group's affiliates in the region are mostly active in the southern Philippines, where claimed attacks notably increased in the second half of 2023, compared to last year. But it is not high in numbers, seven claimed attacks in 2022, compared to 20 this year.

IS also claimed responsibility for the attack at a catholic Mass in the southern Philippines on 3 December, and issued a call for recruitment in the region.

What do we know about IS leaders?

The group has suffered heavy losses in its leadership ranks.

IS had three different leaders in just over a year, all killed in Syria between February 2022 and April 2023.

Following the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a US raid on 27 October 2019, the group was respectively led by Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, Abu al-Hasan al-Qurashi and Abu al-Hussein al-Qurashi. These leaders are not related. The nom de guerre "al-Qurashi" indicates a link to Prophet Muhammad's tribe of Quraish in Mecca.

In August 2023, IS presented a new leader, Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, but little is known about him and he is yet to deliver a leadership message.

IS also lost some of its leading commanders, particularly in Syria and Iraq, mostly in US-led coalition strikes.

What's the impact of the war in Gaza?

Military operations against IS and competition from rival groups are believed to be among the contributing factors in the drop of the group's activities. Leadership losses as well as leadership anonymity are also considered to be a major factor.

But IS attack figures are still recorded in the hundreds, especially in Africa, and the group continues to operate in many countries, seeking political, security and communal vulnerabilities to exploit.

The war in Gaza could be seen as one such "opportunity" by IS and other extremist groups, who would seek ways to use the conflict to redirect anger against their enemies.

While al-Qaeda has called on Muslims to take part in the fight alongside Palestinian militants, IS' response featured no praise for Palestinian groups, nor called on Muslims to support Hamas. The group had previously accused Hamas of suppressing its followers in Gaza . Instead, IS focused on inciting revenge attacks worldwide, including against Arab governments whom it accused of "protecting" Israel.

Additional reporting by Paul Brown
Pressure is growing on Harvard University amid calls for President Claudine Gay to resign after allegations of plagiarism, the latest controversy to engulf the prestigious institution in recent months.

Gay has had to issue numerous corrections to previous papers in the past few weeks after plagiarism allegations were raised for work by her that spanned decades.

The controversy is drawing fresh scrutiny on Gay and putting even more pressure on Harvard, which has been under a tense spotlight since October.

In an op-ed published by The Washington Post over the weekend, deputy editorial page editor Ruth Marcus called on the university president to step down.

She plagiarized her acknowledgments. I take no joy in saying this, but Harvard President Claudine Gay ought to resign. Her track record is unbefitting the president of the countrys premier university, Marcus wrote. Remaining on the job would send a bad signal to students about the gravity of her conduct.

Related coverage from The Hill

The turmoil has also reportedly stirred frustration with members of the Harvard Corporation, the universitys board.

The New York Times reported Sunday that a meeting occurred last week in which several academics told the board they had to fix the situation they helped create.

The board has consistently stayed on Gays side in public, releasing statements defending her from a recent antisemitism controversy and plagiarism concerns.

You need to be more out front of this, Jeffrey Flier, the former dean of Harvard Medical School, told the board members, according to the Times. If people are saying the university is making mistakes  they are talking about you!

Dr. Claudine Gay, President of Harvard University, testifies before the House Education and Workforce Committee at the Rayburn House Office Building on December 5, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The Times reported that another individual, nonprofit founder Tracy Palandjian, told the board they needed generational change and that firing Gay was not enough.

The Harvard Corporation announced earlier in December it had reviewed the plagiarism claims, and they did not warrant firing Gay.

While the analysis found no violation of Harvards standards for research misconduct, President Gay is proactively requesting four corrections in two articles to insert citations and quotation marks that were omitted from the original publications, Harvard Corporation said in a statement.

Yet since that statement, Gay has had to issue more corrections in her works, including in her 1997 dissertation.

In another sign that the controversy is rippling across campus, The Harvard Crimson, the schools student newspaper, published a story Monday outlining the corrections Gay has made so far and the criticism the university has faced.

This is politically motivated in its origin, but I think that they owe it to everybody in the university community and outside to show that theyve really undertaken this review with the same diligence that they would do for any other member of faculty, said Nicholas Dirks, a professor at Columbia University and former chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley.

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Congress is getting involved as well and will be investigating how the school has handled the plagiarism claims to ensure it matches how the allegations would be handled for any student or faculty member.

The House Committee on Education and the Workforce has begun a review of Harvard Universitys handling of credible allegations of plagiarism by President Claudine Gay over a period of 24 years, said Education Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.). An allegation of plagiarism by a top school official at any university would be reason for concern, but Harvard is not just any university. It styles itself as one of the top educational institutions in the country.

Our concern is that standards are not being applied consistently, resulting in different rules for different members of the academic community. If a university is willing to look the other way and not hold faculty accountable for engaging in academically dishonest behavior, it cheapens its mission and the value of its education. Students must be evaluated fairly, under known standards  and have a right to see that faculty are, too, Foxx said.

But experts are concerned with Congress getting involved and the implications it could have on higher education.

Congress doesnt know how to do that and shouldnt be judging faculty conduct. Thats not the prerogative of Congress, said Dirks, author of City of Intellect: The Uses and Abuses of the University. And so what worries me in all of this in the larger sense is that what happens at Harvard is not going to stay at Harvard and is going to affect the overall climate for faculty governance, for academic freedom and for fundamental issues that  are definitely under  threat right at the moment.

This is the second investigation against Harvard that the committee has announced, with the first happening after Gay said calling for the genocide of Jewish people would or would not be harassment depending on the context.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
This story has been updated with new information from the Shelby County Election Commission. Candidate George Dempsey Summers will not appear on the ballot for the primary for general sessions court clerk.

The primary election for general sessions court clerk candidates will be the only Shelby County-wide ballot measure in 2024 and is packed full of hopeful candidates. Incumbent Joe W. Brown has four other Democrats vying for the spot.

Only one Republican candidate met candidate requirements. Lisa Arnold will be the Republican candidate for general sessions court clerk.

The clerk is responsible for keeping records and funds for both the civil and criminal court divisions.

Early voting will be held from Feb. 14 to 27, with election day for primary voting being March 5.

The general election for the next general sessions court clerk will be held Aug. 1.

Joe Brown listens during a Memphis City Council meeting Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019. Brown, the current general sessions court clerk, previously served as a city council member.

Incumbent Joe Brown

Joe Brown, the incumbent clerk, was elected to his position in 2019. Brown served as the representative for Memphis City Council Super District 8, Position 1. He served as councilman for 21 years.

Brown is seeking a second four-year term and is not to be confused with Judge Joe Brown, the former local judge and TV personality who recently ran unsuccessfully for Memphis mayor.

Within his first months of office, Brown said in a letter to County Mayor Lee Harris and the Shelby County Commission that his office discovered $12 million sitting in one of his offices accounts with the Shelby County Trustee. Brown requested an external forensic audit of his office in the letter.

According to previous reporting from The CA, the office began investigating the sum as soon as Browns office discovered the amount. They believed it might be money that should have been disbursed to plaintiffs or law firms but needed to find out the details.

Shelby County news: Wanda Halbert investigation: special investigator gives an update. Here's what we know

Rheunte E. Benson

Rheunte E. Benson, current general sessions criminal administrator, is running again in the Democratic primary. Benson ran for general sessions court clerk in 2020 but lost in the primary to Brown.

Benson said she is running because of her 30 years of experience in court operations and leadership. Benson said that implementing new technology into the general sessions courts is a priority.

"Shelby County (general sessions) is one of the largest court systems and we have yet to get into e-filing," Benson said.

Shelandra Yvette Ford

Shelandra Yvette Ford, former Shelby County register of deeds, also put her name for the office. Ford was the first Black woman elected as register of deeds from 2018-22. Ford has been with Shelby County government for more than 24 years, with experience ranging from working with the Shelby County Health Department to being the principal court clerk at General Sessions for six and a half years.

Ford is also the current city of Memphis Deputy Treasurer.

Ford said she is a "stickler for technology," and wants to modernize technology within General Sessions. In addition to modernization, Ford also wants to make accessibility a priority and make moves to better educate the public on the expungement and drive-while-you-pay programs.

Former Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer in Downtown Memphis on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022.

Tami Sawyer

Tami Sawyer, the community activist and former Shelby County commissioner, is also vying for the clerk's seat.

According to a campaign news release, Sawyer is relying on her past and present leadership positions to help inform her plans to enhance the office's technology, improve customer service for judges, attorneys, and civilians, and engage with members of the Shelby County community to ensure citizens are informed and committed to the justice work of the courts.

Sawyer already has a long list of endorsements and support from other elected officials around the county. Sawyer said that she thinks there is a critical opportunity to make change within the justice system through the General Sessions Court Clerk Office, and she will tackle it with education and technology enhancement.

Sawyer previously ran, unsuccessfully, for Memphis mayor and Tennessee House of Representatives District 90. She was a Shelby County commissioner from 2018-22.

More: Shelby Co. Commission OKs money for jail mental health facility, rugby fields

Lisa Arnold

Arnold is the sole Republican candidate who met filing requirements. A former Shelby County criminal court clerk's office employee, Arnold will be the Republican nominee for general sessions court clerk and will appear on the Aug. 1 ballot.

Arnold said she has worked within the court system for her entire career and wants to make customer service a priority in the courts. Arnold said she knows the computer system "like the back of her hand" and brings her career history as a strong point with her candidacy.

Brooke Muckerman covers Shelby County Government for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at (901) 484-6225, brooke.muckerman@commercialappeal.com and followed on X, formerly known as Twitter @BrookeMuckerman.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Here's who is running for general sessions court clerk in Memphis
Kansans might start getting more political mail in the future thanks to a postage and printing budget increase for members of the Legislature.

The Legislative Coordinating Council earlier this month approved a policy change intended to provide enough funding for legislators to mail newsletters to every constituent. Those most likely to be affected by the change are unaffiliated voters, as well as Democrats who live in districts represented by Republicans and Republicans who live in districts represented by Democrats.

"I think the vast majority of our constituents would like to hear from their representatives," said Speaker Pro Tem Blake Carpenter, R-Derby. "Instead of maybe just me mailing out to just the Republicans and unaffiliateds, I think the Democrats also deserve to have a session update as well through a physical copy of a newsletter. I don't have everybody in my district's email address.

"I don't, and so the way that I communicate with them is this end-of-session newsletter. I think that it would provide our constituents the ability to know what's going on from their representatives and senators up here in Topeka."

Speaker Pro Tem Blake Carpenter, R-Derby, said it would be good for constituents to hear directly from their legislators via taxpayer-funded newsletters.

Under the policy change, postage and printing allotments will now be combined, totaling $6,000 for each of the 125 representatives and $18,000 for each of the 40 senators. The allotment can increase when the U.S. Postal Service increases postage rates.

House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, first brought up the suggestion at the LCC meeting in August. The stated reason was to provide enough funding to allow members of the Legislature to send newsletters to every household in their district, regardless of political party.

The old amounts were not enough to cover the full cost of printing a newsletter and mailing it to every household, let alone every constituents of their same party, lawmakers said. That resulted in some legislators writing a check from their campaign accounts to cover the extra cost.

"I know that every time I send out a physical newsletter, I'm paying $500, $600," Carpenter said. "I know that not everybody has that in their campaign accounts, and that's just a fraction of my district. So I would imagine, hopefully, that this will allow us to be better senators and representatives."

As of his last campaign finance report, Carpenter had $11,000 in cash on hand.

Legislators who do send printed newsletters may still need to dip into campaign funds this year, as the change won't be effective until next fiscal year, meaning no legislators will be able to use the additional taxpayer money ahead of their reelection campaigns.

"Although the amendments will be effective on July 1, 2024, per Speaker Hawkins' motion, legislators would not be able to use the combined postage and printing allotments until January of 2025 since allotment shall not be used by any legislator after the Legislature adjourns sine die in the year of an election for that particular chamber," said Tom Day, director of Legislative Administrative Services. "Since 2024 has both chambers up for election, no legislators would be able to use that combined printing and postage allotment past the date of sine die."

Under the old policy, if every legislator used their full allotment, the cost was about $600,000. Under the new policy, the maximum cost is about $1.5 million. That translates to a potential increase of about $875,000, Day said.

More: More money for political mail? Here's why top Kansas legislators say that's a good thing.

However, only about half of legislators currently send out a printed newsletter every year, which puts the current cost estimate closer to $300,000.

"With electronic mail nowadays, many legislators are strictly sending out an electronic mailing of their newsletters," Day said. "And then many legislators are using both electronic mailing of newsletters as well as the printing and postage of newsletters."

That could change thanks to the policy change.

"With this increase in postage printing allotment, maybe a lot of them will now send out a full newsletter to all," Day said. "... So this could be an opportunity for them."

House Minority Leader Vic Miller, D-Topeka, was the only opponent of the policy change, taking issue with the process by which it came to be. He said he had no notice of what was on the agenda until less than 30 minutes before the meeting, which Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, said was because the agenda wasn't finalized until that same morning.

House Minority Leader Vic Miller, D-Topeka, took issue with the procedure in how the Legislative Coordinating Council increased funding for lawmakers to print and mail newsletters.

"Well, I'll be voting no today for a couple reasons," Miller said. "Substantively, I don't know if I would vote to approve this or not. But my objections today are primarily procedural in that when we are taking action on basically a $1 million item, I think it requires for the public more than 20 minutes notice."

"Representative, that was a motion from the last meeting that was approved," Masterson said. "You knew for a month that it was coming."

Miller said the previous vote was to create a draft, not to approve the proposal. He also said the matter should be address by the full Legislature.

"Your objections are noted," Masterson said. "I think it's considerably off base."

Carpenter said the funds will still have to go through the appropriation process.

"So at the end of the day, we will pass a budget this next session that will have this appropriation in it," he said. "We can then debate that at the appropriate time amongst our colleagues if that is appropriate or not to have in that budget. So this is not the final debate."

Jason Alatidd is a statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jalatidd@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas legislators to get more money to mail newsletters to all homes
The Highlands School District has designated Jan. 3 to be Chief McIntire Day.

Chief Justin McIntire was the Brackenridge Police Chief who was killed in the line of duty on Jan. 2, 2023.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> He made the ultimate sacrifice: Brackenridge police chief Justin McIntire killed in shooting

The school community is encouraged to wear blue in honor of the fallen chief on that day.

Local police officers will greet students as they arrive at the school and the buses they ride on will have decor that honors Chief McIntire.

McIntire was a Highlands alum and a plaque will be unveiled in his honor that evening at 5 p.m.

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Hikers stumbled upon human remains 47 years ago in the Arizona desert, deputies said.

Investigators recently identified those remains as Luis Alonso Paredes of El Salvador, the Mohave County Sheriffs Office said in a Dec. 26 Facebook post.

Paredes remains were found in a shallow grave Nov. 23, 1976, near Katherines Landing, deputies said.

Investigators were unable to identify his remains at the time, but they could determine they belonged to a man who was 30 to 35 years old, 5 feet, 8 inches tall, and about 140 to 150 pounds.

It was also determined Paredes had been shot in the head at close range, deputies said.

An autopsy was completed and fingerprints were taken, but he was never identified, deputies said.

Fingerprints help ID man

Then, in October 2023, investigators reviewed his case and compared his fingerprints to others in the national database.

After doing this, deputies said they determined the remains belonged to Paredes.

Paredes may have lived in Las Vegas when he died, deputies said. Its possible he worked for the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy in the San Francisco Bay a decade before his homicide, deputies said.

His family could not be found by authorities, but investigators are trying to locate them.

Anyone with information can contact the Mohave County Sheriffs Office detective division at 928-753-0753 ext. 4288. The case number is DR# 76-5053.

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Hinsdale Township District 86 will be lacking a communications team for the foreseeable future as its Director of Communications Chris Jasculca, and Communications Coordinator Alyssa Barry resigned Thursday after accepting jobs at other school districts.

Jasculca, who was the head of the districts communications team for four and a half years, took the role of Director of Marketing and Communications at the Latin School of Chicago, a private school near the citys Gold Coast neighborhood.

We want to thank both Chris and Alyssa for all that youve done during your time in district 86 and we wish you the very best of luck. interim-superintendent Ray Lechner said during Thursdays school board meeting.

Lechner and Cheryl Moore, the director of human resources for District 86, will conduct three interview sessions before making their recommendations to the board on Jan. 25.

According to job postings for director of communications, the district is offering $125,000- $150,000 per year.

In the meantime the consulting firm CESO (Center for Effective School Operations) will be working with the district on communication matters until the position is filled, Lechner said.

Barry and Jasculca leaving coincides with the departure of interim co-superintendent Linda Yonke who last week announced her early resignation from the districts top administrative position.

Yonke was hired alongside Lechner in July to act as temporary superintendents for the 2023-24 school year while the school board searches for a permanent replacement.

I want to thank the board for letting me work with you these past five months, and I want to thank the administrative team who were outstanding, Yonke said during her last board meeting Thursday. I learned from you and I appreciated your hard work and dedication to this district.
This year, tech companies have made concessions that would have once been unthinkable. Apple agreed to adopt the RCS protocol, allowing for text message interoperability with Android devices, and, after more than a decade it ditched the lightning port in its latest iPhone. Meta offered some users the choice to opt out of targeted advertising for a monthly subscription. TikTok, Meta, and Snap allowed some users to opt out of their recommendation algorithms entirely.

None of these concessions would have happened without pressure from the European Union. The bloc has long taken the lead in regulating Big Tech (or attempting to), but 2023 saw some of those efforts finally come to fruition.

The most immediate result of increased EU regulations this year came with the arrival of the iPhone 15 lineup, which was the first phone from Apple to support USB-C rather than its proprietary lightning port. The company may have eventually made the switch on its own, but it came in 2023 as a direct result of a European law that made USB-C the common charging standard.

"We have no choice as we do around the world but to comply to local laws," Apple exec Greg Joswiak said about the rules last year. (The regulation requires all new phones and other mobile devices to adopt USB-C by the end of 2024.)

Likewise, its widely believed Apples decision to finally agree to support the RCS standard in iMessage was the result of political will within the EU. Apple had long been resistant to supporting RCS, which would finally modernize text messages between iPhone owners and their green bubble friends.

Apple hasnt publicly said why it changed its stance. But Google and other companies were pressuring EU authorities to regulate iMessage like other gatekeeper services that fall under its authority thanks to the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Apples surprise announcement that it would support RCS after all came on the same day as the deadline for companies to challenge the EUs gatekeeper rules. So Apples about face on RCS could reasonably be interpreted as an attempt to pacify EU regulators who could have taken more aggressive measures, like requiring iMessage to be fully interoperable with other chat apps like WhatsApp.

Notably, both of these changes will also benefit US users, even though they are a consequence of EU-specific regulations.There's definitely a higher degree of protection to the consumer in Europe than there is in the US, Carolina Milanesi, a consumer analyst with Creative Strategies, told Engadget. Those protections, she noted, often cascade down to other regions because it can be impractical to implement different standards across geographies.

In addition to the gains made under the DMA, most of the major social media apps  including Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat and Instagram  fall under the purview of another EU law that went into effect this year, the Digital Services Act. Under this law, these companies are required to make detailed disclosures about disinformation and other harmful content, and explain how their recommendation algorithms work.

If you force the social media industry to explain itself, to reveal to some degree its inner workings, it will have an incentive to not misbehave and/or incentive to self regulate more vigorously explains Paul Barrett, deputy director of NYUs Stern Center for Business and Human Rights.

Whether these measures will actually make these services better for those using them, however, is less clear. There are still open questions about how the rules will be enforced. But there have been a few notable changes for EU-based social media users.

Snapchat, Meta and TikTok all now allow European users to opt out of their recommendation algorithms entirely. Snapchat also ended most targeted advertising for 13- to 17-year-olds in the bloc. Additionally, Meta was forced to allow EU users to opt-out of targeted advertising or choose no advertising at all (in exchange for a hefty monthly subscription.)

While these may not seem like monumental changes, they do strike at the heart of all of these companies business models. And its unlikely, if left to self-regulate as US policymakers have been content to allow them to do, that any of these companies would have voluntarily acted against their own self-interest.
Prosecutors and jailers in Hudson County, N.J. recorded attorney-client phone calls and used them against suspects at trial, according to a lawsuit.

The civil suit filed by Yursil Kidwai claims authorities knew they were violating the Constitution to obtain information that helped them secure convictions, NJ.com reported.

Kidwai spoke with his attorney on jailhouse phones in May 2020, when visits were limited during the COVID pandemic, according to the lawsuit, which was filed Dec. 19. In the documents, he claims he learned about the prosecutors illegal activity when documents inadvertently produced in discovery copies showed authorities had information from calls he made to his attorney.

All the above conduct was done in secret because defendants knew and understood that the described conduct was unconstitutional, the lawsuit claims, according to NJ.com.

The suit names the Hudson County prosecutors office; prosecutor Esther Suarez; former assistant prosecutor Jane Weiner; detectives Ashley Rubel, Julia Medina and Leslie Murphy in the prosecutors office; the county corrections department; and former county jail boss Ron Edwards, NJ.com reported. None of the defendants have responded publicly.

Kidwai, 45, is serving a six-year sentence for sexual assault. Sources told NJ.com that Kidwai would have likely been convicted easily and prosecutors didnt need to illegally record attorney-client conversations to obtain a guilty verdict.

Despite facing 20 counts and a possible life sentence, Kidwai took a plea deal and was sentenced to six years behind bars. Observers told NJ.com that a victims family member railed against the agreement at his sentencing hearing.

Though Kidwais lawsuit only cites evidence in his case, it implies that Hudson County prosecutors recorded numerous jailhouse calls to attorneys and used the illegally obtained information to aid other cases.

The lawsuit was filed in civil court and does not immediately seek to overturn Kidwais conviction, though that could happen eventually.
The seal spotted with a plastic flying ring toy around its neck

People are being warned about the dangers posed to wildlife by plastic flying ring toys after a seal was spotted with one around its neck.

Marine experts are appealing for people to come forward to help track down the seal around Newquay, on the north coast of Cornwall.

Dan Jarvis, of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, said: The constriction around its neck is going to make eating and even breathing a little bit more difficult.

So its going to be very, very uncomfortable, and it will, at some point, if it hasnt already, start to create an injury around there as it rubs against the skin and opens up quite a nasty wound.

Retailers have taken them off shelves

Mr Jarvis added that the charity was trying to prevent the sale of the flying rings as these have trapped many seals in the past.

He said that people needed to be really careful about how were acting on the beaches and the things that were buying.

Weve had a lot of really good contact with retailers who have actually taken them off the shelves of their beach cafes when we speak to them.

A lot of people dont realise this is the outcome of losing a flying ring, he told the BBC.

A further seal that is thought to be trapped in netting has been spotted in the St Ives area.

A week ago, a seal pup was saved from drowning after it was found buried in sand up to its neck on a Norfolk beach.

The seal was spotted by Rachel Rickett on a walk beneath the boulders of a sea barrage on Waxham Beach on Dec 15.

She contacted the local charity Friends of Horsey Seals whose members arrived at the scene to free the creature.

We were shocked

Ms Rickett said: I truly believed it was trapped too tight to be rescued but the team sprang into life like a well-oiled machine.

Within minutes of their arrival, the seal was free and seemingly no worse off for its experience. Without help, the next high tide would surely have drowned it.

A spokesman from the Friends of Horsey Seals said: We were shocked to see how deep it was buried. We do our best not to interfere with nature but the sea defences are man-made and pups do get trapped in them.

Fortunately, we carry a small spade and had to do some digging before we could lift the pup out.

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Husband of late Phoenix prosecutor fatally shoots girlfriend, her mom and then himself on Christmas Eve, police say

The widower of a prominent Arizona prosecutor, who died shortly after leaving office last year, fatally shot his girlfriend and her mother before turning the gun on himself, police said Tuesday.

The Christmas Eve murder-suicide unfolded at the home of David DeNitto, husband of late Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel, authorities said.

DeNitto shot girlfriend Maryalice Cash, 47, and her mother, Cynthia Domini, 83, inside his home near Central Avenue and Bethany Home Road at about 11:30 p.m. MT (1:30 a.m. ET Monday), officials said.

Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel in 2021. (Eli Imadali / The Arizona Republic / USA Today Network)

Cash and Domini were rushed to a hospital, where they died; DeNitto was declared dead at the scene with a self-inflicted wound.

Cash and DeNitto had been arguing just before gunfire erupted, police said.

"It was some kind of fight, some kind of altercation. I don't know the subject matter," Phoenix police spokesperson Donna Rossi told NBC News.

Adel, DeNittos late wife, was appointed to be prosecutor of Arizona's largest county in 2019 when then-Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery was appointed to the state's high court.

On the night she won a narrow election in 2020, Adel was hospitalized for a brain hemorrhage.

Then in 2021, Adel took time away from work to undergo treatment for alcohol abuse and eating disorders. Top deputies questioned Adel's ability to lead the office before she stepped down on March 25, 2022.

She died on April 30 that year from "health complications," her family said.

"It is impossible to comprehend a tragedy such as this," Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a statement Monday.

"Words cannot adequately express the flood of sorrow. I ask the community to join me in praying for the families affected and, most especially, Allisters children," Mitchell said. "I also ask that the community surround the families with love, kindness, and a respect for the need for privacy.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
For the seventh year running, Idaho is one of the fastest-growing states in the U.S. based on percentage increase of population, though its annual gains are slowing.

The repeat top-five rankings, which date to 2016, continue the Gem States streak of population growth at more than 1% per year. For the period from July 2022 to July 2023, Idaho netted nearly 26,000 more residents, or an increase of about 1.3%, according to the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Last year, Idaho ranked second in the same category, with about 35,000 new residents, or what represented 1.8% growth. Before that, the state was No. 1 for the period from 2020 to 2021, with more than 53,000 newcomers, or 2.9% growth.

Only South Carolina, Florida and Texas experienced a higher population growth by percentage than Idaho over the last year. North Carolina rounded out the top five.

Idaho ranked fourth in the U.S. for population percentage growth from 2022 to 2023.

With the latest gains, Idaho inches ever closer to a total population of 2 million people. At the current rate of growth, the state  now with about 1,965,000 people  would surpass the figure by 2025.

Based strictly on the number of additional residents, Idaho didnt crack the top 10 this time around, the data showed. Colorado and Utah were the only two Mountain West states to do so, at No. 9 and No. 10 respectively  each with about 36,500 new residents.

Texas was by far No. 1 in the category, with approaching a half-million people becoming residents of the state. Florida placed second with more than 365,000 newcomers to the state, the Census Bureau estimated.

Eight states lost population from 2022 to 2023, the data showed. New York led the way with about 102,000 people exiting the state, while California was second at more than 75,000 packing up their bags for elsewhere. Oregon ranked sixth for population loss, at about 6,000 residents departing.

By population percentage, Idaho was one of the fastest-growing states from 2022 to 2023.

Overall, the U.S. experienced an increase of more than 1.6 million people, or about a half-percent, over the past year, the data showed. The gains were spread across 42 states and Washington, D.C.  the highest number of U.S. states to see growth in a year since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Census Bureau reported.

U.S. migration returning to pre-pandemic levels and a drop in deaths are driving the nations growth, Kristie Wilder, a U.S. Census Bureau demographer, said in a news release. Although births declined, this was tempered by the near 9% decrease in deaths. Ultimately, fewer deaths paired with rebounding immigration resulted in the nation experiencing its largest population gain since 2018.

The U.S. population now stands at almost 335 million people, the Census Bureau said. The number of people living in Idaho represents about a half-percent of that total.

The global population is up to more than 8 billion people, according to an estimate from the United Nations and U.S. Census Bureau. At that number, the U.S. makes up less than 4.2% of the worlds total.
Seven people, including two children, were critically hurt in a Christmas Day pileup that started with a impaired driver near Hermiston.

Details about the crash remain sparse but the crash happened about 5 p.m. Monday.

The suspected impaired driver was speeding south on Umatilla River Road and hit a northbound vehicle, according to a Umatilla County Sheriffs Office news release. A third car heading south swerved to avoid hitting the back of the first car and ended up hitting the northbound vehicle.

Multiple medical and fire officials worked to extricate and treat nine patients from the vehicles. Seven of them including two children under 10 years old were in critical condition.

Several were taken to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland and Good Shepherd Medical Center in Hermiston.

The Umatilla County Sheriffs Office said Tuesday morning it wasnt prepared to release any more information about the crash, any arrests or the condition of the injured.

The sheriffs office had help from the Oregon State Police, Hermiston police and Stanfield police, as well as Umatilla County Fire District 1, according to the release.

The road was closed for about four hours during the investigation, Capt. Sterrin Ward told the Tri-City Herald.
In 2023, the U.S. and the Philippines announced a historic pact that would open up several bases on the island archipelago nation to American forces for the first time in decades.

While the agreement does not allow the U.S. to permanently station troops in Philippine territory, several of the newly accessible bases abut the South China Sea to the north.

Plans are already underway to fortify the newly accessible bases.

The coming year will likely see Washington and Manila expand their cooperation and ready their respective navies to counter Chinas assertions of ownership over parts of the South China Sea.

Old salts shouldnt expect anything similar to the Navys former and massive presence at Subic Bay, which ended in 1992, but the new agreement marks a significant change forged largely out of maritime interests.

China and the Philippines, along with Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, have been locked in increasingly tense territorial disputes over the busy and resource-rich South China Sea. Washington lays no territorial claims to the strategically important waters but has deployed its warships and aircraft for patrols that it says promote freedom of navigation and the rule of law. In turn, that military presence has infuriated Beijing.

At the announcement of the new deal in February, Austin thanked Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whom he briefly met in Manila, for allowing the U.S. military to broaden its presence in the Philippines  Washingtons oldest treaty ally in Asia.

I have always said that it seems to me that the future of the Philippines and, for that matter, the Asia-Pacific will always have to involve the United States, simply because those partnerships are so strong, Marcos told Austin.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
CAIRO, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Tuesday held a meeting with his visiting Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi here on the developments in the Gaza Strip and the shipping security in the Red Sea.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the two top diplomats exchanged opinions about the escalating Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, efforts aimed at reaching a ceasefire, and implementation of a key United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution demanding safe and unhindered humanitarian access across Gaza.

Shoukry said Egypt is willing to have more consultation and coordination with Jordan to confront common challenges and to find solutions to security crises in the region, according to the statement.

The UNSC resolution adopted Friday also requested the appointment of a senior UN coordinator to facilitate, coordinate, monitor, and verify the humanitarian nature of aid delivery from non-parties to the conflict in Gaza, and a mechanism to follow up on the entry of aid into the besieged enclave amid Israeli obstacles.

The two FMs also discussed the security of navigation in the Red Sea, an important route for international trade movement. 
With the recent spate of attacks on commercial shipping now extending far out from the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the Indian Navy has announced the deployment of warships and maritime patrol aircraft to maintain a deterrent presence out into the Arabian Sea.

The move comes after a suspected drone attack on the tanker M/V Chem Pluto about 120 miles off the Indian coast over the weekend, which Washington has now blamed squarely on Iran. The damaged ship is now pier side in Mumbai. You can read our coverage of that incident here .

Editor's note: Info on the latest attack can be read at the bottom of the post.

The Indian Navys response to the attack in the Indian Ocean comprises at least three guided-missile destroyers and patrols by long-range P-8I aircraft  the Indian version of the P-8A Poseidon . The destroyers involved include the Project 15A class vessels Kolkata and Kochi and the Project 15B class Mormugao.

https://twitter.com/indiannavy/status/1739647301893886118 https://twitter.com/IndiaCoastGuard/status/1738611205361856665

For the first time in the conflict, the U.S. government blamed the attack explicitly on Iran , although the foreign ministry in Tehran said that claim was worthless.

Yemen-based Houthi militants have been launching attacks on shipping since the start of Israels war on Hamas, a campaign that has been widely seen as being connected with Iran, which backs both the Houthis and Hamas. Tehran has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attacks. Beyond the current Gaza conflict, however, there has long been a covert anti-shipping war fought between Iran and Israel, something we have reported on for years now.

The Chem Pluto had been on its way to the Indian port of New Mangalore, from Al Jubail in Saudi Arabia, when it came under attack on Saturday . The chemical tanker was underway with a crew of 21 Indians and one Vietnamese. Despite some official confusion as to whether the attack was a missile or drone strike, the Indian Navy now says that an analysis of the area of attack and debris likely indicates a drone attack.

Broadly similar damage has been seen in the aftermath of previous anti-shipping attacks that have been blamed on Iran .

https://www.twitter.com/AuroraIntel/status/1739332579898065111?s=20

The question of how the tanker may have been targeted by a drone is something that The War Zone has addressed in its previous reporting and it is noteworthy, too, that different target seeker options have recently been showcased on Iranian one-way attack drones.

As well as Houthi and claimed Iranian maritime activity, India has also been facing a growing threat from piracy in the Gulf of Aden.

Earlier this month, Somali pirates hijacked the Bulgaria-owned and Malta-flagged bulk carrier M/V Ruen, while it was 380 nautical miles east of the Yemeni island of Socotra. The vessel was shadowed by the Indian Navy as the pirates brought it, together with its crew, to the semi-autonomous Somalian state of Puntland.

https://www.twitter.com/EUNAVFOR/status/1736358756584157453?s=20

The Indian anti-piracy effort in the region now also involves a guided-missile destroyer.

Elsewhere, Houthi rebels continue their campaign of drone and missile attacks on shipping moving through the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden. This has already prompted some major companies to reroute their cargo vessels around the southern tip of Africa, involving a much longer voyage and a significant hike in fuel costs.

https://twitter.com/TheIntelFrog/status/1738756461113561531?s=20

Those attacks have also seen the launch of Operation Prosperity Guardian, an American-led coalition to defend commercial shipping in the region, via joint patrols in the vicinity of the Bay el-Mandeb. This was something that The War Zone was first to report upon .

Although a total of 20 countries have pledged to take part, there are growing questions about the viability of Prosperity Guardian. Notably, not many of the countries involved have committed ships or aircraft to the operation, while some nations have indicated that they will not place their assets under direct U.S. control.

However, some commercial ships still using the Red Sea are now being seen moving with naval escorts. In the past, The War Zone has looked at the benefits of these kinds of convoys , although those we have seen so far in Prosperity Guardian are small, with just a handful of ships involved.

https://twitter.com/mercoglianos/status/1739020132511277164?s=20 https://twitter.com/mercoglianos/status/1739010431463596312?s=20

The most recent major incident in the Red Sea occurred on December 23.

A fairly complex attack began with a pair of Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles being fired into international shipping lanes in the southern part of the Red Sea from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. No ships were reported to have been impacted by the missiles.

Later the same day, four drones originating from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen were shot down as they headed toward the Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Laboon (DDG-58), patrolling the southern Red Sea as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian. All four drones were downed by the Laboon and there were no injuries or damage.

https://www.twitter.com/CMF_Bahrain/status/1739637265846927394?s=20

The U.S. Naval Forces Central Command then received reports from two ships in the southern Red Sea that they were under attack. According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM):

The M/V Blaamanen, a Norwegian-flagged, owned, and operated chemical/oil tanker, reported a near miss of a Houthi one-way attack drone with no injuries or damage reported. A second vessel, the M/V Saibaba, a Gabon-owned, Indian-flagged crude oil tanker, reported that it was hit by a one-way attack drone with no injuries reported. The USS Laboon responded to the distress calls from these attacks. These attacks represent the 14th and 15th attacks on commercial shipping by Houthi militants since October 17.

https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1738719550122975698 https://www.twitter.com/TheStudyofWar/status/1739677480607244651?s=20

Another factor in the region is the presence of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), with satellite imagery suggesting that one of their Type 052D destroyers has been closely following the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group . Shadowing U.S. and allied warships at this time could very well bring Beijing some major intelligence windfalls, especially in terms of how NATO warships engage drones and ballistic missiles in a combat environment. At the same time, China has been accused in the past of not helping out regarding Houthi attacks on shipping. As we have stated in the past, it is very unlikely they would pick a fight with the Houthis and certainly not Iran, and in doing so putting their base in Djibouti at risk as well as their vessels, when the U.S. and others will do it for them and have their assets tied up in the process.

https://www.twitter.com/mercoglianos/status/1738789382956417033?s=20

The United States has not taken any action against the Houthis and has said it does not want a wider regional conflict with Iran. This comes as multiple reports state they are evaluating strike options. But striking the Houthis would also endanger the stability of the already rickety naval coalition. However, the U.S. has shown its willingness to launch attacks against other Iran-related militant groups in recent days.

On Monday, the U.S. military undertook retaliatory airstrikes in Iraq after a one-way drone attack on Erbil Air Base earlier the same day by Iran-aligned militants, including from the Kataib Hezbollah group, who have claimed responsibility . The drone strike left one U.S. service member in critical condition and injured two others, Reuters reports .

The Iraqi government condemned the U.S. airstrikes, which it said killed one serviceman and injured 18 other people, describing them as a clear hostile act and an unacceptable violation of Iraqi sovereignty.

https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1739483421523497423

CENTCOM said the airstrikes were in response to multiple attacks against coalition forces in Iraq and Syria.

Early assessments indicate that these U.S. airstrikes destroyed the targeted facilities and likely killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants. There are no indications that any civilian lives were affected, CENTCOM added.

https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1739470809155227809

U.S. forces have repeatedly targeted Iranian proxy forces in Iraq and Syria following attacks on U.S. interests in the both countries since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war on October 7. For now, however, it's abundantly clear that restraint is the path being taken when it comes to the Houthis in Yemen.

UPDATE: 3:30PM EST

Another attack has occurred, this time against MSC's container ship United VIII.

A statement from the company confirming the attack reads:

"MSC confirms that on 26 December 2023 the container ship MSC UNITED VIII was attacked while transiting the Red Sea. The vessel informed a nearby coalition task force warship of the attack and as instructed engaged in evasive maneuvers.

The incident occurred on 26 December 2023 at approximately 12:25 UTC while the MSC vessel was enroute from King Abdullah Port, Saudi Arabia to Karachi, Pakistan.

Currently, all crew are safe with no reported injuries and a thorough assessment of the vessel is being conducted.

Our first priority remains protecting the lives and safety of our seafarers, and until their safety can be ensured MSC will continue to reroute vessels booked for Suez transit via the Cape of Good Hope."

The last AIS position of the vessel was eight hours ago as it approached the southern end of the Red Sea:

Vesselfinder.com

The Houthis have put out a statement on the attack, as well, it reads:

"In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful God Almighty said: {O you who have believed, if you support you, Allah will support you and make your feet firm.} God Almighty has spoken the truth. A victory for the oppression of the Palestinian people, who until this moment have been subjected to killing, destruction, siege, and starvation. The naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces, with the help of God Almighty, carried out a targeting operation against a commercial ship, MSC UNITED, with appropriate naval missiles.

The process of targeting the ship came after its crew refused, for the third time, calls from the naval forces, as well as repeated fiery warning messages. The Yemeni Armed Forces Air Force also carried out a military operation with a number of drones against military targets in the Umm al-Rashrash area and other areas in occupied Palestine. The Yemeni Armed Forces affirm their continued support and support of the Palestinian people as part of their religious, moral and humanitarian duty. The Yemeni armed forces confirm the continuation of their operations in the Red and Arab Bahrain against Israeli ships or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine until the entry of the food and medicine needed by the Gaza Strip.

The Yemeni Armed Forces confirm what was stated in their previous statements regarding preventing the passage of all Israeli ships or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine, with their full concern for the continuation of maritime traffic to all destinations except the Israeli entity."

https://twitter.com/army21ye/status/1739710180017795152?s=20

Contact the author: thomas@thedrive.com
An Indiana mother says her fight to get citizenship for her son, an autistic, blind child she adopted from Haiti has been a "long and draining process" made more complicated by a recent denial.

Rebekah Hubley told CBS News affiliate WANE that she adopted Jonas, who is now 17, in 2010. In her most recent effort, she said that she sent the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services the paperwork for a "Petition for an Alien Relative." Hubley told WANE that the letter of denial from the agency said she did not have all the required education records. Hubley said that she sent the information.

"He is a Hubley," Hubley told local news station WPTA. "We have adopted him. He has an Indiana birth certificate and parts of the government have recognized everything but then immigration won't."

In a Facebook post outlining the family's situation, Hubley said she believes that case officers did not fully review the paperwork she submitted.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services told CBS News they do not comment about individual cases, but said in part that the agency "adjudicates each request for immigration benefits fairly, humanely and efficiently on a case-by-case basis."

Hubley said in a GoFundMe page raising money for legal expenses that her son is blind, autistic and has cerebral palsy and a seizure disorder. She described him as "medically complex" and requiring "round-the-clock care." He came to the U.S. in 2008 on a medical visa from Haiti, Hubley said, and he was legally adopted in 2010 following the earthquake in Haiti. The devastating earthquake killed hundreds of thousands of people and left 1.5 million homeless. Hubley said the decision to adopt him came because "of the instability in Haiti."

Jonas Hubley. / Credit: Rebekah Hubley / WANE

As a result of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services denial, Jonas will have to either be deported or voluntarily return to Haiti. Hubley said the family has 33 days after the denial to comply.

"This is not fair," Hubley told WPTA. "This should be illegal. Like, you are telling me my son is illegal, how is this legal to deport a completely dependent child to a country that you have deemed unsafe?"

In addition to the GoFundMe, Hubley has posted widely about the situation on social media. She told WANE that she has started a "JusticeforJonas" hashtag on social media in the hopes of garnering more attention. Hubley also told WANE that she reached out to the White House, President Joe Biden, her congressman Rep. Jim Banks, and other legislators.

Banks' office told WANE that they are aware of the case and said that they are "working to help the family however we can." Banks' office said they could not comment further because of privacy laws.

"I'm not just fighting for Jonas this year, I am fighting for all the other Jonas' that are going through this same situation," Hubley told WANE. "The ones that are cognitively understanding what is going on and terrified."

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The influenza virus has become widespread in Tarrant County in the last two weeks of 2023, according to the public health department.

More than 11% of all emergency room visits in local hospitals were for influenza-like illness, according to Tarrant County Public Health. But although the flu is spreading quickly, flu levels still arent quite as high as they were during this period last year. In 2022, the flu season peaked unusually early, in November, before declining.

Tarrant County Public Healths most recent data, from Dec. 20, shows that kids are feeling the brunt of the flu season. Children under 4 made up the biggest share of Tarrant County residents going to the emergency room for flu, RSV, or other respiratory viruses. And before schools closed for the holidays, more than 7% of all school absences in the county were related to the flu.

No Texas children have died from the flu this winter, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Nationwide, at least 14 children have died from the virus in the 2023-24 flu season, according to federal data. Last year, 182 children died from the virus. Public health officials recommend getting a seasonal flu vaccine to reduce your risk of getting seriously sick from the virus. The vaccine can also be life-saving in children, and reduce their risk of severe complications, according to the CDC.

There are no ongoing flu outbreaks in schools or long-term care facilities, although three outbreaks were reported earlier in December.

Across the state, cases of the flu are increasing as well, according to state data.

Cases of the virus that causes COVID-19 are also on the rise in Texas, according to state data.

RSV season appears to have peaked in November, as the number of emergency visits due to the virus have been declining for the last month, according to the public health department.
Instagram influencer fatally shot by husband days after she was granted a restraining order against him

An Instagram influencer was fatally shot near a Hawaii mall by her husband on Friday, two days after a judge granted her a restraining order against the man, according to authorities and court documents. He later was found dead in an apparent suicide.

The shooting unfolded in a parking lot near Pearlridge Center in Waimalu, near Honolulu.

Honolulu police responded to a "suspicious circumstance" in the parking lot just after 10 a.m. Friday and found a 33-year-old woman, later identified as Theresa Cachuela, with gunshot wounds, Lt. Deena Thoemmes told reporters.

A child was present during the shooting, police said.

Theresa Cachuela. (Theresa Cachuela via Instagram)

Theresa Cachuela, who was known as Bunny Bontiti to her 20,000 Instagram followers, was pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was found injured in the area, Thoemmes said.

The suspect, identified as Jason Cachuela, 44, had fled the scene and was later found dead in an area behind a Waipahu residence, a town located about five miles away from the mall, Thoemmes said. Police said a gun was recovered at that scene.

The case is classified as first-degree murder and the investigation is ongoing.

Thoemmes said the shooting was not a random act as the victim and the suspect were married.

A judge had granted the woman a temporary restraining order against her husband, online court documents show. They had been together for nearly 11 years, according to court filings.

According to her petition for the temporary restraining order, filed Dec. 8., Jason Cachuela had allegedly threatened to kill himself in front of his wife and her children on Dec. 6.

He allegedly took her somewhere alone and held a knife to his throat, leaving her traumatized and scared, she wrote in the petition. The next morning, Theresa Cachuela said her husband showed up to her house to apologize, but continued with the suicidal threats.

The evening of Dec. 7, Jason Cachuela allegedly returned to his wife's home and tried to break into her garage, according to the petition. Theresa Cachuela said in the petition that he threatened to kill himself in her garage when she refused to approach him, causing her to call 911. Police subsequently conducted a wellness check.

While letting her son in the garage around 6 a.m. on Dec. 8, Theresa Cachuela said she found Jason Cachuela hiding under her car. Once again, she called 911 to report the incident, according to the petition, which noted that he owned guns.

Jason Cachuela was served with the notice on Dec. 19 and the temporary restraining order was official on Dec. 20.

Both appeared in court that day and agreed to a one-year order, set to expire on Dec. 20, 2024. Under the agreement, Jason Cachuela was prohibited from contacting Theresa Cachuela unless it was regarding a minor child, and he was ordered to give up any firearms.

It was not immediately clear how he was in possession of a gun in Friday's shooting.

NBC News has reached out to an attorney who represented Jason Cachuela in the case.

Lucita Ani-Nihoa, Theresa Cachuelas mother, told NBC affiliate KHNL of Honolulu that she was meeting her daughter at Pearlridge Center when she learned she had been shot.

She said that Theresa Cachuelas 8-year-old daughter was the child who witnessed the shooting.

Her youngest daughter is the one that tragically saw everything, Ani-Nihoa told the station. Shes traumatized. She has so much faith, this little girl. She just started praying.

Theresa Cachuela, a mother of three, had told her relatives that she was abused by her husband and was getting help from agencies that support victims of domestic violence, according to Ani-Nihoa.

She wanted to leave him but he wasnt accepting it. He tried to control with, with everything  where she would go, what she would do, her mother said.

The family has created an online fundraiser to cover funeral costs and to support her children.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
A Russian soldier, who was seriously injured in the war against Ukraine, was compensated by local authorities in the form of vegetables

A Russian soldier from Volgograd Oblast, who was seriously injured fighting against Ukraine, has been compensated by local authorities with kilograms of vegetables, the Telegram news channel iStories reported on Dec. 26.

Oleg Rybkin, 45-years-old, was mobilized on Sept. 25, 2022 and found himself near the village of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhya Oblast, just as the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated the settlement.

Read also: CNN reports evidence Russian troops in Ukraine may be fueled by drugs in grueling battles

He sustained injuries to his abdomen, liver, kidneys, and legs during the following battle.

"He has severe pain, his knee does not bend, and he cannot walk without crutches. He is on painkillers and sleeping pills," his wife said.

pointmedia.io

Rybkin reportedly needs to have his knee joint replaced but the authorities are not interested in helping him.

Read also: Former Russian soldier ready to testify about Russian crimes in Ukraine

Indeed, Rybkin was supposed to be entitled to compensation worth 3 million rubles (approximately $32,000) and receive a life pension.

However the only "help" that he and his family received was two buckets of carrots and a bag of onions.

pointmedia.io

"I was at work, they brought it to my mother-in-law," Rybaks wide said.

Local farmers  those who grow it here  are obliged by the administration to help (in quotation marks).

Read also: Photos show remains of Russian IFV carrying dummy soldiers, revealing new deception tactics used

However, she was actually lucky, as the residents of Rostov Oblast only received a brick with an ante-mortem message instead of their son, who died in Ukraine.

pointmedia.io

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
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  Integris Hospital is warning its patients of a potential data breach after the hospital system was hacked.

Integris officials confirm, the hospital system was hacked back in November. On Sunday, patients started getting e-mails claiming to be from the group behind the hack.

Program aims to give Oklahoma children with incarcerated parents a special Christmas

According to hospital officials, they are asking patients who get an e-mail not to click on any links or respond and check credit reports for any suspicious activity.

As of the last update from Integris on 12.24.23 about the incident says,

INTEGRIS Health is making individuals aware of an incident that may affect the privacy of certain information. INTEGRIS Health is providing notice of the event so potentially affected individuals may take steps to better protect their information from misuse, should they feel it appropriate to do so. Integris Health Website

For more information about the data breach click here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi speaks during a press conference at the Agency headquarters in Vienna. Dean Calma/IAEA/dpa

Iran has been ramping up the production of highly enriched uranium, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Tuesday, reversing a slowdown that started in the middle of the year.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi informed the organization's member states on Tuesday, a spokesman in Vienna said. Production had previously been scaled back in mid-2023.

Iran had communicated its increased production plans at the end of November for its facilities in Natanz and Fordow. IAEA inspectors then verified the production during visits on December 19 and 24, the UN nuclear watchdog said.

Since the end of November, around 9 kilograms of uranium enriched to up to 60% purity have been produced at the sites - compared to around 3 kilograms per month in previous months.

Enrichment to at least 80% is necessary for a nuclear bomb.

Iranian officials have consistently stated they have no intentions to create nuclear weapons.

An international deal from 2015 limits Iran to only 4% enrichment, but Iran began violating the terms in 2018 after the US pulled out of the deal.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Monday issued his condolences over the death of Sardar Seyed Razi Mousavi, an advisor to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria. Photo by Iranian President Press Office/UPI

Dec. 25 (UPI) -- An Israeli airstrike in Syria killed a high-ranking member of Iran's elite Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, according to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who vowed retribution.

Sardar Seyed Razi Mousavi, an advisor to the IRGC in Syria, was reportedly killed Monday in an airstrike in the Syrian capital of Damascus.

In response, the Iranian president issued a statement of condolence to the family and friends of the brigadier general as well as to the people of Iran.

"I offer my condolences to the honorable family of this martyr, the people of Iran and his comrades in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for the martyrdom of Sardar Seyed Razi Mousavi in the missile attack of the criminal Zionist regime on Damascus," he said.

"Undoubtedly, this malicious action is another sign of frustration and helplessness of the usurping Zionist regime in the region, and it will definitely pay for this crime."

Raisi added that Mousavi had been a close associate of IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in early January 2020.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani also issued a statement condemning the Israeli attack, which he described as "a terror act of aggression."

"The Zionist regime has frequently and steadily violated international law and norms and has committed all kinds of crimes, and on Sunday, it did a cowardly and terrorist act," he said.

Hezbollah has been attacking Israel from both Lebanon and Syria amid Israel's war against the Iran-backed Hamas that began on Oct. 7, sparking fears that the conflict in Gaza may spread.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Mousavi was targeted in the airstrike and was hit after entering a farm in the Al-Saida Zainab area of Damascus, which the Britain-based human rights organization said was a headquarters for the Iran-backed Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon.

Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari declined to comment on Mousavi's death during a Monday evening press conference.

"The IDF has a role of course: to protect and safeguard the security interests of the state of Israel," he said.

Last week, Hezbollah said more than 120 of its members have died in fighting with Israel along the Israel-Lebanon border since Oct. 7.
A handout picture released by the Tasnim news agency on 25 December 2023 shows Seyed Razi Moussavi, a senior adviser for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Mousavi was killed on 25 December 2023 in an Israeli missile attack outside the Syrian capital Damascus, Iranian state media said quoting a statement by the IRGC. -/Tasnim News Agency via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Iran has threatened Israel with retaliation following the death of high-ranking Iranian General Seyed Razi Mousavi in an alleged Israeli airstrike in Syria.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) general was killed on Monday in a suspected Israeli airstrike on a suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus.

According to the New York Times, Mousavi is said to have helped monitor the delivery of missiles and other weapons to Lebanon's Hezbollah militia, which is backed by Iran and has repeatedly launched attacks on northern Israel in support of Hamas since the beginning of the Gaza war.

Israel frequently attacks locations in Syria to prevent Iran from further expanding its military influence in the region with the help of militias.

Iranian Defence Ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik threatened Israel over the death of Mousavi on Tuesday saying "The Zionists (Israel) must be prepared for the consequences of their crime ... and they will be painful."

Israel had not only violated Syria's territorial integrity with the attack, but had also escalated the already tense situation in the region even further, he was quoted as saying by Iran's Tasnim news agency.

The Israeli military on Monday evening said it would not comment on foreign media reports.

According to the New York Times, Israeli officials were preparing for possible Iranian retaliation.

Iran, alongside Russia, is the most important ally of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad. Tehran considers Syria to be part of the so-called "axis of resistance" in its fight against Israel, alongside Hezbollah.

The leadership in Tehran claims IRGC forces in Syria are only acting as military advisors and are not directly involved in the country's ongoing civil war. According to US intelligence, Iran also supports the Houthi rebels in Yemen and militias in Iraq.
By Francois Murphy

VIENNA (Reuters) -Iran has reversed a months-long slowdown in the rate at which it is enriching uranium to up to 60% purity, close to weapons grade, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday.

Many diplomats believed the slowdown, which had begun by June, was the result of secret talks between the United States and Iran that led to the release of U.S. citizens held in Iran earlier this year.

Iran already has enough uranium enriched to up to 60%, if enriched further, to make three nuclear bombs, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency's theoretical definition, and more at lower enrichment levels. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.

Iran has "increased its production of highly enriched uranium, reversing a previous output reduction from mid-2023", the IAEA said in a statement summarising a confidential report to member states seen by Reuters that was sent minutes earlier.

Iran is enriching to up to 60%, close to the roughly 90% that is weapons grade, at its Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP) in its sprawling Natanz complex and at its Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), which is dug into a mountain.

Since the slowdown, those plants had been enriching uranium to up to 60% at a rate of about 3 kg a month, the IAEA said.

"The Agency confirms that, since the end of November 2023, the rate at which Iran has been producing uranium enriched up to 60% U-235 at these two facilities combined has increased to approximately 9 kg per month," the report to member states said.

By the IAEA's theoretical definition, around 42 kg of uranium enriched to 60% is the amount at which making a nuclear bomb with it cannot be excluded.

IAEA inspectors first observed a change in production at Fordow on Nov. 25, after which Iran said the change was made on Nov. 22, and that the rate of production was returning to the pre-slowdown level there, the report said.

Inspectors observed an increase in the production rate at Natanz on Nov. 27, it added. The IAEA then verified the amount being produced at Natanz on Dec. 19 and Fordow on Dec. 24, it said. The IAEA did not formally notify its member states of the reversal of the slowdown until Tuesday's report.

(Reporting by Francois Murphy; Editing by Angus MacSwan, William Maclean)
ABUJA, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 people were killed and 70 others sustained varying degrees of injuries in a series of road accidents across different regions of Nigeria during the Christmas season, the traffic police said on Tuesday.

The accidents occurred on major highways as families and friends traveled to celebrate the holiday. Local authorities attributed the crashes to a combination of factors, including high traffic volumes, poor road conditions, and, in some cases, reckless driving.

At least four people were killed and 59 others injured early Tuesday when a truck overloaded with passengers and goods lost control along the Kaduna-Abuja expressway, a critical corridor linking the northern and southern parts of the country, Kabir Nadabo, a commander for the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the northwestern state of Kaduna, told reporters.

Nadabo said the vehicle ran into a ditch, adding that an investigation by the traffic police identified "overloading and fatigue" as the causes of the incident.

The FRSC said two people were also killed and six others injured in another lone accident involving a minibus along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway early Tuesday.

While attributing the incident to overspeeding and loss of control, the FRSC said the driver crashed the vehicle into a road barrier.

In the southwestern state of Osun, at least nine people were killed and five others injured in a lone accident along the Ikirun-Ilaodo highway on Monday night, the FRSC said.

The driver of the minibus, loaded with goods and passengers, drove dangerously and lost control while "speeding excessively," the traffic police said in a statement, warning motorists against violating road safety regulations and other road users, especially commuters, to always caution commercial vehicle drivers against speeding. 
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi vowed retribution after Israel reportedly killed a high-ranking general in Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria on Monday.

In a statement, Raisi said Israel will certainly pay for this crime, The Times of Israel (TOI) reported.

Without a doubt, this action is another sign of frustration, helplessness, and incapacity of the usurping Zionist regime in the region, Raisi said in the statement.

Brig. Gen. Razi Mousavi was reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Damascus suburb of Sayida Zeinab, the Iranian Tasnim News Agency reported Monday.

Israeli military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari declined to comment on the alleged airstrike at a Monday press conference, the TOI reported.

The TOI also reported that Irans foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said on X, formerly Twitter, that Tel Aviv faces a tough countdown, and that Mousavi fought bravely for many years to ensure the security of Iran and the region.

The strike comes as tensions on Israels northern border remain high between Israel and Hezbollah.

Mousavi was reportedly a close associate of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2020. He was reportedly responsible for coordinating the military alliance between Iran and Syria and believed to be involved in supplying arms to Hezbollah, the TOI reported.

Tensions between Iran and Israel have only risen higher in the last two months as Israel has bombarded Gaza in response to the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by the group, which is designated by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization.

Fears that a wider war could break out have been a recurrent amid the war in Gaza, as Hezbollah has fired rockets into northern Israel.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have also disrupted shipping through the Red Sea in another sign of the risks of a widening war.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Iran's state media says an Israeli airstrike outside Damascus in Syria on Monday killed an Iranian senior adviser in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Reuters reported that three security sources confirmed the death of Sayyed Razi Mousavi, who was responsible for coordinating a military alliance between Iran and Syria.

State television interrupted programming to announce the death of Mousavi and described him as one of the oldest advisers for the IRGC in Syria.

The announcement stated that Mousavi accompanied Qassem Soleimani, the head of the IRGC's elite Quds Force, who died in a U.S. drone attack in Iraq in 2020.

IRAN CLAIMS TO BE DEVELOPING SMART CRUISE MISSILES FOR NAVY ARSENAL

Three security sources confirmed the death of Sayyed Razi Mousavi, senior adviser for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, per Reuters.

Hossein Akbari, Irans ambassador in Damascus, told state television that Mousavi was in the embassy as a diplomat and that he was killed by missiles fired by Israel after returning home from work.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

The assassination was a show of Israels weakness, according to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

"This act is a sign of the Zionist regime's frustration and weakness in the region for which it will certainly pay the price," Raisi was quoted as saying.

AYATOLLAH'S FAVORITE NEWS SOURCE DECLARES HORROR AND FEAR IRAN MILITARY CAMPAIGN AGAINST US, ALLIES

Senior adviser for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Sayyed Razi Mousavi, left, is shown with the IRGC Quds Force commander Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani.

Echoing Raisi, the IRGC also said Israel would suffer for killing the adviser.

"The usurper and savage Zionist regime will pay for this crime," the IRGC said in a statement provided to state TV.

Nasser Kanaani, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, told state TV, "Iran reserves the right to take necessary measures to respond to this action at the appropriate time and place."

YEMEN HOUTHI LEADER WARNS ANY AMERICAN TARGETING OF OUR COUNTRY WILL BE TARGETED BY US

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi

Israels military did not immediately comment on Mousavis death.

Attacks on Iran-linked targets in Syria by Israel are nothing new and have taken place for years.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Tehrans influence in the country has continued to grow after backing President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war that broke out in 2011 in Syria.

Iran said this month that Israeli strikes killed two members of the IRGC in Syria who also served as military advisers.

Reuters contributed to this report.





Original article source: Iranian leaders say Israeli missile strike killed senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps adviser
Kataeb Hezbollah members carry the body of their fallen comrade during his funeral in Baghdad on December 26, 2023, after he was killed in a US air strike (AHMAD AL-RUBAYE)

US air strikes targeting pro-Iranian forces in Iraq claimed at least one life and drew an angry response from Baghdad Tuesday amid high regional tensions over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Iraq condemned as "a clear hostile act" the overnight US strikes, saying they had killed one member of the security forces and wounded 18 other people, including civilians.

Washington has repeatedly targeted sites used by Iran and its proxy forces in Iraq and Syria in response to more than 100 attacks on American and allied forces since the October 7 outbreak of the Gaza war.

Yet another rocket barrage was fired later on Tuesday morning at US and allied forces in Syria, at an American patrol base in Al-Shaddadi, but without causing casualties or damage, said a US military official.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin earlier announced the overnight strikes, saying that "US military forces conducted necessary and proportionate strikes on three facilities used by Kataeb Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq".

Austin said "these precision strikes are a response to a series of attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias".

The attacks had included a drone strike Monday by Kataeb Hezbollah and affiliated groups on Arbil Air Base, Austin said. It wounded three US military personnel, one critically, said US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson.

US President Joe Biden had directed the US strikes in a call with Austin and other national security officials, a statement said.

Biden "places no higher priority than the protection of American personnel serving in harm's way," it added. "The United States will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue."

Washington considers the Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah, or Hezbollah Brigades, a terrorist organisation. The group forms part of the Hashed al-Shaabi coalition of former paramilitary forces integrated into Iraq's regular armed forces.

- 'No, no to America' -

The latest drone attack Monday against American forces was claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose formation of armed groups affiliated with the Hashed al-Shaabi.

A funeral was held for the dead fighter, attended by dozens of people who shouted "No, no to America", an AFP photographer said.

Many in the crowd carried Hashed flags and photos of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani who was killed in a US strike in Baghdad in January 2020.

A US military tally has counted 105 attacks against its troops in Iraq and Syria since October 17, most claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which opposes US support for Israel in its war against Hamas.

The United States -- which led the 2003 invasion of Iraq that toppled Saddam Hussein -- now has about 2,500 soldiers deployed in Iraq and around 900 in Syria as part of efforts to prevent a resurgence of the jihadist Islamic State group.

Baghdad strongly condemned the latest US military action.

"It runs counter to the pursuit of enduring mutual interests in establishing security and stability, and it opposes the declared intention of the American side to enhance relations with Iraq," it said in a statement.

Questioned by AFP, an Iraq interior ministry official said one strike had targeted a Hashed site in Hilla, capital of Babylon province.

One person was killed and 20 wounded, the official said, giving a higher injured toll than the government.

Four others were wounded in a second strike in Wassit province, the official said, a casualty toll confirmed by security sources in both Babylon and Wassit provinces.

One Hashed faction leader, Hadi al-Amiri, denounced the US strikes, in a message on his Telegram channel, demanding that the Iraqi government "set a timeline for the departure of these foreign forces at the earliest opportunity".

He charged that their presence had "become a factor of destruction for our country and a threat to our children".

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JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's military chief, asked on Tuesday about a reported Israeli strike that killed a senior adviser in Iran's Revolutionary Guards in Syria, declined to comment but said Israeli forces work throughout the region.

An Israeli air strike outside the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday killed a senior adviser in Iran's Revolutionary Guards, three security sources and Iranian state media said.

"I will not comment on various actions we take. The IDF (Israel Defence Forces) is working together with other security organizations throughout the Middle East, within the borders of the state, around the borders of the state," Herzi Halevi told reporters near Gaza when asked about the strike.

"We take whatever action necessary to make it very clear that we are very determined to defend the country, are willing to go far," Chief of the General Staff Halevi said.

The adviser, known as Sayyed Razi Mousavi, was responsible for coordinating the military alliance between Syria and Iran. The Revolutionary Guards said Israel would suffer for killing Mousavi, who held the Guards' rank of brigadier-general.

(Reporting by Maayan Lubell)
Palestinian lawmaker Khalida Jarrar seen in this September 2021 picture has been arrested by Israeli forces on several occasions and is a member of the PFLP considered a terrorist group by Israel, the United States and the European Union (ABBAS MOMANI)

The Israeli army on Tuesday said it arrested senior Palestinian politician Khalida Jarrar in the occupied West Bank, along with other activists of her leftist party.

Jarrar, 60, is a prominent figure in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a faction in the Palestine Liberation Organisation considered a "terrorist" group by Israel, the United States and the European Union.

"Khaleda Jarrar, a wanted terrorist, was arrested... along with other PFLP activists," the army said in a statement.

Jarrar had been previously arrested by Israeli forces in October 2019 and released in September the following year, after being held without trial.

Her husband, Ghassan Jarrar, told AFP soldiers stormed the family home in the city of Ramallah "by breaking open the front door at 5:00 am (0300 GMT)".

Jarrar was elected in 2006 to the Palestinian assembly as a PFLP representative, and has long been an advocate of women's rights.

She has also lobbied for the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

The PFLP, in a statement, said Israel's army launched a "vast campaign on Tuesday morning to arrest leaders" of the group in the occupied West Bank.

"These arrests will not break the will of our people," it said.

Israeli forces have stepped up their operations across the West Bank in recent years, and violence there has risen particularly since the war with Hamas broke out in Gaza on October 7.

More than 300 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers since the Gaza war erupted, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah.

The conflict in Gaza began after Hamas militants attacked southern Israeli communities in which around 1,140 people, mostly civilians, were killed, according to an AFP tally based on the latest Israeli figures.

In Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza, more than 20,600 people have been killed, most of them women and children, according to the territory's health ministry.

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Israeli soldiers have expanded the ground offensive into refugee camps across central Gaza, claiming the settlements are used by Palestinian militants.

The Israeli military shared video of troops entering the Bureij camp, along with others, in central Gaza, after claiming it had found evidence of military activity at the locations.

A video shared by the military shows tanks and armored vehicles rolling into the camps in central Gaza.

Israeli military officials said they located a tunnel shaft, weapons and a training center in Bureij, also releasing what appears to be a video of training operations conducted there by Hamas, the Palestinian militant group Israel is vowing to destroy.

The refugee camps are typically urban areas used to house Palestinian civilians fleeing from conflict. Israel has also repeatedly struck the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza since the war began Oct. 7.

With the push into refugee camps, Israel is narrowing what few safe places remain for Gazans.

Nearly 2 million Palestinians fled northern Gaza in the early weeks of the fighting, but Israel is now fighting in southern parts of the territory, leaving civilians with smaller and smaller safe zones.

Those safety zones have also been hit by Israeli airstrikes. The United Nations has said there is no safe place in Gaza.

Israel is facing intense scrutiny for attacking Hamas in dense and urban civilian population centers, including at hospitals and other healthcare sites.

The Israeli military claims the locations it attacks are legitimate military targets because Hamas uses them to stage or prepare for attacks on Israeli forces.

More than 20,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since Oct. 7, according to the Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza.

The Ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but the United Nations said about two-thirds of the deaths are of women and children.

More than half a million people in Gaza are also starving, according to the United Nations, while much of the population is struggling to access medical care and electricity, along with other basic necessities.

Israel is retaliating against Hamas for a deadly surprise attack that killed more than 1,200 people, with another 240 taken hostage. Some 130 hostages are still left in Gaza.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Israel on Tuesday announced it will halt automatic visas for United Nations employees amid rising tensions with the intergovernmental organization over Israels war with Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.

Israel will now consider such visa requests on a case-by-case basis, saying the country will no longer work with those cooperate with Hamass terror regimes propaganda machine, Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy said Tuesday.

International officials have been deflecting blame onto Israel to cover up for the fact that they are covering up for Hamas in failing to condemn Hamas for hijacking aid and failing to condemn it for waging war out of hospitals, Levy said.

Levy said Israel is urging its allies to follow suit and stand up for basic integrity.

The United Nations did not immediately respond to The Hills request for comment.

Tensions between Israel and the United Nations have escalated in recent weeks, following the bodys repeated calls for a cease-fire in Gaza. More than 20,900 Palestinians have been killed since early October, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza.

Israel has remained steadfast in its campaign to destroy Hamas, which has run Gaza since 2007, and its military capabilities following the militant groups Oct. 7 attack on Israel that left about 1,200 people dead.

Several United Nations officials have condemned Hamass Oct. 7 attacks, but calls for a cease-fire and greater aid have come to the forefront in recent weeks.

Earlier this month, the U.N. overwhelmingly passed a nonbinding resolution for a cease-fire in Gaza, with just 10 countries  including the U.S. and Israel  voting against the resolution.

Several U.N. leaders, including U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, have repeatedly advocated for increased aid to Gaza and a cease-fire, citing a near collapse of the humanitarian system in the coastal enclave.

The U.N. Security Council last week passed a resolution calling to up the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip and for the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas. Hamas is believed to have taken about 240 people hostage during its Oct. 7 incursion into Israel, and it released about 100 of these individuals during a week-long cease-fire last month.

The U.S. did not vote in favor of the most recent resolution but also did not block it. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the U.N. Security Council made clear last week addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza needs to remain at the forefront of our agenda.

While the U.S. has not joined calls for a cease-fire, the White House and other U.S. officials said they have upped calls on Israel to take greater caution in minimizing civilian deaths in Gaza.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Israeli troops in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, vowing amid growing calls for a cease-fire that their war with Hamas "will continue until the end, until we finish it."

Netanyahu entered northern Gaza on Monday where he was briefed on the military's fight in the region, according to a release from his office that said he was told about "the quantity of enemy war material that had been found in almost every home and the soldiers' determination to continue with full force."

The prime minister told his troops that he was "extraordinarily impressed" and that Israel is "proud" of them.

He said he was there to tell them that Israel will ensure their safety and that the war they are fighting will continue, despite the growing international calls for a cease-fire.

"We are not stopping," he said, according to the release. "Whoever talks about stopping -- there is no such thing. We are not stopping."

Palestinians wait to receive a portion of food at a make-shift charity kitchen in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, on Monday, amid continuing battles between Israel and tth Palestinians, causing widespread hunger across Gaza strip. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI

His visit follows one of the deadliest single days of the 80-day conflict, with Gaza health officials stating 250 Palestinians were killed on Sunday. At least 70 people were killed in an Israeli strike late Sunday on the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza. The death toll in the conflict has risen above 20,000 Palestinians, with most of the dead being children and women.

As Netanyahu was in northern Gaza, staff of the World Health Organization was visiting Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza that was treating patients wounded in the strike that hit the nearby refugee camp.

Palestinians receive a portion of food at a make-shift charity kitchen in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, on Monday. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI

Al-Aqsa Hospital staff reported to the WHO that it had received around 100 causalities.

"The hospital is taking in far more patients than its bed capacity and staff can handle," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.

A Palestinian child sits amid the rubble of his home after an Israeli strike in Rafah in southern Gaza Strip, Sunday. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI

"Many will not survive the wait. It is currently running five operating theatres in the hospital and two more are being supported by [Doctors Without Borders], but it is still not enough."

Sean Casey, emergency medical teams coordinator at the WHO, posted a video of himself in the hospital, in which he said he had just left the resuscitation room where medical staff tried to save a 9-year-old boy named Ahmed. He said Ahmed had suffered head injuries after being hit by shrapnel and rubble from a building that was struck while he was crossing the street in front of the shelter in which he and his family were staying.

"His brain matter was exposed. He was taken to a hospital ... but there's nothing anybody can do for him," he said, adding that Ahmed was being "treated with sedation to ease his suffering as he died."

"We're seeing kids like Ahmed dying unnecessarily because of bombing and fighting and because the health system doesn't have the capacity to even come close to managing these kinds of complex cases among the hundreds and the thousands of cases that come through these doors in front of me every day," he said.

"This is an unacceptable situation."

The WHO said the strike on the camp and the lack of capacity of hospitals to deal with the casualties is more reason why a cease-fire is needed.

The U.N.'s World Food Program also called for a cease-fire Monday, stating that nine out of 10 Gazans are eating less than one meal a day.

Arif Husain, chief economist at the WFP, said in a video posted to X that there is still time to avoid a famine in Gaza, but a cease-fire is needed.

"We need to make sure that people have food, people have water, they have shelter, they have sanitation. And for all those things to happen we need border crossings open, and that is only possible if there is a humanitarian cease-fire," he said.
Israel has warned they are in a war on seven fronts as attacks recorded in a handful of neighbouring countries in the last 48 hours spark fears of the conflict escalating to the wider region.

In an address to the Israeli government on Tuesday, Yoav Gallant, the countrys defence minister and one of only three members of its war cabinet, said they were coming under attack from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, Iraq, Yemen and Iran.

We are in a multifront war and coming under attack from seven theatres, he said, before listing them all.

Without specifying, he added that they were taking action on six of the fronts.

His comments came as explosions were recorded off the coast of Yemen, presumed to be an attack by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, and missiles were fired into Israel by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah forces in southern Lebanon.

Israels defence minister Yoav Gallant said they were ready to fight on seven fronts (AP)

The British Maritime Authority said on Tuesday that missiles had been sighted off the coast of Yemen, near Houthi positions, and advised vessels travelling through the Red Sea to transit with caution. They said they had also seen multiple explosions in the area throughout the day, though there were no casualties.

The reported incidents come a week after the United States announced a multinational maritime security initiative in the Red Sea in response to attacks on vessels by Yemens Houthis.

The Iranian-backed Houthi militia has been attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea since October, a campaign the group says is in solidarity with Palestinians besieged by Israel in Gaza.

Israels military said that, more than a thousand miles directly north, southern Lebanese forces had hit a church and injured a civilian after an exchange of missiles across the border.

They accused Iranian-backed Hezbollah of deliberately firing at Israeli civilian and religious sites after a Greek Orthodox church was struck on Tuesday.

Hezbollah fired from within a mosque in southern Lebanon toward Israeli civilians.



This is not Hezbollahs first attack involving a holy site today.



Places of worship should be sacred, not sacrificed for terrorism. pic.twitter.com/ss3RQvtI2G  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 26, 2023

There were an additional two attacks recorded in northeastern Egypt, close to the southern Israel and Gaza borders, and on the Israeli embassy in New Delhi, India. There were no casualties in either attack and it remains unclear who was behind them.

On Monday, meanwhile, a watchdog said an Israeli airstrike in Syria killed an Iranian general, while US warplanes hit Iranian-backed militias in Iraq which had wounded American soldiers in drone strikes. Both drone attacks led to vows of revenge.

Within Gaza, Israel continued its bombardment of the enclave as part of its goal to destroy Hamas, another Iranian-backed group that launched the deadly attack on Israeli soil on 7 October that killed 1,140 people and led to 240 people being taken hostage.

More than 20,900 Palestinians have been killed by Israels retaliatory aerial bombardment and subsequent ground invasion of Gaza, according to the local, Hamas-run health ministry. More than 240 were killed in the last 24 hours, the ministry added.

On Tuesday, Israeli forces bombed Palestinian refugee camps in central Gaza and issued orders telling residents to evacuate the area.

A man inspects the Al Nawasrah familys destroyed building in Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza (AP)

With Israeli forces now spread throughout the enclave and bombing all corners of it, it is becoming increasingly difficult for Palestinians to find somewhere to shelter.

The United Nations said they were gravely concerned about the ongoing Israeli bombardment and the recent focus on central Gaza, having spent months fighting in the north and south.

Despite international pressure for a ceasefire and US calls for a reduction in civilian casualties, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the fighting isnt close to finished.

An Israeli move into central Gaza  what a top Israeli foreign official said amounts to a transition from the second to the third stage  further shrinks the area into which Gazas 2.3 million people have been forced to squeeze.

Already more than 85 percent of the population has been driven from their homes.

Smoke rises following an Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, on Boxing Day (AP)

The Israeli military issued an order on Tuesday calling on residents to evacuate a belt of territory the width of central Gaza, urging them to move to Deir al-Balah, a small city nearby.

But Deir al-Balah and Rafah, another small strip of land in the far south on the Egyptian border, have been overwhelmed with displaced people, even as Israel bombards them.

The UN Security Council last week called for the immediate speeding up of aid deliveries to Gaza but there has been little concrete sign of a change. The UN says it struggles to distribute aid because many areas are cut off by fighting.

UN officials have now said a quarter of Gazas population is starving under Israels siege.

Israel blames Hamas for the high civilian death toll and humanitarian issues in Gaza, citing the militants use of crowded residential areas and tunnels. Israel also says it has killed thousands of Hamas militants, without presenting evidence.
Medics unload the bodies of Palestinians killed in fighting with Israel and turned over by the Israeli military during a mass funeral in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023.(AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP)  Israeli forces on Tuesday expanded their ground offensive into urban refugee camps in central Gaza after bombarding the crowded Palestinian communities and ordering residents to evacuate. Gaza's main telecom provider announced another complete interruption of services in the besieged territory.

The military's announcement of the new battle zone threatens further destruction in a war that Israel says will last for many months as it vows to crush the ruling Hamas militant group after its Oct. 7 attack. Israeli forces have been engaged in heavy urban fighting in northern Gaza and the southern city of Khan Younis, driving Palestinians into ever-smaller areas in search of refuge.

The U.S. said Israels minister for strategic affairs, Ron Dermer, was meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan to discuss topics including transitioning to a different phase of the war to maximize focus on high-value Hamas targets, improving the humanitarian situation, and planning for governance and security in Gaza after the war.

Despite U.S. calls for Israel to curb civilian casualties and international pressure for a cease-fire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military was deepening the fighting.

We say to the Hamas terrorists: We see you and we will get to you, Netanyahu said.

Israels offensive is one of the most devastating military campaigns in recent history. More than 20,900 Palestinians, two-thirds women and children, have been killed, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, whose count doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants. The agency said 240 people were killed over the past 24 hours.

The U.N. human rights office said the continued bombardment of middle Gaza had claimed more than 100 Palestinian lives since Christmas Eve. The office noted that Israel had ordered some residents to move there.

Israel said it would no longer grant automatic visas to U.N. employees and accused the world body of being complicit partners in Hamas tactics. Government spokesman Eylon Levy said Israel would consider visa requests case by case. That could further limit aid efforts in Gaza.

Residents of central Gaza described shelling and airstrikes shaking the Nuseirat, Maghazi and Bureij camps. The built-up towns hold Palestinians driven from their homes in what is now Israel during the 1948 war, along with their descendants.

The bombing was very intense, Radwan Abu Sheitta said by phone from Bureij.

The Israeli military ordered residents to evacuate a belt of territory the width of central Gaza, urging them to move to nearby Deir al-Balah. The U.N. humanitarian office said the area ordered evacuated was home to nearly 90,000 people before the war and now shelters more than 61,000 displaced people, mostly from the north.

The military later said it was operating in Bureij and asserted that it had located a Hamas training camp.

The telecom outage announced by Paltel follows similar outages through much of the war. NetBlocks, a group that tracks internet outages, confirmed that network connectivity in Gaza was disrupted again and likely to leave most residents offline.

Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said several countries had sent proposals to resolve the conflict following news of an Egyptian proposal that would include a transitional Palestinian government in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. He did not offer details of the proposals.

REGIONAL SPILLOVER

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel faces a multi-arena war on seven fronts  Gaza and the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Iran. We have responded and acted already on six of these, he told the Knessets Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Iranian-backed militia groups around the region have stepped up attacks in support of Hamas.

Iranian-backed militias in Iraq carried out a drone strike on a U.S. base in Irbil on Monday, wounding three American service members, according to U.S. officials. In response, U.S. warplanes hit three locations in Iraq connected to a main militia, Kataib Hezbollah.

Almost daily, Hezbollah and Israel exchange missiles, airstrikes and shelling across the Israeli-Lebanese border. On Tuesday, Israels military said Hezbollah struck a Greek Orthodox church in northern Israel with a missile, wounding two Israeli Christians, and fired again on arriving soldiers, wounding nine.

Hezbollah is risking the stability of the region for the sake of Hamas, said Israels military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.

In the Red Sea, attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen against commercial ships have disrupted trade and prompted a U.S.-led multinational naval operation to protect shipping routes. The Israeli military said a fighter jet on Tuesday shot down a hostile aerial target above the Red Sea that the military asserted was on its way to Israeli territory.

The USS Laboon, a Navy destroyer, and American fighter jets shot down 12 drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles and two land-attack cruise missiles in the southern Red Sea that were fired by the Yemen-based Houthis over a 10-hour period Tuesday, according to the Pentagon. U.S. Central Command said there was no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries.

A MASS GRAVE

More than 85% of Gazas 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes. U.N. officials say a quarter of the territory's population is starving under Israels siege, which allows in a trickle of food, water, fuel, medicine and other supplies. Last week, the U.N. Security Council called for immediately speeding up aid deliveries, but there has been little sign of change.

In an area Israel had declared a safe zone, a strike hit a home in Mawasi, a rural area in the southern province of Khan Younis. One woman was killed and at least eight were wounded, according to a cameraman working for The Associated Press at the nearby hospital.

In response, Israel's military said that it wouldn't refrain from operating in safe zones, if it identifies terrorist organization activity threatening the security of Israel.

Hamas Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 240 others hostage. Israel aims to free the more than 100 hostages who remain in captivity.

President Joe Biden and Qatars ruling emir, Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, spoke on Tuesday, discussing the urgent effort to secure the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas, including American citizens. The leaders also discussed the ongoing efforts to facilitate increased and sustained flows of life-saving access to humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Israel blames Hamas for the high civilian death toll in Gaza, citing militants use of crowded residential areas and tunnels. Israel says it has killed thousands of militants, without presenting evidence.

At the Kerem Shalom border crossing, U.N. and Gazan medical workers unloaded a truck carrying about 80 unidentified bodies that had been held by Israeli forces in northern Gaza. They were buried in a mass grave.

Medical workers called the odors unbearable. We cannot open this container in a neighborhood where people live, Dr. Marwan al-Hams, health emergency committee director in Rafah, told the AP. He said the health and justice ministries would investigate the bodies for possible war crimes.

The Israeli military announced the deaths of two more soldiers, bringing the total killed since the ground offensive began to 161.

___

Wafaa Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, and Samy Magdy from Cairo. Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed to this report.

___

Find more of APs coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
PHNOM PENH, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has 753,670 business establishments, providing jobs to 2.98 million people, according to the official results of the 2022 Economic Census released here on Tuesday.

The number of economic entities represented a remarkable increase of 49 percent from 505,134 with 1.67 million employees in the first economic census in 2011, the census results said.

"Some 52.5 percent of the economic entities surveyed in 2022 are located in urban areas, and 69.1 percent of the economic entities' owners are women," the results added.

Speaking at the event, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said the census results are very useful for policymakers, government officials, businesspeople, investors, researchers, and development partners, among others in planning or making decisions.

"The census results have provided insightful information on the current situation of economic activities in Cambodia, and they will serve as key inputs for planning development policies or strategies effectively," he said.

"The results will also help investors make their investment decisions in Cambodia," he added. 
Palestinians inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings after heavy Israeli bombardment of the Al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip. The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health said more than 70 people were killed. Mohammed Talatene/dpa

Dozens of Israeli fighter jets have attacked more than 100 targets in Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Tuesday morning.

Among them had been tunnel shafts and military installations used by Palestinian extremist organization Hamas, according to the IDF.

At least 52 people were killed in the attacks, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza.

A terrorist cell in Jabalia that had attempted to plant explosives near an Israeli tank was eliminated overnight, the IDF report said, adding that ground troops had targeted the fighters before they were killed by a fighter jet.

It was not possible to independently verify the claims.

Hamas fighters had also been killed the previous day in the southern city of Khan Younis, the army added.

Israel's army has stepped up its operations against Hamas after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a troop visit to the sealed-off coastal strip that Israel would "intensify the fight in the coming days."

The Israeli army's offensive to eliminate Hamas from Gaza was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel's history, carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other groups on October 7. Around 1,200 people were killed and about 240 were taken hostage, some of whom were later released during a brief truce.

Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive in which more than 20,600 people have been killed so far, according to theHealth Ministry in Gaza.

Palestinians inspect a damaged car after heavy Israeli bombardment of the Al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip. The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health said more than 70 people were killed. Mohammed Talatene/dpa

Damages are seen after an Israeli airstrike on the centre of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip. Mohammad Abu Elsebah/dpa
Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer will meet with national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on Tuesday, a White House National Security Council spokesperson confirmed.

Dermer, a close ally and confidant of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is meeting with Secretary of State Tony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan this afternoon for face-to-face consultations on a number of matters related to the conflict in Gaza and the return of hostages held by Hamas, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said Tuesday in a statement to The Hill.

Axios earlier reported the meeting with Dormer and Biden administration officials was set to take place Tuesday. It comes as the administration has sought to pressure Netanyahus government to scale back its bombardment of Gaza.

The Israeli assault, launched in response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas fighters, is estimated to have killed more than 20,000 Palestinians, according to numbers from the Gaza Health Ministry. The United Nations has warned that without allowing aid into the territory, those still in Gaza will also face continual threats of starvation, illness and displacement.

Netanyahu has publicly spurned the idea of a drawdown despite pressure from U.S. and European officials, saying Monday that the attack on Gaza is not close to ending.

Whoever talks about stopping, there is no such thing, he said Monday during a visit to Gaza.

Hamas has released 110 of the hostages taken during the Oct. 7 attack so far, with many of the releases occurring during a November temporary cease-fire brokered by the U.S. Israeli officials have said Hamas still holds 129 hostages, including 21 Israelis believed to be dead in that figure. The Israeli military confirmed in mid-December that Israeli military soldiers accidentally shot and killed three hostages.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu has named "three prerequisites for peace" in an article published in the Wall Street Journal.

Source: Wall Street Journal; The Times of Israel

Details: Netanyahu says that "Hamas must be destroyed, Gaza must be demilitarised, and Palestinian society must be deradicalised."

As The Times of Israel says, it is noteworthy that the article makes no mention of the numerous hostages still being held by terrorists in Gaza, and Netanyahu did not call their return a mandatory condition.

Quote: "The US, UK, France, Germany, and many other countries support Israels intention to demolish the terror group.

To achieve that goal, its military capabilities must be dismantled and its political rule over Gaza must end," Netanyahu writes.

In addition, Israel should have guarantees that Gaza is "never again used as a base to attack" Israel.

"Among other things, this will require establishing a temporary security zone on the perimeter of Gaza and an inspection mechanism on the border between Gaza and Egypt that meets Israels security needs and prevents smuggling of weapons into the territory," Netanyahu writes.

In light of reports that the Palestinian Authority (PA) will rule Gaza after the war, he says: "The expectation that the Palestinian Authority will demilitarise Gaza is a pipe dream."

The Palestinian Authority, Netanyahu accuses, "currently funds and glorifies terrorism in Judea and Samaria and educates Palestinian children to seek the destruction of Israel."

He also said that "schools must teach children to cherish life rather than death, and imams must cease to preach for the murder of Jews."

"Palestinian civil society needs to be transformed so that its people support fighting terrorism rather than funding it," Netanyahu writes.

"That will likely require courageous and moral leadership," says Netanyahu, attacking PA President Mahmoud Abbas, who "cant even bring himself to condemn the 7 October atrocities."

The prime minister points to the "successful deradicalisation" that took place "in Germany and Japan after the Allied victory in World War II" and says that "today, both nations are great allies of the US and promote peace, stability and prosperity in Europe and Asia." He adds that after 9/11, "visionary Arab leaders in the Gulf have led efforts to deradicalise their societies and transform their countries."

"Once Hamas is destroyed, Gaza is demilitarised and Palestinian society begins a deradicalisation process, Gaza can be rebuilt and the prospects of a broader peace in the Middle East will become a reality," Netanyahu concludes.

Background:

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) say Hamas is harbouring terrorist infrastructure in and around civilian facilities in the Gaza Strip, including refugee camps and hospitals.

Despite international criticism from some of Israel's staunchest allies over increasing civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip, Israel has not changed course in its military pursuit of Hamas.

The IDF announced on 21 December that it had destroyed a large network of Hamas tunnels hidden under Palestine Square in Gaza City.

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Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has issued his first statement after disappearing for nearly three weeks.

Mr Navalny vanished shortly after Vladimir Putin announced his intention to run for a fifth presidential term in early December. On Christmas Day, Navalnys lawyers said they had tracked him down to one of Russias toughest prisons.

On Tuesday, the jailed critic made a series of bizarre posts on X, formerly Twitter, discussing the details of the past few weeks, during which many feared for his life.

Playing on the theme of being found on Christmas Day in a penal colony near the Arctic Circle, Mr Navalny began his statement by describing himself as the new Santa Claus.

Vladimir Putin (R) announced his intention to run for a fifth presidential term during a stage-managed awards ceremony with soldiers who had fought in Ukraine (EPA)

Mr Navalny said he was very surprised to have been found, adding that he expected to be missing until at least mid-January.

He wrote: The 20 days of my transportation were pretty exhausting, but Im still in a good mood, as befits a Santa Claus.

They brought me here on Saturday night. And I was transported with such precaution and on such a strange route (Vladimir - Moscow - Chelyabinsk - Ekaterinburg - Kirov - Vorkuta - Kharp) that I didnt expect anyone to find me here before mid-January.

Thats why I was very surprised when the cell door was opened yesterday with the words: A lawyer is here to see you. He told me that you had lost me, and some of you were even worried. Thanks very much for your support!

1/9 I am your new Santa Claus.



Well, I now have a sheepskin coat, an ushanka hat (a fur hat with ear-covering flaps), and soon I will get valenki (a traditional Russian winter footwear). I have grown a beard for the 20 days of my transportation.  Alexey Navalny (@navalny) December 26, 2023

Mr Navalny went missing on 6 December but was discovered in the penal colony on Christmas Day. He is serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism.

The prison colony is located in the town of Kharp, in the Yamalo-Nenetsk region, about 1,200 miles northeast of Moscow. The region is notorious for its long and severe winters.

Mr Navalnys chief strategist, Leonid Volkov, described the colony as almost completely cut off from the rest of the world.

It is almost impossible to get to this colony; it is almost impossible to even send letters there. This is the highest possible level of isolation from the world, he wrote.

Alexei Navalny has been in prison since returning to Russia in January 2021 (Getty Images)

Mr Navalny appears to make light of his incarceration with further posts about Father Christmas.

I dont say Ho-ho-ho, but I do say Oh-oh-oh when I look out of the window, where I can see a night, then the evening, and then the night again, he tweeted.

Since Im Santa Claus, youre probably wondering about the presents. But I am a special-regime Santa Claus, so only those who have behaved very badly get presents, he added.

In Mr Navalnys last statement before going missing, he called on Russians to use the upcoming presidential vote, set for March, to vote against Putins brutal war in Ukraine.

A day later, Putin launched his bid to run for a fifth term during a stage-managed awards ceremony for soldiers who had fought in Ukraine, during which war veterans implored him to run again.

During those two days  the setting of the election date and Putins announcement to run  Mr Navalny went missing, while two of his lawyers had their own pre-trial detentions extended to 13 March, just four days before the scheduled national vote, and another opposition figure, ultranationalist Igor Girkin, had his pre-trial detention extended by six months.
(Bloomberg) -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said hell set up a new group within his ruling Liberal Democratic Party next month tasked with restoring trust after allegations over a widespread failure to declare political funds.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Kishida spoke to reporters about his plans late on Monday, hours before the Asahi newspaper reported that former LDP policy chief Koichi Hagiuda was the latest senior figure to have been questioned by prosecutors about the scandal.

The allegations have helped push disapproval for Kishidas government to its highest since 1947 in one major poll. While no general election has to be held until 2025, a failure to revive public support could prompt the LDP to seek to replace Kishida before his term runs out in September.

Asahi cited unidentified sources close to the matter. Tokyo prosecutors declined to comment on the reports, while calls to Hagiudas office in Tokyo went unanswered.

Read more: Tokyo Prosecutors Raid Ruling Party Groups on Money Scandal

Hagiuda, who stepped down last week from his position as an LDP executive, is the latest in a series of high-ranking lawmakers reported to have undergone questioning over the alleged concealment of money generated from fundraising events, including the former top government spokesman.

Tokyo prosecutors also raided the headquarters of two LDP factions earlier this month, one of them previously headed by the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the other led by Toshihiro Nikai.

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Japan's lunar lander began its orbit of the Moon on Monday, setting the nation up for its first Moon landing in the coming weeks.

The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency's Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) mission launched along with the X-Ray Imaging Spectroscopy Mission (XPRISM) in September from Japan. XPRISM continues to orbit Earth. Meanwhile, SLIM headed out on a lunar orbital insertion trajectory arriving in Moon orbit on Christmas.

"The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is pleased to announce that the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) was successfully inserted into lunar orbit at 16:51 (Japan Standard Time, JST) on Dec. 25, 2023," the space agency said in a news release.

SLIM will continue an elliptical orbit around the Moon's poles about every 6 hours, reaching 372 miles above the surface at its closest point in orbit. In mid-January, SLIM's spaceflight will change to a circular orbit and begin to lower in preparation for landing, according to JAXA.

STUNNING IMAGES, DISCOVERIES FROM JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE IN 2023

JAXA said the mission is going well, and because of the "smooth progress of operations," the lunar landing sequence is scheduled to begin on Jan. 20 around midnight JST, with the lunar landing expected about 20 minutes later.

The Japanese mission has two objectives: "achieve a small-scale lightweight probe system and pinpoint landing technology." JAXA said it hopes to achieve a landing accuracy of 100 meters compared to several or dozens of kilometers of "conventional lunar landers."

The spacecraft will use vision-based navigation, taking photos along the descent to measure and correct its position. If SLIM lands within this radius, that will be a fully successful mission for Japan, and any continued operation on the lunar surface will be a bonus.

SLIM has two probes that will be spit out onto the lunar surface to help communicate with Earth and monitor mission status after the landing.

SLIM's targeted landing zone is near the Shiloi impact crater within the Sea of Nectar region on the near side of the Moon.

The agency said the mission will help shape future landings for humans and other robotic missions to the Moon and beyond.

A robotic landing on the Moon is a high-risk mission. While Japan has not landed on the Moon before, it has successfully touched down on two asteroids with its Hayabusa spacecraft. JAXA said lunar landing is more challenging because the gravity on asteroids is lower than on the Moon and Earth.

PRIVATE COMPANIES PREPARE FOR FIRST AMERICAN MOON LANDING IN DECADES

Only four countries have successfully landed missions on the Moon, including the U.S., the Soviet Union, China and, most recently, India. Since the space era began in the 1950s, just over half of all landing attempts have been successful.

In the New Year, two American companies will attempt to be the first private landings on the lunar surface as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.





Original article source: Japanese Moon lander SLIM successfully reaches lunar orbit on Christmas
*For previous coverage of this case, watch above

(WJW)  Twenty-seven years after the murder of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey, her father, John, is explaining how he and his family approach celebrating Christmas.

Ramsey was killed the day after Christmas in 1996 in her familys home in Colorado.

Child, mother still missing: Amber Alert continues

John Ramsey told Fox News Digital he and his family didnt celebrate Christmas for several years. But now, he has grandchildren and we have to enjoy those in our life. He said he would celebrate the holiday with them.

Itll be a joyful Christmas, he told Fox News Digital. Youve got to remember what Christmas is all about, and that helps solidify our view of life and what lifes all about.

He told Fox News Digital you dont get over the death of a child. But, he said, youve got to move on and create new memories.

JonBenets murder captured the attention of the nation. Her death was ruled a homicide after her body was found in the familys basement. A ransom note was reportedly also found in the home by the family.

In the years since, no one has been charged in the case. According to the Boulder Police Department, over 21,016 tips, letters and emails have been investigated. Authorities traveled to at least 19 states to interview or speak with more than 1,000 people in connection with the murder.

Skeletal remains found of boy missing since 2003

JonBenets mother, Patsy, passed away from ovarian cancer in 2006. Both John and Patsy, along with their son, Burke, were cleared of any wrongdoing.

John has made it his mission to make the murders of children federal crimes.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
MUNCIE, Ind.  A U.S. District Court judge has scheduled a hearing next month to determine whether she will accept a plea agreement to resolve the final case stemming from a federal probe of excessive force targeting the Muncie Police Department.

Corey Posey signed the deal with federal prosecutors in October, agreeing to plead guilty to obstruction of justice. Also that month, Posey resigned from his position with the MPD.

Judge Tanya Walton Pratt has set a Jan. 31 hearing on the agreement, to be held in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis.

If she accepts the terms of the deal. the 31-year-old Posey would be placed on probation for a year, including three months on electronic home detention.

Posey's prosecution stems from an an allegation that he falsified a report describing the events of Aug. 9, 2018, when fellow officer Chase Winkle battered an arrestee.

Winkle in August pleaded guilty to 11 charges stemming from attacks on arrestees in 2018 and 2019. He was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.

The federal investigation of excessive force allegations, largely aimed at Winkle, has resulted in convictions for three other now-former Muncie officers, two of them charged with filing false reports concerning Winkle's behavior. Those three co-defendants all received prison sentences, ranging between 19 months and six months.

At the time of the assaults on arrestees, Winkle's father, Joseph, was Muncie's police chief.

At his sentencing hearing, Chase Winkle told Walton Pratt he had "overcompensated" for "insecurities" about his abilities as a police officer "by using excessive force."

Posey  indicted by a federal grant jury in 2021  this year stood trial twice, in June and September, on the allegation he submitted a false report. Both trials ended with mistrials when U.S. District Court juries were unable to reach unanimous verdicts.

The plea agreement also calls for Posey to participate in an alcohol treatment program, as well as a mental health treatment program.

He was arrested for driving while intoxicated in Howard County in July. His trial in that Howard Superior Court 3 case is set for March 1.

Walton Pratt this month entered into the court record a letter she had received from a Muncie resident calling for her to reject the plea agreement.

"Corey Posey deserves the same punishment as these other officers," the letter read. "He is no different. Lock him up."

Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Hearing scheduled on former Muncie officer's plea agreement
Two hundred forty years ago, a small girl, the daughter of the town blacksmith, was laid to rest in Brewster.

Rhoda Mayo was just 11 months old when she died in 1783.

Little did the family know that the buried remains of their daughter would later be moved to land off what is now Lower Road and would become the oldest of hundreds the land would enfold over more than two centuries  each topped with a tombstone that, like pages in a book, would record chapters in the town's history and the histories of its founding families, and offer glimpses of stories of heartache and tragedy, love, adventure, and war.

Today, at Brewster Cemetery, hundreds of those stories are at risk of getting lost under layers of yellow lichen and dark stains that are shrouding  even erasing  the names and vital details of Brewster's early inhabitants.

"Unbeknownst to most people, the lichen growing on the stones is actually digesting the stone," said Robert Williams, chairman of the Brewster Cemetery Association.

Robert Williams of the Brewster Cemetery Association places a flag on Dec. 19 near a leaning headstone at Brewster Cemetery on Lower Road in Brewster. Association members hope to secure Community Preservation Act grant money from town meeting to clean and restore 850 historic headstones at the cemetery.

The intention to clean 850 historic gravestones

To stop the decay and preserve the history at the cemetery, the association members are hoping to secure local Community Preservation Act money to clean 850 historic gravestones, as well as repair damaged stones and adjust stones in danger of toppling. As part of that effort, they are in the midst of collecting signatures via an online change.org petition to show the community's support for their project.

The association will apply to the town Community Preservation Committee for the money.

"They weigh community support very heavily," Williams said.

The town adopted provisions of the state Community Preservation Act in 2004, providing for a 3% property tax surcharge to be used along with state matching funds for historic preservation, open space and recreation and community housing projects in the town. Spending from the fund is managed through applications reviewed by the Community Preservation Committee, which then makes recommendations to town meeting.

The cemetery association already has support from the Brewster Select Board and the Brewster Historical Commission. "So far we've had almost 400 people sign the petition and we hope to get 1,000," said Williams.

The drive started in mid-December. Support is welcome not only from Brewster residents, but anyone whose family has lots in the cemetery, or any Cape Cod residents "concerned about historic places," Williams said.

The association is still collecting estimates for the work, and will submit a proposal to the Community Preservation Committee in May.

Brewster Cemetery Association members want to secure a Community Preservation Act grant to clean and restore 850 historic headstones in Brewster Cemetery on Lower Road in Brewster. The cemetery, photographed on Dec. 19, is known as the "Sea Captains' Cemetery" because of the number of sea captains buried or memorialized there.

Veterans from every war at Brewster Cemetery

Brewster Cemetery, known to many as the "Sea Captains' Cemetery" because of the large number of sea captains buried or memorialized there, is "the largest and most visited of the eight historic cemeteries in Brewster," according to the association.

It's also the only one that continues to be maintained by a private nonprofit, rather than by the town.

Chip Bergstrom, a member of the cemetery board, said Brewster Cemetery is a significant historical site. The ground serves as the resting place for veterans from every war in which the United States has been involved, including the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.

"Im doing some research and have not yet found another cemetery in Massachusetts that can make that claim," he said.

Bergstrom is most impressed with "the sheer number of plots for mariners lost at sea" and many war veterans whose memorials make the patriotism of the town's early residents stand out.

Green burials on Cape Cod: Cemetery commissioners discuss natural alternatives for Cape Cod

'Just filthy' gravestones

Besides the "significant number of stones that are just filthy," Williams said, "we have 31 tombstones in the cemetery right now that are either broken or leaning such that they are going to fall."

Many stones have accumulations of moss, algae, fungi, mold and other plant growth, plus dirt, that have created black stains so dark "you can't read them anymore," he said.

Cleaning the stones is very labor intensive, he noted, involving scraping off plant growth, applying a special spray, and then "scrubbing the devil out of it."

Lichen covers the top of a headstone on Dec. 19 in Brewster Cemetery on Lower Road in Brewster. Brewster Cemetery Association members plan to apply for a grant to clean and restore 850 historic headstones.

'Some fantastic stories' in the history of the cemetery

The Brewster Historical Society conducts multiple tours of the cemetery each year.

"There's some fantastic stories there," Williams said.

Among some of the stories are those of Captain John Lincoln, who died in 1853 on his ships passage from San Francisco to Boston"; Captain Issac Berry, lost at sea at age 24; Captain Albert Knowles, lost at sea on passage from Rangoon to Liverpool in 1870, age 31; Captain Elkanah Winslow, died in Manzanilla, Mexico in 1851 at the age of 48 and Captain Judah Baker, died and buried at sea in 1853 at the age of 45."

In Falmouth in 2021: Broken headstones. Falmouth's 'forgotten' burial ground in need of repair.

Also buried in the cemetery is Sarah Augusto Mayo, who created the Brewster Ladies Library along with Mary Louise Cobb, starting it in her familys front parlor. Buried there as well are members of the Nickerson family, whose private 1,700-acre game preserve became the first Massachusetts state park, Nickerson State Park.

Williams said the cemetery association is planning to complete their grant application for the Community Preservation Committee review and recommendations for the fall 2024 town meeting.

Heather McCarron can be reached at hmccarron@capecodonline.com, or follow her on X @HMcCarron_CCT

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Cape Cod Times subscription. Here are our subscription plans.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Broken, stained gravestones at Brewster cemetery intended for cleaning
When Grace Szymchack walked across a stage during her college graduation on Dec. 15, she was carrying something even more precious than her diploma: Her 10-day-old baby girl, Annabelle.

The infant was wrapped around Szymchack's chest and zipped snugly inside her graduation gown at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan.

Szymchack was originally expecting to welcome her baby girl on Dec. 18 via cesarean section, but Annabelle thought not. She made her debut nearly two weeks early on Dec. 6.

Szymchack's family knew graduation was coming up and talked things over. With so many people falling ill recently and Szymchacks hesitance to be away from her new baby, they came up with a plan, the 24-year-old Szymchack told USA TODAY on Thursday.

I just wasn't ready to leave her yet, so my mom's like, Just tuck her inside your gown,'" Szymchack recalled her mother saying. "'You have your little baby carrier and no one will care that she's with you.

A screengrab of Grace Szymchack and her daughter, 10-day-old Annabelle, at Ferris State University's fall commencement on Dec. 15, 2023.

Sleeping through graduation

Szymchack's little one slept through the entire graduation, but that didnt stop some people from noticing her little head peeking out from her mothers graduation gown.

Some of the other graduates beforehand took notice that she was with me and it helped strike up some conversation, Szymchack said. It just felt really nice having her with me because again, she was so little and I just wasn't ready to let her go.

The family also lucked out because Szymchacks seat was on the end, close to her family. Her husband, Caleb, had everything they needed for their new addition, as well as their 18-month-old daughter Isabelle.

Szymchacks mother also attended and the graduate had her phone in case baby Annabelle needed anything.

Graduate enjoys working with the littles and teaches 3-year-olds

Caleb Szymchack, Grace Szymchack and their daughters Isabelle (18 months old) and Annabelle (2 weeks old).

Szymchack graduated with her bachelors degree in early childhood education. She lives in Traverse City in northern Michigan and teaches for Strong Beginnings, a state-funded program for children from low-income families.

I pursued this degree just because I really enjoy working with the littles and being a teacher, she said. My mom kind of inspired me to want to be a teacher. She has taught special education my whole life.

At work, she has breakfast with the kids, they play outside for a bit and then they do activities like going over the alphabet, math or science.

The children also have free play, which she says is very important because the 3-year-olds she works with learn through play. They dance, sing, take naps, have snacks and then head home, she said.

She said she enjoys making a difference in her students lives and decided to make it her career. She plans to pursue her masters degree once her daughters are older and she has some of her student loan debt paid off, she said.

And I just hope to grow where I'm at, she said. I love who I work for and I very much enjoy working in state-funded programs.

Szymchack is 'perfect example'

Ferris State University spokesman Dave Murray said the university is proud of Szymchack, who spent the past six years managing her classes, her job and motherhood.

She is actually a perfect example of how Ferris State works to support nontraditional students on their educational pathway, Murray wrote in a statement to USA TODAY. We have online offerings and Student Support Hubs across the state to connect students with support services, as well as academics so they can work toward a career-advancing degree and plan around home and work responsibilities."

Baby Annabelle is happy and big sister is adjusting well

Grace Szymchack and her daughter, 10-day-old Annabelle, in a screengrab from Ferris State University's fall commencement on Dec. 15, 2023.

Even the day after her C-section, Szymchack said she felt good and she was able to walk just fine.

Baby Annabelle is doing great and is a happy baby who sleeps a lot, normal for babies her age. Her older sister, Isabelle, seems to love her new role, their mother said.

This morning Annabelle cried a little bit," Szymchack said. She was hungry and Isabelle went and got her blanket because she thought that's what she needed. Shes giving her kisses and she just seems to love having a little baby in the house.

Walking across the stage with Annabelle felt great, she said, and shes happy to be able to inspire other moms and dads who may not have finished their degrees yet or arent sure about going back to school.

She said graduating with her baby girl was a nice change from this time last year. One of her brothers was deployed and another brother was waiting for news about cancer.

He beat cancer, she said. We got that news about a month or two ago. This has been a dramatic difference from last year, and it feels really great to have some positivity.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michigan mom graduates college carrying 10-day-old baby girl
This photo taken on Dec. 24, 2023 shows houses destroyed by bombardments conducted by the U.S. troops in Ismael Khil village of Wardak Province, Afghanistan. Years later, Afghan villagers still vividly remember the operations and bombardments conducted by the U.S. troops during their 20-year presence in the war-torn country. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

ISMAEL KHIL, Afghanistan, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Years later, Afghan villagers still vividly remember the operations and bombardments conducted by the U.S. troops during their 20-year presence in the war-torn country.

Sayed Aziz, a resident of eastern Wardak province, stays in a mud house in the ruined Ismael Khil village. He whispered with sorrow that one U.S. aerial strike had killed 10 people including eight of his brother Qari's family members more than a decade ago.

Recalling the miserable time, Aziz said the U.S. ground forces came to the area and the warplanes conducted air raids, killing innocent villagers including women and children.

"Qari's children, wife and grandchildren were killed. Qari was just a poor farmer," said Aziz, who survived the strikes.

"It was a tragic day. Troops came, warplanes appeared and dropped bombs. A bomb hit a 16-year-old girl while she was washing cups to have tea," Aziz recalled.

Bearing in mind the awful day, Aziz said that Qari was irrigating his farmland when the air raids started. When he returned home, he found he lost everything.

According to Aziz, the United States did nothing good to Afghans. "The Americans dropped bombs on people, on children and even on weddings," he said.

Echoing Aziz, villager Hajji Esmatullah confirmed that the U.S. troops had killed Afghan civilians during their presence in the country.

The old man said he was on the street and saw the warplanes dropping bombs. "The first bomb killed a villager inside his shop and the second one struck Qari's house, killing his family members including his 14-year-old daughter," said Esmatullah.

Najibullah, who got mental problems from the same attacks, said the U.S. troops targeted everyone without distinguishing if the targets were civilians or not.

Taking Xinhua reporters to the graveyard of the village, the mentally suffered Najibullah pointed to a grave and whispered "This is my cousin Gulab."

"In Afghanistan, they (U.S. troops) have trampled the human rights," the Wardak's provincial head for Information and Culture Mawlawi Habibullah Mujahid told Xinhua. 

This photo taken on Dec. 24, 2023 shows houses destroyed by bombardments conducted by the U.S. troops in Ismael Khil village of Wardak Province, Afghanistan. Years later, Afghan villagers still vividly remember the operations and bombardments conducted by the U.S. troops during their 20-year presence in the war-torn country. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Dec. 24, 2023 shows houses destroyed by bombardments conducted by the U.S. troops in Ismael Khil village of Wardak Province, Afghanistan. Years later, Afghan villagers still vividly remember the operations and bombardments conducted by the U.S. troops during their 20-year presence in the war-torn country. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Dec. 24, 2023 shows a man standing near the houses destroyed by bombardments conducted by the U.S. troops in Ismael Khil village of Wardak Province, Afghanistan. Years later, Afghan villagers still vividly remember the operations and bombardments conducted by the U.S. troops during their 20-year presence in the war-torn country. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)
A team of Northland high school students hope a semester-long project will spark creative redevelopment ideas for Cerner Corp.s former World Headquarters campus in North Kansas City, where more than 100 acres have remained vacant since the health care IT companys departure last November.

Five students in September began brainstorming campus concepts through the Northland Center for Advanced Professional Studies (Northland CAPS) program, which pairs students with local business partners so they can develop work skills and explore potential careers.

Riverside gives green light to new Live Nation amphitheater

The team worked with the North Kansas City Business Council, whose Executive Director Richard Groves first suggested a look at reuses for the empty campus at 2800 Rockcreek Parkway.

The student group landed on two redevelopment possibilities for the former World Headquarters:

a mini-community with different mixed uses, including an expansion of the adjacent hospital;

or a college campus, either to support a new metro presence for an existing institution, like the Missouri University of Science and Technology or Washington University in St. Louis, or creation of a new one.

Keep reading in the Kansas City Business Journal.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
Wests apology follows reports the release of his new album, Vultures, has been delayed until January amid a backlash to the comments - ASHLEY LANDIS/AP

Kanye West issued an apology in Hebrew to the Jewish community on Tuesday for past anti-Semitic outbursts, saying he sought forgiveness and regretted any pain that his remarks had caused.

The rapper sparked outrage last year after posting a slew of remarks about Jews on social media that led to him being dropped by sponsors and suspended from X, formerly known as Twitter.

Wests apology follows reports that the release of his new album, Vultures, has been delayed until January amid a backlash to the comments.

I sincerely apologise to the Jewish community for my unplanned outburst caused by my words or actions, it was not my intention to hurt or disrespect, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused, he said in a statement posted on X and Instagram, where he has 18.2 million followers.

I am committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future, added West, who has changed his name to Ye.

The 46-year-old said forgiveness was important to him, adding that he was committed to making amends and promoting unity.

West was widely condemned after saying he was going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE in October 2022.

Erratic outbursts

The same month, he also appeared to accuse musician Sean Diddy Combs of being controlled by the Jewish people in another erratic outburst.

Two months later, he went further while appearing on noted conspiracy theorist Alex Joness podcast.

Every human being has something of value that they brought to the table, especially Hitler, he said. I love Jewish people, but I also love Nazis.

West later posted an image showing what appeared to be a swastika symbol inside a Star of David.

His rants led to major brands including Adidas and Gap cutting ties with the rapper and saw temporary restrictions imposed on his social media accounts.

The Anti-Defamation League advocacy group, which documents antisemitism, described the musicians remarks as inflammatory and conspiratorial. It said he was directly referenced in 59 anti-Semitic incidents tracked by the group during 2022.

Jonathan Greenblatt, the organisations national director and chief executive, has previously called West a vicious anti-Semite and accused him of putting Jews in danger.

Although avoiding naming West, US president Joe Biden put out a statement condemning anti-Semitism shortly after the artists outbursts last year.

The Holocaust happened. Hitler was a demonic figure, Mr Biden said.

West is now reportedly preparing to release his latest album after it was pushed back several times. It had originally been scheduled for release in October.

One of the albums songs is thought to address the anti-Semitism furore and features West rapping the lyric I aint anti-Semitic.

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Kanye West has apologised to the Jewish community for a series of antisemitic remarks he made in 2022.

In a statement written in Hebrew and posted on his Instagram account on 26 December, he said (as translated by Google): I sincerely apologise to the Jewish community for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions. It was not my intention to hurt or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused. I am committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future.

Your forgiveness is important to me, and I am committed to making amends and promoting unity, he added.

The rapper, also known as Ye, faced significant backlash in 2022 after making crude remarks on Twitter/X as well as sharing antisemitic conspiracy theories and claiming that hed been blocked by the Jewish media.

In October 2022, he wrote on X that he was going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE  You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.

He posted a screenshot of a conversation with the rapper Diddy, in which West wrote: Ima use you as an example to show the Jewish people that told you to call me that no one can threat en or influence me.

The comments led Adidas to sever ties with West and end its lucrative Yeezy footwear partnership, calling the comments unacceptable, hateful, and dangerous. Clothing brand Gap, which had also collaborated with the rapper on a clothing line, stopped stocking products affiliated with West.

Wests comments intensified in December 2022, when he said there were good things about Hitler in an interview with right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Following the interview, West also posted an image of a swastika blended with a Star of David.

Kanye Wests Instagram post in Hebrew (@kanyewest / Instagram)

In The Trouble with KanYe, a documentary about the rappers downfall, Wests former business partner and friend, the entrepreneur Alex Klein, recalled the fallout that followed Wests outbursts and allegedly used offensive turns of phrase directly against him.

We turned down $10m. Kanye was very angry, you know, he was saying I feel like I wanna smack you and Youre exactly like the other Jews  almost relishing and revelling in how offensive he could be, using these phrases hoping to hurt me, Klein said.

Kanye West in 2022 (Getty Images For Balenciaga)

West is preparing to release his latest album, Vultures, which is expected on 12 January. The collaboration with vocalist Ty Dolla $ign, which was recorded in Saudi Arabia and also features appearances from Young Thug, Kid Kudi, Wests 10-year-old daughter North and others, was originally due for release on 15 December but was pushed back.

West addresses his earlier remarks in an unreleased song, which was heard at an album playback in Miami earlier this month, as he raps I aint antisemitic in a sexually explicit line. Wests appearance at the listening party sparked fury after he was pictured wearing a black pointed robe similar to those worn by the Ku Klux Klan.

The Independent contacted Wests representatives for comment.
We are about to enter a general election year, and although it is conceivable that Rishi Sunak will wait until Jan 28, 2025, the very end of the term allowed, he would be mad to do so. Prime Ministers behind in the polls always hope that by waiting almost until the last possible moment  John Major in 1997, Gordon Brown in 2010  something might turn up to change their fortunes. They are usually wrong.

James Callaghan should have gone to the country in the autumn of 1978 but dithered and was poleaxed by the winter of discontent, culminating in a lost confidence vote in parliament and an election defeat the following spring.

In 1992, Major called the election on March 11, the day after the Budget and three months earlier than he needed to. He won a majority a few weeks later, confounding expectations of a Labour victory.

For Mr Sunak to go the full distance would mean campaigning over the Christmas period, which would not go down well with voters. With no fixed-term (as opposed to maximum term) parliament any more, October/November are the most likely dates.

But will Sunak be Major 1992 or Major 1997  an against-the-odds victor or a lamb to the slaughter, with Labour winning a landslide?

Or might this election be more like 1964? This also took place at the very end of the maximum five-year period. The Tories had won a resounding victory in 1959 under Harold youve never had it so good Macmillan, only to be rocked by a succession of scandals like the Profumo affair and the Vassall spy scandal.

Macmillan resigned in 1963 and was succeeded by Alec Douglas-Home, an hereditary peer who had to renounce his title in order to contest a seat and join the Commons as prime minister.

Labour also had a new leader in the shape of Harold Wilson who had taken over the party following the untimely death of Hugh Gaitskell.

Then, as now, the Tories had been in office for 13 years and looked clapped out and bereft of ideas. Yet they lost only narrowly, with Wilson securing a majority of just four. Wiser heads in the party today see 1964 as a more realistic parallel for the coming election than 1997 because they will start the campaign so far back.

Labour has to win an additional 123 seats just to have a majority of one in the House of Commons, the legacy of Jeremy Corbyn and the partys Leftward lurch. In 2019, they won just 202 seats which is 70 fewer than the base on which Tony Blair launched his campaign in 1997.

Clearly, the meltdown of the SNP will help if Labour can win back 30 or 40 seats in Scotland; but an overall majority is still a tall order and talk of a landslide seems well wide of the mark. Even if Sir Keir does as well as Blair in 1997 he will only have a slender majority.

What will happen to the Tories? Even in defeat in 1964 they still won more than 300 seats with the Liberals the only other party, chipping in with nine. This time, however, the Conservatives risk losing scores of seats to the Lib Dems and the impact of a re-Faraged Reform Party is yet fully to be felt, though the signs are ominous.

Two recent by-elections saw Reform take enough votes to deprive the Tories of a majority. If that is widely replicated in a general election then the Conservatives are in serious trouble and getting 200 seats will be a struggle.

Another parallel with 1964 is also taking shape, that of class. Does the background of a party leader matter any more? Sixty years ago it was a key feature of the campaign as Labour mercilessly lampooned their opponents aristocratic connections.

Like his predecessor, Douglas-Home was an Old Etonian whom Wilson referred to as the 14th Earl Home. The latters riposte was I suppose, when you come to think of it, he is the 14th Mr Wilson.

It was an exchange that exemplified a changing world. The Sixties were not only in full swing, ushering in the most profound social upheavals for a century, but meritocracy rather than hereditary entitlement was considered the only legitimate route to advancement. Wilson was a ferociously bright grammar school boy facing a toff seen as out of touch, the representative of a class that had had its day.

Labours subsequent destruction of the grammar system (pioneered, of course, by the product of an independent school, Anthony Crosland) means we are back where we started. The top three posts in government today are held by alumni of Winchester, Charterhouse and Eton.

Labour is preparing to make much of this next year. Mr Sunaks wealth, and that of his wife, seems certain to feature prominently in their campaign, both overtly and subliminally. The charge that, like Douglas-Home, he is out of touch with the British people will be hammered home mercilessly.

Like Wilson, Starmer attended a grammar school, though it became independent while he was there and he remained on a bursary. Also like Wilson, whose father was a chemist and plant manager, he is from what we would today call the squeezed middle. But because he is a Surrey-born, north London KC with a knighthood and will appear posh to many voters, he is anxious to burnish his alleged proletarian credentials.

I grew up working class, he has said (many times). My dad was a toolmaker, my mum was a nurse.....we had our fair share of costof-living crises.

In fact, his father was apparently self-employed and owned their house, according to a recent biography, so the description of working class in the conventionally understood sense would be pushing it a bit.

Moreover, in an era where authenticity is valued, this prolier-than-thou appeal no longer works. Whereas in 1964, the class divide was still a potent political issue, todays party leaders are more likely to be judged on what they have done and what they have to offer rather than whether they owned a Scottish estate or their father worked down a mine.

That is why we are entitled to look at Sir Keirs record as a human rights lawyer and subsequently as Director of Public Prosecutions when assessing his fitness for the highest office. By next Christmas, we should know whether he has achieved it.

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Actor Kevin Spacey leaves Southwark Crown Court for a lunch break, in London, Monday, July 24, 2023. The Jury is expected to start deliberating in the case of actor Kevin Spacey, who has pleaded not guilty to nine charges, including multiple counts of sexual and indecent assault. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Former House of Cards star Kevin Spacey reprised his role as the shows lead character, Frank Underwood, in an interview with Tucker Carlson posted Sunday on X, formerly Twitter.

In the interview, Spacey and Carlson commiserated over their similar experiences of being ousted by their respective networks, Netflix and Fox News, and discussed the current political environment, especially approaching the 2024 presidential election.

You know you and I have something in common, actually, Carlson said in the interview.

Oh, yes. We both got canned by our network, Spacey replied.

Tucker said, True, but they actually tried to kill you.

Yes, but here we are, Tucker, bigger than ever.

Later, when asked whether he still watches Netflix, Spacey replied, Probably as much as you watch Fox.

It is bizarre that they decided to publicly cut ties with me on allegations alone; allegations that have now been proven false because I dont think theres any question: Netflix exists because of me, Spacey said. I put them on the map. And they tried to put me on the ground.

Spacey was booted from his role as the lead character on House of Cards in 2017 after facing multiple sexual harassment allegations, including from members of the Netflix shows crew.

Spacey was acquitted of sexual assault charges he faced in a trial in the United Kingdom this past July. A New York jury months earlier found him not liable for battery in a civil lawsuit brought against him by Anthony Rapp, who has alleged that Spacey made a sexual advance on him in the 1980s.

Last year, however, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled Spacey and his production companies had to pay the makers of House of Cards more than $30 million due to losses as a result of his firing. The arbitrator found Spacey violated his contracts demands for professional behavior by engaging certain conduct in connection with several crew members in each of the five seasons that he starred in and executive produced House of Cards.

Carlson, meanwhile, was booted from Fox earlier this year, after the company agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems hundreds of millions of dollars to settle claims of defamation out of court.

As part of the Dominion litigation, a trove of internal messages from Carlson that showed him complaining about how Fox was covering the fallout of the 2020 election and disparaging female leadership at the network was exposed.

Throughout the interview with Carlson, it was not clear to what extent Spacey was speaking in character and to what extent he was talking about his experience as an actor. Several times in the interview, Spacey broke the fourth wall  in the same way his character would in House of Cards  leaving it unclear which of his comments were made in earnest and which in character.

Carlson remarked on this ambiguity at one point in the interview.

When are you getting back to work by the way? Carlson asked.

Spacey replied, Oh, Ive been back at work from the moment we started talking, Tucker.

So does that mean this is like an episode, or is it real? Carlson followed up.

In a manner characteristic of Frank Underwood, Spacey said, Well, its probably a little of both. I mean, Tucker, whats true, whats false? Whats life, whats art? Whats real? Whats performance? I love it when these things intersect because then it gets interesting.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Active hostilities sometimes take place in the vicinity of Sinkivka, but Russians are actively destroyed

The Governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleg Sinegubov, denied the reports of alleged "insignificant successes" by the Russian occupiers near the village of Synkivka, Kupyansk district.

Read also: Mouse fever breaks out among Russian military in Kupyansk sector, says HUR

During the press conference, Synegubov said that the Kupyansk front remains quite difficult. According to his data, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have recently repelled more than 20 enemy assault attacks with heavy armored vehicles and large numbers of infantry.

"The enemy's forces and means are concentrated on capturing Sinkivka. They have no success there. The settlement is fully controlled by our Armed Forces," he emphasized.

He added that there is heavy fighting in the vicinity of Synkivka, but the Russians are being actively destroyed. Also, according to his data, the "gray zone," where active hostilities are taking place, has remained unchanged for the past six months.

Read also: Russian forces deploy reserve assault units to Kupyansk area to blockade city

"If some military equipment entered the territory of this settlement and was destroyed after that, it does not mean that the enemy captured it," said the Governor.

Synegubov added that, as before, 1.6% of the region's territory is temporarily occupied.

Read also: Two collaborators sentenced for helping Russians during occupation of Kharkiv region, reports SBU

On December 23, the American Institute for the Study of War reported that Russian troops allegedly achieved minor successes in the northern part of Sinkivka.

According to the data of the General Staff on December 26, in the Kupyansk direction, Ukrainian defenders repelled eight enemy attacks in the areas of Sinkivka and northeast of Petropavlivka, Kharkiv region.

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
LONDON  King Charles III reflected his coronation theme of public service Monday in a Christmas message that he connected to the health of the planet and wars that are raging.

In a prerecorded video shot with him standing beside a Christmas tree in Buckingham Palace, the king spoke of the message of Jesus life in serving those less fortunate as he honored the selfless army that forms the backbone of our society helping others.

My heart has been warmed by countless examples of the imaginative ways in which people are caring for one another, going the extra mile to help those around them simply because they know it is the right thing to do, he said.

It was the kings second Christmas speech since he ascended the throne after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died in September 2022, but the first since his coronation in May when he was officially crowned in a medieval ceremony rich in pageantry and pomp.

Charles, who has long campaigned for environmental causes and recently told foreign leaders at the COP28 Climate Meeting that achieving climate goals remain dreadfully far off track, said he was encouraged to see awareness growing of the need to protect the Earth.

To care for this creation is the responsibility owned by people of all faiths and of none, he said. We care for the Earth for the sake of our childrens children.

In his own gesture toward sustainability, the evergreen next to him was bedecked in natural decorations made from wood, dried oranges, pinecones and paper. The tree, the first live one at the palace, was to be replanted after the holidays.

As Charles spoke, video showed highlights from his past year, including helping plant a tree during a trip to Kenya  his first state visit as monarch with Queen Camilla to a Commonwealth country.

It also featured footage from the coronation in which he declared, I come not to be served but to serve. Another clip showed his eldest son, Prince William, heir to the throne, along with his wife, Kate, the princess of Wales, and their three children carrying out that mission by helping to rebuild a Scout hut during a day of service that followed the coronation.

His estranged son, Prince Harry, who left the ranks of the senior royals when he moved to the U.S. in 2020 with this wife, Meghan, wasnt shown in the video. Harry, who showed up alone at the coronation and was seated in the third row, inflamed tensions with his best-selling memoir, Spare, published early in the year that accused his brother of beating him up.



At a time of increasingly tragic conflict around the world, a reference to wars in Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas, Charles invoked the words of Christ to do unto others as you would have them do to you.

They remind us to imagine ourselves in the shoes of our neighbors and to seek their good as we would our own, he said. My heart and my thanks go to all who are serving one another, all who are caring for our common home and all who see and seek the good of others, not least the friend we do not yet know.
When Maryland publishes its plan for addressing the needs of autistic people next year, it will largely be due to the efforts of one of the communitys own.

Victoria Rodriguez-Roldan is an autistic, Latina trans woman with over a decade of combined experience in the government and nonprofit sectors, according to her biography, who has written for academic journals on the intersection of autistic and LGBTQ+ identities.

In August, Democratic Gov. Wes Moore appointed Rodriguez-Roldan as the state coordinator for autism strategy for the Maryland Department of Disabilities, which recommended Rodriguez-Roldan for the position after a national search.

We were really impressed with her work in government and nonprofits and really advocating policy changes for many underserved communities, Secretary Carol Beatty said, adding that one of Rodriguez-Roldans most important qualifications is her lived experience. Our department feels very strongly in how important representation is to the disability community.

Rodriguez-Roldan hopes her role, and what she represents in it, will help eliminate stigmas around developmental disabilities.

That is my goal: that every autistic person in Maryland has access to live up to their fullest potential, whatever that potential is, Rodriguez-Roldan said.

The coordinator role was established by legislation sponsored by Del. Michele Guyton, a Democrat representing Baltimore County who is a developmental psychologist, educational disabilities advocate and mother of a son with autism. In an email, Guyton said the legislation was developed in close collaboration with self-advocates, caregivers of nonspeaking self-advocates, and leading advocacy groups representing the disabilities communities.

Maryland is woefully unprepared to address the housing, employment, health care and social/emotional needs of this community as they and their caregivers age, Guyton said. Legislation is a proactive solution to those looming problems.

Rodriguez-Roldan, 34, will work with the Advisory Stakeholder Group on Autism-Related Needs to develop a strategic plan for autism, which she said will act essentially as the states policy for addressing issues impacting the autistic community. The plan will focus on transportation, housing, safety, employment, health care, education and community integration, Rodriguez-Roldan said. ASGARN includes self-advocates like Rodriguez-Roldan as well as parents of autistic children and professionals.

Once the plan is published next summer, Rodriguez-Roldan is responsible for implementing it. She will also serve as a resource for state government employees, up to and including Moore, when it comes to autism-related issues.

The first four months of Victorias tenure have been very productive, Moore said in an emailed statement. She has hit the ground running and has already hosted several meetings and town halls across the state to hear directly from members of the autism community from all parts of the state.

Rodriguez-Roldan will incorporate every voice she hears from into a plan that will reflect the diversity of Maryland and the disability rights community, she said.

One of my guiding stars in a way  [is] ensuring that the policies that we make with regards to autism, with regards to disability in general, dont just access the privileged few that have the resources to fight for those resources and rights, Rodriguez-Roldan said, but instead also reach all those with disabilities [that] are less popular or more marginalized, all those who live at the intersections of disability and being a person of color or being LGBTQ or being in rural areas and so on.

According to her LinkedIn, Rodriguez-Roldan previously chaired the board of directors for the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, a Washington, D.C., based organization run by autistic adults. Zoe Gross, the director of advocacy for the network, said when she saw Maryland was looking for a state coordinator for autism policy, she was really hoping that it would go to an autistic person because the conversation around autism has been long-dominated by family members of autistic people or non-autistic professionals working in the field of autism.

Theres nothing wrong with hearing from those voices. But we really need autistic voices to be centric in this conversation because we have a perspective on autism that other people dont have. We know it from the inside out, Gross said. This isnt just something that we work on professionally. This is our lives.

In his statement, Moore said that the best solutions come from those closest to the challenges, and that his administration is committed to listening to the autism community in Maryland.

Rodriguez-Roldan said shes passionate about advocating for the autistic community  and that makes her new role more difficult, in some ways.

Id say the challenge is not getting carried away in the passion because its a subject I love and hold deeply in my heart, Rodriguez-Roldan said. I came from the nonprofit sector, where its almost traditional to burn yourself out, and I want to make sure we dont do that. The community doesnt deserve that.

To avoid burnout, Rodriguez-Roldan leans on therapy and her hobby of choice, video games. Right now, shes loving Starfield, Baldurs Gate 3 and her comfort favorite, Fallout 4.

This article is part of our Newsmaker series, which profiles notable people in the Baltimore region who are having an impact in our diverse communities. If youd like to suggest someone who should be profiled, please send their name and a short description of what they are doing to make a difference to: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Editor Kamau High at khigh@baltsun.com.
A migrant caravan departed Mexicos southern city of Tapachula on Monday, as the Biden administration ratchets up pressure on Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to impose tighter limits on migrants crossing his country.

The reportedly 6,000-strong caravan is the largest organized group of migrants to form in Tapachula since 2022, when news of a similarly sized caravan threatened to overshadow the Summit of the Americas, hosted in Los Angeles by the Biden administration.

The new Christmas caravan promises to be a political headache for both President Biden and Lopez Obrador, as Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and White House homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall are due to meet the Mexican president Wednesday.

That meeting will follow phone conversations between the two presidents, in which Lopez Obrador called on Biden to reduce sanctions on Cuba as part of a strategy to reduce migration in the hemisphere.

More coverage from The Hill

But according to local reports, the caravan is in part motivated by Mexican enforcement actions in Tapachula, near the border with Guatemala.

According to Diario del Sur, a local publication, more than 100,000 migrants are stalled in the city, awaiting paperwork allowing them free transit through Mexico.

In the past, Mexicos strategy of slow-walking papers has led to unrest among migrants eager to leave the countrys poorest regions. That unrest can contribute to the organization of caravans, in which migrants travel together both for protection against organized crime and against extortion demands from corrupt Mexican officials.

According to reports, the caravans leaders are carrying banners calling the movement an exodus from poverty, and it is mainly composed of people from Cuba, Haiti and Honduras.

According to the BBC, activist Luis Garcia Villagran in part blamed the movement on the ease of crossing from Guatemala to Tapachula.

The problem is that the southern border [with Guatemala] is open, and 800 to 1,000 people are crossing it daily. If we dont get out of Tapachula, the town will collapse, Garcia Villagran told the BBC.

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Biden is under increasing pressure to reduce the number of U.S.-Mexico border apprehensions, a metric for immigration policy success largely set by Republicans but readily adopted by the Biden administration.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has reported more than 200,000 encounters at the southwest border for 16 of the last 24 months, and all signs point to similar statistics in December.

The Biden administration is telegraphing a revamped emphasis on immigration enforcement as a means to reduce those numbers by touting its deportation statistics, embracing concessions on border policy in favor of aid to Ukraine, and dealing directly on the matter with Lopez Obrador.

Lopez Obrador has proven to be an effective transactional partner to the United States on migration enforcement  his acquiescence to programs such as remain in Mexico under threat of tariffs from the Trump administration was essential to their application.

FILE - President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador chat prior to having the official photo taken during the North America Summit, at the National Palace in Mexico City, Jan. 10, 2023. President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador are two strong allies who don't always get along personally. On Friday, they will meet to talk migration, fentanyl trafficking and Cuba relations.(AP Photo/Fernando Llano, File)

FILE  President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador chat prior to having the official photo taken during the North America Summit, at the National Palace in Mexico City, Jan. 10, 2023. President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador are two strong allies who dont always get along personally. On Friday, they will meet to talk migration, fentanyl trafficking and Cuba relations.(AP Photo/Fernando Llano, File)

While Biden is unlikely to resort to such threats, CBP has closed major commercial border crossings because of manpower shortages, putting a strain on the Mexican economy and binational border communities, and spurring Lopez Obrador to take quicker action.

But caravans like the one organized Thursday threaten to limit Lopez Obradors range of action to deliver reduced numbers of encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border.

And Lopez Obradors quid pro quos could upend other areas of Biden administration policy  Lopez Obrador on Friday reiterated a longstanding demand that Biden soften his stance on Cuba, implicitly laying blame on U.S. policy in Latin America for the migrant exodus.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Multiple political figures said their homes were the target of swatting incidents on Christmas Day, where multiple law enforcement officers were called to their residences for false calls of an emergency.

What is swatting?

Swatting incidents occur when a person or multiple individuals call in a false report of an emergency, crime, mass shooting, or kidnapping in progress to prompt a large police response. Swatting attempts have become more common in recent years, often targeting celebrities, political figures and internet livestreamers as a form of online harassment.

Responding law enforcement are often told there is a threat inside the home, putting the victim of such attempts in danger.

The FBI in June launched a national database to track these incidents following a push from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who called the attacks dangerous, disturbing and downright terrifying.

The latest swatting attempt against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) on Monday said her residence was targeted on Christmas Day, following a series of previous swatting attempts against the conservative lawmaker.

Greene revealed on social media that someone reported a fake crime at her home, marking what she said was about the eighth swatting attempt on her home.

I was just swatted. This is like the 8th time. On Christmas with my family here. My local police are the GREATEST and shouldnt have to deal with this, she said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Multiple calls into a crisis hotline cited Greenes address in Rome, Ga., prompting a local police response, a spokesperson for the police said. Coordinating with Greenes security detail, local police determined there was no emergency at the address.

Greenes home has been the target of multiple swatting incidents since last year. In one instance in August 2022, a caller claimed a shooting occurred at Greenes home and the next day, another caller suggested they possibly shot Greenes family.

Rep. Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.) says home swatted on Christmas Day

Rep. Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.) on Monday said his home was swatted on Christmas Day, prompting the Cayuga County Sheriffs Office to contact him and confirm it was a false alarm before arriving at the residence.

Our home was swatted this afternoon, he said Monday on X. Thanks to the Deputies and Troopers who contacted me before arriving. They left with homemade cookies and spiced nuts! Merry Christmas everyone!

The deputies & troopers were polite, professional, & prompt, he added. God bless them.

It was not immediately clear whether Williamss case is related to Greenes incident. Police in Rome, Ga. confirmed they received multiple reports of an emergency at Greenes address in Georgia and the same address in Rome, N.Y.  Williamss district.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wus home reportedly swatted on Christmas Day

The Boston Police Department on Monday said they received a report of a shooting at an address matching Boston Mayor Michelle Wus home in Roslindale, a neighborhood of Boston, according to multiple media reports.

Authorities determined the shooting was a hoax, the Boston Herald reported. The Hill reached out to the Boston Police Department and the Boston mayors office for comment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
With a decades-old history of Islamic extremist attacks, Nigerias Bauchi state is home to a Christian community that continues to suffer oppression and killings, a long-time pastor said.

While Muslim officials and others drove Christians to the outlying edges of the city of Bauchi decades ago, those areas later became the city center  from which Christians were again forced out and now live far from their worship sites, said the Rev. Abraham Damina Dumus, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Bauchi State, and a Baptist pastor.

In spite of the number of Christian worship places here, Christians do not live here in the city center, simply because of persecution, Pastor Dumas told Morning Star News. Christians who own these worship places are forced to live in the suburbs or outskirts of the city.

Those Christians have been faithful to make the trips back to their church worship services and other programs, he said.

The dexterity of Christians not to be deterred by Muslim authorities here in Bauchi has made them to remain steadfast, and they have continued to use their worship places, Pastor Dumas said. Without the commitment of Christians, these worship places would have been shut down completely.

At present no Christians live in the old city center of Bauchi, he said.

Christians who were living inside the old city as tenants were chased out by Muslims, he said. They had to move out and live in the outskirts.

At the same time, the extremism of area Muslims is such that anti-Islamic events elsewhere, including internationally, lead them to vent their fury on local Christians, he said.

Anytime these Muslims are provoked by events occurring elsewhere, Christians living in the suburbs become their targets of attacks, Pastor Dumas said. For instance, the Yelwa area, a Christians suburb where Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University and the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, are located, is readily attacked by Muslims any time they feel provoked by events occurring elsewhere, even when they know that Christians in Bauchi state have nothing to do with such events. These areas have been attacked numerous times over the years.

As part of Nigerias northeastern geopolitical zone, where Islamic extremism took root in the early 1990s, Bauchi state has a history of bombed churches and assaults that continue to this day, he said.

The persecution of Christians in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area has remained a thorn in their flesh up to this very moment as I speak to you, Pastor Dumas said. From 1991 to date, there has been continuous bloodletting by Muslim terrorists targeted at Christians in that area.

Bauchi state Gov. Bala Mohammed recently expressed concern over a spike in attacks by terrorists whom he said were coming from other states.

Because of the federal governments sustained war against bandits and terrorism in other zones of the country, the state is becoming a hiding place for the unscrupulous elements who are beginning to disturb the peace of the citizens, Mohammed told a meeting of traditional rulers in September. We have established a Ministry of Internal Security that will partner with the federal government just to drive the issue of providing internal security.

Armed terrorists cross state borders in their assaults. A police rescue effort in response to a kidnapping in Bauchi states Toro County on Nov. 29 resulted in the recovery later that evening of three others who had been kidnapped in neighboring Plateau state, a pastor and two other Christians.

Bauchi state, where sharia (Islamic law) has been instituted as the main body of civil and criminal law since 2001, is estimated to be about 85 percent Muslim. Christians make up about 6 percent of the population, with traditional indigenous religions followed by 9 percent of the inhabitants.

The history of bombings of churches in Bauchi state hit a new level with the birth of the rebel Islamic extremist group Boko Haram in 2009, Pastor Dumas said.

In three years, 2009-2012, Boko Haram terrorists bombed almost all the churches in Bauchi city, he told Morning Star News. Christians worship places were bombed on Sundays as Christians gathered for worship services. It was from here in Bauchi that the Boko Haram attacks spread to Maiduguri in Borno state. In these massive attacks against Christians, my house was burned down by the terrorists. Many houses belonging to Christians were also burned down during these attacks.

Christians in northern Bauchi state, saw their homes and church buildings burned down in Azare, Misau, Danbam, Giade, Zaki and others, and many of them were killed, he said.

Also in the southern part of Bauchi state, in places like Bauchi, Tafawa Balewa, and the rest, the situation was nasty and ugly to the church, Pastor Dumas said. It was like the church was going into extinction as there were clear signs that Christians were not going to exist in Bauchi state.

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.
Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, whose whereabouts were not known for over two weeks, has been moved to a penal colony in the Arctic, allies said Monday.



The disappearance of Russia's most prominent opposition politician, who mobilized huge protests before being jailed in 2021, had spurred concerns from allies, rights groups and Western governments.

Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny is seen on a screen via a video link from the IK-2 corrective penal colony in Pokrov during a court hearing in Moscow on May 24, 2022. / Credit: EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA / REUTERS

It signaled a likely prison transfer, which can take weeks in Russia as prisoners are slowly moved by rail between far-flung facilities.

"We have found Alexey Navalny. He is now in IK-3 in the settlement of Kharp in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District," his spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, said on social media.

"His lawyer visited him today. Alexey is doing well," Yarmysh added.

The district of Kharp, home to about 5,000 people, is located above the Arctic Circle. It is "one of the most northern and remote colonies," said Ivan Zhdanov, who manages Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation.



"Conditions there are harsh, with a special regime in the permafrost zone" and very little contact with the outside world, Zhdanov said.

Navalny was first jailed after surviving an attempt to assassinate him by poisoning. A court extended his sentence to 19 years on extremism charges, and ruled that he be moved to a more secure, harsher prison.

"From the very beginning, it was clear that authorities wanted to isolate Alexey, especially before the elections," Zhdanov also said.

Russia is scheduled to hold a presidential vote in March. President Vladimir Putin is expected to easily win a fifth term.

While Navalny's location was still unknown, Leonid Volkov, Navalny's chief of staff, said on social media that, "The fact that this is happening right now (although Navalny should have been transferred to another colony two months ago)  now that 'elections' have been announced and Navalny's team has launched the 'Russia without Putin' campaign  is 0% accidental and 100% directly political manual control from the Kremlin.

"It is no secret to Putin who his main opponent is in these 'elections.' And he wants to make sure that Navalny's voice is not heard. This means that everyone should become Navalny's voice," Volkov said.

A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department welcomed news that Navalny had been located, but said the U.S. remains "deeply concerned for Mr. Navalny's wellbeing and the conditions of his unjust detention."

"The United States strongly condemns Russia's continued malicious targeting of Navalny, and the more than 600 other political prisoners Russia has imprisoned," the spokesperson said. "We will continue to follow their cases closely and advocate for the release of all who are unjustly detained."

Moscow has for years sidelined opposition figures from elections and political life, a clampdown that accelerated after the Kremlin ordered Russian troops into Ukraine in 2022.

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Los Angeles, CA - Portrait of Jamie Maier, 55, wearing an ankle bracelet standing in the outdoor courtyard at Amistad de Los Angeles, a prison re-entry facility Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, in Los Angeles, CA. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

What does something different look like when your whole life, this is all you've known?

By the time he was 42 and staring down two more decades in prison, Eric Acosta knew all the wrong things, and this question began clawing at the corners of his mind.

Growing up in Reseda, he knew the ugliness of having an absent alcoholic father, living with an abusive grandmother, enduring sexual abuse by the liquor store clerk down the block.

Eric Acosta, 53, sits in an outdoor courtyard at Amistad de Los Angeles.

When he grew older, he knew what it was like living out of a van, sleeping behind a dumpster, burying himself in crack to avoid it all.

And when the bottom dropped out of the bottom  out of money, out of cigarettes, out of drugs  he learned what it was like to walk into a Popeye's restaurant, smack the counter, demand the money from the register, then keep robbing stores during a two-week spree until nearly three dozen officers descended to arrest him after a traffic stop.

"I knew when when I walked in that restaurant that I was going back to prison for the fifth time. And I walked in there anyway," Acosta told me recently, sitting under a eucalyptus tree in the courtyard of the Historic South Central facility where he is serving his last eight months for those crimes. "I had so much self-hatred."

But somehow, improbably, Acosta also knew there must be a different way to live, even if he couldn't see it.

Corrections Officer Gonzales, left, who did not give his first name, goes over the orientation during the intake process with newly arrived Anthony Montez, 54, left, and Juan Hernandez, 28, right, at Amistad de Los Angeles, a prison reentry facility.

Figuring out what it was and how to make it a reality became his mission during these last 11 years in prison, at a time when, also improbably, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has been asking itself the same questions that were driving Acosta.

Is change possible for a person whose emotional landscape is dominated by hurting others and being hurt themselves? How, locked up with thousands of people who have bounced between being victim and victimizer, do you even begin?

What does rehabilitation look like, when all California has ever done is punish?

In 2005, the California Department of Corrections, at the order of the state Legislature, tacked an "R" for rehabilitation onto the end of its name and began searching for the answers to those questions. By 2013, when Acosta took a plea deal of 20 years, CDCR had cobbled together a patchwork of programs, some good, some questionable, that on paper at least, presented a pathway for motivated inmates to better themselves.

Jessie Rose, 27, introduces himself during a meeting at Amity Foundation.

But after decades of just punishing, progress was  and still is  slow. Recidivism rates have remained stubbornly high, and despite many efforts in too many directions, rehabilitation in California prisons remains more a scattershot option than an institutionalized plan.

Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom did something unexpected, and without a lot of political value for his national aspirations, especially at a time when Republicans are stirring fears of rampant crime. Newsom announced that San Quentin State Prison, the state's oldest and most notorious facility, would be remade into a rehabilitation center modeled after Scandinavian principles.

Read more: California to transform infamous San Quentin prison with Scandinavian ideas, rehab focus

Gone would be death row, with its tiny, moldering cells. Gone, ideally, would be cells at all, though that may take some time. But most of all, gone would be the attitude that incarcerated people belong in cages.

Instead, following the lead of places including Norway and Finland, California would change what prison is for. The focus would be on giving incarcerated people a more normalized experienced that offered the skills, training and personal growth to be good citizens  because most people who go into prison come out again.

Isn't it better, Newsom pondered, if they come out as the kind of men and women who would make good neighbors?

Newsom dubbed the idea the "California model," and I've spent the better part of a year trying to both understand and explain what it will mean for the Golden State. I traveled to Pennsylvania to visit a prison outside of Philadelphia that is also emulating the Scandinavian system.

I went to Norway with California corrections officers to get their take on what the change would mean in a profession plagued by violence and suicide. I spoke to a woman whose daughter was murdered by a San Quentin inmate, and the man who committed that murder, to better understand what redemption and rehabilitation mean to victims and perpetrators.

But it turns out all the understanding I needed was inside a cluster of rehabbed buildings south of downtown Los Angeles. Inside Amistad de Los Angeles, where Acosta lives.

Exterior of the living quarters of at Amistad de Los Angeles, a prison reentry facility in Los Angeles.

Amistad is technically a male community reentry program, where incarcerated people with less than 30 months left on their sentences are sent for a soft transition back into society. The men here are still wards of the state. But beyond the ankle monitors most wear hidden under pant legs, it would be hard for the average passerby to know these guys are still serving time.

They walk back and forth across the street, from the apartment building where they live in dorm-like rooms with private baths to the meeting rooms and medical clinic where they receive on-site care.

Rainmaker Hall is the central meeting space, created inside an old hangar that was once a sweatshop with high, arching beams. It feels like some sort of new-age hippie rehab, something you'd find down a Santa Monica side street.

Life-sized statues of Buddha and Ganesh, the Indian god of new beginnings, ring the room. A circle of about two dozen chairs, many vintage green velvet, dominate the center. Pastel-hued parakeets sing from a cage near the entrance, underneath a giant Fiddle leaf fig, their sounds meant to soothe not just ears but hearts.

A peaceful outdoor courtyard at Amistad de Los Angeles, a prison reentry facility in Los Angeles.

"You don't hear birds a lot in a carceral institution," Doug Bond said. "It is a reminder that we are a community, that there is life in a community."

Bond is the head of the Amity Foundation, which runs this facility in partnership with CDCR, and is the co-chair of the advisory committee charged with reimagining San Quentin. Both of his parents were incarcerated.

Mario Caceres, 33, left, Joshua Stam, 39, and Craig Gebauer, 38, right, in a courtyard at Amistad de Los Angeles.

In his 20s, he lived on the third floor of the old brick apartment building that now houses the men returning from prison at Amistad. Then, it served those on parole and probation, but had a couple of extra rooms.

He was a foster kid, he told me, who had been plucked from the system by the founder of Amity, a woman who had been incarcerated herself. When later in life, he needed services and support, the facility offered him a home.

"It just changed my whole perspective on how incredibility talented and gifted and amazing people coming out of incarceration were," he said.

Mostly, he accepted what he already knew in his soul: incarceration crushes families.

"We rarely look at generational outcomes," he told me. "I've been that child."

The Amistad hippie vibe doesn't stop with its looks. The men here do yoga and meet for group therapy. They share meals in a dining room where glass hearts dangle from a chandelier.

They hold jobs and internships in the community (about 38% work), attend college (sometimes in person), grow hydroponic vegetables, drink fresh-made juice, train with the Skid Row Running Club, and, most important, plan for the future.

It's all the self-care, self-help we would expect and encourage for someone on the outside who wanted to better their lives. But somehow, the kindness and safety that is required for people to change has long been considered weak or wrong for those who are incarcerated.

Read more: California prison guards are dying too young. How Norway (yes, Norway) can help

Rejecting that bias is the heart of the California Model. Mrs. C, as the men call her, is what that looks like in practice.

Eugenia Canchola, once a parole officer in the field monitoring sex offenders, is now one of the officers assigned to Amistad. Her official job is to monitor the men, keep anyone from doing a runner, break up fights.

But mostly, she sees herself as a partner to the nonprofit staff working on transforming lives. She figures out ways to help the men attend their children's birthday parties or visit a sick mom in the hospital. She studies for the driver's license test with them, deciphers public transportation for them and most of all just lets them know she is here to listen and help.

"It does require a different type of personality to be here, you just can't have a closed mind," she told me.

Shmorr Winn, 48, middle, takes part in a meeting in the outdoor courtyard at Amistad de Los Angeles. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

"When they get a job, we ask them simple questions. 'Hey, how's it going?' And they're just like, 'Oh, my gosh, do we actually care?' They are so surprised that we're asking," she said.

But it has to be authentic. If Mrs. C and her partner, Michael Contreras, were just playing a role, he said, the incarcerated men would "read right through everything."

"They're going pick out who really wants them to change and who's just here for a paycheck," he said.

Contreras said it's all about breaking down barriers. But that hasn't been easy. Within CDCR, the move toward rehabilitation has been met by some with skepticism, if not hostility. That's due as much to hard-line attitudes on crime and punishment as years of jumbled programs with fuzzy results.

Jessica Fernandez, chief of community reentry services for CDCR, is also the child of an incarcerated parent.

"I wish my mother could have had some type of program like this," she told me. Instead, when Fernandez was 8, her mom's parole was revoked and Fernandez bounced around with relatives.

She spends a lot of time "selling" programs like Amistad internally. But really, she said, the people who have to buy into it are us, those on the outside who elect the politicians and set the tone on crime and punishment. Those who will have to pay for it with tax dollars, long after Acosta or Bond or even Newsom are gone.

"If you look at everything that needs to change, yes, it has to happen internally, but then you have to also change the mind of the community," she said.

Read more: She fantasized about torturing her daughter's killer. Instead, she helped him

The effects of programs like Amistad aren't enough to change society's opinions only because they don't help enough people. The results  though astounding  are hard to see.

Since reentry programs such as this began in 2015, about 9,000 men have graduated from them. California, even after an enormous push to lower prison populations during the pandemic, still has about 94,000 people behind bars and 35,000 on parole. Each week, hundreds are released, most with $200 and little support.

But of those who participated for at least nine months in programs such as Amistad, 92% are not reconvicted of a new crime in their first year of release. By contrast, the latest figures for the general population released from California prison show that nearly 22% return to prison within 12 months.

Scott Alexander, 31, is volunteering in the kitchen at Amistad de Los Angeles. At this facility, a healthy diet is emphasized.

The change at San Quentin may take years, but its potential is profound because of its size  not just for the people whose lives are changed, but for society.

When Acosta, the Amistad resident, is released in the summer, he is confident he will be on the right end of those statistics.

He has confronted his sexual abuse and sex trafficking, and the worthlessness it had left him feeling. He has confronted his drug abuse and pulled his arrest record so he could better understand who the people were that he harmed.

"I got in touch with what my purpose in life is," he said. "I am truly, truly, truly grateful that I am at Amistad."

Jessie Rose, 27, left, and Eric Acosta, 53, right, introduce themselves during a meeting at Amity Foundation.

He has obtained a state certificate in counseling and has a job running therapy groups at the Los Angeles Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse. He dreams of opening his own transitional living home.

Amistad, he said, has helped him cement what he fought to believe during his 10 years in prison  that he has value, that he can be a good father, a good friend, a good neighbor.

The kind that isn't just safe to have around, but makes the place better.

"I have a responsibility to do my part to heal the community I harmed," he said.

And he already is.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Labour party is considering processing some asylum claims overseas if it forms the next government.

Sir Keir Starmer has been looking over new plans for Labour's asylum policy, a spokesman told the BBC.

Asked last week if his party would consider processing asylum claims outside of the UK, Sir Keir said he would look at any plan that works.

The Conservatives accused Labour of having no credible plan to stop migrants coming to the UK in boats.

The Labour party is exploring whether some asylum seekers could have their claims processed before reaching the UK, to discourage some of them from making the journey across the Channel.

Multiple senior sources have told the BBC that shadow ministers and officials have been discussing this as part of a mix of measures to tackle crossings. However, no detailed plans have yet been drawn up.

The sources denied reports in The Times on Tuesday that detailed plans had been drawn up.

Labour has ruled out any option that could see asylum seekers deported to other countries while their claims are being assessed - the cornerstone of Rishi Sunak's Rwanda scheme.

Speaking to the BBC earlier this month Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said she opposed the Rwanda scheme because it came with a "huge cost" and would only see a small number of people sent to Rwanda.

Under a five-year trial first announced by the government in April 2022, some asylum seekers arriving in the UK could be sent to Rwanda for processing.

On arrival, they could be granted refugee status and allowed to stay. If not, they could apply to settle there on other grounds, or seek asylum in another "safe third country".

The government has been unable to send a single asylum seeker to Rwanda because of various legal challenges.

The Supreme Court ruled the policy was unlawful in November and new emergency legislation was drawn up to revive the government's plan.

Many Tory MPs had originally threatened to vote down the bill and some on the right of the party rebelled by abstaining - including Robert Jenrick, who resigned as immigration minister over the legislation.

While the bill passed its first vote in Parliament on 12 December, there will be further votes in the House of Commons in the new year which could pose a challenge for Rishi Sunak.

A Labour Party spokesman told the BBC that "as Keir said before, we'll look at anything that works but our priority is smashing the gangs and stopping people getting here in the first place, rather than working out how to process claims".

The government's Minister for Countering Illegal Immigration Michael Tomlinson said Labour's plans were not "a deterrent to stop the boats, it just throws open the front door to Britain, increasing immigration.

"The National Crime Agency says that only a deterrent will stop the boats. Rishi Sunak's Rwanda plan is a deterrent," he said.

A spokesman for Momentum, on the left wing of the Labour party, said that an expansion of safe routes for refugees was "a practical alternative to the Tories' cruel and divisive war on migrants".
Rich and Trish Steffens of Charred Sauces and Seasonings prepare their "Charred" BBQ sauce, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, in Laingsburg.

LAINGSBURG  Years before Rich Steffens ever thought about making his own barbecue sauce, no single recipe ever quite satisfied his palate.

Instead, when he ate at barbecue restaurants in and around Lansing he would squirt a healthy dollop of the eatery's sweetest and then its most acidic sauce on his plate, mixing them to create the taste he craved.

"Something sweet and spicy," Steffens said.

He started experimenting with recipes and ingredients to make his own sauce five years ago, never dreaming it would eventually turn into a profitable side hustle. But this year Charred Sauces and Seasonings, the business Steffens and his wife Trish started in May, did just that.

The Laingsburg couple, now empty nesters with five grown children between them, make and bottle their barbecue sauces, rubs and other creations inside a church kitchen close to home. They sell their products in a dozen area stores now, including Meijer Capital City Market in downtown Lansing. In November their signature barbecue sauce earned a third-place honor in the Scovie Awards, a global sauce competition.

Less than a year in, it's become a profitable venture.

"We're just taking it day to day," Steffens said. "We don't know what to expect. We don't know what's going to happen."

'Where'd you get that sauce?'

Rich and Trish Steffens of Charred Sauces and Seasonings prepare their "Charred" BBQ sauce, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, in Laingsburg.

Rich Steffens created his first barbecue sauce five years ago in his kitchen at home.

"I looked at some sweet barbecue sauce recipes and I looked at some vinegar spicy ones and I got a feel for what ingredients went into them," he said. "I wrote out my own and mixed it up."

Steffens fine-tuned the recipe each time he made a new batch, adding more or less of certain ingredients.

"After doing that a couple of times, I figured I had it right where I wanted it," he said.

He served the sauce alongside his smoked and barbecued meats, at the dinner table and eventually, at gatherings with friends and family.

"Where'd you get that sauce?" people would ask. When they learned it was his concoction, they often suggested he try and sell it.

"I was always like, 'I don't even know anything about business. I've never done anything like that. I don't have time to do anything like that.'"

Then in the spring Rich Steffens realized he actually might. The couple's children, Rich has three and Trish has two, no longer live at home. And even though the pair works full time  Rich as a project manager for an Illinois-based company and Trish as an account clerk at Potter Park Zoo  there's plenty of time for making sauce.

"I like the idea of something to do together," Trish said. "We work really well together so I was excited to try it. Why not?"

"We're looking at retirement in five years and we thought maybe it would be something that could kind of keep us busy in retirement if we were still doing it then," Rich Steffens said.

So the couple turned to Michigan State University's Product Center for guidance, took an online course in acidified foods through North Carolina State University and started looking for a licensed kitchen to make sauce in.

They started at a local American Legion post and eventually settled on working out of Laingsburg's First Congregational Church.

The business name is a nod to Rich's nickname, "Chard." His children and their friends have called him that for years.

Gradual growth and success

Rich and Trish Steffens of Charred Sauces and Seasonings prepare their "Charred" BBQ sauce, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, in Laingsburg.

Today the Steffenses usually make between 72 and 96 bottles of sauce in three hours in the church kitchen. It took time to master efficiency, they said. Then they started small, selling their products at the Holt Farmers Market every weekend.

Today their sauces are for sale on shelves at a dozen businesses including Phillips Cider Market & Bar, Capital City Market and Twiggies in Lansing.

Their "Signature BBQ Sauce," a blend of sweet and spicy, is still the most popular sauce the Steffenses make but the couple offer three other barbecue sauces, including a mayonnaise and horseradish-based "Alabama White Sauce," four tomato sauces, a taco sauce, buffalo wing sauce and three different rubs.

Rich creates the products through a process that involves both research and a fair amount of experimentation.

"Once I play around with something and I get something that tastes good, it feels like an accomplishment," he said.

Winning a third-place award in the 2024 Scovie Awards in the category of "All-natural mild/medium barbecue sauce" felt like validation, Rich Steffens said. Charred Sauces and Seasonings also took home a third-place honor for its logo.

"It's a big deal," he said. "It's really a global competition."

The Steffenses have invested nearly $15,000 in Charred Sauces and Seasonings. It began turning a profit in the fall. The business will offer a sampling of some of its products from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Capital City Market, located at 600 E. Michigan Ave. in Lansing, on Jan. 6.

The couple is taking the gradual growth "as it comes," Rich Steffens said, with plans to add more sauce flavors and potentially more stores that sell them in the next year.

"We're both very happy with how this first year turned out," Trish said.

"We want it to remain as busy, maybe a little bit busier than it has been," Rich Steffens said. "What to do, how to do it, we'll figure it out when we get there. That's what we've kind of always been good at when we work together. We'll figure it out."

Contact Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @GrecoatLSJ .

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This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Laingsburg's Rich and Trish Steffens create Charred Sauces Seasonings
A 40-year-old Lakeland woman was killed in her motorized wheelchair on Christmas Eve and a Plant City man was arrested on charges of DUI manslaughter.

A 40-year-old Lakeland woman was killed riding a motorized wheelchair on West Pipkin Road in Lakeland on Christmas Eve, and a Plant City man was charged with DUI manslaughter.

About 6 p.m. Sunday, Howard Bennett, 67, of Old Mulberry Road in Plant City, was driving east in a 2019 Mazda CX5 on West Pipkin approaching Fairfield Drive when he struck Leslie Stone, who was on her powered wheelchair, also heading east, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said.

The deputies on scene said they noticed Bennett stumbling while walking and using their patrol vehicle for support. The Sheriff's Office said he had bloodshot and watery eyes and spoke with slurred speech, and the deputies smelled alcohol on his breath. After a field sobriety test, Bennett was arrested.

The Sheriff's Office said Bennett provided two breath samples, which measured 0.159 and 0.158. The legal limit for blook-alcohol level in Florida is 0.08.

Mail and laptops Defense attorney in 8 death penalty cases calls Polk jail policies unconstitutional

Bennett was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with DUI manslaughter, DUI .15 or higher with property damage and DUI with property damage.

Our prayers are with Ms. Stone's family," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a news release Monday. "To lose a loved one this way is awfully tragic, but especially during the holiday season. We hope and pray our citizens will make better choices than this suspect did - please celebrate the holidays responsibly.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Plant City man charged with killing Lakeland woman on Pipkin Road
Music teacher Albert Her Many Horses was shocked to learn that he is the recipient of South Dakota's Milken Educator Award  and the $25,000 cash prize.

Todd County, South Dakota middle school teacher Albert Bobber Her Many Horses, Sicangu Lakota, was surprised with a $25,000 cash prize and the national Milken Educator Award.

Her Many Horses is a Lakota language teacher and music teacher in Mission. Born and raised in Mission on the Rosebud Reservation, Her Many Horses is an active member of his tribal community.

The teacher was presented the award for his innovative teaching methods. Her Many Horses works to find different ways of incorporating technology in the classroom and worked hard to engage students in 2020 while learning from home.

Her Many Horses was also honored for being active in helping students outside of the classroom. In addition to his teaching, he tutors students in math and science, sponsors an in-school wellness group, and teaches summer classes at Sinte Gleska University.

The award presentation is part of a nationwide tour honoring exceptional educators for excellence and innovation in education. Her Many Horses is the only recipient from South Dakota this year.

Congratulations to Bobber Her Many Horses on receiving the Milken Educator Award, said U.S. Senator Mike Rounds, who attended the celebration. Bobber is a leader in the community of Mission and has had a significant impact on the students at Todd County Middle School. He is not only a role model to his students, but for teachers across the state and country as well. This well-deserved award is a testament to Bobbers hard work, both in and out of the classroom.

Milken Educator Awards Senior Vice President Jane Foley, joined by South Dakota Secretary of Education Joseph Graves, presented Her Many Horses with the award in front of cheering students, colleagues, dignitaries and media.

The award is given to K-12 educators with the hopes of inspiring youth to pursue a career in teaching.

Albert Her Many Horses shares a perspective and personal experience with the young hearts and minds he is molding within the very community that shaped him, said Foley, a 1994 Milken Educator from Indiana. Alberts unique insight and deep understanding of the needs of his students, school and community make him an excellent leader and mentor.

The awards will honor up to 75 recipients across the country in 2023-2024 as part of the Milken Family Foundations Journey to the 3,000th Milken Educator. This year will also mark $75 million given in individual financial prizes during the initiative.

Mr. Her Many Horses has all the hallmarks of what constitutes a first-rate teacher: he is an expert in his fields of music and the Lakota language, he is highly adaptable to new technologies and new situations, and he is an exceptional role model for his students and fellow teachers at Todd County Middle School, said Graves. His hard work will inspire his students throughout their lifetimes  his dedication to them ensures that.

All Milken award honorees will attend an all-expenses-paid Milken Educator Awards Forum in Los Angeles in June 2024, where they will network with their new colleagues as well as veteran Milken Educators and other education leaders about how to broaden their impact on K-12 education.

Honorees also receive mentorship opportunities for expanded leadership roles that strengthen education practice and policy.

The $25,000 cash award is unrestricted. Recipients have used the money in diverse ways. Some recipients have spent the funds on their childrens or their own continuing education, financing dream field trips, establishing scholarships, and even adopting children.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Lakota teacher wins Milken Educator Award
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  Las Cruces Bishop Peter Baldacchino visited both the Otero County Prison Facility and the Otero County Processing Center on Christmas Day.

Baldacchino was accompanied by Deacon John Eric Munson and two sisters of the Dominican Sisters Ministry. They first visited the prison and two Masses were held.













Photos courtesy of Arlette Villa, community relations manager

Whenever I come here (prison), I always come with a lot of hope for the incarcerated. They are our brothers and sisters. We pray for them in our cathedral and our parishes, Baldacchino said. We hope that after their time of rehabilitation, they may be able to go back into the community stronger and be able to help others because of their renewed relationship with God.

The bishop and his entourage then headed to the processing center which is located a few minutes away from the prison. This was the first time the bishop visited this facility, according to officials.

He blessed the building and had the opportunity to visit each dormitory to introduce himself and bless both staff and residents there and expressed his eagerness to help these men and women reconnect with their faith.

We want to keep that flame alive so when these men and women go back to their countries or wherever our lord may want them to be, they have that connection with him, Baldacchino said.

The residents of both facilities greeted him with claps, and often tears, according to the news release detailing the visits.

While both facilities serve different types of residents, the bishops message to all was the same  to continue their path of faith, to not lose hope and to pray for him as he prays for them.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Las Vegas police said a suspect who barricaded themselves in an apartment near the Harry Reid International Airport after attacking a victim with a knife has been taken into custody peacefully.

According to a release, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department responded to the 5100 block of Golden Lane, near Maryland Parkway and East Tropicana Avenue at around 7 a.m. on Tuesday.

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Officers arrived and found a victim who was suffering from non-life-threatening injuries caused by a knife. Medical personnel took the victim to a local hospital.

Through the investigation, police learned the suspect was in an apartment in the area.

Police initially said they attempted to get the suspect to leave the apartment but could not. At approximately 11:22 a.m., police say they were able to bring the barricade to a peaceful conclusion. One man was taken into custody.

Police advised the public that the investigation into the incident was ongoing.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
Kentucky Speaker of the House David Osborne presided over proceedings in House chambers as Senate Bill 47, a bill to legalize medical marijuana in Kentucky, passed at the State Capitol Building in Frankfort, Ky. on Mar. 30, 2023.

As we look forward to a new year, hard-working Kentuckians and small business owners should take note of an important bump in their earnings. Thanks to legislation supported by the Kentucky Chamber and passed by the General Assembly, Kentuckys tax on personal income will drop from 4.5% to 4% at the start of 2024. For Kentucky workers and small business owners, that means more money in your bank account and more resources for everyday expenses like groceries, school supplies, gas or retirement.

What the income tax cut means for Kentucky

Just six years ago, the commonwealth had the 37th worst state tax code in the nation. Most Kentuckians faced a personal income tax rate close to 6 percent, nearly twice the rate of Indiana. Fast forward to today, our tax code is considered 18th best, and we are finally starting to close in on competitor states like Tennessee and North Carolina.

Ky needs a state budget that works: Tax cuts and big rainy day fund don't.

This progress hasnt happened by accident. Rather, with strong support from Kentuckys business community, lawmakers have consistently made tax reform a top priority with major legislative packages in 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2023. These initiatives have transformed Kentuckys tax landscape and are part of a broader strategy to grow Kentuckys workforce, attract new business investments, and increase economic opportunities for Kentuckians.

Tax reform helps start and grow businesses

While it will take time to feel the full effects of tax reform, the trajectory of Kentuckys economy since lawmakers first began modernizing our tax code is worth noting. The state surpassed 2 million payroll jobs for the first time in its history last March and added a net 113,000 new jobs between January 2018 and October 2023 (despite the historic job losses suffered in 2020). Tax reform, when combined with other pro-growth policies like workers compensation reform, workforce development initiatives and strategic investments in education and economic development, is already making the commonwealth a more attractive environment to start and grow a business.

As lawmakers have worked to reform Kentuckys tax code, state funding for key services like education, health care and public safety has continued to grow. Contrary to critics of tax reform, who have repeatedly predicted falling revenues and cuts to services, state revenues were 39% higher in 2023 than in 2018. We also now have a robust rainy day fund to help us weather difficult times and capitalize on economic opportunities.

Again, this didnt happen by accident. Kentucky policymakers have been careful to tie tax reform to economic growth. Under legislation passed in 2022, future reductions to the state income tax will only occur when the state meets specific revenue and savings goals. This thoughtful approach ensures that Kentucky will continue investing in key services while pursuing tax reform.

No more fast-tracking legislation. Kentuckians deserve participation in the lawmaking process.

Of course, much more work remains to be done. Pro-growth tax reform is a journey, not a destination, and the Kentucky Chamber will continue to be a steadfast advocate for reforming Kentuckys tax code. Our top priority for next years session is to set the stage for continuing to reduce taxes on personal income. But in the meantime, it is important that we celebrate milestones such as next years tax cut and recognize the broader strategy at play. So, when you get your first paycheck of the new year and notice an increase to your take-home pay, know that this is intended not only to help you and your family in the short term but also to build a stronger Kentucky economy for future generations.

Kentucky Chamber President and CEO Ashli Watts

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Income tax cuts make the new year more profitable for Kentuckians
Jeffrey Edward Lund, 47, of Lehigh Acres, faces several charges after authorities say he pointed a firearm at deputies on Dec. 25, 2023.

A Lehigh Acres man faces several charges after authorities say he pointed a firearm at deputies.

Jeffrey Edward Lund, 47, is charged with one count of battery and two counts of aggravated assault. He remained in custody Tuesday afternoon on a $35,000 bond.

Around 8 a.m. Monday, the Lee County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to a disturbance at a home on Euclid Avenue in Lehigh Acres. Jail records indicate Lund lives in the 1600 block of Euclid Avenue.

The sheriff's office said Lund pointed a firearm at deputies when they arrived.

Authorities said deputies wounded Lund, who was in the hospital at the time of his first court appearance.

The sheriff's office said no deputies were wounded.

Lund is next due in court Jan. 29 for his arraignment.

Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: LCSO: Lehigh Acres man charged after causing officer-involved shooting
'Go north' trend for holidays on the rise during Christmas in Hong Kong

08:35, December 26, 2023 By Chen Qingqing ( Global Times

It has been a popular trend recently for Hong Kong residents to "go north" and spend their weekends in mainland cities. This trend appears especially prominent with the arrival of Christmas.

According to local immigration statistics, as of 9 pm on Sunday, there were 576,000 departures from Hong Kong, approximately 250,000 more people than arrivals. Among them, about 400,000 people traveled north to Shenzhen through land border crossings, local media reported.

The three-day Christmas holiday in Hong Kong began on Sunday, the Christmas Eve.

A total of 110,000 people passed through the control stations at Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau Spur Line to exit Hong Kong, making them the busiest exit points. Additionally, 67,000 people traveled north via Shenzhen Bay Port, while another 65,000 took high-speed trains to the mainland. About 76,000 people crossed the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to reach Zhuhai and Macao. Approximately 61,000 people departed via the airport.

According to data from Hong Kong immigration authorities, on Saturday, there were over 1.06 million entries and exits through various border points, marking the first time Hong Kong surpassed 1 million entries and exits since the pandemic. On the first day of the holiday, over 570,000 people crossed the land border to the mainland, with Hong Kong residents accounting for 430,000 of them.

The Sam's Club in Shenzhen has become a hotspot for Hong Kong residents shopping in the mainland. Hong Kong travel agencies are capitalizing on this trend by organizing shopping tours to Sam's Club, offering a four-hour shopping extravaganza.

A licensed Hong Kong travel agency even launched its first weekend Sam's Club shopping tour recently, according to local media HK01.com. The agency advertised the tour as including "entry to Sam's Club, with a tour leader, local guide, and luxury bus transportation to and from the location." The cost for adults is HK$228 ($29.19), while children are charged HK$188.

Some local residents in Hong Kong told the Global Times that they favored northbound travel for weekends and holidays as they believe that mainland cities offer better services with a wide range of choices. Additionally, online payment is particularly convenient in the mainland.

"A big meal in Hong Kong could cost several thousand Hong Kong dollars, but in mainland cities, it can be settled for just a few hundred yuan. This contributes to a higher happiness index," Hebe Fung, a 33-year-old Hong Kong resident, told the Global Times on Monday.

In Hong Kong, for instance, cab rides still largely require cash payments, lacking comprehensive electronic payment options, which is quite inconvenient. "And the initial charge for taxi in the mainland is much cheaper than that in Hong Kong," she said.

As many Hong Kong residents "went north" or traveled abroad on Christmas Eve this year, the catering industry's overall business volume in Hong Kong was estimated to be around HK$380 million, which was lower than the HK$430 million on the same day in 2022, a drop of more than 10 percent, local media Sing Tao News reported on Monday, citing industry representatives.

Some netizens said that the popular trend of "going north" for holidays and weekends reflects the better integration of the Greater Bay Area, signaling growth potential in the region while others also showed concern for the sluggish business recovery in Hong Kong post-pandemic.

However, some Hong Kong residents say that the Christmas atmosphere in the mainland is not as strong as in Hong Kong, especially since the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has put in a lot of effort to attract local spending and tourists for the 2023 holiday season.

The overall Christmas atmosphere in Hong Kong is still quite good. Areas like Central and Sheung Wan, Tsim Sha Tsui's Avenue of Stars, and along both sides of Victoria Harbour are adorned with Christmas lights and various themed exhibitions featuring comic book characters and more, creating a festive ambiance, local residents said.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun)
Terrorists massacred 160 people, many of them preparing for church Christmas programs, Saturday night (Dec. 23) through Monday (Dec. 25) in coordinated attacks on predominantly Christian areas in Plateau state, Nigeria, sources said.

Church pastors were killed and hundreds of houses were destroyed in the massacres in villages of Barkin Ladi, Bokkos and Mangu counties, officials and residents said. The assailants killed the Rev. Solomon Gushe of Baptist Church in Dares village along with nine of his family members, said Bokkos County resident Dawzino Mallau.

Some pastors were killed, and another pastor and his wife and five children were killed during these attacks, Mallau told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News in a text message. These terrorists who attacked these Christian communities were in the hundreds, and they carried out the attacks as the hapless Christians were preparing for Christmas programs lined up by their pastors.

Most of the Christians killed were women, children and the elderly unable to escape, he said.

Alfred Mashat, another resident of the Bokkos area, said hundreds of houses were destroyed.

About 160 Christians in these villages were killed by the terrorists, Mashat said in a text message to Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. We believe they are carrying out these attacks alongside armed Muslim Fulani herdsmen.

Among the predominantly Christian villages attacked, he said, were NTV, Maiyanga, Ruku, Hurum, Darwat, Dares, Chirang, Ruwi, Yelwa, Ndun, Ngyong, Murfet, Makundary, Tamiso, Chiang, Tahore, Gawarba, Dares, Meyenga, Darwat and Butura Kampani.

Mashat identified some of the Christians killed in the attack on Maiyanga village as Sati Solomon Langweng, David Jallang, Gauis Adamu, Mafulul Langweng, Nafor James Markut, Matawal Gauis Adamu, Fidelis Solomon Jallang, Emmanuel Amos Jallang, Sule Shahu, Mildred James Markut, Maren Paul Mashok, Samuel Mamot and Machief Mangut.

Four Christians slain in Daruwat village he could identify only as Tanko, Haruna, John and Salo.

Local officials on Monday (Dec. 25) confirmed the attacks, reportedly stating that at least 160 people were slain. Monday Kassah, head of the local government in Bokkos, told AFP that 113 people had been killed there in well-coordinated attacks in at least 20 villages.

More than 300 wounded people were rushed to hospitals in Bokkos, Jos and Barkin Ladi, he said. Dickson Chollom, a member of the state parliament, told AFP that at least 50 people were reported dead in villages in the area, while Bokkos area resident Solomon Musa told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News that the bodies of 60 Christians in the Bokkos Council area were recovered and buried.

Another 26 corpses were buried in Barkin Ladi Council area on Christmas Day, Musa said. On Saturday, Dec. 23, Muslim terrorists attacked Christian villages in Bokkos Local Government Area, attacks that continued to Christmas Day.

In Bokkos LGAs Ruwi village, 16 Christians were killed, many others were wounded and many houses were destroyed, he said.

Alfred Alabo, spokesman for the Plateau State Police Command, said in a press statement that the assailants on Sunday night (Dec. 24) attacked 12 villages in the Bokkos LGA: Ndun, Ngyong, Murfet, Makundary, Tamiso, Chiang, Tahore, Gawarba, Dares, Meyenga, Darwat and Butura Kampani. That same hour, at about 10:45 p.m. three villages in Barkin Ladi LGA were attacked, he said: NTV, Hurum and Darawat.

In Bokkos LGA, 221 houses were set ablaze, 27 motorcycles and eight other motor vehicles were burned, and more than 79 persons were killed, Alabo said, adding that in Barkin Ladi LGA, 17 deaths were initially recorded.

Plateau Gov. Caleb Mutfwang on Monday (Dec. 25) said that at least 50 persons had been killed in Mangu and Bokkos counties in the prior 48 hours.

This is unacceptable. Enough is enough. These stupid, senseless and unprovoked acts must stop, Mutfwang said, vowing to strengthen security agencies in the efforts in tackling insecurity in the state.

The assailants are described locally as bandits, shorthand for a mix of criminal elements including ethnic Fulani herders hit by drought and dwindling land for their cattle. Riding motorcycles and well-armed with sophisticated weapons obtained from criminal elements outside of Nigeria, some of the predominantly Muslim assailants are said to be mercenaries from Chad or Niger.

Estimated to number in the tens of thousands, such assailants have been active in northern Nigeria for more than a decade but have increasingly expanded into Plateau, Benue and other states, including some in southern Nigeria. Christian leaders and other observers also believe elements of Islamic extremist group Boko Haram and a faction aligned with the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) form part of some of the attacking criminal gangs.

Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in the Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians lands and impose Islam as desertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds.

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.

Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdoms All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a 2020 report.

They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity, the APPG report states.
Opinions expressed in Letters to the Editor are those of our readers and not the Pensacola News Journal. In order for letters to be considered for publication, they must be 250 words or less and include name, a full address and phone number. Only your name and city of residence will be published. Email submissions to opinion@pnj.com.

Trump doesnt deserve your vote or support

Maryland Public Television has produced a program called P.O.W. - Passing on Wisdom about the Naval Academys efforts at instilling leadership within the ranks of the Navys officer corps. The program draws heavily on leadership lessons developed among the senior ranking POWs held in North Vietnam from 1964 to 1973, particularly James Stockdale.

The leadership exhibited by Stockdale and other senior officers for years under brutal conditions, including torture, now has a place in the training and development of the Navys future leaders. The program is well worth watching and makes one proud of our military.

The message of the program seems in stark contrast to former Commander Bone Spurs leadership style, which seems to be based on schoolyard bullying tactics. The leader that prefers his heroes not captured, who takes all credit and shares none, maligns our allies, sucks up to our enemies, who thinks military cemeteries are full of suckers and losers, who doesnt want to be seen with severely wounded veterans, who has no sense of honor, who broke his oath of office, the leader of the Republican Party does not deserve anyones support or vote.

Bill Johnson, Cantonment

Readers don't hold back: Letters: Downtown parking continues to raise questions; permanent daylight savings needed

Stop drilling and use less oil

I keep hearing politicians demanding that the US needs to drill and pump more oil to bring down prices. If that is done OPEC will back off their production to balance out the difference. We dont need to drill more; we need to use less oil. If we continue the use of fossil fuels, we are paying money to the Saudis and Russia and Iran. These folks are not our friends. The movement to electric cars and solar power is how we get OPEC off our backs and out of our lives.

David Walby, Gulf Breeze

Christians should reread Bible if they arent appalled by calls to eliminate Israel

The news media and social media have large amounts of hate material these days with a significant quantity directed at Israel as a nation and Jews as a people.

These events indicate a need for a reminder of our gentile-Christian history.

Jesus, our savior came to this world in human form as a Jew. His human mother was Mary, a Jewish woman. He was circumcised per Gods Covenant with Abraham. He was raised following the Mosaic Laws.

The first followers of Jesus were Jews. The first disciples were Jews. The Bible is crystal clear about Gods relationship with Israel the nation and the Jewish people.

When I was growing up there was a false understanding about the death of Jesus and who was responsible. Scripture is crystal clear that Jesuss death on the cross was Gods plan to provide a path to salvation for we human sinners. When I look for a sinner that made this sacrifice necessary, I merely look into the mirror.

If you are a Christian and not completely appalled and horrified by cries to eliminate Israel, then you need to go immediately and reread the Bible. Dont take my word, you read it.

Jimmy D. Anderson, Pensacola

Dont build any more schools on major highways

The Santa Rosa School Board has done it again!

Building a school on a major highway makes no sense. It creates danger for the students and inconvenience for everyone else.

This new high school on U.S. 98 between Gulf Breeze and Navarre is going to add another 20 to 30 minutes to the Pensacola-Fort Walton journey  and even more during school bus time.

Give those guys a medal!

David Luther Woodward, Pensacola

Pensacola Junior College story needed telling

A job well done by Troy Moon in his recent article in the PNJ about the sub-critical nuclear reactor at PJC from 1961 to 1964. I taught physics at PJC/PSC from 1977 until I retired in 2012 and none of my colleagues nor I knew of its existence. I did attend a nuclear energy workshop at The University of Florida, where they had a working sub-critical reactor in the Nuclear Engineering Department. Moons article was very important for PJC/PSC history.

On a separate topic, I was very disappointed with the recent PNJ discontinuation of the Shoe comic strip. I do miss Cosmo, Shoe, Roz, Biz and Irv. Anyone else feel the same?

Joseph Zayas, Pensacola

Hear from our readers: Letters: Santa Rosa commissioners put party before county while complicit silence deafens

Andrade has panhandling solution

Panhandlers are not pleasant to look at. up close, they look even worse with mental anguish written all over their faces. Sometimes theyre a nuisance. At this time of year, theyre more visible because people are out more during the holidays. Most motorists stopped in traffic will look at them with disgust. A few will look at them and think, There but for the grace of God go I.

So, whats the solution? Fine them? Incarcerate them? Remove them from public view? Alex Andrades House Bill 759 and recent city council action provides for all those solutions. Keep in mind that its human beings who are being targeted, not feral animals.

Woodrow Soderlind Jr., Pensacola

Panhandling bill is immoral

I too find panhandling a problem, not just in Escambia County and Florida but nationally and globally. However, Rep. Andrades bill to criminalize it is wrongheaded in so many ways. It is an unfunded mandate for taxpayers. His justification is questionable. Making it a potential felony is immoral. Finally, it wont solve the problem.

First, the Escambia County Jail, at last count, had 1,300 detainees, one of the highest county jail incarceration rates in the state, with an annual cost to taxpayers of $46.5 million. How much will Andrades bill increase county jail costs.

How will these jail cost increases be paid for?

Second, Andrade offers no evidence of his claim that most panhandlers are not homeless. A simple Google shows the contrary.

His feelings are not a reason to make new law. Third, making it a potential felony is just an attempt to punish poor people for being poor.

Finally, study after study has shown that investing in housing and job services cost less and is more effective than criminalization.

Mike Harmon, Pensacola

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This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Letters: Donald Trump is a bully who doesnt deserve anyone's support
To the editor: English is a phonetic language, so as soon as children learn letters and sounds, they can start to write simple messages. Most people go on to write well enough for practical purposes, while others go on to become poets, novelists or journalists for the Los Angeles Times. ("The science of reading works. California should require it," editorial, Dec. 19)

There is a vast difference in levels of competence among adults. Phonics has little or nothing to do with it. It is the same for reading.

Yes, effective instruction in phonics and other essential reading skills does help a child learn to read by age 8 or 9. The "science of reading" refers to beginning reading. After that, individuals develop the same differences in competence that we see in writing. Some become excellent readers while others stay at a fourth- or fifth-grade level for the rest of their lives.

How do we narrow this gap? Now, that is a question for the great universities in the world.

Reading and writing are complex mental processes akin to thinking. Let's give these human achievements the respect they deserve.

Linda Mele Johnson, Long Beach

The writer is a former reading teacher and the author of a book on teaching young children to read.

..

To the editor: Kudos to The Times for promoting the science of reading. Along with curriculum changes and teacher training, we need buy-in from the university systems that train teacher candidates.

In my doctorate dissertation research, I found that 60% of education professors continued to ignore the science of reading in favor of outdated whole language and balanced literacy methods.

Their ignorance or disregard of the science of reading produces new teachers unprepared to address the needs of their most vulnerable students.

Suzanna Bortz, Laguna Niguel

..

To the editor: Your articles and editorials about using phonics in instruction do not address the purposes of reading and the goal of parents and educators to help children become lifelong readers. The values of reading are enjoyment, enlightenment and knowledge.

Of course phonics is essential for teaching beginning reading. Once a child is able to "crack the code" by learning to sound out words and the rules of grammar and punctuation, it is the responsibility of educators and parents to encourage children to comprehend the text and discover the joy of reading.

Let's not lose sight of the forest by focusing on the trees. While teaching phonics and beginning reading, it is essential that we emphasize the purposes and beauty of reading.

Cynthia Crisp, Cerritos

..

To the editor: Along the lines of using phonics to teach children how to read, I would observe that a large number of children in California schools have homes where English is not the first language. By having teachers listen to children sound out words and give corrections, students are learning how to speak English, which is as much to their benefit as learning to read English.

Mind you, I have nothing against children who are not native speakers of English, be they from Chile or Lebanon. What I do want is for children to be able to better navigate the society in which they live.

Michael Lampel, Granada Hills

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  West Michigan cities will celebrate the new year with parties, fireworks and even the largest New Years Eve ball drop in the state.

Ring in 2024 with these West Michigan New Years Eve celebrations:

BEFORE NEW YEARS EVE

Kent District Library Countdown to Happy Noon Year! | Various branches | Dec. 29 and 30 | Details

Grand Rapids Childrens Museum New Years Early Eve | At GRPM | Dec. 30 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. | Details

Toast the new year with the right bottle of wine

ON NEW YEARS EVE

ALLEGAN

NYE! New Years Eve Celebration | Riverfront | Festivities start at 8 p.m. | Details

CEDAR SPRINGS

Cedars New Years Springing Eve Ball Drop | Festivities start at 9 p.m. | Details

GRAND HAVEN

Grand Haven New Years Eve Ball Drop and Fireworks | Festivities start at 8 p.m. | Details

GRAND RAPIDS

New Years Eve Ballroom Bashes | Amway Grand and JW Mariott | Festivities start at 8 p.m. | Tickets start at $65. | Details

KALAMAZOO

Kalamazoo New Years Fest | Dec. 31 from 6 p.m. to midnight | Details

LUDINGTON

New Years Eve Ball Drop | Downtown Ludington | Festivities start at 9 p.m. | Details

SOUTH HAVEN

New Years Eve Celebration | Downtown South Haven | Noon to midnight | Details

To add your citys event to this list, send us an email at ReportIt@woodtv.com. Be sure to include a link.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
President of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda believes that Russia may resort to aggression against NATO countries if the West stops supporting Ukraine.

Source: Delfi, citing Nauseda in an interview with TV3, as reported by European Pravda

Details: At the same time, Nauseda said the probability of ending support for Ukraine is low.

Quote: "It will depend on the war scenario in Ukraine. If Russia fails to turn the tide in its favour, then, of course, it will be stuck there for a long time and won't be able to sustain multiple fronts. If things go differently and the West suddenly turns away from Ukraine, withholding the necessary support... Yes, then such a situation might arise, but the probability of that scenario is low," he noted, commenting on discussions about the threat to NATO from Russia.

Nauseda said that "no one has an answer to the question of when Russia's behaviour may change and when it will turn its gaze towards NATO".

Background:

Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, has once again drawn attention to the threat that Russia's victory in the full-scale war against Ukraine would present for the European Union.

He also called for more active support for Ukraine, given that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not ready to stop full-scale aggression anytime soon.

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The likelihood that the West will stop supporting Ukraine is very low, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on Dec. 25, according to local news outlet Delfi.

Read also: Lithuania prohibits empty trucks from crossing Belarusian and Russian borders

However, Nauseda also made it clear that if this does happen, the likelihood of Russian aggression against Lithuania and NATO will increase.

Read also: Lithuania to train 3,500 Ukrainian troops in 2024

"It will depend on the scenario of the war in Ukraine," Nauseda said.

If Russia does not manage to turn things in its favor, then, of course, it will be stuck there for a long time and will not be able to fight on several fronts.

Read also: Lithuania delivers vital military aid to Ukrainian forces

Nauseda added that if everything turns out differently, and the West suddenly turns its back on Ukraine and does not provide it with the necessary assistance, "then it could happen, but the probability of such a scenario is low."

"I think this is just a desire to start a discussion out of nothing," the president said.

No one has an answer to the question of when Russia's behavior might change and when it will turn its gaze toward NATO.

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
While many across the world wished for more money this year for Christmas, one lucky SoCal resident had their wish come true.

A Christmas present worth $2.08 million was sold at the Donut Storr on Knott Drive in Anaheim, lottery officials said.

The player matched all five numbers  5, 12, 20, 24 and 29  but didnt match the Powerball of 4. Had they done so, they would have taken home the jackpot of $638 million.

6-year-old boy flying alone ends up on the wrong flight

That $638 million jackpot now rolls to an estimated $685 million, lottery officials said on X, formerly Twitter.

A total of 141,939 winning tickets were sold across California for Monday nights drawing, according to the Powerball website.

Powerball tickets cost $2, and drawings are scheduled for every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 7:59 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
Its been a 47-year run in the clothing business on the west side of Belleville for Roger Wigginton, but now hes ready to move on.

Wigginton, who has owned and operated Don Rodgers Ltd. clothing store since 1976 off West Main Street, plans to begin a Retirement Sale on Jan. 2.

People say youre going out of business. No, Im not going out of business, he said. I could stay in business as long as I want. But I want to retire.

The toughest part is going to be leaving the people behind, he said. Thats going to be the toughest part.

Because people are coming to me now, Well, where are we going to shop? Oh thats like a stab in the heart, he said with a laugh.

But he quickly notes hes totally at ease this is the right decision.

It is definitely time to move on.

Wigginton, 74, is looking forward to a new chapter following the death of his wife, Mary, in 2021, and then making the decision to retire.

For starters, he and Valerie Terschluse are planning to get married in July.

I did exactly what I had to do and now Ive got a new future, a new love in my life, Wigginton said.

I want to spend my life with her.

And down the road, I was kidding her the other day, and said, Maybe Ill start a new business. And she says, Oh no youre not, were going to travel, he said with a laugh.

Along with their plans to travel, they are looking at getting a home in Clayton, Missouri, and spending time with their families. Wigginton has three children and seven grandsons while Terschluse has two daughters.

Terschluse, who has been a full-time assistant buyer for Don Rodgers merchandise since earlier this year, said, I was looking forward to buying for spring and then he started talking about retirement, so here we go.

And Wigginton said in reply, Here we go.

Business history

Wigginton is not sure how long the Retirement Sale will last.

He knows if someone offers to buy the store at 6727 W. Main St., the sale would end that second.

The store is listed for $275,000 with BarberMurphy of Shiloh.

Wigginton said the building is turn-key ready if someone wants to open an apparel store, although he notes its a tough business climate for brick-and-mortar clothing stores competing with online companies. He also said a nail salon could be a good fit.

There is what he calls a fabulous apartment above the store so the new owner can walk to work. It also has a new garage.

Don Rodgers opened at this site in 1994 after operating in various places within the nearby Arcades shopping center beginning in 1976.

The name Don Rodgers came from a combination of Wiggintons first name and the first name of his former partner, Don Napoli.

Wiggintons first name doesnt have a d in it but they added that to make it look more like a last name.

For all these years, people think Im Don Rodgers, Wigginton said.

Wigginton bought out Napolis share in 1985 after a lease they had for a womens clothing store expired in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Napoli is now retired in Indiana.

Wigginton and Napoli got together in 1976 when Wigginton was offered a corporate retail position in New Jersey but decided he didnt want to move to the East Coast. Theyve been friends for over 50 years, and both will turn 75 on Feb. 3.

I knew I would own my own business at one time, said Wigginton.

And this was the time.

Wigginton, who has spent a total of 57 years in the retail industry, got his first business loan on a handshake deal with the late Belleville bank executive Harry Cruncleton Jr., who agreed that a womens clothing store was needed on the west end.

Life in Belleville

Along with running Don Rodgers and raising a family in west Belleville, Wigginton spent decades contributing to civic life in Belleville.

He served on the Belleville City Council from 2015 to 2022.

Wigginton said he enjoyed his work with Belleville Mayor Patty Gregory when they were co-chairs of the West Belleville Promotional Committee.

Patty and I started this west Belleville group, he said. We put west Belleville back on the map and did a lot of great things.

Other groups he served on include the citys zoning board, the citys planning commission, the board of the Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce, Family Hospice, Blessed Sacrament Catholic School, a group that supported the former Lindenwood University-Belleville and the merchants group in the Arcades.

Wendy J. Pfeil, president and CEO of the Belleville chamber, lauded Wigginton for his commitment to Belleville.

Roger definitely made an impact on the community and what he did has not gone unnoticed, Pfeil said.

To be in business that long and then to finally step away from it, has got to be hard for him and the city, she said.

He brought in a lot of different clientele from not only Belleville but from outside of here, and theyre all loyal clientele that shopped with him for years and years and years, Pfeil said. Hes truly going to be missed.

Wigginton said, You have to put back into the city what you take out.

People come in and say all the time, Roger what you did for the city and what you did for west Belleville is amazing, he said.

Im very proud of what Ive done. Im very, very proud.

And it was a labor of love.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  Tensions boiled over at the Tennessee State Capitol in the wake of the March 27 Covenant School shooting. Chants of vote them out and shame on you could be heard as protesters flooded the Capitol, hoping to turn tragedy into action on gun reform.

On the House floor, three Democrats made their voices heard. State Reps. Justin Jones (D-Nashville), Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), and Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) walked up to the well, violating the chambers rules of decorum.

In response, House Republicans introduced resolutions to expel the three members.

This offense has never happened in 200 years, 200 years. So, if this doesnt rise to that level, then what does? House Speaker Cameron Sexton asked.

On April 6, ahead of the expulsion resolution votes, were hours of debate and heated moments. In the end, House voted to expel Jones and Pearson

What happened today, it wasnt about expelling me, it was about expelling a movement and they will not be successful in that, Jones said.

Tennessee Three: Jones, Pearson expelled, Johnson avoids expulsion by one vote

Johnson survived expulsion by one vote.

We are still three, Tennessee Three. America is going to know that guy is a rock star, because you were a rock star, Johnson told Jones after the votes.

The trio quickly became known as the Tennessee Three and garnered national attention. The very next day, Vice President Kamala Harris flew to Nashville to meet with the three and speak in support of them at Fisk University.

They understood the importance, these three, of standing to say: the people will not be silenced, Harris said.

Jones, Pearson, and Johnson then headed to New York to appear on ABCs GMA3.

We were kicked out by an almost entirely white, 75-member caucus almost entirely on partisan lines, Jones said on GMA3. It was a political lynching; it was an attempt to make a spectacle example out of us, like, How dare you think you are equal!'

Back at home, it was back to business. Just four days after the expulsions, Metro Council voted to reinstate Jones as interim representative for District 52 and he marched with supporters to the Capitol.

Shelby County Commissioners followed suit and voted to reappoint Pearson to his District 86 seat. Both were sworn back in and returned to the legislature. Shortly after, the Tennessee Three were invited to the White House to meet personally with President Joe Biden.

Youre standing up for our communities and Democratic values, Biden said.

On Aug. 3, a special election was held and Jones and Pearson won their seats back in landslide victories. They were officially back in the House in time for the special session on public safety called by Gov. Bill Lee.

Read the latest from the TN State Capitol Newsroom

Jones was silenced for a day of the session after Republicans voted he violated newly-enacted rules on disorderly behavior. Pearson got into a scuffle with Sexton. The session ended without passing any new laws.

Just days later, Johnson announced she is running for U.S. Senate. She raised $1.3 million, the largest first-quarter total for a Tennessee Democrats campaign since 1982. However, her challenger, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R), raised more than double that.

Its an uphill battle, theres no question, Johnson told supporters. Her last race was about 10 points; we can get those 10 points, no question.

Underdogs in a state thats boldly red, the Tennessee Three bet on themselves. They made a mark on 2023, and according to them, their work is far from done.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Workers at a Tennessee hospital ended up calling for help from the police when a "huge" beaver wandered into the facility and took shelter under a piano.

The Bartlett Police Department said in a Facebook post that officers were called to St. Francis Hospital on Christmas Day when staff spotted a "huge" beaver wandering around inside.

Officers arrived to find the beaver hiding under a piano in a hospital lounge.

Police wrote the beaver was "probably looking to nom nom a Christmas tree."

The beaver was not injured and was returned to the wild.
Through Dec. 30

Fantasy Land of Lights drive-through lights display from 6-10 p.m. at Johnstone Park, 200 N Cherokee Ave. Bartlesvilles Johnstone Park will be transformed into a magical winter wonderland. Drive through the picturesque park with your radio tuned to our holiday station as the red and green lights of our holiday displays twinkle on either side. Join us this Christmas season and experience the magic of one of Bartlesvilles favorite holiday traditions. Free, but donations are accepted.

Through Dec. 31

The Woolaroc Retrospective Exhibit and Sale 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. This years exhibit will feature William Alther, Thomas Blackshear II, Tom Browning, Scott Burdick, Glenn Dean, Jane DeDecker, Ralph Oberg, Dan Ostermiller, Roseta Santiago, Mian Situ, & Daniel Sprick. For more information about the show, call 918-336-0307, ext.100.

Christmas Train Rides from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Sunday in December including Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. The trackless train ride will be located across from Lowes, 2200 SE Adams Blvd. Holiday Christmas Train ride around Lee Lake hosted by Lee Lake Paddle Boats, a little pre-festive planning for the upcoming holidays. Tickets are $5 per rider; under 1 year of age free. The train is available for rental. For tickets or to reserve your own personal tour, call 918-213-9626.

Through Jan. 2

Christmas in the 'Ville Skating Rink in Downtown Bartlesville, 201 SW Keller. Days and hours vary, go to https://www.bartlesvillechristmas.com for updates. Tickets are $12 per skater. Family skate reserved for 12 and under with parent or guardian 4 to 6 p.m. Dec. 8 and 15, public skate 6 to 9 p.m

Wednesday, Dec. 27

Doggie Dash and Canine Carnival 3 p.m. located at 2400 SE Adams Blvd. Arrowhead Charities is proud to present the 4th Annual Arrowhead Doggie Dash, a celebration of pet health and happiness. Proceeds will go to aid in the fight to save animal lives through education, community support and healthy living. Join us for a fun-filled morning and to celebrate healthy living on 2 legs and 4. Beneficiaries of this year's Doggie Dash are WCSPCA and ARF.

Sunday, Dec. 31

Olive Drop at the Price Tower 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at 510 Dewey Ave. Immerse yourself in an unforgettable evening featuring the soulful rhythms of The Mike Cameron Jazz Collective with special guest, Ashlee Elmore, delectable small bites provided by Restaurant Cicada, a sparkling champagne toast, and the fun tradition of the Olive drop at the stroke of midnight. Tickets for the celebration are $35 per person, promising an enchanting experience to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. Dinner reservations are not part of the admission ticket and must be made through Restaurant Cicada at 918-907-1865. Dinner will be served 5 pm to 9 pm. For more information, call 918-336-1000.

Tuesday, Jan. 2

Johnstone Irregulars Book Club Meeting 6 p.m. at the Bartlesville Public Library, 600 S Johnstone Ave. The book club meets in the Literary Services Office on the 2nd floor of the library.

Thursday, Jan. 4

Bartlesville Astronomy Club meets at 7 p.m. in Bartlesville Public Library meeting room C. 600 S Johnstone Ave. Topic is "Viewing the 2023 Solar Eclipse in Bortle 1 Skies". Visitors welcome.

Saturday, Jan. 6

Masonic Lodge Benefit Breakfast for The Journey Home 7 to 11 a.m., 610 N Washington Blvd. Come support The Journey Home and learn what we have planned to celebrate our 10 year anniversary happening in 2024. If you would like us to come to your office to sell tickets we would be happy to schedule that. Tickets are on sale at Journey Home for $9. For more information, go to http://www.thejourneyhomeok.com or call 918-876-4184.

History and Haunts at the Dewey Hotel 8 to 10 p.m. at the Dewey Hotel, 801 N Delaware St. Dewey. Spend an evening at the Dewey Hotel. They will go over some of the hotels unique histories and take a lantern guided small group tour. You will go into some of the rooms, usually blocked off access to guests. Each journey will be unique, as you can never predict what our fellow specters will do during the tour, or what you might hear or see.

Monday, Jan. 8

Beginning Spanish Class 5 to 6 p.m. and Intermediate Spanish Class 6 to 7 p.m. at the Bartlesville Public Library (BLP), Meeting Room B, 600 S Johnstone Ave. These classes are free and open to the public. For more information, Call the BLP Literacy Service Office at 918-338-4179 or Ivonne Leap@ 918-338-4174.

Friday, Jan. 12

Jubilee Quilters Guild meeting, program, and workshop 9;30 a.m. to 5 p.m., 1109 N Delaware Street, Dewey. Laura Piland of Slice of Pi Quilts - A quilter, pattern designer, and former math teacher Program: Try Something New Trunk Show  Day Afternoon Workshop: Exploding Heart Pattern. for more information, email jubileequiltersguild@gmail.com.

Saturday, Jan. 13

BINGO for Central middle School lunch balance payoff 8 p.m. at The Crafty Candle Shoppe, 222 SE Frank Phillips Blvd. Every Month we will pick a school and all monies received will go to that school to pay down/off school lunch debt. If we get more than 50 people that want to sign up, we will add another event for Jan. 15. $20 to play, $1 50/50. Give us some feedback on if you would like food and or snacks to purchase to raise more for the school. To give feedback and suggestions, 918-727-0302.

Monday, Jan. 15

Beginning Spanish Class 5 to 6 p.m. and Intermediate Spanish Class 6 to 7 p.m. at the Bartlesville Public Library (BLP), Meeting Room B, 600 S Johnstone Ave. These classes are free and open to the public. For more information, Call the BLP Literacy Service Office at 918-338-4179 or Ivonne Leap@ 918-338-4174.

Friday, Jan. 19

Osage County Predator Hunters Challenge 4 p.m. at the Pawhuska Elks Lodge #2542, 2542 Elks Lodge Dr., Pawhuska. Registration will be January 19, from 4 to 8 p.m. Free vendor booths are available. For more details on rules, regulations, and cost, call Chris at 918-933-1466 or message him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/466572862216548/.

Friday, Jan 19 through Monday, March 4

Angels of Pandora: An AI/Human Collaboration will run from Jan 19 through March 24 at the Price Towers, 510 S Dewey Ave. Join us for an opening reception Jan. 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. Join me as we unlock Pandora's box of possibilities that emerge when technology and human creativity intertwine. For more information, call Deshane Atkins at 918-336-1000.

Saturday, Jan. 20

Adult Glow Prom, a fundraiser for the Richard Kane YMCA 7 to 10 p.m. at the Richard Kane YMCA, 101 N Osage Ave. Come out for a night of radiant brilliance, attire that shimmers with a touch of neon sophistication, resplendent fluorescent gowns, dapper suits, and luminous accessories. Light snacks and drinks with an array of gourmet delights and a selection of your favorite beverages, along with specially crafted glow-themed cocktails. Live music by HYPNOTIK, photo booth, glow stations, raffle, and more. For more information or to buy tickets, go to https://www.rkymca.org/adult-prom.

Saturday, Jan. 20 and Sunday, Jan. 21

Shooting-Performance Firearms training, 210- Competition Handgun Level One 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Guns of Glory, 402647 US Highway 60. Open to anyone with a current classification in IDPA or USPSA or approval from instructor. This course reinforces the techniques covered in the book "Your Competition Handgun Training Program." The program will take your shooting to the next level and is like nothing else available today. Formore information or to buy tickets, call 918-534-8758.

Monday, Jan. 22

Beginning Spanish Class 5 to 6 p.m. and Intermediate Spanish Class 6 to 7 p.m. at the Bartlesville Public Library (BLP), Meeting Room B, 600 S. Johnstone Ave. These classes are free and open to the public. For more information, Call the BLP Literacy Service Office at 918-338-4179 or Ivonne Leap@ 918-338-4174.

Sunday, Jan. 28

Bartlesville Wedding Show 1 to 4 p.m. at The Refinery at the Johnstone-Sare Building, 100 SW Frank Phillips Blvd. Get ready to be inspired by the latest wedding trends and connect with talented vendors who can make your dream wedding a reality. Tickets are required. General admission is free. VIB tickets are $25. Very important bride (VIB) ticket holders receive a prize-filled swag bag, an extra entry in our grand prize drawing and admission to the show an hour before the general public. For more information, go to https://bartlesvilleweddings.com/.

Monday, Jan. 29

Beginning Spanish Class 5 to 6 p.m. and Intermediate Spanish Class 6 to 7 p.m. at the Bartlesville Public Library (BLP), Meeting Room B, 600 S. Johnstone Ave. These classes are free and open to the public. For more information, Call the BLP Literacy Service Office at 918-338-4179 or Ivonne Leap@ 918-338-4174.

Thursday, Feb. 1

Broadway in Bartlesville presents: Mean Girls 7:30 p.m. at the Bartlesville Community Center, 300 SE Adams Blvd. The story of a naive newbie who falls prey to a trio of lionized frenemies. Single tickets range from $30.00 - $85.00. For more information, call 918-337-2787 or go to https://www.bartlesvillecenter.com/.

Tuesday, Feb. 6

Johnstone Irregulars Book Club Meeting 6 p.m. at the Bartlesville Public Library, 600 S Johnstone Ave. The book club meets in the Literary Services Office on the 2nd floor of the library.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Bartlesville Calendar for December 27, 2023
(CNN)  Completing the cycle from book to movie to musical to movie musical, The Color Purple lands on screen with its vibrant colors intact, opening up the musical numbers for the screen and showcasing the sensational cast. Spanning decades, the film version of the Broadway stage production improves in key respects on the Oscar-nominated original movie, with a spiritual message that should resonate through the holidays.

Counting powerhouses like Oprah Winfrey (who co-starred in the 1985 movie, and has been promoting this film with gusto) and the original films director Steven Spielberg among its producers, The Color Purple in some ways mirrors the movie version of In the Heights in how director Blitz Bazawule (whose credits include Beyonces Black is King video) captures the Broadway energy of the song-and-dance numbers while capitalizing on the wider lens that film allows.

Set in Georgia beginning in 1909, the story plays out against a sobering backdrop of pain and abuse in the plight of Celie (Fantasia Barrino, reprising her Broadway role in her movie debut), who is bartered away by her abusive father to the cruel Mister (Rustins Colman Domingo). The move soon separates Celie from her sister Nettie (The Little Mermaids Halle Bailey, again luminous), the one person she truly loves.

Mister, meanwhile, is still pining for the songstress he wishes that he married, Shug Avery (Taraji P. Henson, belting out her songs with reckless abandon), who opens Celies eyes to wider possibilities and brings light into an otherwise bleak existence.

As the years pass, Misters son Harpo (Corey Hawkins) becomes involved with the outspoken Sofia, who, played by Danielle Brooks, steals every scene shes in  no small feat in such a target-rich environment for supporting actors. Independent and prone to fighting back against patriarchal mores, Sofia encounters a force she cant overcome: the overt, government-sanctioned racism under which they live.

While the music for The Color Purple doesnt boast a steady parade of showstoppers, the songs advance the narrative and sand down the rougher edges of Celies grim situation, which explains how a story with so much underlying brutality could escape with a less restrictive PG-13 rating in this package.

Perhaps even more than the original movie (and yes, blink and youll miss a nostalgic cameo), The Color Purple offers a testament to endurance and spiritual resilience, driven powerfully home when Barrino belts out the Tony-winning musicals signature song, Im Here.

The Color Purple is, indeed, here, laid out as the centerpiece of a holiday season with lots of new movies but relatively few providing strong motivation to venture out to a theater. Overcoming those headwinds might be a challenge, but Bazawule and company have created the kind of rousing spectacle that benefits from sharing it with a crowd, on a screen equal to the scale of its performances and the size of its heart.

The Color Purple premieres December 25 in US theaters, and is being released by Warner Bros., like CNN, a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. Its rated PG-13.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "The Color Purple completes its musical journey back to the screen with flying colors"
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said on Dec. 25 that the transfer of Russian nuclear weapons to Belarus was completed in early October.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his Belarusian counterpart Viktor Khrenin signed an agreement in May 2023 to transfer tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, a process that Russian leader Vladimir Putin said had begun in June.

Lukashenko spoke about the completed weapons delivery at the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union summit in Moscow, according to Lukashenko's official government website. He did not specify how many tactical nuclear weapons were transferred or where they were placed within Belarus.

Putin threatened to deliver the weapons in March 2023, the first deployment of Russian nuclear weapons abroad since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Shoigu reportedly said that Russia would remain in control of the weapons.

Belarus' Foreign Ministry confirmed the claim on March 28, adding that the regime was "forced" to do so amid so-called "unprecedented political, economic, and informational pressure" from the U.S., U.K., EU members, and NATO.

Western countries and NATO denounced the move, calling it dangerous and irresponsible.

Tactical nuclear weapons are technically designed for battlefield use and have a range of up to 500 kilometers if launched by land and up to 600 kilometers if launched by air or sea, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative think tank.

"In some respects, (tactical nuclear weapons) are more dangerous than strategic weapons. Their small size, vulnerability to theft, and perceived usability make the existence of TNWs in national arsenals a risk to global security," the think tank said in April 2022.

Despite the potential risk posed by the deployment of such weapons on Belarusian soil, the White House said shortly after the May announcement that it had not changed its nuclear threat assessment.

The White House will "continue to monitor, certainly the implications here... We have not seen any reason to adjust our own nuclear posture... nor any indications Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons for Belarus," said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

Read also: Belarus Weekly: Germany permanently deploys troops in Lithuania near border





Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
The Lummi Nation has announced it is opposing a British Petroleum plan to buy Cherry Point.

Located near Bellingham, Cherry Point is known to the Lummi people as XwechieXen, and is the first recognized archaeological site in Whatcom County.

It is the location of an ancient Lummi village and considered an ancestral burial site.

The Lummi Nation says that BP proposed buying the land for the first time earlier this month in hopes that the purchase would be completed by the end of the year.

The 1,100-acre parcel has been under threat by corporations for decades, said a spokesperson. In 2016, Lummi Nation won a nearly five-year battle against SSA Marine and its attempt to turn it into the largest coal port in North America.

The landscape and seascape at XwechieXen have since been recognized as a Tribal Cultural Property and burial ground by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

For thousands of years, and continuing to this day, our people have lived here, fished here, gathered plants here, raised families here, and buried loved ones here, said Lummi Nation Chairman Anthony Hillaire. The connection the Lummi Nation has to this place is beyond archeological significance.

We have a sacred obligation to protect our lands and our ancestors, the ancient ones who rest here, he continued.
An Oklahoma man has been exonerated of a murder he did not commit after serving almost 50 years in prison.

He made history, according to the National Registry of Exonerations, by having the longest-served wrongful sentence in the United States.

On Tuesday, Dec. 19, Judge Amy Palumbo of Oklahoma County District Court declared Glynn Simmons innocent of the crime.

Glynn Simmons (GoFundMe)

This is a day weve been waiting on for a long, long time. It finally came, Simmons said, according to KFOR, adding, We can say justice was done today, finally, and Im happy.

Simmons was initially sentenced to the death penalty and incarcerated in 1975 at the age of 22 after being convicted of first-degree murder in connection with a liquor store robbery in Edmond, Oklahoma, on Dec. 30, 1974. The 22-year-old Black man had been more than 700 miles from Edmond that day.

The now-71-year-old Simmons was convicted of killing white store clerk Carolyn Sue Rogers during the robbery. Another woman was shot in the head during the robbery but survived, and she was their primary witness after the crime.

Three days after the slaying, the eyewitness, then-18-year-old Belinda Brown, told police from her hospital bed that the liquor store holdup was perpetrated by two Black men, and she helped their composite sketch artist with a description of the pair.

But after the leads in the case went cold, Edmond Police returned to Brown in February 1975 with a series of lineups consisting of Black men who had been arrested at a party nearby Oklahoma City.

The white woman participated in eight separate lineups and identified at least five men as potentially being involved in the shooting.

Somehow, Simmons and another man named Don Roberts were named as the suspects.

I never was picked out of a lineup, Simmons said in an interview with News 4. Im still trying to figure out how did I get identified as the suspect? How did the police make me the suspect when the witness didnt even identify me?

Before this trial, neither Simmons nor Robert knew each other. Both of them also had alibis regarding where they were on the day of Rogers slaying.

Simmons was in Harvey, Louisiana, at the time the women were shot. None of the detectives working on the case checked Simmons alibi or went to Louisiana to verify his story of where he was.

They did check Roberts alibi. The Edmond Police detectives traveled to Texas and discovered he had punched a time clock at the time of the murder. However, they did not believe the evidence to be reliable, and in 1975, Roberts, who was 21 at the time, was convicted of the murder. Like Simmons, who was labeled as the shooter, Roberts was given the death penalty, which was later modified in 1977 to life in prison for both. Roberts was paroled in 2008.

Decades later, a fresh look at Simmons case led to his exoneration after 48 years and 18 days.

In 1997, it looked like everything began to change for him when he hired a private investigator. Back in the 1990s, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals admitted that the state had kept important evidence from the Simmons case. This withholding of evidence is known as a Brady violation and is unconstitutional.

Still, Simmons could not obtain a new trial.

In 2019, he hired a new attorney, Joe Norwood, a civil rights lawyer who had worked to get others exonerated after being wrongfully convicted. He worked for three years to shape a case to present to the courts to support Simmons wrongful conviction.

In 2022, Norwood presented a new motion and obtained a hearing before Judge Palumbo in April 2023. Palumbo issued her ruling on the appeal in July when she vacated Simmons conviction and ordered him released on bond immediately. He had served 48 years, five months, and 18 days for a crime he did not commit.

Last week, in a courtroom session delivering her ruling on Simmons application for exoneration, Pulumbo ruled that by clear and convincing evidence which had never been shared with his defense lawyers in the 1970s, Rogers murder was not committed by Mr. Simmons.

After he was released in July, Simmons, who recently has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, spoke to the press about never giving up.

Its a lesson in resilience and tenacity. Dont let nobody tell you that it cant happen, because it really can, he said, The New York Times reported.

Simmons lawyer, Norwood, said that the exoneration provides grounds for a federal civil rights lawsuit, and theres a potential state lawsuit where he may receive up to $175,000 in compensation. In Oklahoma, wrongful conviction settlements are restricted by statute to a maximum amount of six figures.

He was deprived of work experience and being able to have a career where you could financially secure yourself and your family. All of that was taken from him, the attorney said after last weeks ruling, noting that Simmons cant provide for himself and has been living off of donations made through a GoFundMe.

Over the past three months, the crowdfunding campaign has received 3,200 donations and raised $314,000 of the $500,000.
SANDUSKY, Ohio (WJW)  A suspect who reportedly bit a police officer during his arrest told the officer, Im trying to eat you, according to a police report.

Tieson Gresh, 22, who is listed in court records as being homeless, is charged with felony counts of assault on a peace officer and receiving stolen property as well as misdemeanor counts of obstructing official business and disorderly conduct, Sandusky Municipal Court records show.

Woman fatally shot in head; police search for suspect

Just before midnight on Dec. 19, officers investigated a report of a man who reportedly shot a gun near the 2000 block of West Madison Street, and appeared to be randomly knocking on the doors of homes in the area, according to the report.

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A caller told dispatchers he saw a man in a black hoodie banging on his door and yelling  but he did not know why or at who, reads another officers report. The man and a neighbor said they also heard what sounded like gunshots from a nearby alleyway.

An officer found a man matching the description  later determined to be Gresh  near a home in the 1300 block of Jay Street, but the man continued walking, toward The Chill Palace bar at the intersection of Barker and Broadway streets.

The officer noted he appeared to have his right hand hidden in his hoodie pocket as if he was holding onto something. Believing he may be carrying a firearm, the officer waited until backup arrived before stopping him. The officer tried to stop him in a parking lot, but he ignored the officers commands.

An officer approached Gresh with a firearm drawn and restrained him. Gresh told the officer he did not have a firearm. He told the officer he was only looking for someone and he did not shoot a gun. Gresh appeared intoxicated, according to the report.

Officers found Gresh was carrying credit and debit cards, gift cards, an ID on a lanyard and other miscellaneous items that appeared to have been stolen. Officers later determined the belongings were taken from car along Jay Street that had been left unlocked.

1 dead in Richland County crash

When putting Gresh in a police cruiser, he tried to kick two officers, and bit one in the bicep leaving a visible mark on the sleeve, but not breaking the skin or clothing, according to the report.

Im trying to eat you, he said.

Officers took Gresh to the Erie County jail. He was not given a bond.

Officers searched the area where the gunshot was allegedly fired, but didnt find any such evidence, according to the report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP)  The rollout of potential regulations to drastically cut gas-powered vehicle sales in Maine was pushed back by a year because environmental regulators had to delay a key vote after a storm caused widespread power outages.

The Board of Environmental Protection postponed its Dec. 21 vote and wont reconvene before years end. The delay means the proposed rules must be amended to go into effect for vehicles in the 2028 model year instead of the 2027 model year, and also reopened for public comment, said Jeff Crawford, director of the Bureau of Air Quality for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

A Combined Charging System connector is plugged into an electric vehicle at a charging station, June 9, 2023, in Anaheim, California. On Thursday, Dec. 21, Maine environmental regulators delayed a vote on whether the state should join others that have adopted California-style regulations that drastically limit the sale of new gas-powered vehicles.

The original proposal would eventually require 82% of new vehicles sold to be considered zero emissions by the 2032 model year. A dozen states have already signed onto Californias standards for boosting electric vehicle sales and reducing traditional vehicle sales to meet climate goals.

Critics of the environmental regulations were happy to get a second chance to weigh in. Additional public comments are allowed through Feb. 5.

Trash talk: How a public-private partnership could clean up Short Sands Beach in York

House Republican Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham, an opponent of the proposed regulations, said widespread power outages would've made it difficult to charge electric cars, underscoring the need to reconsider the proposal. If proponents insist on looking to California for modeling policies, the next step is to outlaw chainsaws and generators, he said.

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But the Natural Resources Council of Maine, which supports the new rules, noted that climate change likely contributed to the storm and "should serve as a stark reminder that protecting Maine people and Maines environment requires decisive action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

The proposal followed an unorthodox path using a process by which any Maine resident can submit an agenda item with 150 signatures of registered voters.

That process has been used a handful of times over the years with the Board of Environmental Protection, a citizen board appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Maine delays key vote on phasing out gas-powered vehicles
Parts of the eastern US will face tricky holiday travel after avoiding deadly blizzard conditions and ice that slammed the central US earlier this week.

A batch of steady rain will move across the mid-Atlantic through Wednesday afternoon and push into the Northeast by Wednesday evening. This rainfall could become heavy at times, especially late Wednesday and Wednesday night.

Washington, DC, Philadelphia and New York City all face a Level 1 of 4 flood threat from the heavy rain.

Ponding on roadways could slow travel on the ground and reduced visibility may lead to flight delays.

Wednesdays travel weather hazards come after a blizzard-fueling winter storm swept across the Plains and upper Midwest with heavy snow, freezing rain and strong winds, creating dangerous travel in the busy holiday week.

Light-to-moderate snow as well as rain and freezing rain could fall over parts of the region Wednesday, but will largely wrap up by the end of the day. A few rain and snow showers will then track through portions of the Great Lakes on Thursday.

Snow blown by strong winds piles up into drifts in Box Elder, South Dakota. - Evan Ludes/LSM

The storms worst happened on Monday and Tuesday, when snow combined with strong wind gusts  sometimes 50 to 60 mph, with isolated gusts up to 75 mph  to hit parts of Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming. Blizzards occur when blowing snow and sustained strong winds combine for at least three hours and reduce visibility to a quarter-mile or less.

In Kansas, snow and ice contributed to a deadly crash early Monday evening in Pawnee County when a driver of a pickup truck lost control and struck a car head on driven by 86-year-old Evelyn D. Reece. Reece was killed in the Christmas day crash, according to Kansas Highway Patrol. The driver of the pickup truck was injured, as well as two others riding in the vehicle with Reece.

Cars also collided and slid off roads Monday in Nebraska, where tractor-trailers jackknifed and got stuck on eastbound Interstate 80 near York in the morning and early afternoon, the Nebraska State Patrol said. Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol said they responded to about 150 weather-related incidents on Christmas Day, according to a news release.

Nebraska first responders work along a slick I-80 on Monday between Grand Island and Lincoln. - Nebraska State Patrol

Low visibility levels also shut down major roadways that lingered into Wednesday morning.

Westbound Interstate 80 and Highway 30 were closed from Kearney, in the middle of Nebraska, to the Wyoming state line, a stretch of about 270 miles, according to the state Department of Transportation. Eastbound travel on the highways was closed from Wyoming to North Platte, Nebraska, about 179 miles, according to the transportation department and state police.

One traveler, Bradley Sanders, told CNN he was driving from Denver to Chicago on Tuesday when the blizzard hit, so he pulled over near Ogallala, Nebraska, to charge his car around noon. Soon after, he learned the highway was shut down, so he booked a motel for the night. He said there was a line of stranded drivers at the motel looking for a room.

Amanda Dawn Benitez was also stuck in Ogallala, she told CNN on Tuesday. She was traveling from Twin Falls, Idaho, to McDonough, Georgia, with her husband, son and 2-pound chihuahua. Her husband is a truck driver, so theyve been making the trek in his 18-wheeler, where they plan to spend Tuesday night. Benitez, who is from Alabama, said shes never experienced so much snow in her life.

I said I wanted a white Christmas, but I didnt want a blizzard, she said. Benitez said her son and chihuahua played in the snow and enjoyed it.

Dangerous low visibilities from blowing and drifting snow made for treacherous driving in Box Elder, South Dakota. - Evan Ludes/LSM

Residents in 14 North Dakota counties were advised to avoid all travel Tuesday because of poor winter road conditions, the states Department of Transportation announced. Westbound lanes of about 50 miles of Interstate 94 in the state were closed Tuesday morning due to multiple traffic incidents.

In South Dakota, I-90 was closed in both directions from Monday night through Tuesday morning for a more than 200-mile stretch between Mitchell and Wall, the South Dakota Department of Transportation said.

Parts of South Dakota were hit with a foot or more of snow, including 13.8 inches in Gregory and 12 inches in Deadwood and Spearfish, according to the the National Weather Service. Aurora, Colorado, received 7.5 inches of snow, and Norfolk, Nebraska, got 7 inches, the service said.

CNN Meteorologist Robert Shackelford and CNNs Paradise Afshar, Alaa Elassar, Sharif Paget, Andy Rose, Sarah Engel, Jamiel Lynch and Dave Alsup contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Veronica Aguilar, 27, was found dead in the burned out trunk of a car in Lancaster, California (GoFundme)

The ex-boyfriend of an elementary school teacher whose body was found in the burned-out trunk of a car has been charged with her murder, authorities say.

Firefighters were called to an address in Lancaster, California, at around 8am on 20 December where they discovered the remains of UCLA graduate Veronica Aguilar, 27, inside a burning vehicle in the garage, the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department said.

Homeowner Matthew Switalski, 37, was identified as a person of interest and arrested in Kern County, 70 miles north of Los Angeles, two days later. He is being held on $10m bail, jail records show.

According to a LinkedIn profile, Mr Switalski had worked as a programme, cost and schedule controller at defense contractor Northrop Goodman since 2010.

Jail records also revealed that he was arrested in May 2023 and charged with the rape and sexual assault of a woman he had been in a relationship with, according to The Los Angeles Times. He was released on $600,000 bail following his arraignment in June.

On 20 December, emergency crews responded to reports of a fire at Mr Switalskis home on 38th Street West in the Quartz Hill neighbourhood after residents heard blood curdling screams coming from the address, KTLA reported.

Firefighters found thick smoke and flames coming from the garage, and extensive damage to the two-storey property.

Aguilars remains were found inside one of two vehicles that had been set alight, and she was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

Her brother, Juan Aguilar, said his sisters death just before Christmas was the darkest of times for the family in a GoFundme page set up to raise money for her funeral.

Things will never be the same ever again, Juan Aguilar wrote.

We miss her so much. She had the best spirit she always had a smile. My family is heartbroken, he added.

The mother of one of Aguilars students commented that she was the sweetest teacher in the world.

The LA Sheriffs Department said it was working to determine the circumstances of Aguilars death and asked for help from the public.

Anyone with information is asked to call its Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.

Anonymous tips can be made to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.
A man has been charged over an assault near a seafront that has left a man in a critical condition in hospital.

Emergency services were called to Regent Road in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, at 12:07 GMT on Friday, where a man in his 50s was found seriously injured.

Norfolk Police said a man from the town was due at Norwich Magistrates' Court on Tuesday accused of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

A second man arrested has been released on bail while inquiries continue.

In an update on Christmas Day, police said the injured person remained in a critical condition at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.

Cordons in Malakoff Close, Ordnance Road and Russell Road have now been lifted.

Follow East of England news on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a story? Email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp 0800 169 1830
An Illinois man pleaded guilty in a Kentucky federal court in a scam that cost victims hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Satishkumar Rameshchandra Patel pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Patel helped operate the scam out of the Chicago area, but he was charged in Kentucky because the conspirators used addresses in Kentucky to receive fraudulent payments, according to the indictment.

In one case cited in the indictment, the scammers had an older woman in Texas send $48,000 to the address of a Dollar General store in Pulaski County, where someone associated with the conspiracy could pick it up.

Patel admitted that from at least August 2018 to August 2021, he took part in a phone scheme in which people called victims around the country and lied to them in order to get them to send money.

The con men often told victims they were government officials and convinced people they were in legal or financial trouble and needed to send money to resolve the issues or protect their savings, according to Patels plea.

Patel provided fake names to others taking part in the scam, as well as addresses where they could direct victims to send money.

Patels plea gave one example, in which someone involved in the scheme phone called a woman in California posing as an official with the Social Security Administration.

The caller told her her Social Security number had turned up in a drug investigation and that as a result her money was in danger of being confiscated by the government.

To prevent that, the woman sent a total of $380,000 by Federal Express to addresses in the Chicago area.

Patel picked up two of the shipments, according to his plea.

Patels plea document said the government contends there were 10 or more victims of the scam and that it caused substantial financial hardship to one or more of them.

That matters because it affects Patels potential sentence.

Patel disagrees with the potential enhancement, according to the plea.

Patel pleaded guilty Dec. 16 in federal court in London before U.S. Magistrate Judge Hanly A. Ingram. Ingram recommended that U.S. District Judge Robert E. Wier accept the plea.
A man who was pulled from his burning home in Newton earlier this month has died.

The man in his 70s had limited mobility and was trapped inside his home at 125 Allen Ave while a fire broke out on December 13 around 10 a.m., state and local fire officials said.

The fire happened at a single-family home. One occupant was able to escape. Upon learning that there was a person trapped inside the home, firefighters made entry and carried him out safely.

On behalf of the Newton Fire Department, I want to express our heartfelt condolences to the family who lost a loved one, said Chief Gentile. This is a terrible loss for them and for the community, especially during the holiday season. I want to remind all our residents just how important it is to have working smoke alarms on every level of your home, especially for older adults.

A firefighter who rescued the man was also injured. They were both taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where the occupant succumbed to his injuries on Saturday. The firefighter has been released.

The fire damaged most of the home and was accidentally caused by a malfunctioning lamp in the living room, officials said.

Electrical events like this one are historically the third leading cause of fire deaths in Massachusetts, said State Fire Marshal Davine. If you have an appliance thats arcing, sparking, or smoking, unplug it right away if you can do so safely, and call 9-1-1 for help. Having your homes electrical system inspected by a licensed professional every 10 years can identify problems before they become emergencies.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines)  As president of SM Supermalls, Steven Tan has exhibited leadership values which go far beyond the boundaries of the retail sector that he is most comfortable and adept with. Fueled by his passion to promote positive social change and global peace, Mr. Tan has supported the Global Youth Summit for over six years now; working as the primary force behind the platform, offering partnership venues and logistical assistance for its annual execution.

The milestones achieved by the Global Youth Summit are considerable, with Mr. Tan's commitment helping them amass the following notable records  586,500 engaged youth, 950 schools reached, and presence in 62 countries. Mr. Tan empowers the next generation by fostering dialogue and understanding, and by creating positive global change through service.

SM Cares and the Global Peace Foundation's 2023 Global Youth Summit last August 11, 2023, at SM Mall of Asia unites thousands of students and youth leaders nationwide to address societal concerns linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Photo from SM Supermalls

Empowering the next generation is important to SM Supermalls President Steven Tan, and he strengthens this through fostering dialogue, understanding, and contributing to positive global change. Photo from SM Supermalls

This was duly recognized by the Global Peace Foundation during their Global Peace Awards held last December 14. Mr. Tan was bestowed the Award for Philanthropy and Corporate Citizenship. This award recognizes leadership that has demonstrated significant commitment to peace-building initiatives through funding and partnership engagement  that strives to improve and enhance the quality of life for all.

SM Supermalls Senior Assistant Vice President Royston Cabunag, Global Peace Foundation International President James Flynn, and SM Supermalls President Steven Tan. Photo from SM Supermalls

Global Peace Foundation Chairman Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon

In photo (L-R): Global Peace Foundation Vice President for Education Tony Devine, event host Fahly Handa, SM Supermalls Senior Assistant Vice President Royston Cabunag, SM Supermalls President Steven Tan, Global Peace Foundation Philippines President Aldrin Nituma, Global Peace Foundation Asia Pacific Regional President Ingill Ra, and True World Group Chief Executive Officer Alex Choi. Photo from SM Supermalls

The Global Peace Awards other categories include Legacy of Service and Peace, Interfaith and Spiritual Leadership, Freedom of Religion and Conscience, Strengthening Families, Outstanding Service, Innovative Scholarship, Moral and Innovative Leadership, and Culture of Peace.

In his acceptance speech, Mr. Tan spoke of how, I only stand here tonight as a representative of SM Cares and the many incredible individuals as well as our partners, who work tirelessly for a more inclusive and empowered world. A better world.

SM Supermalls' President Steven Tan (4th from the left), with (L-R): Senior Assistant Vice President Royston Cabunag, Vice President for Corporate Marketing Grace Magno, Vice President for Human Resources Cheryll Agsaoay, SM Cares Assistant Vice President Richard Caluyo, and Group Marketing Manager Angela Wieneke. Also present is SM Supermalls' Commercial Area Manager, Jerizza Nery (2nd from the right). Photo from SM Supermalls

SM Supermalls commitment to developing the youth through SM Cares has been a journey filled with purpose and passion. The collaborations weve had with esteemed organizations like the Global Peace Foundation, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the National Youth Commission, and many others show the power of unity in creating a better world for tomorrow.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Philippines launch the Inclusive Child-Centered Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (ICDRRM) project, along with Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials, at SM City Telabastagan in Pampanga last November 30, 2023. Photo from SM Supermalls

The Global Peace Awards were first conferred in 2011 at the Global Peace Convention in Seoul, South Korea. They were established to honor government, civil society, faith leaders, and organizations whose exemplary efforts have substantially advanced the vision and mission of building a world of peace and shared prosperity.

Its a distinct honor for Mr. Tan, SM Supermalls, and SM Cares to have their tireless and sustained efforts duly recognized. It serves as inspiration to stay the course, work harder in the name of peace and shared prosperity, and to believe.
A man was arrested after Mississippi police said he broke into his estranged wifes home and shot her boyfriend twice.

The home invasion happened shortly before 9 p.m. on Christmas, the Hattiesburg Police Department said in a Dec. 26 news release.

Police said they found a man suffering from gunshot wounds to his thigh and hand, and he was taken to a hospital. The 55-year-old from Prentiss is in stable condition, according to police.

During the investigation, police said they learned the womans estranged husband was responsible.

The 55-year-old from Hattiesburg was charged with burglary, home invasion and aggravated assault, use of a deadly weapon, police said.

He was booked at the Forrest County Jail at around 1 a.m. on Dec. 26, records show. His attorney information was not available.

The investigation is ongoing, police said.

Hattiesburg is about 90 miles southeast of Jackson.

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An argument in one of Floridas gated communities turned violent when a man began firing shots as his girlfriend and her adult daughter ran for cover, according to investigators.

Both women were hit, but are expected to recover, the Martin County Sheriffs Office said in a Dec. 22 news release.

It happened late Thursday, Dec. 21, in Palm City, and ended when a SWAT team forced 60-year-old Shaun Dougherty to surrender, officials said. Palm City is about 33 miles north of West Palm Beach.

The victims told detectives that Dougherty became enraged after a disagreement. So he shot his girlfriend in the neck then in the leg as she tried to run, the sheriffs office said.

The victims adult daughter, who was in the home at the time, ran out of her bedroom after hearing the shots. Dougherty then shot her as she also tried to run. Both women made it outside to a neighbors and called 911.

Dougherty was heavily intoxicated, holding a bottle a liquor when he surrendered, TCPalm.com reports.

He has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, the sheriffs office says.

Investigators say he began shooting at his 65-year-old girlfriend at point-blank range as she sat on a couch in the condominium, WPTV says. Her daughter  who is in her 40s  was hit in the shoulder, the station said.

The two women were taken to a hospital and details of their condition have not been released.

Deputy kills man trying to burn possessed 9-year-old boy in fire, Florida cops say

Human chain forms to save kids Christmas gifts from flooded car, Florida cops say

After dogs owners died, neighbor bagged the pet and put it in trash, Florida cops say
WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  A man was shot and killed in Northwest, D.C. on Monday morning.

Just after 8:30 a.m., officers responded to the 1200 block of Longfellow St., N.W. for the report of a man down. There, they found a man with gunshot wounds  he died there.

Man dies after car plunges into Anacostia River

He was identified as 32-year-old Torrell ONeal Page, of Northwest, D.C.

The Metropolitan Police Department is asking anyone with information to call (202) 727-9099 or text the departments tip line at 50411. A reward of up to $25,000 is offered to anyone with information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
CLEVELAND (WJW)  Cleveland detectives are working to identify the suspect in a Christmas Day shooting, the victim of which was found at a gas station on the citys east side.

Officers responded to a report of shots fired in the 500 block of East 120th Street just before 9 p.m. Monday.

Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins out this week; whats next

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Patrolling officers found a 32-year-old man with two gunshot wounds at the Gas USA St. Clair along St. Clair Avenue, according to a statement from a police spokesperson.

Im trying to eat you: Police officer bitten during arrest in Sandusky

EMS workers transported the man to the hospital. Police did not release any details about his condition on Tuesday.

Anyone with information on the investigation is urged to call Cleveland Division of Police Fifth District detectives at 216-623-5518.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
The Clay County Sheriffs Office in Florida announced the arrest of a man who allegedly used the alias Larry on the gay dating and hookup app Grindr to target gay men for assault and armed robbery. A spokesperson for the sheriff specifically thanked the local community for providing critical and timely information to investigators.

Adam Tyler Ayers, Jr., 18, was taken into custody without incident on Friday for three separate incidents in Clay County. Ayers allegedly created different profiles all using the name Larry, which investigators say he used to identify and lure gay men to a secluded location.

Once the victims arrived, the suspects brandished a firearm and demanded cash from the victims, Clay County Sheriffs posted to social media. In two of the incidents, the suspects forced the victims to drive to an ATM and withdraw cash from their accounts and transfer money to a Cash App account. These incidents all occurred during the late night/early morning hours.

 (@)

Information and tips resulting from the photo and press release was immediate and aided investigators in establishing the identity and location of Ayes. He was taken into custody a day after the press release and his picture were posted to social media.

Thanks to the help of our community, detectives received numerous tips about the identity of the wanted subject. These tips helped us identify our suspect and locate and arrest our subject, Sheriff Michelle Cook said in a video statement posted to social media, later adding, Id especially like to thank our community because once we put that photo up within minutes we started receiving really good information.





Grindr has seen its popular platform used by numerous individuals to target the gay community for robbery, assault, and murder in recent years.



A Louisiana man and Jeffrey Dahmer acolyte who confessed to the kidnapping and attempted murder and dismemberment of a gay man he met on Grindr was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison in January. Chance Seneca, 21, of Lafayette, had pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping Holden White, a man he met on Grindr. The attack took place on June 20, 2020. Seneca had been charged with six counts, including hate crime, kidnapping, firearm, and obstruction charges, and faced a possible life sentence if convicted on all charges.

In February a Miami man, Stevenson Charles, 21, admitted he engaged in an escalating series of crimes against five gay men he targeted on Grindr from October 23 to November 6 last year. He pleaded guilty to 17 different charges related to the crime spree, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Florida.

The investigation into Ayres and the attacks continues. Investigators ask anyone with information on these or other similar attacks to contact them at (904) 264-6512 or to submit tips via the SaferWatch app.
Officials are still searching for a man wanted for a fatal shooting in Clairton that happened 15 years ago.

According to Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers, the shooting happened in the 400 block of Baker Avenue on March 23, 2008.

James Garland Watts is accused of shooting a couple in their home in what police described as a home invasion and burglary, Crime Stoppers said.

>>> Allegheny Co. sheriff hopes to catch most wanted criminals before new year

Shawnta Lee was killed in the shooting. Her husband, David Lee, survived.

A year after the brutal murder, Watts was featured on the show Americas Most Wanted.

Anyone with information on Watt can anonymously call Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers at 1-800-4PA-TIPS (8477) or online at https://www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=107. Tips leading to an arrest, the solving of a crime/cold case or the location of a wanted person/fugitive or missing person could be eligible for a $10,000 reward.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

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(BCN)  Each year more than 35,000 undocumented students with dreams of earning a college degree in California apply for the states marquee financial aid program, the Cal Grant  but only about a third receive it.

With no access to federal financial aid and few work opportunities, losing out on state dollars further undermines the ability of undocumented students to pay for school. The Cal Grant, for example, waives tuition at Californias public universities and provides cash awards of about $1,650 to community college students.

Tired of the waiting lists for Californias public universities, nursing students increasingly turn to expensive private programs

Now, after several years of advocacy and a state law passed this year, California financial aid administrators are about to debut a revised application meant to get more college grants for undocumented students.

What we all recognized was that weve asked these students to go through more processes, more forms, unfortunately to receive less financial aid, said Jake Brymner, deputy director for policy and public affairs for the California Student Aid Commission. He and a commission staff member provided CalMatters with a virtual walkthrough of the new application.

The California Dream Act Application, often called CADAA, will for the first time allow students to also complete a frequently overlooked legal affidavit thats essential to accessing state aid. The new application will debut by the end of December.

While a seemingly small change, it spares students from having to fill out two documents separately and at different times in the year, which has been the process ever since undocumented students became eligible for state aid through a 2011 state law. That has resulted in many students completing one form but not the other out of confusion or lack of awareness.

For example, among community college students, about 62,000 completed the affidavit but only around 25,000 finished the dream act application in 2021, according to data from the California Student Aid Commission, the state agency behind the application overhaul.

Without the application and affidavit, undocumented community college students cant receive the Cal Grant and other related aid, such as a grant for full-time students and money in exchange for community service. Those three programs together provide more than $14,000 in possible grants annually. Undocumented students at public universities also lose out on key aid. Most undocumented college students in California attend a community college.

Now the legal affidavit will be embedded in the California Dream Act Application, the result of a 2023 state law created through Assembly Bill 1540, authored by Mike Fong, a Democrat from Monterey Park.

The changes should help students who are in a situation Leo Rodriguez was in when he began college. When I first enrolled at a community college, I was billed $6,000 because I was incorrectly deemed an international student, a common occurrence for undocumented students, he wrote in a May CalMatters commentary about affording college as an undocumented student.

Though he attended and graduated from a California high school, he didnt know that he needed the affidavit to prove eligibility for in-state tuition, and to separately complete a Dream Act application to be considered for financial aid.

A March report by the commission identified many of the hurdles undocumented students face in accessing state aid, including student confusion over the affidavit. All told, only about 14% of the states nearly 100,000 undocumented college students received any state financial aid in 2021-22, in large part because half didnt take the first step to apply for aid even though many have low incomes. The report called for a state law to allow the affidavit to be a part of the dream act application. About half a year later, Fongs bill was signed into law.

The affidavit in question stems from a 2001 law that has been amended several times since. It grants undocumented students, certain visa holders and other college-goers in-state tuition at Californias public universities and community colleges. This is a major perk because students deemed non-residents are charged about three times more in tuition. The in-state designation also makes undocumented students eligible for state grants, such as tuition waivers and cash awards.

Thats where the California Dream Act Application and the affidavit intersect: One opens the door for aid, the other lets the applicant walk through it.

Students who sign the affidavit declare that theyve either filed an application to legalize their immigration status in the U.S. or will do so once national law creates such a pathway. It also has students confirm that theyve had three years of K-12, adult school or community college education in California as well as: a high school diploma, an equivalent certificate, an associate degree or proof that theyve taken the minimum set courses needed to transfer to a University of California or California State University campus.

Embedding the affidavit in the dream act application is going to be a big step forward, but its not the only step needed to ensure that students can receive all the financial aid for whatever they have eligibility for, said Nancy Jodaitis, director of higher education issues at Immigrants Rising, a San Francisco-based project of a larger nonprofit.

Sending the affidavit to the schools the student hopes to attend is the first step, but all UCs and Cal States, and about half of community colleges, require official transcripts and attendance records from the student. How campuses will notify students with outstanding paperwork will be an ongoing issue to monitor, Jodaitis said.

Immigrants Rising in May published a comprehensive guide explaining the affidavit process in partnership with the states public colleges and universities. Its now working on a set of recommendations for how campuses can best apprise students of the remaining paperwork theyll have to submit once theyve turned in their affidavit through the dream act. Thatll be published in January, she added.

Cal State faculty to hold statewide strike in January

In 2024, UC will ask students to submit the affidavits to the campuses directly, instead of through the dream act application, a spokesperson said. Thats because the UC is constitutionally independent of many state laws. Community colleges and Cal State have to comply with the law.

Advocates who focus on financial aid for undocumented students say that schools, state agencies and nonprofits that share with students information about college affordability should proactively include the dream act application and its related forms.

I hardly saw financial aid workshops tailored for undocumented students in high school, wrote Rodriguez. Instead, he mostly encountered information about the federal Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which sent mixed messages about whether or not I was eligible for financial aid to begin with, he added.

State law now requires that high school seniors complete a financial aid application, with few exceptions. The more school districts and nonprofits can stress the federal financial aid grant and the dream act application, the likelier undocumented students will hear the message and apply, Jodaitis said.

Information students place in the dream act application isnt shared with the federal government nor with immigration authorities, the commission and state department of education stressed in a 2022 letter. Thats a message the commission will likely repeat in the face of a presidential election year in which anti-immigrant sentiment is bound to take center stage.

Students applying for the dream act who intend to enter college in fall 2024 will submit their households 2022 income information. Once the application goes live, students pursuing a four-year degree should complete the dream act forms by April 2 or sooner. Students planning to attend a community college have until early September to file their paperwork.

Copyright  2023 Bay City News, Inc.

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A mother who fled her native country with two children after one was kidnapped; a woman who was forced to strip down by thieves looking for money; an activist made unemployable by speaking out against her countrys government: These are some of the stories CNN heard outside a shelter for migrants in Eagle Pass, Texas.

On Christmas Eve, dozens of migrants had just arrived at the shelter after being released by immigration authorities on parole. Some of them were waiting outside, as the shelter had no room for the new arrivals.

Silvia del Carmen Flores, 38, sat on the sidewalk with her 3-year-old son, Nikson, on her lap and her 16-year-old daughter, Yolani, nearby. Flores told CNN they had just been released on parole after requesting asylum and were hoping to catch a ride to San Antonio, where they had been told they may be able to stay at a bigger shelter.

Their journey from their native Honduras started on December 12, Flores said. After traveling in buses and taxis through Guatemala and Mexico, they reached the Mexican city of Monterrey. With the last money they had, Flores said, they caught a flight to Piedras Negras, across the border from Eagle Pass. There, they crossed the border at the Rio Grande, at a point where the water was waist-high.

Flores said she had been thinking about leaving Honduras for a while due to the familys financial situation. Then, two months ago, Yolani was kidnapped and Flores had to pay money to get her back. After that, Flores felt she had no other option than to leave, she said.

Yolani, a ninth grader, is uncertain about her familys future, but said, I dont want to go back to Honduras. Theres too much corruption, crime, and things like that.

The Flores family is among the tens of thousands of immigrants who have arrived at Eagle Pass in the past few weeks. This new surge in border crossings has stretched a number of already overwhelmed US agencies.

Federal authorities reported a seven-day average of more than 9,600 migrant encounters along the US southern border in December, a Homeland Security official said earlier this month. That number is among the highest amounts ever recorded. The seven-day average reported on November 28 was around 6,800 encounters.

A senior US Customs and Border Protection official told CNN Monday that many steps have been taken  including ramping up resources  to address the recent challenge the agency faced in Eagle Pass.

But CBP isnt out of the woods yet, the official said. Despite the improved scene in Eagle Pass, illegal crossings continue and are being fueled by bad actors who push migrants to enter the US southern border between ports of entry, the official said.

Marcelly Giraldo, 33, a domestic worker from Medellin, Colombia, told CNN a lack of opportunity in her own country prompted her to seek a better life in the US. Her main motivation, she said, is a daughter she had to leave behind with a sister  a child she hopes to bring to the US once her asylum request has been approved.

Giraldo said she walked four days in the Panamanian jungle known as the Darien Gap, where she saw dead bodies. In Guatemala, she said she was forced to strip down by thieves.

They forced me to get naked inside the bus. They were asking for money. Sometimes they believe people hide money under their clothes, Giraldo said.

Many of the migrants who spoke to CNN seemed to have the belief there was some sort of legal provision in US immigration law that made it temporarily easier to get legal status.

Marcelly Giraldo, 33, is a domestic worker who left Medellin, Colombia, to seek a better life in the US. - CNN

When I heard they were giving (immigrants) the benefit of being allowed into the country, I decided to make the trip. Otherwise, I would have never done it. I would have never taken the risk, Giraldo said.

Immigrants must show proof of their reasons for requesting asylum  especially through legitimate documents  before an immigration judge. A failure to do so will likely be followed by deportation.

In statement issued last week, Troy Miller, US Customs and Border Protections senior official performing the duties of the commissioner, said many migrants are often misled and victimized by the transnational criminal organizations. These smugglers are recklessly putting migrants into harms way: in remote locations across the border, onto the tops of trains, or into the water of the Rio Grande.

Milaidis Duarte Felipe, a 30-year-old nurse from Cuba, said she left her native country with her sister and young niece on October 27. She had to leave behind her 7-year-old son, Duarte Felipe told CNN, as she fled political persecution for speaking out against the government.

Cuban immigrant Milaidis Duarte Felipe told CNN she had to leave her son behind when she fled political persecution. - CNN

From Cuba, Duarte Felipe said they took a flight to the Dominican Republic and then to Managua, Nicaragua. They traveled from the Nicaraguan capital to the Honduras border by taxi and then by bus through Guatemala before crossing the Suchiate River  which marks the border between Mexico and Guatemala  on a raft.

On our way to the United States, we were kidnapped. The kidnappers were asking for money and our family paid the amount they were asking for. After arriving to Mexico City, we were on a bus when we were robbed. They took our phones, but couldnt take our papers because we hid them really well, Duarte Felipe said.

For now, she said being in the US has been a great Christmas gift, especially since she arrived in the country on Christmas Eve and was picked up in Eagle Pass by relatives who live in Houston.

Im going to spend (Christmas) with my family. Im going to live in a free country. Where at least I dont know. I will live in a free country where citizens rights are respected, unlike where I used to live, Duarte Felipe said.

She said she plans to bring her son to the US as soon as shes granted asylum.

Hes my only child, she said with tears in her eyes.

CNNs Maxime Tamsett and Raja Razek contributed to this report.

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A blue land crab in South Carolina. The invasive species has been spotted in the state since 2008.

Georgia officials recently asked for the public's help in spotting non-native blue land crabs. But further down the coast in Florida, officials are accustomed to the spiny ocean crawlers.

That's because blue land crabs are native to Florida, Texas and Puerto Rico, according to the United States Geological Survey. They can also be found throughout the Caribbean, Central America, Northern South America and West Africa.

But the crabs appear to be moving north.

Data compiled by USGS show non-native occurrences in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and further up the coast in Texas.

According to USGS, it is unclear if this movement is driven by humans or the crabs themselves, or if they are even breeding in their non-native homes.

Here is what we know about the blue land crabs' new homes from sightings compiled by USGS and how residents can help officials keep track.

Map: Where are the blue land crabs?

Blue land crabs are coastal creatures, typically staying within 5 miles of the coast, according to USGS.

How do you spot a blue land crab?

Blue land crabs look similar to fiddler crabs, with one claw larger than the other, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division (WRD).

They can be as large as five to six inches.

The creatures' colors range from white to gray to blue, depending on its sex and age.

Officials worry about the damage caused by the crabs' burrowing behavior. While scientists learn about how the species interacts with its new environment, several states are asking residents to report sightings.

Are blue land crabs edible?

Yes. Though catching them may be a different story.

According to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, the crab has been overfished for culinary consumption in the Bahamas and Caribbean.

The crabs are also known to have carried salmonella.

The clickity crawlers are quick to get down in their burrows, and can use that larger claw to ward off predators (or chefs). As UF puts it, "they are capable of inflicting a memorable pinch."

Contributing: Cheryl McCloud

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Map: Track Blue land crabs as moving north, invading new states
Support for victims and survivors of domestic violence is available 24/7: 1-800-897-LINK (5465). If you or someone else is in immediate danger, or in an emergency, please call 911 immediately.

SPANISH FORK (ABC4)  A Mapleton man accused of stabbing his father two days before Christmas has been arrested and was booked into the Utah County Jail.

Jay T. Hoskins, 30, of Mapleton, is accused of stabbing his father, Terry Hoskins, 64, multiple times, leaving Terry in critical condition, according to Spanish Fork Police.

Terrys wife, also Jays mother, witnessed the attack. Jay Hoskins allegedly fled the scene with the knife. He faces a charge of aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury, according to the probable cause statement from his arrest.

Utah Highway Patrol officers were alerted to be on the lookout for Jay Hoskins, and he was located on Interstate 15 while police were readying a warrant to ping his phone.

Terry Hoskins and his wife gave only one description of the knife used in the stabbing  it had a black handle. A search of Jay Hoskins vehicle reportedly turned up two knives  one black-handled switchblade, and a second with its blade exposed that appeared to have blood on it.

Officers also found a trail of blood covering multiple driveways near Terry Hoskins property.

Fathers version

Terry Hoskins and his wife explained to police that their son suffered from mental illness, and they had been planning to move him into their home. They told investigators that Jay Hoskins had not been taking his medication.

Terry Hoskins told police he had asked Jay Hoskins to leave because of his mental state, with Jay talking about how the CIA was after him. While Terry Hoskins said he thought his son had gotten into a car to leave, Terry later heard banging in his garage. Terry Hoskins said he grabbed a broomstick for protection. As Jay approached, he allegedly brandished the knife, causing Terry Hoskins to strike out with the broomstick, Terry told police. A struggle began on the ground, with Jay Hoskins allegedly stabbing his father.

Sons version

The probable cause document further states Jay Hoskins left a voicemail on a friends phone, in which he claimed he was in trouble, stating its really bad actually, its criminal bad. In the voicemail, Jay Hoskins allegedly stated his father had put him in a CIA program where he had been tortured for over a year. Jay Hoskins claimed Terry Hoskins had attacked him with a Swiffer, and Jay Hoskins has reportedly retaliated, stating, I stabbed him in the eye.

Jay Hoskins was detained by Utah Highway Patrol before the friend could reach back out. After his arrest, Jay Hoskins refused to speak without a lawyer present, and he stated he felt it was unfair to be in jail since he had been attacked first.

Jay Hoskins was charged with assault in Springville City earlier this year in an unrelated case. As part of that, he was required to enter a six-month diversion agreement including six months of mental health treatment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 26) A total of 161,664 passengers arrived in the Philippines on Christmas weekend with 81% of them passing through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Tuesday.

According to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco, 130,497 passengers left the country from Dec. 23 to 25 this year. In December 2019, it logged an average of 47,000 departures.

The 2023 passenger arrival is higher than last years over 62,000 recorded passengers on Christmas weekend only.

From Dec. 1 to 22 this year, the BI recorded a total of 2,773,711 arriving passengers which surpassed last years 2,421,144 international and domestic travelers over the same period. The 2022 data is almost 85% of pre-pandemic figures, the airport authorities noted.

The BI said that before the pandemic, they saw an average of 55,000 daily arrivals during December.

Figures show that the number of travelers is almost surpassing pre-pandemic numbers. Its a cause for celebration for the tourism and international travel sectors, he said.

Meanwhile, for seaport, the Philippine Coast Guard said it monitored 76,307 outbound passengers and 59,297 inbound passengers between 6 a.m. and noon in all ports nationwiide on Tuesday.

Land travels

In a separate statement on Tuesday, the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) recorded 148,576 passengers as of 7 p.m. On Saturday, PITX saw a record-breaking 240,000 people flocking to travel home for the holidays.

READ: PITX sees highest-ever foot traffic on Dec. 23 amid holiday exodus

Meanwhile, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) reminded motorists and passengers about the violations and penalties that may occur during the holidays under its Joint Administrative Order 2014-01 and Memorandum Circular 2011-004.
Editors Note: The video above is coverage on the 2024 solar eclipse.

(STACKER)  People have looked at the sky for millennia in awe of all the celestial wonders happening above. Even today, with advanced technology and a more nuanced understanding of our solar system and the galaxies beyond, we continue to look to the sky with a great sense of fascination.

These schools will close for the total solar eclipse

The most anticipated celestial event of 2024 is the total solar eclipse on April 8. Much of the U.S., Mexico, and Canada will be in the path of totality, meaning people in the right place will see the moon perfectly lined up in front of the sun, leaving a shaded circle of the moon and only the outer aura of the sun. The last total solar eclipse was Aug. 21, 2017. Many people marked the occasion by going outside wearing eclipse glasses and bearing witness to the remarkable event.

But stargazers dont have to wait until April for exciting occurrences in the upper atmosphere. Many thrilling astral events will happen throughout the year, many of which do not require special equipment to view. What is the most essential thing to do to increase the chances of a good view? Find a place with dark skies or at least a sky some distance away from the light pollution in cities.

Stacker sourced information from NASA, weather channels, and astronomy sites to list 2024s most notable astronomical events in chronological order to help people plan their sky viewing for the year.

A silhouette of a person looking at the night sky with an astronomical telescope.

AstroStar // Shutterstock

Feb. 22, 2024: Venus and Mars conjunction

Februarys astronomical event isnt exactly the most rare. Venus and Mars are conjunct, meaning they get very close to each other in the sky about once a year. The last time Venus and Mars cozied up was July 27, 2023.

What makes this yearly event special is its accessibility. Venus is the brightest object in the sky because the thick clouds in its atmosphere draw in heat and light. Mars isnt quite as bright as Venus, but its still easy to spot the red planet with the naked eye.

Its ideal to be in southern latitudes to see these planets together. Wake up before sunrise, head to an area without tall structures or trees, and look to the southeastern horizon.

Zodiacal light and night sky.

AlbertoGonzalez // Shutterstock

Feb. 26, 2024: Zodiacal light

Just a few days later, a two-week period thatll create the best time to see a light phenomenon called zodiacal light begins. Zodiacal light, also known as false dawn, appears just after twilight as a cone of faint light spreading upward from the horizon. Scientists believe zodiacal light is sunlight reflecting off dust clouds sucked in by Earths gravity.

Increase the chance of seeing this serene light show by planning to be somewhere away from city lightsthe darker the sky, the better. Be sure to look up the exact time of twilight in the area to know when the zodiacal light should begin to appear.

A total solar eclipse in a dark red glowing sky.

IgorZh // Shutterstock

April 8, 2024: Total solar eclipse

April brings the celestial star of the show for all of 2024, when people across North America can see the moon pass exactly in front of the sun, creating darkness during the day and a ring of fire visual effect from the sun.

To get the best view, be in the 115-mile wide path of totality, stretching across the United States from San Antonio and Dallas, Texas, through the Midwest to cities like Indianapolis and Cleveland, and through the Northeast, from Buffalo, New York, to Maine.

Itll take the moon about 2.5 hours to complete its journey crossing the sun, but totality will only last about four minutes. Those who dont make it within the path of totality will see a partial eclipse.

Even during the eclipse, looking at the sun is dangerous, even if viewing it through a camera or telescope lens. Make sure to wear eclipse glasses to avoid permanent eye damage.

A comet flies in a summer night sky.

Jim Cumming // Shutterstock

April 12, 2024: Devil comet crosses the sky

While the total solar eclipse sparks imaginations, a second, even rarer event will occur at the same time. A large comet commonly called the devil comet will make its closest pass by Earth in 70 years. The comet, 12P/Pons-Brooks, got its nickname because of two ice and gas formations that mimic the shape of horns. The last time 12P/Pons-Brooks was visible to us was in 1954.

Itll be visible during the eclipse, although it is not recommended for viewing at that moment since the eclipses darkness is short-lived and could lead to accidents. Sticking to one celestial event at a time, 12P/Pons-Brooks will be close to Jupiter days later on April 12 to 14 and closest to the sun on April 21. To increase the chances of seeing the devil comet, gaze on the part of the sky where Jupiter appears.

A perseids meteor shower over mountains.

Diane Kulpinski // Shutterstock

Aug. 12, 2024: Perseids meteor shower

The Perseid meteor shower is visible every summer, and 2024 will be no different. It occurs when Earths orbit goes through the debris a comet left behind.

The moons brightness is the most important factor in being able to see the meteor shower clearly; when the moon is dim, the sky is darker, making the Perseids easier to see. On Aug. 12, 2024, the moon will be at half-brightness during the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. Itll create the best time to see these meteors light up the sky when it sets around midnight UTC.

A supermoon rises over Monument Valley.

Michael Andrew Just // Shutterstock

Aug. 19, 2024: Supermoon

Ever look at the moon and note that it seems bigger than usual? Four full moons in the fall of 2024 will appear larger than life because the moon will have moved closer to the Earth than at any other time during the year.

The moon orbits around Earth in an oval shape. When it hits perigee, that is, its closest approach to Earth, itll also be at its fullest, known as a supermoon. Those who miss the supermoon on Aug. 19 will have a second chance to see another one during later lunar cycles on Sept. 18, Oct. 17, and Nov. 15 in 2024.

An astronomical telescope set up with a sunset in the background.

AstroStar // Shutterstock

September-October 2024: Will Comet C/2023 A3 shine bright?

The biggest mystery of the stargazing world may be answered in the fall of 2024: Will a newly discovered comet shine bright, or will anticipation for this event go bust? Comet C/2023 A3 was first spotted in late 2022 and early 2023. Scientists determined the comet takes 80,000 years to complete an orbit around the sun. According to their estimates, itll reach its closest point to the sun on Sept. 28, 2024.

With any luck, the comet will be bright enough to be visible to people in the southern hemisphere without any equipment through the month of September. By October, the comet will pass the sun and may become visible to people in North America by Oct. 11 or 12, 2024. Scientists need more data about Comet C/2023 A3 to be sure, so for now, the comet remains a bit of a mystery.

A crowd gathers to watch a total solar eclipse in Argentina.

marianoarias.soy // Shutterstock

Oct. 2, 2024: Another solar eclipse

For those who didnt get enough excitement from the total solar eclipse in April, a second solar eclipse will occur on Oct. 2. This time, people in South America will get the best show. The path of totality crosses over at the very bottom of Argentina and Chile. For people who dont plan to travel to remote areas of southern Argentina and Chile, a partial eclipse will be visible in North and South America.

A Geminid meteor shower and very large array telescope.

Liang Li Photos // Shutterstock

Dec. 13, 2024: Geminid meteor shower

Every December, the Geminid meteors return to fly across the night sky. The annual Geminid meteor shower is a great event for new skywatchers to view because its one of the most reliable annual meteor showers. With clear and dark skies, about 120 meteors per hour are typically visible when the Geminids peak. The meteors usually appear yellow and move quickly across the sky.

A night winter landscape with the northern lights above a pine tree forest.

Smit // Shutterstock

All year: Increased aurora activity

2024 will likely be the best year to check viewing the northern lights off bucket lists. Scientists say increased solar activity is likely to peak in 2024, which means the aurora borealis could be visible more often than in years past. The best opportunities to see the effects of a stronger solar cycle should occur from January to October, especially around the spring and fall equinoxes.

Although the northern lights may be strong enough to be visible in parts of the contiguous U.S. occasionally, stargazers best bet is to travel further north. Northern destinations such as Fairbanks, Alaska; Yellowknife, Canada; and Nordic countries offer the best opportunities to see beautiful green and red hues dance across the night sky.

Story editing by Carren Jao. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. Photo selection by Clarese Moller.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
The Ukrainian army maintains a presence in Maryinka but has withdrawn some troops from the town, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi said during a briefing on Dec. 26.

"As of today, our troops are still in the northern part [of Maryinka]. Our troops have [also] prepared a defense line outside this settlement," Zaluzhnyi stated.

I can say that this settlement [Maryinka] no longer exists.



The enemy's strategy in Maryinka is the same as in Bakhmut, the general said.

"Street by street and block by block are being destroyed, while our fighters are entrenching themselves," he said.

Read also: Russians persist in attempting to encircle Avdiivka  General Staff

We have now retreated to the outskirts of Maryinka, and in some places even beyond the outskirts of Maryinka, thats war.

On Dec. 25, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu declared that Russia had occupied the town of Maryinka in Donetsk Oblast.

In response, the spokesman for the joint press center of the Tavria Defense Forces, Oleksandr Shtupun, said that the fighting for Maryinka was ongoing, but that the town was completely destroyed.



Nonetheless he noted that it would be incorrect to talk about the complete capture of Maryinka.

Read also: Over 75 combat engagements in a day: Ukrainian forces repel Russian attacks on 7 frontline sectors

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
This year, the first Maryland Senate bill was about guns. Next year, the chair of the committee that brought that law is planning to start with something different to promote public safety: legislation protecting judges.

Ensuring that our judges are safe also ensures that the legal process plays out in a fair and impartial manner, said Sen. William Smith, Jr., D-Montgomery County, chair of the judicial proceedings committee, Its fundamental to the operation and the function of the judiciary.

The legislation that removes judges' addresses from public search, and prevents publication on websites and social media platforms, comes after a similar bill failed to pass the House of Delegates earlier this year. About two months ago, a Washington County circuit court judge was shot and killed in his driveway after issuing a decision in the gunmans child custody case.

State Sen. Paul Corderman, R-Washington/Frederick, speaks during a breakfast hosted by the Greater Hagerstown Committee at Hagerstown Community College on Nov. 6, 2023.

We have to protect (judges), said state Sen. Paul Corderman, R-Washington/Frederick, whose father, a circuit court judge in Washington County, lived through an attack in 1989. Now, the state senator and judges son said, during a phone interview.

It will be the first thing we put on the floor, said Smith, in a phone interview on that bill and other topics that may come before the committee when the General Assembly returns in January.

Moore plans bill for law enforcement workforce shortage

The scene for public safety in the state is different this year than it has been in the eight previous. Baltimore, the states largest city, is on track to record under 300 homicides for the first time since 2014. The states new governor, Wes Moore, a Democrat, took office in January.

In a speech this month in Cambridge, Moore described an all-of-the-above approach when it comes to public safety, highlighting actively supporting local and state law enforcement, amplifying coordination, and prioritizing job training from Western Maryland to the Eastern Shore.

During the first year of the administration, the governor doled out the states top cop award to a Carroll County officer in June, and the Baltimore City Police Department added personnel to a state homeland security agency, the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center. The areas that the governor specified job training for in his speech still lag behind the rest of the state in certain economic indicators and have not been free of gun violence this year.

More: States top cop receives recognition from law enforcement leaders, governor

More: Non-fatal shootings double in Maryland in 8-year stretch. Funding to help on the way.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, second from left, listens to Berlin Police Chief Arnold Downing, third from left, during the Maryland Municipal League's Police Executive Association breakfast in Ocean City on June 27, 2023. Downing, the state's longest serving chief, is the immediate past chair of the association and Moore presented the award of the state's "Top Cop" to a Sykesville officer during the ceremony.

Moore indicated during his Cambridge speech that he would introduce a bill that addresses the workforce shortages in law enforcement so we can do a better job of keeping our communities safe. Statewide, police departments from Baltimore City to Berlin on Marylands Eastern Shore have struggled with the recruitment of officers, including with adding women to their ranks.

As of June 8, the police department in the states largest city was budgeted for 2,605 sworn members and had 2,084, a vacancy of 521 sworn members. As of Dec. 19, that vacancy grew to 566, according to an email from a department spokesperson.

Were going to pass a bill that deals with retention and recruitment, said Smith, the judicial proceedings committee chair. Im looking into a bill that would be an almost GI-style bill to incentivize officers to stay in the profession, alluding to the law originally passed by the federal government toward the end of World War II that provided benefits and assistance for certain veterans.

More: 'Recruitments the most difficult thing': How police undertake it in new environment

Revisiting juvenile justice laws

Del. William Valentine, R-Frederick/Washington, served in law enforcement, including as a police officer, across three different Maryland jurisdictions during his 25-year career.

After stepping away as an officer, he then worked as an investigator in the Frederick County States Attorneys office before being elected in November 2022 to the Maryland House of Delegates. He now serves as a House Judiciary Committee member and a member of both the subcommittee on public safety and the one on family & juvenile law.

Juvenile justice has been discussed quite a bit in the off-session in our hearings, said Valentine, who spent the majority of his law enforcement career with police in the Carroll County seat of Westminster, during a phone interview.

Del. Will Valentine, R-Frederick/Washington, speaks during a breakfast hosted by the Greater Hagerstown Committee at Hagerstown Community College on Nov. 6, 2023.

He indicated that the requirement of having an attorney present with a juvenile even if a parent has consented to an interview and procedures for notifying States Attorneys offices of allegations regarding juveniles (those under 18) are items that may be revisited in the session.

A report issued this year by the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, titled Putting Youth Crime in Maryland in Context, showed overall complaints against juveniles being cut in half over the last decade, but rising slightly in the past couple years.

More: Juvenile justice, education issues take center stage at Wicomico legislative meeting

In Wicomico County on the lower Eastern Shore, there was a chorus call of public officials who called for revisiting the states juvenile justice laws during an October pre-legislative meeting.

That countys states attorney pointed to the Child Interrogation Protection Act, a law passed in 2022, and the Juvenile Restoration Act, a law passed in 2021, as legislation in need of revision.

On the Senate side, Smith, too, cited juvenile justice as a topic of focus in the year ahead.

State Sen. William Smith Jr., D-Montgomery, chair of the judicial proceedings committee, speaks at the lectern during an April 7, 2023 press conference in Annapolis, Maryland.

Were going to have a series of briefings at the beginning of session in the Judicial Proceedings Committee to address that issue, he said. All aspects from the Department of Juvenile Services all the way through to chronic absenteeism and truancy in school, and asking experts for their solutions, not just to come before the committee to admire the problem, but to offer solutions.

The Maryland General Assembly is scheduled to convene in Annapolis on Jan. 10, 2024.

Dwight A. Weingarten is an investigative reporter, covering the Maryland State House and state issues. He can be reached at dweingarten@gannett.com or on Twitter at @DwightWeingart2.

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Judges' safety, juvenile justice are priorities for Maryland in 2024
A Massachusetts man was seriously injured in an early Christmas morning crash in Spencer, police said.

Spencer police responded to reports of a serious motor vehicle crash at the intersection of Paxton and Thompson Roads just before 1 a.m.

When on scene officers located a 31-year-old male driver suffering from significant but non-life-threatening injuries. The man was transported to UMass Medical Center, police wrote on social media.

Police said it appears speed was an obvious factor in the crash and are investigating if the vehicle may have also been involved in a hit-and-run crash with injuries in Worcester, before crashing in Spencer.

The Worcester District Attorneys Office is assisting with this investigation.

No additional information was immediately available.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Among multiple explosions, a huge fireball rose high above the pier in the Crimean coastal city of Feodosia early Tuesday morning local time. According to Mykola Oleshchuk, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, a strike by his forces destroyed the Ropucha class landing ship Novocherkassk. While we cannot confirm the general's claim, based on open source imagery, a vessel very similar to a Ropucha class ship has been photographed on fire or next to a pier that is on fire.

Editor's note: The Novocherkassk is destroyed. Russia is saying it was air-launched cruise missiles that hit it. See updates at the bottom of this post.

https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1739448352020873541?s=20 https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1739468053539405897?s=20 https://twitter.com/Global_Mil_Info/status/1739465309076037696?s=20 https://twitter.com/evgesha92x/status/1739490058690789686?s=20

In addition, low-resolution satellite imagery taken by Planet Labs on the 24th does show a Ropucha class vessel in the same berth.

"And the fleet in Russia is getting smaller and smaller! Thanks to the Air Force pilots and everyone involved for the filigree work!" Oleschuk declared on Telegram, according to Reuters.

Planet Labs imagery taken on the 24th shows the planform of a Ropucha class ship docked where the ship is seen burning in imagery after the blast. PHOTO  2023 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION

The Ropucha class landing ship Novocherkassk. (Vadim Indeikin via Wikicommons)

Feodosia sits on the southeastern shore of Crimea, about 60 miles from the Kerch Bridge to the east and 100 miles from Sevastopol to the west.

Google Earth

The town features a relatively small harbor and pier that can support a handful of cargo ships. It's worth noting that the harbor does have booms and barriers at its entrance to keep unmanned surface vessels (USVs) at bay and to foil other forms of surface/subsurface attacks.

Image taken on 10/14/23 of the harbor in Feodosia. PHOTO  2023 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION

Claims are floating around that the ship was carrying Iranian-supplied munitions, although we have seen nothing in terms of real evidence to back this up. Clearly, the vessel and/or the pier were laden with some very high-explosive cargo.

Regardless, these vessels, which are built primarily for executing beach assaults , have taken on many roles during Russia's nearly two-year-long all-out war with Ukraine. These have included everything from cargo hauling to providing ferry services. They were also very active globally in the final lead-up to Russia's invasion, transferring materiel from around the globe to Russia's ports on the Black Sea.

The Ropucha fleet has suffered throughout the conflict, with multiple examples being badly damaged by Ukrainian strikes. Even the same ship supposedly struck today was thought to have been damaged in another pier-side explosion earlier in the war.

If Ukraine had intelligence that the Novocherkassk was laden with munitions and weaponry, it would have presented a prime target for Ukrainian forces. The Ukrainian Air Force's Su-24 Fencers have been put to work as Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG cruise missile launch platforms, which would have been the logical weapon in this case. Such a strike would have mirrored those on another Ropucha class ship and a Kilo class submarine in drydock in Sevastopol, as well as a more recent strike near Kerch that destroyed a brand-new Russian missile corvette .

On the other hand, it could have been prosecuted by another system, such as via a long-range drone strike. Even catastrophic accidents are possible, too. We just don't know enough at this time.

We will update this post when new information becomes available.

Update: 5:00 AM EST 

The latest reports indicate that the Russian Ministry of Defense has indeed confirmed that the landing ship Novocherkassk was at least damaged in an attack that involved a Ukrainian air-launched cruise missile. At this stage, there appears to be no official word from the Russian Ministry of Defense on the severity of the damage  something that is far from uncommon in these kinds of incidents.

https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1739587227959574627 https://www.twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1739587240269922711?s=20

As well as a sardonic reference to Spongebob Squarepants , the latest 'kill tally' posted to social media by the Ukrainian Air Force includes the Novocherkassk  as well as the 13 Iranian-designed Shahed-series one-way attack drones that it also claims to have destroyed overnight.

https://twitter.com/kpszsu/status/1739559628650819977

Update: 5:30 AM EST 

A photo posted to the Telegram messaging app by a pro-Ukrainian military account shows what is purported to be wreckage left in the aftermath of the attack on the Novocherkassk. While the original source of the photo cannot be verified at this point, the photo would suggest that the vessel was completely burnt out. The same account claims that the landing ship had been loaded with Iranian-supplied Shahed drones, which are known to be regularly launched from Russian-occupied Crimea. It also states that a nearby tugboat, identified as MB-304, was also damaged by fire in the attack.

https://twitter.com/Tendar/status/1739591160207651227 https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1739595438032863455

A video has also appeared on social media showing apparent damage to a railway station in Feodosia, the result of the blast wave that resulted from the cruise missile attack. Pro-Ukrainian accounts claim that suburban train services have been disrupted.

https://twitter.com/Tendar/status/1739511877443506632

Update: 10:00 AM EST 

The detonation of the Novocherkassk in Feodosia appears to have been so violent that it left parts of the landing ship scattered over the surrounding area, at least according to the claim in the video below.

https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1739634337933369558

Update: 2:13 PM EST

Russia now admits the ship was 'damaged' specifically in an air-launched cruise missile attack. Score one more hull for the Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG it would seem.

A new video gives us the best look at the massive explosion:

https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1739595465530683833?s=20

Low resolution imagery from Planet Labs shows the aftermath of the attack. The Ropucha that was once there is now a husk of its former self and appears to have pulled away from the pier. An oil slick is also visible emanating from it. It is still unclear how bad the damage is to other ships at the pier as well as the infrastructure there.

Before, taken on the 24th, and after, taken today:

PHOTO  2023 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION

PHOTO  2023 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION

Some additional analysis on this strike:

Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG is an outstanding anti-ship weapon when those ships are in port/fully static. Add smaller ports where air defenses are less dense (compared to Sevastopol) and then add a target that is heavily laden with high-explosives  much bigger chance at full write off and secondary damage to infrastructure (which could have a bigger impact that destroying the ship) and other ships  and you have a perfect target.

Intel on what was on that ship and the window for attack was likely the main catalyst for executing it. Yes, for taking that explosive materiel off the table but more so because of the massive secondary explosion potential it had. Choosing targets with major secondary potential has been a key facet of this war on both sides, but Ukraine using its precious cruise missiles in this manner makes absolute sense and we will likely be seeing more of it going forward.

Contact the author: tyler@thedrive.com
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Thursday announced state support of 46 historic rehabilitation projects including two projects locally for Mechanics Bank's downtown office expansion.

DeWine, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, and Director Lydia Mihalik of the Ohio Department of Development made the announcement in a news release.

In total, 46 projects involving the renovation of 54 buildings will be awarded $67,517,474 in tax credits as part of the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit program. The projects are also expected to leverage approximately $732 million in private investments. Historic preservation is so much more than just updating old buildings. Were preserving what exists and making concerted efforts to weave this history into the fabric of Ohio's future, said DeWine.

Mechanics Bank is receiving state tax credits to rehabilitate historic buildings downtown on South Main Street for expansion of offices.

Husted added, By restoring our historical assets, were ensuring that these structures remain part of their communities for years to come.

Historic preservation is a recognition of our past and an investment in our future. Each and every project thats completed becomes a new business or housing for residents and once again contributes to the local economy and future of the community.

Mechanics Bank projects include 10-14 S. Main St. Total project cost is: $812,761 and total tax credit is $242,538. This small building in downtown Mansfield will be rehabilitated to accommodate the expansion of Mechanics Bank, according to the news release. Dating to the 1880s, the brick building held a saloon, hardware store, and other businesses on both floors. Though the storefront has been altered, it retains original cast iron columns. The bank will rehabilitate second floor spaces for additional offices while the first floor is already in use in that capacity.

Mechanics Bank at 16 S. Main St., shows total project cost of $289,739 and a total tax credit of $86,461. Part of a larger project with the neighboring building, this property will be rehabilitated by Mechanics Bank for the expansion of its downtown Mansfield offices. Built in the 1880s as a store, it was later turned into a pool hall. The bank already uses the first floor but this project will address the second floor and convert the open spaces into six offices, according to the state.

Mechanics Bank has outgrown rehabbed space done 10 years ago

Mark Masters, president and CEO, said the work will start sometime in early 2024.

"It's not yet underway. We're just in the bidding process right now," he said.

Masters said the second floors remain unfinished in three buildings. "That's what this rehab project will do, finish the remaining unfinished space on our second floor," he said.

Mechanics Bank operates in buildings on the whole block except for the restaurant, Uncle John's.

Masters said the bank rents space to an attorney in the very last building, but the bank owns all of the buildings.

"It's an exciting project for us because approximately 10 years ago we completed the rehabilitation of the spaces to the south of the main bank and within that period of time we've outgrown our rehabbed space and are looking forward to expanding into the additional space that is identified here," Masters said.

In another unrelated upgrade, Masters said the bank is refreshing the main office lobby.

"That's a beautiful statement from the bank. The building was constructed in the early 1900s and it's been refreshed of course since then but we'll be refreshing that," he said.

Among the 16 communities receiving tax credits are Columbus, Somerset, Akron, Berea, Cleveland, East Liverpool, Mansfield, Salem, Steubenville, Youngstown, Toledo, Nelsonville, Zanesville, Arlington Heights, Cincinnati and Dayton. Of these, Zanesville, Steubenville, and Arlington Heights are first-time recipients.

lwhitmir@gannett.com

419-521-7223

X (formerly Twitter): @LWhitmir

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Mechanics Bank among 46 historic rehabilitation projects to get funds
The deadline to pay property taxes in Mecklenburg County without accruing interest is fast approaching, and millions of dollars aimed to help taxpayers potentially have gone unclaimed.

Property owners have until Jan. 5 to make outstanding real estate and personal property tax payments to avoid interest charges. After that date, a 2% interest charge will be added for the month of January, and an additional 0.75% will be added in interest every month after January until the tax bill is paid.

Many property owners, including nearly all residential properties, saw higher tax values in the wake of the 2023 revaluation cycle, which determines value of a property and is a key component in determining the next tax bill. And even with revenue-neutral rates, people across the county saw pricier bills.

Additional assistance was made available to homeowners, but time has run out for many to get help. Among that help: Applications closed for the HOMES program, which received an infusion of millions of extra dollars and saw its deadline extended to get more people to apply.

Other assistance programs are available, including for the elderly, people with disabilities, veterans and owners of historic properties.

How to pay your Mecklenburg County property taxes

There are multiple options for paying your Mecklenburg County property taxes, including:

Online at MeckNC.gov/paytax

By phone by calling 1-800-994-1026

By mail with a check or money order and payment stub using the return envelope that came with your tax bill. Checks should be sent to P.O. Box 31457, Charlotte, NC 28231-1457 and made payable to the Mecklenburg County Tax Collector.

In person at 3205 Freedom Dr., Suite 3000, Charlotte, NC 28208

There is a service fee if you pay using a debit or credit card.

Property owners can check their tax record online or call 311 to ensure their payment has been received.

How much money was left in HOMES program?

The number of households receiving grants through the HOMES program more than doubled in the last year, the county said, from 1,347 to 3,377.

But funding for the program increased to $12.1 million this year, and much of the money allocated for grants could still go unused. As of the extended Dec. 15 application deadline, the county had processed only about $1.7 million in grants, spokeswoman Pamela Escobar told The Charlotte Observer.

It will take more time for the county to process all of the applications submitted on or before the deadline and determine a final total for how much grant money will be dispersed, she added.

Despite the possibility that money could still be leftover, applications wont reopen for this cycle of property taxes again, according to the county.

The countys Department of Community Resources will recommend Mecklenburg County commissioners rollover any leftover money to the pool for next years HOMES program.

Commissioners approved putting more money, including a contribution by the city of Charlotte, into the HOMES program this year in anticipation of revaluation and increasing property values, WFAE reported.

Other property tax assistance programs in Mecklenburg County

Other property tax assistance programs available in Mecklenburg County include:

The Historic Property Tax Deferral, which defers property taxes for some properties designated as historic. For more information, visit cao.mecknc.gov/tax-relief-programs/historic-property-deferral. The application period runs from Jan. 1 - 31.

The Elderly or Disabled Homestead Exemption, which provides a property tax exclusion of either $25,000 or 50% of the taxable value of a residence to North Carolina residents who are elderly or disabled and meet an income threshold. For more information, visit, cao.mecknc.gov/tax-relief-programs/property-tax-exclusion-elderly-or-disabled. The application deadline was June 1 but will reopen for future property tax cycles.

The Circuit Breaker program, which allows residents who are elderly or disabled and meet an income threshold to defer a portion of the property taxes owed on their permanent residence. For more information, visit cao.mecknc.gov/tax-relief-programs/property-tax-deferral-elderly-or-disabled-circuit-breaker. The application deadline was June 1 but will reopen for future property tax cycles.

The Disabled Veteran Homestead Exclusion, which excludes from property taxes the first $45,000 of assessed value for the permanent residence of some veterans or surviving spouses of veterans. For more information, visit cao.mecknc.gov/tax-relief-programs/disabled-veterans-homestead-exclusion. The application deadline was June 1 but will reopen for future property tax cycles.

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Two Russian vessels had left Feodosia a few hours after Ukrainian forces struck the port in Russian-occupied Crimea, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Crimea.Realities reported on Dec. 26.

Earlier in the day, Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed that the Russian landing ship Novocherkassk, docked at Feodosia, had been "damaged" by a Ukrainian missile strike.

Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk announced that the ship had been struck earlier on Dec. 26, but implied it was destroyed, not damaged, which appears to be backed by the videos from the scene.

Crimea.Realities said that it was impossible to identify the two vessels due to the distance and the smoke, but judging by their size, they resembled a warship and a military boat of Russia's Black Sea Fleet.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Russian branch reported that another vessel that partially sank with Novocherkassk was training vessel UTS-150, citing satellite data from Planet showing Feodosia after the attack.

At least two officers may have been in the landing ship Novocherkassk at the time of the attack, according to independent Russian news site Agentstvo. It reported that Nikolay Stepanenko, commander of the ship, claimed to Agentstvo that there were no casualties.

At around 3 a.m. local time, Crimean Telegram channels reported explosions in the area of Feodosia in eastern Crimea. The Telegram channels claimed that a ship with Iranian ammunition was reportedly blown up and a fire broke out in the port.

According to Russian-affiliated media, residents reported hearing loud bangs, and seeing plumes of smoke, and traffic on the Crimean bridge was blocked.

Sergey Aksyonov, the head of Russian occupation authorities in Crimea, said that one person had been killed in the attack, and two others were injured. Several nearby buildings were also damaged. Russian media reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed of the "damage" to the ship.

Russian proxy authorities later revised the number of injured to four.

The Novocherkassk is a mid-size vessel with a length of almost 113 meters, designed for amphibious landings, which can carry armored vehicles, according to a U.S. military factsheet cited by CNN. It has a crew of 87 and can host almost 240 personnel.

Ukraine's General Staff said the ship had previously been damaged by a strike near the Ukrainian port city of Berdiansk in March 2022.

Ukraine has repeatedly struck Russia's Black Sea fleet since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, including the sinking of the flagship cruiser Moskva in April 2022 and a devastating missile attack on the fleet's headquarters in occupied Crimea that reportedly killed more than 30 officers.

Read also: Russia confirms its landing ship hit by Ukrainian missile strike in occupied Crimea (UPDATED)

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
David Stuckenberg was just in Washington, D.C., meeting with members of the local Republican Party. The district has 20 delegate votes up for grabs in the 2024 presidential election, and the Tampa entrepreneur-turned-presidential candidate wanted to make his case for each one.

Washington, D.C., isnt Iowa, New Hampshire or South Carolina  though hes hitting all those key early primary states, too. But to build any steam for his long shot presidential bid, hes employing what he calls a Moneyball strategy, looking for edges in places other candidates wont.

Why would someone whos not a politician be interested in doing this, going through this punishing grind? he said. Thats the question of the hour.

Stuckenberg, who filed paperwork to run for president in October, isnt just going through the motions. Hes one of two dozen Republicans on the ballot in New Hampshire, and one of a handful on the ballot in South Carolina and more than 15 other states, and he plans to be on five more by Dec. 31. He will not be on Floridas primary ballot, but he plans to campaign across Iowa until that states caucuses on Jan. 15.

The 42-year-old father of five is the co-founder and CEO of Genesis Systems, a clean water technology startup that moved from Kansas City to Tampa in 2021 and has since attracted national funding. Hes also an Air Force Reserve major who has held advisory and task force positions with agencies including the departments of State and Defense.

Hes a long shot, to be sure, but he believes theres a lane for his candidacy. He said former President Donald Trump has been running for nine years straight, and wouldnt be able to put together a cohesive cabinet of talented men and women. He said he respects Gov. Ron DeSantis, but has problems with the states property insurance crisis. He sees former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley as pretentious, as well as a tremendous advocate for Chinese investment.

None of the candidates on the left or the right are offering new ideas for the United States, he said. Its the same old trope-y, political, round-and-round-the-tree, same old ideas over and over again. What we need for the nation is a turnaround team of Avengers-level talent  young mavericks who are extraordinarily gifted Americans, who can come in and say, My agenda is the United States, its all of us, its our success.

Stuckenberg is anti-abortion, anti-Big Government and hawkish on national security, particularly as it relates to China. He also supports research into renewable, wind and nuclear energy. And hes proposed slashing taxes by reducing tax brackets by 33% and eliminating the inheritance tax.

In a recent conversation, Stuckenberg talked about his bid, his politics and the races front-runners. (This interview has been edited for length and clarity.)

Youve circled public policy for years, youve been in the military. But have you ever considered entering an election on any level before now?

I have not. But were about to lose the country. We have what I would describe as clowns to the left and jokers to the right, as the song said. And here you and I are, we the American people, stuck in the middle. I think that song captures well whats going on.

One theory youll hear whenever an entrepreneur with little political experience, like Vivek Ramaswamy or even Donald Trump, enters a presidential race is theyre doing so less to win than to grow their brand and business. Genesis Systems has been seeking funding and national attention over the last two years. Why wouldnt that theory also apply to you?

Im not just a business person. Business is something I do on the side. What I do is, I work to solve grand challenges. What is the business that Genesis is focusing on? Its solving the grand challenge of global water scarcity. The worlds running out of water. Theres a high demand for our product. I dont need personal name recognition. Im not interested in that. My getting in this race, if anything, jeopardizes my own safety, my privacy and my livelihood as a business person. Because people may not like that. So what do I have to lose?

Do you think of yourself as moderate? Do you think of yourself as libertarian? How would you describe your positions?

I come from a conservative home. We know what it is to be a Republican. But at the same time, Ive seen both parties go to war with each other, and leave honor and integrity behind. We have to kind of reset the tone. And that starts with a leader whos willing to say, Not everyone on the left is evil, and not everyone on the left is wrong. And not everyone on the right is right, and not everyone on the right is wrong. It comes from 21 years of working across the aisle with people from all walks of life. So I would say, yes, I am moderate. Im just trying to be a reasonable, sensible American.

Who do you believe won the 2020 election?

I think Biden won the election. Now, I think there were irregularities that still have not been explained. And so there is a good number of the U.S. electorate who still does not believe that Biden is the legitimate president. I reject that. He is the legitimate commander in chief.

You are an extreme underdog in the race. Whats a best-case scenario for your campaign?

I think whats most likely to happen is that New Hampshires sophisticated electorate is going to say, Youve got the right stuff. You are a candidate that needs to be seriously considered. I think were going to have a very strong showing there. Everybodys bored with the other candidates. What were going to give them is an opportunity to look at something very afield from anything else theyve seen, and they are excited about it. It takes about one minute of conversation to move most voters over from some of the folks that theyve committed to, because theyre not that committed. Theyre still on the hunt.
The owner of a new ice cream shop wanted to bring an option for Columbus residents to get traditional Mexican ice cream and other treats without needing to drive hours away.

Paleteria Los Reyes owner Oscar Morfin moved to Columbus when he was eight years old, and remembers it being difficult to find Mexican ice cream desserts in the area throughout his childhood.

The closest Mexican Ice Cream shop was in Atlanta, Morfin said, so his family made regular drives there to get treats.

Ive always thought, Why isnt there something like this here in Columbus?, he said.

Morfin grew up learning about the restaurant industry from his family who owns Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant in Midland. As an adult, he worked managing a restaurant in Auburn before pursuing a business opportunity in Columbus.

His familys restaurant background prepared Morfin to run his own, he said, so Morfin worked with partners to open Paleteria Los Reyes in The Landings off Airport Thruway on Nov. 24.

Paleteria Los Reyes is located at 2505 Airport Thruway, Suite M, in Columbus. 12/20/2023

Teaching customers about Mexican desserts

Since the shop opened, Morfin has enjoyed teaching customers about the different types of Mexican desserts and snacks they offer.

A lot of people have walked into the shop not knowing about the products sold, he said. Morfin and other staff will walk customers through the items and offer samples for people to try.

It has been fun to see people be open-minded about trying desserts from his familys culture, he said.

I think its even cooler after they try it, Morfin said. Theyre like, Wow, this is actually really good.

Paleteria Los Reyes is located at 2505 Airport Thruway, Suite M, in Columbus. 12/20/2023

Paleteria Los Reyes customers can order ice cream, agua frescas, paletas and botanas.

Almost everything is made in the shop, Morfin said, meaning customers can ask for flavors that may not be on the menu.

If they want a kiwi popsicle, he said. And we dont have it. We can probably make it. Dont be afraid to ask.

Paletas are ice cream popsicles that can be made from either a water or cream base, Morfin said. Cream bases are like ice cream, he said, and water bases are more like natural fruit sherbet.

This is the Gansito paleta at Paleteria Los Reyes, located at 2505 Airport Thruway, Suite M, in Columbus. The ice cream shop features a variety of items including Paletas (ice cream popsicles), Nieves (scooped ice cream), and Aguas Frescas (Natural Fruit Flavored Waters). 12/20/2023

Agua frescas are similar to summertime lemonades, Morfin said, and made from natural ingredients. Botanas are Mexican street snacks ranging from street corn to nachos and more.

Mexican ice cream sold at the shop is different from what many Americans may be used to, Morfin said, and it is more similar to sherbet. Many of their flavors contain fruit.

We have a mangonada, he said. And actually use mangos to make the sherbet.

This is the Frutas(Fruit Mix) agua fresca at Paleteria Los Reyes, located at 2505 Airport Thruway, Suite M, in Columbus. The ice cream shop features a variety of items including Paletas (ice cream popsicles), Nieves (scooped ice cream), and Aguas Frescas (Natural Fruit Flavored Waters). 12/20/2023

A growing trend

Also, some of the flavors are regional and may not be commonly found in other areas. Many of the items Paleteria Los Reyes sell come from his familys hometown, Morfin said, but other regions are also represented.

We tried our best to make it a reflection of where were from, he said.

In recent years, demand for Mexican snacks and desserts have been growing across the United States. Another Mexican snack bar, Snacks Chabelita, recently opened in Columbus.

These are some of the flavors of Nieves (scooped ice cream) available at Paleteria Los Reyes, located at 2505 Airport Thruway, Suite M, in Columbus. The ice cream shop features a variety of items including Paletas (ice cream popsicles), Nieves (scooped ice cream), and Aguas Frescas (Natural Fruit Flavored Waters). 12/20/2023

Morfin is happy to see the growing popularity of Mexican desserts, he said, and is excited to be part of that growth in Columbus.

I think its awesome that were able to take the ideas from where all of our family originates, bring it here, and people actually like it, Morfin said. I think thats amazing.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 26)  The Department of Health (DOH) said it is expecting an increase in COVID-19 cases following the detection of the Omicron subvariant JN.1 that has been driving up infections in other countries.

Because of the holiday travel and because of the interactions of people who have now gone out of their homes we are bracing for a similar situation, DOH Undersecretary Eric Tayag told CNN Philippines The Source on Tuesday.

The DOH has confirmed the detection of 18 cases of JN.1 in the country after it reported a 50% increase in new COVID-19 infections.

This subvariant is currently the leading cause of infections in the US, which now makes up 44.2% of the total cases there.

Based on their monitoring, Tayag said there is still no surge in hospital admissions. There were also no severe cases of JN.1 in the country, he noted.

Tayag said existing COVID-19 vaccines are still effective against JN.1 even if it is highly transmissible.

Still, he reminded the public to frequently wash hands and avoid crowded places. For the vulnerable population, he recommended wearing face masks and completing their booster shots as an added layer of protection.

READ: Vulnerable population urged to wear face masks despite mild JN.1 COVID-19 subvariant
(Bloomberg) -- President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador inaugurated a state-run airline led by Mexicos military, the latest in a series of costly projects sponsored by the populist leader in the run-up to presidential elections next year.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Mexicana de Aviacion, named after what was once a state-run airline that ceased operations in 2010, had on Tuesday a inaugural flight intended to connect the nations capital to Tulum, a popular beach destination in the countrys southeast.

The company will initially serve 14 destinations and gradually add domestic routes. It is forecast to lose more than 2.3 billion pesos ($136 million) between 2024 and 2029, and will be financed by public money, daily El Financiero reported, citing official plans to which it had access.

The Finance Ministry and the Defense Ministry did not respond to requests for comment on Mexicanas financial plans.

This airline will be managed by the Olmeca-Maya-Mexica company that will administer airports, trains, especially the Maya Train, AMLO, as the president is known, said at a press briefing, referring to some of the major infrastructure projects of his government. He added that complementary companies will also manage hotels and ecological parks.

In the rush to finish his flagship projects before the end of his term in 2024, Lopez Obrador has planned a burst of public spending that will result in a fiscal deficit equivalent to 4.9% of gross domestic product next year. He has inaugurated several unfinished works, including part of the Maya tourist train whose stations are still under construction. In 2022, he flew to the Dos Bocas refinery in Tabasco for a grand opening a year before the facility started producing fuel.

The political maneuvering has tainted his reputation as one of Latin Americas more austere leaders.

Flight Rerouted

Mexicanas first flight didnt make it to its final destination. It landed instead in the city of Merida in the neighboring Yucatan state due to adverse conditions, the airline said in a statement.

The company said it would refuel before heading to Tulum once conditions improve, but it was an inauspicious start for an airline attempting to revive a brand that has been off travelers schedules for years.

The air carrier kicked off operations with five planes, and its in talks with Boeing Co. over the possibility of buying additional ones in 2024, according to Defense Secretary Luis Sandoval. The government has touted the company as a budget option.

Mexicana de Aviacion stopped flights in 2010, and the government bought rights to the name amid bankruptcy proceedings. Initial destinations will include the states of Baja California, Nuevo Leon and Yucatan.

Read More: AMLOs Mexicana Airline Has No Jets or Schedule Ahead of Launch

--With assistance from Scott Squires.

(Recasts story with information about Mexicanas financing needs, adds detail aboout inaugural flight being rescheduled.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
State and local off-year elections may have just taken place, but important dates for the 2024 election are right around the corner. New Mexicans have a large role to play throughout the upcoming year at local, county, state, and national levels.

Whether you're a new or an experienced voter, here are important dates to consider adding to your 2024 calendar:

2024 election dates to remember in New Mexico

Primary Election: Tuesday, June 4

General Election: Tuesday, Nov. 5

How to register to vote: How to register and get your ballot for New Mexico's 2024 elections

New Mexico 2024 Presidential and State Primary Election dates to remember

New Mexico's primary elections are open to registered party members only.

May 7: Voter registration deadline. All registrations must be received.

May 7 - June 4: Same day registration and voting

May 12: All absentee ballot requests must be received by May 21.

June 4: All Absentee ballots must be returned by 7 p.m.

May 7 - June 4: Early voting is open to registered voters of the state's three major recognized parties.

Dates to remember ahead of the 2024 New Mexico General Election

Qualified voters may submit an application for voter registration at any time.

Registration closes at 5 p.m. Mountain Time 28 days before the General Election

Nov. 5: 2024 General Election Day. Polling stations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and ballot boxes open until 7 p.m.

New Mexico municipal election dates to remember

Jan. 9: Candidate filing day, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Jan. 16: Write-in candidate filing day, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

March 5: Officer election

April 9: Officer runoff election

The municipal officer election applies to Ruidoso, Jemez Springs, Cuba, Town of Bernalillo, Santa Rosa, Rio Rancho, Espanola, Clovis and Artesia.

To view the full 2024 New Mexico Secretary of State's election calendar, click here.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: New Mexico elections: Add these important dates to your 2024 calendar
Semafor Signals

Insights from The Washington Post, The Times of Israel, and Axios

NEWS

The U.S. hit three targets in Iraq in response to attacks on an American air base by what it said were Iran-backed militia. U.S. Central Command said the strikes likely killed members of Kataib Hezbollah. The Iraqi militia group has claimed many of the more than 100 attacks on U.S. military bases in Iraq and Syria since Hamass Oct. 7 attack sparked tensions across the Middle East.

Iraqi officials denounced the attacks as a hostile act that violated the countrys sovereignty, and said that civilians were injured in the strikes.

The latest round of tit-for-tat strikes comes at a precarious moment. Houthi attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea, an Israeli air strike on an Iranian officer in Syria, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus promise to intensify attacks on Gaza, and simmering tensions on the Israel-Lebanon border could all escalate the conflict further.

SIGNALS

Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories.

Can the U.S. deter Iraqi and Syrian militia groups?

Sources: The Washington Post, The Hill, Chicago Tribune

So far, the Biden administrations strategy has been to respond cautiously to attacks on U.S. bases, seeking to avoid escalation to the frustration of some Pentagon officials and Republicans. Iranian-backed groups believe they can try to kill Americans with impunity, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said, while Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley said youve got to punch them hard. By contrast, some analysts have warned that establishing deterrence over non-state militia groups may be all but impossible, and argued that the U.S. should send its troops in Iraq and Syria home.

Fears grow of a wider war

Sources: The Guardian, Islamic Republic News Agency

We are in a multi-front war and are coming under attack from seven theaters: Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Judea and Samaria (West Bank), Iraq, Yemen and Iran, Israels defense minister said on Tuesday. While he said that Israel has taken action in six of these theaters, the most likely source of an all-out war is Israels northern border with Lebanon, where exchanges of fire between the IDF and Hezbollah have escalated in recent days. But following the death of a high-ranking Iranian officer in an Israeli airstrike in Syria, Tehran has also vowed to make Israel pay.

Israel cagey on transitioning to next stage of the conflict

Sources: The Times of Israel, Axios, The Washington Post

In a rare visit to Gaza on Monday, Netanyahu vowed to expand the war in Gaza and reiterated his ambition to keep fighting until Hamas is destroyed. But behind closed doors, Israel looks increasingly willing to discuss the future of the conflict: A top Israeli official is expected to meet with U.S. officials today to discuss plans to scale down the war to a low-intensity operation by the end of January.The discrepancy between Israels public insistence that the war will last months more and its private willingness to discuss next steps may be to keep Hamas off guard, a Washington Post columnist wrote.
Migrants walk in a caravan to reach the U.S. border through Mexico, in Huixtla

Migrants walk in a caravan to reach the U.S. border through Mexico, in Huixtla

By Jose Torres

VILLA COMALTITLAN (Reuters) - Thousands of migrants and asylum seekers moved slowly north across the southern Mexican state of Chiapas on Tuesday in a caravan hoping to reach the U.S. border, one day before top U.S. officials planned to visit Mexico to discuss migration.

On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security chief Alejandro Mayorkas will visit Mexico to meet with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

The officials will discuss "unprecedented irregular migration in the Western Hemisphere and identify ways Mexico and the United States will address border security challenges," according to a statement from State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

The meeting comes a week after U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Lopez Obrador by telephone, during which the two leaders said that more enforcement was needed at their shared frontier.

On Wednesday, migrants and asylum seekers, many carrying small children, walked along the highway near the southern Mexican city of Villa Comaltitlan. Some held a banner reading "Exodus from poverty."

Rosa, from El Salvador, said she hoped the officials would ease the suffering of migrants.

"We are looking for something better for our children and our families," she said as she walked. "I hope this touches their hearts," she added.

Migrants and asylum seekers transit through Mexico to the U.S. to escape violence, economic distress and negative impacts of climate change, according the United Nations.

The number crossing the perilous Darien Gap straddling Colombia and Central America has topped half a million this year, double last year's record.

Migrant rights activist Luis Garcia Villagran criticized the meeting, saying the officials' main concerns are domestic electoral issues, and that more enforcement efforts aimed at stopping migrants from reaching the U.S. border would only hurt the poorest of the poor.

"They want women and children to be bargaining chips," he said, speaking alongside the caravan on Tuesday.

"We are not bargaining chips for any politicians."

(Reporting by Jose Torres in Chiapas; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee police are investigating two shootings on Christmas Day that left two people injured, including a 15-year-old.

27th and North

According to police, a 38-year-old person was shot during a robbery around 10:34 a.m. The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries and is expected to survive.

11th and Ring

Around 2:28 p.m., a suspect fired shots into a vehicle and struck a 15-year-old victim. The victim arrived at a local hospital for treatment of injuries and is expected to survive.

MPD investigates

Anyone with information is asked to call MPD at 414-935-7360; to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or use the P3 tips app.
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee police are investigating two shootings on Friday, Dec. 22, that left two people injured, including a 17-year-old.

19th and Vienna

Around 1:33 p.m., police say a 17-year-old was injured in a shooting. The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries and is expected to survive.

Appleton and Keefe

A 34-year-old was shot around 6:45 p.m. Police said the victim was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive.

Police scene near Appleton and Keefe

MPD investigates

Anyone with information is asked to call MPD at 414-935-7360; to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or use the P3 tips app.
The Finance Ministry on Dec. 26 successfully issued new debt instruments worth about 21 billion hryvnia, or $532 million, it said.

Uncertainty around funding from Western donors has proven to be a critical long-term challenge for Ukraine as it endures Russian strikes on its energy and industrial infrastructure.

In November, President Volodymyr Zelensky headed to the White House to meet with President Biden and top leaders in Congress. He left largely empty handed  without a much anticipated $61 billion aid package Kyiv needs to meet its expenditures.

Ukraine in December agreed with creditors from the G7 and the Paris Club to extend sovereign debt restructuring to 2027.

President Zelensky in Kyiv on Dec. 19 told reporters he plans to reduce government expenditures because significant funding will be needed for fresh mobilization efforts.

Ukraine risks a serious economic downturn in 2024 unless its Western supporters can muster enough funds to fill a massive hole in its budget, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko told Politico in November.

Read also: Zelensky says he plans cuts to government spending

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Read the full story on The Backfire News

Minneapolis Cop Outed For Having OnlyFans Account

We get it, being a cop in Minneapolis is about as thankless a job as one can get these days. But were not sure if that justifies an officer maintaining an OnlyFans account. She kept that sordid detail hidden from her superiors, allegedly, until a man who was pulled over by the officer realized he was one of her subscribers.

Learn about the growing boat theft problem in California here.

Seeing the bodycam footage of this exchange would be interesting. The guy was probably excited to meet the woman of his dreams in person and in uniform no less. And were willing to bet she was initially embarrassed and/or annoyed. Yeesh.

After some exchange, the guy who had been pulled over declared that since hed seen the officer naked, she couldnt arrest him. We dont remember that law being on the books anywhere, but maybe in Minnesota thats a thing?

Anyway, the information came out, although its not entirely clear if the officer told her sergeant about the exchange or if the man who had been pulled over contacted the police department. Now its a huge controversy and everyone has to weigh in.

As pointed out by local station Fox 9, the two issues at stake right now are whether or not the officer violated department policy and/or the Minnesota Law Enforcement Code of Ethics. An internal investigation is focusing on both, so well see how that shakes out. In other cases, officers or members of the military have posed with, um, portions of their uniform and thats usually a big no-no.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Freys office told Fox 9 the politician has no problem with police officers posing nude and charging people to view them. But hes letting the police department conduct its own investigation. But we wonder if hes conducting his own as well?

Regardless of what you think about OnlyFans and other such sites, one has to ask if the officer was desperate for cash or was there another driving force behind creating the paywalled account. Also, we wonder if her mother knows, but we bet she will soon enough.

Image via Kindel Media
US health authorities recommend an annual vaccine to protect against influenza. This year's campaign to encourage vaccination was met on social media with renewed misleading claims about ingredients in the shot, most of which are not present; others help improve the effectiveness of the jab and have been tested for safety, experts say.

"Flu shot ingredients," is the title of a graphic shared 1,400 times on X, formerly Twitter, since December 5, 2023. The image which claims the shots include substances such as mercury and acetone, spread in thousands of posts on social media and websites as public health campaigns ramped up to encourage annual inoculation.

Screenshot of an Instagram post taken December 12, 2023

Screenshot of a post on X taken December 12, 2023

Misinformation about the flu shot is an annual occurrence and experts have previously told AFP that the ingredients used in vaccines available in the United States and Canada have proven safety records.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the jab for almost everyone six months and older (archived here). From October 1 to December 16, the CDC estimates at least 3,200 deaths and 54,000 hospitalizations were caused by influenza in the United States (archived here).

Each year the vaccine is reformulated in an effort to match the strains of flu in circulation, based on recommendations from the World Health Organization and experts say this year's formulation is very protective against severe illness.

In the United States, nine vaccines are approved for use in the 2023/24 flu season from the companies Seqirus, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi Pasteur and AstraZeneca.

Afluria Quadrivalent, Fluarix Quadrivalent, FluLaval Quadrivalent, Fluzone Quadrivalent and Flucelvax Quadrivalent are available to patients age six months and older (archived here, here, here, here and here). Flublok Quadrivalent is only for people older than age 18 (archived here). While Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent and Fluad Quadrivalent are for those aged 65 and up (archived here and here). The nasal spray vaccine FluMist Quadrivalent is available to those aged 2-49 (archived here).

Screenshot of the CDC website detailing approved flu vaccines taken December 12, 2023

AFP examined the active and inactive ingredients listed for the available flu shots and compared them to the list in the viral image. Most of those in the claim are not included, with thimerosal, formaldehyde and gelatin found in some of this year's jabs.

The CDC website says all vaccine ingredients are selected to make the shot "as effective as possible while being safe." They can be grouped by their different functions as explained below:

Preservatives

To prevent contamination, vaccines may include preservatives such as thimerosal.

Thimerosal contains ethylmercury, which is different from methylmercury, a toxic organic compound.

"Ethylmercury is safe to use in vaccines because it's processed differently in the body and is less likely to build up in the body -- and because it's used in tiny amounts," the CDC says on its website (archived here).

"Only multi-dose vial formulations of influenza vaccines will contain thimerosal," according to the CDC (archived here), so patients can request a shot that does not contain the preservative if they wish.

Additionally, Fluarix Quadrivalent, Flublok Quadrivalent, Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent, Fluad Quadrivalent and FluMist Quadrivalent are formulated without preservatives.

Residual inactivating ingredients

Some ingredients help kill viruses or inactivate toxins during the manufacturing process. Formaldehyde is sometimes used in this way.

"The amount of formaldehyde present in some vaccines is so small compared to the concentration that occurs naturally in the body that it does not pose a safety concern," the US Food and Drug Administration says on its website (archived here).

Five of the shots include formaldehyde.

Residual cell culture materials

To grow enough of the virus or bacteria to make the vaccine, there may be residual cells in the formula. Most of the flu shots in the US are egg-based and may include proteins from the process. This may account for why the image shared on social media mentions "chicken protein."

The CDC recommends the vaccines, even if a person has a known egg allergy.

"Egg allergy does not indicate additional safety measures for flu vaccination beyond those recommended for any recipient of any vaccine, regardless of severity of previous reaction to egg," it says online (archived here).

Adjuvants

The purpose of including certain adjuvant ingredients in a vaccine is to increase immune response, Ashlesha Kaushik, an expert in pediatric infectious disease, told AFP for a previous fact-check.

"Adjuvants make vaccines more effective," she said.

None of this year's vaccines include aluminum, but it is used in other vaccines and has a six-decade safety profile.

Stabilizers

To keep the vaccine effective after manufacturing, stabilizing ingredients are added.

Gelatin is derived from pigs and is used as a stabilizer in two of this year's flu vaccines, including FluMist Quadrivalent.

The University of Oxford's Vaccine Knowledge website explains that the gelatin in vaccines is highly purified and testing has shown that "no DNA from pigs can be detected in the nasal flu vaccine" (archived here).

AFP has previously debunked multiple claims about vaccines, including detailed looks at the safety profile of the ingredients potassium chloride and polysorbate 80.
GRAND RAPIDS  A man shot and seriously injured by Grand Rapids police earlier this month after charging at an officer with a box cutter had a history of mental illness, court records show.

His mom said she hopes the shooting will be a turning point.

Nodin Chervenka, 19, remains in the hospital but his mom said on Tuesday that he is expected to recover.

GRPD releases body camera video of officer-involved shooting

In text messages, his mom, Jennifer Ives, said he lost his left kidney and some of his intestines in the shooting, along with full use of a hand.

Court records show his mother tried to get him psychiatric help last year.

He suffered from paranoia and psychosis, was homicidal and had recently attempted suicide, records show.

Hes been living with schizoaffective disorder and psychosis since about the age of fifteen, his mom wrote on Facebook.

A judge in April 2022 ordered him involuntarily committed to Pine Rest for treatment for up to 60 days.

Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom said the initial call for help on Dec. 16 didnt appear to merit sending a social worker with officers.

When the officer arrived, it very quickly turns to, what you can see by watching the video, was an individual who was suffering from mental health issues, Winstrom said.

Police said the man was shot twice while charging at an officer with a box cutter in an alley near Lyon Street and Union Avenue NE.

1 hospitalized after officer-involved shooting in Grand Rapids

Video shows he then ran into a garage, told police he had a knife, then charged again, this time at two officers. One hit him with a Taser, which didnt stop him; the other officer stopped him with a gunshot to the arm.

The mom, in a Facebook post, questioned why police had to shoot her son.

My son is small and was armed with a box cutter. It seems like two police officers would be able to wrestle it away from him. Ive successfully managed to wrestle things away from him, she wrote. They probably could have just tased him, yet they almost shot him dead. Hes a vulnerable person and unmistakably so.

The chief said he understands how she feels.

She could have said anything and I would have been absolutely OK with it because thats a mom, Winstrom said.

But the chief said it appears his officers werent at fault.

He said the Michigan State Police finished investigating the shooting and has turned it over to the Kent County Prosecutors Office, which would decide whether it was justified.

Legal expert: GRPD officers justified in shooting

The officers remain on paid leave, per protocol, but the chief expects them back on the job soon.

Not only would I say they did everything from my perspective right, I dont know if I could have done it as good as they did it, he said.

The mans mom, in a text message, said she expects hell be released soon from the hospital and sent for psychiatric care.

Hes got a good outlook so far and were hoping that this is a turning point in his illness. Hes got a lot to overcome, she wrote.

A lot of time it takes a tragedy to really be a watershed moment in someones life, the chief said. Im hopeful that if any good can come of this, is that the young man does get the treatment that he needs.

Ives released the following statement Tuesday to News 8:

My name is Jennifer Ives. My 19-year-old son, Nodin, survived multiple gunshot wounds inflicted by the police while he was in the throes of a mental health crisis: I have been asked by the press for my thoughts on the brutal actions of the GRPD and my experience with the mental health system. First and foremost, it is a miracle that my son is alive. He lost a kidney, parts of his intestines and full use of his dominant hand. Thankfully, the Creator was protecting him- he has an opportunity to live a full life. I am praying for all the mothers who have lost or risk losing their children to police violence, substance abuse, and mental health emergencies. I pray you find strength, hope, and healing despite having to carry the weight of your grief. I am also grateful for all the prayers we have received. Chi Miigwech. The GRPD will never convince me that the force used when they encountered my son was justifiable. Their first physical contact made was two gunshots aimed with the intent to kill my son. One to the chest, one to the abdomen. After an officer fired and missed his taser, they shot my son in the arm as he was attempting to flee. They shouldntve had to fire anything at my son. My son is only 57 and 140 lbs. I am much smaller than him and even I have had the strength to tackle him down. While I recognize the officers lack the fearlessness of a mothers love,if they were too afraid to tackle him why didnt they use their tasers first? Even if both officers had fired and missed their two tasers they couldve instead aimed their guns for his arms or legs. Instead, their first two physical actions was the use ofdeadly force. As for my experiences of being a mother who has navigated the mental health care systems, I can testify that our current systems are inadequate. There is a severe shortage of beds for our youth. There is a lack of treatment options for people with dual diagnoses. There is a lack of treatment options for people struggling with substance use disorders. Stigma and fear is also a barrier to treatment. I pray that by sharing my experiences action will be taken to prevent the continued use of egregious violence and deadly force by the GRPD. I pray our community receives the mental health care expansions that it so desperately needs. Lastly, I pray that those who are in crisis and their family members have the strength to persevere and heal. Jennifer Ives, mother of Nodin Chervenka

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
(CNN)  It could have been immeasurably worse. But holding back from the brink in 2023 has simply deferred vast crises to 2024. The post-Covid world is exhausted, cash-strapped, but ultimately more fraught than for decades.

Overshadowing it all will be a flagging hyperpower, at best distracted with presidential elections, at worst tearing itself apart in voting disputes and political extremism.

The likelihood the United States will be occupied by its own traumas amplifies each risk. The geopolitical given of a US response will be absent, fuelling authoritarian ambition, or a radical upending of the global order. 2024 could make 2023 seem rational and sober.

First, it is important to take comfort that Hamas brutal attack on Israel, and Israels brutal assault on Gaza in pursuit of Hamas, has not yet led to the regional conflagration many had feared. The Iran-backed Islamist movement Hezbollah seems to be limiting its involvement so far to manageable and predictable tit-for-tat exchanges around the border between Lebanon and Israel.

It is notable for a group founded, on the surface, to resist the Israeli occupation, to decide that the death of almost 20,000 Gazans  of whom only a third, at most, were militants, according to one IDF officials estimate  did not merit its intervention.

Hezbollah may still be exhausted after expending experienced fighters in Syria and beyond over the past decade and has probably seen less Iranian cash in recent years. Its leadership may have calculated that a clash with Israel would spell the wide-scale bombing of Lebanon, render the group much less popular in its homeland, and potentially weaken it further.

Or it may simply be that large-scale conflict with Israel is not in the interests of Hezbollahs main backer, Iran. Tehran, most analysis suggests, did not order, appreciate, or have foreknowledge of Hamas October 7 attack. Iran is still reeling from internal dissent not seen for decades, economic turmoil, and probably also from the death of its pre-eminent military figure, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Qasem Soleimani.

Iran has turned its back on the nuclear deal former US President Donald Trump tore to pieces. It is enriching uranium at an alarming pace  as far as we know publicly. It is perhaps at a point where the breakout time for it to enrich enough uranium for a nuclear weapon  something it avows it does not want  might be only 12 days, US officials assess.

Could an Iranian nuclear bomb be the next crisis to hit the region? Is Hezbollah being held in reserve to respond if Israel and the US attack Irans nuclear resources? Or are the Middle Easts authoritarian states so focused on calm, unity against Iran, and economic cooperation that the Palestinian cause is something to rage about, not act upon?

The first decision of major concern in 2024 may come from Israels most right-wing government yet. Does it use this moment of relative internal unity and public US backing to shun all advice from its allies, and try to attack Hezbollah?

The Israeli public may be steeled enough by October 7 they may stomach the likely losses caused by the inevitable waves of rockets Hezbollah would send in response. The US might be forced to deploy military assistance, given its public display of unity. But the damage to both sides and the civilian toll would be astronomical. And Israels politicians are not displaying caution at present. This potential clash has been building since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, a clear understanding growing with each year that has passed that it would be monstrous when it came, and perhaps better avoided. But has that calculus changed for Israel?

The Middle East notwithstanding, the weightiest global security crisis remains Russias invasion of Ukraine. Stalling by the US and European Union on aid has already damaged Ukrainians morale, and likely their assessment of what they can hope to achieve in the winter and spring ahead. The billions NATO spent on Ukraines summer counteroffensive did not achieve the results badly needed to counter the likely impacts of the US electoral turmoil of 2024.

Now, Ukraine is toying with mobilizing another 500,000 troops to bolster its frontline losses, as Russia sends well-trained, well-equipped convict recruits  some of them drugged-up, according to the Ukrainians  in waves of suicide missions. Moscows tolerance for pain  the near-zero value it places on human life  is combining with its patience and unipolar decision-making to bring it a resurgence on the battlefield. It is unlikely to suddenly become the Russian army feared by NATO in 2021. But it can drain Ukraine, take back Ukrainian land that had been liberated, and brutally persist where Western allies will tire.

Having spent two weeks around the frontlines, it is clear Kyiv faces an existential crisis in the coming winter. It will not survive without Western help. It cannot admit to the scale of challenges it faces without being dubbed by some US Republicans a loser, unworthy of US funding.

At a recent press conference, President Volodymyr Zelensky was asked about his relationship with his chief of military staff, Valery Zaluzhny. He said it was a working one. But the question even being asked exposes the depths of the rifts in the administration, as blame is traded for the failed summer, and the money looks set to run out soon.

2023 was, in Russia and Ukraine, also a year in which the worst did not yet materialize. Ukraine repeatedly attacked the Russian mainland, with missiles, drones and with foot soldiers, and found Moscow unable to wreak the apocalyptic vengeance it had long threatened were its sovereignty to be disturbed. The Wests challenge is to be mindful of this Russian frailty, but not recklessly dismiss the Kremlin as a paper tiger.

In 2023, Vladimir Putin also faced down the most serious challenge to his rule yet. The 48-hour rebellion led by Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, which started as a dispute between military top brass and wildly escalated into a mercenary march on Moscow, has not left an obvious dent in the Kremlins power. But its elite now surely grasp the myth of Putins invincibility and know, too, that traitors and their entire entourage can end up in convenient plane crashes.

It is stunning that Putin survived this threat to his rule so calmly, with little enduring, public disruption. But the fact the attempted coup happened at all must have altered the nature of his once unassailable vertical power.

The wars crises have been deferred to 2024. We will learn next year if the Russians resurgence on the front lines forebodes a strategy that will gain them ground, or just a temporary spike in fortune. We will learn, too, if Western aid is drying up, and how quickly that translates into a Ukrainian collapse. And we will also learn if Kyivs elite  impressively solid until now despite the Zelensky-Zaluzhny rift  can put country before interpersonal sniping, and regain the initiative.

The stakes for European security are monumental. Gains for Russia in Ukraine leave Moscow closer to NATOs borders, and the Wests penchant for disunity and debacle painfully exposed. The main metric for the Wests response to this crisis was always its persistence, and this has folded in less than two years. It is truly a desperate moment.

One tiny bright spot is that China has not invaded Taiwan yet, despite countless military maneuvers around it, and in the South China Sea around the Philippines. A clock is ticking in Beijing as a demographic crisis looms in the form of an aging population and shrinking workforce, and with it, a likely economic showdown. The Chinese Dream of Xi Jinping may struggle to deliver, and this could lead to foreign policy excesses  to be euphemistic. Taiwan is going to the polls next year, and its fate  with Biden publicly committed to put US boots on the ground in its defense  remains the wild card of the decades ahead.

The state of the worlds nuclear powers is as fraught as it has ever been. We have discussed the turmoil in the US, Russia, China and Israel. India is cosying up to worrying authoritarian and nationalist trends. Pakistan is again seeing an Islamist insurgency, coupled with revolving political crises. And North Korea is giving old artillery munitions to Moscow so it can shell Eastern Europe, and firing rockets over Japan.

The arrival of 2024 does not mean we need to dig fallout shelters in the backyard or move to southern Argentina. But it does leave the world in a place more precarious than we have seen in decades. The good news is the very worst did not happen this year, so it might not in the next, or ever.

This story was first published on CNN.com, 'How 2023 has been the year of the brink and 2024 could be worse'.
New York has taken a significant step in efforts toward racial justice by approving a new commission to study the history of slavery in the state and consider paying reparations, a controversial issue that has received pushback from some GOP lawmakers nationwide.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, signed legislation Tuesday that authorizes the creation of a community commission on reparation remedies, which will study the negative impacts of slavery on African-Americans.

The bill was introduced by Assembly Member Michaelle Solages following the 2022 Buffalo mass shooting that was racially motivated.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (Photo: X/Kathy Hochul)

The commission will be composed of nine members who have experience in various fields, including education, training or lived experiences in the fields of African or American studies, according to a press release from the office of Gov. Hochul.

We are continuing our efforts to right the wrongs of the past by acknowledging the painful legacy of slavery in New York, Hochul said in a written statement. We have a moral obligation to reckon with all parts of our shared history as New Yorkers, and this commission marks a critical step forward in these efforts.

At the bill signing event in New York, Hochul was joined by many Black leaders, including Rev. Al Sharpton, who said, We still see Blacks making 70 cents to every dollar whites make, CBS reported.

Still, advocates for reparations must continue to fight against attempts by many conservatives to block reparation programs, said Alanna Lamar, board member of the South Florida Chapter of the National Coalition of Blacks For Reparations in America (NCOBRA).

This is a historic step in the right direction, and a sign of all the progress being made in the reparations movement at the Federal, State and Local levels, Lamar, who is a lawyer based in Florida, said in an interview with Atlanta Black Star.

Unfortunately, as we witness progress toward redress and repair, we are also seeing a growing opposition directed towards prevention.

However, a Republican state senator in Florida is attempting to block the state and local governments from reparation payments to descendants of enslaved Black people.

During the states 2024 legislative session, state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, who represents District 11 in Central Florida, introduced a proposed constitutional amendment that would prohibit Florida from paying compensation in the form of reparations to people who are descendants of an enslaved individual.

In my home state of Florida  Republican lawmaker (Sen. Blaise Ingoglia) filed a joint resolution, calling to amend the state Constitution to effectively outlaw compensation for reparations by the state, any county, municipality or other political subdivision to descendants of enslaved individuals, Lamar said.

Meanwhile, a majority of Black people in the country support reparations, based on a 2021 survey conducted by Pew Research. Seventy-seven percent of respondents think the descendants of people enslaved in the U.S. should be repaid in some way.

Although reparation payments are popular among African-Americans from both major political parties, Democrats (81 percent) are more likely to hold this view than Republicans (64 percent), according to the survey.

The commission comes amid a growing number of local and state governments exploring ways to address reparation payments for slavery.

In fact, California has established a commission and approved a list of recommendations, such as forming an agency that would determine appropriate compensation and issue a public apology, and commissions to study reparations have been largely happening at a city or county level.
While thousands of migrants enter the US illegally every day, more than 11,000 people continue to wait in shelters and camps on the Mexican side of the border, CNN has learned from community leaders. With Washington divided on the future of US immigration policy, those waiting migrants and asylum seekers still hope to enter the US through legal pathways established by the Biden administration.

In Tijuana, Mexico, across the border from San Diego, California, an estimated 3,800 migrants from countries like Mexico, Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela are staying in shelters, according to municipal migration affairs director Enrique Lucero. In Reynosa, Mexico, across the border from McAllen, Texas, another 3,273 migrants are waiting at Senda De Vida shelters, according to pastor Hector Silva, who runs the facilities. And in nearby Matamoros, Mexico, about 4,000 migrants are living in camps, shelters, and abandoned homes, says Glady Canas who runs nonprofit Ayudandoles a Triunfar.

The waiting migrants feel desperate, according to Canas  but many have put trust in mechanisms like the CBP One app, which automates scheduling appointments to claim asylum with border patrol, she said.

In recent weeks, US border cities have struggled under the weight of an unprecedented surge of people crossing into the US from Mexico. Federal authorities reported a seven-day average of more than 9,600 migrant encounters along the US southern border in December, CNN reported Friday. For comparison, the seven-day average reported on November 28 was about 6,800 encounters.

According to Canas, three migrants drowned in the Rio Grande in the Matamoros area December, but people continue to try to cross the river despite the lethal dangers. Migrants who choose not to wait for a legal pathway are often blinded by hope, boosted by video and voice messages they receive from migrants who have been processed by US immigration authorities and have been released into American communities, she said.

The migrants are only sharing the beauty, but they are not sharing the reality thats what worries me, Canas said.

Their chances are slim. Since May, the US Department of Homeland Security has deported or returned over 445,000 migrants  the vast majority of whom had crossed the US Southern border, the agency said online.

The federal government has also closed ports of entry in multiple states and reassigned personnel to transport and process migrants as it grapples with ways to maximize its limited resources. The Biden Administration also temporarily suspended rail operations in Eagle Pass and El Paso, but those services resumed Friday.

One group of migrants that had been waiting in cold temperatures in Eagle Pass, Texas, has been cleared and processed within the past couple of days, but US Customs and Border Protection is not out of the woods yet from the ongoing border surge, a senior CBP official told CNN Monday.

The official said that many steps, including increasing resources, were taken to address the challenge the agency faced in Eagle Pass last week, when CNN witnessed thousands of migrant families waiting outside to be transported to immigration processing facilities.

More than 1,000 migrants wait in line to be processed by U.S. Border Patrol agents after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico on December 18, 2023 in Eagle Pass, Texas. - John Moore/Getty Images

Despite the improved scene in Eagle Pass, illegal crossings continue, the same official said, and are being fueled by bad actors who push migrants to enter the US southern border between ports of entry, including rural areas of Arizona.

CNN has also learned large groups of migrants continue to arrive at the border by train. According to Sister Isabel Turcios, the director of a migrant shelter in Piedras Negras, Mexico  which is across the border from Eagle Pass  about 1,000 migrants arrived by train Monday. She said that violence in the streets of Piedras Negras temporarily stopped large groups of migrants from crossing into the US Monday.

On Wednesday, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is set to meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, and President Bidens Homeland Security Adviser Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall in Mexico City.

CNNs Ashley Killough contributed to this report.

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WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said it was looking for a suspect who shot and killed a man in Southwest D.C. Tuesday morning.

MPD said that on Tuesday at about 4:25 a.m., it responded to the 600 block of Maryland Avenue, Southwest, for the report of a shooting.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found a man who had been shot. He was transported to the hospital where he died.

The mans identity is being withheld until the family is notified.

1 dead, 4 hurt in Southeast DC shootings overnight

Police said they were looking for the suspect, who was captured by nearby surveillance cameras.

(Image courtesy of the Metropolitan Police Department)

MPD currently offers a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call police at 202-727-9099.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
NEW YORK -- Multiple arrests were made and at least one officer was hurt after a pro-Palestinian rally Monday in Manhattan, the NYPD said.

Protesters were out for hours, starting along Fifth Avenue near the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree before heading downtown.

Video showed tense moments while some demonstrators were in custody.

The NYPD said a total of six people were arrested.

Police said one officer fell and hurt his knee while helping another officer.

The injured officer was in stable condition, according to police.

U.S. military carried out airstrikes against Iran-backed group in Iraq

Conditions worsen for civilizians in Gaza while calls to end the war go nowhere

Blizzard warnings in effect for parts of Northern Plains
(BCN)  For the 24th year in a row, Muni will offer free rides in San Francisco on New Years Eve to allow for celebratory drinking of alcohol without getting behind the wheel.

From Sunday night and going through to 5 a.m. Monday, Muni buses will be traversing the city to shuttle people home at no cost, with extra OWL bus routes running until the wee hours. Extra Muni subway service began at 8 p.m. Sunday and is running until 2:15 a.m. Monday.

The secret life of gift cards: What happens to the billions that go unspent each year

A spokesperson for Muni said the agency was taking a cue from San Franciscos Vision Zero plan to eliminate traffic fatalities.

Since all rides are free, passengers are reminded not to tap their Clipper cards to make sure that they dont get charged. Muni Mobile passes will also not be necessary. All Muni fare gates will simply remain open.

For a full list of Munis New Years Eve ride information and extra services, go to SFMTA.com/NYE.

Copyright  2023 Bay City News, Inc.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.


NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Doug Wheels Wheelock testing out the mockup elevator.

Ahead of NASAs long-awaited return to crewed Moon landings, the space agency is testing an elevator that will carry astronauts from their spacecraft to the lunar surface. If all goes as planned, this elevator will be ready for the Artemis 3 and 4 missions, ambitiously set for 2025 and 2028.

Two NASA astronauts took part in a recent demonstration of a sub-scale mock-up elevator for SpaceXs Starship human landing system. The system is being designed and built by SpaceX as a variation of its Starship megarocket; it would transport the Artemis crew and their equipment to and from the Orion spacecraft and the surface of the Moon.

Read more

Before it bring humans to the Moon, however, Starship has to carry out an uncrewed mission to the lunar surface first. SpaceXs massive vehicle completed a second test flight in November, but its still far from being operational, which has NASA worried about meeting its Artemis deadlines. The space agency wants to launch the Artemis 3 mission, the first to land people on the Moon in decades, in 2025. They have a significant number of launches to go, and that, of course, gives me concern about the December of 2025 [Artemis 3 launch] date, Jim Free, NASA associate administrator for exploration systems development, said in June.

In the meantime, NASA is preparing to launch its Artemis 2 mission in November 2024, sending a crewed Orion spacecraft on a journey around the Moon and back.

Want to know more about humanitys next giant leap in space? Check out our full coverage of NASAs Artemis Moon program, the new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft, the recently concluded Artemis 1 mission around the Moon, the four-person Artemis 2 crew, NASA and Axioms Artemis Moon suit, and the upcoming lunar Gateway space station. And for more spaceflight in your life, follow us on X (formerly Twitter) and bookmark Gizmodos dedicated Spaceflight page.

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The National Library of Scotland has bought a copy of the first ever Broons annual for its collection after a decade-long search.

The 1939 edition was snapped up for an undisclosed fee after it appeared on a booksellers' website a few months ago.

The bi-annual publication by DC Thomson went on to become a festive favourite alongside the Oor Wullie books.

Sport, leisure and newspapers curator Ian Scott arranged the purchase for the national collections.

He said: "The Broons annuals are some of the most important publications in 20th century Scotland.

"They have had enduring appeal since their inception in 1939, which makes them a publishing phenomenon.

"These iconic characters, aside from subtle changes to their clothing and technology use, still haven't changed much in the 80-plus years they've been landing in Scottish households at Christmastime."

Mr Scott added the "multi-generational appeal" of the annual was "a major achievement for any publication".

He said: "In these modern times where societies and cultures are so fragmented, publications that gently chip away at generational conflict and other societal constructs such as class can bring a level of comfort to readers aged 8 to 80."

The Broons first appeared in 1936 in the fun section of the Sunday Post newspaper.

The family and Oor Wullie - which also first appeared in 1936 - were created by the same two men, R D Law and W D Watkins.

But the books and comics were not initially collected by libraries as they were distributed via newsagents rather than bookshops and deemed to be ephemeral.

Since the 1940 edition - which was published in 1939 - The Broons annual has appeared every two years, alternating with the Oor Wullie annual.

There was a small gap in 1944 and 1946 due to paper shortages, during which time DC Thomson released Broons jigsaws.

And the exception was the 80th anniversary of the first book, when the Dundee-based publisher released The Broons and Oor Wullie annuals in the same year.

The first Broons annual - which is the only known copy in a public collection in Scotland - will be displayed in the Treasures of the National Library of Scotland exhibition in 2024 at George IV Bridge, Edinburgh.
Alexei Navalny is being held in the village of Kharp on Yamal about 140 miles east of Moscow - YULIA MOROZOVA/REUTERS

Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has sent an upbeat Christmas message despite going missing for 20 days before reappearing in a remote Arctic prison.

Mr Navalny joked that he had used his secret, 20-day transfer to the snow-swept IK-3 penal colony, located about 1,900km (1200 miles) northeast of Moscow and known as Polar Wolf, to grow a beard like the one sported by Father Christmas.

I am your new Santa Claus  [and] now live above the Arctic Circle. In the village of Kharp on Yamal, he said in a series of posts on X.

I dont say Ho-ho-ho, but I do say Oh-oh-oh when I look out of the window, where I can see a night, then the evening, and then the night again, Mr Navalny added.

Unfortunately, there are no reindeer but there are huge fluffy and very beautiful shepherd dogs.

Colleagues of Mr Navalny panicked after they lost contact with him three weeks ago.

Officers patrol the prison colony in the town of Kharp - The Russian Federal Penitentiary

The 47-year-old, the most prominent domestic rival of president Vladimir Putin, is serving a 19-year sentence on an extremism conviction which he has dismissed as politically-motivated.

He was previously imprisoned in central Russias Vladimir region, about 140 miles east of Moscow, before being transferred to IK-3 in a move that saw authorities provide no information about where he was being taken.

The Soviet-era penal colony mainly holds murderers and rapists. It lies in a barren and iced-over region of the Arctic and is regarded as one of the coldest and most repressive prisons in Russia.

Former inmates have described how IK-3 is designed to make prisoners feel completely hopeless and crush any rebellious spirit.

They have also complained of torture and abuse.

Located about 40 miles north of the Arctic Circle, the prison was reportedly founded in the 1960s as part of what was once the Gulag system of forced Soviet labour camps.

Mr Navalny said he thought it would be weeks before anybody found him in his new surroundings because he was transferred via a highly convoluted route.

I was transported with such precaution and on such a strange route that I didnt expect anyone to find me here before mid-January, he said.

Thats why I was very surprised when the cell door was opened yesterday with the words: A lawyer is here to see you. He told me that you had lost me, and some of you were even worried. Thanks very much for your support! Mr Navalny added.

Despite what he described as an exhausting journey and the penal colonys movie like conditions featuring machine guns, shepard dogs and snow-clad buildings, Mr Navalny said that he was still in a good mood, as befits Santa Claus.

Dont worry about me. Im fine. Im totally relieved that Ive finally made it, he added.

Inmates attend a lesson at the prison, which is known to hold mostly rapists and murderers - The Russian Federal Penitentiary

Mr Navalnys supporters said the transfer was arranged to keep him out of sight amid Putins announcement that he will run for another term as president in an upcoming March election.

The Russian president has repeatedly moved to curtail Mr Navalnys influence in recent years after he galvanised anti-Kremlin protests prior to his imprisonment in 2021.

He was convicted after voluntarily returning to Russia from Germany, where he had been treated for poisoning with Novichok, a nerve agent, allegedly ordered by Moscow.

Mr Navalny, who denies all the charges he has been convicted of, regularly sends out messages from prison through his lawyers.

Often sharply humorous, the messages are typically posted onto X by his colleagues, who are now based in Lithuania.

Following his latest ordeal, observers described Mr Navalnys resilience as remarkable.

There is something quite indomitable about Navalnys capacity to retain a sense of humour in such terrible conditions, said Mark Galeotti, a professor at UCl and author of several books on Russia.

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Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny spoke for the first time since he was moved to a penal colony in the Arctic, playfully referring to himself as Santa Claus in a post about his transfer to the new Russian prison.

I am your new Santa Claus, Navalny wrote Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter, saying he had grown a beard and was sporting a new sheepskin coat and fur hat. Unfortunately, there are no reindeer, but there are huge fluffy, and very beautiful shepherd dogs.

I dont say Ho-ho-ho, but I do say Oh-oh-oh when I look out of the window, where I can see a night, then the evening, and then the night again, he continued. The 20 days of my transportation were pretty exhausting, but Im still in a good mood, as befits a Santa Claus.

Navalny said he was moved Saturday night to a prison near the village of Kharp above the Arctic Circle on the Yamal Peninsula, a tundra in Russias Siberia region that is known as the end of the world.

Navalny, who is serving a 19-year prison sentence on extremism charges, disappeared for about three weeks before his spokesperson confirmed over the weekend he was moved to the penal colony on Yamal.

The Anti-Corruption Foundation, founded by Navalny, said Russian President Vladimir Putin likely wanted to isolate his chief critic ahead of the presidential elections this spring.

A lawyer was able to visit Navalny, which the Russian activist said was a surprise because he was taken away suddenly to the penal colony along what he described as a strange route.

Navalny said he was relieved he made it to the prison safely and thanked his supporters across the world who were worried about him during his disappearance.

In describing his surroundings, Navalny said the land is covered in snow and frequented by shepherd dogs.

Since Im Santa Claus, youre probably wondering about the presents, he wrote. But I am a special-regime Santa Claus, so only those who have behaved very badly get presents.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
People try to secure their car as Russia stages another rocket attack on Ukraines capital, Kyiv, on December 11, 2023.



People try to secure their car as Russia stages another rocket attack on Ukraines capital, Kyiv, on December 11, 2023.

The country with the highest drunk driving rate in Europe has been sending confiscated cars to Ukraine to help in the war effort against Russia for over a year now and, by Christmas Eve, the country managed to move another 271 cars to frontline fighters, and thats not all.

As a reminder: Russia is still waging war in the former USSR-state of Ukraine. Just last month, Latvia banned cars registered in Russia from driving in the country. Such cars, along with the cars of drunk drivers are also confiscated and sent to Ukraine. The country has managed to collect over 1,100 different cars for the war effort, with an additional 34 cars on the way, according to Yahoo! News:

Read more

Sending confiscated cars to Ukraine doesnt just help out that countrys war effort; Latvia seizes so many cars from drunk drivers that the country was running out of lots to hold them. In 2022, 4,300 drivers in Latvia were arrested for driving with excessive blood-alcohol levels. Its only drivers found at three time legal levels who have their cars confiscated, and that still seems like a hell of a lot of cars for a country with a population of less than two million.

The cars go to a non-profit dedicated to getting vehicles to the soldiers who need them most. From Reuters:

No-one expected that people are drunk-driving so many vehicles, the NGOs founder, Reinis Poznaks, told Reuters news agency. They cant sell them as fast as people are drinking. So thats why I came with the idea - send them to Ukraine.



Right-hand drive trucks in particular are needed, as snipers ended up aiming for the passenger seat, thinking theyd hit the driver.

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(CNN)  The death toll in weekend attacks in the central Nigerian state of Plateau has risen to 113, a local official said on Monday, in a region where clashes between herders and farmers are common.

It is the worst outbreak of violence in Plateau since May, when more than 100 people were killed in farmer-herder attacks.

AFP news agency had cited the Nigerian army on Sunday as saying 16 people were killed in the latest attacks.

Monday Kassah, the acting chairman of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, said 113 people had been killed in the attacks on Saturday and Sunday.

The attacks were well-coordinated. Not fewer than 20 different communities were attacked by the bandits, he said. We have recovered 113 dead bodies from those communities. We have recovered more than 300 injured.

Kassah did not say who was responsible for the attacks. He added that the injured had been taken to hospital.

A Plateau police spokesperson could not be reached for comment.

Plateau is one of several ethnically and religiously diverse hinterland states known as Nigerias Middle Belt, where inter-communal conflict has claimed hundreds of lives in recent years.

The violence is often painted as ethno-religious conflict between Muslim herders and mainly Christian farmers. But climate change and expanding agriculture are also major factors.

This story was first published on CNN.com, 'At least 113 killed in attacks in central Nigeria, local officials say'
Nearly 500 healthcare workers in Hawaii with student debt were just selected to have up to $100,000 of their loans paid off by the state

Hawaii announced the first recipients of a student-loan repayment program for healthcare workers.

Nearly 500 workers will get up to $100,000 in debt relief if they work in the state for two years.

It's among a number of state-level efforts to get student-debt relief to borrowers.

Some healthcare workers in Hawaii might be on track for six figures in student-loan forgiveness.

Just days before Christmas, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green announced that 492 healthcare workers had been selected for the state's first cohort of the Hawaii Healthcare Education Loan Repayment Program, or HELP program. The program promises to repay up to $100,000 of the worker's student loans  $50,000 per year  as long as they commit to working full-time for two years in the state.

"It is so rewarding to see this program come to fruition, as it was this type of assistance that first brought me to Hawai'i so many years ago," Green, a physician himself, said in a statement.

"I saw firsthand how desperately needed medical care is, especially in rural areas of the islands and for underserved populations," he continued. "HELP will prove to be a great start toward decreasing our long-standing and challenging shortage of healthcare professionals across the state."

According to HELP's fact sheet, a two-year commitment is required to benefit from the program, and continuation is then evaluated on a year-by-year basis. The worker must be licensed in Hawaii to qualify, and they must take a minimum 30% of patience on public insurance. Those who wish to apply for the next cohort can do so here.

The program is funded with $30 million from the Hawaii state legislature and an additional $5 million from the CEO of Salesforce, Mark Benioff, and his wife, Lynne Benioff.

Hawaii's program is just one of a number of efforts on the state level to get student-debt relief to borrowers. In Maine, for example, the state's lawmakers in 2022 were proposing up to $40,000 in debt relief for first-time homebuyers in the state.

These efforts come as the fate of broader student-loan forgiveness remains uncertain at the federal level. At the end of June, the Supreme Court struck down President Joe Biden's first attempt at broad student-loan forgiveness, and the Education Department announced the same day that it would be pursuing a narrower scale of relief using the Higher Education Act of 1965.

The department recently concluded negotiations with stakeholders over what the text of the relief should look like, and the public can expect an opportunity to comment on the proposals early next year.

Still, millions of federal borrowers are in the midst of a return to repayment after an over-three-year pause. With the burden of an additional monthly bill, many are waiting to see when, or if, they will see a reduction in their balances.

In the meantime, targeted programs, like the one Hawaii is implementing for healthcare workers, might help.

"One of the one of the key lessons we've learned over the years is we simply don't have enough healthcare providers in the places we need the most," Green said during a December 22 press conference. "So, our team has been thinking about this for quite some time."

Read the original article on Business Insider
A burnt out car and a motorcycle is seen following an attacked by gunmen in Bokkos, north central Nigeria - AP

Armed groups have killed at least 160 people in central Nigeria in a series of attacks on villages, local government officials said on Monday.

The attacks took place in Plateau state, a region plagued for several years by religious and ethnic tensions.

As I am talking to you, in Mangu local government alone, we buried 15 people. As of this morning, in Bokkos, we are counting not less than 100 corpses. I am yet to take stock of [the deaths in] Barkin Ladi, Governer Caleb Mutfwang said. It has been a very terrifying Christmas for us here in Plateau.

Military gangs, locally called bandits, launched well-coordinated attacks in not fewer than 20 different communities and torched houses, officials said.

A provisional toll by the local Red Cross reported 104 deaths in 18 villages in the Bokkos region.

At least 50 people were also reported dead in several villages in the Barkin Ladi area, according to Dickson Chollom, a member of the state parliament.

He condemned the attacks and called on the security forces to act swiftly.

A man inspect a burnt out house following an attacked by gunmen in Bokkos - AP

We will not succumb to the tactics of these merchants of death. We are united in our pursuit of justice and lasting peace, Mr Chollom said.

The attacks which started in the Bokkos area spilled into neighbouring Barkin Ladi where 30 people were found dead, according to local chairman Danjuma Dakil.

On Sunday, Plateau State governor Caleb Mutfwang condemned the violence, calling it barbaric, brutal and unjustified.

Proactive measures will be taken by the government to curb ongoing attacks against innocent civilians, said Gyang Bere, the governors spokesperson.

Gunfire could still be heard on late Monday afternoon, according to a source from the region, which is on the dividing line between Nigerias mostly Muslim north and mainly Christian south.

Markus Amorudu, a resident of Mushu village, said people were sleeping when shots rang out.

We were scared because we werent expecting an attack. People hid, but the assailants captured many of us, some were killed, others wounded, he told AFP.

Deadly attacks

Amnesty International criticised the government in the wake of the attacks, saying the Nigerian authorities have been failing to end frequent deadly attacks on rural communities of Plateau state, in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Northwest and central Nigeria have been long terrorised by bandit militias operating from bases deep in forests and raiding villages to loot and kidnap residents for ransom.

Competition for natural resources between nomadic herders and farmers, intensified by rapid population growth and climate pressures, has also exacerbated social tensions and sparked violence.

A jihadist conflict has raged in northeastern Nigeria since 2009, killing tens of thousands of people and displacing around two million, as Boko Haram battles for supremacy with rivals linked to the Islamic State group.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a former Lagos governor elected in February in a highly contested ballot, has promised to attract more investment to Africas largest economy and most populous country in a bid to tackle its persistent security challenges.

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The opportunity for a serious Trump alternative to achieve breakout momentum before the Iowa caucuses in January is rapidly closing in.

Nikki Haley has earned high marks for her intellect, candor, and practicality, but she cannot win without cutting into Trumps base or expanding the Republican electorate.

She should make a bold play to change the conversation by emphasizing health care affordability, a non-traditional topic that could help her win over the populist base of her party and beat Biden in November.

Health insurance premiums and claims are soaring

Although the cost of health care rarely ranks as a top concern for conservative voters, it is a hole in the pocket of the working class that impacts all the other top issues. Health care is an inflation issue: Between 2002 and 2022, the median household income rose by $8,800 while the average family health insurance premium surged from $13,200 to $22,500, stunting middle-class wage growth, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Republican presidential candidate former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Gov. Chris Sununu speak to reporters following a town hall campaign event, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023, in Manchester, N.H. Haley received the New Hampshire governor's endorsement.

Health care is also a crime issue: Linn County (the second largest county in Iowa) pays $20,900 annually in medical claims for every enrollee, essentially defunding police salaries and exacerbating the law enforcement shortage.

Finally, health care is an education issue: Des Moines Public Schools spend $19,900 a year on medical claims for every enrollee, money that could be spent attracting top teachers with better wages.

When health insurance is considered a right, health insurance corporations have a right to workers wages. Unlike free market competition, the health insurance cartel doesn't lose customers due to bad plans because Obamacare mandates that everyone buy one, subsidizes those who cant, and penalizes those who wont.

(Editor's note: While the individual mandate is still in effect, Congress did away with the penalty through the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017).

Big insurance companies love public relations stunts like Bidens $35 out-of-pocket cap on insulin because they still get to gouge premiums instead. They also dont mind that Obamacare requires them to spend 80%-85% of their revenue on claims because they simply pay out higher prices for prescriptions and procedures to keep their profits flowing.

More: How losing TennCare due to mail mix-up impacted a Tennessee mother

Even people with health insurance have medical debt

Obamacare promised lower costs and increased access but delivered the opposite. Since then, insurance premiums and deductibles have almost doubled, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, and 27% of Americans now put off treating serious conditions, up from 17% previously. In fact, more than 1 out of 5 Americans have both health insurance andmedical debt.

Yet insurance corporations have profited extravagantly: UnitedHealthcare stock has soared from $33 before Obamacare to over $500 today. No wonder the medical industrial complex disproportionately funds Democrats who pad their pockets.

Nikki Haleys PAC has proposed allowing employers to put the money they spend on insurance into health savings accounts. Workers could use that money to shop around for more affordable insurance options, sparking meaningful competition and putting real downward pressure on premiums. They would not lose their doctor and health insurance when they switch jobs. They would also have cash to pay deductibles and could save the rest for retirement. People will never control their health care without controlling their health care dollars.

Haley should own the health care issue because it bolsters her narrative that Donald Trump is a loser. With it, she can channel the populist current of the Republican base that is skeptical of corporate elites who enrich themselves by impoverishing everyone else.

Micah Moughon

Her classic conservative convictions are the solution to their anxieties, and her positive approach to health care would return four times as much wealth to working families as the Trump tax cuts did. Democrats understand that the majority of voters worry about health care and are betting big on it to win swing voters. Nikki Haley should, too.

Micah Moughon received a MBA with a health care concentration from Vanderbilt University, and his professional career spans nonprofit health care firms, large health insurance corporations, and small primary care companies.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: If Nikki Haley touted her health care plan, she could trounce Trump
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  Donald Trump is among a slate of presidential candidates New Mexicos major political parties certified Friday to appear on the states June 4 primary ballots, amid uncertainty about whether any state can bar the former president from contention under anti-insurrection provisions of the U.S. Constitution.

Trump is among five contenders for the GOP nomination who a presidential primary nominating committee certified for New Mexicos primary ballot. The Republican Party reserved the option to withdraw candidates from the primary until mid-February if any drop out of national contention.

For now, the certified Republican candidates include former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.

Steve Pearce, chair of the Republican Party of New Mexico, from left, House Speaker Javier Martinez, D-Albuquerque, Ann Keith, general counsel for the New Mexico Chief Justice, and Jessica Velasquez, chair of the Democratic Party of New Mexico, talk after a committee meeting to decide on which candidates for U.S. President should go on the ballot during the New Mexico June 4 primary election, at the New Mexico Supreme Court, in Santa Fe, N.M. Friday, Dec. 22, 2023.

If nobody drops out, fine, well keep it the way it is, state Republican Party Chairman Steve Pearce said.

New Mexico Supreme Court Chief Justice C. Shannon Bacon oversaw the committee meeting with one or more representatives from each party, including the Libertarian Party of New Mexico that earned major party status with a strong showing in the 2016 presidential election. Lars Mapstead was presented as the sole contender for the Libertarian presidential nomination.

Party-certified presidential candidates will be vetted in February by the New Mexico secretary of states office to ensure they meet administrative requirements to run for the office. New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat, said she wont exclude candidates that meet administrative requirements  unless a court with jurisdiction intervenes.

The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday barred Trump from the states ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which prohibits anyone from holding office who swore an oath to support the Constitution and then engaged in insurrection against it. Its the first time in history the provision has been used to prohibit someone from running for the presidency, and the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to have the final say over whether the ruling will stand.

Little-known presidential candidate John Anthony Castro has challenged Trumps eligibility to appear on the ballot in New Mexico and Arizona in federal court based on anti-insurrection provisions of the 14th Amendment. The Arizona lawsuit was dismissed earlier this month and a ruling is pending in New Mexico. Trump lost the New Mexico vote in 2016 and again in 2020 by a wider margin.

Pearce, the GOP chairman, said Trump should be allowed to compete for the nomination in New Mexico regardless of litigation, arguing that the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was not an insurrection.

Even if (Trump) gets convicted of something in all of these cases, that doesnt prohibit him from running and serving, Pearce said after Fridays meeting. Everybody should be treated fairly under the law, and I dont think thats occurring.

A county commissioner in southern New Mexico last year was removed and banished from public office by a state district court judge for engaging in insurrection at the Jan. 6, 2021, riots that disrupted Congress from certifying Joe Bidens presidential victory.

Former Otero County commissioner Couy Griffin has appealed that ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court after the New Mexico Supreme Court declined to hear the case based on missed filing deadlines. Its unclear whether the U.S. Supreme Court will take up Griffins case once its fully briefed next year.

The constitutional provision used to bar Griffin  and now Trump in Colorado  has only been used a handful of times. It originally was created to prevent former Confederates from returning to government positions.

These are constitutional issues and it is not the secretary of states role to make this kind of a legal finding in New Mexico, said Alex Curtas, a spokesperson to Secretary of State Toulouse Oliver. As long as a candidate meets all the administrative requirements to be placed on the ballot in 2024, they would not be excluded from the ballot unless a court with jurisdiction made a legal finding and ordered that person to be excluded.

Democratic Party-certified candidates in New Mexico include not only President Joe Biden but also Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips and self-help author Marianne Williamson.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: NM parties certify 5 GOP candidates for June presidential primary
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  A man faces a murder charge after he allegedly stabbed and killed another man after the victim cut his finger, saying, You stab me, its okay for me to stab you, Las Vegas Metro police said.

On Dec. 18 at around 2:40 p.m., Metro police officers responded to a business after reports that a man was stabbed near Foremaster Lane and North Main Street.

Arriving officers found a man on the sidewalk suffering from a stab wound on his torso, an arrest report stated. Medical personnel attempted life-saving measures and took the victim, later identified as Dimetrius Sims, to a local hospital.

Hospital personnel later pronounced Sims dead.

Witnesses at the scene told police that the suspect walked away from the crime scene and described him, according to the report. Officers found Keith Holland, 37, and took him into custody.

Keith Holland, 37 (LVMPD)

Holland told police he was on Main Street and Sims across the street as the two yelled at each other and [used] profanity, police documents said. Holland said he was walking toward a nearby homeless resource center when Sims pulled out a knife and swung it toward him.

Holland said he disarmed Sims, taking away the knife and hiding it in his pocket. Sims continued to be confrontational toward Holland and Holland noticed there was a small cut on his finger, he told police.

When asked how Sims got stabbed, Holland said, When I saw myself bleed, [expletive] this is equal wounds. You stab me, its okay for me to stab you, the report stated.

Holland told police there were previous altercations between himself and Sims in the last four weeks. When asked why he didnt walk away once he got the knife, he said, Because [Sims] still wanted to act tough, once I took the knife. [Expletive], I got the knife, lets fight, according to the report.

A witness told police he shot a video on his phone of the incident. The video showed Holland and Sims fighting before Holland appeared to walk away while Sims stayed at the corner of Foremaster and Main Street, the report stated.

Police said the video showed a black handle to a knife in Hollands pocket. Holland and Sims begin fighting again, and Holland takes the knife out of his pocket, appearing like he was going to stab Sims, according to the report.

Officers saw Sims backpedaling in the video while Holland yelled, I stab your [expletive] right now, police documents said. Holland then swings the knife toward Sims, stabbing him, police said the video shows.

Later in the video, Holland tells witnesses He came at me.

Surveillance video showed Holland walking to where Sims was lying and kicking him, according to the report.

A second witness told police Holland dropped the knife into a storm drain. Holland then grabbed a bottle of water and rinsed the blood from his hands while yelling, Nobody saw anything, the report stated.

That witness also told police the two men were arguing about marijuana before the fight.

Holland was being held at the Clark County Detention Center without bail and faces a charge of open murder with the use of a deadly weapon. His next court appearance was scheduled for Dec. 28 at 8:30 a.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
A Nokomis woman dubbed "the U-Haul bandit" for leading Taylorville Police on a chase in a U-Haul box truck last month was sentenced Thursday to six years behind bars on previous charges.

Lindy J. Miller, 41, pleaded guilty to three counts of burglary in Macon County Circuit Court in Decatur.

Associate Judge Rodney S. Forbes of the Sixth Judicial Circuit handed down the sentence.

Sangamon County Board vice chair resigns; Riverton mayor will be nominated to fill district seat

The offenses from earlier in 2023 occurred in Decatur and Blue Mound, according to online searches.

Miller will serve the sentences concurrently at 50%. She also will serve an 18-month mandatory supervised release following her time served.

Several other felonies were stricken because of the plea.

Taylorville officers spotted Miller driving the U-Haul on Nov. 16 and gave chase.

Police seemingly had Miller's truck corralled in a backyard, but she backed it up and nearly collided with a police car before driving off.

Officers gave a brief pursuit before it was called off.

The U-Haul was found abandoned in Illiopolis the next day.

There is no listing of charges against Miller in Christian County.

Miller was arrested in Decatur on Nov. 19.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Woman who led police on chase in U-Haul truck is going to prison
A second North Korean nuclear reactor may have reached criticality, the worlds atomic watchdog has warned, amid rising concerns it could be used to produce weapons-grade fuel.

The UNs International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has observed increased activity and a strong water outflow from the light water reactors cooling system since mid-October.

The developments indicate the reactor at North Koreas Yongbyon nuclear complex (LWR), the reclusive states main facility of its kind, is operational and has become a second potential source of plutonium for its nuclear warheads.

Rafael Mariano Grossi, the IAEA director-general, said the discharge of warm water is indicative the reactor has reached criticality, meaning its nuclear chain reaction is self-sustaining

But he added the agency could not confirm its operational status without direct access.

IAEA inspectors were expelled from North Korea in 2009, and it now mainly uses satellite imagery to monitor developments there.

The LWR, like any nuclear reactor, can produce plutonium in its irradiated fuel, which can be separated during reprocessing, so this is a cause for concern, Mr Grossi wrote in a statement last week.

Unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs

Observers noted that North Korea could adapt a light water reactor to produce large amounts of plutonium, a major ingredient used in producing nuclear weapons.

Pyongyang has for years used spent fuel from a five-megawatt nuclear reactor at Yongbyon to produce plutonium for its nuclear arsenal.

The US said it was alarmed over what appeared to be another reactor coming online, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

Without IAEA monitoring and assistance, significant risks extend to the DPRK [Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea], the region, and the global nuclear industry, the US mission to international organisations in Vienna said over the weekend.

The DPRKs unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs continue to pose a grave threat to international peace & security.

In an April report, the Washington D.C.-based Institute for Science and International Security estimated the light-water reactor could allow a surge in plutonium quantities at an estimated rate of about 20 kilograms of plutonium per year, a rate four to five times larger than that of the small adjacent reactor.

Failed negotiations with the US

That study concluded North Korea may have anywhere from 31 to 96 nuclear warheads, depending on the types of devices being built and which fuel is being used.

News of the reactors operation comes as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test this week showed his country would not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack if an enemy provokes it with strategic weapons.

North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests; the last one was in 2017.

Activity at North Koreas nuclear test site at Punggye-ri has led to months of speculation that it could resume nuclear weapon testing as it seeks to miniaturise warheads for use in ballistic missiles.

Kim has pledged to enlarge the countrys nuclear weapons arsenal following failed negotiations with the United States in 2019.

In 2021, days before president Joe Biden took office, he ordered the exponential growth of North Koreas nuclear program, calling the US his biggest enemy.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the December 2023 plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, in Pyongyang

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the December 2023 plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, in Pyongyang

By Hyonhee Shin

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has kicked off a key meeting of the country's ruling party, state media KCNA reported on Wednesday, setting the stage for unveiling policy decisions for the new year.

The ninth Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea wraps up a year during which the isolated country enshrined nuclear policy in its constitution, successfully launched a spy satellite and fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

The days-long assembly of the party and government officials has been used in recent years to make key policy announcements. Previously, state media released Kim's speech on New Year's Day.

On the first day of the meeting on Tuesday, participants discussed six major agenda items, including this year's policy and budget implementation, a draft budget for 2024 and ways to bolster the party's leadership, KCNA said.

Kim "defined 2023 as a year of great turn and great change," lauding progress in all areas including the military, economy, science and public health despite some "deviations," it said.

He presented a detailed report involving "indices of the overall national economy which is clearly proving that the comprehensive development of socialist construction is being pushed forward in real earnest," KCNA said.

The development of new strategic weapons including the reconnaissance satellite has put the country "on the position of a military power," it added.

Tension has rekindled in recent weeks after North Korea tested its newest ICBM which it said was aimed at gauging the war readiness of its nuclear forces against mounting U.S. hostility.

Kim also said last week that Pyongyang would not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack if an enemy provokes it with nuclear weapons.

The United States, South Korea and Japan condemned the missile test, and activated a system to detect and assess North Korea's missile launches in real-time and established a multi-year trilateral military exercise plan.

(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Chris Reese)
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters attempted to cancel Christmas in New York City on Monday, as they carried a blood-covered mock Nativity scene across the Big Apple and chanted, "Christmas is canceled here," according to reports.

Along with chanting the cancelation of Christmas, protesters shouted, "Long live the intifada," and "NYPD KKK, IDF theyre all the same," among other things.

The protesters mobbed Rockefeller Center where the popular Christmas Tree and ice skating rink are located and where people go to enjoy the holiday.

One of the signs being carried by a protester read, "While Ur Shopping Bombs are Dropping," the New York Post reported. Another read, "No Joy in Genocide," which was splattered on top of a faux Nativity scene splattered with what appeared to be fake blood and carried on the shoulders of demonstrators.

PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS CHANT IN FRONT OF BIDEN ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS' HOMES ON CHRISTMAS DAY

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators demand that Christmas not be celebrated during Israels continued bombing of the Gaza Strip on Christmas Day on Monday in New York City.

According to the New York Post, a few scuffles broke out as night fell onto the city, including near St. Patricks Cathedral on Fifth Avenue, sending cops rushing through the crowd.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Police later arrested people near Grand Central Station and Union Square as clashes continued between protesters and officers.

In one video posted on X, an officer is seen holding his throat, and it is later revealed he was punched in the throat by a protester.

PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS CONFRONT DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS, SHUT DOWN CHICAGO INTERSTATE

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators in New York City demand that Christmas not be celebrated during Israel's continued bombing of the Gaza Strip on Monday.

A spokesperson for the NYPD told Fox News Digital the investigation into Monday's protest was ongoing, adding that several arrests had been made, and one officer sustained a shoulder injury.

Earlier in the day, pro-Palestinian protesters gathered near the respective Virginia and Washington, D.C. homes of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, two of President Bidens top foreign affairs advisors.

Last Week, pro-Palestinian protesters marched through New York City and disrupted transportation at major hubs like Penn Station, Grand Central Station and the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

ALEC BALDWIN GETS IN SHOUTING MATCH WITH PRO-PALESTINIAN ACTIVISTS DURING NYC PROTESTS

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators in New York City demand that Christmas not be celebrated during Israel's continued bombing of the Gaza Strip on Monday.

Last month, anti-Israel activists disrupted the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City by chanting and singing "Palestine will be free," while others glued themselves to the street along the parade route.

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.

More than 17,700 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.

Fox News Digital's Stepheny Price contributed to this report.





Original article source: NYC pro-Palestinian protesters attempt to put damper on Christmas while clashing with police: reports
London (CNN)  Britains King Charles III has used his second Christmas broadcast as monarch to call for compassion in the face of world conflict, as the war between Israel and Hamas rages in Gaza and Russias invasion of Ukraine continues.

The Christmas message  a royal tradition which goes back over 90 years  was filmed in the Centre Room in Buckingham Palace, which leads onto its famous balcony overlooking the Queen Victoria Memorial and The Mall.

As the King reflected on the past 12 months, he leaned on the core element of the Christian faith of treating others as you would want to be treated.

At a time of increasingly tragic conflict around the world, I pray that we can also do all in our power to protect each other, Charles said. The words of Jesus seem more than ever relevant: do to others as you would have them do to you.

The 75-year-old sovereign, who has been a passionate advocate of green issues for much of his life and recently spoke at the COP28 climate summit, also touched upon the environment while delivering his address.

He told the nation and Commonwealth that after his decades of environmental campaigning, he took great inspiration at seeing a growing awareness of how we must protect the Earth and our natural world as the one home we all share.

As he relayed his festive message, a replantable Christmas tree  adorned with sustainable decorations made using wood, glass, paper, pinecones and dried oranges  could be seen over the monarchs shoulder.

Over this past year my heart has been warmed by countless examples of the imaginative ways in which people are caring for one another  going the extra mile to help those around them simply because they know it is the right thing to do: at work and at home; within and across communities, King Charles said.

The monarch also paid tribute to the selfless army of volunteers who support their communities, calling them the essential backbone of our society.

Charles added that he and his wife were delighted by the presence of community representatives among the coronation congregation in May. Their presence meant so much to us both and emphasized the meaning of Coronation itself: above all, a call to us all to serve one another; to love and care for all, he said.

Footage of the coronation service and balcony appearance was shown alongside the Kings message. Other highlights from the year showed members of the royal family at various engagements.

King Charles and Queen Camilla were shown touring a surplus food distribution center outside London as they launched the Coronation Food Project in November. The Prince and Princess of Wales, and their children, were seen helping scouts during celebrations over coronation weekend. Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie, were seen at events in Scotland while Anne, Princess Royal, was shown visiting the Household Division of Coldstream Guards at Wellington Barracks following overnight rehearsals for the coronation weekend.

The Kings Christmas message also acknowledged other faiths, highlighting that many of the great religions of the world celebrate festivals with a special meal. He added that they are a chance for family and friends to come together across generations; the act of sharing food adding to conviviality and togetherness.

Charles ended his festive broadcast by thanking all who are serving one another and all who are caring for our common home.

Earlier on Monday, the King led the royal family as they walked to St. Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk for their annual Christmas Day service.

Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales marked Christmas Day by released a new photograph of their three children.

A beaming Princess Charlotte is seen with her arms wrapped around her brothers, Princes George and Louis in the black and white snap taken by British photographer Josh Shinner.

Similar to the familys Christmas card portrait, the three children are dressed casually and seated on a wooden bench in the photograph posted to the couples social media accounts on Monday.
An off-duty Ohio sheriffs deputy was involved in a use of deadly force incident near a Walmart over the weekend.

The shooting happened at the Steelyard Commons Walmart in Cleveland, less than an hour after the store closed on Saturday, WEWS reported.

>> One person shot in Dayton apartment complex Christmas night

An off-duty Cuyahoga County deputy was working a secondary employment when they shot at a car that was driving off from the store, a county spokesperson confirmed to WOIO in Cleveland.

There were no injuries reported.

The Cleveland Division of Police is investigating the incident.
A 36-year-old man has pleaded guilty to charges in connection to the 2022 murder of his three-month-old son.

Earnest Alexander accepted a plea deal earlier this month for the death of King Kai Alexander, WOIO in Cleveland reported Tuesday.

>> Unaccompanied 6-year-old boy put on wrong Spirit Airlines flight

Online court records reviewed by News Center 7 show that Alexander pleaded guilty to reduced charges of manslaughter and endangering children.

As part of the plea agreement, he was sentenced to 11 to 15 years in prison.

Six charges against Alexander, including aggravated murder and murder, were dismissed as well.

>> 1 dead after being hit by car on I-70 in Indiana

The baby died on Jan. 3, 2022 of blunt force injuries, WOIO reported.

Shatika Moss, the babys mother, is also facing criminal charges. Shes been charged with tampering with evidence and endangering children. WOIO reported her trial is set to start next month.
On Jan. 15, Ohios Social Media Parental Notification Act will go into effect, and big name companies will have until then to comply. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed the states annual budget in July, which included the Social Media Parental Notification Act.

Starting in January a new state law will make it harder for children under 16 to access social media in Ohio.

On Jan. 15, Ohios Social Media Parental Notification Act will go into effect, and big name companies will have until then to comply. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed the states annual budget in July, which included the Social Media Parental Notification Act.

What is Ohio's new social media law?

The law requires companies to obtain parental consent to contractual terms of service from a parent or legal guardian before individuals younger than 16 can use the companies' platforms. This includes social media and online gaming or activity companies, such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat. It does not pertain to e-commerce platforms.

If a parent or legal guardian fails or refuses to consent to the terms of service, the company must deny the child access or use of the platform.

How do companies obtain consent?

Companies will have to follow certain steps in order to consent from a parent or legal guardian. The steps include creating a method to determine whether the user is a child under the age of 16 and obtaining verifiable parental or legal guardian consent

If the user indicates that they are under the age of 16, the following methods can be used for verification:

Sign a digital form consenting to the terms of service

Use a credit card, debit card, or other online payment system

Call a toll-free telephone number

Connect to trained personnel via video-conference

Check a form of government-issued identification

Companies then must send the written confirmation of the consent to the parent or legal guardian.

Why is this happening?

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted pushed for the new law. He believes social media is designed to be addictive and is harming the mental health of children. He said its time that parents have more say in the digital lives of their children.

"We hope that more parents will either prohibit or limit the amount of interaction their children are having, amount of time their children are spending on their devices, on these apps, and put filters on it to make sure that it is limiting the age-level content if they really want their children to be seeing," Husted said.

Some companies already have support features

Companies like Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and other platforms, already have features in place to support teenagers and their families when using their platforms. For example, Meta has age verification technology that helps users experience appropriate content and accounts for their age. Accounts are also automatically set to private for individuals under the age of 16.

Rachel Holland, a Meta spokesperson, said the company wants young people to have a safe and positive experience across the internet and thats why theyve built safety and privacy features into teen experiences.

Weve developed more than 30 tools to support families, including parental supervision tools that allow teens and parents to navigate social media safely together and tools to help ensure teens have age-appropriate experiences online, Holland said in a statement.

Meta's Director of Global Head of Safety Antigone Davis recently wrote a blog post calling for a solution to parental consent. "Parents should approve their teens app downloads, and we support federal legislation that requires app stores to get parents approval whenever their teens under 16 download apps," Davis wrote.

She believes the industry should come together with lawmakers to create simple, efficient ways for parents to oversee their teens' online experiences. Instagram is now supporting federal legislation.

Well continue evaluating proposed legislation and working with policymakers on developing simple, easy solutions for parents on these important industry wide issues, Holland said.

Will it stick?

Other states have passed laws pertaining to childrens privacy on social media platforms. However, judges have blocked those laws in some states, like in Arkansas following a lawsuit from NetChoice, a coalition of trade associations, e-commerce businesses and online consumers.

NetChoice submitted opponent testimony for Ohios new legislation.

Other states, like Utah, will be joining Ohio in having legislation take effect next year.

In other states, Husted said, social media and online gaming or activity companies have been cowardly in the actions theyve taken against the legislation. He said rather than stepping out in public, companies just file lawsuits to try and prevent the laws from going into effect.

I fully expect that that's being contemplated in Ohio, and I will give them fair warning that if they don't comply with this, what we simply have asked them to do, that we will be more aggressive in what we do in response, Husted said.

Companies, if they do not comply, will face civil penalties and fines, which are listed out in the laws revised code.

Kayla Bennett is a fellow in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism's Statehouse News Bureau.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: New law calls for parental consent before using social media
CORRECTION: The original probable cause document named the Ohio town as Bretford Heights. It is actually Bedford Heights.

CEDAR CITY (ABC4)  An Ohio woman was arrested by Cedar City Police Sunday evening, Dec. 24, as she was traveling through the state with drugs, a gun, and six children  at least one of whom had been reported missing.

Shari Dolores Gould, 32, had been tracked by a police department in Ohio to Southern Utah, according to a probable cause document. Officials from Bedford Heights, Ohio, contacted Cedar City Police to let them know Gould was traveling south on Interstate 15 and warned that she was allegedly traveling with a four-month-old child who did not belong to her. Ohio officers said Gould had refused to return the child to her mother. Officers were also trying to ping Goulds cell phone. Gould was also allegedly driving with a suspended license.

Driver admits to trying to run over man unloading kids from a vehicle on Christmas Eve, police say

At around 6:45 p.m., Cedar City Police confirmed Goulds license plate and pulled her over along I-15. The officer found not one child, but a total of six, all ages 13 or younger.

The court documents state police found a .22-caliber pistol, marijuana, and cocaine all in the vehicle with the children. One of the two baggies of cocaine found was within the childrens reach, police said.

During the investigation, the 13-year-old child told us that the suspect had presented the firearm to them and would actively smoke marijuana in the vehicle with them while she was driving, stated the document. Gould allegedly told police she did not have a license for medical marijuana. She later tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, via a mouth swab, police said. She told police she had smoked out of a THC pen approximately three hours before being pulled over.

The pistol, meanwhile, had a round in the chamber but had a trigger lock on it. Because the gun was found with drugs in a car with children, Gould is considered a Category 2 restricted person in Utah, meaning additional charges against her.

Christmas Eve fire causes $100k in damage to Harrisville home

Gould was booked into the Iron County Jail on six charges of felony child endangerment, three charges of failure to buckle up children between the ages of 8 and 16, one charge of driving with a suspended license, one charge of possession of marijuana, one charge of possession of cocaine, one count of driving with a controlled substance and one charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted person.

The probable cause statement also said Gould likely faces further kidnapping charges in Ohio, though final approval from a judge was still pending as of Sunday. Gould does not appear to have any ties to Utah.

It was not made clear what relationships, if any, the six children have with one another or with Gould. Bedford Heights officers only mentioned one child in their original conversations with Cedar City Police, according to court documents. It was also not made clear how Gould is related to the four-month-old.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
A man in The Zone after the city had finished clearing the homeless encampment that had been there in Phoenix, Nov. 2, 2023. (Adriana Zehbrauskas/The New York Times)

Joe Faillace looked out the front windows of his sandwich shop this month and barely recognized the neighborhood where he has worked for almost 40 years. There were no tents within view, no emergency sirens, no campfires, no drug users slumped over on his patio or the sidewalk. Instead, he saw customers walking down quiet, clean streets toward his restaurant in time for a lunch rush that now doubles his average daily sales from early in the year.

The difference over the last six months is something I never believed was even possible, he said. Its an entirely new place. Every day feels like a miracle.

The transformation is in fact the result of a fractious, litigious and arduous process that has consumed much of downtown Phoenix since Sept. 20, when a Maricopa County judge ordered the city to clear away its largest homeless encampment, a tent city of more than 1,000 residents known as The Zone. The judge ruled that the encampment had become a public nuisance, a place of lawlessness and chaos with such high rates of crime that it violated the rights of local businesses, and therefore needed to be removed within 45 days.

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The city spent more than $30 million to open three homeless shelters in October and then worked with a team of local nonprofits to clean up The Zone block by block. Outreach workers offered temporary shelter to more than 700 people living in The Zone, and 585 eventually accepted help and chose to move indoors. The city also added 362 transitional beds for longer-term housing and turned a nearby parking lot into a sanctioned camping area with security and portable restrooms; a few dozen people now pitch their tents there.

In Phoenix, advocates for the homeless remain skeptical that the solutions will be enough to solve the crisis long term. Almost 10,000 people are homeless in Maricopa County, according to the last official count, a 70% increase since 2017, and the average rent continues to increase at three times the national rate. Already, some people who have dispersed from The Zone have begun congregating in tents and on sidewalks in other parts of downtown Phoenix.

Our city staff and local nonprofits made a heroic push over the last few months to conduct outreach to our unsheltered neighbors, move them indoors and ultimately clear this area, Mayor Kate Gallego of Phoenix said. I want to emphasize that this does not mark the end of our work to address the nationwide homelessness crisis.

The Phoenix police will continue to patrol The Zone each day to ensure that homeless campers dont return, and local politicians and business owners have already begun meeting to discuss how the neighborhood can rebuild. A lot of places have suffered some long-lasting scars from all this, and that includes Old Station, Faillace said. His wife and longtime business partner, Debbie, decided to leave the restaurant in the spring and move to Prescott, Arizona, a few hours drive away. Faillace hopes to rebuild his customer base over the next several months, sell the restaurant to recoup his retirement money and join her in Prescott sometime next year.

She couldnt stand being down here anymore with all the bad memories, Faillace said. This has always been our place, so its a whole new world doing it without her. Its weird. Its lonely. But at least now Ive got customers.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
Arnaldo Serrato and his daughter Yuleida Serrato look over a failed cotton field that they had to plow because it was too dry. The Serrato family own and run their multi-generational family farm in and around Floydada, Texas,

FLOYDADA  When Arnaldo Serrato thought about prosperity and freedom working in Mexico, the small town of Floydada always came to mind.

While his calloused hands were fixated on factory work that brought in just enough to make ends meet, he pictured the land he could cultivate in the agricultural-rich community south of the Panhandle. He imagined the family he could have with his wife, Juana, who was already in Floydada on a work visa.

It was 1995, and Serrato couldnt have known what else was waiting 828 miles away  a long-lasting marriage, land that was previously just dirt and cotton becoming more meaningful since it was his own, and three ambitious daughters.

One of those daughters gave him a grandson, who Arnaldo dreamed would take over his legacy. But its his youngest daughter, Yuleida, who wants to be the one following in his mud-tracked footsteps.

After seeing her determination all her life, Arnaldo isnt surprised.

Now together and individually, Arnaldo and Yuleida are in uncharted territory by running their own land.

Yuleida Serrato holds the door of a new H-310 John Deere tractor for her father, Arnaldo Serrato. The Serratos bought the tractor to use in their hay business.

More: La perdida - The loss: Deadly disaster at El Paso, Juarez border

Theres a reason why when people think of Texas farmers, they picture an older white man climbing out of a big pickup truck in a cowboy hat, blue jeans and dirty boots. The most recent agriculture census, completed in 2017, shows that is typically the case. The number of white primary producers on Texas farms far outweighed Hispanic producers  236,000 to 25,600.

That makes the Serratos part of the 10% that is the exception.

Arnaldo went from being another farmhand in the fields to owning the ground he walks on. Yuleida wants to take on that legacy and ensure a person of color is part of the fabric that weaves together farming in West Texas.

Yuleida fits into an even smaller demographic  the last farm census shows there are just over 9,000 hispanic, female primary producers in Texas, and only 290 women farming in Floyd County, which includes Floydada, in general.

I want to start my homestead, said Yuleida. Why not?

Yuleida wants to build up their machinery and equipment inventory, but the 26-year-old has had trouble securing USDA loans. It doesnt stop her from applying every chance she gets, as she says shes overcome bigger problems as first-generation children in America.

At first glance, Yuleida might not look like your typical farmer. As she runs around the event center she co-owns with her sisters, her long, colorful nails direct organizers. Her striking, dark hair flows over a purple silk blouse. The glint of a gold necklace emblazoned with her name flickers.

Its not until you get to her steel-toed work boots  originally black, before pesticide sprays turned the tips a washed green  that the farmer in her shows more.

I enjoy being alone in the field and I love nature, so Ive grown to love it, Yuleida said. My sisters make fun of me for saying stuff like that.

The confident Floydada native has taken on the bulk share of running the venue  aptly named Serrato Sisters. Yelitza can get busy with kids and her other business, and Yelena attends the University of Texas.

Yuleida got that determination from her dad, Arnaldo.

Arnaldos work ethic was formed during his childhood in Tamaulipas. He felt it was his duty to provide as the oldest. He handpicked chile pequin, a very hot pepper, and sold bags of it with his younger brother near a highway.

Thats how Arnaldo got by for much of his life  scraping together whatever earnings he could, hoping his work ethic would eventually pay off. Then one day, while he was visiting Juana in Floydada, Arnaldo wanted to stay. He found an employer in Lockney, whose family sponsored his work visa. This allowed him to work and live in the country legally, before officially becoming a U.S. citizen in 2005.

The American dream Arnaldo imagined back in Mexico did not come true right away. His biweekly income dropped from $600 to $200.

More: Biden, Mexico president agree border crisis calls for 'urgently needed' enforcement

He only spoke Spanish, so it was hard talking and reading. Despite his reunion with his wife, he felt isolated away from his siblings. Culture shock took hold.

When he became a farmhand for the Marble brothers, two well-known farmers in the area, things began to change.

For years, Arnaldo watched over their land for days on end  in the heat during planting season and timing up the first freeze with harvest  and they rewarded his hard work. They helped him retain his work visa, and later, a loan to buy his own cows. They introduced him to more people in the community, and when one of the Marble brothers wanted to retire, he entrusted Arnaldo to take on all of their farms.

Its a privilege to know that not only are there good people out there, but theres people willing to help out a Hispanic man, Arnaldo said.

The business became a family affair. Arnaldos three daughters worked on the farm, translated for him, and helped both parents study for citizenship tests. Yuleida took a liking to the farm work the most.

As first generation children in a new town, there were challenges. They faced language barriers and economic hardship, but Yuleida says her parents made sure the girls had everything they needed. Its a point of pride for her  they found their way out and above the difficulties.

Like her father, Yuleida spent some of her time at work as a young woman dreaming of a different future. After she graduated high school, Yuleida went to a cosmetology school in Austin. Her love of fashion partially inspired her move  she envisioned herself traveling to the iconic runway shows and collecting couture items all over the world.

She realized later that cosmetology and big city life wasnt for her, and went home to Floydada. And she rediscovered her love of farming.

I just realized that if I start, my family and siblings survive, the family business continues, and I could live out my dreams, Yuleida said.

She learned how to maneuver the planting machinery on the farm. She got her private and commercial pesticide licenses and started a business. She helped with payroll and still handles the paperwork for her dads business.

More: Notre Dame, Oregon State part of Sun Bowl's fascinating gridiron history

Yuleida Serratoand her father Arnaldo Serrato look over bales of hay waiting to be sold on their family farm. In 2022, Yuleida was able to purchase her own farmland, becoming one of just over 9,000 hispanic, female primary producers in Texas.

In 2021, she saw an opportunity for herself  320 non-irrigated acres that were manageable, aside from depending solely on rainfall in a drought-ridden area. She grew just enough cotton in that first year to buy the property in 2022.

If her other obligations werent enough, there is also the event center. Its available for organizations to host events, workshops, weddings and everything in between. In some cases, such as funerals, they wont charge. Yuleida says its how they can return the support and love the community of Floydada has given their family over the years.

My grandfather came here as a labor worker in the 50s with nothing and without knowing anyone, Yuleida said, talking about her moms father who was a Bracero, which was a program the U.S. had with Mexico to stem labor shortages with temporary laborers. He established himself here, my dad did the same, so its important that my sisters and I establish ourselves and revive the town.

And like her dad, she prides herself on being busy because it helps her live other dreams too. She went to New York Fashion Week this year and Hollywood before harvest season.

I feel like if I can be dedicated to five different jobs, why not? Yuleida said. These were things that our ancestors could have never dreamed of.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Mexican immigrant, daughter among few Hispanic farmers in Texas
PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now)  Police in Prince Georges County said they were investigating after a shooting that left one man dead and one woman injured.

Officers said they responded to the 5100 block of Deal Dr at around 12:50 a.m., Tuesday after reports of a shooting.

Two cars collide, overturn, on I-270 in Montgomery County

On the scene, they said they found a man dead from apparent gunshot wounds.

They also found a woman suffering apparent gunshot wounds. She was taken to the hospital to be treated for her injuries.

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to submit a tip using the P3 Tips app.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
SAN DIEGO  One person was hurt Monday in a San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) bus crash in the Sherman Heights neighborhood, authorities said.

The collision occurred around 5:18 p.m. at 21st and Market St., the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) confirmed with FOX 5.

The driver of the MTS bus thought the vehicle was in park, but it was not, according to police. The bus then crashed into multiple parked cars, resulting in one person being taken to the hospital with an open fracture.

Woman hit, killed in crash near Coronado Holiday Parade identified

It is unknown what caused the crash and how many cars were involved at this time.

Authorities are at the scene investigating the collision.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego.
Nashville police are investigating a shooting outside an Antioch home on Christmas night that left one man dead and another injured.

Police said they have not determined why the two victims were at the home.

Officers found Anthony Gatewood Jr., 25, lying at the side of a home on Pepperwood Drive, where he died after being shot, the Metro Nashville Police Department said in a news release. They found Corian Bowling, 24, lying next to a silver Honda Accord that he and Gatewood arrived in, police said. Bowling was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition Tuesday and expected to survive, police said.

The men were shot at 7:40 p.m., police said.

Bowling will be arrested after his release from the hospital on unrelated charges, MNPD said.

Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him at emealins@gannett.com or follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EvanMealins.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville police seek clues in fatal Antioch Christmas shooting
One South Carolina man was killed and another was arrested following a Christmas Day shooting, according to the Aiken County Sheriffs Office.

Willie Trotty, a 37-year-old Jackson resident, was shot multiple times Monday afternoon and died, Aiken County Coroner Darryl Ables said.

Another Jackson resident, 26-year-old Jean Pierre Washington, was charged with manslaughter and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, jail records show.

At about 5:40 p.m., deputies responded to a call about a shooting at a home at 215 Plantation Road, the sheriffs office said. Thats in Jackson, near S.C. 125/Atomic Road.

When they arrived, deputies said they found an unresponsive man who had been shot multiple times, who was later identified as Trotty.

Deputies provided aid to Trotty until Aiken County EMS arrived on scene, where he died, according to the sheriffs office.

No other injuries were reported.

At the same time Trotty was being treated, Washington was identified as the gunman by witnesses and he was taken into custody, the sheriffs office said.

Washington and Trotty were arguing before the shooting, according to the sheriffs office. Information about why the men were arguing was not available, and there was no word about their relationship prior to the gunfire.

No bond has been set for Washington, who is being held in the Aiken County Detention Center, jail records show. Hes scheduled to return to court on Feb. 23, according to Aiken County judicial records.

Despite the arrest, both the sheriffs office and coroners office are continuing to investigate the deadly shooting. An autopsy has been scheduled in Newberry, according to Ables.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the sheriffs office at 803-648-6811, CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.
(CNN)  Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny was again absent from two scheduled court hearings conducted via video link on Friday, according to a statement from his team.

Navalnys team say the prominent politician has now been missing for 17 days, with his current whereabouts unknown.

Today Alexey was supposed to have two trials. He was again not brought to the meetings. Navalny has never been hidden for so long, Navalnys team said in a Telegram post.

The unprecedented duration of Navalnys absence from public view has sparked concerns for his well-being and safety.

Navalnys aides have restated a plea for information, offering a cryptocurrency reward for complete and reliable details about his current location or status.

Asked repeatedly last week about Navalnys absence, the Kremlin told reporters it had neither the intention nor the ability to monitor the fate of prisoners and the process of their stay in the relevant institutions.

No coincidence

Vladimir Milov, a former Russian deputy energy minister and now an adviser to Navalny, told CNNs Richard Quest that the timing of Navalnys disappearance was no coincidence, noting the announcement by Russian President Vladimir Putin of his intention to run again in Russias elections in March 2024  a move that could see him retain power until at least 2030.

I think it is a deliberate tactic. It is no coincidence that Navalny disappeared exactly the moment when the so-called sham presidential elections were announced, and that Putin announced that he was going to be running again, Milov said.

Putin is really willing to show that he is going to enter the Kremlin for another term through intimidation, through repression, through pressure on society, and that is clearly a blackmail on all the opposition forces, Milov added.

Prior to the interview, CNN reached out to the Russian Prison Service on Friday, requesting information about Navalnys whereabouts.

Milov told Quest on Friday that despite his efforts to find Navalnys whereabouts, so far, there is no answer.

Milov said his colleagues needed to send formal and written inquiries to detention institutions in Russia to request information on Navalnys whereabouts, a process he described as a tedious and time and effort consuming.

My colleagues have been bombarding all the known detention institutions in Russia to try and find Navalny across the country, Milov said.

He added that they have received replies, with some detention centers confirming that Navalny was not present in those facilities.

He said other facilities hadnt responded to the inquiries yet, adding that it was a constant process.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Putins election plan, Navalnys disappearance. Its no coincidence, Russian former minister says"
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event on December 19, 2023 in Waterloo, Iowa.

Hi OnPolitics readers! Former President Donald Trump hasnt won the 2024 Republican nomination yet, but he has long been the frontrunner in the crowded GOP field.

The former presidents commanding lead in the polls has already spurred debate over potential running mates, USA TODAYs David Jackson and Sudiksha Kochi report.

Some names being floated are lawmakers whove said in interviews they would be interested in the job. Other names are generated when Trump meets with a high-profile supporter, which happened earlier this month when he was spotted at Mar-a-Lago with Rep, Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.

Heres a look at some potential contenders:

Tim Scott: South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who dropped out of the presidential race last month, was floated as a potential running mate early on in the primary season. Unlike some of his rivals, the lawmaker did not criticize Trump directly when he was on the campaign trail.

Nikki Haley: Having former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley on Trumps ticket might increase his chances of beating President Joe Biden, who is seeking a second term in office in 2024. Numerous polls have found that Haley has a higher chance of winning against Biden in a hypothetical matchup than other Republican candidates.

Kristi Noem: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, one of Trumps fiercest allies, is also being floated after she endorsed the former president at an event in September. Trump said in an interview with NBC that same month he has his eye on Noem as a potential vice presidential pick.

Read more here: Who would Trump choose as vice president? Here's a list of potential candidates

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nikki Haley, Tim Scott: Who would Trump choose as vice president?
There are 107 people, including seven Americans, still held hostage by Hamas since the brutal terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7. My great-niece, 4-year-old Abigail Mor Edan, was one of them. For 50 days, we did not know where she was, if she was alive, or if she was getting medical help or even food. Every minute that passed, we spent in complete agony.

Abigail was taken hostage from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, after witnessing the murder of her mother and her father, who was carrying Abigail in his arms as Hamas terrorists gunned him down. Abigail crawled out from under her fathers bloody body and ran to shelter with her neighbors  a mother and her own three children  who were all then taken hostage by Hamas.

For seven weeks, we lived in anguish, knowing nothing about Abigails whereabouts, health or safety. I cried day and night as I prayed for her return. It is still hard to find the words to express our relief of having Abigail released on Nov. 26 , two days after her fourth birthday.

Read more: Hopes dim for cease-fire as Israel vows to continue war

I pray the families of every remaining hostage will soon know that same joy. Every day for these families is a nightmare. Every day they spend in the dark, forced to consider the worst fates for their daughters, sons, mother, fathers and grandparents still held in Gaza.

All we know is that the remaining hostages are sick and gravely injured. They have gunshot wounds, broken bones, limbs blown off, and more  injuries inflicted by Hamas over two months ago. Every day that passes, they are being tortured physically and mentally, and they are starving.

If we are going to save their lives, there is no time to waste. Hamas has threatened to execute all the remaining hostages . Every second they remain in captivity, they are in mortal danger. The time to act is now.

The release of Abigail and more than 100 other hostages is proof that bringing home all people still alive in captivity is possible. We must use every tool at our disposal to make that happen again.

Im heartened that Israel has taken steps to restart negotiations with Hamas and hope that Israel, as well as Qatar, Egypt, and other regional partners at the table, continue to demand the release of the remaining hostages with urgency.

Read more: Shadows of children': For the youngest Hamas hostages, life moves forward in whispers

The families of the American hostages met with President Biden and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken this month, in addition to C.I.A. Director William Burns. We asked them to pull every lever to bring home the remaining hostages. We cannot wait any longer. Our loved ones cannot wait any longer.

Last week, Director Burns met with Israeli and Qatari officials to discuss the new deal to free the hostages. Were hopeful such meetings and continuing efforts by the Biden administration will yield results soon. President Biden knows that there is no time left to waste.

Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross must demand immediate, unfettered access to the 107 hostages still in captivity. Many need life-saving medical attention, and it is imperative that the ICRC do everything they can to provide aid so that the hostages will survive.

As our family celebrates Abigail's return, we continue to mourn the loss of her parents and so many others from the community of Kfar Aza. We hold in our hearts, too, the families living in the agonizing limbo we experienced, waiting for word of their loved ones held in captivity and praying for their safe return. After living this terror myself for nearly two months, I consider every single one of the hostages to be part of my family, and I will not rest until I see them all returned safely.

The holidays this month  Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa  are about hope, light and miracles. Let all of us, Americans and members of the international community alike, look to Abigails return as a source of hope as we pray for a season of miracles and push for the safe return of every person stolen from us on Oct. 7.

Liz Hirsh Naftali, a Los Angeles resident, is the great-aunt of Abigail Mor Edan, a 4-year-old hostage who was released by Hamas after being held for 50 days.

If its in the news right now, the L.A. Times Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Oregon Zoo has welcomed two new Amur tiger brothers. 18-month-old Luka and Dmitri are now settling into their new home in the heart of the zoo.

Were so happy to have Luka and Dmitri here, said Amy Hash, who oversees the zoos tiger habitat. Theyre curious and playful and seem to be enjoying their new surroundings. Luka is calm and sweet, and Dmitri is a bit feistier.

The Tiger brothers were born in North Dakota. Even though the cats look similar, Hash says the easiest way to tell them apart is by their distinct markings.

Tiger stripes are unique to each individual, similar to our fingerprints, Hash said.

Amur tigers are the largest of nine tiger subspecies that are at risk of extinction and only around 500 are believed to remain in their native habitat.

The Oregon Zoo has been a Tiger Conservation Campaign partner since 2012 and hopes to restore the populations by supporting, counter-poaching measures and human-tiger coexistence efforts across their range countries.
Belarusian authorities have detained at least 125 citizens who returned to the country from abroad since the beginning of 2023, Belarusian human rights watchdog Viasna reported on Dec. 25.

These detentions often occur after phone inspections conducted by KGB officers or customs officials. Belarusians arriving from Lithuania are most frequently detained, but inspections and detentions occur at all border crossings, including those on the border with Russia.

Many of the detained individuals later face administrative liability for spreading what the Lukashenko regime characterizes as extremist content.

Belarusian citizens have faced restrictions on exchanging or renewing passports at embassies and consulates abroad since Sep. 23, following Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenkos decree that Belarusians would have to physically visit Belarus in order to do so.

Additionally, Belarusians must visit the country in person for transactions involving vehicles and real estate.

Belarusian human rights activists believe these measures are intended to target citizens opposing Lukashenko's regime, forcing them to return under the threat of criminal prosecution.

In response to these events, Lithuania announced the provision of foreigner passports to Belarusian citizens on its territory who have faced repression in their homeland and are unable to return to renew their documents. Currently, about a thousand Belarusians matching these conditions are based in Lithuania.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Palestinians pray during the funeral of their relatives in the morgue of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah after heavy Israeli bombardment of the Al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip. The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health said more than 70 people were killed. Mohammed Talatene/dpa

Dozens of Israeli fighter jets have attacked more than 100 targets in Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Tuesday morning, with over 50 people reported to have been killed.

The Israeli Air Force struck tunnel shafts and military installations used by Palestinian extremist organization Hamas among other targets, according to the IDF.

At least 52 people were killed in the attacks, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza.

A terrorist cell in Jabalia that had attempted to plant explosives near an Israeli tank was eliminated overnight, the IDF report said, adding that ground troops had targeted the fighters before they were killed by a fighter jet.

It was not possible to independently verify the claims.

Hamas fighters had also been killed the previous day in the southern city of Khan Younis, the army added.

On Tuesday morning, the Israeli army also reported renewed rocket alerts, with sirens sounding in communities along the border with Gaza.

An Israeli website which gives live rocket alert updates corroborated the army's information.

Israel's army has stepped up its operations against Hamas after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a troop visit to the sealed-off coastal strip that Israel would "intensify the fight in the coming days."

Netanyahu spoke of a long battle, the end of which was not in sight. Hamas, for its part, rejected a temporary ceasefire in the war and called for a permanent ceasefire. It was reacting to an Arab media report according to which Egypt had drawn up a draft for a gradual end to the war.

Israel's all-out assault on the Gaza Strip was triggered by the terrorist attack carried out by Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7 in Israeli border communities near Gaza. More than 1200 people, mainly civilians, were killed.

Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive in which, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 20,600 people have been killed and more than 54,500 injured so far.

It is not possible to independently verify the figures but various UN bodies, in the past, have said that figures from the Gaza health authorities are credible.

Meanwhile, an employee of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has described what she saw at the Al-Aqsa hospital in Gaza as "absolute carnage."

Gemma Connell told BBC that there were many injured with "extremely severe wounds but [who] cannot be treated because there are so many people in front of them in the line for surgery, and the hospital is absolutely overloaded."

"Tragically I saw a nine-year-old boy with a devastating head injury who passed away," Connell was quoted as saying on Tuesday.

A Palestinian man carries the body of a child killed after heavy Israeli bombardment of the Al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip, at the morgue of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah. The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health said more than 70 people were killed. Mohammed Talatene/dpa

An injured Palestinian man is transported near the bodies of Palestinians who were killed after heavy Israeli bombardment of the Al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip, at the morgue of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah. The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health said more than 70 people were killed. Mohammed Talatene/dpa

Palestinians inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings after heavy Israeli bombardment of the Al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip. The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health said more than 70 people were killed. Mohammed Talatene/dpa
Law enforcement have found the owners of a provider company from Luhansk Oblast which has been broadcasting Russian TV-channels since 2014.

Source: press service of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU); Luhansk Oblast Prosecutor's Office

Details: According to the investigation, the suspects are two residents of the settlement of Kadiivka, mother and son, who own a local TV broadcasting company.

The company was broadcasting Russian propagandistic TV-channels before the Russian occupation of some parts of Luhansk Oblast in Ukraine with the goal of spreading anti-Ukraine sentiments among the population, as stated by the Prosecutor's Office.

Moreover, the person of interest provided the Russians with personal data of the companys customers in exchange for permission to do business without obstructions.

After the events of 2014, the man moved to the city of Kyiv where he remotely gave orders to his mother concerning further actions, and received money.

In the spring of 2015, under the guidance of her son, the woman re-registered the company in the territory of the occupied city according to the law of the so-called Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) and received a certificate from the "Ministry of Digital Development, Connection and mass Communications of LPR".

Then, after "the decree about the integration of the LPR into the territory of Russia" was signed, the accomplice registered the company according to the Russian law by prior conspiracy with her son.

During the search at the place of residence of the suspect in Kyiv, law enforcement officers found over UAH 7.5 million (about US$200,000). These funds were frozen.

The owners of the provider company were accused of carrying out economic activities in cooperation with the aggressor state and the illegal authorities in the temporarily occupied territory, including by the occupying administration of the aggressor state, by prior conspiracy of a group of persons.

Since the woman is currently in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, she was served with a notice of suspicion in absentia.

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Owning a pet may slow the rate of cognitive decline among older adults living alone, new research from China suggests. Photo by Karen Arnold/Wikimedia Commons

NEW YORK, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Owning a pet may slow the rate of cognitive decline among older adults living alone, new research suggests.

The study from China was published Tuesday in JAMA Network Open.

Pet ownership was associated with more gradual rates of decline in verbal memory, verbal fluency and composite verbal cognition among the older adults studied, but not among those living with others.

The investigators from the School of Public Health at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, used data from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging, an ongoing nationally representative sample of community-dwelling adults 50 years old and older in the United Kingdom.

They noted that Identifying high-risk populations and modifiable risk factors is essential for establishing public health interventions and promoting healthy aging. Yet, as the authors pointed out, no effective therapy exists to successfully reverse cognitive decline or treat dementia.

"As the population ages and life expectancy increases, a major public health issue is the deterioration of cognitive function in older adults," they wrote. "It is estimated that the number of people with dementia worldwide will increase from 57 million in 2019 to 153 million in 2050.

"The deterioration of cognitive function not only seriously impairs individuals' well-being, but also brings a huge burden to their caregivers, as well as the financial and health systems of society."

Meanwhile, the proportion of older adults living alone is trending upward.

"Contrary to living alone," the authors wrote, "pet ownership (for example, raising dogs and cats) is related to reduced loneliness, an important risk factor for dementia and cognitive decline."

The authors noted that their "findings provide innovative insights for developing public health policies to slow cognitive decline in older adults living alone."

They noted that randomized clinical trials are still needed to evaluate whether pet ownership slows the rate of cognitive decline in older adults living alone.

Their analysis represents one of the largest studies to date examining the association between pet ownership, loneliness and cognitive decline, said Dr. Peter Rabinowitz, a professor in the School of Medicine and the School of Public Health at the University of Washington in Seattle.

"The study provides further evidence for a beneficial impact of pet ownership on mental health," said Rabinowitz, who also directs the Center for One Health Research, which explores the connections between the health of people, animals and environment.

"Most of the previous studies have been smaller and cross-sectional -- at a single point in time," he said. "This study followed participants for longer than most other studies."

The authors also "controlled for other factors such as age and physical health, providing some reassurance that the results showing a benefit of pet ownership were not due to some other difference between people who own pets and those who don't," Rabinowitz said.

However, he added that the authors did not differentiate between the ownership of a dog, cat or other animal. And they did not confirm that pets were continuously owned during the follow-up period.

Also, Rabinowitz said, they assessed only some aspects of cognitive function, so the same benefit may not extend to other types of cognition. And the population they studied was overwhelmingly white, limiting generalizability to other ethnic groups.

Dr. Steven Wengel, a professor and geriatric psychiatry division director at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, said that "If these findings are replicated in other studies, it could lead to recommending getting a pet for older adults who live alone as one strategy for improving their overall health and, in particular, to possibly reduce the risk of cognitive issues, including dementia."

Wengel added that "it's too soon to make that leap, but the data from this study looks promising. It would be important to look at other cognitive measures and the impact of pet ownership on those measures over time."

He also noted that "as our surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, says, an epidemic of loneliness and isolation is occurring. I am glad to see research being conducted on a potential way to reduce loneliness in older adults living alone and which may promote better brain health, too."

Dr. Thomas Wisniewski, a neurologist and director of the Pearl I. Barlow Center for Memory Evaluation and Treatment at NYU Langone Health in New York City, told UPI in a telephone interview that walking a dog regularly benefits brain health.

"Being physically active is protective against dementia and also can help slow down disease progression," Wisniewski said. "It's a nice study, and it fits in well with the existing literature."

Pet ownership also encourages socialization, said Dr. Cari Levy, a geriatrician and professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, Colo.

"People come up and say 'Hi'," when they see someone walking a dog. "This [study] makes a lot of sense intuitively," Levy said, adding that "there are certainly very few risks associated with [pet ownership] as long as the person is able to care for the animal."

Taking care of a pet can instill a sense of purpose, while also improving mood disorders, which have been linked to cognitive decline, said Dr. Parul Mani Goyal, a geriatrician and associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville.

"All of this can help with patients' overall health when they are alone -- and might help with their memory," Goyal said.
Khydeeja Alam, who has worked for years at various Sacramento-based state and advocacy organizations, has been appointed as the executive director of the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs.

Alam will work with policymakers and state agencies to tackle issues impacting Asian and Pacific Islander communities across the state.

As executive director, Alam plans to focus on anti-Asian Hate, spearhead outreach efforts and address issues related to cultural language sensitivity with state agencies. She said, overall, she will prioritize uplifting communities across California.

From education to tech to housing to entrepreneurship to health care to California cuisine, our community has contributed so much and I want to really be able to uplift our contributions to the state, Alam said.

Alam said she would like to work with the state and the Department of Social Services and community organizations to tackle (anti-AAPI hate) head on through aid work and campaigns. Moving forward, Alam said she wants to further include Islamophobia and anti-antisemitism in that work.

This opportunity embodies and represents everything that I hold near and dear to my heart, Alam said I want to give back. Especially for Pakistani Americans, Muslim Americans. Theres not a lot of people who look like us in such positions.

Alam and her family immigrated from Pakistan in 1996. At 13, Alam, her parents and her four siblings moved to the United States to start a better life, she said.

After moving to Hollister, California, Alams life wasnt easy. She struggled to find a sense of belonging at school. She said she barely knew the language or culture, but instead of letting those experiences define her, she learned from it and built from it, an experience many children from AAPI communities find relatable.

Our community is resilient, Alam said. I feel like Im a part of that resilience as well, and we need to showcase more on that and build each other up.

During her last semester at UC Berkeley in 2006, Alam didnt know what she wanted to do with her life. She knew she wanted to work in policy, but she didnt have a specific direction on where to go. It was then she learned about the University of California Center in Sacramento.

I applied for an internship and got it my last semester, Alam said. It was one of the best decisions I made because it led me to where I am today.

Alams career has focused on political, economic, and social issues impacting Asian and Pacific Islander communities. As a legislative advocate for the Advancement Project, a civil-rights organization focused on racial justice and human rights, she worked on Proposition 38, which increased funding for early education and K-12 schools using state tax revenue.

She found her way back to Sacramento as the organizations director of policy and advocacy. There, she worked on reformative budget advocacy that focused on early education and census representation.

Alam later served as director of external and legislative affairs for California Volunteers before being appointed with CAPIAA. As Gov. Gavin Newsoms appointee, she built a close relationship with the California legislature, mayors across the state and oversaw state grants.

I always wanted to come back to Sacramento because this is where policy was made, she said.

I always advocated from the outside, she continued, and here are opportunities for me to advocate from the inside.
A campaign in the occupied West Bank calls on shoppers to buy locally-made products instead of Israeli fare (Jaafar ASHTIYEH)

Since the war in Gaza began, plenty of posters, stickers and leaflets in the occupied West Bank have urged Palestinians to boycott Israeli products and buy local.

"By us, for us," reads the slogan of the new campaign that has spread across towns in recent weeks, as calls to ban Israeli goods also grow in other countries.

The slogan is everywhere at one well-known supermarket chain in the West Bank, where "Made in Palestine" fare like water, milk and toilet paper take pride of place.

"It's all about highlighting Palestinian products," said Omar Bawatneh, manager of a branch in Ramallah.

The chain estimates that sales of Israeli products at its stores have dropped by 30 percent since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas.

On October 7, Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel in an attack that left around 1,140 people dead, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Palestinian militants also abducted around 250 people to the Gaza Strip. Israel says 129 of them remain there.

Israel retaliated with a land, sea and air assault on Gaza and vowed to eliminate Hamas. The offensive has killed more than 20,900 people, most of them women and children, according to Gaza's health ministry.

Violence in the West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967, has also flared since the outbreak of the war.

More than 300 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers since the Gaza war erupted, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah.

At supermarkets across the occupied territory, young people in particular have "developed a political conscience and are consuming more and more Palestinian products", Bawatneh said.

"They look at the labels, go online to see the list of products to boycott," he added, referring to the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

- Global momentum -

Launched by Palestinian civil society organisations in 2005, BDS advocates political and economic action against Israel over its treatment of Palestinians.

The movement is regularly accused of anti-Semitism by Israel and its key backer the United States.

But co-founder Omar Barghouti told AFP "the BDS movement categorically opposes all forms of racism, including Islamophobia and anti-Semitism".

He said it drew inspiration from South Africa's anti-apartheid movement.

The founders have three demands: "Ending Israel's 1967 military occupation, dismantling its system of apartheid, and respecting the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their lands and receive reparations."

BDS also advocates a boycott of Israeli sports, cultural and academic events, and calls for pressure on foreign companies that "collaborate" with Israel.

Eighteen years after its emergence, the campaign has gained global momentum, with branches in 40 countries.

"I support this movement because we can only change things here through international pressure," said Ofer Neiman, an Israeli member of the group.

"This is a very good campaign that uses the principles of non-violence and human rights to bring about change," the left-wing activist said.

In his daily life, he "tries to boycott products from settlements".

- 'Zero Israeli products' -

But others say a boycott is just not practical.

The owner of a shop selling sanitary and heating equipment in downtown Ramallah said it would be "impossible" to run his business without Israeli goods.

It's extremely difficult to get hold of top-quality bathtubs and plumbing that is not made in Israel, he said.

"My customers want the best product for their home," said the Palestinian shopkeeper, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals.

"You can eat Palestinian food, but we haven't been able to develop our industry."

In a report this year, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development said Palestinian households were struggling under the "severe economic impact of Israeli restrictions" in much of the West Bank.

In annexed east Jerusalem, stores are full of Israeli items.

Traders use a wholesale system overseen by an Israeli official who "makes sure there's a balance" between Israeli and Palestinian products, Bawatneh said.

In El-Bireh, near Ramallah, Mohamed Ali said his grocery shop has been stocked with "zero Israeli products for 10 years".

Instead, he mainly buys Turkish, Jordanian and Chinese products, as well as French canned goods.

On one occasion, he said, soldiers had tried to "intimidate" him and shut down his shop.

But, he explained: "I refuse to give money that will go to the Israeli military who will kill Palestinians."

we/ezz/lcm/jd/amj/jsa
Malka Minsky and her sister Hindy Krasnianski help teen volunteers pack supplies to be sent to Israel at Palm Beach Synagogue on Thursday.

Yoni Matin, 12, of Delray Beach, left, and Derek Schwarzberg, 12, of Boston, write letters to Israel Defense Forces soldiers at Palm Beach Synagogue on Thursday.

Volunteers Rachel Licht, left, and Susan Felton, both descendants of Holocaust survivors, write letters to Israel Defense Forces soldiers at Palm Beach Synagogue on Thursday.

Hand-knitted scarves are packed into suitcases at Palm Beach Synagogue on Thursday.

Volunteers Eva Benrimon, 12, and her sister Gisele, 11, of Boca Raton, pack supplies for Israeli children at the Palm Beach Synagogue.

Volunteers pack suitcases with lotion, robes, and baby supplies at Palm Beach Synagogue on Thursday.

During an October trip to Israel, a group of Palm Beach Synagogue rabbis offered support, compassion and aid to those impacted by the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.

A second trip that began this past weekend will continue those efforts.

Fourteen women from Palm Beach Synagogue, including Dinie Scheiner, the director of the synagogue's Hebrew School and wife of Rabbi Moshe Scheiner, left for Israel on Sunday as part of a Womens Israel Mission.

Related: Palm Beach religious leaders condemn Hamas attack against Israel

During the trip, which ends Friday, the women will offer emotional, financial and in-person support to those impacted by the Hamas attacks, Dinie Scheiner said.

Their focus will be on women, children, Israel Defense Forces soldiers, and displaced families from the country's northern and southern borders.

Teen volunteers pack supplies for Israel Defense Forces soldiers at Palm Beach Synagogue Thursday in Palm Beach. A group of women will be flying to Tel Aviv on Sunday to deliver supplies to soldiers and citizens who have been affected by the Israel-Hamas war.

More than 1,200 people were killed in Israel and thousands more were wounded in the Oct. 7 attacks, Israeli officials said. Another 240 people were taken hostage by Hamas, and more than 100 remain under militant control.

"Our Rabbinic Israel mission in October, led by Rabbi Moshe Scheiner, had a significant impact on the people they visited," Dinie Scheiner told the Daily News. "Unfortunately, women and children have been greatly affected by the current situation, both physically, psychologically, and emotionally. Therefore, we are physically showing up for them to help alleviate some of the pain and distress they are experiencing."

The itinerary for the Womens Israel Mission includes visits with wounded soldiers, bereaved families and the families of hostages being held by Hamas; delivering care packages to soldiers; sponsoring and celebrating a bar mitzvah for an Israeli boy who lost his father and brother in the attacks; volunteering with farmers on the Gaza border; and hosting barbecues for soldiers serving on the front lines of the conflict.

Students in Palm Beach Synagogue's Hebrew School wrote letters to Israel Defense Forces soldiers serving on the front lines of the Israel-Hamas conflict. The letters will be delivered as part of the synagogue's Womens Israel Mission.

The women also will visit the site of the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Reim in southern Israel, where more than 350 people were killed during the Hamas attacks; host children from the Israeli city of Sderot at the Magic Kaas indoor amusement park; and hear from a therapist who volunteered with the Jewish Burial Society in the aftermath of the attacks.

"We hope that by showing up in person, they will know and understand that they are not alone during this most difficult time," Scheiner said of the Israeli people. Theres nothing like a hug to let someone know you care.

Scheiner said the synagogue is putting together packages of supplies, toys, clothing and books to distribute to displaced families in Israel. Volunteers have been busy assembling the packages, and a group of teenagers pitched in Thursday with that effort.

Palm Beach Synagogue also is working to support small businesses in Israel by purchasing whatever supplies that business owners need. An Amazon shopping cart has been created for these purchases, which will be delivered directly to the synagogue. (To purchase an item, visit www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/241RQTIQVQ5AJ.)

Members of the community and students in the synagogue's Hebrew School have been showing their support by writing letters to Israeli soldiers. Those letters will be delivered during the Women's Israel Mission.

"Letters from the USA are really appreciated in Israel," Scheiner said.

For those looking to contribute to relief efforts in Israel, donations are being accepted through Palm Beach Synagogue at https://www.charidy.com/pbswomen.

Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach Synagogue women's group to offer aid during Israel trip
(CNN)  Ukraine claimed on Tuesday to have carried out an airstrike in Crimea that destroyed a Russian Navy tank landing ship in what would be, if confirmed, the third instance of major losses of Russian military hardware in less than a week.

In a post on Telegram, Ukrainian Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk thanked personnel involved in the destruction of the Novocherkask large landing ship while it was in the port of Feodosia in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

CNN cannot independently verify the claim, but videos posted on social media showed large explosions in the Feodosia port.

The Russia-appointed head of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, acknowledged via a statement that there had been an enemy attack in [the] Feodosia area, adding that detonation has stopped and the fire has been localized.

One person was killed and two injured in the Ukrainian strikes, Aksyonov said in an update on Telegram, though he did not mention the Novocherkask.

According to a US military fact sheet on the Novocherkask and the other vessels in its Ropucha class, the 369-foot (112.5-meter) vessel displaces about 3,450 tons, making about the same size as a US Navy littoral combat ship.

The Novocherkask carries a crew of around 87 with capacity for 237 troops, according to the US military. It was not known how many personnel may have been aboard in the alleged Ukrainian attack.

The ship is designed for beach landings with bow and stern doors and the ability to accommodate up to 25 armored personnel carriers on its vehicle deck.

Oleshchuk, the Ukrainian commander, said the vessel had been carrying Iran-made Shahed attack drones.

He said the Novocherkask had followed the Moskva, the guided-missile cruiser that was the flagship of Russias Black Sea Fleet before it sank in April 2022 after being struck by Ukrainian missiles.

Ukraine also claimed in September that the Novocherkasks sister ship, the Minsk, had been destroyed in an attack on the Sevastopol naval base in Crimea.

The British Defense Ministry reported that an analysis of open-source intelligence found the Minsk was almost certainly functionally destroyed and the Russian submarine Rostov-on-Don also suffered catastrophic damage in that attack.

If the destruction of the Novocherkask is confirmed, it could be the third instance in the past week of the Russian military suffering losses of important hardware in combat, according to Ukrainian claims.

On Christmas Eve, the Ukrainian Air Force said it destroyed an Su-24 fighter jet in the eastern Donetsk region and an Su-30SM fighter jet over the Black Sea.

And on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the countrys forces had downed three Russian Su-34 warplanes.

Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat told Ukrainian media on Friday that Su-34 jets are one of the newest aircraft in service with the Russian army and are used to carry out aerial bomb and missile strikes.

According to Ihnat, each aircraft can cost at least $50 million.

CNN has not been able to confirm the Russian aircraft losses.

But they would be welcome successes for Ukraine after a period when the almost two-year-old war has not been going Kyivs way.

The most useful headline for Kyiv should be how unutterably bleak the frontlines are for them now. In nearly every direction, the news is grim, CNNs Nick Paton Walsh reported on December 17.

Walsh noted Ukraine was facing stepped up Russian attacks from the air and on the ground while international support for its war effort was flagging, including Zelenskys failure to convince the US Congress to continue funding military hardware past the end of the year while on a visit to Washington.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military has requested 500,000 additional troops, David Arakhamia, leader of the parliamentary majority said via Telegram on Monday.

The government is drafting a bill on mobilization of troops to address the question of troop recruitment, he added.

CNNs Svitlana Vlasova, Mariya Knight and Esha Mitra contributed to this report.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Ukraine claims it destroyed Russian tank landing ship"
No Oklahoman's Christmas meal is complete without mashed potatoes, according to a recent survey.

Move over green bean casserole, you're so last month! Oklahomans have a hankering for a different side dish when it comes to Christmas dinner, according to a survey by BonusFinder.com.

While bread or rolls reign supreme as the favorite Christmas side dish nationally, for Oklahomans it's all about the mashed potatoes.

BonusFinder.com asked more than 3,000 people across the country their favorite side, main and dessert for the survey.

Oklahomans joined those in 12 other states in choosing mashed potatoes, making it the second most common among favorite sides.

The top 10 Christmas dinner sides in America

Bread or rolls - 26.4% Mashed potatoes - 26% Stuffing - 21.1% Gravy - 20.9% Macaroni and cheese - 20.5% Deviled eggs - 18.8% Dressing - 14.9% Green bean casserole - 14.3% Cranberry sauce - 13.6% Salad - 12.4%

America's top-10 Christmas mains, desserts

The BonusFinder.com survey also asked respondents about their favorite main dishes and desserts. Oklahomans look to pair their potatoes with roast turkey and sugar cookies.

Roast Turkey is the No.1 main dish choice among Oklahomans, according to a recent survey.

Ham was the most commonly chosen main dish for Christmas dinner, but the top ten included some surprises.

Ham  35% Roast turkey  27% Roast chicken  18.7% Roast beef  16.4% Prime rib  16.3% Steak  13.3% Pasta  12.9% Lasagna  12.3% Brisket  11.8% Rice  11.4%

When it comes to desserts, cheesecake has captivated the hearts of Americans, while Oklahomans are content with sugar cookies.

Shaped Christmas Sugar cookies from the former Ruth's Sweete Justice bakery in this The Oklahoman file photo. Sugar cookies are Oklahoman's top Christmas dessert.

For some, dessert comes in the form of cake or pie, others choose cookies and still more choose a classic holiday drink as their favorite Christmas dessert in America's top-10.

Cheesecake  28.2% Sugar cookies  20.3% Chocolate chip cookies  19.4% Hot chocolate  17.7% Eggnog  17.5% Fudge  17.1% Red velvet cake  15.2% Cinnamon rolls  14.5% Oreo cheesecake  12.2% Fruitcake  11.3%

Do you reach right for the mashed potatoes and roasted turkey at Christmas dinner or is something else your family's choice? What's your go-to holiday dessert? Is your favorite not on one of the top-10 lists? Let us know.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma's top holiday foods and where they stack up nationally
Train passengers who came under Russian fire at Kherson railway station have reached Mykolaiv safely by bus.

Source: Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways)

Quote: "The Kherson train passengers got to Mykolaiv safely by bus. The train will leave for Kyiv in accordance with the dispatch timetable.

Tomorrow, trains to Kherson from Kramatorsk, Lviv and Kyiv will be routed to Mykolaiv."

Details: Ukrzaliznytsia is currently assessing the damage caused to the station and train carriages.

Background:

The Russian army struck Kherson railway station on the evening of 26 December, killing a police officer. Two of his colleagues and two civilians were injured.

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Port Royals new mayor has only been on the job for a week and he and the town council are already out of patience with the developer who promised to deliver a world-class waterfront transformation.

The towns residents and leaders are frustrated with the lack of progress on the remaking of its treasured waterfront and drawing a line in the sand with the developer Safe Harbor Marinas. In a six-page letter penned Dec. 14 to the major marina operator, the towns elected officials are demanding answers on why theyve seen little progress in the two years since Safe Harbor purchased the property. The town is also threatening breach of the development agreement if Safe Harbor keeps using the property to build docks that have nothing to do with the Port Royal redevelopment.

The letter was addressed to Peter Clark, Dallas-based Safe Harbor Marinas chief development officer but also sent to other top Safe Harbor brass. In it, the town outlines a host of concerns that reveal its frustrations with the pace of the project for the Battery Creek shoreline that some refer to as the front porch of the community.

Among the frustrations: The impermissible use of the Battery Creek property for manufacturing operations not tied specifically to the Port Royal development, continued development delays, missed deadlines and a lack of communication about the status of the work.

Those concerns arent new. Residents have been publicly complaining for months about huge cranes assembling docks on the property and plans for rental townhouses. Meanwhile, town officials and attorneys have been privately having conversations with Safe Harbor and among themselves in executive sessions about the status of the plans.

But the letter was the first time the town put all of its concerns in writing and placed Safe Harbor on notice that it expects better. It comes just more than a month after the Nov. 7 election that saw Kevin Phillips win the mayors seat after campaigning on more transparency, accountability and communication over the waterfront development. Phillips took office on Dec. 13.

Safe Harbor Marinas has done site preparation work at the Port of Port Royal including tearing down the former South Carolina Ports Authority terminal. But the Town of Port Royal has been disappointed in the progress of the development which calls for construction of a marina, residential housing as well as commercial businesses.

The letter is not in any way meant to be confrontational, Phillips said. We want to have a great relationship with Safe Harbor and we want them to be successful.

Town Council members, Phillips said, just want Safe Harbor to work with the town on plans that will better fit the makeup of the town.

The letter, which was crafted by the Town Council and signed by Phillips, sets deadlines when the town expects answers from Safe Harbor to its questions.

Your purchase of the Property was announced with great fanfare, and was viewed by the Town Council of the Town of Port Royal, as the governing body of the Town, and our citizens as a welcome change after years of wasted opportunity by the former owners, the letter says.

It continues: Despite initial momentum, the Town is concerned about the lack of quantifiable development.

Safe Harbors Clark did not respond to an email request for comment.

Safe Harbor purchased the former South Carolina State Ports Authority property from Gray Ghost Properties, which had bought the land from the South Carolina Ports Authority for $9 million in 2017 on Nov. 12 2021, for $20.5 million with the intent of building a 300-slip marina, hundreds of homes and commercial properties. Town residents would like to see additional restaurants and services.

At the time, the town notes, Jason Hogg, Safe Harbors chief investment officer, said, We look forward to working with the town of Port Royal to create a world class boating destination.

The letter notes that Safe Harbor recently passed the two-year anniversary of the purchase and, to the towns knowledge, no construction has occurred on the marina, the residential neighborhoods or other facets of the project. Safe Harbor has completed a considerable amount of site preparation work, including the demolition of the former South Carolina Ports Authority terminal and improvements to a large boat storage facility. Its also working with state and federal permitting authorities.

In advance of the acquisition of the 300 acres, the town and Safe Harbor negotiated a revised development agreement for a unit development plan on July 14. Those documents set planning and construction deadlines that are either quickly approaching or have passed.

The first phase of the development schedule, from 2021-2023, provides that construction of the marina and the Bluff Neighborhood would begin. The park sites and pedestrian promenade system, designed to accommodate and link future phases of development, were supposed to begin that time frame too.

To the Towns knowledge, none of the construction for the infrastructure, the Marina, the Bluff Neighborhood or Ribaut Village have commenced, the town writes. Additionally, no action has been taken on the residential areas such that those parcels will be available for sale in 2023 and conversations regarding the Dock Facilities and the Seafood Facilities have stalled.

To date, Safe Harbor also has failed to get approval for a master plan from the town, another requirement before construction can begin, the letter says.

In the letter, the town requests that Safe Harbor advise it on the status of the development timing of the various tracts in the property no later than Jan. 12.

Heres the towns top concerns, as outlined in the letter:

This embedded content is not available in your region.

Stop manufacturing docks now

The letter is formal notice, the town says, that assembling docks at the site unrelated to the development in Port Royal violates the planned unit development, which anticipated light industry such as boat building. Docks are being assembled but shipped to other Safe Harbor properties.

The town has treated the dock building as a temporary use until now.

However, given the scale, lack of substantive marina improvements (related to the Project) and continued manufacturing of other dock facilities, the Town demands that all such operations permanently cease and be removed by no later than January 12, 2024, the letter says.

However, if Safe Harbor can provide written evidence that the regulatory approvals and permits for the actual development of the marina and the accessory dock facilities will be received prior to Jan. 31, the town is willing to discuss allowing the construction equipment to remain on the property to expedite the marina development.

Absent written confirmation of permit approval, the deadline for ending industrial activities will be enforced as a material breach of the Development Agreement and other applicable Town ordinances.

Unequivocally opposed to rentals

In August, Charleston-based The Beach Company, working with Safe Harbor on The Bluff housing portion of the project, unveiled a plan to build 205 townhouses on Battery Creek that would be for rent, not for sale. The town says in the letter that it is unequivocally opposed to those plans.

At the time, The Beach Company said a perfect storm of site challenges drove up infrastructure costs, requiring a pivot to rentals. It cited elevated levels of pollution in a former railroad bed known as the Magnolia line and a big grade change. The towns eleted officials are skeptical that explanation and they dont understand how the project is too contaminated for individual property owners, but not too contaminated for the proposed rentals. The town is asking Safe Harbor if and why The Beach Company is still involved and if Safe Harbor has talked to any other developers. It has asked for a written response to its questions no later than Jan. 12.

Talks stagnate on dock, seafood facility

The town also wants assurances that Safe Harbor will work with it to build a new shrimp boat dock and seafood processing facility near Fishcamp on 11th Street and that Safe Harbor will grant an easement needed through its property to facilitate an extension of the Spanish Moss Trail to the waterfront.
A Paulding County mother died in a structure fire earlier this month, according to fire officials.

Paulding County Fire & Rescue officials said the fire happened on Dec. 12th at around 4 p.m. at a home on Heritage Way in Dallas, Georgia.

A teenage son had arrived home from school to a house full of smoke. The son tried to enter the home but was pushed out by heavy smoke and heat, according to officials.

Fire officials arrived shortly after and entered the home, knocking down the fire in the kitchen. Officials said they could not reach upstairs where the mother was trapped.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Eventually, firefighters found the 46-year-old woman unconscious in her bedroom where they performed CPR and other life-saving efforts.

She was then taken to Wellstar Paulding Hospital where she was pronounced dead, according to officials.

We are very sad for the loss of life that occurred at this house fire. Something of this nature is tragic any time of year, especially during the Christmas season, Fire Chief Joey Pelfrey said. Despite heroic efforts by Paulding Firefighters and our partners from the Sheriffs Office, the fire resulted in the death of one of our citizens, and our heartfelt condolences go out to her husband and son. Despite the terrible outcome, Im proud of the professional public safety personnel here in Paulding County who regularly risk their lives to save others.

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(WHTM)  Four Pennsylvania state lawmakers are proposing a bill that would require schools to consider implementing a panic alarm system during their annual safety reviews.

The bill, introduced by Democrat State Representatives Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz, Lisa Borowski, Justin Fleming, and Kyle Donahue would add Pennsylvania to the growing list of states requiring or asking schools to consider panic alarms in classrooms.

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During a school shooting, every second matters, said the lawmakers. Alarms in classrooms would create faster response times during emergency situations and therefore save lives. We can always do more to help ensure the safety of our students and school employees, and this legislation would be another step towards ensuring our schools have the resources they need to maximize the safety of all people.

State Senators Art Haywood and Tracy Pennycuick say they also plan to introduce a similar bill.

Five states have passed bills known as Alyssas Law in honor of Alyssa Alhadeff, who was one of 17 people killed in the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.

At least five other states have had bills proposed that would require panic alarms in schools.

By passing Alyssas Law, we would be providing for safer classrooms, faster response times and more lives saved during potential emergency situations, said the four Pennsylvania lawmakers.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.
An expansion of Pennsylvanias child care tax credit signed into law by Gov. Josh Shapiro after passing the Legislature last week will increase the amount families with children in child care can receive. The expansion allows individuals to claim 100% of the federal child care tax credit they claimed.

Childcare costs have continued to increase for Pennsylvanians and for working families across this commonwealth, state Rep. Jordan Harris (D-Philadelphia) said at a press conference Tuesday to highlight the credit. We also understand that childcare is workforce development, and that families are not able to enter the workforce unless they have reliable and affordable childcare.

A family making $43,000 or less will see their maximum state credit increase from $315 to $1,050 for one child, and from $630 to $2,100 for two children, Harris noted. Pennsylvanians earning more than $43,000 will see their maximum tax credit increase from $180 to $600 for one child, and from $360 to $1,200 for two children.

Harris said he often hears from constituents who dont qualify for programs that could help them because their income puts them just over the threshold to qualify. But this benefits everyone because its on a sliding scale, he added.

Diane Barber, executive director of the nonprofit Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA), lauded the new credit as a great benefit for families to help defray child care costs. But, she cautioned, it doesnt get at the underlying child care shortage, or help centers attract new workers.

Its a good thing  if youre a family that has childcare. The supply problem hasnt changed, and the demand problem has increased, Barber said. So for working families that already have a place, this is a wonderful opportunity to reduce some of their costs.

According to a statewide survey of PACCAs members, the demand for child care far outstrips the available space in child care centers, Barber said. Of the 726 child care providers who participated in the survey, there are a total of 2,395 open jobs, and a combined waiting list of 27,572 children waiting to get into their programs (she noted that number might include children who are on multiple child care providers waiting lists).

So while this tax credit is wonderful for families who have care, its not doing anything for families who need to find care, Barber said. And its not really helping childcare providers pay their staff more so they can get people in the door and working in the classrooms.

The state Department of Revenue has more information on how to apply for the child care tax credit.

Pennsylvania Capital-Star is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kim Lyons for questions: info@penncapital-star.com. Follow Pennsylvania Capital-Star on Facebook and Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Pennsylvania expands its child care tax credit
ALLEN TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WHTM)  A Pennsylvania man had to be rescued by first responders after State Police say he became trapped inside an electrical apparatus while stealing copper wire on Christmas Eve.

State Police in Bethlehem say the 45-year-old Whitehall man was attempting to steal copper wire from PPL when he became trapped. Troopers were able to locate him thanks to a ladder left nearby.

Multiple fire departments and first responders assisted with an approximately six-hour rescue and provided emergency medical attention to the man. A Facebook post from Allen Township Fire Company No. 1 identified the rescues location as a PPL substation and shared that a crane was needed as part of the rescue.

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State Police say the Northampton County District Attorneys office approved felony burglary and criminal trespass charges for the man, whom Troopers did not identify.

Troopers added that an $800,000 transformer was damaged during the incident.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.
PHILADELPHIA - Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker has announced her pick for managing director of Philadelphia, and he is currently serving the city in a different role.

Adam Thiel has been the Fire Commissioner for the City of Philadelphia since May 2016, and the Director of the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management from 2019 to 2022.

Parker named Thiel as her managing director during a press conference Tuesday, stating he will begin his new role next week.

The city's Managing Director oversees several departments, including community services, public safety, and transportation, and is currently held by Tumar Alexander.

"When the Mayor-elect calls, you stop what you are doing and you listen," Theil explained. "It was not something I considered and, I tell you, her leadership is so energizing and that vision, to me, is so compelling."

Thiel is the latest person to be appointed under Parker's incoming administration.

"He's been a chief fire officer, an emergency manager, an incident commander, a fire and emergency services instructor, a hazardous materials team leader," Parker said. "Thiel is a big thinker. He sees the big picture and how all of the collaboration at the federal, state and local level, how all of that collaboration is essential."

A new fire commissioner has yet to be named, but Parker says her team is searching for a replacement.

Last week, Parker named her chief of staff and two deputy mayors, along with several other positions. She is set to be sworn in as the city's next mayor next week.
MANILA (Reuters) -The Philippines is not provoking conflict in the South China Sea, its military spokesperson said on Tuesday, responding to China's accusation that Manila was encroaching on Beijing's territory.

It was the latest salvo amid rising tension as the two have traded accusations in recent months over a series of maritime run-ins, including China allegedly ramming a ship this month carrying the Philippines' military chief.

"The Philippines is not provoking conflict," Medel Aguilar told state broadcaster PTV.

"We follow international law and we are only implementing our domestic law, meaning the limits of our territorial waters and exclusive economic zone, where we have sovereign rights."

The comments came a day after the People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, wrote that the Philippines had relied on U.S. support to continually provoke China.

This "extremely dangerous" behaviour seriously harmed regional peace and stability, it added.

Aguilar said Philippine activities would not put vessels and seafarers in danger, instead accusing China of carrying out dangerous manoeuvres that sometimes result in collisions at sea.

"They are the ones committing all the violations," he added.

On Tuesday, the Chinese embassy in Manila said the Philippines was causing tension by sending construction supplies to its grounded navy vessel in the Second Thomas Shoal.

"The Philippines, bolstered by external support, has brushed aside China's goodwill and restraint and repeatedly challenged China's principles and red line," it said, citing China's foreign ministry.

At a regular briefing in Beijing, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry reiterated that recent events were "entirely" due to the Philippines changing its position, walking back on its commitments and "deliberately" causing provocation.

"We hope that the Philippine side will make a sensible choice, return to the right track of properly resolving differences through dialogue and consultation, and work with China to manage the maritime situation," Mao Ning said.

The comment came in response to a query whether China had a limit regarding the Philippine comments and activities.

The Philippines regularly deploys resupply missions for its soldiers living aboard an aging warship deliberately run aground in 1999 to protect Manila's maritime claims.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea with its so-called nine-dash line that overlaps the exclusive economic zones of rival claimants Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

A 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling invalidated China's claim in the strategic waters, which Beijing did not recognise.

(Reporting by Mikhail Flores; Additional reporting by Liz Lee in Beijing; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor)
The plane had been grounded at Vatry airport east of Paris (FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI)

A plane grounded in France for days over concerns it was part of a human trafficking scheme landed in India Tuesday, with its passengers avoiding media questions as they quickly exited bustling Mumbai airport.

The Airbus A340 initially had been bound for Nicaragua when it was detained last Thursday at Vatry airport, east of Paris, where it had stopped for refuelling.

It had arrived from the United Arab Emirates and was halted after an anonymous tip-off that it was carrying potential victims of human trafficking.

Of the original 303 people on the passenger list, 276 were on the plane that arrived in Mumbai before dawn on Tuesday.

Passengers began walking out onto the concourse four hours later but refused to speak to a large crowd of waiting journalists and covered their faces to shield their identities.

It was unclear whether the arrivals were questioned by authorities and India's government has yet to issue a statement on their return.

Among those staying behind in France were two people questioned by police there over suspected people trafficking.

A judicial source said they were released after it was established the passengers had boarded the plane of their own free will.

French authorities are continuing to investigate the case for a potential violation of immigration laws, but no longer for people trafficking, judicial sources said.

Another 25 passengers sought asylum in France including five minors, local officials said.

A source close to the inquiry told AFP that those aboard were likely workers in the UAE bound for Nicaragua, which they intended to use as a staging post for journeys to the United States or Canada.

Authorisation for the plane to leave France came after a court ruled that any further detention of three of its passengers would be illegal.

The passengers of the flight, operated by Romanian company Legend Airlines, were put up at Vatry airport during the investigation.

Beds, toilets and showers were installed, the local prefecture said, while police prevented press and outsiders from entering the airport.

The passengers included 11 unaccompanied minors, according to Paris prosecutors.

The Indian embassy in Paris posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday that it was grateful for the "quick resolution" of the incident.

The 30 crew members were not detained. Some had handled the Dubai-Vatry leg while others were to take over for the flight to Nicaragua.

- 'Mutual benefit' -

The use of charter flights to aid migrants "is a relatively new phenomenon", Manuel Orozco, director of migration issues at the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue, told AFP last month.

Orozco said he believed that airline operators and Nicaraguan airport authorities made "an economic calculation" for their "mutual benefit".

Indian deputy foreign minister V. Muraleedharan this month told parliament that close to 100,000 illegal Indian migrants had attempted to enter the United States this year, citing US Customs and Border Protection data.

Last year the issue caught public attention when four Indians froze to death while trying to cross into the United States on foot from the Canadian border.

They were among a group of 11 people attempting the journey, with the remaining seven detained by US authorities.

Many Indian migrants seek passage to the United States for economic reasons.

But human rights experts say there are several other factors at play, including the oppression of minority communities in India and extreme visa backlogs.

Unlawful Indian migration abroad is such an established phenomenon that it forms the backdrop of the Bollywood comedy-drama "Dunki", released in cinemas last week.

Starring Shah Rukh Khan, one of India's most bankable film stars, "Dunki" delves into the various means by which Indians attempt the perilous journey to the West with the help of unscrupulous agents and corrupt border officials.

burs-abh/gle/mtp
China's research icebreaker Xuelong 2 heads for Amundsen Sea for comprehensive scientific expedition

Global Times) 08:36, December 26, 2023

China's domestically built polar icebreaker Xuelong 2, which is on the country's 40th Antarctic expedition, left Lyttelton Port in New Zealand on Monday afternoon after it completed material replenishment and personnel rotation, heading for the Amundsen Sea to carry out a comprehensive scientific expedition.

The icebreaker completed supply unloading and personnel boarding at the new Antarctic station being built in the Ross Sea area before arriving at the port after it set off from Shanghai on November 11. It also piloted the cargo ship Tianhui, which left from the city of Zhangjiagang in East China's Jiangsu Province and transported construction materials for the new research station.

Next, Xuelong 2 will head for the Amundsen Sea to carry out a comprehensive investigation and monitoring of biological ecology, water environment, sedimentary environment, atmospheric environment and pollutant distribution.

Organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources, China's 40th Antarctic expedition will carry out comprehensive surveys and monitoring to study the role of Antarctica in global climate change.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun)
(CNN)  Children in Ukraine have wishes beyond just toys this holiday season, as Russia continues to target cities and towns with drones and missiles.

Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure have escalated over the past month, a winter uptick that has severely impacted kids. These attacks have caused injuries among children, sent an intensified wave of fear and dread through already deeply distressed communities, and left millions of children across Ukraine without sustained access to electricity, heating and water, exposing them to additional serious harm as temperatures plummet, said Regina De Dominicis, UNICEF regional director for Europe and Central Asia, in a statement Monday.

At least 10,000 civilians, including more than 560 children, have been confirmed killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said last month. More than 18,500 people have been injured. The UN believes the true figures are likely significantly higher due to the challenges and delays involved in verifying deaths in areas of ongoing hostilities.

Even in the face of such dire circumstances, childrens resilience is on display in their holiday letters as they live in the shadow of war.

CNN spoke with parents and caregivers, who shared their kids letters to St. Nicholas and their hopes this Christmas and next year.

Solomiya, 11 years old

Solomiya has one wish from St. Nicholas this year: peace. The 11-year-old knows the cost of war from personal experience. Her father signed up to fight in 2014  when Russia annexed Ukraines Crimean Peninsula and occupied parts of the east  and killed in action. Eight years later when Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Solomiya and her family were living in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, but fled to seek safety in northwestern Ukraine three days after Russian troops occupied the area.

Solomiya used to love drawing on large canvases before the war. She has stopped for now but says shell start again once they are back in Bucha, according to her mother.

Kaya, 6 years old

Kaya wants a craft kit, a toy and to see her dad for Christmas. Her father is a member of the 47th Mechanized Brigade fighting in the hot spot of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine. In her letter to St. Nicholas, she wrote: I would like my dad, who is now defending Ukraine, to come to me for Christmas. Please help him to do it. Kayas father, Dmytro, wants to see his family for the holidays but they have relocated to Germany and he is unable to make the journey.

Maks, 5 years old

Five-year-old Maks wants victory for Christmas. His letter is simple and short: Dear Nicholas, bring us victory.

His mother says Maks picked up his strong patriotism and the importance of Ukraines victory from overhearing adult conversations. The family left Kyiv for western Ukraine when the war started. He left his letter for St. Nicholas on the windowsill of their temporary new home.

Katya, 12 years old

Katya used ChatGPT to craft her letter to St. Nicholas, her father says. I was really polite and sincerely grateful for the incredible moments, she wrote about her year. The AI chatbot, which she turned to for efficiency, also helped her formulate goals for 2024. My desire for the next year is to actively develop my drawing skills and improve my self-motivation skills, she said in her letter.

She lives in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, a city routinely targeted by drones and missiles. Air defenses intercept most of the incoming barrages but loud explosions can be heard when they are activated. In her letter, she told St. Nicholas: I hope you dont get shot down by air defense.

Anastasia, 10 years old

Anastasia and her family escaped from their hometown in Ukraines occupied Kherson region nearly two months ago. Under Russian occupation, the family was forced to change their Ukrainian IDs to Russian ones.

Occupation authorities demanded that Anastasia attend a Russian school and threatened to take her away from her family if they refused. Volunteers helped the family leave for Ukrainian-controlled territories. They are currently living in a rehabilitation center in Kyiv, where Anastasia is engaged in art therapy to help her cope with everything she has been through. Her wish this year is simple and modest  in her letter to St. Nicholas she asked for fluffy ear warmers.

Artem, 7 years old and Tymofii, 6 years old

Artem and Tymofii are brothers who left with their family for Munich 18 months ago because of Russias full-scale invasion. Before the war, the boys would visit their grandfather in the southern Ukrainian town of Nova Khakova on the Dnipro River. The dam on the river was blown up this summer causing an environmental and humanitarian disaster. The boys talk about wanting to go fishing there with their grandfather, according to their mother. The eastern bank of the Dnipro is currently occupied by Russia and the western bank is under constant shelling, rendering it dangerous.

In their short notes to St. Nicholas, the boys listed the most valuable things for them: Peace, health, and a blooming Ukraine for Artem and peace, family, Ukraine, dad, God for Tymofii.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "I hope you dont get shot down by air defense: Ukrainian children send Christmas wishes to St. Nicholas"
The passengers were held at the small French airport for days (FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI)

A plane that had been grounded in France for days over concerns its roughly 300 mostly Indian passengers were part of a human trafficking scheme landed in Mumbai early Tuesday.

The Airbus A340 initially had been bound for Nicaragua when it was detained last Thursday at Vatry airport, east of Paris, where it had stopped for refuelling.

It had arrived from Dubai and there was an anonymous tip-off that it was carrying potential victims of human trafficking.

Of the original 303 people on the passenger list, 276 were on the plane that took off Monday afternoon, arriving in Mumbai after a nearly nine-hour flight.

A senior airport official, who was not authorised to speak to journalists, confirmed the flight had landed at 4:00 am time Tuesday (2230 GMT Monday).

The arrival of the plane was also shown on aviation tracking website Flightradar24.

There was no official Indian statement on the arrival or details of when the passengers would be allowed to leave the airport.

Among those staying behind were two people questioned by French police over suspected people trafficking, but a judicial source said they were released after it was established the passengers had boarded the plane of their own free will.

The French authorities are continuing to investigate the case for a potential violation of immigration laws, but no longer for people trafficking, judicial sources said.

The suspects' release came because "the investigating judge was able to resist media pressure in this case", said their lawyer, Salome Cohen.

The pair have received an expulsion order from France, their lawyers said.

The other 25 people have sought asylum in France, the prefecture said. Five of them are minors, it said, updating an earlier figure of two.

Their applications will be processed at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.

- 'Quick resolution' -

After questioning the passengers for two days, French prosecutors on Sunday gave the go-ahead for the plane to leave.

A source close to the inquiry told AFP that the Indians were likely workers in the United Arab Emirates who had been bound for Nicaragua, which they intended to use as a jumping-off spot for the United States or Canada.

The passengers of the flight, operated by Romanian company Legend Airlines, were put up at the airport during the investigation.

Beds, toilets and showers were installed, the local prefecture said, while police prevented press and outsiders from entering the airport.

The passengers included 11 unaccompanied minors, according to Paris prosecutors.

The Indian embassy in Paris posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday that it was grateful for the "quick resolution" of the incident.

The authorisation for the plane to leave came after a French court ruled that any further detention of three of the passengers would be illegal.

But Genevieve Colas, coordinator at the Secours Catholique-Caritas association, said the release of the plane had "surprised" her.

"What if they really are victims of people trafficking?" she asked. "Then it wouldn't be right to just let them take off to another country."

The 30 crew members were not detained. Some had handled the Dubai-Vatry leg while others were to take over for the flight to Managua.

The use of charter flights to aid migrants in getting to their dream destination "is a relatively new phenomenon," Manuel Orozco, director of migration issues at the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue, told AFP last month.

Orozco said he believed that airline operators and Nicaraguan airport authorities made "an economic calculation" for their "mutual benefit."

According to Flightradar24, Legend Airlines has just four planes.

burs-pjm/cwl
A 40-year-old woman was killed in her motorized wheelchair while riding down West Pipkin Road in Lakeland.

 WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS

A Plant City man was arrested and charged with DUI manslaughter.

At about 6 p.m. Sunday, Howard Bennett, 67-year-old, was also heading down West Pipkin Road when he hit Leslie Stone, who was in her powered wheelchair said deputies.

Read: Search continues for man accused of deadly shooting at Paddock Mall in Ocala

When deputies arrived at the scene, they said Bennett stumbled around while using the patrol vehicle for support, had bloodshot eyes and fumbled words when he spoke.

According to the sheriffs office, Bennett was taken into custody after failing the sobriety test that was twice the legal limit in Florida.

Read: Famed SpaceX booster that launched 19 times tips over due to high seas near Port Canaveral

The Polk County Sheriffs Office released a statement advising people to celebrate the holidays responsibly.

Our prayers are with Ms. Stones family. To lose a loved one this way is awfully tragic, but especially during the holiday season, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement. We hope and pray our citizens will make better choices than this suspect did - please celebrate the holidays responsibly,

Read: What time do Walmart, Target, Best Buy, others open on the day after Christmas?

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
A 73-year-old woman died Tuesday morning in a wreck on Pleasant Valley Road, just west of Ohio 603.

The one-vehicle crash was reported at 6:22 a.m., according a news release provided by the Ohio Highway Patrol.

Bonnie J. Bogdan, of Perrysville, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators believe Bogdan had been driving her 2012 Honda Pilot westward on Pleasant Valley Road when she traveled off the right side of the road and struck a culvert and ditch embankment, according to the release.

"The vehicle traveled across a driveway access and struck a ditch before coming to final rest," the report reads.

Troopers were assisted by Mifflin and Monroe Township fire departments, the Richland County Coroner's Office and Terry's Towing.

The crash remains under investigation by troopers with the Mansfield Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

ztuggle@gannett.com

419-564-3508

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Perrysville woman dies in one-vehicle crash the day after Christmas
PORTLAND, Maine  Police who declined to confront an Army reservist in the weeks before he killed 18 people in Maines deadliest mass shooting feared that doing so would throw a stick of dynamite on a pool of gas, according to video released Friday by law enforcement.

The video, which was released to the Portland Press Herald and then sent to The Associated Press, documents a Sept. 16 call between Sagadahoc County Sheriffs Sgt. Aaron Skolfield and Army Reserve Capt. Jeremy Reamer. Skolfield was following up with Reamer about the potential threat posed by Robert Card, 40, who carried out the Oct. 25 attacks at a bowling alley and a restaurant. He was found dead two days later of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Military officials alerted police in September that Card had been hospitalized in July after exhibiting erratic behavior while training, that he still had access to weapons and that he had threatened to shoot up an Army reserve center in Saco, a city in southern Maine. The sheriffs department responded by briefly staking out the Saco facility and going to Cards home in Bowdoin for what Reamer described as a welfare check.

This still image from Sagadahoc County Sheriffs Office shows dash camera video from Sept. 16, 2023 as police approach Robert Card's father's house. (Sagadahog County Sheriff's office/Portland Press Herald via AP)

The only thing I would ask is if you could just document it, Reamer said. Just say, He was there, he was uncooperative. But we confirmed that he was alive and breathing. And then we can go from there. Thats, from my end here, all were really looking for.

Skolfield mentioned Maines yellow flag law, which can be used to remove guns from potentially dangerous people, after Reamer said Card had refused medical treatment after his hospitalization.

So that, obviously, is a hurdle we have to deal with. But at the same time, we dont want to throw a stick of dynamite on a pool of gas, either  make things worse, he said.

Reamer expressed similar concerns. Im a cop myself, he said. Obviously, I dont want you guys to get hurt or do anything that would put you guys in a compromising position.

Auburn City Councilor Leroy Walker Sr., whose son Joseph Walker was killed in the shootings, expressed frustration with police after seeing the video. Joseph Walker was the manager of Schemengees Bar & Grill, where part of the attack took place.

I would like to know what we train these people to do. Is it just to deliver mail? Or stop innocent people that may be driving 11 miles (per hour) over the speed limit? Walker said in a text message, noting that watching the video made him sick.

In the video, Skolfield referred to the Cards as a big family in this area, and said he didnt want to publicize that police were visiting the home. He told Reamer he would reach out to Cards brother, Ryan, to ensure family members had taken Cards guns, and a second video shows an officer at the fathers home. After Cards father said he hadnt spoken with Ryan in several days, the officer said he would try again later.

I just wanted to make sure Robert doesnt do anything foolish at all, he said.

A report released last week by Sagadahoc Sheriff Joel Merry made clear that local law enforcement knew months before the attack that Cards mental health was deteriorating. Police were aware of reports that he was paranoid, hearing voices, experiencing psychotic episodes and possibly dealing with schizophrenia.

Merry and Lewiston city officials declined to comment on the release of the videos.

But Stephanie Sherman, an attorney who has represented several families of survivors of the 2022 mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, said the videos show officers took a disturbingly casual approach to the threat Card posed. Police had more than enough information to take to a local judge, she said.

There was a history of problems within the Army, there was a history of institutionalization. The police knew that this person was having hallucinations, Sherman said. So there was a whole batch of problems that they quickly could have gotten an order to confiscate the guns, and even possibly put the person in custody. Not criminal custody, but some kind of psychiatric hold.

Sherman said, however, that police tend to rely on immunity, which historically has shielded them from liability when they avoid taking an action such as placing a person in custody.

A former New York Police Department detective sergeant who reviewed the videos for the AP said the events preceding the shooting illustrate the difficulty in applying Maines yellow flag law. Lax laws about removing weapons from dangerous people is a problem in numerous states, said Felipe Rodriguez, an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.

The laws are just too convoluted and they are working against each other. Thats the biggest problem we have, Rodriguez said.

Dan Flannery, the director of the Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education at Case Western Reserve University, cautioned that only so much about a police investigation can be gleaned from a few minutes of video.

There is always context, there is the issue of what is the training and protocol within the division, Flannery said. Violent behavior is unfortunately one of the most difficult things to predict.

But attorneys for shooting victims families said the footage supports a pattern of police ignoring clear warning signs about Card in the weeks prior to the shooting. One of the attorneys, Ben Gideon of Auburn, said watching that footage, knowing what happened approximately six weeks later, is chilling and surreal.

The attorneys said they are looking forward to an independent Army inspector generals full accounting of the events leading up to the shootings. Some of the information theyve gathered so far, including the video released Friday, is highly concerning, said Travis Brennan, another attorney for the families.

Its one example of many of system failures. There is no question here that this is an individual who had overt warning signs, Brennan said.

The last patient of 13 who were admitted to Central Maine Medical Center after the shooting has been released, hospital representatives said Friday.

In addition to the inspector generals investigation, Gov. Janet Mills appointed an an independent commission led by a former state chief justice to review all aspects of the tragedy.

The actions of authorities ahead of and during mass shootings have come under increasing scrutiny. Last year, the Air Force was ordered to pay more than $230 million in damages to survivors and victims families for failing to flag a conviction that might have kept the gunman in a 2017 church shooting in Texas from legally buying the weapon he used in the attack.

After a gunman fatally shot 19 children and two teachers at the school in Uvalde last year, state lawmakers issued a scathing report faulting law enforcement at every level with failing to prioritize saving innocent lives over their own safety. Several officers lost their jobs over the halting and haphazard response, and a state prosecutor is still considering whether to bring criminal charges.

Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press writers Lindsay Whitehurst in Washington, Nick Perry in Meredith, New Hampshire, and Jake Bleiberg in Dallas contributed.
Authorities are investigating a Christmas Day swatting call at an address matching that of Boston Mayor Michelle Wus residence in Roslindale.

Around 5:30 p.m. on Monday, a Boston officer, while on Mayor Wus detail, received a 911 call for a person shot inside the other unit of the two-family home that Mayor Wu lives in, according to the police report obtained by Boston 25.

The caller stated to the 911 dispatcher he had come home and found his wife cheating on him so he shot her and tied her up, according to the police report.

The officer at Wus residence stated that no shots were heard from where she was positioned outside and walked to the front of the home while waiting for additional units to arrive.

When additional crews arrived at the house, the officer knocked on both doors and everyone was safe and accounted for. The shooting was a hoax.

Swatting is a prank call made to authorities with the express purpose of luring them to a location  usually a home  where they are led to believe a horrific crime has been committed or is in progress. This results in a forceful response from local police or SWAT teams, who have no way of knowing the call is a hoax.

Boston 25 reached out to the mayors office but have not heard back on the incident.

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.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Authorities are investigating a Christmas Day swatting call at Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greenes residence in Rome, Georgia.

Greene took to social media Monday morning, posting on X, I was just swatted. This is like the 8th time. On Christmas with my family here.

On Monday, 911 dispatch informed officers that a call came through the suicide prevention hotline from a man possibly calling from Rome, New York, claiming hed shot his girlfriend at Greenes Georgia address, Rome, Georgia, police information specialist Kelly Madden told CNN on the phone. The caller also had threatened to kill himself.

Rome Police informed Greenes security team of the phone call while officers were en route to the home, according to Madden, and were told nothing was amiss at the home. Madden said officers were turned around before arriving at the house.

My local police are the GREATEST and shouldnt have to deal with this, Greene added in her post. I appreciate them so much and my family and I are in joyous spirits celebrating the birth of our savior Jesus Christ!

Swatting is a prank call made to authorities with the express purpose of luring them to a location  usually a home  where they are led to believe a horrific crime has been committed or is in progress. This results in a forceful response from local police or SWAT teams, who have no way of knowing the call is a hoax.

Republican Rep. Brandon Williams of New York said in a post on X he was also swatted on Christmas Day.

Our home was swatted this afternoon, the congressman said. Thanks to the Deputies and Troopers who contacted me before arriving. They left with homemade cookies and spiced nuts! Merry Christmas everyone!

Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck confirmed law enforcement responded to a swatting incident at the congressmans house Monday. He added that just after 2 p.m., authorities from the sheriffs office and the New York State Police responded to a report of a reported confessed shooting incident at Williams home.

This report was quickly confirmed to be false, Schenk said, adding that his office is investigating.

In a statement to CNN on Tuesday, United States Capitol Police said it assists local and federal law enforcement agencies in responding to swatting incidents against members of Congress but would not provide additional details about the recent events, citing the ongoing investigations and the desire to minimize the risk of copy-cats.

In August 2022, CNN reported that police had responded to repeated swatting incidents at Greenes home. And last month, a Georgia man was charged with threatening to kill Greene, her family and her staff.

This isnt the first time that we have received a call of this nature, Madden said Monday. We do have a good relationship with her security detail, and it was determined that there was, in fact, no emergency.

Greene is the US representative for Georgias 14th Congressional District which includes Rome. The conservative firebrand has at times come under criticism from the left for her controversial and divisive comments. She has also faced backlash from those on her partys right flank, when she was removed from the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus earlier this year for criticizing her fellow caucus members and remaining loyal to Republican leadership.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNNs Melanie Zanona, Manu Raju and Annie Grayer contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Rep. Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.) home was swatted on Christmas, he said, with multiple police units responding to a false call of an emergency.

Williams said the Cayuga County Sheriffs Office contacted him before arriving at the home, causing a relief at the false alarm.

Our home was swatted this afternoon, he said Monday on X, formerly Twitter. Thanks to the Deputies and Troopers who contacted me before arriving. They left with homemade cookies and spiced nuts! Merry Christmas everyone!

The deputies & troopers were polite, professional, & prompt, he added. God bless them,

Williams is the second member of Congress who got swatted on Christmas Day; Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said her home was also approached by local police over a false call.

It is unknown if the two cases are related. Rome, Ga., police said they received multiple reports of an emergency at Greenes address in Georgia and the same address in Rome, N.Y.  Williamss district.

A string of about 200 swatting incidents struck Jewish institutions last weekend as the religious holiday of Hanukkah came to a close.

Swatting has become an increasingly common form of online harassment in recent years, especially among celebrities and internet livestreamers. Police responses often put the victim in danger because police are led to believe that there may be a threat inside a home.

The FBI launched a national database for the incidents in June in an effort to better combat the practice.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  A man was shot in the leg Monday in Grand Rapids, police say.

It happened around 4 p.m. near the intersection of Lafayette Avenue NE and Matilda Street NE, according to the Grand Rapids Police Department.

Police say the victim was taken to the hospital to be treated for his injury, which was not considered life-threatening.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

It was not clear whether GRPD had identified any suspects or made any arrests.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
Police are searching for five teens who allegedly broke into a Framingham smoke shop early Tuesday morning.

According to Framingham police, officers received a call around 4:46 a.m. for reports of a break-in at the Framingham Vape & Smoke on Worcester Rd.

Initial investigation shows that most of the juveniles wearing hoodies broke a window with a rock, and stole products out of the shop. Police tell Boston 25 News that these suspected minors were both boys and girls.

Police say about $1,000 was stolen in products and the teens also attempted to break open the register and steal money.

This latest robbery follows similar ones seen in East Boston and West Roxbury in the past month.

This has definitely become something that has picked up in the recent past, said Framingham Police Deputy Chief Sean Riley.

Anyone with information on this break-in is asked to contact police.

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.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
(CNN)  The US military carried out airstrikes on three facilities used by the Iraq-based Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups on Monday night after an attack injured three US troops, leaving one in critical condition, the White House said.

A US Central Command statement said early assessments indicated that the US airstrikes, ordered by President Joe Biden, likely killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants.

The Iranian-backed militant group earlier claimed credit for using a one-way attack drone to target the US forces on Erbil Air Base on Monday morning, the White House said.

A statement from US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said the US airstrikes on three locations utilized by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups focused specifically on unmanned aerial drone activities.

The strikes on the Kataib Hezbollah facilities occurred at 8:45 p.m. ET, according to CENTCOM. There are no indications that any civilian lives were affected, the statement said.

Kataib Hezbollah is a Shia militant group that poses a high threat to US personnel in both Iraq and Syria, according to the US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) website.

It says the group wants to expel US and coalition forces from Iraq and set up an Iranian-aligned government there. The group also operates in Syria, the DNI says.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin briefed the US president on Monday afternoon, the White House said. Several options were presented to the US president, and Biden ordered the strikes during that call.

In a statement, Austin said Mondays airstrikes were carried out in response to the Erbil attack and other attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria.

Austin called the US airstrikes necessary and proportionate.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "US airstrikes hit Kataib Hezbollah sites in Iraq after attack on US troops"
Poland's Prawo i Sprawiedliwosc (Law and Justice or PiS) party faction, which went into opposition after eight years in power, expects to be able to remove recently appointed Prime Minister Donald Tusk from power with the help of President Andrzej Duda and the Constitutional Tribunal that they have been in control of.

Source: European Pravda, citing an article by Gazeta Wyborcza, Polish nationwide daily newspaper

Details: The newspaper reported that the more right-wing PiS branch, chaired by leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, expects Tusk to override Polish President Andrzej Duda's veto of budget amendments that would allocate PLN 3 billion (roughly US$764 million) to state broadcasters as part of a relevant reform.

In order to do this, Tusk will introduce the corresponding amendments to the budget law (currently set out in a separate bill), following which the president will send them to the Constitutional Tribunal, where most of the members were appointed during the PiS's term. The tribunal must issue a decision within two months of the submission.

According to the Polish constitution, the adopted budget law must be submitted to the president within four months after the draft is introduced, otherwise he can decide to dissolve the parliament. The previous PiS government of Mateusz Morawiecki submitted the draft budget for next year on 29 September, so Duda is supposed to receive the draft budget by 29 January.

"Hardliners in the Law and Justice party are demanding that Duda use scorched earth tactics," Gazeta Wyborcza reported, citing PiS sources.

On the other hand, a situation may theoretically arise where the tribunal recognises the budget bill as unconstitutional, which has never happened in Poland before, and the law provisions did not foresee it.

Background: Last week, Polish President Andrzej Duda decided to veto the budget bill, which provides for the allocation of PLN 3 billion for the country's state media next year.

Last week, Poland's new Minister of Culture, Bartoomiej Sienkiewicz, dismissed the leadership of Polish Television, Polish Radio and the Polish Press Agency. The new Polish government claims that the state media has became too politicised during the rule of its predecessors from the PiS party. The change in the leadership of the state media sparked protests from the now-opposition PiS party.

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The parent company of Pornhub has agreed to pay a $1.8m fine to avoid criminal prosecution for profiting from sex trafficking videos.

US officials announced last week that they had reached a final deal with the Canadian online porn giant Aylo Holdings, which owns a slew of adult sites including RedTube, YouPorn, and Brazzers.

In exchange for avoiding prosecution, Aylo admitted that it made money from sex trafficking and will pay compensation to some of the victims, as well as submitting to independent monitoring for the next three years.

Prosecutors said that the company had repeatedly failed to act on information that certain videos were posted on its service without the performers' consent, all the while continuing to make money from them.

"Motivated by profit, Aylo Holdings knowingly enriched itself by turning a blind eye to the concerns of victims who communicated to the company that they were deceived and coerced into participating in illicit sexual activity," said James Smith, head of the FBI's New York field office.

"Make no mistake, any entity that engages in sexual exploitation will be held to account for the mental anguish and terror imposed on victims.

"I hope todays proceedings bring a sense of justice to the victims in this case as they move forward in their lives."

In a statement last month announcing the beginnings of agreement, Aylo said that it "deeply regretted" hosting the videos but insisted it was "unaware" that they had been produced by criminal means.

The case stems from a sprawling US criminal investigation and a parallel civil lawsuit against GirlsDoPorn (GDP), a San-Diego-based adult film studio which often posted videos on Pornhub before its closure in 2020.

Prosecutors say the studio used a battery of tricks and threats to manipulate women into appearing in porn videos that they believed would never be posted online.

The studio allegedly plied victims with alcohol and cannabis, made them sign false legal documents, and coerced those who tried to back out by blocking doors, threatening to sue them, or threatening to post their videos on the internet.

Multiple people involved with the studio have since pled guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, while the studio's owner Michael Pratt is reportedly awaiting extradition from Spain to stand trial in the US.

According to prosecutors, Aylo was first notified about these concerns in 2016 and was repeatedly asked to remove GDP's videos by victims who said they had never given their consent.

Despite this, Aylo allegedly took GDP's word against the victims' and continued to make money from the videos, even after a GDP videographer testified in court that nonconsensual videos had been posted on PornHub.

Although GDP was finally banned from PornHub in October 2019, prosecutors say that Aylo did not take steps to remove unofficial GDP videos and also failed to act on a sister channel that was run by the same people and featured many of the same performers.

In its statement, Aylo said it had received what appeared to be consent forms from GDP signed by the victims, only later realising that these were obtained through fraud and coercion.

"The government did not find that Aylo or its affiliates violated any federal criminal laws prohibiting sex trafficking or the sexual exploitation of minors, including child pornography," the company added.
The true scale of what the Lib Dems have dubbed the pothole pandemic could be much larger - Yui Mok/PA

The number of compensation claims made for pothole damage or injury in England almost doubled last year, according to new figures published today.

Some 23,000 claims were submitted in the financial year 2022-23, up from 13,600 the year before - an increase of 70 per cent.

The figures, uncovered by the Liberal Democrats, come from 85 local authorities in England who responded to a Freedom of Information request.

The true scale of what the Lib Dems have dubbed the pothole pandemic will be much larger, since in total in England there are 317 different local authorities.

The local authority found to have received the most pothole compensation claims last year was Surrey, followed by Essex, West Sussex, Hertfordshire, Staffordshire and Kent.

Meanwhile the five highest single payouts were 38,300 in Stoke, 36,000 in Leeds, 31,000 in Surrey, 26,000 in Kensington and Chelsea, and 15,000 in central Bedfordshire. The specifics of each of those claims were not given.

Helen Morgan, the Lib Dems local government, housing and communities spokesperson, said: This Conservative government has overseen a pothole pandemic on our roads. Its now become almost impossible to drive in some parts of the country without having to swerve to avoid potholes.

This has led to thousands of drivers having to claim for damage to their vehicles or even personal injury caused by crater-filled roads.

The government is firmly to blame for this failure to maintain our roads properly after having slashed funding for local road repairs.

Cash-strapped councils are being left without the funding to maintain roads properly while having to shell out thousands of pounds in pothole payouts.

Local authorities need to have their highway maintenance budgets urgently restored so that we can end this vicious cycle of pothole payouts and poorly maintained roads.

The Tories have long countered criticism of their pothole strategy, with government ministers flagging new money for roads as a benefit of the decision to scrap the High Speed Rail Twos second leg - a move Rishi Sunak announced at the autumn party conference.

Last month Mr Sunak vowed to tackle the scourge of potholes when announcing 8.3 billion of extra funding for local roads maintenance in England.

The money is to be given to local authorities over the next 11 years, with the Prime Minister declaring the scale and long-term nature of the funding unprecedented.

But the Local Government Association [LGA], which represents councils of all political stripes, has sounded the alarm on the scale of funding reductions on potholes in the last two decades, with 13 of those years being under the Conservatives.

In the summer, the LGA pointed to figures from the OECD, a group of 38 prosperous nations, which found UK spending on local road maintenance dropped from 4 billion in 2006 to 2 billion in 2019.

It meant UK funding had halved, while in countries like Sweden, Denmark, the United States, Japan and New Zealand spending had increased by around half over the same period.

On entering Downing Street in 2010, the Conservatives pursued a policy of austerity that saw local council funding from central government cut back markedly.

Those ministers involved in the spending cuts, which were implemented across Whitehall, argued it was essential in bringing down the UKs debt and deficit in the wake of the 2007/08 financial crisis.

Mr Sunak said when announcing the 8.3 billion funding: For too long politicians have shied away from taking the right long-term decisions to make life easier for hardworking families  tackling the scourge of potholes being a prime example.

Well-maintained road surfaces could save drivers up to 440 each in expensive vehicle repairs, helping motorists keep more of the cash in their pocket.

This unprecedented 8.3 billion investment will pave the road for better and safer journeys for millions of people across the country and put an end to the blight of nuisance potholes.

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A pregnant 18-year-old Texas woman who went missing over the weekend is believed to have been found dead along with her boyfriend.

Savanah Soto was last seen on Friday in Leon Valley, a city about 10 miles from downtown San Antonio. Soto, who was nine months pregnant, was supposed to be induced the day she went missing, but failed to show up at the hospital, according to her family.

At a news conference late Tuesday, San Antonio police Chief Chief William McManus said that investigators believe that two bodies found in a car are that of Soto and her boyfriend and that "detectives right now are looking at this as a possible murder."

"We don't know for sure," he said, adding that a medical examiner would have to confirm the identity of the bodies. Its a very, very perplexing crime scene ... It's a complex scene."

Latest update in Savanah Soto case: 'Perplexing' crime scene in Savanah Soto case leads San Antonio police to launch murder probe

He said he wasn't sure whether there was a weapon in the car and that the bodies are believed to have been there for several days. The car was found just a few miles from Soto's apartment.

A woman could be heard weeping in the background as McManus made the grim announcement.

Who is Savanah Soto?

Soto's mother, Gloria Cordova, said in a Facebook post a couple days before Christmas that her daughter never showed up for her doctor's appointment, that she was with her boyfriend "who is no good," and that she was worried for her safety.

"Prayer for my baby girl," she wrote.

Gloria Cordova - My daughter is missing she was scheduled...

One family member commented on the post: "Dear Lord please protect her and her baby from the evils of this world."

USA TODAY was working Tuesday to try to reach the family. Police have not confirmed who last saw Soto in Leon Valley or whether she was with someone.

Soto was recently pictured looking like a beaming mother-to-be, smiling in a figure-hugging dress with flowers draped over her tummy.

Leon Valley police department's earlier statement

Soto was reported missing family members who were concerned about the young mother since she is pregnant and past her delivery date.

A Clear Alert was issued for Soto by the San Antonio Police Department, the first law enforcement agency the family contacted.

The department had been looking for additional witnesses and information to help them with the investigation.

Savannah Nicole Soto's well-being is of utmost concern to us," police said before the bodies were found. "We implore the public to assist us in locating Ms. Soto, ensuring her safety, and reuniting her with her family."

Savanah Soto is pictured pregnant in this photo distributed by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Soto, 18, was last seen on Dec. 23 in Leon Valley, about 10 miles from downtown San Antonio. Soto was supposed to be induced that day, but failed to show up at the hospital, according to reports from the area.

What is a Clear Alert?

A Clear Alert, or the states Coordinated Law Enforcement Adult Rescue Alert was created in 2019 to help police locate and rescue missing, kidnapped or abducted adults or adults who are in immediate danger of injury or death, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The alert was also designed to help assist law enforcement in locating a potential or potential suspects.

Here is the criteria for the state of Texas:

Is the individual 18 to 64 years of age, whose whereabouts are unknown?

Has a preliminary investigation verified the adult is in imminent danger of bodily injury or death or is the disappearance involuntary such as an abduction or kidnapping?

Is the clear alert request within 72 hours of the individual's disappearance?

Is sufficient information available to disseminate to the public to help locate the individual, a suspect, or the vehicle used in the incident?

This is developing story and will be updated with additional details.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Missing Texas 18-year-old Savanah Soto believed dead
UPDATE: Police believe they have found the bodies of pregnant 18-year-old Savanah Soto and her boyfriend in a vehicle in San Antonio, Texas, in what they described as a perplexing case. San Antonio Police Chief Bill McManus said Tuesday, Nov. 26, that detectives right now are looking at this as a possible murder, but we dont know for sure.

The original story continues below.

An 18-year-old pregnant woman is missing after she didnt show up to a hospital appointment, and authorities believe shes in danger, Texas police told news outlets.

Savanah Soto, of Leon Valley, was last seen at about 2 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 22, police told KSAT.

Soto was supposed to go to the hospital that day to give birth, investigators said, the outlet reported. Doctors were going to induce labor, her family told police, but Soto never arrived.

Authorities issued a CLEAR Alert for Soto on Dec. 25, KTRK reported.

Such alerts are made in cases where missing, kidnapped or abducted adults  are in immediate danger of injury or death, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Sotos friends and family met at Valencia Lofts, the apartment complex where she was last seen, to spread word of her disappearance and launch a search of their own, KENS reported.

I pray to God every day, every minute, every second of the day we pray to God to bring her home, to bring her home safely because we need her home, to complete our family again, Sotos grandmother, Rachel Soto, told the TV station.

Soto has brown hair and eyes and weighs about 115 pounds, KTRK reported. Anyone with information about her disappearance is asked to call the Leon Valley Police Department at 210-812-3259.

Mans phone alerts 911 of crash, but firefighters find him shot dead, Texas cops say

Teens leaving baseball practice are killed by drunk driver on parole, TX officials say

Woman shot in the face in ambush as shes followed home from store, Texas police say
President Biden and the first lady took time on Christmas to speak with units from each branch of the U.S. military and wish them a merry Christmas.

In a post on X, the president shared a picture of him with his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, while appearing to speak on the phone.

"This Christmas, Jill and I spoke with some of the brave military members who are spending the holiday away from home," the post read.

BIDEN SCOLDS MEDIA FOR NEGATIVE COVERAGE OF ECONOMY: START REPORTING IT THE RIGHT WAY

The President and First Lady called military units to wish them a Merry Christmas.

The first couple reportedly called units from each branch of the military, wishing them a merry Christmas and thanking them, and their families, for their service and sacrifice.

DOG THAT SERVED OUR NATION IS REUNITED WITH ITS FORMER AIR FORCE HANDLER: ITS BEEN A BLESSING'

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Specifically, the Bidens called the Maneuver Advisor Team for the U.S. Army in Kaolack, Senegal; Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261 Reinforce of the U.S. Marine Corps at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti; USS Michael Murphy for the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Special Operations Task Group for the U.S. Air Force in the Mediterranean; CSG Katmai Bay for the U.S. Coast Guard in Sault St. Marie, Michigan; and the 5th Space Warning Squadron Detachment 2 for the U.S. Space Force at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

The White House did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital seeking additional information.





Original article source: President Biden, first lady call military units to extend Christmas greetings, gratitude
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.  Two Moon landers carrying NASA science are set to launch from Florida in early 2024, setting up either of the robotic missions to possibly be the first of a private company to land on the Moon.

The missions are part of NASA 's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, selected to deliver science ahead of the first Artemis astronaut missions to the lunar south pole in late 2025. More than a dozen American companies were awarded contracts with NASA to carry science and technology to the Moon under CLPS.

After several delays in 2023, the first two private missions are set to launch in January and February 2024.

Pittsburgh space company Astrobotic is targeting the launch of its Peregrine Moon lander no earlier than Jan. 8 with United Launch Alliance. The liftoff will be the first mission for ULA's new Vulcan rocket.

MYSTERIOUS NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN DEEP SPACE RADIO SIGNAL FOUND BEYOND MILKY WAY

Astrobotic CEO John Thornton said in November the company accepts the risk of launching with a new vehicle but was comforted by ULA's "stellar track record of success." Much of the Vulcan is based on ULA's workhorse rocket, the Atlas V, with some new improvements and the addition of engines from Blue Origin.

"The vehicle has a new name, but much of the vehicle is actually the Atlas V. So it's a well-proven vehicle in that sense," Thornton said. "Yes, this one has got some new engines and other pieces to it, but we are very confident on that launch."

Even with the confidence in ULA, Thornton said he will be "on the edge of his seat on that launch."

Peregrine will provide power and communication to more than 20 lunar payloads, including five science missions for NASA and science for universities, government and private customers. The different science objectives are catered to the landing zone, a region of ancient basaltic lava flows.

A launch time for Jan. 8 has not been set for the lunar mission lifting off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Intuitive Machines Nova-C lander loaded in Houston up for shipment to Florida. (Image: Intuitive Machines)

Houston-based Intuitive Machines will launch its Nova-C lander with SpaceX on the IM-1 mission in February. The mission was slated to launch in January, within a week of Astrobotic's mission, but in late December, Intuitive Machines said the first available launch window is now in mid-February.

"In coordination with SpaceX, the launch of the Companys IM-1 lunar mission is now targeted for a multi-day launch window that opens no earlier than mid-February 2024. The updated window comes after unfavorable weather conditions resulted in shifts in the SpaceX launch manifest," Intuitive Machines said.

When it does happen, the IM-1 mission will deliver NASA and other customer science payloads to the lunar south pole for a two-week mission. The lander will also carry a piece of art by Jeff Koons that will remain on the Moon .

Intuitive Machines recently revealed the lander will be called Odysseus in reference to a "long and adventurous journey marked by challenges and trials." The name was chosen after an employee vote.

SOLAR STORMS COULD SWITCH RAILWAY SIGNALS FROM RED TO GREEN IN 'WORST-CASE SCENARIO,' NEW STUDY FINDS

No private company has successfully landed on the Moon, and either of these companies could become the first.

Since the dawn of the space age, just over half of lunar landing attempts have been successful. In August, India became the fourth nation to land a robotic mission on the Moon after the country's first try failed last year.

"Landing on the moon is a daunting technical challenge, particularly for robotic vehicles," NASA CLPS manager Chris Culbert told reporters in November. "Engines, navigation systems, radios and many other subsystems all have to work together to enable a soft landing. I mean, to do it without human intervention. We witnessed a lot of robotic landing attempts that didn't get all, we didn't get all these systems to work properly, and they ultimately failed."

Culbert said Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines have used "innovated solutions" to manage risks during the missions. However, the space agency leadership accepts that some CLPS missions may fail.

If Astrobotic's mission launches with ULA on Jan. 8, the lander will touch down on Feb. 23.





Original article source: Private companies prepare for first American Moon landing in decades
NEW YORK - Red and green flooded the streets of Midtown Christmas Day alongside signs that read No joy in Genocide.'

Several people were arrested following the Christmas is Canceled rally that initially started at Rockefeller Center before clashing with police near a Starbucks on Park Avenue South. According to the NYPD, six arrests were made in total; one for menacing, two for vandalism, and three for disorderly conduct.

A spokesperson for the NYPD told Fox News Digital the investigation into Monday's protest was ongoing, adding that one officer sustained a shoulder injury.

The rally came in response to the mounting calls for a cease-fire, as the war in Israel rages on.

On Friday, the U.N. Security Council adopted a watered-down resolution that called for immediately speeding up aid deliveries to desperate civilians in Gaza, but not for a cease-fire.

The United States won the removal of a tougher call for an "urgent suspension of hostilities" between Israel and Hamas. It abstained in the vote, as did Russia, which wanted the stronger language. The resolution was the first on the war to make it through the council after the U.S. vetoed two earlier ones that called for humanitarian pauses and a full cease-fire.

Also Friday, health officials in Hamas-run Gaza said the Palestinian death toll there has surpassed 20,000--nearly 1% of the territory's prewar population.

Israel declared war after Hamas militants stormed across the border on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people and taking some 240 hostages. Israel has vowed to keep up the fight until Hamas is destroyed and removed from power in Gaza and all the hostages are freed. It does not differentiate between combatant and civilian deaths. It has previously said that roughly two-thirds of the dead were women or minors.

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - DECEMBER 25: Pro-Palestinian protesters rally in front of the News Corporation building and near the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, and march on 42nd Street, 5th and Park avenues on Monday, December 25, 2023, in New York City. They chant 'Christmas is canceled' while carrying blood-red mock Nativity scene through New York City streets. The police arrested several protesters and used force while detaining. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

RELATED: Pro-Palestinian rallies target shopping hubs on Super Saturday: 'No business as usual'

Organizers Within Our Lifetime posted a call for action on social media that read: "Join us in honoring the call from Palestines Christian community. Its time for mobilization, not celebration. As we gather, we mourn the over 20,000 Palestinians, including an estimated 10,000 children, who have been killed in the last couple of months. And we fight for the millions more trying desperately to live in dignity and freedom."

Hundreds chanted: "We dont want no Christmas trees, when Israel wipes out family trees!" outside of Grand Central Terminal.

The rally mobilized quickly, making stops near Fifth Avenue, Madison Avenue, Grand Central Terminal and other parts of Manhattan.

Pro-Palestinian protesters converged waving flags and draping banners all along Park Avenue.

Demonstrations began to intensify later on in the evening as the rally approached the Starbucks near Madison Square Park.

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - DECEMBER 25: Pro-Palestinian protesters rally in front of the News Corporation building and near the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, and march on 42nd Street, 5th and Park avenues on Monday, December 25, 2023, in New York City. They chant 'Christmas is canceled' while carrying blood-red mock Nativity scene through New York City streets. The police arrest several protesters and use force while detaining. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The NYPD called for an increased mobilization and beefed up their presence as the rally went on.

Protests continued to escalate as fights broke out between police and demonstrators.

Officers struggled to contain the large crowds, at some points having to detain people from the crowds.

Police were eventually able to calm the crowds as people began to disperse.

Trash and picket signs could be seen along the streets Tuesday morning, where the demonstrations got out of control overnight.

The most recent protests are just a few of several massive rallies held throughout New York City in the past week.

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - DECEMBER 25: Pro-Palestinian protesters rally in front of the News Corporation building and near the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, and march on 42nd Street, 5th and Park avenues on Monday, December 25, 2023, in New York City. They chant 'Christmas is canceled' while carrying blood-red mock Nativity scene through New York City streets. The police arrest several protesters and use force while detaining. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

On Saturday, two large-scale pro-Palestinian protests took place ahead of the busy Christmas holiday.

Pro-Palestinian groups 'The People's Forum' and Palestinian Youth Movement, with nearly 500,000 followers combined-- held a No Xmas as Usual In a Genocide rally on Fifth Avenue and 59th Street.

Muslims for Progress also held a No business as usual during a genocide rally Saturday at Roosevelt Field Mall on Long Island.

Hundreds marched holding signs that read While ur shopping bombs are dropping.

When news breaks, stream FOX 5 NY anytime. Get the FOX Local app on your smart TV.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A member of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) poses for an ilustrative photo during a press conference between the Colombian Judicial Police (DIJIN), the Ministry of Defense and representatives of U.S. government agencies; DEA, FBI and Homeland Security (HSI) in Bogota, Colombia, March 29, 2023. (Photo by Sebastian Barros/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Sebastian Barros/NurPhoto via Getty Images

In November, the FBI led a dramatic raid on a triplex on San Antonio's near North Side, complete with bullhorns, smoke bombs, flash-bang canisters and a helicopter hovering overhead.

Now, court records reveal what federal authorities found that day: cocaine, guns and more than $12,000 in cash, among other things. One of the weapons, a Glock 30 handgun, had been modified to fire like a machine gun, according to court records.

The Nov. 15 raid on the property in the 2400 block of Basse Road, near West Avenue, grew out of an investigation into the murder last year of a 30-year-old San Antonio man who was tortured, beaten and waterboarded. His body was found in a ditch in April 2022.

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Shortly after the raid, San Antonio police arrested and charged two men with the murder: Esteban Xavier Flores, 23, and Paul Anthony Chacon. Flores lived in the triplex on Basse.

Esteban Xavier Flores, 23, is one of two suspects in the murder of a 30-year-old San Antonio man. Federal authorities say he's also involved in drug dealing and gun trafficking as leader of the "Walk Down Gang." Courtesy BCSO Bradlee Taylor Grinde, 19, a former University Health System employee, was one of three people indicted by a federal grand jury on drug and gun charges tied to a dramatic Nov. 15 FBI-led raid on a home on San Antonio's near North Side. Bexar County Sheriff's Office Paul Anthony Chacon, 29, is one of two suspects charged in the murder of a 30-year-old San Antonio man. Courtesy BCSO

In the latest fallout from the search, a federal grand jury last week indicted three people on charges that include possession with intent to distribute 500 or more grams of cocaine and possessing or using a gun during a crime.

Two of those charged were Bradlee Taylor Grinde, 19, and Maria Celeste Padilla, both of whom lived at the Basse Road property. Grinde until recently was a University Health System employee. Both he and Padilla, whose age is not known, have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The name of the third defendant was redacted from the indictment because the person has not yet made an initial court appearance, but information in other court records indicates that it's Flores.

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Flores figures in a wider federal investigation tied to the Nov. 15 search. He leads a group called the "Walk Down Gang," which appears to have sprouted from the "thug" lifestyle glamorized on social media, federal authorities say.

Flores operates a violent criminal enterprise involved in multiple murders, violent aggravated assaults, narcotics, and firearm trafficking and he and his associates are known to be in possession of Glock switches and other illegal automatic weapons, FBI Special Agent Charlie Davidson said in an affidavit. Switches are attachments that convert a firearm from semi-automatic to fully automatic.

The Nov. 15 raid involved personnel from the FBIs Safe Streets Task Force, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the San Antonio Police Department, including SWAT officers.

In Grinde's efficiency apartment, agents found two firearms, one of them a .45-caliber Glock 30 handgun equipped with a switch and a magazine loaded with 18 rounds. The second firearm, a Smith & Wesson handgun, was also loaded, an agent's affidavit said.

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Agents also recovered 114 grams of cocaine and 18.2 grams of pills containing psychedelic mushrooms. More psychedelic mushrooms were being grown outside, records show.

The search also netted 1,000 cartridges containing liquid THC and an additional 3.6 kilograms of the substance that was being used to fill other cartridges. Also seized were sheets of labels to be placed on the cartridges for distribution and sale. THC, or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, is the principal psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

In Grinde's unit agents also found two IDs showing that he worked for University Health, along with an award recognizing him for his work.

Grinde was a patient transporter for the public hospital system from Aug. 31, 2022, to Nov. 28, a University Health spokeswoman said.

The indictment said agents seized $6,389 from Grinde and $6,000 from Padilla. Agents also alleged that Padilla possessed a handgun, and that the unnamed third defendant possessed two, including an AK pistol.

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According to the affidavit, at least five people were at the Basse Road triplex on the morning of the raid, but Padilla warned them that law officers were about to swarm the property. As the officers arrived, they saw five men, some of them carrying guns, scatter to a house next door, according to an affidavit.

Law officers went to the house and detained all five. Padilla was not at the scene, but was later arrested and charged.

Separately, Grinde is facing state drug charges stemming from an arrest in May 2022, when SAPD officers found him and others with THC cartridges, which apparently were being sold to students at Harlan High School on the far West Side and at other area schools. Grinde is tentatively set to stand trial on those state charges in January.

He also is facing charges of fleeing from Bexar County Sheriff's deputies in October 2022. Court records say he abandoned the car he was driving and then fled on foot, but deputies found his University Health ID in the vehicle.

Flores and Chacon are charged with murder in the death of Joe Anthony Guerra, 30. He was tortured and beaten unconscious at the Basse Road unit where Flores lived, according to state court affidavits supporting the arrest of the two suspects.

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Guerra's body was found in a ditch in April 2022. His body was identified through his fingerprints. Bexar Countys medical examiner was unable to determine the cause or manner of death, the affidavits said. The documents do not say where in San Antonio Guerras body was found.
The sounds of not-so-friendly carolers were heard singing on Christmas morning, as dozens of Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the respective Virginia and Washington, D.C., homes of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

Sullivan and Austin are two of President Biden's top foreign affairs advisers.

The groups could be seen outside the officials' homes early Christmas morning as a large police presence also moved in.

"Austin, Austin, rise and shine, no sleep during genocide!" protesters were heard shouting in one of several clips shared by the far-left organization The Peoples Forum, which is opposed to Israel's war against Hamas terrorists.

PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS CONFRONT DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS, SHUT DOWN CHICAGO INTERSTATE

Pro-Palestinian protesters descended on the neighborhoods of U.S. Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Monday.

The organization also called on their supporters to show up to, "All out for Palestine! Christmas is cancelled" protest in New York City on Christmas Day, and added to bring candles, rubble, and materials for a nativity scene.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Other groups also took to social media to speak out about the Christmas Day protests in Washington D.C.

ALEC BALDWIN GETS IN SHOUTING MATCH WITH PRO-PALESTINIAN ACTIVISTS DURING NYC PROTESTS

Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters chanted slogans in the neighborhoods of U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Monday.

"Pro-Palestinian agitators show up to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austins home and harass him, as well as his entire neighborhood, this Christmas morning," the non-partisan Stop Antisemitism group wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Were not sure who needs to hear this but harassing a four star general who has served his country his entire career will not Free Palestine.'"

CONTROVERSIAL LEFT-WING ACTIVIST, 7 OTHERS ARRESTED AFTER PROBE INTO BRUTAL ASSAULT AT CALIFORNIA PROTEST

Christmas morning was interrupted in a Washington, D.C. neighborhood by dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters.

Police threatened to arrest the protesters if they did not shut down the protest.

It's unclear whether the men were home during the disturbances.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digitals request for comment.





Original article source: Pro-Palestinian protesters chant in front of Biden administration officials' homes on Christmas Day
An average election day for Gwendolyn Terreforte and her team often starts at 5 a.m. and can last well into the next morning.

Regardless of the long hours outside of a full-time job working for the state of Virginia, Terreforte wouldnt change a thing.

I just fell in love with it and Im very passionate about what I do, she said. Its something that, even when I retire, I can see that Ill probably give more time to do more with voter registration.

Now a chief judge of the central absentee precinct in Petersburg, Terreforte began her foray into elections work as a volunteer poll worker in 1986. At the time, she worked as an editorial assistant at the Richmond News Leader, where management encouraged staff to get involved in civic affairs.

The first polling place she worked was at Christ and Grace Church. During first three presidential elections that she volunteered for, she and her colleagues didnt leave the precinct until 3 a.m. after election day.

You have to like what you do and be passionate about it because, if you get there at 5 oclock in the morning and youre still there at 3 oclock the next morning on some of the election days, you have to finish what you started and you have to do it correctly and properly, she said.

Petersburg's voter registrar, Dawn Wilmoth, agreed with Terreforte.

"Gwen is level headed, and is not easily shaken which also makes her a great asset under pressure and duress," Wilmoth said. "These are trying positions at times and often it is said a very thankless job. It has to be in your gut conscious of convictions to demand clarity, accuracy and transparency in the election process."

Still active in elections 37 years later, Terreforte hopes to pass that love of civic engagement on to her children and grandchildren, just as her father, who worked the polls in Dinwiddie, did for her.

I really enjoy the fact that he too gave back to the community, she said.

The human engagement and tech behind counting and 'curing' absentee ballots

Terreforte has seen a three-fold increase of absentee ballots come through her precinct since the COVID-19 pandemic made the option more available to voters. Thankfully, technology has also advanced since 1986 to allow for a quicker, more efficient process. Now, the precinct uses electronic poll books and machines to help count the ballots, compared to paper rolls and hand counting.

Electronic poll books are laptops, tablets, or kiosks designed to replace paper poll lists, that access digital voter registration records for their representative jurisdiction, according to the United States Election Assistance Commission. The machines used to count the ballots are transportable DS200's - imagine a 64-gallon trashcan on four wheels with a computer screen that pops out when the lid is lifted up.

Her busy time starts in mid-September when shell come in to work as a volunteer in the evenings after her day job. By mid-October, she adds on weekend hours to that stint, as the number of absentee ballots received by her office increases as the election draws near.

She checks for absentee ballots that have come in through the mail or through the drop box at the start of her shift. She ensures the outer envelope of each ballot has every necessary piece of information from the voter. If anything is missing, she starts a process called curing the ballot. Shell call the voter and let them know that information is missing and will ask them to come down to the central absentee precinct to remedy to issue. Voters have up until provision ballots are counted to provide missing information.

We try our best to save every vote as humanly possible, she said.

That process goes on up through election day, and a specific pre-process date is set, usually on a Saturday or before the election, when absentee ballots are inserted into the machines. Both Republican and Democratic parties are notified of that date so that a designated observer can watch the process. Observers must present an official letter from their political party to do so.

During pre-processing of the absentee ballots, Terreforte will call out the name listed on each ballot envelope and announce whether it has all the information required to be considered valid before it is inserted into the machine.

Once the polls close on election night, the team at the central absentee precinct prints out about four copies of election results tape from the absentee ballot machine, the in-person voting machine and the provisional ballot machine. Then the team breaks into two groups to prepare statements of results. If observers are present, they are allowed to view both the the machine's public counter and the election tape results.

After all of that, the team is able to empty and secure the ballots from the respective machines and close and secure the machines.

"If Petersburg shines at Election time, Gwen had a hand in deciphering all those numbers and bringing it to fruition," Wilmoth said.

The work requires precision and transparency, and Terreforte said she feels honored to be able to maintain a key mechanism of democracy.

I started as a green-eared poll worker eager to learn and to see what it was all about, she said. Its just so rewarding in so many ways to me.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: 2023 Newsmaker Gwendolyn Terreforte: She makes sure absentee votes are counted
Three decades ago, it was nearly an even match.

Abortion-rights proponents and anti-abortion activists  at the culmination of a dramatic three-year political battle in the halls of the State House and across Maryland  turned out thousands of volunteers and flooded the airwaves with ads, spending practically dollar-for-dollar in the lead-up to the 1992 election.

Privacy, safety, choice, the ads supporting abortion said. Make them get it right, said the opposition.

The question at hand: whether Maryland would codify the protections of Roe v. Wade in what was then seen as the unlikely event that the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case would be overturned.

That ballot question was ultimately approved by 60% of voters  above expectations at a time when support for abortion rights among the public and elected officials in liberal-leaning Maryland was not automatic.

Now, for the first time since that historic ballot measure, Maryland voters will have the chance to make their voices heard on whether abortion should be protected even further.

A question being prepared for the November 2024 ballot will ask voters whether reproductive freedom should be enshrined in the state constitution. And, once again, supporters are saying Marylands expected support shouldnt be taken for granted.

Everywhere you turn, individual rights are under attack, and border states like West Virginia have already implemented near total abortion bans. Its critical we take steps now to ensure access in Maryland remains safe and reliable for the future, said Erin Bradley, a top Planned Parenthood staffer in Maryland who is among the leaders of a new organization aimed at raising awareness for the 2024 ballot question.

Freedom in Reproduction Maryland, or FIRM, is an organization thats just beginning to take shape. Among its goals will be to raise money to launch a campaign asking voters to support the constitutional amendment in the fall.

Advocates like Bradley acknowledge Marylands ballot question is in better standing than other, more conservative states like Ohio and Kansas that have already shown voters widely support keeping access to abortions since the fall of Roe in June 2022. Both before and after the Supreme Courts decision, Maryland elected pro-abortion rights Democrats by overwhelming margins statewide and passed new laws to expand abortion access, including the language for the constitutional amendment in early 2023.

But veterans of Marylands last public battle on abortion rights agree  even though Maryland is in a very different place politically than it was in the early 1990s, where Democrats now almost unilaterally agree on the issue and where polls show nearly three-quarters of the public support access  the abortion question will require a serious campaign.

Polls are polls, but people showing up to the ballot box are two totally different things, said Steven Rivelis, who, in 1990, chaired a political action committee whose sole mission was to elect abortion rights candidates and unseat anti-abortion incumbents in the Maryland General Assembly.

Rivelis work that year was spurred by a dramatic eight-day filibuster that killed legislation that would have protected abortion rights. Democrats were on both sides of the issue, split along a divide that at the time was more religious than partisan.

Every once in a while an issue comes up that has moral issues attached to it that nobody wants to face, but you have to face it, recalled former Democratic Sen. Frank Kelly, who was one of the anti-abortion floor leaders during the filibuster.

Kelly, of Baltimore County, said his position, one that he still holds, was based on his Catholic faith and on his personal history. His mother, he said, chose not to have an abortion when she was five months pregnant with him even though a doctor discovered a cyst that was potentially cancerous.

I dont think any of us wanted to deny a woman the right to make a decision, Kelly said of the 16 legislators, 13 Democrats and three Republicans, who were known as the blocks of granite for holding up the bill. But there are two lives: The mother and the child. And the child cant speak for itself.

The 1990 legislation failed after an attempt to send two versions of the bill, a more expansive abortion-access bill and another more restrictive version, to voters to let them decide.

Rivelis, who had been Planned Parenthoods first full-time lobbyist in Maryland starting in 1981, said he was sitting in the Senate chamber gallery with other activists during the final vote.

There was a fascinating degree of electricity on that day, Rivelis said. All of the work that we did up until then seemed to have indicated that we were supposed to win, so there was this sort of heightened sense of being deflated by one vote. Then folks sort of, within nanoseconds, went from this sort of being pissed off to channeling their anger to, What do we do next?

Rivelis answer to that question was Choice PAC, a first-of-its-kind campaign committee in Maryland. He and others went to work targeting legislators at the center of the filibuster and recruiting candidates to unseat them.

The results were unequivocal. Four of the five targeted Democrats lost in the primary six months later, including multi-term incumbents like Kelly, who was running for a fourth four-year term. Kelly soon afterward switched his party affiliation to Republican, a move he said he could have done before the election in order to win in November, though he said he wasnt willing to make the change just to win.

My faith required me to stand up, Kelly said. I knew I was going to lose and I stuck with it.

Del. Sandy Rosenberg, then a young lawyer not far removed from sitting in Ruth Bader Ginsburgs class on sex discrimination at Columbia Law School, had entered the House in 1983 as a staunch supporter of abortion rights, quickly becoming a prime sponsor of annual budget language requiring Medicaid to cover abortion care.

A floor leader in the House debates on codifying Roes protections, he called the filibuster a bitter fight that led directly to the sweeping changes in the election.

They lost  without a doubt, no question  because of their opposition to the bill and their support for the filibuster, Rosenberg said of the lawmakers. We knew we had the votes after that election.

That quickly proved true just a few months later. When the General Assembly reconvened for its annual 90-day session in early 1991, the legislation quickly passed and, in a rare bill signing ceremony early in the session, Gov. William Donald Schaefer approved the bill just 35 minutes after the final vote. Schaefer, a Democrat, had refused to take a position during the filibuster a year earlier.

Anti-abortion activists then successfully petitioned the bill to go to voters before taking effect  by collecting nearly 143,000 signatures, more than four times the required amount.

Rivelis recalled there was a great deal of nervousness heading into what became the November 1992 ballot question campaign.

Its one thing to line up the votes. You need the 24 in [the Senate] and 72 in the [House]. It is another thing to win in every precinct of the state, Rivelis said, noting the financial resources needed to reach voters. Everyone was nervous and biting their fingernails at that point.

Both sides came out in full force, nearly evenly splitting $3 million in combined fundraising and spending in the weeks before Election Day, according to news reports at the time.

Torrents of radio and television ads were unleashed. Thousands of volunteers went door-knocking and churchgoers found political flyers in their weekly bulletins, according to a report from The Baltimore Sun.

The Vote kNOw Coalition even recruited Dr. Ben Carson  then the renowned pediatric neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins and eventual cabinet member in Republican former President Donald Trumps administration  for a television ad that he quickly disavowed, apparently not understanding the impact of the proposed law, according to another Sun report.

It was definitely a national cause for the anti-choice forces, said Maura Keefe, who worked on the Maryland for Choice campaign and went on to a long career on Capitol Hill as a chief of staff for lawmakers.

Keefe said her group was ecstatic by the eventual win with 60% of the vote, which she attributes in part to the turnout generated by having Bill Clinton and U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, both Democrats, on the same ballot.

We were very happy to be striking the old law off the books and preparing for what we thought was a remote possibility, Keefe said, referring to the idea that national abortion protections could be wiped out with Roe. It turned out to be less than remote.

Keefe said it will be important for advocates to run a strong educational campaign again in 2024, especially as misinformation and attempts to muddy the waters spread in an attempt to make the question fail.

You cant just sort of expect that people will be pro-choice and automatically come out to vote for the referendum, Keefe said. You still need to tell them and get them to come out.

Rosenberg similarly said advocates cant take anything for granted because of false accusations that the language will allow for abortions on demand. Those claims were made at times by Republicans as lawmakers worked to pass the constitutional amendment language in early 2023.

Its not yet clear what kind of messaging Freedom in Reproduction Maryland, still in its early stages of developing a strategy for 2024, will include in its campaign  or how much money it will need to get that message across.

In Ohio this fall, a state constitutional amendment to protect abortion access drew $70 million in combined fundraising and spending. In Kansas last year, a ballot question asking voters to remove abortion protections had a $22 million price tag. The abortion-rights sides overwhelmingly won in both cases, by 13 percentage points and 18 percentage points, respectively. Both states lean more conservative than Maryland, where the 2024 constitutional amendment will be widely expected to pass and may not require the same level of resources from advocates.

Bradley, the executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of DC, Maryland and Virginia who is helping lead the new FIRM group, said only that more information about the effort in Maryland will be shared in the coming weeks. But, she hinted, the effort is expected to be costly even in a state that looks far different in its stance on abortion rights than it did the last time the issue was on the ballot.

With hundreds of millions of dollars spent on this fight nationally, we know this will be expensive and take the support of all of Marylands advocates, Bradley said.
NEW YORK (AP)  Federal prosecutors on Tuesday urged a judge to reject U.S. Sen. Bob Menendezs request to delay his bribery trial scheduled for next spring by two months, until July.

Prosecutors argued against the postponement a week after defense lawyers offered multiple reasons why they say a trial of the Democrat and codefendants, including his wife, should be delayed.

The senator gave up his position as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after his September arrest.

Prosecutors said the original May 6 trial date was appropriate and drew no objections when it was announced even though circumstances were the same.

The schedule was and remains reasonable, and in accord with the strong public interest in a speedy trial, prosecutors wrote.

Defense lawyers cited over 6.7 million documents to be reviewed, an unprecedented foreign-agent charge and complex legal questions to be addressed as they asked for a delay of a trial now scheduled for May 6. They said a two-month adjournment would still bring defendants to trial within 10 months of their arrests.

Four defendants, including Menendez, have pleaded not guilty to a bribery conspiracy charge that alleges that Menendez and his wife accepted bribes of cash, gold bars and a luxury car from three New Jersey businessmen who wanted the senators help and influence over foreign affairs.

The senator, his wife and a third defendant have also pleaded not guilty to a charge that they conspired to utilize the senator as an agent of the Egyptian government even though he was prohibited from doing so as a member of Congress.

In asking for a delay, defense lawyers wrote, Given the complexity of this case and the seriousness of the charges at issue, the speed with which this case is proceeding is extraordinary.

They said they plan to ask Judge Sidney H. Stein in Manhattan to dismiss the indictment on multiple grounds, including for constitutional and sufficiency reasons and because New York federal court is the wrong venue.

Prosecutors said in their letter to the judge that the voluminous amount of evidence turned over to the defense should not delay the trial because it was consistent with what the government promised at the first conference in October.

In short, if there were a right to have multiple months to digest discovery prior to filing motions, as the defendants appear to suggest, practice in this district would look quite different. The current schedule set by the Court is expedited, but reasonable, prosecutors said.
Marijuana excise tax revenue collected by the city of Pueblo peaked in 2021 and has fallen sharply ever since.

Nearly $800,000 was collected in 2021 but that number fell below $200,000 in 2022 and likely in 2023 as well.

The city of Pueblo collects an 8% excise tax on retail marijuana, but city council is going to consider eliminating marijuana excise taxes for the next three years on Tuesday evening.

Advocates say the move could help struggling cannabis growers within the city, while critics say the city should consider the significance of losing out on the tax revenue.

How excise taxes work

Excise taxes are different from the sales taxes consumers pay when they purchase items. These excise taxes are collected on retail marijuana grown in the city before its sold to consumers.

Pueblo can collect up to 15% in excise taxes, while counties in Colorado can collect up to 5%. The Chieftain has previously reported that Pueblo County currently collects the maximum 5%.

While Pueblos excise tax is just over half of the maximum allowed by state law, it is one of the highest rates in Colorado. The majority of municipalities that collect marijuana excise taxes do so at a 5% rate, according to data from the Colorado Municipal League current through April 2022.

The state of Colorado also collects a 15% excise tax on retail marijuana as well as a 15% state sales tax.

In November 2015, Pueblo voters approved an 8% excise tax on top of the 4.3% city sales tax first approved in 2010. The ordinance language allows the excise tax to be changed without voter approval, as long as the rate does not go over 15%.

What happened at the most recent council meeting

Pueblo city councilors listen to a presentation during a council meeting on Monday, October 16, 2023.

This ordinance to reduce excise taxes for three years was one of the last introduced by Vicente Martinez Ortega, the District 4 councilor who did not win another term in November.

The item was pulled from the first reading of the consent agenda during the last council meeting on Dec. 11 by Councilor Regina Maestri.

Maestri said that marijuana tax revenue has become a source of revenue for this community and that eliminating some of the taxes now would be a kick in the teeth to people who first supported marijuana legalization for the case of increased tax revenue.

She also said that the city should be careful with its finances and shouldnt be taking any revenue off the books right now, especially since the city has used over $10 million from the fund balance for the latest city budget.

City Councilor Dennis Flores acknowledged that the marijuana industry in Colorado has been struggling, especially as more states start to legalize cannabis.

Flores first said that he would consider an amendment to the ordinance to reduce the rate of excise taxes on marijuana growers within city limits to help the businesses struggling at the moment, but after hearing about the drastic drop in excise tax collected, said the city should drop the excise tax in an effort to try to save the businesses.

City Clerk Marisa Stoller confirmed to council that at least two marijuana grows in the city have shut down in 2023.

Council president Heather Graham, who is incumbent mayor Nick Gradisars opponent in the upcoming mayoral runoff election, said the city should consider what approximately half a million dollars in lost revenue would mean over the course of three years.

It's something that we shouldn't quit collecting because the marijuana industry isn't what it was all cracked up to be, Graham said.

Martinez Ortega said that the excise tax is outdated from when marijuana was first legalized.

To make us competitive and keep jobs and recruit new jobs, we need to update this excise tax, which is between the grow and the dispensary, Martinez Ortega said.

Maestri was the only councilor to vote against the item on first reading.

This isnt the first time council has talked about marijuana excise taxes

Dr. Malik Hasan is a local doctor and businessman who runs the NuVue dispensaries in the Pueblo area.

Hasan came to speak at a city council work session in May, which got off to a rocky start when he insulted Graham and was reluctant to abide by the 15-minute time slot allocated for him to speak.

After eight minutes of back-and-forth  Hasan referred to the city councilors as nincompoops at one point  Hasan told city council that the high excise taxes are hurting local businesses and noted that other large cities in Colorado dont collect them.

Hasan also attempted to refer a ballot question effectively eliminating the citys marijuana excise taxes on the ballot in summer 2022, but did not collect enough signatures.

Anna Lynn Winfrey covers politics for the Pueblo Chieftain. She can be reached at awinfrey@gannett.com. Please support local news at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Why Pueblo City Council may slash marijuana excise taxes
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has signed a law that adversely affects the rights of foreign co-owners of Russian companies, according to the laws profile on the Russian governments website, published on Dec. 26.

Read also: International shareholders halt participation in key Russian LNG project

Law  625-FZ extends corporate anti-crisis measures into 2024 and allows for the continued undermining of rights of foreign co-owners until the end of 2025.

As before, this can be done by court decision under the pretext that so-called unfriendly co-owners hinder the normal functioning of the company. This includes actions such as publicly announcing the cessation of their operations in Russia, terminating significant contracts, or laying off more than a third of their employees since Feb. 24, 2022 until Dec. 31, 2024.

Restrictions include a ban on participating in shareholder meetings, receiving dividends, sharing profits, and managing shares or stakes.

However, these rules do not apply to organizations implementing projects for the production of liquefied natural gas under production sharing agreements.

It was previously reported that international shareholders of the Russian Arctic LNG 2 project have halted their participation due to U.S. sanctions.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
A blind girl with a brain tumour sang for the Queen and gave her a handmade ring during a private afternoon tea at Windsor Castle.

Olivia Taylor, seven, who has been blind since she was diagnosed aged 17 months, shouted Hello, your Majesty while jumping with excitement when Camilla walked into the White Drawing Room.

Olivias teddy called Corrie, given to her around the time of the Kings Coronation, had a seat at the table along with a personalised biscuit.

Olivia also tried her very first cup of tea, which was poured by the Queen.

After a long sip, she said I love tea, to which the Queen replied: Oh, you love tea. There you are youll be able to have tea from now on.

Olivia was invited to Windsor Castle after the Queen learned she had performed with the Bexley Music Primary Choir at Buckingham Palace as part of the pre-recorded Kings Christmas broadcast.

And she gave the Queen a preview during their tea by standing up and singing Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer before receiving a round of applause.

Olivia was given a round of applause after performing a Christmas song for the Queen - Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

Olivia was accompanied by her four-year-old sister Imogen and their parents Lisa and Matt. They tucked into sandwiches - particularly Olivia, who asked for more ham ones - scones, Santa cakes and biscuits that were personalised with the girls names.

The Queen, who was wearing a red dress, asked Mr and Mrs Taylor if they wanted to take the leftover cake home, because otherwise Ill eat it!

Mrs Taylor told Camilla how Olivia has been on chemotherapy most of her life after she was diagnosed with a grade one brain tumour but is on a break at the moment and it was really lovely that this all happened while she is so well, to which the Queen replied shes so happy - and chatty.

Corrie goes along to all of Olivias hospital appointments and joins her in the MRI scanner.

Mrs Taylor, from Bexley, south east London, described the White Drawing Room to Olivia before the Queen arrived, which is where the Paddington Bear scene was filmed with the late Queen as part of the platinum jubilee celebrations.

Olivia was taken around part of the room by Camillas equerry, Major Oliver Plunket, to feel the decor.

The Queen also described the cupcake with Santa on and helped Olivia to feel Santas feet and his head.

Olivia then told the Queen she had made her a purple ring, which Camilla called beautiful before putting it on.

Olivia was taken into the Crimson Drawing Room to feel replicas of the Coronation orb and sceptre - Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

Olivia and Imogen were also given a bag full of presents which included a Corgi teddy, chocolate chip shortbread, Corgi socks, a pencil with a crown, a Corgi Christmas tree decoration and chocolate coins.

Holding the Christmas tree decoration, Camilla said to Mrs Taylor: Well have to change these one day to a Jack Russell terrier, which Ive got.

The Queen told Olivia she thought Corrie was going to be a bit jealous as she hugged the Corgi teddy and giggled.

At the end of the meeting, the Queen hugged and kissed the sisters goodbye and asked Olivias parents to keep her informed of her progress, adding: Shes been such a brave little girl, Im so glad to have met her.

The family posed for a photo to remember the occasion and both sisters curtseyed for the Queen, which they had been practising.

Olivia was then taken into the Crimson Drawing Room to feel a Christmas tree, parts of glass from a chandelier, chain mail armour and then to touch Coronation items including replicas of the Queens crown - which she tried on - and replicas of the orb and sceptre.

After the meeting, Olivia said she loved meeting the Queen and the afternoon was really, really good.

Mrs Taylor described meeting the Queen as absolutely amazing.

Olivia and the Queen posed for a photo with her family - four-year-old sister Imogen and their parents Lisa and Matt - Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

She added: It feels like a dream, doesnt it Olivia.

Its just indescribable really, were on a break from chemo and trying to live in the present and make happy memories.

I cant believe this has happened to us in the last few weeks.

Chance is were going to be back on chemo in January so its really good weve got the opportunity to do this now.

Mrs Taylor described Camilla as really warm and friendly and kind and really good with children.

She said: Olivia just blows our minds every day, everyone that meets Olivia falls in love with her, shes got such a good spirit, shes so happy.

Disabilities dont define people, yes thats part of her but its more about her kind personality than anything else. Were living in the present, we just have to make adjustments, its all sensory, the smells, tastes and touches.

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(FOX40.COM)  After a Christmas weekend that saw only cloudy skies with dry conditions, it looks like wet weather will begin returning to Northern California for the New Year.

According to the National Weather Service Sacramento station, widespread light to moderate rain will move into the region on Wednesday before slowing down on Thursday.

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The areas to be most effected by this incoming storm will be the far north coast, northern Sacramento Valley and around the lakes district.

At least an inch of rain is expected to fall in these areas, mostly on Wednesday.

In the Sacramento area, rainfall is expected to be less eventful with a half-inch of rain falling in the capital city at the most.

Northern San Joaquin is only expected to get as much as a quarter-inch of rain.

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Further north into the Sacramento Valley and east into the Sierra Nevada foothills, rain totals are forecasted to peak at one-inch.

In the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, between 5,000 and 6,000 feet, some snow may be seen, but the NWS has not shared their forecasted totals.

There is a 15% to 20% that at least four inches of snow will fall at the pass level, according to the NWS.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40.
For the first time in the zoos 134-year history, an endangered, horned creature welcomed a calf on Christmas Eve, Zoo Atlanta announced.

Kiazi, a 22-year-old southern white rhinoceros, gave birth to a calf after more than a year of pregnancy, Zoo Atlanta said in a Dec. 25 Facebook post.

The calf appears to be healthy and strong, and Kiazi is providing appropriate maternal care, according to the Animal Care and Veterinary Teams, who continue to monitor the pair closely, the zoo said. Kiazi, 22, has experience as a mother, having given birth to two previous living offspring at another organization prior to moving to Zoo Atlanta. Mother and calf will have an opportunity to continue to bond behind the scenes before entering the rhino habitat.

President and CEO of Zoo Atlanta, Raymond B. King, said the birth was long-awaited news due to the long gestation period for rhinos.

Pregnancy for a white rhino is among the animal kingdoms longest, the zoo said, lasting anywhere from 16 to 18 months.

The calves are 100 to 150 pounds at birth. It takes that long gestation to get that big, the zoo says.

Southern white rhinos, the largest of the rhino species, are listed as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and are hunted illegally for their iconic horns, the zoo said.

Southern white rhinos are especially vulnerable because they often travel in herds in the wild, a behavior that makes it easier for poachers to locate them, the zoo said. Powdered rhino horn is believed by some cultures to possess medical properties, although rhino horns are made of keratin  the same substance found in human hair and fingernails  and have no known medical value.

White rhinoceros is taken from the Afrikaans word describing its mouth: wyd, meaning wide. Early English settlers misinterpreted the wyd for white, according to the International Rhino Foundation.

The calf is the first-born of 12-year-old male white rhino Mumbles, and the second rhino ever born at the zoo.

Rare horned creature welcomes new baby at Florida zoo. See the endangered calf

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Matthew Mathias Mojica IV, 18, was arrested after police said he struck a man while intoxicated late Christmas Day on the South Side. Tetra Images/Getty Images/Tetra images RF

Police arrested an 18-year-old man who they said was intoxicated when he struck a man late Monday on the South Side.

Matthew Mathias Mojica IV was charged with intoxication assault, a third-degree felony.

According to the preliminary report, Mojica was driving a Lexus IS250 southbound on Roosevelt Avenue near Southeast Loop 410 shortly before 8 p.m. while another driver of a Chevy Equinox was traveling northbound.

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ALSO READ: CLEAR Alert issued for missing pregnant teen after she failed to show up for scheduled induced labor

Mojica failed to give the other driver the right of way when he attempted to make a left turn toward Loop 410, the report states. He then struck the Chevy, which caused the Lexus to hit a 67-year-old man walking along the east sidewalk of Roosevelt, according to police.

EMS arrived on the scene and transported the man to the San Antonio Military Medical Center with serious injuries.

Police said they evaluated Mojica and found that he was intoxicated during the incident.

He was booked late Monday, and his bail is set at $60,000.
Is it really a Tampa political event if The Weave isnt there?

They call him The Weave.

Ron Weaver, a Harvard-educated Tampa real estate lawyer, is everywhere. There he is seated front and center behind the public lectern at Tampa City Council and Hillsborough County Commission meetings, waiting for his chance to speak to elected officials. (Or in the old days, to sing to them. More on that later.)

At muckety-muck weddings, funerals, galas, landmark openings, important retirements, hes there, weaving his way through the crowd to shake hands, speak to people and remember what they last talked about  details hes recorded on a million index cards over the years.

Million is not much of an exaggeration. His Christmas card list hit 1,600.

At the whos-who opening of historic Goody Goody restaurant in Hyde Park in 2016, he stepped inside dressed in his neat suit, stopped at tables where notables brushed away Cuban toast crumbs to shake hands, circled the room, then made a smooth exit. Classic Weave. Someone who didnt know better might have thought he was the owner.

At events, sometimes he pays for his dinner but slips out after cocktails to get to the next happening.

I weave in and out of the back so I dont offend anybodys rubber chicken, Weaver recently said. Such gatherings are important, he said, so when its time to decide whether to go to one Christmas party or five, I usually go to five.

Not that hes all about the party.

In his five decades in Tampa, Weaver, of the Stearns Weaver Miller firm, has become a respected player in the land-use world. Hes had a hand in the acquisition and development of more than $6 billion in Florida properties, including 100,000 homes and 15 million square feet of retail space. Hes spoken about land-use issues across the country and advocated locally for what he calls the courage to fund transportation. A group called Real Estate Lives, which he founded after the Great Recession of 2008, has helped thousands who were out of work.

At 74, he retires at years end.

As long as Ive been around and active in public service and politics, there has always been Ron Weaver, said former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn. He is a uniquely Tampa figure.

Its a certain Ron Weaver handshake  he keeps his arm close to his body and the hand is extended, Good morning, good to see you, how are you, very pleasant, said Tampa City Council chairperson Guido Maniscalco. Hes everywhere, he knows pretty much everyone. Hes very much Tampa.

Raised in a North Carolina farming town, Weaver talks about watching an old-school barn-raising with all the neighbors pitching in. When he was being interviewed by law firms for jobs, Tampa felt like a town getting going  like a city at 10 a.m. in its day, he said.

To his eye, the infamous Hillsborough County Commission bribery scandal of the 1970s and 80s changed the days of the old aw-shucks zoning applications with good old boys to a more sophisticated and transparent system. He wasnt involved in the cases in the scandal, but calls came in after three commissioners were indicted, he said.

Suddenly my phone started ringing off the hook on land use and zoning and growth management, he said.

His father had to drop out of school in the eighth grade to support his family, he said. When Weaver was 4, his dad was working selling seed when he taught his son to go up to a farmer customer, say he was Ronnie Weaver and shake hands.

Ive been doing that ever since, meeting people and being glad to meet people as my dad encouraged me, he said.

Longtime locals remember stories, like back when Tampa City Council chambers had thick blue drapes near the speakers lectern to block the sunlight. Weaver was making an impassioned argument when his arms got tangled in the curtains.

I literally made myself a straitjacket. I couldnt move my arms, he said. But he proceeded apace while disentangling himself and, according to witnesses, finished his speech just as his three minutes were up.

About the singing: At government meetings from 1994 to 2008, Weaver would sometimes turn a presentation into a sort of a capella rock opera. Think Meatloafs Id Do Anything for Love (But I Wont Do That), except with lyrics about how the government would do anything to take your property.

It got them to wake up, he said. Half his friends thought it was great. The rest told him it was tacky.

When he gives frequent talks to groups like Leadership Tampa Bay, he tells them: Be audacious and do what you fear. That comes from ninth grade, when he was supposed to sing We Three Kings but forgot the words. It made him afraid of a microphone, he said.

But now I love it, he said. I got the courage to speak up again and Ive been doing it ever since. Dont fear youll forget the words.

Weaver is especially known for his recall of details about people. I could have had a conversation (with him) five years ago, and he remembers, Maniscalco said.

Weaver said he learned about the power of index cards at a seminar for young lawyers encouraging them to write on them every night. His cards contain anything from interesting details he learned about someone  the subject of their doctoral thesis, maybe  to points of the law to someone who just moved to town and is looking for the best dog groomer.

Whatever people were interested in, I wrote down on one of those million 3-by-5 cards, he said.

Gregory Morgan, broker associate with Smith & Associates Real Estate, said on the few nights he attends two events, he sees Weaver at both and later hears he went to three more. Walk up when Weaver is talking with someone and youll be introduced with details.

And then hes gone and youve met someone, Morgan said. Hes absolutely the best networker Ive ever met. Hes almost like the pied piper  he has an ability to pull people together.

Weaver arrived here to a sleepier downtown.

I probably only expected half of this, he said of the citys recent boom. I did not expect the magnificence of Water Street. Its amazing to see the way weve become a world-class city and one of Time magazines best places.

In retirement, he will no doubt network, and travel with his wife, Jackie, and also continue teaching on very varied subjects  diversity, Tampas history, women transforming the town, Vladimir Putin.

Hes just become part of the fabric of Tampa, said Buckhorn. One of the colorful, likable, endearing characters of Tampa life.
Washington  Election Day 2024 may still be 11 months away, but the first stage of the battle over control of the House is underway, with redistricting fights being waged in courtrooms from Louisiana to New York.

In a dozen states, congressional maps drawn after the 2020 Census have been challenged under federal voting rights law and the U.S. Constitution, leading to drawn-out legal battles in some states over the redistricting plans they began crafting in 2021. Disputes in Georgia, Louisiana and Alabama, in particular, have been closely watched, as Democrats could pick up a seat in each of the states.

"All are places where districts are at play, and it still remains unclear in a lot of these places whether there are changes that will result in Republican-drawn gerrymanders being undone," said Kareem Crayton, a redistricting expert at the Brennan Center for Justice.

Seats picked up by Democrats in New York and Republicans in North Carolina, meanwhile, could offset one another once  in the case of New York maps are redrawn.

"The biggest takeaway is that blue states' representation might get bluer, and red states redder," said Dave Wasserman, senior editor and elections analyst for the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter. "That's the big takeaway from North Carolina and New York."

Heading into the 2024 general elections, Republicans are looking to maintain their majority in the House, though whether they are successful in doing so could come down to less than two dozen seats. The GOP currently has a slim, eight-seat majority in the House, though their ranks are expected to shrink further next year with the resignations of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy at the end of the year and Rep. Bill Johnson of Ohio, who will become president of Youngstown State University in March.

The seat held by former Rep. George Santos of New York, who was expelled from the House on Dec. 1, is now vacant, with the

special election to fill his seat set to take place on Feb. 13.

But Adam Kincaid, executive director of the National Republican Redistricting Trust, said he does not believe the ongoing redistricting litigation will have a significant impact on the fight for House control.

"My expectation is either party will be plus-or-minus two," he said of gains by Republicans and Democrats. "The battle for the House will be driven by the top of the ticket."

Here is a look at some of the states where fights over congressional maps could impact which party controls the House:

New York

Made up of 15 Democrats and 11 Republicans, New York's congressional delegation could see changes to its makeup after the state's highest court ordered an independent redistricting commission to redraw the district lines earlier this month.

Though the state constitution directs the bipartisan panel to craft voting maps, the Democrat-controlled legislature has final approval under state law, and new congressional boundaries could give Democrats an edge in up to six districts currently held by Republicans.

New York's Court of Appeals, its top court, set a Feb. 28 deadline for the redistricting commission to complete a new map, after which it would head to the state legislature for approval. Republican lawmakers who could see their districts changed, though, have predicted the new lines will be challenged in court.

North Carolina

The state's Republican-controlled legislature adopted a new congressional voting map in October that could bolster the party's efforts to maintain its House majority.

North Carolina's 14-member congressional delegation is currently split between seven Democrats and seven Republicans, but under the voting lines adopted by state lawmakers, the GOP is favored to win in 10 districts while Democrats are favored in three. One seat, currently held by Democratic Rep. Don Davis, is considered a toss-up.

After the new map was adopted, three Democrats in the House, Reps. Jeff Jackson, Wiley Nickel and Kathy Manning, announced that they would not seek reelection, arguing their districts were gerrymandered to benefit Republicans.

At least two lawsuits have been filed challenging the new congressional lines, which argue in part that the congressional map was unconstitutionally drawn to minimize minority voter strength. In one legal challenge brought in federal court, the NAACP, group Common Cause and eight Black voters claim the congressional map intentionally discriminates against Black voters. The plaintiffs accused the state legislature of intentionally delaying enactment of the plan to frustrate judicial review before the 2024 elections.

Though the voters and civil rights groups have asked the court to block state officials from holding any elections under the GOP-drawn maps, they are calling for remedial plans to be enacted for the 2026 general election.

An Alabama Senate committee discusses a proposal to draw new congressional district lines on July 20, 2023, in Montgomery, Ala. / Credit: Kim Chandler / AP

Alabama

The congressional voting boundaries adopted by the Republican-led state legislature has been at the center of a legal battle that has landed before the Supreme Court at least twice. In June, the high court upheld a lower court ruling that found the plan likely violated the Voting Rights Act and required state lawmakers to redraw its map to include a second district that gave Black voters the opportunity to elect their favored candidate.

Alabama lawmakers returned to the Supreme Court in September after their redrawn map was blocked by the U.S. district court, though their request to use the voting boundaries for the upcoming elections was denied.

The order from the high court this fall cleared the way for a special master to continue work on a remedial plan, and the federal judges selected in October a new map, which gives Alabama a second district where Black voters make up a significant portion of the electorate.

The newly-drawn district, the 2nd Congressional District, is a likely pick-up for Democrats, according to the Cook Political Report.

The legal fighting in Alabama may not be over, though. The court-drawn maps followed legal wrangling in response to a preliminary injunction issued by the three-judge district court panel, and Wes Allen, Alabama's secretary of state, said in October the court-selected map will be used in the 2024 election cycle.

But in his post to social media, Allen said "the legal portion of this process has not yet been completed." A trial before the three-judge panel is set to take place in 2025.

Crayton said the long-running case in Alabama is an example of "aggressive legal approaches" states have taken to extend the fight over voting maps.

House Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee Chairman Rob Leverett, R-Elberton looks at a state House district map proposed by Republicans, Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, at the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta. / Credit: Jeff Amy / AP

Georgia



Republicans in Georgia, who are looking to maintain the party's 9-5 majority in the state's congressional delegation, convened for a special session after a federal judge ruled in October that some of its congressional and state legislative maps were drawn in a racially discriminatory manner, in violation of the Voting Rights Act.

The judge, U.S. District Judge Steve Jones, ordered state lawmakers to draw an additional majority-Black congressional district and gave them until Dec. 8 to adopt a remedial plan.

Republicans in the state legislature finalized a new plan earlier this month, meeting Jones' deadline. The map preserved the party's 9-5 edge for the congressional delegation and dissolved the district of Rep. Lucy McBath, a Democrat, but drew a new majority-Black district west of metro Atlanta.

GOP mapmakers said the new boundaries comply with Jones' order, but in a hearing before the judge on Wednesday, lawyers for voters challenging the redrawn lines said the state lawmakers failed to remedy the vote dilution harm.

Jones said he would rule "very quickly" on whether the new map will be allowed to stand. If he declines to adopt the new congressional plan, the judge could appoint a special master to redraw the House district lines.

Louisiana

Like in the legal fight over Alabama's congressional district lines, Louisiana also turned to the Supreme Court after a federal judge in the state invalidated a map drawn by Republican state lawmakers in 2022 and found it likely violated the Voting Rights Act.

The high court paused the district court ruling while it considered the case involving Alabama's boundaries, but lifted its stay after issuing its decision in that dispute. The order from the Supreme Court paved the way for new congressional voting lines to be drawn to include a second majority-Black district before the 2024 elections. Republicans currently hold five of the state's six congressionals seats.

Louisiana lawmakers now have until the end of January to craft and approve a new map, which they would have to do during a special session. Gov.-elect Jeff Landry is set to be sworn in Jan. 8, and the state legislature is expected to convene for a special session on redistricting beginning Jan. 15, according to WAFB.

If the state legislature declines to enact new lines by the court-ordered deadline, the district court will hold a trial and decide on a plan for the 2024 elections, a federal appeals court said in a November opinion.

Wasserman said there could be gains for Democrats in Louisiana and Georgia because of the ongoing Voting Rights Act lawsuits, but noted that any delay in the legal proceedings would be favored by Republicans.

"Running out the clock can be a political strategy for a party that doesn't want the map to change," he said.

Florida

While the other redistricting fights are playing out in the federal courts, a state judge in Florida invalidated the congressional lines drawn in northern Florida. The map dismantled the state's 5th Congressional District, a heavily Black district, which challengers argued was an attempt to deny Black voters the chance to elect their preferred candidate.

The judge, Circuit Judge J. Lee Marsh, found that the new voting boundaries violated the Florida Constitution and blocked the state from using them. The map, though, remained in place for the 2022 midterm elections after appeals, and Democratic Rep. Al Lawson, who previously represented the 5th District, lost his reelection bid.

A state appellate court, though, upheld the lines earlier this month. Voting rights groups appealed the decision to the state supreme court, which is composed of five justices appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Kincaid said he expects the voting lines to be upheld by the Florida Supreme Court and he argued they comply with the state and federal constitutions.

UNITED STATES - MAY 10: Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., conducts a news conference on the investigation into the Biden family's

South Carolina



The Supreme Court heard arguments in October over whether South Carolina's Congressional District 1 was racially gerrymandered in violation of the Constitution, but appeared likely to leave the district lines in place.

Republicans in the state drew the lines following the 2020 Census to give the district a stronger GOP tilt. To accomplish this goal, they moved more than 140,000 residents out of District 1 and into Congressional District 6, long represented by Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn.

The redistricting plan was enacted in January 2022, but the NAACP and a voter challenged the boundaries of Congressional District 1, alleging it was designed with discriminatory intent. A three-judge panel agreed and found race was the predominant factor in the drawing of the district.

South Carolina's GOP lawmakers argued they were driven by politics, not race, and used party to achieve their goals, which has effectively been allowed since the Supreme Court in 2019 said federal courts don't have a role in deciding partisan gerrymandering claims.

"We have vastly different sets of rules from state-to-state and Congress is essentially now a crazy quilt of states that have relatively neutral processes and states that have hyper-partisan processes for drawing maps," Wasserman said of the fallout from the 2019 decision.

Congressional District 1 is currently represented by a Republican, Rep. Nancy Mace, who handedly defeated her Democratic opponent in 2022, with the new map in place.

If the Supreme Court, which has yet to issue its decision, upholds the lower court's decision ordering the state to craft a new map, Congressional District 1 could be drawn to be more competitive.

But Wasserman said the main obstacle is timing, since the Supreme Court's opinion could come after the filing period for House candidates opens in mid-March.

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Camden County authorities found human remains they believe belong to a man missing for a decade, after a YouTuber told the sheriffs office he located the Camdenton mans vehicle in a pond.

Detectives from the Camden County Sheriffs Office and cadaver dogs had been searching the pond on private property since Dec. 16, when Donnie Erwins Hyundai Elantra was found submerged.

Divers recovered human remains near the center of the pond Sunday morning, where cadaver dogs had pointed them the day before. They also recovered an artificial hip that matched one Erwin had.

Investigators said theyre confident the remains and artificial hip found belong to Erwin, but will need to wait for confirmation from a forensic pathologist.

All of us at the Camden County Sheriffs Office who have investigated this case for ten years are elated at the recovery and overjoyed with the closure we know this brings to the family, the sheriffs office wrote in a news release.

This development would not have been possible without the assistance of countless volunteers throughout the years. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you all.

The sheriffs office received a tip which led to the major break in the case on Dec. 16 from James Hinkle, a Camden County resident and videographer who runs the Echo Divers YouTube channel. Hinkle had been investigating the case and documenting his findings on the channel.

While flying his drone, Hinkle said he believed he saw a vehicle submerged in a small pond on a private property, according to the sheriffs office.

Hinkle told the sheriffs office he talked with the property owner and got permission to search the area on foot and by kayak. He found a light-colored car submerged in the pond.

Deputies and detectives from the sheriffs office and members of the Mid-County Fire Protection District dive team searched the pond, found a vehicle with a license plate number that matched Erwins car and recovered it.

Erwin was last seen Dec. 29, 2013, when he left his home in the 2002 Hyundai. Loved ones told authorities he vanished without a trace.
The remains of a 5-year-old boy who disappeared more than 20 years ago have been found.

Virginias Carroll County Sheriffs Office announced on Thursday that human remains discovered in a wooded area in Galax, Virginia, have been confirmed to be those of Logan Nathaniel Bowman.

The childs remains were located last year inside a trash bag by a man who had recently bought the property, local news station WSLS reported. The remains had been there for an extended period of time, the sheriffs office said.

Logan Nathaniel Bowman in a photo released by the Carroll County Sheriff's Office.

Logan Nathaniel Bowman in a photo released by the Carroll County Sheriff's Office.

Law enforcement partnered with a private forensic genealogy company to develop a DNA profile on the remains, which they were able to compare with DNA from Logans family members.

When Logan went missing in 2003, his mother, Cynthia Davis, and her then-boyfriend, Dennis Schermerhorn, were both charged in connection to the case. Davis entered a plea deal to serve 15 years in prison and 15 years probation on homicide and child neglect charges, according to CNN. A judge dismissed a murder charge against Schermerhorn, though he was sentenced to a year in prison for one count of neglect.

The sheriffs office said in its release that new charges are anticipated in the case.

Logans father, Wayne Bowman, told local news station WFXR that his son was a good kid and a lot of people loved him.

He also said he felt a sense of relief at the remains being found.

I can go on, I know where hes at now, Bowman said. I dont have to worry where hes at. I know it hurts, but its going to be OK. We have to go on, one day I will see him in heaven.

Related...
Looking toward the new year, the Springfield Art Museum is preparing for two new exhibitions and a temporary closure starting in the fall.

All of the museum's exhibitions will conclude by Sept. 1, 2024, to prepare for construction that is part of the museum's 2028 Campaign. Construction is slated to begin in January 2025 and is expected to continue through 2027.

According to a Springfield Art Museum news release, the museum plans to continue offering art-making programs and other services throughout this closure period. However, the museum's collection will remain out of view.

Announced in 2018, the museum's 2028 Campaign is a comprehensive site plan for the building and grounds. The plan's purpose is to expand educational and public programming at the museum and create an adjacent park and greenway trail on the grounds. The completion of the entire project will coincide with the museum's 100th anniversary in 2028.

Over the past two years, several parts of the site plan have been completed, including improvements to Fassnight Creek near the museum, a Greenway Trails connection to Fassnight Creek and improvements to the museum's parking lot and amphitheater. Renovation of the museum's education wing, west entry, galleries and back of house will be completed during the two-year closure period.

What new exhibits are coming in 2024?

The art museum is opening two new exhibitions in the new year, both open April 20, 2024 through Sept. 1, 2024.

One of the exhibitions, "Breath, Light, and Distance" will feature cloudscapes from the museum's permanent collection. Featured artists include Alice Dalton Brown, Yvonne Jacquette, Robert Kipniss, Patrick Procktor, Dag Hol and Kenneth V. White, according to the news release.

The other exhibition, "Renaissance Works on Parchment and Paper," also pulls from the museum's permanent collection. This exhibition highlights the museum's collection of Renaissance manuscripts and prints, according to the news release.

The exhibition was guest curated by Missouri State University Art + Design Department professor Mitzi Kirkland-Ives, with additional research provided by her students and Missouri State Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions professors Magda Hayton.

Exhibitions continuing from 2023 include:

Jordan Eagles' "ONE BLOOD" (until Feb. 18, 2024)

"Spirit of Independence: Kent Bicentennial Portfolio" (until April 7, 2024)

"Collection Focus" Lithography" (until April 7, 2024)

"Ancient Artifacts Abroad" (until June 16, 2024)

"Creating an American Identity (until July 1, 2024)

"Survey of Ceramic Art (until July 1, 2024)

Collection Focus: Bradi Barth (through Sept. 1, 2024)

Collection Focus: Glenna Goodacre (through Sept. 1, 2024)

More: Here's what to know about the art museum's new exhibit, featuring human blood sculptures

Exhibitions returning to the museum include:

"All School Exhibition" (March 2, 2024-April 21, 2024)

"Missouri State University MFA Showcase" (May 4-26, 2024)

"Watercolor USA 2024" (June 18, 2024-Sept. 1, 2024)

If you would like to receive updates about the 2028 Campaign, the city of Springfield is offering email updates to community members. To sign up, visit the City of Springfield website and complete the Notify Me form.

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield Art Museum announces 2024 exhibitions, construction closure
For the first time, this year advocates seeking reparations for the harms inflicted on Black people during centuries of slavery in America saw a movement for redress that elicits hope.

Many municipalities either started or are forming commissions to address compensation to the descendants of enslaved Africans.

California has made the most zealous effort. The states reparations task force spent two years researching the impact of the generational damage of the discriminatory practices and produced a 1,100-page report with comprehensive recommendations that it considers to be the blueprint for other cities and states  and the federal government  to follow.

The blockbuster file includes a method to calculate financial compensation for those eligible for redress. More than 400 organizations have signed on to support reparations in the countrys most populous state.

While Evanston, Illinois, became the first city in the country in 2021 to actually pay reparations to its eligible Black residents, and New York recently enacted a commission to study the effects of slavery there, Californias push represents a major swing in the decadeslong fight for reparations. Yet Californians are looking ahead to the next year to see if any of these recommendations will actually come to fruition  and if there is enough political will to make it so.

Indeed, the road to reparations remains arduous.

Opposition is significant. Californias efforts surpassed those of the federal government. And while many cities and states are creating reparation committees, they are far from getting money into peoples pockets.

A rally in support of reparations for African Americans outside City Hall in San Francisco on Sept. 19, 2023. (Eric Risberg / AP)

And then theres the underlaying reticence of a significant part of the population: Public opinion  meaning white people and white politicians  is not sympathetic to our plight and how it is tied to slavery, said Jonathan Wright, a Los Angeles entrepreneur who attended three of the dozen California reparation public hearings.

In fact, a 2022 Pew Research Center poll said that 77% of Black adults believe descendants of enslaved Africans in the U.S. should receive reparations in some way, but only 18% of white respondents agreed.

Call me a pessimist, Wright said. They have benefited from slavery and discrimination for centuries, but they cant even tolerate the idea that our families for generations have been impacted by this. Its OK for them to benefit, but not for us to be compensated. Thats what were dealing with and that makes me pessimistic.

Those pushing for reparations understand Wrights position. But many in California and beyond who are committed have a strategy they believe will be decisive. Their plan is to educate the naysayers or uninformed on why reparations are deserved and needed, and use that newfound support as leverage with politicians who could bring forward reparation studies and proposals.

Assemblyman Reginald Jones-Sawyer, a member of the California Reparations Task Force, during a meeting to hear public input in Los Angeles on Sept. 22, 2022. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images file)

To that end, Assemblymember Reginald Jones-Sawyer, who was on the California Reparations Committee, has spent much of his time since the publication of the recommendations report visiting groups and communities of all races, sharing knowledge about reparations, how they would work and why they are important.

And I will tell you, its been received well, Jones-Sawyer said. He said there has been strong engagement and people asked questions that conveyed their interest. We dispelled a lot of misconceptions and explained why this push for reparations is still needed in 2023, 2024 and beyond if were going to make this a just society.

The committees report lays out 112 recommendations that include programs around housing, education and public health, among many others. The California Legislative Black Caucus has hired a team of experts to whittle down the massive report to a digestible length. That condensed report will be shared with the public and the California Assembly, which will have to vote on bills based on the recommendations.

Jones-Sawyer said the group plans to ultimately create and present 12 bills that will cover the reports recommendations. He said the first five bills will be introduced at the start of 2024 and will span just about every category in the report, whether its racial terror, education, the criminal justice system, incarceration rates, homeownership, the wealth gap.

The members of the CLBC have distinct expertise in each area, Jones-Sawyer said. Were going to tackle just about every field of human endeavor. And we have people that have the ability to be able to carry those bills because of their backgrounds.

The California Senate is made up of 80% Democrats, which could be a positive for these bills. Gov. Gavin Newsom has expressed support for reparations efforts in the past. However, in September he made a point of emphasizing that reparations in the form of cash payments may not be the recourse.

Morris Griffin holds up a sign during a meeting of California's reparations task force in Oakland on Dec. 14, 2022. (Jeff Chiu / AP file)

Dealing with that legacy is about much more than cash payments, the governor said at the time.

Still, for some Black people in California, the hard work does not translate into optimism. Take Amina Ali, a 52-year-old Oakland resident who has followed the reparations hearings since Newsom gave the go-ahead two years ago to create a commission.

I wont hold my breath, Ali said. I want it as badly as the next Black person. But I also live in the world. I know the reparations people worked hard for a long time to make the case. I commend them. And they made their very strong case. But I know that there are enough people against it to keep it from happening. Be real: White people dont want us to have an even playing field.

But Kamm Howard, founder of the organization Reparations United and co-chair of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America, is looking to level the field across the nation. He said the Black voting bloc is so strong that it can influence a federal reparations movement, as President Biden is working to avoid Black voter defection in next years election. Black voters have a transformative moment to use their influence to make a demand of the president and the party, Howard said.

Weve amassed a significant amount of power within the party by voting Democrat 80%, 90%, for years. Were a dependable base within the party. And they know that they cannot win an election without us at this point, the Reparations United founder said.

Kamm Howard, National Co-Chair of N'Cobra speaks at the Capitol on Nov. 16, 2021. (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)

And if hes totally dependent on the Black vote, then we have the power to leverage that for a reparations commission, Howard continued. I believe that the only way Biden can earn the vote and energize Black people and reverse a potential defection of Black voters is to make executive order to create a reparations commission before the election.

In 2021, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden supported studying reparations for Black people. Two months later, the House Judiciary Committee voted to advance H.R. 40 to a full vote, the furthest a bill to create a commission to study the effects of slavery has ever moved in Congress in the three decades since the legislation was first proposed. H.R. 40 was re-introduced in 2023; on the federal level, movement beyond that has been slow.

Howard said Californias in-depth work is a benchmark on what could be done on a federal level. What California did was tremendous, he said. We want to make reparations and the redressing of past social ills and crimes in America a standard in America, something that is appreciated for the benefit that it will produce.

In 2020, a Citigroup study indicated that the U.S. cost itself $16 trillion in the last two decades alone because of racism. That shows that reparations is not a drain on America, Howard said. It would be an investment in America. Every dollar spent on reparations, you get that dollar back plus another dollar or $2 in return on the investment, particularly around Black business development.

All of this hopeful thinking requires patience. We didnt just get into this position overnight. This is 400 years in the making, Howard said. So its not something that happens quickly. But Im in it for the long haul. And a lot of other people are, too.

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This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
TAUNTON  A resident was shot during an armed home invasion in Taunton and the alleged assailant was seriously injured in a struggle with the resident, Taunton Police said.

The incident took place Friday evening, Dec. 22, at a multi-family house on Newcomb Place, according to a written statement from Taunton Police.

The resident, who was shot in the leg, was taken to a hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, police said.

The suspect, Joshua Manuel Deleon, 22, of New Bedford, suffered head trauma and other injuries in an struggle with the resident and was flown under police custody via medical helicopter to a Boston hospital, police said.

The resident and suspect knew each other, police said.

What happened on night of shooting?

Police responded to the house at 10 p.m. on Friday after receiving a 911 call with someone screaming for help.

Two officers arrived at the home, with backup units being called in once reports came by dispatch that a firearm was present.

The two leading officers were let into the second-floor apartment where the incident occurred by a woman who answered the door, police said. Officers found Deleon and the resident fighting each other and struggling on the floor. The officers, knowing the presence of a firearm on the premises, took out their firearms and ordered the two men to break up their struggle, police said. Both complied.

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How many guns were found?

Officers reportedly found multiple firearms in the apartment, including three spent bullet casings on the floor, which may have been fired during the struggle, police said.

Third floor apartment may have been fired on

Police said, based on apparent bullet holes, the third floor apartment, may have been fired into during the struggle. Officers met with a third floor resident and determined that she and her four children inside the apartment were "frightened but not injured."

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Not a random act of violence

Taunton Police said the two men found in the struggle know each other and "this incident was not a random act of violence."

It is believed the conflict originated in a different community and "spilled over to Taunton."

Here's what charges suspect faces

Deleon was charged with:

Assault and battery with a dangerous weapon

Assault and battery

Assault with a dangerous weapon

Armed assault with intent to murder

Possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony

Home invasion

Possession of ammunition without an FID card

Use of body armor in the commission of a felony

Possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number

Discharge of a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Man shot in Taunton home invasion, New Bedford suspect injured
Texas, seen in this weather satellite image taken around 9:15 a.m. Monday, will be seeing clearer skies this week, thanks to the passage of a Christmas cold front and a low pressure system off to the northeast that is pulling moisture away. NOAA/National Weather Service

Were heading into the final week of 2023 with a San Antonio forecast that calls for crisp, sunny weather during the day but near-freezing temperatures at night.

A chilly start to Tuesday is anticipated, with scattered low temperatures between 28 and 32 degrees possible over the Hill Country and southern Edwards Plateau, the National Weather Service warned in its forecast bulletin Monday, adding that cold-sensitive plants should be brought indoors as a precaution.

The outlook for San Antonio on Tuesday includes sunny skies and a weak southerly flow of warmer air that could help push temperatures to as high as 61 degrees. Overnight into early Wednesday, skies continue to be clear, allowing radiant surface heat to escape and send temperatures down into the upper 30s. The southwest winds of around 5 mph become colder northwest winds after midnight.

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Forecasters say a deep layer trough of low atmospheric pressure over the eastern half of the country will hold in place during much of the upcoming week. Texas, in the center of this weather satellite image taken around 9:15 a.m. Monday, has seen clearer skies with the passage of a Christmas cold front. NOAA/National Weather Service

Dry and cool weather is expected across South-Central Texas through the end of the year, the weather service said in its bulletin. Surface high pressure will influence the region a majority of the days in the extended period, bringing plenty days of sunshine across the local area.

Northerly wind will prevail over the next few days, bringing even cooler temperatures by Friday.

Lows will be chilly each night, mainly in the 30s to low 40s with some areas likely to see freezing conditions a few of the mornings, forecasters said.

Peak temperatures on Wednesday will range from the upper 50s in the region north of the San Antonio metro area to the upper 60s farther south of the Alamo City.

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In San Antonio on Wednesday, expect sunshine with a high near 65 and north-northwest winds of 5 to 10 mph. Then at night, under clear skies, temperatures could sink to as low as 38 degrees, forecasters said.

Thursday and Friday will be sunny with a highs near 60 and northerly winds of up to 10 mph. On both nights, temperatures will sink to near-freezing levels in the mid-30s.

By Saturday, San Antonio temperatures will get solidly into the low 60s under bright blue skies, while nighttime temperatures will stay above 40 degrees, thanks to increased cloudiness.
Floodwater flows around the village of Ruthe in the district of Hildesheim. Julian Stratenschulte/dpa

Germany continues to face flooding threats even though severe storm warnings were lifted by weather authorities on Tuesday following heavy rains that saturated much of the country over the Christmas holiday.

The 180 residents of the village of Thurungen in central Germany were urged to get to safety on Tuesday due to the risk of rising water on the Helme river. People in nearby communities were also told to prepare for possible evacuations in the coming hours.

The situation remained tense around the village of Windehausen, not far away from Thurungen. Around 500 people were told to evacuate from there on Monday, Christmas Day.

Matthias Marquardt, mayor of the nearby town of Heringen, said the situation in Windehausen on Tuesday evening was "critical but stable" and that a no-entry order remained in effect.

The city of Braunschweig, in north-central Germany, was also on edge.

The Oker dam, in the Harz mountains south of the city, has reached its maximum capacity, resulting in the release of more water. Instead of 16 cubic meters per second, 30 cubic meters per second are now flowing into the Oker river.

With the Oker expected to burst its banks, Braunschweig has closed several roads near the waterway.

A similar scene was playing out in Dresden. Several thousand sandbags were being piled up in the eastern city in anticipation of parts of the Elbe river rising to potentially dangerous levels by Wednesday morning.

Stephan Weil, the leader of the north-western state of Lower Saxony, visited the town of Northeim, where a dike burst on Monday. Emergency workers had protected residential areas with sandbags.

In Rinteln, a town in Lower Saxony that lies to the south-west of Hanover, around 100 residents in houses near the town hall were told to evacuate on Tuesday morning.

The cellars of the buildings in the affected street were flooded. The fire department was on site with pumps and stacking sandbags.

The German Weather Service (DWD) lifted all of its storm warnings on Tuesday and said that "no heavy rainfall" is now forecast.

Warnings had been in effect across much of Germany, from the states of North Rhine Westphalia and Hesse in the west, to Bavaria in the south and Saxony in the east.

Still, rivers swollen by days of downpours remain a major flood risk.

The rivers and streams in the state of Lower Saxony have been at high levels for days and authorities warned they could rise higher yet before finally starting to lower.

The Lower Saxony State Agency for Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation (NLWKN) expects the flood situation to remain tense.

"The situation is indeed very tense throughout Lower Saxony," said NLWKN Director Anne Rickmeyer. "We have flood situations in the major rivers, but of course we also have many small streams swelling all over the state."

The risks were easing in other parts of Germany, however. Authorities in Bavaria, in the south, and the states of Hesse and Saarland in west, said the situation on their waterways, including the Main river, were stable or improving.

People watch the water release at the Mandelholz dam. Matthias Bein/dpa

A man carries an electricity generator to a house that is standing in the water. The water level of the Weser has risen significantly over the past few days. Friso Gentsch/dpa

View of a road closure with the sign "Flood". The water level of the Weser has risen significantly in recent days. Friso Gentsch/dpa
Stuck in stop-and-go planning since at least 1998, the Riverview Corridor may be chugging toward a major turning point in the new year.

The vision calls for a modern transit corridor  think train or bus  rolling 12 miles from downtown St. Paul to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the Mall of America in Bloomington. The route would largely follow West Seventh Street and Minnesota 5, either sharing lanes with vehicular traffic or moving along a dedicated lane of its own.

A streetcar could possibly travel to the downtown St. Paul Union Depot transit hub along Kellogg Boulevard instead of Fourth Street, dropping off passengers at the Xcel Center and the future RiversEdge project while seeding economic development along the way.

The community, especially the younger generation, they prefer rail, said Ramsey County Commissioner Rafael Ortega, who chairs the countys Regional Rail Authority. People ask me, Whats keeping you? Why isnt it built yet? Thats the type of questions Im getting these days, especially from the younger families. The bus is not going to make the street safer.

Street car or bus rapid transit?

Still, while a streetcar might draw more passengers, bus rapid transit  such as an extension of the Gold Line corridor, which is already under construction from Woodbury to St. Paul  could roll out much sooner than a rail option, and for less money. The Riverview Corridors policy advisory committee will review potential travel times and cost estimates on Jan. 31.

I see the river crossing, total cost and feasibility of receiving federal funds as big hurdles for streetcar, said Nate Hood, a transportation planner who sits on the St. Paul Planning Commission. Id rather have bus rapid transit now than wait a decade more for rail.

Whether the proposed Riverview Corridor will consist of a streetcar or bus rapid transit remains to be seen, but key committees could be in position to recommend their preference to the Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority by the end of next summer, Ortega said.

Planning has been led by Ramsey County through four separate committees  policy advisory, community advisory, technical advisory and station area planning. The committees have been convening to consider the pros and cons of various routes and transit options. Based in part on studies conducted in 1998, 2000 and 2014 to 2017, theyve narrowed their choices down to three, two of which consist of streetcars that are lighter and less obtrusive than light rail. The other involves bus rapid transit.

Heres a look at each option presented to the policy advisory committee this month by consultants with the St. Paul-based engineering and planning firm Kimley-Horn. County staff will begin seeking public feedback around each concept in February or March.

Streetcar 1

In this scenario, a streetcar would travel through 20 stations, using exclusive or dedicated transit lanes from the Mall of America to St. Pauls Grand Avenue Station following a center-running alignment. From the Mall of America through Fort Snelling Station, the streetcar would share alignment with the Blue Line. From Grand Avenue to the downtown St. Paul Union Depot station, the streetcar would share lanes with regular car traffic.

Streetcar 2

A second streetcar scenario envisions traveling through 22 Stations, with dedicated center-running transit lanes from the Mall of America Station to the Otto Avenue Station near Victoria Street in St. Paul. Shared lanes on either side of the street would carry the streetcar from Otto Avenue to the Union Depot. This route adds stations at both Jefferson Avenue and Smith Avenue.

Bus Rapid Transit

A bus option likely would travel through 16 stations between the Mall of America and Kellogg Boulevard, sharing travel lanes with regular traffic. The bus could access nine downtown platforms, including a downtown corridor for the Gold Line, which will connect downtown St. Paul to Woodbury when it debuts in 2025.

Unlike a streetcar, bus rapid transit would not require improvements to the Minnesota 5 river bridge (or trigger new bike and pedestrian connections there) or stop at stations at Historic Fort Snelling or MSP Terminal 2. The bus could use the existing Mall of America station without major changes.

Then again, bus rapid transit is basically the Route 54 bus, said downtown St. Paul resident Jay Severance, a member of the Riverview Corridors community advisory committee, expressing frustration that the vision of a robust transit network could be sold short. It doesnt really do everything the streetcar does.  This whole process is being run by Ramsey County, and yet its part of a larger system.

Lessons learned from light rail

None of the three options include stops in Highland Bridge, which was eliminated from consideration after a 2017 pre-development study weighed the impact on travel times, ridership projections and higher operating costs.

The 2017 study also determined that light rail wasnt the right fit for West Seventh Street, where stations will be smaller than those along University Avenues Green Line corridor, said Jennifer Jordan, a senior transportation planner with Ramsey County.

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Streetcars generally have smaller train cars than light rail and are limited to one or two cars at a time, making it easier for them to share the road  or even a lane  with regular traffic while entering areas light rail might have difficulty accessing. Theyre otherwise compatible with light rail operations such as tracks, signals, stations and power, and much like the Green Line or Blue Line, they offer level boarding and payment before boarding at high-amenity stations.

And a streetcar likely would include more connections to new bicycle and pedestrian amenities and streetscape improvements along the corridor.

At the neighborhood level, were really going to integrate this, Ortega said. One of the lessons learned on the Green Line and University Avenue, were making it less intrusive. Theres different ways to make things safer beyond building big cement walls.

Aspects of the street car option

Still, a streetcar option would be costlier and more time-consuming to install than a bus by years, and a larger addition to the street, potentially reducing right-of-way for parking, bike lanes and car travel.

The earliest a streetcar would roll out is likely 2032.

The streetcar corridor, according to consultants, would still involve heavy infrastructure, including a new two-level Minnesota 5 bridge over the Mississippi River that would fully separate bicycles and pedestrians from car traffic. An existing freeway ramp from westbound Minnesota 62 to southbound Minnesota 5 would be removed to connect the Fort Snelling Chapel to the rest of Historic Fort Snelling.

Discussions with tribal partners are underway about that and other aesthetic changes within Historic Fort Snelling approaching the Blue Line Station there.

To better accommodate mall access at the end of the line, a shared Riverview/Blue Line station could be configured at 82nd Street in Bloomington, replacing the existing Blue Line track along 28th Avenue and Old Shakopee Road. That frees up some space for real estate development currently encircled by track at the end of the line.

Transit priorities

Russ Stark, chief resilience officer for the St. Paul mayors office, acknowledged that Ramsey County began formally studying the Riverview Corridor 25 years ago. And in that time, some transit priorities have likely changed.

In the era of remote work, is the main goal of the corridor to get people from downtown St. Paul to the airport in a hurry and to downtown jobs as quickly as possible? Or does economic development trump travel time as a priority?

It does seem to be centered less around the traditional work-commute trip, said Stark, during a meeting this month of the projects policy advisory committee. Do you emphasize the speed of downtown to the airport? Or do you emphasize the aesthetic?

He added: If the solution were simple, it would have been done already, noting the importance of economic development in the segment of West Seventh Street closest to the Xcel Center. Compared to University Avenue, the more space you dedicate to transit, the less you have for everything else, (including) parking, trees.

Tim Marino, a Daytons Bluff resident and aspiring transit planner, said dedicating lanes for a streetcar option could raise the projects score with federal funders, drawing more money sooner to offset infrastructure costs, which could be an important source for bridge work, he said. It is one factor in that.

Ortega said the countys half-cent sales tax could cover half the cost of capital construction, with the federal government expected to cover the other half once the Metropolitan Council  the seven county metro areas regional planning agency  takes over construction planning.

A downtown approach on Kellogg, not Fourth Street

In downtown St. Paul, theres some concern that routing a streetcar along Fourth Street to access the Union Depot Station would compete with Green Line trains. With an eye toward promoting new real estate and economic development, the policy committee has said that a better option would be to follow Kellogg Boulevard, bringing the streetcar in line with possible new stations at the St. Paul RiverCentre and the future RiversEdge development where West Publishing once stood, as well as Minnesota Street.

That would require more coordination with Kellogg bridge improvements, the Capitol City Bikeway bicycle corridor and planned or existing real estate.

Among the studies that will take place along the entire route, an architecture and history survey is underway in coordination with the Minnesota Department of Transportation and its work on Minnesota 5. A cultural landscape study is likely to wrap up in 2024, to be followed by an archaeology survey that would begin in 2024.

Also in the future is an economic development assessment, which would compare the impact of a streetcar on real estate development to bus rapid transit, building nothing or developing a greenway.

Still, decision time draws near.

Some people in this room, said Stark, during the Dec. 13 meeting of the policy advisory committee, have been talking about streetcar for 40 years, let alone 20.

Ramsey County maintains more information online at RiverviewCorridor.com.

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Rodent droppings, dead pests in light fixtures and improperly sanitized dishes were among the findings of state health workers inspecting Midlands school cafeterias over the past year.

Of the 98 schools serving about 68,000 students in Richland 1, 2 and Lexington-Richland 5, 56 schools inspected by the Department of Health and Environmental Control had at least one violation. All but three were given scores in the 90s and 42 had perfect scores.

The lowest score, 82, was Dutch Fork Elementary in District 5. The Irmo school was cited for food boxes showing evidence of gnawing, residue in ice machines, rodent droppings on food prep tables and food not kept at proper temperatures. About 500 students attend the school.

Horrell Hill Elementary in Hopkins, a District 1 school with about 550 students, scored 88 and was cited for three violations relating to not keeping food cold or hot enough.

In Lexington Richland, the Center for Advanced Technical Studies scored 88 due to handwashing stations not having paper towels, rodent droppings and food preparation areas not being sanitized.

The Department of Health and Environmental Control conducts reoutine inspections in school cafeterias annually.

Here are summaries from DHECs online report with their score.

DISTRICT 1

AC Flora High, 90

Warewashing equipment not operating properly, employees did not use 200 ppm quaternary ammonium solution to wash dishes, improper holding temperatures and time for hot or cold food.

Eau Claire High 95

Mechanical warewashing machine not reaching adequate temperature for sanitizing, less than 10 foot-candles of light provided in walk-in freezer at dry storage area.

C.A. Johnson High 97

Hand washing signage not provided at sink beside coolers, hand sink not adequately sealed to wall.

Crayton Middle 99

Dishes not air dried properly before stacking.

Heyward Gibbes Middle 98

Build up of dust on vents and ceilings above food preparation areas.

Hopkins Middle 97

Dead pest in light fixture in dry storage areas.

W.G. Sanders Middle 92

Kitchen area/speed rack beside ovens/prepared pizzas 66 F, 4 hour time policy not followed.

Southeast Middle 98

Lack of food safety training certification.

St. Andrews middle 97

Large chest freezer lid in poor repair, condensate ponding on floor of main walk in cooler unit.

Bradley Elementary 97

Lack of current food safety training certification.

Brennan Elementary 97

Raw wooden pallet used as a shelf at the end of serving line.

Brockman Elementary 99

Chemical based sanitizer testing device not available, test kits provided were all expired 2018 and older.

Annie Burnside Elementary 98

Sink had a steady leak underneath.

Forest Heights Elementary 96

Food safety training certificate not available, dead roaches in bathroom and beneath equipment in kitchen.

Horrell Hill Elementary 88

Make Line/Warming Cabinet/ Hamburger Pans x3 at improper temperature, Salad Bar/ Deli Cubed Turkey 52 F, Cubed Ham 56 F, Cut Salad Base 47 F Four-hour limit on salad bar items not marked.

Hyatt Park Elementary 92

No food handler certificate, person named as food manager was not present, warewashing equipment not operating according to specifications, must operate, dishes placed in a sanitizing solution at an inadequate concentration before being stored as clean.

AJ Lewis Greenview Elementary 97

Two door reach in/ham and cheese wraps 62 F.

Meadowfield Elementary 98

Manager with certificate was at another site today.

Pine Grove Elementary 97

Back room/three compartment reach in cooler/boiled eggs 45 F, sliced cheese 46 F, shredded cheese 48 F, single serve yogurt 60 F.

H.B. Rhame Elementary 96

Hot water at the handwashing station is not maintained at 100 F or higher, milk crates used as racks to hold up product were not smooth and easily cleanable.

W.S. Sandel Elementary 97

Dark buildup in ice machine.

Edward Taylor Elementary 97

Person named on posted food safety certificate not present at time of inspection, damaged, unfinished wood in door frame of walk-in cooler. Gasket on walk-in cooler not forming adequate seal when closed. Kitchen hand sink not adequately sealed to the wall.

Watkins Nance 96

Lack of food safety certification, leakage beneath 3 compartment sink.

These schools all received a grade of 100%,

High schools  Columbia, Dreher, Keenan, Lower Richland

Middle schools  Alcorn, Hand, W.A. Perry

Elementary  Burton-Pack, Carver-Lyon, Caughman Road, Gadsden, Hopkins, Logan, Mill Creek, A.C. Moore, Rosewood, Satchel Ford, South Kilbourne, John P. Thomas, Webber

DISTRICT 2

Blythewood 99

Dust around tiles and vents throughout kitchen.

Richland Northeast 94

Written Employee Health clean-up of vomiting and diarrhea policies npt verified, no food temperature measuring device available.

Ridge View High Follow up

On measures to eliminate rodents, which were observed throughout the facility during previous inspection.

Westwood High 97

Wiping cloths were not stored in the proper dilution of lactic acid for sanitizing.

Dent Middle 99

Toilet room receptacle not covered.

E.L. Wright Middle 92

Food handlers certificate not verified, no designated person in charge during inspection, table top without temperature control/cooked hamburger 102 F, cooked hamburger 105 F., facility not recording times for hot and cold food.

Longleaf Middle 98

Sink and surface lactic acid sanitizer tested at 1130ppm tested with sink and surface test strips.

Muller Road Middle 97

Certified Food Protection Manager not verified/Person in Charge does not possess a CFPM certificate, wiping cloths not held at proper lactic acid dilution rate.

Summit Parkway 94

Over icing in walk in freezer, no thermometer strips or maximum registering thermometer available.

Bookman Road Elementary 98

Certified Food Protection Manager not observed.

Forest Lake Elementary 96

Test kits must be provided to accurately measure hot water for high temperature sanitizing. 3 compartment sink leaking on the top of the faucet.

Joseph Keels Elementary 92

Certified food protection manager certificate not available, make line/Warmer: Pizza 131 F, Meatball sub 127 F., salad mix 49 F.

Killian Elementary follow up

Food manager not verified, no maximum registering thermometer for high temp dish machine.

Lonnie B Nelson Elementary 95 folo

Cleanser not provided at hand sink, front line/serving table/turkey sandwich 62 F. Two door reach in cooler/turkey sandwiches 52 F. N.

L.W. Conder Arts Integrated Magnet folo 96

No adequate hand sink with hot and cold water provided in kitchen area, no hot water in then kitchen.

North Springs Elementary 96

No maximum registering thermometer or thermal strips available for hot water sanitizer machine.

Round Top Elementary 99

Wiping cloths not at proper lactic acid dilution for sanitizing.

Windsor Elementary 98

Sink surface sanitizer at 1130ppm tested with sink and surface test strips.

High and middle schools scoring 100 were: Spring Valley High, Blythewood Middle, Kelly Mill Middle.

Elementary  Bethel Hanberry, Bridge Creek, Catawba Trail, Jackson Creek, Lake Carolina Lower, Lake Carolina Upper, Langford, Polo Road, Pontiac, Rice Creek, Sandlapper

Lexington Richland District 5

Center for Advanced Technical Studies 88

Paper towels not provided at all hand washing stations, pots were only washed and rinsed before placing as clean, improper packaging of food, evidence of rodent activity, drying dishes with towels.

Chapin High 95

Build up inside ice machine, leak at top of dish machine.

Irmo High 97

Food safety manager certification not verified, maximum registering thermometer or thermal test strips not provided.

Spring Hill High 97

Build up inside ice machine.

Chapin Intermediate 97

Improper temperature control  Hot holding cabinet/Meatballs 110 F, front service line/Turkey 126 F.

Dutch Fork Middle 92

Build up of pink, brown and black inside ice machine, serving steam line chicken alfredo 100 F, plumbing leak under hand sink at front entry near dish room.

Irmo Middle 95

Person in charge lacks certification, kitchen carts/pizza oven area/~200 pizzas prepped this morning 61 F, reach-in front line/salad 47 F.

Ballentine Elementary 91

Hand washing cleanser not provided at hand sink next to warewashing area, facility had cooled popcorn chicken after service and stored in the walk-in cooler with the intent to reheat and serve a second time rather than discarding within four hours, rodent droppings in dry storage area, outdoor garbage receptacles without tight fitting lids and doors, drain plugs not provided for in-use outdoor garbage receptacles, mechanical warewasher temperature gauges indicating different temperature than what is required by data plate.

Dutch Fork Elementary 82

Food boxes with gnawing marks from rodents throughout dry storage, pink and black residue buildup in ice machine, rodent droppings observed on cutting boards stored as clean, serving line/ sausage patties 108 F, serving line/ cantaloupe 52 F. evidence of rodent activity in all kitchen areas, pressure gauge on dish machine indicating outside data plate specifications, rodent droppings on food prep tables and inside insulated bags.

HE Corley 98

Mechanical dishwasher pressure gauge indicating final rinse pressure greater than indicated standard on data plate.

Harbison West 98

Leakage underneath warewashing machine.

Irmo Elementary 98

Mechanical dishwasher machine readout display not functioning.

River Springs Elementary 98

Pressure gauge not indicating in adequate range on dish machine

Seven Oaks Elementary 97

Pressure gauge not indicating in adequate range on dish machine

Schools scoring 100 were Dutch Fork High, Chapin Intermediate, Chapin Middle, Chapin Elementary, Lake Murray Elementary, Leaphart Elementary, Oak Pointe Elementary, Piney Woods Elementary
In todays newsletter: Was a big bet by Ron DeSantis early campaign backers a big bust? Puberty is coming dangerously early for some kids. And the reparations movement gains momentum.

Ron DeSantis during a campaign stop in Ankeny, Iowa (Cody Scanlan / USA Today Network via Reuters )

In the early days of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis presidential bid, a key group backing him made a bet that the GOP nomination would be won by winning the door-knocking competition on DeSantis behalf.

The super PAC Never Back Down blanketed the ground in early voting states with canvassers who knocked on hundreds of thousands of doors again and again (and in some cases, again and again after that), hoping to spread DeSantis message and better introduce him to the electorate.

Never Back Down says it has hit more than half of the total number of households in Iowa. A similar share was hit in South Carolina, where the group says it knocked on more than 968,000 doors.

Some people close to the effort, however, see it as futile  that no amount of door-knocking can change what the polls show: former President Donald Trump trouncing the field.

Allan Smith explains DeSantis big bet on door-knocking and how it faces Trumps built-in campaign advantages and Nikki Haleys renewed strength in the primaries.

One of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's most senior advisers is scheduled to meet with White House and State Department officials in Washington today. Ron Dermer will discuss the war in Gaza, a source familiar with the matter told NBC News.

His visit comes after Netanyahu vowed yesterday, to keep fighting until Hamas is destroyed, defying global calls for a cease-fire. Do not stop, he told soldiers in northern Gaza after a bloody weekend for the troops, which saw 17 killed.

Growing awareness of precocious puberty and its risks

Left: Photo illustration of various childhood, girlhood and puberty items including hair bobbles, scrunchies, a doll etc. (Nakeya Brown for NBC News; Caroline Gutman for NBC News)

Jennifer Bentons daughter was just 5 years old when her kindergarten teacher pointed out that the young girl was developing breasts.

Benton had never heard of precocious puberty. Having grown up in the Black community, where early puberty rates are among the highest in the U.S., Benton had known 7- and 8-year-old girls whod had their periods or needed bras. She didnt know there was an actual medical diagnosis, or that prescription hormone treatments called puberty blockers could help slow the physical changes, if needed.

Early puberty going untreated can have tremendous implications for the physical and emotional health of young children. With puberty beginning at increasingly younger ages, especially among Black girls, doctors say theres an urgent need for greater awareness of precocious puberty among families who may face hurdles in access to diagnosis and medical care.

How California is advancing the cause of reparations

Advocates seeking reparations for the harms inflicted on Black people during centuries of slavery in America are entering the new year with reason for hope. Many municipalities either started or are forming commissions to address compensation to the descendants of enslaved Africans.

California has made the most zealous effort. After two years of work, the states reparations task force now has a 1,100-page report with a detailed blueprint for cities, states and even the federal government to follow. Curtis Bunn reports on whats next for Californias reparations plan and why pessimism persists.

Momentum builds to protect child influencers

The new year could mark a new chapter for young internet creators who have faced something of a Wild West when it comes to protections for their work on social media platforms.

More states will consider legislation in 2024 to protect minors who appear in online content. Some experts say the legislative action, while welcome, is long overdue. The law that governs excessive child labor dates back to 1938 and hasnt been updated to apply to internet influencers. Same for Californias Coogan Act, which protects child actors. Kalhan Rosenblatt explains how the new efforts come at a time of reckoning for several prominent family vloggers and parents of child influencers.

A scientist reckons with climate grief

climate scientist meditation meditate (Evan Bush / NBC News)

Peter Kalmus, 49, thinks civilization is on the path to break down, the Biden administration is clueless on climate, and that he might get fired from his job at NASA if he is arrested for a third time protesting what he views as downright madness: the continued use of fossil fuels. Its kind of weird and lonely, he said. People dont want to talk about this stuff at parties.

Kalmus, whose account has some 340,000 followers on X, is at the vanguard of a group of scientists who are disillusioned and convinced that more radical action is needed to wake up political leaders.

He has been on a 15-year quest to halt climate change and has already oriented most everything in his life to minimize his own climate footprint and maximize what he can do to push society to change.

Politics in Brief

The year of independents: Americans are not happy with the two likely main choices for president in 2024, setting the stage for a large cast of third-party and independent presidential candidates.

Election 2024: Retirement announcements from members of Congress often come after the holidays, adding to an already volatile fight for control of the House next year.

Congresswoman harassed: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was the victim of a swatting attempt at her home on Christmas. The Georgia Republican has been repeatedly harassed by fake reports of crimes in progress at her house.

2023 Review: The photos and illustrations that told the years biggest stories

Illustrations and photographs published by NBC News in 2023. (NBC News)

We followed swimmers to sewage-tainted waters, caught up with a nurse pronounced dead by anti-vaxxers (Spoiler alert: Shes alive), drew up how ones brain might feel when its zapped and so much more. See the images that captured 2023s top stories.

In Case You Missed It

Select: Online Shopping, Simplified Studies show that jigsaw puzzles have a positive effect on visual-spatial reasoning and problem-solving skills, as well as reducing the risk of cognitive decline over time. Plus, they can be fun with family and friends or a soothing way to get absorbed in something on your own. NBC Select asked a puzzle historian for advice on how to shop for the best adult puzzles.

Thanks for reading todays Morning Rundown. Todays newsletter was curated for you by Richie Duchon. If youre a fan, please send a link to your family and friends. They can sign-up here.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Russia has confirmed one of its warships has been damaged in a Ukrainian attack on a Black Sea port.

The airstrike took place at Feodosiya in Russian-occupied Crimea early on Tuesday morning.

Russia's Ministry of Defence said the large landing ship Novocherkassk was struck by Ukrainian aircraft carrying guided missiles.

The head of the Ukrainian Air Force said earlier its warplanes had destroyed the ship.

One person was killed in the attack, according to the Russian-installed head of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov. Several others were reportedly hurt.

Six buildings were damaged and a small number of people had to be taken to temporary accommodation centres, Mr Aksyonov added.

The port's transport operations are said to be functioning as normal after the area was cordoned off, while a fire caused by the attack was contained.

Footage purportedly showing a huge explosion in the port was shared by Ukrainian air force commander Lt Gen Mykola Oleshchuk.

The images have not been independently verified. However, satellite imagery from 24 December shows a ship at port in Feodosiya that appears to be the same length as the Novocherkassk - a landing ship designed to transport troops, weapons and cargo to shore.

Any significant damage to the ship will be a welcome bit of good news for Ukraine, with waning Western support now affecting its front-line operations. Given that the Novocherkassk was in dock, it is highly likely it was being loaded with soldiers, equipment or both.

Patrick Bury, a security and defence expert and former Nato analyst, told the BBC News Channel there was speculation that the ship was carrying Iranian-made Shahed drones, which Russia has been using in its attacks on Ukrainian targets.

Speaking on Ukrainian TV, the head of the press centre for Ukraine's southern command, Nataliya Humenyuk, said it was "clear that such a large detonation was caused by more than just the fuel or ammunition of the ship itself".

Ms Humenyuk added that Russia had been facing difficulties with transporting "important cargo" due to the Kerch Bridge, which links Russia to the Crimean Peninsula, being damaged.

"So, it is quite likely that it [the Novocherkassk's cargo] was a kind of "Christmas present, completely wrapped," she said.

Taking the ship out of action, even if only temporarily, will no doubt hamper Russia's ability to supply troops in territory it occupies further north.

What is less clear is how long its operations will be disrupted for and what impact this strike will have on the front lines.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Ukraine's air force has denied that Russia shot down two of its Su-24 bombers about 125km (77 miles) from the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv.

And Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that his troops had seized the key town of Mariinka in eastern Ukraine.

Kyiv initially denied the claim, but in a news conference on Tuesday Ukrainian Armed Forces commander Valery Zaluzhny said his troops had withdrawn to the outskirts of the town and beyond.

The area has been used by Ukraine as a defensive barrier since 2014, when Russian-backed fighters seized large swathes of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Russia says the Novocherkassk was damaged, while Ukraine says it was destroyed (file image)

Tuesday's attack on Feodosiya is not the first time that the Novocherkassk has been targeted by Ukrainian forces.

In March 2022, Ukraine's defence ministry reported that the ship had been damaged in an attack on the occupied Ukrainian port of Berdyansk in which another amphibious assault ship, the Saratov, was sunk.

In a post on Telegram, Lt Gen Oleshchuk wrote that the Novocherkassk had gone the way of the Moskva - the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, which sank in the Black Sea last year.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky quipped that he was "grateful" to the country's air force "for the impressive replenishment of the Russian submarine Black Sea fleet with another vessel," in reference to other Russian ships that have been sunk during the war.

"The occupiers will not have a single peaceful place in Ukraine," he said.

Russia seized and annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and its forces based there played a key part in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russian forces in Crimea have since come under repeated Ukrainian attack. Last month, Ukraine's military said it had destroyed 15 Russian navy ships and damaged another 12 in the Black Sea since the start of Russia's war.

After a missile strike on the headquarters of the Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol last September, satellite images showed that the Russian navy had moved much of its Black Sea fleet away from Crimea to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.

The dominance of the Russian navy has been diminished to an extent as result of such attacks, but this year has seen Moscow keep hold of the territory it occupies, despite a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Map showing Feodosiya and areas of Russian control around Crimea
The Ministry of Defence of Russia has confirmed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces hit the large landing ship Novocherkassk in occupied Feodosiia (Crimea) with missiles fired from Su-24 aircraft on the night of 25-26 December.

Source: Kremlin-aligned state-owned news agency RIA Novosti, citing the Russian Defence Ministry; Sergey Aksyonov, Russian-appointed sham "governor" of occupied Crimea.

Details: The Russian Defence Ministry reported that the large landing ship Novocherkassk was damaged in Feodosiia last night "during the repelling of an attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine using air-guided missiles."

The Russian ministry claims that "two Ukrainian Su-24s that were launching missiles were destroyed by air defence during anti-aircraft combat."

For his part, Russian-appointed sham "governor" of occupied Crimea Aksyonov said that one person had been killed and two injured as a result of the attack on Feodosiia.

He said that six buildings had been damaged  mostly windows were shattered.

Quote from Aksyonov: "Six people were evacuated to temporary accommodation points, the rest of the residents were accommodated with relatives and friends. Transport infrastructure is working normally, there are no restrictions on passenger traffic," Aksyonov assured.

Overnight, Aksyonov reported an attack in the area of Feodosiia, an explosion and a fire. He announced that residents of several buildings would be relocated.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Ukrainian tactical aircraft had attacked the Novocherkassk, a large landing ship from the Russian Black Sea Fleet, in the area of Feodosiia with cruise missiles at around 02:30 on 26 December.

Background: Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk confirmed that Ukrainian forces had blown up the Novocherkassk, a Ropucha-class landing ship belonging to the Russian Navy, in Feodosiia, a port city in Russian-occupied Crimea.

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Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's supporters said that the individual was missing from prison as he was serving his sentence after being removed from the penal colony.

His current whereabouts remain unknown and his spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, said that Navalny was no longer registered at the Melekhovo colony. The White House commented on the situation and said that it was "deeply concerned" by the reports.

Alexei Navalny Reported Missing

Navalny's aides were expecting the jailed Russian opposition leader to be moved to a stricter regime jail after the extension of his prison sentence. They added that his disappearance is linked to recent announcements about elections.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday declared his intention to stand for re-election next March. Navalny was found guilty in August of founding and funding an extremist organization, which he denies, and was sentenced to 19 years of additional prison time.

Before that sentencing, he was given nine years of imprisonment for parole violations, fraud, and contempt of court. According to BBC, the charges against Navalny are widely viewed as politically motivated.

Navalny was previously told that he would have to continue his incarceration in a "special regime colony." This type of prison is typically reserved for dangerous criminals, repeat offenders, and individuals subject to life imprisonment.

On Monday, the jailed Russian opposition leader's associates said that they had no information or news of him for the past six days. Navalny had been absent from several recent court appearances, which he has attended via video link. Prison authorities blamed these on technical problems at the colony.

Navalny's aide, Leonid Volkov, said the situation was not coincidental and is 100% direct manual political control from the Kremlin. He added that it was not a secret who the Russian president viewed as his main opponent in the elections.

A spokesman for the National Security Council of the United States, John Kirby, said that Navalny should never have been imprisoned in the first place. According to the Washington Post, he added that they will work with their embassy in Moscow to see how much they can find out about the situation.

Read Also: French Court Convicts 6 Teenagers in Relation to an Islamic Extremist's Beheading of a School Teacher

Russian Opposition Leader's Whereabouts

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Yarmysh said that the Russian opposition leader had recently been in poor health, raising concerns about his whereabouts. She added that the fact that they could not find Navalny was alarming because he was ill in his cell last week when he became dizzy and lay down on the floor.

Navalny had been considered one of the serious threats to Putin's legitimacy during the latter's presidency, which has already spanned more than two decades. The former organized anti-government street protests and used his blog and social media to expose alleged corruption in the Kremlin as well as Russian businesses.

In 2020, the opposition leader was taken from Russia to Germany after he was poisoned with Novichok, which is a Soviet-era nerve agent. He was airlifted from the Siberian city of Omsk and arrived at a hospital in Berlin while in a coma, said CNN.

Related Article: UK Police Investigate Assault, Robbery of Jewish Woman Conducted by 2 Teenage Girls

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The launch of four Russian MiG-31K fighter jets triggered an air raid alert throughout Ukraine on Christmas Day, the Air Force warned on Telegram.

The planes, which took-off from the Savasleika airfield in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, are capable of carrying Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missiles that are incredibly difficult to intercept due to their high speeds.

Read also: Six Ukrainian civilians injured as Russian forces pound Kherson Oblast homes

The air alert, which lasted for nearly two hours, was canceled at 12:40 pm Kyiv time.

Earlier in the day, explosions were reported in Kherson, which is regularly shelled by Russian troops.

Twenty-eight of 31 Russian Shahed-136/131 kamikaze drones, launched from Cape Chauda and Balaklava in temporarily occupied Crimea, were shot down overnight by Ukrainian air forces over Odesa, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Donetsk, Kirovohrad and Khmellnytsky oblasts.

A Russian Kh-59 guided missile approaching Zaporizhzhya Oblast and a Kh-31P anti-aircraft missile launched from the Black Sea were also intercepted during the attack.

Read also: No F-16s in 2023 says Air Force

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The Russian army has struck Kherson railway station, killing a police officer. Two of his colleagues and two civilians have been injured.

Source: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his evening video address; Ukrzaliznytsia [Ukrainian Railways  ed.]; Ihor Klymenko, Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine

Quote from Zelenskyy: "[It has been] a tough day. I have just received a report about an attack on Kherson. A Russian strike on the railway station. An evacuation train. All services are at the scene. The number of casualties is currently being established. There were a lot of civilians there. The relevant services will be providing updates."

Details: Ukrzaliznytsia said the strike damaged the station itself and rolling stock.

Several workers are known to have been injured. The passengers were in a shelter.

Quote: "Our plan is as follows: we are waiting for the situation around the station to stabilise, we are transferring people to buses from the station square to Mykolaiv (thanks to the Kherson Military Administration for their immediate assistance), and there, we are now preparing reserve railway carriages so that we can take over 100 passengers to safety.

The situation is under control and the railway workers are ready to keep the service running."

Update: Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported that at the time of the large-scale attack on the city, about 140 civilians were at the railway station waiting for the evacuation train to depart.

The police began evacuating people, and during the operation, a police lieutenant from Kirovohrad Oblast (in Ukraine's centre) was killed. Two more policemen are in hospital with shrapnel wounds. Two civilians who received shrapnel wounds are being provided with medical assistance.

Updated at 21:27: Prokudin posted a video from Kherson railway station following the Russian attack.

Updated at 21:50: The Office of the Prosecutor General reported that the strike took place around 18:10. The Russian army also hit other infrastructure facilities in the city. Residential buildings were also damaged.

Oleksandr Sienkevych, the Mayor of Mykolaiv, reported that patrols have been reinforced at Mykolaiv railway station so that people can seek help if necessary.

Updated at 23:03: The Interior Ministry specified that the name of the police lieutenant killed in the strike was Ihor Misuinia. He was 29. He joined the ranks of the police in the city of Dolynska, Kirovohrad Oblast, in 2017. The police officer is survived by his wife and two children.

Ihor Misuinia, the policeman killed in Kherson. Photo by Ukraine's Interior Ministry

Background:

On the evening of 26 December, Oleksandr Prokudin, Head of the Kherson Oblast Military Administration, said the Russians had been attacking the city for over two hours using various weapons.

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Russian forces attacked a railway station full of people in Kherson late on Dec. 26, killing at least one person and wounding four others, Ukrainian officials said.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported that about 140 people were waiting for an evacuation train from heavily shelled Kherson. A police lieutenant evacuating civilians from the attack site was killed, and two more police officers and two civilians were wounded by shrapnel, he added.

Since Ukrainian forces liberated Kherson and swathes of territories on the western bank of the Dnipro River in November 2022, Russia continues to heavily strike the city with artillery, tanks, drones, and air bombs.

Ukrainian railway monopoly Ukrzaliznytsia said that the civilians are waiting for the situation to stabilize before being evacuated on buses to Mykolaiv in the neighboring Mykolaiv Oblast.

"The situation is under control, and the railroad is ready to continue running," Ukrzaliznytsia said in a Telegram statement.

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According to media reports, Russian forces had been attacking the Kherson area for a few hours late on Dec. 26. Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin earlier reported a civilian death at around noon in the village of Mykilske  about 20 kilometers northeast of the regional capital.

Since liberation, over 400 civilians were killed and over 1,700 wounded in and around Kherson, according to local authorities.

Read also: Under deadly attacks, Kherson fights to keep life going 1 year after liberation

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Russian forces attacked 15 different locations over the past day in Kharkiv Oblast, killing one person and injuring at least one, as well as causing damage to houses and other buildings, the regional police said on Dec. 26.

An early morning Russian attack in the village of Podoly, around 6 kilometers from the city of Kupiansk, destroyed a civilian home. Rescue workers later found a man's body under the rubble.

In the village of Pischane in Kupiansk District, a 63-year-old man was wounded by shrapnel and taken to the hospital.

Russian attacks also damaged homes in the city of Vovchansk and the settlement of Kozacha Lopan.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on Dec. 18 that Russian forces have continued attacking along the Kupiansk-Svatove-Kreminna line as a part of their effort to capture the remainder of Luhansk Oblast and push westward into eastern Kharkiv Oblast. Despite their efforts, Russian forces have yet to make significant gains, the ISW said.

A Ukrainian military spokesperson said on Dec. 16 that Russia had committed more reserves in an attempt to capture Kupiansk.

Freed from Russian occupation during the Ukrainian counteroffensive in September 2022, Kupiansk has become a focal point for renewed Russian offensives due to its strategic significance as a key logistics hub. This makes it a potential launching point for further advances south or west.

Read also: Ukraines effort to isolate Russias economy through International Sponsors of War list

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Russian forces fired upon Kherson Oblast, killing at least one person, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on Dec. 26.



One attack targeted the village of Mykilske around 12 p.m. local time, damaging around 10 residential buildings. Under the rubble of one building, rescuers found the body of a 71-year-old man.

Earlier around 10:40 a.m., Russian troops fired upon the village of Tiahynka. The attack inflicted injuries "incompatible with life" on one person, according to Prokudin. It is not clear whether the victim is still alive.



Prosecutors are taking all possible and appropriate measures to document the war crimes committed by the Russian Federation against the civilian population, the Kherson Oblast Prosecutor's Office wrote on Facebook following the midday strike.



Russian attacks continued unabated over the holidays.



On the night of Dec. 25 and 26, Russia launched 19 Shahed-type drones at four regions in the south of Ukraine. Defense forces hit 13 drones although an unspecified infrastructure site was damaged in Odesa Oblast as well as an industrial facility and warehouses in Mykolaiv Oblast.



Russian forces also targeted 15 locations in Kharkiv Oblast on Dec. 26, killing one person and injuring another. Houses and other buildings were also damaged.

The previous day, Ukraines military shot down 28 out of 31 Shahed-type drones and two missiles launched by Russia overnight on Dec. 25.

Read also: Ukraine finally moves to fortify front line, but could it be too little too late?

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Gaza on Monday, where he spoke of committing to his war efforts as Palestinians mourn a recent attack that killed dozens of their brethren.

The trip marked Netanyahu's second known visit to the war-torn region since the beginning of Israel's war with the Hamas militant group. The Israeli prime minister has been facing mounting pressure from the United States to lower the intensity of its war efforts.

Benjamin Netanyahu Visits Gaza

However, during his Monday trip, Netanyahu vowed the opposite, that his country would "deepen" the fighting in the coming days. The latest strike, which happened on Sunday, struck Central Gaza and underscored the risk to civilians as fighting between the two sides intensified.

Residents of the embattled region were mourning the victims of the attack in the neighborhood, Al Maghazi. That area was where many who have fled fighting in other parts of the enclave have sought safety together, as per the New York Times.

Photographs of the aftermath on Monday highlighted a gray concrete building with gaping dark holes where rooms used to be. A mound of debris was found at the foot of the building, where men looked to be digging in search of survivors or bodies without any heavy equipment or machinery.

In a statement, the Gaza Health Ministry said that there were initially 70 people who were found to have died in the latest attack, with many left buried. However, the difficulty of reaching residents in Gaza meant that details of the incident were blurry.

Furthermore, Gazan Health Ministry officials blamed Israel airstrikes for the deadly attack on Al Maghazi. On Monday, Israel's military said that it was already working to review the said attack on the city.

Read Also: Israeli Air Strike Kills At Least 70 Palestinians After Hitting Central Gaza Refugee Camp

Continuing the War Effort

Netanyahu also laid out three "prerequisites for peace" in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal. These conditions are to "destroy Hamas, demilitarize Gaza, and deradicalize the whole of Palestinian society," according to the Times of Israel.

It was notable that the piece did not mention any of the hostages that are still being held by the terrorist group in Gaza and did not list their return as one of the prerequisites. The premier wrote that the U.S., the UK, France, Germany, and many other nations support Israel's intention to wipe out the militant group.

Netanyahu said that to reach their goals, it would need to establish a temporary security zone on the perimeter of Gaza and an inspection mechanism on the border between the region and Egypt. This should meet Israel's security needs and would prevent the smuggling of weapons into the territory.

The Israeli prime minister also said during his visit to Gaza that his country's military campaign was "not close to being over." His remarks came a few days after the U.S. secretary of state urged decreased fighting in the region.

On Monday, Gaza's Health Ministry also said that roughly 20,674 Palestinians have already lost their lives amid the fighting between Israel and Hamas. The ministry said that the majority of the victims have been women and children, according to BBC.

Related Article: Russia-Ukraine Ceasefire Could Be Considered by Vladimir Putin

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Moscow admitted the Novocherkassk, a large landing ship, had been damaged in a Ukrainian air strike

Ukrainian fighter jets have destroyed a Russian warship docked at a port in occupied Crimea in an attack bearing the hallmarks of British Storm Shadow missiles.

Footage of the incident showed a fire and a huge explosion in the harbour at Feodosia at around 3am local time after the missiles struck the Novocherkassk, one of Russias biggest amphibious warships.

In a rare move, Sergei Shoigu, Russias defence minister, personally told Vladimir Putin about the strike shortly before the Russian president greeted leaders from former Soviet states at a summit in St Petersburg.

Shoigu reported about the strike that the Ukrainians carried out on Feodosia and about the damage to our large landing ship. It was a very detailed report, said Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman.

Four people were killed in the attack, according to Russias emergencies ministry.

HI Sutton, an independent naval warfare analyst, published a photo of what he said was the smouldering wreck of the warship.

Novocherkassk has sunk at the pier, [with] 99 per cent confidence, he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The attack was most likely carried out with British-supplied Storm Shadow cruise missiles, or their French equivalents, known as Scalps, he added.

In recent weeks, Ukraine has been under mounting pressure to show that it can take the fight to Russia despite losing ground along the frontline in its eastern Donbas region.

The strike on the Novocherkassk is its most destructive hit since September, when Storm Shadow missiles destroyed a submarine being repaired at the dry dock in the Black Sea peninsulas port of Sevastopol.

Some European leaders are thought to be growing increasingly weary with the cost of supporting Kyiv after Ukraine failed to make significant gains against Russia over the summer during its Nato-backed counteroffensive.

But analysts said this was the seventh warship in Russias Black Sea Fleet that Ukraine has destroyed and Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, said the strike demonstrated that Ukraine could yet defeat Russia.

The latest destruction of Putins navy demonstrates that those who believe theres a stalemate in the Ukraine war are wrong, he said. They havent noticed that, over the past four months, 20 per cent of Russias Black Sea Fleet has been destroyed.

Footage of the incident showed a fire and a huge explosion

The Novocherkassk burns in the port of Feodosia

Russia frequently uses its amphibious warships to transport military assets, and Ukrainian officials said the Novocherkassk was carrying Shahed drones from Iran when it was hit. Moscow has launched waves of aerial attacks on Ukraine using such units.

Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the Ukrainian air force for the successful missile strike and said the Novocherkassk had been sunk.

I am grateful to our air force for the impressive replenishment of the Russian underwater Black Sea fleet with another vessel, he said.

The docks at Feodosia are located on the south-east shore of Crimea, near the 11-mile Kerch Bridge, which links the peninsula to the Russian mainland, and are mainly used to repair warships or to finish fitting out new vessels.

The 370ft Novocherkassk was built in 1987 and is considered a vital part of the Black Sea Fleet because of its capacity to launch amphibious assaults.

Russian sources also confirmed that it was highly likely Ukraine had used either Storm Shadow or Scalp missiles in the attack. These are fired by Ukrainian fighter jets and have been used in several attacks since they were handed to Kyivs forces in May.

Presumably, four British Storm Shadow air-to-ground missiles were fired at the large amphibious warship Novocherkassk from Su-24 fighter jets, said Vladimir Rogoz, a senior pro-Kremlin official in occupied Ukraine. Some of them hit the enemys target.

Despite only having a small navy, Ukraine has registered a string of major military successes in the Black Sea. It has recaptured the strategically important Snake Island near Odessa and has forced the Russian navy to move its main warships 200 miles away in Novorossiysk to escape its maritime drone and missile attacks.

The Kremlin has even started to build a new naval base in Abkhazia, a pro-Russia rebel region of Georgia 400 miles from Crimea.

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One man received an injury and a wound on 25 December in the village of Pishchane in Kharkiv Oblast, and another man was killed as a result of a Russian attack on the village of Podoly on the night of 25-26 December.

Source: Kharkiv Oblast National Police; Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration

Details: Over the past day, the Russian military attacked the settlements in Kharkiv, Bohodukhiv, Chuhuiv and Kupiansk districts of Kharkiv Oblast.

Over 15 settlements were attacked by Russians with artillery and mortars. The settlements of Veterynarne in Kharkiv district, Ivashky and Udy in Bohodukhiv district, Vovchansk and Budarky in Chuhuiv district, Synkivka, Petropavlivka and Ivanivka in Kupiansk district and other settlements were struck.

A private household and outbuildings were damaged in the town of Vovchansk. The attack was carried out at about 10:00 on 25 December.

At 11:00, the Russians struck the village of Pishchane in Kupiansk district. A 63-year-old local man received a mine-blast trauma and shrapnel wounds and was taken to hospital.

At about 11:30, a private house was damaged in the village of Kozacha Lopan as a result of a Russian attack. No people were injured.

On 26 December, at about 02:30, the Russians launched an attack on the village of Podoly, Kupiansk district, damaging a private house. The police reported that the rescue workers found the body of a man under the rubble, even though earlier the head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration had stated that no casualties had been reported.

Investigators opened criminal proceedings over the violation of the laws and customs of war under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Syniehubov added that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had repelled six Russian attacks near the settlement of Synkivka in Kupiansk district.

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The Russians launched 14 unsuccessful assault operations on Dnipro River's left bank over the past 24 hours.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, information as of 18:00 on 26 December

Quote: "The invaders have persisted in their intention to drive our units from their footholds on Dnipro's left bank. The enemy mounted 14 unsuccessful assault operations over the past 24 hours, facing a decent rebuff and suffering significant losses. Our units are steadfastly holding the line, continuing to hold their positions and inflicting fire on the occupying forces.

Over the past 24 hours, Ukraine's Air Force struck 17 clusters of Russian military personnel, weapons and equipment and 5 enemy anti-aircraft missile systems. Ukrainian air defences destroyed 2 Kh-59 air-to-surface missiles and 1 reconnaissance UAV. Additionally, tactical aircraft of our Air Force successfully attacked a large landing ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the Novocherkassk.

Units of Ukrainian Rocket Forces and Artillery struck the clusters of Russian military personnel, weapons and equipment, a command post, an artillery piece and 3 other major enemy targets."

Details: A total of 59 combat engagements occurred over the past 24 hours. The Russians launched 5 missile strikes and 21 airstrikes and attacked the positions of Ukrainian forces and populated areas 38 times using multiple launch rocket systems.

On the Kupiansk front, Ukrainian defenders repelled 8 Russian attacks near the settlement of Synkivka and northeast of the village of Petropavlivka (Kharkiv Oblast). The Russians launched an airstrike near the settlement of Sobolivka (Kharkiv Oblast).

On the Lyman front, Ukrainian Defence Forces repelled 11 Russian attacks near Serebrianka Forest (Luhansk Oblast) and the village of Vesele (Donetsk Oblast), where the Russian army, backed by aircraft, unsuccessfully attempted to break through the Ukrainian defences.

On the Bakhmut front, Ukrainian Defence Forces repelled three Russian attacks near the settlements of Klishchiivka and Andriivka (Donetsk Oblast).

On the Avdiivka front, Ukrainian troops repelled 10 Russian attacks east of the settlements of Novobakhmutivka and Avdiivka and another 13 attacks near the settlements of Pervomaiske and Nevelske in Donetsk Oblast.

On the Marinka front, the Ukrainian army is continuing to hold back the Russian forces near Novomykhailivka and Pobieda in (Donetsk Oblast), where the Russians, supported by aircraft, mounted five unsuccessful attacks on Ukrainian positions.

On the Shakhtarsk front, the Russians conducted no offensive (assault) actions.

On the Zaporizhzhia front, the Ukrainian Defence Forces repelled 4 attacks west of the settlements of Verbove and Robotyne (Zaporizhzhia Oblast), where the Russians unsuccessfully attempted to force Ukrainian units out of their positions.

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Russian forces launched assault drones from the south of Ukraine on the evening of 25 December.

Source: Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Telegram

Details: According to the Air Force, drones are moving from Kherson Oblast towards Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. An air-raid warning was issued in these regions.

At 22:53 it was reported that the UAVs were moving through the territory of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in the direction of Kirovohrad.

Updated: Suspilne reported explosions were heard in Mykolaiv at around 00:00 on 26 December.

Quote from Ukraines Air Force: "An enemy drone has been spotted in the vicinity of Mykolaiv."

Quote from Ukraines Air Force at 00:47: "Attack UAVs are advancing towards Kyiv Oblast across Cherkasy Oblast!"

Updated: An air-raid warning was issued in Kyiv Oblast at 01:05. The all-clear was sounded at 01:38.

Quote from Ukraines Air Force at 01:16: "Enemy UAVs are advancing towards Vinnytsia Oblast!"

Quote from Ukraines Air Force at 01:50: "Attack UAVs are advancing west across Vinnytsia Oblast. There is a threat of attack on Khmelnytskyi Oblast!"

Quote from Ukraines Air Force at 02:25: "Attack UAVs are in Khmelnytskyi Oblast and are advancing towards Starokostiantyniv."

Updated: At 02:49, Ukraines Air Force announced there was no threat of Russian drone attacks.

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The Russians have traditionally tried to deny the destruction of the Novocherkassk military industrial complex

On the night of Dec. 26, the beleaguered Russian Black Sea fleet suffered a new loss  another large landing ship.

As a result of a missile attack on temporarily occupied Feodosia, the Novocherkassk landing ship was destroyed.

According to preliminary data, the ship was attacked with cruise missiles.

Despite the numerous videos of the strike, some Russian officials have stubbornly denied the loss of the Novocherkassk.

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Others, having accepted the truth, have thrown tantrums on social media.

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Ukrainians and their online supporters are stirring the pot with posts containing memes Black Sea Fleets misfortune.

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Iran blames Israel for an airstrike that Tehran said killed a senior advisor in Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) outside Damascus in Syria on Monday.

Reuters said that three security sources confirmed the death of the senior advisor, identified as Sayyed Razi Mousavi. He was responsible for coordinating a military alliance between Iran and Syria.

Death of Revolutionary Guards Senior Advisor

State television also interrupted programming to announce Mousavi's death and described the senior advisor in the IRGC as one of the oldest advisors for the Guard in Syria. The announcement of his death added that Mousavi accompanied Qassem Soleimani, the head of the IRGC's Quds Force, who died in a U.S. drone attack in Iraq in 2020.

Iran's ambassador, Damascus Hossein Akbari said that the late Mousavi was in the embassy as a diplomat and noted that he was killed by missiles that Israel fired after he returned home from work.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said that the killing of Mousavi was a show of Israel's weakness, adding that it was a sign of the Zionist regime's frustration in the region for which "it will certainly pay the price," as per Fox News.

The Revolutionary Guards, echoing Raisi's remarks, said that Israel would suffer consequences for the killing of Mousavi. In a statement, the IRGC said that the usurper and savage Zionist regime would "pay for this crime."

The spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, Nasser Kanaani, said that Iran Reserves the right to take necessary measures to respond to the action at the appropriate time and place. On the other hand, Israel's military did not immediately respond to requests for comments regarding Mousavi's death.

Israel's attacks on Iran-linked targets in Syria are not new and have been taking place for several years. Ever since the support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Tehran's influence in the country has continued to grow following the civil war in 2011.

Read Also: South Korea's Organized Crime Crackdown Targets Gen Z, Millennial Criminals

Iran Blames Israeli Airstrike

The Israeli airstrike came amid fears that the country's war with the Palestinian armed group Hamas in Gaza could expand into a wider regional conflict. Officials have warned that it has pulled Iran-backed groups such as Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, according to Aljazeera.

Mousavi was allegedly the target of several assassination attempts by Israel, but the latest incident is only the one that succeeded. Israel has repeatedly claimed that the senior advisor was an instrumental figure within the network of arms smuggling from Iran to Syria, to Iraq to Syria, and to end with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

While the Israeli military has not responded to requests for comments regarding the incident, an unnamed Israeli official allegedly said that his country is preparing for retaliation that could include rocket fire from Syria and Lebanon.

The killing of Mousavi comes after earlier this month, Iran claimed that Israeli airstrikes killed two Revolutionary Guards members in Syria who had served as military advisers in the region. Iran is known to have sent hundreds of Guards as "advisers" to help train and organize thousands of Shi'ite militia fighters from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, said Reuters.

Related Article: Russia-Ukraine Ceasefire Could Be Considered by Vladimir Putin

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CHICAGO - Santa Claus saved the best for last this Christmas!

He traded in his usual reindeer-driven sled and chimney for one of the Chicago Fire Department's firetrucks to visit children at La Rabida Children's Hospital.

When he got to La Rabida, he visited every patient, bringing holiday cheer and, of course, toys.

Hospital stays can be stressful for kids and their families, so Santa visited to give pediatric patients and their families a bit of relief from what they're going through.
Two criminal cases are scheduled to go to trial in early 2024 and one family will finally have closure in the new year as sentencing for a 20-year-old man concludes a month after a grieving mother took the stand offering her forgiveness.

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune has put together a list of three area cases where an arrest was made, but a trial has yet to happen, to help readers stay up to date.

Sentencing for man found guilty of murder, attempted murder to conclude in new year

Prosecutor Megan Leaf, left, tries to calm Arteayia Howard as she testifies about the loss of her son, Le'Quavious Claridy. Darion Lee was found guilty in July 2023 for murder in the second degree with a firearm and attempted murder in the first degree in connection to the 2019 shooting that killed Le'Quavious Claridy and wounded then 17-year old Sas Young

Almost a month after a Sarasota mother took the stand to forgive a 20-year-old man who was found guilty of killing her son during the first half of his sentencing, Darion Lee will appear in court once more to conclude his sentencing hearing on Jan. 3.

Lee was found guilty in July of second-degree murder with a firearm and attempted murder in connection to the 2019 shooting that killed LeQuavious Claridy and wounded a classmate.

Due to the defense receiving a report late from one of their witnesses, the conclusion of the sentencing was postponed, giving Lee's attorneys enough time to review the report and prepare for the hearing.

Lee was arrested in November 2019 after he turned himself in following the shooting near Carver Street and Orange Avenue which at the time wounded both Claridy and Sas Young, 17. Lee was 16 years old at the time.

Previous reporting: Mother forgives man found guilty of murdering her son as sentencing delayed

Trial conclusion: Jury finds Sarasota man, 20, guilty of murder, attempted murder in 2019 shooting

An affidavit in the case states the shooting was over an ongoing dispute over a dirt bike between Lee and Young, both students at Triad.

When police arrived on the scene, two victims were on the ground near pools of blood, reports stated at the time.

Claridy was in a coma following the shooting, but when he awoke, he told his aunt it had been Lee who had shot him and repeated the name to detectives who came to interview him at the hospital, according to her testimony during the trial earlier this year.

Woman arrested in connection to death of infant son asks for bond ahead of fair trial

Lily Scheip was charged with second-degree murder of her 14-week-old son in March 2022, with authorities alleging she had beat her son's head so badly he sustained severe brain damage, according to previous reporting.

On Nov. 8, 2021, Sarasota County Fire Dept. paramedics responded to a home in the 2300 block of Spring Oaks Circle following reports an infant was unconscious and not breathing. A 911 caller told police Scheip came to her door with the unconscious infant, who directed the mother to the home of a nurse, according to previous reporting.

The infant died on Nov. 10 as a result of his injuries after being taken off life support. A police investigation revealed the child had suffered two broken legs in September from an apparent fall and an autopsy noted distinguishable bruising on the child's head.

Scheip is expected to have a trial in April 2024, according to court records. Scheip in the meantime has asked the court to reinstate her bond, indicating that she has no prior criminal record and would therefore not fail to attend mandated court dates. A court hearing date has been set for late January.

In case you missed it: 'Take Care of Maya' verdict raises questions for child healthcare providers

More Sarasota court news: Mother forgives man found guilty of murdering her son as sentencing delayed

In an email written by Scheip's mother to Judge Thomas Krug on Oct. 25 asking about the length of a bond hearing, she expressed that she truly believes her daughter was innocent.

"I lost my only other child, a daughter, Lily's older sister Emily July 2021 to a sudden stroke," her email in part reads.

Scheip also submitted a letter on her behalf in August asking for her bond to be re-instated informing the judge that she had been incarcerated for nine months, serving the maximum sentence for a DUI, and has become a "proud, sponsored member of AA."

"I have been a dedicated nurse for 14 years," her letter reads. "I am a loving wife, mother, aunt and daughter. By re-instating my bond, I would have the opportunity to rejoin my community and family while anticipating a fair trial."

February trial scheduled for Sarasota man who was on the run in Mexico for five years

John Pyle had his trademark American flag in hand for the Nov. 9, 2013, Random Acts of Giving (R.A.G.) lap race at Payne Park in downtown Sarasota.

John Pyle, 67, is expected to appear in court for trial for 30 counts of possessing child pornography after he was caught in Mexico in June 2022 after being on the run since 2017.

Pyle, who ran 3,273 miles from San Francisco to Key West to raise money for the Wounded Warriors Project in 2012 and then ran again to evade authorities, was caught in Merida, Mexico, by the U.S. Marshals Mexican Foreign Field Office and Mexican Immigration, according to previous reporting.

In 2016, Sarasota Police Department detectives searched Pyle's condo on South Osprey Avenue after receiving tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Detectives found 31 images of child pornography, 15 images containing sexual misconduct, and two images of child pornography involving bondage on Pyle's laptop, according to arrest reports.

Pyle has since been in custody at the Sarasota County Jail and a trial was initially scheduled for November, however, it was canceled as a hearing was scheduled for late January 2024 to review motions to dismiss.

One court record mentioned that "many images for which he is charged are of simply nudity, as were the images used to support the issuance of the search warrant herein." Pyle is challenging the facial validity and stating it is an unconstitutional burden on his First Amendment rights, unconstitutionally vague, overbroad, and lacks due process. Pyle also put in a motion to suppress all evidence that law enforcement obtained as a result of two unlawful searches.

Gabriela Szymanowska covers the legal system for the Herald-Tribune in partnership with Report for America. You can support her work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America. Contact Gabriela Szymanowska at gszymanowska@gannett.com, or on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota court updates: 2 pending trials, sentencing wait for 2024
Serenoa Lakes resident Joseph McCarthy is challenging the Sarasota County Property Appraiser's determination that his roof replacement was a capital replacement, thus allowing the property appraiser to adjust the taxable value of his home more than the 3% cap allowed under Save Our Homes. McCarthy made no other changes or improvements to his home.

Sarasota retiree Joseph McCarthy described feeling "cheated" out of protections in Florida's Save Our Homes law at a mid-December hearing before a special magistrate for Sarasota County's Value Adjustment Board.

That law, passed in 1992 through a voter referendum on amending the state constitution, capped increases in assessed values on homesteaded property at 3% per year.

Yet McCarthy found a 12% increase in his mailbox from the local property appraiser's office this summer, with the large increase attributed to the roughly $60,000 cost to replace a tile roof on his Sarasota County home.

That increase above the Save Our Homes cap could impact any Sarasota County resident who replaces a roof because of how the Sarasota County Property Appraiser's Office interprets state law. In recent years, home owners have been forced to replace roofs earlier and earlier as struggling insurance companies pulled back coverage in the Sunshine State.

Im an 80-year-old resident of Sarasota and I have a pension I received in 1994 and that pension today is still frozen at the same dollar amount," he told the magistrate. "I dont have any expectation that you are going to fix that for me, but that is a condition that I exist in this town and I expect to be provided with the protections of Save Our Homes."

Serenoa Lakes resident Joseph McCarthy is challenging the Sarasota County Property Appraiser's determination that his roof replacement was a capital replacement, thus allowing the property appraiser to adjust the taxable value of his home more than the 3% cap allowed under Save Our Homes. McCarthy made no other changes or improvements to his home.

After McCarthy and his wife Irene replaced the tile roof on their 3,125-square-foot home in Serenoa Lakes in 2022, he was outraged to see his next year's tax notice with such a large increase in assessed value.

The couple bought the lot on the property south of Clark Road about 20 years ago.

Through the years a wide gap between the market value and the taxable value has grown because of the Save Our Homes law, resulting in significantly lower property taxes. Still, the extra increase frustrated McCarthy.

A mediation session with the Sarasota County Property Appraiser's office after McCarthy filed an appeal of his property's 2023 valuation led to a reduction in the taxable value to a 7% year-over-year increase after assessors accounted for the value of the removed roof, McCarthy said.

Still, he doesn't believe they should increase it at all above the 3% set out in Florida's constitution.

"My overriding concern here is that I believe I'm being cheated out of my protections under Save Our Homes," he said. "I put an exact replacement, returning to new condition that it was in; I did nothing more than bring that roof back to its original condition."

Sarasota County Property Appraiser policies differ from others

While Save Our Homes does prevent increases due solely to market appreciation, another paragraph in the state statutes regulating how property appraisers must do their job requires any "changes, additions, or improvements" to be assessed at full market value each year.

The Herald-Tribune highlighted this issue in early October after completing a survey of Charlotte, Manatee, DeSoto, Hillsborough and Pinellas property appraisers' offices. Only Sarasota County Property Appraiser Bill Furst viewed a roof replacement on par with other capital improvement projects like adding a room or remodeling a home.

Two roof tiles from Joseph McCarthy's Serenoa Lakes home. One tile is an old tile, similar to the ones he had replaced, and one is a new tile. McCarthy is only partially joking when he asks which one is worth $62,000 more. The new tile is on the right. McCarthy is challenging the Sarasota County Property Appraiser's determination that his roof replacement was a capital replacement, thus allowing the property appraiser to adjust the taxable value of his home more than the 3% cap allowed under Save Our Homes. McCarthy made no other changes or improvements to his home.

"Our attorney has told us how to interpret the statute and we pride ourselves in following the law," Furst said in the fall. "When the law says the property appraiser may, we always go to the side of the taxpayer. In this case, it says shall and that really, the word shall, doesnt give me any leeway."

But neighboring counties' property appraisers consider roof replacements to be home maintenance, not a capital improvement.

Furst inherited that policy, he has said, noting the office has viewed roof replacement as a qualifying change or improvement that must be assessed at just market value due to state statute for at least the past 15 years.

Tod Abrahamson, a deputy property appraiser, told the special magistrate Sarasota County appraisers view roof replacements as a change and an improvement, making it outside the scope of the Save Our Homes cap.

"We believe the meaning of the words change and improvement are quite clear, a new roof regardless of previous construction material, represents both a change and an improvement," he said at the hearing.

McCarthy's attorney brought up the issue of cast iron pipes in the Pinecrest neighborhood, pointing out that replacement of cast iron pipes could also be viewed as a change or improvement. However, the appraiser's office does not increase taxable value in those cases.

Abrahamson noted during the hearing that the office focused mainly on improvements and changes that affect market value, pointing to new roofs, bathroom and kitchen remodels and new windows as likely changes or additions that would result in taxable value adjustments.

He said the appraiser's office doesn't have evidence that replacing cast iron pipes results in greater market value to properties.

Tony Ochoa, of Strong Roofing, works at a home in Sarasota Springs in this October 3, 2023, file photo. In Sarasota County, unlike other nearby jurisdictions, a new roof comes with another cost: a higher tax bill. Other area counties' elected property appraisers consider replacing a roof with the same material to be a maintenance issue, but Sarasota County's Property Appraiser classifies it as a capital improvement that enhances the home's taxable value.

McCarthy argued at the hearing that if he's being hit with a big increase due to the new roof in 2022, the appraiser's office should have depreciated the value of his roof over the years as well.

Deputy Appraiser Brian Loughrey noted the office does include a depreciation calculation on structures, but that because homes in recent years have increased in value more than the yearly depreciation, the taxpayer would not see the depreciation in taxable value.

The special magistrate will provide a written recommendation to the Value Adjustment Board in the next few weeks with the board meeting sometime in the spring to decide the matter. That decision can be appealed to circuit court.

Sarasota Republican State Rep. Fiona McFarland, R-Sarasota, filed a bill that would clarify the issue. Her bill states that "repair and maintenance of specified property is not a change, addition, or improvement" and also would provide county property appraisers discretion on how they charge interest in some inadvertent homestead exemption violations.

Bill Furst has previously noted he would meet with McFarland to see if the Legislature could provide guidance on this topic. Loughrey said the bill was a result of meetings with Furst.

McCarthy doesn't see a need for the bill, given how other property appraisers have applied the law.

"They have no need of state legislation to do the right thing now," he said. "If you replace a roof with a like-kind of roofing material there is no increase in appraised value in" surrounding counties.

Previous coverage: Forced by insurance to replace roofs, Sarasota homeowners can expect higher tax bills, too

More: Let's clear up the confusion about Sarasota County property appraisals

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Increase in taxable value due to roof replacement challenged by Sarasota retiree
Ukraines SBU security service arrested three members of a gang responsible for extorting 120,000 UAH ($3,195) from an injured Ukrainian serviceman in Volyn Oblast, who had returned from the front for treatment and rehabilitation, the SBU reported on Dec. 26.

The perpetrators face up to 12 years in prison.

According to the SBU, this gang operated by artificially sparking conflicts with local residents before extorting funds from them for the peaceful resolution of disputes. This gang used the same tactic to extort payment of a non-existent debt from the injured soldier.

Read also: SBU uncovers another draft evasion scheme in Odesa, two organizers arrested, face 9 years in prison

However, the soldier refused to pay the extortion money, resulting in the gang physically attacking the soldier, who suffered a traumatic brain injury and a contusion of the cervical spine. The gang threatened the soldier with further harm if he did not pay them.

The SBUs investigation revealed that the gang's leader was a convict serving a sentence in a Volyn area prison for robbery. He remotely involved three of his accomplices on the outside, who had previously served prison terms for robbery, theft, and extortion.

Read also: Ukrainian man arrested in Russia for allegedly attempting to poison flight school graduates

All four suspects have been notified of the charges under Part 4 of Article 189 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (extortion committed by an organized group during martial law, combined with causing grievous bodily harm).

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Armed gangs in Nigeria have targeted villages and killed at least 160 people while wounding more than 300 others.

On Monday, local government officials reported the happenings, which marked a sharp rise from the initial figure that the country's army said on Sunday evening. During that time, there were only 16 fatalities reported in a region that religious and ethnic tensions have plagued for several years.

Nigeria Gang Attack

In a statement, the head of the local government in Books, Plateau State, Monday Kassah said that there were as many as 113 people who were confirmed to have been killed as Saturday hostilities persisted to the early hours of Monday.

Kassah noted that armed groups, locally known as "bandits," launched what he said were "well-coordinated" attacks in not fewer than 20 different communities in Nigeria. He added that the assailants even torched houses.

The official noted that they discovered more than 300 people wounded and added that they had been transferred to hospitals in Bokkos, Jos, and Barkin Ladi. The local Red Cross issued a provisional toll of 104 deaths in 18 villages in the Bokkos region, as per The Guardian.

A member of the state parliament, Dickson Chollom said that at least 50 people were also reported to have died in several other villages in the Barkin Ladi area. He also condemned the attacks and called on the security forces to swiftly act against the local gangs.

Chollom said they would not succumb to the tactics of the "merchants of death." He added that they are united in pursuing justice and lasting peace within the region.

The armed groups' attacks started in the Bokkos area and later expanded into neighboring Barkin Ladi, where 30 people were found dead. Plateau State Gov. Caleb Mutfwang on Sunday condemned the violence and called it "barbaric, brutal, and unjustified."

Read Also: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Visits Gaza as Palestinians Mourn Attack That Killed Dozens

Hundreds Dead and Wounded

The incidents come as Plateau is infamous for clashes between herders and farmers and inter-communal conflict in the area has claimed hundreds of lives in the past few years. According to DW News, a spokesperson for Mutfwang, Gyang Bere said they were taking proactive measures to curb ongoing attacks against innocent civilians.

Amnesty International, a human rights watchdog, has also criticized the Nigerian government for its "brazen failure" to protect its people. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the group said that the Nigerian authorities have been failing to end frequent deadly attacks on rural communities of Plateau state.

The latest attacks come a few months after a previous series of armed gang violence that occurred in July. At the time, at least 34 people, including seven soldiers, lost their lives when a group of armed individuals in Nigeria's northwest Zamfara state launched an attack.

A resident of the area, Lawali Zonai, said that 27 villagers were killed in the attack and noted that the seven military personnel were ambushed on their way to support the community from the brutal assault, said Reuters.

Related Article: Tehran Blames Israel for Airstrike That Killed Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps Senior Advisor

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Seattle police say they investigated a drive-by shooting that happened near the intersection of Occidental Avenue South and South Washington Street early Sunday morning.

Officers arrived around 2:00 a.m. and immediately found people who had been shot.

While law enforcement was investigating, officials learned about more people with gunshot wounds at Second Avenue and University Street. The victims fled after being shot.

The Seattle Fire Department then took the victims to Harborview Medical Center for treatment.

All five victims survived the gunshot wounds. Four of them were men  aged 34, 27, 26, and 25. The last victim was a 25-year-old woman.

It appears there was a drive-by shooting during the close of the bars and nightclubs near Occidental Park, said a spokesperson. The gunfire injured the five subjects while they were outside on the street.

Police say that a black sedan and a white sedan might have been involved in the shooting. Both cars were last seen driving westbound on South Washington Street.

If anyone has information, police ask that you call the SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000.
Lawmakers involved in negotiations to send military aid to U.S. allies said they are putting a priority on getting the language right in the bill's border security and immigration provisions to avoid unintended consequences.

A working group of senators, including independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma and Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut are crafting an agreement to pass a $110 billion aid package.

The bulk of the funding would provide military assistance to Ukraine in its fight against Russia, but the bill includes funding for Israel and Taiwan as well. The legislation would allocate nearly $14 billion to strengthen security along the U.S.-Mexico border. The bill has stalled in the Senate under Republican pressure to reduce the number of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

"We're dealing with very, very difficult, complex issues. Drafting is very technical. It must be done incredibly precise and to avoid unintended consequences and decades of litigation," Sinema told The Arizona Republic. "And so this is really hard. But everyone is working in good faith to solve this crisis."

With Congress on holiday break until Jan. 8, the working group of senators will continue negotiating and meeting virtually during the break. Lawmakers are closer to reaching a deal, but are still working through several big issues, a Democratic aide said.

Policy experts acknowledged that while the draft language in the deal can play a crucial role, many times those unforeseen impacts do not come into focus until months or years after the changes take effect.

Unintended consequences are a big part of nearly all immigration legislation, according to Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, the policy director at the American Immigration Council, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization.

He said it's better for them to take their time and to do it right, but expressed little confidence that whatever deal is struck would solve the underlying issues that are driving up global migration to the U.S.-Mexico border.

"There is widespread agreement among policy experts that in order to get a handle on what's happening on the border, you need to do more than just crack down. You need to create alternate legal pathways. You need to provide new processing needs," Reichlin-Melnick said. "But right now, we're not seeing new processes. We're just seeing new walls put up within the existing process framework and new penalties and not much else."

U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., questions Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin testifying before a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing to examine the national security supplemental request, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Oct. 31, 2023.

Sinema, Murphy and Lankford declined to comment about the specifics of the ongoing negotiations. But Sinema, who has staked out space in the Senate as a dealmaker and who chairs the Homeland Security subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management, said she was taking a two-pronged approach.

"The first prong is to provide policy and financial relief, right? So we need policy changes to border policy and to asylum policy because it is currently being exploited by the cartels. And also, we need the financial resources to enact those new policies," she said.

The second prong, Sinema added, is "to bring disparate positions together and to find common ground between the two parties and help them identify the so-called sweet spot" in order to reach an agreement and get it to President Joe Biden.

Details are likely to be kept under wraps until a deal is reached, but some of the potential changes under consideration include raising the credible-fear standards that migrants must pass in order to start their asylum claims in the country and expanding nationwide the use of fast-track deportations known as expedited removals, which are currently limited to a 100-mile zone next to the border.

Lawmakers are said to be considering codifying into law a Trump-era transit ban that would bar migrants from claiming asylum in the U.S. if they didn't apply for protection in another country on their way to the border.

It is clear there are multiple unresolved issues that will take weeks to resolve rather than hours. It is better to get this done right rather than fast," Lankford said in a written statement as in-person negotiations wrapped up last week. "This is a complicated area of law; however, the issue of border security is not complicated to anyone outside of Washington, D.C. I am committed to work through the next few weeks to restore order on our chaotic southern border.

Earlier this month, the White House joined the fray in the negotiations and appeared ready to back some of the changes to the asylum system. Those proposals face almost total opposition from policy experts and migrant advocacy groups.

Through these proposals, the Biden administration has made it clear that they are willing to sacrifice our values at home in pursuit of defending our allies values abroad. We can and should be able to do both," said Laura St. John, the legal director for the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, which provides legal assistance to migrants and asylum seekers in Arizona. "It is unconscionable to trade away the fundamental rights of people seeking safety in a funding dispute."

Policy experts such as Reichlin-Melnick at the American Immigration Council said there were numerous examples in recent years of U.S. border and immigration policies adopted to address one problem, only to then create other seen or unforeseen consequences.

He pointed to Title 42 as one of the most notable, recent examples. The public health rule allowed U.S. border officials to immediately expel migrants back to Mexico during the COVID-19 pandemic. But since the expulsions didn't carry any consequences, they enabled migrants to attempt to cross the border repeatedly, leading to a surge in crossings.

Reichlin-Melnick said that because immigration law is so complex, unintended consequences are difficult to avoid.

"Making a few changes here and there may not seem like a huge impact, but that can have ripple effects throughout the entire system," he added.

Another example he pointed to is the president's parole authority, which has come under intense Republican scrutiny since the Biden administration has been using parole to release thousands of migrants processed at the border. Republicans have been attempting to end or curb that authority.

Doing so would limit the administration's tools to deal with other urgent situations, Reichlin-Melnick said, pointing to the use of humanitarian parole to process thousands of Afghan allies after the Taliban took over the country, or when thousands of Ukrainians arrived at the border after the Russian invasion.

Warning: US citizens urged not to travel to Rocky Point until Lukeville border crossing reopens

The language used to draft legislation also can have a significant impact on the outcomes as well, and even individual words can have far-reaching consequences. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments during the first week of January on a case that hinges on the language within U.S. law to begin removal proceedings.

A Salvadoran man is challenging his order of removal from the country for not showing up to his court hearing arguing that his initial "notice to appear" document did not have a date and time. He later received a secondary notice with those details.

With two appellate courts split on the issue, the justices will have to determine in Campo-Chaves v. Garland whether a "notice to appear" must constitute a single document that includes all necessary details for the proceedings, such as date and time, as opposed to two or more notices issued at different times.

Have any news tips or story ideas about immigration in the Southwest? Reach the reporter at rafael.carranza@arizonarepublic.com, or follow him on X (formerly Twitter): @RafaelCarranza.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Migrant border crisis: Sen. Kyrsten Sinema part of border negotiations
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  A Michigan indigenous community is one step closer to retribution for land that was stolen from them nearly 200 years ago.

The U.S. Senate recently passed a bipartisan piece of legislation led by Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D- Mich., to settle the longstanding land claims between the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and the current landowners, rewarding them with approximately $34 million.

The Tribal Council and the whole Keweenaw Bay Indian Community are beyond overjoyed by the Senates unanimous passage.  We have sought relief and compensation for generations for the unlawful taking of our lands, KBIC President Doreen Blaker said in a statement.

According to the tribe, treaties signed in 1842 and 1854 established a large reservation in todays Baraga County known as the LAnse reservation. However, thousands of acres of that reservation were eventually taken back by the federal government without any compensation and given back to the state.

Keeping a tradition alive: Michigan tribes work to restore wild rice

More than 2,700 acres of land were taken to compensate for the construction of the Sault Ste. Marie Canal along with another 2,700 acres of swamp land. The tribe claims that lost land, including territory along the coast of Lake Superior, has hurt the tribe financially and could have been used for a variety of revenue-generating activities over the past 150 years.

The agreement, dubbed the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Land Claim Settlement Act of 2023, still has hurdles, however. The legislation must pass through the House of Representatives and be signed into law by President Joe Biden. Congressman Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, introduced a companion bill into the House earlier this year.

Both Peters and Stabenow believe the agreement will make its way through, not only because it passed the Senate unanimously, but because they believe it brings a form of justice to a community that was unjustly served.

New nature preserve set for Lake Michigan shoreline

This bipartisan bill rightly settles the claims brought by the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and provides legal clearance for local residents who currently own the property at issue, Sen. Peters said in a statement. Its time to right this wrong.

Said Stabenow: Passage of this legislation resolving longstanding land claims is an important step forward. This bill is a long overdue solution.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
KENTWOOD, Mich. (WOOD)  A Kentwood man sent to prison last year for fatally strangling his pregnant wife will stay locked up for decades.

The Michigan Court of Appeals has upheld a sentence of a little more than 33 years to 100 years for Richard Guichelaar, according to court documents.

He strangled his pregnant wife, Amber Guichelaar, in November of 2020 with their two toddler daughters nearby.

Am I safe sleeping next to him?: Murder victims words expose husband

Guichelaar pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and assaulting a pregnant individual causing miscarriage or still birth.

The sentencing judge called Guichelaars crime absolutely atrocious and terrible.

You strangled your wife You killed her intentionally, the judge told him. Theres just no excuse or justification for this brutal and senseless murder. Theres none whatsoever.

In his appeal, Guichelaar argued the sentence was too harsh.

Now 38, Guichelaar is at a state prison in Ionia. Hell be nearly 70 years old before he can be considered for release.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser touts the opening of a new migrant shelter in preparation for a surge of asylum seekers in the Texas border city amid the ongoing migrant crisis.

The opening of the shelter comes with a massive migrant caravan heading through Mexico going to the United States. The shelter was previously a vacant middle school repurposed and opened on Friday. City officials also noted that the new shelter will be able to house hundreds of individuals.

El Paso's New Migrant Shelter

Leeser said that while the migrant crisis in the United States continues to unfold, he urged the public to remember that "our humanity is tested in how we care for the vulnerable." West Texas has become a more popular border crossing location for migrants.

The state's sixth-largest city also serves as a decompression center when migrants who enter the country in other parts of the border overwhelm those areas. The caravan of migrants that is currently traveling to the U.S. comes as thousands of asylum seekers cross into the U.S. every day, as per the Daily Mail.

The U.S. Border Patrol is currently transferring migrants who illegally cross into the country in Lukeville, Arizona, and Eagle Pass, Texas, to El Paso. After the asylum seekers are in West Texas, they undergo vetting and screening called "processing."

Migrants seeking asylum in the United States often make their case during this time. Those who pass the security clearance are released into the country to await a court date, which is usually scheduled years in the future.

After immigration officials release asylum seekers, migrants who have the means to travel will catch buses or planes out of town. However, those who do not have money to leave El Paso will end up in the city's migrant shelters operated by charities that are currently at capacity.

The situation comes as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recently started flying migrants out of the state and into other states, the first of which is Chicago. The latter is now struggling due to the number of asylum seekers that are being sent to the region without prior warning, according to NPR.

Read Also: [UPDATE] Texas Faces Lawsuit From ACLU Over New Immigration Law Allowing Arrest of Illegal Crossers

Ongoing Migrant Crisis

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the situation is dire as people have been forced to sleep on floors and outside. He added that the local police districts have been overwhelmed since the very start of the arrival of the migrants in the state.

The migrant crisis has already cost Chicago hundreds of millions of dollars and the city has since worked to clear the police stations. However, there are now reports of illnesses and even the death of a child at a migrant shelter.

Texas' decision to send migrants to Chicago comes after Abbott has already authorized busing operations that have brought more than 80,000 asylum seekers to Democratic-led cities since last year.

But now, bus operators could face stricter penalties in Chicago for not unloading newly arriving migrants at a designated location or failing to fill our proper paperwork, said the Associated Press.

Related Article: Texas Sends Plane Carrying Migrants From El Paso to Chicago After City Cracks Down on Buses

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Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has reported to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin about a strike by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Feodosia and the damage to the large landing ship Novocherkassk, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Dec. 26.

Destruction of the Novocherkassk: what is known

On the night of Dec. 26., powerful explosions were heard in the port area of Feodosia. Later, Commander of Ukrainian Air Forces Mykola Oleshchuk reported a strike on the Russian large landing ship Novocherkassk, thanking Ukrainian pilots.

The attack was carried out with cruise missiles, according to Ukrainian Air Forces.

Sergey Aksyonov, a representative of the occupation administration of Crimea, acknowledged the attack, stating that the port area was cordoned off and residents of nearby buildings would be evacuated. Around 03:15, Aksyonov claimed that the detonation had stopped and the fire was localized.

Read also:

Videos of the explosions and a large-scale fire were subsequently published online.

Later, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed the attack on the Novocherkassk. Russian MOD stated that the ship sustained damage while repelling the strike by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

It is extremely difficult for the ship to survive after such an attack, said Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat. Clearly more than one missile [was used by UAF in the attack].

NV

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SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  A suspect is still at large after Salt Lake Police said one person was shot and injured early this morning in the 400 block of E. 200 South.

Police said the investigation began at around 2 a.m. this morning after shots were fired near a convenience store. Officers found the victim with an injury that was not life-threatening, and first responders took him to a local hospital.

Ohio woman arrested near Cedar City for alleged kidnapping of at least one child

While no motive is currently known, officers initially believed the shooting was part of a robbery. Instead officers later determined the shooting happened after an argument between both parties.

Police are asking citizens for tips, as they were unable to locate the suspect. No description of the suspect has been made available.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to call 801-799-3000 or submit an anonymous tip using the City Protect App and reference case number 23-288062.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are an order of LGBTQ+ nuns

Earlier this year, they were enmeshed in controversy at a Los Angeles Dodgers game.

Despite that, the Sisters continue to be focused on their community work and support.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are a unique group of nuns drawn into the spotlight for their sometimes controversial celebrations  but what many have yet to learn about is their community work and love for both critics and fans.

They're an order of LGBTQ+ nuns founded in San Francisco in 1979 with a lengthy history of community service to the LGBTQ+ community, especially during the initial decades of the AIDS crisis.

In June, they made headlines again when the Los Angeles Dodgers invited them to receive a community award, uninvited them after conservative backlash, and reinvited them after backlash from the LGBTQ+ community.

While the Sisters received an award at a June 16 Dodgers game, protests led by various Catholic community groups took place outside the stadium. The actions were seemingly attended by members of the Proud Boys and well-known far-right figures, as well as ex-LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. At its peak, the protest grew to nearly 2,000 people, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Gerald Garth stands with members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at the Dodgers game. Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Despite the incident, Sister Shalita Corndog, a member of the group's board of directors  known out of habit as Juliano Innocenti, a psychiatric nurse practitioner  said in an interview with Business Insider she wanted to move away from dichotomies of "us and them."

Corndog said the Sisters weren't upset about the situation with the Dodgers from the outset.

"We don't do things for public accolade," she said. "We never have, we never will. It's not who we are."

Outside of the incident, the Sisters have received ample criticism from people who think they're an anti-Catholic group. According to Corndog, that's not the case at all  and they don't consider themselves an order of Catholic nuns.

"The Sisters bring light and satire and humor, not to make fun of any religion or religious faith, quite the opposite. We respect them," Corndog said. "What we make light of is the hate-filled rhetoric that spouts from some of these, and I think that gets misinterpreted often by the public."

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence protesting the US Republican Convention in Dallas, TX, in 1984. CRO / Associated Press

She said part of their mission is to "promulgate universal joy" and "expiate stigmatic guilt," or the guilt rooted in the human condition in general.

This part of the mission is more difficult since some people carry "painful wounds" from the rhetoric they've heard or experienced in faith communities, Corndog said.

"You're taught that God loves you, that you're surrounded by guardian angels that protect you, that watch over you in the night, very beautiful comforting messages  but then they sneak in at the end of that, 'as long as you're heterosexual,'" she said. "What the sisters do is we make it okay to separate that hate-filled rhetoric from the core faith and belief that that person was connected to."

She also said that while some actions of the Sisters are well-publicized, like their "Hunky Jesus" or "Foxy Mary" costume competitions, other activities, like the Sisters' work with the unhoused and those with substance abuse disorders, or their efforts to connect with lonely or suffering people in their communities, are often overlooked.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence after the shooting at the Pulse nightclub. Richard Vogel / Associated Press

Despite their charitable work, the Sisters receive hate mail daily from across the country, Corndog said, which often includes violent and homophobic threats.

"I think the way to confront this kind of hate and divide is in a most loving, divine way. To not fear them, to not hate them, but to truly put into the universe, whether you call it prayer or otherwise, a hope for them to find peace in their heart," Corndog said. "To find a pathway, to correct the error of their ways, and for them to somehow find enlightenment from all of the horrific hatred that they carry in their heart. That must be exhausting."

But this kind of hate doesn't come from a specific hate or religion, Corndog added. Instead, she feels people in power have incorrectly interpreted religious dogma.

"You will never hear a sister say, 'you're wrong to believe that,'" Corndog told Business Insider. "We would never, ever want anyone to feel judged or belittled for having faith or believing in something."

Corndog also said she feels many religious people, if they learned more about the Sisters, would support the group and their work.

She pointed out that Jesus Christ, in the Catholic Bible, often used sarcasm and satire to draw attention to injustice and strengthen their relationships with God.

"Love one another was at the core of his teaching, as well as don't judge yourself and don't judge others. Those are really the only two divine laws," she said. "I'm not sure the people who are spreading this hatred and this fear are aware of how far off track they have gotten from their core belief."

Regardless, Corndog said, she does not wish any ill on people who disagree with the Sisters or send them hate mail and sees many of their beliefs as motivated by fear  specifically, a fear of going against teachings they have been learning since they were young.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at Out100 in 2023. Richard Shotwell / Associated Press

Regarding responding to such hateful rhetoric, Corndog first advises people to avoid engagement and keep themselves safe. Additionally, she said, people can get involved in organizations that "combat" hate in an organized, educated manner. She mentioned that, for example, people in the San Francisco Bay area could join movements like the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club or a chapter of the Young Democrats.

"You don't have to go out of your faith to combat this," Corndog said. "There are Catholic parishes and priests and organizations who have publicly come out in support of the Sisters."

She summed up her advice by saying: "Stay alert, stay involved, and know your limitations of what you can and can't handle."

The Los Angeles Dodgers did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Six people were arrested, including a pair of relatives, when pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with police near the Rockefeller Christmas tree in Midtown Manhattan on Christmas Day, police said Tuesday.

Christmas is cancelled! protesters screamed as they marched around the tree on Rockefeller Plaza then headed to Grand Central Station and Union Square.

There were several tense moments with cops and protesters clashing and shoving each other. The scheduled protest began outside the News Corp building on Sixth Ave. at 1:50 p.m. Monday but demonstrators soon began to move.

Protesters were recorded blocking traffic en masse as they took to the streets and headed toward Grand Central.

Six people were taken into custody during the six-hour protest including a 50-year-old Elder Mohammed and his 24-year-old relative Adam Elder Mohammed, who were both charged with resisting arrest, obstruction of government administration and disorderly conduct. Both were given desk appearance tickets and sent home.

Bronx resident Cisse Muktar, 18, was also arrested and charged with menacing, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. His arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court was pending Tuesday.

Others taken into custody included two women, ages 19 and 23, both charged with making graffiti and a 26-year-old man charged with disorderly conduct.

An NYPD officer fell and hurt his knee as he helped a fellow cop try to apprehend a protester, police said.

Last month, protesters jumped the barricades at the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade near Sixth Ave. and W. 45th St. and glued themselves to the pavement, forcing marchers, floats and balloons to veer from the path.

Protest organizers have called for a suspension of Christmas celebrations in mourning for the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

The war in Gaza has raged since Oct. 7, when the terror group Hamas attacked several Israeli areas near the Gaza Strip. More than 1,200 Israelis were killed and dozens were taken hostage.
Lunar New Year becomes global cultural event: spokesperson

Xinhua) 08:59, December 26, 2023

BEIJING, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- China looks forward to celebrating the Spring Festival with the world and hopes all civilizations will live in harmony and prosper together, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Monday.

Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a daily press briefing when asked to comment on the fact that the 78th UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution by consensus to list the Lunar New Year as a UN floating holiday.

Noting that the Lunar New Year, or what people call Spring Festival in China, is the oldest and most important traditional festival in Chinese culture, Mao said it's a time for family reunion and ringing in the new year and is celebrated in China and around the world.

"Some rough estimates suggest that the festival is a public holiday in almost 20 countries and is celebrated in various ways by about one-fifth of humanity," Mao said.

Traditional celebration activities are organized in nearly 200 countries and regions. The festival has become a global cultural event, bringing joy to people around the world, she added.

Mao said that the Lunar New Year symbolizes joy, harmony and peace, and its Chinese name "Spring Festival" conveys the greetings and warmth of the spring season, and the festival embodies the core values of harmony, love and peace in Chinese culture.

"We look forward to celebrating the Spring Festival with the world and hope all civilizations will live in harmony, prosper together and engage in exchanges and mutual learning, and that people of all countries will enjoy better mutual understanding and friendship and work together to build a community with a shared future for humankind," Mao said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Law enforcement authorities are investigating a swatting call that was made on Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene's home on Christmas Day.

The GOP lawmaker took to social media on Monday morning where she revealed that she was "just swatted." Greene noted that this incident marks the eighth time and added that her family was at her Rome, Georgia, residence on Christmas.

Swatting Call on Marjorie Taylor Greene's Home

On Monday, 911 dispatch notified officers that they received a call made through the suicide prevention hotline that came from a man who was possibly from Rome, New York. He claimed that he had just shot his girlfriend at Greene's Georgia address.

Rome Police later informed Greene's security team of the phone call as officers traveled to the scene. The law enforcement personnel traveling to the Republican's home were told nothing was wrong. Police information specialist Kelly Madden said officers were turned around before arriving at the house.

In her social media post, Greene said that her local police are the "Greatest" and should not have to deal with a prank. As per CNN, the lawmaker expressed her gratitude and noted that she and her family could continue to celebrate Christmas.

Swatting describes a prank call made to authorities to lure officers to a location, usually a home, where they are led to believe that a crime has been committed or is in progress. The situation would result in a forceful response from local police or SWAT teams, who are unaware that it is a prank.

Another Republican lawmaker, Rep. Brandon Williams said that he was also the victim of a swatting call on Christmas Day. He said that his home was swatted and he was informed of the situation by deputies and troopers who contacted him before arriving at his home.

Read Also: South Carolina Couple Accused of Burning Cross To Harrass Neighbors

False Reports to Law Enforcement

In a statement, Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck confirmed that law enforcement personnel responded to a swatting incident at the congressman's house on Monday. He noted that authorities from the sheriff's office and the New York State Police responded just after 2:00 p.m. to a "report of a reported confessed shooting incident" at Williams' home.

The swatting call marks the latest incident that targeted Greene, who has previously been the victim of swatting on multiple occasions, including false reports of shootings at her residence. According to Fox News, the offices of both Republicans did not immediately respond to requests for comments.

Following the incidents, people on social media quickly called for accountability for the ones who were responsible for making the false reports to authorities. One user, Julie Jones, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying that the cops would most likely know who is doing the pranks and are still letting them get away with it.

Another user, Bobbi Linn Mac, said that someone would be caught making the supposed swatting calls one day. He said that he hopes such criminals would be examples for everyone who thinks such an act is a good idea, said Newsweek.

Related Article: Man Sentenced for Illegally Distributing Over $16M of Adulterated HIV Medication

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OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  State Superintendent Ryan Walters has complied with a subpoena from lawmakers.

The House Republicans issued the court order after numerous attempts to get access to hundreds of documents and emails on a variety of topics.

Chairman of the subcommittee, Rep. Mark McBride R-Moore, says he sent three requests for the documents went unanswered.

The video below is from December 19.

McBride announced on Tuesday the delivery of the requested records and communications have been received.

I appreciate Supt. Walters quick compliance with the subpoena, and I have begun reviewing the delivered documents to ensure that they contain all of the information that was requested. As Chairman of the Appropriations and Budget Education Subcommittee, I exercised my power to subpoena the superintendent to produce these records, but I wish it would not have had to come to that. My focus has always been, and will continue to be, doing what is best for Oklahoma students. It is my hope that moving forward, the extreme, but sometimes necessary, process of using a subpoena will not be needed, and the superintendent will more openly and willingly communicate with members of the Legislature. The Legislative Branch is constitutionally charged with oversight of the budgets of certain departments, including the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE). Additionally, our responsibility as elected officials is to work together for the betterment of our state, not continuously fight to earn political clout or obfuscate the process of government. I will continue to review the subpoenaed documents with the hope that they fully answer the committees questions and give us a more complete understanding of the processes and procedures of the OSDE under Supt. Walters leadership. I thank him again for his swift compliance, and hope for a less adversarial working relationship in the future. Rep. Mark McBride R-Moore

In McBrides previous requests, he asked for transparency concerning a new teacher recruitment plan discussed during a media interview:

What was the [teacher] recruitment process?

Provide a copy of all teacher applications received under the new recruitment plan.

How many teachers have been hired from out of state? Additional information to be added include what state the individual is coming from, if the teacher was certified or not in the original state, if the individual is a new or veteran teacher, what Oklahoma school district was the individual hired in, and what subject that individual is teaching.

Provide detail of the school districts that fall in the 95% not performing at grade level.

What specifically is Supt. Walters doing to help districts perform at grade level status?



The subpoena also asked for these items:

Provide an update on the Metrics Software, $2,000,000 expenditure from SB 36X, Section 16, and how it is or isnt being utilized.

Did the Department authorize communications between Matt Langston and Chairman McBride on state letterhead?

Is there a policy in plat to allow or prohibit this type of communication between employees and elected officials?

Provide correspondence between OSDE and Chairs Baker or McBride during document requests.

All emails, texts or other communications between yourself and Matt Langston regarding the responses to document requests.

Provide all emails beginning in September 2020 sent to rwalters@everykidcountsok.org that discuss, condone, or relate in any way to the Office of Educational Quality and Accountability.

Walters-Served-Subpoena-12.19.23-1Download

KFOR has requested a response from the Oklahoma State Department of Education but has not heard back from officials.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
STOUGHTON  Police arrested an 18-year-old after he allegedly shot and wounded a Rhode Island man he had arranged to meet during the day on Saturday, Chief Donna McNamara said.

Marc Francois, 18, of Stoughton, faces a slew of charges, including assault and battery with a firearm, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without a license, possession of a large-capacity feeding device, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, disorderly conduct and armed robbery.

The intersection of Central St. and Greenwood Ave. in Stoughton, which includes single-family residences and a small business plaza.

What happened?

Officers received a 911 call on Saturday reporting shots fired in the residential area of Central Street and Greenwood Avenue in Stoughton.

"Officers arrived quickly and obtained a description of a man seen fleeing the area," McNamara said in a written statement.

According to police, officers located the suspect, later identified as Francois, near a condominium complex. A firearm was also recovered, police said.

Less than an hour later, an officer determined that a Rhode Island man was being treated for a gunshot wound at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro. Police say it was determined that he had been shot in Stoughton.

What was the motive?

The investigation is active and ongoing, and police have yet to reveal a motive behind the shooting. However, police did say that "information obtained during the investigation suggests that this was not a random act of violence and that there is no greater threat of danger to the community."

"The safety of our community is paramount, and when violence strikes, our residents should expect a rapid response and diligent investigation by our officers, who did exactly that in this incident," McNamara said. "This is a great example of professional policing at work during a rapidly unfolding incident."

Arraignment

Francois was held over the holiday weekend on $500,000 cash bail. He is expected to be arraigned Tuesday in Stoughton District Court.

Enterprise staff writer Amelia Stern can be reached by email at astern@enterprisenews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Marc Francois arrested, charged in daytime shooting in Stoughton
From absent-minded drunks to a not-so-great dime heist and criminal acts of footsie, 2023 was packed with strange criminal allegations from coast to coast  and beyond.

Dad forgets his missing child is at home

Booze is said to have been a factor when Connecticut dad Colby Parker filed a missing persons report for the child he forgot at home while making an evening run to Price Chopper in October. Security video reportedly showed Parker had made two trips to the grocery store that night, but brought his son only the first time. The 30-year-old dad showed signs of possible impairment. His child was found safe at home.

Alabama woman reports mystery toddler on highway

Another child who turned out to be fine is an Alabama toddler who never existed. In July, nursing student Carlee Russell reported seeing an unaccompanied toddler strolling along Interstate 459 near Hoover. A short time later, she told her family shed been forced into a car and abducted. Neither claim appears to have been true and Russell was charged later that month for false reporting to law enforcement authorities and falsely reporting an incident.

Sleeping womans socks stolen

An Iowa woman got cold feet when a 23-year-old man broke into her apartment, watched her while she slept, then absconded with a pair of socks after hanging around for roughly 30 minutes on April Fools Day. Law & Order identified the alleged culprit as Dan Abimana, who also fixed himself a drink and used the victims bathroom during his visit, cops said.

Sleeping woman gets unwanted foot massage

Mark Anthony Gonzales wasnt accused of stealing stockings when he allegedly entered two Lake Tahoe, Nevada, condominiums in August and rubbed the feet of a pair of sleeping women over the Fourth of July weekend, but police say he is suspected of stealing womens shoes in his hometown of Atwater, California.

Dime heist defies sense

Four men were charged with stealing millions of dimes from a tractor-trailer parked outside a Philadelphia Walmart in April. USA Today said the quartet made off with nearly $235,000 worth of 10-cent pieces  some of which they later tried to deposit. The truck reportedly contained 75 million dimes moving from Philadelphia to Florida. The driver had reportedly parked his vehicle to take a short rest before making that long haul. It doesnt appear the alleged thieves initially knew what they were stealing.

Pilot gets high, tries to bring others down

While flying is generally safer than driving, thats not the case when a man high on mushrooms tries to shut-off a planes engine in mid-flight. Thats what off-duty pilot Joseph Emerson allegedly did during a West Coast flight in October where he was a guest traveling in a cockpit jump seat. The 44-year-old airman told investigators hed experienced an emotional breakdown and had not slept.

Colosseum vandal gets an F in history

Some people shouldnt go anywhere. A 27-year-old tourist confessed to carving his and his girlfriends names into the ancient Colosseum in Rome while visiting the nearly 2,000-year-old structure. The man identified by his lawyer as Ivan Danailov Dimitrov apologized, claiming he was unaware of the antiquity of the monument.

Teen terrorist shuts down Ford plant

Other people  like Zachariah A. Peterson  are fine staying local. The 19-year-old Missouri man is accused swatting Fords Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo so his friend wouldnt have to go to work. Peterson, who allegedly said he was barricaded in a bathroom on the second floor with an AK-47 and C4 explosives strapped to his chest, is charged with making a terroristic threat.

Jack in the Bang

Some people shouldnt go to work. Video released September as part of a lawsuit against Jack and the Box shows a fast food worker opening fire through a drive-thru window following an argument that reportedly involved curly fries. No one was injured.

Punishment fits the crime

An angry Ohio woman was sentenced to work in a fast food joint after throwing a burrito bowl at a Chipotle manager. A judge gave defendant Rosemary Hayne that bizarre offer to shorten her criminal sentence and she took it, according to Cleveland.com.

_______
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has asserted that his troops have successfully taken control of the strategically significant town of Mariinka in eastern Ukraine. However, this claim has been promptly refuted by Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu informed President Vladimir Putin that assault units have successfully seized control of a heavily fortified region located near Donetsk. This area is of significant importance as it serves as the regional capital under Russian control.

Read Also: Tehran Claims Israeli Airstrike Killed Senior Advisor in Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps

Ukraine Denies Loss of Maryinka Town

In a statement, Ukrainian military spokesman Oleksandr Shtupun confirmed that the fighting for Mariinka was ongoing.

Mariinka, a town regarded as a crucial entry point to Donetsk, has suffered extensive destruction, leaving it in a state of near-total devastation.

The claims made by both Russia and Ukraine have yet to be independently verified, according to reports.

Since 2014, Mariinka has served as a defensive barrier for Ukraine in response to the seizure of significant portions of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions by Russia-backed fighters.

In February 2022, President Putin initiated a comprehensive invasion of Ukraine.In a statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his satisfaction with the reported capture, describing it as a "success." According to Putin, this development has resulted in Ukrainian troops being pushed even further away from Donetsk, a city that has been subjected to regular shelling from the town of Mariinka.

The Kremlin leader highlighted that Russian forces have gained the "opportunity to expand their operations into a broader area" within the Donetsk region. In a recent development, the Ukrainian military has refuted the claim made by Russia on Monday.

In an interview with Ukrainian TV, Mr. Shtupun stated that it would be inaccurate to claim that Mariinka has been completely seized. According to the military spokesman, the soldiers are presently located within the administrative borders of Mariinka. Ukrainian military bloggers said it has been reported that Ukrainian troops are currently maintaining their position in a limited area within western Mariinka.

Moreover, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his praise for the successful shooting down of two Russian fighter jets on Christmas Eve.Zelensky went on to remark that this incident has set a positive tone for the upcoming year, stating, "this Christmas sets the right mood for the entire year ahead."

In a notable Christmas message, Ukrainian President Zelensky acknowledged the country's official observance of the holiday on December 25, a departure from the previous tradition of celebrating on January 7. Additionally, Zelensky made mention of Ukraine's assertion that they had successfully eliminated three more Russian fighter planes on Friday, furthering their ongoing claim.

Zelensky expressed his belief that a robust air defense system would result in a decrease in the presence of Russian forces in Ukrainian airspace and territory. Zelensky commended Ukraine's negotiating skills, as well as its ability to strengthen its aerial protection and defend the nation against Russian terrorists.

Amid mounting worries over battlefield setbacks and the fate of Western aid for Ukraine's war effort, he remains optimistic, offering an upbeat assessment. In a disappointing turn of events, the much-anticipated summer counteroffensive has failed to make significant progress, leaving the front line virtually unchanged.

Compounding the situation, political disagreements among allied nations have cast a shadow of uncertainty over the fate of billions of dollars in aid, as per ABC News.

Related Article: Vladimir Putin's Potential Presidential Competitor Barred From Running Over Registration Mistakes

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Atlanta police are looking for a man they said broke into two southwest Atlanta businesses and stole their cash registers.

The burglaries happened on Dec. 19 at around 1:30 a.m. at both 404 Coffee and Juice Joint, two businesses on the 800 block of McDaniel Street.

When officers arrived, they spoke with the owners of both businesses who said the male suspect forced entry and then took the cash register before fleeing the area.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Police are still investigating and looking for the suspect.

He was last seen wearing a black hoodie, according to a picture shared by police.

Any information on the case can be submitted anonymously to the Crime Stoppers Atlanta tip line at 404-577-TIPS (8477), online www.crimestoppersatlanta.org or by texting CSA and the tip to CRIMES (274637). Tipsters do not have to give their name or any identifying information to be eligible for the reward of up to $2,000.

TRENDING STORIES:

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IN OTHER NEWS:
Turkeys parliamentary foreign affairs committee gave the green light to Sweden joining NATO on Tuesday, putting the Nordic country one step closer to membership in the alliance. In order to officially be approved by Turkey, Sweden must also gain approval from Turkeys general assembly. No date has been set for the general assembly to discuss Swedens entry into NATO yet. Turkey has been delaying Swedens membership bid, supposedly because it blames Sweden for being too lenient on Kurdish militants it says are a security threat. (The countrys leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is also in regular contact with Russia, which heartily opposes Swedens pivot to NATO.) Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akcapar noted before the vote in parliament that Sweden had begun to meet Turkish demands such as restricting defense industry sales and changing their anti-terrorism laws. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom tweeted after the decision, The next step is for parliament to vote on the matter. We look forward to becoming a member of NATO.

Read it at Associated Press

Read more at The Daily Beast.
Taiwan goes to the polls on January 13 to elect a new president and parliament (Mandy CHENG)

A Taiwanese man has been charged with violating the island's election laws by arranging sponsored visits to China ahead of the January poll.

In the first indictment of its kind, prosecutors in southern Kaohsiung city charged the man on Monday over organising trips to five Chinese provinces between May and October.

Taiwanese officials have repeatedly raised concerns about election interference and misinformation, with the vote coming against the backdrop of an escalating pressure campaign by Beijing, which claims the self-ruled island as part of its territory.

The man, identified by the surname Cheng, belongs to a small pro-Beijing civic group, and "was commissioned and funded by an infiltration source to promote candidates and deliver unfair benefits to voters", prosecutors said in a statement.

They said he had violated the "anti-infiltration act" and election laws, and that he was aware that the Chinese authorities "support the 'pan-blue' camp", referring to the colour of the Kuomintang party (KMT), which is regarded as pro-Beijing.

Prosecutors did not say how many people had participated in Cheng's trips, only that members of the tour had most of their expenses paid by "regional governments" in China.

Prosecutors also said that Cheng had collected a $65 "service fee" per person.

In a separate case earlier this month, prosecutors said they were investigating five people for organising trips for 60 voters to China's Hunan province in November -- also allegedly sponsored by Chinese authorities.

The main suspect in that case, identified as Chou, had asked participants to support specific candidates "in an attempt to influence voters' voting intentions and the election results".

Chou was also accused of "conspiring with" another person to fabricate opinion polls to influence the elections, prosecutors said.

No one has been indicted in that case.

One of the main themes in the lead-up to Taiwan's closely watched January 13 vote, is how the presidential candidates will handle relations with China.

KMT candidate Hou Yu-ih, who vows closer ties with Beijing, has called the election a choice "between war and peace".

During a televised policy presentation on Tuesday, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's frontrunner candidate Lai Ching-te Lai reiterated warnings election of interference by Beijing.

"It is easier to buy or cheat than to rob," Lai said, accusing the KMT of "borrowing China's power to gain ruling power".

aw/dhc/lb
A Pennsylvania animal shelter is hailing a miraculous moment as it has emptied its dog facilities for the first time in the last 50 years.

The Friday announcement was made in a Facebook post by the Adams County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. It said that their kennels were nearly filled to the brim two weeks ago but they did not have a single dog in the building at all.

Pennsylvania Animal Shelter Empties Dog Facilities

The post added that this was the first time in 47 years that the Adams County SPCA was empty, let alone at Christmas. People who work at the animal shelter celebrate having a shelter that does not have a single dog after so many animals were adopted or reunited with their owners.

The development included nearly 600 animals who could find their fur-ever homes in the past year alone. In its Facebook post, the shelter added that they adopted 598 animals and reunited 125 strays with their owners, as per Yahoo News.

The Adams County SPCA also noted that it was not completely free of animals, as one cat had recently come in as a stray. Moving forward, the facility will help house animals from other shelters across the state to relieve some of the other shelters' stress.

The shelter credits the massive accomplishments to its hard-working staff and volunteers, who "have worked very hard to take care of the animals in our care." They also worked tirelessly to ensure the animals were adopted to the right home.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said that roughly 6.3 million animals are taken into shelters across the United States every year. It added that more than 3 million animals are dogs and roughly 3.2 million are cats within those shelters.

The society also reported that roughly 920,000 shelter animals are euthanized every year. According to The Guardian, this number represents a drop from the more than 2.5 million cats and dogs who were being euthanized in shelters in 2011.

Read Also: NYC Council Approves NYPD Bills Opposed by Mayor Eric Adams

Rising Number of Animals in Shelters Nationwide

The decline is attributed partially to an increase in the percentage of animals that are being adopted and an increase in the number of stray animals that are successfully reunited with their owners.

The situation comes as animal shelters in other parts of the United States are overflowing as people dump their pets who are considered "pandemic puppies." This is partially caused by the rising cost of living in the country forcing people to reallocate their funds to other necessities, away from their pets.

In 2021, the number of animals entering shelters rose after a pandemic-related dip. Furthermore, adoptions have been unable to keep up with the influx of pets, especially larger dogs. The situation has created a snowballing population problem for many animal shelters.

A national database of shelter statistics, the Shelter ANimals Count, estimates that the U.S. shelter population grew by nearly a quarter-million animals this year alone, said Fortune.

Related Article: Arkansas Man Continues Being Black Santa Claus Despite Racism Issue

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PATERSON  The walls in Cheneya Robersons apartment in the Congdon Mill housing complex have water damage that she said bubbles up after her landlord had the stains painted over.

Her window wont close because of a faulty latch, and the buildings owner suggested she simply have it nailed shut, Roberson said. The carpet is more than 13 years old, with stains and holes.

Dust accumulates on the ceiling, and she thinks it's the cause of her childrens breathing problems. Roberson said she has tried climbing up a ladder to clear the dust, but she still cant reach the particles because the ceilings are so high in the former industrial building.

Roberson  who uses a Section 8 rent voucher  said employees from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs have inspected her apartment six times since August 2022 and found violations every time that the landlord is supposed to fix.

Dec 15, 2023; Paterson, NJ, USA; The Congdon Mill apartment complex on Van Houten Street. Tenants say problems at the building are not being addressed.

A few weeks ago, Roberson said, her caseworker called and told her the state would no longer allow her apartment to be covered by a Section 8 voucher because of the chronic problems. By Jan. 1, Roberson said, she will be moving to a new apartment in Hawthorne.

It finally worked out, but Im sad and Im upset, Roberson said. I feel like the state failed me and everybody else living in this building.

Landlord pledges 'to start repairs in mid-January'

Roberson was among a group of more than a dozen tenants from the 68-unit building who met recently with Paterson Press to voice their frustrations. Paterson Press left messages several weeks ago for the buildings owner, George McLoof, and at the local office of the property management firm he hired, WinnCompanies. Neither McLoof nor Winn responded until Paterson Press reached out this week to a public relations consultant who works for Winn.

I am aware of the residents concerns and appreciate their patience, said a statement from McLoof provided by a spokesperson. I am preparing to start repairs in mid-January. Residents should continue to report issues to management so that they can be addressed when this work gets underway.

Dec 15, 2023; Paterson, NJ, USA; A stairwell at the Congdon Mill apartment complex. Tenants say problems at the building are not being addressed.

McLoofs Longstreet Development used state economic development tax credits to convert the former industrial site at 13 Van Houten St. into the Congdon Mill apartments. Paterson officials also approved a 30-year PILOT, or payment in lieu of taxes agreement, on the building that requires him to pay the city about $85,000 per year, substantially less than he would be required to pay if the property were under full taxation.

In order to get the state tax credits, McLoof needed to partner with a nonprofit developer. Paterson-based New Jersey Community Development Corporation filled that role back then.

What do NJCDC officials say?

Dec 15, 2023; Paterson, NJ, USA; Graffiti in a stairwell at the Congdon Mill apartment complex. Tenants say problems at the building are not being addressed.

Besides complaining to McLoofs staff and Winn, Congdon tenants have gotten in touch with NJCDCs chief executive officer, Bob Guarasci.

I have great sympathy for the residents and their complaints, Guarasci said. We are 50% owners on paper but have no authority in terms of day-to-day management. Its a frustrating situation, because NJCDCs good name is being tainted by the situation. Nonetheless Ive been trying to help resolve the issues.

More from Paterson Press: Jury acquits fired Paterson cop Spencer Finch; lawyer calls him a 'hero'

Guarasci said the best course for the buildings future is to get additional state tax credits for a major renovation. But the building wont be eligible for that until 2025, or 15 years after the original tax credits were awarded, Guarasci said. NJCDC has the right of first refusal if McLoof were looking to sell the building, he added.

I would want to explore an outright purchase and tax credit deal to dramatically overhaul the building, Guarasci said.

Complex sits within Great Falls historic district

Dec 15, 2023; Paterson, NJ, USA; A bathroom at the Congdon Mill apartment complex. Tenants say problems at the building are not being addressed.

The building sits along the Passaic River within Patersons Great Falls historic district, an area Mayor Andre Sayegh has made the centerpiece of his revitalization plans for the city.

Tenants said they have heard talk that McLoof is considering selling the Congdon Mill building to Winn, the property management company. They say they believe that McLoof has decided not to invest any more money in a building he is getting rid of.

When asked about the possibility of Winn buying the Congdon Mill building, Winns public relations representative said the company does not speculate on possible future acquisitions.

WinnCompanies, which is based in Massachusetts, announced last week that it had bought another Great Falls district building, the Hamilton Square apartments for tenants with low incomes, senior citizens and people with disabilities. Like Congdon Mill, Hamilton Square is a former industrial building converted to housing.

Holiday break extended: Paterson schools remain closed after storm, flooding; will reopen in January

Winns announcement about the purchase didnt mention that McLoof was the seller. Nor did Winn reveal the price, which was $7 million, according to city real estate records. But Winn said it plans to invest $7.5 million to rehabilitate Hamilton Square.

Thats what Congdon Mill tenant association president Samanatha Bryant said she would love to see. She said many tenants have given up hope that McLoof will make any improvements.

Tenants lodge range of complaints

Dec 15, 2023; Paterson, NJ, USA; A hole in the carpet of a bedroom at the Congdon Mill apartment complex. Tenants say problems at the building are not being addressed.

Tenants said they have windows that leak whenever it rains. Some put towels around their windows when there are stormy forecasts. Still, they say, their apartments flood, and their furniture, clothes and other belongings have been damaged. Their attempts to get the landlord to pay for the ruined items have been unsuccessful, the tenants said.

Another chronic problem has been security doors that dont lock, allowing hallway access to trespassers, tenants said. Homeless people over the years have used the apartment building stairways as a place to sleep. Teens and vandals have set off firecrackers and empty fire extinguishers in the hallways, tenants said.

For many weeks, one of the buildings elevators was broken, tenants said. But that was repaired in November.

Dec 15, 2023; Paterson, NJ, USA; A Congdon Mill apartment complex tenant walks by graffiti in a stairwell. Tenants say problems at the building are not being addressed.

Councilman Luis Velez, who represents the 5th Ward, where Congdon Mill is, said he has spoken with the tenant leader, Bryant, and with McLoof and his staff members. Velez said Bryant is trying to arrange a meeting between him and the tenants. The landlord is planning to make repairs to the building, the councilman said.

Thirteen tenants at Congdon Mill use Section 8 rent vouchers issued through the state Community Affairs Housing Choice program, officials said. Ten of those apartments have passed their most recent state inspections, and three failed, officials said.

If a fail item is identified during the inspection, the property owner is notified in writing and is provided with 30 calendar days in which to correct violations, said Community Affairs spokesperson Lisa Ryan.

DCA may provide the property owner with an extension of the deadline based upon the nature of the work to allow for the late delivery of supplies, difficulty in scheduling contractors, inclement weather, or another valid reason, Ryan said. If a fail item is life-threatening, the property owner must correct the item within no more than 24 hours.

If a landlord fails to address a problem within requisite deadlines, the department may terminate the use of a Section 8 voucher for the residence, officials said.

Roberson, the Congon Mill tenant with a long list of apartment problems, said such a termination is what happened in her case.

Theres never any response here, Roberson said of the landlords at Congdon Mill. I just have to go.

Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press. Email: editor@patersonpress.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ: Congdon Mill apartments tenants on landlord's neglect
2,110 veteran households have been assessed as homeless in the last financial year, up from 1,850 the previous year - ANDY RAIN/EPA

Thousands of military veterans have been made homeless in the past year despite a government pledge to stop former members of the Armed Forces sleeping rough.

Analysis from the Labour Party found that veteran homelessness had increased by 14 percent since last year, with around 180 households losing their home every month.

Steve McCabe, the shadow veterans minister, warned that veterans were being let down by the Government and pledged that Labour would provide homes fit for heroes.

Some 2,110 veteran households have been assessed as homeless in the last financial year, up from 1,850 the previous year.

In December last year, the Government announced an 8.5 million scheme to provide educational and employment support for veterans and develop a new referral scheme.

Johnny Mercer, the veterans affairs minister, said at the time that the Government was steadfastly committed to ending veteran homelessness in 2023.

Mr McCabe said: Labour is deeply proud of our armed forces personnel, veterans, and their families for the enormous contribution they make to our country. But they are being let down by this Government.

After 13 years of Conservative failure, ministers have created a postcode lottery for veterans, halved employment support and more veterans are homelessness this year than last year.

He added that a Labour government would bring the Armed Forces Covenant, which sets out the moral obligation that government and businesses owe to veterans, into law.

Moral contract

This would fulfil the moral contract our society makes with those who serve and make sure that former personnel have easy access to high quality, affordable homes fit for heroes, Mr McCabe added.

Labour has previously launched a Homes Fit for Heroes campaign to highlight what it says is the poor state of armed forces accommodation, and pledged to create an armed forces commissioner to oversee the quality of housing.

Analysis this month found that more than 25,000 members of the armed forces are being put up in homes which have been deemed deficient by official inspectors.

Of that number, 1,378 are living in houses that are in such poor condition that they cannot be charged rent under government rules. Overall, a third of military personnel live in the lowest quality of defence accommodation available.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said at the time: We are introducing minimum standards to ensure all service personnel have access to good quality accommodation, and additionally ensuring issues are rightly addressed much more quickly.

Over the next decade we are committed to spending more than 4 billion to make improvements to existing accommodation and build new living quarters for our service personnel.

A government spokesman said: We are immensely grateful to all our veterans for their service in defence of our nation.

This Government is committed to ending veteran rough sleeping. Thats why we have provided up to 8 million to fund [Operation] Fortitude, which veterans at risk of homelessness can use to access hundreds of supported housing places and wrap-around specialist care in health, housing and employment.

The defence secretary has also made it a personal priority to improve the standard of military accommodation for service personnel and their families, with an additional 400 million being invested by the Government over the next two years to improve military housing that is available.

This includes activity such as damp and mould improvements to more than 4,500 properties.

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LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)  Police say they are looking for three individuals in Luzerne County with warrants for their arrest in the Narcotics Division.

According to the Wyoming Area Regional Police, they are seeking public help with locating the three people pictured below.

Man arrested after allegedly giving middle finger to cars

Police note if you have any information regarding the whereabouts of these individuals you can contact officers at 570-654-3001 or submit an anonymous tip at talktous@regionalpolice.org.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com.
No one who values democracy should relish measures which put distance between MPs and their constituents. Our representatives need to make themselves available for robust debate, not just in Parliament but in the public realm. We all need to be able to see our MPs and make our feelings known about their parties and their personal policies.

But the blaze which burnt the North London office of Conservative MP Mike Freer on Christmas Eve should jolt our thinking on how vulnerable MPs seem to be, and how current security arrangements may be failing them.

Scotland Yard is currently investigating the fire, and the cause remains unclear. But Freer has been targeted in the past. Two years ago his constituency office was visited by Ali Harbi Ali  the man who went on to murder Southend MP David Amess. Freer has since said that he has taken to wearing a stab-proof vest.

In 2016, Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered in her Yorkshire constituency. And before that, in 2010, Labour MP Stephen Timms survived an attempted murder.

There is nothing new, of course, about political assassination. We have lost a prime minister to murder: Spencer Perceval, who in 1812 was shot in the Commons by John Bellingham, a failed businessman with a grievance against the then government. The IRA came very close to murdering Margaret Thatcher in the Brighton bomb in 1984, in an explosion which did kill Enfield and Southgate MP Anthony Berry and four other people.

But there is something perhaps even more disturbing about more recent attacks on MPs. Politicians risk being picked out not because of what they have personally said or done but simply because they occupy public positions and therefore represent authority. It is one thing to provide security detail for the Prime Minister and other high-profile ministers involved in controversial decisions, but just how do you protect 650 MPs?

To provide every backbench MP with armed protection officers, armoured cars and motorcycle outriders wouldnt just cost a fortune  it would look ridiculous. It would add tremendously to the impression that we have an aloof political class ruling over the rest of us.

Yet somehow, we must find a way to prevent future attacks. It is hard enough as it is to attract MPs of high calibre, without potential recruits knowing that they are putting themselves in the crosshairs of every bedsit terrorist and lunatic with a grudge. If we want constituency surgeries and public meetings to continue  and we certainly should  then we should at least figure out the cost of having police protection at those events. If MPs feel in need of panic buttons in their homes, we should be considering them too.

The alternative is that MPs gradually withdraw into their bunkers, where they will have even less chance to pick up on public discontent. We need our representatives to experience the same delayed trains, the same traffic jams, the same rundown high streets as the rest of us  so that they can understand what constituents are feeling.

We should not fall for the suggestion that attacks on MPs are inspired by a general lack of respect for politics and authority, and by a growing coarseness in public debate. In Amess murder, as in Jo Coxs, the motivation was terrorism.

No, we dont need to pull our metaphorical punches when discussing politics with our elected representatives. Lively, and sometimes rude, debate is what makes for a healthy democracy. That the whole populace be able to say what they think about the countrys leadership is absolutely vital.

But in order to preserve that, we are going to have to think a lot more carefully about how we protect MPs from physical violence, especially that visited on them by terrorists. At the moment, sadly, they appear to be sitting ducks.

Voters quite rightly despise it when politicians seek privileges which are not available to anyone else, and who freeload on expenses. But no one should begrudge MPs the necessary security. Though it is sad that it should be necessary, official protection is a smaller price to pay than the cost of doing nothing  which will be the rapid erosion in the quality of MPs, as well as the potential loss of life.

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Spirit Airlines is facing another scandal after putting a 6-year-old boy on the wrong flight. To make matters worse, the young passenger was unaccompanied when he was traveling via the American travel company.

This alarming incident happened on Thursday, Dec. 21. In its official emailed statement, Spirit Airlines apologized to the kid's family for putting him on the wrong flight.

But the boy's grandmother is demanding the U.S.-based airlines provide answers on how they mistakenly placed the kid on a flight to Orlando instead of a Florida flight.

Spirit Airlines Puts Unaccompanied 6-Year-Old Passenger on Wrong Flight!

The 6-year-old boy was visiting his beloved grandmother, Maria Ramos, on Dec. 21. He was supposed to fly to Fort Myers, Florida. However, Spirit Airlines mistakenly placed him on a flight going to Orlando.

The grandmother said that she was waiting for her grandson in Myers. Unfortunately, the boy wasn't on the plane when it landed. Luckily, Maria was able to contact her grandson after he landed in Orlando.

Instead of spending time arguing with Spirit Airlines staff, Maria drove almost 160 miles from Fort Myers to Orland just to pick up the 6-year-old boy.

After hearing about the incident, Spirit Airlines apologized to the kid's family and said that they were willing to reimburse them for the drive they made.

"The child was always under the care and supervision of a Spirit Team Member, and as soon as we discovered the error, we took immediate steps to communicate with the family and reconnect them," said Spirit Airlines' leadership via CNN Travel.

Read Also: JetBlue Plane's Nose Tips Backwards in Air at JFK Airport Due to 'Shift in Weight'

Boy's Grandma Demands Answers From Spirit Airlines

According to CBS News' latest report, Spirit Airlines wasn't able to provide any appropriate answer to explain how the boarding mistake was made.

"Let me know how my grandson ended up in Orlando. How did that happen? Did they get him off the plane?" said Maria Ramos.

"The flight attendant - after mom handed him with paperwork - did she let him go by himself? He jumped in the wrong plane by himself?" further asked the grandmother.

As of press time, Spirit Airlines hasn't provided specific answers to Maria's questions.

Placing unaccompanied minors on the wrong flights is not really new in the airline industry. In 2019, United Airlines also made the same mistake, placing a boy on a flight to Germany instead of a Sweden flight.

In 2009, 8-year-old and 10-year-old girls were also put on the wrong Continental Express flights. The issue happened because of miscommunication among employees, as claimed by the airline.

Related Article: United Airlines Details Plans To Cut Boarding Time by Processing Window Seat Passengers First

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A California zoo has put the rarest insects on Earth  also known as tree lobsters  on exhibit to the public as part of a breeding program, officials said.

Lord Howe Island stick insects  so named for their stick-like appearance  were once thought to be extinct before they were rediscovered on the nearby Balls Pyramid volcano in 2001, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said in a Dec. 19 news release.

The insects are now on exhibit to the public at the San Diego Zoo, which is the only U.S. zoo working with the Melbourne Zoo on a breeding program to save the critically endangered insects.

Critically endangered Lord Howe Island stick insects, the rarest insects on Earth, are on exhibit at the San Diego Zoo in California.

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is committed to invertebrate conservation, and bringing our guests close to this rare and iconic species is a great way to raise awareness for the lesser-known animals that run the world, Paige Howorth, McKinney Family director of invertebrate care and conservation for the zoo, said in the release.

In so many ways  pollination, decomposition, predation, and simply as food for other animals  invertebrates make life possible for us all, Howorth said.

The stick insects are native to the Lord Howe Island group, off the eastern coast of Australia, zoo officials said. They are nocturnal and flightless, and grow up to 6 inches long.

They are called tree lobsters because they superficially resemble lobsters with their shiny exoskeletons and jointed appendages, Howorth told McClatchy News, adding they are mostly seen on trees in the daytime.

The insects forage at night for food on host plants, such as Moreton Bay fig and wooly tea tree, and spend their days resting in tree hollows and other retreats, zoo officials said.

In the exhibit, the insects are maintained within a reversed light cycle so that guests can view them during the day under red light, which is invisible to the insects and simulates night, their active time, the zoo said.

In the wild, they are threatened by invasive plants and predators, including rats, which originally drove them into extinction on Lord Howe Island, the zoo said.

Rats, which are not native to the islands, arrived aboard the SS Makambo, a trade ship grounded there in 1918, Howorth told McClatchy News.

Sightings of the stick insects (and numerous other plants and animals) decreased dramatically in just two years due to the rats activity, she said. The stick insects were presumed extinct sometime between 1920 and 1930.

Their new home on Balls Pyramid also faces threats from catastrophic weather and a shortage of host plants, and supports a limited number of stick insects.

Rats now fill the ecological niche once occupied by stick insects as primary consumers of plant material and food for other native wildlife, the zoo said.

A rat eradication program began on the islands in 2019, involving the reappearance of many other rare or presumed extinct plant and animal species that once fell prey to introduced rats, zoo officials said.

Rare horned creature born Christmas Eve, Georgia zoo says. See the tiny calf

Killer whale madness continues in orca hunting ground off California, video shows

Reindeer trainee gets tangled up during Christmas flight exercise. See the mishap
Most global political, spiritual and national leaders mark Christmas with a plea for peace, or by stressing the virtues of family and unity.

Thats not Donald Trumps style.

The ex-president unleashed an online torrent of fury and bitterness, largely over his legal plights, spanning Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, previewing the discord and personal obsessions he will inflict on the nation in a pivotal election year in 2024.

Trump raged at President Joe Biden and special counsel Jack Smith, making expansive and false claims that his attempts to stay in power after losing the 2020 election represented a vital defense of American democracy and were thus perfectly legal. In a tide of invective in block capitals on his Truth Social network, Trump escalated extreme rhetoric on immigration that has drawn comparisons to Nazi demagoguery in the 1940s and reprised his view of unlimited presidential power that has critics fearing autocracy if he wins the next election.

Just three weeks before voting starts in the Republican nominating race, the front-runner also underscored the extraordinary extent to which false claims about electoral fraud three years ago are still the anchor of his political project. And his tirades, at a time when Americans who celebrate Christmas gathered with loved ones and sought a moment of peace, hint at a furious state of mind and extreme denialism. These are likely to raise new concerns about his temperament and suitability to serve again as commander-in-chief and are a dark omen as to what another Trump term could bring.

In one of his posts, Trump showed a mixture of anger and self-pity while making multiple false or questionable claims.

THEY SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN, LIED TO CONGRESS, CHEATED ON FISA, RIGGED A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, ALLOWED MILLIONS OF PEOPLE, MANY FROM PRISONS & MENTAL INSTITUTIONS, TO INVADE OUR COUNTRY, SCREWED UP IN AFGHANISTAN, & JOE BIDENS MISFITS & THUGS, LIKE DERANGED JACK SMITH, ARE COMING AFTER ME, AT LEVELS OF PERSECUTION NEVER SEEN BEFORE IN OUR COUNTRY??? ITS CALLED ELECTION INTERFERENCE. MERRY CHRISTMAS! Trump posted on Christmas Eve.

His mood barely improved on Christmas Day, as he accused Biden of presiding over election interference, in a reference to the 91 criminal charges and four criminal trials he is awaiting. But Trump promised his supporters A BIG AND GLORIOUS VICTORY FOR THOSE BRAVE AND VALIANT PATRIOTS WHO WANT TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!

Trumps legal cloud hangs heavy over him

Trump appeared particularly exercised by the massive legal cloud over his future, especially the probes related to alleged election interference. He slammed Smith, who is bringing a federal case against him in Washington, DC, and pushed his legal teams claims that his attempts to overturn the 2020 election were in fact merely the act of a president doing his duty to ensure a free and fair election. Such claims will be considered by an appeals court and ultimately probably the US Supreme Court. Trump also lashed out at the Colorado Supreme Court that ruled that he was ineligible for office because of the 14th Amendment to the Constitutions ban on insurrectionists. This case is also expected to end up before the US Supreme Court.

Trumps claims that he was acting in line with his presidential authority fly in the face of evidence already available about his own behavior, for instance in his phone call in which he asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find 11,780 votes to help him overturn Bidens victory in a critical swing state. And just last week, the Detroit News reported on a recording of a call in which Trump urged two Michigan county officials not to certify election results from Detroit in 2020.

Despite the evidence that Trump was ready to destroy American democracy to stay in power, his rivals for the Republican nomination have largely only attacked him obliquely for causing the most traumatic election in modern American history in 2020. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, for instance, said last month that she disagreed with Trumps recent remark that his political opponents were vermin  another comment that drew analogies with Nazi rhetoric. Its the chaos of it all, right? I think he means well. But the chaos has got to stop, she told voters in Iowa. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has largely faulted Trump for not living up to his promises to the Make America Great Again movement in his first term and has claimed hed be a better implementor of such policies. In a CNN town hall this month, DeSantis did step up his attacks on the ex-president  but mostly over policy on abortion, immigration and the economy. The fact that Haley and DeSantis, who are competing to be the main alternative to Trump, do not dare to hammer the ex-president over January 6, 2021, shows the extent to which Trumps lies about election fraud have become orthodoxy for the grassroots GOP base.

Candidates like former Vice President Mike Pence, who were more aggressive in describing Trumps malfeasance in 2020, have already left the primary race after their campaigns failed to fire. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has built his campaign around criticizing Trumps behavior in office, but hes barely registering in the race outside of New Hampshire, the first primary state.

This is not the first time Trump has used an occasion like Christmas to grind his political ax. And hes well known for unhinged social media posts. But this glimpse into the Republican front-runners state of mind this Christmas season is especially significant ahead of next months Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, as polls show he has a good chance of beating Biden in a possible 2024 matchup.

Millions of Americans are likely to vote for Trump in the presidential primary  showing they are not disturbed by his behavior or his increasing extremism. Tens of millions more are likely to back him if hes the Republican nominee as he seeks to mount a stunning political comeback and become only the second ex-president to win a non-consecutive second term  in Trumps case, after leaving Washington in disgrace, days after the mob attack on the US Capitol by his supporters on January 6.

Trumps attraction for these voters is layered. Many Republicans see his presidency, for all its upheaval, as a success and a period of economic wellbeing. Others embrace the constant assault by Trump on institutions of accountability like the legal system and the media, and his attacks on perceived elite experts, as a justified campaign against a political and governing system they believed failed them. And when Trump quipped this month that hed be a dictator only on day one of a new presidency, he was playing into a desire among some supporters for a strongman leader whose transgressions are part of his political attraction.

The fact that so many voters appear ready to embrace Trump again is a commentary on Americas political state heading into a new election that given his behavior seems likely to leave the country, regardless of the outcome, still locked in a cycle of political anger and dislocation.

World leaders pray for peace at Christmas time

Trumps dark and bitter mood this Christmas contrasts with the messages of other world leaders who stressed the need for peace and reconciliation at a fraught moment with wars raging in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and elsewhere. In his annual Urbi et Orbi Christmas blessing for instance, Pope Francis called for an end to the Israel-Hamas war and the release of Israeli hostages, pleading for an end to Israels military operation and its appalling harvest of civilian victims. Britains King Charles also bemoaned global wars in his Christmas Day broadcast, saying, at a time of increasingly tragic conflict around the world, I pray that we can also do all in our power to protect each other. The King added: The words of Jesus seem more than ever relevant: Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Biden, Trumps potential general election opponent next year, also shared his own Christmas message to Americans on social media, although the tone was far different from that of his predecessor. This Christmas Eve, my wish for you and your family is that you take a few moments of quiet reflection and find that stillness thats at the center of the Christmas story, Biden wrote on X. May you find peace in this silent night. And warmth from those surrounding you.

Trump, however, was still fuming on Monday afternoon. In one of his most bizarre and intemperate posts, he wished a merry Christmas to World Leaders, both good and bad, but none of which are as evil and sick as the THUGS we have inside our Country. In a final slam at Biden and Smith, Trump wrote, MAY THEY ROT IN HELL. AGAIN, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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The United States is barreling toward a 2024 rematch between President Biden and former President Trump that few Americans want to see.

Biden has for months been hounded by questions about his age and voter concerns about whether he is up for another four years in the White House. The president would be 86 at the end of a potential second term, and his approval rating has hovered below 40 percent for much of the past year.

Trump, meanwhile, has been a divisive figure ever since he launched his 2016 campaign with incendiary rhetoric about Mexican immigrants. Many voters are weary of seeing Trump back on the ballot given his plethora of legal problems and the chaos of his first four years in office, and Democrats view him as a danger to democracy.

As a result, analysts say, it is unsurprising that a number of polls suggest a large portion of the country doesnt want to see this rematch.

Former President Donald Trump and President Biden

Former President Donald Trump and President Biden are on a collision course for a rematch in the 2024 general election. (Greg Nash)

Its a product of the fact that both of these candidates have very serious drawbacks, and they have drawbacks of different natures, said Grant Reeher, director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute at Syracuse University.

The independents that are part of the polling  dont like either of them. And then, of course the Democrats in the polls are not going to give Trump any positive ratings, and Republicans are not going to give Biden any positive ratings, he continued.

I think the dynamic is a product of the depth of our polarization right now. Its driving the general dissatisfaction, but its driving the tendency for the parties to lock in on whoever was or were their standard-bearers.

An Associated Press/NORC poll conducted between Nov. 30 and Dec. 4 found 56 percent of adults would be very or somewhat dissatisfied with Biden as the Democratic nominee, while 58 percent of adults said they would be very or somewhat dissatisfied with Trump as the Republican nominee.

More Election 2024 coverage from The Hill

The displeasure extends to some partisans, the poll found. Roughly one-third of Democrats said they would be dissatisfied with Biden as their nominee in 2024, and roughly 25 percent of Republicans said they would be dissatisfied with Trump as their nominee.

The AP poll capped off a yearlong trend in polling that found many Americans were not eager to see a rematch of 2020.

An April NBC News poll found 70 percent of Americans felt Biden should not run for reelection, while 60 percent said they did not think Trump should run for another term.

And a June poll from CNN found 31 percent of voters preferred neither Trump nor Biden in a hypothetical head-to-head match-up.

Despite the lingering discontent, Trump and Biden remain the overwhelming favorites to be the nominees for their respective parties next November.

Voters always tell pollsters they want more choices, because people always want more choices, said Alex Conant, who worked on Sen. Marco Rubios (R-Fla.) 2016 presidential campaign. I think the fact of the matter is the power of incumbency is not diminished in modern politics. If anything, its strengthened, and both of these candidates are the de facto incumbents.

Check out The Hills Election Center powered by Decision Desk HQ

The overwhelming majority of Democrats have lined up behind Biden to back his reelection bid, with the exception of Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), who is running a long-shot primary campaign.

Phillips is running on a similar policy platform to Biden, but the congressman has voiced concerns that the presidents age is too big of a drawback to ignore.

Trump, meanwhile, holds a dominant lead in the Republican primary, with the Iowa caucuses set for Jan. 15. Trump leads his rivals in national polls by an average of roughly 50 percentage points.

A recent Selzer Iowa poll found Trump polling at more than 50 percent, while the latest Saint Anselm College poll in New Hampshire had Trump ahead of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley by 14 percentage points.

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Trump is facing more than 90 criminal charges, and he is scheduled to be tied up in court in multiple cases early in 2024. But while those cases will complicate Trumps campaign schedule, its unclear how much it would hurt him with primary voters.

A New York Times/Siena College poll released Dec. 20 found 62 percent of Republican voters believe Trump should remain the GOP nominee even if he is convicted of a federal crime.

The questions around voters appetite for another Trump-Biden match-up have stoked talk of an independent ticket. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he will run as an independent, though it remains unclear whether he will end up on the ballot in enough states for it to matter.

The independent effort that appears to have the clearest path to appearing on ballots nationwide is the one organized by No Labels, a self-described national movement of commonsense Americans.

The group has qualified to appear on the ballot in 12 states, which is the maximum number currently possible based on filing deadlines and the fact that No Labels has yet to announce a ticket.

In a briefing with reporters, No Labels officials argued there is a path for a so-called unity ticket to win 25 states representing 286 electoral votes. The group cited modeling that showed 34 percent of voters would back a unity ticket in a race between Trump and Biden.

No Labels officials said they dont plan to decide whether to unveil a ticket and go forward with the effort until after Super Tuesday in March, at which point it will become clearer if the match-up will be Trump vs. Biden.

While critics of the No Labels effort believe the group would siphon votes away from Biden and aid Trumps reelection, officials told reporters on a call in late December that there has never been such a wide lane for a third party to make a serious run at the White House.

Americans would have a very strong incentive to get to know that ticket, because they are so profoundly unhappy with the choices theyre otherwise getting, said Ryan Clancy, the chief strategist for No Labels. We think theyre desperate for a choice, and if they got a good one, theyd want to learn more about it in short order.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was found inside a Siberian prison after being reported missing two weeks ago from the penal colony that he was being housed in.

Navalny was initially reported missing after his team said that they had lost all communication with the Kremlin critic. His spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying "We have found Alexey." He was reportedly in IK-3 in the settlement of Kharp in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District.

Alexei Navalny Found in Siberian Prison

The spokesperson added that Navalny's lawyer was able to visit him earlier on Monday and that the imprisoned activist was "doing well." The Russian opposition leader's lawyers first reported that they lost contact with Navalny on Dec. 11.

Up until that point in time, Navalny was being kept inside a penal colony located roughly 150 miles east of Moscow. His team added that the activist had "never been hidden for so long" after he was found to be absent from two scheduled court hearings last week, as per CNN.

Navalny's team also warned that the Kremlin critic had been in poor health before he disappeared after he was "deprived of food" and kept inside a punishment cell without ventilation.

The opposition leader's disappearance came a few days after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he would be running for re-election in March 2024. It sparked concerns for his well-being and safety.

The director of Navalny's anti-corruption foundation, Ivan Zhdanov said that the IK-3 penal colony in Kharp is known as "Polar Wolf." It is considered to be one of the northernmost and most remote colonies in the country.

The situation comes as Navalny is currently serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism. Prior to being found in the Siberian prison, he was being housed in Russia's Vladimir region, which is found roughly 140 miles east of Moscow, according to USA Today.

Read Also: Ireland Sues the UK for Offering Immunity for Troubles-Era Crimes

Russian Opposition Leader's Whereabouts

In the new penal colony where Navalny is being kept, his chief strategist, Leonid Volkov said that it is a place that is nearly impossible to get to. He added that it was even impossible to send letters and had the highest possible level of isolation from the world.

Navalny made headlines after he was poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent in the Siberian city of Tomsk in August 2020. He was later evacuated to Berlin to be given medical care and spent more than one week in a coma. While he was recovering from the assassination attempt, he returned to Moscow on Jan. 17, 2021, and was arrested at passport control for violating the terms of his parole.

Zhdanov said that the Russian government had wanted to isolate Navalny, particularly ahead of the election. The Kremlin has not yet directly addressed the sudden transfer of the opposition leader to the Siberian prison.

While he remained missing, the Russian government had been dismissive about his whereabouts. Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov said on Dec. 14 that the Kremlin had "neither the possibility nor rights or desire to trace the fact of convicts," said the New York Times.



Related Article: Polish Government Refuses To Accept Defeat, Takes Public News Channel Off the Air

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The execution gurney is shown in this image from a video released by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

A death row inmate who claimed he is the antichrist and cannot die remains exempt from execution.

Ricky Ray Malone, 49, "has ... exhausted his appeals but is not competent to be executed," Oklahoma's attorney general has disclosed.

Malone fatally shot an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper 20 years ago on the day after Christmas. The case was highly publicized.

Malone has been diagnosed as schizophrenic, court records show. A Pittsburg County judge in 2017 decreed that he "is deemed presently insane and/or incompetent to be executed."

He exhausted his appeals in 2019.

The disclosure that he remains incompetent came in a legal case involving another death row inmate, James Chandler Ryder.

The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals ruled Dec. 14 that Ryder's attorneys must follow a 2022 law in challenging his competency. Ryder had been set for execution Feb. 1. The appeals court on Friday stayed his execution so the attorneys can make their challenge.

Attorney General Gentner Drummond and an assistant informed the appeals court about Malone's status in a footnote to a legal filing in October.

What happened when Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper Nikky Green was killed in 2003?

The trooper, Nikky Green, was killed with his own gun during a struggle early Dec. 26, 2003, on a dirt road in Cotton County. Malone had been cooking methamphetamine outside his sister's car, according to testimony at a 2005 trial. He had fallen asleep in the front seat.

Malone, a former firefighter and paramedic, testified at the trial that he hadn't slept in three weeks because he was continuously amped up on meth." He claimed he thought the trooper was a robber and that the voices in my head told him to shoot.

Jurors found him guilty of first-degree murder and chose a death sentence as punishment. The Court of Criminal Appeals in 2007 upheld his conviction but ruled he must be resentenced because victim impact testimony had been too emotional.

Malone had a judge resentence him instead of a jury. The judge in 2010 chose the death penalty.

Green was 35. The trooper's final six minutes were described by the appeals court in its 2007 opinion as "poignant and heartbreaking." The sounds of the struggle and the trooper's pleas for his life were recorded by his dashcam.

His last words, according to the court, was: Please don't. For the name of Jesus Christ. He'll deliver. Lord Jesus!"

More: Judge rules Oklahoma death row inmate Benjamin Cole competent to be executed

In a book published in March, his widow, Linda Green-Bennett, wrote, "Listening to that ripped my heart out."

"In the final minute of his life, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation technicians agreed: Nik shifted from trying to reason with someone totally scrambled on meth ... to a simple prayer to God in Christ," the widow wrote.

When did the ban on executing those deemed incompetent begin?

The U.S Supreme Court in 1986 barred states from inflicting the death penalty upon a prisoner who has become insane.

The term now is considered derogatory in society but is still used in capital punishment litigation. It is increasingly referred to, though, as incompetency.

It means an inmate no longer has a rational understanding of why he is being executed.

A 2013 study found that 20 death row inmates in the United States had been found to be insane since the landmark 1986 decision. Justices pointed to the constitutional prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment as the reason for the ban.

What is death row inmate Ricky Malone's mental state?

Malone's case was put on hold in 2008 because of his mental issues. His resentencing went forward only after he was treated at the Oklahoma Forensic Center in Vinita.

At the resentencing, two experts testified on his behalf that he had been mentally ill for a long time.

After the resentencing, a psychiatrist hired by his attorneys twice evaluated Malone and concluded he suffers from schizophrenia.

"He has delusions that he has been resurrected and cannot be killed," the psychiatrist, Raphael Morris, reported in 2014.

The psychiatrist reported in 2016 after the second evaluation that Malone's condition "has appreciably deteriorated."

At a judge's request, a state psychologist evaluated Malone in 2017 for an hour after the prison began forcibly injecting him with antipsychotic medication.

The psychologist, Scott Orth, concluded Malone "is currently unable to demonstrate a rational understanding of the fact that he will be executed at the conclusion of his appeals."

Orth is the director of forensic psychology at the Oklahoma Forensic Center.

He wrote: "Mr. Malone expressed numerous grandiose delusions about his belief that he 'cannot die,' has been 'resurrected three times,' and alludes to his belief that he ate part of his ear back in 2016 to show that it will 'grow back' as 'proof that I'm the anthropic principle antichrist who'll start the rapture.'"

During the evaluation, Malone appeared to respond to hallucinations by stopping his responses, looking around and murmuring, Orth also wrote. Malone claimed his victim is still alive and "working here."

Oklahoma resumed executions in late October 2021 after a hiatus of more than six years.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Death row inmate Ricky Ray Malone remains ineligible for execution
On Tuesday, December 26, two Russian warships left the seaport area of occupied Feodosia following the destruction of the landing ship Novocherkassk at the port, Krym.Realii reports.

According to the correspondent of Krym.Realii, due to the poor visibility and the long distance, it was not possible to identify the ships. However, judging by the size, there was one larger and one smaller military ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

Read also: Russian fleet reduces activity, may wait for subzero temperatures, missile threat remains

Earlier, the Center of National Resistance reported that the Russians surrounded the central areas of temporarily occupied Feodosia.

Read also: Ukraine destroys 20% of Russian Black Sea fleet in 4 months, says British defense minister

On the night of December 26, powerful explosions thundered in Feodosia near the port. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that the Ukrainian aviation hit the large Russian amphibious assault ship Novocherkask with cruise missiles, destroying it.

Read also: Crimeans threatened with criminal prosecution for filming an attack on Novocherkassk

The Novocherkask is a ship of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation, designed for the landing of naval amphibious assaults and the transfer of troops and cargo across the sea. It is capable of transporting 480 tons of cargo  various types of armored vehicles, including tanks.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces had previously damaged the Novocherkassk in March 2022, when they destroyed another ship in the port of occupied Berdyansk, the BDK Saratov.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
President Joe Biden directed Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin to conducted airstrikes targeting Iran-backed militias in Iraq who injured three U.S. service members in a drone attack earlier Monday. File Photo by Chris Kleponis/UPI

Dec. 25 (UPI) -- The United States on Monday conducted retaliatory airstrikes on facilities used by Iran-backed militants in Iraq over their recent attacks targeting U.S military in Iraq and Syria, U.S. officials said.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the strikes hit three facilities used by Kataib Hezhollah, an Iran-backed militant group in Iraq, and affiliated organizations.

Austin described the use of force directed by President Joe Biden as "necessary and proportionate."

"And let me be clear: the president and I will not hesitate to take necessary action to defend the United States, our troops and our interests," Austin said in the statement."There is no higher priority.

"While we do not seek to escalate conflict in the region, we are committed and fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities."

U.S. Central Command said airstrikes were conducted at 8:48 p.m. EST, destroying targeted facilities and "likely killing a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants." No civilians were seemingly impacted the strikes, it said.

The strikes were in retaliation over Kataib Hezbollah terrorists attacking coalition forces in Erbil earlier Monday, injuring three U.S. personnel, including one service member who was listed in critical conduction.

The White House said in a statement that the Kataib Hezbollah attack was a drone strike, and that immediately afterward Biden was briefed and ordered the Pentagon to prepare a response. He then ordered the retaliatory strike on three locations used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups focused on unmanned aerial drones, it said.

"These strikes are intended to hold accountable those elements directly responsible for attacks on coalition forces in Iraq and Syria and degrade their ability to continue attacks," Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, U.S. Central Command commander, said in a statement.

"We will always protect our forces."

The National Counterterrorism Center states Kataib Hezbollah was founded in 2007 and seeks to establish an Iran-aligned government in Iraq and advance Tehran's Middle East interests.

The U.S. Treasury and State Department designated the militant group as a foreign terrorist organization in 2009.
There are growing concerns that China may be engaging in the theft of artificial intelligence technology, potentially with the intention of launching large-scale cyberattacks on the United States and other countries.

The FBI has expressed growing concern over the China's repeated high-profile data thefts targeting American corporations and government agencies.

China Steals AI Tech For Large-Scale Cyberattacks

According to sources cited by the Wall Street Journal, China could potentially enhance the scope and efficiency of its data collection and analysis through the utilization of advanced AI technology.

In October, industry leaders convened with the FBI and other Western intelligence agencies to address their concerns regarding the escalating situation.

In a high-stakes battle for technological supremacy, the United States and China find themselves engaged in an intense arms race. This race, fueled by the rapid development of transformative technologies, has the potential to reshape not only their longstanding rivalry but also the very nature of warfare itself.

China has reportedly been engaging in corporate espionage, targeting firms involved in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. In July 2018, Xiaolang Zhang, a former employee of Apple, was apprehended while attempting to board a flight to Beijing. Zhang was found to be in possession of stolen trade secrets related to self-driving vehicles.

Applied Materials has filed a lawsuit against its Chinese-owned competitor, Mattson Technology. The lawsuit alleges that a former engineer who defected from Applied Materials has unlawfully obtained and misappropriated trade secrets. The company focuses on manufacturing computer chips with exceptional processing capabilities, enabling them to effectively support and execute resource-intensive AI programs.

No charges have been filed in the case under scrutiny. Mattson, a key figure in the matter, has come forward to assert that there is no evidence to suggest that the company in question ever utilized any items purportedly pilfered from Applied in its product line.

The FBI has shown a heightened interest in thefts targeting firms such as Applied. The reasoning behind this focus lies in the fact that even if China were to acquire the latest AI programs through these thefts, their value would diminish rapidly within a matter of months.

China has been implicated in the cyberattacks targeting major organizations such as Marriott, Elevance Health, and Equifax. These breaches resulted in the theft of millions of guest records, compromising the security and privacy of individuals involved.

In 2015, the Office of Personnel Management experienced a significant security breach, resulting in the theft of 20 million personnel files belonging to government workers and their families. In 2021, a significant number of servers running Microsoft Exchange Server, which supports Outlook, were targeted in a cyberattack. Experts are concerned that the attackers may have utilized previously pilfered personal data to carry out this assault.

Analysts have disclosed that Beijing's military has successfully infiltrated over 20 prominent suppliers within the past year. These targets include a water utility located in Hawaii, a significant West Coast port, and at least one oil and gas pipeline.

Hackers managed to circumvent intricate cyber security systems by exploiting the negligence of junior employees who left passwords and log-ins unguarded. As a result, China now finds itself in possession of a significant cache of strategic vulnerabilities.

In August, attempts by hackers to breach the systems operated by the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, responsible for supplying power to the state, were detected. A project has emerged that aligns with the escalating tensions surrounding Taiwan. This project has the potential to disrupt the United States' endeavors to safeguard its interests in the South China Sea.

Volt Typhoon targeted a wide range of organizations, including communications, manufacturing, utility, transportation, construction, maritime, government, information technology, and education sectors. The Director of National Intelligence issued a warning back in February, asserting that China possesses the capability to potentially launch cyberattacks that could cripple vital oil and gas pipelines as well as rail systems.

According to the annual assessment, it has been reported that if Beijing were to perceive an imminent major conflict with the United States, it would likely contemplate engaging in aggressive cyber operations against critical infrastructure within the US homeland as well as military assets across the globe.

Read Also: China Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 131; Chinese Survivors Face Frigid Temperature

China's AI Usage

China has reportedly exhibited exceptional hacking skills, infiltrating numerous US companies and government databases. Such proficiency has led experts to suggest that China may have amassed an overwhelming amount of data, potentially surpassing its capacity to effectively process and derive utility from it.

AI technology, bolstered by its formidable legion of hackers, possesses the ability to meticulously sift through an astonishing number of records, numbering in the billions, effortlessly extracting invaluable information.

Intelligence operatives possess the ability to utilize data obtained from various sources in order to construct comprehensive dossiers on countless individuals. This astonishing capability allows them to amass a wealth of information on millions of specific people.

In a potential breach, sensitive data such as fingerprints, financial and health records, passport information, and personal contacts may have been compromised. China has the capability to utilize these advanced technologies for the purpose of identifying and tracking spies, closely monitoring the travel patterns of government officials, and determining individuals with valuable security clearances who may be susceptible to targeting.

According to Glenn Gerstell, a former general counsel at the National Security Agency, China has the capability to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) in order to compile a comprehensive profile on nearly every American. This dossier would encompass a wide range of personal information, including health records, credit card details, passport numbers, as well as the names and addresses of their parents and children. Gerstell shared these concerns with the Wall Street Journal.

The suggestion has been made to combine the existing dossiers with a substantial number of hackers, estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands, who are believed to be operating under the auspices of the Chinese government. This combination has raised concerns about the potential implications for national security.

In light of China's mounting threats, the significance of developing AI technology to combat them has grown exponentially. According to industry experts, there is a prevailing belief that artificial intelligence (AI) would excel in defensive capabilities rather than offensive ones. These experts anticipate that AI would possess the ability to effectively detect and counteract potential attacks originating from China and other sources, as per Mail Online.

Related Article: China's iPhone Crackdown Worsens as Western Smartphone Ban in State Firms, Government Departments Expand

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Russian State TV showed destroyed buildings and Russian soldiers in what it said were the outskirts of Mariinka

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has said his troops have seized the key town of Mariinka in eastern Ukraine.

Mr Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin assault units had taken the "powerfully fortified" area just outside Donetsk, a Russian-held regional capital.

The commander of Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi said Ukrainian forces had moved to the outskirts of Mariinka.

Mariinka - seen as a gateway to Donetsk - has been almost completely destroyed.

Separately on Tuesday evening, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said Russian forces had shelled Kherson railway station, killing one police lieutenant and leaving several injured.

Police were able to successfully evacuate most of the 140 civilians who had been waiting for an evacuation train at the time, he said on Telegram, most likely preventing much higher casualties.

Mariinka, once home to 10,000 people, has remained in Ukrainian hands throughout the Kremlin's war in eastern Ukraine, which began when Russia seized and annexed Crimea in 2014 and its proxy forces occupied parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

When the full-scale invasion began in 2022, Mariinka came under relentless Russian attack and was evacuated.

"For nine years, the armed forces of Ukraine have made a powerful fortified area, which is connected by underground passages," Mr Shoigu said, adding that this fortified area had now been cracked.

"Each street has its own well-fortified and fairly well-protected structures from all attacks, both from the air and artillery, long-term firing points, complex underground communication systems."

Mr Putin hailed the reported capture as "success", saying that Ukrainian troops had now been pushed further away from Donetsk, which they have been regularly shelling from Mariinka.

The Kremlin leader also said Russian forces now had the "opportunity to move into a wider operational area" in the Donetsk region.

The Ukrainian military initially denied the Russian claim and Ukrainian military bloggers reported that Ukrainian troops were holding out in a small area of western Mariinka.

But speaking during a news conference on Tuesday, the commander of Ukrainian Armed Forces, Gen Valerii Zaluzhnyi confirmed that Ukrainian troops had withdrawn.

"We protect every piece of our land. Every piece. But when, on this narrow piece, enemy shells start to dig this place together with stones, with earth, with our soldiers, the lives of our soldiers are more important to us," he said.

Gen Zaluzhnyi noted that Mariinka had been held for almost two years, but it was destroyed "street by street, house by house."

"Mariinka is no more," he added.

The town has been used by Ukraine as a defensive barrier since 2014, when Russia-backed fighters seized large swathes of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

President Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Mariinka looks like a ghost town after months of fierce fighting (file image from May 2023)

In recent weeks, Russian forces have intensified their attacks in several key areas of a more than 1,200km-long (745 miles) battlefront.

Alongside Mariinka, they have been trying to encircle Avdiivka - another key town near Donetsk.

Ukrainian forces are seeking to extend their bridgehead on the left (eastern) bank of the Dnipro river in southern Ukraine.

Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country's military were planning to mobilise up to 500,000 extra people - although Gen Zaluzhnyi denied on Tuesday that the military had issued a request for any specific number of troops.

President Zelensky's comments come as Ukraine is facing an ammunition shortage amid aid setbacks from its key allies in the US and the EU.

Kyiv's counter-offensive ground to a halt at the start of winter and there are fears that the Russians could simply outgun Ukraine.

But there was some good news for Ukraine on Tuesday, as Russia's defence ministry confirmed that one of its warships was damaged in a Ukrainian attack on the port of Feodosiya in occupied Crimea. One person was killed, officials said.

The head of the Ukrainian Air Force said warplanes had destroyed the landing ship Novocherkassk, used for moving troops and heavy equipment, in the early hours of Tuesday.

Mr Shoigu gave details on Tuesday of the damage to the ship to President Vladimir Putin, before declaring that Russian forces had brought Ukraine's counter-offensive to a halt and were now pushing forward on all fronts.

Russian state TV had earlier shown him telling Mr Putin: "The assault detachments of the South group today completely liberated the settlement of Mariinka, which is five kilometres [three miles] south-west of Donetsk.

Map showing position of Russian troops on the eastern front of Ukraine, highlighting the positions of Kupiansk, Bakhmut and Avdiivka
Ukraine has said it has destroyed a Russian warship in occupied Crimea. It came as top Kremlin officials sat down for an end-of-year review of Russias full-scale invasion.

Kyivs air force announced that it had hit a landing ship in the southeastern port of Feodosia in the early hours of Tuesday morning, marking another successful attack on Vladimir Putins prized Black Sea fleet.

Unverified footage posted by Ukrainian air force commander Lt Gen Mykola Oleschuk showed a 10-metre-high fireball erupting from the area where the 110-metre-long Novocherkassk ship was located.

A huge fireball could be seen in the port of Feodosia, where the Novocherkassk was docked (Sourced)

The air force claimed the attack took place at roughly 2.30am local time, with local reports suggesting multiple explosions rocked the small port area for roughly an hour.

Sergei Aksyonov, the Kremlin-installed head of Crimea, said that one person had been killed and two people injured in the attack. He added that a number of buildings were damaged.

The Russian Ministry of Defence later admitted that the warship had been damaged by plane-launched guided missiles but stopped short of confirming it had been destroyed. It claimed that two Ukrainian fighter jets were destroyed by anti-aircraft fire during the attack.

Smoke is seen rising above a damaged warship following a Ukrainian attack in the Russian-occupied Black Sea port (AFP)

Thord Are Iversen, a defence analyst specialising in the Russian navy, said he believed the warship had been destroyed beyond repair.

He told The Independent: I think whatever the Novocherkassk was loaded with, likely munitions of some sort, blew up following the missile hit and the ship is a total loss.

A Ukrainian military official said the Novocherkassk, which was partially damaged in March 2022, had been used recently to transport weapons and soldiers to the Zaporizhzhia region, which is partly held by Russian forces. Satellite imagery showed the vessel arrived in Feodosia in September this year.

The attack is yet another high point in a months-long missile assault on the Russian naval ports across Crimea, which has forced the Black Sea fleet to partially retreat.

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu was forced to brief Vladimir Putin on the damaged warship hours before his end-of-year review of the war in Ukraine (Sputnik)

In September, a Ukrainian missile attack destroyed the headquarters of the fleet in the port city of Sevastopol in Crimea, reportedly killing 34 naval personnel. A number of Russian ships, including another landing vessel, were damaged that month.

Dozens of Russian vessels were subsequently moved in October to the port of Novorosso, more than a hundred miles to the east of Crimea.

Lauding the attack as a sign that the war in Ukraine had not reached a stalemate, British defence minister Grant Shapps claimed Kyiv had now destroyed 20 per cent of Russias Black Sea Fleet over the past four months.

This latest destruction of Putins navy demonstrates that those who believe theres a stalemate in the Ukraine war are wrong! he wrote on Twitter/X.

They haven't noticed that over the past four months 20 per cent of Russia's Black Sea fleet has been destroyed.

UPDATE: new chart registering Ukrainian strikes against Russia's Black Sea Fleet.



The latest strike targeted Feodosia and destroyed the landing vessel Novocherkassk which was transporting ammunition towards the Crimea. Novocherkassk previously survived a strike at Berdyansk. pic.twitter.com/c5Ymv7dkPJ  Frederik Van Lokeren (@KaptainLOMA) December 26, 2023

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, joked that the ship had been turned into a submarine.

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu, a key figure in the Kremlins full-scale invasion of Ukraine, had to brief Vladimir Putin on the attacks on Tuesday morning, only hours before an end-of-year review of what Putin refers to as the special military operation.

During the review, he was quoted as saying that the main goal of the year had been to disrupt the Ukrainian counteroffensive, which was launched in June.

He said that Russian forces, in part due to extensive defensive lines built in the five months running up to the counteroffensive, had successfully repelled the attack and were now beginning to seize the initiative.

Over the weekend, Kyiv rejected claims by Mr Shoigu that Russian forces had gained control of the key eastern Ukrainian city of Marinka, which has been a flashpoint of the front line for months.
KYIV (Reuters) - Text of a draft law posted on the website of Ukraine's parliament late on Monday proposed lowering the age of those who can be mobilized for combat duty to 25 from 27.

The proposed change comes as Ukraine's 22-month-old battle against Russia drags on. On Sunday, Ukraine and Russia exchanged claims over downed military aircraft, and on Monday Ukraine denied Russia's claim that its forces had seized the regional centre Maryinka in eastern Ukraine.

The draft text detailed which Ukrainian citizens would be subject to enrolment for military registration of conscripts and said it would apply to those "who have reached the age of 25."

An explanatory note signed by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov summarized key provisions of the draft law, saying they included the "change of conscription age from 27 to 25 years."

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told his end-of-year news conference on Dec. 19 that the military had proposed mobilising 450,000-500,000 more Ukrainians, but that it was a "highly sensitive" issue that the military and government would discuss before deciding whether to send the proposal to parliament.

Zelenskiy, who has yet to back the proposal publicly, said on Dec. 19 that he wanted to hear more arguments for mobilising additional people. "This is a very serious number," he said.

Ukraine's troop numbers are not known, but in the past it has been said the country has around 1 million people under arms. U.S. officials estimate that hundreds of thousands have been killed and wounded since Russia invaded Ukraine. Neither country publishes its casualty figures.

David Arakhamia, the head of Zelenskiy's party in parliament, said the government was working on the bill at the request of the military and that it was due to be introduced on Monday.

"The military needs a solution to its problems," he said in a post on the Telegram messaging app earlier on Monday. "Society wants to hear answers to all sensitive questions."

(Reporting by Oleksandr Kozhukhar in Kyiv, Yuliia Dysa in Gdansk, Poland, and Elaine Monaghan in Washington; Writing by Elaine Monaghan; Editing by Leslie Adler)
According to Palestinian medical officials, the number of casualties resulting from an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza has now reached 106.

It has been reported that the Sunday night airstrike in the Maghazi refugee camp has emerged as one of the deadliest incidents in Israel's ongoing air campaign in Gaza. This campaign was initiated on October 7 as a response to a lethal cross-border attack carried out by Hamas militants.

Israel Launches Strikes on Central Gaza

According to hospital officials, an initial report indicated that 68 individuals had tragically lost their lives. In a tragic incident on Monday, a significant number of bodies were recovered by first responders.

These bodies, totaling over three dozen, were subsequently transported to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital located in Deir al-Balah. According to hospital records obtained by The Associated Press, a total of 106 deaths were documented. According to the Israeli military, the incident is currently under review.

In a series of tragic events leading up to Christmas, Israeli airstrikes have claimed numerous Palestinian lives, while ground fighting has resulted in the loss of 17 troops across various regions in the territory. Large parts of Gaza have been left in ruins as a result of the ongoing war.

Tragically, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 20,400 Palestinians, leaving behind a trail of destruction and despair. The impact of this violence has been further compounded by the fact that almost all of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have been forced to flee their homes, becoming displaced in the process, as per PBS News.

The death toll among Israeli troops has been steadily increasing since the ground offensive began, reaching a total of 156 casualties. This alarming number of fatalities has the potential to diminish public support for the ongoing war. The conflict was initially triggered by the actions of Hamas-led militants, who launched an attack on communities in southern Israel on October 7. This attack resulted in the tragic loss of 1,200 lives and the capture of 240 individuals.

Despite the ongoing conflict, Israelis continue to strongly support their country's objectives, which include dismantling Hamas' governing and military infrastructure and securing the release of the remaining 129 captives. Despite mounting international pressure and the alarming increase in casualties and suffering among Palestinians, Israel continues its offensive.

Read Also: Tehran Claims Israeli Airstrike Killed Senior Advisor in Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Israel's offensive is being described as one of the most devastating military campaigns in recent history. According to the Health Ministry in Gaza, the number of Palestinians killed has exceeded 20,400, with women and children accounting for over two-thirds of the fatalities. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants among the deceased.

A total of 17 Israeli soldiers have tragically lost their lives in combat since Friday. The majority of these casualties occurred in the southern and central regions of Gaza, highlighting the intense fighting taking place in and around the city of Khan Younis.

In a statement made on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the significant toll that the ongoing war has taken on his country. Despite the heavy price being paid, Netanyahu emphasized that there is no alternative but to persevere and continue the fight.

The government has faced significant backlash from the public, with many expressing their anger over its perceived failure to safeguard civilians. Additionally, critics argue that the government's policies have inadvertently contributed to the growing influence of Hamas over the years. Netanyahu has been accused of evading accountability for the military and policy failures.

According to Amos Harel, a military affairs commentator for the Haaretz newspaper, the public will eventually find it difficult to overlook the significant cost incurred and the lingering doubt regarding the achievement of the loudly proclaimed goals. Additionally, Hamas is not displaying any indications of surrendering in the foreseeable future.

Israeli strikes have persisted, inflicting a significant toll. In the central city of Deir al-Balah, a hospital witnessed a scene of distress as Palestinians rushed in with casualties following a strike on the Maghazi refugee camp. Among the victims were the deceased, including an infant, and the injured. A bloodied young girl appeared visibly stunned as medical professionals carefully examined her body for any signs of broken bones, as per The Hill.

Related Article: Benjamin Netanyahu Visits Gaza, Vows To Continue War Efforts as Palestinians Mourn

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General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, says that next year will be different from 2023 due to changes in warfare technologies.

Source: Valerii Zaluzhnyi at a briefing on 26 December

Quote: "2024 will not just be different; it has to be different because otherwise, we will face what I wrote about in the article. Accordingly, we have identified these problems, and we have already found about 90% of the solutions to these issues, which will need to be resolved to act more efficiently next year and, most importantly, to keep people [alive  ed.].

We are working on this. Our partners, who were also interested in this issue, absolutely agreed with us. So I can assure you that next year will be different... At the very least, we are doing everything for that."

Details: At the same time, the Commander-in-Chief noted that he was forced to state that Russia was not lagging behind the Armed Forces. Recently, a rather powerful confrontation with the use of various technologies has been going on.

Background: In November, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraines Armed Forces, wrote in an article for the Economist that the war with Russia is moving to a new stage: "positional" warfare with static and attritional fighting. To win it, Ukraine needs high technologies.

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The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has said that the information that 108 soldiers from a Ukrainian brigade were killed on the Avdiivka front, which has been circulating on social media, is not true.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Quote: "The claim circulating on social media that 108 soldiers in one of the brigades on the Avdiivka front were killed on Christmas Eve is a fake."

Details: Earlier, social media users shared a claim that 108 Ukrainian soldiers from one of the brigades fighting on the Avdiivka front had been killed. The soldiers were allegedly given a weeks leave just before Christmas.

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By Max Hunder

(Reuters) -Ukraine's armed forces chief on Tuesday expressed frustration with the performance of military draft offices, in remarks suggesting they should mobilise more troops for the war against Russia.

General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi spoke at his first wartime news conference a day after Ukraine's parliament published the text of a draft law containing reforms to the army draft programme, including lowering the age of men who can be mobilised to 25 from 27.

The bill's publication sparked controversy on social media, which appeared to prompt the typically publicity-shy general to make a rare effort to speak to the press.

"I am not currently satisfied with the work of the (draft offices), he said.

"If I was satisfied with their work, we would not be here discussing this draft law (on mobilisation)."

Ukraine saw tens of thousands of men volunteer to fight in the first months of Russia's invasion, but that enthusiasm has dampened 22 months into the full-scale war.

Zaluzhnyi also fielded an array of other questions about the state of the war.

He conceded in response to one that Ukrainian troops had withdrawn to the edges of Maryinka, a town fought over for months which the general now said "no longer existed" due to the destruction wreaked upon it.

In response to another question, he said the war in 2024 would look different to 2023, citing the vast array of perpetually innovating battlefield technologies.

SENSITIVE TOPICS

The reforms are highly sensitive for a weary population in the midst of a nearly two-year-old war which has no end in sight. Last week, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the military had proposed mobilising an additional 450,000-500,000 people into the army.

Zaluzhnyi acknowledged that figure, although he said it had not come from the military. He said such a figure represented an overall plan and would be filled gradually.

He told reporters in Kyiv that he would never have revealed such a number publicly, a remark that may renew public speculation of political friction between him and Ukraine's wartime president.

"I would not publicly discuss these figures," he said.

Zaluzhnyi oversaw the 2023 counteroffensive that failed to retake significant quantities of Russian-occupied land.

However, he is still extremely popular with many Ukrainians after beating back Russian forces from Ukraine's capital in early 2022 and masterminding two successful counter-offensives that autumn, which retook large amounts of territory.

"We had rather ambitious goals in 2023. I was not disappointed by the level of (foreign assistance) in 2023. Of course it was not the full (amount requested), but it allowed us to conduct confident military operations," he said.

Tensions between Zaluzhnyi and Zelenskiy burst into the open in November after the general was quoted as saying the war was heading towards a stalemate because of the technological state of play on the battlefield, a comment that drew a rebuke from the president's office.

Zelenskiy and his allies have consistently portrayed a less gloomy view of the war, in which they have said Ukraine can and will drive Russian forces out of every last inch of occupied territory.

Zaluzhnyi said the period since he made his comments had vindicated them: "I received lots of criticism for this, but in time people realised that I was absolutely right."

He said that Ukraine and its allies had already identified solutions to the majority of the questions and problems he raised in his comments about the battlefield in November.

On the drafting effort, he said he would support the introduction of electronic army call-ups, a step that would replace or reinforce the current model in which draft officers hand out call-up papers to people in the street or at check points.

"We are glad for any means which will secure our demand for people," he said.

(Reporting by Max Hunder; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Angus MacSwan, William Maclean)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained how the most-awaited Israel-Palestine peace can be achieved. As of writing, the war between Israel and Hamas is still ongoing.

As the battle between the Israeli government and the Palestinian terrorist group goes on, more and more innocent civilians are getting caught up.

After the 7-day ceasefire, which ended on Dec. 1, the Israel Defense Forces continued their counteroffensives; launching airstrikes and other attacks across the Gaza Strip.

Now, Netanyahu outlined three prerequisites that he claimed can lead to peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Here's what the prime minister said.

Israeli PM Netanyahu Explains How to Achieve Israel-Palestine Peace

On Dec. 25, Benjamin Netanyahu posted an op-ed, via The Wall Street Journal, to explain how peace between Israel and Palestine can be achieved.

"Hamas must be destroyed, Gaza must be demilitarized, and Palestinian society must be deradicalized," he said via his official WSJ op-ed.

"These are the three prerequisites for peace between Israel and its Palestinian neighbors in Gaza," added the Israeli prime minister.

However, some experts pointed out issues in the article of Benjamin Netanyahu. One of these is that the Israeli leader didn't mention the release of hostages, as reported by The Times of Israel.

They said that including hostage releases is important since the Hamas terrorist group still has over 129 hostages, who were kidnapped since the deadly attack on Oct. 7.

Another issue they saw was the lack of solutions benefiting Palestine. Based on Netanyahu's op-ed, he didn't mention anything about a two-state solution or even a Palestinian-state resolution.

This just shows that Benjamin Netanyahu is strongly against allowing Palestinian authorities to continue governing the Gaza Strip. If ever the war comes to an end, there's a chance that Israel will still prevent the Palestinian Authority from ruling Gaza.

Read Also: UN Demands Probe as Israel Allegedly Kills Unarmed Palestinian Civilians; Survivors Detail Rumored Massacre

Achieving Israel-Palestine Peace

Benjamin Netanyahu explained how the three prerequisites he provided can be achieved. Here's what the Israeli leader said.

Eliminating Hamas

The U.S., Germany, France, the U.K., and other ally countries must support Israel's efforts to eliminate all Hamas terrorists.

Demilitarizing the Gaza Strip

Netanyahu said that the Gaza Strip should not be used as a base to attack the country ever again once Hamas terrorists are all exterminated.

Deradicalizing Palestinians

The third prerequisite requires educating Palestinian children to value life over death. Benjamin added that imams should stop preaching for murder of Jews once Hamas terrorists are eliminated.

Related Article: Benjamin Netanyahu Visits Gaza, Vows To Continue War Efforts as Palestinians Mourn

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Ukrainian pilots are undergoing advanced training in Denmark to fly F-16s after finishing basic orientation in the UK, according to the British government on Dec. 26.

A group of six experienced Ukrainian pilots received aviation-focused English language training in the UK. Another ten pilots will remain there to continue their flight training.

Read also: No F-16s in 2023 says Air Force

"I am proud of the support the Royal Air Force is providing to the next generation of Ukraines combat air pilots and ground crew, who will be the first line of defense in protecting Ukraines skies," said British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps.

Along with the pilots, dozens of Ukrainian aviation specialists also receive English training in the UK focused on engineering specialties.

Read also: France to begin training Ukrainian pilots in early 2024

Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced on Dec. 22 that the Netherlands had begun preparations to hand over the first 18 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

In August, the Netherlands, along with Denmark, promised to provide Ukraine with 61 aircraft - 42 and 19, respectively. Later, Norway confirmed its intention to supply F-16s. Belgium will also provide Ukraine with F-16s starting in 2025.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba previously stated that Ukraine could receive the first F-16s in the first half of 2024.

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Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has presented two new laws designed to make it easier to draft new soldiers urgently needed on the front line.

Due to Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the mobilisation procedures must be "improved," according to one of the two draft laws published overnight. It comes after Ukraine's army called for reinforcement on the front lines.

According to the new legislation, the age requirement for reservists would be lowered from 27 to 25, which would give the army immediate access to two more cohorts, potentially more than 400,000 young men.

In addition, those previously deemed unfit for military service are to be re-examined.

In future, Ukrainians between the ages of 18 and 60 who are liable to military service would have to be entered in the military register and to regularly update their information.

Conscription and enlistment notices could also be sent electronically to the registration address, regardless of the actual place of residence, and not just via mail as is currently the case, which would make it possible to reach men abroad.

A second law would tighten the penalties for failing to provide information in the military register. Ignoring a summons would result in prison sentences instead of fines.

Failure to comply with the registration regulations could result in the confiscation of cars, account freezes and a ban on obtaining loans.

Ukrainians living abroad will only be able to obtain new identity documents from consulates if listed on the military register.

The draft laws can still be amended.
When Donald Trump was still the U.S. president, he tried terminating the Obamacare or ACA (Affordable Care Act). However, despite his numerous attempts, the ex-American leader failed to replace this healthcare law.

Now that Donald Trump is trying to win his second term in the upcoming U.S. presidential election in 2024, the ex-POTUS is once again promising that he will replace the Obama-instituted healthcare reform legislation.

But, will Americans allow this to happen? Here's what U.S. residents say about Trump's plan to remove Obamacare.

Donald Trump Claims Obamacare is 'Too Expensive'

On Tuesday, Dec. 26, Donald Trump posted on Truth Social. On his official social media post, the former U.S. president said that he would replace Obamacare with his own healthcare legislation.

"Obamacare is too expensive, and otherwise, not good healthcare. I will come up with a much better, and less expensive, alternative! People will be happy, not sad!" said ex-POTUS on Truth Social.

As of writing, his Truth Social post was able to garner over 19,000 likes and more than 4,000 ReTruths. According to Fox News' latest report, Trump's post comes as Congress has long tried to remove the ACA.

Because of continued failures, Republicans decided to abandon the fight against the former Barack Obama's signature healthcare reform bill. However, Donald Trump is still confident that he will be the one to repeal the ACA.

As of press time, Donald Trump claims that he will come up with a less expensive and better alternative healthcare reform bill that can replace Obamacare.

He added that if he wins the 2024 U.S. presidential election, the Trump Administration will ensure that establishing a more efficient healthcare law will be one of their top priorities.

Read Also: [POLL] 70% of Young Voters Disapprove of Joe Biden's Handling of Israel-Hamas War

What Americans Say About Trump's Obamacare Removal Effort

In the comment section, many Truth Social users don't believe the promise of Trump to remove Obamacare. One of them said that seven years ago, the ex-POTUS made the same promise and wasn't able to offer a better healthcare plan.

Aside from him, another American said that Donald Trump never had a concrete plan for healthcare reform during his time as the U.S. president.

He claimed that when Trump was serving the U.S., his plans only included imposing a Marshall law on day one, constructing massive migrant detention camps, and firing thousands of federal employees.

These are just some of the comments Americans made regarding Donald Trump's promise for a healthcare reform bill better than the existing Obamacare.

If you want to see more of their opinions, you can click this link.

Related Article: Donald Trump's GOP Presidential Primary Increases-Here's How Far He Is Now From Other Republican Candidates

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Casper was put on a flight to Orlando, several hours away from his intended destination

A six-year-old boy flew alone to the wrong US city after he was "incorrectly boarded" on a Spirit Airlines plane.

Casper was travelling from Philadelphia to meet his grandmother in Fort Myers, Florida.

But he ended up in Orlando - a four-hour drive from Fort Myers - after he was mistakenly put on the wrong plane.

Spirit Airlines has apologised and offered to reimburse his grandmother for the drive to pick Casper up.

Casper was meant to be travelling from Philadelphia International Airport to Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers on Thursday, to meet his grandmother, Maria Ramos.

But in a scene reminiscent of the film Home Alone 2, when Kevin gets on a wrong flight - leaving him stranded far away from his family at Christmas, Casper was put on a plane to Orlando, which is 160 miles (260km) from Fort Myers.

After the plane he was supposed to be on landed and her grandson wasn't on it, panic set in for Ms Ramos.

"I ran inside the plane to the flight attendant and I asked her, 'Where's my grandson? He was handed over to you at Philadelphia?'" Ms Ramos told WINK-TV, a television station in Fort Myers.

She said the flight attendant told her: "No, I had no kids with me."

Fortunately, Casper managed to phone his grandmother soon after he landed in Orlando. Ms Ramos then drove from Fort Myers to pick up her grandson.

"I want them to call me [and] let me know how my grandson ended up in Orlando," Ms Ramos said.

"How did that happen? Did they get him off the plane? He jumped in the wrong plane by himself?"

Spirit Airlines has apologised and said in a statement: "We take the safety and responsibility of transporting all of our guests seriously and are conducting an internal investigation. We apologize to the family for this experience."

Such mishaps are uncommon, but unaccompanied minors as well as other passengers have travelled on wrong flights in the past.

In 2009, two different unaccompanied girls were placed on wrong Continental Airlines flights within the US. The airline blamed "miscommunication among staff".

And in 2019, a boy was put on a United Airlines flight to Germany when he was supposed to be travelling to Sweden.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Juicy ham with pineapple, potatoes au gratin, green beans and so much more on guests plates at the Union Gospel Missions Christmas Day celebration in downtown Portland.

Union Gospel Mission is keeping up with its annual tradition of serving hot meals to those in need.

The smell of delicious food hung in the air, but what really stood out about the whole event was the radiating warmth and the feeling of the holiday spirit throughout the dining hall.

Hundreds enjoy free Christmas meal at Portland Art Museum

Union Gospel Missions executive director Matt Stein shared that what the whole day is really about is taking care of those in the community.

We try in the holidays to really open the doors up and take it another level up, said Stein. We want our guests to feel encouraged and cared for.

Stein says they served roughly 300 meals on Christmas, but the giving spirit doesnt stop there.

Today through the week will be 800, Stein shared. Weve been handing Christmas meals out to different encampments and individuals, but today is about 300.

One guest, Kat, just arrived in Portland a few days ago and she said she is already feeling the community support.

It was important to me to not only celebrate Christmas but celebrate with some people that I was around, said Kat. So, Im glad that the volunteers came out today to cook us a meal.

(Courtesy: Union Gospel Mission)

(Courtesy: Union Gospel Mission)

(Courtesy: Union Gospel Mission)

(Courtesy: Union Gospel Mission)

(Courtesy: Union Gospel Mission)

(Courtesy: Union Gospel Mission)

(Courtesy: Union Gospel Mission)

Stein told KOIN 6 that for many Christmas doesnt feel special, but they are working to change that.

Theres been a lot of people that have said in the past that Christmas can just be another day for them, Stein said. And were trying to make that market different this year that they would see people, they would be welcomed there, served during the meal today by our volunteers.

For Kat and many other guests that mission has been a success.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
President Biden ordered retaliatory airstrikes in eastern Syria on Christmas Day after three US soldiers were wounded - one critically - in a drone strike carried out by Iran-backed terrorists at an American base earlier in the day, the White House confirmed.



The US military carried out the strikes around 8:45 p.m. EST, likely killing "several Kataib Hezbollah militants" and destroying multiple facilities used by the group, said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, head of US Central Command, in a statement.

The Airstrikes

The airstrikes were carried out by two USAF F-16 fighter planes that struck installations that were linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard and other groups located near the town of Abu Kamal in eastern Syria near the Iraq border.

"These strikes are intended to hold accountable those elements directly responsible for attacks on coalition forces in Iraq and Syria and degrade their ability to continue attacks," Kurilla said, adding, "We will always protect our forces."

A one-way drone strike from the militant group struck a US base in Erbil, Iraq, Monday, causing three US casualties, officials said. The identity of the critically wounded US service member has not been released and the extent of the other's injuries is unclear.



"My prayers are with the brave Americans who were injured," US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. "The President places no higher priority than the protection of American personnel serving in harm's way."



"The United States will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue," Austin said.

The Aftermath

The BBC reported that the Iraqi government condemned the air strike as being a "clear hostile act" while reporting that one person was killed and 18 others were injured, including civilians.



US bases and assets in the Middle East have increasingly come under threat of attack by Iran-aligned militias in recent weeks over Washington's support for Israel in its fight against Hamas in Gaza since the war erupted in October.

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An artillery commander codenamed Baks whose battery was operating around Marinka, which has been lost to the Russians - OZGE ELIF KIZIL/ANADOLU VIA GETTY IMAGES

Ukrainian forces have retreated from the destroyed town of Marinka in the eastern Donbas region, Kyiv has said, confirming its first loss of a major town since May.

General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraines most senior military commander, admitted the loss on Tuesday after other Ukrainian officials initially denied that Russian forces had captured the town.

There is nothing controversial about the fact that Ukrainian soldiers have stepped back to the outskirts of the town of Marinka, he insisted.

Video and photos show the town to be utterly destroyed after nearly two years of continuous heavy fighting. The Kremlin claimed on Dec 25 that it had captured the town, its most significant battlefield victory since Wagner mercenary forces captured Bakhmut in May.

Pro-Moscow rebels celebrate

Pro-Russia rebel forces in Donetsk have already issued a commemorative stamp for the conquest featuring a swallow that they said represents rebirth and renewal.

Gen Zaluzhnyi said that it made tactical sense to retreat to more defensible positions.

This is a war, so the fact that we have now retreated to the outskirts of Marinka and set up positions behind Marinka in some areas is nothing that can cause any public outcry, he said.

Analysts have said that Marinkas main strategic value to Russia is that it will allow Russian forces to turn their attacks against stronger Ukrainian forces to the south. It will also dent the already low morale among Ukrainian forces and Western allies, who are disappointed by Ukraines failed Nato-backed counteroffensive over the summer.

Russians break chemical weapons pact

Gen Zaluzhnyi has struck a more downbeat tone compared to other Ukrainian officials over the past few months, describing the war as a stalemate. Although Russian forces have been on the offensive, the New York Times has reported that the Kremlin is increasingly open to a ceasefire deal.

On the southern front line, Russian forces have been accused of dropping grenades filled with tear gas on Ukrainian marines who have recaptured a fishing village on the occupied left bank of the Dnipro River.

Analysts said that Russia has been dropping the K-51 grenades packed with CS gas in breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention since their initial invasion in 2014 to smoke out Ukrainian soldiers.

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On Christmas Eve the portrait was removed from the listing for an auction of works by Old Masters without explanation - ARTGEN/ALAMY

A masterpiece by Spanish painter Diego Velazquez depicting Queen Isabel appears to have vanished for a second time after being mysteriously withdrawn from an upcoming auction.

The full-length portrait of Isabella of Bourbon, who in 1621 became Queen of Spain as the wife of King Philip IV, was set to go on sale on February 1 at Sothebys New York with an opening price of $35 million.

But on Christmas Eve it was removed from the listing for an auction of works by Old Masters without explanation.

The painting is no longer advertised on Sothebys website and the auction house, which is closed for the Christmas period, has not responded to requests for comment on its whereabouts.

Art experts have speculated that it may have been purchased by a museum in the United States.

The work, considered the most important piece by Velazquez to go on public sale in 50 years, has slipped off the radar before.

Painted in the early 1630s, it was part of the Spanish royal familys collection before being removed from a Madrid palace during Napoleons occupation of Spain between 1808 and 1813.

Exactly who took it from the Spanish capital is unclear. There is no record of the paintings whereabouts from after it was removed until 1838, when it was put on display in the Louvre in Paris as part of a collection of Spanish art belonging to King Louis-Philippe.

Tumultuous history

Frances tumultuous 19th-century history meant the painting was soon on the move again as the French Second Republic sold off royal possessions, resulting in the painting heading to Britain in 1848.

Five years later, it was bought at auction by the British banker and art and book collector Henry Huth.

It remained in his family for a century, after which it crossed the Atlantic and changed hands in a series of private sales in the US.

Velazquez was the leading artist in the court of King Felipe IV of Spain and Portugal and his masterpiece Las Meninas is the most celebrated painting in the Prado in Madrid, the main Spanish national art museum.

His paintings rarely go on public sale, and the current auction record for a Velazquez stands at $16.9 million for a smaller painting of Santa Rufina, or Saint Rufina, sold by Sothebys in 2007.

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Dana Yarova, a member of the Public Anti-Corruption Council at the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, has not only graced the cover of Playboy Ukraine, but also lent her support to a special calendar shoot, with the proceeds committed to benefit the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Yarova suggested that Playboy invite women serving in the Armed Forces  those who had been prisoners-of-war, military medics, and volunteers  to a photo shoot..

Read also: Ukrainian servicewoman shares story of battle, loss, and resilience

It was an unexpected proposal that I received four months ago  to pose for the cover of Playboy Ukraine, she explained.

I initially declined. Then, I thought that if the emphasis is placed correctly, this could be a project for the whole world about the indomitable spirit of Ukrainian women. In addition to the magazine, I proposed creating a calendar for the year 2024.

facebook.com/Playboy.Ukraine

The magazine features stories about each participant in the photoshoot.

This project is a challenge! she said.

Like [finding] red lipstick during World War II. A challenge of war, a challenge to the enemy, and even to oneself. A challenge to go beyond. And to remind us all that women are guides to life on Earth. And a woman always remains a woman! Despite the war, despite shelling, despite ruined homes and fates, despite enormous graveyards of the fallen, despite unborn children. Despite everything.

Also, I understand the hate that will start now. But everything they say about me is true  Im even worse, Yarova added.

And also, if at 45 years old, after giving birth to three children, I could pose for PLAYBOY, then you can achieve anything too!

Read also: How LGBTQ soldiers, doctors, and volunteers protect Ukraine

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China's NEV industry seeks green development amid transformation

Xinhua) 09:00, December 26, 2023

This photo taken on July 3, 2023 shows China's 20 millionth new energy vehicle (NEV) produced by GAC Aion New Energy Automobile Co., Ltd. in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)

BEIJING, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- With the rapid development of disruptive technologies, China's new energy vehicle (NEV) industry has witnessed positive progress in recent years.

The green and low-carbon transformation with the goal of carbon neutrality has gradually become a concerted action to deal with climate change worldwide, and the NEV industry is a critical engine to boost the green and low-carbon transformation of China's automobile industry and the sustainable development of the country's economy and society, industry insiders said.

China's NEV industry has gained further momentum in 2023. In the first three quarters, the NEV sales reached 6.28 million units, up 37.5 percent year on year, with a market penetration rate of 29.8 percent, said Wan Gang, chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology, at an NEV conference.

The overall goal of the country's automobile industry in green and low-carbon development is to achieve carbon peaking by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060, said Li Jun, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Li said considering that most commercial vehicles use internal combustion engines, transforming the traditional energy power system to decarbonization and zero-carbonization should be promoted in the research and development of future automotive products.

He also called for efforts to continuously expand the scale of the NEV market, reduce the power consumption of electric vehicles, and boost the high-quality development of electrification.

China issued a plan to develop the hydrogen energy industry in March 2022, clarifying that hydrogen energy is an indispensable component of the national energy system and a crucial carrier for realizing green and low-carbon transformation.

Wan highlighted the need to drive the core technology innovation of hydrogen energy and fuel cell vehicles, and connect the "hydrogen highway" to promote cross-regional operation in large scale.

Hydrogen energy facilities should be constructed rationally to establish a comprehensive and large-scale hydrogen-energy transportation demonstration project, Wan added.

More efforts should be made to reduce carbon emissions from vehicle operations and build low-carbon transportation and energy systems to realize the green, coordinated development of the whole industrial chain, according to a roadmap of the green automobile industry jointly compiled by several departments.

Chen Jiachang, vice minister of science and technology, emphasized that as the global NEV industry experiences rapid growth, it is vital to strengthen basic research and pivotal technology research and intensify international sci-tech cooperation to provide sci-tech support for global green and low-carbon development in the sector.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
With the opening of new Japanese-style bar 5Tesseract, chef Billy Kin put in the same hands-on attention to detail hes known for at his omakase counter 5Kinokawa.

Kin built the two walnut tables that anchor the minimalist space brushed with copper and bronze tones. He personally groomed the four bonsai plants, which range from 12 to 17 years old, that dot the narrow room. He installed precisely five Edison light bulbs behind his bar as a nod to the bars name.

I wanted an intimate space that people could connect to, Kin said. Its similar to what you can find in Japan.

5Tesseract, at 3119 White Oak in the same building as 5Kinokawa, is Kins take on an izakaya, a Japanese bar where customers snack on small dishes and drink after work or deep into the night. The roughly 20-seat space, which is open from 5 to 10 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays, is a casual counterpoint to the $150, multicourse omakases the chef serves across the hallway.

HOUSTON EATS: The Chronicles top 100 restaurants

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A selection of dishes from 5Tesseract Karen Warren / Staff photographer

The roughly 20 or so dishes on the menu may be familiar to Houstonians who dined at Kins Blackbird Izakaya, which closed during the first year of the pandemic.

Ichibon: Uni and salmon roe at 5Tesseract on Friday, Dec. 22, 2023, in Houston. 5Tesseract is a small izakaya-style bar located in the same building as Billy Kin's omakase restaurant 5Kinokawa. Karen Warren/Staff photographer

The popular Cigaro-uni roll with sea urchin and rice wrapped in dried seaweed from Kins former restaurant, also located in the Heights at Shepherd and West 11th, is coming back in an updated format more in step with the current hand-roll craze.

At 5Tesseract, the hand roll will be a DIY affair. Letting customers assemble pieces of raw fish, scallops, uni or caviar atop a bed of rice makes the dining experience an interactive one, but it also helps preserve the freshness of the roll, Kin said.

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Other small dishes, or Japanese tapas as Kin calls it, include skewers of beef-wrapped scallions and enoki mushrooms. Bowls of rice blanketed in seafood, from fish roe to uni, or curry served with a fried pork cutlet are also on the menu. Japanese fried chicken, or karaage, is a popular dish at izakayas and will also be on the menu.

The dishes are meant for sharing and pairing with drinks, which bar manager Sasha Everett is overseeing.

Drinks from 5Tesseract, left, and a view or the bar from the hallway Karen Warren / Staff photographer

Japanese spirits, from whisky to gin, will be used in most of the cocktails. There are two taps at the bar, one for whisky highballs and another for the house-blended sake.

Everett, who is part Japanese and spent time working in Japan before moving to Houston two years ago, also wants to grow 5Tesseracts selection of chuhais, a Japanese cocktail typically made with shochu liquor, soda water and some sort of fruit syrup or juice.

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Theres an oolong chuhai on the menu, but Everett said hes experimenting with recipes for the refreshing and not-too-boozy drink, which he describes as being underappreciated in the U.S.

Unlike 5Kinokawa, which seems almost hidden despite its location on a busy stretch of White Oak, the bar is filled with natural light. One wall is covered with a curtain that opens out to the sidewalk along Oxford Street.

I think the concept and philosophy behind the bar is a place where people can come and relax, Everett said. Its not haute cuisine, but its the same quality, without breaking the bank.

MORE FROM BAO ONG: Houstons newest Tex-Mex restaurant HiWay Cantina is full of tacos, tequila and timeless nostalgia

Much of the design at 5Tesseract is handmade by chef-owner Billy Kin Karen Warren / Staff photographer

While 5Tesseract is inspired by Japanese izakayas, which often feel like theyre spilling onto the streets, Kin said the space is also a nod to George Nakashima, the American woodworker and architect who was a big name in 20th-century furniture design and the American craft movement.

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The bar has been in the works for well over a year, but that time has allowed Kin to build all the furniture himself (though there are more chairs to build) while running his omakase restaurant.

5Tesserract chef and owner Billy Kin Karen Warren/Staff photographer

Both spaces are named after Kin and his daughters favorite movie, Interstellar, the 2014 sci-fi film featuring Matthew McConaughey, which includes scenes about the tesseract, which can refer to a fifth dimension where people can travel across time and space.

The movie was particularly meaningful for father and daughter when they spent time apart from one another as he worked in Austin for two years learning about Japanese food, Kin said.

He hopes to expand 5Tesseracts operating hours if business goes well.

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ATLANTA - Zoo Atlanta proudly welcomes the newest addition to its family, a southern white rhinoceros calf born in a heartwarming Christmas holiday surprise. The newborn calf is the first southern white rhinoceros to be born in Atlanta and is the third offspring to proud 22-year-old mother Kiazi.

The gender of the calf has not been determined, but veterinarians say it is healthy. The team continues to monitor the mother and calf. They will allow the pair to bond before being brought back into the public rhino habitat.

The birth, which happened on Christmas Eve, was a long time coming. White rhino pregnancies span between 16 and 18 months, and their newborns rank among the largest terrestrial mammal infants, weighing an impressive 100 to 150 pounds at birth.

The father, 12-year-old Mumbles, met Kiazi in early 2022 after her relocation from another Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited organization. Their union was recommended by the AZA White Rhino Species Survival Plan (SSP), an initiative in which Zoo Atlanta actively participates.

Raymond B. King, President and CEO of Zoo Atlanta, expressed the institution's elation, stating, "The Zoo Atlanta family is beyond excited about the birth of Kiazis calf. This birth has been long-awaited news for many months. We have had many exciting developments in our rhino population over the past year."

The birth is not only a cause for celebration but also an opportunity for education and conservation. As King emphasizes, "If there is a special connection that our members and guests can make with Kiazi and her calf, this is a connection that can translate to conservation action. All rhino species are currently in peril, and as stewards of this brand-new ambassador here in Atlanta, we also have a responsibility to do all we can to raise awareness of the status of wild rhinos."

The birth of this calf is a rare occurrence at Zoo Atlanta, with only one other rhino calf, an eastern black rhino, born in 2013 in the institution's 134-year history.

Adding to the excitement, Zoo Atlanta expanded its rhino family in October 2023 with the arrival of Dakari, a 17-year-old female, also as part of the White Rhino SSP recommendation. The plan is to introduce Dakari, Kiazi, and the newborn to Mumbles in 2024.

Southern white rhinos, despite their name, are not white. The designation is believed to originate from the Afrikaans word "wyd," meaning "wide," a reference to the shape of their upper lips. They are classified as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to excessive poaching.
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  The Food and Drug Administration has announced a nationwide recall of a certain brand of beer battered pollock fillets and beer battered cod fillets.

The FDA said Tampa Bay Fisheries, Inc. is voluntarily recalling the products because it contains soy which is not declared on the product label.

The recall is for one lot of 365 Whole Foods Market Beer Battered Pollock Fillets (32oz) bags with a best buy date of 3/7/2025 and two logs of 365 Whole Foods Market Beer Battered Cod Fillet (12oz) cartons with a best buy date of 2/22/2025.

Quaker recalls granola bars, cereals due to possible Salmonella risk

People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to soy run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the product, according to the FDA.

The FDA said the affected products was available for purchase at Whole Foods Market stores nationwide between Sept. 8 through Dec. 22.

No illnesses have been reported to date.

The affected product has been removed from store shelves.

Boneless chicken bites products recalled due to possible foreign matter contamination

People who have purchased the product at Whole Foods Market can bring a valid receipt for a full refund.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
Royce Daniels walked through the field of ankle-high grasses, weeds and flowers, rattling off names of plants for his boss, Harris County Precinct 1 County Commissioner Rodney Ellis. Wavy strands of little blue stem grass, fuzzy yellow goldenrod, fluffy purple Missouri ironweed and a variety of milkweed pods are still hanging on.

Daniels, whose job as a field operations coordinator has him thinking about how to protect natural resources, quietly answers questions of Ellis, who at the same time is contemplating funding sources for the improvements they'll need at this big find  45 acres of previously undiscovered Gulf Coast native prairie, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world.

The land is at the Almeda School Road Nature Reserve  an unassuming park name that's likely to change  in Precinct 1 on the edge of its border with the City of Pearland. It feels like the middle of nowhere, even if dozens of cars and trucks are zooming along the Sam Houston Tollway just a mile or so away.

Back in January, Daniels, who went to work for Ellis a year ago, visited the various parks in the precinct to understand what they had. He walked the narrow, deep lot and wondered about the life and history of this land where nothing had ever been built.

Seaside goldenrod is one of the wildflowers found in 45 acres of Gulf Coast native prairie at a natural preserve in Harris County Precinct 1. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Missouri ironweed is shown in the newly discovered 45 acres of Gulf Coast prairie at a natural preserve in Harris County Precinct 1, near the edge of Pearland on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023 in Houston. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, left, and Royce Daniels tour the newly discovered 45 acres of Gulf Coast prairie at a natural preserve in Harris County Precinct 1, near the edge of Pearland on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023 in Houston. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Bitterweed is shown in the newly discovered 45 acres of Gulf Coast prairie at a natural preserve in Harris County Precinct 1. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Southern annual saltmarsh asters are shown in the newly discovered 45 acres of Gulf Coast prairie at a natural preserve in Harris County Precinct 1. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer A wildflower is shown in the newly discovered 45 acres of Gulf Coast prairie at a natural preserve in Harris County Precinct 1, near the edge of Pearland on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023 in Houston. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Rattlesnake master seed heads are shown in the newly discovered 45 acres of Gulf Coast prairie at a natural preserve in Harris County Precinct 1, near the edge of Pearland on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023 in Houston. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and tours the newly discovered 45 acres of Gulf Coast prairie at a natural preserve in Harris County Precinct 1, near the edge of Pearland on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023 in Houston. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Royce Daniels tours the newly discovered 45 acres of Gulf Coast prairie at a natural preserve in Harris County Precinct 1, near the edge of Pearland on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023 in Houston. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, left, and Royce Daniels tour the newly discovered 45 acres of Gulf Coast prairie at a natural preserve in Harris County Precinct 1, near the edge of Pearland on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023 in Houston. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Royce Daniels, left, and County Commissioner Rodney Ellis tour the newly discovered 45 acres of Gulf Coast prairie at a natural preserve in Harris County Precinct 1, near the edge of Pearland on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023 in Houston. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer

Not long after, he attended a prairie restoration workshop in Goliad, where speakers reinforced that if you want to see what's really on undisturbed land, just stop mowing. If and when flowers and other plants start blooming, you'll know what you have.

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They stopped mowing 10 acres of the site in March, and soon, magenta winecup flowers and deep green prairie parsley sprouted from the ground. When Texas coneflowers bloomed, Daniels got excited. No one has done anything at this site but mow for at least 30 years, and now, Gulf Coast prairie plants  more than 50 species in all  were coming up all on their own.

They'd hit the jackpot.

A little history

Centuries ago, the Texas Gulf Coast was populated by Attakapa, Akokisa and Karankawa native Americans who lived off of the land. Before European settlers arrived, the area was filled with tall grasses and wildflowers that fed massive herds of bison and other wildlife that either lived on the prairie or migrated through.

There once was 9 million acres of coastal prairie from Brownsville, Texas north to Lafayette, La., but just 1% is left today. That's 65,000 acres in Texas and a mere 100 acres in Louisiana.

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It was a tidy ecosystem, with bison, birds and other animals devouring plants, then fertilizing the land as they redistributed seeds in a continuous cycle.

Today, there are no bison, red wolves are considered extinct in the wild, and you'll rarely hear the high-pitched whistle of the bobwhite quail. The American alligator is a success story, though: once on the verge of extinction, the now protected reptile has made a comeback.

Many of the animals of our ecological heritage may be gone, but there's one thing about the prairie that modern Gulf Coast residents can all embrace: its role in flood mitigation. With root systems that run 6 or more feet deep, patches of native prairie operate like giant sponges in times of heavy rains or flooding. The more water they can soak up and hold onto, the less water to damage homes and businesses. Prairie grasses also draw carbon dioxide from the air and hold it in the ground, helping improve the air naturally.

Their benefit became apparent in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in 2017, when the City of Houston launched its comprehensive Resilient Houston program to be better prepared for climate change or future weather events.

At the same time, Memorial Park was in the middle of work on its master plan, which included the Kinder Land Bridge and the Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Prairie, a massive project that included the construction of east and west land bridges and 45 acres of newly planted native prairie. Other pocket parks and projects have installed native prairie and two consecutive winter freezes have driven home the importance of native plants, prairie-specific or otherwise.

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More recently, New Hope Housing, the nonprofit that builds housing for the homeless and those with very low income, this year added 8 acres of prairie to its Reed campus in the Sunnyside area, a site it operates with Star of Hope. The Star of Hope side has emergency shelter and transitional housing, while NHH offers one, two and three-bedroom apartments for formerly homeless or at-risk families.

Joy Horak-Brown, CEO of New Hope Housing, said that they had some unused land at the back of the property, and when they found out the city was looking for a Resilient Houston demonstration project, she and her team stepped up. They offered up 8 acres and with funds from city and U.S. Fish and Wildlife plus their own private fund-raising, they collected most of the $900,000 it has taken to turn a depleted Settegast oil field and salt dome into native prairie teeming with grasses and wildflowers, some of which were harvested from a Texas Medical Center prairie plot that was dismantled to make way for a new building.

At Armand Bayou Nature Center, an urban wildnerness with 900 acres of restored prairie in Clear Lake, executive director Tim Pylate is still raising funds to buy 1,000 acres of land from Exxon Mobil, land they plan to restore into Gulf Coast native prairie.

As an example of the growing importance of native plants, prairie or otherwise, Houston Wilderness is managing a project that will use the new Southeast Texas Native Seed Mix developed by Texas A&M-Kingsville at the Rev. William and Audrey Lawson Park. It's meant to be a demonstration site to show how the plants can promote water conservation and prevent erosion, and they hope they'll be more folks interested in an 8-county area.

Gathering steam

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When Daniels reported his discovery, he, Ellis and others from Precinct 1 rallied the troops, bringing in prairie experts such as Mary Anne Piacentini president and CEO of the Coastal Prairie Conservancy;; Don Verser, a volunteer heavily involved in the Deer Park Prairie and Sarah Flournoy of the Houston Audubon Society.

"Finds like this are becoming rarer because so much of Houston and Harris County is developed. In all the land that we own  and we have 18,000 acres on the Katy prairie proper  we only have one remnant prairie and its 11 acres. This is a wonderful find," said Piacentini.

With the prairie newly discovered and its first season of plants logged, planning for the site's future is still very preliminary. Daniels noted that they've got to kill off invasives such as Chinese tallow and McCartney roses, do a soil survey, determine how much more of the site they'll want to stop mowing and figure out which plants to add.

They'll mow it in December and let it winter over too re-seed naturally, possibly even allowing a prescribed burn, one of Mother Nature's favorite renewal efforts.

"I know that it is important and a good habitat. I went to the Coastal Prairie Conservancy and talked to as many people as I could and said 'this is important, help me.' The more people I show it to the more traction I am building," Daniels said.

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While prairie experts are putting together that plan, it's Ellis' job to finagle funding to do the work that's sure to come. An avid cycler, Ellis took his bike to the property recently to ride back to the part they stopped mowing; he contemplated what it would take to put a walking/biking trail through the site.

"We do have some money in the budget for restoration work, but we hope we can get the bulk of it in grants or partnerships. All of this work is expensive," Ellis said. "The only reason this Almeda site happened the way it has is that it is one of the lesser-visited parks, right? A lot of parks, as soon as you stop mowing, people complain. Its hard to do prairie restoration because people dont understand that were not just neglecting a park."

Ellis' precinct has a good deal of park land, including El Franco Lee Park, Blue Ridge Park and Tom Bass Park, where they could find out-of-the-way sections to stop mowing to see if there are any latent seeds waiting to grow on their own, as they did at the Almeda School Road site.
Phoenix police tape blocks off the crime scene early Monday where former Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel's widower allegedly killed two women and himself during a holiday gathering on Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023.

Phoenix police said three people were dead after the widower of former Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel killed a mother and daughter before turning the gun on himself on Christmas Eve, Sunday evening.

At about 11:30 p.m., officers were called to a shooting at a house near Palo Verde Drive and Second Avenue where they found two injured women and the suspect.

The two victims were identified as Cynthia Domini, 83, and her daughter Maryalice Cash, 47, who both were taken to a hospital where they were pronounced dead.

Police said David DeNitto, 47, shot the two women before shooting himself.

Here's everything we know about the deadly incident and how it connects with Allister Adel.

How did the shooting happen?

Phoenix police said an altercation broke out at a holiday gathering late Sunday night before the shooting occurred sometime before midnight.

Police did not immediately say who else was in the house during the time of the shooting.

Police said they found DeNitto dead inside the house by the time they arrived.

"Details about what led up to the incident remain part of the ongoing investigation," Phoenix police Sgt. Melissa Soliz said.

Phoenix police tape blocks off the crime scene early Monday where former Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel's widower allegedly killed two women and himself during a holiday gathering Sunday night, Dec. 24, 2023.

Who were the victims?

The two victims were identified as Cynthia Domini, 83, and her daughter Maryalice Cash, 47.

Police said "early information" indicated Cash and the suspect DeNitto were in a relationship.

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, Adel's successor, confirmed the identity of the victims in a Monday morning news release.

"It is impossible to comprehend a tragedy such as this. Words cannot adequately express the flood of sorrow. I ask the community to join me in praying for the families affected and, most especially, Allister's children. I also ask that the community surround the families with love, kindness, and a respect for the need for privacy," Mitchell said.

Cash, known by most as Molly, was a relationship-oriented person, according to Phil Tibi, who led Cashs real estate group. She was a mother to one son and held strong bonds throughout the Phoenix community, Tibi said.

Tibi described his friend and longest-standing agent as more family-oriented than work-oriented. She kept diligent track of birthdays and anniversaries in the office, being sure to drop a friendly heads-up so important life events did not go unnoticed. She was the first agent to send a celebratory message when another closed on a good deal, too.

Family was everything to her, Tibi said. We just knew each other for so long and so well.  She always had a motherly instinct about her. She was a very strong personality.

The years leading up to her death were filled with personal tragedy as Cash grappled with one emotional loss after another. In the span of about three years, Tibi said she lost her best friend, her father and her sister.

I could tell she was worn from that, he said.

Who was David DeNitto?

Police said DeNitto ended his life after fatally shooting Cash and Domini on Sunday night.

Property records show DeNitto and former Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel, who died in April 2022, owned a home in that block. DeNitto and Adel were married for nearly 20 years and had two sons.

My family and I are utterly heartbroken by this unimaginable loss. We are so very proud to call Allister wife and mom," the late DeNitto said in a statement after his wife's death.

DeNitto worked as a financial adviser for Wells Fargo, according to his company webpage, and had posted photos with his two sons on his Facebook as recently as September.

On the company webpage, DeNitto listed himself as involved with community groups Phoenix Downtown Lions Club, Ride 430 and Phoenix Breakfast Club.

Who was Allister Adel?

Allister Adel served as Maricopa County attorney from October 2019 until March 2022.

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors appointed Adel as acting county attorney in October 2019 to replace Bill Montgomery, whom then-Gov. Doug Ducey had named to a seat on the Arizona Supreme Court.

She was the first woman to hold that position and then the first to be elected to the office when she won in November 2020.

She updated pretrial diversion programs, created a prosecution integrity unit, changed plea policies and created community advisory boards. She also fired Juan Martinez, the offices storied death penalty prosecutor who was accused of sexual harassment and misconduct.

Adels office drew criticism when her office charged 15 Black Lives Matter protesters arrested in 2020 as gang members. The charges later were dropped and resulted in more than $100 million in legal claims against the county.

Near the end of her tenure in March 2022, Adels office was forced to drop 180 criminal cases after it failed to file drunken driving, domestic violence, assaults and criminal damage cases for more than a year.

Adel entered a rehabilitation facility in August 2021 for anxiety, alcohol abuse and an eating disorder.

Concerns related to the treatment she sought in rehab were echoed again in a February 2022 letter from five Maricopa County Attorneys Office prosecutors who called for Adels resignation.

Adel resigned shortly after the discovery of the 180 criminal cases. Adel was hospitalized on her final day in office, March 25, 2022.

Six weeks later, Adel died after what her late husband cited as health complications.

The Arizona Republic's Nick Sullivan contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 3 dead after widower of ex-county attorney kills 2, ends own life
Alaska authorities are planning to resume efforts to recover the body of a woman who is believed to have been swept under the ice of a partially frozen river while trying to rescue her dog.

The woman, whose identity has not been made public, was walking Saturday along the North Fork Eagle River Trail near Anchorage with a man and their dogs when one of the dogs went into the river.

According to authorities, the couple entered the water to search for the dog, but the woman disappeared under the water and did not resurface. They believe she was swept under the ice and downriver.

The state Department of Public Safetys (DPS) Alaska State Troopers division said in a dispatch that teams across several agencies, including the DPS, Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Anchorage Police Department and Anchorage Fire Department, worked to locate the woman under the Eagle River ice at several areas of interest but had not found her body as of Sunday evening.

Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team posted online that it had to pause search efforts due to the risk to the team (working in the dark on thin ice over moving water).

Anchorage averages less than six hours of daylight daily in December.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner holds a press conference about the fatal shooting of Louise Jean Wilson, 17, during a road rage incident on Dec. 10 on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023 in Houston. Elizabeth Conley/Staff Photographer Houston Police Chief Troy Finner holds a press conference about the fatal shooting of Louise Jean Wilson, 17, during a road rage incident on Dec. 10 on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023 in Houston. Elizabeth Conley/Staff Photographer

Houstons homicide rate is down 20% compared to the year before, outpacing a historic decline in killings nationwide.

The city logged 339 homicides thorough Dec. 18, down from 425 over the same period in 2022, according to Houston police.

That drop is steeper than the 9.4% decline noted nationwide through the first half of 2023, which would be the largest decrease in around 50 years, according to the Council on Criminal Justice.

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Researchers behind the study highlighted a range of reasons for the decline, saying the nation is coming off a large spike in homicides in 2020, and credited police policy changes and new crime-fighting initiatives.

MORE ON DECLINE: Homicides have declined 22 percent this year in Houston, data shows

Ernesto Lopez, a research specialist with the council, cautioned that it will be some time before those in law enforcement can draw firm conclusions based on the data. And we are still settling back into normal after the pandemic and the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis upended law enforcement in many big cities across the country,

When you have multiple events occurring at the same time, it makes it difficult to measure the influence of specific factors, he said. But once things return to normal, you can see the trends.

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City leaders in Houston, including Mayor Sylvester Turner and Police Chief Troy Finner, have touted increased homicide clearance rates and additional funding as contributing to the decline in homicides in 2023.

Lopez said the fact that many cities across the country are experiencing a decline in homicide suggests larger factors may be at play.

Lopez said a host of political, criminal and cultural factors muddy the numbers. For instance, the nationwide spike in homicides actually predates the pandemic and Floyds death.

The first two months of 2020, homicides were up about 25% already, he said.

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While 2023 has seen a significant decline in the number of homicides reported to Houston police compared to any year since 2020, the number is still higher than it was in 2019. The reason might be that when it comes to crime trends, many criminal acts, like homicides, are often connected, Lopez said.
Rapper Ye, formerly Kanye West, deleted all the content on his Instagram page Tuesday and posted a Hebrew-language apology to the Jewish community after years of antisemitic comments.

I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions. It wasnt my intention to hurt or disrespect, and I deeply regret any pain that I might have caused, he wrote in Hebrew, which is not universally known by Jewish people.

I am committed to starting with myself to learn from this experience in order to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future, he added.

Earlier this month, the rapper was filmed going on an antisemitic rant, including tropes about Jewish ownership of significant institutions. In the rant, he also compared himself to Hitler.

Last December, Ye went on conspiracy theorist Alex Joness InfoWars show to praise Hitler and proudly declare himself a Nazi. He was kicked off Twitter, now X, the next day after he posted a photo of an interlinked Star of David and swastika.

The multi-platinum Grammy winner is expecting a new album in the coming weeks. Vultures, a collaboration with Ty Dolla $ign, is scheduled for a Jan. 12 release.

The albums title track, released as a single in November, garnered criticism for a lyric where Ye brags about sleeping with Jewish women.

Just days before the antisemitic rant earlier this month, Ye was also spotted donning what appeared to be a black Ku Klux Klan hood at a Miami listening party for the new album.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff  who is Jewish  urged notable figures to step up and combat antisemitism Friday, perpetuated by rhetoric from Ye and others.

For every horrible thing that [Ye] says, we need others to step up and  talk about not only that antisemitism is bad, but who Jews are, and the awesomeness of it, he said in a Deadline interview.

Right now, theres a lot of discourse thats not positive among groups. We need to bring all of these groups back together and fight this epidemic of hate together, because it is not just antisemitism, its Islamophobia, anti-LGBTQ hate  all these that we have been fighting, because its all connected, he continued.

Tuesdays post is not the first time Ye has apologized for antisemitic comments. He reluctantly apologized in a Piers Morgan interview in October 2022 after earlier antisemitic comments, when he said he would go death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.

The funny thing is I actually cant be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda, Ye wrote in October, before the post was deleted.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Alex Villanueva, seen in 2022 during his tenure as sheriff, has had a change of heart about testifying on deputy gangs within the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

After years of resisting subpoenas to testify under oath about deputy gangs, former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has reversed course and agreed to appear in front of the Civilian Oversight Commission.

His lawyer notified the commission of the decision in a December letter stating that Villanueva is very willing to testify in January and that he will answer any question you have under oath.

The change of heart comes days after a county judge scheduled a hearing to decide whether to order the former sheriff, who is running for county supervisor against incumbent Janice Hahn, to comply with the commissions subpoenas.

Read more: Former Sheriff Alex Villanueva wants to unseat Supervisor Janice Hahn. Does he have a shot?

Villanueva's attorney, Linda Savitt, confirmed in an email to The Times last week that her client plans to follow through and appear in front of the commission next month.

He is going to testify under oath, she wrote. Hes a private citizen now.

Late Monday night, Villanueva also reiterated his intent to comply with the subpoenas  though he framed the commission's interest in his testimony as a political stunt.

"It seems the COC is only interested in subpoenas when my name is on a ballot and they want to influence the outcome of a race I'm in," he wrote in an email to The Times. "I'll be more than happy to expose the false narrative of deputy gangs as a private citizen."

Despite the assurances from Villanueva and his lawyer, Sean Kennedy  who chairs the oversight commission  expressed some skepticism, pointing out that the former sheriff said he was going to appear once before and then announced on Twitter that he wasnt going to.

Earlier this year, the commissions special counsel issued a 70-page report condemning the cancer of violent deputy gangs and urging Sheriff Robert Luna to create a stronger policy banning the secretive groups.

The reports findings and recommendations relied heavily on testimony from a series of seven public hearings, many of which involved witnesses testifying under oath. Despite being subpoenaed, Villanueva and former Undersheriff Tim Murakami both refused to testify at the hearings.

The legal wrangling began in 2020, after the Board of Supervisors granted the commission subpoena power, which voters then affirmed by approving Measure R. A few months later, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law granting subpoena power to oversight bodies statewide.

That same year, the commission issued a subpoena directing the sheriff to testify about his response to COVID-19 inside the jails. Villanueva questioned the legality of the subpoena, which he called a public shaming endeavor. The dispute ended up in court, but Villanueva avoided a contempt hearing by agreeing to answer the commissions questions voluntarily.

Read more: Judge drops contempt hearing after Villanueva agrees to attend oversight meeting

Afterward, oversight officials issued more subpoenas, and Villanueva resisted them, resulting in multiple court cases.

In one of those cases, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Elaine Lu scheduled a contempt hearing for late last year, but called it off after Villanuevas lawyers asked a higher court to step in.

The former sheriffs legal counsel argued that the 2020 legislation Newsom signed described a two-step process and that the judge first needed to issue an order directing Villanueva to comply with the subpoena. Only if he ignored that could he be found in contempt, his lawyer said.

In September, an appeals court agreed. This month, lawyers for the county embarked on the two-step process by asking for a hearing so a judge could decide whether to order Villanueva and Murakami to comply with the subpoenas.

Less than two weeks later, Villanuevas lawyer sent the oversight commission's Kennedy a letter about the former sheriff's willingness to testify in January. Unlike Villanueva, Murakami has not given any indication of a newfound willingness to speak to the commission, Kennedy told The Times.

Previously, the former undersheriff has cited a medical condition as his reason for refusing to testify. His attorney did not respond to The Times' request for comment.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
MAUNA KEA, Hawaii  Shane Palacat-Nelsens voice drops to a reverent tone as he tells the story of the snow goddess Poliahu who Native Hawaiians believe inhabits the summit of Mauna Kea, the highest point in Hawaii.

The tale speaks of a chief who yearned to court Poliahu but was stopped by her attendants guarding the sacred mountain top  the abode of the gods and cradle of creation.

Today, this sublime summit on Hawaiis Big Island is also treasured by astronomers as a portal to finding answers to the universes many mysteries, creating varied  and sometimes incompatible  views on whats best for Mauna Keas future.

The chief was eventually granted access on the condition that he stepped only on the same set of footprints left by the attendant escorting him up and down, said Palacat-Nelsen. He says its a metaphor for why Mauna Kea must be protected from further human intrusion, pollution and erosion.

You do not go up the sacred mountain unless you are called. You do not go up without a purpose.

Mauna Kea is a dormant 14,000-foot shield volcano. In Native Hawaiian lore, it is the first-born son of the sky father and earth mother. The mountains dry atmosphere and limited light pollution make for a perfect location to study the skies  one of just a handful on the planet.

Over the past 50 years, astronomers have mounted a dozen giant telescopes on the summit, with several yielding exalted discoveries, like proving the Milky Way has a supermassive black hole at its center. That research led to a Nobel Prize in Physics in 2020.

The proliferation of observatories has troubled many Native Hawaiians, who have pushed back. In their view, such construction is polluting the sacred mountain top and eroding the environment. In 2019, thousands protested a proposed $2.65 billion Thirty Meter Telescope project near the summit. This protest catalyzed the passage of a new state law transferring jurisdiction of the mountain to a new stewardship authority comprising scientists and Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners.

Neither side wants to reduce this debate to a culture-versus-science conflict because Hawaiian spirituality embraces science, and many astronomers respect Hawaiian culture. Some observatory staff and cultural practitioners are taking small, tentative steps toward new dialogue, but overcoming the divide will involve difficult conversations and understanding different perspectives.

Mauna Kea's summit soars 13,796 feet above sea level, evoking an ethereal feeling as fluffy clouds swaddle its cinder cones and blanket its reddish, almost Mars-like soil. On a clear day, Mauna Loa, one of the worlds most active volcanoes, is visible.

Climbing Mauna Kea is like peeling the layers of an onion, says Kealoha Pisciotta, a longtime activist. Its slopes contain ceremonial platforms, ancestral burial sites and and the waters of Hawaii's lone alpine lake, believed to possess healing properties.

The higher you go, the closer your heart is to the heavens, she says, adding that building and bulldozing near the summit threaten peoples sacred connection to the land.

Palacat-Nelsen, who served on the working group that laid the foundation for the new authority, says to protect the mountain and preserve the summits sacredness, people must be ready to have uncomfortable conversations.

John OMeara, who moved to Hawaii to become the chief scientist at Keck shortly before the 2019 protest, is now a key player in that dialogue. He's learning about the strong connection many Native Hawaiians have to Mauna Kea, and he's fascinated by similarities between spirituality and astronomy.

We are fundamentally asking the same questions, which are: Where are we? Where did we come from? And where are we going? There is a deep connection to the universewhich is the thing that we should be focusing on, he said.

Doug Simons, director of the University of Hawaiis Institute for Astronomy, points to the opening lines of the Kumulipo, a centuries-old Hawaiian creation chant which describes a scene strikingly similar to what astronomers believe existed during the Big Bang.

The Kumulipos description of a dark, eternal form of energy from which everything emerges sounds to Simons like dark energy, which astronomers believe predated the universe. Mauna Keas telescopes are at the forefront of discoveries about dark energy, Simons said.

Lanakila Mangauil, a Native Hawaiian spiritual practitioner, was about 9 when he first stepped on the mountain for snow play at lower elevations. His family never went to the summit.

One of the important spiritual practices on Mauna Kea is our absence, he said. We stay off it because it is sacred.

Mangauil doesn't like to use the word religion to describe his spiritual practice. Hawaiians dont have a central religion, he said, but spiritual practices born of different communities, families and environments.

The 'most American' vehicle for the last 3 years has been electric The 'most American' vehicle for the last 3 years has been electric Electric carsnamely Teslashave quickly overtaken the American Made Index Tesla invests in Texas Tesla keeps production domestic
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.
A local YMCA official has been nationally recognized for a program promoting physical fitness for those dealing with mental health issues.

Leo McIntosh, operations director for YMCA of Greater Omaha, recently won the National InSHAPE Community Champion Award for his efforts to increase access for these individuals to specialized physical fitness programs.

We partner with Heartland Family Service, and this is our third year doing it, McIntosh told the Nonpareil in an interview.

InSHAPE is a program for adults experiencing serious and persistent mental illness. The evidence-based wellness service seeks to improve their physical health and quality of life while living with mental illness.

McIntosh said they meet with these individuals at the Council Bluffs YMCA for an initial 12-week program that focuses on exercises that best fit these individuals.

The trainers even work alongside them to improve their comfort level.

Once that program is completed, the InSHAPE program participants take part in another 12-week program alongside others with similar issues.

I think Heartland Family Service is getting great results, McIntosh said.

Amanda Caven, Heartland Family Service InSHAPE coordinator., praised McIntosh.

Leo and the YMCA in Council Bluffs have been champions of the InSHAPE program since we first approached them in 2017, Caven said Leo worked with our program to offer membership fees that would be feasible to a lower income population. He has also been extremely open to having those with no income use the facility while working with our health mentors.

The YMCA has also helped InSHAPE provide safe spaces for people in need and organized a fitness class at no extra cost to members, she said.

They see areas of need in our community and try the best they can to help," she said. "This is a huge reflection of Leos leadership.

Though appreciative, McIntosh said the award isn't just his.

Its for the entire team at the YMCA, he said.
Weather Alert

...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 9 PM CST FRIDAY... ...WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO NOON CST FRIDAY... ...WIND CHILL WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM FRIDAY TO NOON CST TUESDAY... * WHAT...For the Winter Storm Warning, heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations between 5 and 8 inches. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph. For the Wind Chill Advisory, very cold wind chills expected. Wind chills as low as 25 below zero. For the Wind Chill Warning, dangerously cold wind chills expected. Wind chills as low as 50 below zero. Coldest wind chills are expected Saturday night into Sunday morning. * WHERE...Portions of east central, northeast, and southeast Nebraska. * WHEN...For the Winter Storm Warning, from 3 PM this afternoon to 9 PM CST Friday. For the Wind Chill Advisory, from midnight tonight to noon CST Friday. For the Wind Chill Warning, from 9 PM Friday to noon CST Tuesday. * IMPACTS...Travel will be hazardous. Areas of blowing snow will reduce visibilities, even after snow has stopped falling. The hazardous conditions will impact the Thursday evening and Friday commutes. The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Avoid outside activities if possible. When outside, make sure you wear appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves. If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1. &&
Canadas development financial institution, Findev Canada, has approved recently a 20mln loan to the West African Development Bank destined to boost agri-food and renewable energy in West Africa.

The loan is the very first agreement between the Canadian financial institution and the West African Development Bank. It will increase financing for agri-food businesses and the energy sector in West Africa.

The money will be channeled through the West African Development Bank (BOAD), under a deal signed between the two sides.

Per their agreement, BOAD will channel the credit in the form of refinancing lines to commercial banks in the region. The beneficiaries, in turn, will finance private SMEs located in the least developed countries of the Union.

The loans will be prioritized for businesses led by women and those involved in the agri-food and renewable energy sectors.

Out of the eight countries where BOAD operates, seven are considered less developed. They are particularly vulnerable to climate change risks, which can have devastating effects on agriculture, livelihoods, and local economy, explained Paulo Martelli, Vice President and Director of Investments at Findev Canada. According to him, the loan will not only support BOADs credit activities but will also increase its financing for agri-food businesses.

This agreement is the first between Findev Canada and BOAD. It is part of a larger credit facility of 150 million ($164.1 million) unlocked by the Canadian institution, the African Development Bank (AfDB), and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti.
Libyas stock market re-opened Monday December 25 for trading in the buying and selling of shares for entities listed in the Libyan Stock Market nine years after closure.

Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah attended the ceremony, local media Libya Observer reports.

This is a rebirth for the Stock Market sector, which enjoys a high position in the economy The stock market was established in 2006, and it went through very difficult stages, multiple circumstances, and serious obstacles that led to the cessation of trading for many years, Dbeibah said.

The Premier expressed his desire for all Libyans to participate in the Libyan Stock Market, wishing it would not only to be limited to institutions, but also to individuals and large sectors. The importance of the stock market is embodied in doubling the gross domestic product and helping to close the budget deficit, which reduces the burden on the states general budget, he said.

The Libyan stock market was launched in 2006 and faced interruptions in the aftermath of the NATO-backed uprising in 2011 and subsequent civil war, leading to the suspension of trading on multiple occasions. Trade is anticipated to resume in Benghazi, the second city next week, marking a broader effort to restore financial activities across the country.
The United Kingdom is actively pursuing comprehensive trade and security post-Brexit agreements, the main aim being to unlock the significant opportunities abounding across the African continent, and particularly in Morocco, the gateway to Africa.

Actually, since leaving the European Union, the UK has been eyeing the Moroccan market, considering it one of the promising markets in Africa.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson who saw, while in power, keen interest in this initiative, had reportedly conveyed to associates that the doubling of trade with Morocco since Brexit, even before the signing of an advanced trade deal, exemplifies the benefits of leaving the European Union. In another post-Brexit triumph for the UK next year, Morocco is seeking a trade and security agreement with the UK, positioning itself as the gateway to Africa in terms of goods and access, reports the Daily Express in a story focusing on the UKs relations with the North African Kingdom.

The prominent African player is already in contact with the UKs Department for International Trade, led by Kemi Badenoch since February 2023.

Morocco sees itself as an ideal African trade partner for the UK post-Brexit due to its regional stability and, as a monarchy under the current rule of King Mohammed VI, shares similarities with the UK.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Express, Moroccos Ambassador to the UK, Hakim Hajoui, quipped that those complaining about post-Brexit EU product prices, such as tomatoes, can obtain higher quality and more cost-effective options from his country.

Morocco currently supplies 45% of tomatoes in the UK market, which are not only cheaper but also more sustainable, avoiding the use of artificial heating systems like those produced in the Netherlands.

Ambassador Hajoui said, Buy your tomatoes from Morocco!' However, he emphasized that there are many more significant opportunities with his country, including energy. Morocco has heavily invested in renewable energy and has the potential to contribute to the energy security of its strategic partners, he added. Additionally, Morocco manufactures 700,000 cars annually and the industry is still growing.

In terms of cooperation, the prospects for an agreement with the UK are extremely promising, encompassing both trade and security sectors, stated Hajoui.

At the cultural level, Morocco is increasingly turning towards the UK and moving away from its previous colonial power, France. All of this is happening in a context of natural, organic change in Morocco, especially among younger generations who are now fluent in English, which is crucial for business, the diplomat said.

The growing ties between the two countries were evident when Morocco chose the UK over France as an international aid partner after the devastating earthquake earlier this year, the daily recalled.

The significance of a trade agreement would extend far beyond Morocco.

Morocco is the gateway to Africa for the UK. When examining trade possibilities for the UK, there is a considerable chance not only in Morocco but also in tapping into Africa, which is poised to become the largest consumer market of tomorrow. In this regard, Morocco is the second-largest African investor on the continent, with two-thirds of our foreign direct investments going towards the continent, the diplomat stated.

Besides, an agreement with Morocco would offer more than just trade; it would enhance security. As a major regional player in North Africa and the Middle East, with the Israel-Gaza conflict causing increased uncertainty, Morocco proposes security support for food and energy supplies, as well as defense and intelligence.

However, an agreement will likely depend on the UKs participation alongside the US, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain in helping Morocco address a major issue for the Kingdom, the regional Sahara conflict.

The region has been in dispute since 1976, when the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic emerged. Moroccos claim has been confirmed by international courts, and a proposed solution for limited self-governance has been put forward. Still, the UK has not yet lent its support to this North African ally.

The ambassador noted, Over the past years, we have received tremendous support from the US, European countries, including Spain, Germany, as well as the Netherlands, Belgium, and others. This adds to the dozens of Arab and African countries that have opened consulates in the Sahara in clear recognition of Moroccos sovereignty over its Sahara. So, what about the UK? Thats the question everyone is asking.

At the level of bilateral trade, Morocco-UK relations have experienced an unprecedented boom since the two countries signed an association agreement in 2019 after Brexit.

Bilateral cooperation has been consistently dynamic since then, as evidenced by the rapid growth in trade, with exchanges having increased by nearly 50% between 2019 and 2022, and Moroccan exports have almost tripled since the agreement came into effect.

In the aftermath of the association agreement trade between the two countries increased from MAD 15.3 billion in 2019 to MAD 22.9 billion in 2022.

At a time when economic cooperation is blossoming, this closer relationship between the two countries is having a positive impact on tourist exchanges, the UK having made efforts to facilitate visa procedures for Moroccans and British citizens are increasingly eager to visit Morocco, which receives nearly 600,000 of them each year.
Moroccos Directorate of National Security (DGSN) is celebrating years end with the release of its annual report whose main features reflect the ceaseless efforts made in counterterrorism, struggle against crime and drug trafficking, and regional and international cooperation.

The report reflects the intensified efforts deployed in coordination between all the DGSN units to fight all forms of crimes, including drug trafficking, terrorism, and sexual assaults, efforts that led to a drop in criminal cases recorded in 2023.

According to the figures presented in its annual report, DGSN recorded a 10% decrease in the overall crime rate. Police reported 738,748 criminal cases, resulting in the arrest and prosecution of 723,874 individuals for different crimes.

Violent crimes and serious offenses witnessed a decline, with a 25% decrease in murders, assaults, and deadly injuries.

The report notably highlights a 4% decrease in sexual assault crimes as well as 19% decrease in car theft crimes.

The report also highlighted the intensified efforts of all stakeholders in national police, including research, and scientific, and technical police to reduce the indicators of shadow crimes or unreported crimes.

In matters of counterterrorism, DGSNs report emphasized Moroccos mechanism to tackle terror-related crimes and recalled in this regard that DGSN referred 29 individuals to the relevant prosecutors office for their alleged involvement in terror crimes.

This does not include terrorist cells dismantled by the Central Office for Judicial Investigations (BCIJ), including the terrorist cell involved in the murder of a police officer in the city of Rahma in Casablanca, the report explained.

DGSN is part of the Moroccan security units that are thoroughly involved in contributing to Moroccos counterterrorism approach.

Several converging reports have highlighted DGSN and other Moroccan security units mobilization as part of the countrys counterterrorism approach.

This past November, the Country Terrorism Report by the State Department said that counterterrorism tasks are part of DGSNs top priorities. The report stressed that DGSN security services are in charge of conducting border inspections at ports as well as airport entries, including the Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca.

Regarding struggle against drug trafficking, the report of the Directorate of National Security stressed the importance of enhanced collaboration between national police and Territorial Surveillance services (DGST) to tackle drug trafficking crimes.

Such joint efforts led to the recording and processing of 99,513 cases as well as the arrest of 130,212 individuals, including 305 foreigners for their alleged involvement in drug trafficking cases.

Within the drug trafficking operations, police seized 81 tons and 175 kg of cannabis, a 17% decrease compared to a year earlier.

Police also seized nearly two tons of cocaine as well as six kilograms and 880 grams of heroin.

Furthermore, security services confiscated shipments of psychotropic substances, which amounted to 1.2 million tablets, including those of ecstasy brands.

In the realm of drug-related cases, the ongoing year witnessed the execution of a targeted plan to combat the manufacturing and distribution of the chemical drug known as LPoufa, one of the dangerous substances used by young people, DGSN reported.

Moroccos security approach includes strengthening road surveillance to tackle drug trafficking, in addition to awareness-raising campaigns to educate the public about the dangers of drug use and addiction.

The DGSNs report, which renewed Moroccos determination to fight against drug trafficking, stressed that its anti-Poufa plan involves special forces of DGST, research and intervention squads as well as all other decentralized units to tackle this substance trafficking and use.

This collaborative effort led to drying up the sources of distribution for these synthetic drugs, resulting in the arrest of 575 individuals involved in their distribution and the confiscation of five kilograms and 175 grams of this illegal substance, the DGSN report stressed.

The report also addressed struggle against cybercrimes, emphasizing Moroccos key role in contributing to tackling the cybersecurity crisis, which increased by 6% with 5,969 cases recorded this year.

Extortionate content reached 4,070 criminal contents, and 842 international mandates were issued in these cases.

DGSN said that the number of individuals arrested and referred to justice for their involvement in similar crimes reached 874 individuals.

Crimes related to cybercrimes included cases of sexual extortion, DSGN said, adding that 508 such cases were recorded this year, representing an increase of approximately 18 %. The report indicated that 182 individuals involved in these criminal acts were arrested throughout the past year, while the number of their victims stood at 515, including 109 foreigners.

The technical services of the DGSN are also actively engaged in the development of new software that utilizes artificial intelligence to identify individuals and ascertain the identity of those subject to search notices. This experimental technique has demonstrated significant effectiveness in monitoring and neutralizing individuals posing serious threats to the safety of citizens and their property.

In a commitment to harness modern communication technologies for the welfare of citizens, the DGSN has initiated the utilization of social network Facebook for publishing and disseminating search notices for missing children sought by their families. This is facilitated through Tifli Moukhtafi, a newly developed software connected to police districts nationwide. This system has streamlined the publication of a total of 222 circulars nationwide, expediting the search for missing children, the report outlined.

Moroccos security services also highlighted efforts made to tackle human trafficking and irregular migration.

DGSN arrested throughout this year around 28,863 irregular migrants, including 18,820 individuals of different foreign nationalities.

Additionally, 121 criminal networks were dismantled, and 594 organizers and mediators of migration were arrested, DGSN said.

Police also confiscated 707 documents and forged identity documents related to irregular migration cases in addition to 215 boats, and 31 vessels used in organized irregular migration attempts.

Moroccos police also listed its achievements in terms of tackling economic or financial crimes.

DGSN said that specialized units in Rabat, Casablanca, Fez, and Marrakech handled 529 cases related to bribery, abuse of power, embezzlement, misappropriation of funds, and extortion.

Such crimes rate increased by nearly 14% compared to 2022.

The number of suspects investigated in similar crimes reached 693, including 322 suspects involved in bribery and abuse of power 259 suspects in embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds cases, and 112 in extortion and misuse of authority cases.
A blizzard clamped down travel across west-central Nebraska Tuesday afternoon, the remnants of a holiday storm that officially left 4.7 inches of snow on North Platte across Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Amid 45-55 mph winds and blowing snow, the Nebraska Department of Transportation closed Interstate 80 and U.S. Highway 30 from North Platte to Big Springs midday Tuesday, according to Nebraska 511. The agency cited no visibility and multiple slide-offs Tuesday morning.

One to 3 additional inches of snow are expected across the Telegraph coverage area on Tuesday as winds continue to blow. NDOT urged people to stay home if travel is not necessary.

Snow totals, in general, came in at the low end of the forecast, but coupled with high winds resulted in blizzard conditions late in the afternoon on Monday, extending into Tuesday. The National Weather Service amended its blizzard warning to end at 6 p.m. Tuesday, but also kept in place a winter advisory overnight into Wednesday morning.

The 3 inches of snow that fell on Christmas Day fell just short of the all-time record, 3.2 inches, set on Christmas Day 1941, famous as the first official North Platte World War II Canteen at the downtown Union Pacific Depot. Mondays snow total was the most for Dec. 25 since that 1941 snow.

The highest snow total in Lincoln County was 8 inches, reported 2 miles north of North Platte Tuesday morning by the National Weather Service.

A trained NWS spotter reported 6 inches of snow northeast of Oshkosh in Garden County. Another trained observer recorded 4.5 inches northeast of Kilgore in Cherry County and a member of the public reported 5 inches of snow near Callaway in southwest Custer County.

The National Weather Service reported 5.1 inches of snow at Wallace Tuesday morning.

As forecast, the heaviest snow fell to the north, though it also was on the low end of forecast totals. ONeil saw 9 inches of snow, Ainsworth saw 6. Anselmo saw 6.8 inches and Burwell saw 6 inches in north and northeastern Custer County.

The Nebraska State Patrol said it had responded to about 150 weather-related incidents as of 10:45 a.m. Tuesday. There were 28 crashes and 117 motorist assists. Most did not involve injuries, the agency said.

One crash, about 11:30 a.m. Monday, resulted in the eastbound I-80 closing for about three hours near York. There were no injuries reported in that crash.

Early Monday, the National Weather Services Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Goodland, Kansas, offices extended blizzard warnings into the southern Nebraska Panhandle, northeastern Colorado and northwestern Kansas. Those advisories remained in place Tuesday as well.

Nebraska Highway 23 from Grant to the Colorado border and U.S. Highway 6 from Imperial to the Colorado border were also closed Tuesday morning and remained closed at 11 a.m.

Many rural highways closed in northeastern Colorado, and I-76 from the Colorado-Nebraska border to Ovid closed at midday, according to Colorado 511.

The region isnt completely in the clear after winter weather advisories lift Wednesday morning. There remains about a 30% chance of snow on Wednesday into Wednesday evening, with mostly cloudy conditions and a high about 34 degrees.

Thursday, North Platte could see the sun with a high of 35 and a forecasted high of 40 for Friday. Highs will be in the low 40s to mid- to upper-30s for Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Be aware of anonymous callers looking to scam residents out of hundreds of dollars this holiday season, Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones.

There is a jury duty scam where anonymous callers impersonate law enforcement officials or court officials. Dozens of residents have reported that they received calls in which scammers tell them they have missed jury duty and subject to an arrest unless they pay a fine, Jones said.

If they call and give you a specific name and badge number, thats part of the the scam method that were currently seeing, the sheriff said. Thats not something that we do. Were not going to call up and say.

Scammers have even sent pictures of warrants to individuals in an effort to prove the legitimacy of their calls.

The Lee County Sheriffs Office has been active on Facebook to post many of the warning signs for the scam calls.

Jones said that this particular scam first appeared on their radar around five years ago. However, they have seen a recent uptick particularly around the holidays, which Jones attributes to people looking for ways to earn quick and easy money.

Theyre very good at what they do. Theyre very polished. Theyre very practiced, and they sound so convincing, Jones said. So many of the individuals that have been targeted when they report to us. When they talk about the circumstances surrounding the contact, they say these guys sounded like they were official.

That is why Jones and his office have been working to provide the public with information on the warning signs that people can look for when receiving a potential scam call. He said that some reports about the scams have shown that when the residents try to get an explanation from the scammers, the scammers will start to argue and potentially hang up.

Additionally, Jones said that the key to the scams success is targeting people that may not be fully understand the court and jury duty system. In one instance, his office received the details of a scam call where someone claiming to be with the probate office told a resident that they missed jury duty, except probate does not have a jury system.

Primarily, in the case of the jury duty scam, Jones said that his office simply does not contact people over the phone regarding such issues and they do not issue fines that way either. Instead, Jones said anyone with a jury duty violation would receive a hand-delivered document or one by mail. He has encouraged people when they believe they are targeted by the scam to call the Lee County Sheriffs Office directly

In addition to Jones office, the Lee County District Attorneys office warned residents of the scam through a Facebook post and Auburn Public Safety did the same.

However, Jones emphasized that this is not just a local matter and said he has spoken with Sheriffs across the state and in other states such as Georgia, confirming that this is a widespread issue.

In talking with police chiefs and my colleagues, sheriffs around the state, not just in Alabama, but in other states as well. This is going on all over the place, Jones said. Its not limited to just our area here in Auburn, Opelika, Lee Cou nty.

In terms of their efforts, he believes prevention is the best thing they can do through sharing information with the public on the warning signs they can look for. Jones also emphasized to people that they should protect their personal information.

Just be very, very guarded on your personal information. Regardless of what type of circumstance it may come up, Jones said. Know that anytime there is a question about any particular document, to call the agency involved specifically, and talk with them.

The LCSO can be contacted through their main line number at 334-749-5651.
JERUSALEM  The Israeli military campaign in Gaza, experts say, now sits among the deadliest and most destructive in history.

In just over two months, the offensive has wreaked more destruction than the razing of Syrias Aleppo between 2012 and 2016, Ukraines Mariupol or, proportionally, the Allied bombing of Germany in World War II. It has killed more civilians than the U.S.-led coalition did in its three-year campaign against the Islamic State group.

The Israeli military has said little about what kinds of bombs and artillery it is using in Gaza. But from blast fragments found on-site and analyses of strike footage, experts are confident that the vast majority of bombs dropped on the besieged enclave are U.S.-made. They say the weapons include 2,000-pound bunker-busters that have killed hundreds in densely populated areas.

With the Palestinian death toll in Gaza at more than 20,000, the international community is calling for a cease-fire. Israel vows to press ahead, saying it wants to destroy Hamas military capabilities following the militant groups Oct. 7 cross-border rampage that triggered the war, in which it killed 1,200 people and took 240 others hostage.

The Biden administration has quietly continued to supply arms to Israel. But President Joe Biden publicly acknowledged that Israel was losing international legitimacy for what he called its indiscriminate bombing.

Israels offensive has destroyed over two-thirds of all structures in northern Gaza and a quarter of buildings in the southern area of Khan Younis, 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, experts in mapping damage during wartime.

The percentage of damaged buildings in the Khan Younis area nearly doubled in just the first two weeks of Israel's southern offensive, they said.

That includes tens of thousands of homes as well as schools, hospitals, mosques and stores. U.N. monitors have said that about 70% of school buildings across Gaza have been damaged. At least 56 damaged schools served as shelters for displaced civilians. Israeli strikes damaged 110 mosques and three churches, the monitors said.

Israel holds Hamas responsible for civilian deaths by embedding militants in civilian infrastructure. Those sites also shelter multitudes of Palestinians who have fled under Israeli evacuation orders.

Gaza is now a different color from space. Its a different texture, said Scher, who has worked with Van Den Hoek to map destruction across several war zones, from Aleppo to Mariupol.

By some measures, destruction in Gaza has outpaced Allied bombings of Germany during World War II.

Between 1942 and 1945, the allies attacked 51 major German cities and towns, destroying about 40-50% of their urban areas, said Robert Pape, a U.S. military historian. Pape said this amounted to 10% of buildings across Germany, compared to over 33% across Gaza, a densely populated territory of just 140 square miles.

Gaza is one of the most intense civilian punishment campaigns in history, said Pape. It now sits comfortably in the top quartile of the most devastating bombing campaigns ever.

The U.S.-led coalitions 2017 assault to expel the Islamic State group from the Iraqi city of Mosul was considered one of the most intense attacks on a city in generations. That nine-month battle killed around 10,000 civilians, a third of them from coalition bombardment, according an Associated Press investigation at the time.

During the 2014-2017 campaign to defeat IS in Iraq, the coalition carried out nearly 15,000 strikes across the country, according to Airwars, a London-based independent group that tracks recent conflicts. By comparison, the Israeli military said last week it has conducted 22,000 strikes in Gaza.

The Israeli military has not specified what it is using. It says every strike is cleared by legal advisers to make sure it complies with international law.

We choose the right munition for each target  so it doesnt cause unnecessary damage, said the armys chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.

Weapons experts have been able to draw conclusions by analyzing blast fragments found on-site, satellite images and videos circulated on social media. They say the findings offer only a peek into the full scope of the air war.

So far, fragments of American-made Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) bombs and smaller diameter bombs have been found in Gaza, according to Brian Castner, a weapons investigator with Amnesty International.

The JDAM bombs include precision-guided 1,000- and 2,000-pound bunker-busters.

It turns earth to liquid, said Marc Garlasco, a former Pentagon defense official and a war crimes investigator for the U.N. It pancakes entire buildings.

Experts have also identified fragments of SPICE (Smart, Precise Impact, Cost-Effective) 2000-pound bombs, which are fitted with a GPS guidance system to make targeting more precise.

Israel says it has two goals: Destroy Hamas and rescue the 129 hostages still held by militants.

Eleven weeks into the war, Israel says it has destroyed many Hamas sites and hundreds of tunnel shafts and has killed 7,000 Hamas fighters out of an estimated 30,000-40,000. Israeli leaders say intense military pressure is the only way to free more hostages.

Photos: Scenes from the Israel-Hamas war
Prosecutor Edward Appelbaum, left, exchanges an evidence photo with defense attorney Murray Newman during the murder trail against Lance Campbell on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022 in Houston. Campbell, 30, is standing trial in the 174th District Court on a murder charge in connection with the death of Michael Haynie, 60, a homeless man shot and killed in June 2019 outside a Hobby Airport-area washateria. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Lawyer Robert Fickman speaks in support of U.S. District Court Judge Lynn N. Hughes outside the Bob Casey United States Courthouse on Feb. 19, 2019. Nicole Hensley/Staff Robert Fickman speaks in front of Harris County criminal defense lawyers gathered to read the Declaration of Independence at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center, Tuesday, July 3, 2012, in Houston. The Houston reading was led by Chris Tritico, president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association, and featured HCCLA members, including Robert Fickman. They joined lawyers throughout Texas, and in 12 states and the District of Columbia who read the Declaration aloud. Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ) Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle Judge Amy Martin listens to Andre Jackson's defense attorney Jerome Godinich, right, and prosecutor Tiffany Duprie, left, discuss Jackson's case in the Harris County Criminal Courts, Wednesday, June 19, 2019, in Houston. Karen Warren/Staff photographer

Harris County has struggled for decades to provide adequate legal representation to criminal defendants who cant afford it. But as the Houston Chronicle exposed over the past year, even though the county now has a public defenders office and spends tens of millions of dollars paying additional private court-appointed attorneys to take indigent cases, many people still arent getting a fair shake.

Dozens of those people and their families have reached out to say they had not heard from their court-appointed attorney in months. They wanted to know: Is this really how its supposed to go? What can I do to advocate for myself or my loved one?

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The Chronicle posed those questions to more than half a dozen defense lawyers in the Houston area, and also reviewed a few key public documents that seek to address them. Heres what they say.

How soon should I hear from my lawyer?

Texas state law is clear on this one: court-appointed attorneys shall make every reasonable effort to contact you within one business day of being assigned your case.

If youre charged with a misdemeanor in Harris County, make sure youve provided the court with accurate contact information so your assigned lawyer can easily reach out to you if youre not in jail. If youre charged with a felony and are in jail, your case will likely get assigned a lawyer while youre in a holdover area in the courthouse. That means it should be easy for lawyers to walk over and make initial contact.

The holdover area is not a good place to have an extended conversation, though, explained Houston defense attorney Robert Fickman. Its crowded with other criminal defendants and jail staff, any of whom could later be asked to testify against you based on what they overhear.

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I want to hear what they have to say in a confidential setting, but this is not a good place to do that, said Fickman, who has 40 years of experience in criminal defense law. He sticks to giving them what he considers the most essential legal advice: Keep your mouth shut and Ill come see you as soon as I can. Dont talk about the case on the phone; jail calls are recorded.

While many attorneys said this is their standard practice, its not required. According to Nathan Fennell of the Texas Fair Defense Project, a statewide nonprofit that advocates for better court-appointed representation, many attorneys simply follow the so-called mailbox rule:  They send a letter to the defendant that says, Hi, Im your lawyer.

After making that initial contact, your attorney should conduct an initial client interview with you within three days of getting the case assignment, according to guidelines adopted by the State Bar of Texas, which licenses and disciplines lawyers. But those are not specific disciplinary rules or black-and-white standards, the document says; theyre just suggestions.

Harris County officials have their own requirements, though theyre not much more specific and they vary based on what youre accused of. For people facing felony charges, court-appointed attorneys shall interview the client as soon as is practicable. That language appears in a new plan adopted in February by Harris Countys state district judges, who preside over felony cases and decide which lawyers will handle the indigent ones.

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The Chronicle reached out to eight of those judges asking for more specifics, but none provided any.

For indigent people charged with misdemeanors, an office called the Harris County Managed Assigned Counsel  or MAC  is responsible for assigning their attorneys. The MACs Plan of Operation states that attorneys must make every reasonable effort to meet with Clients in a confidential manner within one business day of the appointment. The plan adds that text messages and written correspondence alone do not satisfy this requirement.

If Im in jail, is my lawyer required to come and see me?

Attorneys told the Chronicle they consider this essential, and that phone calls or video-conferencing doesnt cut it because they dont trust those communications to be secure. Sometimes an attorney might send an investigator or other support staff to see clients on their behalf.

But theres nothing in state law or from local judges that requires it. The Harris County Jail is also so overcrowded that some inmates are housed hours away or even out of state, making jail visits almost impossible.

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The Harris County felony judges new plan states that their preference is that the contact with the client is by in-person visits. Harris Countys MAC Plan of Operation doesnt explicitly say that a lawyer must see their client in jail, though many people charged with misdemeanors likely are not behind bars anyway.

How often should I be in touch with my lawyer as my case continues?

The State Bar, the countys felony judges and the MAC all say that lawyers should maintain regular contact with clients or keep them informed in a timely manner about updates on their case.

Only the new felony judges plan gets more specific than that: It says that counsel must meet with the client between any court settings that exceed 30 days.

Houston defense attorney Mark Hochglaube, who used to work in the county public defenders office, said he complies with the new requirement and that it can help build a lasting rapport with clients. But he said its not always necessary for every case. Sometimes, theres simply nothing new on the horizon for months on end, despite all his best efforts to make progress with prosecutors or the judge, Hochglaube said.

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Attorneys said it might be a good idea for some clients  especially if theyre in jail  to designate one family member as a single point of contact to get regular updates from the attorney. The client will need to give oral or written permission to the attorney to talk about the case with that family member.

Murray Newman, president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association, said the felony judges have clarified that phone calls are adequate to comply with their new rules about client communication. He added that makes it a priority to answer phone calls from clients from jail. They can literally call me every day if they want, and Ill answer it, Newman said  though that is not required.

How can I tell if my lawyer is actually working on my case?

Ideally, your attorney should be telling you what theyre doing. If theyre not, you can take a look at public filings in a case by creating a free account on the Harris County District Clerks website. But that wont give you a comprehensive look at the case.

Your lawyer may have filed motions to hire investigators or experts on your case that are under seal. They could be negotiating with prosecutors behind the scenes. Technically, they could even ask the judge in the case to reduce your bond without filing any formal documents in court.

Still, Kenneth Hardin, executive director of the Harris County MAC, said he would at least expect attorneys to make a formal request for discovery in a case, which could be called a motion for discovery or a 39.14  a reference to a portion of Texas law that requires prosecutors to hand over information to defense attorneys. Its not a strict requirement, but Hardin said if he doesnt see any motions in a court file for several months, its going to be something that we consider when weighing whether to assign the attorney any more cases in the future.

Nicolas Hughes, a former public defender who also used to work for the MAC, said Texas own disciplinary rules for attorneys make clear that clients should not struggle to get this information. The attorney has an absolute duty to inform the client of whats going on, he said, adding, it should be pretty easy to quickly rattle off the steps youve taken in a case.

What should I do if I think my attorney isnt providing effective representation?

Attorneys said that frustrated clients should first make every effort to politely reach out to their lawyer and keep as much documentation as possible. Call them in the afternoon, not the morning, Hughes said, because many lawyers have morning dockets, and are not available to take calls. Send letters to their office requesting updates, and keep copies of those letters. (The MAC website has also posted some tips about the best ways to work with your attorney.)

If youre charged with a misdemeanor and you have a court-appointed attorney in Harris County, you can also reach out to the MAC directly using this online complaint form. The MAC may then reach out to the lawyer directly. This can be a useful tool, said Hardin, because while the MAC cant force attorneys to respond to clients, They do need to respond to us.

You can also complain to the judge presiding over your case.

Harris County State District Judge Melissa Morris said concerned clients or family members should reach out to the court clerk or coordinator rather than the judge directly, and they should stick to issues theyve had communicating with the attorney, not any facts of the underlying criminal case. Otherwise, she said in an interview, you could stand to be in trouble for trying to improperly influence the court.

Fickman cautioned that complaining to the court could come with risks, since all of Harris Countys judges are independently elected and operate differently. The judge you complain to is probably the same judge who chose your attorney in the first place, and they alone have the ultimate power to change that. The judge may feel like he wants to defend his court-appointed buddy, said Fickman.

If a client or family member decides to go this route, Fickman suggested sending polite letters to the judge and the defense attorney. He stressed the importance of being respectful, no matter how frustrated you are.

Ask, perhaps the court could appoint someone else to represent me, please? Being ugly to the court isnt going to help, Fickman said.

You can also contact the State Bar of Texas Client Attorney Assistance Program for more advice, and you can choose to file a grievance against your attorney with the bar. But the agency can take years to make a final decision on grievances. Another statewide agency called the Texas Indigent Defense Commission fields complaints about lawyers as well, but because appointment powers lie solely with judges, the TIDC can usually do little more than forward the same complaint directly to the judge.
What, historically, makes French people the way that they are?

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I always keep coming back to this article, and how it says there was a big pushback against the strict sexuality of the catholic church among the elite in France. It's specifically about p*dos, but applies to all sexual violence I think. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/10/matzneff-scandal-france-consent-literary-establishment

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I'm gonna check it out, thank you!

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wow that was both horrifying and informative, thank you!

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they eat snails.

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Also these comments where I got the link from have good discussion https://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/116938412.html?thread=19670100908#t19670100908

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This is a pretty well-written essay I read on the topic.

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The French think that any form of questioning is puritanism and that their society is becoming Americanized. Even though in Paris, Anglicisms are everywhere, everybody now realizes that French culture is not all that and many of their young people are leaving to come to Canada/Quebec-Montreal. The jig is up basically and these boomers and boomer adjacents can't deal with the slow downfall of francophilia.

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nadine trintignant signing this is crazy considering what happened to her daughter

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Oh wow. And his career wasnt ended either.

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not to mention that his partner after marie ended up committing suicide and she said he was abusive towards her

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that's the name that blew my mind in the list for that exact reason

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Nah, it tracks considering her personally beliefs

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Nah she supported Polanski.

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Anyway, re: current events in France pic.twitter.com/SuMWqzhYoE  Sana Saeed (@SanaSaeed) October 26, 2020



ETA sorry but lmao: 'When Gerard Depardieu is attacked in this way, it is art that is being attacked.' He pissed on a plane!



Edited at 2023-12-26 03:16 pm (UTC) Timeless tweet:ETA sorry but lmao: 'When Gerard Depardieu is attacked in this way, it is art that is being attacked.' He pissed on a plane!

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France, huh, yeah

What is it good for

Absolutely _______



Maybe wine and cheese but Im lactose intolerant and I only like port and tokaji and they dont come from that land so you know. Get rid of it.

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The French need to value their art more than that

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I laughed at that, he isn't representative of art. He's just an actor and that doesn't give him freedom from the consequences of his acts

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I remember when Green Card with Andie MacDowell came out & people where like; "He's so good looking." & I wondered at their sanity.

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A dozen women. A dozen. And enough evidence to go to trial.



Just going to leave this excerpt from his wiki page here:



In a 1978 interview, Depardieu reportedly confirmed a story that he first participated in a rape when he was nine years old and that he had participated in more rapes since then. He reportedly stated there were "too many [rapes] to count... There was nothing wrong with it. The girls wanted to be raped. I mean, there's no such thing as rape. It's only a matter of a girl putting herself in a situation where she wants to be." The story re-emerged in Time magazine in 1991. On 15 March 1991, Depardieu's American publicist Lois Smith stated, "he's sorry, but it happened." The National Organization for Women requested an apology from Depardieu. Later that month, Depardieu's French publicist Claude Devy discounted the statements made by Smith, and Depardieu threatened legal action against any media outlet that published the comments. Depardieu's team said his words were mistranslated and he only admitted to having witnessed rapes. Time refused to retract the story

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this is bone-chilling. jfc.

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too many. rapes. to count.



i don't even know what to say. how can anyone defend a man who openly and freely admits something like this.

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this is so scary

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When we attack Gerard like this, it is art that we are attacking



art is not synonymous with rape, french people, damn.

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Their president and his groomer wife remind me of the Mary Kay LeTourneau situation, but hopefully less bad?



Not coincidentally, the outdated book written by LeTourneau called "Our Love" about her grooming Vili and calling it "love" was ONLY published in France; no other country wanted to publish it.



But yeah why are the French like this?

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I don't think there's any group of people more weird than the French bourgeoisie (except MAGA freaks I guess).

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No, art will survive a few rapists facing consequences. Talent is not a get out of jail free card

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having been forced to sit through a bunch of his movies in French classes, talent isnt really on the table. :P

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This is the Polanski petition all over again.

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Unsurprisingly, Polanski's wife has signed this letter too.

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Why? what is he known for besides Greencard?

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in france he's pretty big, he has several cesars i think

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I know him as obelix in the original live action asterix movies

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I'm argentinian and I remember him being very famous in the '90s

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hes the most famous actor of his generation in the french film industry



my french friends/family have always talked about how awful he is, but hes so ubiquitous in the film industry over there i think the french elite thinks an attack on him is an attack on the whole french film industry

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He is one of quintessential French movie stars of the 80s and 90s. He has done classic French movies, especially earlier in his career, and is a great actor. As it turns out though, a garbage human being so out he goes.

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y'all I was making a joke not asking for an education on this predator. glad to know he's so highly regarded on ONTD.

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Some actors are so obsessed with art that they think anything negative said about one of them is an attack.



The dude had no issue telling people he was a rapist when he wasnt in legal trouble for it. Use some fucking logic.



My dad may not always be right, but when I told him I was going to France and he said why? Its full of the French, he was right.

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Also didn't he defect to Russia or am I thinking of someone else?

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He did, though a quick glance at his wiki tells me he and Putin have split and he's now a citizen of the UAE.

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A good friend of Poutine which says it all.

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What is it with washed up, abusive, asshole actors moving to Russia? Steven Seagal did it too.

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Art?? They're making this about art?? And the fact that the president spoke on this and supports him is so unbelievably fucked up.

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Isn't one of his accusers recently deceased? What the fuck is wrong with these people.

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yes, she committed suicide around the time the documentary was released

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The New Year will bring not only new leadership to key energy venues around the world, but it will also bring impactful developments in the run-up, as incumbents act to secure their destinies at all costs.

From Russia to Venezuela and the United States, with a stage-setting surprise already unveiled in Argentina, this is one of the most important election years in decades.

Russia: March 15-17, 2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin is pulling out all the stops for his presidential bid in March next year. To that end, leading Kremlin critic and the countrys most influential opposition figure and anti-corruption campaigner, Alexei Navalny, has been sequestered (at best) in a secret location for the past two weeks. No one knows where the imprisoned opposition leader is now.

Navalny, who has been serving a prison term in the 1K-6 prison outside of Moscow has not appeared at any scheduled court hearings for December, according to The Moscow Times, and his lawyers havent seen him since December 5.

In August, Navalny was sentenced to 19 years in prison on extremism charges in a brazen attempt to keep him out of politics.

In the meantime, its the high season for treason in Russia as Putin seeks to quash any detractors. According to The Moscow Times, a record number of 63 cases of high treason have been sent to the courts this year, with an additional seven cases for confidential cooperation with a foreign state or organization. It smacks of Stalins days. Related: Russia To Cut Oil Exports From Sea Ports in January

On December 22, Putin seized the countrys biggest car dealership (Rolf) and put it under state management, claiming it was for commercial reasons but the reality is that the owner is Sergei Petrov, a Kremlin critic. Rolf, which is based in Cyprus, has been around since the fall of the Soviet Union. The Kremlin has accused Rolf of illegally moving money abroad at a time when Russias wartime economy cant allow for it. Petrovs take on this is that Putin is paving the way for his cronies to redistribute assets amongst themselves.

On the war in Ukraine, it remains unclear as to whether Putin has succeeded in conveying to the public that this is a victory in any way, or what it has meant for the Russian economy or Russias influence in the former Soviet arena. Russia in 2024 will undoubtedly usher in another victory for Putin, but his cronies and loyalists have been shifting, and that means a redistribution of assets and a largely uninvestable country. His victory will not, of course, shock the market or have much impact on oil and gas prices, which have long ago calculated any Putin premium there is to be had. A defeat for Putin, however, would roil markets because of the massive amount of uncertainty this would bring.

Can anyone challenge Putin at this point? Not really. The only challenger hopeful is former journalist Yekaterina Duntsova, who is being accused of being backed by Yukos Oil boss Mikhail Khodorkovsky (both deny this), who is classified in Russia as a foreign agent. Hes a fugitive oligarch running an opposition movement from outside of Russia.

A second candidate appeared in December, 60-year-old Boris Nadezhdin, a former politician and commentator who has accused Putin of undermining the countrys democratic institutions with his authoritarianism. Hes also called Putins invasion of Ukraine a fatal mistake--a statement that could land him in prison for treason.

71-year-old Putin does not appear to have been weakened significantly by the failed Wagner mutiny earlier this year; Ukraines counteroffensive has showed signs of stalling; and while the economy may not be rock solid due to the war effort, the propaganda machine is working at full force to get across a different narrative, and it seems to be working. Most analysts are preparing for a show election that will see Putinalready in power since 1999remain in power thanks to Constitutional amendments that he made sure went through to allow him to stay in power for more than a decade longer.

For oil, it will mean more of the current status quo of war in Ukraine and Western sanctions and price caps, which will simply become the norm.

Venezuela  2024 (TBD)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro cut a deal with Washington for a temporary easing of sanctions on Venezuelan oil. The deal was for free and fair elections, and that he would not attempt to thwart the oppositions participation.

His first move was to issue arrest warrants for a handful of opposition figures, including former National Assembly leader Juan Guaido and staffers of the opposition presidential candidate Maria Corina Machado.

This coincided with the holding of a referendum on the annexation of Essequibo, the oil-rich area of Guyana, which makes up some two-thirds of the countrys territory. While Guyana and Venezuela have held talks since and vowed to refrain from a military confrontation over the matter, Maduro is desperate, and from a domestic standpoint, this is a play designed to circumvent elections by escalating things to a level that would allow him to declare a state of emergency. As noted by Andres Oppenheimer writing for the Miami Herald in late December, to achieve his goals, Maduro could send a stealth force to claim Essequibo without firing a single bullet. By establishing this presence and officially declaring Essequibo under Venezuelan control, Maduro creates an international incident that the West will find necessary to address. Under the continually escalating pressure of an international incident, Maduro will find the legitimacy he needs to declare a state of emergency and cancel 2024 elections, or at least postpone them indefinitely.

ADVERTISEMENT

A state of emergency would allow him to cancel elections. The West would act slowly because China and Russia would back Venezuelas claim and the West would seek to avoid any actual confrontation.

This is a potential Pandoras Box of geopolitical consequences, too, because Maduro is also being used as a puppet for Chinese and Iranian ends.

As historian Gregory Copley noted for Oilprice.com earlier in December, China and Iran have been working with Maduro to escalate the Guyana crisis as a way to force Washington to withdraw forces from the Indo-Pacific military build-up and redirect them. The Russia-Ukraine war has likewise benefitted China as it has caused Western forces to get bogged down in the Euro-Atlantic. Copley sees the prospect of U.S. and UK military support for Guyana as real.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
A Douglas County jury took less than five hours last week to convict a man on two counts of first-degree murder among other felonies in a 2020 double homicide at an Omaha hotel.

John Parks Sr., 41, was found guilty last Tuesday of two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of use of a firearm to commit a felony, two counts of possessing a firearm as a felon and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The charges are in relation to the killings of Michael Harbour, 35, and Nicole Hatten, 36.

The killings took place in the parking lot of the Best Western Plus at 4706 S. 108th St. in the early-morning hours of July 30, 2020. Investigators previously said Parks shot and killed the two after he mistook a video on Harbours phone as depicting his sons murder.

Michael Meckna, Parks defense attorney, filed a motion on Tuesday requesting a new trial because of numerous evidentiary issues and alleged violations of Parks constitutional rights. Though Meckna declined to elaborate on the exact issues, he previously filed a motion to exclude the aforementioned video from evidence, which was overruled. He has also raised speedy trial issues throughout the case.

According to court documents and previous testimony from Omaha police detectives:

Parks had a registered address in Texas and was in Omaha at the time of the killings to attend the funeral of his son, John Parks Jr., who was fatally shot in Omaha just days earlier. Police said at the time that they had no reason to believe Harbour or Hatten were involved in the killing of Parks son.

Harbour and Parks were friends and knew each other previously, according to court documents. They had gathered at the hotel to celebrate the birthday of one of Hattens friends.

But as Parks, Hatten, Harbour and two women were drinking and smoking marijuana in a hotel room in the early-morning hours of July 30, Parks came across something that caught his eye as he was scrolling through pictures of cars on Harbours phone: a video of a man being shot and killed. Though the video was later found to be a completely unrelated video of a man being gunned down in Mexico, Parks thought the video depicted his sons murder.

Without confronting the two about his assumptions, according to previous testimony, Parks shot and killed both Harbour and Hatten in the hotel parking lot as they went to the car to retrieve incense.

Charges were filed against Parks in May 2021 and he was extradited to Omaha from Texas the next month. Parks filed an appeal with the Nebraska Court of Appeals in late 2022, claiming that he had been denied his right to a speedy trial. The appeal was denied.

After six days of testimony, the case was submitted to the jury at 11:41 a.m. on Dec. 19. They returned a verdict of guilty on all counts at 4:20 p.m. the same day.

Unless Mecknas motion for a new trial is granted, Parks will be sentenced to life in prison in March. First-degree murder convictions carry an automatic life sentence without the possibility of parole.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.  On an evening last month, Angie Phoenix waited at a pharmacy here in Colorados second-largest city to pick up prescription drugs to treat her high blood pressure and arm seizures.

But this transaction was different from typical exchanges that occur every day at thousands of pharmacies across the United States. The cost to Phoenix, 50, who lives in the nearby community of Falcon and has no health insurance, was nothing.

Open Bible Medical Clinic and Pharmacy runs Colorados only current drug donation program. Most of the medications it dispenses come from nursing homes across the state.

We take any and all of it, said founding pharmacist Frieda Martin, who used those donations to fill 1,900 prescriptions for 200 low-income and uninsured adults last year. Participants pay a $15 annual registration fee for free medications and care at the adjoining clinic.

Drug donation programs like this one in Colorado and one in California take unopened, unexpired medications from health care facilities, private residents, pharmacies, or prisons that pile up when patients are discharged, change drugs, or die, and re-dispense them to uninsured and low-income patients. About 8% of adults in the U.S. who took prescription drugs in 2021, about 9 million people, did not take them as prescribed because of cost, and uninsured adults were more likely than those with insurance to skip medications, according to the National Health Interview Survey.

The programs vary in size but are often run by charitable pharmacies, nonprofits or governments, and keep drugs out of landfills or incinerators, where an estimated $11 billion in unused medications are disposed of each year.

Forty-four states already have laws allowing drug donations, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Many programs, like Colorados, are small or underused. Now, Colorado and other states are seeking to expand their approach.

Drug donation programs are effective. There is a huge need for them. And there are opportunities for states to help their residents by enacting new laws, said George Wang, a co-founder of SIRUM, which stands for Supporting Initiatives to Redistribute Unused Medicine, a nonprofit with the largest network of drug donors and distributors in the U.S.

Colorado Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez, a Democrat, said he plans to introduce a bill next year to create a drug donation program to help the estimated 10% of state residents who cant fill their prescriptions because of cost.

Similarly, legislation in California signed last year allows expansion of the states first and only drug donation program, Better Health Pharmacy in Santa Clara County, to San Mateo and San Francisco counties. Kathy Le, the supervising pharmacist at Better Health, said it is in the early stages of working with other county-run pharmacies in California to develop similar programs.

The Wyoming Medication Donation Program, based in Cheyenne, uses mail distribution to reach residents, including those in remote parts of the state who may not have local pharmacies, said Sarah Gilliard, a pharmacist and its program manager. The program mails a total of about 16,000 free prescriptions annually to 2,000 Wyoming residents who are low-income, uninsured or underinsured.

Access is definitely a big consideration when it comes to the design of our program, she said.

Many of the Wyoming programs participants are 65 and older, on Medicare, with fixed incomes and unaffordable copays, but Gilliard said there has been a recent increase in participants between the ages of 20 and 40. Wyoming is one of 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid to cover more low-income residents, which could be a factor in that uptick, Gilliard said.

Donations come from all 50 states, with the majority from people who find the program online or through word of mouth. Sometimes donors tuck handwritten notes inside the packages about the high cost of medication or memories of a relative who died.

Gilliard saves each one and tacks them to the pharmacy wall.

Wyomings program  with its central state-run pharmacy that receives, processes and mails prescriptions to residents  could be a model for Colorado, said Gina Moore, a pharmacist and senior associate dean at the University of Colorados Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Aurora. Moore co-authored a task force report for the state government last December about the feasibility of a drug donation program.

The report noted the success of programs with external funding, which, in Wyomings case, comes directly from taxpayer dollars. Using Wyomings budget, it projected a Colorado drug donation program would cost an estimated $431,000 in the first year, with a pharmacist and pharmacy technician serving roughly 1,500 patients.

The commitment to addressing gaps in health care access and reducing the impact on the environment means the timing is right for expansion of drug donation programs, said Monika Roy, assistant health officer and communicable disease controller at Santa Clara Countys Public Health Department.

During the pandemic, inequities in access to care were magnified, Roy said. When we have solutions like these, its a step forward to address both equity and climate change in the same model.

These are the people most likely to be burdened by medical debt in the US These are the people most likely to be burdened by medical debt in the US America's medical debt is far from evenly distributed
BLOOMINGTON  'Twas a holiday's eve, and all through the city, most business has ceased, save those who are needed. Police, public works, essential health workers, keep the Twin Cities turning with hearts, hands and fervor.

While most people are busy dreaming their sugarplum dreams, some people are still absolutely necessary to make sure citizens are safe, healthy and ready to meet the holiday festivities. And, at least in Bloomington-Normal, those people actually like it.

"I love my job," said Honor Coleman, support staff for Bloomington Public Works. He drives trucks for the city, whether that be garbage, construction or, this time of year, plow.

"People look at me funny all the time. When I was a kid, I used to chase the garbage truck all the time," he said.

Coleman comes from a family of city workers, his father being a firefighter, he said.

"My biggest thing is, I'm here to do a job," he said. "I enjoy my job. I come to work every day, and I'm grateful for all that I have. I owe it all to the city, so I try to do my best work that I can and make the citizens happy."

Bringing holiday joy

Nurses and health care workers from both Bloomington-Normal hospitals agree with Coleman.

"We show up for the holidays, mostly for our patients," said Michelle Bice, a night charge nurse for the emergency department at Carle BroMenn Medical Center in Normal. "They're the driving force behind what we do and why we do it. So if we can bring them some holiday joy, that's worth it for us."

Joy is especially significant for new and expecting parents in the birthing center at OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center.

Charge nurse Shirin Shoushtari said they try to make each holiday special, and at Christmas, the staff makes ornaments for their patients.

"So every baby delivered, they get the ornament and the blue hat and they get the footprint," she said.

For other holidays, like Easter and Thanksgiving, they make little hats for the newborns, and, for the first baby born in the year, they have a fresh outfit and gift basket for the family, Shoushtari said.

"Each time for the big holiday, we do something for the parents," she said.

Still, not every floor has such joyous occasions. That doesn't mean they're any less necessary.

"My patients ask all the time, 'Do you like what you do?' I tell them, I say, 'I love what I do'," said Jasmyne Lawrence, a nightshift registered nurse at OSF St. Joseph.

"I love working with my patients, they motivate me," she said. "And also, because I'm from here  I was actually born in this hospital."

Lawrence, 24, a lifelong Bloomington resident, has been at OSF St. Joseph for about a year. She said she went to school with a lot of her patients' kids.

"I know some of them personally. So (I'm) just giving back to my community," she said.

Other departments are on call, like the blood laboratory and MRI imaging.

"My family knows, and we have it planned to be pretty simple, so I can just dart out if I have to," said Mary Jo Turner, an MRI technologist at OSF.

If Turner gets the call on a holiday, she has an hour to be at the hospital for imaging patients in critical need of surgery, whether that be for a tumor or something like a severed spine.

"I have to make sure that the patient is safe to go into the scanner; we have to make sure they don't have any surgical implants  all that needs to be done before I even leave home," Turner said.

Jesus Santoy, lead clinical laboratory scientist for the blood bank at OSF St. Joseph, has to coordinate blood technicians for patients who might need an imminent transfusion, he said.

"If the specimen were to come to my department, that would mean that the patient would possibly need some type of blood product  whether it be platelets, cryo (part of the plasma), red blood cells  whether it's for surgery, ... trauma or just an anemic patient," Santoy said.

None of those conditions takes a holiday off.

And neither does the sheriff's office.

Safety first

"Usually, it's fairly quiet, but there's a high chance of a domestic situation coming up on holidays," McLean County Sheriff Matt Lane said.

Lane has been with the sheriff's office for nearly three decades, and he's seen a lot over the years.

"A lot of drinking goes on at Christmas parties and things like that, Christmas gatherings. So there are calls to respond to," he said.

That drinking can lead to some bad decisions, like getting behind the wheel of a car.

"No deputy that I know of wants to go out and write a DUI or arrest people for a DUI on a holiday," he said. "But the fact of the matter is they can't let a dangerous person go down the road, either, just because it's a holiday."

The other big worry for travelers is, again, the weather.

"Coordination on the storms actually starts days in advance. So you've got to watch the weather, you're always watching the weather this time of year," said Shawn Moore, superintendent of streets and sewers for Bloomington.

This helps workers prepare for upcoming issues and adjust equipment as needed.

"Because the construction that our streets and sewers guys do is impacted by the weather. The refuse crews, their trucks, their loaders, that are out there every day for your bulk and brush, are also used on snow," Moore said.

If the forecast calls for snow and a non-snow job is planned, Moore said they'll have to set the non-snow job aside and instead fit the trucks out for snow removal.

Be that as it may, Coleman looks forward to plowing, he said, oftentimes installing his plow blade at least a day in advance.

Rest and preparation are key before a snow storm, Coleman said.

"When you get here, you're either eating lunch that you packed, or you get those places that are open ... There's been times where I've had to eat a cup of chili at a Pilot truck stop on Christmas Day with the other guys scrambling around looking for a place to take break," he said.

A holiday shift can be exciting, especially if you love what you do.

"I love to drive," said Anwar Gaston, who started as a refuse truck driver for Bloomington this year. He worked his first holiday, Thanksgiving, this year.

"It's pretty fast paced. Start at 6 in the morning. We get out there and get to rolling," he said. "Have your cans out properly, have them on time, we'll have them picked up for you."

That fast pace, though, can lead to some hiccups.

"I was going so fast, I picked up a can and dropped it inside the hopper," he said. "I had to stop it and get out and pull it out.

"But it was all good," he chuckled. "Everybody got home safe and sound. And it was cool, we knocked it out."

That enthusiasm, that dedication, is all voluntary, Moore said.

"Any holiday, if you see a plow truck driver out on the street or a garbage or recycle driver out on the street, it was voluntary for them. They chose to do that for you," Moore said.

But this special group of people still try to make the day as jolly as possible for themselves and their colleagues.

'No greater present'

"Many of us enjoy working the holidays. We love to spend time with our co-workers who have become a special family for us throughout the years," said Bice, the emergency room charge nurse from Carle BroMenn.

"We've made many special memories, bonding, working the holidays. And it brings a little extra sparkle," she said.

Both hospitals, and the sheriff, said that involves things like potlucks, Secret Santa gift exchanges and oh so many sweet treats.

However, Lane has a specialty.

"I've been requested to make a breakfast fatty again," he said.

A "breakfast fatty" is something this reporter can only describe as an unholy amalgamation of everything associated with American breakfast.

"It's a bacon weave, with sausage on it, and then cream cheese, cooked hash browns, cooked bacon, ham, scrambled eggs and more cheese. And you roll it into a loaf, and you put it on a smoker for several hours, and then you baste it with maple syrup," Lane explained, laughing at his concoction.

He makes at least five of these a year.

"It is the most unhealthy, but delicious, thing you have ever tasted in your entire life," he said.

Artery-clogging delicacies aside, these essential workers agreed the service they provide is a gift of love.

Mary Allen Bueno-Driz, a nurse in the cardiovascular unit at Carle BroMenn, explained her motivation simply.

While the vast majority of people celebrating Christmas gather to revel and exchange gifts, Driz said the true meaning of Christmas and her Christian faith inspire her to care for her patients.

"There's no greater present than to do what (God) told us to do, which is to love each other and to care for each other, most especially those who are ... in my case, in my profession, the sick people," she said.

Christmas trees and ugly ties: Check out photos from the Young Men's Club Christmas Party Guy Fraker, Dan Holder John and Susan Barnet Marlene Gregor, Sue Blakney Cindy and Wayne Kissler Gary and Sue Blakney Jim and Kathy Stahly Karen and Randy Stein Forrest Wisely with granddaughter Haley Frank and Angie Hoffman Paul and Sandra Harmon Herm and Fran Brandau Ned and Riki Leiken Carol and Greg Koos Marilyn Ericson, Elaine and Fred Noyes, Wayne Ericson Herb and Pam Eaton Denny and Mary Feicke Lucille and Don Engelkes Alberta Newman, Carole Ringer, Cindy Kissler Susan Fitzgerald, Susan Nielsen John and Lorry McIntyre Mary and Bill Caisley
The Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, has urged political leaders, and Ghanaians in general, to seek after good names rather than desiring material wealth.



He said leaving behind a good name was a better legacy and not the wealth amassed at the expense of the people they serve.



He, has, therefore, reminded them of the need to use the time and the positions they occupied as an opportunity to look out for and speak up for the welfare of the people.



Your name is your best asset and please value it; it is not your position, your child or your asset, he said.



Good names priceless



In an exhortation at the 2023 Festival of Nine Lessons and Carol in Parliament last Thursday, Apostle Nyamekye said, Things like good health is better than money, peace is better than money, wisdom is better than money but the greatest of all is good name.



In Proverbs 22:1, good name is more desirable than great riches and to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. So, a good name is far esteemed than stature."



A good name towers above education and a great name does not only bring security to the bearer of the name but it buys things money cannot buy for you like favours and invoking blessings on ones descendants, he said.



This years celebration, was on the theme Our God reigns.



It attracted people from all walks of life including the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and the Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.



Serve humanity



Reading from Job 29:7-12, the Church of Pentecost chairman told the gathering that Job gained pre-eminence due to how he rescued the poor who cried for help, the fatherless who had none to assist them, made the widows hearts sing as well as put on righteousness as his clothing and justice as his robe.



When the people saw Job coming, they stood up because he always went down to pick up the poor and invested into human beings.



Mother Theresa worked in ghettos but when she died, the whole world stood up in honour of her. Please good names are better than great positions, he said.



Suggesting how one could have a good name as a legacy, Apostle Nyamekye advised those in power and with authority to serve humanity, live and work for the good of people.



If leaders work for the good of the people, you are pre-eminent and you will be held in high esteem and when you are gone your name will live on.



Jesus, who has the name above every other name, made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness and being found in an appearance as a man, humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on the cross.



As a result, God exalted him above every other name, Apostle Nyamekye said, telling the gathering that all that a person would become was vested in his name.



Lessons



The first lesson was read by the Clerk-to-Parliament, Cyril Kwabena Nsiah, the second lesson by the Director-General of GBC, Professor Amin Alhassan, the third lesson by the Executive Director of the Ghana Union of the Blind, Dr Peter Obeng-Awuah, the fourth by NCCE Chairperson, Kathleeen Addy, the fifth lesson by Dr Ato Forson, with by Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bons reading the sixth lesson.



The Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Torkornoo read the seventh lesson, with Mr Bagbin and Dr Bawumia reading the eighth and ninth lessons respectively.

Source: graphiconline









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Archbishop Charles Agyinasare, founder and senior pastor at the Perez Chapel International, has asked Christians to live noble and honest lives, a duty that the celebration of Christmas places on all.



He said the festive season must re-waken society on the qualities Joseph, the father of Jesus Christ exhibited where he resolved to be noble and not disgrace the Virgin Mary even after knowing that she was pregnant.



Delivering a Sunday service sermon on the eve of Christmas at the Perez Dome in Accra, the Archbishop, who raised concerns about having people wanting to do what was right and just, said: These days we dont have too many noble men.



His sermon, which dwelt largely on family creation and togetherness, urged married men and potential husbands to desist from the disgrace they put their wives and wives-to-be through when the women cheated.



Unfortunately, there are guys telling others the number of women they have slept with. They think it is pride, they are rather cheap. Joseph didnt say anything about Mary to people. He was a nobleman, he said.



I am not saying the women must be indulging in promiscuity, however, if you are a man and your wife did that and you dont love her anymore, dont beat her, let her go in peace,  the Archbishop added.



He urged young women to overlook their wealth, social and economic status and accept young hardworking men who had dreams and vision.



The Archbishop said: This Christmas, if the young men come with marriage proposals, accept them, help them with the processes. It is not wrong to support the guy to marry you.



Narrating his experience when he met his wife, the Archbishop said he bought six pieces of clothes, had two from his wife and another two from his sisters for his marriage.



He said his wife also gave him her jewelries to be used as part of the marriage items.



He said it was unfortunate that several young men and women looked down on their partners because of their financial background.



When I met my wife, I could only take her from Akyem Oda to Asamankese, but today, I have taken her to Japan, Hawaii, Singapore among others, the Archbishop said.

Source: GNA









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The Yuletide season is here again and it ushers us into another period of merry making all across the country.



The people in Kumawu Constituency, have had a taste of the goodness in this season owing to the Christmas Day party hosted by the NPP Member of Parliament for the area, Hon. Ernest Yaw Anim.



The legislator celebrated this special day with more than one thousand five hundred (1,500) people, mainly the aged, widows, orphans and persons living with disability in his Constituency.



The Bonds Hotel in Banko, in the Sekyere Kumawu District of the Ashanti Region was the centre of attraction, where people from various towns in the area were bused to.



The elated guests were treated to some fine Ghanaian music, as well as assorted food including rice, banku, and fufu.



Hon. Anim also distributed clothes (African wax prints), bags of rice, cooking oil, salt, cutlasses, wellington boots, cash, and more to the people he serves.



Speaking at the gathering, the lawmaker highlighted the importance of this party and the need to embrace this festive season.



I am well aware that, on many occasions, people experience both joy and desolation during the Christmas season, with some finding solace in the celebration while others may lament due to the absence of reliable companionship. Nonetheless, today presents an opportunity for all to embrace the delight of the festive season, he stated.



He added that in the coming years, should it be necessary to undertake this party on a community-wide basis, it will be duly executed.



Present at the ceremony were Nana Asiedu Berchie (Adontenhene) who represented Nana Kwabena Kwarteng Sefa (Bankohene) as the Chairman for the occasions, NPP Kumawu Constituency Executives, Hon. Samuel Addai Agyekum (DCE, Sekyere Kumawu District) and many equally important dignitaries.



The MPs party with the aged, widows, orphans, and persons living with disability conveys his appreciation and gratitude to his constituents since assuming office in June this year.

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Before taking office as the General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Kodua Frimpong was seen to be mild as he was always not the talking type.



After surprisingly uprooting incumbent John Boadu as General Secretary with his submarine campaign tactics, Justin Kodua Frimpong has been measured in his political discourses and was yet to be faulted when it comes to pugilist politicking.



One thing that defines him is his ability to stamp his authority to ensure that there was greater discipline in the NPP.



Outside the NPP, other political parties are struggling to come to terms with how Mr. Kodua does his politics because he speaks less yet he gets things done.



At the Thanksgiving Service of the NPP last Friday, December 22, 2023 at the NPP headquarters in Accra, the General Secretary exhibited what some have described as an unprecedented courage.



Mr. Kodua Frimpong spoke the minds of NPP members, supporters and Ghanaians in general, with the call on government appointees who are tired of quietly leaving office and allowing others to take over.



Mentioning various positions such as ministers, CEOs, deputy ministers, metro, municipal and district chief executives, he asked those who were tired and had been waiting for a reshuffle, which was not forthcoming, to quietly resign from their positions so the party can look for stronger hands to take over.



He was empathetic that reshuffling of the current crop of government appointees would inspire confidence in the government and boost the NPP's chances of breaking the eight.



In what was seen as audacious, Mr. Kodua Frimpong directed a message to the appointing authority and asked that the Presidency to consider a reshuffle of appointees saying it was time to introduce new faces to take over from those who are not helping the government.



In his spirit of boldness, he revealed that there had been series of talks and meetings and that it was time for action.



Although the platform was for Thanksgiving, Mr. Frimpong's position has been acknowledged as telling it as it was.



Mr. Kodua Frimpong per his message has set the tone with his bold position.

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In an emotional moment of gratitude to his deceased lawyer, Cynthia Quarcoo, Sarkodie couldnt hold back his tears when he paid a tribute to her at this years Rapperholic concert held at the Grand Arena of Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) yesterday.



At the peak of his performance when the euphoria was high in the auditorium, Sarkodie paused and narrated the story of his relationship with the deceased and her impact on his successful career.



In a very emotional state and not able to hold back tears, Sarkodie shed tears recounting the good moments with Cynthia Quarcoo.



I am sad today because I know how this woman has helped my career. When no one believed in me, she did and she approved almost all the songs before it goes out there. She is more than a family, I am really going to miss her.



This year has not been too good for me but life goes on. Once you are here to have fun, I just have to entertain you because you have also been a great impact in my career, he said with patrons cheering him up.



The 11th edition of Rapperholic concert dubbed Rapperholic Rebirth was a blend of hard core rap, singing, choreography, acrobatics and that made this edition awesome. ( More articles: The people who love you are more than your haters -Yul Edochie supports Emeka Ike amidst divorce saga, Netizens descend on Zapp Mallet for asking sing-a-thon lady to stop since singing is for the strong)



Sarkodie performed almost all his hit songs that his fans called for. Talk of Original, Baby, Pizza and Burga, Oran, Borga Borga, Megye wo Girl, Rollies and Cigars, among others put revelers in the right mood.



The crowd energy was high and that was a good booster for the two time VGMA Artiste of the Year to engage them regularly, creating a beautiful bond when he performed back-to-back for more than two hours on stage.



Apart from Sarkodie, a number of artistes such as Efya, Tulenkey, Mr Drew, Quamina MP, Olivetheboy, Kofi Moley, Maya Blue, Prince Bright of Buk Bak, Bongo Blay, Oseikrom Sikani, Papi Kojo equally dished out pleasurable fun with their performances.



Just like it happened at previous Rapperholic concerts, the auditorium was over-packed this year too, creating lots of discomfort for patrons.

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Houston Police Chief Troy Finner holds a press conference about the fatal shooting of Louise Jean Wilson, 17, during a road rage incident on Dec. 10 on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023 in Houston. Elizabeth Conley/Staff Photographer

For months, John Whitmire has been telling anyone who would listen that Houstons falling crime rates dont jibe with the feedback he heard while campaigning for mayor. Point to a decrease in violent offenses, and hell counter with an anecdote of a fatal robbery in an affluent neighborhood or a voter who told him they're too scared to leave their home at night.

They feel unsafe because they know victims, they know that it's affected their lifestyle, the mayor-elect told the editorial board this week.

That's not just a politician exploiting a powerful campaign issue. He has a point, one that comes up not just in Houston but in other cities and in national data. An FBI report that gathers figures from police departments across the nation shows a 1.7 percent drop in violent crime from 2021 to 2022, but a national survey released this month by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics shows that the share of people who said they were victims of a violent crime jumped from 16.4 in 2021 to 23.5 per 1,000 persons in 2022. This kind of gap isn't unusual but the two reports have rarely disagreed so much.

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Here at home, the most recent Houston Police Department statistics show that reported violent crime has dropped almost 10 percent from last year. There's no local survey asking people if they were victims to give us an idea of unreported violent crime but people polled before the recent mayoral election identified crime as the top issue.

This discrepancy defies easy explanation. Murder rates are considered accurate because few homicides go unreported, but other categories are murkier.

Experts believe the inconsistent data could be a result of fewer residents reporting crimes when they happen. There are several possible explanations for that hesitancy, from a basic lack of trust in law enforcement in some communities to remarkably low police response times, which have been exacerbated by an over-reliance on flawed technology such as ShotSpotter, an alert system that officers prioritize even though it rarely leads to arrests.

Whatever the reason, lacking data has far-reaching consequences. Houston ought to help lead the way nationally on improving the rate at which people report crimes. If HPD statistics don't give the full picture on which neighborhoods have crime problems, the department won't know where best to deploy resources.

Even when victims report crimes, the Houston region has a problem making sure officers can access the data. While Whitmire has said he wants to hire and recruit hundreds more police officers, he also acknowledges that the city's dozens of law enforcement agencies  there are more than 60 departments in Harris County, according to a Kinder Institute study  should be able to better serve residents simply by breaking out of their respective silos and talking to each other. Integrating databases surely would be a massive technical and political headache, but one well worth the effort.

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Whitmire told us that within the first week of being sworn into office, he plans on gathering the chiefs of every police department operating within Houston, including the Harris County Sheriff's Office, "to coordinate a coverage of the city like never before." While Whitmire reiterated his support for HPD Chief Troy Finner  "Finner is a good chief; I want him to be a great chief," he said  he didn't rule out appointing a public safety czar to coordinate sharing of data and resources between departments.

"We've got thousands of police officers inside the city of Houston beyond the HPD numbers, and they don't talk to each other," Whitmire said. "So we're gonna divide the city up and no community will go unprotected."
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:

Credit: NASA

Testing interplanetary landers means putting them in an environment as close to their destination as possible. Mars landers are often tested in the "Mars Yard" at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in South California, and now ESA is looking to build a similar test bed for the moon. They are mining a material in Greenland known as anorthosite to create the largest lunar test bed yet.

This amazing project has seen the European Space Agency enter into a partnership with Lumina Sustainable Materials to provide some rock samples that are similar to material found on the moon. The international ESA team is made up of scientists from the VULCAN Facility in the UK and the LUNA facility in Germanyboth part of the agency's preparations for long-term human and robotic spaceflight to the moon.

There are many challenges in exploring the moon's surface but its fine powdery nature makes it difficult for locomotion but also in clogging up moving parts in landers. The plan is to develop a testbed at the LUNA German Aerospace Center to replicate the lunar regolith, the fine powder dust covering the surface of the moon.

At the VULCAN test center, there is a collection of terrestrial samples that are very similar to the lunar regolith and it is these that are going to be used to develop the testbeds.

The team plans to develop a site that will measure 700 square meters and replicate the lunar mare surface. A second smaller bed will simulate the lunar highland. To achieve this will require about 20 tons of anorthosite, a light colored igneous rock. A unique technology for mining the material has been developed that relies upon no chemical processes enabling any waste to be safely returned to the environment, supporting the ESA sustainability strategy.

The team was able to see firsthand how the material was mined and processed giving valuable insight into handling large volumes of dusty material. Drawing on the valuable in-house expertise from the Lumina team, the ESA groups learned how to best control a dusty test environment. The test centers for lunar surface are due to be running some time during 2024 but the exact date is still to be confirmed.
A monthly electric bill of $1,200  It would come as a bit of a shock, right?

Not for residents of the rural mountain town of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico.

With house battering annual natural disasters and the islands electricity being dependent on imported fossil fuels, the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico struggles with consistent electricity for an affordable price.

Two years ago, a group of regional high school students took notice and decided to do something to help.

Formed in 2021, the Adirondack Solar Alliance is a philanthropic group of local students from Queensbury, Lake George, Schuylerville, and South Glens Falls high schools, who took their first trip to Adjuntas, Puerto Rico in April 2023 to install solar panels.

We installed 36 solar panels on a non-profit nursing home in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico that also serves as a disaster relief center. We also learned while we were there that they would be expanding the facility to include civil services, said co-founder of Adirondack Solar Alliance, Jake Keshmiri.

Adirondack Solar Alliance partnered with Lets Share the Sun and Casa Pueblo, two nonprofit organizations with similar goals. Lets Share the Sun assists in installing solar power in communities in Puerto Rico, and Casa Pueblo serves Adjuntas specifically.

Casa Pueblo has installed over 100 solar systems on residential homes, while simultaneously creating the first community-owned solar microgrid, according to Adirondack Solar Alliance.

A lot of us didnt realize what we were getting into until we actually got there. It was really important to see the people we were helping and where the money was going, said Keshmiri.

Their trip in April had a fundraising goal of $30,190 in order to supply the solar panels for the project on the nursing home.

We exceeded our goal from last year, so we were able to also do a project on a high priority residential building in Adjuntas which serves individuals who are in need of constant electricity for medical reasons, said Keshmiri.

The installed solar panels and battery backup have cut costs tremendously and stabilized power to minimize outages.

Since the installation, Adirondack Solar Alliance has heard from Adjuntas that monthly electric bills have dropped from roughly $1,200 a month to $200 a month.

Because of their success, the program is continuing for another year.

This year, the alliance hopes to complete an installation on a hospice center in Adjuntas that has regular power outages.

The fundraising goal is set at $30,000.

We need around $10,000 more to raise. We hope to raise that by the end of January, said co-founder, Ethan Moger.

The 25 members of Adirondack Solar Alliance are committed to supplying their own plane tickets and accommodations for any trips taken. Members said accepting funds to assist in their personal expenses is never something they even considered.

All the money raised goes right to the project, and any additional money raised will go to more solar panels, said Keshmiri.

The senior co-founders are looking into options for their next steps after graduation.

Seeing the environmental impact in Puerto Rico has inspired me to pursue environmental engineering next year at college, said Keshmiri.

Even as they look beyond high school, the group isnt leaving Adirondack Solar Alliance behind.

We all co-founded it separate from the school, and we want to pass it to the Spanish National Honor Society so they can keep fundraising, said Moger.

We definitely hope that it is a program that will continue. This project has given all of us a sense of service and community, said Keshmiri.

Donations to help support Adirondack Solar Alliances mission to provide solar panels to a hospice center in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, can be made at donorbox.org/adirondack-energy-alliance-supporting-energy-access-in-puerto-rico.
Special JCC Shabbat: The Milton & Betty Katz Jewish Community Center hosted a special Shabbat on Dec. 15. Israeli families that have been impacted by the current Israel-Hamas war led those in attendance through Shabbat rituals.

The Shabbat was led by Malka and Moshe Carrasso and their son Leo, a family from Israel that traveled to the United States due to the Israel-Hamas war. Also helping was Youval Motil, another student from Israel. Both families have become involved in the Katz JCC.

JCC Board Member Moshe Shinar led the kiddush and the Dvar Torah. Moshe Carrasso explained all the Shabbat items they brought with them from Israel, including candlestick holders, a kiddush cup and challah cover. Malka Carrasso spoke about how happy she was to be in the United States and how much Leo was learning in school. The community joined in to recite prayers and shared the wine, or juice, and challah.

Focusing on Israel and showcasing their ties to our community allows us to continue to provide Israel-centered cultural programming and educate those that want to learn more about life in Israel. Now more than ever, we want to promote peace and unity. Shabbat is the perfect time to come together and support each other, said Marg Rosenblatt, Katz JCC CEO.

The event was made possible through the JCC Association of North America in partnership with Israels Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism.

Cancer workshop: Shore Medical Center and the Cape Atlantic Coalition for Health will host a free six-week workshop, Cancer: Thriving & Surviving, for people affected by cancer. The workshop will be held from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays from Jan. 16 to Feb. 20.

The workshop is designed to give participants tools and strategies to manage their health and lead fulfilling lives. The workshops will be held at Shore Cancer Center, across from Shore Medical Center at Shore Road and Medical Center Way. Participants who complete the series will receive a $25 Wawa gift card.

Topics will include techniques to address challenges like fatigue, pain, isolation, poor sleep, frustration and living with uncertainty; setting priorities and goals for a healthier lifestyle; proper nutrition guidance; effective communication with family, friends and health professionals; decision-making about treatment and complementary therapies; and appropriate exercise for regaining and maintaining flexibility and endurance.

All participants will receive a copy of the book Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions.

Class size will be limited. Register by calling 609-653-3923.

Historic preservation award: The Cape May Historic Preservation Commission has received the 2023 Preservation Documents Award by Preservation New Jersey for its update of the citys Historic Design Standards. The award was presented during Preservation New Jerseys annual Historic Preservation Awards Celebration, a statewide event applauding exceptional contributions to historic preservation and promoting New Jerseys history.

Among those present were local commission Chair Warren Coupland, subcommittee Chair Pip Capmbell, Commissioners Janice Wilson-Stridick and Jake Campbell, and project consultant Steven Smolyn of Architectural Heritage Consultants.

We are honored to receive this recognition from Preservation New Jersey, acknowledging our tireless work in preserving and enhancing the historic fabric of Cape May, Coupland said in a statement.

The updated Historic Design Standards represent a comprehensive endeavor to preserve the architectural integrity and cultural significance of Cape Mays heritage, the city said in a news release. The initiatives robust public outreach and implementation campaign, including a series of seminars at Convention Hall, was crucial in Cape Mays selection for the award.

This project was notable because of the emphasis on community outreach and engagement, said Smolyn. The seminars we held with homeowners, real estate professionals and architects enhanced the community impact of the Historic Design Standards.

The Historic Design Standards project was supported by a grant from the New Jersey State Historic Preservation Office, financed in part with federal funds from the National Park Service. The standards are available on the citys website at capemaycity.com/historic-preservation-commission.

January JFS programs: The Lynn Kramer Village by the Shore at Jewish Family Service of Atlantic & Cape May Counties announced the following programs for January:

Positivity Project: Morning Refresh, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Jan. 4: Explore positivity with JFS Wellness Coordinator Mary Jean Arreola and Village Community Specialist Tina Serota. Topics include self-care, mindfulness, gratitude, meditation and resiliency. RSVP by Jan. 2.

The Village Film Society, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Jan. 9: Join Village film enthusiast and historic cinema buff Tom Celandine and Village community specialist Tina Serota for a discussion about the movie Maestro, which chronicles the complicated lifelong relationship between conductor/composer Leonard Bernstein and his wife, Felicia Montealegre Bernstein. Nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Picture, the film stars Bradley Cooper, who has been nominated for Best Actor and Best Director. The movie can be viewed on Netflix, streamed for free on Plex and Tubi, and rented or purchased on Google Play or Vudu. RSVP by Jan. 7.

Lunch Around Town, noon to 1:30 p.m. Jan. 10: Enjoy lunch with friends while supporting a local restaurant, Bocca Coal Fired Bistro at 7805 Ventnor Ave. in Margate. Order off the menu and pay individually. RSVP by Jan. 5.

Memoir Workshop, 10:30 a.m. to noon Jan. 12: Led by award-winning author and Drexel University Director of Certificate Program in Writing and Publishing Harriet Levin Millan. Laptop or pen and paper required. RSVP by Jan. 8.

Positivity Project: Evening Retreat, 7 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 17: Led by Arreola and Serota. Topics include self-care, mindfulness, gratitude, meditation, resiliency and more. RSVP by Jan. 15.

Coffee Klatch, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Jan. 18: Join a fast-paced discussion on politics, technology, world events, arts, religion and more. Includes an update on the war with Israel and the rise of antisemitism. Moderated by Serota. Attend in person at the Milton & Betty Katz JCC boardroom, 501 N. Jerome Ave. in Margate or via Zoom. RSVP by Jan. 15.

Unless noted, all programs are free to participate. RSVP by contacting Serota at 609-287-8872 or tserota@jfsatlantic.org. A Zoom link will be emailed.

Press staff reports
The state confirmed its third case of eastern equine encephalitis this year in a 28-year-old female grade horse in Ocean County.

The horse exhibited signs of depression, disorientation, falling and incoordination, or ataxia, of its front and rear limbs, the state Department of Agriculture said Tuesday in a news release.

Due to clinical deterioration, the horse was euthanized, the state said.

The first two cases of EEE this year were diagnosed in Gloucester and Salem counties in September and October, respectively.

We continue to encourage horse owners to be vigilant in vaccinating their animals against these diseases spread by mosquitoes, said Joseph Atchison III, assistant secretary of agriculture. Vaccinated animals are much less likely to contract deadly diseases such as EEE and West Nile virus.

Most regions in New Jersey have reported the mosquito population to be near the five-year average, the Department of Agriculture said.

The mare was infected after the expected mosquito-borne disease season for New Jersey and had no recent travel history, indicating the disease was transmitted within the state. Exposure to the disease could have happened during a period when temperatures were warmer than average in that area at the end of the insect season, the department said.
EL ALTO, Bolivia  When they first started climbing the Andes peaks, they could hear the ice crunching under their crampons. These days, its the sound of melted water running beneath their feet that they mostly listen to as they make their ascents.

Dressed in colorful, multilayered skirts, a group of 20 Indigenous Bolivian women  known as the Cholita climbers  have been climbing the mountain range for the past eight years, working as tourist guides. But as the glaciers in the South American country retreat as a result of climate change, they worry about the future of their jobs.

The Aymara women remember a time when practically every spot on the glaciers was covered in snow, but now there are parts with nothing but rocks.

There used to be a white blanket and now there is only rock," said Lidia Huayllas, one of the climbers. The thaw is very noticeable.

Huayllas said she has seen the snow-capped Huayna Potosi mountain, a 19,600-feet peak near the Bolivian city of El Alto, shrink little by little in the past two decades.

"We used to walk normally; now, there are rocks and water overflowing, said the 57-year-old woman as she jumped from stone to stone to avoid getting her skirt and feet wet.

Edson Ramirez, a glaciologist from the Pierre and Marie Curie University in France, estimates that in the past 30 years, Bolivian glaciers have lost 40% of their thickness due to climate change. In the lower parts of the mountain, he says, the ice has basically vanished.

We already lost Chacaltaya, said Ramirez, referring to a 17,700-feet mountain that used to be a popular ski resort and now has no ice left.

With no ice left in the lower parts of the mountain range, the Cholita climbers need to go farther up to find it. This has reduced the number of tourists seeking their services as guides.

Huayllas would not say how much she makes as a tour guide, but she said a Cholita climber currently makes about $30 per tour. That is less than the $50 per tour they used to make.

In 2022, during the September-December climbing season, the Cholitas did 30 tours, Huayllas said. This year, through early November, they had barely done 16.

The situation has gotten so critical, the 20 women have looked for other jobs to make ends meet. Some of the Cholitas have started making and selling blankets and coats with alpaca wool from the Andes, Huayllas said.

If this continues, we're going to have to work in commerce or do something else for a living, said Huayllas, although she quickly dismissed her own pessimistic thought, somehow hoping for a change: No. This is our source of work.

The Texas shrimper holding industrial polluters accountable The Texas shrimper holding industrial polluters accountable Wilson's education ended with high school, but she self-educated in order to navigate the murky waters of scientific data and the legal world For Wilson, the process of proving just how widespread pollution had become was an exercise in patience and determination Wilson's efforts led to a historic legal judgmentand the vindication of years of struggle
Black Hills Community Theatre will start the new year by welcoming back a familiar face. Dave DeChristopher is returning to Rapid City to be the Community Theatres education and outreach director.

DeChristopher will start at Black Hills Community Theatre in early January. Hell lead the Cherry Street Players youth theater program, educational workshops in area schools, workshops for adults, and he will direct the Well Done Players, Black Hills Community Theatres troupe for seasoned actors.

Its a very surreal thing. Im excited, DeChristopher said. I have great memories and had a great experience (at Black Hills Community Theatre).

Im just so glad to be back, he said. I see how vibrant an arts community Rapid City is now that Ive been away from here.

After a foray as artistic director of Spencer Community Theatre in Spencer, Iowa, DeChristopher is returning to Rapid City to fill the position vacated by Matthew Vidal. The Community Theatre announced this month that Vidal will be the new head of the drama department at Rapid City Stevens High School.

DeChristopher previously served as Black Hills Community Theatres education and outreach director for four years. He originally moved to Rapid City from Toledo, Ohio, in 2018.

During his tenure, Black Hills Community Theatres education department expanded its educational programs and began offering free residencies and workshops at local schools, in addition to continuing theater summer camps and the semester-long Cherry Street Players and Cherry Street Junior programs for kids ages 8 to 14.

He is passionate about skills that Black Hills Community Theatres arts education can offer local youths.

Its using theater and theater games as a learning engine which is cross curricular. You teach kids how to follow directions, listen better, concentrate and collaborate with each other. Its learning thats experiential, too, he said. Arts in education is really a valuable thing.

Sign-up for the next semester of Cherry Street Players programs starts in January, and programming begins in early February.

DeChristopher also further developed the Well Done Players during his previous tenure. He directed them in staged readings and in writing scripts for their community performances. In 2019, DeChristopher and the Well Done Players turned excerpts from local humor writer Dorothy Rosbys first two books into a sold-out show, What I Meant To Say: A Dorothy Rosby Evening.

I miss my Well Dones the most, DeChristopher said. We were a very tight group. The ladies of Well Done really felt recognized and heard, and valued the friendships we made.  I want the Well Dones to do more writing. The two shows theyve (written and performed) have been successful and very rewarding for them.

Hes proud that Black Hills Community Theatres Broken Lemons local playwriting group also grew and that one of the groups members had a full stage reading of their play.

DeChristopher left Black Hills Community Theatre to accept the job in Spencer that allowed him to work part-time in community theater and to write. Hes pleased to be back in a full-time role in Rapid City. DeChristopher said hes looking forward to seeing people in the community, and hes grateful for those who have already contacted him to welcome him back.

We are so happy that Dave is coming back to Rapid City and BHCT. He did wonderful things for our programs before he left and we're lucky and ecstatic to have him coming back, said Nick Johnson, Black Hills Community Theatre executive director.

One of DeChristophers ongoing efforts will be to encourage the community to get more involved in Black Hills Community Theatre programs and to get more diversity in the local theater community. He encourages theater fans in the Black Hills to contact him at dave@bhct.org if they have questions, want to get involved, or want to let him know what theyd like to see Black Hills Community Theatre incorporate in its arts programming.

Its all about having fun and learning and meeting new people, DeChristopher said.

(Im) looking forward to how these programs continue to grow under Daves leadership, said Merlyn Sell, Black Hills Community Theatres artistic director.

DeChristopher brings to Black Hills Community Theatre decades of work in theater education and experience as an actor and director. He was an actor and director in New York for 25 years and is a member of the Actors Equity and the Dramatists Guild of America. Some of his plays were published in Best American Short Plays in 1999 and in literary magazines. Several of his one-act plays have been produced and performed, one of his plays was a full off-Broadway production.

Go to bhct.org for more information about the current mainstage season and all of Black Hills Community Theatre's programs for kids and adults.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, shown in Austin at the Texas Capitol during Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtons impeachment trial on Sept. 15, told Fox News he may seek to kick President Joe Biden off the ballot in Texas following the action by the Colorado Supreme Court last week. Sam Owens/Sam Owens/Pool via San Antonio E President Joe Biden speaks Tuesday, Oct. 10, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, about the war between Israel and the militant Palestinian group Hamas. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is weighing whether he should be removed from the ballot in Texas, following a decision by Colorado that may keep former President Donald Trump off the ballot there. Evan Vucci/Associated Press

Not to be outdone by the liberal state of Colorado, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick went on Fox News last week to say he might just get on the bandwagon and delete President Joe Biden from ballots in Deep Red Texas.

The lieutenant governor was responding to the action taken last week by the Colorado Supreme Court denying former President Donald Trump a spot on the states 2024 Republican Primary ballot. The ruling is sure to be appealed.

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The Colorado justices cited the 14th Amendments Insurrection Clause to the U.S. Constitution that disqualifies candidates who took oaths of office who engaged in insurrection or rebellion or those who have given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof in a decision that has been called a first-of-its-kind.

Patrick, the Republican who is second-in-command in Texas to Gov. Greg Abbott, told conservative television host Laura Ingraham on her Fox News program last week that the Democratic presidents handling of the border should be enough to kick him off the ballot in the Lone Star State.

Seeing what happened in Colorado makes me think  except we believe in democracy in Texas  maybe we should take Joe Biden off the ballot in Texas for allowing eight million people to cross the border since hes been president, disrupting our state for more than anything anyone else has done in recent history, Patrick said.

Trump still has time to get back on the ballot. Colorados high court wont decide until early January if hes on or off, which gives the 45th president time to appeal the justices decision. And he said he is willing to take it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
While the community continues to support the district, holding fundraisers each year isnt a long-term solution for addressing school lunch debt and something needs to happen at the state level, Rapid City Area Schools CFO and operations officer/business manager Coy Sasse said.

In a School Nutrition Association survey done in November 2022, districts that charge for meals reported a 96.3% increase in student lunch debt after the loss of the federal pandemic waivers which allowed all schools to offer free meals to all students.

Sasse said while the extension of free lunches for all students into the 2021-22 school year was beneficial to both families and the district, he thinks a lot of parents were confused about what they needed to do.

For families to qualify for the free and reduced lunches, they have to fill out an application, Sasse said. Many families were confused about whether or not they needed to continue to fill out applications and we had this period where we had a large spike in lunch debt because families didn't know what was going on.

Across 16 schools in the district, they have over $117,000 in negative lunch balances.

We're so fortunate as a district that we have a super supportive community, Sasse said. We have partners who are willing to help, but what becomes very difficult is fatiguing our community by going back to them every year.

The community helped raise $27,000 in the Every Student Fed & Ready To Learn campaign that the Rapid City Public School Foundation started on Nov. 7.

Community members, organizations help

The Every Student Fed & Ready To Learn campaign aims to raise funds to pay off Rapid City Area Schools students negative lunch balances and help the district continue to serve lunch to every student, every day.

The student nutrition staff with the district collected over $70,000 during the summer to pay off some of the debt.

With $75,000 left to cover last years debt, independent insurance agents donated $25,000 and challenged the foundation to raise the other $50,000.

Black Hills Energy started the fundraiser with an initial $5,000 gift and the Public School Foundation has passed the halfway mark to its goal.

Kara Flynn, executive director of the Rapid City Public School Foundation, said she isnt sure how many people in the community know how real of an issue the lunch debt is for the district.

We want all of our kids to be our future and we want them to have every opportunity, she said. If we can do something as simple as make sure they have lunch at school when they're required to attend school, that would be something we could do to improve our community, along with every child's life.

About 1,800 kids have a negative balance with the average being $50 and it costs an average of $583 to feed a student lunch for the school year. A $100 donation covers about 29 meals and $1,000 would be 285 meals.

Flynn said she learned students concentrate and are engaged in class better with a meal. It can positively affect attendance, academic performance and behavior in the classroom if students get fed well.

When children are hungry or don't feel well because they have nutritional needs, sometimes there are some behavioral issues, Flynn said. Its such a base level, first hierarchy need that we need to meet for kids to be successful.

People can make a partial payoff for a school, pay for a student or just cover a meal.

Donations can be made online at rcpsfoundation.org or a check payable to BHACF/RCPSF Nutrition can be mailed to P.O. Box 231, Rapid City, SD 57709.

If someone wants to sponsor a school, they can contact Kara Flynn at 605-430-7693 or kara.flynn@k12.sd.us.

Despite the communitys help, most schools in the district continue to accrue lunch debt this school year.

Knowing that donations cant be a permanent solution, employees of the Rapid City school district have been participating in the South Dakota School Lunch Coalition in hopes of writing legislation to help districts across the state.

State representative plans to write legislation

Rep. Kadyn Wittman, D-District 15 in Minnehaha County, created the South Dakota Lunch Coalition and reached out to multiple school districts to start the conversation about potential legislation to help districts across the state deal with negative balances.

Sasse has been a part of the coalition, meeting over Zoom since August. He said he finds it incredible how the group has grown. There were about 40 people in the last meeting with Rapid City residents like Flynn and former Ward Five city council member Laura Armstrong.

It's been a really good mix of individuals from the people directly involved in the student nutrition side in schools to business people to community people to fundraising people, Sasse said. It's been a good cross-section of individuals that are working on this.

Families can qualify for free, reduced or full-priced meals based on their income. If you qualify for free or reduced lunches, the district gets reimbursed through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Sasse said there are families in the community who missed qualifying for free meals by less than $100 and they arent in a different type of financial position than previous years when they got free meals.

The bill is currently structured to cost about $600,000 per year to feed students and help school districts. It focuses on assisting and paying off debts of families receiving reduced lunch, bridging the gap for the ones who barely missed qualifying for free meals.

Sasse said he feels like the current bill theyve been discussing is a reasonable, middle-of-the-road solution. If they wanted to pay for every students lunch in the state, it would cost about $40 million.

That's where this legislation is aimed at, is trying to cover the reduced portion of meals for school districts, Sasse said. It should alleviate some of that pressure on those families that are in that area, that are not technically qualifying for free meals but are still at that income level that is very close to that threshold.

Because the student nutrition program is largely funded federally by the USDA, the district cant take reserves from the student nutrition fund to pay for bad debt.

To clear negative balances, the district has to transfer money through the general fund to pay it off, which has a trickle-down effect. Because the general fund pays for salaries and operational costs, it impacts the districts ability to address compensation to teachers, which is also a big issue.

The coalition asked districts to provide the schools debt and operating expenses to determine the percentage of bad debt, making things easier to compare between smaller and larger districts.

Oftentimes, were unique and we are experiencing very different things from a lot of districts, but this is an issue for all districts to one degree or another, Sasse said. This is one of those few bills that impact every single district across the entire state and can help school districts deal with some of the issues they face with their student nutrition program. I hope that it's something that all legislators can see the value in and get behind.

Coalition members have told Wittman they would be willing to testify for the bill if necessary to help people better understand why its important.

The 99th South Dakota Legislative Session runs from Jan. 9 to March 25, 2024, with a recess from March 11 to 24.

Sasse said the bill has the potential to morph a little bit as it moves through the session.

We'll keep an eye on it and support it however we can, Sasse said. That's all we can do is support them to the best of our ability and answer questions if they have any.
UPDATE: The Wounded Knee descendants group has decided not to burn artifacts stolen from mass graves of Wounded Knee massacre victims after officials from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe requested that they not burn those artifacts.

Last November, more than 150 items stolen from mass graves of Wounded Knee massacre victims were returned to a group of descendants, the SiTanka Ta Oyate Omniceye (Descendants of the Si Tanka Nation). Now, a year later, the group plans to burn the artifacts to mark the end of the one-year traditional bereavement period called wasigla.

In 1890, more than 300 Lakota men, women and children were killed by the United States military. The military had been sent to Pine Ridge to stop a potential Indian uprising. Instead, they encountered a band of Mniconju Lakota led by Chief Spotted Elk (nicknamed Big Foot by the military). The military misinterpreted the groups ghost dance songs as an intent to attack and opened fire on the band.

Now 133 years later, the descendants of those who survived the massacre are working to preserve the memory of what happened that day.

A majority of the items are clothing, mostly moccasins and ghost dance shirts. All of the clothes had been removed from the victims of the massacre by grave robbers. Some moccasins have blood splatters on them. The rest are peace pipes, dolls, two tomahawks, a bow and arrows, and a few beaded lizard and turtle amulets/pouches containing umbilical cords.

Mixed in amongst the artifacts are items from other tribes, Ojibwe moccasins, Dakota and Cheyenne beadwork and other items from other tribes were scattered in. Those items will also be burned.

All repatriated items came from the Woods Memorial Librarys Founders Museum Collection in Barre, Massachusetts. The museum qualifies as a private collection.

The Founders Museum did not respond to a request for comment. It is unclear if the museums entire Native American Collection was given to the Wounded Knee descendants or just the Wounded Knee-related items.

Out of fear for the items being stolen in the future and a desire to honor Lakota traditions, the group is choosing to burn all artifacts except for the peace pipes, on the 133rd anniversary of the massacre.

The group's leader, Cedric Broken Nose, Oglala Lakota and a descendant of Chief Spotted Elk, said burying them wouldnt successfully return the items to the ancestors, rather the smoke created from the fire would carry the items up. The group has been advised by a medicine man as to what they should do with the artifacts.

We dont want these items to end up in a museum, they dont belong in there, Broken Nose said. If we were to bury them the grave robbers would steal them; thats how they ended up in a museum in the first place.

Broken Nose said all groups that had been gathering seasonally since the initial repatriation had all agreed to burn the items by October 2023.

Every year the ancestors come back for their items, but since they cant take the items they take relatives, Broken Nose said. One hundred and thirty-three years later we need to give those items back to them. Theyre trying to come back for the items but they cant, so they take a spirit, they take a life, thats how powerful they are.

The group has been working with Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out on how to properly handle the objects and ceremony.

These items dont belong to us, they belong to the ancestors, Broken Nose said.

Despite the group's plans, some Wounded Knee survivor descendants claim they were left out of the process. The group said there are more than 500 descendants of Wounded Knee survivor James Pipe on Head alone, the grandson of Chief Spotted Elk.

Broken Nose said just in Oglala, South Dakota, over 30 families descend from Spotted Elk. This specific group is comprised of descendants who have met since 1980.

Calvin Spotted Elk, a citizen of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and descendant of Chief Spotted Elk, said he feels the descendants have not been properly included in the decision-making process, especially those who live out of state. Spotted Elk lives in California.

What really matters is that one family is making the decisions, he said. It is not our way for one family to make the decisions.

Spotted Elk said he feels burying the items is more in line with Lakota tradition. He also said he's filed a petition in the Oglala Sioux Tribal Court to stop the artifacts from being burnt.

Broken Nose said out of respect for maintaining good intentions around the items during the mourning period, the group will not be commenting on the claims made by Spotted Elk.

Spotted Elk also alleged the group has not followed guidelines set out by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).

Under the 1990 legislation, museums or other institutions that accept federal funding must compile an inventory of Indigenous cultural items and initiate repatriation of the collections and remains to tribes or family members.

While the act does set guidelines for the repatriation of Native American items, including remains and funerary objects, it does have its limitations. It only applies to museums or other institutions that accept federal funding, including the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act). Private collections are not subject to the federal legislation.

In a normal NAGPRA-guided repatriation, items would be returned to direct descendants or the tribe from which the items came.

A press release from the Founders Museum dated April 2022 stated the items were repatriated in the Spirit of the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act, not under NAGPRA. In January 2022 the museum began to take steps to repatriate the librarys Native American collection.

In the meantime, the survivors descendants group has discussed sending the items to the Oglala Lakota College, Red Cloud Museum and Crazy Horse Memorial. Currently, the items are on a loan to the college. The Crazy Horse Memorial is too far from the reservation and community members couldnt easily access items to pray, Broken Nose said.

The group said the Red Cloud Museum doesnt have an adequate temperature-controlled climate the items require but will reconsider once the Heritage Museum is constructed.

For now, the peace pipes will remain at Oglala Lakota College, as will the other items until theyre burned.
The Lost Trail Ski Patrol received $3,000 grant from RECs Power of Change on Friday, and will purchase two Med Tech full body vacuum mattresses to replace their long spine backboards often used during rescues of injured skiers.

Assistant Patrol Representative and Medical Skills Instructor Stephanie Mapelli said the Ski Patrol is thrilled with the donation.

We are just jumping up and down doing the happy dance, it is so awesome, Mapelli said. "Providing medical first response to injured patients is challenging given the outdoor setting in which we work. Having said that, patient care and comfort is of paramount importance, no matter what the weather or geographic conditions.

A full body vacuum mattress would take the place of a long spine backboard, which is what they use for injured skier if a spine injury is suspected. The problem is that a long spine backboard is uncomfortable and cold.

As a medical skills training instructor, Ive spent hours laying on a hard-plastic long spine backboard. Im in a great deal of pain when I finally roll off the backboard and I'm not even injured, Mapelli said. A spinal injury patient strapped to a backboard is often on it for more than two hours, their injuries are very painful and are made more so by being strapped to this hard-plastic backboard.

A full body vacuum mattress is in the shape of a body with many handles on both sides for ease of carrying the patient and color coded straps to hold the patient in place. Similar to a bean bag of the 1970s era that is full of small Styrofoam beans, the patient is placed on the mattress and the air is removed so the beans conform to the patients body.

They are totally immobilized, comfortable and warm, Mapelli said. If the patient is in the position of comfort  lets say they are laying on their side and they are in so much pain they dont want us to move them, we can vacuum them in that position on this mattress.

She explained that patients with scoliosis cannot lay on their back because the spine has a big curve so the patient can have their knees up, like a tent, then the vacuum mattress can be placed under their knees and be vacuumed to hold knees in place. Then the patient can be placed on their back.

The Power of Change will help us buy two full body vacuum mattresses but we also have them for your arms and for your legs, Mapelli said. We call those extremity splints. Its the same idea and it is so much more comfortable for the patient who is more than likely in terrible pain. They are still in pain but not in as bad of pain as they were before.

The Lost Trail Ski Patrol will use the $3,000 grant to purchase two Med Tech Sweden full body vacuum mattresses, each with an aluminum vacuum pump and carrying case allowing for better care of injured patients.

I've been a patient during training and can report first hand these vacuum mattresses are very comfortable, they mold to the patient's body, and help keep the patient warm, Mapelli said. After an accident, the Lost Trail Ski Patrol will place an injured skier on a vacuum mattress, immobilize them, and then transport them via a toboggan to the base patrol shack. The patient will remain stabilized in the vacuum mattress all the way to the hospital via Life Flight or an ALS ambulance with a paramedic.

If weve put you in a vacuum mattress either Life Flight has been called or an ALS ambulance with a paramedic because youre hurt bad, Mapelli said. They can stay in this to the hospital where they have their own protocols. Once youre in it, youre in it  probably a good two hours. We want to immobilize from your hip through your head and this does it so well.

According to the Med Tech website, The Vacuum Spine Board (VSB) offers quick, comfortable, and easy full-body immobilization for suspected spine, pelvic, or hip fractures and multiple-fracture patients.

Mapelli said the Power of Change grant is appreciated.

It is so awesome, their grant allows us to up our patient care, Mapelli said. I always say, we arrive on scene well prepared and well trained  when you need us the most. This grant means we are absolutely going to do that.

The two Med Tech full body vacuum mattresses may be in the hands of the Lost Trail Ski Patrol in two weeks.

Were spending the money as soon as we get it, Mapelli said. These are unbelievable.

The grant is from the Power of Change Program which is a community outreach program funded by Ravalli Electric Cooperative (REC) members. Members contribute by rounding up their electric bill payments each month to the nearest dollar.

REC Communications Melissa Greenwood said the Power of Change board just met for the last time this year and granted the application.

The Power of Change Board thought this was something Lost Trail very much needed and would be so helpful to anyone needing rescue, Greenwood said.
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury





On the occasion of Christmas, Palestinian 'envoy' in Bangladesh, Yousef SY Ramadan has written an article titled "Message to the West on Christmas: Remember humanity" in Dhaka's notoriously anti-Semite newspaper The Daily Star. Before going into detail, let me remind my readers, while the Bangladesh government has been extremely biased towards the Palestinians, it might have forgotten, Palestine and its leaders including Yasser Arafat had been violently and openly opposed to the war of independence of Bangladesh in 1971.





According to documented facts, during the war of independence of Bangladesh, Mohammed Amin al-Husseini, a Palestinian Arab nationalist and Muslim leader in "Mandatory Palestine" had openly called upon the Muslim nations to extend support towards Pakistan.





Yasser Arafat, at the request of Pakistan had travelled to a number of countries with the agenda of getting support towards Pakistani occupation forces. In Arafat's eyes, Bengali freedom fighters were seen as "terrorists".





It should be further mentioned here that, on February 4, 1972, Israel had sent a letter to Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs giving recognition to the newly born country. Earlier, the Jewish State had offered assistance and cooperation to Bengali freedom fighters in its war of independence against the Pakistani occupation forces. According to information, Khondoker Mostaq Ahmed, killer of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the then Foreign Minister had secretly turned-down the Israeli recognition at the advice of his Pakistani masters.





Now my questions to Yousef SY Ramadan. In your article, you have stated "As you prepare to celebrate your Christmas holiday, remember that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, in Palestine. Remember that if he had been born today, he would have been born in a city under occupation, suffocated by an apartheid wall. Remember that Jesus Christ fought against injustice, for human dignity and for humanity as you watch images of dead children in Gaza on your television screen".





Where you were, Ramadan when your own men  those notorious Hamas monsters and Palestinian terrorists in Gaza had entered Israel and orchestrated a pogrom? Where were you when even breast-fed babies were beheaded by your brethren? Where was your "conscience" if that at all exists in you  when your own men  terrorists in Gaza are until now holding a large number of Israeli and foreign hostages? Where your voice was, when Israeli girls and women were raped by your own  the Palestinians?





You have forced Israel Defense Forces into launching their anti-terror drive to destroy Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza Strip. It is your leader Mahmud Abbas who is enjoying luxury and looting public wealth including foreign aid, similarly as his fellow brothers such as Ismail Haniyeh and other notorious kingpins of Hamas, who until now is totally silent on October 7 Hamas pogrom and release of hostages. Have you ever uttered a word demanding release of the hostages? Not at all! In this case, Jesus Christ, as he fought against injustice, would have taken weapons in hand or instructed his followers to crush Hamas and its patrons and supporters.





Moreover, let me tell you, the entire world is now fully aware of your false propaganda targeting the State of Israel. You are parroting the lies of your Hamas brethren.





You wrote in your article, "Ask yourselves, what Jesus would have felt seeing the children of his own homeland being killed, homes being destroyed, families displaced, videos of traumatized children shaking from clinical shock, asking "am I still alive?" Poets write poems predicting their own death while journalists are murdered and silenced for their message of truth. In Gaza, 2.4 million people have been cut off from clean drinking water, food, medicine, electricity and fuel for two and a half months. A civilian population is being carpet bombed to the ground".





Here again, no "civilian population" are being "carpet bombed" in Gaza. Israeli forces are targeting Hamas terrorists and those butchers are using civilians as human shields. You also are aware of this fact, but as usual, you won't tell the truth, because that would expose the nasty faces of Hamas and its supporters.





In your article you also wrote, "We, Palestinians, are not asking you to be pro-Palestinian. We are simply asking you to be human, to let yourselves feel beyond politics, beyond narrow national interests. We are asking you to see us as human, made of the same flesh and blood as yourself; we are asking you to see us as people who deserve the same rights as you. We are asking you to uphold international law for everyone, the law that you yourselves have created and embraced, for the sake of humanity, for the sake of peace, for the sake of the law and the multilateral system.





"We urge every individual who stands with humanity to use your influence to translate calls for ceasefire into action. For those in the government, you have an endless set of tools at your disposal, legal countermeasures, sanctions, arms embargoes and diplomatic pressure. It is time to prove yourselves, not just to the Palestinian people, but to the whole world that you deserve to be what you claim. Governments in the West must prove that double standards don't exist in your policies".





What ceasefire are you talking about now after violating it on October 7? Yes, governments in the West this time shall truly prove  double standards don't exist by refraining from their old habit of unethically, illogically and wrongly supporting Palestinians and causing harm to Israel and Jewish populace. This time the entire world has seen the actual faces of Palestinian terrorism, and this time, they surely shall refrain from their old practice of showing bias towards terrorists.





You have no right anymore to seek "legal countermeasures, sanctions, arms embargoes and diplomatic pressure" on a victim nation of Israel. Instead, any such actions should definitely come against anyone who supports Hamas pogrom and subsequent terrorist cruelties of Palestinians.





Have some shame Yousef SY Ramadan! You are enjoying hospitality in a country that you have vehemently opposed in 1971. Aren't you ashamed of such nefarious behavior to Bengali freedom fighters and our war of independence? You have termed our freedom fighters as terrorists, simply to appease your Pakistani brethren. You have justified slaughter of 3 million Bengalis and rape of over 400,000 Bengali girls and women, just because it was committed by your "Muslim Pakistani brethren" against "Bengali Hindus and infidels". Shame on you!





Before concluding, I would like to suggest - Ramadan, please for heaven's sake, stop the lies and call upon those terrorists in Gaza Strip to immediately release the hostages. Call upon your leaders  including Mahmoud Abbas to condemn the October 7 Hamas pogrom and seek apology to the world for the act of cruelty committed by those monsters. At the same time, you can note  thousands of people throughout the world are still showing patience about the release of the hostages. If that is not done forthwith, take my word, Ramadan, I shall file a case against your leaders, fans and patrons at the International Criminal Court for committing crime against humanity on October 7.




By: Tajul Islam





In the chronicles of contemporary history, few leaders have exemplified the extraordinary compassion and resilience demonstrated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh. Her unwavering commitment to humanitarian values became vividly apparent during the Rohingya crisis of 2017, when over 1.20 million Rohingya refugees sought refuge in Bangladesh, escaping ethnic cleansing and violence in Myanmar.





Bangladesh, under Sheikh Hasina's leadership, responded to the Rohingya crisis with unparalleled humanity. Despite being a densely populated and economically developing nation with its share of challenges, Bangladesh opened its borders to provide sanctuary to the persecuted Rohingya. However, this act of compassion was not met with proportionate support from the international community.





Providing shelter to over a million refugees posed significant challenges for Bangladesh, straining its resources and infrastructure. Sheikh Hasina's government, however, exhibited resilience and determination, delivering humanitarian assistance to the Rohingya in their time of need. The challenges were acknowledged, but they did not deter Bangladesh from fulfilling its moral and ethical obligation to protect the vulnerable.





Rohingya crisis, initially confined to the borders of Myanmar and Bangladesh, soon transcended regional boundaries, becoming a global humanitarian concern. Sheikh Hasina's exceptional response garnered international attention, prompting the global community to recognize the urgency of collective action in resolving the crisis and seeking justice for the victims.





In December 2018, the United States recognized the Rohingya situation as a "priority" and pledged to increase the number of resettlements through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) in fiscal year 2024. The U.S. Department of State emphasized the importance of third countries expanding Rohingya resettlement, highlighting the need for a comprehensive and international approach to address the crisis.





The Nobel Peace Prize has historically been awarded to individuals who significantly contribute to peace and humanity. Sheikh Hasina's unwavering dedication to providing sanctuary to the Rohingya amidst a dire humanitarian crisis embodies the spirit of peace, compassion, and humanity. Honoring her with the Nobel Peace Prize would not only acknowledge her exceptional humanitarianism but also highlight the significance of global solidarity and empathy in addressing the world's most pressing humanitarian crises.





In the face of contemporary global challenges, the Rohingya crisis underscores the urgent need for compassion, solidarity, and an unwavering commitment to humanity. Sheikh Hasina's leadership and Bangladesh's unparalleled generosity in sheltering over a million Rohingya refugees stand as a testament to enduring compassion and peace. Sheikh Hasina's humanitarian legacy is not confined to the borders of Bangladesh; it reverberates globally, urging leaders and citizens alike to recognize the importance of collective action and empathy in the pursuit of a more humane world.





Recently the 2023 Global Refugee Forum served as a platform for the United States to announce 26 unique commitments toward eight multi-stakeholder pledges, showcasing its leadership in meeting the needs of refugees and host communities during this time of historic displacement. The U.S. commitment to continue using its experience with resettling Rohingya refugees and its positions within international networks is a step toward encouraging other nations to expand or create new third-country solutions for Rohingya refugees.





The U.S. has also pledged support through its Welcome Corps at Work, a new labor mobility program for refugees, with a specific focus on Rohingya refugees gaining access to employment in the United States. This commitment not only addresses the immediate needs of the refugees but also contributes to their long-term integration and self-sufficiency.





In addition to employment opportunities, the United States has committed to supporting efforts to expand programs offering numeracy, literacy, and vocational training, as well as formal skills certification to Rohingya refugees and host communities. Engaging with the private sector to secure financial, in-kind, or technical support for these programs reflects a holistic approach to addressing the multifaceted challenges faced by the Rohingya community.





By strengthening internal coherence in humanitarian and development assistance, the United States aims to build the capacity of partners to address the unique health and protection needs of Rohingya refugees. This comprehensive approach recognizes the interconnectedness of various aspects of the refugee crisis, emphasizing the importance of a coordinated and sustained effort.





As of December 2023, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that more than 130 million people are forcibly displaced or stateless worldwide. The unprecedented increase in global forced displacement emphasizes the urgency of broadening the base of support for refugees worldwide. The United States, in reaffirming its commitment to the Global Compact on Refugees, underscores its dedication to championing refugee protection and solutions.





In the face of contemporary global challenges, Sheikh Hasina's leadership during the Rohingya crisis stands as a beacon of hope and a reminder of the importance of compassion and solidarity. The recognition of her efforts with the Nobel Peace Prize would not only honor an individual leader but also symbolize the collective responsibility of the international community to address humanitarian crises with empathy and decisive action.





The Rohingya crisis serves as a poignant reminder that in times of unprecedented displacement, compassion, and global solidarity are indispensable. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's leadership during this crisis, coupled with the international community's renewed commitment, signifies a crucial step toward a more compassionate and humane world. As we navigate the challenges of our time, the Rohingya crisis urges us to reflect on the power of empathy, cooperation, and collective action in building a better future for all.




She wasnt sure exactly when shed last had a hot meal  sometime last week, was the best Ginger Wise could recall  but Bridging RVAs annual Christmas Dinner for the community at Congregation Beth Ahabah was welcome break.

Mostly, its been snacks, she said.

Thisll be good, said her friend, Maurice McCall, bundled up in a thick jacket, several layers of clothing and a jaunty red hat, who came in with her.

Like many who joined in a 9-year-old Richmond tradition, Wise and McCall dont have a place to stay  just here and there, she said  so a hot meal and welcoming hosts on what is, for many, a particularly lonely time of year makes a big difference.

Turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, mac-and-cheese and a roll, topped off with a choice of apple, pecan or pumpkin pie, made for an especially good meal, Jason Harlow said.

I enjoyed it very much, he said, smiling in response to a written question since his hearing aid wasnt working that well.

Its a really fine meal, and people are really friendly, said Tony Johnson, after finishing his dinner and checking with the more than half dozen other diners who are among the friends hes made during his years on the streets of Richmond.

Bridging RVA has hosted Christmas Day dinners since 2014, although during the COVID-19 pandemic it pivoted from hosting the usual sit-down dinner to delivering meals to some Richmonders doorsteps.

This year, in addition to hosting the dinner, from 9 a.m. to the mid afternoon, the small nonprofit is delivering some 1,890 meals.

Bridging RVAs other community-building initiatives include its 150 Beds for 150 Kids Blitz, which delivers beds to families where children may be sleeping on the floor or on a sofa or on a chair. So far this year, it has delivered more than 170 beds; the cumulative total for this annual push is more than 1,380.

Its Rapid Responses program provides one-time help to people with a crisis need.

Bridging RVAs mission is connecting Richmond volunteers with Richmonders in need of support. Last year, it spent $34,271 on its beds blitz, $10,914 on its Christmas Dinner program, $3,445 on gift bags for teachers in Title I schools and $5,134 for its Rapid Response program to meet emergency needs for food, rent or medical care, according to its most recent filing with the Internal Revenue Service.

Its president and chairman is John Sawyer, the pastor at Bon Air Baptist Churchs James River campus in Midlothian, but its heart is the many volunteers who step up to help with its various missions.

Its kind of a family tradition, said Mitch Calhoun, one of the servers on the late morning shift. Its a way of giving back at Christmas.

And, for many, a time to reflect and give thanks  as Paul Marlow, who paused for a silent prayer before digging in.

I dont pray before every time I eat, he said. But I did this time.

Remembering the Thalhimers Department Store Toy Parade
Virginia State Police on Tuesday released the name of a motorist killed in a crash Saturday in Dinwiddie County.

Mark Antonio Chambliss, 41, of DeWitt, was driving a 2011 Toyota Camry when it ran off Route 613/White Oak Road just west of Route 1/Boydton Plank Road, police said. The car hit a culvert, overturned and struck a tree.

Chambliss died at the scene. He was wearing a seatbelt.

This crash remains under investigation.
Hidden beneath the foliage at East End Cemetery are gravestones split in half, sunken into the earth and grave markers divorced from the bodies they honor. The Richmond cemetery is littered with fallen trees and debris.

East End is not the only cemetery to find this fate. Historically, Black and African American cemeteries across Virginia have been neglected for years. The tide is just now starting to turn.

Brian Palmer is the founder of Friends of East End, an all-volunteer nonprofit established in 2017 that works to restore and maintain East End Cemetery. Manual labor, like pulling up vines and removing trash, is only half of the work.

The group also documents found headstones and researches those buried there. Students from University of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia Union University have been the main source of labor and interest, Palmer said.

Through their collaboration, they have created a digital database that maps over 3,000 graves.

We want people to be able to find their loved ones, even if they cant be physically present, he said.

Jim Crow comes down in full force

East End was founded in 1897 and Evergreen, another historically Black cemetery in the area, was founded in 1891. Civic leader and banker Maggie L. Walker is buried at Evergreen.

An estimated 15,000 people are buried at East End Cemetery. There are an estimated 10,000 plots at Evergreen Cemetery.

Churches, mutual aid societies and families once cared for the cemeteries but they fell into disrepair.

They were, you know, really quite lovely places for decades, Palmer said. And then the power of Jim Crow came down on Black people full force.

Jim Crow laws caused Black Richmonders to leave the city and others to move up from the Deep South. Palmer said this caused a disconnect between the cemetery and the community, as those who had been there since birth were replaced with outsiders.

Palmer points to the well-funded preservation of Confederate grave markers.

They have been literally invested in money and time and labor, but theres also a kind of popular significance assigned to them and that is less so with the sites that we care about, Palmer said.

Virginia lawmakers spent roughly $9 million in todays money for the care of Confederate graves since 1902, according to Smithsonian Magazine. The United Daughters of the Confederacy, a Confederate hereditary association, received state funds that were distributed to local UDC chapters and the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

This funding recently stopped, according to Stephanie Williams, deputy director of the Department of Historic Resources. The last budget to include $83,570 to the UDC was fiscal year 2022.

Del. Delores McQuinn, D-Richmond, passed a bill in 2017 that dedicated state dollars to help maintain Black cemeteries. This bill provided $5 per grave marker for African Americans buried in the East End and Evergreen cemeteries who lived between 1800 and 1900.

The scope of McQuinns bill was expanded over a few years to include historical African American cemeteries throughout the state that were established before 1948.

The states current budget allocates $250,000 toward the preservation of the cemeteries at $5 a grave, or the average actual routine maintenance, whichever is greater. Currently, there are 34 cemeteries receiving state money for preservation and care.

How to rebuild from the Enrichmond fiasco?

Enrichmond Foundation, a nonprofit group that supported the city of Richmonds Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities, acquired Evergreen Cemetery in 2017.

Enrichmond received a $400,000 grant from the Virginia Outdoors Foundation a year prior to help restore Evergreen and East End cemeteries.

But the foundation would ultimately prove to be unqualified to take care of these historic sites.

Friends of East End sounded the alarm before Enrichmond suddenly folded with hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding. The Attorney General Jason Miyares said his office is investigating, and Mayor Levar Stoney has indicated federal authorities could also be involved. There has been no update on the investigation.

Enrichmond did not have the capacity or the knowledge to do the work it committed to do, Palmer said. This is a criticism that several community organizations had from the beginning. Looking forward, Palmer hopes there can be better collaboration, something that was missing under Enrichmond.

All they had were political friends, Palmer said. And for some reason the political friends wanted to put these cemeteries in their hands.

History professor Ryan Smith has taught classes on Richmonds historic cemeteries at Virginia Commonwealth University for about a decade.

Why Enrichmond was selected for the funding, how they acquired the cemeteries, and their internal strategy was very opaque, he said.

Smith does not think the city has the resources to properly restore these sites.

The best thing that they could do would be to create a framework that allows the kind of successful volunteer operations that were working so well before Enrichmond got involved, Smith said.

The cemeteries still are under the ownership of Parity LLC, the legal entity that represented Enrichmond through its ownership of East End and Evergreen, according to Smith. The dissolution of Parity and Enrichmond makes it difficult for the city to make a legal real estate transaction, Smith said.

Smith published a book two years ago called Death and Rebirth in a Southern City: Richmonds Historic Cemeteries.

The main argument of that book was, No. 1, that the color line and the lines of race shaped every element of death and burial in the city from its founding through the 20th century, he said.

But Smith believes things are on the mend.

We may within the past generation or so, be finding ourselves in a moment where some of those older boundaries are starting to break down and people are starting to care about historical sites in ways that they had not in the past and some opportunities for preservation have opened up, he said.

Seventh District Councilwoman Cynthia Newbille has hosted community meetings about the future of the cemeteries.

This was the first time in the better part of a decade where people felt that they were genuinely being heard, according to Peighton Young, co-chair of the Descendants Council. The Richmond-based group advocates on behalf of descendants of historic Black cemeteries in the area.

Right now its more of a group effort to try to rectify the consequences of Enrichmonds behavior, as well as to address the issues that actually allowed Enrichmond to, you know, mistreat those cemeteries for as long as they did, Young said.

Preservers of the Daughters of Zion Cemetery

As a little girl, Bernadette Whitsett-Hammond visited her ancestors buried at Daughters of Zion Cemetery in Charlottesville every Memorial Day. The cemetery was built in 1873. Prominent African American figures in Charlottesville were interred there and family and community members maintained the plots.

Like many other cemeteries of its kind, the Daughters of Zion Cemetery fell into disrepair when families moved away and died out.

The city did not take over maintenance of the cemetery because it was owned privately by the namesake organization that disbanded in the 1930s, according to Whitsett-Hammond, a retired school psychologist and Charlottesville native.

Charlottesville declared the cemetery abandoned in the early 1970s and assumed responsibility for its upkeep.

The Preservers of the Daughters of Zion Cemetery formed in 2015. Whitsett-Hammond is a member. They repaired a number of grave markers and deployed ground penetrating radar to unearth burials sunken over time.

I think it was around 300 initially, and now were well past that, said Edwina St. Rose, a retired administrative judge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Rose is a descendant of those interred at the cemetery.

Their improvements have sparked curiosity in the community, St. Rose said.

The preservers of the cemetery feel supported, but recognize the need for more resources to overcome years of mismanagement.

By the time people get involved and want to make that effort, the needs are so great for these cemeteries because theyve been neglected so long, Whitsett-Hammond said. A lot of times what funds are available really are a drop in the bucket for what really needs to be done.

African-American Historical Society of Portsmouth

Mount Calvary Cemetery Complex in Portsmouth opened in 1879 and was closed in 1964. The 13-acre complex includes Mount Calvary and Mount Olive cemeteries, in addition to Fishers Hill and a potters field where the poor were buried without headstones.

We had grass probably as tall as we are, said Dinah Walters, co-chair and member of the African-American Historical Society of Portsmouth.

The historical society got involved with the cemetery in the 1980s and has handled research and restoration.

Usually if they did set aside some land for African-American cemeteries, its probably going to be the worst land that somebody didnt want, Walters said.

The city of Portsmouth took over maintenance in 2019. The citys responsibilities include cutting down trees, picking up trash and taking care of the cemetery plots.

Charles Johnson, president of the society, called this basic maintenance.

When it comes to the actual markers, the grave (sites) and so forth, there is no direct city involvement, Johnson said.

The cemetery did get help when the state expanded funding for African American cemeteries. They get $5 for each of the 266 graves. That funding is not enough to alleviate the problems, according to Johnson.

The area is flooding, its eroding, the graves are sinking, Johnson said. The markers are just going to go farther into the ground.

Mount Calvary also received help to repair the stone markers of deceased military personnel at a discounted price.

Portsmouth deemed Mount Calvary a city cemetery in June 2023. This means it will receive a portion of the $50,000 allocated to the Cemetery Perpetual Care Fund.

That $50,000 applies to the maintenance, and thats been an ongoing issue, Johnson said.

Mount Calvarys history has been plagued with racism, like many other historically African American cemeteries.

The cemetery experienced a lot of vandalism in the 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement as it was in a predominantly white neighborhood during this time.

They just toppled stones, they broke stones, they did so much damage to the area and thats when the cemetery really started to go down, Johnson said.

The wrought iron that surrounded the family plots and entrances to the cemetery, as well as urns and shells honoring the deceased, were taken. Currently, the cemetery is dealing with flooding issues because of its low altitude, a common issue with many historical Black cemeteries, according to Johnson.

The group is waiting for a grant from the city to help alleviate the issue.

Mismanagement will only continue unless community members see saving their local, historic cemeteries as a reason to contact their representatives and demand collective action, Johnson said.

My grandfather told me, if you put your ear to the shell you can hear the sea, Walters said. When you die, the seashell will take you back home. That was an old tradition.

Conch shells used to be scattered around the cemetery, Walters said. There are only two left.

From the archives: 65 photos of Richmond in the 1930s
Search continues for last fishermen of capsized Costa Maya vessel

Costa Maya, Q.R.  An air search has begun for the body of the remaining missing fisherman after a boat capsize Saturday. The Secretaria de Seguridad Ciudadana (SSC) of Quintana Roo spent the weekend air searching for the local mans body in the Zaragoza canal.

The body of one of the two missing fishermen was found over the weekend, however, the body of the second missing man has not yet been located.

A total of five men were dumped into canal waters Saturday afternoon when strong winds overturned their fishing boat. Another nearby boat saw the overturned vessel and called for help.

A Navy search quickly located three fishermen alive. The body of one was recovered later that day, however, the body of the last missing man has yet to be found. The accident happened in Costa Maya near the coastal area of Xcalak.

Authorities carry out an aerial search for the last missing fisherman. Photo: SSC December 25, 2023.

In a brief statement, the SSC said the SSC, Secretary of the Navy and the Rural Police carried out a coordinated operation in the search and rescue of five fishermen who were missing with their boat in the Zaragoza canal in the municipality of Othon P. Blanco.

So far three survivors, one deceased and one missing person have been confirmed.

The search is carried out with the help of the Bell helicopter and a Navy boat, which stayed overnight in Xcalak. The operation will continue Tuesday morning due to visibility conditions. The Rural Police unit transferred the rescued people to Mahahual.
Suspect arrested in murder of Othon P. Blanco ranch hand

Othon P. Blanco, Q.R.  Police have detained a man wanted for a recent murder that took place in the town of Huay-Pix. On Monday, police executed an arrest warrant against Roger Alberto N for his probable participation in events possibly constituting the crime of aggravated homicide of a male victim, the FGE reported.

In a statement, the FGE (Fiscalia General Del Estado) said the first acts of investigation indicate that the events occurred on December 15 of this year, on a ranch in the town of Huay-Pix located south of the state where the detainee and the victim worked.

During an investigation, police gathered evidence from the ranch that included two bags of crack cocaine and a gun believed to be the murder weapon.

The evidence was collected at the time of the arrest of the accused, the FGE detailed.

Roger Alberto N has been transferred to the Chetumal Social Reintegration Center (prison) where he remains.
(Photo : Unsplash/ Tolgahan Akbulut)

X, previously known as Twitter, must face a lawsuit from employees asking for a verbally promised $5 million in 2022, which the judge refused to dismiss on Friday.

Mark Schobinger, X's former senior director of compensation, filed a lawsuit in a San Francisco federal court seeking class-action status for 2,000 current and former X employees who didn't get their 2022 bonuses with damages exceeding $5 million. A federal judge recently found Schobinger's case plausible and allowed it to proceed, stating in a three-page opinion, "Twitter's offer to pay him a bonus in return became a binding contract under California law."

Breach of Contract

According to the lawsuit, the former Twitter CFO Ned Segal repeatedly assured Schobinger and other employees that they would receive 50% of their targeted bonus as per the company's bonus plan, which is based on the overall financial performance of the company if they stayed with the company until the first quarter of 2023. Despite Schobinger regularly getting job offers from recruiters, he declined them due to the promised payout. However, when the usual bonus payment period passed in March, no employees received any part of their promised bonus, and Schobinger filed the lawsuit for breach of contract in June.

Having disbanded its public relations team, X did not reply to CNN's request for comment, arguing that an oral promise shouldn't be binding and suggested the case should be heard in Texas. However, the judge stated that California law applies in contract enforcement matters. Since Elon Musk acquired the company and reduced its workforce by more than half, X has faced numerous lawsuits from former employees and executives. The claims include discrimination against older employees, women, and workers with disabilities, as well as failure to provide advance notice of mass layoffs, which X constantly denies.

READ ALSO: Tesla's Labor Dispute Escalates; Nordic Policy Expert Hired Amid Collective Bargaining Standoff

Before Musk acquired X, company executives assured employees multiple times that 2022 bonuses would be paid at 50% of the target, per the complaint. This promise continued even after Musk's acquisition. Despite the promises, X did not fulfill the commitment to pay out bonuses, as per the lawsuit, until Schobinger left the company in May, as stated in the complaint.

The June complaint mentioned that after Musk announced acquiring the social media company in April, many employees raised concerns about the future of their compensation and annual bonus when the deal closed.

Series of Legal Disputes

Schobinger's lawsuit is part of a series of legal disputes between X and its former employees, arising from Elon Musk's layoffs of thousands of Twitter staff shortly after taking over the company. Following November, over 2,200 arbitration cases were filed against X by employees claiming the new leadership didn't pay the promised severance. Some former employees have sued, highlighting a clause in the sale agreement with Musk that was meant to protect employees by ensuring comparable severance during the post-merger period. Another class action lawsuit, filed by ex-employees, alleges the company owes up to $500 million in unpaid severance for the nearly 5,000 laid-off staffers since November.

RELATED ARTICLE: 58% Swedes Stand Firmly Behind Workers' Strike, Urges Tesla to Reassess Collective Bargaining Stance

 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
By now youre acquainted with the annual Dano Awards for Glaring Public Stupidity. Theyre known around the commonwealth as the Nobel Prizes for Numbskulls. Fittingly, theyre named after your humble columnist, who earned at least one in 2023.

To avoid keep readers in suspense, lets jump right into those honors. The first goes to Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who wins Best Worst Political Strategy of 2023, for the governors brilliant, poll-tested campaign for a 15-week abortion ban in Virginia.

That was supposed to attract enough blue voters into the red camp to help the GOP capture the state Senate. Which wouldve catapulted Youngkin into the 2024 presidential primaries, as a purple state-tested GOP alternative to Donald Trump.

Sadly, things didnt go according to the inexperienced governors plan.

Youngkin failed to grasp that much of the Republican base flatly regards abortion as murder. To them, his proposal looked like a 15-week open season on baby-killing. Those voters stayed home for Novembers election.

And instead of the GOP capturing the Senate from Democrats, the Democrats captured the House from the Republicans, oops. Beginning in January, Democrats will control both legislative chambers.

And Youngkin will be sharpening his veto pencil  instead of filing papers to run for president.

***

One of the prominent honorees this year is a renowed local jurist, Circuit Judge Onzlee Ware. Before his 2014 appointment to the bench Ware was a Democrat representing Roanoke in the House of Delegates.

The big question is, where is Onzlee? Nobody has seen him at Roanokes courthouse for months. Hes been a no-show since Sept. 12. That was shortly after a lawyer for a convicted murderer, Timothy Church, filed court papers challenging Churchs conviction for killing Roanoke motel owner Ishvarlal Patel.

At least on paper, Ware was totally uninvolved in deciding the charges against Church. But this year, Church alleged in a habeus corpus petition that Ware extorted Churchs mom for sex during her sons murder case.

In a declaration included with Churchs filing, his mom alleged Ware told her that her son would receive a seven-year sentence if she retained a particular attorney  which she did. She said also Ware told her not to worry about her son because Ware was friends with the judge on the case.

Church ended up getting 40 years. And Ware has been incommunicado since the story broke.

Apparently, hes still one of five judges in Virginias 23rd Judicial Circuit. But as a result of Wares recent absences, his caseload has been reassigned to the other four judges. Now theyre working harder than ever.

Is Ware working at all? Is he still cashing his state paychecks? That remains unclear. Either way, Ware wins the Dano award for Best Disappearance by a Circuit Court Judge.

***

If you believe political party loyalty is more important than truthfulness, youll be interested in the following Dano Award. It concerns former Rep. George Santos.

In 2022, the New York Republican won an open seat from Long Island  after lying about most of his background and allegedly defrauding campaign contributors. Those chickens came home to roost shortly after the election.

Now, Santos is facing federal felony charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, false statements, falsification of records, aggravated identity theft and credit card fraud. Among his alleged victims on the latter charge were relatives of fellow Republicans in Congress.

Santos refused to resign his seat. Ultimately, the bipartisan House Ethics Committee took the rare step of recommending his expulsion. That occurred Dec. 1, when 206 Democrats and 105 Republicans voted to kick Santos out of Congress.

Voting to keep Santos in Congress were Reps. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, Ben Cline, R-Botetourt; and Bob Good, R-Campbell. For that, the tricky trio triumphantly wins the Dano for Stalwartly Sticking By a Lying Lawmaker.

***

Good deserves a bit of extra credit with that award. Because unlike Clines and Griffiths offices, Goods staff did not ignore a simple question from your humble scribe as to why Good voted to retain Santos.

Heres the Freedom Caucus leaders full 126-word explanation:

The allegations against former Rep. Santos are serious. However, expelling a Member of Congress overturns the will of the voters in that district, so it should not be carried out unless the accused is afforded full due process. Unfortunately, by expelling Rep. Santos prior to a conviction in a court of law, let alone a full Ethics Committee process, the House set a dangerous precedent that could be used against members of Congress who may be accused of unfounded charges by rogue prosecutors in the future. I joined the bipartisan opposition against the expulsion of Rep. Santos, including fellow Virginian Rep. Bobby Scott, because I could not in good conscience vote to overturn an election without due process in the House and a conviction in court.

For that, Good earns a Dano Award in the category, Best Argument to Keep a Lying Sack of You-Know-What in the House of Representatives.

***

The Dano for Least Credulous Testimony in a Criminal Trial goes to state Del. Marie March, the rootin, tootin, cowboy bootin and assault accusin Floyd Republican.

Court-ordered redistricting for the 2023 elections cast the Donald Trump-adoring businesswoman into the same district as Trump-loving GOP Del. Wren Williams, a Patrick County lawyer. (Both were 2020 election deniers.)

In the fall of 2022, March claimed Williams deliberately slammed into her as he exited a Republican dinner in Wytheville. She filed assault charges. Williams said he accidentally bumped March and apologized on the spot.

Williams wasnt taking any chances on the outcome, though. To defend him, he hired noted death-penalty attorney Jimmy Turk. The case went to trial early in January, and certain wags compared it to the hit comedy movie My Cousin Vinny, or Saturday-morning Roadrunner cartoons.

Becky Moore, a retired judge from Northern Virginia, was brought in to hear the case because active jurists in Wythe County  who are appointed by state lawmakers  wanted nothing to do with it.

Moore found the state hadnt proved Williams actions were deliberate, which was the crux of the case. Afterward, March suggested on social media that the fix was in.

Judges are appointed by politicians and the Swamp is deep, folks, she wrote. Our country is in a sad state of affairs.

In a little more than a week, March will be known as ex-delegate  a title she richly deserves.

***

Theres only one local pol who deserves the 2023 Dano Award for Most Amazing Political Transmogrification. That would be David Bowers, who served three mayoral terms as a Democrat and one as an independent.

Bowers fell short in his last independent bid for city council in 2022, when three council seats were up for election. He finished seventh of nine candidates, pulling about 8% of the vote.

In September, Bowers announced that his political overhaul was finally complete, and that hes now a loyal Republican. To emphasize that point, Bowers posed for a picture with his wife, Margarita, and Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Now, with Mayor Sherman Lea planning to retire, it appears Bowers will run for mayor once again, this time under the Republican banner in 2024.

Will Bowers seek the endorsement of Donald Trump, who appears increasingly likely to lead the national Republican ticket in 2024?

Or will the former mayor, well aware that Joe Biden smoked Trump in the last two presidential elections in Roanoke, seek to avoid Trumps endorsement at all costs?

Stay tuned, thatll be fun to see.

***

This year were presenting a new category of the Dano Award for Freedom from Rainbows. Most deservedly, that goes to Roanoke County civil rights leader Damon Gettier.

The local Realtors public campaign against LGBTQA decorations in Roanoke County schools launched in May. That month, Gettier delivered a blistering, 4-minute, 30-second address to the county school board.

Under normal circumstances, board members tolerate only 3 minutes of advice, per speaker, from citizens. But what Gettier said was not normal. His speech echoed the QAnon crowd.

He lambasted child abuse, grooming and indoctrination by sexual predators disguised as teachers and staff at Glen Cove Elementary (which Gettiers son attends). By job position, he cited four employees, claiming they were bent on indoctrinating our children on LGBTQA, and not on reading, writing and arithmetic.

As evidence, Gettier displayed three Glen Cove yearbook photos of staff members wearing rainbow accessories, and another photo of a multi-colored sign outside a classroom trailer. The latter bore the message, EVERYONE WELCOME.

Who approved that? Gettier asked school board members, as if the photos depicted something grotesque or deviant. Who thought those pictures were appropriate?

Seven months have passed. Not one board member has publicly rebutted those broadsides. Nor has any board member publicly defended Glen Cove staff from Gettiers lurid accusations.

Meanwhile, in the summer, the school board enacted a new policy that forbade sociopolitical and religious decorations in Roanoke County schools. Now, Pride flags are officially banned. So are rainbow images unless theyre related to specific lessons.

***

The Roanoke County School Board gets its own award in 2023.

Going back to the American Revolution, nobody ever got arrested at Roanoke County School Board meetings. That changed in 2023, around the time the school board banned rainbows from classrooms.

The result was three arrests for disruptions at two successive school board meetings last summer. Augusts meeting featured almost as many armed cops as unarmed citizens.

Now Roanoke County School Board meetings are action-packed and exciting. Theyre such hot tickets that residents must sign up hours in advance to address the board.

For that, the school board earns the Dano Award in the category, Most Exciting Gatherings by a Once-Boring Public Body. Lets all cross our fingers and hope education doesnt suffer, eh?

***

This year we have a new and eyebrow-raising category, the Dano for Extraordinary Political Transparency by a Virginia Politician. That goes to Henrico County Democrat Susanna Gibson, who sought election to an open House of Delegates seat using an unprecedented and novel campaign technique.

Like most pols, Gibson wore clothes to her public appearances. But she also campaigned more privately in her birthday suit, on a live-streaming sex site, while making whoopie with her husband. She promised those viewers their donations would go to a good cause.

Its safe to say that no Virginia pol has ever bared more. Despite that  or perhaps because of it  Gibson lost the race.

After the votes were counted, I misread the results on the Virginia Board of Elections website, and declared Gibson had barely won. Duh!

I can defend the barely part, but not the incorrect outcome. So the Dano Award for Most Embarrassing Election Error of 2023 goes to me.

Thats a wrap on the year, folks. But fret not, the competition for the 2024 Dano Awards for Glaring Public Stupidity begins in only a week!
MARTINSVILLE  A Floyd County man has been charged with driving while under the influence and other offenses related to a Dec. 16 head-on collision on Virginia 8 in Patrick County that left two teenagers with life-threatening injuries.

Oscar Eduardo Vidrio, 30, formerly of Martinsville, also was charged with permanent maiming of another while driving under the influence, maiming with serious injury while driving under the influence, driving while license is suspended or revoked and reckless driving, according to a news release from Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith.

Micah Underwood, 16, of Floyd and his girlfriend, Lauren Worley, 17, of Patrick County, were struck head-on by a vehicle driven by Vidrio. Underwoood told police that he had just rounded a turn on Virginia 8 at 9:35 p.m. when he met an oncoming vehicle in his lane.

Family and rescue personnel located the crash with the use of Life360, an app on Worleys phone, that gave specific information about the location of the crash.

Worley, Underwood and Vidrio were all flown by AirCare to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

Underwood suffered a broken leg and broken arm and underwent surgery for his injuries.

Worley was trapped in the vehicle and rescue workers used a hydraulic rescue tool, to free her. Her family said Worley suffered severe forehead brain trauma, a broken jaw, a damaged carotid artery, broken femur, bruised lungs and a cut spleen.

Shannon Wood, the organizer of a GoFundMe account to help pay for the cost of Worleys medical expenses, wrote in an update on Dec. 24 that Worleys condition was slightly improved. As of Dec. 26, $31,462 had been raised toward a goal of $25,000.

Smith said in the release that the crash was investigated by Virginia State Trooper Joe Hylton and that Vidrio was born in Mexico. The extent of Vidrios injuries was not disclosed.

Vidrio was convicted in Danville General District Court in November 2014 of driving without a license, and in Martinsville General District Court in December 2014 of driving with an expired registration, and in January 2018 of driving with a revoked or suspended license, failure to have a vehicle inspected and speeding, according to the Virginia Judiciary Online Case Information System. He is currently being held in the Patrick County Jail without bond.
FLORENCE, S.C.  Ellison Outen, a veteran of World War II who nearly starved to death in a German prisoner of war camp, turned 100 years old on Saturday.

A party was thrown for him by the staff of Veteran Village, where Outen is a resident. When he spoke with the Morning News about the occasion on Nov. 29, he said he was very excited to see his friends.

I prayed that Id reach 100. Its real special to me, he said. I thank the Lord. Hes taken care of me.

Outen.jpg Decorations from Outens party on Saturday.

Teresa Jowers, director of activities for Veteran Village, said Outen is the homes oldest resident but is still mentally sound and clearly remembers details from his past.

To pass the time, Outen enjoys painting landscapes and listening to the news, she said. He also frequently talks to the other veterans at the home, swapping stories of their past.

One story he often tells is about his time as a prisoner of war. He said the experience was like going to hell and back.

Outen told the full story to the Morning News in August 2022. He was one of the first 18-year-olds to be drafted, he said at the time.

It was in Italy on Feb. 23, 1944, that he was captured by German forces. He said he was taken to Rome and forced into a crowded movie studio, where the prisoners barely had room to stand.

Outen 2.JPG (copy) In this file photo from 2022, Ellison Outen shows photos of his life as a soldier in World War II and a veteran in South Carolina.

They had to use their steel helmets to drink from and to use the restroom in, Outen said.

For two weeks he was held there. During that time, most got sick from the lack of water and food.

The German soldiers would taunt the prisoners by breaking off crumbs of bread or throwing it in the mud and forcing the prisoners to eat it, according to Outen.

The worst thing in the world is to starve a human being, he said on Nov. 29. People waste food. We waste more food than the world consumes.

According to Jowers, Outen has never met a stranger. She said that when Outen was a prisoner of war and the Germans would force him to do work outside the studio, he met a little German girl who would come and watch the prisoners work.

He would speak to her, and they made a connection, she said. After he got out of the military, well after the war, he actually went back and made contact with her, and they still have contact with each other to this day.

That little German girl he met during his lowest point, now a grown woman, still sends him cards monthly.

Outens two children are devoted to him as well, according to Jowers. She said they visit him frequently.

He spent most of his life in Chesterfield County, where he was born. Jowers said he loved to hunt and fish, but is not able to get out much anymore.

As a devout Methodist, Outen still attends church service at the village.

Even at his age and with his experiences, Outen is still a very happy go-lucky person, according to Jowers.

What else can I say? Hes just remarkable, she said.
Seguin, TX (78155)

Today

Areas of patchy fog early. Mostly cloudy early, then sunshine for the afternoon. High 74F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear with gusty winds developing late. Low 51F. S winds shifting to W at 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
Tuas Incineration Plant. (PHOTO: Singapore Civil Defence Force/Facebook)

SINGAPORE  The National Environment Agency (NEA) and two of its employees have been charged with workplace safety offences on Tuesday (26 December), following an explosion at the Tuas Incineration Plant (TIP) in 2021. This explosion resulted in the death of two lives and caused injuries to another employee.

The charges issued by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) allege that NEA had failed to take necessary safety measures to ensure the safety and well-being of its employees while at work.

These alleged oversights are claimed to have directly contributed to the fatal incident involving TIP employees Kwok Yeow Wai and Wee Eng Leng. The lapses in safety protocols also resulted in injuries to Low Yin Choon, as reported by The Straits Times.

According to NEA, Christopher Lee Yew Binn, who was the divisional director of the waste infrastructure operations and management division of NEA at the time, and Ng Wah Yong, the then-general manager of TIP, have each received one charge under the Workplace Safety and Health Act.

NEA: Deaths continue to be deeply felt

Following the charges brought against them, NEA stated through a media statement on Tuesday that it would study the charge with its legal counsel.

"The incident at the TIP resulted in the deaths of two NEA officers. Their passing continues to be deeply felt by the NEA community. A third NEA officer who suffered serious injuries during the incident has since recovered and returned to work," the agency said in its statement.

The agency emphasised its full cooperation with MOM during the investigations into the incident. However, due to the ongoing legal proceedings, NEA refrained from providing further comments.

Lee and Ng remain employed by NEA, but have been reassigned to non-operational roles while awaiting the legal proceedings' outcome.

The TIP (Tuas Incineration Plant) was decommissioned in 2022, and its operations were taken over by a facility named TuasOne.

What happened during the Tuas plant explosion?

The explosion at the Tuas Avenue 20 plant occurred on 23 September 2021. MOM had said in a media release then that the control room at the plant was unable to remotely switch off an industrial fan.

Story continues

The three NEA officers were tasked with addressing the issue and were working inside an electrical switch room when the explosion happened. One of the men was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other two suffered burn injuries. Despite being taken to the hospital, one of them died three days later.

According to ST, NEA stated that all three men were experienced senior members of the plant's electrical maintenance branch, each with over 35 years of service.

The TIP (Tuas Incineration Plant) was decommissioned in 2022, and its operations were taken over by a facility named TuasOne. (PHOTO: Screengrab/Google Maps)

NEA's charge and individuals' accountability

According to the charge details stated in the MOM statement, NEA allegedly failed to ensure that the permit-to-work system, implemented for high-voltage switchgear racking works, adhered to prevailing regulations. Furthermore, it allegedly failed to adequately implement control measures or establish safe work procedures for these operations.

Ng faced charges for multiple acts of negligence, including the failure to ensure that the permit-to-work system met regulatory standards. On the other hand, Lee was charged specifically for approving a permit-to-work system that did not align with the required regulations.

The legal filings mentioned that the actions of these two individuals negligently endangered the safety of others at the plant without reasonable cause.

Court adjournment and potential ramifications for NEA, Lee, and Ng

ST reported that Senior Counsel Jason Chan from Allen and Gledhill is NEA's legal representation. Lee and Ng are represented by Laura Yeo and Stephania Wong from Rajah and Tann, respectively.

During a court session on Tuesday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Agnes Chan stated that the prosecution was prepared for a plea. However, the lawyers representing NEA, Lee, and Ng did not state any plea, and requested an eight-week adjournment instead to confirm instructions from their clients regarding the case.

The next court hearing is scheduled for 20 February 2024.

In the event of a conviction, NEA could face a fine of up to $500,000. If found guilty, Lee and Ng could face penalties of up to $30,000 in fines or a maximum imprisonment term of two years, respectively.

Following the charges, Minister of Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu announced that she will deliver a ministerial statement addressing the incident and the charges in the next Parliament sitting in January.

Do you have a story tip? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com.

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SIOUX CITY  South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem will travel to neighboring Iowa to stump for former President Donald Trump next week in Sioux City.

Noem will headline a Team Trump Iowa MAGA Event on Jan. 3 at Country Celebrations Center, 5606 Hamilton Blvd. Doors open at 6 p.m., with the program starting at 7 p.m.

Up to two tickets each are available on a first-come, first-serve basis by registering at www.donaldjtrump.com/events.

Noem, a two-term Republican governor, has been widely mentioned as a potential running mate for Trump in his bid to return to the White House.

Iowa's GOP governor, Kim Reynolds, has endorsed and has been campaigning for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis -- one of Trump's chief rivals in the Hawkeye state's Jan. 15 caucuses, the first test of the presidential nominating season.

Noem's visit to Sioux City, the largest city in western Iowa, comes just two days before Trump himself is set to campaign on the campus of Dordt University in nearby Sioux Center.

Trump last stopped in Sioux City on Oct. 29 during a campaign rally at the Orpheum Theatre.

Trump, who lost the 2016 Iowa caucuses to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz but rebounded to win the nomination and presidency, is leading his primary challengers in Iowa by double digits in polling averages. The latest from the FiveThirtyEight data website shows Trump ahead of DeSantis by 30.9 points and 33.9 points in front of Nikki Haley, his former U.N. ambassador.
SIOUX CITY -- It may have been hard to tell while bundled up in a winter coat to protect against snow and ice on Christmas day, but temperatures actually were warmer than expected.

Those extra few degrees helped precipitation in the Sioux City area fall as rain or ice rather than snow, preventing the higher snow accumulations seen in Siouxland's western areas, where temperatures didn't rise.

"That just really knocked down the snow totals," said Philip Schumacher, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls.

Sioux City received 1.5 inches of snow Monday on top of the inch or so of rain that fell Saturday and Sunday. In addition to the snow, Sioux City receive ice and freezing rain that made traveling challenging much of Monday.

With just a few flurries and sprinkles overnight and Tuesday morning, road and street conditions were returning to normal in the metro area.

Sioux City field services manager Patrick Simons said street crews worked all day on Christmas and overnight Monday and would be out all day Tuesday and into the night if necessary to make sure all streets are cleared. As of Tuesday morning, major streets were clear, and crews were making progress in residential areas.

Sioux City lifted its snow emergency, which had gone into effect Monday evening, at 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Normal winter driving conditions in Northwest Iowa were reported by the Iowa Department of Transportation.

Conditions remain a little more iffy in parts of South Dakota and Nebraska that received more snow. Vermillion, South Dakota, received 6 inches. Nebraska snow totals included 6.5 inches in Ponca, 7.5 inches in St. Helena and 9 inches in Bloomfield. Gusty winds Monday led to blowing and drifting snow across western Siouxland.

As a result, much of northeast Nebraska and southeast South Dakota reported highways as partially covered. Roads in Dakota County in Nebraska were listed as seasonal, and traffic cameras showed wet pavement, but otherwise normal driving conditions.

Siouxlanders will need to wait another day for this stubborn weather system to move out of the area. Schumacher said Sioux City could see flurries today and flurries and freezing drizzle overnight and into Wednesday afternoon. Not much accumulation is expected, he said, but even slight freezing drizzle can lead to patchy ice on roads.

The weather system that entered the region on Saturday will finally begin to move out late Wednesday and early Thursday, when skies are expected to begin clearing and the high temperatures are expected in the low 30s.

"It definitely has been a long system," Schumacher said. "It's not moving very quickly. It just parked itself over the central U.S."

Sunny skies and temperatures in the low 30s are forecast for Friday.
Cydney Wallace, a Black Jewish community activist, never felt compelled to travel to Israel, though Next year in Jerusalem was a constant refrain at her Chicago synagogue.

The 39-year-old said she had plenty to focus on at home, where she frequently gives talks on addressing anti-Black sentiment in the American Jewish community and dismantling white supremacy in the U.S.

I know what Im fighting for here, she said.

That all changed when she visited Israel and the West Bank at the invitation of a Palestinian American community activist, along with two dozen other Black Americans and Muslim, Jewish and Christian faith leaders.

The trip, which began Sept. 26, enhanced Wallaces understanding of the struggles of Palestinians living in the West Bank under Israeli military occupation. But, horrifyingly, it was cut short by the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas militants. In Israels ensuing bombardment of the Gaza Strip, shocking images of destruction and death seen around the world have mobilized activists in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Wallace, and a growing number of Black Americans, see the Palestinian struggle in the West Bank and Gaza reflected in their own fight for racial equality and civil rights. The recent rise of protest movements against police brutality in the U.S. has connected Black and Palestinian activists under a common cause.

But that kinship sometimes strains the more than century-long alliance between Black and Jewish activists. Some Jewish Americans are concerned that support could escalate the threat of antisemitism and weaken Jewish-Black ties fortified during the Civil Rights Movement.

We are concerned, as a community, about what we feel is a lack of understanding of what Israel is about and how deeply Oct. 7 has affected us, said Bob Kaplan, executive director of The Center for Shared Society at the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York.

Antisemitism is as real to the American Jewish community, and causes as much trauma and fear and upset to the American Jewish community, as racism causes to the Black community. 

But, he added, many Jews in the U.S. understand that Black Americans can have an affinity for the Palestinian cause that doesnt conflict with their regard for Israel.

According to a poll earlier this month from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, Black adults were more likely than white and Hispanic adults to say the U.S. is too supportive of Israel  44% compared to 30% and 28%, respectively. However, Black Americans werent any more likely than others to say the U.S. is not supportive enough of the Palestinians.

Still, Black American support for the Palestinian cause dates back to the Civil Rights Movement. More recent rounds of violence in the Middle East have deepened ties between the two movements.

During a weeklong truce between Israel and Hamas as part of the recent deal to free dozens of hostages seized by Hamas militants, Israel released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

Some Black Americans who watched the Palestinian prisoner release and learned about Israels administrative detention policy, where detainees are held without trial, drew comparisons to racial inequality in the U.S. prison system.

Rami Nashashibi, a Palestinian American community organizer on Chicagos south side, invited Wallace and the others to take part in the trip called Black Jerusalem  an exploration of the sacred city through an African and Black American lens.

My Palestinian identity was very much shaped and influenced by Black American history, Nashashibi said.

I always hoped that a trip like this would open up new pathways that would connect the dots not just in a political and ideological way, but between the liberation and struggles for humanity that are very familiar to us in the U.S., he said.

During the trip, Wallace was dismayed by her own ignorance of the reality of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. In observing the treatment of Palestinians at Israeli checkpoints, she drew comparisons to what segregation historically looked like in the U.S.

Being there made me wonder if this is what it was like to live in the Jim Crow-era in America, Wallace said.

Over the last decade, Black Americans and the Palestinians have also found growing solidarity.

In 2020, the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer resonated in the West Bank, where Palestinians drew comparisons to their own experiences of brutality under occupation, and a massive mural of Floyd appeared on Israels hulking separation barrier.

In 2016, when BLM activists formed the coalition known as the Movement for Black Lives, they included support for Palestinians in a platform called the Vision for Black Lives. A handful of Jewish groups, which had largely been supportive of the BLM movement, denounced the Black activists characterization of Israel as a purportedly apartheid state.

None of the members of the Black Jerusalem trip anticipated it would come to a tragic end with the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in which some 1,200 people were killed in Israel and about 240 taken hostage. Since then, more than 18,700 Palestinians have been killed in Israels blistering air and ground campaign in Gaza, now in its third month. Violence in the West Bank has also surged.

Back home in Chicago, Wallace has navigated speaking about her support for Palestinians while maintaining her Jewish identity and standing against antisemitism. She says she doesnt see those things as mutually exclusive.

Im trying not to do anything that alienates anyone, she said. But I cant just not do the right thing because Im scared.
ATLANTA  Its unclear to Tameka how  or even when  her children became unenrolled from Atlanta Public Schools. But it was traumatic when, in fall 2021, they figured out it had happened.

After more than a year of online learning, students were all required to come back to school. Tameka was skeptical the schools could keep her kids safe from COVID-19. One morning, in a test run, she sent two kids to school.

Her oldest daughter, then in seventh grade, and her second youngest, a boy entering first grade, boarded buses. She had yet to register the youngest girl, who was entering kindergarten. And her older son, a boy with Down syndrome, stayed home because she wasnt sure he could mask.

After a few hours, one school called: Come pick up your son, they told her. He was no longer enrolled.

Around lunchtime, the other called: Come get your daughter, they told her. She doesnt have a class schedule.

Tamekas children  all four of them  have been home ever since.

Thousands of students went missing from American classrooms during the pandemic. For some who have tried to return, a serious problem has presented itself. Onerous re-enrollment requirements, arcane paperwork and the everyday obstacles of poverty are preventing those children from going back.

One of the biggest problems that we have is kids that are missing and chronic absenteeism, says Pamela Herd, a Georgetown University public policy professor. Im really taken aback that a district would set forth a series of policies that make it actually quite difficult to enroll.

In Atlanta, where Tameka lives, parents must present at least eight documents to enroll their children. One of them  a complicated certificate evaluating a childs health  is required by the state. Most of the others are Atlantas doing, including Social Security cards and a notarized residency affidavit.

The district asks for proof of residency for existing students every year at some schools, and also before sixth and ninth grades, to prevent students from attending schools outside of their neighborhoods. The policy also allows the district to request residency proof after an extended absence. Without that proof, families say their children have been disenrolled.

Tamekas kids have essentially been out of school since COVID hit in March 2020. (Tameka is her middle name. The AP is withholding her full name because she runs the risk of jail time or losing custody since her kids arent in school.)

Tamekas partner died of a heart attack in May 2020. His death left her overwhelmed and penniless. Tameka never graduated from high school and has never gotten a drivers license. But her partner worked construction and had a car.

Suddenly, she had four kids to care for by herself, with only government cash assistance to live on. Because her kids were home during the early days of COVID, she couldnt work.

When Tamekas children didnt return to school, she also worried about the attention from the child welfare department. She says staff visited her in spring 2021 after the school reported her childrens absences.

The social workers interviewed the children, then said theyd be back to set her up with resources. For more than two years, she says, they never came back.

When the kids missed 10 straight days of school that fall, the district removed them from its rolls, citing a state regulation. Tameka now had to re-enroll them.

Suddenly, another tragedy of her partners death became painfully obvious. He was carrying all the familys important documents in his backpack when he died. It was never found.

Slowly, Tameka has tried to replace the missing documents. She says it took more than a year to get Medicaid cards to take her children to the doctor for the health verifications and immunizations the school requires.

When she called for a doctors appointment in October, the office said the soonest they could see her children was December.

She also needs to show the school her own identification and a new lease, plus the notarized affidavit. Its a lot.

Tameka says no one from the district has offered her guidance.

The only face-to-face meeting was in October 2021, when Tameka sent her kids on the bus, only to learn they werent enrolled. A staffer wrote: Student lost father in May 2020 and only other barrier is uniforms.

Our Student Services Team went above and beyond to help this family, wrote Atlanta communications director Seth Coleman.

In some cities, even during the pandemic, school staff checked on families in person. In Atlanta, Coleman said, the district avoided in-person contact because of COVID.

To many observers, Tamekas troubles stem from Atlantas rapid gentrification. The city, known for its Black professional class, also boasts the countrys largest wealth disparity between Black and white families.

It looks good from the curb, but when you get inside you see that Black and brown people are worse off economically than in West Virginia, says Frank Brown, who heads Communities in Schools of Atlanta, which runs dropout-prevention programs.

They make it so damned hard, says Kimberly Dukes, an Atlanta parent who co-founded an organization to help families advocate for their children.

On a typical school day, Tamekas children sleep late and stay inside watching television.

The youngest, who should be in second grade, has had to settle for playing school. Even at 8, she understands its not the real thing.

I want to go to school, she says, and see what its like.

6 hidden (and not-so-hidden) factors driving America's student absenteeism crisis 6 hidden (and not-so-hidden) factors driving America's student absenteeism crisis
A federal appeals court on Tuesday reversed former Nebraska Rep. Jeff Fortenberrys three felony convictions, agreeing with Fortenberrys argument that the trial should not have taken place in California.

Fortenberry was convicted by a federal jury in Los Angeles in 2022 on one count of concealing conduit campaign contributions and two counts of lying to federal agents, all felonies. The charges stemmed from Fortenberry receiving an illegal campaign donation from billionaire Nigerian businessman Gilbert Chagoury at a 2016 fundraiser and then allegedly lying about the donation during later interviews with FBI agents.

On Tuesday, a panel of three judges with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a 27-page opinion reversing Fortenberrys convictions without prejudice to retrial in proper venue, meaning Fortenberry could be tried again in Nebraska or Washington, D.C., where the interviews with FBI agents took place.

Prosecutors had argued that holding the trial in California was proper because the fundraiser at which Fortenberry received the illegal money was in Los Angeles, and because the agents investigating the case were based in California. But the appeals court found that wasnt enough to satisfy the constitutional right for a criminal defendant to be tried in the place where the crime allegedly occurred.

Fortenberrys trial took place in a state where no charged crime was committed, the conclusion of the opinion reads. The Constitution does not permit this. Fortenberrys convictions are reversed so that he may be retried, if at all, in a proper venue.

Fortenberry resigned shortly after the verdict. His congressional seat currently is held by Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., who won a special election in 2022 to complete Fortenberrys term and then was re-elected to a full two-year term.

The facts that led to Fortenberrys now-overturned convictions began with the 2016 fundraiser, at which Fortenberry raised $36,000 for his re-election campaign, according to court documents. But prosecutors said almost all of that money  $30,000  was provided by Chagoury, a foreign national, and then distributed among fundraiser attendees who acted as conduit donors.

During a 2018 phone call that an FBI agent listened in on, according to court documents, a friend of Fortenberrys who helped organize the first fundraiser explicitly mentioned Chagourys illegal donations while discussing the potential for another fundraiser with Fortenberry.

But when interviewed by FBI agents about Chagoury twice in 2019, Fortenberry denied any knowledge of the $30,000 contribution, according to court documents.

Attorneys for Fortenberry fought for the trial to be moved from California to Nebraska almost immediately after his October 2021 indictment. Soon after the indictment was filed, Fortenberry filed a motion to dismiss the case for lack of venue and later to transfer the venue to Nebraska, both of which were denied.

Following his conviction, Fortenberry was sentenced to two years of probation, 320 hours of community service and a $25,000 fine.

Fortenberry and his wife, Celeste Fortenberry, praised the courts decision Tuesday.

We are gratified by the Ninth Circuits decision, Jeff Fortenberry said in a statement. Celeste and I would like to thank everyone who has stood by us and supported us with their kindness and friendship.

Thom Mrozek, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys Office in Los Angeles, noted that the appellate court left a path open for future proceedings against Fortenberry.

The ruling does not preclude a retrial on the charges that then-Congressman Fortenberry made multiple false statements to federal agents, Mrozek said in a statement. We are evaluating potential next steps before deciding how best to move forward.

Patricia Hartman, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia, declined to comment on the rulings potential impact for federal prosecutors in Washington.

This report contains material from the Associated Press.
Illicit share trading, governance structure concerns remain

By Lee Kyung-min

The months-long dispute among the owner family of Hankook & Company ended in a victory for current Chairman Cho Hyun-bum, the second son of Honorary Chairman Cho Yang-rae, according to market watchers, Tuesday.

Concluding the family conflict was a failed tender offer of local private equity firm MBK Partners backed by firm adviser Cho Hyun-shick, the chairmans older brother, and Cho Hee-won, their sister.

The extended fight to gain the controlling stake in the holding firm of Hankook Tire will take a legal turn, as indicated by either side seeking a judgment of the financial authorities on illicit share trading suspicions in addition to an appellate case of a guardianship review against the honorary chairman. Cho Hee-kyung, the eldest daughter of the honorary chairman, is seeking to nullify a 2020 block deal whereby their father handed over his entire stake of 23.59 percent to his second son before stepping down as chairman.

Also lingering are legal risks concerning the current chairman pending a verdict in his trial on charges of embezzlement and breach of trust. Cho Hyun-bum was detained and indicted in March for incurring 20 billion won ($15 million) in losses to the firm but has since been released on bail.

Failed bid

MBK Partners said it has concluded the weeks-long tender offer launched to acquire between 20.35 and 27.32 percent of shares in Hankook & Company, frustrated by slightly over 8.38 million shares that sought subscription.

They account for only 8.83 percent of the offered total, less than half of the minimum level anticipated. The final per-share price offered was 24,000 won, up 4,000 won from the initial figure of 20,000 won.

The 20.35 percent stake together with a combined 30.35 percent held by the current chairmans three siblings would have raised the total to a controlling stake of 50.7 percent.

However, MBKs plan essentially failed, Dec. 22, when it announced the subscription requests fell short of the meaningful target" level.

The current chairman was able to fend off his three siblings, thanks in large part to the last-minute purchase of huge stakes by his father and his uncle, Hyosung Honorary Chairman Cho Suk-rae, over the past two weeks.

Hankook & Company released a statement vowing to fortify shareholder values.

We respect the judgment of shareholders on this matter, it said. We will strive to improve shareholder value in the future.

Also announced was a plan to seek accountability for the recent share price fluctuation turmoil, as guided by financial authorities.

We will seek an investigation into allegations of illicit share trading ahead of the tender offer announcement, to prevent confusion of this sort in the future.

The move was in response to MBK filing a complaint with the Financial Supervisory Service on Dec. 15 to investigate Cho Yang-rae on stock manipulation suspicions and failure to report large holdings of shares.

The private equity firm took issue with the honorary chairman buying 56.9 billion won in Hankook & Company shares, only a fraction of the over 500 billion won he had to help the second son.

The guardianship hearing is scheduled to begin next month.

A lower court dismissed the eldest daughters motion in April, citing medical treatment records and expert opinions.

However, she appealed, challenging the lack of mental health evaluation to determine whether the father was competent and mentally stable enough to make sound decisions.

If the court finds in favor of the eldest daughter, the block deal will be nullified, toppling the current chairs reign.

MBK Partners said it decided against the purchase via tender offer.

We will continue monitoring Hankook & Companys corporate governance, it said.
It would take a hard-hearted person  especially one who is pro-life  to look at the plight of Kate Cox with no sympathy.

Cox is the Dallas woman who became the poster child for the abortion-rights movement in Texas when she challenged the states abortion law, seeking to terminate a pregnancy after receiving a devastating fetal diagnosis.

Her story is heart-wrenching and yet not at all unique.

Cox entered a routine obstetrics appointment excited to see the burgeoning life within her on the ultrasound screen. She left sick with the realization that the child she was carrying would not be with her long.

Like so many women, I can relate.

During the ninth week of my third pregnancy, I saw on the ultrasound screen the image of my child at only six weeks development. A flickering dot at its center suggested a heartbeat  cause for hope  but I knew what a baby at nine weeks gestation looks like. This was not it.

My doctor insisted I had miscalculated my cycle, that I should return in two weeks for another look.

But I knew then I would not meet my baby this side of heaven.

Two weeks later, delirious from blood loss after hemorrhaging during my miscarriage, I asked the emergency room doctor attending me: Will I lose my uterus?

No, she reassured me. Still, I remember being warned before entering surgery that uterine perforation was possible.

Pregnancy is a beautiful and wholly natural state of being. Even in ideal circumstances, it is not without complexity and risk.

Tolerance for acceptable risk is whats truly at the heart of the case involving Cox and her challenge to the Texas abortion statute.

Her complaint seeking legal cover to abort her child describes how she came to learn that her child almost certainly had trisomy 18, a condition that would probably lead to her childs premature death, either in utero or shortly thereafter.

Cox, understandably, was shattered at the prospect of the prolonged suffering she and her child might face. Still, her childs diagnosis, while tragic, had no direct impact on her health.

Her pregnancy was complicated by other immutable circumstances  her previous cesarean sections, which always increase the risk of uterine rupture during induction or natural birth. Inducing pregnancy early, in the case of a stillbirth, would further compound the risk of complications. So, too, would a third c-section, if it came to that.

Those risks, of course, would exist if her child was healthy, too.

Gestational diabetes  another complicating factor cited in her complaint  would be possible, if not likely, with a subsequent healthy pregnancy. And if Cox were obese, older than 40, or had heart disease, her risks would rise.

But her desire to end her childs life in such cases probably would not.

And so Coxs attorneys argued that in light of this blighted pregnancy, this ruined child, any risk to her future health and fertility was not acceptable to bear.

Why risk the prospect of losing your fertility for a dead child, or worse, a profoundly disabled one? Our society would seem to agree with that assessment.

That may seem stark, an overly harsh condemnation of Coxs decision-making process, which I have little doubt was difficult and fraught. It isnt meant to be.

Cox is a product of the culture in which we all live  one that wants to avoid suffering and exert maximum control over our individual circumstances.

Its no surprise that most of todays social movements are framed around the primacy of the individual, our rights and autonomy.

But suffering is part of life. Its most assuredly part of motherhood.

The notion that we, as mothers, have agency over the circumstances of our pregnancies, births and even our children, is folly. We dont. Were just along for the ride. Our calling is to carry our children through it.

Sitting in an exam room, days after my miscarriage, I asked my doctor the question all grieving mothers ask: Why did this happen?

Your baby probably had some sort of developmental problem -- trisomy 18, perhaps Down syndrome, the doctor said. She wouldnt have survived. Its just as well.

I was struck by the reply. I would have gladly carried that child, if that was the suffering I was intended to endure.

I dont say that flippantly. In the wake of Coxs case, many are calling for clarification in the law.

Some are berating pro-lifers for their apparent heartlessness. Others are lamenting the latest political blow this case has dealt to the anti-abortion cause.

But the pro-life movement doesnt have a political problem. It has a cultural one.

Until we transform our collective view of suffering and sacrifice, and our notion of life and love, we will never win. We will all continue to suffer.
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP)  Israeli forces on Tuesday expanded their ground offensive into urban refugee camps in central Gaza after bombarding the crowded Palestinian communities and ordering residents to evacuate. Gaza's main telecom provider announced another complete interruption of services in the besieged territory.

The military's announcement of the new battle zone threatens further destruction in a war that Israel says will last for many months as it vows to crush the ruling Hamas militant group after its Oct. 7 attack. Israeli forces have been engaged in heavy urban fighting in northern Gaza and the southern city of Khan Younis, driving Palestinians into ever-smaller areas in search of refuge.

The U.S. said Israels minister for strategic affairs, Ron Dermer, was meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan to discuss topics including transitioning to a different phase of the war to maximize focus on high-value Hamas targets, improving the humanitarian situation, and planning for governance and security in Gaza after the war.

Despite U.S. calls for Israel to curb civilian casualties and international pressure for a cease-fire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military was deepening the fighting.

We say to the Hamas terrorists: We see you and we will get to you, Netanyahu said.

Israels offensive is one of the most devastating military campaigns in recent history. More than 20,900 Palestinians, two-thirds women and children, have been killed, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, whose count doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants. The agency said 240 people were killed over the past 24 hours.

The U.N. human rights office said the continued bombardment of middle Gaza had claimed more than 100 Palestinian lives since Christmas Eve. The office noted that Israel had ordered some residents to move there.

Israel said it would no longer grant automatic visas to U.N. employees and accused the world body of being complicit partners in Hamas tactics. Government spokesman Eylon Levy said Israel would consider visa requests case by case. That could further limit aid efforts in Gaza.

Residents of central Gaza described shelling and airstrikes shaking the Nuseirat, Maghazi and Bureij camps. The built-up towns hold Palestinians driven from their homes in what is now Israel during the 1948 war, along with their descendants.

The bombing was very intense, Radwan Abu Sheitta said by phone from Bureij.

The Israeli military ordered residents to evacuate a belt of territory the width of central Gaza, urging them to move to nearby Deir al-Balah. The U.N. humanitarian office said the area ordered evacuated was home to nearly 90,000 people before the war and now shelters more than 61,000 displaced people, mostly from the north.

The military later said it was operating in Bureij and asserted that it had located a Hamas training camp.

The telecom outage announced by Paltel follows similar outages through much of the war. NetBlocks, a group that tracks internet outages, confirmed that network connectivity in Gaza was disrupted again and likely to leave most residents offline.

Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said several countries had sent proposals to resolve the conflict following news of an Egyptian proposal that would include a transitional Palestinian government in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. He did not offer details of the proposals.

REGIONAL SPILLOVER

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel faces a multi-arena war on seven fronts  Gaza and the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Iran. We have responded and acted already on six of these, he told the Knessets Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Iranian-backed militia groups around the region have stepped up attacks in support of Hamas.

Iranian-backed militias in Iraq carried out a drone strike on a U.S. base in Irbil on Monday, wounding three American service members, according to U.S. officials. In response, U.S. warplanes hit three locations in Iraq connected to a main militia, Kataib Hezbollah.

Almost daily, Hezbollah and Israel exchange missiles, airstrikes and shelling across the Israeli-Lebanese border. On Tuesday, Israels military said Hezbollah struck a Greek Orthodox church in northern Israel with a missile, wounding two Israeli Christians, and fired again on arriving soldiers, wounding nine.

Hezbollah is risking the stability of the region for the sake of Hamas, said Israels military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.

In the Red Sea, attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen against commercial ships have disrupted trade and prompted a U.S.-led multinational naval operation to protect shipping routes. The Israeli military said a fighter jet on Tuesday shot down a hostile aerial target above the Red Sea that the military asserted was on its way to Israeli territory.

The USS Laboon, a Navy destroyer, and American fighter jets shot down 12 drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles and two land-attack cruise missiles in the southern Red Sea that were fired by the Yemen-based Houthis over a 10-hour period Tuesday, according to the Pentagon. U.S. Central Command said there was no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries.

A MASS GRAVE

More than 85% of Gazas 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes. U.N. officials say a quarter of the territory's population is starving under Israels siege, which allows in a trickle of food, water, fuel, medicine and other supplies. Last week, the U.N. Security Council called for immediately speeding up aid deliveries, but there has been little sign of change.

In an area Israel had declared a safe zone, a strike hit a home in Mawasi, a rural area in the southern province of Khan Younis. One woman was killed and at least eight were wounded, according to a cameraman working for The Associated Press at the nearby hospital.

In response, Israel's military said that it wouldn't refrain from operating in safe zones, if it identifies terrorist organization activity threatening the security of Israel.

Hamas Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 240 others hostage. Israel aims to free the more than 100 hostages who remain in captivity.

President Joe Biden and Qatars ruling emir, Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, spoke on Tuesday, discussing the urgent effort to secure the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas, including American citizens. The leaders also discussed the ongoing efforts to facilitate increased and sustained flows of life-saving access to humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Israel blames Hamas for the high civilian death toll in Gaza, citing militants use of crowded residential areas and tunnels. Israel says it has killed thousands of militants, without presenting evidence.

At the Kerem Shalom border crossing, U.N. and Gazan medical workers unloaded a truck carrying about 80 unidentified bodies that had been held by Israeli forces in northern Gaza. They were buried in a mass grave.

Medical workers called the odors unbearable. We cannot open this container in a neighborhood where people live, Dr. Marwan al-Hams, health emergency committee director in Rafah, told the AP. He said the health and justice ministries would investigate the bodies for possible war crimes.

The Israeli military announced the deaths of two more soldiers, bringing the total killed since the ground offensive began to 161.

Wafaa Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, and Samy Magdy from Cairo. Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed to this report.

Find more of APs coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
In Slates annual Movie Club, film critic Dana Stevens emails with fellow criticsfor 2023, Bilge Ebiri, Esther Zuckerman, and Mark Harrisabout the year in cinema. Read the first entry here.

Hello, future biopic subjects,

Esther, youve stopped me in my tracks with the question of who should direct the movie version of my life. Is it Christopher Nolan, so that money would be no object? Sofia Coppola, to up the chance that Id live in a palace or at least a mansion? Zack Snyder, so that just as the closing credits are about to roll, I could lobby for a much longer cut? Probably none of the above. Why kid myself? Im a writer sitting at home in jeans and a shamefully filthy hoodie, within arms reach of a bowl of cereal, having a virtual conversation with three other writers while intermittently staring out the window wondering what sadist decided the sun should set at 4:30 p.m. This gig has Charlie Kaufmans name all over it.

As for what movies spoke most to my current mood, I admit that its not a way in which Im used to thinking about moviesIm usually more interested in getting pulled into the filmmakers mood than in having my own mirrored back to mebut its a totally valid question, and its made me realize that as we tick into a presidential election year, my mood is very much Dear God, I hope people will not let their desire for the perfect be the enemy of the good (or the friend of the rock-bottom evil). Perhaps thats why this year, I found myself in sympathy with the imperfections of movies I pretty much loved. I felt myself more than usually willing to accept jarring notes, problematic-adjacent moments, rough patches on otherwise smooth surfaces; I was willing to go where a good driver drove me. The weird, unnerving sex in Oppenheimerthose scenes that seemed to make some younger people go clammy and turn to one another and say, Cringe! and wyd, Chris Nolan? Im fine with themChris, you do you! The toy-sales leitmotif of Barbie, Wonka, and, while were on the subject, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem? Im willing to compromise! Mark Ruffalos accent in Poor Things? Whatever! A more technically perfect performance might have been a less hilarious one.

The politics of Saltburn? [Deep breath] OK, here we go 

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Things have been so congenial among us up to now that I feel slightly afraid to ruin the vibe by telling all of you that I adored Emerald Fennells lump-of-coal-where-its-heart-should-be dark satire. I have been surprised to see some people take the movie to task essentially for being an insufficient ally in the Great Class Struggle. The argument, as I understand it, is that in a story pitting a slightly awkward middle-class striver (Barry Keoghan, that extraordinary maker of bold choices who has, in the past year, broken through the way Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman seemed to 50 years ago) against a toxic scion of British ultra-aristocracy (Jacob Elordi) and his rich-beyond-measure, one-step-from-inbred family, it should be fairly clear who the good guys and bad guys are. But in Saltburn, it isnt, and thats a great part of the fun.

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There is, Ill concede, something politically impish in Saltburnat times, it seems to be saying to earnest armchair revolutionaries, See? This is what Eat the Rich actually looks like! But I dont think Fennells interest in the story is primarily political at all. As a writer, shes a very shrewd scavenger, and in Saltburn, she has drawn explicitly from the first third of Evelyn Waughs novel Brideshead Revisited, the greatest vacationing-at-a-rich-college-friends-home story of all time, and, relatedly, a masterwork of repressed homoeroticism; from its famously luxe 1981 miniseries adaptation (it streams on Amazon and elsewhere; give yourselves a 12-hour present and dive in); from Patricia Highsmiths The Talented Mr. Ripley; and from the 1949 black comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets, in which the only thing that stands between Dennis Price and the inheritance of a vast fortune is a great number of inconveniently alive people, all played by Alec Guinness.* The story she comes up with is discomforting, I think, but also ferociously confident. Its also so mean! Look, theres never a shortage of movies about good, imperfect, honorable people trying hard to do the right thingperhaps youve heard of the Sundance Film Festivaland the finest of them are extraordinary. (For me, probably the best this year was Celine Songs gentle and exquisite Past Lives, a love triangle with nobody to root against.) But every salad needs a splash of vinegaror in Saltburns case, battery acid. And all of us, especially people like me who are fond of telling other people that they shouldnt be afraid of movies that make them squeamish, could probably stand to embrace our own uneasiness as well.

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Sam, your ode to Ira Sachs wonderful Passages made me think about what a sharply-above-average year this has been for queerness in moviesspecifically for complex, messy, imperfect, non-role-model LGBTQ+ characters (or, sometimes, as with Rogowskis in Passages, just plain assholes). Im thinking of the sullen, scheming baby lesbians played by Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri in the neo-Heathers teen comedy Bottoms; of the middle-aged gay writer Adam (Andrew Scott), struggling with an empty apartment building, an empty refrigerator, an empty laptop screen, and a heart full of sorrow in Andrew Haighs All of Us Strangers; and of (not a movie, but Im giving them an honorary one-sentence pass into this discussion) Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett in The Last of Us, playing the most moving long-term gay couple since John Lithgow and Alfred Molina in Sachs superb 2014 comedy-drama Love Is Strange.

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On Netflix alone this year, we had Bradley Coopers Maestro (whatever your issues may be with the movie, you cant accuse it of dodging Bernsteins homosexuality and how it affected his marriage, as some feared it would); a breakthrough performance of great warmth and power by Colman Domingo in George C. Wolfes Rustin; and Annette Bening and Jodie Foster in Nyad, wholeheartedly exploring a bumpy and imbalanced middle-aged lesbian friendship. I found it a particular delight to watch Foster, the most alpha of actresses, transform herself into a perpetually jangled beta lesbian and give herself over completely to the narratives Peppermint PattyandMarcie dynamic. Movie journalism tends to have villain companies and hero companies, and Netflix, a big-box store where many would prefer a boutique, is often on the naughty list, but come on, thats impressive: If A24 had given us that lineup in one year, itd be getting the GLAAD Nobel Prize. And I didnt even mention Netflixs May December, a straight movie steeped in queer sensibility, but thats only because it was much too important a part of my movie year to leave for the end of an entry. Sam, how dare you, I am not a coward, I and my alphabetical Top 10 list resent that! But if you want ranking, Ill give you a ranking: May December is my No. 1.

Off to wash that hoodie,

Mark

Read the next entry in Movie Club: Emma Stone Has Never Been Funnier (or Sexier) Than In Poor Things
This is Totally Normal Quote of the Day, a feature highlighting a statement from the news that exemplifies just how extremely normal everything has become.

If you can go home tonight, do not sign it.  We will get you attorneys. Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, on a Nov. 17, 2020, phone call with two Republican officials about not certifying their countys presidential election results

It seems theres a sequel to Trumps infamous perfect phone call. Last week, the Detroit News published a recording of a November 2020 phone call Trump made to local Michigan Republican officials, pressuring them not to certify their countys election results.

RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel was also on the line, pushing Monica Palmer and William Hartmann, two GOP canvassers for Michigans Wayne Countywhich includes Detroitto reject the certification minutes after they attended a canvassers meeting. Both Palmer and Hartmann did not sign the official statement of votes for Wayne County and later tried to rescind their votes in favor of certification but failed. In the end, Wayne County overwhelmingly voted in Joe Biden, with 68 percent of the vote.

While we did already know about this callthe basic facts of it came to light when Palmer testified to the Jan. 6 committee in 2021the details of what exactly Trump and McDaniel said werent known until now.

In Palmers testimony to the House Select Committee, she said she didnt remember exactly what Trump told her or if he had mentioned anything about Michigans election. In the newly published recording, however, Trump claims there were more votes in those counties than people, and that everybody knows Detroit is crooked as hell. Michigans election director, Jonathan Brater, said that was categorically false in a December 2020 affidavit, that in fact there were fewer ballots tabulated than names in the poll books.

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The new details raise questions about whether Jack Smith could use this to strengthen his federal election interference case, or whether Trump could face state charges in Michigan, where officials have been conducting their own election interference investigation, similar to what Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis did in Georgia.

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Former Trump lawyer Ty Cobb told Politico the phone call shows the depths to which Trump personally participated in fraudulently pimping the Big Lie. 

Michigan did ultimately send a fake certificate to the National Archives and Congress claiming that Trump won the states 2020 electionand 16 Republicans face felony charges for signing on to it.

This phone call echoes the infamous conversation in which Trump pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find 11,779 votes to overturn Bidens 2020 victorythe one hes defended as an absolutely PERFECT phone call. (Trump now faces 13 state felony charges for allegedly trying to overturn Georgias election results.) Then theres the phone call Trump had with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, in which he also pressured the governor to claim there had been voter fraud so Arizonas election results could be overturned in his favor.

Karl Rove, a former adviser for the George W. Bush administration, told Fox News that Trumps actions on this Michigan phone call are what we would call election interference and that the former president could face a situation that is similar to what hes currently dealing with in Georgia. Rove also speculated that McDaniel might face legal ramifications. I think that was highly inappropriate.
One Friday night at 9 p.m., instead of going out to celebrate my co-workers birthday, I found myself glued to the Evernote app. When Id opened it earlier that evening, hoping to add a new note, I discovered that the app had more or less killed its free tier. With my Cambridge rent, nonprofit salary, and recent parachute out of academia, I couldnt justify paying the yearly subscription of $129 a yearbut I also couldnt abandon this treasury of my life. My digital notebooks were filled with gems like films I enjoyed in 2014 (incomplete), imperfect regular German verbs, and completely f-ing random unordered thoughts/ideas. I had over 2,000 notes dating all the way back to my junior year of high school. Where would they go, my recipes, poems, and scattered thoughts, now they no longer had a home?

I opened a word processor instead. A warning popped up: There is not enough space to save this document to iCloud. Purchase additional storage or remove some documents from iCloud.

The death of free Evernote is just one example of how our datafied lives are entangled with the fates and whims of tech companies. In August, users on X (formerly known as Twitter) lost three years worth of photos. And last month, Google Drive started hemorrhaging files, with some users losing years of data. Our digital life has become increasingly impermanent and is mostly outside of our control, making the threat and pain of digital loss ever more acute.

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The days of true digital ownership are long gone. Streaming companies like Spotify and Netflix have changed the status quo, so that instead of permanently owning a media library, we only temporarily license one. Meanwhile, the terms and costs of cloud storage services like Dropbox and iCloud mean that access to your data is always asterisked. In 2012, the file-sharing website Megaupload was shut down by regulators for hosting pirated content; in the process, users with legal data were locked out of their accounts for years, unable to access their files. The situation only gets worsethis year, from bankruptcy to hacks to fires, cloud-based services are dying faster than lanternflies.

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Even if we apparently own a digital good, continued access to our digital purchases is not guaranteed. Since the late 90s, digital rights management has enabled companies to copyright and thus fence off digital goods. DRM is at the root of everyday frustrations like the inability to play music, games, audiobooks, or e-books on a different platform than the vendor used to purchase them. Cant read a Kobo book on a Kindle? Thank DRM.

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Most alarmingly, DRM accelerates the transience of our digital goods. A few years ago, a Tron video game stopped working after Disney ended its business relationship with a DRM provider. And in an Orwellian twist, in 2009, Amazon remotely wiped the e-book 1984 off consumers Kindles due to a copyright dispute. DRM affects all sorts of digital devices, not just media. After one company merger, patients with retinal implants were left wondering if the proprietary software behind their sight-enabling devices would continue to be supported.

Thanks to tech monopolies, we have even less agency than before over our data and digital goods. After Amazon acquired Audible in 2008, they promised to kill its DRM. But 15 years later, consumers are still waiting. Because Amazon dominates more than 90 percent of the audiobook market, we are forced to choose between yielding to Amazon or not being able to listen to audiobooks at all. Consumers will suffer as power gets increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few tech giants. When those companies are cut at the knees, as was the case for Google Drivewhich holds the largest market share of file-sharing softwarethere is little recourse.

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To be fair, nonprofit, open-source alternatives are also fallible to a fragile economy. Open-source software relies on a community of volunteers that are liable to burnout. And decisions are sometimes still beholden to the interests of very fewaka benevolent dictators for life. The funding model for nonprofits can also threaten digital longevityeither relying on crowdfunding, like Wikipedia, or relying on grants from foundations that still favor corporate interests. The problem is not the digitization of our life, its in the lack of real options for securing the durability of our digital world.

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Related From Slate The App Store on Your Phone Is Full of Junky Crap. That Could Be on the Brink of Changing. Read More

A Google search for how to archive my digital life only returns suggestions for backing up my data to the cloud. With the precarity of cloud-based services and subscription-reliant models, Im not reassured. But one thing gives me hope: Were starting to come full circle. In a study by the American Library Association in November, millennials and Gen Z were found to prefer print books over e-books. And film photography has been on the rise among young people, with film sales increasing twentyfold from 2020 to 2022. Ever the mainstream hipster, Ive started to carry a disposable camera on vacations, printing hard copies in addition to keeping digital copies. Call me a Luddite, but Ill take it as a complimentafter all, Luddites started the original rebellion against Big Tech.

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Downloading my files off Evernote wasnt impossible, but it wasnt easy. Hours later, I had saved most of my most important notes to my hard drive. As a sentimental person, it hurt to think that I might someday lose this digital scrapbook, this time capsule of my teenage and college years. But then I remembered the time when, six years ago, I lost all the photos on my phone when my phone was snatched off a bus; I was sad, but also relieved to be free of the burden of my digital baggage. Today, I cant remember a single photo I had saved on that phone.

Maybe the real trick to unchaining ourselves from the clutches of Big Tech is to free ourselves from our attachment to our digital things. Only then, we might rely a little less on ephemeral tech. And maybe, just maybe, we might have a real stake in our digital destinies.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
In the competitive world of finance, the best cash back business credit cards stand out as a top choice for many entrepreneurs. Credit card issuers know that small business owners value simplicity and straightforward rewards.

By making eligible purchases with these cards, businesses can earn cash back, which can then be used as a statement credit, helping to minimize operational expenses.

What are Credit Cards with Cash Back?

Cash back credit cards are a popular financial product that essentially rewards consumers for using the card. Instead of accumulating points or miles, users receive a percentage of their purchases back in the form of cash.

Sell Your Business Discover the Zoho Ecosystem ChatGPT Prompts for Business Advertise Your Business Here

For instance, consider a business owner who has a credit card boasting a 2% cash back rate. If they were to utilize this card for transactions totaling $2,000 in a specific billing period and settle the amount, they would earn a cash back reward of $40.

This cash back can manifest in various ways depending on the cards terms and conditions. While some cards might apply this amount as a credit against future bills, others might offer options to redeem it for other rewards, or even automatically deduct it from the upcoming statement.

Why You Should Consider Business Credit Cards with Cash Back

Simplicity  Its a percentage you can easily calculate. There are no complicated cash rewards programs to track. You can set up an automatic statement credit.

With many of these cards, there is no annual fee.

Many cash back cards also have a 0% introductory APR. Combine that with no annual fee, and that will help you save money.

You can get the cash back on eligible purchases. Eligible purchases may be limited to business purchases at office supply stores or can include other eligible purchases such as advertising purchases, or internet cable and phone services.

Since the cards are geared to businesses, youll find no foreign transaction fees. Since a foreign transaction fee can be as high as 3%, this represents significant savings.

If you are asking what are business credit cards or why should I get a business credit card. Make sure to get full informed before you apply for one. There are many resources available online.

Small Business Deals

Our Methodology: How We Chose the Best Cash Back Business Credit Cards

Cash back credit cards can provide tangible returns on business spending, effectively offering a discount on every purchase. In a market saturated with options, selecting the ideal card necessitates a detailed examination.

To guide our readers in selecting the most beneficial cash back business credit cards for their financial needs, we use the following criteria, rated on a scale from 1 to 10, where 10 indicates the highest level of importance and 1 the lowest.

Cash Back Rewards Rate Importance Scale: 9/10

Rationale: The rate at which purchases earn cash back is crucial. We prioritize cards offering higher rates, particularly for business-related expenses. Bonus Categories Importance Scale: 8/10

Rationale: Cards that offer higher cash back rates in categories common to business spending (like office supplies, internet services, or travel) are highly valued. Sign-Up Bonuses Importance Scale: 7/10

Rationale: Attractive sign-up bonuses can add significant value, especially if the spending requirements align with normal business expenditures. Annual Fee Importance Scale: 8/10

Rationale: We consider the annual fee and how it compares to the potential cash back earnings, seeking cards where the benefits outweigh the costs. Introductory APR Offers Importance Scale: 6/10

Rationale: Cards with introductory APR offers on purchases or balance transfers can provide financial flexibility for new businesses. Redemption Flexibility Importance Scale: 7/10

Rationale: The ease of redeeming cash back, including minimum redemption amounts and options for how cash back is received (statement credit, check, etc.), is important. Additional Perks and Benefits Importance Scale: 6/10

Rationale: Additional benefits, such as travel insurance, extended warranties, and no foreign transaction fees, add extra value. Ease of Use and Management Importance Scale: 7/10

Rationale: Cards that are easy to manage, with user-friendly online interfaces and clear account tracking, are preferred. Customer Service and Support Importance Scale: 7/10

Rationale: Access to reliable customer service is important, especially for resolving issues related to business transactions. Credit Requirements and Accessibility Importance Scale: 7/10

Rationale: We consider the credit score requirements for approval, ensuring our recommendations are accessible to a wide range of businesses.

By applying these criteria, we aim to provide businesses with a comprehensive guide to selecting cash back credit cards that maximize their returns on everyday expenses while offering additional benefits and features.

Best Cash Back Credit Cards for Business

Can you find small business credit cards that are a perfect fit? Weve made that easy for you by researching the best cash back cards:

1. Ink Business Cash Credit Card

If your combined purchases hit the right categories, youll be able to earn a whopping 5% cash back with the Ink Business Cash Credit Card: Cash Back | Chase.

Cashback Rate: This card earns you 5% cash back on up to $25,000 spent in combined purchases from account opening. The $25,000 spent in combined purchases must be office supply stores, internet/cable and phone. What about other purchases? As part of the Chase ultimate rewards, youll also get $750 cash back after youve spent $7,500 during the first 3 months from account opening; you can earn the $750 again if you spend $7,500 in the next 3 months.

This card earns you 5% cash back on up to $25,000 spent in combined purchases from account opening. The $25,000 spent in combined purchases must be office supply stores, internet/cable and phone. What about other purchases? As part of the Chase ultimate rewards, youll also get $750 cash back after youve spent $7,500 during the first 3 months from account opening; you can earn the $750 again if you spend $7,500 in the next 3 months. Annual Fee: $ 0

0 APR: 0% for the first 12 months, then 13.24-19.24% variable after the account anniversary year.

2. Ink Business Unlimited Credit Cash Back Credit Card

If the bulk of your spending, such as office supplies, doesnt fit the specification of the Ink biz cash credit card, consider the Ink Business Unlimited Cash Back card. Youll get the same $750 cash back on $7,500 (twice) from account opening, plus an unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases.

Cashback Rate: 1.5% unlimited

1.5% unlimited Annual Fee: $0

$0 APR: 0% for 12 months, then 13.24-19.24% after the account anniversary year.

3. Discover IT

If your business expenses include lots of buys at gas stations, the Discover IT is a good choice. Youll get 5% back on purchases at gas stations.

Cashback Rate: Youll get 5% back on gas purchases and also 5% on Amazon purchases. If youre making a purchase and choose the Discover IT small business credit card instead of Pay Pal, youll earn 5% on that purchase.

Youll get 5% back on gas purchases and also 5% on Amazon purchases. If youre making a purchase and choose the Discover IT small business credit card instead of Pay Pal, youll earn 5% on that purchase. Annual Fee: $0

$0 APR: 11.99 to 22.99%

4. American Express Blue Business Cash Card

You can earn 2% cash percentge back on up to $50,000 with this business card rewards program from the Blue Business Cash Card from American Express. Youll get free employee cards and expenditures from those cards will also get the 2% back. You can set a differing credit limit on each employee card.

Youll get a $250 credit after you spend $5,000 in 6 months, and youll get the same $250 credit if you spend $5,000 in the next 6 months. American Express also offers highly rated customer service and support.

Cashback Rate: 2%

2% Annual Fee: $0

$0 APR: 13.24 to 19.24%

5. US Bank Business Platinum Card

The cash percentage earnings rate for the US Bank Business Platinum is a modest 1.5% but look at it this way  youll pay no interest for 20 billing cycles. That can result in significant savings, especially on balance transfers. Plus, with a good payment history youll be eligible for the low 11.99 APR.

Cashback Rate: 1.5%

1.5% Annual Fee: $0

$0 APR: 0% for 20 billing cycles, then 11.99-20.99%

6. US Bank Triple Cash Rewards Mastercard Credit Card

Do you use electric vehicles? Youll pay no interest for 15 billing cycles, and youll earn 3% cash back business credit on purchases at gas and EV stations. Youll earn the 3% on office supply buys, phone charges and restaurant tabs. If you spend $4,500 in 150 days, youll get $500 subtracted from your bill.

Cashback Rate: 3%

3% Annual Fee: $0

$0 APR: 0% for 15 billing cycles, then 13.99-22.99%

7. Amazon Business Preferred Credit Card

Its true you can buy nearly everything on Amazon. When you buy from Amazon with the Amazon Business Preferred card youll earn 5% back. Youll also earn 2% back at restaurants. As a sign up bonus youll get a $125 Amazon gift card.

Cashback Rate: 5%

5% Annual Fee: $0

$0 APR: 14.24-22.24%

8. Bank of America Business Advantage Cash Rewards

You can earn 3% back on up to $50,000 in purchases with the Business Advantage card from Bank of America. You can choose a category (such as gasoline or manufacturing supplies) to be used towards the $50,000. And Bank of America offers an easy to use interface and flexible options.

Cashback Rate: 3%

3% Annual Fee: $0

$0 APR: 12.24-22.24%

Comparison of The Best Cash Back Business Credit Cards

For a quick overview of the best cash back business credit cards, weve compiled a comparison table below. It provides a snapshot of the cashback rate, annual fee, APR, and a key benefit or note for each card.

Card Name Cashback Rate Annual Fee APR Key Benefit/Note Ink Business Cash Credit Card 5% (up to $25,000 in specific categories) $0 0% for 12 months, then 13.24-19.24% $750 cash back after $7,500 spend in 3 months Ink Business Unlimited Cash Back Credit Card 1.5% unlimited $0 0% for 12 months, then 13.24-19.24% $750 cash back after $7,500 spend in 3 months Discover IT 5% on gas and Amazon purchases $0 11.99 to 22.99% Earn 5% on specific purchases American Express Blue Business Cash Card 2% (up to $50,000) $0 13.24 to 19.24% $250 credit after $5,000 spend in 6 months US Bank Business Platinum Card 1.5% $0 0% for 20 billing cycles, then 11.99-20.99% No interest for 20 billing cycles US Bank Triple Cash Rewards Mastercard Credit Card 3% on specific categories $0 0% for 15 billing cycles, then 13.99-22.99% $500 off after $4,500 spend in 150 days Amazon Business Preferred Credit Card 5% on Amazon purchases $0 14.24-22.24% $125 Amazon gift card as a sign-up bonus Bank of America Business Advantage Cash Rewards 3% (up to $50,000 in chosen category) $0 12.24-22.24% Choose a category for 3% cashback

What is the best business credit card for cashback?

Identifying the best cashback business credit card is a task that largely hinges on the unique spending patterns and needs of a business.

For businesses with significant transportation or shipping needs, a card that offers high cashback on gas, such as the Amazon Business Preferred or the Discover IT, might be ideal, especially with their attractive 5% cash back rate on fuel.

Moreover, the Amazon card provides an additional benefit of 2% back on dining, making it a solid choice for businesses that often entertain clients.

On the other hand, for businesses with diverse spending habits, a more versatile card like the Ink Biz Cash credit card could be a better fit. It offers a generous 5% cash back on combined purchases up to a cap of $25,000.

By understanding the primary expenses and needs of your business, you can choose a cashback card that aligns well and maximizes rewards.

The good news is you can choose from many different types of credit cards, so take your time and thoroughly research the market.
Pantone has marked a milestone in its Color of the Year program by announcing PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz as the chosen color for 2024. This years selection coincides with the 25th anniversary of the program, which began in 1999 with PANTONE 15-4020 Cerulean Blue. The announcement was made in Carlstadt, New Jersey, on December 7, 2023.

PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz, described as a velvety gentle peach, is celebrated for its nurturing and compassionate qualities. In a world experiencing various forms of turmoil, this color represents a collective yearning for empathy, togetherness, and a peaceful future. Peach Fuzz embodies a cozy warmth that highlights the importance of community and the sanctuary it provides. It presents a fresh take on softness, subtly sensual and tender, conveying a message of care, sharing, and collaboration.

Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, characterizes Peach Fuzz as a color that brings belonging and an opportunity for recalibration and nurturing. It offers a space of calm, healing, and flourishing, whether in solitude or in the company of others. This color also signifies comfort, peace from within, and the importance of tactility and cocooned warmth.

Sell Your Business Discover the Zoho Ecosystem ChatGPT Prompts for Business Advertise Your Business Here

PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz is notable for its modernity, sophistication, and depth despite its gentle lightness. It bridges the past and the present, offering a contemporary ambiance with a vintage vibe. As a clean peach tone, it adds beauty to both physical and digital worlds, reflecting a poetic and romantic essence.

The introduction of Peach Fuzz as the Color of the Year 2024 is not just a celebration of color but also a reflection of the global zeitgeist. Over the years, the Pantone Color of the Year program has become a cultural icon, highlighting how global cultural trends are expressed through color.

Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute, notes that this years color focuses on community, reflecting a global reevaluation of priorities and the importance of closeness with loved ones. Peach Fuzz, with its warm and welcoming embrace, brings people together and enriches the soul. Pressman expresses gratitude for the past 25 years of the program, which has become a platform for designers and color enthusiasts worldwide to engage in conversations about color and showcase their creativity.

For businesses, especially those in design, fashion, and marketing, the selection of PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz offers fresh inspiration and direction. It encourages a focus on themes of care, empathy, and community in their creative endeavors and product designs. The colors versatility and emotional resonance make it a compelling choice for branding, product development, and visual storytelling in 2024.

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Models portfolio of carmakers in Slovakia change, mother companies invest heavily in Slovakia.

Volkswagen Passat was the first model ever to be produced in Bratislava after Volkswagen started vehicle production in Slovakia in 1991. (Source: Courtesy of Volkswagen Slovakia)

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The portfolio of models that carmakers manufacture in Slovakia has been undergoing changes. The Bratislava-based Volkswagen Slovakia has commenced the mass production of the new Volkswagen Passat and Skoda Superb models, while the Trnava-based Stellantis said goodbye to the production of the popular model Peugeot Peugeot 208, to make space in its production halls for a new model.

Passat back after decades

Production of the Volkswagen Passat has returned to Bratislava after more than 30 years. It was the first model ever produced in Bratislava after Volkswagen started vehicle production in Slovakia in 1991. Volkswagen Slovakia has been cooperating with the Skoda brand since 2008. The Skoda Superb is the fourth Skoda model to be produced at the Bratislava plant.

Production of the Skoda Superb in Bratislava's Volkswagen plant. (Source: Courtesy of Volkswagen Slovakia)

Volkswagen Slovakia has invested almost 500 million in the integration of new models into the production line and thanks to the new project, it has managed to secure usage of the plants capacity for years to come.

The aim is to steer our production plants towards economic capacity utilisation and a forward-looking future for years to come, said Christian Vollmer, member of the Volkswagen Board of Management for Production and Logistics as cited in the press release. We are currently using the transition to electromobility to reduce complexity in production and to make our production plants even more efficient.

The group is merging the production of car models based on the same architecture in its plants across brands. It is targeting higher effectiveness and synergies.

In the spring the Bratislava plant should launch production of the first fully electrical SUV Porsche Cayenne.

But that may not be all, because as the Hospodarske Noviny daily claims, the first model from the worlds largest SUV family, Audis upcoming Q9, may also extend the portfolio of models produced in Bratislava. The Q9 is set to compete with top models from other automakers, such as the Mercedes-Benz GLS and BMW X7. Today, the Slovak arm of the German carmaker produces the Audi Q7 and Q8 models.

Changes in Trnava

The Trnava-based Stellantis car factory ceased production of the popular model of the Peugeot 208 as of October 1. The only model the plant continues to produce is the Citroen C3, the Hospodarske Noviny reported on Monday, December 11. The plant is currently preparing for a 180 million production transformation, to which the state will contribute 18 million. The Peugeot 208 should be replaced by new models, including the e-version Citroen C3, which has to fight for the customer even in competition with China with a base price of 20,000. The French media mention that the Trnava plant will also produce the SUV Opel Crossland next year.

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Related article Slovakia opposes new Euro 7 emissions norm along with seven EU countries Read more

Kia to produce e-cars, too

After the Bratislava-based Volkswagen, Trnava-based Stellantis and the yet to be built Volvo plant in Kosice, the new production of electric cars is already also assured by Kia Slovakia near Zilina, in Teplicka nad Vahom, the Dennik N wrote in early December. This has been assumed for a long time, but only now is it fully confirmed by the latest investment project of the carmaker. It is also requesting investment incentives from the state.

According to the project, Kia Slovakia will start production of one new all-electric car in the lower middle class and one new all-electric model in the SUV class.

The production launch of the first two electric vehicles will cost a total of 108 million, with the investment to be made between 2024 and 2028. The Economy Ministry wants to allocate the plant a tax holiday of 30 million. The government has yet to greenlight the tax holiday, but this should only be a formality, the daily Dennik N writes.

The new production of electric vehicles will not only diversify the production of the Kia plant, but also expand it. The current production of cars with both internal combustion and hybrid drive will continue. The plant will also continue to produce its current Ceed, XCeed, ProCeed, Ceed Sportswagon, as well as the Sportage and its electrified versions.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20231226/akhmat-fighters-decimate-colombian-mercs-in-special-op-zone-1115812792.html

Akhmat Fighters Decimate Colombian Mercs in Special Op Zone

Akhmat Fighters Decimate Colombian Mercs in Special Op Zone

According to Russian Ministry of Defense, Ukraine is actively hiring mercenaries to cover up heavy losses among its troops.

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russia's special operation in ukraine

ukrainian crisis

mercenaries

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Soldiers of Russia's Akhmat special forces have destroyed two Colombian gunmen while storming Ukrainian positions near Artemovsk (Bakhmut), a unit commander told Sputnik.He said that during reconnaissance of the area, Russian soldiers spotted a Ukrainian dugout with four militants inside. Two of them were mercenaries from Colombia. During the attack, both mercenaries and one Ukrainian militant were eliminated.According to the officer, there are up to 70 mercenaries fighting on the Ukrainian side in positions near the Akhmat troops.The captured Ukrainian confirmed the information about Colombian mercenaries, stressing that they are simply hired guns who take part in hostilities for a wage."When we were sent to the 241st Kiev Battalion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, we saw that some soldiers clearly did not look Slavic. We asked them, and they told us that they were Colombian mercenaries who were fighting just for money," the POW told Sputnik.According to him, the mercenaries perform the same tasks as the mobilized Ukrainians. "The guys said that basically the attitude toward them is not very good, because they are mercenaries, they just came for money, there is no idea - and the attitude is appropriate," the prisoner explained.In early December, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu emphasized that the Russian Army is successfully eliminating foreign mercenaries involved in the conflict.Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that Kiev had stepped up its recruitment of mercenaries to hide heavy losses during the failed counter-offensive.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/another-us-mercenary-bites-the-dust-on-ukrainian-battlefield-1115705812.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230908/us-hired-gun-eliminated-in-special-op-zone-1113197906.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231226/chinas-new-naval-chief-unveiled-amid-beijing-manila-maritime-tensions-1115816275.html

China's New Naval Chief Unveiled Amid Beijing-Manila Maritime Tensions

China's New Naval Chief Unveiled Amid Beijing-Manila Maritime Tensions

Hu Zhongming, 59, has served as the chief of staff of the People's Liberation Army Navy since December 2021.

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world

china

philippines

taiwan

tensions

south china sea

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court

island

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Beijing has named Hu Zhongming as the new head of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Navy at a ceremony attended by President Xi Jinping.Chinese media reported that Hu was promoted to the rank of general during Mondays ceremony. In the PLA, general is the highest rank for officers in active service. The Chinese military is known for providing scarce details on its personnel appointments.The situation is regularly complicated by US warships passing through the South China Sea, which, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, violate international law and undermine China's sovereignty and security. Despite protests from Beijing, Washington has repeatedly stated that US vessels would pass wherever international law permitted.Beijing has disputed the status of several territories in the South China Sea for decades, laying claim to primarily the Paracel and Spratly Islands and the Scarborough Shoal. The territories are also claimed by the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei.The PRC considers the Spratly archipelago an essential part of China, despite the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling in 2016 that said there was no legal basis for China's maritime claims. The Hague argued that the archipelago is not an island and does not constitute an exclusive economic zone, but Beijing refused to recognize the decision. The arbitration proceeding was initiated by the Philippines in January 2013.Adding to South China Sea tensions is the continued Beijing-Taipei row over Taiwan. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters last week that Beijing's stance on reunification with Taiwan remains "solid as a rock," with China considering it inevitable.The latest escalation around Taiwan took place in April after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met then-US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Beijing responded by launching massive three-day military drills near the island in what it called a warning to Taiwanese separatists and foreign powers. In August and September, the Taiwanese armed forces reported multiple sightings of Chinese naval and air patrols in the island's vicinity. On September 18, the ministry reported a record high of 103 Chinese aircraft seen near the island in one day.Taiwan has been governed separately from mainland China since 1949. Beijing regards the island as its province, while Taiwan maintains that it is an autonomous entity but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official foreign contact with Taipei and regards Chinese sovereignty over the island as indisputable.Although the US does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Washington has a representative office in Taipei and remains the island's biggest supplier of military hardware. The US also often sends its warships and surveillance planes to the Taiwan Strait, a move that Beijing condemns as provocative.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231225/beijing-castigates-philippines-extremely-dangerous-south-china-sea-incursions-1115803977.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231221/xi-jinping-tells-biden-beijing-will-reunify-taiwan-with-china-1115716094.html

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chinas new naval chief, chinaons new naval chief's promotion, beijing-manila tensions over south chna sea, beijing-taipei row over taiwan
By Jung Min-ho

In yet another sign of Koreas falling birthrate, sales of pet strollers have exceeded those of baby strollers this year for the first time, according to Gmarket, an e-commerce platform operator.

Data released on Sunday showed that 43 percent of the total number of strollers sold on the platform during the first three quarters of this year were for human infants, while the remaining 57 percent were strollers designed for animals, mainly dogs and cats.

The ratio of infant stroller sales among the total strollers kept falling from 67 percent in 2021 and 64 percent in 2020 to 43 percent this year  meaning the ratio for pet strollers continued to rise from 33 percent in 2021 to 36 percent in 2022 and 57 percent this year.

The sales figures demonstrate a consistent trend in recent years, a Gmarket official said, adding that the company may need an in-depth analysis to figure out why the drop in baby stroller sales was particularly steep in 2023.

Whats clear is that the numbers correctly reflect some of the rising trends, such as the nations record-low number of newborns and increasing number of people living with pets.

According to Statistics Korea, the total fertility rate  the average number of children that would be born per woman  was 0.78 in 2022, the lowest in the world. The figure is forecast to drop even further. The national statistical organization said the fertility rate is expected to be 0.72 this year and fall below 0.7 to 0.68 in 2024 before rising again.

Meanwhile, the number of households raising pets is increasing. Data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs shows that more than 6 million households had pets last year, compared to 3.6 million in 2012.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20231226/how-new-mobilization-law-could-buy-time-for-zelensky-with-thousands-of-lives-1115824209.html

How New Mobilization Law Could Buy Time for Zelensky With Thousands of Lives

How New Mobilization Law Could Buy Time for Zelensky With Thousands of Lives

A bill to change the drafting rules in Ukraine has been introduced to the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament, triggering controversy.

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europe

ukraine

volodymyr zelensky

draft

mobilization

analysis

ukrainian counteroffensive attempt

women

ukrainian army

valery zaluzhny

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The Ukrainian government has submitted draft legislation on "improving certain issues of mobilization, military registration and military service" to the Verkhovna Rada.Under the bill, several categories of Ukrainian citizens have the right to defer their draft, including "pregnant women and women on maternity leave." In November, the US press drew attention to the Kiev regime's effort to mobilize more female recruits.However, on December 18, Ukrainian MP from the Servant of the People party Maryana Bezuglaya argued on Facebook* that the country needed to draft more women. "Women registered with the military may be called up for military service or recruited to perform work to ensure the defense of the state in wartime," she wrote.Around 43,000 women now serve in the nation's armed forces (a 40% increase since 2021), according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. Moreover, the Ukrainian Armed Forces canceled restrictions which prevented female recruits from serving as machine gunners, tank commanders, snipers and truck drivers.According to the draft legislation, some people with disabilities (particularly "group III" that corresponds to partial disability) may now be drafted.If drafters and reservists fail to fulfill the law's requirements, they could be placed into the Unified Register of Debtors and punitive measures would be applied to them. Those measures include, in particular, a ban on traveling abroad; conducting transactions with property; obtaining a drivers license and driving a car; or receiving credits and loans, to name but a few.While the bill appears to crack down on draft dodges and diminish the rights of those already mobilized, Solonnikov does not expect any social turmoil in Ukraine over the legislation. Instead, there would be a sort of a "silent protest."At a press conference on December 19, Zelensky touched upon the topic of a new large-scale mobilization for the first time. The Ukrainian president said that he had been approached by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with a request to mobilize an additional 450,000-500,000 people.However, following Zelensky's announcement, Commander-in-Chief Gen. Valery Zaluzhny told a Ukrainian broadcaster that the military command did not make such a request.The proposed law is likely to become unpopular with the Ukrainian public following several waves of mobilization and huge human losses on the battlefield. Apparently, the Ukrainian president is seeking to shift responsibility for a new mobilization effort on the Ukrainian top commandment.The Eastern European state has been under martial law since February 24, 2022, while Zelensky's decree on general mobilization forbade leaving the country for men between 18 and 60.Solonnikov explained that the Kiev regime needs human resources to fill gaps at the front while seasoned military officers would undergo training for potential new missions. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have lost more than 125,000 soldiers and 16,000 units of various weapons over six months of the much-anticipated counteroffensive, as per the Russian Ministry of Defense."[For their part], combat units are preparing for some further events. Let's wait and see what those events will be. And now they have exactly the same task - to replace men in those places where women can also do the job - some technical personnel, some kind of service. It's the same with people with disabilities. If a persons life on the frontline lasts for a few days, then what difference does it make whether he is a disabled person of the third group or just an elderly person? All of them would live for a few days," Solonnikov continued.From the military viewpoint, Ukraine is going on the defensive and needs to buy some time, he suggested, adding that the Kiev regime presently tries to maintain the status quo on the battlefield and prevent the advance of Russian troops.*Facebook is banned in Russia for extremist activities.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231108/ukrainian-women-to-be-zelenskys-new-cannon-fodder-1114818359.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231220/suppression-of-minorities-and-press-freedom-puts-paid-to-ukraine-future--professor-1115702676.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231219/spying-devices-found-inside-zaluzhnys-office-sign-of-growing-chaos-within-kiev-regime-1115673835.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231226/japan-to-finalize-relocation-of-us-base-in-okinawa-on-thursday---reports-1115823915.html

Japan to Finalize Relocation of US Base in Okinawa on Thursday - Reports

Japan to Finalize Relocation of US Base in Okinawa on Thursday - Reports

Japanese Land Minister Saito Tetsuo will give his formal approval on December 28 to start ground works for the relocation of a US military base in Okinawa prefecture

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japan

okinawa

japanese defense ministry

us

us military

us military base

okinawa military base

futenma air station

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The Japanese Defense Ministry is reportedly already making arrangements and signing contracts with construction companies to start building embankments in Oura Bay in mid-January, once materials and equipment are delivered. This will be the first time that Japan's central government overrules a decision by local authorities in one of the prefectures, the broadcaster said. The Japanese government has long sought to relocate the Futenma military base from near a densely populated area in Okinawa to an offshore site within the same prefecture. This would require landfill works, which the local government has refused to allow. The cause was taken to Japan's Supreme Court, which ruled in 2018 to start the ground works for the relocation. In 2020, after soft ground was discovered on the construction site, a design change was requested. Incumbent Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki, who took office in 2018, declined the request. In October, the land minister went to the Fukuoka High Court, which gave its green light for the construction works required for the base's relocation. Tamaki vowed to appeal with the Supreme Court and in the meantime is reportedly trying to negotiate with the government in Tokyo.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231221/japan-court-orders-okinawa-to-approve-of-runway-plan-for-us-marine-corps-1115717093.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231226/multi-arena-war-what-does-the-future-hold-in-store-for-israel-palestine-conflict-1115822252.html

Multi-Arena War: What Does the Future Hold in Store for Israel-Palestine Conflict?

Multi-Arena War: What Does the Future Hold in Store for Israel-Palestine Conflict?

The standoff has already morphed into a multi-front war between Tel Aviv and participants of the so-called Axis of Resistance. Will next year be marked by an all-out war in the Middle East?

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middle east

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Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that Israel has been fighting a war on seven different fronts on December 26."We are in a multi-arena war, we are being attacked from seven different sectors - Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Iraq, Yemen and Iran," Gallant highlighted at the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting on Tuesday, as quoted by the Jerusalem Post.The minister warned that anyone who acts against Israel is a "potential target", adding that "this is a long, hard war", but "its justification is the highest it can be." The hostilities began after Palestinian Islamist group Hamas conducted a surprise attack on Israeli civilians and military, killing over 1,200, and taking around 240 hostage on October 7.The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are continuing to dismantle Hamas positions in the north of the Gaza Strip. As per the Israeli press, the IDF inflicted serious damage on several Hamas battalions; miles of Hamas underground tunnels have been destroyed; and the Israeli military has expanded its operations in both central Gaza and Khan Younis to the south.Nonetheless, the Palestinian Islamist group has remained largely intact in the south, with Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar claiming on Monday that the organization would never agree to Tel Aviv's "conditions" and would continue to fight. The Israeli military has warned that the war would be a protracted one, as per the Jewish media.Meanwhile, Hezbollah is continuing to attack Israel from the north, while the Houthis, a Yemeni Shiite group, has opened a second front in the Red Sea and announced that 20,000 reservist soldiers could be possibly deployed to the Gaza Strip to help Hamas, as per Yemeni news agency Saba.Will the Gaza War Spill Over?"It's not clear yet if the conflict in Gaza will escalate," Inbar said. "It remains to be seen after Israel achieves its goal in destroying the Hamas military capabilities in Gaza. What will happen? It's not dependent that much on Israel. If Hezbollah will continue to shoot at Israeli civilians, if the Houthis will continue [to attack]. Then, of course, we may see an escalation of the conflict. Israel is not going to sit quiet and take this type of hostile activity."Inbar believes there isn't much chance "of seeing a peaceful solution in the near future."Given the number of various forces being involved in the Gaza war, the conflict is growing risky, according to Ayman Yousef, professor of political sciences and international relations at the Arab-American University in Palestine.The US has beefed up its military presence in the region dramatically with additional naval, air and land forces being deployed in the Middle East. What's more, in response to the Houthi's attacks on Israeli-linked vessels in the Red Sea, the Pentagon announced a ten-nation coalition to safeguard trade in the region and dispatched further forces there.For its part, Iran has warned the US and its allies in the Red Sea that they should prepare for the closure of waterways stretching all the way to the western gates of the Mediterranean Sea.Netanyahu's Three Prerequisites for Israeli-Palestinian PeaceIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear that before any peaceful settlement between the Israelis and Palestinians is achieved, "Hamas must be destroyed, Gaza must be demilitarized, and Palestinian society must be de-radicalized."Netanyahu outlined his vision in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal on Monday. The Israeli premier subjected the Palestinian Authority (PA) to criticism, stressing that the body is unfit to rule the Gaza Strip after Hamas is destroyed.The Israel media has drawn attention to the fact that Netanyahu avoided mentioning the future of the Palestinian state or a two-state solution in his op-ed. The Israeli prime minister is said not to support a two-state scenario. Likewise, Hamas does not seek a two-state solution either, with Palestinians finding themselves between a rock and a hard place.The Israeli premier appears to be determined to continue the fight no matter what. While the number of those killed in Gaza is estimated to be over 20,000, Netanyahu insisted in his op-ed that "Israel does its best to minimize civilian casualties."Meanwhile, judging from national polls, Netanyahu is losing popularity, with the majority of voters saying that he should step down when the Gaza war is over.Is the US Getting Tired of Israel's War in Gaza?Haaretz, an Israeli left-leaning publication, argues that "Israel is increasingly seen as a liability in the US." Indeed, a December poll from Quinnipiac University indicated that 46% of voters oppose further US military aid to Israel.At the same time, the latest Fox News survey showed that a whopping 74% of respondents are concerned about the Israel-Hamas war, meaning that the region still remains in the focus of Americans."The second factor is the continuation of the Palestinian split, the political fragmentation between Fatah and Hamas, and lack of progress in this direction. And the third factor is normalization of Arab countries with Israel. If Israel is normalizing with Arab countries, it has to agree or it has to go in the direction of making and building peace with the Palestinians," the political scientist continued.US No Longer Seen as Trustworthy Peace-BrokerMeanwhile, neither Inbar nor Yousef sees the United States as a powerful peace broker that could find a way out of the conflict in the near future.If one wants to find a real solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, new international forces are needed to come in and take the lead, according to Yousef.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231222/ex-pentagon-analyst-warns-us-stretched-thin-on-ukraine-israel-and-taiwan-fronts-1115749074.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231225/us-seeking-israeli-help-in-retaining-palestinian-authority-for-post-war-gaza---reports-1115810704.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231225/egypt-presents-3-stage-plan-to-israel-hamas-to-resolve-gaza-conflict---reports-1115795014.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231226/palestinian-groups-say-talks-underway-over-egyptian-proposal-on-gaza-strip-1115826239.html

Palestinian Groups Say Talks Underway Over Egyptian Proposal on Gaza Strip

Palestinian Groups Say Talks Underway Over Egyptian Proposal on Gaza Strip

Palestinian groups said on Tuesday they were holding detailed discussions on an Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

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On Sunday, the Asharq News broadcaster reported Egypt had presented Israel and Palestinian movement Hamas with its three-stage proposal to end the war in the Gaza Strip and a post-conflict settlement. "The Egyptian document is the result of important and major efforts and is being discussed thoroughly," the groups said in a joint statement to Saudi news channel Al-Hadath. The groups also said they were open to Egypt acting as a mediator in the conflict and appreciated its efforts to end the war. Later in the day, the Al Arabiya broadcaster reported the United States supported key points of Egypt's three-point plan for Gaza. On October 7, Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip, while its fighters breached the border, opening fire on the military and civilians. As a result, over 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza and launched a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 20,900 people have been killed so far in Gaza as a result of Israeli strikes, local authorities said. On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231225/egypt-presents-3-stage-plan-to-israel-hamas-to-resolve-gaza-conflict---reports-1115795014.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231226/putin-hosts-informal-summit-of-cis-leaders--1115814943.html

Putin Hosts Informal Summit of CIS Leaders

Putin Hosts Informal Summit of CIS Leaders

Earlier Putin chaired a summit of the Eurasian Economic Union, a regional economic union of five ex-Soviet states: Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

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Sputnik comes to you live from St. Petersburg, where Russian President Vladimir Putin joins other leaders of the of Independent States for a sit-down to discuss the regional and international agenda. As Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, Vladimir Putin will have an excellent opportunity to hold closed-door talks with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Representatives of Armenia have recently refused to participate in a number of events within the framework of the CIS and the CSTO.Russia will chair the CIS in 2024 and Putin stressed that the nation's "main priorities include the deepening of economic cooperation, the expansion of cultural and humanitarian ties, and contacts in the sphere of security and law enforcement, in conjunction with Eurasian integration processes."Follow Sputniks live feed to learn more!

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231226/russia-now-europes-largest-economy---presidential-aide-1115816838.html

Russia Now Europe's Largest Economy - Presidential Aide

Russia Now Europe's Largest Economy - Presidential Aide

Moscow's Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) confirmed a robust 5.5% GDP growth for the third quarter in December and upgraded its annual GDP growth estimate for January-September to 3%, up from the previous 2.9%.

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Russia has become the largest economy in Europe, revealed Russian presidential aide Maxim Oreshkin in an interview with Expert magazine.Globally, he also stated that the Russian economy sits just behind Japan in the race for the fourth-largest economy.According to Oreshkin, "the so-called economies of the Global North - the United States, Japan, the EU - are gradually losing their role and importance."According to the World Bank, China emerged as the world's largest economy in purchasing power parity terms in 2022. The United States secured second place, followed by India in third and Japan in fourth. Russia secured fifth place, while Germany remained in sixth.Back in October, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) revised its 2023 GDP growth forecast for Russia to 2.2% growth compared to the earlier prediction of 1.5% in July. However, the outlook for 2024 has been adjusted downward to 1.1% from 1.3%.The IMF noted mixed effects of Western sanctions on Russian crude oil exports in its latest World Economic Outlook. Despite sanctions, Russian export flows remained stable, and crude oil continues trading above the $60 price cap imposed by the G7 countries.Earlier, Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov hinted at a 3.5% GDP growth in 2023, but the formal forecast of 2,9% remained unchanged. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin was more optimistic and asserted a minimum 3.5% growth by the year's end, surpassing the ministry's official 2.8% forecast for 2023.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231215/russias-gdp-growth-in-2023-will-exceed-3---central-bank-1115606687.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231226/russian-state-defense-contracts-boomed-in-2023---united-aircraft-corporation-1115821177.html

Russian State Defense Contracts Boomed in 2023 - United Aircraft Corporation

Russian State Defense Contracts Boomed in 2023 - United Aircraft Corporation

This year alone, the Russian defense industry has seen a major rise in both developing and producing new advanced equipment and refining and improving existing ones. The United Aircraft Corporation has spoken on the company's latest trends and federal contracts.

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Russias United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) has commented on the companys performance in the passing year, as well as its fulfillment of federal contracts signed with Russias Ministry of Defense (MoD).Su-57The number of orders for the 5th generation Su-57 aircraft placed by the Russian Aerospace Forces doubled in 2023. All of the contracts were implemented in full."We have fulfilled defense procurement contracts. Under the terms of the contracts, things went as scheduled; everything was delivered on time, in some cases even earlier than planned The number of orders went up across all the plants, for some of them  quite significantly. When it comes to the new Su-57 plane, the number actually doubled. It is a complex aircraft. Working on it was an honor, Yury Slyusar, UAC general director, told Rossiya 24.According to the top executive, this year Russias MoD received all the commissioned aircraft, and there are even more orders coming in 2024.Serial deliveries for these planes began in 2022. Under the current state program, Russian Aerospace Forces are to receive 76 Su-57s before 2027.IL-76In 2023, the UAC also handed over six Il-76 to the MoD, all assembled at the Aviastar-SP aircraft factory based in Ulyanovsk. Additionally, the company plans to increase aircraft production to 18 vehicles annually, Slyusar added.According to the company's official, IL-76 is essential when it comes to logistics and deliveries in special military op.Slyusar pointed out that the manufacturing process was previously held in Tashkent in Uzbekistan. The aircraft assembled in Ulyanovsk have received 70 new build systems, new engines and new onboard equipment.The general director praised the Ulyanovsk plant for managing to manufacture six Il-76s, since the facility successfully managed fully-fledged production of serial equipment, something it was not previously involved in. "The plant had to step up the production, get back in business, and join [the so-called] family of serial plants... Delivering six aircraft to the MoD is considerable work, and for that we are thankful," Slyusar highlighted.SJ-100The first flight of the SJ-100 aircraft with a domestic PD-8 engine will take place in early 2024, Slyusar added. The UAC executive also shared a few details regarding the anticipated flight of Russias SJ-100 domestic jet, equipped with the new PD-8 engine."Our prototype aircraft already have the engines fully installed. We are launching ground tests as soon as we get the permit. I believe it could take place in the coming days [before the winter holidays]. We expect to carry out the first flight in early 2024, he noted.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230831/new-airborne-collision-avoidance-system-boosts-russias-tech-independence-1113016477.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230829/kremlin-considers-first-flight-of-russias-homegrown-airliner-sj-100-great-success-1112958495.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231226/saudi-arabia-not-interested-in-joining-us-led-red-sea-coalition-against-houthis---reports-1115812231.html

Saudi Arabia Not Interested in Joining US-Led Red Sea Coalition Against Houthis - Reports

Saudi Arabia Not Interested in Joining US-Led Red Sea Coalition Against Houthis - Reports

Saudi Arabia has no interest in taking part in the new US-led coalition to safeguard commercial traffic in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks, The New York Times reported.

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The kingdom views the prospect of peace on its southern border "a more appealing goal" compared to joining any naval action after eight years of war with the rebel movement that drained Saudi coffers and helped drive Yemen into one of the world's most acute humanitarian crises, the newspaper reported on Monday. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, whom the report described as the kingdom's "de facto" ruler, wants to transform it into a business hub by 2030 and seeks to resolve conflicts and soothe tensions across the Middle East, including through a rapprochement with Iran, its regional rival.Yemen has been engulfed in an armed conflict between the government forces and the Houthi rebels since 2014. The situation exacerbated in March 2015, when the Saudi-led coalition, working in cooperation with the internationally-recognized Yemeni government, began conducting air, land and sea operations against the Houthis. The latter have retaliated by attacking Saudi forces and firing missiles into Saudi Arabia. After the armed conflict between Israel and Palestinian movement Hamas escalated in October, the Houthis have intensified their attacks on cargo ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, vowing to continue them until Israel ends its military actions in the Gaza Strip. Last week, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the establishment of a multinational operation to secure the Red Sea amid the surge in Houthis' attacks on cargo ships, saying that the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the Seychelles, and Spain would take part in the mission. The Houthis, for their part, vowed to attack any ships that join the US-led maritime coalition.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231226/uk-completes-training-of-first-cohort-of-ukrainian-f16-pilots-1115818750.html

UK Completes Training of First Cohort of Ukrainian F16 Pilots

UK Completes Training of First Cohort of Ukrainian F16 Pilots

The first group of Ukrainian pilots have completed a basic training program in the United Kingdom to fly US-made F-16 fighter jets, the UK defense ministry said on Tuesday.

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The UK Royal Air Force-led training started in August and included aviation-specific English language courses, which the Ukrainian pilots need to be able to undergo further phases of F16 training in other countries, the statement read."The first cohort of Ukrainian pilots to receive training from the Royal Air Force are now learning to fly F-16 fighter jets in Denmark, having completed a basic programme of training in the UK," the ministry said in a statement. Sixteen Ukrainian pilots have completed the language training, and ten of them are remaining in the UK to "continue with practical basic flight training, as well as to learn important skills such as aviation medicine and centrifuge training." "Once they have completed their training with the RAF, pilots will be trained by another European nation on advanced flying training," the statement read. Additionally, engineering-focused English language training is being provided to "dozens" of Ukrainian aircraft technicians, the ministry said. The UK has provided military training to more than 53,000 Ukrainians since 2014 and plans to recruit another 10,000 in the first half of 2024, the ministry said. Western countries have been providing Ukraine with military aid since the start of Russia's special military operation in February 2022. The support evolved from lighter artillery munitions and training to heavier weapons, including tanks. Ukraine eventually started pushing for Western-made fighter jets, which its donors abroad long resisted. In July, an international coalition was formed to provide Ukrainian pilots with training to fly F-16s, the fighter jets of its choice, spearheaded by Denmark and the Netherlands. In October, another coalition was initiated by the United States to boost Ukraine's general air defense capability.Earlier Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stressed that Russian air defense system will need only about 20 days to shoot down all the F-16s that the Ukrainian military will receive.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231127/uk-media-mum-on-shocking-claims-boris-johnson-sabotaged-russia-ukraine-peace-talks--1115230732.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231207/can-ukraines-anticipated-f-16s-withstand-s-400s-firepower-1115453595.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231226/us-conducts-retaliatory-strikes-against-kataib-hezbollah-other-groups-in-iraq-1115812676.html

US Conducts 'Retaliatory' Strikes Against Kataib Hezbollah, Other Groups in Iraq

US Conducts 'Retaliatory' Strikes Against Kataib Hezbollah, Other Groups in Iraq

The United States carried out strikes against three targets of Kataib Hezbollah and associated groups in Iraq in response to a drone attack on Erbil Air Base where coalition forces are stationed, the US Department of Defense said on Tuesday.

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On Monday, the Iraqi military said that a military base hosting the US-led international coalition forces near the airport of Erbil had been attacked by a drone. "Today, at President Biden's direction, US military forces conducted necessary and proportionate strikes on three facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq," Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin said in a statement. The statement added that three US servicemen were injured as a result of Mondays attack on the Erbil base, with one of them being in critical condition. The US Central Command said on X that these airstrikes reached their targets and destroyed facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah militants and affiliated groups.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231222/ex-pentagon-analyst-warns-us-stretched-thin-on-ukraine-israel-and-taiwan-fronts-1115749074.html

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Moderna's swift progress highlights optimized business environment in Shanghai

Xinhua) 09:03, December 26, 2023

This photo taken on Dec. 20, 2023 shows the construction site of American biotech company Moderna's pharmaceutical plant in Shanghai, east China. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang)

SHANGHAI, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- It took American biotech company Moderna just over three months to start the construction of its first pharmaceutical plant in China following an investment agreement with Shanghai.

The "Moderna speed," even faster than that of Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory, reflects how the Chinese economic powerhouse Shanghai has continued to optimize the business environment and stimulate the vitality of reform and opening up.

On July 5, Moderna signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization and the Minhang district government.

As one of the world's leading mRNA vaccine developers, Moderna focuses on cancer immunotherapy, including mRNA-based medicine R&D and virus prevention technologies.

Moderna secured land for the China R&D and production headquarters project in Shanghai and obtained approval for the pile foundation work of the facility in October.

With an estimated investment of 3.6 billion yuan (about 507 million U.S. dollars), the project is by far the largest foreign investment in China's biomedical field. It covers an area of about 18 hectares in the Shanghai Xinzhuang Industry Park in Minhang District.

To facilitate the investment, Minhang has set up a special work team serving 24 hours a day to address issues with the investment. The team handled 45 requests from the U.S. side within two months, responding to them in as little as 30 minutes.

The city, district and industrial park all have a special work team, according to Tong Lingling, deputy general manager of Xinzhuang Industrial Zone Economic and Technological Development Co., Ltd.

"The teams at the three levels worked in coordination with each other and helped enterprises speed up the approval process," Tong said.

At a recent plenary session of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, the optimization of the business environment represented by "Moderna speed" has received widespread attention.

Participants at the session proposed improving the administrative approval process and strengthening services for enterprises to help materialize more projects as fast as that of Moderna to boost the Chinese economy.

A good business environment forms an important part of the core competitiveness of the city.

Gong Zheng, mayor of Shanghai, said that amid the complex external environment, Shanghai remains one of the most favored foreign investment destinations as well as one of the most popular destinations in the latest round of restructuring of the industrial and supply chain of multinational companies.

Over the years, Shanghai has worked consistently to create a world-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based and internationalized, gradually turning the insights gained from the implementation of major projects into regular services.

From January to October this year, Shanghai's actual use of foreign investment has seen a positive growth year on year, reaching 20.77 billion U.S. dollars, official data showed.

This photo taken on Dec. 20, 2023 shows the construction site of American biotech company Moderna's pharmaceutical plant in Shanghai, east China. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The United Nations' refugee agency has recommended China ensure "viable and effective humanitarian space" for North Korean refugees, according to a report posted on the website of the U.N. Human Rights Council.

The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) made the recommendation as China is set to undergo a universal periodic review (UPR) in January. UPR is a mechanism that calls for each U.N. member state to go through a peer review of its human rights record every 4.5 years.

The recommendation came amid reports that China has repatriated North Korean defectors despite the possibility that they could face harsh treatment.

"UNHCR recommended that China ensure that persons of all nationalities, including those from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) seeking asylum in China, could have access to asylum procedures; and take all measures to ensure viable and effective humanitarian space for those asylum-seekers ... who might be determined to be in need of international protection, including issuing them with identification and documentation to legally reside in China," the document reads.

DPRK stands for the North's official name.

China has been accused of sending back North Korean refugees based on its view that they have illegally crossed the border into China for economic reasons. Their advocacy groups, however, have urged China to treat them in line with the international principle of non-refoulement.

Slated for Jan. 23, China's UPR is expected to look into controversial issues, including human rights issues in its northwestern region of Xinjiang.

Since the first periodic review in 2008, all 193 U.N. member countries have been reviewed three times. The fourth cycle of review started in November last year. (Yonhap)
https://sputnikglobe.com/20231226/watch-russian-fpv-drones-pound-ukrainian-positions--1115814641.html

Watch Russian FPV-Drones Pound Ukrainian Positions

Watch Russian FPV-Drones Pound Ukrainian Positions

Russia is actively using combat drone in special military operation zone to conduct precise strikes and minimize human losses among its soldiers.

2023-12-26T07:05+0000

2023-12-26T07:05+0000

2023-12-26T10:11+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

ukrainian crisis

drone warfare

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https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/0c/1a/1115813587_20:0:1328:736_1920x0_80_0_0_f2a27c962dda1269c61e38fa7ca90d6c.png

The Ministry of Defense published footage showing Russian airborne troops obliterating Ukrainian militants with FPV-drones in the area of Artemovsk (Bakhmut).After the target was confirmed, the FPV-drones struck the Ukrainian troops there and destroyed the bulk of them. The rest of the Ukrainians fled from the bunker, only to be hunted down by other Russian drones.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231226/akhmat-fighters-decimate-colombian-mercs-in-special-op-zone-1115812792.html

Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60

2023

Sergey Lebedev

Sergey Lebedev

News

en_EN

Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60

FPV Drones in Combat Action near Artemovsk FPV Drones in Combat Action near Artemovsk 2023-12-26T07:05+0000 true PT0M56S

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Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60

Sergey Lebedev

russia special military operation, ukrainian crisis, ukrainian conflict, russia drones
The Cowlitz County Republican Party will host its precinct caucus on Jan. 13 from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at Republican party headquarters, 314 Academy St., Kelso.

Precinct caucuses are held in to determine the partys platform for the upcoming election cycle and choose delegates to send to the county convention, according to the Washington State Republican Party website.

The county convention, to be held between Jan. 20 and March 16 according to the site, will be held to determine which delegates from the precinct caucuses are sent to the state convention.

Doors for the precinct caucus will open at 9 a.m., and a Cowlitz County ID will be required for entry.
1900 Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) by 28.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,028 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the quarter. 1900 Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $552,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LLY. Cassia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.8% during the third quarter. Cassia Capital Partners LLC now owns 951 shares of the companys stock valued at $511,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Investment Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Investment Advisory Group LLC now owns 625 shares of the companys stock valued at $336,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 808 shares of the companys stock worth $434,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC raised its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC now owns 3,428 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,841,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Paragon Capital Management Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Paragon Capital Management Ltd now owns 1,585 shares of the companys stock valued at $851,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.38% of the companys stock.

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Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

NYSE LLY opened at $570.39 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $586.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $537.82. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52 week low of $309.20 and a 52 week high of $629.97. The stock has a market cap of $541.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 103.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

Eli Lilly and Company ( NYSE:LLY Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 2nd. The company reported $0.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by $0.18. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 48.12% and a net margin of 15.55%. The business had revenue of $9.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.88 billion. Analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 6.6 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This is a boost from Eli Lilly and Companys previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 14th. Eli Lilly and Companys payout ratio is currently 81.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on LLY shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, November 9th. They issued a hold rating and a $535.00 price target for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an overweight rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Monday, December 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an overweight rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Wednesday, November 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $615.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, October 9th. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a buy rating and issued a $650.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Wednesday, November 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $583.24.

Get Our Latest Report on Eli Lilly and Company

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 215,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $605.44, for a total transaction of $130,169,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 99,768,810 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $60,404,028,326.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Eli Lilly and Company news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 215,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at $60,404,028,326.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 670 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction on Monday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $571.10, for a total value of $382,637.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,708 shares in the company, valued at $2,688,738.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock.

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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1900 Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of iShares Global Equity Factor ETF (NYSEARCA:GLOF  Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 6,159 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $212,000. 1900 Wealth Management LLC owned 0.18% of iShares Global Equity Factor ETF as of its most recent SEC filing.

Separately, Elevated Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in iShares Global Equity Factor ETF in the third quarter valued at approximately $434,000.

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iShares Global Equity Factor ETF Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of iShares Global Equity Factor ETF stock opened at $37.66 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $35.80 and a 200 day moving average of $35.45. iShares Global Equity Factor ETF has a fifty-two week low of $31.47 and a fifty-two week high of $38.21.

iShares Global Equity Factor ETF Company Profile

The iShares Global Equity Factor ETF (GLOF) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the STOXX Global Equity Factor index. The fund tracks an index of large- and mid-cap equities from around the world. Stocks are selected and weighted to optimize exposure to five factors: quality, value, momentum, smaller size and low volatility.

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In new roadmap, officials say they will confirm site, develop content next year

By Jung Min-ho

South Korea is pressing ahead with the establishment of a state-run museum as part of its efforts to raise awareness on North Koreas human rights abuses despite budget shortages caused by the main opposition party.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, officials at the Ministry of Unification said they will use next years project budget of 4.6 billion won ($3.5 million) for land purchase, construction design and content development among other activities.

We are on the verge of signing a contract for a site at Magok-dong (in southwestern Seoul), a high-ranking official said. We will do our best to break ground as soon as possible.

The ministry proposed a project budget of more than 10 billion won to begin construction in 2024, but it was later slashed by lawmakers of the Democratic Party of Korea.

Apparently undeterred by the absence of the partys full cooperation, officials said they will push for a total budget of 26 billion won over the next three years to finish the construction of a North Korean human rights center by 2027.

The ministry brought up the idea of building a museum dedicated to the issue several years ago, but it failed to gain traction amid a thaw in inter-Korean relations during the previous Moon Jae-in administration. After a protracted delay, a Seoul-based NGO, Database Center for North Korean Human Rights, opened its exhibition facility for that theme on Nov. 15 with support from the ministry.

Expanding such efforts is one of the strategies included in the ministrys new comprehensive roadmap to promote the rights of ordinary people in the North. Officials said human rights stand as a core issue directly connected to its constitutional vision for unification: one based on the basic free democratic order.

To this end, officials said they will continue to step up efforts to improve human rights in the North, particularly by strengthening international collaboration.

Beijings recent decision to resume its practice of forcibly deporting North Korean escapees after the lifting of COVID-19 pandemic border restrictions was a reminder for Seoul that it would need to garner a more united voice from other countries against the obvious violation of international law.

The ministry said it would continue to bring up the issue at every diplomatic opportunity until the Chinese government permanently stops the grave abuse of human rights. An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs promised cooperation at the press briefing.

There is no difference in our position between the unification and foreign ministries, the ranking official said. We will continue to work together in terms of maintaining our stance on the issue.

Developing government networks with North Korean defectors communities  not just in South Korea but also overseas  is included among other projects laid out in the roadmap.

Their firsthand experience as the victims and witnesses of North Koreas rights violations can help establish the facts regarding its state violence and build cases to bring those responsible to justice at the International Criminal Court or the South Korean judiciary if given the chance, according to the ministry.

Activists working to improve the rights of North Koreans are also expected to receive more government support, the ministry added.

As President Yoon Suk Yeol said at a meeting on Nov. 28, the truth is the fundamental force needed to bring improvements in North Koreas human rights, the official said. "We will focus on spreading the truth for that goal. the official said.
Shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL  Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of Hold from the eight brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $79.63.

Several brokerages have commented on AFL. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Aflac from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Aflac from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, September 14th. Raymond James lifted their price objective on shares of Aflac from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Aflac from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, November 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Aflac in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating on the stock.

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Check Out Our Latest Analysis on AFL

Insider Transactions at Aflac

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

In related news, CFO Steven Kent Beaver sold 3,114 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.71, for a total transaction of $257,558.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 20,914 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,729,796.94. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink . In related news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.47, for a total transaction of $38,235.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 26,598 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,033,949.06. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink . Also, CFO Steven Kent Beaver sold 3,114 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.71, for a total transaction of $257,558.94. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 20,914 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,729,796.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders sold 165,315 shares of company stock worth $13,420,962 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the companys stock.

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AFL. CoreFirst Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Aflac in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Studio Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Aflac in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. grew its stake in Aflac by 85.1% in the 2nd quarter. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. now owns 372 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co purchased a new position in Aflac in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Impact Partnership Wealth LLC grew its stake in Aflac by 471.4% in the 3rd quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 400 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.75% of the companys stock.

Aflac Stock Up 0.3 %

AFL opened at $81.45 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.08 and a quick ratio of 0.08. The companys 50-day moving average is $81.04 and its 200 day moving average is $76.28. Aflac has a fifty-two week low of $60.20 and a fifty-two week high of $84.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.73, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.88.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The financial services provider reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.40. Aflac had a net margin of 24.17% and a return on equity of 17.86%. The company had revenue of $4.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.23 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Aflac will post 6.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 15th were paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 14th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.06%. Aflacs payout ratio is 26.35%.

About Aflac

(Get Free Report

Aflac Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, provides supplemental health and life insurance products. It operates in two segments, Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S. The Aflac Japan segment offers cancer, medical, nursing care, work leave, GIFT, and whole and term life insurance products, as well as WAYS and child endowment plans under saving type insurance products in Japan.

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Shares of Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY  Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from the six brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities 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 analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $21.06.

NLY has been the topic of a number of research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $17.00 to $21.50 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, December 13th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Annaly Capital Management from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Friday, December 1st. UBS Group restated a neutral rating and issued a $19.00 price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a research report on Wednesday, December 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $22.00 to $18.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 31st.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Annaly Capital Management

In other Annaly Capital Management news, CEO David L. Finkelstein sold 50,000 shares of Annaly Capital Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.04, for a total transaction of $852,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 545,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,291,213.36. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website . Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the companys stock.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky grew its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 134.1% during the 3rd quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 175,653 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $3,304,000 after acquiring an additional 100,613 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 29.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 9,850 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $185,000 after acquiring an additional 2,250 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 1,801.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 803,555 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $15,115,000 after acquiring an additional 761,304 shares in the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management during the 3rd quarter valued at $747,000. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Annaly Capital Management during the 3rd quarter valued at $671,000. 49.16% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Annaly Capital Management Stock Performance

Shares of NLY opened at $20.26 on Thursday. Annaly Capital Management has a 52-week low of $14.52 and a 52-week high of $24.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $17.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.13 billion, a PE ratio of -4.32 and a beta of 1.43.

Annaly Capital Management Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 29th will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.83%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 28th. Annaly Capital Managements payout ratio is -55.44%.

About Annaly Capital Management

(Get Free Report

Annaly Capital Management, Inc, a diversified capital manager, engages in mortgage finance. The company invests in agency mortgage-backed securities collateralized by residential mortgages; non-agency residential whole loans and securitized products within the residential and commercial markets; mortgage servicing rights; agency commercial mortgage-backed securities; residential mortgage loans; and agency or private label credit risk transfer securities.

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Shares of Boyd Gaming Co. (NYSE:BYD  Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of Moderate Buy by the eleven research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $76.18.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $83.00 price objective on shares of Boyd Gaming in a research note on Wednesday, November 29th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Boyd Gaming from $72.00 to $67.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Boyd Gaming from $79.00 to $72.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 25th. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on shares of Boyd Gaming from $87.00 to $84.00 and set a positive rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 24th. Finally, Barclays cut shares of Boyd Gaming from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $71.00 to $66.00 in a research note on Friday, December 15th.

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View Our Latest Report on Boyd Gaming

Boyd Gaming Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BYD opened at $62.14 on Friday. Boyd Gaming has a twelve month low of $52.42 and a twelve month high of $73.00. The companys 50 day moving average is $58.99 and its 200 day moving average is $63.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The company has a market cap of $6.08 billion, a PE ratio of 9.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 1.69.

Boyd Gaming (NYSE:BYD  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 24th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.08). Boyd Gaming had a return on equity of 38.87% and a net margin of 18.89%. The business had revenue of $903.16 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $873.36 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Boyd Gaming will post 6.11 EPS for the current year.

Boyd Gaming Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 21st. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. Boyd Gamings dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.43%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Boyd Gaming by 105.5% during the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 411 shares of the companys stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares during the period. Belpointe Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Boyd Gaming by 237.6% during the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 655 shares of the companys stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 461 shares during the period. Quarry LP raised its holdings in shares of Boyd Gaming by 130.3% during the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 822 shares of the companys stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Boyd Gaming by 73.1% during the 2nd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,208 shares of the companys stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 510 shares during the period. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Boyd Gaming during the 1st quarter worth $86,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.98% of the companys stock.

About Boyd Gaming

(Get Free Report

Boyd Gaming Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a multi-jurisdictional gaming company in Nevada, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. It operates through three segments: Las Vegas Locals, Downtown Las Vegas, and Midwest & South.

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Shares of British Land Company PLC (OTCMKTS:BTLCY  Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of Reduce by the six research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on BTLCY shares. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of British Land from a hold rating to an underperform rating in a report on Wednesday, September 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of British Land from an overweight rating to a neutral rating in a report on Monday, September 4th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of British Land from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a report on Friday, October 13th.

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British Land Stock Performance

British Land Increases Dividend

British Land stock opened at $5.26 on Tuesday. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $4.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $4.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.38. British Land has a 1-year low of $3.48 and a 1-year high of $5.88.

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 24th will be issued a $0.1049 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 22nd. This is an increase from British Lands previous dividend of $0.10.

British Land Company Profile

(Get Free Report

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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CreativeOne Wealth LLC lessened its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO  Free Report) by 15.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 42,736 shares of the companys stock after selling 7,587 shares during the quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLCs holdings in Altria Group were worth $1,797,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new position in Altria Group in the first quarter worth $25,000. Northwest Bank & Trust Co purchased a new position in Altria Group in the second quarter worth $27,000. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group in the second quarter worth $30,000. Asset Dedication LLC grew its position in Altria Group by 56.7% in the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 774 shares of the companys stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 280 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Altria Group in the first quarter worth $35,000. 58.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on MO. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, October 13th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Altria Group from $46.50 to $45.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 18th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Altria Group from $49.00 to $47.00 in a research note on Monday, October 9th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Altria Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 19th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $40.40 to $39.20 and set a sell rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $47.53.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Altria Group news, Director Robert Matthews Davis acquired 1,200 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, November 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $40.50 per share, for a total transaction of $48,600.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 8,473 shares in the company, valued at $343,156.50. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the companys stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $40.36 on Tuesday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $39.06 and a 1 year high of $51.57. The companys 50-day moving average is $41.24 and its 200 day moving average is $43.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.66.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.01). Altria Group had a net margin of 35.58% and a negative return on equity of 237.91%. The company had revenue of $5.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.43 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.28 EPS. Altria Groups quarterly revenue was down 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 4.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 21st will be issued a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.71%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 20th. Altria Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.84%.

Altria Group Profile

(Free Report)

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company provides cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; cigars and pipe tobacco principally under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco products and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; and on! oral nicotine pouches.

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Sun Communities (NYSE:SUI  Get Free Report) and Summit Industrial Income REIT (OTCMKTS:SMMCF  Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, dividends, earnings and institutional ownership.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Sun Communities and Summit Industrial Income REIT, as reported by MarketBeat.

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Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Sun Communities 0 3 6 0 2.67 Summit Industrial Income REIT 0 0 0 0 N/A

Sun Communities currently has a consensus target price of $141.36, suggesting a potential upside of 6.16%. Given Sun Communities higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Sun Communities is more favorable than Summit Industrial Income REIT.

Profitability

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Sun Communities 7.17% 2.81% 1.31% Summit Industrial Income REIT N/A N/A N/A

Dividends

This table compares Sun Communities and Summit Industrial Income REITs net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Sun Communities pays an annual dividend of $3.72 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.8%. Summit Industrial Income REIT pays an annual dividend of $0.21 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. Sun Communities pays out 203.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Summit Industrial Income REIT pays out 35.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Sun Communities has increased its dividend for 7 consecutive years. Sun Communities is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

94.8% of Sun Communities shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.1% of Summit Industrial Income REIT shares are held by institutional investors. 2.1% of Sun Communities shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Sun Communities and Summit Industrial Income REITs gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Sun Communities $3.12 billion 5.31 $253.00 million $1.83 72.77 Summit Industrial Income REIT N/A N/A N/A $0.59 29.50

Sun Communities has higher revenue and earnings than Summit Industrial Income REIT. Summit Industrial Income REIT is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Sun Communities, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Sun Communities beats Summit Industrial Income REIT on 12 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Sun Communities

(Get 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.

About Summit Industrial Income REIT

(Get Free Report)

Summit Industrial Income REIT is an open-ended mutual fund trust, which engages in growing and managing a portfolio of light industrial properties. Its properties are located in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, British Columbia, and New Brunswick. The company was founded on November 24, 1998 and is headquartered in Markham, Canada.

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Founders Financial Securities LLC increased its position in Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO  Free Report) by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,669 shares of the medical research companys stock after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLCs holdings in Thermo Fisher Scientific were worth $845,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in TMO. Halpern Financial Inc. grew its stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 307.7% in the 3rd quarter. Halpern Financial Inc. now owns 53 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Live Oak Investment Partners purchased a new position in Thermo Fisher Scientific during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Tyler Stone Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific during the second quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO bought a new position in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 87.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Thermo Fisher Scientific Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of TMO opened at $529.05 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $479.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $509.98. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has a twelve month low of $415.60 and a twelve month high of $609.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $204.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.67, a PEG ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Dividend Announcement

Thermo Fisher Scientific ( NYSE:TMO Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 25th. The medical research company reported $5.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.61 by $0.08. Thermo Fisher Scientific had a return on equity of 18.88% and a net margin of 13.68%. The company had revenue of $10.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $10.60 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.08 earnings per share. Thermo Fisher Scientifics quarterly revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. will post 21.52 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 15th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 14th. Thermo Fisher Scientifics payout ratio is currently 9.17%.

Thermo Fisher Scientific declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, November 14th that permits the company to repurchase $4.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical research company to reacquire up to 2.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the companys management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. HSBC began coverage on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a research note on Monday, December 18th. They issued a buy rating and a $610.00 target price on the stock. Barclays decreased their target price on Thermo Fisher Scientific from $625.00 to $585.00 in a research note on Friday, September 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Thermo Fisher Scientific from $670.00 to $630.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating and set a $475.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $657.00 to $579.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $597.53.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Thermo Fisher Scientific

Insider Transactions at Thermo Fisher Scientific

In related news, CEO Marc N. Casper sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $454.41, for a total value of $4,544,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 131,175 shares of the companys stock, valued at $59,607,231.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.32% of the companys stock.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

(Free Report)

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc provides life sciences solutions, analytical instruments, specialty diagnostics, and laboratory products and biopharma services in the United States and internationally. The company's Life Sciences Solutions segment offers reagents, instruments, and consumables for biological and medical research, discovery, and production of drugs and vaccines, as well as diagnosis of infections and diseases; and solutions include biosciences, genetic sciences, clinical next-generation sequencing, bio production to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agricultural, clinical, healthcare, academic, and government markets.

Further Reading

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Inscription Capital LLC decreased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 854 shares of the companys stock after selling 27 shares during the period. Inscription Capital LLCs holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $459,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in LLY. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 33,878,417 shares of the companys stock valued at $15,888,300,000 after purchasing an additional 642,274 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 20,324,267 shares of the companys stock valued at $6,979,760,000 after purchasing an additional 314,349 shares during the last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 533,336.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 19,059,681 shares of the companys stock valued at $8,938,609,000 after purchasing an additional 19,056,108 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,205,501 shares of the companys stock valued at $7,111,568,000 after purchasing an additional 338,077 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 44.1% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 12,059,204 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,411,740,000 after purchasing an additional 3,691,436 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.38% of the companys stock.

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Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

LLY stock opened at $570.39 on Tuesday. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12-month low of $309.20 and a 12-month high of $629.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59. The firm has a market cap of $541.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 103.33, a PEG ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 0.33. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $586.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $537.82.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

Eli Lilly and Company ( NYSE:LLY Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The company reported $0.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by $0.18. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 15.55% and a return on equity of 48.12%. The firm had revenue of $9.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.88 billion. On average, analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 6.6 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 15th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Companys previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 14th. Eli Lilly and Companys payout ratio is 81.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $710.00 price target (up previously from $612.00) on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, October 20th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $525.00 to $675.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, October 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an overweight rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Monday, December 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an overweight rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Wednesday, November 8th. Finally, Argus raised their price target 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $583.24.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Eli Lilly and Company

Insider Buying and Selling at Eli Lilly and Company

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 215,000 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 99,768,810 shares of the companys stock, valued at $60,404,028,326.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 670 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 6th. The shares were 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 215,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $605.44, for a total transaction of $130,169,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 99,768,810 shares of the companys stock, valued at $60,404,028,326.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Profile

(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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John Wood Group PLC (LON:WG  Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of Hold by the six brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is GBX 209.80 ($2.67).

Separately, Berenberg Bank cut their price target on shares of John Wood Group from GBX 200 ($2.54) to GBX 180 ($2.29) and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 18th.

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Check Out Our Latest Analysis on John Wood Group

Insider Activity

John Wood Group Stock Up 0.6 %

In other news, insider Ken Gilmartin purchased 4,220 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 14th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 152 ($1.93) per share, with a total value of 6,414.40 ($8,150.44). In other John Wood Group news, insider Jacqui Ferguson acquired 1,350 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 22nd. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 167 ($2.12) per share, with a total value of 2,254.50 ($2,864.68). Also, insider Ken Gilmartin bought 4,220 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 152 ($1.93) per share, with a total value of 6,414.40 ($8,150.44). Insiders have acquired 9,896 shares of company stock valued at $1,507,138 in the last ninety days. 1.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

WG stock opened at GBX 169.50 ($2.15) on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 38.64, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The company has a market capitalization of 1.17 billion, a P/E ratio of -190.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 1.53. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 147.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of GBX 147.92.

About John Wood Group

(Get Free Report

John Wood Group PLC, together with its subsidiaries, provides consulting, project management, and engineering solutions to energy and built environment worldwide. It operates through Projects, Operations, Consulting, and Investment Services segments. The Projects segment provides engineering design and project management services across energy and materials markets including oil and gas, chemicals, mining, minerals, and life sciences.

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McDermott International (OTCMKTS:MDRIQ  Get Free Report) and BrewBilt Manufacturing (OTCMKTS:BBRW  Get Free Report) are both small-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends, risk, institutional ownership, profitability and valuation.

Profitability

This table compares McDermott International and BrewBilt Manufacturings net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

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Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets McDermott International -52.07% N/A -13.26% BrewBilt Manufacturing -588.06% N/A -327.37%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

1.0% of McDermott International shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.0% of McDermott International shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility and Risk

Valuation and Earnings

McDermott International has a beta of 1.64, indicating that its stock price is 64% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, BrewBilt Manufacturing has a beta of 5.23, indicating that its stock price is 423% more volatile than the S&P 500.

This table compares McDermott International and BrewBilt Manufacturings gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio McDermott International $8.43 billion 0.00 -$2.91 billion ($5.95) -0.01 BrewBilt Manufacturing $1.44 million 0.14 -$7.49 million N/A N/A

BrewBilt Manufacturing has lower revenue, but higher earnings than McDermott International.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations for McDermott International and BrewBilt Manufacturing, as provided by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score McDermott International 0 0 0 0 N/A BrewBilt Manufacturing 0 0 0 0 N/A

Summary

McDermott International beats BrewBilt Manufacturing on 5 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About McDermott International

(Get Free Report)

McDermott International, Inc. provides engineering, procurement, construction and installation, and technology solutions to the energy industry worldwide. It operates through five segments: North, Central and South America; Europe, Africa, Russia and Caspian; the Middle East and North Africa; Asia Pacific; and Technology. It designs, engineers, and constructs upstream offshore oil and gas facilities, downstream oil and gas facilities and pipelines, gas-fired power plants, liquefied natural gas import and export terminals, atmospheric and refrigerated storage vessels and terminals, water storage and treatment facilities, hydrocarbon processing facilities, and refining and petrochemical facilities, as well as performs pipe and module fabrication. The company also provides gas processing, refining, petrochemical and coal gasification technologies, as well as supplies proprietary catalysts, equipment, and related engineering services. It serves national, integrated, and other oil and gas companies, as well as producers of petrochemicals and electric power. The company was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. On January 21, 2020, McDermott International, Inc., along with its affiliates, filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.

About BrewBilt Manufacturing

(Get Free Report)

BrewBilt Manufacturing Inc. custom designs, hand crafts, and integrates brewing, fermentation, and distillation processing systems for the craft beer industry in California. The company was founded in 2014 and is based in Grass Valley, California.

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North Korean state media outlets on Tuesday ran articles on recent economic and industrial developments in what appeared to be efforts to highlight the country's economic accomplishments this year ahead of a key party meeting expected to take place this week.

The North's state media earlier reported the country will convene the ninth plenary meeting of the eighth central committee of the ruling Workers' Party late in December to review this year's state policies and set policy goals for next year. It did not elaborate on when the meeting would be held.

Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's main newspaper for its domestic audience, introduced efforts to increase production in the steel industry, such as the establishment of a new blast furnace at Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Complex, and an induction furnace at Hwanghae Iron and Steel Complex.

The newspaper also said the province of South Hamgyong has accomplished "feats that stand out" in terms of economic development and improvements in people's livelihoods by upholding decisions made at an earlier key party meeting.

The Korean Central News Agency has also been running articles on the establishment of various facilities  ranging from the development of a new tractor to modernized facilities at a pharmaceutical plant  in the agricultural and industrial sectors this week.

In contrast to major defense achievements the reclusive regime has accomplished this year  such as launching solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles and a military reconnaissance satellite  the North has suffered economic difficulties coming from yearslong COVID-19 border closure and international sanctions.

The North Korean economy saw its gross domestic product slip 0.2 percent on-year in 2022, shrinking for a third consecutive year, according to the data from Statistics Korea.

An official at Seoul's unification ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs said the North is likely to review this year's policy and set out guidelines for the new year in the upcoming key meeting.

"While the North has not disclosed a date, it is expected to convene the meeting between Tuesday and Thursday based on previous cases," a ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

"Some notable aspects will be its message for the South and overseas counterparts as well as to what extent it will touch on its plan for weapons development. We are also keeping tabs on changes in organizational affairs." (Yonhap)
Royal Fund Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEARCA:GLD  Free Report) by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,393 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the quarter. Royal Fund Management LLCs holdings in SPDR Gold Shares were worth $239,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Intrepid Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of SPDR Gold Shares during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Northwest Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of SPDR Gold Shares during the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Old North State Trust LLC grew its holdings in shares of SPDR Gold Shares by 225.4% during the first quarter. Old North State Trust LLC now owns 550 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 381 shares in the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in shares of SPDR Gold Shares in the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of SPDR Gold Shares during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 40.99% of the companys stock.

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SPDR Gold Shares Stock Performance

Shares of NYSEARCA GLD opened at $190.27 on Tuesday. SPDR Gold Shares has a 1 year low of $166.66 and a 1 year high of $192.40. The firms 50 day moving average price is $185.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $180.65.

SPDR Gold Shares Company 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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StockNews.com began coverage on shares of VMware (NYSE:VMW  Free Report) in a research report released on Monday morning. The firm issued a strong-buy rating on the virtualization software providers stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Monness Crespi & Hardt cut VMware from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, August 28th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of VMware from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a report on Friday, September 1st. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of VMware from $180.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, September 1st. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of VMware from $158.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Friday, September 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $160.25.

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VMware Price Performance

Insider Buying and Selling

Shares of NYSE:VMW opened at $143.00 on Monday. VMware has a one year low of $109.00 and a one year high of $181.14. The stock has a market cap of $61.75 billion, a PE ratio of 43.20 and a beta of 0.71. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $147.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $153.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.71, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.87.

In related news, EVP Jean Pierre Brulard sold 5,779 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.29, for a total transaction of $1,030,337.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 71,053 shares of the companys stock, valued at $12,668,039.37. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 40.30% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of VMware

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. MetLife Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of VMware during the 1st quarter worth about $928,000. Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of VMware by 59.7% in the first quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 4,648 shares of the virtualization software providers stock worth $529,000 after acquiring an additional 1,738 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL raised its stake in shares of VMware by 24.7% in the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 8,837 shares of the virtualization software providers stock valued at $1,006,000 after acquiring an additional 1,752 shares during the period. Aviva PLC lifted its holdings in shares of VMware by 8.0% during the 1st quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 72,308 shares of the virtualization software providers stock valued at $8,234,000 after acquiring an additional 5,351 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudential PLC purchased a new stake in VMware during the 1st quarter worth $419,000. 46.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

VMware Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

VMware, Inc provides software solutions in the areas of modern applications, cloud management and infrastructure, networking, security, and workspaces in the United States and internationally. It offers VMware multi-cloud solutions, including VMware vSphere, a data center infrastructure that provides the fundamental compute layer; and vSAN and VxRail, which offers holistic data storage and protection options to applications running on vSphere; as well as VMware Cloud Foundation, a cloud platform that combines its vSphere, vSAN, and NSX with VMware Aria Cloud Management into an integrated stack that delivers ready cloud infrastructure for private and public clouds.

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No more blackouts, PM orders after consumer outcry

By Anh Minh Tue, December 26, 2023 | 6:09 pm GMT+7

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has asked relevant agencies, localities and state-owned utilities to ensure there is no repetition of this years early summer blackouts.

The power outages had drawn outcries from businesses and individual consumers in the northern region.

Workers of Vietnam Electricity (EVN) carry out repairs on a transmission line. Photo courtesy of the government's news portal.

In a Monday dispatch, Chinh ordered leaders of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Commission for the Management of State Capital at Enterprises (CMSC), local governments and energy companies to work out plans to ensure continuous power supply for production and consumption.

Electricity shortages are absolutely impermissible, the dispatch said.

To ensure power supply for the North, home to major manufacturing hubs, Chinh reiterated that work on the 500-kilovolt Quang Trach-Pho Noi transmission line be completed by June 2024.

This 514-kilometer line, bringing power from the central province of Quang Binh to the northern province of Hung Yen is being built at an estimated cost of VND23 trillion ($946 million).

Earlier this year, the PM had ordered the industry ministry to finish building the transmission line in one year, half of the original time needed, after the northern region suffered power shortages that hit thousands of manufacturers and millions of households.

He also requested the CMSC to instruct Vietnam Electricity (EVN), Petrovietnam, and mining giant Vinacomin to accelerate work on major power projects like the Block B electricity-gas project and the incomplete Long Phu 1 1,200-MW power plant.

Petrovietnam, Vinacomin and military-run coal miner Dong Bac Corporation should ensure sufficient coal, gas and fuel supplies for power plants, the PM said.

The industry ministry has estimated 2024 power demand at 306.26 billion kWh. It has asked national utility EVN to build more transmission lines to import electricity from Laos.
Offshore wind, LNG-fired power projects unlikely to become operational before 2030: official

By Tri Duc Tue, December 26, 2023 | 4:31 pm GMT+7

It is unlikely that offshore wind power and LNG-fired power projects become operational before 2030, said Hoang Tien Dung, head of the Electricity & Renewable Energy Authority.

Dung said this at a Monday meeting of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, under which his agency functions. The meeting focused on drafting a strategy for hydrogen production and implementing offshore wind power and gas-fired power projects per the national power development plan VIII (PDP VIII).

Noting that the deployment of such projects would take between six and eight years from their first steps, Dung called on relevant authorities to exert more efforts to speed up their progress.

Hoang Tien Dung, head of the Electricity & Renewable Energy Authority, speaks at a meeting on energy projects organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Hanoi, December 25, 2023. Photo courtesy of the ministry.

A representative of PV Gas, operator of the only LNG terminal in Vietnam, said the country was yet to develop mechanisms for finance, conversion of gas prices and power prices, and offtake agreement for power output. As a result, investors were neither able to calculate capital recovery nor the amount of LNG to be imported.

Another issue was weak connections between LNG facilities and power factories, leading to wastefulness, he added.

Le Manh Hung, chairman of state-owned Petrovietnam, said the group was deploying tasks according to PDP VIII.

Referring to offshore wind power projects, he said Petrovietnam was fully capable of many tasks, thanks to similarities between offshore wind power and offshore oil-gas projects, but the group could not carry them out because the current legal framework does not allow it.

Other experts said at the meeting that Vietnam should establish a legal framework for such activities soon. Given the complexity of existing rules, such as overlaps between the laws on land, pricing, bidding and other issues, the Ministry of Industry and Trade should draft a special mechanism for such projects, they added.

Phan Duc Hieu, a standing member of the National Assemblys Economic Committee, said at the meeting that experts of the ministry and the sector should study the issues and make recommendations so that the legal framework addresses all of them.

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien speaks at a meeting on energy projects in Hanoi, December 25, 2023. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien asked relevant agencies to establish working groups with experts from ministries, sectors and localities to study the issues and recommend solutions.
Son Doong cave adventure tour fully booked for 2024

By VNA/The Investor Tue, December 26, 2023 | 2:29 pm GMT+7

Expedition adventure tours to Son Doong Cave, the worlds largest natural cave, are fully booked for 2024, said Oxalis, the only firm licensed to operate the tours.

Son Doong Cave, located in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Quang Binh province, central Vietnam, was recognized as a world natural heritage by UNESCO. Photo courtesy of Oxalis Adventure.

Exploring Son Doong Cave is considered one of the adventure tours in Vietnam that attracts international tourists the most. It is also one of the country's most expensive tourist attractions, with a ticket price of around VND72 million ($3,100) per person for a six-day-five-night expedition.

British newspaper Daily Mail selected Son Doong Cave as the cave with the most impressive campsite in the world. British television station Dave TV ranked the Son Doong Cave expedition tour 5th out of the 20 greatest adventures on the planet. UK magazine National Geographic ranked the cave expedition as the world's most classy adventure tour.

During the tour, tourists will discover a magnificent system of stalactites and stalagmites, underground rivers, and giant sinkholes. Tourists can also admire a forest along with the diverse biodiversity inside Son Doong Cave and visit the Doong village, home to the Bru-Van Kieu ethnic minority group.

Another destination is En Cave, where the movie Peter Pan: The Neverland was filmed and where ABC News broadcast the TV programme Good Morning America to the U.S. in 2015.

In Phong Nha town, three events are coming. The "Phong Nha Countdown Party 2024" and a traditional art, street performance program on New Year's Eve will be on December 31. The Quang Binh Culinary Tourism Festival 2023 will take place on the afternoon of December 31.

In Dong Hoi town, the low-altitude fireworks display to welcome the 2024 New Year will take place at Bao Ninh 1 Urban Area (Regal Legend), from midnight on January 1, 2024.

The 15-minute fireworks show combined with electronic dance music (EDM) and modern lighting technology will create a vibrant atmosphere, dazzling with colourful fireworks and attracting both locals and tourists.
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MARION  Marion First Church of God put on its seventh annual community meal on Christmas Day, feeding hundreds of people who came together to enjoy food, faith, and fellowship.

Meeting that need for a place to be on Christmas because its such an emotionally charged holiday, its the end of the year, theres no daylight, and, you know, people get a little depressed, people get a little anxious, and they see the holiday celebrations all around them, but theyre not included, said Roy Pepmiller, senior pastor of First Church of God in Marion. On Monday, he was busy mingling with diners in the churchs gymnasium, which was packed with Christmas meal tables.

Pepmiller said some church members reported they would have been sitting at home by themselves if they hadnt attended the dinner.

I had a conversation a while ago with a family about how dark it seems the culture is getting, and how little spots of light like this represent the light of Jesus, the Light of the world, Pepmiller said.

The gathering brought together people from many walks of life, from lonely seniors to the recently homeless, but all with the common desire to be part of a community on Christmas day.

In addition to church and community members, residents from the Lighthouse Shelter, a faith-based organization with the mission of providing shelter for the homeless of southern Illinois, were among the hundreds who attended the community meal.

Mike Kimmel, a resident of Lighthouse Shelter, said he came because he doesnt have any family.

But I have one family in the family of God, though, said Kimmel, who said he has only been off the streets for four months. Kimmel has been attending the Christmas community meals since 2019.

The church group also has a takeout service, providing hot Christmas meals to first responders and law enforcement who are on the clock on Christmas. Meals were also delivered to the senior housing on Boulevard, as well as to the High Rise Apartment.

We try to do as many meals as are requested, Pepmiller said.

Husband-and-wife team Ruben and Deborah Jimenez have staffed the church kitchen for the community meals for the past seven years. Ruben said that the kitchen serves about 500 meals a year.

We do this because its our way of giving back to the community. We love our community. We are part of our community. Our kids have gone to school here. Theyve grown up to be successful members of the community, said Ruben, adding that he and his wife feel in their hearts that they have been blessed tremendously beyond anything that we could ever imagine.

The Christmas dinner consisted of ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, and dessert  which received a whole table of its own  consisting of red velvet cake, chocolate brownies, and vanilla with coconut shavings.

We take great pride in serving a good meal, and making sure that everyone who comes to the meal leaves full and has enjoyed the meal as much as possible, said Ruben.
Korea's unmanned lunar orbiter Danuri has released a comprehensive photographic map of the moon to mark the one-year anniversary of its mission, the science ministry said Tuesday.

The mosaic map, compiled from polarized camera views captured over the past 250 days, encompasses both the front and back of the moon, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT.

Danuri, also known as the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, orbits approximately 100 kilometers above the lunar surface.

In addition, the orbiter unveiled images of Tycho, a prominent lunar impact crater located in the southern lunar highlands, while data based on magnetic strengths and gamma rays collected during the one-year mission was also released.

Entering into a selenocentric orbit on Dec. 27 last year, Danuri commenced operations on Feb. 4, about a month after initial test runs.

As Korea's first space mission beyond Earth's orbit, the orbiter is equipped with six instruments to measure terrain, magnetic strengths, gamma rays and other lunar surface traits.

It is also assigned to identify potential landing sites for the country's future lunar missions.

Originally slated to conclude at the end of this year, Danuri's mission has been extended by two years due to its energy-saving processes.

The orbiter will persist in its operations until December 2025, contributing valuable data to lunar exploration efforts, according to the science ministry. (Yonhap)
Today is Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023. Let's get caught up.

Keep scrolling for celebrity birthdays and a look back at this date in history. Plus, give our daily news podcast a listen:

Here's a preview of today's top stories:

Israeli forces expand ground offensive in Gaza

Russian opposition leader Navalny resurfaces

Biden orders strikes on an Iranian-aligned group

The right to protest in Britain

RFK Jr. in Arizona

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The secret life of gift cards: Here's what happens to the billions that go unspent each year

Americans are expected to spend nearly $30 billion on gift cards this holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation. Restaurant gift cards are the most popular, making up one-third of those sales.

Most of those gift cards will be redeemed. Paytronix, which tracks restaurant gift card sales, says around 70% of gift cards are used within six months.

But many cards  tens of billions of dollars worth  wind up forgotten or otherwise unused. Thats when the life of a gift card gets more complicated, with expiration dates or inactivity fees that can vary by state.

Heres what to know about the gift cards youre giving  or getting:

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MORE TOP STORIES

Israeli forces bombard central Gaza

Israeli forces bombarded Palestinian refugee camps in central Gaza on Tuesday, residents said, in apparent preparation to expand their ground offensive into a third section of the besieged territory.

The opening of a potential new battle zone points to the long and destructive road still ahead as Israel vows to crush Hamas after its Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.

Read more:

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In Arizona, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. draws Biden and Trump voters united by distrust

Lined up outside a Phoenix wedding hall tucked between a freeway, a railroad track and a U-Haul rental center, the hundreds of people who turned out Wednesday to hear Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speak shared little in common ideologically. What united them was a deep-seated distrust  of the media, of corporations and especially of the government  and a belief that Kennedy is the only person in politics willing to tell them the truth.

I like that he talks to us like adults, said Gilbert Limon, a 48-year-old pharmacist from Phoenix. He tells you the majority of what you need to know. Whereas I feel like (other politicians) just give you bits and pieces to try to fit their agenda. I've had enough of that.

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Biden orders strikes on an Iranian-aligned group after 3 US troops injured in drone attack in Iraq

President Joe Biden has ordered retaliatory airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia groups after three United States servicemembers were injured in a drone attack in northern Iraq.

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The imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny resurfaces

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Tuesday released a sardonic statement about his transfer to a Arctic prison colony nicknamed the Polar Wolf, his first appearance since associates lost contact with him three weeks ago.

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The right to protest is under threat in Britain, undermining a pillar of democracy

For holding a sign outside a courthouse reminding jurors of their right to acquit defendants, a retiree faces up to two years in prison. For hanging a banner reading Just Stop Oil off a bridge, an engineer got a three-year sentence. Just for walking slowly down the street, scores of people have been arrested.

They are among hundreds of environmental activists arrested for peaceful demonstrations in the U.K., where tough new laws restrict the right to protest.

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MORNING LISTEN

Get a recap of some of the top stories of 2023 through this special edition of our Hot off the Wire daily news podcast.

***

TRENDING TOPICS

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TODAY IN HISTORY

Today in history: Dec. 26 In 1996, 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey was found beaten and strangled in the basement of her familys home in Boulder, Colorado. (To

Today in sports history: Dec. 26 In 2004, Peyton Manning breaks Dan Marinos single-season touchdown pass record when he throws his 48th and 49th of the season, rallying India

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TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS

Celebrity Birthdays: Dec. 26 Abdul Duke Fakir Beth Behrs Bob Carpenter Carlton Fisk Chris Chambliss Chris Daughtry Eden Sher George Porter Jr. James Mercer Jared Leto John Walsh Kit Harington Lars Ulrich Ozzie Smith
ROCK SPRINGS  Members of the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan Task Force are urging the public to send their comments as soon as possible.

To help the process, Sen. Stacy Jones of Senate District 13, and Sweetwater County Commissioner Taylor Jones hosted a comment writing workshop.

Commissioner Jones is a member of the Rock Springs RMP Task Force, which Gov. Mark Gordon appointed recently. After the task force reviews the public input, it will develop recommendations and send them to the governor and the Bureau of Land Management by Jan. 5.

The workshop took place on Monday, Dec. 18, at The 307 Real Estate Group, located at 426 S. Main St., in downtown Rock Springs.

The deadline for written comments is Jan. 16.

The BLM-preferred alternative will be devastating to our country, our jobs and our way of life, said Commissioner Jones.Please make sure you are sending the BLM informed comments.

According to Jones, about 40-50 people showed up at the workshop for guidance.

As another member of the Rock Springs RMP Task Force, Ron Wild, a Rock Springs resident, was onsite to educate Sweetwater County residents on how to write substantial comments. He has gained a wealth of knowledge about the BLM by attending several of its meetings. He mentioned there will be more task force meetings regarding the Rock Springs Draft RMP and its preferred alternative, Alternative B.

Wild noted that the upcoming meeting will be closed to the public.

Its a meeting that is designed for us to specifically provide the governor with an effective response to the BLM, said Wild.

According to the task force, Alternative B in the draft RMP appears to conflict with and be in violation of the BLMs statutorily assigned purpose, including The Mining and Minerals Policy Act of 1970 and The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976.

Other points the task force has made is that the BLM needs to better clarify or explain why these Special Recreation Management Areas are proposed to be eliminated and what would happen to their future management and priority under Alternative B.

The task force discovered that the proposed action would totally eliminate the current SRMA designation for recreation management in eight areas. This includes the following:

The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, SRMA

The Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail, SRMA

The Green River, SRMA

Killpecker Sand Dunes, SRMA

The Oregon and Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trails, SRMA

The little Mountain, SRMA

The Red Creek Badlands, SRMA

The Wind River Front, SRMA

Regarding snowmobile travel, the task force pointed out that the BLM needs to provide maps showing the areas where Over-Snow-Vehicles travel is currently allowed (under Alternative A across from the Rock Springs Field Office), as well as how the acreage would change under B. C and D.

The BLM has been accused of using outdated data as well.

For instance, in its estimation recreation impacts section, it used recreation visits that took place from 2011 to 2015, which does not reflect current recreation trends, according to the task force.

Task force members request that the draft RMP be updated and not based on data that is more than a decade old.

These are just a few of the issues the task force has been working on.

Rock Springs resident Bert Smith said he has been fighting with the BLM since the 70s.

I turned in over 100 letters, Smith said with a chuckle, recalling his trip to the Rock Springs BLM office. I surprised the BLM with a big stack of letters that referenced specific areas.

He added, If each letter is different, the BLM must read them. They may not consider whats written in those letters, but they have to read them.

Smith noted that the Rock Springs Draft RMP isnt new to the region.

This has been happening all over the West, he said. Even Maine is fighting the BLM. The only way to solve this problem is the legislature. We have the U.S. Congresswoman and senators on our side. The legislature is fighting for us; in fact, there is a bill to stop the BLM, but its not moving.

We need to get together with other states and fight them in a federal lawsuit.

Its one of the most important things happening to our county, said Elizabeth Bingham, chairman for the Sweetwater County GOP.

She said residents need to be specific about a land management action in their comments.

Bingham pointed out that people are so frustrated with the plan, and when their feelings get in the way, they send comments to the BLM that are not substantive.

The Sweetwater GOP, according to Bingham, would like to organize another comment writing workshop in January before the deadline, and she hopes more people will comment on the RMP.

Without public comment, youre not taking Wyomingites into consideration, said Bingham.
GLOBAL growth is expected to remain weak, with the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region projected to experience 2% GDP growth in 2023. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) suggests that T&Ts economy is on a broad-based recovery path. Explore these and other international, regional and local economic insights from the Chambers Trade & Business Development Unit.
Trinidad and Tobago has lost a man who blazed a trail like few others before him ever had, and like few others ever will again.

These were the words of President Christine Kangaloo as she paid tribute to former prime minister Basdeo Panday at his state funeral, at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA), San Fernando, yesterday.
DAKAR, Senegal  Reports of gunfire in the capital, followed by a television announcement that the president has been deposed by mutinous soldiers. The increasingly familiar storyline unfolded again this year in Africa  first in Niger and then in Gabon.

The resurgence of military coups renewed concerns about democracy backsliding on the continent and also underscored shifting regional alliances at a time when international peacekeeping efforts waned.

Two thousand twenty-three also brought utter devastation when a rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco in September, damaging thousands of villages in the mountains south of Marrakech and killing nearly 3,000 people.

The earthquake and several aftershocks left people and animals buried underneath mud and cinderblock for days as crews raced up narrow, windy roads to supply rescue and aid efforts. Morocco ultimately accepted search-and-rescue assistance from only four countries  Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and the United Kingdom  and rebuffed other offers, including from France and the United States. The decision brought questions and criticism as villagers awaited help in the immediate hours after the earthquake.

And 2023 also was marked by several high profile visitors to the continent. Pope Francis journeyed to Congo and South Sudan where he focused on victims of war.

In Kenya, King Charles III expressed greatest sorrow and the deepest regret for the violence of the colonial era, though he didnt explicitly apologize for Britains actions in its former colony as many had wanted.

Elections in Africa began with a promising start in February, with little violence surrounding a much anticipated vote in Nigeria. Africas most populous nation elected Bola Tinubu, though he ultimately won with less than 50% of the vote. Still, observers largely described the election as an improvement from 2019.

Then in August, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa was declared the winner of a disputed election. Both Western and African observers questioned the credibility of the vote, citing an atmosphere of intimidation ahead of the election.

That same month the president of Gabon was deposed in a coup just hours after officials had announced his reelection. It came only a month after Nigers leader was overthrown by mutinous soldiers, becoming the third Sahelian state under the rule of a military junta.

The ripple of coups put governments across the region on high alert: Authorities in Sierra Leone arrested more than a dozen people in November, accusing them of launching a failed coup attempt against the president, who had been reelected only months earlier.

In Senegal, uncertainty over President Macky Salls political future fueled weeks of violent protests in the streets. While he ended years of speculation by declaring he would not seek a third term in office, opposition supporters continued to accuse his government of jailing their leader Ousmane Sonko to block his candidacy.

The year also marked the beginning of the end for the enormous U.N. peacekeeping missions in both Mali and Congo. Leaders of both countries have said that the blue helmets ultimately failed in their efforts to bring about peace.

Congo formally began the departure process by signing agreements with the U.N. to end the mission there after two decades. In Mali, peacekeepers began withdrawing from posts across the north after a decade-long presence. Not long after, the Malian military seized control of the rebel stronghold town of Kidal for the first time since 2012.

Congo also prepared for a Dec. 20 presidential election with incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi facing a familiar field of competitors led by Martin Fayulu and Moise Katumbi. Ongoing violence in the countrys embattled east, however, threatened to derail voting in areas under the control of M23 rebels. Civilians in the region also faced mounting attacks from ADF militants claiming links to the Islamic State group.

2023 in photos: Year in images on the African continent
Pima Federal Credit Union: Pima Federal Credit Union has distributed $26,000 through donations and prizes. Ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, Pima Federal randomly gifted 20 of its members with a $250 Frys Food gift card. In the month that followed, a number of efforts took place. The credit union had a second random giveaway for its members, this time in the form of $1,500 cash for five winners. Pima Federal supported Ramons Miracle on 31st Street, which provides gifts to children and families in need within the Tucson community. There was also the Pima Elves Gift Giving program, which included the credit unions 24 departments and branches selecting an organization to provide a $500 donation to, for a total of $12,000. In addition to the monetary prizes and donations, the credit union participated in KVOAs Season 4 Hope campaign to collect donations for The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, Toys for Tots and The Diaper Bank.
EL BOSQUE, Mexico  People moved to El Bosque on the Gulf of Mexico in the 1980s to fish and build a community. Then climate change set the sea against the town.

Flooding driven by some of the worlds fastest sea-level rise and by increasingly brutal winter storms has all but destroyed El Bosque, leaving twisted piles of concrete where houses used to line the sand. Forced to flee the homes they built, locals are waiting for government aid in rentals they can scarcely afford.

The U.N. climate summit known as COP28 finally agreed this month on a multimillion-dollar loss-and-damage fund to help developing countries cope with global warming. It will come too late for the people of El Bosque, but by 2050 millions more Mexicans will be displaced by climate change, according to the Mayors Migration Council, a coalition researching internal migration.

Just two years ago over 700 people lived in El Bosque; barely a dozen are left.

Between those numbers lie the relics of a lost community. At one of the few solid buildings left  the old, concrete fishing cooperative  enormous, vaultlike refrigerators have become makeshift storage units for belongings left behind.

Guadalupe Cobos is one of the few still living in El Bosque. Residents relationship with the sea is like a toxic marriage, Cobos said, sitting facing the waves on a recent afternoon.

I love you when Im happy, right? And when Im angry I take away everything that I gave you, she said.

Up to 8 million Mexicans will be displaced by climate change-driven flooding, drought, storms and landslides within the next three decades, according to the Mayors Migration Council, a coalition researching Mexican internal migration.

Along with rapidly rising water levels, winter storms called nortes have eaten more than one-third of a mile inland since 2005, according to Lilia Gama, coastal vulnerability researcher at Tabasco Juarez State University.

Before, if a norte came in, it lasted one or two days, said Gama. The tide would come in, it would go up a little bit and it would go away.

Now, fueled by warming air which can hold more moisture, winter storms stay for several days at a time.

Local scientists say one more powerful storm could destroy El Bosque for good. Relocation, slowed by bureaucracy and a lack of funding, is still months away.

As the sun sets over the beach, Cobos, known as Dona Lupe to neighbors, points to a dozen small, orange stars on the line of the horizon  oil platforms burning off gas.

There is money here, she says, but not for us.

As El Bosque was settled, state oil company Pemex went on an exploration spree in the Gulf  tripling crude oil production and making Mexico into a major international exporter. Now Mexico plans to open a new refinery in Tabasco, just 50 miles west of El Bosque.

Gulf of Mexico sea levels are already rising three times faster than the global average, according to a study co-authored by researchers from the United Kingdom, New Orleans, Florida and California this March.

The stark difference is partly caused by changing circulation patterns in the Atlantic as the ocean warms and expands.

Swathes of the coast known as the Emerald Coast in the state of Veracruz are storm-battered, flooded and falling into the sea, and a quarter of neighboring Tabasco state will be inundated by 2050, according to one study.

Around the world, facing similar slow-motion battles with the water, coastal communities from Quebec to New Zealand have begun beating a managed retreat.

Very little, however, seems managed about the retreat from El Bosque. When the Xolo family fled their home Nov. 21, they left in the middle of the night, all 10 children under a tarpaulin in pouring rain.

During a storm at the end of November, the community was accessible only by foot, or motorbike. That same day the shelter was closed, with papered-over windows and a government sign advertising 8 steps to protect your health in the event of a flood.

Meanwhile, new houses will not be ready before fall 2024, according to Raul Garcia, head of Tabascos urban development department, who himself said the process is too slow.

While advocates call for specific climate adaptation laws, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, born just inland, has made oil development a key part of his platform. That might change if former Mexico City Mayor and accomplished scientist Claudia Sheinbaum is elected president next year. Despite being Lopez Obradors protegee, she pledges to commit Mexico to sustainability, a promise more urgent than ever.

Eglisa Arias Arias, a grandmother of two, was forced to flee her home in El Bosque on Nov 3.

I would go to sleep listening to the seas noise, she said. I would tell him I know Im going to miss you because with that noise you taught me how to love you.

When the flood came for Arias house, she only asked the sea for enough time to collect her things, and it gave her that.

And so, when I left there, I said goodbye to the sea. I gave him thanks for the time he was there for me.
When Adrian Herder saw the plans for proposed hydropower project on the Navajo Nations Black Mesa, he was shocked by the outrageous 450,000 acre-feet of water the project would reportedly use.

Which is also kind of scary, too, especially given that were from such an arid region here on Navajo, said Herder, media and community organizer for To Nizhoni Ani  or Sacred Water Speaks  a Dine-led environmental nonprofit.

Developers agree it would be scary  if it was right. But Denis Payre insists that the Black Mesa Pumped Storage Project  which is still years away from approval, much less construction  will use only about 3,000 acre-feet of water while generating clean, renewable energy.

The reason why Sacred Water Speaks reacted like that is probably because the process can be confusing if youre not familiar with it, said Payre, president and CEO of Nature and People First Arizona, the company that has started the permit process on the project. They are not permits to build, they are just permits to survey.

Crossed signals are among the many reasons that opponents are pushing back against the project, which they fear will deplete the regions aquifers and repeat a history of developers ignoring tribal sovereignty.

The Black Mesa project may be the most controversial of a number of pumped hydropower generation proposals that have sprouted in Arizona recently.

Conventional hydropower, like that generated at Glen Canyon Dam, uses water flowing downhill to turn a turbine to generate electricity. But pumped hydropower systems make that a closed loop by using two reservoirs: Water falls from the higher to the lower reservoir at night, generating power in the process. It is pumped back uphill during the day, using less energy than had been generated, and the process is repeated.

Proposals for such projects have become increasingly popular in Arizona, according to filings with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. FERC is currently considering eight preliminary permit applications in Arizona for projects with a potential to generate 9,942 megawatts of electricity, and has approved preliminary permits for another seven, which could generate 6,150 megawatts.

Weve noticed in the last what, like 18 months, how the number of projects have been proposed and they keep coming up, said Jen Pelz, water advocacy director for the Grand Canyon Trust. And every time we think that theyre going to stop, theres like a new project.

A preliminary permit from the FERC only allows developers to investigate the proposed area for a project. It also gives the applicant priority to file a license application for the project, if approved. It is not permission to build.

Nature and People First Arizona applied for a preliminary permit on Oct. 5, 2021. The FERC posted a notice in the Federal Register on Nov. 7, 2022, saying the companys application had been accepted and was open for comment until January 2023.

The Black Mesa application envisions up to three pumped storage loops that could generate up to 6,000 megawatts of power, but Payre said the company plans to start with just one of those three, if it gets approved.

The purpose of these projects in the Black Mesa area is to serve essentially utilities in the West, mostly in Arizona, but potentially beyond that, Payre said.

He said the project could generate new tax revenue and create 1,000 jobs during the construction phase and about 100 indirect and direct jobs afterwards for the next 50 years or so.

Nicole Horseherder, executive director of To Nizhoni Ani, said the company should be focused on the projects potential impact on the environment, not its economic potential.

I am insulted by a company coming in in the name of economic development and proclaiming to be providing something thats going to bring about  jobs and some economic benefit to the community, when we know that weve got to do the opposite in order to allow the aquifer to recover, Horseherder said.

She and others charged the company with failing to consult with residents and tribal authorities before proceeding with the project.

Youve got a company thats coming in proposing to do something and doesnt have the tribal consent to actually move forward with this, Horseherder said. They just went straight to FERC and filed their project there and theyre awaiting permits to do their studies,

Payre said his company did meet with community groups in February, and he believes that after consulting with this NGO (nongovernmental organization) and a few others, we found the right option to make this project widely acceptable by local communities.

Among the changes was one suggested by Daniel Higgins, a hydrologist advising To Nizhoni Ani, who said the company should use water from the lower-quality C Aquifer, which extends beyond the Navajo Nation boundaries, and not from the N Aquifer, which has good quality drinking water.

The project will use 3,000 acre-feet from the C Aquifer, compared to the 105,000 acre-feet currently drawn from it to cool three carbon-dioxide-emitting power stations, Payre said, So its going to use a far lower quantity of water. And this water will be used for a very clean project.

He also said the project would have a far smaller footprint and far smaller quantity of water than what was cited in its preliminary permit application. And that probably is where the misunderstanding comes from, you know, the actual footprint of the project is going to represent only 6% of what was filed in the PPA, he said.

But Herder had a different take on the meeting. He said, developers pretty much pitted the community members against one another, deciding that these are people that  dont want progress on that when we were just concerned about the impacts on water within our region.

Horseherder said Nature and People First havent even taken the proper steps in engaging tribal communities.

So its problematic on many levels, and its very colonial in its approach and we just totally reject this project, she said.

This is the history of companies on Navajo  they come in and they think they have the answers to our problems and they dont, Horseherder said. They think they know whats best for us, and they think they know whats best for the use of our resources and that just needs to stop.

Of the 14 other pumped hydropower projects proposed in the state, few have seen the type of pushback that the Black Mesa project has received.

Before Rye Development applied for a preliminary permit for another hydropower pumped storage project on the Navajo Nation on June 12, it consulted with the Navajo Nation and got a letter of support from the Navajo-Hopi Land Commission. There was essentially zero blowback to the Rye project, and the FERC accepted it for public comment on Sept. 20.

Pelz said her experience is once you get to the permitting process, things move pretty quickly. If Nature and People First had done such consultation before filing for its permit, she said, it may not have experienced the pushback that they are.
By Jon Dunbar

DJ Symphony, the official DJ for GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, is coming back to Korea to spread his love of music through a series of performances and a workshop.

"When I come to Korea, it's a blessing to me," Symphony told The Korea Times. "It's always a blessing to come to Korea because it's one of my favorite countries. So anytime I come, I have a blast. And I also create memories for myself because I know I'm teaching, because I know I'm doing a good cause for music to keep the culture alive."

His last visit to the peninsula was in March, when he offered his DJing workshop and performed an exclusive after-party at Lit Lounge in central Seoul's Itaewon.

"My last visit was amazing," Symphony told The Korea Times. "I decided to come back because I felt as if you can never teach too many people the craft and the art of becoming a DJ. There's a new DJ born every day, so if I could come to South Korea every single day, I would come every day because there's a new up-and-coming or inspiring DJ that I haven't touched yet."

He promised that this time around, his workshop will be a little different, as there's more new DJ equipment to study. He also said he plans to offer more hands-on learning.

"I also feel like I didn't add enough hands-on to the learning experience," he said, referring to last time. "I think the workshop attendees should touch the DJ equipment more during the DJ workshops. I always feel like music and learning is always evolving, especially when it comes to learning new DJ equipment, turntables, speakers, etc."

He also said the music he performs will be a little different this time as well, as he'll be focusing more on remixes and mashups, after introducing more original songs last time. "I feel like we in an era of the remix," he said. "The last time I visited Korea, I played a lot of originals, original songs that were not remixed by me during the set. My next visit to Korea and my next performance, I'm going to do a lot more remixes and live mashups to provide a different element of DJing while performing live."

This time, he'll visit three different cities for four events across three nights. First, he's going to Club AU in Daegu on Friday. Then he's back in Seoul on Saturday for the DJ workshop at Lit Lounge, before heading to Downtown Hip-Hop Lounge in Gwangju later that night. And on Sunday he'll be back in Seoul for a New Year's Eve show at Lit Lounge. The tour is being facilitated by Pinnacle TheHustler, owner of Lit Lounge.

"Every time I come to Korea, I normally just perform in Seoul," Symphony said. "But this time around, I wanted to bless more of Korea with DJ Symphony. So Pinnacle decided to go to those two hot spots and have me DJ and perform there. So, thanks to Pinnacle, we are now able to bless more of Korea with an amazing DJ set by me."

Visit planethustle.com or Instagram @lit_itaewon for more information about the event, and djsymphony.com or Instagram @djsymphony for more about the artist.
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

When it felt like the world was falling apart, these movements brought people together to make what seemed impossible, possible.

After a year of economic hardship, climate disasters, and war, few could be blamed for feeling like our leaders have let us down. As we look ahead to a new year, I find it helpful to remember examples of those who not only saw the problem clearly, but brought people together to find solutions.

In 1967, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., called for a radical redistribution of political and economic power to address poverty, war, and racism. To do so, he turned to those who were on the frontlines of these crises, not those who perpetrated them.

He worked tirelessly to organize the original Poor Peoples Campaign, bringing together welfare advocates, farm workers unions, antiwar advocates, and Native, Chicano, Puerto Rican, and poor white organizers together with the civil rights movement.

King never wavered in his commitment to unite those whod been divided for too long by politics, race, religion, and geography. It has been one of my dreams that we would come together and realize our common problems, he said just a few weeks before his assassination, and to make the power structure of this nation say yes, when they may be desirous to say no.

More than 50 years later, the power structures of our nation are invested in systems and structures that are destroying our lives and our planet.

A new report from Oxfam USA, for example, blames the wealthiest people in the world for our climate breakdown  not only because of their lavish lifestyles, but also their influence on politics, media, and the economy. Every year their emissions cancel out the carbon savings of some of the best green technologies we have. The report calls for a radical increase in equality to save our planet.

We know that those invested in the status quo wont come forth with solutions to these crises that compromise their interests. Thats true whether were talking about the climate, inequality, poverty, or war. The answers will come from those who are confronting these systems directly.

And thats the good news. In many places, people standing up against injustice are shifting whats possible.

This fall, the United Auto Workers went on strike for six weeks, targeting each of the Big Three auto manufacturers. To confront these corporate behemoths, whove extracted nearly $250 billion in profits over the past decade by exploiting workers, the UAW called on specific locals to stand up and strike, while others continued to work even with expired contracts.

President Shawn Fain rallied their members over social media, reminding them they werent trying to wreck the economy, but to wreck their economy  the economy of the Big Three and Wall Street.

This clarity helped maintain the unions united front. It shaped their demands for higher wages, better benefits for all workers, and an end to tiered wages. Significantly, it opened the door for workers to influence the electric vehicle market  breaking new ground for labor to find common cause with the climate movement. The unions wins were nothing short of historic.

More recently, the UAW became the largest union to join the call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. This is not just a testament to the union, but to the many, many others who are coming together across politics, race, religion, and geography to demand peace, life, and freedom for Palestinians as well as Israelis.

This is what hope looks like in times of great crisis, war, and inequality. Its not foolishly romantic to celebrate this hope. Its what gives us the courage and compassion to stand up another day, to find each other, and to make what seems impossible, possible.
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

Its hard for me to fathom what I am hearing from grown-up Americans. Democrats of all stripes join with Republicans in predicting Donald Trump will soon be the shoo-in Republican candidate for president in 2024. In their minds, he apparently has an inalienable right to run for office even though already found liable and fined for civil sexual assault, found liable and soon to be fined for large-scale business fraud, and likely soon-to-be convicted of some or all of 91 felony counts of breaking the criminal law.

It is clear that nary a Republican or Democrat and nary a news media anchor or talk show host in this country has ever read a serious book about Athenian, Roman, Israelite, or Anglo-Saxon democracy. Throughout its history, democracy has always been defined by its fierce protection of the processes of peoples government. Democracy does not allow anyone to appear on a ballot for any office of public trust who is an inveterate liar and sexual predator, a financial fraudster, a civil insurrectionist who interferes in sacred state election procedures and inspires mayhem and civil riot at a perilous moment in a national election process, a thief of protected government documents, a friend of foreign autocrats and mobsters, or a citizen who pays thousand-dollar-an hour lawyers millions to delay actions in civil and criminal courts for years. It simply cannot happen in any sane democratic republic.

Athens and Rome, the prototypes for our own republican system of representative government, regularly impeached politicians who committed malfeasance while in office or committed public or private crimes while wooing the electorate while not in office. Greece and Rome first suspended their civil rights, next sequestered or expropriated their wealth, and finally sent them packing into mandatory exile for years or forever. They lost civil rights when they offended civil statutes.

The idea that nobody is above the law in a democracy was first clearly validated in the Hebrew Republic, which began around 1,200 BCE, some 600 years before Athenian and Roman democracy. Aaron Wildavsky, a past President of the American Political Science Association, wrote a book titled Moses as Political Leader (Shalem, 2005). He called our attention to the fact that even Moses was impeached by the Israelite people late in his career for an offence at the waters of Meribah. God commanded that Moses not be allowed to cross over Jordan and enter the Promised Land with the rest of the twelve tribes. To go before God in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament meant going to court. If the very highly moral Moses was first impeached, and then found guilty and exiled by his own Hebrew republic, how can a modern democracy let an inveterate liar and ignoramus like Donald Trump run for school board let alone President of the United States?

Democrats and many Republicans today sit on their hands, hoping that criminal courts will convict Donald Trump before the election of some of the 91 charges currently pending against him and thus remove some of the luster of his popularity as a candidate before November 2024. Folks, his popularity is not the issue. His civil right to run for office is the issue. We have laws saying convicted or imprisoned felons cannot vote. That also implies they cannot run for or hold public office as well. Imagine disqualifying a prisoner from voting but allowing him to run sacred public operations from a prison cell. Thats what cartel thugs do, not American civil servants.

If state legislatures do not already have them, they need to enact laws suspending or ending the civil right to vote and run for office for civil fraudsters and criminal felons of any race, gender, ethnicity, or national origin.
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

The Muscogee Nations federal lawsuit challenging the city of Tulsas right to prosecute tribal members is illegal and should be dismissed, in part because there are already other cases in the judicial pipeline that would address the same jurisdictional issue, the city claims in a motion to dismiss the case.

In its filing, the city faulted the tribal nation for filing the lawsuit and identified three other pending cases  including one filed by Gov. Kevin Stitts brother  that it claims are better-suited to handle the issue outlined in the Muscogee Nations lawsuit.

Rather than wait for the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals or the other courts that have pending cases to rule and provide clarification on the complicated issue of municipal jurisdiction over Indian inhabitants, the Nation filed the present case in an effort to try to circumvent the State court system and ask this Court to disregard all other pending litigation on this issue, the city claimed, adding: Such a tactic is prohibited by law and thus, the case should be dismissed.

The Muscogee Nation, which filed the lawsuit Nov. 15 in Tulsa federal court, is seeking a declaration that the city of Tulsa doesnt have the right to cite tribal citizens in light of the U.S. Supreme Courts 2020 ruling in McGirt v. Oklahoma.

That landmark case established that the Muscogee Nation reservation had never been disestablished, which meant the state of Oklahoma did not have jurisdiction when it prosecuted Jimcy McGirt for child sex abuse in the 1990s because he was a member of a tribal nation and the crime occurred within the boundaries of the reservation.

The Muscogee Nation has yet to respond to the dismissal request. But in a court filing Friday, it claims that the practice of continuing to cite tribal members should stop.

Tulsas ongoing criminal prosecution of Indians for conduct within the Creek Reservation are causing irreparable injury to the Nation by interfering with its sovereignty and undermining the authority of its own criminal justice system, including the authority of its Attorney General, Lighthorse Police and courts to prosecute under the Nations owns laws criminal offenses committed by Indians within its Reservation, the tribe said in its original complaint.

A federal judge earlier this month dismissed a lawsuit filed against the city by Choctaw Nation citizen Justin Hooper, who challenged the citys legal right to cite him for speeding within the city limits.

The dismissal came after an appeals court said the city could not rely on a 19th century federal law  the Curtis Act  to give it criminal authority over tribal citizens.

In dismissing the lawsuit, visiting U.S. District Judge William P. Johnson, chief judge of the District of New Mexico, said the Muscogee Nations lawsuit against the city looked to him like a better case to get at the issue.

But the city claims in its motion that three other cases, two pending in the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals and another pending in Tulsa Municipal Court, are better-suited to addressing the issue of criminal jurisdiction.

One of the cases was filed by Keith Stitt, the governors brother.

Like Hooper, Stitt is challenging the citys right to ticket tribal citizens in light of the McGirt ruling.

The Stitts are Cherokee citizens.

Rather than appeal his speeding ticket case as Hooper did to the federal court, Stitt appealed his municipal court conviction to the state criminal appeals court.

The city said the Stitt appeal has been fully briefed and is only waiting for a ruling.

A second case before the state appeals court involves the citys appeal of the dismissal of five municipal charges filed against Nicholas Ryan OBrien, a Cherokee Nation citizen.

A municipal judge dismissed charges against OBrien on Aug. 17, 2023, citing the citys lack of jurisdiction finding by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in the Hooper case.

The city also pointed to a third case  this one pending in its municipal court  as evidence that issues surrounding the McGirt decision are far from settled.

In the third case, a tribal member is challenging the citys right to prosecute him for crimes that include trespassing, theft and assault on nontribal members.

City of Tulsa officials have been warning that the issue of jurisdiction extends beyond the issuance of traffic citations. The city said the issue of who has prosecutorial authority in other areas such as code enforcement and building code regulations, where its enforcement officers dont have cross-deputization agreements with tribes, also needs to be clarified in light of McGirt and another U.S. Supreme Court case, Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta.

The Muscogee Nation responded in a court filing Friday that nowhere does Tulsa claim that this issue is not, but for its own disinterest, resolvable.

After the Hooper case was appealed, the city began arguing that another recent Supreme Court ruling casts doubt on the claim that the city doesnt have jurisdiction over tribal citizens.

In 2022, the Supreme Court ruled in Castro-Huerta that the state of Oklahoma could jointly prosecute a nontribal member for a major crime against a tribal member in Indian Country.

Some state and city officials have said the Supreme Court ruling in Castro-Huerta also opened the door to the state and municipalities, in some cases, being able to prosecute tribal members for crimes committed on tribal land.

In addition to the three cases outlined by the city, it pointed to another lawsuit before the Court of Criminal Appeals involving criminal jurisdiction when a tribal member is involved.

Joseph Long is challenging a district courts Oct. 4 ruling that held that the state could prosecute him for violating the terms of a deferred sentence in McIntosh County despite his membership in a tribal nation.

State officials claim that Long waived his right to claim his tribal membership when he received the deferred sentence.

Also, since the Hooper ruling, Tulsa Municipal Court has been permitting tribal members to challenge the citys jurisdiction by either asking that their case be put on hold or dismissed with the understanding that the city could refile the case in the appropriate court once a final determination is made on the jurisdictional issue.

In addition to seeking dismissal of the lawsuit, the city of Tulsa is opposing a request by the Muscogee Nation that a judge issue a preliminary injunction halting the citys enforcement upon tribal members while the case is pending.

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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

By most accounts, opioid abuse is again on the rise  and no one is more aware of it than the people working in the Tulsa County jail.

In 2022, jail officials counted 38 opioid overdoses. With several weeks left in 2023, the count this year stood at 60  an increase of 63%.

As is often the case, jails reflect local, state and national trends. After falling off for a few years as officials tightened the flow of prescription painkillers, opioid overdoses are again rising sharply. In general terms, this is ascribed to the more powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl, most of it produced illegally, replacing the likes of Oxycontin, Percocet and Demerol.

From what were seeing, its going to continue to skyrocket unless we do something different, said Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado.

Amanda Hammack, director of Addiction & Recovery Services for CREOKS Health Services, confirmed as much, writing in an email that data going back decades paint a picture  of a nation of addicted people, overdosing at increasingly rapid rates.

Its not just opioids. According to the Oklahoma State Department of Health, more than 600 people in the state died of methamphetamine in 2021, compared to about 400 from opioids. But 300 of those deaths were attributed to fentanyl, compared to 50 just two years earlier.

The fentanyl death toll would almost certainly have been higher if not for naloxone, a drug marketed under the name Narcan that shuts down opioid receptors and reverses the effects of overdose. Of those 98 Tulsa County jail overdoses in the past two years, only one resulted in death, thanks largely to the rapid use of naloxone, often in multiple doses.

Public health officials have tried to make naloxone as ubiquitous as possible, even to the point of putting it in public dispensing machines. Everyone agrees that the drug is a lifesaver  but here, again, the Tulsa County jail offers a cautionary tale.

When we have an overdose, we interview the individual who overdosed, Regalado said. We tell them, You know you almost died. We saved your life. Are you ready to get help? Are you ready to stop this? Almost to a T, for fentanyl users, its No. You guys can save me with Narcan.

Regalado was not casting doubt on the use of naloxone. He was pointing out that it is ultimately no substitute for treatment, especially for fentanyl. Not only is fentanyl many times more powerful than other opioids, but it is often mixed with other drugs that do not respond to naloxone. That includes what is commonly called tranq  essentially horse tranquilizers.

Some speculate that repeat users develop a resistance to naloxone, but Dr. Jason Beaman, a psychiatrist and expert on addiction, said that is not the case. Rather, stronger drugs and residual effects make naloxones job harder.

Naloxone kicks any opioid off of the receptor and is pretty good at it, Beaman wrote in an email. That was until fentanyl. People taking fentanyl need a lot of naloxone and even that might not work. Longer term users probably have higher doses of fentanyl on board compared to a first-time user so thats why they need more.

As the fentanyl builds up, Beaman said, users need to take more to get the same high.  But the most important reason users need more naloxone is that fentanyl binds the opioid receptor more than any other opioid  very very very strongly.

So strongly that fentanyl actually lasts longer than a dose of naloxone, which is why those using it or giving it to someone are told to call 911 and get to an emergency room within 20 to 30 minutes.

When it first came on the market, Regalado said, (Narcan) took one to two doses to bring (overdosed people) back. Now it takes nine to 12. To stop that chemical reaction in the brain, its taking dose after dose after dose.

What does that mean in the long run? I dont know, he said. To me it means were either going to have to come up with stronger Narcan  whatever that is  or treatment. Or were going to start seeing people die.

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A Hong Kong-owned toy-making firm in Da Nang, central Vietnam has announced it will halt operations for three months from early January and suspend employment of more than 1,300 workers.

Keyhinge Toys Vietnam Joint Stock Company (KVN JSC), a 100-percent Hong Kong-invested company located in the Hoa Khanh Industrial Park, last Friday issued a notice to the Management Board of Da Nang High-Tech Park and Industrial Parks, confirming it would cease operating for three months from January 3, 2024 due to business difficulties, the board said on Monday.

The company has a total of 1,312 workers, all of whom will have their jobs suspended for those three months, the notice said.

The toymaker noted that it would pay bonuses for the coming Tet (Lunar New Year), which is due in February, despite the halt.

The Tet bonus amount will be equal to one-month salary for every worker who has worked for 12 months of 2023 and has at least 13,5-14 working days per month.

Those who have worked less than 12 months will receive a prorated bonus.

In addition, the firms trade union will give each worker a 2024 New Years Day gift worth approximately VND150,000 (US$6).

The municipal Labor Federation has reported the operation suspension of KVN JSC to the citys administration, setting out some support for the companys workers.

Accordingly, the federation will give the suspended workers Tet gifts which will be jointly paid for by the agency, the grassroots trade union, and city authorities.

The agency will set up a forum for the workers to dialogue with their employer about issues related to the cessation of operations.

The federation will make a list of workers who wish to return to their hometowns for Tet celebrations and then pay the travel cost for them or arrange long-haul buses to bring them home.

The agency has also asked the trade union of the Da Nang High-Tech Park and Industrial Parks to assist workers who like to find alternative employment.

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Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh suggested that six Mekong-Lancang countries should jointly invest in the Mekong-Lancang River region so that it can achieve modernity and development; green, sustainable, and inclusive growth; as well as peace and cooperation while addressing the fourth Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) Leaders Meeting held via videoconference on Monday.

The virtual meeting, themed Join Hands on the Building of a Community of Shared Future and Modernization among Mekong-Lancang Countries, was attended by government leaders and officials from the six Mekong-Lancang countries including Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, and China.

The leaders reviewed the outcomes of the MLC over the past three years and discussed cooperation plans for the upcoming period.

They also highlighted significant contributions of the MLC toward the peace, cooperation, and development of the Mekong sub-region as well as affirmed their further joint efforts to build a community of shared future, peace, and prosperity among the Mekong-Lancang countries.

The virtual meeting, themed Join Hands on the Building of a Community of Shared Future and Modernization among Mekong-Lancang Countries,' was attended by government leaders and officials of the six Mekong-Lancang countries including Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, and China. Photo: Vietnam Government Portal

Speaking at the meeting, PM Chinh stressed the importance of the MLC mechanism, which connects Mekong countries with China and serves as a model for mutual development and win-win cooperation.

Over seven years of development, the MLC has achieved significant milestones.

It has undergone continuous refinement, with its content becoming more substantive.

The camaraderie and mutual understanding among individuals from the six nations have seen a noticeable enhancement.

He affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to the MLC and will team up with China and the Mekong countries to further promote the sustainable development of the MLC.

Amid a fast-changing global economy, the Mekong-Lancang countries need to adopt a more comprehensive mindset, a global and regional approach, and innovative solutions to thrive strongly.

Therefore, the Vietnamese government leader put forward three priority areas of cooperation.

The grouping should build a Mekong-Lancang River region of modernity and development, where the resources, potential, and strengths of each member country would be effectively exploited and developed.

The main goal is to promote industrialization and modernization, build independent and self-reliant economies for the Mekong-Lancang countries, and facilitate international integration in an effective and substantive manner.

Secondly, the top Vietnamese official suggested building a green, sustainable, and inclusive Mekong-Lancang region which would ensure the harmony between the present and the future, between economic growth and environmental protection, with people being the center and the driving force for development.

The member countries should support each other in realizing the UNs Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the commitments to reducing carbon emissions to build green and circular economies.

PM Pham Minh Chinh stressed the importance of the MLC mechanism, which connects Mekong countries with China and is a model for mutual development and win-win cooperation. Photo: Vietnam Government Portal

Besides, they need to tighten cooperation on protecting the ecosystem, coping with natural disasters, managing and using the Mekong-Lancang River in an effective, sustainable, fair, and logical way, especially not changing the rivers natural flows.

For a better future for people, the six countries should prioritize investment in human development, building inclusive education and healthcare systems, assisting the young workforce in accessing modern science and technology, and creating optimal conditions for all individuals to benefit from the whole development process.

Thirdly, the six nations should strive to cultivate a Mekong-Lancang region characterized by peace and cooperation.

This involves sustained efforts to bolster mutual trust, sincerity, and solidarity, thereby promoting common interests and upholding the principles of multilateralism.

And there is a need to strengthen the complementarity between the MLC and ASEAN, along with other regional cooperation mechanisms.

They should also focus on cultural cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

Wrapping up the meeting, the leaders issued the Nay Pyi Taw Declaration, the MLC action plan for the 2023-27 period, and the initiative on the Mekong-Lancang innovation corridor.

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What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Politics

-- The Vietnamese government always attaches importance to the Mekong - Lancang Cooperation (MLC) and will continue joining hands with China and other Mekong countries to promote the strong, effective, and sustainable development of this cooperation mechanism, the Vietnam News Agency reported, citing Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the fourth MLC Leaders Meeting held online on Monday.

Society

-- The police investigation agency of the Ministry of Public Security has arrested Nguyen Thanh Binh, incumbent chairman of the administration of An Giang Province in southern Vietnam, for his alleged involvement in the largest-ever illegal sand mining ring in the province, the ministrys spokesperson said on Monday.

-- The administration in Tien Giang Province in southern Vietnam approved the adjustment of the maximum speed on the Trung Luong-My Thuan Expressway in the province to 90 kilometers per hour from the current 80 kilometers per hour, a local official said on Monday.

-- Police in Lam Dong Province, located in Vietnams Central Highlands, have filed charges against and detained a 15-year-old male teenager for allegedly murdering his father, a source of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper said on Monday. The teenager set fire to his body before using adhesive tape to wrap and hid it on the ceiling board of his houses bathroom on Friday last week.

Business

-- Hanoi welcomed four million international travelers and 20 million domestic visitors, generating VND87.65 trillion (US$3.6 billion) in tourism revenue this year, according to the municipal Department of Tourisms report released on Monday.

-- Vietnam spent $7.8 billion importing nearly 9.4 million metric tons of fuels in the January-November period this year, up 18.3 percent in volume but down 3.6 percent in value year on year, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

World News

-- The death toll in weekend attacks in the central Nigerian state of Plateau has risen to 113, Reuters reported, quoting a local official on Monday.

-- Major Japanese auto manufacturers will invest 150 billion baht ($4.34 billion) in Thailand over the next five years, supporting the Southeast Asian country's transition to making electric vehicles, Reuters cited a Thai government spokesperson as saying.

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A coffee processing plant in Quang Tri Province, north-central Vietnam has been fined nearly VND290 million (US$11,860) for discharging untreated wastewater into the environment.

An official from the Quang Tri Peoples Committee said on Tuesday that Ha Sy Dong, vice-chairman of the provincial administration, had signed a decision to impose an administrative fine on Trung Thang Phat Company, headquartered in Khe Sanh Town, Huong Hoa District, for polluting the environment.

The company leased a workshop in Khe Sanh for the production and processing of coffee products.

But they neglected to appropriately dispose of a significant amount of untreated wastewater, leading to the exceedance of permitted levels for both chemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids indices.

Apart from the fine, the firm was ordered to cover the fee of the assessment and analysis of wastewater samples.

Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper had previously written about the negative impacts of the firms illegal wastewater dumping, which caused households near the factory to face unpleasant smells.

As residents repeatedly expressed complaints about the plants behavior to pollute the environment, the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment dispatched a team to oversee its operations and discovered its wrongdoing.

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The Ministry of Public Securitys investigative arm has arrested Nguyen Thanh Binh, the incumbent chairman of the administration of An Giang Province in southern Vietnam, for his alleged involvement in the provinces largest-ever illegal sand mining racket, a ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

Lieutenant General To An Xo, spokesperson of the Ministry of Public Security, said Binh had been taken into custody on charges of abusing his position and power while performing duties.

Police officers raided his residence and workplace the same day.

Binhs arrest is part of an investigation into Trung Hau  Tong 68 Investment Joint Stock Companys alleged violations relating to the exploitation and trade of sand at mines in My Hiep and Binh Phuoc Xuan Communes, both in Cho Moi District, An Giang Province.

He was accused of aiding Trung Hau  Tong 68 Investment Joint Stock Company in acquiring a license to illegally explore, adjust reserves and capacity, and exploit sand mines in the two communes.

A police report noted that these actions led to a significant financial windfall for Binh and caused losses to state assets.

Tran Anh Thu, vice-chairman of the Peoples Committee of An Giang Province. Photo: Ministry of Public Security

In August, police also detained Tran Anh Thu, vice-chairman of the Peoples Committee of An Giang Province, and Nguyen Viet Tri, director of the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment, following allegations of bribery.

Preliminary investigation results revealed that Thu had asked Tri to aid Trung Hau  Tong 68 Investment Joint Stock Company in obtaining a license to survey and exploit sand mines, and increase its capacity for sand exploitation.

Thu also directed his subordinates to overlook the companys violations related to exploiting sand mines in My Hiep and Binh Phuoc Xuan Communes.

He was found to have received over VND1.2 billion ($49,000) in bribes from Le Quang Binh, chairman and general director of Trung Hau  Tong 68 Investment Joint Stock Company.

According to police, Trung Hau  Tong 68 Investment Joint Stock Company mined more than 4.7 million cubic meters of sand worth a combined VND253 billion ($10.4 million), exceeding the permitted volume by 3.2 million cubic meters.

Police raid the headquarters of the Peoples Committee of An Giang Province, which is Binhs workplace. Photo: B.D. / Tuoi Tre

In order to sell the mined sand, Binh and his accomplices used intermediary companies they had established to create fake invoices for the sand.

Binh and some of his subordinates spent part of the sum on bribing several officials in An Giang Province.

Binh, 59, was named chairman of the Peoples Committee of An Giang Province for the 2016-21 tenure on May 27, 2019.

On June 30, 2021, he was re-elected to the post for the 2021-26 term.

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The Peoples Committee of Quang Nam Province in central Vietnam on Tuesday directed police officers and forest rangers to map out a plan to gun down a monkey in Que Son District as the primate had attacked several locals.

Under the directive, forest rangers in Que Son are allowed to shoot the ape if they fail to capture the wild animal by tranquilizing it.

The provincial administration also told the provincial military command to cooperate with the district and rangers to hunt down the dangerous animal.

Since early December, a monkey has appeared and rampaged through Que My Commune in Que Son District, posing a threat to public safety.

Three individuals sustained severe injuries after being bitten by the ape, while the wild animal also attacked and fatally bit four domestic dogs.

The monkey punctured Phan Nguyen Nhis femoral artery, leading to an emergency situation that required him to be urgently transported to Da Nang Hospital for treatment.

Another victim was identified as Dang Thi Ba, who suffered a large bite that required 15 stitches for treatment.

Police and forest rangers in the district have tried in vain to trap the monkey, resulting in them resorting to a lethal method.

According to an official from Que Son District, the recent arrival of macaques, along with their subsequent attacks, has left the local residents shocked and frightened. Macaques were previously unknown in the area, making their sudden presence an unsettling development for the community.

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South Korea's defense chief on Tuesday instructed Navy officials to mercilessly bury North Korean sailors at sea in the event of another North Korean provocation.

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik made the remark as he inspected the new 2,800-ton ROKS Cheonan frigate, which was deployed for operations to the headquarters of the Navy's Second Fleet in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, on Saturday.

Shin told Navy officials and sailors to "mercilessly bury (the enemy) at sea if the enemy stages yet another provocation" after he paid tribute to 46 fallen sailors at the memorial monument at the headquarters of the Navy's Second Fleet.

In 2010, North Korea torpedoed the 1,200-ton-class Cheonan corvette near the western Northern Limit Line, the de facto inter-Korean sea border, killing 46 South Korean sailors. A Seoul-led multinational investigation concluded that Pyongyang torpedoed the Cheonan warship, but the North has denied its involvement in the incident.

The new Cheonan is the seventh warship produced as part of South Korea's plans to procure eight new frigates designed to replace its aging fleet of 1,500-ton frigates and 1,000-ton corvettes.

The 122-meter-long frigate has a helicopter deck, and is equipped with anti-ship and ship-to-ground missiles, anti-submarine torpedoes, as well as hull mounted and towed array sonar systems to better detect enemy submarines. (Yonhap)
This years New Year celebration along the Saigon River in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City is sure to enamor locals and tourists alike with a festive ambiance and stunning fireworks display.

Ahead of the New Year, Agoda, a leading online platform for tourism services, released a list of incredible destinations to ring in 2024 complied by AI technology.

Among these AI-driven recommendations were globally renowned attractions such as Australias Sydney Bay fireworks show and the iconic Times Square ball drop in New York, USA.

Notably, the Saigon River's fireworks show also made the list, cementing the southern Vietnamese city as one of the "amazing destinations for New Years Eve.

According to Vu Ngoc Lam, director of Agoda in Vietnam, the list was curated based on suggestions from a coterie of AI applications in order to encourage spontaneous trip bookings through the online tourism platform.

The list, which caters to air travelers, party enthusiasts, and families, features ten destinations that promise stunning cityscapes, dynamic festive parties, and unique atmospheres for ushering in the new year.

Here is a glimpse of what awaits visitors at these captivating locations:

Singapore: Enjoy bursts of fireworks at Marina Bay, coupled with lively street parties and carnival festivals.

Bali, Indonesia: Count down on the beach while enjoying fireworks and traditional Balinese performances.

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: Immerse yourself in a festive tapestry woven with fireworks performances on the Saigon River and lively activities in District 1.

Tokyo, Japan: Experience the Japanese tradition of welcoming the new year by observing the sunrise and participating in cultural festivals and countdown parties.

Sydney, Australia: Witness world-famous pyrotechnic shows at the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House, complemented by family events and parties.

New York City, USA: Share the festive ambiance at Times Square, counting down to the new year with the iconic Times Square ball drop, and enjoy citywide parties and musical festivals.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Dive into the lively atmosphere on Copacabana Beach with vibrant samba rhythms and spectacular fireworks performances.

London, United Kingdom: Admire the night sky along the Thames River with fireworks shows and consider joining events or parties on boats.

Edinburgh, Scotland: Participate in traditional Hogmanay celebrations featuring grand street parties, torchlight processions, and the unique Loony Dook festival.

Reykjavik, Iceland: Enjoy the locals' Bonfire Festival, gaze at fireworks against the snowy landscape, and, if you are lucky, witness the stunning northern lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis.

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Theres still a few days remaining, but its unlikely these Top posts on TV Tonight in 2023 will be toppled in the traffic they amassed.

They represent a mix of industry news, programming and on-air moments.

To make the Top 10 its almost essential the story draws upon international traffic, which clearly happened a few times amongst this bunch.

1. ABC apologises over Four Corners report. April 5, 2023

ABC apologised to a to First Nations person named in a 2021 report on Labor kingmaker Eddie Obeid. ABC issued its apology to Len Roberts, and a former Councillor of the MidCoast Council, and a member and former CEO of the Karuah Local Aboriginal Land Council following a Four Corners report in November 2021. Obeid Inc. by reporter Angus Griggs exposed alleged secret deals making the family of Labor kingmaker Eddie Obeid millions. Obeid was sentenced to jail for a second time, after being found guilty alongside one of his sons of conspiring to rig a lucrative mining tender to benefit the family. But in April ABC issued their apology to Len Roberts for the broadcast and transcript published online.

2. Airdate: Clarksons Farm. November 20, 2023

A simple post on the Free to Air debut of Jeremy Clarksons UK series, which had previously screened on Prime Video, drew mega traffic. Alas, it didnt translate into bumper ratings for Nine but at least its a free way to watch for those who waited patiently. Why the traffic surge? Put this one down to international traffic who may have though a new season was about to drop.

3. We have a dedicated and wonderful team of people that care for Molly March 21, 2023

Public displays by Molly Meldrum earlier this year may not have been his finest moment, but some media should be ashamed for the way they turned this into clickbait. Molly is a senior and fragile and despite the best intentions by his carers, two moments, at Elton John and Rod Stewart concerts, it drew headines. Carers told the Herald Sun the music legend was embarrassed and sorry after footage emerged. I took Molly along with my mother and a friend who helps with Molly (a paramedic) to the Rod Stewart concert last week, Meldrums assistant Alan Evers-Buckland said. Unfortunately you cant control everything or see everything no matter how dedicated you are or vigilant you are. Molly is embarrassed and of course sorry. He has given so much. He needs our love and support.

4. UK broadcaster cuts ties with Escape To The Chateau couple. May 18 2023.

British broadcaster Channel 4 severed ties with Escape To The Chateau stars Dick and Angel Strawbridge following reports that the couple had clashed with producers. Channel 4 ordered an independent investigation into their conduct. Concerns were originally raised by production company Two Rivers Media who said: We can confirm that we will no longer work with Dick and Angel and cannot comment further at the moment. A Channel 4 spokeswoman said: Following a review, we have taken the decision not to work with Dick and Angel on any new productions in the future. Later the couple claimed they made the decision to stop filming Escape to the Chateau themselves in 2021, and informed Channel 4 by email in January 2022.

5. Goodbye cable: End of an era for Foxtel. November 22, 2023

Two posts on Foxtels cable network made the Top 10. In late October Foxtel finally switched off the last of its cable network to subscribers. Migrating customers from cable across to mostly internet-delivered services proved to be one of the largest projecever undertaken at the company. While the cable network dates back to 1995, over two thirds of its 4.7 million customers are now streaming.

6. Returning: Reacher. November 27, 2023

Another programming post pulled in viewers only a month ago, when Season 2 of Reacher starring Alan Ritchson was confirmed for Prime Video in mid-December. Season Two also features Maria Sten, Serinda Swan, Shaun Sipos, Domenick Lombardozzi, Ferdinand Kingsley and Robert Patrick.

7. Vale: Mark Goddard. October 15, 2023

It wasnt high profile deaths like Barry Humphries, Jock Zonfrillo or Cal Wilson that grabbed reader attention so much as US actor Mark Goddard, best known for Lost in Space. Goddard, who died of pulmonary fibrosis aged 87, played Major Don West, the hot-tempered pilot of the Jupiter 2 from 19651968.

8. Australian Story episode pulled from iview. September 22, 2023

Confusion reigned when music rights around an Australian Story episode on Silverchair left replays unavailable. Daniel Johns and his music industry veteran brother Heath, who oversees his business affairs, had given clearance on tracks to be used on broadcast -but not for iview replay.

9. End of an era as Foxtel nears cable switch-off. June 15, 2023

A second Foxtel cable story, earlier in the year, signalled the end was nigh and drew high traffic.

10. Kerri-Anne quits the jungle. April 7, 2023.

Kerri-Annes insistence she would not partake in the Im a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here tucker trial was one of the years highlights -or lowlights. Former MAFS participant Domenica Calarco questioned her commitment and asked why she agreed to join the series. But in the heat of the moment, it got personal. Dom accused her of contract privileges, referring to special conditions she had been granted including make-up and avoiding some physical trials.When KAK said that if she did leave, Dom could have her make-up, Dom dropped one of the years best unscripted lines: I dont want your 1989 Revlon lipstick darl.

11. Returning: All Creatures Great & Small

12. ACMA receives complaints on The Block

13. Returning: Endeavour

14. Big Brother 2023: meet the cast

15. Bumped: Big Brother

16. Auditions: MasterChef Australia 2024

17. Networks may pull apps from Amazon Fire TV

18. Sorry folks but no Media Watch for me tonight

19. Fast Ed Halmagyi to depart Better Homes & Gardens

20. Vale: Swami Sarasvati
Welcome Guest! You are here: Home  Views & Analysis

Anti-Islam Right-Wingers Gaining Ground in Europe

Recent events and political upheavals in many European countries point to the increasing Islamophobic and anti-Islam right-wingers inching closer to power in these countries. Read More

Wednesday December 27, 2023 3:40 PM , Asad Mirza

[Image Source: Social Media]

Recent events and political upheavals in many European countries point to the increasing Islamophobic and anti-Islam right-wingers inching closer to power in these countries.

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is often in the news for making bold statements, but she recently scoffed at Islamic culture and said that there is no place for it in Europe. She says there is no place for Islam in Europe:

"There is a problem of compatibility."

Her comments were made at a political festival organised by her far-right party  the Brothers of Italy, in Rome, which was attended by the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Xs owner Elon Musk, too.

In her speech Meloni said:

"The Islamic cultural centres in Italy are financed by Saudi Arabia where Sharia is in force. In Europe, there is a very Islamisation process distant from the values of our civilisation! I believe that there is a problem of compatibility between Islamic culture and the values and rights of our civilization."

Meanwhile, an old video of her also re-surfaced on various social media platforms that shows her saying she would not allow Sharia law to be implemented in Italy. Meloni also criticised Saudi Arabia for its strict Sharia Law.

I believe that these should be raised, which does not mean generalising on Islam. It means raising the problem that there is a process of Islamisation in Europe that is very distant from the values of our civilisation," she added.

During his speech at the event, Rishi Sunak said that he would push for global reforms to the asylum system while warning that the threat of a growing number of refugees could 'overwhelm' parts of Europe.

He even warned that some 'enemies' were deliberately 'driving people to our shores to try and destabilise our societies'.

"If we do not tackle this problem, the numbers will only grow. It will overwhelm our countries and our capacity to help those who actually need our help the most," Rishi Sunak said, adding, If that requires us to update our laws and lead an international conversation to amend the post-war frameworks around asylum, then we must do that."

Meanwhile, Tesla founder and X owner Elon Musk marked a rare appearance as he met world leaders at the annual gathering.

Immigration isnt enough to combat population shrinking," he said at the event, explaining:

There is value in cultures, we dont want Italy as a culture to disappear, we want to maintain a reasonable cultural identity of those countries or they wont be those countries."

Analysing the speeches given by these three leaders, makes it clear that not only political leaders alone but even business leaders are increasingly turning to Islamophobia, based on their belief systems and also converting political issues to anti-Islam utterances, to gain public support.

Both Sunak and Musk couched their Islamophobic feelings into anti-immigrants policies. This could be partly blamed to these countries own doing. Firstly, various European nations opened their doors for immigrants from the Muslim dominated countries.

The migrants flow to many western countries increased as the increasing prosperity there was matched with no desire to engage in menial jobs at lower wages, gaps which were filled by the migrants. Further, they allowed Muslim immigrants entry to assuage their own guilt feeling, as many of the migrants fleeing their homes were coming from those countries where these countries had started or were supporting wars against the so-called radical or Islamist elements.

Though many of these immigrants were not connected to any radical ideology, but they became an easy scapegoat to be blamed for any wrongs happening in these western societies.

Rishi Sunak has been accused of adopting the toxic rhetoric of his former home secretary Suella Braverman, after he warned that migration would overwhelm European countries without firm action.

Sunak also said that both he and Meloni, with whom he has been forging a close relationship over hardline migration policies, were taking inspiration from Margaret Thatchers steadfast radicalism in their quest to do whatever it takes to stop the boats.

Sunaks relationship with Meloni, Italys first female premier has blossomed over their shared hardline approach towards immigration through policies that have pushed the limits of legality. They have also bonded over their admiration of Thatcher.

As far as Elon Musk is concerned, recently studies have found that Islamophobic comments are being spread widely through X and the company does not respond to complaints or seem to take any remedial action, to handle the issue. X users resort to spelling mistakes intentionally while debating controversial subjects like religion, terrorism, crime, and even the Indian history.

These are not errors made in the heat of the moment, but careful distortions meant to keep the tweet from being flagged or deleted for hateful content. For example, a tweet posted in November 2022 that singled out people with Muslim names from a series of random crime news reports did not refer to the perpetrators as Muslims but instead used the phrase Ola ke Bande (Olas group or Olas gang). The word Ola, which refers to the Indian ride-hailing taxi service, was used in place of Allah. The tweet author currently has close to 7,00,000 followers.

Reporting such tweets for targeting a group of people based on their religion is now more difficult than reporting a hateful tweet simply referring to Muslims, as the X moderators viewing the complaint would have to be familiar with not only the Hindi phrase being used, but also understand the double meaning of Ola. Moreover, if the moderation process were automated, the machine would most likely see a user verbally abusing a taxi service, which does not constitute hateful conduct.

Meanwhile, reports from France speak of a parliamentary vote in favour of a new tough bill against the immigrants. Right-wing French leader Marine Le Pen described this as an ideological victory, due to the inclusion of many hardline measures.

In fact from Italys Meloni to Frances Le Pen, to Geert Wilders popularity in the Netherlands and Austria and Hungarys increasing public support to the right-wing politicians on the rise, the recent developments point to the wave of right-wing and Islamophobic politics overtaking Europe.

(The writer, Asad Mirza, is a Delhi-based senior political and international affairs commentator.)

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Mid-career is a stage when a professional has five years or more of work experience and a certain amount of knowledge and skills that can help them climb up the career ladder to higher positions.

Adapting and Thriving: A Leadership Journey in a Dynamic World, the networking event, was aimed at supporting mid-career professionals connect with their peers and proactively shape their professional trajectory, preparing themselves for future opportunities and challenges.

It offered practical success stories from experienced leaders like Mr. Hamzah Fazal  BAT Vietnams head of talent, culture & inclusion, Mr. Bui Quang Tinh Tu  founder and managing director of Envision Nexus and Ms. Ngan Tran - Founder/CEO of The New Leader, Harvard Leadership Executive.

The speakers shared valuable insights on how mid-career professionals could differentiate themselves and understand the expectations placed on them.

They emphasized the importance of defining a future skillset that is well-prepared for change.

Mr. Fazal discussed organisational leadership saying, We encourage individuals to bring their authentic selves to the workplace, fostering open dialogue between leaders and employees through what we call 'life stages conversations.'

These discussions aim to understand personal and professional goals, ensuring that individuals feel heard and listened to without the fear of judgment. The goal is to prepare a proper and customised plan for career advancement.

Mr. Fazal stressed the significance of understanding the impact of leadership as individuals progress to more senior positions.

Senior leaders need to be more cautious, patient with team members, giving trust, and recognizing good behaviour to build a positive organisational culture.

This event also consolidated BAT's efforts to create a safe and equal working environment in addition to building a diverse, inclusive and united corporate culture, thereby inspiring like-minded businesses to join hands in building a high-quality Vietnamese labour market that is able to compete with the rest of the world.

BAT Vietnam has been honoured with a hat trick of HR awards thanks to its emphasis on inclusion and respect for differences, which promotes individual development as well as the entire enterprises growth.

Besides being recognised as a Great Place to Work in 2023 by global organisation Great Place to Work through an assessment process, BAT Vietnam was also recognised in two categories, Learning & Development and Workplace Wellbeing, at the 2023 Vietnam Excellence Awards by Anphabe and VCCI.

BAT Vietnam received the HR Asia - Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2023 Awards by HR Asia Magazine, the fourth consecutive year it won the award.

These efforts help BAT Vietnam find a place among the Top 11 Sustainable Businesses at the 2023 CSI 100 Awards given away by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).

It was for a fifth time in eight years that BAT Vietnam made the list of Sustainable Businesses in Viet Nam.

On the occasion, BAT Vietnam published its 2022 ESG Report, providing a comprehensive picture of its sustainable development activities and achievements in 2022, which consolidates its strategic vision with clear standards and goals.

Visit this page to follow the details of the 2022 ESG Report by BAT Vietnam: BAT Vietnam - How we report.

Thuy An
HA NOI  The prices of Vietnamese coffee are forecast to continue to increase next year due to severe supply shortage, according to the Vietnam Coffee Cocoa Association (Vicofa)

Domestic prices on Monday temporarily moved sideways after a series of increases last week to record levels. Never has Viet Nam experienced such a shortage of coffee.

Coffee prices were around VN67,200  68,000 per kilogram in Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) Lam ong, ak Lak and ak Nong, about VN900 -1,000 per kg higher than last week and VN8,000 than early December.

According to Mercantile Exchange of Viet Nam, for the week ending Sunday, coffee prices increased by 1.85 per cent for Arabica and 0.42 per cent for Robusta.

Farmers are delaying their sales with expectations of higher prices.

Despite being good news to farmers, high coffee prices push export enterprises into a lot of difficulty in collecting enough coffee for their signed contracts.

o Ha Nam, Vicofas Deputy President, said that unpredictable coffee price fluctuations caused difficulties in exporting. In the 2022-23 crops, several domestic exporters could not deliver in time because of rising prices, partly as an impact of hoarding. During the past three decades, never have we thought that Viet Nam could be in a shortage of coffee, Nam said.

The association has estimated that the coffee shortage of signed contracts is around 80,000  150,000 tonnes, waiting for the coming harvest season to be fulfilled.

Viet Nam exported more than 120,000 tonnes of coffee in November, half of which was to make up for the shortage of orders of the previous harvest crop, he said.

Coffee prices are forecast to be around VN60,000  70,000 per kg in the coming months and are expected to decrease when Indonesia and Brazil start new coffee harvest seasons in April and May.

In the new crop, the asking prices of green coffee reached VN60,000 per kg for delivery in December 2023 and January 2024  an unprecedented price recorded at the beginning of harvest season due to high purchasing demand from export enterprises who are worried that there would be no coffee to buy from April or May next year. In 2023, coffee was out of stock from June.

According to Vicofa the European markets are the largest market for Vietnamese coffee, which consume around 40-50 per cent of the countrys exports and still have good demand for coffee.

There will be tension in coffee supply sources. Viet Nams green coffee prices will continue to increase in 2024 and is poised for a record export revenue of $5 billion, Nam said. This, however, causes a problem  enterprises are hoarding, which will bring significant risks.

A report about the coffee market by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued last week showed that the global coffee inventory was estimated at 26.5 million 60-kg bags, 16.7 per cent lower than the previous estimate and the lowest inventory level in the past 12 years.

USDA forecasts that world coffee production for 2023-24 will reach 171.4 million bags, 6.9 million bags higher than the previous crop.

Viet Nam production is forecast to add 300,000 bags to reach 27.5 million. The cultivated area is forecasted to remain unchanged, with nearly 95 per cent of total output remaining as Robusta. However, with lower total supplies due to last years stock drawdown, bean exports are forecast to decline by 2.4 million bags to 23 million, according to the USDAs report.

In the context of tense supply, Nam said that Viet Nam was focusing on solutions to promote the sustainable development of the coffee industry, including ensuring origin traceability and meeting the EUs regulations on deforestation.  VNS
HA NOI  Though the asset quality of banks in Viet Nam will be temporarily under control until the end of 2023, experts said more attention should be paid to the issue in 2024 as bad debts are rising.

The experts made the recommendation because, while existing bad debts have not been resolved yet, new bad debts are estimated to surge when Circular 02/2023/TT-NHNN on debt restructuring and debt repayment postponement expires in June 2024.

According to statistics, most banks are facing rapidly increasing bad debt. Total bad debt at the end of the third quarter of 2023 of banks increased by 61 per cent compared to the end of the previous quarter to VN196.75 trillion. If including bad debts sold to the Viet Nam Asset Management Company (VAMC), the bad debt ratio of the entire banking system was 6.16 per cent.

Nguyen Manh Thuat from Southeast Asia Law Firm said it was necessary to reduce the bad debt rising pressure for banks in the near future.

The most important thing was to monitor cash flow to ensure it was used for the right purpose. In addition to having collateral assets, it was necessary to control the purpose of the loan to ensure capital safety, Thuat suggested.

Banks say about 70 per cent of assets, which are mortgaged at banks for loans, currently are real estate. The ratio at some banks is even up to 80-90 per cent. Therefore, real estate is often the asset that banks put up for sale the most to recover bad debts. However, the handling of bad debt is facing difficulties because the real estate market is frozen.

Nguyen Hung, General Director of TPBank, said the sale of mortgaged assets had been very difficult in recent times. It was tough for banks to sell many collaterals that were large-value real estate.

Dr Tran Duc Thuc from HCM City University warned that provisions for risky debts were still increasing. It meant, despite support, banks' bad debts were still increasing. It showed the economy was facing difficulties.

According to Thuc, many people predict that bad debt will increase in early 2024 when corporate bonds come to maturity. The sale of assets is facing difficulty so firms do not have money to pay bonds and bank loans. If banks do not consider an extension for existing debts, the debts will be transferred to a worse debt group.

Economist Nguyen Minh Phong believes that bad debts will still be under great pressure in 2024 as the debts are continuously increasing and create an overall quite large bad debt amount.

According to the Governor of the State Bank of Viet Nam, Nguyen Thi Hong, the SBV will consider a proposal to extend Circular 02/2023/TT-NHNN on debt restructuring and debt repayment postponement until June 2025 to both give banks more time to deal with bad debts and support firms in accessing capital.  VNS
HA NOI  The Ha Noi People's Committee is paying great attention to expanding cooperation, promoting trade and attracting diverse investment in many fields, with a focus on quality goods, exports and OCOP products.

The city has organised dozens of investment promotions in many provinces and cities across the country this year, including provinces of Lao Cai, Nghe An, Vinh Phuc, Yen Bai, Ha Nam, Hai Phong; and around the world such as China, France, Japan, Korea, the UK, and Germany.

The city chooses "Promotion Month" as a highlight every year to create a strong boost for the economy and this is also an opportunity to stimulate consumption, helping businesses push production and business during the Lunar New Year.

This is also a bridge not only for people to access goods but also for businesses to find opportunities for mutual cooperation.

Hygiene, security and protection work and quality control of promotional goods at the fair were also strictly implemented by the organising committee, ensuring that goods traded at the fair were goods with clear origins and quality assurance to protect consumer rights during the promotion month.

During this year's event, there were millions of visitors to the website thangkhuyenmaihanoi.vn to shop for discounted products online from reputable manufacturers and distributors in the market with attractive prices.

Nguyen Anh Duong, Director of the Ha Noi Trade, Tourism, Investment Promotion Centre, said that with the results achieved, the centre has developed plans for the Promotion Month 2024.

The centre is asking businesses to proactively develop implementation and participation plans from the beginning of the year, coordinate to provide information and reports related to Ha Noi Promotion Month fully and promptly, and coordinate closely with the organising committee to achieve the highest effectiveness.

In addition, the centre recommended strengthening the coordination between departments, branches, and people's committees of districts and cities in organising, mobilising, inspecting, and promoting events.

Expanding foreign economic relations

The Ha Noi People's Committee is comprehensively implementing many solutions and measures to expand cooperation with major partners and attract investment in the fields of clean industry, information technology, environment, education, training, and smart city.

In addition to organising meetings to overcome difficulties for businesses, the city has strengthened discipline and reformed administrative procedures.

In particular, the city has decentralised and authorised hundreds of procedures for departments, branches and localities. Therefore, although the economy faces many difficulties, attracting foreign investment to the area has many remarkable results.

Nguyen Manh Quyen, Vice Chairman of Ha Noi People's Committee, said that with the comprehensive direction of the municipal party committee and people's committee was creating all conditions for economic sectors to develop.

The city has strengthened foreign economic relations and expanded cooperation with many foreign partners, thereby selecting quality, effective investors that are close to Ha Noi's investment needs in important fields.

Ha Minh Hai, Vice Chairman of Ha Noi People's Committee, said that foreign affairs work had continued to be strengthened and expanded this year across all three channels of party diplomacy, state diplomacy and people's diplomacy, improving the effectiveness of bilateral and multilateral relations in many fields, actively contributing to the socio-economic development of the capital city.

The city strengthens diplomatic relations with capitals and cities of neighbouring countries to strengthen and promote cooperation in investment, trade, culture, education and training, and tourism; exchange and learn experiences in planning and monitoring policy implementation; urban planning and management model development, environment protection; and ensure social security and welfare.

Ha Noi has organised 18 foreign working delegations of city leaders, including delegations accompanying central leaders; received nearly 90 international delegations to pay greetings, work, and discuss projects and co-operation activities in many fields.

It has also organised to welcome four official visiting and working delegations at the invitation of the city leaders.

Economic diplomacy clearly demonstrates its positive role in supporting and connecting the need for cooperation between governments and businesses, businesses and businesses, which attracts investment, promotes trade, and contributes to economic and international integration and socio-economic development, mainly through investment, trade and tourism promotion activities.

Cultural diplomacy also has been strongly restored; coordinated to organise over 20 cultural exchange and diplomacy activities, contributing to promoting the images of countries to domestic people and international tourists and, through that, promoting historical and cultural traditions of the country and Ha Noi in particular.

Ha Noi has signed five new international cooperation agreements, expanded cooperation to new areas with Cairo, Egypt; continues to implement negotiations and related procedures to sign agreements with partners including Saint Petersburg (Russian Federation), Rome (Italy), Minsk (Belarus), and Caracas (Venezuela).

Nguyen Manh Quyen, Vice Chairman of Ha Noi People's Committee, said that the capital city would continue to innovate strongly and create maximum conditions for outside businesses to invest in the area next year, as well as local businesses to have the opportunity to co-operate with outside parties and promote the export of goods to major areas in the world.  VNS
Police are hunting down the mastermind who commissioned a teen to spray paint 44-meter-long graffiti on the walls of a historic palace in central Seoul earlier this month, officials said Tuesday.

A 17-year-old, only identified by his surname Im, was arrested last week after spray painting the phrase "free movie" in Korean on both sides of the western gate to Gyeongbok Palace and palace walls near the National Palace Museum of Korea on Dec. 16.

Investigators have since found that Im was paid 100,000 won to commit the crime.

In an effort to track down the mastermind, police have conducted digital forensics on Im's mobile phone, looked into the bank account used for the crime, and are scrutinizing the dialogue the two had on the messenger Telegram, according to national police chief Yoon Hee-keun.

But officials said they are having difficulty tracking down the mastermind due to strong security features of the messaging app and its server being based overseas.

The police chief vowed to deploy patrols near the cultural heritage sites during vulnerable time periods and install surveillance cameras in blind spots subject to crimes in an effort to prevent similar copycat crimes from happening in the future.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police said it will beef up patrols near the five palaces in central Seoul, including Gyeongbok Palace, by arranging squad cars during the daytime, and additionally deploying detectives and the riot police forces at night until the end of this month. (Yonhap)
BAC NINH  Recognising local cooperation as a crucial component of the comprehensive strategic partnership between Viet Nam and China, the northern province of Bac Ninh has been focusing on expanding its economic cooperation with Chinese businesses and localities in recent years.

Notable agreements include the Memorandum of Understanding between the People's Committee of Bac Ninh Province and the People's Government of Nanning City, Guangxi Autonomous Region, regarding the establishment of a Government Cooperation Mechanism. Bac Ninh City has signed a Cooperation and Friendship Agreement with Lai Tan city in Guangxi Province of China.

In addition, the province has active exchanges with Shandong Province, an eastern coastal province that plays a key role in the Chinese industrial sector, hosting 41 major industries and serving as a vital connection point in the economic development strategy for the northern region of China. The cooperation between Bac Ninh and Shandong has made significant progress, with increased information exchange and investment promotion.

The two provinces' collaboration aims to increase exchanges, share experiences and resources, foster trust, and promote joint development. With Shandong being an industrial province with a large population and the third-largest economy in China, the opportunities for cooperation are substantial.

Weifang City, a strategic partner of Bac Ninh, is notable for being the second-largest in terms of industrial enterprises and the second and third in industrial activities and profits, respectively, in Shandong Province. Weifang specialises in industries such as high-end equipment manufacturing, advanced chemicals, food processing, new-generation information technology, automobile manufacturing, textiles, paper, and packaging. Among the 440 projects from China investing in Bac Ninh, Goertek Group from Weifang accounts for over US$900 million. Over the past decade, Goertek has continuously expanded in Bac Ninh, employing 37,000 workers across three projects.

In a recent meeting with provincial leaders, Secretary of the Party Committee of Weifang City Liu Yun praised Bac Ninh for its support of Shandong's enterprises. The province has promptly addressed suggestions and proposals, contributing to the success of businesses. The Shandong delegation chose to work with Bac Ninh due to these favourable conditions and expressed the hope for continued attention and better conditions for new and expanded investment projects in the province.

He said the Chinese province will continue staying committed to encouraging enterprises, partners, and Chinese businesses to invest and produce in Bac Ninh, actively seeking and expanding new development opportunities. Recognising economic diplomacy as a focal task, Bac Ninh aims to promote investment, boost foreign economic relations, and strongly reform administrative procedures in 2024.

The province also plans to promote its strengths to countries and territories worldwide, shaping a reasonable development model and achieving development goals to solidify its position as a stable growth hub in the Northern Key Economic Region and the Capital Region, contributing significantly to the overall economic growth of the nation.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1950, the political and diplomatic ties between Viet Nam and China have continuously strengthened, solidified, and collaborated in defence and security, becoming a cornerstone in their bilateral relationship. Economic, trade, and investment cooperation have all seen significant development, with vibrant people-to-people exchanges in various forms.

In the first 11 months of 2023, the Viet Nam-China import-export turnover reached over $150 billion, nearly eight times the scale of over 10 years ago. China's investment cooperation with Viet Nam is extensive, with rapid growth in scale and scope. Chinese enterprises' investments in Viet Nam have contributed to improving the residents' quality of life. VNS
QUANG BINH  Oxalis - the only firm operating expedition adventure tours to Son oong Cave - the worlds largest natural cave, on December 23 announced that the tour is fully booked for the whole of 2024.

Exploring Son oong Cave is considered one of the adventure tours in Viet Nam that attracts international tourists the most. It is also one of Viet Nam's most expensive tourist attractions, with a ticket price of around VN72 million (approximately US$3,100) per person for a six-day-five-night expedition.

British newspaper Daily Mail selected Son oong Cave as the cave with the most impressive campsite in the world. British television station Dave TV ranked the Son oong Cave expedition tour 5th out of the 20 greatest adventures on the planet. National Geographic UK magazine ranked the Son oong Cave expedition as the world's most classy adventure tour.

During the tour, tourists will discover a magnificent system of stalactites and stalagmites, underground rivers, and giant sinkholes. Tourists can also admire a forest along with the diverse biodiversity inside Son oong Cave and visit the oong village, home to the Bru-Van Kieu ethnic minority group.

Another destination is Hang En, where the movie Peter Pan: The Neverland was filmed and where ABC News broadcast the TV programme Good Morning America to the US in 2015.

The high international interest in the Son oong Cave expedition provides an opportunity to showcase the beauty and uniqueness of other locations in Quang Binh province.

On December 22, with the goal of attracting 4.5-5 million visitors in 2024, including 200,000 international tourists, ang ong Ha, deputy head of Quang Binh Provinces Department of Tourism, said that the department will coordinate with various units to organise the 2024 New Year Welcome Program.

With a series of unique and impressive activities, the programme aims to bring citizens and tourists memorable and attractive experiences.

In Phong Nha Town, three events will take place. The "Phong Nha Countdown Party 2024" and a traditional art, street performance program on New Year's Eve will be on December 31. The Quang Binh Culinary Tourism Festival 2023 will take place on the afternoon of December 31.

In ong Hoi City, the low-altitude fireworks display to welcome the 2024 New Year will take place at Bao Ninh 1 Urban Area (Regal Legend), from midnight on January 1, 2024.

The 15-minute fireworks show combined with electronic dance music (EDM) and modern lighting technology will create a vibrant atmosphere, dazzling with colourful fireworks and attracting both locals and tourists.

Quang Binh will welcome the first tourist group of 2024 at ong Hoi Airport and Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.

The local tourism sector will organise a tourism stimulus programme with the participation of local tourism businesses and enterprises. The programme aims to diversify tourism products and services, boost domestic and international tourist market growth, and create a lively atmosphere for tourism activities.

With the "Unique Quang Binh" tourism stimulus programme, the Phong Nha-Ke Bang Tourism Center will reintroduce Tien Son Cave and implement a tourism stimulus programme. It includes offering discounted rates ranging from 10-15 per cent on sightseeing, dining, and accommodation services to travel agencies, transportation companies, and partners.  VNS
HA NOI  The best illustrations by 15 Vietnamese artists are currently on display in Ha Noi, a culmination of a year-long collaboration between British and Vietnamese partners.

The exhibition, titled The Return of the Spoon-Billed Sandpiper, showcases 30 illustrations by artists who participated in a workshop in Ha Noi with two UK artists, Jan Fearnley and Jane Buckely.

This project, a collaboration between the UK children's literature development agency Pop Up Projects, Vietnamese Nha Nam Publisher, and UK children's publisher Simon & Schuster, involved a nationwide competition. The 15 selected artists developed a story from children's writer Trang Nguyen.

Trang Nguyen's story, also named The Return of the Spoon-Billed Sandpiper, is a new narrative nonfiction picture book text. It narrates the tale of a near-extinct bird species making a comeback in Viet Nam, thanks to conservationists' efforts to restore and protect its habitats.

In Viet Nam, home-grown children's picture books are rare. As a result, most Vietnamese children grow up reading picture books that do not represent the cultures and communities they are part of.

During a two-week picture book course in Ha Noi last September, best-selling illustrator Jan Fearnley, known for her 26 children's books, and Simon & Schuster's award-winning art director Jane Buckely guided the illustrators in developing their unique, diverse approaches to illustrating the story.

Each artist submitted four spreads from the 30-page story only a few weeks after the course.

"We hope that the exhibition and the workshop will help Vietnamese artists to be more confident," said ao Phuong Thu, Nha Nam Publisher's head of Communication Desk.

"After the workshop, the artists will not be skilled in painting, but they will write a story to make a completed picture book."

This exhibition allows each illustrator to tell one part of that story through 15 double-page spreads, presented sequentially, along with the text for those pages. And 15 additional pictures, extracted from the sequence as stand-alone pieces, are also presented throughout the exhibition.

The Return of the Spoon-Billed Sandpiper will be published by Nha Nam, featuring the work of just one of the illustrators in this exhibition. The ultimate aim of this project is that all the participating illustrators will go on to make picture books that continue to reflect the people and places of Viet Nam and will travel beyond Viet Nam to reach young readers everywhere.

The exhibition was presented at the Royal Over-Seas League in London from November 24 to December 3 and at Manchester School of Art's Vertical Gallery at Manchester Metropolitan University from December 11 to January 7.

Nguyen Vu Xuan Lan was a representative of the artists, and Nha Nam Publisher's representative attended the exhibitions in the UK.

The Ha Noi-exhibition runs until December 29 at Lotte Mall West Lake Hanoi, No272 Vo Chi Cong Road.  VNS
New York  Viet Nam this year continues to leave meaningful impressions at multilateral forums, including the United Nations (UN), contributing to enhancing its position and reputation among the global community, said Ambassador ang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Viet Nam to the United Nations.

As 2023 is a volatile year with a series of conflicts, new and existing challenges intertwined, and complicated global security, Giang said against this backdrop, Viet Nam continued to prove itself as a responsible member that effectively contributed to the UNs common efforts. Its meaningful contributions had stood out as Viet Nam had upheld its stance on supporting peace, development, respect for international law, multilateralism, and most importantly highlighting the importance of following the UN Charter across all pillars, from peace, security to development and protection of human rights.

According to him, a highlight of Viet Nam's diplomacy in 2023 is its successful assumption of the position of Vice President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA)s 77th session from September 2022 - September 2023. Viet Nam has actively proposed and planned crucial decisions on various global issues, especially in the context that the UNGA has to handle an exceptionally busy agenda, possibly the busiest in many years.

Notably, Viet Nam has chaired several UNGA sessions, discussed and passed a resolution requesting an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the obligations of states with respect to climate change, the High Seas Treaty, and resolutions on holding high-level meetings on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. It has worked with other countries to propose initiatives and solutions on various major issues, coordinated and directly negotiated the drafting of documents. In particular, Viet Nam has contributed ideas and initiatives to various ongoing processes at the UN to guide future directions, and continued playing an active role as a member of ASEAN, G-77, leading the Group of Friends on the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). All these partnership relations have solidified Viet Nam's diplomatic position at the UN forum.

This year, Viet Nam continues making significant contributions in its capacity as a member of the UN Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 tenure, the International Law Commission (2023-2027), the UNESCO Executive Board (2021-2025), and the Inter-Governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2022-2026).

On peace-security, Viet Nam has always actively stepped up joint efforts to enhance the role of the UN, and build a global governance system based on the rule of law and respect for the UN Charter and widely-recognised international standards. In the context of increasing strategic competition and confrontations, and numerous challenges to multilateral cooperation, it has incessantly called for strengthening trust, increasing solidarity and international responsibility, promoting dialogue and mutual understanding to peacefully settle all disputes, for the common goal of peace, national independence, democracy and progress in the world. Viet Nam has proactively contributed to and expanded its participation in UN peacekeeping activities, playing a part in preventing conflicts and building peace, particularly in hotspots in Africa.

In terms of development, Viet Nam continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It has been joining various core groups while proposing, coordinating, and negotiating numerous initiatives and cooperation documents on education, health care, water resource protection, energy transition, and climate change adaptation. Viet Nam remains actively engaged in implementing the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), striving to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Viet Nam continues actively cooperating with UN mechanisms on human rights, defending national reports under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism, and reports on the implementation of international human rights conventions of which it is a member.

Viet Nam also continues affirming a strong commitment to promoting multilateralism, with the UN at the centre, respecting the fundamental principles of the UN Charter and international law. This includes upholding the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, prioritising dialogue over confrontation, and peacefully settling disputes.

The Vietnamese diplomat cited UNICEF Representative in Viet Nam Rana Flowers as saying that Viet Nam is an active, proactive and responsible member in multilateral processes.

Forecasting a highly complex scenario with numerous uncertainties next year, Giang said Viet Nam would continue stepping up its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification of external ties; comprehensive, extensive and effective global integration.

Viet Nam would actively prepare for and contribute to major UN processes, including the Summit of the Future, the high-level General Debate of the UNGAs 79th session, the Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in January 2024; seriously fulfil its international commitments; and continue upholding its role as a member of crucial UN mechanisms.

"The achievements and hallmarks that have been attained serve as a foundation to take pride in and believe that Viet Nam today is not only ready to be a reliable, constructive and responsible partner of the global community but also possesses the expertise and resources necessary to shoulder responsibilities commensurate with the country's new stature," Giang concluded. VNS
HA NOI  Pope Franciss appointment of Archbishop Marek Zalewski as the first Resident Papal Representative in Viet Nam marks a historic moment in the diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and the Vatican, said Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Vu Chien Thang.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) on December 24, the Deputy Minister noted that Pope Franciss letter to the People of God in Viet Nam in September and the appointment of the Resident Papal Representative have opened up a new chapter in the relations between Viet Nam and the Vatican, and between the Vietnam Catholic Church and the Universal Church in particular.

Thang recalled that in the letter, Pope Francis urged Vietnamese Catholics to be good Christians and good citizens. The pope also noted that the intention of the Church "is certainly not to replace government leaders, as well as emphasised the spirit of great national unity and religious solidarity.

The Deputy Minister held that leaving disagreements and differences in history behind, Viet Nam and the Vatican now head towards comprehensive diplomatic ties.

The official affirmed that under the consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation, development, diversification and multilateralisation of relations, and being a friend, a reliable partner of countries worldwide, and a responsible member of the international community, and with the goal of maintaining a peaceful and stable environment for socio-economic development and expanding foreign relations to create more resources for national development, the upgrade of relations with the Vatican is evidence of the Vietnamese Partys and States sound foreign and religious policies in national renewal, and also the result of the method and process of dialogue that the two sides have implemented together since 1990.

Viet Nam attaches importance to and stands ready to promote its relations with the Vatican on the basis of respecting independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, not interfering in each others internal affairs, and actively contributing to peace, cooperation and development in the world, Thang went on.

The official said bilateral relations have seen positive progress. In 2011, the Vietnamese Government agreed with the Holy Sees proposal to send a non-resident Special Envoy to Viet Nam. The special envoy has so far come to Viet Nam hundreds of times, visiting and carrying out pastoral activities in all 63 cities and provinces in the country, guiding religious followers to conduct pure religious activities and comply with Vietnamese law.

The upgrade of the resident representative status does not put an end to the relations but opens up new space for the bilateral ties, he stressed, adding that issues related to the relationship will be discussed quickly and directly through the Resident Papal Representative.

The Resident Papal Representative will also have favourable conditions to carry out his tasks and responsibilities assigned by the Holy See regarding Vietnamese Catholics and pay more attention to the religious activities of the Vietnam Catholic Church, Thang said.

The official stressed that the upgrade of the relations not only demonstrates the sound foreign policy of the Vietnamese Party and State, but also reflects Viet Nams recognition of the Vatican's goodwill and positive guidance towards Vietnamese Catholics, as well as the Vietnamese Party and State's attention to Catholic followers, encouraging dignitaries and followers to observe the law and support all-level authorities.

He was confident in what the Pope wrote in the letter that both sides have been able to move forward together and further progress will be possible, recognising convergences and respecting differences. Moreover, the participants were able to walk together, listening to each other and arriving at a mutual understanding.

He also expressed a belief that the relations between Viet Nam and the Vatican as well as between the Universal Church and the Vietnam Catholic Church will grow further in the time ahead.

The Deputy Minister added that President Vo Van Thuongs invitation to Pope Francis to visit Viet Nam reflects the Vietnamese States goodwill.

"The Vietnamese State, the Vietnam Catholic Church and Vietnamese people are all delighted at the news and look forward to the visit by the Pope.

The Holy See on December 23 announced that Archbishop Marek Zalewski has been appointed by Pope Francis as the first Resident Papal Representative in Viet Nam.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a notice on December 24 that the appointment is expected to help promote the connections between the Vatican and the Catholic Church in Viet Nam, as well as opinion exchanges between Viet Nam and the Holy See.

Right after this announcement, Archbishop Giuse Nguyen Nang, President of Catholic Bishops' Conference of Vietnam, sent a letter to Cardinals, priests and Catholic followers, sharing the joy at the news ahead of Christmas 2023.

He expressed his belief that Archbishop Marek Zalewski will work as a diplomatic bridge, helping the Vietnam Catholic Church carry out diverse activities in service of the community.

Viet Nam and the Holy See have recorded progress in bilateral relations, especially since they set up the regular dialogue mechanism of their Joint Working Group in 2009. Many meetings and discussions between Vietnamese leaders and the Holy See have taken place, most recently the meeting between Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong and Pope Francis in 2023. VNS
HA NOI  General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong hosted a reception in Ha Noi on Tuesday for visiting Chairman of the Presidium of the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) Central Committee Shii Kazuo.

Party chief Trong expressed his belief that Shiis visit, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties, will contribute to strengthening traditional friendship and solidarity between the two countries Parties and people.

Congratulating achievements made by the JCP over the past years, he believed and wished that the JCPs 29th Congress will be a success, opening up a new development path, elevating the JCPs position and reputation, and enhancing its increasingly important role in Japanese politics.

He was also pleased with the positive developments of ties between the two Parties over the past years through facilitating exchanges, high-level meetings and information sharing. He spoke highly of the annual theoretical exchange between the two Parties, considering it a standout feature in their cooperative relationship and exchanges.

Shii, for his part, believed that under the leadership of the CPV Central Committee, the Vietnamese people will successfully realise the Resolution set forth at the 13th National Party Congress.

He informed the host about the results of his talks with Politburo member, Permanent member of the CPV Central Committee's Secretariat and Chairwoman of the CPV Central Committee's Organisation Commission Truong Thi Mai, saying that both sides reached consensus on orientations to cooperation between the two Parties in the coming time.

Shii said his visit to Viet Nam and several Southeast Asian countries aims to discuss peace building in the region and share the JCP's stance on peace and development issues in the region and the world.

Hailing Viet Nam's stature and role in the region, and its recent accomplishments in foreign affairs, he believed that Viet Nam will continue to make even greater contributions to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

The guest also provided an update on the JCPs recent developments, as well as preparations for its 29th Congress scheduled for this January.

Earlier, Shii also held a discussion with Secretary of the CPV Central Committee and head of its Commission for External Relations Le Hoai Trung, during which they delved into orientations and foreign policies of their Parties, as well as global and regional issues of their concern.

Both sides underscored the significance of the relationship between the two Parties in their foreign policies, and concurred that in the current situation, the two Parties need to exert efforts and actively play a role in promoting peace, cooperation and development in the Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia, while contributing to the global efforts for peace, friendship, cooperation and development, including disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation; and advancing international relations based on the respect for international law and the United Nations Charter.

They concluded by agreeing to continue discussions on measures to reinforce ties between the two Parties and coordinate at international forums, and ensure the effective organisation of the 11th theoretical exchange between the two Parties next year.  VNS
HA NOI  In Cho Ray Hospital, HCM City, a martial arts club has been established to improve physical fitness and provide self-defence training for medical staff.

Nguyen Thanh Phuong, a nurse and a martial arts master in charge of the club, said it was founded in 2014 under the HCM City Vovinam - Viet Vo ao Federation.

The club organised many classes to train its members but some circumstances interrupted them in later years. It was not until July 2023 that the classes could start again.

Now, every class is filled with about 20 students, who predominately come from local hospitals such as Cho Ray Hospital, Binh Dan Hospital, and HCM City's Pasteur Institute.

"Classes are often held on weekend evenings and with no fixed location. They can be at Cho Ray Hospital's clinic site or its Oncology Center's main hall," said Phuong.

Nguyen Huu Nghi, a perioperative nurse, participates in the classes every Friday. He has found himself much stronger physically and spiritually. Stress at work has also eased as he has learned how to keep his mind at peace.

"I can train to improve my health and meet many colleagues with the same passion here," said Nghi.

Pham Truong Tuyet Phuong, a graduate of Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, is another member of the club who has never skipped a class since her admission. She attends classes regularly to make friends with seniors from whom she learns life experience, and, more importantly, to learn martial moves against those who can't control their anger at her clinic.

"I learn martial arts to protect myself from aggressive patients and their family members who accompany them," said the graduate.

Her fear of being assaulted by patients and their family makes sense as martial arts master Phuong himself was a victim of such assaults.

The assault he remembers most vividly was the one involving a foreign patient, who, irritated by the language barrier between the nurse and himself, took a urine pot to attack him.

Being a martial arts master, Phuong quickly evaded the attack and left the clinic to bring in another nurse who could speak foreign languages to calm the patient.

"If I hadn't learned martial arts, I would have been struck on the head by that urine pot," said Phuong.

It saddened him deeply to know that clinic assaults keep happening occasionally over the past few years. He urged assault-prone medical staff to participate in Vovinam classes to learn "not only the techniques to dodge and block punches and kicks but also the art of dealing with traumatic experiences."

"It is essential to have a gentle and empathetic conversation with patients, which could help avoid misunderstanding and quarrels," said Phuong.

Nurse Nghi, meanwhile, called for heavy penalties on those who commit clinic assaults to "ensure a safe working environment for medical staff."  VNS
This aerial picture taken on May 14, 2023 shows a general view of PT. Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP), one of the biggest nickel producers in Konawe Utara. At least 13 people were killed and 38 injured in eastern Indonesia on December 24, 2023 in an explosion at a Chinese-funded nickel-processing plant owned by PT Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel (ITSS) in the Morowali Industrial Park, the owner of the industrial park that hosts the facility said. RIZA SALMAN / AFP

The island of Sulawesi is a hub for the mineral-rich country's production of nickel, a base metal used for electric vehicle batteries and stainless steel, and Beijing's growing investment has stoked unrest over working conditions at its facilities.

The accident occurred around 5:30 am (2130 GMT Saturday) at a plant owned by PT Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel (ITSS) in the Morowali Industrial Park in Central Sulawesi province, a spokesperson for the complex said in a statement.

"The confirmed number of fatalities is 13 people, consisting of nine Indonesian workers and four workers from China," the spokesperson said in a statement, revising the number of the fallen foreign workers down one to four.

Forty-six other victims were injured, mostly due to exposure to hot steam, he said.

About 29 victims were referred to a government-run hospital in Morowali district, while 12 others were under observation at a clinic in the industrial complex and five people were receiving outpatient care.

An investigation showed the explosion happened during repair work on a furnace, which was closed for maintenance, when residual slag from the furnace flowed out and came in contact with flammable materials around the location.

The fire was extinguished Sunday morning, according to the statement.

Tsingshan Holding Group, the world's biggest nickel producer and China's biggest stainless steelmaker, holds a majority stake in ITSS.

ITSS is a tenant in the industrial park, which is also majority owned by Tsingshan along with local partner Bintang Delapan.

- Safety fears -

The firm that runs the industrial park said it was "deeply saddened by this disaster, particularly for the families affected".

It said the remains of several identified victims had been flown home, while the remains of one victim have been handed over to the family.

Footage shared with AFP showed plumes of smoke emerging from the facility with emergency services at the scene and workers looking on.

A photo shared with AFP showed the bodies of the victims lined up on top of orange body bags in a room in one of the clinics at the industrial complex.

"Their faces were burnt, their clothes were all burnt," a worker at the industrial complex told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Acting Morowali district head Rachmansyah Ismail earlier told broadcaster Kompas TV that as of Sunday afternoon 25 of the injured -- 15 Indonesians and 10 foreign nationals -- had been immediately rushed to hospital after the blast.

Seventeen were seriously injured while eight suffered moderate injuries, he said.

The manpower ministry will deploy a team tomorrow to investigate the accident, said ministry official Yuli Adiratna.

He said the ministry was probing the operations of the company.

We are still gathering information and accurate data from the field on whether to stop the companys activities or not, Adiratna told AFP.

In January, two workers including a Chinese national were killed at a nickel smelting plant in the same industrial park after a riot broke out during a protest over safety conditions and pay.

Deadly fires are not uncommon in Indonesia, a sprawling country of more than 250 million people where safety regulations are often flouted.

In June a fire at the same plant left one dead and six others injured, in another incident that has stoked concern over safety at facilities funded and operated by Chinese companies.

The facility where the riot and fire took place is operated by PT Gunbuster Nickel Industry (GNI), a local unit of China's Jiangsu Delong Nickel Industry.

Indonesia closely monitors COVID-19 situation Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno said on December 18 that the COVID-19 situation remains under control, ensuring safety during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Indonesia considers lifting lobster larvae export ban Indonesias Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry is seeking to resume lobster larvae exports to countries willing to make investments in aquaculture cultivation in the Southeast Asian country.
AI-assisted piano allows disabled musicians to perform Beethoven, illustration photo/ Source: freepik.com

Usami, who has cerebral palsy, was one of three musicians with disabilities performing Symphony No. 9 with the Yokohama Sinfonietta at Suntory Hall on Thursday using an artificial intelligence-powered piano.

To assist players, the "Anybody's Piano" tracks the notes of the music and augments the performance by adding whatever keys are needed but not pressed.

Usami, who started playing piano while in elementary school, helped inspire the AI programme. Her dedication to practising with one finger prompted her teachers to work with Japanese music giant Yamaha.

The result of their collaboration was a revised version of Yamaha's auto-playing piano, which was released in 2015. Thursday's Christmas performance was the first such concert.

"It's a really powerful experience to play with an orchestra," 10-year-old Yurina Furukawa told AFP after a rehearsal on Wednesday.

The "Anybody's Piano" allowed Furukawa, who has a rare muscle condition called congenital myopathy and requires breathing assistance, to perform from a bed stationed in front of the grand piano.

Keeping rhythm by moving her left arm, she powerfully pressed the keys with the back of her right hand, with the AI-assisted piano filling in the notes to complete the performance.

Unlike more traditional auto-play, the "Anybody's Piano" stops if a player hits the wrong notes.

"When I miss a key or slow down, I feel the pressure from the piano to go on and press the right key," said performer Hiroko Higashino, 39.

Higashino, who was born with three fingers on her right hand, only began learning to play piano after the "Anybody's Symphony No. 9" concert programme was announced.

"If the piano helps me and adds two missing keys for me, I can more faithfully recreate the rich harmony, the music that Beethoven intended to express," she said.

Members of the 130-person audience described the Christmas performance as uplifting.

"I haven't had such a heart-trembling experience like this for a long time," said Teruko Imai, a concertgoer in her 60s.

"It was the best Christmas present for me."

Another attendee, Koki Kato, 16, said she was "so touched".

"The piano makes it possible for anybody to perform, which is a very good thing for music too."

ASEAN, Japan to beef up AI, cybersecurity cooperation The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Japan are planning to work together on cybersecurity and systems for managing and operating artificial intelligence (AI), based on a draft plan on deepening their relationship.

Vietnam keeping pace with worlds AI development: expert With the development of several language models designed specifically for Vietnamese users like PhoGPT, Vietnam has caught up with the worlds AI trend, an expert from VinAI under Vingroup conglomerate said on December 19.
Vietnam Electricity (EVN), PetroVietnam, and affiliated entities presented a detailed strategy for advancing offshore wind energy to the prime minister and the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) this month.

Answers sought for offshore wind gains

If the corporations strategies are granted approval, the MoIT will utilise this information for a report to the government and a proposal to the National Assembly on the precise framework for executing offshore wind and gas power projects.

Hoang Dang Khoa, an official at the Electricity and Renewable Energy Authority under the MoIT, told VIR that approval of the strategy is uncertain as the current development of offshore wind energy in accordance with Power Development Plan VIII (PDP8) faces numerous obstacles.

If there is no compelling plan of action, it will be extremely challenging to accomplish a facility scale of 6,000MW by 2030, he said.

Khoa added that the execution of offshore wind power projects in Vietnam was being hindered by the absence of a marine spatial plan, unsuitable licencing processes and assessment standards, and regulations governing surveying, measuring, and monitoring.

Offshore wind energy development is governed by approximately eight laws, numerous by-laws, and over a dozen competent management agencies and organisations. The duration to overcome such procedures can be up to three years, he said.

In 2015, the government approved the countrys renewable energy development strategy towards 2030 and beyond. The strategy aimed to increase the share of electricity generated from renewable sources in the overall national electricity output from about 35 per cent in 2015 to 32 per cent in 2030, and finally to 43 per cent in 2050.

As a result of technological advancements, offshore wind energy investment costs are now comparable to those of conventional energy sources, having decreased by almost 70 per cent over time. An additional 30 per cent reduction in investment costs is anticipated for developed offshore wind power markets in 2023 as the downward trend in prices continues.

Dr. Nguyen Duc Cuong, deputy director of the Industrial Management Department at T&T Group, has spent three decades executing numerous investment initiatives in renewable energy. He said that a long-term perspective is necessary when constructing a new industry such as offshore wind power.

Synchronous coordination among ministries and subdivisions is essential during the formulation of policies for the development of offshore wind power in Vietnam. Policy recognition and encouragement of investment and development in offshore wind power should align with the governments green growth strategy, given its status as a nascent industry, Cuong said.

Robust strategies are being deemed vital for attempts to entice major groups to invest in Vietnam in this area. A joint venture between T&T and Danish renewables giant rsted aimed to invest billions of US dollars to develop offshore wind power facilities in Vietnam. However, rsted earlier this year decided to cease all offshore wind power development activities in Vietnam.

Nguyen Quoc Thap, chairperson of the Vietnam Petroleum Association, said, There is a significant risk of planning failure if a timely solution is not found. The end of the decade is only six years away but the typical duration for offshore wind power project implementation is 7-10 years.

Thap stated that international and domestic investors continue to have a significant interest in offshore wind energy in Vietnam, despite obstacles pertaining to capital arrangement, investment efficiency, and policy.

Several investors anticipate that in the aftermath of concluding the legal framework, officials may consider launching test and pilot projects, thereby gathering experience, he said.

Policymakers, nevertheless, are opposed to experimental solutions. The MoIT posed a number of concerns in a document submitted to the prime minister regarding implementation of the PDP8 in October. One concern was that if EVN and enterprises are designated to pilot offshore wind power projects, many complications may arise. The legal pathway for the development of this particular power source also remains ambiguous.

The investment law does not specify the competent authority responsible for determining investment policy for offshore wind power, as stated by the MoIT. As a result, the delegation of project implementation to EVN and domestic enterprises lacks a legal foundation.

The MoIT has therefore recommended development of a revised electricity law, and for EVN to determine investment policies for offshore wind power projects to be stipulated in the investment law.

The ministry suggested that the prime minister immediately appoint EVN and domestic firms to conduct research and survey conditions for offshore wind power development.

Offshore power projects lure investors New investors are eager to prepare for their ambitions to develop offshore power projects in Vietnam.

Offshore developers frustrated at lack of pilot policy There is still currently no legal avenue for foreign or domestic investors to take on offshore wind power pilots in Vietnam.
By Nam Hyun-woo

A decision by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, Monday, to pick former President Syngman Rhee as the independence fighter of January, is rekindling controversy over the conservative Yoon Suk Yeols administrations push to honor historical figures selectively based on their ideologies.

The ministry said in a press release that it selected 38 figures as the independence fighters of 2024. It has been selecting a number of independence fighters every month to honor their services for the countrys independence movement during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule.

The ministry explained Rhee served as the president of the Korean Provisional Government in Shanghai in 1919, and promoted Koreas independence to U.S. officials and other global diplomatic corps as the leader of Korean representatives.

Despite his contributions to the countrys independence movement, Rhees recognition is triggering controversy because of his 1948-1960 dictatorship as South Koreas first president and his hardline anti-communist views.

While being praised for laying the foundation for a free democracy in South Korea, Rhee was also accused of corruption, repression against his left-wing opponents and amendments to the Constitution to enable his dictatorship.

Rhee was ultimately forced out of office following a massive pro-democracy civil uprising touched off by public anger over election fraud in the March 1960 presidential vote. The protests culminated in the April 19 Revolution in 1960 that left hundreds of demonstrators killed or wounded in clashes with armed police.

Despite Rhees checkered political career, the Yoon administration has been making efforts to highlight the former presidents achievements. Last month, Yoon donated 5 million won ($3,682) for the construction of Rhees memorial, and former Veterans Minister Park Min-sik also pushed the memorials construction as one of the ministrys main projects.

"It is true that former President Rhee engaged in independence movements during the Japanese colonial rule, but there are other historical evaluations over his dictatorship after becoming the president," said Rep. Park Sung-joon, a spokesperson for the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea.

Rhees recognition appears to be in line with ideological conflicts surrounding historical figures earlier this year.

In August, the defense ministry announced a plan to relocate a bust of independence fighter Hong Beom-do, which had been on display at the Korea Military Academy. The ministry acknowledged Hongs contributions to the countrys independence, but decided to relocate the bust citing his affiliation with the Soviet Communist Party.
Ba Ria-Vung Tau made the commitment at a conference to review the results of the socioeconomic cooperation programme in 2023 between Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai, and Tay Ninh. The conference was organised in Ba Ria-Vung Tau on December 21-22.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau People's Committee was assigned by the Coordinating Board to organise the preliminary conference and build a plan to implement the cooperation schemes action plan for 2024.

The event evaluated the results of the agreement on cooperation for tourism development in the southeast region in 2023. At the same time, it provided an opportunity for provinces and cities to discuss and learn from each other's experiences, allowing successful models to be replicated.

Le Ngoc Khanh, Vice Chairman of Ba Ria-Vung Tau People's Committee, said that this association helps localities in the region with their planning work and long-term ambitions. In addition, the parties can share information on tourism products, market insights, trends, and the needs of domestic and international visitors.

Khanh also emphasised the importance of linking destinations in many provinces together, creating attractive tourism products, and promoting each other's brands on media channels.

At present, some tour routes are being exploited effectively, including the Ho Chi Minh City-Ho Tram-Binh Chau tour, Flavours of Tay Ninh with a journey from Ho Chi Minh City to Tay Ninh and Ba Den Mountain, and Green Nature - Harmony of the Sea, connecting Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau, among others.

Each locality has its own strengths and tourism products that can be exploited together to create synergistic advantages, which will be good for all parties and the entire region. The localities in the region have advantages in terms of ecotourism, community initiatives, cultural-historical tourism, and regional tours. They have intra-and inter-regional cooperation links based on their comparative advantages to jointly promote tourism, Khanh said.

Each location needs to unify its mechanisms to encourage businesses to invest in tourism and travel in interprovincial chains and incentivise tourism services to form a closely linked organisation. Thereby, the coordination of and support for regional tourism will be carried out quickly, methodically, and effectively, Khanh said.

According to Ba Ria-Vung Tau Peoples Committee, the province will focus on linking more effectively with cities and provinces in the southeastern region and expanding its links with other areas to effectively exploit specific products in each location.

The province will try to diversify its offerings to increase competitiveness so that tourism businesses can expand their markets, while also implementing promotion and investment activities.

It is focused on developing transportation infrastructure systems to connect areas with high potential, creating the necessary conditions for development and inviting real estate investors to build facilities.

Trinh Hang, director of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Department of Tourism said, "The province converges all the elements to develop into a major tourism centre in the southeast region and the country in general. Over the years, all levels of the province have synchronously implemented many infrastructure projects to promote tourism."

Statistics from the Department of Tourism show that the number of travellers to Ba Ria-Vung Tau has seen an annual increase of 12.9 per cent, and the revenue from this sector has witnessed an average increase of 15.9 per cent.

The socioeconomic cooperation programme was created by Ho Chi Minh City and was signed for the first time in June 2020 in Tay Ninh with the participation of six cities and provinces.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau to develop key transport links As one of the 28 localities along the coastline, Ba Ria-Vung Tau is home to around 305km of coastline, including large bays and rivers, and has the potential to become one of the key development areas in the southeast region and the centre of Vietnam's national maritime economy

Ba Ria-Vung Tau goes beyond 2023 expectations The southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau has posted its impressive achievements for the year to date, mirrored by extraordinary growth figures across the board.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau boasts huge potential for green economic development With huge potential, and favourable economic and investment policies, Vietnams southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau is becoming a magnet for businesses and investors looking for opportunities in the green and marine economies.
According Pham Ha, founder of LuxGroup, a travel and tourism company and cruise operator, many foreign couples have shown interest in cruise wedding packages.

We have made five deals for couples to organising their wedding ceremony in the next year. These couples come from countries speaking English, and they often choose April and October, to do it, Ha said. The couples either have memories together in Vietnam or have certain connections with the country. In addition, many couples select Vietnam to organise their blessing day after being introduced by relatives and friends.

In Vietnam, a typical wedding is often celebrated in a grand restaurant. However, a wedding on a cruise is another choice for couples to have an unforgettable experience. Here, they can have private space, luxury and warm parties with their close guests, which can merge into many fun activities that the cruise operator has prepared, as well as opportunities to see the beauty of Vietnams beaches.

A cruise wedding in Halong Bay is one example. An overnight wedding cruise with a sun deck is the best option where the party will be set up on the large area of the ship so that everyone can celebrate the blessed day, then be charmed by the sunset and seduced by the tranquil night of the magnificent bay. In addition, Danang, Phu Quoc, Haiphong and Ho Chi Minh City are also attractive choices.

Vietnams beaches have become a favourable destination to organise cruise weddings thanks to natural wonders and amazing landscapes. In addition, they can offer wedding services with various packages, providing all the necessary wedding preparations entirely based on the couples liking," Ha said.

"The wedding packages are presented and can be tailored to the couples style, expenditure, and the number of attendees; they can be fully customised. Thus, couples can have memorable weddings and relaxing vacations with their friends and relatives.

At LuxGroup, we can provide three days, two nights wedding packages with an average cost of $40,000 for 60 guests on our cruises, namely Emperor Cruise Halong and Heritage Binh Chuan, he said.

According to cruise operators like LuxGroup, cruise weddings are one way to boost tourism.

With the advantages of enchanting landscapes, complete infrastructure and available cruise serviced, Vietnam has a large potential to exploit wedding tourism through the cruise wedding segment. It is a piece of the cake that Vietnam has neglected, the founder of LuxGroup shared.

In 2023, Vietnam provided a glorious backdrop for several cruise weddings,

In the early part of the year, an Indian billionaire's family came to Danang to organise a wedding. As many as 350 guests attended, and there were 100 event workers. It was an outstanding event for the citys tourism, and the Department of Tourism considered the wedding as part of a plan to promote the destination in India.

According to cruise operators, wedding tourism can bring significant benefits to the industry because international tourists who choose a tour combined with a wedding organisation often have the financial capacity and are willing to spend a lot of money. Guests from India, Europe and America can pay up to millions of dollars for the most important event of their lives.

Normally, each couple holding a wedding abroad usually invites 100800 guests. Guests will eat, stay, and use services at the wedding destination. In addition, many guests choose to arrive in Vietnam early or stay longer to visit and explore renowned destinations.

Shakti Singh Kavia, a co-founder of Travel Recipes, said his visit to Vietnam had the aim of exploring avenues to develop wedding-related tourism, a trend that has gained traction in India over the past decade.

As per Kavias evaluation, with Indians increasingly seeking destination weddings in foreign countries, Vietnam presents itself as a potential choice for such occasions thanks to holding a competitive pricing edge.

The expenses for a wedding tour in Vietnam could potentially be lower than those incurred for a similar event in India. In addition, the countrys appeal lies in its numerous picturesque locations.

Lotte Hotel Saigon helps couples realise their dream weddings Lotte Hotel Saigon is here to help you find everything you need for your dream wedding and to make the coming together of friends and family a smooth and memorable experience for all.

Pullman Phu Quoc: The premier choice for Jeju's first-ever flight to the island The tropical island of Phu Quoc is set to welcome a new wave of travellers with the launch of Jeju Airs first-ever direct flight to the destination.

The Essence Grand Halong Bay Cruise Super Yacht offers superior features The Essence Grand Halong Bay Cruise I Super Yacht boasts a range of unique features that set it apart as a world-class option, offering a wonderful holiday for both international and domestic travellers as they explore the natural wonders of Halong Bay.

Khanh Hoa adjusts transport rules to welcome cruise ship tourists Khanh Hoa People's Committee has removed the transport bottlenecks to bring more cruise ship tourists to the locality.

More efforts needed to tap cruise ship potential Vietnam was home to a thriving cruise ship tourist market in the first quarter this year with a spike in the number of international cruise ship visitors, yet more efforts are needed to take full advantage of the industry.
According to the latest data released this month by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), the structure of the industrial sector has witnessed positive changes under the Partys industrial restructuring plan since 2021, with an increase in the ratio of the manufacturing and processing sector, and a decrease in the ratio of the mining sector in GDP. In addition, there has also been a gradual shift from labour-intensive sectors to high-tech ones.

At a forum on Vietnams 2021-2024 economic performance organised over a week ago in Hanoi, the MPI reported that under its calculation, the ratio of the manufacturing and processing sector in GDP climbed from 24.62 per cent in 2021 to 24.76 per cent in 2022, and is estimated to continue being maintained stably this year  higher than the 23.95 per cent ratio in the 2016-2020 period.

The manufacturing and processing sector is continuing to play a crucial role in leading national economic growth, especially in the industries of electronics, garments and textiles, footwear, and furniture, the MPI stated. The sector contributed 1.61 percentage points to GDP growth in 2021 and 2.09 percentage points in 2022, which will continue to be maintained in 2023.

In November, Vietnams index for industrial production (IIP) is estimated to expand 3 per cent on-month and 5.8 per cent on-year. In October, the IIP rose 4.1 per cent on-year.

In the first 11 months of this year, the IIP climbed 1 per cent on-year  higher than the on-year 10-month ascension of 0.5 per cent. The manufacturing and processing sector, which creates more than 80 per cent of industrial growth, rose 1.1 per cent on-year.

Under the World Banks statistics released last week, the industrial sector has continued to be the biggest magnet to foreign direct investment (FDI), whose performance remained steady amid global uncertainties.

Cumulative FDI commitment for the 11 months of 2023 continued to increase, reaching $28.8 billion, 14.8 per cent higher than the same period in 2022, despite global uncertainties, reflecting investors confidence in Vietnams economic prospects, the World Bank stated.

However, this is still about 10 per cent lower than the pre-COVID level in 2019. Manufacturing accounts for more than 60 per cent of newly registered and additional capital contribution commitment. On the other hand, real estate accounts for just 3.5 per cent of registered capital during the first 11 months of 2023 compared with 16.7 per cent in the same period of 2022, reflecting the sluggish domestic real estate market, the bank said. As of end of November, FDI disbursement was $20.3 billion, 2.9 per cent higher than a year ago.

This industrial improvement has helped to continue improving the countrys export structure in a positive direction, in which there has been a reduction of raw exports and a rise in processed products and industrial products, facilitating Vietnamese goods to penetrate deeper into the global production and supply chains, according to the MPI.

Concretely, goods of the manufacturing and processing sector holds the lions share  sitting at 88.1 per cent of the economys total export turnover in 2021, 87.8 per cent in 2022, and an estimated ratio of 86 per cent in 2023.

What is more, the scale of export items has continued to be expanded, with the number of items with $1 billion or more in export turnover continuing to climb. In 2021, there were 35 items with this revenue  up from 34 in 2020 and accounting for 3.8 per cent of total export value (including eight items with export turnover of more than $10 billion  up by two items against 2020. Last year, there were 36 with export turnover of over $1 billion and eight of more than $10 billion, and this is expected to continue in 2023.

Vietnams total export turnover has increased from $215.1 billion in 2017 to 371.7 billion in 2022, and $342 billion in the first 11 months of this year, up 13.6 per cent on-year. This also means an annual average growth rate of 11.6 per cent for the 2018-2022 period (see box 1).

Export turnover rising has made an important contribution to GDP growth, macroeconomic stability, exchange rate stability, and improvement of payment balance, said the Foreign Trade Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade. What is more, Vietnams export markets have also been expanded extensively.

According to the agency, the structure of export items has been improved towards modernisation and industrialisation, with a big rise in the ratio of items with high added value and high technology content (see chart).

The export structure has shifted towards an increase in the ratio of industrial processing items, which are also the group of items with the quickest rise in the structure, and also are the determinant that has created a breakthrough in export turnover, the agency said.

In 2017, Vietnam was the 20th largest exporter in the world. However, the rank ascended to 18th last year.

Industrial real estate developers implement decarbonisation to increase appeal As the effects of climate change are becoming increasingly apparent and the race towards carbon neutrality intensifies, businesses are expected to play a more active role in reducing their carbon footprints.
Having operated in Vietnam for around three years, has the companys performance met your expectations in the country?

Thiagu Visvalingam, deputy chief operating officer

LYS Energy has made significant strides in establishing itself as a key player in Vietnams renewable energy sector.

Our highly capable local team, helmed by Country Manager Solene Willaume, has successfully constructed and implemented over 15MWp of commercial and industrial (C&I) rooftop solar projects across Vietnam. These projects have not only showcased our technical expertise but have also contributed to Vietnams renewable energy capacity and the carbon footprint of our customers.

LYS Energy has been at the forefront of innovation in solar technology. The company has continuously adopted cutting-edge technologies to improve the efficiency and reliability of its C&I rooftop solar solutions.

We have forged ties with local businesses, government entities, and other stakeholders. Our operations are aligned with Vietnams sustainable development goals by providing clean and reliable energy solutions. We have also invested in the development of local talent, contributing to the growth of the renewable energy workforce in Vietnam.

Our performance in the Vietnamese market reflects a combination of successful project execution, strategic partnerships, technological innovation, community engagement, and a commitment to sustainability. This underscores our dedication to contributing positively to Vietnams renewable energy landscape and aligning with the countrys broader development objectives.

What are LYS Energys priorities in its strategy in Vietnam?

Our strategic priorities moving forward align closely with the evolving landscape of the renewable energy sector in Vietnam.

LYS Energy is poised to aggressively expand its C&I rooftop solar portfolio in Vietnam. This entails identifying new opportunities, cultivating strategic partnerships with businesses, and leveraging our technical expertise to implement bespoke, sustainable solar solutions across a diverse array of industries.

At the forefront of our strategy is a commitment to innovation and seamless integration of cutting-edge tech in solar energy. This involves exploring advancements in solar panel efficiency, embracing energy storage solutions, and deploying smart grid technologies to enhance the performance, reliability, and adaptability of our solar projects.

We remain dedicated to ongoing community engagement, with our initiatives spanning educational outreach and environmental sustainability efforts to increase awareness surrounding the myriad of benefits brought about by the uptake of renewable energy, the championing of sustainable practices, and contributing to cultivating a positive perception of solar energy within local communities.

Environmental, social, and governance criteria remain an indispensable aspect of our vision. We will persist in investing in impactful social and environmental programmes that enhance the wellbeing of the communities in which we operate. We also prioritise strong governance with a focus on sustainability by ensuring that our actions are aligned with our commitment to sustainable practices and stakeholder value.

LYS Energy is committed to furthering investments in the development of local talent, contributing to the growth of a highly skilled workforce in Vietnam.

Vietnam is promoting the energy transition towards a low-carbon future. What are the opportunities in Vietnam you foresee, and how can LYS Energy support the countrys efforts?

Vietnams focus on a low-carbon future opens up ample opportunities in the expansion of renewable energy capacity. LYS Energy can actively contribute by continuing to develop and implement C&I rooftop solar projects. These not only reduce carbon emissions but also contribute to a diversified and sustainable energy mix.

Investing in renewable energy enhances Vietnams energy independence by reducing reliance on traditional fossil fuels. We can support this goal by furthering the deployment of solar solutions, contributing to a more resilient and secure energy infrastructure.

The energy transition creates opportunities for green job creation and economic growth. LYS Energy, through its projects, continues to support the growth of the renewable energy workforce in Vietnam. Moreover, we can further engage in the energy transition by introducing and implementing innovative solar technologies that enhance energy efficiency and address specific challenges in the Vietnamese context.

We advocate for and strive to contribute to the development of supportive policies that facilitate the energy transition. This includes engaging in dialogue with policymakers to address regulatory challenges and promote incentives that encourage further investment in renewable energy.

24 renewable projects show interest in direct power purchase agreement 24 renewable energy projects with a combined capacity of 1,773MW have expressed interest in participating in a pilot scheme for a direct power purchase agreement (DPPA) in Vietnam, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) in a report submitted to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh las week.
Through five rounds of appraisal and evaluation based on international standards, MFast surpassed hundreds of other nominees to receive the SME100 Asia 2023 award.

The winners at the SME100 Awards

At the ceremony, MFast CEO Phan Thanh Long said, MFast is very honoured. This prestigious award is one special milestone in our development journey. Its a testament to the tireless efforts and dedication of the management team and employees. We are focusing on investing in market expansion in the Philippines next year to bring MFast's mission and values beyond the domestic market.

MFast proudly receives an award for being one of the fastest-growing companies in Vietnam

In its seven-year journey of development, MFast has gradually asserted itself as a top fintech application in Vietnam.

In that time, leveraging strong core values, it has made breakthrough transformations. MFast has partnered with major financial institutions such as UOB, SHBFinance, TPBank, VPBank, VIB, HDBank, FE Credit, and Kasikorn Bank to provide smart customer search solutions via a large network of collaborators throughout Vietnam.

MFast's mission is increasing financial inclusion for individuals in the Southeast Asia region by leveraging technology to simplify the sales process in the financial sector.

In the first half of 2023, MFast saw outstanding growth in the number of collaborators, with income increasing by 62 per cent compared to the same period last year. This significant increase demonstrates the platform's appeal and effectiveness in connecting collaborators with financial services.

MFast's mission is increasing financial inclusion for individuals in the Southeast Asia region by leveraging technology to simplify the sales process in the financial sector.

The efforts and fresh achievements have lit a fire for MFast to continue promoting its smart development strategy, Long said, ready to respond to fluctuations in the economy and firmly step on the path to conquer new heights.

The SME100 Asia is an annual award represented by SME Asia magazine, honouring the outstanding performance and growth of small- and medium-sized enterprises. At the same time, the award is also an evaluation and recognition of their significant contributions to the domestic economy as well as their international influence.

HDBank receives Digital Innovation award at the ASEAN Business Awards 2023 Ho Chi Minh City Development Joint Stock Commercial Bank is the only bank in Vietnam to receive the "Digital Innovation" award by the ASEAN Business Awards - ABA 2023.

KIDO scoops up 68 per cent of food producer Tho Phat Packaged food producer KIDO Group has expanded its stake in Tho Phat Food Processing Co. from 25 to 68 per cent.
NHSLAND Real Estate Investment and Business Co., Ltd. can now implement the Quang Ngai coastal ecological urban area project over nearly 94 hectares with a total registered capital approximating $300 million.

Representatives of the new projects receiving congratulatory flowers from provincial leaders

The project aims to form a new urban area combining ecotourism with sociotechnical infrastructure that is closely linked to the surrounding landscape, meeting the housing needs of residents and providing accommodation services for tourists. It will also contribute to the development of urban tourism services in Quang Ngai province to supplement the state budget revenue.

Thang Long Real Estate and Trading Investment JSC was granted a licence to become the investor in the Bau Giang urban area project.

With concerted efforts by the provincial management, Quang Ngai has increased its appeal to the investor community.

With the registered investment capital of nearly $140 million and covering nearly 50ha, the project is based in Nghia Trung commune in Quang Ngai city.

The goal is to build a civilized, modern, and synchronous new urban area with technical and social infrastructure that is in tune with the surrounding landscape in accordance with the planning orientations of Quang Ngai city and Tu Nghia district.

Furthermore, Messer Quang Ngai Industrial Gas Co., Ltd. was approved as the investor for its industrial gas production plant in the Dung Quat Economic Zone.

The German-funded venture has a total investment value of $133.3 million and will produce gases and liquid chemicals for industrial production.

At the announcement ceremony, Bui Thi Quynh Van, Secretary of Quang Ngai Party Committee said, "At today's conference, we witnessed the commencement of Hoang Sa-Doc Soi road, a key project to welcome the 21st provincial Party Congress, and awarded investment policies for three projects with a total value reaching $590 million."

These ventures will be a driving force and an important first step in realising the provincial planning strategy, Van noted.

Hyosung Group unveils $720 million investment in Vietnam Hyosung Group, a South Korean industrial conglomerate, has announced plans to invest $720 million in a biotech fiber manufacturing plant in Vietnam.

Awakening the tourism potential of Quang Ngai Quang Ngai possesses great potential for developing marine tourism, with the focus being Ly Son island district, as identified by the provinces new master plan for the decade and beyond.
Thousands of regulations are being done away with or simplified in order to help individuals and enterprises push ahead in 2024,

Photo: Le Toan

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh two weeks ago issued a document to authorities at all levels nationwide, requiring them to urgently deploy further administrative reform in service of the public and businesses.

Efforts are to be made to continue removing difficulties for production and business activities, and to boost, unleash, mobilise, and utilise all possible resources, the document stated.

All already-enacted policies and solutions in tax, fee, monetary, trade, and investment must be strictly put into practice. A decree on 2 per cent VAT reduction must be enacted soon under the National Assembly resolution, it continued.

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) is now seeking comment from the public and enterprises for the draft decree, which will take effect between January and July next year.

The NA on November 29 adopted a resolution which covers a 2 per cent VAT decrease until late June 2024 for goods and services subject to a 10 per cent rate, with a view to contributing to reducing prices of goods and services to promote production and business, generating more employment for labourers.

The VAT scheme will not apply to the following goods and services: telecommunications, IT, financial activities, banking activities, securities, insurance, trading of real estate, metals, precast metal products, mining products (excluding coal mining), coke mining, refined oil, chemical products, and goods and services subject to excise taxes.

The government reported that the VAT reduction from July to October has helped provide a financial support worth $658.2 million for enterprises and individuals, contributing to decreasing prices of services and goods, therefrom helping to boost production and business activities and generate employment.

It is estimated that the decline in the state budget revenue will be about $176.1 million a month, meaning around $1.05 billion in the first six months of 2024.

According to the MoF, in 2023, a package of about $8.44 billion has been earmarked for supporting enterprises in the form of tax exemption and reduction. So far, $5.5 billion has been realised. In the coming time, another sum of $2.74 billion worth of budget revenue in 2022 will be added to the package.

Eradicating red tape

At a government cabinet meeting three weeks ago, PM Chinh ordered the continued review and improvement of the quality of legal regulations. Any improper regulations which are overlapped and cause difficulties to enterprises must be revised or removed in a manner of creating the best for businesses.

The government has also ordered the drastic continuation of administrative procedures and business conditions, and improvements in the quality of public services. Enterprises, especially smaller ones, must be further facilitated in access to preferential loans.

It is a must to remove and decrease at least 10 per cent of compliance costs for administrative procedures and business regulations, the government said in a report.

In 2024, the government will complete all decentralising administrative procedures that are subject to the power of the government and prime minister, ensuring that at least 70 per cent of public services will be provided online and the rate of individuals performing such services will be at least 40 per cent.

Since 2021, nearly 2,500 business regulations have been cut, reduced, and simplified. Since early this year, the government has cut, reduced, and simplified nearly 340 business regulations; simplified nearly 390 administrative procedures; and decentralised 156 administrative procedures.

The governments strong move in quickening administrative reform and supporting businesses follows the fact that the economy is estimated to grow at a rate of over 5 per cent this year, far lower than the expected rates of 6-6.5 per cent, and the government is hoping the economy will grow 6-6.5 per cent next year.

Meanwhile, some mechanisms, policies, and regulations are slowly being amended, while remaining contradictory, overlapping, and inconsistently applied. In many localities, reducing administrative procedures is slow and lacking in drastic measures, said Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung. Rearranging and consolidating the state management apparatus and reducing intermediaries still have some shortcomings.

Figures from the Ministry of Planning and Investment showed that in the first 11 months of this year, about 85,400 businesses halted operations  up 21.7 per cent as compared to the corresponding period last year; 57,200 enterprises stopped operations and waited for dissolution procedures  up 26.3 per cent; and nearly 16,200 enterprises completed such procedures, down 4 per cent. On average, about 14,400 businesses were kicked off from the market every month.

Continued vigilance

In the coming time, the government will continue improving the quality of reformation of the portfolio of conditional investment and business professions and business conditions. It will also review and revise conditional business professions and remove out of the portfolio the professions that can be applied to more effective management solutions.

We will also revise and remove business conditions currently stipulated in specialised laws if such conditions are found illegal, unnecessary, infeasible, and unclear. In addition, the government will also review and revise all types of practising certificates in order to reduce their number and save costs for the society, PM Chinh stated.

According to the World Bank, Vietnams economy may grow 4.7 per cent in 2023 due to weakening domestic and overseas demands, before gradually accelerating to 5.5 per cent in 2024 and 6 per cent in 2025.

A proactive fiscal policy supporting short-term demand, removing barriers to the implementation of public investment, and addressing infrastructure constraints can help the economy achieve these targets and promote long-term growth, the bank said.

It suggested last week that as the economy still faces headwinds, the authorities could consider extending the implementation of Programme on Socioeconomic Recovery and Development for 2022-2023 (PSRD) backed by a $15 billion monetary and fiscal package into next year to allow its planned investments to be fully implemented, supporting aggregate demand.

Amid economic slowdown, financial sector vulnerabilities call for continued vigilance while efforts to restore confidence and promote a healthy development of the real estate markets will be key to supporting economic stability in the short term and economic growth in the long term, the World Bank stated.

Cumulatively as of late September, total disbursement within the PSRDs initiatives reached about VND96.4 trillion ($4.07 billion).

According to the National Assembly Economic Committee, over the past nearly two years, almost all support packages within the PSRDs fiscal policy have seen slow-paced disbursement.

For example, the 2 per cent lending rate support package via the commercial bank system for enterprises, cooperatives, and household businesses has seen a very low disbursement rate  at only about VND781 billion ($32.95 million) or 1.95 per cent of the assigned total of VND40 trillion ($1.69 billion).

It is expected that by late 2023, total disbursement may reach about VND1.4 trillion ($59 million), tantamount to only 3.5 per cent of the total. In the sectors entitled to this financial support, only 13 per cent of customers have met loan conditions  of whom 67 per cent have no demand for such assistance.

Revenue mobilisation efforts over the medium term are needed to reverse the trend of tax erosion and create space to bolster social spending and address infrastructure gaps. Tax revenues have been eroded since their peak in the late 2000s, in contrast to trends in regional peers (and despite Vietnams tax rates being close to peers average). Implementing the Tax System Reform Strategy 2021-2030 would help widen the tax base and enhance tax compliance. Reforms could include reducing exemptions and rationalising preferential regimes for foreign-invested enterprises, broadening the VAT base, and raising environmental tax and excise duties. The planned introduction of a unified property tax and a land registry would also be important. Strengthening the fiscal framework and budget processes would increase transparency and enhance the quality and effectiveness of fiscal policy. The budget process is weakened by overly conservative revenue projections in recent years. A budget based on realistic projections and assessment of risks would allow to better decide on the appropriate fiscal space and level of spending and debt, while increasing transparency. The scope and duration of permitted carryover spending could be more limited and ensure that all spending is integrated in the budget process. It would be important to accelerate efforts to strengthen macro-fiscal capacity (projections, risk assessment, impact of fiscal measures). Conducting expenditure reviews would help identify priorities and improve the quality of expenditures. Source: International Monetary Fund
US court rules Twitter breached contract over failure to pay bonuses, illustration photo/ Source: freepik.com

The breach-of-contract lawsuit was brought by former employer Mark Schobinger in June.

The lawsuit said Twitter had promised workers a 2022 performance bonus if they stayed with the company through the final possible payout date, which was the first quarter of this year.

The court threw out Twitter's attempts to have the case dismissed, ruling that Schobinger's claim of breach of contract under California law was valid.

"Schobinger has plausibly stated a breach of contract claim under California law. He alleges that Twitter orally promised to pay each employee a portion of the bonus contemplated," wrote US District Judge Vince Chhabria.

"And by allegedly refusing to pay Schobinger his promised bonus, Twitter violated that contract," said the judge.

X can still appeal the court's decision.

The social network now owned by Elon Musk, is currently facing multiple headwinds, including an EU probe under a law designed to combat disinformation and hate, criticism of the platform's response to recent rioting in Dublin, and an exodus of big-name advertisers.

The company is now worth less than half of the $44 billion he paid for it in October 2022, according to internal documents sent to staff and reported by tech publication The Verge.
The partnership agreement was formalised on December 23 in Ho Chi Minh City. The signatories included Vo Ngoc Huy, deputy CEO of Viet Long Capital, and Le Thanh Nhan, chairman and CEO of Vietnam Sea Cucumber Investment Corporation.

Speaking on the occasion, Nhan expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, "This partnership is a tremendous opportunity for growth. With the backing of Viet Long Capital, we are poised to expand our production significantly, enhance the quality of our products, and intensify our marketing and branding efforts."

Recognising the untapped potential in the sea cucumber market, Huy said, "As a luxurious and nutritional product with growing global appeal, sea cucumbers represent a lucrative opportunity, especially with the current restrictions on natural harvesting due to their red-listed status. By leveraging its expertise and our financial strength, our collaboration with Vietnam Sea Cucumber is poised to create a national brand of significant stature."

Vietnam Sea Cucumber Investment Corporation has developed a comprehensive, closed-loop system for industrial-scale sea cucumber cultivation and processing.

The company has chosen coastal provinces in the central region as its main hub due to their ideal climatic and geographical conditions, particularly the warm sea waters that are conducive to sea cucumber cultivation.

Bain Capital's $250 million investment into Masan Group among three largest in 2023 The $250 million investment from Bain Capital into Masan Group stands among Vietnam's three largest equity deals in 2023.
This directive taps into the country's substantial renewable energy potential, particularly in terms of offshore wind power, where capacity is estimated at 600GW. Investors have shown keen interest in exporting it to markets like Singapore and Thailand, though they face obstacles due to the absence of a coherent policy on licencing and project investment.

Following a recent session discussing the draft plan for Vietnam's Power Development Planning VIII (PDP8), DPM Ha highlighted the importance of harnessing the nation's renewable resources.

"This initiative is not just about tapping into our potential. It is about creating added value and laying a foundation for the renewable energy sector's future expansion," he said.

Meanwhile, in a meeting with investors on December 3, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh indicated that Vietnam Oil and Gas Group has been instructed to explore the development of offshore power transmission lines and to promote offshore wind energy.

Seven months after the approval of the PDP8, an actionable plan remains unformulated, primarily due to local ambitions to exceed the outlined renewable energy limits. The proposed capacities for renewable energy, biomass, and waste-to-energy are significantly higher than those in the original plan.

As a result, DPM Ha has called for a thorough review of the specifications of renewable energy projects slated for implementation up to 2025. These include onshore wind, solar, biomass, waste-to-energy, and small hydropower projects.

In addition to finalising project lists up to 2030, the MoIT has been urged to prepare a reserve list to pre-empt any reactive adjustments in planning and ensure a consistent power supply in the event of project delays.

Under the PDP8, Vietnam aims to achieve a solar power capacity of just over 12,800MW by 2030. This includes over 10,000MW from centralised and 2,600MW from self-consumption installations.

The MoIT is also examining mechanisms to integrate renewable energy with storage and self-consumption rooftop solar power, prioritising system safety and competitive pricing.

The government has further directed the MoIT to propose an authority for adjusting the capacities of renewable energy sources among various localities, or within a single province or city.

The draft of the PDP8 estimates that nearly $120 billion in capital is required for developing the various power sources.

Of this, approximately 76 per cent is expected from private investments (around $91 billion), with the remainder coming from the state. Public investment, earmarked at about $50 billion, will primarily focus on policy development and enhancing the electrical sector's capacity. Rural, mountainous, and island electrification programmes are allocated around $1.3 billion, with about 30 per cent currently funded.

Renewable energy set to create new jobs The energy transition will cause many jobs in the traditional energy industry to be lost, but it will also create thousands of green and sustainable employment opportunities in the economy.

Renewable energy and future challenges for JICA Our cooperation in renewable energy began with the support for Da Nhim Hydropower Plant, which was completed in 1964. After its completion, the plant not only served as the main source of electricity in the south of Vietnam, but also played an important role for irrigation purpose.

The cost of Asias renewable energy challenge Climate change currently poses the greatest long-term threat to Asian economies. In recent years, the region has experienced more frequent and severe climate-induced extreme weather events  such as droughts, floods, monsoons, and super typhoons  that carry heavy economic and societal costs.
By Lee Hae-rin

The Seoul Metropolitan Governments recent decision to cut spending by discontinuing public services and support centers for women, people with disabilities and a low-income group is sparking criticism that it runs counter to the policy direction of embracing social minorities.

Earlier this month, the city government sent an official notice to 16 residency member companies of the Seoul Woman Craft Center in northeastern Seoul ordering them to move out by the end of February next year, 10 months before their contracts expire.

The 16 members at the center were promised to extend the residency membership to Dec. 31 next year after evaluations. However, the Seoul government suddenly told us to move out by February, putting member companies and center operators at risk of losing our jobs, the emergency response committee of the centers member companies told The Korea Times, Tuesday.

Established in 2017, the center has served to incubate and support female craftspeople here, mostly women seeking to end career breaks through entrepreneurship, by providing low-cost working space and equipment, along with a workshop and exhibitions for the public.

However, the city decided to make a sharp cut to the program's budget from 1.8 billion won ($1.3 million) to some 300 million won, citing an economic revitalization project planned for the district.

The committee urged the city government to restore the budget cuts or provide alternative public services to the residency members as promised through due procedures.

Seouls public nighttime pharmacies are also on the verge of closing down due to budget cuts.

There are currently 33 pharmacies in the capital  averaging one or two pharmacies in each of the 25 districts  that operate from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., 365 nights a year, including weekends and public holidays.

Since September 2020, the city government has funded about half of the nighttime personnel expenses of these pharmacies, which serve as affordable alternatives to emergency rooms for those in urgent need of medicine. The number of pharmaceutical purchases here continues to rise, from 45,000 in 2020 to 178,000 in 2021 and finally 203,000 last year.

The Korean Pharmaceutical Association condemned the citys decision to suddenly cut the entire budget to operate public night pharmacies and said it is a step backward in solving the financial difficulties of ordinary people who cant afford to go to emergency rooms.

The city government refuted that these 33 pharmacies take a mere 19 percent of the citys 177 late-night pharmacies while claiming that people can still get emergency medicines such as antipyretic, digestive and cold medicine at convenience stores open around the clock throughout the city.

In response to continued criticisms that followed despite the citys explanation, the Seoul Metropolitan Government decided to urgently allocate funds from the budget to continue the operations of public late-night pharmacies by January next year, with no further budget allocation proposed for the rest of 2024.

The Seoul Braille Library will also shut down by the end of December, while the Seoul Acceleration Center for Gender Equity is to be closed in June next year due to budget cuts.
Conspiracy theorists are having a field day. Those who suggest gas prices rise and fall at the whim of unseen forces and greedy oil companies, not due to vagaries in the marketplace, are no doubt relishing this moment.

Less than a week before Christmas, gas prices in a few big cities in Texas skyrocketed more than 20 cents per gallon for regular unleaded. Sticker shock reached epidemic proportions in Dallas, Fort Worth-Arlington, Midland, Odessa and Sherman-Denison, according to AAA Texas, which reported week-over-week price increases of 21 to 26 cents per gallon in those markets.

Wacos average surged 11 cents, to $2.64, during the week ending Thursday, when the AAA travel club released its Weekend Gas Watch.

We would expect the areas that have not yet experienced increases to start posting higher prices in coming days, unless wholesale gasoline prices reverse course and drop significantly, AAA Texas spokesperson Daniel Armbruster said in a press release.

The statewide gas price average rose 12 cents, to $2.69 per gallon, during the week ending Thursday. Texas overall has the second-cheapest gasoline in the country, well below the $3.12 national average, according to AAA Texas.

Baskin-Robbins

Clearly, all Baskin-Robbins locations are not created equal. The new shop at 10324 China Spring Road includes contemporary decor and bright colors, its modern and sleek glass cases prominently displaying a variety of ice cream flavors, ice cream shakes, fancy waffle cones and toppings, according to a Baskin-Robbins press release from someone with a flair for writing.

The China Spring Baskin-Robbins has a modernized menu, and a new product platform called Ice Cream Novelties that showcases hand-dipped and snackable frozen treats, the press release says. Items include chocolate-dipped bananas, individual Polar Pizza Ice Cream Treat slices, Ice Cream Bars, Smoothie Bars and indulgent, hand-dipped fancy waffle cones. An expanded toppings station encourages customization.

Indoor seating includes an upholstered banquette for maximum comfort, and a digital menu board engagingly displays products with high-quality photos and video imagery. This is not your parents Baskin-Robbins.

All kidding aside, it sounds like a great place to visit.

Fundraising Bears

Baylor University has hired someone to find donors, specifically to design, plan and lead a philanthropic campaign that follows the Give Light effort that launched with a $1.1 billion goal but has exceeded $1.45 billion.

The new hire is Jason Diffenderfer, who will leave his role as vice president for university advancement at the University of Buffalo to take the same position at Baylor, effective March 1, according to a press release.

Diffenderfer is expected to foster partnerships across campus and among alumni, parents and friends of the University to identify, engage and cultivate current and future donors, according to the press release.

I know Jasons experience in and around advancement will benefit our University greatly, particularly his familiarity and comfort with corporate and foundation giving, Baylor President Linda Livingstone said in the press release. He has strong connections to the Baptist denomination and faith-based higher education, and his contributions will only strengthen our position as a preeminent Christian research university.

Diffenderfer received his undergraduate degree and MBA from Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina. He mostly recently shepherded the Boldly Buffalo campaign that raised more than $1 billion, and was earlier involved in the University of Louisvilles $1 billion Charting Our Course campaign.

Chamber legacy award

McLennan County Judge Scott Felton will receive the 2024 Thomas G. Salome Jr. Legacy Award from the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce during its Member Celebration scheduled Jan. 23 at the Waco Convention Center.

As an award recipient, Felton is being recognized for his leadership, impact, sustained investment of time and talent, innovative thinking and collaborative approaches to addressing community needs and opportunities, according to a statement from the Greater Waco Chamber.

The event also will honor incoming chamber board Chair Kary Lalani, a local hotel owner and operator, and outgoing Chair Philip Patterson. The event will also serve as the official start of the Greater Waco Chambers yearlong 125th anniversary celebration, spokesperson Gabriella Colurciello said.

Felton, who was raised on a ranch in the Elk community, served 30 years as president of Wells Fargo local operations before retiring. He was appointed county judge in 2012, and was last reelected in 2022.

Wage survey

The Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce on Dec. 8 completed its confidential survey of local businesses regarding wages paid and fringe benefits offered. The survey will name no names, but will provide general comparisons of compensation for positions available in Greater Waco.

Once findings are compiled, companies taking part will have free access to the results. Those that did not participate in the survey must pay a $100 fee for the final report, according to a chamber press release.

Building permit roundup

Building permits issued the past week include one for $4 million to build Kids R Kids child care center at 10033 Parker Springs Drive in Waco; one for $200,000 to make alterations to office space at Waco City Hall; and one for $140,000 to make alterations to Select Physical Therapy, 1201 Hewitt Drive.
CEDAR FALLS  Marvin Carrs first days on campus at the University of Northern Iowa were much the same as most of his classmates.

He attended orientation. He moved into his dorm at Dancer Hall. He met with instructors. He was set up with an on-campus job at the UNI-Dome and McLeod Center.

But Carr is not your average student.

He brings decades of life experience to his classes in the social science and history education department. He is a Navy veteran, a husband of more than 20 years, a father, and a paraeducator.

I feel welcome here, the 46-year-old said, relaxing in his dorm room an hour away from his family in Webster City, where he grew up. I spent the majority of time when I first arrived just walking around to familiarize myself with campus. I like how everything is close together. Its the people, though, that make this campus so different from others I looked at.

His experience at UNI is not without hardships. His wife, Steph Carr, is still learning to cope with not having him at home.

Any long marriage has ups and downs. Ive been keeping strong as much as I can. My kids have been humoring me enough to keep my mind sane, she said.

Steph Carr works as a paraeducator for the Eagle Grove school district. Her father also was in the service, so she is familiar with military life. She views college as an opportunity for her husband.

From a veterans wife perspective, if hes got the opportunity to achieve his goals with the right help, Ill remain his cheerleader, she said.

His eldest daughter, Allison, also supports Dads adventure.

In the beginning when he told me, I was very excited for him. Hearing my dad going for it and get his degree makes me proud, just knowing hes going to accomplish something he enjoys and get this experience. We are all very supportive of his decision no matter the complications of this journey, Allison Carr said.

At UNI, 881 undergraduates are age 24 or older, 11.4% of the student population. Marvin Carrs adviser, Chad Christopher, says older students shouldnt let age be a deterrent to pursuing an education.

UNI has many more supports to help students with the college experience than when previous generations went to college, Christopher said. College is much more than just the academic side, it is a life experience that lasts forever.

Jennifer McNabb is head of the department of history at UNI. She enjoys working with nontraditional students.

Ive worked with veterans and mature students throughout my 20-year career in higher education, and they always enrich the learning environment for other students, McNabb said. They bring an approach to education I find inspiring.

It takes a significant commitment to return to college or to come for the first time while balancing adult responsibilities of work and family, and I admire their dedication to their educational goals. Marvins life experiences will let him connect with students from varied backgrounds and circumstances, and I am confident that will make him a success both inside and beyond the classroom.

Carr treasures each new experience at UNI. When his family comes to visit they take advantage of student discounts at the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center.

He even plans to be part of a faculty trip to the Yucatan in May. He will start student teaching in the fall of 2025. Before then, he plans on soaking up as much family time as he can.

It makes our time together much more focused, Carr said. We take these moments as we can and enjoy each others presence.

How long it takes to get 6 different health care degreesand how much they pay How long it takes to get 6 different health care degreesand how much they pay Medical doctorate Nursing degree (associate or bachelor's) Radiologic technology degree (associate or bachelor's) Health information technology (certification or associate) Diploma in practical nursing Medical assisting (diploma or associate)
EVANSDALE  Find time to volunteer.

Thats a lesson Wesley Pilkington, 37, of Waterloo has taken with him through life.

He always finds openings in his schedule amidst his workload as an owner of the Evans Crossing Pharmacy, 3506 Lafayette Road, to give back to the community and health care industry through his service on the Black Hawk County Board of Health, Iowa Pharmacy Association board of trustees and Black Hawk-Grundy Mental Health Center.

The 2004 Waterloo Columbus Catholic High School graduate says the mindset is a product of the teachings of his parents, Randy and Treese, through their own volunteer work. One of his mentors, Bob Greenwood, owner of Greenwood Pharmacy in Waterloo, also drove home the point when Pilkington worked at that business for five years.

Bob really was the person to show me that being a pharmacist doesnt mean just working in the pharmacy, he said. It means being an active part of your community and serving the people of your community in some capacity.

Pilkingtons community and professional work has landed him in The Couriers 2023 class of 20 Under 40 recipients.

It is amazing to be recognized as a leader within the Cedar Valley, he said. I feel honored that other great leaders would nominate me for this recognition.

He and his wife, Sarah, also feel its important to volunteer as examples for their children Jacob, 8, Ryan, 6 and Anna 3, about the importance of community involvement.

And it all ties back into his vision for Evans Crossing Pharmacy as a community pharmacy, which he says is built through trust and people seeing him involved in outside activities.

You will find him taking extensive time to help patients understand their medications or the complexities of Medicare Part D plans, wrote Steve Firman in his petition nominating Pilkington. Since starting in 2018, he has grown the patient base and client loyalty, while becoming a fixture in the Evansdale community. Community involvement and civic leadership are especially important to Wes.

A 2011 graduate of the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, Pilkington was later recognized as the Distinguished Young Pharmacist in 2019. He wants to continue to grow the pharmacy while offering the most accessible health care.

Those are important important parts of his vision and something he takes pride in, in addition to his volunteer work. The resume includes the last five years on the board of health.

He now serves as the chair. One highlight was when the board recognized racial inequity as a public health crisis.

That was an amazing driver in changing the way that the department thought about race and equity, Pilkington said.

The last three years also were particularly meaningful while an Iowa Pharmacy Association trustee. Hes the speaker of the House of Delegates, and has been an advocate for change as the association helps to pass bills on behalf of those who may fall victim to predatory practices.

The work Im most proud of is the work thats been done to advocate to our state and federal government to protect independent pharmacies, he said. Through my work and being an independent community pharmacist, Ive seen a lot of predatory practices from payers, specifically companies we call pharmacy benefit managers. It really is a David vs. Goliath type thing, and trying to help advocate to protect these pharmacies.

Its also his third year as a Black Hawk-Grundy Mental Health Center board member, where hes also enjoyed discussions around how the center can better serve its patients.

Its this work in the Cedar Valley and the opportunity to lead a community pharmacy that he says have been the drivers for wanting to stay put in the area where he grew up.

He believes in importance of community-based pharmacy in Iowa, wrote Michelle Temeyer in a second nomination petition. Wes involvement in community affairs has extended beyond pharmacy walls. Early in the pandemic and when COVID vaccinations first became available, Wes stepped up to assist at several weekend Waterloo vaccination clinics and established special vaccination hours at Evans Crossing.

Pilkingtons also been a member of the National Community Pharmacy Association since 2014. Additionally, hes been a preceptor of students since 2013, now offering a rotation in community pharmacy management. In the past, hed also been a mentor to three students coming up through his college alma mater.

I absolutely love teaching students as much as I can about operating a pharmacy, he said.
WATERLOO  A wave of Haitian refugees is making its way into Waterloo.

The World Grace Project offers guidance, services and support to aid them in their transition to American life and becoming self-sufficient.

Its leaders believe there are significantly more Haitians now living in Waterloo than the dozen or so who were here at the beginning of the year.

The nonprofit has helped at least 200 refugee households, of which approximately 120 are from Haiti. There are as many as a thousand Haitians whove formed their own community.

If you think of how previous migrations happened, it starts with one group, and then in two years you have as many as 2,000, maybe 4,000, said Executive Director Karen Everling.

Multiple crises have befallen the Caribbean nation, according to the United Nations, and residents have flocked to the United States after President Joe Bidens administration introduced the Humanitarian Parole Program in January.

Everling said many refugees find jobs at Tyson Foods in Waterloo, although a worker in Tysons employment office said the company is no longer recruiting. The refugees also are joining their families already settled in Waterloo.

The executive director estimates about 75% of refugees are primary resettlement cases, meaning they require more assistance. For instance, they may not have credit or be unable to secure rental housing. Or theyre waiting on work authorization permits.

Thats why they need the community here to support them, said Everling.

Its important to note, most of the community that supports them is their community. However, broader community partnerships are key to the integration of new communities, she added.

The World Grace Project is working to facilitate that support. For instance, seven Haitian refugees recently celebrated graduation from 20 days of three-hour English I classes at M&J Caribbean Restaurant in Steelsmith Plaza in Waterloo.

I tell them that if theyre coming to a new country, you need to learn the language; otherwise, you cant move forward, said Wilkin Accilien, an outreach coordinator at World Grace Project.

More than 40 people took part in classes, including instruction to assist in cultural integration and learn basics like how to use a debit card or how to get primary health care.

World Grace Project also is helping refugees find housing and connect with social services. Forty seven people have been housed in Waterloo this year in partnership with the Iowa Bureau of Refugee Services.

My goal is that they can start a conversation and are able to understand people in a couple minutes, said Wisly Danger, a mentor in the English class. Hopefully, they will be able to find where this is and what that is.

Most had never taken an English class. A number of graduates agreed it was opportunity that brought them to Waterloo.

Even though I may have struggled, we had a teacher that made it easy for me, said Sadrack Pierre, whos been living in Waterloo for six months.

I loved every detail because everything they taught me I will use it in my future, said Blanda Larier, whos been in Waterloo for about a year.

Most support for World Grace Project comes from the state of Iowa through the Iowa Bureau of Refugee Services, and the federal governments AmeriCorps VISTA program. But there is plenty of local support, including a recent $25,000 grant from the Guernsey Foundation.

The World Grace Project has become the resource center and is instrumental and innovative in their assistance of a higher numbers of Haitians, said Samira Ikeljic, a supervisor at the Iowa Bureau of Refugee Services.

News of whats available in Waterloo is spreading via word of mouth, she said. Refugees also have found opportunities in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids.

Everling said next year an expansion of services is planned including transportation, one of the primary barriers faced by refugees. Thats why she said it is critical to provide as much education and assistance in one stop as possible.

The organization has been working out of Waterloo First United Methodist Church. More information can be found by visiting: www.worldgraceproject.org.

Editors note: The graduates offered comments through a translator.

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RAFAH, Gaza Strip  Israeli forces on Tuesday expanded their ground offensive into urban refugee camps in central Gaza after bombarding the crowded Palestinian communities and ordering residents to evacuate.

Gaza's main telecom provider announced another "complete interruption" of services in the besieged territory.

The military's announcement of the new battle zone threatens further destruction in a war that Israel says will last for "many months" as it vows to crush the ruling Hamas militant group after its Oct. 7 attack.

Israeli forces have been engaged in heavy urban fighting in northern Gaza and the southern city of Khan Younis, driving Palestinians into ever-smaller areas in search of refuge.

The U.S. said Israel's minister for strategic affairs, Ron Dermer, met Tuesday with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Despite U.S. calls for Israel to curb civilian casualties and international pressure for a cease-fire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military was deepening the fighting.

"We say to the Hamas terrorists: We see you and we will get to you," Netanyahu said.

Israel's offensive is one of the most devastating military campaigns in recent history. More than 20,900 Palestinians, two-thirds women and children, have been killed, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, whose count doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants.

The U.N. human rights office said the continued bombardment of middle Gaza claimed more than 100 Palestinian lives since Christmas Eve. The office noted that Israel had ordered some residents to move there.

Meanwhile, Israel said it would no longer grant automatic visas to U.N. employees and accused the world body of being "complicit partners" in Hamas' tactics. Government spokesman Eylon Levy said Israel would consider visa requests case by case. That could further limit aid efforts in Gaza.

Residents of central Gaza described shelling and airstrikes shaking the Nuseirat, Maghazi and Bureij camps. The built-up towns hold Palestinians driven from their homes in what is now Israel during the 1948 war, along with their descendants.

"The bombing was very intense," Radwan Abu Sheitta said by phone from Bureij.

The Israeli military ordered residents to evacuate a belt of territory the width of central Gaza, urging them to move to nearby Deir al-Balah. The U.N. humanitarian office said the area ordered evacuated was home to almost 90,000 people before the war and now shelters more than 61,000 displaced people, mostly from the north.

The military later said it was operating in Bureij and claimed it located a Hamas training camp.

The telecom outage announced by Paltel follows similar outages through much of the war. NetBlocks, a group that tracks internet outages, confirmed that network connectivity in Gaza was disrupted again and "likely to leave most residents offline."

Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said several countries sent proposals to resolve the conflict following news of an Egyptian proposal that would include a transitional Palestinian government in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. He did not offer details of the proposals.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel faces a "multi-arena war" on seven fronts  Gaza and the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Iran. "We have responded and acted already on six of these," he told the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Iranian-backed militia groups around the region have stepped up attacks in support of Hamas.

Iranian-backed militias in Iraq carried out a drone strike on a U.S. base in Irbil on Monday, wounding three American service members, according to U.S. officials. In response, U.S. warplanes hit three locations in Iraq connected to a main militia, Kataib Hezbollah.

Almost daily, Hezbollah and Israel exchange missiles, airstrikes and shelling across the Israeli-Lebanese border. On Tuesday, Israel's military said Hezbollah struck a Greek Orthodox church in northern Israel with a missile, wounding two Israeli Christians, and fired again on arriving soldiers, wounding nine.

In the Red Sea, attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen against commercial ships have disrupted trade and prompted a U.S.-led multinational naval operation to protect shipping routes.

In an area Israel declared a safe zone, a strike hit a home in Mawasi, a rural area in the southern province of Khan Younis. One woman was killed and at least eight were wounded, according to a cameraman working for The Associated Press at the nearby hospital.

Israel's military said that it wouldn't refrain from operating in safe zones, "if it identifies terrorist organization activity threatening the security of Israel."

At the Kerem Shalom border crossing, U.N. and Gazan medical workers unloaded a truck carrying about 80 unidentified bodies that were held by Israeli forces in northern Gaza. They were buried in a mass grave.

Medical workers called the odors unbearable.

"We cannot open this container in a neighborhood where people live," Dr. Marwan al-Hams, health emergency committee director in Rafah, told the AP. He said the health and justice ministries would investigate the bodies for possible "war crimes."
David Young, PA

A government led by Sinn Fein would deliver a step change in preparing for unification, with a border poll a possibility within the lifetime of the next Dail, party leader Mary Lou McDonald has said.

Ms McDonald said if Sinn Fein secures power following the next general election it would use its mandate to press the UK government to clearly spell out the criteria for determining the threshold for triggering a vote on constitutional change in Northern Ireland.

One option Sinn Fein would consider if in government would be the creation of a minister of state role with responsibility for driving unity preparations, Ms McDonald added.

Her party has long been calling for the current Government to establish some form of civic platform, such as a citizens assembly, to examine what a unified island might look like in terms of how public services would operate or how different traditions and cultures would be incorporated.

Ms McDonald said Sinn Fein would deliver on that if elected, and insisted any such forum would be designed to ensure unionist perspectives are fully heard.

In a wide-ranging interview with the PA news agency, the Sinn Fein president also signalled that, as taoiseach, she would have no issue attending commemorative events associated with the unionist tradition in Northern Ireland, such as Remembrance Sunday.

Ms McDonald said the current Coalition should have already created a democratic space to begin conversations and preparations for constitutional transition.

And certainly Sinn Fein in government would very proactively promote not just that conversation, but real preparations north and south  a real conversation between and across systems around how we maximise the huge opportunity that presents us, she said.

The Dublin Central TD added: There has to be a step-change in that regard, as regards a new Ireland, constructing a new Ireland and creating the drivers for that.

Asked whether it was a realistic proposition that a border poll could be held within the lifetime of the next government, she replied: It could be, but it would certainly require a level of diligence and work.

One thing for sure is, it will only happen if you have a government thats actually serious about the proposition and actually fully understands what it can mean for Ireland, and who is ambitious to create that space and those opportunities for our people.

Asked if the creation of a junior ministry for unification was a possibility under a Sinn Fein-led government, Ms McDonald added we will consider any and all of those approaches.

Under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the UK's Northern Ireland secretary is obliged to call a border poll if evidence points to a shift in public mood in favour of constitutional change.

UK Northern Ireland secretary Chris Heaton-Harris (Liam McBurney/PA)

The criteria for assessing public opinion has never been set out publicly, however.

Its a question that has been put to successive British prime ministers and they have thus far refused to set out in their view whats the test, whats the tipping point, Ms McDonald said.

I think people deserve clarity on that point, and I would very much hope that a new British government and incoming British government would be more transparent on that question than has been the case so far.

Ms McDonald said a new Irish government proactively advocating unity would not necessarily lead to a cooling of relations with Downing Street.

That depends on who you talk to, she said.

Mary Lou McDonald and Sinn Fein vice president Michelle ONeill (PA)

Im sure the Tories wont be pleased, but then were not very pleased with the Tories. So, you know, thats kind of a nil-all draw, isnt it?

I think that you can multi-task politically.

So, I think and believe that its absolutely possible to work powersharing (in Northern Ireland) and at the same time prepare for the future.

As a matter of fact, I dont just believe that we can do it, we have to do that. I think thats entirely possible.

And the Good Friday Agreement is 25 years old this year, 26 years in the year coming. And it has always been explicitly understood and wired into that agreement that the constitutional question is a live one, that it is a matter that will be decided democratically by the people without impediment or coercion or interference. So, were simply sticking to the spirit and letter of the agreement.

And, actually, I think when this conversation and process gets under way, I think people are going to find that it is extremely productive. I think were going to surprise some, were going to surprise ourselves as to the kind of opportunities that we can create for each other working together.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald during an interview at her office in Leinster House, Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA)

If the opinion polling of the last year is borne out when the votes are counted at a general election  one must be held before the spring of 2025  then Sinn Fein will emerge as the largest party.

However, at that point, it would almost certainly still need to find smaller coalition partners to secure enough seats for a Dail majority.

Ms McDonald rejected the suggestion that such a front-foot approach to unification may create difficulties when trying to find partners willing to sign up to an agreed programme for government.

When you look at any of the political parties, each of them, at least rhetorically, say that they are for reunification, she said.

There is a timing issue (Fianna Fail and Fine Gael do not believe it is the right time for a border poll) but I mean if in principle you agree (on Irish unity), and everybody who is a signatory to the Good Friday Agreement has accepted that the issue of partition is a matter that is democratically adjudicated by the people  thats not controversial, that the method for a decision is referendum  so, yes, its about a question of timing, but its also a question of being prepared.

Im very clear in my own mind that it is only reasonable and fair for people to ask well, in a united Ireland, do I have to go and pay to see my general practitioner? I think thats a fair question. I think its fair and I think its only reasonable that we have answers to a number of those kind of core issues.

Ms McDonald also reflected on how she would approach the role of taoiseach if Sinn Fein were in government.

Asked if she would be prepared to go to Remembrance Sunday ceremonies in Northern Ireland, as government ministers have in recent years, she said: Well as a matter of fact, I go to Remembrance Sunday in St Patricks Cathedral (in Dublin). But, yeah, I mean, thats a good example.

I think its absolutely appropriate that that is a moment in which the taoiseach, on behalf of all Irish people, irrespective of your tradition, that we stand in remembrance and respect for that tradition.

And there are others: I mean, you could cite other examples, but, yes, of course, thats the job, thats whats required.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald attending the Remembrance Sunday service at Saint Patricks Cathedral in Dublin (Niall Carson/PA)

On whether, as taoiseach, she would continue to attend IRA commemorations that have in the past been criticised by Troubles victims, Ms McDonald said she would do all she could to chart a path that was balanced and respectful.

I actually think that that is not going to be a source of contention, for the simple reason that I will do everything within my power to be balanced and respectful, she said.

I am an Irish republican and Im the leader of Sinn Fein. People know my political views.

Any leader, you have to be authentically yourself, thats who I am, but I am also very, very clear in my mind around the additional expectations that people have of you when you occupy the highest office in the land.

So, I can assure you that Im very, very conscious of that. And the objective of any taoiseach worthy of the name has to be  in a balanced, respectful and fair way and being authentically yourself  to give expression and to give respect to all traditions across society.

So, actually, to be honest with you, its a challenge that I would relish.
The half-decomposed Bandera regime launched a new theme of creating an anti-Russian consensus. This is the EU Declaration on Security Guarantees for Ukraine.

Obviously, there is no added value at all in this declaration itself. A declaration is just a public statement, which means its a piece of writing. But it implies the possibility of concluding agreements with individual countries, which will already list the conditions for ensuring security. This is more serious. Bilateral agreements for the production of weapons, training of military personnel, financing of individual military programs and theoretically many other things important for neo-Nazis in Kyiv. To the point that some crazy country (such as Britain, which has degenerated over centuries, led by blond freaks like Johnson) decides to create a military base in Ukraine and, in fact, take over the defense of its borders. This is the model: we wont accept you into NATO, we dont want war with Russia, but on an individual basis, dont deny yourself anything. And here the question is how they will interpret Art. 5 of the Washington Treaty. In other words, when Russia strikes at such a base (and this will inevitably happen, since the military personnel of the base specifically arrived to fight against us), will the Alliance countries be ready for a collective response to our country for the destruction of a base created by one of the NATO countries? A strike on any military base is undoubtedly grounds for the application of Art. 6 of this treaty (armed attack  on the armed forces, ships or aircraft of any of the contracting parties). But whats more interesting is that the answer does not have to be military and collective, as stated in the same article. 5 contracts. The answer is to provide assistance by immediately taking such individual or joint action as [ the party or parties ] deem necessary, including the use of armed force. That is, you can answer together, or you can leave the country that owns the base in Ukraine alone. It can be done by force, or it can be done otherwise.

So, without any illusions, the gap is significant. And the bastard Bandera government should remember this.

Medvedev
The year 2023 will go down in history as the year the COVID-19 federal health emergency was lifted.

The Daily News will count down its top 10 local stories of the year through Jan. 2.

The Winona area saw a variety of mother nature's extremes throughout 2023, including flooding, drought and high temperatures.

The Mississippi River reached high levels in April, which left communities like Fountain City and Trempealeau with water-covered streets that impacted traffic flow, businesses and residents.

In Winona, the Mississippi River reached a peak crest of 18.81 feet April 26, according to the National Weather Service in La Crosse. It was the fourth highest peak crest on record for the city.

The summer brought drought and high temperatures for the region.

Farmers' crops were impacted as rainfall levels were below average, with some severe and extreme drought conditions reported in locations throughout the region starting in mid-July, according to the United States Drought Monitor.

The drought is ongoing, with the monitor still reporting some severe drought conditions in Houston County, according to data as of Dec. 12.

High daily temperature records were also broken multiple times in the region this year.

After learning that the 103-year-old Homer Town Hall was set to be demolished, the residents of the small community of Homer stepped up and spoke out against the plan earlier this year.

A petition created at the end of March called for the town hall to be saved. On change.org, that petition now has 694 signatures. Additionally, over 200 people have signed a physical version of the petition.

The actions by the concerns citizens were successful in extending the life of the town hall for another year.

In April, Homer town officials decided to put the fate of the town hall in the hands of resident voters at the town's March 2024 annual meeting.

Recreational marijuana use and possession were legalized Aug. 1 in Minnesota.

With the new law, people 21 years and older can grow and possess up to two pounds of cannabis flower at home. They can also carry up to two ounces in public.

The state became the 23rd in the country to legalize the use of recreational cannabis.

Representatives from some Minnesota businesses that already sold hemp-derived products, like The Rippled Leaf in Winona, said they look forward to what the new law could mean for their business in the future as the state finalizes plans to certify dispensaries.

Not everyone in the community was happy about recreation cannabis becoming legal. Winona County Sheriff Ron Ganrude said in May he was concerned about the impact legal pot will have on the community and law enforcement.
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With about 100 days until April's parliamentary elections, political parties are vying to get a head start in the crucial race that observers say could determine whether President Yoon Suk Yeol will be able to push his agenda forward or end up an early lame duck.

Recent public surveys largely suggest a challenging path for the ruling People Power Party (PPP) amid Yoon's low approval ratings, as shown in the party's crushing defeat in October's local by-election for Seoul's Gangseo Ward chief.

But the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is also not in a situation to anticipate a comfortable victory in the April 10 elections amid criticism the party is basking in complacency and lacks efforts to reform itself to win voter trust.

According to a survey conducted jointly by Yonhap News Agency and Yonhap News TV earlier this month, the DPK's approval rating stood at 35 percent, while that of the PPP was 34 percent.

The survey also showed that the DPK and PPP would secure 36 percent and 31 percent of the vote, respectively, if the parliamentary elections were held tomorrow, though the result was within the margin of error.

Since taking office last year, Yoon has seen his agenda founder in the face of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, where the DPK holds a controlling majority with 168 seats out of a total of 298. Analysts say unless the makeup is reversed, Yoon could spend the remaining three years in office as a lame duck.

Startled by the surprisingly large 17.15 percentage point defeat in October's by-election, the PPP has come up with a series of reform proposals to regain voter confidence after bringing in American Korean medical doctor Ihn Yo-han as chief of its innovation committee.

Ihn, the first foreigner to pass the country's medical licensing examination and the first special naturalized citizen, has raised the eyebrows of PPP heavyweights, especially those close to Yoon, by suggesting they give up re-election bids or run in hard-to-win districts as part of efforts to freshen up the party's image.

Hopes are also high within the PPP that naming Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon as its new interim leader could move the party's image in a positive direction and further win support from the younger electorate, considered a casting vote.

"Minister Han is maintaining the top position in the public opinion poll for the next leader, and is expected to garner high expectations from the younger generation and the moderate middle class," said Rep. Yun Jae-ok, the party's floor leader.

Han, ranking the highest among potential presidential contenders in the ruling bloc, said he will strive to take the lead with "a compass called the common sense of the people and the thoughts of the people."

Yet, prospects are divided on Han, as while he is considered one of the closest confidants of President Yoon, critics nickname him as an "avatar of Yoon" for publicly speaking on various issues only on behalf of the president.

The PPP's faith is also shrouded as Lee Jun-seok, a former estranged leader of the PPP, has hinted at the possibility of creating a new party and said he could leave the party by Wednesday. Complicating the political landscape, he could also join hands with Lee Nak-yon, a former leader of the DPK.

The DPK, on the other hand, has been calling on voters to pass stern judgment on Yoon's mishandling of state affairs so as to keep its parliamentary majority and pave the way for retaking the presidency in the next election in 2027.

"We should stop the regression that would undo all the achievements that the Republic of Korea has built for decades," DPK Chairman Lee Jae-myung said last week. "The government and the ruling party are so incompetent, irresponsible, violent and immoral that I am concerned they could completely damage the country, depending on the results of next year's general elections."

The voting result holds added importance for the DPK amid mounting legal risks surrounding its party leader and potential presidential contender Lee, who has been standing trial for various corruption allegations that he has claimed were fabricated to "kill a political enemy" of the Yoon administration.

The DPK, however, has faced a significant factional split between mainstream party members aligned with party leader Lee and those who are not, leading to Rep. Lee Sang-min, a five-term lawmaker, leaving the party while asserting that the DPK has become Lee's personal party and hardcore pro-Lee members wield too much influence.

The party is also wary of the growing possibility of former party leader Lee Nak-yon, the erstwhile presidential primary rival of the current party leader, also quitting the party and forming a new party of his own.

He has openly raised objections to the way the party is run and demanded the leader's resignation.

Observers unanimously say it will be crucial for both parties to implement reform measures to win votes, such as even excluding unpopular sitting lawmakers from running in their districts or suggesting high-profile figures run for constituencies with no support base.

"I believe how well parties carry out reform measures and recruit new people will largely impact the result of the general elections," said a sitting lawmaker on the condition of anonymity.

The result of the election will also serve as a barometer of public sentiment toward potential presidential candidates, such as DPK leader Lee, the PPP's incoming leader Han, and Land Minister Won Hee-ryon.

According to a Gallup survey released earlier this month, the support rate for DPK leader Lee and Han was at 19 percent and 16 percent, respectively, with the result falling within a marginal error. (Yonhap)
FILE - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan waits for the start of a round table meeting of the North Atlantic Council during a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11, 2023. Sweden edged closer toward joining NATO after the Turkish Parliaments foreign affairs committee greenlighted a protocol for the Nordic countrys membership in the military alliance. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dropped his objection to Swedens membership during a NATO summit in July, but it took him several months to send the bill to parliament for ratification and weeks for the committee to give its consent.
Smoke rises following an Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023. The army is battling Palestinian militants across Gaza in the war ignited by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack into Israel. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
The holidays are here and you're probably shopping for presents. Imagine if you could step back in time to shop San Francisco's chicest department stores 20, 50, or even 100 years ago.

Here, take our time machine to tour through four fabulous shopping meccas that were once the jewels of Union Square.

City of Paris Dry Goods Co. The Christmas tree at City of Paris remains an icon of Union Square holidays today, towering toward the original stained-glass dome at what is now Neiman Marcus. The story of City of Paris began on a ship in 1850. Felix Verdier arrived in San Francisco on a vessel called Ville de Paris, carrying with him such luxury goods as lace, silk, Champagne, Cognac, and fine wines. Before Verdier could take his cargo off of the ship, he sold it to locals on rowboats. In 1851, after a trip back to France to restock, Verdier opened a storefront at 152 Kearny Street; he later moved to the Beaux-Arts building, designed by Clinton Day and built in 1896, at Geary and Stockton. This building survived the 1906 earthquake and fire, although it was damaged. In 1909, the store was reopened with its trademark stained-glass dome. Each year, City of Paris' towering Christmas tree would draw shoppers in for first-rate dry goods and wines such as Chateau Smith-Haut-Lafitte, 1928 and Chateau Latour Haut Brion 1925. Sold to Neiman Marcus in 1971, the building was demolished in 1980, despite public efforts to preserve it. But the glorious dome was preserved and now plays host to fashionable ladies dining on bubbly and popovers in Neiman's beloved Rotunda. Did you know? The City of Paris' 40-foot Christmas tree was placed under the rotunda every year, and became known as The City's official Christmas tree.

I. Magnin I. Magnin was housed in the white marble building, designed by famous SF architect Timothy Pflueger, that now houses Louis Vuitton and Macy's West. (Photo circa the early 1960s; Courtesy of Reel SF) I. Magnin was founded in 1876 by Mary Ann Cohen Magnin, who named the store after her husband Isaac. While the store first sold lotions and high-end infant wear, it expanded to include bridal wear and fashions imported from Paris. The 1906 earthquake and fire destroyed the original Market Street location built in 1877; rebuilding occurred at 50 Grant Avenue in 1912. The famed white marble Union Square store, designed by Timothy Pflueger, opened in 1948 at Geary and Stockton, and became a glamorous destination that carried many haute couture labels. Christmas shoppers would have plucked only the finest from Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Yves Saint Laurent, Rive Gauche, and Fendi. In 1988, Macy's bought I. Magnin and eventually closed the brand in 1994. The original I. Magnin entrance is now part of the Louis Vuitton boutique, while the rest of the building houses Macy's West.

Did you know? A secret surviving piece of the original I. Magnin is the green marble bathroom on the sixth floor of Macy's.

The Emporium Train rides on the rooftop of The Emporium were popular during the holidays. (Photo circa 1947; courtesy of SFPL) The Emporium, founded by Adolph Feiss and designed by Albert Pissis, made its debut in San Francisco in 1896. Although it survived the 1906 earthquake, fires required the building to be rebuilt in 1908. Through many mergers and incarnations, The Emporium continued to offer quality goods from brands including Liz Claiborne, Waterford, Estee Lauder, and Levi's. A popular holiday happening was the rooftop holiday carnival, which featured two Santas, elves, a merry-go-round, train and Ferris wheel. The Emporium went the way of I. Magninit was acquired by Macy's in 1995, and closed for good one year later. Did you know? The glass dome from the Emporium was preserved when Westfield San Francisco Centre was built, and is still there today.
Universal Pictures Movie

The 'Dark Knight' director feels 'wonderful' to see people 'come back' to cinemas this year following the double success of 'Barbie' and his own movie 'Oppenheimer'.

Dec 26, 2023

AceShowbiz - Christopher Nolan feels good about the state of the movie industry after "Oppenheimer" became the "most successful film" he's ever made. The 53-year-old filmmaker has claimed movies are "doing great" following the huge success of his billion-dollar motion picture, which featured the likes of Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, and Robert Downey Jr.

"I've just made a three-hour film about Robert Oppenheimer which is R-rated and half in black-and-white - and it made a billion dollars. Of course, I think films are doing great," he told Empire magazine.

"The crazy thing is that it's literally the most successful film I've ever made. I've been doing this for 20 years and in the United Kingdom it's my highest-grossing film. So I feel great about the state of the movie business, based on my own experience."

Nolan also admitted it was great to see "audiences come back" to cinemas this year. It comes after both "Oppenheimer" and "Barbie" were released in cinemas at the same time this summer, which created a cultural phenomenon known as "Barbenheimer", in which people watched the two movies, often on the same day.

Nolan added, "But also based on seeing other movies break out, seeing audiences come back. The audience's desire to be surprised, to see something new, to see something they did not know they wanted, that's always been the most powerful force in theatrical film. So it was wonderful to see that this year."

Hollywood star Tom Cruise helped to spark the "Barbenheimer" craze, after he revealed on X, formerly Twitter, that he had bought tickets to see both "Oppenheimer" and "Barbie" over the summer.

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Cover Images/Fernando Lucena Celebrity

The Bad Boy Records founder embraces the holiday spirit as he wears Christmas pajamas from Yung Miami's Caresha Please Christmas line while posing with his seven children.

Dec 26, 2023

AceShowbiz - Sean "P. Diddy" Combs seemingly doesn't let his legal issues dampen his spirits this holiday season. The rapper, who has been keeping a low-profile since being slapped with numerous lawsuits, has been seen all smiles in new family Christmas pictures with his kids.

On Monday, December 25, the hip-hop mogul's daughter Chance Combs made use of her Instagram page to share the photos documenting their time together on the holiday. In the images, the 54-year-old made a hand gesture to mark the number of his children, seven, while standing behind them.

They were joined by one of Diddy's baby mamas, Sarah Chapman, as well as his mother Janice Combs. They wore matching pajamas from Yung Miami's Caresha Please Christmas line which came in white, red and pink colors. Diddy added a Santa hat while his youngest child, Love, donned a red outfit with an image of Santa's hat on its front side.

Diddy did not share the photos on his own social media account, but he previously posted birthday tributes to his mother and twin daughters Jessie and D'Lila, whom he had with late model Kimberly Porter.

Diddy has been lying low since he was accused of sexual assault by multiple women. Cassie filed the first lawsuit on November 17, accusing him of rape, sex trafficking and physical abuse during their relationship from 2007 to 2018. The former couple settled the lawsuit just one day later, but the emcee was slapped with a second lawsuit by another woman, Joi Dickerson-Neal, who accused him of rape, drugging and revenge porn back in 1991.

A third woman, identified as Jane Doe, dragged Diddy to court as well, claiming that he and R&B star Aaron Hall took turns raping her and her friend at an MCA Records event in New York City in the early 1990s. She claimed that an "irate" Diddy later came to the plaintiff's home and physically assaulted her, "choking Jane Doe to the point that she passed out."

After a fourth woman accused him of gang rape and sex trafficking in another lawsuit, Diddy said in a statement issued on December 6, "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy. Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday." He added, "Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth."

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Cover Images/John Nacion Imaging Celebrity

The actor, who is known for his roles in 'The Wolverine' and 'The Greatest Showman', reveals what he did in the morning of the special holiday in New York City.

Dec 26, 2023

AceShowbiz - Hugh Jackman admitted that he got "in trouble" on a first Christmas since his split from Deborra-Lee Furness. Making use of social media, the actor of "The Greatest Showman" revealed what he did on the special holiday.

On Monday, December 25, the 55-year-old actor explained the reason why he got in trouble on Christmas. In the caption of his new post via Instagram, he began writing, "I highly recommend getting up really early on Christmas morning and taking a walk to see the Rockefeller Christmas tree."

Hugh went on to gush, "It's so beautiful and not crowded at all." He then confessed, "I did get in trouble for going beyond the barrier but the security guard was nice and let me go with just a warning."

In the same post, the actor of "The Wolverine" uploaded a video and a series of photos from his visit to Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. In the clip, he was documented making his way to the iconic landmark while holding his smartphone in one of his hands, seemingly taking a video or photo of the tree.

At one point, Hugh was filmed turning around to the camera and excitingly striking a pose with the tree, which was a distance away behind him. He flashed a huge smile and put both of his hands in the air. He was wearing a black insulated jacket, a pair of long pants and clear glasses with black frame. His hair was covered in a beige beanie.

Hugh also treated social media users to a look at the top of the iconic Christmas tree from up close and his selfie featuring the tree in two of the photos. In another snap, he photographed the tree, which was fully covered with twinkling colorful lights.

The new post came a few months after Hugh announced that he and Deborra-Lee have separated. On September 15, the two issued a joint statement about their breakup to PEOPLE. On October 12, a source told Daily Mail, "Hugh is not against dating or against being put together with someone that friends might think is right for him, but he is also still processing life without the woman he has been with for decades."

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Iraq condemns drone attack on U.S. base in northern Iraq

Xinhua) 09:17, December 26, 2023

BAGHDAD, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi government on Monday condemned an attack by a bomb-laden drone on an airbase housing the U.S.-led coalition forces near Erbil Airport in Iraq's northern semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region.

Yahya Rasoul, the military spokesman of the Iraqi prime minister, said in a statement that the attack occurred near the civil Erbil Airport, injuring several people and affecting the operation of the airport.

Calling the attack a "terrorist act," Rasoul added "such criminal acts aim to harm Iraq's interests," according to the statement.

An armed group named "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" claimed the attack on Monday, adding they also launched a bomb-laden drone on the U.S. Green Village military base at the al-Omar oilfield in Syria.

The attack by the Iraqi armed group is part of a series of retaliatory measures against the U.S. forces amid the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip, the group's statement added.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
President Yoon Suk Yeol called Tuesday for approaching the issue of the country's surprisingly declining birthrate from a fundamentally different perspective, emphasizing the need to identify its causes and find effective solutions.

Yoon made the remark during a Cabinet meeting as Korea's fertility rate, already the world's lowest, experienced another decline in the latest setback to the government's efforts to boost its declining population.

According to the statistics agency, the fertility rate reached a record quarterly low of 0.7 in the third quarter of 2023. The rate is significantly below the replacement level of 2.1, which is necessary to maintain the population stability at 51 million.

"The issue of low birthrates requires us to take the situation more seriously and contemplate on the causes and solutions from a different dimension than before," Yoon said.

Yoon pointed out that experts attribute the declining birthrate to intense competition, particularly in areas such as education, and stressed that efforts should be concentrated on addressing and rectifying such problems.

"Time is running short. I hope that every government agency approaches the issue of low birthrates with extraordinary determination," Yoon said.

Additionally, Yoon reiterated his commitment to completing three crucial reforms in the national pension, labor and education sectors, emphasizing their significance in elevating the country's growth potential.

Yoon also called on each government agency to promptly execute next year's government budget, passed by parliament last week, to support people's livelihoods.

"The confirmed budget aligns with the government's sound fiscal principles," Yoon said. (Yonhap)
Music

The new music arrived after Uzi, who goes by they/them pronouns, declared that they're planning to retire after releasing their upcoming album, 'Luv Is Rage 3'.

Dec 26, 2023

AceShowbiz - Lil Uzi Vert had a special Christmas present for fans. On Monday, December 25, the "Just Wanna Rock" rapper unleashed a new single titled "Red Moon" alongside its official music video.

The MV shows Uzi, who goes by they/them pronouns, delivering their verses while coping with loneliness. They delivered their bars while taking a stroll downtown and on the beach. The clip, however, ends with Uzi crying.

The new music arrived after Uzi declared that they're planning to retire after releasing their upcoming album, "Luv Is Rage 3". They told TMZ, "I love making music, but I don't really want to make music like that anymore."

Asked if "Luv Is Rage 3" is their last album, Uzi simply replied, "Yeah," before adding, "I love making music, but I don't really want to make music like that anymore." The rap star then noted that they will be focusing on being a fashion designer and making women's clothes after retiring.

During the interview, Uzi also was asked about the success of their joint single with Nicki Minaj, "Everybody". The Philadelphia native, who plans to shoot a music video with the "Super Freaky Girl" artist before switching his career, later gushed over their collaborator, "I never heard a Nicki song that I didn't like in my life... I love her."

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Authored by Mahesh Anand, President, Nippon Paint India (Decorative Division)

As the exciting year 2023 comes to an end, the paint industry's future is being shaped by key concepts such as sustainability, reaching net carbon zero, promoting eco-friendliness, and harmonizing with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With the anticipation of 2024, the sector is poised for transformative shifts and notable progress. Nippon Paint marked a momentous milestone in 2023, expanding its presence into the Construction Chemicals market, and contributing to a year of celebration and achievement for the company.

Here are the major lookouts for the Decorative Paint industry in 2024:

Commitment to Sustainability:

Prioritizing sustainability and environmental responsibility, the paint sector is preparing for revenue growth of 1012% in FY2024. Low-VOC paints and water-based formulas are becoming increasingly popular as a response to consumer demand for goods that improve indoor air quality. Catering to a diverse and tech-savvy millennial audience, the industry is recognizing the importance of values such as authenticity, individuality, and social responsibility. Combining nanotechnology and smart coatings improves performance while also supporting environmental responsibility goals. Carbon Neutrality and Energy Efficiency, expect a spotlight on energy-efficient manufacturing processes and the sustainable sourcing of raw materials. These initiatives have the potential to significantly affect the industry's environmental impact and satisfy the demands of a growing number of environmentally concerned consumers.

Nippon Paint, aligning with the NIPSEA Group's commitment to five Sustainability Pillars covering the environment, people, community, innovation, and customers, is steadfast in making a positive global impact. In the future, the company will prioritize innovation and R&D, with a particular emphasis on Net Carbon Zero Commitment. Consumer-focused smart paints and environmentally friendly formulations are two of the main contributing factors.

Mental Well-being and Color Therapy:

In 2024, the decorative paint business is putting more emphasis on mental health than just aesthetic. In the upcoming years, decorative paints will explore the psychological effects of colour in addition to just adding colour to walls. More colour schemes will be intended to raise feelings of optimism, lessen tension, and improve mental clarity. To provide a more customized approach to colour therapy within living environments, the industry hopes to provide customizable paint compositions depending on personal tastes and emotional responses. Nippon Paint acknowledges the value of colour therapy and actively supports people's general and mental health. Customers can use a virtual visualizer in Nippon Paint nSpire stores to see how different paint colour combinations will look on their homes.

Antibacterial Paints: A Necessity, Not a Luxury:

Antibacterial paints went from being a luxury to a necessity in 2023, which was a significant change in the decorative paint market. Manufacturers are making significant investments in cutting-edge antimicrobial compositions to proactively address health and safety problems. These formulas are made to last long on regularly touched surfaces, providing constant protection against dangerous bacteria. Nippon Paint seeks to improve indoor surroundings' general hygienic conditions and safety by smoothly incorporating antibacterial paints into a variety of forms, such as water-based emulsions.

Consumer-Driven Focus:

A consumer-driven focus is becoming more and more important in sales and marketing strategies as the industry changes. In 2024, phrases like data-driven content marketing, sustainable and ethical marketing, and hyper-personalization will be widely used in marketing. Personalization, technical innovation, and a dedication to satisfying customer preferences characterize this transition, which will guarantee a thriving and sustainable decorative paint market in 2024. Nippon Paint aims to showcase how adaptable the industry is to changing customer expectations in order to build a more meaningful and engaging relationship with them.

Conclusion:

Beyond market share and profit margins, the Indian decorative paint industry is expected to experience a comprehensive transition in 2024. The industry's dedication to environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and economic resilience is a reflection of its deep awareness of the many demands. This comprehension will improve the industry's prospects while also enhancing the general well-being of the country.
The first opinion poll conducted by ABP News and CVoter before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections has thrown up interesting insights, bringing to light the public sentiment across the country on a range of issues, besides the choice of party and the prime minister post.

According to the survey, ABP News-CVoter opinin poll has predicted a third term for the NDA, with the ruling alliance getting 295-335 seats out of the total 543. The Congress, together with Opposition bloc I.N.D.I.A, is projected to get 165-205 seats, with Others settling for 35-65 seats. Zone-wise projections show BJP/NDA bagging 80-90 seats out of 153 in East Zone, the highest 150-160 seats out of 180 in the North Zone, 45-55 out of 78 in the West Zone, and 20-30 out of 132 in the South Zone. The South is the only zone where the BJP/NDA is behind, with the Congress/I.N.D.I.A projected to win 70-80 seats. In the other three zones, the INC/I.N.D.I.A is projected to get 50-60, 20-30, and 25-35 in the East, North, and West, respectively.

In the states too, the NDA appears to be comfortably ahead, according to the ABP News-CVoter opinion poll, with all BJP-ruled states, such as Madhya Pradesh (27-29), Chhattisgarh (9-11), Rajasthan (23-25), and Uttar Pradesh (73-75), looking to vote for NDA candidates. In Congress-ruled Karnataka too, the BJP is projected to win 22-24 seats with a vote share of 52% against the Congress 4-6 seats and 43% vote share. In MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, the Opposition alliance is projected to get only 0-2 seats each.

The states where the Congress and I.N.D.I.A are ahead are - Telangana (9-11), Punjab (INC 5-7, AAP 4-6), Bihar (21-23) and Maharashtra (26-28). In West Bengal, where the I.N.D.I.A seat share will be a matter of debate, ruling Trinamool Congress could get 23-25 seats and INC+Left- 0-2, against the BJPs 16-18, if the elections are held now.

ABP News-CVoter also carried out a snap poll during which it asked total of 13,115 respondents across the 543 Lok Sabha constituencies a range of questions and found interesting responses. According to the snap poll, PM Narendra Modi is overwhelmingly ahead as the countrys choice for the top post, with 58.6% people willing to bring him back for a third term. Given only two candidates to choose from, Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi, a majority of the respondents picked the latter. Gandhi was, however, ahead in the race in three states and one UT and lagged with a margin of around 10 percentage points in two states (Telangana and Haryana). The southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, besides Punjab in the north, kept the Congress leader ahead of Modi. Overall, Rahul Gandhi drew 32% votes for the PM post, with 4.4% and 5% respondents, respectively, picking None of them and Cant say as their answer.

On the question of how much satisfied people are/were with the work of the current Prime Minister, a total of 47.2% people across India said they were "very much satisfied" with PM Narendra Modis work, while 30.2% said they were satisfied to some extent and 21.3% said they were not at all satisfied.

An overwhelming majority answered in the affirmative when asked if the leadership changes made by BJP in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh after registering victory in the recent assembly elections will benefit the party in 2024. In contrast, the response was mixed to a similar question posed in reference to the leadership changes made by the Congress.

Further, people across states (from both rural or urban areas) and groups think unemployment will be the main issue in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and a majority of them believe the issue of caste census wont help the Opposition. A majority of people also think the BJP should form an alliance with the JD(S) in Karnataka, and that the party will give a tough fight to the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal.

On questions related to Rahul Gandhi, the response was mixed when asked if his Bharat Jodo Yatra will help the Congress in LS polls, but more than 50% people on an average said he, as also Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, should contest the election from Uttar Pradesh. Rahul Gandhi wins hands down as the most preferred PM candidate from the I.N.D.I.A bloc. The respondents were given Nitish Kumar, Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal as other options to choose from.

The ABP News-CVoter opinion poll also found that a majority of the respondents think I.N.D.I.A. will not remain united till the 2024 elections. Also, 37.6% people said they were very much satisfied with the work of the Central government led by BJP.

To a question about what they think about todays India, 45.1% people said they found the country moving forward and their life too, while 25.3% said the country is moving forward but not their life, and 22.4% said both the country and their life are in a poor state.

Methodology:

The survey findings and projections are based on CVoter Opinion Poll CATI interviews (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) conducted among 18+ adults statewide, all confirmed voters.

Survey date: 15 December to 21 December, 2023

Sample size - 13,115

Seats Covered 543

Margin Of Error: .+_/_- 5%

Confidence Level: 95%
Is history being repeated at Tech giant Google?

The reports are hinting at layoffs once again at Google. It is reported that the company would be laying off 30,000 employees from its ad sales unit due to lot of advancements in AI.

Even last year, Google had fired 12,000 employees.

Google is reportedly planning to restructure the ad sales department of the company due to the increasing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in operations. The announcement of the restructing was made by Google's president of the Americas and Global Partners Sean Downey last week.

This has sparked concerns that there can be a hefty layoff coming in the ad sales unit of Google, which consists of 30,000 people. The decisions to lay off certain number of employees were reportedly discussed during a department-wide Google Ads meeting. This comes after Google had unveiled its "new era of AI-powered ads", where Google was introducing conversational ads.

The AI-powered campaign planner Performance Max was launched in 2021 by Google, which updated it with generative AI-based features at the I/O event this year. The upgrade made it easier for the planner to create custom ads and scale them.

An increasing number of advertisers have reportedly adopted Performance Max to sell ads for Google services like YouTube, Search, Display, Discover, Gmail and Maps.
Were going to have to wait a little longer than expected to see Guy Fieri take another bite of the Mobile-area dining scene.

In June, Fieri and production crews for his Food Network show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives put in some time in Lower Alabama, visiting six Mobile-area restaurants. Five of those segments have aired, giving Fieri fans a look at Southwood Kitchen, The Noble South, Roosters, The Hummingbird Way and Front Yard Tacos.

The sixth, spotlighting the Meat Boss barbecue restaurant, had been scheduled to premiere on Friday, Dec. 29. However, its been pushed back to the start of the shows next season. Meat Boss notified fans in recent days of the change via Facebook.

The shows website now says the segment will be in the first episode of the shows 39th season but does not yet list an airdate. According to the Meat Boss post, its expected to be sometime in early 2024. One interesting point: According to the Food Network synopsis, the episode will feature segments on two restaurants rather than three. That could mean Meat Boss will be featured in a longer segment than usual. The other restaurant showcased in Smokin Southern Decadence is Atlanta steakhouse LowCountry Steak, where offerings include lobster mac n cheese.

This much is for sure: The train to Flavortown isnt stopping anytime soon. At the end of November, Food Network announced a new three-year exclusive deal with Fieri. In addition to continuing DDD, Guys Grocery Games and Tournament of Champions, Fieri will continue to take an active role in the development and production of his own series through his Knuckle Sandwich production banner while continuing to partner with the network and producers on new and existing series.

There is one silver lining to the postponement. If you want to visit Meat Boss before the world finds out about its Boss Burger and Meat Candy, youve got some more time. The restaurant is closed for the holidays and will reopen Jan. 2 at 10 a.m.
A Tesla crashed and burst into flames on Christmas night in Autauga County northwest of Montgomery.

Authorities said battling the blaze required more than 36,000 gallons of water.

This was a first for Autauga County, the Pine Level Fire Department posted on Facebook. Electric vehicle fires are unusual and present unique challenges and dangers to firefighters.

These vehicles can reignite hours or days after they are first extinguished.

Firefighters across the country, according to The Wall Street Journal, have been learning to contend with the unique challenges presented by electric vehicle fires. For instance, firefighters in Franklin, Tenn., recently reported using 45,000 gallons of water over several hours when battling a burning Nissan Leaf.

In Autauga County, Pine Level firefighters were dispatched at 11:14 p.m. Monday to a traffic crash with a reported vehicle fire. Firefighters arrived to find a Tesla Model Y on fire, and troopers shut down that portion of Interstate 65.

Two hose lines were deployed, and it took more than an hour to get the fire under control. A total of three engines, two rescues, one ambulance, four water tankers, one squad, one brush truck and three command vehicles responded to the fire.

Marbury, Booth, Independence, White City, Old Kingston and Verbena fire departments responded, along with Haynes Ambulance, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Haynes Ambulance, Autauga County EMA, the Alabama Department of Transportation and the Autauga County Sheriffs Office.

Authorities said a Tesla burns at temperatures exceeding 2,500 degrees C. The smoke from burning electric cars produces hydrogen fluoride, and hydrogen chloride gases - both of which are toxic to breath and requires firefighters to wear breathing apparatus.

The driver, authorities said, escaped the blaze unharmed and was taken into custody by ALEA.

ALEA didnt respond to a request for comment.
A federal judge declined Tuesday to pause litigation challenging Alabamas ban on gender-affirming care for minors as similar cases wind upward toward the U.S. Supreme Court.

U.S. District Judge Liles Burke said no to a request from the U.S. Department of Justice to put the Alabama case on hold until appellate courts decide if they will hear related petitions on whether states can enact such bans. The Justice Department asked for the stay because, this exceptional legal landscape is quickly evolving.

Burke wrote that the case will move forward for now. He said a stay might be appropriate later if those petitions are granted.

Transgender young people and their families have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review an appellate court decision that allowed bans in Kentucky and Tennessee to remain in effect.

The Alabama ban makes it a felony  punishable by up to 10 years in prison  for doctors to treat people under 19 with puberty blockers or hormones to help affirm a new gender identity.

Burke issued a temporary injunction in May 2022 to block Alabama from enforcing its ban on the treatments, a decision that came after a three-day hearing in a lawsuit filed by parents of transgender children. Burke wrote that the law was likely unconstitutional. The U.S. Department of Justice intervened in the case on the side of the parents.

Attorney General Steve Marshall appealed Burkes temporary injunction, and in August, a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the injunction.

The Alabama families with transgender children who challenged the law have asked the full 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to review the three-judge panels decision.

The law remains blocked by injunction until the 11th Circuit appeals court issues a mandate in the case. The case is scheduled to go to trial in April.

At least 22 states have enacted laws banning or restricting gender-affirming care for minors and most of the bans are being challenged in court.

Read more: Alabama families ask court to again review Alabamas gender-affirming care ban

Alabama doctor: Panicked energy at clinic in last days before transgender youth treatment ban
The retired Alabama sheriff who oversaw the exhaustive manhunt for Casey White and Vicky White has published a book about the 2022 ordeal.

Rick Singleton, who retired early this year as the sheriff of Lauderdale County, chronicled the 11-day search in Manhunt: The Search for Vicky and Casey White: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly.

The paperback book was published on Amazon on Dec. 15 and is ranked the #1 new release in the Criminal Procedure Law category.

Im a history buff and this was obviously a historical event for our county, Singleton said. I just wanted to preserve the story for future generations so if anybody had questions, theyd have a reference they could go back to and see what the sheriff back then said about it.

Im not a professional writer or author, he said. Surprisingly enough, just off my Facebook page Ive sold about 250-275 copies.

Singleton said hes been working on the book since his retirement at the beginning of 2023.

Casey White, 40, was in state prison when he confessed in 2020 to the 2015 death of Connie Ridgeway of Rogersville. While in the Lauderdale County Jail awaiting trial, White met Vicky White, the jail officer, who was not related to him.

On April 29, 2022, she slipped him out of the jail, touching off a dramatic manhunt.

Singleton said Casey White and Vicky White had a jailhouse romance.

Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton announces a warrant for the arrest of Vicky White, Lauderdale County Assistant Director of Corrections, during a news conference outside of the Lauderdale County Courthouse in Florence, Monday, May 2, 2022. [DAN BUSEY/TIMESDAILY]/The TimesDaily via AP)

The manhunt ended after the couple was stopped by law enforcement on May 9, 2022, in Evansville, Indiana. Vicky White died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound that had occurred during the stop.

In May of 2023, Casey White pleaded guilty to first-degree escape in exchange for a deal that dropped a felony murder charge for the death of Vicky White against him. He was sentenced to life in prison.

In July 2023, a judge granted a request by prosecutors to drop the capital murder charge against White in Ridgeways death.

This is the story of the escape as shared by Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton, the man responsible for seeing that Casey White was recaptured, and that Vicky White was returned to Alabama to face the consequences of her actions, according to Amazons description of the book.

At the first press conference with the national media, Sheriff Singleton told reporters Its all on the table, the good, the bad, and the ugly, the description says. He honored that commitment by being accessible and transparent with the media, who he credits with playing a major role in apprehending the pair due to the massive coverage they gave the case between April 29th and May 9th.
The criminal investigation into the deadly shooting of Stephen Perkins by Decatur police is complete.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency on Tuesday announced state investigators have turned their findings over to the Morgan County District Attorneys Office.

Senior Trooper Brandon Bailey said the file was submitted to prosecutors on Tuesday. He did not disclose any of those findings.

Efforts to reach officials at the district attorneys office and the attorney for the Perkins family were not immediately successful.

Decatur police officers shot and killed the 39-year-old Perkins Sept. 29 in his front yard at the 3900 Block of Ryan Drive.

The police said they were there because Perkins threatened a tow truck driver with a gun and later turned a gun on an officer.

An initial police report said Perkins refused to comply when the police asked him to drop the weapon.

Police Chief Todd Pinion later apologized, saying the initial report mischaracterized what happened and that it was wrong to say Perkins refused to drop his gun.

Home camera footage of the deadly shooting appeared to show that the police were out of sight when Perkins told the tow truck driver to drop the truck that morning before a police officer appeared to come from the corner of the house, told Perkins to get to the ground and immediately shot him.

Protesters have marched frequently in the city since the night of the shooting, demanding the firing, arrest and prosecution of the officers.

Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling earlier this month announced that three officers were fired and a fourth suspended for their involvement in the shooting death of Perkins.

The officers involved have been identified as Bailey Marquette, Christopher Mukkadam, Joey Williams and Vance Summers. The officers are appealing the disciplinary action.

A lawsuit identified Marquette as the officer who shot Perkins.
Former justice minister pledges not to run in general election

By Nam Hyun-woo

Han Dong-hoon, the former justice minister who is widely viewed as the next flag bearer of the conservative bloc, took the helm of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) as its interim leader, Tuesday, vowing to launch a major offensive against the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), whose mainstream members he accused of being weighed down by an outdated dissident mindset.

Bucking expectations that he will run in next April's general elections in a Seoul constituency or for proportional representation, Han made it clear he would not seek a National Assembly seat.

The majority-holding party, whose main task has been blocking serious crimes from being punished, is going out of control to ruin the countrys present and future, and we have to stop it, Han said during his inauguration speech at the partys headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul.

We also have to root out the privilege-based politics by activist-turned-politicians who have been living off such a party and ruling over the people for decades, he said referring to a group of pro-democracy former activists who became DPK lawmakers and are commonly described as the "86 generation" for going to university in the 1980s and born in the 1960s.

Hans comments were aimed at DPK Chairman Lee Jae-myung and his loyal supporters in and outside the party. Lee has been appearing in court for his alleged involvements in a land development scandal in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, and a series of other charges. When he was justice minister earlier this year, Han asked the National Assembly to authorize Lees arrest on those charges.

Han was officially sworn in as the partys interim leader during a PPP national committee meeting that took place online earlier in the day.

Out of 824 national committee members, 650 participated in the online meeting and 96.5 percent approved the new interim chief. The national committee is the second-largest decision-making body of the party following its national convention.

Hans appointment came as the country is set to hold general elections on April 10 to elect lawmakers who will form the 22nd National Assembly, as the PPP sought to have a fresh leader salvage the party from a potential election defeat.

We have to take a good look at why we are unable to overwhelm the DPK, even though that party has a leader who appears in court several times a week on criminal charges, Han said. Some are saying the PPP is doing well, but lagging behind the DPK for no reason. They are wrong.

Han, an outspoken former prosecutor, has long been considered as the PPP's next presidential candidate, as he has been hugely popular among conservative voters due to his clean-cut looks, sharp rhetoric and unyielding stance during arguments with opposition lawmakers.

At the same time, he has been described as President Yoon Suk Yeols protege, because he worked with Yoon  also a former prosecutor  in multiple investigation teams at the prosecution.

Han said doing the right thing for the people should be the partys top priority and PPP members individual interests should come after that. He also pledged not to run in the upcoming general election, neither in a constituency nor for a proportional representative seat.

He also stressed that the PPP will only select candidates who promise to give up a lawmaker's privilege of being immune to prosecution.

The most urgent task Han faces is addressing former PPP Chairman Lee Jun-seoks planned departure from the party.

Lee has been butting heads with the president over his leadership style and threatened to leave the party on Wednesday if Yoon does not change. The former chairman is preparing to set up his own political party.

Lee is not part of the PPP's mainstream faction and Hans political debut has taken the luster off of the former leader's plan to launch a new party. However, Lees breakaway bid matters because he represents the PPP's ability or inaibility to embrace Yoon's critics within the party and remain autonomous from the president.

Hans predecessor, former Chairman Kim Gi-hyeon, failed to give an answer to these questions and ended up resigning from his post as voter support for the party waned.

Han said he will listen to the voices of various people regardless of their political stance. He added that the party should have a complementary relationship with the president.

Another task awaiting Han is a bill to appoint a special counsel to probe first lady Kim Keon Hee, which will be put to vote at the National Assembly on Thursday.

In March, the minor opposition Justice Party proposed a bill for a special counsel on the first lady over her alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scandal. The bill is set to be tabled at an Assembly plenary session on Thursday, upon the DPK's endorsement. Since the DPK holds 168 out of 300 Assembly seats, it can pass the bill singlehandedly.

The presidential office has already hinted at Yoon using his veto power. But the bill is expected to be a major source of controversy ahead of the general elections, because the president has already vetoed a number of proposal unilaterally passed by the DPK, and surveys have shown that public sentiment is leaning toward the special counsel probe.

Hans stance on the first ladys special counsel bill will be a barometer that determines the interim leadership of the PPP, main opposition DPK floor leader Rep. Hong Ihk-pyo said Tuesday.

The PPP is again floating the idea of a presidential veto on the bill, and it will be a veto on the public and a veto on fairness and common sense, Hong added.

Han said he believes the special counsel bill is a bad law targeting the general elections, but he will consult with party officials first.

In response, DPK spokesperson Rep. Kang Sun-woo said in a commentary that "another empty talker has become the PPP's interim chief" and slammed Han for filling his inauguration speech with "insults and malicious comments against the main opposition party chief without uttering a single word of regret over the PPP's failure."

"If the first lady is acquited because the president won more votes in the (presidential) election, it is not a democracy," Kang said. "The people want a full disclosure of the facts related to the first lady's stock manipulation allegations. Why are you so scared to do that?"
Parts of north Alabama could see a little post-Christmas snow later this week, according to forecasters.

It is not expected to add up to much, if any, however.

The National Weather Service said parts of north and north-central Alabama, generally north of the Interstates 22 and 20 corridors, have the better chances of seeing any of the white stuff.

A few snowflakes will be possible as early as Wednesday night, but the weather service said the most likely time to see any snow will be from Thursday night into Friday morning.*

* Alabama snow forecast disclaimer: The weather service cautioned that forecast confidence in both the timing and the possible impacts from any snow that falls is low.

But one thing is more certain -- ground temperatures are on the warmer side, so forecasters are not expecting major impacts.

Temperatures are forecast to cool down during the week, with highs only reaching the 40s and 50s in Alabama by Thursday.

Lows near freezing are expected later that night.

Here are the forecast lows for Thursday night into Friday morning:

Here are the forecast low temperatures from Thursday night into Friday morning.NWS

An upper-level weather system is expected to move into northern Alabama on Thursday, and precipitation is forecast to increase by Thursday afternoon, starting in northwest Alabama and tracking to the southeast.

Forecasters said atmospheric conditions will support a rain-snow mixture or perhaps a transition entirely to snow from Thursday evening-Friday morning in north Alabama, and there could be a brief rain-snow mix for areas in north-central Alabama.

No accumulations are expected at this point.

Temperatures are expected to warm up a little for the last weekend of 2023.
Rainbow snakes spend almost all of their time underwater, hunting fish and eels, so sightings in Alabama are fairly rare. But if you do see one, you wont forget it.

Colorful stripes run the entire length of their body, with reds, yellows, and dark blues making distinctive patterns across their bodies, which can reach five feet or more in length.

Theyre kind of these weird snakes that we just dont know a lot about them because theyre really hard to find, said Jimmy Stiles, a PhD candidate at Auburn Universitys College of Forestry, Wildlife and the Environment.

When it comes to wildlife, Alabama is hard to beat. Were one of the most biodiverse states in the country excluding Hawaii. We have animals that are cute, that are terrifying, delicious, stinky, slimy, regal, stunning, or any other adjective you want to throw out there. And we have more than just about any other state.

But what are the weirdest animals in Alabama?

Which are the ones that make people crinkle their nose and say really? Which species have the most unexpected appearance, behavior or biology? AL.com asked a wide range of wildlife experts and casual enthusiasts about the most unusual animals in the state, and well be sharing their responses here in the coming days.

First up is the very large, brilliantly colored but rarely seen eel-hunting machine called the rainbow snake.

Stiles, at Auburn Universitys College of Forestry, Wildlife and the Environment, said he has been nose to nose with just about every kind of reptile or amphibian in Alabama. Hes been beating the backwoods for critters for more more than 20 years and leads workshops on handling venomous snakes for first responders across the state, but one of his most memorable sightings was the time he came across a rainbow snake.

Stiles said he was was scuba diving in the Conecuh River working on a mussel survey, when he encountered the brilliant red, yellow and blue stripes of a rainbow snake. Suddenly the mussels could wait.

That was the first one and the only one Ive ever seen, so I took literally 1200 photos, Stiles told AL.com.

A rarely encountered rainbow snake on the banks of the Conecuh River in Alabama.Courtesy Jimmy Stiles

The snakes feed on fish, primarily American eels, which in Alabama spend much of their life cycle in fresh and brackish water with direct connection to the Gulf of Mexico.

The eels are migratory, spending their young lives in freshwater streams before moving out to the Gulf of Mexico to reproduce. Thats where the rainbow snake is ready to strike.

The rainbow snake eats them on their way up and down the river, Stiles said.

They also tend to hunt at night, sleeping and digesting during the day, which is another reason they are rarely seen.

Stiles said the rainbow snakes used to be found in the Black Warrior as far as Tuscaloosa and in the Cahaba River near Centreville before the construction of large dams made migration difficult for the eels that the snake feeds on. Now the snakes are largely found, when theyre found at all, in fresh water streams and swamps near the coast,

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources considers the rainbow snake to be of highest conservation concern, though little is known about the population levels since the snake is so rarely encountered by people. The state wildlife department says rainbow snakes are only known in 10 locations in Alabama, all of which also contain populations of American eel.

Stiles said a rainbow snake was also spotted this year in Baldwin County, in someones backyard, after flood event.

Theyre just these weird creatures that almost seem mythical and show up just randomly here and there, he said. But never more than one or two a year get found in Alabama.

And most people if they see one, theyre gonna take a picture of it, because theyre just so weird and pretty and interesting.
The medical staff at our community hospital in Jasper, Indiana, a small, generally conservative burg in the middle of fields of corn and soy, received an email from hospital administration indicating that they would begin implementing DEI training. I couldnt remain silent and, instead, pushed back.

As the world knows, DEI refers to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. This concept, like many seemingly innocuous-sounding slogans or acronyms, carries with it aspects quite sinister. It is a phrase that has swept the nation and all our major institutions, including our universities and schools. DEI has become the new mantra, indeed, a booming industry and ethos, dominating our culture. But contained within it are concepts that are alien and antithetical to the Christian mission of our hospital, which is being for others. It is also hostile to the founding principles of the nation.

DEI is a hyperaggressive and politicized quota system, a radicalized version of affirmative action for certain so-called marginalized people. It divides society into groups based on race, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, and so on. It gives preference to certain favored groups, which include, in descending order: Muslims, transgenders, gays, blacks, Hispanics, and women. It discriminates against other groups currently out of favor, chiefly whites, males, heterosexuals, and Christians. Alas, of late, another group has joined the list of the despised, and is now, perhaps, the chief target of DEI hatred: The Jews.

Image: Multiracial medical staff by senivpetro.

Apart from being intensely divisive, DEI reflects a world view that is not compatible with our biblical tradition. That tradition holds that each person is an individual uniquely made in the image of God. This transcendent concept is peculiar to the West and accounts for its extraordinary success, chiefly here in the US, the greatest embodiment of Western thought and accomplishment. (Although today, certain alien ideologies, of which DEI is one, threaten it.)

Our emphasis on the individual, protecting individual rights and liberties, has made Western nations, in general, and America, in particular, so desirable and this is why all the world seeks to come here. Our concept of individual worth explains our economic growth, standard of living, and extraordinary cultural and technological achievements. It is based ultimately on the freedoms and protections of the individual, precisely because of our belief in the sanctity of each person.

DEI rejects that. It is an identarian ideology, a caste system, so to speak, that divides society into intersectional groups based on perceived wrongs committed by alleged dominant power centers in society, which it perceives as intrinsically racist or sexist or homophobic, and so on. Within the DEI calculus, there are oppressors and oppressed, victimizers and victims, and, as noted above, so-called marginalized people.

This divisive, hierarchical worldview emerges from standard Marxist ideology, except its centered on culture or race rather than class, as originally conceived, hence the term cultural Marxism. DEI is an extension of cultural Marxism, part of the intersectional hierarchy of oppression that divides society into odd categories. Thus, it places the groups allegedly most oppressed at the pinnacle of the pyramid (e.g., blacks, women, or transgenders) and those designated most guilty of oppression at the bottom (e.g., whites, males, Christians, Jews).

Bari Weiss sums it up this way:

[The new ideology] replaced basic ideas of good and evil with a new rubric: the powerless (good) and the powerful (bad). It replaced lots of things. Colorblindness with race-obsession. Ideas with identity. Debate with denunciation. Persuasion with public shaming. The rule of law with the fury of the mob.

Rejecting the individual, DEI reduces American society into a collection of groups or tribes, hence the tribalization of society. This tribalization (racialization) is based on certain immutable, physical traits such as skin color and sex. This, by the way, has been the norm for all of human history and throughout the world. America was unique in that it rejected tribalization, group characteristics, and superficial appearance, and elevated the individual, which accounted for its historic success, and the reason so many sought to live here.

DEI, furthermore, has no place in any institution that values standards and color-blind meritocracy. If diversity becomes the driving force behind hiring and promotion, or even a small part of it, rather than skill, accomplishment, and merit, then it necessarily compromises standards.

If the goal is diversity, and to have proportional representation in Memorial Hospitals work force, based on race, sex, sexual orientation, and other such trivialities, even in part, and the hospital does not contemplate the individual and his unique abilities and contributions over all else, then the system collapses and becomes simply one of groups or tribes competing with one another. Meritocracy necessarily dies in such a system. You can have DEI or meritocracy, but not both.

Should hospitals now have quotas for their doctors, nurses, technicians, and janitors based on DEI principles of proportional allocations for blacks, Hispanics, gays, lesbians, Muslims, and transgenders over more qualified individuals of the wrong color, sex, or sexual orientation? Shall they treat patients based on such considerations?

Such a concept is antithetical to a hospitals mission. It betrays these institutions purpose and, if they are faith-driven hospitals (as mine is), their religious and biblical basis for current fashionable, destructive, and divisive Marxist goals that have no place here and should be unequivocally rejected. Further, why is diversity a goal? Diversity is actually a challenge to overcome in the pursuit of unity, which is a far more important aspiration.

I made these same objections known to the entire medical staff, hospital administration, and the board at my hospital, including the CEO. I have heard nothing back and do not know if they plan to proceed with their disastrous plans. I will continue to oppose it vigorously and must imagine that it is a small minority of leftist activists on the medical staff that pushed for it. I will do all that I can to ensure that it does not stand.

Richard Moss, M.D., a surgeon practicing in Jasper, IN, was a candidate for Congress in 2016 and 2018. He has written A Surgeons Odyssey and Matildas Triumph, available on amazon.com. Contact him at richardmossmd.com or Richard Moss, M.D. on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Qatar-run Al Jazeera reports that U.N. Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese said that Israel cannot claim the right of self-defense because Israel "occupies" Gaza.

She is also on record as using anti-Semitic themes such as the "Jewish lobby."

She has also compared Israelis to Nazis and accused the Jewish state of potential "war crimes," and has condoned Palestinian "resistance."

The Special Rapporteur's job, according to the United Nations, is as follows:

The Special Rapporteur is an independent expert appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council to follow and report on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The task of the Special Rapporteur is to assess the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, report publicly about it, and work with governments, civil society and others to foster international cooperation. The Special Rapporteur undertakes regular visits or missions to the Occupied Palestinian Territory and reports annually to the Human Rights Council. OHCHR provides the mandate holder with logistical and technical assistance.

Why does the United Nations' Special Rapporteur promote a narrative favorable to murderers, truce-breakers, gang rapists, mass shooters, and thieves who steal relief supplies from their own people? Why does she also give Hamas and its cohorts a pass for, per the Simon Wiesenthal Center, "human rights violations of 'Palestine' - in regards to womens rights, LGBTQ+ rights, religious minorities, freedom of speech, press or assembly, unlawful detention, summary trials and executions, extrajudicial killings, incitement of children to 'martyrdom', terrorist attacks or bombing of civilians, among others?"

Action on Communication and the Middle East (ACOM) adds,

In her sad career Albanese has referred to the Jewish lobbies with terms more in line with a follower of conspiracy theories than with an international civil servant. She has compared the Israelis with the Nazis. She has supported the BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) of antisemitic nature (see the definition of the IHRA, supported by Spain). She has accused the Jewish State of atrocious crimes like Apartheid or genocide. She has referred to organisations related to terrorism as defenders of human rightsShe has praised Palestinian terrorists like Leila Khaled. She has defended the launching of missiles from Gaza against Israeli civilians. She has publicly praised the Hamas terrorist organisation appealing to the right to resist.

The principle of Occam's Razor says "if you have two competing ideas to explain the same phenomenon, you should prefer the simpler one." In this case, there are not even competing ideas; the only conceivable explanation is that Francesca Albanese has a conflict of interest between the U.N. and the pro-Palestinian camp. The fact that I cannot conceive of any other explanation does not mean there isn't one, but there is ample evidence to support my inference, perception, and opinion.

Francesco Giubilei reports in The European Conservative, "She reportedly failed to declare that her husband, Massimiliano Cali, previously worked for the Palestinian Authoritys ministry of national economy Yet her husband Massimiliano Calis role was anything but marginal, [having served] as an economic adviser to the Palestinian Authoritys ministry of national economy in Ramallah," and the article adds that she failed to disclose this as a potential conflict of interest.

U.N. Watch offers further detail. "On her application, Albanese was asked whether she holds 'any views or opinions that could prejudice the manner in which the candidate discharges the mandate.' She replied 'No.' Yet just last year, Albanese acknowledged the opposite, saying her 'deeply held personal views' on the Palestinian issue 'could compromise my objectivity.'" In addition, "On her application, Albanese also certified no personal conflicts of interest, failing to disclose that her husband, who compares Palestinians to Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto resisting the Nazis, formerly worked for the Palestinian Authority, where he authored a report on Israels 'exploitative' policies."

I believe a reasonable person could conclude from these facts and circumstances that she is not impartial and could have a conflict of interest between her U.N. role and her personal agendas and/or those of her husband.

That Depends On What You Mean by "Sponsored" and "Supported"

This is far from the only credibly alleged conflict of interest. Bepi Pezzulli reports in The Times of Israel, "This week, U.N. Watch has brought to light further concerns about Albaneses independence and impartiality. They claim that her recent trip to Australia, sponsored by Palestinian lobbying groups, violates Article 3 of the UN code of conduct, which mandates independent action free from external influence." Albanese claims however that the U.N. paid for her trip. "In a statement to Crikey, the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network said it, together with The Australian Friends of Palestine Association, supported but did not fund Albaneses trip."

In this case, we have two conflicting stories and, in the absence of further evidence, cannot opine honestly as to whether Ms. Albanese did receive something of value from the Palestinian lobbying groups. I accordingly did some further research. The Australian Friends of Palestine's (AFOPA)'s own blog reports, "Further AFOPA sponsored Ms Albaneses visit to Australia to deliver the 2023 Edward Said Lecture in Adelaide. APAN [Australia Palestine Advocacy Network], Free Palestine Melbourne and Palestinian Christians in Australia supported her visit to Victoria, ACT and NSW." (Emphasis is mine.)

These groups have therefore stipulated that they "sponsored" and "supported" Albanese's visit to Australia. Does this mean they paid her travel expenses, in which case she lied about the U.N. doing so, or did they merely invite her to speak at her own expense, in which case she told the truth? The fact that these pro-Palestinian groups were so eager to welcome her suggests regardless that she is not impartial and should therefore not be in the position of Special Rapporteur.

Albanese is Still At It

Francesca Albanese's Twitter (X) account is full of anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian rhetoric and, as shown here (see December 11), she liked a post from Norman Finkelstein that said, "The Jewish billionaire class must be stopped. The student body at University of Pennsylvania must boycott classes from Day One of the Spring semester until and unless President Magill is reinstated." She also liked, again from Finkelstein on December 11, "Make no mistake about it. In order to stifle dissent from Israel's genocidal war in Gaza, the Jewish billionaire class has launched the most concerted assault on academic freedom in the history of our country."

The United Nations is the Disease, Republicans are the Cure

Of all the Republican Presidential candidates, Chris Christie is the only one for whom I could not find a position (for or against) on the United Nations. The others have exhibited well-deserved open contempt for the so-called world body.

Nikki Haley says she will defund the United Nations "as much as possible."

Donald Trump did pull funding from UNRWA

Ron DeSantis "pledges to strip U.N. funding"

Vivek Ramaswamy says the U.S. should leave the United Nations

Better World Campaign adds, "For the first time in American history, Congress is considering a final spending bill that would eliminate all funding for the U.N. regular budget, leading to the loss of our vote in the U.N. General Assembly." As the U.N. General Assembly is infested with the world's worst human rights violators (Iran, Afghanistan, Russia, Communist China) and violators of the U.N. Charter (Russia and Communist China have both used or threatened violence for territorial expansion), U.N. resolutions are meaningless anyway and $3 billion in mandatory contributions (we actually squander $12.5 billion a year on the U.N.) is a pretty expensive vote. In addition, when the U.S. casts a General Assembly vote, we imply that the U.N. is a legitimate organization worthy of respect and recognition. We would do better to spend this money on veterans, and also offsetting the national deficit.

Civis Americanus is the pen name of a contributor who remembers the lessons of history, and wants to ensure that our country never needs to learn those lessons again the hard way. He or she is remaining anonymous due to the likely prospect of being subjected to "cancel culture" for exposing the Big Lie behind Black Lives Matter.

Image: OHCHR via Wikipedia // public domain
Upon hearing the notion that Michelle Obama may be the presidential candidate for Democrats in 2024, many Republicans reflexively recite the mantra that she is enjoying her life and is not political. Let me make one thing clear: Michelle Obama is a political animal. Republicans must quickly begin to prepare for her candidacy.

Michelle grew up as the daughter of a Chicago Democrat party precinct captain. She has written about making the rounds with her father from age 4, visiting homes in her area to get out the black vote for the white liberal Chicago Democrat party machine. Michelle has also noted that people came to her house seeking money from her father, Fraser Robinson. In high school, Michelle was elected repeatedly to the student council and was class treasurer. Michelle befriended Santita Jackson, the daughter of Jesse Jackson, and has said, I grew up in that mans house. Yes, Michelle spent much time at Jesse Jacksons house while he was preparing to run for president. Ive seen it all, Michelle said of the experience.

At Princeton University, Michelle was elected to the board of the Third World Center, a radical black activist fraternity. Michelle and Barack had a mutual professor at Harvard, though in different years, named Charles Ogletree. When Barack was elected president, Ogletree told TMZ that between Barack and Michelle, he would have thought Michelle more likely to run for president.

In Chicago, Michelle befriended another political animal, the former head of the Weather Underground domestic terrorist group and accused cop-killer Bernardine Dohrn. Michelle worked with her for two years at the Sidley Austin law firm and had dinners at her home with Bill Ayers for years, right up until the time Barack ran for U.S. Senate in 2004. Dohrn was Michelles first guest speaker at Public Allies, the community organizing group she ran. Yes, like Barack, Michelle was also a community organizer for three years. In marrying a politician, she married her father.

On the 2008 campaign trail, Michelle spoke to huge adoring crowds across the country, trumpeting word for word the anti-American rhetoric shed learned from Dohrn. The media largely ignored the nastiness until Michelle proclaimed, upon Barack winning a primary, For the first time in my life, Im proud of my country. This earned Michelle a Republican and media backlash. The next day, she hired a speechwriter and declared, I hate politics. I just want to be the mom in chief. This earned Michelle an immediate respite and reshaped Michelles public persona from a highly political anti-American radical into a mom who hates politics.

To a degree, Michelle was being truthful. All politicians hate politics  its grueling and annoying  but they put up with it because they love power.

With this context, you can understand why I researched Michelle Obamas true life history and published the film and book of the same name, Michelle Obama 2024: Her Real Life Story and Plan for Power. Seeing Joe Bidens advanced age, immense unpopularity, and terrible polls, Democrat party leaders such as Barack Obama and David Axelrod have observed that Biden is likely going to lose to Trump. In the wings, however, waits the very political Michelle Obama. Lucky for us, she let it all hang out when she tweeted a two-part statement on January 7, 2021, one day after January 6. Interestingly, on the day following this statement, the tech companies did what Michelle asked them to do: ban Donald Trump from social media.

Michelles January 7 Twitter manifesto deserves to be read in full. Can there be any doubt that Michelle Obama is a political animal who has her sights on the White House in 2024?

Michelle Obama, January 7, 2021:

I woke up yesterday elated by the news of Reverend Raphael Warnock's election victory. He'll be Georgia's first Black senator, and I was heartened by the idea that the Senior Pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Churchthe home parish of Dr. King and a spiritual and organizational hub during the Civil Rights Movementwould be representing his state in the United States Senate. In just a few hours, though, my heart had fallen harder and faster than I can remember. Like all of you, I watched as a gangorganized, violent, and mad they'd lost an electionlaid siege to the United States Capitol. They set up gallows. They proudly waved the traitorous flag of the Confederacy through the halls. They desecrated the center of American government. And once authorities finally gained control of the situation, these rioters and gang members were led out of the building not in handcuffs, but free to carry on with their days. The day was a fulfillment of the wishes of an infantile and unpatriotic president who can't handle the truth of his own failures. And the wreckage lays at the feet of a party and media apparatus that gleefully cheered him on, knowing full well the possibility of consequences like these. It all left me with so many questionsquestions about the future, questions about security, extremism, propaganda, and more. But there's one question I just can't shake: What if these rioters had looked like the folks who go to Ebenezer Baptist Church every Sunday? What would have been different? I think we all know the answer. This summer's Black Lives Matter protests were an overwhelmingly peaceful movementour nation's largest demonstrations ever, bringing together people of every race and class and encouraging millions to re-examine their own assumptions and behavior. And yet, in city after city, day after day, we saw peaceful protestors met with brute force. We saw cracked skulls and mass arrests, law enforcement pepper spraying its way through a peaceful demonstration for a presidential photo op. And for those who call others unpatriotic for simply taking a knee in silent protest, for those who wonder why we need to be reminded that Black Lives Matter at all, yesterday made it painfully clear that certain Americans are, in fact, allowed to denigrate the flag and symbols of our nation. They've just got to look the right way. What do all those folks have to say now? Seeing the gulf between the responses to yesterday's riot and this summer's peaceful protests and the larger movement for racial justice is so painful. It hurts. And I cannot think about moving on or turning the page until we reckon with the reality of what we saw yesterday. True progress will be possible only once we acknowledge that this disconnect exists and take steps to repair it. And that also means coming to grips with the reality that millions voted for a man so obviously willing to burn our democracy down for his own ego. I hurt for our country. And I wish I had all the solutions to make things better. I wish I had the confidence that people who know better will act like it for more than a news cycle or two. All I know is that now is a time for true patriotism. Now is the time for those who voted for this president to see the reality of what they've supportedand publicly and forcefully rebuke him and the actions of that mob. Now is the time for Silicon Valley companies to stop enabling this monstrous behaviorand go even further than they have already by permanently banning this man from their platforms and putting in place policies to prevent their technology from being used by the nation's leaders to fuel insurrection. And if we have any hope of improving this nation, now is the time for swift and serious consequences for the failure of leadership that led to yesterday's shame. Thankfully, even in the darkness, there are glimmers of hope. It's something I imagine Reverend Warnock has preached about beforeand I'm still heartened beyond belief that he's headed to Washington. I'm glad his fellow Georgian, Jon Ossoff is, too, and that together they'll help give control of Congress back to the only party that's shown that it can put our democracy above its own short-term political fortunes. I pray that every American, especially those who disagree with them, will give our new Congress, President-Elect Biden, and Vice-President-Elect Harris the chance to lead us in a better direction. But make no mistake: The work of putting America back together, of truly repairing what is broken, isn't the work of any individual politician or political party. It's up to each of us to do our part. To reach out. To listen. And to hold tight to the truth and values that have always led this country forward. It will be an uncomfortable, sometimes painful process. But if we enter into it with an honest and unwavering love of our country, then maybe we can finally start to heal.

Hollywood film director Joel Gilbert is president of Highway 61 Entertainment. Among his many films are political documentaries including The Trayvon Hoax: Unmasking the Witness Fraud that Divided America; Trump: The Art of the Insult; There's No Place Like Utopia; Dreams from My Real Father; Atomic Jihad; and Farewell Israel: Bush, Iran and the Revolt of Islam and the new film and book Michelle Obama 2024: Her Real Life Story and Plan for Power.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Mrs. Devon has spent the last four nights at a world-class hospital in Boston, racked with a horrible coughing fit from bilateral pneumonia. Here on this hospital ward, there are living angels, nurses, and staff who bring care, hope, and a smile to the very sick and greatly suffering. There are also staff doctors, working 75-hour weeks, who still give a damn about their patients.

I had brought two deli sandwiches to the hospital, one for Mrs. Devon and one for myself. Mrs. Devon passed on eating, exhausted from the multiple IV antibiotics, respiratory treatments, and unstoppable coughing. I offered the extra sandwich to her doctor; he happily wolfed it down and spoke of the avalanche of pneumonia cases overwhelming the hospitals wards, which has also led to spot shortages of antibiotics throughout Boston.

My wifes pneumonia is hardly an isolated case. According to the doctor, there has been a huge spike during the past ten weeks in rarely encountered Central American respiratory illnesses infecting Bostons senior and pre-k population. All those folks pouring over our non-existent Southern border come with deadly consequences. Nine seniors on this one hospital floor alone all have a variety of pneumonias. As the doctor left, he said the hospitals ER has encountered, within the last two weeks, polio, TB, and a shocking number of other third world diseases.

He added, due to Bostons reputation for excellent medicine, the city has become a nationwide magnet for some of the sickest illegal migrants and now Bostons medical community is breaking under the strain.

As I see it, our elected Marxist-Leninist overlords are guilty of treason for waging biological warfare against the American people.

This, in their minds, is a feature, not an unintended bonus of the massive illegal invasion currently destroying our country.

Michael Devon is a pseudonym. Mrs. Devon will hopefully be released home later this week. Prayers are welcome for all those who are suffering due to the treasonous immigration policies of this administration.

Image generated by AI.
Does intersectionality yield the most contradictory and idiotic collisions ever? Id say so.

An activist collective run entirely by women who somehow cant spot the irony of feminists supporting a faction of men who categorically hate the female sex could only be leftists. If this strikes you as totally and utterly insane, meet intersectionality and the collision of jihad and modern feminism. Heres the story, published by German state-owned media outlet Deutsche Welle:

Police in Berlin, Germanys capital, conducted on Wednesday a raid targeting members of a pro-Palestinian, left-wing feminist group, German media reported. The Zora group is accused of backing the radical, left-wing Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The European Union and the United States list the group as a terrorist organization.

(According to the RAIR Foundation, Zora describes itself on the internet as a young womens organization that is anti-capitalist, internationalist, anti-fascist.)

Muslim men, the group of people who perpetuate the most sex-based violence in the world (by far) against women, somehow has support from a group of German gals fighting the patriarchy? But not only that, this is the group of men who routinely practice polygamy, shroud their women in curtains and drapes, frequently mutilate female gentials, spit on the mangled bodies of young women in truck beds, and rape female children just to honor kill them laterIm sorry, but how are we ever supposed to take these people seriously? Heres this too, from DW:

German outlets reported that the raid was mainly prompted by a statement the group posted on its Instagram account on October 12. The statement was titled: No liberation of women without the liberation of Palestine. In the statement, the group argues that while the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which launched the October 7 terror attacks on Israel, has no interest in fighting the patriarchy, it is important to strengthen the progressive forces that are also part of the Palestinian resistance such as the PFLP.

A liberation of Palestine means enslaved womenhows that for irony?

Image generated by AI.
A bit like Bob Dylan's "Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands Where the sad-eyed prophet says that no man comes," Harvard President Claudine Gay is finding out that the man with the check is not coming these days or leaving anything of value by her gate.

Yes, the check is not in the mail. Can't blame the Post Office for this one. Let's check the latest story:

Another billionaire has snapped his checkbook shut to Harvard University. Businessman Len Blavatnik and his family foundation have paused their millions of dollars in funding to the Ivy League as it stands behind president Claudine Gay despite accusations she stood by as students spewed antisemitic rhetoric on campus, according to a report. The Harvard Business School alumnus will halt his funding until the university directly addresses what he sees as rampant antisemitism at the school, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg. Blavatnik and his wife, Emily, have donated at least $270 million to Harvard, with about $200 million directly benefiting the medical school. What it will take for the elite institution to win back the Access Industries founders financial support is unclear.

A Wexner, an Ackman, and a Blavatnik and pretty soon Harvard will have a tough time paying the lights. Well, not quite, but it's hard to run a university if the alumni with deep pockets think that you tolerate attacks on Jews.

President Gay's problem is that she lives in a world surrounded by people obsessed with the oppressor and the oppressed. In that world, the oppressor is an ally of the U.S. and the oppressed is anyone who claims an "ism." It's all about skin color and gender in that corner of the world. Character? That's just something that Martin Luther King said years ago.

So it's time for President Gay to move on and enter a reeducation camp where she can dewoke herself.

On Day 1, she can learn that the U.S. is the best place in the planet for a Black woman to grow up in.

On Day 2, she can learn that Israel lets women get advanced degrees and her "oppressed" neighbors don't.

On Day 3, she can learn that the Founding Fathers were more than people who owned slaves.

On Day 4, she can explain who on earth makes all those Palestine flags that magically go up every tine that some ism is itching the wokes.

On Day 5, she can bring some reality to the gang marching with the Queers for Palestine placards. My late Cuban mother had a word for people like that.

Anyway, you get the idea.

Move on and let someone make Harvard a place of learning again.

P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.

Image: Purple Slog
Kind of like a one-man band, Colorados governor Jared Polis is a one-man freakshow; see for yourself below:

Arguably, he now holds the lead in the competition between Democrat brown-nosers, besting Breakfast Taco Jills unique comment and her see, say pwadway for si, se puede, as well as the Marthas Vineyard lady waving off the migrants with her mortifying white lush taaay ahhmoh take on te amo.

And to think I thought this couldnt be topped:

First Lady of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden, completely butchered "Si Se Puede" while speaking to farmworkers in California on Cesar Chavez's birthday. pic.twitter.com/6MjhGuMccY  KUSI News (@KUSINews) April 1, 2021

(Polis also beat out Chris Christie for the most cringe-worthy politician title; who could ever forget his jiggling jowls as he smugly dropped the theyre gonna call you Donald Duck comment to a mortified audience.)

Poliss office released the toe-curling video on Christmas Eve, which was just days after Denver received 16 busloads of new Democrat voters from south of the borderI mean, thats obviously a huge part of why theyre here right? Clearly, uneducated and unskilled people from the third world are unemployable in a modern first world economy; just last week, my colleague Monica Showalter wrote an excellent expose on a new study that found around 60% of illegals in the U.S. are on welfare. But, like the good Democrat Polis is, hes more than willing to heap more financial burdens on the taxpayer if it means he can secure more victories in his state.

When Rome burned, Nero fiddledDemocrats apparently focus on knock-off TikTok dances and butchering the Spanish language. Where are all the usual suspects outraged over cultural appropriation? I thought white people werent allowed to enjoy other cultures, let alone do something so over-the-top it soars past the boundaries of the absurd? I mean seriously, if anything fits that bill, isnt this it? Furthermore, this video could not be more offensive, because it lacks all the good things about Hispanic culturethe vibrancy, the color, the elan, and the family values. Its just a tacky recording of a sickly-looking gay beta, who lends credence to the white people cant dance narrative and makes a mockery of Latin musical hits.

This was the best response though:

Image from X.
By Arthur I. Cyr

Christmas includes the anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, the largest land battle ever fought by the United States. The battle was hell on earth. On Dec.16, 1944, Nazi Germany launched an enormous offensive through the quiet, thinly defended Ardennes Forest in Belgium. Adolf Hitler and planners in Berlin achieved total surprise. German forces rapidly gained ground.

For Europeans among the Allies, the attack was reminiscent of the stunning 1940 German drive that overran France and secured Nazi domination of Europe. Among Dwight D. Eisenhowers associates at Supreme Allied Headquarters, fear and alarm were visible.

The tide of the battle did not clearly turn until General George S. Pattons Third Army broke through to the 101st Airborne Division, surrounded by the Wehrmacht in Bastogne, Belgium, the day after Christmas.

Brutal fighting continued throughout January. However, with the relief of Bastogne the Nazi vision of the future of Europe  and the world  faded.

Other battles in U.S. history were more costly or complicated. During the Civil War, Gettysburg and other engagements resulted in a higher percentage of casualties among combatants.

During World War II, such enormous amphibious invasions as Normandy, Iwo Jima and Leyte Gulf in the Philippines were inherently more complex in logistical terms than the Bulge. In the European theatre, the scale of the war on the Eastern Front was much greater than in the west.

Nonetheless, in American history, the Battle of the Bulge remains our biggest single land engagement. Approximately a quarter of a million United States troops were pitted against a comparable number of German forces.

Basic lessons of the Bulge include personnel and materiel and leadership. Eisenhowers skills include getting difficult personalities to work together, constant attention to logistics and organizational genius. Both sides suffered enormous losses of men and supplies. The Allies could replace them but the Germans at that point could not.

Controversial Patton undeniably was a brilliant combat leader. At Kasserine Pass in Tunisia in early 1943, Field Marshal Erwin Rommels Afrika Korps decimated the poorly-led American troops. Eisenhower put Patton in command. A month later, these same troops defeated Rommels troops at El Guettar.

Patton immediately and accurately evaluated the Ardennes offensive and acted fast.

During the Bulge, African-American soldiers were offered combat service, previously denied, but only if they sacrificed earned military seniority. Thousands volunteered and were vital to the Allied victory.

At the tactical level, Corporal Henry F. Warner near Dom Butgenbach, Belgium knocked out two German tanks, and then his 57-mm anti-tank gun jammed. He was firing a pistol at a third approaching German tank when its driver backed up and withdrew.

One of Warners shots had killed the commander, and the crew was unable to proceed, a common reaction of German troops. American, British and other Allied soldiers were much more likely to improvise and continue fighting after officers went down.

Warner, killed later in combat, received the Medal of Honor.

When the Nazi Reich surrendered, Eisenhower commented that the war was over but not won. True, victory meant Germany embracing stable democracy.

Admirable and effective German Chancellor Angela Merkel was TIME Magazines 2015 Person of the Year. The Allies won the war, by Eisenhowers demanding standard of success.

Honor contemporary Germany, which is economically strong, firmly democratic and committed to European peace. Honor the men who faced, fought and won this momentous battle.

Learn more: Carlo DEste Patton: A Genius for War, and the movie Patton.

Arthur I. Cyr (acyr@carthage.edu) is author of After the Cold War  American Foreign Policy, Europe and Asia (NYU Press and Macmillan).
Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas chief terrorist in Gaza, has no incentive to make a deal for the release of the estimated 129 Israeli hostages. Thanks to the Biden administration, he believes he has the upper hand in his war with Israel. After all, the U.S. and its allies are providing humanitarian aid to Gaza, as well as food, water, and fuel.

Sinwar has all he needs to sustain his fight against Israel. The Iranians provided him with enough ammunition, and cash to fire rockets into Israel, albeit at a reduced rate. Additionally, Sinwar watches the Israeli TV stations and reads the Hebrew newspapers, and he has concluded that the families of the hostages and the Biden administration are pressing the Netanyahu government hard enough for him to ultimately relent and declare a ceasefire. Under such circumstances, Hamas and terrorism worldwide will triumph.

A popular title of an Israeli song called (in translation) When the Heart Is Bleeding reflects the mood in the Jewish state. The daily announcements of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) casualties are further demoralizing those already broken by the dreadful massacres of October 7, 2023. The Israeli war cabinets objective to eliminate the military and political presence of Hamas in Gaza is becoming increasingly difficult. The antisemitism engulfing the Western world and beyond, including the U.S., is also impacting the Israeli psyche.

President Joe Biden is focused on the November 2024 elections and is currently trailing Donald Trump in the polls. The progressives in the U.S. Congress and their soldiers in the streets of America are intimidating Democrat party politicians who show sympathy or support for Israel. Muslim congressional members Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar have threatened to deny support for Biden because of his support of Israel, and many progressives in Congress have joined them. Biden, concerned about losing the 2024 election to Trump, is increasingly taking a more even-handed approach to the Israel-Hamas war.

Israels military pressure on Hamas has not compelled the Hamas terrorist organization to approach a deal to release the hostages. Sinwar and the other Hamas leaders who use their own people as human shields are less concerned about the lives lost of fellow Palestinians. Sinwar and his terrorist cohorts are well supplied and protected in deep shelters from Israeli attacks. The subterranean tunnels built over many years are widespread and will take months for the IDF to deal with. In the meantime, the Europeans and the Biden administration demand that Israel end the war soon and minimize Palestinian civilian casualties.

If President Biden is serious about the release of the Israeli hostages, there are two essential steps the administration must take. First, the U.S. must increase its pressure on Qatar, the primary paymaster of the Hamas terrorist organization. Top Hamas leaders, including Ismail Haniyeh, the groups political chief, and former head of the organization Khaled Meshaal, have been living in luxury in Doha, Qatars capital. According to the New York Post, these top leaders are worth a total of $11 billion. While Gaza Palestinians languish in poverty, Meshaal and Haniyeh live billionaire lifestyles.

President Biden conferred to the Qatari regime the status of a key U.S. ally. The U.S. Central Command headquarters is based in Doha, along with the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East, the Al Udeid Air Base. Yet the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, is ideologically allied with the Muslim Brotherhood, and the regime supported the jihadi-Islamist groups in Syria and is the major supporter of Hamas. The U.S. has leverage over the Qataris by virtue of being Qatars chief defender from regional hostile forces, including Iran. Bidens cozy relations with the Qatari regime should lead to better results from the Qataris.

The second step would be to condition future humanitarian aid pouring into Gaza on the release of the Israeli hostages. Hamas must allow the Red Cross or other neutral doctors and nurses to visit the Israeli hostages and provide them with humanitarian aid that has, thus far, only been granted to the Palestinians in Gaza.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
In addition to the tens of thousands of migrants entering the U.S. without authorization each day now, a huge 8,000-15,000-strong migrant caravan called "Exodus from Poverty" is headed to the states from southern Mexico now.

They know full well that the border is open and Joe Biden is going to let them in.

According to the New York Post's editorial:

An estimated 8,000 people set off on Christmas Eve from the southern Mexican city of Tapachula. Destination: the border that Joe Biden threw wide open and refuses to enforce. Biden will do what he always does, blame Congress. But the failure is his alone. He could stop this shocking wave of illegal migration at any time. He just doesnt. For one, although advocates would call this group asylum-seekers, one must face religious or political persecution in their home country to qualify for asylum. This caravan advertises exactly what its about  carrying a banner with the slogan Exodus from poverty."

Of its organizer, Luis Garcia Villegran, a purported Protestant reverend who was once charged with kidnapping in Mexico and who now calls his new gig shepherding migrants a religious mission:

... Today we are the poorest of the poorest of those who are at the peak of need, those of us who do not have money to pay for visas or polleros, said Villagran, referring to human smugglers. Villagran has vocally criticized American immigration policy in the past, calling it domineering and driven by a desire to impose. There have been roughly 2 million migrant encounters at the US southern border in the 2022 and 2023 fiscal years.

Garcia Villegran is partners with one of the old migrant caravan leaders, Irineo Mujica, of Pueblo Sin Fronteras, who had reportedly been put away by authorities in Mexico, but not really. In 2018 he brought his ten thousand or so migrants in his caravan up to the Tijuana border before unceremoniously dumping them in the rain and skipping out. But he and his partner in crime are quite the media-savvy guys:

A 2021 profile in Mexico Daily described Villagran and fellow organizer Irineo Mujica as media savvy tacticians who attempt to manage perceptions of the migrant movement in addition to the thousands in their charge. Garcia is more pastor than protester: pensive, eloquent, cool-headed, the outlet wrote. Both understand the power of public opinion, and have a knack for politics and an eye for the cameras."

I have my doubts that Garcia has any religious views at all, but his migrants do roll into the states waving crosses and shouting religious exhortations, presumably to justify breaking immigration laws, in order to make Christians in the states feel guilty for having a nation with borders and not taking in every shantytown dweller around the third world who asks, including criminals. Sadly, pretty much all the religious lines on the Christian side are going along with Garcia's game, criticizing those who call for some kind of introspection about this money-making game as it always is.

So there't little doubt they're confident they're going to get in with this small city of migrants marching under the banner of escaping poverty. They're not even trying to hide behind phony asylum claims of escaping political persecution. Garcia Villegran's message is all about shepherding the world's poor to the promised land of free stuff for gringo to pay for. Call it a new version the gospel of wealth.

The Post's editorial notes that Biden could stop this caravan if he had the gumption to -- either by turning away the economic migrants at the border right away, forcing them to use the CBPOne app for an asylum appointment (they note that this is a useless exercise because it takes all comers including those who don't qualify) or demand that they apply for asylum in their first country of refuge, which is the international law standard.

Biden of course does none of these things, which is why the gates are now open for these new caravans rolling up from southern Mexico. And with Mexican officials helping them along the way, as well as shaking them down for cash, too, there is little doubt they'll find their way in and hold their hands out.

The Post notes that Biden's Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, will be in talks with Mexico's president on Wednesday. You can bet that those talks will go nowhere. The only thing that's certain now is that word is getting around among the world's migrants that you can cross the U.S. border and live here with impunity no matter how ridiculous your case and you don't even need to disguise that you are an economic migrant anymore. It's so bad now the huge caravans are forming. This one won't be the last.

Image: Screen shot from CNN-News18 video, via YouTube
The sad fact is that Americas First Amendment was more of an ideal than a reality. Everyone aspired to it, but there were times that it was tossed aside.

The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 (which remain controversial to this day), restricted free speech and the press, particularly when it was critical of the president or the government. In 1835, the U.S. Postal Service censored material disseminated by abolitionists; between 1861 and 1865, newspapers that failed to adequately support the war effort were targeted and thoroughly suppressed. In the 20th century, President Woodrow Wilson went after those who opposed World War I.

And there is de facto gate-keeping censorship, like that which comes from Hollywood and the networks, or the social media giants.

Now, while its certainly not been totalitarian (just look at the mainstream outlets pushing the free Palestine narrative now), Jewish media chiefsWilliam Paley of CBS, David Sarnoff of RCA/NBC, and Michael Eisner of ABC arguably created a Jewish influence in the media, which in turn created a gate-keeping world, and criticism of Israel was kept to a minimum until.

The invention of the internet.

Then all hell broke loose. I remember that in the 1990s, the ADL was sounding an alarm, and they had good reason toneo-Nazi websites were sprouting up like weeds. The gate-keepers had been flanked.

The problem here was one of logic. If one thinks that official sources or one side is dishonest, it does not automatically mean that the other side is better. If one hates network TV, that does not mean that social media is an improvement. If one thinks America is too friendly with Israel, that does not mean Nazism or Arabism is better or more honest because they certainly arent. In the case of Israel, their Arab opponents are so conditioned to resort to theatrical lying, theyve earned the Pallywood name.

And todays kids, who have no grounding in a concept of truth, have no ability to discern fact, fiction, or even matters which look suspicious. The kids come to the internet with preconceived notions, and look for videos which reinforce those preconceptions. Growing up Woke, and assuming that Western civilization is evil, Gen Z largely gravitates to anything that will slam Israel, or the Judeo-Christian culture in general.

It is not that Israel does not ever spin its side of the story. I have found supporters of Israel can often start with some lame talking points. Please do not tell me ever again that Palestinians do not exist. Unfortunately, Palestinians do exist. If they didnt, there would not be a problem.

But Israels mistakes are usually confined to exaggerations or distortions, while pro-Arab lies are positively delusional. Arab lies are magnitudes worse.

Of the 20,000 civilians who died in Gaza, how many were really Hamas soldiers? Why doesnt the media point this out?

How can a society which puts its women in burqas, murders them for honor, and sexually mutilates them, claim to be fighting for freedom? Why doesnt this occur to Gen Z?

Objectively, Israel is far more civilized.

Which brings us back to censorship; what should the West do when mindless Islamic drivel floods social media?

Many Jewish groups advocate a form of censorship and doxxing. They want Palestinian sympathizers fired from their jobsbut the problem is that such tactics can be turned against Jews. From MSN:

Last month, billionaire Bill Ackman called for Harvard to release the names of Harvard students who signed a letter blaming Israel for the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas. His explanation? So that he and other business leaders wouldn't hire them.

This will backfire.

What has to be done is to realize that problems which took decades to create will not be solved so easily.

We have to get rid of Woke. We have to get rid of diversity programs and return to meritocracy. We have to teach our children that brutal (read Islamic) cultures do not merit nationhood.

I do not support Israel because Israel is perfectI support Israel because Islam is far worse. If Hamas is defeated, the world will be a safer place. If Hamas is allowed to survive, it will come back emboldened.

The solution is to economically arm-twist the Arab world into taking in the Gazans, not to send them to the West, and certainly not to ask Israel to stop this necessary excision.

As for censorship, I do not like it, but in war, a degree of censorship can be justified. Nor do I like doxxingthe woman at that link is an idiot, but she does not deserve to be fired or expelled over a sign. However, academia should take a hint.

Image generated by AI.
Its Christmas Day, and Im disinclined to write at any length, especially because I suspect most of you are doing something more pleasurable with your time than getting depressed about the state of politics in America today.

Having said that, I didnt want the day to end without sharing with you a remarkable tweet that Victor Davis Hanson published yesterday, discussing the parallel behaviors of Democrats in 1861behaviors that led to an extraordinarily violent civil warand Democrats in 2023 who seem cavalierly unaware that it is possible to break a country and to do so quite badly.

Heres the tweet:

Ballot Banishing And Our New Leftwing Confederates



In the election of 1860, southern Democrats in 10 states of the soon-to-be formalized Confederacy made it almost impossible for their own voters to cast ballots for Abraham Lincoln for President.



In that sense, the Left in  Victor Davis Hanson (@VDHanson) December 24, 2023

The takeaway: The Confederates used the concept of states rights to sidestep the Constitution and impose totalitarian rule on their states. Todays Democrats use the concept of democracy to sidestep the Constitution and impose totalitarian rule not only on their states but on America as a whole.

Image: Internet meme by @APOCTOZ

(While I've got your attention, I'll be off for two weeks, but I'm incredibly happy to report that Mike McDaniel, who blogs at Stately McDaniel Manor, will be helping out in my absence. I've known Mike for almost two decades and consider him one of the smartest conservative thinkers and writers around.)
How easily the Deep State forgets shameful episodes whenever it seeks to repeat its shames.

The example we see now is in the draconian prosecutions and sentences handed out to January 6 protestors under the heading of 'insurrection.'

But this is not the first time it's happened.

In 1932, a Bonus Expeditionary Force (BEF, aka Bonus Army) of hungry World War I veterans, including Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, marched on Washington. They begged the government to accelerate the bonus payments they had been promised, because, as the Great Depression was unfolding, they and their families were desperate and starving. They were unarmed.

The government responded to these petitioners with an overtly "barricade" mentality.

Four-star Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the Army's Chief of Staff, attacked the BEF veterans with calvary-wielding naked sabers, infantry with fixed bayonets, tanks, and tear gas.

He burned the BEF's crude encampment where the petitioners lived with their families. Among the hundreds of casualties were two babies killed by tear gas and a seven-year-old boy who was bayoneted in his leg while trying to save his pet dog. The Nation was shocked and outraged by this over-reaction.

But not the Deep State and Gen. MacArthur. He justified his attacks by saying that the Bonus Army veterans were "insurrectionists" -- his word -- with "incipient revolution in the air," who were "animated by the essence of a revolution."

These facts have been described in many American histories (as will the January 6ers be treated in the fullness of time).

See, e.g., Degler, Carl N., "The Third American Revolution" (1959), in Davis, Allen F., and Woodman, Harold D. (eds.), Conflict and Consensus in Modern American History, Fifth Ed., D.C. Heath, Lexington, Mass., 1980, pp. 354-5; Kennedy, David M., Freedom from Fear, Oxford Univ. Press, New York, N.Y., 1999, p. 92; Manchester, William, The Glory and the Dream, Little, Brown,. Boston, Mass., 1974, pp.3 ff.; Commager, Henry Steele, and Nevins, Richard N. (eds.), Witness to America, Barnes & Noble, New York, N.Y., 1996, pp. 1109 and 1112; Current, Richard N., et alia (eds.), American History, A Survey, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, N.Y. 1961, pp. 719-20.

Those engaged in the current perfervid over-reactions to January 6, such as Liz Cheney, and the weaponization of the criminal justice system against fellow American citizens, should familiarize themselves with the "insurrection" of 1932 so they can better understand the shameful precedent which they now once again embrace.
While Israelis are still engaged in heavy fighting to root out the barbaric invaders from the neighboring Hamas terrorist-elected and run Gaza, incredible stories of Israeli heroism are beginning to emerge. For instance, a courageous middle-aged homemaker held off the monsters with her delicious freshly baked cookies. Yes, you read that correctlya Jewish wife and mother, suddenly finding herself at the receiving end of a horrific siege, calmly latched on to the Jewish mother stereotype of ess, ess mein kindt (eat, eat my child), thus saving herself and her family. From an article at The Jerusalem Post:

When Hamas terrorists broke into her home early Saturday morning, Rachel Adari didnt have any guns. But she had another kind of weapon: cookies, which she offered to the men who held her and her husband captive for the next 15 hours, as her city of Ofakim and dozens of other towns in southern Israel faced a brutal invasion by Hamas from Gaza. I could see they were angry, Adari told Israels Channel 12. I asked them if they were hungry. I prepared them coffee and cookies. She drove them crazy, her husband David said. She kept asking them if they wanted something. The snacks helped buy the couple enough time for their sons, both police officers, to join an operation that resulted in their liberation, a rare moment of rescue on a day marked primarily by loss. Her insistence on snacks  archetypal Jewish mother behavior deployed at a dissonant moment  has also turned Rachel Adari into something of a national hero, one of several to emerge in the wake of the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust.

Heres what Edri had to say about the experience: I wrapped them around my little finger, those nasty monsters.

Perhaps the terrorists mothers (and fathers) were so busy teaching their children to hate, they neglected to provide them with basic support and loveincluding cookies and other healthy sustenance.

Non-terrorists (like you!) will enjoy these delicacies even more, so here is the recipe. Btayavon! Enjoy!

Image from X.
Growing up in Wisconsin in the 1940s, on our dairy farm, the white houses formal first name was actually out, not white. But it was painted white, not red, like the barn and four other out buildings.

Moreover, the results in our white house matched or surpassed any of those at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue  at least, since early 2021.

Can anyone name consequences from D.C.s White House the past three years that would top those in Wisconsin back in the 1940s?

Nope? Didnt think so! And for those contemplating Depends as their response, no, it doesnt. That would only be a match, at best, to the Wisconsin white house. Plus, most would argue that outcome requires minimal mental acuity -- infants accomplish it often as well -- thus, its not of equal value.

Afterwards? Dont go there  or think about it!

Since the White House was first occupied in 1800 by President John Adams, it has been a source of pride for most Americans. Of course, for the first one hundred years, it was referred to more often as the Executive Mansion or the Presidents House The White House came along later as the name used routinely.

Lots of vital, save-the-world-type decisions have certainly come about in house within that impressive mansion.

But since 2021, mostly outhouse products seem to emanate from there  make that exclusively, after thinking about it.

Problematically, todays lead resident at the Washington, D.C. address -- operated by puppeteers pulling the few mental strings that still function -- thinks everyone in America is stupid. Consider his most recent declaration about the economy: All good. Take a look. Start reporting it the right way, i.e., his way.

Do you get the idea that those living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue dont have to go grocery shopping? That they dont pay a monthly mortgage or rent? That they dont care whatsoever about the American people?

Between the economy and Americas open borders, dont care has been pretty well confirmed, hasnt it?

Maybe they should have experienced a rural white house in their youth. They might have a better appreciation for working Americans. In mid-winter, with temperatures well below zero in Wisconsin, visiting the white house in the 1940s -- not all that close to the farmhouse -- was an eye-opening, learning experience.

Obviously, no one in todays White House ever learned anything!

R.W. Trewyn earned a Ph.D. after surviving Vietnam combat, and more treacherously, 53 years of postwar slogging academes once hallowed halls.
We dont have a border.

The media constantly tell the public that the illegal immigration problem is a complex issue thats extremely hard to solve, but that is not true. The border was significantly more controlled under President Trump, before Joe Biden reversed his successful policies.

There are three main things that would greatly reduce the problem:

1) Enforce existing laws.

2) Make people who seek asylum remain in Mexico. If we did that, Mexico would suddenly enforce their southern border, instead of allowing illegals from all over the world to stroll into the U.S. The nation couldnt afford to keep the masses within its borders, and the government knows it.

3) Build the wall. It is the cheapest solution, both short- and long-term.

Biden clearly understands that walls workhe had taxpayers fund a wall around his beach property to the tune of half a million dollars. He didnt welcome trespassers, and he didn't care about the root causes as to why they were trespassing. Of course, the Bidens never want to earn things or pay for things themselves. They have always sucked off the public trough.

There are a few other significant things that could also significantly reduce the existential threat to America in the form of the border crisis:

4) Get rid of lawless sanctuary cities and states, which pretend they will welcome all illegals and tell the invaders that immigration laws dont apply, before handing them IDs and dispatching these taxpayer burdens to red states.

5) Stop (s)electing presidents who support lawless sanctuary cities and states, and who appoint attorneys general who cherry-pick which laws to enforce and against whom to enforce them.

6) Stop (s)electing presidents who refuse to enforce immigration laws, and who dictatorially and unconstitutionally implement things like DACA.

And finally, we need to stop listening to journalists who reflexively support Democratsno matter what they do, and no matter how lawless they arewho seek to destroy all Republicans, no matter how lawful they act. They intentionally mislead the public to gin up racial hate and division, while they pretend they want to unite the country.

It shows that most members of the media dont care about anything but power for Democrats, no matter how much these leftist policies destroy America. They should stop pretending that Bidens policies work, and that the adults are back in charge.

Image generated by AI.
Weekend New York City WABC talk radio listeners had the timely good fortune of hearing "The Larry Kudlow Show" Saturday, December 23. The contrast between Trump and Biden was emphasized during a discussion about Biden groveling to Mexicos President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in an under-the-radar-maneuver to get Mexico to prevent trespassers from entering The United States -- Por favor. Kudlows guest, WOR talk show host Mark Simone, described Trumps ability to negotiate as always finding leverage over the opposition. Trump has perfected a classic Carrot and Stick style of making bold threats while also finding incentives for the other guy. Trumps talent for finding leverage, communicating consequences, and still establishing rapport comes from his unique ability to conceive of positive outcomes in the first place.

The Trump Presidency would make an invaluable university curriculum and fill a dire gap in the promotion of free thinking and love of democracy for students and faculty alike. Trump lessons cover many subjects. Mediation and arbitration trainings teach the incentives vs consequences combo that Trump uses. Much of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) includes learning how to balance the innate human tendency to move towards immediate pleasure and away from pain. Business classes teach persuasion and closing techniques that rely on achieving a result where each party comes away with something desired gained. Professionals in various industries rely on negotiation.

To start developing the curriculum, one could create a chart with various examples of Trumps negotiations during his presidency. Columns within the chart would include Status Quo, Stakes, Parties, Previous Attempts, and then the Trump Approach, along with outcomes. Such a chart would offer readers an opportunity to see the progression of Trumps work order from conflict to resolution. There is a potential for a university class for business, psychology, and law. A business class would target the results, the compromise. A psychology class would focus on the thought-based motivations and the conditioned behaviors that promote familiar choices. A law class would do litigation exercises to perfect delivery and practice a Trump style of consistency, strength, and humor.

With Trumps resume of negotiations as president, there are also the history and media majors to consider. The main chart would have companion charts for history and media. The companion chart, history would include historical precedence from previous presidents, the formation of each conflict, previous attempts at resolution, and finally the Trump approach, outcomes, and historical significance. The companion chart, media would include historical coverage of each conflict, current coverage, and shifts, along with an emphasis on delivery style and media persona.

Instead of looking at the high-stakes negotiations playing out in front of us all daily, students and faculty are parroting permissible pundits -- often during class. The potential for learning, perfecting, and developing as better people is halted and in its place is an endless drone of tweet critics and social justice martyrs. Perhaps, for a social-science class, there could also be a chart tracking the recent self-destructive maneuvers of media and decision makers including but not limited to government, medicine, and academia. There would be a column for each Trump trial, each accusation, and implications for our country moving forward.

Image: Michael Vadon
Each day, we learn more of generative AIs endless possibilities and its potential impact on several industries. While its set to make some major changes to the human world, there are several frontiers its going to explore in the meantime; one of which is gaming. Generative AI is soon set to have some major effects on the gaming world.

Generative AI exists in different forms; thus, it can impact gaming in several key areas. These include production time and NPC interactions. As for when well feel the effects of AI in gaming, were not 100% sure. Several industry insiders say that its on the scale of years. So, for the time being, the gaming industry is still primarily driven by manpower, and many of us prefer it that way.

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Generative AI can affect the gaming world in a few ways

Besides making tools to help users generate absurd images and generate college essays, AI companies are also making tools that help workers speed up productivity. Many businesses use models like GPT-4 and Gemini to assist workers with their tasks, and gaming companies are no exception. According to a study conducted by CNBC, 72% of workers said that AI technology actually helps speed up productivity. Thats not far off from the results of a study that Microsoft conducted.

With faster production speeds, games are expected to be produced more timely. generative AI is already in use by lots of people. Programmers use Copilot and ChatGPT to help them write code, concept artists experiment with Stable Diffusion and Midjourney, and so on, says Julian Togelius, New York associate professor of computer science.

Generative AI could also help with NPC interactions

Game companies using AI should come as no surprise, as many major companies are using AI. Google plans to use AI tools in its ad sales department. However, theres a company looking to bring AI into the actual games. Many games nowadays use scripted interactions between playable characters and NPCs. Well, there are some companies looking to change that sometime in the near future.

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Imagine interacting with a villager and having a completely unique conversation that no other player in the world is having. This is something that a company called Inworld is planning on doing, and its partnering with Microsoft to make it happen. Basically, the company is looking to work on technology that will let NPCs evolve beyond predefined roles, adapt to player behavior, learn from interactions, and contribute to a living, breathing game world, said Kylan Gibbs, co-founder and chief product officer of Inworld AI.

We wont know how thats going to be for another couple of years. The companies are still working on this technology, so who knows when well see the first game using generative AI?
By Deauwand Myers

I am a soldier; I have seen worse sights than this."  from Homers epic tragedy, The Odyssey.

You will be lonely. You will howl like a dog as you walk alone  Your spirit will wane and dwindle to blue, the color of despair from an old Native American tale on a soldiers fate, relayed in Charles Fraziers epic American Civil War novel, Cold Mountain (1997).

I use these two quotes because they really deal with the deep moral dilemma, if not the immorality, of those who make, profit from and participate in war, what we call in contemporary times, and euphemistically, defense.

Dwight Eisenhower, the United States 34th president, warned of the moral precariousness of Americas burgeoning military-industrial complex, a newly coined term at the time. He states, In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

The current Korean president, and former Korean presidents of both political parties and varying political ideologies, lack Eisenhowers prescience in this regard, and have sought to increase the scale, scope, technical prowess and efficiency of its industrial sectors, from Samsung making advanced microchips and phones, heavy industries like shipbuilding and yes, most problematic, in my view, defense manufacturing.

In some sectors of the military-industrial sector, Korea has surpassed much more mature defense manufacturing countries, like Japan and France.

If we are talking about just naked achievement, this is quite an impressive feat. In less than four decades, ravaged by war and poverty and inept or anti-democratic governments, Korea is one of the biggest shipbuilders in the world, the second and by some estimates the first, purveyor of electronics, beating out older companies like Japans Sony and Panasonic, both of which have greater experience in advanced exports.

Just look at Koreas auto industry, once mocked, Hyundai, Kia, and their sister luxury brand, Genesis, are now all esteemed brands.

All laudable achievements, and these industries, except semiconductor chips (which can have a multiplicity of functions, including military hardware uses) dont represent any obvious moral questions.

But what I find perplexing, if not disturbing, is how little discussion there is about the deep moral implications of providing lethal, advanced military hardware to other countries within Korean societys academic, political and social circles.

I need to make this crystal clear. A Samsung smartphone, flat-screen LG television, K-pop group LP, Korean barbecue or fried chicken restaurant chain, or an EV Genesis coupe are galaxies away from anything innately sinister and potentially deadly as becoming prodigious, prolific and profitable in the dark art of arms dealing.

My home country, the United States, knows (but continually fails to absorb) the problematic and bloody business of prolific defense contracting. The United States, via defense industry giants like Raytheon, Northrop Grumman and Boeing, has sold advanced and lethal defense packages to so many bad actors and nation states, a complete list is impossible to enumerate here.

Having said that, lets do an abbreviated one: Iran, (after the democratically elected president was removed by CIA operatives via Operation Ajax, an episode you should Google if you dont know the story), Iraq, when we liked Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden, ditto, Saudi Arabia, and a host of Central and South American countries.

American gun manufacturers, with purposefully lax regulation of that industry by the American government, purvey personal and wartime arms. Coupled with Americas lust for illicit drugs, this fuels and funds what can only be called a mass-causality civilian war being perpetrated by competing Mexican drug cartels, who also dabble in human trafficking and the murder of innocents in the selling of human organ harvesting.

Again, that was an abbreviated list.

Korea has a long history of being stuck in the middle of superpowers vying for power, ancient and present-day China and Japan are not exemplary cases.

The trauma of poverty has a doubled-edged sword. It fuels those so unfortunate to experience poverty to strive with Herculean strength to climb out of it. That same Herculean strength, the naked pursuit of wealth, can and too often does blind that same person to have moral clarity.

Currently, Korea has no blood on its hands insofar as death being meted out by one of its defense products. But with the many recent civilian deaths of the Yemenis via Saudi Arabia using American military hardware, and the same American hardware causing the high death toll among Palestinian civilians by Israel, it would seem the Korean government and Korean citizenry should ask a fundamental question: do we really want to get into this particular line of work?

Korea doesnt have to be good at everything. Defense exporting is definitely one of those things.



Deauwand Myers (deauwand@hotmail.com) holds a masters degree in English literature and literary theory, and is an English professor outside of Seoul.
Google, as well as Apple, has come under fire in the past few years over the Play Store (and App Store) tax. Basically, Google and Apple take around 30% of every transaction made on Android and iOS through the Play Store and App Store. On the one hand, this seems fair since Google and Apple built these platforms, and without them, developers wouldnt be able to sell their apps to literally millions of people. But 30% on literally every single in-app purchase is a bit insane.

Epic Games took great offense to this and has offered ways to get cheaper in-app purchases for Fortnite. Before ultimately being kicked off of the Play Store and then the App Store. Epic then took both companies to court to sue over this and how its monopolistic of Google to charge 30%. Google recently lost that lawsuit (Apple beat Epic, however), and its a pretty big deal.

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However, now we are hearing from Bloomberg that Google has explored lowering the cut of in-app revenue it would take from developers. So instead of taking 30% (or 15% from newer and smaller developers), the percentage would have been lower, however the report doesnt give a concrete percentage.

Google started Project Everest because it was afraid of regulatory scrutiny

This idea of exploring lowering the cut that Google takes was called Project Everest, and the whole reason behind it was regulatory scrutiny. Google was worried that it could be done by regulatory overreach.

During an in-house presentation, Google ultimately decided not to go this route. Stating that we can defend the status quo for a few months. Making proposed changes sooner may help support reasonable legislation, position Google as a leader, and prevent more draconian legislation.

The bottom line though? Google was worried about losing out on billions per year in revenue. It was estimated that this change would cost Google about $1 billion to $2 billion per year from apps and between $6 billion and $9 billion per year in revenue from games. Thats not chump change; however, for Google, it is. In 2022, Google raked in $279.8 billion in revenue for the entire year.

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Google did have another option, and that would be to allow app developers to handle in-app payment processing themselves and provide them with a lower percentage. Google calculated that this option would reduce annual Play Store revenue by only $250 million to $1.3 billion. A much easier pill to swallow versus the almost $11 billion.

However, with the verdict in the Epic v Google case, the search giant may be forced to make some major changes to the Play Store. With one possible change allowing customers to decide to have their in-app payments processed by Google or a third-party firm, that the app developer has listed.
Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community provided some festive joy over the weekend by delivering gift baskets to vulnerable people.

On Sunday, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association (AMYA), in collaboration with charities Marie Curie and Humanity First, gave baskets to more than 750 people across 40 UK towns and cities, including Birmingham and Manchester.

More than 750 people received a gift basket (AMYA/PA)

Recipients of the baskets  which included scented candles, toys and chocolates  were nominated by friends, family members and neighbours because they have been struggling financially or suffering from loneliness or illness.

Akbar Butt, AMYA UKs director for charity and welfare, said: The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has said that every act of goodness is a charity.

As Muslims, we dont celebrate Christmas, yet we recognise the challenges many people face during this season.

The group wanted to provide some joy with their gifts (AMYA/PA)

Its crucial to extend a helping hand to those in need and I believe this effort is a humble way to bring joy to those who truly deserve it amidst this festive time.

More information on the baskets and how to make a donation can be found at: mercy4mankind.org/festivegiftbasket/

Surplus donations will go to the charities Marie Curie and Humanity First.
Labour is considering a scheme that would see asylum seekers claims processed elsewhere, according to reports.

The Times reports that Sir Keir Starmers party is considering detailed plans for a so-called offshoring scheme, as he seeks to deter Tory attacks on Labours alternative to the Rwanda plan.

The Labour leader has previously dismissed the bid to deport some asylum seekers to the African nation as a gimmick and made clear his partys opposition.

But the newspaper reports that shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper and shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock have been speaking to asylum experts, former home secretary Lord David Blunkett and other European countries to draw up an alternative proposal to tackle small boats crossings in the Channel.

The plan would see migrants having asylum claims processed overseas, with successful applicants allowed to come to the UK.

While explicit backing for an offshoring scheme would mark a significant shift for Labour, Sir Keir did signal earlier this month that he would not be opposed to considering such an approach.

Other countries around the world do have schemes where they divert people on the way and process them elsewhere. Thats a different kind of scheme.

And, look, Ill look at any scheme that might work, he told reporters after a speech in Buckinghamshire.

Labour has been contacted for comment about the report, which claims that the party has drawn up three tests for any such scheme  that it is cost-effective, credible enough to deter migrants, and would avoid the legal challenges that have delayed the Rwanda plan.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary James Cleverly are hoping fresh legislation, currently in the Commons, will be enough to revive the flagship policy after it was declared unlawful by the Supreme Court earlier this year.

According to The Times a Labour red line would be any scheme that would automatically block migrants being granted asylum in the UK, with British officials also required to be in charge of processing claims.

This is not the first time the party has looked at such an approach.

Lord David Blunkett, former home secretary (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

In the early 2000s, Lord Blunkett and the Blair government were believed to be in talks with Tanzania about the possibility of housing asylum seekers in the country while claims were processed in the UK.

Lord Blunkett told the paper: Whats absolutely crucial is who is doing the processing and that theyre allowed back into the country. Without it, youre merely transferring the problem on to somebody else. But if British officials are doing the processing, then youve got a scheme that fits with the conventions.

It comes as Sir Keir and his frontbench team enter a crucial period, with a general election likely to be less than 12 months away.

The Conservatives have sought to make tackling illegal migration a crunch issue, with stopping the boats one of Mr Sunaks five priorities.
Fewer Londoners ventured outside the M25 in 2023 to buy a home elsewhere, according to an index.

Londoners collectively spent an estimated 28.7 billion on homes outside the capital this year, which was 11.7 billion less than in 2022, estate agent Hamptons found.

It highlighted two factors at play in the market  the first being fewer house sales taking place across Britain generally and the second being higher mortgage rates leading to many London leavers spending less on their new home than their previous property.

This years total was 20.1 billion lower than the 48.8 billion total spent moving out of London in 2021, when there was a spike amid the race for space seen during the coronavirus pandemic.

With fewer sales taking place generally across the market, the estimated number of homes bought by Londoners outside the capital fell to 69,190 in 2023, the lowest figure in nine years, since a total of 66,810 was recorded in 2014.

In 2021, the number of homes bought outside the capital by Londoners was put at 100,980.

More than three-quarters (77%) of home movers leaving London spent less on their new home outside the capital this year, jumping from 60% in 2022.

This releasing of equity has enabled some to pay cash for their new home, rather than borrowing. Of the households spending less on their new home, 81% are estimated to have bought without a mortgage, up from just 51% in 2022.

About four in 10 (41%) of those trading London for elsewhere moved to a home with fewer bedrooms, up from a low of 23% in 2020, when the race for space was in full swing.

First-time buyers also made up three in 10 (30%) Londoners buying outside the capital this year, up from 12% a decade ago, according to Hamptons.

On average, people moved 25.5 miles outside London to get on the property ladder this year.

Affordability pressures meant the average Londoner buying outside the capital spent 415,020 typically in 2023, 89,990 less than the 505,010 average spend last year.

Londoners still made up 7.7% of all buyers purchasing property outside the capital in 2023, up from 7.3% in 2022 and 6.8% in 2019, the report estimates.

However, the pace of London outmigration remains lower than when it peaked at a 15-year high of 7.8% in 2021.

Aneisha Beveridge, head of research at Hamptons, said: With only around a million homes changing hands across Great Britain this year, fewer Londoners crossed the M25 in 2023.

However, those that did tended to be downsizers or first-time buyers. Downsizers, tired of London life, are looking further afield to release cash and clear their remaining mortgage balance.

Meanwhile, higher mortgage rates have reduced first-time buyers purchasing power, pushing them to search for more affordable homes further afield.

With mortgage rates expected to continue falling in 2024, the affordability picture should improve. We expect this to slow the pace of London outmigration somewhat, as younger Londoners can increasingly afford to buy locally.

Upsizers, who have sat tight in a subdued 2023 market, are likely to come back into the fold as it gets cheaper to borrow, meaning theyre likely to dominate those leaving the capital next year.

Hamptons carried out the research using data from the Countrywide property services network, which spans across the UK and which Hamptons is part of.

Figures were scaled up to reflect the whole market using HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) transactions data, making some assumptions for the number of home sales set to be completed in 2023.
COSHOCTON  He never in a million years thought hed be doing what hes doing.

We lived in a relatively rural area and had plenty of room to roam, recalled Scott Limburg. I was always riding my bike somewhere. Life wasn't complicated, and staying outside as much as possible and playing with neighbors was always a given.

At 16, he continued, I began working at the local A&W Restaurant, which at that time had just built an indoor restaurant. The root beer was still manufactured in the basement, chilled and pumped upstairs to be served in frosted glass mugs!

Scott Limburg is an education program specialist in the office of nutrition with the Ohio Department of Education.

Limburg grew up in Akron, went to schools in Summit County, then attended the University of Akron for their culinary arts program. During his time at Akron U, he joined the Air Force and was stationed at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona where he was an administrative assistant in an F-4, F-16 Fighter Squadron. He was also stationed at Clark Air Base in the Philippines.

I returned to Ohio, he said, and enjoyed spending time with my grandmother in her ceramic studio in Akron. She helped give me my sense of business over many years, and how it was to treat customers with respect and appreciation.

During that time Limburg went to work for Friendly Ice Cream and managed various locations in Ohio. He was also a regional manager for a franchisee of Arbys and Arthur Treachers Fish & Chips.

We were also the owners and operators of Limburgs Patio Grill at Richard Downing Airport for several years, he added. Then when our daughter and son were in school, I decided if I wanted to know what was going on in the River View School District. The best place to learn was by being a bus driver, so I trained and started driving. Then after a couple years, the food service director position opened at River View.

For a time, Limburg was also the food service director with Coshocton City Schools after Virginia Allman retired.

Virginia was the one who helped make me who I am today in the realm of child nutrition, he said.

Then after being at River View and Coshocton City for a few years, I became the new transportation director at River View under then Superintendent Kyle Kanuckel. He was very instrumental in teaching me school business and in helping me navigate more of the school world policies and procedures.

Limburg worked for River View Local a total of 23 years, then in 2018 became education program specialist in the office of nutrition with the Ohio Department of Education (now the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce).

At 60 years old I made the career change, he said. I go into schools and review them for compliance with all meal standards and for ensuring the meal counts are accurate and students are receiving the proper nutritional requirements. Currently I have a region that covers Coshocton County and 14 other counties surrounding Coshocton. I have 101 different school districts that Im responsible for. These days I still have a cubicle in downtown Columbus, but Im able to spend more time in my region, to work from home more.

Misty Davis is Limburgs supervisor at the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.

Scotts strong background in school food service is a wonderful asset, assessed Davis. He can relate with other food service directors and provide operational insights as part of his work with schools.

Was working for the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce on my radar? Limburg asked.

Never in a million years. Im humbled to be part of this organization and Im so thankful for the opportunity. And Im thankful for all the people whove been a great influence and help to me. I couldnt have done any of this without the support of my wife, my kids, the cooks at all the schools, the bus drivers  they have made me the person I am today.

For more information about the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, log on www.education.gov.us.

Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs  whether theyre unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at ctnews@coshoctontribune.com.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Scott Limburg ensures school lunches are nutritional in 101 districts
Ahmad Massoud stands in front of a portrait of his father, the revered Afghan guerrilla commander Ahmad Shah Massoud (Special arrangement/The Independent)

When the CIA decided to take back thousands of stinger missiles from Afghanistan in the 1980s, fearing they would fall into the hands of Iran, they knew of only one powerful warlord they could trust to help.

US agents held secret talks with the fabled hero of Afghanistans resistance against the Soviets and the Taliban  Ahmad Shah Massoud, the guerrilla commander who famously warned the West about the threat of al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden months before 9/11.

Massoud was killed two days before the attack on the World Trade Center, when two of Bin Ladens suicide bombers walked into his home in the Mujahideen fiefdom of Panjshir masquerading as journalists and blew themselves up. His then 12-year-old son Ahmad Massoud became the undisputed heir of Afghanistans domestic resistance against ultra-fundamentalist terrorism.

Massoud (centre) arrives to address a gathering at the tomb of his late father in Panjshir province in July 2021, before Kabul fell to the Taliban (AFP via Getty)

He didnt choose to be the saviour of Afghanistan, he was born into it. It came to him, says one of his close aides, as two armed young men guard the now 34-year-old Massouds quarters in a third country that The Independent has agreed not to reveal.

Given the circumstances of his fathers death, it is not surprising that this rare interview with the younger Massoud is conducted with a high degree of secrecy and thorough security checks.

Twenty-two years later, the Taliban is back in control of Afghanistan. The militant group seized Kabul on 15 August 2021 after the withdrawal of the western-allied forces that had invaded the country after 9/11, and although the Panjshir Valley held out for several more weeks as one of the fiercest pockets of resistance, Massoud finally fled into exile in September.

Sitting with his trademark woollen pakol (cap) resting in his lap, the chief of the National Resistance Front (NRF) is the spitting image of his late father. He has adopted the clean-shaven, neatly dressed look of a diplomat rather than that of a military leader, but he remains intimately aware of and involved in the grisly guerilla operations still being carried out by his forces in the mountain passes and gorges of northern Afghanistan.

A 12-year-old Ahmad Massoud, the son of dead commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, being comforted by the then Afghan president at a funeral ceremony after his fathers death in an al-Qaeda attack (AFP via Getty)

It has now been more than a year since the NRF held territory in Afghanistan, but Massoud says his fighters are bringing the fight to the Taliban in 20 of the countrys 34 provinces, particularly in the northern and western regions.

An aide says the NRF has killed hundreds of Taliban militants since August 2021, and that the war of resistance continues to be waged despite the interest of the international community having shifted to conflicts elsewhere, such as the wars taking place in Ukraine and Gaza.

We are arranging 15 to 20 military operations per month in regions occupied by Taliban, and in each of these, we are able to kill three to eight of their terrorists, the aide says.

Massoud wont go into detail about exactly where and when his forces will strike, for operational reasons. I will definitely not tell you what my forces are doing as we speak, or what the world is going to see in the coming days. But lets just say the NRF is defending our Afghan people, giving them a fighting chance and a hope to defend themselves, he says.

Ahmad Massoud (left) is among the last remaining leaders of resistance movements against the Taliban in Afghanistan. His aides say he inherited the fight for a democratic Afghanistan from his father Ahmad Shah Massoud (right) (Sourced/The Independent)

What we have, as sort of a military campaign, is a defensive purpose against the tyranny, the barbarism and the terror of the Taliban. Behind the disastrous situation in Afghanistan, only the Taliban can be found guilty. Therefore the Taliban leaves us with no choice but to defend ourselves [with whatever means are at our disposal], he explains.

Experts are sceptical of Massouds ability to loosen the Talibans grip on power on his own, but, with no realistic prospect of allied international forces coming back with boots on the ground, the NRF is seen as the best bet to oppose the Islamist regime. Earlier this month, Massoud gathered a number of allied groups for a conference in Vienna aimed at forming a united anti-Taliban bloc.

The next step will be to gather international backing, but Massoud says he no longer expects this to come in the form of military or financial support. He and other anti-Taliban leaders remain jaded over the Wests decision to withdraw in 2021, which they see as a betrayal. For now, it would be enough for major world powers to express support for the resistance and refuse to grant the Taliban regime the international recognition it craves.

Massoud (below) takes his fathers role as he speaks during a meeting with the European Conservatives and Reformists group on the sidelines of a plenary session at the European parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France (Sourced/The Independent)

We dont want military aid or money from the west, he says. But in the interest of democracy, they should help Afghanistan form a legitimate government. The world should not compromise [with the Taliban]. Everyone who is watching Afghanistan right now should stand strong with us.

Massoud expresses anguish over the situation faced by members of his and other Afghan forces who stood by the US and Nato as soldiers, pilots and logistical support and have been forced to either flee their country or face persecution and death at the hands of the Talibans de facto authorities.

He is careful not to place too much blame on the western withdrawal, but says the idea that the US brokered an amnesty with the Taliban in respect of the local fighters and the ousted government officials it left behind was nothing but a barefaced lie.

The targeted killing of NRF fighters by the Taliban still continues. Thousands of people have been killed in the Talibans bloodshed. Of course, we have killed many, many more of their forces, and still face thousands of them inside Afghanistan.

Taliban fighters stand near the tomb of late Afghan Mujahideen leader Ahmad Shah Massoud in Saricha in Panjshir province (AFP via Getty)

So far, no country has formally recognised the Taliban as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan  a position that is in line with that of the UN. But solidarity in condemning the forceful overthrow of Kabuls democratically elected government is starting to give way to pragmatism, as regional powers, including China and India, begin to reopen lines of communication with this strategically significant country.

Pro-democratic leaders like Massoud struggle to understand how the world, and the west in particular, can stay so quiet about the Talibans control of Afghanistan after 20 years of actively fighting them on the ground; he says this suggests that the world is now OK with what is happening in Afghanistan.

Yes, Afghanistan is no longer a priority for the west, he concedes. I [too] hope peace comes for the Ukrainians, for the people in the Middle East. [But] I hope for peace to come to Afghanistan, too.

I want to ask if the Biden administration is OK with a military group storming the government and taking power from a democratic administration, he says. If they were not OK with the Capitol riots, why are they OK with the Taliban?

As for his own future, Massoud says he is kept up at night as he struggles with the question of how to finish his fathers work, defeat the Taliban, and bring peace to Afghanistan. I wish I didnt love the people of Afghanistan, because then I could leave this war and be away from this. But I love them beyond hope, he says.

A destroyed poster depicts the late Afghan Mujahideen leader Ahmad Shah Massoud alongside a message about resistance, on a roadside near Dashtak in Panjshir province (AFP via Getty)

If he manages to defeat the Taliban, Massoud, who was educated in both Iran and Britain, says he has no desire to lead a civilian government. He suggests it would be better for a woman to lead the country, given how women are currently suffering under the Talibans misogynistic regime.

Hopefully, I will not be in power. The people will decide on a much more competent figure to be in charge  a woman, preferably  and leave me to a peaceful life.

He also reveals that he is a new father to a six-month-old baby, and that the first in the new generation of the Massoud dynasty is a girl. He hopes that her experience of childhood is not like his own, in which, as the heir to a warlord, he shadowed his father as he gave interviews from military helicopters.

I want to be a teacher in a university. To be a professor  thats my personal call or ambition, he says, adding: I want to spend some more time with my daughter.
The US military carried out airstrikes on three facilities used by the Iraq-based Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups on Monday night after an attack injured three US troops, leaving one in critical condition, the White House said.

A US Central Command statement said early assessments indicated that the US airstrikes, ordered by President Joe Biden, likely killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants.

The Iranian-backed militant group earlier claimed credit for using a one-way attack drone to target the US forces on Erbil Air Base on Monday morning, the White House said.

A statement from US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said the US airstrikes on three locations utilized by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups focused specifically on unmanned aerial drone activities.

The strikes on the Kataib Hezbollah facilities occurred at 8:45 p.m. ET, according to CENTCOM. There are no indications that any civilian lives were affected, the statement said.

The Iraqi government, however, said in a statement that one security serviceman was killed and 18 others, including civilians, were injured. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudanis office referred to the airstrikes as hostile acts that infringe upon Iraqs sovereignty and are deemed unacceptable under any circumstances or justification.

The Iraqi government stressed that such attacks could harm relations between the two countries. It is a clearly hostile, unconstructive act that does not serve the interests of long-term common interests, the statement said.

Kataib Hezbollah is a Shia militant group that poses a high threat to US personnel in both Iraq and Syria, according to the US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) website.

It says the group wants to expel US and coalition forces from Iraq and set up an Iranian-aligned government there. The group also operates in Syria, the DNI says.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin briefed the president on Monday afternoon, the White House said. Several options were presented to the president, and Biden ordered the strikes during that call.

In a statement, Austin said Mondays airstrikes were carried out in response to the Erbil attack and other attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria.

Austin called the US airstrikes necessary and proportionate.

The security serviceman referenced in the Iraqi prime ministers statement was a member of Hashd Al-Shaabi, known as Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), a predominantly Shia paramilitary force, according to a statement released by the group. In 2016, the Iraqi parliament passed a bill recognizing the Shia militia fighters as a government entity operating alongside the Iraqi military.

The US, however, views the PMU as Iran-backed militias and consider some of them responsible for carrying out attacks on US sites in Iraq and Syria.

This headline and story have been updated with additional information.

CNNs Aqeel Najim contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
By Park Jae-hyuk

The Korean government and companies aim to step up efforts next year to join post-war reconstruction projects in Ukraine, although the ongoing war has made it difficult to commence projects this year, according to industry officials, Tuesday.

Last Thursday, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced plans to spend 100 million won ($77,000) to requisition a six-month study on the current situation in Ukraine regarding reconstruction and strategies to participate in rebuilding works.

When President Yoon Suk Yeol visited Kyiv in July, he promised that the government and companies will boost cooperation for Ukraines reconstruction, and a business delegation led by the land minister came up with more specific ways for the reconstruction (to proceed) during their meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv in September, the ministry said. For Korean companies to join the reconstruction projects, it is necessary to draw up strategies based on the understanding of fundraising methods and business structures.

The ministry said it is also seeking advice on the participation of Korean companies in the reconstruction projects, while researching relevant laws to establish branches in Ukraine.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is also expected to send a delegation to Ukraine next year to discuss cooperation in the energy and resource development sectors. The ministry had initially tried to send the delegation this year, but postponed the plan due to the continued fighting.

Earlier this month, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho announced that the government will give $100 million to the Multilateral Development Bank and provide a $200 million humanitarian aid package next year for Ukraines reconstruction.

He also unveiled the governments plan to form a $2 billion economic development cooperation fund in the long term, so that Korean companies can contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraines infrastructure and modernization of the countrys industries.

In line with the governments plans, Korean companies are also accelerating efforts to gain a foothold in Ukraine and neighboring countries.

SG, a Korean asphalt concrete maker, decided last week to invest 9 billion won to establish a Ukrainian subsidiary. The company also signed a 12.5 million euro ($14 million) contract recently with Ukraine's DS Prom Group to supply asphalt by 2026.

Since a delegation from Ukraine visited our company in October, we discussed cooperative projects, SG CEO Park Chang-ho said. With our technologies and products, we will support the rebuilding of Ukraines road network.

Hyundai E&C, which signed a memorandum of understanding to rebuild Boryspil International Airport in Kyiv, is moving to set up branches in Ukraine and Poland. The construction company is expected to reinforce its team handling the reconstruction projects once organizational restructuring is completed.
ARIZONA  The husband of a former Arizona prosecutor shot and killed a woman and her mother at a holiday gathering on Sunday before fatally shooting himself, police said.

The Phoenix Police Department identified David DeNitto, 47, the husband of former Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel, who died in April 2022, as the man they believe to be responsible for the murder-suicide on Christmas Eve.

Officers were called to the house in northern Phoenix on Sunday at about 11:30 p.m. local time and found two women with gunshot wounds. They were rushed to a nearby hospital, where they were pronounced dead. DeNitto was found dead at the scene with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

Authorities identified the victims as Cynthia Domini, 83, and Maryalice Cash, 47. Cash and DeNitto were in a relationship, according to "early information," police said, according to The Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Property records show DeNitto and Adel owned a home on the same block where Sunday's shooting occurred.

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, Adel's successor, confirmed the identity of the victims in a Monday news release.

"It is impossible to comprehend a tragedy such as this. Words cannot adequately express the flood of sorrow," Mitchell said. "I ask the community to join me in praying for the families affected and, most especially, Allister's children. I also ask that the community surround the families with love, kindness, and a respect for the need for privacy."

Phoenix police tape blocks off the crime scene early Monday where former Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel's widower allegedly killed two women and himself during a holiday gathering Sunday night, Dec. 24, 2023.

Who was Allister Adel?

Allister Adel, who served as Maricopa County attorney from October 2019 until March 2022, was the first woman to hold the prominent prosecutorial position.

She updated pretrial diversion programs, created a prosecution integrity unit, changed plea policies and created community advisory boards. She also fired Juan Martinez, the offices storied death penalty prosecutor who was accused of sexual harassment and misconduct.

Adels office drew criticism when her office charged 15 Black Lives Matter protesters arrested in 2020 as gang members. The charges were later dropped and resulted in more than $100 million in legal claims against the county. Near the end of her tenure in March 2022, Adels office was forced to drop 180 criminal cases after it failed to file drunken driving, domestic violence, assault and criminal damage cases for more than a year.

Adel entered a rehabilitation facility in August 2021 for anxiety, alcohol abuse and an eating disorder.

Concerns related to the treatment she sought in rehab were echoed again in a February 2022 letter from five Maricopa County Attorneys Office prosecutors who called for Adels resignation.

Adel resigned shortly after the discovery of the 180 criminal cases. Adel was hospitalized on her final day in office, March 25, 2022.

Six weeks later, Adel died after what her late husband cited as health complications.

This May we would have 20 years of marriage. My family and I are utterly heartbroken by this unimaginable loss. We are so very proud to call Allister wife and mom, said her husband, David DeNitto, at the time.

Contributing: Robert Anglen, Arizona Republic

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Prosecutor Allister Adele's husband suspect in Phoenix murder-suicide
Codorus Valley Bancorp merging with Orrstown Financial Services

Orrstown Financial Services, parent company of Orrstown Bank, and Codorus Valley Bancorp, parent company of PeoplesBank, have entered an agreement for Codorus Valley to merge into Orrstown.

The all-stock transaction is valued at approximately $207 million. The combined Pennsylvania and Maryland community bank will have approximately $5.2 billion in assets. Closing is expected to occur in the third quarter of 2024, according to a news release from Orrstown Financial Services.

More local business news: Sports memorabilia shop under new ownership

With the merger, there will be 51 branches in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Orrstown Bank now has offices in Franklin, Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Perry and York counties in Pennsylvania and Washington, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, and Howard counties and Baltimore City in Maryland. Headquartered in York, Codorus has offices South-Central Pennsylvania and Central Maryland. The company's lending area includes Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties in West Virginia.

The administrative headquarters will be in Harrisburg and there will be an operations center in York.

Orrstown and Codorus Valley share a similar culture, vision and deep commitment to our communities, Orrstown President and CEO Thomas R. Quinn, Jr. said in the news release. The partnership of our companies will significantly increase our size and scale, which we believe will not only drive profitability and shareholder value but also benefit our clients, employees and communities through broader product offerings, higher lending limits, an improved customer experience and increased career opportunities.

Orrstown Bank off Eastern Boulevard in Hagerstown

I am excited by the opportunity to work with Craig (Kauffman) and his impressive team to build the premier community banking franchise in our Pennsylvania and Maryland markets, Quinn said.

Craig L. Kauffman, the current president and CEO of Codorus Valley, will serve as executive vice president and chief operating officer of the combined company. He will be appointed president and CEO when Quinn retires, around June 1, 2025.

The combined company's board of directors will consist of seven directors from Orrstown and six directors from Codorus Valley. Joel R. Zullinger, chairman of Orrstowns board, will continue in that role with the combined company and J. Rodney Messick, chairman of Codorus Valleys board of directors, will be vice chairman.

Neil Kalani, Orrstown Financial Services' current chief financial officer, will be CFO of the combined company and bank.

The remainder of the executive team will be drawn from both Orrstown and Codorus Valley.

Manning Media launches contemporary Christian radio station

Manning Media launched HOPE FM, a contemporary Christian radio station, in Hagerstown and Frederick, Md., in mid-October, President and CEO Fred Manning said.

"We felt there was a need for this type of format in the market," Manning said in a phone interview.

Manning Media aims for HOPE FM "to be a source of encouragement and positivity," according to a company news release. The station features Christian contemporary music and community-focused programming.

The programming plays on 102.1 FM in the Hagerstown area and on 94.3 FM in the Frederick, Md., area.

For those with HD radio, HOPE FM also plays on 106.9 HD2, Manning said.

Manning Media is finalizing its purchase of 94.3 FM from Hubbard Broadcasting, Manning said.

Manning Media has studios in Hagerstown and Frederick.

San Mar announces two new board members

San Mar Family & Community Services announced it has two new members on its board of managers, Ashley Tauler and Kalyani Loganathan.

Both "bring important perspectives to the board, and I look forward to seeing them deepen their involvement in this critical work," Board President Mark Halsey said in a news release.

Tauler is a policy and advocacy associate and family peer support specialist with the Maryland Coalition of Families. She has an associate's degree in human services from Hagerstown Community College and is a certified advocate through NACP. She is studying for her bachelor's degree in social work at Salisbury University, working to become a licensed social worker.

Ashley Tauler has joined San Mar Family & Community Services' Board of Managers.

Tauler's "experience as a youth in the foster care system helps drive her passion to help families and individuals experiencing similar challenges," the release states.

Loganathan has experience in the information technology field. That includes over 10 years implementing modern software technology and supporting senior executives and business stakeholders in using data and technology to improve outcomes for various organizations, the release states. Those organizations include P&G, Honeywell, Fidelis Cybersecurity, the Department of Veteran Affairs, Save the Children and the National Investment Center for Senior Housing.

Kalyani Loganathan has joined San Mar Family & Community Services' Board of Managers.

San Mar also recognizes outgoing board members David Lidz, founder of Streetwell and Ladders to Leaders, and Teri Cholewicki, executive recruiter and past foster parent, for their "significant and lengthy contributions," the release states.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Pennsylvania-based bank companies merge; Manning Media starts HOPE FM
A persistent conflict in the Everglades drives blood pressures as high as the rainwater. The cause? Every few years, Mother Nature dumps too much of the wet stuff in the wrong place.

The water problem pits the diminutive Cape Sable seaside sparrow against:

The health of three of the states greatest estuaries (Florida Bay and the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers)

Two Native American tribes (Seminoles and Miccosukees)

Lake Okeechobee, known as the Liquid Heart of Florida

The proper hydration of land in western Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties  an area larger than Delaware.

At stake is the precious long-range status of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, a $23 billion fix to South Floridas ecological plumbing problems. For Treasure Coast residents, the problem is also tied to Lake Okeechobee discharges to the St. Lucie River.

How to move the water, where to put it and how long it takes ruffles the feathers of the tiny little endangered bird that calls the Everglades home, as well as the tribes and several government agencies caught in the middle.

Moving water through the Everglades

The tangled web of water management in Florida is like planning a wedding reception with 100 guests: No matter where you seat confrontational relatives, someone ends up angry.

The Everglades system is enormous. It ranges from Shingle Creek and the wetlands of Walt Disney World to the archipelago of Islamorada in the central Florida Keys.

Before developers and farmers began sectioning off Floridas pastures and marshes, the natural drainage system encompassed 11,000 square miles. Federal and state partners are tasked with trying to fix one of the largest and most complex ecosystems on planet Earth.

When theres too much water on the land between the southern rim of Lake Okeechobee and the northern border of Everglades National Park  an area called Water Conservation Area 3  it puts the bird at odds with the:

Army Corps of Engineers

Department of the Interior

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

National Park Service

Endangered Species Act

South Florida Water Management District

Miccosukee and Seminole tribes

How do I feel about the bird?

A Cape Sable seaside sparrow after banding by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists.

If youve been reading my columns for years, you know my relationship with the bird goes like this:

20 years ago: I hated the sparrow and wanted it to move. I thought it caused more water to be discharged to sea via the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers because it couldnt flow south.

3 years ago: I felt sorry for the little bird and softened my criticism. I still wished it would move. After all, birds have wings, right?

Now: Its complicated. But maybe the time has come for us to move whats left of them.

How does too much water affect the sparrow?

This map from the Federal Register shows the last five subpopulations of nesting Cape Sable Seaside Sparrows as of 2007.

The sparrow is barely 5 inches long. Fewer than 3,000 are estimated to live in the wild.

Its life cycle depends on muhly grass on the calcium-rich marl plains in the eastern Everglades of Miami-Dade County. Its why the entire known population resides completely within the borders of Everglades National Park.

Water sheeting across these lands can be no deeper than about 6 inches, lest it push out the birds or keep them from nesting in the winter months.

A recurring problem happened again this fall, when the area got abnormally high amounts of rainfall in September and November. For over six months, water managers kept more rainwater than usual in WCA3 to keep it from flooding the sparrows nesting habitat. But that flooded the tribes lands.

The Miccosukees pleaded for state and federal officials to move the water off their lands and relieve flooding on natural tree islands. When that didnt work, they took to social media. Tribe members stood waist-deep in the River of Grass, holding signs that read, Open the Gates!

On Nov. 28, the Army Corps opened the gates along the edges of WCA3 and the Tamiami Trail. That moved water through Shark River Slough and out into the Gulf of Mexico.

What do we do about the sparrow?

This lopsided conflict in Everglades restoration pits decisions about the management of a single species against the management of water for many people. By law, the Endangered Species Act always supersedes moving water, even through man-made stormwater treatment areas, as in the case of the sparrow and the Everglades snail kite.

High water in WCA3 is going to be a problem every four to five years. It will flood the Miccosukees and Seminoles. It will drown the remaining tree islands, of which over 68% are already destroyed, a mid-1990s study estimated. The water HAS to flow south into Florida Bay and Shark River.

Two other threats to the Cape Sable seaside sparrow loom. Sea-level rise caused by climate change could swamp nesting lands in a few decades. More immediately, the growing problem of invasive pests in the Everglades could wipe out the sparrows.

A Cape Sable seaside sparrow perches on one of the grasses where it makes its home and nesting habitat in the Everglades.

Pythons, tegu lizards and Nile monitor lizards  already spreading across South Florida  will eagerly gobble up sparrows and their eggs faster than the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service can render a biological opinion.

Fortunately, the sparrow didnt appear on the list of newly extinct species released in October. However, its recovery plan has yielded mixed results.

Should we gather up the handful of tiny birds we have left and house them somewhere else in pseudo-suitable habitat? If we dont move the birds, will we ever be able to send the water south from Lake Okeechobee, which could end discharges to the St. Lucie River?

It may be time to rescue the birds for their own good. That will also allow us to move water where nature intended it to go.

Ed Killer is a columnist with TCPalm. This is his opinion. Email him at ed.killer@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Everglades Cape Sable seaside sparrow holds water management hostage
An Israeli strike Monday that killed an Iranian officer in Syria is the latest development to renew fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East as the war in Gaza continues to rage with a mounting death toll.

Iran has vowed to retaliate against Israel for the strike, which killed a senior Iranian officer and marked Tehrans most personal loss yet in the Israel-Hamas war.

Tel Aviv is waiting for a tough countdown, said Irans Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

The strike also comes amid mounting civilian deaths in Gaza, with any potential fallout threatening to undo a strenuous effort from the U.S. to ensure the war does not expand beyond Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The U.S. itself is getting dragged deeper into the conflict as Washington fends off relentless attacks from Iranian-backed groups in Iraq and Syria. Militias carried out their deadliest attack since the Gaza war began when a Christmas Day drone strike critically wounded an American soldier and injured two others.

Although analysts dont expect the breakout of a wider war anytime soon, the events show the conflict is showing no signs of cooling down as New Years approaches.

Everybody is playing a chess game, said Barbara Slavin, a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center and the editor of the think tanks Middle East Voices blog. You have so many different players now.

But Slavin does not see a dramatic shift in the calculus anytime soon.

The major casualties of this war have taken place in Israel and in Gaza, and the West Bank, she continued. These other attacks, while theyre kind of scary, are really very much symbolic, more symbolic than part of a broader conflict at this time. It can always change  can always escalate  but I dont see this developing into World War III.

The Israeli strike in Damascus on Monday killed Brig. Gen. Sayyed Razi Mousavi, a senior adviser to Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who was responsible for coordination between Syria and Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed military and political group in Lebanon.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said his forces are fighting in a multi-arena war following the deadly Oct. 7 attacks from Hamas, which left more than 1,200 dead in southern Israel. Hamas, which is fighting to stay alive in Gaza, is funded by Iran.

Anyone who acts against us is a target, no one is immune, Gallant said on Tuesday.

Mousavi had been close to Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, who was slain by the U.S. in 2020 during the Trump administration, and his death this week prompted an outpouring of grief from Iran and its allies, just as Soleimanis death did nearly four years ago.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Monday that Tehran would definitely retaliate for the strike, according to Iranian state-run media.

His martyrdom is another sign of frustration and weakness of the occupying Zionist regime in the region, Raisi claimed.

Hezbollah has also strongly denounced the strike on Mousavi, state media reported. Analysts expect that if Iran responds to the Israeli strike, it will do so with Hezbollah and other proxy groups.

Trita Parsi, the executive vice president at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said Israel likely conducted the strike to send a message to Iran: that senior Iranian officials can and will be targeted for their involvement with proxy groups.

But Parsi assessed that Iran will not respond to Israel directly or with an escalatory attack, arguing theyre playing the longer game against the U.S. and Israel.

Theyre building up the capability of the Houthis, Hezbollah and others, he said. Were likely going to see more attacks on the U.S.  rather than the Iranian strike.

Israel has killed several high-ranking Iranian officials in the past decade as the two countries have been locked in a shadow war for years. But Tehran has rarely directly ordered a strike on Israel or Israeli positions, usually acting instead through its proxies.

The entire Middle East region is tense, with Iranian-backed militia groups having now attacked U.S. troops around 100 times since Oct. 17, shortly after the Israel-Hamas war began.

So far, American troops have suffered only minor injuries in the attacks in Iraq and Syria. But the Christmas Day strike saw an explosive drone hit an air base in northern Iraq, leaving one U.S. soldier in critical condition. The U.S. responded with retaliatory strikes that killed one militant and injured another 18.

When asked if the events over the holiday could lead to escalations in the Middle East, the Pentagon referred to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austins Monday statement. Austin said the U.S. does not seek escalation but is committed and fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities.

The Houthis, an Iranian-backed rebel group in Yemen, also continue to be a threat against ships and merchant vessels in the Red Sea. They have mainly harassed commercial boats, but a few weeks ago they damaged a ship with a missile and hijacked another last month. The U.S. set up a maritime task force last week to deter the Houthis, but the group is promising to keep up its pace of attacks in the Red Sea.

Analysts say the only way for tensions to ease across the Middle East is if the war in Gaza reaches a cease-fire or significantly slows down. The wars high death toll  more than 20,000 Palestinian people killed, according to Hamas health officials  has sparked outrage across the world, but particularly among Arab nations, Iran and Iranian allies.

The U.S. is pushing Israel to move the war into a lower-intensity phase, a diplomatic campaign that bore some fruit earlier this month when Israeli officials signaled they would do so when the time was right.

But its not clear when that would happen. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week that fighting is picking up in southern Gaza, where nearly two million Palestinian civilians have fled.

And Netanyahu emphasized that Israeli soldiers need to keep going until the end.

We are not stopping and we will not stop until we are victorious, because we have no country but this one, and we have no other way, Netanyahu said before the Knesset.

Parsi, from the Quincy Institute, said that every day were getting closer and closer to all-out war in the Middle East, which he said will likely get more aggressive until Israel slows down its assault on Gaza.

Its an extremely dangerous, escalatory cycle that were in, he said, and the most obvious and most effective way of stopping and preventing a regional war is the one step that the administration is least inclined to pursue. And that is to actually have a cease-fire in Gaza.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
I'm embarrassed to ask this question': This 50-year-old Illinois widow says she put her kids through college  but now has nothing saved for retirement. Here's what Dave Ramsey told her

A recent episode of "The Ramsey Show" addressed a conundrum that many Americans face: approaching retirement with little to no savings.

This is the unfortunate situation of Jodi from Springfield, Illinois, who called into Dave Ramseys financial advice show to ask for some help. Im embarrassed to ask this question, said the 50-year-old widow. I have no retirement. Im ready to start retirement and I dont even know where to start or how to begin.

Dont miss

Jodi also said she used the insurance money she received after her husbands death to pay off the mortgage and put her kids through college. Now she owns her house free and clear but she has only $1,000 in emergency funds, and earns just $36,000 after taxes as a social worker.

Her situation is familiar to many. About half of Americans between the ages of 55 and 66 have no personal retirement savings, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Im scared, Jodi admitted. Its to a point that sometimes I cry.

Ramsey, however, was much more optimistic about her future. Theres nothing to be embarrassed about any of that! he told her. Jodis lack of debt and fully paid-off house impressed him, and he gave her a three-step plan to get her finances back on track.

Step 1 - Invest $1,000 a month

Jodis lack of debt allows her to put a large proportion of her income toward savings. Ramsey recommends she set aside $1,000 a month to save for retirement, starting right away. That implies a savings rate of 33% on after-tax income.

A double-digit savings rate is nearly impossible for most Americans. The U.S. personal savings rate was just 3.4% in September 2023, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. But Jodi has the advantage of being an empty nester with no consumer debt and no mortgage. Saving a third of her income is feasible.

Step 2 - Deploy funds in a Roth IRA

Ramsey recommended a Roth IRA for Jodis monthly savings. This popular individual retirement account enables tax-free growth. Account holders who have held funds in this vehicle for more than five years can start withdrawing cash tax-free at 59 and a half years old.

Ramsey had a longer time horizon in mind for Jodi. He told her that if she maintains the $1,000-a-month contributions for 15 years, shell have $500,000 in her Roth IRA at 65.

Read more: Owning real estate for passive income is one of the biggest myths in investing  but here's how you can actually make it work

Step 3 - Focus on investing in mutual funds

The final step is to focus on stocks and mutual funds. Ramsey says his personal mutual fund investments have averaged 12% annually. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 has averaged 10.7% per year since 1957, per Insider. So a double-digit annualized return is certainly possible.

Ramsey estimated that 10% compounded annual growth, having already turned Jodis monthly $1,000 contributions into half a million dollars, could yield more annual retirement income from capital gains than Jodis current $36,000 income, enabling a stress-free retirement.

To be fair, past performance is no indication of future returns. The S&P 500 has had some decades with flat or negative returns in the past. Another lost decade for stocks cannot be ruled out. Nevertheless, saving $1,000 a month would put Jodi in a much better financial position even without capital gains along the way.

Simply put, its never too late or too difficult to secure your retirement.

What to read next

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Savanah Nicole Soto, a pregnant teenager who disappeared before she was scheduled to be induced, is believed to have been found dead Tuesday following a dayslong search, police said.

Her boyfriend was also found dead, police confirmed Wednesday.

The two bodies were discovered in a vehicle in San Antonio, the city's police chief, Bill McManus, told reporters Tuesday evening, calling the case "very, very perplexing."

"Detectives right now are looking at this as a possible murder, but we don't know for sure," McManus said.

PHOTO: Law enforcement released this photo of Savanah Soto. (Texas Department of Public Safety)

The bodies of an 18-year-old woman and 22-year-old man were found in a parked vehicle, each with a gunshot wound, police said Wednesday. An unborn child was also found deceased, police said.

The medical examiner positively identified the male victim as Matthew Guerra, police said Wednesday night. Police are awaiting positive identification for the female victim.

The victims' cause of death will be confirmed by the medical examiner, police said.

They are believed to have been in the boyfriend's vehicle for three to four days, McManus said.

The vehicle was found on the 5900 block of Danny Kaye Drive in northwest San Antonio, police said. McManus did not know who located it.

BREAKING: Savanah Soto, a pregnant Texas teenager who had been reported missing by her family, is believed to have been found dead along with her boyfriend, authorities say. https://t.co/fZsvxYPgfjpic.twitter.com/grtJPRIZqQ  ABC News (@ABC) December 27, 2023

Soto, 18, was last seen Friday afternoon in Leon Valley, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. The agency issued a CLEAR Alert -- used to help law enforcement locate someone in imminent danger or whose disappearance is involuntary -- for Soto on Monday.

The pregnant teen had passed her delivery date, which "caused significant concern among her family members after missing an essential medical appointment," the Leon Valley Police Department said in a press release earlier on Tuesday.

Soto's mother, Gloria Cordova, told San Antonio ABC affiliate KSAT that her daughter was scheduled to be induced at a hospital this past Saturday.

"When I called her all morning she wasn't answering, was going straight to voicemail," Cordova told the station. "We went to the hospital anyways. She was a no-show, and that's when I called the cops."

MORE: Florida mall shooting: Reward up to $10,000 as police hunt for suspect

Cordova said her daughter's home was clean and had been prepped for the baby's arrival.

"This is not like her," Cordova told KSAT. "She was so excited to have this baby. The house was already baby-ready."

"There's no reason why she would just get up and go off and do that," she added.

PHOTO: Gloria Cordova the mother of missing Savanah Soto speaks during a press conference, Dec. 25, 2023, in Leon Valley, Texas. (KSAT)

Cordova said the family is already reeling after her son, Ethan, died last year. The 15-year-old was fatally shot at his home in San Antonio, police said.

"[Savanah] knows what I went through with Ethan, and I know she doesn't want me to go through this again," the mother told KSAT.

MORE: Search for suspects continues in Christmas Eve Colorado mall shooting that left 1 dead, 3 hurt

Amid the search for her daughter, Cordova said she did not know where the father of the baby was either.

"I just want her home," Cordova said. "I'm worried about the baby, if she's even had the baby, if she's in danger."

The Leon Valley Police Department said Tuesday morning that it was actively investigating Soto's disappearance and seeking additional witnesses and information.

The San Antonio Police Department has taken over the investigation.

Body believed to be missing pregnant teen found with gunshot wound: Police originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
A pair of bodies found in a car in San Antonio, Texas, are thought to be those of a missing pregnant teenager and her boyfriend, police said Tuesday night.

Savanah Soto, 18, was last seen in a Kia Optima around 2 p.m. Friday on the 6000 block of Grissom Road in Leon Valley, the citys police department said in an earlier statement, adding that they believed Soto's disappearance posed "a credible threat to their own health and safety.

On Tuesday night, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said two bodies were found dead in an Optima belonging to Soto's boyfriend. The bodies may have been in the car for three or four days, he said.

There are two people in the car. ... They are deceased, McManus said near the crime scene. We believe that it is the missing woman and her boyfriend.

The bodies will be officially identified by the medical examiner, the police chief said.

Detectives are treating the case as a possible murder, McManus said. He noted that the crime scene was "very perplexing" and that information could change.

Soto's disappearance had earlier triggered a CLEAR Alert. The CLEAR Alert was created in 2019 to help law enforcement find and rescue missing, kidnapped or abducted adults who are in immediate danger of injury or death, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. CLEAR stands for Coordinated Law Enforcement Adult Rescue.

Savanah Soto. (Texas Department of Public Safety)

The city of Leon Valley, which is about 12 miles northwest of San Antonio, had posted on its Facebook page that Soto was past her delivery date and that her family was contacted the San Antonio Police Department because they were concerned after she missed "an essential medical appointment."

The city added that the Leon Valley Police Department was investigating her disappearance and that detectives and officers were seeking additional witnesses and information.

NBC affiliate WOAI of San Antonio on Monday spoke to Soto's family, who said she hadn't been seen since the day before she was scheduled to be induced.

"I just need to know that shes OK," said Soto's mother, Gloria Cordova.

Cordova pleaded with the public for information about her daughter's whereabouts. She also filed a police report with Leon Valley over the weekend, WOAI reported.

Cordova said that since she last spoke to her daughter, theres been no contact with her.

"I just want her home. Im worried about the baby  if shes even had the baby," she told the station.

Cordova said she believes her daughter is in trouble.

"Theres no reason why she would just get up and go off and do that," she said.

In a Facebook post, Cordova wrote her daughter was with her boyfriend.

Cordova said Soto wouldn't disappear on her own accord in light of the death of her brother, Ethan Soto, 15, last year.

"She knows what I went through with Ethan, and I know she doesnt want me to go through this again. Come home. I just want her to come home. I just want her to call me and [tell] me shes OK," Cordova told WOAI.

"God, hear my prayers and bring my granddaughter and my great grandson back home," her grandmother Rachel Soto told the station. "Thats all we want."
Unenthusiastic about either of their likely choices for president, many Americans say they want more, seeding the ground for a possible bumper crop of third-party and independent presidential candidates next year.

While their chances of actually winning the White House may be tiny, the likelihood of several extra candidates on the ballot could tip a close election and will further complicate an already muddied picture of the divided American electorate.

That uncertainty is already troubling both parties, but especially Democrats, who worry third-party candidates could spoil the election for them as they say Green Party candidates did in 2016 and 2000, though insiders acknowledge it may be impossible to predict what happens in a five- or six-way race.

Voters may be surprised at how many choices they actually have, said Kyle Kondik, a political analyst at the University of Virginia. Its going to make polls even harder to figure out. Its an added haze over the whole battlefield.

While minor-party candidates are nothing new, the ballot may be extra long next year, with well-known independents like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West, along with possible centrist candidacies from West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin and an effort backed by No Labels, on top of the familiar presence of the Green and Libertarian parties.

This is a pretty unique historical moment when more than 60% of the population says theyre open to voting for a third-party or independent candidate, said Tony Lyons, Kennedys book publisher and the co-founder of a super PAC that has already raised millions to support the ex-Democrat.

Several recent polls show Kennedys support above 19%, the modern record for a non-major-party candidate set by billionaire Ross Perot during his 1992 independent campaign, despite mostly negative coverage in the mainstream media, Lyons said.

Theres so much distrust with public officials and the media.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are both deeply unpopular, as are both major parties, with just a quarter of Americans saying they are enthusiastic about their likely rematch and almost three-quarters of independent voters saying they would like to see more candidates running.

For most voters, 2020 is an election theyd rather not have to relive, said Patrick Murray, who runs the nonpartisan Monmouth University Polling Institute. The question is whether this discontent creates an opening for someone else.

Of course, Americans havent elected an independent president since George Washington  Perot did not receive a single Electoral College vote  and polls typically overstate support for minor-party candidates. Historically, around half of voters who tell pollsters theyll support an alternative candidate wind up pulling the lever for a major-party candidate in the end out of fear of wasting their vote.

Voters dont back third parties on election night, said Jim Messina, who managed Barack Obamas successful 2012 re-election campaign. No third-party candidate has gotten even one electoral vote in more than 50 years. What they will do, instead, is siphon off just enough votes in swing states to put Trump back in the White House. Thats a catastrophe.

Both parties have made efforts to keep their voters in the fold, with Republicans boosting Kennedy during his Democratic primary run against Biden, then reversing course when he declared as an independent and polls showed Republicans liked his conspiratorial brand of populism.

Donald Trump Jr. has called Kennedy a Democrat plant, the Republican National Committee has repeatedly blasted him as a Democrat in Independents clothing, and right-wing media personalities have warned their followers not to fall for a candidate they had praised months earlier.

But Democrats are particularly concerned, with Trump campaign manager Chris LaCivita saying, All of the elements of the third-party run are coming out of [Bidens] coalition, not ours.

As operatives in both parties see it, Biden has a higher ceiling of potential support than Trump. But getting there depends on essentially forcing anti-Trump soft Biden supporters to pull the lever for him instead of staying home or voting for another candidate. Trump, meanwhile, has a lower ceiling but a higher floor of hardcore supporters than Biden, which could be an ideal arrangement in a multicandidate field.

Candidates not named Trump or Biden will likely outperform previous third-party campaign benchmarks in an unprecedented way, said Kurt Bardella, a former Republican operative who left the party over Trump. While I understand the frustration with the two-party system, the reality is when it comes to the 2024 election, a vote for anyone else but the Democratic nominee is a vote for Donald Trump.

The more recent high-water mark for minor-party candidates came in 2016, when they earned a combined 6% of the vote. Green Party nominee Jill Stein won just 1%, but that included enough votes in enough swing states that some Democrats blame her for electing Trump, since they assume many of those votes for Stein, who represents liberal policy viewpoints, would have otherwise gone to Hillary Clinton.

That view is widely held by Democrats, who have been particularly concerned about the centrist group No Labels, which is backed by large undisclosed donors and has the resources and wherewithal to accomplish the monumental task of getting on the ballot across the country.

While the Biden campaign is focused on running against Trump, a loose coalition of pro-Biden groups has formed to counter No Labels and other third-party efforts, though the coordination of their efforts is still mostly informal, without regular meetings or a dedicated war room.

I think folks just arent fully dialed in yet to how serious this risk is, said one Democratic strategist involved in the effort who requested anonymity to speak candidly. Its a big deal. If you look at the risk that this poses, there will be no choice but to forcefully and strongly push back on it.

With the centrist Democratic think tank Third Way acting as the hub, other groups in the coalition have focused on their expertise: MoveOn.org is working to keep progressive voters in the fold; never Trump groups like the Lincoln Project are trying to do the same for moderates; a new bipartisan group founded by former House Democratic leader Richard Gephardt has been engaging Washington graybeards to write op-eds and talk to donors; Reproductive Freedom for All produced an ad claiming No Labels wants a national abortion ban; End Citizens United has been playing up potential campaign finance issues; and the opposition research super PAC American Bridge has retained Democratic lawyer Marc Elias to look for opportunities to bring legal challenges to third-party candidates.

Some legal battles have already begun, such as when the Arizona Democratic Party filed a complaint to keep No Labels off the ballot in the key swing state. But more legal fights are certain in the coming year, when the byzantine ballot access process begins in earnest, as is the potential for bigger advertising campaigns.

Meanwhile, some worry the presence of candidates with anti-establishment views and little to lose could create opportunities for foreign actors interested in undermining Americans confidence in the U.S. political system.

Andrew Weiss, a Russia expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, noted that Kennedy, West and Stein, who is running again on the Green Party ticket, are fierce opponents of U.S. support for Ukraine.

A Senate report on the 2016 election found that one of Moscows tactics included social media campaigns to boost Stein, leading Hillary Clinton to later call her a Russian asset  a charge Stein vehemently denied as an unhinged conspiracy theory.

You can see how that would provide proof of concept to the Kremlin that third-party candidates are a useful vehicle for making American politics more divisive and dysfunctional in a close election, Weiss said.

Still, its unclear how many candidates will make it onto the ballot in most states and stay in the race until next November. What is clear, though, is that the extra candidates add a major wild-card factor to the race.

Seventy-five years ago, pollsters and pundits were nearly unanimous in predicting that the unpopular Democratic president would lose re-election, thanks in large part to the presence of well-known third-party candidates.

Biden is maybe going to have to do what Harry Truman did in 1948, said veteran Democratic strategist Bob Shrum. He was written off, with a Dem splinter party to the left of him under [Henry] Wallace, and a Dem splinter party on his right, under [Dixiecrat] Strom Thurmond.

Neither were seen as serious contenders for the presidency, but they were expected to pull enough votes from Truman to hand the White House to Republican Thomas Dewey.

But many know from that famous photograph of Truman holding up the incorrect newspaper headline, Shrum said, "Dewey did not defeat Truman. Truman won."
The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a 41-year-old man who went overboard on a cruise ship just before Christmas, it said Monday.

The Vision of the Seas was 127 miles east of Charleston, South Carolina, on Saturday night when the incident occurred, the Coast Guard posted on X.

Crew members said they immediately reported it to local authorities, which began a search and rescue mission, according to the ship's operator, Royal Caribbean Cruises.

Coast Guard crews searched more than 1,625 square miles over eight hours, according to the Coast Guard in Charleston.

"Out of privacy for the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share," said a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean.

Passengers were alerted just after 7 p.m. Saturday, when an announcement saying Oscar, Oscar, Oscar, Starboard was made over the ships loudspeakers, passenger Colin Schappi told NBC News affiliate WCBD in Charleston.

All the staff made a face at each other, said Schappi, who was at dinner onboard when the incident happened. No one knew what was going on at first, then they did another announcement explaining what happened a few minutes later.

The ship departed Baltimore on Friday and made its first stop in Orlando on Sunday, arriving in the Bimini Islands on Christmas Day, according to the cruise itinerary. Two more stops are planned in the Bahamas before it returns to Maryland.

The eight-day roundtrip was themed "Christmas," according to the cruise line's website.

Last month, a 28-year-old man jumped from a Carnival cruise ship bound for Jamaica. The Coast Guard searched over 5,600 miles, but he was never found.
Editors Note: Will Ripley is CNNs Senior International Correspondent. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. Read more CNN Opinion.

In the heart of southern Taiwans woods, cat rescuers found a tiny kitten all alone fending for himself. No mother or siblings around. I was on assignment in the Middle East when a volunteer sent me his picture.

He was a wild eyed little furball with orange and white tiger stripes and big perky ears, his mouth wide-open in the middle of a loud meow. My heart melted, and I instantly knew he was the one. I told friends I was going to name him Nova, because to me, he looks like a bright, shining new star. It was love at first sight.

I had decided to rescue a cat just a few days earlier, and the volunteer kindly agreed to hold onto Nova for about a week, giving me time to return home, procure the necessary cat supplies and pick him up.

Ive always considered myself a dog person, and I raised puppies before, but this would be my first foray with a feline companion.

Little did I know, I would be in for a bumpy, wonderful ride. When Nova entered my home for the first time on a Sunday evening in September, his trepidation mirrored my own reluctance to face the world in recent years.

Will Ripley and his cat, Nova, who rescuers found fending for himself in southern Taiwan's woods. - Will Ripley/CNN

He sought refuge beneath the couch, reminding me of my own retreat into solitude during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. I used to consider myself a social butterfly, but in recent years I have stayed far away from the once-familiar realms of gyms, restaurants and bustling shopping malls.

Welcoming a furry companion was popular during the pandemic. As people sought solace and companionship in the confines of their homes, animal shelters across the globe experienced a heart-warming influx of adoptions. The sense of uncertainty and isolation nudged many towards the idea of embracing a four-legged friend.

The figures painted a heartening picture  shelters emptied, adoption rates skyrocketed, and families found joy in the presence of newfound furry members.

Yet, as the world tentatively opened up again, a disheartening trend emerged. Many people, once drawn to the idea of pet ownership during the solace of lockdown, found themselves unprepared for the commitment it entailed once life regained its bustling pace. A staggering number of pets were returned to shelters or abandoned, as their owners were unable to navigate the shift back to normalcy alongside their furry friends.

Ill never know Novas origin story. Did he run away from a loving family and somehow end up lost in the woods? Was he born in the wild and left alone to fend for himself when his mother and siblings either died or abandoned him? Did his owner grow weary of Novas incessant meowing and chaotic energy and kick him to the curb?

As I was writing this, Nova knocked my laptop off the couch when I stepped away to get a glass of water. I was momentarily frustrated when I heard the latest loud BANG echo through my house  in this case, the sound of my laptop hitting the hardwood floor. But guess what? My laptop still works. So here I am, still writing, with an exasperated smile on my face and gratitude in my heart. Hes a little tornado. And I love him more for it.

Many others grew weary of the burden of pet ownership when their normal lives resumed, but I guess Im the exception. The resumption of regular life was exactly when I needed Novas companionship the most. Turns out, I was still stuck in lockdown mode as the rest of the planet began to reopen its doors.

Novas cautious emergence from hiding under my couch that first day paralleled my own tentative steps back into the real world. His fearless exploration of every corner of my home reflected a bravery I yearned to emulate. In his beautiful ginger fur, I found a symbol of bold resilience. In his relentless curiosity, a beacon of hope.

Cats, like Nova, possess a unique intelligence and agility. Their ability to adapt to new environments is remarkable. Novas audacious forays into uncharted territories around my house echoed the adaptability innate to feline creatures. His playful nature, coupled with the occasional chaos of overturned items, taught me the beauty of embracing lifes unpredictability.

When I joined CNN a decade ago, I embraced the adventure. I moved to Tokyo, sight unseen, and travelled to dozens of countries on assignment  from Pyongyang, North Korea to Havana, Cuba. I was always exploring and learning valuable lessons from every new experience, whether it was frightening or fantastic.

The Covid-19 pandemic changed everything for me. I used to feel restless being alone at home, always yearning for the next big trip. But spending months locked in quarantine as I covered the pandemic across the Indo Pacific region, taught me to relish my alone time perhaps a little too much.

I began to enjoy the solitude and, in fact, crave it. Social activities that used to energize me now felt like they drained my batteries completely. I spent long hours and days and weeks and months alone. Sure, I was lonely, but I didnt know how to break myself out of it. I stopped posting about my personal life on social media. I kept to myself and told myself I preferred it that way.

Looking back, I was lying to myself. But I didnt want to change because I was afraid. Ill admit, I had some very dark moments where I questioned my place in the world.

When the wind blows, it creates an eerie howling sound in my house that made me feel even more alone, especially on bitter cold nights and grey rainy days. I began to fill the silence with music. I began buying plants to breathe some life into the emptiness that surrounded me. But somehow, it just wasnt enough.

Nova the Cat has the run of the house, and his owner, CNN's Senior International Correspondent Will Ripley, has learned to live with it. - Will Ripley/CNN

Now, my home is filled with other noises. Novas incessant meows have inspired me to rediscover my own voice. His vocal nature contrasted my own self-imposed silence on social media. I talk about the news for a living, but I didnt do much talking the rest of the time.

As I returned home each day to Novas enthusiastic and loud greetings, I rediscovered the power of communication and sharing beyond the confines of work-related updates. I bonded with friends and colleagues, laughing as we shared stories about our crazy cats. Its just a phase, hes a kitten, hell outgrow it, they often tell me. Part of me hopes he will stay young and naughty forever, messiness and all.

Feline companions like Nova possess a remarkable capacity for companionship and understanding. He served as a catalyst for my gradual emergence from self-doubt and isolation. My job as a CNN correspondent had become a veil behind which I concealed my deeper struggles. Nova, however, dismantled my self-imposed barriers, encouraging me to embrace life beyond titles and achievements.

The American Psychiatric Association conducted a survey revealing 86% of pet owners feel their animals positively impact their mental health, citing benefits like stress reduction, companionship and unconditional love. Dog and cat owners equally attest to these benefits  though cat owners highlight companionship more, while dog owners mention increased physical activity. In my case, I experienced both.

In his whirlwind existence, Nova teaches me invaluable lessons every day. My lovely, loving and loud little cat symbolizes the rebuilding process I underwent. Like tidying up after his playful chaos, I learned to gather up the scattered fragments of my life and place them in sturdier, more meaningful configurations.

In the end, Nova was more than a rescue cat found alone in the woods; he was a catalyst for my personal transformation. His spirited existence breathed life into my world, infusing it with newfound enthusiasm and resilience.

Nova, with his unwavering courage and indomitable spirit, became the embodiment of the life I once prayed for  that I am now living. His tiny frame seems to carry immense wisdom, lessons that reshaped my existence.

Through his eyes, I learned that lifes challenges are not obstacles  but opportunities for growth and reinvention.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
By Park Jae-hyuk

Rumors including one involving a top presidential aide have been spreading since last Thursday when POSCO Group started a process to appoint its next chairperson, according to industry officials, Tuesday.

The cybercrime bureau of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency launched a probe into a rumor circulated online that presidential chief of staff Kim Dae-ki is trying to meddle with the appointment process, after a formal complaint was lodged.

Kim has drawn attention for his close relationships with former LG Energy Solution CEO Kwon Young-soo, who is mentioned as one of the candidates to lead POSCO Holdings, and with former Oceans and Fisheries Minister Kim Sung-jin, one of POSCO Holdings outside directors who will take part in recommending the next chairman to lead the nations fifth-largest business group over the next three years.

"We are investigating the case. We cannot disclose details," a police official said.

After calls have grown for POSCO Holdings to appoint an outsider as its next chairman to drive innovation, rumors have spread that former and incumbent government officials are trying to give the seat to their close friends.

Although POSCO was privatized in 2000, the government has continued exercising its influence over the steelmaker and its affiliates through the National Pension Service, the state-run pension fund that is the largest shareholder of POSCO Holdings.

Former Chairman Chung Joon-yang, who was appointed under the 2008-13 Lee Myung-bak administration, offered to resign when Park Geun-hye took office as the next president. His successor, Kwon Oh-joon, was reappointed in March 2017, but he stepped down under the Moon Jae-in administration.

Considering the fact that the incumbent chairman, Choi Jeong-woo, was appointed under the Moon administration, he was initially not expected to seek another three-year term.

Choi, who has faced continuous opposition from the now-ruling People Power Party, has also been excluded from business delegations accompanying President Yoon Suk Yeol on his overseas trips. In addition, POSCO Group recently revised the rules on the appointment of its next chairman, so that the incumbent chairman will not receive any preferential treatment.

However, Choi purchased additional POSCO Holdings shares worth 300 million won ($232,000) earlier this month, indicating his intention to seek a third term.

There is nothing to comment on," a POSCO Holdings official said when asked whether the chairman has decided to seek a third term.

If it turns out to be true that Choi is seeking another term, he will likely compete with POSCO Vice Chairman Kim Hag-dong, who leads the groups steelmaking unit, POSCO International Vice Chairman Jeong Tak, who heads its trading firm, and several former and incumbent executives of the group.
Photos showed passengers sitting at the Mumbai airport on Tuesday after the plane landed

A plane carrying hundreds of Indian nationals who were held for days at an airport in France over human trafficking fears has arrived in India.

The chartered Airbus A340, which had been flying from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Nicaragua, aroused suspicion during a refuelling stop.

It left with 276 passengers but 25 people including two minors remained in France after applying for asylum.

Two suspected traffickers also remain in France for further investigation.

However the two were set free by the courts.

The Legend Airlines flight landed in Mumbai early on Tuesday local time.

French authorities had grounded the plane over suspicion of trafficking

Photos shared by news agency ANI show several passengers sitting on plastic chairs at the Mumbai airport after the flight landed. Some of the passengers could be seen leaving the airport but BBC Marathi reports that most of them refused to answer questions from the media.

The plane had initially been prevented from leaving Chalons-Vatry Airport, about 130km (81 miles) from Paris, on Thursday after authorities received an anonymous tip-off that some passengers might be "victims of human trafficking", Parisian prosecutors say.

Most of those aboard were believed to be Indian citizens working in the UAE. A third of the passengers are reported to be from India's affluent western state of Gujarat.

French authorities reportedly also suspected that the people on board might have been travelling to Nicaragua before attempting to enter the US or Canada.

It was not clear whether authorities had definitively determined that no crime had been committed before allowing the plane to leave.

It is also unclear why the flight went to Mumbai instead of resuming its journey to Nicaragua.

Legend Airlines is a Romanian charter airline with a fleet of four planes, according to the online flight tracker Flightradar.

With reporting inputs from Delhi and Mumbai
Pound Ridge Supervisor Kevin Hansan gushes about the variety of small businesses that thrive in the towns commercial corridor along Westchester Avenue, bordering Connecticut in the northeast corner of Westchester County.

The town is good at having one of everything, said Hansan, who I met Thursday morning in line for coffee at The Kitchen Table at Pound Ridge. We have a grocery store, hardware store, dry cleaner, coffee shop, a restaurant with a bar, a restaurant that serves a full breakfast, a tattoo artist, bookstore, and a wine shop.

Pound Ridge Supervisor Kevin Hansan, who grabbed a morning coffee at The Kitchen Table, says a cannabis dispensary in Pound Ridge will add variety to its commercial corridor on Westchester Avenue.

There used to be two wine shops, but the Wine Collector, which billed itself as a purveyor of rare and fine wines, closed last year. Now that building at 32 Westchester Ave. may soon be the site of a shop selling various strains of sativa and indica cannabis, the states newest legal intoxicant.

Hansan said the town was surprised to receive applicants this summer. Now they are scrambling to enact new zoning laws to govern any dispensary that wins a state license to sell cannabis.

On Thursday, the town received word that one of its applicants, Monica Alexander, who had sought a license to open a dispensary at 69 Westchester Ave., had withdrawn her bid. But a proposed operator at 32 Westchester Ave. still has his application pending.

"It wasn't until this past summer that this guy suddenly showed up," he said. "So we are a little behind the 8-ball. Could we have done that sooner? We could have if we had known that this was something someone was viably thinking about."

Marijuana: Connecticut adult-use pot shops draw New Yorkers as NY rollout limps along

News of the towns first cannabis license application broke in October, creating a furor during the fall election for town offices. Hansan won a fourth term, but the suburban unrest hasnt abated. Scores of residents packed a public hearing on Dec. 9 regarding a six-month moratorium on downtown building permits until the Pound Ridge Town Board considers regulations for cannabis shops in its downtown area.

I recognize that cannabis is legal, but this issue has everything to do with the character of Pound Ridge, said John McCown, who lost to Hansan by 57% to 43% in November. I love Starbucks, but I never want one in Pound Ridge.

Now the Democrat-controlled Pound Ridge Town Board has told the state Office of Cannabis Management that it supports passage of a home rule law that would give the town a second chance at holding a referendum on whether the town should allow a dispensary.

State Sen. Shelley Mayer, D-Yonkers, and Assemblyman Chris Burdick, D-Bedford, met with dispensary opponents on Friday.

State law gave municipalities until Dec. 31, 2021, to ban dispensaries. The law allows municipalities that voted to ban dispensaries the opportunity to rescind that ban. But it does not give municipalities that did not establish a ban a second chance to do so.

If approved by the state Legislature, Pound Ridge would be the first town granted a second chance on opting out.

If the state thinks we should reconsider it, we arent going to stand in the way, said Hansan. Weve got concerned residents who want to lead the opposition. We wont stop them.

At 32 Westchester Ave. in Pound Ridge, at the site of the former Wine Collector, SMMB, Inc. has applied for a state license for a retail cannabis dispensary.

Opting to opt out

The uproar over the proposed dispensary on Westchester Avenue comes two years after New York municipalities had their one-and-only chance to opt out of that section of the states cannabis law, which otherwise allows cannabis dispensaries in a municipality.

When I wrote about that two years ago, I was surprised to discover that Pound Ridge, not known for being on the cutting edge of societal change, was the only municipality in northeast Westchester that had decided to welcome cannabis dispensaries.

More: Will Westchester become Weed-chester? Communities have choice to opt out by Dec. 31

Hansan at the time told me he didnt expect that a cannabis entrepreneur would turn a profit in the sleepy town of single-family homes, where Realtor.com reports the median home sales price in 2023 was $1.1 million.

Nathan's case for secrecy

The Pound Ridge Town Boards desire to revisit its lack of action two years came days after retired attorney John Nathan sent a letter to the state Cannabis Control Board, challenging the towns decision to not opt out of the state law that gave cannabis proprietors the right to set up shop.

Nathan, a former partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in Manhattan, argued that the Town Board violated the state Open Meetings Law by not discussing the merits of cannabis sales in public before deciding not to opt out.

He maintained that it was an off-the-books decision that violated the state law, which requires that policy decisions made by a municipal board be decided in public.

Nathan said that Hansan did little to alert Pound Ridge residents that such a decision was to be made in the fall of 2021. His review of Town Board videos found that Hansan spoke for one minute in April 2021 about the board having until the end of the year to make a decision.

The supervisor decided on his own that he didnt want to put the public through the opt-out process, which required a public hearing, said Nathan. Then he decided, with the support of other board members, to run out the clock.

While the law required a public hearing if the municipality wanted to opt out, there was no such requirement if the town wanted to allow them by not acting. Hansan said there were no secret meetings at which the decision was made.

There was nothing for the Town Board to act on in public because the law only required public action if a municipality wanted to ban dispensaries.

Any of the Town Board members could have brought it up, he said. We didnt do anything. And there was no requirement that we do anything.

Hansan said allowing a dispensary would help town finances, with a 3% sales tax flowing to the municipality. That means $30,000 for every $1 million in cannabis sales.

When has the state ever given municipalities that much unrestricted revenue?

Possible impacts

McCown, however, maintains that a pot shop on Pound Ridge will depress property values among 69 single-family homes within 2000 feet of the former wine store. He cited a study from the state of Washington that found property values of homes that close to dispensaries falling by 3.5%.

A hit of $40,000 on your property value would be a tangible impact, said McCown.

Hansan, however, compares the outpouring of opposition in Pound Ridge to the outcry several years ago against the erection of a cell tower in the Scotts Corner business district. After its installation, residents became used to it, and life moved on, with better cell service.

We were told the cell tower was going to destroy the character of the town, recalled Hansan. The emotion of that was like over the chart. But then what happened? Its like a fallen tree. Once its there, but after a week, you dont even notice it any more. You just live your life.

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David McKay Wilson writes about tax issues and government accountability.Follow him on Twitter @davidmckay415 or email himat dwilson3@lohud.com.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Pound Ridge, which didn't ban pot shops in 2021, wants a second chance
Human remains found in a wooded area in Carroll County, Virginia, have been identified as those of a 5-year-old boy who disappeared in 2003, authorities said.

Logan Nathaniel Bowman's remains were found last year in the area of Iron Ridge Road in Galax, the Carroll County Sheriffs Office said Thursday on Facebook.

Authorities were able to identify the remains with the help of Othram Inc., a private company that specializes in forensic genealogy analysis to help solve cold cases nationwide.

Logan Bowman. (Carroll County Sheriff's Office)

The company was able to "develop a full DNA profile which allowed them to use Forensic Genetic Genealogy, and two direct DNA comparisons of family members to identify the remains as being Logan Nathaniel Bowman," the sheriff's office said.

Logan's remains were discovered in a trash can, according to DNASolves.com, a part of Othram. A sleeping bag, a white Winnie-the-Pooh blanket with pink flowers and a piece of cloth were also found at the scene, the site said.

It was determined that his remains had been there for an extended period of time, the sheriffs office said.

His mother, Cynthia Davis, and her then-boyfriend, Dennis Schermerhorn, were arrested and charged shortly after Logan disappeared in January 2003. Davis pleaded guilty to two counts of child neglect and one count of homicide in connection with Logan's disappearance, according to DNASolves.com. She was sentenced to 20 years on the child neglect charges, with the sentence suspended, and 30 years for homicide, with 15 years suspended.

Schermerhorn was convicted of one count of child neglect and sentenced to a year in jail.

The sheriff's office said more charges are expected.
A key group backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis presidential bid bet at the outset of his campaign that the path to the nomination ran through literally out-knocking the competition on his behalf.

So it did. In early-voting states, the super PAC Never Back Down blanketed the ground with canvassers who knocked on hundreds of thousands of doors again and again (and in some cases, again and again after that), hoping to spread DeSantis message and better introduce him to the electorate.

Never Back Down, which runs much of DeSantis ground game, planned to spend $100 million carrying it out, and it invited reporters inside its door-knocking boot camp in Iowa. The group says it has hit 812,000 homes in Iowa  more than half of the total number of households in the state. A similar share was hit in South Carolina, where the group says it knocked on more than 968,000 doors. In New Hampshire, another 385,000. And while there have been a series of leadership shake-ups at the super PAC, it has remained focused on its field operation.

Some allies say they remain buoyed by the ground effort, particularly in Iowa, where the group has gathered 30,000 commitment cards from voters pledging to caucus on DeSantis behalf and a growing bench of precinct captains willing to speak on his behalf at caucus locations.

Three people who were involved in the groups early-state canvassing, however, see a futile effort  one where no amount of door-knocking can change what the polls show: former President Donald Trump trouncing the field.

People underestimated the core support [for Trump], said a Republican field operative who worked on the pro-DeSantis effort in an early state, noting that everyone pinned their hopes on the door-knocking effort being able to move the polls. And it could not be overcome.

NBC News spoke with more than a dozen people about the state of the GOP ground game in the weeks leading up to the Iowa caucuses, where Never Back Downs strategy will face its toughest test yet. Only now, theres stiffer competition going door to door.

All in on Iowa

Until last month, Nikki Haley lacked a strong field operation. But she essentially received a whole army when the advocacy arm of Americans for Prosperity endorsed the former U.N. ambassador and pledged its grassroots muscle to help her on the ground.

The group says it has so far reached about 325,000 voters in the early-primary and Super Tuesday states, targeting people who previously supported Trump but are concerned he would lose in a rematch with President Joe Biden.

Drew Klein, an Iowa-based senior adviser for AFP, said the group will have 100 to 150 people at a time in the field canvassing for Haley in the state, an effort thats been underway since its endorsement. The group has been out door-knocking and phone-banking since February  well before it endorsed Haley  seeking data on voters open to a Trump alternative.

Then theres Trump, who has a couple of significant advantages over his rivals when it comes to ground efforts.

His team has tapered off door-knocking in Iowa but is continuing substantial door-knocking and phone-banking efforts in New Hampshire and South Carolina. The campaign says it has made hundreds of thousands of voter contacts in each early state.

Campaigns use door-knockers  volunteers or hired hands who go out to rally supporters to the polls and collect survey data  to gather intelligence and juice voter turnout. After the 2012 election, an academic study found that the presidential campaigns increased turnout by roughly 7% in areas they heavily canvassed.

In conversations with each of the campaigns or the outside groups backing their on-the-ground efforts, it was clear there was a new paramount focus in Iowa: recruiting precinct caucus captains to bring neighbors to caucus sites on Jan. 15 and speak on their candidates behalf there.

Trumps strategy is centered on a 10 for Trump plan, enlisting 1,800 precinct caucus captains across the state and providing each with a list of 10 first-time caucusgoers to turn out.

Nikki Haley at a campaign town hall in Atkinson, N.H. (Brian Snyder / Reuters)

Haleys campaign is also doing regular caucus trainings, said Emily Sukup Schmitt, co-chair of Women for Nikki in Iowa, explaining that its focused on both turning out voters and finding precinct captains.

DeSantis allies are focused here, too, with a person familiar saying the goal is to be two-deep with precinct captains at every location, ensuring that if one person is not properly engaging, they have a backup plan. With Iowa viewed as a make-or-break state for DeSantis, his allies have pulled resources from elsewhere to focus them there. Three people familiar with this development said Never Back Down recently relocated door-knockers from South Carolina to Iowa. One super PAC official said the goal is to have hit every targeted home at least five times before the Jan. 15 caucuses.

It cannot be overstated, the DeSantis ally said of the ground efforts importance to their overall hopes.

Never Back Down strongly pushed back on claims that its efforts are falling short, misguided or futile, noting it has more than 100 full-time, paid canvassers working in the early states.

Gov. DeSantis opponents will stop at nothing to undermine the fact that weve built the largest, most advanced grassroots and political operation in the history of presidential politics, Never Back Down spokesperson Jess Szymanski said. Our canvassers have knocked almost 3 million doors nationwide, which far surpasses any other political operation by miles, and are building support for DeSantis home by home across Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Trump's 'tremendous edge'

Trump continues to hold two big advantages over his opponents  the first being that he has a much larger base of volunteers.

It gives us a tremendous edge, Alex Latcham, Trumps early-states director, said. Our supporters are people who will wait in line to attend a rally to see President Trump for eight-plus hours. You know theyre going to go out and door-knock, right?

The second amounts to what needs to happen in voter interactions. For Trump, its a strict get-out-the-vote model, getting existing Trump supporters to show up at the polls. For DeSantis and Haley, they not only have to do turnout efforts, but they also have to convince voters to shift away from the former president.

Its a much different experience for Trump supporters who are knocking on doors and doing all this great work making sure people show up to caucus on Jan. 15, Jason Miller, a senior adviser to his campaign, said. Whereas all of our opponents are put in this awkward spot of trying to get people to actually go and change their vote and go in a different direction, which is a much heavier lift.

The dichotomy can be seen in AFP Actions door-knocking script, which was provided to NBC News. When a voter tells an AFP door-knocker they support Trump, canvassers are tasked with presenting a response that reads, We must beat Biden, but Im concerned that with all of Trumps baggage, Trump will energize Democrats and turn independents off. Hell lose swing states in November, and we will be stuck with four more years of Biden, or even worse Kamala Harris. Dont you think its time we nominate a new leader that can beat Joe Biden?

Only if they say yes does the canvasser then begin sharing a message about how Haley is well-positioned to beat Biden.

Donald Trump at a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa (Scott Morgan / Reuters )

Candace Carroll, the South Carolina state director for AFP Action, said her group is encouraged by what its hearing at targeted doors in interactions with Trump supporters or voters who have previously backed Trump.

Most are either proactively telling us that they are supporting Gov. Haley or they are open to the idea of supporting her, she said. Its very rare that we find someone who digs in their heels and isnt willing to discuss or consider other candidates.

I dont think anyone will ever do this again

DeSantis allies hopes are tied to just how much theyve engaged with voters in places where ground games typically have not gone  often in rural areas that are tougher to canvass, with residences spread further apart. In Adair County, GOP chair Ryan Frederick, who has backed DeSantis, said the Florida governor was the first guy to have a guy come to my door.

I live in a town of 400 people in the middle of absolute nowhere, he said. And hes the first guy to run for president ever whos actually had a dude show up at my door and ask if Im interested in voting for him. And not only did they show up once; they showed up twice.

Others, however, see that strategy as part of the candidates downfall. One person who formerly worked on an early-state door-knocking effort on DeSantis behalf said Never Back Down wasted tens of millions of dollars, essentially chasing rural voters who had no interest in Ron DeSantis whatsoever.

However, this person said the original door-to-door plan  introducing DeSantis to a wide range of voters at their homes  made a lot of sense if executed correctly. They just didnt think it was.

The problem was the super PAC and goal was not set up and executed properly, this person said. I dont think anyone will ever do this again.

Just how effective Republican canvassing efforts are continues to come under scrutiny. A wide-ranging NBC News investigation this year found that large-scale conservative canvassing efforts have been plagued with issues including fraudulent and untrustworthy data entries. But Republicans have insisted on its usefulness when done well, and high-dollar donors have been willing to open their wallets to fund the efforts.

Those issues blew up earlier this year when a paid Never Back Down door-knocker was filmed at a home in South Carolina saying to his friend on speakerphone that he was a little stoned and did not care about a property owner confronting him for breaking a no solicitation policy.

In any case, with Trump up double digits nationally and in the early states, even committed canvassers are questioning whether anything can dent his advantage.

A few months is a lifetime in politics, but theyve been waiting for months and months for things to change on the ground and with the sentiments of people, one of the former Never Back Down-aligned canvassing operators said. But it just hasnt.
The hyper-partisan divide in the U.S. House of Representatives has resulted in distorted dynamics impacting Wisconsin in a big way. As reported in The Hill, only 10 percent of the House races in the 2022 midterm elections were competitive. Few incumbent Democrats and Republicans had concerns about losing to the other party. However, the partisan primary has an outsized importance in determining who gets elected to Congress. So how is this a problem? Here are a few examples.

Partisan primaries in non-competitive districts negatively influence the behavior of legislators. In the debates regarding raising the debt-limit ceiling and averting a government shut-down, members of both parties were keenly aware that their votes on these issues could well become key issues in the upcoming primary elections. Thus, the gridlock.

Reps like Matt Gaetz run on grandstanding, not governing

Since primaries are where the action is, there are all sorts of campaign spending maneuvers. In 2022, Democrats contributed heavily in Republican primaries on potentially weaker GOP contenders, thus improving Democrats chances in the general election. This happened in Wisconsin in state legislative races, and again in the 2023 Supreme Court race. While primary election meddling isnt new, the Democratic Party took it to a new level.

And in recent years, members have capitalized on the partisan primary dynamics as a way to raise money. Consider the case of U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican from Florida. As reported in The Hill, he has raised considerable money by espousing extreme views, followed by solicitations on social media.

Gaetz is not alone as other notorious members of his caucus also seek rewards for divisive confrontation rather than problem-solving; grandstanding rather than governing.

Partisan primary elections grew out of public concerns during the Progressive Era in the early 1900s, and seen as a vast improvement over the old backroom deals. But over time, the process became distorted. Today, even the distortions are becoming distorted.

Open primary elections remove extremist strategy

Are there any solutions? Actually, yes. In Wisconsin, a good place to start is enacting Final Five Voting legislation (SB 528 / AB 563), introduced this fall.

Heres how it works. There are two parts to the process. First, it uses an open primary that allows the top five vote recipients to advance to the general election. This dramatically reduces the likelihood that an incumbent will be primaried, simply for seeking bipartisan solutions. Candidates are not incentivized to waste resources attacking members of their own party. It also means that larger numbers of voters will have more choices in the general election.

Secondly, in the general election, the candidate who receives more than 50% of the vote is elected. However, if no candidate reaches that threshold on the first round, an instant runoff approach is put in place. In each round of this runoff, the last-place candidate is eliminated, and any voter who had that candidate as their first choice has their vote transferred to their second-choice candidate. The process is repeated until a winner is chosen by a true majority of voters. Since second-choice votes are important, this process benefits candidates who avoid mudslinging.

Alaska's experience shows merits of Final Five Voting

Let's look at a version of Final Five Voting (called Final Four Voting), adopted in Alaska in 2020. Its very encouraging. In statewide races, voters elected a moderate Republican Senator (Lisa Murkowski), a moderate Democrat Congressional Representative (Mary Pelota) and a Donald Trump-endorsed Governor (Mike Dunleavy). True to their historic pattern, the state legislature remained predominately Republican. Meanwhile, in developing the state budget in 2022, 17 out of 20 state senators banded together to form a bipartisan majority budget coalition. The elections and the successful budget process lacked divisiveness and represented a break from the past.

Election runoffs are not new. Georgia and Louisiana already use a separate runoff election for the top two vote getters if no candidate achieves 50% of the vote. Of course, these runoff elections can be extremely expensive and divisive. With Final Five Voting, one candidate will reach the 50% threshold without a separate runoff election.

Twenty-three Wisconsin legislators are the initial co-authors or co-sponsors of the Final Five Voting legislation, consisting of an eleven/twelve split between Republicans and Democrats. Senate co-authors are Jesse James, R-Altoona, Jeff Smith, D-Brunswick, Rob Cowles, R-Green Bay, and Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloit. Assembly co-authors are Ron Tusler, R-Harrison, Daniel Riemer, D-Milwaukee, and Tony Kurtz, R-Wonewoc. For more information, contact democracyfound.org.

The Final Five Voting legislation in Wisconsin isnt perfect. As introduced, it will apply only to federal Senate and House elections, not state legislative positions. But it is a huge step in the right direction. Although the Progressive Era included three Constitutional Amendments targeting electoral reform, most of the activity was not national, rather state by state. We can learn a lesson from that. Final Five Voting is a step we can take now, while opening the door for other needed reforms. We shouldnt miss this opportunity. Now is the time for Final Five Voting in Wisconsin.

Lee Rasch is executive director of LeaderEthics, a nonpartisan/nonprofit organization committed to promoting ethical leadership among elected officials. He can be reached at Lee@leaderethics.us.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Partisan primaries push Congressional candidates to political extremes
QAMISHLI, Syria (AP)  Turkey intensified its airstrikes against Kurdish groups in Syria and northern Iraq in retaliation for the deaths of 12 Turkish soldiers in Iraq over the weekend.

The Turkish defense ministry said in a statement Monday that it had killed at least 26 militants in the strikes.

In northeast Syria, at least eight civilians were killed in Turkish airstrikes Monday, including two women, Farhad Shami, a spokesman for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a United Kingdom-based war monitor, said 12 others were wounded.

Turkey has carried out 128 strikes in northeast Syria in 2023, killing 94 people, according to the Observatory.

On Friday, Turkish officials said militants affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, a Kurdish separatist group that has waged an insurgency against Turkey since the 1980s, attempted to infiltrate a Turkish base in northern Iraqs semi-autonomous Kurdish region. They said six Turkish soldiers were killed in the ensuing firefight. The following day, six more Turkish soldiers were killed in clashes with Kurdish militants.

In response, Ankara launched strikes on dozens of sites it said were associated with the PKK in Iraq and Syria.

Some of the strikes hit oil industry sites, health facilities and vital infrastructure in northeast Syria, reducing electricity production by 50% on Saturday, according to the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, a Kurdish-led authority in northeast Syria that Turkey claims is affiliated with the PKK but which is a key ally of the United States.

Turkey and Washington both consider the PKK a terror group, but disagree on the status of the Syrian Kurdish groups, which have been allied with the U.S. in the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria.

The Kurdish administration in its statement urged the United Nations to intervene, warning that the Turkish attacks could threaten the regions security. It said that one of the strikes had hit a site near the Alaya prison in Qamishli, which houses IS members.

SDF commander Mazloum Abdi in a post on X condemned Turkeys targeting of infrastructure and civilians means of livelihood in northeast Syria.

There was no immediate comment from Iraqi officials on the strikes.
By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States welcomed reports on Monday that jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny had been located but remained "deeply concerned" about his well-being, the U.S. State Department said, calling for his immediate release.

THE TAKE

Navalny has been tracked down to a penal colony north of the Arctic Circle, his spokeswoman said on Monday, after supporters lost touch with him for more than two weeks.

Navalny's allies had been preparing for his expected transfer to a "special regime" colony, the harshest grade in Russia's prison system, and had said earlier he had not been seen by his lawyers since Dec. 6, raising alarm about his fate.

KEY QUOTES

"We welcome reports that Mr. Navalny has been located. However, we remain deeply concerned for Mr. Navalny's well-being and the conditions of his unjust detention," a U.S. State Department spokesperson said on Monday.

"We have conveyed to the Russian government that they are responsible for what happens to Mr. Navalny in their custody."

The State Department called for Navalny's immediate release and accused Russia of repressing independent voices in the country. Russia denies carrying out such a crackdown.

BACKGROUND

Navalny, 47, was tracked down to the IK-3 penal colony in Kharp in the Yamal-Nenets region, about 1,900 km (1,200 miles) north east of Moscow, his spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, said. Navalny's new home, known as "the Polar Wolf" colony, is considered to be one of the toughest prisons in Russia.

Russia says Navalny is a convicted criminal. He denies all the charges he has been convicted of and casts Russia's judicial system as deeply corrupt.

His supporters see him as a future leader of Russia, while Russian authorities call him and his supporters extremists with links to the CIA intelligence agency who they say is seeking to destabilize Russia.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh; Editing by Sandra Maler)
A forensic investigator and police at the scene of the attack in Blanchardstown, Dublin

Ireland's justice minister has condemned the "viciousness" behind a gun attack at a Dublin restaurant on Christmas Eve.

One man - believed to be the gunman - was killed and another man critically injured.

The attack happened at Browne's Steakhouse on Main Street in Blanchardstown just after 20:00 local time.

Irish broadcaster RTE reports that a man in his 40s was shot and seriously injured. He was driven to hospital by a relative and remains in a critical condition.

A man in his 20s, believed to be the gunman, was tackled at the scene and injured.

He was treated by paramedics and taken to hospital but pronounced dead a short time later.

It is understood he had stab wounds and a post-mortem examination was carried out on Tuesday.

Gardai (Irish police) say they are not releasing the results for operational reasons.

Both victims are known to police for their involvement in organised crime, according to RTE.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee said: "This viciousness has resulted in unimaginable human suffering this Christmas.

"That anyone could perpetrate such violence as families gathered together is especially disgusting."

Taoiseach (prime minister) Leo Varadkar said he was "shocked" by the attack and that he had visited the restaurant many times.

As the attack happened, customers screamed and ran, including parents who rushed young children from the restaurant.

Gardai said videos of the incident and its immediate aftermath are being circulated on social media and messaging apps and have appealed to people not to further distribute them.

They also appealed to the public to be "aware of a significant level of speculation, misinformation and disinformation which is in circulation".
The West Corners Church is across the Union Center Maine Highway from the Weis supermarket. Its next door to Phils Chicken house on the corner of Duke Street. Over the years, the number of homes and residents in the area have been decreasing.

We're a very transient neighborhood. Pastor Dave Cook said. For about three blocks we got people who rent.

After the 2011 flood, the entire neighborhood. We lost 80 homes, Cook added.

Kathleen Cook and Pastor Dave Cook on stage at West Corners Church.

He remembered how families would come together. One young man used to ride his bike around, reminding classmates of Sunday school time. Its a bit different now, as the members are older.

But the pastor and his wife, Kathleen, want people to know the congregation is alive and well, welcoming new members. And theyre also inviting people who want to seek some alone time with God.

More: In their toughest moments, hospital chaplains help families cope

Kathleen said the church has been open during the week for people to have a quiet space to pray, meditate and think.

The doors have been open on Tuesdays from 2-7 p.m. at the church.

There's a lady that works part time at the Weis and she would come over. We had some people who came here and there and take a look see. You come in and you're here. I don't intrude, Dave Cook said.

Pastor Dave Cook at pulpit at West Corners Church

Dave Cook has a big smile and hearty laugh. Hes been pastor for the last two decades. A self-described introvert, Cook calls himself as a relational minister, noting hes not wired as an evangelical.

That's not the spiritual gift God has chosen to give me. Operating in the community is one way, but. Apparently I get along best with people who don't go to church, theyve never been to church. Churches have hurt them, he said.

More: These volunteers deliver gifts to people in the Broome County jail and their children

Cook said hes not a "chapter and verse" preacher, but he encourages people to pick up the Bible and read it. He doesnt speak on hot-button topics.

He said it is important for people to ask and you shall receive.

Ask Lord for help from the Holy Spirit. Ask him to let you do the thing you need to do. To do God's will on earth, he said. So you live well and have a good long life. You'll be comfortable. Not necessarily happy, but should have joy.

Pastor Dave Cook sits by pulpit at West Corners Church.

His pastoring extends beyond West Corners. He talked about venues with fellow musicians who he describes as guys with tattoos and drinks in one hand. Cook said they are comfortable with him and know he loves them. Before they perform, hes asked to pray with them.

People don't hear that a lot. I think we all should do that, Cook said.

Cook told of two recent shopping trips where he reached out to people. In the first, he used comforting words to calm a woman who was frustrated by a wait in line at a local department store.

The other involved a man who seemed to have received bad news from a phone call. Cook just said "Hello" to the man, learned the phone wasnt working right, and got a "Thanks" for checking on him.

Pastor Dave Cook

What did it cost to do that? Cook asked, Offering up to God? Check on another human being.

Back at the church, the pastor sits at one of his favorite places in the building  in front of the piano keys. A mural of an outdoor scene is on the wall on the stage above. Thats where the crossing of the Red Sea has been reenacted among other Bible stories.

Kathleen Cook notes there are no bells and whistles at West Corners Church, no paid band or choir.

With some disconnect in faith over the last few years, theyre offering an invite to those who wish to pay a visit.

Just something more, she said, Straightforward. Im hungry for the word. I just want to be fed.

Come get to know God. Come to ask questions. Come to have an adventure and learn what faith is about, Dave Cook said.

Sunday Services at the church are at 11 a.m.

More about Pastor Dave Cook

Position: Pastor, West Corners Church

Hometown and residence: Endicott

Age: 67

Education: Practical Bible College, SUNY Binghamton, Broome Community College

Family: Wife, Kathleen; daughter, Karen; sons, Ian and Colin; granddaughter, Rowan

Hobbies: Researching a great number of interests, comic book collecting, also works as a musician

More information about West Corners Church: Send an email djcookirk0@gmail.com

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: West Corners pastor helps residents explore faith on their own terms
Pope Francis expressed hope for efforts to foster lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula through "dialogue and reconciliation" in his Christmas message on Monday, amid tensions heightened by North Korea's recent missile launches and tough rhetoric.

The pontiff delivered the message during his "Urbi et Orbi"  or "to the city and the world"  blessing from the main balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican as the world has been beset by multiple security challenges, including the war between Israel and the Hamas militant group and Russia's war in Ukraine.

"May the day draw near when fraternal bonds will be consolidated on the Korean peninsula by undertaking processes of dialogue and reconciliation capable of creating the conditions for lasting peace," he said according to an English-language transcript posted on the Vatican website.

Tensions have remained high on the peninsula following the North's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile last week.

Risks of cross-border confrontation have also risen as Pyongyang walked away from an 2018 inter-Korean military tension reduction agreement following Seoul's partial suspension of it in response to the recalcitrant regime's space rocket launch last month.

Commenting on the war in the Middle East, Pope Francis voiced hope that the "Palestinian question" would come to be resolved through "sincere and persevering dialogue between the parties, sustained by strong political will and the support of the international community."

"My heart grieves for the victims of the abominable attack of Oct.7 and I reiterate my urgent appeal for the liberation of those still being held hostage," he said, referring to Hamas' deadly assault on Israel that sparked the ongoing war.

"I plead for an end to the military operations with their appalling harvest of innocent civilian victims, and call for a solution to the desperate humanitarian situation by an opening to the provision of humanitarian aid," he added. (Yonhap)
He warned that if the issues are not resolved amicably through a dialogue a Palestine-like situation might emerge in the region

Srinagar: Former J&K chief minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday urged New Delhi to hold a dialogue with Pakistan to seek an end to militancy and terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. He warned that if the issues are not resolved amicably through a dialogue a Gaza or Palestine-like situation might emerge in the Himalayan region as well.

Those who (see) pies in the sky and say militancy is over, Im telling them over and over again that it is not going to go like that unless they create an atmosphere conducive for holding dialogue. We must find a way, he told reporters. Referring to Pakistans willingness to talk, he said: We must sit with them to find a way so that it (militancy) stops.

When told about Indias position and how such engagements have failed to yield positive results in the past, Dr Abdullah said: I read, and you also must have read (in newspapers) that the man who is returning as (Pakistans) Prime Minister has given a statement that he wants to have better relations with India and move forward together. Nawaz Sharif has said this, and I dont see Why are we not ready to talk?

He, however, hastened to add: Just wait let him (Sharif) take over (as Prime Minister of Pakistan), let elections take place there. Yet, I say again that there is no way forward but through dialogue.

Reiterating that militancy and violence will not go unless India addresses the root cause of it through dialogue, he said that former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had said that friendship with Pakistan should be maintained to the extent possible, for you can change friends but not neighbours. Vajpayeeji had said friends can be changed but not neighbours; hence we should improve our relations with them, and I hope they will reciprocate in the kind.

He warned: If we do not find a solution through dialogue, we will meet the same fate as Gaza and Palestine, which are being bombed by Israel. But if we (India and Pakistan) remain friendly, both will progress. Prime Minister (Narendra) Modiji also said that war is not an option now and matters should be resolved through dialogue.
The consecration ceremony will be held on January 22 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform the main ritual during the event

NEW DELHI: The government is all set to throw a multi-layered security blanket to secure the sprawling Ram Mandir complex in Ayodhya in the run up to the consecration ceremony (Pran Pratishtha) of Lord Rama in child form at the temple. Top sources in the government said a foolproof sixlayer high security plan has been chalked out for the safety of the temple complex built after a long-drawn out legal battle.

The consecration ceremony will be held on January 22 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform the main ritual during the event. According to the sources in the security set up, a high tech security arrangement, similar to the G-20 Summit security, has been envisaged. The sources said that the entire complex would be covered by over 600 CCTV cameras laced with Artificial Intelligence covering the Red Zone (Inner Circle) of the main temple having the idol of Ram Lala.

A specialised control room has also been built in the security building, which will keep track of the every movement of the visitors. Apart from the main complex, a similar number of the cameras have been set up on all roads and lanes leading to the temple premises and the security personnel deployed there will be in live contact with the main control center inside the complex, the sources said.

They also said that the security officials will keep eye on the pilgrims right from the lanes leading to the temple and this will also help them in crowd control during the festivals. The officials are initially expecting the average footfall to be over 1 lakh after the consecration ceremony on January 22 which may be increased. A total of seven bomb detection squads will be provided.

These are highly trained explosive experts equipped with the new and latest security scanner and detection gadgets for the safety along with the antidrone systems.

On the recommendation of the central force CISF which has recently conducted a safety and fire survey, has suggested adequate fire safety measures to be installed at the temple premises. Similarly, a dedicated cyber team for temple security to scan threats from the DarkNet has also been provided.

Recently the security agency had received a threat message on this hidden platform, which was detected by the intelligence agencies and the intelligence and security personnel nabbed the accused.

The cyber team will also keep eye on the social media platforms from the security point of view, an official in the state police force said, adding that the residents residing near the temple complex have been asked to keep details of the visitors/ relatives coming to their homes for Darshan.
The Left party, in a statement, said the religious ceremony had been converted into an instrument for political gain

New Delhi: CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has turned down an invitation to attend the Ram mandir inauguration event at Ayodhya on January 22, saying religion was a personal choice and this event was politicisation of the religious beliefs of the people, which was not in consonance with the Constitution. The Left party, in a statement, said the religious ceremony had been converted into an instrument for political gain.

I have not told anybody anything so far. Nripendra Misra was escorted by a VHP leader who came and gave me the invitation Religion is a personal choice of every individual. We respect and safeguard the right of every individual to choose their particular form of faith As far as the Indian Constitution and the Supreme Court are concerned, they have very clearly said that the State shall not profess any particular religion or have any religious affiliation. What is happening in this inauguration ceremony is that it has been converted into a state-sponsored event, with the Prime Minister, the UP CM and others holding constitutional positions This is straightforward politicisation of the religious belief of the people, which is not in consonance with the Constitution. Therefore, in these circumstances, I regret not being able to attend the event, Mr Yechury said.

CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat echoed his views, saying that her party respects religious beliefs of individuals but was against the politicisation of religion. Our party will not attend the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya There is a basic reason for that. We respect religious beliefs but they are connecting a religious programme with politics... This is the politicisation of a religious programme, which is not right. The State should not have any religious colour, Mrs Karat said.

The CPI(M), in a statement, said it was most unfortunate that the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have converted a religious ceremony into a State-sponsored event directly involving the PM, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and other government functionaries.

Our policy is to respect religious beliefs and the right of each individual to pursue their belief. Religion is a personal choice, not to be converted into an instrument for political gain. Comrade Sitaram Yechury will not attend the ceremony despite receiving an invitation to do so. The CPI(M) policy has been to respect religious beliefs and safeguarding the right of every individual to pursue their belief. It believes that religion is a personal choice not to be converted into an instrument for political gain. Therefore, we will not be attending the ceremony, the party said.

A fundamental principle of governance in India as reiterated by the Supreme Court is that the State in India, under the Constitution, should have no religious affiliation. This is being violated by the ruling regime in the organisation of the event, the CPI(M) said.
The Supreme Court judgment in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Majid case had decided the issue in terms of a property dispute.

From 1853 to 1931, when the local groups rioted for space in the then Babri Masjid, it was the religious motive that dominated, however flawed it was. And there is little doubt that it was flawed in historical terms, though it was a sentimental issue. The Supreme Court judgment in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Majid case had decided the issue in terms of a property dispute. Neither religion nor myth was given any credence. But for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), ever since it adopted in its Palampur session the Ayodhya dispute as its core agenda, along with Article 370 and the Uniform Civil Code, it has been purely a political matter. But there was enough ambiguity in its stance. It did not fight any election from 1989 to 2019 on the issue of the temple. Mr Narendra Modi was silent on the issue in 2014 and 2019, and Mr Amit Shah had said that it could either be decided in a court of law or it has to be based on a compromise between the Hindu and Muslim communities. It never became the partys poll plank.

The ambiguity persists and looms larger than before when Prime Minister Modi wants to give it the pride of place on his political agenda. He wants to make it a grand affair, showcase it as an issue of revival of national glory, and there is a thin, blurring dividing line between the political agenda and the partys, and the Modi governments, rhetoric of cultural nationalism. The BJP governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh are trying to maintain that the construction of the temple is that of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which the Central government had set up in February 2020 through an announcement by the Prime Minister in the Lok Sabha, and 12 of its 15 members were nominated by the government. This is an autonomous body which does not come under government purview. It is in more ways than one a legal fig leaf. Ayodhya has been declared Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra place of historical importance and place of public worship of renown, which do not really survive critical scrutiny. But a government can take arbitrary decisions, especially after the Supreme Court judgment in the mosque-temple matter. Despite everything, the Modi government has to maintain the legal facade that the construction of the temple, the functioning of the temple, is not by the government. The state-church separation is sought to be maintained. There is no doubt that the undeclared intention of the BJP is to claim it as its political victory and flaunt it as an achievement in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

Right from 1949, when the idol of Lord Ram was stealthily placed under the central dome of the then mosque, it had turned into a battle between the two communities, and both Hindus and Muslims have been guilty of taking the matter out of Ayodhya and turning it into a national issue. The Muslim community, especially the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Waqf Board, had accepted the judicial verdict and it is busy building a mosque at the five-acre plot away from the Ayodhya town allotted by the state government following the directive of the Supreme Court. The BJP governments have been managing the Ayodhya temple construction and the sprucing up of the little town with grand plans to make it a spot of international tourist attraction.

The interesting cultural and religious aspect of North Indian culture is the widespread popularity of 17th century Hindi (Avadhi) poet Tulsidas and his devotional epic Ramcharit Manas, which dominates the consciousness and sentiments of the people, both the sophisticates and the ordinary folk. The Ramcharit Manas is saturated with piety for Lord Ram as the great god incarnating as a human being, and displaying divine uprightness and compassion. The temple that is set to be symbol of the BJPs cultural nationalism is literally trying to overwhelm the unparalleled popularity of the Tulsi Ramayan. The temple would want to appropriate the text of Tulsi. It will then be a contest between the modern building and the old text. The Tulsi text has survived the test of time. It is to be seen whether the newly-constructed temple at Ayodhya will become a sacred place for the Hindus. The Tulsi Dhyan Mandir in Varanasi has not been able to outshine the religious and cultural status of the Tulsi Ramayan.

What is emerging in the construction of the temple and its inauguration in January is the power play of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and not so much of Hindu piety, which is the hallmark of the people in this country, where the story of Ram exists in its various literary retellings in many languages of India, and there is no Ram temple in brick and mortar to counter this cultural and religious legacy of the Hindus. In contrast, the Krishna cult has its temple centres in Dwarka, in Puri, in Guruvayoor, in Udupi and in Nathdwara, and the Krishna worshippers feel fulfilled visiting these temples. The BJP, it seems, is caught at the wrong end of the religious and cultural consciousness of the Hindus. The BJP and the Hindutva folks are babes in the wood, and that too in the shameful sense of ignoramuses and in the sense of innocence, while they grapple with the history and legacy of the Hindus.

Like Tulsi in the Varanasi of 17th century, which was not part of the Ramayan lore, in the early 19th century, Tyagaraja was content with the idols of Ram, Sita and Lakshman in his home, to pour his devotion through the immortal songs that he composed. The subtleties of Hindu culture are beyond the grasp of the vulgar politics of power of the BJP. After the pyrotechnics of the temple inauguration in Ayodhya recede and the 2024 parliamentary election gets over, Ayodhya will remain the small place it has been, and the people will find Ram in Tulsi and Tyagaraja for centuries to come. There will be an initial gold rush of tourists and then the dust will settle. The new temple in Ayodhya will not inspire Hindu piety the way the Golden Temple in Amritsar inspires Sikh piety. The show of power symbolised by the construction of the temple in Ayodhya will remain an expression of worldly pomp.
by John Ai

In a province where historically there is a strong presence of Catholics, authorities deployed massive "security" measures on Christmas night to discourage participation by the faithful. Objects with Christmas references banned in university dormitories. The Party's "official" wish to Christians for Dec. 25: "Continue to adhere to Xi Jinping's path and sinization."

Beijing (AsiaNews) - Christmas vigil prohibited for children. Traffic blocks and shop closures. Ban on display of objects that recall Christmas in university dormitories. These are some of the measures deployed by the local authorities of Baoding, a northern city in the Chinese province of Hebei not far from the capital Beijing.

As a diocese with a long history, a large number of Catholics live in the Baoding area. For this reason, on Christmas Eve this year the police adopted exceptional security measures in the city centre. The authorities announced traffic control in the historic center of Yuhua Road, where the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, seat of the diocese of Baoding, is located.

No vehicles were allowed to enter the historic center after 4pm and buses passing through this area were ordered to reroute. Furthermore, all shops in the area around the church were ordered to close and Christmas sales and promotions were not permitted.

A source living in Baoding confirmed the information and told AsiaNews that police officers were everywhere around the church. Police vehicles were parked near the church and there were also officers in riot gear. All the shops around the church were closed.

The source said that the police prevented parents with children from entering the church. Police told parents to leave the church because it was "unsafe for children as there were too many people inside." The police were everywhere inside the church, with a heavy atmosphere, in open contrast to the spirit of the celebration.

The atmosphere was also tense in Donglu, whose church is a pilgrimage destination. According to our source, the police have been stationed in the village for a week before Christmas. Donglu is 20 kilometers from Baoding, and is famous for its Madonna of China.

In 1900, Catholics sought refuge in this village during the Boxer Rebellion, the wave of violence against foreigners and Christianity supported by the Qing dynasty. But in Donglu the Boxer group that tried to attack the church was defeated.

Students at local schools and universities also received a notice requiring them to stay on campus on Christmas Eve to avoid celebrations, while any items with Christmas elements were not allowed in the dormitories.

The situation in Baoding is a reflection of the tightening of controls on religion imposed across the People's Republic of China in recent years. Notices are circulating from the government, schools and companies on how to "boycott foreign holidays" and "ban the commercial promotion of Christmas".

Meanwhile, some social media accounts with official backgrounds are commemorating the anniversary of the Battle of Changjin Lake in North Korea, in which the Chinese army forced UN troops to retreat south in 1950, saying it was l the army, not Santa Claus, to give peace to the Chinese people.

For their part, the Chinese authorities sent Christmas greetings to the Patriotic Association of Chinese Catholics and the Chinese Christian Council, the "official" bodies of Catholics and Protestants.

In the letter released by the National Administration for Religious Affairs, both associations are praised for following the guidance of Xi Jinping's thought and the spirit of the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of China. The Christmas wish of the Beijing government is therefore to continue to adhere to Xi's path and to sinicization, as well as to "strictly manage religious affairs".

The official Protestant association has just elected its new leaders at the 11th Conference held last week. Wang Huning, Xi Jinping's political advisor and head of ideology, urged delegates to "adhere to the direction of Sinicization," the core values of socialism and traditional Chinese culture.

Wang asked leaders of Christian associations to "gain a deep understanding of the Party's theories and policies on religion." "You are called to strictly manage religious affairs," Wang reiterated, reiterating the line indicated by Xi.
A CRJ-700 awaits the loading of passengers at the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport in mid-November. The impetus behind recent efforts to plan the redevelopment of the local airport has been the supposed near-term retirement of CRJ-700 fleets operated by commercial airlines serving the Aspen market.
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Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny has been tracked down to a penal colony north of the Arctic Circle, his spokeswoman said on Monday, after supporters lost touch with him for more than two weeks.

Navalny, 47, was tracked down to the IK-3 penal colony in Kharp in the Yamal-Nenets region, about 1,900 kilometers (1200 miles) north east of Moscow, spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said. Navalny's lawyer managed to see him on Monday, Yarmysh said.

"This prison will be much worse than the one that was before," Yarmysh told Reuters TV in Vilnius via video call. "They are trying to make his life as unbearable as it possibly can be."

"They definitely try to isolate Alexei and to make it more difficult to access him," said Yarmysh, who refused to disclose her location due to security concerns.

Navalny's allies, who had been preparing for his expected transfer to a "special regime" colony, the harshest grade in Russia's prison system, said he had not been seen by his lawyers since Dec. 6 and raised the alarm about his fate.

Navalny's new home, known as "the Polar Wolf" colony, is considered to be one of the toughest prisons in Russia. Most prisoners there have been convicted of grave crimes. Winters are harsh  and temperatures are due to drop to around minus 28 degrees Celsius (minus 18.4 Fahrenheit) there over the next week.

About 60 km (40 miles) north of the Arctic Circle, the prison was founded in the 1960s as part of what was once the GULAG system of forced Soviet labor camps, according to the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper.

"The conditions there are harsh, with a special regime in the permafrost," said Leonid Volkov, an aide to Navalny. He said it was difficult to communicate with prisoners held at the remote site.

The United States welcomed reports that Navalny had been located but remained "deeply concerned" about his well-being, the U.S. State Department said, calling for his immediate release and describing his detention as "unjust."

'Polar wolf'

Navalny's lawyer, Ivan Zhdanov, said his supporters had sent 618 requests for information about his location and suggested that the Russian authorities wanted to isolate Navalny ahead of the March presidential election.

Navalny, who had been held at a penal colony 235 km (145 miles) east of Moscow, says he has been imprisoned because he is viewed as a threat by the Russian political elite. As a prisoner, he is unable to run in the election.

He denies all the charges he has been convicted of and casts Russia's judicial system as deeply corrupt. Russia says he is a convicted criminal.

Navalny earned admiration from Russia's disparate opposition for voluntarily returning to Russia in 2021 from Germany, where he had been treated for what Western laboratory tests showed was an attempt to poison him with a nerve agent.

Navalny says he was poisoned in Siberia in August 2020. The Kremlin denied trying to kill him and said there was no evidence he was poisoned with a nerve agent.

His supporters cast him as a future leader of Russia who will one day walk free from jail to lead his country, though it is unclear how much popular support Navalny has inside Russia.

The authorities view him and his supporters as extremists with links to the CIA intelligence agency who they say is seeking to destabilize Russia. They have outlawed his movement, forcing many of his followers to flee abroad.

Last month Navalny lamented the terrible state of inmates' teeth in Russian prison.

"Poor nutrition, a lack of solid food, lots of sweet stuff (the most affordable food), a lot of strong tea, smoking, and a complete absence of dental care do them in," he said at the time. (Reuters)
SUV

EV

The carmaker just announced that its Honda Performance Development has become Honda Racing Corporation USA to better reflect its role in the company's global racing efforts, for example. They also opened the initial reservations for the Acura ZDX all-electric performanceand its ZDX Type S derivative, the most potent Acura SUV ever.Meanwhile, the 2024 Honda Ridgeline is now arriving at nationwide dealerships with the new Ridgeline TrailSport trim, and early next year, the brand will introduce us to an all-new globalseries at CES 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 9. These are small tidbits from Honda's daily business in the United States, and it's thus no wonder that the division keeps posting robust auto sales and maintains strong delivery momentum.But the latter needs a lot of support, right? And fans eagerly await what's next in line from Honda  including the upcoming Civic Hybrid that will battle the Toyota Corolla Hybrid. Speaking of Honda versus Toyota , some folks also think that Honda should have an electrified response at the top of the range, as well. So, along with the upcoming Civic Hybrid and the existing Accord and CR-V Hybrid, a lot of folks hope the next electrified model will be the mid-size Pilot three-row crossover SUV.The company's largest CUV was originally introduced in 2002 and is primarily aimed at the North American market  hence its current manufacturing location in Lincoln, Alabama. A sibling of the older Honda Passport, the fourth generation Pilot was introduced in late 2022, but it couldn't enjoy the US market too much because this year, Toyota brought to life the first-ever Grand Highlander CUV as a direct competitor. In return, Honda keeps the 2024 Pilot as the sensible choice  given its $37,090 starting MSRP as opposed to Toyota's 2024 Grand Highlander kicking off at over $43k. Instead, Toyota boasts the Grand Highlander Hybrid, which costs $44,670 and has an electrified 2.5-liter four-pot and 243 horsepower. So, Honda's Pilot is more affordable than the Grand Highlander, but the latter has the advantage of a hybrid powertrain.Well, that is not going to last long if we are to trust the imaginative realm of digital car content creators. More precisely, the good folks from the AutomagzPro channel on YouTube have some AI-assisted CGI thoughts about an all-new variant for the mid-size Pilot crossover SUV. Their unofficial presentation of the 2025 Honda Pilot Hybrid comes with design novelties, too  and the resident pixel master even presents two different styles for the potential crossover SUV. As for the powertrain, it would be logical to assume the Pilot Hybrid could borrow the setup from the Accord Hybrid  perhaps with a little more oomph, right?
The Cayenne and Stelvio are very different in many respects, beginning with engine displacement. Over at Alfa Romeo, the largest powerplant you can get in the Italian automaker's rear-biased crossover is a 2.9-liter six with a bit of Ferrari magic to it. As for the roomier and heavier Porsche, engine choices include a 4.0-liter V8 that Zuffenhausen's favorite son also uses in the Panamera liftback for 2024.

Photo: KaRace on YouTube

SUV

EV

Coming courtesy of the good folks at KaRace, the video below pits the aging Stelvio against a pre-facelift Cayenne GTS Coupe. Although not the most powerful Cayenne of its era, this fellow does pack the Audi-Porsche V8 mentioned earlier. In this application, it produces a rather uninspiring 460 ps at 6,000 rpm and 620 Nm of torque from 1,800 to 4,500 rpm, meaning 454 horsepower and 457 pound-feet.Pictured with Pirelli P Zero rubber, the German sport utility vehicle tips the scales at roughly 2,220 kilograms (4,894 pounds). Almost 18,000 euros more expensive than the black-painted Stelvio Quadrifoglio, the Cayenne GTS Coupe plays second fiddle to the Italian contender in a straight line. For starters, the Alfa Romeo is lighter at 1,905 kilograms (4,200 pounds). Equipped with performance-oriented P Zero tires, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio sweetens the deal with a declared 510 metric ponies and 600 Nm.Otherwise put, 503 horsepower at 6,500 revolutions per minute and 442 pound-feet from 2,500 all the way to 4,800 revolutions per minute. Both rock the well-known 8HP torque-converter automatic from ZF, a gearbox introduced on the BMW 7 Series in 2008.Obviously enough, Porsche could have squeezed out way more horses and pound-feet from its twin-turbocharged engine. Being a GTS Coupe, the German automaker couldn't give it a similar tune to the Turbo GT Coupe, a specification that's not even available in the EU due to emission regulations. The combustion-only Turbo GT Coupe belts out 631 horsepower and 627 pound-feet (850 Nm) of twist.There's room for improvement, though. Lamborghini, for example, quotes 657 horsepower and similar torque for the Urus S and Urus Performante. Why? Because Lamborghini charges considerably more dollars for the Urus compared to Porsche's Cayenne Turbo GT Coupe. Don't you just love the Volkswagen Group doing Volkswagen Group things for the sole sake of brand hierarchy?Be that as it may, the Cayenne is no slouch. KaRace's performance meter clocked 4.6 seconds to 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) in two out of two drag races. The quarter mile was dealt with in as little as 12.5 seconds, which is mighty impressive for an artificially restrictedthat weighs this much.Not as luxurious nor as techy as the Cayenne, the Stelvio rocks the quarter mile in 11.8 seconds. Zero to 62? Make that 3.8 seconds, thank you! Had it been the full-fat tune of the Turbo GT Coupe, the Cayenne would have asserted dominance over the Stelvio without breaking a sweat. Porsche claims 3.1 seconds to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) and 11.6, although certain peeps and motoring publications cracked into the 11.2s at the drag strip.On that note, prepare to bid farewell to the Stelvio Quadrifoglio's Ferrari-infused V6 by 2027 because Alfa Romeo is going all electric. Porsche is also eyeing an all-electric future, with the Cayennedue to arrive in dealer showrooms in 2026. At press time, it's not known for certain when the combustion-engined Cayenne will be discontinued for good.
As its been proven time and time again, Holger Breuer has everything it takes to deliver a fantastic custom build, even when the starting point isnt exactly ideal. Case in point: the classy Honda CB500 Four pictured below is undeniably superb at first glance, but youll appreciate it a lot more once youve looked into its history. When HB-Custom's mastermind got his hands on it, the classic UJM was far from stock.

Photo: Emayat Wahab

Photo: Emayat Wahab

Back in the eighties, it had been modified as a chopper by a German outfit named AME, with long raked-out forks, red paintwork, and typical flame graphics over a peanut-style fuel tank. Although the aesthetic was in vogue when the transformation took place, it should go without saying that it hasnt aged very well. Holger was determined to turn the 1977-model CB500 into something truly timeless, though.Of course, this was a lot easier said than done, but wed say the painstaking labor was all worth it given the end result. The projects author had free reign over the modifications here, because hed built it as a personal endeavor rather than a client commission. What used to be an unsightly chopper with awkward geometry is now a stylish street scrambler guaranteed to turn heads wherever it rides.Without further ado, lets go right ahead and see how the customization process played out from start to finish. The chopped Honda got taken apart for inspection as soon as it arrived at Holgers shop in Husum, Germany, and he was pleased to learn that no modifications had been made to the actual headstock. AME used offset triple clamps to increase the rake angle without chopping up the frame, which greatly benefited HBs cause.For starters, the forks were shortened and mated to new triple clamps, so as to normalize the CB500s front-end anatomy. Suspension duties at the back are now assigned to YSS shock absorbers with adjustable preload, supporting a revised subframe thats been shortened and looped in-house. Above the tubing lies a scrambler-style bench seat enveloped in black leather upholstery.Keen eyes will also spot a bespoke electronics box beneath the seat pan, housing a fresh wiring harness and a lithium-ion battery among other items. AME had fitted the CB500 with a pair of laced 16-inch wheels, and Holger retained these since they were a good match for his reinterpretation. He simply added youthful stainless-steel spokes, then he cloaked their rims in black powder coating and vintage-looking Shinko rubber on both ends.Gone is the peanut tank worn by the motorcycle in its chopper incarnation, making way for a handsome replacement taken from a CB550. Tailor-made frame tabs were used to fit the new fuel tank onto the skeletons backbone like it was always meant to be there. Its the only piece of bodywork youll find on this machine, because there are no fenders to speak of.At twelve oclock, lighting comes from a compact, but bright aftermarket LED headlamp, while the rear end carries a very subtle taillight below the seat pan. Take a look at the bikes cockpit, and youll come across a Magura handlebar held in place by aftermarket risers. Its adorned with plain rubber grips, Motogadget bar-end turn signals, and a Domino throttle.Moreover, we see a digital Motogadget dial and LED warning lights in between the handlebar risers, as well as an underslung bar-end mirror from Highsider mounted on the left-hand side. Magura also supplied the control levers, but the specimens billet aluminum rearsets were sourced from Tarozzis catalog. With all these bits and pieces installed, the next thing on Holgers list had to do with the powertrain sector.The CB500s inline-four mill was first treated to a complete refurbishment inside out, followed by an external clean-up and the installation of a programmable ignition. Some intake and exhaust mods were also on the menu, with the former consisting of modern Mikuni TM40-6 carburetors topped with short velocity stacks. To complement these brand-new flat-slide inhalers, the fueling system has been thoroughly upgraded, as well.On the exhaust side of the equation, Herr Breuer added a stunning four-into-one setup developed by Delkevic. A session of dyno tuning was carried out to get fueling just right, ultimately resulting in 10 extra ponies compared to the CB500s factory-rated output. HB-Custom's transformation was nearing completion with the engine-related work out of the way, and the authors last port of call was the paint job.He employed a tasty mixture of blue, white, and black for the fuel tank livery, but items like the frame, swingarm, and fork lowers were all painted black. Some nice contrast is provided by the various shiny bits, such as the engine covers, exhaust system, and velocity stacks. The outcome of Holgers labor is a genuine testament to his abilities, giving the old CB all the custom flair it truly deserved.
Speed bumps are integral to traffic safety, and it's why authorities worldwide use them to force motorists to slow down in residential areas, close to schools, or when approaching a crosswalk.

Their efficiency is a no-brainer, but an imminent speed bump appearing out of nowhere can also become a double-edged sword. The driver can slam on the brakes, eventually increasing the risk of a rear-end collision.Navigation apps can significantly help by showing warnings when approaching speed bumps. I've been a big advocate of this update , especially in Waze, an application that displays notifications for road hazards like accidents, broken traffic lights, and roadkill. Using crowdsourced data or information supplied by traffic authorities, sat-nav solutions can warn drivers when they approach a speed bump , getting them prepared and providing additional time to slow down.Google Maps could soon become the first app to get speed bump data with two big catches.The first catch is the region-limited availability. Indian authorities in Pune have been looking for a way to integrate speed bump information into navigation apps, so a collaboration with tech companies could allow solutions like Google Maps to connect to a speed bump location database. Eventually, these applications would import all 2,500 speed bump locations in Pune, flagging them on the map and giving drivers enough time to adjust their speed.The second catch concerns how Google Maps will show the data. Compared to Waze, Google Maps doesn't flood the driver with traffic hazard warnings, so I believe the application will only highlight the speed bump location on the map. Waze could offer a more useful integration by displaying a warning on the screen when approaching a speed bump.Similar warnings are already available in Waze when approaching a railroad crossing, with a notification on the screen giving drivers more time to slow down and double-check that no train approaches.Pune authorities acknowledge that while speed bumps are efficient, they come in different sizes, shapes, and patterns, so with Google Maps integration, every breaker would become more predictable.The good news is that the sat-nav integration wouldn't be exclusive to Google Maps, so eventually, Waze, Apple Maps, and other applications targeting the Indian market could offer similar capabilities by accessing the same database.Meanwhile, I'm still convinced speed bump warnings would make sense worldwide, especially in applications like Google Maps and Waze. Users can feed speed bump location information into these applications, especially in Waze, which exists thanks to a crowdsourcing engine that provides its system with up-to-date traffic information.Neither Google nor Waze (also a Google asset) commented on the speed bump integration into their navigation engines, though the latter once promised to bring this feature to users (without actually providing any ETA as to when it could happen).
Henrik Fisker refused to back down and admit defeat. He decided to give it another go after the Karma destroyed his dreams of putting a unique vision into production. However, the man's ambitions were what this "zero-emission" corner of the automotive industry needed. The Ocean is a breath of fresh air, and previews that Fisker can deliver some rather interesting battery-electric vehicles. Here's why we all should acknowledge its existence and get to know it better.

Photo: Fisker

All it takes is having a little faith

SUV

Photo: Fisker

Making an EV that truly feels like a next-gen machine

Photo: Fisker

EV

six years or 60,000 miles to cover repair, adjustment, or replacement of parts necessary to correct defects in the materials or workmanship of any genuine Fisker part;

10 years or 100,000 miles for the high-voltage lithium nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery;

a repair or replacement guarantee if the high-voltage energy storage unit's health (energy retention) drops below 75% before the 100,000-mile threshold is reached;

10 years or 100,000 miles for the motors;

12 years (no mileage limit) for corrosion or paint troubles;

six years or 60,000 miles for the airbags and seatbelts (except in Kansas, where the warranty is good for 10 years, regardless of mileage).

Photo: Fisker Inc.

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Three years ago, Henrik and Geeta Fisker were billionaires (on paper). The power couple trusted their young car company so much that, in the summer of 2021, they bought a $22 million Los Angeles home after selling a few shares. That (rightfully) startled some investors, considering the young brand was still in its infancy.Were we to judge this company based on Glassdoor reviews, one would be inclined to say that Fisker is still a fresh startup. Reviewers complain about long working hours, complicated goals, micromanaging bosses, and much more.Now, things are a bit complicated money-wise since a share is worth around 80% less than a year ago. The good news? The only way from here is up! If you're an investor, don't lose hope. You might be among those who have a winner on their hands and just don't know it yet. I recently learned the term "pre-rich." You can use it too if you like.But why did we start talking about the company's stock price, especially since that's something we don't tend to do here, at autoevolution? Well, there's but one reason: Tesla went through a similar phase. Back in the marque's early days, many tried to profit off the brand's troubles. Even Bill Gates famously held a sizeable bet against Tesla.The Ocean is proof that Fisker means business. It's not the outcome of a slapdash plan. It looks good, has the right size for an urban-oriented zero-emission(it's ever so slightly larger than Tesla's Model Y ), and is made in Graz, Austria. That's where Mercedes-Benz partner Magna Steyr makes the iconic G-wagen.There are two ways to buy this all-electric SUV when writing: pick one from inventory or configure your own. The former option means delivery takes about a week, while the latter has a maximum estimate of three months.Pre-tax and -delivery fee prices start at $38,999 with the Sport. The middle option is the Ultra, which costs $52,999. The one that has almost everything (including the longest EPA-confirmed range of 360 miles on a full battery) is the Extreme trim. It'll set you back $61,499 before tax and fees.Even though the prices are enticing, some prospective buyers might get cold feet because Henrik Fisker's first venture into car manufacturing failed, and the new company isn't making anything in America. Fret not; the latter's going to change. Fisker confirmed a few months ago that it would add the PEAR and the Alaska to its roster, which should be made in the US through a partnership with Foxconn.Right now, the deal is not finalized. But the brand is keen on having access to US subsidies. So, it will make it happen.Hopefully, Henrik Fisker learned what truly matters from his previous endeavor and will now make all the right moves.The startup is also serious about manufacturing a halo vehicle  the Ronin . It looks absolutely superb, even though designers like Frank Stephenson do not agree. That's yet another proof that the California-based brand wants to succeed and attract a variety of customers.Disruptors like Tesla and legacy automakers like BMW are currently making battery-electric vehicles that are good and maybe even great. They have the range, the efficiency, the decent charging curve, and the onboard tech to keep you busy or connected.What their and other manufacturers' EVs don't have is features like the solar roof, taco trays, the nifty California mode that drops all the windows and almost transforms the eSUV into a convertible, and a rotating infotainment screen that can easily transform into a mini-TV when it's in landscape mode.But probably the best thing about the Ocean is that it shows just how much faith Fisker has put into its first. The warranty it offers is best in class:Fisker Ocean owners are currently waiting for more features to be activated via over-the-air software updates, but the brand should deliver what it promised by the end of the first quarter of 2024. That includes the solar roof doing what it was intended to from the get-go, one-pedal driving, hill hold assist, advanced driver-assistance system, Pet Mode, and phone-as-a-key. From 2025, NACS is coming as well!Fisker also proved that it cares about its early supporters. Ocean One buyers received support when they had troubles. Some were even visited by executives Since the SUV has a large 113-battery pack, it doesn't drive as well as something like the Polestar 2 or Tesla Model Y. But its suspension setup is good enough for commuting, and the maximum range is a comforting thought for everyone, no matter where the customer might live. You won't be nervous when it's too cold.Finally, the Fisker Ocean is 2023's most important electric SUV because it debuted a new vision in a profitable yet crowded segment. It's proof that you shouldn't give up when things go south. The Ocean could even become a collector's item one day. Just keep in mind that when Tesla launched its first EV, it didn't have a product as good or as approachable as the Ocean.Good luck going forward, Fisker!
What is the limit to a camper; just how small can we go? Well, in the search for the ultimate mobile living machine in the world, I ran across something else: the Camper Kart. Is it genius, is it art, madness, or the future of the housing market?

Photo: Kevin Cyr

Photo: New Age Caravans

Photo: Kevin Cyr

Folks, I love myself a good camper or RV, but this next one takes the idea of mobile living to the very edge of what's humanly possible, not to mention humanly ethical! I'm talking about the contraption you have before you today, the Camper Kart, an idea spawned from the mind of one Kevin Cyr, a Canadian artist with a love for the American lifestyle scene.Typically, his works focus on tagging (graffiti) and painting vehicles that "have defined the evolution of the American landscape." Themes incorporated into his works include "mobility, sustainability, mortality, and consumer culture," and the Camper Kart looks like it has all that. There's mobility, sustainability, consumer culture, and clearly some morality mixed into what's being expressed here today.All that starts off with nothing more than a shopping cart, the kind you use to carry your groceries in and the same kind that countless homeless folk use to carry their belongings, sometimes even using them for actual sleeping and a sort of partial protection from the elements Starting from the ground up, the lower shelf of the cart seems to be holding onto some sort of tool chest, while the basket itself is filled with nothing more than hunks of wood. Already, this thing looks like a hunk of junk in a basket, so if you were to be pushing this down the street, it wouldn't really matter what designer clothes you're wearing. Although, you'd be sending some pretty mixed signals.However, little do we and everyone else know, but this very wooden construction is to become the very essence of this mobile home if we can even call it that. Based upon a pop-top tent camper design, by lifting the top of that wooden construction, two lateral cubicles unfold to create a bedding area...I'm at a loss for words.All I can picture when I look at the Camper Kart is nothing more than a dystopic future, overcrowded by humans due to our inability to create adequate housing for all. If there was ever a message the artist was trying to send with this work of "lifestyle" art, it just might be "Beware the future!"Now, that's just one side of things, but a more grounded view of things reveals that the Camper Kart is actually a rather ingenious idea and one that's sure to be adopted by somebody after reading this article. Ready for a quick feeling of what a life lived out of a Camper Kart may be like?If you're the proud owner of such a contraption, you may find yourself waking up on a beach somewhere, on the side of a road, or under a bridge. As you do, you'll be in a 2x6-foot enclosure with window shades keeping prying eyes out, a little gas lantern for lighting, some aluminum support struts, and tent canvas all around. Clearly, this is not a four-season option.After lying around for a minute or two, you'll need to climb out of your home using that tiny door and to access the rest of this contraption's abilities, you'll need to break down the bed, hide the padding, and you now have to two little tables on each side of the camper for activities such as eating, working or some light toiletries. One is used as storage.Back outside, the rear of the Kart also hides a neat little pass-through storage bay , and it's here that you can hide a portable cooktop, a gas canister, and even some water jugs. Pots and pans? This is also the perfect place to store those goods. If you're planning on taking long weekend trips out of town with this camper, all on foot, of course, you may need to bring along a portable shower and definitely a toilet.However, let's say that the local 5-0 showed up overnight and forced you to leave whatever property you're trespassing on. When this happens, ask for a few minutes or so to fold your home back into the size of a TV, and off you go. Talk about the true nomad lifestyle Now, I'm sure you may have picked up on my rather jestful tone while talking about the Camper Kart, but in reality, this project conveys several serious messages. The first is the whole idea of just how much we need to survive. By the looks of it, not much at all. Whip up a shower, buy a toilet and a cooktop, and that's that.Secondly, it's an exercise in product development. Heck, just switch out the shopping cart for something a bit more serious, preferably a steel chassis with some wheels, and honestly, we could be looking at a rather affordable weekend camper option.As for a deeper message we can perceive while looking at this contraption, an artist's message , if you will, has a whole lot to do with how our modern society is structured and what's feeding the money wheel. But that's a conversation for a different day. I'm not even going to mention that it could hint at the growing housing issue spreading across the US and other nations across the globe.For now, we can use the Camper Kart as nothing more than an exercise into how little we really need to explore this wild and grand world we live in.
Alright, look. Maintenance aside, its true that not all Ferraris are crazy expensive, and that you can even buy a relatively modern one for what some would consider a very reasonable price. This used 2012 Ferrari FF for example is getting auctioned off and if you hurry up with your bid, you might be able to get it for less than $100,000.

Photo: Bring a Trailer

The Ferrari FF is a curious thing. A lot of purists disliked it when it first came out. I still remember it like it was yesterday  the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, people wondering whether this was the proper way to replace the 612 Scaglietti. I mean, a four-seater Ferrari with four-wheel drive? The world wasnt exactly ready for that. Still, it worked, and you can ask any current or past FF owner about the car, and theyll tell you its absolutely brilliant.Ferrari ended up making nearly 2,300 of these, and they were so good, the carmaker then went on to make the GTC4Lusso, which wouldnt have existed if the FF didnt turn out to be successful.So, just how far ahead of its time was this car? I mean, raise the ride height a little bit, shorten the doors and add two smaller rear doors and you pretty much end up with something not unlike the Purosangue. Still, they couldnt have made the latter back in 2011, so a three-door shooting brake body style made more sense.As far as this particular 2012 FF is concerned, like I said, you can bid on it (the current bid is $91,500), and if you do land it for less than $100,000, that means youd be driving a relatively modern-day Ferrari for less than what youd pay for a 2024 Corvette Z06 , or roughly the same price as a Challenger SRT Super Stock Lets check out the spec, starting with the black exterior, which features yellow Scuderia Ferrari shields, bi-xenon headlights, quad exhausts, and a set of custom Vossen wheels with Pirelli P Zero tires. This FF also comes with Novitec lowering springs, Ferrari-branded Brembo calipers over carbon-ceramic rotors, and of course, a front-axle lift system.Interior highlights include the Nero leather power-adjustable seats with red accents that extend pretty much everywhere, plus drilled aluminum pedals, a Kenwood touchscreen head unit with aftermarket audio components, automatic climate control, cruise control, and a leather and carbon-trimmed steering wheel with column-mounted paddle shifters and LED shift lights.As for whats going on underneath the hood, thats where youll find the naturally aspirated 6.3-liter V12 engine, factory rated at 650 horsepower and 504 lb-ft of torque. This Ferrari also comes with the optional sport exhaust system, four-wheel drive, and a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.In a straight line, you can hit 60 mph in about 3.5 seconds, before maxing out at 208 mph. There can be no doubt that this is a serious piece of kit.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted peace can only be achieved in Gaza if Hamas is destroyed, the territory demilitarized and Palestinian society "deracialized," after warning the war is set to intensify.

The declarations came as the World Health Organization on Monday reported "harrowing" accounts of entire families killed from Christmas Eve strikes on a refugee camp in Gaza.

Relentless Israeli strikes have devastated the Palestinian territory and the conflict has heightened tensions across the Middle East, with global pressure for a ceasefire mounting.

But in an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal on Monday night, Netanyahu vowed to stay the course.

"Hamas must be destroyed, Gaza must be demilitarized, and Palestinian society must be deracialized. These are the three prerequisites for peace between Israel and its Palestinian neighbors in Gaza," Netanyahu said.

He said demilitarization "will require establishing a temporary security zone on the perimeter" of the territory.

"For the foreseeable future Israel will have to retain overriding security responsibility over Gaza," he said.

Earlier on Monday Netanyahu visited Gaza, telling a meeting of his Likud party after his return: "We're not stopping."

"We're intensifying the fighting in the coming days," he said, according to a party statement.

'Harrowing accounts'

The war in Gaza erupted when Palestinian militants broke through the militarized border and attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Fighters also seized about 250 hostages, Israel says.

Israel vowed to crush Hamas in response, and launched a retaliatory military campaign including extensive aerial bombardment and a siege of the territory. The campaign has killed at least 20,674 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

On Monday, some residents of Al-Maghazi refugee camp returned to the ruins of their homes after strikes the previous day that Gaza's health ministry said killed at least 70 people. AFP was unable to independently verify that toll.

Zeyad Awad said there was no evacuation warning before the strikes.

"What should we do? We are civilians, living peacefully and wanting only safety and security," he said.

"Yet we are suddenly struck by Israeli warplanes without any warning."

WHO staff visited a hospital treating victims of the Al-Maghazi strikes.

The "team heard harrowing accounts shared by health workers and victims", the UN health agency's chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on social media.

"One child had lost their whole family in the strike on the camp. A nurse at the hospital suffered the same loss," he added.

Sean Casey, a WHO emergency medical teams coordinator who joined the mission to the hospital, described the fate of a nine-year-old being treated who was expected to die.

"He was crossing the street in front of the shelter where his family is staying and the building beside him blew up," he said.

The Israeli army said it was "reviewing the incident", adding it was "committed to international law including taking feasible steps to minimize harm to civilians."

'Real hunger'

Vast areas of Gaza lie in ruins and its 2.4 million people are enduring dire shortages of water, food, fuel and medicine, alleviated only by the limited arrival of aid trucks.

Grasping empty containers, dozens of Gazans waited on a street in Rafah, in southern Gaza, for food to be distributed.

"Now there is real hunger. My children are dying of hunger," said one of them, Nour Ismail.

An estimated 1.9 million Gazans have been displaced, according to the U.N., many fleeing south and crowded into shelters or makeshift tents in the winter cold.

"A humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza is the only way forward," said the head of the U.N. refugee agency, Filippo Grandi.

In Monday's Likud meeting, Netanyahu said he was ready to support the voluntary migration of civilians out of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.

He reportedly told party members "our problem is not whether to allow an exit, but that there will be countries that are willing to absorb an exit."

Hamas rejected any discussion of such a plan as "absurd."

Palestinians "refuse to be deported and displaced. There can't be exile and there is no other choice than to remain on our land," it said in a statement.

'Free our hostages'

Netanyahu also addressed parliament on Monday during a special session about the 129 hostages Israel says remain in Gaza. He was booed by families awaiting their loved ones' return after 80 days in captivity.

"Now! Now!" relatives chanted as Netanyahu said Israeli forces needed "more time" to increase military pressure on Hamas, which he argued would help to secure the captives' release.

The number of Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza has risen to 158, with an army spokesman announcing two more deaths early Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, fears of regional escalation only increased Monday.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said an Israeli air strike in Syria had killed Razi Moussavi, who state media described as "one of the most experienced advisers" of the military force's foreign arm.

There was no immediate comment from Israel, which has intensified strikes on targets in Syria since the Israel-Hamas war began.

Yemen's Huthi rebels, also Iran-backed, have fired at cargo vessels in the Red Sea, leading the United States to build a naval taskforce to deter the missile and drone strikes. (AFP)
ADAS

Photo: Jiyue

SUV

kWh

Internally codenamed "Venus," the liftback is the result of the collaboration between Geely and Baidu. Officially unveiled in China, it already received the iF Design Award 2023 and became the Red Dot 2023 car design winner.The model will go into production in early 2024 and will hit the market sometime next summer. The car is underpinned by Geelys SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture) platform. It is the same architecture that the Volvo EX90 SUV and EX30 crossover, as well as the Polestar 4 are also based on. The car carries over self-driving technology from Baidu, based on cameras and radars, but there is no LiDAR sensor in sight.Jiyue was founded in March 2021 as Jidu, a joint venture between Baidu and Geely, with the former owning 55 percent of the shares and Geely owning the rest. However, the joint venture failed to get mass-production permission from the Chinese government, which led to the restructuring of the company.Following the restructuring, the entity changed its name to Jiyue. Now, Geely holds 65 percent of the stake. The Chinese auto giant is responsible for manufacturing, while Baidu manages the software,, and connectivity onboard.Jiyue rolled out the first model, the 01, codenamed "Mars," back on October 27, with deliveries kicking off two days later. The second one, which was presumably called the 02, will actually be the 07, and will hit the market next year.The model was previewed by the Jidu Robo-02 concept car, which was shown at the Guangzhou Auto Show in 2022 as a mid-size liftback with a sleek silhouette, fender flares, and a low belt line. Buttons mounted on the B- and C-pillars replace the conventional door handles.There are Y-shaped LED headlights at the front, similar to what we have already seen on the Jiyue 01 crossover. The 02 will also get a large panoramic roof, an active spoiler at the back, and an LED strip connecting the boomerang-shaped rear lights.The model showing up in the official photos rides on five-spoke design wheels, but there will be other wheel designs available in the lineup.The Jiyue 07 will mimic the powertrains of the 01 SUV. The lineup will start with the single-motor, rear-wheel drive variant with 268 horsepower. This variant is equipped with a 71.4-LFP battery pack.Meanwhile, the range-topping all-wheel drive will get a two-motor setup, one mounted on the front axle and another one installed at the back. This all-wheel drive variant will get 536 horsepower, while the energy will be stored in a 100-kWh NMC battery pack.
Step inside this ultra-stylish tiny home with one of the most beautiful dining setups, a perfect loft bedroom, and incredible storage. The Tiny One home on wheels by Cocoon Tiny Homes deserves an iconic status, and it's proof that living in a house on wheels doesn't need to equal compromise.

Photo: Cocoon Tiny Homes

Photo: Cocoon Tiny Homes

Photo: Cocoon Tiny Homes

Photo: Cocoon Tiny Homes

If you have ever found that tiny homes can feel dark and dreary, you should feast your eyes on this lovely model that's simply filled with color and light. And, although the Tiny One is certainly a looker, there's no compromise when it comes to comfortable, year-round living. Don't be fooled by its simple name  this Kiwi tiny hides pleasant surprises at every corner, with a focus on functionality and making life inside a small dwelling much easier.The Tiny One isn't that tiny to begin with. It's eight meters long (26 feet), three meters wide (9.8 feet), and a little under four meters high (12 feet). Still, compared to the medium-sized and large models from the same New Zealand-based builder, it's a more compact option, which makes it better for those who are starting out on their mobile living journey or for those looking for a more affordable housing alternative.On paper, this Kiwi home boasts the classic configuration with one loft bedroom and an open-plan main floor with a kitchen, a lounge area, and a separate bathroom. But as soon as you walk in, you'll realize that the Tiny One is in a league of its own. When you pass through the generous glass doors, you're greeted by a lovely dining area near the lounge. That's the first unusual feature that catches the eye. Second, you'll surely admire the expertly crafted staircase in white and yellow, which looks more like a work of art.The dining setup includes a simple but convenient table that folds so that it can become larger or smaller, depending on the number of guests, plus matching chairs. What makes it unusual is the placement so close to the main entrance. That's because it acts almost as an extension of the kitchen countertop, although it's entirely separate. It's a clever way of using every inch of available space. It's also great for turning the entire dining/lounging part of the house into an indoor/outdoor space in the summertime.Instead of facing the door, the comfy sofa in the lounge is discretely placed under a window. This way, it can take up almost the entire wall without getting in the way. This high-ceiling end lounge feels luxuriously roomy, with an unobstructed line of sight all the way up to the other end of the house and a connection to the outdoors. Plus, it gets an abundance of natural light from not just one but two windows on the end wall.It also leaves room for a couple of cabinets and shelves. Storage solutions abound inside this home, and they're adapted to each particular section. In this case, the double narrow cabinets on each side take full advantage of the extra height.Another element that helps blur the line between the inside and the outside is the wide-opening window above the countertop, a popular feature in most Australian and Kiwi tiny homes. As you can tell, you'd be surrounded by gorgeous views in any part of this dining/lounging section.There's no need for too many overhead cupboards either because the kitchen was designed with huge storage placed opposite the countertop. The custom-made cabinetry includes an extra-large pantry and space for a full-size fridge. Multiple cabinets and drawers provide hidden storage for a pristine, uncluttered look, and there's even a dedicated spot for the coffee machine.Delicate LED lights will guide you up the stairs and to the walking loft platform. This bedroom is far from the uncomfortable versions you'll find in some tiny houses. The full head height makes it feel instantly comfortable. Plus, it's big enough for a king-sized bed. It's beautifully styled and furnished, which is why it resembles an exotic resort suite.The protection wall doubles as a generous storage solution without taking up any extra space. The large windows on each side are the final touch  this loft bedroom is just as luminous and airy as the rest of the house.The bathroom is another unexpected luxurious feature inside the Tiny One. In addition to the full-size shower cabin and large vanity, it comes with a custom-made laundry section that's quite impressive for a house on wheels. It includes a laundry tower with a dedicated compartment for the washing machine, multiple drawers, and even a dedicated nook for the broom.The best part is that the owners can enjoy all of this without having to sacrifice any of the space for the basic appliances (customers can choose the type of toilet).The Tiny One's colorful style is one of its greatest assets as well. While it leans on the contemporary minimalistic side, those vibrant splashes of yellow give it a unique, joyful vibe that goes great with the home's openness to the outside world. Perfectly equipped for long-term living and more than comfortable for a couple, this loft-bedroom tiny house embodies the Kiwi spirit and its love of nature and freedom.The full-build version of this popular Cocoon tiny home starts at NZD 189,000 ($118,000), and it can be extensively customized, including through the addition of a rooftop balcony that would expand its embrace of the outdoors even further.
We've known for a while that the Xiaomi Car was coming, and it looks like we're now very close to getting a preview of what will become the first full vehicle built from scratch by a technology company.

EV

At the launch event on the 28th, I'll be sharing a series of technological breakthroughs that our engineering team has made. But I also want to talk about the deeper thinking that fueled them.



Cars have been around for over 130 years. For the first 100 years, they were  Lei Jun (@leijun) December 26, 2023

Xiaomi has announced a Xiaomitechnology event for December 28, promising to provide users worldwide with a preview of what to expect from the upcoming vehicle. It is worth knowing that the event won't witness the Xiaomi Car unveiling but only offer a glimpse into the technology that'll eventually be available on the vehicle.The Xiaomi Car, tentatively called SU7 (with a SU7 Max allegedly joining the lineup with upgraded specs), should enter mass production in the first half of 2024. Xiaomi could take the wraps off the vehicle, which has already been revealed in MIIT renderings and other leaks happening lately, early next year.This week's event will focus on "technological breakthroughs that our engineering team has made," Lei Jun, founder and CEO of Xiaomi, explained in a tweet.Jun is personally involved in the Xiaomi Car development, explaining that his goal was to "build a great car." The Xiaomi CEO says he originally wanted to drive 100 cars before taking the wraps off the company's first model to "earn from the strengths of each one." He has since surpassed the goal, as "I've now driven over 150 cars."Jun explains that he wants Xiaomi to be one of the companies contributing to the transformation of the car concept. After Porsche and Tesla, with the latter turning "the car into a mobile computer on wheels," Jun says Xiaomi wants to "create mobile smart spaces."Lei Jun announcing the event on Twitter is not surprising. Xiaomi is aiming for an international launch of the vehicle, though the SU7 could initially become available in China exclusively. However, Xiaomi hopes to compete against Tesla worldwide, so reaching a global audience was a priority.Xiaomi's Stride event will start at 14:00 in China, but if you live in Europe, you'll have to wake up early to get this unexpected preview of the technology available on the Xiaomi Car. The event will kick off at 7:00 AM CET.Xiaomi is the first tech company to launch a car, with other firms in this space projected to follow in its footsteps in the coming years. Apple is the most notable, as the iPhone maker has been working on an Apple Car for approximately a decade. The vehicle is expected to see daylight in 2026, though its development advanced slower than anticipated, and a potential delay is still possible. Apple originally wanted to launch the Apple Car in 2024 or 2025, but the company's ambition to build everything from scratch, without the involvement of a traditional carmaker, made the project more challenging for a tech firm without the car manufacturing know-how.
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The official, Nazeli Baghdasarian, said they discussed the Armenian-Azerbaijan peace agenda during their unofficial contacts there.

The discussions took place in a bilateral format, Baghdasarian added without giving further details.

It was Aliyevs and Pashinians first face-to-face conversation since Azerbaijans September 19-20 military offensive that restored Azerbaijani control over Nagorno-Karabakh and forced the regions population to flee to Armenia.

The two leaders previously met in Brussels in July for talks hosted by European Union Council President Charles Michel. Aliyev twice cancelled more such talks which Michel planned to organize in October.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov similarly withdrew from a November 20 meeting with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan in Washington. Baku accused the Western powers of pro-Armenian bias and proposed direct negotiations with Yerevan.

Pashinian suggested on December 18 that Aliyev may be dragging his feet on a peace treaty with Armenia sought by the EU and the United States.

Russia has been very critical of the Western peace efforts, saying that they are primarily aimed at driving it out of the South Caucasus. On December 6, Moscow rebuked Yerevan for ignoring its recent offers to organize more Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations and warned that Pashinians current preference of Western mediation may spell more trouble for the Armenian people.

It is not clear whether Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to hold a formal trilateral meeting with Aliyev and Pashinian on the sidelines of Tuesdays Commonwealth of Independent States summit. The Kremlin did not signal such attempts in the run-up to the summit.
26 December 2023 15:35 (UTC+04:00)

Asim Aliyev Read more

On December 26, an anti-personnel mine exploded near the liberated village of Sarijali in Agdam district, injuring Mahmudov Zaur Mahmudov, born in 1982, an employee of the Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency (ANAMA), Azernews reports.

The victim was evacuated from the scene and taken to the district hospital. His condition is assessed as satisfactory.

It should be recalled that on October 13, at about 05:00, a mine explosion occurred in the vicinity of Ashagi Veysalli village of Fizuli district in an undeveloped area. Two trucks exploded on the mine, as a result of which one person was killed and another injured.

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26 December 2023 12:50 (UTC+04:00)

Nigar Hasanova Read more

The ability to recognise different types of media and comprehend the messages they convey is referred to as media literacy. There are text messages, memes, viral videos, social media, video games, advertising, and other forms of communication. The convergence of traditional media such as the press, television, and radio and new technologies such as social networking, blogging, citizen journalism, and online discussions characterizes today's media. But all media has one thing in common: it was created by someone. It was also created for a reason. Understanding why is the foundation of media literacy.

Anyone can now easily create media in the digital age. We don't always know who made something, why they made it, or whether it's trustworthy. The complex and ever-changing media landscape has the potential to benefit citizens by increasing inclusiveness, diversity, and participation; however, it also has drawbacks such as uneven access, misinformation, copyright issues, and exposure to harmful content.

A free and independent media is widely regarded as essential to good governance, especially in promoting state effectiveness, responsiveness, and accountability. As governments seek to address a variety of digital-age issues, media or digital literacy is frequently cited as a solution, in part because it is far less controversial than attempting to regulate the internet.

Let us take a step back before advocating for media literacy as a solution to the latest socio-technological problems. This means we need to define the problem and determine what role media or digital technologies play in it. We may even request a theory of change to clarify how the various components of a potential solution are expected to interact. What about a responsible organizationwhether local, national, or internationaltasked with coordinating all of these actions and evaluating the results?

Then, we need to identify all the other players so that we can articulate which part of the solution media literacy may provide and what others will contributeregulators, policymakers, civil society organisations, and the media themselvesavoiding the tendency to blame media educators for the entire problem.

According to the World Bank's Communication for Governance and Accountability Program, media literacy assists citizens in becoming informed, engaging in the public sphere to effect change, and demanding good governance and accountability. Citizens must be able to access, analyse, evaluate, and create media content in an increasingly complex media landscape. We might also further expect and demand that the other players incorporate media literacy expectations into their policies, so that all organisations shaping the digital environment share the task of explaining their operations to the public and providing user-friendly accountability mechanisms.

A fundamental principle of the governance reform agenda is to build more effective and responsive states that are accountable to their citizens; free, pluralistic, and independent media systems can play an important role in this process of giving access to independent media to the citizens. This access is critical for improving trust among citizens, the media, and the state, as well as for implementing and maintaining the governance agenda. As maintaining this reform between the aforementioned players could be hard to balance, learning and teaching media literacy is difficult. Nonetheless, media literacy is an important skill in the digital age because it teaches not only how to engage with media but also how to engage with society through media. Citizens must acquire the critical abilities and necessary communicative skills to participate actively and meaningfully in a democratic public spherethe space where free and equal citizens come together to discuss and debate current affairs. This informed public debate, fueled by media literacy, has the potential to engage citizens as active stakeholders in governance reforms.

Azerbaijan has also attempted to improve media literacy through active engagement in the implementation of this strategy. A media literacy conference has begun in Baku as part of the Media Literacy Week organised by the Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Nearly 500 young people attended the conference. Speaking at the conference, Ahmad Ismayilov, Executive Director of the Media Development Agency, stated that in the modern era, as we face a rapidly increasing information flow, developing the proper skills to determine the reliability of information in society is becoming one of the key factors for the development of the national media landscape and the promotion of long-term socio-cultural development throughout the country.

According to him, the current abundance of information, as well as the challenge that society faces in determining the objectivity of information, necessitate the development of media-literate consumers, as well as consistent steps towards increasing the effective performance of the media's professional function.

Finally, as mentioned by the executive director, we need to consider the effectiveness of the media. What does effectiveness look like? Is it citizens being kind to one another online, behaving nicely, and being orderly? Or is it citizens who are deliberating, debating, and even disagreeing? Citizens who use digital media to express themselves, organise themselves, and demand to be heard? I believe it should be both. People need to be heard in a respectful manner and express themselves freely in a digital democratic environment. This necessitates change not only on the part of citizens but also on the part of policymakers. We shouldn't just ask whether people trust the media or the government. We should also ask whether the media trusts the people and allows them to express themselves freely and respectfully in various situations, and whether governments, related authorities, and civic bodies trust the people, treat them with respect, listen to what they have to say, and strive to create a free and open digital environment in which all participants are free to express their thoughts and concerns in a respectful manner.

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26 December 2023 08:30 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

Despite all the sabotage of Armenophile European countries such as France, Belgium, and so on, Azerbaijan determinedly moves forward in its path. It is crystal clear that the corrupt scheme of the Armenian lobby will not work this time. Especially after the Ukrainian crisis, the vulnerability of the old continent emerged and no force can hide it from now on. Following the war in Europe, the importance of Azerbaijan and the ingenuity of its foreign policy are increasing day by day. Currently, it is clear that Azerbaijan does not need Europe. On the contrary, Europe needs Azerbaijan.

First of all, surely, today Azerbaijan plays a great role in energy security for Europe and day by day its importance is increasing.

It is worth noting that Azerbaijan is one of the first countries among the former Soviet Republics that tried to cooperate in the energy sector. It is Azerbaijan that invited Western energy companies such as bp, McDermott, and so on as soon as it became an independent country. Thanks to this long-sighted strategy stability was established and the region developed rapidly. The GDP of the country skyrocketed by 175 times over 30 years which is considered a miracle.

Baku did not limit itself only to the oil agreement. The country endorsed different mega projects that turned the region into the center of international forces. Following the oil project, Azerbaijan launched a mega gas project. At first, many criticized the project and said that it would not succeed. However, thanks to the determined and far-sighted foreign policy Azerbaijan did not fail and soon started to export natural gas to Europe. In 2021, the volume of natural gas exported to Europe amounted to 8 billion cubic meters and it increased by 50 percent totalling 12 billion cubic meters in 2023. However, neither Azerbaijan nor Europe considers it enough. According to the memorandum signed by Azerbaijan and the EU, the volume will reach 20 billion cubic meters by 2027.

The oil and gas are not the only products that Azerbaijan is going to supply Europe with. In addition to fossil fuels, Baku is working on exporting green energy to the old continent as well. According to the research, Azerbaijan has 200 GW of green energy potential and the country will realize some of this potential, soon, to meet its energy demand and sell surpluses to Europe. Azerbaijan has been working on this project for more than ten years. Even Baku inked a memorandum on exporting green energy to Europe as well. According to the memorandum, Azerbaijan will export 4 GW of electricity generated from renewable sources through under the Black Sea by 2030. Besides, Azerbaijan also plans to export 1 GW of green electricity via Turkiye.

So, the vulnerability of Europe is not limited to only energy. The war also revealed that the trade routes of Europe were not secured as well. Following the war in Ukraine, there is an increased urgency to identify alternative, reliable, and efficient trade routes between Europe and Asia that do not pass through Russia. The EU wants to be a reliable and predictable partner in a rapidly changing world, where all countries of the continent started to talk about the Middle Corridor. Certainly, this could be considered Azerbaijan's other initiative. The diversification of trade routes has been on the table for quite some time.

There is only one priority for Azerbaijan, which is to completely eliminate the concept of conflict in the region and ensure permanent peace in the entire South Caucasus. It goes without saying that the party that will respond in this matter is Armenia. Time has spoken: it is already clear who is strong and right, and who is wrong. Azerbaijan left behind the mistakes made by Armenia for many years and every time reached out to Armenia for peace. Of course, Azerbaijan did what was right for it and demonstrated its strength once again.

Today, Azerbaijan is definitely not interested in foreign interventions and foolish statements of pro-Armenian politicians. Because Azerbaijan has literally become the sphere of interest of Western countries. Especially Europe needs Azerbaijan as much as air and water. This leaves the interests of the latter in the background. It means that sooner or later the pro-Armenians will get tired and follow the smarter thinkers, that is, they will be forced to accept the truth whether they want to or not.

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Qabil Ashirov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @g_Ashirov

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26 December 2023 17:12 (UTC+04:00)

By Mazahir Afandiyev

It's no secret that the post-pandemic and post-war eras of the world are not the same as they were. The expansion of digitalization tendencies is one of the primary characteristics of the new system. Even prior to the current era, the state placed a high priority on ensuring that our nation is well-prepared for this global issue, and the government has consistently taken action in this regard.

President Ilham Aliyev's determination was important in the successful implementation of several innovative projects in our nation; digitization, efficiency, accountability, and transparency were identified as critical factors. Due to the foresightful policies of the nation's leadership, these timely implementation efforts and their ongoing positive impact are the outcome of the ambition to make Azerbaijan one of the driving forces behind global challenges.

The state leader's July 13, 2013, decree on the establishment of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan is a significant step in the direction of comprehensive institutional reforms in public administration. Based on the most up-to-date knowledge and acknowledged by respected international organisations and the global community, the state agency "ASAN Service" has been effectively offering public services for over a decade. To date, the centres have reviewed the appeals of over 66 million citizens.

With the scale, volume, complexity, and changes brought about by digitalization being so different from everything that has happened to humans before, the idea of "ASAN Service" is a clear illustration of the enormous potential for the growth of the digital economy ecosystem in Azerbaijan. "I want to emphasise again, as I have done so many times, that this is a true revolution in the sphere of public services. Asan Service is an intellectual product of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani brand. The product that we currently export," President Ilham Aliyev said.

The ASAN Service Centres improve the management system in this area and represent a unique single-window model that allows citizens to use 400 services provided by 15 public and 30 private organisations "under one roof." They also coordinate the activities of employees of central or local executive authorities, budgetary organisations, and state legal entities, including public legal entities created on behalf of the state. They have laid a strong foundation for the development of the new strategy to guarantee public satisfaction and the establishment of citizen-government relations at a completely new standard in the nation.

This idea has generated a lot of interest internationally and has grown to be Azerbaijan's exclusive intellectual property over time. Thus, more than 20 memoranda of understanding have been reached with different nations and international organisations to date in order to exchange experience in areas related to innovation. Additionally, ASAN Service has been recognised as a winner in several international nominations as a commendable model of providing public services, emphasising its significant role in both achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the advancement of human rights.

By Decree of President Ilham Aliyev dated September 23, 2016, a public legal entity called "ABAD" (ASAN Support to Family Business) was established to ensure the sustainability of the achieved successes as well as the introduction of innovations and new technological opportunities in the field of small business. In addition to encouraging the growth of micro, small, and medium-sized businesses, raising the employment rate of the populace, and creating successful family farms, the creation of folk crafts was encouraged, therefore highlighting the many areas of the nation. The establishment of ABAD increased the amount of tax money going to the state budget and established a tradition of new economic ties throughout the nation. It also serves as a glaring example of President Ilham Aliyev's prudent, well-considered strategy towards the localization and integration of processes occurring in a world that is becoming more interconnected.

The establishment of "ASAN Volunteers" in tandem with the work being done is much valued by the national populace and supports the volunteer movement's efforts as well as Azerbaijan's youth policy. The successful synthesis of managerial traditions from the East and the West is revealed through the implementation of various local and international projects, the full participation of volunteers in public service, and their preservation of traditions inherited from Heydar Aliyev's ideology, which leads to citizen satisfaction in the service sector.

President Ilham Aliyev has, on the whole, been the most innovative member of the Azerbaijani nation throughout the previous 20 years. Azerbaijan has formed a new culture, as seen by our nation's efforts to localize the world's most advanced challenges in integration, modernization, and renovation. These efforts are the foundation of all of our recent triumphs.

As a result, the consistent actions taken and the sustainable policy put in place have allowed the President of Azerbaijan to carry out the 2020 decision, which is based on the standards and precepts of international law. However, this also shows that Azerbaijan is currently only a global messenger of peace, tranquility, and sustainable development.

Mazahir Afandiyev is a member of the Milli Majlis (the Azerbaijani Parliament).

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26 December 2023 17:45 (UTC+04:00)

Nigar Hasanova Read more

6 of the 10 new Stadler trains ordered by Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, 4 of which have already been delivered to our country, are electric, Azernews reports.

According to the information, thanks to these trains, the share of railway transport in environmental protection will increase even more.

In addition, to promote the use of bicycles, which are environmentally friendly and beneficial for human health, bicycle stands have been installed at railway stations.

Azerbaijan Railways contributes greatly to the prevention of carbon dioxide emissions by promoting green energy. For this purpose, during the renovation of the Yeni Bilajari locomotive depot, 307 solar panels were installed on the roofs of the buildings for energy supply, and 350 solar panels were installed in the Yeni Ganja locomotive depot.

Also, all necessary measures are taken to avoid damage to the environment during the construction of railways. In each new project, ESG principles are analysed and applied most effectively. Thus, in agreement with the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the location of those trees was sensibly changed in the 85th km of the Horadiz-Aghband line, near the Minjivan station, in order not to damage the forest area. Maximum efforts are made to avoid damage to the environment during the construction of railways.

Planting trees along the railway track is kept in mind in every project of Azerbaijan Railways. Pine trees and other types of trees have already been planted as part of the Barda-Aghdam project.

Azerbaijan Railways uses innovative technological solutions to reduce the use of paper in internal documents. Also, since this year, the sale of paper tickets on the Absheron circular route has been stopped.

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26 December 2023 14:18 (UTC+04:00)

Asim Aliyev Read more

Representatives of the Western Azerbaijani Community made a statement in the Azerbaijani Parliament. The statement says that recognising the right of Western Azerbaijanis to return to their ancestral homes in the territory of modern Armenia is one of the important means of building confidence between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Azernews reports.

It was noted that despite the severe consequences of the occupation, it was the Republic of Azerbaijan that initiated the normalisation of relations with Armenia on the basis of establishing long-term peace and stability in the region. It should be recalled that Azerbaijan acted on the basis of five principles of international law, including the recognition of territorial integrity and sovereignty of states for the normalisation of relations. Unfortunately, Armenia's military and political provocations over the past 3 years have prevented peace talks and made localised anti-terrorist operations in September this year inevitable.

The statement also notes that "after the establishment of Azerbaijan's sovereignty over its entire territory, there are no longer any obstacles to the conclusion of a peace agreement with Armenia." The joint statement adopted by the Administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia on December 7 this year was an important step towards building confidence between the two countries.

The representatives of the Western Azerbaijani community represented in the Parliament of Azerbaijan also emphasised that they strongly support the initiatives and efforts of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan aimed at establishing lasting peace and stability in the region and establishing cooperative relations.

The statement also emphasised that the recognition of the right of Western Azerbaijanis to return to their ancestral homes in the territory of Armenia is one of the important means of building confidence between Azerbaijan and Armenia and will be an important step towards achieving real reconciliation between the two states.

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25 December 2023 19:02 (UTC+04:00)

Jeffrey Werbock, Chairman of Mugham Society of America has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, on the occasion of his birthday, Azernews reports.

The letter reads:

"His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Dear President Ilham Aliyev,

Congratulations on your birthday and I hope you have many, many more. We met briefly during your visit to New York City in the summer of 1997, when you came with your father who spoke at an event hosted by the Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, where your father delivered another great speech there. We shook hands as you both walked by our table to leave the meeting. I was invited to this event because I am a member of the Jewish diaspora in USA, married to an Azerbaijani. I met National Leader President Heydar Aliyev in his office in Baku on May 23, 1997, just a few months before you and I met in NYC. Your father invited me to his office to express his thoughts and feelings about the magnificent culture of Azerbaijan; he had learned that I was in Baku to perform at the Grand Opening of the newly renovated Opera House, and that I am one of the few non-Azerbaijanis who has devoted his life to the study and promotion of Azerbaijan's musical culture. I play kamancha and tar, beginning in 1973, and during this past 50 years have made thousands of presentations in the best venues in USA, Canada, UK, Europe, Israel, and of course, Azerbaijan.

I also wish to take this opportunity to congratulate you on the restoration of the sovereignty of your country. The day we heard that Shusha was liberated was one of the happiest days of my life. I visited that magical city in July of 2022 in pursuit of making another documentary film about Azerbaijan and its musical culture, and the people of Azerbaijan who are unique in the world and deserve to be much better known in the most positive way possible.

I hope someday we will meet so I can personally congratulate you on your accomplishments, and also First Lady and First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva, to personally thank her for all the great work she has done to promote and support the traditional art culture of Azerbaijan. Perhaps she may remember we met in Washington DC during her visit in 2006, at a small, private presentation of non-Azerbaijani people like me who adore some aspect of Azerbaijani culture.

Best regards to you both.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Werbock

Chairman of Mugham Society of America"

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26 December 2023 10:39 (UTC+04:00)

Nigar Hasanova Read more

A wide-ranging meeting was held in video format between Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev and Prosecutor General of Iran Mohammad Kazem Movahedi-Azad, Azernews reports.

In the meeting, the holding of a court review of the criminal case related to the terrorist attack on the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Tehran on January 27 of the current year, acceleration of the adoption of the final decision, and mechanisms of legal cooperation were discussed.

Note that earlier, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said that a roadmap had been prepared for the reopening of the Azerbaijani embassy in the Iranian capital of Tehran.

He made the remarks at a weekly press conference on Monday while elaborating on the outcomes of a videoconference between Iranian Prosecutor General Mohammad Kazem Movahedi Azad and his Azerbaijani counterpart Kamran Aliyev held on Saturday.

Kanaani said the meeting was part of the two countries' efforts and initiatives to resolve the remaining issues in bilateral ties, as well as the reopening of the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran.

Recall that the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Tehran was attacked on January 27, 2023, at around 08:00 a.m. local time. The terrorist passed by the guard post with a Kalashnikov rifle and opened fire inside the embassy, while its staff tried to neutralise him. During the terrorist attack, the head of the embassy's security service, Orkhan Asgarov, was killed, while two guards were injured.

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26 December 2023 13:03 (UTC+04:00)

Asim Aliyev Read more

The goal is for the number of foreign students studying in Azerbaijan to reach 75,000 by 2026. This was stated by Deputy Minister of Science and Education Hasan Hasanli during his speech at the event "Opportunities of International Education in Azerbaijan," Azernews reports.

The Deputy Minister emphasised that "this requires systematic work; if the steps taken in this direction are combined, the result will be even more positive. The enrollment in higher educational institutions in the country has exceeded 60 thousand people. We set ourselves the task of increasing this number to 75 thousand people by 2026, he said.

He also noted that the number of foreign students and their scale are increasing in Azerbaijan.

In 2023, the number of foreign students studying in Azerbaijan reached 10,000 people. It should be reminded that in 2022, the number of foreign students in educational institutions in Azerbaijan amounted to 5,765 people.

According to him, another step contributing to the increase in the number of foreign students in the country is the scholarships provided by private universities to foreign students.

"I think such systematic steps will be more effective for the future of our education," Hasanli said.

According to Deputy Minister of Science and Education Hasan Hasanly, this is a record number in the history of Azerbaijani education. H. Hasanly emphasised that in recent years, a lot of work has been done on the placement of foreign citizens in educational institutions and obtaining residence permits for them.

Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also attended the forum. Head of the International Development Assistance Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Elmaddin Mehdiyev, said in his speech at the forum that the New Heydar Aliyev Education Grant will make a great contribution to the promotion of international educational opportunities in the country.

He emphasised that Azerbaijan has become a donor country.

"To date, about 140 countries have received aid from Azerbaijan. This aid has made a significant contribution to fighting humanitarian crises. Azerbaijan has provided assistance to 43 out of 46 least-developed countries and 53 out of 54 African countries," he added.

E. Mehdiyev noted that within 5 years, it is planned to admit 100 students from countries belonging to organisations such as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Non-Aligned Movement to Azerbaijani universities.

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26 December 2023 12:31 (UTC+04:00)

The Indonesian National Youth Council supported the Eurasian Regional Centre of Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum's (ICYF-ERC) statement, condemning the illegal detention of the leader of CAGE, NGO Mohammed Rabbani, as a result of which he wasnt permitted to participate in the "Neocolonialism: Human Rights, Peace, and Security" international conference.

Azernews reports that the conference was organized by the Baku Initiative Group at the United Nations office in Geneva.

In the Indonesian youths statement, it was expressed as solidarity with Mr. Muhammad Rabbani's struggle against Islamophobia as well as his long activity in the sphere of human rights.

In the mentioned document, M. Rabbani's detention by Swiss authorities at the behest of the French government, hindering his legitimate participation in a conference, was considered a breaking of fundamental principles of human rights and hindering factors in a free exchange of ideas and dialogue, which were the main goals of the conference.

The statement appeals to the French government to thoroughly investigate this incident, not interfere with the internal affairs of other states, to respect principles of sovereignty and international cooperation, and to protect free movement and expression of words for people who are engaged in the sphere of human rights and peace protection.

It was also appealed to other international organisations to stand in solidarity with the ICYF-ERC-mentioned initiative and to support M. Rabbani's rights.

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26 December 2023 13:23 (UTC+04:00)

Asim Aliyev Read more

A conference of adjunct professors and residents dedicated to the 3rd anniversary of the 44-day Patriotic War was held at the Military Medical Faculty, Azernews reports, citing the Defence Ministry.

The conference was attended by representatives of the National Defence University, the Medical Department, and Azerbaijan Medical University.

Besides, the event commenced with commemorating the bright memory of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev and Shehids (Martyrs), who sacrificed their lives for the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and playing the National Anthem of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

During the event, the speakers spoke about the importance of such conferences and emphasised that many important steps have been taken in the development of military medicine in Azerbaijan and in the training of scientific personnel hereinafter.

Moreover, it was noted that a total of 30 theses were admitted at the conference, 16 of which were in military surgery and 14 in military therapy. Then, reports were heard at the conference.

The event ended with the presentation of certificates to the speakers.

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26 December 2023 16:13 (UTC+04:00)

Asim Aliyev Read more

Newly appointed Azerbaijani Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Ruslan Nasibov presented a copy of his credentials to Director General of Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia Melak Bedada Senbete, Azernews reports.

It was noted that in the course of the conversation that followed the presentation, the sides discussed the continuation of successful bilateral and multilateral cooperation between the two countries, as well as the prospects for the development of relations in the political, trade, economic, humanitarian and tourism spheres.

Recall, Ruslan Nasibov was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia on 10.10.2023 by order of President Ilham Aliyev.

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26 December 2023 16:06 (UTC+04:00)

Asim Aliyev Read more

French Ambassador to Azerbaijan Anne Bouillon was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on December 26, 2023, Azernews reports.

It is noted that the two French embassy officials were seriously protested for their activities, which were not in accordance with their diplomatic status and contrary to the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

The French Ambassador was informed that these staff members had been declared "personae non grata" (undesirable persons) by the Government of Azerbaijan.

These persons were demanded to leave the territory of Azerbaijan within 48 hours, and the Ambassador of France was handed a corresponding protest note from the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

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26 December 2023 17:48 (UTC+04:00)

Jon Purizhansky, founder and chief executive officer of the US-based Joblio company, has sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Azernews reports.

The letter reads:

His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Dear Mr. President,

It is an absolute honour to wish you a very happy birthday full of health and happiness!

You have developed Azerbaijan into a model society for tolerance and the protection of human rights. As an executive of a multinational company and an experienced international expert, I can attest to the unmatched level of attention and respect given to the various religions and ethnic communities that make up Azerbaijan. As an Israeli American, I particularly appreciate your warmth and brotherly attitude towards the Jewish community in Azerbaijan and the State of Israel.

Sincerely,

Jon Purizhansky

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of US-based Joblio company"

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26 December 2023 08:00 (UTC+04:00)

Marking the birth anniversary of the South Asian nations founder, the Pakistan Air Force showcased on the weekend the upgradation of the aerial branch with Turkish weaponry including drones, Azernews reports, citing Anadolu Agency.

Pakistan Airforce on path to modernization, a two-and-a half minute documentary, Sunday night showcased Turkiye-produced Akinci and the Bayraktar TB-2 uncrewed combat aerial vehicles, as well as JF-17 Block III and J-10C military jets, which were added to its inventory this year. Pakistan and China have jointly produced JF fighter aircraft series.

The video highlights the fact that Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah illuminated the oppressed Muslims of the subcontinent with a ray of hope and united them as one nation to achieve a separate and independent homeland for them. It is because of Quaids tireless efforts that we are breathing in a free state today, the Pakistan Air Force said in a statement.

Earlier this year, Pakistans secretary for defense production, Humayun Aziz, told Anadolu that Turkiye and the South Asian nation will consolidate their work and look ahead to new fields, including uncrewed aerial vehicles and advanced fighters.

He said that new frontiers include drones and advanced fighters "because already we are progressing a lot in the submarines and shipbuilding."

Turkiye and Pakistan are also working together in the military side on small arms and other projects, Aziz added.

Pakistan's founder Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was born on Dec. 25, 1876.

The Pakistan Air Force said Jinnah envisioned and founded a state based on the principles of democracy, freedom, equality, tolerance, and social justice.

The Quaid's ideology, vision and guiding principles of faith, unity and discipline are a beacon for us in our journey to become a great nation, it added.

According to the Stratcom Bureau, a Pakistan-based defense-related social media platform, the Pakistan Air Force documentary showed off its new inductions, including Akinci and Bayraktar TB-2 besides a family of indigenous loitering munitions, new ultra-long beyond visual range air-to-air missiles and a whole range of new SAMs (surface-to-air missiles) and PGMs (precision-guided munition) and more.

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China, Nicaragua stick to right direction of development of bilateral relations

09:22, December 26, 2023 By He Yin ( People's Daily

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Dec. 20 held a phone conversation with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. The two heads of state announced the establishment of strategic partnership between China and Nicaragua.

The two sides believe this move is in the common interests of the two countries and the two peoples, and is conducive to the common development and prosperity of the two countries.

China and Nicaragua will take it as a new starting point to make new progress of China-Nicaragua ties and set an example of solidarity, cooperation, mutual benefit and win-win results.

Since the resumption of relations two years ago, the two sides, with a sense of urgency, have promoted a leap-forward development of China-Nicaragua relations. Facts have fully proved that the decision made by the Nicaraguan government to resume diplomatic relations with China, based on its national interests and the will of its people, is indeed correct.

The establishment of the strategic partnership on the occasion of the second anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries will surely become an important milestone in the history of China-Nicaragua relations.

The two heads of state agreed that the two sides will further give play to the guiding role of head-of-state diplomacy, maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges and dialogue, continuously strengthen strategic cooperation, deepen political mutual trust and stick to the right direction of China-Nicaragua relations.

Over the past two years, China and Nicaragua have achieved positive progress in political mutual trust, practical cooperation and multilateral coordination. The two sides have firmly supported each other on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns.

China is ready to be a reliable friend of Nicaragua, and will continue to firmly support Nicaragua in safeguarding its national independence and national dignity, and also backs Nicaragua in rejecting external interference.

China stands ready to strengthen solidarity and coordination with Nicaragua in international affairs, and work with Nicaragua to oppose hegemonism and power politics, promote the development of a more just and rational international order, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries.

The Nicaraguan side said it highly values its friendly relations with its great brother China, firmly abides by the one-China principle, supports China's grand cause of reunification and supports global cooperation initiatives, including the Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by Xi.

Nicaragua is ready to work with China to continuously deepen bilateral friendly relations, strengthen multilateral coordination, oppose external interference and power politics, and jointly promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Pragmatic cooperation between China and Nicaragua has been rapidly advancing in various fields, bringing benefits to the people of both countries.

In 2022, the bilateral trade volume reached $760 million. China is Nicaragua's second-largest trading partner and second-largest source of imports. Nicaragua is China's important economic and trade partner in Central America and an important participant in the Belt and Road Initiative.

China and Nicaragua signed a free trade agreement in August this year, which will come into effect on Jan. 1 next year. It is a landmark achievement of cooperation between the two countries.

By implementing the free trade agreement, both countries will achieve a high level of mutual openness in areas such as goods trade, service trade, and investment market access. Practical cooperation between them will also continue to expand and deepen.

According to Nicaraguan Minister of Development, Industry and Trade Jesus Bermudez, the Nicaragua-China free trade agreement will bring tangible benefits and set an example for cooperation between Central American and even Latin American countries with China.

As developing countries, China and Nicaragua share a common commitment to people-centered development and should work together to promote their respective modernization.

China is willing to share the opportunities brought about by Chinese modernization with countries including Nicaragua, and work with them to create a brighter future for global modernization.

The Nicaraguan side highly appreciates China's efforts to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization, and believes that Chinese modernization provides a new choice for humanity to realize modernization and offers Chinese solutions and strength to address common challenges faced by humanity.

Both countries will continue to enhance exchanges and cooperation between departments at all levels, strengthen policy coordination, and learn from each other's governance experiences.

In recent years, Panama, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras and other Central American and Caribbean countries have established or resumed diplomatic relations with China, carrying out pragmatic cooperation for mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

This fully demonstrates that establishing diplomatic ties with China conforms to the trend of the times and the will of the people. The establishment of strategic partnership between China and Nicaragua after two years of their resumption of diplomatic relations will enable more members of the international community to clearly recognize the general trend and make correct decisions in line with the trend of the times.

(Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun)
26 December 2023 09:00 (UTC+04:00)

The tourist flow from Russia to Turkiye will total at least 6.3 mln people in 2023, which is still 10% lower than the pre-pandemic results, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) reported, Azernews reports, citing TASS.

"According to the current forecast by ATORs analytical department, at least 6.3-6.35 mln tourists from Russia visited Turkiye in 2023. <> The tourist flow from Russia to Turkiye will not reach the pre-pandemic record highs (7 mln visits in 2019) this year, with the lag reaching around 10%," the report said.

Some 6.08 mln Russians visited the country in January-November 2023, ATOR said citing figures provided by Turkiye s Culture and Tourism Ministry. Russia topped the list of countries with the largest tourist flow to Turkiye in the reporting period, followed by Germany and the UK.

The flow of Russian tourists to Turkiye rose by 23% compared with the same period in 2022, while compared with January-November 2019 it was still 11.7% lower, the association said.

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26 December 2023 19:00 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

The Azerbaijani Embassy in Pakistan established the Heydar Aliyev Auditorium at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), one of the most prestigious higher education institutions in this country, Azernews reports, citing the Embassy.

Sitara Ayaz, Secretary General of the International Congress of Parliamentarians, ambassadors of foreign countries in Pakistan, diplomats, officials of the Pakistani Foreign Ministry, representatives of the public, cultural, and business circles of this country, management, and students of NUST, as well as representatives of media and think tanks, took part in the event held on this occasion.

At the entrance of the auditorium, the participants were first introduced to the Heydar Aliyev corner, which reflects the various periods of the National Leader's rich life and activities, as well as his official visit to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

In the official part of the event, after the playing of the national anthems of Azerbaijan and Pakistan, a video was screened about different periods of the life and service activities of National Leader Heydar Aliyev.

Later, the Azerbaijani Ambassador to Pakistan, Khazar Farhadov, spoke at the event held in the Heydar Aliyev Auditorium, spoke about the first and second periods of the leadership of the National Leader to Azerbaijan, and brought to the attention of the guests extensive information about the invaluable work done by Heydar Aliyev for the preservation and development of the independence of Azerbaijan.

During his speech, the ambassador touched on Azerbaijan-Pakistan relations and emphasized that the foundation of the development of relations between the two fraternal countries was laid by the National Leader.

Stating that Heydar Aliyev attaches great importance to Pakistan, the ambassador recalled the National Leader's official visit to Pakistan in 1996 and pointed out that this visit played a special role in the development of Azerbaijan-Pakistan relations.

Speaking at the event, Rizvan Riaz, vice-rector of NUST, spoke about the friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan and emphasised that this university has already signed memoranda of cooperation with Azerbaijani universities such as ADA and AzTU. The vice rector noted that numerous events will be held in the Heydar Aliyev Auditorium that will contribute to the further development of relations between the two countries.

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26 December 2023 22:15 (UTC+04:00)

By Alimat Aliyeva

The Ebeko volcano, located on the North Kuril island of Paramushir, on Tuesday afternoon, threw out a column of ash to a height of 2.8 km above sea level, Azernews reports, citing the press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Sakhalin region.

According to the agency, the ash plume stretches eastward from the volcano for a distance of more than 5 km.

"There was no ashfall in the city of Severo-Kurilsk. The smell of hydrogen sulfide is not felt. There is no threat to the life of the population," the Agency said.

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In his first Congressional primary, State Representaive Greg "Medicaid" Murphy (RINO-Pitt) claimed to be a budding Freedom Caucus type and convinced DC's Freedom Caucus leaders to run campaign ads for him and endorse him. Once he got to DC, Murphy quickly abandoned the conservative Freedom Caucus and started buttering up the GOP establishment.

Now in a recent interview with WTIB's Henry Hinton, Murphy has gone full swamp RINO. Murphy declared that he wanted to "find a way to vote YES on bills, not always be NO on everything." That was a direct shot at the Freedom Caucus which is trying to stop the corrupt deal making on liberal legislation. Murphy has already been a YES on too much bad liberal legislation like the cancel culture bill against the South that has resulted in Fort Bragg no longer being Fort Bragg, and the corrupt compromise that left Obama's army of new IRS agents to prey on the middle class in place.

Murphy's predecessor, Walter Jones was a hero to most Republicans precisely because he had the backbone to stand up and vote NO to big spending legislation, even when the swampy GOP leadership went along with it. GOP activists also remember our conservative Senator Jesse Helms who was proud of the Democrats dubbing him "Senator NO".

Murphy also patted himself on the back for joining the Democrats in their unprecedented removal of George Santos before he even had the due process of his day in court on his charges. Given the thin GOP House majority, this was an extremely stupid political move, particularly when Joe Biden has done most of the things Santos did and even worse.

Where can the 3rd District find another Walter Jones to replace Medicaid Murphy?
Washington, Ind.-based Daviess Community Hospital's board has approved nearly $200 million in the 2024 budget, the Washington Times Herald reported Dec. 24.

The budget is around $10 million more than expected due to, in part, the addition of new surgeons to the hospital, April Settles, CFO of Daviess Community Hospital, told the publication.

"They [the surgeons] are already doing a wonderful job and we are seeing increases in our surgical cases and volumes," Ms. Settles told the Washington Times Herald.

Outpatient services are expected to see the largest increase by $14 million to a total of $140 million. Inpatient revenues are projected to stay around $45 million, with clinic revenues decreasing $3 million to a total of $13 million. Home health revenues are also expected to remain unchanged at over $822,000.

The hospital is continuing to work on its 2023 books, which will show potential financial tightening. The hospital's computer system was taken down for several weeks due to a reported data breach, which caused a delay resulting in hospital officials still reviewing the budget, Ms. Settles told the publication.

Becker's has reached out to Daviess Community Hospital for additional comment on the 2024 budget.
WellSpan Chambersburg (Pa.) Hospital stopped providing inpatient pediatric care Dec. 22, Chambersburg Public Opinion first reported.

The hospital offered pediatric inpatient care through a partnership with Chambersburg-based Keystone Health. However, Keystone pediatricians will no longer provide high-acuity inpatient pediatric care at the facility, both health systems confirmed to Chambersburg Public Opinion. Children requiring a higher level of inpatient care will be transferred to other facilities in the state.

Chambersburg Hospital will still offer emergency, surgical, orthopedic, and ear, nose and throat services for pediatric patients. The change does not affect the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit, and Keystone pediatricians will still treat newborns at the hospital, a spokesperson for WellSpan told Becker's Dec. 26.

An undisclosed number of employees, including pediatric nurses, were moved to other positions in the hospital as a result of the change.

"As pediatric volumes have been low at times, we have trained our pediatric nurses to work in other areas of the hospital so that they may retain full employment. In doing so they can now care for other patients," the spokesperson told Becker's.

Chambersburg Hospital said it admitted about 300 pediatric patients annually, according to Chambersburg Public Opinion.
Newark, Del.-based ChristianaCare is paying $47.1 million to resolve an over six-year-old kickback lawsuit filed by the health system's former chief compliance officer, Ronald Sherman, according to a Dec. 21 press release from Walden Macht and Haran, the lead counsel for Mr. Sherman.

Mr. Sherman filed the lawsuit in 2017, accusing ChristianaCare of infringing both anti-kickback laws and the False Claims Act through its relationship with Newark-based physician group Neonatology Associates.

In exchange for referrals to Christiana Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit, the health system gave free services from its employed nurse practitioners, physicians and residents to physicians employed by Neonatology Associates, according to the lawsuit.

The health system also allegedly took part in a "similar kickback scheme" involving urologic surgery, neurosurgery, cardiovascular surgery, and Christiana Hospital's ear, nose and throat practice.

"In 2003, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education  which is the body responsible for accrediting physician training programs in the United States  adopted new rules which limited the amount of hours hospitals could require medical residents to work," Dan Miller, partner at Walden Macht and Haran, said in the release.

"To fill the gap left behind by residents, many hospitals hired mid-level providers such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants. At ChristianaCare, we alleged that services performed by mid-level providers were billed for by private attending physicians who were in a position to make future referrals to the hospital. Put differently, we alleged that ChristianaCare paid kickbacks to the private physicians in the form of free employees," Mr. Miller said.

In what's thought to be the biggest Delaware False Claims Act settlement in history, the health system has agreed to pay over $12 million to Mr. Sherman, $42.5 million to both the U.S. and the state of Delaware, and $4.6 million to Mr. Sherman's attorneys, the release said.

"Following a favorable judgement by the court, which dismissed a portion of the claims, we are pleased to settle this matter as we focus forward on meeting the evolving health needs of the diverse communities we serve," a ChristianaCare spokesperson told Becker's.

"Our number-one priority is to provide the best possible care to every patient we serve. The settlement does not include admission of liability. The use of advanced-practice clinicians (APCs) to coordinate and provide continuity of care throughout our service lines is essential to enabling the level of high-quality, safe care that we provide. We will continue to ensure that our use of APCs to support the quality and safety of the care we provide to our patients is in accordance with all current guidance and requirements," the spokesperson said.
Mercy Iowa City (Iowa) cited a difficult EHR implementation as one of the primary reasons for having to file for bankruptcy in August, according to The Gazette.

The hospital contracted with Altera Digital Health for its EHR platform in 2021, but Mark Toney, Mercy's chief restructuring officer, said in his court declaration that the system caused "significant operational problems" such as coding and patient collection issues. He also mentioned the EHR made it challenging to submit regulatory reports on deadline and "misconfigured workflows," according to the report.

The hospital lost revenue last year and earlier this year due to delayed patient submissions and the subsequent accounts receivable backlog, which jumped 40% while net patient revenues dropped.

"Put simply, the failed EMR implementation was a significant contributing factor to (Mercy's) financial difficulties in 2022 and 2023, that ultimately necessitated the filing of these Chapter 11 (bankruptcy) cases," said Dan Simon in a letter to Altera dated Dec. 8. "Now, on the cusp of closing a value-maximizing sale to the University of Iowa approved by the bankruptcy court, your client's attempt to leverage a release for potentially valuable cases of action is not well received."

The University of Iowa is in the process of acquiring Mercy, and the hospital will transition to a new EHR when the sale is complete. However, Altera has asked a bankruptcy judge to force the hospital to either decide to terminate the existing contract, which lasts through March 2031, or hand it over to the University of Iowa.

Mercy wants to keep Altera on through the transition for patient record continuity, but then join the new system.

The two sides have not agreed on the "cure amount" either. Mercy calculates the cure amount is $8 million plus another $1.5 million to Altera's successor, Allscripts Health Care, but Altera maintains it should receive $12 million, noting the hospital has added $4 million since the bankruptcy was filed.

In court documents, Altera said it has been paid less than half of the amount agreed upon by the contract. "By using the software and evading assumption or rejection of the agreement, (Mercy) is unfairly forcing Altera to continue performing under the agreement without giving Altera any of the benefits and protections of the bankruptcy code," according to documents quoted by The Gazette.
Smithtown, N.Y.-based St. Catherine of Siena Hospital, part of Long Island, N.Y.-based Catholic Health, is shutting down its maternity ward Feb. 1.

"The voluntary OB/GYN physicians providing maternity care at St. Catherine of Siena Hospital will leave their current employer, and as part of their new contract, will no longer be able to provide maternity care at our hospital," a Catholic Health spokesperson told Becker's in a statement.

Due to changing circumstances, the spokesperson said both St. Catherine and Catholic Health are submitting a proposed closure plan to the New York State Department of Health to end the hospital's maternity service program.

Labor and delivery services have continued to take a hit over the years, with only 45% of U.S. rural hospitals currently offering them.

"Once the closure plan is approved by the DOH, we will work closely with all stakeholders to ensure continuity of care for our valued patients during this transition," the spokesperson said.

To decertify beds or close services, a limited review certificate of need application and a health equity impact assessment must be submitted together, along with a closure plan to the New York State Department of Health, a spokesperson for the state's DOH told Becker's in a statement.

"To date, the department has not received a certificate of need and required health equity impact assessment, nor the closure plan from Catholic Health. The department cannot review the application until all required documents are submitted," the spokesperson said.
Looking back at 2023, Paul Casey, MD, interim president of Rush Faculty Practice Group at Chicago-based Rush University Medical Center, told Becker's that following a year of "tremendous growth" in all areas, regional and reputational growth is where they've seen the most expansion.

"We believe there will always be demand for the highest quality and most accessible care our teams provide so we are continuing to grow through ambulatory expansion and key strategic partnerships including our first out of state clinic in neighboring Indiana," Dr. Casey said.

The 671-bed hospital center was listed as one of the top 132 Leapfrog teaching hospitals of 2023. To build on that momentum, Mr. Casey said the center's accessibility and growth won't be restricted by the pace that they open new locations, and teased to big technology plans.

"We have created a digital roadmap that will begin to roll out in January of 2024," Dr. Casey said.

Along with the digital roadmap, Dr. Casey is optimistic about the center's patient dedication heading into the new year.

"I believe we collectively have an opportunity to radically re-engineer how patients access and interact with their healthcare providers, and I am confident that Rush's digital journey will advance our capabilities and accessibility significantly," Dr. Casey said.

Like what you see? All executives featured in this article will speak at the Becker's Academic Medical Center Leadership forum April 8-9 in Chicago. Hospital and health system leaders, click here to apply for a complimentary badge. Interested in exhibitor or sponsorship opportunities to connect with 3,000+ hospital and health system leaders? Download the prospectus here. Thank you to our sponsor ECG Management.
The former CEO of Apache Behavioral Health Services in Whiteriver and Cibecue, Ariz., has been charged in a scheme to defraud millions of dollars from the federally funded tribal healthcare provider.

On Dec. 14, a federal grand jury returned a 40-count indictment against Kevin McKenzie, 47, and Corina Martinez, 41, of Tucson.

The indictment alleges that from 2015 to July 2023, Mr. McKenzie, first as COO and later as CEO of ABHS, orchestrated a fraudulent scheme to misappropriate millions of dollars from ABHS, which is organized by and under the laws of the White Mountain Apache Tribe to provide behavioral health services to individuals and families residing on the Fort Apache Reservation and enrolled in the White Mountain Apache Tribe.

Mr. McKenzie allegedly used contracts to funnel funds from ABHS to shell companies he owned, including one contract to which ABHS paid over $32 million, $14 million of which was redirected as proceeds to a shell company Mr. McKenzie owned.

The indictment also accuses Mr. McKenzie, in his capacity as CEO, and Ms. Martinez, through her company Evolved, LLC, of entering a fictitious "referral" contract to further embezzle funds from ABHS. Under this agreement, ABHS paid $15 million to Ms. Martinez's company, with portions of the fraudulent proceeds divided between the two and used to fund personal credit card bills and luxury purchases, such as a Rolls Royce Ghost and a home for Mr. McKenzie's family. The government alleges that Evolved LLC did not render any services to ABHS.

Mr. McKenzie and Ms. Martinez are charged with conspiracy to embezzle from an Indian Tribal Organization; embezzlement; theft concerning programs receiving federal funds; wire fraud; conspiracy to commit wire fraud; conspiracy to commit money laundering; and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. Mr. McKenzie was also charged with attempted tampering with a witness.

The FBI conducted the investigation in this case, and the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Arizona, is handling the prosecution.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed a bill that would have prohibited noncompete agreements, The Wall Street Journal reported Dec. 23.

Ms. Hochul said that she supported banning noncompete agreements for low and middle-income workers, according to the report. She had pitched a compromise with state legislators that would keep noncompete agreements for higher-paid employees. Negotiations between the governor and lawmakers were unsuccessful, however. The Journal said the veto was expected.

"New York has a highly competitive economic climate and is home to many different industries," Ms. Hochul said in her veto statement, according to the report. "These companies have legitimate interests that cannot be met with the legislation's one-size-fits-all approach."

The bill  S.3100A and A.1278B  passed both houses of the state Legislature in June. The legislation would prohibit employers from seeking, requiring, demanding or accepting noncompete agreements from virtually any New Yorker upon enactment of the law. The bill would apply to nonprofit entities, which make up the large majority of health systems and hospitals in the state.

Ms. Hochul's proposed limitations included a compensation threshold in which noncompete agreements are permitted for earners of $250,000 or more in the interest of potentially reducing any incentive for retaining businesses and corporations to leave in the state. Other states have taken the approach of establishing a pay threshold for noncompete agreements, while four states  California, Minnesota, North Dakota and Oklahoma  have banned the clauses entirely.

About 1 in 5 American workers  approximately 30 million people  are subject to a noncompete clause, according to figures from the FTC, which is preparing to release a final rule to restrict use of the covenant. The American Hospital Association has expressed opposition to the federal agency's proposed ban on noncompetes, the scope of which left hospitals with questions.
TOKYO, Dec 26 ( News On Japan ) - A Shinkansen driver, employed by JR Central, has been disciplined for using a company-issued smartphone for personal purposes while operating the high-speed train.

The incident occurred on Nov 26 at around 4 PM while the driver was in charge of the 'Hikari' service traveling from Shin-Osaka Station to Tokyo Station.

A routine inspection of phone logs revealed that the driver, in his 30s, had accessed horse racing news for approximately one minute while on duty.

Confronted by company officials, the driver confessed to his lapse in judgement, acknowledging that his personal interest had overridden his professional obligations. He was quoted saying, "The urge to use the phone for personal searches got the better of me."

Further investigations confirmed this to be an isolated incident, with no evidence of similar misconduct among other drivers.

In response to the incident, JR Central emphasized their commitment to safety and professional conduct, stating that the driver's actions were in clear violation of company policies that mandate undivided attention to driving. The company assured that it would take appropriate disciplinary action against the driver.
A shooting in a Virginia hospital on Dec. 22 ended with two people injured and one suspect charged, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Police said a 27-year-old man, Rasheed Pope Jr., had a firearm during the intake process at Chippenham Hospital, an HCA Healthcare facility in Richmond, Va., on Dec. 22. Police on site at the hospital for an unrelated matter were notified of the shooting at 4:11 a.m., which occurred in the hospital's ER.

Police said Mr. Pope self-presented at the hospital for a mental health evaluation and was entering a room and getting into a gown when, without warning, he began firing his weapon, according to a Dec. 22 police news conference made available from local CBS affiliate WTVR.

The shooting injured a Chesterfield County police officer and a male patient who was in the hallway, police said. Police said the officer was treated for injuries and released; the patient's injuries were considered critical but not life-threatening. Police said the shooting was not accidental, with multiple shots fired.

Police arrested Mr. Pope on the scene. He has been charged with attempted murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

A spokesperson for Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare shared the following statement with Becker's Dec. 26: "Chippenham Hospital is committed to the safety of all staff members and patients. We have a security presence on site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, who took immediate action during the incident on December 22. We are incredibly proud of how our staff responded and cared for our patients. We have support on site for colleagues who are affected by last weeks event."

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story stated the shooting occurred in the hospital's mental health treatment pavilion; the story was updated with confirmation from HCA Healthcare that the shooting took place in the hospital's ER.
Dr. Roger Hartl, Professor of Neurological Surgery and Director of Spinal Surgery at the Weill Cornell Medicine Brain and Spine Center and Neurosurgical Director, Och Spine at NewYork-Presbyterian, provides a glimpse into his journey, offers insights into his expertise in neurological surgery, developments in his field, and trends shaping the industry as we approach 2024. He delves into his mission work in Tanzania, discussing his proudest achievements and providing guidance for other surgeons eager to contribute to a cause.
Carol Hamer told police: Aye, I stabbed him  it doesnt matter, he was being a c***.

A Co Antrim woman appeared in court today accused of stabbing her partner five times to the neck and body.

Ballymena Magistrates Court heard however that the wounds were superficial and the victim was released from the hospital shortly after the incident on December 22.

Standing in the dock, 37-year-old Carol Hamer confirmed she understood the five charges against her including causing grievous bodily harm with intent, possessing a kitchen knife with intent to cause GBH, making a threat to kill and two counts of common assaults, all alleged to be aggravated by domestic abuse.

Giving evidence during a contested bail application, a police officer said despite Hamer having a clear record and there being no history of domestic violence, police were still objecting to bail due to fears that Hamer would commit further offences or interfere with the alleged victims evidence.

She told the court that while allegedly using a kitchen knife to stab her partner, Hamer told him that she would kill him, adding that the defendant hasnt shown any remorse for causing the injuries.

The officer said that when police arrested Hamer who was intoxicated at the time, she was warned she was being recorded on body-worn cameras but she told police: Aye, I stabbed him  it doesnt matter, he was being a c***.

During an exchange with District Judge Oonagh Mullan, the officer agreed that Hamer had a clear record so it was on the basis on the nature and seriousness of the offence that police were basing their concerns.

Defence solicitor Emma McCann emphasised the clear record and lack of any domestic violence history, suggesting that Hamer, from Shanlieve in Ballymena, could be freed on bail to go and live with a relative in a different part of the town.

District Judge Mullan said while the charges are serious, the injuries appear to the relatively minor so given her clear record, she freed Hamer on her own bail of 500 with a range of conditions including residing with her relative, having no contact with the complainant.

Adjourning the case to January 25, the judge warned Hamer if you breach these conditions you will be brought back into custody.
Four children aged between nine months and 10 years and their mother have been killed in their apartment in France, and the childrens father has been arrested, authorities said.

Neighbours spotted a pool of blood outside the familys door on Christmas Day and alerted police, who discovered the five bodies, prosecutor Jean-Baptiste Bladier told reporters in the city of Meaux, east of Paris.

The mother and two daughters, aged seven and 10, were stabbed several times overnight from Sunday to Monday, he said. The two sons, aged nine months and four years, were suffocated or drowned.

Mr Bladier described a small, bloodstained apartment in extreme disarray.

Flowers outside the building in Meaux (Nicolas Garriga/AP)

Flowers, a stuffed toy and a holiday garland adorned a fence outside the apartment building on Tuesday, in honour of the victims. The windows of the apartment were shuttered.

The motive for the killings is unclear. The suspect, a 33-year-old man born in the Paris suburb of Colombes, was arrested on Tuesday outside his fathers home north east of the French capital, the prosecutor said.

The human toll is horrifying, a whole family was killed, stabbed in an atrocious conditions. Its an absolute horror, Meaux mayor Jean-Francois Cope told the Associated Press.

The suspect had stabbed his partner once before, when she was pregnant with their older son in 2019, but the investigation was dropped because he was declared mentally unsound at the time of the attack, the prosecutor said.

The man had been placed in a psychiatric hospital in 2017, and attempted suicide that year, the prosecutor said.

The couple had been together for 14 years and had known each other since high school, Mr Bladier said.

None of the familys names were released, according to French law protecting minors who are victims of crimes.

Flowers at the buildings gate (Nicolas Garriga/AP)

Authorities have opened an investigation into five homicides, and the suspect will undergo psychiatric examination to determine the next steps, the prosecutor said.

The killings rekindled public discussion about domestic violence  more than 100 women have been killed by current or former partners in France so far this year  and about mental health.

The mayor called for co-ordinated action to address violence by people with psychiatric problems and to protect victims before it is too late.

I recognise the feeling of helplessness in such an event, but on a national level we need to have a deep assessment and rethinking of the consequences of psychiatric troubles on the families of these individuals, he said.

Neighbours struggled to digest the news.

It was simply a mother fighting for her children, she was never complaining, neighbour Maissa Ketfi said.

We all had a big knot in our stomachs when we learned what happened. We cannot even imagine the scene.
A worker stands next to a smelter furnace that exploded and was cordoned off by police at the nickel industrial area of PT ITSS in Morowali, Central Sulawesi, on Dec. 26, 2023.

The death toll from a fire at a China-owned nickel smelter in Indonesias Central Sulawesi province has risen to 18, with 44 others injured, officials said Tuesday.

The fire at the PT Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel plant in Morowali regency on Sunday morning claimed the lives of 10 Indonesian workers and eight Chinese workers, according to Dedy Kurniawan, the spokesman for the industrial complex where the plant is located.

Today there were two more deaths  one Indonesian and one Chinese. So, the total number of deaths is 18 as of today he told BenarNews, adding the cause of the fire was still being investigated.

Preliminary investigations suggested that molten metal residue, or slag, leaked from the smelters furnace and came into contact with flammable materials, which caused a furnace wall to collapse and the subsequent blaze, Kurniawan said on Sunday.

Indonesia holds the worlds largest reserves of nickel, which are crucial for electric vehicle batteries, and wants to become a global leader in nickel production.

But Sundays fire is the latest in a series of accidents that have raised concerns about safety in Indonesias largest nickel processing area, where Chinese firms are big investors.

The PT Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP), where the facility is located, is a joint venture between Chinas Tsingshan Steel Group and Indonesias Bintang Delapan Group.

The integrated nickel-based industrial park covers 2,000 hectares (4,942 acres) and employs more than 81,000 people, including 10,000 foreign workers, mostly from China.

Between 2019 to 2023, more than 30 workers died at two nickel plants with majority Chinese ownership in Morowali and North Morowali regencies, with 20 fatalities occurring at IMIP, according to Muhammad Taufik, the director of the Central Sulawesi Mining Action Network, an Indonesian environmental group.

Investigators from regional and national police, forensic specialists and medical personnel were processing the scene Monday, said provincial police chief Inspector Gen. Agus Nugroho.

To facilitate the investigation the plant will be closed for an indefinite period pending the results, Agus told BenarNews.

A separate team including representatives from the Manpower Ministry, the Chinese embassy and industry experts was also investigating, said Arnold Firdaus, head of the provincial manpower office.

God willing, we will have complete results in a few days. The team is working hard, he said.

Firdaus cautioned against premature conclusions about the cause, though speculation has centered on human error. He said investigators were focused on three key areas: the workplace environment, the action of workers and equipment malfunctions.

A survivor who suffered burns receives treatment at the Morowali General Hospital, Central Sulawesi, on Dec. 24, 2023. [Photo: Ifan/BenarNews]

Arnold acknowledged the industrys susceptibility to accidents but said robust occupational health and safety measures were in place at the industrial complex and regularly monitored.

Cross-sectoral collaboration was needed to address the challenges of worker safety in the nickel industry, he said.

We must address not only technical flaws but also environmental factors that can contribute to human error, he said.

Ferdy Hasiman, a mining researcher at Alpha Research Database Indonesia, said Chinese companies in the nickel industry were often opaque about their operations.

We don't know what kind of technology theyre using, or what their safety procedures are, Ferdy said. They're very closed off.

He called on industry players and the government to demand transparency from the companies.

I cannot analyze the situation in Morowali because I have never been allowed inside, unlike other mining companies which are known for their strict standard operating procedures and risk mitigation, he said.

In a speech at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. in November, President Joko Jokowi Widodo pitched the countrys nickel industry as a way to advance the green economy.

Chinese investment has come with technology transfers, created jobs and developed local infrastructure in Indonesia.

But concerns about environmental degradation, safety practices and working conditions have dogged the sector in Southeast Asias largest economy, where China is a big investor.

China is a big investor in an array of Indonesian projects through its Belt and Road Initiative, a globe-spanning infrastructure-building program.

In 2022, more than 42,000 Chinese were working in Indonesia, accounting for about 44% of all expatriates in the country, according to the Ministry of Manpower.
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Live updates | Israel expands offensive in central Gaza as Netanyahu aide meets with US officials

The Israeli military says it has expanded its ground offensive in the Gaza Strip to the densely populated urban refugee camps in the central part of the territory
Courthouses in Berkshire County were the location of a number of notable criminal proceedings this year. From initial court appearances to defendants getting their days before a judge and jury, the machinations of the criminal justice system continued under the direction of a new district attorney, Timothy Shugrue. Here are some of the notable events that took place within the system this year.

Homicide ends in mistrial

Lance Burke was accused of fatally shooting 30-year-old Pittsfield father David Green Jr. in Pittsfield in 2018. Over multiple days of testimony in June, jurors in Berkshire Superior Court heard evidence from the prosecution that placed Burke in the area of the shooting on Willow Street when gunfire erupted. But the defense argued that Burke was just a bystander. After three days of deliberation, the jury couldn't reach a unanimous verdict, prompting a judge to declare a mistrial. Burke remains behind bars, and is scheduled to be retried next year.

The new DA's approach to drug crimes

After voters elevated District Attorney Shugrue to the top post in law enforcement, the onus was on Shugrue to carry out his electoral priorities. Among them were discontinuing the approach of the past progressive countywide prosecutor, Andrea Harrington, who declined to prosecute drug possession charges. Arguing the criminal justice system was a place for connecting those with substance use disorder to treatment, Shugrue resumed prosecuting those types of offenses, to a mixed reception. He also said he was focused on prosecuting people who not only use, but also sell, drugs in Berkshire County.

The child pornography arrest of a former top editor

For a time, Slade Sohmer was the editor of the online news operation, The Recount. But now, he's facing prison time, after a cyber-tip turned up evidence that his Snapchat account was sharing child pornography. The tip launched a full-scale investigation into online activities of Sohmer, who lives in Otis. Authorities allege that "hundreds of child pornography images and videos" were found on his devices." He pleaded not guilty and was released from pretrial custody after posting $100,000 bail.

Pittsfield man accused of murder in fatal knife attack

In September, Clarence Jones, 42, of Dalton, was stabbed in leg during a fight in downtown Pittsfield. The knife that authorities allege was wielded by Josiah Helmer severed one of Jones' major blood vessel, ultimately killing him. Police interviewed witnesses and watched surveillance footage that pointed to Helmer as the suspect, Shugrue said. Authorities tracked Helmer to a basement on Dalton Avenue, where he was arrested by a police tactical unit.

Adams murder case ends in not guilty verdict

A jury in November acquitted Angel R. Nieves of charges he fatally shot Benjamin Martinez Jr. in a north county drug house in 2021. Nieves, then 17, was arrested in Springfield in the days after Martinez, 34, of Springfield, was found shot in the head. The DA's office advanced the theory that Martinez was selling drugs with Nieves, to whom he was a step-father figure. Prosecutors argued Nieves believed Martinez was stealing from him, forming the alleged motive for the shooting. But the defense attacked the credibility of prosecution witnesses, and ultimately secured a not guilty verdict from the jury in Berkshire Superior Court.
Another cell tower spat underscores the need to back up local officials with a better, modern regulatory framework

Our Opinion: Another cell tower spat underscores the need to back up local officials with a better, modern regulatory framework Even as we view the more strident cell tower health concerns with skepticism, this status quo is unfair to concerned citizens and unhelpful for the local officials trying to do right by those constituents.

Jan. 12: First Pittsfield, then Lenox and now Sheffield. Heated debates over the safety of cell towers are igniting in communities across the Berkshires. As the fifth-generation buildout of wireless communication facilities continues  and many Berkshire towns try to catch up to previous generations cell reception standards  these debates will keep popping up. ...

Even as we view the more strident cell tower health concerns with skepticism, this status quo is unfair to concerned citizens and unhelpful for the local officials trying to do right by those constituents. As with any matter with a lot of data to sift through and more heat than light shed on it, updating and expanding this regulatory guidance is a big ask. But its one that the feds owe local officials who are going to keep running into this wall as wireless network expectations expand and more powerful towers are cited. The wireless communications industry wont be thrilled with a closer and overdue examination of their operations, while some cell tower opponents are dug in enough that no amount of contrary evidence will be enough to move them. But when it comes to questions like these at the intersection of technological development and public health, the government owes citizens and local officials alike a closer look at the truth to be found somewhere between these poles.

Now: As we predicted, towns like Great Barrington and Sheffield are at odds with the state over their local efforts to regulate 5G wireless installations. The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office notified the towns that their bylaws run counter to Federal Communications Commission regulations and Massachusetts law, which prohibits towns and cities from barring wireless equipment if it meets town regulations. These debates and conflicts seem bound to proliferate unless local officials and concerned citizens are given updated state and federal regulations regarding the known safety record of modern wireless technology and a clearer scope of what local regulations can and should accomplish. Until then, we foresee the same controversies extending and more piling on in communities across the Berkshires.

State must step up help for communities caught between crumbling dams and costly fixes

Our Opinion: State must step up help for communities caught between crumbling dams and costly fixes The concerning conditions of high-hazard dams like those spotlighted in Eagle reporting highlight the need to take this systemic infrastructure problem seriously at the state level so that local governments have the help they need to do more than just put a finger in the dam.

Feb. 18: Recent Eagle reporting dove into the conditions of several critical dams across the county. Dams are considered high hazard by the state if a breach would likely cause fatalities and damage to surrounding property and infrastructure. According to the state Office of Dam Safety, Berkshire County has about three-dozen such dams  and three are in troubling shape considering the risks they pose.

The Bel Air Dam on Wahconah Street in Pittsfield is rated as unsafe  the worst regulatory condition denoting major structural, operational and maintenance deficiencies in normal conditions. The Mount Williams Reservoir and Notch Reservoir dams, both located in North Adams, hold the second-worst rating of poor also indicating structural issues under typical conditions. ...

Major infrastructure upgrades across many communities means lots of money. Municipal coffers are benefiting from ARPA funding injections, but for many communities those windfalls are like a raindrop in a reservoir compared to the price of fixing big, decades-old dams  and the even bigger costs if the worst were to happen. The commonwealth, whose coffers are swelling with historic surplus from federal COVID relief funds and soaring tax receipts alike, can and should lend a bigger hand here. Even a high price of prevention is a wise investment against disasters that could prove exponentially more costly not just in dollars and cents but in human lives and historic destruction.

Now: Thankfully, the state has pledged to pitch in on removing the most concerning dam in the county  Bel Air Dam in Pittsfield. As we noted in follow-up editorials, we're grateful that the Department of Conservation and Recreation has pledged to help out with a project corresponding eight-figure price tag that would be a back-breaker for a smaller city like Pittsfield to shoulder alone. Still, we hope the state accelerates its timeline for getting to work  we would truly hate to be right if waiting a year and half or more lets an extreme weather event in the interim bring on the worst before shovels are in the ground.

The fear we force on kids and parents

Our Opinion: The fear we force on kids and parents After a tragedy like the one in Nashville and the fake threats to several Berkshire districts, our school communities are left with questions we never wanted and too few answers.

March 31: The day after a deadly Nashville school shooting shocked the nation, threats phoned in to three Berkshire schools brought those fears home to parents across the county.

Thankfully, the threats received Tuesday by Drury High School in North Adams, Monument Mountain Regional High School in Great Barrington and Pittsfield High School were false. They were linked to a widespread hoax targeting schools across the commonwealth, according to authorities. Still, by the time police arrived at the schools and gave the all-clear, it was a massive disruption for countless students across the county. Worse, it was traumatizing for not just students but their parents who had to wait what seemed like an anxious eternity to find out whether their kids were the latest victims of our nations shamefully perpetual tragedy. ...

After a tragedy like the one in Nashville and the fake threats to several Berkshire districts, school communities are left with questions we never wanted and too few answers. If you see something, say something  and our thoughts are with hurt and scared parents everywhere who deserve far more than such platitudes from our leaders.

Now: Unfortunately, the theme of false threats stoking widespread dread is a theme that saw a recent reprise. False bomb threats targeted synagogues across the commonwealth earlier this month, including three in Berkshire County. It's a chilling reminder of the tension points in our society and the ease with which the cruelest cowards can exploit them. That sad reality demands of our community both vigilance in the fact of such threats and compassion for the vulnerable corners of our community most exposed to them.
BOSTON  Her first year in office is winding down, and Gov. Maura Healey is enthusiastic to point out where she thinks she has succeeded: signing into law a billion-dollar tax relief package, overseeing a hiring blitz at the MBTA, and creating a standalone housing secretariat, to name a few.

She is less eager about providing specifics on how she will try to guide the state in the next year through some of its most pressing challenges, such as an emergency shelter crisis that now features a system packed with about 7,500 families and more than 200 more on a waitlist or what, exactly, might be the best way to rein in exorbitant child care costs.

Healey named action to make housing more affordable  something she targeted with a $4.1 billion housing bond bill that has not yet moved in the Legislature  and her administration's economic development plan as top priorities headed into 2024.

The governor sat down with the News Service Wednesday for a wide-ranging interview reflecting on her first 11-plus months in the corner office and what's on the horizon next year.

EMERGENCY SHELTER WOES

One of the biggest challenges Healey faced during her first year was the sudden swell of new entrants into the state's emergency shelter system.

The topic has grabbed statewide and national attention, as Massachusetts joined other states in taking in thousands of new immigrants fleeing humanitarian crises in Central and South America and Europe.

The state has struggled to keep up with soaring demand for shelter over the past year. After 40 years of Massachusetts being the only state in the country to guarantee a safe place to stay for every eligible family, Healey said the system had run out of room this fall, and capped the number of families shelters could hold at 7,500.

As of Tuesday, Dec. 12, 242 families were on a waitlist standing by for a call to tell them a space has opened up in the shelter system. The state has worked with a patchwork of charities and public institutions to try to provide a bed for people without a place to stay as they've been turned away into cold weather.

Asked if she was confident that everyone on the waitlist was successfully finding a place to stay, Healey did not explicitly say yes.

"Let's just zoom out and recognize what's going on here," the governor said. "We're seeing numbers that we have never seen before in our shelter system. And let's look at what happened. I mean, we have a situation geopolitically that's resulted in so many people coming into this country who are fleeing abuse and persecution and hardship."

Healey pointed out that these immigrants are in the state lawfully, but many are prohibited from working due to federal immigration policy. She said her administration has been focused on getting work authorizations for these individuals, pointing to clinics the state and federal officials hosted a few weeks ago to help accelerate the process.

"We're going to get people working, we're housing people now. The shelter system, of course, exists around the state, right? There's shelters and housing, through the emergency shelter system, around the state. So that's the existing infrastructure," Healey said. "We have tried to stand up, particularly from March forward, sites that would accommodate the numbers that we were seeing."

She continued, "People have worked really, really hard, and I think, you know I just want to express my gratitude to so many in Massachusetts and the partnerships that we've had to keep people housed and work through what really is an unprecedented occurrence that we're seeing here in Massachusetts and in this country."

The governor said the administration is working to stand up a state-run overflow site, as mandated by the Legislature in a spending bill she signed earlier this month.

Asked for more details, such as when and where it would be stood up and how many beds it would have for shelter-seekers, Healey deferred to retired Lt. Gen. Scott Rice, the administration's emergency assistance director. Rice will have more details soon, she said.

Lawmakers directed another $250 million toward the shelter system in a supplemental budget, though there is some uncertainty about just how far that money will go.

Top House and Senate Democrats have said they believe the additional $250 million will keep the system funded only into the spring, signaling that another debate and vote on the topic might be necessary even before completion of the next annual budget.

Asked how long the current allocation will support the system, and if she was planning to file another supplemental request for shelter funds before fiscal year 2024 ends, Healey responded, "I think this is a fluid situation."

"We continue to monitor where we're at in terms of numbers," she said.

The News Service asked, "Do you think that the money you have now is enough to get through the fiscal year? Because it seems as if the Ways and Means chairmen don't think that's the case. Are they under a different impression than you?"

"I think we're all looking at the same numbers and we're continuing to share information real time about what's happening," Healey responded. "We're just going to continue to work on this problem. It's a problem not unique to Massachusetts. I mean, other states are dealing with this, and it's why we need immigration reform. It's also why we need to continue to press for funding and support from the Biden administration to help us."

T TROUBLES

Healey came into office with the MBTA in disarray, looming as a potential albatross for her administration.

The problems are still there, but the new leadership team Healey picked has sought to put plans in place to fix some of the most glaring issues. A series of rolling partial closures will disrupt riders throughout 2024 with a goal of lifting all of speed restrictions that currently slow down travel for riders and blanket more than a fifth of the subway system.

"Obviously, there's going to be some pain points with all this because we're going to have to shut down certain lines while we fix them, and then we're going to work this problem," Healey said. "We're going to move through it and we're going to look to get the contractors in place to make sure that we're working through this as quickly as possible."

As its leaders wrestle with restoring some semblance of reliable service, the MBTA continues to face financial uncertainty. Agency budget-writers project they will have an operating budget deficit of hundreds of millions of dollars in the next few years, and the T newly estimates it would cost $24.5 billion to achieve a state of good repair for all of its assets.

Healey and Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt have raised eyebrows in recent weeks with comments that suggest an interest in reopening debate on how the state funds transportation. Tibbits-Nutt said in November that "we want to bring in additional sources of revenue," and Healey told WBUR last week that talks are already underway with the Legislature and unnamed stakeholders about "revenue for larger investments in infrastructure in the long term."

While sitting down with the News Service, Healey said she is not planning to pursue any new taxes to fund MBTA investments.

"I'm not proposing that right now, no," she said. "What I'm proposing is that we focus on and we work the plan that we're working on right now."

Healey pointed out that "we do have new revenue" coming in from the voter-approved surtax on high earners, which is designed to be earmarked just for education and transportation uses. The Department of Revenue estimated last week that the surtax will generate between $1.58 billion and $2.06 billion in revenue this fiscal year, significantly more than the $1 billion allocated in the state budget.

Asked if the MBTA has access to enough resources to achieve a state of good repair, Healey replied, "I believe so."

"Certainly in the first instance, and then the instance of accomplishing what we need to do right now, which is to make the system safe and reliable and running on time and at speeds that people are actually going to use the T," she continued.

IMPORTANCE OF CHILD CARE

In Healey's inaugural address last January, she pledged that Massachusetts would be the first state to solve the child care crisis.

"Let's finally pass legislation in line with Common Start to make sure that every family pays what they can afford. This is something that our families, our workers, our businesses all agree on," she said in her first speech as governor.

The Common Start bill (S301/H489) would largely subsidize expensive early childhood education for more lower-income families, leading to huge increases in the percentage of young kids in such programs by reducing the cost burden for families. It also seeks to invest in the industry to keep teachers in the field and would cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars in new funding every year.

All three of Beacon Hill's most powerful leaders have identified this as a priority, but it has gotten little traction this session. The Joint Committee on Education spent hours listening to testimony on the bill in mid-October, and it hasn't emerged from the committee since.

Healey spoke generally about her desire for action to make child care less expensive, calling it an "economic imperative" in the business community, but on Wednesday she did not repeat her inaugural endorsement of the Common Start proposal itself.

She said the state made significant investments in child care in last year's budget, and "we're going to continue to find ways to support providers and to lower the cost of child care in the state."

Pressed on whether she would like to see something like the Common Start bill specifically emerge for a vote this session, Healey said only that she and lawmakers agree on the importance of addressing child care costs.

"I'm going to continue to work with our legislative partners on this. I think we all recognize the need to drive down the cost of child care," she said. "I've supported Common Start, and I'll obviously review anything that gets to my desk, but in the meantime, let's focus on, as we have an opportunity to do through the next budget, continued investment in child care and lowering the cost of child care in the state."

DECARBONIZATION TARGETS

Massachusetts has ambitious emission reduction targets. The state has committed to slashing greenhouse gas emissions 33 percent by 2025, 50 percent by 2030, 75 percent by 2040 and at least 85 percent by 2050, all compared to the baseline of 1990 emissions.

And on the path to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, the steepest reductions are envisioned to occur between 2025 and 2030 the first two years of which will fall during Healey's term.

The governor appointed a standalone climate chief responsible for organizing the climate change response across the executive branch and boosted environmental spending in the fiscal 2024 budget.

While the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs has said the state is currently on track to hit decarbonization targets, Massachusetts has run into major renewable energy hurdles this year.

The Bay State once positioned itself as a national leader on offshore wind. Over the past year, developers behind the SouthCoast Wind and Commonwealth Wind projects have withdrawn with permission from the Department of Public Utilities saying they could no longer afford to finance and build the installations under previously agreed contracts, slashing the amount of wind capacity in the pipeline.

Meanwhile, delivery of hydropower from Quebec has been delayed and efforts to install solar panels and convert the grid to handle new power sources are inching forward.

While sitting down with the News Service, Healey said she is still confident that the state's 2030 and 2050 decarbonization targets are realistic.

"Yes, yes. Will it require some innovations and workarounds? Perhaps. We need to go as hard as we can, though, in this area," Healey said.

Healey's Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer recommended a host of climate policy ideas this year, including major reforms to Mass Save, building up the clean energy workforce, and even reducing "short hop" flights for trips such as between Boston and New York.

"We also are working with other states, and that's something that our secretary of EEA has really demonstrated tremendous leadership on," Healey said. "We've got a grid that needs to be modernized; we've got transmission lines that need to be built; and we've got energy sources that need to be brought in. These things cross state lines and cross state boundaries."

LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS

Healey's first year in office was also, by some metrics, a less productive and more sluggish stretch for the Legislature, which is already notorious for its procrastination.

Democrats who control the House and Senate notched a few major accomplishments, including a tax relief law that lawmakers were unable to complete under former Gov. Charlie Baker and policy reforms in the state budget like funding free school meals for all students.

But they also delivered Healey the second-latest annual budget since fiscal year 2002 and the second-latest closeout budget since the turn of the millennium. Legislative leaders spent long stretches of the year publicly sparring over how to advance gun-related legislation not so much the substance of the actual reforms and the joint committee process.

Other areas that Healey has identified as key, like housing production, are not exactly getting rapid responses.

Healey, who on the campaign trail said she would not be shy about calling out the Legislature, appears not to be sweating the way business has unfolded under the Golden Dome.

"Results matter, and I'm about how do we deliver results for people in this state," she replied when asked about the Legislature's pace of work.

Healey has already been drawing attention from national pundits as a future standard-bearer for the Democratic Party and a potential candidate for higher office.

A Politico Magazine profile of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer offhandedly referred to Healey as one of a few new governors who might have eyes on a national post in 2028. When Healey recently took over a position helping to elect more women governors, NBC News described the role as "a national platform for one of the party's rising stars in state office."

The governor downplayed that commentary during her interview with the News Service.

"I'm laughing. Look, I am governor, and I'm so privileged to be governor here in the state and I pay no mind to any of that," she said.

Healey might still get involved in elections beyond the state's borders in 2024. She's campaigned for other Democrats in the past and "expect[s] that to continue," especially with her new role leading the Women Governors Fund for the Democratic Governors Association.

"I will do all I can to help President Biden," she said. "I know what's at stake in this election."
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On Monday, King Charles III, who we sometimes refer to as the WEF King (because hes one of the worlds most prominent anti-humans), dedicated a significant chunk of the Royal Familys annual Christmas broadcast to the climate narrative.

Charles began with a unifying, apolitical message about having compassion for others, along with a plethora of unifying slogans, before quickly turning heel and going full Klaus Schwab mode, under the guise of presenting a cause that is greater than ourselves.

"We care for the Earth for the sake of our childrens children," said Charles, who earlier this month flew on his very spacious private aircraft to the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 28).

RAF Voyager in Jamaica while being used by the Prince and Princess of Wales during a Caribbean tour on March 24, 2022, and (inset) King Charles III in Kenya on October 31, 2023. The king and queen traveled to Kenya using RAF Voyager. CHRIS JACKSON/GETTY IMAGES/BEN STANSALL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

"During my lifetime I have been so pleased to see a growing awareness of how we must protect the Earth and our natural world as the one home which we all share," said Charles, who has been serving as king since September 2022.

The Royal Family/ YouTube

During the climate narrative portion of his address, the feed displayed video footage of Charles going full white savior mode in Africa. However, the depraved anti-human is an avowed proponent of depopulation, having on multiple occasions called for robust population control measures within the developing world.

The Royal Family/ YouTube
Daihatsu has shut down production lines at its four factories in Japan while transport ministry officials investigate improper tests for safety certifications.

The shutdown from Tuesday comes a week after Daihatsu Motor Co  a unit of Toyota  announced it was suspending all vehicle shipments in and outside Japan after finding improper testing involving 64 models.

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That led transport ministry officials to launch a deeper investigation into problems that apparently persisted for decades.

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The stoppage is expected to affect thousands of car parts makers and their employees in a potential blow to local economies.

The safety test irregularities earlier this year triggered an independent panel investigation, which found widespread and systematic problems at Daihatsu.

It is the latest of safety and other violations found at at least five of Japans major car makers in recent years.

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There have been no reports of accidents or deaths due to the falsified tests.

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Daihatsu, maker of Hijet trucks and vans and Mira hatchbacks, said it started shutting down some lines on Monday and production stopped at all four plants in Shiga, Kyoto and Oita prefectures as well as at its headquarters in Osaka on Tuesday.

The Daihatsu factory in Ikeda, Osaka prefecture (Kyodo News/AP)

The company declined to say when production will resume. Media reports said lines will be suspended at least until January.

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Daihatsu specialises in small cars and trucks which are popular in Japan. The company assembled 870,000 vehicles at the four plants in the 2022 financial year.

According to market research company Teikoku Databank, Daihatsu factories have supply chains involving 8,136 companies across Japan, with sales totalling 2.2 trillion sales.

The longer the shipment suspension, the greater the concern about its impact on company earnings, employment and the local economy, it said in a report.

The problems were found in 64 models and three vehicle engines, including 22 models and an engine sold by Toyota.

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Daihatsu president Soichiro Okudaira (Kyodo News/AP)

The problems also affected some Mazda and Subaru models sold in Japan, and Toyota and Daihatsu models sold abroad.

Daihatsus investigation found 174 new cases of irregularities in safety tests and other procedures in 25 test categories, on top of problems reported earlier.

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The issue emerged in April when Daihatsu reported improper testing on door linings. Problems in side collision testing surfaced in May, officials said.

They also found data falsification and unauthorised testing procedures.

Speaking to reporters last week, Daihatsu president Soichiro Okudaira acknowledged the cheating on safety testing and procedures, saying it was tantamount to neglect of safety certificates.

He attributed the problems to pressure on workers to meet ambitious demands for tight development deadlines.
Doctor Who and Emmerdale star Richard Franklin has died at the age of 87 on Christmas Day, a spokesperson for his family confirmed in a statement.

The statement said: Richard sadly died in his sleep after fighting long-term illness.

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We are deeply saddened by his loss, we will fondly remember him for his generosity, creative spirit and fantastic story telling.

It is with great sadness, that the family of Richard Franklin have asked me to share news of his passing, early this morning. Richard passed away peacefully in his sleep. Details of funeral arrangements will be shared here when announced. Sleep well Richard. #RIP

- Liam Rudden pic.twitter.com/TgsSADbQYt  Richard Franklin (@PlanetFranklin) December 25, 2023 Advertisement

He is also well remembered outside the family for his long-running career in TV and theatre where he delighted audiences of all ages.

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This gave him great joy and we know his legacy will last.

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Franklin, who played Captain Mike Yates in the long-running BBC One sci-fi series, now starring Ncuti Gatwa, passed away peacefully in his sleep, according to a friend of the late actor.

Liam Rudden, who had been given his first professional acting job by the stage and screen star, announced the news when he posted to the late TV stars social media page on Monday.

On X, formerly Twitter, he wrote: It is with great sadness, that the family of Richard Franklin have asked me to share news of his passing, early this morning.

Richard passed away peacefully in his sleep. Details of funeral arrangements will be shared here when announced.

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Sleep well Richard. #RIP  Liam Rudden.

In a post to his own social media account he said he was devastated, adding: Farewell to a mentor and friend.

our wonderful brave captain Yates #RichardFranklin has gone on his awfully big adventure I'm so verygrateful i saw him on Friday. smiling memories & love for him are with me & all of us who's lives he touched& enriched. my thoughts are with his family pic.twitter.com/0UGgH7oTmD Advertisement  KatyManning Official welcomes you (@ManningOfficial) December 25, 2023

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Katy Manning, who starred as the Doctors companion Jo Grant on the show about aliens and time travel, also paid tribute.

On X, she said: Our wonderful brave captain Yates #RichardFranklin has gone on his awfully big adventure, Im so very grateful I saw him on Friday.

She added: My thoughts are with his family.

Franklin, who was known for playing businessman Denis Rigg in Emmerdale, also appeared in TV miniseries Little Women, sci-fi series Blakes 7 and the 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

He graduated from the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada) in 1965 with an acting diploma and went on to star in many plays.

Franklin was also a voice actor and reprised his Doctor Who role for Big Finish Productions, who paid tribute to the actor following his death.

On X, it said: Everyone at Big Finish is greatly saddened to learn that Richard Franklin passed away earlier today. Our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved him. #RIP.
The Irish arm of catalogue retailer, Argos has been hit with a 43.4 million cost arising from its decision earlier this year to shut down its store network here with the loss of 580 jobs.

Last June, Argos shut down its Republic of Ireland operation after concluding the investment required to make its operation here profitable was too large to be viable.

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Now, new accounts filed by Argos Distributors (Ireland) Ltd provide detail on the costs to the company of the decision to pull out of the Republic.

Closure costs of 43.4 million have been recognised in the new accounts and the largest component is redundancy costs of 23.2 million.

Those workers eligible were offered an enhanced redundancy package where workers were to receive an additional four weeks pay per year of service on top of statutory redundancy requirements, bringing the total redundancy package offered to six weeks pay per year of service.

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The small proportion of staff not eligible for redundancy under Irish law were offered a one-off goodwill payment.

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The 43 million cost also includes closure provisions of 7.03 million, write-down of leased assets of 9.8 million, 1.6 million in write-downs of property, plant and equipment and 1.73million consultancy costs.

The costs contributed to the firm -which is owned by the UK based J Sainsbury plc - recording a pre-tax loss of 24.1 million for the 12 months to the end of March 4th -which was almost double the 13.06 million pre-tax loss recorded in the prior year.

The losses for this year would have been much greater but for the company booking a 29.96 million gain on the 227 million sale of its investment in the Home Retail Group (Finance) LLP to Argos Ltd during the year.

Home Retail Group (Finance) LLP acts principally as a financing and investment holding business.

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During the year, revenues at the Irish unit of Argos declined by 12.8 million or 9.5 per cent from 133.76 million to 120.95 million as the number of stores operating during the year reduced from 35 to 34.

The number of stores still in operation last June totalled 30 and directors state that the final stores closed by June 24th last and lease exits are in the process of being negotiated and leases will run till the end of their term".

They state that as the company has ceased to trade and will eventually be wound down, it is currently addressing outstanding legal and regulatory obligations as part of the winding down process.

The directors add that the company continues to settle residual liabilities and collect outstanding receivable balances.

Staff costs last year declined from 16.2 million to 14.48 million as numbers employed reduced from 754 to 612 made up of 450 part-time and 162 full-time.

The loss also takes account of non-cash depreciation costs of 3.22 million. Shareholder funds on March 4th last totalled 215.77 million which was made up of called up share capital of 226.4 million off-set by accumulated losses of 10.4 million.

The businesss cash funds decreased from 3.3 million to 2.57 million.
Israeli forces on Tuesday expanded their ground offensive into urban refugee camps in central Gaza, after bombarding the crowded Palestinian communities and ordering residents to evacuate.

Gazas main telecom provider, Paltel, announced another complete interruption of services.

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Residents described a night of shelling and air strikes shaking the Nuseirat, Maghazi and Bureij camps.

The camps are built-up towns housing Palestinians driven from their homes in what is now Israel during the 1948 war and their descendants  and now also crowded with people who have fled from the north.

The bombing was very intense, Radwan Abu Sheitta, a Palestinian teacher said by phone from his home in Bureij. It seems they are approaching, he added of the Israeli troops.

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Palestinians take shelter from the Israeli bombardment in Khan Younis (Hatem Ali/AP)

A strike on Tuesday hit the home of the a family in Mawasi, a rural area on Gazas southern coastline which Israel has declared a safe zone for people to take shelter.

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One woman was killed, and at least eight other people were wounded, according to a cameraman working for the Associated Press at the nearby hospital.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Israeli military issued an order for residents to evacuate a belt of territory the width of central Gaza, including Bureij, urging them to move to the nearby town of Deir al-Balah.

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The Qassam Brigades, Hamass military arm, said its fighters struck an Israeli tank east of Bureij. Its report could not be independently confirmed, but it suggested Israeli forces were moving towards the camp.

Warplanes and artillery also hammered areas east of Nuseirat camp.

Israel has vowed to crush Hamas after its October 7 attack on southern Israel, and Israeli forces have been engaged in heavy urban fighting in northern Gaza and the southern city of Khan Younis, driving Palestinians into ever smaller corners of territory in search of refuge.

Despite international pressure for a ceasefire and US calls for a reduction in civilian casualties, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday warned that the fight isnt close to finished.

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More than 20,900 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and children, have been killed, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants among the dead.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu receives a security briefing in the northern Gaza Strip (Avi Ohayon/GPO/Handout/AP)

On Tuesday it said 240 people had been killed over the past 24 hours.

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We are gravely concerned about the continued bombardment of Middle Gaza by Israeli forces, which has claimed more than 100 Palestinian lives since Christmas Eve, the UN human rights office said, adding that Israel had ordered some residents to move to central Gaza.

In response to what it has long considered disproportionate criticism from the UN, Israel said it would no longer grant automatic visas to UN employees and accused it of being complicit partners in Hamas tactics.

Government spokesman Eylon Levy said that Israel would consider visa requests case by case. That could further limit aid efforts in Gaza.

Meanwhile, there were new signs of the Israel-Hamas war enflaming tensions around the region, including an Israeli air strike in Syria which killed an Iranian general, bringing vows of revenge from Tehran.

The Israeli strike hit a neighbourhood of the capital Damascus, killing General Seyed Razi Mousavi, an adviser of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in Syria.

We are gravely concerned about the continued bombardment of #Gaza by Israeli forces, which has reportedly claimed over 100 Palestinian lives since Christmas Eve. Israeli forces must take all measures available to protect civilians. Advertisement  UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) December 26, 2023

The strike hit as he was entering a farm reportedly used as an office of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in the district of Sayeda Zeinab on Damascuss outskirts, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Elsewhere, Iranian-backed militias in Iraq carried out a drone strike on a US base in Irbil in northern Iraq on Monday, wounding three American troops, one of them critically, according to US officials.

In response, American planes hit three locations in Iraq connected to one of the main militias, Kataib Hezbollah.

Throughout the war, Iranian-backed militia groups around the region have stepped up attacks in support of Hamas. So far, all sides have appeared to calibrate the violence to stay short of sparking an all-out conflict, but the fear is that an unexpected escalation could spiral out of control.

Hezbollah and Israel exchange missile volleys, air strikes and shelling across the Israeli-Lebanese border almost daily, and Iran-backed militias in Iraq have launched more than 100 attacks on bases housing US troops in Iraq and Syria.

In the Red Sea, attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen against commercial ships have disrupted trade and prompted a US-led multinational naval operation to protect shipping routes.

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Palestinians inspect the rubble of a building destroyed in the Maghazi refugee camp. Photo: Adel Hana/AP.

Israeli troops have been engaged in nearly two months of ground combat with Hamas and other militants in northern Gaza and weeks of urban fighting in Khan Younis. The battles and bombardment have levelled large areas, and strikes have continued across the territory.

The Israeli military announced the deaths of two more soldiers on Tuesday, bringing the total killed in the ground offensive to 158.

Militants launched a barrage of rockets into Israel late on Monday, triggering air raid sirens in the southern city of Ashkelon. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

Israel has vowed to continue fighting to eliminate Hamass military and governing capabilities in Gaza, after the militants carried out their shock attack into southern Israel on October 7th, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 240 hostage.

Israel says it also aims to free more than 100 hostages who remain in captivity in Gaza.

Israel faces international criticism for the civilian death toll, but it blames Hamas, citing the militants use of crowded residential areas and tunnels. Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas militants.

In Khan Younis, the Palestinian Red Crescent said on Tuesday morning that its medics had found several dead and wounded after a house in the al-Amal neighbourhood was bombed overnight.
A Russian naval ship in Crimea has been damaged in an air strike by Ukrainian forces, Russias Defence Ministry said.

The landing ship Novocherkassk was hit at a base in the city of Feodosia by plane-launched guided missiles, officials said.

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The ministry added that two Ukrainian fighter jets were destroyed by anti-aircraft fire during the attack.

Over recent months, Ukrainian forces have conducted attacks around Crimea, mostly with sea drones, and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy says those attacks have allowed Ukraine to restore navigation in the Black Sea and allowing the export of millions of tons of grain.

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The Russia-appointed head of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said one person was killed in the attack.

The Russian fleet has become smaller, Ukrainian air force Commander Mykola Oleschuk said in a mocking message on the Telegram app.

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He urged Russians to leave Crimea  which Moscow annexed in 2014  while its not too late.

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It came amid growing concern about battlefield disappointments and the future of western aid for Ukraines war effort. Despite high hopes for a summer counter-offensive, the front line has barely moved and political disputes in allied countries leave billions of dollars of aid in doubt.

Russias defence minister Sergei Shoigu briefed Russian president Vladimir Putin about the attack, according to Russian news agencies, but details were not reported.

Mr Shoigu did tout Russian accomplishments in the war this year, saying: The main efforts in the outgoing year were focused on achieving the goals of the special military operation.

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Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu with the president (Alexei Danichev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo/AP)

The main one is to disrupt the counter-offensive of the Ukrainian armed forces, loudly announced by Ukraine and its Nato allies. This task has been successfully completed.

The ministry did not specify how much the Russian ship was damaged, but videos on Ukrainian channels showed a large fire in the port area.

Ukrainian authorities claimed the ship was destroyed and said it was likely to have been carrying weapons, possibly including drones.

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We saw how powerful were the blast and detonation. Its extremely difficult for a ship to survive something like that, Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said on Radio Liberty.

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He denied that Ukrainian planes were shot down in the attack.

Landing ships such as the Novocherkassk are now used by the enemy almost constantly as logistics facilities, as transportation of important cargo, a spokeswoman for Ukraines military southern command, Nataliya Gumenyuk, was quoted as saying by the UNIAN news agency.

The Novocherkassk was damaged in an attack in March last year, about a month after the war started, but Mr Ihnat said it had been recently used to transport weapons and soldiers to the Zaporizhzhia region, which is partly held by Russian forces.

The Ukrainian air forces morning update on Tuesday said Russia had launched 19 drones, mostly against the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions  13 of which were shot down  over the previous night.

The remaining drones caused infrastructure damage but no casualties were reported, according to Ukraines presidential office.
A charter plane grounded in France amid a human trafficking investigation has arrived in India carrying 276 people.

More than two dozen others requested asylum in France.

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The unmarked Legend Airlines A340 had been blocked inside the rural Valtry airport in Champagne for four days where it had landed en route to Nicaragua in an exceptional holiday ordeal.

The regional administration said 276 of the original 303 passengers were en route to Mumbai and 25 others requested asylum in France.

Crew members aboard the plane grounded by police at Vatry Airport in eastern France (Christophe Ena/AP)

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Those who remained were transferred to a special zone in Pariss Charles de Gaulle Airport for asylum seekers, it said.

The passengers grounded in France had included a 21-month-old child and several unaccompanied minors.

The remaining two passengers were initially detained as part of a human trafficking investigation but were released on Monday after appearing before a judge, the Paris prosecutors office said.

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The judge named them as assisted witnesses to the case, a special status under French law that allows time for further investigation and could lead to eventual charges or to the case being dropped.

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The plane stopped on Thursday for refuelling in Vatry en route from Fujairah Airport in the United Arab Emirates to Managua, Nicaragua. It was grounded by police based on an anonymous tip that it could be carrying human trafficking victims.

Prosecutors would not comment on whether the passengers ultimate destination could have been the US, which has seen a surge in Indians crossing the Mexico-US border this year.

French authorities are working to determine the aim of the original flight and opened a judicial inquiry into activities by an organised criminal group helping foreigners enter or stay in a country illegally, the prosecutors office said.

It did not specify on Monday whether human trafficking  which the UN defines as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit  is still suspected.

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Crew members board the plane grounded by police at the Vatry airport (Christophe Ena/AP)

Police requisitioned Vatry Airport for days.

Local officials, medics and volunteers installed cots and ensured regular meals and showers for those held inside.

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Then it turned into a makeshift courtroom on Sunday as judges, lawyers and interpreters filled the terminal to carry out emergency hearings to determine the next steps.

Some lawyers at Sundays hearings protested over authorities handling of the situation and the passengers rights, suggesting that police and prosecutors overreacted to the anonymous tip.

The Indian embassy posted its thanks on X, formerly Twitter, to French officials for ensuring that the Indians could go home.

French authorities worked through Christmas Eve and Christmas morning on formalities to allow passengers to leave France, regional prosecutor Annick Browne told The Associated Press.

Foreigners can be held up to four days in a transit zone for police investigations in France, after which a special judge must rule on whether to extend that to eight days.

Legend Airlines lawyer Liliana Bakayoko said some passengers did not want to go to India because they had paid for a tourism trip to Nicaragua.

Gendarmes guard the closed entrance of Vatry Airport (Christophe Ena/AP)

The airline has denied any role in possible human trafficking.

The US government has designated Nicaragua as one of several countries deemed as failing to meet minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking.

Nicaragua has also been used as a migratory springboard for people fleeing poverty or conflict because of relaxed or visa-free entry requirements for some countries.

Sometimes charter flights are used for the journey.
The Turkish parliaments foreign affairs committee has given its consent to Swedens bid to join Nato, drawing the previously non-aligned country closer to membership in the western military alliance.

Swedens accession protocol will now need to be approved in the Turkish parliaments general assembly for the last stage of the legislative process in Turkey. No date has been set.

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Turkey, a Nato member, has delayed ratification of Swedens membership for more than a year, accusing it of being too lenient toward groups that Ankara regards as threats to its security, including Kurdish militants and members of a network that Ankara blames for a failed coup in 2016.

Swedish foreign minister Tobias Billstrom welcomed the committees decision on a message posted on X, formerly Twitter.





Vi valkomnar att utrikesutskottet i Turkiet godkant Sveriges Nato-ansokan. Nasta steg ar att parlamentet ska rosta om fragan. Vi ser fram emot att bli medlem i @NATO Advertisement Advertisement  Tobias Billstrom (@TobiasBillstrom) December 26, 2023

The next step is for parliament to vote on the matter. We look forward to becoming a member of Nato, he tweeted.

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Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the development, saying that he counts on Turkey and Hungary to now complete their ratifications as soon as possible. Swedens membership will make Nato stronger.

Hungary has also stalled Swedens bid, saying Swedish politicians have told blatant lies about the condition of Hungarys democracy. Hungary has not announced when the countrys ratification may occur.

Earlier this month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had openly linked ratification of Swedens Nato membership to the US Congresss approval of a Turkish request to purchase 40 new F-16 fighter jets and kits to modernise Turkeys existing fleet.

Mr Erdogan also also called on Canada and other Nato allies to lift arms embargoes imposed on Turkey.

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The White House has backed the Turkish F-16 request but there is strong opposition in Congress to military sales to Turkey.





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The Turkish parliaments foreign affairs committee had begun discussing Swedens membership of Nato last month.

The meeting however, was adjourned after legislators from Mr Erdogans ruling party submitted a motion for a postponement on grounds that some issues needed more clarification and that negotiations with Sweden had not matured enough.

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On Tuesday, a majority of legislators in the committee voted in favour of Swedens application to join.

Briefing the committee before the vote, deputy foreign minister Burak Akcapar cited steps Sweden had taken steps to meet Turkish demands, including lifting restrictions on defence industry sales and amending anti-terrorism laws in ways that no-one could have imagined five or six years ago.

It is unrealistic to expect that the Swedish authorities will immediately fulfil all of our demands. This is a process, and this process requires long-term and consistent effort, he said, adding that Turkey would continue to monitor Swedens progress.

Sweden and Finland abandoned their traditional positions of military nonalignment to seek protection under Natos security umbrella, following Russias invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Finland joined the alliance in April, becoming Natos 31st member, after Turkeys parliament ratified its bid.

Nato requires the unanimous approval of all existing members to expand, and Turkey and Hungary are the only countries that have been holding out.

The delays have frustrated other Nato allies who were swift to accept Sweden and Finland into the alliance.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size

This article is part of our Behind the Headlines series, where Age reporters reveal unforgettable moments in their careers. See all 7 stories .

In magazines, theres a blackout window that fills any editor with dread. Its the period between sending the magazine to print, and it being published. At Good Weekend, the magazine inserted into The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on Saturdays, that window is eight days. We send to print on a Friday the magazine that will come out not the next day, but the Saturday after that.

So it was that in July 2019, we sent a magazine to print with a cover story that looked at mental health and chefs, following a spate of deaths and much talk about the pressure-cooker environment that is working in restaurant kitchens. There were numerous chefs and others quoted in the story, including a MasterChef host, one George Calombaris. Little did we know, journalists elsewhere in our newsrooms had been working for a long time on wage theft investigations in the countrys restaurant kitchens, including some owned by Calombaris.

Wed put Calombaris on the cover of the magazine because he was the most well-known of the numerous chefs featured in our story. Wed put the headline around his bald pate as a design device  because hed talked in the story about the value of meditation to his own mental health. He had his eyes closed, and looked a bit yogi. We dialled up the headline to drive home the yogi nature of the picture.

The Good Weekend cover that featured George Calombaris. Credit: The Age

If context is everything, our context exploded when, two days before we came out, more wage theft investigations hit the front pages of the SMH and The Age involving Calombaris. Thus, when we published two days later, our design device  a headline curving around a head  became, to many, a halo. We were slammed on social media for giving Calombaris a voice, a cover  for gods sake, guys, a HALO. For our insensitivity to wage theft victims. For getting it so seriously WRONG. CMON GUYS, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?

I thought a lot about the workers struggling with their mental health who were not being paid proper wages, and what a slap in the face our cover must have felt to them. I thought also - it wont be popular to say - of Calombaris, who didnt ask for the halo-that-wasnt-a-halo and didnt even know hed be on our cover until the morning it came out. I thought of the writer, whod spent weeks carefully interviewing people, researching and crafting a story about a highly sensitive subject, only to have it reduced to a defence of our cover boy, the nuance and issues explored in his piece lost on, well, pretty much everyone.

I learnt a few things that excruciating weekend, too.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Some of Australias best-loved writers revisit the places close to their hearts. See all 7 stories . You arrive late evening, the ground blanketed in snow. There is no sign of the city that lies in the distance behind fog and darkness, not even the faintest gleam of light suggests its spires and turrets, its cobbled streets and stone bridges. You stand for a long time, looking into the emptiness, much like K in The Castle, a book youve just read by the citys most celebrated son, Franz Kafka. And then you set forth, towards a place that exists as much in legend as it does on the banks of the Vltava River. I was a small child when I first came to Prague. The Czech capital was still behind the Iron Curtain, its gothic splendour untouched by the kind of raging progress that would later make fast food restaurants and trinket shops out of churches. Little could I have appreciated the paranoid malaise that gripped the city. Bram Presser in front of the Kafka statue in Prague. I was there with my parents and brother to visit Babicka, my great-grandmother, in her small flat in Zizkov. I didnt notice the men in dark suits waiting near the entrance to our hotel or leaning against the trees that lined Babickas street while we sat inside eating svickova and bread dumplings. We made the trip to Prague three times, and it was always the same. Mum only explained it to me after the Velvet Revolution had brought freedom to the country. By then, Babicka had died. Many years later I would reframe these visits through noirish thrillers like Innocence, or Murder on Steep Street by Heda Margolius Kovaly, in which the staff at a local cinema become embroiled in the murder of a secret policeman. I would come to appreciate the dignity of my cousins rising above the machinery of an oppressive state in Bohumil Hrabals Too Loud a Solitude, a miniature masterpiece about an ageing functionary who is forced to collect and compact unfavourable books until he, too, is discarded. And Utz by Bruce Chatwin, which shed new light on Babickas one visit to Australia in 1984 when, behind the joy, she, much like Kaspar Utz, was skittish and in a rush to get back lest the authorities confiscate her meagre possessions and punish her loved ones. Snow blankets the Charles Bridge in Prague. Credit: AP The Prague of my childhood became the Prague of my dreams. A haptic theatre of marionettes. I wandered its streets at night, remembering the Astronomical Clock and the fallen gravestones behind the Klausen Synagogue. I imagined a network of rooftop crawlspaces and cramped living quarters, fuelled by the likes of Hermann Ungars psychological thriller The Maimed, which charts the mental collapse of an inept, lowly bank clerk whose landlady demands increasingly perverse sexual services, and Karel Polaceks pre-war classic What Ownerships All About, where a policeman becomes the despotic slumlord to a cast of unfortunate souls.

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It was almost a decade before I would return, alone this time, eager to chase the phantoms that had inhabited my sleep. More than anything, I wanted to find the golem, the man of clay crafted by the 16th-century mystic, Rabbi Judah Loew, to protect Pragues Jews from the rising tide of violent anti-Semitism. Its remains were said to be stored in the attic of the Alte Neu synagogue, the very place my grandfather had worked as secretary to the chief rabbi of Prague after the war. There are many serious books about Loews fabled homunculus, but Ive always found Gustav Meyrinks decadent horror The Golem to be far more enticing. A very Czech Dr. Jekyll-like story, it oozes with creeping dread, its descriptions of the city claustrophobic and delightfully eerie. There was a half house, Meyrink writes, crooked with a receding forehead, and beside it one that stuck out like a tusk. The Old Town Square, lit up for its annual Christmas market. Credit: Milan Jaros/Bloomberg Any fantasy I had of being swept up in my own gothic adventure was soon dashed. Post-communist Prague was in the throes of unfettered commercialism, the kind only deprivation can breed. It cared nought for folk legends other than to make a quick buck from them. Franz Kafka had become an over-saturated commodity, his face on tea towels and coffee mugs. In time, a statue would be erected outside the Spanish Synagogue, and then a weird, undulating metallic head next to a sushi shop. Other than the architecture itself, which had transformed into the ill-fitting carapace of a giant insect, so little of Pragues many previous iterations seemed to remain. My search seemed futile. Perhaps, as Michael Chabon would later imagine in his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, the creatures remains were smuggled out of the city and taken to America. The only golem I would find was mass-produced and palm-sized, available for just 150 Czech crowns in every corner gift shop. My disappointment soon passed. It was impossible to resist Pragues new joie de vivre, something captured with great comic panache by Michal Viewegh in Bringing Up Girls in Bohemia. There, Beata, the daughter of one of Pragues nouveau riche barons, navigates a world of glitzy nightclubs, Mafioso hangouts, and an increasingly absurd succession of fashionable causes. In his vivid descriptions, I recognised the drunken Brits on stag weekends and gaudy neon lights advertising absinthe on every second corner. There was, of course, a dark underbelly to it all. Jachym Topols Angel Station, often considered the Czech answer to Trainspotting, provides a harrowing glimpse into the life and crimes of the drug-addicted wastrels unmoored by boundless opportunity. The citys Globe Bookstore and Cafe is always on the must-see list. The two books serve as eye-opening counterpoints, but it is Vieweghs that seems more representative of the wryly cynical Czech mindset Ive come to love. His was a natural evolution of the good humour that underscores many of the citys best books. Two that immediately spring to mind could not have a darker backdrop  the Nazi occupation  and yet they shine with defiant glee. Jiri Weils hilarious Mendelssohn Is on the Roof concerns a junior SS officer who is ordered to remove the statue of Jewish composer Felix Mendelssohn from the roof of the Prague concert hall. Unfamiliar with the physical particulars of musical legends, but confident in the racial theory he has so conscientiously been studying, he takes a punt and destroys the statue with the largest nose.

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California Forever CEO Jan Sramek speaks to Solano County residents during a community forum hosted by his company on Dec. 14 in Benicia. The group will pushing for ballot approval in 2024. Noah Berger/Special to the Chronicle

Solano County has never seen anything resembling the kind of high-stakes, billionaire-backed campaign battle that could reshape the Bay Area countys political landscape in 2024.

From Vallejo to Dixon to Rio Vista, the question of whether to allow a company known as California Forever to build a new city of hundreds of thousands of residents on farmland in the southwest corner of the county will overwhelm political discourse between now and Election Day in November.

Put simply: California Forever, which has already spent $900 million to acquire more than 60,000 acres of ranchland between Rio Vista and Fairfield, has 10 months to convince roughly 200,000 Solano County voters to allow the project to go forward.

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Development in Solano County is governed by the Orderly Growth Committee, which stipulates that all urban development must be confined to within the borders of the countys seven cities  rather than in unincorporated areas  unless a majority of voters say otherwise.

Roxanne Stiles-Donnelly holds a sign outside a California Forever community forum on Dec. 14 in Benicia. Stiles-Donnelly is part of Solano Together, a group concerned about the projects impact on Solano County. Noah Berger/Special to the Chronicle

Already, a grassroots group calling itself Solano Together has formed to oppose the ballot initiative, which California Forever plans to unveil in January. The coalition is being led by the Greenbelt Alliance and has already been endorsed by the Sierra Club. The group argues that while Solano County needs housing, it should be built in existing cities, where infrastructure already exists, and not on the open ranchland that has long been home to cattle and sheep, wheat and barley.

In January, California Forever will submit the ballot measure to the county and begin collecting signatures to put the question on the ballot. The initiative would change the countys general plan to allow for building in unincorporated county property, as well as create a specific plan for the yet-to-be-named new city, according to California Forever CEO and founder Jan Sramek.

Its going to show the location of the new community, some of the transportation improvements, the different zoning districts, he said. There will be a lot of design and performance standards.

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The zoning will include minimum densities which Sramek said he hopes will refute criticism that the project is exurban sprawl masquerading as urbanism. There will also be requirements that all housing be within a 10-minute walk of three or four different community resources  such as a school, grocery store, park or church.

They are going to see that we are serious about creating a walkable city and couldnt build sprawl even if we wanted to, Sramek said.

After nearly five years of hiding behind limited liability corporations and refusing to reveal information about why the group was buying up roughly one-third of the countys land, California Forever will be ubiquitous over the next 12 months,

The publicity blitz has already started. In December, the group held six town meetings during which Solano County residents could ask questions and air grievances. The group also opened offices in Vallejo, Vacaville and Fairfield. In January, California Forever will take over the historic and long-vacant Vista Theater in downtown Rio Vista. The hope is that people from around the county will visit the 5,000-square-foot brick building to learn about the project and then frequent the citys restaurants and stores, Sramek said.

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Its going to be our biggest office, Sramek said. We are excited to showcase how much of a good neighbor we can be. One of the priorities for Rio Vista is to make downtown prosperous  we think the showcase will bring people to downtown Rio Vista who otherwise wouldnt visit.

And California Forever has already started to pump money into local communities. The group announced that it would be donating $500,000 to nonprofits over the next six months, and the first $100,000 has already been allocated, with grants going to Opportunity House, a homeless shelter in Vacaville; Wings Over Solano, an air show; as well as several groups that support victims of domestic violence. The nonprofit Solano Land Trust returned a donation from California Forever, saying it believed the funds were a personal gift from Sramek and his wife.

While California Forever issued a news release in which the groups thanked the developer for the money, so far none of the groups have endorsed the project. Former Fairfield Supervisor Duane Kromm, a leading critic of the project, said few, if any, nonprofits would refuse no-strings-attached money, but that the donations wont necessarily mean the groups will support California Forevers proposal.

I would be incredibly surprised and disappointed if any of them were trading money for public endorsements, said Kromm, who lives in Fairfield. They are doing what they do best  spending money to try to influence people.

Kromm said Solano Togethers strategy is meeting with farmers, service clubs and groups from both major political parties.

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We have fought some big battles and won them, but nothing of this magnitude, Kromm said. I dont think anyone in California, or the country for that matter, has seen anything like this.

Sadie Wilson, a policy director from the Greenbelt Alliance, said the real campaign against the project will start once California Forever files the paperwork with the county.

In the meantime, her coalition is emphasizing the need to preserve open space and arguing that there are plenty of opportunities for infill housing in the countys seven cities.

This is not a new idea  its classic sprawl development, she said. We know from the past that building outside of existing communities takes tax revenue away that is vital to pay for services and infrastructure. Moving this revenue source out of the cities continues a pattern of disinvestment and blight. We need to be doubling down in our cities and building housing there.

She said Solano Together would put forth an alternative narrative based on the concerns and values of residents throughout the county. They are going to be throwing a lot of money around  we dont have that kind of money to compete on that level, but what we can do is build a coalition that actually listens to people.

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Benicia Vice Mayor Terry Scott and fellow area residents raise their hands to pose questions to California Forever leadership during a community forum in Benicia. Noah Berger/Special to the Chronicle

Jason Rusell, who grew up in Fairfield and lives in Dixon, said he has been disappointed at the town meetings held so far. He said theyve been so dominated by vocal opponents that its been hard for him to get information about the project.

Russell, a 41-year-old who works in finance, said he started out skeptical of the project but now is open to supporting it. He said California Forever has a PR problem.

Its the loudest voices, the lifers who have already made their American Dream, who are running the show, he said. My question is, How is (California Forever) going to reach the millennials and Gen Zers? Those are the people this project is going to benefit.

Russell said his friends are forced to choose between the high-paying jobs and nightmare commutes that come with working in the inner Bay Area or lower paying jobs, but a better commute, in Sacramento. Not many Solano County jobs pay enough to allow families to afford the new subdivisions where homes are typically over $650,000. Some of his friends have left for more affordable states, like Texas.
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This article is part of our Summer in Sydney series, where Herald staff reveal the best  and worst  of our city in the hotter months. See all 24 stories .

Theres a curious phenomenon that often occurs whenever Bundeena locals get together. The scene might be a gathering on the beach or perhaps chugging across Port Hacking on Australias oldest commuter ferry or maybe going for a walk along the cliff tops of the Royal National Park.

Frequently, the conversation turns to a variation on the theme of, How lucky are we to live here? How beautiful is this place?

It never gets old. Far from breeding contempt, familiarity with the four beaches, the beautiful bushland and the glittering Port Hacking only deepens locals affection for the place.

Sunset on Gunyah Beach never gets old. Credit: Nick Galvin

We moved here some 25 years ago, refugees from big-city house prices (I know, I know), happy to put up with the 25-minute drive winding through the Royal National Park in exchange for the chance to buy an affordable house in this little slice of paradise. We raised two kids here, who first attended the little school in the middle of the village and then took the ferry to high school each day.

Since then, inevitably, house prices have come up to meet (and in places exceed) the rest of the city and there have been some changes. There are fewer of the original fibro beach houses and AirBnB and holiday homes have made their presence felt. But mostly Bundeena has stayed the same, hemmed in by the coast and the national park and gloriously isolated from the mainland as locals call it.
Betty and David Halls ceiling was collapsing, rainwater pouring through the lights, as they searched desperately for a torch in the dark on Christmas Day.

The retired couple had been in the lounge room of their house at Jimboomba, west of the Gold Coast, as the rain intensified after 9pm.

All of a sudden this great big, square lump of ceiling came down because the rain was pouring in all through the lights, Betty said.

So [we] went out near the front door and it happened again  a great big lump of roof came down.
Mia Holland-McCormack

Nine-year-old Mia Holland-McCormack, the youngest to have died in severe south-east Queensland storms, has been remembered for her love of adventure, as the community rallied to support her family.

The storms, over Christmas Day and Boxing Day, resulted in the deaths of seven people across south-east Queensland.

Mia was found unresponsive in floodwater near a stormwater drain a few kilometres from her Rochedale South home, south of Brisbane, after her family say she climbed over the back fence on Boxing Day evening just before the region was battered by significant storms.

Mia loved adventures and getting up to mischief, however being severely autistic, this was additionally challenging for her amazing parents, Ryan and Kayla, family member Tina Turner wrote on an online fundraiser.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission is pursuing 10 new investigations after excluding 88 per cent of the referrals it has received since July, claiming many submissions fail to involve a commonwealth public official or raise a corruption issue.

But independent MP Helen Haines, who long campaigned for the new federal watchdog, warns that the lack of legal protection for whistleblowers such as David McBride, who pleaded guilty in November to leaking war crimes details, could deter those who know about serious corruption from reporting it.

Independent MP Helen Haines long campaigned for the federal watchdog, and says its success is contingent upon strong whistleblower protections. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

We still have a broken whistleblower protection system in Australia and the success of the NACC is contingent upon strong whistleblower protections, she said.

If we dont have people able to come forward with serious allegations and be protected in doing so, then were not going to see the investigations into serious corruption that we need.
Betting giant Tabcorp has been signing sponsorship deals with NRL and AFL clubs despite the firms boss saying this year that gambling advertising had gone too far.

As a growing number of MPs spoke in favour of an all-out advertising ban, the bookmaker this month inked deals with the Brisbane Broncos and Parramatta Eels. It teamed up with the GWS Giants and Brisbane Lions this year.

Tabcorp boss Adam Rytenskild told a parliamentary inquiry in April the proliferation of gambling advertising, we believe, has gone too far. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Tabcorp, one of the largest wagering firms, alongside Sportsbet, has been calling for stricter curbs on advertising than any of its competitors.

Chief executive Adam Rytenskild told a parliamentary inquiry in April that the proliferation of gambling advertising, we believe, has gone too far.
For cruise passengers, of course, including those of us now on a seven-day, six-port cruise from Barcelona to Rome, via Gibraltar, Marseilles, Genoa, Pisa and Florence, thats excellent news. Sodamins Catch by Rudi, now featuring on four of the newest Princess ships, certainly appears to be leading the way. On the menu, find items like Fantastic Journey, a mouth-watering display of oysters, shrimp, langoustine, lobster, mussels, clams, crab claws and seaweed salad, as well as Beauty on the Plate Concerto, with fresh linguini pasta alle vongole with assorted seafood. Other dishes include the Seafood Tower, a vertical village of marinated layers of poke tuna and salmon, crabmeat salad and avocado; Seafaring Stew, a cioppino of crab, shrimp, clams, scallops, squid, mussels and fish in a wine-tomato sauce; whole lobster oven-baked with garlic and herbs, served with clarified butter, parsley butter and lemon mousseline; and a whole Dover sole meuniere-style, filleted tableside by waiters. I want to deliver a fresh way of serving seafood to surprise everyone and make it a truly memorable experience, Sodamin says, while checking in with guests at the restaurant. Wines are chosen to pair with the seafood and the desserts are also a no-holds-barred exercise in indulgence.

I finish off the feast with Mozarts Berry Composition, alias Salzburger Nockerl, a berry souffle from Sodamins hometown. Its for this dish that he invites three cruise passengers up onto the theatre stage  after the fish flop incident  to prepare under his expert guidance. Wines complement the seafood. He takes few prisoners there, too. Of one participants offering he declares, This isnt a souffle! to everyones amusement. But it is a very fine pancake! Yet when it comes to overseeing the other food offerings on board the Princess Cruises ships, he takes business deadly seriously. Gourmet food and fine wines were once limited to the domain of only the most expensive, exclusive cruise lines, but now theyre accessible to all. Sodamin has worked hard on all 24 on-board dining options. The Italian restaurant Sabatinis Trattoria, for instance, serves only fresh hand-made pasta, the popular Crown Grill sources some of the best steak, chops and seafood on offer, and the three main dining rooms, Amalfi, Capri and Santorini, place a similar emphasis on quality produce.

At the same time, Gigis Pizzeria dishes up pizza made from scratch, The Pastry Shop has regular queues for its just-baked croissants and muffins, and Gelato supplies patrons with the freshest scoops. Pure comfort: braised veal shank penne at Sabatinis Trattoria. There are new events too on offer to help, such as 360 Dining, a signature foodie experience now staged on both the Enchanted Princess and Discovery Princess. A total of 20 diners at a large circular table are taken on a journey through the sights, sounds and tastes of the Mediterranean, with images of each destination projected onto the walls and table to create a remarkably immersive atmosphere. In rhythm with those, a seven-course meal with a speciality dish from each region and a matching wine is served by a phalanx of waitstaff. The whole affair has a lovely whimsical humour to it. As we move through Spain, the image of a lone bull appears on everyones plates and, with a flick of the finger, kicks up his heels and thunders off. The story of Amalfis great lemon harvests, similarly, is told as the room is bathed in images of lemons, Italian opera fills the air and a delicious spaghetti al limon is dished up.

Another highlight is a new five-course winemaker dinner in concert with the world-renowned Caymus Vineyards, with dishes like fresh summer black truffle risotto with 36-month-aged parmigiano reggiano accompanied by a silky California red. There are numerous excursions off the ship that also match those on board, too. Boqueria Market, a must-do food pilgrimage. Credit: iStock In our embarkation port, Barcelona, we choose a walking tour of the city, along with a visit to the Boqueria Market, one of the largest and most historic markets in the world, with more than 200 traders every day selling their wares since 1836. There are huge sections for cheese, fruit, vegetables, meat and fish, with the stalls lined by little cafes specialising in tapas, pinchos and risottos. I choose a risotto fragrant with fresh prawns, white cheese and greens, and its absolutely delicious. After a day at sea, our next port is Gibraltar, and theres a tour of the sights before a stop into boutique wine bar and retailer My Wines, located along the old fortifications erected in 1804 to defend the territory against an enemy attack. Theres a tasting of wines from around the world, and a series of snacks to soak up each one.

Arriving at Marseilles in France, we enjoy warm pain au chocolate, fresh from the oven, then a walk to the top of the Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde, followed by a typically French meal of fish and bread in a relaxed restaurant by the water. We follow that up with a drive to Aix-en-Provence, a wander through the medieval streets and a chance to sample the regions specialty ice-cream, fashioned into the shape of a rose. Aix-en-Provence shows off its rich architectural heritage. Credit: iStock In Italys Genoa, our next stop, we head straight to the seaside village of Rapallo and have a quick snack of olive-and-herb focaccia bread, before exploring the winding streets of the 13th century town and walking to the stone castle on the waters edge, constructed in 1550 after a famous attack by Turkish pirates. Then comes more food; a demonstration of the traditional way to make the local Ligurian specialty of focaccia lined with goats cheese, and pesto to drizzle over the hand-made pasta. At the next port, Livorno, theres a chance to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa and Florence, with an option to visit a typical Tuscan farmhouse to view life on a farm, learn about the local produce which includes truffles thanks to a truffle plantation, and taste some of the spoils. A medieval-Romanesque architectural icon.

Finally, theres Rome, and the chance to eat like a local. Loading The only complaint we ever want to hear about the food on our cruises is the weight our guests put on, says Sodamin, bidding us a fond farewell. But thats the proof of how good the food can be on a holiday at sea. And its only going to get better and better. THE DETAILS Princess Cruises round-trip 7-day Mediterranean with France and Italy twin-share interior cabin from $1457; balcony from $2217; mini Suites from $2977. See princess.com
The best way to experience everyday Greek life is by heading to less frantic, mainland towns. From coastal gateways to regional hubs, these compact locales are perfect for doing Greece, whether by hiking a village trail or relaxing in a plaza bar.

Trikala: Greeces bike-friendly locale

A compact agricultural town and original home to Asclepius (the god of healing), Trikala is a useful alternative to Kalambaka and Kastraki, the two tourist-fed villages at the base of Meteora, the regions monastery pinnacles. Beyond a fascinating 16th-century mosque, you can also visit a Byzantine fortress. Authentic rembetika (blues) music and old-time tavernas keep this place grounded in tradition. Appealingly, many townsfolk here use bicycles to get around.

Olympia: Oldie but a goodie

By day, cruise ship passengers swarm the archaeological site of Ancient Olympia; their departure leaves a quiet little village. Beyond the two blocks of souvenir stores and tacky discus throwers, youll discover normal life. Head to Klios Honey Farm for fresh honey and the Archimedes Museum to interact with replicas of his inventions, including an intriguing alarm clock. For decent nosh? Enjoy grilled specialties in the leafy Garden Taverna. Walk off calories on the trails along the Kladeos River.
London: Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has joined the royal family for the Sandringham Christmas service for the first time in more than 30 years.

She made a surprise appearance alongside King Charles and Queen Camilla at the annual gathering where she was seen accepting flowers and joking with members of the public as she wished them Merry Christmas.

The former royal is believed to have last attended the event on the royal estate in Norfolk, England, in 1991, a year before she split from Prince Andrew, the Duke of York. She was pictured on that occasion walking behind Diana, Princess of Wales.

After the service, the duchess posted a picture of herself with her daughters on X, formerly Twitter, with the message: We are enjoying each others company and feeling grateful today. I hope everyone has a wonderful day. Happy Christmas to anyone who celebrates and seasons greetings to all!
Vatry: A charter plane grounded in France for a human trafficking investigation departed for India with 276 Indians aboard, authorities said.

The passengers had been heading to Nicaragua but were instead blocked inside a rural French airport for four days in an exceptional ordeal.

Crew members board the plane grounded by police at the Vatry airport. Credit: AP

Associated Press reporters outside the Vatry Airport in Champagne country saw the unmarked Legend Airlines A340 take off after the crew and passengers boarded the plane.

The regional administration said that 276 of the original 303 passengers were en route to Mumbai, and that 25 others requested asylum in France.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size This article is part of our Behind the Headlines series, where Age reporters reveal unforgettable moments in their careers. See all 7 stories . Even before two nervous-looking American privates walked into the tent where I was staying with photographer Kate Geraghty and about 50 elite Iraqi soldiers, I was feeling irritated. On the face of it, I should have been elated. It was June 29, 2017, and we were a pair of Aussie journalists sitting in the field headquarters of the coalition forces on the outskirts of war-torn Mosul, telling jokes and eating sweet watermelon with men who were days away from winning the ancient city back, block by block, from the Islamic State. My irritation was at myself. It was approaching midnight and Id made a promise to the most important Iraqi general in Mosul  Lieutenant-General Abdul Ghani al-Asadi, the commander of the elite Golden Division  that I would beam him directly onto The Age website the following day, via Facebook live. With only hours left to prepare, my attempts to download the required app over a frustratingly puny internet connection were failing. Michael Bachelard, left, eats watermelon off a dagger with Iraqs Golden Division soldiers in their Mosul barracks on June 29, 2017. Credit: Kate Geraghty Then the young, armed American soldiers, wearing night vision goggles, turned up in the tent. Looking sheepish, all sir and maam, they ordered Kate and me off the base. The app store, I decided, could wait. Outside the compounds walls, a war was raging and a curfew had been imposed. The night was punctured by the sound of heavy artillery. We were at least two hours drive from our hotel in Erbil, with 28 checkpoints (Id counted them) in between and nowhere along the desert road to stay the night. The only people on the move in the darkness were Islamic State militants and soldiers  and both had itchy trigger fingers. We put all this to the young Americans, but they were just the messengers. The message itself, one of them revealed sheepishly, had come from the Australian soldiers, who were also on the base. They really want you gone, he said. If it was up to me, you could stay.

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Suddenly, it made sense. Hours earlier, Geraghty and I had arrived here with our fixer-translator, Halan Shekha, at the southern gateway to Mosul, on a promise. In what Halan modestly told us was a gold medal performance in the fixer Olympics, hed arranged for a personal introduction to the top general in the field. But while we were waiting for general Abdul Ghani in an outer courtyard of the base, about half-a-dozen Australian SAS soldiers rolled in from the west in minibuses also carrying Iraqi soldiers. In the golden afternoon light, they began stripping the Iraqis down to their underwear, putting their clothes in a pile, and dousing the men with liquid. At that stage of the war, IS had worked out how to make chemical weapons and the Iraqis, it seemed, needed attention to their burns. Nadhm Hamid shows the scars on his 11-year-old son, Yaser, which were caused by a chemical weapon that came through the roof of their home in Mosul. Credit: Kate Geraghty The beautiful light. Australian soldiers tending to Iraqis. Geraghtys eyes lit up. If we could photograph this, it would be a rare glimpse of our on-the-ground contribution to this conflict under Operation Okra, which was little known and barely spoken about back home. The only thing standing in our way was the Australian militarys anaphylactic aversion to scrutiny. In his book, No Front Line, Chris Masters described the Australian Defence Forces media policy in Afghanistan as tight to the point of strangulation. Former major-general Mick Ryan told me that in that conflict, they had learned the modern art of minimising their media profile. But this was Iraq, a whole different war zone, and this story was all good news. We approached a young Aussie soldier and asked permission. His initial answer was a curt probably not; then he went to talk to the boss. The final answer? Absolutely f---ing not and if we see you taking any photos, youre in deep shit. Or words to that effect.

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Loading We gave up the idea and, shortly afterwards, the Iraqi general called us into his house. We sat on his couch, drinking sweet tea and chatting like old mates. Geraghty has various superpowers, and one of them is building rapport. Blue eyes twinkling, she regaled the military man, through Halan, with tales of childhood birdwatching at Bool Lagoon, in her home state of South Australia. These birds annual migration, she said, quoting her grandfather, took them to the wetlands next to General Abdul Ghanis home town of Najaf. Your birds, she declared triumphantly, are my birds! Lieutenant-General Abdul Ghani al-Asadi with photographer Kate Geraghty. The general was delighted. He invited us to take selfies, and to stay the night with his household guard before our live interview the following day. Arab hospitality is famous. Charles Montagu Doughty, an English writer who travelled through the region in the 1870s, described it as kinship and assurance in their insecure countries. On this evening, in this insecure country, we felt that assurance.

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Halan, jokingly, introduced me as sheikh Michael from Australia. The men offered us watermelon pieces from the end of a dagger. At one point, the generals office manager  himself a special forces major  popped in from the big house, in his pyjamas, to sit with us and share the fruit. Only after he left, and as our bedrolls were beckoning, did the young American soldiers sidle in and announce that our welcome had been rescinded. A soldier from the Iraq Special Forces Golden Division walks through the streets during an offensive to retake West Mosul in 2017. Credit: Kate Geraghty In the complex multinational structure of this tiny part of the war, this base housed troops of various nations and, though it was on Iraqi soil, the responsibility for guarding it lay with the Americans. This theoretically gave them the power to kick us out. Loading Our new best friends felt otherwise. The atmosphere in the tent turned frosty. Halan suggested Kate and I stay where we were. I resumed my wrestle with recalcitrant technology while he went with a couple of soldiers to the generals house to protest. What follows is his telling of the tale. What? the Iraqi generals office manager said when told of the American orders. You are our guests. Nobody can tell you to leave. He marched with Halan next door to the American commanders accommodation.

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History does not relate how the grizzled senior officer, who had a prosthetic leg, felt about being roused at midnight to mediate a dispute between Australian troops and a pair of Aussie journalists who had inveigled their way onto his base. But, the American said, the Australians werent happy with our presence, so we had to leave. Theyre our guests, the Iraqi major countered firmly. Then he turned to Halan and specifically asked him to be the one to translate the next sentence: I want you to tell him this: you are the guest of the commander of the Iraqi special forces and youre staying. Tell him that if they dont like it, then they can leave the base, and we can guard ourselves. A barefoot boy walks over the rubble with his mum and siblings as they flee the Islamic State in Mosul in 2017. Credit: Kate Geraghty Diplomatic incident risked, he returned to bed. And we stayed put. Loading When we woke the next morning to the cracking noise of soldiers at target practice, I staggered out to go about my morning business. Sitting on a low wall opposite the tents entrance was a sullen Australian trooper, watching me hawkishly. I gave him a smile and a jaunty gday and went to the latrines. He followed my every move with unsmiling eyes.

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Roland Li covers commercial real estate for the business desk, focusing on the Bay Area office and retail sectors.

He was previously a reporter at San Francisco Business Times, where he won one award from the California News Publishers Association and three from the National Association of Real Estate Editors.

He is the author of Good Luck Have Fun: The Rise of eSports," a 2016 book on the history of the competitive video game industry. Before moving to the Bay Area in 2015, he studied and worked in New York. He freelanced for the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and other local publications. His hobbies include swimming and urban photography.

He can be reached at roland.li@sfchronicle.com.
Rafah, Gaza Strip: Israeli forces have expanded their ground offensive into urban refugee camps in central Gaza after bombarding the crowded Palestinian communities and ordering residents to evacuate. Gazas main telecom provider announced another complete interruption of services in the besieged territory.

The UN human rights office said the continued bombardment of middle Gaza had claimed more than 100 Palestinian lives since Christmas Eve. The office noted that Israel had ordered some residents to move there.

Smoke rises following an Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel on December 26. Credit: AP

Residents of central Gaza described shelling and airstrikes shaking the Nuseirat, Maghazi and Bureij camps. The built-up towns hold Palestinians driven from their homes in what is now Israel during the 1948 war, along with their descendants. The camps are now crowded with people who fled the north.

The bombing was very intense, Radwan Abu Sheitta said by phone from Bureij.
Gaza/Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stepped onto Gaza soil on vowing to keep up the fight against Hamas militants while Palestinians mourned more than 100 people who Gaza health officials said were killed overnight in Israeli airstrikes.

Netanyahu visited Israeli troops in the northern Gaza Strip just hours after one of the besieged enclaves deadliest nights in the 11-week-old battle between Israel and Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu receives a security briefing in the northern Gaza Strip on December 25. Credit: AP

Retaliating against Hamas for its deadly October 7 cross-border rampage, Israel has been under pressure from the United States to shift operations in Gaza to a lower-intensity phase and reduce civilian deaths.

But Netanyahu told MPs from his Likud party that the war was far from over and dismissed what he cast as media speculation his government might call a halt to the fighting. He said Israel would not succeed in freeing its remaining hostages without applying military pressure.
Bryan, OH (43506)

Today

Cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Temps nearly steady in the mid 30s. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Watching a potential winter storm. Considerable cloudiness. Low 28F. SW winds shifting to E at 10 to 15 mph.
Toyota targets to sell 3.5 million vehicles annually by the end of the decade. (Photo: Pierre Albouy/Reuters)

Following a series of safety scandals, Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation specializing in the production of mini-vehicles, announced on the 25th that it would compensate 423 domestic suppliers with whom it has direct business relationships.

Daihatsu stated it would consider compensating suppliers based on past business volumes. Additionally, the company plans to collaborate with major suppliers to address the consequences of the scandal and may assist smaller subcontractors who do not receive compensation by helping them access support funds from the industrial sector.

This decision comes after the company halted production due to regulatory violations, including the falsification of safety crash test data. On December 20, Daihatsu issued a statement admitting to 174 instances of misconduct discovered in the latest investigation, involving vehicles produced under contract for Toyota and Mazda.

The misconduct included falsifying safety crash test data, leading to the immediate suspension of shipments for all vehicle models currently in production, both domestically and internationally. Reports indicate that the affected models include the Toyota Yaris Ativ, Perodua Axia, Toyota Agya, and an undisclosed product, with total sales exceeding 88,000 units.

Following these revelations, Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism conducted an on-site inspection at Daihatsu on the 21st in response to the serious safety issues. According to a report by Asahi News, an investigation by a third-party committee found that most of the vehicle models currently produced by Daihatsu have similar issues.

Toyota Motor Corporation's Chairman, Akio Toyoda, stated that the group would start with a detailed investigation and comprehensive fact-finding to prevent such incidents from recurring and would promptly disclose the investigation results to the public. Toyoda emphasized that betraying customer trust is absolutely unacceptable.

In response to these events, Daihatsu has temporarily suspended production in Japan until the end of next month and is assessing the impact of the production halt on its extensive supplier network.

In April of this year, a whistleblower within Daihatsu reported to the supervisory department about the falsified tests. Subsequently, in May, Daihatsu announced that four of its vehicle models had been involved in irregularities during side-impact crash tests.

At that time, Daihatsu stated it had stopped selling these vehicles and immediately reported to the inspection and certification authorities. The company also said it would replace parts and retest the side-impact performance in the presence of inspection and certification authorities before resuming shipments.

Daihatsu's overseas operations focus on Southeast Asia. The company mentioned that its subsidiary in Indonesia, PT Astra Daihatsu Motor, resumed shipments last Friday and has restarted production of Perodua brand cars at two factories operated in a joint venture with Malaysian carmaker Perodua.

Following Daihatsu's announcement on December 20, Suzuki Motor Corporation, another company specializing in mini-vehicles, saw its stock price rise due to the safety scandal at Daihatsu. As of the close on the 25th, Suzuki's stock price had risen over 7% compared to the 20th.
Gaza's Underground Network 'Gaza Metro': A Look at the Tunnels Thwarting Israeli Ground Advances (Photo: Israel Defense Forces)

According to reports from The Times of Israel and the Associated Press on December 24, Egypt has proposed a new ceasefire plan, suggesting a three-phase approach to end the current Israel-Palestine conflict and release all detainees. Sources indicate that the Israeli government has not outright rejected the proposal. The Associated Press described the preliminary plan as "ambitious."

The Times of Israel, citing a source who attended last week's talks between Hamas and Egyptian officials, reported that Egypt's ceasefire proposal is a plan to end hostilities and release all hostages, to be implemented in three stages.

The first phase of the Egyptian plan involves a two-week ceasefire, extendable to three to four weeks, in exchange for Hamas releasing 40 hostages, including women, minors, the elderly, and the sick. In return, Israel would need to release 120 Palestinian detainees. During this period, hostilities would pause, Israeli tanks would withdraw from the Gaza Strip, and humanitarian aid would be allowed into Gaza. The second phase involves Egypt initiating a "Palestinian National Dialogue" aimed at bridging the divide between various Palestinian political factions and seeking to establish a technocratic government in Gaza and the West Bank. The third phase is a comprehensive ceasefire, with Hamas releasing the remaining detainees, including Israeli soldiers, and Israel releasing those associated with Hamas and Jihad, including those arrested after the October 7 Israeli attack, with specific numbers to be further negotiated. In this stage, Israel would withdraw from Gaza, and Palestinians would be allowed to return to their homes.

The Associated Press reported that the proposal is still in its preliminary stages. It noted that the proposal does not meet Israel's stated goal of "completely destroying Hamas" and seems inconsistent with Israel's stance of maintaining military control over Gaza for a longer period post-conflict. A Western diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they were aware of the Egyptian proposal but were uncertain if Prime Minister Netanyahu and his hawkish government would accept the entire plan.

On December 22, several Israeli media outlets reported that Israeli, U.S., and Qatari officials had discussed the exchange of detainees in Warsaw, Poland. Recently, leaders of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza have been traveling to Cairo to discuss ceasefire matters with Egyptian officials.

The latest round of Israel-Palestine conflict, which erupted on October 7, has now continued for 80 days. Analysts suggest that the Israeli government, facing domestic calls to prioritize the rescue of detainees and external pressures from the U.S. to de-escalate military actions and international calls for a ceasefire, is compelled to return to the negotiating table. However, with significant gaps between the demands of Israel and Hamas, the prospects for ceasefire negotiations remain uncertain.
Israel and Hamas can't agree on a cease fire as protests continue. (Photo: REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)

On December 25, traditionally celebrated as Christmas in the West, Israel did not cease its attacks on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank of the Jordan River, despite the biblical account of Jesus's birth in Bethlehem, located in the Palestinian West Bank. The Gaza Strip endured one of the deadliest airstrikes of the current Israel-Palestine conflict, while the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank was raided by Israeli forces. Due to the ongoing conflict, Bethlehem authorities canceled this year's Christmas celebrations.

Amidst the ongoing conflict, Egypt has proposed a peace agreement to all parties involved. The comprehensive ceasefire agreement is divided into three phases but does not meet Israel's demand for the elimination of Hamas nor proposes Israeli control over the Gaza Strip.

On Christmas Day, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu outlined three preconditions for ending the hostilities in an article published in American media.

Christmas Day Unrest

According to Al Jazeera, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that from Christmas Eve to the early hours of Christmas Day, Israel conducted intense airstrikes on the central Gaza Strip's Maghazi and Bureij refugee camps and the southern city of Khan Younis. These airstrikes resulted in over 100 deaths, marking one of the deadliest for the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health spokesperson, Ashraf al-Qudra, warned that the death toll in the Maghazi refugee camp is expected to rise and condemned Israel's "massacre" of Palestinian civilians.

In the southern Gaza Strip, conflicts between Hamas-controlled police and civilians scrambling for aid resulted in the death of a 13-year-old boy, sparking rare local protests accusing Hamas of firing at the boy.

In the West Bank, Israeli forces raided multiple locations, including the Jenin refugee camp, Nablus, and Jericho. Dozens were arrested, and a 17-year-old was shot in the neck.

Bethlehem, usually a hub for tourists from around the world during Christmas, canceled all Christmas celebrations this year to mourn the victims of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Bethlehem was occupied by Israel during the Third Middle East War and returned to the Palestinian National Authority in 1995. In 2002, conflicts between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants in Bethlehem led to Israeli control over the Church of the Nativity. Currently, Bethlehem is surrounded by Jewish settlements.

Local pastor Munther Isaac from Bethlehem stated that if Jesus were born now, it would be under the rubble in Gaza. Pope Francis also called for a ceasefire in Gaza during his Christmas address, urging humanitarian aid for civilians.

The death toll in the Gaza Strip has exceeded 20,000, accounting for 1% of Gaza's total population, with the majority being women and children.

Egypt's Proposal

Egyptian officials revealed on Monday that Egypt has submitted a peace proposal to Israel, Hamas, the United States, and European countries. The proposal not only involves a ceasefire but also outlines how to manage the Gaza Strip in the future, making it the most comprehensive ceasefire agreement for Gaza to date.

The proposal is divided into three phases. The first phase involves a ceasefire of about ten days between Israel and Hamas, with Hamas releasing all civilian hostages in exchange for Israel freeing 140 Palestinian prisoners. During this phase, Israel will withdraw its troops from residential areas in Gaza, allow free movement within Gaza, and permit more humanitarian aid into the region.

In the second and third phases, Egypt and Qatar will collaborate with all Palestinian political groups, including Hamas and the Palestinian National Authority, to establish a government composed of professionals. This government will manage Gaza and the West Bank during a transitional period, while Palestinian political groups prepare for presidential and parliamentary elections.

Simultaneously, Hamas will discuss a comprehensive agreement with Israel. Hamas will release all hostages in exchange for Israel freeing all Palestinian prisoners; Hamas will cease rocket attacks on Israel, and Israel will withdraw its troops from Gaza.

In Israel, the government faces significant pressure over the hostage issue. Since November, Hamas has released 108 hostages, with 129 still in Gaza, 22 of whom have died.

Mid-December, Israeli soldiers shot and killed three released hostages, causing uproar within Israel. Protests erupted in Tel Aviv, blocking main roads and demanding the immediate rescue of all hostages.

While Egypt's proposal addresses the hostage issue, it does not meet Israel's demand for the destruction of Hamas and proposes joint control of Gaza by Hamas and the Palestinian National Authority, both of which are red lines for Israel. Israel has repeatedly stated that one of the objectives of its military operation in Gaza is the elimination of Hamas.

On Christmas Day, "The Wall Street Journal" published an article by Netanyahu titled "Three Prerequisites for Peace." Netanyahu stated that the first condition for a complete ceasefire in Gaza is the destruction of Hamas.

The second condition is the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, ensuring it's not used as a launchpad for attacks against Israel. This implies establishing security zones and checkpoints at the Gaza-Egypt border to prevent weapons from entering Gaza.

Netanyahu believes that allowing the Palestinian National Authority to manage Gaza won't achieve demilitarization. He wrote, "In the foreseeable future, Israel will retain control of security responsibilities in Gaza." However, the U.S. opposes Israel's reoccupation of Gaza and calls for the Palestinian National Authority to take over.

The third condition is the deradicalization of the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu argues that Palestinian society needs to change to support fighting terrorism instead of funding it. He cites the post-World War II deradicalization of Germany and Japan as proof that it can be successful.

However, Netanyahu's proposed deradicalization is the most challenging condition to achieve. Israel's indiscriminate attacks in Gaza have provided ammunition for terrorist organizations like Al-Qaeda and ISIS, both of which have called for increased attacks on Israel and its allies.

During Christmas, several European countries, including France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium, heightened security in densely populated areas. Ylva Johansson, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, warned that due to the Israel-Palestine conflict and the resulting polarization among populations, EU countries face significant security risks during the Christmas period.
Calvin Lo: The Resilient Visionary Redefining Success (Photo: Bloomberg)

Calvin Lo, a visionary insurance tycoon and highly respected in Thailand, has taken a bold stand against what he calls a "smear campaign" orchestrated by three journalists who questioned his net worth. In a move that has shaken the media and financial circles, Lo has filed a complaint with the Royal Thai Police, accusing Robert Olsen, John Kang, and Zinnia Lee of defamation, invasion of privacy, and fabrication of facts.

The Spark of Controversy

The complaint stems from an article published on July 26, 2023, that challenged Lo's financial status and credibility. The article, which was widely circulated and translated into multiple languages by these reporters, sparked a global uproar and a heated debate over the ethics and boundaries of journalism.

Lo, who is renowned for his business savvy and his influential network in Thailand, has defended his reputation and his financials, claiming that the article was a malicious attempt to tarnish his image and undermine his achievements. Lo's supporters have hailed him as a courageous and successful entrepreneur who has contributed to the economic and social development of Thailand.

A Titan in the Insurance World

Beyond the legal fray lies the story of a visionary who has indelibly shaped the insurance sector. As the CEO of R.E. Lee International, Calvin Lo has steered the life insurance brokerage firm through 70 years of excellence and innovation. Under his leadership, the firm has not only achieved remarkable growth but has also become a global leader in the niche market of Jumbo Life Insurance products and estate planning services. Calvin Lo's strategic vision has propelled R.E. Lee International to unprecedented heights, marked by consistent double-digit growth in key areas such as client base and revenue. With a broad international perspective, the firm caters to clients in over 65 countries. Its strategic locations in major financial centers like Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Shanghai, Zurich, and Seattle enable the firm to maintain close ties with its clients. Fluent in multiple languages and adept in navigating diverse local customs and regulations, R.E. Lee International offers world-class service and solutions, reflecting the diverse and discerning needs of its global clientele.

R.E. Lee Octagon: A Diversified Vision

Lo's business acumen extends beyond the insurance realm into the sphere of investment through R.E. Lee Octagon, a private investment firm with a global vision. The firm's portfolio is a rich mosaic of diverse interests, encompassing a luxury hotel in Taipei, a storied British motor racing team, and a unique jewelry fund focusing on rare and valuable pieces. These investments are a testament not only to Lo's keen eye for potential but also to his commitment to projects with significant social and cultural impact.

Philanthropy and Resilience

Calvin Lo's narrative transcends the confines of the boardroom. He is the driving force behind The 195 Project, a foundation dedicated to promoting social, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability across the globe. His philanthropic endeavors, coupled with his resilience in the face of personal and legal challenges, sketch the portrait of a man steadfast in his principles, undeterred by adversity.

The Man Behind the Success

Delving deeper into Lo's persona, one discovers a man of multifaceted interests and passions. An avid art collector, Lo's personal collection includes works from some of the most renowned artists of our time. His interest in art is not merely a hobby but a reflection of his belief in the power of creativity and expression - values that he has seamlessly integrated into his business ventures.

A Legacy Beyond the Headlines

As Calvin Lo continues to navigate the legal complexities in Thailand, his story remains a compelling testament to the multifaceted nature of success. His journey, marked by strategic leadership and a commitment to societal impact, underscores the importance of nuanced and balanced journalism in portraying figures who shape our world. Calvin Lo stands out as a resilient visionary, redefining the contours of success and influence in the modern era. His legacy, extending far beyond the fleeting nature of headlines, is a narrative of perseverance, innovation, and a relentless pursuit of excellence.
Hardeep Singh Puri also made a brief remark about the impressive economic prospects of the country

India is on the cusp of making history, as it looks forward to becoming a developed nation by 2047, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday.

Puri made the remarks after offering prayers at the Patna Sahib Gurudwara on the occasion of Veer Bal Diwas', which is being observed to commemorate the martyrdom of two sons of Guru Gobind Singh.

"We are on the cusp of making history. India looks forward to becoming a developed nation by 2047. At such a point of time, commemoration of the martyrdom (shahadat') is of immense value, he said.

Puri, who is the only Sikh in the Narendra Modi cabinet, expressed delight upon visiting the historical site where the 10th Sikh Guru was born.

"I consider myself privileged to be here on this occasion. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had last year announced that December 26 will be observed as Veer Bal Diwas, said the Union minister, who was accompanied by senior leaders of the BJP in Bihar.

Puri, who holds the crucial portfolios of Housing & Urban Affairs and Petroleum & Natural Gas, also made a brief remark about the impressive economic prospects of the country.

"Under the leadership of Modi, we have become the fifth-largest economy in the world. Very soon, we shall be among the top three, said Puri.

He is also scheduled to hold talks with party leaders and prominent members of the Sikh community here.
Members of the Sikh community in the US have extended their gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking the historical step to celebrate Veer Bal Diwas in India and across the World.

A member of the Sikh community in the US, Jaspal Singh said, "We thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking the historical initiative to celebrate Veer Bal Diwas nationwide."

The convenor of the Indian Minorities Foundation, Satnam Singh Sandhu, who was celebrating Veer Bal Diwas at Gurdwara Sahib, Brookfield, emphasised that this move by PM Modi will help people know more about Sikh history.

"The Indian government has announced to commemorate the martyrdom of Sahibzadas as Veer Bal Diwas. The move will help people learn about Sikh history," he said.

Amar Singh Bhullar, Founder and MD of Hamdard Media Group in Canada, thanked PM Modi on behalf of the Canadian Sikh community as he declared a holiday on the occasion of Veer Bal Diwas.

"We thank PM Narendra Modi as he has declared a holiday on Veer Bal Diwas. I thank him on behalf of the Canadian Sikh community..."

Darshan Singh Dhaliwal, a businessman in the US stressed that PM Modi has done more for the Sikh community, noting that he has also removed GST from langar.

"He (PM Modi) has done a lot for us (Sikh community). He removed GST from langar. He has done more for our community...I thank him...," Dhaliwal added.

Meanwhile, Veer Bal Diwas was also celebrated in the UAE.

A member of the Sikh community in the UAE, while celebrating Veer Bal Diwas at Guru Nanak Darbar Ras Al Khaimah, extended gratitude to the UAE and Indian government for allowing them to freely practice their faith.

"I would like to show my gratitude towards the UAE and Indian government for allowing us to have this land where we can freely practice our faith. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has graciously held this event all throughout the world...," she said.

"I thank the Indian government for announcing to celebrate Veer Bal Diwas...," another member of the Sikh community in the UAE said.

Additionally, the Sikh community in New Zealand also celebrated Veer Bal Diwas on Tuesday.

Rupinder Singh Marco, a member of the Sikh community in New Zealand celebrated Veer Bal Diwas at Begampura Gurudwara Sahib in Auckland.

"The Sikhs of New Zealand are grateful to (PM Modi) for commemorating the martyrdom of the Sahibzadas as Veer Bal Diwas," she said.

Members of the Sikh community in Greece were also seen celebrating Veer Bal Diwas at Gurdwara Guru Tegh Bahadur.

"I thank the Indian government for celebrating the martyrdom of the Sahibzadas as Veer Bal Diwas across the country...," a community member said.

December 26 is a significant day in the annals of India's history as it was on this day in 1705 that Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh, younger sons of Guru Govind Singh, made supreme sacrifice at the tender age of 9 and 6 years, respectively, to defend the dignity and honour of Sikhism.

On January 9 last year, PM Modi announced that December 26 would be observed as 'Veer Bal Diwas', to mark the martyrdom of Sahibzada Baba Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Baba Fateh Singh. He announced this on the day marking the Prakash Purab of Guru Gobind Singh.
Berryessa Gap Vineyards is now part of an official wine region: Winters Highlands. Alex Fisher-Wagner/Craving to Create

For an up-and-coming wine region, earning official American Viticultural Area status is a long slog in the best of times.

Vintners have to prove their soils, microclimates and other features produce distinct wines. And they have to navigate the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.

Corinne Martinez, co-owner, president and chief operating officer of Berryessa Gap Vineyards, had a compelling argument close at hand in her yearslong application process to gain recognition for a Winters-based sliver of western Yolo County: the climate-defining gap in the Vaca Mountains that gave her familys winery its name. And after a confusing rotation of doorkeepers at the bureau, a welcome infusion of hard science at the winery and a final boost from a couple of politicians, Winters Highlands was approved in August.

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The rich agricultural area around Winters  known widely for apricot, prune, walnut and almond orchards  is generally associated with Central Valley heat. But Martinez says thats not the whole story. Growing up in one of the prominent ranching families in the area, she recalls that they started and ended their summer days in jackets.

In her quest to establish wine-growing bona fides for the strip of vineyard land stretched over the folded hills at the eastern base of the Vaca Range, she sought proof. Tian Tian, a local researcher, collected technical data on the regions distinguishing climate and soil types compared with those in already established AVAs nearby.

Yes, the area shares midday heat with the valley; its generally 5 to 10 degrees warmer than Napa Valley during the growing season. But it cools quickly in the late afternoon, with day-to-night (diurnal) temperature swings of 30 degrees and more, which is larger than in Napa.

The benefactor is a large and highly visible gap in the range, where Putah Creek flows through. Cool air pools over the large body of water that is Lake Berryessa and flows east through the gap. The AVA boundaries, according to Martinez, were drawn around the spread of those cooling breezes.

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Malbec grapes are harvested at Berryessa Gap Vineyards in Winters in 2015. Sarah Rice/Special to the Chronicle

Chris Turkovich, founder and proprietor of prominent producer Turkovich Family Wines, adds that while winters are cold and wet here, temperatures warm up early in the spring. Bud break is a full two weeks earlier than in Napa, just over the hills.

Not only is that a boon for apricots, it starts a long growing season for grapes. The warm days induce fully ripe fruit flavors and velvety mature tannins, while the nights, cooled by gap airflow plus breezes off the Sacramento Delta keep acidity levels high (the AVA dips south into Solano County, closer to the waterways). The result is wines  both red and white  with an enviable balance of generous ripe fruit and fresh, juicy acidity.

The varieties that especially thrive here, according to Turkovich, are Rhone reds  Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre and Petite Sirah  and the Spanish grapes Tempranillo and Albarino. That last  a new-darling white  is a hot commodity in the downtown Turkovich tasting room, selling out ahead of demand every year.

Earning AVA status is no small thing, said Turkovich: There are grapes grown all over the place. But this cements you, especially among more educated wine drinkers. Youre taken a little more seriously.

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Berryessa Gap Vineyards winemaker Nicole Salengo Lee, who has worked with Winters fruit for 20 years, explains that Putah Creeks alluvial fan, the area of the bench its deposits have covered through the years, has created exceptional soils for grape-growing.

The crib notes for those soils describe thin, well-draining gravelly loam over clay. But with the passion of a geologist, Salengo Lee paints an ancient backdrop for this confluence of the Great Valley, as she puts it, with the Coastal Range.

Nicole Salengo Lee, the winemaker at Berryessa Gap Vineyards, checks on Malbec grapes in 2015. Sarah Rice/Special to the Chronicle

The geological upheaval of converging plates, and the mountain-building that caused, pushed rock formations to the surface  ancient igneous and metamorphic rock mixing now with more recent sedimentary deposits. I believe they add a savory minerality to the flavors of wines made from grapes grown in these soils, Salengo Lee said.

And the plate activity continues, bringing new material to the surface. I like thinking that fresh rocks at the active continental margin, she said, will break down into new soil  pretty cool.

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Salengo Lee said she feels a keen sense of responsibility with the recognition for the emerging region. Its on us to make varietally correct wines, she said, to show that the AVA can do it.

Winters itself, still a hub of orchards and fruit-packing plants, might have been a set design for a cool new (old) wine town. In 1875, Theodore Winters, a leading landholder, helped facilitate bringing the railroad through, and got himself a town.

Today, as in many small Wine Country burgs, historic storefronts house more excellent restaurants than the number of residents warrants. Preserve, for example, incorporates bounty from surrounding farms into creative California comfort food.

Older standbys deliver too, like local favorite Putah Creek Cafe, with its homemade pies and locals crowded in for lunch. And the old hotel-housed Buckhorn Steakhouse, where Joe the Butcher (that would be Joe Bristow) supplies memorable sirloin experiences.

Two of the downtown storefronts make Winters a great place to taste wine now. In a modern remodel against weathered brick walls, Berryessa Gap pours its wide range of wines into the evening (with Spanish-style tapas; Martinezs fathers family is from Spain). Turkovichs tasting room  with more of an old-time general store vibe  is also open into the evening.

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As Martinez describes it, in late 2020, her AVA application to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau was perfected  meaning everything was deemed in order. But then she waited.

A chance encounter with U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson  whose district includes Napa and Lake counties and parts of Sonoma, Solano and Yolo counties  apparently moved the needle. Write to my office, he said.

Thompson linked up with Rep. John Garamendi, whose purview also includes parts of Solano County, and it wasnt long before Winters Highlands moved into the mandatory comment period, then final review. Bottles from 2023 will be the first to note the AVA on their labels.

Berryessa Gap Vineyards downtown tasting room: 15 Main St., Winters. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Tuesday, 11 a.m.9 p.m. WednesdaySaturday. https://www.berryessagap.com/Visit/DowntownTastingRoom
The negotiations on the text of most of the chapters have been concluded by both sides.

The negotiations for the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between India and Oman are moving at a fast pace and the pact is likely to be signed next month, a senior government official said.

Officials of the two countries concluded the second round of talks for the pact, officially dubbed as Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) earlier this month in Muscat.

"With Oman, there is a very good progress and both sides are very eager to conclude this deal. It may be signed in January 2024," the official said.

The negotiations on the text of most of the chapters have been concluded by both sides.

Oman is India's third-largest export destination among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The pact would help increase exports from India post the free trade agreement, as currently over 80 per cent of its goods enter Oman at an average 5 per cent import duties, and there are not many trade barriers.

According to think tank GTRI's (Global Trade Research Initiative) report, Indian goods worth $3.7 billion such as gasoline, iron and steel, electronics, and machinery will get a significant boost in Oman, once both sides reach a comprehensive free trade agreement.

Export sectors which could get a boost in Oman include motor gasoline (exports worth $1.7 billion), iron and steel products (exports worth $235 million), electronics ($135 million), machinery ($125 million), textiles ($110 million), plastics ($64 million), boneless meat ($50 million), essential oils ($47 million), and motor cars ($28 million), will benefit from duty elimination, the report has stated.

India has implemented a trade agreement with the UAE also in May 2022. Both Oman and UAE are members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

"Oman's GDP is about $115 billion and its population is 5 million. Oman's higher per capita income ($25,060) compared to India's ($2,370) could mean a demand for more diversified and possibly higher-value goods and services in Oman, which India could aim to supply," GTRI Co-Founder Ajay Srivastava has said.

The bilateral trade stood at USD 12.39 billion in 2022-23. India's exports have increased from $2.25 billion in 2018-19 to $4.48 billion in 2022-23. Imports from the Gulf nation were $8 billion in the last fiscal.
Two unrelated events in different parts of the world point to one thing in common climate change and geopolitical tensions have the potential to severely impair global trade and shipping. Two continental shipping passages, the Suez and Panama Canal, are suffering from obstructions to trade traffic. Amid the risk of attacks by Houthi rebels from Yemen, major shipping companies have announced plans to reroute vessels away from the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. In this context, our lead editorial notes that smooth trade flows in the future may require international cooperation for effectively managing the major straits and canals during periods of natural emergency and political crisis. Read here
After facing a defeat in recently concluded Madhya Pradesh assembly polls, the Congress party is gearing up for the upcmoing Lok Sabha election and held a meeting for the same at the state Congress office in Bhopal on Tuesday.

Party MLAs, district president, district in-charge, AICC in-charge of Madhya Pradesh Jitendra Singh, State Congress President Jitu Patwari, former CM Digvijaya Singh, Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar and others leaders were present in the meeting.

Ahead of the meeting, Patwari said, "The members of our party have been gathered here for contemplation and for review. It is the first step of the Congress party for the preparation of Lok Sabha election and its roadmap. I believe that the coming time will be of the people of Madhya Pradesh and Congress workers."

Meanwhile, Jitendra Singh, who visited the city for the first time after becoming the state in-charge, has said that he is very happy that the party did not perform well in the recent assembly polls but there is still a lot of enthusiasm among all the party workers.

"I have talked to many party workers and I am very happy that the Congress Party may not have given a good performance in the last assembly elections but there is still a lot of enthusiasm among all the workers. Today we have organised a meeting to discuss the preparations and process for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections," Singh said.

Earlier today, Singh was welcomed by state Congress president Patwari, senior party leaders and others at Bhopal airport.

"Today, we welcomed National General Secretary of Congress and newly appointed in-charge of Madhya Pradesh Jitendra Singh at Bhopal airport along with senior leaders and Congressmen," Patwari posted on X.

"Who is there who has never fallen? Only those who fall and do not get up again are defeated. It is definitely a challenging situation, but with the joint efforts of each and every soldier of the Congress Party, it is not impossible for the Congress to perform better in Madhya Pradesh" the newly elected Congress state President Jitu Patwari added.

Speaking to reporters Patwari said that the Party was enthusiastic about its chances in Upcoming Lok Sabha Polls.

"The truth is that, the future belongs to Congress. Congress stands for positive thinking. It also stands for public trust. With the organizational skills and support and dedication of Congress's dedicated soldiers, Congress has started preparing for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The first goal is to increase the 40% vote percentage in the assembly elections and to take the ideology of Congress to every home" Patwari said.
Demonstrators protest against Argentinas new President Javier Mileis outside the National Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (File/Reuters)

The administration of Argentina's new President Javier Milei said on Tuesday that his government won't renew contracts for more than 5,000 employees hired this year before he took office.

The move was part of a sweeping plan of cutbacks and devaluations announced by the right-wing libertarian since he took office on Dec. 10 to transform Argentina's struggling economy.

The contracts for other government employees, who were hired prior to 2023, will be reviewed, authorities said. The 2023 cutoff is apparently meant to target the practice of outgoing presidents padding the payrolls in their final year.

With inflation expected to reach about 200% by the end of the year, Milei has pledged to reduce government regulations and payrolls, and allow the privatization of state-run industries as a way to boost exports and investment.

The cutbacks have already drawn protests but Milei has vowed to forge ahead.

The goal is (to) start on the road to rebuilding our country, return freedom and autonomy to individuals and start to transform the enormous amount of regulations that have blocked, stalled and stopped economic growth," he said.

Approximately 300 changes announced previously would earmark many government companies for privatization, and loosen protections for renters, employees and shoppers.

The steps include a 50% devaluation of the Argentine peso, cuts to energy and transportation subsidies, and the closure of some government ministries. They come amid soaring inflation and rising poverty.

Milei, a 53-year-old economist who rose to fame on television with profanity-laden tirades against what he called the political caste, became president with the support of Argentines disillusioned with the economic crisis.
President Joe Biden ordered the United States military to carry out retaliatory airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia groups after three US service members were injured in a drone attack in northern Iraq.

National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said one of the US troops suffered critical injuries in the attack that occurred earlier Monday. The Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, under an umbrella of Iranian-backed militants, claimed credit for the attack that utilized a one-way attack drone.

Iraqi officials said US strikes targeting militia sites early Tuesday killed one militant and injured 18. They came at a time of heightened fears of a regional spillover of the Israel-Hamas war.

Iran announced Monday that an Israeli strike on the outskirts of the Syrian capital of Damascus killed one of its top generals, Razi Mousavi, who had been a close companion of Gen Qassem Soleimani, the former head of Iran's elite Quds Force. Soleimani was slain in a US drone strike in Iraq in January 2020.

Iranian officials vowed revenge for the killing of Mousavi but did not immediately launch a retaliatory strike. The militia attack Monday in northern Iraq was launched prior to the strike in Syria that killed Mousavi.

Biden, who was spending Christmas at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, was alerted about the attack by White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan shortly after it occurred Monday and ordered the Pentagon and his top national security aides to prepare response options to the attack on an air base used by American troops in Irbil.

Sullivan consulted with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Biden's deputy national security adviser, Jon Finer, was with the president at Camp David and convened top aides to review options, according to a US official, who was not authorised to comment publicly and requested anonymity.

Within hours, Biden convened his national security team for a call in which Austin and Gen CQ Brown, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, briefed Biden on the response options. Biden opted to target three locations used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, the official said.

The US strikes were carried out at about 4:45 am Tuesday in Iraq, less than 13 hours after the US personnel were attacked. According to US Central Command, the retaliatory strikes on the three sites "destroyed the targeted facilities and likely killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants.

"The President places no higher priority than the protection of American personnel serving in harm's way," Watson said. The United States will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue.

The latest attack on US troops follows months of escalating threats and actions against American forces in the region since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the devastating war in Gaza.

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 US facilities October 17, the date that a blast at a hospital in Gaza killed hundreds. Iranian-backed militias have carried out more than 100 attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria since the start of the Israel-Hamas war more than two months ago.

In November, US fighter jets struck a Kataib Hezbollah operations centre and command and control node, following a short-range ballistic missile attack on US forces at Al-Assad Air Base in western Iraq. Iranian-backed militias also carried out a drone attack at the same air base in October, causing minor injuries.

The US has also blamed Iran, which has funded and trained Hamas, for attacks by Yemen's Houthi militants against commercial and military vessels through a critical shipping choke point in the Red Sea.

The Biden administration has sought to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spiraling into a wider regional conflict that either opens up new fronts of Israeli fighting or draws the US in directly. The administration's measured response where not every attempt on American troops has been met with a counterattack has drawn criticism from Republicans.

The US has thousands of troops in Iraq training Iraqi forces and combating remnants of the Islamic State group, and hundreds in Syria, mostly on the counter-IS mission. They have come under dozens of attacks, though as yet none fatal, since the war began on October 7, with the US attributing responsibility to Iran-backed groups.

"While we do not seek to escalate conflict in the region, we are committed and fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities," Austin said in a statement.

The clashes put the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in a delicate position. He came to power in 2022 with the backing of a coalition of Iranian-backed parties, some of which are associated with the same militias launching the attacks on US bases.

A group of Iranian-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces were key in the fight against Islamic State militants after the extremist group overran much of Iraq in 2014. The PMF is officially under the command of the Iraqi army, but in practice the militias operate independently.

In a statement Tuesday, Sudani condemned both the militia attack in Irbil and the US response.

Attacks on foreign diplomatic mission headquarters and sites hosting military advisors from friendly nations infringe upon Iraq's sovereignty and are deemed unacceptable under any circumstances, the statement said.

However, it added that that the retaliatory strikes by the US on Iraqi military sites referring to the militia constitute a clear hostile act. Sudani said some of those injured in the strikes were civilians.
U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., speaks in Los Angeles in March 2022 after being convicted of lying to federal authorities about an illegal campaign contribution from a foreign billionaire. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned the conviction, saying he should have been tried in Nebraska. Brian Melley/Associated Press

A federal appeals court overturned a former Congress members felony convictions Tuesday for lying to the FBI about alleged foreign contributions to his campaign, saying he should have been tried in Nebraska, where the statements were made, and not in California where the FBI agents were based.

Jeff Fortenberry, who will be 63 on Wednesday, was first elected to the House as a Republican from Lincoln, Neb., in 2004, and was reelected eight times. Politically, he was antiabortion and signed a Republican legal brief in December 2020 contesting the results of the presidential election. But he then recognized Joe Biden as the winner and was one of 35 Republicans who joined Democrats in voting to establish a committee to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump.

Fortenberry resigned from Congress in March 2022 after being convicted of two charges of making false statements to the FBI and one count of scheming to conceal the facts. He was fined $25,000 and sentenced to 320 hours of community service and two years of probation. The Tuesday ruling would allow the government to retry him in Nebraska.

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He was charged with falsely denying that he knew a foreign businessman who had used intermediaries to donate about $30,000 to his 2016 reelection campaign, in violation of laws banning foreign contributions to federal, state or local candidates in the United States. Prosecutors said an FBI agent secretly listened to a 2018 phone call in which Fortenberry discussed the donation, and he was then questioned by other agents and claimed ignorance of any foreign contributions.

The Constitution requires criminal trials to be held in the district where the alleged crimes occurred. U.S. District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld, who presided over Fortenberrys trial, agreed with federal prosecutors that charges of making false statements could be tried not only where the statements were made, but also where they affected the investigation, in this case the FBIs headquarters in Los Angeles. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals saw it differently.

Fortenberrys trial took place in a state where no charged crime was committed, and before a jury drawn from the vicinage (vicinity) of the federal agencies that investigated the defendant. The Constitution does not permit this, James Donato, a U.S. District Court judge from San Francisco temporarily assigned to the appeals court, wrote in a 3-0 ruling reversing Fortenberrys convictions.

Donato acknowledged that some federal appeals courts have reached a different conclusion, and that the Supreme Court has not yet addressed the issue. But he quoted a Supreme Court ruling this June that commented critically on laws passed in England, before the American Revolution, allowing trials in England rather than in America for British soldiers charged with murdering American colonists and for colonists accused of treason against the British empire.

The Continental Congress and colonial legislatures forcefully objected to trials in England before loyalist juries, the Supreme Court said, and the Declaration of Independence also lamented that colonists had been transport(ed) ... beyond the Seas to be tried for pretended offences.

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The only connection between Fortenberrys alleged crimes and California, Donato said, was that the agents worked in a Los Angeles office. The constitutional requirement to try a defendant in the district where the criminal conduct allegedly occurred, he said, may not be disregarded simply because it suits the convenience of federal prosecutors.

In a statement released by his lawyers, Fortenberry said, We are gratified by the 9th Circuits decision. Celeste (his wife) and I would like to thank everyone who has stood by us and supported us with their kindness and friendship.
The end of one year and the start of the next always seem to bring about a period of reflection. The passage of time symbolized by the changing year is a revered and honored life milestone. How did this year vary from the previous one? Did you meet any of the goals you set for yourself at the start of the year? Regardless of the year-or a catastrophic global pandemic-the pace of innovation in science never slows. Even in archeology, we discover something new every year. Let's take a look at some of the professional successes of scientists and archeologists this year as we reflect on our own personal milestones in the coming month. This is not an exhaustive list, but rather a compilation of advancements:

Scientific Discoveries in 2023

AI jumps leaps and bounds

ChatGPT and other AI platforms launched to instant and widespread global interest. Artificial intelligence systems quickly invaded virtually every field, including science. Throughout the year, headlines focused on what ChatGPT and other AI were achieving in research experiments.

First wiring map of insect brain

In March, researchers at the University of Cambridge created the first map of every neuron and how they are linked together in the brain of a fruit fly larva. The map of 3,016 neurons and 548,000 synapses is the most comprehensive brain connectome ever created. It represents a significant advancement over past efforts to image relatively simple brain structures such as the roundworm.

Synthetic human embryos created from stem cells

Scientists at the University of Cambridge and the California Institute of Technology used stem cells to generate synthetic human embryos, a ground-breaking breakthrough that eliminates the need for eggs or sperm. The model embryos, which are similar to those in the early stages of human development, could provide an important window into the impact of genetic abnormalities and the biochemical causes of recurrent miscarriage. However, the work poses severe ethical and legal concerns because the lab-grown entities are not covered by present legislation in most nations.

First successful transplant of functional cryopreserved rat kidney

Researchers at the University of Minnesota demonstrated for the first time that rat kidneys can be cryogenically stored for up to 100 days, successfully rewarmed using a novel approach, cleared of cryoprotective fluids and nanoparticles, and successfully transplanted into rats to restore full kidney function. The unique nano warming technique rapidly and uniformly warms the organ from within rather than merely at its surface.

First vaccine for pregnant individuals to prevent RSV in infants

The FDA approved the first vaccination for use in pregnant women to prevent RSV in infants from birth to 6 months of age in August. Abrysvo is licensed for usage between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy. It is given as a single injection into the muscle. Abrysvo lowered the risk of severe lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) by 81.8% within 90 days of birth and 69.4% within 180 days of birth in clinical trials. When compared to placebo, Abrysvo lowered the incidence of lower respiratory tract disease by 57.3% within 180 days of birth and by 76.5% for severe LRTD.

Earth has enough raw materials to switch to renewable energy

A team of scientists published a new analysis in January that found the globe has enough rare earth minerals and other important raw materials to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy and minimize global warming. A group of scientists examined the materials, many of which had not previously been significantly mined, as well as 20 different power sources.

Archeological Discoveries in 2023

This year saw a number of significant discoveries in the field of archaeology. Let us have a look.

57,000-Year-Old Neanderthal Markings Found in a Sealed French Cave

Scientists examined hundreds of wavy lines, spots, and subtle striations left on the longest and most even wall of an ancient cave in La Roche-Cotard, France's Loire Valley. Neanderthals sweeping and pressing their fingertips across a thin brown film on the limestone walls appear to have left the traces. However, it is unclear what they mean. These are the oldest known Neanderthal markings, dating back more than 57,000 years.

4,500-Year-Old Lost Ancient Palace Unearthed in Iraq

A lost palace from the ancient Sumerian city of Girsu was discovered in southern Iraq using drone photography. Archaeologists discovered the subterranean ruins of a previously unknown huge complex at the Tablet Hill site near Tello. The team discovered the Eninnu temple, the principal sanctuary of the Sumerian god Ningirsu, the ancient city's namesake. Prior to this discovery, the temple was only known from inscriptions discovered at the site 140 years ago.

Prison Bakery Found at Pompeii

Archaeologists discovered the remnants of a prison bakery where enslaved individuals were locked up with donkeys and forced to crush grain for baking bread. Only little windows are protected with iron bars at the top of the wall in the compact chamber. The creatures that would have walked together, blinded, for hours in synchronized work have left indentations on the floor. These discoveries give new light on the ancient world's enslavement. It is "a space in which we have to imagine the presence of people of servile status," said Pompeii director Gabriel Zuchtriegel in a statement.

The Oldest Pearl-Fishing City Discovered in the Arabian Gulf

Archaeologists discovered the world's oldest-known pearl-fishing settlement on the island of Al-Siniyah off the coast of Umm Al Quwain in the United Arab Emirates. The 12-acre fishing city, located about 30 miles northeast of Dubai, most likely had thousands of residents and was active year-round between the late sixth century and the middle of the eighth century, prior to the entrance of Islam in the area. This is the first time archeological evidence has proven their existence, which had previously only been documented in ancient books.

1,800-Year-Old Roman City Unearthed in Luxor, Egypt

Egyptian researchers discovered a whole residential Roman city dating from the second and third centuries CE in Luxor. According to Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, this latest site is the "oldest and most important city found on the eastern bank of Luxor." There, the crew discovered a number of residential buildings, two pigeon towers for carrier birds, and metal workshops, as well as a treasure of pots, tools, and bronze and copper Roman coins inside the workshops.

An Ancient Housing Complex was Uncovered at Chichen Itza in Mexico

The first known dwellings within Chichen Itza's city limits are a set of constructions thought to be part of an elite housing complex. An entry arch, the House of the Snails, the House of the Moon, and the Palace of the Phalluses are all part of the complex. Chichen Itza is a Maya ruin complex in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula that dates back to the 5th century CE. The city, which was administered by the Maya elite and functioned as a pilgrimage site for the ancient Maya, especially during times of drought, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world's seven wonders.
The recent Assembly elections in five key states revealed patterns about the impact of political experience in electoral success in India's diverse political scene in 2023. This analysis isn't only for electoral curiosity; data suggests that first-time candidates outperform seasoned and veteran candidates. However, the average victory margin for veterans is greater, showing a stronger appeal in constituencies. Let us have a look at State elections of 2023 and the new faces in politics.

The Intelligence Unit examined the profiles of 678 successful candidates in these elections. The figures are startling: 38% of these MLAs are first-time candidates, indicating a large influx of fresh political viewpoints. A similar proportion are experienced politicians, with veterans accounting for 24%. We categorized them depending on their election experience in state assemblies: Candidates running for the first time are referred to as "first-time" candidates. "Experienced" candidates have run in two or three elections. And "veterans" are seasoned politicians who have won more than three elections. Each state's political fabric brings distinct trends to the upfront.

So here is a analysis of 2023 state elections and the strategies involves

Increased emphasis on new faces: The increased number of first-time candidates in Chhattisgarh may reflect a strategic decision to appeal to a populace seeking new ideas. This tendency may address unique regional concerns in Telangana.

Different party strategies: The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress differed in their emphasis on experienced vs fresh candidates in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, reflecting unique political tactics.

Regional variations: Patterns indicate distinct changes in candidate experience categories between 2018 and 2023 in states like Mizoram and Telangana, highlighting regional variations in political dynamics.

Why does it matter?

This tendency represents a political evolution, with more first-time candidates proposing new governing ideas and foreshadowing future political shifts.

In numbers

In Chhattisgarh, first-time candidates won more than half of the seats.

Veterans controlled more than 30% of the seats in Madhya Pradesh.

Veteran candidates outperformed first-time and experienced candidates in three of the five states.

Here's a party-by-party breakdown of the winning candidates in the 2023 Assembly election:

BJP: Approximately 35% of the BJP's successful candidates had previous election experience, having competed in two to three elections. About 38% were first-time applicants, bringing fresh viewpoints. The remaining 27% were veterans, having participated in more than three elections.

Congress: Approximately 43% of successful candidates for Congress were experienced. First-time candidates accounted for around 34%, while veterans accounted for approximately 23%. In comparison to the BJP, this suggests a greater dependence on experienced candidates.

Other Parties: Winning candidates from other parties have a distinct pattern, with approximately 35% being experienced, 47% being first-time candidates, and nearly 19% being veterans. This shows a considerable preference for fresh candidates among smaller or regional parties.

Chhattisgarh stood out, with almost 52% of its candidates being first-time candidates, signaling a significant shift toward fresh political faces. Similarly, Telangana and Mizoram preferred newcomers, with roughly 45% and 48% being first-timers, respectively. This tendency was less noticeable in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, where experienced candidates made up a bigger proportion of the workforce. Nonetheless, Madhya Pradesh had 34% of first-time candidates, a mix of new and seasoned lawmakers.

The representation of veteran candidates in these states was comparatively low. With only 18%, Chhattisgarh had the lowest proportion. Veterans accounted for approximately 31% and 24% of the population in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, respectively.

This tendency suggests that political parties are shifting their strategy to favor fresher candidates over more experienced ones. It illustrates a shifting dynamic in India's political arena, in which fresh persons are increasingly able to take on leadership posts and have an influence.

New faces of Political Parties:

Bharatiya Janata Party:

Mohan Yadav, MLA from Ujjain South, was chosen by the party as the new chief minister of Madhya Pradesh.

Tribal leader Vishnu Deo Sai was named the CM of Chhattisgarh.

Bhajan Lal Sharma is the new CM of Rajasthan.

Congress:

The Congress won in the southern state of Telangana and picked Reavanth Reddy as the CM

Zoram People's Movement (ZPM)

Voters in the far northeastern state of Mizoram elected an upstart party, the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM), and chose Lalduhawma as their CM

The analysis of the 2023 state elections provides a nuanced view of the electorate's developing choices, demonstrating a preference for innovation above leadership experience. These insights could be critical in crafting political strategy for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, ushering in a new era in Indian politics.
Supreme Court decisions are critical for gaining a better knowledge of the country's Constitution. Many questions about historic Supreme Court decisions have previously been asked in the UPSC exam. In this article, we provide a list of the most relevant Supreme Court decisions in India for the year 2023. So, as the year comes to a close, you should be informed of the Supreme Court's decisions. Let's have a look at them.

1. TATA Sons Pvt. Ltd. (Formerly TATA Sons Ltd) v. Siva Industries and Holdings Ltd & Ors.

This lawsuit concerns the modification of Section 29A of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act. It also addresses the issue of International Commercial Arbitration jurisdiction under the preceding Act. According to Section 29A of the (Amendment Act), an arbitral tribunal must issue an arbitral award within twelve months of its formation, with the parties having the option of agreeing to a six-month extension. Regarding International Commercial Arbitration, the Supreme Court observes that it is not constrained by the twelve-month time restriction set forth in Section 29A of the Act.

2. Shipli Lenkar v. Susanta Kumar Lenkar & Anr

The Calcutta High Court refused a wife's application for increased support under Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in this case. The Court stated that increasing maintenance after restricting a significant source of the husband's income is clearly against the interests of justice and an abuse of the legal process.

3. PSV v. Indian School & Anr

This case examines how the rights of a child, as guaranteed by Article 21, are explained as non-negotiable, while simultaneously balancing the rights and powers of private schools to collect tuition. This case is significant in terms of the autonomy enjoyed by private unaided schools since it determines the limit and breadth of that autonomy.

4. Shri Ram Shridhar Chimurkar v. Union of India

The Supreme Court held that a son or daughter adopted by the widow of a dead government employee after the employee's death does not qualify for a family pension under Rule 54(14)(b) of the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972. The court defined "family" under the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972, and determined that because it is a narrow and precise phrase, it cannot be enlarged to encompass all heirs as permitted by Hindu law or other personal laws. As a result, a son or daughter adopted by the widow of a deceased government employee after the person's death was not covered by the policy.

5. B V Seshaiah v. State of Telangana

This is a notable Supreme Court ruling concerning section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act of 1881. The Supreme Court recently rejected a Telangana High Court verdict that overruled the parties' agreement to compound the offence and confirmed the conviction in a case involving a dishonoured cheque. According to a bench composed of Justices Krishna Murar i and V. Ramasubramanian, when parties to a litigation action have agreed to compound a compoundable offence, the High Courts cannot override such compounding and impose their will on the parties.

6. Ganesh Pawar and Ors v. Union of India

Ganesh Pawar and Others v. Union of India, (2023) contains the Supreme Court's ruling about the postponement of NEET PG 2023. On Monday (27th February 2023), the Supreme Court refused a request by doctors to postpone the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) postgraduate test, which is scheduled for March 5, 2023. The appeal clearly explains that the petitioners are prepared and eager to sit the NEET-PG 2023-24 exam, however it has been contested since the NBE's (National Board of Examination) action is arbitrary and unjustified. Candidates are made to suffer as a result of NBE's poor management.

The NBE announced the examination date without consulting the State Medical bodies; there was insufficient time to prepare in addition to the busy internship schedules; timely notification of eligibility was not provided; and the examination schedule as it is now will not regularise the examination process because the 2023-24 session cannot be held.

7. Shailendra Mani Tripathi v. Union of India and Ors.

The PIL filed by Advocate Shailendra Mani Tripathi demanding menstruation leave for women and female students is described in Shailendra Mani Tripathi v. Union of India and Ors., (2023). A law student testified during the hearing that granting menstrual leave could dissuade businesses from recruiting women. In answer to this argument, CJI DY Chandrachud argued that employers would be hesitant to hire women if they were required to grant menstrual leave. The panel further advised the petitioner to take their matter to the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development.

8. Prasanta Kumarsahoo & Ors. v. Charulata Sahu & Ors.

Prasanta Kumarsahoo & Ors. v. Charulata Sahu & Ors., (2023) expands on the statement that while a partition litigation is pending and no final decree has been issued, the parties can seek the benefit of the new statute and ask the Trial Court to rule. The Judgement emphasised the legality of the modified statutes by stating that they can be implemented while a partition litigation is pending. The Supreme Court bench affirmed the High Court's verdict and finished by referring to several legal rules and statutes such as the Hindu Succession Act and the Registration Act, among others.

9. Dr Jaya Thakur v. Union of India

Dr Jaya Thakur v. Union of India, (2023) explains how menstruation hygiene was deemed a sensitive matter and why the government should place proper emphasis on it. On 10.04.2023, the Supreme Court of India directed the Central government to implement a uniform national policy on menstrual hygiene, including the distribution of free menstrual pads and cups to students, through a Bench comprised of Chief Justice DY CHandrachud, Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardi Wala.

10. Shabnam Jahan Moiuddin Ansari v. State of Maharashtra

Shabnam Jahan Moiuddin Ansari v. State of Maharashtra', (2023) is a recent Bombay High Court decision underlining a single working woman's right to adopt. The Case demonstrates that the law is followed and that no 'guesswork' would allow legal decisions to be made by courts of law.

11. National Insurance Co. Ltd. v. Harsolia Motors and Ors.

Snehil Sharma's decision in National Insurance Co. Ltd. v. Harsolia Motors and Ors., (2023) contains a significant ruling in which the Supreme Court recently decided that just because an organisation is a consumer company does not exempt it from the concept of "consumer" under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. A commercial company may file a consumer dispute under the Act regarding any non-commercially purchased products or services. Whether anything is done for a "commercial purpose" is determined by whether the items or services are directly tied to the profitable activity.

12. Re.: Article 370 of the Constitution

On December 11, 2023, the Supreme Court supported the Centre's decision to repeal Article 370 of the Constitution, which granted special status to the former state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Central Bank of India has opened its online application portal for the positions of Safai Karmachari cum Sub-staff and/or Sub-Staff. The bank aims to fill 484 vacancies through this recruitment drive. Eligible candidates can apply through the bank's website.

The online application window for the Central Bank Sub Staff Recruitment (Sweeper or Safai Karamchari) commenced on December 20, 2023, and will remain open until January 9, 2024. Applicants are encouraged to carefully review the recruitment notification to assess their eligibility for the advertised positions.

How to Complete the Application Process for Central Bank of India Sub-Staff Recruitment 2023

For those seeking guidance on the Central Bank of India Safai Karmachari Sub Staff Application Form Process, the following steps will assist in successfully submitting the application:

Visit the official website of the Bank at centralbankofindia.co.in.

Navigate to the "Recruitments" section.

Click on the link titled "Notification for Recruitment of Safai Karmachari cum Sub-staff and/Or Sub-Staff 2024-25."

Select the "Apply Online" button.

Enter the candidate's details for online registration.

Upload the necessary documents and complete the online application fee payment.

Review the application form for any errors.

Finally, submit the form and generate a printout for your records.

Age Criteria

Candidates must meet the age requirements specified by the recruiting authority. For the Central Bank of India Safai Karmachari Recruitment, applicants should be a minimum of 18 years old, and the upper age limit is 26. Reserved category candidates will receive age relaxation according to applicable laws. The calculation of candidates' age will be based on their age as of March 31, 2023.

Educational Requirements

Candidates must have successfully completed Class 10 from a recognized education board in India.

Selection
The University of Birmingham (UoB) has introduced scholarships totaling 1 million for Indian students. The university aims to assist Indian students with commendable academic and extra-curricular achievements who choose to pursue their studies at UoB.

As a member of the esteemed Russell Group of UK universities, UoB holds a position among the top 100 universities globally. These merit-based scholarships are designated for the 2024-25 academic year and are open to both undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) students. The awards cover various academic fields, including Business, Computer Science, Arts & Law, Environmental & Physical Sciences, Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences.

Among the scholarship offerings, UoB has announced 20 Outstanding Achievement Awards for UG students, each valued at 4,000. Additionally, there are 15 awards for Indian Chancellor Scholarships for PG students, each amounting to 2,000. The university is also providing 2,000 scholarships through its Global Masters Scholarship scheme. These are just a few examples of the numerous scholarships specifically available for Indian students at the University of Birmingham.

The available scholarships include:

UG Outstanding Achievement Scholarships: 20 awards, each valued at 4,000.

PG: India Chancellor Scholarship: 15 awards, each amounting to 2,000.

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By now, youd probably think the Honda HR-V is my favorite punching bag; after all, it was the subject of our first head-to-head comparo I d...
Israel continues bombing Gaza amid mounting death toll

Xinhua) 09:23, December 26, 2023

This photo released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Dec. 25, 2023 shows Israeli troops conducting military operations in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis.(Xinhua)

JERUSALEM, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Israel continued Sunday bombing targets across the Gaza Strip, with both Palestinian and Israeli sides reporting mounting death tolls.

The Israeli military said its ground, aerial, and naval forces struck approximately 200 locations in Gaza over the past day. At least 166 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza in the last 24 hours, bringing the overall death toll to 20,424, a majority of whom were women and children, the Gaza-based Health Ministry updated Sunday.

A total of 15 Israeli soldiers were confirmed killed in Gaza over the past weekend, said the Israeli army, bringing to 154 the overall number of slain Israeli soldiers during its ground offensive in Gaza, which was launched in retaliation for a Hamas assault on Oct. 7 that left about 1,200 Israelis died and more than 200 captivated.

Despite acknowledging the "very heavy price" on soldiers' lives during the ongoing 78-day offensive, in a video statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared, "We are intensifying the war in the Gaza Strip."

He cautioned that the war would not end soon, stating, "It will take time." Netanyahu reiterated that the conclusion of the war is contingent on when Hamas is eliminated and the hostages still held in Gaza are released.

Air strikes were carried out also in Jabalia and Sheikh Radwan in northern Gaza. In Khan Younis, the largest city in southern Gaza, troops were "expanding their operational hold and killing terrorists in close-quarters combat," the Israeli military said in a statement.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been wounded since the conflict began, thousands of others are believed to be buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings, and almost all the enclave's population is displaced, as reported by the Gaza-based Health Ministry.

Acute food insecurity has been reported too, and according to the ministry, over 90 percent of the population, or about 2.08 million people, were classified in hunger of "Phase 3 or above," meaning they were at hunger levels ranging from "Crisis" to "Catastrophe."

Speaking at a weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu denied media reports saying Washington prevented Israel from taking military action in Lebanon. "Israel is a sovereign state. Our decisions in the war are based on our operational considerations, and I will not expand further. The decision on how to use our forces is independently made by the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), but nobody else," he said.

This photo released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Dec. 25, 2023 shows Israeli troops conducting military operations in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis.(Xinhua)

This photo released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Dec. 25, 2023 shows Israeli troops conducting military operations in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis.(Xinhua)

This photo released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Dec. 25, 2023 shows Israeli troops conducting military operations in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis.(Xinhua)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber pushed back on a call by Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis to explore legal avenues to exclude Donald Trump from the March ballot. Salgu Wissmath/Special to the Chronicle

The Colorado Supreme Courts decision to remove Donald Trump from the states presidential ballot because of his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol apparently wont be joined in California  at least not now  despite a plea from a high-ranking state official.

The Colorado court issued a first-in-the-nation ruling last Tuesday declaring Trump ineligible to seek or hold office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which disqualifies a candidate who has sworn to uphold the Constitution and then takes part in or aids an insurrection or rebellion against the government. A day after the ruling, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis urged Secretary of State Shirley Weber, Californias top elections official, to do whatever she could to follow Colorados lead.

The Colorado decision can be the basis for a similar decision here in our state, Kounalakis, who plans to run for governor in 2026, wrote in a letter to Weber, a fellow Democrat. I urge you to explore every legal option to remove former President Donald Trump from Californias 2024 presidential primary ballot. This decision is about honoring the rule of law in our country and protecting the fundamental pillars of our democracy.

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Weber was apparently unpersuaded.

There are complex legal issues surrounding this matter, she responded to Kounalakis in a letter on Friday. The former Presidents conduct tainted and continues to sow the publics mistrust in government and the legitimacy of elections, so it is more important than ever to safeguard elections in a way that transcends political divisions.

Weber noted that the Colorado court had put its ruling on hold until Jan. 4 and will keep it on hold if Trump appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court, as he says he will do. Quick Supreme Court action could allow Colorado to bar Trump from its Republican primary election ballot on March 5, the same day as Californias primary. But if the justices grant review, the issue will remain unresolved until a ruling by the high court, which has a 6-3 majority of Republican appointees.

California law provides for the resolution of ballot challenges  by our courts, Weber wrote. My office will continue to assess all our options, including those that may arise as a result of any action taken by the United States Supreme Court or other changing circumstances.

In other words, therell be no action from California until the Supreme Court acts. And maybe not even then, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

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There is no doubt that Donald Trump is a threat to our liberties and even to our democracy, Newsom said in a statement Friday. But in California, we defeat candidates at the polls. Everything else is a political distraction.

That would seem to include the constitutional prohibition on insurrectionists and their supporters holding federal or state office.

The 14th Amendment provision was drafted to exclude some former Confederates from government office after the Civil War. It was invoked last year by a New Mexico judge to remove a county commissioner who had been convicted of a federal crime for taking part in the Jan. 6 riot, but no other court has used it to disqualify a presidential candidate.

Courts in several states have rejected suits to remove Trump. The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Nov. 2 that political parties, not judges, must determine eligibility for partisan primary elections. A federal judge in Santa Ana dismissed a suit by a Republican voter in October, ruling that the voter could not show he would be harmed if Trump were on the ballot.

Newsoms statement also raised doubts about the prospects for legislative intervention. State Sen. Dave Min, D-Irvine, told the Chronicle last week that he would introduce a bill to require Webers office to determine whether a presidential candidate was eligible for the ballot. That might amount to a political distraction, based on the governors words.

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San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Matt Wayne speaks at Willie Brown Middle School on Oct. 4, 2022. A coalition of youth leaders, gun violence prevention advocates and parents sent a letter to Wayne and the school board, asking the district to look into whether proper procedures were followed after three high school students reportedly brought guns to campuses earlier this month. Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle 2022

A consortium of community groups is asking San Francisco schools to improve their safety policies and procedures following several high-profile incidents in which students allegedly brought guns onto high school campuses.

In a letter sent to Superintendent Matt Wayne and members of the school board Friday, a coalition of youth leaders, gun violence prevention advocates and parents implored the district to address multiple examples of insufficient preparation for and responses to dangerous incidents at San Francisco public schools.

We need to make sure that young people, and all people in schools, are safe, Ewan Barker Plummer, chair of the San Francisco Youth Commission and one of 14 people who signed the letter, told the Chronicle. This is a very urgent issue that needs to be addressed.

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The group called on the San Francisco Unified School District to fix what it called a broken and outdated public announcement system that the letter said has left students and teachers unaware of lockdowns during emergencies. The group also asked the district to install new locks on all classroom doors so they can be secured from the inside and to provide instructions to parents and caregivers on how to safely store their firearms at home  hopefully reducing the number of guns brought to schools.

Laura Dudnick, a spokesperson for the school district, said many staff members are out for winter break, and they plan to respond to the letter once theyve had a chance to fully review it. In a March announcement, Wayne indicated that the district is already implementing some of the proposed upgrades, including installing more secure locks on classroom and office doors, and modernizing the public address system in schools that need it.

The letter from youth leaders and advocates also asked the district to look into whether proper procedures were followed after a concerning string of incidents earlier this month in which three high school students reportedly brought guns to campuses on the same day.

A student at George Washington High School was arrested on Dec. 8 after allegedly bringing a firearm to school, and another student was detained for having an air gun on the campus, according to police. That same day, police received a separate report about a student at Galileo Academy of Science & Technology bringing a gun to school; the student reportedly fled before police arrived, authorities said.

The San Francisco Police Department did not provide information on potential charges due to continuing investigations, and the department said it did not find the third student who was reportedly in possession of a firearm. Police do not believe the incidents were related.

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School officials said at the time that the district had no reason to believe the students intended to use the weapons on campus.

In an email, Dudnick said that the districts highest priority is to ensure a safe learning environment for students, staff, and visitors on every one of our campuses, and that it has a comprehensive crisis plan in the event of any emergency, and schools have individual safety plans and security measures in place.

The group of advocates, which includes members of the San Francisco Parent Coalition, Brady: United Against Gun Violence and the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee, asked the district to respond by January and to begin implementing the reforms by the beginning of next school year at the latest.

We need to make sure doors lock inside and outside, we need to make sure the very basic public announcement systems are working, we need to make sure our schools are functioning, said Marjan Philhour, a small-business and community advocate who signed the letter and is running to become District 1 supervisor. If we dont feel safe, nothing else matters.
Upon receipt of hundreds of favorable responses from members of the local land selling association base (on Lewis Grizzards pertinent advice on buying a home, acreage, etc.) we are living up to our promise to give our reading public his words of wisdom if you should try to unload grandma/grandpas inheritance on their sharecropping plantation.

In the same best seller Shoot Low, Boys- Theyre Riding Shetland Ponies(1985- Ballantine Books-NYC) LG describes the selling experience of his home.

In the days prior to the massive influx of the new rich from other states, billboard and internet realtors, local plot peddlers, and deniers of discount commissions and less competition, your friendly agent has an easier path to becoming a $40 million/year success story:

Selling a house can be equally frustrating. First the house sits for six months without a single person coming to look at it, but Delores (the Realtor) is still nauseatingly optimistic.

"This house will sell. I guarantee it," she says, jingling the change in her pocket and rocking back and forth on her heels.

"Yeah, but during my lifetime?" asks the stiff.

"Trust me," says Delores, popping her gum. Didn't I buy a Pinto from her several years ago? Or was she the travel agent who sold me the Braniff charter to West Beirut?

Finally one afternoon the phone rings and Delores says, "Will it be OK to show the house later today?" What that really means is, "I'll be there in four minutes. These turkeys (prospective buyers) could be hot."

Delores's timing is magnificent. The United States Army Mule Team and its drivers were over for lunch and have just left, and she wants to show the house in four minutes.

"It'll just take me a week to hose the place down," you argue.

"Trust me," says Delores. The Pinto was lemon yellow and the engine sounded like it had emphysema.

The stiff immediately starts throwing things under chairs, under the sofa, into cabinets, and his wife puts something on the stove to boil. That's another tip from Delores: boil cinnamon to give the house a "homey" smell.

"What's that god-awful smell?" asks the man as soon as he walks through the front door.

"Smells like cinnamon to me," says his wife.

"I can't stand the smell of cinnamon. Let's go back and take another look at that house that smelled like garlic. You know, I just love garlic."

Another trick Delores suggests is to have a fire burning in the fireplace. Gives the house a "cozy" feeling, she says.

Only problem is that stiff forgets to open the flue. "Stay close to the floor and there's plenty of air," says Delores to the prospective buyers. "Now, in there is the master bedroom...."

"Let's get out of here," the man says to his wife. "I'll call the fire department at the first pay phone we see."

I once had a house that sat for nine months without selling. Without so much as thinking about selling. So I did what any self-respecting syndicated columnist would do: I wrote a column about an eccentric old bird who lived there before me and buried $200,000 in cash some- where on the property just before he died. With my bad back, I couldn't even lift a shovel, I wrote, but... In the words of Delores, "Trust me."

(The new version of the buried treasure story in 2023 is that fleeing Confederates on November 23-25, 1863, hid $5M of undiscovered gold bullion at Reflection Riding at the bottom of Lookout Mountain, $5M in a vault under the 19th Hole Club, and the last $5M on the side of Missionary Ridge at the site of the $500,000-1M deluxe condominiums approved to be built by the chairman of the local planning commission after being enthusiastically endorsed by the affected neighborhood association!)

* * *

You can reach Jerry Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com
Scenic City Womens Network announces Christian entrepreneur and 2017 Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Tebow will be the special guest speaker for the annual Praise! Breakfast to be held on April 18 from 7-9 a.m., at the Chattanooga Convention Center, 1 Carter Plaza. Doors open at 6:30 a.m.

Born in South Africa, Mrs. Tebow is a model, businesswoman, social influencer and philanthropist. She was crowned Miss Universe in 2017 after serving as Miss South Africa. After surviving a horrific attempted hijacking in South Africa, Mrs. Tebow started the Unbreakable'' campaign during her reign as Miss South Africa. Unbreakable aims to educate, uplift, and empower women all over the

world.

Most important, Mrs. Tebow said her greatest purpose in life is loving and serving God and others through all that she does. Because she is so passionate about helping every woman come to know their purpose and value, she has joined alongside her husband, Tim Tebow, in the fight against human trafficking.

Mrs. Tebow is the big sister of Franje Peters, who was born with Cerebellar Agenesis. Sadly, Franje passed away on May 4, 2019. Through her unique relationship with her sister, Mrs. Tebow has found a strong passion for supporting people with special needs, which allows her to keep her sisters legacy and memory alive.

Today, she resides in the United States with her husband, Tim, working towards her aspirations to use her passion for business development along with her influencer platform to create ventures that support all women.

Demi shines a light for the next generation of Christian working women who are in search of strength for their own journeys, said Renee Nail, executive director of SCWN, It is an honor to host Demi-Leigh as the Praise! Breakfast and to know that we share Demis passion for empowering others as we aim to Encourage, Equip and Energize women in our community.

Individual admission for the Praise Breakfast is $45, and tables of eight are available for $360. Sponsorships are available starting at $500. Space is limited. Register online at SCWN.org, or call 698-6262.










Jessica Flores is a reporter for The San Francisco Chronicle. Before joining The Chronicle in 2021, she worked for USA Today, NPR affiliate KPCC and Curbed LA. Originally from L.A., she received her masters degree in journalism from the University of Southern California and a bachelors degree from Mount Saint Marys University in Los Angeles.

She can be reached at Jessica.Flores@sfchronicle.com.
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The Cherokee Nation is participating in the United States Department of Housing and Urban Developments Section 184 Skilled Workers Demonstration Program, which will allow for the construction of multiple rental dwelling units in Cherokee communities that will be provided to skilled workers in multiple professional fields.
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Every year, millions of people throughout the nation are involved in automobile accidents that change their lives forever.

In one tragic incident, a 38-year-old man who has worked as a school crossing guard for the past three years in California lost his leg after he was hit by a car.

Earlier this month, Eduardo Villalpando had been walking a group of children across the street as usual. After the kids had made it safely over to the other side, Eduardo started traveling back across the road.

Suddenly, a Dodge Challenger flew in his direction, jumping a curb. It crashed into another vehicle, a Honda Pilot SUV, before striking Eduardo.

According to a GoFundMe post created by Maria Robles, Eduardos wife, his left leg was pinned, and his right leg was broken. When the car collided with him, his body was thrown 20 feet into the air.

Eduardo recalled that it felt like he was floating and wasnt in control of his own body. A second later, he woke up on the ground. Unfortunately, he lost his left leg at the scene of the accident.

The staff at a nearby car wash called SuperFine Auto Spa rushed to help Eduardo after seeing what had happened. In the GoFundMe post, Maria expressed her gratitude for the employees.

We are thankful for the car wash staff that assisted him; thanks to [their] quick action, they saved my husbands life. We are so grateful that he is alive, she wrote.

Now, Eduardo has a long road to recovery ahead of him. So far, $24,282 has been raised out of their goal of $25,000.

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One of the hardest experiences in life is losing a loved one. Dealing with the loss is tough enough, but the necessary task of tidying up all affairs complicates the grieving process even further.

You can reduce the stress of the occasion by refraining from informing the bank about how your loved one has passed.

Amy Devine (@yourhospicesocialworker) is a hospice social worker, and shes on TikTok explaining why you should not immediately notify the bank when a loved one dies.

After the loss of a loved one, you should take the time to grieve. The following few weeks will be filled with plenty of preparations.

Start going through paperwork and gathering information on bank accounts, such as bank statements, so you are aware of all account activity.

For any automatic payments coming out of accounts, make arrangements to inform the people receiving the funds about the change in circumstance if necessary.

Once youve paused to gather your thoughts, you can let the bank know and create a game plan about how to manage the affairs moving forward.

Amy states that you should never try to remove any money from the account after a loved one passes away.

When you notify the bank that your loved one has passed, their account will be frozen, meaning no automatic payments will be able to come out.

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Home World 160 Christians massacred, including pastors, in Nigeria; coordinated attacks launched during Christmas

Christian Daily InternationalMorning Star News  Terrorists massacred 160 people, many of them preparing for church Christmas programs, Saturday night through Christmas Day in coordinated attacks on predominantly Christian areas in Plateau state, Nigeria, sources said.

Church pastors were killed and hundreds of houses were destroyed in the massacres in villages of Barkin Ladi, Bokkos and Mangu counties, officials and residents said. The assailants killed the Rev. Solomon Gushe of Baptist Church in Dares village along with nine of his family members, said Bokkos County resident Dawzino Mallau.

Some pastors were killed, and another pastor and his wife and five children were killed during these attacks, Mallau told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News in a text message. These terrorists who attacked these Christian communities were in the hundreds, and they carried out the attacks as the hapless Christians were preparing for Christmas programs lined up by their pastors.

Most of the Christians killed were women, children and the elderly unable to escape, he said.

Alfred Mashat, another resident of the Bokkos area, said hundreds of houses were destroyed.

About 160 Christians in these villages were killed by the terrorists, Mashat said in a text message to Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. We believe they are carrying out these attacks alongside armed Muslim Fulani herdsmen.

Among the predominantly Christian villages attacked, he said, were NTV, Maiyanga, Ruku, Hurum, Darwat, Dares, Chirang, Ruwi, Yelwa, Ndun, Ngyong, Murfet, Makundary, Tamiso, Chiang, Tahore, Gawarba, Dares, Meyenga, Darwat and Butura Kampani.

Mashat identified some of the Christians killed in the attack on Maiyanga village as Sati Solomon Langweng, David Jallang, Gauis Adamu, Mafulul Langweng, Nafor James Markut, Matawal Gauis Adamu, Fidelis Solomon Jallang, Emmanuel Amos Jallang, Sule Shahu, Mildred James Markut, Maren Paul Mashok, Samuel Mamot and Machief Mangut.

Four Christians slain in Daruwat village he could identify only as Tanko, Haruna, John and Salo.

Local officials on Monday confirmed the attacks, reportedly stating that at least 160 people were slain. Monday Kassah, head of the local government in Bokkos, told AFP that 113 people had been killed there in well-coordinated attacks in at least 20 villages.

More than 300 wounded people were rushed to hospitals in Bokkos, Jos and Barkin Ladi, he said. Dickson Chollom, a member of the state parliament, told AFP that at least 50 people were reported dead in villages in the area, while Bokkos area resident Solomon Musa told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News that the bodies of 60 Christians in the Bokkos Council area were recovered and buried.

Another 26 corpses were buried in Barkin Ladi Council area on Christmas Day, Musa said. On Saturday, Dec. 23, Muslim terrorists attacked Christian villages in Bokkos Local Government Area, attacks that continued to Christmas Day.

In Bokkos LGAs Ruwi village, 16 Christians were killed, many others were wounded and many houses were destroyed, he said.

Alfred Alabo, spokesman for the Plateau State Police Command, said in a press statement that the assailants on Sunday night (Dec. 24) attacked 12 villages in the Bokkos LGA: Ndun, Ngyong, Murfet, Makundary, Tamiso, Chiang, Tahore, Gawarba, Dares, Meyenga, Darwat and Butura Kampani. That same hour, at about 10:45 p.m., three villages in Barkin Ladi LGA were attacked, he said: NTV, Hurum and Darawat.

In Bokkos LGA, 221 houses were set ablaze, 27 motorcycles and eight other motor vehicles were burned, and more than 79 persons were killed, Alabo said, adding that in Barkin Ladi LGA, 17 deaths were initially recorded.

Plateau Gov. Caleb Mutfwang on Monday (Dec. 25) said that at least 50 people had been killed in Mangu and Bokkos counties in the prior 48 hours.

This is unacceptable. Enough is enough. These stupid, senseless and unprovoked acts must stop, Mutfwang said, vowing to strengthen security agencies in the efforts in tackling insecurity in the state.

The assailants are described locally as bandits, shorthand for a mix of criminal elements including ethnic Fulani herders hit by drought and dwindling land for their cattle. Riding motorcycles and well-armed with sophisticated weapons obtained from criminal elements outside of Nigeria, some of the predominantly Muslim assailants are said to be mercenaries from Chad or Niger.

Estimated to number in the tens of thousands, such assailants have been active in northern Nigeria for more than a decade but have increasingly expanded into Plateau, Benue and other states, including some in southern Nigeria. Christian leaders and other observers also believe elements of Islamic extremist group Boko Haram and a faction aligned with the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) form part of some of the attacking criminal gangs.

Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in the Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians lands and impose Islam as desertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds.

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.

Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdoms All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a 2020 report.

They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity, the APPG report states.
Home Entertainment John Tesh says immersing himself in Scripture played key role in cancer recovery: 'The devil is after your mind'

John Tesh believes renewing your mind is one of the most important biblical mandates  yet one of the most overlooked in modern society.

I have found that many people don't truly understand that there are dark forces, that the devil is after your mind, the 71-year-old pianist, author and radio host told The Christian Post. They don't understand that. It's hard to believe because there are so many movies about it and all that. Many people think that when a thought comes into their mind, it comes from them, and it's not. Its put there by some other force.

If you have so much unbelief and doubt in your heart, it's like two pickup trucks that are chained together going in opposite directions, and you can't get anywhere. A consistent prayer life is like a muscle; you have to work on it. And then, you'll read a Scripture in the Bible and all of the sudden, you face a different challenge, and that Scripture comes alive in a different way.

Tesh knows firsthand the power of prayer: In 2015, the Emmy Award-winning host was diagnosed with a rare form of prostate cancer and given just 18 months to live.

I was told to get my affairs in order. I became a cancer patient, he recalled.

During this time, Tesh, with the encouragement of his wife, Connie, leaned into the power of prayer and explored what the Bible says about healing. Despite his upbringing in the Methodist Church and early exposure to Scripture, like many young adults, Tesh strayed from his faith during college, only to return to it later in life.

His journey through cancer, he said, deepened his faith greatly. He credits a CD from preacher Andrew Wommack, which emphasized Mark 11:23, for providing a breakthrough moment.

He said that the Bible says, Whoever says to this mountain, Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says, and For whatever you ask when you pray, believe that you receive it, and you will have, he said. I thought, Wow, my mountain right now is cancer. My wife and I started digging deeper to understand the true nature of God.

I've read the Bible for years, but I never really truly landed on those Scriptures. And that really started a journey of dual-modality for me, science and doctors, and also, what does the Bible say about health and healing?

Today, the Grammy-nominated composer and concert pianist is cancer-free  a miracle he attributes to his Christian faith, the support of his wife and the wisdom of doctors.

There are some churches that teach healing and only healing through faith, but that's not what worked for me, Tesh said. What worked for me was using what God did for medicine, and then also being able to renew my mind and have a focus of what God really wanted for me and be able to visualize my future.

Tesh has leveraged his experiences to create an online course, "The Secret to Answered Prayers," aimed at teaching individuals how to pray with authority and combine faith with science for a more holistic approach to healing and well-being.

The impetus for "The Secrets to Answered Prayers" online course came after a survey of his nearly 2 million social media followers who expressed a desire to learn how to create a deeper prayer life.

Don't talk to God about sickness; talk to sickness about God, he said.

He emphasized that the course is not about dismissing medical science but rather integrating it with faith, with a focus on emphasizing the impact of negative self-talk and the importance of adopting a positive and faith-filled mindset.

When I first discovered these Scriptures, I prayed throughout my day and I believed, but I made a mistake  after my first round of three years of treatments, I decided not to get any more scans and the cancer came back with a vengeance. And I understood then truly that faith and medicine needed to work together. And I think it's a dangerous thing that some churches do, where some of them don't teach this at all.

Tesh, whose radio show, "Intelligence for Your Life," airs on 350 stations and reaches 14 million people each week, said hes heard countless stories from those who have been transformed by the course.

I think renewing your mind has become more revelatory for people than just hey, how do I pray? he said. When youre finally able to consistently renew your mind, then then you can start you can start with belief and not unbelief. That's really one of the biggest things that people say is, Oh my gosh, I've been able to renew my mind, and I can see more clearly what God wants from me.

Reflecting on his health today, Tesh said hes cancer-free and continues to perform and maintain a busy schedule:  I'm 71 years old, and I just did six concerts in a row, and each concert is three hours long, he said, adding that at each of his shows, he shares the Gospel and how it changed his life onstage.

I've been looking for ministry my whole life, and it was it was right there and in front of me, he said. There are a lot of people that are hurting, and COVID made it worse. Thats really where I feel like I'm meant to be, sharing this testimony.

The radio host revealed he has another cancer scan coming up next week  and I believe its going to be clear, he said.

But if its not, I'll go after it, he said. I feel like I have so many weapons at my disposal that fear is entirely absent. And once you understand where you're going after this life, you just don't have any fear. I had a lot of fear when I was going through all those treatments; it was really scary for all of us. But I don't have that anymore.
Home World CofE teacher guilty of 'unacceptable conduct' for opposing LGBT teachings, regulatory body rules

A British regulatory agency has stopped short of banning a Church of England school teacher who refused to affirm pro-LGBT teachings on human sexuality but found the teacher guilty of displaying "unacceptable professional conduct" in the run-up to her firing last year.

Glawdys Leger, a modern languages teacher, was firedby Bishop Justice Church of England School in Bromley, Kent, in May 2022. The 43-year-old said her termination was because she refused to teach "extreme" LGBT lessons and because she shared her Christian beliefs on these issues with pupils.

The school is part of the Aquinas Church of England Education Trust, which reported Leger to the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) after a complaint was made.

According to the Christian Legal Centre (CLC), which is representing the teacher, Leger objected to the content of year 7 lessons, which had been incorporated into religious education classes and included what they say are "extreme content on gender identity with themes that begin to suggest to children that humans can be born in the wrong body."

The curriculum also introduced gender identities such as pansexual, asexual, intersex and transgender.

In a letter announcing its decision last week, the TRA conceded that allegations claiming Leger brought disrepute upon the teaching profession or that she engaged in conduct "contrary to Fundamental British values in that it lacked tolerance to those with different beliefs" could "not be proved," the CLC said.

The panel also found that Leger expressing her beliefs that students were only being taught a pro-LGBT narrative "undermined the School community's aspiration to provide a supportive environment for children who may be exploring sexual identity."

The TRA said Leger was "guilty of unacceptable professional conduct" but stopped short of indefinitely banning her from teaching. The panel called the expression of her beliefs on the topic "inappropriate."

"The Secretary of State for Education has considered the panel's recommendation and has decided that it is not appropriate to impose a prohibition order," the panel wrote, adding, "The details of this decision will be added to your teacher record, which employers can use to check information."

In a statement published via CLC after the ruling, Leger said the firing and legal case has "taken a great toll on me."

"The thought of me losing my career for expressing my Christian beliefs in response to questions from students has been heart-breaking," she said.

"While they have not banned me, they have placed a significant mark against my name which future prospective employers will see. It is like I have had a 'hate crime' recorded against my name which will be kept on the system to highlight that I have Christian beliefs on these issues."

Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said the ruling points to a trend of United Kingdom regulatory bodies "creating an oppressive environment for teachers which chills the atmosphere and prevents the expression of Christian faith in schools and any alternative or balancing viewpoint to [LGBT] ideology."

"Ms. Leger cared deeply about the children in her care and wanted to teach them about the tolerance and hope that is found in the Christian faith," said Williams. "For that she has been punished and even risked loss of her license to teach."

The case stems from a discussion on LGBT issues where Leger told students in her class that God made humans male and female, and that she believed homosexuality was sinful.

During a fitness-to-practice hearing in October, the mother and student who filed the complaint alleged that Leger's comments made the student "between uncomfortable and traumatized." During cross-examination, Leger's attorney asked the student and mother if they were aware that Leger also said in class that "There is no place to hurt or exclude anyone because they are LGBT" and that "Christians should pray for people who are LGBT." The student and mother could not recall Leger saying those words.

During the hearing, Leger said she is "certain that I have not shown, and never would show, any hatred or lack of love towards LGBT people."

"True compassion and love is to be able to speak the truth to people irrespective of their sexuality," she said. "I would never discriminate against anyone, but the school was compelling teachers to promote, teach and celebrate these issues, which I could not do."
Home U.S. Fertility doctor, former Harvard professor secretly impregnated patient with his sperm: lawsuit

Editor's note: This article contains sexually graphic language.

A fertility doctor and former Harvard Medical School professor secretly impregnated a patient with his own sperm and told her it was from an anonymous donor, a former patient claims.

Former patient Sarah Depoian filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts against Dr. Merle Berger earlier this month. Depoian agreed to intrauterine insemination in 1980 after the doctor allegedly told her that he would use the sperm of a medical resident who resembled her husband.

As the Mayo Clinic explains, intrauterine insemination, also known as artificial insemination, is a process that increases the chances of pregnancy by placing sperm directly into the uterus.

Berger, a co-founder of one of the nation's largest fertility clinics, Boston IVF, is accused of using his own sperm, with the lawsuit arguing that the doctor "violated Ms. Depoian" in doing so. The suit also claims Berger chose not to disclose this information to his patient.

"Dr. Berger's misconduct was not a mistake: Rather, in order to engage in the actions discussed in this lawsuit, Dr. Berger needed to masturbate in his medical office, walk over to his patient while carrying his own sperm, and then deliberately insert that sperm into his patient's body  all while knowing that she did not consent to his sperm entering her body," the lawsuit stated.

Depoian gave birth to her daughter, Carolyn Bester, in January 1981. Earlier this year, Bester purchased a DNA kit to learn more about her family history, and, as a result, she eventually discovered that she was related to Berger. She told her mother about the results.

In 1983, Depoian approached the doctor again for assistance with having another child, and she asked if they could use the same donor that Berger had used for her first. The fertility doctor told the mother that he did not know the donor's identity, a statement that the lawsuit described as a lie.

The complaint contended that Berger concealed his fraud to avoid a lawsuit. The doctor went on to found Boston IVF and became a "prominent" fertility doctor.

Berger also served professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School.

Boston IVF did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment.

Berger retired in 2020, according to Boston IVF's social media page. The doctor's lawyer said in a statement shared with media that the plaintiff's allegations have "no legal of factual merit."

"The allegations concern events from over 40 years ago, in the early days of artificial insemination," the statement reads. "At a time before sperm banks and IVF, it was dramatically different from modern-day fertility treatment. The allegations, which have changed repeatedly in the six months since the plaintiff's attorney first contacted Dr. Berger, have no legal or factual merit, and will be disproven in court."

A spokesperson for Harvard Medical School told The Associated Press that Berger was affiliated with the medical school, however, his primary place of employment was with various Harvard-affiliated hospitals that are not owned or run by Harvard.

Jennifer Lahl, president of the Center for Bioethics and Culture Network, told The Christian Post that fertility doctors using their sperm to impregnate patients is not a new phenomenon, noting that this has happened before without the patients' knowledge.

"This leaves the couple thinking they are raising their own biological child, only to discover years later what actually happened," Lahl said. "With the advent of home DNA testing, the children produced from their mother's physician's sperm learn that the doctor is actually their biological father."

"The physician's first duty is to Do No Harm, but in this case, the lies and deceit produce harm to not only the woman and her husband but also to the child that was born of this unethical deed."

As CP reported last year, a Netflix documentary titled "Our Father" told the story of Dr. Donald Cline, an Indianapolis, Indiana-based fertility doctor who secretly impregnated at least 50 women with his own sperm in the 1970s and 1980s. The documentary premiered on the streaming platform in May 2022.

The children Cline helped create eventually found one another through websites like Ancestry.com, which helped expose Cline. The documentary featured interviews with these genetic siblings.
Ukraine is developing a longer-range version of its ground-launched Neptune cruise missile. The current Neptune has been frequently used to attack targets deep inside Russian occupied territory, or ships at sea and in harbor in the Black Sea.

The new version is called Long Neptune and is literally a longer version of the current 5.05-meter (nearly 17 foot), 895 kg (nearly a ton) Neptune missile with a 159 kg warhead and max range of 250 kilometers. The United States did the same thing with their similar Harpoon missile. Long Neptune will have a range of about 360 kilometers.

Long Neptune also requires some modifications to the original Neptunes truck-mounted launcher. All these modifications are not the first for Neptune. Thats because the missile is a Ukrainian modification of the Russian Kh-35 anti-ship missile, which had a guidance system that homed in on radars. This was great for anti-ship missiles but not very useful for a missile that would be used against land as well as naval targets. Neptune first attracted attention when two of them sank the Russian destroyer Moskva in early 2022. Moskva was the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, and its loss was embarrassing for Russia because Moskva had defenses against missile attacks but apparently failed to turn them on or use them properly.

Neptune, like many other anti-ship cruise missiles, also has ground-attack capability that relies on its GPS-navigation feature. This is in addition to the radar seeker used for attacking ships. A ship on open waters presents a clear target for the radar seeking a ship. Ground targets are different because there are hills, trees, buildings, and other obstacles. By adding GPS guidance Neptune can also find and destroy ground targets. Neptune demonstrated its land-attack capability in mid-2022 when several missiles were used to attack land targets, mainly anti-aircraft systems in some parts of Crimea. Long Neptune has enough range to hit targets throughout Crimea.

Ukraine has long developed and manufactured its own weapons. This is a capability Ukraine had during the decades it was part of the Soviet Union. For the Soviets, Ukraine was always a center for developing and manufacturing all sorts of advanced equipment, including weapons. After 1991, with the Soviet Union gone, independent Ukraine continued to manufacture equipment and weapons the post-Soviet Russia needed. Eventually, about two decades ago, Russia got a new leader, Vladimir Putin, who believed that reconstituting the Russian empire, which is what the Soviet Union was. Effective Ukrainian resistance to this plan has been a major problem for Putin and his goal of creating a Greater Russia. New Ukrainian weapons like Long Neptune are an example of this deadly Ukrainian resourcefulness.




Home World Evangelical leader blames Hamas for Christmas being canceled in Bethlehem

A Christian leader accused Hamas of being responsible for Christmas celebrations being canceled in Bethlehem this year.

The Rev. Johnnie Moore, who serves as president of the Congress of Christian Leaders, said it was Hamas and not Israel that "cut off the Christmas lights in Bethlehem," according to Fox News Digital.

"Hamas tried to sabotage Christmas in the Holy Land for the worlds 2 billion Christians. Jesus is the prince of peace. Hamas hates peace," said Moore, who is also a former commissioner on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

Moore went on to say that while Palestinian leaders in Ramallah and Bethlehem should have chosen to host "the biggest celebration they could imagine to spread the message of the Prince of Peace, Jesus" in Bethlehem, they chose instead to "[take] a page from Hamas by further politicizing religion[.]"

Moore contrasted the lack of Christmas celebrations in Jesus' birthplace with the holiday festivities in nearby Israeli-controlled Jerusalem.

"One only has to drive a mile to Jerusalem where Christmas is alive and well," he said. "Jerusalem is alive with holiday celebrations because Israel is, even now, fiercely protecting its sanctity during this time of terror and war."

"Or, if you want a dose of hope that peace is not only possible but will come, then drive up north to beautiful Haifa," he added. "It is a city where Jews, Christians and Muslims live in peace with one another and not only side-by-side but by sharing their lives, joys and sorrows together."

Christmas in Bethlehem, which is in the West Bank, was unusually subdued this year amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war that has been raging in the region since Hamas attacked Israeli border communities near the border with Gaza on Oct. 7, killing at least 1,400 civilians and over 30 Americans.

Tourists typically pour in by the tens of thousands to visit Bethlehem during a typical Christmas season, with the number reaching an all-time high of approximately 150,000 people in 2019, according to The Associated Press.

This year, streets in the historic city are mostly darkened and empty, shops are shuttered, traditional parades were canceled, and rubble adorns many of the Nativity scenes.

Citing the "thousands of innocent civilians, including women and children, [who] have died or suffered serious injuries," the patriarchs and heads of the churches in Jerusalem issued a statement on Nov. 10 that called on their congregations "to stand strong with those facing such afflictions by foregoing any unnecessarily festive activities."

The heads also encouraged priests and the faithful "to focus more on the spiritual meaning of Christmas in their pastoral activities and liturgical celebrations[.]"

The Ministry of Health in Hamas-run Gaza has reported that more than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7 amid Israel's retaliatory airstrikes, according to Axios.

The number of Christians in Palestinian-controlled territories has dwindled to roughly 1,000 in recent years. The majority of Christians in Gaza are Greek Orthodox, while others identify as Roman Catholic, Baptist and other denominations, according to a 2014 survey by the YMCA.

Most of the Christian community in Gaza has sought shelter in the St. Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church and the Catholic Holy Family Church, both of which have been damaged by airstrikes.

Earlier this month, the Holy Family Church was damaged by Israeli army strikes targeting nearby buildings, and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem claimed that a "sniper of the IDF murdered two Christian women inside the Holy Family Parish in Gaza, where the majority of Christian families have taken refuge since the start of the war."

The patriarchate claimed the women, identified as Nahida and her daughter, Samar, were "shot in cold blood inside the premises of the Parish, where there are no belligerents."

The office of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "an IDF investigation" found "this claim is not true."

In a statement last week, the IFD said in part:

Following the reports of two women that were shot in the area of the Latin Church in Shejaya, the IDF has finished conducting an initial review of the incident. The review found that on December 17th, in the early afternoon, Hamas terrorists launched a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) at IDF troops from the vicinity of the church. The troops then identified three people in the vicinity, operating as spotters for Hamas by guiding their attacks in the direction of the IDF troopers. In response, our troops fired towards the spotters and hits were identified. The IDF takes claims regarding harm to sensitive sites with the utmost seriousness  especially churches  considering that Christian communities are a minority group in the Middle East.

In November, an airstrike reportedly destroyed the Rosary Sisters School, which served 1,250 Christian and Muslim students, according to the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need. An ACN project partner in Gaza claimed at least 53 Christian families' homes have been destroyed.

In October, an Israeli airstrike struck the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrios, killing at least 18people.
Home World Indonesian blasphemy law faces criticism as cases rise, Christian man sentenced 10 years in prison

SURABAYA, Indonesia  With an increase in blasphemy cases in Indonesia and arrests based on Islamic fatwas and mob pressure, rights advocates are calling for laws to be amended or ended.

The number of charges registered under Indonesias blasphemy law increased from 10 in 2021 to 19 last year, according to rights group The Setara Institute.

Total blasphemy convictions have risen to 150 since Indonesias blasphemy law went into effect in 1965, according to Human Rights Watch, with most of those taking place during the presidency of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono from 2004 to 2014; during that span, convictions went from fewer than 10 to 125, according to Newthinking.com.

Among the 20 blasphemy convictions since 2015 was that of Christian convert Muhammad Kece, who received a 10-year prison sentence on April 6, 2022, for YouTube posts critical of the prophet of Islam. Kece was sentenced for both blasphemy and hate speech.

His conviction was preceded by the two-year imprisonment of former Jakarta Gov. Basuki Tjahaya Ahok Purnama after 100,000 people rallied against him for referencing a passage of the Quran during a campaign speech in late 2016. Purnama was convicted of blasphemy in 2017.

Kece, a former Muslim cleric, was arrested on Aug. 24, 2021, at a friends home in Bali after authorities accused him of posting videos on YouTube insulting Muhammad and Islam, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Kece was accused of disseminating information aimed at inflicting hatred or dissension on individuals and/or certain groups of community based on ethnic groups, religions, races, and inter-groups in conjunction with Article 28(2) of the Electronic Information and Transaction (ITE), and/or insulting a religion or preventing a person from adhering to any religion based on a belief in God.

Convicted at Ciamis District Court in West Java Province, Kece was sentenced as thousands of Muslims gathered outside the courtroom to demand he be severely punished. A former teacher at an Islamic boarding school who went on the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia three times, Kece came to faith in Christ in 2014.

Police accused Kece of posting at least 400 YouTube videos insulting Islam since converting. His attorney said the sentence was harsh compared with other such cases, and Christian leaders at the time said the sentence appeared to be discriminatory, according to UCANews.

The Setara Institute in July disclosed that it had encouraged police to stop or at least implement a moratorium on the use of religious blasphemy articles and had asked the government to revise or even eliminate the blasphemy legislation.

Bonar Tigor Naipospos, the groups deputy chairman, told UCANews that police in nearly all blasphemy cases base charges on fatwas issued by Islamic organizations such as the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI). Religious opinions cannot be used as a formal basis for legal action by the state, he said.

Naipospos told UCANews that the articles related to blasphemy are problematic legal provisions, with criminal elements that are vague and do not provide legal certainty. From 2007 to 2022, the institute found the articles were often used to arbitrarily criminalize certain parties and appear to be more of a trial by mob, he said.

In addition to the blasphemy law, in 2008 the government enacted the electronic transmission law that sets punishment of up to six years in prison for those who post blasphemous content via the internet against any of the countrys official religions  Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism.

Zastrouw Al-Ngatawi, one of the scholars of the Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama, wrote in NUOnline in February 2019 that blasphemy prosecution suffers from lack of valid evidence and incoherent arguments, with defendants still convicted because of public pressure. Defense witnesses are reluctant to testify because they fear pressure and intimidation, he added.

Zastrouw added that many officials prioritize peace and order over formal legal requirements, forcing members of marginalized communities to surrender their rights.

Indonesia ranked 33rd on the Christian support organization Open Doors 2023 World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. Indonesian society has adopted a more conservative Islamic character, and churches involved in evangelistic outreach are at risk of being targeted by Islamic extremist groups, according to Open Doors WWL report.

If a church is seen to be preaching and spreading the Gospel, they soon run into opposition from Islamic extremist groups, especially in rural areas, the report noted. In some regions of Indonesia, non-traditional churches struggle to get permission for church buildings, with the authorities often ignoring their paperwork.
Home Church & Ministries Pope urges Vatican officials to avoid rigid ideologies after approving blessings for gay couples

Pope Francis urged Vatican officials to avoid "rigid ideological positions" in a speech days after his recent approval of blessings for same-sex couples.

Addressing the Holy See hierarchy in his annual Christmas greeting last Thursday, Francis emphasized the importance of evolving to serve the Catholic Church effectively.

"In our service here in the Curia too, it is important to keep faring forward, to keep searching and growing in our understanding of the truth, overcoming the temptation to stand still and never leave the 'labyrinth' of our fears," the bishop of Rome said. "Fear, rigidity and monotony make for an immobility that has the apparent advantage of not creating problems ... but lead us to wander aimlessly within our labyrinths, to the detriment of the service we are called to offer the Church and the whole world."

Francis warned against the fear-driven adherence to rules, which he said could hinder the Vatican Curia's service.

"Let us remain vigilant against rigid ideological positions that often, under the guise of good intentions, separate us from reality and prevent us from moving forward," the pontiff added.

Referring to the division between the conservatives and progressives, the pontiff said, "[t]he real, central difference is between lovers and those who have lost that initial passion. That is the difference. Only those who love can fare forward."

The pope also spoke against the "illusion of omniscience" and the danger of rigidly applying rules.

Quoting Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, Francis highlighted the distinction between discernment and legalistic exactitude, emphasizing the need for pastoral adaptability.

Earlier in the week, the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a declaration titled "Fiducia Supplicans," which provided "a broadening and enrichment of the classical understanding of blessings, which is closely linked to a liturgical perspective."

While the Catholic Church still holds that marriage is a union reserved for one man and one woman, the declaration distinguishes between sacramental blessings and pastoral blessings, which can be given to persons who desire God's grace, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

"It is precisely in this context that one can understand the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church's perennial teaching on marriage," stated the Catholic Church leadership.

"This Declaration is also intended as a tribute to the faithful People of God, who worship the Lord with so many gestures of deep trust in his mercy and who, with this confidence, constantly come to seek a blessing from Mother Church."

The declaration warned that "one should neither provide for nor promote a ritual for the blessings of couples in an irregular situation."

"At the same time, one should not prevent or prohibit the Church's closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek God's help through a simple blessing," the Vatican document added.

The declaration has elicited mixed reactions. Progressives and LGBT advocates welcomed it as a gesture of inclusion, while conservatives criticized it as contrary to biblical teachings on homosexuality.

In his Christmas greeting, Francis did not directly mention this declaration but urged listening and discernment, moving beyond the binary of progressives and conservatives.

A Catholic archbishop in Kazakhstan reportedly issued a formal repudiation of the Vatican doctrinal office's guidance, accusing the Catholic Church of propagating "gender ideology."

Tomash Peta, who has served as metropolitan archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Mary in Astana since 2003, prohibited any form of blessing for same-sex couples and also publicly admonished Pope Francis, asking him to revoke the guidance, according to The Catholic Herald.

The guidance also prompted responses from some U.S. bishops, with many reaffirming the Catholic Church's teaching that marriage is between one man and one woman while noting that the guidance does not change official teaching on the subject.
Home Entertainment Russell Brand reading Bible, CS Lewis amid sexual assault allegations inquiry

Comedian Russell Brand has revealed hes reading the Bible and C.S. Lewis book The Problem of Pain as he continues to face allegations of sexual misconduct.

The actor and podcast host shared a photo of the books in a Dec. 16 social media post along with the caption, "I am that person who has more than one book on the go! How about you?"

InThe Problem of Pain, which Lewis wrote in 1940, the apologist addresses the question of why a good God allows people to suffer and explores how human suffering fits within the broader context of Christian belief.

The actor voluntarily agreed to be interviewed under caution by police in London on Dec. 14 following six additional alleged past sex offense claims were lodged against him, according to The Telegraph, which added that he had "previously been questioned by Scotland Yard detectives in relation to three non-recent sex offense allegations."

Brands exploration into Christianity and theology comes months after a joint investigation by The Times of London and Channel 4 revealed that four women alleged the comedian had sexually assaulted them at the height of his career between 2006 and 2013. At the time, Brand was a BBC and Channel 4 presenter.

One report from The Sunday Times alleged Brand assaulted a then-16-year-old girl  who was over the age of consent in the U.K.  during a brief and allegedly emotionally and sexually abusive relationship, while another woman told The Times that Brand had raped her at his Los Angeles home in 2012 but she did not file a report with the police.

The 48-year-old actor has said his relationships were always consensual and has denied very serious criminal allegations and extremely egregious and aggressive attacks.

In a video response following the investigation, he said: "Amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute. These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies, and as I've written about extensively in my books I was very, very promiscuous.

"Now, during that time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely, always consensual."

Brandalso criticized what he dubbed coordinated media attacks" that he said resembled the media backlash podcaster Joe Rogan received after he publicly shared that he took the drug ivermectin as part of his doctor-prescribed treatment for COVID-19, from which he fully recovered within two days.

He also cited corporate media articles painting Brand as a conspiracy theorist for speaking out about the potential health risks linked to the COVID-19 shots.

I know that a year ago there was a spate of articles, Russell Brands a conspiracy theorist, Russell Brand's right-wing, he said. I'm aware of news media making phone calls, sending letters to people I know for ages and ages."

It's been clear to me or at least it feels to me like there's a serious and concerted agenda to control these kind of spaces and these kind of voices, and I mean my voice along with your voice.

In recent years, Brand, who starred in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Rock of Ages, has frequently spoken about his interest in Christianity. Hes credited his sobriety for awakening his interest in Jesus and the true meaning of life.

Like many desperate people, I need spirituality, Brand told Tucker Carlson earlier this year. I need God, or I cannot cope in this world. I need to believe in the best in people.

Brand told Carlson that earlier in his career, he didnt have enough self-discipline to resist the allure of stardom and that he "fell face-first into the glitter, and Im only just pulling myself out now."

As much as I might enjoy the feeling of privilege and luxury  I remember what reality is, Brand continued. I remember that my wellness is contingent upon spiritual connection, upon certain values and principles, and they  involve sacrifice and self-scrutiny about my own conduct and behavior, which often falls short, and Im working on improving myself.

Brand said he believes that societal change will only come when people explore their hearts as atrophying and corrupt systems delivering yet more misery to people continue to impact culture.

I think its increasingly necessary that we find new ways of framing the conversation and looking into our hearts when were speaking, he reflected.

Are we being kind? Are we being loving? Are we being the best that we can be? On whose behalf are we speaking? And what is my intention, moment to moment? Am I doing this for self-glorification?

My worldview is formed by spiritual principles rather than political principles, Brand added. I never felt like Im in alignment with my beliefs and principles in the way that I do right now. ... I believe in truth and freedom and the ability to express yourself.

In 2018, the actor said he believes the teachings of Christ are more relevant now than they've ever been.

"There's a famous quote: 'Every man who knocks on a brothel door, he's looking for God,'" he told Relevant magazine. "Crack houses and these dens of suffering and illicit activity, they're all people trying to feel good, trying to feel connected. People are trying to escape. People are trying to get out of their own heads. To me, this is a spiritual impetus."

"Humanity is (metaphorically) knocking on a brothel door, in that they are looking for fulfillment in things that will only leave them empty."
Home U.S. The Christian Post's top 10 stories of 2023 (part 1)

Many topics dominated the headlines in 2023, ranging from culture wars and intrafaith conflicts at home to the continuation and escalation of violence and religious persecution overseas.

The Christian Post has compiled a list of the top 10 news stories of 2023 based on the topics that most interested our readers and what CP's editors viewed as the most significant events of the year.

Read CPs top 10 news stories of 2023 part 1 on the following pages. Read part 2 here.
TD Jakes Refutes Viral Allegations, Trans Activist Charged With Rape, Pro-Life Win In National Archives Case

link to download the audioinstead. link to download the audioinstead. 07:37 07:37

Top headlines for Tuesday, December 26, 2023

In this episode, we start with an update on Scott Ziegler: prosecutors have decided not to pursue the remaining criminal charge against the former Loudoun County Superintendent. He was indicted in the wake of the district's alleged deception over a sexual assault case linked to its trans bathroom policy. Next, we shift our focus to T.D. Jakes, the famed televangelist from the Potter's House Megachurch. His representative fervently denies a controversial report revolving around Jakes' purported sexual behavior and involvement in sex parties hosted by Sean Combs, a.k.a Diddy.

The episode continues with the arrest of LGBT activist Kendall Stephens, who now faces accusations of sexually abusing two minors under the age of 13. We explore the disturbing allegations, including claims of grooming from the victims' family. Lastly, we uncover triumph at the National Archives  we discuss a recent settlement reached with pro-life activists. March for Life attendees, initially denied the right to don pro-life apparel in the building, saw a successful resolution to their lawsuit.

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Top headlines for Tuesday, December 26, 2023

In this episode, we start with an update on Scott Ziegler: prosecutors have decided not to pursue the remaining criminal charge against the former Loudoun County Superintendent. He was indicted in the wake of the district's alleged deception over a sexual assault case linked to its trans bathroom policy. Next, we shift our focus to T.D. Jakes, the famed televangelist from the Potter's House Megachurch. His representative fervently denies a controversial report revolving around Jakes' purported sexual behavior and involvement in sex parties hosted by Sean Combs, a.k.a Diddy.

The episode continues with the arrest of LGBT activist Kendall Stephens, who now faces accusations of sexually abusing two minors under the age of 13. We explore the disturbing allegations, including claims of grooming from the victims' family. Lastly, we uncover triumph at the National Archives  we discuss a recent settlement reached with pro-life activists. March for Life attendees, initially denied the right to don pro-life apparel in the building, saw a successful resolution to their lawsuit.
Home Opinion Can economic interests bring about peace between Israelis and Palestinians?

My heart breaks every day when news anchors begin their programs by announcing that the following names of soldiers killed in combat have been cleared for publication, after notification of their loved ones deaths: sons, daughters, siblings, spouses, and parents. The death toll and the repercussions are devastating.

Its scary. With over 100 soldiers killed since the beginning of the war, we listen for names of people we know, or related to people we know. Its a small country so for my family thats happened several times.

We listen to find out what units the soldiers were in to try to discern something about our sons unit. Is he coming under fire and losing soldiers around him? Is he safe? Scared?

The war is far from over. Thats scary too.

Many Hamas terrorists have been killed and many more arrested. Recently many are surrendering, placing their lives over their genocidal antisemitic ideology.

Before October 7, tens of thousands of Gazans worked in Israeli communities on a daily basis. They earned a good salary, received benefits, and worked with people who believed that working together was a cornerstone of building a foundation for eventual peace.

With many of the Hamas terrorists who committed the October 7 massacre either being the same people who worked in the Israeli communities, or who received intelligence briefings from them, another casualty of the war is that it will be a very long time, if ever, that Palestinian Arabs from Gaza will ever work in Israel again.

Living in the Judean mountains, pejoratively referred to as the West Bank, the issue of working among our Palestinian Arab neighbors is at the forefront of most of our minds too.

From my apartment window, I see a modest white building that until October 6 served as the workers gate. Before then, dozens of Arabs cars would park on the dirt lot every morning. They would bring their ID and lunch, pass through a rudimentary security check and metal detector, and come to work in my town. Hundreds of men and women.

Id joke that on an average weekday there were more Palestinian Arab men working here than Jewish men.

My apartment is closer to the adjacent Palestinian Arab village than any Israeli community that was overrun by terrorists on October 7 was close to the Gaza border. We have no fence separating us. One kilometer away I see the mosque, and an elementary school emblazoned with pictures of the Palestinian flag, and their terrorist hero leader Yasser Arafat.

If they wanted to, theres virtually nothing stopping them from invading our community with thousands of terrorists. Hundreds of people live in my apartment complex. Hundreds more across the street. The elementary school behind my apartment is a four-minute walk.

How does anyone know that theyre not using the Yasser Arafat school across the way to stockpile weapons and from which to plan Israel Slaughter 2.0?

A jarring survey this week by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research among Palestinian Arabs highlighted our reason for concern.

Over 70% of Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip support Hamas' decision to conduct the October 7 massacre, yet paradoxically the vast majority do not believe that Hamas carried out atrocities during the massacre.

In the West Bank, our neighbors, 82% believe that Hamas' decision to launch the attack was correct. Only 12% said it was incorrect. In Gaza, 57% said it was correct and 37% said it was incorrect.

85% of West Bank Palestinian Arabs were satisfied with Hamas' behavior in the war, yet only 52% of Gazans felt the same.

85% said that they did not see videos showing the atrocities committed by Hamas against Israeli civilians on October 7. Accordingly, only 7% said that they believed that Hamas committed such atrocities.

Despite not seeing any of the terrorists own videos, 95% of Palestinian Arabs believe Israel has committed war crimes, while only 10% said that Hamas has committed war crimes.

Looking for an excuse to justify the massacre that most dont believe actually took place, yet which they are happy about, the majority said that they believe that the massacre took place as a response to settler attacks on al-Aqsa Mosque and on Palestinian citizens and for the release of prisoners from Israeli prisons. Fourteen percent thought it was an Iranian plot to thwart Arab normalization with Israel.

When asked who they want to see controlling Gaza after the war, 75% of West Bank residents (our neighbors again) said Hamas, while only 38% of Gazans said the same. Seventy-two percent said they believe Hamas will return to control Gaza after the war.

Early Zionist leader Zeev Jabotinsky, wrote that in order for Zionists to succeed in settling the Land of Israel and build a society, they must create an Iron Wall that will prevent Arab ambitions to eradicate the pre-state Zionist movement. Ironically, Israel has called this war Operation Iron Sword.

Perhaps prophetically, Jabotinsky proposed:

I do not mean to assert that no agreement is possible with the Arabs of the Land of Israel. But  as long as the Arabs preserve a gleam of hope that they will succeed in getting rid of us, nothing in the world can cause them to relinquish this hope, precisely because they are not a rabble but a living people. And a living people will be ready to yield on such fateful issues only when they have given up all hope of getting rid of the alien settlers. Only then will extremist groups with their slogans No, never lose their influence, and only then will their influence be transferred to more moderate groups. And only then will the moderates offer suggestions for compromise. Then only will they begin bargaining with us on practical matters, such as guarantees against pushing them out, and equality of civil and national rights.

The problem is that based on the recent poll, there are no moderates. There are no peace partners. And we look at our Palestinian Arab neighbors more and more not as people with whom we can peacefully coexist, but a wholesale threat to us, our families, our communities, and our country.

Thats another casualty of the war. Even people like me who believed in economic opportunities as a cornerstone for peaceful coexistence are nervous, are second guessing everything we believed. Many neighbors say they will never have a Palestinian Arab worker in their house again.

Its become a political issue as well. National municipal elections were to have taken place in November. They have been pushed off indefinitely. Our current mayor has stated he wants to bring back the Palestinian Arab workers. The pushback has been fierce. The main concern is that doing so puts the economic wellbeing of our Arab neighbors over our safety. With no proof that working together advances peace, and actual proof that we dont know which if any Arab neighbors we can trust, very few want to take the risk, even if that means renovations in their homes taking longer or costing 50% more.

The same is true for how and where we shop in Arab owned businesses, or Jewish owned businesses that employ Palestinian Arabs.

Before October 7, there was not peace, not necessarily love, but there was human respect and respectful coexistence. One of the casualties of the war is much of that is gone. There are many stories of the impact and its not good for anyone. Mohammed, a Palestinian Arab whos worked in my home and in the homes of many others, has been appealing to many of my neighbors for food, clothes, and money for his family because now he has no way to work. Few have responded favorably.

Nobody wants their home attacked, their wives and daughters raped, any of us burned alive or beheaded, and we no longer know who we can trust, and most of us dont want to take that risk.
Home Opinion Open borders spur retail thieves

The crisis of retail theft engulfing American storefronts is a crisis of our immigration policy.

Federal immigration authorities have failed to capture important background information about foreign nationals entering our country through a special visa program. In so doing, they have contributed to a crisis thats turned American retailers into thunder domes of violence and crime.

Organized retail theft costs retailers billions and contributes to a climate of danger that is gripping consumers and workers. Unlike shoplifting, organized retail theft involves criminal gangs skilled at stealing inventory at volume for resale in other markets. These criminals vary in sophistication, from small time thieves hawking stolen power drills online to international syndicates tied to drug trafficking and money laundering.

The visa waiver program allows citizens of 41 countries to visit the United States for up to 90 days without a visa. Participant countries must share background information, such as criminal histories, with our immigration authorities and extend the same entry privileges to our citizens.

Criminals from all over the world are exploiting this system to steal from American retailers. Call it crime tourism.

Criminals from Chile are prime offenders. Chilean burglary cells ripping heady crime jaunts across America have been tied to hundreds of home break-ins and mass theft of inventory. One Chilean thief, operating as part of a crew, was arrested in southern California after stealing $75,000 worth of merchandize from a Lululemon, according to local press. The report links the individual to two jewelry store robberies, the proceeds of which passed $1 million.

Even when these offenders are apprehended, bringing them to justice is difficult. Prosecutors say the Chilean government isnt complying with its obligation to share criminal background information relative to program participants. Thats a problem because criminal history is an important factor in sentencing.

14 Chilean nationals have pled to a range [of sentences] from probation to credit time served to two years in state prison over the ardent objection of Orange County prosecutors, the Orange County district attorneys office said earlier this year. Another seven defendants have bailed out of custody with no criminal history available to argue for increased bail.

That statement adds that Chilean defendants pose a uniquely frustrating challenge because the Chilean government has refused to provide us with the criminal history of Chilean citizens utilizing the ESTA VISA Program to enter the United States.

These anecdotes accurately relate the scale and sophistication of organized retail theft. As I have previously written, these organized retail gangs are integrated into the worlds most dangerous criminal networks. Michael Krol, a senior law enforcement officer with the Homeland Security Departments investigative arm, testified to this effect before a congressional panel on Dec. 12.

It is widely recognized that 21st century poly-criminal networks diversify their criminal portfolios to increase profitability and influence, Krol said. No longer tied to a single criminal scheme or enterprise, it is not uncommon for organized theft groups to be involved in or affiliated with those networks that perpetrate financial fraud, identify theft, human smuggling and trafficking, illicit trade, money laundering, and narcotics and weapons tracking, among many others.

The good news is that Congress has noticed the problem. Earlier this year, lawmakers from southern California sent a letter to Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging him to tighten up cooperation with Chilean authorities. Former House speaker Kevin McCarthy threatened to defund the program, at least with respect to Chile.

A more expansive audit of the visa waiver program is needed. Reports indicate that organized crime syndicates from all of the world  Romania seems to be anothermajorplayer  are engaged in retail theft in this country. Immigration authorities should ensure that every country participating in the waiver program is furnishing necessary information about their nationals. No new country should be admitted to the waiver program until we ensure the system is working as intended.

Congressional Republicans must be ready to defund the program with respect to non-compliant nations. Soros prosecutors do enough to accommodate criminals.
Pope Francis makes Christmas Day plea for peace

In his Christmas message, Pope Francis expressed deep concern over the loss of innocent civilian lives resulting from Israel's bombardment of Gaza. Delivering the Urbi et Orbi (to the city and world) address, the head of the Catholic Church denounced the October 7th attack by Hamas on Israel as "abominable." He also called for the release of approximately 100 hostages in Gaza, appealing for an end to hostilities.

From the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis addressed thousands, urging an end to conflicts in various regions, including Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

He defended the rights of migrants globally, stating, "How many innocents are being slaughtered in our world! In their mothers' wombs, in odysseys undertaken in desperation and in search of hope, in the lives of all those little ones whose childhood has been devastated by war. They are the little Jesuses of today."

The Pope dedicated special attention to the Holy Land, particularly Gaza, where Israeli air raids on Christmas Eve claimed at least 78 lives. He pleaded for an end to military operations, citing the "appalling harvest" of civilian victims, and called for a solution to the desperate humanitarian situation through the provision of aid.

Referring to a recent United Nations-backed report indicating a hunger crisis in Gaza, Pope Francis emphasised the need for urgent humanitarian assistance. The Vatican, advocating for a two-state solution, believes in persevering dialogue between conflicting parties, supported by political will and international cooperation.

In a noteworthy segment of his message, Pope Francis addressed the issue of arms proliferation, questioning the possibility of achieving peace when arms production, sales, and trade are on the rise. He called for increased scrutiny and public discourse on the armaments trade, aiming to expose the vested interests and profits that manipulate the "puppet strings of war."

As Pope Francis spoke against the devastating toll of the conflict, he highlighted the staggering statistics of lives lost and extensive damage inflicted on Gaza. The ongoing Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with half of its housing damaged or destroyed, and nearly two million people displaced amid shortages of food, clean water, and medicines.

"I embrace them all, particularly the Christian communities of Gaza and the entire Holy Land," Francis said during during his plea for peace. "May it come in Israel and Palestine, where war is devastating the lives of those peoples."

The Pope's Christmas Day petition stands not only as a call for immediate humanitarian action but also as a fervent appeal for lasting peace in the region.
December 25, 2023: Satellite photos have shown the latest Chinese aircraft carrier, the 80,000-t0n Fujian (CV-18), with a flat flight deck and using catapult to launch aircraft. The satellite photos revealed Fujian testing its catapult by simply launching objects across the deck and into the sea. This is the CAT part of the CATOBAR (Catapult Assisted Take-Off Barrier Arrested Recovery) system used by American carriers and allows aircraft to take off carrying more weight of fuel or weapons than STOBAR (short take-off but arrested recovery) launch aircraft. STOBAR does not use a catapult but has a curved (Ski Jump) flight deck and is cheaper and less complicated.

Moreover, the front wheel of the Chinese Liaoning J-15 carrier aircraft is of the type required to handle catapult launches. While China has only STOBAR carriers, its J-15s can use some refueling pods instead of weapons if they have to carry out some long-range attack mission with smart bombs or anti-ship missiles.

CATOBAR systems are more expensive to install, use and maintain. Until recently CATOBAR systems were operated using a complex steam generating system. A more recent design uses EMALS (electromagnetic aircraft launch system) that the Fujian and the latest Americans nuclear powered carrier use. Once debugged, an EMALS system is more efficient and reliable than the steam catapult system. China will never use steam-powered catapults because its first, and all subsequent carriers will use EMALS.

The United States, France and Russia use CATOBAR systems, which has never been seen on Chinese aircraft carriers before. This is the reason why China finally decided to switch to CATOBOR starting with their third carrier. But that would mean more problems for the J-15, which was already considered a bit too heavy for a carrier-based jet fighter. Taking off heavier via CATOBAR would put more stress on the J-15 and it is becoming obvious that the J-15 will encounter more reliability problems because of that. China has to keep using J-15s until the new aircraft appears. China could build a hundred more J-15s, while adjusting and tweaking the aircraft to fix flaws and be able to continue operations on the two STOBAR carriers while developing a new carrier capable jet fighter.

The new Chinese carrier fighter is the J-35 and is apparently a carrier version of the J-31 stealth fighter, which is still under development. Within a decade China will have at least one, and probably two carriers using EMALS catapults and carrying 40 J-35 fighters plus four to six support aircraft and helicopters.
Ukraine wants more Patriot missiles and support equipment. The United States and European NATO countries are sending all they have. One reason for this urgency and generosity is that Ukraine has developed some new ways to use Patriot missiles more efficiently and effectively. In early 2023 Ukraine received two Patriot batteries plus some additional missiles. Another battery is supposed to arrive by the end of the year. Soon after Ukraine received the first Patriot batteries, they managed to destroy two Russian jet fighters and three helicopters that were carrying out bombing attacks on Ukrainian targets in the north, near the border with Russias Bryansk province. This happened so quickly that Russia decided to cease launching airstrikes from bases in this region. The main reason for this was the unexpectedly effective Ukrainian use of their Patriot systems. The Ukrainians had developed some new techniques to do this. For example, Ukrainian Patriot system operators have developed methods for reliably and consistently using Patriot against several different Russian ballistic missile systems. These methods have stopped dozens of Russian ballistic and high-speed cruise missiles sent to attack the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, as well as other targets in Ukraine.

Ukrainians were not the first Patriot users to come up with novel ways to use the system. Patriot has proved to be very configurable and able to deal with many new situations the Patriot System designers never expected. That sort of thing has kept Patriots in service for over three decades.

Patriot has been in service since 1984 and experienced its first sustained combat in 1990, when it was used against Iraqi SCUD ballistic missiles fired at Israel and Saudi Arabia. Its success rate, 40 to 70 percent, was mediocre at best. That was largely due to the improvised modifications Iraqis made to their SCUDs to extend their range. As a result, the SCUDs tended to fall apart during the terminal (speeding down towards the target) flight phase which created unintended countermeasures. Some of the larger pieces of these modified SCUDs, like additional fuel tanks, broke away and were seen by Patriot radar as the actual missile warhead section. In some cases, non-warhead portions, like the fuel tanks carrying very toxic fuel, of the SCUD came down on military or civilian personnel on the ground. Subsequent upgrades to Patriot increased accuracy against deliberate or accidental countermeasures.

Patriot has been used against UAVs but firing a missile costing over three million dollars at homemade UAVs, as Israeli forces did a few times, isnt healthy for the economy so Israel developed cheaper solutions for UAVs.

Although initially designed to be used against manned aircraft, the Patriot did not face this threat very often and it wasnt until 2014 when Patriot downed one. An Israeli Patriot shot down a Syrian Su-24 fighter-bomber. While Patriot was originally designed for use against aircraft, most of what it has shot down have been ballistic missiles, either SCUDs or more recent Iranian and Russian designs. The UAE sent a battery to Yemen where it successfully defended major military bases from Iranian ballistic missile attacks. Arab Patriot users have developed a lot of missile crews with combat experience and that has helped attract capable recruits to air defense work, which is usually seen as less prestigious than traditional service with ground, air, and naval combat units. During 2023 Patriot Systems began operating in Ukraine, with the usual spectacular results. This was especially the case with the Ukrainians, who tended to find additional uses for many of the weapons they received from NATO countries.

Since 1970 over 10,000 Patriot missiles and 1,500 launchers have been produced. After decades of service, some were updated while others were scrapped. Patriot missiles can, with regular upgrades and refurbishment, remain in use for over 40 years. A growing number of Patriot missiles are doing just that, but many are still fired each year for training and testing. Most Patriot batteries are equipped with both longer-range GEM-T missiles for aircraft and shorter-range PAC-3 MSE ones for ballistic missiles or, if necessary, aircraft. The PAC 2 is older, cheaper, and designed to intercept manned aircraft at ranges up to 160 kilometers, while the PAC 3 is the newest and about twice as expensive (over $4 million). The Patriot system, with continued upgrades, will likely remain in production until the 2040s, though it badly needs a mobile replacement for various reasons such as attack by swarms of cheap UAVs, plus that the precise location of Patriot radars can be easily determined from orbit. Demand for Patriot missiles in Ukraine means that nearly all the older Patriot missiles are being used and the manufacturer is working overtime to produce more missiles.

Each Patriot battery is manned by about a hundred troops and contains a radar plus four or more launchers. The launcher is designed to use both the smaller PAC 3 missile as well as the original and larger PAC 2 anti-aircraft version. A Patriot launcher can hold sixteen PAC 3 missiles versus four PAC 2s. A PAC 2 missile weighs about a ton while a PAC 3 weighs about a third of that. The PAC 3 has a shorter range that was originally 20 kilometers, but the latest version can do 35 kilometers. The larger PAC-2 can reach 160 kilometers.

NATO countries are being asked to send all the Patriot missiles they can. The NATO countries are also sending their Patriot System experts in order to learn about the novel methods Ukrainians have developed. It did not take long to train Ukrainian crews. Ukraine points out that it will take a lot less time for Ukrainians to master Patriot operation because it is wartime and time is of the essence. That proved to be the case.
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Both Russian and Ukrainian forces are using cheap (about $500 each) quadcopter UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) controlled by soldiers a kilometer or more away, who use FPV (First Person Viewing) goggles to see what the day/night video camera on the UAV can see. Adding night vision doubles the cost for each UAV, so not all of them have that capability. Each of these UAVs carries half a kilogram of explosives, so it can instantly turn the UAV into a flying bomb that can fly into a target and detonate. This is an awesome and debilitating weapon when used in large numbers over the combat zone. If a target isnt moving or requires more explosive power that the UAVs can supply, one of the UAV operators can call in artillery, rocket, or missile fire, or even an airstrike.

A major limitation is the need for trained UAV operators. These troops need over a hundred hours of training before they are able to start operating these UAVs, and another hundred hours of actual use before they are able to make the most out of the system. These UAVs are difficult to shoot down until they get close to the ground and the shooter is close enough, as in less than a few hundred meters, away to successfully target a UAV with a bullet or two and bring it down. Troops are rarely in position to do this, so most of these UAVs are able to complete their mission, whether it is a one-way attack or a reconnaissance and surveillance mission. The recon missions are usually survivable and enable the UAV to be reused. All these UAVs are constantly performing surveillance, which means that either side commits enough UAVs to maintain constant surveillance over a portion of the front line, to a depth, into enemy territory, of at least a few kilometers.

This massive use of FPV-armed UAVs has revolutionized warfare in Ukraine and both sides are producing as many as they can. Not having enough of these to match the number the enemy has in a portion of the front means you are at a serious disadvantage in that area. These UAVs are still evolving in terms of design and use and becoming more effective and essential.

One countermeasure that can work for a while is electronic jamming of the UAVs control signal. UAV guidance systems are constantly modified or upgraded to cope with this. Most UAVs have flight control software that sends UAVs with jammed control signals back to where they took off from to land and await. The jammers are on the ground and can be attacked by UAVs programmed to home in on the jamming signal and detonate their explosives on the source of the jamming signal. As a result, even countermeasures can be overcome and the side that can do this more quickly and completely has an advantage. That advantage is usually temporary because both sides are putting a lot of effort into keeping their combat UAVs effective on the battlefield.

Ukraine was not where extensive use of these UAVs first occurred. Innovative use of small UAVs is something that has been going on for several decades and is evolving all the time. This began in 2010, when the French firm Parrot introduced the first consumer friendly quadcopter. By 2017 Parrot had competition from the Chinese firm DJI, which innovated more quickly than anyone else and soon dominated the market for commercial quadcopters. This is why both Russia and Ukraine first turned to Mavic quadcopters as models for new militarized quadcopters they would produce. Both sides soon designed and built their own UAVs or heavily modified commercial models like Mavic. Russian troops had a more difficult time doing this. Russian troops also used Mavic quadcopters, when they could get them. Corruption in Russia made importing Mavic quadcopters difficult. This isnt just about Mavic because corruption became more widespread in Russia in 2022 when the Ukraine War started, and subsequent sanctions disrupted the Russian economy. Russias national bureaucracy discourages and disrupts any private efforts to design and build not merely UAVs, but private efforts to build most anything which might compete with government ways of building or doing things. This has been true since the 1920s, originally because of the Communist system, then because that was normal even after the Communists were overthrown, and then because that private enterprise interferes with government corruption. Ukrainians have noticed that one of their assets in the war is the disruptive effect Russian bureaucracy has on the Russian military. The Ukrainians are faster in developing new weapons, and particularly new UAVs.

While there is some corruption in Ukraine, there is also a lot more popular anger and active opposition to any corruption hurting the war effort. Less corruption in wartime Ukraine means there are a lot more opportunities for innovation without interference from some corrupt official or supplier. Russian troops still had a lot of UAVs but not as many as the Ukrainians and not with all the innovations found in many Ukrainian UAVs. This made a difference and still does, even though the Russians have been quick to use new forms of jamming to disrupt or destroy Ukrainian UAVs. Both sides suffer heavy, as in the thousands, of UAV losses each month and Ukraine, with NATO support and unencumbered by economic sanctions, is able to maintain a UAV edge on the battlefield.

Ukrainians were particularly adept at modifying quadcopters to carry explosives. If the operator found an enemy tank or lighter armored vehicle with a top hatch open, the vehicle could be destroyed when an explosive was dropped through the open hatch. The explosives were often used against Russian troops in foxholes or open trenches. This capability is bad for Russian morale and the Ukrainians made the most of it.

DJI quadcopters are popular with military customers worldwide, as well as with gangsters, drug smugglers and Islamic terrorists. American forces were banned from using DJI products from 2017 to 2020 because of fears that DJI, which thrives and survives by cooperating with the Chinese government, might have hidden capabilities in the control software that would enable DJI quadcopters to be monitored by the Chinese, especially in wartime. Several years of trying to prove this failed to discover anything and the American ban was quietly dropped.

The ban on military use of DJI quadcopters was not universal, even among NATO countries. But many NATO members did avoid DJI and found that alternatives were more expensive and less capable. For example, in 2021 the French military ordered 300 ANAFI USA micro-UAVs from Parrot, a French firm that is the largest European designer and manufacturer of consumer and commercial UAVs. The ANAFI USA model was developed in response to a 2019 U.S. Army order for a militarized quadcopter that was similar to the banned DJI products. That was considered difficult to do because DJI had a huge head start, especially with flight control software and reliability.

The American military determined that Parrot was best suited for this contract because there were few Western firms as capable as Parrot. The French military spent $36 million not just for the purchase of 300 ANAFI quadcopters. The five-year deal includes Parrot developing new ANAFI features to meet specific needs of army, navy, and air force users.

One of the first users will be French special operations units. The ANAFI quadcopter is a militarized version of a similar, but lighter (at 300 grams), consumer model. ANAFI weighs 500 grams (1.1 pound), has endurance of 32 minutes and standard equipment is a day/night vidcam using military-grade communications. Parrot carries two 4K (21 megapixel) vidcams with 32X zoom and the ability to identify man-sized targets two kilometers distant plus useful detail in general at up to five kilometers. There is also a thermal sensor on the Parrot that works with the 4k vidcam and enables the operator to see hot spots superimposed over the video image. The flight software is as capable as DJT models and uses no Internet access. An additional security feature is the flight control software being regularly audited to ensure that no new features have compromised security. ANAFI is very quiet and is inaudible when about 130 meters away. ANAFI can be ready for use in less than a minute and is designed to be used after brief training. For experienced quad-copter users, ANAFI is very familiar, and training consists of explaining the unique security and military features.

ANAFI is also built to accept accessories that generate digital maps and thermal videos. This kind of flexibility is a major feature of Parrot commercial quadcopters and one reason for its market dominance in Europe. The ANAFI is being delivered to French forces as systems, each with two quadcopters, additional batteries, and operator controllers.

Parrot does have some competition in the military market. Since 2015 Israeli firms have designed and built several quadcopters for military and police use. In 2016 the Israeli military bought some locally made Rotem L UAVs for their infantry to use in urban combat. Rotem L is a lightweight (4.5 kg/10 pound) quadcopter based on commercial designs, but modified so that it not only carries the usual day/night cameras but can also replace the cameras with two 450g (one pound) grenades which can be armed and released by operator command. With 30-minute endurance and easily learned operation, Rotem L can be carried (in a case) by one man, set up and ready to go in a minute or so and recovered for reuse. The controller has a range of up to 10 kilometers but in a dense urban environment, the max range is more like 1,500 meters. The major advantage of Rotem L is that it is quiet and can be flown through open doors or windows. Carrying one or no grenades allows Rotem L to stay airborne for up to 45 minutes. The grenades can be triggered while still aboard Rotem L to provide a self-destruct mechanism. If Rotem L lands with live grenades aboard, the operator can double-check the armed status of the grenades before recharging it for another mission. Rotem L can be used unarmed by police or carry tear gas and flash-bang grenades. Rotem L is expensive, costing over $10,000 each. Military users prefer to use it equipped with vidcams and use the cruise missile option only when forced to. Israel firms offer less expensive unarmed quadcopters for military and police use.

Parrot was competitive with the Israeli designs and offered to build ANAFI USA in the U.S. as well as demonstrating it could incorporate military-grade security features and a quadcopter that matched Israeli and Chinese designs in flexibility, features, and price. Parrot had another advantage because France was a NATO member, and this made it easier for French firms to meet NATO standards that enabled all NATO members to easily purchase Parrot UAVs.

NATO troops in places like Syria, Iraq, Mali and Afghanistan found that both Islamic terrorist and local security forces were eager users of high-end Chinese-made DJI commercial quadcopters. A particular favorite is DJI Matrice 200/210. This is an industrial-grade quadcopter costing up to $20,000 each. The DJI 210 weighs 4.7 kg (10.3 pounds) and can carry up to 1.45 kg (3.2 pounds) of cameras, additional batteries, or improvised weapons. Max endurance is about 30 minutes and top speed is 60 kilometers an hour. When under user control the 210 can operate up to eight kilometers away although five kilometers is more common. The 210 can be programmed to use its GPS/GLONASS navigation system to cover a specific route and return. If the control system is lost for any reason, the quadcopter will automatically return to where it started and land. While the 210 is mainly used for surveillance and reconnaissance though some have been equipped with an explosive dispenser. Anything from grenades to IEDs (improvised explosive devices) can be used. The 210 can be rigged as a one-way cruise-missile but that is expensive and increasingly common with groups backed by Iran as well as other well-funded Islamic terrorists. High-end models like the 210 are favored because they are rugged and can handle wind and incorporate obstacle avoidance. This is important when operating in urban areas, forests or at night using a night-vision camera.

While popular with Islamic terrorists, gangsters and less-well equipped police and military units, Western forces tended to avoid DJI products because of fears that China may have ordered the manufacturer to include secret features that would allow the Chinese military to disable or take-control of DJI products. No one has ever found such a back door in the quadcopter software and these Chinese quadcopters, especially those made by DJI, are the most popular models worldwide. Thats because DJI models offered are the best value as well as being the most reliable.

Sometimes these bans were issued after troops had already obtained and were using DJI quadcopters. For example, in early 2018 the U.S. Marine Corps announced a new squad and platoon organization, based on its experience so far this century, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the unique changes to the new 12-man squad was that each one would get a commercial quadcopter. These were smaller, more compact models costing less than two thousand dollars each. The Marines had already bought 600 and ordered another 200 when the U.S. Department of Defense ordered a ban on the use of Chinese quadcopters. The Marines did manage to get an exemption to the new ban and sought government approval to purchase commercial quadcopters. These are out there but none as inexpensive as the Chinese models. The complaints about the DJI ban from military users in the United States and other NATO countries played a role in the ban being lifted in 2020.

The U.S. Army banned the use of DJI quadcopters in 2017. The troops had been encountering these DJI quadcopters in combat zones for years and some troops had bought them with their own money to use (successfully) in combat. Its no secret that DJI quadcopters have been showing up in combat zones with increasing frequency since 2014. Initially the most popular of these was the DJI Phantom quadcopter. Phantom 3 showed up in 2015. It cost about a thousand dollars, weighs 3.9 kg (8.6 pounds), can stay in the air about 20 minutes per flight and can go up to 2,000 meters from the operator. The operator can see (at 720p resolution) what is under the Phantom using a small display and capture a higher resolution video (2.7k or 1080p) on a 16 GB micro memory card on the UAV. The Phantom 3 was widely available. It is easy to operate and has flight control software that makes it easy to operate and keeps the video image stable. You can equip these with a night vision camera. Max altitude is over 500 meters (1,600 feet) but most Phantoms operate lower down because getting to higher altitude takes time. DJI kept upgrading its Phantom line of quadcopters from the moment the first one hit the market in 2013. The Phantom 1 was basically a quadcopter you could add your own GoPro wireless vidcam to. But every few months DJI added new features and major upgrades were introduced as a new model. Phantom 2 appeared at the end of 2013, Phantom 3 in early 2015 and Phantom 4 a year later. Phantom 3 was the most popular model and Phantom 4 was basically a Phantom 3 with lots more capabilities (4K video, video transmission range of five kilometers) and a higher price (about $1,500 each). New models of the Phantom continued to appear, sometimes just with a few new features and a lower price. New features include collision avoidance sensors and software. The Phantom line was replaced by the Mavic and Matrice which included low (Mavic) and high end (Matrice) models. Year by year the capabilities of the DJI quadcopters increased and the troops were not happy that they could not use them, but the enemy could and did.

For combat troops cost is an important feature because something low-cost and capable in the combat zone equipment is quickly worn out. This is especially true with quadcopters. As a result, the troops have become accustomed to buying commercial products whenever they can get away with it.

America does not have a viable quadcopter industry because its cumbersome technological export rules prevent American companies from exporting their products to foreign markets. We have our own troublesome bureaucracies.
Articol adaugat de: Ana Stetchi

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A new Apple Watch Ultra 2 is displayed during the 'Wonderlust' event at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California, U.S. September 12, 2023. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

Apple on Tuesday appealed a decision to ban imports of its watches based on a complaint from medical monitoring technology company Masimo after U.S. President Joe Biden's administration declined to veto a government tribunal.

The tech giant also filed an emergency request on Tuesday for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to halt the ban.

It asked the Federal Circuit to pause the ban at least until U.S. Customs and Border Protection decides whether redesigned versions of its watches infringe Masimo's patents, and to put the ban on hold while the court considers Apple's request. The customs office is due to make its decision on Jan. 12, Apple said.

Masimo has accused Apple of hiring away its employees, stealing its pulse oximetry technology and incorporating it into the popular Apple Watch.

The U.S. International Trade Commission's (ITC) order bars imports and sales of Apple Watches that use technology for reading blood-oxygen levels. Apple has included the pulse oximeter feature in its smart watches starting with its Series 6 model in 2020.

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai decided not to reverse the ban following careful consultations, and the ITC's decision became final on Dec. 26, the Trade Representative's office said on Tuesday.

An Apple spokesperson said the company has appealed the ban to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington.

"We strongly disagree with the USITC decision and resulting exclusion order, and are taking all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. as soon as possible," Apple said in a statement on Tuesday.

The ITC last week rejected Apple's request to pause the ban during the appeal process and opposed Apple's request for the Federal Circuit to halt the ban in a court filing on Tuesday.

A Masimo spokesperson called the ITC decision "a win for the integrity of the U.S. patent system, and ultimately American consumers."

While companies usually settle such disputes, Apple may think it can design around the patents quickly or remove the infringing feature, said Nicholas Matich, an intellectual property attorney with law firm McKool Smith.

"There's nothing legally extraordinary about the ITC issuing an exclusion order," Matich said. "What's extraordinary here is that the product at issue is high profile and that Apple has chosen to live with the ITC order rather than settle."

Stifel analysts said in a note that their litigation expert predicted a potential Apple appeal would extend the "final" ITC case verdict roughly another year.

Apple has paused its sales of its Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches in the United States since last week, though the watches remain available from other retailers including Amazon , Best Buy and Walmart as of Tuesday.

The ban does not affect Apple Watch SE, a less-expensive model, which will continue to be sold. Previously sold watches will not be affected by the ban.

A jury trial on Masimo's allegations in California federal court ended with a mistrial in May. Apple has separately sued Masimo for patent infringement in federal court in Delaware and has called Masimo's legal actions a "maneuver to clear a path" for its own competing smart watch.

A presidential administration has not vetoed an ITC ruling since 2013, when President Barack Obama's administration overturned an import ban on Apple's iPhones and iPads in the company's patent dispute with Samsung.

The Biden administration in February chose not to veto a separate import ban on Apple Watches based on a patent-infringement complaint from medical technology company AliveCor. The ITC has placed the ban on hold for other reasons.

Apple's wearables, home and accessory business, which includes the Apple Watch, AirPods earbuds and other products, brought in $8.28 billion in revenue during the third quarter of 2023, according to a company report.

 CNBC's Steve Kovach contributed to this report.
A man stands next to body bags of farmers that were victims of an attack, in the Zabarmari district, near Maiduguri, on November 6, 2023.

The death toll in weekend attacks in the central Nigerian state of Plateau has risen to 113, a local official said on Monday, in a region where clashes between herders and farmers are common.

It is the worst outbreak of violence in Plateau since May, when more than 100 people were killed in farmer-herder attacks.

AFP News Agency had cited the Nigerian army on Sunday as saying 16 people were killed in the latest attacks.

The acting chairman of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, Monday Kassah, said 113 people had been killed in the attacks on Saturday and Sunday.

"The attacks were well-coordinated. Not fewer than 20 different communities were attacked by the bandits," he said.
Group of friends at a restaurant Santiago Nunez | Klaud9 | Getty Images

The Singapore coffee market is already crowded, but brands continue to open new locations in the city-state in hopes success on the island will kickstart international expansions. In the last few months, at least five players  China's Luckin Coffee, Indonesia's Kenangan Coffee and Fore Coffee, Canada's Tim Hortons and Taiwanese specialty coffee chain Louisa Coffee have set up shop in Singapore. Singapore was Luckin's first major push outside of China, opening 30 outlets since March, according to a CNBC check. Kenangan Coffee has opened four stores since its September arrival while Tim Hortons has two outlets and Fore Coffee and Louisa Coffee each have one outlet. "We have a pretty grand ambition for our international expansion. We do believe that Singapore and Malaysia are just a stepping stone. And we want to expand to a lot more countries than where we are today," Edward Tirtanata, co-founder and CEO of Kopi Kenangan, a leading grab-and-go coffee chain in Indonesia, told CNBC. Launched in 2017, Kopi Kenangan operates more than 800 stores across 45 cities in Indonesia and 22 stores across Malaysia.

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Known as Kenangan Coffee in Singapore, the brand has opened outlets at Changi Airport Terminal 2, Jewel Changi Airport mall, as well as Raffles City Shopping Centre and Takashimaya Shopping Centre  all locations that typically feature upscale brands and goods. "There's no better country than Singapore to jumpstart our global expansion plan. Why? Singapore is a definite hub of Southeast Asia. [People] all over Southeast Asia fly to Singapore, simply just to transit, to travel or do business," said Tirtanata of Kopi Kenangan. "Therefore, we do believe that with a successful entry into Singapore, we will be able to propel our brand further as we expand to more and more countries." Singapore's prominence as a global financial hub has attracted coffee brands to the country. "It's one of these things where if you have a restaurant chain, you want to open in New York City, in London," said Peng T. Ong, co-founder and managing partner at Monk's Hill Ventures. "I think they're here in Singapore because we are a financial center. And they want their future investors to know about us," said Ong. "It gives them, especially venture-funded ones, very good visibility for international investors," said Jianggan Li, founder and CEO of tech research firm Momentum Works.

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Luckin Coffee declined to comment, saying that it is "still a beginner" in the overseas market. It overtook Starbucks as the largest coffee chain in China this year. A Starbucks spokesperson told CNBC: "We welcome competition because it expands the coffee market and accelerates adoption and vacancy of coffee consumption."

Crowded Singapore market

Singaporeans of all ages, genders and income levels love coffee. A July 2022 survey conducted in Singapore revealed that nearly 55% of respondents said they bought coffee in the week prior to the survey. This compares to the wider Asia-Pacific region which has the lowest per capita consumption of coffee in the world, a Euromonitor International study revealed. The report also noted that coffee consumption is growing slowly as the dominant instant coffee category is mature. The world's largest coffee chains like Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts already have well established footprints in Singapore. Starbucks has more than 140 stores in Singapore while The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has more than 70 outlets and homegrown chain Huggs has 20, according to their websites. There's plenty of local competition too. Singapore's Housing and Development Board said in May there are 776 coffee shops located in residential areas or neighborhood shop houses.
Markets in the U.S. and elsewhere have had a strong run this year. The S & P 500 is up around 24% year-to-date, and the MSCI World index has jumped around 22%. And there could be more room for investors to remain bullish in the year ahead, with the U.S. Federal Reserve indicating three rate cuts in 2024. CNBC Pro screened for stocks that have beaten the S & P 500 and MSCI World indexes so far this year  and that analysts have given more upside for the next 12 months. The screen used these criteria: Up 25% or more for stocks in the S & P 500, and up 23% or more for the MSCI World index. At least half of analysts rate the stock a buy. Consensus price targets offering upside of at least 15%. The following stocks in the S & P 500 showed up. Only two Big Tech stocks appeared: Amazon and Nvidia . The Magnificent Seven  which these two are part of  have soared this year on the artificial intelligence buzz and more. But analysts have given Nvidia and Amazon more upside  36.4% and 16.3%, respectively, and buy ratings of more than 80%. That's after they soared over 230% and 80%, respectively. Nvidia also stood out for having the highest potential upside at 36.4%, according to FactSet. These stocks in the MSCI World index showed up. Super Micro Computer , an artificial intelligence play, has rocketed about 270% this year  even more than Nvidia. The U.S. company manufactures computers and sells them to companies which use them as servers for websites, data storage and applications like AI algorithms. Analysts gave it another 20% upside and a 63% buy rating. Global stocks that appeared include Japan's Sony and Toyota Motor , with analysts giving them more than 20% upside each.  CNBC's Kif Leswing contributed to this report.
U.S. Army soldiers watch as fellow Coalition soldiers pass by near the entrance to the International Zone on May 30, 2021 in Baghdad, Iraq.

The U.S. military carried out retaliatory air strikes on Monday in Iraq after a one-way drone attack earlier in the day by Iran-aligned militants that left one U.S. service member in critical condition and wounded two other U.S. personnel, officials said.

The back-and-forth clash was the latest demonstration of how the Israel-Hamas war is rippling across the Middle East, creating turmoil that has turned U.S. troops at bases in Iraq and Syria into targets.

Iran-aligned groups in Iraq and Syria oppose Israel's campaign in Gaza and hold the United States partly responsible.

At President Joe Biden's direction, the U.S. military carried out the strikes in Iraq at 1:45 GMT, likely killing "a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants" and destroying multiple facilities used by the group, the U.S. military said.

"These strikes are intended to hold accountable those elements directly responsible for attacks on coalition forces in Iraq and Syria and degrade their ability to continue attacks. We will always protect our forces," said General Michael Erik Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, in a statement.

A U.S. base in Iraq's Erbil that houses U.S. forces came under attack from a one-way drone earlier on Monday, leading to the latest U.S. casualties.

The base has been repeatedly targeted. Reuters reported on another significant drone attack in October on the barracks at the Erbil base on Oct. 26, which penetrated U.S. air defenses but failed to detonate.

The Pentagon did not disclose details about the identity of the service member who was critically wounded or offer more details on the injuries sustained in the attack. It also did not offer details on how this drone appeared to penetrate the base's air defenses.
Global greenhouse gas reduction in paper industry requires diverse strategies: study

Xinhua) 10:54, December 26, 2023

BEIJING, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- A group of researchers have assessed the net global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of domestic paper-related industries across 30 major countries from 1961 to 2019 and found significant differences in terms of historical emission evolution trends and structures in these countries, according to a recent study published in the journal Nature.

The pulp and paper industry is an important contributor to GHG emissions. Country-specific strategies are essential for the industry to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, given its vast heterogeneities across countries, the study noted.

Researchers from the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering of Fudan University cooperated with international partners to set up a greenhouse gas emissions dataset concerning the paper industry and proposed a strategy to reach net-zero emission by 2050, which took into account the local conditions of countries.

The research showed that the global paper industry had emitted 43.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent of greenhouse gases from 1961 to 2019.

Net greenhouse gas emissions of the paper industry globally showed a tendency to rise first and then decline or stabilize.

All countries are expected to achieve net-zero emissions for their pulp and paper industries by 2050, with a single measure used for most developed countries and multiple measures employed for the majority of developing countries, according to the study.

The results of scenario analysis showed that improvements in both energy structures and energy efficiency are effective measures to reduce emissions, and which can achieve average emission reductions of 64 percent and 41 percent, respectively, across the 30 countries studied.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Malaysia Airlines, the national carrier of Malaysia and a member of the oneworld Alliance, has launched its New Year promotional fare for flights from London Heathrow to over 40 destinations across Southeast Asia and Australasia.

From now until January 16, 2024, Malaysia Airlines invites customers to take advantage of the fares for travel between February 1, 2024 and November 30, 2024.

Thrill-seekers and culture hunters alike can enjoy the finest onboard service en route to flagship destinations like Kuala Lumpur and Bali in Economy Class for just 679 ($861).

Flights to a range of extraordinary cities in Australasia are also included, with the world-famous wildlife and dynamic culinary scene of Perth available from just 899.

For those seeking the ultimate Malaysian Hospitality  including the airlines world-famous signature satay service  tempting fares are available in Business Class from just 3,359 to Kuala Lumpur.

Beyond Malaysia, passengers can experience vibrant Singapore from 3,079, the contemporary buzz of Sydney for 4,519 and the legendary scenery of New Zealand with Auckland at 4,899.

Malaysia Airlines also offers an additional 3% discount on flight purchases made via its app. For more information or to book flights, please visit the Malaysia Airlines website, download the app, or contact one of its travel trade partners.

Malaysia Airlines operates out of London Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur with the state-of-the-art Airbus A350-900, which features the signature Business Suite alongside Business Class and the choice of extra legroom seats in Economy Cabins, in which all passengers can enjoy its world-class Malaysian hospitality and cuisine.  TradeArabia News Service
A Ukrainian soldier is seen inside an artillery vehicle in his fighting position as Russia-Ukraine war continues in the direction of Kharkiv, Ukraine on November 20, 2023. Diego Herrera Carcedo | Anadolu | Getty Images

At the start of 2023, hopes were high that a much-vaunted Ukrainian counteroffensive  expected to be launched in the spring  would change the dial in the war against Russia. It didn't, and the prospect of a breakthrough in 2024 is also unlikely, military experts and defense analysts told CNBC. They predict intense fighting is likely to continue into the next year but say Kyiv's forces are unlikely to launch any more counteroffensives. Russia, meanwhile, is likely to focus on consolidating the territory it has already seized, particularly in eastern Ukraine. Away from the battlefield, military experts said that the trajectory the Russia-Ukraine war takes in 2024 will mostly be dictated thousands of miles away in the U.S., Ukraine's largest military supporter, and whether aid declines in the run-up  and following  the U.S. presidential election. "War is an uncertain endeavor," retired Army Lt. Gen. Stephen Twitty, former deputy commander of the U.S. European Command, told CNBC. "Russia can win the war, or the Ukrainians can win the war. And, as you're seeing things now, if you really think about it, what has been achieved this year? Very little has been achieved by Russia, and you can say the same thing for the Ukrainians," he said.

Ukrainian servicemen take part in a military training exercise not far from front line in the Donetsk region on June 8, 2023. Anatolii Stepanov | Afp | Getty Images

"We're in this situation now where if there's not a clear winner, there's going to be a stalemate, and there's going to be, perhaps, a future frozen conflict. What can tilt the balance, in my view, is if the Ukrainians are not resupplied and they're not re-funded and they don't get the equipment and people that they need. Then this war could tilt to the Russians," Twitty noted.

Expectations not met

A year ago, Ukraine's international military support was solid with NATO pledging to support Kyiv for "as long as it takes" as it defended itself against Russia's invasion launched in February 2022. Over the summer, however, the challenge facing Ukraine's forces was glaringly obvious as they struggled to break through heavily fortified Russian positions and lines of defenses along a swathe of the 600-mile-long front line across the southern and east of the country. After liberating a handful of villages in the summer, Ukrainian and Russian forces have been caught in largely attritional battles, with neither side making significant gains. Ukrainian military officials have conceded that hopes and expectations of a great breakthrough in the counteroffensive were not met. Still, Ukraine's leadership says that steep losses have been inflicted on Russian forces and that its forces have made vital progress in other areas such as the Black Sea with Ukraine's audacious attacks on Russian bases and assets in Crimea this summer prompting the Russian navy to withdraw a number of warships from Sevastopol, handing Kyiv a victory in the battle of the Black Sea.

Panorama of the city from a bird's-eye view, shot on a drone, covered with snow on December 7, 2023 in Avdiivka, Ukraine. Libkos | Getty Images

Weather conditions are deteriorating in Ukraine, with mud, freezing rain, snow and ice making offensive and reconnaissance operations challenging. Intense fighting continues nonetheless, and particularly around Bakhmut and Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine where Russian forces are conducting offensive operations and have made some recent, confirmed advances. Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War noted last week that Russian forces have likely committed to offensive operations in multiple sectors of the front, during a period of the most challenging weather of the fall-winter season, "in an effort to seize and retain the initiative" before the Russian presidential elections in March 2024. In the meantime, the ISW noted in an analysis, "Ukrainian forces establish and consolidate defensive positions to conserve manpower and resources for future offensive efforts." Ukrainian forces have adopted a more defensive stance as circumstances dictate; a senior army general warned last week that front-line Ukrainian troops face artillery shortages and have scaled back some military operations because of a shortfall of foreign assistance.

Aid and politics

Another year of war in Europe has undoubtedly drained Western military resources and the political appetite to maintain massive amounts of military aid for Ukraine. Ongoing funding for Ukraine is far from secure in 2024 given the fact that the U.S. presidential election could herald a seismic change in the attitude toward and support for Kyiv. Specifically, all eyes are on former U.S. President Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner, who cultivated close relations with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during his presidency. There are concerns that, given Trump's previous good relations with Moscow and "America First" policy, aid for Ukraine could be shelved rapidly. Defense analysts agree that much of the outlook for Ukraine is dependent on the outcome of the U.S. vote. "I think it's important to understand the extent to which Ukraine is reliant on the U.S. right now, because it's quite significantly more reliant on the U.S. than it is on the EU," Sam Cranny-Evans, defense analyst at the Royal United Services Institute defense think tank, told CNBC. "If the U.S. election goes in a way that is not in Ukraine's favor, coupled with the fact that the EU is not really stepping up to the plate  it's ammunition production is so far off what it should have been by now to give Ukraine a hope of surviving and a hope of victory  it's not a very cheery prediction for 2024."

Good chemistry: President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during a joint press conference after their summit on July 16, 2018 in Helsinki, Finland. Chris McGrath | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Rumblings of discontent over continuing Ukraine aid have been heard in some Republican quarters for months now, as well as in Eastern Europe. Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker told CNBC he believes American and EU aid packages for Ukraine will be approved come January, saying he believed this funding would tide Ukraine over for another year, militarily. Volker said that aid packages must include more advanced weaponry for Ukraine, however, like F-16 fighter jets which have been pledged by Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands. Ukrainian pilots are beginning their training on the jets now but it could be a number of months before they're deployed in Ukraine. The U.S. is not providing F-16s to Ukraine but has authorized allies to provide their own jets. "A couple of things ought to change," Volker told CNBC. "We ought to lift restrictions on the weapons we're providing. We still don't provide the longest-range missiles and we still have not delivered any Western aircraft in Ukraine yet. Those things have to happen. And I think we have to try to give the Ukrainians more of a technological advantage," he noted.

The United States has said that it will begin flight training for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets. Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Volker believes that a Trump presidency might not be the catastrophe for Ukraine that is feared, but said it would make future funding uncertain. "I doubt that even if Trump were elected that he would abandon support for Ukraine overall, because it would be a disaster for U.S. interests, and it would appear to be a failure. You'd have these images of Russians overrunning places, and brutality and so forth, so I don't think he wants that. But it's not clear exactly what he would do to try to end the war." For his part, Trump has said that he'd be able to resolve the Ukraine war "in one day" if he was reelected, saying he'd convince the leaders of Ukraine and Russia to make a deal.

More stalemate or negotiations?

Ukraine's Defense Ministry said last week that its main goal in 2024 is to boost its domestic defense industry in the face of uncertain future supplies from its Western allies. It has also changed conscription laws, foreseeing the need to bolster its forces, which are dwarfed in size by Russia's but are more highly trained and equipped. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last week that the military had asked for up to 500,000 additional conscripts but said he needed to hear "more arguments" to support the sensitive and costly proposal. With both Ukraine and Russia investing heavily in the war, it's unlikely there will be any negotiations to end the conflict or agree to a cease-fire. Defense analysts argue that neither side would want to go into negotiations unless they're in a position of strength and able to dictate terms. "In the case of a Republican winning the presidential election next year, especially if that's Donald Trump, who seems to be the front-runner, and [if] funding is decreased substantially, then there will be increased pressure on Ukraine to negotiate," Mario Bikarski, a Europe and Russia analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, told CNBC.

A Ukrainian tank drives along the field on December 7, 2023 in Avdiivka, Ukraine. Kostya Liberov | Getty Images
The proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and Oman is likely to be finalised in January 2024. Government sources have indicated that the negotiations are on track and both sides have already agreed on most of the text of the chapters of the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The second round of talks for the proposed pact was concluded earlier this month in Muscat.

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Bilateral trade between India and Oman in FY 2022-23 amounted to $12.39 billion. India's exports to Oman have increased from $2.25 billion in FY 2018-19 to $4.48 billion in FY 2022-23.

Describing Oman as one of the most reliable and steadfast partners of India in West Asia, former Indian Ambassador Ashok Sajjanhar has welcomed the trade talks stating that stronger bilateral, political, strategic and economic relations are beneficial not just for the people of India and Oman but also for peace, security and prosperity of the region.

Oman is a part of the 6-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which also comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Among the GCC countries, Oman is the 3rd largest export destination for Indian products and services. Currently, 80% of Indian products attract a 5% import duty.

India already has a trade agreement with the UAE, and Oman is likely to become the second GCC member to have a trade agreement with India. Negotiations between India and the GCC are yet to be concluded for an FTA.

Sajjanhar, terming a stronger possibility of an earlier FTA with Oman compared to the GCC, said that both nations can look at the model of the India-UAE FTA to arrive at an early decision on this important subject.

However, he added that an FTA with the GCC would have significance and importance larger than the sum of the individual member countries, irrespective of the possibility of other GCC members signing a separate FTA with India.

Describing a potential trade pact with Oman as a mutual win-win proposition, former Indian Ambassador Anil Trigunayat said that there's tremendous scope for the expansion of equitable market access by the institutionalisation of trade under the rubric of CEPA.

Pointing out that the existing CEPA with the UAE has already proven its efficacy, he said that another trade pact with Oman could eventually serve as a format for the India-GCC FTA.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 26)  The military on Tuesday distanced its combat operations against rebels from the government's "exploratory" peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP). This was after a senator questioned its refusal to reciprocate the two-day ceasefire declared by the rebels, saying that it is an "empty statement."

"Magkahiwalay po ng landas ng usapin na 'yan, yung exploratory talks, sa amin pong ginagawa," Col. Medel Aguilar, spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) told CNN Philippines' Balitaan.

"Ang sinasabi namin, hangga't merong armado na gumagalaw, na sila ay threat sa kapayapaan ng ating komunidad, hindi tayo hihinto [sa aming combat operation]," he also said.

[Translation: What we do is different from the explanatory talks. What we're saying is as long as there are armed communist rebels, who are a threat to our community, we will never stop with our combat operations.]

In November, The Marcos administration and the NDFP, the umbrella organization of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), agreed to resume the peace negotiations as they acknowledged that there is a need to unite to address national challenges.

READ: Gov't, NDFP agree to resume peace talks

The AFP on Monday said it will pursue its military operations despite the communist group's declaration of a two-day ceasefire on Dec. 25 and 26.

Col. Xerxes Trinidad, chief of the AFP Public Affairs Office, said CPP's declaration of ceasefire is an "empty statement" as they lose leadership and support of the masses, while their firearms and ammunition are depleting and their members and supporters are surrendering.

Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel said the AFP's stand on the holiday ceasefire "shows mistrust" and is "not good for the planned peace talks."

On Christmas day, the AFP said it killed nine suspected communists and seized eight firearms.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines)  This year started with a mess at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport after a power outage put flights on hold.

Political controversies erupted left and right, capped by the Marcos administration announcing, in an unprecedented move, the agreement to resume peace talks with communist rebels.

As 2023 comes to a close, CNN Philippines also looks back at some of the disasters the country faced, from volcanic unrest to powerful earthquakes, and even fires and boat incidents.

Mayons unrest

Over 20,000 people in Albay had to be evacuated as the province saw the quick escalation of Mayon Volcanos unrest in early June, with the volcanos alert level status upgraded to Level 2 and Level 3 within a week.

READ: The beauty is a beast: Mayon Volcano's unrest in 2023

Courtesy: Jericho Salas

In December, state volcanologists lowered the alert status to Level 2 after they recorded a general decline in unrest since November.

Aside from Mayon, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised in October an Alert Level 1 status over Mount Bulusan in Sorsogon, around 70 kilometers southeast of Mayon. Taal Volcano, which is located in Batangas, also spewed volcanic smog or vog in September.

RELATED: Phivolcs needs 120B to monitor all volcanoes in PH

Consecutive earthquakes rock Surigao del Sur

In the last month of 2023, movement along the Philippine Trench triggered two major earthquakes that shook Surigao del Sur, reportedly killing three people, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

On the night of Dec. 2, a massive magnitude 7.4 quake jolted the waters off Hinatuan town in Surigao del Sur. Two days later, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Cagwait, another town in the province. A series of tremors were also recorded in the two towns on the same day.

A state of calamity was declared in Hinatuan town as the earthquake caused over 1.1 billion worth of infrastructure damage and 153.15 million of agriculture damage.

Deadly typhoons displace millions, trample on agri sector

This year, the country, highly vulnerable to the climate crisis, recorded 11 tropical cyclones, including Super Typhoon Betty (Mawar). But even bad weather caused by low pressure areas, shear lines, and monsoons affected the lives of many Filipinos.

Authorities rescue residents of Sitio Libtong, Barangay Central in Manay, Davao Oriental due to floods brought about by Tropical Depression Kabayan in December..

Authorities reported 45 deaths and 2 million displaced residents across the country due to the continuous rainfall that lasted almost the whole of January.

In July, the disaster management agency reported 30 deaths due to typhoons Egay (Doksuri) and Falcon (Khanun) and affected over 5 million locals.

WATCH: Over 100 areas under state of calamity

Data from the NDRRMC showed most of the fatalities were caused by either floods or landslides.

Five people were killed in General Nakar, Quezon following a landslide in Sitio Angelo, Brgy. Umiray on Tuesday night due to continuous rains in October.

The weather disturbances took a great toll on the countrys agricultural sector, with Egay alone leaving more than 4 billion worth of agricultural damage, the Department of Agriculture said. Some groups said each affected farmer needed 25,000 worth of aid.

RELATED: PH seeks rice importation to prepare for impact of El Nino, Egay on harvest

Price increases in vegetables, including bell pepper, cabbage and carrots, were seen in Metro Manila markets after Egay. The cost of tomatoes climbed to 120 per kilo  45 more compared with its price in June. It further went up by 210 per kilo on Sept. 1 due to Falcon and Super Typhoon Goring (Saola) in August.

Mindoro oil spill

The threat from a massive oil spill in the waters of Mindoro was also one of the biggest news in 2023. It affected 200,000 locals and halted the work of around 27,000 fishers, with the country losing nearly 5 billion worth in fish production.

MT Princess Empress was carrying around 900,000 liters of industrial fuel when it capsized on Feb. 28, then eventually sank a day after. It took authorities four months to siphon off the remaining oil in the vessels cargo tanks. Oil slicks reportedly reached Antique, Palawan, and the Verde Island Passage.

On April 22, oil spill-affected fisherfolk are clearing the shores of Pola, Oriental Mindoro of oil slicks as part of their tasks in the government's cash-for-work program. April 22 is Earth Day.

RELATED: Mindoro oil spill may damage habitats worth 7B  DENR

Capsized boats

In July, at least 26 people drowned after MB Aya Express, which sailed during bad weather, sank in waters off Binangonan, Rizal.

Authorities found that the motorbanca with a seating capacity of 42 carried nearly 70 passengers who were not wearing life vests. The captain also admitted that he bribed Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel to allow him to sail even when the vessel was overloaded. A survivor revealed that the boat was also loaded with heavy items such as sacks of rice and textiles.

The Maritime Industry Authority suspended the passenger ship safety certificate of MB Aya Express, while the PCG filed a complaint for syndicated estafa against its owner.

In early October, oil tanker Pacific Anna, registered in the Marshall Islands, rammed fishing boat Dearyn off Bajo de Masinloc, resulting in the death of three fishermen. Eleven others survived the incident.

READ: 'We tied him so his body wouldn't drift away': Survivors recall ramming of PH boat off Bajo de Masinloc

Fire destroys PH iconic spots

The year 2023 was also marked by a loss in Philippine architecture and heritage as flames left the historic Manila Post Office totally burned, and damaged 7,000 national IDs as well.

READ: How the Manila Central Post Office made its mark in PH history

Authorities said the fire started past 11 p.m. on May 21 in the post offices basement when a car battery exploded. Fire out was declared after more than 30 hours. The Manila Post Office said the reconstruction of the 97-year-old structure may take around two years.

In March, a fire also razed 1,700 stalls of the Baguio City Public Market, displacing at least 2,200 people, including 1,700 vendors who occupied the burned stalls and 500 vendors in the surrounding area. No casualties were reported.

Authorities said the fire began after a discarded lighted cigarette ignited a sack of clothes. The fire left around 24 million in damages.

Fatal bombing in Marawi

A bomb attack at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City left four people dead and 72 others injured on Dec. 3. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the deadly explosion, which happened during a Catholic mass service at the university gym.

Suspect Jafar Gamo Sultan alias Jaf/Kurot was arrested five days later, the military said. Other suspects identified were Kadapi Mimbesa and Arsani Membisa, who police said were members of the Dawlah Islamiyah Maute group.

RELATED: PNP: Marawi State University situation now back to normal after state university bombing
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Israel banned from ice hockey world championships for security reasons 11 Jan 2024 | 6:21 PM Jerusalem, Jan 11 (UNI) Israel's men's and women's ice hockey national teams were restricted from participating in the upcoming 2024 World Championships, Israeli media reported on Thursday, citing the decision of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). see more..

Magnitude-6 0 earthquake hits parts of Pak, no damages reported 11 Jan 2024 | 5:43 PM Islamabad, Jan 11 (UNI) An earthquake of 6.0 magnitude rocked several cities in Pakistan on Thursday, the country's National Seismic Monitoring Centre said. see more..

Earthquake shocks Afghanistan's Kabul, adjoining areas 11 Jan 2024 | 5:30 PM Kabul, Jan 11 (UNI) An earthquake jolted Afghanistan's capital Kabul and adjoining areas on Thursday, with no immediate reports of casualties. see more..

Magnitude-6 0 earthquake hits parts of Pakistan 11 Jan 2024 | 4:46 PM Islamabad, Jan 11 (UNI) An earthquake of 6.0 magnitude rocked several cities in Pakistan on Thursday, the country's National Seismic Monitoring Center said. see more..
Anne-Marie Slaughter at Project Syndicate:

In 1951, just six years after World War II, Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany signed the Treaty of Paris, establishing the European Coal and Steel Community.

It was a remarkable achievement, considering that France and Germany had fought three major wars between 1870 and 1945, leading to millions of deaths, the ravaging of lands and cities, and territorial conquest on both sides. Even decades later, my Belgian mother, who fled the German occupation of Brussels as a child with her mother and brother, trembled at the sight of a German customs uniform. Yet these former enemies agreed to pool their coal and steel production in ways that would prevent them from forging weapons to be used against one another ever again.

At a stroke, a handful of visionary statesmen  Robert Schuman and Jean Monnet of France, Konrad Adenauer of West Germany, and Alcide de Gasperi of Italy  laid the foundation for a new European future.

More here.
The late Milton Berle was a TV legend who owes an unlikely debt of gratitude to Steven Seagal. If it wasnt for the humorless action stars horrific hosting turn on Saturday Night Live in 1991, it might be the man once known as Mr. Television whod be remembered as the worst host in the shows history.

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Its not hard to understand why Lorne Michaels booked the guy. In the early days of television, Berle hosted the comedy-variety show Texaco Star Theater, a Tuesday night powerhouse that garnered as much as 97 percent of the viewing audience. His show was so dang popular that some restaurants and theaters would shut it down for the night when Berle was on  they just couldnt compete. After Texaco Star Theater debuted in 1948, television sales doubled the following year. No wonder they called him Mr. Television.

But when Berle showed up to host SNL in 1979, it had been 30 years since the comics peak. Problem is, no one told Berle. He came in, said an SNL writer in Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live, with the attitude I am TV. Not I used to be TV, but I am TV.

The irritation started right away at the Monday writers meeting, with Berle pitching ideas prefaced by the warning, Now this might be over your heads. He called everyone Booby. During rehearsals, he shamelessly mugged for the camera  crucial in 1948 when broadcast reception was lousy but way over the top in 1979.

John Belushi and Chevy Chase idolized Berle from their childhoods and cut the aging star some slack. Belushi even laid into the shows writers: You guys are writing shit for this great man! The writers disagreed: It was Berles mugging that ruined their scripts.

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Of course, no Berle saga is complete without tales of his famously large appendage. I was sent to Uncle Milties dressing room between dress and air to deliver this one simple note, which was: Do not go overboard on the spit takes, writer Rosie Shuster said in the SNL oral history Live From New York. He was pacing around in his boxer shorts, very proud to parade in his shorts in front of me. Thank God they werent briefs, because it was already too much information.

Things were much worse for writer Alan Zweibel, who confessed to Berle that hed heard about the comics legendary manhood. You mean you never saw it? asked Berle. Before Zweibel could protest, Berle parts his bathrobe and he just takes out this  this anaconda.  It was enormous. It was like a pepperoni. And he goes, What do you think of the boy?

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Anyway, as for the show, the monologue showed off the worst of Berle the performer. His jokes werent only corny but kinda, sorta racist, with the comic getting off a good one about 44 Puerto Ricans injured in a crash after the bed broke.

Finally, before the end of the show, Berle told Lorne Michaels, Dont worry about a thing, the standing ovation is all arranged. Uh-oh. Berle closed with the sappy, sentimental September Song, and Michaels remembers the cringe. I swear to God there were 10 people, which was the number of seats he had, who stood up in the balcony. The only time its ever happened. I was quite clear in the booth about not cutting to it.

And yet somehow, Seagal was still worse.
Dani Blum in The New York Times:

Ozempic and other drugs like it have proven powerful at regulating blood sugar and driving weight loss. Now, scientists are exploring whether they might be just as transformative in treating a wide range of other conditions, from addiction and liver disease to a common cause of infertility. Its like a snowball that turned into an avalanche, said Lindsay Allen, a health economist at Northwestern Medicine. As the drugs gain momentum, she said, theyre leaving behind them this completely reshaped landscape. Much of the research on other uses of semaglutide, the compound in Ozempic and Wegovy, and tirzepatide, the substance in Mounjaro and Zepbound, is only in the early stages. One of the biggest questions scientists are seeking to answer: Do the benefits of these drugs just boil down to weight loss? Or do they have other effects, like tamping down inflammation in the body or quieting the brains compulsive thoughts, that would make it possible to treat far more illnesses?

We wont likely know anytime soon. Were still learning how these medicines work, said Dr. Daniel Drucker, one of the first researchers to study these drugs. (Dr. Drucker consults for Novo Nordisk, the company that makes Ozempic and Wegovy.) People with the conditions below, many of whom have few good options for treatment, could benefit in the long run if these trials are successful. And for weight-loss drugmakers, every new use could catapult the drugs even further into blockbuster status. Some of these applications  including for heart disease and sleep apnea, which each affects tens of millions of people  have become targets for these companies and could prove especially lucrative. These medications are a gold mine, Dr. Allen said. There is no upper bound for where the market is going.

More here.
At 45th-in-line to the throne, Cassius Taylor has had a little more freedom than some of his royal relatives.

Cassius, who turns 27 today, is the grandson of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, the late Queen's first cousin.

These days, however, he is less likely to appear in group shots on the Buckingham Palace balcony and more likely to appear wearing shades on social media - often at the opening of some artistic venture or other - or DJ-ing at a party.

This makes sense as Cassius is the son of Lady Helen Taylor, 59, and art-dealer Timothy Taylor - and like the children and grandchildren of Princess Margaret, is a signed-up member of the Royal Family's creative wing.

Cassius Taylor, who turns 27 today, pictured at this year's Frieze Art Fair in Regent's Park. He is the son of Lady Helen and art-dealer Timothy Taylor

Cassius is friends with his first cousin Lady Amelia Windsor, 28. They are both grandchildren of the Duke of Kent

The Windsor family tree. The Duke and Duchess of Kent have three children and eight grandchildren

Cassius, who is 45th in line for the throne and studied art management at Goldsmiths, loves to DJ in his spare time

He caught the creative bug from his parents, who are both art dealers. Pictured: Cassius Taylor and Lady Helen Taylor attending the British Vogue Centenary Gala in May 2016

Two years ago, Cassius was dubbed one of the UK's most eligible bachelors by Tatler

He has become something of a darling of the London art scene, in fact, and has turned his first tattoo into a whimsical art exhibition.

Like other more distant members of the royal family, Cassius, who was born in 1996, has been allowed to grow up away from the spotlight.

As a child, he would make rare public appearances, including the balcony of Buckingham Palace for Trooping the Colour.

The second out of four children, Cassius grew up close with his brother Columbus, 29, and his younger sisters Eloise, 20 and Estella, 18.

He was educated at Wellington College in Berkshire, which costs 35,775-a-year, before heading to Goldsmiths, where he got a degree in art management.

He caught the creative bug from his parents, who are both renowned art dealers, saying: 'I was constantly being dragged to galleries as a child.'

After graduating, he worked for his father's London gallery before joining the PR agency Purple, where he dabbled in the events business, organising glitzy receptions at Somerset House.

He eventually left Purple PR and set up his own events company, named 'Telltale.

The royal has since curated his own show, which took at the Painting Rooms of Flitcroft Street in Soho, and celebrated the work of painter Armen Eloyan as part of Frieze.

In his free time, Cassius has been a big fan of immersive theatre, especially an event called Punch Drunk where guests are invited to put on VR headsets in an London abandoned warehouse, with actors moving around the participants.

He also shares a glimpse into his artsy life on Instagram, where snaps show him DJing with friends or hanging out with his glamourous cousins, Lady Amelia Windsor and Flora Vesterberg (grand-daughter of Princess Alexandra, the Duke of Kent's sister).

Cassius has previously joked that he is the 'annoying' child and added he took some time to settle into a career, unable to decide which genre he wanted to dedicate himself to.

The royal enjoys sharing a glimpse of his life on social media, where he shapes party snaps, art shows and festival hangs

Lady Helen Taylor and Cassius Taylor attending a VIP Preview of the Frieze Art Fair 2023 in Regents Park in early October

The young royal, who was born in 1996, has also appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with the Queen mother, centre, in 2001 as part of the Queen''s birthday celebrations

Cassius was by his mother's side to attend the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey in March 2022

He told Tatler: I always knew I'd end up in the creative industries in some capacity, due to my upbringing, similar to everyone in my family.'

Two years ago, he was dubbed one of the UK's most eligible bachelors by Tatler, and luckily for single ladies, it is understood that he is currently romantically unattached.

For all his love of parties, Cassius often photographed accompanying his mother, with whom he's very close, at series of events including royal occasions.
A model who lost her entire upper lip in a horrific Pitbull attack has opened up about 'learning to accept herself' after undergoing dozens of surgeries.

California native Brooklinn Khoury, 23, shared her journey to self-love and acceptance during her appearance on Good Morning America in which she confessed the ups and downs of her physical and emotional healing process.

The model and keen skateboarder wholeheartedly credited her supportive friends and family who helped her 'realize there's so much more to beauty than what just meets the eye.'

She professed that instead of self-deprecating, the key is 'learning to love yourself' regardless of what you look like and genuinely realizing that 'imperfections are what makes a person them.'

California native Brooklinn Khoury, 23, shared her journey to self-love and acceptance during her appearance on Good Morning America in which she confessed the ups and downs of her physical and emotional healing process

The model and skateboarder lost her upper lip due to a Pitbull attack (L) and has shared that she is 'learning to accept herself' after overcoming dozens of surgeries (R)

Brooklinn was attacked by a dog on November 2, 2020, while she was at her cousin's house in Arizona.

Despite meeting the Pitbull 'plenty of times' before, the canine launched his whole body toward her face after she made a sudden movement to turn to look at her cousin.

The dog was 'hanging on all fours' on her upper lip and began 'pulling [her] head like a chew toy.'

He went back and fourth with his body and when he finally let go, Brooklinn recalled seeing 'something fling and hit the wall and fall down.'

She recalled feeling like: 'Wow, [that was] the biggest breath of fresh air.'

Brooklinn wasn't immediately aware that her top lip had been ripped off until she went into the restroom and looked in the mirror and saw that she looked like a 'skeleton.'

After the incident, she used tape to 'hide her face,' because she confessed that she 'wasn't really ready to go out and get a lot of weird looks.'

She confessed that during that time she was 'not super in love' with what she was seeing in the mirror.

Brooklinn was attacked by a dog on November 2, 2020, while she was at her cousin's house in Arizona

Brooklinn wasn't immediately aware that her top lip had been ripped off until she went into the restroom and looked in the mirror and saw that she looked like a 'skeleton'

Brooklinn searched for a doctor for more than a year before finally finding someone suitable.

The doctor took a patch of skin from her wrist and grafted it to her top lip in a procedure which cost her a whopping $400,000.

She described the process as, 'debulking and shaping and creating.'

Her doctor described the surgeries as an 'art project' because he was 'molding and moving' the piece around her face to 'form the skin.'

Brooklinn admitted that the surgery helped her 'eating process' and her 'communication.'

Not only did she begin to heal physically but emotionally as well, thanks to the support in her life from her loved ones.

The response that she received after candidly sharing her journey online has 'helped so much' because she learned that she is 'not the only one that is going through something similar.'

Brooklinn now believes that the internet is 'beautiful in that way' because it connects people even in their struggles despite also experiencing 'a very bad side to social media.'

She shared that some negative people 'sit behind screens and say what they want and make fun of others.'

Brooklinn searched for a doctor for more than a year before finally finding someone suitable - the doctor took a patch of skin from her wrist and grafted it to her top lip in a procedure which cost her a whopping $400,000

Brooklinn believes that she was able to brush off the negative commentary thanks to the support of her loved ones.

She confessed that her family and friends 'needed to be in her life for a reason,' in order to help her on her self-love journey.

When it comes to gaining confidence, she shared that: 'It's really important for anybody watching my story or anyone seeing my videos to be able to look at yourself in the mirror, and be able to love what you see, because you are the person that you need at the end of the day for yourself.'

Good Morning America posted a teaser of her full interview to its Instagram page and it got more than 17,300 views and hundreds of comments.

One person wrote: 'I can't imagine a person saying anything negative about her appearance. If they do, then they have no human compassion at all! She is a beautiful and inspiring young lady.'

A second person wrote: 'She is absolutely beautiful! I'm glad she was able to find something that helped her healing. The surgical process must've been rough, but she handled it incredibly.'

Another person commented: 'She is always beautiful, resilient and caring human. She is [the] most worthiest human being in the world.'

'She has had just THE most amazing attitude and optimism throughout this whole thing. She's truly beautiful inside and out,' a fourth person added.

Now that she has recovered from the tiring operations, the next step will be tattooing her upper lip with the color 'red vermilion' so that it can 'match' with her lower lip's hue

Good Morning America posted a teaser of her full interview to its Instagram page and it got more than 17,300 views and hundreds of comments

'A woman defined by exceptional courage and inspiration epitomizes true beauty in its genuine essence,' one person added.

Another person wrote: 'Strength and resilience is extremely beautiful on her.'

'Amazing person and an amazing journey. Such an impressive young woman,' added another commenter.

One commenter added: 'Such an incredible attitude. Her parents must be proud of her strength and positivity.'

'What a beautiful soul inside and out,' wrote another commenter.

Now that she has recovered from the tiring operations, the next step will be tattooing her upper lip with the color 'red vermilion' so that it can 'match' with her lower lip's hue.
Sofia Richie's husband Elliot Grainge has hilariously roasted a pair of $2,700 Loewe bedazzled boots while shopping with his wife.

'Remind me to not take Elliot Christmas shopping with me again,' Lionel Richie's daughter captioned the now-viral TikTok video, which has been viewed more than 10 million times.

In the video, which was posted earlier this month, Sofia, 25, took Elliot, 30, to a department store and showed him an assortment of shoes, including Loewe's on-trend but impractical boots, which have crystals on the toes, a leather pant-like structure and a teeny tiny black skinny heel.

Commenters had much to say about Elliot's reaction and the ornate high-heeled boots.

Sofia Richie took her husband, Elliot Grainge, shopping and he was quite opinionated when it came to these Loewe boots

Sofia brought her hubby to a department store and showed him an assortment of shoes, including Loewe's boots, with crystals on the toes and leather-pant details

Sofia won't be taking her music exec husband shopping again anytime soon after he weighed in on the Loewe boots and compared them to something Scrooge McDuck might wear

The down low on Loewe: The designer behind the divisive bedazzled boot The luxury brand was founded in 1846 by craftsmen in Madrid

It's pronounced 'lo-weh-vay'

Jonathan Anderson, the founder of JW Anderson, has been the creative director since 2013

Celebrities such as Emily Ratajkowski, Kylie Jenner, Emma Watson and Ariana Grande love the brand's leather goods Advertisement

'It looks like a rich duck would wear that,' Elliot said in response.

'A very rich duck that has other ducks quack for them.'

Elliot continued, while showing off the mindboggling shoe from all angles: 'It's a thick wide leather jean bedazzled boot sock. You know fashion's gone too far when they put something like this out.'

'He's not down, ladies and gentlemen, he's not down,' Sofia announced.

The Loewe Toy boot in leather and crystal retails for a whopping $2,700, and is made of lambskin, with the details of a five-pocket pant.

Sofia's followers loved his fashion policing and called for 'MORE ELLIOT,' suggesting, 'Elliot should write product descriptions in his spare time.'

Another urged, 'We need Elliot to describe random items in shops as a series.'

'Elliot said, keep it simple and classy,' one follower wrote.

'Elliott said "I've had enough & need to speak my mind,"' another joked.

'He even sounds rich,' one person pointed out, as the British record label founder is rumored to be worth $10 million.

Commenters had much to say about Elliot's reaction on TikTok and the ornate high-heeled boots, suggesting he start doing fashion commentary on her account more often

'He said this isn't very old money,' a commenter quipped, which has become part of Sofia's famous quiet luxury aesthetic - something she cemented with her elegant wedding to the music business executive.

For the lavish nuptials in April, Sofia wore three different stunning Chanel gowns.

Some people were more worried about Loewe and the designers behind the brand getting their feelings hurt.

'That designer is fighting for their life,' controversial influencer couple Lunden and Olivia commented, as another joked, 'RIP that designer's feelings.'

However, Loewe wasn't upset at all by the video and instead used it as a chance to poke fun at themselves.

Loewe wasn't upset by the video, and instead dueted the TikTok, showing off a rubber duck dressed up in the luxury brand

Sofia went viral on TikTok after marrying the British music executive and changing up her style, swapping skintight dresses for more elegant gowns

Sofia celebrated her wedding weekend in three different Chanel gowns. Seen here with her father, Lionel, on her wedding day

The exclusive luxury fashion house dueted the original video on TikTok, showing off a rubber duck dressed up in the luxury brand, with other rich ducks quacking away.

'The ducks that get it, get it,' the celebrity-beloved brand proclaimed, tagging Sofia.

Sofia became a Gen Z fashion icon after her wedding, with people emulating everything from her beauty routine to her quiet luxury style.

The nepobaby has amassed more than 3.5 million followers on TikTok, who tune in to see her brand-name purchases and pricey ensembles.
A viral TikTok has documented the 'makeup power moves' that guarantee you'll look good if you just so happen to be meeting up with your ex this holiday season.

Beauty influencer Zoe Kim Kenealy, 27, shared a tutorial advising her followers on how to get the perfect beauty look for run-ins with their exes.

'You're not gonna wear strawberry makeup [or] sugar plum fairy makeup to go meet up with your ex,' Zoe, who is based in Beverly Hills, California, announced, mentioning two niche beauty trends.

Zoe fittingly captioned the now-viral video 'MAKEUP POWER MOVES,' calling it, 'Lesson 1: The meetup with the ex.'

Beauty influencer Zoe Kim Kenealy, 27, shared a TikTok tutorial advising her followers how to get the perfect beauty look for run-ins with their exes

Hailey Bieber's glowy skin paired with subtle eyeshadow shimmer and a bold lip is the perfect example of power moves makeup, Zoe, who is based in Beverly Hills, explained

Beauty breakdown! How Zoe got glam with her 'meeting the ex' makeup look Monika Blunder foundation ($52) Fenty cheeks out cream bronzer in butta biscuit ($35) NARS all that glitters light reflecting cheek palette ($42) MILK Makeup concealer ($29) Huda Beauty sugar cookie powder ($38) MAC plum lip liner ($24) Hourglass glossy lip balm phantom in haze ($36) About Face smokestick ($17) Colourpop super shock shadow in ritz ($7) Benefit Cosmetics brown roller liner ($22) Stila brown eyeliner ($24) Advertisement

Zoe, who has amassed 245,000 followers for her hyper-specific beauty tutorials, like cold girl makeup, whiskey makeup, first date makeup, and warm and fuzzy makeup, explained: 'With certain situations there are makeup looks that are going to add or detract from your power.'

'I think it's time we all start being a little more cryptic and Machiavellian,' Zoe proclaimed, quoting Taylor Swift's hit song Mastermind.

Zoe made it clear that meeting up with an ex wasn't the time to embrace cutesy beauty trends like the aforementioned strawberry girl makeup, asking: 'What about the makeup looks that are going to allow us to manipulate a manipulator?'

She described this particular aesthetic as one that gives 'us power and personal gain, because for certain situations there does exist the right look and the wrong look.'

'Obviously, most of the time you should do whatever it is that you like, but if you find yourself in a circumstance where you do want to exercise some strategy, I need there to be a guide,' the beauty guru continued.

Zoe then outlined exactly how to approach a 'run-in with the ex' or an 'intentional meet-up with the ex,' which was perfect for around the holidays, when people are back home and encountering former flames.

'I don't think meeting up with your ex is a good idea at all, but if you are, I got you,' Zoe cautioned her followers.

She advised starting with a fresh face to make sure 'your skin is looking more lustrous than ever,' comparing the technique to underpainting, when people paint concealer, contour and blush under foundation.

The first step is focusing foundation on the center of your face with bronzer on the perimeters before lightly concealing under your eyes

The eyes are 'celebratory, meaning they'll give you a little twinkle in your gaze, but they won't be overpowering,' which is done with a slight crease and a little bit of sparkle

The super niche beauty tutorial content creator recommended doing a bold lip and softening it with a more neutral color

The first step is focusing foundation on the center of your face with bronzer on the perimeters.

'Be soft with it, because we don't want harsh lines,' the beauty expert recommended.

'There's nothing wrong with looking like you're wearing makeup.'

However, she explained you didn't want to overdo it with concealer or powder, adding: 'Nothing too bright, nothing too cakey.'

Zoe urged her followers to 'wear a bold lip,' telling them, 'It's never too much and some of the most confident women we love are known for this.'

However, she added that it was easy to mix in some toned down shades, like a nude in the center, if you feel like it looks said bold lip looks 'weird on your face.'

As for the eyes, according to Zoe they're 'going to be celebratory, meaning they'll give you a little twinkle in your gaze, but they won't be overpowering,' which is done with a slight crease definition using the eyeshadow and a little bit of sparkle.

When you're finishing up the eyes, put away your harsh black liner.

'Brown eyeliner is more of a power move than black in many cases because it intensifies your eyes,' Zoe explained.

Zoe suggested swapping your usual harsh, edgy black eyeliner for a more low-key brown, cat-eye smokey shadow

Zoe showed off the finished look, which included brown eyeliner, a bold lip and subtle shimmer

Some followers thanked her for the advice or shared their own beauty routines when they're meeting up with a former flame, while others asked why you'd want to reunite with an ex

@zoekimkenealy MAKEUP POWER MOVES - Lesson 1: The meetup with the ex. Let me know which situation youd like to see next - interview, first date, etc I got you PRODUCTS: 1. Monika Blunder - Blunder Cover 2. Fenty cheeks out cream bronzer - butta biscuit 3. NARS all that glitters light reflecting cheek palette 4. MILK Makeup concealer 5. Huda Beauty sugar cookie powder 6. MAC Plum lip liner 7. Hourglass glossy lip balm phantom - Haze 8. About face smoke stick - stoke the flames 9. Colourpop - super shock shadow - ritz 10. Benefit Cosmetics - brown roller liner 11. Stila brown eyeliner #aboutfacebeauty #colourpop #maccosmetics #milkmakeup  Ramble On (Originally Performed by Led Zeppelin) [Instrumental] - Backing Track Central

Followers loved Zoe's advice, especially because many had plans to see their exes over the holidays.

'Seeing them in 3 days for the first time in a year,' one woman announced, describing the video as 'perfect timing.'

Not everyone appreciated the beauty tutorial, though, with one person commenting, 'This only works when you're attractive lol. I just look like a pig in lipstick.'

Another woman joked, 'Literally my first question was "Why are we meeting up with our ex," yet I watched the whole thing.'

Someone else quipped, 'If I had to meet up with my ex I'd dress like baba yaga,' referencing an ogress in Slavic folklore.

'My ex doesn't deserve this kind of effort,' another commenter joked.

A few women suggested their own go-to beauty looks for the sticky situation, with one writing she always does 'a bronzey warm caramel toned fox eye if I'm going to see an ex' because 'it's pretty but also mildly intimidating.'
The Princess of Wales looked fittingly regal in a rich royal blue as she celebrated Christmas Day at Sandringham with the extended Windsor family yesterday.

Holding daughter Charlotte's hand on the walk to the annual Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church, Kate's key piece was a long Alexander McQueen coat with fabulously structured shoulders and a nipped-in waist. Unfussy, stylish, elegant... We've come to expect nothing less.

She teamed this with a roll-neck navy jumper, 1,180 customised 'Glen 85' suede knee-high boots from Gianvito Rossi and a bespoke matching royal blue headpiece. The dramatic felt pillbox style hat, designed by London-based milliner Juliette Botterill, was adorned with an elegant, stylised bow and crossed quill embellishment.

The look was completed with her linked sapphire drop with diamond surround earrings from her late mother-in-law Princess Diana's jewellery collection.

It was the queen of tonal dressing at her best.

Elegance: The Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte, eight, at Sandringham yesterday

In step: King and Queen Camilla. Below: Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh in feathered fedora

Kate, who is known to wear the same clothes in several colours, also owns a green version of this gorgeous Alexander McQueen coat and a black version of the hat, which she wore to Welsh Guard's St David's Day Parade in March this year.

Kate's been nailing the formal Christmas dress code since she first joined the family at Sandringham in 2011, the same year she married Prince William at Westminster Abbey. On that first occasion she wore a maroon coat dress and a matching hat by Jane Corbett.

In the 12 years since, this formula of a tailored coat with a matching headpiece has been refined and repeated and this might be the strongest iteration yet.

Her family coordinated their outfits this year. The future King and his eldest son, ten-year-old George, were also in blue, while eight-year-old Princess Charlotte wore a fern-green double-breasted coat with velvet collar  similar to the shade her mother wore last year  with navy blue tights and matching flats.

Meanwhile, little Prince Louis, five, tied the family together with the most festive outfit of all  a navy pea coat over green and blue tartan trousers, 60 from Trotters  a change from his usual shorts and knee socks.

He adorably clutched the hand of his older cousin Mia Tindall, nine, also on her way to the service with her parents, Zara and Mike Tindall and sister Lena, five.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh attending the Christmas Day morning church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk

The Prince and Princess of Wales weren't the only ones coordinating. The King and Queen wore complementing colours with Camilla in an Anna Valentine beige longline coat we've seen many times before. She wore a blue silk paisley dress, accessorised with beige boots and a Philip Treacy hat with feather detail. The King mirrored her with a classic camel overcoat.

Ever elegant Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh was seen in coat dress by Claire Mischevani, a British designer who has become a firm favourite among the royals.

Sophie's tweed piece was adapted from a khaki crepe design  also with bow detail neckline  available online for 1,145. A fabulously festive choice topped off with a 95 Hicks & Brown fedora.

For the second year in a row, Andrew, the disgraced Duke of York, walked to church with the family. His ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York joined him in public at Sandringham for the first time in years. She walked beside her ex-husband in Holland Cooper's Dowdeswell coat, 799, in emerald green, a traditional choice for the Sandringham service, teamed with ankle boots and a coordinating bejewelled clutch.
A couple spent just 1,500 on their wedding by having a reception at TGI Fridays - and telling guests to pay for their own meals.

Jake Richardson, 32, and bride Natalie, 31, from Prestwich, Manchester, choose the American restaurant chain for their wedding reception because they had their first date there 10 years previously.

The newlyweds were joined by 60 of their guests at the unique reception, along with other strangers who happened to be also dining at the restaurant.

Speaking to The Sun Jake said: 'We were never going to afford a luxury wedding, so we'd rather save money for a house. Our first date was there so we thought, "Let's just get it done there".

Couple spends just 1,500 on wedding reception at TGI Fridays - and tell guests to pay for their own meals

'This was TGI's first wedding, which is pretty special. We had speeches, a photographer and it was decorated like a traditional wedding.'

The pair's wedding day only ended up costing them 1,560, with the UK's average wedding usually costing 19,184, according to Bridebook.

Natalie's stunning wedding dress cost 900, which was the couples biggest expense.

The couple choose the American restaurant chain for their wedding reception as they had their first date there 10 years previously

The bride also ditched traditional heels and opted for comfort instead on her big day donning white trainers.

Natalie and Jake were officially married at Rochdale Register Office, which set them back a total of 360.

Another 300 covered the brides hair and makeup for the wedding and bunting to decorate their TGI Fridays reception.

The pairs unconventional wedding seemed to go down a treat with their guests and TGI Fridays also enjoyed being a part of their big day.

Rhiannon Scarlett, from TGI Friday's, said: 'We're thrilled to have been part of Jake and Natalie's story.'

However, asking guests to pay for their own food can be divisive.

Previously, a bride-to-be was branded rude when she said she was considering asking loved ones to chip in instead of giving presents.

She added she was contemplating a dry wedding, and was considering getting food trucks or a spit roast for catering to cut down on costs.

Hundreds have weighed in on the issue, and many shared their outrage at the suggestion.

'If youre inviting people you should feed them. They also shouldnt have to give a present as flights and accommodation just to get there is enough in my opinion,' one woman said.

'Definitely bad manners to ask guests to pay for their own meal,' another said.

'Oh no thats really rough asking people to pay for their own meals. Maybe you will have to save in another area to pay for the food,' another wrote.
A prankster who gifted his 'fiancee' a Dyson hand dryer for Christmas has become an online sensation in less than 24 hours.

Angus Duncan, a photographer based in Dunbar, Scotland, posted the witty stunt on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying he'd got his soon-to-be wife the 'wrong Dyson Air-thingy'.

While the Dyson Airwrap hair styling tool will have been top of many Christmas lists this year, Angus apparently didn't get the memo.

He shared a snap of a text message, apparently from his angry partner, written in capital letters, saying: 'Why did you get me a hand dryer?'

While the post has stirred mixed reactions, with some people even branding her 'ungrateful' for refusing the pricey gift - it seems the real joke is on them.

Angus has since revealed that he has no actual 'fiancee and that the 'stupid joke' is no more than a festive ruse he pulls every year.

Angus Duncan, a prankster who gifted his 'fiancee' a Dyson hand dryer for Christmas, has become an online sensation in less than 24 hours (Pictured: Angus Duncan)

In an image posted to X, the famous drying utensil can be seen resting along a wall, while a text from his angry partner reads in capital letters: why did you get me a hand dryer?'

The photographer based in Dunbar, Scotland, jokingly admitted to getting his soon-to-be wife the 'wrong Dyson Air-thingy'

Taking to X, he wrote: 'Apparently I got my fiancee the wrong Dyson Air-thingy?'

Attached to the caption were two images of a dark grey Dyson Airblade hand dryer -which normally retails for around 1,000 brand new.

Upon closer inspection, there appeared to be no visible remnants of Christmas wrapping paper or packaging - perhaps a clue that the post was a practical joke from the very beginning.

The comical post, first made at 10:44am on Christmas day, has since racked up a staggering 13.9 million views and nearly 10,000 retweets in barely 24 hours.

One commenter joked: 'Husband of the year award'.

'She should be grateful' commented another.

Praising him for his efforts, one person wrote: 'Good job. Far better than the vacuum'.

The post has since stirred mixed reactions, with some people even branding his fiancee 'ungrateful' for refusing the pricey gift

Meanwhile one woman wrote: 'Oh God!!!! I would be very unimpressed'.

Surprised by the attention his Twitter performance garnered, Angus quickly took to his page to clarify some things.

Responding to a question from a concerned fan who asked why his fiancee would text him on Christmas Day, he wrote: 'Because this is a stupid joke that Ive posted every year and it is just as surprising that this has gone viral as it is that I actually have a fiancee'.

Angus has since shockingly revealed that he has no actual 'fiancee and that the 'stupid joke' is no more than the workings of a festive ruse he pulls every year. Meanwhile as the post has gone viral, he's been selected by Amazon UK to promote the product, and even earn commission

He added: 'This is garnering a lot of attention, so Id like to clarify a few things: Free Palestine, Support Ukraine, Trans rights are human rights'.

The biggest twist of all was the following update he provided for his followers: 'So, Im an influencer now in the world of hand dryers.

'Purchase a Dyson Airblade using the link below and I will earn a commission. Yes, I am entirely serious'.

The now influencer then shared a link to the Dyson Airblade V HU02 Hand Dryer in Sprayed Nickel, which can be purchased on Amazon for 850.

One person responded: 'You're a silly clout chaser'.
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An elderly woman was given to amazing news her loving carer had the all clear from cancer in this heartwarming video.

Senior carer Courtney Nettleton, 21, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire was devastatingly told she had thyroid cancer in 2022, after feeling so tired she was sleeping for 14 hours a day.

Recently she got the all clear after undergoing surgery and radiotherapy and was excited to tell Norma, an elderly resident at the care home she works in.

Courtney sees Norma as a second grandmother, and couldn't wait to share the good news.

Senior carer Courtney Nettleton, 21, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire telling Norma that she's been given the all clear from cancer

Courtney said that Norma is like a second grandmother to her and she couldn't wait to share her good news

Courtney wrote the good news in a card and presented it to Norma, who couldn't believe what she was reading.

'I am so pleased,' Norma told Courtney, before becoming overwhelmed by emotion.

'What a good Christmas present, eh?' Courtney replied.

She explained: 'Norma's lived at the care home for quite a while now, she's very close to my heart and I see her as a second grandmother.

'I've now got the all clear but I'm still suffering from the long term effects such as hair loss and tiredness.

'I wanted to record the moment I told Normal because it's been a hard year for me and everybody around me, and I wanted to capture it as it's a special moment.

'I found my lump in January 2022, however I was poorly for over a year and doctors blamed it on teenage laziness.

'The journey was hard. I had two surgeries and one round of radio iodine treatment.'

Courtney first visited her GP as a teenager over concerns that she was feeling tired all the time.

She claims she was initially fobbed off and told it was "teenage laziness" because she was sleeping for up to 14 hours a day.

Her other symptoms included breathlessness, hot flushes, unsteadiness, neck stiffness, acne and mood swings.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF THYROID CANCER? The main symptom of thyroid cancer is a lump in the front of the neck. But the disease tends to develop slowly and may not cause any symptoms at first. Thyroid cancer often causes a painless lump or swelling low down in the front of the neck. However, neck lumps are common and are usually caused by a less serious condition, such as an enlarged thyroid. Only around 1 in every 20 is cancer. A lump is more likely to be cancer if it: See your GP if you have a swelling or lump at the front of your neck. While it's unlikely to be cancer, it's important to get it checked out. Other symptoms include: - A lump in the neck or throat that may get bigger over time - Difficulty breathing or swallowing - Swollen lymph glands in the neck - A hoarse voice Rarely, thyroid cancer can affect the production of thyroid hormones and cause diarrhoea and flushing. Source: NHS Choices Advertisement

Tests in the summer of 2021 came back as normal, but she knew something was wrong when she developed a lump in her neck in January 2022.

She was diagnosed with thyroid cancer a month later.

'I was so devastated and worried,' Courtney said. 'I was told by doctors that it was just teenage laziness.

'Thyroid cancer is rare, however, I knew deep down that something wasnt right, and being told that it was just teenage laziness by the doctors was incredibly frustrating.'
An obesity charity chairman has said Britain could learn from Japan, where employers are fined if their workers' waistlines are too high.

The chair of the National Obesity Forum, Tam Fry, also told The Telegraph that children as young as five should have their waists measured to assess health risks.

Commenting on data that showed women's waistlines have increased by nearly three inches since the 1990s, he said: 'The figures for both men and women are alarming  too many of us are eating as though it is Christmas every day.'

In Japan, under the 'Metabo' law, which was introduced in 2008, people between the ages of 40 and 74, have their waistlines measured against state-prescribed limits.

Those exceeding government limits - 33.5 inches for men and 35.4 inches for women - are apparently offered counselling and encouraged to lose weight, while businesses can reportedly be fined if enough workers fail to meet the requirements.

An obesity charity chairman has said Britain could learn from Japan, where employers are fined if their workers' waistlines are too high (stock photo)

Meanwhile, draft guidance from the health watchdog National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) says people should be encouraged to measure their own waist-to-height ratio, checking their waistline is less than half their height.

The guidelines published in April say doctors should consider measuring the ratio in patients as young as five, according to the BBC.

Mr Fry said: 'Nice is quite right to urge that waist measurements be now taken annually from the time a child first goes to school.'

He said the figures potentially highlight the levels of dangerous belly fat around vital organs, which could at some point result in illnesses such as kidney disease and diabetes.

Speaking to MailOnline, he added: 'What Nice is saying is that everyone from five years upwards should have a waist check annually. This is what the Forum wants in strategy to defeat obesity.'

Dr Paul Chrisp, of Nice, said the updated guideline was a simple and effective way for people to manage their health.

He added: Our committee found that a clear benefit of using the waist-to-height ratio is that people can easily measure it themselves, interpret the results and seek medical advice if they are at increased health risk.

A healthy waist-to-height ratio is classed as 0.4 to 0.49. A ratio of 0.5 to 0.59 puts people at increased risk of health issues, while 0.6 or more puts them at the highest risk.

In Japan, under the 'Metabo' law, which was introduced in 2008, people between the ages of 40 and 74, have their waistlines measured against state-prescribed limits (stock photo)

It means that a woman who is 5ft 4in tall with a waist circumference of 29 inches would have a healthy ratio. But a 32-inch waist would push her into the unhealthy range.

Meanwhile, a man who is 5ft 10in tall would be at an increased health risk with a 36-inch waist.

Anyone wishing to find out their waist-to-height ratio can use an online calculator or ask a health professional to work it out.

It can be used for men, women and all ethnic groups as well as muscular adults who may have a misleading body mass index.

Naveed Sattar, professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, said: More weight around the middle is an important sign of needing to consume less calories or burn more off. As most people know their height, and their waist size is on clothing labels, this may be a simple tool.
Is your star sign stopping you from finding the one? One in four people actively avoid certain zodiac signs on dating apps.

A study by British dating app FindingTheOne.com, revealed 25 per cent of people say they swipe left on profiles of people with certain star signs.

If you're an Aries you've got more chance of people avoiding you on dating apps than any other sign, while Pisceans are the least likely to be ignored.

Women find men interested in astrology more attractive but star sign chat has the opposite effect on men with 65 percent saying it's a turn off.

More and more people are using the alignment of star signs to steer them towards compatible matches.

A study by dating app FindingTheOne.com, revealed 25 percent of people say they swipe left on profiles of people with certain star signs. (Stock image)

In fact, the day you were born could be the reason you're not getting stellar results on dating apps  according to new research.

The new dating app polled 1,500 people, who already signed up to the new app's waiting list, and found that one in four people swipe left on profiles of people with certain star signs.

The fire sign Aries was found to be the zodiac most people avoid on dating apps at 18 percent.

Although they're known as natural born leaders, Aries can also be impatient, short-tempered and impulsive  not particularly attractive traits if you're looking for a potential partner.

15 percent of daters also tend to avoid singles who are Sagittarius and while 13 percent avoided Leo's.

Pisceans can thank their lucky stars, though, as the study suggests they're the least likely to be ignored, with just 2 percent of people saying they'd swipe left on a water sign's profile.

Carly, 31, from Bristol who took part in the study said: 'I'm yet to meet an Aries who isn't brutally blunt, and as a particularly sensitive Pisces that's something I actively try to avoid  it just makes sense to swipe left.

'When I've gone out with signs that are considered compatible with mine, there's a natural flow and understanding that makes things feel effortless when we meet up.'

Which star sign in particular do you avoid on dating apps? Aries - 18% Sagittarius 15% Leo 13% Scorpio 10% Capricorn 9% Cancer 7% Libra 7% Virgo 6% Taurus 5% Gemini 4% Aquarius 4% Pisces 2% Advertisement

Lizzie, 33, from Cornwall, who's also on the app's waiting list commented: 'Admittedly, astrology has played quite a big role in my dating decisions, especially more recently.

'I was a complete sceptic but during the pandemic I found myself with some extra time  like everyone else, I suppose  and decided to read up on it.

'Plus, it didn't help being single and alone during lockdown.

I wouldn't say I've totally put my faith in star signs, but I just don't think we should completely dismiss it.

'Having read up on character traits for each zodiac, I looked into where some of my friends and exes fall  the descriptions really hit the nail on the head.

'And since my love life is lacking right now, I'm willing to give anything a go.'

Relationships expert Sylvia Linzalone, said: 'If you ask a scientist about whether they believe in astrology and star sign compatibility, you'll almost definitely get a negative response.

'Technically, it's not a science but star sign compatibility offers a huge sense of hope and optimism for a lot of people.

'Even I would find myself reading the paper on the way to work in the morning wanting to see what my horoscope would say was in store for me that day  and the wording always seemed to make sense!

'It's comforting to think that the universe might be conspiring to bring two compatible individuals together, and this belief adds a little bit of magic and destiny to the dating journey, making it feel less daunting and more exciting.

'However, what I would say is that it's important to keep an open mind when it comes to dating.

'Just because you've found yourself in a relationship that ended badly with an Aries, doesn't necessarily mean they're all bad  it'd be wrong for all of them to be tarred with the same brush based on when they were born.

'Just remember, you can use it as a tool for finding someone special but don't let someone's star sign be a deal breaker. There's only one real way of seeing if you're compatible  by meeting face-to-face and seeing if there's a spark!'
Meanwhile her sister, Tiffany, posed up with her lookalike mom Marla Maples

Mom-of-three shared snaps of her grandmother and dad Donald on Christmas

Ivanka Trump posted a series of photos of her family celebrating the holidays

Former first daughters Ivanka and Tiffany Trump showed off their festive spirits in jolly posts shared to social media on Christmas Day.

Marla Maples, 60, who was married to former president Donald Trump from 1993 to 1999, posted a photo of her and her daughter, Tiffany, 30, posing in front of a Christmas tree.

The mother-daughter duo donned an all-black look, wearing their hair loose as they beamed at the camera.

'Merry Christmas, from our hearts to yours,' Marla wrote on the post. 'Love, Marla & Tiffany.'

Ivanka Trump, 42, husband Jared Kushner, and their three kids - Arabella, 12; Joseph, 10; and Theodore, seven - were pictured with former US President Donald Trump

The family also shared a Christmas lunch with Ivanka's 97-year-old maternal grandmother Marie Zelnickova (pictured)

Meanwhile Ivanka also shared some festive snaps to social media, posting a Christmas snap - as well as some throwback pics - of the merry day.

Sharing two pictures to her Instagram story, the second eldest child of Donald's first wife Ivana and the president, showed off her smiling family celebrating the holidays.

In one picture, Ivanka, 42, husband Jared Kushner, and their three kids  Arabella, 12; Joseph, 10; and Theodore, seven  all posed with the former first daughter's grandmother as they celebrated Christmas lunch.

The whole family looked casual and chic in the snap, wearing shades of light green and white as they gathered around Ivanka's 97-year-old maternal grandmother, Marie Zelnickova.

'Christmas lunch with Babi,' the former political advisor wrote on the picture.

She also uploaded a photo of her family later in the evening, standing in front of an extravagant Christmas tree with her father.

The family were dressed up for the celebration, with the mom-of-three simply adding a Merry Christmas gif to her Instagram story.

She also posted a throwback picture of herself as a child, standing next to a carefully decorated Christmas tree wearing a red pea coat.

Marla Maples, 60, who was married to former president Donald Trump from 1993 to 1999, posted a photo of her and her daughter Tiffany Trump, 30, posing in front of a Christmas tree

She also posted a throwback picture of herself as a child, standing next to a carefully decorated Christmas tree wearing a red pea coat

Ivanka put on a stylish display while attending the Miami Dolphins game with her family - before sharing adorable snaps of her celebrating Christmas as a child

Ivanka had shared a slew of pictures before the holidays.

Earlier in December, she shared some sweet family snaps and a message urging people to 'bring light to the world' on the first night of Hanukkah, amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

Ivanka also put on a stylish display while attending the Miami Dolphins game with her family on Christmas Eve - before sharing adorable snaps of her celebrating Christmas as a child.

While her children all sported Miami Dolphins jerseys, Ivanka and Jared opted for minimalist looks by donning white and black outfits.

In one snap, Ivanka embraced her three children and kept her iconic black shades on.

She captioned the photo: 'Christmas Eve showdown in Miami. Surrounded by family, Dolphins and Cowboys on this festive day.'
She was cruelly branded a 'Stepford-like royal wife' and the monarchy's 'last shiny thing for many years to come' in Omid Scobie's bombshell book Endgame.

But behind the scenes, the Princess of Wales is far from the public perception of a smiling royal wife who only does the bidding of others.

Speaking to People, royal author Valentine Low said that behind the scenes, Kate is a lot more steely than she looks and it's this character trait that makes her a crucial support to Prince William.

'She has this public image of being nice and smiley and, dare I say, innocuous,' said Low, whose book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown was released earlier this year.

The Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte attend the Christmas Morning Service at Sandringham Church in Norfolk

While she might be viewed as 'innocuous', Kate has a much more steely character than people might expect, according to author Valentine Low

'But she is actually strong-minded, strong-willed and prepared to fight for what she wants and what she thinks is right.'

He added that as future Queen, Kate thinks 'strategically' about the longterm interests of the monarchy and royal family.

Just one example is Kate's input in the infamous statement released by the Royal Family in the wake of Harry and Meghan's explosive Oprah interview.

A draft palace statement initially did not include the famous expression, 'recollections may very' and the late Queen initially approved a 'much milder version'.

When a courtier first suggested the phrase  which was hailed as a classic iron-fist-in-velvet-glove royal manoeuvre  at least two palace officials argued against it in case it riled Harry and Meghan further.

But it was Kate, then the Duchess of Cambridge, 'who pressed home the argument that it should remain', according to Low.

In his book, he quotes a source as saying: 'It was Kate who clearly made the point, 'History will judge this statement and unless this phrase or a phrase like it is included, everything that they have said will be taken as true'.

It comes after Kate enjoyed Christmas Day with the Royal Family at Sandringham, looking effortlessly chic as she attended church at Sandringham yesterday.

Kate, 41, beamed alongside her children Prince Louis, five, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince George, 10, in a blue Alexander McQueen coat and customised Gianvito Rossi Glen 85 boots as she made her way to St Mary Magdalene Church on the Norfolk Estate.

The Princess of Wales, and Prince George meet well-wishers after attending the Christmas day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham

Catherine, Princess of Wales and Mia Tindall hands Mia Tindall flowers as they reet well-wishers after attending the Christmas Morning Service at Sandringham Church

Prince Louis sweetly held hands with his second cousin Mia Tindall as he joined the rest of the royal family at Sandringham on Christmas Day

Holding hands with Princess Charlotte, Kate beamed as she walked past well-wishers.

Adding a touch of glam to the festive look, Diana paid a sweet tribute to her mother-in-law by wearing a pair of Princess Diana's earrings.

A wedding present from Crown Prince Fahd, Princess Diana's 'The Saudi Suite' set includes a sapphire watch, earrings, bracelet, ring and necklace.

Diana, who famously loved sapphires, wore the entire set to a Brisbane state reception in 1983, but also experimented with each item separately.

The earrings contained detachable sapphire drops, which Diana removed before wearing the resultant chunky studs, each surrounded by ten round diamonds, to mark Harrys birth in 1985.

When William gave them to Kate after their engagement in 2010 she too put her own stamp on them, refashioning them into modest drop earrings.

Kate, who is known to wear the same clothes in several colours, also owns a green version of the Alexander McQueen coat, which she wore on a trip to Boston.

She paired the look with a festive fascinator, navy polo neck and midi crimped skirt.

Hundreds of well-wishers queued since the early hours to catch a glimpse of the royals, and waved excitedly as Charles and Camilla made their way to the church.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry has remained in the US with Meghan and their two children Archie and Lilibet - despite recent hopes of a thaw in relations between King Charles and his youngest son.
The three most common refunds consumers will be seeking now are in relation to unwanted Christmas gifts and delayed or cancelled flights and trains.

With this in mind, here's what you need to know to secure your refund...

Unwanted gift refund rights vary

When returning unwanted Christmas presents, it is important to understand what rights you have to do so and the conditions you must meet in order for the trader to accept your return.

The position differs depending on whether the gift was purchased from a retailer's shop/trading premises or another location such as online, at an exhibition or a pop-up shop.

Christmas reprieve: Many retailers implement special return rights over the festive period and therefore accept the return of unwanted gifts

Online purchases and the 14-day return rule

When goods are purchased online or away from the retailer's/trader's normal place of business (known as 'distance sales'), a law called the Consumer Contracts Regulations applies.

This provides that, unless the goods are bespoke or perishable, you can change your mind, return them and obtain a full refund so long as you notify the retailer within 14 days of delivery, then return them within 14 days.

This can obviously be tricky with Christmas gifts as the goods are likely to have been delivered to the bearer of the gift more than 14 days prior to the date when you decide to return them.

You will therefore need to look at the retailer's Christmas returns policy, as many provide for extended return periods during the festive season.

No change of heart if bought in store

Unlike distance sales, when you purchase goods instore there is no automatic right for you to change your mind and obtain a refund.

However, in recognition that there will always be some unwanted gifts at this time of year, many retailers implement special return rights over the festive period and, therefore, accept the return of such presents.

Each retailer's terms differ, so you will need to look at the returns policy of the one where your gift was purchased and, in particular, take note of the deadlines.

You DON'T need the receipt

Let me dispel the 'you need the receipt to return unwanted gifts' myth; you do not.

The actual requirement is that you must be able to produce 'proof of purchase', and this does not have to be the paper receipt.

It can be a bank or card statement (if the gift was paid for with a debit or credit card) or even an email confirmation of the purchase from the retailer.

I even convinced Tesco once to look on its CCTV to confirm a consumer had, indeed, purchased an item from its store, which led the retail giant to issue a refund.

Never cut off price tags

Unwanted gifts must be returned to the retailer in a 'saleable' condition for you to obtain a refund.

This means in a condition that allows the retailer to immediately resell the item.

Essential: Never cut off the price tags or product labels unless you are sure you want to keep the gift, and make sure you keep the packaging intact

If the packaging is damaged or you have used the item, you will hand the retailer the right to refuse the return.

So never cut off the price tags or product labels unless you are sure you want to keep the gift, and make sure you keep the packaging intact.

How to send goods back

This is where it can all go wrong, and has been one of the most common complaints I've heard this year.

Can a restaurant force me to pay a tip for such an awful Christmas dinner? DEAN DUNHAM replies I paid a deposit for a Christmas Eve dinner at our local restaurant. Sadly it wasnt up to much: service was slow, the food overcooked. As such, I didnt leave a tip, but then the manager took it anyway from my deposit. How is that legal?

The problem arises when you send the goods back and the retailer then claims that either they did not receive them or you returned the wrong item, leaving you in the difficult position of proving you did send back the goods. To avoid this common issue, I have three tips.

To avoid this common issue, I have three tips.

Always send goods back via the courier nominated by the retailer. This means the contract is between the courier and retailer, and not you; so if the goods are damaged in transit, it is not your problem.

Take photos of the goods in the box/packaging at the Post Office (or wherever you send the parcel from).

Ask for the package to be weighed, then take a picture of the scales clearly displaying the weight.

As ridiculous as it sounds, these three key pieces of evidence will go a long way towards proving you sent the goods back if you fall into dispute.

Be prepared to accept a voucher

If the gift was purchased instore, the retailer can insist on giving you a voucher instead of a cash refund if this important term is contained in its refund policy.

Beware of delivery fees

It is now becoming common for retailers to charge for sending goods back via their nominated courier service, and consumers are always asking me if this is legal.

The answer is yes, so long as the retailer clearly notifies you of the charges, does not over-inflate them (so they need to be reasonable) and does not attempt to charge you for returning faulty goods  which would be contrary to the Consumer Rights Act (see below).

Faulty goods will get you a refund

If you open your gift and find it is faulty, all of the above go out of the window.

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you an automatic right to return faulty goods, regardless of the state of the packaging, and to obtain a free repair, replacement goods or a refund.

Retailers also cannot fob you off with a voucher in these circumstances.

Flight rights: If your flight is delayed you will not be entitled to a refund, but if you arrived three or more hours late to your final destination, you may be entitled to compensation

Rain in Spain? No refund on a plane

If you have had a flight cancelled, you will be entitled to a refund, unless you accepted an alternative flight offered by the airline.

This is thanks to a law called UK261, which also says you can claim compensation if the flight is cancelled less than 14 days prior to your date of departure.

If your flight is delayed, you will not be entitled to a refund. But if you arrived three or more hours late to your final destination, you may be entitled to compensation.

However, the airline will be able to dodge your compensation claim if the cause of the delay (or cancellation) was an event that falls within the definition of 'extraordinary circumstances'.

This effectively means the event/issue that caused the delay was outside of the airline's control and there were no reasonable measures it could have taken to avoid the delay.

By way of example, severe adverse weather is outside of the airline's control and there is little it can do to avoid this.

By contrast, a shortage of crew is a matter the airlines can influence and take reasonable measures to avoid by recruiting additional staff and having back-ups, especially where the shortage occurs at an airport where the airline has a big presence.

Train journey refunds

If your train is delayed or cancelled and you choose not to travel, you will be entitled to have your unused ticket refunded without any fees being deducted by the original retailer that sold you the ticket.

Derailed: If your train is delayed or cancelled and you choose not to travel, you will be entitled to have your unused ticket refunded without any fees being deducted

...and compensation

Should your train arrive late to your destination due to a cancelled or delayed service, you may be able to claim compensation. The amount and the process for doing so will depend on:

Which train company you travelled with  different companies have different schemes, but they all offer compensation.

The type of ticket you have  for example, compensation for a single 'day' ticket is calculated differently than that for a seven-day season ticket.

The length of the delay in arriving at your destination  each train company has its own compensation threshold, which will be detailed in the Passenger's Charter on its website. For example, if you are delayed by more than an hour, you will generally receive more compensation than if you were delayed by 15 to 30 minutes.

Claims can be made online, or by post using a form that you can download from the train company website or get from a staffed station.

Make use of delay repay

Delay Repay is a nationwide scheme that makes it easier for you to get compensation on rail journeys.

If you are delayed for any reason when you travel on a participating National Rail service, you can claim Delay Repay.

The delay is calculated against either the normal timetable or an amended one that is published in advance (for example during planned engineering works at weekends).

Visit your train company's website to find out more about the scheme and its compensation.

Take complaints further

If your request for a refund or compensation is rejected, there are three possible steps you can take:

Chargeback/Section 75  If the gift, plane or train ticket was paid for with a debit card or credit card within the last 120 days, you can make a chargeback claim.

If it was more than 120 days and payment was on a credit card, you can make a Section 75 claim if the amount was between 100.01 and 30,000.

In both cases you will need to say there has been a breach of contract as you were entitled to the refund/compensation; and, with gifts, the bearer of the gift will have to make the claim.

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)  If a retailer refuses to accept your return, you can ask if it is subscribed to an ADR scheme, such as RetailADR or the Furniture & Home Improvement Ombudsman.

If an airline refuses to refund or pay you compensation, ask if it is subscribed to an ADR scheme, which will be either AviationADR (aviationadr.org.uk) or CEDR (cedr.com), as most now are. If it is subscribed, your next step is to lodge a claim with the relevant scheme.

If it is not subscribed, take your complaint to PACT, the default conciliation service operated by the Civil Aviation Authority (caa.co.uk). Note that you can only lodge a claim with PACT if the airline is not subscribed to AviationADR or CEDR.

Rail Ombudsman  If a train operator rejects your claim, you can take your complaint to the Rail Ombudsman (railombudsman.org).
1. What is the average price of a house in the UK, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics?

a) 413,000

b) 288,000

c) 235,000

d) 304,000

2. How many people currently hold Premium Bonds?

a) 14 million

b) 18 million

c) 22 million

d) 25 million

Wealth: Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy (pictured together at this year's Conservative Party Conference) are worth an estimated 529m

3. Rishi Sunak is the wealthiest Prime Minister of modern times and, with his wife Akshata Murthy, is worth an estimated 529 million. Who was the richest Prime Minister in office before him?

a) David Lloyd George

b) Edward Smith Stanley

c) Arthur James Balfour

d) Neville Chamberlain

4. What year was decimalisation introduced in Britain?

a) 1971

b) 1945

c) 1960

d) 1989

5. The first ATM was set up at a Barclays branch, but in which year?

a) 1967

b) 1975

c) 1981

d) 1999

The first ATM was set up at a Barclays branch, but in which year?

6. And which town was it in?

a) Milton Keynes

b) Wilmslow

c) Basingstoke

d) Enfield

7. What does Isa stand for?

a) Independent Spending Account

b) Individual Savings Association

c) Independent Spending Association

d) Individual Savings Account

8. What is the current minimum wage for people over 23?

a) 9.92

b) 10.12

c) 10.42

d) 11.81

9. What is the nickname of the Bank of England, which originated in a 1797 cartoon?

a) Vault of the Exchequer

b) Central Counting House

c) Old Lady of Threadneedle Street

d) The Hoard on Prince's Street

Central bank: The Bank of England's nickname originated in a 1797 cartoon published by James Gillray

10. The Royal Mint headquarters is in which Welsh town?

a) Wrexham

b) Llantrisant

c) Bangor

d) Llandudno

11. Which British figure is featured on the 5 note?

a) Winston Churchill

b) Aneurin Bevan

c) Jane Austen

d) William Shakespeare

12. Which body is responsible for setting the UK's base rate?

a) The Financial Services Compensation Scheme

b) The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee

c) UK Finance

d) The Financial Conduct Authority

13. In what year was the modern London Stock Exchange founded?

a) 1784

b) 1801

c) 1836

d) 1859

14. What is the maximum amount an individual can hold in Premium Bonds?

a) 45,000

b) 25,000

c) 50,000

d) 60,000

15. Which former Chancellor of the Exchequer, who died in 2023, was the architect of the Personal Equity Plan (PEP), which was the precursor to the Isa?

a) Denis Healey

b) Alistair Darling

c) Nigel Lawson

d) Geoffrey Howe

16. Which bank announced more than 200 branch closures in 2023  and whose former chief executive was banned by the City regulator from holding any senior City position?

a) Barclays

b) HSBC

c) Lloyds

d) Santander

Up to what value can you pay in 20p pieces?

17. Up to what value can you pay in 20p pieces before shops can refuse your payment?

a) 5

b) 10

c) 20

d) 12

18. Which building society gave away 100 windfalls to eligible customers in 2023?

a) Yorkshire

b) Leeds

c) Principality

d) Nationwide

19. Which building society merged with Newcastle BS in 2023?

a) Coventry

b) Leeds

c) Nottingham

d) Manchester

20. Which Cumbrian town is home to the country's smallest building society?

a) Windermere

b) Penrith

c) Brampton

d) Keswick

21. How many sides does a 1 coin have?

a) 8

b) 10

c) 12

d) 14

22. What is the study of coins and currency units called?

a) Numismatics

b) Monetology

c) Pecunismatics

d) Nomismology

23. The Bank of England base rate currently stands at 5.25 per cent  rising from a historic low of 0.1 per cent in 2020. But this is still a far cry from the historic high the base rate hit in late 1979 and early 1980. What was this record level?

a) 13 per cent

b) 17 per cent

c) 19 per cent

d) 21 per cent

24. The amount of money you can put into a personal pension to benefit from tax relief each year was raised in 2023. What is the new figure?

a) 35,000

b) 50,000

c) 60,000

d) 80,000

Prize pot: National Savings & Investment Premium Bond holders now have a one in 24,000 chance of winning between 25 and 1m or every 1 put into the draw

25. National Savings & Investments Premium Bond holders now have a one-in-24,000 chance of winning between 25 and 1 million for every 1 put into the draw. The winners are picked every month by the computer Ernie. What does his acronym stand for?

a) Electric Random Number Internet Emulator

b) Electric Resource Number Indicator Emulator

c) Electronic Radio Network Internet Equipment

d) Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment

26. Who is the Sage of Omaha?

a) Bill Gates

b) Jeff Bezos

c) Steve Ballmer

d) Warren Buffett

27. What is the name for an old English and Irish coin worth 4 old pence?

a) Leopard

b) Farthing

c) Groat

d) Shilling

28. The Wall Street Crash happened in what month of which year?

a) February 1907

b) October 1929

c) June 1934

d) November 1948

29. A 'Pony' is cockney rhyming slang for what value of money?

a) 25

b) 50

c) 100

d) 150

30. Which country was the first to use paper currency, in the 7th century AD?

a) New Zealand

b) France

c) Russia

d) China

ANSWERS

1. b); 2. c); 3. b); 4. a); 5. a); 6. d); 7. d); 8. c); 9. c); 10. b); 11. a); 12. b); 13. b); 14. c); 15. c); 16. a); 17. b); 18. d); 19. d); 20. b); 21. c); 22. a); 23. b); 24. c); 25. d); 26. d); 27. c); 28. b); 29. a); 30. d).
Do YOU know any of the Ulez guards?

Do YOU know any of the Ulez guards?

Sadiq Khan has hired a goon squad of thugs with face tattoos wearing skeleton balaclavas to protect his hated Ulez cameras, it has been alleged.

Homeowners in suburban London said the gang of 'masked heavies' would often dress in black and hang around schools and homes while recording passersby on body cameras.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives have slammed Khan's antics as 'intimidation' and promised they will scrap the Ulez expansion if they win the mayoral election in May.

The TfL claimed the guards are held to 'high standards of professionalism' and that they were necessary to protect Ulez cameras from the Blade Runners.

Mother-of-five Claire Dyer, 47, from Biggin Hill in Bromley, claimed concerned residents lived in fear of the Ulez protection gang.

She told MailOnline: 'You have thuggish security - they don't need to be behaving the way that they are.

Do YOU know any of the Ulez guards? Email chris.matthews@mailonline.co.uk

Sadiq Khan has hired a goon squad of thugs with face tattoos wearing skeleton balaclavas to protect his hated Ulez cameras on mobile vans (pictured), MailOnline can reveal

Homeowners in suburban London said the gang of 'masked heavies' would often dress in black and hang around schools and homes while recording passersby on body cameras

Meanwhile, the Conservatives have slammed Khan's antics as 'intimidation' and promised they will scrap the Ulez expansion if they win the mayoral election in May

Neil Garratt, the leader of City Hall Conservatives, said: 'Like Dick Turpin, Mayor Khan's modern day masked highwayman like to hide their faces'

Some of Sadiq Khan's hired security guards have face tattoos and wear clothes with skulls on them

'All you can see is their eyes. They are wearing masks and balaclavas - even that might have skeletons on them.

'Dressing all in black with body cameras all in masks.

'They seem to be above the law.

'They say they are a TFL representative but they don't actually work for TFL. It's such a grey area.

'Why are they trying to harass people?

'We are not aggressive or violent, just every day people. We are not hardened criminals.

'It feels like there has been a direct order to get us accused of something we haven't [done].

'We are not inner city London. We have elderly [people] who live in the area who now can't leave their homes.

Mother-of-five Claire Dyer, 47, from Bromley, said: 'All you can see is their eyes. They are wearing masks and balaclavas - even that might have skeletons on them'

Many Londoners have complained about Sadiq Khan's Ulez expansion, often taping over cameras to show their displeasure

Two 'masked heavies' hiding their faces and wearing body cameras stand outside people's homes

TfL said the security guards wore plain, dark clothes while on the job and were also allowed to wear hats

Yet TfL refused to comment on the guards wearing balaclavas and masks but said the use of mobile camera vans will be reviewed continually to ensure the Ulez was being enforced effectively

The masked security guards have been accused of acting unprofessionally. Some of them have terrified locals with their actions

'Sadiq Khan is very powerful. You are going up against powerful people and we are just normal citizens.

'We don't know what's going on.'

Neil Garratt, the leader of City Hall Conservatives, said: 'Like Dick Turpin, Mayor Khan's modern day masked highwayman like to hide their faces.

'As they stand guard over his Ulez detector vans by schools and homes, these masked heavies make a menacing site in suburban London.

Mother-of-five Claire Dyer, 47, (pictured) from Biggin Hill in Bromley, claimed concerned residents lived in fear of the Ulez protection gang

Anti-Ulez campaigners have taken to blocking the view of cameras to indicate their thoughts about the scheme

Conservative mayoral candidate Susan Hall (left) said: 'Sadiq Khan's (right) masked Ulez enforcers intimidating and scaring locals is outrageous'

A secret army has been vandalising and stealing Sadiq Khan's Ulez cameras. Two of the 'Blade Runners' showed MailOnline some of the cameras they had taken down

The secretive group works whenever it can to remove the cameras from the streets of London

'Mr Khan rarely deigns to visit these parts, so his Ulez goon squad are now the face of his flagship vehicle toll, hitting outer London to raise cash for TfL, cash which we know he will spend somewhere else.'

Mother-of-five Claire has seen first-hand what Khan's goon squad is capable of.

She saw the moment driving instructor and anti-Ulez campaigner Heather Watts was struck by a security car guarding one of Sadiq Khan's hated camera vans.

Heather was standing in front of the car on Biggin Hill, when it appeared to drive into her, leaving her legs with severe bruising.

She was left on crutches because of the crash and said she thought she was going to go beneath the car.

Footage showed anti-Ulez campaigners screaming and hitting the security car as it appeared to hit Heather's legs before driving after her as she hobbled away.

One of the campaigners begged for the car to stop before he shouted for the police and asked passers-by to call an ambulance.

This is the moment an anti-Ulez campaigner was struck by a security car guarding one of Sadiq Khan 's hated camera vans

Driving instructor Heather Watts (pictured) was standing in front of the car on Biggin Hill, Bromley, when it appeared to drive into her, leaving her legs with severe bruising

Footage showed anti-Ulez campaigners screaming and hitting the security car as it appeared to hit Heather's legs before driving after her as she hobbled away

Heather was left on crutches because of the crash and said she thought she was going to go beneath the car

Meanwhile, the car drove off without stopping to check on Heather's condition.

At the time, Claire told MailOnline that Ulez security guards were 'roaming our streets on a daily basis'.

She said since then the goon squad have not been 'acting professionally at all' and had been seen 'pushing' people.

Claire said they had been 'pulled off the streets for a few days' but have now started appearing again.

She said there were 'safeguarding issues' as the heavies had been within 500m of a special needs school while thought to be recording passersby.

Conservative mayoral candidate Susan Hall said: 'Sadiq Khan's masked Ulez enforcers intimidating and scaring locals is outrageous.

'Londoners deserve respect, not fear.

'I will put an end to this intimidation by scrapping the Ulez expansion on day one if elected in May.'

Heather said the car hit her legs and pushed her onto the bonnet. She is reportedly still shaken by what happened to her

She told ITV News: 'I was hobbling to try and get away. I thought I was going to go under the car and with that they just went'

TfL said the security guards wore plain, dark clothes while on the job and were also allowed to wear hats.

It refused to comment on the guards wearing balaclavas and masks but said the use of mobile camera vans will be reviewed continually to ensure the Ulez was being enforced effectively.

A TfL spokesperson said: 'Our security workers are directed not to wear face coverings unless they feel threatened by being closely filmed.

'Wearing of medical masks is permitted. We will remind our contractors of the situations when they can be worn.

They added: 'We have hired a small number of qualified security staff who are suitably licensed by the Security Industry Authority, due to ongoing criminal damage to Ulez cameras and vehicles.

'They are held to high standards of professionalism.

'Unfortunately, our contractors have been subjected to threats and abuse while carrying out their duties so they are advised to record any issues on body-worn cameras to deescalate conflict and if necessary, record evidence for police investigations.

'Vandalism is unacceptable and all incidents on our network are reported to the police for investigation.

'Criminal damage to Ulez cameras or vehicles puts the perpetrators at risk of prosecution and injury, while simultaneously risking the safety of the public.

'Camera vandalism will not stop the Ulez operating London-wide. All vandalised cameras are repaired or replaced as soon as possible.

'We have an extensive camera network which is sufficient to support the effective operation of the scheme.

'Across both inner and outer London, 95 per cent of vehicles overall seen driving in London on an average day now comply with the Ulez emissions standards.'

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) said: 'We are in ongoing liaison with the client and the security businesses responsible for this contract to ensure that all legal requirements under the Private Security Industry 2001 are met.

'SIA licence holders are not employed by the SIA. We take our responsibility to protect the public very seriously.

'We want to know when people working in the private security industry break the law or do something that might bring the industry into disrepute.

'You can tell us here: www.gov.uk/report-security-staff-or-companies.'

Sadiq Khan did not respond to a request for comment.

Do YOU know any of the Ulez guards? Email chris.matthews@mailonline.co.uk
Jewish Americans are combatting anti-Semitism and open harassment by their neighbors, communities and housing authorities - and it is only getting worse.

First Liberty Institute, a legal nonprofit, is working on a series of first amendment religious discrimination cases on behalf of Jewish families, community leaders and individuals.

Many of the harassment and discrimination they have been dealing with came well before the October 7th bloody attack by Hamas terrorists on Israel.

And since the massacre that resulted in over 1,400 deaths, there has been an uptick in anti-Semitic events and attacks across the U.S.

One family in Florida is facing 'ongoing, open antisemitism and discrimination' by their home owners association (HOA).

In another case in Beverly Hills, California, Rabbi Illulian was bullied by the city for hosting prayer gatherings in his own home

After receiving a complaint from a private citizen in the neighborhood, Beverly Hills city officials started to surveil the individuals and cars coming in and out of the Rabbi's home

Rabbi Hertzel and his wife say they have been unlawfully discriminated against by their local HOA for their orthodox Jewish faith since 2016, but it has reached 'new levels' in recent years.

The Boca Raton, Florida, HOA has allegedly squashed their efforts to build a synagogue by fostering a 'hostile' housing environment and 'expressly invoking Nazi Germany' in conversations with neighbors.

The Hertzels' home has also been vandalized and HOA leadership has 'openly admitted' that they are going after them because they are religious Jews.

'When we don't commit ourselves to tolerating differences of opinion when it comes to religion, we become a very ugly people,' Jeremy Dys, senior counsel for First Liberty Institute, told DailyMail.com.

'And that ugliness just doesn't exercise itself in terms of words. It far too often slides into some level of violence. That's why we have to have the strong protections of religious freedom to avoid any potential slide down the path towards violence,' Dys continued.

In another case in Beverly Hills, California, Rabbi Illulian was bullied by the city for hosting prayer and other religious gatherings in his own home.

After receiving a complaint from a private citizen in his neighborhood, Beverly Hills city officials started to surveil the individuals and cars coming in and out of the Rabbi's home.

That included his uncles, siblings, cousins and other family members who celebrated Shabbat prayers and traditional religious holidays together.

In a few instances, a neighbor laid down nails and slashed the tires of the religious gatherers. They have also been ticketed by the city for parking outside the Rabbi's home during prayers.

Dys said Rabbi Illulian's case illustrates that if religious freedom protections are not enforced and 'hecklers have the veto power' over religious neighbors, it 'never de-escalates it only escalates into something worse.'

After First Liberty intervened on behalf of the Rabbi, the city eventually backed down.

Another small Jewish congregation in Houston, Texas, had their power cut off after they started doing repairs to their synagogue.

The city said they needed permits to do the work on their place of worship, and the lights have remained off despite the start of Hanukkah and it being extremely dark at the start of wintertime.

Only once a legal case was brought to the Houston City Court on behalf of the congregation, the city eventually allowed power to be restored.

Attorneys on behalf of the synagogue say that there is still a concern about people inside the enforcement office 'intimidating people' from helping their client. So the case is being carefully watched to see if the city attempts to try and shut down power or stall the project in other ways.

The incidents of Jewish rabbis, communities and families being targeted by their local cities and neighbors comes as there has been a rise in anti-Semitic attacks in recent months.

Last month, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League said in an appearance on MSNBC that anti-Semitism has increased by a staggering 388 percent since Hamas' barbaric assault on Israel that began on October 7.

In addition, Jewish sites across the United States reported 199 'swatting' incidents in 24 hours, a security consultancy on December 16 alone, highlighting the surge in hoaxes and terrifying rhetoric since the October 7 Hamas attack.

The Secure Community Network, which monitors antisemitic threats and liaises with law enforcement, said the surge in swatting - prank calls made to emergency services, in an attempt to send a large number of armed police officers to a site - and bomb threats was deeply troubling.

Hoboken police stand watch outside a synagogue in their New Jersey city. A group says there were 199 'swatting' reporters against Jewish facilities in a single day

A member of the New York Police Department patrols in front of the synagogue Congregation Bais Yaakov Nechamia Dsatmar on October 13 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The Secure Community Network, which monitors antisemitic threats and liaises with law enforcement, said the surge in swatting since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel

Michael Masters, CEO of the network, said it was wrong to see the bomb threat hoaxes and fake emergency calls as harmless jokes, because they heaped trauma upon trauma, and can cause actual injury.

'The alarming volume of swatting incidents and false bomb threats being carried out across the country is a major concern for the safety and security of the Jewish community in North America, as well as law enforcement,' Masters said.

The stunning one-day total comes as 2023 has seen a massive 541 percent jump in similar hoaxes compared to this time last year.
A surge in the number of children being monitored by Prevent for far-Right terrorism can be partly blamed on the amount of time young teens spent online during lockdown, it has been claimed.

The Metropolitan Police has warned it is seeing increasing numbers of young teenagers being radicalised, with some even being found planning terrorist attacks, after 'consuming violent, hateful and racist material' online.

The force has warned that this got worse throughout the pandemic and 'there is no doubt that there has been a knock-on effect' from the increased amount of time youngsters spent online during lockdown.

Figures show the Government's anti-terror programme received hundreds of referrals from concerned parents, teachers and loved ones about adolescents becoming caught up in extreme right-wing ideology.

The worrying statistics show that the number of under-15 year olds who have been targeted by the scheme for interventions has doubled compared to before the Covid pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, with 246 being put on action plans in just the last two years.

Figures from the Government's anti-terrorism Prevent programme show that the amount of children aged 14 and under requiring intervention for links far-right terrorism has doubled since the pandemic

Luke Skelton, 20, a far-right extremist, wrote the 'Reactionary British Manifesto' and was jailed for four years in July

Daniel Harris, a teenage Neo-Nazi who was able to inspire gun massacres by white supremacists in the US despite being under 'supervision' by probation officer

The latest figures show that in 2022/23 a total of 115 young teens were categorised as being at a genuine risk of radicalisation, down from 131 the year before.

However, both of these years are almost double the 68 interventions from Prevent for children being radicalised by the far-right in 2020/21.

Earlier this year the head of Counter Terrorism Policing warned online hatred was spilling over into 'real threats of violence on the streets'.

Counter Terrorism Policing's Head of Prevent, Detective Chief Superintendent Maria Lovegrove, this week warned that the amount of time children are spending online is leading to an increase in the problem.

DCS Lovegrove warned that the average age of those being dealt with by Prevent is 'getting younger', with figures showing 31 per cent of those put on action plans are aged 14 or below.

She said: 'Young people are increasingly dominating our casework at Counter Terrorism Policing, and that continues to be a significant concern for us.

'This is especially true in our extreme right wing casework, where we are seeing very young teenagers being radicalised towards serious terrorism offending  even attack planning.

'One of the drivers for this continuing trend is the amount of time that young people are spending online, and unfortunately children and teenagers are consuming violent, hateful and racist material which can lead to radicalisation.

'We saw this get worse throughout the pandemic, and there is no doubt that there has been a knock-on effect that we are still seeing now.

'Young people can be more vulnerable to what they see online, and extremists know this. They use a range of digital spaces, networks and platforms to influence and recruit, creating content that gradually draws young people into more dangerous spaces online.'

Daniel John Harris also tried to make a gun with a 3D printer. The 19-year-old made and uploaded five videos to an online channel, between February 2021 and March 2022

Earlier this year her colleague, Matt Jukes, warned that the rise in young terror suspects since 2019 was a 'really worrying trend' and said that officers had found teens downloading instructions for 3D printed firearms, buying chemicals online and the reconnaissance of potential targets.

In August he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'We know that the driving threat here is online but we also can see in our casework that for younger people than ever before, that's translating into the prospect of them actually carrying out acts of violence.'

READ MORE HERE: Radicalised teenagers who share extreme content without ever leaving their bedrooms pose new terror threat Advertisement

'But it's one in five of the arrests we make now involve someone under 18, and more of them involving under 25s, so this is a new and emerging threat, which should concern us all and certainly should concern us in respect to the online lives of our communities.'

Last year Mr Jukes warned that extremists were using video games to spout propaganda and recruit children online, with message platforms targeting boys as young as 13 with anti-Semitic, Islamophobic and violently misogynist propaganda.

He suggested the extreme Right was 'very heavily dominated by the online community and gaming'  especially 'first-person shooter' games.

'They are presenting something which is very attractive, potentially, to a vulnerable young boy who spends a lot of time gaming,' he said.

And it's not only those from 'disenfranchised or disengaged white communities'.

Mr Jukes said: 'Many of those seduced are well-educated and come from stable backgrounds and loving families. We see people whose backgrounds might be relatively middle class, relatively well-educated.

'This is a group substantially younger than we have seen in the past. There is a picture here of young people who are spending a great deal of time discussing and sharing and exchanging material online  but we are absolutely seeing some of that shift to plans to carry out terrorist attacks.'

In the last year there have been number of cases of teenagers being charged over their links to extreme right-wing ideology.

Daniel Harris, 19, from Derbyshire, who was convicted over videos he had posted online, which were then shared by a man who carried out an attack in Buffalo, New York.

Payton Gendron posted a video in May last year showing him carrying out an attack at Tops supermarket in the US city, leaving 10 dead.

Harris, who began sharing his hateful ideology online in 2020 when he was 17, was jailed for 11 years for posting videos promoting racist violence in January.

A student who planned a bomb attack on a police station to ignite a race war was also jailed for four years in July.

Daniel Harris, a teenage Neo-Nazi who was able to inspire gun massacres by white supremacists in the US despite being under 'supervision' by probation officers in the UK for racism offences

Teenage extremist Daniel Harris was sentenced to 11-and-a-half years in jail, and a further 3 years on licence, for five counts of encouraging terrorism and possessing a 3D printer for purposes of terrorism

Payton Gendron killed 10 black people in a racially-motivated mass shooting in May last year

Luke Skelton, 20, a far-right extremist, wrote the 'Reactionary British Manifesto', which he planned to release after carrying out the attack, a court heard.

The teenager. who began posting extreme views online in 2020, wrote down recipes for bomb-making and travelled to Newcastle City Centre to take surveillance pictures of a police station in September 2021.

The court heard he had researched how to make napalm and dynamite and written notes on his mobile phone about constructing a homemade bomb.

The court heard Skelton downloaded propaganda material on his phone from an extreme right-wing group. He was arrested by counter-terrorist police in June 2021 and told they were taking no further action, but in October he was arrested again and charged.

In one online message he wrote about becoming 'the great man of history.'

He said he wanted to 'accelerate the coming collapse and racial war' adding: 'Parliament will be responsible for the number of dead in the thousands.'

DCS Lovegrove told MailOnline that while police have got better at removing material that could radicalise, parents should watch out for worrying changes in their children's behaviour.

She said: 'Alongside the social media and technology companies, we have got better at identifying and removing huge volumes of extremist content.

'But there is a lot more to be done, and that is why we still need the help of the public to both identify and report this content, and to watch for the signs that it might be affecting someone they love.

'Parents are crucial in this fight, and whilst we know it can be uncomfortable to talk to children about extremism, parents should be looking out for potential signs that their loved one is vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism.

'There are lots of signs to watch for, including your child suddenly isolating themselves, becoming aggressive or sharing hateful views  they might also show signs they're being influenced by a new group.

'Parents know their children better than anyone, so if something doesn't feel right, please act early and report it to us at gov.uk/ActEarly before it's too late.

'You won't be wasting our time and you won't ruin lives, but you might save them.'
Voters weighing their options ahead of the 2024 election see their likely choice in bleak terms: A candidate seeking 'revenge' or a candidate with no real plans for his second term.

That is the stark result of an exclusive poll for DailyMail.com, which asked 1000 likely voters for one word to describe what Joe Biden and Donald Trump each want from a second term.

The results suggest why so many voters say they are underwhelmed with the choice facing them.

For Biden they show that he is failing to communicate a clear manifesto to voters.

'Nothing,' was by far the most popular word to describe what he wanted to achieve, with 'economy,' and 'peace' the next in line.

JL Partners asked 1000 likely voters for the one word they associated with Joe Biden's plans for a second term. The results will make sobering reading for the president's campaign

The 2024 election is heading towards a rerun of the 2020 matchup between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Voters do not seem enthused by the prospect

The wordcloud is very different for Trump, who has perhaps been too successful in signposting his intentions.

The former president, who spends a huge amount of his time railing against opponents and critics, is associated with: 'Revenge', 'power,' and 'dictatorship.'

'It distils the essence of this campaign pretty accurately,' said author and conservative commentator Matt Lewis.

'In the case of Donald Trump, the brand that has emerged is one that he has intentionally cultivated, and he has sought to become the candidate of vengeance.

'In the case of Biden, I think this is perhaps not great news. But then again it's not terrible: It could have been old, it could have been demented.

'Instead, it's nothing. It's a blank slate. And they do say vanilla is the most popular flavor of ice cream.'

Both candidates have had problems getting their message out in the past months.

Trump's campaign appearances have been sandwiched between court dates and legal prep. At times he has had to use courtroom steps to deliver his political tirades, railing against prosecutors and judges that he said were intent on keeping him from the White House.

Trump has used rally speeches and other appearances to rail against opponents. He has even leaned into the idea of being a dictator at times, as a way of getting things done

Trump has used his court appearances to rail against opponents to the assembled press

READ MORE: Economic worries and political weariness in Atlanta's bellwether precinct give a taste of 2024 Advertisement

In the new year he is scheduled to get back on the campaign trail in Iowa, ahead of its caucuses in mid January, and his first big chance to chalk up victories against his Republican opponents for the party nomination.

Meanwhile, Biden has been trying to manage a string of crises. From Ukraine to the Middle East to the border with Mexico, he has been juggling the demands of international allies, as well as Congressional friends and enemies, from the White House.

Poll after poll has shown that his positive message, that he is the best person to manage the economic recovery from the pandemic, is falling on deaf ears.

Aides privately say he will be stepping up his campaign events in the new year.

It can't come soon enough for his supporters. He has seen his lead over Trump evaporate in the past six months.

In a head-to-head matchup, our DailyMail.com poll had Biden one-point ahead in June; one point behind in September and October, and now three points behind.

James Johnson, co-founder of polling firm J.L. Partners, said the wordclouds made for bleak reading.

'Biden may not have set the world alight three years ago but he was the candidate of calm, and recovery from the pandemic. Now he is the nothing man,' he said.

'And for Trump, rather than people thinking he has a plan to restore America, most think he is just out for personal revenge.'

That may not be winning message by itself, he added.

The wordcloud for independents' thoughts on a Biden second term shows how much work he has to do to win over floating voters. Some see him as being interested only in retaining power

While Biden offers something of a blank slate to independent voters, they have a clear image of who Trump is and what he might be looking for in a second term

'But without a viable alternative from Biden, they may opt for Trump anyway; at least "revenge" means doing something.

'The Biden campaign will be hoping to set out their vision of his second term in the coming months to shift views. But the big question is, is the American public listening?'

Trump has been clear in what he plans for a second term. He has talked of seeking to 'weaponize' the Department of Justice, and of wanting 'retribution' again enemies that he has branded 'vermin.'

After the violence of Jan. 6, his core team is made up of loyalists who may be less likely to restrain than his first-term officials.

And when he was asked directly by Fox News host Sean Hannity, to promise 'you would never abuse power as retribution against anybody?' his response was designed to trigger outrage: 'Except for day one.'

In their word clouds, Democrats show that they were listening: Power, dictatorship, corruption, all feature, along with destroy, anarchy and corruption.

J.L. Partners polled 1000 likely voters about their intentions for the 2024 election. They showed Trump has extended his lead over Biden in the past six months

Republicans use terms that are more approving: America, success, and peace, as well as others that see a leader who will tackle pressing problems such as border and economy.

Democrats have a clearer idea of what they think Biden wants to achieve in a second term. The top words they picked were: Economy, democracy and peace.

Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf said the results showed that people had strong feelings about Trump, but were less certain about Biden.

That could be a weakness for the president, he said.

'The Biden strategy right now is to make is to make sure that people know Trump is not anti our democratic system. That his rhetoric is dangerous, therefore, he is dangerous,' he said.

'But what this poll says is, that may not be the case, because we really don't know whether people think he is dangerous or not.'
Donald Trump is extending his lead over Joe Biden, as the contours of next year's presidential election come into focus.

Trump may face legal jeopardy as he battles a string of court cases but he now leads Biden by four points in the latest Dailymail.com/J.L. Partners poll.

The results show the former president winning over independent voters while Biden has seen his support fall within his own party and among women.

The numbers will reignite debate about whether or not Biden, 81, can generate enough excitement among Democrats to make good on his promise that he is the best candidate to beat Trump, 77.

And it comes after a separate DailyMail.com poll showed he was losing to Trump in two out of three key battleground states.

J.L. Partners polled 984 likely voters nationwide. The results show Donald Trump has a four-point lead over Joe Biden. The results carry a 3.1-point margin of error

Biden has seen his narrow lead in national polls disappear since the start of the year. Trump is also head in a series of swing states that will likely decide the result

EXCLUSIVE READ MORE: Voters describe Trump and Biden's plans for a second term as REVENGE or NOTHING Advertisement

To look at the overall national picture, J.L. Partners surveyed 984 likely voters using landline and cellphone calls, as well as SMS messages and smartphone apps.

When asked who they would vote for if the election were tomorrow, 40 percent of respondents picked Trump and 36 percent chose Biden.

Independents Robert Kennedy Jr. and Cornell West won 4 percent and one percent respectively, while Green candidate Jill Stein's share was rounded down to zero.

That leaves much to play for. Some 18 percent said they were still undecided or wanted a different candidate.

And the poll went into the field before Colorado's supreme court added another twist, disqualifying the former president from the state's Republican primary.

Even so, James Johnson, co-founder of J.L. Partners, said Trump was on the up and up.

'Voters might think Trump is guilty of the charges he has put to him, including a sizeable chunk of Republicans, but his record in his first term means he is still attracting support,' he said.

'But look closer and it becomes clear that Trumps lead is more because of Biden weakness than Trump strength.

'Biden has taken a particular hit amongst 18-29 year old women, and suffers from low enthusiasm amongst black people too. There is also a big chunk of undecideds  one in ten of Biden 2020 voters  who might not like Biden but cant bring themselves to vote for Trump.

'The takeaway from this has to be that, come the election, the race will be tighter. As we end 2023, both candidates have it all to play for.'

Biden had the advantage earlier in the year, but has seen momentum shift to his most likely opponent in next year's general election

J.L. Partners polled 550 voters in Arizona, in Georgia and Wisconsin last month. The results showed Joe Biden in danger of losing two states that helped him win in 2020

Trump has yet to secure the Republican nomination. That picture will become clearer in January when Republicans in Iowa and New Hampshire pick their preferred candidate.

For the moment, he remains the undisputed frontrunner.

When voters were offered a straight choice between Biden and Trump, the former president won by 46 points to 43.

However, the race is tight. All the results come with a 3.1-point margin of error.

But they show where momentum lies. Trump was two points behind Biden in the first DailyMail.com poll in June, before holding a one-point lead in September and in October.

Those polls show that Trump has gone from four points behind with independents to two points ahead.

Meanwhile, Biden's overwhelming lead with young women has fizzled from 12 points to two points. And white voters have moved increasingly to Trump at the same time.

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump attends a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa

Biden has struggled with questions about his age and voters continue to say they are worried about the economy under his stewardship, despite a series of key indicators all moving in the right direction.

His overall approval rating remains well under water.

In contrast, Trump seems not to have suffered from indictments in four criminal cases during the past year.

Whether a conviction would finally strip away his non-stick coating remains to be seen.

Our new poll offers further insights into the race. J.L. Partners also asked respondents for one word to describe each candidate's plans for a second term.

The results suggest voters expect a miserable choice at the ballot box next year: A candidate seeking 'revenge' versus a candidate with no real plans for his second term.

Trump has used rally speeches and other appearances to rail against opponents. He has even leaned into the idea of being a dictator at times, as a way of getting things done

JL Partners asked 1000 likely voters for the one word they associated with Joe Biden's plans for a second term. The results will make sobering reading for the president's campaign

For Biden they suggest a candidate who is failing to communicate a clear manifesto to voters.

'Nothing,' was by far the most popular word to describe what he wanted to achieve, with 'economy,' and 'peace' the next in line.

The results are very different for Trump, who has perhaps been too successful in signposting his intentions.

The former president, who spends a huge amount of his time railing against opponents and critics, is associated with: 'Revenge', 'power,' and 'dictatorship.'

'It distils the essence of this campaign pretty accurately,' said author and conservative commentator Matt Lewis.
The two likely candidates for the 2024 election are locked in a negative race. The winner will be determined by whoever can lose the fewest supporters.

That, at least, is the conclusion from our flow charts: Graphics that use poll results to show how people who voted Donald Trump or Joe Biden in 2020 plan to vote next time around.

And the overall flow is away from the two repeat candidates, and towards being undecided or to one of the fringe candidates.

Results from the latest J.L. Partners poll for DailyMail.com show the trend works best for Trump.

In 2020, he polled 45 percent of the vote to Biden's 49 percent. So far, Trump is losing fewer supporters and is beating Biden by 40 points to 36 in the poll of 1,000 likely voters.

J.L. Partners polled 984 likely voters across the nation on their 2024 voting intentions. When compared with 2020, the results show Joe Biden has lost more support than Donald Trump

The poll found that former President Donald Trump has opened a four-point leader over President Joe Biden, with 11 months to go before the 2024 presidential election

He is losing fewer voters across the nation to independent candidate and possible spoiler Robert Kennedy jr.

And a chunky 13 percentage points of Biden's 2020 support now does not know where to go. They might be unenthusiastic about the Democratic president, but no one else takes their fancy either.

In contrast, only six points of Trump's 2020 support has moved to the 'don't know' column.

Scarlett Maguire, director at J.L. Partners said the results should be a warning to the Biden campaign.

'As we head into an historic election year, 2024 looks increasingly likely to be an all but inevitable rematch of 2020,' she said.

'The odds are that we will once again be looking at a Trump versus Biden showdown with a race that could prove to be newly negative with both candidates battling to avoid losing too many supporters from last time around.

'At the moment, despite his many legal troubles, its Donald Trump that is managing to hold onto more of his 2020 vote.

'A significant number of those who voted for Biden remain undecided, posing a substantial risk to his campaign. And, in another warning sign for his re-election efforts, he is currently losing more supporters to RFK than his main presidential rival.'

The poll gives a snapshot of how voters are thinking as he contours of the 2024 election come into view.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. left the Democratic primary race to campaign as an independent. So far he is picking up about two percentage points of Trump's 2020 vote

Some 13 percentage points of Biden's 2020 support know says they don't know who they will vote for in 2024. At the same time, four points have moved all the way to the Trump column

RFK Jr. launched a presidential run in April, announcing he'd run against Biden in the Democratic primary, before switching to an independent run in October - meaning he'll have to get his name on every state's 2024 general election ballot

EXCLUSIVE READ MORE: Voters describe Trump and Biden's plans for a second term as REVENGE or NOTHING Advertisement

Trump has not yet locked up the Republican nomination, but January will sharpen the picture as Iowa and New Hampshire hold their nominating contests.

For now, he is the clear frontrunner to be his party's candidate.

When asked who they would vote for if the election were tomorrow, 40 percent of respondents picked Trump and 36 percent chose Biden.

Independents Robert Kennedy Jr. and Cornell West won 4 percent and one percent respectively, while Green candidate Jill Stein's share was rounded down to zero.

That leaves much to play for. Some 18 percent said they were still undecided or wanted a different candidate.

And the poll went into the field before Colorado's supreme court added another twist, disqualifying the former president from the state's Republican primary.

Even so, James Johnson, co-founder of J.L. Partners, said Trump was on the up and up.

'Voters might think Trump is guilty of the charges he has put to him, including a sizeable chunk of Republicans, but his record in his first term means he is still attracting support,' he said.

J.L. Partners polled 984 likely voters nationwide. The results show Donald Trump has a four-point lead over Joe Biden. The results carry a 3.1-point margin of error

1000 likely voters were also asked for the one word they associated with Joe Biden's plans for a second term. The results will make sobering reading for the president's campaign

Trump has used rally speeches and other appearances to rail against opponents. He has even leaned into the idea of being a dictator at times, as a way of getting things done

Another result from the poll shows why both candidates might be leaking support overall.

When asked for one word each to sum up what Trump wants from a second term and what Biden wants, the results make for bleak reading.

'Nothing,' was by far the most popular word to describe what Biden wanted to achieve, with 'economy,' and 'peace' the next in line.

The wordcloud is very different for Trump, who has perhaps been too successful in signposting his intentions.

The former president, who spends a huge amount of his time railing against opponents and critics, is associated with: 'Revenge', 'power,' and 'dictatorship.'

'It distils the essence of this campaign pretty accurately,' said author and conservative commentator Matt Lewis.
Apple filed an appeal following an import ban on certain smartwatch models that went into effect in the US Tuesday.

The ban came after the Biden administration opted not to veto a ruling on patent infringements.

The federal International Trade Commission decided in October to ban Apple Watch models over a patented technology for detecting blood-oxygen levels.

On Tuesday, Apple filed an emergency motion with the US Appeals Court in an attempt to pause the ban. The company has asked the court to halt the ban until a US Customs decision due on January 12 about whether Apple's redesigned watches avoid Masimo patents.

Apple has included the pulse oximeter feature in its smart watches starting with its Series 6 model in 2020.

The company contends that the ITC finding was in error and should be reversed, but last week paused its US sales of Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, although the watches remained available from other retailers including Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart as of Tuesday.

Apple filed an appeal following an import ban on certain smartwatch models that went into effect in the US Tuesday

The ban came after the Biden administration opted not to veto a ruling on patent infringements. Biden is pictured leaving the White House on Saturday

The ban does not affect Apple Watch SE, a less expensive model, which will continue to be sold. Previously sold watches will not be affected by the ban.

The move is due to a legal dispute over the technology Apple's smartwatches use to run their blood oxygen feature. Medical tech company Masimo is suing Apple, claiming it stole hardware from two of its patents

The order stemmed from a complaint made to the commission in mid-2021 accusing Apple of infringing on medical device maker company Masimo Corp's 'light-based oximetry functionality.'

Masimo has accused Apple of hiring away its employees, stealing its pulse oximetry technology and incorporating it into the popular Apple Watch.

'After careful consultations, Ambassador Katherine Tai decided not to reverse the... determination and the ITC's decision became final on December 26, 2023,' the president's executive office said in a statement on Tuesday.

Apple say they will immediately appeal the ban.

'We strongly disagree with the USITC decision and resulting exclusion order, and are taking all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. as soon as possible,' Apple said in a statement on Tuesday.

An Apple spokesperson confirmed the company has appealed the ban to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington.

The only available Apple watch in the US will be the company's budget SE model

Last week, the ITC rejected Apple's request to pause the ban during the appeal process.

A jury trial on Masimo's allegations in California federal court ended with a mistrial in May.

Late last year, Apple filed two patent infringement lawsuits accusing Masimo of copying Apple Watch technology.

It has called Masimo's legal actions a 'maneuver to clear a path' for its own competing smart watch.

Apple has been steadily ramping up fitness and health features with each generation of its Apple Watch, which dominates the smartwatch category.

Apple Watch Ultra 2 devices are displayed for sale earlier this year

In September, Apple released its Apple Watch Series 9, touting increased performance along with features such as the ability to access and log health data.

'Our teams work tirelessly to create products and services that empower users with industry-leading health, wellness and safety features,' Apple said when the ITC ban was issued.

'Masimo has wrongly attempted to use the ITC to keep a potentially lifesaving product from millions of US consumers while making way for their own watch that copies Apple.'

A presidential administration has not vetoed an ITC ruling since 2013, when President Barack Obama's administration overturned an import ban on Apple's iPhones and iPads in the company's patent dispute with Samsung.

Apple's wearables, home and accessory business, which includes the Apple Watch, AirPods earbuds and other products, brought in $8.28 billion in revenue during the third quarter of 2023, according to a company report.
A blind schoolgirl with a brain tumour was invited for a magical 'memory-making' Christmas tea at Windsor Castle with Queen Camilla after she performed at the end of the King's speech.

Olivia Taylor, seven, was a member of the Bexley Music Primary Choir recorded singing at Buckingham Palace as part of the pre-recorded broadcast.

And when Her Majesty heard about her bravery she invited Olivia - who has been on chemotherapy most of her life after she was diagnosed with a grade one brain tumour at just 17 months old - to join her for a very special festive treat.

Olivia, who went blind shortly after her diagnosis, shouted 'Hello Your Majesty' while jumping with excitement when Camilla walked into the White Drawing Room for a private tea with her family.

She also tried her very first cup of tea, which was poured by the Queen, and declared that she loved it.

Olivia Taylor, seven, had her very first cup of tea poured by Queen Camilla

Her Majesty heard invited Olivia - who has been on chemotherapy most of her life after she was diagnosed with a grade one brain tumour - to join her for a very special festive treat

Olivia, who went blind shortly after her diagnosis, shouted 'Hello Your Majesty' while jumping with excitement when Camilla walked into the White Drawing Room for a private tea

Olivia wears a replica of the Queen Mary crown after taking tea with Queen Camilla

'Oh you love tea, there you are you'll be able to have tea from now on,' the Queen replied.

During their tea she also treated Queen Camilla to a rendition of Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer before receiving a round of applause.

Olivia, her four-year-old sister Imogen and their parents Lisa and Matt enjoyed sandwiches - particularly Olivia who asked for more ham ones - scones, Santa cakes and biscuits that were personalised with the girls' names.

Mrs Taylor told Camilla how Olivia has been on chemotherapy most of her life after she was diagnosed with a grade one brain tumour but is on a break at the moment and it was 'really lovely that this all happened while she is so well', to which the Queen replied 'she's so happy - and chatty'.

Olivia brought along her teddy 'Corrie' - which she was given around the time of the King's coronation - who goes along to all of Olivia's hospital appointments and joins her in the MRI scanner.

Corrie had a seat of her own at the table and was also given her own personalised biscuit.

Mrs Taylor, from Bexley, south-east London, described the White Drawing Room to Olivia before the Queen arrived, which is where the Paddington Bear scene was filmed with the late Queen as part of the platinum jubilee celebrations.

Queen Camilla presents Olivia with a corgi Christmas ornament

The Queen told Olivia she thought Corrie 'was going to be a bit jealous' as she hugged the corgi teddy and giggled after having tea at the castle

Both girls were also given a bag full of presents by the Queen which included a corgi teddy, chocolate chip shortbread, corgi socks, a pencil with a crown on, a corgi Christmas tree decoration and chocolate coins

Windsor Castle Superintendent Duncan Dewar offers replicas of the Coronation Orb and Sceptre to seven-year-old Olivia Taylor as she grins happily

Olivia was then taken around part of the room by Camilla's equerry, Major Oliver Plunket, to feel the decor.

The Queen also described the cupcake with Santa on and helped Olivia to feel Santa's feet and his head.

Olivia told the Queen she had made her a purple ring, which Camilla called 'beautiful' before putting it on.

Both girls were also given a bag full of presents by the Queen which included a corgi teddy, chocolate chip shortbread, corgi socks, a pencil with a crown on, a corgi Christmas tree decoration and chocolate coins.

Holding the Christmas tree decoration after saying 'guess what, it's another corgi', Camilla said to Mrs Taylor: 'We'll have to change these one day to a jack russell terrier, which I've got.'

The Queen told Olivia she thought Corrie 'was going to be a bit jealous' as she hugged the corgi teddy and giggled.

At the end of the meeting, the Queen hugged and kissed the sisters goodbye and asked Olivia's parents to keep her informed of her progress, adding: 'She's been such a brave little girl, I'm so glad to have met her'.

Queen Camilla takes tea with Olivia along with her sister Imogen, four, father Matt (right), and mother Lisa (second right) at Windsor Castle

The family posed for a photo with the Queen to remember the occasion and both sisters curtseyed for the Queen, which they had been practising

Superintendent Duncan Dewar places a replica Queen Mary crown on the head of Olivia Taylor from Sidcup, as her father Matt (left) and mother Lisa (second left) look on

The family posed for a photo with the Queen to remember the occasion and both sisters curtseyed for the Queen, which they had been practising.

Olivia was then taken into the Crimson Drawing Room to feel a Christmas tree, parts of glass from a chandelier, chain mail armour and then to touch Coronation items including replicas of the Queen's crown.

READ MORE - King Charles and Queen Camilla are joined by right-hand man Major Johnny Thompson and Anne at Sandringham before William and Kate tomorrow... while Harry and Meghan stay away again Advertisement

After the meeting, Olivia said she 'loved meeting the Queen'.

Mrs Taylor also described meeting the Queen as 'absolutely amazing'.

She added: 'It feels like a dream, doesn't it Olivia?

'It's just indescribable really, we're on a break from chemo and trying to live in the present and make happy memories.

'I can't believe this has happened to us in the last few weeks.

'Chance is we're going to be back on chemo in January so it's really good we've got the opportunity to do this now.'

Mrs Taylor described Camilla as 'really warm and friendly and kind and really good with children'.

She said: 'Olivia just blows our minds every day, everyone that meets Olivia falls in love with her, she's got such a good spirit, she's so happy.

'Disabilities don't define people, yes that's part of her but it's more about her kind personality than anything else. We're living in the present, we just have to make adjustments, it's all sensory, the smells, tastes and touches.'
It may have lacked the razzmatazz of the welcome they received 12 years ago when they arrived at Edinburgh Zoo.

But this touching guard of honour formed by zookeepers for Tian Tian and Yang Guang as they arrived at their new home in China shows the depth of the nations respect for its iconic native species.

New footage shows staff at a panda reservation in Sichuan lining either side of its entrance as the truck carrying the bears rolls in. It followed a 5,000-mile flight home earlier this month.

While the trucks lack of windows may have made the ceremony tricky for the pandas to appreciate, they were soon meeting their new human carers in person.

Both were said to be bonding with a keeper known as Daddy.

Tian Tian in her new home

Staff at the reservation welcome Tian Tian and Yang Guang

Bosses at the Giant Panda Conservation and Research Centre said: After a period of adaptation, the pandas have gradually accepted their new environment and new things.

They said the male, Yang Guang, was as sunny and cheerful as ever, while female Tian Tian prefers quietness, except during meals.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland chief executive David Field told Chinese media: Were going to miss Yang Guang and Tian Tian dreadfully.

We hope we can continue to follow their lives and share that with the many people whove fallen in love with them.
Authorities in a California community are searching for a hit-and-run suspect following a collision that killed two young brothers on Friday.

Police in Antioch - about 45 miles east of San Francisco - responded to a reported traffic collision at an intersection around 11:30 pm, the Antioch Police Department said in a statement.

Officers arrived at the scene of an accident involving two vehicles, including one carrying two boys, aged 12 and 13.

The boys - who have not yet been identified publicly - were transported by ambulance to area hospitals but died of their injuries, police said.

The driver of one of the vehicles, believed to be a black SUV, fled on foot.

Authorities in a California community are trying to find the suspect in a hit-and-run collision that killed two young brothers on Friday

Police in Antioch - about 45 miles east of San Francisco - responded to a reported traffic collision at an intersection around 11:30 pm, the Antioch Police Department said in a statement

A witness reported seeing a black SUV speed past that police claimed smashed into a fire hydrant. The driver is believed to have fled on foot

'It appears speed and reckless driving were factors in this incident,' the police statement said.

A witness reported seeing the SUV speed past which appears to have then smashed into a blue sedan as well as fire hydrant.

He heard a crash and went to the scene, where he found a person still in the blue car, KGO-TV reported.

The witness, Maurice Howell, said he helped the man, believed to be the father of the two boys, and together they removed one of the younger boys from his car.

'The gentlemen said get his kids. So we opened the back door to get his kids. The back door was too hard to (open). We opened the front door and we got the little boy out,' he said.

The father, Howell added, tried to put on of his sons under the water coming from the fire hydrant in hopes that he'd merely passed out. Howell said he never responded.

Another neighbor told KTVU that he had heard the crash and quickly went outside.

'Myself and other people from the neighborhood were breaking the car doors open, trying to get the young man out,' he said.

In the haste of trying to help the boys, a witness saw two people running from the scene

'It appears speed and reckless driving were factors in this incident,' the police statement said

In the haste of trying to help the boys, he noticed two people running from the scene.

'I just saw people running. Nobody cares who running, we are just trying to save people's lives,' he said.

The witness added that it was a gruesome scene and the boys were clearly in dire conditions when they found them.

'There was blood all over his face. He was knocked out. I don't know if it was his brother or cousin or whoever, it was two young men. And we just pulled him out and started praying over him.'

'And they were young. All you could see was they were youth in their faces.'

By the next morning, the fire hydrant had been repaired by was still gushing water into a nearby gutter.

The Antioch police asked members of the public with any information to contact the department.
The first Christmas at home after 42 years in prison has brought its own challenges for an exonerated Chicago man as he wrestled with a iPhone, Google, and even a fork.

Jimmy Soto, 62, and his cousin David Ayala, 60, were freed just 11 days ago after spending decades inside for a murder they did not commit.

A court accepted their conviction for the 1981 murders of two teenagers was secured almost solely on coerced witness testimonies in the longest miscarriage of justice in Illinois' history.

He celebrated with a steak meal out, but the joy of freedom has proved bittersweet as he struggles to sleep or eat after his years behind bars.

'For 42 years, I had to eat with a plastic spork,' he told CBS when they visited him on Christmas Eve.

Jimmy Soto, 62, pictured with wife Diana Gauna, has spent his first Christmas at home for 42 years after his 1981 murder conviction was overturned

The case is thought to be the longest-running miscarriage of justice in Illinois' history

But even tasks as simple as eating a meal with routine cutlery have proved a challenge

'To hold a steak knife, it was just, I felt awkward, and you know, now I'm getting more used to it.

'At times, I'll wake up in the middle of the night and I know I'm out.

'And it's like, I'm sweating and I'm crying. Why am I crying? I should be so happy, joyful I'm out.

'But I just feel like I don't belong here.'

His wife Diana Gauna, however, is in no doubt as to where he should be.

'My Christmas already came true,' she said.

'I couldn't have asked for anything more or better.'

Soto and his cousin were handed life sentences for the murders of Julie Limas, 16, and US Marine Hector Valerino, 18, on August 16, 1981.

The pair, who were 20 and 18 at the time, were accused of killing the couple by carrying out a drive-by shooting into a crowd at a softball game.

Prosecutors alleged that Ayala was the leader of the Two Six gang, and ordered Soto to commit the shooting that left the young couple dead.

Jimmy Soto (left) and David Ayala (right) were just 20 and 18, respectively, when they were handed life sentences for murdering a teenage couple in 1981

Both men pleaded their innocence for 42 years, and their conviction was criticized by experts with no physical evidence linking them to the crime

Soto obtained a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University last month behind bars, and now plans to get a law degree to 'help people just like me'

As he walked out as a free man, Soto said he was 'excited, elated, exuberant', but still felt 'a bit of righteous anger' at the system that kept him locked up unjustly for so long

But because neither man ever confessed to the murders and there was no physical evidence, their conviction relied almost entirely on witness testimony, according to their attorneys.

Soto spent 15 years of his 42-year sentence in solitary confinement in Illinois' Tamms Correctional Center, which closed in 2013.

But during that time he earned a bachelor's degree and now plans to go to law school.

Last week he was back in a Chicago court to support Darien Harris, 30, when he had his murder conviction overturned after 12 years in prison after it emerged there had been no physical evidence and the only eyewitness in the case was legally blind.

'Justice is supposed to be blind. The eyewitness is not supposed to be blind,' said Harris's attorney Lauren Myerscough-Mueller who also worked on Soto's case.

'We need to started pushing and make sure they get out,' Soto said.

'They shouldn't have to do so many years like I did, like Darien did, like others are still doing.'

A dozen people were reportedly arrested and charged in the immediate aftermath of the 1981 murders,

Soto's attorneys argued that officers used the threat of the charge to coerce others into implicating the cousins.

Wally 'Gator' Cruz, who admitted to being the driver of the car involved in the drive-by, testified against the cousins, however witnesses later said Cruz' statement was false, according to the Chicago Sun Times.

Cruz was initially charged with murder, but landed a plea deal with the state for a five year sentence.

Other witnesses who implicated them in their original trial, besides Cruz, also all later recanted their accusations against the pair.

Soto and Ayala both previously petitioned for their release in 2015, however a judge kicked back the case after it moved through lower courts.

Eight years later, a judge agreed their conviction should be overturned as their assistant public defender may have had a conflict of interest by also representing one of the state's witnesses.

Soto received a rapturous reception as he spent the first Christmas Eve since his release with Diana at his local Catholic church where he laid 42 red roses  one for each of the years he spent in prison.

'In the Catholic religion, you light a candle  you can do it for a special prayer  and then you make a small offering,' he said.

Soto received a rapturous reception as he spent the first Christmas Eve since his release with Diana at his local Catholic church where he laid 42 red roses to mark his years in prison

'In this case, we're offering these roses to the Virgin Mary, letting her know that we appreciate her for answering our prayers so I could be home for the holidays.'

He plans to seek counselling for the trauma of his decades-long incarceration and promised to use his hard-won legal education to help others.

'There's somebody sitting in a cell who feels all hope is lost, it's my hope I can reach back and help one of them,' he said.

'I want to be that lawyer who can help people just like me.'
The New York Times has been accused of promoting 'Jew hatred' by publishing an op ed from the mayor of Gaza City, decrying the devastation at the hands of Israel's government.

Yahya R. Sarraj was appointed mayor by Hamas in 2019.

On Christmas Eve, the paper published his op ed, entitled: 'I Am Gaza City's Mayor. Our Lives and Culture Are in Rubble.'

Sarraj wrote about witnessing the destruction of cultural centers, infrastructure, businesses, schools and hospitals in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas attack.

'The Israeli invasion has caused the deaths of more than 20,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and destroyed or damaged about half the buildings in the territory. The Israelis have also pulverized something else: Gaza City's cultural riches and municipal institutions,' he wrote.

'The unrelenting destruction of Gaza  its iconic symbols, its beautiful seafront, its libraries and archives and whatever economic prosperity it had  has broken my heart.'

Yahya R. Sarraj was appointed mayor by Hamas in 2019. On Christmas Eve he published an op ed in The New York Times condemning the destruction of his city

A view of destroyed Rashad Shawa Cultural Center after Israel attacks in Gaza City on November 25. Sarraj wrote about watching the building be constructed, and his sadness at its destruction

Palestinians are pictured gathering around the rubble of destroyed buildings following an Israeli bombardment in Deir El-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on Christmas Eve

Palestinian man Ibrahim Al-Haj Youssef, who lost four of his children and his wife in an Israeli air strike, stands amidst debris at the Maghazi camp on Christmas Day

He condemned the 'obliteration of our way of life in Gaza', and said he felt he was living in a nightmare thanks to the 'horrific campaign of destruction and death.'

Sarraj noted the bombardment was 'in response to the deadly attack by Hamas', but he failed to condemn the terror attack or even reference the 129 hostages believed to remain in Gaza - not all of them alive.

Sarraj said his son Roshdi, a 31-year-old photojournalist, was killed on October 22, and said everyone has lost friends and relatives.

'An unnamed Israeli defense official promised to turn Gaza into a city of tents and Israel has forcibly displaced its inhabitants. For once, Israel is keeping a promise its officials made to the Palestinians,' he concluded.

'I call on the world's municipalities  everyone  to pressure world leaders to stop this mindless destruction.'

Sarraj's words were immediately seized on.

'Oh, nothing to see here. Just @nytimes publishing an op-ed by Hamas appointed mayor of Gaza, Yahya Sarraj,' said Arsen Ostrovsky, CEO of The International Legal Forum, a pro-Israel network of lawyers.

'I wonder, would NYT also publish an op-ed from Al-Qaeda justifying 9-11?

'Of course not, but there is no red line to this paper's Jew hatred.'

Another said that Sarraj's question of why Gazans can't 'have open borders and free trade' was easily answered.

'After the suicide bombings in Israel during the Second Intifada, and even after Oct 7, he still wants to know why Gaza can't have open borders and free trade, like the rest of the world,' said one.

Another called Sarraj's question bizarre, saying: 'It's because your people raped, tortured and massacred your way across defenceless Israeli communities on 7 October, in barbaric scenes from hell.

'Actions have consequences, you lowlife. And these are the consequences. And they are not finished yet.'

One woman, describing herself on X as a 'proud Zionist', took issue with the paper's decision to give Sarraj a platform.

'Are you kidding? Would you have posted a nazi mayor's views?' she asked. 'This is so tone deaf it's unreal.'

Another commented: 'Mr Sarraj's article is certainly describing the horrors and suffering of this war.

'It lacks, however, to also ask the question, how could Hamas launch a savage attack on Israeli civilians. While Gaza is under the regime of a terror group, there is no way for peace.'

And another concluded: 'While I appreciate the NYT publishing a 'diversity of letters', the opinion from a terrorist group appointed politician is stretching it too far.

'I hope this horrific war ends today, but it won't be because of a 'woe is me' letter from the terrorists' side.'
A woman who was seriously injured in an alleged random knife attack that killed her colleague in an Adelaide real estate office has been released from hospital.

Susan Scardigno was working at REAL Estate Agents Group in Plympton on December 20 when Shaun Michaels Dunk allegedly burst through the door and knifed her and workmate Julie Seed.

Ms Seed, a 38-year-old property manager, died at the scene, while 50-year-old Ms Scardigno was critically injured and taken to Royal Adelaide Hospital.

A hospital spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday that Ms Scardigno had been discharged but could not provide any further details about her condition.

Susan Scardigno (above), who who was seriously injured in an alleged random knife attack that killed her colleague in an Adelaide real estate office, has been released from hospital

Dunk, who has been charged with one count each of murder and attempted murder, was released from a mental health facility on the morning of the alleged attack.

The 30-year-old had been discharged from hospital on December 18, despite allegedly warning police a fortnight earlier he had been hallucinating and was worried he might hurt someone.

Ms Scardigno had worked at the agency for five years as a business development manager while Ms Seed was hired two years ago.

A friend of Ms Scardigno previously told Daily Mail Australia the mother had sustained her injuries while trying to protect Ms Seed.

'I am utterly devastated for Julie's family and may she rest in peace, there is no words for this [alleged] horrific event that took place,' the friend said.

'I am beyond relieved like no other that Susan survived, yet I know her scars will be a reminder of her fight to save her friend.'

Ms Scardigno's husband Paul was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 19 years ago.

Julie Seed (left) and Susan Scardigno (right) were allegedly stabbed by a stranger at their workplace on December 20

She became his full-time carer as his illness progressed, leaving him in a wheelchair, and they moved back to Adelaide from Melbourne with their daughter to be closer to family.

The couple later separated and Ms Scardigno began a new relationship around 2019 with Sydney banking manager Sean Sykes who is the head of a loans division for Commonwealth Bank.

Ms Scardigno was still actively involved in the care of her estranged husband last year.

REAL Estate Agents Group principal Ally Comley took to Facebook on Sunday, paying tribute to her employees.

Ms Comley described Ms Scardigno and Ms Seed as like 'sisters' to their colleagues and 'an integral part of our REAL family who we love wholly'.

'Julie's family are suffering incredibly with the pain of their loss and we feel deeply for them,' Ms Comley wrote.

'Sue was severely injured but pulled through due to her inner strength and the hand of God.

Ms Scardigno is pictured with her partner, Sean Sykes, during a recent night out in Sydney

'She is an inspirational woman and is already making a remarkable recovery due to her tenacity.

'But her emotional healing I'm sure, will be lengthy. We will stand by all of them in every way possible.'

Photographs on social media reveal Ms Seed celebrating Melbourne Cup Day in 2021 with her workmates, who described her as a 'little diamond' and one of the 'happiest in our office'.

EXCLUSIVE READ MORE: Plympton stabbing: Heroic act of mother Susan Scardigno to try to save her colleague Julie Seed Advertisement

Ms Scardigno posted the pictures on Facebook and added: 'Day out with my crew'.

'Trifecta and Pick 4 in the bag but would have traded the win just to share this day again with this REAL Estate Agents Group,' she wrote.

Ms Comley said Ms Seed's death and Ms Scardigno's injuries had deeply affected their colleagues' families, friends and clients.

'Such tragedies never just stay within a few,' she wrote. 'They have a ripple effect and in this case, the emotional damage to many families is immense.

'We have been overwhelmed and humbled by messages of support from our clients, landlords, tenants, and our neighbouring businesses - your kindness and beautiful messages have touched us.'

Dunk spent the night of December 19 in the care of the Urgent Mental Health Care Centre on Grenfell Street in Adelaide's central business district before being let out two hours before the alleged attack.

He had been detained under the Mental Health Act on December 5 after showing up to a police station claiming that he was experiencing hallucinations of people threatening to kill him, according to The Advertiser.

SA Health has launched a review into their processes and the state's chief psychiatrist will be reviewing the circumstances around Dunk's treatment and discharge.

Dunk appeared via video link before the Adelaide Magistrates Court on December 21.

He did not apply for bail and will remain in custody until March when he is due to to face the court again.
Lisa Wilkinson spent an anxious Christmas Day with her daughter while Bruce Lehrmann was all-smiles as he shopped with his mother as the pair await the outcome of a high-profile defamation case.

The award-winning journalist appeared distracted as she ran some last-minute errands with her daughter Billi and husband Peter FitzSimons in Sydney on Monday.

Wilkinson wore a green shirt, black pants and sandals and opted to shield her face with sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat as she filled her car up with petrol.

A casually-dressed Billi had her arms full with supplies and held a brown paper bag while Mr FitzSimons was seen stowing a bag of ice in the boot.

Wilkinson at one point held two large hardback books under her arm.

In comparison, Mr Lehrmann appeared in high spirits as he picked up a bag of dog food at a pet store in Sydney while shopping with his mother.

Lisa Wilkinson's husband, Peter FitzSimons stowed a bag of ice in the boot of the car

Bruce Lehrmann was all-smiles as he shopped with his mother as the pair await the outcome of a high-profile defamation case

Wilkinson wore a green shirt, black pants and sandals at a petrol station on Monday

Lisa Wilkinson spent an anxious Christmas Day with her daughter

Wilkinson appeared to show her husband two large hard-backed books

She carried the books under one arm as the family finished some last-minute errands

The ex-Liberal staffer wore a dark green button-up shirt, brown shorts and sneakers as he balanced a large bag of food on his hip.

He smiled as he left the pet store, also opting to cover his face with sunglasses.

Mr Lehrmann's appears to have travelled from her home in southern Queensland to be with her only son for Christmas Day.

A court previously heard Mr Lehrmann's father died when he was two, leaving his mother to raise him and his sister on welfare.

READ MORE: David Sharaz is seen hugging Brittany Higgins outside their new French home Advertisement

She wore a white shirt adorned with silver stars, white pants and white sneakers for the shopping day and held a plastic bag in one hand.

The pair were later spotted at Mr Lehrmann's northern beaches apartment - the property Channel Seven paid for to secure an interview with him.

They were joined at the unit in Balgowlah, one of Sydney's most exclusive suburbs, by another couple and a golden retriever.

The rent for the property was listed this year at $1300 a week.

Mr Lehrmann revealed the broadcaster had agreed to pay his rent during cross-examination by Wilkinson's barrister in the Federal Court on November 28.

It was one of a series of explosive revelations unveiled in Mr Lehrmann's high-profile defamation case against Wilkinson and Network Ten.

He is suing over an interview that aired on The Project and online that detailed Ms Higgins' allegations that she was raped in Parliament House in 2019.

While Mr Lehrmann was not named in the interview, he claims he was identifiable.

Sue Chrysanthou SC asked Mr Lehrmann about what he received in exchange for his interview with Seven's Spotlight program earlier this year.

The former Liberal staffer wore a dark green button-up shirt, brown shorts and sneakers

Mother-and-son appeared in good spirits as they left the pet store

Mr Lehrmann's mother travelled from her home in southern Queensland to be with her only son for Christmas Day

The pair were later spotted back at Mr Lehrmann's northern beaches apartment

They were joined at the unit in Balgowlah by another couple and a golden retriever

The network previously said it 'made no payment to Bruce Lehrmann for the interview', but 'assisted with accommodation as part of the filming of the report'.

'Was it part of that agreement that you were paid for 12 months accommodation by Channel Seven?' Ms Chrysanthou asked.

Mr Lehrmann replied: 'That's the only part...that's what I get.'

The barrister continued: 'That occurred from June 2023 and paid until June 2024?'

Mr Lehrmann replied: 'Umm, well, yes. For filming in those places.'

He explained that part of the first Spotlight interview, which aired on Channel Seven in June, was partly filmed in that accommodation.

As Justice Michael Lee considers his ruling over the summer break, Ms Wilkinson's legal counsel Sue Chrysanthou, SC, offered up a wild theory about why Ms Higgins had been found naked by security that night.

The barrister suggested Ms Higgins could have removed her cocktail dress because there had been 'some kind of freak heatwave' in Canberra that night and the airconditioning in Parliament House had 'broken down'.

Her sarcastic theory - the temperature in Canberra was a mild 16.7C at the airport that night - was designed to convince Justice Lee that the only rational explanation for her state of undress was 'that sex occurred'.

Mr Lehrmann's criminal trial was abandoned due to juror misconduct and a subsequent retrial called off over concerns about Ms Higgins' mental health, leaving no court ruling about what happened that night.

Mr Lehrmann is seen leaving court on December 19

Wilkinson arrived at the Federal Court with her barrister Sue Chrysanthou on December 15

Brittany Higgins leaves court after giving evidence during Mr Lehrmann's defamation trial

The result is that it will be up to Justice Lee to determine if Wilkinson and Network 10's report is covered by a truth defence and that, on a balance of probabilities, a sexual assault did occur.

His job will be tough, with Justice Lee previously telling the court that parts of both Ms Higgins' and Mr Lehrmann's evidence in the trial can't be relied upon.

'The two principal witnesses have real credit issues and various parts of each witness' evidence simply can't be accepted,' Justice Lee said.

Justice Lee will also need to decide if Network 10 and Wilkinson's claims are covered by a truth defence, in which case they will not be required to pay anything.

If he finds they are not, then substantial damages along with legal costs could be awarded to Mr Lehrmann.

Network Ten and Wilkinson argue the segment was a matter of public importance and their preparation was reasonable, so should therefore be covered under qualified privilege and they should not be liable for damages.

However, there is also another scenario, that Justice Lee determines that Mr Lehrmann was not identifiable from The Project's interview with Ms Higgins.

The month-long defamation trial wrapped on Friday with Justice Lee expected to deliver his decision in early 2024.
The famously cheeky Prince Louis could be rubbing off on his brother as Prince George is seen poking out his tongue at Sandringham.

Earlier, Prince Louis sweetly held hands with his second cousin Mia, nine, as he joined the rest of the royal family on Christmas Day.

But Prince George, 10, was pictured looking adorably mischievous as he poked out his tongue as he arrived at St Mary Magdalene Church with his family.

Little Louis, five, was joined by Prince George and Princess Charlotte, eight, as well and his mother and father at the royal residence.

Royal Christmases traditionally feature the greeting of people outside the church, and a family lunch with turkey and all the trimmings.

Sandringham House has been the private home of four generations of British monarchs for more than 160 years, and now belongs to the King.

Prince George is seen poking out his tongue at Sandringham today

Prince George, dressed in a navy blue suit, walked alongside his sister

Left to right: Queen Camilla, Prince Louis, Prince George and King Charles attending the Christmas Day morning church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham

Prince George, William, Prince of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Mia Tindall and Kate, Princess of Wales, meet well-wishers after attending the Christmas day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham

Normally, little Louis is the one stealing the show with his cheeky antics, but today it was his older brother, perhaps influenced by his sibling.

Earlier this month, Prince Louis cheekily blew out his sister's candle at Kate's annual Christmas carol concert, which left his royal sibling in stitches.

He was pictured puffing his cheeks in an attempt to extinguish his older sister's candle, as she smiled.

The Royal Family enjoyed their annual Christmas walkabout at Sandringham today.

King Charles was joined by Camilla, the Queen Consort , at the head of the group, while the Waleses walked just behind them alongside their three children.

Adorable Prince Louis - who often steals the limelight with his cheeky displays - took part in his first ever Christmas Day walkabout last year.

Today, he opted for tweed trousers and a navy coat.

The Princess of Wales beamed with happiness as she walked to the service alongside her husband, ahead of the other members of the Royal Family.

The Prince and Princess of Wales attend church with their children, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, who held the hand of Mia Tindall

The Princess Royal arrives at the church for the morning's service at Sandringham

Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson put on a united front as the Royal Family enjoyed their annual Christmas walkabout at Sandringham

Louis held hands with his cousin Mia as they walk into the church service in Sandringham

She looked elegant in her festive get-up as she waved to the well-wishers who have travelled to Norfolk today.

Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson put on a united front as they walked behind senior royals as crowds lined the road outside the St Mary Magdalene Church for the traditional Christmas Day service on the Norfolk estate.

It's the first time Fergie has joined the royals for the walk in over 30 years, following the couple's high profile divorce in 1996.

But King Charles softened that approach last year and invited her to join the family at Sandringham for the first time in decades, though she didn't join them for church.

Andrew's daughters were with their husbands, Princess Beatrice with Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Prince Eugenie with Jack Brooksbank.

The private Norfolk estate once again hosted the traditional royal festivities, with most of the family present - except for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who are spending the day in LA with their children, Prince Louis and Princess Lilibet.

King Charles was seen waving at the crowds who had gathered outside the Norfolk church to wish him and his family well this Christmas, walking alongside Queen Camilla.

King Charles was seen waving at the crowds who had gathered outside the Norfolk church to wish him and his family well this Christmas, walking alongside Queen Camilla

Catherine, Princess of Wales with Prince George of Wales and Prince Louis of Wales attend the Christmas Day service

Princess Charlotte also joined her brother Prince Louis as they headed into church today

The Princess of Wales smiled broadly as she walked to the church wearing an elegant blue coat and matching hat, holding her daughter Princess Charlotte's hand.

READ MORE - Prince Louis charms the crowds (again!) Little royal gives adorable salute as he appears on Buckingham Palace balcony for his grandfather King Charles' official birthday celebration Advertisement

Her younger brother Prince Louis joined the rest of his family, and held Mia Tindall's hand as they prepared to attend the service.

On his other side, Prince William also held his son's hand while Prince George dressed in a navy blue suit, walked alongside his sister.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh joined the rest of the royals on their way to the church.

The royal festivities usually start when everyone arrives on Christmas Eve. The family open presents, some of which are gag gifts - one of the Royal Family's traditions.

The family then attend services at Saint Mary Magdalene Church on Christmas morning. Once they get home Christmas lunch is served, followed by afternoon games.

Last Christmas the royals experienced their biggest change for decades as they celebrated their first festive period without Queen Elizabeth II, who had passed away just a few months earlier.
Labour will today vow to crack down on American-style candy stores that are blighting British high streets.

The shops, which are often run out of shell companies with no assets and fabricated company directors, have proliferated since the Covid pandemic.

With many high-street retailers struggling financially, landlords facing the prospect of having their properties empty allow the candy stores who offer to take over leases to pay rents and take on business rates liabilities.

But with more than 20 open on London's Oxford Street alone, Labour has now pledged to toughen up the identity requirements for setting up a new company and trial a 'new shops bonus' to help legitimate businesses.

Its plans would see shop owners offered a three-month business rates holiday for months seven to nine of their first year in new premises, with the discount paid for by reallocating funding currently used to provide empty property relief.

Labour has now pledged to toughen up the identity requirements for setting up a new company and trial a 'new shops bonus' to help legitimate businesses

An American candy store (File Photo)

Labour Treasury spokesman James Murray said: 'The sharp rise in dodgy candy stores has been blighting high streets and ripping off the taxpayer.

'In government, Labour would replace business rates with a new system, and we would use powers in the Economic Crime Act to crack down on rip-off businesses and make sure there are proper checks in place.'

Councillor Adam Hug, Labour leader of Westminster City Council, added: 'Like councils right across Britain, we want to restore our high streets as the proud centres of local shopping and social life they should be.'

A government spokesperson said: 'The UK already has some of the strongest controls in the world to combat money laundering, but we are continuing to strengthen our approach to crack down on criminals.

'Our new Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act will bear down on the use of UK companies and other corporate structures as vehicles for facilitating international money laundering, fraud and corruption.'
Hope is fading in the hunt for a missing British tourist who was lost after her boat capsized off the Thai coastline as rescue teams find an empty life raft.

Rescue teams have spent three days searching for Millie Young, 57, from Brighton, and the diving boat's cook Samniang Chaichana, 67, since they disappeared in rough seas near the Surin Islands archipelago.

But an inflatable life raft has now been found, 20 nautical miles away from where the ship went down.

The pair may have been swept by tides as far as 60 miles away from where the boat sank.

Navy chiefs said on Monday that a helicopter and dozens of ships have been following ocean currents in the area around 35 miles from the Thai mainland without finding either the wreckage or any sign of the two women.

Millie Young, 57, was on a dream trip with family friends from Brighton visiting the idyllic Surin Islands archipelago in southern Thailand

Ms Young, an artist and university lecturer, had been on a dream holiday with family friends Jo and Phil Degregorio and their two teenage children Oska and Daisy

Twelve rescued tourists, including British family of four Phillip Degregorio, wife Jo, son Oska and daughter Daisy, from Brighton, speak with Thai officials

The ship Reggae Queen was battered by large waves and took on water

According to Rear Admiral Pongmit Narongkul, the Chief of Staff of the third Naval Region, the raft they found was empty.

He said: 'A navy patrol plane has been flying across the area to search for the two victims along with navy boats.

'An inflatable life raft was found 20 nautical miles from where the ship sank but there was nobody inside.

'The flight path search area has been expanded to the western area of the Surin Islands, with a radius of 15 nautical miles from the forecast point.

'The missing people have not been found but the search is continuing.'

Ms Young, an artist and university lecturer, had been on a dream holiday with family friends Jo and Phil Degregorio and their two teenage children Oska and Daisy, who are also from Brighton.

The spinster, who had been splitting her time between Thailand and the UK in recent years, met them at the airport in Bangkok before travelling on their holiday to the beauty spot in the south, where clear water and diverse marine life are a big draw for snorkelling and diving trips.

Her shaken British friends were among those rescued when they were pulled aboard a passing fishing trawler

12 other rescued tourists and four of the crew were safely returned to the shore

Shocked holiday makers scrambled to safety but Ms Young is understood to have been dragged into the choppy sea along with Samniang, the chef onboard the vessel

They booked five places on boat the Reggae Queen and set sail. The ship was then battered by large waves and took on water around four nautical miles from the enclave of tropical islands.

Officials said a Mayday call was made shortly before 9am. The red, yellow and green boat - painted in the colours of the Rastafari flag - sank shortly after.

Shocked holiday makers scrambled to safety but Ms Young is understood to have been dragged into the choppy sea along with Samniang, the chef onboard the vessel.

Her shaken British friends were among those rescued when they were pulled aboard a passing fishing trawler. They were pictured with 12 other rescued tourists and four of the crew as they were safely returned to the shore.

The Thai navy along with helicopters and the coast guard are now searching for missing Ms Young and the mother-of-two.

Sunee Panpeng, 43, the daughter of the missing cook, said her mother had worked on the trips for around four years, and would have three days at sea before returning to shore.

The Thai navy along with helicopters and the coast guard are now searching for missing Ms Young and the Thai mother-of-two

The spinster, who had been splitting her time between Thailand and the UK in recent years, met them at the airport in Bangkok before travelling on their holiday to the beauty spot

Pictured is the passing fishing trawler which rescued some of the crew and passengers

She added: 'When I was told that the ship had sunk, I was immediately worried about my mother because she cannot swim.

'We can only pray that she will be found. Now I am waiting for a miracle.'

Supoj Rodruang Na Nongkhai, the governor of Phang Nga province, said he had instructed all boats in the area to look out for the two missing people in the Andaman Sea region.

He said that rescue teams were searching in the direction of the sea currents, which are believed to have carried the missing pair in a northwest direction.

READ MORE - Concerns grow for missing female British tourist, 57, feared drowned when diving boat sank off Thai island before passing boat rescued 12 including Brit family of four Advertisement

The governor added: 'The missing person is a British woman and a Thai member of the crew. We are putting all of our resources into finding them.

'All fishing boats and tourist boats in the area have been instructed to look for the tourists while they are at sea.'

An official from the Phang Nga Provincial Port Security Control Center on Saturday said: 'A notification was received at approximately 9am saying that the ship was sinking four miles south of the Surin Islands.

'The boat was taking tourists on a snorkelling and diving trip. Immediate assistance was provided and 12 tourists were rescued by a passing fishing boat.

'At present, two people are still missing. They are one foreigner and one Thai. One navy vessel and rescue teams are searching the area.

Just a day earlier, dozens of passengers were rescued from a sinking ship that was travelling to Thai island Koh Tao.

Bad weather conditions are expected to continue to hammer the southwest coast of Thailand until the end of the week and could further impede the search efforts.

Conditions at sea during November and December in the south of Thailand are typically the most dangerous of the year, with strong currents, powerful waves and heavy rain.

Ships are understood to have been warned about the dangers and advised to avoid going to sea, due to the conditions.

Thai islands have become popular destinations for diving and snorkelling trips because of the clear water and diverse marine life.
A Canadian university professor has expressed dismay at his cash-strapped college creating a 'whistleblower hotline' - and paying a big accountancy firm to manage it.

Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, launched the anonymous phone line earlier this year, encouraging any staff and students with concerns about policy violations, research issues or behavioral problems to report them.

But Mark Mercer, a professor of philosophy at the university, said he was troubled by the idea that issues could be escalated rather than discussed face-to-face.

He also criticized the university for going 'all out' with the initiative, while telling staff members that they need to reduce spending due to financial challenges.

Mercer told the website True North he was concerned about the impact 'on the culture of the institution', warning that people could define 'unacceptable behavior' as anything that they don't like.

'I think the effect of the university promoting this is to make us look like we're not a collegial place,' he told the website.

Professor Mark Mercer, who teaches philosophy at Saint Mary's University in Nova Scotia, said he was concerned about the impact of the hotline

The hotline is managed by the accountancy firm Grant Thornton

'We're not a place where when people disagree, they either have critical discussions with each other or ignore each other.

'Now we go to an authority as a way of resolving these things.'

Mercer said that the hotline was part of the wider move to promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).

'One of the goals is something like comfort on campus for people from historically marginalized groups,' he said.

'And the means is to involve authorities and to level sanctions, to make people afraid to say or do things that are taken by the powers to be as productive to uncomfortability.'

Saint Mary's University defended its introduction of the whistleblower hotline

The university defended the introduction of the hotline - but did not address the cost.

The university told True North that the hotline 'provides a mechanism for university members to confidentially and/or anonymously disclose concerns.'

The hotline will be available to all, they said.

'The safe disclosure policy applies to all employees, students, volunteers, contractors and suppliers of Saint Mary's, and works in tandem with our other codes and policies on conduct, such as Research Policies, the Code of Student Conduct Policy, the Sexual Violence and Harassment Policy and others.'
A 41-year-old cruise ship passenger is missing after falling overboard on a Royal Caribbean voyage to the Bahamas.

Officials said the Coast Guard responded to reports of a passenger falling off the cruise at around 7:17pm on Sunday, falling off the vessel around 127 miles east of Charleston, South Carolina.

The company said the passenger, who has not been named, fell from the 'Vision of the Seas' ship, sparking a huge search-and-rescue mission through the night.

Despite a large law enforcement presence being mobilized to search for the missing passenger, on Monday morning the Coast Guard said it had called off the rescue mission, reports WCBD.

A 41-year-old cruise ship passenger is missing after falling overboard on a Royal Caribbean voyage on the 'Vision of the Seas' vessel (pictured) to the Bahamas

The Coast Guard said its efforts to find the passenger included deploying two C-130 Hercules planes, one from North Carolina and another from Clearwater, Florida.

The rescue mission saw the cruise stop in place as a strobe lamp desperately scanned the ocean for around six hours.

Despite the best efforts of crews, the man has not been seen since he was aboard the Royal Caribbean ship on Sunday, which was named the '8 Night Bahamas & Perfect Day Holiday Cruise.'

Passengers said the cruise departed from Baltimore on Friday.

New Jersey film student Jake Utzinger, 21, told the Post and Courier that he was vacationing with his girlfriend's family when the tragedy struck, with the captain announcing a passenger had fallen overboard at around 7:45pm.

'I instantly felt sick to my stomach knowing that one of our fellow travelers had been lost at sea,' he said.

Utzinger said passengers raced to the side of the vessel to lend an 'extra pair of eyes' to the search.

Colin Schappi, another passenger, said he realized the dire situation was unfolding earlier in the evening at around 7:15pm, when he heard crew members declaring: 'Oscar! Oscar! Oscar! Starboard!'

The call is used by those at sea to alert others that someone has fallen overboard.

'We were wondering what was going on with that,' he told WCBD.

'We also noticed that all the staff kind of made a face at each other,' he continued. 'They reacted to that news, but overall no one knew what was going on at first.

'Then they did another announcement explaining what happened a few minutes later.'

Passenger Colin Schappi (pictured) said he knew something was wrong when he heard crewmembers declaring: 'Oscar! Oscar! Oscar! Starboard!' The call is used by those at sea to alert others that someone has fallen overboard

Passengers have shared the heartbreaking moment the captain of the ship announced someone had fallen overboard, and they raced to the side of the vessel to lend an 'extra pair of eyes' to the search

Following the news that the search for the missing passenger has been stood down, Utzinger said it is 'definitely going to be rough continuing this voyage knowing that a family is missing their loved one.'

The cruise is set to continue sailing through the Caribbean for the rest of the week, and is only returning to Baltimore on Saturday after several more stop-offs including the next one at Port Canaveral, Florida.

According to the company's website, the Vision of the Seas vessel has a total capacity of 2,000 passengers and 700 crew, and is 915-feet long.
Labour is drawing up a 'watertight' alternative to the Rwanda migrant plan as it attempts to combat Tory attacks on its immigration stance.

Keir Starmer's front bench and senior officials are exploring the possibility for an offshore asylum policy that would avoid the same legal obstacles as the Rwanda scheme.

While the Labour leader has ruled out supporting a Rwanda-style deportation policy, he is looking at potential offshore processing schemes where asylum seekers would have their claims assessed abroad.

In a bid to counter criticism that his party has no strong plan for the small boats crisis, Starmer has marked a notable shift by considering offshore asylum plans.

The move comes as he prepares to set out his party's vision in a speech next week which will set off months of election campaigning.

Keir Starmer 's front bench and senior officials are exploring the possibility for an offshore asylum policy that would avoid the same legal obstacles as the Rwanda scheme

The shadow ministers and party officials pulling together Labour's asylum policy are considering three criteria that has to be met to allow for any sort of offshore scheme  it has to be cost-effective, credible enough to deter migrants, and avoid the legal issues thwarting the Rwanda plan.

According to The Times, the party has been speaking to immigration and asylum experts and other European countries who are also considering similar schemes.

Austria, Germany, Italy and Denmark are said to be considering proposals for asylum claims to be processed outside the EU.

The Labour leader is looking deeply at asylum policies as he tries to counter Tory claims that he is weak on immigration.

A senior Labour source told The Times that Starmer is 'open minded about exploring practical, realistic solutions'.

Rishi Sunak holds a press conference at Downing Street to outline the new Rwanda legislation on December 7

In two major differences from the Rwanda policy, Labour claim any offshore policy they propose would not mean individuals are automatically blocked from claiming asylum in the UK, and British officials would still be in charge of processing the claims.

Under Labour plans, asylum claims would be considered while migrants were overseas, with those with genuine claims being granted asylum to the UK  a move they believe will avoid the main legal challenge faced by the Rwanda policy.

A senior Labour source said: 'We've always looked at the small boats issue as a problem that needs to be solved, and we've always been open to a range of possible solutions.'

They added: 'The Tories like to compare Rwanda to the schemes that other European countries are considering, but this is a false comparison because other European governments are looking at options around offshore processing, whereas the Rwanda scheme is about sending asylum seekers to another country permanently.'
A woman has been found dead with serious head injuries on Christmas Day with homicide detectives launching an investigation.

The woman, aged in her 30s, was found in Cable Beach in Broome, Western Australia, at about 6pm on Monday.

She was rushed to hospital for treatment but later died.

The woman, aged in her 30s, was found with serious head injuries in Cable Beach (pictured) in Broome, Western Australia , at about 6pm on Monday

A man, also aged in his 30s, is currently assisting police with their inquiries.

Broome detectives and members of the homicide squad are investigating.

Cable Beach is known for its 22km stretch of pristine white sand and clear water which visitors can opt to experience by camel-back.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the West Australian Police and St John Ambulance.
A lesbian couple have claimed they were arrested after they kissed on their first date while inside Melbourne's Crown Casino, a new lawsuit alleges.

Sharon Cosgrove, 59, says she 'lightly kissed' her date in a bar at the casino before security swooped and called police on the couple.

She claims she was grabbed with 'excessive force', taken away in handcuffs and bundled into the back of a police van after the the July 2019 incident.

Ms Cosgrove is now suing Crown Casinos, G4S security and Victoria state over her arrest - and insists it would not have happened if the couple were male and female.

Crown told Daily Mail Australia it would be defending the legal action after the writ was filed in the Supreme Court of Victoria earlier this month.

A lesbian couple have claimed they were arrested after they kissed on their first date while inside Melbourne 's Crown Casino (pictured), a new lawsuit alleges

Sharon Cosgrove, 59, says she 'lightly kissed' her date in the Lumia bar at the casino (pictured) before security swooped and called police on the couple

Ms Cosgrove, a company executive from NSW, alleges she and her date arrived at Crown and went to the Lumia bar where they bought a glass of red wine.

Court documents, seen by the Herald Sun, claim they were watched closely by five security guards who sprung into action when the couple 'briefly and lightly' kissed.

Ms Cosgrove alleges she and her date were immediately told to leave the casino.

'The order to leave was made ostensibly on the basis that the (couple) were intoxicated, which was false,' the court documents claim.

'But was in truth made on the basis of sexual discrimination against two lesbians who were engaging in light kissing and touching.'

Ms Cosgrove says she was allowed to finish her glass of wine, but claims she was continually harassed by the security guards as she drank it.

She then claims they 'totally restrained' her and held her down with 'excessive force' with 'no legal justification', before she was handcuffed and taken to the casino's basement.

Ms Cosgrove was later transferred to Victoria Police custody centre in the back of a police van

She was later transferred to Victoria Police custody centre in the back of a police van, but alleges she was then held there after complaining about her treatment and threatening to go the media.

'As a result of the complaint, the bail sergeant determined that [Ms Cosgrove] would no longer be released from the Custody Centre, and he ordered that she be returned to a cell,' the court documents reportedly state.

'The bail sergeant said words to the effect that [Ms Cosgrove] had to be punished for raising that she would report the conduct and the bail sergeant called the plaintiff a derogatory name.'

She claims she was told she 'needed to learn a lesson for complaining', and a door was closed on her right foot, causing her to bleed 'profusely' and her pleas for help 'ignored  for some time'.

The documents allege she was denied a blanket for her cold cell and was told: 'You deserve everything you get ... sit down and shut up.'

Ms Cosgrove is suing both Crown and Victoria State for battery, assault, false imprisonment and unlawful arrest

The court documents claim her injured foot needed 14 stitches, and she also suffered injuries to her shoulders, arms and wrist, as well as psychiatric injuries, humiliation, embarrassment and anguish

Ms Cosgrove is suing both Crown and Victoria State for battery, assault, false imprisonment and unlawful arrest.

She's also suing G4S security for false imprisonment and intentional infliction of personal injury at the Custody Centre.

The court documents claim her injured foot needed 14 stitches, and she also suffered injuries to her shoulders, arms and wrist, as well as psychiatric injuries, humiliation, embarrassment and anguish.

The writ seeks aggravated and exemplary damages, including economic loss caused by the time Ms Cosgrove had to take off work to recover.

Her lawyers said it was 'unacceptable' for Ms Cosgrove to have endured the alleged rough treatment.

'No one deserves to be profiled, harassed and assaulted in public on account of their sexual orientation,' said Slater and Gordon public liability lawyer Oliver Robertson.

'Were alleging the prejudicial and harmful treatment my client was subjected to has caused irreparable physical and psychological damage.'

A Crown spokesman told Daily Mail Australia: 'Crown will be defending the matter.

'However given the case is before the court it would be inappropriate to make any further comment.'

Daily Mail Australia has also contacted Slater Gordon, Victoria Police, G4S security and Ms Cosgrove for comment.
Joe Biden on Christmas Day authorized air strikes in Iraq against militants behind a suicide drone strike earlier in the day, which wounded three U.S. service members - one of them critically.

Biden, who is spending Christmas at Camp David, was briefed on the attack which injured the U.S. trio at a base by Erbil airfield.

The president then took the decision to retaliate, and the U.S. military carried out the strikes at 1:45 GMT, likely killing 'a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants' and destroying multiple facilities used by the group.

General Michael Erik Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, said the airstrikes were a direct reprisal.

Joe Biden is seen on December 23 shortly before boarding Marine One to fly to Camp David for the Christmas holidays

'These strikes are intended to hold accountable those elements directly responsible for attacks on coalition forces in Iraq and Syria and degrade their ability to continue attacks,' he said.

'We will always protect our forces.'

The Pentagon did not disclose details about the identity of the service member who was critically wounded or offer more details on the injuries sustained in the attack.

Lloyd Austin, the Defense Secretary, said: 'My prayers are with the brave Americans who were injured.'

The White House National Security Council said Biden was briefed on the attack on Monday morning and ordered the Pentagon to prepare response options against those responsible.

'The President places no higher priority than the protection of American personnel serving in harm's way. The United States will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue,' NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson said.

Footage shared by a journalist with Kurdish TV reportedly showed the moment of impact

The Erbil base used by the U.S. troops. Washington has around 2,500 soldiers deployed in Iraq

Monday's military attack and U.S. retaliation is the latest back-and-forth since a surge in violence began in mid-October, when Iran-aligned militias started targeting U.S. assets in Iraq and Syria over Washington's backing of Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza.

Since October 17, there have been 103 attacks against its troops in Iraq and Syria.

The majority of those attacks have been claimed by Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which opposes U.S. support for Israel in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

In early December, the U.S. embassy in Baghdad was targeted with rocket fire. That attack, the first of its kind since the start of the war in Gaza, was not claimed by any group.

The office of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced several arrests and said some had links to the security services.

Washington has around 2,500 soldiers deployed in Iraq and about 900 in Syria.

The international coalition has been fighting the Islamic State group since 2014.
Matthew Swatilski, 37, her reported boyfriend, was arrested and charged with her murder the following day

An accountant for a top defense contractor has been charged with the murder of a teacher found stuffed in a burned-out car.

Matthew Switalski, 37, was reportedly living with his alleged victim Veronica Aguilar, 27, in the home where her charred remains were discovered in the garage on Wednesday.

Neighbors said they were awoken in the middle of the night to 'blood-curdling screams' coming from Switalski's home in the Quartz Hill neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

Switalski was arrested late on Thursday in Kern County and charged with Aguilar's murder.

He had been employed as a cost and schedule controller for weapons manufacturer Northrop Grumman until May, leaving shortly before he was freed on a $600,000 bail for several rape charges.

Veronica Aguilar's (pictured) burned remains were found in the trunk of a car in a garage of a home in Los Angeles on Wednesday

Matthew Swatilski, 37 (right, pictured with Aguilar) was reportedly in a relationship with the teacher he allegedly murdered. This spring, he was also arrested and charged with several counts of rape and sexual misconduct against a romantic partner

Firefighter crews battled the blaze at Switalski's home for over an hour before they were able to enter the garage, and used a circular saw before discovering Aguilar's charred remains

Switalski was quickly named as a 'person of interest' in the investigation last week. The home where Aguilar's remains were found was listed in his name.

Firefighters raced to the scene at around 8:20am on Wednesday to find the garage engulfed in flames, with the huge fire taking crews over an hour to control.

Once they battled through the blaze, crews were seen using a large circular saw to cut their way inside the trunk of the vehicle, where Aguilar's remains were discovered.

Her official cause of death has not been determined.

The fire was reportedly sparked by an 'explosion' in the garage, with officers initially responding to reports of a home explosion.

One neighbor said he raced outside after hearing the 'blood-curdling scream', but did not hear the sound again when they went to investigate.

Aguilar's family said they grew concerned for her safety after the school where she worked called them when she failed to show up for work.

They said she had been in a relationship for around a year, but they did not know much about the man she had been dating.

Aguilar and Switalski appear to have been in a relationship on social media, and her account includes several recent, smiling selfies with her alleged killer.

Aguilar and Switalski appeared to be in a relationship, and the teacher posed for numerous beaming selfies with her alleged killer

Aguilar was an elementary school teacher in Palmdale, California, and was reportedly living in the home where she was found last week

Switalski worked as a cost and schedule controller for weapons manufacturer Northrop Grumman but left in May, shortly before he was freed on a $600,000 bail for several rape charges

Court records reported by the LA Times revealed that he was also arrested and charged with several counts of rape and sexual misconduct in the spring of 2023 against a romantic partner, who was not named.

Following his arraignment in June, he was reportedly freed on a $600,000 bail.

Neighbors said Switalski, a bible school graduate, rented out several rooms in the five-bedroom home to other employees at Northrop Grumman, none of whom were reportedly home at the time of the time of the fire.

He had worked as a cost and schedule controller for the defense contractor since 2010, according to his LinkedIn, but KABC reported he left the company in May.

The account also noted that he had graduated from Calvary Chapel Bible College in 2006, where he was a 'worship leader.'

The account notes that he stopped working with them in May, at the same time he reportedly stopped his employment with Northrop Grumman - one of the largest defense contractors in the world.

He is currently being held in custody on a $10 million bail.

Before his days in the defense industry, Switalski graduated from Calvary Chapel Bible College in 2006, where he was a 'worship leader'

Tributes have poured in for the elementary school teacher, who was described as having 'the best spirit' who 'always had a smile'

Agular's brother, Juan, said she worked in Palmdale, California as an elementary school teacher, and described her as having 'the best spirit' and 'always had a smile.'

Describing the aftermath of his sister's death as 'the darkest of times', he said in a GoFundMe: 'Her story is all over the news of her brutal death. Things will never be the same ever again. We miss her so much.

'She had the best spirit she always had a smile. My family is heartbroken.

'My sister Veronica was so smart. She was an elementary school teacher, a UCLA graduate, and an amazing person in all.'
A former high school student in Florida demanded that the co-founder of conservative action group Moms For Liberty resign from the school board - not because she had a threesome, but rather because she was 'terrible' at her job.

Bridget Ziegler, a close ally of Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis, and a strong voice against LGBTQ rights, was forced on December 12 to sit through an excruciating meeting of the Sarasota County school board, on which she sits.

The board meeting was used to detail allegations that she had a threesome with another woman and her husband, and that her husband, chair of the Florida Republican Party, had been accused of rape.

Since the accusations emerged, Christian Ziegler has held onto his post as GOP chairman, but has been stripped of his salary and authority.

The GOP heavyweight's wife sat stone-faced throughout the school board meeting, and was confronted by Zander Moricz, a former class president at Pine View School, who is now at Harvard.

Bridget Ziegler's husband Christian Ziegler, chair of the Florida Republican Party, has been accused of raping a woman the couple allegedly had a 'menage a trois' with

Bridget is seen sitting stone-faced during the Sarasota County school board meeting on December 12

Zander Moricz, a former class president at Pine View School, called for her to resign from the board 'because you are terrible at your job, not because you had a threesome'

Moricz, who is gay, said Ziegler must resign because she was not fit for the job as a member of the school board.

'Bridget, our first-ever interaction was when you retweeted a hate article against me from the Nationalist when I was a Sarasota County school student,' said Moricz.

'You do not deserve to be on the Sarasota County School Board, but you do not deserve to be removed from it for having a threesome.

'That defeats the lesson we've been trying to teach you, which is that a politician's job is to serve their community, not to police their personal lives.

'Bridget, you deserve to be fired from your job because you are terrible at your job. Not because you had a threesome.'

Moricz, who now runs a nonprofit aimed at encouraging young people to get involved in politics, is a plaintiff in the 'Don't Say Gay' lawsuit against DeSantis and the state of Florida.

Ziegler was instrumental in crafting the 'Don't Say Gay' bill, which prevents the discussion of LGBTQ issues from kindergarten through to third grade, and only in limited ways with older students. Critics such as Moricz say it is a bid to erase gay people from society.

Moricz in 2022 accused administrators at his school of censorship after he was told not to reference his activism or sexuality in his graduation speech.

He referred to sexuality, in his address, by the euphemism 'curly hair'.

At the December 12 meeting, the school board voted to recommend Ziegler's removal - but the vote was non-binding.

Video reportedly shows Bridget, the co-founder of Moms for Liberty, and an unidentified woman

Protesters calling for the resignation of Bridget Ziegler are seen on December 12

The board voted to request Bridget Ziegler resign, but the vote was not binding

Activists are seen protesting outside the December 12 meeting of the school board

DeSantis could force her out, but the school board stopped short of writing to him to request her removal.

Her husband, meanwhile, faces potentially being kicked out of office at a January 8 meeting in Tallahassee. On December 17, he was censured by the party.

The incident, which a police report indicates took place at a home in Sarasota, was reported to police in early October.

The accuser, who has known Ziegler for 20 years, told police that when Bridget backed out of the plan to have sex, she texted Christian saying: 'Sorry I was mostly in for her,' according to an affidavit.

Later that evening the woman claims that as she went to leave her apartment she discovered Ziegler outside in the hallway - and alleges he then entered her property and raped her.

Weeks later, detectives began to monitor calls and messages sent by Christian Ziegler to the accuser, according to the affidavit.

'Where r u? Wanna meet and chat? Worried about you. You are my friend,' Ziegler allegedly wrote in one message via Instagram.

'Hell no not after what you did to me,' the woman responded. 'Do you not understand I am terrified of you?'

Moricz is taking legal action against Ron DeSantis over the Don't Say Gay bill

Bridget previously earned the endorsement of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for her Sarasota school board seat. He has since encouraged her husband to step down amid the sex scandal

A 911 call, obtained by the Florida Center for Government Accountability, made by a friend of the alleged victim, reveals she confided in the friend about being raped.

'She told me she was raped,' the friend informed the dispatcher on October 4.

'She's saying she's scared, that the person who raped her came to her house, so she's scared to leave... I'm worried about her right now,' the friend explained.

In text and phone conversations monitored by investigators, Ziegler offered the woman 'financial help' before becoming suspicious that they were being recorded.

Ziegler's attorney, Derek Byrd, said in a statement: 'We acknowledge the reports that there is an investigation being conducted by the Sarasota Police Department regarding Mr Ziegler.'

He said his client 'has been fully cooperative' with police.

'We are confident that once the police investigation is concluded that no charges will be filed and Mr Ziegler will be completely exonerated.'

Bridget Ziegler has not commented on the threesome, or the accusations against her husband.
A Minnesota woman is suing her dentist after he allegedly did far too much work on her in one appointment and falsified how much anesthesia he gave her during a visit that she claims left her disfigured.

Kathleen Wilson is suing Dr. Kevin Molldrem for what occurred during treatment for a rare case of tooth decay at his practice in July 2020.

She alleges in a civil suit filed Thursday - with the backing of a Florida dentist's expert opinion who called the amount of work done 'impossible' to be successful in one appointment - that he overused anesthesia and faked her medical records to avoid liability.

Molldrem allegedly performed eight dental crowns, four root canals and 20 filings in one appointment.

The affidavit claims Molldrem's poor work left Wilson in pain, embarrassed, disfigured and distressed, with multiple further appointments with other dentists to fix the defendant's alleged mess.

Kathleen Wilson is suing Dr. Kevin Molldrem (pictured) for what occurred during treatment at his practice in July 2020

She's filed a suit in Minnesota district court to award her at least $50,000 in damages from Molldrem, who has operated a practice in Eden Prairie since 2004 and later opened a second.

Wilson came to Molldrem for a consultation on July 7, 2020 and returned the next week.

Expert witness and Florida dentist and professor Dr. Avrum Goldtein said that Molldrem's diagnosis - which showed that 'virtually every tooth' in Wilson's mouth had decay - was correct but his treatment was poor.

'Katie required a slow, thoughtful, careful and measured response to her disease,' Goldstein wrote of the five and a half hour appointment.

'Trying to fill every hole in every tooth in her mouth in one visit is not only the antithesis of what was indicated, it is not humanely possible to achieve in an effective or constructive manner.'

Goldstein is also on board with the claim that Molldrem faked the amount of anesthesia given to Wilson.

She's filed a suit in Minnesota district court to award her at least $50,000 in damages from Molldrem, who has operated a practice in Eden Prairie since 2004 and later opened a second

Expert witness and Florida dentist and professor Dr. Avrum Goldtein said that Molldrem's diagnosis - which showed that 'virtually every tooth' in Wilson's mouth had decay - was correct but his treatment was poor

The maximum recommended dosage for a long appointment is 490 milligrams but Molldrem gave Wilson 960.

Wilson eventually got more proper treatment 'for repair and replacement of many of her restorations in an attempt to stabilize her mouth' from the University of Minnesota Dental School in 2022 over the course of several months.

'All of the work that was done and all of the expense associated with it will have been for nothing,' Goldstein said of Molldrem's performance

'This not only impacts the economics of her dental needs, it impacts the emotional trauma associated with extensive dental treatment.'

Molldrem was served with a summons on December 20. Molldrem and Wilson's attorneys have yet to comment on the case.
Driver was found not guilty of using phone

A P-plater has lost her licence after being fined for using her mobile phone as a GPS.

Chiqui Eseque was pulled over by NSW Police on May 20, 2022, after officers noticed her car's headlights were not turned on.

Officers noticed her phone was placed on a hands free phone holder inside her car showing a map on the screen.

Learner and provisional licence holders under NSW law, are not permitted to use their phone at all while driving - even if it's just for directions.

The law catches many drivers out because there are no restrictions on L and P-plate drivers using a dash board GPS device.

A P-plater has lost her licence after being fined for using her mobile phone as a GPS

READ MORE: Common driving habit could cost you a $603 fine and four demerit points Advertisement

Eseque was charged with using a mobile phone while she was driving.

However she fought the charge arguing she was just using it for directions and that there was no SIM card in the phone.

Magistrate Hugh Donnelly found Eseque not guilty of the charge as the phone could not make or receive calls because it wasn't connected to a mobile network.

'I find in this case that I am to accept that the definition of a mobile phone just cannot be anything, there has to be some limitation to what the expression means,' Magistrate Donnelly said.

'This is a case where the phone itself, there was evidence of having no SIM card.'

The ruling however was overturned after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) appealed against the decision and brought the case before the NSW Supreme Court in December.

Justice Monica Schmidt ruled last week that Eseque broke the law despite the phone not having a SIM card.

Learner and provisional licence holders under NSW law, are not permitted to use their phone at all while driving - even if it's just for directions

'A communicative capacity is not required in order for a user to look at everything that can be displayed on such a phone, as the rules recognise,' Justice Schmidt said.

'It cannot sensibly be concluded that a mobile phone only becomes one when a SIM card is placed into it and ceases being one, whenever such a card is removed.'

Eseque was ordered to pay the DPP's costs.

Drivers in NSW can be fined $387 and will lose five demerit points for illegally using a mobile phone.
Ukraine yesterday marked Christmas Day on December 25 for the first time in a deliberate shift away from Russian influence.

The embattled country has traditionally observed Christmas on January 7 under the Julian calendar, which many in Russia also observe.

But in July, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a bill for Ukraine to adopt the Gregorian calendar, making December 25 the official state holiday.

It it welcome news for many Ukrainians who see a future aligned more closely with the West following Russia's 2022 invasion - despite centuries caught in its sphere of influence.

In his Christmas address, Zelensky told citizens: 'Wherever we spend Christmas. Today, all Ukrainians are together. We all meet Christmas together. On the same date, as one big family, as one nation, as one united country.'

He added that 'today our common prayer will be stronger than ever... and it will resonate today without a time difference of two weeks. Resonate together with Europe and the world.'

Around Ukraine, civilians gathered late on Christmas morning to dance, eat and spend time with families as they celebrated the change in tradition after more than a century at Russia's pace.

The Zelenchuk family prays before a Christmas dinner in Kryvorivnia village, December 24

Ukrainian troops installed a Christmas tree at a destroyed blockpost outside Bakhmut city, eastern Ukraine, amid celebrations in line with the Georgian calendar, December 25, 2023

Ukrainian servicemen of the 93rd separate mechanized brigade sing during a Christmas Day service near the front line in the Donetsk region as Ukrainians celebrate their first Christmas according to a new calendar, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, December 25, 2023

Ukrainians attend a Christmas celebration near a church in Kryvorivnya village in the Carpathian Mountains near Ivano-Frankivsk, western Ukraine, 25 December 2023

Girls, wearing Ukrainian traditional clothes, take part in Christmas celebrations in the village of Pyrogove, near Kyiv on December 25, 2023

Zelensky on Monday also hailed the shooting down of two Russian fighter jets on Christmas Eve and said 'this Christmas sets the right mood for the entire year ahead.'

'The stronger our air defense, the fewer Russian devils will be in our skies and on our land,' Zelenskyy said in his Christmas message, praising Ukraine's 'capabilities in negotiations with partners, capabilities in bolstering our sky shield, capabilities in defending our homeland from Russian terrorists'.

After centuries of cultural and social influence from Russia, the war in Ukraine has seen significant steps towards a realignment with the West.

'Its historical justice,' said Yevhen Konyk, a 44-year-old serviceman who, along with his family, participated in traditional celebrations at an open-air museum in Kyiv. 'We need to move forward not only with the world but also with the traditions of our country and overcome the imperial remnants we had.'

In the village of Kryvorivnia, thousands of worshipers, many in traditional garb including the embroidered shirts called vyshyvankas, crowded the streets and streamed to the settlement's noted elaborate wooden church.

Oksana Poviakel, the director of the Pyrohiv Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine in Kyiv, where Christmas celebrations took place, said that observing the holiday on the 25th is 'another important factor of self-identification.'

'We are separating ourselves from the neighbor who is currently trying to destroy our state, who is killing our people, destroying our homes, and burning our land,' she said.

Asia Landarenko, 63, said she prays every day for her son, who is currently in the military. 'The state of war affects everything, including the mood. The real celebration of Christmas will be after the victory, but as the Savior was born, so will be our victory,' she said.

Zelensky gestures as he responds to questions from journalists during a press conference in Kyiv (Kiev), Ukraine, 19 December 2023

Men dressed in traditional hutsuls suits play violins in front of a church during Christmas celebration in Kryvorivnia village, Ukraine, Monday, December 25, 2023

Men dressed in traditional hutsuls suits play on trembitas in front of a church during Christmas celebrations in Kryvorivnia village, Ukraine, Monday, December 25, 2023

A Ukrainian serviceman presents flowers to women dressed in traditional clothes singing carols inside a metro station as Ukrainians celebrate their first Christmas according to a Western calendar, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 25, 2023

People dressed in traditional clothes sing carols inside a metro station as Ukrainians celebrate their first Christmas according to a Western calendar, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 25, 2023

Ukraine is predominantly Orthodox Christian, but the faith is divided between two churches, one of which had a long affiliation with the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which didn't recognise the authority of the Russian church and had been regarded as schismatic, was granted full recognition in 2018 by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Orthodoxy's top authority.

It then announced in 2022, after the start of the war, that it was breaking ties with Moscow and considered itself autonomous. However, its parishes continue to follow the same liturgical calendar as the Russian church and will observe Christmas on January 7.

Ukraine, historically aligned with Poland and allies in Europe, endured centuries under Russia's influence following a period of uprising and renegotiation in the 17th century.

In the years since, the country has inherited many of Russia's cultural and social norms, adopting the Julian calendar in 1918, four years before joining the USSR.

Some 3.9mn Ukrainians died of hunger during the Holodomor, a famine resulting in part from Soviet-era collectivisation policies and the extraction of grain from Ukraine to feed growing industrial hubs.

During this period, Ukrainian identity, language and culture was suppressed as Lenin and later Stalin imposed strict laws to quash Ukrainian nationalism.

The evidence of the Holodomor was largely destroyed or hidden until the dissolution of the USSR on December 25, 1991.

Factions in Ukraine lobbying for realignment with the West have steadily gained ground in the years since, with Russian opposition, but many regions of Ukraine have been populated over the years with Russian or Russian-aligned citizens, dividing the country.

The war has seen more alignment across the country; research conducted in 2022, after the invasion, found 82 per cent of Ukrainians say they feel 'very bad' about Russia in general - with just 2 per cent voicing moderate support and zero per cent 'very good'.

People dressed in traditional clothes sing carols inside a metro station as Ukrainians celebrate their first Christmas according to a Western calendar, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 25, 2023

Metropolitan Epiphanius (C) of Kyiv attends a Christmas Eve prayer service at the St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine, 24 December 2023

Ukrainian service members of the 4th Ivan Vyhovskyi Separate Tank Brigade attend a Christmas Eve service near the front line outside Kupiansk as Ukrainians celebrate their first Christmas according to a Western calendar, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine December 24, 2023

A volunteer decorates a Christmas tree inside a shelter during a Christmas celebration in the front line town of Huliaipole, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine December 25, 2023

Yesterday Ukraine's air force reported that it shot down two Russian fighter jets late on Christmas Eve, along with two cruise missiles and 28 drones.

The report said the attacks were aimed at southern and central regions of Ukraine, but that no casualties were immediately known. It said that 31 drones were launched in all, but details of what the three that weren't intercepted may have struck weren't given.

Mr Zelensky wrote on Twitter/X: 'Our warriors shot down not only about 30 Shahed drones and several missiles, but also two more Russian Su aircraft.

'Russian terrorists lost five aircraft in a week. This Christmas sets the right mood for the entire year ahead  the mood of our capabilities. Capabilities in negotiations with partners. Capabilities in bolstering our sky shield. Capabilities in defending our homeland from Russian terrorists.

'The stronger our air defence, the fewer Russian fiends will be in our skies and on our land. I thank all of our warriors for their precision and strength. All our emergency services. Everyone who helps. May this bright time make the entire next year brighter for us.'

It comes as a leading Putin propagandist was 'seriously ill' after being poisoned, according to Ukrainian military intelligence.

Anton Krasovsky, 48, former director of broadcasting on the Russian TV channel RT, posted that he was recovering in hospital after losing consciousness. But a source in the Defence Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine alleged he 'continues to deteriorate', adding that his most recent messages were probably 'not written by the propagandist himself'.

The suggestion is that he was the victim of an assassination bid in Moscow by Ukrainian military intelligence. Krasovsky, a star state TV presenter, caused revulsion last year with a genocidal diatribe against Ukrainian children.
A woman and her four young children have been found dead in an apartment near Paris on Christmas Day, a prosecutor has said.

Their father, 33, who was already known to the authorities for 'domestic violence' was arrested on Tuesday morning in Sevran after being sought by the police on suspicion of murder.

The children were aged 10, seven, four and nine months, the prosecution said in a press release. The victims were found 'after the alert was given by relatives who were concerned about their lack of response'.

An investigation into 'intentional homicides with premeditation' was launched following the grim discovery, with police hunting the children's father reportedly 'on the run' at the time.

The bodies were found in the quiet suburb of Meaux, 25 miles north-east for the French capital on Monday evening, police said.

A woman and her four young children have been found dead in an apartment near paris on Christmas Day, a prosecutor has said (pedestrian shopping street in the town centre of Meaux)

The bodies were found in the quiet suburb of Meaux, 25 miles north-east for the French capital on Monday evening, police said

'Five lifeless bodies were found  two boys and two girls  leading to an investigation into their murders,' said local prosecutor Jean-Baptiste Bladier on Tuesday.

'The prime suspect is the father, aged thirty-three, who was found on Tuesday at a house nearby, after going on the run.'

Geolocation data on his phone revealed that the man left the family flat at around 8.07p.m on Christmas Day.

He then went to nearby Sevran to see his father, and to his grandmother in Garges-les-Gonesse.

The dead children  aged 10, seven, four and nine months  were all inside the family flat, with their mother.

Neither the suspect, nor any of the victims, have yet been named by the French authorities.

The bodies were found at around 9pm, with the victims lying in the family apartment located at Square Adam-de-la-Halle, according to reports in ACTU17.

'There were a very large number of stab wounds on both the front and back sides, on the trunk, lower and upper limbs as well as defense cuts,' said Mr Bladier.

'Two other victims, the four-year-old boy and the nine-month-old baby, had no had no apparent wounds,' said Mr Bladier.

This led to the early theory that they had died from drowning or suffocation, said the prosecutor.

A murder investigation has now been launched following the grim discovery, with police hunting the children's father, 33, reportedly 'on the run' (aerial view of the Saint Etienne cathedral of Meaux)

Neither the suspect, nor any of the victims, have yet been named by the French authorities (stock image)

Geolocation data on his phone revealed that the man left the family flat at around 8.07p.m on Christmas Day (stock image of the river Marne in Mauex)

The arrested man was already known for acts of 'domestic violence and for suffering from psychiatric disorders', said another investigating source.

The prosecutor said a further press briefing will take place later today.

On Christmas Day, 'around 9 p.m., the bodies of five people were discovered in an apartment located in Meaux, after the alert had been given by relatives concerned about the lack of response from the occupants of the premises' , reported prosecutor Jean-Baptiste Bladier on Tuesday morning in a press release.

'The apartment showed no signs of break-in and the father of the family was absent. The latter is currently wanted by the police,' added the prosecutor.

According to local media, the 35-year-old mother and her children were stabbed to death.

The man was investigated in 2019 for acts of domestic violence, including attacking his wife with a knife, it is claimed.

But criminal proceedings against him were closed after he was declared 'irresponsible due to his mental deficiency,' said an investigating source.

In 2017, he had spent time in a psychiatric hospital, and he was on regular medication for his mental problems.

A neighbour of the family who raised the alarm following the latest attack, said she had last been on the phone to the mother who died at around 7pm on Sunday.

'She said she was waiting for the return of her husband,' said the witness.

When the neighbour visited the family flat on Christmas Day, she found 'blood on the front door handle,' and alerted the police, she said.

This neighbour described the mother as being 'very jovial and very kind', adding: 'She was like a sister, always there for us, she lived for her family, her children and for her husband.

'Her children are friends with my children, they are in the same class in the same school.'

The Paris region has recently seen a series of infanticides.

In late November, a 41-year-old man confessed to killing his three daughters, aged four to 11, and turned himself in.

Police found them dead in his home in the town of Alfortville, in the southeastern suburbs of the capital.

A month earlier, in October, a gendarme killed his three daughters before killing himself at his home in Vemars in Val-d'Oise.
An alleged serial sex killer has appeared in court following the discovery of the bodies of two escorts, one of whom had been beheaded, according to reports.

Detained 'maniac' Alexei Varakin, 37, is believed to have killed two escorts in a frenzy after he 'was unable to have sexual intercourse with them', 'driving him crazy', according to Russian news outlet Shot.

The beheaded remains of Olga Vorobyova, 40, were found near a hotel where they allegedly met in Moscow district Izmailovo.

Vlada Skitskaya, 25, is believed to have been killed a day later in her rented flat in the Moscow City business district.

The suspect had recently been released from prison after he was incarcerated in 2010 for the murder of two sex workers.

Alexei Varakin, 37, (pictured) was jailed in 2010 for the murder of two women

LEFT: Vlada Skitskaya, 25, is believed to have been killed in her rented flat in Moscow, Russia. RIGHT: Olga Vorobyova, 40, whose beheaded remains were found near a hotel in Moscow

Shot identified the suspect as Alexey Varakin from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, adding that Ms Vorobyova 'had taken some drugs and refused to have sex with him, so he cut off her head and ran away.'

According to Shot, Varakin wanted to 'de-stress' after murdering Vorobyova but was mocked by Skitskaya after he failed to perform in bed.

He allegedly then lunged at the 25-year-old with a knife, Skitskaya putting up a fight and injuring her attacker.

Skitskaya, terrified, had managed to call a friend during the attack and say a client was trying to kill her, it is reported.

Her cries for help were also heard by neighbours.

Police were called but when officers arrived the woman was dead from knife wounds.

There were signs of attempted beheading, said reports.

The Moscow Prosecutor's Office confirmed on Sunday it was looking into the recent murder of two women, without providing details other than that a 25-year-old woman sustained knife wounds during a dispute in a residence in western Moscow.

Varakin was seen in a court video where he was remanded in custody for two months

The crime scene where Olga Vorobyova, 40, was allegedly murdered

Varakin was detained by police and stood trial in court, 13 years after his first conviction

Varakin was then seen in a court video where he was remanded in custody for two months.

In the court he confessed to the two latest killings, according to reports.

The suspect had been 'cured' after he was sentenced in 2010 to psychiatric hospital following the murder of two sex workers, the court was told.
Traditional papermaking craft sees renaissance in village of SW China's Guizhou

People's Daily Online) 11:04, December 26, 2023

Shiqiao village in southwest China's Guizhou Province is known for its traditional papermaking techniques, which were included in the first batch of the national intangible cultural heritage list.

With a history of over 1,000 years, the traditional papermaking techniques in Shiqiao village, Nangao township, Danzhai county, are now seeing a renaissance.

Villagers make paper in Shiqiao village, Nangao township, Danzhai county, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Photo/Yang Wukui)

Shiqiao's papermaking process is basically in line with the interpretation from the Tiangong Kaiwu, an encyclopedia that covers a wide variety of technical subjects, compiled by Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) scientist Song Yingxing.

Wang Xingwu, now in his 50s, learned the papermaking techniques from his father at 15 and gradually became a master of the ancient craft in the village.

When the National Library of China and the Palace Museum were looking for paper for the restoration of ancient books in 2004, Shiqiao village caught the attention of experts due to its ancient papermaking craft.

Back then, Wang Xingwu knew nothing about the restoration of ancient books. He came to the Palace Museum to gain the required knowledge and tried to make paper for that purpose. He insisted on making seven pieces of different sample paper every day and made adjustments according to experts' suggestions. After two years of effort, he finally succeeded in developing Yingchun Paper for the restoration of ancient books.

After verification from experts in 2016, Yingchun Paper made by Wang Xingwu was found to be consistent with the paper used in ancient books in terms of weight, color, thickness, fiber, density, tightness, and pH value. He then guided craftsmen to reproduce the paper used in the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.

"Shiqiao has not only passed on the millennium-old papermaking craft, but also made paper that can be preserved for 1,000 years," he said, adding that Yingchun paper can last 1,500 years.

In the past, almost every family in Shiqiao village worked in the papermaking industry. However, with the popularity of machine-made paper, the handmade production model mostly based on family workshops gradually lost its advantage in the market.

Under Wang Xingwu's leadership, a papermaking cooperative was founded in 2009 for the unified production and sales of paper made with ancient craft.

While passing on the ancient papermaking craft, craftsmen learned modern techniques and sought innovation. The village has established a new papermaking base with better production, exhibition, experience and training facilities and improved production capacity.

More and more young people are coming together to promote paper made using the ancient craft. Wang Qiguang, a craftsman born in the 1980s, has turned paper made using the ancient craft into handicrafts such as notebooks and lamps, and sold them on e-commerce platforms.

"We need to integrate paper made with the ancient craft into daily life," Wang Qiguang said.

"Recently, the market for Shiqiao paper has been continuously expanding," said Liu Pan, an official in Nangao township, adding that the village's paper has been sold to cities including Beijing and Hangzhou, with the total profit in the last three years exceeding 6.2 million yuan (about $869,223).

Pan Yuhua, an inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage of traditional papermaking techniques, has established an educational tour base in Shiqiao village, which not only showcases and promotes paper made with the ancient craft, but also further boosts the development of local agritainment facilities.

"We need to turn this craft into tangible products to spread the culture and stories behind Shiqiao's papermaking techniques," Pan said.

Focusing on its ancient papermaking craft, Shiqiao village has built a national 3A-level tourist attraction integrated with historical culture, folk customs and more. It has also established an ancient paper research and development center and an experience center, and collaborated with travel agencies and universities to build an internship base.

There is a dazzling array of exquisite derivatives made with the ancient craft in the village, including decorative trees, lanterns, bookmarks, umbrellas and bags, as well as paper products including Huacao paper, a kind of paper that uses plants as part of the papermaking process.

Today, more than 160 kinds of paper made with the ancient craft have been created, including Yingchun paper and Huacao paper, which can be used for decoration, packaging, painting, restoration of ancient books, and other fields. Additionally, over 10 paper crafts have been developed.

"Shiqiao paper will enjoy unlimited potential in the future," said Huang Meng, a designer with the papermaking cooperative in Shiqiao village. Huang hopes to build a bridge connecting the ancient intangible cultural heritage with modern aesthetics to make Shiqiao paper even more vibrant and inject new vitality into the ancient intangible cultural heritage.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Kanye West has finally apologized for his various anti-Semitic outbursts, which even saw him expressing support for Adolf Hitler, and resulted in him losing a string of lucrative endorsement deals and being dropped by his talent agency.

West , 46, issued the apology in Hebrew on his newly-reactivated Instagram page in the early hours of December 26.

'I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions. It was not my intention to hurt or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused,' the apology read in part.

'I am committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding More in the future. Your forgiveness is important to me, and I am committed to making amends and promoting unity.'

Many in the comments, writing in Hebrew, appeared to accept the apology. However, one commenter warned: 'Next time we won't accept forgiveness, be careful.'

Kanye West, 46, has finally apologized for his various anti-Semitic outbursts that began in 2022 and continued up until a few weeks ago

I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions. It was not my intention to hurt or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused,' the apology read in part

West's recent social media return has already generated controversy as he revealed that he appointed controversial Russian designer Gosha Rubchinskiy as the Yeezy brand's head of design.

Multiple men have come forward to accuse Rubchinskiy of pressuring young men to send him explicit pictures of themselves. The Moscow-born designer has denied the allegations

Hours before West's apology, Israeli MMA fighter Haim Gozali claimed that he was responsible for putting the Golddigger rapper's name on an IDF missile that was bound for Gaza.

Gozali, who has served in the Israeli military before, posted a picture on Sunday to X which showed the words 'Kanye West Flying to Gaza Haim Gozali' on an apparent missile.

Gozali, 50, captioned the post, '@kanyewest you don't like us jewish. So we don't like you too !!!'

It is not clear whether Gozali actually wrote the message himself.

He previously posted a similar photo with the names of Khabib Nurmagomedov , Islam Makhachev, Khamzat Chimaev and Belal Muhammad written on an IDF missile.

Those four fighters are all Muslim and have voiced their support for Palestine.

Haim Gozali posted this picture on X with Kanye West's name written on a missile

Kanye West has come under increasing scrutiny for his anti-Semitic rhetoric

This month, West was accused of going into yet another anti-Semitic tirade during an event in Las Vegas, on top of being accused of using similar language in his latest track, Vultures.

West told a crowd in which he claimed 'all the rich f***s' in the room have their kids in 'Zionist schools' and that daughter North, 10, had destroyed couches in her house so she could join him on tour.

In a video obtained by TMZ, West falsely claims: 'It's 60 million of us in America, 60 million Jews in the world.

'50 per cent of our deaths is abortion, 25 per cent of us go to prison... raise your hand if you ever got an abortion

'If we were in a Jewish... every mother would raise their hands.'

'Who's going to make the hospitals, though? He's a Zionist, Trump. This is what I've been trying to tell you. Jesus Christ, Hitler, Ye, third party, sponsor that!'

He added: 'They cant f*****g touch me because God cover me.'

Jewish organizations recently slammed Kanye over his new track 'Vultures' which features the lyrics, 'How am I anti-Semitic? I just f***ed a Jewish b****.'

Shouting at the crowd to 'shut the f*** up' he said: 'I dont give a f*** about life or death, I get visitation with my kids' before adding: 'F*** Balenciaga'.

West also slammed the school his children attend and said: 'North ripped up the motherf****ng couches in the house' to be able to travel with her father on his trip.

Just days before that unhinged rant, West was branded a 'disgusting human being' by some fans after he wore a KKK-style hood in Miami.

The artist put on a fabric head covering featuring a point at the top at an overnight listening event with collaborator Ty Dolla Sign as they performed their controversial track Vultures which features vile lyrics about a Jewish woman.

Vultures features the 'offensive' lyrics: 'How am I anti-Semitic? I just f***ed a Jewish b****.'

In 2022, West made anti-Semitic comments in interviews and social media, including an October Twitter post in which he said he would soon go 'death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,' an apparent reference to the U.S. defense readiness condition scale known as DEFCON.

He had previously suggested that slavery was a choice and called the COVID-19 vaccine the 'mark of the beast,' among other comments.

He also took heat for wearing a 'White Lives Matter' T-shirt to Paris Fashion Week and putting models in the same design. In 2020, Ye's then-wife Kim Kardashian said that the rapper has bipolar disorder, a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings.

West expressed some regrets in a podcast interview, but a few months later tweeted an image of a swastika merged with the Star of David, leading the platform to suspend him.

After he received the same treatment on other social media outlets, Ye offered to buy Parler, a conservative social network with no gatekeeper. No deal ever materialized.

The break with West left Adidas with a huge supply of unsold Yeezy sneakers that it has begun to sell in limited batches. It has held two such sales  one in May, the other last month.

For both of those sales, Adidas said it donated a portion of the proceeds to charities such as the Anti-Defamation League and the Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change.

'
He is believed to have been targeting a father and son - but was fatally injured himself

Irish Police are bracing for 'revenge attacks' and are 'seriously concerned' innocent people could be dragged into an 'all-out feud' between gangs allegedly involved in a Christmas Eve shooting at a Dublin steakhouse.

The terrifying attack at popular family restaurant Browne's Steakhouse in Blanchardstown, west Dublin left suspected gunman Tristan Sherry, 26, dead and another man fighting for his life.

Sherry - whose post-mortem is due to take place today - is understood to have targeted a father and son who were having dinner together before being tackled by punters in the venue and fatally injured.

He was allegedly stabbed almost 30 times, according to the Irish Times.

Both Sherry and the injured man are known to police for their alleged involvement in drug crime.

Sherry is believed to have been a member of a local drug trafficking gang led by 'Mr Flashy', which has been involved in several violent incidents in the area in recent years.

A source told the Irish Independent : 'The potential for the gun attack to have been organised by the Mr Flashy crew is a very significant line of inquiry in this case.

'It was a botched but very reckless shooting as there were a number of children in the restaurant when this happened and other people could have been easily hit.'

Videos shared online appear to show people in the restaurant ducking and someone else running for cover

The suspected attacker, Tristan Sherry, died after he was overpowered by his intended victims

Police guard the street outside the steakhouse where one man was killed and another shot

Gardai outside Browne's Steakhouse in Blanchardstown in Dublin, following the Christmas Eve shooting

Meanwhile, the victim fighting for life is understood to be a 47-year-old man who was eating with several members of his family before the horrifying ordeal unfolded at 8.10pm on Christmas Eve.

He is currently being treated in Connolly Memorial Hospital. As of last night, his condition was described as serious, after suffering at least one gunshot wound to the neck.

Gardai are 'seriously concerned' that innocent members of the public may be dragged into a wider feud sparked by the shooting after one gang offered the public over 1,000 for information on the whereabouts of rivals.

One source has claimed there are 'threats are flying around everywhere'.

And a security source told the Mail: 'Gardai are now fearing a really large escalation in this feud following the attack. The general public in the area are being asked to give up the location of a rival gang member for cash.

'This is being sold as a 'no questions asked' type of situation. But if someone does know this information and gives it up, they could be targeted by the gang for effectively informing on them which will put them and the family in danger.

'Also, they could unwittingly become party to a crime and may have the Gardai knocking on their door if there are repercussions to this shooting.'

Both Sherry and the injured man are known to police for their alleged involvement in drug crime. Associates of the injured man have already sworn to take revenge, the Irish Independent reported.

Two suspects fled the scene in a white Audi and police are calling on anyone with information to get in touch as soon as possible.

A forensic investigator speaks to garda officers at the scene

Garda officers at the scene where a man aged in his 20s was pronounced dead after being injured during a shooting incident

Police cordon off the area outside the steakhouse where the incident occured

Helen McEntee, Ireland's justice minister, condemned the attack which is thought to be linked to a west Dublin feud responsible for a large number of assaults.

She said: 'This viciousness has resulted in unimaginable human suffering this Christmas.

'That anyone could perpetrate such violence as families gathered together is especially disgusting.

'I'm thinking of the bereaved, those who were at the scene and indeed all the emergency service personnel working tonight and over Christmas who have to deal with this senseless violence.'

Multiple sources told the Irish Daily Mail they believe the horror attack to be linked to a feud in the Corduff area of west Dublin that has been going for several years.

One said: 'There's been a feud since around 2019 involving a very serious drugs gang based out in Corduff. They've been at war with a Finglas-based drugs gang run by a young man who has been nicknamed Mr Flashy.

'There have been several shootings and fire attacks on homes and cars due to this feud. There was even an incident when a man was attacked with a machete in a police station.

A forensic investigator at the scene in Blanchardstown, Dublin

Footage shared to social media shows terrified families running for their lives and hiding under tables

This is the shocking moment a diner screams 'someone's about to get whacked in front of me' as a gunman storms a Dublin steakhouse and takes fire at a father and son

'It was being warned that it would be a matter of time before a murder and it's happened. Sherry was known to police for his involvement in crime, especially his links to organised criminals.

'What appears to have happened is he went in firing shots at the two men but was overpowered and beaten and stabbed by the uninjured man. It also looks like the men in the Audi outside realised that things had not gone to plan and sped off.

'What we're likely to see now is a ramping up of retaliations. Both sides of this feud are feared organised crime gangs who specialise in drug trafficking.

'The Finglas group have links to the Westies gang, which was a serious outfit over the last two decades where the other side have their own pedigree.

'The thing about this feud is that there are so many moving pieces. People who were once loyal to one gang are now on the other side and vice versa.'

Several videos of the aftermath of the attack were shared on social media in the hours after the incident. In one of them a man can be seen lying on the ground covered in blood. Other videos show diners hiding under tables and screaming.

A police spokesman said yesterday: 'A man in his 20s was fatally injured. A second male aged in his 40s continues to receive treatment for gunshot wounds. His condition remains serious.

'Police are aware of videos of the incident and immediate aftermath which are in circulation on social media and messaging apps. We are appealing to the public for these videos not to be further distributed.

'We are also appealing to the public to be aware of a significant level of speculation, misinformation and disinformation which is in circulation. Gardai have increased uniform patrols in the Dublin region, with support from armed patrols, including the Garda armed support unit.'

Residents in Blanchardstown have shared how devastating the shooting was to the community.

'I'm absolutely appalled,' said a local school warden, Pauline Harte, told the Irish Independent.

'It's a very safe community and to happen on that occasion on Christmas Eve is absolutely deplorable.'

She added: 'I'm just really in a state of shock because Blanchardstown is a very tightly knit community and I often dine in that restaurant and it's a very busy, popular restaurant. Lovely staff and lovely people go there from the area.

'Everybody knows everybody, and what a time for it to happen and so unfortunate because Christmas is a time of peace and love and good Christmas spirit. I'm absolutely shocked.'
Residents of a small Victorian community are being urged to use baby wipes to stay clean after a Christmas Day breakdown at the town's water treatment plant knocked out safe drinking water.

Health authorities issued an urgent warning to the residents of Elmore, about 175km north of Melbourne, about health hazards in the tap water at 1.30pm.

'The town's clear water storage tank has been drained following an issue at the Elmore Water Treatment Plant earlier on Monday,' VicEmergency said.

'Tap water is not safe to drink in Elmore. Boiling the tap water will not make it safe.'

The authorities warned residents to drink only bottled water.

Residents in Elmore are were seen filling up their tanks from a water trailer

Health authorities issued an urgent warning to the residents of Elmore, about 175km north of Melbourne , about health hazards in the tap water at 1.30pm

'It is unsafe to use tap water for: food preparation, cleaning food or preparing baby formula,' the agency said, adding animals and pets should be given bottled water to drink.'

The warning extends to personal hygiene, with residents advised to use disposable baby wipe products to clean themselves.

'Coliban Water is organising bottled water for delivery to those impacted in Elmore, with further details on this to come,' the health alert said.

'There will also be a water trailer for residents to use to supplement their water supply in the short term.'

On Tuesday morning, Coliban Water, a government-owned utility, said the 'do not drink' warning remained in place.

'Please continue to follow all 'do not drink' advice, which includes not using the tap water for: drinking, preparing beverages, washing and preparing food, preparing baby formula, brushing teeth, making ice,' the company said.

The authorities warned residents to drink only bottled water

'The town's clear water storage tank has been drained following an issue at the Elmore Water Treatment Plant earlier on Monday,' VicEmergency said

Bottled water (pictured) is being provided to residents in the meantime with people urged not to drink the tap water or use it to cook or clean food

'You can use the water for: toilet flushing, washing machine use, bathing. Please ensure you do not ingest the water.'

The company said bottled water and a water trailer was available at the Elmore Water Treatment Plant at the base of Elmore water tower.

'We are carrying out doorknocking in the community today to ensure everyone is aware of this advice.'

The company said it would be 'several days' before Elmore's water network returned to normal and the 'do not drink' advisory could be lifted.

On Christmas Day, the company said it was working to restore the town's water treatment plant.

'The plant is currently being restored, but this will take some time to restore normal operations once again,' Coliban stated.

'We will be adding chlorine to the water supply in the short term as we resume water production.'
One of Australia's most feared underworld figures has been attacked with makeshift blade, known as a shiv, in maximum security prison.

Bassam Hamzy, who founded Sydney's the Brothers 4 Life crime gang, was attacked on Thursday by convicted murderer Ricky McNamara inside the Goulburn Supermax prison.

A handcuffed Hamzy was led into a small, caged exercise yard where McNamara was waiting for him.

Almost as soon as Hamzy entered, McNamara began slashing at him wildly as well as throwing punches, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Prison guards were forced to intervene using chemical sprays to subdue McNamara.

Bassam Hamzy, one of Australia's most notorious prisoners, has been attacked by another inmate wielding a makeshift blade, known as a shiv

Despite the frenzied violence of the attack, Hamzy escaped with just minor injuries, according to prison authorities.

A Corrective Services NSW spokesperson said Hamzy and McNamara had undergone strict vetting before being put in the yard together.

'At about 8am on Thursday, 21 December 2023 two inmates were undertaking approved exercise together in the yard at the High Risk Management Correctional Centre in Goulburn,' the statement said.

'One inmate assaulted the other inmate who sustained minor injuries as a result.

'Chemical munitions were deployed and both inmates were secured safely. NSW Police were notified and attended the scene.'

NSW Police are investigating the incident and spokesperson said no charges have been laid at this stage.

Goulburn Supermax, based near the south eastern town of the same name, is the most secure jail in NSW and hosts the state's most notorious prisoners.

Hamzy has been in prison since being convicted in 1999 for murdering a teenager.

Goulburn Supermax is the most secure jail in NSW and hosts the state's most notorious prisoners.

McNamara has a history of attacking other prisoners and in April 2022 he tried to behead an inmate with shivs made from razor blades, after allegedly hearing the man brag about his child sex crimes

The attack was made on Aaron McCurley at Long Bay Correctional Complex in Matraville, Sydney's eastern suburbs.

McNamara later pleaded guilty to wounding/grievous bodily harm to person with intent to murder and was handed an extra 12 years in jail with a non-parole period of five years.

This was on top of the 30-year sentence with no parole which McNamara is serving for murder.
Civil servants who are working from home should be made to come into the office at least three days a week, the Cabinet Office minister has said.

John Glen said those working in Whitehall have a responsibility to the taxpayer to come into the office more often and suggested that he could tighten rules that mean staff have to come into work 60 per cent of the time.

The MP for Salisbury told the Times that the private sector companies such as Amazon and HSBC, which have imposed similar requirements on their workforces, are showing the benefits of this.

Moves to make workers come into Whitehall more often are likely to run into opposition from unions who call the rules imposed by ministers 'counterproductive'.

It comes as Rishi Sunak continues his bid to get Government workers back into the office following the pandemic, a battle which was also faced by Boris Johnson and his ally Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg who was outspoken in his criticism of perceived absenteeism in the civil service.

Cabinet Minister John Glen told the Times he wants civil servants in the office three days a week 'as a minimum'. Pictured: Mr Glen leaving Downing Street in September

The Government has been trying to get civil servants back into the office since the pandemic, to mixed results. Pictured: The empty ministry offices of Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg in 2022

While Mr Glen has a similar goal and while he told the Times he does not want to be quite so confrontational about it, he added that civil servants should be mindful that 'we are some distance away' from the pandemic chaos which forced millions across the UK to work from home.

READ MORE HERE: Almost two-fifths of civil servants are considering quitting their Whitehall jobs after being told they have to spend at least three days a week in the office in WFH crackdown Advertisement

The 49-year-old said that people who had considered quitting their jobs over attempts to get them back into the office - 40 per cent of civil servants told a recent poll the new rules had brought the thought to their minds - 'need to think about what's the overall responsibility they have to their peers and to the outputs of the function that they're working for.'

He said: 'This isn't designed to be an attack on anyone. It's designed to be a reasonable assertion of what the public and taxpayers expect of how services are efficiently delivered.'

Mr Glen said that the rules, which he announced when he was put given the role of Cabinet Minister by Rishi Sunak in November, had been inspired by the private sector where many firms had brought their workers back to the office.

'If HSBC and Amazon have got people working three days a week, it's perfectly realistic,' he said.

Mr Glen suggested that he might tighten these rules even further in the future, as three days a week is 'a minimum'.

He added in his role of overseeing the civil service he was considering measures that could make it easier to sack under-performing workers, saying the civil services needs to make sure it doesn't 'condone those that aren't making the contribution that we need and expect'.

Recent data shows that about half of government offices have fewer than two-thirds of workers coming into the building.

A note (pictured) which was left on empty desks at Whitehall by Jacob Rees-Mogg who previously campaigned for civil servants to return to work

It came after Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg's high profile push to get civil servants back into Whitehall, which staff complained was 'condescending' after he left notes on empty desks for workers asking them to come in.

The head of one civil service union has hit out at the new rules implemented by Mr Glen ordering people back into the office en mass.

Dave Penman, from the FDA union, said 'top-down diktats for an organisation the size of the civil service is not only illogical, it's counterproductive'.

He told the Times: 'Civil servants have always been clear they prefer hybrid working to full-time home working.

'But despite repeated requests, ministers are unable to provide any evidence as to why 60 per cent office-based working is the right answer for an entire organisation of over 450,000 staff, across more than 250 organisations, doing tens of thousands of very different jobs.'

A survey taken after civil servants were told they would have to spend at least three days a week in the office showed that nearly 40 per cent were considering quitting over the rule.

A survey by the PCS union, which was completed by more than 13,000 members, showed a huge backlash against a crackdown on working from home habits.

Among those with caring responsibilities, 58.71 per cent of respondents said it would place them under more stress and mean they would be less able to look after those they care for.

Almost two-fifths of civil servants are considering quitting their Whitehall jobs after being told they will have to spend at least three days a week in the office

There were also concerns about inequality, as 39.75 per cent said they felt being forced to attend the office more frequently would disadvantage them because of their sex, disability or age.

More than four-fifths (82.43 per cent) said that hybrid working had made them more productive.

In response to the findings, the Cabinet Office pointed to its own survey of more than 30,000 civil servants that showed learning from others and staff interaction was consistently found to be better supported in the office compared to at home.

They also said civil servants had enjoyed the biggest pay increase in more than 20 years, alongside a one-off payment of 1,500, during the cost-of-living crisis.

Line managers in the civil service are currently having talks with their staff about how they can be supported through the changes, including how to work through potential issues.

Speaking at the time, a Cabinet Office spokesperson said: 'We have always been clear on the benefits of collaborative face-to-face working and expect officials to spend the majority of the working week in the office, in line with much of the private sector.'
A volunteer firefighter has died in a freak accident while battling a bushfire threatening homes near Esperance in Western Australia's south.

The incident unfolded after the blaze ignited near Neds Corner Road and Yerritrup Road, in Coomalbidgup, about 60km west of Esperance on Tuesday, about 8.15am.

He was part of a crew in a 'private firefighting vehicle' responding to the blaze, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) said in a statement on Tuesday night.

Ambulance crews were called to the fire ground this afternoon after the man was understood to have fallen from a fire truck, the West Australian reported.

The blaze began on Tuesday morning and burnt more than 7000 hectares.

A firefighter has died after battling an out-of-control blaze in Coomalbidgup, near Esperance in Western Australia on Tuesday (pictured a firefighter on December 23 at Keysbrook in WA)

The firefighter is was understood to have fallen from a fire truck (pictured a fire truck at the scene of the blaze)

An emergency alert has been issued for parts of Coomalbidgup and Cascade with residents in the affected areas urged to leave if they can.

A number of roads have been closed.

The DFES said the fire was declared a 'Level 2 incident' as the blaze continued to burn viciously in the area.

DFES said authorities will investigate the man's death with WA Police set to prepare a report for the coroner.

A spokesperson for WA police told Daily Mail Australia the incident is now under investigation.

'At this time, it is believed the man was responding to a fire on a neighbouring farming property using a private fire appliance,' the spokesperson said.

'The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the man's death, including his involvement in the response to the fire, is ongoing.'

Detectives from the Arson Squad will head to Perth on Wednesday to continue their investigations into the incident.

Fire crews are in for a long couple of days as they gear up to battle several blazes across the state (pictured fire fighters at the scene of the fire near Coomalbidgup)

One firefighter who said he knew the man for most of his life said the incident was an 'utter tragedy'.

Western Australia Premier Roger Cook said the man's death was 'devastating'

'I am devastated to learn the news that a volunteer firefighter has died while battling a bushfire near Esperance,' Mr Cook wrote on Facebook.

'This is an absolute tragedy, and I know the thoughts of all Western Australians are with the young man's family and friends.'

Another firefighter said emergency crews are on high alert as the blaze is expected to continue for several days.

'It's not under control, it's very hectic out here. There's fire tornadoes all over the shop,' he said.

'I imagine we'll be out here for a few days.'

In recent days several emergency-level bushfires have engulfed homes and ripped through bushland, rural properties and suburbs on Perth's fringes, while firefighters have battled dozens of blazes across the state.

Emergency crews are battling dozens of fires across the state with blazes tearing through bushland (pictured) with several homes and properties across the outskirts of Perth becoming engulfed in flames

A bushfire emergency warning was issued by Emergency WA at around 6:58pm local time for several parts of Coomalbidgup including Beltona Road to the north and Sears Road to the west.

The warning is also in place for the South Coast Highway to the south as several parts of WA sweltered through scorching temperatures in recent days.

The weather bureau issued an extreme heatwave warning on Sunday for northern parts of the state including the Pilbara which is expected to be in place until Wednesday.

A severe heatwave warning is in place for southern parts of WA including the Kimberley.
Missing British tourist Millie Young shared happy photos of her enjoying her Thai adventure with family friends before disappearing after her dive boat capsized last week.

In her most recent Instagram update, Ms Young, 57, posted a series of photos of her in a salon, with friends, and of a kayak captioned 'new toes n a kayak adventure'.

The artist from Brighton, who has lived in Thailand since 2007, had shared a number of snaps of her enjoying remote hideaways, sunsets and the wildlife on the mainland before she vanished near the Surin Islands archipelago on Saturday morning.

Rescue teams have now spent three days searching for Ms Young and crew member Samniang Chaichana, 67, who disappeared in rough seas after the Reggae Queen boat sank four miles from the popular tourist hotspot in southern Thailand around 9am on December 23.

It is understood Ms Young was on a dream trip with family friends from her home town when the boat sank. Her parents Jo and Phillip Degregorio and their two children Oksa and Daisy were pulled to safety by a passing fishing trawler - but the Brighton artist has not yet been found.

On Christmas Day, it was reported an inflatable life raft had been found, 20 nautical miles away from where the ship went down.

Navy chiefs said on Monday that a helicopter and dozens of ships have been following ocean currents in the area around 35 miles from the Thai mainland - but had otherwise not found any evidence leading them closer to the two missing women

In her most recent Instagram update, Ms Young, 57, posted a series of photos of her in a salon, with friends, and of a kayak captioned 'new toes n a kayak adventure'

Millie went missing after her dive boat capsized in southern Thailand last week

It is understood Ms Young was on a dream trip with family friends from her home town when the boat sank

The artist from Brighton , who has lived in Thailand since 2007, posted pictures last week before vanishing

Millie Young shared photos of her enjoying Thailand with family friends last week

The ship Reggae Queen was battered by large waves and took on water

According to Rear Admiral Pongmit Narongkul, the Chief of Staff of the third Naval Region, the raft they found was empty.

He said: 'A navy patrol plane has been flying across the area to search for the two victims along with navy boats.

'An inflatable life raft was found 20 nautical miles from where the ship sank but there was nobody inside.

'The flight path search area has been expanded to the western area of the Surin Islands, with a radius of 15 nautical miles from the forecast point.

'The missing people have not been found but the search is continuing.'

Ms Young who had been splitting her time between Thailand and the UK in recent years, had met family friends at the airport in Bangkok before travelling on their holiday to the beauty spot in the south, where clear water and diverse marine life are a big draw for snorkelling and diving trips.

They booked five places on boat the Reggae Queen and set sail. The ship was then battered by large waves and took on water around four nautical miles from the enclave of tropical islands.

Officials said a Mayday call was made shortly before 9am. The red, yellow and green boat - painted in the colours of the Rastafari flag - sank shortly after.

Shocked holiday makers scrambled to safety but Ms Young is understood to have been dragged into the choppy sea along with Samniang, the chef onboard the vessel.

Her shaken British friends were among those rescued when they were pulled aboard a passing fishing trawler. They were pictured among 12 other rescued tourists and four of the crew as they were safely returned to the shore.

The Thai navy along with helicopters and the coast guard are now searching for missing Ms Young and the mother-of-two.

Sunee Panpeng, 43, the daughter of the missing cook, said her mother had worked on the trips for around four years, and would have three days at sea before returning to shore.

She added: 'When I was told that the ship had sunk, I was immediately worried about my mother because she cannot swim.

'We can only pray that she will be found. Now I am waiting for a miracle.'

Millie Young, 57, was on a dream trip with family friends from Brighton visiting the idyllic Surin Islands archipelago in southern Thailand

Ms Young, an artist and university lecturer, had been on a dream holiday with family friends Jo and Phil Degregorio and their two teenage children Oska and Daisy

Twelve rescued tourists, including British family of four Phillip Degregorio, wife Jo, son Oska and daughter Daisy, from Brighton, speak with Thai officials

12 other rescued tourists and four of the crew were safely returned to the shore

Shocked holiday makers scrambled to safety but Ms Young is understood to have been dragged into the choppy sea along with Samniang, the chef onboard the vessel

Pictured: the passing fishing trawler which rescued some of the crew and passengers

Supoj Rodruang Na Nongkhai, the governor of Phang Nga province, said he had instructed all boats in the area to look out for the two missing people in the Andaman Sea region.

He said that rescue teams were searching in the direction of the sea currents, which are believed to have carried the missing pair in a northwest direction.

READ MORE - Concerns grow for missing female British tourist, 57, feared drowned when diving boat sank off Thai island before passing boat rescued 12 including Brit family of four Advertisement

The governor added: 'The missing person is a British woman and a Thai member of the crew. We are putting all of our resources into finding them.

'All fishing boats and tourist boats in the area have been instructed to look for the tourists while they are at sea.'

An official from the Phang Nga Provincial Port Security Control Center on Saturday said: 'A notification was received at approximately 9am saying that the ship was sinking four miles south of the Surin Islands.

'The boat was taking tourists on a snorkelling and diving trip. Immediate assistance was provided and 12 tourists were rescued by a passing fishing boat.

'At present, two people are still missing. They are one foreigner and one Thai. One navy vessel and rescue teams are searching the area.

Just a day earlier, dozens of passengers were rescued from a sinking ship that was travelling to Thai island Koh Tao.

Bad weather conditions are expected to continue to hammer the southwest coast of Thailand until the end of the week and could further impede the search efforts.

Conditions at sea during November and December in the south of Thailand are typically the most dangerous of the year, with strong currents, powerful waves and heavy rain.

Ships are understood to have been warned about the dangers and advised to avoid going to sea, due to the conditions.

Thai islands have become popular destinations for diving and snorkelling trips because of the clear water and diverse marine life.
Drivers have made 63 claims for pothole-related damage every day this year, new figures show, with the Liberal Democrats now accusing the Government of a 'pothole pandemic'.

The party called for road maintenance budgets to by fully-restored after it was revealed that the number of pothole claims has gone up by nearly 10,000 in the past year.

Data from 85 local authorities in England, obtained by freedom of information requests, shows that compensation paid to motorists reached 1.77million in 2022/23  a rise on the previous year.

The Lib Dems said that the number of pothole claims has grown significantly in the last year, with 23,042 in 2022/23 compared with the 13,579 recorded the previous year.

Housing and Communities spokeswoman Helen Morgan said: 'This Conservative Government has overseen a pothole pandemic on our roads.'

Potholes and damaged road surface on Deptford Church Street in South East London

Seawick Road in St Osyth has been billed the worst road in the country for potholes

She continued: 'It's now become almost impossible to drive in some parts of the country without having to swerve to avoid potholes.

'This has led to thousands of drivers having to claim for damage to their vehicles or even personal injury caused by crater-filled roads.

'The Government is firmly to blame for this failure to maintain our roads properly after having slashed funding for local road repairs.

'Cash-strapped councils are being left without the funding to maintain roads properly while having to shell out thousands of pounds in pothole payouts.

'Local authorities need to have their highway maintenance budgets urgently restored so that we can end this vicious cycle of pothole payouts and poorly maintained roads.'

A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: 'We are investing an extra 8.3 billion to resurface roads across the country, the biggest ever funding increase for local road maintenance.

'This is enough to resurface more than 5,000 miles of roads and is on top of the more than 5.5billion that we have already invested in highway maintenance.'

In what could be one of the worst hit areas, drivers in Devon submitted claims amounting to more than 1million for vehicle damage caused by potholes in just eight months, but the council has paid out less than five per cent of the claims.

A total of 966 vehicle damage claims have been submitted to Devon County Council since April this year with the value totalling 1.1million.

A large pothole on the surface at Coleridge Road in Blackpool

Repairs being made to potholes on a road in Windsor last month

Although that is an average of 1,138 per claim, so far the council has only paid up around 48,000.

The figures were obtained by Councillor Frank Letch, who was seeking information on the number of potholes the county is dealing with.

Cllr Letch said the figures showed that 28,801 reports of potholes have been made by members of the public in this financial year alone, and that the council had identified 1,505 potholes for repair.

Devon has the largest road network of any local authority, spanning around 8,000 miles.

Elsewhere, frustrated Derbyshire locals living along a notorious stretch of road said potholes are causing them endless misery with the craters in the road even visible from Google street view.

Residents of Pilsley say that Station Road has been plagued by issues for decades and that the crumbling state of the asphalt means some drivers are forced to avoid it altogether.

Speaking to the Telegraph, retired physio assistant Bridget said: 'Weve been here 40-odd years and its always been a bad road, this one.

'Weve got caravans and you cant come up here with them because if you drop in [the potholes] it breaks all your mover equipment.

'If you went in that hole there itd rip it off.'

According to the latest RAC figures from September, the county had the highest number of potholes per region in the UK at 90,596.

Fed-up locals protesting over 5ft-wide crater dubbed 'The Buckfast Chasm' that plagued a Devon road for four months in January 2020

Potholes cover parts of Jumpers Road in Christchurch, Dorset

Almost two million potholes are fixed on UK roads annually, but with an increase of drivers and extreme weather conditions, it is expected to get worse.

In March a new study estimated that the cost of clearing Britain's pothole backlog had reached a record high of 14billlion - up nearly 1.5billion on last year.

It would take 11 years for local authorities to fix every crumbling road in England and Wales, up from nine years in 2022, according to a survey by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA).

Last year the trade body found it would cost councils 12.64billion to fill in all potholes - but since then the repair bill has risen by 11 per cent to 14.02billion.

Overall, the AIA found there were 8,000 fewer miles of road classified as 'good' compared with last year, a fall of 4 per cent.
British actress Charlotte Rampling and former French first lady Carla Bruni have joined dozens of celebrities in denouncing the 'lynching' of rape-accused cinema legend Gerard Depardieu, who is charged with rape and facing a litany of sexual assault claims.

'Gerard Depardieu is probably the greatest of all actors,' said an open letter published in French newspaper Le Figaro late on Christmas Day and signed by nearly 60 French actors and prominent figures.

'We can no longer remain silent in the face of the lynching he is facing,' they wrote, calling the attacks against him a 'torrent of hatred'.

The letter said Depardieu was being attacked 'in defiance of a presumption of innocence from which he would have benefited, like everyone else, if he weren't the cinema giant he is.'

Depardieu, 74, who has made more than 200 films and television series, was charged with rape in 2020 and has been accused of sexual harassment and assault by more than a dozen women.

He faces fresh scrutiny following the airing of a documentary earlier this month in which he was heard making explicit sexual comments in the presence of a female interpreter and sexualising a ten-year-old girl riding a horse.

Actor Gerard Depardieu poses for photographers during a photo call for the film Valley of Love, at the 68th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Friday, May 22, 2015

Carla Bruni attends the 'Firebrand (Le Jeu De La Reine)' red carpet during the 76th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals on May 21, 2023 in Cannes, France

Charlotte Rampling poses on the red carpet before the screening of the movie 'L'Ordine Del Tempo (The Order Of Time)' at the 80th International Venice Film Festival, August 2023

The letter, which was also signed by the actor's former partner, actor Carole Bouquet, added: 'When people attack Gerard Depardieu in this way, they are attacking art.'

'France owes him so much. Cinema and theatre cannot do without his unique and extraordinary personality,' the celebrities said.

'Nobody can erase the indelible imprint of his work on our times'.

Last week French President Emmanuel Macron said Depardieu had become the target of a 'manhunt', while his family has denounced an 'unprecedented conspiracy' against him.

Rights activists have denounced Macron's comments as an 'insult' to all women who have suffered sexual violence.

The Canadian province of Quebec also stripped Depardieu of its top honour over his 'scandalous' comments against women.

And French Culture Minister Rima Abdul-Malak said earlier this month that the Grand Chancery of the Legion of Honour would initiate a 'disciplinary procedure' to decide whether to strip Depardieu of the Legion d'Honneur, France's highest civilian accolade.

The 'Fall of the Ogre' documentary broadcast in France on December 7 has sparked what French media is calling a '#MeToo moment in French cinema'.

France24 wrote on December 14: 'For more than a year after the rape allegations against French actor Gerard Depardieu, the film industry shrugged its shoulders and the cinematic legend with more than 200 titles to his name continued working.'

The actor was charged with rape in 2020 and has also faced 13 accusations of sexual harassment or assault. He maintains his innocence.

Gerard Depardieu and his wife Elizabeth at premiere of JacquesMartin, Theatre Fontaine, Paris, April 6, 1978

French actors Gerard Depardieu (R) and Jean Marais (C) pose after being awarded with the Legion of Honour by then French president Jacques Chirac (L) in Paris on May 2, 1996

The inflammatory documentary showed Mr Depardieu on a 2018 trip to North Korea.

It begins with the 74-year-old actor ogling a woman and saying: 'Oh la la, tres belle', as reported by The Telegraph.

It also shows a seemingly intoxicated Depardieu making a number of explicit comments to make himself laugh, according to the report. And when the actor visits a horse riding centre, he reportedly remarks that children riding around the enclosure are 'sl**s'.

He is reported to ask his female interpreter: 'Why don't you get on a horse? It does you good, you know. Generally, women who ride like a lot of other things, there's a life in it.'

He is also reported to have turned to her after weighing himself in one scene, commenting: '124 kilos, and right now I'm not erect, erect is 126. I've got a beam in my pants.'
A pregnant Colorado woman was shot as she slept beside her husband - while a stray bullet barely missed their five-year-old daughter's head.

Kendall Heinold, 27, a care home manager, cried as she recalled the night her family woke up to the sound of gunfire in their Aurora home Thursday morning.

'There was just a really loud noise and then a lot of pain on my left side,' she told Fox8.

'My husband was sleeping next to me, and he got up and was like, "Did you hear that?" because it was so loud.

'And I just looked at him and was like, "Babe, call 911, I just got shot."'

Kendall Heinold, 27, a care home manager, cried as she recalled the night her family woke up to the sound of gunfire in their Colorado home Thursday morning

Heinold was shot as she slept beside her husband in their Aurora home in the early hours of Thursday morning - while a stray bullet barely missed their five-year-old daughter

Aurora Police said they believed the bullet traveled hundreds of feet over a green space at the back of the family's home before striking through the walls

Heinold was rushed to hospital, where doctors found a bullet lodged in her left shoulder. Since she was 16 weeks pregnant, medics left the shell in her rather than risk placing her under anesthesia for surgery.

The family later found a bullet hole in the bedroom of their children - aged five and six - showing the trajectory before it hit Heinold.

Aurora Police said they believed the bullet traveled hundreds of feet over a green space at the back of the family's home before striking through the walls.

'The bullet missed my five-year-old daughter's head by like a foot and went through their room, through my closet, and into my pregnancy pillow,' Heinold said.

'The pregnancy pillow, honestly, I think is what saved my life because it went in through the side, and my arm was on top of it.

'So the bullet changed trajectory when it hit my pillow.'

The Colorado mom broke down in tears as she said she was grateful that her had family survived the incident, which could have been much worse

The Colorado mom-of-two, who is soon expecting another child, said she believes her pregnancy pillow changed the trajectory of the bullet and saved her life

The bullet struck through the walls of their family home in Aurora, Colorado, on Thursday

Heinold (right) was rushed to hospital, where doctors found a bullet lodged in her left shoulder. Since she was 16 weeks pregnant, medics left the shell in her rather than risk placing her under anesthesia for surgery

Heinold broke down in tears as she said she was grateful that her had family survived the incident, which could have been much worse.

'I don't think I was targeted. I don't think this was intentional, but I think people need to know when a gun is shot, the bullet goes somewhere,' she said.

'That bullet traveled somewhere and it ended up coming into my home, and it hit me.

'So, luckily, it missed my children and my baby and my dog and my husband, but ended up in my arm - which I think is best case scenario but still scary.'
Minutes after her teenage daughters killers were convicted, Margaret McKeich spoke to the star prosecutor who led the case against them  an emotionally charged meeting neither will ever forget.

It took place in the High Court in Glasgow at the end of an extraordinary trial that ended with a jury finding three people guilty of Caroline Glachans murder  27 years after her body was found in a river.

The advocate depute was Alex Prentice who has successfully prosecuted a series of cold cases, where the homicides happened decades ago and were solved only after extensive police reinvestigation.

Calm and clinical, the KC is well known to viewers of fly-on-the-wall courtroom documentaries which have showcased his distinctive style  and opened up the often arcane world of the law to a TV audience.

The self-effacing lawyer doesnt seek the spotlight but admits he is driven by moments such as the post-trial meeting with the mother of Caroline  who was only 14 in 1996 when she was kicked and punched to death by her heroin-addicted boyfriend, Robert OBrien.

Alex Prentice, KC, is well known to viewers of fly-on-the-wall courtroom documentaries

The key thing is when you go into a room, as I did to meet Carolines mother  and she was just overwhelmed at the outcome, he said. You suddenly think all these hours and weeks and years and nights and weekends of work were worth it just for that.

As senior trial counsel, Mr Prentices involvement began long before OBrien stood in the dock, alongside Donna Marie Brand and Andrew Kelly.

All three were accused of the savage murder of the schoolgirl, whose body was found on the banks of the River Leven in Renton, Dunbartonshire.

The original police investigation ran into the sand but detectives cracked the case after a fresh probe launched in 2019 led them to Archie Wilson, who was aged four back in 1996  and had been able to provide damning eyewitness evidence.

When he was a child, it was discounted owing to his age and fears that he had been swayed by rumours circulating at the time  but his testimony would later play a vital role in the trial, which concluded earlier this month.

Mr Prentice, who had visited the scene of the horrific crime with detectives as part of his preparations, said the verdicts were hugely important for prosecutors  but thats secondary to the interests of the family.

This was a terrible murder of a 14-year-old girl which affected not just the immediate family and friends but also the community, he said.

The outcome is most important of all for mum and dad  theyve had to endure all these years of anguish, not knowing precisely what happened to her.

Elaine Doyle case: John Docherty was jailed for 21 years in 2014 for 1986 killing

Mr Prentice said Archies evidence was pivotal to the case because [as a child] he told his mum about an event that involved a lassie going into the water before she was discovered, which he couldnt possibly have known [unless he had seen it].

He said: His mother, in evidence, said she was sceptical about this and wondered if this was just fantasy.

But when they later learned that a girl had been found in the River Leven, then of course it dawned on them that something had happened.

Adding to the familys torment was the fact that there was a real desire not to be labelled a grass within that community and an element of fear of retribution  an extra obstacle for police.

Mr Prentice, a married father of three, said: Standing back, I cannot begin to imagine the experience of Carolines mother  whose only daughter, a

14-year-old girl, was brutally murdered, and then nothing happened with it, and then a rumour went round as to who was responsible  and theyre still walking around in the community. That must be really hard.

These are the challenges facing cold case investigators and prosecutors, but their track record of tackling

complex and sensitive inquiries has grown exponentially over the years, resulting in a string of triumphs, though Mr Prentice is keen to stress that the Crown doesnt see trials in terms of winning and losing  it merely puts the case before the jurors and they decide.

Caroline Glachan case: Robert OBrien was convicted over horrific 1996 murder

Recent successes include the conviction of William MacDowell, 81, who murdered Renee MacRae, 36, and her three-year-old son Andrew in the Highlands in 1976.

MacDowell died in February this year less than five months after he was convicted  without having disclosed the whereabouts of the remains.

The case was prosecuted by Mr Prentice and filmed for a BBC documentary.

MacDowell was given a life sentence with a minimum 30 years, bringing a degree of

closure to the MacRae family, and resolving a mystery that had become part of the Scottish psyche, according to Deborah Demick, deputy head of the National Homicide Unit at the Crown Office.

We look at cases to determine how quickly or realistically we can progress them, she said, looking at what the evidence was previously  previous investigations  and what we can perhaps look at afresh, or differently.

As the years go on, relatives [of victims] get older and they wonder and worry if theyre going to get justice in their lifetimes  and the wider communities as well.

You cant underestimate the impact that these cases have on communities  for example Carolines death  and it is a weight on my team. It is a responsibility that we take extremely seriously.

Its a strong, dedicated team of only five people at the Crown but their work is never put on the backburner to make way for investigations of what prosecutors call mainstream murders, which happen in the present day.

Cold cases can take years of investigation  in the MacRae inquiry, there were thousands of documents including eyewitness statements that all had to be re-examined in detail.

Prosecutorial strategy has changed; there is now a greater willingness to try cases on circumstantial evidence or where, for example, no body was ever found, as in the MacRae investigation.

Mr Prentice, who was a defence lawyer for many years and was appointed advocate depute in 2005, said: We now have better experience of presenting what we would term wholly circumstantial cases and the law has not really changed, in one sense.

But the way in which cases are presented is different.

And its certainly true in terms of Renee MacRae, we just had a completely fresh approach to it  we opened it up again.

We didnt just rely on work we had done years ago but started it from scratch.

Sometimes you uncover things that might not have been known at the time.

Renee MacRae case: William MacDowell was convicted in 2022 for 1976 double killing

He add ed: Speaking for myself, there wouldnt be a reluctance in presenting a case even if I didnt think the chance of securing a conviction was high.

This partly accounts for the apparent spike in the number of cold cases coming to court in recent months  along with a sense of growing confidence among prosecutors, given their astonishing success rate.

Another case (though not a cold case) where no body was found was the murder of Suzanne Pilley, a 38-year-old bookkeeper who

vanished without a trace after the May bank holiday in 2010. It was believed she was murdered by

her former boyfriend David Gilroy in the basement of Infrastructure Managers Ltd in Edinburgh and that her body was then buried in a forest in Argyll.

The 49-year-old was later convicted of murder and jailed for a minimum of 18 years in 2012.

Mr Prentice, who was advocate depute at the trial, said: When that came in, there was lots of scratching of heads as to what to do with that case.

We had no body; we had no direct evidence whatsoever, nothing directly incriminatory of the accused.

Mary McLaughlin case: It took 35 years for justice to catch up with Graham McGill

He added: The experience of these cases  its wrong to say success, its not really a game  but the experience of these cases and having a good outcome for them has emboldened us to have the confidence to present a case that might look rather difficult on paper. Rapidly evolving forensics techniques have also had a major impact on cold case prosecutions.

This was demonstrated by the conviction of Graham McGill, who strangled Mary McLaughlin, 58, with her own dressing gown cord, and was back in his prison cell the morning after the murder.

Sex offender McGill was on the last night of temporary release from jail when he killed the mother of 11 in her Glasgow flat, and she was found dead in her bedroom six days later, on October 2, 1984.

As a major investigation was launched, her killer was already locked up, less than 50 miles away in HMP Edinburgh.

By the end of the month McGill, who had just turned 23, was a free man with a dark secret.

It would be 35 years before a DNA breakthrough finally solved one of Scotlands most perplexing cold cases  and McGill, then aged 59, was jailed for murder in 2021.

Mr Prentice said: The scientists in this case decided they would look again at the dressing gown cord which had been used as a ligature.

There were knots which had not been opened since 1984  they teased them open and targeted areas for DNA. It got a match with a profile of the accused and he was subsequently convicted.

The accused had no obvious connection with the deceased. And that would never have been resolved but for new science.

Brenda Page case: Chris Harrisson was jailed in March this year for 1978 murder

In another case, former soldier John Docherty, then 50, was jailed for a minimum of 21 years in June 2014 for strangling 16-year-old Elaine Doyle in Greenock, Renfrewshire, in 1986.

Technological advances meant DNA from the teenagers body could finally be linked to him, resulting in Scotlands first successful cold case conviction.

Docherty had agreed to a mouth swab test after a visit from officers working on the inquiry and it was later found the chances of the DNA belonging to anyone other than him were around one billion to one.

In March this year, retired research scientist Christopher Harrisson, 82, was convicted of the murder of then 32-year-old Dr Brenda Page in Aberdeen a year after the couple were divorced.

The body of the genetics expert was found on her blood-stained bed in her home in July 1978.

Semen found on a duvet in Dr Pages flat matched her former husbands DNA profile  and was said by forensics experts to be 590million times more likely to be from him than another male.

Mr Prentice has the job of explaining the Crowns case to the jury, often including detailed forensic evidence  though he insisted he does not see it as a performance or trying to win them over.

Jurors know  or think they know  about forensics and the investigation of cold cases, thanks to true crime podcasts and dramas such as ITV series Unforgotten, about cold case cops, but that can be more hindrance than help to prosecutors.

We dont really know because you never know what a jury is thinking, Mr Prentice said.

But my impression is that its probably not a help because they may well always expect some sort of biological or scientific answer  that there is going to be DNA or theres going to be something else, and quite often there isnt  and we have to think about countering that to explain why thats not the case.

The documentaries in which he has appeared have been important as Mr Prentice believes many people  including some of his own friends  dont know much about what actually goes on in a courtroom, for example that any member of the public can simply turn up and watch trials.

It [the presence of cameras in court] doesnt change my approach at all, Mr Prentice said. In truth, I genuinely forget them because youve got so much to do when youre taking evidence.

The equipment is very good.Theyre just tiny wee domes scattered round the court. There is no cameraman in the court  its all done remotely. The only time I would be aware of it is if I put something rather inelegantly  bad grammar or something.

Attention to detail is crucial for the meticulous KC, who became an advocate depute after being encouraged by Lord Mulholland  later a Lord Advocate and now a judge  to apply for a job he had seen advertised.

Mr Prentice now trains the next generation of prosecutors.

I tell them that you have to be yourself, he said. And that preparation is so important. You have to present your case, accurately, and then its up to the jury to decide.

The KC, who took silk in 2007, has also prosecuted high-level serious and organised crime.

After qualifying as a solicitor, he was offered a job as an assistant in a very high-profile Edinburgh firm which dealt exclusively with criminal work.

In those days, the quickest way to gain advocacy experience was to appear in the criminal rather than the civil courts  so he jumped at the chance.

The scope and nature of the work within the Crown Office is quite extraordinary, Mr Prentice said.

You are exposed to cases and issues which you may never see in private practice. For now, the work of the cold case team continues  and there is no sign of any let-up in the caseload.

Cold case work is vital, Mr Prentice added, because there is always a risk that people take matters into their own hands if homicides remain unresolved for many years.

But Ms Demick, whose unit oversees the prosecution of all homicides, said the primary motivation is the quest for closure  or something approaching it  for the families affected.

She said: Cold and complex cases continue to be just as much our bread and butter as a murder that happens tomorrow.
Iran has escalated the rate at which it is enriching uranium to up to 60 per cent purity, levels close to weapons-grade, the UN's nuclear watchdog warned today.

Iran has 'increased its production of highly enriched uranium, reversing a previous output reduction from mid-2023', the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement.

Iran is enriching to up to 60 per cent at its Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP) in its sprawling Natanz complex and at its Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant in the north, the IAEA found.

It marks a staggering reversal after months spent slowing Tehran's enrichment programme, believed to be the result of secret talks with the Washington that had led to the release of US citizens held in Iran earlier this year.

Iran has enough uranium enriched to up to 60 per cent purity for three atom bombs by the International Atomic Energy Agency's definition. Its leaders maintain it 'does not need' nuclear weapons and is only enriching uranium for peaceful purposes.

But on December 18, the UK government warned that Iran's stockpiles 'are unprecedented for a state without a nuclear weapons programme', denouncing the 'deplorable state' of its commitments to a 2015 deal in which Tehran agreed to slash stockpiles and enrich only to 3.67 per cent.

A Khorramshahr-4 missile is launched at an undisclosed location on May 25, 2023. Earlier this year, Iran unveiled what it dubbed the latest iteration of its liquid-fueled Khorramshahr ballistic missile amid wider tensions with the West over its nuclear program

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi speaks to the media in Berlin on November 15, 2022, discussing Iran's ongoing unwillingness to commit to the terms of the JCPOA

Since the slowdown in the summer, Iran's main plants had been enriching uranium to up to 60 per cent at a rate of about 3 kg a month, the IAEA said.

'The Agency confirms that, since the end of November 2023, the rate at which Iran has been producing uranium enriched up to 60% U-235 at these two facilities combined has increased to approximately 9 kg per month,' the report to member states said.

By the IAEA's theoretical definition, around 42 kg of uranium enriched to 60% is the amount at which making a nuclear bomb with it cannot be excluded.

IAEA inspectors first observed a change in production at Fordow on November 25, after which Iran said the change was made on November 22.

Iran claimed that the rate of production was returning to the pre-slowdown level there, the report said.

Inspectors observed an increase in the production rate at Natanz on November 27, it added.

The IAEA then verified the amount being produced at Natanz in late December.

The IAEA did not formally notify its member states of the reversal of the slowdown until Tuesday's report.

In November, the IAEA had reported that Iran was 'stonewalling' the agency on key issues - a trend of uncooperating dating back years.

According to the UK government, 'Iran has continued to violate the terms of the JCPOA agreement' since May 2019.

The JCPOA refers to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, an agreement made between Iran, the EU and the P5+1 in 2015 to limit Iran's enrichment programme.

Iran agreed to cut its stockpile of low-enriched uranium by 98 per cent, limit its enrichment activities and convert facilities to avoid further risk of nuclear proliferation.

By 2018, the IAEA was reporting that Iran was committing to its agreement after installing surveillance across plants.

The Iranian uranium enrichment facility at Fordow near Qom, in northern Iran

Iran trials a medium-range surface-to-surface missile, the Sejil-2, in northeastern Iran in 2009. Then-President Ahmadinejad said Iran was capable of sending any aggressor 'to hell'.

By April, the US and Israel alleged Iran had not disclosed a past covert programme; a month later, then-President Donald Trump announced the US would withdraw from the JCPOA to reach a new deal.

In 2020, Iran said it would no longer abide by the terms of the deal but would continue to work with the IAEA, leaving the door open for a revised agreement.

Iran has been developing nuclear technology since 1957, backed at first by the American 'Atoms for Peace' programme which provided adopters with nuclear technology in return for a commitment to only using it for civilian purposes.
A wife who cut off her husband's penis and flushed it down the loo has told police in Brazil she did it after finding out he had bedded her 15-year-old niece.

The 34-year-old woman, who has not yet been named, told officers in Atibaia, near Sao Paulo, that she had first teased her husband into getting into bed with her.

But after tying his arms and legs to the bed, she pulled out a razor and hacked off his manhood, according to local media.

After taking a picture of the severed organ, she flushed it away down the lavatory, she confessed on December 22.

When she later handed herself in to police she told them she had flushed it away because she had 'heard that it was possible to reattach it'.

The woman told officers in Atibaia, near Sao Paulo, (pictured) that she cut her husband's penis off after finding out that he had slept with her niece

The age of consent in Brazil is 14, and police are also looking at whether any relationship was consensual

Earlier she had walked into her local police station with her brother and told them: 'Good evening, officer, I came to introduce myself, because I just cut off my husband's penis.'

Her 39-year-old husband, also unnamed, was found alive and rushed to hospital but his current health condition is unclear.

His wife is in custody and has been charged with attempted murder.

The investigation is ongoing and police have not commented on the woman's claim that he had sex with her niece.

The age of consent in Brazil is 14, and police are also looking at whether any relationship was consensual.
Two Harvard board members and four faculty held a private dinner where they reportedly discussed a culture of 'self-censorship' on campus, amid growing outrage over the school's response to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

However, the four professors in attendance on Tuesday said they didn't address the elephant in the room for the Ivy League institution - Claudine Gay's uncertain future as president - despite reports stating otherwise.

Harvard Law School professor Jeannie Suk Gersen, Psychology professor Steven A. Pinker, lecturer Flynn J. Cratty, and former Harvard Medical School Dean Jeffrey S. Flier were present along with board members Tracy Palandjian and Paul J Finnegan.

The dinner at Bar Enza in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was first reported by the New York Times, - and it sparked rumors that Palandjian and Finnegan could be breaking ranks with the Harvard Corporation's decision to stand by the beleaguered president.

Gay, who took office in July this year, sparked fury during a congressional hearing after she said that it depended on context whether calls for the genocide of Jews at Harvard constituted harassment and violated the rules.

Two Harvard board members and four faculty held a private dinner where they reportedly discussed a culture of 'self-censorship' on campus. According to the professors, they did not discuss the elephant in the room - Claudine Gay's tenure as president. (Pictured: Claudine Gay)

The dinner at Bar Enza in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was first reported by the New York Times - and it sparked rumors that Tracy Palandjian (left) and Paul J Finnegan (right) could be breaking ranks with the Harvard Corporation's decision to stand by the beleaguered president

According to the Times, Palandjian said that 'replacing the universitys president might not be going far enough to get Harvard back on course' - but each of the professors who were at the dinner told the Harvard Crimson the topic did not even come up.

Pinker told the Crimson he had 'no memory of Palandjian saying she supported Gay's resignation.' 'That would have been a bombshell I could not possibly have forgotten,' he said.

Cratty described the dinner as a 'very frank and friendly conversation about ways Harvard can grow in its commitment to civil discourse and diversity of thought. 'We did not discuss or request President Gay's removal,' he added.

According to the Times, Palandjian also said Harvard needed 'generational change' - but Gersen wrote in a statement to The Crimson that she didn't 'specifically recall Tracy Palandjian using the language of 'generational' change at Harvard.'

'But if she did, it was not about possibly replacing the President or members of the Corporation, as that was not the conversation we were having,' Gersen said.

Harvard spokesman Jonathan L Swain said the dinner was 'a constructive and positive conversation about the importance of academic freedom, civil discourse and intellectual diversity.'

'The discussion of 'generational change' occurred in that context; that addressing such a vital and complex societal issue would not happen overnight, but would take time,' Swain said. 'It was not related to any individual at Harvard.'

Meanwhile, Flier previously told the Times and the Wall Street Journal he urged Palandjian and Finnegan to do more to address the anti-Semitism furor threatening to envelop the Ivy League school.

'You need to be more out front of this,' Flier recalled telling the execs, as he spoke with the New York Times. 'If people are saying the university is making mistakes, they are talking about you!'

Finnegan and Palandjian did not immediately respond to requests for comment from DailyMail.com.

Danielle Rhoades Ha, a spokesperson for the New York Times, wrote in a statement that the publication is 'confident in the accuracy of our reporting and stand by the story.'

Gay, who became president of Harvard on July 1, has faced intense scrutiny since the October 7 terror attack in Israel, and condemnation for her failure to immediately condemn students who justified Hamas' actions.

She subsequently issued two apologies that offered more vociferous condemnation of Hamas, the Palestinian terror group behind the atrocities.

Fuel was poured on the fire on December 5, when she testified before Congress about antisemitism on campus, and equivocated on whether calling for the genocide of Jews was hate speech.

The Harvard Corporation admitted that she should have condemned Hamas' attack in Israel sooner, but gave its full support for her continuing in her role.

'Our extensive deliberations affirm our confidence that President Gay is the right leader to help our community heal and to address the very serious societal issues we are facing,' the board said in a statement.

It added: 'So many people have suffered tremendous damage and pain because of Hamas's brutal terrorist attack, and the University's initial statement should have been an immediate, direct, and unequivocal condemnation.

Gay has found her academic record pored over, and on December 10, conservative activist Christopher Rufo published on his newsletter allegations that she had plagiarized portions of her work.

Last week, it emerged that Harvard had been asked by The New York Post on October 24 about accusations of plagiarism, which Harvard initially cleared her of without a proper investigation

Clare, on behalf of the university, replied to the paper on October 27, saying that the claims of plagiarism were 'demonstrably false'.

He told The New York Post they would sue for 'immense' damages.

The paper told Harvard that they had found plagiarism in three different works: they pointed to 27 possible examples of plagiarism in two peer-reviewed journals and an academic magazine.

The work was published as early as 1993, when Gay was a graduate student, and as late as 2017, when she was dean of the faculty of social sciences.

'I haven't always gotten it right,' said Harvard President Dr. Claudine Gay in her opening remarks

Clare wrote: 'The excerpts provided do not support a finding of plagiarism - and the conclusion she proffers rests on a fatally flawed understanding of what 'plagiarism' is and is not in scholarly work performed in academic journals and settings.'

Clare made no mention of an investigation launched by Harvard, and its existence was not made public until December 12, when the university said she had been cleared and would make two amendments to her published work.

The university said the inquiry was launched on November 2 - meaning that Clare had insisted she was innocent, before an inquiry was even launched.

Clare in his letter also cited the response of two of the people she was accused of plagiarizing, and said they had shrugged off the allegations.

D. Stephen Voss, who now teaches at the University of Kentucky, told The Crimson that while Gay 'technically plagiarized,' it is 'minor-to-inconsequential.'

He said: 'This doesn't at all look sneaky. It looks like maybe she just didn't have a sense of what we normally tell students they're supposed to do and not do.'

Harvard professor Lawrence Lobo, another of those allegedly plagiarized by Gay, similarly told the Boston Globe: 'I find myself unconcerned about these claims as our work was explicitly acknowledged.'

Yet in recent weeks, a third person whose work Gay is accused of copying - Dr Carol Swain - said that she is outraged by the revelation.

The Harvard Corporation, formally the President and Fellows of Harvard College, has 12 members, including Gay, former president of Amherst College Biddy Martin and former American Express CEO Kenneth I. Chenault.

Gay, the school's first black president, was appointed to the post in July 2023.
Residents in a rural Scottish town were left shaken after an Earthquake hit in the early hours of Christmas Eve.

The tremor was centred on the village of Kimelford, Argyll, in west Scotland, and hit a magnitude of 2.0 on the Richter Scale.

According to the British Geological Survey, the earthquake occurred at 5:16am on December 24 at a depth of 3.1 miles (5km).

Frightened residents said the tremors sounded like 'a military jet'.

Others described it as 'a loud, low rumble like a heavy vehicle passing' and a 'loud bang that woke me up'.

Residents in a rural Scottish town were left shaken after an Earthquake hit in the early hours of Christmas Eve

The tremor was centred on the village of Kimelford, Argyll, in west Scotland, and hit a magnitude of 2.0 on the Richter Scale

The quake was strong enough that it was even felt on other Scottish isles including Lochgilphead, Mull, and Lismore.

It was the latest - and 12th - tremor to be recorded in the wider area recently.

READ MORE: Why is Britain experiencing so many earthquakes? Advertisement

On December 15 a 1.5 magnitude quake was logged at Morvern.

The epicentre was close to the A884 near Loch Arienas.

A previous tremor on December 9 saw an earthquake measuring 2.1 magnitude hit in the area.

The event was felt in Mallaig and Morar and by islanders on Lismore in the Inner Hebrides.

Residents of Lismore described a 'loud rumbling sound'.

Villagers in Mallaig and Morar said they also 'felt a weak trembling', as well as experiencing the same noise.

Since October 10, Morvern has been hit by at least 12 earthquakes.

There are roughly 200-300 earthquakes in Britain every year, but the vast majority are so small that no one notices them.

Loch Melfort and Kilmelford with the hills of Mull in view, Argyll

However between 20-30 are over 2.0 magnitude which can be felt over a wider area.

The largest known Scottish earthquake on land occurred near Loch Awe in 1880, with a magnitude of 5.2.

UK earthquakes, particularly in Scotland, are most often attributed to glacial rebound. Until about 10, 500 years ago much of the north of the UK was covered by a thick layer of ice - which pushed the rocks down into the underlying mantle.

These rocks have been slowly rising back up ever since the ice melted, causing occasional earthquakes in the process.

The UK is also subject to tectonic stresses caused by the expansion of the Atlantic Ocean, which is slowly pushing the entire of Eurasia to the east, and from the northward motion of Africa, which is pushing into Europe from the south.
Kindhearted Italian police stepped in and paid for a British couple to fly home for Christmas when they were left stranded after being robbed while on holiday.

The officers held a festive whip round after learning the couple had cut short their break in Egypt when they were targeted by thieves and decided to fly home.

But their bad luck continued after the husband - who has not been identified - fell ill on their flight back and the plane had to divert and make an unscheduled landing.

The couple, who have not been named, were on a midwinter break in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada earlier this month.

But what should have been a relaxing trip for the pair in their 60s, turned into a nightmare after they were robbed, and they decided to cut short they trip and opted to go home.

The couple, who have not been named, were on a midwinter break in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada earlier this month (File image)

Their plane was forced to land in the Italian city of Venice (File image)

However, their astonishing run of misfortune continued after the man was taken ill on their easyJet flight to Manchester and the plane was forced to land in the Italian city of Venice.

Paramedics met the jet last Monday and the man was taken to hospital where he spent several days being treated by doctors for an undisclosed condition.

But once discharged they were unable to buy a new ticket for their trip home and so Venetian police stepped in and paid for the couple's flight home for Christmas.

A Venice police spokesperson said: 'The man was taken ill while on a flight between Egypt and Manchester and the plane diverted to Venice.

'He was treated in hospital for a few days and then when he was discharged it emerged they had no money to pay for their ticket home.

'Officers made a collection and paid for the ticket home and they were able to get back in time for Christmas.'

Flight tracking websites show the flight leaving Egypt last week and then making a detour to Venice after the captain decided to make an unscheduled stop when the man fell ill.

An easyJet spokesperson told MailOnline:

We can confirm that flight EZY2252 from Hurghada to Manchester on 18th December diverted to Venice due to a passenger onboard requiring urgent medical assistance.

'Paramedics met the aircraft on arrival and the flight then continued to Manchester.

The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is always easyJets highest priority.

'We did attempt to reach the booker and travelling companion to assist them further including with complimentary hotel accommodation and a flight home.'
Iraq has condemned U.S. for a 'clear hostile act' after Joe Biden ordered airstrikes that killed a militant and injured 18 others.

Biden retaliated to a suicide drone strike that wounded three American service members on Monday by sending fighter jets to hit three facilities in Hilla used by Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militants.

U.S. forces in the Middle East have been attacked more than 100 times since the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas as tensions have boiled over.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani slammed the attack as 'counterproductive' and 'unacceptable' and warned he would respond.

The government also condemned the Biden administration for striking military targets 'under the guise of retaliation'.

A funeral was held for the dead fighter Hassan Hammadi al-Amiri and was attended by dozens of mourners who shouted 'No, no to America', a photographer said.

Many in the crowd carried Hashed flags and photos of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani who was killed in a U.S. strike in Baghdad in January 2020.

Iraq has condemned U.S. for a 'clear hostile act' after Joe Biden ordered airstrikes that killed a militant and injured 18 others. Kataeb Hezbollah members carry the body of Hassan Hammadi al-Amiri, who was killed in the strike

An Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah fighter and another man inspect the site of the U.S. airstrikes in Hilla

'The Iraqi government emphasizes that it will deal decisively with the attacks of some elements on the premesis of foreign diplomatic missions or places where the military advisors of friendly countries are stationed; These attacks are hostile and have a negative impact on Iraqi sovereignty and cannot be accepted under any circumstances,' al-Sudani said.

'At the same time, the Iraqi government condemns the incident that happened in the early hours of today, Tuesday, December 26, when Iraqi military bases were targeted under the guise of retaliation by the United States and led to the martyrdom of one of its members and the injury of 18 others.

'This is a hostile and non-constructive action. And it is against the US declared desire to strengthen relations.

'We emphasize that such actions damage the bilateral relations of the two countries and complicate the ways of reaching an understanding to end the presence of the international coalition, and most importantly, it shows an unacceptable violation of Iraq's sovereignty'

A funeral was held for the dead fighter Hassan Hammadi al-Amiri and was attended by dozens of mourners who shouted 'No, no to America', a photographer said

Joe Biden is seen on December 23 shortly before boarding Marine One to fly to Camp David for the Christmas holidays

Biden, who is spending Christmas at Camp David, was briefed on the attack which injured the U.S. trio at a base by Erbil airfield.

The president then took the decision to retaliate, and the U.S. military carried out the strikes at 1:45 GMT, likely killing 'a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants' and destroying multiple facilities used by the group.

General Michael Erik Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, said the airstrikes were a direct reprisal.

'These strikes are intended to hold accountable those elements directly responsible for attacks on coalition forces in Iraq and Syria and degrade their ability to continue attacks,' he said.

'We will always protect our forces.'

The Pentagon did not disclose details about the identity of the service member who was critically wounded or offer more details on the injuries sustained in the attack.

Lloyd Austin, the Defense Secretary, said: 'My prayers are with the brave Americans who were injured.'

The White House National Security Council said Biden was briefed on the attack on Monday morning and ordered the Pentagon to prepare response options against those responsible.

'The President places no higher priority than the protection of American personnel serving in harm's way. The United States will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue,' NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson said.

Footage shared by a journalist with Kurdish TV reportedly showed the moment of impact

The Erbil base used by the U.S. troops. Washington has around 2,500 soldiers deployed in Iraq

Monday's military attack and U.S. retaliation is the latest back-and-forth since a surge in violence began in mid-October, when Iran-aligned militias started targeting U.S. assets in Iraq and Syria over Washington's backing of Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza.

Since October 17, there have been 103 attacks against its troops in Iraq and Syria.

The majority of those attacks have been claimed by Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which opposes U.S. support for Israel in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

In early December, the U.S. embassy in Baghdad was targeted with rocket fire. That attack, the first of its kind since the start of the war in Gaza, was not claimed by any group.

The office of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced several arrests and said some had links to the security services.

Washington has around 2,500 soldiers deployed in Iraq and about 900 in Syria.

The international coalition has been fighting the Islamic State group since 2014.
A humanitarian organisation in Gaza today claimed its offices had been targeted by Israeli artillery strikes, injuring several displaced civilians taking refuge in the building.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society, a non-profit operating under the badge of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, reported at 7:37am GMT that shelling had targeted the upper floors of its Khan Yunis headquarters, where 'thousands of [internally displaced persons] are sheltering'.

Al Jazeera shared footage it said showed the aftermath of 'an airstrike and artillery' today. People with PRCS-branded clothing were seen stretchering injured civilians out of the centre in the west of the city, an area previously designated as safe.

Nebal Farsakh, spokesperson for the PRCS, told CNN today: 'We have inside our headquarters and al-Amal hospital, which is right next to our headquarters, around 14,000 civilians who are taking shelter inside our facilities and those people have no place to go to.

'They thought they would be in a safer place but unfortunately it [seems] it's not the case... there is no safe place in Gaza and people are just desperate, looking for safer places to go to.'

Ms Farsakh said the Red Crescent also evacuated 'dozens' of people who were killed and dozens more who were injured in 'intense shelling' on al-Maghazi refugee camp, among those shaken by strikes overnight in central and southern Gaza Strip.

The IDF has said it is looking into the report of the alleged strike on the Red Crescent headquarters in Khan Yunis.

Footage shared by Al Jazeera showed civilians outside the PRCS hub in Khan Yunis today

A woman was seen being stretchered out of the building by people in PRCS uniforms

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its Khan Yunis HQ had been shelled on Tuesday

A Palestinian child injured in Israeli airstrikes is brought to Nasser Medical Hospital on December 26, 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza

The health ministry in Gaza said an Israeli air strike killed at least 70 people on Sunday at the al-Maghazi refugee camp. AFP was unable to independently verify that toll, and Al Jazeera correspondents reported the deaths of more than 100 people.

A United Nations school in the al-Maghazi refugee camp was also hit by IDF bombing on October 17, killing six. On November 5, an airstrike on the camp reportedly killed 45, mostly women and children. Israel did not confirm it had struck al-Maghazi, stating its attacks were 'specifically aimed against terrorists'.

The camp was then struck again on December 6, killing 18, before the strike on December 24.

Hamas reported 50 strikes in central areas early on Monday, including in the Nuseirat refugee camp, some 3 miles north of Dei al-Balah in the centre. The UN has since denounced Israel's increased activity in the central Strip, saying in a statement it was 'gravely concerned' by the continued bombardment.

Seif Magango, spokesperson for The UN Human Rights Office, said today: 'We are gravely concerned about the continued bombardment of Middle Gaza by Israeli forces.

'It is particularly concerning that this latest intense bombardment comes after Israeli forces ordered residents from the south of Wadi Gaza to move to Middle Gaza and Tal al-Sultan in Rafah.'

He said roads to the camps had been damaged, 'obstructing relief aid from reaching those in need, and shelters and hospitals still minimally operating are critically overcrowded and under-resourced'.

Gaza's main telecom provider, Paltel, announced another 'complete interruption' of services after Israel expanded its bombing campaign overnight.

Residents described a night of shelling and air strikes shaking the Nuseirat, Maghazi and Bureij camps.

The camps are built-up towns housing Palestinians driven from their homes in what is now Israel during the 1948 war and their descendants - and now also crowded with people who have fled from the north.

'The bombing was very intense,' Radwan Abu Sheitta, a Palestinian teacher said by phone from his home in Bureij. 'It seems they are approaching,' he added of the Israeli troops.

A smoke plume erupts over Khan Yunis from Rafah in the southern Gaza strip during Israeli bombardment on December 26, 2023

People mourn as they wait to collect the bodies of friends and relatives killed in an airstrike on December 26, 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza

People mourn as they wait to collect the bodies of friends and relatives killed in an airstrike on December 25, 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza

A Palestinian child injured in Israeli airstrikes is brought to Nasser Medical Hospital on December 25, 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza

A strike on Tuesday then hit the home of the a family in Mawasi, a rural area on Gaza's southern coastline which Israel has declared a safe zone for people to take shelter.

One woman was killed, and at least eight other people were wounded, according to a cameraman working for the Associated Press at the nearby hospital.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Israeli military issued an order for residents to evacuate a belt of territory the width of central Gaza, including Bureij, urging them to move to the nearby town of Deir al-Balah.

Warplanes and artillery also hammered areas east of Nuseirat camp.

MailOnline approached the Palestinian Red Crescent Society for comment.
A Texas family is desperately searching for a missing pregnant teenager who was due to give birth on the day she vanished.

Savanah Nicole Soto, 18, never showed up at the hospital where she was scheduled to be induced Saturday night.

'Savanah was so, so happy because she was going to be a mommy. It breaks my heart,' Soto's mother Gloria Cordova tearfully told KENS5.

'Please come home. No one's going to judge you. No one is going to say anything,' Cordova said. 'I just want you to be home.'

According to authorities, the 18-year-old who was last seen at her Leon Valley apartment may be in 'imminent danger,' or disappeared involuntarily. Her boyfriend, Matthew Guerra, 22, is also missing.

Savanah Nicole Soto, 18, never showed up at the hospital where she was scheduled to be induced on Saturday night

Soto's mother Gloria Cordova (pictured) said she heard from Soto on December 22 when she was last seen in her apartment complex in Leon Valley, Texas

'Please come home. No one's going to judge you. No one is going to say anything,' Cordova said. 'I just want you to be home'

The Leon Valley Police Department issued a CLEAR alert on Monday for Soto, described as a white female, 5-feet 1-inch tall, weighing 115 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

The heartbroken mom said she last heard from her daughter on Friday afternoon but failed to reach her on Saturday, when she decided to check on Soto at her apartment outside San Antonio.

'I went by there and knocked and knocked and knocked and she wasn't answering,' Cordova said. 'We got to the hospital. They said she wasn't there.'

Soto was scheduled for labor induction at 6.30pm Saturday.

Cordova said Soto was ready to become a mom, had the nursery done and planned on giving birth with her mother in the delivery room.

'We don't even know what happened. They said it could be anything,' Cordova said, adding that her daughter would never disappear like this.

Cordova has also taken to social media to ask for help by posting a photo of pregnant Soto.

'Im worried about her safety she is with her boyfriend who is no good,' the desperate mother wrote in a Facebook post.

Cordova said Soto was ready to become a mom, had the nursery done and planned on giving birth with her mother in the delivery room

The 18-year-old posted ultrasound photos of her baby before she vanished

Police said Soto might be in a gray 2013 Kia Optima with a temporary Texas plate 4289D57.

The bizarre disappearance of Soto has elicited an overwhelming response from social media users, with a Facebook group being formed to search for the teenager.

More than 17,000 users joined the group called 'Find Savannah Soto Discussion' as social media users fervently searched for clues that could possibly lead to Soto's disappearance.

The discussion under #savannahsoto has garnered more than seven million views on TikTok as of Tuesday noon.

Social media users have accused Soto's boyfriend Guerra of abuse, citing the bruises and marks they observed on Soto in her TikTok videos.

The bizarre disappearance of Soto has elicited an overwhelming response from social media users, with a Facebook group being formed to search for the teenager

Her boyfriend Matthew Guerra is also missing and some have accused him of being involved. Guerra's mother denied the accusations against her son: 'I know my son and he wouldn't do anything to hurt her'

A user who claimed to be a neighbor of Soto and Guerra last year said they witnessed the boyfriend 'arguing and beating her almost every day.'

'I witnessed him beating her and kicked her downstairs while she was unconscious,' the unnamed person said, adding that 'he kicked her body and face' and 'she needed stitches.'

The person claimed they testified against Guerra, who is said to be on probation.

Guerra's mother denied the accusations against her son: 'I know my son and he wouldn't do anything to hurt her.'

'I know my son and his girlfriend were taken against their will because my son does what he does for money. He is not an abusive boyfriend,' the mother said in a Facebook post that has been deleted.
Britain's longest-hospitalised Covid patient has spent a fourth Christmas away from his family and is still unable to walk or talk.

Steve Laviniere, 60, and his twin brother Bobby, both popular London house music DJs, contracted the virus in March 2020 after playing a gig in Madrid while touring the world.

Steve was admitted to hospital two weeks after his brother Bobby, with both having to be placed into induced comas due to the severity of the disease.

While Bobby was taken off his ventilator after seven days and took two months to recover from the virus, Steve suffered a rare condition called acute haemorrhagic leukoencephalitis (AHLE).

He had multiple organ failure and inflammation of the brain, is unable to walk or talk and has to be fed through a tube.

Covid-stricken DJ Steve Laviniere, 59, spent a third Christmas away from his family, but his twin brother is still hopeful he'll come home this year. Steve is pictured with his wife, Julie, before he fell ill

Steve contracted the virus in March 2020. He suffered multiple organ failure and inflammation of the brain and remains in hospital. He is unable to walk and has to be fed through a tube

Despite Steve having spent three years in hospital and requiring round-the-clock care, Bobby says his brother has had a great year after he was moved into a care home.

'We are living in our current normal, we have always been a very positive family, it's just how we've been brought up. We've always had the feeling you can fix anything. I can't fix this but we won't give up,' Bobby told the Mirror.

'Having this experience with Stevie, he keeps going forward. All his organs are healthy, except his brain, we could be so much worse off. He can't talk or move his body but we know he is still there.'

Steve - who appeared in Kate Garraway's ITV documentary, Finding Derek - was admitted to hospital with Covid just three days after then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK into lockdown for the first time.

Medics put the DJ into a medical induced coma and he suffered a rare neurological condition called Acute haemorrhagic leukoencephalitis (AHLE).

Bobby said that people with AHLE 'do not normally survive a week' and believes it is a 'miracle' his brother is still alive.

Bobby says he and his family understand what Steve is going through.

He said: 'We are not just identical twins, we are the same, we eat the same, we think the same, I would like to think he would do this and do things for other people, if he were in my position. I know we are going to leave a legacy of music, but I want to do more.'

Bobby and Steve pictured since their long battle with coronaviurs

Bobby (left) - twin brother of Steve (right) - says his brother's resilience is a 'miracle' and that 'everything is moving in the right direction'

The brothers, popular DJs on London's house music scene, have had very different health outcomes following their Covid diagnoses (Pictured: Bobby, left and Steve, right)

The family has been granted permission to perform renovations at the home where Steve (right) lived with his wife, Julie, (left) that will allow him to return to the residence

The family was previously granted permission to perform renovations at the home where Steve lived with his wife, Julie, that will hopefully allow him to one day return to the property.

And last month, the family celebrated the twins' 60th birthday, with Steve spending a whole five hours away from the home with his wife, brother and party guests.

Bobby has now had approval from the Charity Commission to set up the Bobby and Steve Foundation, which he says will support people with neurological conditions.

It will assist people not just financially, but also with support and sources of information.

As a family in the music business, Bobby says they know how to put on major events that will draw large crowds.

On December 29 the Dance for Stevie Christmas fundraiser will take place at the Jazz Cafe in London's Camden from 7pm to 3am.
Were you at the guesthouse? Email perkin.amalaraj@mailonline.co.uk

A massive fire at a guesthouse in Romania has left five people dead, including a child, authorities said.

Emergency intervention teams were deployed to the blaze in the village of Tohani in Prahova county early on Tuesday morning.

26 people were staying at the guesthouse, according to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations.

Before authorities confirmed the deaths of the fourth and fifth victims, search and rescue teams were set up to find five missing people.

It was not immediately clear if the additional two dead had been among those listed as missing.

26 people were staying at the guesthouse, according to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations

On Tuesday afternoon, authorities said the blaze had been extinguished just before 1pm and the search for the missing people was continuing

Local authorities said that the guesthouse did not have the proper fire safety permits

Photos of the fire shared by emergency authorities show a near hollowed-out structure engulfed in flames as firefighters work to put it out

Authorities said 18 people escaped the fire and two were being treated for burns.

The medical director for the nearby Ploiesti County Emergency Hospital, Andrei Ilinca, revealed that a 47-year-old woman, who suffered burns on 5% of her body, on the face and one hand, is currently hospitalised, while a 16-year-old teenager was transferred to the 'Grigore Alexandrescu' Hospital in the Capital.

He has '5% body surface area burn, no problems. It is under investigation. He remains hospitalized in the plastic surgery ward', Dr Raluca Alexandru, spokesperson of the Bucharest hospital, told Free Europe.

On Tuesday afternoon, authorities said the blaze had been extinguished just before 1pm and the search for the missing people was continuing.

The affected area was about 1,000 square metres. There was no indication what caused the blaze.

Photos of the fire shared by emergency authorities show a near hollowed-out structure engulfed in flames as firefighters work to put it out.

Local authorities said that the guesthouse did not have the proper fire safety permits.

'For the targeted objective, a substantive check was carried out in 2019, 6 irregularities were identified, one of which was fixed during the control and 6 warnings were issued,' the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations said.

'At the time of the verification, no documents were made available to the inspectors to show the moment of commissioning, in order to establish the need to request and obtain the fire safety approval/authorization', it added.
A former West Virginia lawmaker jailed for rioting at the Capitol posted a photo of President Joe Biden and other Democrats being lynched on a Christmas tree.

Derrick Evans resigned in disgrace from the West Virginia House of Delegates after he was arrested for livestreaming himself during the January 6 insurrection.

Despite admitting he brought shame to his family as he was jailed for three months, Evans has since been unrepentant and declared a run for Congress.

Evans then posted a disturbing photo on Christmas morning, simply captioned 'Merry Christmas', before deleting it hours later. The photo showed Biden, Hilary Clinton, Barack Obama and other democrats with nooses around their necks.

Disgraced ex-lawmaker Derrick Evans posted this disturbing photo on Christmas morning of President Joe Biden and other Democrats lynched on a Christmas tree

A miniature of Donald Trump off to one side, that was not hung by the neck, raised an arm approvingly.

Evans deleted the post and changed his Twitter handle, but not before it was copied hundreds of times across social media.

'I've been very clear that I do NOT support violence. Have a Merry Christmas ya filthy animals!' he wrote in another post, with a Home Alone reference.

He followed up in another post by insisting: 'Not my tree. Not my ornaments. Not in good taste. NOT a call for violence.

'I shouldn't have used a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus for anything political (good taste or poor taste). Let's go celebrate this time with our families in love and peace.'

Derrick Evans resigned in disgrace from the Virginia House of Delegates after he was arrested for livestreaming himself during the January 6 insurrection

However, just three hours later he continued his unceasing political rants with his frequent claim that asylum-seekers were 'invading' the US.

'I hope everyone spends a few minutes this Christmas to remember the American families who have been displaced by illegals,' he wrote.

'Our southern border is literally being invaded.'

Evans last week claimed immigrants were not fleeing deadly conflict and economic disaster, but were planning to take over the country by force.

'Millions of military aged men didn't come here for asylum. We need to prepare for a potential war on American soil,' he wrote.

Another 'poor taste' post by Evans on Christmas morning photoshopped a naked Hunter Biden with his genitals covered by a crack pipe into a picture of the president and first lady, captioned 'Merry Christmas from the Biden's (sic)'.

Evans spent three months in jail last year and calls himself a 'political prisoner,' maintaining the Capitol riot was legal.

'Please remember my fellow January 6th Patriots today. I'm happy to be out of prison and home with my family, but others are not as fortunate,' he wrote on Monday.

'Prison is hard in general, but holidays are much harder. So many families being hurt by this illegitimate Biden regime.'

West Virginia House of Delegates member Derrick Evans (left) is given the oath of office December 14, 2020, in the House chamber at the state Capitol in Charleston

Another post on Christmas Eve read: 'I'm home with my family as opposed to being held hostage as a peaceful January 6th Political Prisoner.'

'Trump was the President. It's impossible to commit 'insurrection' against yourself.'

Evans spent the past year reveling in his notoriety, despite being on probation until 2025, and launched his Congressional candidacy on January 6, 2023.

He sung a remarkably different tune when faced with an even more lengthy prison term before a judge last June.

'I will forever bear the reminder that I made a crucial mistake. I've let down myself, I've let down my community and most importantly I've let down my family,' he told the court.

He expressed regret that going to jail would leave his three children 'fatherless for months'.

Evans livestreamed his participation in the Capitol insurrection for an hour on social media, screaming 'Derrick Evans is in the Capitol!'

'Guys, oh my gosh, I can't even explain what is happening right now, how amazing this is to see in person,' he said during the livestream.

'I am in awe. The revolution has started. The revolution has started.'

Evans, wearing a Tolsia Rebels High School sweat suit, was arrested by the FBI days after the riot

At another point he yelled: 'We're taking this country back whether you like it or not!'

'Shame on all of you! You listen to your liberal mayor instead of the Constitution... Patriots ain't being quiet anymore.

'Patriots ain't gonna stand down to tyranny anymore! Patriots ain't gonna stand down for stolen elections anymore!'

In a since-deleted video that was widely shared online, Evans clamored inside a jampacked Capitol building doorway, trying with others to push his way inside.

He hollered along with other loyalists of Trump and fist-bumped a law enforcement officer who let them in.

After pushing into the building, Evans milled around the Capitol Rotunda and implored others to not vandalize artwork and busts. Some of the pieces were later vandalized.
Lead plaintiffs are alleging they were wrongfully kept in 'prolonged, inhumane outdoor detention' without explanation

The chaotic incident took place at the 'Dolores Hill Bomb' skateboarding event

Four San Francisco teens have sued the city over a crackdown during an annual skateboarding event that saw them and dozens of others arrested.

In July - over 100 people, mostly minors, were arrested at the annual 'Dolores Hill Bomb' skateboarding event.

Officers described the event as unpermitted, non-sanctioned and one that has previously taken over streets and caused mass property damage. Video showed the event, the anarchy that followed and police trying to regain control.

The lead plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Jolina Tawasha, 13, Eriberto Jimenez, 17, Lucy Rios, 15, and Carmen Lopez, 15.

Court documents describe how the teenagers were wrapped up in the aftermath of the skateboarding event - despite police lacking probable cause that they did anything illegal.

San Francisco is being sued by a group of teenagers who were unfairly arrested and held under brutal conditions at a skateboarding event

In July - over 100 people, mostly children, were arrested at the annual 'Dolores Hill Bomb' skateboarding gathering

Parents of the four lead plaintiffs - who are aged 13 to 17, claimed the July 8 incident left their children traumatized and didn't even result in criminal charges being made, the San Francisco Standard reported.

Jolina detailed how SFPD officers corralled her without giving specific orders or any explanation of why she was being targeted.

When the 13-year-old tried to communicate that her friend's dad was waiting around the corner to pick them up - an officer refused to let her go and responded: 'Just listen to what we're going to say; we don't want to hurt you,' the lawsuit alleged.

Eriberto described how he was sitting in the park when officers began to bark orders at skaters, telling them to leave Dolores Street and skate elsewhere.

The 17-year-old said he complied with the orders - but later that evening he was met by a line of officers who pointed their weapons at his group of friends to prevent them from leaving the area, court documents said.

'Despite the teens telling the officers that they were just trying to go home, the SFPD officers did not allow them to leave,' the lawsuit claims.

Footage from the event shows large crowds cheering as children and adults furiously rolled down the steep descent - some flying off their boards and hitting the pavement only to get back up to do it again

Carmen's mother said she asked officers whether the barricades were to protect or prohibit the event - and officers responded saying they didn't even know, according to the lawsuit.

The 15-year-old, who was simply watching the skaters, had tried to return to her home near to Dolores Park after hearing officers telling crowds to disperse.

'Suddenly police seemed to be everywhere, and the children were not sure which way to go,' the lawsuit states.

'Around 8:15 [to] 8:30 p.m., SFPD officers began walking behind them, giving no further announcements or instructions, but moving everyone from 17th and Dolores toward 17th and Guerrero. Then, another line of SFPD officers blocked the way forward, trapping and surrounding them. The police did not allow Carmen and her friends to leave.'

The San Francisco Standard reported the children were forced to remain within barricades for hours - without any food or water.

Allegedly - the children were prohibited from using the bathroom, causing some of them to urinate in their pants.

It was also reported that children were dressed for summer, but forced to stay outside in the cold without jackets as night time approached.

Parents who tried to bring warm layers for their children were allegedly prohibited from giving them to the kids.

When the group were finally released to their parents, they reportedly weren't checked to make sure they were leaving with legal guardians.

The lawsuit names the police chief, Mission Station Capt. Thomas Harvey and tactical unit commander Lt. Matt Sullivan as defendants.

The city has been given 30 days to file a response to the claims.

Jen Kwart, a spokesperson for the City Attorneys Office, said she can't discuss the claims yet, 'once we are served with the lawsuit, we will review the complaint and respond in court.'

SFPD reportedly held the group in a 'prolonged, inhumane outdoor detention' which has now led to a lawsuit alleging that the mass arrest was unlawful for many reasons

Footage from the July event shows large crowds cheering as children and adults rolled down the steep descent - some flying off their boards and hitting the pavement only to get back up to do it again.

The annual event quickly descended into chaos as reports of vandalism, illegal fireworks, gunfire and violence erupted, causing riot police to storm the gathering.

The fourth plaintiff, Lucy, said she and her friends were headed to their other friend's house when they bumped into police that yelled at them to turn around.

'When they complied, they were trapped between police lines,' per the lawsuit.

'Lucy and her friends realized they were not going to be allowed to leave despite telling the officers their situation.'

Police allegedly announced over a megaphone at one point, 'You are all under arrest, sit down!'

Video footage from the day of the event shows large crowds cheering as children and adults furiously rolled down the steep descent - some flying off their boards and hitting the pavement only to get back up to do it again.

The annual event quickly descended into chaos as reports of vandalism, illegal fireworks, gunfire and violence erupted, causing riot police to storm the gathering.

Videos of a significant police presence as officers dressed in full riot gear navigated the street and made arrests surfaced from the gathering.

Children vandalizing a light-rail vehicle with graffiti and screaming 'f*** the police' emerged as footage showed the large crowd quickly dispersing as cops closed in.

Three light-rail vehicles were vandalized in the incident, which quickly turned violent

A pair of young adults pretending to use their skateboards as guns and others jeering and laughing at police were also common themes among the countless videos and pictures that surfaced.

Police arrested 32 adults and 81 minors were cited while multiple firearms, unignited fireworks and narcotics paraphernalia were seized from the crowd.

San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said that 'this behavior will not be tolerated' thanking responding officers.

At around 8 pm, a group of 200 skaters began removing police barricades at 18th and Dolores streets, and a group of people stopped a third MUNI light rail and vandalized it, according to police.

The 'Dolores Hill Bomb' has had a notorious past with a previous year resulting in a fatality.

Last year's event had a stabbing and in 2019, renowned local skater Tomoko Oikawa fell and suffered a severe brain injury, which required surgery.
A 56-year-old jumped to his death from the fourth floor of a swanky Upper East Side townhouse in Manhattan on Tuesday, police believe.

The unnamed man was found in front of 18 East 67th Street, close to Madison avenue, just before 7:30am.

First responders rushed the man to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A police source told the New York Post that the man left behind a note. The Post report indicates that police were speaking with the building's super around 9am. Pictures from the scene taken around this time showed blood on the pavement.

Police investigators could be seen talking with officials from the building in the hours after the man was found

The man leaped from the fourth floor just before 7:30am this morning

First responders rushed the man to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.

According to StreetEasy, the building dates back to 1905 and is divided into eight private units. In 2022, one unit was rented for $9,000 per month.

This is the latest in a string of jumps that have occurred from fancy Manhattan buildings in recent weeks.

Last week, a 35-year-old woman died after jumping from a high-rise known as The Brittany, close to Mayor Eric Adams' residence in Gracie Mansion.

In October, a 47-year-old man jumped to his death from the Gotham Hotel in Midtown. While in the summer, three men died within the space of two days after taking their own lives.

One of those men died from jumping from a luxury high-rise.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please call the Suicide Prevention hotline on 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
Two teenage girls on vacation from South America have been stabbed while eating at Grand Central Terminal's dining concourse by a suspect saying 'I want all the white people dead.'

The girls, aged 14 and 16, were touring the city with their parents when they were suddenly attacked.

The stabbing happened around 11:25am on Christmas when the family had stopped for an early lunch.

The suspect, identified as 36-year-old Steven Hutcherson of the Bronx, allegedly told the girls, 'I want all the white people dead.'

Hutcherson is believed to have gotten into an argument with staff at Tartinery who told him he could not sit in the restaurant's seating area. That argument led to the attack on the innocent girls.

Two teenage girls on vacation from South America have been stabbed while eating at Grand Central Terminal's dining concourse (file photo)

When Hutcherson complained that the two victims were being allowed to sit in the restaurant, he allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed them both.

Hutcherson was arrested in under a minute as MTA police swooped in from their nearby posts.

One of the girls was stabbed in the thigh while the other was stabbed in the back, nicking her lung.

Both victims were taken to Bellevue Hospital.

Hutcherson has an extensive criminal record and has been charged with attempted murder, assault, criminal possession of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child.

Hutcherson is believed to have got in an argument with staff at Tartinery, pictured, who told him he could not sit in the restaurant's area (file photo)

He is known as an emotionally disturbed person with an arrest record by both the MTA police and NYPD.

In his most recent brush with the law, Hutcherson was arrested twice in the last six months for intimidating people while brandishing a gun in the Bronx.

He pleaded guilty to both his weapons possession arrests from November 7 and July 24.

For his July office he was given a 15-day jail sentence, while for November he was given a conditional discharge together with a temporary restraining order against his victim.
The South Carolina court clerk who penned a tell-all memoir about Alex Murdaugh's murder trial has been accused of plagiarism by her potential co-author.

It's the same clerk, lawyers for Murdaugh have argued was 'biased,' which is why he should be granted a new trial after his conviction for the murder of his wife and son.

Neil Gordon decided to can the planned book, called Behind the Doors of Justice, after being 'blindsided' by Colleton County clerk Becky Hill.

He said Hill committed an 'ethical gaffe' by copying parts of a BBC article from a reporter who shared it with her ahead of publication. The BBC has been notified and is investigating.

'This has blindsided me,' Gordon said in a statement announcing that all sales of the book had been stopped.

Becky Hill (pictured), the South Carolina court clerk who penned a tell-all memoir about Alex Murdaugh's murder trial, has been accused of plagiarism by her co-author Neil Gordon

Neil Gordon decided to can their book, called Behind the Doors of Justice, after being 'blindsided' by Colleton County clerk Becky Hill. (Pictured: the co-authors together before the plagiarism allegations came to light)

Murdaugh was convicted of killing his wife and son and is serving life. He has appealed his conviction.

'When Gordon compared the article's text to a 12-page book passage in the Prefacesupposedly written by Hill, he realized she'd lifted the article's text and made it her own,' a press release continued.

Gordon said he confronted Hill and she admitted she's stolen parts of the copy from the BBC report 'due to deadline pressure.'

Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders, has now been canned

'Journalism has been my life's work; my credibility and integrity are paramount to everything I do,' Gordon said.

'I can't be associated with anything like plagiarism and will no longer partner with Becky Hill on any projects.

'I'd like to apologize to our readers, and publicly to the BBC and the reporter.'

Murdaugh's lawyers previously filed an appeal against his murder conviction claiming that Hill interfered in his trial - something she strongly denies.

The team submitted a motion on behalf of the disgraced South Carolina attorney claiming that Hill repeatedly 'tampered with the jury.'

Court documents seen by DailyMail.com state that Hill told jurors 'not to be fooled by' Murdaugh, 55, and told them their 'deliberations shouldn't take them long'.

It stated: 'Ms. Hill did these things to secure for herself a book deal and media appearances that would not happen in the event of a mistrial. Ms. Hill betrayed her oath of office for money and fame.'

Murdaugh's legal team says he was 'shaking and in disbelief' after they presented him with the evidence. He is currently serving two life sentences for the murders of Maggie and Paul.

Hill denies any wrongdoing. 'I did not tell the jury 'not to be fooled' by evidence presented by Mr. Murdaugh's attorneys,' she said in her affidavit.

'I did not instruct the jury to 'watch him closely.' I did not instruct the jury to 'look at his actions.' I did not instruct the jury to 'look at his movements.'

However, Hill also wrote in the since-canned book that she worried Murdaugh would be cleared of his alleged crimes when, according to her, 'I knew in my heart he was guilty'.
Turkey's foreign affairs committee gave its consent to Sweden's bid to join NATO on Tuesday, drawing the previously non-aligned Nordic country closer to membership in the Western military alliance.

Sweden's accession protocol will now need to be approved in the general assembly for the last stage of the legislative process in Turkey.

Though no date has been set, it is expected to be approved within a matter of weeks.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan should then sign it into law, concluding a process that frustrated some of Ankara's allies and tested its Western ties.

Turkey, a NATO member, has delayed ratifying Sweden's application for more than a year, accusing the country of being too lenient toward groups that Ankara regards as threats to its security, including Kurdish militants and members of a network that Ankara blames for a failed coup in 2016.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, shakes hands with Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, right, as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg looks on (File image)

Turkey's foreign affairs committee gave its consent to Sweden 's bid to join NATO on Tuesday

Several non-NATO states have tried to join the bloc since Russia invaded Ukraine, including Finland, which joined in April with little backlash or resistance

Turkish lawmakers said that Stockholm needed to take further steps to clamp down on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an armed group that has been designated a 'terrorist organisation' by Turkey, the EU and the US.

Some members fled Turkish persecution in the late 1980s and subsequent crises in the Middle East.

Sweden extradited a Kurdish refugee to Turkey in December, amid pressure to meet demands in return for NATO membership.

Erdogan earlier this month linked ratification of Sweden's NATO membership to the US Congress' approval of a Turkish request to purchase 40 new F-16 fighter jets and kits to modernise Turkey's existing fleet.

While NATO member Hungary has also not ratified Sweden's membership, Turkey is seen as the main roadblock to adding the Scandinavian nation to the military alliance and bolstering its defences in the Baltic Sea region.

It comes as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which began following efforts for the eastern European nation to join NATO, reached its 22nd consecutive month.

As Putin build up his forces on his nation's border with Ukraine, he warned that any moves that put Ukraine in a more favourable position with NATO would be an escalation.

But NATO pushed back against the hostilities, with NATO general secretary Jens Stoltenberg saying at the time: 'Russia has no right to establish a sphere of influence to try to control their neighbours.'

Since then, several other non-NATO states have tried to join the bloc, including Finland, which joined in April with little backlash or resistance.

Sweden's path to NATO was, however, also pushed back against by Russia. The nation's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said in July that it would protect its own 'legitimate security interests' as world leaders met in Vilnius, Lithuania for the first day of a NATO summit.

The Kremlin said at the time that Sweden's expected accession to NATO would have clear negative implications for Russia's security.
Marjorie Taylor Greene has shared a death threat saying she would be shot in the head and skinned sent before her house was swatted on Christmas Day.

The Georgia Republican posted a screenshot of the vile message on her X account from a man claiming he wanted to make a 'parasol' out of her skin, in reference to the serial killer Ed Gein.

Known as the 'Butcher of Planfield', Gein killed two women and was a grave robber who made clothing out of body parts.

The 49-year-old politician also said the man threatened to 'smash' the head of her TV broadcaster boyfriend Brian Glenn 'on a curb'.

The lawmaker also stated the Capitol Police had investigated the man's threats, but didn't arrest him.

Marjorie Taylor Greene has shared a death threat saying she would be shot in the head and skinned sent days before her house was swatted

The Georgia Republican posted a screenshot of the vile message on her X account from a man claiming he wanted to make a 'parasol' out of her skin, in reference to the serial killer Ed Gein

She shared a screenshot of an email she received from investigators, and said they 'simply called' the suspect.

'The outright absurdity of this email response and the fact that they have not arrested this guy is shocking, thankfully Im a gun owner.

Greene posted the threat hours after she revealed she was swatted for 'like the eighth time' on December 25 while her family was enjoying festivities inside.

'I was just swatted. This is like the 8th time. On Christmas with my family here,' MTG wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

'My local police are the GREATEST and shouldnt have to deal with this. I appreciate them so much and my family and I are in joyous spirits celebrating the birth of our savior Jesus Christ!'

Known as the 'Butcher of Planfield', Ed Gein killed two women and was a grave robber who made clothing out of body parts

The Congresswoman did not elaborate on the nature of the threats but she has been targeted previously by what her office described as 'political attacks'.

Greene was swatted twice in August this year. On August 23, the Rome Police Department said officers 'responded to a 911 call reference to a subject being shot multiple times at an address within the city limits.'

According to the police report, the caller said a man had been shot at MTG's home and that a woman and children could still be inside.

When cops turned up at her home, she assured them there was no issue and the call was determined to be a swatting incident.

The police report went on to say officers 'received a second call from the suspect who was using a computer generated voice stating that he/she was upset about Mrs. Greenes political view on transgender youth rights.'

The pro-Trump lawmaker said her Rome, Georgia home was 'swatted' for 'like the eighth time' on December 25 while her family was enjoying festivities inside

The next day, her home was targeted again by a prank caller who told cops they had gunned down her family and threatened to kill any officers who came to the door.

MTG thanked her local police department in a tweet about the incident. 'Last night, I was swatted just after 1 am.

'I cant express enough gratitude to my local law enforcement here in Rome, Floyd County. More details to come.'

Her office confirmed that a 'political attack' took place on Greene's home in a statement to DailyMail.com.

The 49-year-old politician was swatted twice in August this year. On August 23, the Rome Police Department said officers 'responded to a 911 call reference to a subject being shot multiple times at an address within the city limits'

The act of 'swatting' generally entails making a prank call to emergency services to get law enforcement to descend on somebody's home.

Greene led GOP criticism of federal law enforcement ever since the FBI's unannounced search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida early August.

In the early hours of August 8, the FBI executed a search warrant on the Palm Beach mansion in an operation linked to classified documents sought by the National Archives.

Trump's allies like Greene and GOP Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik decried the raid as a weaponization of the Justice Department and have demanded consequences for Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray.

It's prompted criticism from other Republicans who cite federal warnings of an increased wave of violent threats against federal law enforcement workers in the FBI raid's fallout.

She was also swatted in October 2022 'for the sixth time'. MTG said at the time that the callers 'want to have their victim murdered by police'.

'But it is also a giant abuse of police resources and time, which is another reason it is a serious crime,' she said.
Police have a launched a murder investigation after a man was found dead in his home on Christmas Day.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is currently in police custody while cordons remain in place on two streets.

Officers say the man in his 30s, who has not been named, was found dead at his home address on Clay Street, Workington.

Cumbria Police were called to the scene by North West Ambulance Service shortly before 6pm on Monday.

The 38-year-old male suspect is currently in police custody for questioning.

A man was found dead in his home on Clay Street, Workington on Christmas Day

Police have arrested a 38-year-old man on suspicion of murder, who is now in custody for questioning

A cordon remains in place on the street, as well as on nearby South Watt Street in the town.

In a statement issued on Tuesday afternoon, Cumbria Police said: 'Police were contacted by the North West Ambulance Service shortly before 5:55pm yesterday (25 December) after a man, aged in his 30s, was found deceased in his home address on Clay Street, Workington.

'A 38-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is currently in police custody.

'A cordon remains in place as officers continue their enquiries into this incident. A cordon is also in place on South Watt Street in Workington in connection with the incident.

'As a result, members of the public may see an increased police presence in the area. Anyone with information in relation to this incident is asked to contact police.

'You can report online at www.cumbria.police.uk/report-it, quoting incident number 98 of 25 December 2023. You can also call 101 quoting the same incident number.'
Werner was fined for committing an obscene act and faces up to a year in prison or a fine if she is found guilty

A bikini model who went topless near a Brazilian beach faces up to a year in jail and is demanding to know why, when the country's constitution guarantees gender equality.

Caroline Werner, 37, has lashed out at Brazil's 'patriarchal, violent culture' which belies its easy-going image and would not prosecute a man for the same offence.

The businesswoman, who owns her bikini brand, says she was roughed up by police and chained to the bars of her prison cell after she was seized by the Municipal Guard while walking her dog in the southern city of Balneario Camboriu.

'Unfortunately, in my country even though the Constitution ensures gender equality, in practice this does not happen,' Werner told Brazilian news outlet G1.

'What should be normal for both genders ends up being denied to one of them in an arbitrary and repressive manner.'

Caroline Werner told Brazilian news outlet G1 that the country's constitution does not equally apply to men and women after she was arrested and received a summons for being topless in public while she was walking her dogs near a beach in the southern city of Balneario Camboriu in May

Caroline Werner removed her shirt and tied it around her waist while she was at a beach in Brazil before the took her dogs for a walk when was stopped by the Balneario Camboriu Civil Police

A country that is renowned for scantily-clad performers at the Rio Carnival and draws tourists from across the world to its golden beaches has obscenity laws dating back to the 1940s which ban women from baring their chests in public.

Werner received a summons for 'committing an obscene act' after removing her shirt at a beach and tying it around her waist before she started walking her dogs in May this year.

Article 233 of the Penal Code describes the charge as 'performing an obscene act in a public place, either open or exposed to the public.'

However, the law does not define an 'obscene act.'

'When crossing the street to leave the dogs, I was approached by the Municipal Guard in a completely arbitrary and disproportionate way,' Werner said. 'They arrived already putting my hands behind me and handcuffing me.'

The cops provided a blouse for Werner to cover her breasts, took her to a police station and left her handcuffed against metal bars in the 'dark' jail cell.

Werner alleged the police violated her due process rights by not allowing allow her to place a phone call to her family or a lawyer.

Werner, who owns her own bikini brand, alleges that the police violated her due process rights by refusing her access to a phone to call her family or lawyer

Werner faces between three months to one year in jail or a fine if she is found guilty

'I spent more than an hour in that situation, unable to speak to anyone and, even though I had asked for I was denied my right to speak to my lawyer several times,' she said.

Brazilian women have struggled for the right to breastfeed in public and in 2015 cities including Rio and Sao Paulo introduced fines for businesses that prohibited it

But Brazil's draconian obscenity laws have attracted protests in recent years including in Rio where topless women have defied a ban that prevents them baring their chests even on the beaches.

'A breast isn't dangerous!' Olga Salon, a 73-year-old Rio native told one reporter as she stripped off.

'It's a false-Puritanism and indicative of our macho culture that we have a law forbidding that a woman can go topless.'

The three women argued there's no state law forbidding female toplessness and that the ordinance is discriminatory since men are allowed to go shirtless. Kia Sinclair (left) and Ginger Pierro (right) pictured

And it has made the 'dental floss bikini' an international fashion item but retains draconian restrictions dating back to the 1940s on exposing the female nipple

Werner's case echoes that of women involved in America's 'free the nipple' movement who have been convicted of public nudity offences after going topless in public.

In 2020 the Supreme Court ruled that a prosecution of three women who were for removing their bathing suit tops on a New Hampshire beach did not violate their constitutional rights.

Heidi Lilley, Kia Sinclair and Ginger Pierro were arrested in 2016 after removing their tops at a beach in Laconia and refusing to put them on when beachgoers complained. Pierro was doing yoga, while the two others were sunbathing.

Werner's case is being handled by the Santa Cantarina state prosecutor's office, which offered has offered her a plea deal.

But she still faces a hefty fine and up to a year in jail if she refuses.

'In many countries, it is a completely normal practice,' she insisted, 'A woman's body is not objectified and hypersexualised.

'What happened to me, the abuse of authority and judgment by society, demonstrate how the interpretation of the law itself reflects gender conduct dictated by patriarchal, violent culture, in relation to the control of female bodies.'
A Turkish news presenter has been fired after she appeared on a live news broadcast with a Starbucks coffee cup on her desk.

Meltem Gunay, an anchor on station TGRT Haber, was seen presenting the news on Christmas Eve with a cup from the coffee chain clearly visible in front of her.

Audiences criticised the presenter for the move, claiming that she was endorsing Starbucks, which is currently being boycotted by pro-Palestinian activists due to the brand's alleged support for the Israeli Government.

Hours later, TGRT announced that it had 'terminated' Gunay as well as the director of the news segment for 'covertly advertising' the company, which is strictly forbidden in the broadcaster's 'principles'.

It added that it 'strongly condemns' their actions and stated that TGRT has an 'understanding that knows the sensitivities of the Turkish people regarding Gaza and defends them to the end'.

Meltem Gunay, an anchor on station TGRT Haber, was seen presenting the news on Christmas Eve with a cup from the coffee chain clearly visible in front of her

She has now been 'terminated' by the broadcaster for 'covertly advertising' the company, which is strictly forbidden in the broadcaster's 'principles'

Pro-palestinian activists staged a boycott of Starbucks after the coffee chain sued its union for expressing solidarity with Palestinians

TGRT said in a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday: 'In the news broadcast of TGRT Haber TV dated 24.12.2023, Meltem Gunay, who was an announcer, was seen presenting the news with a Starbucks cup in front of her.

'In accordance with the principles of our institution, it is strictly forbidden for the announcer to present on TGRT News TV in a way that will covertly advertise any company.

'The news anchor and director who acted contrary to this principle were terminated for just cause.

'Our institution has an understanding that knows the sensitivities of the Turkish people regarding Gaza and defends them to the end. It is absolutely impossible to approve any action or publication contrary to this.

'We do not approve of this action of the presenter and director, whose employment contracts were terminated, and we strongly condemn it.

'For this reason, their employment contracts were terminated.

'From now on, our institution will continue to stand by the Gaza and Turkish people and protect their sensitivities until the end.

'It is announced to the public with respect.'

Pro-palestinian activists staged a boycott of Starbucks after the coffee chain sued its union, Starbucks Workers United, after the labour organization posted a since-deleted message on social media expressing solidarity with Palestinians.

Last month, a Starbucks in Melbourne, Australia, was plastered in anti-Israel stickers and smeared with red paint after being boycotted by pro-Palestine activists

Stickers decorated with the Star of David and a red 'no symbol' were plastered on the Starbucks storefront while red paint, imitating blood, was smeared on the walls.

The union group shared a message reading 'Solidarity with Palestine' above an image of a bulldozer operated by Hamas tearing down a fence on the Gaza strip, according to news organizations who saw the post.

'We unequivocally condemn these acts of terrorism, hate and violence, and disagree with the statements and views expressed by Workers United and its members,' Starbucks said in a post.

Relations between Turkey and Tel Aviv have rapidly soured amid Israel's relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

Last month, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Israel was a 'terror state' committing war crimes and violating international law in Gaza

He also repeated his view that Hamas was a political party that had been elected by Palestinians, while failing to mention there hasn't been an election in Gaza since 2006 when Hamas beat Fatah, a secular movement.

In October 7, Hamas gunmen attacked Israel and killed about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

They took 250 hostages of whom 129 remain inside Gaza, Israel says.

Israel retaliated with a relentless bombardment and a siege followed by a ground invasion. The campaign has killed at least 20,915 people, mostly women and children, according to the latest toll issued Tuesday by Gaza's health ministry.
A Christmas night horror unfolded as a couple was found shot dead in a murder-suicide in Houston, Texas, with their three young daughters witnessing the shooting.

The female victim, 34, and the male suspect, 43, were discovered with fatal gunshot wounds inside their family home on Christmas day.

Neither of their names have been released.

The Houston Police Department responded to a shooting call at 4822 Grasilla Street around 10.15pm Monday and found the gruesome scene. The couple's children - aged six, nine, and 14 - were in the house at the time of what police believed to be a murder-suicide.

The female victim, 34, and the male suspect, 43, were discovered with fatal gunshot wounds inside their family home on Christmas day. According to the police, the couple's three daughters - aged six, nine, and 14 - were in the house at the time of what police believed to be a murder-suicide

Responding officers found the man and the woman upstairs in a bedroom and learned that they were husband and wife.

The female victim suffered multiple gunshot wounds while the male suspect suffered one gunshot wound, authorities said. Investigators say they believe the husband shot his wife dead.

One of their three daughters reported hearing her parents arguing before multiple gunshots were fired. None of the children were injured.

'The current information we have, it appears to be a murder-suicide at this time,' the Houston Police Department's Lieutenant JP Horelica said.

'It will be investigated just like any homicide. We will do it thorough just to make sure everything is as it seems,' he told FOX26.

It's unclear what led to the Christmas argument that turned fatal.

DailyMail.com has reached out to the Houston Police Department for more information.

One of their three daughters reported hearing her parents arguing before multiple gunshots were fired. None of the children were injured

Homicide detectives spent several hours at the scene investigating to make sure it happened the way the child described, KHOU reported.

Investigators also said a weapon was located inside the home.

The three children are currently with family members, until a permanent home is available.

'The identities of the female victim, 34, and the male suspect, 43, are pending verification by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences,' the Houston Police Department said in a statement.

'The incident is believed to be a murder-suicide, pending results of autopsies on the man and woman,' the statement reads.

'At this time, we don't have any information to say otherwise,' Horelica said.

A family member has established a GoFundMe page to raise funds for funeral costs, living expenses, and mental health resources. It has raised more than $600 as of Tuesday afternoon.

'Im fundraising for my three cousins that were left orphaned due to a tragedy on Christmas Day. My aunt and uncle left behind three beautiful children aged 6,9, and 14,' the website reads.

'They need all the support possible right now to move forward in this difficult time. Any donation is appreciated to help with funeral costs, life expenses and mental health resources for my cousins.'
A man has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving after a car crashed into a home on Christmas morning.

Essex Police warned people to avoid Argent Street in Grays, Essex, after it caused 'extensive damage' at 9:50am.

An Essex Police spokesman said: 'Thankfully, no one from the property has been reported as injured at this stage.

'A man has been arrested on suspicion of driving without a driving licence and no insurance. The road will be closed for several hours whilst we deal.

'Please avoid the area and find alternative routes. Thanks for your patience.'

A look at the 'extensive damage' caused in Argent Street in Grays, Essex
Kamala Harris has been mocked online for the second time in two months after she posted a Christmas photo of herself cooking in a kitchen, featuring a gas stove.

Just last month Harris was roundly mocked when she posted a similar photo with her husband Doug Emhoff in their kitchen. Now, once again, the couple appeared standing next to a gas stove, this time for Christmas.

The pictures have incensed Republicans who earlier this year reacted with fury after a Biden-appointed safety regulator suggested authorities could ban gas stoves because they are considered to be major polluters.

Although the proposal was quickly dismissed by the White House, it has now left the Vice President open to attack whenever she is pictured cooking on one - or even standing close.

In Monday's photograph, Harris appeared to be taking steps to conceal the fact she was using a gas-powered device to cook beef Wellington - a fact not lost on users.

'Merry Christmas to all. May your day be filled with love, family, and good food,' she wrote.

Vice President Kamala Harris posted a photo with husband Doug Emhoff in a kitchen in which she appeared to be blocking a gas stove. The tactic was quickly seized upon by eagle-eyed Republicans

Georgia Rep. Mike Collins appears to notice every time the Vice President is near a gas stove

Critics were appalled at the hypocrisy at seeing Harris standing next to a gas stove following suggestions the Democrats were looking to ban them in a few years time

Mike Collins, a member of the House representing Georgia, was quick to respond writing on X: 'Is that another gas stove?'

The VP's efforts to obscure the stove was a fact that didn't go amiss with his followers.

'They are clearly trying to block their stove in the pic. So lame,' responded Matt Kakuk.

'After Thanksgiving, I can understand,' replied Collins.

'Gas stove with red meat on it... exactly what they want to take away from Americans,' said Tim Young.

'Youre doing it on a gas stove while your side wants to ban them. Also doing it when Americans are going hungry. You still dont get it. Democrats = Hypocrisy,' blasted Savannah.

'I see you are using the gas stove you wanted to ban for us mortals' stated one user.

'Rules for thee, not for me,' added another.

Just last month, Harris was also roundly mocked when she posted a similar photo with her husband Doug Emhoff in their kitchen, once again appeared standing next to a gas stove

The head of the nation's top consumer watchdog, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, said last year that his agency might take some regulatory action that would 'outlaw' gas stoves.

It came in the face of growing research that links gas stoves to pollutants that harm both human health and the environment.

Republicans seized on the idea claiming that the Biden administration wanted to ban gas stoves, which the White House was forced to deny after the commission's surfaced.

Biden said he did not support banning gas stoves, and White House spokesman Michael Kikukawa said: 'The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is independent, is not banning gas stoves.'

The saga began in October 2022, when Richard Trumka Jr, the Biden-appointed head of the consumer watchdog, wrote a memo to another commissioner saying there was enough evidence for the CPSC to start the rule-making process to ban new gas stoves.

'The need for gas stove regulation has reached a boiling point,' Trumka said.

Trumka claimed the body 'has the responsibility to ban consumer products that emit hazardous substances, particularly, when those emissions harm children under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act.

'Emerging evidence is sufficient to conclude that gas stoves in homes emit toxic gasses that cause illness and that lower-cost, safer alternatives are available.'

'Any option is on the table. Products that can't be made safe can be banned,' he said.

He later was forced to clarify he had been speaking about new products, and that a retrospective gas stove ban was not being considered.

Joe Biden said that he does not support banning gas stoves, and White House spokesman Michael Kikukawa said: 'The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is independent, is not banning gas stoves'

The department is required to review consumer products, and assess their cost and impact.

They do not issue bans on consumer goods, but rather say what the standards should be going forward.

'As required by Congress, the Department of Energy is proposing efficiency standards for gas and electric cooktops  we are not proposing bans on either,' said an Energy Department spokesperson.

'The proposed standards would not go into effect until 2027 and cumulatively save the nation up to $1.7 billion.

'Every major manufacturer has products that meet or exceed the requirements proposed today.'
A mother whose daughter was poisoned after she bought a substance from Kenneth Law told UK police about the 'poison' King months before he was charged.

The woman, who has not been named, emailed the Metropolitan Police's chemical reporting team in August 2021 after she lost her 20-year-old daughter who bought a lethal substance from Law and later took her own life, according to The Times.

The mother, who was reportedly told by the Met that they would alert the Home Office, has now criticised the force. She told The Times: 'I'm disgusted that they did not take this further. They didn't do anything and more people died. It's a sham.'

Law, 57, has been charged with a total of 28 offences after he allegedly sold 1,200 packages of lethal substances on the internet to people in 40 countries between late 2020 and April 2023.

He was arrested in Ontario, US, in May this year and was initially charged with two counts of counselling and aiding suicide.

Kenneth Law, 57, , has been charged with a total of 28 offences after he allegedly sold 1,200 packages of lethal substances on the internet to people in 40 countries

He was arrested in Ontario, US, in May this year and was initially charged with two counts of counselling and aiding suicide

Anthony Jones, a 17-year-old from Michigan, was one of Law's alleged victims. He ran to his mother screaming 'I want to live' after he ingested the substance that eventually killed him

The woman said her daughter bought a substance from Law a month before her death on July 15, 2021.

She even messaged the chef himself following her death and pleaded with him to stop selling the lethal substance.

The mother then emailed the chemical reporting team, a Met counterterrosim unit, on August 17, telling them that her daughter had taken a substance from Law's company.

Her email said: 'I would be grateful if you could please stop this substance from getting past customs and into the country, especially in large amounts and especially to individuals who don't own a company dealing with food.

'I cannot tell you how heartbroken I am that my 20-year-old daughter has passed away because of the easiness of being able to get this substance.

'I would hate anyone else to suffer the pain I am suffering.'

The unit replied saying that they were 'aware of similar tragic circumstances' surrounding the substance. However, they added that it was legal to buy in the UK.

It said that it would pass the mother's email 'onto the relevant team at the Home Office' and highlighted it was 'taking the issue...very seriously'.

Tom Parfett, 22, from Berkshire, allegedly died shortly after buying products from Law's company

The 28 charges against Law relate to 14 victims and are the result of an investigation by 11 Canadian police forces, Peel Regional Police said.

Outside Canada, the National Crime Agency said it launched its own probe into the deaths of 88 people in the UK who bought substances online to assist with suicide.

In total, 272 individuals in the UK were identified as allegedly having purchased products from the websites over a two-year period up to April 2023. The NCA said 88 of those people have died.

His alleged victims included teenagers and young adults in their 20s and 30s.

The 28 charges relate to 14 victims and are the result of an investigation by 11 Canadian police forces, Peel Regional Police said.

Outside Canada, the National Crime Agency said it launched its own probe into the deaths of 88 people in the UK who bought substances online to assist with suicide.

In total, 272 individuals in the UK were identified as allegedly having purchased products from the websites over a two-year period up to April 2023. The NCA said 88 of those people have died.

His alleged victims included teenagers and young adults in their 20s and 30s.

A counterterrorism policing spokesman told The Times they had the 'deepest sympathy' for the mother's loss.

Michael Dunham also died after buying products said to be from Kenneth Law's company

They added: 'The national precursor chemical team's role within counterterrorism policing relates to the manufacture of explosives for terrorist purposes.

'Regulation of and legislation relating to the regulation of chemicals is a matter for the Home Office.'

A government spokesman said: 'We amended the Poisons Act in October to strengthen controls for dangerous chemicals and enhance our suspicious activity reporting requirements.

'Protection of our borders and communities remains paramount which is why the National Crime Agency works globally to combat class A drugs supply and Border Force works to prevent illicit drugs entering the country, using detection dogs and hi-tech equipment.'

For help, call Samaritans on 116123 or visit samaritans.org
Travellers could face a summer of airport chaos as some of London's airports are set to miss a deadline to install a new security scanner that will put an end to the 100ml carry on rule.

Airport operators have until June to put in new, advanced CT scanners at their security checkpoints, but Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports, as well as Manchester Airport, are behind schedule on the installation, it has emerged.

Insiders believe a delay in the rollout of the new measures, which will allow passengers to take up to two litres of liquid through security, is 'almost inevitable', The Times reported.

All major airports in the UK are required to upgrade their security scanners by June 2024, ministers have said, but several airports say they won't be able to meet the requirements until 2025.

The Government's plan to lift the 100ml liquid ban was revealed last December and is expected to be the biggest change in airport security in nearly 20 years. Transport Secretary Mark Harper has hailed the plan as 'ushering in a new era of improved security and passenger experience'.

Airport operators have until June to put in new, advanced CT scanners at their security checkpoints, but Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports, as well as Manchester Airport , are behind schedule on the installation. Pictured is a new scanner being installed at Heathrow

The new security measures will scrap the 100ml rule and allow passengers to take up to two litres of liquid through security. It will also eliminate the requirement that passengers remove large electronics from their luggage during security. Pictured are travellers carrying liquids through security at Gatwick Airport in 2006, just have the 100ml measure was implemented

It is understood that implementation of the new liquids policy will likely be postponed in a bid to avoid the 'chaos' of having conflicting rules at airports this summer.

Airport bosses are reportedly concerned about 'mixed messaging' if some security lanes have the new CT scanners and others are still utilising the traditional x-ray machines that travellers have grown accustom to.

One source, acknowledging that the new policy is a 'struggler' for the UK's 'big airports', told the newspaper: 'One of the biggest issues they face is fitting the new scanners and retraining staff without impacting the flow of passengers.'

Insiders familiar with the situation at Heathrow have alleged that the airport, which has 146 security lanes in total, is struggling to meet the June deadline.

The airport reportedly told the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) that it will be 'difficult to deliver' by next summer and, although the project is progressing, does not expect to complete it until 2025.

Similarly, sources at Gatwick told the Times that the airport will make 'significant progress' by next June, but does not expect to complete the 'major logistical operation required to install the remaining scanners' until early 2025.

Stansted and Manchester are understood to be facing similar timelines.

A Department for Transport (DfT) spokesperson told MailOnline today: 'The UK has some of the most robust aviation security measures in the world and this cutting-edge technology will enhance security and boost the passenger experience.

'We are in regular contact with airports as they move towards June 2024 deadline for upgrading their screening equipment and processes. For security reasons we do not provide further detail around aviation security measures.'

The security changes may ultimately be implemented in phases on an airport-by-airport basis. Some airports, including Teesside Airport and London City Airport, have already installed the new scanners and scrapped the 100ml rule.

Some airports have already installed the new scanners at their security checkpoints. Pictured are security agents at Miami airport in Florida which is already utilising the new technology

The 100ml rule was implemented as a 'temporary measure' in 2006 after a transatlantic plot by terror group al-Qaeda was foiled.

The terrorists had planned to attack seven planes at Heathrow using liquid explosives that they had disguised as soft drinks.

In addition to removing the 100ml rule, the new policy will also eliminate the requirement that passengers remove large electronics from their luggage during security.

A Manchester Airports Group spokesperson said: 'We continue to make good progress at all three of our airports on the introduction of new security screening equipment, as part of the UK-wide programme. This is a complex programme of work requiring the expansion of terminal facilities, while at the same time maintaining operations during construction.

'We are currently rolling out the new technology lane-by-lane at Manchester and London Stansted airports, with several new lanes already in operation. Work is also underway on major construction projects at both Manchester and East Midlands airports to expand the size of the terminals to accommodate the new equipment.

'This will see the new scanners in place on a large number of our security lanes by June 2024, with the full completion of the programme expected the following year.'

MailOnline has approached Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports for comment.
President Joe Biden returned from Camp David Tuesday for a day at the White House, with plans to start a family vacation in the U.S. Virgin Islands just hours away.

The president traveled from the presidential retreat in Maryland by motorcade, after rain and fog kept him out of the presidential helicopter and its quick commute. Reporters caught just a glimpse of him entering the White House after the 90-minute trip.

First lady Jill Biden lingered slightly, grabbing her coat from the presidential SUV that sometimes stands in for the presidential limo, known as 'the Beast.'

Since he didn't travel by air to the South Lawn, reporters didn't get the chance to question him upon his arrival about the domestic and international issues most likely to intrude on his planned getaway.

President Joe Biden returned to the White House on Tuesday after spending Christmas at Camp David

His return came after his family getaway got interrupted on Christmas day by urgent conversations with his security team.

Biden ordered retaliatory airstrikes against an Iranian-backed militia following an attack that injured three U.S. service members  one critically  in a drone attack.

Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah claimed credit for the attack. Biden got briefed by his security team, then ordered the Pentagon to produce options and directed the attack against three locations utilized by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, according to National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson.

First lady Jill Biden rode with the president back from the Camp David presidential retreat

President spoke with members of his security team on Christmas following a drone attack on a U.S. base in Iraq

Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden's son, right, walks with his son Beau Biden, wife Melissa Cohen Biden, back left, and sister Ashley Biden, center, to board Marine One before heading to Camp David Saturday

Israel's war on Hamas was also on the agenda at the White House Tuesday, with Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken set to meet with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs and former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer.

That comes amid increasing public and political pressure on Israel to find ways to mitigate the civilian death toll amid its war on Hamas, and Biden himself getting low approval ratings for his handling of the war.

Amid the grim international news and political problems for him at home, Biden and the first lady head out Wednesday for tropical St. Croix, where they are expected to spend the New Year.

Like the spaghetti and meatballs they share on Christmas Eve, the Virgin Islands getaway is a family tradition for the first couple. It wasn't known where they would be staying, although last year the Biden's stayed in a luxury condo.

High temperatures on the island were forecast to be in the low 80s all week, although Washington, D.C. was itself experiencing unseasonably warm temperatures in the high 40s and low 50s this week.
An appellate court on Tuesday reversed a 2022 federal conviction against former Republican Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska, ruling that he should not have been tried in Los Angeles.

Fortenberry was convicted in March 2022 on charges that he lied to federal authorities about an illegal $30,000 contribution to his campaign from Nigerian billionaire Gilbert Chagoury at a 2016 Los Angeles fundraiser.

He resigned his seat days later following pressure from congressional leaders and Nebraskas GOP governor.

An appellate court on Tuesday reversed a 2022 federal conviction against former Republican Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska , ruling that he should not have been tried in Los Angeles

In its Tuesday ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit wrote that the trial venue of Los Angeles was improper because Fortenberry made the false statements during interviews with federal agents at his home in Lincoln, Nebraska, and in his lawyers office in Washington.

'Fortenberrys convictions are reversed so that he may be retried, if at all, in a proper venue,' the decision said.

A federal jury in Los Angeles found the nine-term Republican guilty of concealing information and two counts of making false statements to authorities.

Fortenberry was charged after denying to the FBI that he was aware he had received illicit funds from Chagoury, the billionaire of Lebanese descent.

Fortenberry was convicted in March 2022 on charges that he lied to federal authorities about an illegal $30,000 contribution to his campaign from Nigerian billionaire Gilbert Chagoury (right) at a 2016 Los Angeles fundraiser

Fortenberry and wife, Celeste, arrive at the federal courthouse for his trial in Los Angeles in 2022. They praised the court's decision and thanked 'everyone' who stood by them

It was the first trial of a sitting congressman since Rep. Jim Traficant, D-Ohio, was convicted of bribery and other felony charges in 2002.

Fortenberry and his wife, Celeste Fortenberry, praised the court's decision.

'We are gratified by the Ninth Circuits decision,' Jeff Fortenberry said in a statement. 'Celeste and I would like to thank everyone who has stood by us and supported us with their kindness and friendship.'

Representatives from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles did not have an immediate comment.
The family of a suspected gunman who opened fire at a Dublin steakhouse, before being tackled and fatally stabbed, have launched a GoFundMe page to raise money to pay for his funeral.

The suspected shooter behind the shocking Christmas Eve bloodshed at Browne's Steakhouse in Blanchardstown, west Dublin was revealed to be Tristan Sherry.

One man was reported dead, who is believed to be Sherry, and a second man was left seriously injured following the attack.

Marey Hand, who is believed to be Sherry's mother, has now set up a fundraising page with an an aim to raise 7,000 (approximately 6,077) to cover funeral costs.

'Heartbroken', Ms Hand wrote a tribute her 'amazing son' who she said was 'known for his love of motorcycles and loved by many'.

The suspected shooter behind the shocking Christmas Eve bloodshed at Browne's Steakhouse in Blanchardstown, west Dublin was revealed to be Tristan Sherry (pictured)

The page was set up earlier today and has so far received 27 donations, with 550 donated by family, friends and well-wishers with some sending donations of up to 100.

On the GoFundMe page, Ms Hand wrote: 'Hi my name is Marey Hand and my son was murdered on Christmas Eve, his name was Tristan Sherry.

'We made this to raise money for his funeral cost in this difficult time. We are absolutely heartbroken that this has happened.

'He was well known for his love of motorcycles and was loved by many. He was an amazing Son, Brother, Father and Friend.

'We cant believe life has to go on without him'.

Video showed the shocking moment a diner screams 'someone's about to get whacked in front of me' as a gunman storms a Dublin steakhouse and takes fire at a father and son.

Footage shared to social media shows terrified families running for their lives and hiding under tables as shots rang out through Browne's Steakhouse on Main Street in Blanchardstown on Sunday evening.

One man died and a second man was left seriously injured following the attack. So far, it is believed that the man who died was one of the gunmen.

Sherry's 'heartbroken' mother, Marey Hand, has now set up a fundraising page with an an aim to raise 7,000 (approximately 6,077) to cover funeral costs

This is the shocking moment a diner screams 'someone's about to get whacked in front of me' as a gunman storms a Dublin steakhouse and takes fire at a father and son

Footage shared to social media shows terrified families running for their lives and hiding under tables

A father and a son, who were known to gardai, were reportedly the targets of the gangland shooting at the popular restaurant.

Gunmen are said to have entered on Christmas Eve, firing at the pair as families and friends enjoying their meal rushed to safety.

The suspected attacker, Tristan Sherry, died after he was overpowered by his intended victims. It is believed he was stabbed to death.

A man who was shot in the neck during the attack is said to be fighting for his life in a Dublin hospital.

It is understood Sherry had targeted a father-and-son who were having dinner at the time. Both Sherry and the injured man are well-known to Gardai for their involvement in drug crime in the area.

The suspected attacker, Tristan Sherry, died after he was overpowered by his intended victims

Gardai outside Browne's Steakhouse in Blanchardstown on Christmas morning, following the shocking shooting incident

Police cordon off the area outside the steakhouse where the incident occured

Garda officers at the scene where a man aged in his 20s was pronounced dead after being injured during a shooting incident

Two suspects in the case fled the scene in a white Audi car and Gardai are calling on anyone with any information to get in touch as soon as possible.

A Garda spokesperson said yesterday: 'Gardai are continuing to investigate an incident that occurred at premises on the Main Street in Blanchardstown Dublin 15 at around 8pm on Sunday.

'A man in his 20s was fatally injured. A second male (aged in his 40s) continues to receive treatment for gunshot wounds. His condition remains serious.

'An incident room has been established at Blanchardstown Garda Station. Local Gardai are being assisted by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI).

'The investigation is being led by a Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) and a Garda Family Liaison Officer (FLO) has been appointed to liaise with both families.

'An Garda Siochana is aware of videos of the incident and immediate aftermath which are in circulation on social media and messaging apps. We are appealing to the public for these videos not to be further distributed.

'We are also appealing to the public to be aware of a significant level of speculation, misinformation and disinformation which is in circulation.

'Gardai have increased uniform patrols in the Dublin Region, with support from armed patrols, including the Garda Armed Support Unit.

'Anyone with information on this incident or who may have video footage is asked to contact Blanchardstown Garda Station on 01 666 7000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.'

This has been the second gangland murder of the year. It comes after Brandon Ledwidge, who was in his 20s, was shot dead as he opened the door of his home in Finglas, north Dublin, last month.

Gardai do not believe the two shootings are linked at this time.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please call the Suicide Prevention hotline on 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org

A respected New York City realtor has jumped to his death from his Upper East Side apartment building while in the middle of selling an heiress' home.

Tom Cooper, 56, hit the pavement in front of 18 East 67th Street, close to Madison Avenue, just before 7.30am Tuesday.

Horrified onlookers said they thought the impact was a sack of laundry until they saw the body. Police said he left behind a suicide note.

The Douglas Elliman agent was selling the $3.7 million unit inside the old NYPD headquarters on Centre Street owned by billionaire Oracle founder Larry Ellison's daughter, filmmaker Meghan Ellison, when he died.

Cooper's last social media post was himself standing next to a Christmas tree in the lobby of the historic building that houses the apartment and two others he was also selling.

'The gorgeous lobby of The Police Building at 240 Centre St!' he wrote on Friday.

Tom Cooper, 56, a respected New York City realtor, jumped to his death from his Upper East Side apartment building

He died when he hit the pavement in front of 18 East 67th Street, close to Madison Avenue, just before 7.30am on Tuesday

Cooper also recently helped sell a six-story, 9,000-square-foot townhouse at 24 West 10th Street for $18.5 million.

'Absolutely thrilled for my wonderful buyers who can now call this stately Greenwich Village brownstone their home. Truly a stunning house, and part of New York City history!' he wrote on Instagram.

Cooper's sister is on her way to NYC to be with his 'devastated' family and friends.

A witness said one of Cooper's distraught neighbors ran out of the Upper Esat Side building, having just seen him days earlier.

'A neighbor came out and said he just spent Christmas Eve with him and he had said that it was the best Christmas Eve he had ever had,' the witness told the New York Post.

Cooper is believed to have jumped from the fourth floor, where he lived in apartment 4A and a window was seen partway open from the street below.

Pictures from the scene taken around this time showed blood on the pavement.

First responders rushed Cooper to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Cooper's last social media post was himself standing next to a Christmas tree in the lobby of the historic Police Building on Centre Street that houses three apartments he was selling

Police investigators could be seen talking with officials from the building in the hours after the man was found

Cooper was the lead agent on Meghan Ellison's apartment on Centre Street and two others inside the historic 1909 building that was the NYPD's headquarters until 1973.

Converted into luxury apartments, it was home to supermodels Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista, along with famed fashion designer Calvin Klein.

The top-floor apartment is 1,770 square feet including a huge bedroom with a soaring rotunda-style dome that dominates the space.

Cooper's listing noted it could be combined with the $3.5 million two-bedroom 1,550 square feet unit next door, for a combined $7.2 million.

He was also selling a three-bedroom apartment on the third floor for just shy of $6.5 million.

Cooper was the lead agent on Meghan Ellison's (center) apartment on Centre Street and two others inside the historic 1909 building that was the NYPD's headquarters until 1973. Also pictured is Larry Ellison (left) and David Ellison (right)

Cooper was the lead agent on Meghan Ellison's apartment (Cooper pictured inside) and two others inside the historic 1909 building that was the NYPD's headquarters until 1973

A witness said one of Cooper's distraught neighbors ran out of his Upper East Side building after he died by suicide, having just seen him days earlier

First responders rushed the man to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Cooper's own luxury building dates back to 1905 and is divided into eight private units. In 2022, one unit was rented for $9,000 a month.

Cooper is the latest New Yorker to jump from fancy Manhattan buildings in recent weeks.

Last week, a 35-year-old Russian mom-of-two Alina Page died after jumping from a high-rise known as The Brittany, close to Mayor Eric Adams' residence in Gracie Mansion.

In October, a 47-year-old man jumped to his death from the Gotham Hotel in Midtown. While in the summer, three men died within the space of two days after taking their own lives.

One of those men died from jumping from a luxury high-rise.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please call the Suicide Prevention hotline on 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
Villagers have been left reeling by plans to build one of Europe's largest solar farms in rural Nottinghamshire.

Residents and farmers in Newark are furious at the proposal for a 7,000-acre solar park on productive agricultural land.

Parish councillors say they are 'shell-shocked' by the proposal, claiming the 'monstrous' project will put food security at risk and ruin the rural landscape.

The Great North Road solar park (GNR) proposal, which is in its very early stages, is from solar and energy storage developer Elements Green. It is believed it would be one of the largest solar parks in Europe.

Local Tory MP and former minister Robert Jenrick said the plan could impact 'generations to come'. In a letter to constituents seen by The Mail he vowed: 'Unless the proposals are radically changed, I will be doing everything I can to oppose this application.'

A lodge in Nottinghamshire which could be surrounded by a proposed 7000 acre solar park. Red stripes mark the areas where solar panels would surround properties

Resident Nigel Catt pictured at his property in near North Muskham, Nottinghamshire

Elements Green said it has had very positive early engagement with residents and farmers and argued the idea that solar farms are a threat to food security was a 'myth'. It insisted the farm will help produce wetlands and generate local jobs.

The scheme is aimed at generating around one gigawatt of solar energy, which would be enough to power approximately 400,000 homes.

But 78-year-old Mike Pickering worries his house would be almost encircled by 200 acres of solar panels, based on the initial maps released by the firm.

'It is making us feel quite insecure as pensioners,' he said. But Elements Green said this was unlikely as maps were drawn out to ensure no properties would be significantly obstructed by panels. Nigel Catt, of North Muskham, runs a glamping site and worries solar panels will put off visitors.

He said: 'If views are obstructed by panels, people won't want to come to this area. That is going to be a big, big issue for us if it goes ahead.'

Residents and farmers in Newark are furious at the proposal for a 7,000-acre solar park on productive agricultural land

Resident retired farmer Mike Pickering at his home, Kneesall Lodge, near Kneesall, Nottinghamshire

The plans would see 1.5million solar panels installed across 4,000 acres  though Elements Green says this is likely to reduce ahead of planned construction in 2027.

The remaining 3,000 acres would be for underground cabling and 'biodiversity enhancement' including planting 50,000 trees.

Mark Noone, project director for GNR, said: 'The scheme has potential to contribute 1.5 per cent of the Government's 2035 solar PV target.'

Penny McQuilkin of Norwell Parish Council said: 'It is the sheer scale of this monstrous 7,000-acre proposal that left us completely shell-shocked.' Elements Green said while the solar farm could be up to 7,000-acres, it would be made up of 'little islands' that were carefully drawn up, not in one large chunk.
He was the first to put avocado on toast in a cookbook

Beloved chef Bill Granger, who has died peacefully of cancer at the age of 54, was credited with 'perfecting' scrambled eggs and inventing the now-iconic avocado toast as he is lovingly remembered as Australia's 'King of Breakfast'.

Granger's family confirmed in a statement that the father-of-three had died surrounded by loved ones at his home in London on Christmas Day.

The Aussie - who was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in January - was hailed for inventing the humble avocado on toast, which has since become a breakfast staple in Australia and around the world.

The Washington Post traced the 'first recorded sighting' of avocado toast to the chef's original Darlinghurst cafe, bills.

Granger was forced to put the now-famous breakfast snack on the menu in 1993 out of necessity after his trading hours were restricted to 7am to 4pm, meaning he had to open for breakfast to pay the rent.

The chef previously admitted that he felt 'silly' putting the first credited recipe for avocado on toast in a cookbook.

Bill Granger, the 'King of Breakfast' has died peacefully at the age of 54 at his home in London

Granger was celebrated for his laidback approach to simple and delicious breakfast foods

Granger (left) is pictured in 1993, one year after he opened his first cafe 'bills' in Darlinghurst

'We had been selling it at the restaurant for years and I remember thinking this is so silly putting a recipe for avocado on toast in a book, so I jazzed it up a bit and put a bit of lime and coriander on it,' he said.

Granger has been described as 'the egg master of Sydney' by the New York Times and has been credited with making scrambled eggs 'sexy'.

His Darlinghurst cafe is celebrated for having 'perfected' scrambled eggs that were described by one food critic as 'light as the breath of an angel'.

Granger's secret to the best scrambled eggs is using free-range eggs and lots of cream - that can be substituted with skim milk to make them fluffy.

'Eggs are ubiquitous, a base ingredient,' he told Sunday Life Magazine in 2002.

'I'm glad I've raised their profile.'

'He will be deeply missed by all, with his loss most profoundly felt by his adored family, who are grateful for all the love and support that has been given,' they said.

The celebrity chef is survived by his wife, documentary producer Natalie Elliott, and their three daughters, Edie, Ines and Bunny.

Born in Melbourne, Granger was a self-taught cook who became a celebrated global restaurateur and food writer with a career spanning over 30 years.

The chef opened his first restaurant, bills, in Darlinghurst in Sydney's inner suburbs in 1992 as a 21-year-old art student dropout.

Granger will be remembered for his unpretentious food and spurring the growth of informal and communal eating in Australia after he was inspired by the Japanese.

'It is in the Australian attitude to life. People are interested in health - they want to get up early, go for a surf and eat healthy, and because the climate is so mild it makes you want to eat fresh food,' the chef is quoted as saying.

Granger (pictured at a book signing) has been described as 'the egg master of Sydney'

The Washington Post traced the first 'recorded sighting' of avocado on toast to Granger's first cafe in Darlinghurst (bills is pictured)

In an interview with food blogger Lorraine Elliott, Granger revealed his father was a butcher while his mother was a vegetarian.

His focus on family and sitting together over a meal was sparked by many nights spent eating alone without his father, who would work late.

'Dinner is such an important time to sit and relax and talk about your day. Especially when everyone has such disparate days with school and working, those moments of shared experience are great,' he said.

Granger also revealed his first job was at Kmart Fountain Gate where the iconic Australian comedy Kath and Kim was filmed.

He quit studying architecture at RMIT in Melbourne to move to Sydney where he says he was immediately 'seduced' by the beautiful city.

Granger then made the life-changing decision to move from art to food.

'When I was at my second year of uni I needed some money to pay my way and there was a restaurant across the road and I applied for a job as a waiter,' he said.

'So I became friends with the owner and I cooked for her and she really like the way I cooked so she invited me to cook in the kitchen and it started from there.'

The self-taught chef said he learnt to cook from Women's Weekly cookbooks and recipe cards that were kept in a box next to the stove in his family home.

'Then Margaret Fulton but then as I got older I got into more sophisticated books like Elizabeth David. When I was 19 I always read them and just became a good home cook which is what I am now. Just a good home cook,' he said.

Granger's laidback approach to breakfast food has been lauded by acclaimed chefs like Jaime Oliver as well as celebrities like Cate Blanchett and Baz Luhrmann (he is pictured in 2015)

Granger said that despite enjoying fame on TV and with his cookbooks, he preferred to make his customers happy at his restaurants.

'I love nothing more than seeing people being really happy with food and getting really excited and having a nice coffee,' he said.

'Food is an amazing way to communicate with people.'

The restaurateur also shared what he would want his last meal to be.

'A perfect steak, being the son of a butcher I cant get away from that - a beautiful rib eye or any other delicious steak; some french fries; a perfectly dressed green salad with lettuce from my garden; strawberries and cream and some little chocolate truffles and nice glass of champagne. Simple and straightforward,' he said.

As bills neared its 20-year anniversary, Granger said he hoped he had another 20 years of making scrambled eggs and ricotta hotcakes ahead.

'That joy factor of food is often overlooked, even in reviews. Food should be about joy, its the flowers of life,' he said.

His laidback approach to breakfast food has been lauded by acclaimed chefs like Jaime Oliver as well as celebrities like Cate Blanchett and Baz Luhrmann.

Granger has authored 14 cookbooks, made five TV series and most recently was honoured with the Medal of the Order of Australia in January 2023.

Tributes flowed for Granger on Wednesday from fellow celebrity chefs including Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver as well as Australian actor Hugh Jackman.

Granger was a self-taught cook who became a celebrated global restaurateur (pictured, bills)

'I'm heartbroken to hear this. So cruel. Deepest love to N, E, I and B,' Nigella wrote.

Oliver, 47, wrote he was 'devastated' by the news of Granger's death and described the chef as a 'wonderful human' whose food was 'so good'.

'This is devastating news, I'm so sad to hear this, what a guy he was . a wonderful human, kind calm soul,' Jamie wrote.

'I admired everything he represented in food. I remember the first time I met him many moons ago he couldn't have been nicer and his food so good.

'Sending so much love to all his family. Rest in peace, Bill, he will be sorely missed.'

'We are devastated to hear the news of Bill's passing,' Jackman wrote.

'His talent, his joie de vivre, the way he brought people together, and his commitment to his family was inspiring. We will miss his friendship most of all.'

Sydney chef and Netflix star Mark Best also shared a touching tribute to Granger and his family describing him as a 'gorgeous man leaving behind a beautiful family'.

Swazi-English actor Richard E Grant was lost for words and opted to share a string of broken heart emojis in response to the shock announcement.

Granger has four cafes in Sydney in Bondi Beach, Surry Hills, Darlinghurst and Double Bay and 19 worldwide in locations like London, Hawaii and Korea.

Avocado on toast has since remained a staple within his cafe empire and has grown to become the breakfast that defines a generation.
Beachgoers in Sydney have been warned to avoid swimming in several popular spots after wild storms and flooding raised sewage pollution levels.

New South Wales Government has issued the urgent advice for 22 beaches around the city following three days of heavy rain, hail and flash floods.

Another possibly severe storm with damaging winds is set to hit the city on Wednesday afternoon which could add to the stinky seaside outflow.

While many Sydney locals and visitors may be keen to head to the beach, the NSW Government's BeachWatch advised them to steer clear of the water.

'Most estuarine and harbour swim sites in the Sydney region continue to be impacted by stormwater pollution,' it said.

'Check for signs of pollution such as discolouration, flowing drains, floating debris and odours before swimming.'

Popular swimming sites around Sydney became too polluted to swim in on Wednesday following three days of storms and flash flooding

The 22 swimming spots most likely to be unsuitable for swimming on Wednesday are:

Bayview Baths

Boat Harbour

Brighton Le Sands Baths

Cabarita Beach

Carss Point Baths

Chiswick Baths

Como Baths

Davidson Reserve

Dolls Point Baths

Foreshores Beach

Frenchmans Bay

Gunnamatta Bay Baths

Gymea Bay Baths

Horderns Beach

Jew Fish Bay Baths

Kyeemagh Baths

Little Bay Beach

Ramsgate Baths

Rose Bay Beach

Tambourine Bay

Woolwich Baths

Yarra Bay

Another nine areas across Sydney have possible pollution with young children, the elderly and immunocompromised advised they could be at risk.

Those spots with possible pollution on Wednesday are:

Clareville Beach

Elvina Bay

Hayes Street Beach

Malabar Beach

North Narrabeen Beach

North Scotland Island

Paradise Beach Baths

South Scotland Island

Taylors Point Baths

For up-to-date information on water quality levels in NSW, check the NSW Government's Beachwatch website.
The family of a suspected gunman who opened fire at a Dublin steakhouse before being stabbed to death has launched a GoFundMe page to cover his funeral costs.

Tristan Sherry is believed to have shot Jason Hennessy Snr in the neck, leaving him in critical condition, while he was eating at Browne's Steakhouse in Blanchardstown, west Dublin, on Christmas Eve.

However, after entering the restaurant Sherry was overpowered in the melee and received up to 30 stab wounds during the prolonged attack which cost him his life.

Marey Hand, who is believed to be Sherry's mother, has now set up a fundraising page with an an aim to raise 7,000 (approximately 6,077) to cover funeral costs.

It comes as a shocking video was uploaded to social media on Christmas Day, appearing to show Sherry lying on the street covered in blood as he is hit over the head with a restaurant chair.

Tristan Sherry (pictured) is believed to have shot a man at Browne's Steakhouse in Blanchardstown, west Dublin, on Christmas Eve. However, after entering the restaurant, Sherry was overpowered during the attack and was stabbed to death

Sherry's 'heartbroken' mother, Marey Hand, has now set up a fundraising page with an an aim to raise 7,000 (approximately 6,077) to cover funeral costs

It comes as a shocking video was uploaded to social media on Christmas Day, appearing to show Sherry lying on the street covered in blood

The page was set up earlier today and has so far received 27 donations, with 550 donated by family, friends and well-wishers with some sending donations of up to 100.

On the GoFundMe page, Ms Hand wrote: 'Hi my name is Marey Hand and my son was murdered on Christmas Eve, his name was Tristan Sherry.

'We made this to raise money for his funeral cost in this difficult time. We are absolutely heartbroken that this has happened.

'He was well known for his love of motorcycles and was loved by many. He was an amazing Son, Brother, Father and Friend.

'We cant believe life has to go on without him'.

The attacker, suspected to be Mr Sherry, burst into the restaurant which was packed full of people, including young families, who all witnessed the attack.

In one video shared of the aftermath, a young child is seen being removed from the premises by his parents.

It is understood Mr Sherry had targeted the father and son who were having dinner at the time.

The motive for the shooting is understood to be an ongoing feud by drugs gangs in Corduff, Blanchardstown, and Finglas in north Dublin.

Both sides have been exchanging attacks on the other since 2019. Gardai fear an all-out war between the two factions following the death of Mr Sherry.

The suspected attacker, Tristan Sherry, died after he was overpowered by his intended victims

A shocking video was uploaded to social media on Christmas Day, appearing to show Sherry lying on the street covered in blood after the attack

He is seen being repeatedly hit over the head with a restaurant chair and

Seperate footage also shared to social media shows terrified families running for their lives and hiding under tables

A diner can be heard screaming 'someone's about to get whacked in front of me' as the gunman stormed the Dublin steakhouse

As a result of the shocking attack, additional armed and uniformed patrols have been authorised by Garda HQ to stem any reprisals which may occur.

This will include the Corduff area of Blanchardstown but it is understood that areas of Finglas, known to be the strongholds of the leaders of the other gang will also have an increased Garda presence as a result of the attack.

Several videos of the aftermath of the event have been shared on social media in the hours after the incident.

In one video, a man can be seen lying on the ground covered in blood as he is repeatedly kicked and hit over the head by a chair.

Other videos show people hiding under tables and screaming.

Gardai have pleaded with members of the public to stop sharing these videos and instead give them any information which may help them apprehend those behind the attack.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee has condemned the attack which is thought to be linked to a vicious west Dublin-based feud, which has already been responsible for a high number of assaults.

'I deplore the violence in Blanchardstown,' she said.

'This viciousness has resulted in unimaginable human suffering this Christmas.

'That anyone could perpetrate such violence as families gathered together is especially disgusting.

'I'm thinking of the bereaved, those who were at the scene and indeed all the emergency service personnel working tonight and over Christmas who have to deal with this senseless violence.

'I call on anyone with information of any kind to contact An Garda Siochana.'

Gardai outside Browne's Steakhouse in Blanchardstown on Christmas morning, following the shocking shooting incident

Police cordon off the area outside the steakhouse where the incident occured

This has been the second gangland murder of the year. It comes after Brandon Ledwidge, who was in his 20s, was shot dead as he opened the door of his home in Finglas, north Dublin, last month.

Gardai do not believe the two shootings are linked at this time.

They also urged people to be aware of serious misinformation being shared on social media in relation to Dublin's latest gangland shooting.

A Garda spokesperson said on Monday: 'Gardai are continuing to investigate an incident that occurred at premises on the Main Street in Blanchardstown Dublin 15 at around 8pm on Sunday.

'A man in his 20s was fatally injured. A second male (aged in his 40s) continues to receive treatment for gunshot wounds. His condition remains serious.

'An incident room has been established at Blanchardstown Garda Station. Local Gardai are being assisted by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI).

The investigation is being led by a Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) and a Garda Family Liaison Officer (FLO) has been appointed to liaise with both families.

'An Garda Siochana is aware of videos of the incident and immediate aftermath which are in circulation on social media and messaging apps. We are appealing to the public for these videos not to be further distributed.

'We are also appealing to the public to be aware of a significant level of speculation, misinformation and disinformation which is in circulation.

'Gardai have increased uniform patrols in the Dublin Region, with support from armed patrols, including the Garda Armed Support Unit.

'Anyone with information on this incident or who may have video footage is asked to contact Blanchardstown Garda Station on 01 666 7000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.'
Royal Mail is planning to introduce parcel lockers to allow customers to collect their online shopping orders at a convenient time.

The postal service is 'actively working' on installing the lockers as it seeks to keep up with rivals such as Amazon.

Parcel lockers allow customers to collect their orders when it suits them, removing the hassle of waiting at home for the post to arrive or missing a delivery.

Offering lockers also allows delivery firms to cut down on labour costs.

Royal Mail is attempting to adapt to the 24-hour online shopping market, which has put it in competition with couriers such as Hermes and DPD.

Royal Mail is planning to introduce parcel lockers to allow customers to collect their parcels (Stock Image)

The postal service is 'actively working' on installing the lockers as it seeks to keep up with rivals such as Amazon. Pictured is an Amazon collect locker (Stock Image)

Royal Mail chief commercial officer Nick Landon (pictured) told the Financial Times that 'it won't be long' until the locker service is developed.

The postal service is still the UK's largest delivery group but it has lost market share amid the rise of e-commerce. Royal Mail chief commercial officer Nick Landon told the Financial Times that 'it won't be long' until the locker service is developed.

He said both consumers and companies were becoming 'increasingly reliant' on lockers, and his company needed to make sure it was 'addressing all of the market'.

Royal Mail declined to comment further.

The 507-year-old postal service has ramped up its focus on parcel deliveries this year, opening its second 'superhub' to make online shopping deliveries more efficient. The Midlands distribution centre, in Daventry, Northamptonshire, which opened in June, and a facility in Warrington, Cheshire, handle millions of parcels each week.

READ MORE - Inside the Royal Mail sorting offices where first class letters languish on shelves while staff 'prioritise parcels' Advertisement

Mr Landon said earlier this month that the postal service is hoping to open more hubs in the next few years.

Royal Mail has been accused of prioritising delivering parcels over letters as they are more profitable  something the firm has denied.

The postal service has also been blasted for delivery delays over the festive season, with some letters sent before Christmas not expected to arrive until as late as February.

Under rules set by regulator Ofcom, Royal Mail must deliver 93 per cent of first-class post within one-working day and 98.5 per cent of second-class post within three working days.

It was fined 5.6million for missing these targets in 2022-23 when only 73.7 per cent of first-class mail was delivered on time and 90.7 per cent of second class.

It avoided punishment during the pandemic but in 2018-19 was fined 1.5million.

Last month, Royal Mail reported a 319million loss for the first six months of the 2023-24 financial year after being hit by strikes.
Two brothers, aged 18 and 25, were stabbed in south Brisbane during an altercation with a group of 10 to 15 people.

Emergency services rushed to the scene at a park on Little Stanley Street in South Brisbane at about 10pm on Tuesday.

'Initial investigations indicate the 18-year-old and 25-year-old brothers were in the company of a female when they became involved in a minor disturbance with the group,' Queensland Police said in a statement.

'It's believed the group are not known to the three, however during the disturbance, a man in the group allegedly produced a knife and stabbed the older brother in the abdomen and the younger in the upper leg.

'The woman was not physically harmed.'

Two brothers, aged 18 and 25, were stabbed during a confrontation with up to 15 people on Tuesday night

Both brothers were transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Officers patrolled the area but were unable to find the group.

Police are appealing to anyone who witnessed the alleged attack or was driving through the area and has relevant dash camera footage, to contact them.

Investigations are ongoing.
Labour's plan for an alternative to the Rwanda migrant removal scheme will fail to deter small boat crossings, a Tory minister warned last night.

Sir Keir Starmer, who has said he will scrap the Government's deal with Kigali if he becomes prime minister, is considering plans for 'offshore processing', under which asylum seekers would have their claims assessed overseas.

Those with genuine claims would be granted the right to come to the UK, while rejected claimants would be barred. Any deal would need to be cost-effective and avoid the legal difficulties engulfing Rishi Sunak's attempts to get his Rwanda scheme up and running.

But last night the Government argued that the proposals would fail to stop the boats. Immigration minister Michael Tomlinson said: 'This Labour policy is not a deterrent to stop the boats, it just throws open the front door to Britain, increasing immigration.

'The National Crime Agency says only a deterrent will stop the boats. Rishi Sunak's Rwanda plan is a deterrent... but Labour have voted against it. While Labour want open borders, the Conservatives are taking the long-term decisions to bring illegal immigration down.'

Sir Keir Starmer is considering plans for 'offshore processing' under which asylum seekers would have their claims assessed overseas

Minister of State for Illegal Migration Michael Tomlinson arrives in Downing Street

Sir Keir has hinted he may be willing to back offshore asylum schemes that meet certain conditions, with similar plans currently being explored by Austria, Germany, Italy and Denmark.

The Labour leader said earlier this month he will 'look at any scheme that might work'. But party officials stressed any proposals are in their early stages.

A source said there were 'no discussions with specific countries at the minute', adding: 'We would look at anything credible that would work. Partly, this is about capacity, but it's also about having return agreements. We used to return a lot more people. Everything has ground to a halt in the current system under this Government.'

The party is also considering allowing people to apply for refugee status before arriving in Britain under a policy described as 'upstreaming'. Another senior Labour source said this would ensure refugees 'don't end up waiting years here, and then in some cases simply disappear into the underground economy'.

But Corbynite group Momentum branded the plans 'disturbing', adding: 'Instead of aping inhumane Tory policies like offshoring asylum seekers, Keir Starmer should be standing up for progressive values and migrants' rights.'
More than 70 children aged three and four have been sent to the controversial NHS transgender clinic, it can be revealed.

The pre-schoolers were among 382 youngsters aged six and under referred to the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) over the past decade, official figures show.

Campaigners say they never should have been put forward by doctors or parents for psychological assessment at such a young age.

Health Service bosses are now considering introducing a minimum age of seven for future patients on the grounds that younger children are unable to communicate meaningfully with medics about wanting to identify as the opposite sex.

A new consultation by NHS England also acknowledges that little boys showing an interest in girls' clothes or toys, or vice versa, is 'reasonably common' and 'usually not indicative of gender incongruence'.

Over 70 children aged three and four have been sent to the NHS Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) (Stock Image)

Health Service bosses are now considering introducing a minimum age of seven for future patients

The Government is trying to stop the spread of contentious gender identity ideology in schools, as equalities minister Kemi Badenoch declared it was harmful to teach children they can be born in the wrong body (Stock Image)

It comes ahead of a long-awaited final report by consultant paediatrician Dr Hilary Cass, which is expected to make further far-reaching recommendations about transgender services for young people after her interim study led to GIDS being ordered to shut down.

The Government is also trying to stop the spread of contentious gender identity ideology in schools, with equalities minister Kemi Badenoch declaring that teaching children they can be born in the wrong body is harmful.

The GIDS clinic, run by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust in north London since 1989, had no lower age limit on referrals  but not all were accepted or led to treatment being provided.

Statistics produced by the trust show the astonishing growth in numbers of young people seen there over the past decade, from 136 in 2010-11 to 3,585 in 2021-22.

Further details show that 12 three-year-olds were referred to the clinic over that period, along with 61 four-year-olds, 140 five-year-olds and 169 six-year-olds.

The NHS trust that runs GIDS stressed no three-year-olds would have received 'treatment', with staff normally holding a 'one-off discussion' with parents or carers to provide support and advice.

But former health minister Jackie Doyle-Price hit out at the clinic last night, saying: 'They should never have been seeing three-year-olds.

'There needs to be a clear message that goes out to let kids be kids. Let them play and use their imaginations. We shouldn't be medicalising something which is just growing up.'

She said part of the problem with GIDS was that activist groups were referring children, rather than only doctors.

'There should only be a medical pathway for referrals in future,' she said.

Statistics produced by the trust show the astonishing growth in numbers of young people seen at GIDS over the past decade, from 136 in 2010-11 to 3,585 in 2021-22 (Stock Image)

Conservative MP Nick Fletcher said it was 'tragic' that parents wouldn't have known about treatment approaches used by the clinic

Stephanie Davies-Arai of campaign group Transgender Trend said: 'Children really don't need gender clinics. Unfortunately, some parents are now worried that their gender non-conforming child may have been 'born in the wrong body' and need professional help. This has been pushed by transgender activists who have no understanding of perfectly normal childhood developmental stages.'

She said the new minimum age of seven may seem like an improvement but warned: 'The problem is that by that age, the parent may have 'socially transitioned' their child for years so the child arrives at the clinic fully convinced they are really the opposite sex.

'What's really needed is sensible training for all NHS health professionals who can advise parents on ways to support their child to be happy as they are, without the need for future hormones or surgery.'

Conservative MP Nick Fletcher, a leading campaigner against pupils being allowed to change their names, pronouns and uniforms in the classroom, said: 'It is tragic that their parents would not have known that the clinic was using treatment approaches biased towards affirmation and unsupported by rigorous evidence.

'We have not even begun to understand how gender ideology managed to get such a strong grip on the NHS  including the Adult Gender Clinics which are seeing vulnerable teens and young adults and which have, to date, escaped the close scrutiny of, for example, the Cass Review. We need to turn a spotlight on this in the New Year. Our NHS must be driven by science and evidence  not ideology.'

A spokesman for the Tavistock said: 'The GIDS pathway provides psychological assessment, treatment and support for families, so we are unable to provide figures on those who have undergone physical interventions.

'The outcome of gender identity development in younger pre-pubertal young people is uncertain and so 'treatment' is not provided.

'Most often there would be a one-off discussion with the parents/carers to provide support and advice.'

Under GIDS's replacement, all of the under-sevens currently referred could be deemed ineligible (Stock Image)

All of the under-sevens referred to GIDS could be deemed ineligible under its replacement, two regional hubs which are due to open their doors from April.

From now on, only NHS general paediatric services or young people's mental health services will be able to make referrals to the national waiting list after a backlog of 8,000 built up under GIDS.

A consultation on the new service, published by NHS England earlier this month, stated that some people think the current lack of minimum age results in 'unnecessary and inappropriate referrals being made'.

It said: 'For example, we know that showing an interest in clothes or toys of the opposite sex  or displaying behaviours more commonly associated with the opposite sex  is reasonably common behaviour in childhood and is usually not indicative of gender incongruence.'

It proposed a 'minimum age threshold of seven years for referral into the service' as 'by this time children may have more developed their cognitive, comprehension and communication skills to an extent that they will be able to engage with health professionals in the process of a holistic clinical assessment and formulation'.

But NHS England add that it 'welcomes views on this proposal including the evidence that may support an alternative lower or higher minimum age threshold'.

An NHS England spokesperson said: 'NHS England is now consulting on raising the minimum age to ensure that children who may be experiencing challenges with their gender identity are properly connected into local services and that only age appropriate referrals are made into the new specialist gender service which will go live next year.

'As part of a separate consultation, NHS England has proposed that the new specialist childrens gender service will also not routinely be able to provide any medical intervention, including the use of puberty blockers, to children under 16 years of age.'
Grieving father Tom Perinovic will see out the New Year with renewed determination as he plans to hold accountable those he believes left his children to die at the hands of their delusional mother.

Katica 'Katie' Perinovic, 42, murdered her children Claire, 7, Anna, 5, and Matthew, 3 one by one before taking her own life inside their Tullamarine home, north-west of Melbourne, on January 14, 2021.

Their dad, who had been out buying his family a new television set when the atrocity happened, will head to court next year seeking damages from his wife's general practitioner Dr Abid-Ur Rahman and Melbourne Health.

Father Tomislav Perinovic (left), the children and Ms Perinovic. Mr Perinovic has been left devastated by the tragedy

As Mr Perinovic prepares to seek justice for his children, Daily Mail Australia can reveal heartbreaking details into the little lives lost.

Claire was described by her aunty Maria as 'pure joy'.

'She had a beautiful personality. She was beautiful, kind, caring, gentle, considerate, thoughtful, smart and funny,' Maria told Victorian Coroner Audrey Jamieson during a hearing in November last year.

'She was always happy and smiling. The best big sister and big cousin.'

Claire's little sister Anna was described as the family's 'little entertainer'.

'Cheeky, very funny and was a jokester with a great sense of humour,' Maria said.

'She loved to learn new things and couldn't wait to start school... she even wore her school uniform on orientation day.

'She was so motherly and loved looked after her younger cousins. We miss her sucking her finger and dummies.'

The two sisters had a passion for music and loved dancing together.

'I miss watching their performances together,' their shattered aunty told the court.

Detectives arrive at the crime scene on January 14, 2021. The carnage inside was described as 'gruesome'

Matthew had been the little brother they had all wished for.

'His two older sisters loved him so much and he loved them,' Maria said.

'He loved his cars, monster trucks, playing in the sand and digging, superheroes and wearing his superhero costumes.

'He was a sweet boy, kind and caring.'

The children had loved nothing more than being at home playing together in the backyard.

Riding their bikes and scooters up and down the driveway, they had been a postcard example of what appeared from the outside to be a perfect family.

'They all loved painting, doing Play-Doh and drawing together. They loved going to the beach, swimming classes, bike riding, and playing in the park,' Maria said.

It was the lifeless and bloody body of little Matthew that Mr Perinovic found first on that dreaded day.

Matthew had been his father's shadow.

When Mr Perinovic arrived home he found his son in the front lounge with injuries to his head and arm.

Unaware the remainder of his family lay dead in another room, he called Triple Zero.

While paramedics worked on Matthew, Mr Perinovic went into the rear living room and saw what his wife had done.

'They're all dead,' he told paramedics.

A view of the backyard where the Perinovic family was killed

People continued to leave flowers outside the Tullamarine property for weeks on end

Maria told the court her brother is now a broken man.

'How will he ever trust another person after what his wife did,' she told the coroner.

'I worry that people judge him, and if they are unkind to him.

'For men there is always a stigma about how he treated his family which is unfair. Tom was a loving, supportive, kind, loyal and hardworking father and husband.'

Indeed, Mr Perinovic was initially arrested at the scene, with the media not being told for a full day that he had not been the killer.

'Media was not told immediately that he didn't do it, it was 24 hours later. This was not good enough,' Maria said.

'Everyone thought he was a guilty man, who murdered his family. His image was all over the media.'

Mr Perinovic had been so distraught he could not even converse with the detectives that barked questions at him.

'When the police came there were so many people, and I was in a state of shock that I couldn't speak,' he told the court.

'I was just lost for words, and it was incomprehensible to me what I had just seen in my home.'

Shackled in handcuffs, he was taken away in an ambulance as paramedics tried to calm him down.

'The police treated me unfairly. I was immediately handcuffed. The male paramedic treated me in the ambulance while I was still handcuffed,' Mr Perinovic said.

'There were so many faces and detectives questioning me outside on the nature strip in front of everyone in the street. I even recall one policewoman yelling at me during this traumatic experience.'

Katie Perinovic, 42, murdered her children while their father was out on a shopping trip

Mr Perinovic said the trauma of that day would haunt him forever.

'Living with the loss of my entire family I still just can't believe my wife would do this to our lovely, beautiful kids,' he said.

'After it happened, I was scared to go anywhere. I continue to be paranoid and uneasy around knives.

'I still have nightmares, and flashbacks to what I saw that day. I have to live with this forever.

'I have wanted to end my life numerous times. The hurt and pain never leave me. I'm angry and sad most days. I hope that one day I can help others that have gone through a trauma like this.'

In a brief writ filed with the Supreme Court last week, Mr Perinovic's lawyers claim his pain was caused in part by the alleged negligence of Dr Rahman and NorthWestern Mental Health Service.

Victoria had been in the grip of what would become the longest Covid-19 lockdown on the planet when Katie seemingly lost her mind.

'There was a huge negative impact during the Covid lockdown on our family and particularly Katie. We were unable like others in Victoria to see our family and friends for so many months,' Mr Perinovic told the coroner.

Until Victorians were locked down, Katie had been a successful physiotherapist.

Isolated from her family and friends, her mental health rapidly declined.

Curtains at the property can be seen closed. Tom Perinovic suspected all was not well inside. He was right

While Katie found the strength to return to her beloved job in October 2020, she resigned just weeks later under a cloud of mystery.

She had worked at the very same clinic for the previous 16 years.

'A few days after she resigned, I got a phone call from her boss, saying 'your wife needs help. Go see a doctor. I can't tell you what she's done.' And that was it,' Mr Perinovic told the coroner.

'He said, 'you haven't been looking after your wife.' I asked in what way? He was saying she needed mental help. I have no idea what happened at her work, and I have no idea what her boss was talking about.'

Concerned over her own mental decline, Katie went to see her local doctor, Dr Rahman.

By then she had been feeling paranoid, exhausted and anxious.

She had earlier told her husband she believed she was being covertly watched by CCTV cameras within their own home.

Dr Rahman prescribed her sleeping pills and sent her home, prompting Mr Perinovic to return with her the very next day in the hope of having her treated properly, the court heard.

With her husband by her side, Katie was referred to the Royal Melbourne Hospital's mental health department, NorthWestern Mental Health.

Claire, 7, Anna, 5, and Matthew, 3 were all slain by their own mother inside their home

Tom Perinovic had been texting his wife asking her for an opinion on television sets he was looking to buy for the family

But her mental health continued to spiral out of control as the lockdowns continued.

'Ultimately, Covid restrictions meant I was unable to come into most appointments with Katie and I would have to wait in the car or not attend. I was unaware of what was happening in Katie's appointments or her treatment plan, unless Katie told me what was happening,' Mr Perinovic told the coroner.

When Mr Perinovic eventually worked his way inside a consultation with his wife, she asked him to leave in what he would later learn had been the midst of a 'psychotic episode'.

With less than a month before her murderous rampage, Katie overdosed on her medications.

She refused to go to hospital, telling her doctor the following day she had simply wanted to sleep.

'He was in an angry mood with us. I didn't know why. He said, 'I want you to hide the medication, and give it to her every day.' It was his idea for me to manage the medication. I listened, and I hid it in garage and locked it,' Mr Perinovic told the court.

Katie's mental health practitioner would only learn of the suicide attempt after she had already killed her family.

'There was no discussion, or anything mentioned explicitly about the kids being at risk of harm,' Mr Perinovic said.

Judge Jamieson found the treatment given to Katie was 'suboptimal', but stopped short of linking her death to the care of Dr Rahman.

'I find no causal link between North Western Mental Health and Dr Abid-ur Rahman's treatment of Katica Perinovic and her decision to take her own life and that of her children,' she found.

'I do, however, find that the mental health treatment that was provided to Katica Perinovic to be suboptimal in the circumstances.'
Border officials reported the highest number of migrant crossings ever, with a seven-day average of more than 9,600 in December, a Homeland Security official told CNN.

The record-smashing figure is the average across the entire southern border of the country. In November, the figure sat at 6,800 - meaning the southern border has seen an influx of 3,000 more arrivals per day as migrants continue to pour through the border.

'That is a historic number,' Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales said last week from crossing hot-spot of Eagle Pass, Texas. 'Yet, more people are coming. And there's more people in the pipeline.'

Thousands more are set to arrive in the coming days in the form of a massive migrant caravan making its way through Mexico to the southern border. Video and photos show the massive march with families carrying large crosses and their possessions as the trek to the US.

One activist has warned the caravan could total 15,000 people by the time it reaches the US.

A migrant caravan is currently making its way through Southern Mexico bound for the US

A migrant bows while awaiting Border Patrol transport at the U.S.-Mexico border near Lukeville, Arizona on Christmas

Migrants walk to a processing facility as directed by Border Patrol at the U.S.-Mexico border near Lukeville

The recent surge at the border has been fueled by thousands of migrants showing up across the border in never-before-seen numbers, but specifically in three hot spots.

The tiny outpost of Lukeville, Arizona, is the epicenter of the border crisis-- and saw nearly 20,000 migrants illegally make entry in just one week. Eagle Pass, Texas and Tijuana, Mexico, just south of San Diego, are the two other busiest places on the border.

Eagle Pass saw at least 18,853 migrants last week, according to the US Border Patrol.

Gonzales, a Republican representative whose district includes part of the border, recently spoke about the crisis at Eagle Pass. He spoke in front of an outdoor holding area for many migrants.

'Our entire southern border is being dismantled by the cartels. While mass migrant caravans pull CBP personnel off the front lines, multiple Border Patrol checkpoints have been shut down--allowing contraband and criminals to flow in without resistance,' Gonzales said in a statement, according to KSAT.

'Trade is slowly coming to a standstill, and our law enforcement officers are exhausted ahead of a demoralizing holiday season that will keep them working overtime. If there were ever a time to sound the alarm, this would be it.

'For the sake of our national security, Washington must put politics aside and deliver on policy solutions that fix this border crisis once and for all.'

The US has been seeing historic numbers of migrants since 2021, when the pandemic ended, opening up travel restrictions in many countries, and after President Joe Biden took office.

However, the strain of the migrant influx has been spread across the border-- not just those three locations.

The US Border Patrol, the agency charged with border security, is engaging in something called 'lateral decompression' to help overwhelmed areas of the border.

The official crossing into Lukeville, Arizona, was closed and local businesses were at the brink, with a border official saying a staggering 19,400 migrants were apprehended in a week

Migrants await Border Patrol transport at the U.S.-Mexico border near Lukeville.

Venezuelan migrant Diana walks with her daughter Samira, 4, and husband Juan Brazon, after crossing the border to Eagle Pass, Texas

Migrants walk to a processing center under U.S. authorities escort after crossing the border to Eagle Pass. Eagle Pass saw at least 18,853 migrants last week, according to the US Border Patrol.

Agents in a busy sector will bus or fly migrants to less busy parts of the border where the migrants can be screenedwhat the department calls 'processing.'

That's when migrants who have crossed into the US without documentation are put through a background check.

Anyone with a criminal record is either deported to turned over to the proper authorities.

Those without a record have their biometrics collected and Border Patrol makes a record of their illegal entry, a federal crime.

Agents then begin deporting them.

Since 2021, many illegal border crossers have been claiming asylum during this time.

By law, the US Border Patrol must halt deportation if an individual says they have a fear of returning to their country.

Those who met an initial threshold for asylum are given a court date, often years away, and legally released into the country.

Many migrants are ending up in El Paso, Texas, which has a large facility built especially for lateral decompression. Once migrants are processed in El Paso, those deemed eligible are released into West Texas.

The spill-over effect has created a crisis in that Texas city, even though migrants are not crossing there in large numbers.

That has prompted local officials to use a vacant middle school as an emergency migrant shelter.

Figures released by the US Border Patrol show a huge spike in number of migrants in Lukeville, which is part of the Tucson Sector for the agency

Migrants board a Border Patrol transport van at the U.S.-Mexico border near Lukeville on Christmas

Morehead Middle School in El Paso, Texas, opened as a migrant shelter Friday evening, city officials said

The school turned shelter has a capacity of house hundreds of migrants

More migrants could be making their way to the border as part of the caravan currently moving through Mexico. The caravan was estimated at 6,000 to 8,000 people but could soon double in size.

Migrants' rights activist Luis Garcia Villagran is with the group and warned it might be 15,000 people by the time it reaches the border, according to the New York Post.

'We wont stop  well keep walking,' he said.

Border officials also await the arrival of the caravan.

'We know they're coming, but we just don't know how it's going to split,' one Border Patrol official speaking on condition of anonymity told DailyMail.com.

US immigration officials believe it's possible the group could split up as it moves through Mexico.

'It's likely you won't see the whole caravan crossing at the same place. Some could go to Eagle Pass, while others could end up in El Paso. It just depends.'

Even 1,000 or more migrants crossing in one location has the ability to collapse resources in one area, local officials bracing for the worst, told DailyMail.com.
As 2023 draws to a close, BBC Radio 1 have announced their Hottest Record of the Year.

Spanning a range of genres, the ranking was decided by listeners who were able to vote for their favourite tracks via the Radio 1 website.

And during a special edition of Radio 1's Future Sounds on Thursday evening, Clara Amfo announced that Nothing But Thieves had bagged the top spot.

Welcome To The DCC, the first single from their new album, debuted on Radio 1 as Hottest Record in March of this year and went on to receive critical acclaim.

Clearly a firm favourite, with listeners the track has secured a place at the top of the list after the release of the British rock band's fourth album Dead Club City which was released at the end of June.

BBC Radio 1 have announced Nothing But Thieves as their Hottest Record of the Year for their track Welcome To The DCC

The track has secured a place at the top of the list after the release of the British rock band's fourth album Dead Club City which was released at the end of June

Speaking about their win Nothing But Thieves said: 'We've said it before, but this song wasn't even going to be a single until right at the last minute - it's now the Hottest Record of the Year. Shows how much we know.

'A massive, massive thank you to everybody who voted. It blows our collective mind that it had an effect on so many people's year.

'A huge thanks to Radio 1 too for giving it so much love. See you all next year. Merry Christmas and Welcome To The DCC (Dundee City Council).'

Coming in second place was Olivia Rodrigo's Vampire which was released in June as the first single from her second album Guts.

In third was Miley Cyrus' record-breaking Flowers which became the fastest record to ever reach a billion Spotify streams after it was released in January.

The hit single is also nominated for three awards at the upcoming Grammy's, including both Record and Song of the Year.

In fourth place came Fred Again's hit track adore u. Featuring Obongjayar, the British producer debuted the song as part of his Glastonbury set in June.

It quickly became a track of the summer and rose to number four on the UK singles chart.

Coming in second place was Olivia Rodrigo's Vampire which was released in June as the first single from her second album Guts

In third was Miley Cyrus' record-breaking Flowers, which became the fastest record to ever reach a billion Spotify streams after it was released in January

In fourth place came Fred Again's hit track adore u featuring Obongjayar

Following up in fifth place was Beabadoobee's Glue Song which the songwriter released in February, before re-releasing the track with Clairo in April

Following up in fifth place was Beabadoobee's Glue Song which the songwriter released in February, before re-releasing the track with Clairo in April.

Other tracks longlisted for Hottest Record of the Year included Doja Cat's Paint The Town Red, Labrinth and Billie Eilish's Never Felt So Alone, boygenius's Not Strong Enough and Mahalia's Terms and Conditions.

Also on the list was Calvin Harris with Ellie Goulding's Miracle, cassao, RAYE and D-Block Europe's Prada and Stormzy and Fredo's Toxic Trait.

The Hottest Record in the World is unveiled every night on Radio 1 at 6pm in a slot known for launching and breaking some of the most exciting new music on the planet.

Paramore's 'This Is Why' was crowned Hottest Record of the Year in 2022, beating the likes of Taylor Swift, Beyonce and The 1975 to the top spot.
Mom-of-one looking forward to being the 'healthiest' version of herself in 2024

Television presenter Jeannie Mai has admitted she is 'manifesting pure joy' and 'can't wait' to see who she becomes in the year 2024 following her shock split and ongoing divorce from husband Jeezy.

Jeannie, 44, said not only is she 'looking forward' to being the 'healthiest' version of herself, but she's also hoping to feel 'whole' and 'safe' after rapper Jeezy - whose real name is Jay Wayne Jenkins - filed for divorce in September after two years of marriage, leaving her 'devastated'.

Speaking ahead of Dick Clarks New Years Rockin Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2024, which Jeannie will co-host, the brunette got candid about what she wants to focus on in the new year with her 23-month-old daughter Monaco.

'2024... I'm looking forward to the healthiest me I've ever seen in my life, I'm looking forward to Monaco's first full sentence that she's ever gonna say. I'm looking forward to being with my family,' she began.

Jeannie Mai has admitted she is 'manifesting pure joy' for 2024 following her split and ongoing divorce from husband Jeezy

Speaking ahead of Dick Clarks New Years Rockin Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2024, which Jeannie will co-host, the brunette got candid about what she wants to focus on in the new year

Jeannie and Jeezy pictured with their daughter Monaco in happier times

'Family has always been so important to me, and I feel like I've kind of drifted, you know figuring out my life, so this is the year I'm going to really rekindle what we have, and I can't wait to really see who I become this year.'

When asked what she is wishing for in 2024, Jeannie continued: 'In 2024, I am manifesting pure joy. I just want good old wholesome joy, like that stuff that feels so calm and readily available that it doesn't need a night out, it doesn't need to be looked for, it just is there because you feel whole and you feel safe.

'That's what I want to have. I know how to conjure it and I wanna keep it, for all of 2024,' Jeannie said, before revealing that she wants to take her young daughter to Vietnam next year to 'teach her about part of her heritage'.

Jeannie gave birth to Monaco in January 2022 after marrying Jeezy, 46, in March 2021 at their Atlanta, Georgia, home.

On September 14 of this year, Jeezy filed for divorce from Jeannie in Georgias Superior Court of Fulton County, and sought joint legal custody of their daughter, with the filing stating that 'the marriage of the parties is irretrievably broken' and 'there is no hope for reconciliation'.

Earlier this month it was reported that Jeezy had filed paperwork and requested for a hearing to sort out a temporary custody schedule as he alleged that Jeannie has been keeping him from seeing their child.

In response, Jeannie claimed that she has given him all the dates he has asked for and gave him an extended period of time with her over the Christmas holiday.

The former Dancing With The Stars contestant also stated that she believes they are strong candidates for the option to be sent to mediation by a judge to instead work out the conflict themselves.

The 46-year-old rapper married the TV presenter in March 2021 at their Atlanta home

One week before their split, Jeannie gushed about Jeezy and his memoir in a sweet social media video with their daughter

The mother-of-one will co-host Dick Clarks New Years Rockin Eve with Ryan Seacrest on December 31

The court documents stated that Jeannie 'remains committed to facilitating and encouraging' the involvement of Jeezy in their toddler's life.

She also said she wants to 'foster an open, supportive and safe environment for both parents to actively participate' in Monaco's life.

However, her attorneys said she is concerned about the 'safety and security' but 'is absolutely not gatekeeping' him from spending time with their daughter.

'It is essential to clarify that Ms. Jenkins' insistence on reasonable safety measures being put in place,' Mai's attorneys wrote in the legal paperwork.

They provided examples 'such as safely securing and locking away all firearms that have been unsecured in the past'.

Dick Clarks New Years Rockin Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2024 airs LIVE Sunday 31 December starting at 8/7c on ABC
Coronation Street viewers were thrilled to see Bernie Winter make an emotional Christmas Day return.

Bernie, played by Jane Hazlegrove, recently faced a heartbreaking twist after she was sentenced to three months in prison for handling stolen goods.

In the ITV soap, Bernie had been shifting stolen items in a bid to help son Paul Foreman, played by Peter Ash, who is dying from motor neurone disease (MND).

At trial, Bernie had wanted to plead not guilty but the police had photographic evidence of her stealing the goods and so was advised to plead guilty.

This resulted in her being sentenced to three months in prison and potentially missing her son Paul's last Christmas.

Coronation Street viewers were thrilled to see Bernie Winter make an emotional Christmas Day return

Bernie, played by Jane Hazlegrove, recently faced a heartbreaking twist after she was sentenced to three months in prison for handling stolen goods

However, on Christmas Day, Bernie made an unexpected return via video call as she called her family from the prison to catch up with them.

In the sweet scene, Bernie filled her family in on the day's festivities and heard about her families.

Bernie said of her day: 'Yeah, the food was alright! It's free, so can't complain! Is that Away in a Manger you're playing? That used to be your two's [Gemma Winter and Paul] favourite', and the family then all sung the festive carol together.

ITV viewers were glad to see Bernie's return to the Cobbles and took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their delight.

One said: 'Bernie video calling her family at Christmas #Corrie.'

Another added: 'The Winter - Browns having a sing song with Bernie from prison. Best scene of the episode. #Corrie.

In March, Paul was diagnosed with motor neurone disease and has since been told he could have his last Christmas with his family.

Despite hopes for a last-minute cure, Paul had been told by doctors he only has six to twelve months to live.

Paul's husband Billy has been determined to make the most of their final months together, with actor Daniel Brocklebank saying: 'Their time together is finite and of course they don't know when that is going to be. They just make the best of it.

However, on Christmas Day, Bernie made an unexpected return via video call as she called her family from the prison to catch up with them

In the sweet scene, Bernie filled her family in on the day's festivities, she said: 'Yeah, the food was alright! It's free, so can't complain!'

ITV viewers were glad to see Bernie's return to the Cobbles and took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their delight

'Paul's debilitation is changing all the time and getting worse all the time.

'So Billy is obviously not just trying to be there for him and help him with the physical depletions, it's also the emotional changes and everything else that comes with that. So I think actually they just kind of hunker down and get on with it.'

Motor neurone disease is caused when nerves in the brain and spinal cord  which are needed to walk, speak and breathe  stop working properly.

As the condition progresses, sufferers find that all of these actions become more difficult or impossible.

Bernie actress Jane first joined the ITV soap four years ago in 2019, starring as the mother of twins Gemma and Paul.

Previously, she appeared on Corrie in the 1980s, where she played teenager Sue Clayton.

Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
Netflix unwrapped the trailer for the second part of its series Rebel Moon Monday.

The streamer, which announced an April 2024 release date for chapter two in the Zack Snyder helmed passion project, released the two-minute preview on Christmas morning.

'REBEL MOON - PART TWO: THE SCARGIVER teaser with an exclusive new scene. coming April 19,' the streamer wrote on social media.

The film, a sequel to Rebel Moon  Part One: A Child of Fire, which began streaming on December 22, is centered around Kora (Sofia Boutella), 'the most wanted fugitive in the known universe', who is forced to return to her old ways in order to save the quiet farming moon of Veldt where she lives.

As a lone wolf soldier, she has discovered a sense of connection on the tranquil farming moon  a far cry from her past life as a soldier for the Imperium.

Netflix unwrapped the trailer for the second part of its series Rebel Moon Monday. REBEL MOON - PART TWO: THE SCARGIVER teaser with an exclusive new scene. coming April 19,' the streamer wrote on social media

'You must know you can not win,' robot Jimmy says to Sofia Boutella's Kora in the beginning scenes of the trailer for Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver as she and her fellow rebels prepare to battle authoritarian forces intent on taking over the moon they call home

That peace is cruelly interrupted when evil forces from the Motherworld come knocking at their door, and Kora is forced to dig up her past to save her home and the people on it.

Among the scrappy team of fighters are mercenary Kai (Charlie Hunnam), ex-Imperium general Titus (Dijmon Hounsou), refugee, Miliua (E. Duffy), cyborg swordsman Nemesis (Doona Bae), ex-nobleman Tarak (Staz Nair), Bloodaxe (Ray Fisher) and Devra (Cleopatra Coleman) and Veldt farmer Gunnar (Michiel Huisman).

Robot Jimmy (voiced by Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins) is also seen to be waiting as a back up, after many years away from duty.

'You must know you can not win,' the android says in the beginning scenes of the trailer for Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver.

The part-two trailer shows Veldt's agrarian society quickly preparing for an imminent invasion as each of the 'warriors must face the truths of their own pasts, each revealing why they fight,' according to the show's description.

'Gather every hunting rifle, every knife, every round of ammunition in the village,' Titus tells his new recruits, as he puts them through weapons and hand-to-hand combat training.

'You are all that stands between us and annihilation,' cyborg warrior Nemesis tells Kora as they prepare for the battle of all battles.

With a budget of $166 million dollars for both parts, Rebel Moon is believed to be the most expensive Netflix project ever.

So far, the show has not fared well with critics, which gave it a consensus rating of 23-percent on Rotten Tomatoes, although audiences gave it a much more generous 66-percent score.

That audience rating could go higher as fans tune into the interstellar adventure.

'OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS MOVIE SO MUCH I DIDNT REALIZE HOW MUCH I LOVED THIS MOVIE AHHH,' one fan wrote on X formerly known as Twitter.

'A fun popcorn flick, and thats all Ive ever wanted. Ready to finish the story and see just how different the longer cuts will be!' commented another on Instagram.

One viewer gave the project a mixed review penning, 'This movie was a hodge podge from Avatar, Star Wars, The Matrix, Harry Potter, Cowboys and Aliens, Jupiter Ascending, Suicide Squad ... the list goes on. You'll see if you watch it.'

'Gather every hunting rifle, every knife, every round of ammunition in the village,' Djimon Hounsou's General Titus tells his new recruits

The $166 million project opened to poor reviews from critics, which gave it a consensus rating of 23-percent on Rotten Tomatoes, although audiences gave it a much more generous 66-percent score

'You are all that stands between us and annihilation,' cyborg warrior Nemesis tells Kora as they prepare for the battle of all battles

Sofia Boutella, who is at the center of the action, trained hard to be able to use the various weapons Kora uses to dispatch enemy soldiers.

'I use what I've learned as a dancer to learn (the fight) choreography and one of the skills that I wanted to get is actually for it to not look like choreography,' she told Netflix Behind the Streams.

The actress said she was always worried about hitting someone during the fight scenes in which she is using automatic weapons, knives and hatchets.

'It can be very tedious, it can be really hard,' preparing for the action sequences the 41-year-old French-Algerian actress said, 'but when you do it with a team that is so well trained, it was joy shooting every fight scene.'
Popular influencer Gracie Piscopo has gone Instagram official with boyfriend Daniel Classen.

The social media star, 26, posted a photo to Instagram on Monday of the pair as they celebrated Christmas.

In the image, Gracie wrapped her arms around her boyfriend and drew him in close as they shared a kiss.

She showed off her figure in a silk dress while Daniel looked stylish in a white shirt and pants.

'Guess this makes it official,' she captioned the post.

Popular influencer Gracie Piscopo has gone Instagram official with boyfriend Daniel Classen by posting a photo to Instagram on Monday of the pair as they celebrated Christmas

It comes following months of speculation after fans noticed some telling details they were together in their recent Instagram posts.

The pair sparked romance rumours in September when they posted photos from the same location to Instagram.

Gracie shared a snap to her Instagram story featuring three glasses of Aperol Spritz in a kitchen.

Daniel also posted a similar image to his social media of the same cocktails taken in the same kitchen.

In May, he shared a photo from a restaurant, featuring what looked to be Gracie's back, with her bag slung over her shoulder.

He cryptically captioned the picture: 'Another bland and boring season coming to an end' followed by the wink emoji.

It comes following months of speculation after fans noticed some telling details Gracie and Daniel were together in their recent Instagram posts

The pair sparked romance rumours in September when they posted photos from the same location to Instagram

Daniel also shared an image of a candlelit dinner on his 'close friends' Instagram - which appears to have been held inside Gracie's home.

He also popped up at the Miss Universe WA finals in May but didn't give anything away as to his new friendship.

'Gracie has a great kid,' he told PerthNow. Gracie has a four-year-old son Romeo with Andre Rebelo, 26.

A spokesperson for Gracie denied that she and Daniel were in a relationship at the time.

Daniel sparked romance rumours in May when he shared a photo from a restaurant, featuring what looked to be Gracie's back, with her bag slung over her shoulder

Rebelo was last year charged with murder after his mother Colleen Rebelo, 58, was found dead at her Perth home on May 25, 2020.

He had previously been charged with five counts of forging a document with intent to defraud.

Rebelo is accused of forging medical records relating to his mother, including information requests, a death certificate and her final will.

Her death was originally declared not suspicious with no obvious signs of injury but the fraud investigation led to the more serious charge two years later.

Gracie said she was in a 'complete state of shock and utter disbelief' when Rebelo's charges came to light.

He has noticeably disappeared from her Instagram and Gracie has not been seen at his court appearances.
Kayla Itsines celebrated Christmas in style this year.

The fitness influencer, 32, took to Instagram to share a sweet picture of herself and her family to mark the special day.

In the candid photo, Kayla showed off her incredible figure in a white dress as she carried her one-year-old son Jax.

The personal trainer smiled at her daughter Arna, four, as she is perched between Kayla and her new husband Jae Woodroffe.

Each member of the family of four was beaming, as Kayla captioned her picture: 'I love our little family so much!'

Kayla Itsines showed off her incredible figure in a white dress as she shared an adorable family photo with her new husband Jae Woodroffe

Her followers were quick to send their well-wishes.

'Merry Christmas to you and your family. Thank you for always being so inspiring,' wrote one fan.

'You can literally FEEL the love in this photo!!' gushed another.

'I love your little family too, Kayla!' wrote one more.

It comes as rumours circulate that Kayla is giving up her life in Adelaide for a new one on the Gold Coast.

Several clues indicate she is preparing for the interstate move with her new husband Jae and their newborn son Jax.

The most recent came to light on Wednesday, when Kayla posted a video of a sauna inside what could potentially be her new home in Queensland.

The sauna was a gift from the Gold Coast based company Kiva Wellness.

Instagram watchdog account @keepingupwithaussieinfluencers, who has been keeping tabs on her rumoured move, reshared the video.

Rumours are circulating that Kayla is giving up her life in Adelaide for a new one on the Gold Coast

The most recent clue came to light on Wednesday when Itsines posted a video of a sauna inside what could potentially be her new home in Queensland

'Looks like Kayla Itsines has already moved from Adelaide to the Gold Coast, or at least has a house ready to go,' they said.

Another hint surfaced last month when she and her ex Tobi Pearce teamed up to re-acquire their Sweat fitness business they sold a few years ago.

The pair, who sold Sweat to US fitness conglomerate iFIT for for hundreds of millions of dollars in 2021, retook control of the digital fitness brand for an undisclosed sum in November.

Pearce, who is currently engaged with Move With Us founder and fellow fitness influencer Rachel Dillon, snapped up a $7million Gold Coast property in November. So perhaps Kayla is preparing to re-establish the business from the sunshine state.

Another hint surfaced last month when she and her ex Tobi Pearce teamed up to re-acquire their Sweat fitness business they sold a few years ago

Meanwhile, the first hint for Itsines' relocation sparked in September when she revealed she was contemplating moving to Queensland for the warmer weather.

'We have been talking about moving to QLD for over two years now,' she said in an Instagram Story.

'I love my family so much - and I know it's only 2 hours away by plane but still!!'

Kayla and Jae tied the knot earlier this month in an outdoor wedding ceremony in Adelaide.

The pair went public with their relationship more than a year after Kayla confirmed her split from ex-fiance Tobi in August 2020.
Hugh Jackman celebrated his first holiday season in nearly 30 years solo following his shock split from longtime love Deborra-Lee Furness.

The 55-year-old Australian heartthrob didn't let the single life get him down though and woke up 'really early on Christmas morning' to check out the world's most famous Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.

Jackman took to social media to let his followers in on a festive New York secret: first thing Christmas morning is the best time to see the tree without the crowds. His visit didn't go as planned, however, as the A-lister got too close to the tree and was admonished by security.

Hugh Jackman woke up 'really early on Christmas morning' to check out the world's most famous Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center

Jackman celebrated his first holiday season in nearly 30 years solo following his shock split from longtime love Deborra-Lee Furness

'I highly recommend getting up really early on Christmas morning and taking a walk to see the Rockefeller Christmas tree,' Hugh captioned a social media post.

Adding: 'Its so beautiful and not crowded at all. I did get in trouble for going beyond the barrier but the security guard was nice and let me go with just a warning.'

Clearly the security guard didn't know he was scolding Wolverine.

If Hugh was upset about his first Christmas since divorcing his wife of 27 years, he didn't show it on social media.

Jackman took to social media to let his followers in on a festive New York secret: first thing Christmas morning is the best time to see the tree without the crowds

His visit didn't go as planned, however, as the A-lister got too close to the tree and was admonished by security

'I highly recommend getting up really early on Christmas morning and taking a walk to see the Rockefeller Christmas tree,' Hugh captioned a social media post

The Music Man star was all smiles as he scoped out the tree in a puffer coat and tan knit beanie.

The night before on Christmas Eve Hugh took to his Instagram Stories, to share a photo of himself relaxing at a restaurant with longtime pal Pat Schoenfeld.

Hugh and Pat have been friends for years and have attended a number of Broadway shows together, with Hugh previously referring to Pat as his 'theatre date' on social media.

Hugh was also a close friend of Pat's late husband Gerald for a decade before his death in 2008.

The actor even penned the foreword in a biography about Gerald written by Pat after his death, titled 'Mr. Broadway: The Inside Story of the Shuberts, the Shows, and the Stars by the late Gerald Schoenfeld'.

'Its so beautiful and not crowded at all. I did get in trouble for going beyond the barrier but the security guard was nice and let me go with just a warning.'

The security guard probably didn't recognize the A-list actor

The Music Man star was all smiles as he scoped out the tree in a puffer coat and tan knit beanie

If Hugh was upset about his first Christmas since divorcing his wife of 27 years, he didn't show it on social media

Hugh and Deborra-Lee, 67, shocked fans when they announced they were divorcing in September.

'We have been blessed to share almost three decades together in a wonderful, loving marriage. Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth,' the couple said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.

'Our family has been and always will be our highest priority. We undertake this next chapter with gratitude, love, and kindness. We greatly appreciate your understanding in respecting our privacy as our family navigates this transition.'

Hugh Jackman reunited with longtime friend Pat Schoenfeld for Christmas Eve dinner

Hugh and Deborra-Lee, 67, shocked fans when they announced they were divorcing in September

The former couple signed the statement as 'Deb and Hugh Jackman,' adding: 'This is the sole statement either of us will make.'

The pair had tied the knot in 1996 after crossing paths on set of Correlli in 1995.

During the course of their marriage, they adopted two children: son Oscar, 23, and daughter Ava, 18.
Emily Ratajkowski showed off her festive style as she stepped out with her two-year-old son, Sylvester, on Christmas Day in New York City.

The My Body author, 32 - who recently turned heads while walking her beloved dog Colombo in the Big Apple - was seen strolling along a busy sidewalk while carrying her little boy in her arms.

The supermodel bundled up in a plaid coat that contained hues of brown and red as well as a white, fuzzy trim on the bottom hem.

She added a vibrant, red sweater underneath as well as a pair of loose-fitting, black trousers.

The former Nickelodeon star also slipped into a pair of black flats to stay comfortable during the outing.

Emily Ratajkowski, 32, showed off her festive style as she stepped out with her two-year-old son, Sylvester, on Christmas Day in New York City

Her brunette locks were parted in the middle, and effortlessly flowed down straight past her shoulders.

Emily opted for minimal accessories to allow her outfit to be the main focal point, and wore a pair of large, hooped earrings.

She carried a red shopping bag in her left hand while also holding her son - whom she shares with ex, Sebastian Bear-McClard.

Sylvester was also decked out for the holiday, and wore a red, festive coat to stay warm in the cooler temperatures.

Ratajkowski has been fully embracing the holiday season and earlier on Monday, she took to her main Instagram page to share a new photo series.

In a few snaps, the star showed off her toned frame donning a black, satin dress that was held up with thin straps that wrapped around her shoulders while attending what appeared to be a dinner party.

She paired the fashionable look with heeled boots that contained hues of black, red and also yellow.

Two other images showed the model striking a few poses while sitting at a long table with other guests. A Christmas tree could be seen in the corner of the room and was lit up with classic, white lights.

The supermodel bundled up in a plaid coat that contained hues of brown and red as well as a white, fuzzy trim on the bottom hem

Ratajkowski has been celebrating the holiday season and earlier on Monday, the beauty took to her main Instagram page to share a new photo series

Two other images showed the model striking a few poses while sitting at a long table with other guests

The star showed off her toned frame in a black, satin dress that was held up with thin straps that wrapped around her shoulders while attending what appeared to be a dinner party

The mother-of-one also included an adorable clip as both she and her son, Sly, showed off a few dance moves

The mother-of-one also included an adorable clip as both she and her son, Sly, showed off a few dance moves.

At the end of the reel, the two-year-old wrapped his arms around Emily to give her a sweet hug.

Ratajkowski added another image of her little boy having a blast while inside a pretend boat in a spacious living room.

She then gave her fans and followers a glimpse of some of her Christmas decorations, such as a decorated tree and an ornament that contained a throwback snap of her when she was younger.

Lastly, the Inamorata founder included a picture of some of her close pals taking a quick snap together.

And while at the dinner party, the beauty also crossed paths with Mel Ottenberg - the editor-in-chief for Interview Magazine.

In the caption of the Instagram carousel, Emily penned, 'merry merry! life has never been better and i'm just here to say i'm grateful.'

At the end of the reel, the two-year-old wrapped his arms around Emily to give her a sweet hug

Ratajkowski added another image of her little boy having a blast while inside a pretend boat in a spacious living room

She then gave her fans and followers a glimpse of some of her Christmas decorations, as well as a decorated tree

The businesswoman also shared a picture of an ornament that contained a throwback snap of her when she was younger

Emily has been getting into the festive spirit throughout the month of December, and recently took her son to visit Santa Clause.

The Gone Girl actress uploaded a cute photo of herself as she held Sly in her arms for the memorable image.

Last year during an interview with Harper's Bazaar, the supermodel opened up about motherhood and raising her son.

She shares the little boy with ex-husband, Sebastian Bear-McClard. The pair tied the knot in 2018 but split in July 2022. Later that same year in September, the star filed for divorce from the film producer.

'I've never had such clear priorities before in my life,' Ratajkowski revealed to the publication.

Lastly, the Inamorata founder included a picture of some of her close pals taking a quick snap together

Emily has been getting into the festive spirit throughout the month of December, and recently took her son to visit Santa Clause

Leading up to the holidays, Emily has been filtering through a busy schedule and was recently spotted filming a cosmetics commercial in the streets of NYC earlier this month

'Number one is Sly, and that's that. [Motherhood] made me re-evaluate what's important to me, like, what do I want to teach my son?'

Leading up to the holidays, Emily has been filtering through a busy schedule and was recently spotted filming a cosmetics commercial in the streets of NYC earlier this month.

She was glammed up wearing a hot pink, catsuit that clung to her slim frame as well as matching, closed-toed pumps.

The author layered the eye-catching look with a black coat to stay warm in the chilly weather and also added a pair of hot pink gloves for a finishing touch.
Coronation Street star Alex Bain is quitting the hit ITV soap after 15 years, it has been reported.

The actor, 22, has played Simon Barlow since he was seven years old and is set to depart in an explosive storyline in the summer.

Alex, who became a father in real life in 2018, is said to be 'very excited' to move on from the ITV soap opera.

A source told The Sun: 'Alex is sad to be leaving Coronation Street because it really is like a family  but he realises that the time is right to move on.

'He's very excited about the future and other opportunities.'

Coronation Street star Alex Bain is quitting the hit ITV soap after 15 years, it has been reported (pictured 2021)

The actor, 22, has played Simon Barlow since he was seven years old and is set to depart in an explosive storyline in the summer (pictured 2019)

MailOnline has contacted ITV and Alex's representatives for comment.

Alex has been involved in a number of controversial storylines while on the Cobbles and won the British Soap Award for Best Young Actor in 2011 and scooped up another gong in 2014 at the Inside Soap Awards.

In real life, the actor became a dad at the age of 17, when his then-girlfriend Levi Selby gave birth to their daughter Lydia-Rose at 16 years old.

At the time, a source said: 'They were over the moon at the birth of their baby girl and were really happy together. But they've been through a lot together and they're both still so young.'

Their relationship ended the following May, and the soap star met dancer Mollie Lockwood, 22, in 2019.

Alex then revealed in December 2022 that he had popped the question to Mollie two months earlier.

Speaking to OK! magazine, Alex gushed: 'I can't spend my life with anyone else.'

Mollie explained why the couple kept the news secret for so long, saying: 'We wanted to enjoy that special time together, just the two of us, for a while.'

A source said: 'Alex is sad to be leaving Corrie because it really is like a family  but he realises that the time is right to move on' (he is pictured in 2018)

It comes after Alex reportedly split from his fiancee Mollie Lockwood, 21, just six months after getting engaged

Alex became a dad at 17, when his then-girlfriend Levi Selby (pictured) gave birth to their daughter Lydia-Rose at just 16 years old. The couple split in 2019

Alex spoke of his nerves, saying: 'I thought, 'If I don't do it now, I'll keep getting more and more nervous!' I was pretty certain she'd say yes, but I was still bricking it.'

However, earlier this year it was reported that Alex had sadly split from his aspiring actress fiancee Mollie.

The pair were said to have called it quits six months after getting engaged, and Alex wiped all trace of Mollie from his Instagram account at the time.

An insider told The Sun: 'They're gutted the relationship didn't work out, but they're both so young it's hard to make such a big commitment early on in their lives

'Their mates have rallied around to support them and keep them busy. Simon is focused on the soap and getting stuck into storylines and his role.'

Alex previously credited his daughter and his role on Corrie as saving him from 'dark times' in the past.

He said: 'If I didn't stick at the job that I'm in now I would have been lost.

'Corrie has kept me going and especially having a daughter has kept me going  it gives me something to do.'
Tayla Damir welcomed her first child with her AFL star husband Nathan Broad in August and on Christmas Day she hit the beach with her little family.

The former Love Island Australia posed alongside Nathan and their baby girl Samara, showing off her slender figure in a black and white bikini.

The 27-year-old held her little girl in her arms while Nathan, 30, beamed for the camera.

She also shared an image of her and Nathan on the same beach, taken on Christmas a year prior.

'An extra in this year's Christmas morning beach photo,' the former reality star wrote in her caption.

Tayla Damir welcomed her first child with her AFL star husband Nathan Broad in August and on Christmas Day she hit the beach with her little family. All pictured

It comes after news that the couple are expanding into a new home for their family, with the AFL WAG announcing that they have begun work on a new Perth home.

'Sharing the process of our Perth build. Excited is an understatement,' she captioned a recent image of an interior.

Tayla announced the arrival of her daughter earlier this year.

'Samara Margot Broad,' she wrote in her caption, revealing the little girl's sweet name.

Back in February, Tayla opened up about her pregnancy experience, sharing the things she learned during her first trimester.

She also shared an image of her and Nathan on the same beach, taken on Christmas a year prior. 'An extra in this year's Christmas morning beach photo,' the former reality star wrote

She compiled a lengthy list of 'things no one warns you about during pregnancy' and shared it to her Instagram.

First on her list was 'the stress you feel as a pregnant woman'.

'The stress of not knowing if your child is ok all the time,' she wrote, adding: 'The long waits between ultrasounds to check if they are still alive.'

The AFL glamour couple, who were married last year, shared the good news of their impending parenthood to social media on Friday, February 3.

The couple tied the knot in the Gold Coast hinterland surrounded by family, friends and fellow influencers, all of whom were banned from using their phones as Tayla walked down the aisle.
Erica Packer and chef partner Shannon Bennett have been blending their sprawling broods as their romance progresses.

Last week, the pair headed out for a large family lunch to Byron Bay hinterland's The Hut restaurant.

The model cut a casually chic figure in a powder blue T-shirt dress with a rolled neck design.

She appeared to have on a natural makeup look with a pink lip gloss and wore her brunette hair down around her face.

Erica carried a denim jacket over her arm and chatted warmly with Shannon as they headed inside.

Erica Packer and chef partner Shannon Bennett have been blending their sprawling broods as their romance progresses. Both pictured

Last week, the pair headed out for a large family lunch to Byron Bay hinterland's The Hut restaurant

The model cut a casually chic figure in a powder blue T-shirt dress with a rolled neck design

The MasterChef Australia star wore a long sleeved graphic T-shirt and black shorts and wore his hair in a ponytail.

Shannon, 48, is the ex-partner of actress Madeleine West.

Eric and Shannon are reportedly staying at Bennett's $2million beachfront property on the Belongil Beach peninsula, with his six children Phoenix, Hendrix, Xascha, Xanthe, Xahlia and Margaux.

Erica's children Indigo, Jackson and Emmanuelle - who she shares with ex James packer - are also apparently staying in the sprawling mansion.

She appeared to have on a natural makeup look with a pink lip gloss and wore her brunette hair down around her face

Erica carried a denim jacket over her arm and chatted warmly with Shannon as they headed inside

The MasterChef Australia star wore a long sleeved graphic T-shirt and black shorts and wore his hair in a ponytail

James and Erica married in 2007 and later split in 2013, but are on good terms as they co-parent their three children.

Erica reportedly received a $100 million divorce payment, and purchased a family home in Los Angeles shortly after the break-up.

James also bought an $80million Los Angeles mansion so he could be closer to Erica and their children whenever he was in town.

When Erica visits Sydney, she often lives with her former husband and their children at James' $72 million Crown penthouse home.

Shannon, 48, is the ex-partner of actress Madeleine West

Eric and Shannon are reportedly staying at Bennett's $2million beachfront property on the Belongil Beach peninsula, with his six children Phoenix, Hendrix, Xascha, Xanthe, Xahlia and Margaux

Erica's children Indigo, Jackson and Emmanuelle - who she shares with ex James Packer - are also apparently staying in the sprawling mansion

James and Erica married in 2007 and later split in 2013, but are on good terms as they co-parent their three children

The ex-couple are so close that they often enjoy family holidays together.

In contrast, Shannon's relationship with ex partner Madeleine is not as amicable.

Shannon, who rose to fame on MasterChef Australia, split from Madeleine in September 2018 after 13 years of dating.

Madeleine later stated the separation process 'turned love toxic'.

Two years after their breakup, she left Melbourne and moved to the Byron Bay area to be near their six children, buying her own $4.6million property overlooking Tallow Beach.

In May 2022, Shannon said Madeleine saw their children fortnightly, while they spend the remainder of the time with him.

'The kids live with me full time and they visit their mother every fortnight for a few days,' he told the Herald Sun at the time.
Dianne Buswell shared some loved-up snaps on Instagram with her boyfriend Joe Sugg after spending Christmas Day on the beach in Australia.

The Strictly Come Dancing professional, 34, returned down under to spend the whole of Christmas with her cancer-stricken father Mark and the rest of her family.

She recently gave fans an update, sharing that her father started the third round of his chemotherapy treatment last week.

And enjoying some well-needed family time with Joe, 32, and family, Dianne shared photos from their swanky Christmas spread.

Captioning her post, she wrote: 'I feel so blessed to have all these people in my life. Sending you all a merry Christmas, I hope your day is filled with love and happiness.'

Dianne Buswell, 34, shared some loved-up snaps on Instagram with her boyfriend Joe Sugg, 32, after spending Christmas Day on the beach in Australia

The Strictly Come Dancing professional looked incredible as she showcased her washboard abs in a gorgeous burnt orange bikini set

Joe and Dianne looked happier than ever as they posed cuddling up on the sand, enjoying the hot weather.

Dianne looked incredible as she showcased her washboard abs in a gorgeous burnt orange bikini set.

After returning to Australia to support Mark, she shared a video of herself in the hospital with her father as she praised him for always having a 'positive mind frame'.

In the clip, Dianne and her father Mark walked into the hospital arm-in-arm, before he gave her the thumbs up as he sat and waited for his treatment.

Dianne then flashed a smile as she reached out her hand towards her father, before the video came to an end with the pair leaving the hospital holding hands.

She gushed in a caption: 'Round 3 proud of you dad always with a positive mind frame and smile on your face.'

Her Strictly co-stars and celebrity friends were quick to send their messages of support to the dancer in the comments section.

Amy Dowden, who is battling breast cancer, wrote: 'Cmon mark you got this! Love you both.'

Dianne returned down under to spend the whole of Christmas with her cancer-striken father Mark (middle) and the rest of her family

And enjoying some well-needed family time with Joe and family, Dianne shared photos from their swanky Christmas spread

She recently gave fans a recent update, sharing that her father started the third round of his chemotherapy treatment last week

Dianne gave fans an update on her father Mark's cancer treatment after she returned home to Australia to support him

While Gemma Atkinson - who is married Strictly professional Gorka Marquez - commented: 'Oh bless him.'

Amanda Abbington who quit this series of Strictly for personal reasons - said: 'So beautiful. All of you. Sending you massive cuddles and the most love and light!!'

Arlene Phillips penned: 'So beautiful. With love this Xmas and the happiest and healthiest on new years,' while Graziano Di Prima also sent his support.

Dianne returned home to Australia just days after competing in last Saturday's Strictly final, where she competed with EastEnders star Bobby Brazier.

After the pair missed out on the glitterball, Dianne revealed on social media that she had jetted back to Australia and reunited with her father Mark.

Sharing a snap of them together, she wrote: 'and from the concert to having our first morning coffee  I'm home @mark.3802.'

Dianne broke down in tears on Strictly back in October after her father Mark was diagnosed with cancer.

In a recent interview, Dianne spoke about the difficulty of not being in Australia with her family as her dad goes through chemotherapy.

Dianne told Heat Magazine: 'I am such a hard-working, crazy dancer that it's been a really nice balance, where Bobby has brought a lot of calmness into my life.

The Strictly star took to Instagram last week to share a video of herself in the hospital with her father as she praised him for having a 'positive mind frame'

She linked arms with her father Mark as they walked through hospital together before Mark got his latest round of treatment

Dianne returned home to Australia to reunite with her father just days after competing in last Saturday's Strictly final, where she competed with EastEnders star Bobby Brazier

'There has been quite a lot of going on in my personal life over these past few months, and Bobby has been really realistic and supportive, telling me everything's going to be OK.

'It's crazy that such a young guy can have such a good mind on him.'

On Sunday, Dianne shared a gushing Instagram tribute to Bobby after they missed out on the Glitterball trophy to winner Ellie Leach.

In 2018, she was a finalist on the sixteenth series with her partner and now boyfriend YouTuber Joe Sugg - but they didn't win.

But as she reflected on the 2023 series she said she was less 'obsessed' with winning the trophy and was choosing to focus instead on the friendship she found with Bobby.

She said: 'I used to be so obsessed with winning a sparkly trophy constantly thinking about that moment and what it would feel like!

In a recent interview, Dianne spoke about the difficulty of not being in Australia with her family as her dad goes through chemotherapy

The dancer competed in Saturday's final with EastEnders star Bobby Brazier , but missed out on the coveted Glitterball trophy

'But what I have realised dancing with this wonderful human is the win and the sparkle is everywhere if you want it to be.

'Last night Bobby and I danced with so much joy passion and emotion that my heart was bursting with happiness and pride and there was our win!

'Bobby's only competition in this show was himself he wanted to become a better dancer and a better professional and to help him achieve both those goals makes me a proud teacher.

She signed off by adding: 'I am so grateful that i was the lucky one to be partnered with bobs and I am so excited for his bright future ahead he is not just a real talent but a really lovely soul.

'Thanks for making me enjoy my dancing like I was a little girl again no fear no anxiety just love and passion for what I am able to do.'
Oti Mabuse recently welcomed her first child, a baby girl, with her husband Marius Lepure.

And celebrating Christmas with their surprise new arrival, the Dancing On Ice judge and former Strictly professional, 33, shared some snaps as a first time mother.

Oti looked glowing as she posed with her daughter, whose named is yet to be revealed, at the dinner table with the rest of her family.

The doting mother posed with Marius in matching onesies for their second family picture together.

Oti, who announced the arrival on Christmas Day, looked happier than ever as she enjoyed a day with all her family.

Oti Mabuse, (front right) shared some sweet snaps as a first time mother cradling her and husband Marius Lepure's newborn daughter - after announcing their new arrival on Christmas Day

Oti looked glowing as she posed with her daughter, whose named is yet to be revealed, and Marius in matching onesies

Oti's sister Motsi, 42, shared a selfie of the pair beaming, alongside a sweet caption praising the new mother.

It read: 'Nobody teaches you how to be an older sister and even though my sister is a mum, the instinct is to help, to protect and to be there doesn't stop.

'I want to protect her from everything but I know I can't. Sometimes I wish I wasn't the first born because I think you inherit the responsibility.

'So so proud of you sis, you are going to be a fierce mum.'

Motsi also accidentally revealed the tot's gender after she posted a tribute to Oti and Marius on Instagram.

She wrote: 'Merry Christmas Wishing you all a wonderful festive season and special memories with loved ones'.

Meanwhile Strictly host Motsi, 42, shared her own snap alongside husband Evgenij Voznyuk where she revealed she was the proud auntie of a baby girl.

Saying: 'Merry Christmas call us Auntie & Uncle !! Welcome to the family baby girl @otimabuse & @mariusiepure welcome to parenthood lol its going to be fun'.

Oti's sister Motsi shared a selfie of the pair beaming, alongside a sweet caption praising the new mother

Oti, who announced the arrival on Christmas Day, looked happier than ever as she enjoyed a day with all her family

The couple didn't reveal when they welcomed the little one but captioned the post: 'Merry Christmas Wishing you all a wonderful festive season and special memories with loved ones'

Meanwhile Strictly host Motsi, 42, shared her own snap alongside husband Evgenij Voznyuk where she revealed she was the proud auntie of a baby girl

Saying: 'Merry Christmas call us Auntie & Uncle !! Welcome to the family baby girl @otimabuse & @mariusiepure welcome to parenthood lol its going to be fun'

Fans and famous friend rushed to the comments section to send their best wishes and gushed over the little one

Fans and famous friend rushed to the comments section to send their best wishes and gushed over the little one.

Comedian Katherine Ryan said: 'HELLO WELCOME BABY'.

While former Corrie actress and DOI winner Hayley Tamaddon said: 'Awwww Oti congratulations lovely! Have a wonderful Xmas xxx'.

Fellow new mum Chyna Mills wrote: 'Congratulations, Merry Christmas to you'.

Oti and Marius announced they were expecting on August 26, revealing their surprise baby news live on the mother-to-be's own ITV breakfast show.

The Romanian dancer was teaching breakfast show guests - Marisha Wallace and Chizzy Akudolu - a dance routine shortly before he and his wife sprung the baby news upon them.

Towards the closing moments of the episode, Oti hinted the loved-up couple had been 'holding in some good news,' as she hugged her husband.

She revealed: 'Speaking of things that you didn't know at home, we have a little something for all of you, we've been holding some good news. We're having a baby!'

Oti openly admitted her own fertility struggles after she announced that she was pregnant with her first child

Before revealing her pregnancy she'd previously shared how the couple had put pause on trying to conceive as their hopes of having a child dwindled

The couple then shared a warm embrace as the crew could be heard cheering, while Marisha and Chizzy looked completely shocked by the revelation.

Shortly after, her on air announcement, Oti took to Instagram to share a carousel of sweet pictures of herself cradling her baby bump as she and her partner posed.

The mother looked stunning in a sleek blush pink off-the shoulder jumpsuit as she carefully held her growing baby bump, coupled with a huge smile from ear to ear.

Loved up alongside her partner, Oti shared the cute snapshots, honestly admitting she 'was scared' - even though it was 'the best news'.

The former Strictly star also implied they may have an guest for Christmas, as she teased 'Christmas is about to get even louder'.

Her caption read: 'Our 'yes' year is getting better and better and so is our little family.'

'We feel finally ready and excited to share our wonderful news. This is new for us scarier than swimming with sharks, jumping off cliffs or even swinging from bridges but the best news we could have ever ask for.

'We love our little bundle of joy so much already and can't wait to see what our future will now look like as family of 3 plus Leo, it's been a beautiful journey so far with close friends and family and nearly over but we have learnt a lot a long the way. Christmas is about to get even louder.'

Romance: Oti and Marius met in Germany during a dance trial and competed together in several competitions. Marius popped the question in 2014 and they married that same year

Dancers: Although Marius has not followed in his wife's footsteps with Strictly, he's no stranger to TV having appeared on two seasons of German show Let's Dance (both pictured in 2022)

Oti openly admitted her own fertility struggles after she announced that she was pregnant with her first child.

Chatting with her Instagram followers, Oti shared that she and Marius put a pause on trying to conceive as their hopes of having a child dwindled.

Oti and Marius met in Germany during a dance trial and competed together in several competitions.

Marius asked for Oti's hand in marriage in 2014 on his birthday, and the pair tied the knot on the very same year.
Maya Jama looked more than loved-up on Monday as she spent the day with her rapper boyfriend Stormzy.

The TV personality, 29, spent her first Christmas with Stormzy, 30, since they rekindled their romance over the summer.

And looking happier than ever, the couple couldn't wipe the smile off their faces as they spent the day eating, singing and dancing with family.

Maya looked incredibly chic in a black dress and wore a glamorous palette of makeup.

Meanwhile, Stormzy showcased her muscular physique in a tight-fitting black T-shirt as he filmed himself with Maya singing at the top of their lungs.

Maya Jama, 29, looked more than loved-up on Monday as she spent the day with her rapper boyfriend Stormzy, 30

The TV personality spent her first Christmas with Stormzy since they rekindled their romance over the summer

Stormzy took to Instagram to share the doting duo singing along to Stevie Wonder's Isn't She Lovely.

She recently shared a number of photos from her recent antics with her 3million followers, including a shot showing her posing in the back of a car with a 30k Hermes handbag and a vast bunch of red flowers.

Another shot showed her playing cards during a US trip where she was joined by Stormzy, with whom she reunited earlier this year, while she gave an insight into her love of gambling by sharing a shot of $16k (12k) worth of chips in the casino.

A number of the pictures in the carousel came from her trip to Vegas with her love, with whom she watched a UFC fight together in Sin City.

She put on a raunchy display with her rapper boyfriend as she licked his face while filming themselves on her phone.

Stormzy looked delighted by the public display of affection, as he returned her gesture with a sweet kiss on the cheek.

In the clip, Maya leaned in to kiss Stormzy before changing tact and licking his face as they larked about together on the night out.

The couple were joined by one of Maya's pals at the UFC 89 event, where Paddy 'The Baddy' Pimblett fought Tony Ferguson.

And looking happier than ever, the couple couldn't wipe the smile off their faces as they spent the day eating, singing and dancing with family

Maya certainly seems to be enjoying her successes as she took to Instagram last week to flaunt her swanky belongings

A number of the pictures in the carousel came from her trip to Vegas with her love, with whom she watched a UFC fight together in Sin City

She put on a raunchy display with her rapper boyfriend as she licked his face while filming themselves on her phone

They looked smitten in a snap Maya shared on her social media as she posted about hosting the British Fashion Awards earlier this month

Maya and Stormzy's romantic videos on her Instagram Stories come after they finally went social media official, seven months after rekindling their romance.

The pair reconciled back in summer of this year after splitting in 2019 and were then seen on a romantic Greek holiday in August.

Maya confirmed her relationship was Stormzy was back on in August as they were seen strolling hand-in-hand during a holiday in Greece.

The couple dated for four years before parting ways in 2019, with the rapper publicly declaring he has 'never loved anyone how I've loved her'.

He has always denied any infidelity in the relationship but admitted he had to learn some hard lessons about his behaviour, describing it as 'disrespectful'.

Speaking to Louis Theroux on his interview series, the rapper admitted to making mistakes during their four-year relationship but revealed he has since grown.

He explained: 'My break-up, that was probably the biggest catalyst for growth as a man. It was like, OK, you made a mistake and you lose someone you loved, someone you cared for, someone who is special to you.

'That's probably the biggest loss a man can have, isn't it? Away from someone passing away, that's the biggest loss you can have.'
Patrick Schwarzenegger is engaged to model Abby Champion after eight years of dating.

The 30-year-old son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver took to his Instagram on Tuesday to announce that he had popped the question to the 26-year-old model.

Patrick - whose sister Katherine was seen out with husband Chris Pratt on Monday - shared a gallery of snaps of what looked like a romantic beach proposal.

Abby also proudly flashed her new diamond sparkler as she posed with it across her chest as her man planted a kiss on her cheek.

The proposal appeared to have happened in front of a massive rose arrangement in the shape of a heart over rose petals which were spread out on the sand.

Patrick Schwarzenegger is engaged to model Abby Champion after eight years of dating

The 30-year-old son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver took to his Instagram on Tuesday to announce that he had popped the question to the 26-year-old model

What a rock! Patrick - whose sister Katherine was seen out with husband Chris Pratt on Monday - shared a gallery of snaps of what looked like a romantic beach proposal

Patrick shared the post with his 1.3million followers with the caption: [diamond ring and red heart emojis] FOREVER AND EVER [red heart and diamond ring emojis].'

The comment section was flooded with sweet messages from their followers and celebrity pals, Dylan Sprouse, Meadow Walker and Amelia Hamlin.

His mother, Maria Shriver, wrote: 'Yippee bravo we are all so happy for you for your love for your now for your future your love is inspiring joy joy joy.'

On Christmas Day, the happy couple were seen making FaceTime calls to their family and friends while rocking matching pajamas on a stroll in Los Angeles.

Champion looked overcome with emotion on the phone as she flashed her sparkly diamond ring toward the camera.

The Moxie leading man has been dating the Meet Me At The Jane star since 2015.

Having previously been linked to other A-list beauties like Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus, Patrick and Abby have been going strong ever since they were publicly spotted enjoying a date night in West Hollywood at Nice Guy.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's son gushed to E! News about the qualities that attracted him to Abby in the first place, explaining, 'She's a hard worker, dedicated, determined.'

Sharing the news: On Christmas Day, Champion was seen beaming on FaceTime as she flashed her sparkly diamond ring to a loved one while walking around Los Angeles

Engaged: Champion was overcome with emotion on the phone as she flashed her new accessory

Adorable: The newly-engaged couple wore matching Christmas pajamas

Family time: Another relative of the couple's was seen wearing the same PJs as them

Overjoyed: Champion was thrilled to share the news of her engagement

Best gift: Champion couldn't help but marvel over the gorgeous rock on her left finger

Casual: Meanwhile, Patrick supped a coffee and smiled as he watched his fiancee update her loved ones

Texting away: Champion was glued to her phone as they picked up coffee

Perfect pair: Patrick joined in on one of her FaceTime calls

Double: The couple appeared to be hanging out with her parents

The Daniel Isn't Real star added that he admired that Abby moved from Alabama to pursue her modeling dream.

He added that, 'We love each other and it's okay when she goes away for a week or I go away for a month filming.'

According to the Terminal List star, the pair moved in together at the end of last year.

The blonde-haired beauty has achieved her goal of becoming a famous model, even appearing in the Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 2.

Happier than ever: The duo celebrated their engagement with friends and family over cake

Welcome to the family! His mother, Maria Shriver, wrote: 'Yippee bravo we are all so happy for you for your love for your now for your future your love is inspiring joy joy joy'

'Congrats, you two!!!' Chelsea Handler gushed under the post

'I CAN NOW DIE HAPPY,' Taylor Lautner raved

'I LOVE YOU BOTH,' Hamlin wrote. 'YESSS'

While the couple typically keep details about their relationship private, Abby proudly shares snaps of herself with Patrick on Instagram for her 338 thousand followers.

Although the couple have never starred in a film together, they did pose on the same cover of Vogue Spain back in 2018.

In a sweet birthday post dedicated to the model on her 25th birthday, Patrick wrote, 'Love this girl so much!! Such a hard worker.'

Longtime love: Arnold Schwarzenegger's son previously gushed to E! News about the qualities that attracted him to Abby in the first place, explaining, 'She's a hard worker, dedicated, determined'

Going strong: Schwarzenegger and Champion were first romantically linked in September 2015, before making their relationship Instagram official in February 2016

The One: While the couple typically keep details about their relationship private, Abby proudly shares snaps of herself with Patrick on Instagram for her 338 thousand followers

He added that he adored how 'beautiful' and 'faithful' his longterm love was.

'Drinks 2 cups of coffee! Loves ice cream. Loves her sugary cocktails,' the MOSH co-founder joked.

He also praised that his girlfriend, 'Loves Jesus & America too.'

In 2015, he split from Cyrus after five months of dating due to their demanding schedules.

Past love: In 2015, he split from Cyrus after five months of dating due to their demanding schedules (seen in 2015)

'They're just in two different places in their lives  he's in college and she's focused on her music and career,' a source told People , at the time; pictured in 2014

'They're just in two different places in their lives  he's in college and she's focused on her music and career,' a source told People, at the time.

Patrick graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Business and a minor in cinematic arts in May 2016.

Two years prior, he sparked dating rumors with Swift, after the pop star spent July 4th with him at the legendary Kennedy family property in Hyannisport.

Despite romantic speculation between the pair, Swift actually had a summer fling with Schwarzenegger's cousin Conor Kennedy, son of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the late Mary Kennedy, not him.
She stressed it was 'okay' to not feel great during the holiday season

The reality star, 26, reached out to her Instagram followers to show support

Savannah Chrisley has admitted that this Christmas has 'not been the happiest of times'  as she celebrated the festive season without her parents, Todd and Julie, for the first time since they were jailed.

The 26-year-old television personality, who has been vocal about the harsh conditions her mom and dad have been enduring behind bars, took to Instagram on December 24 to stress that it's 'okay' to not be feeling 'joyous' during the holiday season.

She has been looking after her siblings since Todd, 54, and Julie, 50, were convicted of tax fraud in November 2022 and sent to prison in January 2023.

Posting to her Instagram story, Savannah said: 'Merry Christmas Eve guys.

Savannah Chrisley has admitted that this Christmas has 'not been the happiest of times'

Her parents, Todd and Julie, were convicted of tax fraud last November and sent to prison in January

'I just want to jump on here and say that just because it's the holidays doesn't mean you have to be all joyous and happy if you're not feeling it. I feel you.'

She continued: 'It's okay if they suck. It's okay if you're not excited about them, and it's okay if you're grieving during this time.

'Do what makes you feel okay. What makes you feel best because I'm with you. I feel you, it's not the happiest time for me.'

Savannah's parents Todd and Julie are serving out their time at two separate facilities.

Todd is serving a 12-year sentence and is currently incarcerated in Pensacola, Florida.

Meanwhile, Julie is banged up in Lexington, Kentucky. She is serving seven years.

Besides Savannah, the disgraced duo are also parents to Lindsie, 34, Chase, 27, Grayson, 17, and estranged son Kyle, 32.

Earlier this month, Todd's family claimed they were fearing for his safety in the wake of his barrage of shocking claims about life behind bars, some of which have been blasted by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP)

Todd is serving a 12-year sentence, while Julie is banged up for seven years

The family shot to fame on their reality show Chrisley Knows Best, which aired on NBC

'Todd's family is now concerned for his safety and well-being after his interview because he is trying to take on Goliath when he knows nothing about how the system really works,' a source close to the family told DailyMail.com.

'People get killed for less than what Todd did.'

In June 2022, Todd and Julie were found guilty of committing tax evasion and bank fraud totaling $30 million.

Todd, who is housed at Federal Prison Camp Pensacola in Florida, accused guards of 'starving' inmates and serving out-of-date food during an interview with NewsNation.

He had claimed that someone sent a photo of him while he was sleeping to Savannah, 26, demanding $2,600 per month for his protection.

He also said he was targeted by the guard for his seemingly privileged lifestyle on the outside world.

Todd, who is housed at Federal Prison Camp Pensacola in Florida, accused guards of 'starving' inmates and serving out-of-date food during an interview with NewsNation

On top of this, the father-of-five noted he had not been allowed to verbally communicate with his wife.

He told reporter Brian Entin: 'It's devastating.

'You know she and I email four or five times a day, but they will hold my emails and hold them on her end as well as a way of punishment to us because of what Savannah is doing.'

In November, Todd's attorney told TMZ he was in a 'state of distress' as he prepared to spend the festive season away from his loved ones.

While languishing behind bars, Todd is said to perceive himself as being on a divine mission and has been offering personal guidance to other inmates.

His attorney has revealed Todd is scheduled to be back in court in March, at which point his lawyers will once again attempt to get his conviction overturned.
Leonardo DiCaprio's costar Lily Gladstone revealed she was his fan long before they worked together on their recent film.

After starring opposite one another in Killers Of The Flower Moon, the 37-year-old actress admitted she once using her allowance to buy a VHS tape of Titanic.

In an interview with People published on Tuesday, she recalled her childhood story of how spending her allowance to buy the 1997 classic film to watch the actor, now 49, in one of his most iconic roles.

She also told the outlet that she had been a fan of his before that moment and had watched several of his other movies before Titanic.

'I loved that movie,' said the Certain Women star  who attended a special screening of their Western film in London with the Romeo + Juliet alum earlier this month.

Leonardo DiCaprio 's costar Lily Gladstone revealed she was his fan long before they worked together on their recent film

After starring opposite one another in Killers Of The Flower Moon, the 37-year-old actress admitted she once using her allowance to buy a VHS tape of Titanic. In an interview with People published on Tuesday, she recalled her childhood story of how spending her allowance to buy the 1997 classic film to watch the actor, now 49, in one of his most iconic roles

'It was one of the first things I spent my allowance on,' she continued. 'I pre-ordered the double VHS set from Toys 'R' Us when that was still around.'

She explained that she still remembers the craze over DiCaprio before Titanic was released and the exact commercial.

'I remember the Blockbuster commercial, [with store employees] hearing the crowd of young women approaching,' she recalled. '[The workers] set the TItanic of the shelf, and then you hear all the young ladies, and they're like, "Uh oh, here they come."'

She admitted she bought the movie because she was a fan of the story and his character and not because she had a crush on him.

'I loved that movie for the film and for Kate Winslet,' she said. 'Leo was great in it because Jack Dawson was great.'

She added that she liked the stowaway character so much that she would 'project my crushes into Jack Dawson'.

'And it's funny, whenever I had crushes in sixth grade  because the year that it came out for me  I would kind of project my crushes into Jack Dawson,' she explained.

'It was never on Jack Dawson,' she continued, noting that she had long been a fan of DiCaprio and watched his prior projects.

She added that she liked the stowaway character so much that she would 'project my crushes into Jack Dawson'

She also told the outlet that she had been a fan of his before that moment and had watched several of his other movies before Titanic

In Killers of the Flower Moon, she plays an Indigenous Osage woman, whose family was killed for their oil-rich land in 1920s Oklahoma. DiCaprio stars opposite her as her duplicitous husband Ernest

'I had been a fan of Leo long before that,' she recalled. 'My first film that I watched him in was, I can't remember which one came first, but it was either What's Eating Gilbert Grape or This Boy's Life,' she said. 'I loved Romeo + Juliet.'

She added that her favorite film of his was The Man in the Iron Mask and seeing him play both King Louis XIV and his twin brother Phillippe in the 1998 loose adaptation of the classic Alexandre Dumas novel inspired her to keep pursuing her dream of acting.

'I already knew at that point I wanted to be an actor and getting to see one actor play that kind of duality, it was really cool,' she said.

More than two decades later, she auditioned for director Martin Scorsese's historical drama and landed the role of Mollie.

In Killers of the Flower Moon, she plays an Indigenous Osage woman, whose family was killed for their oil-rich land in 1920s Oklahoma.

DiCaprio stars opposite her as her duplicitous husband Ernest.

Killers of the Flower Moon premiered on October 20 and has earned the actors multiple awards and nominations so far.
EastEnders viewers were convinced one resident of Walford is being lined up to be framed for the Christmas Day murder.

Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) was killed after he was stabbed and Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry) was attacked on Monday as the EastEnders storyline The Six, which was first teased in February of this year, reached a climax.

Six of Walford's matriarchs; Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), Suki Kaur Panesar (Balvinder Sopal), Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), Denise Fox (Diane Parish) and Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth), found themselves embroiled in a series of events that led to Keanu's demise.

Several men had been teased as the potential victim in addition to Keanu and Nish before Christmas, with Jack Branning (Scott Maslen), Tom 'Rocky' Cotton (Brian Conley), Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo) and Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) involved.

During Tuesday's episode, the six ladies were seen in the Queen Vic as they wrapped Keanu's body up in a tarpaulin and heavy duty tape before lugging him off to be buried under the floorboards of the burned out cafe after he was stabbed by Linda.

EastEnders viewers were convinced one resident of Walford is being lined up to be framed for the Christmas Day murder (Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) pictured after the killing)

During Tuesday's episode, the six ladies were seen in the Queen Vic as they wrapped Keanu's body up in a tarpaulin and heavy duty tape before lugging him off to be buried

Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) was killed after he was stabbed by Linda during Monday's Christmas Day episode

The matriarchs carried Keanu's body out the front door of the pub, much to the astonishment of viewers, who were convinced someone would have seen them from elsewhere on Albert Square.

Moments before they disposed of Keanu's body, a drunken Rocky was seen stumbling across the square before heading to the pub where he thought there was a lock in.

He knocked on the back door before having a word with Linda who quickly sent him on his way but the scene left some soap fans convinced the moment meant he was being lined up to take the blame for the murder.

Taking to Twitter, one person wrote: 'I wonder if Rocky will be framed now that hes turned up,' while someone else posted: 'Is Rocky gonna go in and end up getting framed in the storyline or something?'

Someone else posted: 'I think Rocky is gonna get framed for hitting Nish somehow!'

While someone else shared: 'Rocky will stagger into the pub and get blamed.'

Predicting the character will leave she soap, someone else commented: 'Rocky is going to get the blame here. That's his exit,' while someone else remarked: 'Ffs here comes loser Rocky. Let him take the blame hes homeless at least hell have a bed for life.'

Someone else wrote: 'I think Rocky might take the blame for Nish's attack to protect Kathy. There's motive due to the constant blackmails from Nish as he knew about his gambling and the cafe which affected his relationship with Kathy. He might get done for arson too.'

Some soap fans are convinced Rocky (pictured) is being lined up to take the blame for the murder after he turned up to the Queen Vic while drunk during Tuesday's episode

Moments before they disposed of Keanu's body, a drunken Rocky was seen stumbling across the square before heading to the pub

Meanwhile, many viewers found it unbelievable the women were able to carry Keanu's dead body out of the pub and into the square without there being any witnesses.

One person wrote on Twitter: 'This is Walford.. Im genuinely convinced SOMEONE has to have seen them together dragging this body out. And whoever it is, is hiding in the shadows for now.'

Someone else shared: 'Aint no way someone isnt gonna click them leaving the front entrance of the Vic in the square.'

Another person exclaimed: 'PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, TELL ME THEY AINT TAKING HIM OUT THE FRONT DOOR OF THE PUB WHERE ANYONE COULD SEE ?!!!???!!'

While someone else asked: 'No cctv at all on the square then?'

'The way they are just carrying a body around the square,' laughed another viewer, while someone else noted: 'Carrying a dead body out through the front doors on The Vic hoping no one will see.'

Linda stabbed Keanu after he attempted to choke Sharon (pictured) to death during Monday's episode

Another unconvinced viewer posted: 'Yes totally believable that they would be able lift and carry the dead corpse of a man that easily. This is pure comedy at this point and Im loving every second.'

Towards the end of the episode on Monday the women were drinking in the Queen Vic pub on Albert Square before they invited Nish along to talk things out with Suki.

Matters got physical when Nish tried to take Suki from the pub and Denise responded by hitting him over the head with a bottle.

This action was initially believed to have killed him, but after Suki performed CPR, she managed to get him breathing again and told the others he was alive, upon which she discovered Keanu on the floor.

He had been stabbed by Linda after he entered the pub and strangled Sharon, upon believing her to have killed Nish.

Things had also heated up between the two as, earlier in the episode, Sharon had told him he was not biologically related to their son Albie.

The matriarchs carried Keanu's body out the front door of the pub, much to the astonishment of viewers, who were convinced someone would have seen them

She revealed the news after the couple's wedding was disrupted when Phil Mitchell gatecrashed and told Sharon that her husband-to-be was the person behind the kidnapping of their young son.

Teasing the festive episode, the British soap had aired a first-of-its-kind flashforward scene earlier in the year on February 20 which offered viewers a glimpse at the 2023 Christmas Day storyline.

The clip showed a shocked-looking Sharon with blood on her wedding dress, taking the unknown man's pulse before exclaiming: 'He's dead.'

EastEnders continues on Wednesday at 7.30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness have united to pay tribute to Australian chef Bill Granger following his shock death at the age of 54.

The Wolverine star, 55, and the actress, 68, have offered their condolences in a joint Instagram statement.

'We are devastated to hear the news of Bill's passing. His talent, his joie de vivre, the way he brought people together, and his commitment to family were inspiring,' the post read.

'We will miss his friendship most of all. Our love goes out to Natalie and their three incredible daughters Edie, Ines and Bunny.'

'Rest in peace. Deb and Hugh,' the pair, who announced their split in September, ended.

Hugh Jackman, 55, (right) has joined with ex-wife Deborra-Lee Furness, 68, (left) to pay tribute to top Australian restaurateur Bill Granger following his death aged 54

World-renowned Australian chef Bill died at the age of 54, his family revealed in a heartbreaking Instagram post on Wednesday.

He died 'peacefully' in hospital surrounded by his family.

'He will be deeply missed by all, with his loss most profoundly felt by his adored family, who are grateful for all the love and support that has been given,' the post read.

'It is with great sadness that the family of Bill Granger announce he has passed away on 25th December at the age of 54.

'A dedicated husband and father, Bill died peacefully in hospital with his wife Natalie Elliott and three daughters, Edie, Ines and Bunny, at his bedside in their adopted home of London.'

The Wolverine star, 55, and the actress, 68, have offered their condolences in a joint Instagram statement

Tributes flowed for Bill from fellow celebrity chefs including Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver.

'I'm heartbroken to hear this. So cruel. Deepest love to N, E, I and B,' Nigella wrote.

Jamie, 47, wrote he was 'devastated' by the news of Granger's death and described the chef as a 'wonderful human' who made good food.

'This is devastating news, I'm so sad to hear this, what a guy he was . a wonderful human, kind calm soul,' Jamie wrote.

'I admired everything he represented in food. I remember the first time I met him many moons ago he couldn't have been nicer and his food so good.

'Sending so much love to all his family. Rest in peace, Bill, he will be sorely missed jox xx.'

In a second tribute shared to Jamie's Instagram story, the British celebrity chef wrote he 'loved Bill so much'.

Australian chef Bill (pictured) died at the age of 54, his family revealed in an heartbreaking Instagram post on Wednesday

'This is such sad news... I loved Bill Granger so much, he was such a wonderful man, warm, charming, and had an extraordinary ease and style of cooking that could only come from Australia,' Jamie wrote.

'Bless you Bill so much love! What a guy. So much love to his family and friends.'

Former MasterChef judge Matt Preston also remembered Bill as a 'genuinely lovely bloke and an inspiration'.

'So sorry to hear this news  Together he (with Natalie by his side) helped shape the image of modern Australian food around the world. My thoughts are with his family, friends and all those he worked with at this sad time,' he wrote.

Aussie actor Jason Donovan said Bill's death is 'devastating' news.

'Wonderful father and husband. Wonderful man! Ray of Aussie sunshine,' the former Neighbours star said.

Born in Melbourne, Bill was a self-taught cook who became a celebrated global restaurateur and food writer with a career spanning over 30 years

Born in Melbourne, Australia, Bill was a self-taught cook who became a celebrated global restaurateur and food writer with a career spanning over 30 years.

In 1999, he and his wife Natalie began a professional partnership that launched the business globally. Together they built a successful business that today has 19 restaurants across Sydney, London, Greater Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Seoul.

Bill authored 14 cookbooks, made five TV series and most recently was honoured with the Medal of the Order of Australia in January 2023.

He will be remembered as the 'King of Breakfast', for making unpretentious food into something special filled with sunshine and for spurring the growth of Australian informal and communal eating around the world.

The self-taught cook dropped out of art school at the age of 24 and opened his first 'Bills' restaurant in Sydney's Darlinghurst in 1992.

Bill then went on to own an 18 cafe-strong empire with restaurants around the world including in Japan, Hawaii and London.

The chef was credited with inventing a breakfast staple that has come to define a generation - the humble avocado on toast.
The defining year of AI, 2023, offered us glimpses into understanding the plight of humanity under despotic democracy' in many purported democratic nations

The year 2023 witnessed a profound clash between human existence and technological ascension. As machines surpassed algorithmic boundaries, humanity, paradoxically, embraced a perilous sprint towards self-imposed ignorance. From the ruthless expulsion of Afghan War refugees by Pakistan to the relentless march of Artificial Intelligence reshaping life's core, the world grappled with unprecedented shifts. Emerging threats in space programs and manufactured wars in Ukraine and elsewhere set a foreboding tone, while natural disasters claimed lives across Turkey, Morocco, and Afghanistan. In the midst of these upheavals, the demographic landscape transformed, as India eclipsed China as the most populous nation. In this crucible of change, humanity stands at the crossroads of technological marvels and enduring struggles, navigating an uncertain future.

In the Middle East, optimism for improved relations crumbled as Hamas attacked Israel, leading to the deadliest day in the nation's history. The conflict escalated, drawing global condemnation for alleged war crimes and prompting a U.S. shift from unequivocal support to calls for protecting civilians, leaving the resolution and aftermath uncertain as the year concluded. Simultaneously, Artificial Intelligence (AI) reached a pivotal juncture in 2023, notably exemplified by the advancement of technologies like large language models (LLM).

The latest iteration, reportedly ten times more sophisticated, fueled rapid interest from governments, businesses, and individuals. Optimists lauded AI's role in scientific breakthroughs, while pessimists warned of societal risks, including mass unemployment and heightened social inequalities. The year emerged as a defining moment for AI, epitomized by figures like Altman pushing boundaries, emphasizing the inevitability of business evolution, and underscoring AI's potential to reshape civilization itself, echoing Aldous Huxley's words, civilization is sterilization.

In 2023, climate change ceased to be a distant threat, emerging as an undeniable global reality. The year potentially witnessed record-high temperatures in the last 125,000 years, breaching the 2C limit set by the 2015 Paris Agreement and triggering a deluge of extreme weather events. From historic wildfires to punishing droughts and record floods, the consequences were stark. The ominous notion of wet bulb temperature entered the global lexicon, highlighting the lethal combination of high humidity and temperatures. Amid this crisis, glimpses of optimism appeared, with surging investments in clean energy and the promising emergence of hydrogen. However, scepticism persisted regarding the scalability of these solutions against the backdrop of escalating fossil fuel production. International forums like the COP-28 provided conversational platforms, yet the vast chasm between rhetoric and action underscored the daunting challenge of effectively addressing climate change.

In purported 'democratic nations,' individuals often find themselves compelled to adhere to what is termed a 'despotic democracy,' where the emphasis lies on the will of the majority, fostering a system adept at constructing a series of fantasies to perpetuate its influence through human idiocy in decision-making. Conversely, the democratic fabric, particularly in Africa, is experiencing upheaval, as evidenced by coups casting doubt on the stability of democracies. The military ousting of Niger's democratically elected president in July triggered regional tensions while neighbouring juntas in Mali and Burkina Faso responded with threats of war. In August, Gabon witnessed a military takeover with vague promises of eventual elections.

As 2024 unfolds, elections will define the political landscape across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the West. Across Asia in particular, democracies representing 2.2 billion people and a combined GDP of US$8.9 trillion brace for pivotal polls. From the scheduled January elections in Bangladesh to pivotal contests in India, Russia, and the United States, where the Presidential race in November holds significant weight, the global stage is set for political upheaval. Anticipation surrounds the possibility of a return to power for the ruling Awami League in Bangladesh, securing a fourth consecutive term and affirming Sheikh Hasina's status as the world's longest-serving female leader. In the electoral theatre, the ejection seat holds the fate of leaders like Justin Trudeau in Canada, with Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre eyeing a potential succession bid.

In troubled Ukraine, martial law spared President VolodymyrZelenskyy from elections, allowing him to consolidate power. Despite a desperate plea for military service targeting Ukrainian men aged 25 to 60 abroad, over 700,000 from this group have fled since the conflict's onset, casting doubts on the enforceability of the invitation that carries the threat of sanctions for non-compliance. In 2023, Ukraine's counteroffensive against the Russian army faced resistance, leaving 18% of its territory still under Russian control. The war persists, and Vladimir Putin remains confident in Russia's ability to outlast Western support for Ukraine.

India, with its Lok Sabha election in April-May 2024, anticipates the incumbent coalition, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to secure a resounding victory. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a diplomatic linchpin, played a crucial role in bridging global disparities during 2023. As the chasm between wealthy democracies and developing nations widened, Modi's adept diplomacy fostered compromises on climate policy and debt issues. Emphasizing national interest, Modi's leadership in the G7 and G20 reinforced India's standing on the global stage, though the quality of once-celebrated democracy in-house appeared to be frightening. On the flip side, President Xi Jinping, his main competitor, has played a significant role on the global political stage, engaging in BRICS and APEC, and spearheading peace efforts for Ukraine and Palestine.

In the Maldives, the political scene shifts with the opposition coalition, led by the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the People's National Congress, anticipating a parliamentary majority in the 2024 elections. President Mohamed Muizzu, triumphant in the 2023 presidential race, positions himself for streamlined policymaking amidst the changing geopolitical landscape marked by uncertainty and determination. Meanwhile, Indonesia anticipates a seismic moment as presidential and legislative elections coincide in February, with predictions of a run-off in mid-2024. PrabowoSubianto, supported by incumbent Joko Widodo (Jokowi), aims for victory as the chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) and the current defence minister. In South Korea's April legislative election, prevailing expectations point to the liberal Minjoo Party securing parliamentary dominance, albeit with a reduced seat share. Iran, too, braces for legislative elections amid another political transformation.

Pakistan's National Assembly election in February is poised to elevate the ruling coalition, led by the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), with military alliances fortifying their majority. Sri Lanka, marred by economic collapse in 2022, anticipates a presidential election by September. However, the incumbent president contemplates delaying the election to extend the IMF program's impact. Mongolia charts its course with parliamentary elections in June, where the ruling Mongolia Peoples Party (MPP) aims to retain dominance, albeit with a potentially narrower margin.

In 2024, the technopolar world, as framed by Ian Bremmer, may intensify the polarization of multipolarism and politics, spanning the West and the Global South. A looming spectre emerges, teasing the possibility of an investable space conflict, an unprecedented venture into the unknown. In this tumult, the certainties we once knew may dissipate, leaving a transformed world where the only constant is change. Here's to navigating the uncharted waters of 2024, where the very essence of humanity may find itself reshaped amid the dynamic forces at play. Wishing you resilience and courage in the face of the unknown.

(The writer is a Sri Lankan journalist and worked as a communications consultant for the Government of Sri Lanka. Views are personal)
Bangladesh goes to poll as Sheikh Hasina faces anti-incumbency and the BNP emerges as the favourite

Bangladeshs 12th parliamentary elections are to be held 11 days from now. The question is will it be a walkover/cakewalk for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League into her fourth consecutive and fifth overall term in office? When I was in Dhaka last month and asked people who would win the election, most including one person from our Embassy responded that if it was a free and fair election under a caretaker government Begum Khaleda Zias Bangladesh National Party would win. Anti-incumbency, price rise, unemployment and corruption, the usual culprits, were quoted as reasons for peoples discontentment. In Dhaka, I witnessed mass mobilisation protests by the BNP that were countered by AL counter-protests leading to violence and wide scale arrest of BNP leaders and workers. Readymade Garment Workers  garment factories account for 85 per cent of Bangladeshs USD 53bn exports  also called hartal over wage dispute. Since 28 October, BNPs 12th hartal was held last week.

Former Ambassador to Bangladesh, Veena Sikri has noted that Dhaka has had elections under Army-backed and independent caretaker governments before. In the 2008 elections under the caretaker regime, AL won 260 of 300 seats. In the two following elections held sans caretaker government AL won both, with 259 and 245 seats. Begum Hasina won more seats under a caretaker government than in the one without. The question of freedom and fairness is left to the Election Commission and watchdogs, especially security forces. Similarly, on legitimacy, this time AL has given 26 seats to the third-largest Jatiyo Party and some seats to independent candidates while some 40 parties are registered to contest the elections. BNP is making the mistake of demanding a caretaker government  a provision was removed by a constitutional amendment by the Awami League  when it should be voicing peoples grievances and discontentment.

A senior journalist who must remain unnamed has said that India must do everything possible within the rule of law and concerning Bangladesh's sovereignty to ensure BNP does not come to power as it is pathologically opposed to India. Jamat e Islami an ally of BNP which was opposed to Bangladeshs independence and colluded with Pakistan Armys genocide during the army crackdown, has been banned from elections and its members facing charges of treason under the Special International Tribunal set up by AL. India cannot forget that the BNP provided sanctuaries to ULFA militants. India has called an internal matter, the backsliding of democracy and persecution of minorities under the authoritative Awami League government.

I met a Hindu family belonging to the privileged class  educated, rich but most importantly, fought in the Liberation War, who are called Bada Lok/Bhadralok (intellectual). Between the very rich and the very poor, the middle class is very small.

The minorities  Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Chakmas have declined from 12 per cent to 9 per cent of the population. Hindus celebrate their festivals escorted by police within allotted timings but they are always vulnerable. The preamble to the Constitution reads: Bangladesh is a secular country but later the provision Islamic State was added. Mercifully there is no Shariah or blasphemy law  yet.

India-Bangladesh relations are rated as the best in the neighbourhood. Bangladesh has registered six to 7 per cent growth despite COVID and other international impediments overtaking India in human development indices, notably women empowerment. Trade relations are promising and zero tariffs despite no FTA. Bangladeshs decision to join China-backed RCEP will certainly worry India. Connectivity by land, air water is highest in the region. Bar the Teesta Agreement hitch, both sides describe relations as mutually beneficial though some irritants exist, more with Dhaka complaining about Home Minister Amit Shah referring to illegal immigrants as termites and the killing by BSF of 300 civilians on the India-Bangladesh border.

It is in the enhanced defence cooperation that is growing phenomenally thanks to the rejuvenated legacy of the 1971 Liberation War, a monumental event that has faded from contemporary conversation and instead hyped anti-India feelings. India has provided USD 500 mn LOC for buying Indian military hardware which is so far mainly non-kinetic. The Chinese are prettily ensconced and are primary (75 per cent) providers of military equipment including light tanks. Defence procurement is regulated under Group A from West, Group B from China and Group C from India. Turkey has also become a leading military goods supplier. The Chinese have built a naval submarine base at Pekua near Coxs Bazar and gifted two submarines. They are fishing for a naval base close by. China has invested heavily in civilian infrastructure including the latest Padma Bridge, Sylhet airport and the Kainefuli tunnel. Beijing enjoys goodwill as well as influence, despite sometimes being openly critical of Bangladeshs endorsement of Indo-Pacific and QUAD though it is a recipient of Chinese USD 41bn investment in BRI.

Ironically, China and India are on the same page about Sheikh Hasinas likely re-election ignoring the US critique of democracy backsliding and consequent sanctions. Bangladesh Army which deposed AL, obliterated Sheikh Mujibs legacy and ruled between 1971 and 1991, has been tamed by Mujibs daughter Sheikh Hasina. She has raised the defence budget by 123 per cent since 2011 and bought over the Army by giving it power, status and money by insulating it from politics. Ironically it still treats India as Foxland in its war games. In this era of uncertainty, India has put all its eggs in the Hasina basket.

(The writer, a retired Major General, was Commander, IPKF South, Sri Lanka, and founder member of the Defence Planning Staff, currently the Integrated Defence Staff. The views expressed are personal)
In a significant development, the proposed defence corridor in Uttar Pradesh is gaining momentum alongside the industrial corridor. The finalised proposal for the defence corridor involves an investment of approximately Rs 25,000 crore.

Various multinational companies have shown keen interest in investing in Jhansi, Lucknow, and Aligarh. As of now, 138 MoUs have been signed across the six nodes in the state.

Defence corridors are being developed in six districts: Aligarh, Jhansi, Kanpur, Agra, Chitrakoot and Lucknow. The acquisition of 5,000 hectares of land has been undertaken for this purpose, with nearly 1,700 hectares already allocated to investors.

Senior officials of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Corridor Authority (UPDCA) have disclosed that the acquired land in Aligarh has been allocated to investors. Simultaneously, land acquisition for the second phase is underway in Kanpur and Lucknow. Notably, Jhansi has witnessed increased interest from major companies, particularly following the entry of Bharat Dynamics Ltd.

Several international companies have expressed interest in MoUs for the defence corridor. Notable entities such as Adani Defence and Aerospace, Anchor Research Lab, Genesys, Cell, EMITECH, BrahMos Aerospace, Tata Technologies, Optic Electronics India, Bharat Dynamics Ltd, L&T, Delta Combat, Hans Energy, SpiceJet Technologies, Varivin Defence, BEML, HAL, Gliders India, IIT Kanpur, IIT BHU, and DRDO are among those involved in agreements with the UPDCA.
A 22-year-old salesman was stabbed to death on Sunday afternoon at Sant Hirdaram Shopping Complex in Bairagarh after a fight between the employees of the textile shops over customers.

During this time, an employee of one shop stabbed a young man working at another shop.

The seriously injured youth was taken to the nearby hospital where he died. After this the angry family members vandalized the shops. In view of the situation police personnel were deployed at the market.

Bairagarh TI Kanwaljit Singh Randhawa said that there are two textile shops named Shrimaya and Shubh Mangal on the ground floor of Sant Hirdaram Shopping Complex. Ankit Rajput (22), resident of Budhakheda village, worked at Shrimaya, while accused Bharat Priyani works at Shubh Mangal. There was a dispute between the two over calling customers to their shops outside the complex on Sunday afternoon. During this, Bharat attacked Ankit with a sharp weapon. Accused Bharat is absconding since the incident, search has been started for the absconding accused.

The dispute over calling customers escalated so much that Ankit Thakur, aged 26, lost his life. There was a dispute between Bharat and Ankit over calling customers, Bharat called youths from outside and attacked Ankit Thakur with a sharp edged weapon due to which Ankit Singh Rajput died on the spot.

As soon as the friends of the deceased Ankit Singh Rajput got information about the incident, they entered the shopping complex and vandalized it and were demanding closure of the shop where Bharat Piryani worked.

The CCTVs were installed in the complex where the incident took place, but they were found switched off.

After the incident, as people became aware of the incident, the market was deserted.
Review meeting with police officers of Indore division conducted by ADGP Jaideep Prasad, officer in-charge of Indore division. He Reviewed the work and functioning of the police of all the districts of the division and gave necessary guidelines.

. Emphasis was laid on always making efforts to ensure that the people of Indore get a transparent, clean and people-oriented police administration.

For effective monitoring and supervision and review of law and order and police work at the divisional level by the Chief Minister, Madhya Pradesh Government. With the aim of controlling crimes and better law and order and to further improve and tighten the functioning of the police, additional police Director General (Narcotics), Police Headquarters, Bhopal, Jaideep Prasad has been appointed officer in-charge of Indore division.

In continuation of the instructions given by the Honorable Chief Minister Mohan Yadav a meeting of the police officers of the division was organized by the officer in-charge of Indore division, Additional Director General of Police Jaideep Prasad to review the functioning of the police of all the districts of Indore division and the work being done by them was held on Monday in the auditorium of Police Commissioner's Office, Indore.

In the said meeting, Police Commissioner Urban Indore Makrand Deuskar, Inspector General of Police Indore Range (Rural) Rakesh Gupta, Additional Commissioner of Police Indore Manish Kapuria, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime/Headquarters) Indore Manoj Kumar Srivastava, Deputy Inspector General of Police Indore Range (Rural) Rajesh Hingankar and all the Deputy Commissioners of Police posted in urban Indore, all the districts of Indore division - Indore (Rural), Dhar, Jhabua, Alirajpur, Superintendents of Police and other officers of Khargone, Khandwa, Barwani, Burhanpur were present.

During this, ADGP Jaideep Prasad had a detailed discussion on all the issues including crime control, law and order, action against mafias and organized criminals and work being done for better policing by all the districts including Indore Police Commissionerate. And to curb the crimes in the state, effective action against mafias and organized criminals, effective action against loudspeakers to curb crimes against women and their safety, effective action against loudspeakers to control noise pollution and better policing in the interest of society etc. are all the priorities of the Chief Minister. On the instructions given to the police, how the police is working was reviewed in detail.

After the review, ADGP said that all the officers and employees of all the districts of Indore division and Police Commissionerate Indore are working diligently and diligently on all the priorities for better policing and many initiatives have been taken by the police to further improve the functioning of the police. Innovations have also been made, which are yielding good results.

The action being taken to curb the current trend of increasing cyber crimes and illegal drugs and addiction is satisfactory. But we need to work on controlling it by taking appropriate legal action.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and his wife Dimple Yadav have indicated their willingness to attend the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22 next year. However, Akhilesh has yet to get the invite from the organising committee of the temple trust.

The SP president has already said that if he gets an invite for the Pran Pratishtha (consecration) ceremony, he will definitely go to Ayodhya. Earlier this year, Akhilesh had said that once the Ram temple was built, he would visit Ayodhya with his entire family. His inclination to attend the inaugural function of the temple would be a major change in the stance of the Samajwadi Party regarding Ayodhya.

A large number of dignitaries, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, are scheduled to witness the consecration event on January 22, 2024.

The organising committee related to the construction of the temple has sent invites to former prime ministers and heads of national political parties. Along with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, CPM leader Sitaram Yechury have also been invited to the event.

Meanwhile, SP MP Shafiqur Rahman Barq questioned the construction of the Ram temple. He said it was an injustice that the Ram temple was coming up at the place where the Babri masjid once stood. Barq said that it was unfair to demolish the mosque and build a temple. It is unlawful, and now the government should extend the same rights to Muslims to construct a mosque in Ayodhya on the allocated land, ensuring no government intervention, he added.
Miscreants targeted the ancient Baba Ramdev temple located in Lakherapura in the night on Sunday and escaped with valuables over Rs 50000, Kotwali police have started investigation into the matter.

Police said that the miscreants targeted the temple between 12 in the night to 5 in the morning. The police have registered a case after the preliminary investigation.

The police are checking the CCTV cameras installed in the area to identify the accused.

Sunil Dabi, President of Shri Baba Ramdev Temple located in Lakherapura of Jeenagar community lodged a complaint with the Kotwali police that temple was closed by the priest last night at around 10 pm, at that time all the materials kept inside the temple were in order.
After a surprise inspection on December 7, another surprise inspection of Birsa Munda Central Jail, Hotwar was conducted on Monday, under the leadership of Deputy Commissioner, Ranchi Rahul Kumar Sinha. The team includes Additional District Magistrate (Law and Order), Rajeshwarnath Alok, Executive Magistrate Sanjay Prasad, Residential Magistrate, Hatia Smriti Kumari, Dr. Anil Kumar Khaitan, Doctor Sadar Hospital Ranchi, Arun Kumar Block Supply Officer Ranchi, Santosh Kumar, Block Supply Officer Angada and Sajal Srivastava, Food Safety Office. The team also included 20 sub-inspectors and 50 policemen to assist in the investigation.

Every ward and cell inside Birsa Munda Central Jail Hotwar was checked. The medical arrangements of prisoners in the jail were also reviewed. Deputy Commissioner, Rahul Kumar Sinha inspected the hospital and took information about the medical arrangements being provided to the prisoners.

The officials included in the investigation team also inquired about the food arrangements for the prisoners in the jail. Samples of prepared food items and raw food items were collected to check the quality of food being provided to the prisoners. The stock register of food items was also matched.

During the inspection, statements of about 200 prisoners were taken. In this regard, a detailed investigation report from the district level will be made available to the Jail IG.

Notably, after the tragic killing of gangster Aman Singh in Dhanbad jail the State Government has started tightening the noose around people active inside and outside State prisons indulged in criminal activities.

In the December 7 raid Birsa Munda Central Prison Hospital was also thoroughly inspected. Besides, women policemen also searched every womens ward. During the raid, no objectionable materials were recovered from the jail.
State Bharatiya Janata Party today celebrated the 100th birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as Good Governance Day at the booth level in the state. Thousands of party workers paid homage to Atal ji at their respective booths.

Seminars and poetry recitals based on the personality and works of revered Atal ji were organized in all 27 organizational districts and 513 divisions. Service work, distribution of fruits and blankets were also done by party workers at many places.

While addressing the seminar organized by Dhanbad Metropolitan BJP, State President and former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi paid tribute by garlanding the statue of Atal ji in Dhanbad.

Addressing the seminar, Marandi said that respected Atal ji always remained firm towards his goals and ideas.

He said that Atal ji dreamed of a developed and self-respecting India. For this he laid emphasis on good governance, which is directly related to the reach of development to the last person. He paved the way for Antyodaya through good governance.

Marandi said that Atal ji reduced the distance between cities and villages through the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. The Golden Quadrilateral Scheme led to the revival of major highways of the country including the GT Road. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan removed the shortage of resources in basic education.

He said that Atal ji not only created a separate state but also created separate ministries for the rapid development of the tribal society, included Santhali language in the 8th schedule of the Constitution.

He said that Atal ji increased the self-respect and pride of the country with development programmes. Under the pressure of developed countries, the nuclear test pending for years was realized in Pokhran.

He said that Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who defeated Pakistan in the Kargil war, never compromised on national security. Today, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is rapidly taking forward the work of Atal ji.

While offering flowers on the portrait of revered Atal ji in the state BJP office, State Organization General Secretary Karmaveer Singh said that the name of a patriot and a great personality is Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Such a personality who is a skilled organizer, a far-sighted politician, an enemy of the unknown, a poet, a writer, and a dynamic speaker is rarely born.

Singh said that Atal ji did whatever he said. The people of Jharkhand can never forget him. As soon as he became Prime Minister, he realized his years-old dream of a separate state.

Singh said that his speeches, his poems make him alive. Atal ji is not physically present in the world but his personality can be seen in his creations.

BJP State Organization General Secretary Karmaveer Singh, Leader of Opposition Amar Kumar Bauri, Metropolitan District President KK Gupta and others paid homage at the statue of Atal ji located in the Assembly complex.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has greeted and extended good wishes to all the ministers following the formation of the new Cabinet of Madhya Pradesh. An attempt has been made to include all the districts, areas, zones and the entire Madhya Pradesh in the Cabinet. Greeting the newly appointed ministers, he said that in the coming time all the ministers will give good results, which will be better for the development of Madhya Pradesh.

Chief Minister Yadav said that the double engine government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Modi will continue to move ahead on the path of development in the state. There will be no compromise in matters of development. While discussing with the media, Yadav said that the state cabinet has been formed with the co-ordination of all senior leaders including Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, MP Shri JP Nadda, MP VD Sharma and former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Chief Minister Dr. Yadav said that today 28 ministers have been sworn in.
On the 99th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited Bateshwar in Agra, the birthplace of Atal ji. During his visit, the chief minister unveiled the statue of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and inaugurated the cultural complex centre (museum) named after him in his memory.

The chief minister also launched the helicopter service for Braj pilgrimage, connecting Agra to Mathura-Vrindavan, besides inaugurating the Tourism and Agriculture Exhibition. He also announced the establishment of a potato research centre in Agra.

Addressing the gathering, the chief minister said, Today is the birth anniversary of the former Prime Minister. The whole country is paying tribute to Atal ji for his dedicated service to the nation. On this momentous occasion, I extend my humble tribute to Atal ji on behalf of the people of Uttar Pradesh.

The chief minister emphasised that previous unstable governments had a detrimental impact on the nation, depleting its strength. He credited Atal Bihari Vajpayee with providing a stable government in contrast.

Highlighting the challenges of the past, he pointed out that in earlier times, daughters faced barriers in accessing education, and farmers encountered difficulties reaching their fields. Moreover, funds allocated for development did not effectively reach the intended beneficiaries.

The foundation that Atal ji laid for Uttar Pradesh is being carried forward by the double-engine government. Today, development is taking place in UP, with increased connectivity of villages. Not only roads are improving, but also airplane connectivity is getting better, the chief minister remarked.

He further highlighted the remarkable progress witnessed since his first visit to the holy land of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The temples along the banks of the Yamuna have faced foreign attacks, and efforts by the Tourism department are underway to beautify these temples. The ongoing development serves as an inspiration, and it is important to treat tourists with respect.

Reflecting on Atal Bihari Vajpayees contributions, Yogi said, What Atal ji gave to the country was world-class. Today, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, people are getting the benefits of all the schemes of the government. The Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra will play a crucial role in Indias transformative journey.

Furthermore, the chief minister mentioned the construction of 18 Atal residential schools, specifically designed to provide education to the children of the economically disadvantaged, including those from impoverished and laborer backgrounds.

Urging everyone to participate in the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, Yogi said, The beneficiaries must share their stories. Those who have not received the benefit should do so. The double engine government will do whatever it takes to improve the lives of farmers.

Meanwhile, the helicopter service between Agra and Mathura began on Monday. This service is being operated on PPP mode. On December 12, the government signed an agreement with M/s Rajas Aerosport and Adventure Private Limited in this regard. The heliport has been given on lease to the company for 30 years.
Governor Mangubhai Patel has said that for the personality development of students, the type of education should be in accordance with the ideals of our soil. This can instill the feeling of patriotism among the youth. Students should follow the convocation oath throughout their life and respect their parents and teachers. Patel was addressing the convocation ceremony of Atal Bihari Vajpayee Hindi Vishwavidyalaya, Bhopal today. The convocation ceremony was organised at Kushabhau Thakre International Convention Centre, Bhopal.

Governor Mangubhai Patel paid tribute to former Prime Minister and Bharat Ratna Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary. He urged the attending students to emulate Atal Ji by raising the banner of Hindi worldwide, thereby bringing honour to the university. The contribution of late Atal ji in propagating and popularizing Hindi is historic and exemplary. He will always be remembered as a great Hindi lover, a poet at heart and an eloquent orator. Patel also narrated an incident from his life related to Late Atal ji.

Governor Mangubhai Patel said the University has made commendable efforts in raising awareness about sickle cell anaemia. It is commendable that the University has made the knowledge and science of various disciplines related to the Indian knowledge tradition a part of the curriculum. He said that the National Education Policy has provided an opportunity for bondage-free education to the young generation by bringing together both modern and traditional knowledge of Indian culture. He said that education is not just a process of teaching, but a medium to accept, face the challenges of life and set future goals.

Educational institutions should prepare such a young generation which is world class in employability skills along with overall personality development and is exceptional and cultured from character point of view.

Governor Patel said that every youth of the country can become the cause for the progress of India. The youth can contribute to nation building while achieving their dreams. All of you take a pledge to make India a developed India by 2047 with your knowledge, skills, character and capabilities. The journey till convocation has been possible through hard work, from here one can reach new heights and bring glory to the country, state and family.

Governor Mangubhai Patel spoke to the degree-awarded students and youth regarding the resolution of Developed India @2047. On this occasion, Patel listened to the resolutions, suggestions, ideas and goals of the students regarding making India developed. The students also received guidance from Governor Patel about Developed India @2047.

Governor Patel opened the programme by lighting the lamp. On this occasion, he garlanded the Saraswati statue and the photograph of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Patel was greeted with a shawl, shrifal and a memento. He released the souvenirs, research magazine and publications of the university. In the convocation ceremony, degrees were awarded to 170 students and medals were awarded to those students who obtained the highest marks.

The welcome address and annual report was presented by Vice Chancellor Atal Bihari Vajpayee University, Khem Singh Dahria. He administered the convocation oath to the initiated students. The guest director of the function, IIITDM Bhartendu Kumar delivered the convocation address. Registrar Atal Bihari Vajpayee University, Satendra Kumar Jain proposed vote of thanks. On this occasion, members of various assemblies of the university, teachers, initiated students and their families were present.
Indian Institute of Management Ranchi announces its hosting of the 16th ISDSI Global Conference 2023. Scheduled to take place from 26th December 2023 to 29th December 2023 in the sprawling new campus of the institute, the conference will convene in a hybrid format, fostering a diverse global dialogue despite the challenges posed by the ongoing de-globalizing trends.

The ISDSI-Global Conference 2023 is set to become a pivotal platform for scholars, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, providing an arena for sharing insights and ideas. The conference will pivot around the central theme, Reimagining Globalization: The Power of Digital Interconnection in a Deglobalizing World.

This academic symposium aims to illuminate the multifaceted aspects of globalization, exploring their intersection with the prevailing de-globalization trends. The thematic discussions will delve into crucial sub-themes: Internationalization, Social Impact, Innovativeness, and Impactful Research.

Spanning across four days, the conference itinerary is rich and diverse:

December 26, 2023:

Five Doctoral workshops are scheduled to kickstart the conference, setting the tone for comprehensive discussions.

December 27, 2023:

The inaugural session will be accompanied by a Director Panel focusing on "Two-way Internationalization: Making India a Global Hub for Higher Education." Simultaneously, a CEO Panel will engage in discourse on Navigating the New Normal: Digital Innovation Strategies for Sustainable Growth in a Deglobalizing World.

December 28, 2023:

Activities include an accreditation session, workshops on publishing in high-impact journals, and discussions on Developing High Impact Journals in India. Additionally, a Case Study Workshop and a session on Women Entrepreneurship in Tribal Areas will take place alongside Parallel Track Presentations, both in offline and online modes.

December 29, 2023:

The conference will culminate with discussions on Startup and Entrepreneurship, focusing on the Internationalization of Indian B-schools, and the valedictory address. An award ceremony will honour the exceptional contributions.

Prof. Rajesh Jain, the Conference Chair, says, We're excited to host the prestigious conference, and we are very proud to have received approximately 580 submissions from more than 1000 authors from across the globe, including academicians, industry leaders, policymakers, scholars from different IIMs, IITs, Central universities, leading private B-schools and other global academic institutions. In these four days, we are going to have exciting conversations around the major theme of the conference, which is reimagining globalization, the power of digital interconnections in the de-globalizing world. Looking forward to welcoming all the guests at IIM Ranchi campus during these four days."

Prof. Deepak Kumar Srivastava, Director of IIM Ranchi said, Since we live in a global world marked by Knightian uncertainty and a dynamic geopolitical landscape with rising protectionist measures, it is crucial to have a debate about effectively navigating the intricacies of a deglobalizing environment. As a result, the theme of conference is "Reimagining Globalisation: The Power of Digital Interconnection in a Deglobalizing World" in order to examine and comprehend the changing paradigms that affect global interactions.

He further said, Hosting the ISDSI-Global 2023 conference serves as a testament to institutes commitment to offering a platform for the global community to converge and collectively tackle these issues. IIM Ranchi remains dedicated to cultivating an environment that nurtures curiosity, innovation, and the interchange of ideas.

This hybrid conference represents a concerted effort to bridge geographical boundaries and ensure an inclusive discourse despite the prevailing global circumstances. Participants can engage both in-person and virtually, fostering a truly global exchange of ideas.

IIM Ranchi hosts 16th ISDSI Global Conference 2023 in Hybrid Mode

PNS

RANCHI

Indian Institute of Management Ranchi announces its hosting of the 16th ISDSI Global Conference 2023. Scheduled to take place from 26th December 2023 to 29th December 2023 in the sprawling new campus of the institute, the conference will convene in a hybrid format, fostering a diverse global dialogue despite the challenges posed by the ongoing de-globalizing trends.

The ISDSI-Global Conference 2023 is set to become a pivotal platform for scholars, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, providing an arena for sharing insights and ideas. The conference will pivot around the central theme, Reimagining Globalization: The Power of Digital Interconnection in a Deglobalizing World.

This academic symposium aims to illuminate the multifaceted aspects of globalization, exploring their intersection with the prevailing de-globalization trends. The thematic discussions will delve into crucial sub-themes: Internationalization, Social Impact, Innovativeness, and Impactful Research.

Spanning across four days, the conference itinerary is rich and diverse:

December 26, 2023:

Five Doctoral workshops are scheduled to kickstart the conference, setting the tone for comprehensive discussions.

December 27, 2023:

The inaugural session will be accompanied by a Director Panel focusing on "Two-way Internationalization: Making India a Global Hub for Higher Education." Simultaneously, a CEO Panel will engage in discourse on Navigating the New Normal: Digital Innovation Strategies for Sustainable Growth in a Deglobalizing World.

December 28, 2023:

Activities include an accreditation session, workshops on publishing in high-impact journals, and discussions on Developing High Impact Journals in India. Additionally, a Case Study Workshop and a session on Women Entrepreneurship in Tribal Areas will take place alongside Parallel Track Presentations, both in offline and online modes.

December 29, 2023:

The conference will culminate with discussions on Startup and Entrepreneurship, focusing on the Internationalization of Indian B-schools, and the valedictory address. An award ceremony will honour the exceptional contributions.

Prof. Rajesh Jain, the Conference Chair, says, We're excited to host the prestigious conference, and we are very proud to have received approximately 580 submissions from more than 1000 authors from across the globe, including academicians, industry leaders, policymakers, scholars from different IIMs, IITs, Central universities, leading private B-schools and other global academic institutions. In these four days, we are going to have exciting conversations around the major theme of the conference, which is reimagining globalization, the power of digital interconnections in the de-globalizing world. Looking forward to welcoming all the guests at IIM Ranchi campus during these four days."

Prof. Deepak Kumar Srivastava, Director of IIM Ranchi said, Since we live in a global world marked by Knightian uncertainty and a dynamic geopolitical landscape with rising protectionist measures, it is crucial to have a debate about effectively navigating the intricacies of a deglobalizing environment. As a result, the theme of conference is "Reimagining Globalisation: The Power of Digital Interconnection in a Deglobalizing World" in order to examine and comprehend the changing paradigms that affect global interactions.

He further said, Hosting the ISDSI-Global 2023 conference serves as a testament to institutes commitment to offering a platform for the global community to converge and collectively tackle these issues. IIM Ranchi remains dedicated to cultivating an environment that nurtures curiosity, innovation, and the interchange of ideas.

This hybrid conference represents a concerted effort to bridge geographical boundaries and ensure an inclusive discourse despite the prevailing global circumstances. Participants can engage both in-person and virtually, fostering a truly global exchange of ideas.
Jharkhand High Court has rejected the discharge petition of money laundering accused Prem Prakash, known as Power Broker. The court said in its order that prima facie it appears that ED has sufficient evidence against Prem Prakash, which proves that he was involved in illegal mining in Sahibganj and money laundering of illegal earnings through it. The court said that the nexus of Prem Prakash in the proceeds of crime has been revealed. He has still not been able to show how lakhs of rupees came into his account.

The Jharkhand High Court has said that there are sufficient prima facie materials against Prem Prakash, to prove that he was involved in the proceeds of the crime generated out of illegal mining in Sahibganj.

Prem Prakashs nexus has been revealed in the proceeds of crime. He has not been able to demonstrate how the said amount is there in his account. Also, he could not explain before the ED of storing the stamp paper back-dated, the court has observed.

The court said that for a property to be regarded as proceeds of crime, it was essential for it to be established that it had been obtained upon the omission of a scheduled offence.

Admittedly, Prakash is not named as accused in any scheduled offence. However, action has been resorted to against the properties, which were in his hands or possession, and he has involvement in the criminal activity, based on that same are proceeds of crime, the court said.

The court said that the Barharwa P.S. case no. 85 of 2020 is still being scrutinised by the High Court as well as by the Supreme Court.

How one Bijay Hansda has been tried to be overpowered by the person behind the scene has been considered by this Court in a writ petition, and the CBI is also investigating his conduct under direction issued by this court, Justice Dwivedi observed.

Indrajit Sinha, appearing for Prem Prakash, said that the ED has not disclosed the proceeds of crimes in the Barharwa police station case.

Actually, the Special Court of Ranchi PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) has framed charges against Prem Prakash and started the trial. Prem Prakash had challenged the order of framing of charges in the High Court. On which the court of High Court judge Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi heard.

Investigation revealed, Prem Prakash's influence did not diminish even inside the jail. Let us tell you that along with the money laundering case related to illegal mining, ED has also made Prem Prakash an accused in the money laundering case related to land scam. Prem Prakash was arrested by ED last year, after which he is in judicial custody. ED's investigation so far has also revealed that Prem Prakash's influence has not diminished even inside the jail and with the connivance of the jail officials, he is being provided all the facilities in the jail.
Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) has become a proud recipient of the prestigious National CSR Golden Peacock Award 2023 in the Steel Sector. P K Swain, CGM (TA & CSR) and Munmun Mittra GM(CSR) received the award on behalf of RSP at the glittering function of the 18th International Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility a held at Hotel Taj Land Ends, Mumbai on 21st December 2023. Devendra Kumar Upadhyay, Chief Justice of the High Court of Mumbai, and UU Lalit, former Chief Justice of India handed over the awards.

Notably the award was given to RSP for its Integrated Approach for Economic Upliftment of Small Women Farmers through Sustainable Green Farming using Organic Farming Techniques. A project undertaken which have helped fetch this award is organic farming carried out in association with NIT Rourkela, with an aim to train 700 farmers from periphery villages, mostly women in a period of 4 years in Vermicompost, Organic Manures, Biopesticides and Soil Health Management.

The objective is to empower women, build their capacities, improve the soil condition of small rural land holdings, provide marketing facilities, support networking through ORMAS, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, NIT Rourkela, Department of Horticulture (Govt. of Odisha) and consumers along with SHG groups, supplement family income, ensure eco-friendly sustainability, dovetailing with Government sponsored projects and using the SHG groups through the Mission Shakti project in an effective manner for a long lasting effect on the mind space of people for greener modes of farming without compromising on soil health and better shelf life of products.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that Veer Bal Diwas serves as a reminder of the profound sacrifice made by Sikh Gurus, as all four sons of Guru Gobind Singh happily sacrificed their lives for the protection of religion and country.

Speaking at a special sankirtan programme held at his residence, Yogi said: The tales of this historic sacrifice need to be imparted to the younger generation so that they know about the glorious story of their martyrs.

Earlier, Yogi extended a warm welcome to Guru Granth Sahib and carried it on his head. On the occasion, Gurbani, Ardas, and Langar were organised at the CM residence. The chief minister was honored with a Siropa by Sikh representatives from across the state.

During the programme, Yogi said that brave children should be honoured at every division and district level of the state. Additionally, he mentioned that all places in the state related to Sikh Gurus would be identified, and efforts would be made for their development.

The chief minister, while paying tribute to Guru Gobind Singh, stated that he sacrificed all four of his sons to protect the country and religion. When Guru Govind Singh Ji was asked about his four sons becoming martyrs, he responded by saying so what if four were sacrificed, thousands are still alive. Such programmes provide an opportunity to express gratitude towards them. Todays programme at the CMs residence is an opportunity to pay homage to the Sikh Gurus, Yogi said.

He further said that the values imparted to Sahibzade in the presence of Mother Gujri were the reason they did not bow down to injustice. This day provides new inspiration for every youth and child, he added.

The chief minister expressed gratitude to the Sikhs in Lucknow, stating that everyone has consistently raised the question since 2020 as to why the sacrifice of Sahibzade, who gave the supreme sacrifice in the history of India, was being forgotten. Instead of celebrating the martyrdom day of Sahibzade as Bal Diwas, some other event was linked to Childrens Day, he said.

Under the leadership and inspiration of Prime Minister Modi, the entire country is celebrating the martyrdom day of both Sahibzade Baba Zorawar Singh and Baba Fateh Singh as Veer Bal Diwas, he added.

The chief minister emphasised that the sacrifices made by Sikh Gurus were not driven by personal or familial motives but were dedicated to the service of the country and religion.

Guru Nanak, a saint deeply devoted to spiritual enlightenment, fearlessly challenged Babur during his time. The Sikh Gurus, characterised by their selflessness, consistently worked for the greater good, Yogi said.

Guru Granth Sahib serves as an inspiration, guiding us to dedicate our efforts with hard work and determination to the welfare of both country and religion. Presently, the entire country is commemorating Veer Bal Diwas, while no one is left to light a lamp in the homes of the Mughals, he added. The chief minister emphasised the importance of imparting the history of Sahibzade to schoolchildren.
Delhi Police on Tuesday evening received a call about a blast near the Israel embassy located in the New Delhi district but no explosive has been found yet, officials said.

The search operation is underway, they said.

When contacted, Israeli embassy spokesperson Guy Nir said, "We can confirm that around 5:48 pm there was a blast in close proximity to the embassy. Delhi Police and the security team are still investigating the situation."
A constable was shot dead when a police team that had gone to arrest a history-sheeter came under fire from his family members, officials said on Tuesday.

The alleged criminal and his son were also shot in the exchange of fire in Vishungarh police station area here and were then sent to a hospital in Kannauj for treatment, they said.

Police constable Sachin Rathi (28) sustained a bullet injury in the incident and was sent to Kanpur for treatment where he succumbed to his injuries, Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Kumar Anand said.

Rathi, who was recruited into the police force in 2019, was to get married to another constable this coming February, his family members said.

The SP said Ashok Kumar alias Munna Yadav was a history-sheeter with 20 cases registered against him and there was a non-bailable warrant against him.

On Monday police received information that Kumar was at his home following which a police team of Chhibramau and Vishungarh police station jointly laid siege to the house, Anand told reporters.

Kumar, his wife and son opened fire at the police team as soon as the police team arrived at the spot in Dharni Dheerpur Nagariya village, the SP said.

Constable Rathi was shot in the thigh and was rushed to Kanpur for treatment where he succumbed to his injuries late in the night, he said.

The history-sheeter and his son have been sent to Tirva Medical College in Kannauj, he added.

Anand said that two pistols have been recovered from Kumar and his son with which they were firing at the police. During a search at the house, a double barrel rifle was also found, police said.

The mortal remains of the deceased were given full state honours at the police lines in the afternoon by officers, including SP Anand.

Later, family members took the mortal remains of the deceased to Muzaffarnagar. Rathi's family members and the woman he was to marry in two months were inconsolable.

Constable Rathi hailed from Shahdavar village in Budhana area of Muzaffarnagar district. Rathi was earlier posted in Saurikh police station in Kannauj district and later he was posted at Vishungarh police station.
President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday told a group of young civil servants that their integrity, hard work and sincerity will play a huge role in determining the pace of development of people.

"When you get posted in various departments, you should always remember that your actions and decisions will have an impact on the lives of all the citizens," she said.

Murmu was addressing the probationers of Indian Audit & Accounts Service, Indian Revenue Service (Customs & Indirect Taxes) and Indian Statistical Service, who had called on her at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

"The integrity, hard work and sincerity that each of you puts in your work, will play a huge role in determining the pace of development of our people," the President said.

Addressing the probationers of Indian Audit & Accounts Service, Murmu said, "You are expected to function as the custodians of public trust and guardians of financial prudence" and that they should always adhere to the values of truth, transparency and fairness while making decisions and taking actions.

"The institution of the Comptroller and Auditor General is of utmost importance in ensuring accountability of government departments and organizations," she said.

The President said she was happy to note that "leveraging the technology, the institution of CAG is moving towards paperless audit, and is preparing all audit reports in online mode".

"I am glad to know that the organisation is getting ready to use Artificial Intelligence in its functioning. You should be proud to be part of such an institution which has strengthened its position in the governance system over the years. It is the duty of the young officers like you to carry forward this rich legacy," she said.

Addressing the probationers of Indian Revenue Service (Customs & Indirect Taxes), Murmu said they should bring to this service, "the highest standards of integrity".

"You will be required to function in different domains as administrators, investigators, lawyers and policy makers. You will also participate and contribute in negotiations of treaties of government of India in trade, customs and related areas.

"In order to perform these multifarious tasks with efficiency, you need to be updated about the latest advancements in all fields and also work hand-in-hand with officers of other services and departments," she said.

Addressing the probationers of the Indian Statistical Service, the President said that data or statistics forms a very important base for all activities ranging from formulation of policies to, analysing the outcome of the programmes and schemes.

"It is through statistics that the policy makers, experts and citizens get to know how the country is performing on key socio-economic parameters. These are the times when the world is keenly observing India's growth and performance. There is a need to generate accurate and high quality data sets using the latest techniques of international standards," she said.

With the increasing availability of information through numerous channels, Murmu said the significance of authentic and accurate statistics has increased manifold.

"You need to use the latest methods from fields like artificial intelligence, big data, data science and others for compiling official statistics and managing survey operations," the President said.

Murmu said the officers will play the role of change agents in the process of country's transformation into a developed nation.

"You should always remember Gandhiji's Antyodaya principle and work for the welfare of the last or the poorest person. You have to set new benchmarks during this Amrit Kaal," she told all the probationers.
Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT  Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of Hold from the fourteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $38.77.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on EAT shares. StockNews.com cut Brinker International from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, December 8th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Brinker International from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research report on Thursday, November 2nd. Wedbush upped their target price on Brinker International from $33.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, November 2nd. Raymond James upped their target price on Brinker International from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a strong-buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their target price on Brinker International from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 22nd.

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Brinker International Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of EAT stock opened at $42.84 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.86, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 2.30. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $36.63 and a 200-day moving average of $35.35. Brinker International has a 1-year low of $28.23 and a 1-year high of $42.93.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 1st. The restaurant operator reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.03 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.01 billion. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 84.94% and a net margin of 3.34%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.57) earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Brinker International will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Brinker International news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 14,951 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.76, for a total value of $609,402.76. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 37,604 shares in the company, valued at $1,532,739.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Joseph G. Taylor sold 11,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.11, for a total value of $452,210.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 71,286 shares in the company, valued at $2,930,567.46. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 14,951 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.76, for a total value of $609,402.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 37,604 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,532,739.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of EAT. Cooper Creek Partners Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the third quarter valued at approximately $57,246,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. increased its position in shares of Brinker International by 2,694.9% during the first quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 761,011 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $29,040,000 after acquiring an additional 733,782 shares during the last quarter. Junto Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the second quarter valued at approximately $24,426,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Brinker International by 86.0% during the first quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,389,928 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $52,817,000 after acquiring an additional 642,666 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Brinker International by 32.1% during the second quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 2,451,624 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $89,729,000 after acquiring an additional 595,818 shares during the last quarter.

About Brinker International

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Brinker International, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the ownership, development, operation, and franchising of casual dining restaurants in the United States and internationally. It operates and franchises Chili's Grill & Bar and Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant brands.

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Apple Hospitality REIT (NYSE:APLE  Free Report) had its price objective increased by Wells Fargo & Company from $17.00 to $18.00 in a report published on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the real estate investment trusts stock.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Wolfe Research began coverage on Apple Hospitality REIT in a research note on Wednesday, September 27th. They issued a peer perform rating on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Apple Hospitality REIT from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Sunday, November 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Apple Hospitality REIT currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $18.20.

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Apple Hospitality REIT Price Performance

Apple Hospitality REIT Announces Dividend

Shares of APLE stock opened at $16.92 on Friday. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $16.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $15.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The firm has a market cap of $3.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.17 and a beta of 1.12. Apple Hospitality REIT has a one year low of $13.66 and a one year high of $18.22.

The firm also recently disclosed a None dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 29th will be given a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 28th. This represents a yield of 5.7%. Apple Hospitality REITs payout ratio is 137.14%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apple Hospitality REIT

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Apple Hospitality REIT in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Advisory Services Network LLC lifted its stake in Apple Hospitality REIT by 255.5% in the first quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 2,087 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in Apple Hospitality REIT by 328.2% in the second quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,882 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 2,209 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Apple Hospitality REIT in the third quarter valued at about $72,000. Finally, First Manhattan Co. acquired a new position in Apple Hospitality REIT in the first quarter valued at about $99,000. Institutional investors own 80.53% of the companys stock.

About Apple Hospitality REIT

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Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc (NYSE: APLE) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns one of the largest and most diverse portfolios of upscale, rooms-focused hotels in the United States. Apple Hospitality's portfolio consists of 223 hotels with more than 29,400 guest rooms located in 87 markets throughout 37 states as well as one property leased to third parties.

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GAP (NYSE:GPS  Free Report) had its price objective increased by Wells Fargo & Company from $20.00 to $24.00 in a report released on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the apparel retailers stock.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on GPS. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of GAP from $8.00 to $14.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Friday, November 17th. StockNews.com raised shares of GAP from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, November 17th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of GAP in a report on Tuesday, November 7th. They issued an outperform rating and a $17.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of GAP from $13.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, November 17th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price target on shares of GAP from $11.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a report on Friday, November 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $13.47.

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GAP Price Performance

NYSE:GPS opened at $21.17 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The firm has a market cap of $7.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 211.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 2.11. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $17.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $12.54. GAP has a 1-year low of $7.22 and a 1-year high of $22.08.

GAP (NYSE:GPS  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 16th. The apparel retailer reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $3.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. GAP had a net margin of 0.30% and a return on equity of 3.41%. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.71 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that GAP will post 1.15 EPS for the current year.

GAP Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 2nd. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.83%. GAPs payout ratio is 600.00%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Sarah Gilligan sold 8,712 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.00, for a total transaction of $121,968.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,741 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $164,374. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other GAP news, insider Julie Gruber sold 24,178 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.50, for a total value of $519,827.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 24,375 shares of the companys stock, valued at $524,062.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Sarah Gilligan sold 8,712 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.00, for a total transaction of $121,968.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $164,374. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 835,666 shares of company stock valued at $17,042,370. 30.81% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of GPS. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in shares of GAP by 12.2% during the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 8,561 shares of the apparel retailers stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 930 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its stake in GAP by 1.8% in the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 114,213 shares of the apparel retailers stock valued at $938,000 after purchasing an additional 2,005 shares during the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in GAP by 317.5% in the third quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,793 shares of the apparel retailers stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 2,124 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in GAP by 117.8% in the third quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 4,613 shares of the apparel retailers stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 2,495 shares during the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE increased its stake in GAP by 34.9% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 12,100 shares of the apparel retailers stock valued at $170,000 after purchasing an additional 3,132 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.71% of the companys stock.

About GAP

(Get Free Report)

The Gap, Inc operates as an apparel retail company. The company offers apparel, accessories, and personal care products for men, women, and children under the Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta brands. Its products include denim and khakis; eyewear, jewelry, shoes, handbags, and fragrances; and fitness and lifestyle products for use in yoga, training, sports, travel, and everyday activities for women and girls.

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Plains GP Holdings, L.P. (NYSE:PAGP  Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of Hold from the nine brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation, four have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $17.22.

PAGP has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup lowered shares of Plains GP from a buy rating to a neutral rating and raised their price objective for the company from $14.00 to $15.50 in a research report on Wednesday, September 6th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Plains GP from $17.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, November 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of Plains GP from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, November 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Plains GP in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a sell rating and a $13.50 target price for the company. Finally, Barclays cut shares of Plains GP from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating and set a $15.00 target price for the company. in a report on Monday, September 25th.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Plains GP

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Plains GP

In related news, CEO Willie Cw Chiang acquired 62,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 28th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $16.24 per share, for a total transaction of $1,006,880.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 318,704 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,175,752.96. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website . Corporate insiders own 9.77% of the companys stock.

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PAGP. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Plains GP by 14.2% during the first quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 34,820 shares of the pipeline companys stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 4,328 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Plains GP by 17.7% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 694,183 shares of the pipeline companys stock valued at $8,018,000 after buying an additional 104,402 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in shares of Plains GP by 25.3% in the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 122,270 shares of the pipeline companys stock valued at $1,412,000 after buying an additional 24,705 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Plains GP by 2.4% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 144,458 shares of the pipeline companys stock valued at $1,668,000 after buying an additional 3,414 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Plains GP by 278.0% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 56,806 shares of the pipeline companys stock valued at $656,000 after buying an additional 41,777 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.45% of the companys stock.

Plains GP Stock Performance

Shares of PAGP opened at $15.90 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $15.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.12 billion, a PE ratio of 16.22 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Plains GP has a 52-week low of $11.79 and a 52-week high of $16.70.

Plains GP (NYSE:PAGP  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 3rd. The pipeline company reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.24 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $12.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.82 billion. Plains GP had a net margin of 0.39% and a return on equity of 1.29%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Plains GP will post 1.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Plains GP Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 31st were issued a dividend of $0.2675 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 30th. This represents a $1.07 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.73%. Plains GPs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 109.18%.

Plains GP Company Profile

(Get Free Report

Plains GP Holdings, L.P., through its subsidiary, Plains All American Pipeline, L.P., owns and operates midstream energy infrastructure in the United States and Canada. The company operates in two segments, Crude Oil and Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs). The company engages in the transportation of crude oil and NGLs on pipelines, gathering systems, and trucks.

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Signet Jewelers (NYSE:SIG  Free Report) had its target price lifted by Wells Fargo & Company from $110.00 to $120.00 in a report released on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on SIG. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price target on shares of Signet Jewelers from $82.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Wednesday, December 6th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Signet Jewelers from $71.00 to $83.00 in a report on Friday, September 1st. Citigroup upgraded shares of Signet Jewelers from a neutral rating to a buy rating and lifted their price target for the company from $93.00 to $119.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 6th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Signet Jewelers from $90.00 to $93.00 in a research note on Friday, September 1st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Signet Jewelers from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $101.00.

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Signet Jewelers Price Performance

Shares of SIG stock opened at $103.57 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.54, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 2.10. Signet Jewelers has a one year low of $57.10 and a one year high of $106.52. The companys fifty day moving average price is $83.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.58.

Signet Jewelers (NYSE:SIG  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 5th. The company reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.39 billion. Signet Jewelers had a net margin of 6.29% and a return on equity of 31.86%. The companys revenue was down 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.74 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Signet Jewelers will post 9.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Signet Jewelers Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, January 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 25th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. Signet Jewelerss dividend payout ratio is presently 11.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Virginia Drosos sold 10,000 shares of Signet Jewelers stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.17, for a total transaction of $1,031,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 967,740 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $99,841,735.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Virginia Drosos sold 10,000 shares of Signet Jewelers stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.17, for a total transaction of $1,031,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 967,740 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $99,841,735.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Stash Ptak sold 882 shares of Signet Jewelers stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.49, for a total transaction of $87,750.18. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 24,071 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,394,823.79. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 99,422 shares of company stock valued at $8,266,425. Company insiders own 4.54% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Signet Jewelers

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Signet Jewelers by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 9,244 shares of the companys stock worth $604,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. raised its stake in shares of Signet Jewelers by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 3,683 shares of the companys stock worth $240,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Signet Jewelers by 67.9% during the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 403 shares of the companys stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Mariner LLC raised its stake in shares of Signet Jewelers by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 3,281 shares of the companys stock worth $236,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Signet Jewelers by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,374 shares of the companys stock worth $98,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter.

About Signet Jewelers

(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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Royal Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO  Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 5,063 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $213,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the first quarter worth $25,000. Northwest Bank & Trust Co bought a new stake in Altria Group during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Asset Dedication LLC grew its holdings in Altria Group by 56.7% during the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 774 shares of the companys stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares during the period. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Altria Group during the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors own 58.94% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Robert Matthews Davis bought 1,200 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $40.50 per share, for a total transaction of $48,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 8,473 shares of the companys stock, valued at $343,156.50. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE MO opened at $40.36 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $71.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $41.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $43.03. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $39.06 and a twelve month high of $51.57.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $5.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.43 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 237.91% and a net margin of 35.58%. The businesss revenue was down 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.28 EPS. Research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 4.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 21st will be given a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 20th. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.71%. Altria Groups dividend payout ratio is currently 79.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on MO shares. StockNews.com lowered Altria Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, December 19th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Altria Group from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, October 13th. UBS Group cut their price target on Altria Group from $40.40 to $39.20 and set a sell rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 6th. Bank of America cut their price target on Altria Group from $49.00 to $47.00 in a report on Monday, October 9th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on Altria Group from $46.50 to $45.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $47.53.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on MO

Altria Group Company Profile

(Free Report)

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company provides cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; cigars and pipe tobacco principally under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco products and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; and on! oral nicotine pouches.

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American States Water (NYSE:AWR  Get Free Report) has received an average rating of Reduce from the three brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and two have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $89.00.

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of American States Water from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Thursday, November 23rd.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

In related news, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger purchased 1,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 9th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $77.94 per share, for a total transaction of $77,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,448 shares in the company, valued at $346,677.12. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website . In other American States Water news, Director Anne M. Holloway sold 400 shares of American States Water stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.00, for a total transaction of $32,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 38,186 shares in the company, valued at $3,131,252. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink . Also, Director Thomas A. Eichelberger purchased 1,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 9th. The shares were bought at an average price of $77.94 per share, with a total value of $77,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 4,448 shares of the companys stock, valued at $346,677.12. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here . 0.82% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of American States Water in the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Dark Forest Capital Management LP grew its holdings in American States Water by 1,000.0% during the 1st quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP now owns 363 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in American States Water by 900.0% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 380 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. Column Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American States Water during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Pacifica Partners Inc. acquired a new position in American States Water during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.67% of the companys stock.

American States Water Stock Performance

NYSE:AWR opened at $81.67 on Thursday. The companys 50-day moving average price is $80.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $83.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. The company has a market cap of $3.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.60, a P/E/G ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 0.42. American States Water has a twelve month low of $75.20 and a twelve month high of $99.19.

American States Water (NYSE:AWR  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.03. American States Water had a net margin of 20.66% and a return on equity of 13.60%. The firm had revenue of $151.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $152.00 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.69 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that American States Water will post 2.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American States Water Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 15th were paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 14th. American States Waters dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.81%.

American States Water Company Profile

(Get Free Report

American States Water Company, through its subsidiaries, provides water and electric services to residential, commercial, industrial, and other customers in the United States. It operates through three segments: Water, Electric, and Contracted Services. The company purchases, produces, distributes, and sells water, as well as distributes electricity.

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ASGN Incorporated (NYSE:ASGN  Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of Hold from the eight brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $87.86.

ASGN has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of ASGN in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. TheStreet upgraded shares of ASGN from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research report on Monday, November 20th. Canaccord Genuity Group began coverage on shares of ASGN in a research report on Wednesday, December 6th. They set a buy rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of ASGN in a research report on Monday, September 18th. They set an overweight rating and a $102.00 price target on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of ASGN from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research report on Thursday, October 26th.

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ASGN Price Performance

ASGN stock opened at $95.66 on Thursday. The firms 50-day moving average price is $88.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $81.97. ASGN has a 12-month low of $63.27 and a 12-month high of $97.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.07, a PEG ratio of 10.16 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a current ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

ASGN (NYSE:ASGN  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 25th. The business services provider reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.12. ASGN had a net margin of 4.96% and a return on equity of 15.87%. The firm had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.11 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that ASGN will post 6.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other ASGN news, Director Jonathan S. Holman sold 1,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.31, for a total value of $91,310.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 10,793 shares in the company, valued at $985,508.83. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, Director Jonathan S. Holman sold 1,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.31, for a total value of $91,310.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,793 shares in the company, valued at $985,508.83. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, President Randolph C. Blazer sold 8,447 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.98, for a total transaction of $726,273.06. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 113,938 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $9,796,389.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 43,947 shares of company stock worth $3,768,713. 3.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of ASGN

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Reinhart Partners LLC. increased its holdings in shares of ASGN by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. Reinhart Partners LLC. now owns 490,853 shares of the business services providers stock worth $40,093,000 after purchasing an additional 27,871 shares in the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of ASGN by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 110,247 shares of the business services providers stock worth $9,005,000 after purchasing an additional 3,787 shares in the last quarter. State of Tennessee Treasury Department increased its holdings in shares of ASGN by 54.6% in the 2nd quarter. State of Tennessee Treasury Department now owns 24,313 shares of the business services providers stock worth $1,839,000 after purchasing an additional 8,588 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of ASGN by 19.1% in the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 24,277 shares of the business services providers stock worth $1,836,000 after purchasing an additional 3,901 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of ASGN by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,891 shares of the business services providers stock worth $1,298,000 after purchasing an additional 1,193 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.41% of the companys stock.

About ASGN

(Get Free Report

ASGN Incorporated provides information technology services and professional solutions in the technology, digital, and creative fields for commercial and government sectors in the United States, Canada, and Europe. It operates through two segments, Commercial and Federal Government. The Commercial Segment provides consulting, creative digital marketing, and permanent placement services primarily to enterprise clients.

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Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO  Free Report) by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,322 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 7,661 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $1,393,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in NVO. Green Square Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 103.7% in the third quarter. Green Square Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,612 shares of the companys stock valued at $238,000 after buying an additional 1,330 shares during the period. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC raised its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 112.2% in the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 29,323 shares of the companys stock worth $2,667,000 after acquiring an additional 15,504 shares in the last quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 67.4% in the 3rd quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. now owns 678 shares of the companys stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 273 shares during the period. Cullinan Associates Inc. grew its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 100.0% during the third quarter. Cullinan Associates Inc. now owns 13,400 shares of the companys stock worth $1,219,000 after purchasing an additional 6,700 shares during the period. Finally, BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. increased its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 100.0% in the third quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. now owns 10,000 shares of the companys stock worth $909,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 6.41% of the companys stock.

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Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Performance

Shares of NVO stock opened at $102.71 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $99.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $69.31. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 12 month low of $65.05 and a 12 month high of $105.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $460.91 billion, a PE ratio of 42.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.40.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Novo Nordisk A/S ( NYSE:NVO Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 2nd. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.04. Novo Nordisk A/S had a net margin of 35.20% and a return on equity of 86.53%. The firm had revenue of $8.58 billion during the quarter. Analysts forecast that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 2.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. TD Cowen increased their price target on Novo Nordisk A/S from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Monday, December 4th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Monday, October 16th. Argus began coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Monday, October 2nd. They set a buy rating and a $110.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an overweight rating on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Monday, December 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of $115.00.

Read Our Latest Research Report on Novo Nordisk A/S

About Novo Nordisk A/S

(Free Report)

Novo Nordisk A/S, a healthcare company, engages in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of pharmaceutical products worldwide. It operates in two segments, Diabetes and Obesity care, and Rare Disease. The Diabetes and Obesity care segment provides products in the areas of insulins, GLP-1 and related delivery systems, oral antidiabetic products, obesity, glucagon, needles, and other chronic diseases.

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China releases action plan to foster world-leading business environment in Greater Bay Area

Xinhua) 11:22, December 26, 2023

BEIJING, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- A three-year action plan was released on Monday by China's economic planner to foster world-leading business environment in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Sources with the National Development and Reform Commission said the move is to deepen cooperation within the area and enhance market integration and international competitiveness in the Greater Bay Area.

After a hard work of three years, the Greater Bay Area is expected to be at the forefront of the world in terms of its competitiveness in business environment, according to the plan.

Relevant policies and mechanism should be basically established in line with internationally recognized rules, which can fully unleash market vitality and social creativity and allow the area to better attract and mobilize resources worldwide, said the plan.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Carlisle Companies Incorporated (NYSE:CSL  Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and five have 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 $307.14.

CSL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Oppenheimer restated an outperform rating and issued a $325.00 price target on shares of Carlisle Companies in a research note on Monday, September 25th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Carlisle Companies from a buy rating to a hold rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $325.00 to $290.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 26th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Carlisle Companies in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating for the company.

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Carlisle Companies Stock Performance

Shares of CSL stock opened at $312.06 on Thursday. Carlisle Companies has a 12 month low of $203.65 and a 12 month high of $318.74. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $276.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $267.42. The firm has a market cap of $15.19 billion, a PE ratio of 21.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 3.73, a current ratio of 4.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Carlisle Companies (NYSE:CSL  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The conglomerate reported $4.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.57 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $1.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.27 billion. Carlisle Companies had a net margin of 13.58% and a return on equity of 27.87%. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 15.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.66 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Carlisle Companies will post 14.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carlisle Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 15th were given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 14th. Carlisle Companiess payout ratio is presently 23.66%.

Institutional Trading of Carlisle Companies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CSL. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Carlisle Companies during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. acquired a new stake in Carlisle Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Artemis Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Carlisle Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $42,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Carlisle Companies by 28.9% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 196 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, RVW Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Carlisle Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $52,000. Institutional investors own 90.70% of the companys stock.

Carlisle Companies Company Profile

(Get Free Report

Carlisle Companies Incorporated operates as a manufacturer of engineered products in the United States, Europe, Asia, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Carlisle Construction Materials, Carlisle Weatherproofing Technologies, Carlisle Interconnect Technologies, and Carlisle Fluid Technologies.

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Cedar Brook Financial Partners LLC decreased its position in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS  Free Report) by 3.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,679 shares of the investment management companys stock after selling 60 shares during the period. Cedar Brook Financial Partners LLCs holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $543,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Pacific Center for Financial Services purchased a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group during the first quarter worth $33,000. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. acquired a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group during the second quarter worth $34,000. PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the second quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 140.0% during the second quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 120 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.06% of the companys stock.

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The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Performance

NYSE:GS opened at $380.65 on Tuesday. The companys 50-day moving average is $335.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $332.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $124.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.42, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.44. 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 $386.20.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The Goldman Sachs Group ( NYSE:GS Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 17th. The investment management company reported $5.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 7.37% and a net margin of 7.77%. The firms quarterly revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $8.25 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 22.73 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 30th will be issued a dividend of $2.75 per share. This represents a $11.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 29th. The Goldman Sachs Groups dividend payout ratio is presently 53.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Oppenheimer raised 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 note on Thursday, November 16th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a market outperform rating and issued a $440.00 price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 18th. HSBC began coverage on The Goldman Sachs Group in a research note on Thursday, September 7th. They issued a buy rating and a $403.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $329.00 to $333.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Monday, December 4th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $393.99.

Check Out Our Latest Report on The Goldman Sachs Group

Insider Activity at The Goldman Sachs Group

In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, insider Ericka T. Leslie sold 1,376 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.15, for a total transaction of $461,166.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 10,471 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,509,355.65. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, major shareholder Goldman Sachs Group Inc sold 72,874 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $0.71, for a total value of $51,740.54. Following the sale, the insider now owns 397,954 shares in the company, valued at approximately $282,547.34. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Ericka T. Leslie sold 1,376 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.15, for a total value of $461,166.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 10,471 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,509,355.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.54% of the stock is owned by insiders.

The Goldman Sachs Group 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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CreativeOne Wealth LLC decreased its position in shares of Energy Transfer LP (NYSE:ET  Free Report) by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 97,343 shares of the pipeline companys stock after selling 848 shares during the quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLCs holdings in Energy Transfer were worth $1,366,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ET. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Energy Transfer by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 79,889 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $894,000 after acquiring an additional 3,501 shares during the period. Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its stake in Energy Transfer by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 424,932 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $4,755,000 after purchasing an additional 2,403 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL boosted its stake in Energy Transfer by 13.7% in the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 260,824 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $2,919,000 after purchasing an additional 31,407 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in Energy Transfer by 7.3% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 159,249 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $1,782,000 after purchasing an additional 10,856 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Energy Transfer by 43.0% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 192,394 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $2,153,000 after purchasing an additional 57,880 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 33.79% of the companys stock.

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Energy Transfer Stock Performance

NYSE:ET opened at $13.76 on Tuesday. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $13.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $13.34. Energy Transfer LP has a twelve month low of $11.45 and a twelve month high of $14.15. The stock has a market cap of $43.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.98 and a beta of 1.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37.

Energy Transfer Increases Dividend

Energy Transfer ( NYSE:ET Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 1st. The pipeline company reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.02. Energy Transfer had a return on equity of 11.98% and a net margin of 4.66%. The firm had revenue of $20.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $21.68 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that Energy Transfer LP will post 1.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 20th. Investors of record on Monday, October 30th were issued a dividend of $0.313 per share. This represents a $1.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.10%. This is a boost from Energy Transfers previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 27th. Energy Transfers dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 117.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ET has been the subject of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Energy Transfer in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a neutral rating and a $14.00 target price for the company. Pickering Energy Partners initiated coverage on Energy Transfer in a research note on Tuesday, October 3rd. They issued an outperform rating for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Energy Transfer from $17.00 to $18.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of $16.57.

Read Our Latest Report on ET

Insider Activity at Energy Transfer

In other news, Chairman Kelcy L. Warren acquired 1,000,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $13.53 per share, with a total value of $13,530,000.00. Following the acquisition, the chairman now owns 65,578,477 shares in the company, valued at approximately $887,276,793.81. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, Chairman Kelcy L. Warren acquired 1,000,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $13.53 per share, with a total value of $13,530,000.00. Following the acquisition, the chairman now owns 65,578,477 shares in the company, valued at approximately $887,276,793.81. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Thomas P. Mason acquired 7,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $13.33 per share, for a total transaction of $99,975.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president now owns 1,707,720 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,763,907.60. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 3.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Energy Transfer Profile

(Free Report)

Energy Transfer LP provides energy-related services. The company owns and operates approximately 11,600 miles of natural gas transportation pipeline, and three natural gas storage facilities in Texas and two natural gas storage facilities located in the state of Texas and Oklahoma; and 19,945 miles of interstate natural gas pipeline.

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Dean Jacobson Financial Services LLC raised its position in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM  Free Report) by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,938 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the quarter. Exxon Mobil accounts for approximately 0.3% of Dean Jacobson Financial Services LLCs holdings, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Dean Jacobson Financial Services LLCs holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $345,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. KB Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 105.4% in the second quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 306 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil in the first quarter valued at about $38,000. IMA Wealth Inc. increased its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 720.0% in the second quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 369 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Country Trust Bank increased its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 64.1% in the second quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 384 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.53% of the companys stock.

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Exxon Mobil Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:XOM opened at $101.91 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock has a market cap of $403.86 billion, a PE ratio of 10.12, a P/E/G ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 1.01. The business has a 50 day moving average of $104.21 and a 200-day moving average of $107.30. Exxon Mobil Co. has a 12-month low of $97.48 and a 12-month high of $120.70.

Exxon Mobil Increases Dividend

Exxon Mobil ( NYSE:XOM Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 27th. The oil and gas company reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.36 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $90.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $93.41 billion. Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 11.56% and a return on equity of 20.72%. The companys quarterly revenue was down 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.45 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 9.18 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 15th were paid a $0.95 dividend. This is a boost from Exxon Mobils previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.73%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 14th. Exxon Mobils payout ratio is 37.74%.

Insider Activity at Exxon Mobil

In related news, Director Jeffrey W. Ubben sold 2,077,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.06, for a total value of $216,132,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 13,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,352,780. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Exxon Mobil news, Director Jeffrey W. Ubben bought 250,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, November 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $105.97 per share, for a total transaction of $26,492,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,077,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $220,099,690. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jeffrey W. Ubben sold 2,077,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.06, for a total value of $216,132,620.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 13,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,352,780. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

XOM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America lifted their target price on Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 27th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Exxon Mobil from $118.00 to $115.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 11th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a hold rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Exxon Mobil in a report on Tuesday, October 17th. They set an outperform rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a sector perform rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Thursday, December 7th. Ten research 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, Exxon Mobil currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $128.70.

View Our Latest Stock Report on XOM

About Exxon Mobil

(Free Report)

Exxon Mobil Corporation engages in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas in the United States and internationally. It operates through Upstream, Energy Products, Chemical Products, and Specialty Products segments. The Upstream segment explores for and produces crude oil and natural gas.

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Integrated Investment Consultants LLC decreased its holdings in iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:IJK  Free Report) by 20.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,278 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,092 shares during the quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLCs holdings in iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Growth ETF were worth $309,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Growth ETF by 110,082.1% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 49,198,507 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,360,258,000 after buying an additional 49,153,855 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Growth ETF by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 6,785,436 shares of the companys stock valued at $463,445,000 after buying an additional 87,100 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Growth ETF by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,273,942 shares of the companys stock worth $252,977,000 after purchasing an additional 132,701 shares in the last quarter. Main Management ETF Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Growth ETF by 51.1% during the 1st quarter. Main Management ETF Advisors LLC now owns 2,289,000 shares of the companys stock worth $163,686,000 after purchasing an additional 773,885 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG increased its position in shares of iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Growth ETF by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,914,076 shares of the companys stock worth $147,901,000 after purchasing an additional 21,044 shares in the last quarter.

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iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Growth ETF Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Growth ETF stock opened at $79.44 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.73 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $74.17. iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Growth ETF has a 12-month low of $67.03 and a 12-month high of $79.68.

About iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Growth ETF

iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Growth ETF, formerly iShares S&P MidCap 400 Growth Index Fund (the Fund), is an exchange traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the S&P MidCap 400 Growth Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the mid-capitalization growth sector of the United States equity market and consists of those stocks in the S&P MidCap 400 Index exhibiting the strongest growth characteristics.

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Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NE grew its stake in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE  Free Report) by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 240,792 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after purchasing an additional 1,275 shares during the period. Pfizer makes up 1.8% of Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NEs investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NEs holdings in Pfizer were worth $7,987,000 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. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich boosted its stake in Pfizer by 98,197.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 1,948,438,709 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $71,468,732,000 after purchasing an additional 1,946,456,532 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. raised its position in Pfizer by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 445,384,893 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $18,171,704,000 after buying an additional 2,516,132 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Pfizer by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 287,201,692 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $10,534,558,000 after acquiring an additional 5,374,611 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Pfizer by 9.8% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 218,931,933 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $8,932,423,000 after acquiring an additional 19,602,359 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Pfizer by 89,592.7% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 161,143,638 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $8,257,000,000 after acquiring an additional 160,963,976 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.05% of the companys stock.

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Pfizer Stock Up 0.3 %

Pfizer stock opened at $28.40 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $33.55. The company has a current ratio of 2.38, a quick ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. Pfizer Inc. has a 1-year low of $25.76 and a 1-year high of $51.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $160.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.61.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

Pfizer ( NYSE:PFE Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 31st. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.17) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.32) by $0.15. The company had revenue of $13.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $13.77 billion. Pfizer had a return on equity of 16.72% and a net margin of 15.30%. On average, analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 1.53 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 26th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.92%. This is an increase from Pfizers previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 25th. Pfizers dividend payout ratio is presently 89.62%.

Insider Activity at Pfizer

In other news, Director Scott Gottlieb bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 15th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $26.47 per share, for a total transaction of $79,410.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 9,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $238,230. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.05% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on PFE shares. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Pfizer from $34.00 to $27.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 14th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Pfizer from $44.00 to $33.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 16th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Pfizer in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating for the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Pfizer from $39.00 to $37.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 1st. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on Pfizer from $34.00 to $28.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 14th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $40.35.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Pfizer

Pfizer Company Profile

(Free Report)

Pfizer Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular metabolic, migraine, and women's health under the Eliquis, Nurtec ODT/Vydura, and the Premarin family brands; infectious diseases with unmet medical needs under the Prevnar family, Nimenrix, FSME/IMMUN-TicoVac, and Trumenba brands; and COVID-19 prevention and treatment, and potential future mRNA and antiviral products under the Comirnaty and Paxlovid brands.

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Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. (TSE:IVN  Get Free Report) Senior Officer Mark Eric Sumner sold 1,200 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$13.00, for a total transaction of C$15,600.00.

Ivanhoe Mines Stock Down 0.3 %

IVN opened at C$12.98 on Tuesday. Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of C$9.89 and a fifty-two week high of C$14.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.66, a quick ratio of 20.86 and a current ratio of 2.18. The company has a fifty day moving average of C$11.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of C$11.88. The stock has a market capitalization of C$16.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.08 and a beta of 2.04.

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Ivanhoe Mines (TSE:IVN  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 6th. The company reported C$0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of C$0.11. On average, research analysts expect that Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. will post 0.543577 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on IVN shares. Scotiabank reduced their target price on shares of Ivanhoe Mines from C$15.00 to C$14.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 12th. TD Securities reduced their target price on shares of Ivanhoe Mines from C$16.50 to C$15.50 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 21st. Eight Capital raised their target price on shares of Ivanhoe Mines from C$18.50 to C$19.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, September 13th. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their target price on shares of Ivanhoe Mines from C$15.00 to C$13.00 in a report on Friday, October 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Ivanhoe Mines from C$17.00 to C$18.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 29th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of C$16.36.

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About Ivanhoe Mines

(Get Free Report)

Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. engages in the mining, development, and exploration of minerals and precious metals located primarily in Africa. It explores for platinum, palladium, nickel, copper, gold, rhodium, zinc, silver, germanium, and lead deposits. The company's projects include the Platreef project located in the Northern Limb of South Africa's Bushveld Complex; the Kipushi project located in Haut-Katanga Province, Democratic Republic of Congo; and the Kamoa-Kakula project located within the Central African Copperbelt.

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Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE  Free Report) by 9.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,146 shares of the conglomerates stock after selling 217 shares during the period. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc.s holdings in General Electric were worth $237,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GE. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in General Electric by 10.0% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 305,384 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $27,925,000 after purchasing an additional 27,682 shares during the period. Prudential PLC acquired a new stake in General Electric during the 1st quarter worth $1,518,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in General Electric by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 11,748 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $1,075,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in General Electric during the 1st quarter worth $388,000. Finally, West Family Investments Inc. acquired a new stake in General Electric during the 1st quarter worth $230,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.83% of the companys stock.

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General Electric Price Performance

General Electric stock opened at $126.69 on Tuesday. General Electric has a 12-month low of $62.88 and a 12-month high of $128.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $137.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.28, a P/E/G ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 1.28. The firms 50-day moving average is $116.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

General Electric Announces Dividend

General Electric ( NYSE:GE Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 24th. The conglomerate reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.26. General Electric had a net margin of 14.38% and a return on equity of 11.10%. The company had revenue of $17.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $15.46 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.35 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 19.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that General Electric will post 2.65 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 28th will be given a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 27th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.25%. General Electrics dividend payout ratio is presently 3.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of General Electric from $135.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, December 11th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of General Electric from $131.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of General Electric from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $115.00 to $144.00 in a research report on Friday, December 15th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of General Electric in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Finally, TheStreet downgraded shares of General Electric from a b- rating to a c rating in a report on Tuesday, October 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $130.43.

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General Electric Profile

(Free Report)

General Electric Company operates as a high-tech industrial company in Europe, China, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa. It offers gas and steam turbines, full balance of plant, upgrade, and service solutions, as well as data-leveraging software for power generation, industrial, government, and other customers.

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SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its position in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE  Free Report) by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,462 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after buying an additional 1,212 shares during the quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc.s holdings in Pfizer were worth $248,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Pfizer in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Pfizer in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Steward Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Pfizer in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $43,000. VitalStone Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Pfizer by 179.3% in the 2nd quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 1,106 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 710 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. acquired a new stake in Pfizer in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $45,000. 68.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Pfizer Price Performance

Pfizer stock opened at $28.40 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 2.05 and a current ratio of 2.38. The firm has a market cap of $160.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.61. The businesss fifty day moving average is $29.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.55. Pfizer Inc. has a 52 week low of $25.76 and a 52 week high of $51.95.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

Pfizer ( NYSE:PFE Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 31st. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.17) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($0.32) by $0.15. The company had revenue of $13.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.77 billion. Pfizer had a return on equity of 16.72% and a net margin of 15.30%. Equities research analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 1.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 26th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 25th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.92%. This is a positive change from Pfizers previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Pfizers payout ratio is currently 89.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Scott Gottlieb purchased 3,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 15th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $26.47 per share, with a total value of $79,410.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 9,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $238,230. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.05% of the companys stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PFE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Pfizer from $39.00 to $35.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Pfizer from $36.00 to $34.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 16th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Pfizer in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Pfizer from $39.00 to $37.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 1st. Finally, TheStreet cut Pfizer from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Monday, September 25th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Pfizer presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $40.35.

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Pfizer Profile

(Free Report)

Pfizer Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular metabolic, migraine, and women's health under the Eliquis, Nurtec ODT/Vydura, and the Premarin family brands; infectious diseases with unmet medical needs under the Prevnar family, Nimenrix, FSME/IMMUN-TicoVac, and Trumenba brands; and COVID-19 prevention and treatment, and potential future mRNA and antiviral products under the Comirnaty and Paxlovid brands.

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State of Alaska Department of Revenue decreased its holdings in General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS  Free Report) by 3.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 93,294 shares of the companys stock after selling 3,120 shares during the quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenues holdings in General Mills were worth $5,969,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of GIS. Cibc World Market Inc. increased its position in General Mills by 4.8% during the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 22,026 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,492,000 after acquiring an additional 1,003 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in General Mills by 45.3% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,867 shares of the companys stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 1,828 shares during the last quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. grew its stake in shares of General Mills by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 73,176 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,955,000 after purchasing an additional 1,503 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of General Mills by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 279,604 shares of the companys stock valued at $18,935,000 after purchasing an additional 6,176 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in shares of General Mills by 15.3% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,834 shares of the companys stock worth $124,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.31% of the companys stock.

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General Mills Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:GIS opened at $64.51 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $37.50 billion, a PE ratio of 15.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. General Mills, Inc. has a twelve month low of $60.33 and a twelve month high of $90.89. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $64.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $69.13.

General Mills Announces Dividend

General Mills ( NYSE:GIS Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 20th. The company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.09. General Mills had a net margin of 12.06% and a return on equity of 25.44%. The company had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.10 earnings per share. General Millss quarterly revenue was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that General Mills, Inc. will post 4.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 10th will be given a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 9th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.66%. General Millss payout ratio is 57.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on GIS shares. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of General Mills from $74.00 to $72.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 21st. TD Cowen began coverage on General Mills in a research note on Wednesday, September 13th. They set a market perform rating and a $70.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on General Mills from $72.00 to $58.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 21st. BNP Paribas lowered shares of General Mills from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and set a $72.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, September 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of General Mills from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $73.00.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on GIS

About General Mills

(Free Report)

General Mills, Inc manufactures and markets branded consumer foods worldwide. The company operates through four segments: North America Retail; International; Pet; and North America Foodservice. It offers grain, ready-to-eat cereals, refrigerated yogurt, soup, meal kits, refrigerated and frozen dough products, dessert and baking mixes, bakery flour, frozen pizza and pizza snacks, snack bars, fruit and salty snacks, ice cream and frozen desserts, nutrition bars, and savory snacks, as well as various organic products, including frozen and shelf-stable vegetables.

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State of Alaska Department of Revenue decreased its holdings in Hubbell Incorporated (NYSE:HUBB  Free Report) by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,606 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 235 shares during the quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenues holdings in Hubbell were worth $5,517,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. IFP Advisors Inc grew its stake in shares of Hubbell by 330.4% during the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,244 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $390,000 after buying an additional 955 shares during the period. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Hubbell by 1.8% during the third quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,820 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $4,645,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares during the period. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Hubbell by 59.1% in the 3rd quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 296 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. D Orazio & Associates Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hubbell by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. now owns 811 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI purchased a new stake in shares of Hubbell during the 3rd quarter worth about $6,300,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.97% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on HUBB. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Hubbell in a report on Friday, December 8th. They issued an outperform rating and a $338.00 price target on the stock. Seaport Res Ptn reissued a buy rating on shares of Hubbell in a research note on Wednesday, November 8th. Stephens reaffirmed an overweight rating and set a $375.00 price target on shares of Hubbell in a research report on Wednesday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Hubbell from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and raised their price objective for the company from $333.00 to $335.00 in a research report on Friday, November 17th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on Hubbell in a research report on Monday, December 4th. They issued an equal weight rating and a $325.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $319.63.

Insider Activity

In other Hubbell news, VP Nero Jonathan M. Del sold 1,902 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.54, for a total transaction of $543,097.08. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 3,646 shares in the company, valued at $1,041,078.84. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Hubbell news, VP Nero Jonathan M. Del sold 1,902 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.54, for a total transaction of $543,097.08. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 3,646 shares in the company, valued at $1,041,078.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director John F. Malloy purchased 797 shares of Hubbell stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $313.50 per share, for a total transaction of $249,859.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,618,860.50. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.66% of the companys stock.

Hubbell Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:HUBB opened at $325.99 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $17.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.93. Hubbell Incorporated has a one year low of $219.77 and a one year high of $340.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 2.16. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $297.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $310.52.

Hubbell (NYSE:HUBB  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $3.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $4.07 by ($0.12). Hubbell had a net margin of 13.56% and a return on equity of 30.09%. The business had revenue of $1.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.08 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Hubbell Incorporated will post 15.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hubbell Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 30th were given a $1.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 29th. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.50%. This is an increase from Hubbells previous quarterly dividend of $1.12. Hubbells payout ratio is presently 37.08%.

About Hubbell

(Free Report)

Hubbell Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and sells electrical and utility solutions in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Electrical Solutions and Utility Solutions. The Electrical Solution segment offers standard and special application wiring device products, rough-in electrical products, connector and grounding products, lighting fixtures, and other electrical equipment for use in industrial, commercial, and institutional facilities by electrical contractors, maintenance personnel, electricians, utilities, and telecommunications companies, as well as components and assemblies.

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Naples Global Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH  Free Report) by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,445 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group makes up approximately 0.8% of Naples Global Advisors LLCs holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Naples Global Advisors LLCs holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $6,274,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. RVW Wealth LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. Grayhawk Investment Strategies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 168.6% during the first quarter. Grayhawk Investment Strategies Inc. now owns 94 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Finally, Power Corp of Canada acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the first quarter worth about $48,000. 85.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE:UNH opened at $520.31 on Tuesday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $445.68 and a 1-year high of $554.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $481.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.58, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.61. 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 businesss fifty day moving average price is $536.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $508.09.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

UnitedHealth Group ( NYSE:UNH Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 13th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $6.33 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $92.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $91.41 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 6.02% and a return on equity of 26.58%. The firms revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.79 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 24.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 4th were paid a dividend of $1.88 per share. This represents a $7.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 1st. UnitedHealth Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.64%.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 4,498 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.28, for a total value of $2,448,171.44. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,218 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,017,173.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Stephen J. Hemsley sold 121,515 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 521,818 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $282,084,374.44. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 4,498 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.28, for a total value of $2,448,171.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,218 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,017,173.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 192,094 shares of company stock valued at $104,507,072. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNH has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Truist Financial restated a buy rating and set a $610.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, November 30th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $580.00 to $584.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, October 16th. UBS Group upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a neutral rating to a buy rating and upped their price objective for the company from $520.00 to $640.00 in a report on Monday, October 16th. HSBC reiterated a reduce rating and issued a $480.00 price target (down from $550.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Monday, December 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $596.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, November 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $574.89.

Get Our Latest Analysis on UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group 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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The delegation, led by Foxconn's Hon Hai Precision Industry Company Limited's representative Wee Lee, said that its manufacturing plant at Kongarakalan on the city outskirts will become operational by May 2024 and start production of Apple AirPods. (Image: Twitter)

HYDERABAD: A delegation of the Foxconn Group, a Taiwanese company that manufactures Apple products, on Tuesday met Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy at the Secretariat to discuss the companys expansion plans for Telangana.

The delegation, led by Foxconn's Hon Hai Precision Industry Company Limiteds representative Wee Lee, said that its manufacturing plant at Kongarakalan on the city outskirts will become operational by May 2024 and start production of Apple AirPods.

IT minister D. Sridhar Babu, Chief Secretary A. Santhi Kumari and industries secretary Jayesh Ranjan, among other senior officials, were present at the meeting.

In the meeting, Revanth Reddy said that the state government was committed to industrial development and would expedite the development of the electronics sector.

Reddy said that the newly-formed Congress government "has the responsibility to safeguard the aspirations of the people", promising to extend full support and cooperation to industrialists.

Reddy assured to provide the required infrastructure and expedite the grant of permissions. He assured that the state government would extend all necessary support to upcoming projects that will be undertaken by the Foxconn Group. He told the delegation that all necessary steps will be taken to promote Telangana as the leader in industrial development in the country.

The Foxconn Group entered an agreement with the Telangana government in March 2023 to set up a manufacturing facility in Kongarakalan. Foxconn's major customers include Google, Xiaomi, Amazon, Hewlett Packard, HUAWEI, Alibaba Group, CISCO, Dell, Facebook, Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, SEGA and Nokia, among others.

Foxconn is operating in 24 countries, including China, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, America, European nations and India. The company is operating in Sri City (Andhra Pradesh), Sriperumbudur (Tamil Nadu), Kongarakalan (Telangana) and Bengaluru outskirts (Karnataka).

Foxconn signed an MoU with the Telangana government, assuring to create one lakh jobs by setting up an electronics manufacturing unit. In the first phase, the company is expected to generate 25,000 jobs in the next two years.

Discussing expansion plans, Foxconn evinced interest in setting up a display fab manufacturing facility, semiconductor OSAT facility (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test Services), semiconductor fab facility, electric vehicle manufacturing facility, notebook manufacturing facility and components manufacturing facility.

While the Centre offered incentives of 50 per cent, the state government offered 30 per cent incentives from its side to facilitate Foxconn to set up operations in the state.
A door which was made in Hyderabad for the Ram mandir in Ayodhya. (Image: DC)

Hyderabad: City-based Anuradha Timbers International, one of the largest timber companies in the nation, has found itself at the heart of a historic narrative by crafting the grand doors for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

In an exclusive interview with Deccan Chronicle, company director Sarath Babu shared the companys journey in contributing to the iconic structure. "The design philosophy behind the doors transcends time, rooted in the Nagara Shaili, a centuries-old architectural style prominent in northern Indian temples," said Babu.

"These designs, conceived years before the Supreme Court's verdict on the temple, seamlessly align with the vision set by architect Sompura. Each carve and curve of the doors symbolises not only physical barriers but a profound manifestation of cultural and religious identity," he said.

Reflecting on the journey to secure the contract, Babu said, "It all started during our involvement in the Yadadri temple project. We were asked to make a model for the Ram Temple, which later caught the eyes of a selection committee comprising Tata Engineering Consultancy, Larsen and Toubro, and the Ayodhya Trust."

This marked the beginning of a time-sensitive endeavour, as the company raced against the clock to deliver the intricate doors within a span of six to seven months.

"The first phase, a testament to the dedication and skill of our craftsmen, is now complete. The doors, hand-carved and hand-chiselled in meticulous detail, stand as a testament to our commitment to quality," he said.

Giving credit to the artisans involved, Babu said craftsmen from Tamil Nadu, led by senior sculptor Kumar Swamy Ramesh, poured their expertise into every inch, ensuring that the wood, carefully selected from Maharashtra, meets the highest standards.

"This wood is sure to last for 1,000 years; like the woodwork in several temples that are 3,000+ years old," he said.

Babu said that traditional craftsmanship is at the centre stage, but modern technology breathed life into traditional designs through computerised precision.

"This integration not only meets stringent timelines but also enhances the intricacy of the hand-chiselled work, ensuring the finest details are captured with unparalleled accuracy. The primary symbolic elements of the door design features peacocks, elephants, lotus and devata iconography," he said.

The doors will now move into the next phase, of gold gilding and installation at the temple.

Babu said he was grateful for the opportunity and was lucky to be a part of a project involving millions of people, all of whom contributed whatever they could.

"Gratitude fills my heart as I look back on the great blessing of being part of this project Anuradha Timbers is now eternally connected to a project that transcends time. It is a privilege, an opportunity of a lifetime, and a chapter in history crafted with wood, skill, and unwavering dedication," he said.

Door dimensions

Sanctum sanctorum: 8 feet tall, 12 feet wide, 5 inches thick

Other doors: 8 feet tall, 5 inches thick, varied widths

Wood used

Balharshah teak wood from Maharashtra

Carving process

Hand chiselled by craftsmen from Tamil Nadu

6-7 months timeline for preparing the doors

Design rooted in the Nagara Shaili, centuries-old architectural style prominent in northern Indian temples.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh described INS Imphal as a shining example of Aatmanirbharta' (self-reliance) in defence and a reflection of the commitment of the Indian Navy, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited and all other stakeholders towards national security. (DC Image)

Mumbai: Asserting that India is the net-security provider in the Indian Ocean region, defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said India will dive down to the "bottom of the oceans" if necessary to bring to justice the perpetrators of recent drone attacks on merchant ships.

"Nowadays the turbulence in the sea has increased. India's growing economic and strategic power has filled some forces with jealousy and hatred," the minister said during the commissioning of guided missile destroyer INS Imphal into the Indian Navy in a ceremony in Mumbai.

He said the government had taken the recent drone attacks on Merchant Vessel (MV) Chem Pluto in the Arabian Sea and the attack on MV Sai Baba in the Red Sea a few days ago "very seriously."

"Indian Navy has increased surveillance of the sea. Whoever has carried out this attack, we will find them even from the bottom of the ocean and strict action will be taken against them. I want to assure you," he said.

"India plays the role of a net security provider in the entire Indian Ocean Region. We will ensure that maritime trade in this region touches greater heights. For this, together with our friendly countries, we will keep the sea lanes secure. We have full confidence in the ability and strength of our navy," said Singh.

He said with the Himalayas in the north and the hostilities with Pakistan in the west, most of Indian trade passes through the sea, which makes it an island country from the perspective of trade.

He stressed on the need to continuously develop the Navys capabilities as global trade is of great importance to India to secure its national interests.

INS Imphal is commissioned at a time when the Indian Navy has deployed the guided missile destroyers, INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata in the Arabian Sea to maintain deterrent presence to prevent attacks on India bound merchant vessels.

Long-range maritime reconnaissance P8I aircraft, Dornier multi-purpose aircraft, Sea Guardian helicopters and Coast Guard ships have been deployed jointly to counter these threats.

Singh described INS Imphal as a shining example of Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) in defence and a reflection of the commitment of the Indian Navy, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited and all other stakeholders towards national security. "INS Imphal is a symbol of India's growing maritime power and it will strengthen it further. It will bolster our principle of Jalmev Yasya, Balmev Tasya (One Who Controls the Sea is All Powerful) in the Indo-Pacific region," he said.

It is the third indigenous guided missile destroyer under the project P15B.

As part of the pre-commissioning trials, the ship recently carried out successful firing of an extended range BrahMos missile.

INS Imphal is the first naval warship to be commissioned with accommodation for women officers and sailors and the first amongst all P15B ships which is to be fitted with upgraded BrahMos missiles having dual role capability of long range and land attack.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accused the Prime Minister Narendra Modi of going back on his promises on creation of 2 crore jobs a year and stated that by now, about 20 crore jobs should have been created since Modi is in power at the Centre for the last 10 years. He asked Modi Where are the jobs? DC Image

BENGALURU: The Congress-ruled State Government on Tuesday rolled out its fifth guarantee Yuva Nidhi to assist unemployed graduates and diploma holders with a monthly unemployment allowance of Rs 3,000 and Rs 1,500 respectively.

The registration from eligible unemployed youths to avail benefits of the scheme got underway on Tuesday and the Chief Minister said that unemployment allowance would be deposited to the eligible and registered unemployed youths through Direct Bank Transfer (DBT) on Vivekananda Jayanti day falling on January 12, 2024.

Yuva Nidhi was one among the five guarantees assured by the Congress party prior to coming to power in Karnataka and four of its guarantees such as free travel for women in State owned buses, free power upto 200 units for a family, 5-kg additional rice to BPL and Antyodaya card holders and Rs 2,000 cash benefit scheme for women every month.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accused the Prime Minister Narendra Modi of going back on his promises on creation of 2 crore jobs a year and stated that by now, about 20 crore jobs should have been created since Modi is in power at the Centre for the last 10 years. He asked Modi "Where are the jobs?"

Continuing his attack on Modi, Siddaramaiah stated that "Never in the history of the country, has any of the Prime Ministers lied as much as Modi does?"

Criticising Modi, the Chief Minister said Prime Minister had stated that the implementation of 5-guarantees would result in "bankruptcy" and Siddaramaiah brought to the notice of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the financial position of Karnataka remained robust despite the State Government rolling out 5-guarantee schemes such as such as free travel for women in State owned buses, free power upto 200 units for a family, 5-kg additional rice to BPL and Antyodaya card holders and Rs 2,000 cash benefit scheme for women every month.

He told Modi that "All your fears have gone wrong" with the implementation of 5-guarantees in Karnataka. The Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar spoke.
Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS  Free Report) by 21.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,495 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 440 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors holdings in Novartis were worth $254,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in Novartis by 18.3% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,556,539 shares of the companys stock worth $136,587,000 after purchasing an additional 240,710 shares during the period. Dakota Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 4,869 shares of the companys stock worth $427,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 42.4% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 10,996 shares of the companys stock worth $965,000 after acquiring an additional 3,272 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Novartis by 4.5% in the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 95,477 shares of the companys stock valued at $8,379,000 after acquiring an additional 4,122 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zions Bancorporation N.A. raised its position in Novartis by 22.8% during the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 3,528 shares of the companys stock valued at $309,000 after purchasing an additional 655 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 7.00% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on NVS. Morgan Stanley raised Novartis from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating in a report on Monday, September 25th. HSBC cut shares of Novartis from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, December 18th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, December 6th. They set a strong-buy rating on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Novartis presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $85.00.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NVS stock opened at $98.75 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $209.31 billion, a PE ratio of 26.55, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.55. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $96.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $99.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.83. Novartis AG has a one year low of $79.98 and a one year high of $105.61.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $11.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.05 billion. Novartis had a net margin of 15.35% and a return on equity of 28.27%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.58 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 6.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Company Profile

(Free Report)

Novartis AG researches, develops, manufactures, and markets healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. The company offers prescription medicines for patients and physicians. It focuses on therapeutic areas, such as cardiovascular, renal and metabolic, immunology, neuroscience, and oncology, as well as ophthalmology and hematology.

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Eastmain Resources Inc. (ER.TO) (TSE:ER  Get Free Report) shares crossed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of C$0.28 and traded as high as C$0.28. Eastmain Resources Inc. (ER.TO) shares last traded at C$0.28, with a volume of 2,105,459 shares trading hands.

Eastmain Resources Inc. (ER.TO) Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average price of C$0.28. The stock has a market capitalization of C$81.37 million and a PE ratio of -4.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.84.

About Eastmain Resources Inc. (ER.TO)

(Get Free Report)

Eastmain Resources Inc, together with its subsidiary, Eastmain Mines Inc, engages in the acquisition and exploration of mineral resource properties in Canada. The company primarily explores for gold, silver, nickel, platinum, and copper deposits. Its flagship project is the Clearwater project, which hosts the Eau Claire gold deposit covering an area of 201 square kilometers located in the central portion of the Eastmain River Greenstone Belt within the James Bay Mining District of QuAbec.

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IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM  Free Report) by 27.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,028 shares of the restaurant operators stock after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Incs holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $503,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in Yum! Brands by 16.8% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 24,692,484 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $3,421,144,000 after buying an additional 3,549,709 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Yum! Brands in the 4th quarter worth approximately $315,239,000. Capital International Investors grew its stake in Yum! Brands by 20.1% in the 2nd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 13,169,962 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $1,824,305,000 after buying an additional 2,207,942 shares in the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Yum! Brands by 75,766.0% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,640,982 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $210,177,000 after buying an additional 1,638,819 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its stake in Yum! Brands by 98,557.0% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 985,583 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $136,553,000 after buying an additional 984,584 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.17% of the companys stock.

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Yum! Brands Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE YUM opened at $130.00 on Tuesday. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 12 month low of $115.53 and a 12 month high of $143.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.44 billion, a PE ratio of 24.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.01. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $125.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $129.12.

Yum! Brands Dividend Announcement

Yum! Brands ( NYSE:YUM Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 1st. The restaurant operator reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.26 by $0.18. Yum! Brands had a net margin of 21.32% and a negative return on equity of 17.45%. The business had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.77 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.09 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 5.31 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 28th were issued a $0.605 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 27th. This represents a $2.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.86%. Yum! Brandss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

YUM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Yum! Brands from $136.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research note on Thursday, November 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Thursday, October 19th. They issued a hold rating and a $131.00 price objective for the company. Redburn Atlantic reaffirmed a neutral rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Friday, October 20th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Yum! Brands from $140.00 to $126.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Yum! Brands presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $144.19.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Yum! Brands news, CEO Mark James King sold 9,600 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.60, for a total value of $1,215,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 8,210 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,039,386. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 3,507 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.55, for a total value of $412,247.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 57,325 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,738,553.75. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark James King sold 9,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.60, for a total transaction of $1,215,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 8,210 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,039,386. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,626 shares of company stock worth $2,598,157. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Yum! Brands Profile

(Free Report)

Yum! Brands, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, develops, operates, and franchises quick service restaurants worldwide. The company operates through four segments: the KFC Division, the Taco Bell Division, the Pizza Hut Division, and the Habit Burger Grill Division. It operates restaurants under the KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and The Habit Burger Grill brands, which specialize in chicken, pizza, made-to-order chargrilled burgers, sandwiches, Mexican-style food categories, and other food products.

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IFP Advisors Inc lessened its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL  Free Report) by 6.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,001 shares of the companys stock after selling 372 shares during the quarter. IFP Advisors Incs holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $461,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Moody National Bank Trust Division increased its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 2,715 shares of the companys stock valued at $250,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $777,000. Kentucky Retirement Systems acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,740,000. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 14,319 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,319,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC increased its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 11,313 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,042,000 after purchasing an additional 898 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.64% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $132.00 to $127.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 9th. Citigroup reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $127.00 price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Tuesday, November 21st. Truist Financial reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $134.00 price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Monday, December 4th. TheStreet raised shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 5th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Royal Caribbean Cruises has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $116.64.

Insider Activity at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 3,502 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.00, for a total transaction of $301,172.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 22,226 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,911,436. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 284,766 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.73, for a total transaction of $34,664,565.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 19,167,507 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,333,260,627.11. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 3,502 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.00, for a total value of $301,172.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,226 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,911,436. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 636,009 shares of company stock worth $76,313,890. Company insiders own 8.70% of the companys stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE RCL opened at $128.21 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.07 and a beta of 2.47. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a one year low of $47.91 and a one year high of $128.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.90, a current ratio of 0.19 and a quick ratio of 0.17. The businesss fifty day moving average is $103.20 and its 200-day moving average is $100.04.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $3.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $3.43 by $0.42. The company had revenue of $4.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.08 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 34.59% and a net margin of 6.98%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 39.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.26 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 6.59 EPS for the current year.

About Royal Caribbean Cruises

(Free Report)

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. operates as a cruise company worldwide. The company operates cruises under the Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises brands, which comprise a range of itineraries. As of February 13, 2023, it operated 64 ships. The company was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Miami, Florida.

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In a cautious step towards easing tensions in the Indo-Pacific, the top US and Chinese military officers, General CQ Brown Jr. and General Liu Zhenli, respectively, held their first video call. The conversation marks a significant development following months of strained relations and comes on the heels of President Bidens meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November.

The Biden-Xi meeting, while not resolving all disagreements, paved the way for renewed communication channels, including the resumption of military-to-military talks. This dialogue suspended by China in August 2022 after former House Speaker Nancy Pelosis visit to Taiwan. These high-level talks are crucial for managing the increasingly complex and competitive security landscape in the region.

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Focus on open communication and avoiding miscalculations

According to official statements, the Brown-Liu call centered on several key themes. Both sides emphasized the importance of open and direct communication channels to prevent misunderstandings and miscalculations, particularly in light of frequent unsafe or unprofessional incidents involving US and Chinese aircraft and ships in the Pacific. General Brown reiterated the need for substantive dialogue to reduce the likelihood of misunderstandings, underscoring the potential dangers of communication breakdowns between two of the worlds most powerful militaries.

The discussion also highlighted the need for responsible competition. Both sides acknowledged the inherent rivalry between the US and China but stressed the importance of managing it in a way that doesnt escalate tensions or jeopardize regional stability. This focus on responsible competition reflects a growing recognition that uncontrolled rivalry could lead to disastrous consequences for all parties involved.

Tentative steps, long road ahead

While the resumption of military talks is a positive sign. It is important to acknowledge the challenges ahead during this volatile time. Building trust and establishing reliable communication channels will require sustained efforts from both sides. Concerns remain about Chinas aggressive military activities in the South China Sea. Concerns also linger about its close cooperation with Russia. These concerns are both factors that continue to strain relations with the US and its allies.

Furthermore, concrete outcomes from the Brown-Liu call are yet to be seen. Plans for future talks and agreements on specific measures to reduce tensions and improve communication have not been publicly announced. Both sides have emphasized the need for further engagement, suggesting that Thursdays call was only the first step in a potentially lengthy process.

De-escalation and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific

The rekindling of military talks between the US and China offers a glimmer of hope for de-escalation and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. However, significant hurdles remain. Continued commitment to open communication, responsible competition, and concrete measures to address areas of friction will be essential for building a more stable and secure future in the region. The success of this renewed dialogue will be closely watched by the international community, with the stakes reaching far beyond the bilateral relationship between the US and China.
A bar in County Derry which has uncovered a historical connection to the famine plans to open a visitor site to tell the story of how the tragedy hit people in Mid Ulster.

Friels bar and restaurant in Swatragh has been in one family for five generations and is now owned by Dermot Friel.

The site had various owners through the 1800s before being bought at public auction by John Edward Friel in September 1903.

When the bar was operating at lower capacity during Covid lockdowns, Mr Friel took the opportunity to research the history of the site.

They found a low famine window and a famine pot that had been used to serve food to starving people in the 1840s, when it was used as a soup kitchen.

Working with researchers from Queens University Belfast and Ulster University, Mr Friel found that a doctor was operating a surgery and dispensary on the site.

On our research, weve got up to 1,900 people were treated here in the years 1836 to 1837 for various ailments and the diseases and all that they had, he said.

So when the blight hit the country in 1845 and destroyed the potato crop, basically the worst year of the famine was 1847, the blight actually hit here within the village here and around Maghera on July 12 1847.

And so the soup kitchens were set up all around Ireland, so basically it was a natural place to set up a soup kitchen here because there was a doctor here already treating.

This wasnt like a government-run soup kitchen here, it was more like a private soup kitchen that was done here, and Dr Mooney and his wife set one up and they were treating up to 300 people a day.

And that was probably the only meal that they actually would have got that day.

They brought their own vessels and queued up at the window there and again, that bowl of soup was all the nutrition they had that day.

So the building moved on, it became a licensed inn in 1888, and had various owners up to 1903, when my great grandfather John Edward took the property on, and he obviously handed it down to my grandfather, John Edward, and then to my father, James Joseph.

A new visitor centre, in collaboration with Tourism NI, is planned for spring 2024, next to the site, to highlight the impact of the famine on the region.

Mr Friel said the story of the famine in Mid Ulster hadnt been properly told, and the history would draw more tourism.

That visitor centre will appeal a lot to families, it will appeal to the international North American marketplace, who are coming back to Ireland to research their family history, and the famine story is one of the huge reasons why their forefathers left, and the 40 million Irish diaspora displaced throughout the world, thats why they left Ireland and the famine was one of the main reasons why that happened, he said.

So this visitor centre will show the international visitor, especially, the reasons, and how poverty and starvation drew people to emigrate.

Mr Friel said it was important to remember those who died during the famine in Northern Ireland.

It is true to say that the south and the west of Ireland were hit worse with famine, but we have found that during the famine in Mid Ulster here they lost about 20% of their population, either through starvation or emigration, he said.

In the village of Swatragh here, pre-famine, there was 435 people lived in the village, and the census in 1851 that was down to just over 300, so Swatragh lost about 25% of their population in the village here over that time period.

He added: There was the great famine silence, generation after generation that wasnt talked about.

And I suppose its only more in the last 10 years, even in the north here, when people are talking more about the famine, and this year was the 175th anniversary of black 47 of the famine, and it was commemorated throughout Ireland, and I suppose people have been a lot more comfortable talking about it.

I think its very important that its remembered, and remembered properly and commemorated properly.

And the soup kitchen story, tied in with the Irish famine, is one of the more uplifting stories and how the soup kitchens in Ireland actually saved thousands upon thousands of lives.

Mr Friel said his children have worked in the bar and restaurant, and with two of his sons studying hospitality, he hopes the bar will pass down to another generation.

So I dont know, someone maybe will pick it up, its up to themselves. Im the keyholder now and hopefully some of them will give me my ticket out of here, he said.
There are calls for a review of the Common Travel Area (CTA) after the case was raised of a Derry-based Filipino priest was unable to go on a bus trip to Donegal.

Stephen Kelly, the Derry-based Chief Executive of Manufacturing NI, raised the matter to the Dails Good Friday Implementation Committee.

Is it time to review the Common Travel Area that is reflective of the island of Ireland as it is today and indeed these two islands as we find them today? he said.

It seems ridiculous to me. There is a Filipino priest who serves in the local chapel in Derry.

"They were doing a bus trip into Donegal and the priest could not go. I wondered what was going on there. It is because of the migration issue post Brexit. He doesnt have the rights so he didnt take the risk.

The same thing is happening on both sides of the border with school trips. It is a really important issue for people and individuals and what is says for us as a welcoming place.

The CTA is an arrangement between Ireland and the UK that gives a variety of rights to citizens of those countries.

People who hold visas and have a right to live, work and study in the north and south of Ireland do not enjoy the rights Irish born citizens to untrammelled cross-border travel, however.

Mr Kelly pointed out that one large pharmaceutical company has a 3D jigsaw in order to see which members staff can go to support work elsewhere on the island.

He said: The Common Travel Area was designed in the 1920s for an Ireland and a UK that doesnt exist today.

We are incredibly diverse countries and we have welcomed people who have enriched us with their own culture as well as their labour over the last number of decades. Those people dont share in the same benefits as I do, someone who was born here.
HIGHLIGHTS Google had first announced that RCS would incorporate this protocol on Android back in 2016.

RCS packs a plethora of features that make texting a much better experience.

RCS uses cellular data or Wi-Fi to send messages as long as the other person is using it too.

Have you ever heard of RCS Messaging? If not, dont worry, youre just in the right place as I am going to tell you what RCS messaging is and how you can enable it on your Android devices to amp up your texting experience.

What is RCS messaging?

Starting with the basics, RCS or Rich Communication Services messaging was developed as a modern messaging protocol to move beyond the traditional SMS and MMS services that have only limited things to offer. Google had first announced that it would incorporate this protocol on Android back in 2016.

As compared to these two, RCS packs a plethora of features that make texting a much better experience. These features also include but are not limited to some popular features on messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal.

Not just this, in many ways, the RCS messaging is quite similar to Apples iMessage too. And now, Apple also plans to incorporate RCS messaging support on its platform via a software update in 2024.

Also read: After Google, Samsung urges Apple to adopt RCS messaging

RCS messaging features

Speaking of its features, the RCS allows users to see read receipts for their sent messages just on top of the delivery time. In addition to this, users can also see a typing indicator, which is a common feature on many messaging platforms. It also allows users to send and receive larger files (up to 105MB).

RCS uses cellular data or WiFi to send messages as long as the other person is using it too. But how can you use it on your Android device? Let me tell you.

How to activate RCS messaging on your Android smartphone?

Firstly, before you set up RCS messaging, make sure all this is working:

Make sure that your smartphone is connected to the internet.

Next, download the latest version of Google Messages, Samsung Messages, or your preferred SMS app if it supports RCS.

If you are using two SIM cards on your smartphone, then make sure that the default SIM for making calls is the one that is giving the data.

Update the Android version of your smartphone.

Now, set the RCS messaging app as your default messaging option.

Also read: Seamless WhatsApp Data Transfer: A Complete Guide from Android to iOS & Back

When you are done checking all this, follow these steps:

Step 1: Go to the Google Messages app and on the top-right corner, click on your profile icon.

Step 2: Now select Message settings and then RCS chats.

Step 3: If RCS is available for you, you will see a slider to enable it. Toggle it to Turn on RCS chats.

Step 4: Next, enter your mobile number and verify it.

Step 5: Post your successful completion of verification, and the Status will turn to Connected. This will mean that RCS has been turned on.

Step 6: Now, turn on options like Send read receipts and Show typing indicator if desired to reap the benefits of RCS.

Thats how the RCS messaging can be used on your Android smartphone.
Leveraging exclusive web browser technology to create new generation of RPA, EMILY.RPA: More efficient and safer enterprise procedures

Enterprise operations are facing increasing challenges due to intense competition in global industries. Repetitive tasks with heavy workloads, high risks caused by human operations, inefficient resource utilization, heavy pressure during business peaks, and increasingly complex cross-platform system operationsthese factors not only consume a significant amount of time and energy but also hinder enterprise innovation. Now, many enterprises have introduced robotic process automation (RPA) to address the aforementioned pain points. The new generation of EMILY.RPA, launched by the startup team BILINK CORP., features a unique built-in web browser that not only boosts work efficiency but is also outstanding in terms of safety, usability, reliability, and integration. Currently, it has been adopted by several large domestic and foreign enterprises.

Jerry Tseng, founder of BILINK CORP., pointed out that digital transformation has taken the world by storm, and enterprises have become more reliant on IT systems. In recent years, most enterprises have started to migrate documents and applications to cloud platforms. Cloud platforms can save enterprises the cost of building IT infrastructure and come with the advantage of immediate access via online login, thereby increasing operational efficiency. Under this trend, the role of PCs at work has gradually shifted from merely operation platforms to serving as the portal for web browsers to log into cloud platforms. However, there are information security concerns regarding RPA solutions from various brands that utilize users' web browsers to log into cloud platforms or search for information on web pages. EMILY.RPA has addressed these issues through its unique design.

EMILY.RPA has four main features. Firstly, it can utilize RPA technologies to imitate ways in which humans operate computer software to achieve process automation. Additionally, it can directly interact with various types of software and cloud applications, eliminating the need for communication with software developers to perform custom modifications when implementing automated tasks. Secondly, the low-code and no-code scripting functions are designed through the combination of EMILY.RPA and machine learning algorithms. Low-code is a traditional programming method that allows professional programmers to easily adjust processes to fit their needs through minor modifications in coding. No-code, on the other hand, enables non-professional programmers to easily and quickly train and utilize EMILY.RPA through icons on the visual programming interface. It can automatically complete searches for market information and organize such data into specific formats that meet enterprises' requirements, among other tasks.

The third feature is, unlike other RPA tools that require operation via the user's personal web browsers and the installation of extension components, EMILY.RPA utilizes dedicated web browsers to conduct operations, further protecting enterprises' information security. Currently, this technology has obtained Taiwan patents, and U.S. patents are under review. The fourth feature is that EMILY.RPA supports Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms. Its range of applications can be expanded, enabling different system users to utilize this tool with high efficiency and strengthening the implementation of teamwork and communication. It simultaneously increases the flexibility of enterprise operations and ensures all internal users can receive the same user experience and technical support.

The aforementioned features provide strong competitive advantages for EMILY.RPA. Currently, various types of enterprises have deployed it in their organization. Global panel manufacturer Innolux has boosted its work efficiency through the platform and resolved issues that could easily go wrong when handling repetitive tasks manually. In recent years, Innolux has actively promoted smart operations, with the aim of applying RPA in each department of the enterprise to improve their efficiency. Once EMILY.RPA is deployed, it can successfully resolve several long-standing issues. For instance, EMILY.RPA can precisely and efficiently collect price information from retail websites across the world, handle orders with diverse, complex content and special formats from international clients, and automatically complete tables required by companies. Aside from Innolux, logistics companies that need to handle a significant amount of receipts and order tracking information, as well as electronic commerce platforms that need to launch a significant amount of products and have the demand for purchase, sales, and inventory management, have deployed EMILY.RPA. Jerry Tseng emphasized the architecture of EMILY.RPA is highly flexible, and it adopts a subscription model. Whether large companies or small and medium-sized enterprises with limited resources, all can easily increase their efficiency and reduce human operational errors through this platform.

Going forward, Jerry Tseng stated that digital transformation has become an inevitable trend. Optimizing work processes through digital transformation has become a necessary strategy for enterprises to increase their competitiveness, and the need for RPA functions from markets will also grow. The new generation of RPA must allow for easy and quick use in complicated scenarios. Thus, EMILY.RPA will leverage generative AI by training large language models (LLM) to enable RPA to swiftly understand users' needs through natural language and directly let robots complete tasks automatically.

BILINK CORP. has been established for three years now, and the company has gained the trust of enterprises from different fields. Besides the hard work of its team, Jerry Tseng believes that policy support from the government is also one of the key reasons why the company has achieved outstanding performance. He pointed out that in recent years, the government has been actively improving the domestic start-up ecosystem, optimizing related regulations, and providing support. For instance, the Company Act, which was amended in 2018, allows the shareholding structure of start-up teams to be more flexible, thereby creating more sources of funding. Furthermore, the Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA) offers opportunities to participate in international exhibitions. Its aim is to increase companies' product visibility and make it easier for them to meet clients from overseas markets. BILINK CORP. appreciates the support from the government and TTA. The company will continue to strengthen the efficiency of its products in the future. Additionally, it aims to assist enterprises in various fields in implementing digital transformation through features such as high efficiency, safety, and usability.

Three main features of automation technology from EMILY.RPA patented web browser

Photo: BILINK
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SEATTLE  Emerald City Senior Living, at 9001 Lake City Way N.E., sold two weeks ago for a little over $12.3 million, as the DJC then reported.

Now Veda Living has announced it's the new manager. (Local investors bought the property.) It also says that Emerald City has 119 units, not 99, contrary to county records. Veda, based in Dallas, entered our market in June as the new manager of 10 communities then branded as Greenlake Senior Living. It specializes in what it terms affordable senior living.





. . .
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By TERRY SPENCER

Associated Press

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla.  Joyce Loaiza lives alone, but when she returns to her apartment at a Florida senior community, the retired office worker often has a chat with a friendly female voice that asks about her day.

A few miles away, the same voice comforted 83-year-old Deanna Dezern when her friend died. In central New York, it plays games and music for 92-year-old Marie Broadbent, who is blind and in hospice, and in Washington state, it helps 83-year-old Jan Worrell make new friends.





. . .
This month as the people of Louth celebrate the festivities, many will don their scarves and mittens to stroll along Louths stunning beaches for family walks and perhaps brave icy sea swims. While out there, Clean Coasts says it warmly encourages all winter wanderers to dive into a #2MinuteBeachClean to protect our amazing ocean and rugged coastline.

Clean Coasts is a charity programme, run through the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce, which engages communities in the protection of Irelands beaches, seas, and marine life. It works to create tangible and immediate improvements to Irelands coastal environment, involving thousands of volunteers removing large quantities of marine litter from our coastline each year.

Recent weather has been truly wild, and studies show that winter storms increase the likelihood of litter washing up on beaches especially in areas close to large ports or river mouths. This litter gathers in the seaweed washed up on beaches, along the sea wall and even in the foot of sand dunes affecting marine life and the natural beach environment.

This December, thousands of brave souls will take to the sea for their annual Festive Dip and we know in general that Irish people love the outdoors2, so Clean Coasts is asking everyone to show their love for our coastline by incorporating a #2MinuteBeachClean to their winter beach activities.

Find out more about the #2MinuteBeachClean and get involved at: https://cleancoasts.org/our-initiatives/2minutebeachclean/.

Clean Coasts also urges people to keep their eyes peeled for some more #2MinuteBeachClean promotion on bus stops around Louth over the next couple of weeks!

For over 20 years, Clean Coasts has been working with communities and volunteers to help protect and care for Irelands waterways, coastline, seas, ocean, and marine life, by organising hundreds of beach clean-ups each year, mobilising thousands of volunteers, and removing massive quantities of marine litter from our coastline. Currently, it says, it counts on the work of over 2,000 groups and 40,000 volunteers.

The #2MinuteBeachClean, which was first developed by the 2 Minute Foundation in the UK, as a really easy way to get involved in protecting our marine environment, and in Ireland it is operated by Clean Coasts.

With this campaign, Clean Coasts encourages all beach goers to do a #2MinuteBeachClean whenever they visit the beach: simply take two minutes to collect some marine litter you see along the way, share a picture of it on social media to show others how easy it is to make a difference, and dispose of the litter collected correctly. https://cleancoasts.org/our- initiatives/2minutebeachclean/

With their Enjoy and Protect campaign, Clean Coasts invite people to enjoy and celebrate Irelands stunning coastline, but also to protect these natural treasures for future generations to enjoy too, by making more sustainable choices, taking part in beach cleans, or learn more about our micro-volunteering campaigns, such as the #2MinuteBeachClean  carried out in partnership with the 2 Minute Foundation.

As part of the campaign, Clean Coasts has released five free guides containing tips and guidance on how to enjoy our coast, while doing your bit to protect it, which can be found here
Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin has said there would be huge difficulties with his party going into Government with Sinn Fein, but did not rule out the possibility of such a coalition.

Asked by reporters if he would accept the role of tanaiste by going into coalition as a minority partner with Sinn Fein, Mr Martin said: Our aim is to go in and Im elected as taoiseach, thats the objective.

He said he did not accept that it was certain that Sinn Fein, which is polling as the most popular party, would be in the next government.

Mr Martin added: The parties in opposition to Sinn Fein are on 40% minimum at any given poll, Sinn Fein are down at around 30 and suddenly youre all jumping to the conclusion that itll be a Sinn Fein-led government? I dont get that.

Speaking to reporters in Dublin, he said: Some of you seem to be of the view that that is where it has to be  it doesnt have to be that way.

Mr Martin also said there are very serious issues about Sinn Feins policies, citing its response to the heightened Israel-Hamas conflict in October in particular.

Particularly in terms of its initial response, going for the populist perspective, changing its position within a week on the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador, and failing to point out how that would help us get Irish citizens out of Gaza at the time.

We get the sense that in government they would be dragged all the time by the far-left into positions that are untenable and that are irresponsible.

That was very evident in terms of its foreign policy and in terms of other policy initiatives.

As a further example, he said Sinn Fein had a Liz Truss-approach to caps on energy prices, adding: We saw where that ended up in the UK, in a reference to the negative impact on the British economy following decisions in Ms Trusss short term in office in 2022.

Mr Martin said: When the election comes we will make the position crystal clear but Im focusing on policy at the moment, and taking it policy-by-policy I see very little in their positions or in their behaviour.

We saw recently in the crime case, in terms of looting in Dublin and the attacks on the gardai and bus drivers, Sinn Fein, when the State was under attack, decided to go on a political and electoral track.

Sinn Fein had called for the resignation of Justice Minister Helen McEntee and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris.

He added: I think they miscued on that but its further evidence of how they view things through the electoral prism all the time, almost exclusively  and not, in my view, in a more serious track.

Pressed if he could therefore not rule out a coalition with Sinn Fein that would place him as tanaiste, Mr Martin said: Thats a position the party will come to in due course.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said the Government will need to push back on far-right myths about migration in 2024.

Mr Varadkar said a small minority of migrants have abused the Irish immigration system but added that the vast majority had made positive contributions to the country.

We have a big job to do, I think, as a Government to talk straight, to be more honest with people and explain to them how migration works, because a lot of the kind of far-right myths are gaining traction.

For example, he said it was absurd to suggest Ireland had open borders, adding: We have an open border with Northern Ireland only, weve no other open border.

Mr Varadkar said: The idea that Ireland is somehow a soft touch, thats nonsense.

When it comes to international protection, the number of arrivals is about the EU average for the last two years and was well below the EU average for the preceding years.

He said Ireland has a rules-based system and the vast majority of people coming from outside of Europe arrive with a student or work visa, adding: Theyre making huge contributions to our economy and our society and I think were a better country for it.

And I think weve allowed, and I take some responsibility for this, people to believe that the story of migration to Ireland is largely about Ukraine or international protection when it isnt.

I think its going to be the big issue in 2024 were going to have to push back against that as a Government.

The Taoiseach said that the international protection system is the area of greatest controversy but said Government is making sure applications are being processed more quickly with faster decisions.

Where somebody is refused the right to stay here or breaches the terms of their visa there are deportation orders.

I think this year 700 or 800 deportation orders have been signed and thats quite a large number.

Most of those people will leave voluntarily, but some have to be removed from the State as well.

So theyre the kind of things that were doing.

Mr Varadkar said one far-right myth that has gained the most traction is that international-protection applicants are not vetted.

He said applicants have always been registered, photographed, and fingerprinted and their information has been checked against European watchlists, adding that the checks had sometimes been criticised as demeaning.

So, all that is done, and maybe we were afraid to talk about that in the past because people might have accused us of being hardline or are engaging in anti-immigrant rhetoric, but I think in order to secure ongoing public support for migration, which we need, were going to need to reassure people, that there are rules and our system is rules based, and those rules are enforced and they are to be respected.

And just as there are people who abuse our tax system, tax dodgers, just as there are people who abuse our welfare system, welfare cheats, there will be people who abuse our migration system that need to be dealt with.

But theyre not the majority of migrants, they are a pretty small minority of migrants and I think we just need to explain that a bit better.

Having recently attended a citizenship ceremony in the Convention Centre, Mr Varadkar said the real story of migration into Ireland is people making a real contribution to society, working, paying tax and becoming homeowners.
OVER the past two years, some 95 people in Cork city have complained of suffering from illnesses suspected to have been caused by water consumption, compared to just one such complaint in 2020 and two in 2021.

In 2022, Uisce Eireann received 55 complaints from Cork people who said they had become ill after consuming drinking water, while it received 40 such complaints this year.

The water utility company received 1,484 complaints of discoloured water from homes and businesses across the city in 2022, while it received 1,628 such complaints in 2023.

A spokesperson for Uisce Eireann said the company would usually expect to see roughly 15 such complaints in a week, or approximately 750 complaints in the year, under normal circumstances in the Cork city area.

The figures were given to The Echo by Uisce Eireann following a Freedom of Information (FoI) request and a media query.

Several areas across the city have been affected by intermittent instances of discoloured water in the drinking supply in the months since the summer of last year, when the then Irish Water opened its new Lee Road water treatment plant.

According to documents released early this year to Socialist Party TD for Cork North Central, Mick Barry following a FoI request, complaints about water quality in Cork city rose from 20 per week in the Lee Road plants first week of operation to 119 complaints in one week the following month.

In the four months after the water treatment plant opened, the company received 610 complaints of discoloured water from residents across the city.

In October 2022, following a series of questions submitted by The Echo, Irish Water admitted that it had been responsible for the discolouration of at least some of the citys drinking supply since last summer.

The water company said an adjustment of the chemicals used in water preparation had caused rusty sediment to be stripped from the inside of Cork citys century-old water mains, resulting in discoloured water pouring out of household taps in homes across the city.

Amongst the correspondence released to Mr Barry was an email from Irish Water, dated August 22, 2022, to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) informing the statutory environmental watchdog of an increase in complaints of discoloured water in Cork city.

The email noted that water from the new Lee Road plant had entered the supply on July 29, 2022.

The email added: There is the potential that process changes, particularly the change in the pH corrective chemical in use, i.e. from Lime to Caustic, may be contributing to the problem and causing the water to become more corrosive.

Workers Party president and Cork City Council member Ted Tynan was first alerted to an issue at the then-Irish Waters Lee Road facility soon after it opened.

A chemical, sodium hydroxide, commonly known as caustic soda, was introduced to the water supply coming from the new treatment plant on the Lee Road [at the end of July 2022], Mr Tynan said.

He said said it was his understanding too much sodium hydroxide had been put into the water system.

Mr Tynan said he had been informed by water workers that the chemical had caused the stripping of the inside of water pipes, resulting not just in discoloured water, but also in hundreds of leaks across the city.

Uisce Eireann has insisted that discoloured water does not pose a health and safety risk but has warned people not to drink discoloured water.

In a statement issued to The Echo during Christmas Week, Uisce Eireann said there are approximately 600km of watermains in Cork City, 50% to 60% of which are made from cast iron and approximately 100 years old, dating back to the 1920s".

In old cast iron mains, sediment can become dislodged during repair or upgrade works and can occasionally be carried through to customers taps, leading to the water to appear brown or orange.

Regarding the volume of complaints about water quality, the company pointed out that it had been proactively encouraging customers to call and report issues.

During July of this year, we undertook a two-week radio advertising campaign on Corks 96FM, which included geo-targeted podcast ads, asking customers to report water quality issues, the company said.

We have also been actively asking elected representatives to encourage customers to call us directly. Each call that we received is actioned and gives us a greater understanding of any ongoing issues.

The company said testing and analysis of the water supply was ongoing to ensure water was compliant with drinking water regulations and results were shared with both the EPA and the HSE.

Uisce Eireann has advised people not to not drink discoloured water  to run the tap for several minutes to see if it runs clear  and if it fails to do so, to call them on 1800 278 278.
A garda forensics team is due to carry out a technical examination of a Cork house which was the site of a major fire on Christmas Day.

Three people were taken to the nearby Mercy University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, after units of Cork Fire Brigade responded to reports of a blaze on Dyke Parade.

It is understood that the fire broke out shortly after 6.20pm on the evening of Christmas Day.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus were able to enter the premises, while their colleagues used an aerial ladder platform to stop the flames from spreading.

The house on Dyke Parade, Cork which was damaged on Christmas day. Picture; Eddie O'Hare

Dyke Parade is across from the Tyndall National Institute in UCC, and the road was closed while the incident was being dealt with.

At about 9.30pm, Cork City Fire Brigade said on social media that the fire had been extinguished.

Victor Shine, Second Officer at Cork City Fire Brigade, told The Echo the fire had been very serious, and fire crews had battled to keep it from spreading to adjoining buildings.

It took quite a number of hours to get under control, it was a fire on three different levels of the building.

We had six units at the scene, and we had a very busy night, but everyone survived and thats the main thing, Mr Shine said.

A garda statement said: Gardai and emergency services were alerted to a fire at a residence at Dyke Parade in Cork City at approximately 6.20pm on Monday evening, 25 December 2023.

A man and two women were later taken to Mercy University Hospital to receive treatment for non-life threatening injuries.

The scene has been preserved and a technical examination of the scene will take place.

Investigations are ongoing, the statement concluded.

Cork City Fire Brigade said there had been four other incidents in and around Cork city on Christmas Day, and it thanked the Cork County Fire Brigade for coming to its assistance.
THERE are so many dynamic, creative and influential women in business in our region with so much to offer as solopreneurs, employees and employers.

Thats according to the new president of Network West Cork, Sandra Maybury, whose focus for the year ahead is to support these women through regular, relevant communication and by hosting events that cover a broad range of subjects including professional development, business supports, marketing and finance.

And while networking is a very powerful tool for business growth, it is also very powerful in providing support to those working alone and/or working from home, said Sandra.

Since Covid, weve seen a huge shift in employees remote working and this can be very isolating. Its good to get out and meet fellow women in business, she said.

Sandra is speaking from experience. Growing up in Dunmanway, her parents ran the very well-known Parkway Hotel, which is still in the family, and she has been self-employed since 2005, running her business, Maybury Marketing.

My offerings have changed and evolved over those 18 years, but today, the majority of the work I do for clients involves marketing consultancy, mentoring with the Local Enterprise Office and SFA and project management.

Ive learned a few tricks over that time and I hope I can use this experience in my presidency, said Sandra, who also wrote a book earlier this year entitled Spins which tells the story of her parents, Sonny and Mary Mayburys entrepreneurial journey from the 1960s to present day.

Sandra has been a member of Network Ireland West Cork from the very start.

On March 5, 2018, I attended the launch of a West Cork women in business group, held in Ludgate, Skibbereen, she recalled.

I remember the room was packed and I only knew about three people. I was totally awkward; I didnt know where to put myself.

Then Helen Wycherley took to the stage, she was vice president at national level and had very recently had a baby. Straight away I felt this was a group for career-driven women, who not only lead demanding professional lives but also balance busy home lives with family and other responsibilities, and whatever else life throws at us. I knew instantly this was the group for me, she said.

Having said that, Sandra admits for the first two years of joining, she was still hugely uncomfortable with networking.

But as I attended more events, I met and connected with more and more people and networking became more comfortable for me.

And with that came confidence which, along with her customary get stuck in approach, saw her join the committee as PRO.

For me, that was when I really engaged with Network Ireland and Ive pretty much been on the committee ever since.

Sandra knows full well that for many career-driven women, their first responsibility can be to the home, children or elderly parents.

Women, more often than not, are the main caregivers and it can be stressful and overwhelming trying to juggle this responsibility with work demands, she acknowledged.

Networking offers that support, to help you know you are not alone in your challenges, said Sandra.

Married to dairy farmer Derry ODonovan, they are parents to three girls, Alice (17), Grace (13) and Ella (9), which makes it a busy household, as well as running her own business.

Putting herself forward for the presidency must have been a big consideration?

Everything happens for a reason and there is a right time for everything. Id relate this to the old saying, what is for you wont pass you and 2024 was the right time for me to put myself forward for the presidents role.

But I am just one of a team, there are 14 members on the committee who have all pledged their support for Network Ireland West Cork, said Sandra.

She said shes honoured to step into the role and is very much looking forward to the year ahead.

My theme this year is #makeithappen. I cant say there is a powerful reason behind choosing this hashtag. I saw these diaries with Make it Happen written on the cover and it was like someone was sending me a message and I just thought, thats it, thats my hashtag for the year ahead!

Her message to anyone thinking of joining the group is to try it.

All Network Ireland West Cork events are open to members and non-members. So if there is someone whos been thinking about joining, I would say, come to an event first. Meet the other women there, get a feel for the group. Maybe its not for everyone but I would be fairly confident that it is. But come with the right mindset. People often assume that networking is about converting sales. While networking can help business growth, it is also very powerful in providing support.

Sandra said Network Ireland has widened her network not just locally but nationally: Crucially, I have made lifelong friends and colleagues, and we support each other wholeheartedly.
(Photo: Photo: chennaicorporation.gov.in)Priya Rajan the first Dalit and youngest mayor of the Indian city of Chennai.

Priya Rajan, a 28-year-old woman, is the first Dalit and youngest mayor of India's fourth largest city, Chennai, which has a population of some 10 million.

Rajan is a postgraduate in commerce and was sworn in on March 4 as the 49th mayor of the city.

As a Dalit she is considered to be from one of the lowest caste groups who were once known as "untouchables."

She is said to be a member of the Evangelical Church of India (ECI), which has congregations in at least 10 states, UCA Catholic News reported.

Chennai, once known as Madras, is the state capital of the southern state of Tamil Nadu and is a center for education, health, information technology and the automobile industry.

Father Vincent Chinnadurai, the former spokesperson of the Tamil Nadu Bishops' Council, welcomed the appointment and said it was a remarkable moment for Dalit women.

"We appreciate the state government for this bold move. I am sure more women will feel inspired by Priya Rajan," he said.

India's 2,000-year-old caste system was officially abolished in 1950.

But the social hierarchy imposed on people by birth still exists in many aspects of life.

The caste system that defines people's place in society categorizes Hindus at birth, defining their position in society, the jobs they can do and who they can marry.

Chennai is considered the second-oldest city council in the world after London.

The Greater Chennai Corporation was formed in 1668 by the one-time East India Company, which founded it in 1640 as a trading post.

Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or Dravidian Progressive Front) under the leadership of Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin, 68, won a landslide victory in the Feb. 19 elections after being an opposition group for 11 years.

Rajan, a member of DMK, is also the third woman to hold the mayor post and joins 10 women across the state who have been mayors and chairpersons in various small cities and towns.

Capuchin priest, Father Kulandai Swamy told UCA News: "It is an important milestone in Tamil Nadu's political history that a Dalit woman is being placed as mayor of this big city. It is a sign of empowerment of a marginalized community."

In Tamil Nadu, half the heads of city corporations and town municipalities positions are reserved for women and other marginalized groups.
(Photo: Diocese of London)Rev. Anderson Jeremiah (l) and the Bishop of London, Bishop Sarah.

The new Anglican Bishop of Edmonton near London, is an Indian academic who is a descendant from the lowest caste in Hinduism, the Dalits, the diocese of London has announced.

Dr. Anderson Jeremiah has his origins in south India, and missionaries to the Dalit community converted his family to Christianity.

According to the diocese of London, Anderson grew up in Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state in India, as a Dalit Christian.

He is the first Dalit, and the first clergyperson ordained in the Church of Southern India (CSI), to be appointed Bishop in the Church of England.

He has lived across five Anglican provinces in different parts of the world and served across rural to urban contexts and amongst deprived and affluent communities

Jeremiah is currently Associate Dean at Lancaster University, where his is a senior lecturer in the Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion.

He serves the Diocese of Blackburn, in northern England as advisor to the local bishop on issues of black, Asian and minority ethnic affairs, and has served on the church's anti-racism taskforce.

Ordained into the Anglican Communion while living in India, Jeremiah also serves as associate priest at St. Paul's Scotforth where his wife Rebecca is the vicar.

Dalits are designated into the lowest caste of Hindu society by birth.

'EXTREME RACISM'

They are subject to extreme racism, excluded from the official caste system, and are eligible only for sanitation jobs such as scavenging rubbish, cleaning drains, collecting waste and sweeping roads, according to Premier Christian News.

The bishop designate grew up in south India as a Dalit Christian, and he describes having experienced "overt and covert racism, at every sphere of social and religious life."

His experiences gave him a passion for working towards justice and peace as "central to Christian Discipleship.

Anderson will formally take up his post in the early part of 2024 and will join the College of Bishops in the Diocese of London.

He succeeds the Rev. Rob Wickham as Bishop of Edmonton, who stepped down in August to become chief executive of the Church Urban Fund.

"I am particularly excited to take responsibility for racial justice as a portfolio amongst the bishops in London," Anderson commented.

"My personal experiences of exclusion and discrimination have formed my life, research, and ministry, and inspires me to embody the expansive hospitality of God."
(Photo: REUTERS / Mansi Thapliyal)A woman attends a mass inside a church on Easter Day in New Delhi March 31, 2013. Holy Week is celebrated in many Christian traditions during the week before Easter.

Christians in some states of India are reporting an increase in the number of attacks on them by Hindu extremists who are adamant that none of their believers should convert to any other religion.

The Britain-based group Release International has reported on the increase of attacks against Christians as existing anti-conversion laws are hardened to prevent Hindus reverting to another faith.

Release is a member of the UK organizations Global Connections, the Evangelical Alliance and the Micah Network.

It is running a petition calling for religious freedom in India, is condemning a controversial new anti-conversion law and it will present it in November to the High Commissioner (Ambassador) for India in London.

"We, the undersigned, are gravely concerned and disappointed by the Indian Government's failure to protect the religious rights of Christians in India as outlined in the Indian Constitution.

"The Right to Freedom of Religion, covered in Articles 25-28, provides religious freedom to all citizens and ensures a secular state in India," says the petition.

It points out that according to India's Constitution, there is no official State religion, and the State is required to treat all religions impartially and neutrally.

The constitution guarantees all persons the freedom of conscience and the right to preach, practice and propagate any religion of their choice.

"However, Christian pastors and evangelists, notably in the rural areas of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, are frequently attacked by Hindu extremists and then detained by police on false charges of 'forcing people to convert.'"

In May Release chief executive Paul Robinson said, "Hindu nationalists have been open and violent in opposing the Church whether through direct physical attacks on pastors and evangelists or falsely accusing Christians of forcing Hindus to convert to Christ."

Release said India's Madhya Pradesh state has taken steps to make its existing anti-conversion law even more restrictive, effectively overturning the religious freedom guaranteed under India's constitution.

CHANGING RELIGION

"The Bill requires anyone wanting to change their religion to first seek official permission. It obliges religious leaders to report conversions, and mandates a three-year jail sentence for failing to do so. That rises to four years in the case of a minor, a woman or a Dalit (untouchable)."

The petition noted that the bill, passed by the state's legislative assembly on July 10, has yet to be signed off by the governor.

"The new law represents a significant hardening of official attitudes towards religious freedom," says Release.

A total of seven Indian states have passed anti-conversion laws said to stem from pressure by Hindu extremists who support Hindutva. This is an ideology of "one religion, one language, one nation." Based on the belief that to be Indian is to be Hindu.

The conversion of Dalits, people who have been referred to as out-castes, or untouchables, and who are beyond the caste system is a flashpoint for some Hindus.

Extremist Hindus view Christian ministering to Dalits, many of whom have turned to Christianity, as an affront to their culture.

Attacks against Christians are increasing, according to partners of Release International, which supports the persecuted Church around the world.

"Attacks on Christians in India are definitely increasing," says Joseph D'Souza, the president of the All India Christian Council. "'These attacks take the form of physical violence, destruction of churches, false cases and arrests."

"Release International is deeply concerned about the rise of Hindu extremism and the growing culture of religious intolerance in India." said Release's Paul Robinson. 'We will be presenting a petition in November calling on India to uphold the religious freedom guaranteed under its constitution."

Hindus account for about 80 percent of India's 1.2 billion people while there are more than 60 million Christians who are a tiny minority of about 2.3 percent. Muslims make up just over 13 percent of the country's population.
casino online co uk blankos cryptoshows grade level based on the word's complexity. death anxiety [ dethang-zahy-i-tee ]/ d za  ti / New Word List Save This Word!This shows grade level based on the word's complexity. Thisshows grade level based on the word's complexity.[ dethang-zahy-i-tee ]/ d za  ti /Save This Word!This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.

noun Psychiatry.a morbid awareness of mortality, together with an extreme fear of ones own death, the process of dying, the afterlife, or the death of a loved one: There wasnt a single negative event that triggered my existential death anxietyjust the intrusive, obsessive thought of not existing.The data may show a negative correlation of death anxiety and religiosity.

Words nearby death anxiety

How to use in a sentence I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. The Muslim Cop Killed by Terrorists|Michael Daly|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST

The Muslim Cop Killed by Terrorists|Michael Daly|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST Asia Bibi, as she is known, was arrested and sentenced to death. In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST

In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST Stephanie Giorgio, a classical musician, credits The Class for helping her cope with anxiety, focus, fear, and self-doubt. How Taryn Toomeys The Class Became New Yorks Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST

How Taryn Toomeys The Class Became New Yorks Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST The most notorious states are Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, where death is an acceptable legal remedy. In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST Disordered eating is also linked to higher rates of depression and anxiety, both in the present and in the future. How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans Underweight Models|Carrie Arnold|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans Underweight Models|Carrie Arnold|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST This is the place where the Muscovite criminals are banished to, if they are not put to death. The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe

The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe Elyon is the name of an ancient Phnician god, slain by his son El, no doubt the first-born of death in Job xviii. Solomon and Solomonic Literature|Moncure Daniel Conway

Solomon and Solomonic Literature|Moncure Daniel Conway Your sacrifice shall be the agony of agonies, the death of deaths, and yet you'll find yourself unable to resist. Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu Good is set against evil, and life against death: so also is the sinner against a just man. The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various

The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various For of sadness cometh death, and it overwhelmeth the strength, and the sorrow of the heart boweth down the neck. The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various

QUIZWILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!Question death anxietyFirst recorded in 196065deasil, death, death adder, death and taxes, certain as, death angel, death anxiety, deathbed, death bell, death benefit, Death, be not proud, deathblowDictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary,  Random House, Inc. 2022
At 16:40 on Mar 19th, Shandong police killed a wolf in the city of Zaozhuang.

In the previous six days, a total of seven suspected wolf wounding cases were reported in Zaozhuang and a 62-year-old woman was killed by wolf. However, police investigators can not confirm that the wolf been killed is the same wolf in previous cases.

It took over two hours for the police to kill the wolf, after chasing more than 20 km and crossing four rivers.





Bureau of Forestry: killing is not illegal

Zaozhuang City Forestry Administration official told reporters, although the wolf is provincial protected animal (at lower level of protection), as long as the wolf threat to human life and property, killing on the spot can also be understood, it does not violate relevant laws.

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China supports the work of the subsidiary committees of the U.N. Security Council,beta test games namely the Al Qaida Sanctions Committee, the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the 1540 Committee, a Chinese envoy says.

Wang Min, Chinese deputy permanent representative to the U.N., made the statement Wednesday at a meeting of the Security Council, where the chairmen of the three committees gave their briefings.

Wang said that the Counter-Terrorism Committee had done a lot of work in fully implementing relevant Security Council resolutions.

China supports the committee in taking measures such as holding regional symposium, facilitating technical assistance Wang said, in order to continue to maintain dialogue with member states and help strengthen their capacity in counter-terrorism.

Wang said China also supports the U.N.s 1540 Committees work on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

China is willing to work with all parties to play an active role in the work of the committee in a joint effort to promote the international non-proliferation process, he said.

Moreover, Wang noted that the Al Qaida Sanctions Committee has continued to enhance its work of updating the sanction list. China supports the committee in carrying forward the periodic review of sanctions list as planned and strengthening its communications with the member states concerned.

We hope that the member states will actively cooperate with the committee in a joint effort to safeguard the authority and effectiveness of the sanctions regime, he said.

China is opposed to terrorism in all forms and double standard in countering terrorism, Wang said, China hopes the international community to step up their cooperation in a joint effort to prevent and combat terrorism.

Xinhua

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Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu gestures to his weplay major dota 2 mgm sportsbooksupporters at his party headquarters during Israel's general election in Jerusalem, Nov 2, 2022. [Photoh/Agencies]

Polls show right-wing bloc set for victory, nation on path to 'autocracy' say analysts

Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing bloc looks to be on course for victory in Israel's general election, but analysts said if he becomes the leader, the country may be on the course to becoming an "autocracy".

With 84 percent of votes counted for the 120 seats in the Parliament, called the Knesset, the bloc led by Netanyahu was on course to win 65. "We are close to a big victory," he told supporters of his Likud party. "We have won a huge vote of confidence from the people of Israel."

Religious Zionism's leaders Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have been blatant in their use of anti-Arab language, with Ben-Gvir having been convicted in 2007 of incitement to racism and supporting a terrorist organization.

Last month he was caught on camera pulling out a gun when he became the target of stone throwing during a visit to a predominantly Arab district of East Jerusalem, and speaking to reporters as election results came in, he promised to "work for all of Israel, even those who hate me".

The election  Israel's fifth in under four years  is widely interpreted as being a referendum on Netanyahu himself, who is currently in opposition but has been in power in Israel for 15 of the past 26 years.

He is currently on trial for alleged bribery, fraud and breach of trust, all of which he denies, and is a well-known backer of building Israeli settlements on the West Bank, which has been occupied since the 1967 Middle East war, and which are considered illegal under international law.

He also opposes the creation of a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank as a way of ending the age-old conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, despite the proposal having the support of much of the international community.

Early indications suggested Likud would be the largest party, with 31 seats, and Religious Zionism would be the third-largest, with 14.

Yesh Atid, the center-left party whose coalition forced Netanyahu out of office in last year's elections, would be the second-biggest party with 24 seats.

As results pointing toward a Nethanyahu victory continued to come in, current Prime Minister Yair Lapid from the Yesh Atid party insisted "nothing" was yet decided and to wait until the picture became clearer, but local media outlets reported that he had canceled his planned visit to the COP27 climate summit in Egypt, with his place being taken by Israel's President Isaac Herzog.

Gayil Talshir, a political scientist from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, told the BBC that if the exit polls "reflect the real results, Israel is on its way to become Orban's Hungary", referring to Viktor Orban, the leader of Hungary, which was recently branded an "electoral autocracy" by the European Union.
As languages evolve, spellings can change and some words may even develop more than one version.

Hoofs and hooves, for instance, are two versions of the same noun. Both versions have been in use for many years, but today, one is much more common than the other.

Its unclear why this shift in preferences happenedroofs, a similar word, doesnt have a commonly used rooves variant.

Still, if you are writing for professional or academic reasons, you will need to choose the words you use carefully. While it is unlikely that your manuscript will be rejected on the basis of hooves vs. hoofs, it cant hurt to be sure.

What is the Difference Between Hoofs and Hooves?

In this post, I will compare hooves vs hoofs. I will use each of these words in at least one example sentence, so you can see them in context. Plus, I will show you a helpful memory tool that you can use to make choosing hooves or hoofs easier.

When to Use Hoofs

What does hoofs mean? Hoofs is the older, traditional plural form hoof. Its singular form is hoof, which means the hardened feet of certain animals. Most such animals have four legs, with a hoof on each one, so the plural form of this noun is more common than its singular counterpart.

For example,

My old Shetland ponys hoofs are worn out, and I cannot ride her anymore.

You cannot replace hoofs on a horse the way you can replace hiking boots on a human.

Roosevelt was a great protector of horses, too. He rode Bleistein only at a walk when they were on paved surfaces to protect the horses hoofs. The Washington Post

Other animals also have hoofs, like deer, pigs, giraffes, and Malayan tapirs. Hoofs are specific to mammalsall animals with hoofs are mammals, but not all mammals have hoofs. Other classes of animals, like fish or invertebrates, do not have hoofs.

For a good 250 years, hoofs was the primary plural form of hoofanalogized with the word roof, which has roofsas a plural form. It wasnt until the last 40-50 years that hooves began to pick up steam.

When to Use Hooves

Hooves is the newer, and now more common, plural form of the hoof.

Mountain goats have hooves on their feet that make climbing around on mountains much easier.

Domestic horses wear metal shoes on their hooves to protect them from damage when riding.

Carriage horses wear special horse shoes to protect their hooves and give them traction. New York Post

As mentioned above,hooves didnt really pick up steam until the 20th century, and didnt eclipse hoofs in usage until the 1970s. Today, however, hooves is much more common in print sources.

This chart graphs hooves vs. hoofs over time, and you can see that hooves is now more common that hoofs.

Hoofs and hooves are interchangeable, and both are accepted plurals. They have all the same meanings, and can be used in the same contexts. Bryan Garner, in his book Garners Modern English Usage, estimates hooves to be five times more common in journalistic writing and two times more common in book publishing. The graphs doesnt show a disparity quite that large, but it does show that hooveshas clearly gained ground in recent years.

Trick to Remember the Difference

Each of these words is technically the same plural noun. Until 40 years ago, hoofs was more common, but today, hooves predominates.

If you need a reminder that hooves is the modern standard form of this word, remember that hooves has a slant rhyme with the word shoes, and shoes go on hooves.

Summary

Is it hoofs or hooves? Hoofs and hooves are variants of a plural noun that refers to part of the feet of some mammals.

Both spellings are legitimate.

Today, hooves is the predominant form.

To conclude, use hoovesunless an editor or publisher recommends hoofs instead.
Theladbrokes 50 bonus UK Gambling Commission are very well known and respected in the UK gambling industry and so their recent publication is one of note. The new business plan for 2019-20 outlines their focus on protecting consumers of online casino content and the regulations that they have.

Here, we are going to look at the new business plan in more detail. Keep reading if youd like to find out more about the people who regulate the gambling industry in the UK.

Who Are The UKGC?

The UK Gambling Commission are the regulatory body for the UK gambling industry. This government body sets out any sort of regulations when it comes to gambling including online casinos and gambling operators. The UKGC has the power to give out licenses for businesses to operate and they can also fine those who arent following their strict regulations.

What Does The Plan State?

The new business plan comes with a lot of guidance on how operators should function as well as the priorities of the UKGC as a whole. In the plan, they UKGC stated their five strategic priorities that include protecting the interests of consumers and raising standards in the gambling market. They also state that they aim to prevent gambling harm to the public and they hope to optimise their turns to good causes from lotteries.

The new business plan from the UKGC also included the fact that they wanted to improve the way in which they regulate the industry. Through making regulations tighter, they can protect consumers from the risks of gambling.

The UK Gambling Commission also plan to continue working in collaboration with the Advertising Standards Authority who are there

to regulate any advertising in the UK. With their help, they can ensure that young and vulnerable people are protected against the harms of gambling.

Other Important Elements

While the new business plan is important, the UKGC have also announced that they plan to launch their National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms. This plan aims to keep consumers safer and focus on things such as the use of credit cards when wagering bets. This can lead to further issues related to gambling addictions and so the UKGC wants to try and make changes before it is too late.

What Does This Mean For Operators?

For those operators who are doing things right and following regulations, it seems as though the plan wont have much impact. For those who ignore the regulations( usually new online casinos ), there could be more serious consequences as time goes on.

Operators will need to make sure that they are doing what they can to help their players avoid developing gambling addictions. With the help of the UKGC, the rate of addiction in the UK should see a drop as time goes on. Operators must take responsibility for what they are doing or else they will face the consequences.

Conclusion

It is clear that the UK Gambling Commission are on a mission to improve the way in which the gambling industry in the UK operates. This industry comes with a lot of risks and the UKGC have been doing a great job since they were initially formed.

We expect there to be a lot of changes with all of these priorities that have been outlined in the new business plan for 2019-2010. Operators will need to ensure that they meet the criteria set out by the UKGC if they want to keep operating under UK law. Make sure to keep an eye on this body to see what sort of changes they have planned.

Category: Casino BlogMagazine
CIIE Photo:VCG

More and more enterprises from China's Taiwan island are attending the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai in pursuit of business opportunities in the Chinese mainland with the support of central authorities. At the ongoing 5th CIIE,many Taiwan firms drew great interest from mainland consumers and some even inked sizable deals.Johnson Health Tech Co, an exercise equipment maker headquartered in Taiwan, attends the CIIE for the first time. With the help of the CIIE platform, Johnson expanded its market in the mainland, finding distributors from different regions. At the CIIE, the company signed cooperation intention agreements worth more than 500 million yuan ($68.9 million) with over 20 mainland enterprises.All of this will bring the company more business opportunities and more returns, according to a statement the company sent to the Global Times on Wednesday.It is also the first time Want Want Group's disinfectant brand, Water God, participate in the expo. On behalf of Want Want Group, Tsai Wang Ting, executive director of Want Want Water God Business Department, told the Global Times at the booth that he was very excited and honored to attend the 5th CIIE this year."CIIE is a very good platform for sharing and learning. We see a lot of well-known enterprises here, including large and small enterprises. We not only want to share our products to others, but also want to learn from others such as their business models, culture and products," Tsai said.The group brought two brands to showcase at the expo. Water God displayed a number of product series such as disinfectants and other products.A Global Times reporter saw many consumers experiencing the products such as fitness equipment, disinfecting products and coffee, and asking for more information about the products with great interest.Central authorities have offered tremendous support for enterprises from the island to conduct business in the mainland market.In July, the Ministry of Commerce and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council held a promotion meeting for enterprises from China's Taiwan region, extending an invitation to them to participate in the 5th CIIE, aiming to promote trade and support economic integration and development between the mainland and the region.Cross-Straits trade continues to grow in 2022 despite challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first 10 months, the island's exports to the mainland increased 0.2 percent year-on-year, according to data released by the General Administration of Customs on Monday.
South Africa has vowed to negotiate for the balancing of funding for adaptation and mitigation and push for developed countries to honor the climate change financing pledge at the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties,niagara fallsview hilton hotel or COP 27, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

Barbara Creecy, South Africa's minister of forestry, fisheries and the environment, said developed countries have been responsible for greenhouse emissions for more than 200 years, while African countries that are most affected by climate change have contributed less than 4 percent to accumulated greenhouse emissions.

"We have had recent estimates that African countries require over $440 billion for the next 10 years for mitigation and adaptation. We think it is important in the short term that developed nations need to honor the commitments that they have made to climate financing," Creecy told China Daily.

"We know the commitment made in Paris has still not been honored for raising $100 billion per annum. We think that to establish trust between developing and developed countries it would be very important that pledges are honored."

African countries have limited resources and are developing with most of them "heavily indebted", she said, and they should not borrow money to address the effects of climate change that would increase their indebtedness. There should be a fund for developing countries to claim money when they experience disasters as a result of climate change, Creecy said.

"We want to make sure there are new financial goals after 2025 and we want that to be met. It should not be a thumb-sucked figure that is not new finance. It must be predictable and available.

"We want to make sure that developed countries responsible for historic greenhouse gas emissions are not reneging on the climate financing commitment they made at COP 26. We want to make sure that they are not trying to push responsibility for climate commitments to developing countries. We hope to get the best deal for our people, country and humanity."

Creecy said there should be a balance on the financing for adaptation and mitigation. Developing countries have to honor climate commitments so vulnerable communities and sectors of the economy are not left behind, she said, and conflict of climate justice within the Global North and South should be understood, mainstreamed and integrated into the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and financed.

Hope expressed

Crispian Olver, executive director of South Africa's Presidential Climate Commission, said it is looking forward to COP 27. He welcomed the government's negotiating position at COP 27, which he said is aligned with the expectations of many South African stakeholders.

"We want the global goal on adaptation to be implemented. There is a target there, 50 percent resilience by 2030 and 90 percent by 2050. We are pleased that the South African government is pushing this adaptation finance facility, which will be embedded into the global architecture. The most important one for us is to push the notion of a just transition.

"Developed countries in the North that are primarily responsible for the climate crisis need to step forward and deliver on the commitment of $100 billion per annum for climate finance, and they have not been forthcoming. In fact, needs are much higher than that."

Olver said the research will be presented on climate investment needs at COP 27, and what South Africa has been doing on climate change will be highlighted.

The writer is a freelance writer for China Daily.
Fireworks were set off amid heavy smog in Beijing on Sunday night to mark the Lantern Festival,harrah's rincon what's a multi bet the end to Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations and the citys 16-day fireworks spree.

On Sunday, the average density of PM2.5 hit 300 micrograms per cubic meter in some parts of the city, up from 200 micrograms per cubic meter on Saturday night, well above the national standard of 75 micrograms per cubic meter, according to the Beijing Municipal Environment Monitoring Center.

More than 1 million people were dispatched to ensure that fireworks were used safely, according to a statement from the municipal governments fireworks administration office.

A total of 210 people were injured in fireworks-related accidents over the past 16 days, down 23 percent year on year, it said.

A total of 370,000 cartons of fireworks were sold during the same period, down from 570,000 cartons sold during the same period last year, according to the office.

This year, local residents were allowed to set off fireworks within the Fifth Ring Road in Beijing from Feb. 9, the Lunar New Years Eve, to Feb. 24, the Lantern Festival, according to government rules.

Xinhua

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A team of 14 Chinese police officers returned to Beijing on Tuesday after finishing a year-long peacekeeping mission in South Sudan,joker gaming slot 123 pinoyflix teleserye the Ministry of Public Security said.

The team was the first Chinese peacekeeping team to join the United Nations peacekeeping force in South Sudan.

The team accomplished all of the tasks mandated by the UN and all of its members received medals from the UN, the ministry said.

Since January 2000, China has sent 1,771 police officers on eight peacekeeping missions in East Timor, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Liberia, Afghanistan, Sudan, Haiti and South Sudan.

Xinhua

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What Is a Direct Tax?online casino play n go

A direct tax is a tax that a person or organization pays directly to the entity that imposed it. Examples include income tax, real property tax, personal property tax, and taxes on assets, all of which are paid by an individual taxpayer directly to the government.

Key Takeaways

A direct tax is paid by an individual or organization to the entity that levied the tax.

Direct taxes include income taxes, property taxes, and taxes on assets.

There are also indirect taxes, such as sales taxes, wherein a tax is levied on the seller but paid by the buyer.

Direct Tax

Understanding a Direct Tax

1:11

Direct taxes in the United States are largely based on the ability-to-pay principle. This economic principle states that those who have more resources or earn a higher income should bear a greater tax burden. Some critics see that as a disincentive for individuals to work hard and earn more money because the more a person makes, the more taxes they pay.

Direct taxes cannot be passed on to a different person or entity. The individual or organization upon which the tax is levied is responsible for paying it.

A direct tax is the opposite of an indirect tax, wherein the tax is levied on one entity, such as a seller, and paid by anothersuch as a sales tax paid by the buyer in a retail setting. Both kinds of taxes are important revenue sources for governments.

Examples of indirect taxes include excise duties on fuel, liquor, and cigarettes as well as a value-added tax (VAT), also referred to as a consumption tax.

The History of Direct Taxes

The modern distinction between direct taxes and indirect taxes came about with the ratification of the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1913. Before the 16th Amendment, tax law in the United States was written so that direct taxes had to be directly apportioned to a state's population. A state with a population that was 75% of the size of another state's, for example, would only be required to pay direct taxes equal to 75% of the larger state's tax bill.

This antiquated verbiage created a situation in which the federal government could not impose many direct taxes, such as a personal income tax, due to apportionment requirements. However, the advent of the 16th Amendment changed the tax code and allowed for the levying of numerous direct and indirect taxes.

Examples of Direct Taxes

Corporate taxes are a good example of direct taxes. If, for example, a manufacturing company reports $1 million in revenue, $500,000 in the cost of goods sold (COGS), and $100,000 in operating costs, its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) would be $400,000. If the company has no debt, depreciation, or amortization, and has a corporate tax rate of 21%, its direct tax would be $84,000 ($400,000 x 0.21 = $84,000).

An individual's federal income tax is another example of a direct tax. If a person makes $100,000 in a year, for example, and owes the government $20,000 in taxes, that $20,000 would be a direct tax.

There are a number of other direct taxes that are common in the United States, such as the property taxes that homeowners are required to pay. Those are typically collected by local governments and based on the assessed value of the property.

Other types of direct taxes in the U.S. and elsewhere include use taxes (such as vehicle licensing and registration fees), estate taxes, gift taxes, and so-called sin taxes on liquor and cigarettes, for example.

What Are Examples of Direct Taxes?

Direct taxes are taxes paid directly to the party that levied them, such as the IRS. Common examples include income, capital gains, or property tax that a taxpayer pays to the government.

What Is the Difference Between Direct Tax and Indirect Tax?

Direct taxes cannot be shifted to another party and remain your responsibility to pay. Indirect taxes are the opposite. Whoever is liable for these taxes can pass on or shift them to another person or group.



What Are Some Examples of Indirect Taxes?

Common examples of indirect taxes include sales tax, excise tax, value-added tax (VAT), and goods and services tax (GST). Often, businesses get individual consumers to foot the bill and cover these costs by charging higher prices.
Ph.D., Sociocultural Anthropology, the University of Texas at Austin

M.A., Social Sciences, University of Chicago

B.A., Sociology and Anthropology, Carleton College

Claude Levi-Strauss (November 28, 1908  October 30, 2009) was a French anthropologist and one of the most prominent social scientists of the twentieth century. He is best known as the founder of structural anthropology and for his theory of structuralism. Levi-Strauss was a key figure in the development of modern social and cultural anthropology and was widely influential outside of his discipline.

Fast Facts: Claude Levi-Strauss

Occupation : Anthropologist

: Anthropologist Born : November 28, 1908, in Brussels, Belgium

: November 28, 1908, in Brussels, Belgium Education : University of Paris (Sorbonne)

: University of Paris (Sorbonne) Died : October 30, 2009, in Paris, France

: October 30, 2009, in Paris, France Key Accomplishments: Developed the influential concept of structural anthropology as well as new theories of myth and kinship.

Life and Career

Claude Levi-Strauss was born to a Jewish French family in Brussels, Belgium and later raised in Paris. He studied philosophy at the Sorbonne. Several years after his graduation, the French Ministry of Culture invited him to take a position as a visiting professor of sociology at the University of Sao Paolo in Brazil. After moving to Brazil in 1935, Levi-Strauss held this teaching position until 1939.

In 1939, Levi-Strauss resigned to conduct anthropological fieldwork in indigenous communities in the Mato Grasso and Brazilian Amazon regions, launching the beginning of his research on and with indigenous groups of the Americas. The experience would have a profound effect on his future, paving the way for a groundbreaking career as a scholar. He achieved literary fame for his 1955 book "Tristes Tropiques", which chronicled part of his time in Brazil.

Claude Levi-Strausss academic career began to take off as Europe spiraled into World War II and he was fortunate to escape France for the U.S., thanks to a teaching post at the New School for Research in 1941. While in New York, he joined a community of French intellectuals who successfully found refuge in the U.S. amidst the fall of their home country and the rising tide of anti-Semitism in Europe.

Levi-Strauss remained in the U.S. until 1948, joining a community of fellow Jewish scholars and artists escaping persecution that included linguist Roman Jakobson and Surrealist painter Andre Breton. Levi-Strauss helped found the Ecole Libre des Hautes Etudes (French School for Free Studies) with fellow refugees, and then served as a cultural attache to the French embassy in Washington, DC.

Levi-Strauss returned to France in 1948, where he received his doctorate from the Sorbonne. He quickly established himself within the ranks of French intellectuals, and he was the director of studies at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes at the University of Paris from 1950 to 1974. He became the chair of Social Anthropology at the famed College de France in 1959 and held the position until 1982. Claude Levi-Strauss died in Paris in 2009. He was 100 years old.

Structuralism

Levi-Strauss formulated his famous concept of structural anthropology during his time in the U.S. Indeed, this theory is unusual in anthropology in that it is inextricably linked to the writing and thinking of one scholar. Structuralism offered a new and distinctive way to approach the study of culture and built on the scholarly and methodological approaches of cultural anthropology and structural linguistics.

Levi-Strauss held that the human brain was wired to organize the world in terms of key structures of organization, which enabled people to order and interpret experience. Since these structures were universal, all cultural systems were inherently logical. They simply used different systems of understanding to explain the world around them, resulting in the stunning diversity of myths, beliefs, and practices. The anthropologists task, according to Levi-Strauss, was to explore and explain the logic within a particular cultural system.

Structuralism used the analysis of cultural practices and beliefs, as well as the fundamental structures of language and linguistic classification, to identify the universal building blocks of human thought and culture. It offered a fundamentally unifying, egalitarian interpretation of people across the world and from all cultural backgrounds. At our core, Levi-Strauss argued, all people use the same basic categories and systems of organization to make sense of the human experience.

Levi-Strauss' concept of structural anthropology aimed to unify  at the level of thought and interpretation  the experiences of cultural groups living in highly variable contexts and systems, from the indigenous community he studied in Brazil to the French intellectuals of World War II-era New York. The egalitarian principles of structuralism were an important intervention in that they recognized all people as fundamentally equal, regardless of culture, ethnicity, or other socially constructed categories.

Theories of Myth

Levi-Strauss developed a deep interest in the beliefs and oral traditions of Indigenous groups in America during his time in the U.S. The anthropologist Franz Boas and his students had pioneered ethnographic studies of the indigenous groups of North America, compiling vast collections of myths. Levi-Strauss, in turn, sought to synthesize these in a study spanning the myths from the Arctic to the tip of South America. This culminated in Mythologiques (1969, 1974, 1978, and 1981), a four-volume study in which Levi-Strauss argued that myths could be studied to reveal the universal oppositions  such as dead versus living or nature versus culture  that organized human interpretations of and beliefs about the world.

Levi-Strauss posited structuralism as an innovative approach to the study of myths. One of his key concepts in this regard was the bricolage, borrowing from the French term to refer to a creation that draws from a diverse assortment of parts. The bricoleur, or the individual engaged in this creative act, makes use of what is available. For structuralism, bricolage and bricoleur are used to show the parallels between Western scientific thought and indigenous approaches. Both are fundamentally strategic and logical, they simply make use of different parts. Levi-Strauss elaborated on his concept of the bricolage with respect to the anthropological study of a myth in his seminal text, "The Savage Mind" (1962).

Theories of Kinship

Levi-Strausss earlier work focused on kinship and social organization, as outlined in his 1949 book "The Elementary Structures of Kinship". He sought to understand how categories of social organization, such as kinship and class, were formed. These were social and cultural phenomena, not natural (or pre-ordained) categories, but what caused them?

Levi-Strausss writings here centered on the role of exchange and reciprocity in human relationships. He was also interested in the power of the incest taboo to push people to marry outside of their families and the subsequent alliances that emerged. Rather than approaching the incest taboo as biologically-based or assuming that lineages should be traced by familial descent, Levi-Strauss focused instead on the power of marriage to create powerful and lasting alliances between families.

Criticism

Like any social theory, structuralism had its critics. Later scholars broke with the rigidity of Levi-Strauss universal structures to take a more interpretative (or hermeneutic) approach to cultural analysis. Similarly, the focus on underlying structures potentially obscured the nuance and complexity of lived experience and daily life. Marxist thinkers also criticized the lack of attention to material conditions, such as economic resources, property, and class.

Structuralism is curious in that, although it was widely influential in multiple disciplines, it was not typically adopted as a strict method or framework. Rather, it offered a new lens with which to examine social and cultural phenomena.

Sources
This sportsbook parx casinoSunday, members of French Asian communities marched in large numbers in Paris, like last year to protest against violence against the Asian community. Their exact number is unknown: police are talking about 3,000 Chinese nationals, and the organizers claimed of 20,000.

The event, held at the call from Asian associations in France, took place peacefully, despite the obvious anger of the participants. The demonstrators carried a banner Freedom, equality, fraternity and security, to head up the nation.

Among the demonstrators, there were many young people, wrapped in French flags and shouting slogans like Safety for Everyone or live together, live in security. According to Oliver Wang, spokesman for the group of Asian associations in France and their French friends, Security is the condition in which people are exposed to danger, we demand security because it is a right, it is the essential condition of freedoms.

Every week, in neighborhoods such as Belleville, Crimea, or Tolbiac Massena, Asians are victims of violence, said a representative associations. They are threatened, they are striking for a few euros, a mobile phone or on fly snatching a jewel. This is outrageous.

According to Jean-Pierre Buisson who married to a Chinese, they are taken to task because there are many who have no papers ( legal documents ), and a certain class of the French population assaulted them knowing they will not be complaint with the police.

The case of Jiamming, 30, is particularly emblematic: a picture of him on his hospital bed, under artificial respiration, still in a coma for three weeks after an assault, was exhibited by his brother throughout the event. In the evening of May 29, Jiamming was beaten for trying to photograph the men who had stolen the bag of a client in the restaurant where he worked.

For the protesters, politicians in Paris has little relevance to security. Moreover, only one elected Bouakkaz Hamou, elected 20th District, attended the event.

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A visitor admires hydroponic vegetable and flower technology at the CIIE on November 6, 2022.Photo:VCG

American snack giant Mondelez, also the parent company of Oreo, officially launched two Oreo frozen cheesecakes at the fifth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai.Mondelez will take the opportunity of the cake launch to tap into the large, fast-growing baked food sector in China, said Joost Vlaanderen, president of Mondelez Greater China.With the boom of China's internet, logistics and cold chain technologies, the country's snack food industry has entered the fast lane of development.Data from the China National Food Industry Association showed that the sector had a compound growth rate of nearly 12 percent from 2013 to 2018. In 2020, the size of China's snack food market reached 1.25 trillion yuan ($173 billion). Such a huge market has lured food giants from various countries.The partner of the newly launched Oreo frozen cakes is Fonterra, a New Zealand dairy raw material supplier, which also attended this year's CIIE."Chinese consumers' demand for healthy and delicious products has continued to accelerate, so we are looking forward to this product pushing the cooperation between Mondelez and Fonterra to a new height," Dai Junqi, vice president of Fonterra Greater China, said.At this year's CIIE, major food brands brought their latest products and cutting-edge food production technologies, hoping to satisfy the tastes of Chinese consumers and enter the vast Chinese market."The CIIE is not just about China's domestic market anymore," said Larry Chan, chairman of Liwayway (China) Co, adding that through the CIIE, Liwayway could bring its international products into China, and the event also allowed the company to forge partnerships with international players.Chan said the Chinese market currently accounts for 40 percent of Liwayway's global business, and the company has long-term development plans in China.As China has entered a new stage of consumption upgrading in recent years, Chinese consumers' demand for imported high-quality fruits has also been rising.From more than 50 exhibits in the first CIIE to 82 exhibits this year, Dole, a fresh fruit and vegetable company, has participated in the annual event for five consecutive years. This year, the company signed orders worth $170 million at the CIIE."The CIIE is a catalyst to transform exhibits into commodities and products into top-selling items," said Vivian Wang, marketing director of Dole China. "Our Dole Sweetio banana and Dole Sweetio pineapple, as star products from the CIIE, have been sold to Tibet and Xinjiang."According to Wang, sales of Dole Sweetio pineapples soared after its debut at last year's CIIE, exceeding expectations by more than 10 times in 2022."Meanwhile, the CIIE is an excellent stage for new product launches. The global influence of the CIIE has helped Dole establish a good brand image," Wang said.The promotion of localization has become an important way for foreign enterprises to compete for the "big cake" of China's food market.In recent years, Dole has ramped up its investment in China, building new distribution centers in the cities of Guiyang, Chengdu and Chongqing, and it plans to continue expanding into the southwestern market."In a market as competitive as China, you need to deeply understand what consumers want," said Joost Vlaanderen, president of Mondelez Greater China."That's why in Suzhou, we have a world-famous research and design center where we develop and design products. We make our products here so that we can deliver to consumers what they want at the speed of China," he added.Xinhua
death and taxes,nba fantasy draft strategy certain as New Word List Save This Word! Save This Word!

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Bhutanese [ boot-n-eez,cash frenzy casino twitter -ees ]/ but niz, -is / New Word List Save This Word! [ boot-n-eez,-ees ]/ but niz, -is /Save This Word!

adjectiveof, relating to, or characteristic of Bhutan, its inhabitants, or their language.

noun, plural Bhutanese.a native or inhabitant of Bhutan. Also called Dzongkha [zong-kuh] /z k/ . a Tibetic language that is the official language of Bhutan.

usage note for Bhutanese

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How to use Bhutanese Bhutanese/ (butnz) / nouna native or inhabitant of Bhutan adjectiveof or relating to Bhutan or its inhabitants Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition  William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986  HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

QUIZWILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!Question BhutaneseFirst recorded in 180515; Bhutan + -eseBhutanese is used as a plural noun (a candidate favored by the Bhutanese ), but it's relatively rare as a singular noun (the candidate who is a Bhutanese ).Bhumibol Adulyadej, bhuna, bhungi, bhut, Bhutan, Bhutanese, Bhutatathata, Bhutto, bi, Bia, biacetylDictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary,  Random House, Inc. 2022
China on Friday called on the UN Security Council and the international community to promote the role of women in all stages of peace process.

Addressing a Security Council open debate on women,free slots 4 you no download peace and security, Wang Min, Chinas deputy permanent representative to the UN, said women are vulnerable in conflict and post-conflict situations, but they are also important participants in the prevention and mediation of conflicts as well as in the post- conflict reconstruction.

It is important that the Council not only focus on protecting womens security and safeguarding their rights in conflict and post-conflict situations, but also recognize and promote the unique role of women in peace process, finding a way to bring them on board in advancing world peace and security, he said.

In his speech, Wang placed special stress on the necessity to value and enhance the status and role of women in all stages of the peace process.

In preventing conflicts, maintaining security and building peace, it is important to pay attention to womens special needs and concerns, and ensure that they enjoy the full right to participation and decision-making in the peace process, he said. So doing will help improve their disadvantageous status and effectively protect their rights.

According to the envoy, China supports the UN in appointing more female senior officials, special representatives of the secretary-general and special envoys, and especially in increasing female representation from the developing countries.

Wang also noted that national governments bear the main responsibility for protecting womens rights in the conflict and post-conflict situations.

In safeguarding the rights and interests of women and enhancing their role in peace and security, national ownership of the government concerned must be respected, he said.

Wang further called on the international community to increase its attention and support to the development of women, which is the foundation of achieving genuine women empowerment.

The international community should effectively respond to the appeals of developing countries, raise the levels of assistance to the development of women in developing countries on the basis of full respect for national ownership, he said.

In addition, the Chinese envoy pointed out that in implementing its commitments to women, peace and security, the Council should, in accordance with its mandate, focus its attention on conflict and post-conflict situations.

The Security Council is not an appropriate platform for establishing universal standards with regard to the issues of women or human rights, he added.

Xinhua

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A damaged vehicle lies next to a crater formed at the site of an explosion in Przewodow,best free video poker a village in eastern Poland near the border with Ukraine, in this photograph on Nov 16, 2022. [Photo/Agencies]

MOSCOW - Russian experts have confirmed from pictures of the wreckage that the projectile falling in Poland was a Ukrainian missile, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

The rocket was an anti-aircraft guided missile of the S-300 air defense system of the Ukrainian air forces, the ministry said in a statement.

Accusations by various sources about Russian missiles hitting the Polish village of Przewodow near the Polish-Ukrainian border were "a deliberate provocation with the aim of escalating the situation," it stressed.

The Polish government confirmed on Tuesday night that two Polish citizens had been killed in explosions in the Polish city of Hrubieszow near the Poland-Ukraine border, amid media reports over missiles falling there in the afternoon.

The cause of the explosions remains unclear. TVP and TVN, among several mainstream Polish media outlets, said early Wednesday that the blasts were reportedly caused by Russian rockets, but Poland's President Andrzej Duda said later that there was no indication that the blast was an intentional attack on Poland.

Addressing a press conference in Warsaw following a meeting of his country's National Security Bureau on Wednesday, Duda said: "We have no proof at this stage that it was a missile launched by Russia. There are many indications that it was an air defense missile that unfortunately fell on Polish territory."

Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), said in Brussels on Wednesday that the explosion was likely not an attack from Russia but was caused by a Ukrainian air defense missile.

Citing the findings of a preliminary analysis of the debris found at the site of the explosion, Stoltenberg said after a NATO emergency meeting in the Belgian capital on this issue that: "We have no indication that this was the result of a deliberate attack. And we have no indication that Russia is preparing offensive military actions against NATO."

An investigation by NATO into the incident is still ongoing, Stoltenberg and Duda both said.
The Chinese authorities have banned a hundred songs from Internet music portals, including those of global stars as Lady Gaga or the Backstreet Boys.

The Chinese Ministry of Culture says the ban is intended to restore order of the online music market that needs to be purged from songs which are harm the security of the state culture.

Beyonce Knowles, Katy Perry and Britney Spears, the Canadian group Simple Plan and the British group Take That are on this blacklist of banned songs on the network.

Lady Gaga has six titles in the red zone: The Edge of Glory, Hair, Marry the Night, Americano, Judas, and Bloody Mary. The Chinese Ministry of Culture does not explain why the songs of Lady Gaga are under a ban which is in force since August 19.

Beijing has set a limit on 15 September for the portals to eliminate the one hundred banned songs. Those who do not abide by the rule will be taken to court. Since 2010, China requires prior authorization for the songs broadcasted on the Web.

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What Is Repatriation?casino wizard of oz slot machine

The term repatriation refers to the conversion or exchange of foreign currency into someone's home currency. In a larger context, the term refers to anything or anyone that returns to its country of origin, which can include foreign nationals, refugees, or deportees. In most cases, in the financial industry, it involves moving money back after someone returns home after living or working abroad.

Repatriation is also a common occurrence in other areas of the financial sector, such as business transactions, foreign investments, or international travel. The act of repatriating currency can result in losses and certain risks, including foreign exchange risks.

Key Takeaways

Repatriation refers to the conversion of any foreign currency into ones local currency.

It may become necessary to repatriate money because of business transactions, foreign investments, or international travel.

Repatriation usually refers to the conversion of offshore capital back to the currency of the country in which a corporation is based in the corporate world.

Repatriating currency can result in losses and comes with certain risks, such as foreign currency risks.

Taxpayers in the U.S. must pay a transition tax when they repatriate any money earned overseas.

Understanding Repatriation

Repatriation is a process that occurs when people return to their home country after living, visiting, or working abroad. For instance, someone from Canada may take a contract job in the United Kingdom for two years. When their contract is up, they may decide to return home. The act of returning home is known as repatriation.

This process also applies to the financial industry. For instance, repatriation commonly refers to the conversion of offshore capital back to the home currency of a corporation. In the global economy, many corporations based in the United States generate earnings abroad. There are legal steps corporations take to repatriate their currency, including:

Share repurchasing

Loans

Dividend programs

Repayment of capital



Individuals might also repatriate funds. For example, Americans returning from a visit to Japan typically repatriate their currency, converting any remaining yen into U.S. dollars. The number of dollars they receive when they exchange their remaining yen will depend on the exchange rate between the two currencies at the time of the repatriation.

Many companies choose not to repatriate their offshore earnings in order to avoid corporate taxes charged on repatriated funds.

Special Considerations

American taxpayers, including individuals and corporations, have historically been taxed on any income they earned abroad. This includes any foreign income earned and repatriated. For example, U.S. corporations were taxed for dividends issued by a foreign subsidiary. Tax rates for repatriated currency were as high as 35%.

This changed following the signing of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) by President Donald Trump in late 2017. Once signed, the law cut the corporate repatriation tax, which is referred to as a transition tax, from that rate of 35%. It allowed U.S. companies to repatriate money earned overseas at 15.5% for any foreign earnings held in cash and cash equivalents and 8% for any foreign income that doesn't fall in this category.

These changes could bring in as much as $340 billion between 2018 and 2027 in tax revenue. U.S. corporations repatriated $777 billion of cash stored overseas in 2018, according to the Federal Reserve.

Repatriation Risks

Companies that operate in more than one country generally accept the local currency of the economy that they transact business. When a company earns income in foreign currencies, the earnings are subject to foreign exchange risk, meaning they could potentially lose or gain in value based on fluctuations in the value of either currency.

For example, though Apple (AAPL) is a U.S.-based corporation, an Apple store in France accepts euros as payment for product sales since the euro is the currency used in France. If Apple earned one million euros from product sales in France at an exchange rate of 1.15 dollars per euro, the earnings would equal $1.15 million or (one million euros x 1.15). But if it earned one million euros during the next quarter and the exchange fell to 1.10 dollars per euro, the earnings would equal $1.1 million or (1.1 million euros x 1.10).

In other words, Apple would lose $50,000 in earnings based on the exchange rate decline despite having the same amount in sales in euros for both quarters. The volatility or fluctuations in the exchange rate is called foreign exchange risk, which companies are exposed to when they do business internationally. As a result, the volatility in exchange rates can impact a company's earnings.

Some U.S. corporations repatriate funds from overseas translating the cash into U.S. dollars. These funds are typically used to invest in new technologies and fixed assets like property, plant, and equipment (PP&E).

Example of Repatriation

At the time that the TCJA was passed, Apple had the largest amount of cash holdings abroad of any U.S. company. Following the changes made to the U.S. tax laws with the passing of the act, the company said it was bringing home roughly all of the $250 billion held overseas. As a result, Apple agreed to a one-time tax payment to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of $38 billion to repatriate its foreign cash holdings.



How Much Money Has Been Repatriated Since 2000?

Billions of dollars have been repatriated back to the United States since 2000. As much as $777 billion in cash stored overseas was repatriated by corporations back to the United States in 2018, according to the Federal Reserve. This was largely due to the passing of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which lowered the transition tax for corporations that wanted to exchange their foreign-held currency into U.S. dollars.

Which Corporations Repatriate the Most Money?

Some of the largest American corporations repatriate the most money. For instance, Apple was considered to have the largest amount of cash held overseas. Following the passing of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the company said it would repatriate as much as $250 billion held in foreign countries back to the United States.

What Is the Meaning of the Word Repatriation?

In a general context, repatriation commonly refers to the act of anyone or anything returning home from another country. In the financial world, repatriation occurs when a taxpaying entity transfers money earned overseas back to the country where it is based. This can refer to a corporation that earns money from a foreign subsidiary or an individual who has investments, earned income, or money accumulated during travels abroad.
Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nation. (Photo: the official website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry)

The draft resolution calling Russian to provide redress and compensation to Ukraine submitted to the emergency special session for action has obvious flaws and loopholes, Ambassador Geng Shuang pointed out in his speech at the UN General Assembly Emergency Special Session, according to the website of the Chinese Permanent Mission to the UN on Monday.At the 11th emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on November 14, Ukraine, Canada, and other countries jointly submitted to the UNGA a draft resolution calling on Russia to provide redress and compensation to Ukraine for its special military operations, amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars, according to media reports.Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia's Federal Security Council, said on social media that "Anglo-Saxons are clearly trying to scrape together a legal basis for the illegal seizure of Russian assets," according to Reuters. He also said that the UNGA should pass a similar resolution demanding compensation from the US to North Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Yugoslavia and other countries that have suffered harm from the US and NATO, media reported.Redress and reparation are important means of achieving justice, appeasement and reconstruction after war and conflict, Geng said, noting that China believes that war remedies and reparations should be realized through correct political channels and legal procedures, and the useful practice of the Security Council and the General Assembly can provide important references for the international community to take similar actions in this regard.In his speech, Geng pointed out three obvious flaws in the draft resolution. First, the draft resolution intends to directly address the issue of international legal responsibility through the UNGA, which exceeds the mandate of the UNGA. The previous resolutions adopted by the 11th emergency special session of the UNGA do not constitute as the legal basis for redress and compensation.The draft resolution, intended to invoke the article on the "Responsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts" to hold relevant parties accountable, lacks the legal basis. The liability clause is only the result of research by the International Law Commission, an expert body, and is not an intergovernmental international treaty, which is not legally binding. Therefore, it is not appropriate to use the liability clause as the basis for legal determination and accountability, Geng added.Geng also pointed out that the draft resolution intended to allow some countries to set up compensation and loss registration mechanism Such an important draft resolution should undergo full discussion and extensive consultations among member states to ensure that it can stand the test of history politically, legally and procedurally, said Geng, adding that the sponsors did not organize consultations seriously, did not respond substantively to the concerns of member states, and insisted on pushing the UNGA to take hasty actions, which was totally unconstructive.s outside the UN framework, which is against the usual practice. It is illogical for the UNGA to adopt a resolution on mechanisms that are not within the UN framework, are not supervised and do not report to the United Nations.Such an important draft resolution should undergo full discussion and extensive consultations among member states to ensure that it can stand the test of history politically, legally and procedurally, said Geng, adding that the sponsors did not organize consultations seriously, did not respond substantively to the concerns of member states, and insisted on pushing the UNGA to take hasty actions, which was totally unconstructive.For the above reasons, China will vote against the draft resolution and once again calls on all parties concerned to return to dialogue and negotiation at an early date so as to bring the situation in Ukraine back on the right track of political settlement.Geng reiterated at the end of the speech that China's position on the Ukraine issue is consistent and clear, and China is willing to continue to work with the international community to play a constructive role in pushing for an early ceasefire and cessation of the conflict, easing of the situation and a political settlement of the crisis.Global Times
sums up the achievements as well as analyzing the existing problemsthe elderlythere were two research reports: Reports of human rights legislation and Report on the Human Rights Protection in Wenchuan Earthquake Reconstruction.

Finally there are three appendices. Appendix One is the human rights Chronicle since the New China was founded.Appendix Two is a compilation of Chinas human rights laws and regulations. Appendix Three is the main human rights works since the New China was found.

The book was written by the scholars and experts of human rights institutions from all over the country.The study tries to make objective

China Human Rights Studies, Social Sciences Academic Press yesterday jointly held a press conference in Beijing, released the first Blue Book of Chinas human rights, the development of Chinas human rights report NO.1 (2011). The Blue Book analyzes Chinas experience and existing problems in promoting the development of human rights, and makes recommendations.

The Blue Book is divided into 4 parts: the total reports, special reports, special research reports and Appendix. Blue Book editor, vice president of the China Human Rights Studies Li Junru said at the conference that the Blue Book is different from the White Paper on Chinas human rights, as the Blue Book is from academic research groups like China Human Rights Studies, and it is prepared to undertake the task of making objective record and assessment from the perspective of experts and scholars.

In the field of human rights theory, China proposed right to subsistence and development are the primary basic human rights and a series of important points. In legislative work, China has formulated a series of law on legal protection of human rights and the constitution clearly stipulates the principle of respecting and safeguarding human rights.

The Blue Book points out that China has adopted a series of measures to improve the situation of human rights protection, most prominently reflected in the 2009 formulation of National Human Rights Action Plan (2009-2010). This is the first time for the Chinese government to develop a national planning with theme of human rights. In addition, the Blue Book pointed out that China has carried out human rights dialogues and exchanges with nearly 20 countries, and has participated in 27 international human rights treaties.

Abstract

This is the first Blue Book related to the development of Chinas human rights.It summarizes the development of Chinas basic situation of human rights since the founding of the Peoples Republic of Chinadevelopmentmr green betfredsocial securitymonte carlo hotel las vegas dealshealthspecificresearch reports and appendices.

The general report summarizes the basic course of the pursuit of human rights by the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese Governmenta total of eighteen presentationsespecially the latest developments in recent years.It summarizes the experiences and lessons in the development of human rights in Chinahousingparticipation and propertyprotection the rights of womeninstitutions and characteristics of human rights studies and their problems.

In the special report sectionculturereasoned analysis based on fully shared datainformationeducationspecial reportslaw and practice of general cause of human rights in China since reform and opening upand international human rights cooperation and so on.

In the part of the research reportsthe breakthrough in theoryand analyzes the research teamsrespectivelyand suggests the way to further improve the situation of human rights protection.

The book is divided into four parts: general reportrelating to civil rights to survivalworkvotingethnic minorities and persons with disabilitiesjudicial protection of human rightsand predicts the foreseeable prospect.

CONTENTS

 General Report

B.1 The Historic Achievements and Progressive Development

of Human Rights in China . Li Junru, Chang Jian and Wang Linxia / 001

 Special Reports

B.2 Alleviating Rural Poverty and the Protection of the Rights to

Subsistence and Development .. Li Yunlong / 055

B.3 The Protection of the Right to Work in China . Zhang Lixia / 072

B.4 Protecting and Promoting the Housing Rights of

Citizens through Urban Housing System Reform . Wang Hongzhe / 093

B.5 The Development of Social Security Rights of

Chinese People . Guan Xinping, Huang Xiaoyan / 118

B.6 Enforcement of Real Right Act and Protection of

Citizens Property . Chen Yaodong, Zhang Zhipo / 139

B.7 Study on Food and Drug Safety in China  Xu Xiaori / 163

B.8 The Advance and Improvement of Compulsory Education

.. Yan Guangfen, Wu Jun / 183

B.9 Public Cultural Service System and Citizens Cultural Rights

Protection .. Tang Yingxia / 217

B.10 The Development of Information Dissemination by Internet

and the Realization of Civil Rights to Information in China

. Gao Gang / 236

B.11 The Construction of Government Information Disclose System

and the Protection of Peoples Right to Know ..Zhao Zhengqun / 255

B.12 The Institutional Construction of Grassroots Democracy

and Citizens Right to Participation  Liu Jie, Shi Dongxu / 271

B.13 Judicial Reform and Human Rights in China .. Qi Yanping, Man Hongjie / 294

B.14 The Progressive Realization of the Rights of Farmers

 Cheng Tongshun, L?Yuntao / 320

B.15 The Protection of Minority Rights in China  Wang Ping / 333

B.16 Legal Protection of Womens Human Rights in China .. Li Mingshun / 355

B.17 Protection of the Rights of Senior Citizen . Zhang Xiaoling, Li Yingjie / 380

B.18 The Protection of the Rights of Disabled Persons in China

 Zhang Wanhong, Ding Peng / 406

B.19 China and International Human Rights Cooperation .. Luo Yanhua / 443

 Special Research Reports

B.20 Analysis Report on Chinas Human Rights Related Legislation

 Ban Wenzhan / 465

B.21 Report of Human Rights Protection in Reconstruction of

Wenchuan after Earthquake .. Zhou Wei, Du Shehui / 484

 Appendices

B.22 Appendix OneThe Human Rights Chronicle since the

New China was Founded

B.23 Appendix TwoA Compilation of Chinas Human Rights

Laws and Regulations

B.24 Appendix ThreeThe Main Human Rights Works since the

New China was Founded

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analyzes existing problems
Chinese writer Mo Yan, winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature, described himself as a storyteller in a lecture at the Swedish Academy on Friday afternoon.

It is telling stories that earned him the prize, the Nobel laureate said.

In the lecture titled Storytellers, he talked about how he started story telling as a child and shared with the listeners his memory of his childhood and mother, the person who is most on my mind at this moment.

As repayment for mothers kindness and a way to demonstrate my memory, Id retell the stories for her in vivid detail, said Mo Yan.

He also recalled memories of being surrounded by adults instead of children of his age after he dropped out of school, which created a powerful reality in his mind and later became a part of his own fiction.

By introducing the background of his most famous works such as Frog, Life and Death are Wearing Me Out, Big Breasts and Wide Hips, The Garlic Ballads, Sandalwood Death and The Transparent Carrot, Mo Yan shared the inspiration behind the stories and the way they were produced.

Many interesting things have happened to me in the wake of winning the prize, and they have convinced me that truth and justice are alive and well, said Mo Yan.

So I will continue telling my stories in the days to come, he said at the end of his lecture.

Mo Yan, who arrived in Sweden on Thursday morning, will attend the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony and the Nobel Banquet next Monday.

Xinhua

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What Is Stagnation?cryptocurrencies and blockchain

Stagnation is a prolonged period of little or no growth in an economy. Real economic growth of less than 2% annually is considered stagnation, and it is highlighted by periods of high unemployment and involuntary part-time employment. Stagnation can occur on a macroeconomic scale or a smaller scale in specific industries or companies. Stagnation can occur as a temporary condition, such as a growth recession or temporary economic shock, or as part of a long-term structural condition of the economy.

Key Takeaways

Stagnation is a condition of slow or flat growth in an economy.

Stagnation often involves substantial unemployment and under employment, as well as an economy that is generally performing below its potential.

Periods of stagnation can be short lived or long lasting, and can result a range of economic and social factors.

Understanding Stagnation

Stagnation is a situation that occurs within an economy when total output is either declining, flat, or growing slowly. Persistent unemployment is also a characteristic of a stagnant economy. Stagnation results in flat job growth, no wage increases, and an absence of stock market booms or highs. Economic stagnation can occur due to a number of causes.

Cyclical Stagnation

Stagnation sometimes occurs as a temporary condition in the course of an economic cycle or business cycle. This could happen as a growth recession or a stalled recovery from a full recession. In late 2012, during the aftermath of the Great Recession, supporters of the Federal Reserve's monetary policy considered the third round of quantitative easing necessary to help the United States avoid economic stagnation. This type of stagnation is cyclical and temporary.

Economic Shocks

Specific events or economic shocks can also induce periods of stagnation. These may be very short lived or have lasting effects, depending on the specific events and the resilience of the economy. War and famine, for example, can be external factors that cause stagnation. A sudden increase in oil prices or fall in demand for a key export could also induce a period of stagnation for an economy. However, some economists, who favor Real Business Cycle Theory, would consider such periods essentially the same as cyclical stagnation.

Structural Stagnation

A stagnant economy can also result from longer-term, structural conditions in a society. When stagnation occurs in a stable economy, it can be much more permanent than when it results from economic shocks or in the course of a normal business cycle.

Stagnation can happen in an advanced economy with economic maturity. Mature economies are characterized by slower population growth, stable economic institutions, and slower growth rates. Classical economists refer to this type of stagnation as a stationary state, and Keynesian economists consider it the secular stagnation of an advanced economy. Institutional factors, such as entrenched power among incumbent special interest groups who oppose competition and openness, can induce economic stagnation. For example, Western Europe experienced this type of economic stagnation during the 1970s and 1980s, dubbed Eurosclerosis.

Conversely, stagnation can afflict underdeveloped or emerging economies. In these economies, stagnation persists due to the lack of change in political or economic institutions where there is no incentive to adapt and grow. Additionally, emerging or underdeveloped economies may get stuck in a static equilibrium due to economic or institutional factors, such as a resource curse or predatory behavior by local elites.

Cultural and population characteristics can also contribute to economic stagnation. A low-trust culture can handicap economic performance by discouraging adherence to contracts and property-rights. A population with (on average) lower conscientiousness, lower general cognitive ability, or high rates of endemic, debilitating disease can experience slower economic growth as a result.
On July 29,alamo casino 2011, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with Grammy Award-winning musician and producer will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas. During the meeting, Secretary Clinton highlighted the importance of educational and cultural ties between the United States and China, in particular, furthering the goals of President Obamas 100,000 Strong Initiative to increase dramatically the number, and diversify the composition, of American students studying in China.

As a supporter of the 100,000 Strong Initiative and to highlight the overall importance of educational and cultural ties between the United States and China, will.i.am will direct a concert in Beijing later this year to benefit the Initiative. In order to become responsible global citizens, young people need to experience the world around them, will.i.am said. Kids from underserved communities rarely have the opportunity to study and travel abroad, and we want to change that. We must make sure that American students have the cultural awareness and skills necessary to succeed in a global economy.

The Beijing concert will celebrate U.S.-China educational and cultural exchanges and will include performances by will.i.am and other American and Chinese pop stars in promoting the 100,000 Strong Initiative. The concert is being organized by Americans Promoting Study Abroad, a U.S. nonprofit organization that offers full scholarships to public high school students in the United States for language and culture studies in China. Funds raised in association with the concert will be used to support and operate study abroad programs in China for underserved American students.

President Obama announced the 100,000 Strong Initiative in November 2009. Secretary Clinton officially launched the effort in May 2010. The Initiative is a public-private partnership; to date, private corporate and foundation donors have pledged more than $7 million towards the Initiative. The Chinese Government has offered 20,000 scholarships for U.S. students. To learn more about the 100,000 Strong Initiative, visit www.state.gov/100Kstrong.

A photograph of Secretary Clinton and will.i.am can be found at: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/pix/2011/07/169355.htm

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

July 29, 2011

Musician will.i.am to Support the 100,000 Strong Initiative Concert in Beijing to Celebrate U.S.-China Educational and Cultural Exchangesadded by chinatimesonline on

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Illustration: Xia Qing/GT

Colleges and universities around the world have been offering their students online courses since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those in China are no exception. Online classes are also a product of technological advances to meet people's growing need for a better education. Many of these online courses are valuable supplements to "traditional" classes that take place in classrooms. However,some Chinese college students are paying others to attend online classes and take online exams for them. Gradually, a nefarious business model around this has formed: You can find many online shops providing services to "help" these students, and some even at the mere cost of 10 yuan ($1.54) for one course. Many colleges and universities have already promised to use technical means to prevent and identify students' fake attendance. But it is worth mentioning that these educational institutions should also remember to improve the quality of online classes to attract students' interest.
The Supreme Peoples Court did not approve the death sentence for Wu Ying, who was convicted of cheating investors out of several hundred million yuan.

Earlier on January 18th the Zhejiang Provincial Higher Peoples Court sentenced Wu Ying death penalty for financial fraud. Since then, a number of renowned scholars and lawyers have spoken openly that the Wu Yings crime has a profound institutional reasons, and should not apply the death penalty.

After reviewing the Wu case, the supreme court remanded for retrial in the Zhejiang Higher Peoples Court.

Private lending is extremely active in China, particularly in the economically developed Yangtze River Delta area. Although theres no legal protection for private lending with lending rate four times higher than formal financial institutions, many companies are still taking the risk to arrange loans from the private sector to bypass the strict credit risk control.

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China is to make its own Indiana Jones style movie featuring a leading character with the same romantic charisma as Hollywoods most famous special agent, 007.

A press conference was held in Hangzhou yesterday announcing the start of filming for the treasure-hunting movie Fuchun Mountains, co-directed by Chinese director Sun Jianjun and American director Bob Brown.

The two directors were accompanied to the event by members of the cast, Andy Lau, Lin Chiling, Tong Dawei and Zhang Jingchu.

Set in 2010, the movie tells the story of intrepid treasure hunters, vying with one another in an effort to locate the famous Chinese painting, Fuchun Mountains, created by Huang Gongwang during the Yuan Dynasty.

Award-winning actor Andy Lau is set to play the leading role, a brave and intelligent detective who becomes embroiled in a love triangle with Zhang Jingchu and Lin Chiling.

According to the production company, aside from China, shooting will also take place in Japan, Italy, the United Arab Emirates and Dubai.

Chen Nan

Chinese Films

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi received interviews from Chinese state media on Thursday after attending the series of Foreign Ministers' meetings on East Asia cooperation,fidelity cryptocurrency visiting Cambodia, Bangladesh and Mongolia, and hosting the ROK and Nepali foreign ministers' visit to China.

ASEAN-China Ministerial Meeting and East Asia cooperation

In the interview, Wang Yi introduced the main achievements scored in the ASEAN-China Ministerial Meeting and highlighted China's efforts in promoting East Asia cooperation.

Wang said that in face of challenges in the COVID-19 pandemic, increases of economic downward pressure on economic and the comeback of the Cold War mentality and camp confrontation, foreign ministers from China and ASEAN's member states gathered in Cambodian capital Phnom Penh to make a voice of seeking peace, planning for common development, and promoting stability together. It has demonstrated our firm determination to safeguard international fairness and justice, and has made political preparations for the holding of a series of East Asia cooperation leaders' meetings this year.

In the first half of this year, China-ASEAN trade volume exceeded $450 billion, 11.5 percent increase year-on-year, Wang said, China imported more than $21 billion of agricultural products from ASEAN. The favorable spillover effect of the China-Laos Railway is obvious and the vaccine research, development and production between China and ASEAN member states has increased steadily. All parties believed that China-ASEAN cooperation has become the most successful and dynamic example for all Asia-Pacific regional cooperation, Wang added.

Wang pointed out that the biggest achievements of the meeting came from fully implementing the consensus reached on China-ASEAN Special Summit to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations, carrying out an action plan for the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and outlining the focus and direction for next-step cooperation.

All parties have agreed to prioritize development and share development opportunities, and have agreed to stick to open regionalism, and carry forward multilateralism, he added, China firmly supports ASEAN centrality in regional cooperation, which is widely welcomed by ASEAN countries.

South China Sea issue

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC). During the interview, Wang Yi emphasized the important role of the DOC in maintaining overall stability in the South China Sea.

Wang said that the South China Sea is the "common home" of China and the ASEAN and to safeguard the peace and stability of the South China Sea is the shared interests of China and ASEAN countries. Over the past two decades, all parties have focused on the overall situation, placed the South China Sea issue in an appropriate position, effectively managed differences and disputes, maintained overall stability, and ensured a good environment for the development of China-ASEAN relations, Wang stated.

All parties have highly recognized the important role of the DOC in the South China Sea issue and have agreed to hold the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the signing of the DOC, and look forward to issuing a joint leaders' statement to demonstrate our common determination to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, Wang said.

In addition, all parties have agreed to resume the consultations on the "code of conduct" in the South China Sea (COC) and made the COC an upgraded version of the DOC. As comprehensive strategic partners, China and the ASEAN countries will firmly uphold the principles of the DOC, advance the consultation process of the COC, deepen maritime dialogue and cooperation, and firmly grasp the correct direction of properly handling the South China Sea issue, and build the South China Sea into a sea of peace, friendship, and cooperation, Wang said.

Pelosi's visit to China's Taiwan and the Taiwan question

When being asked about U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to China's Taiwan region, Wang said that Pelosi landed in China's Taiwan when the Chinese delegation arrived in Phnom Penh to attend the ASEAN-China Ministerial Meeting. We immediately condemned Pelosi's visit, Wang said, the move violated the commitments made by the U.S. government to China on the Taiwan question, violated the basic norms governing international relations and infringed upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Countries including Russia, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Bangladesh, Greece, Turkey, and New Zealand clearly stated that they would adhere to the one-China policy and hope to maintain international and regional peace and stability. The ASEAN foreign ministers issued a statement reiterating the one-China policy, calling for upholding the principles of the UN Charter.

Wang emphasized that China's countermeasures to Pelosi's visit to China's Taiwan are justified, reasonable, necessary, and appropriate. It is the United States and the Taiwan authorities that are changing the status quo on the Taiwan question. China's countermeasures are for the sake of peace in the Taiwan Strait and maintaining the regional stability.

Wang reiterated that the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs is the "golden rule" for governing international relations. China's move is to safeguard the basic norms of international relations and safeguard the international fairness and justice.

Wang warned against three dangerous trends as the situation develops.

He said that, firstly, it is necessary to be prepared for the United States gathering some accomplices to pour fuel on the fire, enhancing regional military deployments, further escalating the situation and attempting to create a new and bigger crisis.

Secondly, we must be wary of "Taiwan independence" forces misjudging the situation, continuing to collude with external forces, and heading further along the path of splitting the country, he added.

Thirdly, he said we must be wary of politicians in some countries following suit. This will seriously undermine the political foundation for relations between China and these countries, and will seriously undermine the UN Charter and the post-World War II international system.

China's white paper titled "The Taiwan Question and China's Reunification in the New Era" which was released recently, Wang said, stated that we have been closer to, more confident in and capable of achieving the goal of national reunification than at any time in history.

China-Cambodia relations

Wang Yi said that China and Cambodia are important close neighbors and best friends. The friendship between the two countries has stood the test of international situations and is unbreakable.

During this visit, Cambodia adheres to the one-China principle, resolutely opposes any words and deeds that violate China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and will stand with the 1.4 billion Chinese people, he emphasized.

In recent years, the two countries have jointly built the "Belt and Road" with high quality, which has brought benefits to the two peoples. During the visit, China and Cambodia agreed to strengthen the docking of development strategies and implement various cooperation, he added.

Meanwhile, Wang said that China will continue to provide vaccine assistance according to Cambodia's needs, carry out cooperation in traditional Chinese medicine, import more Cambodian high-quality agricultural products, increase Cambodian flights to China, and facilitate Cambodian students returning to China to resume classes.

China-Bangladesh relations

Wang Yi expressed that China and Bangladesh are friendly and neighboring strategic cooperative partners, and this visit to Bangladesh aims to continue friendship and enhance mutually beneficial cooperation.

During this visit to Bangladesh, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina emphasized that Bangladesh cherishes its friendship with China and regards China as an important partner for maintaining peace and common development, Wang added, the Bangladeshi side stated that it abides by the one-China principle, believes that Taiwan is part of the territory of the People's Republic of China, and does not approve of provocative actions by individual countries.

Wang said that China and Bangladesh agreed to enhance political mutual trust, practice the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, support each other in safeguarding national independence, national dignity and core interests, and support each other in taking a development path that suits their national conditions.

In addition, China and Bangladesh agreed to enhance the dovetailing of the Belt and Road Initiative with Bangladesh's Vision 2041, and deepen cooperation in areas such as infrastructure construction, digital economy, and green development.

Wang Yi announced that China decided to grant duty-free access to 98 percent of Bangladeshi goods, and support Bangladesh in expanding exports to China.

The two countries also agreed to strengthen social and cultural exchanges, signed a new cultural and tourism exchange plan, and made it clear that exchanges and cooperation in the field of poverty alleviation will be strengthened, Wang added, China welcomes Bangladeshi students to return to China to resume classes, and will increase flights between the two countries in an orderly manner.

China-Mongolia relations

Wang Yi said that since his last visit to Mongolia two years ago, he has witnessed encouraging changes in Ulan Bator and felt the vitality of the vast grassland. As a friendly neighboring country, China is heartily pleased for Mongolia's rapid progress and looking forward to its development and revitalization. Wang Yi briefed the broad consensuses reached by the two sides during the visit.

The two sides agreed that faced with the current complex and volatile international and regional situation, China and Mongolia are closely connected with a shared future, and should be good neighbors more valuable than gold, good brothers sharing weal and woe, and good partners striving for common development.

The two sides are willing to promote the in-depth synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and Mongolia's Steppe Road Program, the Global Development Initiative and Mongolia's New Revival Policy, and China's "two-step" development strategy and Mongolia's long-term development vision, so as to create three major engines for further development of bilateral relations.

The two sides reaffirmed mutual respect for independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and continue to firmly support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests. China supports Mongolia in maintaining stability, focusing on development and exploring a development path in line with its own national conditions. Mongolia emphasizes the adherence to the one-China principle and opposes other countries' interference in China's internal affairs. This position has been consistent and has not changed.

The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation at the border, promoting the opening of ports and connection of railways and highways to the largest possible extent, so as to keep the industrial and supply chains stable and unimpeded. The two sides signed the Memorandum of Understanding on the cross-border railway connection program at the Gants Mod port will be important in helping Mongolia to expand its opening-up and achieve strong growth.

The two sides will enhance cooperation in afforestation and counter-desertification. China hopes that both sides support each other in greening the common home and guarding the green land and blue sky.

China-ROK relations

Wang Yi said that China and the Republic of Korea (ROK) are close neighbors and inseparable partners.

Wang said that ROK Foreign Minister Park Jin's visit to China this time comes on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The two countries agreed to strengthen political and diplomatic communication and pragmatic cooperation, negotiate, and sign a joint action plan for the future development of China-ROK relations between the foreign ministries of the two countries.

The two sides agreed to hold a high-level strategic dialogue between the foreign ministries of the two countries and a "two-plus-two" diplomatic and security dialogue, actively promote the joint research work of the Committee for Future Development of China-ROK relations.

Both sides agreed to speed up the second-phase negotiation on the China-ROK free trade agreement and strive to reach a consensus at an early date; hold dialogues on maintaining the stability of industrial and supply chains, and strive for the integrity, security, smoothness, openness and inclusiveness of industrial and supply chains; stick to trade and investment liberalization, abide by World Trade Organization rules, and uphold the principles of non-discrimination, non-exclusion, openness and transparency.

The two sides agreed to hold the "China-ROK Year of Cultural Exchanges" well, and strengthen exchanges and cooperation between China and the ROK in areas of people-to-people and cultural affairs and media. It's important to launch more direct flights to further facilitate personnel exchanges.

The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views and expounded respective positions on the THAAD issue. The two sides underlined the need to take seriously each other's security concerns and to strive to properly handle the issue so that it will not become a stumbling block to bilateral relations.

China expects that after 30 years of changes, the relationship between the two countries should become more mature, more independent and more stable.

Park Jin said the ROK is willing to, on the basis of the ROK-China strategic cooperative partnership, respect each other, and inclusive cooperation to make bilateral relations more mature and healthier.

China-Nepal relations

Wang Yi said, China and Nepal are good neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, good friends who help each other.

During Nepali Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka's visit to China, the two sides also reached an important consensus on cooperation.

China will continue to firmly support Nepal's efforts to safeguard its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, explore a development path in line with its national conditions.

Nepal firmly pursues the one-China principle and will never allow any activities that use Nepal's territory to oppose China and undermine China's interests. Nepal will unswervingly honor this commitment. Nepal supports China's legitimate position on Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and other internal affairs.

The two sides will jointly build the "Belt and Road" with high quality, speed up the feasibility study of cross-border railway.

The two sides will speed up the Kathmandu Ring Road Improvement Project at a faster pace and advance electric power interconnection projects.

Wang Yi announced that China will grant zero-tariff treatment to 98 percent of Nepali products. China welcomes Nepal to expand its export to China.

The two sides will strengthen cooperation on justice, combating cross-border cybercrimes, border management, joint prevention and control, and ports, among others.

The two sides will deepen people-to-people and cultural exchanges and increase direct flights to facilitate personnel exchanges. China welcomes Nepali students to return to China to continue their studies.

For more, check out our exclusive content on CGTN Now and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The China Report.
Autumn is betnumber 1x2 88 no deposit bonusa harvest season. Farmers beam with delight if the yield is good.

But this year's harvest wasn't easy. Last autumn's flood and the extreme high temperature and drought this summer put too much pressure on food production. How did China overcome these difficulties?

China has managed to feed one-fifth of the global population with 9 percent of the world's arable land. What lies behind this achievement? What role do science and technology play?

China's achievements have reached beyond its borders. Its agricultural technology has even helped fighting tribes in Papua New Guinea sign peace agreements. What's the secret to this success?

Watch our video to find out.
What Is Rent Control?high beta 2 microglobulin level of 3

Rent control is a government program that places a limit on the amount that a landlord can demand for leasing a home or renewing a lease. Rent control laws are usually enacted by municipalities, and the details vary widely. All are intended to keep living costs affordable for lower-income residents.

Rent control is not widespread in the United States. According to a 2019 study by the Urban Institute, 182 municipalities in the U.S. have rent control regulations, and all of them are in New York, New Jersey, California, Maryland, or Washington, D.C.

In fact, 31 states have laws that preempt or forbid local governments from enacting rent control measures, as of Feb. 2022.

However, the issue of rent regulation has been revived in recent years, particularly in cities and states where spiraling costs of living combined with stagnant wages have created a housing affordability crisis for moderate-income residents and elderly people on fixed incomes.

Oregon is the first state in the U.S. to enact a statewide rent control law. The law, signed in March 2019, restricts annual rent increases to 7% plus the increase in the consumer price index.

Key Takeaways

Most rent control laws limit the amount that a landlord can increase rents on existing tenants.

Rent control is controversial. In fact, 31 states have laws that forbid local governments from enacting such measures.

In New York City, rent-controlled apartments are a desirable asset.

Rent stabilization is different from rent control.

Oregon became the first state in the U.S. to enact a statewide rent control law in 2019.

How Rent Control Works

The earliest rent control laws in the U.S. date to the 1920s and were often outright rent freezes. These generally proved unworkable. In the 1970s the idea of rent control surfaced again, this time in a more moderate form often called rent stabilization.

New York City, for example, has two rent control programs:

The older rent control program has been in the process of being phased out for decades. It placed severe limits on rental prices, but the only renters still covered by the law have been living since 1974 or earlier in buildings that were constructed before 1947.

The 1970s-era rent stabilization program regulates prices in about half of the citys rentals. The rents can only be increased for either one or two years, and the allowable percentage increases are set by the Rent Guidelines Board, whose nine members are appointed by the mayor. The rules and exceptions are labyrinthine and administered by a combination of city and state agencies.

The high cost of living in New York City is frequently cited as proof enough that rent control doesnt work. The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan was $5,022 for a doorman building and $3,417 for a non-doorman building as of Mar. 2022.

Rent control advocates such as the Urban Institute argue that price controls allow people with moderate incomes and elderly people with fixed incomes to remain in their homes as gentrification pushes prices up all around them.

Click Play to Learn All About Rent Control

Advantages and Disadvantages of Rent Control

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Rent control has always been controversial. The rent control regulations in cities today most commonly regulate price increases for lease renewals, not new tenants. That arguably has some benefits for landlords, who can charge whatever the market will bear on vacant apartments or, in the worst case, keep tenants who have every incentive to stay put and pay the rent on time.

The main arguments against rent control include:

Rent control reduces the supply of decent housing, as landlords would rather convert a building to condos or adapt it to commercial use than abide by a law that limits their profits

Investment in new rental housing screeches to a halt

Maintenance of buildings under rent control is lax or nonexistent because of the poor return on investment for landlords

The main arguments for regulation include:

Rental prices in many U.S. cities are rising far faster than wages for moderate-income jobs

Rent control may enable moderate-income families and people on fixed incomes to live decently and without fear of a personally catastrophic rent hike

Neighborhoods are safer and more stable with a base of long-term residents in rent-controlled apartments

What Does Rent Controlled Mean?

Rent control refers to an apartment whose rent has a limit on the amount that a landlord can charge. The limit is set by a government program, and rent control laws are put into place by local municipalities. Not all states or cities have them in place. When rent is "controlled" in such a way, a landlord can not unfairly raise the price of the rent year-to-year, and this may help keep some housing affordable for those who cannot afford a market or above-market rate home.



How Can I Get a Rent-Controlled Apartment?

Unfortunately, in most cases, including in New York City, unless a family member who lives in a rent-controlled apartment passes the lease down to you, they are not available to the general public, and rules surrounding the succession of a rent-controlled lease can be complex.

How Do I Know if My Apartment Is Rent Controlled?

If you live in a rent-controlled apartment you would know because the apartment would have been passed down in your immediate or extended family.


Photo taken on Sept. 25, 2022 shows a "flower basket" at Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China. The 18-meter-tall display in the shape of a flower basket is placed at Tian'anmen Square as a decoration for the upcoming National Day holiday.(Photo: Xinhua)

The following is the full text of the foreword written by Xi Jinping, titled "Forging Ahead on the Journey to National Rejuvenation," to the Revitalization Library:Forging Ahead on the Journey to National Rejuvenation-Foreword to the Revitalization LibrarySeptember 20, 2022Xi JinpingFor thousands of years, the Chinese nation has the tradition to document historical records and compile classic works, so as to draw on the lessons of history and civilize the people through cultural development. It is a major cultural project approved by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee to compile this series of books. As our Party leads the people setting off on the new journey of building a modern socialist country in all respects, the publication of this classic is of great significance for us to boost confidence in our history, grasp the trend of the times, follow the Chinese path, and promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization.The Chinese nation is a great nation, and has made indelible contributions to the progress of human civilization. Since the start of modern times, however, the Chinese nation suffered unprecedented disasters. It has become the greatest aspiration of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation ever since to realize the national rejuvenation. Countless noble-minded patriots never changed their minds to seek a way out for the country, and they explored and continued their struggles with strong will. After its founding, the CPC, pressing ahead against all odds, has united and led the Chinese people through arduous struggles. Staying committed to the guidance of Marxism, the Party has found the right path to realizing the national rejuvenation. Through tireless efforts in different historical periods of revolution, socialist construction, reform and opening up, the Chinese nation has achieved the transformation from standing up to growing rich and becoming strong, writing the most magnificent chapter in the development of the Chinese nation. The prospects of the national rejuvenation have never been so bright. What has been achieved has proved and will continue to prove that, under the strong leadership of the CPC, the Chinese people will be able to keep firmly in our own hands the destiny of the country's development and progress as long as we stay committed to the scientific theoretical guide and the right path and rally the strength of all the Chinese people.In the historical process of realizing the great national rejuvenation, the explorations, struggles, sacrifices and creations by generations of progressives and outstanding descendants of the Chinese nation have left behind a large number of precious documents of historical value and epochal significance. By compiling and publishing the Revitalization Library, which collects documents on important thoughts since the modern times, the pioneering endeavors of our ancestors will be recorded, so as to inspire the Chinese people for future pursuits.History is the best textbook. We will move forward, but we shall never forget what we have experienced. No matter how far we will have gone towards a bright future, we should not forget the past. As the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century and China's journey to its national rejuvenation enters a critical period, it is all the more important for us to draw on the lessons of history, reflect on the past, look to the future and press forward.Based on the foundation of a sound understanding of the Party's history, we should learn the history of modern China and the history of China, to gain a clear grasp of where we come from and where we are going, get a clear understanding of what we Chinese communists are for, what we have done and what we are going to do, and clearly see why we were successful in the past and how we can continue to succeed in the future. We should bolster confidence in and raise awareness of our own culture, pass on the revolutionary culture, develop the advanced socialist culture, and promote the creative transformation and development of the fine traditional Chinese culture, so as to build a shared spiritual home for the Chinese nation. We need to digest the essence of the history, promote theoretical innovation, and better advance academic studies. We should develop theories of our own, communicate our thoughts and continue to adapt Marxism to the Chinese context and our times. We should be firm in our ideals and convictions, consolidate our inner strengths, and more effectively uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, so that we can contribute our wisdom and efforts to the great national rejuvenation and make achievements and create glories of our own generation.
A visitor is taking photos in the "Einstein Room" at the event. Photo: Qi Xijia/GT

An event dedicated to the centenary of Albert Einstein's visit to Shanghai in 1922 and his receipt of the Nobel Prize was held in the city on Monday, featuring a series of historical documents, letters and images.Co-organized by the Consulate General of Israel in Shanghai and the Consulate General of Sweden in Shanghai, the event was held at the China Securities Museum, the former Astor House Hotel, where Einstein reportedly stayed during his visit to the city.Exactly 100 years ago in November, Einstein made the first of only two short visits to the city of Shanghai on his way to Japan to give lectures. Several days before arriving in Shanghai, it was announced that Einstein had won the Nobel Prize for Physics.The exhibition featured numerous items, including copies of the newspapers in 1922 which covered the reception of Einstein in Shanghai; Einstein's Nobel certificates dated December 10, 1922; the Nobel Prize medal awarded to Einstein; and a telegram to Einstein from the secretary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announcing the award of the Nobel Prize in Physics.Einstein is believed to have stayed in room 304 at Astor House Hotel, which at that time was the most luxurious hotel of its kind, and he listened to China's traditional opera during his visit.Before being converted into the China Securities Museum, Chinese students reportedly liked to sleep in the so-called "Einstein Room" the night before major exams to absorb some of his wisdom. Einstein's diary suggests, however, that he slept on board a ship while staying in Shanghai.Einstein is a figure who continues to inspire many across the world."Amongst other similarities, I believe that it is the thirst for knowledge and discovery that deeply connects the Israeli and Chinese people today," Eytan Halon, deputy consul general of Israel in Shanghai, said in a speech at the event.
What Is a Junior Company?betway login register download microsoft word

A junior company is a small company that is developing or seeking to develop a natural resource deposit or field. A junior company is like a startup in that it is either looking for funding to help it grow or it is looking for a much larger company to buy it out.

Key Takeaways

A junior company is a new company that is looking to develop a natural resource deposit or field.

Junior companies seek to grow by obtaining funding or seek to be bought out by a larger company.

Most junior companies are small-cap companies with a market capitalization of $500 million or below.

Junior companies are typically involved with venture capital companies that aim to develop the junior company into a profitable one.

The risks associated with junior companies are high because they are new in the market and have not necessarily proven their asset base.

Understanding a Junior Company

Junior companies are typically small-cap, with a low market capitalization (usually under $500 million) and have thin daily trading volumes of 700,000 and under. They are most likely found in commodity exploration, such as oil, minerals, and natural gas. Junior companies are believed to be interesting businesses for those who can afford to take the risks associated with them.

The costs involved in starting a junior company have grown significantly, but so has the reward for being successful.

The first thing many juniors will do is to acquire properties they believe have a big probability of resource deposits. The company will then conduct a resource study. Once that has been completed, it will either provide the results to shareholders or to the public to prove there are assets available.

If the study provides positive results, the junior company will raise capital to go ahead with exploration, or partner up with a bigger company to cut down on costs. In some cases, it may also attempt to be bought out by a larger company.

Characteristics of a Junior Company

A lot of junior companies are venture capital recipients that are looking for financing for their own operations. For example, a junior gold mining company may not own its mining operation. Instead, it may look to secure capital in order to undertake this part of the business.

Junior companies also come with a lot of risks. If the company undertakes exploration and cannot find any resources before its debt is due, it will suffer financially and may have to declare bankruptcy.

Juniors are also sensitive to commodity prices, meaning their share prices fall directly in line with the commodity with which they are associated. So the share prices for gold juniors will be affected by the price of gold, just like oil and gas juniors will be affected by energy prices.

Juniors will have management teams that provide some expertise in the field of exploration and can navigate any local governmental and environmental regulations. The companies will also have highly trained personnel on staff, including engineers and geophysicists, so when the properties show promise, they can help bring the resources into production.

Investing in a Junior Company

Investing in junior companies often comes with more risk than companies that are bigger and more established. This is because juniors may still be exploring and, at times, may not find any resources at all. Investors who are interested in smaller, up-and-coming companies like these should remember to diversify in order to minimize their risk and get the maximum return on their investments.

A greater degree of interest in juniors will typically come from individual investors because they usually invest based on emotions. Institutional investors, such as mutual funds or hedge funds, will normally invest in senior companies with a greater track record.

The best places to find juniors are the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV). Both have hundreds of mining companies listed.

Real World Example

Nexus Gold, headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, is one example of a junior mining company. As of Sept. 2, 2020, the company had a market cap of $14.5 million, with a daily trading volume of about 253,000, putting it firmly within the small-cap parameter. The company is listed as an exploration and development company with operations in West Africa and Canada.

Currently, Nexus has six projects in Canada and five projects in West Africa, so it is further along the development line than completely new junior companies, though these projects have only shown historical samples or prospective new samples, meaning that the mines are not in full development as yet.
What Is Social Responsibility?golden euro casino free spins

Social responsibility means that businesses, in addition to maximizing shareholder value, must act in a manner benefiting society, not just the bottom line. Social responsibility has become increasingly important to investors and consumers who seek investments that not only are profitable but also contribute to the welfare of society and the environment. While critics have traditionally argued that the basic nature of business does not consider society as a stakeholder, younger generations are embracing social responsibility and driving change.

Key Takeaways

Social responsibility means that besides maximizing shareholder value, businesses should operate in a way that benefits society.

Socially responsible companies should adopt policies that promote the well-being of society and the environment while lessening negative impacts on them.

Companies can act responsibly in many ways, such as by promoting volunteering, making changes that benefit the environment, engaging in ethical labor practices, and engaging in charitable giving.

Consumers are more actively looking to buy goods and services from socially responsible companies, hence impacting their profitability.

Critics assert that practicing social responsibility is the opposite of why businesses exist.

What is Corporate Social Responsibility?

Understanding Social Responsibility

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Social responsibility means that individuals and companies must act in the best interests of their environment and society as a whole. As it applies to business, social responsibility is known as corporate social responsibility (CSR) and is becoming a more prominent area of focus within businesses due to shifting social norms.

The crux of this theory is to enact policies that promote an ethical balance between the dual mandates of striving for profitability and benefiting society as a whole. These policies can be either commission (philanthropy: donations of money, time, or resources) or omission (e.g., go green initiatives such as reducing greenhouse gases or abiding by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations to limit pollution).

Many companies, such as those with green policies, have made social responsibility an integral part of their business models, and they have done so without compromising profitability.

Additionally, more investors and consumers are factoring in a companys commitment to socially responsible practices before making an investment or purchase. As such, embracing social responsibility can benefit the prime directive: maximization of shareholder value.

There is a moral imperative as well. Actionsor the lack thereofwill affect future generations. Put simply, social responsibility is just good business practice, and a failure to do so can have a deleterious effect on the balance sheet.

Social responsibility can also boost company morale, especially when a company can engage employees with its social causes.

In general, social responsibility is more effective when a company takes it on voluntarily instead of waiting for the government to require them to do so through regulation.

What Are the 4 Types of Social Responsibility?

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) emphasizes that a businesss ability to maintain a balance between pursuing economic performance and adhering to societal and environmental issues is a critical factor in operating efficiently and effectively.

The key ways that a company embraces social responsibility include philanthropy, promoting volunteering, ethical labor practices, and environmental changes.

For example, companies managing their environmental impact might look to reduce their carbon footprint and limit waste. Theres also the social responsibility of ethical practices for employees, which can mean offering a fair wage, which arises when there are limited employee protection laws.

Examples of Socially Responsible Corporations

Social responsibility takes on different meanings within industries and companies. For example:

Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) committed to social responsibility from the start, including sustainability and community welfare. It purchases Fair Trade Certified ingredients to manufacture products and actively supports sustainable farming in the regions where ingredients are sourced.

Ben & Jerrys Homemade Holdings Inc. has integrated social responsibility into the core of its operations. Like Starbucks, the company purchases Fair Trade Certified ingredients.

The Lego Group, manufacturer of Lego toys, has committed to reducing its carbon impact. It was named a World Wildlife Fund Climate Savers Partner in 2014.

Salesforce.com Inc. (CRM) developed what it calls the 1-1-1 model. The company dedicates 1% of its equity, 1% of its product, and 1% of employees time back to the community.

Big-box retailer Target Corp. (TGT), also well known for its social responsibility programs, has donated money to communities in which the stores operate, including education grants.

Criticism of Corporate Social Responsibility

Not everyone believes that businesses should have a social conscience. Economist Milton Friedman stated that social responsibilities of business are notable for their analytical looseness and lack of rigor. Friedman believed that only individuals can have a sense of social responsibility. Businesses, by their very nature, cannot. Some experts believe that social responsibility defies the very point of being in business: profit above all else.

However, social responsibility has become more mainstream and is now practiced among a wide range of companies. Younger generations, such as millennials and Gen Z, are embracing social responsibility and driving change in the workplace and as consumers.

What are examples of social responsibility?

Social responsibility includes companies engaging in environmental preservation efforts, ethical labor practices, philanthropy, and promoting volunteering. For example, a company may change its manufacturing process to reduce carbon emissions.

What are the main benefits of social responsibility?

Benefiting society and lessening the negative impacts on the environment are among the main benefits of social responsibility. Consumers are increasingly looking to buy goods and services from socially responsible companies, which can have a positive impact on their bottom line.

How does social responsibility benefit companies?

In addition to potentially increasing the bottom line, companies that implement social responsibility programs can also boost their brand image. Social responsibility programs can also have a positive impact on morale among employees.

The Bottom Line

Social responsibility benefits society and the environment while lessening negative impacts on them. Companies engaging in social responsibility can do so in a number of ways, including making changes that benefit the environment, engaging in ethical labor practices, promoting volunteering, and philanthropy. Consumers are more actively looking to do business with socially responsible companies, which can also benefit bottom lines.
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M.F.A., Creative Writing, Manchester Metropolitan University

Diploma in Translation (IoLet Level 7, Russian), Chartered Institute of Linguists

Russian surnames have many origins, including occupation, father's first name, personal nickname or family nickname, geographical location, and even personal surnames given to seminary students based on their good or bad qualities. The following list includes the 40 most popular contemporary Russian surnames, their meanings, and variations.

Surname in English Meaning Details and Variations Ivanov son of Ivan female: Ivanova Smirnov from  - peaceful, quiet, calm female: Smirnova Petrov son of Pyotr female: Petrova Sidorov son of Sidor female: Sidorova Kuznetsov from  - blacksmith female: Kuznetsova Popov from  - priest female: Popova Vassiliev son of Vassily female: Vassilieva. Can also be spelled as Vasiliev / Vasilieva Sokolov from  - falcon, hawk female: Sokolova Mikhailov son of Mikhail female: Mikhailova Novikov from  - old Russian for newcomer from the secular (mirskoe) name/nickname Novik, which comes from the word 'new' Fyodorov son of Fyodor female: Fyodorova Morozov from  - frost Female: Morozova Volkov from  - wolf female: Volkova Alekseev son of Alexei female: Alekseeva Lebedev from  - swan female: Levedeva Semyonov son of Semyon female: Semyonova Yegorov son of Yegor female: Yegorova Pavlov son of Pavel female: Pavlova Kozlov from  - goat female: Kozlova Stepanov son of Stepan female: Stepanova Nikolaev son of Nikolai female: Nikolaeva. Can also be spelled as Nikolayev / Nikolayeva Orlov from  - eagle female: Orlova Andreev son of Andrei female: Andreeva. Can also be spelled as Andreyev / Andreyeva Makarov son of Makary female: Makarova Nikitin son of Nikita female: Nikitina Zakharov son of Zakhar / Zakhary female: Zakharova Solovyov from  - nightingale female: Solovyova Zaitsev from  - hare female: Zaitseva Golubev from  - dove, pigeon female: Golubeva Vinogradov from  - grapes female: Vinogradova Belyaev from  female: Belyaeva. Originates from the secular name or nickname that meant 'white' Tarasov son of Taras female: Tarasova Belov from  or  female: Belova. Originates from the secular name or nickname that meant 'white Komarov from  - gnat, mosquito female: Komarova Kiselyov from  - kissel female: Kiselyova. Originates from the name of a Russian traditional fruit drink similar to mors with the addition of starch or arrowroot Kovalyov female: Kovalyova Ilyin son of Ilya female: Ilyina Gusev from  - goose female: Guseva Titov son of Tit female: Titova Kuzmin son of Kuzma female: Kuzmina

The Most Popular Russian Surnames and Their Origins

Ivanov () remains one of the most popular last names in Russia. This surname comes from the first name Ivan, which was for centuries a very common name, especially among the peasant class. There are almost 100,000 Ivanovs just in Moscow, despite the fact that the majority of Ivanovs live in Russian regions. Russians often use the expression ', , ' (Ivanov, Petrov, Sidorov) when talking about the average Russian. Ivan Ivanych Ivanov is equivalent to the English John Smith.

While the surname Ivanov came from a first name, another popular Russian surname, Smirnov, originated from a nickname that means 'the quiet one' (). It is thought to have appeared in peasant families that had many children and considered having a child who was quiet and calm to be a blessing. The surname Smirnov is typical for the Northern Volga region (Povolzhye) and the central parts of Russia (Kostromskaya Oblast, Ivanovskaya Oblast, and Yaroslavskaya Oblast). It is the 9th most popular name in the world, with over 2.5 million people called Smirnov.

Changes in Russian Surnames Over the Centuries

Russian surnames appeared at different times in different classes of Russian society. For example, citizens of the Novgorod Republic, or the Novgorodian Rus', already had surnames in the 13th century, while many peasants, especially those who lived in less central parts of Russia, did not receive official records of their surnames until the 1930s.

The first Russian surnames were Slavic pagan names that described the person's character or a particular trait, and, less often, occupation. These appeared long before the first official surnames were recorded, and continued to be used alongside Christian names for many centuries. While some of them were nicknames bestowed on a person during their life, others were names that newborn babies were given as an intention for the kind of character or life they would have, or to describe the conditions surrounding the baby's birth, such as particularly cold weather. For example, Nekras -  (nyeKRAS) - was often a name given in the hope that the child would be beautiful.  means 'not beautiful', and the opposite meaning of the name was meant to ward off bad spirits and guarantee the realization of the parents' intention for their child. These names eventually transformed into surnames, creating such names as, in this example,  (nyeKRAsuff).
Ph.D., Philosophy, Columbia University

M.A., Philosophy, Columbia University

B.A., Philosophy, University of Florence, Italy

Rene Descartes' (1596-1650) "Proofs of God's Existence" is a series of arguments that he posits in his 1641 treatise (formal philosophical observation) "Meditations on First Philosophy," first appearing in "Meditation III. of God: that He exists." and discussed in more depth in "Meditation V: Of the essence of material things, and, again, of God, that He exists." Descartes is known for these original arguments that hope to prove God's existence, but later philosophers have often critiqued his proofs as being too narrow and relying on "a very suspect premise" (Hobbes) that an image of God exists within mankind. In any case, understanding them is essential to understanding Descartes' later work "Principles of Philosophy" (1644) and his "Theory of Ideas."

The structure of Meditations on First Philosophy  who's translated subtitle reads "in which the existence of God and the immortality of the soul are demonstrated"  is fairly straightforward. It begins with a letter of dedication to "The Sacred Faculty of Theology in Paris," where he submitted it originally in 1641, a preface to the reader, and finally a synopsis of the six meditations that would follow. The rest of the treatise is meant to be read as if each Meditation takes place a day after the one prior.

Dedication and Preface

In the dedication, Descartes implores the University of Paris ("Sacred Faculty of Theology") to protect and keep his treatise and posit the method he hopes to ascribe to assert the claim of God's existence philosophically rather than theologically.

In order to do this, Descartes posits he must make an argument that avoids critics' accusations that the proof relies on circular reasoning. In proving the existence of God from a philosophical level, he would be able to appeal to non-believers as well. The other half of the method relies on his ability to demonstrate that man is sufficient to discover God on his own, which is indicated in the Bible and other such religious scriptures as well.

Fundaments of the Argument

In preparation of the main claim, Descartes discerns thoughts could be divided into three kinds of operations of thought: will, passions and judgment. The first two cannot be said to be true or false, as they do not pretend to represent the way things are. Only among judgments, then, can we find those sorts of thoughts representing something as existing outside of us.

Descartes examines his thoughts again to discover which are components of judgment, narrowing his ideas into three types: innate, adventitious (coming from the outside) and fictional (produced internally). Now, adventitious ideas could have been created by Descartes himself. Although they do not depend on his will, he might have a faculty producing them, like the faculty that produces dreams. That is, of those ideas that are adventitious, it might be that we produce them even if we do not do so willingly, as it happens when we are dreaming. Fictional ideas, too, could have clearly been created by Descartes himself.

For Descartes, all ideas had a formal and objective reality and consisted of three metaphysical principles. The first, nothing comes from nothing, holds that in order for something to exist, something else must have created it. The second holds very much the same concept around formal versus objective reality, stating that more cannot come from less. However, the third principle states that more objective reality cannot come from less formal reality, limiting the objectivity of the self from affecting the formal reality of others

Finally, he posits that there is a hierarchy of beings that can be divided into four categories: material bodies, humans, angels, and God. The only perfect being, in this hierarchy, is God with angels being of "pure spirit" yet imperfect, humans being "a mix of material bodies and spirit, which are imperfect," and material bodies, which are simply called imperfect.

Proof of God's Existence

With those preliminary theses at hand, Descartes dives into examining the philosophical possibility of God's existence in his Third Meditation. He breaks this evidence down into two umbrella categories, called proofs, whose logic is relatively easy to follow.

In the first proof, Descartes argues that, by evidence, he is an imperfect being who has an objective reality including the notion that perfection exists and therefore has a distinct idea of a perfect being (God, for example). Further, Descartes realizes that he is less formally real than the objective reality of perfection and therefore there has to be a perfect being existing formally from whom his innate idea of a perfect being derives wherein he could have created the ideas of all substances, but not the one of God.

The second proof then goes on to question who it is then that keeps him  having an idea of a perfect being  in existence, eliminating the possibility that he himself would be able to do. He proves this by saying that he would owe it to himself, if he were his own existence maker, to have given himself all sorts of perfections. The very fact that he is not perfect means he would not bear his own existence. Similarly, his parents, who are also imperfect beings, could not be the cause of his existence since they could not have created the idea of perfection within him. That leaves only a perfect being, God, that would have had to exist to create and be constantly recreating him.

Essentially, Descartes' proofs rely on the belief that by existing, and being born an imperfect being (but with a soul or spirit), one must, therefore, accept that something of more formal reality than ourselves must have created us. Basically, because we exist and are able to think ideas, something must have created us.
What is trik slot bonanza xmasa Flashback?

Flashback Definition

A flashback is a device used in stories, films, television episodes, etc., that interrupts the flow of the plot to show readers/viewers an event that happened previously. Most flashbacks are utilized to provide background so that the audience has a greater understanding of the story, characters, setting, etc., taking place in the chronological present. Flashbacks can take place at any point in the narrative arc, from the first to the last scene.

Use of Flashback in Literature

A flashback can serve many purposes in literature, including:

create suspense in the story

illustrate a certain characters behavior

provide context about the setting

allow readers to see a memory

During a flashback, readers understand that it represents something that has previously occurred in the timeline of the story. This literary device can shed light on deeper meanings and levels of storytelling without the writer overtly explaining to the reader in the present narrative.

Examples of Flashback in Literature

Example #1: The Holy Bible(By Various Contributors)

The Bible is a good source of flashback examples. In the Book of Matthew, we see a flashback has been used when Joseph, governor of Egypt, sees his brothers after several years. Joseph remembered his dreams about his brothers, and how they sold him into slavery in the past.

Example #2: Death of a Salesman(By Arthur Miller)

Arthur Millers Death of a Salesmanuses flashback to narrate Willy Lomans memories of the past. At one moment, Willy talks with his dead brother while playing cards with Charley. He relives a past conversation in the present. This demonstrates a character that is physically living in the present, but mentally living in the memories and events of the past.

Example #3: The Cruel Mother(By Anonymous)

Another example of flashback is the ballad of The Cruel Mother, in which a mother remembers her murdered child. While going to church, she remembers her childs birth, growing up, and death. Later, she thinks back further to a distant time in her past to remember how her own mother was ruthless to her.

Example #4: Wuthering Heights(By Emily Bronte)

Emily Brontes famous novel Wuthering Heightsstarts off with Cathy, one of the main characters, dead. Mr. Lockwood sees Cathys name written all over the windowsill, and then has a vexing dream about her. When he talks about the dream to Heathcliff, Heathcliff becomes distressed, and Mr. Lockwood wants to know why the mention of Cathy upsets him.

The flashbacks are means to bring Cathy back to life, so Mr. Lockwood has a better perception of why Heathcliff was so upset. The flashbacks show the development of the love that Heathcliff and Cathy had for each other, and how their poor decisions separated them. It would not have the same effect, if Ellen had only told Mr. Lockwood that Cathy was a person that Heathcliff loved and that she died.

Example #5: Birches(By Robert Frost)

Robert Frost, in his poem Birches, employs flashback. In this poem, a character sees swaying birch trees and says:

So was I once myself a swinger of birches. And so I dream of going back to be.

He goes back to the days of his childhood, and then returns to the present and says:

Id like to get away from earth awhile, and then come back to it and begin over.

The narrator remembers and desires for the freedom and joy he experienced as a child, swinging on birch trees, and wishes to return to that moment of his childhood.

Function of Flashback

The use of a flashback is to convey to the readers information regarding the characters background, and give them an idea of the characters motives for doing certain things later in the story. Therefore, a flashback in the story deepens inner conflict. It provides stimulus for the conflict, deepens the touching effects, and allows the reader to sympathize even with the villain.

Another function of flashbacks in a narrative is to increase tension. A mere mention of a past event makes readers wish to know the secrets. So, he reads on to find out what the secret is, and how terrible it is that it provides the motivation for the conflict in the story.

Often, the function of flashback in poetry is to convey an idea of the happiness that the poet enjoyed in the past, but presently does not enjoy those pleasures. Poets use flashback to contrast a characters unhappy circumstances in the present to the happy days of his past.
China deals heavy blow to telecom fraud

Xinhua) 13:14, December 26, 2023

BEIJING, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- From expanding international cooperation to refining interdepartmental coordination, China's comprehensive campaign against telecom fraud has achieved notable progress since it was launched earlier this year.

In the first 10 months of 2023, more than 34,000 people suspected of telecom fraud were prosecuted, an increase of 52 percent year on year, according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP).

The number of telecom fraud prosecutions will continue to increase in the following months as more suspects are returned to China, said Zhang Xiaojin, a senior SPP prosecutor.

Thanks to a joint China-Myanmar operation targeting criminal organizations involving cross-border telecom scams since September, more than 31,000 suspects have been handed over to China, including 63 alleged leaders, organizers and key members.

Among those figures were Ming Guoping, Ming Julan and Ming Zhenzhen, ringleaders of a telecom and online fraud criminal gang in northern Myanmar's Kokang Self-Administered Zone. Gang chief Ming Xuechang committed suicide before he was located.

Police in various localities said they have noticed the changes brought by cross-border crackdowns. Since August, the number of telecom fraud cases reported each month to the city police of Haikou in south China's Hainan Province has dropped year on year.

Since the beginning of this year, the number of telecom fraud cases reported to the city police of Tongliao in northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has decreased by 17.6 percent year on year, and the number of suspects detained has increased by 5.6 percent, said Wang Dawei, a senior officer of the Tongliao police's anti-fraud division.

CLEARER PUNISHMENT

A new law that took effect on Dec. 1, 2022 has given law enforcement agencies more legal tools to fight telecom and online fraud.

The law allows police to impose administrative penalties, such as brief periods in custody, on minor offenders, including those who lease their SIM cards, bank cards or online payment accounts to telecom fraud operations or provide forms of identification to assist in the fraudulent opening of bank accounts.

More than 210,000 people involved in telecom scams have received administrative penalties over the past year.

These penalties have served as strong deterrents for minor offenders, whose actions facilitate telecom fraud but are not subject to criminal prosecution, said Huang Yuewen, a Haikou police officer working in the local telecom and internet fraud division.

The Ministry of Public Security is also drafting a set of regulations for the imposition of comprehensive punishments on telecom fraud criminals, with punishments including the restricted use of bank accounts, mobile phones and social media accounts, and inclusion on a blacklist of credit defaulters for a certain period of time.

INTERDEPARTMENTAL COORDINATION

The notable progress in the campaign against telecom fraud is not only the result of effective police work but also the concerted efforts of agencies ranging from the central bank to industry regulators.

Over the past year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has launched five inspections, covering 22 telecom and internet services providers across the country. The People's Bank of China has inspected 17 financial institutions to close loopholes.

Smooth communication channels with telecom services providers help in tracing suspicious phone numbers and identifying the hideouts of fraud rings as quickly as possible, said Xiong Meng, a police officer in the telecom and internet fraud division of the Kunming city police in southwest China's Yunnan Province.

The long-term interdepartmental coordination mechanism will allow Chinese authorities to keep up with evolving telecom fraud crimes and crack down on those crimes effectively, said Chen Tianhao, an assistant professor at Tsinghua University's School of Public Policy and Management.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez died Tuesday in a military hospital in Caracas, Vice President Nicols Maduro announced on the national radio and television.

With tears in his eyes, Mature addressed Venezuelans from the Doctor Carlos Arvelo military hospital, where Chavez passed his last two weeks after he came back from Cuba on Feb. 18.

At 4:25 p.m. the commander President Hugo Chavez deceased, he said, calling the event a historical tragedy and urging Venezuelans to be vigilant for the peace of the country.

Accompanied by key members of the Executive Cabinet, Maduro offered thanks to the friends of brother countries. In this time of sorrow, we thank you for your eternal solidarity, he said.

He also called on the Venezuelan people of all political sections to unite together. Let there be no violence or hatred, but love, peace, unity and discipline, Maduro said. Meanwhile, Venezuelan Defense Minister Diego Molero Bellavia said in a statement that The National Bolivarian Arms Force echoes the call for unity. We are being deployed to ensure the security and sovereignty of the Venezuelan people.

Chavez has been in power for 14 years. He was re-elected to a third six-year term last October, but could not be sworn in as scheduled on Jan. 10 due to his serious health problems.

After seeking medical treatment for 70 days in Cuba, he returned home on Feb. 18. Since then, he had stayed in the Caracas military hospital.

Xinhua

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez diesadded by chinatimesonline on

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Josef Ackermann is what is a lightning linka Swiss banker who served as CEO and chair of Deutsche Bank from 2002 to 2012 and the chair of the Bank of Cyprus from 2014 to 2019. He was a member of the Group of Thirty, a Washington-based group of international economists and financiers, who analyze global economic and financial issues.

Key Takeaways

Josef Ackermann is a Swiss banker who served as CEO and chair of Deutsche Bank.

Ackermann served as chair of the Bank of Cyprus.

He was a member of the Group of Thirty, a Washington-based financial advisory board.

Early Life and Education

Josef Ackermann was born on Feb. 7, 1948, in Walenstadt, Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland. He attended the University of St. Gallen, where he studied economics and social sciences and earned a Ph.D. in economics.

Ackermann began his career as a corporate banker with Credit Suisse in 1977. He remained at Credit Suisse for 25 years, earning the positions of general director and board member.



Deutsche Bank

In 2002, Ackermann joined Deutsche Bank as its CEO and was tasked with making Deutsche Bank a global investment bank. He spearheaded numerous mergers, improved global operations, introduced a new shareholder-focused management style, and increased the company's focus on investment banking.

During his tenure at Deutsche Bank, Ackermann was engaged in investigations by the U.S. Justice Department related to the bank's investment in subprime mortgages that contributed to the Great Recession of 2008. Investigators found Deutsche mislead investors about loans backing $1.4 billion in securities issued in 2007, leading to hundreds of millions of dollars in losses, according to the fraud complaint.

Subprime Mortgage

A mortgage loan, considered risky, that is granted to individuals with poor credit scores.

At the same time, Ackermann served as chairman of the Institute of International Finance (IIF), the global association of banks, he was highly instrumental in helping to solve this crisis as well as the ensuing debt crisis in the Eurozone.

Josef Ackermann earned 9.6 million in 2009 and 8.9 million in 2010, however, when faced with sanctions from the U.S. Justice Department, Deutsche Bank reportedly attempted to reclaim tens of millions of euros in bonuses paid to Ackermann and other former CEOs.

Ackermann resigned from Deutsche Bank in 2012.



Notable Accomplishments

In 2014, Josef Ackermann was elected as the new chairman of Cyprus' largest lender, the Bank of Cyprus. At the time, the bank faced an uphill battle to clear its toxic assets and resolve its balance sheets. Ackermann led the Bank of Cyprus until 2019.

Ackermann has served on the boards of Bayer, Deutsche Lufthansa, Linde, Mannesmann, Siemens, Zurich Financial Services, and Royal Dutch Shell.

He has been a member of the Washington-based Group of Thirty, or G30, established in 1978 as an independent global body comprised of economic and financial leaders from the public and private sectors and academia which aims to deepen understanding of global economic and financial issues.

What Is Josef Ackermann's Business Relationship With Donald Trump?

Donald Trump relied on Deutsche Bank for financing and Josef Ackermann allegedly approved Trump's financing even after Trump had defaulted on loans in 2004 and 2008. However, Ackermann did not recall his involvement in the approvals.

Has Josef Ackermann Taught As a Professor?

Josef Ackermann has been a visiting professor of Finance at the London School of Economics and the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University.





Has Josef Ackermann Ever Been Accused of a Crime?

In 2004, Josef Ackermann was acquitted of charges that he wasted shareholders' money as a member of the board of the German phone company, Mannesmann AG. He was found not guilty of breach of trust in Germany's first effort to jail managers for approving excessive bonuses.





The Bottom Line

Josef Ackermann is a Swiss banker who served as CEO and chair of Deutsche Bank during the recession of 2008 and subprime mortgage defaults. He was elected to chair the Bank of Cyprus in 2014. Ackermann has served on the board of numerous corporations, taught at two universities, and was an advisory member of the Group of Thirty.


What Is Business to Government (B2G)?pragmatic play demo

Business to government (B2G) is the sale and marketing of goods and services to federal, state, or local agencies. In modern lingo, there are three basic business models: business to consumer (B2C), business to business (B2B), and business to government (B2G).

B2G is not an insignificant chunk of business. The federal government alone spent anywhere between $18.2 billion and $42.6 billion per day in 2020-2021. Notably, a portion of its business is supposed to be spent on small business suppliers.

Key Takeaways

B2G, or business to government, is the provision of goods and services to government agencies at the federal, state, and local levels.

Most contracts are granted in response to a request for proposal (RFP) from an agency.

Businesses bid for contracts by submitting responses to RFPs.

Understanding Business to Government (B2G)

B2B business can be as modest as a small business providing IT support services to a town government. Or, it can be as big as Boeing, which builds helicopters, missile defense systems, fighter jets, and surveillance aircraft, among many other products, for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).

At the federal level, the General Services Administration (GSA) is the government's official buying arm, developing and implementing regulations on a vast array of products and services purchased for the U.S. government.

How Businesses Get Government Contracts

Governments generally solicit services from the private sector through requests for proposal (RFPs).

The GSA website, GSAAdvantage.gov, is a shopping portal for government agencies and gives an idea of the sheer breadth of products purchased by the federal government.

Not surprisingly, given the enormous numbers and range of federal, state, and local purchasing requirements, an entire sector of the internet is devoted to matching businesses to government agencies. Some of the sites offering access to information on current government contracts include Periscope S2G (www.periscopeholdings.com), bidsync.com, thebidlab.com, and findrfp.com.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Business to Government (B2G)

Businesses that are used to interacting with other businesses or directly with consumers often encounter unexpected hurdles when working with government agencies.

Governments tend to take more time than private companies to approve and begin work on a given project. Layers of regulation can drag on the overall efficiency of the contracting process.

$18 billion and up

The estimated amount spent daily by the U.S. government.

While businesses may find that government contracts involve additional paperwork, time, and vetting, there are advantages to providing goods and services to the public sector.

Government contracts are often large and more stable than analogous private-sector work. A company with a history of successful government contracting usually finds it easier to get the next contract.

Special Considerations

The Small Business Edge

Federal requirements often specify that certain amounts of appropriated funds must be spent on contracts with small businesses. This potentially can give smaller businesses an advantage in B2G activity, or at least offset some of the advantages that large, well-established government contractors may already enjoy.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers an online guide to help small businesses win federal contracts.

In order to qualify as a small business contractor, a business must be properly registered as such, demonstrating that it is independently owned and operated and makes a significant contribution to the U.S. economy, among other requirements.

In addition to small businesses, federal laws and regulations often mandate certain amounts of spending be directed toward politically favored groups in society, such as veterans, women, and racial or ethnic minorities. Small businesses owned by members of these groups may enjoy special advantages in obtaining B2G contracts.
M.A., Geography, California State University - Northridge

B.A., Geography, University of California - Davis

Just north of the border between Egypt and Sudan lies the Aswan High Dam, a huge rockfill dam which captures the world's longest river, the Nile River, in the world's third-largest reservoir, Lake Nasser. The dam, known as Saad el Aali in Arabic, was completed in 1970 after ten years of work.

Egypt has always depended on the water of the Nile River. The two main tributaries of the Nile River are the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The sources of the White Nile are the Sobat River and Bahr al-Jabal (the "Mountain Nile"), and the Blue Nile begins in the Ethiopian Highlands. The two tributaries converge in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, where they form the Nile River. The Nile River has a total length of 4,160 miles (6,695 kilometers) from source to sea.

Nile Flooding

Before the building of a dam at Aswan, Egypt experienced annual floods from the Nile River that deposited four million tons of nutrient-rich sediment which enabled agricultural production. This process began millions of years before Egyptian civilization began in the Nile River valley and continued until the first dam at Aswan was built in 1889. This dam was insufficient to hold back the water of the Nile and was subsequently raised in 1912 and 1933. In 1946, the true danger was revealed when the water in the reservoir peaked near the top of the dam.

In 1952, the interim Revolutionary Council government of Egypt decided to build a High Dam at Aswan, about four miles upstream of the old dam. In 1954, Egypt requested loans from the World Bank to help pay for the cost of the dam (which eventually added up to one billion dollars). Initially, the United States agreed to loan Egypt money but then withdrew their offer for unknown reasons. Some speculate that it may have been due to Egyptian and Israeli conflict. The United Kingdom, France, and Israel had invaded Egypt in 1956, soon after Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal to help pay for the dam.

The Soviet Union offered to help and Egypt accepted. The Soviet Union's support was not unconditional, however. Along with the money, they also sent military advisers and other workers to help enhance Egyptian-Soviet ties and relations.

Building of the Aswan Dam

In order to build the Aswan Dam, both people and artifacts had to be moved. Over 90,000 Nubians had to be relocated. Those who had been living in Egypt were moved about 28 miles (45 km) away, but the Sudanese Nubians were relocated 370 miles (600 km) from their homes. The government was also forced to develop one of the largest Abu Simel temples and dig for artifacts before the future lake would drown the land of the Nubians.

After years of construction (the material in the dam is the equivalent to 17 of the great pyramids at Giza), the resulting reservoir was named after the former president of Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser, who died in 1970. The lake holds 137 million acre-feet of water (169 billion cubic meters). About 17 percent of the lake is in Sudan and the two countries have an agreement for distribution of the water.

Aswan Dam Benefits and Problems

The Aswan Dam benefits Egypt by controlling the annual floods on the Nile River and prevents the damage which used to occur along the floodplain. The Aswan High Dam provides about half of Egypt's power supply and has improved navigation along the river by keeping the water flow consistent.

There are several problems associated with the dam as well. Seepage and evaporation account for a loss of about 12-14% of the annual input into the reservoir. The sediments of the Nile River, as with all river and dam systems, has been filling the reservoir and thus decreasing its storage capacity. This has also resulted in problems downstream.

Farmers have been forced to use about a million tons of artificial fertilizer as a substitute for the nutrients which no longer fill the floodplain. Further downstream, the Nile delta is having problems due to the lack of sediment as well since there is no additional agglomeration of sediment to keep erosion of the delta at bay, so it slowly shrinks. Even the shrimp catch in the Mediterranean Sea has decreased due to the change in water flow.

Poor drainage of the newly irrigated lands has led to saturation and increased salinity. Over one-half of Egypt's farmland in now rated medium to poor soils.

The parasitic disease schistosomiasis has been associated with the stagnant water of the fields and the reservoir. Some studies indicate that the number of individuals affected has increased since the opening of the Aswan Dam.

The Nile River and now the Aswan High Dam are Egypt's lifeline. About 95% of Egypt's population live within twelve miles from the river. Were it not for the river and its sediment, the grand civilization of ancient Egypt probably would have never existed.
What Is the IRS Publication 15?casinos located in oklahoma

IRS Publication 15: Employer's Tax Guide is a document published by the Internal Revenue Service detailing an employer's responsibilities for filing and reporting tax information. The document covers the withholding, depositing, reporting, paying, and correcting of taxes for employees (although not for the corporation itself). IRS Publication 15 is also referred to as Circular E.

Key Takeaways

IRS Publication 15: Employer's Tax Guide is a document published by the Internal Revenue Service detailing an employer's responsibilities for filing and reporting tax information.

The document covers the withholding, depositing, reporting, paying, and correcting of taxes for employees (although not for the corporation itself).

The Tax Guide details federal income tax amounts for payroll withholdings, including Medicare and Social Security amounts.

Understanding IRS Publication 15

IRS Publication 15 is used to determine federal income tax, but not state or local taxes. The Tax Guide details federal income tax amounts for payroll withholdings, including Medicare and Social Security amounts. Employers should refer to their state's tax rules to ensure that proper state income tax amounts are withheld from employees' paychecks. Extra tax information is also available in IRS Publication 15-A.

Previously, one of the most important features contained in the Employers Tax Guide was the Percentage Method Tables and Wage Bracket Method Tables for Income Tax Withholding. However, for the 2020 Employer's Tax Guide, these withholding tables have been removed. These tablesand the employer instructions on how to figure employee withholdingare now included in Publication 15-T, Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods. The IRS also provides an assistant on their website, called the Income Tax Withholding Assistant for Employers, to help employers figure out employee withholding.

These wage bracket tables help an employer to know exactly which percentage of their employees payroll they should be withholding for taxes every pay period in order to comply with federal tax regulations. In order to determine the tax withholding amount, an employee must also file a W-4 Form, which can be updated as situations change in the employees life, such as a new family member. In the event that an employee does not file a W-4, the Employers Tax Guide also details what amount to withhold instead.

How to Use IRS Publication 15

The easiest way to access IRS Publication 15 is typically online through the IRS website. The Employers Tax Guide contains any updates and new legislative changes pertinent to employers, along with the following sections:
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Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville

B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College

Mathematics is called the language of science. Italian astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei is attributed with the quote, "Mathematics is the language in which God has written the universe." Most likely this quote is a summary of his statement in Opere Il Saggiatore:

[The universe] cannot be read until we have learnt the language and become familiar with the characters in which it is written. It is written in mathematical language, and the letters are triangles, circles and other geometrical figures, without which means it is humanly impossible to comprehend a single word.

Yet, is mathematics truly a language, like English or Chinese? To answer the question, it helps to know what language is and how the vocabulary and grammar of mathematics are used to construct sentences.

Key Takeaways: Why Math is a Language

In order to be considered a language, a system of communication must have vocabulary, grammar, syntax, and people who use and understand it.

Mathematics meets this definition of a language. Linguists who don't consider math a language cite its use as a written rather than spoken form of communication.

Math is a universal language. The symbols and organization to form equations are the same in every country of the world.

What Is a Language?

There are multiple definitions of "language." A language may be a system of words or codes used within a discipline. Language may refer to a system of communication using symbols or sounds. Linguist Noam Chomsky defined language as a set of sentences constructed using a finite set of elements. Some linguists believe language should be able to represent events and abstract concepts.

Whichever definition is used, a language contains the following components:

There must be a vocabulary of words or symbols.

of words or symbols. Meaning must be attached to the words or symbols.

must be attached to the words or symbols. A language employs grammar , which is a set of rules that outline how vocabulary is used.

, which is a set of rules that outline how vocabulary is used. A syntax organizes symbols into linear structures or propositions.

organizes symbols into linear structures or propositions. A narrative or discourse consists of strings of syntactic propositions.

or discourse consists of strings of syntactic propositions. There must be (or have been) a group of people who use and understand the symbols.

Mathematics meets all of these requirements. The symbols, their meanings, syntax, and grammar are the same throughout the world. Mathematicians, scientists, and others use math to communicate concepts. Mathematics describes itself (a field called meta-mathematics), real-world phenomena, and abstract concepts.

Vocabulary, Grammar, and Syntax in Mathematics

Emilija Manevska / Getty Images

The vocabulary of math draws from many different alphabets and includes symbols unique to math. A mathematical equation may be stated in words to form a sentence that has a noun and a verb, just like a sentence in a spoken language. For example:

3 + 5 = 8

could be stated as "Three added to five equals eight."

Breaking this down, nouns in math include:

Arabic numerals (0, 5, 123.7)

Fractions (14, 59, 2 13)

Variables (a, b, c, x, y, z)

Expressions (3x, x 2 , 4 + x)

, 4 + x) Diagrams or visual elements (circle, angle, triangle, tensor, matrix)

Infinity ()

Pi ()

Imaginary numbers (i, -i)

The speed of light (c)

Verbs include symbols including:

Equalities or inequalities (=, <, >)

Actions such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division (+, -, x or *,  or /)

Other operations (sin, cos, tan, sec)

If you try to perform a sentence diagram on a mathematical sentence, you'll find infinitives, conjunctions, adjectives, etc. As in other languages, the role played by a symbol depends on its context.

International Rules

Mathematics grammar and syntax, like vocabulary, are international. No matter what country you're from or what language you speak, the structure of the mathematical language is the same.

Formulas are read from left to right.

The Latin alphabet is used for parameters and variables. To some extent, the Greek alphabet is also used. Integers are usually drawn from i, j, k, l, m, n. Real numbers are represented by a, b, c, , , . Complex numbers are indicated by wand z. Unknowns are x, y, z. Names of functions are usually f, g, h.

The Greek alphabet is used to represent specific concepts. For example,  is used to indicate wavelength and  means density.

Parentheses and brackets indicate the order in which the symbols interact.

The way functions, integrals, and derivatives are phrased is uniform.

Language as a Teaching Tool

StockFinland / Getty Images

Understanding how mathematical sentences work is helpful when teaching or learning math. Students often find numbers and symbols intimidating, so putting an equation into a familiar language makes the subject more approachable. Basically, it's like translating a foreign language into a known one.

While students typically dislike word problems, extracting the nouns, verbs, and modifiers from a spoken/written language and translating them into a mathematical equation is a valuable skill to have. Word problems improve comprehension and increase problem-solving skills.

Because mathematics is the same all over the world, math can act as a universal language. A phrase or formula has the same meaning, regardless of another language that accompanies it. In this way, math helps people learn and communicate, even if other communication barriers exist.

The Argument Against Math as a Language

Anne Helmenstine

Not everyone agrees that mathematics is a language. Some definitions of "language" describe it as a spoken form of communication. Mathematics is a written form of communication. While it may be easy to read a simple addition statement aloud (e.g., 1 + 1 = 2), it's much harder to read other equations aloud (e.g., Maxwell's equations). Also, the spoken statements would be rendered in the speaker's native language, not a universal tongue.

However, sign language would also be disqualified based on this criterion. Most linguists accept sign language as a true language. There are a handful of dead languages that no one alive knows how to pronounce or even read anymore.

A strong case for mathematics as a language is that modern elementary-high school curricula uses techniques from language education for teaching mathematics. Educational psychologist Paul Riccomini and colleagues wrote that students learning mathematics require "a robust vocabulary knowledge base; flexibility; fluency and proficiency with numbers, symbols, words, and diagrams; and comprehension skills."

Sources
Illustration: Xia Qing/GT

"How much do you earn a month?" "When are you going to get married?" "Did your final exams go well?" For most of China's Generation Z who are returning to their hometown to celebrate the upcoming Spring Festival, these questions from their overzealous relatives will be overwhelming. To cope with these questions, a specially made sweater has gone viral on Chinese online marketplace Taobao. Terms and sentences including "salaries are confidential," "still single," "do not ask about my exams" are printed on the sweater, and the cumulative sales have already exceeded 10,000 units. Many Chinese netizens said that it is their "dream sweater" for the Spring Festival. However, some are worried that elderly people may feel hurt by such a sweater, or they may think young people are not willing to share their daily lives. In fact, the sweater reflects the widening generation gap in China. China's Generation Z and the elderly should try to understand each other, communicate in a more comfortable way, and perhaps one day, young Chinese people will no longer need such a sweater.
His wife passed away and they had kids, and he wanted to focus on being a dad so he just stopped to raise his kids.

My dad was a sailor, and all through my childhood he was away half of the time at sea, and to an extent I have a similar job.

As an example of good science-and-society policymaking, the history of fluoride may be more of a cautionary tale.

Their leader, Njie, still going by Dave during the operation, would stay a safe distance away until the State House was secure. The Shadowy U.S. Veteran Who Tried to Overthrow a Country|Jacob Siegel|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST

She also practises etching, pen-and-ink drawing, as well as crayon and water-color sketching. Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement

No law of that country must exceed in words the number of letters in their alphabet, which consists only in two-and-twenty. Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift

Mr. Spurrell came down to see a horse, and we shall be very glad to have the benefit of his opinion by-and-by. Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 107, November 3, 1894|Various

"Dad and Hans Rutter, as you know, weren't the sort of men to sit around and mourn over anything like that," she laughed. Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Staff members sort packages at a logistics center in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province, Nov. 11, 2022. China's annual "Double Eleven" festival, which falls on Nov. 11, was first started by Alibaba's e-commerce platform in 2009 and quickly grew into a major shopping event.(Photo: Xinhua)

Many brands have posted record sales on Saturday as China's Double 11 online shopping festival concluded with new trends and highlights amid a continued recovery in the country's consumption.As Chinese e-commerce platforms place increased emphasis on quality development and integration with the real economy amid economic pressures, major platforms including Tmall and JD.com didn't release the gross merchandise volume (GMV) for 2022's Double 11 online festival like in past years.The shopping festival has shown an increasingly important role of China's digital economy in the overall economy amid the impact of downward pressure on global economy and the COVID-19 resurgence, experts said.On Saturday, Chinese brands including Xiaomi, TCL and Vivo have reported sales hitting new highs.Lei Jun, founder and CEO of Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, posted on his Sina Weibo account on Saturday that sales across all of the company's sales channels exceeded 17 billion yuan ($2.4 billion) during the shopping festival.Chinese electronics firm TCL announced that the brand's sales of all products in this Double 11 festival exceeded 3.4 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 60 percent.Although the market sentiment and expectation among consumers and businesses still remain cautious amid the epidemic, companies' sales growth during the Double 11 festival shows China's consumption continues to recover, Tian Yun, former vice director of the Beijing Economic Operation Association, told the Global Times on Saturday.Amid the downward pressure on the global economy, Chinese enterprises are still innovating and stimulating new consumption hotspots, Tian said.This year's Double 11 shopping festival is the most diverse event for participating merchants, with 290,000 brands, millions of small and medium-sized businesses, and livestreaming sellers signing up. More than 21 million products participated in the event, according to a Hangzhou Daily report.New online business models like livestreaming sales have attracted wide attention at the Double shopping festival. The average daily view of livestreaming selling events on Taobao increased by 561 percent year-on-year, according to the report.As China's Double 11 online shopping festival enters its 14th year, China's digital economy not only plays a supportive role for the development of the real economy, but also develops many new forms of businesses, providing a new drive of growth for the Chinese economy, Tian said.Global Times
This Congress will welcome more women than ever before at 19 percent of the House and 20 percent of the Senate.

The most notorious states are Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, where death is an acceptable legal remedy.

Asia Bibi, as she is known, was arrested and sentenced to death.

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

Even internally in the House, women are not getting their fair shake. The Unbearable Whiteness of Congress|Dean Obeidallah|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

It was a decayed house of superb proportions, but of a fashion long passed away. Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

A Yankee, whose face had been mauled in a pot-house brawl, assured General Jackson that he had received his scars in battle. The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various

On the thirteenth of the same month they bound to the stake, in order to burn alive, a man who had two religious in his house. The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various

This is the place where the Muscovite criminals are banished to, if they are not put to death. The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
Both of these words can have legal consequences and fit broadly under the umbrella of defamation, but what do they actually mean?

In this post, I want to compare slandervs. libel. I will go over their definitions, their legal uses, and give you a trick to remember them for your future writing.

After reading this post, you wont ever again ask yourself, Do I mean slander or libel?

What is the Difference Between Slander and Libel?

As I mentioned above, both of these words fit under the broad umbrella of defamation. Defamation is defined as the act of defaming, calumny, slander, or libel. If you are defaming someone, you are attacking his or her reputation, usually in a public way.

Slanderand libel are both different ways of defaming someone, so lets explore their differences.

When to Use Slander

What does slander mean? Slander is oral communications of false and malicious statements that damage the reputation of another.

Slander is transitory by nature, which means it exists or lasts only a short period of time.

This usually gets equated to verbal speech because, unless they are being recorded, oral communications only last while the words are being said.

When to Use Libel

What does libel mean? Libel is the legally indefensible publication or broadcast of words or images that damage the reputation of another.

Libel is permanent by nature, which means once it is printed, published, or broadcasted, it exists forever.

Obvious examples of libel would be magazine stories, newspaper articles, books, etc.

Examples

This is a libelous piece of journalism.

Your statements today have been slanderous towards my company.

In 2009, he wrote a post attacking Sidney Blumenthal, a former TNR staff member, and his son Max, suggesting Blumenthal owed him money from a long-ago loan. An intern flagged this assertion as potentially libelous and held the item until editors could confer. The New York Times

Putin could never understand Boris. He could never appreciate how someone could be impervious to threats and slander, to the lure of corruption and the oppression of fear. The Wall Street Journal

Trick to Remember the Difference

Heres a good trick to keep track of libel vs. slander. If you use these self memory checks, you wont ever have trouble with these words again.

Check one: Slander is generally speech. Speech and slander both start with an s.

Check two: Libel is long lasting. Long lasting and libel both start with an l.

Summary

Is it libel or slander? That depends on the medium of dissemination. Both of these things qualify as defamation, but each is a specific kind.

Slanderis usually spoken.

Libel is usually written.
Definition of Explicatory Essay

Explication means to explain the work of an item of literature. An explication,sands regency reno nevada or explicatory essay is used to explain and interpret a piece of literature such as a poem, a play, a novel, or a short story. It often examines sentences, verses, or passages extracted from longer literary works. Like all other types of essays, however, it also needs a clear thesis around which body parts focus, ending on a conclusion. The text is cited at different places to support the main claim and move the argument forward.

Difference Between an Explicatory Essay and a Critical Essay

A critical essay is also a literary type of essay. It discusses only the pieces literary merits and demerits, by comparing it with other literary pieces. An explicatory essay, on the other hand, discusses the full structure of the literary piece.

Examples of Explicatory Essay in Literature

Example #1: A Poetry of Proximity(By Solmaz Sharif)

Language, of course, is constantly being redefined, not just by demagogues, but by people who employ it. Language is we realized. Each word has passed mouth by mouth over the centuries, changed by intonation and accent, changed by wit and utility. Those before us decided that a certain thingan amaranth, a colanderneeds naming. Naming, as Emerson argues, is a poets undertaking. It is not happenstance that the poets job is the job of language itselfto reach beyond the impossible chasm of two minds, of multiple times, and make known the inner things. And language, like the other democratic thingsfreedom of assembly, habeas corpusis among first casualties of war. The maiming and obliteration of language preempts and attempts to excuse the maiming and obliteration of bodies. Poets, as the caretakers of language, if by no other contested purpose of poetryto humanize, to emote, to demand a total reaction as Muriel Rukeyser puts itare called upon to respond, to defend their medium.

This is the best example of an explication of poetry. Solmaz Sharif has given a review of the what is proximity in poetry and how proximity of poetry helps poets to humanize feelings.

Example #2: The Well Wrought Urn(by Cleanth Brooks)

T. S. Eliot, for example, says that this line [Beauty is truth, etc.] strikes me as a serious blemish on a beautiful poem; and the reason must be either that I fail to understand it, or that it is a statement which is untrue. But even for persons who feel that they do understand it, the line may still constitute a blemish. Middleton Murry, who, after a discussion of Keatss other poems and his letters, feels that he knows what Keats meant by beauty and what he meant by truth, and that Keats used them in senses which allowed them to be properly bracketed together, still, is forced to conclude: My own opinion concerning the value of these two lines in the context of the poem itself is not very different from Mr. T. S. Eliots. The troubling assertion is apparently an intrusion upon the poem-does not grow out of it-is not dramatically accommodated to it.

This is another example of explication of Ode to Urn by John Keats. Cleanth Brooks has reviewed the poem and the role of Urn it along with Eliots thought about Keats poetry.

Example #3: Metaphysical Poets(by T. S. Eliot)

Not only is it extremely difficult to define metaphysical poetry, but difficult to decide what poets practise it and in which of their verses. The poetry of Donne (to whom Marvell and Bishop King are sometimes nearer than any of the other authors) is late Elizabethan, its feeling often very close to that of Chapman. The courtly poetry is derivative from Jonson, who borrowed liberally from the Latin; it expires in the next century with the sentiment and witticism of Prior. There is finally the devotional verse of Herbert, Vaughan, and Crashaw (echoed long after by Christina Rossetti and Francis Thompson); Crashaw, sometimes more profound and less sectarian than the others, has a quality which returns through the Elizabethan period to the early Italians. It is difficult to find any precise use of metaphor, simile, or other conceit, which is common to all the poets and at the same time important enough as an element of style to isolate these poets as a group. Donne, and often Cowley, employ a device which is sometimes considered characteristically metaphysical; the elaboration (contrasted with the condensation) of a figure of speech to the farthest stage to which ingenuity can carry it.

This is an example of Eliots explication of poetry by metaphysical poets such as Herbert, Vaughan, and Crashaw. He has explicated several of their poems in his essay.

Example #4: Pride and Prejudice(by Jane Austen)

Mr. Bingley was good-looking and gentlemanlike; he had a pleasant countenance, and easy, unaffected manners.  he was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased; and not all his large estate in Derbyshire could then save him from having a most forbidding, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be compared with his friend.

Mr. Bingley, the romantic interest of Jane, and his friend, Mr. Darcey, are described in this excerpt through direct characterization. She has admired Mr. Bingley for his pleasant countenance, comparing him to Mr. Darcy.

Example #5: The Canterbury Tales(by Geoffrey Chaucer)

He yaf nat of that text a pulled hen,

That seith that hunters ben nat hooly men,

Ne that a monk, whan he is recchelees

His heed was balled, that shoon as any glas,

And eek his face, as he hadde been enoynt.

His eyen stepe, and rollynge in his heed,

That stemed as a forneys of a leed;

His bootes souple, his hors in greet estaat.

Through monks portrait, his physical and social life, readers see a satire of the religious figures that should live a proper monastic life of hard work and deprivation. This is the achievement of the description of Chaucer that he has described a character through direct characterization.

Function of an Explicatory Essay

An explicatory essay does not directly point out merits and demerits of a poem or a short story. Rather, it discusses the text and its structure. The merits of the work emerge out of its explicatory analysis. Readers fully understand the deficiencies or demerits if there are any, but a critic only discusses the structure and what is presents within the text in a critical essay.

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Workers at a production workshop of Foxconn's technology park in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan Province on September 4, 2021. The park is a major global smartphone manufacturing base. Photo: VCG

Foxconn's Zhengzhou plant, a major production base for iPhone products, is scrambling with the mass recruitment in restoring production capacity, with some 10,000 new workers needed for its manufacturing operations, while the factory is continuing to do a good job when it comes to dynamic epidemic prevention and control under government regulations and support, the Global Times has learned from two sources close to the company's recruitment team.Incentives have been rolled out for recruitment which include high salaries for hourly workers and one-time bonuses for ex-workers who return to the company, the sources said. Meanwhile, the epidemic prevention and control measures remain in place to ensure the smooth and full resumption of production.A recruitment manager told the Global Times on Friday that the Zhengzhou manufacturing compound is in urgent need of more workers to smooth the production while the company is filling the gap of the absent workers who left the compound amid the escalated epidemic situation in the region."We only recruit hourly workers at the moment, preferably from within Henan Province for epidemic control purposes. These workers are mainly for the iDPBG group - the one that makes iPhone," the source said.In order to draw new workers, hourly wages are being maintained at 30 yuan ($4.18) per hour - a high level compared with a previous range of between 23 and 25 yuan, they said, noting that at least 10,000 new workers are needed.Employment for hourly workers will last until February 15, 2023.Ex-staff who have resigned from October 10 to November 5 will be given a one-time care subsidy of 500 yuan after re-entry, another person close to Foxconn's recruitment department said, who also confirmed that over 10,000 workers are needed for the plant.In order to help Foxconn's plant achieve a full resumption of operations, some local towns and villages in Henan have reportedly been tasked with assisting the company in recruiting workers, and have assigned quotas to the villages and towns under their jurisdiction, according to media reports.An employee with the publicity department of a local county in Jiaozuo in Henan, told the Global Times on Friday that not all of Foxconn's workers had returned to their hometowns.It is a good thing for them to return to work since this helps to solve the unemployment problems, and that is only if the workers are willing to, the person said.In welcoming employees to return to work, dormitories in the Foxconn manufacturing compound are undergoing upgrade, facility maintenance and thorough sterilization, according to media reports.In order to do a good job for epidemic control while ensuring operations are unaffected, Chinese authorities released 20 optimized measures on Friday to further improve scientific and precise work of the COVID-19 prevention and control, in which the implementation of epidemic control for enterprises and industry park is particularly highlighted.The latest prevention and control measures requests corresponding units to formulate an epidemic prevention and control plan while establishing a full system of responsibility from enterprises and park management to workshop teams and front-line workers.Meanwhile, the large-scale recruitment is being conducted in line with epidemic control. For example, the current recruitment is for pre-registration while the actual check-in times will be announced after the factory has completed the "static management" period. Employees will be transferred under closed-loop management."New or returned workers will be under quarantine at local hotels for seven days and return to work if the nucleic acid test results are negative," the recruitment manager said, adding that some workers are returning to the factory.The company said on November 5 that it would start point-to-point closed-loop management protocols for workers commuting between dorms and factory, with only three routes opening during the period.The factory, which accounts for around half of the total iPhone output globally, has been operating under closed-loop management while battling against the epidemic under the assistance of the local government.While the epidemic situation has temporarily impacted the primary iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone Pro Max assembly in Zhengzhou, with significant reduction of the production capacity, as Apple stated in its recent statement, the situation is improving.Regarding the situation of the group's Zhengzhou campus, Chairman and CEO Young Liu said in a company's statement on Thursday that "facing this epidemic, Hon Hai is continuously making adjustments, in compliance with government regulations.""From rapid testing to dine-in to assist employees to return home, Hon Hai wishes to look out for the rights of the employees and the safety of production, under the prerequisite of employees' health and in respect to their wishes. Currently, after undergoing these adjustments, the overall situation is gradually getting on track," Liu said.
Illustration: Liu Xidan/GT

China had an epic decade since 2012. Particularly in the last five years,which are truly momentous, extraordinary, the country has successfully dealt with major challenges including turbulent developments in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the COVID-19 epidemic. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) will lay out plans for the strategic missions and major measures in the next five years, getting the efforts to build a modern socialist country in all respects off to a good start."China's stability, consistency and predictability can become geo-economic ballast, steadying a swaying world," said Robert Lawrence Kuhn (Kuhn), an international corporate strategist, investment banker, and the chairman of The Kuhn Foundation. He shared his views on the ongoing 20th National Congress of the CPC in a written interview with Global Times (GT) reporter Yu Jincui.Kuhn: I have been coming to China for more than 30 years; I have been telling China's story to the world in various forms  and although China has many achievements, and there have been numerous stories to tell, none has been as representative of the real China, and none has been so powerful in impact, as China's commitment to eradicate all extreme poverty in the country and China's systematic implementation that made it happen by 2021.I have found that China's poverty alleviation program is the best story to undermine biases and disrupt stereotypes about China. A good part of the reason is that foreigners had very limited knowledge of China's poverty alleviation commitment and campaign  how it really worked.If foreigners read anything about poverty alleviation in China, it would be general and broad, using big numbers, such as "800 million people", which are impressive, of course, but moved no emotions. To truly understand China's poverty alleviation is to hear the stories of individual families who have emerged from poverty  that's multiple millions of stories.Kuhn: The past five years have witnessed extraordinary challenges and extraordinary achievements for China in general and the CPC in particular. We can list some of the most important: (i) the COVID-19 pandemic and China's success in minimizing cases and deaths far below that of other countries; (ii) China's economy, which has continued to grow despite various headwinds; (iii) China's society, especially the transformations of poverty alleviation, rural vitalization and Common Prosperity; (iv) China's diplomacy, which has become more confident, countering accusations by largely developed countries in the Global North and deepening relations with largely developing countries in the Global South; (v) China's military/defense strength, which has continued to grow, especially the PLA Navy; (vi) the CPC fulfilling its commitment to self-purify by its relentless anti-corruption campaign.Kuhn: Although all developing countries have different conditions and cultures, China's extraordinary poverty alleviation experience and success can play an important part. Among developing countries, only China has achieved rapid development and large-scale poverty reduction, with the poor sharing the fruits of reform and opening up over the four decades and with the intractably poor finally brought out of poverty over the last seven years or so. For good reason, China's poverty alleviation accomplishments have been called a developmental miracle.When China eradicated all extreme poverty in 2021, China achieved the poverty reduction goal of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 10 years ahead of schedule. No other country has brought so many people out of poverty, and did so in such a short period of time.What can the world learn from China's success in poverty alleviation? Many things. Certainly, China is committed to sharing its poverty-reduction experience with the world community, especially with the poorest nations  strategy, structure, programs, systems, insights, checks and balances  all aspects.Each country is different. Each culture has its own history and culture; the natures of different peoples are indeed different. We cannot take programs from one country and impose them wholly, without adaptation, on another countryHowever, the principles are what's important. And China's principles of poverty alleviation are clear: "targeted" poverty alleviation employs specific measures to fit specific circumstances and needs, and a clear organizational structure to implement those measures, monitor them, and check them.Nonetheless, to me, what is even more clear is this. For a country to make a success of poverty alleviation, the number one criterion is that the leader of the country must make an absolute and resolute commitment to accomplish it. Again, General Secretary Xi's unambiguous assertion: "I have spent more energy on poverty alleviation than on anything else." This sends a powerful message to officials at all levels, indeed to the entire country.So, this is the big lesson to learn: the senior leader of the country needs to make the overall mission of poverty alleviation a high priority for the nation. Nothing less will work well.

Setting the role of a journalist aside, R.L. Kuhn explains a "real" China from his interpretation as an observer. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Kuhn: Stability, consistency and predictability are as essential for national development as they are for stock market valuations. Global geopolitics and the global economy have not been this unstable, inconsistent and unpredictable in generations, from the mutating and still-raging pandemic to the numerous conflicts on or across borders, to heightened great power confrontations. Thus, given such world volatility, China's stability, consistency and predictability can become geo-economic ballast, steadying a swaying world.Kuhn: All political parties, in every country and of every variety, seek to make themselves as effective as possible and to look as good as possible to their constituents (usually voters).For the world to understand China, it must understand why the CPC asserts that its continuous governing leadership is optimum for China's development. But for the CPC to retain its ruling status, it has a higher obligation to govern itself properly, maintain highest standards of rectitude and probity.Anti-corruption, of course, is the centerpiece of the Party's self-revolution. General Secretary Xi Jinping said early on in his unprecedented and sustained anti-corruption campaign that "Worms can only grow in something rotten." "Corruption is now raging," he warned, "if it is not curbed, our Party and country will surely be doomed."Xi's solution is a system that checks the exercise of power, grants oversight powers to the people, and makes the exercise of power more transparent and institutionalized.CPC self-revolution, embedding tough internal checks-and-balances, is a relentless process that can never stop.Kuhn: CPC National Congresses, held every five years, normally set the agenda for the ensuing five years. The significance of the 20th CPC National Congress is not only will it set the agenda for the ensuing five years (2023-2027), it will also draft the roadmap for the next 13 years to 2035 and sharpen the vision for 2049, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, when a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious is expected to be built. Thus, the 20th CPC National Congress is axial to China's New Era.
What Is the Joint Return Test?roulette game online live

The joint return test is one of the IRS tests that potential dependents must pass in order to be claimed as such by another taxpayer.

Important

According to the IRS: "You generally can't claim a married person as a dependent if filing a joint return."

The joint return test stipulates that no dependent can file a joint return with a spouse and still be claimed as a dependent on someone else's return, such as that of a parent or guardian. There is, however, an exception to this rule.

Because claiming dependents is valuable, the IRS institutes several tests, such as the joint return test, to make sure that dependents arent being double-counted.

Key Takeaways

When deciding if someone who has lived in your house that you have supported and who has not made any money is a dependent, you must apply the joint return test.

In most cases, you can't claim someone as a dependent who is filing a joint tax return with someone else (usually a spouse).

One exception is if neither the person you claim as a dependent nor their spouse made enough income to be taxable, but they filed a return to get reimbursed for wages withheld.

Understanding the Joint Return Test

According to the joint return test, a taxpayer filing a joint return can be claimed as a dependent under only one condition: "that person and their spouse file the joint return only to claim a refund of income tax withheld or estimated tax paid."

A taxpayer may not count someone who is married and files their return with their spouse as a dependent, even if that person makes no money during the tax year and lives in the taxpayer's house if their spouse made taxable income reported on their joint return.

The IRS gives the following example: "You supported your 18-year-old daughter, and she lived with you all year while her husband was in the Armed Forces. He earned $25,000 for the year. The couple files a joint return. You can't claim your daughter as a dependent."

Another example: "Your 18-year-old son and his 17-year-old wife had $800 of wages from part-time jobs and no other income. They lived with you all year. Neither is required to file a tax return. They don't have a child. No taxes were taken out of your son's pay or his wife's pay. However, they file a joint return to claim an American opportunity credit of $124 and get a refund of that amount."

"Because claiming the American opportunity credit is their reason for filing the return, they aren't filing it only to get a refund of income tax withheld or estimated tax paid. The exception to the joint return test doesn't apply, so you can't claim either of them as a dependent."

Joint Return Test for Claiming Dependents

The modern income tax was first introduced in 1913, and a deduction for dependents was added to the tax code four years later.

That Congress has supported a deduction for dependents for so long is a reflection of its desire to support the option to have a large family, while still maintaining the overall progressivity of the federal income tax regime. The original income tax was quite progressive, with only about the top 1% of incomes taxed. But with that progressivity came a bias against large families, which generally require more income to support.

Congress has continued to support deductions for dependents ever since and made claiming dependents even more lucrative for some taxpayers with its 2018 tax reform legislation.

Starting in 2018, taxpayers who can claim a dependent under the age of 17 will receive a tax credit of $2,000 per child, up from $1,000 previously. Further, Congress raised the income level at which the credit phases out. The credit now begins to phase out at $400,000 of income for married couples and $200,000 for singles, compared with 2017 levels of $110,000 for married couples and $75,000 for singles. This benefit is a particularly valuable part of the tax code for many filers because the child tax credit is a dollar-for-dollar reduction of tax liability, rather than a deduction, which lowers taxable income.
What Is the Dividend Irrelevance Thetemujin slot demo video draw pokerory

Dividend irrelevance theory holds the belief that dividends don't have any effect on a company's stock price. A dividend is typically a cash payment made from a company's profits to its shareholders as a reward for investing in the company. The dividend irrelevance theory goes on to state that dividends can hurt a company's ability to be competitive in the long term since the money would be better off reinvested in the company to generate earnings.

Although there are companies that have likely opted to pay dividends instead of boosting their earnings, there are many critics of the dividend irrelevance theory who believe that dividends help a company's stock price to rise.

Key Takeaways

The dividend irrelevance theory suggests that a companys dividend payments don't add value to a companys stock price.

The dividend irrelevance theory also argues that dividends hurt a company since the money would be better reinvested in the company.

The theory has merits when companies take on debt to honor their dividend payments instead of paying down debt to improve their balance sheet.

Understanding the Dividend Irrelevance Theory

The dividend irrelevance theory suggests that a companys declaration and payment of dividends should have little to no impact on the stock price. If this theory holds true, it would mean that dividends do not add value to a companys stock price.

The premise of the theory is that a company's ability to earn a profit and grow its business determines a company's market value and drives the stock price; not dividend payments. Those who believe in the dividend irrelevance theory argue that dividends don't offer any added benefit to investors and, in some cases, argue that dividend payments can hurt the company's financial health.

Dividends and the Stock Price

The dividend irrelevance theory holds that the markets perform efficiently so that any dividend payout will lead to a decline in the stock price by the amount of the dividend. In other words, if the stock price was $10, and a few days later, the company paid a dividend of $1, the stock would fall to $9 per share. As a result, holding the stock for the dividend achieves no gain since the stock price adjusts lower for the same amount of the payout.

However, studies show that stocks that pay dividends, like many established companies called blue-chip stocks, often increase in price by the amount of the dividend as the book closure date approaches. Although the stock can decline once the dividend has been paid, many dividend-seeking investors hold these stocks for the consistent dividends they offer, which creates an underlying level of demand.

Also, the stock price of a company is driven by more than the company's dividend policy. Analysts conduct valuation exercises to determine a stocks intrinsic value. These often incorporate factors, such as dividend payments, along with financial performance, and qualitative measurements, including management quality, economic factors, and an understanding of the companys position in the industry.

Dividends and a Company's Financial Health

The dividend irrelevance theory suggests that companies can hurt their financial wellbeing by issuing dividends, which is not an unprecedented occurrence.

Taking on Debt

Dividends could hurt a company if the company is taking on debt, in the form of issuing bonds to investors or borrowing from a bank's credit facility, to make their cash dividend payments.

Let's say that a company has made acquisitions in the past that have resulted in a significant amount of debt on its balance sheet. The debt-servicing costs or interest payments can be detrimental. Also, excessive debt can prevent companies from accessing more credit when they need it most. If the company has a hard-line stance of always paying dividends, proponents of the dividend irrelevance theory would argue that the company is hurting itself. Over several years, all of those dividend payouts could have gone to paying down debt. Less debt might lead to more favorable credit terms on the remaining outstanding debt, allowing the company to reduce its debt servicing costs.

Also, debt and dividend payments might prevent the company from making an acquisition that might help increase earnings in the long term. Of course, it's difficult to pinpoint as to whether dividend payments are the culprit of a company's underperformance. Mismanaging its debt, poor execution by management, and outside factors, such as slow economic growth, could all add to a company's difficulties. However, companies that don't pay dividends have more cash on hand to make acquisitions, invest in assets, and pay down debt with the money saved.

CAPEX Spending

If a company is not investing in its business through capital expenditures (CAPEX), there could be a decline in the company's valuation as earnings and competitiveness erode over time. Capital expenditures are large investments that companies make in their long-term financial health and can include purchases of buildings, technology, equipment, and acquisitions. Investors that buy dividend-paying stocks need to evaluate whether a management team is effectively balancing the payout of dividends and investing in its future.

Dividend Irrelevance Theory and Portfolio Strategies

Despite the dividend irrelevance theory, many investors focus on dividends when managing their portfolios. For example, a current income strategy seeks to identify investments that pay above-average distributions (i.e., dividends and interest payments). While relatively risk-averse overall, current income strategies can be included in a range of allocation decisions across a gradient of risk.

Strategies focused on income are usually appropriate for retirees or risk-averse investors. These income-seeking investors buy stocks in established companies that have the track record of consistently paying dividends and have a low risk of missing a dividend payment.

Blue-chip companies generally pay steady dividends. These are multinational firms that have been in operation for a number of years, including Coca-Cola, Disney, PepsiCo, Walmart, and McDonalds. These companies are dominant leaders in their respective industries and have built highly reputable brands, surviving multiple downturns in the economy.

Also, dividends can help with portfolio strategies centered around the preservation of capital. If a portfolio suffers a loss from a decline in the stock market, the gains from dividends can help offset those losses, preserving an investor's hard-earned savings.
Vice President Xi Jinping and Beninese President Thomas Boni Yayi pledged to boost cooperation between the two countries on the sidelines of the fifth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) on Friday.

Xi said China and Benin are good friends and that both sides have insisted on equality, cooperation, mutual trust and benefit.

China will make more efforts to accelerate economic development and improve peoples livelihoods in Benin, as well as extend cooperation in more fields, Xi said.

Xi spoke highly of the efforts made by Yayi, who is also the current chairman of the African Union, to maintain peace and stability in Africa.

China is confident in the prospects for Africas development and will support economic development in African countries and safeguard their interests in international affairs, Xi said.

Yayi said Benin and China are good friends and have developed a solid relationship on the basis of mutual trust.

Yayi said the FOCAC is an important platform to boost cooperation between China and African countries, as well as promote world peace and stability.

The new measures proposed by President Hu Jintao have been deeply welcomed by African countries and will further cement friendship and cooperation between the two sides, Yayi said.

Yayi said Benin and other African countries welcome more investment from China and will cooperate with the country in more fields, including agriculture, infrastructure construction, education and human resource development.

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New concepts for understanding the world will be presented at an international security forum in Beijing later this jackpot party twitterweek, as previous ones promoted by the West can no longer adapt to reality, the forums organizer said on Monday.

The participants are expected to come up with some new concepts for understanding the world, Yan Xuetong, dean of the Institute of Modern International Relations at Tsinghua University, told a press briefing in the lead-up to the seventh World Peace Forum.

The forum has brought together veteran politicians and leading think-tankers from around the world every year since 2012.

According to Yan, the theme for this years event is Constructing a Security Community: Equality, Equity, and Justice.

He said participants will discuss ways to cope with not only conventional security threats, but also unconventional ones, especially those in the economic sphere.

If all nations have a common need for economic security, then building a shared community of security should be taken into consideration, Yan said.

Main topics of discussion at the upcoming forum, the scholar said, are related to re-evaluating major country relations, the relationship between multilateralism and unilateralism, as well as the role of regional organizations in global security.

Regarding conventional security issues, the forum will focus on persistent challenges to the international order, the wave of anti-establishment thought, relations between major countries, nuclear nonproliferation, and combating terrorism, according to a press release.

Trade disputes and economic security will be new hotspot topics in unconventional security issues, while artificial intelligence and its impact on international politics will also be included in the discussion.

Notable ex-politicians invited to the forum this year include former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, former Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, former president of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, and former president of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy.

New concepts on intl relations to be presented at security forum in Beijingadded by chinatimesonline on

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Diploma in Translation (IoLet Level 7, Russian), Chartered Institute of Linguists

Russia has experienced a revival of religion since the start of the new millennium. Over 70% of Russians consider themselves to be Orthodox Christians, and the number is growing. There are also 25 million Muslims, around 1.5 million Buddhists, and over 179,000 Jewish people. The Russian Orthodox Church has been particularly active in attracting new followers due to its image as the true Russian religion. But Christianity wasn't the first religion that Russians followed. Here are some main historical periods in the evolution of religion in Russia.

Key Takeaways: Religion in Russia

Over 70% of Russians consider themselves to be Russian Orthodox Christians.

Russia was pagan until the tenth century, when it adopted Christianity as a way to have a united religion.

Pagan beliefs have survived alongside Christianity.

In Soviet Russia, all religion was banned.

Since the 1990s, many Russians have rediscovered religion, including Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and Slavic Paganism.

The 1997 law on religion has made it more difficult for less established religious groups in Russia to register, worship, or exercise the freedom of religious belief.

The Russian Orthodox Church has a privileged position and gets to decide which other religions can be officially registered.

Early Paganism

Early Slavs were pagans and had a multitude of deities. Most of the information about the Slavic religion comes from the records made by Christians who brought Christianity to Russia, as well as from Russian folklore, but there is still a lot that we don't know about the early Slav paganism.

Slavic gods often had several heads or faces. Perun was the most important deity and represented thunder, while Mother Earth was revered as the mother of all things. Veles, or Volos, was the god of abundance, since he was responsible for the cattle. Mokosh was a female deity and was associated with weaving.

Early Slavs performed their rituals in the open nature, worshiping trees, rivers, stones, and everything around them. They saw the forest as a border between this world and the Underworld, which is reflected in many folktales where the hero has to cross the forest in order to achieve their goal.

Establishment of the Russian Orthodox Church

In the tenth century, Prince Vladimir The Great, the ruler of Kievan Rus, decided to unite his people and create an image of Kievan Rus as a strong, civilized country. Vladimir himself was an ardent pagan who erected wooden statues of deities, had five wives and around 800 concubines, and had a reputation of a bloodthirsty warrior. He also disliked Christianity because of his rival brother Yaropolk. However, Vladimir could see that uniting the country with one clear religion would be beneficial.

The choice was between Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, and within it, Catholicism or Eastern Orthodox Church. Vladimir rejected Islam as he thought that it would pose too many restrictions on the freedom-loving Russian soul. Judaism was rejected because he believed that he could not adopt a religion that had not helped the Jewish people hold on to their own land. Catholicism was deemed too stern, and so Vladimir settled on Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

In 988, during a military campaign in Byzantine, Vladimir demanded to marry Anna, sister of Byzantine emperors. They agreed, providing that he is baptized beforehand, which he agreed to. Anna and Vladimir married in a Christian ceremony, and upon his return to Kiev, Vladimir ordered the demolition of any pagan deity statues and a country-wide baptism of his citizens. The statues were chopped and burned or thrown into the river.

With the advent of Christianity, paganism became an underground religion. There were several pagan uprisings, all violently squashed. The North-Eastern parts of the country, centered around Rostov, were particularly hostile to the new religion. The dislike of the clergy among the peasants can be seen in Russian folktales and mythology (byliny). Ultimately, most of the country continued with dual allegiance to both Christianity and, in everyday life, to paganism. This is reflected even now in the highly superstitious, ritual-loving Russian character.

Religion in Communist Russia

As soon as the Communist era began in 1917, the Soviet government made it its job to eradicate religion in the Soviet Union. Churches were demolished or turned into social clubs, the clergy was shot or sent to camps, and it became forbidden to teach religion to one's own children. The main target of the anti-religion campaign was the Russian Orthodox Church, as it had the most followers. During WWII, the Church experienced a short revival as Stalin looked for ways to increase the patriotic mood, but that quickly ended after the war.

Russian Christmas, celebrated on the night of January 6, was no longer a public holiday, and many of its rituals and traditions moved to the New Year's Eve, which even now remains the most loved and celebrated Russian holiday.

While most main religions were not outlawed in the Soviet Union, the state promoted its policy of state atheism, which was taught at school and encouraged in academic writing.

Islam was at first treated slightly better than Christianity, due to Bolsheviks' view of it as a center of "the reaction." However, that ended around 1929, and Islam experienced similar treatment as other religions, with mosques shut down or turned into warehouses.

Judaism had a similar fate as Christianity in the Soviet Union, with the added persecution and discrimination, especially during Stalin. Hebrew was only taught in schools for diplomats, and most synagogues were closed under Stalin and then Khrushchev.

Thousands of Buddhist monks were killed during the Soviet Union, too.

In the late 1980s and in the 1990s, the more open environment of the Perestroika encouraged the opening of many Sunday schools and a general resurgence of interest in Orthodox Christianity.

Religion in Russia Today

The 1990s marked the beginning of a revival in religion in Russia. Christian cartoons were being shown on main TV channels, and new churches were built or old ones restored. However, it is on the cusp of the millennium that many Russians began associating the Russian Orthodox Church with the true Russian spirit.

Paganism has also become popular again, after centuries of repression. Russians see in it an opportunity to connect with their Slavic roots and rebuild an identity different from the West.

In 1997, a new law On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations was passed, which acknowledged Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism as traditional religions in Russia. The Russian Orthodox Church, which nowadays acts as a privileged religion of Russia, has the power to decide which other religions can be registered as official religions. This has meant that some religions, for example, Jehovah's Witnesses, are banned in Russia, while others, such as some Protestant churches or the Catholic Church, have considerable problems with registration, or limitations on their rights within the country. There have also been more restrictive laws adopted in some Russian regions, which means that the situation with the freedom of religious expression varies across Russia. Overall, any religions or religious organizations that are considered "non-traditional" according to the federal law, have experienced issues such as being unable to build or own places of worship, harassment from the authorities, violence, and denial of access to media time.

Ultimately, the number of Russians who consider themselves to be Orthodox Christians is currently at over 70% of the population. At the same time, over a third of Orthodox Christian Russians do not believe in the existence of God. Only around 5% actually attend church regularly and follow the church calendar. Religion is a matter of national identity rather than faith for the majority of contemporary Russians.
What Is Offshore?pay by mobile slots

The term offshore refers to a location outside of one's home country. The term is commonly used in the banking and financial sectors to describe areas where regulations are different from the home country. Offshore locations are generally island nations, where entities set up corporations, investments, and deposits. Companies and individuals (typically those with a high net worth) may move offshore for more favorable conditions, including tax avoidance, relaxed regulations, or asset protection. Although offshore institutions can also be used for illicit purposes, they aren't considered illegal.

Key Takeaways

Offshore refers to any (business) activity that takes place outside an entity's home base.

The term may be used to describe foreign banks, corporations, investments, and deposits.

A company may legitimately move offshore for the purpose of tax avoidance or to enjoy relaxed regulations.

Offshore financial institutions can also be used for illicit purposes such as money laundering and tax evasion.

Increased pressure is leading to more reporting of foreign accounts to international tax authorities.

Offshore

Understanding Offshore

1:36

Offshore can refer to a variety of foreign-based entities, accounts, or other financial services. In order to qualify as offshore, the activity taking place must be based in a country other than the company or investors home nation. As such, while the home base for a person or company may be in one country, the business activity takes place in another. Put simply, going offshore provides services to non-residents.

In the simplest sense, offshore can mean any location abroadany country, territory, or jurisdiction. But the term has become widely synonymous with specific locations that have become popular for offshore business activity, notably island nations like the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, the Channel Islands, and the Bahamas. Other centers in landlocked countries, including Switzerland, Ireland, and Belize, also qualify as popular offshore financial centers (OFCs).

The level of regulatory standards and transparency differs widely among OFCs. But they generally offer:

Favorable tax laws, which is why they're commonly referred to as tax havens

Reduced risk and greater growth potential

Significant cost savings for businesses

Protection of assets, especially during times of instability

Loose regulations

Confidentiality

Going offshore is common for companies and high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) for the reasons mentioned above. They may also choose to bank and hold investments in a specific country offshore if they travel there frequently. Supporters of OFCs argue that they improve the flow of capital and facilitate international business transactions.

But critics suggest that offshoring helps hide tax liabilities or ill-gotten gains from authorities, even though most countries require that foreign holdings be reported. Going offshore has also become a way for more illicit activities, including fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion. As such, there are increasing calls for OFCs to become more transparent with global tax authorities.

Offshoring isn't usually illegal. But hiding it is.

Special Considerations

Offshoring is perfectly legal because it provides entities with a great deal of privacy and confidentiality. But authorities are concerned that OFCs are being used to avoid paying taxes. As such, there is increased pressure on these countries to report foreign holdings to global tax authorities.

For instance, the Swiss are known for their strict privacy laws. At one point, Swiss banks didnt even have names attached to bank accounts. But Switzerland agreed to turn over information to foreign governments on their account holders, effectively ending tax evasion.

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 100 countries automatically shared information about offshore accounts with tax authorities in 2019. This entailed the disclosure of 84 million accounts worth more than 10 trillion.

Types of Offshoring

There are several types of offshoring: Business, investing, and banking. We've gone into some detail about how these work below.

Offshoring Business

Offshoring is often referred to as outsourcing when it comes to business activity. This is the act of establishing certain business functions, such as manufacturing or call centers, in a nation other than where the company is headquartered.

This is often done to take advantage of more favorable conditions in a foreign country, such as lower wage requirements or looser regulations, and can result in significant cost savings for the business. Companies with significant sales overseas, such as Apple and Microsoft, may take the opportunity to keep related profits in offshore accounts in countries with lower tax burdens.

Offshore Investing

Offshore investing can involve any situation in which the offshore investors reside outside the nation in which they invest. This practice is mostly used by high-net-worth investors, as operating offshore accounts can be particularly high. It often requires opening accounts in the nation in which the investor wishes to invest. Some of the advantages of holding offshore accounts include tax benefits, asset protection, and privacy.

Offshore investment accounts are generally opened in the name of a corporation, such as a holding company or a limited liability company (LLC) rather than an individual. This opens up investments to more favorable tax treatment.

The primary downsides to offshore investing are the high costs and the increased regulatory scrutiny worldwide that offshore jurisdictions and accounts face. This makes offshore investing beyond the means of most investors. Offshore investors may also be scrutinized by regulators and tax authorities to make sure taxes are paid.

Offshore Banking

Offshore banking involves securing assets in financial institutions in foreign countries, which may be limited by the laws of the customers home nationmuch like offshore investing. Think of the famed Swiss bank account that James Bond-like account that puts rich peoples money out of reach of their own countrys government.

People and companies can use offshore accounts to avoid the unfavorable circumstances associated with keeping money in a bank in their home nation. Most entities do this to avoid tax obligations. Holding offshore bank accounts also makes it more difficult for them to be seized by authorities.

For those who work internationally, the ability to save and use funds in a foreign currency for international dealings can be a benefit. This often provides a simpler way to access funds in the needed currency without the need to account for rapidly changing exchange rates.

Offshore jurisdictions, such as the Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, and the Isle of Man, are popular and known to offer fairly secure investment opportunities.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Offshore Investing

While we've listed some generally accepted pros and cons of going offshore, this section looks at the benefits and drawbacks of offshore investing.

Advantages

Taking your investments abroad to an OFC may also help you diversify your portfolio. By going international and investing in different asset classes and currencies, you can help cut down the risk to your overall investments.

You're very apt to get favorable tax treatment on your investments, depending on where you hold your assets. For instance, the Cayman Islands doesn't impose taxes on income, dividends, or capital gains, which means you get to keep more of the money you earn.

Your assets get a certain level of protection because many offshore centers are located in places with sound economic and political systems. And because they're in foreign lands, it's harder for creditors to seize your assets.

Disadvantages

Holding accounts offshore subjects you to more scrutiny. That's because it's often seen as a way for people to avoid paying taxes. If you don't report your holdings to your tax authority, such as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), you could be in serious trouble.

As mentioned above, even though some jurisdictions provide complete confidentiality to account holders, an increasing number of countries are becoming more transparent with tax authorities. This means you could be on the hook if you don't report your holdings.

You should do your due diligence if you're going to invest abroadthe same way you would if you're doing business with someone at home. Make sure you choose a reputable broker or investment professional to ensure that your money is handled properly. Failure to do so could put your investments at risk.

Portfolio diversification

Favorable tax treatment

Asset protection

More scrutiny

Increased transparency from offshore jurisdictions

Risk of working with the wrong professional

Offshore FAQs

What Does It Mean to Work Offshore?

ProsCons

Working offshore means that you have a job outside your home country. You may get paid in the local currency and are usually subject to local labor laws. For instance, you are considered to be working offshore if your company opens an office in another country and moves you to that location.

What Is Onshore and Offshore?

Onshore means that business activity, whether that's running a company or holding assets and investments, takes place in your home country. Going offshore, on the other hand, means these activities take place in another country, location, or jurisdiction.

Are Offshore Accounts Legal?

Offshore accounts are perfectly legal, as long as they are not used for illicit purposes. But keep in mind, though, that hiding your offshore assets is illegal. This means you must report any and all offshore accounts you hold to your country's taxing authority.

What Is Meant by Offshore Banking?

Offshore banking describes a relationship that a company or individual has with a financial institution outside the country of their residence. This requires opening a bank account, making deposits, withdrawals, and transfers from that accountthe exact same way you would with a bank account at home.

What Is Offshore Trading?

Offshore trading involves opening and maintaining a brokerage or trading account with an offshore investment firm. These accounts are generally opened in the name of a holding company rather than an individual. Trading this way provides investors with favorable tax treatment, which puts more money back into their pockets.

The Bottom Line

Going offshore is usually an option meant only for corporations or people with a high net worth. This means most of us won't reap the benefits associated with it.

Those who do go offshore do business, open bank accounts, or hold investments anywhere overseas. Although going offshore isn't illegal, it does put the entity up to more scrutiny. That's because people often use it as a way to avoid paying taxes.

But with global tax authorities putting pressure on these financial centers to be more transparent, the landscape for offshore activities may change in the future.
Taiwan institutions will soon be able to offer yuan-denominated products as part of Taiwan Financial Supervisory Commission efforts to develop local banking services with cross-strait characteristics.

The move, which follows the signing of a cross-strait memorandum of understanding on currency settlement Aug. 31, has seen Taipei and Beijing fast-track respective regulatory procedures prior to the pact taking effect Oct. 30.

The islands financial institutions are set to offer yuan investment, loans, savings and remittance products once the currency settlement mechanism is in place, an unnamed FSC official said.

Other instruments under consideration by the FSC include bonds; derivatives backed by commodities and financial products in mainland China; dual currency deposits; investment-type insurance policies; and mutual funds.

Equally important, the official said, is to make cross-strait bankcard transactions more convenient.

The FSC is reviewing regulatory changes that would allow ROC nationals to make withdrawals and purchases in mainland China with locally issued bankcards.

As part of cross-strait currency settlement preparations, FSC Minister Chen Yuh-chang will convene a seminar on cross-strait banking and pertinent commission policies. Scheduled for Sept. 19 in Taipei City, the event is expected to attract more than 400 business representatives, experts and officials.

Meg Chang

Taiwan Today

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John Bogle was the founder of the Vanguard Group and a major proponent of index investing. Commonly referred to as "Jack,nordic casino slot yang lagi hoki" Bogle revolutionized the mutual fund world by creating index investing, which allows investors to buy mutual funds that track the broader market. He did this with the overall intent to make investing easier and at a low cost for the average investor.

He died on Jan. 16, 2019, at the age of 89.

Key Takeaways

John Bogle was an investor and founder of the Vanguard Group, one of the largest investment firms in the world.

Bogle created index investing, which allows investors to buy mutual funds that track the broader market.

Bogle introduced the Vanguard 500 fund, which tracks the returns of the S&P 500 and marked the first index fund marketed to retail investors.

One of Bogle's pioneering achievements was low-cost investing in mutual funds by creating no-load funds.

Index investing utilizes a passive investment strategy that requires a manager to only ensure that the fund's holdings match those of the benchmark index.

Common Sense on Mutual Funds: New Imperatives for the Intelligent Investoris a book Bogle wrote on investing that has since become a classic for investors worldwide.

Investopedia / Hugo Lin

John Bogle on Starting World's First Index Fund

Early Life and Education

4:07

John Bogle was born on May 8, 1929, in Montclair, New Jersey. He attended Blair Academy which was paid for by his uncle, as his family had lost most of their wealth in the 1929 stock market crash. John Bogle attended Princeton University where he studied economics.

In his early career, he joined Wellington Management in 1951 and attempted to persuade them to change their strategy of focusing on one investment fund to many. He eventually became chairman of Wellington but was fired after a poorly made merger decision. He then founded his own mutual fund company, Vanguard Group, in 1974.

Notable Accomplishments

Vanguard

With Vanguard, Bogle employed a novel ownership structure in which the shareholders of mutual funds became part owners of the funds in which they invested. The funds themselves own the investment firm, making the fund investors indirect owners of the firm itself. This structure allows the firm to incorporate any profits into its operating structure, reducing investment costs for fund investors.

In 1976, Bogle introduced the Vanguard 500 fund, which tracks the returns of the S&P 500 and marked the first index fund marketed to retail investors. Bogles unique structure for Vanguard also made it a natural fit for the provision of no-load mutual funds, which do not charge a commission on investment purchases.

An index fund is an investment fund, such as an ETF or mutual fund with a portfolio that is constructed to match that of a specific market index.

When the Vanguard 500 fund was launched in its initial iteration, it raised only $11 million in its first underwriting in 1976. As of July 28, 2022, the fund manages more than $709 billion in assets.

Bogle retired as CEO and chair of Vanguard in 1999 and wrote Common Sense on Mutual Funds: New Imperatives for the Intelligent Investorthe same year, which has since become a classic for investors worldwide.

Legacy

John Bogle contributed significantly to the popularity of index investing, in which a fund maintains a mix of investments that track a major market index. Bogles philosophy that average investors would find it difficult or impossible to beat the market over time led him to prioritize ways to reduce expenses associated with investing in mutual funds. For example, Bogle focused on no-load funds featuring low turnover and simple investment strategies.

The philosophy behind passive investing generally rests upon the idea that the expenses associated with chasing high market returns cancel out most or all of the gains an investor would otherwise achieve with a passive strategy that relies upon funds with lower turnover, management fees, and expense ratios.

Passive investing stands in contrast to active investing, which requires managers to take a more hands-on role with the intent of outperforming the market.

Index funds fit this model nicely because they base their holdings on the securities listed on any given index. Investors who purchase shares in index funds gain the benefit of the diversity represented by all the securities on an index.

This protects against the risk that a given company will lower the performance of the overall fund. Index funds also more or less run themselves, as managers only need to ensure their holdings match those of the index they follow. This keeps fees lower for index funds than for funds with more active trading.

Finally, because index funds require fewer trades to maintain their portfolios than funds with more active management schemes, index funds tend to produce more tax-efficient returns than other types of funds.

What Was John Bogle's Net Worth?

At the time of his death in 2019, John Bogle's net worth was approximately $80 million. He earned the bulk of that money as the founder of the investment management company, Vanguard.

Who Invented Passive Investing?

John Bogle, the founder of the investment management firm, Vanguard, invented passive investing. By doing so, he created a new industry focused on this type of investing as opposed to the traditional method of investing, active investing. He is known as the "Father of Passive Investing."

What Is the Difference Between an ETF and an Index Fund?

An ETF can be bought and sold on an exchange like a stock at any point whereas an index fund can only be traded at the end of the day at the set price point. ETFs provide greater flexibility than index funds.

The Bottom Line

John Bogle is a titan in the history of investment management by starting the Vanguard Group, one of the largest investment management firms in the world. Through Vanguard he popularized passive investing, making it easier for average investors to invest their capital and generate returns with low risks.
The topic about Scotlands independencehas been widely discussed over the last couple of weeks and apart from being a subject to fierce public disputes, it also made a former London trader 900,000 richer.

The man, whose name was not published, said that his prediction was not based on pure luck or coincidence. He made a bet that Scotlands residents will disapprove the proposal about the independence, which turned out to be the opportunity that enabled him to live in a lap of luxury. 55% of the Scotland people voted against the independence proposal. The trader increased his stake and won the total of 900,000 last Thursday.

Bookmakers have announced that the bets reached unbelievable amountsand yet, none of the players was even close to the Traders stake of 900,000, made at William Hill Casino. Although a great part of the players staked their bets on a no vote, the number of those who believed that Scotland will become independent from the United Kingdom was also impressive.

In an interview, broadcasted two days ago, the trader, who is located in London, said that he dared to make such a great stalk, relying on his experience in the marketing industry.He has been working as a marketing analyst for more than 30 years and he had used the skills, he has acquired during the years, in order to judge the percentage of people who would give their positive vote. His wife was his biggest supporter, especially when many of the local newspapers came up with articles, where the Trader was called a feckless gambler.

He didnt want his name to become public but he provided the audience with some further curious details from his biography. He said that he is a devoted unionist of Pakistani-German traditions and events and he was not absolutely convinced whether to make such a big stalk or not.

The lucky winner shared that thedecision to make the bet anyway, costed him a lot of time spent in researches and reading tons of information about a previous referendum in Quebec. Then he knew that the scheme followed by Scotland was the same. The polls, which claimed that the voters who will give a yes vote will outnumber the negative voters, were too few.

He confessed that the results from the final polls made him a bit anxious but he was sure that a reversal was not likely to happen.

Many people hurried up to give him disapproving nicknamesbut the winner said that a part of the sum will be donated to a charitable organisation. As an answer to the malicious comments and the offensive attitude of the public about his feckless decision to bet so much money, he says: Im trying to warn people this isnt something we should do lightly.
The Chinese government on Tuesday sent a delegation to Europe to negotiate with the European Union (EU) about the trade friction over solar panel imports.

The delegation, led by Chong Quan, deputy representative for Chinas international trade talks, will make representations with government departments of Germany and France, as well as the European Commission.

The delegation will outline the Chinese position over the EUs decision to launch an anti-dumping investigation into imports of solar panels and key components from China, according to a statement by the Ministry of Commerce (MOC).

China has maintained its position to resolve the China-EU trade friction through consultation and cooperation, said the statement.

We hope the EU adopt a cautious attitude when resorting to trade protection measures, and create conditions for cooperation and common development of the industry between both sides, the statement said.

The EU announced last week it would launch a 15-month investigation into imports of solar panels and key components from China and may impose provisional anti-dumping duties within nine months.

Shortly after the EU announcement, the MOC spokesman Shen Danyang said China deeply regretted the EU decision, and said restricting Chinas solar panel products will hurt the interests of both sides and undermine the healthy development of the global solar and clean energy sector.

China has urged the EU to scrap existing protectionist measures and not to introduce new protectionist trade and investment policies before 2014.

China exported around 21 billion euros worth of solar panels and their key components to the EU in 2011, according to EU statistics.

Xinhua

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As China passes the Olympic Torch to the UK, the two nations are marking 40 years of diplomatic ties with a seven-month long showcasing British arts and creative industries. Seventeen cities across China will enjoy a variety shows sponsored by the project UK NOW. Upcoming highlights scheduled for April and May were announced at the British Embassy.

The idea of creativity is deeply embedded in British culture and society. Building on a rich heritage, the British creative output is characterized by originality and intelligence, and hence, the relatively small country makes a huge impact across the globe. Several prominent activities such as live concerts, stage performances and design exhibitions have taken place in China in recent years, but UK NOW will be the largest-ever collective program celebrating British arts here in China.

Sebastian Wood, Britains Ambassador to China, said, Itll be very broad and varied. From some of our really big, traditional, heavy-weight institutions like English National Ballet, Philharmonic Orchestra, through to small theatre companies and performance groups. Itll be a mixture of ballet, music, theatre, exhibitions, paintings, designs, and were really looking forward to bringing the best of British culture to China in 2012.

The ambassador further explained the link between the art festival and the upcoming Olympic Games, and how the idea of UK NOW was bred at first.

Sebastian Wood said, In 2008, the year of Beijing Olympics, there was a very good festival of Chinese contemporary culture in the UK, and it was called China Now. We saw that and we thought What a good idea, because there was a big focus on China, lot of public attentions on China because of the Beijing Olympics. In 2012, we know therell be quite a big focus on the UK because of our Olympics. So we thought theres no better time to bring a festival of all the best we have to offer in culture to share with Chinese people, in our Olympic year.

Starting from early April this year, UK NOW will feature a cross-section of the UKs most celebrated and established artists, as well as rising talent in many disciplines such as dance, design, film, literature, music and visual arts. According to David Elliott, director of arts, a balance between the traditional and the contemporary is key to presenting British culture.

David Elliott, director of Arts, Cultural and Education Section, British Embassy, said, I think what combines those two are things like inventiveness. Also things like sense of humor, and a willingness to experiment and to provoke dialogue, so that people can really go out on a limb and express themselves in a creative way.

In the meantime, UK NOW is also an opportunity for China to see how Britain develops its creative industry as a whole. And according to Joanna Burke, Director of the British Council, the UK is willing to share valuable experiences and suggestions with China.

Joanna Burke, Regional Director China, British Council, said, I know that China is interested in UKs experience.

David Elliott said, Its not just a straightforward festival of British arts in China, its a festival with a twist.

Sebastian Wood said, Im delighted that British culture, particular youth culture, is becoming more popular among Chinese youth here. Its very good for the relationship between the two countries. I would like Chinese culture, the strength of Chinese culture to become widely understood in the UK as well. Im confident that it would happen, as more and more Chinese young people go to the UK for education and indeed for works and careers.

CNTV

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YAOUNDE,nhl teams power rankings Cameroon  Before 6 am, Berline Fangan had already taken her seat at a makeshift traditional Chinese medicine clinic just outside the Bangou sub-divisional hospital in the West Region of Cameroon.

The mother of two was nervous and in pain as she explained that her untreated 10-year-old joint problem was wearing her down. She, like many of the other patients who visited the clinic, had been treated by conventional doctors over the years, but found the prescribed drugs ineffective.

" (The drugs) relieved me a bit but five minutes later the pain came back," the 53-year-old woman says. She and hundreds of Cameroonian residents of Bangou and Bamendjou, Upper Plateau division, were waiting for a team of Chinese specialist medics who arrived in the region last week for a two-day free consultation and treatment campaign.

Bangou and Bamendjou, with a population of more than 100,000, are surrounded by many rural communities widely dispersed through wild terrain, and have only two hospitals.

Villagers are often troubled by health problems like gastritis, typhoid, malaria, cataracts and rheumatism. But most of them cannot afford medical services.

People came from far and wide in the impoverished region to receive free medical treatment.

"My brother informed me of the health campaign. I left Douala (Cameroon's commercial hub, more than 200 kilometers away from Bangou) at midnight and arrived here at 6:30 in the morning," says a retired history teacher and father of five who says he has been suffering from cramps since 2016.

Martine Kouamo stood looking dejected at her 10-year-old son Christian Djomo, who had been suffering from testicular pain. His twin sister had neck strain, and one part of her body was exhibiting weakness.

The exact causes of the ailments were unknown.

"I tried to use conventional medicine (on Christian) for three years, but in vain. I think Chinese doctors will help because they work well," Kouamo says.

As the sun rose over Bangou and Bamendjou, a good number of patients began taking turns to register, consult and then received treatment from doctors in various departments, who were here as members of the 22nd Chinese medical team to Cameroon.

Fangan was among the first patients to be consulted.

She was carefully administered an acupuncture therapy, an ancient Chinese method of treatment in which fine needles are inserted through the skin at specific points to treat various physical conditions.

"As I speak to you the pain is gone," Fangan says after the treatment. "I feel better. In the morning, I couldn't swing my neck like this but now I can swing behind, left and right without problem."

Her boy, Christian, was administered medicine, and hoped it would help him recover.

For the first time since 2016, Justin Kouamou, 71, felt relieved. Before this, he had visited doctors several times for an unnamed sickness, but the results were not satisfactory.

"The Chinese doctors inserted needles in my skin and it magically alleviated my pain. I am still amazed by the wonders of that treatment," Kouamou says.

More than 1,600 patients were consulted and treated during the campaign, which ran from Oct 29 to 30, says Paul Sikapin, mayor of Bangou.

"I asked firmly that such a campaign should be organized next year," Sikapin says.

Fabrice Dubila, a medical doctor in Bangou sub-divisional hospital, says Cameroonian and Chinese doctors worked shoulder to shoulder in treating patients and offering much-needed medical services during the campaign.

"This is a great opportunity to learn from our colleagues overseas. So far we have collaborated on the diagnosis of some patients and I have also learned some other diagnostic techniques I can use to diagnose some particular diseases, notably lipoma and other pathologies. I think it is a very good opportunity to have witnessed acupuncture here in Bangou," Dubila says.

Theodore Datouo, deputy speaker of Cameroon's National Assembly and also a member of parliament for the Upper Plateau constituency, says the campaign was a mark of friendly relations between Cameroon and China.

"China has always assisted Cameroon in the health sector and this time it is the turn of the West Region to benefit," says Datouo, the main organizer of the campaign.

"This campaign is for the health and well-being of the population, and when the population is healthy, economic development will follow. We thank China for this cooperation and the Chinese medical team in Cameroon," he adds.

Guo Jun, head of the Chinese medical team in Cameroon says China has dispatched 22 medical teams and 736 medical professionals to Cameroon since 1975 to diagnose diseases, relieve patients' pains and improve local health conditions and medical expertise.

"Today's free clinic is just an example. In the future, we will further deepen cooperation and contribute to promoting medical assistance projects and improving China-Cameroon friendship," Guo says.

Besides the free acupuncture clinic, the Chinese medical team, along with the Beijing Urban Construction Group, donated drugs and protective materials to local hospitals.
Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Friday that it hopes Singaporean authorities will properly handle the lawsuit concerning Chinese bus drivers and safeguard their rights.

An official from MOC told Xinhua that the ministry has asked the Chinese Embassy in Singapore to negotiate with Singaporean authorities on the lawsuit to meet Chinese drivers reasonable demands.

Thebest online no deposit bonus casino unnamed official said the dispute stemmed from Singaporean employers discriminatory wages against Chinese and Malaysian bus drivers.

The official said MOC attaches great importance to the interests of Chinese people working overseas.

The ministry has asked domestic enterprises engaging in labor service exports to secure the interests of Chinese workers and help them protect their legal rights when involved in disputes.

A total of 171 Chinese bus drivers took medical leave on Nov. 26 in protest against inequitable pay rises by local public transport operator SMRT, and 88 of them stayed away from work the following day.

Five drivers were arrested and charged, while 29 others had their work permits revoked and deported to China.

Out of the arrested, Bao Fengshan was sentenced to six weeks in jail on Monday, and the remaining four charged with instigating an illegal strike were released on bail on Thursday.

Singaporean authorities said on Thursday that they would take into account the need to raise wages for bus drivers.

Xinhua

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China on Monday requested to negotiate with the U.S. over countervailing duties (CVDs) levied by it against Chinese tyres within the trade dispute settlement mechanism of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Through consultations within the WTO trade dispute settlement mechanism, the Chinese side hopes the U.S. can correct its wrong-doing and properly deal with concerns from China, said Shen Danyang, a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce (MOC).

In a statement on MOCs website, Shen said China has reiterated its stance on different occasions that it resolutely opposes the abuse of trade remedy rules or trade protectionism. He added that China will exercise its rights as a WTO member to protect the legitimate interests of domestic industries.

Chinas request for consultation came after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit passed a so-called GPX bill earlier this year to authorize the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) to apply CVDs to non-market economy countries.

The bill, a remedy for the Tariff Act of 1930, overturned a previous federal court ruling that the U.S. DOC did not have legal authority to impose CVDs on goods from non-market economy countries and gives an application retroactive period since Nov. 20, 2006.

Shen said the U.S. has for many years kept launching countervailing probes against Chinese products without legal support of U.S. laws.

The GPX bill will place Chinese enterprises under an uncertain legal environment and violates WTO rules on transparency and procedural justice, Shen said.

According to the MOC, the trade dispute on tyres involves 24 types of tyre products worth about 7.23 billion U.S. dollars.

Xinhua

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The Cannes Film Festival (French: le Festival de Cannes), founded in 1946, is one of the worlds oldest, most influential and prestigious film festivals alongside Venice and Berlin. The private festival is held annually (usually in the month of May) at the Palais des Festivals et des Congres, in the resort town of Cannes, in the south of France.

The 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival was held May 14-25, 2008.

The 62nd edition will take place May 13-24, 2009. The President of the Jury will be French actress Isabelle Huppert.



Programs

The Cannes Film Festival is organized in various sections:



The Official Selection  The main event of the festival.

In Competition  The twenty films competing for the Palme dOr. They are projected in the Theatre Lumiere.

Un Certain Regard  Twenty films selected from cultures near and far; original and different works. They are projected at the Salle Debussy.

Out of Competition  These films are also projected in the Theatre Lumiere but do not compete for the main prize.

Special Screenings  The selection committee chooses for these films an environment specially adapted to their particular identity.

Cinefondation  About fifteen shorts and medium-length motion pictures from film schools the world over are presented at the Salle Bunuel.

Short Films  The shorts competing for the Short Film Palme dOr are presented at the Bunuel and Debussy theatres.

Parallel Sections  These are non-competitive programmes dedicated to discovering other aspects of cinema.

Cannes Classics  It celebrates the heritage of film, aiming to highlight works of the past, presented with brand new or restored prints.

Tous les Cinemas du Monde  It showcases the vitality and diversity of cinema across the world.

Camera dOr  It rewards the best first film of the Festival, choosing among the debutants works among the Official Selection, the Directors Fortnight and the International Critics Week selections.

Cinema de la Plage  Screening of Cannes Classics and Out of Competition films for the mass public on Mace beach, preceded by a programme dedicated to film music.

Other Sections  Produced by outside organizations during the Cannes Festival.

Directors Fortnight

International Critics Week



Juries

Prior to the beginning of each event, the Festivals board of directors appoints the juries who hold sole responsibility for choosing which films will receive the blessing of a Cannes award. Jurors are chosen from a wide range of international artists, based on their body of work and respect from their peers.



Awards

The most prestigious award given out at Cannes is the Palme dOr (Golden Palm) for the best film.



Competition

Palme dOr  Golden Palm

Grand Prix  Grand Prize of the Festival

Prix du Jury  Jury Prize

Palme dOr du court metrage  Best Short Film

Prix dinterpretation feminine  Best Actress

Prix dinterpretation masculine  Best Actor

Prix de la mise en scene  Best Director

Prix du scenario  Best Screenplay



Other Sections

Prix Un Certain Regard  Young talent, innovative and audacious works

Cinefondation prizes  Student films

Camera dOr  Best first feature film

Given by Independent Entities

Prix de la FIPRESCI  International Federation of Film Critics Prize

Vulcain Prize  Awarded to a technical artist by the C.S.T.

International Critics Week Prizes

Prize of the Ecumenical Jury



Chinese films & Cannes

Chinese director Chen Kaiges film Farewell My Concubine(1993) won the Palme dOr at the 46th Cannes Film Festival.

Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai won the Best Director for his film Happy Together(1997).

Taiwan-born Chinese-American filmmaker Dayyan Eng (Wu Shixian)s Bus 44 was invited to 2002 Cannes Film Festival Directors Fortnight  becoming the first Chinese short film to be invited in all three festivals history.

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What Is the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)?best online poker sites for play money

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is a department of the U.S. Treasury that is charged with enforcing economic and trade sanctions imposed by the U.S. against countries and groups of individuals.

Sanctions have been imposed on those involved in foreign aggression, terrorist activities, and narcotics sales, among other acts.

The OFAC was created in 1950 when China entered the Korean War. President Harry Truman declared the event a national emergency and froze all Chinese and Korean assets that were subject to U.S. jurisdiction. OFAC's predecessor was the Office of Foreign Funds Control (FFC), established in 1940 in response to the Nazi invasion of Norway.

Key Takeaways

OFAC enforces U.S. trade and economic sanctions imposed on foreign nations or groups.

The sanctions may be approved by Congress or initiated by emergency powers held by the president.

Sanctions are intended to disrupt activity detrimental to the U.S. and its allies and force an end to them.

How OFAC Works

OFAC enforces sanctions that were imposed by the U.S. government based on its foreign policy and national security objectives.

According to this federal agency, those policies are aimed at foreign nations, terrorists, and narcotics traffickers who pose a threat to the national security or economy of the U.S. This includes entities that stockpile weapons of mass destruction.

Who Authorizes OFAC?

The agencys actions are usually authorized by Congressional legislation. However, the president of the United States can use national emergency powers to perform certain actions such as freezing foreign assets that fall under U.S. jurisdiction.

In addition, OFAC imposes sanctions based on mandates by the United Nations. These are often carried out in cooperation with allied nations. The use of sanctions and other punitive trade policies are used to persuade a nation or group to change some behavior that is seen as detrimental to the international community.

The Impact of Sanctions

The policies are intended to disrupt the economy and everyday life of the nations or groups violating international norms. It is a way to pressure a country to conform to acceptable standards of behavior short of actual armed conflict.

For example, if a terrorist group is known to fund its activities through the sale of a commodity on the international market, sanctions might be introduced to disrupt this revenue source. OFACs efforts on this front could reduce the groups ability to support the training of new recruits and the acquisition of weapons.

A threat of sanctions currently exists against any nation or entity that seeks to interfere with a U.S. election.

Nations Under Sanctions

If a belligerent country were to invade a neighboring country, trade and other assets could be frozen. OFAC would take charge of enforcing these sanctions, which might compel the belligerent country to halt its actions or at least agree to talks to end the conflict.

Programs administered by OFAC have included sanctions on Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Syria, and Russia. The agency has taken action against individuals, such as drug traffickers, by blocking assets owned by the criminals.

Another on the list is a 2018 executive order that threatens sanctions against any foreign nation that seeks to interfere with a U.S. election.

In 2021, the U.S. has a long list of countries under U.S. sanctions, from the Balkans to Zimbabwe. Other sanctions relate to any nation or group conducting specific criminal activities, such as cyber-terrorism and narcotics trafficking.

Sanctions on Russia

One of the most widely known sanctions is against Russia, ordered in response to the Russian incursion into Ukraine that began in 2014.

In early 2022, additional sanctions were imposed on Russia in response to Russia's military aggression against Ukraine. Russia moved troops into the two separatist regions of eastern Ukraine and engaged in military operations throughout the country.

U.S. President Joe Biden responded, on Feb. 22, 2022, by announcing sanctions that initially blocked two state-owned Russian financial institutions: Vnesheconombank and Promsvyazbank and their subsidiaries, which provide financing to the Russian military. However, on Feb. 24, 2022, sanctions were expanded in scope to include other Russian financial institutions, including the two largest banksSberbank and VTB Bankblocking access to the U.S. financial system.

Sanctions were imposed prohibiting U.S. companies and individuals from buying both new and existing Russian sovereign debt in the secondary market. Russian elites and their families have been financially targeted, while export controls have been established to block Russia's importing of technological goods.


Rayzha Alimjan wins the 33rd Flying Apsaras' Outstanding Actress Award for her TV series Minning Town. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Flying Apsaras Award,sic bo China's top honor for domestic television workers, announced the winners in Beijing's Shougang Park on Tuesday night.

Two of the most high-profile awards, the Outstanding Actress and Outstanding Actor awards were respectively awarded to ethnic Kazak Rayzha Alimjan, for her vivid acting of a brave and strong rural woman in Minning Town, and Wang Lei, for his portrayal of a war hero in the anthology TV series Medal of the Republic.

Wang Lei wins the 33rd Flying Apsaras' Outstanding Actor Award for the anthology TV series Medal of the Republic. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A total of 16 TV series were awarded at the Outstanding TV Drama awards, with most of series' being based on real-life stories.

Director Zhang Yongxin took home the Outstanding Director Award for his revolutionary drama The Age of Awakening, a smash hit which has earned 9.3 points out of 10 on the popular review aggregator Douban.

Minning Town, a popular TV series that retells China's poverty alleviation effort in Ningxia Hui autonomous region, earned its six scriptwriters the Outstanding Screenplay Award.
Chinas aircraft carrier platform returned to the dock in Dalian, northeast Chinas Liaoning Province, after finishing its 9th sea trial, July 30, 2012. The trial lasted 25 days, the longest one in its history.

Chinas aircraft carrier platform returned to the dock in Dalian, northeast Chinas Liaoning Province, after finishing its 9th sea trial,July 30, 2012. The trial lasted 25 days, the longest one in its history.

Chinas aircraft carrier platform returned to the dock in Dalian, northeast Chinas Liaoning Province, after finishing its 9th sea trial,July 30, 2010. The trial lasted 25 days, the longest one in its history.

Chinas aircraft carrier platform returned to the dock in Dalian, northeast Chinas Liaoning Province, after finishing its 9th sea trial,July 30, 2010. The trial lasted 25 days, the longest one in its history.

CNS

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Floridas Republican Governor Ron DeSantis best live casino blackjacksoundly won re-election on Tuesday night, according to the Associated Press, positioning him for potential national ambitions or a future bid for the presidency.

DeSantis faced Democrat Charlie Crist, who himself served as a Republican Governor of Florida from 2007 until 2011. (He became a Democrat in 2012.)

Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during a rally in Miami, Nov. 7, 2022. Andres Kudacki for TIME

A rising star in the GOP, DeSantis defined his first term as governor with resistance to pandemic-era restrictions and brash right-wing stances on Americas culture wars. His funding vastly outpaced Crists, and he focused his campaign on criticizing Democrats for what he described as the woke agenda. Widely considered to be a future Republican presidential contender, the conservative firebrand made headlines this year for his stances on LGBTQ issues, handling of immigration policy, and investigations into alleged voter fraud. He repeatedly drew liberal ire and swallowed media cycle after media cycle, leaving Crist and his moderate approach largely ignored.

While hes been re-elected to another four years in office, it remains unclear if hell serve all of themin a recent debate DeSantis, 44, did not answer when Crist pressed him to commit to a full four-year term rather than run for President in 2024. Former President Donald Trump, a registered Florida voter who is also mulling a presidential bid, told reporters on Tuesday that he had voted for DeSantis re-election, although he had mocked the governor at a rally just days before, potentially teeing up the primary dynamics for next cycle.

Signs for Governor Ron DeSantis are seen near a polling site at the John F. Kennedy Library in Hialeah, Florida, Nov. 8, 2022. Andres Kudacki for TIME

In September, DeSantis found himself in the national spotlight once again for spending taxpayer dollars to relocate about 50 migrants from Texas to Marthas Vineyarda move that came as a shock to the Marthas Vineyard community who didnt initially know who sent them. DeSantis has continued to defend the stunt, describing it as an advertisement that undocumented immigrants arent welcome in Florida.

Ive got enough refugees coming in from blue states fleeing that bad policy, DeSantis joked at an event this weekend, according to the news site Florida Politics.
The event organizers of the GiGse 2015 have gathered together in Las Vegas on the 28th and 29th of September to talk about what topics, issues and themes the industry is interested in.

The Advisory Board is considering to let those who will participate in the event to decide and vote on the topics that will be discussed. The event, which will be held on the 21st to 23rd of April 2015, will be created following the so called Open Space technology, letting participants choose what to talk about, and not to simply follow the agenda of the event.

More About the Open Space Technology

The Open Space technologyis a flexible way of organizing meetings with a focus on open discussions and free, casual communication between the participants. Participants are free to join any of the conversations or leave any time they choose, so that everyone finds the issue they are most interested in. This format is used in the United States since the 1980s, and is known for creating passionate debates in sets of even hundreds of participants.

During the Advisory Board meeting, there were more than forty topics offered and discussed, and the conclusions will be gathered in a Book of Proceedings which will be given to businesses from the gambling industry. It will suit as the basis plan for next years event.

Some of the participants of the Advisory Board meeting shared their positive thoughts on the new way of organization. A representative from Tropicana shared that the self-organizing structure of the meetings turned out to be critical to the business, because there were some topics he was quite interested in. The representative further explained that when all participants were deeply interested in a certain discussion, the level of engagement and therefore the productivity of the conversation was much better than in an officially organized set up.

Another member of the board, representing Arizona Indian Gaming Association, shared that the open space technology is what had been missing from the former meetings. The atmosphere of the meeting had made those who had knowledge on certain topics to be more likely to share insights and ideas which were less likely to come out in a, for example, Q and A set up.

More About the GiGse

The GiGse is considered the biggest online gaming conference in North America.Leading companies in the business join to share and receive ideas and knowledge on online gaming innovations. There are various information sessions where reports on consumer insight are provided to the participants. Successful start-ups in gaming are also introduced and given the opportunity to bring a fresh point of view to the industry.
As the Remote Gambling Bill in Singapore passed its second reading earlier this month, a number of online gambling businesses have withdrawn their operations from the country. The bill is going to limit the Singapore gambling market to only non-profit operators owned locally. The official implementation of the bill is not yet determined but it will be sometime in 2015. Nevertheless, many international businesses already began contacting their websites users to inform them of the incoming closure of their platforms.

The first international operator to start packing is UK-based Bet365, which sent out notifications on October 15, stating that users will no longer be able to bet on the website. The company, which has lately been struggling due to the Guardian article about its gambling operations in China, has expressed its regrets for having to close its website for Singaporean users and asked them to withdraw the balance of their accounts. Bet365 is reported to have earned around 1.28 billion in revenue in 2013. The Guardian stated that the company is making around half of what it earns from markets where it does not possess an official licenseto offer gambling services.

Another big gambling operator, IBC Bet, also joined the pack of leaving companies. It sent a message to its Singaporean users that as of October 17, they will no longer be able to access and use their accounts. IBC Bet explained that the reason for that is the recent regulatory developments.

UK-listed 888 Holdings as well as the Asian operator SBOBET also made it clear that Singaporeans will not be able to access their websites.However, those two operators seem to have the goal of squeezing all possible profit before the last day before the Remote Gambling Bill is officially implemented. The operations director of Celton Manx Limited, owner of SBOBET, stated that his company will obey the new regulations only when they are launched. He further said that the government has not fully considered the far-reaching effects it may have on legitimate businesses and individuals.

As to UK-based company William Hill, it will keep its operations with no alterationsuntil the final acceptance of the bill.

PokerStars, which has withdrawn from a number of grey markets during the past few months,is following the same strategy as William Hill,and will continue functioning as usual. It will, however, keep an eye on how the local market develops.

The local gambling industry of Singapore, and all international operators affected by the new bill, will monitor how the Singaporean government implements its new gambling legislation in practice, and how it deals with those that plan to offer gambling without having a license. For now, Singapore has stated it will focus on all IP addresses and payment transactions which are unauthorized and will penalize all users who in any way advertise or spread information about illegal websites.
Wu Chien-shiung and her husband C.L. Yuan (center) visit a laboratory at Nanjing University,top 10 slots sites accompanied by Feng Duan (second from right), academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. [Photo/China Daily]

Anniversary marks birth and celebrates achievements of physicist who was 'forever a Chinese', Yang Yang reports.

At the end of May, events were held both online and offline in Nanjing and Taicang, Jiangsu province, to honor the 110th anniversary of the birth of nuclear physicist Wu Chien-shiung. In mid-September, a global online symposium will be held also to mark this anniversary.

Compared with physicists such as Marie Curie or Richard Feynman, Wu is not a household name in China, where she was born and grew up, or in the United States, where she spent most of her life, but she was one of the most influential nuclear physicists of the 20th century, one that "radically" changed human's view of the universe.

Wu was born on May 31, 1912, in Liuhe town, Taicang, where the Yangtze River flows into the East Sea. It was a time when the feudal system in China, which spanned more than 2,000 years, came to an end and new thoughts rushed in as people sought to find ways to rejuvenate the country.

Wu's father, Wu Zhongyi, received a modern education in Shanghai, and in 1913, founded the first school for girls in Taicang. He aimed to break the old sexist advocacy that it was women's virtue to have no talents. Now, the school has become Mingde Senior Middle School.

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Languages evolve to suit the needs of the people who use them. In todays modern digital age, we have many words that were not needed several centuries (or even several months) ago.

Website and web page are very relevant words to everyday life in modern times, even if writers like William Shakespeare, Thomas Paine, and Charles Darwin wouldnt have known what to do with them. But do we really need both of these words? Is there even any difference between them?

What is the Difference Between Web Page and Website?

In this post, I will compare web page vs. websiteand use each term in several example sentences, so that you can see how they are likely to appear in context.

Plus, I will show you a memory tool, called a mnemonic device, that makes choosing website or web page a bit simpler.

When to Use Web Page

What does web page mean? A web page is a document on the Internet. This word is a noun.

A web page can include any of various types of content, including text, images, video material, or other sorts of code. It could also be blank. Web pages can be online news sources, social media, official postings, advertisements, or a variety of other things.

Each web page is an online location mapped to a specific address, or URL, like https://writingexplained.org/free-ebook-35-mistakes.

Here are some examples of web page in actual sentences,

Emily printed a coupon for a free electric drill from a web page on the Internet.

Bryan started a web page entirely devoted to photos of geriatric monkeys.

Is web page two words? As with most English questions, the answer depends on whom you ask. Some usage authorities say the one-word spelling, webpage, is preferred. This seems to make the most sense, especially given the continued rise in the one-word website over Web site and web site.

Still, if popular use means anything, the two-word web page is much more common. Bryan Garner, in his book Garners Modern English Usage, estimates web pageto be six times more common than webpage, which is corroborated by the chart below.

This chart graphs webpage vs. web pagein English books since the year 1800. As you can see, web pageis several times more common. In fact, The AP Stylebook lists web page as the preferred spelling.

For the time being, stick with web page.

The plural of web page is web pages.

When to Use Website

What does website mean? A website is a collection of web pages that are linked together. They usually share a common domain name, like https://writingexplained.org/. This website has many web pages, which are all different, but they are still part of the Writing Explained website.

Similarly, the New York Times website has many pages, on which can be found various articles, columns, and other content. They are all grouped together under the umbrella of https://www.nytimes.com/.

For example,

Bryan soon had too many photos of geriatric monkeys for a single webpage, so he categorized them on separate webpages according to species and organized them into an entire website on geriatric monkeys, which has had dozens of visitors.

Jen was horrified to find out that her website was hacked and used to distribute malware to all of her unsuspecting visitors.

Trick to Remember the Difference

A web pageis a single document on the Internet, like https://writingexplained.org/confusing-words. A website is a collection of many web pages all linked together.

Website and spider each contain the letter S. Just like a spiders web consists of many strands of silk connected together, a website consists of many distinct web pages connected together.

Summary

Is it web page or website? In the digital age, it is important to know the difference between these terms, even though they are often interchangeable in informal speech.
Evening scenery of CBD buildings in Northwest Lake, Hankou, Wuhan Province. Photo: VCG. Photo: VCG

Editor's Note:The report delivered to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) emphasized that China has proposed promoting national rejuvenation through a Chinese path to modernization. This has made "Chinese modernization" a hot phrase in international public opinion. How has the CPC been able to promote the realization of Chinese modernization? And what is the significance of the 20th CPC National Congress to China and the world? Global Times (GT) reporter Wang Wenwen talked to Zheng Yongnian (Zheng), professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), and president of the Institute for International Affairs, Qianhai, over these issues.GT: What do you think is the most distinctive feature of "Chinese modernization"? How is Chinese modernization different from Western modernization? How has the CPC been able to promote the realization of Chinese modernization?Zheng: The CPC leadership is an important prerequisite for Chinese modernization.We should pursue modernization, but what we seek is not modernization to the benefit of a minority, but to the benefit of the majority. Therefore, we talk about modernization for common prosperity. Since modern times, China's pursuit of modernization has gone through ups and downs. China was defeated by the UK in the two Opium Wars, and then by Japan in the First Sino-Japanese War. Before reform and opening-up in the late 1970s, the Four Modernizations we talked about emphasized material aspects. Now we have surpassed this stage, we must comprehensively promote modernization at the spiritual level, as well as the material and institutional levels.Why should Chinese modernization emphasize the leadership of the CPC? China's modernization is modernization under the leadership of the CPC, which stands for common prosperity for all, and at both the material and spiritual levels. China, as the second-largest economy in the world, can achieve modernization. The political will of the CPC is also very important.Look at what is going on in the UK recently. With the advancement of modernization and globalization, many problems will emerge in social and economic sectors as well as foreign and internal affairs, which need to be addressed by an effective government. In Europe and the US, where an effective government itself has become a problem, everyone has become pessimistic about the future.The 20th CPC National Congress has revealed a strong and powerful political party and its leadership. Only a competent and stable ruling party and government can promote modernization and digest the potential negative effects that would come along with modernization.There is Chinese modernization. There is also American modernization, European modernization, Japanese modernization, Singaporean modernization and others. We hope that all countries can find modernization that suits their own cultural and national conditions. We will never impose our path to modernization on others, otherwise we will not call it Chinese modernization. This is different from the US. The West and the US always want to impose their own paths to modernization as well as economic and political systems on other countries. Chinese modernization has provided a choice for countries which long for both development and independence, but we are not exporting our path. We hope these countries can find a modernization path that suits themselves.GT: The CPC has launched an unprecedented battle against corruption over the past 10 years. It has resolved to "offend a few thousand rather than fail 1.4 billion" and pledged to persevere with self-reform to ensure that it will never change its nature, its conviction or its character. In contrast, in the West, which believes the CPC has no error-correction mechanism, political parties often veto each other and have no courage and responsibility to make decisions. What's the reason for such a contrast?Zheng: A ruling party of a society has two destinies, either to be reformed by revolution, that is, to be overthrown, or to avoid being revolutionized through self-reform. The West thinks the rotation of parties can solve this problem. But now, with a shrinking middle class and an increasingly divided society, the rotation of ruling parties has become not only overly frequent, but also more and more violent. That's the reason why the Capitol riots broke out in 2021. The rotation of power in the UK has also become increasingly populistic. The CPC, instead, has chosen a different path, that is, self-reform. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, we have built tight the cage of institutions that prevents corruption. The most important thing is the establishment of China's inspection and supervision systems.Western checks and balances have failed to prevent mistakes. Since the Gulf War, the US has not stopped being involved in wars. The West claims that the CPC has no error-correction mechanism, but China has not made any major mistakes since the reform and opening-up. And precisely because of this, China has achieved modernization in 40 years which took the West for more than 150 years to achieve.Our policies are continuous but dynamic. From Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory to the Theory of Three Represents, and the Scientific Outlook on Development, to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, there are both continuity and innovation. We have kept going forward.

Zheng Yongnian Photo: Courtesy of Zheng

GT: As shown in the report delivered to the 20th CPC National Congress, China has maintained consistency and continuity in its major foreign policies. How has this contributed to the certainty of the world in changes? What are the implications for developing countries?Zheng: Great powers are the stabilizing forces of international politics, and an effective international order is itself an international public goods. Major powers must play a far bigger role than smaller countries. Therefore, the foreign policies of big countries should have continuity. If they constantly change, it will be difficult for smaller countries to gain benefits.China has been stronger and has succeeded in modernization, but it will not impose its own system on other countries as the US has done. China is not the US and will never become the US. It has sent a message to other developing countries that China is a global force for peace and development. China's success will also provide these developing countries with the possibility to achieve modernization while maintaining independence.GT: "Holding dear humanity's shared values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom" has been written into the revised CPC Constitution. What is the essential difference between these values and the so-called universal values of "freedom, democracy, human rights and fraternity" advertised by the West?Zheng: Theoretically the West believes that these values are innate in human beings and all human beings are created equal. It sounds great on the surface, but it's not. Chinese civilization recognizes these values, but believes these values must be achieved through development.The West calls them universal values, therefore the West seeks to impose its "democracy and freedom" on others, just as shown in the US' Greater Middle East Initiative. China believes democracy, freedom, development and peace can only be achieved through the efforts that every country, society, group and people would make. These cannot be imposed on others, and in fact the West has seldom succeeded in doing so.GT: In our previous interview, you said the 18th CPC National Congress has made China's path to modernization clearer and more mature and also provided a possible choice of model for developing countries that seek both development and political independence. If we reevaluate the 20th CPC Party Congress five years later, how do you comment on its significance to China and to the world respectively?Zheng: Our definition of modernization is progressive. What we are offering now is a higher-standard modernization. Modernization itself will not be interrupted, and we don't have the concept of "the end of history."We will not be satisfied with the status quo, and we will always pursue progress. Therefore, the CPC is a mission-oriented party. The CPC has not only made contributions to the entire country and the entire Chinese nation, but also contributed to the world. It is a force that not only hedges against some forces advocating confrontation in the international community, but also gives other countries a choice.The US is targeting China, but why haven't we moved toward a cold war similar to the one between the US and the Soviet Union? Because China has the confidence and capabilities to avoid being led by the nose by the US or other radical forces. When the US asked Southeast Asian countries to take sides, China did not do so. "A strong country will seek hegemony" is the logic of the West, not China's.GT: The closing session of the 20th CPC National Congress adopted a resolution on an amendment to the Constitution of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which included "resolutely opposing and deterring separatists seeking 'Taiwan independence.'" What messages does this convey? How do you see the CPC's strong determination, firm will and strong capability to realize the reunification of the motherland in the new era?Zheng: The Constitution of the CPC represents the will of the Chinese people. As I said before, if there is a conflict between China and the US breaking out in the Taiwan Straits, China represents the will of the whole nation, but whose will does the US represent? Some Americans mistakenly believe that the reason why China wants to solve the Taiwan question is that China hopes to compete with the US for hegemony and drive American power out of the Western Pacific. The truth is, the resolving of the Taiwan question is a matter of national reunification for China. China's ruling party must reflect the will of the entire nation.
Definition of Denotation

A words denotation is 100 betting sites auits literal, dictionary definition. Denotation is the objective meaning of a word, with no associated emotion. Every word that has a dictionary definition has a denotation, no matter the language or part of speech. Its also possible for similar words to denote the same thing and have the same dictionary definition. In addition, denotation is objective; it is not dependent upon a persons interpretation or experience. However, denotation isnt necessarily neutral since its definition can be inherently positive or negative.

Denotation is an important literary device in that it allows a writer to choose an exact word to describe or convey something to the reader. Careful word selection gives writers an opportunity to be as clear, direct, and precise as possible. Any word substitution can completely change the feeling, tone, and meaning of an expression.

For example, the novel Slaughterhouse-Fiveby Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., begins with this line:

All this happened, more or less.

The first phrase appears absolute with the word all. However, the following phrase more or less denotes to the reader that the first phrase is, in fact, not absolute and that there is a sense of doubt as to the truth of the events portrayed in the story. Without that denotation, the reader would begin the novel by assuming that what is said to have happened, did happen.

Common Examples of Denotation in Everyday Speech

People often speak in generalities, which can lead to confusion and misinterpretation. Denotation brings clarity to everyday speech. Here are some common examples of generalities and how denotation and specific wording helps avoid misunderstanding or confusion in everyday speech:

I enjoy watching movies. / I enjoy watching thrillers.

Do you feel ill? / Do you feel nauseous?

Im looking for a book. / Im looking for a biography.

John is learning a Mozart piano piece. / John is learning a Mozart piano sonata.

The box is from the United States. / The box is from Kansas.

My class is studying science. / My class is studying biology.

Mary is interested in helping animals. / Mary is interested in fostering animals.

Do you enjoy Mexican food? / Do you enjoy enchiladas?

Joe told Karen that she is looking bigger. / Joe told Karen that she is looking taller.

Bill told John that he swims often. / Bill told John that he swims competitively.

Famous Examples of Denotation in Speeches and Quotes

Denotation is an effective literary device for creating memorable speeches and quotes. Denotation brings clarity and precision to a speakers message, which makes it more impactful. Here are some famous examples of denotation in well-known speeches and quotes:

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

But those values upon which our success depends  honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism  these things are old. These things are true. (Barack Obama)

The greatest danger to our future is apathy. (Jane Goodall)

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. (Colin Powell)

Women will only have true equality when men share with them the responsibility of bringing up the next generation. (Ruth Bader Ginsburg)

Racism is mans gravest threat to man  the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason. (Abraham Joshua Heschel)

Good writers define reality; bad ones merely restate it. A good writer turns fact into truth; a bad writer will, more often than not, accomplish the opposite. (Edward Albee)

I think theres just one kind of folks. Folks. (Harper Lee)

Difference Between Denotation and Connotation

The relationship between denotation and connotation as literary devices is both contrasting and complementary. Whereas denotation signifies a words literal meaning, connotation signifies a words associated meaning(s). Connotation is a feeling or emotion that a word evokes or carries, and this affects the way a reader understands its use. For example, the words ladyand broadhave the same denotations. However, ladyhas a positive connotation in terms of politeness and refinement; whereas broadhas a negative connotation in terms of slang and its pejorative nature. Therefore, ladyand broadhave the same literal meaning but evoke different emotions and reactions in a reader due to their associated meanings.

Writers utilize denotation when the specific and literal meaning of a word is needed for clarity. Though denotation is straightforward, it can restrict creativity in a literary work if it is overused. Connotation enhances detail, development, and variety in literature, in addition to eliciting an emotional reaction and interpretation from the reader. Therefore, both denotation and connotation are essential literary devices. Though they are contrasts, they are also complementary in that a readers grasp of denotative meanings increases their ability to understand the connotative meanings of words.

What is Denotation Important in Literature?

Although connotations play an important role in literature, denotation is equally significant. Its significance lies when writers want to be clear, authentic, and direct. They do not want to convey various shades of meanings of words. Hence, denotation comes in handy when they want to be direct with their readers and want them to understand the message correctly. It is mostly used in technical writing such as in presentations, manuals, process writings, resumes, reports, and research.

How to Use Denotation?

Using a term or word as a denotation is a critical task. Even if a word is used in a single meaning, sometimes it conveys different meanings. Therefore, a writer not only takes audiences into account but also the purpose of the writing, context, content, and other words when using a word as a denotation. Although it is easy to use just a single denotation as a referent when it is an action verb it could confuse the readers or audiences. It often happens when the context is, somewhat, ambiguous. Therefore, when using a denotation, a writer must be aware of the purpose of his writing, his audience, his message, and above all the use of the word.

When to Use Denotation?

To use a denotation, a writer must keep the following points in mind.

The referent: What he is referring to through the word? The context: Where the word is being used? What precedes and succeeds it? What are its neighboring words? The audience: Who are the main audience, primary audience, tertiary audience, and secondary audience? The usage: What is the actual usage of the denotation? The message: What is the actual message to be conveyed?

Use of Denotation in Sentences

Sandra is being really pushy. (She is actually pushing someone) My dad has been always frugal. (He is really careful while spending money) The blueberry is blue. (It is the color blue) Ben wore a brilliant shade of purple today. (It is the color purple) Jane is very clever. (It is her trait)

Examples of Denotation in Literature

Word choice, perhaps, has the strongest and most powerful influence on a reader in a work of literature. Therefore, denotation as the literal meaning of a word is an essential literary device for creating meaning in a literary work. In general, context is helpful in establishing connotative meaning in a literary work. However, denotation reflects a standardized meaning that is usually independent of the context in literature.

Overall, denotation allows writers to be explicitly clear in their expression so that readers, regardless of their personal experience, are allowed a direct understanding of their meaning. This enhances the accuracy of literary interpretation as well. Here are some examples of denotation in literature:

Example 1: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.

In her autobiography, Angelou utilizes both denotation and connotation to reveal her story and address violence, racism, and other experiences that formed her identity. In this quote, Angelou is careful in her wording and relies on denotation as a literary device so that her reader understands her exact and explicit meaning. For example, her use of the word agony denotes extreme physical or mental suffering. This word choice is intentional so that the reader understands and identifies with Angelous need and drive to tell her story. In addition, through this denotation, Angelou is offering reciprocal understanding and empathy to her readers and their untold stories. This can effectively inspire others to follow Angelous path and share their own stories.

Example 2: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

Youre an expatriate. Youve lost touch with the soil. You get precious. Fake European standards have ruined you. You drink yourself to death. You become obsessed with sex. You spend all your time talking, not working. You are an expatriate, see? You hang around cafes.

In this passage from his novel, Hemingway utilizes the literal meaning of expatriate, a person who lives outside their native country, to establish the impact this life choice has had on the protagonist, Jake Barnes. Jake is literally an expatriate in Europe, yet he is not simply living outside his native country. He is changed by his expatriate status, and Hemingway expands the denotation of the word so that the reader clearly understands how this status has affected Jake and his identity. As an expatriate, Jake is untethered to meaningful aspects of his life and is, instead, displaced mentally and emotionally as well as physically. Therefore, Jake is an expatriate in every sense of the words denotation.

Example 3: One Perfect Rose by Dorothy Parker

A single flowr he sent me, since we met.

All tenderly his messenger he chose;

Deep-hearted, pure, with scented dew still wet 

One perfect rose. I knew the language of the floweret;

My fragile leaves, it said, his heart enclose.

Love long has taken for his amulet

One perfect rose. Why is it no one ever sent me yet

One perfect limousine, do you suppose?

Ah no, its always just my luck to get

One perfect rose.

Parkers use of limousine and its literal definition demonstrates an ironic twist to what appears to be a romantic poem about a single perfect rose. The denotation of the limousine as a large, luxurious automobile, typically driven by a chauffeur who is separated from the passengers by a partition, is in dramatic contrast to the images and feelings associated with a roseboth outside the context of the poem and within it as well. Parkers intentional, literal use of the word limousine is effective in making the meaning of the poem clear for the reader.

Example 4: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

We know all men are not created equal in the sense some people would have us believe- some people are smarter than others, some people have more opportunity because theyre born with it, some men make more money than others, some ladies make better cakes than others- some people are born gifted beyond the normal scope of men.

But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal- there is one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid man the equal of an Einstein, and the ignorant man the equal of any college president. That institution, gentlemen, is a court.

In this passage from Lees novel, the character Atticus Finch is speaking to a white, male jury in defense of his client Tom Robinson, a black man accused of sexually assaulting a white woman. In his speech, Atticus acknowledges that the word equal does not have an applicable denotation in terms of individual humans and their inherent characteristics, abilities, and opportunities. However, by establishing the denotation of equal, Atticus is able to apply it to his client in terms of implementation of the law in court.

Through Atticuss denotative words, Lee is able to illustrate to her readers that though people as individuals are not inherently equal, they are (ideally) equal in a court as far as the law and justice. Therefore, Tom Robinsons life is and should be equal in a judicial court to everyone elses, no matter the color of his skin. This denotation of equality as it applies to justice and protection under the law is one of the central themes of Lees novel.

Synonyms of Denotation

As a literary device, denotation does not have a direct meaning. The following words have nearest meanings: appellation, denomination, designation, handle, cognomen, or appellative. But one thing that must be kept in mind is that they are not substitutes when it is used as a literary device.
What Is a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF)?first deposit bonus no wagering

A sovereign wealth fund is a state-owned investment fund comprised of money generated by the government, often derived from a country's surplus reserves. SWFs provide a benefit for a country's economy and its citizens.

The funding for a SWF can come from a variety of sources. Popular sources are surplus reserves from state-owned natural resource revenues, trade surpluses, bank reserves that may accumulate from budgeting excesses, foreign currency operations, money from privatizations, and governmental transfer payments.

In general, sovereign wealth funds usually have a targeted purpose. Some countries have sovereign wealth funds that can be similar to venture capital for the private sector.

Key Takeaways

A sovereign wealth fund is a state-owned investment fund.

Sovereign wealth funds can be derived from a variety of sources and used for a variety of purposes.

Acceptable investments in each SWF vary from fund to fund and country to country.

Watch Now: What Is a Sovereign Wealth Fund?

Understanding Sovereign Wealth Funds

1:10

Similar to any type of investment fund, SWFs have their own objectives, terms, risk tolerances, liability matches, and liquidity concerns. Some funds may prefer returns over liquidity and vice versa. Depending on the assets and objectives, sovereign wealth funds risk management can range from very conservative to a high tolerance for risk.

Types of SWFs

Traditional classifications of sovereign wealth funds include:

Stabilization funds

Savings or future generation funds

Public benefit pension reserve funds

Reserve investment funds

Strategic Development Sovereign Wealth Funds (SDSWF)

Funds targeting specific industries (possibly emerging or distressed)

Foreign currency reserve assets. (Some classifications may not consider these funds as SWFs.) Foreign currency reserve funds are powerful funds that may be used for specific governmental purposes and/or for helping to manage the trading power of a currency globally.

Investment Terms

The amount of money in a SWF is usually substantial. The acceptable investments included in each SWF vary from fund to fund and country to country. Countries can create or dissolve SWFs to match the needs of their population. Funds with liquidity concerns may limit investments to only very liquid public debt instruments. In some cases, sovereign wealth funds will invest directly in domestic industries. Liquidity, debt, and allocation balances can be some of the key factors in investment terms.

There can be a concern that SWFs have a political influence. Some of the most significant sovereign wealth funds are not entirely transparent about their investments and corporate governance practices.

Real-World Examples

The top five largest SWFs by assets as of August 2020 included:

Norway Government Pension Fund Global $1,073,590,000,000 China Investment Corporation $940,604,000,000 Abu Dhabi Investment Authority $579,621,120,000 Kuwait Investment Authority $533,650,000,000 Hong Kong Monetary Authority Investment Portfolio $528,054,000,000 

Norway Government Pension Fund Global

71%

The 2019 allocation of Norway's sovereign wealth fund in equities.

Norways Government Pension Fund Global is the largest in the world. It was established in 1990 as the Government Petroleum Fund, with the initial purpose of creating a fund to hold surplus revenues from the countrys oil trade. In 2006 it changed its name to the Norway Government Pension Fund Global.

The Norway fund invests in equities, fixed income, and real estate. In 2019, it reported a return of 19.9%, led by equities with a return of 26.0%. In 2019, 71% of the fund was in equity, 3% in real estate, and 27% in fixed income.

China Investment Corporation

The China Investment Corporation is a $941 billion SWF. This fund is used for managing a portion of the countrys foreign currency reserves. The Chinese Ministry of Finance established the China Investment Corporation in 2007 by issuing special bonds.

Public Pensions

The U.S. Social Security Trust Funds and the Government Pension Investment Fund Japan are the two largest government public pension funds in the world. The SWF Institute doesnt include these in the pure SWF rankings.

The U.S. Social Security Trust Funds has $2.9 trillion in total assets. The Government Pension Investment Fund for Japan has $1.5 trillion in assets. These funds focus on helping a growing elderly population from funding through the current labor force.

The U.S. Social Security Trust Funds invest in special issue securities. The Japan GPIF is more diversified with allocations to domestic bonds, foreign bonds, domestic equities, and foreign equities.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Elon Musk reinstated Donald Trumps account on Twitter on Saturday,each way bet365 colts bills spread reversing a ban that has kept the former president off the social media site since a pro-Trump mob attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress was poised to certify Joe Bidens election victory.

Musk made the announcement in the evening after holding a poll that asked Twitter users to click yes or no on whether Trumps account should be restored. The yes vote won, with 51.8%. Previously, Musk had said Twitter would establish new procedures and a content moderation council before making decisions to restore suspended accounts.

The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated. Vox Populi, Vox Dei, Musk tweeted, using a Latin phrase meaning the voice of the people, the voice of God.

Shortly afterward Trumps account, which had earlier appeared as suspended, reappeared on the platform complete with his former tweets, more than 59,000 of them. His followers were gone, at least initially, but he quickly began regaining them. There were no new tweets from the account as of late Saturday, however.

Musk restored the account less than a month after the Tesla CEO took control of Twitter and four days after Trump announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential race.

Read More:Trump Used Twitter to Lie and Bully. Thats Unlikely to Change If He Returns

It is not clear whether Trump would actually return to Twitter. An irrepressible tweeter before he was banned, Trump has said in the past that he would not rejoin even if his account was reinstated. He has been relying on his own, much smaller social media site, Truth Social, which he launched after being blocked from Twitter.

And on Saturday, during a video speech to a Republican Jewish group meeting in Las Vegas, Trump said that he was aware of Musks poll but that he saw a lot of problems at Twitter.

I hear were getting a big vote to also go back on Twitter. I dont see it because I dont see any reason for it, Trump said. It may make it, it may not make it, he added, apparently referring to Twitters recent internal upheavals.

The prospect of restoring Trumps presence to the platform follows Musks purchase last month of Twitter  an acquisition that has fanned widespread concern that the billionaire owner will allow purveyors of lies and misinformation to flourish on the site. Musk has frequently expressed his belief that Twitter had become too restrictive of freewheeling speech.

His efforts to reshape the site have been both swift and chaotic. Musk has fired many of the companys 7,500 full-time workers and an untold number of contractors who are responsible for content moderation and other crucial responsibilities. His demand that remaining employees pledge to extremely hardcore work triggered a wave of resignations, including hundreds of software engineers.

Users have reported seeing increased spam and scams on their feeds and in their direct messages, among other glitches, in the aftermath of the mass layoffs and worker exodus. Some programmers who were fired or resigned this week warned that Twitter may soon fray so badly it could actually crash.

Musks online survey, posted on his own Twitter account, drew more than 15 million votes in the 24 hours in which it ran.

Musk conceded that the results were hardly scientific. Bot & troll armies might be running out of steam soon, he tweeted Saturday morning. Some interesting lessons to clean up future polls.

Its not the first time hes used Twitter polling to make business decisions. Last year he sold millions of shares of his Tesla stock after asking his followers whether he should.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York responded to Musks poll on Trump by tweeting video of the Jan. 6 insurrection. She tweeted Friday that when Trump was last on Twitter, it was used to incite an insurrection, multiple people died, the Vice President of the United States was nearly assassinated, and hundreds were injured but I guess thats not enough for you to answer the question. Twitter poll it is.

Trump lost his access to Twitter two days after his supporters stormed the Capitol, soon after the former president had exhorted them to fight like hell. Twitter dropped his account after Trump wrote a pair of tweets that the company said cast further doubts on the legitimacy of the presidential election and raised risks for the Biden presidential inauguration.

After the Jan. 6 attack, Trump was also kicked off Facebook and Instagram, which are owned by Meta Platforms, and Snapchat. His ability to post videos to his YouTube channel was also suspended. Facebook is set to reconsider Trumps suspension in January.

Throughout his tenure as president, Trumps use of social media posed a significant challenge to major social media platforms that sought to balance the publics interest in hearing from public officials with worries about misinformation, bigotry, harassment and incitement of violence.

But in a speech at an auto conference in May, Musk asserted that Twitters ban of Trump was a morally bad decision and foolish in the extreme.

Earlier this month, Musk, who completed the $44 billion takeover of Twitter in late October, declared that the company wouldnt let anyone who had been kicked off the site return until Twitter had established procedures on how to do so, including forming a content moderation council.

On Friday, Musk tweeted that the suspended Twitter accounts for the comedian Kathy Griffin, the Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson and the conservative Christian news satire website Babylon Bee had been reinstated. He added that a decision on Trump had not yet been made. He also responded no when someone on Twitter asked him to reinstate the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones account.

In a tweet Friday, the Tesla CEO described the companys new content policy as freedom of speech, but not freedom of reach.

He explained that a tweet deemed to be negative or to include hate would be allowed on the site but would be visible only to users who specifically searched for it. Such tweets also would be demonetized, so no ads or other revenue to Twitter, Musk said.
It went into effect today, but the company says it's taking all measures to reverse course.

Apple has filed an appeal to the International Trade Commission (ITC) attempting to reverse a ban on US sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2, according to court records. The companys also requesting an emergency stay on the ban until a decision is reached regarding proposed redesigns of both smartwatch models.

A day after this story was initially published, the appeals court consented to a short-term stay on the ban. The court has given the ITC until January 10 to respond to Apple's motion for a longer-term pause during the appeals process.

Apple spoke to Reuters and said its taking all measures to return the smartwatches to US store shelves. The appeal is just one part of that. The matter even went before President Biden, with Apple hoping in vain for a veto. The ban officially goes into effect today, though Apple started pulling smartwatches from its digital and physical storefronts last week.

In todays filing, Apple claims it will suffer irreparable harm if the ban continues. The Exclusion Order Enforcement Branch of U.S. Customs and Border Protection is scheduled to make a decision on Apples redesigned versions of the smartwatches on January 13.

This all started when the ITC ruled that Apple infringed on blood oxygen saturation tracking technology patented by a health tech firm called Masimo. This led to Apple scrambling to issue a software fix before a ban went into effect. However, the ITC and Masimo agreed that this is a hardware issue involving the actual sensor, so software fixes wouldnt cut it. As such, Apple is busy redesigning the sensors for the two smartwatch models. The Apple Watch SE doesnt have a blood oxygen sensor, so it remains unimpacted by the ban.

Masimo sued Apple back in 2021 over the aforementioned patient violations and even alleged that the company poached employees with high-level knowledge of blood oxygen monitoring capabilities. Its still possible the two companies will come to a financial agreement, putting this issue to bed.

So what does this mean for consumers looking for a bit of wrist candy? You can still buy the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 in other parts of the world, as the ban only impacts the US. You can also buy the watches from third-party retailers in the US until the stock dries up. You cannot, however, purchase one of these smartwatches directly from Apple.

Apple Watch sales account for around half of the entire smartwatch market. So when the company says the ban will cause irreparable harm, it isnt kidding.

Update, December 27 2023, 12:15PM ET: This story has been updated to include the appeals court decision to temporarily halt the ban.
Whether you just received a new smartphone as a gift, or you want to give your existing phone a refresh, you can do so by examining your app situation. First, purging might be in order: we recommend deleting any apps you dont use regularly off your phone to get extra space and remove unnecessary digital clutter from your life. Yes, that goes for any pre-installed apps on your new phone that you know will get banished to a hidden folder otherwise. Once thats done, think about any apps you dont currently have that you know youd use or that you want to try. Do you constantly take public transit and need up-to-date train times or directions? Are you always working from coffee shops and need a VPN for digital protection? If you need some inspiration, here are the best smartphone apps we think you should try on your phone.

Bitwarden

Bitwarden

If you only take one piece of advice away from this article, it's that you should download a password manager. If youve never used one before, its hard to go wrong with Bitwarden. It wont wow you with beautifully designed apps, but its one of our favorite password managers and youll appreciate its fair business model. The best part of the Bitwarden experience is that all of its core features are free to use. Without paying a cent, you can use Bitwarden on as many devices as you want. By comparison, competitors can charge $3 per month or more for that same functionality. If you want to support Bitwarden, the $10 per year Premium plan is well worth the money as you get access to features like advanced two-factor authentication.

FireFox

Firefox

If it's been a few years since you last used Firefox, now is a great time to revisit it. Partway through last year, Mozilla overhauled the Android version of its browser to bring over many of its best desktop features to mobile. That release saw Mozilla add more robust support for third-party add-ons. It also brought over its Enhanced Tracking Protection feature, which stops trackers from misusing your browsing data. Separately, with Apple allowing you to change your default browser since the release of iOS 14, there's never been a better time for iPhone users to liberate themselves from Safari.

Headspace

Headspace

I subscribed to Headspace at the start of the pandemic. Since then, it's become one of the few apps I use every day. Yes, Headspace is a meditation and mindfulness app, but it's also so much more than that. You'll find it also has a mix of music designed to help you focus and workouts for unwinding at the end of a long day. Across the board, everything it offers is excellent, and you'll find yourself turning to it for more than just peace of mind.

Notion

Notion

Notion is one of the most powerful productivity tools you can download right now, and if your goal for 2023 is to organize your personal and professional lives, I cant recommend it enough. What makes Notion so powerful is an interface that looks simple but offers a lot of flexibility. Ive used Notion to create to-do lists, write notes and features and manage personal projects. It can be a bit overwhelming at first. My suggestion is to head over to YouTube to see how other people have used Notions features to organize their lives.

Libby

Libby

If you want to do more reading in 2022, forget about buying books through Amazon and download Libby instead. If you're not familiar with the app, it allows you to borrow ebooks, digital magazines and graphic novels from your local library. All you need is a library card, which most systems across the US offer for free. Sometimes you have to wait to borrow the books you want to read most, but you'll find Libby will dramatically expand your reading list.

Transit

Transit

There's nothing worse than waiting for a bus on a cold winters day or watching three go by one after another. Avoid both situations with one of the best public transit planning apps on Android and iOS. Transit excels where other apps in the category fail thanks to its clean, easy-to-use interface that highlights all the options near you. It also has one of the better algorithms for predicting departure times, so you'll know exactly when you need to run out of your house or apartment to catch the next bus, train or streetcar.

Paprika

Paprika

Paprika is the best $5 you can spend to make feeding yourself even easier. At its core, it allows you to download recipes from your favorite websites and make them accessible on all your devices. You can also use it to scale the size of the meal you're about to cook and convert between metric and imperial measurements. Add to that a meal planner, shopping lists and a tool for tracking the ingredients in your pantry, and you have an indispensable app for home cooks.

Pocket Casts

Pocket Casts

With podcasts becoming ever more popular with each passing year, there's a good chance you already have a handful of favorite shows you listen to every week. As much as Spotify would like to convince you it has the best podcast app, that distinction goes to Pocket Casts. We like it because it offers a consistently great experience across every system it supports. And if you use a mix of platforms from Apple, Google and Microsoft, you don't have to worry about syncing, either. Its also nice to use software that doesnt feel caught between two worlds in the way that Spotify does. Pocket Casts isnt trying to be anything more than an app for listening to podcasts. Thats not something you can say of Spotify, and its often a source of frustration for those who turn to it for music.

Pocket

Pocket

Another way to read more in 2022 is to download Pocket. It's among the most popular read-it-later apps out there, allowing you to save articles you find online. Much like Pocket Casts, what makes this app compelling is that it offers a consistently excellent device-agnostic experience, making it a great option for those who haven't gone all-in on one ecosystem. Whether you use Chrome, Safari or Edge, you can install a browser extension to save articles you stumble upon. You can then read them later without distractions on your phone or tablet. Just don't forget to make a dent in your Pocket reading list occasionally.

Signal

Signal

We understand, asking your friends and family to install another messaging app on their phone can sometimes feel like a Sisyphean task, but the effort has also never been more worth it. In Signal, you'll find one of the most secure chat apps on the market. It has all the features you would expect from a messaging program, including support for stickers and Snapchat-like Stories, but more important are the ways Signal is different from rivals like WhatsApp and Telegram. Signal is a nonprofit and is one of the few apps committed to privacy rather than revenue via data collection. That means you wont see any ads in the app, nor will the company sell your data to third-party marketers.

Windscribe

Windscribe

The top pick for best free VPN in our guide is Windscribe, making it a great choice to download on your phone if youve never used a VPN before and want to give it a try. Theres no catch here: Windscribe is completely free to use, provided you sign up with a valid email address. Free users get 10GB of data per month, unlimited device connections and access to servers in over 10 countries. Windscribe passed all of our geoblock, streaming and gaming tests, plus its pretty easy to use as well. If you end up liking it, you can pay for Windscribe and get access to even more servers in additional countries, along with unlimited data and access to an ad blocker. A full Pro subscription costs about $6 per month when billed annually, or you can build your own plan with only the features you need starting at $1 per month.

Snapseed

Snapseed

Most recent phones come with great cameras. Still, even with the latest iPhone, Samsung Galaxy or Google Pixel, almost every photo can benefit from an edit before you share it. The options you have for photo editing apps are nearly endless, but if you want something that works well, look no further than Snapseed. It's an old favorite that offers a comprehensive suite of editing options but never gets bogged down in too many sliders and dials. Best of all, it makes it easy to save edits to your camera roll and upload them to apps like Instagram.
New cases of bluetongue in Kent and Norfolk's temporary control zones (TCZ) brings the total number to 35 since last month's initial outbreak.

The UKs chief veterinary officer has urged farmers to remain vigilant for bluetongue serotype 3 following the fresh cases.

There is currently a temporary control zone (TCZ) in Kent and Norfolk after the initial outbreak of the virus on 11 November, the UK's first case since 2007.

Since then, eighteen farms and holdings have been impacted by bluetongue virus.

However, Defra said there is still no evidence that it is currently circulating in midges in Britain.

Defra said in an update: "Following active surveillance in the north-east Kent TCZ, 1 further case of bluetongue in a cow has been identified in the Sandwich Bay area in the TCZ.

"The animal will be humanely culled to minimise the risk of onward transmission. The TCZ is not being extended and movement restrictions continue to apply to cattle, sheep and other ruminants in the zone.

"This brings the total number of cases in England to 35 infected animals on 18 premises."

The department added: "There is still no evidence that bluetongue virus is currently circulating in midges in Great Britain. Surveillance is ongoing."

The bluetongue virus is usually transmitted by midge bites and affects cows, goats, sheep and other camelids such as llamas.

Midges are most active between April and November and not all susceptible animals show immediate, or any, signs of contracting the virus.

Impacts on susceptible animals can vary greatly  some show no symptoms or effects at all while for others it can cause productivity issues such as reduced milk yield, while in the most severe cases can be fatal for infected animals.

Christine Middlemiss, the UKs chief veterinary officer, has urged farmers to remain vigilant for bluetongue virus.

Bluetongue does not pose a threat to human health or food safety, but the disease can impact livestock farms, and cause productivity issues," she said.

This detection is an example of our robust disease surveillance procedures in action and it is also a clear reminder for farmers that the disease remains a threat, despite coming towards the end of the midge activity season.

Farmers must remain vigilant and report any suspicions to APHA.

BTV is a notifiable disease. Suspicion of BTV in animals in England must be reported to the Animal and Plant Health Agency on 03000 200 301.

Farmers in and around the TCZ can also call Ruminant Health & Welfare's (RH&W) bluetongue hotline on 024 7771 0386 for advice.

Bluetongue does not affect people or food safety.
Chocolate makes middle-aged women happy.

Chocolate makes women of a certain age happy

A new study has revealed that tucking into the treat every day for eight weeks was linked to reduced feelings of negativity, depression and anxiety.

The antioxidant flavanols in cocoa beans can prevent cell damage, disrupting hormones and brain signals.

In the research, 60 healthy women aged between 40 and 60 were given a chocolate drink or one that tasted the same but with no cocoa.

After two months, cocoa drinkers scored better on the mood scale and also felt that both their friendliness and energy were boosted.

Professor Masakazu Terauchi, of Tokyo Medical and Dental University, said: "Our results suggest in middle-aged women, cacao extract reduces depression, fatigue and anxiety and improves positive mood.

"Cacao flavanols may be a useful food that can improve middle-aged women's mood."
Darren Criss is to star in an off-Broadway production of 'Little Shop of Horrors'.

Darren Criss announces new off-Broadway role

The 36-year-old actor - who shot to fame as Blaine Anderson on the musical television series 'Glee' - will now be starring in a new production of the cult classic musical alongside actress Evan Rachel Wood.

Speaking on Sirius XM On Broadway during 'A Very Darren Crissmas Hour', he said: "Folks, Evan [Rachel Wood] and I, if you haven't heard, will be going into 'Little Shop of Horrors' at the West Side Theatre Off-Broadway, and I'm going to be doing that from I think late January through the end of March. It'll be short and sweet, but I'm so excited to be announcing that to you if you didn't already know that."

The news comes just one day after Darren announced that he and his wife Mia Swier - who are already parents to daughter Bluesy Belle, 20 months - confirmed they have another baby on the way but simply said the new arrival will be "coming soon", so it is unclear when she is due to give birth.

Darren shared an edited version of the 'Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again' promotional poster, which featured him sticking his tongue out over Meryl Streep's face, smiling Mia's head on Amanda Seyfried's body, and Bluesy's face on Lily James' head.

His Instagram post also included a photo of two positive pregnancy tests and he captioned it: And COMING SOONlets hope the sequel is better than the photoshop. (sic)"

who married Mia in 2019 - previously admitted his life was "chaos" as he sought to juggle parenting his young daughter with starring in 'American Buffalo' on Broadway and other work commitments.

He told People magazine at the time: "It's a blessing to get all these things happening kind of all at once - personal, home stuff happening among the same fun, prosperity and excitement that is existing in my professional life - there's something that's very invigorating about that. So I'm rockin' and rollin'.

"Chaos begets chaos,. And I, for better or worse, tend to thrive on a bit of chaos."
OTT Releases This Week: This is the last week of 2023. As the week kickstarted with Christmas celebrations, there are several interesting and exciting lineups of films and web series set to release on OTT platforms.

Over the years, streaming platforms such as Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, and more have provided viewers with numerous high-quality and good content. Keeping up with its trend, those planning a cosy New Year's binge-watching session at home should not worry; we have curated a binge-worthy list of movies and shows releasing this weekend.

Check the list below:-

Kho Gaye Hum Kahan (December 26)

This coming-of-age drama focuses on the lives of three close friends, Ahana (Ananya Panday), Imaad (Siddhant Chaturvedi), and Neil (Adarsh Gourav), who are in their twenties, navigating the complexities of life, relationships, and careers in this challenging era of social media. The film is streaming on Netflix today.

A Very Good Girl (December 27)

Netflix's upcoming drama A Very Good Girl is a story about a sophisticated socialite who embarks on a path of retribution and decides to destroy a business magnate after losing her job. The film features Kathryn Bernardo, Dolly de Leon, Kaori Oinuma, and Jake Ejercito in pivotal roles.

Tejas OTT Release Date And Streaming Platform: Where & When Kangana Ranaut's Aerial Action Drama Will Stream

12th Fail (December 29)

Produced, written, and directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, 12th Fail is a biographical drama that stars Vikrant Masssey in the lead role. This film chronicles the struggles and hardships of Manoj Sharma, who hails from the Chambal region of Madhya Pradesh, and how he attained the prestigious position of an IPS officer. 12th Fail is officially adapted from Anurag Pathak's novel of the same name and will stream on Disney+ Hotstar on December 29.

Berlin (December 29)

The prequel to the famous Netflix show Money Heist, Berlin, focuses on the early life of Pedro Alonso as Andres de Fonollosa, aka Berlin.

Dono (December 29)

Dono marked Sunny Deol's younger son Rajveer Deol and Poonam Dhillon's daughter Paloma Dhillon's debut movie. Written and directed by Avnish S. Barjatya, Dono is a romantic film following the life of a young man who develops feelings for a girl after meeting her at a wedding in Thailand. The film will drop on Zee5.

Three Of Us (December 29)

Directed by Avinash Arun, the critically acclaimed movie stars Shefali Shah, Swanand Kirkire, and Jaideep Ahlawat in significant roles. Its synopsis reads, "Struggling with dementia, Shailaja takes a trip to revisit her childhood and confront her traumatic past. While travelling with her husband and childhood love along the Konkan coastline, she seeks forgiveness and liberation." It will premiere on Netflix.

Keedaa Cola (December 29)

Tharun Bhascker's Telugu crime-comedy movie Keeda Cola is set to release on December 29 on AHA. The film features Brahmanandam, Chaitanya Rao Madadi, and Rag Mayur, among others. Its story synopsis reads, "A hapless group takes on the challenge of a lifetime when they try to make some quick money and plant a cockroach in a soft drink bottle."

Kho Gaye Hum Kahan OTT Release Date & Platform: Here's When & Where Siddhant-Ananya's Film Will Stream

Safed (December 29)

Safed revolves around a transgender and a widow who go against the world for their love. Directed by Sandeep Singh, the upcoming film stars Abhay Verma, Meera Chopra, and Barkha Bisht in key roles. Safed will stream on Zee5.
New Delhi (India), December 22: Indian women's beauty and personal care brand Urban Yog announced actress Tara Sutaria is its brand face. Celebrating women who are bold enough to speak their minds and are ready to bring change, the brand found Tara's versatility and professionalism to be an ideal match.

Urban Yog is always focused on bringing result-oriented products for women that ease their everyday problems in real time.

Talking about the partnership, Tara said, "I am glad to partner with Urban Yog as their ideology aligns with mine. When I look at women today, I am so happy to learn and see us achieve so much personally and professionally. For both working women and women who are homemakers, we constantly aim to achieve a lot with our day! And Urban Yog helps us achieve this easily and comfortably with such fabulous products that suit girls and women of all ages and adds value and ease to always hectic schedules!"

Seconding the above, Hemant Raulo, Founder & CEO of Urban Yog says, "Urban Yog is not just a brand, it's a lifestyle for today's busy women who not only want to excel at work but also manage their lives along with it. When I think of Tara Sutaria the first thing that comes to my mind is her multitasking approach which suits apt for our brand."

Urban Yog offers bold, affordable, and innovative beauty and personal care products spanning menstrual, skin, and hair care categories. All the products are alcohol-free, paraben-free, cruelty-free, suitable for all skin types, and are available on their website and Amazon.

About Urban Yog

Urban Yog is a women's beauty and personal care brand from GlobalBees Brands Pvt. Ltd. The brand was founded in 2019 and has been continuously innovating solutions for bold women who wish to bring change in themselves and society.

For more information, please visit the website https://urbanyog.com/
CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. dollar weakened against other major currencies in the Asian session on Tuesday. The U.S. dollar fell to 4-day lows of 1.1029 against the euro and 142.09 against the yen, from yesterday's closing quotes of 1.1007 and 142.34, respectively. Moving away from an early high of 0.8568 against the Swiss franc, the greenback slipped to a 4-day low of 0.8550. The greenback edged down to 1.2714 against the pound, from yesterday's closing value of 1.2689. Against the Australia and the New Zealand dollars, the greenback slid to a 4-day low of 0.6816 and more than a 5-1/2-month low of 0.6324 from Monday's closing quotes of 0.6796 and 0.6305, respectively. Moving away from an early high of 1.3262 against the Canadian dollar, the greenback edged down to 1.3251. If the greenback extends its downtrend, it is likely to find support around 1.11 against the euro, 140.00 against the yen, 0.84 against the franc, 1.28 against the sterling, 0.69 against the aussie, 0.64 against the kiwi and 1.31 against the loonie. 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.
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a flying cake!

DUBAI, UAE, Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On 20th December, Skydive Dubai, owned by Shamal Holding, celebrated its 13th anniversary with a one-of-a-kind BASE jump featuring a record-holding skydiver jumping out of an inflatable cake lifted by balloons, at the Dubai Dropzone.

This unique project, born from a simple idea, evolved over six months of implementation, from designing the inflatable cake to engineering its compatibility with the balloons and making the jump possible.

The extensive effort was a testament to Skydive Dubai's passion for innovation. Collaborating with numerous partners, the journey was a true labor of passion, demonstrating the dedication that Skydive Dubai brings to every project.

For more than 13 years, Skydive Dubai has stood as a must-visit destination and a thrilling experience for skydiving enthusiasts, tourists, and residents alike. It holds the distinction of being the preferred choice in the UAE for those seeking an adrenaline-fueled tandem skydive.

Mohammad Javad, Vice President of Shamal Leisure, Shamal Holding, said: "Skydive Dubai has always endeavoured to proudly represent Dubai and the UAE on the global stage. It is recognised for always setting the standard in the sport worldwide. We were thrilled to witness and celebrate this remarkable birthday jump, which not only showcased the team's dedication and innovation but also contributed to Skydive Dubai's continuous efforts to elevate the sport and captivate skydivers for many more years to come."

If you'd like to join in Skydive Dubai's anniversary celebrations, make sure to visit its Dubai Dropzone between 24 - 31 December. Learn more at this link.

About Skydive Dubai

Skydive Dubai is the world's most sought-after skydiving experience. We are the place skydiving experts, enthusiasts and first-timers come to see the world from a different perspective.

As the most accessible and convenient place to skydive up to 13,000 feet at 120 miles per hour, our Dubai Dopzone at Dubai Harbour, provides a premium tandem skydiving experience in the heart of the city, set against an iconic bird's eye view.

Our Desert Campus located just outside Dubai on the Dubai-Al Ain Road (E66) serves as one of the world's largest skydiving centres of excellence where professionals, instructors and students come to hone their skills, using the latest training techniques and equipment to explore everything the sport has to offer.

Regulated by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Skydive Dubai's team of international champion instructors, experienced pilots and specialist operations crews work to the highest levels of professionalism in the pursuit of excellence in aerial sports.

As the standard-setting skydiving experience, we are inspired by our roots proudly representing Dubai on the global stage as a reflection of the city's spirit, optimism and attitude, playing our role in raising the profile, popularity and professionalism of the sport of skydiving around the world.

For more information, please visit www.skydivedubai.ae

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MADRID, Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Colombia will once again be present at the major tourism event in Madrid with a delegation of approximately 40 tourism companies at Pavilion 3, Stand 3C08. The delegation is led by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism and accompanied by ProColombia, aiming to showcase the best of its offerings. The focus will be on sustainability and the development of its six tourist regions.

This participation is part of the launch of its new Country Brand narrative, 'Colombia, the country of beauty,' which encompasses various dimensions such as natural landscapes, cultural diversity, gastronomic richness, and the warmth of its people. It conveys a unified message promoting a destination of authentic and transformative experiences with the ability to attract international travelers.

Carmen Caballero, President of ProColombia, emphasizes, "These historic visitor figures make us feel the increasing support and interest from people and the industry. At ProColombia, we see tourism as a great vehicle for the growth and development of the country's regions. We aim to attract tourism that benefits travelers, travel companies, the environment, and the community, in line with President Petro's mandate for internationalization to contribute to greater economic, social, and environmental justice in the territories."

The tourism sector in Colombia is achieving historic figures. According to ForwardKeys, the consulting firm that presented its annual Global Travel Trends report at WTM, Colombia ranks second in the global recovery ranking, just behind the Dominican Republic, in terms of international arrivals worldwide

The Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism, through ProColombia, has launched the documentary series Finding encanto, honored with the prestigious Dolphin at the 14th edition of the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards.

In 2022, Colombia welcomed 4.6 million international travelers, marking its best year for the market, surpassing 2019 figures by 1.7%. From January to August 2023, the country recorded over 3.7 million non-resident visitors, representing a remarkable 31% growth compared to the same period in 2022. Spain stands out as the main source of tourists from Europe.

Confidence in Colombia from airlines and destinations is evident in the implementation of new air routes. In 2023, announcements have been made for the opening of 21 new routes, including the new Zurich-Bogota and Cartagena route by Edelweiss Air, as well as the Bogota-Madrid route by Latam Airlines, scheduled for the summer of 2024.

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9Zr31eEaR4

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SHENZHEN, China, Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- From January 24th to 26th, 2024, the 38th Electronic R&D, Manufacturing, and Packaging Technology Exhibition, organized by RX Japan Ltd. (referred to as 2024 NEPCON JAPAN), will be held at Tokyo Big Sight in Japan. Utmel, a globally recognized electronic component distributor, will be attending the exhibition and showcasing at booth E23-48 at Tokyo Big Sight.

NEPCON JAPAN was established over 30 years ago and is one of the largest electronic manufacturing technology exhibitions in Asia. The exhibition features seven main halls, and covers a wide range of areas, including electronic manufacturing equipment, automation technology, semiconductor assembly, audio/video equipment, and more. It attracts over 1,900 companies and brands from around the world. The exhibition is held concurrently with professional exhibitions in automotive industry, manufacturing technology, wearable technology, and robotics, allowing visitors to explore multiple related industries and gain more industry information and resources in one venue.

The exhibition brings together renowned electronic companies from around the world, and Utmel, as a beloved electronic component distributor among global customers, will also be attending.

Utmel is a professional electronic component distributor headquartered in Hong Kong, China. With advantages in sourcing, brand marketing, warehousing logistics, and more, Utmel has established a good reputation in the industry. Utmel has a rigorous quality inspection system and complete warehousing facilities, and its professional online brand marketing has achieved efficient market promotion. Since its establishment, Utmel has always aimed to provide customers with a comfortable shopping and user experience and is committed to providing high-quality services to customers.

As a distributor focused on the electronic component field, Utmel has been dedicated to providing new momentum for market trade and combining its own development goals with the development trends of the electronic industry, playing a vital role in the industry's continued development.

Today, Utmel has become a globalized and comprehensive professional power electronics brand enterprise. By attending this exhibition, Utmel hopes to have face-to-face communication with more target customers while obtaining valuable industry information to support the company's product optimization and market strategies.

With the exhibition approaching, we sincerely invite both new and existing customers to visit our booth. Utmel will be waiting for you at booth E23-48 in the ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS & MATERIALS EXPO section. We look forward to showcasing Utmel's excellent corporate strength and our unwavering commitment to customers.

Click the link to redirect.

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DUBAI, UAE / ACCESSWIRE / December 26, 2023 / Get ready for a crypto extravaganza as CoinW, the world's pioneering crypto exchange, proudly presents its 6th-anniversary online campaign with an astounding $1 million in rewards up for grabs! The month-long celebration, running from December 5th to January 10th, is making waves with 200,000+ participants, including 120,000+ new registrations, and over $1,000 billion in trading volume.

This milestone year marks a turning point for CoinW, as CoinW further commits to propel crypto mass adoption. Dive into the excitement with six grand prizes totaling $1,000,000, featuring 100,000 USDT new user exclusive packages, a 700,000 USDT trading competition, 100,000 USDT 100%-win mystery boxes, a 100,000 USDT limited-time copy trading reward, exclusive live streams, and a glamorous offline party.

Who Can Participate?

Whether you are new to crypto trading or a seasoned trader, CoinW has curated different events for everyone. The six grand prizes aim to not only reward the CoinW community but also empower new users to kickstart their trading journey with the first investment covered by CoinW.

$200,000 Kick-off Fund for Novice Traders

Embark on your trading journey by simply registering, depositing, and making any trade. Each step you take will earn you bonuses, and we're here to help you grow with spot and futures trading bonuses. Newly registered users have an exclusive prize pool of $100,000 waiting for them.

Recognizing the value of seasoned traders, CoinW is seeking competent traders globally to lead futures trading - one of the most profitable aspects of the crypto realm. With the highest ROI led by CoinW's traders surpassing 900%, novice traders can kickstart their futures trading journey by copying the trades of experts. Completing your first copy trade earns you a 10 USDT bonus, with a 30,000 USDT prize pool available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Start Your Journey with 10M Users

$700,000 Booster for the CoinW Community

In gratitude for our community's unwavering support, CoinW presents a thrilling $700,000 trading competition. Open to both futures and spot trading, futures traders can snag up to a 50,000 USDT Super bonus + 30,000 USDT Mega Coupon based on yield ranking, while spot traders can seize up to 50,000 USDT. To qualify for rewards, users must maintain an asset account balance of = 100 USDT.

Event Period: 11/12/ 2023 16:00 - 10/01/2024 15:59 (UTC)

Other Perks on CoinW's 6th Anniversary Celebration

The CoinW Mystery Box with 100% chance of winning could be your appetizer. Invite friends or tip anchors during CoinW Live to earn mega coupons, which can offset losses and pay trading fees. And the fun doesn't stop there - you can accumulate up to 8 mystery boxes each day.

At CoinW, we highly value seasoned traders. Over the past year, we've scouted competent copy traders globally. Join our trader team during this celebration, and we'll drop an extra 150 USDT bonus, on top of our already competitive commissions.

Not a CoinW User Yet?

Don't miss your chance at a slice of the $1 million grand prize! Register now, and we'll kickstart your journey with a $10 bonus credited to your account. Let the celebration begin!

Get Started with CoinW

Media Contact

Organization: CoinW Exchange

Contact Person: Skylar Wu

Website: https://www.coinw.com/

Email: marketing@coinw.com

City: Dubai

Country: United Arab Emirates

SOURCE: CoinW

View the original press release on accesswire.com
ISTANBUL, Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Senkron.Energy Digital Services' customer Enerjisa Uretim and Microsoft today signed an agreement to drive innovation and sustainability across the renewable energy generation sector in Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). Signed at the 28th edition of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), in Dubai, UAE, Enerjisa Uretim and Microsoft are collaborating to leverage the potential of cutting-edge technologies including Artificial Intelligence, GenAI, Copilot, Microsoft Sustainability Manager, Dynamics Assets Management, Managed IT and OT Security. The collaboration is based on the technologies provided by Senkron Energy Digital Services' offerings, services, and operational models, which will also be positioned to the market with Microsoft.

As part of the agreement, Enerjisa Uretim is partnering with Microsoft as the preferred technology and go -to-market partner for AI Powered Renewable Energy Generation on Senkron.Energy's platforms. The partnership will bring Senkron.Energy's new technologies to market and unlock new business models and revenue streams, leveraging parties' strengths in industry and technology.

Enerjisa Uretim manages a diverse portfolio of power generation sources, aiming to reach 5000 MWs of capacity with 59% renewable ratio by 2026. While equipping existing and new capacity with AI powered productivity, maintenance and digital power plant management including OT security, Enerjisa Uretim will be commercializing these know-how for energy customers through Senkron Energy Digital Services for a more sustainable and greener future at scale. Senkron.Energy Digital Services is a digital born service company, headquartered in Netherlands, to take an active role in the global transformation of the energy sector, especially for renewable energy resources.

The collaboration also involves a new generative AI-based application "OnePact AI" to improve efficiencies in renewable energy production, as well as leveraging the collective power of industry know-how and technologies for the empowerment of renewable energy companies.

Senkron.Energy's OnePact AI uses Microsoft's Azure OpenAI Service to access and analyze IoT data collected from 40000 datapoints, combined and correlated with operational data, to significantly increase operational efficiencies across Enerjisa Uretim's 20+ power plants. With "OnePact AI", users can chat directly with big data for energy operations. It leverages Senkron Energy's digital skills and Enerjisa Uretim's energy expertise to deliver tailor-made solutions for the energy sector on Microsoft Azure. It improves efficiency in demand and supply management, digital power plant management and maintenance.

Companies also signed an agreement to create an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) data estate to enable companies to make data-driven decisions to decrease their emissions, further enhancing AI powered sustainable energy production and carbon trading.

Sabanci Holding Energy Group President Kivanc Zaimler said about the cooperation: "As Enerjisa Uretim, we have had collaborations and joint efforts with Microsoft in different fields for a long time. With our Digital Enerjisa Uretim vision and our position as a producer rather than a consumer of technology, this strategic collaboration opens the doors to a new era in the energy sector.'

Enerjisa Uretim CEO Ihsan Erbil Baycol added: 'OnePact AI is a big step we have taken towards building a sustainable energy future with GenAI supported solutions, positioning us as a global player in our digital business beyond the borders of Turkiye. In the energy sector, increasing operational efficiency is very important for optimizing energy production models and managing sustainable energy resources. GenAI supported solutions in matters such as energy management, demand and production forecasting, maintenance and anomaly detection will play an innovative role in overcoming the challenges faced by the industry. Senkron Energy Digital Services has accomplished a great deal in a short time by combining its knowledge in the energy sector with its technical skills on the Microsoft Cloud. This application will accelerate the digital transformation in the sector and open the door to new collaborations and opportunities for all stakeholders."

Ralph Haupter, President, Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa, commented: "Climate change is the defining issue of our generation, and addressing it requires swift, collective action and technical innovation. At Microsoft, we are committed to meeting our own sustainability goals and enabling others to do the same by accelerating progress through AI-enabled solutions. Strengthening our partnership with Enerjisa Uretim on the sidelines at COP28 is testament to our commitment to harnessing AI to help drive sustainable renewable energy generation."

Microsoft Turkiye General Manager Levent Ozbilgin said: "We are proud to reinforce our collaboration with Enerjisa Uretim and support their sustainability focused green growth vision, bringing AI-powered renewable energy solutions to organizations in Turkiye and beyond. I believe that this partnership, which leverages the power of cloud and AI, Microsoft Sustainability Manager, end-to-end IT and OT security, plays a key role in defining the highest standards of execution in the energy industry. As Microsoft, we are truly dedicated to impacting our customers and society through our AI platform and services."

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Contact: Enes Battal, +90 5423871120, enes.battal@enerjisauretim.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/senkronenergys-onepact-will-empower-sustainable-energy-generation-in-extended-collaboration-with-microsoft-302022332.html
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / December 26, 2023 / KeyBank

Award recognizes individuals who have left lasting legacies of diversity, equity, and inclusion in their communities

The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio recently honored KeyCorp Chairman CEO and Chris Gorman with their 69th Annual Humanitarian Award. Chris accepted the award at the November celebration event alongside fellow recipient and Clevelander Robyn Minter Smyers.

Gorman joined an admirable list of previous KeyBank recipients, including former CEOs Henry Meyer and Beth Mooney, as well as many other honorees recognized since 1949 who have left lasting legacies of diversity, equity, and inclusion in their communities. "It is on their shoulders that we stand," Gorman shared during the celebration.

According to The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio, the Humanitarian Award "recognizes individuals who have distinguished themselves through outstanding dedication and community service. Honorees exhibit an extensive record of involvement in civic, charitable, volunteer, and professional organizations."

"I have had the pleasure and the privilege to spend most of my career at KeyBank, dating back nearly three decades. In that time, I have seen first-hand KeyBank's long-standing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion inside and outside the company. Now, it is both my opportunity and my obligation to carry on that tradition," Gorman shared during his acceptance remarks.

"The one thing I have learned during my tenure with Key is our commitment to being both a responsible bank and a responsible corporate citizen means that every day and, in every way, we are collectively committed to helping our clients, our colleagues, and our communities thrive."

The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio is committed to creating communities where all people are connected, respected, and valued. The Diversity Center promotes understanding and respect and institutional equality on matters of race, age, religion, sex, ethnicity, culture, ability, gender identity, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. The organization achieves this through youth programming and by promoting diversity and addressing institutional bias in the workplace.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from KeyBank on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: KeyBank

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/keybank

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: KeyBank

View the original press release on accesswire.com
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / December 26, 2023 / Whole Foods Market Foundations

by Sandy Mariscal, Senior Marketing & Outreach Program Manager

Whole Foods Market suppliers are empowering microentrepreneurs living in poverty by funding much-needed business capital this holiday season. These like-minded companies are donating a portion of their sales in select Whole Foods Market stores in December to fund microcredit through Whole Planet Foundation. The funds will go to Whole Planet Foundation's vetted microfinance partners around the globe to support microentrepreneurs in the communities where Whole Foods Market sources products.

Aura Collegen Tea

This year, we welcome AURA Collagen Tea, a GT's Living Foods brand, to our supplier donor community. Their generous support will help us work towards our goal to empower 300,000 people to strengthen vulnerable communities by 2030. Read more about Whole Planet Foundation's areas of focus and join us on this next leg of our mission.

"GT's Living Foods is honored to support Whole Planet Foundation. We are forever grateful for the support we have been given as a family-run business and are excited to pay it forward. The foundation's work, supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs to alleviate global poverty, is awe-inspiring and more important than ever. We believe that together, we will build a healthier and happier humanity" says the GT's Living Foods Team.

Divina

Divina, a Foodmatch brand, is a longtime supporter of Whole Planet Foundation and has donated more than $120,000 to date through the sale of their product in select Whole Foods Market stores to fund microloans. This holiday season they continue to fund additional business capital for entrepreneurs living in poverty in the communities where Whole Foods Market sources products. Every microloan is an opportunity for a microentrepreneur to lift herself and her family out of poverty.

Raise a glass and toast to the holidays with these tasty Divina drink recipes.

MaryRuth's

MaryRuth's renews their commitment to alleviate global poverty through microcredit. This woman-founded company knows the importance of income-generating opportunities and is paying it forward by supporting women microentrepreneurs around the globe with a chance to start or develop their small businesses.

"MaryRuth's is honored to support Whole Planet Foundation as it aligns with our mission to inspire others to move forward every day. As a women-owned business that I started while in a lot of personal debt, I am passionate about helping people find their own financial freedom and empowering others to live their dreams," says MaryRuth Ghiyam, MaryRuth's Founder & CEO.

Spice up your gingerbread house game with a twist using MaryRuth's gummy bear snacks. Yum!

Pact

Pact believes the planet and the people in it should always come first in fashion. They partner with Fair Trade USA, Global Organic Textile Standard, and SimpliZero to ensure their products and processes support both people and the planet. Annually they remind holiday shoppers to shop responsibly, mindfully, and with care. As a fair-trade certified brand, they are supporting sustainable livelihoods, safe working conditions, transparent supply chains, and additional development funds that impact entire communities. Additionally, by donating a portion of sales in select Whole Foods Market stores this holiday season, they are creating income-generating opportunities through Whole Planet Foundation for microentrepreneurs, primarily women, living in poverty.

"Pact loves supporting and working with Whole Planet Foundation and its mission. As the majority of the microcredit loans go to women, we are proud to be a donor of Whole Planet Foundation." Colleen Bale-Wright Sr. Director of National Accounts.

Explore Pact holiday wear and give the gift of comfort while supporting a cause this season.

Pete & Gerry's

Pete & Gerry's joins our holiday program this year to empower individuals, families, and communities with access to economic opportunity. Through the sale of their products in select Whole Foods Market stores, they will provide the world's most vulnerable populations a chance to change their own lives and prosper.

"Empowering small business is a cause that has been instilled in Pete & Gerry's through our collaboration with small family farms. Whole Planet Foundation is taking that mission to the next level by helping entrepreneurs around the globe living in poverty. We couldn't be more excited to fund much-needed business capital for those that need it most!"

Enjoy Pete & Gerry's in some delicious holiday eggnog this year. Just follow their easy dairy-free eggnog online recipe.

Whole Planet Foundation is so grateful for the support of these brands this holiday season. To date, suppliers of Whole Foods Market have donated more than $18 million to fund microcredit around the globe. We look forward to continuing this important work with these generous donors and more in 2024.

Learn more at wholeplanetfoundation.org.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Whole Foods Market Foundations on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Whole Foods Market Foundations

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/whole-foods-market-foundations

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Whole Foods Market Foundations

View the original press release on accesswire.com
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - U.S. District Court Judge Vince Chhabria, on Friday, allowed a lawsuit against Elon Musk's X, formerly known as Twitter, to move ahead. The company was accused of failing to pay promised annual bonuses to employees. The lawsuit was filed in June by Mark Schobinger, the company's former head of compensation, on behalf of himself and approximately 2,000 other current and former employees. They claimed that the then-Twitter management had verbally promised employees to pay 50% of their 2022 annual bonus if they remained with the company during Musk's takeover in October 2022. Usually, annual bonuses are paid in the first quarter of the following year, but the employees didn't receive any bonuses by the end of the first quarter, which amounted to more than $5 million. Schobinger left in May after the company failed to honor its verbal contract. X's lawyers argued the case stating that the Performance Bonus Plan was not a valid and enforceable contract, and thus verbal contract between Schobinger and former management couldn't be upheld. However, the judge ruled that, 'Once Schobinger did what Twitter asked, Twitter's offer to pay him a bonus in return became a binding contract under California law. And by allegedly refusing to pay Schobinger his promised bonus, Twitter violated that contract.' Further, X's lawyers argued to try the case under Texas law, where verbal contracts are not upheld, but the judge ruled against them and said that the case would be tried under California law. In a similar scenario, many former employees had filed cases against X regarding around $500 million in unpaid severance to nearly 5,000 laid-off employees. 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.
India aspires to grow into a $5 trillion economy, but only 27 per cent of women participate in the workforce currently, underscoring a substantial gender gap. Bridging this disparity by promoting financial inclusion and digital literacy among women, especially in remote geographies, is critical. This is where Bank Sakhis are spearheading a grassroots revolution.

Bank Sakhis: Transforming rural lives

The Bank Sakhi programme trains rural women  particularly from Self Help Groups (SHGs)  as banking correspondents or BC Sakhis to serve marginalized communities. Launched in 2019 via the One Gram Panchayat, One BC Sakhi mission, over 50,000 women from Self-Help Groups (SHGs) have been trained and certified as BC Sakhis until 2021. The plan is to deploy at least one BC Sakhi in rural areas by the end of the fiscal year 2023-24. This is a significant step towards financial inclusion and empowerment in these communities.

Catalysing financial and social inclusion

The role of Bank Sakhis transcends mere banking transactions. By familiarising previously uninformed women with financial services, they are enabling better economic participation and upward social mobility in rural India. From opening new accounts to facilitating payments, deposits, withdrawals and more, besides assisting people with financial literacy  Bank Sakhis are the beacons guiding rural India towards an inclusive, digitally integrated future.

Their intimate understanding of ground realities and localised presence foster trust-based relationships with rural folks. This helps in providing customised banking solutions tailored to address the unique socio-economic needs of Indias villages.

Driving last-mile financial access

Bank Sakhis are also pivotal in assisting the implementation of government schemes like PM Jan Dhan Yojana, PM Mudra Yojana and Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, among others, that expand financial access and opportunities for the underserved.

These interventions have enabled rural women to open bank accounts for the first time, access credit lines for entrepreneurship, and reap the benefits of instruments like insurance and tailored savings accounts. Here, financial inclusion serves a multidimensional role  offering the vulnerable not just economic security but also emotional confidence and belief in ones abilities to progress.

Addressing growth barriers

Bank Sakhis often faces challenges like weak digital infrastructure, cash handling risks and motivation issues while navigating difficult rural terrains. Addressing such impediments by strengthening localized support structures and increasing institutional assistance is vital to catalyse their progress.

Targeted capacity-building programmes equipping them with updated knowledge can further augment their efficiency. Platforms like Common Service Centres Banking Sakhi app that digitise operations also warrant impetus through customized rural interfaces.

Boosting womens participation

Given the multifaceted value Bank Sakhis creates on the banking, financial services and social empowerment fronts, regulating firms to hire a certain percentage of women business correspondents can substantially increase their numbers while also promoting gender equality.

In that context, the governments proposal mandating financial institutions to increase their share of women BCs to 30 per cent by 2027 (from less than 10 per cent presently) is a constructive step. Added focus on rural geographies through One BC Sakhi Per Gram Panchayat also aims to have 1.25 lakh trained women BC Sakhis by 2024  heralding a new era for Indias remote corners.

As pioneering torchbearers expanding last-mile financial access, Bank Sakhis are enabling progress rooted in sisterhood  assisting fellow marginalized women to leverage economic resources and knowledge to transform not just their own but entire rural communities destinies. Expanding this movement can establish India as a global leader, pioneering a multidimensional model of inclusive development that consciously leverages the potentials of women change-makers to uplift lives across the margins.

Concluding thoughts

As India strides forward on its economic journey, its essential that we consciously extend financial services to the far-flung areas often overlooked by the formal banking sector. The Bank Sakhis are leading this ground-breaking mission, igniting a revolution anchored in empathy, dignity, and sisterhood. Their brave endeavours to help vulnerable communities gain access to economic resources, knowledge, and security deserve immediate recognition and support.

These women are not just facilitating transactions; theyre reshaping the destinies of marginalized households, nurturing dreams, and fostering a sense of empowerment thats crucial for Indias overall advancement. The triumph of the Bank Sakhis highlights the ripple effect of promoting participatory development and broadening financial inclusion, particularly among women. This approach lifts entire families and villages out of the cycle of poverty.

Their journey is a testament to the transformative power of investing in women as agents of change to drive sustainable growth. It also underscores why India must harness such inclusive grassroots solutions to position itself as a global leader in equitable development.

The author is chairman of BLS E-Services. 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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One of the most celebrated festivals across the world, Christmas just went by and everyone, including BTown celebs, indulged in celebrations in their own special way. From fancy decorations to annual get-togethers, family lunches, and intimate parties, among other stuff, Bollywoods Christmas celebration was all about glamour, glitz, and fun. While actors Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt made Christmas even more special by introducing their daughter Raha Kapoor to the world, they later also attended the Kapoor familys annual lunch. Kiara Advani-Sidharth Malhotra, who got married this year, also had a special Christmas this year.

A sneak-peek into Bollywoods Christmas celebrations

Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor spent their Christmas Eve in the company of close friends and family. Alia enchanted her fans with some adorable portraits, posing with her beloved cat Edward followed by some cool pictures with her husband Ranbir Kapoor, sister Shaheen Bhatt, her mother Soni Razdan, and filmmaker Ayan Mukerji.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Navya Naveli Nanda (@navyananda)

Later, the duo arrived at Kapoors Christmas lunch with the entire family.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ananya  (@ananyapanday)



On the other hand, actress Ananya Pandey also celebrated her Christmas in the company of her old friends at her new home in Mumbai. The actress gave a glimpse into her Christmas celebrations, which had a decorated tree and delicious-looking food, all of which gave a lot of feel-good Christmas vibes.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Diana Penty (@dianapenty)



Diana Penty also dressed up in her glamorous avatar as she celebrated Christmas with style. Putting up a giant Christmas tree, Diana decorated it in silver. The actress looked outstanding as she opted for a shimmery gown, posing in front of the tree.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Janhvi Kapoor (@janhvikapoor)



Actress Janhvi Kapoor looked absolutely adorable in a couple of Christmas pictures she put out on Instagram. With a cute reindeer hairband, keeping her outfit all comfortable and casual, Janhvi was dressed in a black outfit, pairing it with matching trousers.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by KIARA (@kiaraaliaadvani)



Newly-weds Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra also had a very romantic Christmas. Celebrating their first Christmas after marriage, Kiara shared an adorable picture on her Instagram handle, showing them head over heels. Dressed in a cute red dress with a matching hairband, she was seen hugging her husband, who put a peck on her cheeks.
Language: Hindi

Director: Arjun Varain Singh

Cast: Ananya Panday, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Adarsh Gourav, Kalki Koechlin, Rohan Gurbaxan

The Internet was once used to bring about revolution. But not anymore. Even your relationship with your partner looks like a paid partnership. Netflixs Kho Gaye Hum Kahan has a clear message which tells us that like drug addiction we are hiding behind social media.

We are so busy looking at the screen, that we have stopped looking at ourselves. We are hiding behind social media with our candy floss images to show our happy lives in the process of avoiding harsh reality. Now a persons worth as a professional is decided by the number of followers he/she has. It has been noticed that even in the field of journalism or advertising, there is an obsession with employees having more followers no matter how shallow he/she is. From personal point of view, the movie makes us realise that the more we becomes slaves of social media, the lonelier we are going to get. It is high time we stop looking for validation from social media.

Netflixs Kho Gaye Hum Kahan is a socially relevant film which will make you think. No specific characters, but you can relate to all of them whether it is Ahana Singh (Ananya Pandey), Imaad Ali (Siddhant Chaturvedi) or Neil Pereira (Adarsh Gourav). The movie is about three friends who live together in an apartment in Mumbai. They are actually school friends with different lives  Ananya Pandey is a MBA, Siddhant Chaturvedi plays the role of a standup comedian and Adarsh Gourav is a gym instructor in the film. They are close to each other, but everybody has their own battles to fight and they are looking for validation on social media and not valuing what they actually have around them, real friends and family. Kalki Koechlins presence makes the film refreshing. And it is her presence which adds more depth to the story.

A brilliantly crafted film that teaches us to reboot, to keep our phones down and to look up and look into the eye of real life. Because life is about living without filters and lenses. It is time to take it easy and keep it real. To be happy, you really dont need much. When you are close to reality, people will be able to come near you. It is time to stop the comparison game and stop aping others. No one is like you dont need to be like anyone else. We all are unique in our own way. Kho Gaye Hum Kahan makes you value yourself and your real friends. The performances of each of the actors is real and relatable and that is the best part of it. Most importantly, the script is crisp and the performances are effortlessly natural.

Not giving out any spoilers, the movie touches upon child abuse too and the fact that it can happen to baby boys and how it can scar their entire life. In one of the scenes in the film, it shows how our world has become so fake. When we were in school we used to say, my father is a CEO of a multinational company. But now what will our kids say when the same question is asked to them? They will say My father/ mother is an influencer joh naach naach ke saboon bach tah hai (My father/ mother is an influencer who dances and sells soaps and other products.)

The film without getting preachy teaches us that it is time to say thank you loudly and clearly to real friends and family, not followers who most of the time are faceless and fake. Value what you have and value you. And most importantly find your tribe. Who needs followers when you have real friends?

Rating: 4 out of 5
Love can be deadly. Even as people celebrated Christmas and are enjoying the festive season, heres a horrific tale of a woman techie being chained, slashed and then burnt alive by her former classmate in a southern suburb of Chennai.

The police has arrested 26-year-old Vetrimaran alias Pandi Maheswari, who underwent a sex change operation for the unthinkable torture and murder of R Nandhini. They have revealed that the crime stems from the fact that the accused seemed to be over-possessive.

Heres what we know of the case  believed to be a love story gone awry.

Murder most foul

On Saturday (24 December), 26-year-old Vetrimaran alias Pandi Maheswari under the pretext of throwing Nandhini a surprise birthday party, lured her to a lonely place in Ponmar in Thalambur police limits and blindfolded her.

According to the police, the transsexual man then chained Nandhinis hands and feet as a surprise, slashed her neck and wrists, emptied a can of petrol and torched her before fleeing from the spot.

Gowtham Goyal, DCP Pallikaranai said, Around 7:00 to 7:15 pm, he took her to a vacant plot near Ponmar Road. As per the preliminary investigation, he would have blindfolded her under the pretext of presenting a gift. After that, he chained her arms and legs before cutting her wrists and ankles. After that, he poured kerosene on her and left her immolating.

Investigations reveal that Nandhini and Vetrimaran were old friends and, in fact, studied together while they were back in Madurai. The police investigation states that Nandhini chose to remain friends with Vetrimaran even after Vetrimaran underwent a sex-change operation. Both of them were employed by a private IT firm in Thoraipakkam, which led to a further intertwining of their lives.

Authorities believe that the murder arises from Vetrimarans obsession with Nandhini. Vetrimaran, it is believed, had begun arguing with Nandhini if he saw her talking to other men.

Reports state that on 23 December, Vetrimaran called up Nandhini to say that he would not quarrel with her and asked her to meet him as he planned a surprise for her birthday. Nandhini agreed to meet Vetrimaran, not knowing what would come next.

The police have revealed that the crime was well-planned and he had plotted the murder for a week.

The incident came to light after locals noticed smoke coming from an old building near Ponmar near Thalambur in Chennai around 7.30 pm on Saturday. When the locals saw smoke emanating from the vacant plot, they went closer to investigate and found a woman lying unconscious with her hands and feet tied and her body burnt with petrol. And even though they immediately rushed into action, calling the ambulance, she succumbed to her wounds in the hospital.

Notably, when Nandhini was rushed to the hospital, she was able to utter a phone number and when officials dialed it, Vetrimaran answered the call and said he was her friend. A police official said, He came to the spot and helped the police take her to the hospital. It was only later during interrogation that he confessed to his crime.

The authorities further added that Vetrimaran displayed no signs of remorse for the act he had perpetrated. In fact, in his statement to the police, he said that he was upset over Nandhini refusing to be in a relationship with him. Vetrimaran had gone through a sex-change process at a private hospital a few years back, however Nandhini told him that they had no future together.

Also read: From Delhis Dexter-inspired killing to Tandoor murder: When love stories turned fatal

Old friends

Nandhini and Vetrimarans friendship went way back. They were friends in Madurai since Class I.

After school, Vetrimaran began identifying as a man, owing to which many people cut off contact with him, but not Nandhini. Nandhinis family reveal that she did not want to hurt her friend and chose to remain in touch with him.

Amudha, Nandhinis elder sister was quoted as telling the DTNext, Whenever Vetrimaran would visit Madurai, he would visit our home. Ive often fed him with my own hands.

In 2019, Vetrimaran underwent a sex-change operation and left Madurai. Around eight months ago, Nandhini, a BSc graduate in information technology, had got a job in Chennai and had moved to the metro where she and Vetrimaran worked together.

Nandhinis family, who is grief-stricken by the entire incident, said they couldnt believe that Vetrimaran had perpetrated such a crime. Nandhinis father told DTNext, My daughter had continued the friendship with Vetrimaran on a humanitarian basis. We, as a family, did not have any problem with that.

He also said, If Nandhini had told us there was a problem here, we would have definitely helped her in sorting it out. Being empathetic and supportive cost my daughters life.

The accused, Vetrimaran, is now in judicial custody and has been charged with murder. In the meantime, the police also released Nandhinis body to her family on Sunday. Nandhinis family is inconsolable. One of them was even quoted as saying, We saw her burnt body with hands and legs being chained. Is that a way to die? Its difficult to come to terms with the way her life ended in such a cruel way.

With inputs from agencies
The resurgence of COVID-19 in India is grabbing headlines again. India reported a daily rise of 628 new cases, which took the active infections to 4,054, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data on Tuesday (26 December) morning.

The country has registered a total of 69 cases of the new variant JN.1 so far, as per PTI. With Kerala recording one casualty in the last 24 hours, the COVID-19 death toll in India has surged to 5,33,334.

As infections are surging again this winter, people are wondering if they should take a vaccine booster dose against COVID-19. We will try to quell your doubts here.

COVID-19 situation in India

The Centre has asked states to remain vigilant in the wake of the detection of the JN.1 sub-variant. NITI Ayog member (health) Dr VK Paul said last week that India is closely monitoring this new strain from the Omicron family and emphasised the need for states to increase testing and bolster surveillance, as per Hindustan Times (HT).

Karnataka has reported 34 cases of this new strain as of Monday, of which 20 were found in Bengaluru alone.

Maharashtra minister Sanjay Bansode has directed officials to ensure the availability of ventilators, oxygen cylinders and other necessary equipment at government hospitals.

According to Delhi health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, the National Capital is witnessing an average of three to four COVID-19 cases daily, adding that the government is prepared to combat the spike in infections, reported PTI.

Is it time for booster jab?

Experts suggest taking booster doses of vaccine against COVID-19 can be considered by vulnerable groups. So far, over 95 per cent of the population in India has received the first two doses of a coronavirus jab, while only a quarter have taken the third or precaution dose.

Doctors say those over the age of 60 years, or people who have uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension, chronic kidney disease, heart disease, and liver disease, could consider getting a booster dose.

Speaking to The Hindu, India SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) chief NK Arora said there was no need for people to get a fourth jab of COVID-19 vaccine.

Only those over 60 years of age who have comorbidities and high-risk patients in this age group can take a precautionary third dose if they have not taken one till now. As of now, there is no need for a fourth dose in the general public. We would advise precaution and not panic, he said.

Arora said new variants, mutations and sub-variants of COVID-19 were being detected across the world. Fortunately, none of these Omicron variants have really been associated with more severe disease or hospitalisation, the INSACOG chief told the English daily.

Singapore is also reeling from an uptick in COVID-19 infections driven by the JN.1 variant. According to Indian Express, data from the island country reveals that those who took their last jab less than a year ago were less susceptible to severe illness as compared to those who got the vaccine over a year ago.

Experts recommend taking basic preventive measures such as wearing masks, social distancing, and hand hygiene to tackle the transmission of infection.

Dr Anurag Agarwal, Dean of Biosciences and health research at the Trivedi School of Biosciences of Ashoka University, told Indian Express, Almost everyone in India has had the infection at least two or three times so far. Most have also received at least two doses of the vaccine. This high, population-level immunity will mean that we are not likely to see the typical pneumonia-like symptoms that were seen during the first and second wave. Most infections would cause upper respiratory tract symptoms. So vaccinating to reduce the number of infections does not make sense.

The symptoms of JN.1, which is a descendant of the BA.2.86 lineage (Pirola) of SARS-COV-2, include fever, cough, sore throat, diarrhoea and body aches.

It is believed the JN.1 variant is more transmissible and better at evading immunity. However, its symptoms are mild and there have been no reports so far to indicate that the variant leads to higher hospitalisations.

Should vaccines be updated?

The COVID-19 vaccines developed in India against the intial strain of Sars-CoV-2 were tested against Omicron variants detected earlier and were found to be effective.

Experts say vaccines coupled with natural infection are expected to protect against the emerging variants, reported Indian Express.

Dr Ameet Dravid, infectious disease expert at Noble Hospital, told HT that the poor response from people in India towards precautionary doses has dissuaded pharma companies from tailoring their vaccines against newer variants.

The manufacturing becomes cost-effective for the companies only if the doses are manufactured in millions. However, the old COVID-19 vaccines with old variants have given enough cross-immunity to the people in the protection of the infection caused by the new sub-variant of SARS-CoV-2, he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

In America, the vaccines developed for XBB variants have proven effective against Pirola and its descendant JN.1, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

India could also have a vaccine against the XBB1 variant in the near future. Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) told The Hindu in a statement recently that it is currently offering a XBB1 variant vaccine which is very similar to the JN.1 variant in the US and Europe. In the coming months, we are aiming to obtain licensure of this vaccine for India. We plan to submit the necessary documentation to the regulators, with the goal of making it available to the public.

With inputs from agencies
It is an unlucky December for former US president Donald Trump.

From denying reading Adolf Hitlers Mein Kampf to rumours about his scent, he has been in the news lately for the wrong reasons.

This time, though, social media was abuzz with interest when he was seen using unusual toe pads, while speaking to the crowd at a Mar-a-Lago event.

Although the purpose of his usage is yet unknown, many have attempted to interpret his new item through online conversations.

Lets take a closer look.

Numerous speculations

In the images going viral on social media, Trump can be seen using two black rectangular pads under his feet while speaking at Mar-a-Lago.

A user asked in an X post, What is Trump standing on here? How often does he use these? Another one joked, Trump toe pads, (Ron) DeSantis heels  does the Republican Party have a foot fetish?

What is Trump standing on here? How often does he use these? pic.twitter.com/SGV1l2Q8ho  PatriotTakes  (@patriottakes) December 22, 2023

Toe lifts to help him not have old man posture, quipped a third one, while one commented, Trump needs toe pads to stand up without falling over. What an aLpHa MaLe!

A netizen joked, Me levelling my uneven furniture.

Several others shared his snaps leaning forward at a few press conferences and declared that he is now using toe pads to prevent himself from leaning too far.

These toe pads are to prevent him from leaning forward lol. pic.twitter.com/YdhHzHMn4U   (@nawfmeskin) December 22, 2023

One user chipped in, He now uses foot pads to prevent himself from tipping over. If Joe Biden did this, Fox News would talk about nothing else.

Could this be an indicator of health issues?

Yes. It is possible.

A user speculated, That forward lean is an indicator of Frontotemporal Dementia. Some have thought he was in early stages when he ran in 2016. MAGA candidates relax: it progresses slowly.

That forward lean is an indicator of Frontotemporal Dementia. Some have thought he was in early stages when he ran in 2016.

MAGA candidates relax: it progresses slowly.https://t.co/shQXw3JQwM  Cindi Branham (@CindiBranham1) December 22, 2023

According to UK-based National Health Service, it is an uncommon type of dementia that affects the front and sides of the brain. It causes problems with personality, behaviour, mental abilities, memory and language.

There may also be physical problems, such as slow or stiff movements, loss of bladder or bowel control (usually not until later on), muscle weakness, or difficulty swallowing.

These problems can make daily activities increasingly difficult, and the person may eventually be unable to look after themselves.

A few others also suggested the same diagnosis with some of them listing its symptoms like poor judgement, socially inappropriate behaviour, loss of empathy, and problems with balance.

One of the users also pointed out the allegations about his decline in personal hygiene.

Trumps nasty odour

Claims around the former presidents alleged odour erupted earlier this week when former Illinois Republican representative Adam Kinzinger tweeted, Im genuinely surprised how people close to Trump havent talked about the odour. Its truly something to behold. Wear a mask if you can.

The anti-Trump PAC Lincoln Project doubled down on the allegations and released a nasty ad with the title, Is that you Donald? #TrumpSmells.

The commercial opens with images of rubbish, manure, and dumps, all surrounded by flies. A chorus of coughs, sniffles, and vomiting breaks up the pictures. The next scene in the film shows trash being collected and stacked on New York City streets.

A reporters voice then boomerang in, showcasing the Fifth Avenue front of Trump Tower, saying, Claiming the former president smells bad.

Someone can be heard sniffing and then remarking, Ew, Donald. Is that you? while displaying more foul-smelling goods, such as mouldy cheese.

The cheese in the advertisement, Limburger, is well-known for its strong smell.

Comedian Kathy Griffin also remarked earlier, The Donald has a distinct smell. Its like body odour with a scented makeup product.

Social media has been flooded with rumours about the claim, with the hashtag #TrumpSmellsBad becoming popular.

In response to Kinzingers comments about the former president earlier in the week, a Trump spokesperson told The Independent, Adam Kinzinger farted on live TV and is an unemployed fraud. He has disgraced his country and disrespects everyone around him because he is a sad individual who is mad about how his miserable life has turned out.
A charter plane carrying hundreds of Indians that was grounded in France last week arrived in Mumbai at around 4 am on Tuesday (26 December). The Airbus A340, which had 303 Indians on board, returned with 276 passengers.

As many as 25 passengers, including five minors, requested asylum in France, as per Al Jazeera. The flight, operated by a Romanian charter company called Legend Airlines, had landed at Frances Vatry Airport from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 21 December afternoon. French authorities had grounded the Nicaragua-bound plane following an anonymous tipoff that its passengers might be victims of human trafficking.

The name of a notorious human smuggler has cropped up regarding this charter plane that was detained in France for four days.

Lets take a closer look at the story.

A likely mastermind

A Hyderabad-based man could be the mastermind behind the Nicaragua-bound flight suspected of carrying victims of trafficking.

Indian security agencies told Times of India (TOI) that Shashi Kiran Reddy, who is the alleged kingpin of another human trafficking case last year, is also linked to the latest incident.

In January 2022, four family members from Gujarats Dingucha village were found frozen to death in a field in Canadas Manitoba while illegally trying to enter the United States.

The four victims  a couple and their two minor kids  were part of a larger group of 11 people from Gujarat who were trying to enter the US.

As per TOI sources, Reddy, who has been operating a human smuggling network for 15 years, could be the mastermind of the Nicaragua-bound flight case. He is allegedly involved in arranging chartered flights from Dubai to Nicaragua  which has emerged as a popular destination for immigrants to cross into the US illegally.

As many as 96 of the 303 passengers on the flight to Nicaraguas capital Managua were from Gujarat, the newspaper reported.

Reddy is accused of sending about 800 illegal Indian immigrants to Nicaragua, posing them as tourists, in the last two months alone. Earlier, he sent them on 50-seater flights that halted at Vatry airport. However, recently, French authorities refused to allow one such flight to halt at Vatry airport and it returned to Dubai. So, Reddy arranged for an aircraft with 300 passengers, assuming it will be allowed to halt and refuel, a source was quoted as saying by TOI.

The source said that this recent aircraft had passengers who could not make it to Nicaragua previously.

However, the charter plane was grounded by French authorities at the Vatry airport in eastern France.

The kingpin of Dingucha case

Reddy, who was let off by Gujarat police for lack of evidence in the 2022 Dingucha case, was found to have been working with the victim Jagdish Patels brother Mahendra, alias Mahendra Dingucha.

Speaking to TOI, a source said that Mahendra and Reddy sent thousands from Gujarat to the US illegally. Reddy had prepared the documents of Jagdish and his family and coordinated with offshore human smugglers to help them cross the US border.

At least three people, who the Gujarat police said were illegal immigration agents, were arrested in the case by January this year. These included Bhavesh Patel, 30, Yogesh Patel, 42, and 47-year-old Bharat alias Bobby Patel.

ALSO READ: SRKs Dunki is about donkey flights: Whats this illegal immigration method?

Flight from France lands in India

The plane was allowed to leave the European country after a French court ruled that the authorities did not have the legal authority to detain the passengers further, as per the Al Jazeera report.

The two passengers who were initally detained for questioning in the human trafficking investigation were released on Monday, and named assisted witnesses to the case, noted Associated Press (AP).

According to French authorities, they have not discovered evidence of human trafficking but are probing likely breaches of immigration laws, reported Al Jazeera.

The 276 passengers who landed in Mumbai in the wee hours of Tuesday were reportedly questioned by immigration officials on their arrival, after which they were permitted to leave.

As per NDTV, the passengers were reluctant to speak to the media present at the Mumbai airport and tried to evade their questions about the purpose of their visit.

The Indian Embassy has expressed gratitude to French officials for the quick resolution of the situation enabling Indian passengers to return home in a post on X.

The 25 passengers who stayed back in France have been shifted to a special zone in Paris Charles de Gaulle airport for asylum-seekers, as per the AP report.

Prosecutors in France has not revealed if these Indian fliers were attempting to enter the US after arriving in Nicaragua.

About 97,000 Indians tried to illegally enter America in the financial year 2023, a massive 51.61 per cent surge from the previous year, NDTV reported citing official US data. Of these, over 41,000 tried to cross the Mexico-US land border.

With inputs from agencies
The attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea by Yemens Houthi rebel group could become a headache for India. The Houthis have targeted over a dozen vessels, which it believes to be linked to Israel, since October to express solidarity with Gaza which has been attacked by the Israeli military.

These attacks in the Red Sea is likely to have an impact on Indias basmati rice shipments. The Red Sea is one of the key routes for oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, along with consumer goods. It is also important to enter and leave the Suez Canal, which is a crucial sea link connecting Asia and Europe.

Amid these attacks, several major shipping companies have halted shipments via the Red Sea. The alternative route, which goes around the Cape of Good Hope, not only adds 3,500 nautical miles to the journey but is also more expensive.

Lets take a look at why the conflict in West Asia has alarmed shippers of basmati rice and how Red Sea attacks could hit Indian exports.

Will prices of basmati rice surge?

The Red Sea attacks could affect the shipment of Indian basmati rice. A senior official with a government agency told Indian Express that the change of route by major shipping lines to avoid the Red Sea is projected to increase the price of Indian basmati rice exports by 15 to 20 per cent.

This could further impact Indias exports of the aromatic long grain to Egypt and European countries. However, the demand for basmati rice is unlikely to be hit unless the disruptions in the Red Sea persist for a prolonged period.

Demand for basmati rice, especially in the Middle East (West Asia), is unlikely to be impacted with a 20 per cent price rise. However, if the disruptions in the Red Sea persist, prices could be hiked further, a government official was quoted as saying by Mint.

Speaking to Reuters, a source said India may consider an alternate route along Africa for shipments of basmati rice if attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels continue.

The targeting of commercial ships in the Red Sea by the group in Yemen has reportedly hit exporters in Haryanas textile hub Panipat and those in the state shipping basmati rice due to a spike in freight charges and long delays.

The Red Sea is crucial for Indias sea trade to Africa, West Asia and the European Union.

Vijay Setia, former president of All India Rice Exporters Association, told ThePrint that out of the total rice exports from Haryana, about 80 per cent goes to West Asia and the rest to Europe and the United States. Ever since disturbance started in the Red Sea and Yemens Houthi rebels started attacks on cargo ships, freight per container for the Middle East has gone up from $600 to $2,000. Similarly, shipments for Europe and US that used to pass through the Suez Canal are now taking a longer route and ships are going around the Cape of Good Hope, at the bottom of South Africa, he said.

This is not only delaying the cargo but the freight that used to be between $2,000 and $2,500 has jumped to $5,500 and even to $6,000 in some cases, Setia further explained.

Kedar Kohli of ORM Overseas, a basmati trader, told Hindustan Times (HT) that exporters could switch to alternate routes, which may escalate shipment costs, depending on how much longer the supply lines are and how higher insurance costs.

In an interview with News9 Plus, Captain Sanjay Prashar, a shipping expert, warned the situation could continue for the next two-three months.

We are already seeing the freight raise from $40,000 to $60,000 per day for the tankers which is about two million barrel. Secondly, in the container trade we are seeing the freight rise in some particular sectors going up to 44 per cent. Of course, it was in the pre-COVID-19 or during the pandemic that we had seen something which had never happened before with respect to containers, Prashar said.

So, with the movement of basmati rice containers or other export, please understand that one-third of the worlds trade which moves through the Suez Canal is impacted and India is impacted the most. So, 10 days of extra voyage via the Cape of Good Hope is as good as an extra $1 million. The fear psychosis has started working on the commercial sector, he told News9 Plus.

ALSO READ: How Houthi attacks in the Red Sea could affect everyday life

Impact on Indian exports

The Red Sea attacks could raise Indias troubles which is already staring at a likely deficit of $4 billion to $5 billion this year, according to Reuters.

India, which is the second-largest producer of wheat, rice and sugar in the world, has put restrictions on the export of these items to control a rise in domestic prices. In July, New Delhi banned the export of non-basmati white rice.

Last September, India had stopped the shipments of broken rice, along with imposing a 20 per cent duty on exports of various grades of the grain. However, parboiled rice and basmati rice are not included in the export ban.

This year, India exported about $3.38 billion worth of basmati till 15 November, as per the HT report. There was an upswing in demand for Indian basmati rice this season from buyers in West Asia.

However, Rajesh Agarwal, an additional secretary in the trade ministry, told Reuters that India expects the rise in exports of other farm commodities to balance the export deficit this year.

If we remove agricultural commodities whose exports are controlled, like wheat and rice, exports are growing by over 4 per cent.

So, despite the shortfall of about $4 billion to $5 billion that we face because of restrictions on sugar, wheat, rice, we should be able to meet last years export levels, Reuters quoted him as saying.

According to the state-run Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), the exports of meat and dairy, cereal preparations, and fruits and vegetables reported a surge between April and November this year.

With inputs from agencies
In the clandestine realm where battles are fought beyond headlines and wars true heroes move in shadows, the story of Ukraines elite special forces, Center 73, emerges from the echoes of a crumbling dam. As the nation embarks on a daring six-month counteroffensive, these covert warriors face a series of unforeseen challenges, their exploits hidden beneath the veil of secrecy.

Their first battle plan was outdated the moment the dam crumbled. So, the Ukrainian special forces officers spent six months adapting their fight to secure a crossing to the other side of the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine.

But it wasnt enough just to cross the river. They needed backup to hold it. And for that, they needed proof that it could be done. For one of the officers, nicknamed Skif, that meant a flag  and a photo op.

Skif, Ukrainian shorthand for the nomadic Scythian people who founded an empire on what is now Crimea, moves like the camouflaged amphibian that he is: Calculating, deliberate, until the time to strike.

He is an officer in Center 73, one of Ukraines most elite units of special forces  frontline scouts, drone operators, underwater saboteurs. Their strike teams are part of the Special Operations Forces that run the partisans in occupied territories, sneak into Russian barracks to plant bombs and prepare the ground for reclaiming territory seized by Russia.

Their mission on the more dynamic of the two main fronts in the six-month counteroffensive reflects many of the problems of Ukraines broader effort. Its been one of the few counteroffensive successes for the Ukrainian army.

By late May, the Center 73 men were in place along the rivers edge, some of them almost within view of the Kakhovka Dam. They were within range of the Russian forces who had controlled the dam and land across the Dnipro since the first days after the February 2022 full-scale invasion. And both sides knew Ukraines looming counteroffensive had its sights on control of the river as the key to reclaim the occupied south.

In the operations opening days, on 6 June, an explosion destroyed the dam, sending a wall of reservoir water downstream, killing untold numbers of civilians, and washing out the Ukrainian army positions.

We were ready to cross. And then the dam blew up, Skif said. The water rose 20 metres (yards), submerging supply lines, the Russian positions and everything else in its path for hundreds of kilometres. The race was on: Whose forces could seize the islands when the waters receded, and with them full control of the Dnipro?

For most Ukrainians who see them on the streets in the nearly deserted frontline villages of the Kherson region, they are the guys in T-shirts and flip-flops  just regular people. The locals who refused to evacuate have all become accustomed to the sounds of war, so even their unnerving calm in the face of air raid alarms, nearby gunfire and artillery doesnt seem unusual.

AP joined one of the clandestine units several times over six months along the Dnipro. The frogmen are nocturnal. They transform themselves from nondescript civilians into elite fighters, some in wetsuits and some in boats. In the morning, when their operations end, theyre back to anonymity.

They rarely take credit for their work and Ukrainians rarely learn about their operations. But Russian military statements gleefully and erroneously announcing the destruction of Center 73 are an indication of their effectiveness.

June 2023

The men had the most modern equipment, night-vision goggles, waterproof rifles that can be assembled in a matter of seconds, underwater breathing apparatus that produces no surface bubbles, and cloaks that hide their heat signature during nighttime raids.

It was a matter of days before the start of the counteroffensive, and Center 73 had already located the Russian positions they would seize on the Dnipro River islands. Skifs men were within earshot of the 6 June explosion that destroyed the Kakhovka Dam, flooded vast stretches of the Kherson region, and upended Skifs attack plan.

An AP investigation found Russian forces had the means, motive and opportunity to blow up the dam.

Both the Russians and Ukrainians retreated from the river to regroup  Russians to the south and Ukrainians to the north.

Abandoned homes, clubs, shops became headquarters, with banks of computer screens filling the rooms and improvised weapons workshops nearby. Always secretive, frequently changing locations, they meticulously plan every operation, they sleep only a few hours during the day with curtains closed.

They wake around sunset, load gear into a 4X4 and drive to a different point on the riverbank to scout new routes for a counteroffensive, provoke Russian forces into shooting at them to pinpoint the enemys location, retrieve soggy caches of supplies with their boat. Periodically, they captured a Russian soldier stuck in a tree or found a clutch of landmines washed up on shore.

And they themselves were stuck. Other special forces took part in battles in eastern Ukraine, the other main front in the counteroffensive. Skifs men waited patiently for the water to subside so they could seize positions and lay the groundwork for the arrival of infantry and marines in the Kherson region.

Skif, a veteran of the 2022 battle for Mariupol who had survived 266 days as a prisoner of war, wanted to fight. He had been part of Center 73 before Mariupol and rejoined after he was freed in a POW exchange.

Ukraine created its special forces in response to Russias lightning-fast annexation of Crimea and invasion of Donbas in 2014, a precursor to the wide-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

We realised that we were much smaller in terms of number than our enemy, said Oleksandr Kindratenko, a press officer for Special Operations Forces. The emphasis was placed on quality. These were supposed to be small groups performing operational or strategic tasks.

He said they were trained and equipped in part by Europeans, including those from NATO countries, but their own recent battle experience means they are now as much teachers as students.

Tasks that the unit considers routine  scouting as close to Russians as possible, planting explosives under their noses, underwater operations  most soldiers would consider high-risk. High-risk missions are practically a death wish.

Skif knew he first had to plan and persuade the generals that if his men could secure a bridgehead  a strategic crossing point  it would be worthwhile to send troops. And that would mean high-risk river missions.

My phone book is a little graveyard, he said. A lot of good, decent people are dead. They were killed on the battlefield. One burned to death in an armoured truck. One was shot by howitzers. Somebody stepped on a landmine. Everyone died differently, and there are so many of them.

July-August 2023

The water retreated in July. The Russians and Ukrainians advanced again toward the river from opposite directions, the Russians from the south and Ukrainians from the north.

Groups of Center 73 scouted and advanced along the river. The mission for Skifs unit was to reclaim an island near the dam, now a web of cracked mud and dead trees. Their network of spies in the Kherson region, as well as drones and satellite images, told them where Russian forces had re-positioned.

They disembarked the boats and moved in, walking through the bare branches of the forest through swarms of mosquitoes so loud their bodycam picked up the sound. One of the men tripped a wire connected to a grenade and flung himself as far as he could away from the Russian explosive.

Just as the shrapnel pierced his back, mayhem broke out. The injured Ukrainian crawled toward the units waiting boat three kilometres (two miles) away, as the Russian troops who set the boobytrap rained gunfire on them. Skifs men made it to the boat, which sprang a leak, and retreated back to their side of the Dnipro. Russians established their position on the island, and it took weeks more for the Ukrainians to expel them.

Then new orders came. Go upstream and breach Russian defences beneath a destroyed railway bridge.

The men had an often-underestimated advantage over their Russian enemy: Many Ukrainians grow up bilingual and understand Russian communications intercepted in real time, while Russian soldiers need a translator for Ukrainian.

So, when Skifs unit started picking up Russian radio communications by the railway bridge, they immediately grasped how many men they were up against and the kind of munitions they would face. They made the crossing, avoided the Russians, and waited for backup.

Thats when their advantage evaporated. In a single battle, the Russians sent Iskander missiles and dozens of drones, dropping hundreds of grenades.

In the air, they had absolute dominance compared to us and they held the ground, he said.

The backup was nowhere near enough. Ukrainian forces retreated under heavy fire. More men out of commission and another difficult task ahead.

September-October 2023

A lucky thing happened soon after that battle. A Russian officer who claimed hed been opposed to the war since its beginning was sent to the front in Kherson. It was, he later said, every bit as bad as hed feared.

He made contact with Ukrainian intelligence and said he had 11 comrades who felt similarly. The group surrendered to Skif and his men.

The Russians told Skif exactly what he needed to know about their unit on the island they were now tasked with taking, just outside the village of Krynky.

He was sure he could take the island and more with 20 experienced men. But not without the promise of sufficient backup so Ukrainian regular forces could hold the territory. Fine, his commander said. Hed get the backup  if he returned with footage of his unit in the village hoisting the Ukrainian flag.

And thats how, in mid-October, a Ukrainian drone carrying the national blue and yellow flag came to fly above Krynky at just the moment Skif and his men made their way to the occupied village across the river. They got their photo op to prove the road was cleared, sent it to the military headquarters, and established the bridgehead.

November-December 2023

Multiple Ukrainian brigades were sent to hold the position and have been there ever since.

But nighttime temperatures are dipping well below freezing, and Ukrainian forces are vastly underequipped compared to the Russians nearby. Holding and advancing in winter is much harder on soldiers bodies and their morale.

In recent weeks, Russia has sent waves of glide bombs  essentially enormous munitions retrofitted with gliding apparatus to allow them to be launched from dozens of kilometres (miles) away, as well as swarms of grenade-launching drones and Chinese all-terrain vehicles, according to the Institute for the Study of War and the Hudson Institute, two American think-tanks analysing open-source footage from the area.

In a news conference earlier this month, Russian president Vladimir Putin addressed the battle and acknowledged Russian forces had pulled back several metres. But he insisted Ukrainian forces were battling pointlessly and losing far more than they gained.

I dont even know why theyre doing this, Putin said.

Despite having never fully controlled the territory during the six-month counteroffensive, Russia claims it as its own.

And Ukrainian forces and Center 73 keep fighting into the new year.

This is our work, Skif said. No one knows about it, no one talks about it, and we do it with little reward except to benefit our country.

With inputs from AP
Iran has deployed two sophisticated cruise missiles at a naval base near the Indian Ocean.

The Talaeieh and Nasir cruise missiles arrived at the naval base in the southern Iranian port of Konarak  around 1,400 kilometers southeast of the capital Tehran.

This comes as the US accused Iran of a drone attack on a chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean.

But what do we know about the domestically produced missiles? And need New Delhi worry?

Lets take a closer look:

The Talaeieh has a range of more than 1,000 kilometers and is fully smart.

According to navy chief Admiral Shahram Irani, it can change targets mid-mission.

The Nasir, meanwhile, has a range of 100 kilometers.

It can be installed on warships.

As per The Times of Israel, the range of the missiles and other features cannot be independently verified.

Although Western military analysts say Iran sometimes exaggerates its capabilities, Iranian-made missiles and drones are a key element in Tehrans military hardware.

Reconnaissance helicopters, drones and marine cruise missiles were among new weapons added to the navys arsenal, Irani said, adding that all of this equipment has been designed and produced by Irans military industry.

Last month, a container ship owned by an Israeli billionaire came under attack from a suspected Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean, as Israel wages war on Iran-backed Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The country says it has a stock of various kinds of missiles with ranges up to 2,000 kilometers capable of reaching its archenemy Israel and US bases in the region.

The US defence department on Saturday said that a drone sent from Iran struck a Liberian-flagged chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean, an incident highlighting rising regional tensions and a new risk to shipping lanes in the wake of the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel and Israels subsequent action in Gaza.

The motor vessel CHEM PLUTO, a Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned, and Netherlands-operated chemical tanker was struck at approximately 10 a.m. local time (6 a.m. GMT) today in the Indian Ocean, 200 nautical miles from the coast of India, by a one-way attack drone fired from Iran, a Pentagon spokesperson told Reuters.

Iran on Saturday denied US accusations that it was involved in planning attacks by Yemens Tehran-aligned Houthi movement on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

India deploys three warships in Arabian Sea

The Indian Navys explosive ordnance disposal team on Monday carried out a detailed inspection of merchant vessel MV Chem Pluto on its arrival at Mumbai harbour, two days after the ship was hit by a drone off Indias west coast in the Arabian Sea when it was on its way to New Mangalore port.

In view of spate of attacks on commercial vessels in the Arabian Sea, the Navy deployed P-8I long-range patrol aircraft for surveillance, and warships INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata in the region to maintain deterrent presence, officials said.

Saturdays drone attack on Liberian-flagged MV Chem Pluto came amid increasing concerns over various commercial vessels being targeted reportedly by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The Liberian-flagged vessel with 21 Indian and one Vietnamese crew, anchored at outer anchorage off Mumbai at 3:30 pm.

On her arrival, the Indian Navy explosive ordnance disposal team inspected the vessel to make a preliminary assessment of the type and nature of attack. The analysis of the area of attack and debris found on the ship points towards a drone attack, a Navy spokesperson said.

However, further forensic and technical analysis will be required to establish the vector of attack including type and amount of explosive used, he said.

A Pentagon spokesperson said on Sunday that MV Chem Pluto was hit by a one-way attack drone fired from Iran.

The Indian Navy spokesperson said a joint investigation by various agencies commenced following completion of the analysis of the vessel by the explosive ordnance team.

MV Chem Pluto has been cleared for further operation by her company-in-charge at Mumbai. The ship is scheduled to undergo mandatory checks by the various inspecting authorities before undertaking ship to ship transfer of cargo, he said.

This is likely to be followed by docking and repairs of the damaged portion of MV Chem Pluto, he said.

The official said three guided missile destroyers have been deployed in the Arabian Sea in view of spate of attacks on commercial vessels in the region.

MV Chem Pluto, carrying crude oil to New Mangalore port from Al Jubail port in Saudi Arabia, was struck about 217 nautical miles from Porbandar on Saturday. No one was injured in the incident.

A Gabon-flagged commercial crude oil tanker with 25 Indian crew members also came under a drone attack in the Southern Red Sea on Saturday but no one was injured, according to Indian officials and the US military.

Considering the recent spate of attacks in the Arabian Sea, Indian Navy has deployed guided missile destroyers, INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata, in various areas to maintain a deterrent presence, the official said.

He said long-range maritime reconnaissance P8I aircraft are being regularly tasked to maintain domain awareness.

Western Naval Commands Maritime Operations Centre is actively monitoring the situation in close coordination with Coast Guard and all concerned agencies, he said.

With inputs from agencies
The Ram temple is set to be consecrated next month.

Preparations are in full swing for the 22 January ceremony which will be attended by a slew of big names including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

But which other dignitaries will be attending? And who will be giving the ceremony a miss?

Lets take a closer look:

Who is in?

Around 4,000 saints and 2,200 other guests have been invited to the ceremony, as per Ram Temple Trust general secretary Champat Rai.

Heads of major temples like Kashi Vishwanath, Vaishno Devi and representatives of religious and constitutional institutions have also been invited.

As per The Hindu, the invite reads, You are aware that after a long struggle, the construction of temple at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi is in progress, and on Paush Shukla Dwadashi, Vikram Samvat 2080, January, 22 2024, the new idol of Ram Lalla will be consecrated in the sanctum sanctorum. On the historic day, it is our strong desire that you be present in Ayodhya.

As per Hindustan Times, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath will attend the ceremony.

Spiritual leader Dalai Lama, Mata Amritanandamayi of Kerala, yoga guru Baba Ramdev have been invited.

From Bollywood, cine stars Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Anupam Kher, Akshay Kumar, Rajinikanth, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Chiranjeevi, Mohanlal, Dhanush, Rishab Shetty Madhur Bhandarkar, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn, Sunny Deol, Prabhas and Yash have been sent invites.

Tiger Shroff and Ayushmann Khurrana are also expected to be part of the guest list.

Prominent industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani have been invited.

As per Hindustan Times, Gautam Adani and Ratan Tata are also likely to get invites.

Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli will also be invited, a person in the know told the newspaper on condition of anonymity.

Arun Govil and Deepika Chikhalia Topiwala, who played Ram and Sita in the 1987 series Ramayan, will also be invited.

Owners of large media houses and senior journalists are also likely to be invited, the person told the newspaper.

The Trust is also trying to invite one representative each from 50 foreign countries, Rai was quoted as saying. The Trust will also invite families of kar sevaks who lost their lives in the Ram Mandir movement. Invitations are also being sent to scientists, judges, writers and poets.

Painter Vasudev Kamat, ISRO director Nilesh Desai and many other eminent personalities are also invited.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Sonia Gandhi and the partys leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have received invitations for the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Sources said the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has sent the invitations to them.

Asked whether the party leaders would attend the ceremony, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal told a press conference, You will know about the partys stand. You will know on January 22 about the participation. They have invited us, we are very much thankful to them for inviting us, let us (see), he said.

The invitations were sent individually to Kharge, Gandhi and Chowdhury,

Former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda have also received invitations for the function.

The invitations, the sources said, were delivered by a delegation of those associated with the trust.

More invitations will likely be sent to other Opposition leaders in the coming days.

The trust has said invitations have also been sent to revered seers from different traditions, along with all prominent individuals contributing to the countrys honour in every domain.

Shankaracharyas of six darshanas (ancient schools) and about 150 saints and sages will join the ceremony, as per Rai.

As per The Hindu, around 100 members from the VHP and 25 officials from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have also been sent an invite.

Who is out?

LK Advani and MM Joshi are seemingly out  or are they?

Ironically, the two BJP veterans at the forefront of the Ram temple agitation in Ayodhya were asked not to come.

Both are elders of the family and considering their age and health, they were requested not to come, which was accepted by both, Rai said last week.

Rai said Advani and Joshi may not attend the consecration ceremony due to health and age-related reasons. Advani is now 96 and Joshi will turn 90 next month.

However, as per The Print, both leaders have received invites following the controversy.

Three leaders came to invite Advani ji for the temple ceremony and Advani ji showed his interest to be present at the ceremony. It is up to the organising committee to make arrangements for his participation. He had started the Ram Temple agitation and this is a happy moment for everybody in the country, a close aide of Advani told The Print.

The aide said there is no difficulty in his participation in the ceremony.

A close aide to Joshi told the outlet, He is in good health and he participated in a few public functions recently, including one for old RSS functionaries. He continues to write scientific papers regularly despite his old age. Champat Rai ji talked to Dr Joshi, but he is interested in participating in the ceremony.

VHP president Alok Sharma told The Print, both leaders, who are faces of Ram Mandir construction, have been invited and both have shown an inclination to attend ceremony.

The [Ram Temple] trust has also invited former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda. He has asked about the availability of wheelchairs, we have assured him that not only a wheelchair, but a dedicated person be put in charge of arrangements for him. Similar arrangements will be made for Advani ji and Joshi ji, Sharma added.

It remains to be seen if they actually attend the ceremony.

This CPI (M) have announced they will skip the ceremony to protest the politicisation of a religious programme.

CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has turned down an invitation to attend the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the party said on Tuesday while underlining its belief that religion is a personal choice.

Our policy is to respect religious beliefs and the right of each individual to pursue their belief. Religion is a personal choice not to be converted into an instrument for political gain. Comrade Sitaram Yechury will not attend the ceremony despite receiving an invitation to do so, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said in a post on X.

No, we will not go. We respect the religious beliefs but they are connecting a religious programme with politics. Using religion as a political weapon or to advance a political agenda is not right, CPI (M) leader Brinda Karat Karat ANI.

In a statement, the politburo of the Left party said Yechury received an invitation to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The CPI(M) policy has been to respect religious beliefs and safeguarding the right of every individual to pursue their belief. It believes that religion is a personal choice not to be converted into an instrument for political gain. Therefore, we will not be attending the ceremony, the party said.

It added that it is most unfortunate that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have converted a religious ceremony into a State-sponsored event directly involving the prime minister, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and other government functionaries.

A fundamental principle of governance in India as reiterated by the Supreme Court is that the State in India, under the Constitution, should have no religious affiliation. This is be

Former Congress leader Kapil Sibal too has said he will not attend.

What I say to you is from my heart because I do not care about these things. If Ram is in my heart, and Ram has guided me on my journey, it means I have done something right, Sibal told ANI.

They talk about Lord Ram but their character is nowhere close. Truthfulness, tolerance, sacrifice, and respect for others are some of the traits of Ram but they do exactly the opposite you need to have Rams principles in your heart.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Kannauj, Subrat Pathak, has urged Rai not to invite Samajwadi Party leaders for the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

I just request the Shri Ram Mandir Trust to invite every Sanatani, irrespective of party, in the Shri Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha programme but not the SP, the killers of Ram devotees, he said.

This is a matter of pride for our country but we also know that some political parties did not want the Ram Temple to be built, especially the Samajwadi Party.

You must remember how the Samajwadi Party had brutally killed Ram devotees by firing at them, for which they have not apologised till date. I just request Shri Ram Mandir Trust to call every Sanatani, irrespective of political party, but not the Samajwadi Party, Pathak said.

After the consecration ceremony, mandal puja will be held from 24 January for 48 days  according to tradition.

The temple will be opened to devotees on 23 January

Rai said that proper arrangements have been made for the guests to stay at more than three places in Ayodhya.

Apart from this, 600 rooms have been made available by various monasteries, temples and household families.

With inputs from agencies
In a first, Pakistan will witness a Hindu woman running for the polls in the upcoming general elections.

Dr Saveera Parkash has filed her nomination from the Buner district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province for elections that are scheduled to be held on 8 February, 2024, to elect the members of the 16th National Assembly in Pakistan. Parkash will compete for the general seat of PK-25 in Buner district.

But who is Saveera Parkash?

Saveera Parkash is a medical doctor from the Hindu community. Her father, Oam Parkash is a retired doctor who has been an active member of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for 35 years. Following in the footsteps of her father, Parkash will contest the elections on a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) ticket.

A local politician, Saleem Khan, who is affiliated with the Qaumi Watan Party, noted Parkash is the first woman from Buner to submit nomination papers for the upcoming elections on a general seat, as reported by Dawn on Monday.

Parkash, a 2022 graduate of Abbottabad International Medical College, serves as the general secretary of the PPP womens wing in Buner. Expressing her commitment to the welfare of the community, she highlighted her desire to work for the betterment of women, ensuring a safe environment and advocating for their rights.

She also emphasised the historical neglect and suppression of women in the development sector and aims to address these issues if elected.

In an interview with Dawn, Parkash spoke about her aspirations to follow in her fathers footsteps, working for the areas underprivileged. She submitted her nomination papers on 23 December, expressing hope that the senior leadership of the PPP would endorse her candidature.

Also Read: Pakistan elections 2024: How an imprisoned Imran Khan is using AI to campaign

Parkash, with a background in medicine, emphasised that her commitment to serving humanity is in my blood. Her dream of becoming an elected legislator stems from her firsthand experiences with poor management and helplessness in government hospitals during her medical career.

Imran Noshad Khan, a social media influencer from Buner, expressed his wholehearted endorsement of Saveera Parkash, irrespective of her political affiliation. He commended her for breaking stereotypes perpetuated by traditional patriarchy, emphasising the significance of a woman stepping forward to contest elections in a region where it took 55 years since Buner merged with Pakistan.

Recent amendments by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) mandate a five per cent inclusion of women candidates in general seats, Dawn reported.

Krishna Kumari Kohli became the first non-Muslim woman to win a womens reserved seat in Pakistans Senate in 2018. In the same year, Radha Bheel and Lelan Lohar, both Hindu Dalit women, ran as independents in the Sindh district of Mirpur Khas, reported The Quint.

With inputs from ANI
A new political party called the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), launched by the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, Hafiz Saeed, is set to run in the countrys forthcoming general elections.

However, Talha Saeed, Hafizs son, is the centre of attention as he prepares to contest from Lahores NA-127 National Assembly constituency, reported Pakistani English daily Dawn.

He intends to run in the general elections against the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz)s upper leadership (PML-(N)).

The move has raised concerns due to Talha Saeeds association with the banned terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Heres all we know about him.

Who is Talha Saeed?

Talha Saeed is the son of Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the deadly 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Hafiz, the founder of UN-banned LeT, was found guilty in multiple terror financing cases and has been imprisoned since 2019. A USD 10 million bounty has been placed on Saeed by the United States.

Experts believe that its a ploy by ISI and Islamabad to make sure Saeed escapes any attempt on his life, according to Wion News.

Like his father, Talha has been deeply embroiled in terror activities. Issuing a notification on 8 April this year, the Union home ministry emphasised Talhas leadership of the terror groups cleric wing and his status as a senior leader of LeT.

He has been involved in activities against India in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), according to the Ministry, and he is still taking steps that threaten the peace and stability of the Jammu and Kashmir area, as per News18.

The notification added that the 47-year-old has been actively involved in recruitment, fund collection, and planning and executing attacks by the LeT in India and Indian interests in Afghanistan.

Under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of 1967, the Ministry of Home Affairs labeled him as a terrorist.

The controversy

The PMMLs electoral logo is chair.

PMML President Khalid Masood Sindhu announced via video message that his party is running for the majority of seats in the national and provincial assemblies. We want to come to power not for corruption but to serve the people and make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state, he said.

According to Indian intelligence officers with knowledge of the developments who spoke with CNN-News18, Talha Saeeds nomination demonstrated that Pakistan acknowledges and supports terrorist organisations like LeT and wants terrorists in Parliament.

They emphasised that the party supported by terror groups had received recognition from Pakistani electoral authorities and had been given a symbol to run for office.

In an interview with the news agency PTI, Sindhu refuted any connections between PMML and Hafiz Saeeds group. He asserted, Our party has no backing of Hafiz Saeed.

Elections in Pakistan are scheduled for 8 February 2024.

Khalid Masood Sindhu, meanwhile, will run from NA-130 Lahore against Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister of Pakistan and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

PMMLs history

Notably, PMML ran for office in the 2018 general election as the Milli Muslim League, the political wing of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), the LeTs front organisation, as per Wion News.

At that time, Talha submitted nomination papers for the NA-91 (Sargodha-IV) seat, while Hafiz Khalid Waleed, the son-in-law of Hafiz Saeed, ran for office from NA-133 (Lahore-XI).

Following the partys crushing defeat in the polls, the Pakistani government banned the Milli League. As Hafiz Saeed makes another attempt at breaking political ground with PMML being born from the Milli League.
The Israel-Hamas war continues to rage  its Day 81  and according to the United Nations, theres no let-up in the fighting. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who visited troops in northern Gaza on Monday, vowed to keep up the fight and dismissed claims of calling for a halt in fighting. We are not stopping. The war will continue until the end, until we finish it, no less, he was quoted as saying.

The fighting has intensified in the Gaza Strip with Palestinian residents reporting several airstrikes near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, the largest medical facility located there.

But amid this fighting, there is some hope of peace, as Egypt presented what is now being described as an ambitious plan to end the war in Gaza with a ceasefire. But will Israel and Hamas accept the deal?

We get you the answers.

The Egypt peace plan

On Monday, Egypt presented an ambitious plan to bring the hostilities to an end to Israel, Hamas, the United States and European governments. According to reports, those who have viewed the plan, call it one of the most comprehensive and detailed one amid the war.

The proposal has three stages and, if accepted, is expected to bring sweeping changes to the Gaza Strip as well as bring about peace in the region.

According to the proposal, which has the backing of Qatar, there would be a two-week halt to the fighting, extendable to three or four weeks, in exchange for the release of 40 hostages kidnapped from Israel. In return, Israel would release 120 Palestinian security prisoners who fit the same categories as the hostages released. During this time, fighting would stop and humanitarian aid would enter Gaza.

The second phase of the plan would see Hamas releasing all female Israeli soldiers in return for more Palestinian prisoners, taking place during another weeklong truce. At the same time, talks would be held to form a technocratic government in the West Bank and Gaza and pave the way for Palestinian parliamentary and presidential elections.

And the final phase of the plan would include a comprehensive ceasefire, the release of all Israeli hostages, including soldiers, reported the Times of Israel. Furthermore, Israel would withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip and allow displaced Gazans to return to their homes.

How Israel has reacted to Egypts plan

Reports have stated that Israels war Cabinet met on Monday night to discuss Egypts proposal. Israels government is now facing intense pressure from families and loved ones of those held hostage to bring them home.

Israeli minister Benny Gantz told a group of hostage families on Sunday night that there are several proposals in the works to release those held but signalled it wasnt clear they were all being seriously considered. There are Egyptian proposals and there are other proposals flying around from all kinds of directions. I dont even know which of them are even relevant, he was quoted as saying, according to a report by the Wall Steeet Journal.

However, it seems that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed the plan, stating Hamas must be destroyed, Gaza must be demilitarised, and Palestinian society must be deradicalised.

In fact, speaking to troops on Monday, he said: We are not stopping. Anyone who talks about stopping  no. Were not stopping. This war is going to go until the end. Until we finish them. No less than that.

Even Israels finance minister Bezalel Smotrich rejected the Egypt plan. The war Cabinet has no mandate to stop the war before all the war aims have been achieved, he was quoted as saying by the Times of Israel.

But why is Israel refusing to budge? Mohammed Cherkaoui, a professor of conflict resolution at George Mason University, told Al Jazeera that one of the challenges is a ceasefire versus a truce. Palestinians are talking about a full-fledged ceasefire. The Israelis are hearing a truce, a pause.

Moreover, Netanyahu would have to pull back from its stated mission of eradicating Hamas.

As Gershon Baskin, who previously negotiated a hostage-release deal on Israels behalf told the Wall Street Journal, This deal is really a victory for Hamas and its really difficult for me to see the Israelis agreeing to that.

Hamas rejects Egypt plan

And it seems that even Hamas has rejected Egypts peace proposal. News agency Reuters has reported that Hamas and the allied Islamic Jihad have rejected the proposal that they relinquish power in the Gaza Strip.

Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas political bureau, however, denied these claims, but said: There can be no negotiations without a complete stop to the aggression.

The Hamas leadership is aiming with all its might for a complete, not temporary, end to the aggression and massacres of our people.

Even Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar has dismissed the Egypt plan. In a public message, his first since the 7 October attack, Sinwar reportedly said that that Hamas was on its way to crushing the Israel Defense Forces, and, referring to Israel, said Hamas will not submit to the occupations conditions.

The Islamic Jihad, which holds hotages in Gaza, also echoed Hamas refusal. According to a Reuters report, an Islamic Jihad delegation led by its leader Ziad al-Nakhala is currently in Cairo to exchange ideas with Egyptian officials over prisoner swap offers and other issues. However, they are unwilling to accept the Egypt plan.

They insist that any prisoner swap must be based on the principle of all for all, which means the release of all hostages held in Gaza by Hamas and Islamic Jihad in return for freeing all Palestinians jailed in Israel.

War continues to extract a heavy toll

The Israel-Hamas war, which began after the 7 October attack, has entered its 12th week, with neither side willing to relent. The devastating air and ground campaign in Gaza has killed more than 20,400 Palestinians, including 8,200 children.

And on Monday, the war worsened with Gaza witnessing one of its deadliest nights, with health officials saying that at least 70 people had been Israeli air strike in the centre of the tiny, besieged Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, the anger against Netanyahu is also rising. On Monday, as he spoke in the Israeli Parliament, relatives of the hostages interrupted him and called for their immediate return. Now! Now! they shouted.

Families heckled the prime minister, as Netanyahu said Israeli forces needed more time to increase military pressure on Hamas, which he argued would help to secure the captives release. Moreover, the death of Israeli soldiers has also angered the public. On Monday, the Israeli military announced the death of two more soldiers, bringing the total to 156.

With inputs from agencies
The Israeli embassy confirmed a blast had taken place near the consulate building on Tuesday evening.

We can confirm that around 5:20 pm (local time, 1150 GMT) there was a blast at close proximity to the embassy, Israeli Embassy spokesperson Guy Nir told Reuters, adding that local police and security teams were investigating the incident.

Israels foreign ministry said all staff were unharmed following the blast and Israeli authorities were cooperating with their Indian counterparts to look into the cause of the explosion.

We can confirm that around 5:10 pm there was a blast at close proximity to the embassy. Delhi Police and the security team are still investigating the situation: Israel Embassy in New Delhi https://t.co/WB4jy1BmGK  ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2023



According to a statement from Israels Deputy Chief of Mission, Ohad Nakash Kaynar, There was an explosion this evening after 5 pm in close proximity to the embassy. All our workers are safe, and we are cooperating with the Delhi Police. Our security teams are working with the Delhi Police, and they will investigate the matter further.

The Delhi Police on Tuesday evening received a call about a blast near the Israel embassy located in the New Delhi district, officials said. According to Delhi Fire Services officials, the call was received at 5.47 pm and was transferred from the PCR (police control room) of the Delhi Police.

Delhi Fire Service received a call of a blast near the Israel Embassy in the Chanakyapuri area this evening. Police and fire department officials are at the spot and a search operation is underway, they said.

Delhi Fire Service received a call of a blast near the Israel Embassy in the Chanakyapuri area this evening. So far nothing has been found at the location, says Atul Garg, Director, Delhi Fire Services pic.twitter.com/Ipd23kciBS  ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2023

In January 2021, a small bomb went off near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi, without harming anyone. An Israeli official said at the time that Israel was treating the blast as a terrorist incident.
Amid an ongoing operation to track down terrorists behind the ambush that left four soldiers dead in J&Ks Poonch last week, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday said that if India does not hold a dialogue with Pakistan it will meet the same fate as Gaza and Palestine, which is being bombed by Israel.

#WATCH | National Conference MP Farooq Abdullah says, Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said that we can change our friends but not our neighbours. If we remain friendly with our neighbours, both will progress. PM Modi also said that war is not an option now and the matters should be pic.twitter.com/EcPx9B70jJ  ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2023

Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said that we can change our friends but not our neighbours. If we remain friendly with our neighbours, both will progress. PM Modi also said that war is not an option now and the matters should be resolved through dialogue. Where is the dialogue? he asked while addressing reporters on Tuesday.

He said that Nawaz Sharif is about to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan and they are willing to talk but India is not showing any interest.

Nawaz Sharif is about to become the PM (of Pakistan) and they are saying that we are ready to talk (with India), but what is the reason why we are not ready to talk? If we do not find a solution through dialogue, we will meet the same fate as Gaza and Palestine, which are being bombed by Israel, he added.

Reacting to Abdullahs remarks, senior BJP leader Hina Shafi Bhat criticised the veteran leader saying it is regrettable that a senior leader from Jammu and Kashmir is still talking about talks with Pakistan.

Farooq saab should learn now, this regime is not going to bow down before Pakistan. We tried, they have backstabbed us again and again, NDTV quoted Bhat as saying.

Abdullahs comments in the backdrop of of a series incidents being reported from Jammu and Kashmir including a terrorist attack in Poonch last week in which four soldiers were killed.

On Tuesday, security forces continued to carry out cordon and search operations for the sixth consecutive day to track down the terrorists behind the ambush in Poonch.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to visit ground zero on Wednesday with top Army and civilian officials monitoring the situation in Poonch in view of the terrorist attack which was followed by the death of three civilians in the area, official sources said.

Over 30 suspects have been questioned during the past few days and several of them have been released, they said.

The cordon and search operation is going on to track down the terrorists involved in the ambush on Army vehicles, a senior official said.

The official said that the operation includes sniffer dogs, surveillance equipment and aerial mechanisms. Additional forces have been deployed to plug seven infiltration routes amid area domination operations in the area, he said.

Operations are being carried out cautiously as there are dense forests, deep gorges and caves, official sources said.

With inputs from agencies
Naval Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar on Tuesday said that India has decided to take robust action to protect its merchant shipping as the number of piracy and drone attacks have substantially gone up.

Addressing the media after Indian Navy commissioned its latest stealth-guided missile destroyer INS Imphal at Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, Admiral Kumar said, As you are aware that we are undertaking anti-piracy and anti-drones strike operations. It is a matter of concern now that the number of attacks has gone up. Just to give you the correct perspective, since 19th November, there have been a total of 30 drone attacks and piracy attacks. So from 19 November till now, which is about 35 days, it roughly translates to one attack a day. If we look at one year before that, barely four or five incidents, maybe you can say one in two months or one in three months. So the frequency has definitely gone up.

#WATCH | On anti-piracy & anti-drone strike operations by Indian Navy, Naval Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar says, It is a matter of concern now that the number of attacks has gone up now Since 19th November, there have been a total of 30 drone attacks and piracy attackswe pic.twitter.com/Oy9G7hkguM  ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2023

He said that the Indian Navy has decided to protect the merchant shipping and all the suspicious vessels will be searched.

We have decided to take very robust action to protect the merchant shipping. About 50 per cent of these 30 attacks have happened in the Red Sea and no attacks have happened against any of the Indian flagged merchant vessels. There have been extensive attacks on vessels flagged in Uganda and other countries but having our crew, some part of were going to board and search all the suspicious vessels. We will put in additional units to bring this under control, said the navy chief.

MV Chem Pluto, carrying crude oil to New Mangalore port from Al Jubail port in Saudi Arabia, was struck about 217 nautical miles from Porbandar on Saturday. No one was injured in the incident.

A Gabon-flagged commercial crude oil tanker with 25 Indian crew members also came under a drone attack in the Southern Red Sea on Saturday but no one was injured, according to Indian officials and the US military.

Saturdays drone attacks came amid increasing concerns over various commercial vessels being targeted reportedly by Iran-backed Houthi militants in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Meanwhile, adding muscle to the naval fleet, Indian Navy on Tuesday commissioned its latest stealth-guided missile destroyer INS Imphal at Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.

Imphal, which has an ability to fire extended range supersonic BrahMos missile, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Apart from Singh, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde attended the event that marked the formal induction into the navy of the third of four Visakhapatnam class destroyers, indigenously designed by the navys in-house organisation, Warship Design Bureau, and constructed by defence PSU Mazagon Dock Limited, Mumbai.

INS Imphal is the first warship to have been named after a city from northeast India.

INS Imphal was delivered to the navy on 20 October after the completion of a rigorous and comprehensive trial programme both in the harbour and at sea.

With inputs from agencies
Adding muscle to the naval fleet, India on Tuesday commissioned its latest stealth-guided missile destroyer INS Imphal at Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.

INS Imphal is the largest and most advanced destroyer to ever be named after a city in the northeastern state of Manipur.

Addressing the commissioning event  which was also attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Maharashtra CM Ekanth Shinde  Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said, INS Imphal will not only tackle physical threats that emanate at or from the seas, but more importantly, through the demonstrated strength of an integrated Bharat, she will deter nefarious designs, trying to subvert our national unityEven as we speak, we have four destroyers of 15 Alpha and Bravo class deployed to counter piracy and drone attacks on merchant shipping

#WATCH | Mumbai: Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar says, INS Imphal will not only tackle physical threats that emanate at or from the seas, but more importantly, through the demonstrated strength of an integrated Bharat, she will deter nefarious designs, trying to subvert our pic.twitter.com/qVbnzoZePu  ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2023

Rajnath Singh said the the induction of INS Imphal into the Indian Navy shows Indias self-reliance in the defence sector.

#WATCH | Mumbai: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Commissioning Ceremony of INS Imphal says, The induction of INS Imphal into the Indian Navy shows Indias self-reliance in the defence sector. This reflects the commitment of MDL and Navy towards national security, and pic.twitter.com/3asBLNI5jB  ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2023

This reflects the commitment of MDL and Navy towards national security, and the hard work, and dedication of all stakeholders involved in its creation. I truly believe that the commissioning of INS Imphal will strengthen the Indian Navy, said the Defence Minister.

Referring to recent drone attack on MV Chem Pluto in the Arabian Sea and the attack on MV Sai Baba in the Red Sea, Singh said that the Indian government has taken these incidents very seriously.

Nowadays the turbulence in the sea has increased a bit. Indias growing economic and strategic power has filled some forces with jealousy and hatred. The Government of India has taken the recent drone attack on MV Chem Pluto in the Arabian Sea and the attack on MV Sai Baba in the Red Sea a few days ago very seriously. Indian Navy has increased surveillance of the sea. Whoever has carried out this attack, we will find them even from the seabed and strict action will be taken against them, warned the Defence Minister.

#WATCH | Mumbai: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Commissioning Ceremony of INS Imphal says, Nowadays the turbulence in the sea has increased a bit. Indias growing economic and strategic power has filled some forces with jealousy and hatred. The Government of India has pic.twitter.com/qZokDW0kCu  ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2023

Imphal was handed over to the Indian Navy on 20 October following a rigorous and comprehensive trial program conducted both in the harbor and at sea. The keel of the ship was laid on May 19, 2017, and it was launched into the water on April 20, 2019.

With a length of 163 meters, a displacement of 7,400 tonnes, and an impressive 75% indigenous content, Imphal stands as one of the most formidable warships ever constructed in India.

This accomplishment serves as a testament to Indias growing shipbuilding capabilities in alignment with the national vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, making the warship a symbol of a developed India in harmony with the Amrit Kaal national vision. Featuring a substantial indigenous component, including medium-range surface-to-air missiles, BrahMos surface-to-surface missiles, indigenous torpedo tube launchers, anti-submarine indigenous rocket launchers, and a 76mm super rapid gun mount, INS Imphal showcases the nations technological prowess.

Imphal is equipped with a modern surveillance radar that provides target data to the ships gunnery weapon systems. Its Anti-Submarine Warfare capabilities are bolstered by indigenously developed Rocket Launchers, Torpedo Launchers, and ASW helicopters. The ship is designed to operate under Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) warfare conditions, boasting a high degree of automation and stealth features that enhance its combat capability and survivability.

Designed by the Indian Navys Warship Design Bureau and constructed by M/s MDL, Imphal reflects significant contributions from both the public and private sectors, including MSMEs, and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), solidifying its status as a state-of-the-art warship.

With inputs from agencies
Grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking, a character plane with 276 passengers, mostly Indians, landed in Mumbai airport on Tuesday at 3 am.

Operated by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines A340 aircraft, with 303 Indian passengers, including 11 minors, was bound to Managua in Nicaragua from Fujairah airport in UAE, but was halted by French authorities in Vatry where it had stopped for refuelling on Thursday.

Why was flight with Indian passenger grounded in France?

The flight was grounded by police based on an anonymous tip that it could be carrying victims of human trafficking.

What happened next?

Over the next three days, the plane along with its passengers remained in France, as a judicial inquiry to probe the intent of the journey was initiated by the French authorities.

It was on Monday night, the charter flight took off for Mumbai from Vatry airport near Paris around 2:30 pm local time, but with only 276 passengers.

Visuals from Mumbai Airport where a charter plane carrying 276 passengers, mostly Indians, grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking, landed earlier today. pic.twitter.com/mZ90bpAGX6  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 26, 2023

What happened to 25 other passengers?

According to a report by a French news channel, 25 people, including two minors, had expressed the wish for asylum and were still on French soil.

Meanwhile, two others were held and produced before a judge. They were later released and placed on assisted witness status to the case, a special status under French law that allows time for further investigation and could lead to eventual charges or to the case being dropped.

Those who remained were transferred to a special zone in Paris Charles de Gaulle airport for asylum-seekers, a report by news agency AP said.

#WATCH | Maharashtra: Passengers leave from Mumbai airport. A plane with Indian passengers that was grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking arrived in Mumbai, earlier today. pic.twitter.com/N93wPcbwr8  ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2023

The report by AP also said the prosecutors did not comment on whether the passengers ultimate destination could have been the US, the country that has been witnessing a surge in Indians crossing the Mexico-US border this year.

Legend Airlines lawyer Liliana Bakayoko said some passengers didnt want to go back to India because they had paid for a tourism trip to Nicaragua, AP reported.

In France, foreigners can be held up to four days in a transit zone for police investigations, after which a special judge must rule on whether to extend that to eight days.

The investigation has been taken over by Frances national anti-organised crime unit JUNALCO which will be examining suspected cases of human trafficking. Meanwhile, the airline has denied any role in possible human trafficking.

CISF interrogates all 276 passengers in Mumbai

Upon their arrival at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) interrogated all the 276 Indian passengers.

They were hiding their faces and avoided the media on their arrival at the Mumbai airport.

Indian authorities on passengers return

The Indian Embassy in France Monday thanked the French government and the Vatry Airport authorities for their hospitality and quick resolution of the situation that allowed Indian passengers to return home.

Thank French Gov and Vatry Airport for quick resolution of the situation enabling Indian passengers to return home and hospitality. Also for working closely with embassy team, present throughout at the site to ensure welfare and smooth & safe return. Thank agencies in India, too, the Indian Embassy in France wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Why Indians were travelling to Nicaragua?

News reports indicate that the travel may have been planned for the passengers to reach the Central American country, from where they can attempt to enter the United States or Canada illegally.

Nicaragua, a Central American country, has become a popular destination for those seeking asylum in the US. News reports indicate that the passengers may have planned to travelled to the nation to make an attempt to enter the US or Canada illegally.

A PTI report quoted data by the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) stating that as many as 96,917 Indians attempted to enter the US illegally in 2023, signalling a 51.61 per cent jump from the previous year,

Nicaragua being a popular destination for those seeking asylum in the US.

With inputs from agencies
Indias Defence expert Qamar Agha stated on Tuesday that following the recent terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmirs Poonch-Rajouri sector, Pakistan has resumed its promotion of militancy in the area in an attempt to obstruct the Centers developmental agenda.

Speaking to ANI, Qamar Agha stated, Pakistan is attempting to instigate militancy once more, as the graph of militancy has decreased and people have realized that militancy is hopeless. There, a developmental agenda was being pushed, and several businesses planned to make investments that will result in job creation.

On the Army soldiers being killed in terror attacks, Agha said, It is sad that India lost quite a few bravehearts. Pakistans strategy is to destabilise this region so they have started sending militants again. This region is easy for them due to dense forests and bypasses being there so it is easy for them to infiltrate.

Reacting to the deaths of three civilians in the Poonch-Rajouri sector, Qamar Agha said that the Indian Army will definitely take this matter seriously.

It is an isolated incident but it has happened. The Indian Army is known for its discipline all over the world; discipline is of paramount importance to them and this is a message to boost the morale of the army as soldiers and a message to Pakistan that we take militancy seriously, Agha said.

The Poonch-Rajouri sectors are the responsibility of the 16 Corps, which is going to see a routine change in command as the incumbent Lt Gen Sandeep Jain is handing over command to Lt Gen Naveen Sachdev.

Earlier, Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande visited the Rajouri-Poonch sector on Monday to review the security situation in the area.

The Army Chief visited the area where the recent attacks on security forces have taken place in the Poonch-Rajouri sector. The Army chief was briefed on the situation by Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi and other senior officers on the ground and the steps taken to plug the security gaps.

The Staff Court of Inquiry is being headed by a Major General-rank officer who would also be taking responsibility for the deaths of three civilians who were taken into custody by 48 RR troops right after the Dera ki Gali terror attack, in which four troops were killed and their bodies were also mutilated.

The Indian Army is also further strengthening its preparedness on the Line of Control and the international border, from where these terrorists have been trying to infiltrate into the Indian side from across.

(with inputs from ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and discussed the future of the strategic partnership between the two countries besides the situation in West Asia amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Both the leaders also shared concerns regarding terrorism, violence, the loss of civilian lives and the situation in West Asia. The leaders also reviewed progress in the bilateral Strategic Partnership in follow-up to the State visit of the Crown Prince to India in September 2023 and discussed the forward-looking bilateral partnership agenda for the future, a PMO statement said on Tuesday.

PM Modi reiterated Indias long-standing and principled position on the Israel-Palestine issue and called for continued humanitarian aid for the affected population, it said.

PM Modi said on X, Held a good conversation with my Brother HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on the future of Strategic Partnership between India and Saudi Arabia. We exchanged views on the West Asia situation and shared concerns regarding terrorism, violence and the loss of civilian lives, he said on Tuesday.

Held a good conversation with my Brother HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on the future of Strategic Partnership between India and Saudi Arabia. We exchanged views on the West Asia situation and shared concerns regarding terrorism, violence and the loss of  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 26, 2023

The Prime Minister also said they agreed to work together for peace, security and stability in the region and emphasised the need for maintaining maritime security and the freedom of navigation.

Earlier this year, Salman visited India for the G20 summit in New Delhi. During his visit, he also held bilateral talks with PM Modi and President Droupadi Murmu.

The two leaders also held the first leaders meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council. After the meeting, PM Modi said that the economic corridor between India, West Asia and Europe will provide economic growth and digital connectivity between these regions. He noted that the cooperation between India and Saudi Arabia in the economic sector is vital for the peace and stability of the entire region.

President Droupadi Murmu also hosted a banquet in honour of the Saudi Crown Prince and noted that the two nations shared cultural experiences, economic synergies and a common commitment towards a peaceful and sustainable world.

With inputs from agencies.
India has vowed to track down, even from the depths of the seas, those who attacked the Merchant Navy vessel MV Chem Pluto in the Red Sea, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh assuring strict action against those behind the attacks.

The reaction by the Defence Minister came shortly after the Indian Navy confirmed that MV Chem Pluto was struck by a drone two days ago.

In his address at the event of commissioning of stealth guided missile destroyer INS Imphal in Mumbai, Singh said India has intensified patrolling of the seas after the recent attacks on merchant navy ships.

The Indian government has taken the drone attack on MV Chem Pluto and attack on MV Sai Baba in the Red Sea seriously. We will find those who executed the recent attacks on merchant navy ships even from the depths of the seas and take strict action against them, the minister said.

               ,              :    @rajnathsingh    / RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) December 26, 2023

On Saturday, MV Chem Pluto with 21 Indian crew members, was struck by a drone about 217 nautical miles from Porbandar following which both the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard deployed a number of assets to provide assistance to the ship.

The attack was one of several drone and missile strikes by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have been targeting the crucial Red Sea shipping lane since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on 7 October.

A Gabon-flagged commercial crude oil tanker with 25 Indian crew members reportedly came under a drone attack in the Southern Red Sea. Indian officials later clarified that the commercial oil tanker was not an Indian-flagged vessel.

Meanwhile, Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said four destroyers have been deployed to counter piracy and drone attacks on merchant ships.

Kumar further said P-8I aircraft, Dorniers, Sea Guardians, helicopters and Coast Guard ships - all have been deployed jointly to counter the threats of piracy and drone attacks.

Houthis have been carrying out a slew of drone and missile attacks in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, where Israeli forces have been fighting the Hamas terrorists.

With inputs from agencies
Alongwith the rest of the country, Karnataka too is gearing up for New Years celebration, but the administration in the state is worried due to surge in JN.1 COVID-19 cases. The southern state has reported 34 infections of the new sub-variant of the virus and all have been in Bengaluru.

Amid this, the Karnataka Cabinet sub-committee set up to tackle COVID-19 held its first meeting on Tuesday on the precautionary measures need to be undertaken.

After the meeting, an advisory was issued saying people have no restrictions to celebrate New Years but have been asked not to go where theres crowd. Also, all have been asked to follow COVID appropriate behaviour.

There are no restrictions for the New year but theres a standard Advisory for people not go where theres a crowd and follow COVID appropriate behaviour, the advisory by the Cabinet sub-committee stated.

In the meeting, chaired by Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, it was also decided to make wearing of masks compulsory, especially for people above the age of 60.

If children show symptoms, dont send them to school, get them tested, the Karnataka government said.

Mandatory 7-day home isolation

As per the advisory, people of the state, who get infected by COVID-19, must have to be in seven-day home isolation and special leave must be given to the individuals by their company. A direction will be out on this soon, it added.

Maintain physical distancing

Talking to media persons after the meeting, Rao said, There are 34 cases of JN.1 variant of COVID. We are well prepared. There is nothing alarming. The majority of the cases are in Bengaluru. We are advising people to maintain physical distancing.

#WATCH | On Covid19 situation, Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao says, There are 34 cases of JN.1 variant of Covid. We are well prepared. There is nothing alarming. The majority of the cases are in Bengaluru. We are advising people to maintain physical distancing. pic.twitter.com/pSwVAlLi2i  ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2023

Karnataka COVID-19 update: 36 patients admitted in hospitals

As per the Karnataka government, there are a total of 436 cases of COVID-19 in the state of which 400 are under home isolation and 36 are in hospital.

Of the 36 COVID-19 patients in Karnataka hospitals, 29 are in general ward, while seven are in ICU.

The Cabinet sub-committee has directed health officials to track all 400 active cases in Karnataka.

"Preparations underway to ensure the Oxygen supply generation plant and Liquid Medical Oxygen are ready," the advisory said.

Karnataka to procure 30,000 Corbevax vaccines

The Karnataka government will procure 30,000 Corbevax vaccines from the Centre and it will be provided as a precautionary vaccine to those with comorbidities and also to those who have not taken a booster dose, the advisory said.

Corbevax is India's second indigenous vaccine after Covaxin and is developed by Hyderabad-based Biological E. It is a Receptor Binding Domain Protein sub-unit jab, which means this vaccine triggers an immune response by using fragments, such as the spike protein, instead of the whole virus.

The Corbevax contains the harmless S-protein which once the immune system recognises, it begins to produce antibodies as white blood cells to fight the virus.

The Karnataka government will also provide a compulsory flu vaccine to all health workers.

The state's health department has also asked for a complete death audit in Karnataka.
Ex-Congress stalwart and Constituent Assembly member K Hanumanthaiya had said this on 17 November, 1949: We hoped for the sweet melodies of veena or sitar, but what we got was the sound of an English band. He was referring to colonial continuity in post-independence India. Over time, many systems embraced a more Indian identity, but unfortunately, the criminal justice system held on to the laws that the British used against Indians. There was a need for an overhaul and the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, in its 146th report published in 2010, suggested that its essential to thoroughly review the countrys criminal justice system.

Earlier, in its 111th and 128th reports, the Parliamentary Committee had emphasised the importance of improving criminal laws through comprehensive legislation rather than making small changes to existing acts. No government took an interest in shedding the shackles of the colonial past as the hangover of colonial continuity gave them comfort.

However, as the architects of naya Bharat this government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah took it upon themselves to replace the Indian Penal Code(IPC), the Criminal Procedure Code(CrPC), and the Indian Evidence Act with three new bills namely the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita(BNS) Bill, Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita(BNSS) Bill and Bharatiya Sakshya Bill 2023. First introduced in August 2023, these were re-introduced after some amendments in this winter session of the Parliament.

Despite various changes, lets focus on a few key aspects. One major shift introduced by the bill is the concept of trial in absentia. According to the new BNSS bill, if someone declared a proclaimed offender runs away to avoid trial and theres no immediate chance of arresting them, it will be considered a waiver of their right to be present for the trial in person. In simpler terms, the court can proceed with the trial as if the person were there, including delivering the judgment.

The Supreme Court, in the 2017 Hussain vs Union of India case, also observed that allowing trial in absentia could significantly reduce delays in cases where an accused person goes into hiding during the trial. This is a significant step forward, as India has faced challenges when fugitives flee abroad, leading the country to depend on other nations to extradite them and ensure their physical presence for trial.

Another significant change pertains to addressing the issue of mob lynching. The new BNS bill now considers murder or causing serious harm by a group of five or more people on specific grounds such as race, caste, sex, language, or personal belief as a punishable offence. The prescribed punishment for such a crime is either life imprisonment or the death penalty.

Its worth noting that, despite opposition parties previously using terms like lynchistan to criticise the country under the BJP rule, they have been relatively silent when it comes to acknowledging the crime and advocating for laws against it. This law is expected to put an end to the hypocrisy of those who, in the past, defamed the country but never went ahead and made stringent laws against mob violence which could have been a deterrent. It will also set the record straight on whether a particular community has been the victim of mob lynching incidents or whether this was a vicious propaganda planted by certain Opposition parties to defame India globally.

Another crucial change worth noting is that BNS introduces terrorism as an offense. Terrorism is now defined as an act with an intent likely to threaten the unity, integrity, security, or economic well-being of the country, causing terror among the people. Unlike before, where terrorism was mainly associated with organizations, individuals can now be prosecuted under the new BNS. In addition to the unambiguous terrorism definition, the bill also incorporates organised crime. This development is expected to significantly enhance the Indian legal system, and the specific classification of terrorism may serve as a model for other countries grappling with similar challenges. Moreover, the specific definition of terrorism will also set an example for other countries grappling with similar challenges.

In addition to the three major changes, several other reforms have been made, notably the removal of the harsh sedition law. Its interesting to note that during the era of British colonialism in India, sedition was considered a non-cognisable offence. This meant that a police officer couldnt arrest someone accused of sedition without a warrant from a magistrate. However, a significant shift occurred in 1974 when the Indira Gandhi government, more than a year before the declaration of the Emergency in independent India, made sedition a cognisable offence. This marked the first time in Indian history that a police officer could arrest a person accused of sedition without needing a warrant from a magistrate. A law as harsh as this needed to go and the Supreme Court too had directed the same in the SG Vombatkere vs Union of India.

Another key feature of these new bills is the integration of forensic science as a valid evidence-gathering instrument in our criminal justice procedures. This will go a long way in combatting the newer challenges posed by cybercrimes and narco-terrorism.

Comprehensively, we can say that this change in the criminal justice system of India ushers a new era. An era free from the colonial IPC, which was drafted by a man called Thomas Babington Macaulay, who, in 1835, had condescendingly written that a single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India and Arabia. Hope that this will be another step toward slowing down the sound of the English Band and replacing it with sounds of veena and sitar. The evolving legal landscape not only seeks to address current issues but also lays the foundation for a more inclusive, efficient, and fair criminal justice system in India.

As Prime Minister Modi has remarked, the passage of these three landmark bills marks a watershed moment for India. This overhaul of our criminal justice system will go a long way in amplifying the Modi governments zero-tolerance policy toward crime and terrorism. Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah have, as always, led by example once again and shown the power of political will in ushering in qualitative transformations.

Tuhin A Sinha is a national spokesperson of BJP, besides being an acclaimed author. Nishant Kumar Hota is a public policy consultant. 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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The year 2023 saw significant bilateral or multilateral summit meetings involving India. This gave opportunities to strengthen Indias ties with major countries, as also play a constructive role in multilateral forums with its strong advocacy of dialogue and diplomacy to address differences at the international level. Indias voice was heard with attention and respect as it is now backed by strong leadership, economic growth and an ambition to play a greater role in international governance. Its attachment to strategic autonomy has widened its diplomatic options, as it can balance its interests better. India as a bridge between the North and the South, and between democracies and so-called autocracies is seen as a valued partner, even when there is disagreement over some aspects of its foreign policy.

The success of Indias summit season was highlighted the most by the success of its G20 presidency. The G20 summit was held in very challenging circumstances. The Ukraine conflict, although an issue of European security in essence, was impacting the rest of the world, especially the Global South, with disruptions in food, fertiliser and energy supplies as a result of draconian sanctions imposed on Russia by the US and its allies, who since the start of the conflict had shown a determination to push for a condemnation of Russia in all forums, including in the UN.

The risk was, therefore, real that the G20 summit could fail to issue a Summit Declaration, much to the discomfiture of India which had put in tremendous national effort to leverage the summit to showcase a new and dynamically rising India, if the G7 insisted on condemning Russia and the hardened position of Russia and China after the Bali summit led to an inevitable impasse. The absence of both Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping from the summit complicated the scope for diplomacy in bridging differences at the highest level. In the event, India through hyperactive diplomacy, succeeded in forging a declaration with full consensus, without any footnotes.

Undoubtedly, the US and the G7 for larger geopolitical reasons to preserve the G20 as a multilateral forum of G7 and the Global South, and keeping also in view the need to not break the momentum of expanding India-US partnership which would have been an inevitable consequence if a summit held with such fanfare by India failed at the end, chose to settle for a text that does not even mention Russia by name. Russia, too, keeping its relations with India in mind, also showed flexibility in agreeing to generalised formulations that the G7 could sell as directed at Russias military intervention in Ukraine. President Putin praised India for depoliticising the G20.

India strengthened its diplomatic weight in advance of the G20 summit by organising the Voice of the Global South Summit, attended by 125 countries. The clear aim was to durably shape the G 20 agenda in favour of the concerns and expectations of the developing countries on a range of issues, be it those of managing global debt vulnerabilities, food and energy security, eliminating hunger, climate change financing, affordable, just and sustainable green development, focus on SDGs, reforming international financial institutions, and so on.

India pushed successfully for the inclusion of the African Union as a G20 member so that the voice of the Global South in G20 became stronger. This initiative also helped to balance the EUs separate membership of the G20.

In 2023, India under Prime Minister Modi continued to influence the international discourse with many of its civilisation values, political priorities and ideas, as well as economic achievements. The G20 motto of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is a striking example of internationalising a core idea of Indian humanism. Calling for a human centric global system, propagating the idea of LiFE for sustainable development, research on climate resilient grains, Global Initiative for Global Health, our success in developing Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), One Future Alliance to implement DPI, are some other instances of India introducing its ideas into the international system hitherto dominated by G7 priorities.

Prime Minister Modis State visit to the US in June 2023 was remarkably successful. The invitation to Modi showed that the US chose to adopt a more pragmatic position on our relations with Russia. The massive spurt in our oil purchases from Russia at discounted prices has been an irritant but India has emphatically stood its ground in its national interest.

In the US geopolitical calculus, with the challenge from China in mind, Indias value as a partner has grown. The US and China are re-engaging each other as demonstrated by the Biden-XI meeting in San Francisco, but the rivalry between the two countries for global leadership has intensified, especially in the technology domain, even if the US wants to put guard rails to avoid a direct military conflict over Taiwan. The US has now become Indias biggest technology partner. During the visit the US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan jointly chaired a meeting with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval to launch the ICET (Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies) in Washington DC was unprecedented. The ICET would open doors to India-US cooperation in areas that would be key to Indias own technological progress.

During the year it was decided to start negotiations on Security of Supply Arrangement (SSA) and Reciprocal Defence Procurement Agreement (RDPA) as part of efforts to fast track technology cooperation and co-production in air combat and land mobility systems, intelligence sharing, surveillance and reconnaissance, especially in the underwater domain, as well as industry to industry cooperation. In May 2023 India and the US held the Inaugural India-US Advanced Domains Defence Dialogue to strengthen partnership in new defence domains, with emphasis on space and artificial intelligence. A new initiative has been launched  the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) to advance cutting edge technology cooperation. That US has given clearance to General Electric Company to develop in cooperation with India the GE F414-INS6 jet engine for Indias Tejas Mk II Light Combat Aircraft and AMCA Mk I, which is vital for Indias aatmanirbhar ambitions to develop indigenous defence manufacturing.

President Macron invited Prime Minister Modi to be chief guest at Bastille Day on 14 July this year and decorated him with the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, the highest French honour. Modis visit was an occasion to lay the foundations of a longer-term strategic relationship spanning the next 25 years, for which the two countries adopted the Horizon 2047 Roadmap on the 25th Anniversary of the Indo-French Strategic Partnership: Towards a Century of French-Indian Relations. Modi and Macron noted that the partnership had already become one of regional responsibilities and global importance, with a common quest for a stable multipolar world, and with the defence and security partnership extending from seabed to space, with digital, innovation and startup partnership as new areas of growth.

India-France defence partnership took a major step forward with Indias decision to purchase 26 Rafales (naval version) for its new aircraft carrier and to construct three additional Scorpene submarines in India. The joint statement issued on the occasion recognised that France is one of Indias key partners in the development of a self-reliant defence industrial and technological base. India and France adopted a new Indo-Pacific Roadmap during Modis visit, which includes extending their cooperation to the Pacific. To mark the closeness of India-France ties, President Emmanuel Macron will be the Chief Guest at Indias R-Day in 2024.

In July 2023 India successfully chaired the SCO summit despite many diplomatic challenges as relations between SCO member states have their quota of bilateral difficulties and tensions. To what extent these can be set aside or bridging formulations found so that broad understandings are reached on regional and international issues in common interest is a challenge that India as Chair of the SCO had to address.

The New Delhi Declaration rightly acknowledged that the world was undergoing unprecedented transformations which required an increase in the effectiveness of global institutions, stronger multi-polarity, increased interconnectedness, interdependence, and an accelerated pace of digitisation. It expressly confirmed the commitment of member states to building a more representative, democratic, just and multipolar world order based on international law, multilateralism, equal, joint, indivisible, comprehensive and sustainable security, cultural and civilisational diversity, with a central coordinating role of the UN.

The Declaration rightly stressed that unilateral application of economic sanctions other than those approved by the UN Security Council were incompatible with the principles of international law and had a negative impact on the third countries and international economic relations. Much of this is a critique of the West dominated global system.

In May 2023, Prime Minister Modi, invited to the G7 summit, also attended the Quad summit in Japan. Indias commitment to Quad has become more explicit, despite criticism by both China and Russia that the US was pursuing bloc politics in Asia. With Chinas openly aggressive behaviour towards New Delhi, the security content of the Quad for India has become increasingly significant. India has, nevertheless, pursued with success its key objective of anchoring Quad into a broader and durable cooperative framework that it could also leverage for promoting its own economic interests.

At the Quad summit at Hiroshima both these elements  economic and security  were reflected in Prime Minister Modis opening statement in which he talks of the Quad establishing itself as an important platform for ensuring peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, recognising that the security and success of the Indo-Pacific is important also to the world, and that the region is the engine of global trade, innovation and growth. He noted the growing cooperation in areas like climate action, disaster management, strategic technologies, reliable supply chains, health security, maritime security and counter-terrorism. India now sees Quad as a global good, as reiterated by Prime Minister Modi in his remarks.

At Hiroshima, India joined the vigorous criticism of Chinas policies in the western Pacific that adversely affected Indias interests too. At the bilateral level, while talks at the military and diplomatic levels have continued, no breakthrough has occurred which could have helped to open the doors to a Modi-Xi summit talks in 2023. Apart from a cursory exchange at Bali during the G20 summit between the two leaders, the relationship at the political level remains frozen, with India reiterating several times in 2023 that for the relations to be normal, the situation on the border has to become normal. President Xi did not attend the G20 summit in New Delhi. The meeting of Indias foreign minister with his Chinese counterpart in New Delhi during the SCO Foreign Ministers meet produced no change in positions.

In August 2023, India participated in the BRICS summit in Johannesburg in South Africa. The expansion of BRICS was a major outcome of the summit. The number of countries from the Global South that formally applied for BRICS membership or showed interest in joining the grouping reflected a growing discontent with the West-dominated global order that continues to be shaped in accordance with the policy priorities and interests of the major Western powers.

The expansion of BRICS seems to have been based less on any well-defined criteria that India preferred and more on reaching a quick consensus on which countries from the 23 which had applied for membership would be acceptable to all the five existing members. Four of the six new members are from the same broad region: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran and Egypt, which shows the lopsided nature of the expansion.

India eventually supported the BRICS expansion. India has friendly ties with all the new members. With five of the new six members India has a strategic partnership. The leaders of five of the six countries have been chief guests at our Republic Day celebrations. With Ethiopia our relations have been traditionally strong. In Africa, Ethiopia is the largest recipient of long-term concessional credit from India.

A missing summit at the bilateral level in 2023 was with Russia. The last summit, the 21st, was held in December 2021. India has, however, ensured that its ties with Russia are not disrupted by the conflict in Ukraine and the G7 attempt to punish and isolate Russia. President Putin has publicly saluted India and Prime Minister Modi for unflinchingly pursuing the countrys national interest despite pressures.

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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In a world where the saying Its the thought that counts has become somewhat of a cliche, the significance of gift-giving has evolved into a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. As Christmas, the festival of joy, unfolded, the exchange of gifts took centre stage. However, the process of selecting the perfect gift is no easy feat as it involves navigating through psychological, cultural, economic and environmental considerations.

Joy of giving

While Mariah Carey may claim that All I Want for Christmas Is You, data suggests that a staggering 68 per cent of people worldwide revel in the joy of receiving gifts. Moreover, research indicates that the act of giving itself often brings more joy than being on the receiving end. As the holiday season unfolds, individuals across the globe are investing time and resources in the pursuit of the perfect gift.

Despite the widespread love for gifts, the act of giving a meaningful present remains a challenge. Theres an inherent pressure to excel in gift selection, as a well-thought-out gift is seen as a demonstration of attention and care. Scientifically, thoughtful gifts have been proven to build trust, while poorly chosen ones can raise questions about the givers understanding of the relationship dynamics.

Navigating the pitfalls

The struggle intensifies when it comes to avoiding gifts that convey unintended messages. Former US president George Bushs infamous gift inventory including knives, rifles, a whip, fertiliser and a survival handbook, serves as a stark example of political gifts gone rogue. However, sometimes gift givers and receivers are on the same page as seen in the exchange of rifles between Russias Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The complexity of gift-giving is further heightened by the human brains tendency to emphasise the givers perspective over the recipients needs. Gifts, more often than not, reflect the desires and motivations of the giver leading to a potential misalignment between intention and perception.

Keys to successful gift-giving

To overcome the challenges of gift-giving, empathy and attention to detail are crucial. Stepping outside oneself and acknowledging the passions and preferences of the recipient can lead to more thoughtful and meaningful presents. Whether through social media reconnaissance or simply asking around, understanding the recipients interests can make a significant difference.

Research indicates that recipients value presents with emotional significance. For those seeking to go above and beyond, experiential gifts, such as event tickets, special trips or restaurant gift certificates, create a deeper connection between the giver and the receiver. Moreover, such gifts are environmentally friendly, countering the annual influx of over 23 million gifts into landfills.

While the act of gift-giving poses psychological, cultural, economic and environmental challenges, mastering the art can foster stronger relationships. By choosing thoughtful, meaningful, and sometimes experiential gifts, individuals can navigate the complexities of gift-giving, turning it into a gesture that transcends material value. Ultimately, a well-chosen gift has the power to strengthen bonds and create lasting memories, making it a gift in itself.

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, India has been actively working towards internationalising its currency  the Indian rupee (INR). The government aims to encourage more countries to use the INR in various international transactions. However, despite these efforts, there have been challenges, particularly in crucial sectors such as oil trade.

Oil trade conundrum

A significant portion of Indias oil trade, conducted by state-owned companies, does not involve the use of the Indian rupee. Surprisingly, no crude oil imports were settled in INR from April 2022 to March 2023. The petroleum ministry attributes this to concerns raised by suppliers about the repatriation of funds in the preferred currency and the high transactional costs associated with currency conversion.

Why internationalise the rupee

Several reasons drive Indias push to internationalise the rupee. One key factor is the need to facilitate trade with sanctioned countries like Iran, Venezuela, or Russia, where the use of the US dollar is restricted. Additionally, using rupee helps reduce pressure on Indias foreign exchange reserves, especially when the country has substantial import bills, such as the $700 billion spent on imports last year.

Despite the motivations behind internationalising the rupee, there are notable challenges hindering its widespread adoption. The first major obstacle is that the rupee is not fully convertible. Foreign traders face limitations and require government approvals when converting large sums of rupees into foreign currencies making the process less attractive. The second challenge involves the question of what other countries can do with the rupee especially when trade imbalances exist.

To overcome these challenges, India could learn from Chinas strategy with the yuan. Even though the yuan is not fully convertible, China successfully pays for Russian oil in yuan. This approach suggests that producing goods that the world wants to buy can enhance the acceptance of a partially convertible currency. Alternatively, India could consider making the rupee fully convertible, allowing foreign investors and traders to exchange and use it without restrictions. However, this move comes with the downside of relinquishing some control over the rupees value, which may require a shift in Indias economic strategy.

The internationalisation of the Indian rupee is a complex process that involves overcoming challenges and finding viable solutions. While the rupee may not be extensively used in certain sectors, such as oil trade, it is crucial to recognise that the global acceptance of a currency takes time. Indias economic fundamentals, strong export base and cooperative trading partners will play pivotal roles in determining when, rather than if, the rupee becomes a more prominent international currency.

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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Grey Zone Warfare has acquired a major salience in recent times, especially in creating and pushing narratives to form or distort public opinion. This is done to extract a disproportionate mileage and is enabled a great deal by the advent of social media whose reach, far and wide, has become exceptional. A great deal is invested by various powers in powerful media across the world, through ownerships, extortion and offerings and financial leverage in the garb of pursuing a principled stance on several issues that are invented daily. But often this tool of misinformation, disinformation or skewed narratives is used against adversaries. It principally and normally need not be used against your friends, especially the strategic partners.

Western media with the connivance of their masters and deep state tend to target rising powers including India. This has been frequently witnessed since In the realm of international journalism, the western medias coverage of India and the Global South has increasingly been criticised for its biased and often misleading portrayal. The good news is no news is often the refrain. This trend, far from being a series of isolated incidents, reflects a deeper systemic problem and strategic game plan that distorts the global narrative and hinders mutual understanding and cooperation in our interconnected world.

The recent accusation by Turkey against Reuters, as reported by TRT World, exemplifies the potential for misinformation in conflict reporting. Turkeys communications director Fahrettin Altun criticised Reuters for being an apparatus of perception operations and systematic manipulation, particularly during Turkeys engagement in fighting Daesh. This instance is a stark reminder of the challenges in maintaining objectivity and reliability in western media outlets when reporting conflicts in the Global South.

Similarly, the portrayal of climate change negotiations by outlets like The New York Times, which mocked Indias stance, reveals a troubling double standard. While developed countries have historically been the largest contributors to carbon emissions, the western media often attempts to shift the blame to developing nations. This overlooks the fact that Indias per-capita emissions are significantly lower than those of western countries and ignores the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities in global climate policy. Yet speaking at the recently held COP28 for climate justice, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked developed countries to completely and sincerely reduce their carbon footprint intensity by 2050 and urged that developing countries must get appropriate access to the remaining global carbon budget. He also announced a new Green Credit initiative apart from several others including LiFE (Life style for Environment).

The stereotyping in renewable energy coverage, such as the cartoon by The Australian newspaper depicting Indians as incapable of handling renewable energy, is not only offensive but also ignorant of Indias ambitious renewable energy goals. Indias aim to achieve 40 per cent- 45 per cent of its power from renewable sources by 2030 reflects its commitment to sustainable development. Such stereotypes in western media not only misrepresent Indias efforts but also perpetuate outdated colonial attitudes. They find it difficult to realise that India can launch a Mars mission at a cost less than a Hollywood film or a Chandrayaan to the finest precision. The strategic autonomy or a moral stance on key international issues is an anathema to them. Hence, the tirade of verbiage against India becomes a potent tool. India would do well to work out a coherent and powerful communication strategy.

The coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Asian countries has often been sensationalist and stereotypical, contributing to the rise of anti-Asian sentiment. This focus on extreme cases and the use of misleading images have created a distorted image of the pandemics impact in these regions, as highlighted in a report by Global Times.

Furthermore, the BBC documentary on an event in India from two decades ago, criticised by the Indian government for its biased and colonial mindset, is an example of selective storytelling. Such narratives often ignore the broader historical and socio-political context, painting a one-sided picture of events in the Global South.

The case involving Raphael Satter from Reuters, as reported by Lokmat Times and The Daily Beast, highlights serious ethical breaches in western journalism. The wrongful arrest of an Indian citizen and the subsequent legal issues underscore the lack of respect for local laws and journalistic integrity in some western media reporting.

The pattern of biased and sometimes unethical reporting by western media on issues about India and the Global South is not just detrimental to the regions being misrepresented; it also harms the global community. Twisted and warped narrative on Pannun and Nijjars of this world, known terrorists and separatists who are sheltered by the respective State under the garb of democracy and sovereignty, will eventually undermine the safety and security of these very nations. In an era where international cooperation and understanding are more crucial than ever, such biased reporting fosters misunderstanding and perpetuates stereotypes. It hinders the global communitys ability to engage in informed dialogue and to collaboratively address the challenges we face, from climate change to global health crises.

For a truly global and fair media landscape, western media outlets must adopt a more nuanced, respectful and fact-based approach to reporting on the Global South. Only then can we hope to bridge the gap in understanding and foster a more inclusive and accurate portrayal of the diverse world we live in. This shift is not just a matter of ethical journalism but a necessary step towards building a more informed and cohesive global community.

How I wish the hopes were horses and, in this case, expecting an ideal scenario from the West and its media, most of whom are good friends, may be just hope but hanker and strive we must strike at their conscience and morality, however, rare it has become on the pedestal of geopolitics.

The author is the former Indian Ambassador to Jordan, Libya and Malta and is currently a Distinguished Fellow with Vivekananda International Foundation. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.

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On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that thirty nations had shown interest in forging collaboration ties with the BRICS alliance.

Before the groups next summit, which is scheduled to take place in the Russian city of Kazan in October of next year, Lavrov stated that Moscow anticipates a wide range of options to be established.

Speaking to a meeting of United Russias Commission on International Cooperation and Support for Compatriots Abroad, Lavrov stated that it is natural given that BRICS is operating on a genuinely democratic and mutually respectful basis that many nations want to get closer to the five nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

The leaders of the BRICS agreed to admit Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates as new members, starting January 1, 2024, during their 15th summit, which was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from June 2224.

We will continue to work on BRICS bolstering its positions as one of the pillars of a multipolar world, the Russian diplomat told the media.

The theme of our watch in BRICS will be Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Development and Security. Over 10 Russian cities will host more than 200 economic, political and public events. It all will culminate with the BRICS summit in Kazan next October, he added.

In addition to the countries that have already joined our union, as of today, about 30 countries would like to establish partner ties with BRICS.

There would be a number of activities both during and leading up to the summit, especially on the BRICS Plus and Outreach platforms.

The first meeting of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) leaders took place in July 2006 in St Petersburg, Russia, as a side event of the G8 Outreach Summit. The first BRIC Foreign Ministers Meeting, held in New York City in September 2006, on the fringes of the UN Assemblys General Debate, officially established the group as BRIC. The club became the BRICS grouping in 2010 when South Africa joined.

(With agency inputs)
Around 100 Nepalis serving in the Russian army are missing and injured during the ongoing battle against Ukrainian forces, Nepali Foreign Minister Narayan Prasad Saud claimed on Tuesday.

An estimated 200 Nepalis are currently serving in the Russian army, but the figures could be higher, Saud said in an interview with the state news agency Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS).

The Foreign Minister also reiterated that the exact number of Nepalis serving in the Russian army is yet to be ascertained.

It is estimated that about 200 Nepali youths who went to Russia for work, study and visit have joined the army. The number should be much higher as the ministry has received complaints that around 100 are missing and injured, the Foreign Minister said in the interview released on Tuesday.

Also, the Foreign Minister said that the government raised its concerns with the Russian government over Nepali nationals serving in the army.

The Russian government passed on the information that some Nepali citizens have joined its army and seven of them have been killed. Apart from this, the ministry has received complaints that around 100 Nepalis are missing and injured. The ministry was informed by their families and friends, the Foreign Minister said.

The government summoned the Russian ambassador in Nepal to the ministry and requested the envoy convey our concerns to the Russian government, he added.

Saud further said the government has made it mandatory to obtain a no-objection certificate for travel to Russia from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and six Gulf countries. Also, the Foreign Minister said the government is making efforts to secure the release of Nepalis currently under captivity by Ukrainian forces.

We are in contact with the Ukrainian government and our ambassador is negotiating for their release. The government is also in close contact with the Ukrainian Embassy in New Delhi. We have requested the International Committee of the Red Cross facilitate the immediate release of four Nepalis under captivity. I believe these efforts will bear fruit soon, he said.

The Nepal Foreign Minister added that the government is also taking initiatives for the release of Bipin

Joshi, a Nepali student, was held hostage by Hamas. Joshis whereabouts is unknown following the October 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group.

With inputs from ANI.
Local government authorities reported on Monday that armed gangs killed at least 160 people in a series of raids on communities in central Nigeria.

The death toll increased dramatically from the initial total given by the army on Sunday evening of only 16 dead in an area plagued for years by religious and ethnic strife.

As many as 113 persons have been confirmed killed as Saturday hostilities persisted to early hours of Monday, Monday Kassah, head of the local government in Bokkos, Plateau State, told AFP.

Military gangs, locally called bandits, launched well-coordinated attacks in not fewer than 20 different communities and torched houses, Kassah said.

We found more than 300 wounded people who were transferred to hospitals in Bokkos, Jos and Barkin Ladi, he said.

The local Red Cross recorded 104 deaths in 18 communities in the Bokkos area, according to a preliminary toll.

According to Dickson Chollom, a member of the state parliament, at least 50 people were reportedly reported killed in different communities in the Barkin Ladi district.

He denounced the assaults and urged security personnel to act quickly.

We will not succumb to the tactics of these merchants of death. We are united in our pursuit of justice and lasting peace, Chollom said.

Barbaric

The attacks which started in the Bokkos area spilled into neighbouring Barkin Ladi where 30 people were found dead, according to local chairman Danjuma Dakil.

On Sunday, Plateau State governor Caleb Mutfwang condemned the violence, calling it barbaric, brutal and unjustified.

Proactive measures will be taken by the government to curb ongoing attacks against innocent civilians, said Gyang Bere, the governors spokesperson.

Gunfire could still be heard on late Monday afternoon, according to a source from the region, which is on the dividing line between Nigerias mostly Muslim north and mainly Christian south.

Markus Amorudu, a resident of Mushu village, said people were sleeping when shots rang out.

We were scared because we werent expecting an attack. People hid, but the assailants captured many of us, some were killed, others wounded, he told AFP.

Amnesty International criticised the government in the wake of the attacks, saying the Nigerian authorities have been failing to end frequent deadly attacks on rural communities of Plateau state, in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Northwest and central Nigeria have been long terrorised by bandit militias operating from bases deep in forests and raiding villages to loot and kidnap residents for ransom.

Competition for natural resources between nomadic herders and farmers, intensified by rapid population growth and climate pressures, has also exacerbated social tensions and sparked violence.

A jihadist conflict has raged in northeastern Nigeria since 2009, killing tens of thousands of people and displacing around two million, as Boko Haram battles for supremacy with rivals linked to the Islamic State group.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a former Lagos governor elected in February in a highly contested ballot, has promised to attract more investment to Africas largest economy and most populous country in a bid to tackle its persistent security challenges.
Interview: Jakarta-Bandung HSR deepens friendship between Chinese, Indonesian people

Xinhua) 16:11, December 26, 2023

Garibaldi Thohir, chairman of the China Committee of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Jakarta, Indonesia, Dec. 20, 2023. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

JAKARTA, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- The operation of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR) deepens the friendship between the people of Indonesia and China, exerting a positive influence on enhancing the relationship between the two countries, said Garibaldi Thohir, chairman of the China Committee of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Jakarta-Bandung HSR is welcomed in Indonesia, Thohir said in a recent interview with Xinhua in Jakarta, noting that since its official operation over two months ago, there has been a surge in enthusiasm among the Indonesian people for traveling on the HSR.

He said that China's advanced high-speed railway technology, combined with the friendly and warm service of Indonesian crew members, has made the Jakarta-Bandung HSR a highly attractive public transportation option in Indonesia.

The Jakarta-Bandung HSR, connecting Jakarta and West Java's provincial capital Bandung, is the first high-speed railway in Indonesia and in Southeast Asia. With a maximum design speed of 350 km per hour, it cuts the travel time between the two cities from over three hours to around 40 minutes.

As a flagship project under the Belt and Road Initiative, the 142.3-km railway is the first overseas high-speed railway project that fully uses Chinese railway systems, technology and industrial components.

Thohir said that high-speed railway, which carries a large capacity of passengers, is a stable, efficient and low-carbon transportation mode. China's cities have established a reliable and convenient interconnected network through high-speed railways and Indonesia should learn from China and construct more high-speed railways.

"The Jakarta-Bandung HSR brings advanced Chinese high-speed railway technology to Indonesia and strengthens the connection between Jakarta and Bandung, playing a significant role in promoting Indonesia's regional economic development," Thohir said.

"I hope that in the future, the Jakarta-Bandung HSR can be further extended to Surabaya, and the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan can also explore the possibility of building high-speed railways in order to enhance the transportation and economic development of the whole of Indonesia," Thohir added.

The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is an important bridge of communication between Indonesian enterprises and the government, and its China committee plays an important role in promoting China-Indonesian economic and trade cooperation.

Thohir recalled that he first visited China in 1993 and has visited many Chinese cities in the past 30 years. "I'm very fortunate to be able to witness China's development achievements. China's development is very fast," he said.

"I'm amazed at the great changes in China in these 30 years. I get a different experience each time I go to China. Many cities have left unforgettable impressions on me, and every city has something worth learning from for Indonesia."

He said China is an important source of investment for Indonesia. "China's investment in Indonesia has created jobs, brought social and livelihood values, and made important contributions to Indonesia's social development."

Thohir said Indonesia and China have broad prospects for cooperation in mining, renewable energy, agriculture, fisheries, science and technology, tourism and other fields.

"Chinese enterprises are warmly welcomed to invest and develop in Indonesia, and I hope Indonesia and China could continue to deepen cooperation," he said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Two employees at the French embassy in Baku were declared personae non gratae on Tuesday for engaging in activities contrary to their diplomatic status, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said, adding that the two French diplomats were asked to leave the country within 48 hours.

The ministry issued a statement, announcing the summoning of French Ambassador Anne Boillon to express a firm protest against the actions of two French Embassy employees.

This move comes amid strained relations between the two countries, with Baku accusing France of displaying bias towards Armenia in European-mediated peace talks.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had previously accused France of exacerbating conflicts in the Caucasus by providing military support to Armenia.

The historical context includes two wars fought between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Baku successfully reclaimed the enclave in September through a rapid offensive against Armenian separatists who had held control for three decades.

Despite initial hopes for a comprehensive peace agreement by the years end, negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, facilitated by international mediation, have shown minimal progress.

President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan engaged in talks mediated by the European Union, but in October, Aliyev boycotted negotiations with Pashinyan in Spain, citing Frances perceived biased position.

The involvement of French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, along with European Council President Charles Michel, as mediators in these talks was anticipated.

France, with its substantial Armenian diaspora, has consistently faced accusations from Azerbaijan of favoring Armenia in the territorial conflict between the two Caucasus countries.

With inputs from agencies
After three US service men were injured in a drone assault in Northern Iraq, President Joe Biden directed the US military to conduct retaliation attacks against Iranian-backed militia groups.

According to National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson, one of the US servicemen was critically injured in the early Monday incident. The Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah and allied factions claimed responsibility for the attack under an umbrella of Iranian-backed militants.

Biden, who is spending the holidays at the presidential retreat in Maryland, was informed on the incident. And directed the Pentagon to plan a reaction.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Bidens national security team quickly drew up plans and presented him with options in a call and Biden directed strikes against three locations utilized by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups. The US strikes were carried out at about 4:45 a.m. on Tuesday in Iraq.

The President places no higher priority than the protection of American personnel serving in harms way, Watson said. The United States will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue.

The latest attack on US troops follows months of escalating threats and actions against American forces in the region since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the devastating war in Gaza. The US has blamed Iran, which has funded and trained Hamas, for the rising violence by its network of proxy groups across the region, including attacks by Yemens Houthis against commercial and military vessels thorough a critical shipping choke point in the Red Sea.

The Biden administration has sought to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spiraling into a wider regional conflict that either opens up new fronts of Israeli fighting or that draws the US in directly. The administrations measured response  where not every attempt on American troops has been met with a counterattack  has drawn criticism from Republicans.

The US has thousands of troops in Iraq training Iraqi forces and combating remnants of the Islamic State group, and hundreds in Syria, mostly on the counter-IS mission. They have come under dozens of attacks, though as yet none fatal, since the war began on Oct. 7, with the US attributing responsibility to Iran-backed groups.
Rescuers and a war monitor reported on Tuesday that Russian air attacks on Syrias last major opposition stronghold killed five people from the same family, including three youngsters.

Moscow is a crucial supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, giving him with military, diplomatic, and economic assistance during the countrys 12-year civil war.

On December 25 at 10:00 pm (0700 GMT) Russian warplanes targeted civilian houses on the outskirts of the town of Armanaz, in Idlib province, said Abdel Halim Shehab of the White Helmets voluntary search-and-rescue group.

Members of the White Helmets, which operates in rebel-held zones of northern Syria, pulled the victims from under the rubble of their house, he said.

The victims were from the same family of six: five of them were killed and a child survived, he said, identifying the dead as the father, mother and three of their children.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor with a network of sources throughout the war-torn nation, Russia carried out the strikes as well.

The familys property was located on farmland near Armanaz, according to the charity based in the United Kingdom.

The Syrian governments ruthless assault on Arab Spring-inspired protests that erupted in 2011 triggered a deadly conflict involving foreign forces, militias, and jihadists.

More than 500,000 people have been murdered in the fighting.

Russias assistance in the fight since 2015 has aided Assads troops in regaining much of the area lost to rebels early in the conflict.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a jihadist group led by Al-Qaedas former Syria branch, controls swathes of Idlib province and parts of neighbouring Aleppo, Hama and Latakia provinces.

The HTS is considered a terrorist organisation by Syria, the United States and the European Union. It regularly clashes with Syrian and allied Russian forces.

On Sunday, Syrias defence ministry said its forces had shot down seven drones launched by terrorist organisations in Hama and Aleppo provinces.

Since 2020, a ceasefire deal brokered by Russia and rebel-backer Turkey has largely held in Syrias northwest, despite periodic clashes.
Chinese authorities have launched a crackdown this year on numerous fraud cases amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars using of fabricated government documents to lure investments into fake national projects, as reported by state media on Tuesday.

Public security agencies have successfully addressed over 260 cases and dismantled 180 criminal groups in 2023, related to fraudulent national projects that swindled 1.5 billion yuan ($210 million) from investors, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

These fraudulent schemes are frequently conducted online and often have operations based overseas. They typically involve deceiving individuals into paying initial capital or membership fees. Commonly, fake poverty alleviation projects employ forged government documents and credentials.

Online fraud remains a significant challenge in China, especially as the country seeks to attract investment funds domestically and internationally to invigorate various sectors and industries amid a slowing economy.

Global asset managers setting up shop in China grapple with rampant scams where online fraudsters dupe investors with juicy returns on new products using their brands and logos illegally. Last month, Singapore sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings said there had been scammers fraudulently claiming to represent its Shenzhen office and soliciting money from individuals on the premise of paying them back with commissions.

Chinese police this year started to crack down on online scams operating in Myanmar where more than 100,000 people engage in telecom fraud each day. Over 31,000 telecom fraud suspects were handed to China by Myanmar authorities in November.

With inputs from Reuters.
Amid worsening tensions in the South China Sea, China on Monday named Hu Zhongming as the new head of its navy.

According to a Bloomberg report, citing Xinhua News Agency, Hu was promoted to the rank of general at a ceremony in Beijing attended by President Xi Jinping.

The report cited Xinhua News Agency claiming that it was the first time Hu was publicly referred to as commander of the worlds largest navy by number of vessels.

Hu previously served as the navys chief of staff and commanded a submarine. He gained recognition in 2002 for his role in a celebrated mission where a Chinese destroyer circumnavigated the globe in four months.

According to the report, Xinhua, however, failed to shed light on the future plans of Dong Jun, who assumed the role of head of the navy in 2021 and was also present at the ceremony, as seen in a Xinhua photo.

This change in leadership coincides with China asserting its dominance in the South China Sea, a region claimed by Beijing, as well as in the Taiwan Strait.

Tensions escalated last week when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi conveyed to Philippine counterpart Enrique Manalo that the bilateral relations between the two nations are currently encountering serious difficulties due to maritime confrontations.

The focal point of the dispute has shifted to the Second Thomas Shoal, where vessels from China and the Philippines have engaged in standoffs over the Philippines attempts to resupply a grounded vessel there since 1999.

These incidents prompted both American and Philippine officials to reaffirm a treaty obliging Washington to come to Manilas defence in the event of an armed attack.

The Chinese military has conducted significant military drills around Taiwan twice since August 2022, particularly in response to President Tsai Ing-wens meetings with senior US lawmakers.

These exercises, featuring the Chinese navy practicing blockades, align with President Xis commitment to eventually bring Taiwan under Beijings control, even if force is required.

Xinhua also disclosed that Wang Wenquan has assumed the position of the new political commissar of the Southern Theater Command, overseeing Chinese military activities in the South China Sea, and has been promoted to the rank of general.

In a separate development, the state-run Global Times commemorated the 15th anniversary of the Chinese navys involvement in protecting ships from pirates in the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia. The Xinhua article underscored Chinas ambition for its navy to play a more active role globally, referencing missions in Libya, Yemen, and Sudan, according to Bloomberg report.

This emphasis on global naval presence has drawn attention, particularly from the United States, which recently called for more information about a Chinese naval base in Cambodia following a rare visit by Chinese warships.

Washington has long been concerned about Beijings potential establishment of a military facility in the Southeast Asian nation, providing enhanced access to the Malacca Strait and the Indian Ocean.

With inputs from agencies
China has warned that remnants of a rocket would hit an area in the South China Sea on Tuesday, following the sixth deployment of its most powerful launch vehicle eleven days ago.

Rocket debris, which generally burns up in the atmosphere on re-entry, is expected to fall off the coast of Chinas island province of Hainan between 11:00 a.m. (0300 GMT) and noon (0400 GMT), said the China Maritime Safety Administration.

China launched a Long March 5 rocket on December 15 from Hainans Wenchang launch site, a sixth launch of the rocket type since its first flight in 2016. A variant of the rocket, the Long March 5B, was previously used to launch Chinas probe to Mars and also modules of its space station.

A 2021 launch of the Long March 5B caused particular anxiety due to speculation over where remnants would land. In 2020, debris from a Long March 5B fell on Ivory Coast, damaging several buildings.

The Long March 5 mission earlier this month successfully launched what Chinese state media described as a high-orbit optical remote sensing satellite. The powerful rocket is normally used to launch very large payloads.

The satellite will be used in land surveys, crop yield assessments, environmental management, meteorological warning and forecasting, and disaster prevention and relief, said the official Xinhua news agency.

Xinhua also reported at the time of the launch that the fairing of the payload atop the rocket was 18.5 metres (60.7 feet), far longer than the usual 12.267 m, suggesting an unusually large satellite. No images of the satellite have been released to the public.

The unusual payload has sparked guesses that it is a high-altitude satellite and would hold above the Earth at a fixed location, allowing it to peer down continuously at a certain region from its perch.
Leading the commemorations of Mao Zedongs 130th birthday on Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping praised the idea that the founder of the Communist Party, which is currently in power, is a invaluable spiritual wealth and would always serve as the partys inspiration.

After his death, Deng Xiaopings extensive economic reforms, which made China the second-largest economy in the world after the US, eclipsed the ideas expressed in Maos Red Book, which had once echoed throughout the world and inspired Communist movements.

Mao disapproved of private property, but Dengs opaque Socialism with Chinese Characteristics allowed later Chinese leaders to expand changes. One such reform was the development of private property.

Recent years have also seen the party theorists criticise aspects of Maos political and economic campaigns, most notably his disastrous Cultural Revolution (19661976), which claimed thousands of lives in the name of driving out traditionalists and capitalists.

Every ten years, the Communist Party of China (CPC) commemorates Maos birthday.

Since Xi is the first CPC leader to have led the party for three consecutive five-year terms since Mao, his speech this year was seen as particularly important.

Similar to Mao, he was regarded as the core leader, which put him above the other party leaders and meant that he would likely keep the position for the remainder of his life.

In a piece honouring Maos legacy this month, Qiushi, a preeminent CPC party theoretical journal, also celebrated the nations good fortune in having Xi back as the core of the party and leader of the people, as reported by the South China Morning Post newspaper in Hong Kong.

Leading the celebrations, Xi gave a commemorative symposium at the Great Hall of the People, where he emphasised the need to advance the cause started by Comrade Mao Zedong and urged actions to pursue Chinese modernization in order to strengthen China and revitalise the Chinese people on all fronts.

According to Xi, Maos life was devoted to promoting happiness among the populace, national prosperity, and revitalization.

According to state-run Xinhua, Mao led the people in blazing a path for transforming Marxism to fit the Chinese context, creating the great, glorious, and right CPC, and establishing the New China, where the people are the countrys masters.

Xi stated that Mao left behind irreversible historical legacies for the Chinese people and country that will live on in history.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning responded to a media conference when asked about her thoughts on Maos birth anniversary, saying, Comrade Mao Zedong was at the core of the first generation of CPC central collective leadership and a great man deeply loved and respected by the whole world.

(With agency inputs)
A little more than two weeks before Taiwan elects a new leader, President Xi Jinping vowed on Tuesday to steadfastly prevent anyone from splitting Taiwan from China in any way, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Despite the strong protests of the Taipei government, China regards democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory, and in order to bolster its claims to sovereignty, it has increased political and military pressure. On January 13, Taiwan will have presidential and parliamentary elections. A key topic of discussion during the campaign trail will be how the island manages its relations with China.

The complete reunification of the motherland is an irresistible trend, Xi declared at a symposium honouring the 130th anniversary of the birth of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong, who in 1949 overthrew the Republic of China government in a civil war and fled to Taiwan.

The motherland must be reunified, and inevitably will be reunified, Xinhua cited Xi as telling senior officials from the Communist Party.

He stated that China must resolutely prevent anyone from splitting Taiwan from China in any way, encourage the peaceful development of relations across the Taiwan Strait, and enhance integration between the two sides.

Although China has never explicitly denied the potential of deploying force against Taiwan, the report made no mention of doing so. It made no mention of the approaching election either.

China claims that although the election in Taiwan is an internal Chinese matter, any effort at Taiwan independence will inevitably result in conflict and present the islands residents with a choice between peace and bloodshed.

China has conducted two rounds of significant war games surrounding Taiwan in the last 18 months, and it frequently launches fighter aircraft and warships across the Taiwan Strait.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate for president of Taiwan, Lai Ching-te, has been called a dangerous separatist by the Chinese government, which has also rejected his requests for negotiations.

The Kuomintang (KMT), the principal opposition party in Taiwan and a party that has always supported tight connections with China but denies being pro-Beijing, agrees that the islands people should be the ones to determine its future.

(With agency inputs)
The Iraqi government has denounced the recent airstrikes conducted by the United States military on its territory, labelling them as hostile acts.

The Pentagon said that the strikes targeted sites utilized by pro-Iran forces to pose a threat to US forces.

According to the government in Baghdad, the US airstrikes resulted in the death of one member of the Iraqi security forces and left 18 individuals injured, including civilians. Iraq characterized these actions as an unacceptable attack on Iraqi sovereignty that would have a detrimental impact on bilateral relations.

The United States carried out these retaliatory airstrikes on Monday in response to a one-way drone attack earlier in the day by Iran-aligned militants. The earlier attack had left one US service member in critical condition and wounded two others.

The government condemned the US strikes as an unacceptable violation of Iraqi sovereignty, while stressing that attacks by armed groups against military bases hosting U.S-led coalition advisers are hostile acts and violate Iraqi sovereignty, a government statement said.

Two Iraqi security sources said overnight U.S. airstrikes targeted the headquarters for the Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah in the Iraqi city of Hilla south of Baghdad.

One fighter from Kataib Hezbollah was killed in the strikes and 16 were wounded, said two security sources on condition of anonymity.

The United States has 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq on a mission it says aims to advise and assist local forces trying to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, which in 2014 seized large swaths of both countries before being defeated.

With inputs from Reuters.
Explosions were heard and missiles were sighted in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen in two separate incidents on Tuesday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations authority said in an advisory that Two unmanned aircraft were observed before two explosions occurred 5 nautical miles from a vessel located 50 nautical miles west of Hodeidah on Yemens west coast.

According to the British maritime authority, it followed two other explosions earlier Tuesday that struck near a vessel also off Hodeida.

The ship later continued its voyage, without reporting any major damage or crew injuries, UKMTO said.

In an apparent separate incident, explosions were heard and missiles were seen 4 nautical miles from a vessel 60 nautical miles from Hodeidah, the authority said.

It was not immediately clear if the incidents involved the same vessel, which the authority did not identify. Cargo details or an indication where the vessel or vessels were sailing to or had sailed from were also not disclosed.

In both incidents the vessel and crew were reported to be safe.

The British authority did not say from where the reported drones or missiles originated and there was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The reported incidents come a week after the United States announced a multinational maritime security initiative in the Red Sea in response to attacks on vessels by Yemens Houthis.

The Iran-backed Houthi militia has attacked commercial vessels in the Red Sea since October, a campaign the group says is in solidarity with Palestinians besieged by Israel in Gaza.

The group has said it is targeting Israeli-linked vessels and those heading to Israel, warning shipping companies against dealing with Israeli ports. Several shipping lines have suspended operations through the Red Sea waterway in response to the attacks, instead taking the longer journey around Africa.

The Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks until Israel halts the conflict in Gaza and warned that it would attack U.S. warships if the militia group itself was targeted.

The Houthis control vast amounts of territory in Yemen after years of war and have since fired drones and missiles towards southern Israel.

With inputs from agencies.
Authorities in Pakistan announced Monday that at least 28,626 candidates have submitted their nominations to compete in the general elections scheduled for February 8.

Four Provincial Assemblies and 1,085 seats in the National Assembly (NA) will be up for election.

Details released by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) indicate that 7,713 candidates471 of whom are womenhave submitted nominations to compete for 266 general assembly seats in the upcoming elections.

For 141 NA seats in Punjab, 3,871 candidatesincluding 277 womenfiled nomination papers; for the 61 NA seats in Sindh, 1,681 candidatesincluding 110 womensubmitted nominations.

At least 1,322 candidates, including 39 women, are contesting for 45 general seats in the National Assembly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) while 631 nominees, including 12 women, filed nomination papers against 16 NA seats in Balochistan. As many as 208 candidates, including 26 women, submitted nominations for three National Assembly seats in the federal capital.

About 459 candidates filed nomination papers against 60 reserved seats for women in the National Assembly, including 195 from Punjab, 118 from Sindh, 97 from KP, and 49 from Balochistan. Also, 150 nominations, including 10 women, filed nominations against 10 reserved seats for non-Muslims in the National Assembly.

Both women and non-Muslims can also contest on all 266 general seats apart from participating on the 60 and 10 seats reserved for them respectively.

When it comes to the provincial assembly, at least 18,546 candidates, including 802 women, submitted their nominations for 593 general seats of the four provincial assemblies.

For Punjab Assemblys 297 general seats, 9,029 candidates have filed nominations, including 437 women.

Another 4,265 candidates, including 205 women, filed nominations against 130 general seats of the Sindh Assembly, while 3,464 candidates, including 115 women, filed papers for 115 general seats of the KP Assembly and 1,788 candidates, including 45 women, submitted documents for 45 general seats of the Balochistan Assembly.

Also, 1,365 candidates are in the run for 132 reserved seats for women in the four provincial legislatures. They include 601 against 66 seats in Punjab, 309 for 29 seats in Sindh, 321 for 26 seats in KP, and 134 against 11 seats in Balochistan. As many as 393 candidates, including 32 women, filed nominations against 24 seats reserved for minorities in provincial assemblies.

The ECP data showed that 3,139 women (over 11 per cent) of the total 28,626 candidates have filed nomination papers for 2024 general elections across the country, far more than the number of women who submitted nominations for the 2018 and 2013 general elections.

As many as 471 women, including Maryam Nawaz, filed nomination papers to contest elections on general seats of the National Assembly, while another 802 women are contesting on the provincial assemblies seats. For the seats reserved for women in national and provincial assemblies, 459 and 1,365 nomination papers were filed, respectively.

The number of women candidates went up as compared to the last two elections as 1,687 women had filed nomination papers in 2018 general elections while a total 1,171 women in the 2013 elections.

A total of 21,482 candidates had filed papers in the 2018 elections and around 28,300 in 2013 elections.

The ECP officials are scrutinising the documents and also accepting objections against the nominations. The process will continue till Dec 30.

(With inputs from Agencies)
The Israel Defence Forces said on Monday night that Israeli forces stationed in Gaza had discovered evidence linking Hamas and its October 7 strikes to the Indonesian Hospital.

Video footage from the medical facility, which is situated in Beit Lahia, close to Gazas northern border with Israel, was released by the Israeli military.

An Israeli licence plate from a Toyota Corolla belonging to the late Samer Talalkas family was discovered inside the hospitals inner compound. On December 15, three hostages, including Talalka, were erroneously killed by soldiers.

There were bloodstains in the car as well, and those belonged to a different captive. The remains of a rocket-powered grenade launcher were also discovered inside the car.

A white Toyota truck similar to the one used by Hamas terrorists during the October 7 massacre was also found within the inner compound. There were more things inside the car.

The finding of the vehicle directly links the hospital to the brutal events of October 7th. It is one of the hospitals that the Hamas terrorist organisation uses to hide behind sick civilians and from which it operates terrorist infrastructure. The Indonesian Hospital serves as a meeting place to conduct fighting and a base for senior officials and operatives of the Hamas terrorist organisation. The hospital has extensive terrorist infrastructure and near it there are tunnel shafts leading to a tunnel route in the hospital area, the IDF said in a statement.

Constructed in 2015 with funds from Indonesia, the Hospital is the strategic underground centre of Hamas Jabaliya Battalion, according to the IDF. Nukhba operatives with guns were spotted in the hospital during the conflict. They met there as a meeting place before heading out to do their business.

Israel has discovered that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists have made considerable use of Gazas hospitals and clinics since the war.

Israeli interrogators were informed by Ahmed Kahlot, the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, that he and other employees were Hamas agents.

During the questioning, Kahlot revealed how Hamas concealed agents, carried out military operations, transported members of terror squads, and even delivered an Israeli soldier who had been kidnapped via ambulances and hospitals.

Other Gazans have told Israeli interrogators that they plan to utilise hospitals as a base of operations by firmly integrating themselves into the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.

According to the Tazpit Press Service, the main hospital in Gaza, Shifa Hospital, is heavily utilised by Hamas. From its compound, Hamas fired rockets, held prisoners within, subjected collaborators to torture, and excavated tunnels that connected Shifa to neighbouring locations. A phone conversation recording that Israel made public also confirmed that Hamas keeps at least 500,000 litres of fuel underground the facility.

On October 7, Hamas attacked Israeli villages close to the Gaza border, killing at least 1,200 people. It is now estimated that Hamas has 129 men, women, children, military, and foreigners in their custody in Gaza. While Israeli police continue to identify dead and look for human remains, some persons are still missing.

(With agency inputs)
Ahead of talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and other top leaders, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that geopolitics and strategic convergence will always keep India-Russia ties on a positive trajectory.

Taking to X, Jaishankar, who is on a five-day visit to Russia, said, Arrived in Moscow. Look forward to my engagements.

Arrived in Moscow. Look forward to my engagements. pic.twitter.com/ddgNoNVA1X  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) December 25, 2023

Geopolitics and strategic convergence will always keep India-Russia ties on a positive trajectory, he posted on X on Monday as he interacted with strategic experts.

An open and forward-looking interaction with leading representatives of the Russian strategic community. Spoke about the importance of rebalancing and the emergence of multipolarity, Jaishankar added.

Exchanged views on how India-Russia ties will develop in that framework. Also discussed connectivity, multilateralism, big power competition and regional conflicts, he said. Geopolitics and strategic convergence will always keep India-Russia ties on a positive trajectory, Jaishankar emphasised.

Despite Moscows invasion of Ukraine, the bond between India and Russia remains robust. India, so far, has refrained from condemning the Russian actions and continues to emphasise the need for resolving the crisis through diplomatic means and dialogue.

Jaishankar is set to meet with Russias Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade, Denis Manturov, to address economic engagement matters. Additionally, discussions with his Russian counterpart Lavrov are planned to cover a range of topics, including bilateral, multilateral, and international issues.

The time-tested India-Russia partnership has remained stable and resilient and continues to be characterised by the spirit of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in New Delhi ahead of Jaishankars visit.

Focusing on the strong people-to-people and cultural ties between our two countries, the external affairs ministers programme will include engagements in Moscow and St. Petersburg, the MEA said.

The Indian and Russian sides are expected to discuss various aspects of the bilateral relations, especially in areas of trade, energy, defence and connectivity.

Indias import of Russian crude oil has gone up significantly despite increasing disquiet over it in many Western countries.

With inputs from agencies
Staff from the World Health Organisation visited a Gaza hospital on Monday that was receiving wounded from lethal attacks on a refugee camp, hearing heartbreaking accounts of entire families being slaughtered and witnessing dying children.

WHOs team heard harrowing accounts shared by health workers and victims of the suffering caused by the explosions, the UN health agency chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X, formerly Twitter.

One child had lost their whole family in the strike on the camp. A nurse at the hospital suffered the same loss, he said.

According to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, at least 70 people were killed in Israeli attacks on three houses in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp late Sunday.

The toll could not be independently verified by AFP.

The Israeli military stated that it was reviewing the incident and that it was committed to international law, including taking feasible steps to minimise civilian harm.

Before a mass funeral, rows of victims bodies draped in white bags lined the ground at Al-Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.

According to Tedros, the Al-Aqsa hospital personnel reported roughly 100 wounded from the bombings.

The hospital is taking in far more patients than its bed capacity and staff can handle, he said.

Many will not survive the wait, he warned, insisting this latest strike on a Gazan community shows just why we need a #CeasefireNOW.

The war broke out when Hamas fighters launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7 and killed about 1,140 people, mainly civilians, and seized 250 hostages, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Israel has responded with a relentless military campaign that has killed at least 20,670 people, mostly women and children, according to Gazas health ministry.

Unacceptable situation

Sean Casey, a WHO Emergency Medical Teams coordinator who was on Mondays mission to Al-Aqsa hospital, described doctors providing pain relief to a critically injured nine-year-old boy named Ahmed.

He was being treated basically with sedation to ease his suffering as he dies, Casey said in a video shot inside Al-Aqsa, seeming to fight back tears.

He was crossing the street in front of the shelter where his family is staying and the building beside him blew up, he said.

He was hit by shrapnel, by rubble, his brain matter was exposed.

Theres nothing anybody can do for him. Like so many cases here, there isnt capacity to manage complex neurological cases, complex trauma cases, he said.

WHO has warned that only nine of Gazas original 36 hospitals remain even partially functional.

We as an international community should not accept that thousands upon thousands of people, children are being blown up, being killed while theyre crossing the street, while theyre sleeping in their beds, Casey said.

This is an unacceptable situation, he said, demanding a ceasefire. This has to stop.
Three Vivo-India executives were sent in two more days of custody of the Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday, according to a Patiala House Court ruling. The executives are under investigation for possible money laundering related to the Chinese smartphone manufacturer and other matters.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recently arrested the three accused, including the interim CEO, as part of an ongoing investigation into the central agencys money laundering probe.

The accused, who were taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate on December 22, 2023, were Hemant Munjal, a consultant for VIVO, Hong Xuquan, also known as Terry, the interim CEO of VIVO India, and Harinder Dahiya, the companys chief financial officer.

On Tuesday, Additional Sessions Judge Aparna Swami, after hearing the submissions at length from both sides, decided to send all three accused to 2 days of further remand to ED.

Advocate Manish Jain and Simon Benjamin appreciated the Enforcement Directorate in the matter and Senior Advocates Siddharth Aggarwal and Arvind Nayyar appeared for the accused persons in the matter.

In this case, the Enforcement Directorate arrested four accused in October, including a Chinese national and the MD of Lava International.

Recently, the Patiala House Court of Delhi took cognizance of a prosecution complaint (chargesheet) filed by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case related to the Chinese mobile company Vivo involving Chinese national Guangwen Kuang, Lava Internationals MD Hariom Rai, Nitin Garg and Rajan Malik under the different sections of the Money Laundering Act.

According to the sources, ED has also named VIVO Company as an accused in the matter of allegedly cheating the Government of India. It also stated that the company has set up an intricate network in India.

(with inputs from ANI)
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India and Russia on Tuesday signed some very important agreements related to the construction of the future power generating units of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu.

Jaishankar, who is on a five-day visit to Russia to hold meetings with Russias leadership, announced during a community address here.Today, we signed some very important agreements about future units of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant (NPP), he said.

The Kudankulam nuclear power plant is being built in Tamil Nadu with the technical assistance of Russia.

The minister described Russia as a special partner in a few areas such as defence, nuclear power and space.Collaborations are done in areas of defence, space and nuclear [energy] with countries with which you have a high degree of trust, he added.

Visited the Russian Industry and Trade exhibition with DPM Denis Manturov. An interesting exposition on Russias contemporary capabilities. Holds promise for greater collaboration between our two countries. pic.twitter.com/hI7tqSDJ5Q  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) December 26, 2023

Jaishankar also said that the two sides have agreed that their negotiating teams will meet by the end of January to start in-person negotiations on the free trade agreement between India and the Eurasian Economic Zone.
After an Israel-affiliated commerce vessel was struck off the Indian coast over the weekend, the Indian navy warned late on Monday that it will maintain a deterrent presence by deploying guided missile destroyer ships in the Arabian Sea.

Initial investigations suggested that the attack on the ship, MV Chem Pluto, which docked in Mumbai on Monday, may have been carried out by drones, according to a statement from the Indian military.

Further forensic and technical analysis will be required to establish the vector of attack, including type and amount of explosive used, the statement added.

A spokesman for Irans foreign ministry referred to a U.S. accusation that Iran attacked the ship close to India as baseless on Monday.

The MV Chem Pluto was struck by an Iranian-launched drone in the Indian Ocean, according to a Pentagon statement on Saturday. This strike took place even as a task force led by the United States attempts to address comparable issues in the Red Sea.

Considering the recent spate of attacks in the Arabian Sea, Indian Navy has deployed Guided Missile Destroyers, INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata in various areas to maintain a deterrent presence, the navy statement said.

The Indian Navy stated that once its explosive ordnance team finished their examination, other authorities were conducting a cooperative inquiry into the attack on the MV Chem Pluto.

There were one Vietnamese national and twenty-one Indians on the ships crew.

(With agency inputs)
A police official said Tuesday that the death toll from an explosion at a Chinese-funded nickel-processing factory in eastern Indonesia over the weekend has grown to 18, with scores still being treated in hospitals.

The mineral-rich countrys production of nickel, a basic metal needed in electric car batteries and stainless steel, is centred on the island of Sulawesi, and Beijings rising investment has fueled anger over working conditions at its plants.

The tragedy occurred on Saturday morning as workers were doing furnace maintenance at a PT Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel (ITSS) business in the Morowali Industrial Park in Central Sulawesi province.

The number of victims who died increased by five people, so in total 18 people have died, Morowali police chief Suprianto, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, told AFP.

He said they died of their burns, with most of the victims suffering burns to more than 70 percent of their bodies.

Eight of the victims were foreign nationals and 10 were Indonesians, he said, adding 24 people were still being treated at the hospital. Six others were being treated at ITSSs clinics, bringing the total to 30 injured.

An initial probe showed the explosion happened when residual slag from the furnace, which was closed for maintenance, flowed out and came in contact with flammable materials around the location.

The fire was extinguished later on Saturday.

Tsingshan Holding Group, the worlds biggest nickel producer and Chinas biggest stainless steelmaker, holds a majority stake in ITSS.

ITSS is a tenant in the industrial park, which is also majority owned by Tsingshan along with local partner Bintang Delapan.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman said on Monday Beijing had asked its embassy in Jakarta to investigate the blast in coordination with Indonesian authorities.

In January, two workers including a Chinese national were killed at a nickel smelting plant in the same industrial park after a riot broke out during a protest over safety conditions and pay.

In June a fire at the same plant left one dead and six others injured, in another incident that has caused concern about safety at facilities funded and operated by Chinese companies.
Prabowo Subianto, the presidential candidate from Indonesia and minister of defence, solidified his lead in the polls following the candidates participation in televised debates ahead of the impending 14 February.

According to a survey conducted on December 23 and December 24, which was made public by Indikator Politik Indonesia on Tuesday, Prabowowho is running alongside President Joko Widodos 36-year-old son Gibran Rakabuming Rakawould receive 46.7 per cent of the vote.

With 24.5 percent of the vote, Indikator ranked former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo as his closest rival, while 21 per cent of respondents supported former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan.

A poll by Kompas this month gave Prabowo 39.3 per cent of the vote and placed Anies as his closest opponent with 16.7 per cent, followed by Ganjar 15.3 per cent.

Indikators survey was conducted after televised debates between the presidential candidates on 12 December and candidates for vice president on 22 December.

A decision by the countrys constitutional court this October paved the way for Gibran to run in the elections, raising widespread concern about the deepening of dynastic politics in the worlds third-largest democracy.

During the televised debate Gibran defended his fathers economic agenda, especially development of the new capital city.

Three more debates are expected before the election.
A Turkish official announced on Tuesday that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will visit Ankara on January 4 to meet his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan. The topics of their talks are expected to include bilateral relations, the situation in Gaza and Syria, and other matters.

The official added that the conflicting schedules of the foreign ministers of the two regional powers caused Raisis scheduled visit in late November to be rescheduled. The foreign minister of Turkey was visiting New York at the time as a member of a contact group of Muslim nations discussing Gaza.

Turkey has sharply denounced Israel for its attacks on Gaza, demanded an immediate ceasefire, and stated that Israeli leaders should face war crimes trials in international courts. Turkey favours a two-state solution to the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Turkey has increased its rhetoric against Israel since it began its air and military assault on Gaza in response to the attack on October 7 by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, but it has still kept trade links with Israel, drawing criticism from Iran and certain opposition parties.

Turkey, a member of NATO, does not view Hamas as a terrorist organisation, in contrast to other Arab countries and its Western partners.

Iran, its eastern neighbour, leads a loose coalition known as the Axis of Resistance, which also includes Hamas and armed Shiite Muslim organisations in the area that have violently opposed Israel and its allies in the West. It has declared its support for Hamas and threatened to impose more sanctions should the conflict in Gaza not end.

Iran and Turkey have historically had tense relations because they disagree on a number of subjects, most notably the Syrian civil conflict. While Tehran backs President Bashar al-Assads administration, Ankara provides diplomatic and military support to rebels seeking to overthrow him.

In 2020, Ankara initiated a diplomatic drive in the region by strengthening ties with Assad, even as representatives of Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Russia engaged in multiple rounds of talks to find a political solution to the conflict.

(With agency inputs)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to maintain fighting in Gaza until Hamas is defeated, refusing global demands for a truce amid fears that the crisis would escalate with US and Iran-aligned troops hitting each other again.

Netanyahu, who visited Israeli forces in northern Gaza on Monday, warned Likud Party legislators that the battle was far from ending and denied media rumours that his administration may announce a cease-fire.

He stated that Israel would not be able to liberate its remaining prisoners held by Hamas without using military force.

We are not stopping. The war will continue until the end, until we finish it, no less, said Netanyahu.

In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on Monday, Netanyahu reiterated three prerequisites for peace: Hamas must be destroyed, Gaza must be demilitarised, and Palestinian society must be deradicalised.

Retaliating against Hamas for its deadly Oct. 7 cross-border rampage, Israel has been under pressure from its closest ally the United States to shift operations in Gaza to a lower-intensity phase and reduce civilian deaths.

Nearly 20,700 Gazans have been killed, including 250 in the last 24 hours, according to authorities in Hamas-ruled Gaza.

US forces have come under attack by Iran-backed militants in Iraq and Syria over Washingtons backing of Israel in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

In the latest tit-for-tat clash, the US military carried out retaliatory air strikes on Monday in Iraq after a drone attack by Iran-aligned militants on a US base in Erbil left one US service member in critical condition and wounded two other US personnel, officials said.

The air strikes killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants and destroyed multiple facilities used by the group, the US military said.

Hezbollah has deep ties to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, another Palestinian faction backed by Iran.

These strikes are intended to hold accountable those elements directly responsible for attacks on coalition forces in Iraq and Syria and degrade their ability to continue attacks. We will always protect our forces, said General Michael Erik Kurilla, head of US Central Command, in a statement.

The US military has come under attack at least 100 times in Iraq and Syria since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, usually with a mix of rockets and one-way attack drones.

Washington has for weeks pressured Israel to take further steps to minimise civilian harm by designating safe areas and clearing humanitarian routes for people to escape. But the death toll keeps rising and Israeli operations have intensified.

Gemma Connell, a U.N. team leader deployed in Gaza for several weeks now, described what she called a human chess board in which thousands of people, displaced many times already, are on the run again and there is no guarantee a destination will be safe.

Theres so little space left here in Rafah that people just dont know where they will go and it really feels like people being moved around a human chessboard because theres an evacuation order somewhere, Connell, who on Monday visited the Deir al-Balah neighborhood in central Gaza.

People flee that area into another area. But theyre not safe there, she told Reuters.

A spokesperson for the Israeli military said the army takes all feasible precautions to minimise harm to civilians, but that Palestinian militants use civilians as human shields, an accusation Hamas denies.

More airstrikes

Early on Tuesday, Palestinian residents reported several airstrikes near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, the largest medical facility in the southern Gaza Strip.

Palestinian health officials said seven people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house in Al-Amal neighbourhood in Khan Younis.

Palestinians mourned more than 100 people who Gaza health officials said were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Sunday night, one of the deadliest nights in the 11-week-old battle between Israel and Hamas.

At a funeral in Gaza, a line of Palestinian mourners touched the white shrouds wrapped around the bodies of at least 70 people who Palestinian health officials said were killed by an airstrike that hit Maghazi in the centre of the strip.

Pope Francis issued a strongly worded message saying that children dying in wars, including in Gaza, were the little Jesuses of today. He said Israeli strikes were reaping an appalling harvest of innocent civilians.

Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts did not offer much relief.

Hamas and the allied Islamic Jihad rejected an Egyptian proposal that they relinquish power in the Gaza Strip in return for a permanent ceasefire, two Egyptian security sources told Reuters on Monday. The sources said the groups rejected offering any concessions beyond the possible release of more hostages.

Hamas and smaller militant ally Islamic Jihad, both sworn to Israels destruction, are believed to be holding more than 100 hostages from among 240 they captured during their Oct. 7 rampage through Israeli towns, when they killed 1,200 people.

Since then, Israel has laid much of the narrow strip to waste. The vast majority of Gazas 2.3 million population have been driven from their homes, and the United Nations says humanitarian conditions are catastrophic.
After warning that the battle will escalate, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasised that peace in Gaza could only be reached if Hamas is destroyed, the region is demilitarised, and Palestinian society is deradicalized.

The comments came as the World Health Organisation revealed on Monday harrowing stories of entire families being murdered in Christmas Eve attacks on a Gaza refugee camp.

Israeli strikes have wreaked havoc on Palestinian land, and the war has heightened tensions across the Middle East, with global pressure increasing for a truce.

Netanyahu, on the other hand, promised to stick to his guns in an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal on Monday night.

Hamas must be destroyed, Gaza must be demilitarised, and Palestinian society must be deradicalised. These are the three prerequisites for peace between Israel and its Palestinian neighbours in Gaza, Netanyahu said.

He said demilitarisation will require establishing a temporary security zone on the perimeter of the territory.

For the foreseeable future Israel will have to retain overriding security responsibility over Gaza, he said.

Earlier on Monday Netanyahu visited Gaza, telling a meeting of his Likud party after his return: Were not stopping.

Were intensifying the fighting in the coming days, he said, according to a party statement.

Harrowing accounts

The war in Gaza erupted when Palestinian militants broke through the militarised border and attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Fighters also seized about 250 hostages, Israel says.

Israel vowed to crush Hamas in response, and launched a retaliatory military campaign including extensive aerial bombardment and a siege of the territory. The campaign has killed at least 20,674 people, mostly women and children, according to Gazas Hamas-run health ministry.

On Monday, some residents of Al-Maghazi refugee camp returned to the ruins of their homes after strikes the previous day that Gazas health ministry said killed at least 70 people. AFP was unable to independently verify that toll.

Zeyad Awad said there was no evacuation warning before the strikes.

What should we do? We are civilians, living peacefully and wanting only safety and security, he said.

Yet we are suddenly struck by Israeli warplanes without any warning.

WHO staff visited a hospital treating victims of the Al-Maghazi strikes.

The team heard harrowing accounts shared by health workers and victims, the UN health agencys chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on social media.

One child had lost their whole family in the strike on the camp. A nurse at the hospital suffered the same loss, he added.

Sean Casey, a WHO emergency medical teams coordinator who joined the mission to the hospital, described the fate of a nine-year-old being treated who was expected to die.

He was crossing the street in front of the shelter where his family is staying and the building beside him blew up, he said.

The Israeli army said it was reviewing the incident, adding it was committed to international law including taking feasible steps to minimise harm to civilians.

Real hunger

Vast areas of Gaza lie in ruins and its 2.4 million people are enduring dire shortages of water, food, fuel and medicine, alleviated only by the limited arrival of aid trucks.

Grasping empty containers, dozens of Gazans waited on a street in Rafah, in southern Gaza, for food to be distributed.

Now there is real hunger. My children are dying of hunger, said one of them, Nour Ismail.

An estimated 1.9 million Gazans have been displaced, according to the UN, many fleeing south and crowded into shelters or makeshift tents in the winter cold.

A humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza is the only way forward, said the head of the UN refugee agency, Filippo Grandi.

In Mondays Likud meeting, Netanyahu said he was ready to support the voluntary migration of civilians out of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.

He reportedly told party members our problem is not whether to allow an exit, but that there will be countries that are willing to absorb an exit.

Hamas rejected any discussion of such a plan as absurd.

Palestinians refuse to be deported and displaced. There cant be exile and there is no other choice than to remain on our land, it said in a statement.

Free our hostages

Netanyahu also addressed parliament on Monday during a special session about the 129 hostages Israel says remain in Gaza. He was booed by families awaiting their loved ones return after 80 days in captivity.

Now! Now! relatives chanted as Netanyahu said Israeli forces needed more time to increase military pressure on Hamas, which he argued would help to secure the captives release.

The number of Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza has risen to 158, with an army spokesman announcing two more deaths early Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, fears of regional escalation only increased Monday.

Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said an Israeli air strike in Syria had killed Razi Moussavi, who state media described as one of the most experienced advisers of the military forces foreign arm.

There was no immediate comment from Israel, which has intensified strikes on targets in Syria since the Israel-Hamas war began.

Yemens Huthi rebels, also Iran-backed, have fired at cargo vessels in the Red Sea, leading the United States to build a naval taskforce to deter the missile and drone strikes.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, Israeli soldiers raided a refugee camp close to the occupied West Bank city of Hebron on Tuesday, killing two Palestinians.

The two, who were shot dead at the Fawwar refugee camp south of Hebron, were 17 and 31, according to the ministry.

The army refrained from commenting right away.

Troops assaulted the camp from both its southern and northern gates, a camp resident said AFP.

The two men were killed just outside their homes, he said, asking to remain anonymous over security concerns.

He claimed that following the first mans death, there were fights in which five more people were hurt, one of whom subsequently passed away.

Since the conflict between Israel and Hamas terrorists broke out in the Gaza Strip on October 7, after the Islamist groups attack on Israel, violence has flared up throughout the West Bank.

Approximately 1,140 people, primarily civilians, were killed in that strike in Israel, according to an AFP count based on the most recent official Israeli data.

The health ministry of the area reports that over 20,600 individuals have died in Israels military operation in Gaza, the most of them were women and children.

More than 300 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers since the Gaza war erupted, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah.
Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny has been tracked down to a penal colony north of the Arctic Circle, his spokesperson said on Monday, after supporters lost contact with him for more than two weeks.

Navalny, 47, was tracked down to the IK-3 penal colony in Kharp in the Yamal-Nenets region, about 1,900 km north east of Moscow, spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said. Navalnys lawyer managed to see him on Monday, Yarmysh said.

This prison will be much worse than the one that was before, Yarmysh told the media in Vilnius via video call. They are trying to make his life as unbearable as it possibly can be.

They definitely try to isolate Alexei and to make it more difficult to access him, said Yarmysh, who refused to disclose her location due to security concerns.

Navalnys allies, who had been preparing for his expected transfer to a special regime colony, the harshest grade in Russias prison system, said he had not been seen by his lawyers since December 6 and raised the alarm about his fate.

Navalnys new home, known as the Polar Wolf colony, is considered to be one of the toughest prisons in Russia. Most prisoners there have been convicted of grave crimes. Winters are harsh  and temperatures are due to drop to around minus 28 Celsius (minus 18.4 Fahrenheit) there over the next week.

About 60 km (40 miles) north of the Arctic Circle, the prison was founded in the 1960s as part of what was once the GULAG system of forced Soviet labour camps, according to the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper.

The conditions there are harsh, with a special regime in the permafrost, said Leonid Volkov, an aide to Navalny. He said it was difficult to communicate with prisoners held at the remote site.

The United States welcomed reports that Navalny had been located but remained deeply concerned about his well-being, the US State Department said, calling for his immediate release and describing his detention as unjust.

POLAR WOLF

Navalnys lawyer, Ivan Zhdanov, said his supporters had sent 618 requests for information about his location and suggested that the Russian authorities wanted to isolate Navalny ahead of the March presidential election.

Navalny, who had been held at a penal colony 235 km (145 miles) east of Moscow, says he has been imprisoned because he is viewed as a threat by the Russian political elite. As a prisoner, he is unable to run in the election.

He denies all the charges he has been convicted of and casts Russias judicial system as deeply corrupt. Russia says he is a convicted criminal.

Navalny earned admiration from Russias disparate opposition for voluntarily returning to Russia in 2021 from Germany, where he had been treated for what Western laboratory tests showed was an attempt to poison him with a nerve agent.

Navalny says he was poisoned in Siberia in August 2020. The Kremlin denied trying to kill him and said there was no evidence he was poisoned with a nerve agent.

His supporters cast him as a future leader of Russia who will one day walk free from jail to lead his country, though it is unclear how much popular support Navalny has inside Russia.

The authorities view him and his supporters as extremists with links to the CIA intelligence agency who they say is seeking to destabilise Russia. They have outlawed his movement, forcing many of his followers to flee abroad.

Last month Navalny lamented the terrible state of inmates teeth in Russian prison.

Poor nutrition, a lack of solid food, lots of sweet stuff (the most affordable food), a lot of strong tea, smoking, and a complete absence of dental care do them in, he said at the time.
The Japanese government will freeze three top Hamas members assets and apply restrictions on payments and capital transactions, said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi on Tuesday.

According to the senior Japanese government spokeswoman, the three individuals were thought to be engaged in the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel and in a position to utilise cash to support such terrorist actions.

Hamas, formed in 1987 by Ahmed Yassin, has carried out attacks on Israeli military posts and civilian towns, as well as abductions back to Gaza. Because of this track record, numerous governments have accused it of war crimes and designated it as a terrorist organisation.

Despite the international communitys conflicting feelings about Hamas, with some governments cooperating with it as a legitimate political organisation, Japans recent sanctions reflect a rising international consensus to limit the groups impact.

Japans stance implies a possible turn towards new diplomatic attempts to prevent Israels destructive attack in Gaza.

The penalties come amid mounting pressure on Israel to end the conflict.

Japans decision also sends a clear message to Hamas and other similar organisations that the country is prepared to take decisive measures to safeguard world peace and security.
The negotiations on much-awaited free trade agreement (FTA) between India and Oman are progressing swiftly, with expectations of the agreement being formally signed next month.

With Oman, there is a very good progress and both sides are very eager to conclude this deal. It may be signed in January 2024, PTI quoted a government official as saying.

The second round of negotiations for the pact, officially referred to as the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), was successfully concluded earlier this month in Muscat by officials from both countries.

The negotiations on the text of most of the chapters have been concluded by both sides.

Oman is Indias third-largest export destination among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The pact would help increase exports from India post the free trade agreement, as currently over 80 per cent of its goods enter Oman at an average 5 per cent import duties, and there are not many trade barriers.

According to think tank GTRIs (Global Trade Research Initiative) report, Indian goods worth USD 3.7 billion such as gasoline, iron and steel, electronics, and machinery will get a significant boost in Oman, once both sides reach a comprehensive free trade agreement.

Export sectors which could get a boost in Oman include motor gasoline (exports worth USD 1.7 billion), iron and steel products (exports worth USD 235 million), electronics (USD 135 million), machinery (USD 125 million), textiles (USD 110 million), plastics (USD 64 million), boneless meat (USD 50 million), essential oils (USD 47 million), and motor cars (USD 28 million), will benefit from duty elimination, the report has stated.

India has implemented a trade agreement with the UAE also in May 2022. Both Oman and UAE are members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Omans GDP is about USD 115 billion and its population is 5 million. Omans higher per capita income (USD 25,060) compared to Indias (USD 2,370) could mean a demand for more diversified and possibly higher-value goods and services in Oman, which India could aim to supply, GTRI Co-Founder Ajay Srivastava has said.

The bilateral trade stood at USD 12.39 billion in 2022-23. Indias exports have increased from USD 2.25 billion in 2018-19 to USD 4.48 billion in 2022-23. Imports from the Gulf nation were USD 8 billion in the last fiscal.

With inputs from agencies
Protestors from Balochistan claimed on Tuesday that three men had broken into their camp on the outskirts of Islamabad on Monday night and had abused the women and other girls who were resting there.

Sammi Deen Baloch, one of the activists, said that cameras were put in the camp yesterday night. But the attackers allegedly turned off the cameras, flashed their pistols and went inside the camp.

Closing the cameras that were installed last night, then getting off 3 people from 2 vehicles in the presence of the police, showing pistols to the comrades, entering our camp and harassing the women, taking the sound speakers from where all of us women and girls were sleeping, and escaping with them added to your low standard, she wrote in a post on X.

We travelled 100s of KM & came to the capital of this state to protest against the #BalochGenocide, but you see the seriousness of this state. Instead of ending our genocide & HR violations, they attacked our camp at 3:15 AM, & stole our sound system, she added.

The Baloch Yakjahti Committee called for an end to the harassment of peaceful Baloch protestors by the Islamabad Police, blaming them for the incident.

Taking to their handle on X, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee posted, At this midnight hour, the masked persons pull the gun at peaceful protesters and picked up the speaker are a shameful act of Islamabad administration and the state. however, the @ICT_Police installed surveillance cameras to monitor the camp, state that Islamabad is a safe city. the @ICT_Police and the state should stop harassing peaceful Baloch protesters.

The committee had earlier reported that the Islamabad Police were intimidating the Baloch protestors and the families of missing Baloch individuals by installing surveillance cameras and using various methods to harass them.

The Baloch Yakjahti Committee noted that despite the states barriers and arrests and other difficulties, the march from Turbat to Islamabad united Baloch and revealed the governments oppressive actions.

The committee stated that the movement started with a nonviolent 13-day sit-in at Turbat and then evolved into a lengthy, nonviolent march that travelled hundreds of km to reach the capital.

Nonetheless, the state reacted to the mass movement with tremendous vigour, including fake police reports, physical assault, and arrests of the activists.

(With agency inputs)
Numerous Afghans waiting to be resettled in the United States have been forcibly returned home by Pakistan due to a massive deportation drive, according to Afghan applicants and an advocacy group.

As per Reuters report, they also claim that Pakistani authorities frequently disregarded protection letters from U.S. embassies.

These Afghans efforts are made more difficult by the fact that the United States has closed its embassy in Kabul, and they also have to deal with human rights violations, enduring financial difficulties, and humanitarian emergencies in their country.

More than a million undocumented foreigners, primarily Afghans, were being driven out of Islamabad on November 1st due to a dispute over claims that Kabul provides shelter to Pakistani militants, a claim refuted by the ruling Taliban.

According to the UN, over 450,000 Afghans have returned home, with many of them currently residing in harsh winter conditions close to the border.

At least 130 Afghans being processed for U.S. special immigration visas or refugee resettlement in the United States have been deported, said Shawn VanDiver, president of #AfghanEvac, the main coalition of groups helping such efforts.

He cited data from coalition members and details provided to the U.S. government by its Islamabad embassy, which he has seen.

Pakistani police have arrested more than 230 such Afghans, although about 80 have since been released, he added.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior State Department official said the United States had no formal way to track these kinds of cases, adding that the number of Afghans deported while awaiting U.S. resettlement was very small.

Pakistans foreign and interior ministries did not respond to requests for comment.

As the clock ticked down to Nov. 1, the embassy e-mailed protection letters to some 25,000 Afghans to prove to Pakistani authorities they were being processed for resettlement in the United States, after its last troops left Kabul in 2021.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said Washington had also supplied Pakistan with a list of Afghans in the U.S. resettlement pipelines after it unveiled the deportation plan in October.

VanDiver and two Western diplomatic sources, who requested anonymity to discuss the issue, said local authorities had ignored the letters in many instances.

The letters matter in some cases and not in others, said VanDiver. Not all local officers are abiding by it.

The senior State Department official said the United States has examples of Pakistani police respecting the letters, but gave no details.

Reuters spoke with two Afghan families whose members were deported after showing police the letter, and an Afghan who was detained despite the letter.

The latter said he was released with a warning that he would be arrested again without a visa extension.

Refugee advocates and Afghans say the deportations and arrests underscore the precarious nature of the long wait facing Afghans whom Washington has vowed to protect and resettle, many of them told to travel to a third country for processing.

UNDOCUMENTED

Many Afghans entered Pakistan with visas that expired as the processing of their SIV or refugee resettlement applications languished, facing them with long renewal times and high fees.

One applicant for refugee status, whom Reuters is not naming for security reasons, said he sold almost all he owned in Oct 2022 to move his family to Pakistan from the Afghan capital for processing.

All seven had passports and visas, he said.

But mounting costs ate into his savings, and though he turned to selling street food to earn money, he could barely meet rent and utilities, putting out of reach the hundreds of dollars in fees needed to renew the one-year visas that expired.

We had no money for food, how could we apply for visas? he said.

Last month, police knocked on his door, but would not accept the embassy letter  seen by Reuters  that carried his refugee application number.

They gave us two hours time to pack our belongings, said the former employee of a U.S.-funded womens advocacy organisation.

He tried calling the U.S. embassy, but could not get through. Now, he is lying low with his family in Kabul.

I have five children, have no house, Im currently living in the home of one of my relatives, he said. I cant apply for a job here. I dont know what to do.

U.S. officials say they are trying to keep in touch with the thousands of Afghans in Pakistan through an emergency hotline based on the WhatsApp communications app in the languages of Dari, Pashto and English.

The state department has successfully averted deportations in several cases flagged up on the hotline, the senior State official said.

Ahmadullah, a former U.S. government worker resettled to the United States in 2021, said his stepmother and two sisters had been waiting in Pakistan for the processing of applications for P1 visas, meant for those at risk of persecution, but were deported and living in fear in Kabul.

Police came to his uncles home in Pakistans northern city of Peshawar on a mid-November night, saw the expired visas in the womens passports, ignored their embassy letters, drove them to the border and ordered them to leave, Ahmadullah said.

They didnt even let them pack, said Ahmadullah, who was evacuated with his family from Kabul as the last U.S. troops left in August 2021.

Ahmadullah, who wanted his last name withheld to protect his family, said the women had sought extension of their Pakistani visas.

Now, they feel at risk because of his work and the Talibans curbs on women appearing in public unaccompanied by a close male relative. They switch between their Kabul house and relatives homes to avoid attention, he added.

The Taliban, who oppose Pakistans mass deportation, say they have a general amnesty for former foes of their 20-year insurgency and will support those returning.

Few Afghans accept those assurances and live in fear of the Talibans curbs on women and a humanitarian crisis fuelled by foreign aid cuts and the severance of ties to global banking.

Islamabad says it is battling economic and security crises and cannot host the 600,000 Afghans who have arrived since the Taliban takeover, swelling the burden of hosting millions who fled during decades of war.

This month, the caretaker government said it would extend to February a Dec. 31 deadline for Afghans seeking resettlement in third countries to renew paperwork, while halving an overstay fee for those leaving with expired visas.

Three senior U.S. officials, including Afghanistan Special Representative Thomas West, recently visited Islamabad for talks on the issue, but the outcome is not clear.
Days after winning a highly sought-after bail in the cypher case, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the vice chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and an advisor to former Prime Minister Imran Khan, was arrested on Tuesday for a period of 15 days under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance at Rawalpindis Adiala prison. The Pakistani government is authorised to use preventative detention under Section 3 of the MPO.

In the cypher case, Qureshi and Imran are detained in Adiala Prison. The issue concerns the former prime minister displaying a document that purports to show US complicity in his removal from office in 2022. On Friday, December 22, they were granted bail after their pleas were approved by the Supreme Court, which also ordered them to provide surety bonds of one million rupees each.

According to Dawn, Qureshis daughter had stated that she anticipated her father will be freed because no other case necessitated his imprisonment. But before his family could get a parole order, Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner (DC) Hassan Waqar Cheema ordered the ex-foreign minister to be detained for 15 days. Following todays hearing on the case, it was postponed until tomorrow.

According to the decision, Qureshi was implicated in anti-state activities and caused damage to both public and private property, as shown by a letter from the Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO). Additionally, it mentioned that following his release, he will again continue his above activities and which may lead to law enforcement action.

In order to stop Qureshi from engaging in unlawful activities and acting in a manner prejudicial to the public safety or the maintenance of public order, the ruling further said that the CPO suggested that he be held for 45 days. Qureshis imprisonment was approved by the Rawalpindi District Intelligence Committee and DC Cheema, despite the fact that it was only stated for 15.

This comes after it was likely that the PTI second-in-command would be released today after receiving bail in the cypher case. The party was hoping for a significant boost ahead of the polls on February 8, and his arrest is anticipated to cause a serious blow to the party. Meher Bano Qureshi, his daughter, stated that her father had the legal right to be released on bail.

Due to their suspected involvement in the violent May 9 riots, in which Imrans followers battled with the police and vandalised military posts around the nation following his imprisonment, Qureshi is one of numerous PTI leaders against whom such detention warrants have been issued.

(With agency inputs)
In snowy Russia, a group of women wearing white headscarves is raising their voices against Vladimir Putins choices in the Ukraine conflict. Led by Maria Andreeva, these women, mostly wives and mothers of 300,000 Russian men sent in September 2022, are getting stronger in a growing peoples movement.

According to a BBC report, Andreeva, a key figure in this emerging movement, argues for total demobilisation and questions the governments decision to send men who led peaceful lives to Ukraine. This grassroots initiative gained momentum after officials announced no troop rotation, prompting these women to voice their concerns through open letters and public demonstrations.

In a shift reminiscent of past female-led protests in Russia, these wives and mothers are organising through platforms like Telegram. The movement, primarily coordinated on the channel Put Domoy (The Way Home), has garnered over 35,000 members since its inception in September.

The Kremlin faces a delicate situation as these women, not aligned with the traditional anti-Kremlin movement, raise concerns within Putins core support base. Despite their grievances, the authorities have refrained from harsh measures, opting to ignore their pleas in state media and rejecting rally permits.

While Putin engaged with mothers of soldiers in a carefully orchestrated meeting, some in the movement dismiss it as a political show. Offers of money to silence louder voices within the group were rejected, emphasizing the depth of their commitment.

Initially avoiding direct criticism of Putin, the movements language has hardened over time, expressing a sense of betrayal and challenging the official narrative on the war. As the conflicts second anniversary approaches, the movement reflects the growing unease in the country about the wars handling.

The womens dissatisfaction extends beyond the war itself; they feel ignored not only by the Kremlin but also by society. As Russia indulges in holiday preparations, these women grapple with the hardships of having loved ones on the frontlines.

The movement poses a challenge for the Russian leadership as the option of a new mobilization, potentially bringing soldiers home, remains unpopular. The Kremlins past actions during the conflict have strained the social contract with the Russian people, leading to public discontent and unrest.

While its too early to gauge the movements impact on a regime known for suppressing dissent, the womens anger highlights the underlying discontent within the country and challenges Putins portrayal of a united society supporting the war effort. Andreeva and others remain determined to continue their protests, signaling a shift from compliance to resistance.
The Turkish Parliaments foreign affairs committee approved Swedens NATO membership bid on Tuesday, signalling a significant step toward the Nordic countrys potential inclusion in the Western military alliance.

The final stage of the legislative process in Turkey involves the approval of Swedens accession protocol in the general assembly, with no set date for this process.

Turkey, as a NATO member, had previously delayed ratifying Swedens application for over a year, citing concerns that Sweden was too lenient toward groups Ankara considers security threats, including Kurdish militants and individuals associated with a network Ankara blames for a failed coup in 2016.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier this month linked ratification of Swedens NATO membership to the U.S. Congress approval of a Turkish request to purchase 40 new F-16 fighter jets and kits to modernize Turkeys existing fleet. Erdogan also also called on Canada and other NATO allies to life arms embargoes imposed on Turkey.

With inputs from AP.
In the first indictment of its sort before of the islands key election in January, a Taiwanese man was charged with breaking election and anti-infiltration rules for allegedly arranging sponsored visits to China for voters.

Officials have warned that China will try to sway Taiwanese voters ahead of the January 13 election for a new president and parliament.

In recent years, Beijing has increased pressure on self-ruled Taiwan, which it considers as part of its territory to be reclaimed one day.

Prosecutors in southern Kaohsiung city charged a man known only by his surname Cheng for planning trips to five Chinese regions between May and October.

Cheng belongs to a small pro-Beijing civic group, and was commissioned and funded by an infiltration source to promote candidates and deliver unfair benefits to voters, prosecutors from Kaohsiungs Ciaotou district said in a statement Monday.

They added that he was aware that Chinese authorities support the pan-blue camp to promote peaceful unification, referring to the colour of the main opposition Kuomintang party (KMT) which is long regarded as pro-Beijing.

Prosecutors did not say how many people had joined these trips in a statement, only that members of the tour groups only had to cover their airfares.

All other costs after their arrival in China were covered by regional governments, prosecutors said, adding that Cheng collected around $65 service fee per person.

In a separate case earlier this month, prosecutors in Ciaotou had announced they were investigating five people for organising trips for 60 voters to Chinas Hunan province in November  also allegedly sponsored by Chinese authorities.

The main suspect in that case, identified as Chou, had asked participants to support specific candidates in an attempt to influence voters voting intentions and the election results.

Chou was also accused of conspiring with another person to fabricate opinion polls to influence the elections, prosecutors said.

KMTs candidate Hou Yu-ih has described the election as a choice between war and peace and vowed to promote closer ties with Beijing if elected.

His opponents are the ruling Democratic Progressive Partys frontrunner candidate Lai Ching-te  who Beijing calls a stubborn worker for Taiwan independence  and third-party candidate Ko Wen-je.
A retiree faces up to two years in prison for carrying a placard outside a courthouse reminding jurors of their right to acquit prisoners. An engineer was sentenced to three years in prison for hanging a banner with the words Just Stop Oil off a bridge. Hundreds of individuals have been detained just for strolling slowly down the street.

They are among hundreds of environmental activists jailed in the United Kingdom for nonviolent protests, where stringent new rules restrict the freedom to demonstrate.

According to the Conservative administration, the restrictions prohibit radical groups from causing economic harm and disturbing normal life. Civil rights, critics claim, are eroding due to a lack of oversight from politicians and legal protection. They argue that the widespread arrests of nonviolent protestors, as well as government officials labelling environmental campaigners as radicals, represent a troubling shift for a modern democracy.

Legitimate protest is part of what makes any country a safe and civilized place to live, said Jonathon Porritt, an ecologist and former director of Friends of the Earth, who joined a vigil outside Londons Central Criminal Court to protest the treatment of demonstrators.

The government has made its intent very clear, which is basically to suppress what is legitimate, lawful protest and to use every conceivable mechanism at their disposal to do that.

A patchwork democracy

The country of Britain is one of the worlds oldest democracies, with a centuries-old Parliament and an independent judiciary. An unwritten constitution  a collection of laws, regulations, traditions, and court judgements amassed over hundreds of years  underpins that democratic system.

The effect of that patchwork is we rely on self-restraint by governments, said Andrew Blick, author of Democratic Turbulence in the United Kingdom and a political scientist at Kings College London. You hope the people in power are going to behave themselves.

But what if they dont? During three turbulent and scandal-tarnished years in office, Boris Johnson pushed prime ministerial power to the limits. More recently, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has asked Parliament to overrule the UK Supreme Court, which blocked a plan to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda.

Such actions have piled pressure on Britains democratic foundations. Critics say cracks have appeared.

As former Conservative justice minister David Lidington put it: The good chap theory of checks and balances has now been tested to destruction.

Government takes aim at protesters

The canaries in the coal mine of the right to protest are environmental activists who have blocked roads and bridges, glued themselves to trains, splattered artworks with paint, sprayed buildings with fake blood, doused athletes in orange powder and more to draw attention to the threats posed by climate change.

The protesters, from groups such as Extinction Rebellion, Just Stop Oil and Insulate Britain, argue that civil disobedience is justified by a climate emergency that threatens humanitys future.

Sunak has called the protesters selfish and ideological zealots, and the British government has responded to the disruption with laws constraining the right to peaceful protest. Legal changes made in 2022 created a statutory offense of public nuisance, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and gave police more powers to restrict protests judged to be disruptive.

It was followed by the 2023 Public Order Act, which broadened the definition of serious disruption, allowing police to search demonstrators for items including locks and glue. It imposes penalties of up to 12 months in prison for protesters who block key infrastructure, defined widely to include roads and bridges.

The government said it was acting to protect the law-abiding majoritys right to go about their daily lives. But Parliaments cross-party Joint Human Rights Committee warned that the changes would have a chilling effect on the right to protest.

Days after the new act took effect in May, six anti-monarchist activists were arrested before the coronation of King Charles III before they had so much as held up a Not My King placard. All were later released without charge.

In recent months the pace of protests and the scale of arrests has picked up, partly as a result of a legal tweak that criminalized slow walking, a tactic adopted by protesters to block traffic by marching at low speed along roads. Hundreds of Just Stop Oil activists have been detained by police within moments of starting to walk.

Some protesters have received prison sentences that have been called unduly punitive.

Structural engineer Morgan Trowland was one of two Just Stop Oil activists who scaled the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge over the River Thames near London in October 2022, forcing police to shut the highway below for 40 hours. He was sentenced to three years in prison for causing a public nuisance. Judge Shane Collery said the tough sentence was both for the chaos you caused and to deter others from seeking to copy you.

He was released early on Dec. 13, having spent a total of 14 months in custody.

Ian Fry, the United Nations rapporteur for climate change and human rights, wrote to the British government in August over the stiff sentences, calling the anti-protest law a direct attack on the right to the freedom of peaceful assembly. Michel Forst, the U.N. special rapporteur on environmental defenders, in October called the British laws terrifying.

The Conservative government has dismissed the criticism.

Those who break the law should feel the full force of it, Sunak said in response.

Even more worrying, some legal experts say, is the justice lottery facing arrested protesters. Half the environmentalists tried by juries have been acquitted after explaining their motivations, including nine women who smashed a banks windows with hammers and five activists who sprayed the Treasury with fake blood from a firehose.

But at some other trials, judges have banned defendants from mentioning climate change or their reasons for protesting. Several defendants who defied the orders have been jailed for contempt of court.

Tim Crosland, a former government lawyer turned environmental activist, said its Kafkaesque if people are on trial and theyve got a gag around their mouth.

That feels like something that happens in Russia or China, not here, he said.

To highlight concern about such judges orders, retired social worker Trudi Warner sat outside Inner London Crown Court in March holding a sign reading Jurors  You have an absolute right to acquit a defendant according to your conscience. She was arrested and later informed by the solicitor-general that she would be prosecuted for contempt of court, which is punishable by up to two years in prison. Britain has strict contempt laws intended to protect jurors from interference.

Since then, hundreds more people have held similar signs outside courthouses to protest a charge they say undermines the foundations of trial by jury. Two dozen of the Defend Our Juries protesters have been interviewed by police, though so far no one apart from Warner has been charged.

Porritt said the aim is to bring it to peoples attention that there is now this assault on the judicial process and on the rights of jurors to acquit according to their conscience.

Is Brexit to blame?

Many legal and constitutional experts say the treatment of protesters is just one symptom of an increasingly reckless attitude toward Britains democratic structures that has been fueled by Brexit.

Britains 2016 referendum on whether to leave the European Union was won by a populist leave campaign that promised to restore Parliaments  and by extension the publics  sovereignty and control over UK borders, money and laws.

The divorce brought to power Boris Johnson, who vowed to get Brexit done, but appeared unprepared for the complexities involved in unpicking decades of ties with the EU.

Johnson tested Britains unwritten constitution. When lawmakers blocked his attempts to leave the bloc without a divorce agreement, he suspended Parliament  until the UK Supreme Court ruled that illegal. He later proposed breaking international law by reneging on the UKs exit treaty with the EU.

He also became enmeshed in personal scandals  from murky funding for his vacations and home decoration to lockdown-breaking parties during the pandemic. He was finally ousted from office by his own fed-up lawmakers in 2022, and later found to have lied to Parliament.

People were elevated to high office (by Brexit) who then behaved in ways which were difficult to reconcile with maintenance of a stable democracy, said Blick, the Kings College professor.

The populist instinct, if not the personal extravagance, has continued under Johnsons Conservative successors as prime minister. In November, the UK Supreme Court ruled that a plan by Sunak to send asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda was unlawful because the country is not a safe place for refugees. The government has responded with a plan to pass a law declaring Rwanda safe, regardless of what the court says.

The bill, which is currently before Parliament, has caused consternation among legal experts. Former Solicitor-General Edward Garnier said changing the law to declare Rwanda a safe haven is rather like a bill which says that Parliament has decided that all dogs are cats.

But Blick says Britains unwritten constitution means that checks and balances are easier to override than in some other democracies.

Nothing can actually be deemed clearly to be unconstitutional, he said. So theres no real blockage (on political power) other than thats where you come back to self-restraint.

A democratic deficit?

In Britains system, Parliament is meant to act as a bulwark against executive overreach. But in recent years, the government has given lawmakers less and less time to scrutinize legislation. Because the Conservative government has a large House of Commons majority, it can push bills through after perfunctory time for debate. Many laws are passed in skeleton form, with the detail filled in later through whats known as secondary legislation, which does not receive the full parliamentary scrutiny given to a bill.

It increasingly falls to Parliaments upper chamber, the House of Lords, to scrutinize and try to amend laws that the House of Commons has waved through. The Lords spent months this year trying to water down the anti-protest provisions in the Public Order Act. But ultimately the upper house cant overrule the Commons. And as an unelected assortment of political appointees, a handful of judges and bishops and a smattering of hereditary nobles, its arguably not the height of 21st-century democracy.

Of course the Lords is indefensible, but so is the Commons in its current form, William Wallace, a Liberal Democrat member of the Lords, told a recent conference on Britains constitution. The Commons has almost given up detailed scrutiny of government bills.

Since Brexit, academics, politicians and others have been debating Britains democratic deficit in a series of meetings, conferences and reports. Proposed remedies include citizens assemblies, a new body to oversee the constitution and a higher bar for changing key laws. But none of that is on the immediate horizon  much less a written constitution.

The protesters, meanwhile, say they are fighting for democracy as well as the environment.

Sue Parfitt, an 81-year-old Anglican priest who has been arrested more times than she can remember as part of the group Christian Climate Action, has twice been acquitted of criminal charges. She, too, was interviewed by police after holding a sign outside court reminding jurors of their rights.

Its worth doing to keep the right to protest alive, quite apart from climate change, she said.

It would be difficult for me to get to prison at 81. But Im prepared to go.  There is a sense in which going to prison is the ultimate statement you can make.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was heckled by the family members of the hostages held in Gaza while he was addressing a special parliamentary session on Monday.

Israeli PM Netanyahu heckled by families of hostages during parliament address https://t.co/8fVYWMcmfG pic.twitter.com/cu07harCGP  Gulf Today (@gulftoday) December 25, 2023

Holding posters and placards with photos and names of their loved ones, the families expressed dissent as Netanyahu, who recently returned from Gaza, mentioned that troops needed more time for their operation.

In the video shared on X, the family members of the hostages can be seen showing their disagreement, shouting there is no time. A Netanyahu resumes, he is again met with chants of Now! Now! Now! from the families seeking release of their dear ones.

Reflecting on past interactions with families of fallen IDF soldiers, Netanyahu conveyed their determination, stating, Our sons did not die in vain. We must not stop the war until we secure complete victory over those who wish us dead.

Following this, family members in the Knesset gallery reiterated their calls, chanting, Everyone  now! Everyone  now! the video showed.

Signs held by the families conveyed messages such as we trust you to bring them home, 80 days, each minute is like hell. A sign questioned, what if this were your daughter, and rotated between daughter, father, and brother.

The prime minister said, We spare no effort.

Netanyahu emphasised the governments relentless efforts, asserting, We will shake every tree and turn every stone to bring back all the kidnapped. Each one of them is precious. Since the beginning of the war, I have met with the families of the abductees, and I hear your personal stories. What is said here unites the people and unites us in a holy mission.

There are 129 hostages still in Gaza, according to the prime ministers office. Of those, 22 are known to be dead, and their bodies remain in Gaza along with the 107 living hostages.

As the deadly conflict between Israel and Hamas persists, a dire humanitarian crisis unfolds.

Over 1,200 casualties have been reported in Israel, while in Gaza, the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health claims that more than 20,000 people have lost their lives since Hamas initiated unprecedented attacks on Israel on 7 October.

The ensuing airstrikes have strained local hospitals, leading to the internal displacement of an estimated one million people in Gaza, an area known for its high population density, according to CNN.

With inputs from agencies
Police in Punjab province, Pakistan, announced on Tuesday that they had identified the terrorist killed in a gunfight with them as a major TTP member who had carried out a rocket attack on an army camp in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province last week.

About 200 km from Lahore, in the Chiniot area, Punjab polices Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) shot and killed two TTP militants on Saturday.

Ghazanfar Nadim, also known as Khalid Habib, was identified as one of the TTP militants and had a PKR 50 lakh bounty on his head. The other terrorist who was killed was identified by the authorities on Tuesday as Younas, a prominent member of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Younas was wanted by the Dera Ismail Khan police for his involvement in several cases of terrorism in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He was also involved in the attack on Pakistan Army Camp at Shikai. Apart from this, his record includes communal target killings and high-profile kidnappings, the CTD said in a statement.

The bombing of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) building in Faisalabad, approximately 130 km away from Lahore, was planned and executed by the other TTP militant, Nadim. A potent car-borne improvised explosive device detonation occurred in 2011 outside the ISI building in the Faisalabad civil-lines area, resulting Pakistan 25 fatalities and 100 injuries.

Nadim was a key commander of the banned TTP in Punjab province. He was also involved in 11 major terror activities, including attacks on Shia Muslims in the country in which 50 people were killed, the CTD said, adding that he had been absconding since 2011.

(With agency inputs)
The Turkish parliament was due to begin discussion on Tuesday on sanctioning Swedens NATO membership application, a contentious topic that was exacerbated after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan connected it to Ankaras desire for F-16 fighter fighters from its ally, the United States.

After Russia invaded Ukraine last year, Sweden and Finland abandoned decades of military non-alignment and sought to join the US-led defence group.

Except for Turkey and Hungary, their applications received fast-track approval from all NATO countries. The two eventually agreed, and Finland became NATOs 31st member in April.

Turkey and Hungary are the only North Atlantic Treaty Organisation members yet to approve Swedens application, which was submitted 19 months ago.

The Turkish parliaments foreign affairs committee failed to agree on a draft for a full floor vote in November and will meet again on Tuesday afternoon.

Erdogan dropped his objections to Sweden joining NATO in July after Stockholm cracked down on Kurdish organisations that Ankara considers terrorists.

We see that there is a change in policy in Sweden. We see some decisions taken in courts, albeit few, Fuat Oktay, a lawmaker from Erdogans ruling AKP party and head of the parliaments foreign affairs committee said in a televised interview on Monday.

We had some requests for further steps to be taken, he added.

Once it is approved by the committee, there will be a vote on the full parliament floor, where Erdogans ruling alliance holds the majority of seats.

NATO allies have piled pressure on Turkey, with France saying the credibility of the alliance was at stake.

Process fraught with problems

But the process is fraught with problems.

In December, Erdogan suggested that parliament will only act on Sweden if the US Congress approves Turkeys requested purchase of dozens of F-16 fighter jets and spare parts, and if other NATO allies including Canada lift arms embargoes imposed on Ankara.

Positive developments from the United States regarding the F-16 issue and Canada keeping its promises will accelerate our parliaments positive view (on Swedens membership bid), Erdogan said.

All of these are linked, he added.

Swedens NATO membership and F-16 sales to Turkey will be handled in coordination to some extent because unfortunately, neither country trusts the other, Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, the Ankara office director of the US German Marshall Fund think tank, told AFP.

Turkeys ageing air force has suffered from Ankaras expulsion from the US-led F-35 joint strike fighter programme in 2019.

This was in retaliation for Erdogans decision to acquire an advanced Russian missile defence system that NATO views as an operational security threat.

US President Joe Bidens administration has repeatedly promised to move forward with the $20-billion F-16 sale but lawmakers have blocked it over concerns about Turkeys alleged violations of human rights and its past tensions with Greece.

There is no strong consensus in the parliament on Swedens NATO membership, nor in the US Congress on the sale of F-16s to Turkey, Unluhisarcikli said.

Erdogans anti-Israel rhetoric after the start of its war with Hamas had raised concerns in Washington.

Although the issues are not related, Turkeys statements supporting Hamas further complicated the F-16 process, Unluhisarcikli said, adding that the killing of Turkish soldiers by Kurdish militants last weekend could also factor into Swedens NATO membership.

But if Biden and Erdogan show the necessary will, we can expect the process to be concluded soon, he added.
Onboard its cutting-edge maritime research vessel, Jaywun, the Environment Agency  Abu Dhabi (EAD) has announced that it has successfully completed the first-ever Atmospheric Research Expedition in the Persian Gulf.

The Agency was the first agency in the world to carry out atmospheric research from Spain to Abu Dhabi, travelling more over 10,000 km onboard Jaywun between December 2022 and January 2023, passing through 25 nations and eight seas and oceans.

The groundbreaking Atmospheric Research Expedition in the Gulf of Arabia conducted a thorough investigation into the movement and subsequent conversion of nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons.

The campaign also aimed to determine the extent to which pollution from the Persian Gulf is dispersed to other areas and how much it contributes to the creation of ozone in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

EAD, the Climate and Atmosphere Research Centre (CARE-C) of The Cyprus Institute in Cyprus, and the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Germany worked together on the mission.

Furthermore, scientists from the Climate and Environment Sciences Laboratory in France and the University of Bremen in Germany provided support for the project. When the research gets to the model simulation stage, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia will also be engaged.

(With agency inputs)
Ukraines air force said on Tuesday that it had destroyed a major Russia landing ship stationed in the Crimean waters, after the Russian-installed governor of Crimea said that Kyivs assault had sparked a fire in the port of Feodosia.

Loud explosions were heard early on Tuesday over the Crimean town of Feodosia on the Black Sea coast, Russian news outlets reported on the Telegram messaging app. Footage posted on several Russian news outlets showed powerful explosions and fires over a port area.

And the fleet in Russia is getting smaller and smaller! Thanks to the Air Force pilots and everyone involved for the filigree work! the commander of Ukraines air force, Mykola Oleshchuk, said on the Telegram messaging app, without providing evidence.

In a separate statement, Ukraines air force said, also without providing evidence, that its pilots attacked Feodosia at around 02:30 a.m. (0030 GMT) with cruise missiles, destroying the Novocherkassk vessel of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

There was no immediate comment from Russia on the alleged destruction of the ship. It was not immediately known what missiles Ukraine reportedly used and how many of them.

Earlier on Tuesday, Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-installed governor of Crimea, said only that the Ukrainian attack resulted in a fire in the towns port area that was promptly contained.

All relevant emergency services are on site, Aksyonov said on Telegram. Residents of several houses will be evacuated.

The Russian-installed administration of Crimea said in a statement that due to technical reasons trains will not be departing from Feodosia for the time being and that street traffic was partially blocked in Feodosia.

The town of Feodosia, which has a population of around 69,000 people, lies on the southern coast of the Crimean Peninsula.

Both Russia and Ukraine have often exaggerated the losses they claim to have inflicted upon each other in the 22-month long war, while underestimated their own casualty and equipment losses.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in a broadly condemned move in 2014.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu asserted reportedly that Russian forces have seized Mariinka, a strategically vital town near Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. The area, described as powerfully fortified, was reportedly taken by assault units, according to Shoigus statement to President Vladimir Putin.

Mariinka, seen as a gateway to Donetsk, has suffered extensive destruction, with conflicting reports emerging.

Ukrainian military spokesman Oleksandr Shtupun denied the claim, stating that the fighting for Mariinka was ongoing. The town, crucial for defensive purposes since 2014, had become a key stronghold for Ukrainian forces.

In a separate incident, the Russian-installed head of Crimea reported an enemy attack and a fire in the port of Feodosiya, with unverified footage showing a significant explosion. Simultaneously, the head of the Ukrainian Air Force claimed the destruction of a Russian landing warship in the city.

These developments come amid an intensified Russian offensive along the more than 1,200km battlefront, targeting key areas like Mariinka and attempting to encircle Avdiivka. President Putin hailed the reported capture as a success, pushing Ukrainian troops further away from Donetsk.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently announced plans to mobilize up to 500,000 additional people as the country faces ammunition shortages and aid setbacks from key allies. Kyivs counter-offensive has slowed, raising concerns that Russia could outgun Ukraine in the ongoing conflict.
A practicing dentist in Minneapolis was sued by one of her patient for allegedly performing an extensive dental intervention, including eight crowns, four root canals, and 20 fillings, leading to significant injuries during a single visit in July, 2020.

The complainant Kathleen Wilson, a Minneapolis resident, initiated legal proceedings against Dr. Kevin Molldrem of Molldrem Family Dentistry, filing a malpractice lawsuit in Hennepin County District Court.

The lawsuit contends that Dr. Molldrem surpassed safe anesthesia levels and falsified medical records to conceal the excessive dosage. A Florida dentist, providing an expert opinion, deemed such an extensive dental procedure in a single session as impossible to achieve if done properly.

Dr. Molldrems is yet to issue any reaction on the allegations. A summons was personally served to him at his office on December 20, and Wilsons attorney, Nathaniel Weimer of Tewksbury & Kerfeld, has not provided any comments either.

Dr. Molldrem, whose website emphasizes family-oriented dental care, faces accusations of negligence resulting in Wilson requiring additional medical attention to address the aftermath of the procedures. Wilsons claims extend beyond medical costs, citing pain, embarrassment, disfigurement, and distress. She is seeking a minimum of $50,000 in damages.

Dr. Avrum Goldstein from Naples, Florida, reviewed Wilsons medical records, identifying breaches in the duty of care. While acknowledging Molldrems correct diagnosis, Goldstein criticized the quality of treatment, emphasizing the impossibility of addressing decay in virtually every tooth in a single visit.

Goldstein emphasized that Wilson needed a gradual and thoughtful response to her dental issues. He stated that attempting to address all the problems in a single session was not only counterproductive but also humanly impossible. One specific concern highlighted was the excessive anesthesia administered, with Molldrem surpassing the recommended dosage by administering 960 mg instead of the maximum 490 mg.

Wilsons records indicate discrepancies in the reported anesthesia administration, with Goldstein revealing a significant variance between Molldrems documentation and the actual doses administered.
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It's an 'exciting time' in spaceflight, industry officials say

AP/File photo NASAs new moon rocket lifts off from Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida in Nov. 16, 2022. This launch is the first flight test of the Artemis program. Andrew Harnik/AP file photo Artemis II crew members Reid Wiseman, left, Victor Glover, Galveston resident Christina Hammock Koch, and Jeremy Hansen speak to members of the media outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington Dec. 14 after meeting with President Joe Biden. Terry Renna/AP file photo NASAs new moon rocket lifts off from Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Nov. 16, 2022. This launch is the first flight test of the Artemis program. NASA/via AP file photo The Earth and its moon are seen from NASAs Orion spacecraft on Nov. 28, 2022. Orion and its three test dummies entered lunar orbit on Nov. 25, more than a week after launching on the first flight of the Artemis program. Chris O'Meara/AP file photo A lightning bolt strikes near NASA's new moon rocket as she sits on Launch Pad 39-Bin Cape Canaveral, Florida on Aug. 27, 2022. This is scheduled to be the first flight of NASA's 21st-century moon-exploration program, named Artemis after Apollo's mythological twin sister.

NASAs planned return to the moon is fueling a renaissance in Houstons spaceflight industry and the agencys focus on collaboration with contractors, private companies and education institutions means economic opportunities for Galveston County and the region, leaders say.

The Artemis program will see NASA return to the moon and land a woman and a person of color on the surface.

Companies working on key technologies for the program are hiring and expanding operations, and the Houston Spaceport at Ellington Airport is well on its way to becoming the worlds first urban spaceport. Meanwhile, education providers are working with NASA and commercial companies to ensure people are trained for the future workforce.

THE BEST OF TIMES

All the growth and activity are evidence the nation is entering a new era of space exploration with Houston cementing its position as the hub for human spaceflight, said Douglas Terrier, NASA Johnson Space Center associate director of Strategy and Vision.

This is a really exciting time to be in the space industry, he said. There is a misconception that Apollo was the glory days, but right now is the busiest time in the history of the program.

Its a renaissance in human space exploration as we return to the moon and, with our commercial partners, build a foundation for exploration to Mars. We are on the cusp of taking humans from the cradle of civilization here on Earth out into the solar system.

NASA estimates it contributes close to $9.3 billion to the Texas economy and supports 41,937 jobs, numbers boosted by the Artemis program. A return to the moon means development of a new capsule, the Orion spacecraft, new spacesuits and new lunar rovers with industry partners including Axiom Space, Collins Aerospace and Intuitive Machines.

MAJOR MILESTONE

The Artemis II mission is the next major milestone for the program, Terrier said. Due to launch in 2024, the 10-day mission will send four astronauts including Galvestons Christina Koch to fly by the moon testing the SLS rocket and Orion for the first time with astronauts.

The mission is an important precursor to landing on the moon and establishing a sustainable long-term presence there, Terrier said. Ultimately, the moon will become a place for research and industry as well as a staging point for heading to Mars and developing deep space exploration, thanks to the Gateway program, which is an international collaboration to establish a space station to orbit the moon.

OPEN FOR BUSINESS

NASA in 2020 opened the International Space Station for commercial business and developing a low-Earth orbit industry with partners such as SpaceX, Boeing and Axiom Space is another important focus area, Terrier said.

Johnson Space Center continues to manage the space station, train astronauts, provide mission control for crews and is the receiving office for all extraterrestrial rocks and other samples from the moon, asteroids and Mars.

GONE GLOBAL

Historically, nations competing in a space race was seen as a driver of innovation, but those days are long gone, and NASA has long-standing relationships with Russian, Japanese, European and Canadian space agencies as well as its many contractors and commercial partners.

Commercial partners are opening up space to countries such as Brazil and United Arab Emirates, reinforcing the idea this era of exploration is less insular and all about cooperation, Terrier said.

STILL LOCAL

Johnson Space Center recognizes it has an important role to play as a knowledge base for the industry and stimulating growth of the local economy in high-tech industries, Terrier said. Its akin to the oil and gas industrys Energy Corridor here in Houston, he said.

One thing weve been talking about is the idea of a Space Corridor in Houston, Terrier said.

It begins in downtown where we are working out how to work with entrepreneurs and start-ups in the ION innovative district started by Rice University and extends to JSC with our legacy knowledge and capabilities.

Around JSC you have our commercial partners, then you have the industrial and hardware park at Houston Spaceport, and it goes all the way down to Galveston with UTMB and their involvement with our health and human performance programs.

Development of Exploration Park is another example of the commitment to collaboration, Terrier said. NASA provided the land for the development of a multi-million-dollar research campus by the Texas A&M University System. The project also is supported with funding from the Texas legislature.

FOR EXAMPLE

The Axiom Space story is a good example of the growth of the commercial space business. When Kirsten Whittingham, vice president of Revenue Operations, joined the company in March 2021, it had 100 employees on two floors of one building. Now it has 850 employees based in four Houston locations including the former Frys Electronics building in Webster and the Houston Spaceport at Ellington Airport.

All of our engineers are in the former Frys building, and it is a great inspiration for them as it still has the models of the International Space Station, NASA craft and astronauts, she said.

That inspiration is important because Axiom is developing new generation spacesuits for low Earth orbit and Axiom Station, the worlds first commercial space station and the eventual successor to the ISS. The company, which describes itself as a leader in human spaceflight services and infrastructure, also operates commercial missions to the ISS.

Construction of Axiom Station is underway at the companys property at the Houston Spaceport, Whittingham said.

The first module from the companys Italian partners is being assembled, integrated and tested here, she said.

NEW-ERA PORT

Axiom Space broke ground on its Houston Spaceport property in 2022 and the site is being developed in two phases with the first being the 106,000-square-foot space for testing and integrating Axiom Station. The second phase will create the companys headquarters with the addition of facilities for labs, mission operations and training, aircraft operations and office space.

Whittingham leads a team of 20 at Axiom Space and she relishes the opportunity to help governments, companies and private individuals achieve their goals in space. Recent career highlights include leading an Axiom Space team to support the completion of the first fully commercial mission to the ISS and negotiating contract agreements between Axiom Space and Turkey and Italy.

She was a NASA flight controller during the Space Shuttle era and when that was over, she embarked on a career in defense with Pratt & Whitney.

A tour of a Collins Aerospaces Houston facility reminded her of how much she loved space, she said. During a talk about the spacesuit of that era, she realized she knew more about the suits capabilities in low gravity than the person giving the talk thanks to her time at NASA.

There is really nothing cooler to me than working in space, she said. It is one of a kind, especially when you consider how accomplishments in the industry benefit humanity.

ANCHOR TENANTS

Axiom Space, along with Collins Aerospace and Intuitive Machines, are the anchor tenants at Houston Spaceport at Ellington Airport operated by Houston Airport. The facility being marketed as the worlds first urban spaceport has 100 acres of developed land, two runways with 24-hour air traffic control, and sites with airfield access. It has a another 300 acres of undeveloped land representing a significant opportunity for future development.

Jimmy Spence, senior development specialist, said the spaceports development to date represented about $110 million of capital investment and city infrastructure. He was first involved with the spaceport concept five years ago when he worked at Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership and is excited something he first encountered as a paper concept is now a reality.

It is just incredible, he said. In one building we have Intuitive Machines working on new lunar landers, in another we have Axiom Space assembling the first commercial space station and then we have Collins and Axiom working on the new space suits for low earth orbit and space walks.

A fourth tenant is the start-up Venus Space Aerospace, which is developing the first hypersonic aircraft for passengers.

They moved here from California and are real rockstars at fundraising, Spence said.

The spaceport is more than physical properties as the goal is to make it a center for collaboration and innovation. It is already home to San Jacinto Colleges Edge Center and where students can train for the industry, and there are plans to develop an innovation center as an incubator for new businesses under the auspices of Collins Aerospace and academic institutions including San Jacinto College, Rice University, Texas Southern University and others.

Houston has always been Space City and as a Houston native I want to contribute in my way to make sure that Space City stays Space City, Spence said.

Growth of the space industry is good for many, he said.

The industry also needs accountants, lawyers, marketing people and other professions, he said.

You dont expect everyone who works in energy to work on a rig and the space industry is not just about astronauts and rocket scientists.
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2023.
Nothing Phone (2a)s Launch Date, Camera Specs, & Wallpapers Leaked: Check Them Out News oi -Kabir Jain

As the anticipation builds for the upcoming Nothing Phone (2a), recent leaks have shed light on its camera specifications. According to a report from Smartprix, the Phone (2a) is expected to feature a dual-camera setup, potentially making it the first in its segment to boast a dual 50MP camera configuration.

Camera Setup

The primary camera is rumored to house a 50MP Samsung ISOCELL S5KGN9 sensor with a 1/1.5 sensor size. This sensor, not publicly launched by Samsung yet, has made an appearance in the Moto G84 as well. The ultrawide camera, on the other hand, is expected to feature Samsung's 50MP ISOCELL JN1 sensor, the same sensor present in Nothing Phone (1) and Phone (2). For selfies, the Phone (2a) is said to sport a 32MP Sony IMX615 sensor.

Nothing Phone (2a): Display and Design

In addition to the camera revelations, details about the display and design of the Nothing Phone (2a) have also surfaced. Powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 chipset, the phone is expected to offer a 6.7-inch FHD+ 120Hz AMOLED display. The panel, manufactured by Visionox and BOE, is speculated to have a resolution of 10842412 pixels, promising a vibrant visual experience.

Color Options and Availability

The Nothing Phone (2a) is projected to be available in two color options - Black and White. Reports suggest a wider global availability, with models named PacmanIND (India), PacmanJPN (Japan), PacmanEEA (Europe), and Pacman (global). This expanded availability indicates a strategic move by Nothing to reach a broader audience compared to its predecessor, the Nothing Phone (2).

Nothing Phone (2a): Official Wallpapers

For users keen on personalization, the Nothing Phone (2a) will come with seven official wallpapers, including 'Ruxe,' 'Nexul,' 'Azunim White,' 'Orbique,' 'Rubrane Black,' 'Ambra,' and 'Virmar.' These wallpapers showcase a colorful, playful, and modernistic vibe, providing users with various options to refresh the look of their devices.

Launch Date

The official unveiling of the Nothing Phone (2a) is slated for the "Nothing to See" event at the Mobile World Congress 2024 on February 27th in Barcelona. With its enticing camera features, display specs, and vibrant wallpapers, the Phone (2a) is expected to make a notable entry into the mid-range smartphone market.

Via

Best Mobiles in India

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Snow showers in the morning. Highs in the low 30s and lows in the mid teens.
Press Briefing by IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari December 24th, 20:15

IDF Press Release

Press Briefing

24.12.23

IDF

Good evening,

Today we announced the fall of ten IDF soldiers in battles in the south and north of Gaza. Each one of them fell in combat for the security of the State of Israel, so that we could live here. We embrace the bereaved families, knowing that nothing can comfort them during these difficult days. You are part of the IDF family, and we will continue to stand by you. This war has a very heavy toll, and it claims lives.

It's important that you know - in urban combat, there are terrorists, explosives, anti-tank squads, and snipers. We are killing many terrorists every day of combat and are depriving the enemy of its terror capabilities - those same capabilities that led to October 7th.

We are providing a protective fire envelope for our forces from the air and ground. When necessary, every new strike on a Hamas stronghold containing terrorists which we had not previously entered, receives a full fire envelope from air and ground, and every force on the ground that requests air support receives the necessary fire cover.

Our forces continue to deepen the combat. In the Khan Yunis area, we are expanding our operation, uncovering tunnels, and killing terrorists. The fighting in Khan Yunis is complex, but we have reached quite a few tunnels and underground sites of Hamas, encountered terrorists, killed terrorists, and will continue to deepen this today and in the coming days.

Today we disclosed the activities of the 551st Reservist Brigade in the Jabalya area. In their operation, the forces exposed and dismantled a Hamas terror tunnel network in Gaza. This network was the northern command of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In the command center, located dozens of meters underground, we found weapons, infrastructure for manufacturing weapons, actual workshops where weapons were built, and emergency shelters from which the commander of the northern command, Ahmed Gahndour, led the attack on October 7th against the State of Israel.

The network was connected to a shaft leading to Gahndour home, whom we killed several weeks ago. This tunnel network was dug under a hospital and a school near the Indonesian hospital in the Jabalya area. Hamas operates from civilian places and uses them as shields and as a cover for terror activities. This is a very complex challenge that we are facing and are doing well with, providing full cover for our forces, and our forces in the field are achieving our goals like the 551th Brigade.

During the operation, as part of the effort to retrieve the hostages, our forces recovered the bodies of the hostages, Warrant Officer Ziv Dado, Sergeant Ron Sherman, Corporal Nik Beizer, Eden Zacharia, and Elia Toledano, may their memory be a blessing. We brought them for burial in Israel.

The bodies were transferred for examination to the Pathology Institute, where the circumstances of their deaths will be confirmed. We will update the families and then, with the families' approval, inform the public.

We share in the families' sorrow and embrace them.

We will continue with the policy that has led us so far: presenting every finding to the families first, and then presenting it to the public with transparency.

In the north, we completed a wave of extensive strikes, during which we struck a series of Hezbollah military targets, including terror infrastructure, military buildings, and rocket launching positions. Yesterday, we killed several Hezbollah terrorists. Throughout the day, we identified several launches from Lebanese territory, and our forces immediately returned fire.

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Chances for truce slim as Israeli military actions further widen gap among parties

Global Times

By GT staff reporters Published: Dec 25, 2023 10:27 PM

Christmas Day bloodshed in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of at least 70 people, marking one of the deadliest nights in the ongoing battle between Israel and Palestine. Chinese experts believe the Netanyahu government's determination to extend its "aggressive" military actions in the Gaza Strip will only widen the existing gap between the parties, and hopes for agreeing on a new plan proposed by Egypt are slim.

Airstrikes that began before midnight continued into Christmas Day. Reports from residents and Palestinian media indicate that Israel intensified its aerial and ground attacks in central Gaza, according to Reuters.

Ashraf Al-Qidra, a spokesperson for the Palestinian health ministry, stated that at least 70 people, including women and children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting Maghazi in central Gaza.

On the same day, Egypt issued a three-stage truce proposal, which seeks to a short-term truce, release more hostages and eventually achieve the goal of a comprehensive cease-fire.

Some sources suggest that Israel is not outright refusing the draft and that it may result in potential negotiations, according to The Times of Israel.

Zhu Yongbiao, the director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at Lanzhou University, said that Israel is pursuing a goal that it is well aware it cannot accomplish. The ongoing military actions in Gaza appear to be a desperate attempt by Israel to save face and avoid embarrassment.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu restated his long-held belief on Sunday that the Gaza offensive will not cease until Hamas is eradicated. At the same time, Netanyahu also acknowledged the significant loss of life among his soldiers, with 153 casualties since the ground offensive began.

The Christmas bloodshed shows Netanyahu is hell-bent on having his own way, Liu Zhongmin, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times.

The current peace deal proposed by Egypt offers hopes for a possible short-term cease-fire, but big challenges remain due to stark differences between Palestine and Israel, with latter's pursuit of its goal through aggression only further widening the existing gap between the two parties.

Experts said Israel is facing multiple fronts at this juncture of the conflict. In one sense, it is trying to manage how to handle arrangements in Gaza in the so-called post-Hamas era. As its military actions have moved to the south of Gaza after the Israeli army completed its carpet bombing on the northern part, the war should be coming to an end soon, although it will continue for some time in the future, Liu said. In another sense, ongoing military action in Gaza serves to extend the political career of Netanyahu, who has been facing huge pressure over political restructuring, the expert added.

After several days of delays, the United Nations Security Council finally passed a resolution for increased aid to Gaza on Friday. The resolution, with 13 votes in favor, none against, and the US and Russia abstaining, merely called for steps "to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities."

But this resolution has sparked huge criticism, with some labeling it as "woefully inadequate" and "almost meaningless," media outlet Al Jazeera reported on Saturday.

Answering a question related to the resolution, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Monday that due to well-known reasons, this resolution did not meet the expectations of the international community and there is still room for improvement. However, considering the current urgent situation and the positions of Arab countries such as Palestine, China voted in favor.

Mao said China hopes the UN resolution will be effectively implemented, humanitarian assistance will be expanded as soon as possible, and a monitoring mechanism will be established. The spokesperson also emphasized that achieving a cease-fire remains the overriding prerequisite.

Liu also believes that a cease-fire is crucial for Gaza, given the huge causalities that the conflict has caused. But due to the fact that Israel has been receiving continuous support from the US, it intends to exploit the military actions in south Gaza to try to gain more advantages for itself in its diplomatic and political maneuvers, Liu noted.

Zhu also said that as major countries continue to make efforts in this process, including regional countries, reaching an agreement on Egypt's new truce plan is not impossible, but chances of success are slim.

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FM: Iran emphasizes need to prevent Gaza war spillover, ensure navigation security

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 25, 2023

Tehran, IRNA -- Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has said that the Islamic Republic is making efforts to prevent the spillover of the Gaza war and help ensure navigation security in international seas, however a stop to the war guarantees the security of the region.

Amirabdollahian made the comments on Monday night in a phone conversation with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi as the two discussed the ongoing Gaza war and the Israeli regime's crimes against Palestinians there.

Despite efforts at the regional and international levels to prevent the continuation and spillover of the war, the Israeli regime is pursuing its aggressive goals in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, Amirabdollahian said.

He referred to international concerns over the security of the Red Sea, saying that the Islamic Republic makes efforts to prevent the war from spilling over and to help ensure navigation security in the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. However, the Iranian foreign minister added, an end to the Gaza war guarantees the security In West Asia.

The Jordanian foreign minister, on his part, said that crimes against Gazans and their forced displacement should be stopped, while dispatch of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian territory must be facilitated.

He blamed the continued Israeli attacks for the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

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Hezbollah says it targeted Israeli military sites with missiles

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 25, 2023

Tehran, IRNA -- The Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah says it has carried out missile strikes against three Israeli military sites in the occupied northern territories of Palestine.

Hezbollah said in a statement that it had targetted the Beit Hillel military base in northern occupied territories with precision-guided missiles, Al-Mayadeen news network reported on Monday.

In another statement, Hezbollah declared that it had directly targeted the gathering place of Israeli forces in a garrison with high-precision weapons.

It added that another Israeli military site in Birkat Risha was hit with missiles.

The Israeli media also reported that several loud explosions were heard in the western Galilee region on the border between southern Lebanon and northern occupied territories.

Israeli authorities said due to the continued attacks by Hezbollah, all roads and entrances to the Zionist settlements in the upper Galilee region have been closed.

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Israeli officers make up 27% casualties in Gaza war

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 25, 2023

Tehran, IRNA -- Some Israeli regime's media outlets have reported that 27 percent of the regime's troopers, who have been killed in the Gaza war, are officers.

Lebanon's Al-Mayadeen TV network has quoted some Israeli sources as reporting that Palestinian resistance fighters succeeded in inflicting heavy casualties on the Israeli regime's army in the Gaza conflict.

The Israeli regime's media outlets confirmed that officers make up 27 percent of the soldiers killed in the war on Gaza, including three brigade commanders and four battalion commanding officers, as well as many other senior officers.

The Nahal Brigade of the Israeli regime's army has lost almost all of its commanders, and the Golani Brigade's 13th Battalion of the regime has also suffered a devastating blow.

On Sunday, the Israeli regime's army admitted to the death of a reserve duty major and a soldier of the regime, as well as the serious injury of another soldier in the north of Gaza, who is in a critical situation.

The total number of Israeli soldiers and officers killed in the Gaza war has reached 489 since October 7, out of which 156 military forces have lost their lives since the onset of the ground operation in Gaza on October 17.

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70 martyrs in Israeli new massacre in Gaza

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Mon / 25 December 2023 / 09:46

The Gaza Government Media Office cautions against the Israeli army committing new massacres against civilians in the Strip.

Tehran-ISNA- Dozens of Palestinians, mostly children and women, were killed and injured in a new massacre committed by the Israeli occupation forces overnight on Sunday into Monday, targeting numerous homes in the al-Maghazi refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.

Medical sources at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital confirmed the arrival of the bodies of 70 martyrs as a result of the Israeli artillery shelling and airstrikes that targeted the refugee camp. The sources added that a number of injuries were brought to the hospital, including ones it critical condition.

Israeli warplanes carried out more than 50 consecutive airstrikes early Monday, including a series of belts of fire on the al-Nuseirat, al-Bureij, and al-Maghazi refugee camps.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Ashraf al-Qudra, mentioned that the Israeli forces were shelling the main roads between the camps in the central area to hinder the arrival of ambulances and civil defense to the targeted areas.

Al-Qudra confirmed that "the number of martyrs from the al-Maghazi massacre has risen to 70 so far." Earlier, he said the strike destroyed a "residential block" and that the "toll is likely to rise" given the large number of families residing there.

Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that the Israeli forces are preventing ambulances from reaching the targeted areas in al-Bureij and al-Maghazi, noting that a significant number of martyrs that were in the al-Maghazi massacre were displaced individuals.

The Gaza Government Media Office cautioned against the Israeli army committing new massacres against civilians, particularly as these camps are densely populated with closely aligned houses.

Simultaneously, Israeli artillery shelled across the central region and Khan Younis, our correspondent reported. In the Maan area of Khan Younis, southern Gaza, Israeli forces flattened seven residential buildings onto their inhabitants, he pointed out, indicating that the current pattern of shelling and intense attacks typically precedes ground incursion attempts.

Prior to the al-Maghazi massacre, the Ministry of Health in Gaza confirmed that the total death toll of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since October 7 has now reached 20,424 martyrs, with an additional 54,036 individuals reported injured.

Over the last 24 hours, Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip have resulted in the martyrdom of 166 people and left 384 others injured, the Gaza Government Media Office highlighted.

It mentioned that the Israeli occupation forces requested eight neighborhoods in the central governorate to evacuate to the Deir al-Balah area, and within 48 hours of issuing that request, they committed five massacres in the same region, leading to the martyrdom of 28 individuals and injury of 88 others.

The Office pointed out that the Israeli military deliberately misleads civilians, predominantly children and women, aiming to inflict the highest possible human losses and casualties in a dual war crime: forcing civilians into forced displacement from their homes and executing them by direct and intentional bombardment.

End Item

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PM Netanyahu's Speech at a Special Knesset Session on the Hostages

Israel - Prime Minister's Office

The 37th Government

25.12.2023

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today, at a special Knesset session on the hostages:

"Dear Families,

Mr. Speaker,

Government ministers,

Members of Knesset,

During my years as Prime Minister, I met with representatives of all the major powers and their ambassadors in Israel, including ambassadors of China, but I don't remember inviting the Chinese ambassador to a meeting; usually they invite themselves. Several days ago, I invited him to come and asked him to convey a message directly to the president of China, Xi Jinping. The message was regarding a young, Israeli woman, Noa Argamani, a student who is supposed to start her third year at Ben-Gurion University. Noa was taken hostage at that same event you are all familiar with, together with her boyfriend. I met her mother, Leora, several times. She came with her husband Ya'akov. Leora was born in China.

I told the ambassador that I was asking him to please tell Xi Jinping, outside of protocol, outside the rules, which I know very well, that this is the daughter of a Chinese mother and that I am asking for his personal intervention with regard to Noa Argamani, because her mother is begging not only for Noa's life, but also for her own life, as she has advanced stage cancer. She told me what she said many times: 'I only ask to see my Noa once more in the time I have left.' The ambassador got back to me and said that this request had reached the President of China.

There is another head of state I approachedI had not spoken with him for many long monthsand that is the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin. I spoke with him just days ago, and I told him that I was asking for him to intervene in the matter of the hostages, including Andrey Kozlov, Alex Lobanov and Alexander Trupanob. He said he would try to act in this regard. The next day, Russia's deputy foreign minister called for the immediate unconditional release of all the hostages.

I tell you all this to make one thing clear: We, my colleagues and I, are making every effort, both seen and unseen, to bring our hostages home.

Several days ago, I met with the president of the Red Cross. It was at my office in Tel Aviv, and I placed a box of medicines of the table, medicines that a considerable number of the hostages, whose pictures are presented, here need. Some are even life-saving medications. I told her, 'Take this box, pass it along. Give it to the Hamas operatives in Rafah. This is what I ask and demand of them.' She did not agree, and it was a difficult conversation.

Yesterday, my wife, Sara, sent a letter to the Pope, and she asked for his involvement on the matter of all the hostages. She asked him to approach the president of the Red Cross to ask that they visit our hostages and transfer their medicines.

We are making every effort. I won't go into all my conversations with President Biden, French President Macron, the Prime Minister of Britain and with leaders from around the world. I also won't describe the efforts we are making even as we speak, which I don't think should be detailed. I want to simply emphasize: We will shake every tree and turn over every rock to bring all our hostages home. I say this not only as part of a collective, but on an individual basis, because each and every one of them, like you, like me, is precious.

Since the beginning of the war, I met with the families of the hostages, together with the members of the War Cabinet and on my own, including in the past several days. I hear your personal stories. I listened to Sharon Sharabi, who told me and my wife about his brother Yossi, who was taken hostage at Kibbutz Be'eri, while his wife, Nira, was able to save their daughters and seven other citizens. His brother Eli, who was taken hostage, lives near him in Kibbutz Be'eri.

We also met with Ali Ziyadne, who was elated after the release of two of his cousins, Aisha and Bilal, but this joy was mixed with worry and sadness over the condition of his brother Youssef and his brother Hamza, who are still being held by Hamas. We looked each other in the eyes at these meetings. We spoke honestly and openly, heart to heart, from a grieving heart to a burning heart. Because I look at every picture, and this is not just lip service and you all know it.

What my colleagues said here today is true. This brings the nation together, and what unites us is that this is a sacred mission. So I say again: We will continue to make every effort to bring them home.

I want to tell you, members of Knesset and dear families, we would not have succeeded in freeing more than 100 hostages thus far without military pressure. All the pressures that we are applying, diplomatic, intelligence and others, would not succeed without military pressure. We will not be able to release all the hostages without military pressure, operational pressure, diplomatic pressure. And therefore there is one thing we will not dowe will not stop fighting.

I came here directly from Gaza. Just an hour ago, I was in the Salatin neighborhood, which abuts Jabaliya and Beit Lahiya. There, in the dust and the mud and among the ruins, I met the heroic and determined fighters of the Bahad 1 reserves brigade. You should hear them. I spoke with Brigade Commander Yehuda, who commands the reserves brigade. I asked him what they most needed. He told me that there are battles all the time and that they killed terrorists, and that unfortunately they lost several of their brothers-in-arms, but that they keep fighting. They kill terrorists all the time, day in and day out, even on an hourly basis. I asked him, 'What do you need the most?' And he answered, 'Time. We need time.'

We need to keep going until the end. I spoke with Uri, a battalion commander in the reserves. He is a father of eight children. Five of his family members are fighting in Gaza. He told me, 'We need to keep going until the end.' He hasn't been home in two months. He told me, 'My wife is at home and tells me to take two more months. Take however long it takes. To the end.'

I heard similar statements from the family members of our brave fallen soldiers. You should hear them. They speak with broken hearts and with tears in their eyes, but I must tell you, with their heads held high. They weep and I embrace them, and they stand with their heads held high. From the depths of their grief, they cry out, 'Our children did not die in vain. We cannot stop the war until we ensure total victory over those who seek to kill us.'

To you, IDF soldiers, and to you, hurting families and relatives of the hostages, and from this podium, I say: We are not stopping and we will not stop until we are victorious, because we have no country but this one, and we have no other way. Together with you, together with every home in Israel and every citizen of Israel, I pray for the well-being of our hostages, our brothers and sisters: 'Our brothers, the entire family of Israel, who are delivered into distress and captivity, whether they are on sea or dry land - may God have mercy on them and remove them from stress to relief, from darkness to light, from subjugation to redemption now, speedily and soon.'

I would like to add another prayer, a prayer for the well-being of our IDF soldiers: "He Who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob  may He bless the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces, who stand guard over our land and the cities of our G-d, from the border of the Lebanon to the desert of Egypt, and from the Great Sea unto the approach of the Aravah, on the land, in the air, and on the sea. May the Almighty cause the enemies who rise up against us to be struck down before them. May the Holy One, Blessed is He, preserve and rescue our soldiers from every trouble and distress and from every plague and illness, and may He send blessing and success in their every endeavor."

We will fight together, and with G-d's help, we will win together."

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PM Netanyahu visited the northern Gaza Strip, together with IDF Deputy Chief-of-Staff Maj.-Gen. Amir Baram

Israel - Prime Minister's Office

The 37th Government

25.12.2023

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today, visited the northern Gaza Strip, together with IDF Deputy Chief-of-Staff Maj.-Gen. Amir Baram.

The Prime Minister was briefed by the Commander of the 261st Brigade, Col. Yehuda Wach, the Deputy Commander of the 162nd Division and the Deputy Commander of the 261st Brigade about their activity in the northern Gaza Strip, the quantity of enemy war materiel that had been found in almost every home and the soldiers' determination to continue with full force. Prime Minister Netanyahu also heard about the many tunnel shafts that had been found in the heart of a civilian area and was briefed on the routes of the tunnels.

The Prime Minister spoke with the soldiers and heard from them about their insistence and determination regarding the mission - to fight until the end, until victory.

Prime Minister Netanyahu to the soldiers:

"I am here with you in the northern Gaza Strip and I am extraordinarily impressed. Previously, I told your commanders, and you, as reservists, as soldiers - we are proud of you and rely on you. We see the determination and the desire to continue on until the end."

Then I have two things to tell you: First, we will do everything to maintain your safety and your lives. While we want to pursue the mission, we want to safeguard you even more. That is the first - and most important - thing.

Second, we are not stopping. Whoever talks about stopping - there is no such thing. We are not stopping. The war will continue until the end, until we finish it, no less.

I know that you left your families and that your families support you. That is amazing. That is the power - the key to victory."

A soldier:

"We left two of our friends here."

Prime Minister Netanyahu:

"I know. Not a few, and dear friends. For this we are continuing. The testament is to continue."

261st Brigade Commander Yehuda Wach:

"It is important that you came and it is important that they know that we will go wherever you tell us - we will win. Not 'close', not 'more or less' - until the end. We will win."

Prime Minister Netanyahu was accompanied by his Chief of Staff, Tzachi Braverman, and his Military Secretary, Maj.-Gen. Avi Gil.

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70 killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza refugee camp

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 13:16, December 25, 2023

GAZA, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- At least 70 Palestinians were killed on Sunday in an Israeli airstrike on the al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, reported the state-run Palestine TV.

Ashraf Al-Qedra, spokesman for the Gaza-based Health Ministry, said in a statement that the death toll is likely to rise as the airstrike hit a crowded residential area. He added that Israeli forces are bombing the central region's main roads between camps, which obstructs ambulances and civil vehicles from reaching targeted locations.

Local sources told Xinhua that most of the killed were women and children, and it is currently difficult for local hospitals to receive more injured people.

The sources added that in addition to the al-Maghazi refugee camp, the Israeli army also attacked central Gaza's al-Bureij refugee camp and the southern city of Khan Younis.

"Intense airstrikes by the military occupation have led to the closure of main roads between the camps of Al-Bureij, Al-Maghazi, and Al-Nuseirat, hindering the work of ambulances and rescue teams," the Palestine Red Crescent Society said at midnight Sunday local time on X, formerly Twitter.

Israel's military spokesperson's office said it was looking into reports of the attack.

Al-Maghazi was one of the places the Israeli military had previously told the Palestinians in Gaza to evacuate to, yet the camp has been "completely flattened," according to Al Jazeera.

Al-Maghazi was bombarded by Israel last month, when 51 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed and scores wounded, according to Palestinian news agency WAFA.

The UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) reported that on the afternoon of Oct. 17, one of its schools in Al-Maghazi, sheltering some 4,000 displaced people, was hit. As a result, eight people were killed and 40 injured, including three UNRWA staff.

Al-Maghazi, one of the smallest Gaza refugee camps, is characterized by narrow alleys and a high population density, housing nearly 30,000 people in 0.6 square km, said the UN agency.

The latest tally by the Gaza-based Health Ministry showed on Sunday that the Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks has reached 20,424, and 54,036 others were wounded since the conflict broke out on Oct. 7.

Meanwhile, a total of 15 Israeli soldiers were confirmed killed in Gaza over the past weekend, said the Israeli army, bringing to 154 the overall number of slain Israeli soldiers during its ground offensive in Gaza, which was launched in retaliation for a Hamas assault on Oct. 7 that left about 1,200 Israelis killed and more than 200 captivated.

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Yemen's Houthis again warn off U.S. forces in Red Sea

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 13:10, December 25, 2023

SANAA, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi rebels on Sunday renewed their warning to the U.S. forces, urging them to leave the Red Sea quickly before it becomes "a burning arena."

"The Red Sea will be a burning arena if America and its allies continue their bullying," Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam said in a statement aired by the group's al-Masirah TV.

The warning came as the U.S. accused the Houthis of attacking MV Saibaba, an Indian-flagged crude oil tanker owned by Gabon, with a drone, which Abdulsalam denied by claiming that it was a U.S. naval destroyer that was behind this near-miss missile attack in the southern end of the Red Sea.

"While a plane belonging to our navy was carrying out reconnaissance work across the Red Sea, an American warship hysterically opened fire with multiple weapons," explained Abdulsalam, adding that one of the missiles exploded near MV Saibaba, which came from Russian ports and headed southward.

The spokesman denounced the "militarization of the Red Sea" by America and its partners, saying they "posed a threat to international maritime navigation" and asking them to leave.

On Wednesday, the Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi clearly warned that his group would launch deadly attacks on U.S. warships and interests across the Middle East if Washington waged war against the militia.

Last week, the U.S. announced a 10-nation coalition to quell Houthi missile and drone attacks on ships transiting the Red Sea.

Houthi rebels have escalated attacks on Israel-linked commercial ships passing through the Red Sea and Arab Sea, demanding an end to Israel's aggression on the Gaza Strip and the delivery of food and medicine supplies to the enclave.

The Houthis control large swathes of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and the strategic port city of Hodeidah on the coast of the Red Sea, where up to 12 percent of world trade passes through.

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Israel denies visas to UN staff critical of regime's genocide in Gaza

Iran Press TV

Monday, 25 December 2023 6:50 PM

Israel has denied visas to the United Nations staff due to the global organization's criticism of the regime's targeting of civilians and hospitals in Gaza.

Media reports said Israel will not renew the visa of a United Nations staff member and will deny the visa request of another UN employee.

"We will stop working with those who cooperate with the Hamas organization's propaganda," said Eli Cohen, Israel's minister of foreign affairs, on X on Monday.

Cohen described the UN's conduct as "a disgrace" since Israel launched its bombardment of the besieged Palestinian territory on October 7.

The latest incident is only one in a series of instances of Israel clashing with the UN over Gaza.

Israel recently announced its decision to revoke the residence visa of Lynn Hastings, the UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, who left last week.

Hastings had censured Israeli restrictions on much-needed aid deliveries. "The conditions required to deliver aid to the people of Gaza do not exist," she said on December 4.

"If possible, an even more hellish scenario is about to unfold, one in which humanitarian operations may not be able to respond," she said, referring to the resumption of Israel's bombardment on Gaza at the end of a one-week pause.

More than 100 journalists, about 270 medical personnel and at least 134 UN staff have been killed in Israeli strikes since October 7.

The UN, aid groups and rights organizations have warned the Palestinians are facing hunger.

Israel has justified attacks on UN schools, universities and hospitals, saying they were used by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas. The regime has provided no proof for its claims.

Media reports have also debunked Israeli claims that Hamas ran a command center under Shifa Hospital, Gaza's largest medical facility, which was crippled by Israeli shelling.

Elsewhere in his remarks on Monday, the Israeli foreign minister accused the UN chief, the UN human rights commissioner and the UN women agency.

The UN agencies and human rights organizations have Israel under fire for the "collective punishment" of Gaza's 2.3 million people.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has repeatedly warned aid work in Gaza is at a breaking point.

Since the war began, more than 100 UNRWA staff have been killed and over 40 of the agency's buildings in Gaza have been damaged in Israeli strikes.

Israel has also repeatedly targeted Francesca Albanese, the UN's special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, who has criticized the regime for violating international law.

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has also been attacked for what Israel said was publishing inaccurate reports. Israel has not provided proof for its claims.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has repeatedly called for a ceasefire and decried the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The UN chief has invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter, a move aimed at formally warning the Security Council of a global threat posed by Israel's barbarism.

The UN General Assembly has gone to great lengths for a humanitarian ceasefire, but votes at the UN Security Council have been vetoed and stalled by Israel's great benefactor the United States.

It's been 80 days since Israel launched its onslaught on Gaza. Bodies of more than 8,000 Palestinians are missing in Gaza as the death toll has surpassed the 20,000 mark.

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Israel's Gaza savagery results from 'impunity for genocide', UN expert says

Iran Press TV

Monday, 25 December 2023 4:16 PM

The UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing has called for establishing a new international tribunal if the International Criminal Court (ICC) does not take swift action regarding the barbaric Israeli hostilities in the besieged Gaza Strip.

In a Monday post on X, Balakrishnan Rajagopal said the systematic bombing of civilian infrastructure and widespread destruction of the besieged Palestinian territory amounts to a war crime and crime against humanity.

"What has happened in Gaza is the result of what I call institutionalized impunity. Impunity for occupation. For a war of extermination. Genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity."

"If the ICC does not act very soon, we need a special tribunal for Gaza and action by States."

Rajagopal had made a similar move in support of Gaza last month. He warned that the destruction in Gaza comes at a "huge cost in human lives."

The UN expert back then said when hostilities are "directed against the civilian population, they also amount to crimes against humanity." He said civilian housing does not represent military targets.

French lawyer Gilles Dever has mobilized a contingent of peers from all over the world to represent the persecuted Palestinians before the ICC. He believes the lawsuit at the ICC has made a remarkable progress.

Libyan Ambassador to the Netherlands Ziad Daghim has said his country and a group of other states submitted a lawsuit against Israel to the ICC.

The ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan has ordered the appointment of investigators to verify the crimes in question, which were perpetrated by the Israeli military against the Palestinian people.

Khan has confirmed reception of an appeal from South Africa, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Comoros and Djibouti.

Israel has killed more than 20,400 people in Gaza since October 7.

Most recently, at least 95 people were killed in an Israeli strike on the Maghazi camp in central Gaza.

Other areas across Gaza also witnessed new strikes. In Deir al-Balah, seven people lost their lives after warplanes bombed a residential building.

Another airstrike killed nearly two dozen Palestinians in the southern city of Khan Yunis. To the north, the regime's bombardment killed ten members of a family in the Jabalia camp.

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Al-Qassam Brigades 'smashing' Israeli occupation army, will not surrender: Hamas leader

Iran Press TV

Monday, 25 December 2023 3:38 PM

The leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip says the Palestinian resistance movement has inflicted heavy losses on the Israeli occupation forces in the besieged territory and will not give in to the usurping regime's conditions.

In a public message on Monday, Yahya Sinwar said that members of the Hamas military wing, known as al-Qassam Brigades, were engaged in a "fierce" fighting with Israeli forces in Gaza and were "smashing" the regime's occupation army.

"Al-Qassam Brigades are fighting a fierce and unprecedented battle against the Israeli occupation forces," Sinwar said.

Stressing that the brigades are "smashing the Israeli army and will continue to do so," the Hamas leader said they "will not submit to the conditions of the occupation."

Sinwar outlined the military wing's achievements after two-and-a-half months of Israeli aggression on Gaza, saying 5,000 Israeli soldiers and officers have been killed and wounded since the ground operations began in late October.

The Hamas leader underlined that one-third of Israeli forces, around 1,660, were killed, while the rest had been permanently disabled or seriously wounded.

"Palestinian fighters, who are using ... snipers, anti-tank missiles and explosive devices, have completely destroyed or partially damaged at least 750 Israeli armored vehicles, including tanks," Sinwar added.

Sinwar's remarks come amid reports of renewed talks between Gaza-based resistance groups and Israel over a ceasefire agreement.

The Israeli regime has recently proposed another temporary pause in fighting during which a group of Israelis could be released from Gaza in exchange for the release of some Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas has stressed that no prisoner exchanges will take place unless an agreement is reached to permanently end the Israeli war and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Israel waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime's decades-long campaign of death and destruction in Palestine.

The Israeli aggression has so far killed at least 20,674 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Another 54,536 individuals have been wounded while many bodies remain trapped under rubble.

Around 80 percent of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have been displaced to southern Gaza, with tens of thousands crammed in UN schools or taking refuge in makeshift tents.

The Tel Aviv regime has imposed a "complete siege" on the territory, cutting off fuel, electricity, food and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.

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Iran, Syria share stance on need to end Israeli genocide in Gaza: Amir-Abdollahian

Iran Press TV

Monday, 25 December 2023 2:15 PM

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says Iran and Syria have a common stance on the necessity of putting an immediate end to Israel's war crimes and genocide in Gaza.

In a Monday meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, who is in Iran to attend Tehran International Conference on Palestine, Amir-Abdollahian hailed Damascus' firm stance on the ongoing developments in Gaza and Palestine.

He said Iran and Syria are supporting each other in dealing with regional issues.

Israel waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime's decades-long campaign of death and destruction in Palestine.

The Israeli aggression has so far killed at least 20,674 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Another 54,536 individuals have been wounded while many bodies remain trapped under rubble.

The Tel Aviv regime has imposed a "complete siege" on the territory, cutting off fuel, electricity, food and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.

Amir-Abdollahian also hailed the promotion of security and stability in Syria and voiced Iran's support for the expansion of the Arab country's sovereignty all over the territory.

The Syrian foreign minister, for his part, commended Iran's hosting of the international conference on Palestine and said his country fully endorses Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi's view with regard to the Palestinian issue.

The Palestinian people's victory is in fact the triumph of the Arab and Muslim nations, he said.

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Iran: Washington in no position to accuse others; hatred of US surges globally over Gaza

Iran Press TV

Monday, 25 December 2023 11:10 AM

Iran has dismissed "worthless" US accusations that it is escalating tensions in the high seas, saying Washington, complicit in Israel's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, is "in no position" to make claims against Tehran.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan'ani made the remarks at a weekly press briefing on Monday, after the Pentagon alleged that a chemical tanker operating in the Indian Ocean was struck by an Iranian attack drone.

He held the US responsible for the start of the Gaza on October 7 war and its continuation, saying its actions and support for Israel have increasingly incited intentional communities' hatred towards itself.

"We reject their (the Americans') worthless claims, which clearly are politically motivated and are a blame game aimed at covering up the US's crimes in Gaza," he added.

"Iran has always ensured security in high seas, acted responsibly, and played an important role in maritime security and international trade through waters. Therefore, the US and no other parties are in a position to accuse Iran."

In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph newspaper, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron also claimed that Iran "is a thoroughly malign influence in the region and the world."

Kan'ani said that Britain, which has always played a significant role in creating regional instability and insecurity, is legally and morally unfit to level accusations at Iran and other parties in the region.

"The UK is itself a defendant over the Gaza war, and of course, the country must be held accountable for its past and present actions concerning its role in establishing and supporting the Zionist regime as the most hated terrorist organization in the region," he added.

'Ending war crimes in Gaza a top priority for Iran'

Referring to talks between the Palestinian Hamas resistance group, Turkey, and Qatar, the diplomat said that Iran is in contact with all sides regarding the Palestine issue and that its top priority is to end the Israeli atrocities in Gaza.

"Dealing with secondary issues, especially the solutions proposed by the United States, are distracting," he added.

"Iran's top priority is to end the crimes of the Zionist regime and ensure the immediate dispatch of aid [to Gaza]. No one other than the Palestinian nation deserves to decide for itself."

Israeli war on Gaza 'strategic mistake'

The spokesman said that the Israeli regime made a "strategic mistake" by choosing to start a war on Gaza and that it made a "bigger strategic mistake" by continuing its aggression.

"The regime must understand that what it did against Lebanon in 2006 turned the resistance into a decisive power there. The same situation will be in Gaza and the resistance will emerge victorious," he emphasized, referring to the 33-war in which Hezbollah defeated Israel.

'Claims in Russia-Arabs joint statement action against Iran's sovereignty'

Referring to a recent joint statement issued by several Arab countries and Russia on Iran's three Persian Gulf islands, Kan'ani said that Iran considers "unacceptable" claims made in the statement an "action against its sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Asked about Iran's relations with Egypt, he said that the two countries are on a good path to open a new chapter in their ties.

'A cruel sentence'

He further said that a "cruel" sentence against former Iranian official Hamid Nouri does not mean the end of Iran's efforts to secure his release.

Nouri was arrested upon arrival at Stockholm Airport in November 2019 and was immediately imprisoned.

The former Iranian judiciary official was put on trial on unfounded allegations staged against him by elements representing the MKO terrorist group that has openly boasted about carrying out terrorist operations against Iranian officials and civilians perceived to be supporters of the government.

The terrorist group had falsely claimed that Nouri was involved in the execution and torture of MKO members in 1988, baseless charges he has vehemently rejected.

Last July, a Swedish court sentenced Nouri to life imprisonment. A few days ago the Stockholm Court of Appeals upheld a life sentence for Nouri.

Iran has condemned the Swedish verdict against Nouri as 'fundamentally unacceptable'.

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Afghanistan needs to take 'practical' actions to resolve issues with Iran: Amir-Abdollahian

Iran Press TV

Monday, 25 December 2023 10:48 AM

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says Afghanistan should take "practical" actions to resolve the existing issues between the two countries, including border security and water share.

Amir-Abdollahian made the remark in a meeting with Taliban's caretaker foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, in Tehran on Sunday.

He said Tehran and Kabul have important relations in various aspects and expressed hope that Afghanistan's acting Taliban government would cooperate in practice to resolve some existing problems.

The top Iranian diplomat further pointed to a recent conference held in Tehran in support of Palestine and hailed the active participation of the Afghan delegation, led by Muttaqi, in the confab.

He also outlined the latest developments in Gaza amid Israel's war on the besieged strip and urged all Muslim and freedom-seeking countries to help the Palestinian people in the face of the occupying regime's genocidal crimes.

The Taliban's caretaker foreign minister, for his part, lauded Iran's move to hold the Tehran conference on Palestine at a time when the United Nations Security Council as well as other world organizations and countries remain silent about Israel's war crimes in Gaza.

Muttaqi hailed Iran's principled stance on the oppressed Palestinian people and stressed the importance of providing more support for the resistance front and the Palestinians' battle against the Zionists' occupation.

He called for the promotion of relations with Tehran in various fields, including water, border security, trade and judicial and consular cooperation.

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Dec. 24: 'Axis of Resistance' operations against Israeli occupation

Iran Press TV

Monday, 25 December 2023 9:45 AM

By Press TV Website Staff

Amid Israel's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, which has claimed the lives of more than 20,000 Palestinians, mostly children and women, resistance groups in Palestine and across the region continue their operations against the Tel Aviv regime and its Western backers.

The operations carried out by the Palestinian and regional resistance groups on December 24, Sunday, are as follows:

Qassam Brigades' operations on Dec. 24:

Hit and destroyed a Merkava tank with an 'Al-Yassin 105' shell in the Al-Qasaib neighborhood in the Jabalia refugee camp, north of the Gaza Strip.

Destroyed two Merkava tanks with 'Al-Yassin 105' shells on the outskirts of the Jabalia Al-Balad area, north of the Gaza Strip.

Detonated an anti-personnel explosive device among an Israeli infantry force in the Juhr al-Dik area in the central Gaza Strip, killing at least six regime soldiers.

Shot dead at least three Israeli soldiers, including an army major, in the Al-Qasaib neighborhood in the Jabalia refugee camp, north of the Gaza Strip.

Struck a special Israeli regime force comprising 10 soldiers inside a building in the Juhr al-Dik area in the central Gaza Strip with an anti-fortified TBG shell, causing casualties

Targeted military installations around Al-Zalal Mosque, east of the city of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, with a barrage of rockets and mortar shells.

Targeted a Merkava tank with a 'Tandem' shell on Al-Nuzha Street in the Jabalia Al-Balad area, north of the Gaza Strip.

Hit a gathering of regime soldiers east of the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in the southwestern Gaza Strip with heavy-caliber mortar shells.

Targeted "Sufa" military site of the Israeli military and a hideout of soldiers in its vicinity with a barrage of mortar shells.

Targeted at least three Israeli military vehicles with two RPG shells and a guerrilla action device in Al-Zaytoun and Shujaiya, east of Gaza City.

Targeted military concentrations surrounding the Islamic Complex east of the city of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza with heavy-caliber mortar shells.

Hezbollah's operations on Dec. 24:

Eastern sector:

At around 7:30 local time, Israeli positions in Dishon were targeted with missiles.

At around 15:35 local time, Israeli soldiers in Hunan were targeted with appropriate weapons.

Western sector:

At around 14:50 local time, the Avivim settlement was targeted with appropriate weapons, leading to a number of casualties.

At around 15:15 local time, the Al-Dhahira site was targeted with appropriate weapons.

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Europe must play 'decisive role' to end genocide in Gaza: Iran's ambassador

Iran Press TV

Monday, 25 December 2023 8:35 AM

European countries must play a "decisive role" in efforts aimed ay putting an end to Israel's crimes and genocidal war in the Gaza Strip, says Iran's ambassador to Baghdad.

Mohammad Kazem Al-e Sadeq made the remark in a meeting with the new ambassador of the European Union to Iraq, Thomas Seiler, in Baghdad on Sunday.

He slammed the West's double standard policies on support for human rights and emphasized the necessity of protecting the lives of the defenseless Palestinian people and providing humanitarian aid to them.

The ambassador outlined the latest developments in relations between Iran and the EU, saying European countries need to change their approaches to Tehran and the West Asia region in line with global issues.

The EU ambassador, for his part, said Iran plays a leading role in Iraq as one of its most important neighboring countries.

He added that the continuation of talks among officials of Iran and the European Union at different levels would lead to positive outcomes.

Seiler expressed hope that sustainable peace would be established in Palestine.

The Iranian and EU diplomats also exchanged views about the latest regional and international developments.

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'Burning battlefield': Yemen warns US Red Sea militarization endangers maritime navigation

Iran Press TV

Monday, 25 December 2023 6:36 AM

Yemen has warned that the Red Sea will become a "flaming battleground" if the United States and its allies stick to their "aggressive behavior" and fuel tensions in the strategic maritime route.

Mohammed Abdul-Salam, spokesman for Yemen's Ansarullah resistance movement, made the remarks in an X post on Sunday, days after the US announced the formation of a multi-national maritime task force in the Red Sea under the pretext of protecting vessels owned by Israel or bound for the occupied territories.

He said that the US and its partners are "threatening international maritime navigation by militarizing the Red Sea with no legitimate reason."

"The Red Sea would become a battleground if the US and its allies continue their aggressive behavior," he said, urging the countries with coastline on the seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean to "recognize the reality of the dangers that threaten their national security."

Abdul-Salam also said that a US warship had opened "reckless" fire at a reconnaissance plane belonging to the Yemeni Navy in the Red Sea.

One of the US missiles exploded near a Gabonese ship that was traveling from Russia, he added.

The US had accused the Yemeni forces of attacking MV Saibaba, an Indian-flagged crude oil tanker owned by Gabon, with a drone.

Earlier, Ansarullah leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi warned that American ships would become a target for Yemeni missiles in case of any strike on Yemen.

"If the United States is considering targeting Yemen, we will not stand idly by," he said, stressing that engaging in a direct war with the US and Israel is what the Yemenis aspire for the most.

In retaliation for Israel's genocidal onslaught on Gaza, Yemen recently warned that it considers any ships with owners linked to Israel or those going to and from ports in the occupied territories legitimate targets.

Last month, the Yemeni Armed Forces seized a vehicle transport ship linked to Israel in the Red Sea off Yemen. They still hold the vessel near the port city of Hudaydah.

They also launched drone and missile strikes targeting the occupied territories in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel waged the brutal war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

Since the start of the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 20,424 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 54,036 others.

Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under the rubble in Gaza, which is under "complete siege" by Israel.

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Israel massacres at least 70 Palestinians in airstrike on Gaza refugee camp

Iran Press TV

Monday, 25 December 2023 12:07 AM

An Israeli airstrike targeting a refugee camp in the central part of the Gaza Strip has killed at least 70 Palestinians as the regime's genocidal war across the besieged territory continues unabated.

Gaza's Health Ministry reported the massacre in a late Sunday statement, saying the fatalities came after the regime's air raid hit a number of houses at the al-Maghazi refugee camp.

According to the ministry's spokesman, the strike destroyed a "residential block" and the "toll is likely to rise" given the large number of families residing there and the fact that many people are still under the rubble.

"What is happening at the al-Maghazi camp is the annihilation of an entire residential square," Ashraf al-Qudra said.

The ministry also noted that another Israeli strike on a house in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza has killed 10 members of the same family.

The ministry's spokesman said the regime's forces "are bombing the main roads between the [refugee] camps ... to impede the arrival of ambulances and civil defense vehicles to the targeted locations."

"Most of the martyrs who arrived from the Maghazi camp were children, women, and the elderly," the spokesman for Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital was quoted by the Palestinian media as saying.

Gaza's Government Media Office said the Israeli strike saw the regime's military bombing "four inhabited homes" at al-Maghazi.

"We call on all countries of the world to put pressure on the criminal occupation in order to stop the genocidal war ... against our Palestinian people and against children, women and civilians," it added.

The Gaza-based Palestinian resistance movement Hamas also reacted to the Israeli attack, describing it as a "horrific massacre."

Hamas called the strike "a new war crime extending the genocide" that the Israeli regime "commits against children and unarmed civilians."

The movement said Israel perpetrated "this treacherous and cowardly bombing...in an attempt to renovate the image of its defeated army."

Hamas noted that Israel's onslaught on Gaza is being "supported by [US] President [Joe] Biden's administration, [which is] the primary partner of the Zionist entity in its crimes and fascist aggression" against the blockaded territory.

The Israeli war machine launched its military aggression on October 7 following an operation by Gaza's resistance movements, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm. Over 20,400 people, most of them women and children, have been killed in the Israeli genocide so far.

As the regime's most dedicated ally, the US has supplied it with more than 10,000 tons of military equipment since the onset of the aggression.

Washington has also cast its veto against all the United Nations Security Council resolutions that called for implementation of an immediate ceasefire across Gaza.

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West On Course For More Engagement With Taliban, But Normalized Relations A Long Way Off

By Michael Scollon December 25, 2023

The Taliban enters the new year still emboldened by the lightning military victory that propelled it to power in Kabul, defiant as ever in the face of international efforts to moderate its behavior, and still lacking the legitimacy it craves.

Yet the spiraling humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and the extremist group's potential to fight regional terrorism and limit drug trading has led to a cautious revival of the West's engagement with the Taliban, keeping alive the idea that recognition and normalized relations could one day become reality if the hard-line Islamist group was to adhere to international standards of governance.

Initial efforts to build relations with the Taliban evaporated just weeks after the group seized power in August 2021, when it quickly reneged on its promises to uphold human rights by banning secondary education for girls.

The move led the international community, and the United States in particular, to halt the limited discussions that were going on, according to Ashley Jackson, co-director of the Switzerland-based Center on Armed Groups.

"The thinking was that if they stopped engagement, if they stopped all of the processes and incentives that they were offering to the Taliban for good behavior, that the Taliban would realize this was a mistake and reverse course," Jackson said. "That was never going to happen, and now the U.S. and others have realized that."

Today, the Taliban government remains unrecognized and isolated, with no seat in the United Nations and only a handful of diplomatic offices around the world.

But Jackson said that there has recently been a "very subtle and slight course correction" when it comes to how the international community approaches the Taliban.

There have been ample examples of this in the past year, including rare discussions this summer between U.S. officials and Taliban representatives on critical issues such as the deteriorating human rights situation in Afghanistan, particularly the treatment of women and girls.

Avenues of cooperation in the delivery of international humanitarian aid were also addressed, as well as the state of the hard-hit Afghan economy and the Taliban's role in stemming opium-poppy cultivation and denying safe haven to extremist groups.

The United Nations, for its part, this year assessed ways to develop a coherent international approach toward Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, even as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres held back on inviting the Taliban to join talks this spring on the situation in the country.

And a small number of countries -- including Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, and Japan, along with the European Union -- maintained a physical presence on the ground in Afghanistan, joining representative offices of UN bodies and various aid groups heavily involved in tackling the devastating humanitarian crisis, the world's largest.

Mixed Messages

Observers widely note that the international community's engagement with the Taliban does not conflict with efforts to get the hard-line group to reverse its draconian policies and will not rise to full recognition any time soon.

As evidence, Nader Nadery, who participated in intra-Afghan peace talks in Doha in 2020-2021 between the former Afghan government and the Taliban, cited the UN Security Council's unanimous decision on December 14 to renew sanctions against the Taliban for another year.

"The international community is not in a rush to change course and will sustain its position," Nadery, senior fellow at the Washington-based Wilson Center think tank and fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, told RFE/RL in written comments. "The informal global consensus to not recognize the Taliban until they change their behavior toward women and their exclusionary governance model is the strongest leverage that is left with the international community."

But mixed messages suggesting that normalized relations with the Taliban could be in the offing have caused confusion.

Comments made by UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed were a lightning rod for controversy when she announced plans for a UN conference to discuss the recognition of the Taliban.

"We hope we will find those baby steps to put us back on the pathway to recognition, a principled recognition," Mohammed said on April 17. "Is it possible? I don't know. [But] that discussion has to happen. The Taliban clearly want recognition, and that's the leverage we have."

A day later, in a statement celebrating the end of the holy Islamic month of Ramadan, reclusive Taliban chief Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada reiterated his demand that other countries stop interfering in Afghanistan's affairs, and underscored his resolve to complete "the religious and moral reform of [Afghan] society" through the implementation of Shari'a, or Islamic law.

The Taliban has used its interpretation of Shari'a law to justify its consistent degradation of women's rights, including barring women from public spaces and education, and the jailing of women's rights activists who dare protest.

News that UN Secretary-General Guterres would host the Afghan conference in May led to outcry that the idea of normalizing relations with the Taliban might be gaining steam, including through the social media hashtag DoNotRecognize Taliban.

The UN moved quickly to walk back Mohammed's comments, stressing that the meeting in Doha would not focus on Taliban recognition and that the conference was merely "intended to achieve a common understanding within the international community on how to engage with the Taliban."

The Taliban, it turned out, would not get an invite, with Guterres saying after the meeting in May that it was not the right time for him to engage directly with Taliban representatives.

That idea of normalization, as well as the meeting between U.S. and Taliban representatives in July, nevertheless became a cause celebre for many Afghan women to make sure their views on the issue were heard.

During a rally in Pakistan in July, Vahida Amiri told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi that she and other Afghan women had gathered to protest the conference.

"Our main message to the world is that they please do not recognize the Taliban," Amiri said, adding that doing so would be "a crime against the people of Afghanistan."

'Gender Apartheid'

In Germany in September, Afghan activists launched a hunger strike to protest what they called the "gender apartheid" taking place in Afghanistan.

And in Afghanistan itself, many women who spoke or wrote to Radio Azadi made it clear that formal recognition of the Taliban would be devastating to their cause.

"Unfortunately, when the Taliban came to power, they closed the gates of universities and made women stay at home," said one Afghan woman who declined to provide her name out of security concerns. "In my opinion, if the Taliban are recognized, the restrictions on women will be even greater."

Some Afghans, however, were more open to the idea considering the harsh humanitarian and economic situation in Afghanistan.

"Although some of the actions of the Taliban are not right, its government should be recognized for the sake of the people so that the lives of the people of Afghanistan will improve," Khan Pacha, a resident of the northern Nangarhar Province, wrote to Radio Azadi.

Just how the international community plans to balance engagement with efforts to maintain pressure on the Taliban to change its ways is unclear.

After the UN this year commissioned an independent assessment of how to develop a coherent international approach toward Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, a draft copy of the document revealed some inconsistencies.

The document that surfaced in November said that "any formal reintegration of Afghanistan into global institutions and systems will require the participation and leadership of women," and said that the situation of girls and women in the country was the "single most common" issue in consultations with Afghans.

But Jackson said that the report, which has been rejected by the Taliban, was "incoherent" and could inadvertently give "a lot of countries cover to do whatever they want with the Taliban government at this point."

Such an uncoordinated approach, she said, would be a real danger moving forward from past mistakes in dealing with the Taliban.

Jackson said that the United States and other Western countries "wasted months on a flawed strategy of stopping engagement, of trying to freeze out the Taliban, acting as though they had leverage which they knew, or they should have known, that they didn't possess over the Taliban."

Jackson, whose work focuses on negotiating with armed groups and has written extensively on Afghanistan and the Taliban, said that the approach made women's rights "collateral damage."

"We know how the Taliban reacts to these kinds of things -- it cracks down even more," Jackson said. "And I think what we've seen is that by Western countries trying to hit the Taliban over the head with women's rights, the Taliban has taken that and said, 'Oh, so this is the only thing you care about. It's the only leverage we have. So, we're going to take it away from you."

Jackson said engagement does not imply normalization or recognition, but that what is needed is for the West to develop a clear and realistic path toward recognition, while asking: What kind of engagement?

"What kind of aid, what kind of strategy will help the U.S. and Western countries achieve their objectives?" Jackson said. "My fear is that most Western countries just want to forget about Afghanistan, they want to keep it off the front pages."

Nadery said that the Taliban felt emboldened in its rights to legitimacy by its negotiations with Washington and the previous Afghan government prior to taking power after the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan in 2021.

Nadery said that that the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East could limit the ongoing cooperation with the Taliban on humanitarian grounds, but that he did "not see any sign of normalization of relations any time soon" with the militant group.

"Limited engagement has been enough to facilitate humanitarian aid," Nadery said. "Attempts to increase engagement in return for Taliban relaxing, for example, its stand on women's rights has not borne any fruit."

The group's actions and policies have isolated it not only from the international community, but from the Afghan public, according to Nadery.

The Taliban, he said, "need to do a lot to gain Afghans' confidence and international trust."

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban- western-engagement-normalized-relations/32746700.html

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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US Seeking Israeli Help in Retaining Palestinian Authority for Post-War Gaza - Reports

Sputnik News

20231225

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The United States has been trying to persuade Israel to help it keep the Palestinian Authority afloat so that it could take over control of Gaza after the invasion is over, American press reported Monday, citing US and Palestinian officials.

Israel blocked $140 million in Palestinian tax money in response to Hamas' surprise attack on October 7, preventing the embattled Palestinian Authority from paying salaries to its staff and soldiers guarding President Mahmoud Abbas' compound in Ramallah, the newspaper reported.

US officials have been busy visiting the walled compound in recent weeks as the White House pushes for the formation of a new Palestinian administration and the training of its security forces, but Israel's hardline finance minister has vowed that "not one shekel" will be paid to the Palestinian Authority, a long-time rival of Gaza-based Hamas.

Palestinian Authority Deputy Prime Minister Nabil Abu Rudeineh told the newspaper that, even if the Palestinian government signed up to Washington's "day after" plan it would not be implemented because Israel was bent on weakening the Palestinian Authority. Other Palestinian officials quizzed by the Post said they were concerned over lack of a clear "political horizon" for Palestinian statehood.

Sabri Saidam, an adviser to Abbas and member of the central committee for the Fatah party, told the newspaper that not everyone in Ramallah was happy about the US role in deciding the future of the Palestinian Authority.

"It's always this colonizing mentality, whereby, 'We decide your leadership, we are the ones basically designing your strategy for the day after, we tell you how to live, we tell you how to breathe, and we tell you how to run your land,'" he said.

On October 7, Palestinian movement Hamas fired rockets into Israel from the Gaza Strip, while its fighters breached the border, attacking both civilian neighborhoods and military bases. As a result, over 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 20,400 people have been killed so far in Gaza as a result of Israeli strikes, local authorities said.

On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1. Over 100 hostages are still being held captive in the Gaza Strip by Hamas, according to Israel.

 Sputnik

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Beijing Castigates Philippines 'Extremely Dangerous' South China Sea Incursions

Sputnik News

20231225

Chimauchem Nwosu

Ties have drastically soured between Beijing and Manila due to a string of incidents in the South China Sea, with each party trading accusations over territorial violations. However, this issue is further compounded by US military activity in the region and its support for the Philippines in a bid to contain the PRC.

In an announcement on Monday, The People's Daily, an official publication of the Communist Party of China, has raised alarm over the Philippines' continued reliance on US support to engage in "extremely dangerous" actions in the South China Sea aimed at disrupting regional peace.

The report, published on Christmas Day, has not yet elicited any official response from the Philippines' Foreign Ministry or the national task force responsible for managing South China Sea issues.

Over the past few months, tensions between Beijing and Manila have flared up due to a spate of run-ins in the South China Sea. These include accusations that China rammed a ship carrying the Philippines' armed forces chief of staff earlier this month.

Last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi issued a direct warning, stressing that any misjudgment in the Philippines' dispute would provoke a strong response from Beijing. He called for dialogue as the preferred approach to addressing the significant challenges. This deterioration in bilateral relations coincides with Manila's efforts to strengthen its military partnerships with Japan and the United States, its former colonial ruler and longstanding defense ally for over 70 years.

This month, China expressed its frustration at the United States for sending a naval ship into waters adjacent to the disputed region, where China and the Philippines have engaged in several maritime disputes.

A commentary attributed to Zhong Sheng in the People's Daily, a pen name often used to convey the newspaper's viewpoints on foreign policy issues, criticizes the United States for repeatedly employing its defense treaty with the Philippines to "threaten" China. The commentary insists that the United States has unequivocally backed Manila's actions, which are seen as an infringement on Chinese sovereignty and a worrisome escalation of security concerns. This support is deemed as "irresponsible and extremely dangerous."

 Sputnik

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Kremlin: Third Parties From Overseas Seeking to Stir Up Unrest in Belgrade

Sputnik News

20231225

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - There are observers in Serbia who have not recorded any violations that could cast doubt on the legitimacy of the elections, while there are attempts by third parties, including from abroad, to provoke unrest, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

On Sunday, supporters of the Serbian opposition, who disagree with the results of the recent snap elections, surrounded the National Assembly in Belgrade, climbing the steps and trying to break down the doors, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

Police also used tear gas against a crowd of demonstrators who tried to break into the building. Later, police dispersed protesters from the square within minutes and set up a cordon.

"There is internal legislation, there are electoral bodies, there are also observers who did not record any violations that could cast doubt on the legitimacy of the elections that took place. In addition, there are processes and attempts by third forces, including from abroad, to provoke similar unrest in Belgrade," Peskov told reporters.

The Serbian leadership is capable of taking all measures to ensure security in the country, the official said, adding that Russia does not interfere in Serbia's sovereign affairs.

"As for our cooperation, it really has very broad prospects in a variety of areas," the official added.

Rallies have been taking place since December 18 by the opposition bloc Serbia Against Violence that opposes the outcome of the recent elections. On the evening of December 24, demonstrators tried to break into the city hall building, using flagpoles to break the door and smash windows.

 Sputnik

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Russian Foreign Ministry on Unrest in Serbia: West Tries to Shake Up Situation in Belgrade

Sputnik News

20231225

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Earlier, supporters of the Serbian opposition, who disagree with results of the recent snap elections, surrounded the National Assembly in the capital city of Belgrade, climbing the steps and trying to break down the doors.

Attempts by Western states to destabilize the situation in Serbia using Maidan coup techniques are obvious, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik on Monday.

"The attempts of the collective West to shake up the situation in the country using the techniques of 'Maidan coups' are obvious," Zakharova said.

Strict adherence to the letter and spirit of the country's constitution, respect for the choice of the Serbian people, who voted for the national interests of their country, is the only possible reaction, the diplomat added.

On Sunday, supporters of the Serbian opposition, who disagree with the results of the recent snap elections, surrounded the National Assembly in Belgrade, climbing the steps and trying to break down the doors, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

Police also used tear gas against a crowd of demonstrators who tried to break into the building. Later, police dispersed protesters from the square within minutes and set up a cordon.

 Sputnik

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Egypt Presents 3-Stage Plan to Israel, Hamas to Resolve Gaza Conflict - Reports

Sputnik News

20231225

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Egypt presented to Israel and Palestinian movement Hamas its three-stage proposal to end the war in the Gaza Strip and ensure post-conflict development, the Asharq broadcaster reported on Sunday, citing sources.

The first stage includes a humanitarian truce for a period of two weeks, which can be extended for another two weeks, the report said. Hamas must release 40 Israeli women, children and elderly men and Israel, in turn, will have to release 120 Palestinian prisoners. The truce also provides for the supply of food, medical aid and fuel to the Gaza Strip, the broadcaster reported.

As part of the second stage of the Egyptian initiative, a government of technocrats should be formed in the Gaza Strip, which will oversee humanitarian assistance, the process of restoring the enclave and preparations for the general presidential election in Palestine, the report read.

The final stage calls for a full and comprehensive ceasefire, as well as a deal for the release of all Israeli soldiers taken hostage and held in Gaza. During this stage, the number of Palestinian prisoners who will be released by Israel will also be determined. In addition, Israel will have to withdraw its troops from the cities of the Gaza Strip and allow refugees to return to their homes in the enclave, the report said.

On October 7, Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip, while its fighters breached the border, opening fire on the military and civilians. As a result, over 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza and launched a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 20,400 people have been killed so far in Gaza as a result of Israeli strikes, local authorities said.

On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1.

 Sputnik

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Iran Rejects Accusation of Targeting Tanker Off India's Coast

By VOA News December 25, 2023

Iran Monday rejected a U.S. claim that a drone launched from Iran targeted a tanker off the coast of India last week.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani responded to a question about the incident by calling the U.S. claim "baseless."

The U.S. Defense Department said Saturday that "a one-way attack drone fired from Iran" struck the Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned and Netherlands-operated Chem Pluto.

The incident caused a small fire on the tanker, but it was quickly put out and there were no reported injuries.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have been blamed for a series of recent attacks against ships in the Red Sea after warning they would target vessels they saw as linked to Israel.

Saturday, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported that an official in the country's Revolutionary Guard warned of the potential forced closure of other waterways if the war on Gaza continues.

Some information for this report came from Agence France-Presse and Reuters

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Civilian Deaths Raise Questions in Kashmir

By Muheet Ul Islam December 25, 2023

The Indian army ordered on Monday a Court of Inquiry to probe the circumstances around the deaths of three civilians on Friday in Poonch district on the Indian side of Jammu and Kashmir.

India and Pakistan each control parts of Muslim-majority Kashmir, where militants have fought Indian security forces for decades.

Troops from 48 Rashtriya Rifles  a counterinsurgency force of the Indian army  had detained eight people from Topa Pir village in the Poonch district for questioning after a deadly ambush on security forces on Dec. 21.

In the attack by anti-India rebels, four Indian soldiers were killed and three others injured.

Local residents and family members of those detained alleged all eight civilians were tortured, with three of them  identified as Safeer Hussain, Mohammad Showkat and Shabir Ahmed - dying while in military custody.

Videos allegedly showing the torture of the detained civilians were circulated on social media, which triggered anger among local residents.

"Two of the three men, including my nephew, seen in the video died in army custody due to inhumane treatment," Mohammad Siddiq, a shopkeeper and an elected member of the local self-government body known as Panchayat, told VOA. "Five other people are battling for their lives."

In a statement released late Saturday, the Indian military said "reports have been received regarding three civilian deaths" in Poonch, The Associated Press reported. The statement continued, "The matter is under investigation. Indian army stands committed to extending full support and cooperation in the conduct of investigations," according to AP.

Local media on Sunday reported that four senior officers were removed from their unit following the demands by locals and regional pro-India political parties to ensure a fair investigation into the matter.

Lieutenant Colonel Devender Anand, public relations officer of the Indian army in the Jammu region, told VOA. "I am not aware of any incident as I am on leave."

Haseeb Mughal, deputy inspector general of police in Rajouri-Poonch range, confirmed to VOA that police have filed a first information report in the case at Surankote police station in Poonch."

He refused to provide any additional information.

The alleged custodial killings triggered protests on the Indian side of Kashmir led by politicians affiliated with pro-India political parties.

"We condemned the killing of our security forces and similarly we condemn the killings of civilians," National Conference General-Secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar told VOA. "We demand [a] fair probe into this matter and punishment should be given to everyone involved in this criminal activity."

Guftar Ahmed Chowdhary, an advocate and political activist from the region, told VOA that people in and around the village are terrified after the incident.

"The sad part is that the people living in Rajouri and Poonch have stood for the nation and the army," Chowdhary said. "People demand exemplary punishment to be given to the culprits involved in heinous crime."

Choudhary Mohd Yasin, deputy commissioner of Poonch, did not respond to calls from VOA for comment.

In a separate incident, militants on Sunday morning killed the former senior superintendent of police, Mohammad Shafi, in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district. Shafi was offering morning prayers at a local mosque.

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Operation Iron Swords - Day 80 - 25 December 2023

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the war in Gaza will be long and is not close to ending.

In his annual Christmas message, Pope Francis briefly described the Israeli war in Gaza as an "appalling harvest" of civilians. "May peace come in Israel and Palestine, where war is devastating the lives of those people. I embrace them all, particularly the Christian communities of Gaza and the entire Holy Land. I plead for an end to the military operations with their appalling harvest of innocent civilian victims and call for a solution to the desperate humanitarian situation by opening the provision of humanitarian aid."

Egypt presented what is described as an ambitious plan to end the war in Gaza with a ceasefire. The proposal, which was presented to Israel, Hamas, the United States and European governments on Monday would see Israel fully withdraw from the Gaza Strip, all captives held by Hamas, and many Palestinian prisoners, freed, and a united technocratic Palestinian government installed in the enclave.

The proposal, developed with the Gulf state of Qatar, includes several rounds of captive and prisoner exchanges, reports Al Jazeeras Bernard Smith from Tel Aviv. In the first phase, Hamas would free all civilian captives in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners over a truce of 7-10 days.

During the second stage, Hamas would release all female Israeli soldiers in return for more Palestinian prisoners, taking place during another weeklong truce. In the final phase, the warring parties would engage in a month of negotiations to discuss the release of all military personnel held by Hamas in exchange for a lot more [Palestinian] prisoners and Israel pulling back to Gazas borders, said Smith. Close to 8,000 Palestinians are held by Israel on security-related charges or convictions, according to Palestinian figures.

Throughout the ceasefire, Egypt would also lead talks to reunite Palestinian factions Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, who would then jointly appoint a government of experts to run the West Bank and Gaza, ahead of future elections, reports The Times of Israel.

An Al Jazeera correspondent said that the Israeli War Council will meet tonight to discuss the new approach to negotiations with Hamas and the Egyptian proposal. Although the proposal was rejected before because it stipulates stopping the war in its third phase. The correspondent indicated that the Egyptian proposal may be the basis for negotiations that may resume again in the coming days.

One challenge is a ceasefire versus a truce, Mohammed Cherkaoui, a professor of conflict resolution at George Mason University, told Al Jazeera. Palestinians are talking about a full-fledged ceasefire. The Israelis are hearing a truce, a pause. Cherkaoui added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would also have to pull back from its stated mission of eradicating Hamas.

On the one hand [Netanyahu] is still negotiating with Hamas indirectly, but at the same time his main dream is to eradicate Hamas. Cherkaoui said He lives in two separate worlds and he needs to unify them. A Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that Netanyahu and his hawkish government were unlikely to accept the full proposal.

Extremist Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich confirmed that the Religious Zionist Party, which he heads, will not be a partner in any government that agrees to stop the war on Gaza. Bezalel Smotrich told his party: I want to say clearly...the war government does not have a mandate to stop the war before achieving the goals of destroying Hamas, returning all the kidnapped people, and removing the threat from the Gaza Strip. Smotrich added: "We will not be partners in any government that agrees to stop the war, or agrees in one way or another to control Gaza by any party linked to the Palestinian Authority or Hamas."

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Hamas and the allied Islamic Jihad had rejected the proposal that they relinquish power in the Gaza Strip, quoting Egyptian security sources. But later a Hamas official denied rejecting the Egyptian deal. Izzat al-Risheq, a member of Hamass political bureau, said in a statement that the group had no knowledge of the information published in the Reuters report.

In response to publications about Egypt's proposals for a hostage deal, "sources" in the leadership of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Palestine said that Egypt heard what their vision is for ending the war, their clear positions and their red lines according to which there will be no negotiations before the end of the aggression and a cease-fire, without truces and without a deal partially kidnapped. According to them, they will only accept one exchange deal on the basis of "all for all", in addition to starting the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip immediately.

Taher Alnono, Ismail Hania's adviser, denied the reports in the Israeli media regarding the approach of an exchange deal. According to him, Hamas did not discuss the ratio of "1 for 10" reported by the Israeli media, nor did it discuss other details related to the issue, and it emphasizes that the phase of indirect negotiations with Israel is conditioned on the cessation of aggression even before it begins. Elanunu also noted that there is no coordination with the Palestinian Authority on this issue. He also noted that the Egyptian effort and the Qatari effort on the issue complement each other and that both are valued and work together to stop the aggression. He emphasized that Hamas' relationship with the Egyptian and Qatari sides is one of brotherhood, and Hamas does not treat Cairo and Doha as mediators but as its brothers, who are making an effort to end aggression against the Palestinians.

Operational Update

The Jordanian military and strategic expert, Major General Fayez Al- Duwairi , responded to the invitation of a fighter from the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas resistance movement, to analyze a video scene of the moment the Israeli occupation soldiers were targeted in the middle of the Gaza Strip. Al-Qassam had published a video clip documenting the moment one of its fighters celebrated his success in targeting a house where 10 Israeli soldiers were holed up in the Juhr al-Dik area in the central Gaza Strip, calling on Major General Al-Duwairi, who appears on Al-Jazeera channel in analytical stops of resistance operations, to analyze with the phrase, Analyze, Al-Duwairi. As soon as Al-Qassam published the video clip documenting the invitation of one of its fighters to Al-Duwairi, the phrase Resolve, Duwairi topped the list of top interactions on the X platform (formerly Twitter). When the retired Jordanian general appeared on Al Jazeera's screen in the military commentary segment, he said in response to the broadcaster's words about the existence of a special invitation for him to perform the analysis: "Analysis, Duwairi! I will analyze." Since the start of the brutal aggression on the Gaza Strip, the name of the Jordanian Brigadier has become prominent due to its continuous daily appearance on Al Jazeera to analyze the military operations in the Gaza Strip and the painful strikes directed by the Palestinian resistance against the Israeli occupation army. Al-Duwairi had more than once praised the capabilities of the Al-Qassam fighters and their steadfastness in the face of the occupation army. He also indicated in a previous statement that the fighters of the Martyr Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades are the best performing graduates of elite military institutes in the world, which sparked widespread interaction with the description of the Jordanian brigadier through Social media platforms. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Economy Minister Nir Barkat for expressing dissatisfaction that insufficient measures were being taken to safeguard the lives of IDF soldiers. Barkat told ministers as quoted by several Israeli media outlets, The number of air force bombardments has fallen dramatically. Soldiers are being sent to booby-trapped buildings like [sitting] ducks.

Barkat asserted that as a consequence, strategies that are unnecessarily endangering soldiers" were being employed. In response, Netanyahu stated, The fact that you keep saying this doesnt make it true. There are operational considerations. Barkat asserted No consideration can justify endangering the lives of our soldiers for some imaginary morality. Barkat acknowledged Leadership is tested by the ability to withstand pressure and, unfortunately, this cabinet does not withstand pressure.

Netanyahu, evading the blame, said, There are countries [whose positions] we have to take into account. If we dont do that, eventually therell be a UN decision to impose a blockade on us. The whole world will be against us. When questioned about Barkat's critique, IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari stated later that any IDF ground force "requiring air support for any mission receives the essential protection."

Upon arriving for the cabinet meeting earlier, Barkat conveyed to the media, "Surrendering to any external pressure, even if it is from our best friends, is a grave mistake." This statement appears to reference US concerns regarding the rising civilian casualties, which have now exceeded 20,400 Palestinians in war-torn Gaza. It is unacceptable that we would endanger our soldiers, and send them exposed into buildings that havent been bombed, he said. We are too nice, and we are too considerate", in reference to the Israeli claim that IDF is "the most moral army in the world."

HAMAS is strengthening its positions - and the residents of the Gaza Strip are paying the price and trying to survive the difficult war. The big issue now are the new refugees who have found shelter in the southern gaza strip, over 1.9 million refugees according to the UN between Khan Yunis and Rafah. A resident of gaza told News 14: "they used to say about us that we were sha'ab al jabrin (with the heroes), today we are sha'ab al shahadeen (with the beggars)."

There is no one to manage the crisis in the Gaza Strip, no one to distribute the food, no one to take care of the millions of refugees. the civil HAMAS government collapsed a long time ago.

The military media affiliated with the Martyr Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), broadcast a video clip of the launching of rocket salvoes towards Israeli settlements and towns.

The Al -Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), published two video clips showing it targeting Israeli vehicles and forces in the Juhr al-Dik area, east of the central region of the Gaza Strip. The scenes in the first clip relate to the explosion of a minefield, which Al-Qassam said was a precise ambush of 4 Israeli command vehicles in Juhr al-Dik on December 23. Al-Qassam indicated that the rescue forces that arrived at the scene to evacuate the dead were also targeted, as the force was killed and wounded, according to the statement.

Al-Qassam also broadcast another clip - dating back to December 24 - targeting an Israeli special force consisting of 10 soldiers holed up in a house in Juhr al-Dik with an anti-fortified shell.

At the end of the clip, the fighter who fired the missile shouted, Analysis, Doueiri, in reference to the military and strategic expert, Major General Fayez Al-Doueiri, who was famous for his military analyzes on Al Jazeera during the current war.

Al-Jazeera military and strategic expert, Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi, stressed that the current battle is different and unparalleled because it is an asymmetric war between a regular army and armed factions, and also because it is a war inside cities where the Israeli army has no experience, in addition to being the first time that the surface of the earth separates the two sides of the fighting.

Al-Duwairi said that the withdrawal of the occupation army from large areas in the northern Gaza Strip comes to get rid of a lost and failed battle, stressing that the tunnels that were discovered are service tunnels, not defensive ones. He explained - during his military analysis of - that the word withdrawal was not on the Israeli agenda after the Al-Aqsa Flood operation , as the talk was about occupying the Gaza Strip and displacing its population, but these terms changed and were introduced at the battle level in light of field developments.

He pointed out that the rule in military science says that withdrawal does not take place during the battle except to get rid of a failed battle and under duress and smokescreen, or to redeploy forces to help another area, indicating that the second case does not apply to the Gaza battles.

Commenting on the occupation army's statements that it had discovered strategic tunnels in Gaza, the military expert said that tunnels had already been discovered, but they were not defensive or offensive, but rather they were logistical service tunnels, dormitories, and ammunition storage areas.

He pointed out that some tunnels were designed for specific purposes, such as the tunnel that was discovered near the Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing, pointing out that whoever designed them had a high sense of security and separated their types, as it is not useful to flood them with water, because they are not based on the theory of cross-shaped vessels. He added that the number of tunnels in Gaza is estimated at 1,300, and their length reaches 570 kilometers, and some of them may reach 3 floors.

The Lebanese Hezbollah announced that it had carried out a number of operations against Israeli army positions on the southern border of Lebanon. Hezbollah said in a series of statements: In support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in support of their valiant and honorable resistance, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance targeted.

At 10:35: A deployment of Israeli army soldiers in the vicinity of the Mitat Barracks was targeted with appropriate weapons.

At 12:40: The Beit Hillal military base, east of Kiryat Shmona, was targeted with appropriate weapons, causing confirmed casualties.

At 01:00: The Israeli army gathering in the vicinity of the Birkat Risha site was targeted with appropriate weapons.

At 12:40: Buildings in the Miskav Am settlement were targeted with missile weapons.

The incident of the Israeli attack in the Alma'azi refugee camp received extensive coverage. The Information Office of the Hamas administration announced that more than 66 people were killed and dozens injured "in the massacre carried out by the occupation army" against four residences in the Al-Ma'azi refugee camp in the Gaza Strip (Hamas administration's Telegram channel, December 25, 2023). Al Jazeera later reported that the death toll had risen to seventy. In a statement issued by Hamas, it condemned the attack and claimed that it was a "horrific massacre and a new war crime" and that an attack against residential buildings is an attempt to restore the image of the defeated IDF (Hamas' Telegram channel, December 25, 2023). Ruhi Open, senior Fatah official and chairman of the Palestinian National Council , also condemned "the massacre in Alma'azi and the war crimes of the occupation." He blamed the US for the "ethnic cleansing and genocide in Gaza" and called for the sending of investigative teams from the UN and human rights organizations to "document the acts of repression and ethnic cleansing and the siege in the Gaza Strip" (Wafa, December 25, 2023).

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) is learning and training during the war with the Israeli army, and is using more snipers and camouflage traps, while this reminds Israeli security officials of Hezbollah fighting in the security zone in Lebanon as if there are Lebanese operations in Gaza .

The newspaper explained - in a report written by Yoav Zeitoun - that the fighting in Gaza began to take fixed and similar patterns, and that its pace slowed for several reasons, such as the Israeli armys fear of the presence of fighters in the areas that had been combed, and its fear of friendly fire after the shock of the shooting of the three detainees held by it. Hamas more than a week ago, and Hamas is also investigating, learning lessons, and searching for weak points in the Israeli army forces after each incident in preparation for another round of fighting.

The writer suggested that Hamas fighters fear being constantly eavesdropped on, as soldiers who inspect the bodies of the dead find in some cases that their pockets contain instructions on how to surprise the forces, from what angle they should be ambushed, and even on what date they should leave their underground hideout.

The writer reviewed cases of the Israeli army luring fighters, which led - according to his claim - to the elimination of a number of them, before pointing out the multiplication of reports about Hamas use of snipers against the Israeli army, and revealing some of its weak points, explaining that the movement is constantly searching for ways to circumvent the situation. The readiness of the Israeli army against its weapons. The Israeli army published a video clip that was found - according to the writer - in the helmet of one of the fighters, and it shows - as the writer says - that Hamas is learning to hide explosive devices and placing an explosive device in a narrow alley under a dirty towel and an egg carton, where infantry fighters cannot avoid passing by it.

The commander of the elite brigade in the Israeli army, Brigadier General Dan Goldfus, stressed that the "Hamas" movement should not be underestimated, and called for a visit to the forces that fought in Gaza to obtain information to learn about the movement's combat principles.

In recent weeks, the IDF forces, led by the combat team of the 551st Brigade in the 162nd Division, gained an operational grip on the area of the Jablia refugee camp - one of the centers of gravity of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The fighting in the refugee camp included intense battles in which many terrorists were eliminated and hundreds of weapons were found. During the operation and following preliminary intelligence, the forces uncovered a network of tunnels that served as the northern headquarters of the military wing of Hamas. The underground headquarters consisted of two levels, one with a depth of about ten meters and the other with a depth of several tens of meters. The network of tunnels included many branches and was used to manage combat and the passage of terrorists. One of the shafts in the tunnel network was located in the home of Ahmed Ehandor, the commander of the northern division of Hamas, who was killed by IDF forces in November 2023. The route of the underground network passed under a school and a hospital.

In Gaza City, IDF forces operated in the Elsheikh Rachoan neighborhood located three kilometers northwest of the city center. The forces carried out a targeted raid, based on intelligence information, at schools in the neighborhood, where evacuated residents are housed. Many weapons were found in the schools, which are adjacent to mosques and residential buildings, including grenades with advanced and modern operating mechanisms, RPG missiles, explosives and various media. During the raid, the forces killed many terrorists. Also, dozens of terrorists were transferred for further investigation in Israel.

Maps

All maps are lies. But it is impossible to comprehend the war in Gaza without reference to maps, otherwise the entire conflict is reduced to an endless series of meaningless acts of random violence and the suffering of civilians. The first characteristic of guerrilla warfare is the loss of a front line. Evidently, different mappers have different ideas of how to depict the war in Gaza, notably those that seek to depict Israeli progress in the ground campaign. Part of the problem is latency. The news that forms the basis of the maps takes time to filter out to mappers, and the cartographers take time in crafting their maps, and it takes time to curate them. Thes processes are uneven among mappers, so their maps may differ in detail. Probably there is some ideological bias, or at least thematic apperception, which is understandable in wartime. It may come as no surprise that al-Jazeera maps depict rather less Israeli territorial progress than other sources. Finally, there remains the epistemological question of just exactly what are the colored in areas depicting. Naively, this might be understood as areas of Israeli control, that are no longer contested by the HAMAS. Or possibly these are areas of Israeli presence, in many of which the possibility of an RPG-wielding HAMAS militant popping out of a tunnel unexpectedly remains a live possibility. With the "zero-range" combat characterized by small unit tactics on both sides, maps may be prey to a fallacy of misplaced concreteness.

Bystanders

Francesca Albanese, the United Nations rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, stated that genocide in the Gaza Strip is currently occurring with the permission of the world, as happened in Srebrenica and Rwanda previously. This came in her tweet on the X platform, in response to the accusation leveled by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights against Israel of extrajudicial execution of 11 unarmed Palestinians in front of their families in the Al-Rimal neighborhood in the Gaza Strip.

Albanese pointed out that what is happening in the Strip "is no different from other massacres committed (around the world) against civilians." She continued: "Genocide is not an individual act, but rather a process that extends through stages and everyone must work to obstruct it." She stressed that the "genocide" in Gaza is currently taking place in front of the world's eyes, citing previous examples such as Brenica and Rwanda.

Albanese explained that the "genocide" and massacres against Gaza's children are being carried out by "mercenaries" from several countries, including France, the United States, Britain, Ukraine, Italy, Germany, South Africa, and India. She added: "But no one refers to them as foreign terrorists."

The UN rapporteur urged the need to put pressure on the judiciary in countries that send fighters to commit war crimes in other countries, including the occupied Palestinian territories, to prosecute them and hold them accountable for their actions. Albanese's statements come in light of her exposure to great pressure due to her positions against the Israeli occupation since she assumed her position at the United Nations in 2022.

The World Health Organization reports that of Gaza's total 36 hospitals, only 9 are now partially operating, all of them in the south. The organization described the scenes of patients left begging for food and water as "unbearable." The organizations Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , said in a post on the X platform, The elimination of the health system in Gaza is a tragedy, and added, We continue to call for an immediate ceasefire. The World Health Organization counted 246 attacks on health care facilities in Gaza as of December 20, including hospitals and ambulances, resulting in the death of 582 people and the injury of 748 others.

During a phone call, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez notified US President Joe Biden of his readiness to follow a political solution that would bring a peaceful and secure "coexistence" between "Israel" and Palestine. Sanchez took to social media platform X to say, "I just had a telephone conversation with President Joe Biden ... We discussed the dramatic situation in Gaza, and I expressed my willingness to seek a political solution that will make it possible for the State of Palestine and the State of Israel to coexist in peace and security".

According to Sanchez, both leaders reiterated the need to back transatlantic unity to overcome global challenges. Sanchez has previously raised concerns about the footage depicting the increasing civilian death toll in Gaza, mainly among children, and stated, "I have serious doubts Israel is complying with international humanitarian law." He condemned the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians, particularly thousands of children, deeming such actions "completely unacceptable".

A report by the Washington Post detailed that the US has been working to convince Israel to keep the Palestinian Authority's economy afloat so that it may take over control of Gaza once the war comes to an end. Palestinians perceive Abbas' administration as increasingly aligning with "Israel's" interests. As a result, the popularity of Palestinian Resistance Hamas has reportedly increased, while support for Abbas has declined. Some officials in Ramallah express concerns that there might be little left to govern once the Israeli aggression in Gaza concludes.

Deputy Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority Nabil Abu Rudeineh told the newspaper that even if the Palestinian government agreed to Washington's "day after" plan, it would not be put into action due to "Israel's" intent to undermine the Palestinian Authority. Other Palestinian officials, questioned by WashPo, expressed concerns about the absence of a clear "political horizon" for the attainment of Palestinian statehood.

Sabri Saidam, an adviser to Abbas and a member of the central committee for the Fatah party, conveyed to the newspaper that not everyone in Ramallah was satisfied with the US playing a role in determining the future of the Palestinian Authority. "It's always this colonizing mentality, whereby, 'We decide your leadership, we are the ones basically designing your strategy for the day after, we tell you how to live, we tell you how to breathe, and we tell you how to run your land,'" he said.

Axis of Resistance

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi confirmed that Israel's assassination of the Revolutionary Guard advisor in Syria, Radhi Mousavi, "is a sign of his frustration and inability, and he will certainly pay the price for this crime." The Iranian President: Israel's assassination of the Revolutionary Guard advisor is a sign of its frustration and inability, and it will pay the price for this crime.

Raisi said in a message regarding the killing of Reza Mousavi in Syria by an Israeli attack: I extend my condolences to the Iranian people and their comrades in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for the martyrdom of Seyed Reza Mousavi in the missile attack launched by the criminal Zionist regime on Damascus. Raisi added: This brave and courageous general, who was the companion of the martyr, Major General Hajj Qassem Soleimani, was martyred under the guise of an advisor to the axis of Islamic resistance in protecting the shrine of Ahl al-Bayt in Syria, and in order to preserve the lofty ideals of Islam, he attained martyrdom and left an immortal name for himself. He added: "There is no doubt that this measure is another sign of the frustration, impotence and helplessness of the usurping Zionist entity in the region, and it will certainly pay the price for this crime." The Iranian Revolutionary Guard confirmed that Israel will pay the price for the crime of assassinating a former military advisor in Syria.

In his first public message since the massacres of October 7, Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar remained defiant, while grossly inflating the terror groups achievements in the war. Hamas is facing a fierce, violent and unprecedented battle against Israel, Sinwar acknowledged in a message to Hamass political leadership. But he also claimed that the terror group was on its way to crushing the Israel Defense Forces, and, referring to Israel, said Hamas will not submit to the occupations conditions. Sinwar falsely claimed that the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, had targeted over 5,000 Israeli soldiers and officers, and killed about third of them  that is, over 1,500.

Muhammad Alhandi, Deputy Secretary General of the Islamic Jihad in Palestine, reported that the organization's delegation had arrived in Cairo, and that it would discuss with Egyptian officials over the next two days the issue of ending aggression in the Gaza Strip.in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem, and on the subject of the abductees deal. According to him, the Islamic Jihad's position on the issue is clear, according to which there will be no talks on the exchange of prisoners before the cessation of aggression and the complete withdrawal of IDF forces from the Gaza Strip. He added that when the negotiations begin, he will deal with all issues, and not only the exchange of prisoners, but also the lifting of the siege, the rehabilitation, and the cessation of all forms of aggression in Judea and Samaria, Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. He also noted that the future of the Palestinian issue and the realization of Palestinian rights will undoubtedly be discussed, and this is at the heart of the agenda of the "resistance". Regarding the future of the Gaza Strip, Alhandi emphasized that the one who will decide on the issue is not Netanyahu or the US government, but the Palestinians. He also noted, it is not possible to talk about the future of the Gaza Strip separately from the future of Judea and Samaria. Alhandi completely rejected the talk of ceasefires, noting that the situation of the "resistance" is good, morale is high and they can continue fighting for a long time.

Allied for Democracy

In an opinion article published in the Wall Street Journal, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin set three preconditions that are necessary to achieve peace between... Israel and its Palestinian neighbors in Gaza. The Israeli Prime Minister wrote in his article: Hamas must be destroyed, Gaza must be disarmed, and extremism must be eradicated from Palestinian society. He added: "A temporary security zone must be established on the periphery of Gaza, and an inspection mechanism on the border between Gaza and Egypt, that meets Israel's security needs and prevents the smuggling of weapons into the Gaza Strip." Netanyahu confirmed his refusal to assign future management of the Strip to the Palestinian Authority, which he accused of "financing and glorifying terrorism" in the West Bank. The former head of Israeli Military Intelligence ( Aman ), Aharon Zeevi Farkash, stated that the goals set by Israel in the Gaza Strip are unrealistic, and he believed that the war would not end unless the detainees were returned. Farkash said in statements to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Monday, "We have begun to destroy Hamas, but in the meantime there is a decisive challenge. It is impossible to end the war without the return of the kidnapped people."

The government of Benjamin Netanyahu had set the goals of its war on Gaza as eliminating the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) and returning Israeli prisoners, but it was unable to achieve any of its goals, in addition to incurring heavy losses in troops and equipment. Earlier, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said that the government was considering a settlement that proposed transferring Hamas leaders abroad with the aim of ending the war, which was considered a reduction of Netanyahu's declared ambitions.

The Israeli government repeatedly stated that it seeks to liquidate Hamas leaders, led by the movement's head in Gaza, Yahya al-Sinwar, and the leader of its military wing, Muhammad al-Deif. It has also allocated financial rewards to anyone who provides information about their whereabouts.

The Israeli arena witnessed more disagreement regarding the war on the Gaza Strip . At a time when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that the war would not stop on Gaza, opposition leader Yair Lapid called for stopping the war and paying heavy prices for the return of the prisoners. This coincided with the announcement of the Israeli Finance Minister that the war caused a financial deficit about 3 times what it was.

Netanyahu renewed his refusal to stop the war on the Gaza Strip , and said, The war in Gaza is far from over, and he denied before his partys representatives what he described as false media speculation that his government might call for stopping the fighting against the Strip. Netanyahu told representatives from his Likud party , We are not about to stop, noting that the army will intensify the fighting in the coming days, and the fighting will take a long time and is not close to the end.

In reference to his closeness to the soldiers and his emphasis on the presence of support for the continuation of the war, he said in his speech, I am now returning from Gaza, where I met a reserve division in the field. Everyone asked me only one thing: not to stop and continue until the end. Netanyahu, who is under severe criticism and pressure due to the war on Gaza, stressed, We need patience, cohesion, unity, and adherence to the message. He emphasized the content of his speech once again in a speech before the Knesset that Israel would not be able to "liberate all the hostages without military pressure." Netanyahu added in his speech, "We would not have succeeded so far in releasing more than 100 hostages without military pressure."

Al Jazeera's correspondent said that the families of the Israeli prisoners interrupted Netanyahu's speech, demanding the release of their relatives detained by the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ). Relatives of the detainees, who carried photos of their children, chanted now, now when Netanyahu said the army needed more time to complete the military operation in the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu's continuation of the war on the Gaza Strip was supported by the extremist Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir , who said that "we will not be able to free the rest of the kidnapped people without military pressure, and we must increase its intensity."

During a press conference with Netanyahu, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid opposed the latter's position on the continuation of the war, and said, "Israel is strong enough to pay heavy prices in the war it is waging in Gaza," as he put it. He added that the opposition supports any deal to return those detained by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

While Netanyahu stated that his government is making every effort to recover those detained by Hamas, adding that he spoke with the American and French presidents and the British Prime Minister about this matter. He revealed that he called on the Chinese and Russian presidents to intervene in order to "liberate the detainees in Gaza."

"To you, IDF soldiers, and to you, hurting families and relatives of the hostages, and from this podium, I say: We are not stopping and we will not stop until we are victorious, because we have no country but this one, and we have no other way. Together with you, together with every home in Israel and every citizen of Israel, I pray for the well-being of our hostages, our brothers and sisters: 'Our brothers, the entire family of Israel, who are delivered into distress and captivity, whether they are on sea or dry land  may God have mercy on them and remove them from stress to relief, from darkness to light, from subjugation to redemption now, speedily and soon.'

"I would like to add another prayer, a prayer for the well-being of our IDF soldiers: "He Who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob  may He bless the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces, who stand guard over our land and the cities of our G-d, from the border of the Lebanon to the desert of Egypt, and from the Great Sea unto the approach of the Aravah, on the land, in the air, and on the sea. May the Almighty cause the enemies who rise up against us to be struck down before them. May the Holy One, Blessed is He, preserve and rescue our soldiers from every trouble and distress and from every plague and illness, and may He send blessing and success in their every endeavor."

"We will fight together, and with G-d's help, we will win together."

The former leader of the Israeli Labor Party, Shelly Yachimovich, called for an investigation into the Israeli armys implementation of the Hannibal Protocol in Israeli towns surrounding the Gaza Strip on October 7. The controversial "Hannibal Protocol" stipulates the use of heavy weapons in the event that Israelis are captured, even in the event of a threat to their lives, with the aim of preventing the prisoners from leaving the scene of the event, as it is considered that it is better for the Israeli to be dead than to remain captive.

The Israeli army's implementation of this protocol sparked widespread controversy, after information was published about the killing of Israelis by "friendly fire" during the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas ) attack on towns and military bases in the Gaza Strip on October 7.

The American New York Times published an investigation into the killing of 12 Israelis as a result of an Israeli tank bombing a house in the Be'eri settlement, under the direction of military commander Barak Hiram, after they were detained by Palestinian resistance fighters.

The former Israeli opposition leader said on the X platform that Brigadier General Hiram ordered firing from a tank and storming a house in the Beeri area, resulting in the deliberate killing of 12 hostages, including children. He said that a violent campaign exists to disrupt Any investigation or discussion about what he described as the inferno incident.

It is noteworthy that the Israeli writer Noa Lemon, in an article published in the Haaretz newspaper, wondered whether Israel had implemented the Hannibal Protocol in the incident of Israeli hostage-taking in the Be'eri settlement on October 7.

Channel 13 quoted Reserve General Guy Tzur, former commander of the Ground Forces, as confirming the necessity of investigating the incident, adding, It would be a major disaster if we investigated it and reached the conclusion that the army relied on the Hannibal Protocol and decided to kill a number of the kidnapped (detainees) in exchange for a number of saboteurs (Resistance elements) Oh, woe to us at that time.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant assessed the situation in the Northern Command, saying, "We will not allow a return to the previous situation we were in until October 6 (before Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood)." Yoav Galant added: We are hitting Hezbollah hard...the air force is flying freely over Lebanon, and we will intensify all these efforts. He added: "One thing is clear... in order to return the population, we need either a consensual measure that interests us, where a different situation will be determined, or we will achieve a different reality as a result of military activity."

The mayor of the Israeli settlement of Kiryat Shmona, Avichai Stern, confirmed that he will block the highway with his body to prevent residents from returning if the threat posed by Hezbollah along the border is not dealt with. In a radio interview, Avichai Stern explained, If necessary, I will lie down on Route 90 and close the road and will not allow the residents to return to be sheep for the slaughter... We all expect and want to return to our homes, but the Ridwan force sits along the fence. Stern added: "This reality must change, and if this does not happen, we will not be able to return."

Roads and towns near the Lebanese-Israeli border were closed to civilian traffic on Monday morning until further notice, due to escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. On Monday, the Israeli authorities decided to close a large group of northern settlements from six in the morning until further notice, for fear of a possible war with the Lebanese Hezbollah.

The Jerusalem Post newspaper said that five years after Israel launched Operation Northern Shield against Hezbollah's cross-border tunnels, there are concerns about the threat to Hezbollah's tunnels again. The Lebanese Hezbollah announced on Monday that it had targeted Israeli soldiers and buildings in the Miskav Am settlement and the Beit Hilal military base in the south of the country. The border between Lebanon and Israel has witnessed tension and an exchange of fire between the Israeli army and Hezbollah since the start of the confrontation between Hamas and Israel on October 7.

Danny Danon, the Israeli permanent representative to the United Nations cited a recent study conducted by an Israeli sample and campaign company Direct Polls affirming that the majority of the Israeli settler society is in favor of mass displacement in Gaza. The study surveys a representative sample of Israeli public opinion on their stance regarding the Israeli authorities' efforts to "encourage the voluntary immigration" of the residents of the Gaza Strip. The results show that:

68% are very supportive of "encouraging the voluntary immigration of residents of the Gaza Strip";

15% are quite supportive of "encouraging the voluntary immigration of residents of the Gaza Strip";

8% are not so supportive of "encouraging the voluntary immigration of residents of the Gaza Strip";

only 9% are not supportive at all of "encouraging the voluntary immigration of residents of the Gaza Strip".

Israeli Channel 12 announced that the Israeli army dismissed the commander of the 51st Battalion of the Golani Brigade after endangering the lives of soldiers in the Shujaiya neighborhood, east of Gaza. On Thursday, December 21, Channel 12 announced that the Golani Brigade in the Israeli army withdrew from the Gaza Strip , to catch their breath after suffering heavy losses. It said: "After more than 70 days in Gaza, and the loss of 44 of its fighters, Golani Brigade fighters left the Gaza Strip to catch their breath and visit their families for a few days."

An Israeli woman in Tel Aviv attacked a soldier from the Golani Brigade, accusing him of killing innocent people and three Israeli detainees inside the Gaza Strip during an Israeli army operation.

On December 13, Israeli media revealed an ambush carried out by fighters of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, on soldiers from the Golani Brigade in the Shujaiya neighborhood, which led to the killing and wounding of a large number of officers and soldiers. The Israeli army allowed the publication of the names of 9 officers and soldiers from the Golani Brigade who were killed in the ambush, and 4 others were seriously injured. Hebrew media described that battle in Shujaiya as a dangerous incident that lasted for more than two hours.

The Israeli newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth" published an article by the strategic analyst in national security affairs, Dr. Avigdor Haselkorn, in which he said that US President Joe Biden's unprecedented support for Israel is not primarily motivated by his deep friendship for Israel, or his disgust with the attack of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) in October.

He explained that Biden and his predecessor Barack Obama believed that Israel could take military steps that might surprise the United States and put it in a dilemma. He stated that Biden and Obama believe that Israel is unique in the Middle East with a mentality and means that can turn it into a raging bull, and therefore the only way to mitigate a nightmare in the region is to prevent Israel from escaping, on the basis that Washington is the only power with influence. Enough to allow it to exercise effective controls over Tel Aviv.

The writer added that this factor is the main motivation behind Obama's persistent adherence to reaching an agreement to limit Iran's nuclear program in 2015 so that the region does not fall to the brink of abyss. The writer quoted a comment by Doug Rusinov, professor of history at Metropolitan University, in Time magazine last month, in which he said that Biden set aside the strategic and political considerations that guided the responses of previous American leaders to Israels wars, joined Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , and faithfully echoed the Israeli talking points.

He said Biden was concerned by the growing consensus in Israel that after the Hamas attack, the country was at war with the Nazis who aim to attack it from multiple fronts, and that the very existence of the country may be at stake. He added that after the Hamas attack, the specter of Israel using what Prime Minister Yair Lapid in 2022 called other capabilities that keep us alive, and will keep us alive as long as we and our children are here, became a reality.

Haselkorn continued to say, There should be no doubt that Biden was fully aware of the strategic importance of this Israeli threat assessment, and then his effort to prevent the nightmare of Israel using its last weapon. There is no doubt that the conviction that Netanyahus ruling coalition includes the most extreme figures in Israel, as Biden himself said last July, has increased American fears.

Worse still, the writer says, the period of hostility shown by the White House towards Netanyahu could have been interpreted by the Israeli government as putting Israel in isolation from its main ally, which may reinforce the perception that Israel has no choice but to resort to extreme measures to save itself from extermination.

As a result, the Biden administration rushed to take several interconnected steps, all aimed at preventing desperate Israeli action. It sent an aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean Sea and the regions of the Arabian Gulf, in addition to additional air and ground reinforcements, and issued strict warnings to Hezbollah and Iran not to take advantage of Israels predicament, and provided Israel with a strategic umbrella to enable the Israeli army to move to remove the Hamas threat, without it spreading anywhere. Else, or face a large-scale attack from multiple directions.

The United States also immediately launched massive conventional arms air and sea operations; So that Israel's arsenal does not run out of these weapons, and prevents the Israeli army from achieving its military objectives by conventional means. In addition, America moved to defend some Israeli strategic sites; For example: the nuclear reactor in Dimona.

The writer continues, saying that, in a move that historian Doug Rusinov described as dramatic, Biden himself quickly visited Israel and sat as part of Netanyahus war government, to dispel any idea of Israel being isolated and alone against a multi-front attack. At the same time, Haselkorn says, the Biden administration sought to impose tight controls on Israel's conduct of the war from the beginning, consistent with its basic perception that Israel was a potentially mad actor. This concern is likely to have been reinforced given the devastation in Gaza.

The writer adds, describing the magnitude of American support for Israel, saying that since the Hamas attack, a large number of high-ranking American military and political officials have arrived in Israel, to inform and advise Israel on the progress made in the fighting. While Americans often express Washington's "firm" commitment to Israel's security, they are particularly concerned about the potential for escalation in the north, which will continue as long as the Gaza campaign continues, and the resulting attacks by Hezbollah.

The writer notes that Biden is concerned that after the dismantling of Hamas in Gaza, the Israeli army will turn to dealing with Hezbollah or even pledge to confront Iran directly, and that he fears that this scenario could lead to an uncontrollable explosion. It is no wonder that Washington is trying to defuse a possible escalation against Hezbollah by launching a diplomatic initiative towards the Lebanese government.

Finally, once Biden became convinced that enhanced US regional deployments were effective in deterring Hezbollah and Iran from intervening full force in the conflict, he became more critical of the IDFs conduct in the war not only for domestic political reasons, but also to send a message to Israel not to misinterpret His strong initial support means giving her free rein to do what she wants.

To prevent a frightening regional war, Washington also pressured Israel not to respond to the missile and drone attacks launched by the Houthis against targets in southern Israel. Instead, for the first time, Washington assigned US Navy ships stationed in the Red Sea to intercept Yemeni fire to prevent Israel from responding.

The American magazine "Mother Jones" published a lengthy report on Biden's deep relationship with Israel, in which it recounted many of the events and details in which this relationship is evident. The progressive magazine, which focuses on news and investigative reporting on topics including politics, the environment, and human rights, said in the report written by its correspondent Noah Lanard, that Bidens unconditional support for Israel in launching its current aggression against Gaza. Recent history put him at odds with most of the world and large parts of his political base. However, the president has so far shown little sign of backing down from his strong support for Israel.

Lanard noted that Biden once said, It is possible that Israel will enter into a fistfight with America , and yet we will still defend it. In another statement, Biden said that he preferred the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state, and he did not forget to affirm his firm support for the Jewish nation, saying, We will not do anything except protect Israel. Nothing, ever.

The report went on to say that it took a full month from the start of Israel's sweeping attack on the Gaza Strip for Biden to begin criticizing Israel in a meaningful way, warning that the "indiscriminate bombing" of Israel was costing America international support, but Biden's own support for the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remained the same.

He added that before and after the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) attack on Israel on October 7, the American president did not show any sympathy with the Palestinians. Regarding this bias towards Israel, the writer quoted Rashid Al-Khalidi, professor of modern Arab studies at Columbia University, as saying that he does not believe that Biden sees the Palestinians at all, but, on the other hand, he sees the Israelis as they are presented very carefully by their government and their huge media apparatus.

A former Biden administration official also quoted a similar view, saying, The president does not seem to acknowledge the humanity of all parties affected by this conflict. He has described Israeli suffering in great detail, while remaining vague about Palestinian suffering, if he mentioned it at all. He explained that all of the American, Israeli and Palestinian officials and academics he met revealed that Biden has an instinctive sympathy for Israel in exchange for his lack of interest in the Palestinians, and he has an increasingly outdated view of domestic politics on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which is that peace will only come from the absence of disagreement between Israel and the United States.

The result is that Biden prioritized providing Israel with largely unconditional support and space to continue the fight in the face of intense international opposition, adding that any US president would have supported Israel in the wake of the Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people, but Biden went further than any of his Democratic colleagues in defense of Israel.

Lanard recounted that when Biden was a senator, he supported moving the US embassy to Jerusalem decades before Donald Trump made that a reality, and he bragged about attending more fundraisers for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee ( AIPAC ) than any other senator . He attacked George H.W. Bush's attempt to push Israel toward negotiations with the Palestinians.

As Vice President, Biden undermined US President Barack Obama's efforts to push Israel toward peace. As president, before October 7, he continued the policies implemented by Trump, which were based on marginalizing the Palestinians.

Despite Israel ignoring many of its recommendations, the report says, the Biden administration continues to push Congress to provide $14 billion in military aid, mostly without restrictions, after the United States had already provided Israel with thousands of bombs that destroyed large parts of Gaza, displacing more than 80%. of its population, and committed the war crime of using starvation of civilians as a weapon of war, according to a report from Human Rights Watch.

Lanard said that in the first days of the war, Biden described the size of the Hamas attack by saying that it was equivalent to 15 times the September 11 attacks for a country the size of Israel, but he forgot to say that the killing of more than 20,000 people so far in Gaza is approximately 900 times the September 11 attacks. September on the same scale.

Menachem Begin received a warm welcome from Biden when he visited Washington after the Lebanon War in 1982. After that, Lanard explained Biden's deep relationship with Israel, saying that her motives were completely personal. Regarding these motives, the report stated that the US President often attributed this to dinner table conversations with his father about the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust and to a meeting in 1973 in Israel with Prime Minister Golda Meir during his first year as a member of the Senate, and long discussions with Henry. "Scoop" Jackson, the famous hard-line Democratic senator from Boeing.

Under Jackson's influence, the writer said, Biden appeared as a fanatical supporter of Israel. In 1982, the year Biden and Netanyahu met for the first time, Israel invaded Lebanon , angering people in the Arab world and being opposed by prominent American officials. Biden showed clear support for Israel at the time. In the first weeks of the war, far-right Prime Minister Menachem Begin came to Washington to shore up support, in the face of intense public criticism. Begin received a warm welcome from Biden.

The New York Times reported at the time that Biden told Begin that he did not criticize the invasion of Lebanon. After his return to Israel, Begin provided more details to the Israeli press and said that a young senator had given an "impassioned speech" during a private meeting with members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Begin said that this senator argued that Americans "would not pay attention if America killed men, women or children in retaliation for a similar attack from Canada."

During a 1992 speech to AIPAC, Biden again expressed strong support for Israel, shouting and beating his chest for emotional effect as he criticized President George H.W. Bush's unprecedented public campaign to push Israel toward addressing Palestinian demands for sovereignty and ending Israel's military occupation. For the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and other territories.

The writer said that any thinking leader might change his course, but Biden remained committed to his approach, as he explained in an interview during his candidacy for the presidency, saying, During my 34-year career, I have never hesitated toward the idea that the only time progress was made in the Middle East was When the Arab countries knew that there was no difference between us and Israel.

In doing so, Khalidi said Biden was embracing the diplomatic version of the right-wing militaristic outlook set a century ago by Zeev Jabotinsky, the founder of revisionist Zionism that helped shape the Likud Party. In other words, Khalidi explained, Biden meant only when the Arabs understand that they have to accept everything Israel is willing to offer, will there be peace.

Khalidi, one of the world's most prominent scholars of Palestine, continued, "I think that represents his position to some extent to this day. I honestly don't think this man has any sense that there is another side to this conflict. I don't think he understands or cares about humanity, or rights." Or the mere presence of Palestinians.

After Biden became vice president in 2009, he stuck to his position on the Palestinian issue, and his commitment to protecting Israel from popular pressure undermined Obama's policy at an important moment when he was trying to revive peace talks. The writer quoted an article by journalist Peter Beinart that: During a critical period early in the Obama administration, when the White House considered putting real pressure on Netanyahu to keep the possibility of a viable Palestinian state alive, Biden did more than any other government-level official to protect... Netanyahu from this pressure.

In 2010, the Netanyahu government angered Obama and his advisors by announcing a major settlement expansion, but Biden, who was in Israel at the time, worked alone on the emerging conflict. The Obama camp took a different path by drawing up a list of demands that must be presented to Netanyahu. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton then gave the prime minister 24 hours to respond, warning him, "If you are unable to comply, it could have unprecedented consequences for the bilateral relationship of a kind never seen before."

Biden was soon in touch with a stunned Netanyahu. A former US administration official said, Biden completely undermined the Secretary of States efforts and gave Netanyahu a strong signal that everything that was planned in Washington was reckless and that he could defuse it when he returned. When Netanyahu and his staff visited the White House shortly after, one of his senior advisers told the New York Times that Biden told Netanyahu, Just remember that I am your best friend here.

Thanks in part to Biden's support, Netanyahu learned not to worry about Obama's efforts to push for Palestinian statehood. A senior US official told Israeli journalist Ben Caspit: Netanyahu is beginning to understand that Obamas bark is much worse than his bite, and that there is no reason to fear him.

During Obama's last days in office, a United Nations resolution was issued demanding a halt to Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank and other occupied territories. In an invitation to discuss how the United States would vote at the United Nations, several administration officials said that Biden and then-Treasury Secretary Jack Lew were the only ones who supported vetoing the resolution. Unusually, Biden and Lew failed in this effort. Lew is now Biden's ambassador to Israel.

The writer said that Lew's return indicates that Biden did not change towards Israel before October 7, as he adhered to Trump's decision to move the embassy to Jerusalem, and did not back down from a major announcement by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that reversed decades of American policy by saying that Israeli settlements do not Necessarily violating international law, he failed to reopen a separate consulate for Palestinians that Trump closed.

Biden did not do much to modify his dealings with Israel after it elected the most right-wing parliament in its history in November 2022, and he did not stand even once against the policies of the extreme right-wing government that resulted from this parliament. It is certain, the writer says, that the Hamas attack against Israel led to a deepening of Bidens connection with Israel. Instead of pressing for a ceasefire, the Biden administration transferred the weapons, including at least 100 one-ton bombs, munitions that were four times the size of what the United States typically used during its 2017 air battles against ISIS in Mosul , Iraq.

The writer explained that the political repercussions of Biden's position have now become global in scope. Shibli Telhami, a professor of peace and development at the University of Maryland, said Biden may now overtake Netanyahu as the most hated leader in the Arab world, adding, "There is a level of shock now in the Arab world that I did not see even during the Iraq war, when it was absolutely horrific."

Lanard concluded his report by saying that there was no indication that Biden's support for Israel was declining, but the problem is that many from his party are no longer with him, and therefore perhaps he, a veteran politician, realizes what he must do in the face of international and domestic pressure. He may soon try to stop the current war, or he may resist for as long as possible.

Butcher's Bill / Oasis of Martyrs

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.

The HAMAS Ministry of Health in the besieged sector announced that the number of victims of the Israeli operation its beginning had risen to about 20,674 martyrs, and the killing of more than 7,700 Palestinian children. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

The number wounded was 54,536. The Palestinian Government Media Office in Gaza had said many days earlier that the number of missing people had risen to more than 7,500 [double the 3,750 previously reported], including including 4,700 children and women.

Palestinian Ministry of Health has announced that the total number of Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank by the Israeli occupation this year had reached 505 people, including 111 children. The Palestinian Ministry of Health earlier explained that the death toll in the West Bank since the beginning of this year has risen to 465, including 257 martyrs since last October 7.

The Israeli bombing led to the killing of 126 Hezbollah members, a number of civilians, and 3 journalists. Lebanons Health Ministry released an official casualty numbers in fighting, saying 77 people were killed and 251 wounded since the start of the war on 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 IDF acknowledged the death toll to 162 between officers and soldiers since the start of the ground incursion, while the number of wounded since the beginning of the ground operation rose to 652, including 146 seriously injured. This brings the total number of dead officers and soldiers whose names the Israeli army allowed to be published to 489 since the Palestinian resistance launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7th.

Israeli media reported that 27% of the Israeli military casualties in the war were officers. In detail, the media highlighted that three brigade commanders, four battalion commanders, and other senior officers have been killed in the war so far.

At least 11,845 Israelis were injured, according to i24 TV. The IDF updated the number of soldiers injured in the war and attacks on October 7 to 1,683.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper had reported that 5,000 soldiers had been wounded since the beginning of the war on October 7, and that the Ministry of Defense had recognized 2,000 soldiers as disabled so far.

According to some reports statistics indicate that 20% of the Israeli losses were due to friendly fire. Because the nature of the battle has become completely different from what was expected, and it lacks a front line.

Hostages

The Israeli occupation army announced the recovery of the bodies of 5 Israeli prisoners who were killed in the Gaza Strip , 3 of them soldiers and 2 civilians, during its discovery of a network of tunnels in Jabalia, north of the Strip. This came in a press conference held by army spokesman Daniel Hagari, who explained that Israeli soldiers recovered five bodies of prisoners who were killed inside the tunnel network. Hagari did not explain the reason behind the killing of the prisoners whose bodies were recovered.

Israel had previously estimated there were 116 living hostages in Palestinian custody. Israel declared 19 out of 135 people in Gaza captivity dead in absentia, after announcing its forces had recovered the bodies of two hostages. Israel considers those still held by Hamas to be hostages regardless of whether they are dead or alive.

Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy earlier had told reporters that Hamas still held 137 captives. The resistance released 10 Israeli detainees, 4 Thais and 2 Russian women, who were released outside the agreement. Over the course of 6 days, Israel has received 102 detainees, women and children, including 78 Israelis, in exchange for the release of 234 Palestinian prisoners, women and children.

Eylon Levy, the Israeli government spokesperson, told reporters 01 December 2023:

Hamas still held 137 hostages from the October attacks, in addition to four others who went missing before the war

The hostages include two children aged four and 10 months, who, Hamas now claims, are dead

117 male hostages are still kept in Gaza, including the two children, as well as 20 females

126 hostages are Israelis, and 11 others are foreign nationals

Foreign nationals are eight Thais, one Nepalese, one Tanzanian and one French Mexican citizen

Ten of the remaining hostages are 75 and older.

There are seven missing people since the October 7 attack

Hamas had released 110 hostages so far  86 Israelis and 24 foreign nationals.

Some of the rest are soldiers, seized when Hamas raided military bases in Israel. They may end up being held the longest. The Israeli military had not specified how many soldiers were captured, nor their ranks.

According to some estimates, Hamas was initially holding nearly 210 of the 240 hostages, while Palestinian Islamic Jihad was holding the remaining 30. About 40 Israelis remained missing. More than 40 hostages taken from Israel into Gaza on October 7th are not currently in the custody of Hamas, the group responsible for the attack, according to a CNN report based on a diplomatic source briefed on the negotiations, CNN's prior reports had indicated that an estimated 40 to 50 hostages were held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad or other unidentified groups or individuals.

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.

The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) and the Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission released a new tally of Palestinians detained by "Israel", revealing that the number of Palestinian prisoners in the West Bank has risen to 4,695. Some 150 women have been arrested thus far, both from the West Bank and the Palestinian territories occupied in 1948. Additionally, more than 255 children had been arrested. Israel had earliers said that, since the beginning of the war, about 2,100 wanted persons had been arrested throughout the IOS Division and the Bekaa and Emekim Brigade, about 1,100 of them are affiliated with Hamas.

By late December 2023 a video was circulating in Israeli media which purported to show the surrender of some Hamas fighters. But critics say it is staged and cast doubt on its authenticity. The footage comes as Hamas continues to resist Israel's relentless assault, more than nine weeks into the conflict.

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China releases video to mark 15th anniversary of its Gulf of Aden escort missions

(People's Daily App) 16:19, December 26, 2023

For the past 15 years, the message "This is Chinese PLA Navy convoy. If you require any assistance, please contact via VHF Channel 16" has been continuously broadcast in both Chinese and English to passing ships in the Gulf of Aden. The message sent by escort fleets dispatched by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy has become a signal of safety for many merchant ships. Fleets dispatched by the Chinese Navy have escorted more than 7,200 vessels in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia since their first escort mission in December 2008.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun)
Russo-Ukraine War - 25 December 2023 - Day 669

Su M Tu W Th F Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

"To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal]

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that during the day of December 25, there were 76x combat engagements. Russian forces launched 1x missile and 19x air strikes, carried out 30x MLRS attacks at the positions of Ukrainian troops and various settlements. Unfortunately, the Russian attacks have wounded civilians. Private residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure were destroyed and damaged.

Volyn and Polissya axes: no significant changes. No signs of formation of an offensive group. Certain units of the armed forces of Belarus continue their missions in the areas bordering Ukraine.

Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna axes: Russia maintains its military presence in the areas of russia bordering Ukraine. Russia continues its sabotage and reconnaissance activities, shelling Ukrainian settlements from the territory of Russia and increases the density of minefields along the state border of Ukraine. More than 20x settlements came under Russian artillery and mortar fire, including Volfyne, Ryasne, Sadky (Sumy oblast), Ivashky, Udy, Vovchans'k, Budarky, Ambarne (Kharkiv oblast).

Kup'yans'k axis: the Ukrainian defenders repelled 6x attacks in the vicinity of Syn'kivka (Kharkiv oblast). In that area, Russian forces made unsuccessful attempts to break through the defenses of Ukrainian troops. Russian forces fired artillery and mortars at around 10x settlements, including Dvorichna, Syn'kivka, Petropavlivka, Ivanivka, Berestove (Kharkiv oblast).

Lyman axis: the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 24x attacks in the area of Serebryans'ke forestry, Bilohorivka (Luhansk oblast) and Vesele (Donetsk oblast). In the area, the Russian occupiers, with air support, made attempts to breach Ukrainian defense. Russian forces launched air strikes near the settlements of Terny, Dibrova, Sivers'k, Vyimka, Spirne, Vesele (Donetsk oblast). Russian forces fired artillery and mortars at more than 10x settlements, including Nevs'ke, Bilohorivka (Luhansk oblast), Tors'ke, Serebryanka, Verkhn'okam'yans'ke, Spirne, Rozdolivka (Donetsk oblast).

Bakhmut axis: the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 4x Russian attacks near Bohdanivka (Donetsk oblast). Around 10x settlements came under artillery and mortar fire, including Vasyukivka, Kalynivka, Ivanivske, Stupochky, Andriivka, New York (Donetsk oblast).

Avdiivka axis: the Ukrainian defenders repelled 20x Russian attacks east of Novobakhmutivka, Stepove, Avdiivka, and 12x more attacks in the vicinities of Pervomais'ke and Nevel's'ke (Donetsk oblast), where Russian forces made failed attempts to breach Ukrainian defense. Also, the Russian occupiers launched an air strike near Novobakhmutivka (Donetsk oblast). Russian forces fired artillery and mortars at around 10x settlements, including Ocheretyne, Berdychi, Stepove, Avdiivka, Sjeverne, Pervomais'ke (Donetsk oblast).

Mar'inka axis: the Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to hold back Russian forces in the vicinity of Novomykhailivka (Donetsk oblast). In that area, Russian forces, with air support, launched 3x unsuccessful attacks on the positions of Ukrainian defenders. The settlements of Heorhiivka, Mar'inka, Pobjeda, Novomykhailivka, Kostyantynivka were under Russian artillery and mortar fire.

Shakhtars'ke axis: Ukrainian defenders repelled 3x attacks in the vicinity of Staromaiors'ke (Donetsk oblast). Russian forces fired artillery and mortars at around 10x settlements, including Vodyane, Vuhledar, Prechystivka, Urozhaine, Staromaiors'ke (Donetsk oblast).

Zaporizhzhia axis: the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 2x Russian attacks near Robotyne (Zaporizhzhia oblast). In that area, Russian forces made failed attempts to dislodge Ukrainian troops from their positions. Around 20x settlements, including Levadne, Malynivka, Hulyaipole, Mala Tokmachka, Orikhiv, P'yatykhatky (Zaporizhzhia oblast), came under Russian artillery and mortar fire.

Odesa operational-strategic group, Kherson axis: Russian forces fired artillery at the city of Kherson, the settlements of Tyahynka, Antonivka (Kherson oblast) and Solonchaky, Kutsurub (Mykolaiv oblast).

Russia does not abandon his intention to drive Ukrainian units out of their footholds on the left bank of the Dnipro. Thus, during the day, Russian forces made 12x unsuccessful assaults and suffered significant losses. The Ukrainian troops are holding the line, continuing to retain their positions and firing for effect on the Russian enemy.

During the day of December 25, the Ukrainian Air Force launched air strikes on 4x concentrations of Russian troops, weapons, and military equipment.

The Ukrainian missile troops hit 4x concentrations of troops, weapons, and military equipment, 2x ammunition depots and 3x air defense systems of the Russian invaders.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that in Kupyansk direction, units of the Zapad Group of Forces supported by artillery and helicopters repelled three attacks launched by assault detachments of the AFU 60th Mechanised Brigade, 25th Airborne Brigade, and 95th Air Assault Brigade near Sinkovka (Kharkov region) and Novoselovskoye (Lugansk People's Republic).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 30 Ukrainian troops and two motor vehicles.

In Krasny Liman direction, units of the Tsentr Group of Forces supported by artillery and operational-tactical aircraft repelled one attack of the AFU 5th National Guard Brigade north of Grigorovka (Donetsk People's Republic).

In addition, strikes were delivered at manpower and hardware of the AFU 21st Mechanised Brigade and 23rd Rifle Battalion near Yampolovka and Torskoye (Donetsk People's Republic).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 180 Ukrainian troops, one tank, one Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, and two motor vehicles. Moreover, in the course of counterbattery warfare, one Akatsiya and one Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems, as well as two D-30 howitzers were eliminated.

In Donetsk direction, units of the Yug Group of Forces supported by artillery repelled one attack launched by an assault detachment of the AFU 24st Mechanised Brigade near Shumy (Donetsk People's Republic) and inflicted losses on AFU manpower and hardware near Kleschcheyevka (Donetsk People's Republic).

Over the past 24 hours, the AFU losses amounted to up to 200 Ukrainian troops killed and wounded, two infantry fighting vehicles, and six motor vehicles. In the course of counterbattery warfare, one Msta-B and one D-20 howitzers, two D-30 howitzers, as well as one Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system were neutralised.

In South Donetsk direction, units of the Vostok Group of Forces supported by artillery and aviation inflicted losses on manpower clusters of the AFU 79th Air Assault Brigade near Novomikhailovka (Donetsk People's Republic).

The AFU losses in this direction amounted to up to 55 Ukrainian troops, three pickup trucks, and one Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system.

In Zaporozhye direction, units of the Russian Group of Forces supported by artillery and heavy flamethrower systems inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the AFU 33rd Mechanised Brigade, 128th Mountain Assault Brigade, and 102nd Territorial Defence Brigade close to Rabotino, Kamenskoye, and Gulai Pole (Zaporozhye region).

The AFU losses in this direction amounted to up to 90 Ukrainian troops, four motor vehicles, one D-20 howitzer, and two D-30 howitzers.

In Kherson direction, as a result of actions of the Russian Group of Forces' units supported by artillery, the AFU losses amounted to up to 60 Ukrainian troops, three motor vehicles, and one Msta-B howitzer.

Operational-Tactical Aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Groups of Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation wiped out one 35D6 low-altitude target detection and tracking radar station, two German-made IRIS-T air defence systems, one POL depot, as well as engaged manpower and military hardware in 113 areas.

Air defence units intercepted five HIMARS MLRS projectiles over the past 24 hours. In addition, 40 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down close to Veliky Vyselok (Kharkov region), Kremennaya, Ploshchanka, Verkhnekamenka (Lugansk People's Republic), Maryinka (Donetsk People's Republic), Ocheretovatoye (Zaporozhye region), Novaya Kakhovka and Brilyovka (Kherson region).

In total, 558 airplanes and 261 helicopters, 10,080 unmanned aerial vehicles, 442 air defence missile systems, 14,309 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,189 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 7,493 field artillery guns and mortars, as well as 16,690 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.





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Southeast Asia's 'narco-state' and 'scam-states' undercut authoritarian rule boasts

Autocrats from Myanmar to Vietnam showed they couldn't control crime in 2023.

A commentary by David Hutt 2023.12.25 -- The year 2023 has been one of disorder in Southeast Asia.

War is still raging in Myanmar, where perhaps thousands of civilians were killed this year, on top of hundreds more soldiers and anti-junta fighters. ASEAN, the regional bloc, has failed yet again to either bring the warring parties to the negotiation table or, as a result, take a sterner position on the military government that took power through a coup in early 2021.

A consequence of the escalation of political violence in Myanmar has been the proliferation of crime. According to the Southeast Asia Opium Survey 2023, published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the country reclaimed the spot as the world's biggest opium producer, with the area of land used to grow the illicit crop increasing by 18 percent to 47,100 hectares in 2023, compared to the previous year.

The report noted that "although the area under cultivation has not returned to historic peaks of nearly 58,000 ha (143,300 acres) cultivated in 2013, after three consecutive years of increases, poppy cultivation in Myanmar is expanding and becoming more productive."

At the same time, production of methamphetamine has also increased. One result has been to flood the rest of Southeast Asia with cheap drugs. On Dec. 13, the Thai police seized 50 million methamphetamine tablets near the Myanmar border, the country's largest-ever drug bust and the second largest in Asia.

Alastair McCready, reporting for Al Jazeera in November, noted that yaba pillsacombination of methamphetamine and caffeineaare selling for US$0.24 cents each in Laos.

The flood of drugs has led to an explosion of other criminal activity. Radio Free Asia has reported on the growing anger of ordinary Laotians about the authorities inability to investigate even petty crimes, which has been compounded by the ongoing economic crisis in the communist state, another indication of the disorder now infecting the region.

Enter 'scam states'

Singapore, after staying capital punishments for years, felt it necessary to begin state-enforced executions again, killing the first woman defendant in two decades this year for drug-related offenses.

If Myanmar has the distinction of becoming Southeast Asia's "narco-state" once again, some of its mainland neighbors now have the reputation of being what could be called "scam-states."

The blockbuster Chinese hit of the year No More Betsaa film about unwitting Chinese youths being lured into working for scammers somewhere in Southeast Asia, whereupon tragedy unfoldsawas banned by several Southeast Asian governments, including Cambodia's, which presumably thought its "ironclad" friend was spreading malicious propaganda.

Indeed, if in China No More Bets was a Tarantino-esque public health warning, in Southeast Asia it was an alarming indictment of all that's wrong in their nations, a held-aloft mirror they couldn't ignore, hard as they tried.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reported in August that at least 120,000 people in Myanmar and 100,000 in Cambodia "may be held in situations where they are forced to carry out online scams." According to a UNODC report, there could be "at least 100,000 victims of trafficking for forced criminality" in Cambodia alone. "If accurate," the report added, "these estimates of trafficking for forced criminality in Southeast Asia would suggest that this is one of the largest coordinated trafficking in persons operations in history."

Note that those numbers are only of people forced to work in Southeast Asia's scam compounds, which stretch from mainland Southeast Asia to Malaysia and the Philippines. The number of workers who choose, however you understand that word, to work in this industry is no doubt many times higher.

Half of national GDP

The UNODC was more hesitant in its language than it could have been. It offered a "conservative estimate" that the scam industry of one Mekong nation, which it did not name, "may be generating between $7.5 and $12.5 billion" in revenue annually, around half that country's official GDP in 2021.

Some think it was a reference to Cambodia, whose GDP was US$27 billion that year. My guess is that the UNODC was being vague because it knows this estimate could also apply to Laos and Myanmar.

Moreover, it's possible that online scamming, with its associated human trafficking and money laundering, might now be the most profitable industry in all three states, and this increasingly un-shadowy sector may be worth as much as the entire GDP of all three states.

To quote the UNODC report: "the scam industry is earning criminal groups the equivalent of billions of U.S. dollars, with profits rivaling the GDP of some countries in the region."

There have been some busts in Cambodia and the Philippines. One of the sparks for the "Operation 1027" offensive that unfolded in October across northern Myanmar, touted as the biggest rout of the junta's forces since the February 2021 coup, was the apparent inability of the military junta to tackle Chinese-run scam compounds in Shan State. Because of the junta's inactivity, a number of armed ethnic groups stepped in to tackle the scam compounds, which was well received in Beijing.

However, the task of tackling these groups is beyond the capabilities of the police and militaries of Southeast Asian states. In authoritarian mainland Southeast Asia, law enforcement is a patronized, pay-for-promotion extension of ruling parties, which makes them not only ineffective but also systematically corrupt.

Political protection

Naturally, there is a good deal of political protection of these vast scam syndicates. Quite obviously, one doesn't build an industry worth as much as half a country's GDP without the active participation of a section of the ruling aristocracy. Li Kuong, the alleged owner of a scam compound in Cambodia, was made a neak oknha, one of the country's highest honorific titles, in June.

In Laos, does the long-ruling Lao People's Revolutionary Party control Bokeo province or is it now the fiefdom of the Chinese criminal tycoon Zhao Wei, who runs the province from its de-facto capital city, the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone?

Which brings us to corruption. This year, the Vietnamese Communist Party's anti-graft investigators arrested dozens of senior officials and businesspeople related to the case of a prominent real estate developer who allegedly embezzled nearly US$12.4 billion, the equivalent of more than 3 percent of the country's GDP.

For some moments in 2021 and 2022, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a notion gained traction that authoritarian states are more able than their democratic cousins at ensuring stability, order and prosperity. Events in 2023 in Southeast Asia showed the opposite.

Communist Vietnam has just uncovered perhaps the biggest corruption scandal in the region's historyaand there may be worse to come. Crime rates are spiraling out of control in communist Laos, whose economic crisis is unlikely to end next year, suggesting that authoritarians are not trustworthy guardians of economic growth.

Myanmar, the region's "narco-state", is engulfed in a war created by a military junta that traces its lineage to previous military regimes that called themselves the State Law and Order Restoration Council or State Peace and Development Council.

Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar could possess illegal scam industries worth as much as half their national GDPs, effectively making them "scam-states," where the government, judiciary and military appear to have been effectively infiltrated by scam syndicates.

Does all this sound like the sort of stability and orderliness that authoritarians say justifies their monopoly of power?

David Hutt is a research fellow at the Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS) and the Southeast Asia Columnist at the Diplomat. As a journalist, he has covered Southeast Asian politics since 2014. The views expressed here are his own and do not reflect the position of Radio Free Asia.

Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content December not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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PLA Navy steps into deep blue, contributes to global peace and stability with 15 years of overseas escort missions

Global Times

By Liu Xuanzun Published: Dec 25, 2023 08:28 PM

China is set to celebrate the 15th anniversary of its overseas naval escort missions on Tuesday, through which the country has been contributing to global peace and stability with concrete actions amid its shift in naval strategy from near seas defense to far seas protection, experts said.

Under relevant resolutions by the UN Security Council, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy deployed its first task force to carry out escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia on December 26, 2008.

Since then, the PLA Navy has made about 150 vessel sorties and sent over 35,000 officials and soldiers on 45 escort task forces, and made 1,600 escort runs protecting more than 7,200 ships, over 50 percent of them from foreign countries, in pirate-infested waters, according to authorities.

One of the main goals of the Chinese naval escort missions is to protect the safety of passing ships and personnel in the Gulf of Aden, a busy sea lane in the heart of world trade that sees tens of thousands of ships from over a hundred countries annually commuting between Europe and the Pacific Ocean region as well as the Indian Ocean region, Zhang Junshe, a Chinese naval expert, told the Global Times on Monday.

China's sending of warships to provide escorts in this pirate-infested region not only safeguards China's national strategic interests, but also fulfils its international responsibility and obligations by providing public security goods to the international community, Zhang said.

Through the joint efforts of navies around the world, pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia have significantly decreased compared with 15 years ago, but pirates still remain in the region, as they have developed new methods of attacks farther away from the coast of Somalia into the Arabian Sea, so naval escorts are not only still necessary, but also need to expand and adapt, Zhang said.

Observers pointed out that the PLA Navy's escort route, starting from China's coastal regions, stretching from the South China Sea into the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea before arriving in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia, is also China's maritime trade and energy lifeline, and with the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, more Chinese overseas interests including Chinese personnel, investments and cooperation projects need to be protected along the route.

PLA Navy escort task forces have also carried out three missions involving evacuation of nationals during their escort missions - in Libya in 2011, in Yemen in 2015 and in Sudan this year.

In the evacuation operations, the PLA Navy not only evacuated Chinese nationals, but also foreign personnel.

Fifteen years of escort missions also witnessed the development of the PLA Navy's far seas capability, analysts said.

The first task force in 2008 was led by the Type 052B destroyer Wuhan, and now the main destroyers in recent task forces are of the Type 052D, which experts said are significantly more modern and powerful.

A typical escort task force nowadays consists of a Type 052D destroyer, a Type 054A frigate and a Type 903/A comprehensive replenishment ship, an all-round combination that enables coordination, support and rotation in far seas, experts said.

In 2017, the PLA established its first and currently only overseas base, the PLA Support Base in Djibouti, which is very close to the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia.

This allows the PLA naval escort task forces to better receive supplies, Zhang said, noting that at the start, the escort vessels could only carry their own supplies, but now have the additional option of getting port replenishments.

From another perspective, the PLA Navy's escort missions marked the implementation of its strategic requirements of near seas defense and far seas protection, as the PLA Navy strides to form blue-water capabilities, another Chinese military expert who had boarded a PLA vessel in a previous escort mission told the Global Times on Monday, requesting anonymity.

Before the early 21st century, the PLA Navy had barely any far seas capabilities, with its strategic focus being solely on near seas defense, the expert said, noting that with China's development in its comprehensive national strength, the country needs to enhance its far seas protection capabilities in deep blue waters to safeguard its development interests as well as to shoulder its growing international responsibilities and obligations.

The PLA Navy will continue to carry out escort missions to contribute to global peace and stability as well as promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind and a maritime community with a shared future, the expert said.

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Premier Li stresses deepening integrated devt, security governance for LMC

Global Times

By Yang Sheng and Hu Yuwei Published: Dec 25, 2023 11:01 PM

Chinese Premier Li Qiang attended the fourth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Leaders' Meeting via videolink on Monday, with the attendance of leaders from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, the five ASEAN member states that the Mekong River runs through. China called for the deepening of development for regional integration and security cooperation to crack down on telecom fraud among the six countries.

Diplomats from the five Southeast Asian countries reached by the Global Times highly valued the cooperation with China in recent years in terms of sharing water resources of the river and flood control, which greatly improved people's livelihood along the river. Experts said that in the next phase, the LMC will bring more opportunities for cutting edge technologies, and the region will further benefit from the cooperation and reinforce regional stability.

Li co-chaired the meeting with Myanmar's leader Min Aung Hlaing. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended the meeting via video link, according to China Central Television (CCTV).

During the meeting, Li made four suggestions on strengthening Lancang-Mekong cooperation: First, deepening integrated development, and strengthen cooperation in economy, trade, production capacity, agriculture and intelligent manufacturing. Second, to promote green cooperation and fully respect the legitimate rights and interests of all countries in the reasonable development and utilization of water resources.

Third, to strengthen security governance and vigorously crack down on criminal activities such as online gambling and telecom fraud. Fourth, to deepen people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cultivate new highlights in cooperation among youth, think tanks, and local governments.

The leaders of the five Mekong countries thanked China for its outstanding contribution to promoting Lancang-Mekong cooperation, and said that the six countries should share opportunities and deal with challenges together, jointly plan the future development of Lancang-Mekong cooperation, and strengthen cooperation in all fields to build the Lancang-Mekong economic development belt, and build a community of shared future for Lancang-Mekong countries, CCTV reported.

The Lancang-Mekong area is one of the regions with the greatest development potential in Asia and beyond.

Originating from China's Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, the river has its source in Yushu of Qinghai Province. It is called Lancang River in China, and after flowing out of Yunnan Province, it is called the Mekong River. It runs across Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, is 4,880 kilometers in length, covers an area of 795,000 square kilometers, and feeds 326 million people, according to the LMC China's official website.

Fruitful achievements

Zhou Zhiwei, secretary-general of the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Center, told the Global Times on Monday that since the implementation of the Five-year Action Plan on Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation (2018-2022), the water resources authorities of the six member countries have been actively organizing and implementing more than 50 water-related livelihood projects.

The Lancang-Mekong Sweet Spring Project has established a total of 62 rural water supply technology demonstration points, providing local residents with safer drinking water and also technical demonstrations for the member countries, Zhou said. Another project, named Dam Safety Evaluation Action Plan for Lancang-Mekong Countries, has conducted safety inspections and demonstrations on dams in Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Safe wings have been installed for the dam to better serve people, Zhou noted.

China also supported the implementation of hydrological monitoring projects and has built a central station and 25 automatic monitoring stations in Laos. "It will help us to better understand rivers and lakes, and better respond to flood and drought disasters," Zhou told the Global Times.

At the same time, it should be noted that our six countries are facing big challenges to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It is necessary for us to work closely to promote practical cooperation under the guidance of the Five-Year Action Plan on Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation (2023-2027). "Our six countries should work together to deal with various water issues and climate change to contribute to the building of a community with a shared future of peace and prosperity among Lancang-Mekong countries," Zhou noted.



Good for all

With progress and results delivered daily, monthly and annually, we have created an LMC speed, and fostered an LMC culture featuring equality, sincerity, mutual assistance and kinship. LMC has become a stellar example for countries to develop relations with each other, conduct regional cooperation and pursue South-South cooperation, Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry said Friday.

The LMC projects have brought broad benefits to China and its neighbors, especially in terms of water resources and flood control. The Mekong River countries sent diplomats to visit Southwest China's Yunnan Province earlier this month. The diplomats highly praised the achievements made by the LMC in recent years and expressed hope for further cooperation.

Under the LMC's special fund projects, installation of automatic water level and rainfall monitoring systems at Myanmar's border areas on the Mekong River for the flood early warning system project was successfully implemented and completed from July 2020 to April 2022.

Based on this project's success, Myanmar would like to cooperate with China for stream flow measurement of water resources management and research into the impact of climate change on water resources management in the next five years, Win Myat Aung, Education Counsellor of Myanmar Embassy in Beijing, said at the Lancang-Mekong Trip 2023, which concluded in mid-December.

During the joint trip to Southwest China's Yunnan Province that gathered diplomats and representatives from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, the Global Times witnessed foreign diplomats' keen interest and continuous praise for China's dams on the upper stream of the Mekong River. The representatives were impressed to see how the hydropower projects bring practical benefits to downstream countries through flood control, water supply, power generation, and ecological protection.

"Thailand has seen the benefits of Lancang-Mekong Cooperation," said Wanapol Sangiamsin, deputy consul-general at the Royal Thai Consulate General in Kunming, during the visit. "As the incoming co-chair of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, Thailand looks forward to collaborating closely with other Lancang-Mekong colleagues toward the realization of a peaceful community of shared future, sustainable development, and prosperity." After the LMC leaders meeting this year, Myanmar will hand over the co-chairmanship of LMC to Thailand.

"I highly value an active contribution from member countries, especially China, in Mekong-Lancang development, particularly in 2021 when many projects were adopted by the leaders that supported the LMC special fund, and I do believe that in the coming years, the water related projects will increase productively," said Singhalath Boupha, the third secretary of the Embassy of the Lao People's Democratic Republic in Beijing.

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning's Regular Press Conference on December 25, 2023

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

2023-12-25 19:17

CCTV: This year marks the tenth anniversary of the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind put forward by President Xi Jinping, which has been widely recognized and supported by the international community. At the same time, we have seen bloc confrontation, decoupling and supply chain disruptions and other manifestations of Cold War mentality on the rise. Some people commented that the world is dividing into "two blocs". Against this backdrop, how will China deepen and substantiate the vision? What role can the vision play in addressing current global challenges?

Mao Ning: Ten years ago, faced with profound changes of the world, of our times, and of the historical trajectory, President Xi Jinping put forward the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind. Over the past decade, the vision has been translated from ideas into actions, and has provided effective safeguard for preserving world peace, injected vigorous impetus into promoting global development, and built strong synergy for addressing global challenges. It has been warmly echoed by the international community. The vision has been written into resolutions of UN General Assembly for seven years in a row, and included in resolutions or declarations of multilateral mechanisms like the SCO and BRICS. China also put forward important initiatives such as building a global community of health for all, a community with a shared future in cyberspace, and a community of life for humanity and nature, giving a strong boost to global governance in various sectors.

Today, we are living in the same global village. The connections and interdependence between countries around the world are more frequent and closer than ever. No country can stay unaffected in the face of various pressing global challenges. The vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind replaces conflicts and confrontation with peaceful development, absolute security with common security, and zero-sum game with mutual benefits and win-win results, prevents cultural clashes through cultural exchanges, and champions green development to protect the planet we call home. The vision responds to the common pursuit of people in countries around the world for peace, development and cooperation, and identifies the fundamental path to solve global issues. Under the guidance of the vision, China has proposed and promoted the implementation of major initiatives including the Belt and Road cooperation, Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative. China stands ready to make joint efforts with the international community to build an open, inclusive, clean, and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity, and create a better future for humanity.

Rudaw Media Network: Over the past two months, there have been more than 40 attacks on US bases in Iraq and Kurdistan region. You are Iraq's trade partner. Are you concerned regarding the safety and security of Chinese companies operating in Iraq?

Mao Ning: Iraq is China's important Belt and Road partner. In recent years, China and Iraq have deepened practical cooperation, delivering tangible benefits to the two countries and two peoples. China closely follows Iraq's security situation and is willing to increase cooperation with Iraq to ensure the safety and smooth progress of cooperation projects.

Reuters: China's official media today accused the Philippines of repeatedly violating China's sovereignty in the South China Sea, spreading false news and colluding with foreign forces to undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea. Will the two sides hold a new round of talks? How does China view the risk of armed maritime conflict?

Mao Ning: China will not weaken in its resolve to protect its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. For months, the Philippines has been making provocations on Ren'ai Jiao and other issues and drawing forces outside the region into those issues. China is compelled under those circumstances to take necessary measures to firmly respond to it. That said, China's door of dialogue remains open. We are ready to work with the Philippines to properly handle maritime issues through negotiation and consultation. We hope the Philippines will stop pursuing the wrong course at once.

AFP: At least 14 persons were killed yesterday in Indonesia in an explosion at the Chinese funded plants. Can you tell us if some Chinese nationals were among the victims?

Mao Ning: We've learned that the accident has so far killed 13, including four Chinese employees and injured many who have been taken to hospital. We're saddened by the deaths and injuries and express our condolences over the victims.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs are working closely with other government agencies and relevant local government in China on the matter. We have instructed the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia to verify the situation and handle the accident at once. The Embassy immediately activated the emergency response mechanism and contacted relevant parties to make every effort to save and treat the injured and find out what caused the accident. The Embassy is also giving guidance to the company concerned on follow-up arrangements.

We will stay in close communication with Indonesia to make sure that everything is properly handled.

China News Service: We noticed that on December 22 local time, the 78th UN General Assembly adopted a resolution by consensus to list the Lunar New Year as a UN floating holiday, which means the lunar new year will be celebrated at the UN too. Any comment on that?

Mao Ning: The Lunar New Year, or what we call Spring Festival in China, is the oldest and the most important traditional festival in the Chinese culture. It's a time for family reunion and ringing in the new year. It's celebrated in China and around the world. Some rough estimates suggest that the Lunar New Year is a public holiday in almost 20 countries and celebrated in various ways by about one-fifth of humanity. Traditional Lunar New Year activities are organized in nearly 200 countries and regions. The festival has become a global cultural event, bringing joy to people around the world.a

The Lunar New Year symbolizes joy, harmony and peace and its Chinese name "Spring Festival" conveys the greetings and warmth of the spring season. The festival embodies the core values of harmony, love and peace in Chinese culture. We look forward to celebrating the Spring Festival with the world and hope all civilizations will live in harmony, prosper together and engage in exchanges and mutual learning, and that people of all countries will enjoy better mutual understanding and friendship and work together for building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Global Times: It is reported that the Japanese government adopted the updated Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology and its implementation guidelines (herein referred to as "Three Principles") on December 22 with a decision to provide its home-made Patriot air defence missiles to the United States. It is the first time that Japan has allowed the export of destruction weapons since its Cabinet's adoption of the Three Principles in 2014. On the same day, the Cabinet approved the budget for Fiscal Year 2024 with a record defense budget of around JPY 7.9 trillion, up by 16.6 percent year on year. What is your comment?

Mao Ning: Given Japan's recent history of militarist aggression, Japan's military and security moves are closely watched by its Asian neighbors and the international community. In recent years, Japan has been drastically readjusting its security policy, increasing defense spending year after year, easing the restrictions on arms export and seeking military breakthroughs. We urge Japan to earnestly respect the security concerns of neighboring countries, reflect on its history of aggression, commit itself to the path of peaceful development and earn the trust of its Asian neighbors and the wider international community through concrete actions.

The Paper: Last Friday, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2720 on the humanitarian condition in Gaza, with 13 votes in favor and two abstentions. How does China see the resolution?

Mao Ning: Resolution 2720 is the second Security Council resolution since the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke out. The resolution calls for urgent action to expand humanitarian assistance to Gaza and creating the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities.

For publicly known reasons, the resolution does not quite come up to international expectations and has certain gaps that needed to be filled. Yet in light of the urgent situation on the ground and the position of Palestine and other Arab countries, China voted in favor of the resolution. The latest round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict has already killed and injured tens of thousands of innocent civilians and the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate. We hope the resolution will be effectively implemented, more humanitarian aid will reach Gaza as soon as possible and a monitoring mechanism will be set up. That said, realizing a ceasefire remains the absolute priority and prerequisite for everything else. China will continue to work with all parties to enhance coordination and galvanize more responsible and meaningful actions in the Security Council to make relentless efforts for an early cessation of hostilities in Gaza, the implementation of the two-state solution and peace and stability in the Middle East.

Beijing Daily: It's reported that two employees working for Vivo's India unit were arrested by India's Enforcement Directorate. They will next appear in court on December 26. Vivo's India unit said that it was deeply shocked by the arrest; The recent arrests show that India's harassment against Vivo still continues, which induces an environment of uncertainty amongst the wider industry landscape; Vivo will resolutely address these accusations through all legal means. Recently, it's also said that Chinese staff of the ZTE's India unit might soon be forced to leave India because they could not get visa or the visa extension permit. What's your comment?

Mao Ning: We are closely following what you mentioned. The Chinese government firmly supports Chinese businesses in safeguarding their lawful rights and interests. We hope that India will fully recognize the mutually beneficial nature of the business cooperation between our two countries and provide a fair, just, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment. The Chinese embassy and consulates in India will continue to provide consular protection and assistance to the individuals concerned in accordance with the law.

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China's top legislature starts standing committee session

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 08:55, December 26, 2023

BEIJING, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, started its seventh session Monday in Beijing.

Zhao Leji, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, presided over the session's first plenary meeting.

Lawmakers reviewed a draft revision to the Organic Law of the State Council. The NPC Constitution and Law Committee suggested that, after deliberations at the current session, the NPC Standing Committee make a decision to submit the draft to the second session of the 14th NPC for further review.

Lawmakers also deliberated a draft revision to the Company Law, a draft amendment to the Charity Law, a draft food security law, a draft amendment to the Criminal Law, a draft emergency response management law, and a draft law on rural collective economic organizations, a draft amendment to the Law on Supervision by the Standing Committees of the People's Congresses at All Levels, a draft revision to the Frontier Health and Quarantine Law, and a draft revision to the Mineral Resources Law.

The session reviewed a draft decision on improving and strengthening the system of recording and review, a draft decision on authorizing the Macao Special Administrative Region to exercise jurisdiction over relevant land and sea areas southeast of the Gongbei Port in Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province, a draft decision on convening the second session of the 14th NPC.

Lawmakers also deliberated an extradition treaty between China and Botswana, and a treaty on judicial assistance in criminal affairs between China and Senegal, among other reports and bills.

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Iran calls for IAEA impartiality in resolving safeguard issues

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 25, 2023

London, IRNA -- Iran has provided the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with reasoned answers and documents on claims related to its adherence to the Safeguards Agreement in the hope that the IAEA would be impartial and pay attention to the March agreement to resolve the remaining issues, says the ambassador to the international organizations in Vienna.

Speaking with IRNA's correspondent, Mohsen Naziri Asl said the Islamic Republic of Iran "always emphasizes that it will continue its cooperation with the agency within the framework of the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement."

The safeguard claims over Iran's nuclear activities are rooted in the fake documents of the Zionist regime to raise the alarm over the country's peaceful nuclear program.

Amid the US withdrawal from the nuclear agreement in 2018, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed to have discovered nuclear particles in undeclared sites across Iran.

While rejecting the claims, the Islamic Republic of Iran has always emphasized that countries' obligations under the Safeguards Agreement are not unlimited.

During a visit by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to Tehran in March, Iran voluntarily agreed to more monitoring activities by IAEA inspectors within the framework of the parliament's law to fight sanctions.

Following the agreement, meetings were held at the expert level, and with interactions between Iran and the IAEA, the two sides have made considerable progress in enhancing their cooperation.

As a result, several technical issues between Iran and the IAEA have been resolved, talks and interactions between them have increased, and discussions regarding the resolution of other technical issues are ongoing.

Naziri Asl said the March agreement was reached to resolve all the remaining issues between the two sides.

The agreement states that modalities must first be agreed upon and the parties should take actions based on them," he added.

"Despite the fact that no agreement has yet to be reached over a Modality Plan, the Islamic Republic has taken some voluntary measures based on its good will, which unfortunately did not receive a positive and proportionate response from the US and the three European countries," Naziri said.

On the other hand, we gradually witnessed that the IAEA's demands from Iran regarding extra-safeguards issues were increasing, he added, stressing that the only way to continue voluntary cooperation is to create a specified outlook of that cooperation as well as giving assurances to Iran.

The official referred to a statement that Iran and the IAEA announced on March 4, 2023, which stressed the importance of enhanced cooperation between the two sides. Naziri said that Iran's cooperation is only part of the statement, and that the statement should be taken into consideration in its entirety.

The Iranian official also spoke about recent comments by IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi about the possibility of a "JCPOA 2.0" as well as the limited access to Iran's nuclear sites by the agency's inspectors.

Naziri said that Grossi's remarks were not in line with the realities of Iran's peaceful nuclear program, and he was cautioned "through appropriate means."

Despite propaganda, the Islamic Republic has an "exemplary cooperation" with the IAEA. Just in November, an average 12 inspectors have been doing their work in Iran, which is a record among countries that implement comprehensive safeguards agreements, the Iranian envoy said.

He added that this level of cooperation shows that there is no problem regarding the IAEA's inspection within the Safeguards Agreement with Iran.

Elsewhere in his interview, Naziri spoke about a recent meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors that discussed nuclear threats posed by the Israeli regime.

He said that the environment of the meeting was against the regime and a total of 51 anti-Israel statements were proposed, which was unprecedented.

However, following negotiations between Islamic countries, three statements were proposed regarding three issues including Israel's crimes in Gaza, the regime's threat to use nukes and the necessity to deal with the regime's undeclared nuclear weapons program.

The Iranian envoy said that his country expects the IAEA chief to give a proper reaction to international concerns over the nuclear threats by the Israeli regime.

4354**4194

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Iran Navy takes delivery of new cruise missiles

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Mon / 25 December 2023 / 09:43

The Islamic Republic of Iran Navy has taken delivery of a range of domestically-designed and manufactured military equipment, including strategic cruise missile systems and helicopters furnished with electronic warfare systems.

Tehran-ISNA- The new weapons were supplied to the naval forces during a ceremony attended by Chief Commander of the Iranian Army Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani and other senior military figures in Iran's southeastern port city of Konarak on Sunday.

Press TV reports that The arrivals included the Talayieh strategic cruise missile system, Nasir cruise missile system, helicopters with first-ever homegrown electronic warfare systems and light military helicopters for reconnaissance purposes.

Surface-to-surface missile systems with eight launchers, Sanjar smart loitering and suicide drone mounted on Jamaran destroyer, a multipurpose drone system used for electronic warfare and surveillance operations, a diver detection system, and Sirvan tugboat to be used in ports and anchorages were also among them.

Speaking at the event, Irani described Talayieh as a smart cruise missile with a range of over 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) that can change course during flight and choose a new target before striking and destroying it.

Nasir cruise missile, with a range of more than 100 kilometers, offers a high destructive force against enemy targets, and can be mounted on rocket launching vessels of different classes, the commander stated.

The Iranian Navy's new helicopters have been furnished with a range of electronic warfare systems, which can deceive various missiles.

Moreover, the naval force's reconnaissance copters have Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) systems fitted in. The systems allow the aircraft to undertake both naval combat and civilian maritime missions.

Iran's Navy has in recent years achieved self-sufficiency in manufacturing surface and sub-surface vessels.

It has also increased its presence in international waters to protect naval routes and provide security for merchant vessels and tankers.

Iranian military experts and engineers have in recent years made remarkable breakthroughs in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the armed forces self-sufficient.

Iranian officials have repeatedly underscored that the country will not hesitate to strengthen its military capabilities, including its missile power, which are entirely meant for defense, and that Iran's defense capabilities will be never subject to negotiations.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has repeatedly called for efforts to maintain and boost Iran's defense capabilities.

End Item

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On the frontline against US sanctions: Iran's shipping

Iran Press TV

Monday, 25 December 2023 11:41 AM

Iran's launch of its first shipping line in the Caspian Sea in July 1989 shortened the country's export route to Europe by about four thousand kilometers. The activation of the line had a significant impact on the transit of goods, marking an important shipping achievement after the victory of the Islamic Revolution.

The role of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Line Group as the country's national fleet during the eight years of war with Iraq in the 1980s was so important, essential and influential that it earned the title of the country's second line of defense.

Those trying years saw the national fleet, commonly known by its business name as IRISL Group, continuously dispatch ships and carry out the relevant tasks in line with the goals of the nascent Islamic Revolution with desired efficiency, providing essential and strategic goods and participating in the defense of the country.

Some of the feats included haulage of more than 67 million tonnes of goods, keeping the strategic Imam Khomeini port operational and active in the most fraught period of the region and helping the government save money under war conditions against an enemy that enjoyed all kinds of military and political support provided by the world arrogance.

After the war, the sprawling shipping fleet of the Islamic Republic has been and is at the top of the enemy's sanctions list, given the importance and vital position of this strategic asset of Iran.

The sector is playing a strategic role at a time of the most extensive sanctions ever imposed on a country targeting Iran, forming the first line of defense where it has thwarted the US bid to bring Iranian oil exports down to zero and never allowed its production sectors face shortages.

Thanks to the national fleet, the basic goods which are the first livelihood needs of the people, have reached Iran's ports on time under the most draconian sanctions regime.

Both during the sanctions and during the previous and current negotiations to remove them, the fleet was at the disposal of Iranian negotiators as a strategic and resistance tool against the pressure of the enemies and helped to increase their bargaining power.

Currently, up to 100% of logistics from providing manpower to carrying out periodical and travel repairs, insurance, training and fueling ships is provided domestically. More than 83% of the fleet's needs are being met internally, which is unique in the world's shipping industry. Part of the remaining 17 percent is related to the ships that do not ply domestic ports.

The nature of the shipping industry is international. Hence, most of the needs of the shipping companies are met in internationally. However, the IRISL Group, according to its national role and duties, provides the needs of the fleet inside the country as much as possible.

Under this strategy, the group has saved the country $330 million dollars in transit costs in recent years. Also, more than 98% of the company's personnel are Iranian.

The Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Line is ranked 14th in Alphaliner's list of the world's top 100 shipping lines published on January 2022, accounting for 0.6% of the container carrying capacity of 15,004 TEU in the world.

According to IRISL head Mohammad Reza Modares Khiabani, the group currently has 150 active vessels, of which 32 are bulk carriers, 30 container vessels, 22 cargo carriers of general goods, 18 service and passenger vessels, two roll-on/roll-off ships, and three barges.

In 2021, a knowledge-based company succeeded in localizing the ship design for which Iran was dependent on South Korea and Germany before.

Previously, Iranian researchers had achieved self-sufficiency in ship building, and more than 800 parts of ships and the production of giant vessels had also been localized. After making parts, the construction and design of ships was a major achievement.

As of 2021, knowledge-based Iranian companies and manufacturers had provided parts to nearly 200 small and large vessels, dredges, tugboats and fireboats.

In September 2022, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced that Iran had delivered a third "advanced" supertanker to state-owned oil and natural gas company PDVSA.

The second supertanker - an Aframax type tanker with the capacity to carry 750,000 barrels of oil - was delivered during Maduro's visit to Tehran earlier the same year. Oil industry analysts revealed then that Iran's support had helped double the oil production of Venezuela since 2021.

The capacity of Iran's shipping fleet is even greater than three members of the Group of Seven industrialized countries, namely France, Italy and Canada. Countries such as the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Sweden, Vietnam, Oman, Malaysia, Qatar and Nigeria also have a smaller shipping fleet than Iran.

Having a large and diverse naval fleet has been one of Iran's strong points, which has enabled it to neutralize US economic sanctions to a great extent.

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Israeli Air Strike In Syria Kills Commander Of Iran's Revolutionary Guard

By RFE/RL's Radio Farda December 25, 2023

An Israeli air strike in Syria killed a top commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), prompting Tehran to threaten that Israeli will "certainly pay" for its actions.

Iranian state media on December 25 identified the commander as Razi Mousavi, a senior adviser of the IRGC Quds Force, saying he had been killed in an air strike near the Syrian capital, Damascus.

Full details of the attack were not disclosed, although Iran's official IRNA news agency reported it took place in the Zeinabiyah district in the Damascus suburbs.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said in a statement that Israel "will certainly pay for this crime."

Reuters quoted three sources as saying that Mousavi was responsible for military coordination between Tehran and Damascus as part of the IRGC's Quds Force.

The Tasnim news agency, which is close to the IRGC, said Mousavi was one of the oldest advisers of the force in Syria and "an associate" of Qasem Soleimani, a former Quds commander who was killed in January 2020 in an air strike by U.S. forces near Baghdad. The United States held Soleimani responsible for the deaths of many of its soldiers in Iraq.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Israel targeted Mousavi at a farm in the area that reportedly housed several offices for the Lebanon-based Hizballah extremist group. Israeli forces have been exchanging intensified gunfire with Hizballah fighters along the Lebanese border in recent months.

Israel did not immediately comment on the attack, but it has consistently vowed that Iran will not be allowed to establish a presence in Syria. President Bashar al-Assad of Syria is a close ally of Iran and Russia, relying on their support to remain in power despite major opposition and a civil war in the country.

In early December, Israel said its air strikes had killed two IRGC members in Syria who had served as military advisers there, also prompting vows of revenge by Tehran.

A U.S. State Department report this month said Iran remained the leading state sponsor of global terrorism last year, involved in backing terrorist recruitment, financing, and plotting across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

The report said Tehran also provided support to extremist groups in Bahrain, Iraq, and Syria through its Quds Force with the aim of creating instability in the region.

With reporting by AP and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-mousavi-revolutionary- guards-killed-israel/32746803.html

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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A Movement Against China's Internment Camps Tries To Become A Party In Kazakhstan

By Chris Rickleton December 25, 2023

ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- In the autumn of 2017, a friend of Gulzhan Tokhtasyn told her that she had to leave Kazakhstan for urgent business in China and asked her if she wouldn't mind caring for her children for a week while she was gone.

A year earlier, Beijing had appointed the notorious hard-liner Chen Quanguo as Communist Party Secretary of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. By then, his crackdown on the Muslim and Turkic peoples that make up over half of the region's population was moving through the gears.

At that time Tokhtasyn had been living in Kazakhstan -- her historic homeland -- for just over a year, having left Xinjiang after "starting to feel something was wrong" in the months before the appointment of Chen, whose repressive reputation came from his previous tenure in Tibet.

One week would turn into three months as Tokhtasyn's friend was initially barred by Chinese officials from returning to Kazakhstan.

Her friend also confirmed the appalling rumors that mass arrests were under way in the region -- where the U.S. State Department says as many as 2 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and members of Xinjiang's other indigenous, mainly Muslim ethnic groups have been taken to detention centers.

Tokhtasyn's own situation in Kazakhstan, meanwhile, was precarious.

She had not yet completed the switch from Chinese to Kazakh citizenship and the Chinese Consulate in Almaty was insisting that she return to China to correct a spelling error in her Chinese passport.

Meanwhile, the school director in the Kazakh city of Almaty that her friends' children were attending informed her that she was breaking the law by looking after two young children without a power of attorney.

Like others, she took her problems to an informal group of Chinese-born Kazakhs that had formed to support people with spouses and relatives who found themselves trapped in Xinjiang Province after Beijing's sweeping population controls were first imposed.

The group would become known as the Atazhurt (motherland/fatherland) human rights group and would go on to record about 10,000 video appeals related to the crackdown in Xinjiang, arguably doing more to draw attention to the crisis than any other grassroots group.

"During those days people went to Atazhurt because their relatives had been detained or because they were worried about their relatives' future due to the sudden changes in Xinjiang," Tokhtasyn recalled. "They went there to appeal for help from the Kazakh government and international organizations."

The second half of 2017 saw the publication of the first English-language reports covering the mass incarceration of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other minority groups.

While Tokhtasyn's relatives had not been arrested, she learned that her brothers -- whom she could no longer reach -- had been coerced into teaching at a reeducation camp.

As word of Atazhurt's efforts spread -- along with their videos -- the office became a busy place.

And having originally sought help for her own problems, Tokhtasyn soon found herself helping dozens of others to solve theirs.

"I sat in the office and made a list of all the people coming in. I would take notes on their reasons for coming and show them to the various rooms to record testimonies for their relatives. In short, I became an office manager," Tokhtasyn said.

The group's relentless activity and criticism of Kazakhstan's powerful neighbor and partner soon got them the attention of the Kazakh authorities -- although not in the way they had hoped.

And years later, Tokhtasyn is now one of hundreds of would-be members of a party that saw its application for registration rejected by the Kazakh Justice Ministry.

"We have all the conditions for becoming a party. Firstly, we have enough members, and second, we have the team and the required experience," Tokhtasun told RFE/RL.

But things are rarely that simple in Kazakhstan.

The Wrong Kind Of Attention

Atazhurt members say they had no ambition to become opponents of the government until they were treated as such.

"To begin with they were quite polite. I must have been called there at least 10 times for tea and coffee," recalls Serikzhan Bilash, Atazhurt's co-founder who now lives in exile in the United States, of the summons by the Internal Affairs Department of Almaty's city government.

"They would ask me: 'What do you want?' I would say that I wanted an end to genocide in Xinjiang. And then they would say: 'Do you know Mukhtar Ablyazov?'"

Ablyazov, a former energy minister and the leader of the banned Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK) party, was at the time regularly calling for protests to overthrow the Kazakh government.

Bilash told them that he didn't know the controversial figure.

And yet city officials made it clear that this was an unholy alliance that they deeply feared.

Atazhurt's profile grew quickly in the second half of 2018, when it helped publicize the trial of an ethnic Kazakh Chinese citizen, Sairagul Sauytbay, who was facing deportation to China after fleeing to Kazakhstan to join her family.

After one of the hearings in the Kazakh town of Zharkent, Bilash and several other Atazhurt activists chased representatives of China's diplomatic mission to Kazakhstan down the street, demanding answers to questions that the diplomats ignored.

Sauytbay was allowed to go free in August after becoming the first person to testify in an open court about the existence of Xinjiang's reeducation camps -- facilities Beijing describes as vocational training centers.

Whether it was due to the discomfort Atazhurt caused Kazakhstan's mighty neighbor or Kazakh officials' fear regarding its charismatic leader, Bilash, pressure on the group began to mount.

Changing The Focus

Atazhurt's attempts to register as a nonprofit were rejected out of hand, although two spoiler groups with Atazhurt in their titles -- run by former allies-turned enemies of Bilash -- would subsequently be allowed to register.

Policemen, usually in plainclothes, could often be found in the corridors outside the office.

In March 2019, Bilash was suddenly arrested and flown to the Kazakh capital, Astana, where he was charged with extremist crimes in relation to a speech he had made. He called the charges bogus and politically motivated.

The group's computers were confiscated and the office would not operate to its full capacity again, as many of the group's private sponsors withdrew their support.

But in addition to becoming ground zero for desperate relatives of Xinjiang's missing and detained, Atazhurt's office had also become a regular haunt for international media outlets flying into Kazakhstan to report on the latest repressive trends in Xinjiang.

They were there to interview people like Gulzira Auelkhan, whom China released from a stint of forced labor and allowed to travel to Kazakhstan in early 2019, shortly after her husband and their young child joined the line of video petitioners. And Orynbek Koksebek, a Kazakh citizen and one of the first former detainees to describe the activities -- including torture -- that went on in the Xinjiang camps.

As a result, a significant international media spotlight immediately hit Bilash's case.

He was eventually released several months after entering a plea bargain that included a seven-year ban on activism -- and just as various opposition groups appeared ready to rally for his freedom.

Bilash would later leave Kazakhstan, settling first in Turkey and then, after some safety concerns, in the United States.

After his release he described himself as "not an opposition figure, not an opponent" of the government.

But Atazhurt's transition from a civic group to a political party -- just as Kazakh officials had so feared -- eventually took place.

"To begin with our focus was on China. But we came to a realization that all of the misfortunes that had befallen the Kazakh people [in China] were permitted by the Kazakh regime," Bilash told RFE/RL.

And ironically, representatives from Ablyazov's DVK eventually reached out in search of a partnership.

"We held a discussion and then told them that we respected them but we wished to be autonomous. Among Kazakh speakers, we believe our group is already more popular than DVK," said Bilash, who says that "over 90 percent" of the 700 signatories of the group's failed party registration bid earlier this year are Kazakhs born in Kazakhstan rather than "qandastar" -- or Kazakhs "returned" from China and elsewhere -- like Bilash.

"Many returned Kazakhs are politically passive," he said. "When our group helped get their relatives released by raising attention to their cases, they thanked us and went back to their private lives. Sometimes they are under pressure not to speak. Sometimes they fear for relatives in China."

'Nationalists, But Good Nationalists'

In Bilash's formal absence, the party registration bid of the group now commonly referred to as Nagyz Atazhurt (Real Atazhurt) is in the hands of his ally, the group's current elected leader, Bekzat Maksutkhanuly.

In true Atazhurt style, the signatories to the group's application released videos of themselves testifying that they were joining the party of their own free will.

But the Justice Ministry rejected the application this spring, arguing that some of the 700 signatories were members in other registered parties.

After that, Maksutkhanuly told RFE/RL, Atazhurt signatories across the country began facing various forms of pressure and intimidation to withdraw their membership.

In November, one of the signatories in Akmola Province, Kapar Akhat, said he was fined the equivalent of nearly $4,000 by police after posting a message that read "Join Atazhurt!" on Facebook.

Akhat said police told him it was illegal to advertise membership to a party that was unregistered.

Although members plan to try again to register, finances are an issue, said Maksutkhanuly -- an Achilles' heel he says the authorities are more than aware of.

The soft-spoken leader -- more understated than his friend Bilash -- describes his party as "nationalists, but good nationalists."

"We will protect the constitutional rights of all ethnicities in Kazakhstan and we acknowledge their equality and defend their economic interests," he told RFE/RL.

Atazhurt's nationalism is about "saving Kazakhs as a nation," a mission that he says has become ever-more vital since at least 238 people -- mostly civilians - died during the biggest political unrest of Kazakhstan's independence in January 2022.

But inevitably, the first major issue raised by the group as an aspiring party involved China.

In May, Maksutkhanuly was arrested and sentenced to 15 days in detention after announcing his intention to rally against a visa-free agreement that China and Kazakhstan reached that month which allows passport holders of the countries to stay in the other country for 30 days.

He had notified city authorities of the planned rally, which was due to coincide with President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev's visit to the Chinese city of Xian to seal that deal and others with his counterpart, Xi Jinping.

Beyond the threat of "demographic colonization," which he insisted was real, Maksutkhanuly argued the agreement is tied to others that tighten bilateral cooperation on migration, leading to ever closer exchanges of information regarding Kazakhs with birth ties to China and making it harder for Chinese Kazakhs to achieve Kazakh citizenship. (In an interview with China's CCTV broadcaster before his talks with Xi, Toqaev called China a "friend" of Kazakhstan that had "never harmed Kazakhs.")

In the long-term, Atazhurt's overall priority is to "change the situation in the country in the direction of a prosperous democracy....Then China would have to have a real dialogue with us," Maksutkhanuly said.

"But the current regime doesn't need independence. If you told them that they could keep power, but as a province of China, they would happily accept that," he said.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-atazhurt-china- internment--opposition-party-registration/32746361.html

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Pakistan Claims Mass Release of Baloch Activists; Activist Group Says Many Remain Jailed

By Ayaz Gul December 25, 2023

Federal authorities in Pakistan claimed on Monday they had freed 290 activists arrested in Islamabad, while an activist group later said more than 100 remained jailed, with "some of them missing."

"Peaceful protest is everyone's right, but no one can take the law into their own hands," said a Pakistani interior ministry statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, while announcing the mass release of Baloch activists.

Later, the Baloch Solidarity Committee told VOA Urdu that more than 160 of the protesters had been released, but more than 100 were still in police custody "and some of them are missing," and that the Islamabad police were "not providing correct information to us and the media.

The Baloch activists had traveled to the capital by convoy to protest alleged extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances in their native southwestern Baluchistan province.

The convoy of dozens of vehicles carrying women, men and children traveled 1,600 kilometers and reached Islamabad last Thursday from Turbat, a remote Baluchistan town, to draw attention to the death of a 24-year-old man, identified as Balaach Mola Bakhsh, in police custody last month.

Baloch students and activists in Islamabad also joined the rally.

Police in Islamabad used batons and water cannon to disperse and prevent the rally from moving toward the city's high security "red zone," housing key government buildings and embassies, and carried out arrests.

The crackdown triggered a nationwide outcry, with human rights groups and civil society activists demanding the government urgently release protesters and address their long-running complaints instead.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, or HRCP, an independent watchdog, said that it was "appalled" by the state's response to subject women, children and elderly peaceful protesters to unwarranted force.

"This treatment of Baloch citizens exercising their constitutional right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression is inexcusable," the HRCP said on Thursday.

While mainstream Pakistani media largely ignored the protest march and subsequent police action, social media platforms prominently highlighted them, prompting the government to form a delegation to engage with rally leaders and defuse the situation.

Mahrang Baloch, a central leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, or Baloch Unity Committee, organizers of the protest march, denounced the police action and told reporters over the weekend she was assaulted by several female officers with batons.

Provincial counterterrorism authorities claimed they had arrested Bakhsh, a tailor, on November 20 with explosives in his possession. He appeared in court the next day, but on the 23rd, was killed in a shootout involving security officials and militants. Three other men whom authorities claim were insurgents also were killed in the incident.

Bakhsh's family rejected the official claim, alleging he was in police custody since October and killed in a fake encounter.

Baluchistan, an oil-, gas- and minerals-rich province, has been in the grip of a low-level insurgency for the past two decades. Pakistani security forces have lately come under almost daily deadly attacks from ethnic Baloch insurgents.

Insurgents justify their actions, accusing the state of robbing the mineral-rich province of its precious resources. Pakistani security forces routinely conduct counterinsurgency operations in turbulent districts.

The violence has left a trail of forced disappearances, and bodies dumped on the sides of roads. Pakistani authorities say ethnic Baloch insurgents also staged deadly attacks on laborers and workers who come from other provinces.

"The state's widespread use of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings also warrants a prompt and transparent investigation, as well as a commitment to hold the perpetrators accountable," the HRCP said in statement and subsequent news conference at the National Press Club in Islamabad.

VOA Urdu service contributed to this report.

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Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov answers questions from the NTV Itogi Nedeli programme, December 24, 2023

24 December 2023 21:02

2618-24-12-2023

Question: Here is a philosophical question: Yesterday, you spoke about justice, a just solution to the crisis, a just multipolar world order, etc. Now the Global South is closely watching us. What kind of justice can we offer them? How do we make it clear to them?

Sergey Lavrov: I think that any normal person, including politicians, immediately understands what injustice is when they see it. It is clear to them when issues are resolved fairly, based on a balance of interests and the key principle of the UN Charter, which emphasises the need to respect the sovereign equality of all states, big and small. Unfortunately, since the creation of the United Nations, the West, especially the United States, has failed to comply with this key principle of sovereign equality.

The Arab world is not just watching us closely; they are also closely cooperating with us. The atmosphere in Marrakesh during the meeting of the Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum, as well as my talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad Nabil Ammar and the meeting with the President of the Republic of Tunisia Kais Saied, demonstrated that this is not mere observation. There is a strong desire for active cooperation, both bilateral, in terms of developing the economy and mutual investments, and in the international arena. We aim to coordinate not just on specific issues, but on fundamental matters concerning the future world order.

In this context, justice means equal rights for all states and entities established in different regions. This includes the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the African Union, CELAC, as well as numerous subregional institutions in Africa and Latin America. In Eurasia, we have the EAEU, the SCO and ASEAN. These organisations have established close contacts, including through the Belt and Road project.

Integration processes are a natural part of life. Unlike certain plans proposed by Western countries, we do not intend to construct artificial schemes. Instead, we seek to allow these objective tendencies to interact with each other, as there are many overlapping areas where integration naturally develops. Through fair division of labour and mutual benefit for all participants, we will gradually move towards a multipolar world.

Question: Why didn't you mention BRICS?

Sergey Lavrov: I didn't mention BRICS because it is self-evident. I listed the organisations that are emerging at the regional level. BRICS is not an organisation but an association. I don't think there is any interest in turning it into a formal organisation with a secretariat, at least not at this stage and for the foreseeable future. BRICS is a symbol. It represents the shared desire of a majority of countries in the world to develop their initiatives together, taking into account each other's interests on an equal basis. It serves as a future umbrella for all subregional and regional processes. Some countries in Eurasia, Africa, Latin America and the Arab world are already part of this association. This is the future.

In the West, there are no organisations that have fair rules in terms of equality and genuine consensus. Not the kind we saw in the European Union, when Hungarian Prime Minister Orban was asked to leave the room and go have a coffee when they made some decisions concerning Ukraine. NATO enforces discipline through force. Perhaps one day, the West will realise that these trends are unstoppable and that the desire for real justice is the driving force behind the growing self-awareness of the World Majority, which includes the Global South and the Global East. We are part of this process.

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Ceremony for raising flags on ships entering Navy service

Vladimir Putin took part in the ceremony for raising naval flags on the frigate Admiral Golovko, the small missile ship Naro-Fominsk and the minesweeper Lev Chernavin, entering the Navy service, at Severnaya Verf shipyard (the Northern Shipyard) in St Petersburg.

December 25, 2023

16:20

St Petersburg

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Comrades,

I would like to welcome you and congratulate you on a big and important event. Today, we are raising naval flags on our latest warships at Severnaya Verf shipyard just as we did in Severomorsk two weeks ago. The frigate Admiral Golovko, the small missile ship Naro-Fominsk and the minesweeper Lev Chernavin are entering the Navy service. In accordance with our Maritime Doctrine, we continue the serial production and planned delivery of modern ships to the Navy.

The Admiral Golovko is a serial-produced frigate. Such ships form the backbone of the fleet's attack groups in remote sea and ocean zones. It was built with cutting-edge technology and equipped with Kalibr cruise missiles that have proved their high efficiency in combat conditions.

The Naro-Fominsk is also one of the best projects among attack missile ships of this class. These ships have won combat glory. They strike with long-range cruise missiles, and at one time they targeted militant positions in Syria from the Caspian Sea. Today, they are successfully performing their mission in the special military operation.

Finally, the Lev Chernavin is a modern minesweeper with a unique hull. A decision to build another ten minesweepers of this class has already been made.

The commissioning of the latest ships serves as further evidence that our shipbuilding industry is on the rise and is progressing to smooth serial production of warships of various classes. This is a crucial, fundamental step in the revival and development of Russian shipbuilding.

At the moment the Russian shipyards have five frigates, eight corvettes, 13 small missile ships, and over 50 other ships of various classes under construction at various phases of completion. I will mention only the main orders.

I noted earlier that three Borei-A class nuclear-powered submarines and five Yasen-M class multi-purpose nuclear-powered submarines will be built at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk within the next three years.

Six diesel submarines are currently under construction at the Admiralty Shipyards in St Petersburg. Orders have been placed for the construction of Arctic-grade patrol ships to ensure safe navigation along the Northern Sea Route, among other uses.

Serial construction of new frigates is underway here at Severnaya Verf shipyard. A number of small and medium-sized displacement corvettes will be built here from 2024 to 2035.

Small missile and patrol ships are being built at the Zelenodolsk Plant in Tatarstan. Two newly designed all-purpose landing ships and small missile ships for the Black Sea Fleet are under construction at the shipbuilding plant in Kerch.

Two large landing ships are under construction at Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad. Seven more ships in this series will be built by 2035.

The construction of three small missile ships for the Baltic Fleet is nearing completion at Pella Shipyard in the Leningrad Region. Additionally, ocean minesweepers will roll off the slipway shortly at the Sredne-Nevsky Shipbuilding Plant.

Orders for the production of six corvettes and four small missile ships have been placed with the Amur Shipbuilding Plant in the Khabarovsk Region. Construction of a series of frigates at that plant is under consideration.

These system-wide efforts will ensure the sustainable development of the industry enterprises and that of their partners and suppliers, bringing additional investment to these regions, creating new jobs, and advancing technologies, including for civilian shipbuilding.

We will, without a doubt, see our shipbuilding plans to completion, and fundamentally improve Russia's naval power in all strategic areas and across the World Ocean.

The frigate Admiral Golovko will join the Northern Fleet soon, and the small missile ship Naro-Fominsk and the ocean minesweeper Lev Chernavin will be placed in active service with the Baltic Fleet to safeguard our western borders.

I would like to congratulate navy men and shipbuilders on today's event and thank the labour teams for their professionalism and dedication. My best wishes to the crews to serve with dignity and to the benefit of Russia. And, of course, in line with the old naval tradition, I wish you fair winds and following seas.

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'Highest Possible Level Of Isolation': Kremlin Critic Navalny Moved To Arctic Penal Colony

By Current Time December 25, 2023

Imprisoned Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny, whose whereabouts had been unknown since early December, has been moved to a penal colony in the brutally cold Arctic region, his spokeswoman said December 25.

"We have found Aleksei Navalny. He is now in [penal colony]-3 in the settlement of Kharp in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District. His lawyer visited him today. Aleksei is doing well," Kira Yarmysh announced on social media platform X.

The remote region, which spans the Arctic Circle, is known for its brutal winters and includes the former Soviet prison-camp city of Vorkuta, which is Europe's easternmost and coldest town, about 100 kilometers from the Kharp site.

"It is almost impossible to get to this colony; it is almost impossible to even send letters there," Leonid Volkov, Navalny's chief strategist, wrote on social media.

"This is the highest possible level of isolation from the world, which is what it was all about," he added.

It was Navalny's longest absence since he was taken into captivity in January 2021 after returning to Russia from Germany, where he underwent treatment for a near-fatal nerve-agent poisoning that he believes was carried out by Russian security operatives at the behest of authoritarian President Vladimir Putin.

Navalny's supporters have launched an Internet campaign using the hashtag #WhereIsNavalny.

The United States on December 25 said it welcomed that the 47-year-old Kremlin critic had been located but added it remained "deeply concerned" about his safety and detention conditions.

A spokesperson said Washington joined the activist's family and supporters "in calling for his immediate release, without conditions."

"We call on the Russian government to end its escalating repression of independent voices in Russia," the spokesperson added.

Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejcinovic Buric wrote on X that she had "serious concerns" about Navalny and called for his release "in line with relevant judgements of the European Court of Human Rights."

Prison officials had said Navalny was no longer in the Vladimir region prison where he had been serving a 19-year term but had refused to say where he is. In a statement on December 12, the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) said only that Navalny had left "for a penal institution outside the borders of Vladimir Oblast."

The process of transferring convicts in Russia, known as "etap," involves "vagonzaks" -- trains specifically designed for prisoners.

Such trains have caged compartments for prisoners, who are provided with little fresh air, no showers, and only limited access to food or a toilet.

The transfers can take days, weeks, or even months as the trains stop and convicts spend time in transit prisons. Convicts almost always face humiliation, beatings, and sometimes even death at the hands of their guards or other convicts.

Harsh rules dating back to Soviet times provide for the prisoners' families and lawyers being informed about their whereabouts only after they have reached their destination.

Earlier this month, two courts in the Vladimir region have postponed hearings into complaints filed by Navalny pending information on his whereabouts.

Navalny had complained of a concerted campaign of harassment and mistreatment since his imprisonment, including sleep deprivation, repeated stints in punishment cells for minor alleged infractions, and a lack of medical care.

He has been recognized as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International and listed as a political prisoner by Russia's banned Memorial human-rights group.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-navalny-prison-arctic- whereabouts/32746617.html

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Eastern Military District organises training course for Lao People's Special Operation Forces

25.12.2023

Troops from the Eastern Military District conducted the first-ever course to train Lao People's Special Operation Forces. The training of local soldiers took place in difficult climatic conditions in mountainous and forested terrain at the base of the Lao People's Special Operation Forces Regiment.

Vice President of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) Bounthong Chitmany, Minister of Defence of the Lao PDR General Chansamone Chanyalath, Chief of General Staff of the Lao People's Army Colonel General Khamlieng Outhakaysone, Deputy Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Phanseng Bounphan, and Chief of the Office of the Minister of Defence of the Lao PDR Lieutenant General Saichay Kommasith oversaw the drills. Representatives of the Lao People's Armed Forces Command had high praise for the organisation of the training by Eastern MD's servicemen.

The head of the Russian military delegation, Colonel Ivan Tarayev, noted that the main objectives of the course were to strengthen the combat community, exchange experience in conducting combat operations with illegal armed groups, improve the tactical skills of units, demonstrate the technical means necessary to carry out special tasks in mountain and forest areas.

In addition, the Lao Defence Minister met with a Russian military delegation. During the meeting, the Lao Defence Minister noted that the level of training of officers and soldiers of the Special Operation Forces of the Lao People's Armed Forces has increased significantly. General Chansamone Chanyalath also said that this training is very important for the further development of long-term military cooperation between Russia and Laos, and contributes significantly to the development of interstate relations and ties between the peoples of the two countries.

Press Service of the Eastern Military District

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Frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov, Pacific Fleet, undergoes anti-submarine warfare drills

25.12.2023

In the Sea of Japan, the frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov of the Pacific Fleet successfully trained searching for, detecting, and destroying a hostile submarine.

Using standard means and the Ka-27 deck anti-submarine helicopter of the Pacific Fleet Naval Aviation, the ship's personnel conducted an extensive search for the submarine.

It was possible to quickly locate the underwater target and monitor its movement by helicopter using a hydroacoustic station.

The crew of the frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov prepared anti-submarine weapons and practised destroying the enemy submarine with depth charges from the RBU-6000 missile launcher.

The combat training took place at one of the naval training areas of the Fleet.

Press Service of the Eastern Military District

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Deputy PM Announces Huge Arms Deliveries for Russian Army

Sputnik News

20231225

Russia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov in an interview with Sputnik spoke about the growth of supplies to the Russian Armed Forces, fulfillment of state defense orders, production of unmanned aerial systems, and industrial espionage against Russia.

Production and supplies of armaments for the Russian Armed Forces in 2023 on a number of items have increased by 10-12 times, Denis Manturov, Russian deputy prime minister and minister of industry and trade, said in an interview with Sputnik.

"As for our industry, we have increased production and supplies 10-12 times for a number of items. Due to certain nuances, I cannot talk about the specific nomenclature of supplies and financing, but believe me, the figures are huge," he said.

Fulfillment of state defense orders is now at least 98%, which is a record high in Russia's recent history, while its actual volume has more than doubled compared to last year, Manturov added.

Russia is now ahead of Western countries in arms production and intends to maintain this high pace, Denis Manturov pointed out.

Electronic engineering, low- and medium-tonnage chemistry, machine tool building, and the aviation drone industry have also received a sharp development in 2023, the Russian deputy prime minister said.

"This year we have actually begun to rebuild the electronics industry, production in one of the most important industries for technological sovereignty has increased: low- and medium-tonnage chemistry. We expect that in 2023 the output of such products will grow by 10%. In addition, we can unequivocally say that this year has become a springboard for the development of the machine tool industry," he noted, answering a question about the breakthroughs that occurred in the industry in 2023.

"As for the production of unmanned aerial systems, where we have also achieved significant results, it is still difficult to give exact figures on production this year, as the market is still in the formation stage. However, the two largest manufacturers of drones - Geoscan and Aeromax - have noted an increase in their production at the end of the year," he added.

Authorities and subordinate organizations, according to the estimate of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, will order more than 8,500 mostly Russian aviation drones in the next three years, said Denis Manturov.

The Russian deputy prime minister also noted that unfriendly countries are conducting industrial espionage against Russia: they are hunting for its developments, parameters of weapons samples, as well as valuable personnel.

There has been an active live hunt not only for promising developments, data and parameters of weapons samples, but also for specialists who are particularly valuable, he explained.

"It has always been, at all times, today and will be tomorrow. It is not only espionage, I think you have seen the media report that the FSB prevented an assassination attempt on one of the heads of defense industry enterprises," Manturov told Sputnik.

Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu noted that the Russian Army is the most prepared and combat-ready in the world, possessing advanced weapons tested in combat conditions. He added that the experience of the special operation in Ukraine has demonstrated the ability of the Russian Armed Forces to adequately and promptly respond to the actions of any modern enemy.

A Sputnik

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Israeli regime will definitely pay for killing IRGC advisor: Raisi

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 25, 2023

Tehran, IRNA -- Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi has extended his condolences over the martyrdom of a senior IRGC member in an Israeli airstrike in Syria, saying that the regime will definitely pay for this crime.

Seyyed Razi Mousavi, a veteran advisor of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in Syria, was killed in the Israeli strike on the Zainabiyah district of the capital Damascus earlier on Monday.

Later in the day, President Raisi issued a message, extending his condolences to the Iranian nation as well as his companions in the IRGC.

Raisi said in his message that Seyyed Razi was a brave and courageous person who was among the companions of the assassinated general Qassem Soleimani.

Seyyed Razi was martyred while serving as an advisor for the resistance front, defending holy shrines in Syria as well as safeguarding Islamic ideals, the president added.

Undoubtedly, his martyrdom is another sign of frustration and weakness of the occupying Zionist regime in the region, President Raisi noted, stressing that the Israeli regime will definitely pay for this crime.

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Senior IRGC member martyred in Syria

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 25, 2023

Tehran, IRNA -- A senior Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) military advisor was martyred in an Israeli regime's airstrike on the suburb of Damascus.

Senior IRGC commander was martyred after the Zionist regime launched three missiles at his position in the suburbs of the Syrian capital of Damascus, as reported by an Al Mayadeen correspondent.

Some local Syrian sources reported that the Zionist regime attacked a position near Zainabiyah district.

Earlier today on Monday, local sources in Syria reported an airstrike by the Zionist regime on an area in the Zainabiyah district in Damascus, the capital of Syria.

Mousavi is said to have been one of the companions of the martyr Qassem Soleimani, the former IRGC Quds Force commander who was assassinated in an airstrike by the US army in early 2020 near Baghdad airport in Iraq.

In a statement, the IRGC confirmed Mousavi's martyrdom, saying that he was a brigadier general and "was one of the companions of martyr general Hajj Qassem Soleimani and was in charge of logistics support for the Resistance Front in Syria".

3266**2050

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Israel's assassination of IRGC military advisor 'blatant and shameless' violation: Hezbollah

Iran Press TV

Monday, 25 December 2023 9:46 PM

Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance movement has condemned in the strongest terms the Israeli regime's assassination of a senior Iranian military advisor in Syria, describing it as a blatant violation.

"We consider the assassination of Brigadier General Seyyed Razi Mousavi in Syria to be a flagrant and shameless violation, which is off limits," Hezbollah said in a statement on Monday.

The senior IRGC commander was martyred in a missile attack by the Israeli regime in the Sayyeda Zeinab neighborhood of Damascus earlier in the day.

Hezbollah added that Mousavi "dedicated decades of his honorable life to support the Islamic resistance in Lebanon and tirelessly helped the resistance and its fighters."

The movement then described the martyred Iranian commander as "comrade in arms" of the former commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)'s Quds Force Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated by the United States' terrorist forces in Iraq four years ago.

The movement concluded its statement by extending its condolences to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the IRGC, Mousavi's family and the Iranian nation.

The Gaza Strip-based Palestinian Islamic Jihad also strongly condemned "the cowardly assassination" of the Iranian commander by the Israeli regime, calling Mousavi "one of the most prominent commanders" of the IRGC.

"Tel Aviv must await hard countdown"

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also expressed his condolences to Mousavi's family as well as the Iranian and Syrian nations on the occasion of his martyrdom.

In a post on X social media platform, Iran's top diplomat said, "This honorable martyr fought bravely against terrorists for many years alongside Martyr Hajj Qassem Soleiman to ensure security of Iran and the [West Asia] region."

"Tel Aviv must await a hard countdown," Iran's foreign minister added.

Mousavi was martyred while serving as part of Iran's military advisory mission in Syria.

The mission was the first to rush to Syria's assistance in 2014, when the Arab country found itself in the grip of the US-created and Israeli-supported Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.

Led by General Soleimani, the mission played an instrumental role in Damascus' successful counterterrorism push that ultimately defeated the terror outfit in late 2017.

Earlier on Monday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi vowed that the Israeli regime would definitely pay the price for its criminal act of killing the senior military advisor.

Raeisi said the vicious act of assassinating the IRGC commander was yet another sign of the usurping Zionist regime's desperation.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan'ani also strongly condemned Israel's terrorist measure, saying the vicious and cowardly act was another indication of the terrorist nature of the regime.

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Raeisi: Israel will definitely pay price for assassinating senior IRGC advisor

Iran Press TV

Monday, 25 December 2023 6:44 PM

Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi says the Israeli regime will definitely pay the price for its criminal act of killing a senior military advisor of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in Syria.

In a message on Monday, Raeisi said the vicious act of assassinating the IRGC military advisor in a missile attack in Syria was yet another sign of the usurping Zionist regime's desperation.

Seyyed Razi Mousavi, who was serving as a military advisor in Syria, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Sayyeda Zeinab neighborhood of the Syrian capital of Damascus earlier on Monday.

The president extended his condolences to Mousavi's bereaved family, his fellow comrades in the IRGC and the Iranian nation over his assassination.

He added that the brave military advisor who was one of the companions of Iran's top anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani was killed while "safeguarding lofty Islamic values."

General Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the IRGC, and his Iraqi trenchmate Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), were martyred along with their companions in a US drone strike on January 3, 2020.

Iran maintains an advisory mission in Syria at the request of Damascus with the aim of helping the war-torn Arab country get rid of the foreign-backed militants who have been fighting the democratically-elected Syrian government since 2011.

Earlier in December, Israel killed two IRGC military advisors -- Mohammad Ali Ataee Shoorcheh and Panah Taqizadeh -- in an attack in Syria.

The IRGC announced in a statement that the two officers were martyred against the backdrop of the relentless savagery of the "fake and child-killing" Israeli regime in Gaza.

Assassination exposes Israel's terrorist nature: Foreign Ministry spokesman

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan'ani strongly condemned the Israeli regime's terrorist measure to assassinate the IRGC advisor in Damascus.

He said the vicious and cowardly act was another indication of the terrorist nature of the Israeli regime.

"Since its sinister existence, the Zionist regime has committed various kinds of crimes by repeatedly and continuously violating international regulations and norms, and today it has also committed a cowardly and aggressive terrorist act," the spokesperson added.

Kan'ani emphasized that Iran reserves the right to adopt necessary strategies and give a response to the move in due time and place.

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IRGC's veteran military advisor in Syria martyred in Israeli strike

Iran Press TV

Monday, 25 December 2023 3:13 PM

A veteran member of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), who was serving as a military advisor in Syria, has been martyred in an Israeli airstrike in the Sayyeda Zeinab neighborhood of Damascus.

The senior IRGC commander, Seyyed Razi Mousavi, was martyred by the Israeli regime on Monday while on an advisory mission, Press TV's correspondent in Damascus reported.

Mousavi was one of the companions of Iran's top anti-terror commander, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated by the US in Iraq four years ago.

General Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the IRGC, and his Iraqi trenchmate Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), were martyred along with their companions in a US drone strike on January 3, 2020.

The Israeli regime has for years targeted what it calls Iran-linked positions in Syria.

In a statement, the IRGC said Mousavi was martyred in a criminal missile attack by the "fake and child-killing Zionist regime" adding that the usurping and savage Israeli regime would undoubtedly pay the price for this crime.

The IRGC statement emphasized that more details would be provided to the Iranian nation soon.

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Countries Assess Implications of Taiwan Election As Campaigns Enter Final Weeks

By William Yang December 25, 2023

With less than three weeks until Taiwan's presidential election on Jan. 13, the presidential frontrunner's lead over his main opponent has narrowed in the polls, setting the stage for a hotly contested race.

The election not only dominates domestic headlines but also pushes regional countries, such as China, the U.S., and Japan, to closely monitor the outcome and its potential implications for regional order.

While the election results may not fundamentally alter dynamics across the Taiwan Strait, some analysts say the Chinese government may adjust the pressure that it imposes on Taiwan, depending on who wins the election.

"Fundamentally, I think China's pressure on Taiwan is not going to abate regardless of who wins because Beijing's ultimate goal is to exert control over Taiwan," Ian Chong, a political scientist at National Singapore University, told VOA by phone.

"If it were a DPP victory, Beijing might take actions that may seem a bit more provocative, and if it were a KMT victory, China may try to strike some sort of arrangement with the KMT that will make Taiwan more reliant on China," he added.

As Taiwan remains the most sensitive issue between the U.S. and China, some experts say communications will be important in preventing tensions between Washington and Beijing from ratcheting up again.

"Both Washington and Beijing are sensitive to how Taiwan's elections can kick tensions back up again, [and] that's one reason why leaders from the two countries used their meeting in San Francisco to try to lower the temperature," Amanda Hsiao, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, told VOA in a written response.

China hopes to prevent another DPP administration

Since the Democratic Progressive Party came to power in Taiwan in 2016, cross-strait exchanges have been largely stalled and Beijing has cut off official communication with Taipei. Chong in Singapore said the most concerning scenario for Beijing in the Taiwan election is the DPP winning the presidential race and maintaining a majority in the Legislative Yuan.

"I think that's going to be the most frustrating scenario for Beijing because they will find that they aren't in a position to push Taiwan around as much," he told VOA, adding that the Chinese government is trying to consolidate votes behind a stronger anti-DPP candidate in the election.

Over the last few weeks, China has unleashed a series of coercive measures to try to interfere in Taiwan's upcoming election, deploying military aircraft and balloons to areas near Taiwan and suspending tariff relief on imports of 12 Taiwanese petrochemical products.

Chong said if Lai wins the presidency but the DPP fails to secure a majority in the legislature, Beijing may try to double down on the efforts of getting Lai to "slip up" and potentially "lash out."

"Beijing might test to see where the red lines might be and where he might slip up," he said.

Washington looks for predictability

While Beijing tries to prevent the DPP from securing an unprecedented third term in government, some experts say the U.S. will pay close attention to the presidential candidates' stance on U.S.-Taiwan relations and cross-strait relations.

"All three presidential candidates have essentially signed onto the platform of 'we will be Tsai Ing-wen 2.0' when it comes to the U.S.-Taiwan relationship and that puts the U.S. at ease to some degree," Lev Nachman, an expert on Taiwan politics at National Chengchi University in Taiwan, told VOA by phone.

But with the Kuomintang's vice presidential candidate Jaw Shao-Kang repeatedly stirring up "America skepticism" during campaigns, some analysts say Washington might be carefully strategizing an approach to work with a potential Taiwanese administration that is less committed to sustaining U.S.-Taiwan relations.

The message of "America skepticism" is that Taiwan should exercise caution when engaging with the U.S. because of perceived U.S. weakness or selfishness. Research found that a large portion of these narratives originate in Taiwan, but some start spreading from China and Russia.

"If Jaw as VP led the KMT to lean into the idea of 'American skepticism,' the U.S. would face a negotiating partner in Taiwan that is significantly more anti-American than the administrations under former president Ma Ying-jeou and current president Tsai Ing-wen," Sara Newland, a political scientist at Smith College, told VOA in a written response.

Nachman said Washington will be concerned if the next Taiwanese president is less predictable or "doesn't contribute" to a productive U.S.-Taiwan relationship.

Japan favors maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait

Apart from the U.S. and China, Japan is also closely following developments in the Taiwan election. Since 2022, Japan has dramatically changed its defense and security policies due to rising tensions across the Taiwan Strait as well as in its surrounding region.

Despite Tokyo's efforts to beef up its defense capabilities, some experts say the Japanese government hopes whoever comes into power in Taipei will be committed to maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.

"I think Tokyo is going to be looking at the candidates' positions on engagement with China," Stephen Nagy, a regional security expert at the International Christian University in Japan, told VOA by phone.

In his view, while Tokyo hopes to keep deepening bilateral relations with Taipei, they will use a cautious approach to handle the delicate issue. "Japan doesn't want to move away from the one-China context and they understand the red lines from the Chinese perspective," Nagy added.

Nachman in Taiwan thinks while a victory by Kuomintang may decrease tension across the Taiwan Strait, it doesn't mean Beijing would stop its aggressive military activities in other parts of Asia.

"[The impact of the Taiwan election result on the region] is going to be limited to what Beijing does in the Taiwan Strait," he told VOA. "It's a form of decreasing tensions in the region but it doesn't eliminate all regional tensions."

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"Neither terror barons nor those who hold the reins of these traitors can stop us from our path"

Presidency of The Republic of Turkey

25.12.2023

Speaking at the opening ceremony of Sabiha GAkAen Airport's 2nd runway, President ErdoAYan said: "We will allow neither the terror barons in Qandil and Syria nor those who hold the reins of these traitors to stop us from our path. I would like to reiterate a reality here; the old TArkiye, where the politics in the country was shaped through terror, is no more."

President Recep Tayyip ErdoAYan delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of Sabiha GAkAen Airport's 2nd runway.

"From putschists to vandals, from terrorists to fifth columnists, we have frustrated the ambitions of those who attacked the glorious will of the nation. We will do the same in the critical period we are in. We will never take our eyes off our targets, not even for a moment. We will allow neither the terror barons in Qandil and Syria nor those who hold the reins of these traitors to stop us from our path," President ErdoAYan underscored.

"THE OLD TARKAYE, WHERE THE POLITICS IN THE COUNTRY WAS SHAPED THROUGH TERROR, IS NO MORE"

"I would like to reiterate a reality here; the old TArkiye, where the politics in the country was shaped through terror, is no more. The shelf life of the plans to divide our nation through terrorist attacks has expired," President ErdoAYan said. "We will never allow the brotherhood of our 85 million people, including Turks, Kurds, Arabs, Alevis and Sunnis, to be attacked and discord to be sown among the nation."

"Whoever attacks our unity, peace and solidarity by using the actions of treacherous people as a shield, is serving the objectives of terrorism. We expect especially our youth to be very careful in this regard, and never give credence to provocateurs who aim to deceive by pretending to be righteous," President ErdoAYan said.

Warning those who think they can intimidate TArkiye through terror, President ErdoAYan said: "In the last 21 years, you tried everything, you resorted to every means, but you could not raise a barrier before our honorable journey. Inshallah, you will not be able to prevent the construction of the Century of TArkiye. You have been frustrated many times in the last 21 years. Inshallah, you will lose again. You will not be able to avoid being disgraced and humiliated once again. We know your games. We know your ambitions. We know very well who you are. Never forget this: As long as we live, as long as we breathe, as long as we have the support of our beloved nation, we will continue to fight you."

"I REMEMBER WITH GRACE OUR HEROIC SOLDIERS"

Wishing Allah's mercy on the martyrs and extending his condolences to their families, President ErdoAYan said: "We will never leave the field to those who walk with terror, those who use terror as a tool, those who act as a servant to separatists in order to get a few votes. We are determined to reveal the true colors of the political chameleons that jump through hoops and take on various disguises to avoid calling terrorists terrorists. I remember with grace our heroic soldiers who gave their lives for the permanence of our homeland, the integrity of our state, the independence and future of our nation. I wish a speedy recovery to our wounded soldiers. On behalf of my country and nation, I express my gratitude to all our MehmetAiks (troops) who serve heroically within and across our borders. I convey my condolences to the families, relatives and comrades-in-arms of our martyrs."

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Ukraine Says Forces Holding Out In Strategic Town Of Maryinka Despite Russian Claims

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service December 25, 2023

KYIV --Russia on December 25 said its forces had captured the strategic Donetsk region town of Maryinka in eastern Ukraine, but Kyiv disputed the claim, reporting that its troops had repelled three "unsuccessful attacks" near the ruined and nearly deserted community.

"It's not correct to talk about seizing Maryinka," Ukrainian military spokesman Oleksandr Shtupun told Ukrainian TV following claims made by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during a televised meeting with President Vladimir Putin.

"The fighting for Maryinka continues," Shtupun said.

"Currently, our servicemen are within the administrative borders of Maryinka, but the city has been completely destroyed," he added.

Maryinka is a relatively small town -- with a prewar population under 10,000 -- but, according to British intelligence, the Russian military has been seeking to capture it in order to advance further west and better protect occupied Donetsk city.

The fighting comes as Ukraine celebrated Christmas on December 25 for the first time instead of the traditional January date of past years.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a law in July moving the official holiday to December 25 from January 7, the day observed by the Russian Orthodox Church. The law stated its goal was to "abandon the Russian heritage" following Moscow's decision to invade in February 2022.

The switch brings Ukraine's Orthodox worshippers in line with the country's Catholics, who earlier this year approved a similar change in calendars.

Ukraine's military on Christmas Day said its forces shot down dozens of Iranian-made Shahed drones and claimed to have blasted another two Russian fighter jets from the sky, adding to previous claims of mounting success against enemy air assaults.

Ukrainian military authorities said the jets had been downed late on December 24, following reports that the country's forces had shot down three jets in the previous two days, as Kyiv and Moscow exchanged unconfirmed claims that enemy warplanes had been downed. It also said 38 Shahed drones had been shot down.

One of the Russian jets was downed in the area of occupied Mariupol, a Ukrainian official said.

"It has been confirmed that our anti-aircraft missile system hit an Su-34 fighter-bomber in the Mariupol sector. It did not return to its airfield," Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said on Telegram,

Reports from either side could not immediately be independently verified.

But they come as Kyiv awaits delivery in the coming days of the long-desired first shipment of advanced F-16 fighter jets as Ukraine attempts to counter Russia's air supremacy over occupied territory.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian military spokesman Shtupun in Ukraine's Tavria region said Russian occupying forces are "increasingly" refusing to take part in assault operations at the front lines.

"There is information about an increasing number of occupiers' refusals to participate in assault operations. In particular, this was seen in the units of [Russia's] 1st Army Corps," he said.

Elsewhere on the battlefield, the Ukrainian military reported the movement of Russian tanks in the Mariupol district.

"Over the weekend, the movement of tanks -- at least five units -- with modern modifications was detected through Mariupol in the direction of Berdyansk," said Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's Mariupol mayor.

Mariupol was occupied by Russian troops in the spring of 2022 after a long siege and street fighting. The city was badly damaged. Currently, it is located at a considerable distance from the front line, but Ukrainian forces periodically launch missile strikes on Russian military facilities in Mariupol.

Ukraine also announced good news on Christmas Day on the economic front, saying it had received $1.34 billion in financing, mostly through the World Bank -- funds that will be partially used to compensate social programs for monies lost to security and defense financial needs.

The Finance Ministry said the package consisted of a $1.086 billion loan from the World Bank, a $190 million grant from Norway, $50 million from the United States, and $20 million from Switzerland.

"International financial assistance is a significant contribution to maintaining the financial and economic stability of Ukraine and allows us to ensure priority social expenditures during the war," Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said.

"Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the governments of Japan, the United States, Norway, and Switzerland have repeatedly demonstrated their unwavering support and solidarity to Ukraine," he added.

With reporting by Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-christmas-russia- maryinka-captured/32746254.html

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Ukraine Seeing Ammo & Manpower Dry Up While Russia Boosts Arms Production

Sputnik News

20231225

Ektarina Blinova

In 2023, the Russian military has witnessed a surge in arms supplies, while the stockpiles of the Ukrainian military have nearly been used up.

The production of weapons for the Russian Armed Forces has significantly increased, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, Denis Manturov.

"Regarding the [Russian defense] industry, for a number of items we have seen a 10-12-fold increase in production and supply volumes. Unfortunately, I cannot disclose specific details regarding supplies and financing, but rest assured, the numbers are substantial," Manturov told Sputnik.

Furthermore, the volume of state defense orders for 2023 has doubled compared to the previous year, the Russian official revealed.

In stark contrast, the Ukrainian military is facing an escalating shortage of weapons and ammunition. The Washington Post recently reported that some Ukrainian units are being forced to cancel planned assaults due to a lack of artillery shells on the front line, as stated by Ukrainian soldiers.

A serviceman from the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade told the newspaper that their gunners "are given a limit of shells for each target."

"We lack everything," he said.

The brigade is presently fighting in the southeastern Zaporozhye region. Even though Ukrainian troops are said to be "motivated", soldiers admit that you "can't win a war only on motivation."

For his part, a gunner in the 148th Artillery Brigade who mans a 155mm howitzer said his unit was now firing just 10 to 20 shells per day at Russian targets whereas previously they fired an average of 50 shells per day, and sometimes up to 90.

Ukrainian soldiers particularly bemoaned the fact that they have neither a numerical advantage over the Russians nor enough weapons to fight.

Over six months of the so-called counteroffensive, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have lost more than 125,000 soldiers and 16,000 units of various weapons, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu stated at the beginning of December. Meanwhile, Russia's 617,000-strong military contingent is currently enhancing its positions along the almost 2,000 kilometer-long front line.

WaPo admitted that Russia's forces are continuing to push forward on the southern and eastern fronts, and are also "hammering" Ukrainian positions with drone and missile strikes.

US President Joe Biden has been unsuccessful in persuading American congressmen to approve the $60 billion aid package for Ukraine before they departed for the winter recess. Additionally, Hungary has blocked the provision of a50 billion ($54.5 billion) in EU aid to the Kiev regime.

Despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's announcement of plans to boost weapons production and establish a defense industry hub in the Eastern Europe state, Sputnik's sources have dismissed these ambitions. According to them, Ukraine lacks the capability to sustain production, and Western arms manufacturers are reluctant to invest in the country.

The newspaper concluded that Biden's inability to secure the much-needed funding for Ukraine before the year's end demonstrates that the White House cannot guarantee indefinite support.



A Sputnik

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Russian Troops Fully Liberate Strategic DPR Settlement of Maryinka

Sputnik News

20231225

Ilya Tsukanov

The heavily-fortified settlement, situated on the outskirts of the city of Donetsk, was used by Ukrainian forces to indiscriminately shell the Donetsk People's Republic's capital for nearly ten years before finally being liberated by Russian forces.

The Russian Army has completed the liberation of Maryinka, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has announced.

"In the course of offensive operations, assault detachments from the Southern Group of Forces completely liberated the settlement of Maryinka southwest of Donetsk," Shoigu told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a briefing on Monday.

"I would like to congratulate you. This is a success. Pass on the words of gratitude to all the staff and fighters who took part at different times and at different stages [in the settlement's liberation, ed.]," Putin replied.

The president expressed confidence that control of the settlement will allow Russian forces to push Ukrainian positions further back from Donetsk.

Shoigu concurred, saying Maryinka's liberation will also make it possible to more effectively protect the city of Donetsk from Ukrainian fire.

The defense minister said that troops from the 150th Motorized Rifle Division distinguished themselves in the settlement's capture. During WWII, it was the 150th Division which famously captured the Reichstag building in Berlin.

"The liberation of this settlement naturally reduces the defense capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and gives us additional opportunities for further actions," he said.

Maryinka had been turned into a fortress over the past nine years, connected by a network of underground passages, with fortifications on almost every one of its streets, Shoigu said.

Putin asked the defense minister to distribute medals to soldiers who distinguished themselves in the strategic settlement's liberation, and instructed him to promote the commander overseeing its capture to the rank of major.

"By breaking into this fortification, which the enemy has factually been building up since 2014...our troops have the opportunity to enter a wider operational area. But, of course, this is a matter for local commanders and specialists from the General Staff and the Defense Ministry. This is a separate issue, but in any case, this opportunity arises in this area," Putin said.

Maryinka was first captured by Donbass militias seeking to break off from Kiev's control in April 2014, after the Ukrainian government installed in the February 2014 coup launched an 'Anti-Terrorist Operation' against them meant to crush the rebellion by force. Ukrainian forces, including paramilitaries from the infamous neo-Nazi Azov Regiment, recaptured Maryinka in August 2014. From that time on, the strategic town, situated directly on the western outskirts of Donetsk City, was turned into a seemingly impenetrable fortress, and used by Ukrainian forces to launch regular, indiscriminate attacks against the militia-controlled city. Battles for the settlement by Donetsk People's Republic militias, now backed by the regular Russian military, began immediately after the start of Russia's special military operation in February 2022. Images of the settlement today show that it has been turned into a pile of ruins, with most civilians living in the town leaving after 2014, and the rest evacuated after 2022.





A Sputnik

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Russia Charges Ukraine's Intel Chief With 104 Acts of Terrorism

Sputnik News

20231225

Russia's Investigative Committee (IC) has in absentia charged Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate, with 104 cases of terrorism carried out on Russian territory.

"Budanov K. A. is charged with 104 offenses under Article 205.2. (Public Calls for Committing of Terrorist Activity or Public Justification of Terrorism)," a representative of the Basmanny District Court of the city of Moscow told Sputnik.

When it comes to Budanov's case, the court ruled for "two months of pretrial detention as a preventative measure." The period will run from the moment of his extradition or detention on the territory of Russia.

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has claimed that Budanov was the one behind the attack on the Crimean Bridge. On April 21, 2023, the Lefortovo District Court of Moscow satisfied a petition from Russia's IC to carry out an investigation and issued a warrant for his arrest in absentia.

On October 3, the IC indicted Kyrylo Budanov, Mykola Oleshchuk, Ukraine's Air Force commander, and Sergey Burdenyuk, commander of the 383rd Separate Regiment of Remotely Piloted Aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force. The three officials were found responsible for over 100 drone strikes targeted at the territory of the Russian Federation.

A Sputnik

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Ukraine Loses Up to 200 Soldiers in Donetsk Direction in Past Day - MoD

Sputnik News

20231225

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukraine has lost up to 200 soldiers in the Donetsk direction over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday.

Over the given period, the Russian armed forces have repulsed three attacks by Ukrainian troops in the Kupyansk direction, one attack in the Donetsk direction and another one in the Krasny Liman direction.

According to the ministry's statement, total enemy losses over the past day amounted to up to 200 military personnel killed and wounded, two infantry fighting vehicles and six vehicles.

Kiev has also lost up to 180 soldiers in the Krasny Liman direction over the past day, the ministry added.

A Sputnik

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Russian Forces Destroy Starlink Station Near Kupyansk

Sputnik News

20231225

The Ukrainian counteroffensive began in June, with Kiev sending brigades trained by NATO instructors and armed with Western equipment into battle. Three months later, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Kiev's push had failed, with Ukraine suffering heavy casualties.

A combined group of fighters from battlegroup Zapad destroyed Ukrainian mortars, a Starlink station, and infantry with the help of combat drones in the direction of Kupyansk, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"As a result of the joint work of reconnaissance, motorized rifle and artillery units of the 1st Guards Tank Army of the Zapad battlegroup, several shelters, two mortars, Starlink satellite communications station and Ukrainian infantry were destroyed," the ministry said.

Intelligence officers in battlegroup Zapad received data on the build-up of Ukrainian forces. As a result, a combined group of reconnaissance and UAV operators secretly approached the front line from the rear. Targets were destroyed by attack drones at a distance of about three kilometers from the positions of the Ukrainian forces.

"During surveillance, when important targets are identified, such as ammunition supply points or the establishment of new enemy observation posts, we have a small task force go out on an ATV and destroy the identified targets. We also identify enemy artillery positions, transmit coordinates and make adjustments while our artillery is engaged. The main targets of the combat drone operators are enemy mortars," a reconnaissance officer said.

In addition to using FPV kamikaze drones, the Russian Armed Forces hit targets with a special ammunition-dropping drone.

"This big one here is also our favorite drone. We already use it to destroy enemy strongholds. We use it for airdrops. The biggest load we sent was 2.5 kilograms. But we are already enthusiastic about it and have made our own ammunition for it. There is no standard ammunition for it, and we invent it ourselves. You can also hang three grenades on it. It can be used to disrupt the enemy's rotation, to hit vehicles," the officer said.

A Sputnik

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Russian Forces Wipe Out First French-Donated Crotale NG Missile System in Ukraine

Sputnik News

20231225

Svetlana Ekimneko

In the course of the ongoing special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces have been successfully delivering high-precision strikes targeting foreign equipment and ammunition provided to the Kiev regime by Washington and its NATO allies, obliterating the much-touted sophisticated weaponry.

Russia's Armed Forces operating in the special military operation zone have destroyed several Norwegian-made NASAMS (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System) and one French Crotale NG short-range air defense system that the Kiev regime received from its Western patrons, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday. The NATO-donated weapons systems were stationed at the Starokonstantinov Airfield in the Khmelnitsky region.

This is believed to be the first recorded instance of a Crotale NG being obliterated in combat, and serves as further proof that NATO's state-of-the-art equipment is fair game for Russia's military.

The Russian military carried out a coordinated assault that involved tactical aircraft, missile troops, artillery units, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Besides neutralizing the air defense systems, the attack inflicted damage on the Kiev regime's aircraft equipment, flight navigation sysems, and aviation ammunition stored at the airfields in Kanatovo, Kirovograd region, and Dnepr, Dnepropetrovsk region. Furthermore, military personnel and equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was destroyed in 127 districts.

The strategic impact of Russian strikes on Ukraine's air defense capabilities is expected to be significant, Army Recognition, an online Western military outlet, acknowledged, commenting the MoD announcement. It clarified that the destruction of enemy air defense capabilities enables Russia's military to gain even greater control over the airspace. While reducing the risk to their own aircraft, it boosts their ability to carry out air operations such as strategic bombing, providing close air support to ground forces, and conducting reconnaissance missions.

As part of NATO's ongoing proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, France has supplied Ukraine with two Crotale NG air defense batteries, the military outlet underscored.

The French Crotale NG (New Generation) missile system is a modernized version of the Crotale air defense system designed for short-to-medium range air defense. Equipped with the VT1 missile with an engagement range of around 11 kilometers (6.8 miles), it is touted as providing effective defense against aircraft, helicopters, various precision-guided weapons, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The system can engage targets at altitudes up to 6,000 meters.

As far as NASAMS are concerned, a number of countries have delivered these systems to Ukraine. Thus, Belgium has purportedly contributed an undisclosed number of AIM-120 NASAMS missiles, Lithuania has delivered two launchers, while Canada has supplied Kiev with one NASAMS air defense battery along with AIM-120 missiles.

The NASAMS utilizes the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM), capable of engaging targets at distances of up to 25 kilometers. This renders the NASAMS effective for medium-range air defense scenarios.

The United States reportedly sent eight NASAMS batteries as part of its billions' worth of military assistance to Ukraine, while the UK has donated NASAMS missiles.

Despite the vast amounts of military aid being provided by the West, Ukraine's much-hyped 2023 counteroffensive that began in June of this year failed to produce any tangible battlefield results. As the country's military losses have mounted, public support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also waned in recent months.

Political developments have suggested that support for Ukraine is dwindling in the United States as well, where President Joe Biden's massive funding package for Kiev has stalled in Congress. Republicans have insisted on incorporating funding for border security. In Europe, "Ukraine fatigue" is also gaining momentum, as EU states face depleted stocks from funneling military aid to Kiev, and repercussions from self-harming anti-Russia sanctions.

Since Western countries ramped up military support for the Kiev regime, Moscow officials have consistently warned that such moves do not bode well for Ukraine, and only prolong the conflict. NATO weaponry, no matter how sophisticated, will eventually be destroyed, the Kremlin underscored, and vehicles carrying supplied weapons are a legitimate target for the Russian army.

A Sputnik

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Get in touch with those who are in the Defense Forces now and thank them - address by the President of Ukraine

President of Ukraine

25 December 2023 - 19:55

I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!

Once again, I extend my Christmas greetings to everyone! And right now, on this Christmas evening, it is important to speak about many of our people who are on duty, at combat posts, in battle, defending our state and people at any time of day or night, on holidays and ordinary days.

Yesterday, on Christmas Eve, our warriors shot down nearly 30 "Shahed" drones, several missiles and two more Russian military aircraft. All in one evening! In total, five "Su" aircraft were shot down in the week before Christmas. And this is really impressive! Well done to everyone delivering such results in the ranks of our Air Force, all our anti-aircraft gunners, warriors of mobile firing groups, and air defense units of the Ground Forces! Thank you! Every Russian pilot must make a clear choice whether to continue participating in this war. Our air defense will become increasingly powerful. Especially when we receive additional systems that have already been agreed upon, including F-16s.

Today, I want to thank everyone in the entire large team of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine - everyone who is still, as always, eliminating the consequences of Russian shelling these days, evenings, and nights. Kherson, Donetsk, Kharkiv, our Sumy region, our Zaporizhzhia, our other regions. I would like to particularly mention the guys from Kherson region - Sergeant Oleh Pankratov and Master Sergeant Maksym Sedin. And from Donetsk region - Sergeant Oleksandr Pavlenko, Chief Master Sergeant Denys Shysholyk and civilian employee of the State Emergency Service Volodymyr Yatsenko. Next, Kharkiv region - Sergeant Roman Pyvovarov and Master Sergeant Pavlo Kryvulia. Sumy region - Sergeants Oleksandr Kozyr and Yevhenii Bondarenko, who are working in the border areas, displaying absolute selflessness. I am thankful to you guys and all your colleagues!

Similarly, I would like to express my gratitude today to the entire staff of the National Police of Ukraine - those working for the safety of people, in particular in the frontline areas. I would like to particularly mention Police Senior Lieutenants Ivan Zeleniak and Dmytro Teteria, serving in Kherson region, in the city of Beryslav. Also, Andriy Bulavin, a combat medic, working in Donetsk region. Zaporizhzhia region - Police Majors Andriy Melnyk and Vadym Aksionenko. I thank you and all those who serve our country and our society!

And, of course, today it is only right to thank every employee of the Ukrainian energy sector. All those who are at work right now. All those who have been working all year long to prevent blackouts and ensure that everywhere in Ukraine there is communication, electricity, heating, and all the things without which normal life is simply impossible. I thank you, our power engineers! Thank you for the bright Christmas!

And please, if you haven't done so yet, get in touch with your loved ones or those you just know who are in the Defense Forces now and thank them. Strength gives Ukraine life. The strength of everyone who fights for Ukraine. The strength of all who work for Ukraine. The strength of our people. Let's strengthen Ukraine together!

Glory to Ukraine!

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Ukrainian pilots learn to fly F-16 fighter jets after completing basic training in the UK

The UK has been providing basic training to Ukraine's combat air pilots as a contribution to the international Air Force Capability Coalition for Ukraine

26 December 2023

The first cohort of Ukrainian pilots to receive training from the Royal Air Force are now learning to fly F-16 fighter jets in Denmark, having completed a basic programme of training in the UK.

The RAF began delivering flying and English language training in August as part of the UK contribution to the international Air Force Capability Coalition for Ukraine, which sees allies and partners working together to bolster Ukraine's air capabilities.

The group was formed of six experienced Ukrainian combat fighter pilots who received aviation-specific English language training to increase their ability to engage with coalition training and support.

A further ten Ukrainian trainee pilots took part in the language training and remain in the UK to continue with practical basic flight training, as well as to learn important skills such as aviation medicine and centrifuge training.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said:

I am proud of the support the Royal Air Force is providing to the next generation of Ukraine's combat air pilots and ground crew, who will be the first line of defence in protecting Ukraine's skies. The UK has been instrumental in building Ukraine's air defences since Putin launched his full-scale invasion, providing hundreds of missiles and munitions, as well as radar and weapons systems. While Ukraine was highly vulnerable to attack from Russian aircraft, drones, and missiles in the early months of the invasion - with support from the UK and our allies, its Armed Forces are now able to intercept and destroy the overwhelming majority of incoming ordnance - protecting their civilian population and vital infrastructure. Together we're now going further by ensuring Ukraine has a modern air force in the future, formed around the highly capable fourth-generation F-16 fighter jet. Combined with training from the world-leading RAF, this is a significant step forward from Ukraine's current Soviet-era capabilities.

The programme is designed to give trainee pilots the skills required to advance to the next phase of training on fighter jets with partner nations and bring future Ukrainian pilots closer to a NATO standard approach to flying.

Pilots undergoing the basic flight training scheme are conducting practical lessons in Grob Tutor aircraft with experienced RAF instructors, learning general handling procedures, instrument flying, medium and low-level navigation, and formation flying.

Alongside the pilot training, dozens of Ukrainian aircraft technicians are also receiving English language training, geared towards engineering.

Defence Minister of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, said:

Ukraine highly values the pilot training that the UK and other partners are providing, to help us prepare for operating F-16s in Ukraine. It is a rapid and effective programme to equip Ukrainian pilots with the skills they need in the war against Russia.

Once they have completed their training with the RAF, pilots will be trained by another European nation on advanced flying training. This will prepare them for training on the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, overseen by Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United States, which lead the Air Force Capability Coalition.

The Prime Minister confirmed the UK's intent to support the Air Force Capability Coalition earlier this year with basic training, as the UK does not operate the F-16 aircraft Ukraine has selected to develop its future air force around.

The UK will continue this support to Ukrainian pilots and ground crew in 2024.

The trainees join more than 53,000 Ukrainians who have received training in the UK since Putin first ordered the invasion of Crimea in 2014. Last month, the Defence Secretary announced the UK will aim to train a further 10,000 Ukrainian recruits in the first half of 2024 as part of Operation Interflex.

Beyond providing a broad range of training programmes, the UK continues to support Ukraine to push back Russian forces. As part of the A4.6bn worth of UK military support, we have provided long range missiles, western main battle tanks, and logistical support to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

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NEW YORK, Dec. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, continues to investigate potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of Xponential Fitness, Inc. (NYSE: XPOF) resulting from allegations that Xponential Fitness may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public.

SO WHAT: If you purchased Xponential Fitness securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=17334 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.

WHAT IS THIS ABOUT: On June 26, 2023, market analyst Fuzzy Panda Research issued a report entitled Xponential Fitness (XPOF)  Abusive Franchisor That Is A House of Cards. The report alleged, among other things, that Xponentials Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Anthony Geisler, has a long history of misleading investors and business partners, including engaging in pump and dump schemes. The report stated that he had been previously accused by former business associates of engaging in scams and illegal business practices and alleged that he has even in the past threatened others with a gun. In addition, the report alleged that the Companys financials are less healthy than it has represented to investors, that it is likely violating its debt agreements, and, contrary to Geislers claim that Xponential has never closed a store, that many Xponential locations had, in fact, closed.

On this news, Xponentials stock fell $9.39 per share, or 37% to close at $15.72 per share on June 27, 2023.

Then, on December 11, 2023, Xponential disclosed that it was contacted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, requesting that the Company provide it with certain documents.

On this news, Xponentials stock fell $1.61 per share, or 15%, to close at $8.99 on December 11, 2023.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs Bar. Many of the firms attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contact Information:

Laurence Rosen, Esq.

Phillip Kim, Esq.

The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.

275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor

New York, NY 10016

Tel: (212) 686-1060

Toll Free: (866) 767-3653

Fax: (212) 202-3827

lrosen@rosenlegal.com

pkim@rosenlegal.com

cases@rosenlegal.com

www.rosenlegal.com
Washington, DC, Dec. 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The United States Mint (Mint) will begin shipping the first coin in the 2024 American Women Quarters (AWQ) Program on January 2. The Mint facilities at Philadelphia and Denver are manufacturing these circulating quarters honoring Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray.

Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray is regarded as one of the most important social justice advocates of the 20th century. She was a poet, writer, activist, lawyer, Episcopal priest, and a staunch advocate for civil rights, fighting against racial and sex discrimination. In 1950, Murray published States' Laws on Race and Color, an examination and critique of state segregation laws throughout the nation. Frequently referred to as the bible of the civil rights movement and commonly cited as the foundation for the arguments posed in the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, Murray skillfully illustrated the social implications and unconstitutionality of segregation laws.

The first coin of the 2024 American Women Quarters Program honors the life and legacy of Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray, said Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson. Reverend Dr. Murray was keenly aware of the oppression that she faced as a Black woman. She lived her life and fought tirelessly as a steadfast advocate for civil rights and gender equality.

United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program Artist Emily Damstra designed the image, and United States Mint Chief Engraver Joseph Menna sculpted the image.

The unique juxtaposition of text and Dr. Murrays face challenged the way I approached sculpting the relief for this design, said Menna. The likeness needed to honor the surface of the letters yet still project the illusion of being in the round. I hope achieving this goal honors both the integrity of the design and Dr. Murrays legacy.

The reverse (tails) depicts Reverend Dr. Pauli Murrays eyeglass-framed face within the shape of the word HOPE, which is symbolic of Murrays belief that significant societal reforms were possible when rooted in hope. A line from her poem Dark Testament characterizes hope as A SONG IN A WEARY THROAT, an inscription in the design.

The obverse (heads) depicts a portrait of George Washington originally composed and sculpted by Laura Gardin Fraser to mark George Washingtons 200th birthday.

Though her work was a recommended design for the 1932 quarter, then-Treasury Secretary Mellon ultimately selected the familiar John Flanagan design. Director Gibson said of Fraser, I am proud that the new obverse design of George Washington is by one of the most prolific women sculptors of the early 20th century. Laura Gardin Frasers work is lauded in both numismatic and artistic circles. Ninety years after she intended for it to do so, her obverse design has fittingly taken its place on the quarter.

Obverse inscriptions are LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, and 2024. The design is common to all quarters issued in the series.

Each 2024 AWQ honoree is a powerful, inspiring example of the breadth, depth, and range of accomplishments, and the experiences demonstrated by these extraordinary women speak to the contributions women have always made in the history of our country. Coins featuring additional honorees will continue to ship through 2025.

View images of the Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray quarter here.

Authorized by Public Law 116-330, the American Women Quarters Program features coins with reverse (tails) designs emblematic of the accomplishments and contributions of American women. Beginning in 2022 and continuing through 2025, the Mint is issuing five quarters in each of these years. The ethnically, racially, and geographically diverse group of individuals honored through this program reflects a wide range of accomplishments and fields, including suffrage, civil rights, abolition, government, humanities, science, space, and the arts.

Please consult with your local banks regarding the availability of AWQ Program quarters honoring Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray in the latter part of January or early February.

Numismatic Products

This groundbreaking coin program is an excellent way to remind future generations what can be accomplished with vision, determination, and a desire to improve opportunities for all. Subscribe to the program today to ensure fulfillment of your favorite product through 2025.

About the United States Mint

Congress created the United States Mint in 1792, and the Mint became part of the Department of the Treasury in 1873. As the Nations sole manufacturer of legal tender coinage, the Mint is responsible for producing circulating coinage for the Nation to conduct its trade and commerce. The Mint also produces numismatic products, including proof, uncirculated, and commemorative coins; Congressional Gold Medals; silver and bronze medals; and silver and gold bullion coins. Its numismatic programs are self-sustaining and operate at no cost to taxpayers.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Visit https://www.usmint.gov/learn/coin-and-medal-programs/american-women-quarters for information about the American Women Quarters Program.

Visit https://www.usmint.gov/about for information about the United States Mint.

Visit and subscribe to the United States Mints YouTube channel to view videos about the United States Mint.

Visit https://catalog.usmint.gov/email-signup to subscribe to United States Mint electronic product notifications, news releases, public statements, and our monthly educational newsletter, Lessons That Make Cents .

. Sign up for RSS Feeds from the United States Mint and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

# # #

United States Mint  Connecting America through Coins

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BALTIMORE, Dec. 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Royal Farms is opening a new location in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on January 22, 2024.



The new store and gas station will be located at 1580 York Road, Gettysburg, PA 17325 just 6 minutes away from Gettysburg National Military Park. This location will feature a gas station with sixteen standard flow fueling positions along with a high flow diesel canopy that will also include Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) and operate 24 hours and 365 days a year to service all convenience, food, and fuel needs.

Royal Farms is delighted to announce its expansion into the historic city of Gettysburg. We are bringing the unrivaled taste of our World-Famous chicken to the vibrant local community and extending a warm welcome to both residents and visitors. Said Ricki Ettinger, District Leader.

Royal Farms will host a ticketed soft opening event where customers can check out the new store and be served one free meal from the soft opening menu. The free tickets are available on Eventbrite here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/royal-farms-gettysburg-pa-soft-opening-tickets-781557759297?. Be sure to follow Royal Farms on our social media for all news on store openings and events.

Royal Farms will be making a monetary donation to Gettysburg Community Soup Kitchen. To learn more, go here: https://www.gettysburgsoupkitchen.org/

For Pennsylvanians interested in working for Royal Farms, please visit https://www.royalfarms.com/careers/. Royal Farms offers competitive pay, medical and dental insurance, a 401(K)-retirement plan, opportunities for advancement, flexible schedules, vacation time, and our employee store discount.

Customers can sign up for RoFo Rewards on the Royal Farms mobile app or on RofoRewards.com. RoFo Rewards Members save money throughout the year, earn fuel discounts with RoFo Pay, receive rewards for everyday purchases, and redeem other surprise freebie offers.

How to Register as a RoFo Rewards Member

Download the Royal Farms app here: https://engagement.punchh.com/b/royalfarms and click "Sign Up" to create a RoFo Rewards account. You can also visit https://www.roforewards.com/register/ to create an account.

About RoFo Rewards

By registering a RoFo Rewards card or downloading our app you gain access to special member offers and can earn rewards points on purchases. Every time you visit Royal Farms and make a purchase, you will receive 2 points for every dollar you spend, and one point for every gallon of gas you purchase. If you upgrade your card to RoFo Pay, you will also receive a discount on gas when you use your RoFo Rewards card to pay at the pump except for New Jersey Stores. You can keep track of points and offers at www.roforewards.com or by downloading the RoFo Rewards app on your phone.

About Royal Farms

Royal Farms is a renowned operator of fast and friendly neighborhood convenience stores with nearly 300 locations throughout the Mid-Atlantic. Royal Farms opened its first store in Baltimore, MD in 1959 under the name White Jug. Today, the chain has locations in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Royal Farms has been satisfying customers hunger for Real Fresh food served Real Fast. The Royal Farms Kitchen is well known for its Always Fresh, Never Frozen World-Famous Royal Farms Chicken that is lightly hand-breaded and pressure-cooked in Trans Fat Free cooking oil to golden brown perfection. Royal Farms Western Fries are hand-cut from fresh Idaho potatoes, hand-breaded, and cooked right in store. Most locations are open 24 hours, 365 days a year. For more information about Royal Farms, visit: www.royalfarms.com

Contact:

Aliyah Atayee

aatayee@royalfarms.com
Company Recently Added Over 50 New Advertisers as the Thumzup Platform Continues to Gain Adoption

(Los Angeles, CA), Dec. 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Thumzup Media Corporation ("Thumzup" or the "Company") (OTCQB: TZUP) is pleased to reaffirm its Instagram-first strategy as the Company continues to aggressively add new advertisers to its platform. Last week, Thumzup announced that it has added more than 50 new advertisers to its platform since June 1, 2023  growth of more than 40%  demonstrating continued adoption of the Thumzup platform.*

According to a recent Social Sheppard article, 62.4% of people use Instagram to research products and services while 72% of marketers rely on Instagram to collaborate with influencers and creators [ 1] . In terms of active users worldwide, Instagram ranks as the fourth most popular social media app. It comes in just behind Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp [ 1]. Ad spending on Instagram  measured per hour spent per adult  was about six times greater than it was on TikTok for 2023, according to a recent Insider Intelligence report [ 2].

The Thumzup mobile app, which is available for download in the App Store and Google Play, incentivizes virtually everyone to become social media advocates for the brands they enjoy by paying them cash for approved posts.

While our vision is for Thumzup to support many social media platforms, we believe our choice to start with Instagram remains a good strategy, stated Thumzup Chief Executive Officer Robert Steele. Were thrilled to see the continued adoption of the Thumzup platform amongst users and businesses and believe this traction could compound through the viral nature of our product. We are looking forward to an exciting and transformative 2024 for Thumzup and its shareholders.

*As an introductory offer, Thumzup provides certain listed businesses a budget covering a certain number of the initial paid posts made about the business by its users.

[1] https://thesocialshepherd.com/blog/instagram-statistics#:~:text=Instagram%20Generates%20Millions%20in%20Ad%20Revenue&text=Their%20ad%20revenue%20in%20the,run%20by%20UK%2Dbased%20accounts

[2] https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-surpasses-instagram-time-spent-us-adults-emarketer-8-2023

About Thumzup

Thumzup Media Corporation (Thumzup) is democratizing the multi-billion dollar social media branding and marketing industry. Its flagship product, the Thumzup platform, utilizes a robust programmatic advertiser dashboard coupled with a consumer-facing App to enable individuals to get paid cash for posting about participating advertisers on major social media outlets through the Thumzup App. The easy-to-use dashboard allows advertisers to programmatically customize their campaigns. Cash payments are made to App users/creators through PayPal and other digital payment systems.

Thumzup was recently featured on CBS News Los Angeles and is a publicly traded company (OTCQB stock ticker: TZUP). For more information, please visit https://www.thumzupmedia.com.

Legal Disclaimer

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include, without limitation, statements about its potential growth, impacts on the advertising industry, plans for potential uplisting, and planned expansion. These statements are identified by the use of the words "could," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "expect," "may," "continue," "predict," "potential," "project" and similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Although we believe that our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that these plans, objectives, expectations or intentions will be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical experience and present expectations or projections. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements and the trading price for our common stock may fluctuate significantly. Forward-looking statements also are affected by the risk factors described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

AN OFFERING STATEMENT REGARDING THIS OFFERING HAS BEEN FILED WITH THE SEC. THE SEC HAS QUALIFIED THAT OFFERING STATEMENT, WHICH ONLY MEANS THAT THE COMPANY MAY MAKE SALES OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED BY THE OFFERING STATEMENT. IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE SEC HAS APPROVED, PASSED UPON THE MERITS OR PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE INFORMATION IN THE OFFERING STATEMENT. YOU MAY OBTAIN A COPY OF THE OFFERING CIRCULAR THAT IS PART OF THAT OFFERING STATEMENT FROM: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1853825/000149315222036476/partiiandiii.htm

YOU SHOULD READ THE OFFERING CIRCULAR TO UNDERSTAND THE TERMS, CONDITIONS AND RISK FACTORS PRIOR TO CONSIDERING AN INVESTMENT INTO THE COMPANY.

Contact Info:

investors@thumzupmedia.com

800-403-6150

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MMUN West Africa launches Ghana Chapter for educational empowerment

GraphicOnline Dec - 26 - 2023 , 15:41

In a ceremony on December 23, 2023, the Montessori Model United Nations (MMUN) West Africa celebrated the inauguration of its Ghanaian Chapter, ushering in a new era of educational empowerment and cross-cultural exchange.

His Royal Highness, King Anumle Ayitey Oyanka I, the Emissary of Education for MMUN West Africa, expressed heartfelt gratitude for the organization's expansion into the sub-Saharan region. The ceremony, attended by dignitaries and education enthusiasts, signified a commitment to bringing MMUN's impactful programs to the vibrant educational landscape of West Africa.

King Oyanka, a traditional leader and avid educational enthusiast, commended MMUN's scholarship projects and exchange programs that facilitate the sharing of cultural experiences among students.

Highlighting Ghana's wealth of intelligent and brilliant youth, he emphasized the critical need for enhanced scholarship opportunities to broaden their global exposure.

Challenging the newly inaugurated board members, led by Chairman Nii Offoli Tackie Yaboi, King Oyanka urged them to develop and execute strategic plans that align with MMUN's overarching mandate in Ghana. King Oyanka's call for collaboration extended to the Education Ministry and all educational stakeholders, urging them to collaborate to achieve MMUN West Africa's vision.

In a significant announcement, King Oyanka disclosed plans for the first congress of the organization in March 2024. This landmark event, which will host over 200 students from West Africa, provides them with fully funded scholarships. The congress aims to foster intellectual dialogue, cultural exchange, and collaborative initiatives among the region's young minds.

Mr. Richard Flynn, an Ambassador for MMUN West Africa, echoed King Oyanka's sentiments, encouraging individuals passionate about Montessori education to actively contribute to the success of the newly established chapter in Ghana.

The board members, including Timothy Kwablah Badzi, Jara Iddrisu, Witthy Ahorhu, Dickson Boadi Sam Johnson Mawuli, Michael Anaman, Nii Obli Okai Awuah, Acheampong Emmanuel, and Bright Adu, stand poised to embark on this educational journey, shaping the future of MMUN in Ghana.
It's that time of year again  a time for reflection and a great opportunity to look back at another great year full of interesting devices. I've said it before, and I'll say it again  the undisputable best part of my job is the opportunity to experience the latest and greatest tech all of the time. The list you are about to read is about phones that made a lasting impression on me over the past 12 months.

As such, these phones are not necessarily the best ones out there, nor do I claim to offer any actual buying advice. These devices just stuck with me for one reason or another.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has been my daily driver since its launch in February. It has been a faithful companion with no major complaints on my end. I keep claiming that I am actually not a Samsung fanboy, even if my device track record tells a different story. Still, the S23 Ultra, replaced by the S22 Ultra, which was a direct replacement for the Galaxy Note20 Ultra, which in turn replaced my beloved Galaxy Note9 once that finally died on me. The list goes on, but you get the point.

The thing is that I have gotten really accustomed to the Samsung way and One UI over the years. Hopping from phone to phone for reviews, things can get very hectic, which is why I like to keep things very simple on the personal front. My app loadout, while very large and varied, is generally the same from phone to phone, and so are my shortcuts, including things like smart home automation within Samsung SmartThings. Heck, I haven't even changed my wallpaper across four or even five personal phones. The point is that I like consistency, and the S23 Ultra delivers on that front.

I basically view it as a familiar tool that is always in my pocket, always dependable, and working as expected so I can get my tasks done quickly and efficiently. While calling a glorious piece of engineering such as the S23 Ultra a "tool" might sound demeaning, it really is the highest form of praise in my world. It has simply vanished away into the background for me, silently, reliably and consistently doing its job without hiccups. That's what I wanted, and that's what I got.

Samsung Galaxy A34

While it's easy to praise a cream-of-the-crop device like the Galaxy S23 Ultra, the reality is that most people don't need to and, frankly, shouldn't spend so much on a phone. Flagships make headlines, but good midrangers move actual volumes. As such, I feel like the ever-solid Samsung Galaxy A series is often worth some praise.

Just like last year, I feel like the real "value" of the Galaxy A line can be found in the "middle child" Galaxy A34. Some of its highlights include an IP67 ingress protection rating on a body with a Gorilla Glass 5 front glass. There is also a very good 6.6-inch 120Hz Super AMOLED display, a stereo speaker setup and a large 5,000 mAh battery with 25W charging, which we found to deliver excellent battery life.

Last year, I upgraded both of my parents to Galaxy A33 units, and it's not quite time for an upgrade yet, but my reasoning for getting an A33 applies to the A34 in full force. I've found that from my experience, most things seem to just work out of the box with Samsung's custom UX and hardware better than average. I can count on additional features like OTG and Android Auto being there and working as intended, which is not always the case with other manufacturers.

Asus Zenfone 10

Looking back at my previous top five phones, I almost feel like I am becoming a bit banal and predictable. But what can I say, I like what I like, and that is usually a phone with a clear purpose. That is very much true for the Zenfone family - a Zenfone is one of the few viable choices if you want a true flagship in a compact form factor.

Also, I have personally come to love and admire Asus for its excellent products over the years. Though small in numbers, the Taiwanese giant's phone lineup is exquisite, in my opinion. Every time a new ROG Phone comes in through the door, I am all over it for an in-depth review, and every single time, I immediately wonder whether to adopt it as a daily driver. And that's not something that happens to me with many phones these days.

The latest Zenfone 10 is fully kitted out, as usual. You get a durable, small IP68-certified body with an aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass Victus on the front. The display has a modest 5.92-inch diagonal but also a 144Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support and plenty of brightness. The Zenfone 10 also has stereo speakers and other flagship niceties like 15W wireless charging. A full-fat Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset is beating inside this compact body, along with up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Asus didn't skimp on the camera setup either, with a gimbal OIS on the main 50MP snapper. The battery is a respectable 4,300 mAh unit with 30W charging support.

I've personally recommended the Zenfone 10 on at least three occasions this year. It really is my go-to for a compact flagship, and for that alone, it deserves a spot on the list.

Xiaomi Poco F5

I wanted to give this spot on my list to one of Xiaomi's ever-popular budget to midrange devices and really debated between the Poco F5 and the Redmi Note 12. I landed on the Poco F5 in the end since I feel like its value proposition is very hard to beat or even match.

I think the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 chipset is an amazing midrange chip and represents a small step down from flagship territory, as a proper midranger should. It has plenty of performance to throw around and does not skimp on connectivity or its ISP, with proper 4K video capture support, among other things.

The Poco F5 also delivers in the display department with a 12-bit 120Hz HDR10+ and Dolby Vision-certified panel with plenty of brightness. You can't really do much better on a current midranger. You also get a good stereo speaker setup and a hefty 5,000 mAh battery with fast 67W charging. There is OIS on the main 64MP camera as well.

All around, the Poco F5 is a very well-rounded device with very little in the way of compromises. It is exactly the kind of device that pops into my head when most people ask me for a phone recommendation since it is such a good and universal fit for most.

Tecno Spark 10 Pro

I wanted to dedicate the final spot on my top five list to Transsion Holdings as a whole and its Infinix and Tecno brands. These have been doing insanely well lately and gaining a lot of traction, especially in the budget segment, where the biggest volumes of products get moved.

Again, I debated a lot about whether to highlight the Techno Spark 10 Pro or the Tecno Pova 5 Pro  since I personally bought two units of the latter for relatives in the past year. I landed on the Spark 10 Pro in the end since it is by far the more popular device. In fact, it is one of the most popular 2023 phones in our database, which is an achievement in its own right.

It's kind of impressive that as little as 150 nowadays can get you a 90Hz display, a decent MediaTek Helio G88 chipset and a pretty solid 50MP main and 32MP selfie camera setup. There is even 1440p video capture on both sides, whereas most other devices in this price range only offer 1080p. 128GB of onboard storage, expandable via a dedicated microSD slot, is also a pretty sweet deal at this price. The same goes for the 5,000 mAh battery, for which we got some excellent battery endurance numbers from our testing.

Honorable mentions  Samsung Galaxy S23 FE, Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro+

I personally like what Samsung is doing with its FE models. In fact, I believe that for most people, a "FE-class" device or something like a "flagship killer" is about as premium as they need to go in their purchasing decisions. A full-fledged flagship is shiny and cool, but prices have become ludicrous nowadays, and it is no secret that you don't get twice as great user experience for twice the price.

The Galaxy S23 FE looks superb, rocking that current Samsung design language. It also feels great and offers stellar build quality with an aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass 5 on both the front and back and an IP68 ingress protection rating. Its display is truly flagship-grade, with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support and 1,450 nits of peak brightness. The S23 FE also shines in the camera department with a 50MP main snapper, a dedicated 3x telephoto, and OIS on both cameras, as well as a 12MP ultrawide. While both the Exynos 2200 and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in the international and US variants of the device are good chips, I personally prefer the Qualcomm one, for what it's worth.

I also feel like I need to mention the Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 series in some fashion since I believe that once it makes its international debut on January 4, it is poised to walk in the steps of its predecessor and become incredibly popular with users. I am particularly looking forward to the Redmi Note 13 Pro+. It looks like an amazing "flagship killer" class device with specs such as an aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and iP68 ingress protection, stereo speakers, a gorgeous 6.67-inch, 120Hz, HDR display, a potent 200MP OIS-enabled primary camera and a 5,000 mAh battery with a whopping 120W fast charging.

That about wraps up my 2023 highlights. I hope you found my musings interesting, and if you want to discuss any of the points made, I'll be lurking in the comments.
Attorney General Douglas Moylan said the goal of a roundtable being held by his office Wednesday is to effectively end school violence.

The roundtable is being held at the AGs office second floor conference room at 1:30 p.m. and will be livestreamed on the AGs YouTube channel and via Zoom.

Moylan said participants ranging from Guam Education Board members, the Guam Department of Education superintendent, principals from schools that have been sources of recent arrests, the Guam Police Department, Child Protection Services, Family Court attorneys, Criminal Court prosecutors, the legislatures oversight chairman and the lieutenant governor have been invited to discuss the important issue.

Nationally there has been broken windows programs where police and government officials generally have taken a pro-active approach to address infractions starting from elementary school through high school, Moylan said.

The AGs Office is not only here to assist GDOE principals and management, but has been having to prosecute high school aged adults committing adult crimes like assault, theft, drug possession, and other violent crimes occurring on government of Guam property administered by GDOE, Moylan said.

He said his office is bringing together leaders to generate ideas that work.

The goal is to find the most effective and efficient way to restore schools to be primarily institutions of learning, and to restore the respect which we expect from students to be in school to learn. Parental involvement will also be a topic of the discussion, Moylan said.

The roundtable comes after several fights at schools have been shared on social media.

Three people face criminal charges in connection with fights at the John F. Kennedy High School campus on Dec. 13, according to magistrates complaints filed in Superior Court. At 12:18 p.m., police responded to a report of rioting at the campus, which is being shared with Simon Sanchez High School. A Simon Sanchez official told them that two students were involved in a fight, and when that fight ended, other fights broke out.

In a letter to GDOE officials and GPD earlier this month, Moylan said social media  where videos of school fights are distributed  and a shared campus could be contributing to the problem.

The use of students to amplify the emotion on social media is seemingly spreading the acceptance of such violent conduct and assisting in coordinating further violent outbreaks, he wrote. Moreover, the integration of two different school populations this school year may be increasing the likelihood of these type of violent outbreaks. I believe we can all agree that the violence must stop, and discipline and respect restored.

He said his office has been investigating school fights and prosecuting students who are involved.

Threats

GPD and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have partnered in a new campaign to prevent threats to schools on island. The #thinkbeforeyoupost initiative is launching with a video public service announcement.

Chief of Police Stephen Ignacio has said GPD takes threats and acts of violence seriously and pours in a host of resources to ensure the safety of school students, faculty, staff and the community, he said.

He shared that in 2023 GPD responded to 14 terroristic conduct cases  more than double the six cases from the year before.

Ignacio said for this year more than 50% of the 14 cases have been closed. He said minors are taken into custody and their cases are given to the attorney generals office who will move forward with adjudication of the case.

Fights

The topic of school violence was brought up during an oversight hearing of Guam DOE at the Legislature last week.

Student Support Administrator Chris Anderson said the main responsibilities of the schools is to contact GPD especially if they have any information that there might be a riot or a fight. Principals also call his office to have student resource officers come to assist with additional support.

They serve a pretty good deterrent on campuses when GPD is unable to come to the school and assist, Anderson said.

He said ensuring there are stringent policies on how Guam DOE addresses violence on campus and students are fully aware of the consequences can help. He said its important that schools are addressing fights when they do happen and working proactively to help students work out their problems peacefully. But for many students that might not be the option they seek, he said.

Some of the fights also involve alcohol or drugs which is another factor that needs to be addressed, Anderson said. There are programs to help students with substance abuse issues, but students can also be suspended, he added.

I think for the community to know that these kinds of issues I think are a very small percentage of the student population. They do happen obviously with social media and technology these things can go viral very fast, and it may even give the impression as if our schools are completely out of control and our students are not safe. Thats just a false reality. We have fights that happen and theyre pretty serious and we take them seriously. But I dont think this is a big problem in our campuses, Anderson said.

Sen. Chris Barnett, oversight chairman of Guam DOE, said he wonders if thats the case because now this generation has the ability to film and post it on social media to reach more people. He said hes seen fights while he was at school, but they were never recorded or went viral.

But he said there are several issues that need to be addressed including the fights and the threats of violence made to schools. For example, one of his kids attends F.B. Leon Guerrero Middle School and a threat was made, and police responded, but he wasnt informed at the time.

Im pretty sure any other parent in the public school system wants to know when the police respond to a school, or when they conduct a search, or when there is a threat of violence, Barnett said.

Anderson said principals are empowered to make those kinds of decisions on whether they think its necessary to inform their parents. Principals are encouraged to let their parents know especially when there is a critical incident so theyre not guessing whats happening, he said.

Barnett said there should be consistency with sharing information and he believes if police respond to a school that parents should be notified.

F.B. Leon Guerrero Principal Melissa Mafnas said protocol was followed, but fact finding showed it wasnt an immediate threat. GPD was called because its part of protocol, but the school investigation only found that a picture was shared through AirDrop and later a student was found with two toy guns that were confiscated, she said. She said she didnt want to alarm any parents because theyre middle school students and they often talk about trying to do stuff to the school.

But moving forward if the school does go into lockdown, they will put an alert to parents. So weve addressed that, she said.
The Guam Visitors Bureau is hosting two fireworks shows and one drone show to celebrate the New Year on Dec. 31 into Jan. 1, 2024.

The fireworks and drone will be taking place at the following:

Tumon Bay: 11:50 p.m.  drone show; 12 a.m.  fireworks

Hagatna Bay: 12 a.m.  fireworks

GVB hosted fireworks shows annually for Guam and recently began including a drone show to make the New Year event more memorable for residents and visitors during this holiday season. The events will commence in Tumon with a 9-minute drone performance by Bella Wings Aviation at 11:50 p.m., leading into a traditional fireworks show at midnight by JamzMedia Productions/ShowPro Pyrotechnics launched from Governor Joseph Flores Beach Park (Ypao Beach).

In Hagatna, an additional fireworks show will be launched simultaneously at midnight over Hagatna Bay.

GVB is proud to be able to continue the New Years tradition with fireworks and the drone show this year. We aim to provide a family-friendly way to welcome 2024 and show our visitors and new residents how we celebrate the Holidays together as an island, said GVB President and CEO Carl T.C. Gutierrez.

GVB would like to invite the community to come out and enjoy this special event. However, it is strongly advised that there be no swimming in the waters between Ypao Beach and Hyatt Regency on New Years Eve.

JamzMedia and Bella Wings Aviation will be working with the Guam Police Department, Guam Fire Department and GVBs Visitor Safety Officers to keep everyone safe. GVB also encourages everyone who will watch the shows to keep Guam clean.
One or two more public schools may see major repairs than the seven reported last week, according to a recent meeting of the Guam Education Board.

The Guam Department of Education was previously looking to get major roof, plumbing, electrical and structural work done at all 40 GDOE school campuses. But the bids came in about $200 million over the federal funding available for the refurbishments, the Pacific Daily News reported.

Decisions to fix some schools, and not others, has drawn criticism from education oversight chairman Sen. Chris Barnett and now Education Board Vice Chair Maria Gutierrez.

Only seven schools could be fixed using the $80 million budget thats available for refurbishments, Education Superintendent Kenneth Swanson told lawmakers last week.

But the reallocation of some money will allow one more to be added to the list, Swanson told the Education Board, and, if I can make that number higher, I will.

Swanson said he couldnt disclose the name of the additional school, as procurement wasnt finalized. Disclosure of other school names, done last week, had been an error on his part, he said.

U.S. DOE had approved the move of more federal funding towards school refurbishments, Swanson said.

Known schools that will see repairs are:

George Washington High School

Oceanview Middle School

Agueda Johnston Middle School

Inarajan Middle School

Ordot-Chalan Pago Elementary School

D.L. Perez Elementary School

Tamuning Elementary School

Contractor Core Tech International is ready to start construction as soon as contracts are finalized, Swanson said. School principals will work with GDOE leadership on student safety and contractor access.

F.B. Leon Guerrero Middle School in Yigo, which has been vacated due structural issues since late 2022, has also had a separate contract for major structural repair work awarded, according to Swanson.

Left out

Gutierrez questioned why Finegayan Elementary School, with its large student population, wasnt included for refurbishments.

Why was Finegayan taken off the list? Theres the 837 students. This school has been assessed for over more than five years: assessment, assessment, assessment, Gutierrez said.

I have to take the money that we have and put it against all of the schools, on the basis of what needs to be done and what level, Swanson told her.

So you dont think that the 837 students at Finegayan dont deserve (it)? Gutierrez asked.

All of our students deserve to be in that situation and have those services. We do not have the funding to do it, Swanson replied.

Discussion about school refurbishments also come as Swanson sets to work identifying what schools may be fit for closure, as GDOE grapples with a student capacity thats much higher than enrollment.

The superintendent told board members that, despite speculation in the community, theres been no campus identified for closure yet.

That conversation will start in January, he said, and the goal is to repair the buildings that are the best place to spend the money and retain that facility, with neighborhood access also in mind.

Inspections coming up

Liguan Elementary School is projected to open back up on full campus schedule starting in January, provided it passes its health inspection, according to Swanson. The school previously had students attending class on alternating days in the campus.

Parents, staff and community support has been really significant there, Swanson said.

The Department of Public Health and Social Services had yet to post an inspection report for Liguan as of Tuesday afternoon.

So far, 14 out of the 40 GDOE campuses have passed their health inspection, according to Swanson.

Prior to this school year, a number of schools had gone years without a graded health inspection due to GDOE getting until the summer of 2024 to come into compliance with sanitary regulations. Complaints of poor and unhealthy conditions, combined with devastation by Typhoon Mawar, have prompted the push to get every school inspected.

Coming up next on the inspection list are:

Astumbo Elementary School

Adacao Elementary School

Harry S. Truman Elementary School

Marcial Sablan Elementary School

Swanson said that maintenance teams are working to get schools ready ahead of their inspection dates.

High school inspections, which are a lot bigger and a lot more complex wont be inspected until after the end of the current school year, according to the education superintendent. Swanson said they dont want to risk a high school closing due to failure before graduation, or students completing their courses.

Should the school fail inspection and be required to close, the only viable option is to continue instruction online with acting teacher work sessions and hardcopy packets. The online option is not optimal and the community doesnt desire that, he said.

Education Board member Angel Sablan asked that the community be notified ahead of any upcoming inspections, so that they could make arrangements for their children, should the school they attend fail its inspection and be shut down.
New federal limits on the amount of toxic forever chemicals present in drinking water are nearing finalization, and could have big implications for water systems on Guam.

The White House Office of Management and Budget is reviewing a final rule for various chemicals under the umbrella of PFAS, which have been linked to certain kinds of cancer, as immune and cardiovascular system issues, and low birth rates. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency submitted the regulations for review earlier this month.

Previously, no limit on the chemicals was present, though high levels of it have shut down the operation of island water wells in the past.

One well maintained by the Navy on U.S. Naval Hospital property, and shut down since 2020, recorded over 350 times the newly proposed limit for one such chemical, PFOS, according to Navy water quality reports for 2022.

Thats an extreme example, but Guam EPA has expressed concerns that wells among all of the islands public water supply systems could have higher levels of PFAS than the federal regulator has deemed acceptable.

Guam Waterworks Authority operates three water supply systems in the north, central, and south, while the Navy and Air Force each have their own systems. Various private entities have also operated water supply systems over the years, according to Guam EPA compliance reports.

GWA has already installed certain granular activated carbon filtration systems on some wells, and is looking to install more, GWA General Manager Miguel Bordallo told the PDN last month. The waterworks authority also wants to get more technology onboard ahead of time in order to come into compliance with new federal regulations.

By law, new regulations on PFAS will have to be finalized by the federal government by September 2024, though U.S. EPA has published documents stating that it wants to finalize the rules by January.

Federal regulators have anticipated a lengthy time to get into compliance with the new regulations, possibly up to three years. National costs to comply with PFAS limits could be as high as between $772 million per year and $1.2 billion per year, U.S. EPA Standards and Risk Management Division Director Eric Burneson said in May.

PFAS has been used to manufacture multiple types of consumer goods since the 1940s, like carpets, clothing treatments, and firefighting foams.

Various PFAS chemicals are also used to manufacture items used by the Department of Defense. The DoD in a report issued to Congress in August stated that a number of PFAS molecules are critical to the national security of the United States because of their broad use in military and civilian products.

PFAS are critical to DoD mission success and readiness and to many national sectors of critical infrastructure, including information technology, critical manufacturing, health care, renewable energy, and transportation, the DoD reported.

It also noted that PFAS are used in a variety of munitions and weapons platforms, including missile systems.

Water quality reports for 2022 show both offline Navy wells at Naval Hospital clock in with levels of PFOA and PFOS, two of the most common PFAS chemicals, well above the proposed limit of 4 parts-per-trillion from U.S. EPA.

Four other wells that are identified on the report do come in under the limit, though one other, the active NWTP Clearwell, came in at 4.4 parts-per-trillion.

The Navys water quality report does acknowledge coming regulations.

DoD is evaluating its efforts to address PFAS in drinking water, and what actions we can take to be prepared to incorporate this standard, such as reviewing our current data and collecting additional sampling where necessary. DoD remains committed to committed to communicating and engaging with our communities throughout this process.

Wells operated by the Air Force fare better in water quality reports, coming in under the proposed limits for PFOA and PFOS in water quality reports for 2022 and 2021.
The Office of Public Accountability determined the Guam International Airport Authority must terminate its baggage conveyance system contract after an appeal.

The OPA issued a decision in Johndel International, Inc. vs. Guam International Airport Authority relative to procurement of management & infrastructure support services to GIAAs baggage conveyance systems.

The airport ultimately awarded Menzies Aviation the emergency procurement for the baggage conveyance systems.

In this appeal to the OPA, JMI-Edison took issue with the continuing nature of the emergency procurement by the airport of the management and infrastructure, and support services for its baggage conveyance system.

This was JMI-Edisons second appeal related to this procurement, but in this case protested the emergency-nature of expenditure of government funds.

JMI asked the public auditor to disqualify Menzies and award the company the contract.

In its ten-page decision focusing on the nature of emergency procurements, the OPA found GIAAs action to conduct an emergency procurement merely served to extend the engagement of its existing vendor, Menzies, and did not foster competition and carried risk of incompliant procurement.

Reasonably prudent procurement planning could have factored in adequate time to resolve foreseeable contingent impacts on financial accounts, whether due to earthquake, typhoon, pandemic or like emergency, or because of risk to procurement because of a protest by a competing bidder.

The slippery slope created by GIAAs use of an emergency procurement when a protest is lodged is apparent, the decision states.

The airport defends its denial of the protest because it has an emergency brought by JMIs Sept. 21, 2021, protest.

However, in doing so, the airport assigned blame for the emergency on JMIs protest, not an event or circumstances beyond its reasonable control. The airports reasoning means that a purchasing agency which neglects to ensure a timely and proper procurement of important equipment or services can blame the protesting party for creating the emergency: a version of you made me do it. An aggrieved partys concerns with an important procurement must not be the reason for conducting an emergency procurement, the decision states.

An emergency is only applicable when there exists an imminent threat to public health, welfare, or the health and safety of the environment, which could not have been foreseen through the use of reasonable and prudent management procedures, and which cannot be address by other procurement methods of source selection, the decision states.

The airport said it doesnt have the technical or manpower capacity to operate the systems automate components, to maintain the system, to conduct repairs and troubleshooting of the system or manage the control room of the system. The airport has outsourced the contract with Menzies since it was last issued in 2015.

The airport knew it needed to outsource baggage conveyance operations because it does not have sufficient capacity on its own. A likelihood of disruption in services, then, was to be reasonably expected when the time to replace depreciated machines approached and or when procurement of services would be necessary to sustain ongoing operations, the decision states.

Since JMI-Edisons protest in this appeal is post-award, Menzies procurement contract shall be terminated as of 60 days from the date of the decision to give the airport the opportunity to determine its next course of action.

The parties were informed of their right to appeal the public auditors decision to the Superior Court of Guam within 14 days after receipt of a final administrative decision.
While some consider watching the ball drop in New York Citys Times Square, the quintessential New Years Eve experience, a new study says Orlando, Florida, is actually the best city to ring in the new year.

For its data, WalletHub analyzed the 100 largest cities, using 26 factors indicative of a memorable New Years Eve celebration, including, nightlife, the cost of food and weather  and Orlando topped the list.

Whether you want to experience the holiday at a breathtaking destination like Disney World or just at a house or hotel, Orlando has you covered, WalletHubs Adam McCann said in a news release. The city ranks first when it comes to nightlife options and affordable restaurants.

While New York City came in third, it can cost a pretty penny to celebrate in the Big Apple with the average cost for a couple to enjoy dinner out clocking in at $872.

Rounding out the top five New Years Eve hot spots are, San Diego, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Atlanta, Georgia. Miami, Florida, came in sixth.

Of course, you cant talk about New Years Eve without mentioning fireworks. Orlando has some of the longest fireworks displays in the country, and consumer fireworks are legal, so people can set up their own shows, McCann said. In addition, the city has the most party supply stores and second highest number of gourmet specialty-food stores in the nation.

According to WalletHub, more than 125 million Americans will travel for the New Years holiday this year, with more than half of them driving to their destination.




Haiti - FLASH : Individuals attack FAdH soldiers killing a soldier





A press release from the Secretariat of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAd'H) informs that on Saturday December 23, 2023 around 9:00 a.m., heavily armed individuals attacked soldiers who were on duty on the zone of Bon-Repos (north of the capital).



"One of our men was fatally injured, while a second, injured, was rushed to a hospital in the metropolitan area where he received the treatment his case required," the press release said.



"The General Headquarters presents its sincere condolences to the parents of the deceased soldier" indicating that an investigation is underway to shed light on this unfortunate incident.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Assassination of Moise : Me Andre Michel questions the refusal of Martine Moise to testify





In a note Me Andre Michel leader of the radical opposition of the Democratic and Popular Sector (SDP) believes that Martine Moise, the wife of President Jovenel Moise, has become the only obstacle to the successful conclusion of the investigation into the assassination from her husband "Its not normal !" This is not acceptable. All the people summoned to appear before the judge agreed to do so [] Last week, the Council of Ministers took the historic decision to authorize the Prime Minister, the ministers and the major State officials concerned to answer Judge Voltaire's questions https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-41269-haiti-news-zapping.html . The SDP welcomes this decision. There should be no obstacle to the investigation into the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, this is my personal position.



This is the position of the Democratic and Popular Sector. Why does Martine Moise refuse to appear before the judge in charge of the investigation into the assassination of her late husband? I also remind you that Martine Moise, in the assassination of President Dorval, has also so far refused to appear at the investigating office as part of this investigation.



In the Republic, no one is above the Law. Justice must use all legal means to force Martine Moise to appear, thats the Republic! 



IH/ iciHaiti


















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Another Christmas has come and gone in Havre, and this year's Community Christmas Dinner, held at the Havre Eagles Club that day, appears to have been a massive success.

Havre Community Christmas Dinner Committee Chair Doug Denny said they saw a bit of a drop in delivery requests this year, but in-person attendance has increased noticeably, which has been great to see.

"It's just fabulous," Denny said.

Indeed the Eagles Club was all but packed with people by 11:30 a.m., only a half hour after opening, with community members enjoying turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, dinner rolls, pie and more.

The free dinner has been held annually for years, serving hundreds of meals to attendees Christmas Day.

In the past few years the event saw more people moving deliveries, partially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but poor weather last year also contributed.

This year, however, the area remains unseasonably warm overall, and Denny attributed the significant boost in in-person attendance primarily to that.

Havre Daily News/Christy Bambrough Volunteers Chrystal Kerr, from left, Duane Ray, Michael Cuneo, Debbie Callahan and Dennis Keller serve food in the Havre Eagles Club Monday during the Community Christmas Dinner.

He said they were a little short on drivers for deliveries this year, but with the reduction in demand they managed to get all the meals out in good order.

As for in-house volunteers, he said, they had everything covered and then some, with plenty of extra people to help out with odd tasks while those in the kitchen served the meals.

The meals themselves, he said, were a little different than last year, as they had to trade out turkey for ham in 2022 due to a massive spike in the former's prices.

He said going back to turkey this year was great. Even if it takes a bit more time to prepare, he said, they had more than enough helpful people to get everything done.

"It is a little more work, but we had a kitchen just chock full of help today, so the help has been just awesome," he said.

Denny extended his thanks to Milk River Gobblers which provided the turkey this year, as well as everyone who helps make the dinner happen.
The City of Helsinki published its most recent population forecast last week, revealing that its population is expected to grow from 664,028 at the end of 2022 to over 700,000 in 2027 and to 722,000 in 2040. The city is forecast to have a population of 906,000 at the end of the forecast period, in 2060.

The Finnish capital is projected to gain 8,200 residents in 2024 and continue to grow at an annual rate of almost 7,000 starting in 2025. This year, the population is expected to grow by more than 10,000 based on preliminary data from the period between January and October.

The growth across the forecast period is attributable principally to migration gains, especially from abroad, with population ageing continuing and the number of deaths growing faster than that of births in the coming years.

The number of 75-year-old and older residents is projected to rise by 15,000 by the end of 2030 and almost 30,000 by 2040. The number of under school-aged children, by contrast, is only projected to only grow by slightly over 3,000 by the end of 2030, while the number of school-aged children is not expected to grow significantly between 2022 and 2030.

Geographically, population growth is forecast to be fastest in quarters with a lot of residential construction, such as Kalasatama, Central and Northern Pasila and Vuosaari.

What is noteworthy is that population will decline in some boroughs, reads the press release from the City of Helsinki.

The Helsinki region, which consists of 14 municipalities, is projected to grow from 1.55 million to 1.88 million residents in 20222040. By 2060, the region is expected to be home to 2.13 million people.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT
Questions about the backgrounds of the purportedly Turkish charter airline were raised recently in an investigative report by Bild, one of the leading tabloid newspapers in Germany.

AUTHORITIES in Finland will exercise special caution if an aircraft of Southwind Airlines requests permission to enter Finland, Jarkko Saarimaki , the director general of the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom), stated to YLE on Sunday.

Bild on Friday reported that the airline was established by Russian nationals and has leased most of its staff and fleet from Nordwind Airlines, a Russian airline that is prohibited from entering the airspace of the EU. The newspaper also wrote that the airline was set up to carry migrants to the external borders of the 27-country bloc via Minsk, the capital of Belarus.

Safa Oruc, the director of aviation safety at Southwind Airlines, on Monday stated to YLE in an e-mail that the airline is not involved in any criminal activity, that the airline and its aircraft are registered in Turkey and that the airline is owned by a Turkish national.

Not a single member of Southwinds management is Russian, added Oruc.

Oruc told YLE that Southwind Airlines has leased its aircraft from Japan, Turkey and the US. Three of its 12 aircraft have previously operated in Russia.

Saarimaki from Traficom stated to the public broadcasting company a day earlier that the airline has enquired about the possibility to use Helsinki Airport as a diversion airport for flights to St. Petersburg.

Weve reminded them of the sanctions policies that are in place in Europe, he said. We havent been able to verify the information published by Bild. If Southwind Airlines aircraft are used to enter the country, wed in any case have to open a broader formal investigation into the backgrounds of the company [operating the aircraft].

Southwind Airlines states on its website that is has prepared to commence flights between Turkey and Helsinki in April 2024. The airline would likely be denied an operating permit if the reports about its backgrounds prove accurate, Saarimaki outlined in an earlier interview with STT.

Finavia has confirmed that an aircraft of the airline was in Finland in August. The aircraft had been leased by another Turkish carrier for a flight between Istanbul and Helsinki.

Russia has been accused of using migrants as a means to apply pressure on western countries that have imposed sanctions on it over its ongoing war of aggression in Ukraine. The Finnish Ministry of the Interior has reported that Russian authorities have encouraged people to cross the land border into Finland to put a strain on the asylum system in Finland.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT
Applications open for Looking Glass Rock Writers Conference

Applications are now open to participate in the 2024 Looking Glass Rock Writers Conference, sponsored by the Transylvania County Library Foundation and Brevard College. The conference consists of four days of intensive creative writing workshops for select participants, led by renowned authors Dorianne Laux, Pam Houston and Jason Mott.

The conference will take place May 16-19 on the Brevard College campus and at the Transylvania County Library. Conference faculty will give free public readings of their work, giving Transylvania County residents an opportunity to interact with the notable authors and engage in meaningful conversation about writing.

The writing workshops will be divided into three genres: fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Workshop acceptance is competitive, so applicants are encouraged to submit their best published or unpublished work for review through the conferences website: lgrwc.org. Interested individuals can apply to two of the genre workshops but may only be selected for one. Applications will be accepted through Dec. 31, and accepted participants will be notified by February. Each workshop is intimate and limited to 12 participants. Some scholarships are available.

At the 2024 conference, Jason Mott will be leading the fiction workshops, Pam Houston will lead non-fiction, and Dorianne Laux will lead the poetry workshops. Mott is a bestselling author, National Book Award Winner, and Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction Winner. His poetry and fiction have appeared in various literary journals, and he is the author of four novels: The Returned, The Wonder of All Things, The Crossing, and Hell of a Book. Hell Of A Book, was a Jenna Bush Hager Read With Jenna Book Club pick, Carnegie Medals For Excellence in Fiction Longlist selection, a 2022 Aspen Words Literary Prize Longlist selection, a 2022 Chatauqua Prize Finalist, a Joyce Carol Oates Prize Longlist selection, the 2022 Housatonic Book Award Winner, the 2021 Sir Walter Raleigh Prize for Fiction winner, and the winner of the 2021 National Book Award for Fiction.

Pam Houston is the author of two collections of short stories Cowboys Are My Weakness, which was the winner of the 1993 Western States Book Award and has been translated into nine languages, and Waltzing the Cat, which won the Willa Award for Contemporary Fiction; two novels, Contents May Have Shifted and Sight Hound, and three collections of autobiographical essays, Deep Creek: Finding Hope in the High Country, from which Cheryl Strayed chose an essay for inclusion in the forthcoming Best American Travel Writing and another essay will be included in the forthcoming Pushcart Prize anthology, A Rough Guide to the Heart, and A Little More About Me. Her stories have also been selected for The O. Henry Awards and The Pushcart Prize. She is the winner of the Western States Book Award, the WILLA Award for contemporary fiction, and The Evil Companions Literary Award. She is a regular contributor to O, the Oprah Magazine, the New York Times and many other periodicals. She divides her time between University of California Davis and southwestern Colorado at 9,000 feet above sea level near the headwaters of the Rio Grande.

Dorianne Laux is the author of several collections of poetry, including What We Carry, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award; Smoke; Facts about the Moon, chosen by the poet Ai as winner of the Oregon Book Award and also a finalist for the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize; The Book of Men, which was awarded the Paterson Prize; and Only As the Day is Long: New and Selected Poems, Lauxs sixth collection, which was named a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. She has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts and has been a Pushcart Prize winner. Her latest collection is Life On Earth which will be released in January of 2024. Laux has taught creative writing at the University of Oregon, Pacific University, and North Carolina State University; she has also led summer workshops at Esalen in Big Sur. She is the co-author, with Kim Addonizio, of The Poets Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.

For more information about the Looking Glass Rock Writers Conference, the application process and next years faculty, visit lgrwc.org.
Pune's bustling real estate scene witnessed an unforgettable year of success this past year, marked by the unmatched success of one prominent Pune Property Investor who set new benchmarks for resilience, strategic vision and unwavering dedication - their journey evidences this excellence as they reached a valuation of over 100 crores with 100 bookings recorded proving their steadfast commitment and strategic acumen.

Pune Property Investor's success can be attributed to significant financial achievements and its expansion from five to 50 members. This feat showcases their ability to identify talent, develop potential and form an efficient unit that runs efficiently to propel their business forward. Growth often presents obstacles, yet their resilience in overcoming them with grace has undoubtedly contributed to their success.

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At the core of their achievements lies a dedication to customer service excellence. By providing essential services such as free site visits, access to prime property plots, loan facilitation services, and comprehensive property insurance plans - including complimentary site visits - The Pune Property Investor has met market needs and raised standards of client-oriented services in Pune's real estate landscape. Their offerings go beyond simple transactions; instead, they demonstrate a genuine dedication towards simplifying investing journeys for their clients.

Promotion and communication of these services are equally crucial to their success. Leveraging various communication channels - digital platforms, networking events or client outreach services - can significantly raise awareness and use rates of offerings while strengthening investor-client relationships further.

Pune Property Investor's association with over 100 leading developers showcases their dedication to diversification and providing clients with options. Their partnerships demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of market dynamics while meeting diverse investor preferences and requirements.

Pune Property Investor's success can be traced to its acute awareness of client requirements. By creating an environment that prioritizes understanding and fulfilling them, they have quickly established themselves as leading innovators of tailored real estate solutions in today's ever-evolving market.

Pune Property Investor continues their upward journey as an inspirational beacon of success - setting an example for other investors and entrepreneurs aspiring to enter Pune's real estate field by persevering, innovating, and striving for excellence. Their journey serves as inspiration and a benchmark for those aspiring to enter this competitive arena, demonstrating that dedication, strategic approach and teamwork can achieve success. www.punepropertyinvestor.com

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.
The development comes at a time when Kalyani, the Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Forge, is locked in a legal battle with his sister Sugandha Hiremath for the ownership of Hikal. HT Image

The company had sought approval through a postal ballot from the shareholders to approve a special resolution for the continuation of directorship of Kalyani beyond the age of 75 years.

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However, as per the regulatory filing by Hikal, only 51.99 per cent of votes were polled in favour of the resolution and 48 per cent were against it.

Being a special resolution, it needed 75 per cent of total votes in favour as per regulations.

Hikal is in the midst of a battle between two promoter groups - the Hiremaths who own 34.84 per cent stake and Baba N Kalyani (BNK)-led side that holds 34.01 per cent of the company. Minority shareholders own 31.15 per cent.

As per the voting results shared on BSE by the company, 49.4 per cent of promoters votes were polled in favour of the resolution and 50.59 per cent against.

On the other hand, 72.85 per cent of public institutions votes were in favour and 27.14 per cent were polled against the resolution. As for public shareholders, 57.24 per cent votes were in favour and 42.75 per cent were against the resolution.

Kalyani was first appointed as director of Hikal on February 5, 1992.

In May this year, proxy advisory firm InGovern Research Services had stated that the battle between its two promoters was impacting corporate performance and stated that in the absence of an agreement between the two warring promoter groups due the proportion of shareholding makes it difficult for any special resolution to be passed.

It was also likely to slow down decision-making and resultantly, the interest of the company is likely to be compromised.

However, the company had refuted the allegations saying it was "a one-sided and an ill-informed attempt to damage the credibility of the company and its management and has been made with the intention of causing gross prejudice to the company".

Hikal had also asserted that the Hiremath family is the promoter of the company, and InGovern's report "has been made with a view to speculate...and spread false information about the impact of the ongoing legal dispute between them on the company's performance".

The company had also reiterated that the current legal suit between the Hiremath family and the BNK family was at a shareholder level and it was not expected to cause any impact to the company and its performance.
Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan has picked Manmohan Singh and Yashwant Sinha as two of the best finance ministers the country has seen. Former Governor of Reserve Bank Of India (RBI) Raghuram Rajan (Mohd Zakir/HT PHOTO)

I think there is a tussle in my view between Dr Manmohan Singh and Yashwant Sinha. Yashwant Sinha from the NDA and Dr Manmohan Singh, of course, from the early Congress, Rajan told YouTuber Raj Shamani on the latter's Figuring Out podcast.

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Manmohan Singh

Rajan said this is because as finance minister to then prime minister PV Narasimha Rao, Singh did the big liberalisation in the early 90s.

That was a time of tremendous change. I think it took that combination of Dr Narasimha Rao, who facilitated the political environment, and Dr Manmohan Singh, who laid out the specific reforms. I think that was spectacular. And it set the pace for growth subsequently, the ex-RBI governor noted.

In 2004, Singh, a Congress veteran, became the country's first Sikh prime minister; under him, the party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) won a re-election in 2009. In 2014, however, the grand old party was defeated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Singh has been away from public eye since then.

Yashwant Sinha

As the finance minister to then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Sinha presided over a 'period of reforms,' Rajan said.

He added: The question was did we need anymore (reforms). And he (Sinha) kept pushing. He kept saying we are not done, we need to do more. And you know things like simplifying the tax system, he pushed for privatisation because he said we occupy too much position in the statemaybe even privatising the banks.

Sinha, who served two terms as Vajpayee's finance minister, left the BJP in 2018, and joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in 2021. Last year, he was the joint Opposition's candidate for the presidential election, but lost to Droupadi Murmu, the nominee of the BJP-led ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Rajan on P Chidambaram

An ex-finance minister who narrowly missed out on Rajan's 'list' was Congress' P Chidambaram, who, the former remarked, did the dream budget during the coalition (UPA) government.
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], December 26 (ANI): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Tuesday held a meeting with the officers in-charge of various divisions, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) and Additional Directors General of Police (ADG) at the state secretariat in Bhopal. HT Image

During the meeting, CM Yadav held a discussion regarding the strengthening of law and order in the state and other important issues. He also gave necessary directions to them on the occasion.

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"Today, a meeting was held with the officers in-charge (ACS /ADG) of various divisions at Mantralaya. Discussion was held on strengthening of law and order in the state, other important issues and also gave necessary directions," CM Yadav posted on X.

In the beginning of the meeting, Additional Chief Secretaries gave details to CM Yadav about implementation of public welfare schemes and meetings of officers in the divisions.

The Chief Minister office posted on X, "CM Yadav held a discussion with the officers in-charges of the divisions, Additional Chief Secretaries and Additional Directors General of Police at the Mantralaya conference hall. At the beginning of the meeting, Additional Chief Secretaries gave details about the visits made to the divisions, implementation of public welfare schemes and meetings of officers in the divisions to CM Yadav."

Chief Secretary Veera Rana and senior officials were also present in the meeting. (ANI)
Six workers died and two others were injured after the wall of a brick kiln in Uttarakhands Haridwar collapsed on Tuesday, a police official said. One horse was also killed in the incident. Rescuers engaged in search operation at the accident site in Uttarakhands Haridwar district.

The incident took place at around 6am in Lahboli village under Manglaur police station. Soon after the incident, senior police and administrative officers, including district magistrate Dhiraj Singh Garbiyal, senior superintendent of police (SSP) Pramendra Dobhal rushed to the spot. The injured were admitted to a hospital in Roorkee.

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Meanwhile, the district administration has ordered a magisterial inquiry to investigate the reasons behind the incident.

The DM said, We received information at around 6am that the wall of a brick kiln named Sanvi Brick Field has collapsed in Lahboli village under Manglaur police station. Six people died in the incident, two people got injured. The injured are receiving treatment at Vinay Vishal Hospital in Roorkee.

I have ordered a magisterial inquiry into the accident. It will be carried out by joint magistrate, Roorkee, he said.

Garbiyal said he has asked the joint magistrate to submit a detailed report of the incident within 15 days.

The deceased were identified as Mukul Kumar of village Udhalhedi, Sabir of Muzzafarnagar, Ankit of village Udhalhedi, Baburam of village Lahboli and Jaggi Kumar and Sameer, residents of Muzaffarnagar.

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced a financial assistance of 2 lakh each for the kin of the deceased, said the DM.

Dhami also expressed his grief over the loss of lives and wished for the speedy recovery of those injured.
A low-intensity blast was heard near the Israel embassy in the high-security Lutyens zone on Tuesday evening, triggering concern among the Indian security and intelligence agencies and prompting them to carry out an extensive search in the area. During this operation, a letter addressed to the Israeli ambassador was recovered at the spot, police officers aware of the matter said. A forensic team inspects the area after a low-intensity blast at the Israel Embassy in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Vipin Kumar/HT photo)

Nobody was injured and no damage to property was reported from the site, officers said, adding that a high-alert was also sounded in the national capital following the explosion.

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The incident comes nearly three years after a blast in the vicinity of the Israeli embassy during the Republic Day festivities week led to security around APJ Abdul Kalam Road, where the embassy is located, being significantly enhanced.

The embassy confirmed that an explosion occurred in its close proximity.

READ | 'Explosion in close proximity': What Israel Embassy said on Delhi blast

This evening, several minutes after [5pm], an explosion occurred in close proximity to the embassy. All our workers are safe, all our diplomats are safe. Our security teams are working in full cooperation with the local Delhi security, and they will investigate the matter further, said Israels deputy chief of mission, Ohad Nakash Kaynar.

A police officer, who asked not to be identified, said that their preliminary probe suggested that it could be a high-intensity cracker blast in a wooded area on Prithviraj Road behind the Israel embassy. A loud explosion was heard by a few people present at the embassy, a security guard deployed at a nearby building, and an on-duty police official who informed his seniors in the force and the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), the officer added.

A second officer indicated that no shrapnel or lethal material was found in the area, suggesting it could have been a loud cracker used to draw attention and sound a warning.

READ | Delhi Police receive call about blast near Israel Embassy, staff unharmed

Though the contents of the letter were not clear, people aware of the matter said they mentioned Israels actions in Palestine. The incident comes amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in which nearly 21,000 people have been killed and around 55,000 have been injured. The war started on October 7 following an attack on Israel by the militant group, and has led to a severe counter by the Israel in the contentious Gaza strip where Hamas is headquartered.

A typed letter wrapped in a flag was found a few metres away from the area where the explosion was heard. The letter was addressed to the Israeli ambassador and some foul words were mentioned in its content that pointed towards Israels stand against Palestine. The letter is being sent to the forensic experts, a third officer said, asking not to be named.

Delhi Police spokesperson Kumar Gyanesh said that at 5.53 pm, a call was received at the police control room conveying the information that in the rear of the Israel embassy, a loud sound has been heard at Jindal House. Considering the sensitivity of the location and mention of explosion type sound, senior officers rushed to the location, said Gyanesh.

In close follow-up, the dog squad, crime (scene inspection) team, and bomb detection/disposal squad (BDS) team of the Delhi Police reached the spot where the sound of the explosion was reported to have been heard. Soon, experts from the forensic science laboratory (FSL), Delhi, also reached. The area was cordoned off and subjected to thorough search. The experts have examined the spot, lifted exhibits that may have evidentiary relevance; the same are being sent for forensic examination, said Gyanesh, and added that further enquiry was in progress.

DFS director Atul Garg said that the call regarding the blast was received from the police after which one fire tender along with firefighters was rushed to the spot. The area was scanned but nothing was found, said Garg.

Speaking to reporters, Teju Chitri, a security guard deployed at Central Hindi Training Institute, which is near the embassy, said, I heard a blast at about 5pm. I came outside and saw smoke coming out from near a tree. It was a loud blast.

Apart from the Delhi Police and fire department officials, officials of national investigation agency (NIA), intelligence bureau (IB) and other anti-terror and intelligence units reached the area and joined the inspection and search operation. The area was cordoned off for nearly three hours, during which forensic experts collected necessary samples.

Till the time of going to press, no information was issued by the police on whether any first information report (FIR) was being registered in connection with the blast.

On January 29, 2021, a low-intensity blast outside the Israeli embassy in Delhi went off around 5pm near Bungalow number 5, APJ Abdul Kalam Road, near Jindal House. Although nobody was killed or injured, the blast -- an improved explosive device was used in it -- left a crater and damaged three cars parked in the vicinity. NIA took over the investigation of the case and is yet to make any headway in it.

Earlier, on February 13, 2012, an unidentified motorcyclist had placed a sticky bomb on an Israeli embassy Toyota Innova car, injuring the official and driver who were in the vehicle.
Six of the eight rare injured Houbara Bustards rescued from the Thar Desert between 2020 and 2023 remain confined at the Machia Biological Park in Jodhpur while the two others have died. Experts have expressed concern over the confinement and called for their release for the continuation of research on their migration patterns. India is home to four of the 25 bustard species and all face threats. (HT PHOTO)

Deputy forest conservator (wildlife) Sunil Gaur said they have no objection to releasing the birds in the wild if the veterinarians declare the bustards fit. Shrawan Singh Rathore, a wildlife veterinarian, called for a thorough assessment of the birds.

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Hemsingh Gehlot, who heads the Wildlife Research Centre at Jai Narayan Vyas University, cited a report from a wildlife veterinarian, saying three of the bustards were healthy and fit for release. He added that they remain confined, and two out of the eight have died.

Gehlot said India is home to four of the 25 bustard species and all face threats. He added two species, the Bengal Florican and Great Indian Bustard, were critically endangered. Gehlot said the Lesser Florican is endangered, and the Houbara Bustard is deemed as vulnerable.

Protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, the Houbara Bustard are major winter migratory birds in the desert region. Traditionally hunted across its range, the Houbara Bustard faces peril from Arab countries to Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan, said Gehlot. He added the species were driven away from Arabian countries due to human pressure and royal hunting. Currently, the Bustard is predominantly in Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, with a diminishing presence in India.

Gehlot said the species migrates to the Thar Desert in winter. Five [of the eight migratory birds rescued between 2020 and 2023] were identified for scientific study. Unfortunately, their confinement inhibits researchers from studying their activities, he said.

Gehlot said approval is needed from the Central Zoo Authority for keeping such species in permanent captivity. He added no such permission had been obtained.
A 19-year-old woman was killed and her friend (28) was severely injured when a man hit them with his SUV after a heated exchange in a pub in Jaipurs Jawahar Circle area early Tuesday morning, police said. Police said the accused has been absconding after the incident. (Representative Image)

The station house officer of the local police station, Dalbeer Singh said, The accused is absconding. Further investigation is underway.

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According to the first information report (FIR) lodged by the injured victim Rajkumar, the accused and the deceased Uma Suthar on Monday night went to a pub on the SL Marg. Rajkumar is also a partner in that restaurant -cum-bar.

After inspecting some construction work on the rooftop, Rajkumar and Uma returned to the restaurant to have dinner around 11pm.

The accused Mangesh was also having drinks with her girlfriend there. After some time, they started passing comments towards Uma. When Rajkumar objected, Mangesh said he already knew him, said the FIR.

Later, they sat together and had a conversation. However, Mangesh tried to touch Uma following which the two left the restaurant around 5am with a cab booked by Uma, Rajkumar alleged.

Meanwhile, Mangesh and his girlfriend also came there and started a row with them in front of the pub. As the fight escalated, Mangesh left but soon returned in his SUV and drove over Rajkumar and Uma, who were waiting for the cab, the FIR said.

The restaurant staff rushed them both to a nearby hospital where Uma succumbed to injuries, while Rajkumar is still under treatment, police said.

A case was filed under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) against the accused.

The SHO said, We are examining CCTV footage as part of the investigation. Both Mangesh and her girlfriend are absconding. We will arrest the accused soon.
Union home minister Amit Shah and Bharatiya Janata Party national president JP Nadda will hold at least three organisational meetings in Kolkata today to prepare the partys strategy in West Bengal for the coming 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda at a party meet. (PTI Photo)

Senior BJP leaders said this is uncommon that the partys two top leaders are coming down to Kolkata together to hold organisational meetings.

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Lok Sabha elections are around the corner. So, whatever meetings take place now will be related to the polls. Todays meetings have all the more significance because both Shah and Nadda are coming together. The partys national leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will also be coming more frequently, Manoj Tigga, BJP legislator and the partys chief whip in the state, told the media.

The BJP is targeting to win 35 out of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal in the coming polls. In the 2019 general elections, the BJP had set a target to win 22 seats and bagged 18.

Both Shah and Nadda arrived in Kolkata late on Monday night. On Tuesday, they will first visit Gurudwara Bara Sikh Sangat in north Kolkata and the Kalighat temple before holding at least three organisational meetings during the day. They will fly back to Delhi at night.

The first organisational meeting will be held at a hotel with the partys core committee members in the state. The two national leaders will meet the partys state president, leader of the opposition in the state assembly, the partys state secretaries and the observers of the party in the state among others, said a senior leader.

The second meeting with social media volunteers will be held at the National Library, while the third will be held in the evening before Shah and Nadda depart from Kolkata.

Senior leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress in the state, however, downplayed the visit of the BJP top brass.

West Bengal is a nice place to visit during the winters, particularly just before the New Year. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has inaugurated the Christmas festival at Park Street. They may also go (there). Let the BJP leaders from Delhi enjoy the trip, TMC leader Tapas Roy told the media.
KOLKATA: West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose, who is the chancellor of all state-run universities, is likely to move the Calcutta high court against Jadavpur University for going ahead with the annual convocation on Sunday despite his objections. West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose during the inauguration of 'Lok Mahotsav', festival of folk and tribal arts, in Birbhum district on December 14 (PTI FILE PHOTO)

The chancellor has received legal advice to move a writ of quo warranto in the Calcutta high court against the unauthorised convocation in Jadavpur University, a Raj Bhavan official said, seeking anonymity. A writ of quo warranto is used to challenge a persons right to hold a public office.

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Bose on Saturday removed the interim vice-chancellor Buddhadeb Sau after university authorities decided to go ahead with the annual convocation on December 24 despite the objections of the chancellor. The state government was quick to reinstate him. The convocation was held on Sunday.

Sau delegated the powers to the pro-vice-chancellor, who conducted the event and awarded the degrees to the students. The degree certificates were awarded by Sau.

Sau was appointed by Bose in August. Bose sought expert legal opinion on whether he can grant post facto approval to the convocation, without which the degrees awarded to the students would become invalid.

The chancellor also convened an emergency meeting of officiating vice-chancellors of universities across the state and a task force was set up to hold further discussions with the higher education regulator.

Raj Bhavan had earlier warned that it would initiate a probe against Sau, adding that it was seeking legal opinion on whether the expenses of the unauthorised convocation could be deducted from his salary.
All eyes were on the winners of the three maiden Student Startup Awards initiated by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU) to promote entrepreneurship among students during the convocation on Tuesday. AKTU convcation was held on Tuesday. (HT Photo)

Aradhana Kanojiya, a third-year student at the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET), Lucknow, and her team bagged the Best Woman-Led Student Startup Award. The team developed an EdTech feature that would help users browse for their searched item on YouTube and remove unnecessary content. The company is named While Network Private Limited.

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The award for the Best Social Impact Student Startup Award went to Aditya Singh, a final-year engineering student at Dr Ambedkar Institute of Technology for Divyangjan, Kanpur. His company, ERepnics Private Limited, has developed a low-cost stairlift to help physically challenged persons and elderly people climb the stairs without any problem. The design currently uses a gear system, motors, and two rods as a track for the chair to go up and down.

The overall idea is for the safe transportation of locomotive-disabled and elderly people between the floors in the building, making stairlifts a common tool for lakhs of existing buildings like temples, apartments, offices, etc., said Aditya. Other students who are part of this startup are Aman Sharma, Vaibhav Kumar, and Hritik Mishra.

The Best Tech Innovation Student Startup Award went to Prashant Verma, a B.Tech final-year student from Meerut. Verma and his team developed Cybershield, which will prevent fake phishing links from attacking your website. He claimed that the company has registered a 40 lakh turnover in two years.

These awards were conceptualised by the Innovation Hub under the direction of vice-chancellor Prof JP Pandey. Governor and chancellor Anandiben Patel honoured the students for their innovative startups.

The purpose of the Startup Award is to create an inclination towards startup and innovation among university students. This initiative will also inspire other students for startups.

Gold medalist on cloud nine

Mohsin Afroz, a BTech student in electronics and communication engineering at Meerut Institute of Engineering and Technology who bagged the chancellor gold medal, wants to pursue higher education and research. Later I may think about my own startup in wireless technology, he said. His father, Afroz Ahmad, is a retired government school principal, and mother, Shabnam Fatima, is a housewife. He added that regular classes and reading prescribed textbooks helped him excel in B.Tech.

Pragya Gautam of PSIT College of Engineering, Kanpur, received the Kamal Rani Varun Medal for BTech (Information technology). A software developer, Gautam said development can come only through technology.

A box

Former UP chief secretary awarded PhD

Rajendra Kumar Tiwari, former chief secretary of UP and an IAS officer of the 1985 batch, and an alumnus of IIT Kanpur and the University of Sussex UK, was conferred with a PhD by governor Anandiben Patel at the Dr Abdul Kalam Technical University convocation on Tuesday. His research topic was A Study of the Public Service Delivery System in reference to the state of Uttar Pradesh.

The study was based on a survey of more than 1000 service recipients and 700 officers. The study has brought out a new model to measure the effectiveness of service delivery and the overall public satisfaction achieved in the process, he said.

Tiwari has over 37 years of experience working under the state government and the government of India in various important positions, including chief secretary UP, agriculture production commissioner, additional chief secretary, commissioner, and DMs of many districts.

He is currently involved in setting up an International Institute of Water at Jodhpur in Rajasthan in association with many stakeholders. He believes that life is a continuous and unending journey of learning, and it is time to give back to society, the nation, and the world for the great opportunity and honor they have given him. He said he is grateful to the UP government, its people, officers and his family members for all the support that enabled him to undertake and complete his research work.
Demanding a hike in the State Advised Price (SAP) of sugarcane and pressing other demands, hundreds of Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) workers, under the leadership of national secretary Trilok Tyagi and state president Ramashish Rai, tried to march towards the chief ministers residence to submit a memorandum here on Tuesday. RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary had earlier announced that he would personally lead the protest in Lucknow on December 26 , but he did not join. (File photo)

The police, however, stopped them at the barricades put up outside the RLD office, not allowing them to move any further even as agitated workers confronted with the police shouted slogans like Chaudhary Charan Singh Amar Rahe, and Declare the sugarcane price.

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Denied to march, the agitators submitted a memorandum to the deputy police commissioner. Leading the protest were national secretary Munshiram Pal, Akilur Rahman Khan, Shivratna Singh, and national spokesperson Anil Dubey and national secretary Anupam Mishra.

Among other demands listed in the memorandum were, all outstanding sugarcane dues along with interest be paid to farmers, support price of potato be declared, the ban imposed by the Central government on ethanol should be lifted, age relaxation should be given to candidates in police recruitment etc.

RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary had earlier announced that he would personally lead the protest in Lucknow on December 26 if the state government did not announce sugarcane SAP to 450 per quintal by December 23. He, however, abstained himself from joining the agitation.
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 26 (ANI): The A-340 aircraft, with 303 Indian passengers, that was grounded in France over suspected human trafficking, landed in Mumbai in the early hours of Tuesday. HT Image

The aircraft was headed to Nicaragua but was grounded "on a technical halt" last week by authorities at the Vatry airport in France.

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The flight was headed from Dubai to Nicaragua.

Earlier on Monday, the Indian Embassy in France thanked the French government and the Vatry Airport authorities for their hospitality and quick resolution of the situation that allowed Indian passengers to return home.

The embassy also hailed the cooperation of French authorities for working closely with the embassy team and ensuring the safe return of citizens.

Taking to X, Indian Embassy in France said, "Thank French Gov and Vatry Airport for quick resolution of the situation enabling Indian passengers to return home & hospitality. Also for working closely with embassy team, present throughout at the site to ensure welfare and smooth & safe return. Thank agencies in India, too."

The Indian Embassy in France also thanked French authorities for working through the long holiday weekend.

"Continue to work with French Gov for the welfare of the Indians currently at the Varty airport, 150 km East of Paris, & for early resolution of the situation. Embassy consular staff stationed there. Thank French authorities for working on this through the long holiday weekend," the Indian Embassy in France said in the post. (ANI)
Dhumanganj police on Tuesday attached the house and household goods of slain mafia politician Atiq Ahmeds notorious henchman Guddu Muslim at Chak Niratul locality. Guddu is wanted in connection with the sensational murder of lawyer Umesh Pal and his two police guards on February 24 this year and is carrying a reward of 5 lakh for his arrest. Dhumanganj police attaching the house and household goods of Guddu Muslim at Chak Niratul locality in Prayagraj on Tuesday. (HT Photo)

On December 2, police pasted a notice of attachment at his house under section 82 of CrPC. The house and goods could not be attached at that time as the house was sealed by the Prayagraj development authority (PDA).

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On Tuesday, Dhumanganj police, under assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Varun Kumar and station house officer Rajesh Kumar Maurya, reached Guddu Muslims house with heavy force. The police team broke the locks and seal in the presence of PDA officials. Police searched the house but found nothing except some furniture on the ground floor of the house. The furniture was taken away by the police.

ACP Varun Kumar said the house and goods have been attached after serving a notice under section 82 of CrPC. Guddu Muslim is wanted in the murder of lawyer Umesh Pal and his two police guards and is continuously evading arrest. Despite declaring a reward of 5 lakh on his arrest, Guddu Muslim failed to surrender before the court, he added.

PDA joint secretary Ajay Kumar said the three-storied house of Guddu Muslim and Chand Bibi at Chak Niratul was sealed by PDA as it was constructed without the approval of any map by concerned authorities. On the request of the police, PDA removed its seal for the attachment of goods, he added.

It is worth mentioning that Guddu Muslims ancestral home is in Shivkuti area. He was living in the Chak Niratul area of Chakia with a woman for the past many years. The womans son used to run a chicken shop in the same locality, which was also sealed by PDA some months back.

In the video footages that went viral after Umesh Pals murder, Guddu Muslim could be seen hurling crude bombs while Atiqs son Asad, Ghulam, and Vijay Chaudhary sprayed bullets on Umesh Pal. One of the crude bombs hit a police guard, causing serious injuries that resulted in his death later.
PATNA: Bihars ruling Janata Dal-United on Tuesday announced the cancellation of its proposed rally in state capital Patna on January 24 proposed to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of the states prominent socialist and EBC leader Karpoori Thakur, fuelling buzz about a possible change in the partys top organisation posts over the next few days. Patna, Dec 25 (ANI): Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar with State Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and State Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav during the 99th birth anniversary celebration of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in Patna on Monday. (ANI Photo) (Pappi Sharma)

The Karpoori Thakur Jayanti programme is the second party event to be rescheduled by the JD-U over the last few days. The party earlier deferred Nitish Kumars proposed Varanasi rally scheduled for December 24.

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Umesh Kushwaha, who leads the JD-Us Bihar unit, made the formal announcement about the change in plans on Tuesday.

The Karpoori Thakur Jayanti programme to be organised on January 24 in Patna has been cancelled on the advice of leaders, the chief ministers instructions and keeping in mind the possibility of a cold wave. It was expected that 3 lakh people would participate. During the Bhim Sansad held recently, we faced problems in managing their stay. Now this programme will be organised at the district level, Kushwaha.

Bihar minister and JD-U leader Vijay Kumar Chaudhary denied rumours that JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lalan wanted to step down. Or that there was any truth to the swirling rumours about differences between Nitish Kumar and the party president.

You speak of fissures in the JD(U). I say there is not even a scratch, Chaudhary said at the party office on Tuesday.

We, in the party, have heard nothing of that sort, but you people give things whatever spin you wish and then drop it when it suits your news cycle, he said.

The JD-U national executive and national council meetings scheduled to be held on December 29 were long overdue, he added.

A senior party leader said the January 24 rally was cancelled in anticipation of some important developments in the party, a reference to a possible change in the party leadership.

The January 24 rally was an important event for the party, considering that it was to mark the end of the Karpoori Charcha held from August 6 to reach out to people from the extremely backward classes.

The Karpoori Charcha was one of the three campaigns - Bhaichara Yatra (that reached out to Muslims) and Bhim Samvad (that was aimed at Dalit voters) - launched by the JD-U to mobilise support from people from the three key social groups.

The Bhim Samvad, which was launched on August 15 and saw JD(U) leaders at panchayat level visiting homes of Dalits, ended with a rally in Patna on November 26.

The Karwan-e-Ittehad aur Bhaichara Yatra (march for unity and brotherhood), led by JD(U) MLC Khalid Anwar, started from Narkatiaganj in West Champaran on 1 August and urges Muslims to reach out to Hindus and attend their social functions.
An Indigo Airlines passenger traveling with his family from Pune airport found a broken seat on Monday. The passenger Manikandan Dhanapal travelling from Pune to Bengaluru on December 25 posted the photo on X. (HT PHOTO)

The passenger Manikandan Dhanapal travelling from Pune to Bengaluru on December 25 posted on X, Is there something can be more disappointing when taking family for their 1st flight experience (sic), and posted photos of broken seat in the Indigo airplane.

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In reply to Dhanapals complaint, the airline companys official statement read, We regret the experience. At times, the seat cushion gets adrift from its Velcro. The same can be repositioned with the help of our crew. Further, your feedback will be shared with the concerned team for review. Hope to serve you better in the future,

Another flyer Nayana said on X, Faced major inconvenience when our baggage failed to get loaded from Delhi in our connecting flight from Dehradun to Pune. All the passengers were stranded in Pune airport awaiting their luggage. Disappointed.

Another passenger Chinmay Bhandari said, Somehow it takes more than 30 minutes for any luggage to appear on the conveyer belt at the gigantic Pune airport. Hundreds of people from two flights waiting patiently in this spacious lounge.

Flyers have complained about basic facilities at the airport lounge underlining the need for starting the new airport terminal building on priority.
The State Inspector General of Registration and Controller of Stamps (IGR) has registered 1,999,036 documents and earned a revenue of 33,072 crore meeting 73.49 per cent of the target revenue fixed at 45,000 crore till date with three months remaining for the end of the financial year in March 2024. During 2022-23, the office registered 2,576,536 documents and earned  44,602 crore while it clocked  35,171 crore as against registration of 2,383,712 documents for 2021-2022. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

The IGR office records revenue earnings due to registration from April to March. During 2022-23, the office registered 2,576,536 documents and earned 44,602 crore while it clocked 35,171 crore as against registration of 2,383,712 documents for 2021-2022.

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The IGR office has attributed robust revenue generation to government projects like ring road, metro project, land acquisition for Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and increase in construction activities like flyovers and road expansion drives where huge land parcels were acquired by the state. Besides, several private developers had launched mega residential and commercial projects which too boosted IGR revenue earnings.

Prominent real estate developer Jehangir Dorabjee said, Mumbai and Pune residential market has continued to demonstrate very strong growth as aspiring homebuyers are looking for change from their existing flats to big homes. Though there has been an increase in property prices, it has not dampened the spirit of new and old homebuyers who are continuously looking for more spacious accommodation. Overall, the housing market of Pune city continues to show a positive outlook and is bolstered by ongoing strong consumer demand for bigger flats with more world class amenities.

The IGR office stated that it has earned a major chunk of its revenues from metro cess which accounts for an additional 1 per cent stamp duty on registration of all properties. The cess was introduced in February 2019 in metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Pune, Thane and Nagpur to fund public infrastructure projects comprising bridges, flyovers and metros. The office has become the highest revenue generating department after the Goods and Services Tax (GST). It through its sub registrar offices across Maharashtra charge stamp duty for the registration of various documents such as land purchases, sales, flats, shops, contracts between individuals or organisations, gift deeds, and tenancy agreements.

The government has several major projects in progress, including roads, irrigation projects, airports, and metro projects, all of which require significant funding. The revenue collected by the registration department is essential for these projects, and the government relies on it to decide which projects to prioritise based on the amount of revenue collected, said Inspector General of Registration and Stamps (IGR) Hiralal Sonawane.

Real estate developer Rohit Gera said, For homebuyers, navigating this dynamic market, prioritising reputed developers with strong track records is crucial. Choosing markets with robust job creation ensures potential price appreciation due to increased housing demand. Good civic and social infrastructure, often a product of government investment, is another key factor to consider for a desirable quality of life. Finally, remember that real estate is a long-term game; dont chase quick profits but invest with a long-term perspective. The residential real estate market is poised for continued growth in 2024, but potential challenges necessitate careful navigation. By prioritising reputable developers, job-rich markets, good infrastructure, and a long-term investment mindset, homebuyers can position themselves for success in this promising landscape.
On arriving in Moscow for a five-day visit, external affairs minister S Jaishankar tweeted: Geopolitics and strategic convergence will always keep India-Russia ties on a positive trajectory. There cannot be a better summing up of Indias relations with Russia, which have remained steady despite recalibrations in the foreign policy priorities of both Delhi and Moscow since the end of the erstwhile Soviet Union. The fact that PM Modi (and Russian President Vladimir Putin) chose to miss the leadership summit, an annual bilateral featuring the top leaderships of Delhi and Moscow since 2000, points to the complex global context in which both nations are conducting diplomacy. Russia has been under US sanctions since the start of the Ukraine war, and India-US relations have been on a roll. India has refused to condemn the Russian invasion though PM Modi spoke out against the war. Delhi has also not compromised on trade with Russia despite calls from the West. This balancing is understandable since Indias military and energy needs are currently closely tied with Russia.

PREMIUM Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan September 16, 2022. Sputnik/Alexandr Demyanchuk/Pool via REUTERS (via REUTERS)
Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) has released the admit card for the Written Examination for Recruitment to the Post of Statistical Officer today, December 26. Candidates will be able to download the admit card from the official website at opsc.gov.in. Candidates will be able to download the admit card using their PPSAN No and Date of Birth. OPSC SO admit card 2023 released, download now

The OPSC SO examination is scheduled to take place on Sunday, December 31 in two sessions Paper I from 9.30 AM to 11.30 AM and Paper II from 1.30 PM to 4.30 PM.

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OPSC SO admit card 2023: How to download

Visit the official website at opsc.gov.in

On the homepage, click on the link that reads, "Download Admission Certificate & Instructions to Candidates for the Written Examination in connection with Recruitment to the Posts of Statistical Officer (Advt. No. 12 of 2023-24)"

Key in your login details and submit

Check and download the admit card

Take a printout for future reference.
Assam State Level Police Recruitment Board (SLPRB) will release the admit card for the posts of Inspector (B), Sub- Inspector (B), Head Constable (B) and Constable today, December 26. The hall ticktes will be released at 10 am Candidates who will appear for the examination can download the admit card from the official website at slprbassam.in. Assam State Level Police Recruitment Board (SLPRB) to release admit card for various posts

Candidates can download their admit card using their applictaion number, name and date of birth.

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Direct link to download admit card

The written examination will be conducted on January 7 in Guwahati. Exams for the positions of Inspector and Sub Inspector will take place from 2 PM to 4 PM, and exams for Head Constable and Constable posts will be held from 10 AM to 12 PM.

Assam Police Admit Card 2023: How to download

To download the admit card candidates can follow the steps given below:

Visit the official website slprbassam.in

On the homepage, click on the admit card link

Key in your credentials

Check and download the admit card

Take a printout for future reference
UCO Bank will close the registration process for Specialist Officer posts on December 27, 2023. The registration process was started on December 5, 2023. Candidates who want to apply for UCO Bank SO Recruitment 2023 can do it through the official website of UCO Bank at ucobank.com. UCO Bank SO Recruitment 2023: Registration for 142 posts ends tomorrow (Reuters/Photo for representation)

This recruitment process will fill up 142 posts in the organization. Check vacancy details, eligibility, selection process and other details.

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Vacancy details

Specialist Officer: 127 posts

Specialist Officer in Risk Management: 15 posts

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates who want to apply for the posts can check the educational qualification and age limit through the Detailed Notification available for SO and SO in Risk Management available below.

Selection Process

The selection will be based on written test/ short listing and subsequent round of Personal Interview and/or any other selection method. The qualifying marks in Interview/written exam will be decided by the Bank.

Application Fees

The application fees is 800/- for General, EWS and OBC candidates. The SC, ST & PWD candidates are exempted from payment of application fees. Candidates shall pay the fees/charges in the below mentioned account through Internet Banking /NEFT (Non-Refundable). The Reference number/UTR Number shall be specified in the Application form.

Where to send applications

The applications should be submitted to General Manager, UCO Bank, Head Office, 4th Floor, H. R. M Department, 10, BTM Sarani, Kolkata, West Bengal  700 001 before the last date.

Direct link to check notifications here
Ever since Sandeep Reddy Vangas Animal released on December 1, the film has been dissected by critics, fans, in interviews and more. So much so, that the conversation still hasnt died down, even 26 days after the films release. Sandeeps brother Pranay, whos also the producer, talked about the film in an interview with iDream Media. He addressed some of the criticism theyve faced since the films release. (Also Read: Sandeep Reddy Vanga reveals Ranbir didn't want superstar tag in Animal teaser, was told 'They do it in the South') Rashmika Mandanna and Ranbir Kapoor in a still from Animal

Theres no ill intent

Ranbir Kapoor plays Ranvijay Singh in the film and the antagonist, Bobby Deol, plays a character called Abrar. When Sandeep told me the villain will have three wives and eight kids, I knew its something people would talk about. I was right, says Pranay in the interview. However, he claims that there was no ill intent behind making the villain belong to a particular community. Some complained that we didnt show the community in a good light. In the last three decades, we have seen numerous villains wearing a bottu (bindi/tilak). Nobody complained. Just because its a minority now, people are nitpicking, he adds.

Sandeep is not calculative

The interviewer asks if Sandeep is calculative when he shows violence or gives his female actors less screen space. Pranay disagrees with her and says, I think Rashmikas character Geetanjali is as important as RK (Ranbir Kapoor) and Bobbys. RK hardly has four lines in a four-page-long Karva Chauth scene. RK also told Rashmika that this is her scene. He even told her she can hit him multiple times to get her scene right. In fact, the producer reveals that Ranbir was hit at least 20-25 times before they got the shot right. RK is not insecure. He wanted the scene to work well emotionally, he adds.

About Animal

Animal stars Ranbir, Rashmika, Bobby and Anil Kapoor in the lead roles. The film also sees Triptii Dimri in a key role and her performance was widely praised. The film tells the story of a man looking for validation from his emotionally distant father. It details how he spins out of control when a murder attempt is made on the father.

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On Tuesday morning, actors Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani were spotted at the Mumbai airport. It seems like they are all set to celebrate New Year at an undisclosed location. Also read: Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani show off rare PDA, share kisses and cuddles in wholesome Christmas post Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani at Mumbai airport. (Viral Bhayani)

Sidharth, Kiara at Mumbai airport

For the airport look, Kiara Advani opted for a white sweatshirt that she paired with matching joggers. Her husband, Sidharth, on the other hand, wore a black T-shirt that he teamed with a blue and black checkered shirt.

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Before entering the airport, the star couple happily posed for the paparazzi. They waved at the camera before heading towards their flight.

Kiara, Sidharth celebrate first Christmas after wedding

Before heading out for the holiday, Sidharth and Kiara also celebrated Christmas in a special way. Kiara treated her Instagram followers to a lovey-dovey picture of herself and Sidharth.

In the picture, the couple can be seen sharing a warm hug. Kiara can be seen wearing a red dress with a reindeer hairband while her husband Sidharth complemented her in a black t-shirt and red pants. Sidharth can be seen planting a kiss on his wife's cheek.

Sidharth and Kiara tied the knot in an intimate ceremony on February 7, 2023, at Suryagarh Palace in Rajasthan. The two fell in love with each other during the shoot of their film Shershaah.

In 2022, Sidharth and Kiara appeared on different episodes of Koffee with Karan Season 7, where Karan Johar got them talking about their relationship for the first time. While Kiara confirmed that they were "more than friends", Sidharth said, "I am manifesting a brighter and happier future. If it was her, it would be great."

Sharing their wedding pictures, the couple wrote, "Ab humari permanent booking hogayi hai (now we are booked for life)."

Upcoming work

Meanwhile, on the work front, Sidharth will be seen in his upcoming film Yodha. Apart from that, he will also be making his digital debut with the upcoming web series Indian Police Force. Helmed by Rohit Shetty, the series also stars Vivek Oberoi and Shilpa Shetty in pivotal roles and will stream exclusively on the OTT platform Amazon Prime Video.

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Ever since the release of Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal, Bobby Deol's entry sequence in the film has created a sensation on the internet. Now, it seems like brother Sunny Deol has also caught up with the viral song, as he was seen dancing to the same tune on Christmas day. The actor took to his Instagram account to share a short reel, where he was seen grooving to the song. (Also read: Sunny Deol reviews Bobby Deol's Animal: There are certain things that I did not like) Sunny Deol with his teddy bear in the new Instagram video.

Sunny Deol dances to Jamal Kudu

Sunny Deol treated his fans with an adorable video of him dancing to Jamal Kudu, but with a twist. Instead of balancing a glass on his head, Sunny played along with his favourite teddy bear. In the video, Sunny was seen dancing in front of a beautifully decorated Christmas tree, where he held his teddy bear and grooved to the song. He planted kisses on the teddy and shared goofy snaps in between. He also added a 'Merry Christmas' gif on the reel. In the caption, he wrote: Celebrated #Christmas with my fave Teddy Bear (teddy bear and Christmas tree emoticons)."

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More about Jamal Kudu

Earlier, in an interview with Bollywood Spy, Bobby Deol had revealed that he came up with the viral step in the sequence of the film all by himself. "I remembered how we used to get drunk and keep glasses on our head. I never understood why we did it. It suddenly came in my mind and I did that. Sandeep liked it," he said. Bobby Deol played the menacing antagonist Abrar Haque in Animal.

About Animal

Animal has become one of the highest grossing films of the year. It stars Ranbir Kapoor as Rannvijay Singh, a man who learns about an assassination attempt on his father Balbir Singh (played by Anil Kapoor) and sets out to exact revenge. It also stars Rashmika Mandanna and Triptii Dimri.

Sunny Deol's Gadar 2

Meanwhile, Sunny Deol was last seen in Gadar 2, which turned out to be one of the highest-grossing Hindi films. In the frist film, Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001), Sunny played the role of Tara Singh, a truck driver, while Ameesha Patel played Sakeena. It was set during the partition of India in 1947. Gadar 2 followed Tara Singh as he ventures across the border in a daring attempt to rescue his son Charanjeet Singh, portrayed by Utkarsh Sharma, who has been captured in Pakistan.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday, hosted a special Christmas program at his residence in the national capital. Several members of the Christian community attended the luncheon to mark Christmas celebrations. Actor Dino Morea also met PM Modi on Christmas over lunch. Also read: Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan celebrate Christmas with their twins PM Narendra Modi with Dino Morea in Delhi.

Dino Morea celebrates Christmas at PM Modi's house

Sharing pictures from the special meeting, Dino took to Instagram and wrote, "Christmas lunch was beautiful this year. Dear Sir, the Honourable Prime Minister, @narendramodi ji, thank you for inviting us to your home for a lovely Christmas lunch. To meet you and listen to you speak, and experience how gracious a host you are has been truly memorable. Thank you Sir."

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While addressing the Christian community, PM Modi said Jesus Christ's life is a message that is centered on compassion and service. "Christmas is a day when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. This is also an occasion to remember his life's message and values. He lived the ideals of kindness and service... He worked on making an inclusive society that had justice for everyone... These ideals are working as a guiding light for the development journey of our country," Modi said.

Prime Minister Modi also praised the contributions of the Christian community to the freedom movement and highlighted the various intellectual thinkers and leaders. He underlined that Gandhi Ji himself had said that the Non-Cooperation Movement was conceived under the patronage of Sushil Kumar Rudra, Principal of St. Stephen's College.

He highlighted the crucial role played by the Christian community in giving direction to society and mentioned active participation in social service towards the poor and the deprived. He also noted their contributions in important areas of education and healthcare.

Dino Morea will be seen in Meri Patni Ki remake. It also has Arjun Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar and Rakul Preet Singh.
Eminem is one of the most prominent faces in the hip-hop industry. With a global sales record of over 220 million records, the 51-year-old rapper is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Over a career spanning more than 20 years, the Not Afraid hitmaker came to be regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time. However, a social media figure recently discredited Eminem's status. Dr. Umar Johnson slammed Eminem

During an episode of The Joe Budden Podcast, Pan-Africanist motivational speaker, Dr. Umar Johnson expressed his resentment over Eminem's GOAT status. Johnson claimed that the Rap God can't be considered one of the greatest because he's White. He also noted that the rapper's fame is an insult to every Black person.

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While discussing White people's participation in the Black culture, Johnson said that they can do it as a hobby. However, he lashed out against Eminem, saying, Eminem has all the privileges of a white male and all the privileges of being in the hip hop community, so we got to be careful about letting non-Africans into our community, as per Unilad.

Podcaster Joe Budden interjected, asking Johnson, You don't think Eminem is one of the greatest rappers of all time? To this, the social media personality said, No non-African can ever be the best of anything African, adding, It's an insult to the ancestors. It's an insult to the race, and it's an insult to every Black person.

He continued, Do you think I can go to Palestine and be the best of anything of Palestinian culture? You never see that. You think I can go to Israel and be the best of anything in Israel, whether it be a cook, an instrumentalist, a dancer? Hell no. We have to stop naming non-African people as being the best of any aspect in our cultural product because it's an insult, he added.
Sreejita De had a beautiful Church wedding with her long-term boyfriend Michael Blohm-Pape in Germany earlier this year, and this will be their first Christmas as a married couple. He didnt have to introduce me to Christmas because I was from a convent school and grew up celebrating the festival, however this ones is more special for me, she excitedly shares. Sreejita De celebrates her first Christmas after wedding.

Ahead of the X-mas, I got a huge Christmas tree and decorated it myself. Michael also helped me later and was very excited about it all. I made that little effort to make him feel at home because we couldn't go to Germany this year, unfortunately, De tells us.

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Ever since the two started dating, De says that they have celebrated it with her now in-laws. But this time it wont be possible because her visa has expired. She shares, My visa got expired on 22nd of December this year. And we could not renew it because I am married now. So first I have to change my name in every document here in India, which has not been done yet. I have to submit German wedding certificate to the Indian government. And once that is changed, I can apply for lifelong German visa. So we thought even we plan to go to Germany in early December, his parents would be very sad if we will leave just before the Christmas.

So instead of Germany, the couple planned to go to Thailand to spend some quality time together. It is our first trip after wedding. Ever since we got married, something or the other kept us occupied. So we thought its a great time to escape to the beaches and celebrate a cozy Christmas and new year, in each others company, says De.

The two left on December 20th and will be coming back on 8th of January. The plan is to live by the beach throughout. From the airport, we went to Phuket as that place has a very nice Christmas vibe and the festival is celebrated in the most beautiful way there, she reveals, adding, Then we will be doing island hopping. These islands are very peaceful places away unknown by many tourists and there its all about embracing nature, going scuba diving and reconnecting with nature. Its a complete hideaway. Its not our honeymoon but we planned it because we couldnt go to Germany, she shares.

De also goes on to talk a out how over the years, she has learnt about the difference in celebrating Christmas in India and abroad, For me, it has always been about partying, going out, meeting friends. However, for westerners including Miachel, Christmas is about food. The whole country is shut down and nothing at all operates. So people go back home to spend the time with family...baking cookies and making food. The whole house smells like cinnamon. They watch movies in the warmth of the home and listen to music."

While she is doing everything possible to have a great Christmas this year, De is missing a few things including the Christmas markets. "There are small moveable carts selling beautiful Christmas decorations, food, wine. Going to those markets with my husband and in-laws was so much fun, she ends, hopping that next year she celebrates it with all of them.
Mumbai/Chandigarh/Ahmedabad: Two hundred and seventy-six Indians, who were headed to Nicaragua and stopped in France over fears of human trafficking, landed in a charter A340 Airbus aircraft at Mumbai airport early on Tuesday after being detained at Vatry airport near Paris for four days. Passengers of a charter aircraft, which was grounded in France for 4 days over suspected human trafficking, reach Mumbai. (PTI)

The incident, which sparked questions over illegal immigration through a circuitous donkey route that takes people across continents before smuggling them into the US, is being investigated by central immigration authorities and police across at least two states, and the returning Indians were questioned at the airport on arrival. They were processed through a dedicated corridor created for them, and sent home after filling necessary paperwork over about five hours.

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Of the 303 people who were on board the Legend Airlines charter flight, 25 including two minors sought asylum in France, and two people were held by French authorities for allegedly being the facilitators of illegal immigration. These two were produced before a judge and placed on assisted witness status, AP reported.

READ | Plane with Indians grounded in France over 'human trafficking' lands in Mumbai

The French authorities were initially investigating a potential violation of immigration laws, but ceased their inquiry into possible human trafficking, according to an official tracking the passengers.

Officials said that of the 276 who returned, about two-thirds were from Punjab, about 25% from Gujarat, and the remaining from different Indian states. Most of those who were deported back are in their mid-20s or early 30s and had a valid Nicaragua visa, a Punjab Police official aware of the details said. The passenger list accessed by HT showed that around 150 passengers were in their mid-20s, and around 70 in their 30s. The others were spread across different age groups.

The official cited above, who is involved in the preliminary probe, said that most of passengers reached Dubai in the last two months on work or tourist visas, from where they had boarded the flight to Nicaragua. This flight landed at Vatry Airport for refuelling on December 21, when it was grounded for four days after French authorities acted on a tip-off that the people on board were being trafficked.

Details of the people who organised the flight, and the person who prompted France to investigate the passengers were not immediately clear.

Following the return of the passengers, police in Punjab and Gujarat have started verifying whether an organised syndicate was behind so many Indians trying to reach the US or Canada through countries from where they can either be smuggled in or where obtaining travel documents is easier.

The term donkey route is devised from the Punjabi word dunki, which means to hop from place to place. It refers to an illegal method in which people cross a countrys borders through a back-door route with multiple stops in other countries.

READ | 'Dunki flight with Indians grounded by France in Mumbai now. What about 25 other passengers? 10 points

A total of 96,917 Indians attempted to enter the US illegally in the 2022-23, signalling a 51.6% jump from the previous year, according to data made available by the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). At least 41,770 of those Indians attempted to enter the US via the Mexican land border, CBP data shows.

A Punjab Police officer said they were waiting for more details from the ministry of external affairs and Union home ministry. The information we have gathered so far from various sources have revealed that those who returned back had gone to Dubai on tourist or work permit in the past two months, the officer said.

A Jalandhar-based immigration consultant is under the scanner for sending some of those from Punjab named in the list, according to a person aware of the details. They were meant to reach the US via the Nicaragua-Mexico route, he added. Taking the Nicaragua route is common in sending persons to US as the country has very liberal immigration rules. It is easy to move to Mexico from this country, and then to sneak to US. Few illegal consultants even take 50 lakh per person with a promise of entry into the US, this person said.

In Gujarat, a senior police officer said so far they were able to verify that 21 passengers were from the state, including places such as Patan, Banaskantha and Gandhinagar. The flight manifest, however, suggested that at least 50 may be of Gujarati origin.

The Gujarat Police is in touch with the concerned central agency regarding the plane that returned to India from France on suspicion of human trafficking. Information is being sought from various agencies and government departments regarding the incident, according to a statement by Gujarat Police on X.

After all the facts come to light, if any illegal act is found to have been committed, legal action will be taken, it added.

In Mumbai, officials said, the passengers who arrived from France went through detailed questioning at immigration. Their statements were recorded and they were allowed to leave the airport on completion of formalities, which lasted almost five hours, one official said.

Most of the passengers came out of the airport in groups hiding their faces in hoods or masks, and carrying only bag packs or small suitcases. One of them said that he went to Dubai on November 26 and from there he was heading to Nicaragua for travel to US. he said he had all the documents. I dont know what went wrong. I cannot say anything more, he added, without revealing his name. Most passengers refused to speak to the media.
The Indian Navy has gone on heightened surveillance-operational alert in the Arabian Sea after the drone attack on Mangalore-bound chemical tanker MV Chem Pluto, sending four guided missile destroyers out on the high seas to protect commercial shipping from missile-drone attacks in the West Asia region, people familiar with the matter said on Monday. MV Chem Pluto on Monday. (ANI)

The navy has also launched P8I multi-mission aircraft as well as Sea Guardian drones for better maritime domain awareness even as the drone-hit MV Chem Pluto reached the Mumbai harbour in the early hours on Christmas day, the people added.

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READ | Navy scrambles jets after suspected drone hit on merchant ship

An Indian defence team was on the ship to investigate the drone attack at the time of going to print. The chemical tanker was struck 210 nautical miles off Dwaraka in Gujarat, 500 nautical miles off the Iran coast, and 860 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen. At the time, it had two Iranian vessels in proximity  MV Saviz and MV Artenos  and the possibility of the drone being launched from a bulk carrier cannot be ruled out yet, said the people cited above, asking not to be named.

With Shia Houthi rebels, who control large parts of Yemen, targeting merchant shipping in the Red Sea and in the north Arabian Sea, Indian warship INS Kolkata is already on the mouth of the Red Sea awaiting instructions from New Delhi in case any further intervention is required. Destroyer INS Kochi is in north Arabian Sea and destroyers INS Visakhapatnam and INS Chennai are already operating on the high seas to ensure that sea lines are kept open and any military obstruction is countered immediately. All the four warships carry Brahmos land attack missiles as well as surface-to-air missiles with anti-submarine helicopters on board.

READ | Guided missile destroyer INS Imphal to be commissioned on Dec 26 | Top points

Navy tanker INS Deepak is also on the high seas for replenishment as well as an offshore patrol vessel (OPV), the people said.

While the Iranians have dismissed American claims that it was they who targeted MV Chem Pluto, the possibility of the Houthis using a 1,350-nautical mile range Iran-manufactured Shahed drone to target the chemical tanker cannot be ruled out, security experts examining the incident said. The intentions of the Houthis of targeting merchant tankers indiscriminately in the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea has become evident in recent days, and emerges as a cause of serious concern to maritime security in the region. The attacks appear to be in order to pressure the US-led coalition to ask Israel to cease military operations against the Hamas in Gaza war, these experts added.

While the US Navy has two carrier strike forces in the region, the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman are crowded with large tankers and bulk carriers carrying oil to various parts of the world. On average, 50 ships traverse the Suez Canal with 12% of global trade and 30% of global container traffic, worth around US$1 trillion per year. After the Houthi attacks, a significant percentage of shipping has been diverted via the Cape of Good Hope, resulting in an increase in cost and oil consumption.
SILCHAR: A herd of wild elephants went on a rampage in Assams Kokrajhar and trampled to death an eight-year-old girl who was left behind when the elephants entered her village, people familiar with the matter said. Officials said the wild elephants may have entered the village due to the banana plants in the village (PTI FILE PHOTO)

The girl was identified by the police as Sani Mardi, a class 3 student. Her body was recovered and sent for autopsy, said Kokrajhar superintendent of police Pushpraj Singh.

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Forest officials said the incident took place in Athiabari area under the Kachugaon forest division, an elephant reserve, when the herd came out and demolished some houses, reportedly in search for food. Everyone ran to safety when the elephants came but the girl unfortunately got left behind and was trampled to death, a local resident said. Forest officials came to the spot and later informed the police too.

We are assuming that in this case, the elephants were attracted by banana plants along with the houses in the residential areas, an official said.

A local resident said they frequently suffered due to the wild elephants. Most of us are farmers and we face losses because wild elephants destroy crops in search of food Sometimes they attack our houses., the person said.
CHENNAI: A Madurai woman, was chained, slashed with a blade and set afire allegedly by her childhood friend as he was jealous that she was talking to other men, police said on Monday. R Nandini, a 26-year-old software engineer, was assaulted and set on fire by Vetrimaran, said police

R Nandini, a 26-year-old software engineer, was assaulted and set on fire by Vetrimaran, who had undergone a sex reassignment surgery.

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The 27-year-old accused  known as Pandi Maheshwari before the surgery  and the victim went to an all-girls school together and worked at the same company in Chennai.

The accused has told police he went through a sex reassignment surgery with the purpose of marrying the woman, officers said.

Preliminary probe has revealed that Vetrimaran was apparently jealous that the victim was getting close to another colleague, said a police officer, asking not to be named. The accused underwent a sex reassignment surgery a few months ago with the sole reason to marry the victim but she did not reciprocate his feelings, the officer added.

On the night of December 23, Vetrimaran called Nandini for a meeting to a secluded place in Ponmar, located about 15 km away from Chennai, on the pretext of giving her a birthday surprise.

The victim was later chained up and slashed with a blade, before she was set on fire.

Locals found Nandini with burn injuries and informed police, who rushed her to a nearby hospital where she succumbed to her injuries, an officer familiar with the matter said.

When we reached the spot, she was conscious and gave us Vetrimarans contact number... Initially, he came to identify Nandini but later disappeared, the officer added.

He was nabbed on Sunday from Tambaram and produced before a local court which remanded him in 15-day judicial custody.

Another senior police officer familiar with the probe said: Vetrimaran became over-possessive when he noticed Nandini talking to other male friends. The two also had an argument over this. He has confessed to the murder and showed us the weapons and the vehicle he used to commit the murder, the officer added.

(With agency inputs)
Indian Army chief General Manoj Pande on Monday visited the Poonch sector and exhorted commanders on the ground to conduct operations in the most professional manner, days after four soldiers were killed in an ambush on December 21, and the custodial death of three civilians in an army camp the following day, officials aware of the matter said. Army Chief General Manoj Pande in Poonch on Monday. (ANI)

On Monday, officials said that defence minister Rajnath Singh will visit the Rajouri-Poonch areas on Wednesday to take stock of the security situation. Top commanders are expected to brief Singh on the security situation and the armys counterterrorism operations, the officials said.

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The army chief was briefed in detail on the security situation in the region, which has deteriorated during the last one year, the officials said.

READ | J&K govt announces compensation, jobs to kin of 3 civilians found dead in Poonch

Pandes visit to the Rajouri-Poonch sector is significant as the area has been tense following the killing of four soldiers in the ambush on December 21 at Dhatyar Morh in Surankote, and the custodial killings of the civilians in a 48 Rashtriya Rifles camp the following day.

General Manoj Pande #COAS visited #Poonch sector and was given an update on the prevalent security situation. #COAS interacted with commanders on ground, exhorted them to conduct the operations in the most professional manner and remain resolute & steadfast against all challenges, the Indian Army wrote on X.

The army is facing a backlash against the custodial deaths. The three men were among nine people picked up by the army on December 22 from Topa Peer village for questioning.

A video of the alleged torture surface on social media on Friday, showing officials beating up the men with sticks and pouring chilly powder on them, which sparked outrage among families of the victims, who said they were poor shepherds with no links to the attack or militancy. Various political parties condemned the incident and called for a probe into the matter.

READ | Retired police officer shot dead by terrorists at Baramulla mosque in Kashmir

The army also moved out three officers, including a brigadier, pending a probe into the custodial deaths, the officials said, asking not to be named.

General Pande reviewed the situation on the ground in the twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch. He was briefed by the General Officer Commanding, 16 Corps, Lieutenant General Sandeep Jain on the ongoing counterterrorist operations and steps taken to further strengthen the security grid, said one of the officials cited above.

He was also briefed on the death of the three civilians, said a second official.

Terrorism in the region has returned to the spotlight after a series of attacks that have claimed the lives of several soldiers during the last one year.

Five Indian soldiers were killed, and an officer wounded in a terror ambush in Rajouris Kandi forest area in May, with the attack suspected to have been carried out by the same group of terrorists who had ambushed an army truck and killed five soldiers in Poonch in April.

More terror-related incidents have taken place after the two attacks in April-May. Pakistan-backed terrorists are believed to be behind the spate of attacks.

On December 21, the army vehicles were navigating a blind curve at a spot known as Dhatyar Morh between Dera ki Gali (DKG) area and Bulfiaz when they came under heavy fire. They were carrying personnel to an active operation to nab terrorists at the DKG area, a few kilometres away.

The attack was the sixth one since October 2021 in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, south of Pir Panjal mountains. As many as 29 army personnel, including two captains and two junior commissioned officers. were killed in those attacks.

While the area in question is not as close to the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan as some of the other hot spots where the attacks took place, intelligence officials aware of the matter said it was still a treacherous region.

The incidents in this region and casualties suffered by the army are a cause for concern, and steps are being taken to strengthen security in the area, the officials said.

The operation at DKG was launched on December 20 following hard intelligence about the presence of terrorists in the area, as previously reported by HT.

Images and videos taken in the aftermath showed an army Gypsy riddled with bullets and its windows shattered, with rifle cartridges and blood visible on the ground.
Jammu The India Army moved out three officers, including a brigadier, pending a probe into the custodial deaths of three civilians who were picked by the force for questioning after the December 21 ambush in which four soldiers were killed and another three injured, officials familiar with the matter said on Monday. Army personnel, family and relatives of Naik Karan Kumar gather to pay their last respects to him during a funeral, at Bithoor in Kanpur district (PTI)

While a court of inquiry stands instituted, the army has shifted the three officers including a brigadier, a colonel and a lieutenant colonel from Poonch, the officials said, asking not to be named.

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The three civilians were among the nine people picked up by the army on December 22 from Topa Peer village for questioning.

The armys internal probe into the custodial deaths will be conducted at Akhnoor and various agencies will be part of it, including the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the officials said. While the army instituted a court of inquiry, the Jammu & Kashmir Police lodged an open FIR against unknown men of the army -- this has irked the families of the victims, who want the officers names mentioned in the FIR.

Accessed by the HT, the FIR was lodged at Surankote police station on December 22 evening, a day after the terror ambush.

The FIR, filed under Section 302 of the IPC, stated: Today (22/12/2023) at about 17.25 hours (5.25 pm) an information was made available that after terror incident near DKG (Dera Ki Gali) on 21/12/2023, army troops were carrying out searches in the general area of Topi Peer, Sawani, Bafliaz to locate the terrorists, who escaped after the attack. During searches, army troops detained a few local youth for questioning.

It added: Reportedly three such youth namely Safeer Ahmed, son of Mir Hussain, caste Gujjar, Mohammad Showkat, son of Nazir Hussain and Shabir Ahmed, son of Wali Mohammad, all residents of village Topi Peer tehsil Surankote have succumbed to the injuries... As such cognizable offence under section 302 of the IPC is made out. On this information, instant case stands registered. As the instant case is of special nature of its kind from the said village and third of its kind during the current year, a special report will be submitted separately and investigation taken up. The details of accused; Name; Unknown.

Mohammad Sadeeq, Panch of Topi Peer village and uncle of one of the three deceased, Mohammad Showkat said, The FIR hasnt named any accused. The officers and men of 48 RR committed these third-degree murders. We want their officers including the company commander to be named in the FIR.

Sadeeq said that he knew the names of three army men, who on Friday morning had taken away the nine youth from the village.

They are Jaggi, Ganesh and Mahi. May be their names are not real but they were called by these names in this area. Then, there were three police constables, who were present at the time of torture. They were constables Rafiq, Rasheed and Mustafa. They kept quiet to the third degree torture. We also want them to be booked in the FIR because they didnt inform senior officials, said Sadeeq.

Deceased Showkats cousin, Javed Ahmed said, aggrieved families want to know against whom the FIR has been lodged. An open FIR is a mere eyewash.

Javed recalled how in one of the two video clips the man pleading for his life while undergoing third degree torture and merciless assault by some men in uniform was his cousin Showkat.

At least company commander of 48 RR should have been named in the FIR, he asserted. The families were yet to get post-mortem reports of their kin.

The Indian Army on Saturday said it stands committed to extending full support and cooperation in the conduct of the investigation.
A 30-year-old woman was allegedly burnt to death on suspicion of practising witchcraft in Sonitpur district of Assam, police said on Monday, adding, six people have been arrested in connection with the case . The incident took place at Bahbari village of the district under Tezpur police station on Sunday night.

The incident took place at Bahbari village of the district under Tezpur police station on Sunday night, said police. The deceased has been identified as Sangeeta Kati, wife of Ram Kati, said police .

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Providing details, superintendent of police Susanta Biswa Sarma said based on the information shared by local residents about the incident, a police team rushed to the spot.

The lady was burnt alive by a group of people from the same village. Six people have been arrested in the case. We are interrogating them and further investigation is going on. We are probing if she was killed on suspicion of practising witchcraft, Sarma said.

According to the police the women was rushed to a local government hospital after the incident but she succumbed to her injuries.

Police identified the arrested individuals as Ajay Sanghar, Dhiraj Bhaguwar, Suraj Bhaguwar, Pinku Malhar, Baila Sanghar and Babul Nagdhar. All of them are aged between 30 and 35, according to the police. The attackers, who were allegedly in an inebriated state, tied up her husband and later set her ablaze, said police.

They have been arrested under the charges of murder, forcibly confining and torturing a woman. We may add more charges as the investigation progresses. They will also be produced before the court soon, a police officer familiar with the investigation said.

Police said that the body was later sent to the Tezpur Medical College and Hospital (TMCH) for post-mortem examination and a report is awaited.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which is headquartered in Mumbai, and two city-based private sector banks (HDFC and ICICI) on Tuesday received threat mails, in which the sender accused the RBI and private sector banks of carrying out the biggest scam in the history of India, and claimed to have planted bombs at 11 locations across the financial capital, Mint reported citing Mumbai Police. The Reserve Bank of India (Representational Photo)

The sender also demanded the resignation of Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and RBI governor Shaktikanta Das, among others, for their 'involvement' in the so-called scam.

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We demand that both RBI Governor and Finance Minister to immediately resign from their posts and release a press statement with a full disclosure of the scam. We also demand government to give them both and all those who are involved the punishment they deserve, the emails said, as per Mint.

Where were the bombs planted?

Three of the locations at which the sender claimed to have planted bombs were: RBI-New Central Building, Fort; HDFC House-Churchgate; and ICICI Bank Towers, BKC (Bandra-Kurla Complex). Also, the mails warned that the explosives would detonate at 1:30 pm.

What did the police find?

The Mumbai Police said that upon being made aware of the mails, they sent their personnel to each of the 11 locations, though nothing was found.

A case has been registered and the probe is underway, a police official told news agency ANI.
Hundreds of residents of Naromurar village in Nawada district bid a tearful adieu to the fallen soldier. HT Image

Chandan's parents and wife of just 18 months were inconsolable when the body reached the village around 8.30pm on Monday. His brother Abhinandan lit the pyre. Second son of Jayanti Devi and Mauleshar Singh, Chandan was the sole earning member of the family.

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Chandan's body had arrived at Gaya international airport around 1.30pm on Monday in a special aircraft.

Following a wreath-laying ceremony in Gaya, the convoy halted briefly at Prajatantra Chowk where Nawada Lok Sabha MP Chandan Singh and Govindpur MLA Mohd Kamran paid their last respects to the soldier.

Five soldiers were killed and two injured when heavily armed terrorists ambushed two Army vehicles in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on December 21.

Chandan, who had joined the Army in 2017, had returned to his unit, 89 Armed Regiment of Rashtriya Rifles - a counter insurgency force - just a month ago after a leave.

Besides locals, senior state government officials were also present at Naromurar to pay their last respects.
Alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar has challenged Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez's plea over intimidating and harassing letters sent by him to her. The conman filed an application in Delhi's Patiala House court stating Jacqueline's plea has suppressed multiple facts in connection with the 200 crore extortion case. This photo of Sukesh Chandrashekhar and actor Jacqueline Fernandez earlier.

I am ready to undergo any punishment if even one single letter sent to Jacqueline proves or covers my content that is threatening, intimidating, or related to any of the cases or matters pertaining to the ongoing EOW or ED cases, Chandrashekhar's application said. He also questioned why the actress did not approach the high court last year when he sent several letters.

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Last week, Fernandez moved the Delhi high court seeking direction to the superintendent of Mandoli prison and Delhi Polices economic offences wing (EOW) to not allow the conman from issuing any letters, messages, or statements addressed to her directly or indirectly. She alleged that Sukesh persistently engages in the unsolicited dissemination of troubling letters to numerous electronic and print media platforms, which creates an alarming and distressing environment for her.

Citing Chandrasekhar's letter dated October 15, the plea said it was laced with unsolicited and disturbing content. This relentless pursuit by Chandrashekhar, aimed at establishing contact with the applicant (Jacqueline), is nothing short of a blatant attempt at witness tampering, with the clear intention of mentally intimidating her to the extent that she is compelled to withhold the truth in the criminal trial, it said.

In response to the plea, the EOW said it supports the actress' plea adding that it has observed the accused has been in the habit of sending letters, concerning the present applicant, to media platforms, through various means, which is not only harassing/ threatening the present applicant directly but also affecting her social/ professional assignments.

Notably, Fernandez is a protected witness in the FIR being investigated by the EOW in connection with the 200-crore money-laundering and extortion case linked to alleged Chandrashekhar.

What is the money laundering and extortion case?

The money laundering and extortion case is based on an FIR filed by the Delhi Police's EOW against Sukesh who is accused of cheating and extortion from Aditi Singh, wife of former promoter of Religare Enterprises Shivinder Mohan Singh. Shivinder was arrested in October 2019 in a case related to alleged misappropriation of funds at Religare Finvest Ltd.

According to the FIR, Chandrasekhar and his associates took money from Aditi after posing as government officials and promising to get bail for her husband. Chandrasekhar and his wife Leena Maria Paul were arrested in September last year in the case.
New Delhi: The Delhi police today received a phone call claiming there was a blast near the Israel Embassy. The authorities haven't found any explosives in the area so far. Delhi Police personnel

Atul Garg, director, Delhi Fire Services, told ANI they received a call informing them about a bomb blast near the Embassy. "So far nothing has been found at the location," he added.

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The authorities are still searching the area.

News agency Reuters, quoting Israel's foreign ministry, reported that an explosion was heard near the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi. All of its staff are unharmed.

An embassy spokesperson told the agency that the loud sound was close to the Israel Embassy.

"We can confirm that around 5:20 there was a blast at close proximity to the embassy," Israeli Embassy spokesperson Guy Nir said.

Israel Embassy's Deputy Chief of Mission Ohad Nakash Kaynar said: "This evening several minutes after 5, an explosion occurred in close proximity of the Embassy. All our diplomats and workers are safe. Our security teams are working in full cooperation with local Delhi security and they will investigate the matter further".

The Delhi police's crime unit team and the forensics team are on the spot.

An eyewitness told the media that the blast sounded like a tyre-burst.

"This happened around 5 pm, I was on my duty and heard a huge sound. When I came out, I saw smoke coming from the top of a tree, that's all I saw...The police have taken my statement," he said.

This comes amid a war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza in which thousands of people have been killed. The war was triggered by an attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, killing over 1200 people, mostly civilians.

In 2021, a low intensity blast outside the Israeli embassy in Delhi sent shockwaves across the world. The National Investigation Agency is still investigating the case.

Also read: Blast reported near Israel embassy in Delhi, car windscreens damaged

The low-intensity improvised device had gone off around 5pm near Bungalow number 5, APJ Abdul Kalam Road, near Jindal House, on January 29, 2021. Although nobody was killed or injured, the blast left a crater and damaged three cars parked nearby.

Immediately after the blast, Israel had said Iran was behind the attack. Other than the fact that the blast occurred on the 29th anniversary of establishment of India-Israel diplomatic ties (on January 29, 1992), a letter found at the blast site had said the attack was to avenge the killings of Iran Quds Commander Qassem Soleimani.

With inputs from agencies
A charter plane carrying 276 passengers, mostly Indians, grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking, landed at the Mumbai airport on early Tuesday morning, news agency PTI reported. The Airbus A340 from Dubai in the UAE, which had initially been bound for Nicaragua before French authorities halted its departure, landed in Mumbai just after 4am, aviation tracking website Flightradar24 showed. It had taken off from Vatry airport near Paris around 2.30pm local time. French customs officers stand next to a customs car with an Airbus A340 in the background which was grounded on the tarmac since December 21 over suspected "human trafficking", at the Vatry airport. (AFP)

The flight, operated by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines and bound for Nicaragua, had landed with 303 Indians at Vatry on Thursday for a technical stopover en route from Dubai when French authorities grounded it.

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Plane with Indians lands in Mumbai: What we know so far

1. French authorities said the plane had 276 passengers on board when it took off for Mumbai. As many as 25 persons, including two minors, had expressed the wish to apply for asylum and were still on French soil.

2. Two others were held and produced before a judge, who were brought before a judge, were released and placed on assisted witness status, a French news channel said.

3. When the Airbus A340 flight landed at Vatry airport, there were 11 unaccompanied minors among the 303 Indian passengers on board, a local official had said.

4. Makeshift beds were arranged for the stranded passengers, who were given access to toilets and showers and provided meals and hot drinks in the hall of Vatry airport.

5. After the flight had landed at Vatry, French authorities launched a judicial investigation into the conditions and purpose of the trip, with a unit specialising in organised crime investigating suspected human trafficking.

6. The French authorities are continuing to investigate the case for violation of immigration laws, but no longer for potential people trafficking, news agency AFP quoted judicial sources as saying.

7. After questioning the passengers for two days, French prosecutors on Sunday gave the go-ahead for the plane to leave.

8. AFP reported that the Indians were likely workers in the United Arab Emirates who had been bound for Nicaragua as a jumping-off spot for the United States or Canada.

9. The Indian embassy in Paris posted on X on Monday that it was grateful for the "quick resolution" of the incident.

10. Nicaragua has become a popular destination for those seeking asylum in the US. As many as 96,917 Indians attempted to enter the US illegally in the financial year 2023, signalling a 51.61 per cent jump from the previous year, according to data made available by the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). At least 41,770 of those Indians attempted to enter the US via the Mexican land border, CBP data shows. Flights to Nicaragua or third countries where obtaining travel documents is easy have come to be known as 'donkey' or 'dunki' flights.

(With inputs from agencies)
CHENNAI: The Madurai city police have registered a case against Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials on a complaint by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) that officers from the federal agency prevented them from discharging their duties in the case where ED officer Ankit Tiwari has been booked on charges of bribery. Police personnel outside ED sub-zonal office in Madurai after Tamil Nadu Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) officials left following searches here in connection with the case involving ED officer Ankit Tiwari, in Madurai (ANI FILE PHOTO)

DVAC arrested Tiwari on December 1 for allegedly accepting a bribe of 20 lakh. Later in the day, they carried out a raid at EDs sub-zonal office in Madurai. Initially, they did not allow us to enter his (Tiwaris) room on the ground floor, so we had to take the help of local police with their cameraman and, eventually, they were allowed to search, a DVAC official said, declining to be named.

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The Tallakulam police station in Madurai has issued a summons to Brijesh Beniwal, assistant director of the EDs Madurai office. He has to appear tomorrow (Tuesday) as part of the enquiry process, a police officer said, not wishing to be named. Police and DVAC officials did not share details on how many ED officers have been booked in the case.

ED on December 2 filed a complaint with Tamil Nadu police against the searches conducted in their office by the states anti-graft wing. State police are yet to act on EDs complaint.

ED has accused DVAC of criminal trespass, stealing and taking copies of sensitive documents that could jeopardise investigations and of letting unauthorised people inside EDs office and conducting an illegal search.

Beniwal had filed the complaint with Shankar Jiwal, Tamil Nadus director general of police. The ED alleged that while only four DVAC officers along with two witnesses were authorised to search, 35 people including a few in civil dress without a badge claiming to be police along with media and mob forcefully entered their Madurai office.

They were reluctant to provide their identity cards except M Sathyaseelan, deputy superintendent of police at the DVACs Madurai branch. They accessed the sensitive case records, information and internal documents of ED related to other cases which have no link with the alleged search case, the federal agency said in its complaint. ED officials signed the panchnama (legal document that records findings in a crime scene by five people) after registering their protest.

The panchnama filed by Sathyaseelan and attached in the complaint said that Beniwal refused to cooperate with the investigation. Since ED prevented them from entering Tiwaris room on the ground floor, Sathyaseelan said they took the help of local police and were later allowed to search.

DVAC seized three incriminating documents in a steel bureau numbered 3 in Tiwaris room, the anti-graft agency said. It includes an Enforcement Case Information Report from 2020 against Dr Suresh Babu, chief civil surgeon of the governments Dindigul hospital who was threatened to bribe the officer.

The doctor had tipped off DVAC on November 30 after Tiwari on November 29 asked for 3 crore to close the case, according to the FIR filed by DVAC on November 30. They finally negotiated to settle at 51 lakh. As agreed, the doctor paid the first instalment of 20 lakh on December 1, which has been recorded on camera. Later, DVAC caught Tiwari along the Madurai highway.
National Conference MP Farooq Abdullah said India could meet the same fate as Gaza and Palestine, which are being bombed by Israeli forces, if it doesn't find a solution through dialogue with Pakistan. Former J&K chief Minister Farooq Abdullah (PTI)

In the statement, which is expected to draw reactions from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister also said, If we remain friendly with our neighbours, both will progress.

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He urged the leaders of both India and Pakistan to find a solution to their bilateral issues through dialogue.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee (former PM) had said we can change our friends but not our neighbours. If we remain friendly with our neighbours, both will progress. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also said war is not an option now and the matters should be resolved through dialogue, news agency ANI quoted Farooq Abdullah as saying.

"Where is the dialogue? Nawaz Sharif is about to become the PM (of Pakistan) and they are saying that we are ready to talk (with India), but what is the reason why we are not ready to talk? If we do not find a solution through dialogue, we will meet the same fate as Gaza and Palestine, which are being bombed by Israel...," Abdullah added.

Abdullah's statement comes against the the drop of recent incidents in which five Indian Army soldiers were killed in an ambush in Poonch, a retired police officer was shot dead inside a Baramulla mosque and three civilians were found dead after troops detained them for questioning.

Senior BJP leader Hina Shafi Bhat hit back at the NC leader, saying it is regrettable that a senior leader from Jammu and Kashmir is still talking about talks with Pakistan. "Farooq saab should learn now, this regime is not going to bow down before Pakistan. We tried, they have backstabbed us again and again," NDTV quoted Bhat as saying.

Earlier, Abdullah slammed the BJP's claims of normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir since its special status was revoked in 2019.

"Shouting normalcy or propagating tourist arrivals as peace will not finish terrorism. They were claiming that terrorism has finished with the abrogation of Article 370 (in 2019) but four years down the line, terrorism is still there and will not finish till we try to understand its root cause," he had said on Sunday.

"I regret the killing (of the officer). Those who are claiming normalcy are silent... they tried to heal the wounds in a superficial manner rather than addressing the root cause. The commoners should understand that we are losing our soldiers, officers and commoners," Abdullah said.

In 1999, Vajpayee visited Pakistan just a few months before the Kargil War began. In 2015, Modi held a meeting with Nawaz in Pakistan during a surprise visit to the country. Pakistan's continuous attempts to infiltrate Indian territory with terrorists have been the reason for unfriendly relations.

The 26/11 Mumbai attacks left an unending outrage and pain among Indians. India-Pakistan ties nosedived after the abrogation of Article 370 in the year 2019.

Condemning the killing of the retired senior police officer in Baramulla, the National Conference patriarch said that terrorism would not end through operations by the security forces.

"We were part of India and will forever remain so. If we have to end terrorism, we've got to find ways through which it could be ended. The central government should realise that terrorism cannot be defeated through operations of the security forces," the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said.

Earlier, mourning the loss of the deceased retired police officer, Abdulkareem Mir, the younger brother of Shafi, told news agency ANI, "He was the senior superintendent of police (SSP) and retired from service in 2012. He was a regular at the mosque for 'Aazan'. However, this morning, Shafi (the muezzin, who calls fellow Muslims to prayer) stopped suddenly in between his call for Aazan. At first, we thought that the microphone had stopped working. However, later, we learned to our absolute shock and dismay that he had been fatally shot."

Over 20,000 killed in Gaza

Abdullah made the remarks amid rising pressure on Israel to scale back the conflict in Gaza, which began following Hamass October 7 assault on southern Israeli communities that killed 1,200 people  with Hamas militants kidnapping scores of Israelis.

More than 20,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Much of the Palestinian enclave has been flattened by Israeli airstrikes and the UN has said the humanitarian situation is dire.

(With inputs from agencies)
New Delhi: The law enforcement authorities in Delhi on Tuesday evening received a call reporting a loud sound near the Israel Embassy. The Delhi Police's security and forensics teams are on the spot investigating the incident. Meanwhile, an Israeli Embassy spokesperson gave his first reaction to the matter. A member of the investigation team near the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi.

Guy Nir told the news agency Reuters that a blast occurred near the embassy in the Indian capital on Tuesday evening. All of its staff were unharmed following the explosion.

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"We can confirm that around 5:20 there was a blast at close proximity to the embassy," Israeli Embassy spokesperson Guy Nir told the agency.

Israeli authorities were cooperating with their Indian counterparts to investigate the cause of the explosion, he added.

Deputy Ambassador of Israel to India, Ohad Nakash Kaynar, said: "This is evening several minutes after 5, an explosion occurred in close proximity of the Embassy. All our diplomats and workers are safe. Our security teams are working in full cooperation with local Delhi security and they will investigate the matter further."

An eye-witness told the Indian media that he also heard a loud sound.

"This happened around 5 pm, I was on my duty and heard a huge sound. When I came out, I saw smoke coming from the top of a tree, that's all I saw...The police have taken my statement," he said.

The incident happened in the Chanakyapuri area. The Delhi Fire Services received the information first at around 5 pm.

"So far nothing has been found at the location," Atul Garg, Director, Delhi Fire Services said.

A team of Delhi Police's Special Cell has also arrived at the spot. The area around the Israel Embassy has been cordoned off and security personnel have been deployed.

Police officials told PTI said that they are searching each and every corner of the area. No explosive has been found so far and the search operation is still underway.

This comes two years after a low-intensity blast outside the Embassy rocked the national capital. No person sustained any injury in the 2021 blast. Israel had blamed Iran for the incident. The National Investigation Agency has been investigating the case.
New Delhi: The barren brown patch around the Marol Naka metro station near Mumbais Mithi River is beginning to look green. The effort to plant 10,200 tree saplings here, which will continue over the next six months, is not just another drive by the authorities to meet the annual plantation targets. Three acres in this bustling East Andheri suburb are being converted into an urban forest as part of the citys climate action plan launched last year.

Three acres in this bustling East Andheri suburb are being converted into an urban forest as part of the citys climate action plan launched last year. (HT Photo)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on foreign visits to 11 countries in 2023. Explore the details of all the international engagements of the prime minister here. Representative Image: PM Modi foreign visits.

Hiroshima: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with USA President Joe Biden, Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese and Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida during the Quad Leaders' Summit, in Hiroshima, Japan, May 20, 2023. (PTI)

PM Modis visit to Japan, Papua New Guinea & Australia (May 19 - May 25 )

PM Modi attended the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Japan's Hiroshima, marking India's consecutive invitations to the prestigious event.

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Following the G7 Summit, PM Modi embarked on tour to Papua New Guinea, becoming the first visit by an Indian prime minister to this Indo-Pacific nation. During his visit to Papua New Guinea, PM Modi co-chaired the 3rd Summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC III Summit).

Subsequently, PM Modi, responding to an invitation from Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese, travelled to Sydney. In Sydney, PM Modi interacted with the local Indian community at a spec event, alongside Australian PM Anthony Albanese. Moreover, during this community event, it was announced that the Harris Park area in Parramatta would be designated as Little India.

Also read: Why PM Kishida invited PM Modi to G7 Summit in Hiroshima? Japans envoy explains

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden and US First Lady Jill Biden at White House Arrival Ceremony, in Washington, D.C.(ANI/PIB)

PM Modis visit to USA & Egypt (Jun 20 - Jun 25)

In June PM Modi undertook state visit to United States. Invited by US president Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, visit began in New York, where the prime minister led celebrations for the International Day of Yoga at the United Nations headquarters on June 21.

Following this, Modi travelled to Washington, receiving a ceremonial welcome at the White House on June 22. A high-level dialogue with Biden took place, and a state dinner hosted by Bidens honoured PM Modi that evening.

Also read: 2023 recap and 2024 planner

At the invitation of Congressional leaders, including speaker Kevin McCarthy and Senate speaker Charles Schumer, PM Modi addressed a joint sitting of the US Congress on June 22. On June 23, Vice president Kamala Harris and secretary of state Antony Blinken jointly hosted a luncheon for PM Modi.

Beyond official engagements, Modi had curated interactions with CEOs, professionals, and stakeholders, along with meetings with the Indian diaspora.

Also read: How PM Modi's US State visit elevates India's global standing

Subsequently, Modi travelled to Cairo for a state visit to Egypt at the invitation of president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, who extended the invitation during his attendance at the Republic Day celebrations in January. In addition to talks with Sisi, Modi interacted with senior Egyptian dignitaries, prominent personalities, and the Indian community.

Also read: PM Modi meets Egyptian counterpart, top ministers; discusses trade ties

PM Modi in France.

PM Modis visit to France & UAE (Jul 13 - Jul 15 )

PM Modi visited France as the chief guest at Bastille Day military parade, a signal honour last extended to a foreign leader in 2017 when former US president Donald Trump visited. A 269-member Indian tri-services contingent participated in the parade, accompanied by three French-origin Rafale combat jets from the Indian Air Force.

Formal talks between Macron and Modi took place, followed by a state banquet and a private dinner hosted by the French president. Modi also met with French counterpart Elisabeth Borne and the presidents of the Senate and the National Assembly. Interactions with the Indian diaspora, CEOs of Indian and French companies, and prominent French personalities were part of the schedule.

Also read: What gifts did PM Modi present to France's leaders? Sitar, Silk fabric, Marble table, and more | Full List

From France, Modi traveled to Abu Dhabi in the UAE on July 15 for talks with president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, addressing global cooperation issues, especially in the context of the UAE's COP28 presidency and India's G20 presidency.

Also read- Every Indian sees you as a true friend: PM Modi to UAE president in Abu Dhabi

(FILES) (From L to R) President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of China Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pose for a BRICS family photo during the 2023 BRICS Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on August 23, 2023.(AFP)

PM Modis visit to South Africa & Greece (Aug 22 - Aug 26 )

Next on the agenda was PM Modi's visit to South Africa where he attended BRICS Summit in Johannesburg.

Also read: PM Modi backs Brics expansion at summit, says should be done with consensus

In Greece, PM Modi's official visit marked the first by an Indian premier in 40 years, focusing on upgrading the relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Also read: Greece confers Grand Cross of the Order of Honour on PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi being greeted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo upon his arrival to attend the ASEAN Summit, in Jakarta. With India and ASEAN observing the 30th anniversary of their partnership in 2022, the Indian side has focused on increasing connectivity in the physical, digital and economic domains.(PTI)

PM Modis visit to Indonesia (Sep 6 - Sep 7 )

Moving on to September, PM Modi attended the 18th East Asia Summit and 20th ASEAN-Indian Summit at the invitation of Indonesian president Joko Widodo, just days before the G20 Summit in New Delhi.

Also read: In speeches at 2 summits in Jakarta, PM Modi delivers a clear message to China

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, President of Mozambique Filipe Jacinto Nyusi and European Council President Charles Michel at a high-level event on Green Credits Programme during the COP28, in UAE, Friday, Dec. 1, 2023. (PTI)

PM Modis visit to Dubai (Nov 30 - Dec 1 )

In the later part of the year, PM Narendra Modi arrived in Dubai to take part in the World Climate Action Summit, a significant event held during the United Nations' Conference of the Parties on climate, known as COP28. The summit featured delegates from nearly 200 nations.

Also read: Giorgia Meloni takes selfie with PM Modi, Italian PM calls it a Melodi
Enhancing maritime capabilities in response to China's growing presence in the Indian Ocean region, the Indian Navy commissioned its newest domestically constructed stealth-guided missile destroyer, INS Imphal, at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on Tuesday. The commissioning ceremony was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde. Sailors stand next to Anti-Submarine Indigenous Rocket Launchers of the INS IMPHAL (Yard 12706). (AFP)

The formal induction ceremony signifies the entry of the third 'Visakhapatnam' class destroyer into the Navy. These destroyers, designed and constructed by the Indian Navy's in-house organization, the Warship Design Bureau, demonstrate the nation's indigenous capabilities.

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INS Imphal holds the distinction of being the first warship named after a city in the Northeastern region, a decision sanctioned by the President in April 2019. This underscores the strategic significance of the Northeastern region for national security.

Speaking at the event, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said, INS Imphal will not only tackle physical threats that emanate at or from the seas, but more importantly, through the demonstrated strength of an integrated Bharat, she will deter nefarious designs, trying to subvert our national unity...Even as we speak, we have four destroyers of 15 Alpha and Bravo class deployed to counter piracy and drone attacks on merchant shipping.

Rajnath Singh said, India has intensified patrolling of seas after recent attacks on merchant navy ships.

Kumar added, Four destroyers deployed to counter piracy and drone attacks on merchant ships. P-8I aircraft, Dorniers, Sea Guardians, helicopters and Coast Guard ships deployed jointly to counter piracy, drone attacks.

Constructed by Mazgaon Dock Limited, the ship exhibits a remarkable indigenous content of around 75 per cent, featuring BrahMos surface-to-surface missiles, medium-range surface-to-air missiles, indigenous anti-submarine rocket launchers, and a 76mm super rapid gun mount.

Part of Project 15B (Visakhapatnam class), INS Imphal, with a length of 163 meters and 7,400 tons displacement, stands as a formidable naval presence.

The ship is well-equipped with advanced weapons, sensors, and surveillance radar, making it one of India's most potent warships.

Designed for combat under Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) warfare conditions, INS Imphal exhibits high automation, stealth features, and survivability. Powered by Combined Gas and Gas (COGAG) propulsion, the ship can attain speeds exceeding 30 knots (56 km/hour).

Delivered to the Indian Navy on October 20, INS Imphal completed a rigorous trial program, including the successful test-firing of the extended-range supersonic BrahMos missile.
The Indian passengers were interrogated by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officials after their charter plane, grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking, landed in Mumbai in the wee hours on Tuesday, news agency ANI reported. A passenger from Nicaragua bound Airbus A340 flight that was grounded in France on suspicion of human trafficking, evades the media as he leaves the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport after his arrival, in Mumbai, (REUTERS)

The plane carrying 276 passengers, mostly Indians, that was grounded in France over suspected human trafficking, landed at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai around 4am. The passengers had been heading to Nicaragua but were instead blocked inside the Vatry Airport for four days in an exceptional holiday ordeal.

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The Legend Airlines A340 plane stopped on Thursday for refuelling in Vatry en route from Fujairah airport in the United Arab Emirates to Managua, Nicaragua, and was grounded by police based on an anonymous tip-off that it could be carrying human trafficking victims.

The Associated Press reported that Legend Airlines lawyer Liliana Bakayoko said some passengers didn't want to go to India because they had paid for a tourism trip to Nicaragua. The airline has denied any role in possible human trafficking.

Plane with Indians lands in Mumbai: What we know so far
MUMBAI: Immigration authorities on Tuesday questioned 276 Indian passengers as they returned to Mumbai from France, where a Nicaragua-bound charter plane carrying them was grounded for a human trafficking investigation. Passengers of a charter plane, which was grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking, arrive in Mumbai, on Dec. 26 (PTI)

The passengers were blocked at Vatry airport, 150 kilometres east of Paris, for four days following an anonymous tip-off that the plane, which took off from Dubai, was carrying potential victims of human trafficking.

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Of the original 303 passengers, 276 were sent to Mumbai and 25 others requested asylum in France. The remaining two passengers were detained as part of a human trafficking investigation but were released Monday after appearing before a judge. The two were issued an expulsion order from France.

The flight landed in Mumbai around 4am. Officials said the passengers, whose statements were recorded before they were allowed to exit the airport when the formalities were completed after almost five hours, underwent detailed immigration procedures and customs checks.

The passengers hid their faces as they came out of the airport in groups. Most of them carried single bag packs. One said he left for Dubai on November 26 en route to the US via Nicaragua. He insisted that he had all the documents but needed to know what went wrong. I cannot say anything more, he said, refusing to identify himself.

Other passengers refused to speak.

The passengers were put up at the Vatry airport for the investigation and provided beds, toilets, and showers. The passengers included 11 unaccompanied minors. On Sunday, the airport was turned into a makeshift courtroom. Four French judges questioned the Indian passengers. The hearing was conducted as part of the human trafficking investigation.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said that while there have been ups and downs in relationships between all countries, the only constant in global politics has been the ties between India and Russia. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar(PTI)

He also emphasised that in the fields of defence, space and nuclear energy, countries only cooperate with those with whom they have a "high degree" of trust.

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The EAM was interacting with the Indian community at an event in Moscow on Tuesday.

Addressing the event, Jaishankar said, "Relationship between India and Russia, in many ways is exceptional...if one looks at last 60, 70, 80 years of politics among the major countries. They have had their relationships, but all these relationships have their ups and downs...Russia and China, Russia and USA, Russia and Europe, India and China, India and USA. You would see over time, there are good periods, there are difficulties, stresses and very good memories and great achievements".

READ | Trade, energy, connectivity on table during Jaishankars Russia visit next week

He also confirmed that he will be holding a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday during his five-day visit to the country.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Jaishankar said that during his interaction, he urged the Indian community to contribute in deepening the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.

"Interacted with the Indian community in Moscow. Appreciated their contribution to building a strong and steady collaboration between India and Russia. The Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership reflects experiences and sentiments of last 75 years. Urged the community to contribute to deepening of mutually beneficial cooperation. Their role in promoting close ties between our civil societies is invaluable. An #AtmanirbharBharat will deepen ties with Russia in a multipolar world," Jaishankar posted on X.

During his address, the EAM further noted that over the last 70-80 years, both India and Russia have transformed a lot and a lot has also changed in world politics, but the relationship between New Delhi and Moscow has remained constant.

READ | India-Russia friendship steady; Moscow will turn more to Asia: S Jaishankar

"To me, what is exceptional about India-Russia relationships. From the early 50s, for 70-80 odd years. There have been big changes in this period. The Soviet Union became the Russian Federation, big changes have happened in world politics, Russia has transformed, and India has grown. But, if there is one constant in world politics, it has actually been the relationship between India and Russia," he said.

Jaishankar said that the cooperation between India and Russia in various fields also shows the quality of the relationship between the two countries.

"Russia is a special partner in a few areas -- defence, nuclear energy...Today, in my presence and that of Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, we signed some important agreements pertaining to future units of the Kudankulam Nuclear Project. Typically, defence, nuclear and space, are collaborations you only do with countries with whom you have a high degree of trust. So, it's not just we do the cooperation is reflective of the quality of the relationship," he added.

The EAM acknowledged that India got a "very strong cooperation from Russia during its G20 presidency and affirmed New Delhi's commitment to support Moscow's presidency of BRICS grouping next year.

Jaishankar arrived in Russia on Monday for his four-day visit and said that he looked forward to his engagements.
In a boost to maritime capability amid China's increasing forays into the Indian Ocean region, the Indian Navy is set to commission its latest indigenously built stealth-guided missile destroyer, INS Imphal, at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on Tuesday. Defence minister Rajnath Singh will be present at the ceremony. INS Imphal

The commissioning ceremony will mark the formal induction into the Navy of the third of four Visakhapatnam class destroyers, indigenously designed and built by the Indian Navy's in-house organisation, Warship Design Bureau.

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All you need to know about INS Imphal:
Israel Embassy 'Blast' Highlights: There are reports of a blast near the Israeli embassy in Delhi, with the alleged explosion coming at a time when Israel is engaged in an armed conflict with Hamas, the Islamist group that governs the Palestinian enclave of Gaza. Officials at the incident site near the Israeli embassy in Delhi (ANI)

Delhi Police personnel have reached the incident site in the national capital's Chanakyapuri, where the embassy is located. A thorough check of the area is being conducted.

Meanwhile, Atul Garg, director, Delhi Fire Services, told ANI that they received a call informing them about a bomb blast near the Embassy. "So far nothing has been found at the location," Garg said.
The Israeli National Security Council has issued a travel advisory for its citizens in India, suspecting that an explosion near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi on Tuesday was "a possible terror attack". Security officials seen standing near the Embassy of Israel after Delhi Police received a call about a blast near the embassy.(PTI)

No one was injured in the blast that occurred near the Israel embassy in the Chanakyapuri diplomatic enclave in New Delhi on Tuesday evening.

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When contacted, Israeli embassy spokesperson Guy Nir said, "We can confirm that around 5:48 pm, there was a blast in close proximity to the embassy. Delhi Police and the security team are still investigating the situation."

The recommendations of the Israeli National Security Council (NSC) on Tuesday, which come amid concerns of a "recurrence of events", apply especially to New Delhi.

READ | Blast near Israel embassy in Delhi, letter to envoy spark panic

Israeli nationals have been warned to try to avoid going to crowded places (malls and markets) and places identified as serving Westerners/Jews and Israelis.

They have also been urged to be on heightened alert in public places (including restaurants, hotels, pubs, etc).

The recommendations also suggest avoiding openly displaying Israeli symbols, refraining from attending unsecured large-scale events, and avoiding publicising itineraries on social media as well as photographs and details of visits in real-time.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry, in a press statement earlier on Tuesday, said that there were no casualties in the explosion.

"The incident is under investigation by the local authorities in full cooperation with the Israeli security forces", the ministry said.

Soon after the explosion, which took place in a green belt area outside the Central Hindi Training Institute located near the embassy, teams of Delhi Police's Special Cell, bomb disposal squad and fire department rushed to the spot. An almost three-hour-long search operation was carried out in the area.

A National Investigation Agency (NIA) team also examined the site, a senior police officer in New Delhi said.

READ | 'Abusive' letter for Israel ambassador found near Delhi 'blast' site: Updates

After the incident, security was further beefed up around the embassy and other Israeli establishments, according to officials.

Earlier this month, the NSC warned Israelis to reconsider all their travel abroad and called on those who do need to travel overseas to avoid outward displays of their Jewish and Israeli identities amid rising antisemitism around the world amidst the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas militant group in Gaza.

In the past, too, the Israeli embassy and its staff have come under attack in New Delhi.

There was an explosion outside the Israeli embassy in 2021 in which cars were damaged, but no casualties were reported.

In February 2012, the wife of an Israeli security staff at the embassy was injured in an attack on her car in New Delhi.

Security has been high around the Israel embassy in New Delhi since the war between Israel and Hamas began earlier this year, security officials said.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee, who sparked a controversy last week for ostensibly mimicking Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, has purportedly imitated him once again while maintaining that mimicry is an art form and that he has a fundamental right to expression. Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee said that he has a fundamental right to expression (PTI)

Video clips of the suspended TMC MP ostensibly mimicking the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha on the steps of the new Parliament building were aired on television and circulated on social media platforms on December 19. In the clips, the Lok Sabha MP from Serampore was seen surrounded by several other suspended parliamentarians, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen making a video as he conducted a mock sitting of the House. Hours later, Dhankhar sternly criticised the act, calling it a personal attack on him and said that the institution of Chairman has been ravaged.

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Mimicry is nothing new. It is an art form. If someone doesnt understand humour and art, what can I do? If someone doesnt have the education, if someone does not have a cultured mind, if someone identifies himself as the target, I am helpless, Banerjee said while addressing a political rally at Serampore in Hooghly district on Sunday.

Right to expression is a fundamental right. Sir (Dhankhar), you are a lawyer. Mimicry is an expression. It is my fundamental right. Nobody can destroy it. Right to dissent and protest is also my fundamental right... I know you can send me to jail. But you cant stop me from protesting. You can conspire and murder me, but I will not stop protesting, he added.

Slamming Dhankhar for getting upset over a trivial issue, Banerjee said: He is crying so much day and night over a mimicry. This is so childish. What is this? It is like a child who goes to a teacher complaining about a classmate...It is okay. Let this continue. I have no problem.

You are holding a Constitutional post. Why do you keep on seeing look at me, look at me? Look at the country. This is unthinkable. How low will you stoop? How much you want to appease Narendra Modi and the BJP?, he asked while purportedly mimicking the Rajya Sabha Chairman again.

Banerjee questioned whether such a mimicry was done for the first time. We have seen mimicries multiple times outside the Lok Sabha. But inside the Lok Sabha, the person who did mimicry for the first time was [Prime Minister] Narendra Modi. Did you all see it? If you have not, I will install LED screens to show how he did mimicry... We never took it (Modis mimicry in Parliament) seriously. We were all smiling that day. We took it lightly. There is also a mimicry done by Nirmala Sitharaman. I can also show it, he said while purportedly mimicking the Prime Minister.

Banerjee also referred to Dhankhar linking caste to the alleged insult he was subjected to and asked when Olympian Sakshi Malik levelled charges of sexual harassment against BJP parliamentarian Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Dhankhar never said a word. Why was a farmers daughter sexually harassed?

The Bharatiya Janata Party, however, hit back at Banerjee.

The people of West Bengal know Kalyan Banerjee. They also know very well whether he has any courtesy and etiquette. Now the people of India have seen it. His ill-mannered behaviour is now for everyone to see. There is no way to hide it, BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.
New Delhi: The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Tuesday slammed CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury for turning down its invitation for the Ram Temple event in Ayodhya on January 22, saying a person who hates his own name can only adhere to the communist ideology. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury

The temple in Ayodhya, which was approved by the Supreme Court of India in 2019 after decades long legal dispute, is dedicated to Lord Ram.

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Yechury today said VHP had invited him to the event but he won't be able to attend it, as the government intends to bring religion into politics.

VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal wrote on X, There are reports that the one whose name is Sitaram will not go to Ayodhya Dham.

Political opposition is understandable, but if someone has so much hatred for his own name, he can only be a communist, he added.

In a video statement in Hindi, Bansal said Yechuri must clarify whether he was opposed to Lord Ram or his name.

Also read: 'Only those called by Lord Ram...': BJP jibe at CPI(M) over Ayodhya remark

He said the company is returning to Ramatva. "For how long will you oppose them, he added.

VHP had spearheaded the Ram Temple agitation since the 1980s. They are also at the forefront of organising the event on January 22.

Yechury on Tuesday said he had received an invitation to attend the event but he won't go to Ayodhya.

"Nripendra Mishra was escorted by a VHP leader who came and gave me the invitation...Religion is a personal choice of every individual. We respect and safeguard the right of every individual to choose their particular form of faith...As far as the Indian Constitution and the Supreme Court are concerned they have very clearly said that the state shall not profess any particular religion or have any religious affiliation. What is happening in this inauguration ceremony is that it has been converted into a state-sponsored event with the Prime Minister, UP CM and others holding Constitutional positions... This is straightforward politicisation of the religious belief of the people which is not in consonance with the Constitution. Therefore, in these circumstances, I regret not being able to attend the event," he said.

Reacting to Yechury's remark, Meenakshi Lekhi today said "those called by Lord Ram will only reach Ayodhya."

The ceremony, which entails the installation of Lord Ram's idol at the grand temple, will be attended by thousands of people, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

With inputs from PTI, ANI
The Indian Navy on Tuesday commissioned its latest guided missile stealth destroyer, INS Imphal, which will bolster the countrys presence in the strategic Indo-Pacific region and its capabilities to respond to an array of regional contingencies including the emerging challenges in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, where tensions have escalated following a wave of drone and missile attacks against merchant vessels by Houthi rebels, officials aware of the matter said. Sailors stand next to anti-submarine launchers on the INS Imphal ahead of its commissioning. (PTI)

INS Imphal, built under a 35,000-crore project for four modern stealth destroyers, comes with a raft of historic firsts, the officials said.

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READ | INS Imphal: Navy's indigenous destroyer to be commissioned today. 10 facts

It is the first warship to have fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile before its commissioning; it has separate accommodation for women officers and sailors, as no woman officer has yet been a part of a warships commissioning crew; and its construction time has been the shortest for this class of destroyers. It is also the first warship in naval history to be named after a city in the countrys Northeast.

INS Imphal joins fleet

Defence minister Rajnath Singh, who commissioned the destroyer at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, said INS Imphal was a symbol of Indias growing maritime might, and it would enhance the countrys power in the vast Indo-Pacific region in line with the time-honoured naval strategy of One Who Controls the Sea is All Powerful.

India plays the role of a net security provider in the entire Indian Ocean region. We will ensure that maritime trade in this region reaches greater heights. For this, together with our friendly countries, we will keep the sea lanes secure. We have full confidence in the ability and strength of our navy, Singh said.

Merchant vessel (MV) Chem Pluto, the target of a drone attack in the Arabian Sea on December 23 and anchored not far from the Naval Dockyard, is a reminder of the looming threat at sea and underlines the need to keep sea lanes secure.

The Liberian-flagged vessel carrying a crew of 22, including 21 Indians, was escorted to Mumbai on Monday by coast guard patrol vessel Vikram, and a preliminary assessment by the navys explosive ordnance disposal specialists has confirmed a drone attack. Iran-backed Houthis have been targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea after the Israel-Hamas conflict began on October 7, and tensions have spilled over into the Arabian Sea. The Houthi rebels declared their support for Hamas. To be sure, the US blamed Iran for the attack and Tehran denied the charge.

INS Imphal, built at the Mumbai-based Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL), is the third of the four warships under the Project-15B class of guided missile stealth destroyers. The first two destroyers, INS Visakhapatnam and INS Mormugao, were commissioned into service in 2021 and 2022. Surat, the fourth one, is under construction at MDL and is expected to be commissioned next year.

INS Imphal will not only tackle physical threats that emanate at or from the seas, but more importantly, through a demonstrated strength of an integrated Bharat, she will deter nefarious designs trying to subvert our national unity. She will breathe fire upon the enemy and demonstrate unflinching resolve in the face of adversity, navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said at the commissioning ceremony.

The destroyer, constructed over seven years, has an indigenous content of 75%, displacement of 7,500 tonnes, length of 164 metres, breadth of 17 metres, top speed of 30 knots and a range of 4,050 nautical miles. It can carry a crew of 360.

The advanced weapons and sensors on board INS Imphal include BrahMos missiles, Barak-8 medium range surface-to-air missiles, super rapid medium range guns, stabilised remote controlled guns for force protection, AK 630 close range guns, Varunastra heavyweight torpedoes, anti-submarine rockets, Israeli-built multi-functional surveillance and threat alert radar, RAWL 02 MK-II A air search radar, surface surveillance radar and electronic warfare equipment.

INS Imphal is capable of blue water operations across the spectrum of naval warfare in all four dimensions  air, surface, underwater and electronic, the destroyers commanding officer Captain Kamal Kumar Choudhury said.

From the smallest peacetime challenge to fighting under NBC (nuclear, biological and chemical) warfare conditions, this multi-mission stealth destroyer is a potent and versatile platform. It is equipped with cutting-edge capabilities, the best that the Indian Navy has today. She has long legs and can operate wherever Indias maritime interest lie, be it the Indian Ocean region or beyond, Choudhury said in an interview to HT.

The warships construction began in July 2016, it carried out its maiden sea sortie in April 2023 and it was delivered to the navy in October.

Singh described INS Imphal as a shining example of Aatmanirbharta or self-reliance in the defence manufacturing sector and a reflection of the commitment of the Indian Navy, MDL and all stakeholders towards national security. He said the indigenous weapons, sensors and machinery on board the destroyer reflected the countrys strength.

Brahmos Aerospace installed Brahmos missile on the ship. Torpedo tube launchers are from Larsen & Toubro. Rapid gun mount has been installed by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited and medium range missiles by Bharat Electronics Limited. Many start-ups and MSMEs were involved in its construction. Just like many elements have given a concrete form to INS Imphal, people from all walks of life should work together for us to become Viksit Bharat (developed India), the defence minister said.

He reiterated the governments resolve to lay equal emphasis on the modernisation of the three services to safeguard the countrys interests, pointing out that previous governments focussed only on protecting the country from land-based threats. He said with the Himalayas to the north and a hostile Pakistan to the west, most of Indias trade passed through seas. This makes India an island country from the trade perspective, he said, stressing the need to continuously build the navys capabilities.

INS Imphal will enhance the navys mobility and reach in the Indo-Pacific region, the defence ministry said in a statement.

INS Imphal has enhanced stealth features resulting in a reduced radar cross section, achieved through efficient shaping of hull, full beam superstructure design, plated masts and the use of radar transparent material on exposed decks, it added.

Separate berthing areas for women sailors became a necessity after their entry into the navys personnel below officer rank (PBOR) cadre for the first time earlier this year. The navy is the first among the three services to induct women in the PBOR cadre across all streams. It currently accounts for more than 1,000 women Agniveers.

Around 40 women officers are currently serving on board warships with separate berthing facilities for them. But not so for women sailors.
NEW DELHI: Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, who retired as a judge of the Supreme Court on December 25, has authored several path-breaking judgments protecting personal liberty, creative freedom and gender justice since his elevation to the top court on February 17, 2017. He was also a part of the top court collegium that made several recommendations for the appointment and transfer of judges in constitutional courts. Prior to his appointment in the apex court, justice Kaul served as the chief justice of Punjab & Haryana high court and Madras high court. He spoke to Utkarsh Anand and Abraham Thomas about the functioning of collegium, possible reforms in judicial appointments, proposed changes to the criminal laws, and a host of other issues.Edited excerpts: Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul has authored several path-breaking judgments protecting personal liberty, creative freedom and gender justice

Judicial appointments have always been a tricky issue and relate directly to the independence of judiciary. At the same time, there are valid concerns regarding how the collegium system functions. As someone who has headed the collegium in high court and been a part of the Supreme Court collegium, do you think it needs reform?

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I feel that the collegium system served a very good purpose at a particular time. But over a period of time, my view is it is not working as it should have been working; not because of the failure of the system but because some of us (judges) did not rise to the occasion. Our appointment process envisages consultation. There is an opinion of the chief justice, collegiums opinion, governments view, Intelligence Bureaus opinion, so many things come into it. But there is a lack of sync in the selection which has created this situation, and, in this process, we will never be able to fill in the vacancies abiding by the timelines.

The present system is really not allowing across-the-table discussion. The government, if it has reservations, should express it clearly and there should be a discussion on whether the reservation is worth the while to stop the recommendation. It is my personal view that putting it down in the files has not worked so well. Maybe a more direct exchange of views would be better in clearing the files.

Is the consultation not proper or is there a lack of understanding or trust between the government and collegium that is creating problems such as delayed appointments and deadlock over judges?

This problem is arising because there is no real discussion. Somebody says, should there be a face-to-face discussion between the judiciary and executive, I would say, possibly, thats a better way of appointment. On the one hand, we say we are the final word, but when the recommendations made get stuck, how does it help the situation in this kind of scenario?

No government in India or anywhere in the world will let the judiciary appoint its own judges without them having any role to play. The consultation process should be such that it should be transparent. The least backdoor consultations, the better it is.

Creases have been endeavoured to be ironed out and timelines have been laid. But its worked only halfway. The more transparently (consultation) it is done, the better consultation is possible.

There have been instances of government filibustering, be it in the cases of Saurabh Kirpal or John Satyan where recommendations for their appointments are pending for years. Is that pocket veto?

There is certainly a veto by the government. Where they dont want it and there are strong views on the candidature, they are effectively vetoing. This has also taken a route where the first recommendation cleared is unacceptable, even for reconsideration, for months it doesnt come back. Maybe, they have an apprehension it may get reiterated. That does not make a difference because even reiterated names are lying with the government. Thats why I am saying there has to be a better understanding. We cant have a growing pool of names recommended that remain blocked, and those people are put in a sense of uncertainty.

If the government really has reservations, right or wrong, over some names, they get stuck in the system. What should be accepted by both the government and judiciary is to pick up the best talent available. One concern may be that somebody with an agenda may not be elevated as a judge. But small perspectives and opinion would not, I think, be a deterrent in the appointment process.

You cant be looking into small things at what a lawyer may have written somewhere or whom he appeared for. A successful lawyer appears for all parties. He is called upon to, at times, to address seminars and sessions. He may express some views. In India, politics is very important. Every lawyer or person would have some political belief or the other. Whats important is to assess that man must have the capacity and quality to implement the functions of a judge in a manner where his political belief should not interfere in the work. Hence, a thought process has to be given as to how this system can work better. There has to be a better evolved system. The number of pending names has to come down and some kind of solution has to be found. This cannot be an endless process.

Was the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC), which sought to formalise the role of the government in the consultation process to pick judges but was quashed by the Supreme Court in 2015, a feasible option?

NJAC was also urged on certain parameters that were not accepted by the court on the judicial side. My view is either the government should have addressed them, or the court was required to tweak it, or the third option was to strike it down. Now, the third option prevailed though I am told that some judges on the bench later felt differently. But thats wiser after the event. With NJAC struck down, the collegium system has got effected in a manner that impacts the efficacy of collegium.

Maybe, NJAC could also have been tweaked in a better manner... if the judiciary would have had predominant say and the primacy of the Chief Justice of India would have been retained in case of a tie or a stalemate over recommendations. The second thing I think would have been that once NJAC clears it, the appointment must take place because the government is already represented. There has to be a system where the judiciary has an element of prominence and predominance in the appointment system in the Indian context. Yet, the government will have a say, whichever government is in power. How to balance the two things and what system can balance these two aspects is I think is going to be one of the challenges for the future.

Are you saying that NJAC with certain modifications couldve been a better mechanism to pick judges than the collegium system?

I believe, yes! If NJAC had been there, possibly the discussion would have been across the table... I believe it would have been more transparent. NJAC did, in some way, envisage that. Yes, it had its own problems, but those should have been tweaked. NJAC never worked.

It was buried before it could be started at all. I believe that has spread a lot of mistrust between the executive and legislature on one side who passed that law and the judiciary, by not giving it an opportunity to work. What is happening today is, if you see the structure of appointment, the time recommendations are made and with the opinion and all the things, the collegium clears it, they are not being able to clear 50% of the names. Of those 50%, if some are detained, the failure rate in the recruitment process is very high.

I also believe that the retirement age of high court judges (who retire at 62) and Supreme Court judges (at 65) should be one. It will have two advantages: First, for three years the vacancies will not arise, and second, if you do a deep selection and bring somebody to the Supreme Court, there will really be no grievance for the judges not being elevated.

In my opinion, there has to be a (new) law or some other structured method of an agreement between the judiciary and the government. You have to have a structured system where such a discussion takes place. I feel that discussion across the table is better than discussion in a secretive manner.

One criticism of the collegium system has been of uncle judges where you have relatives of judges getting appointed. Do you believe the problem exists?

I cant say the problem doesnt exist at all. But at the same time, I dont think it is such a huge problem now. There may be scenarios that are perceived that some judges may be pushing for their wards to be appointed as judges. I faced some problems of this nature in some courts. But let us look at how this profession evolved. Like many other professions, this was also a family profession. Somewhere or the other, somebody or the other, would be a relative serving in the judiciary. My personal view is that there should not be any privilege or a bar to a judges relative being appointed. But if he is directly in the line of succession, his performance has to be that 5-10 % better. If that is so, there should not be any regret. And thats a burden he or she carries because his or her relative is a judge.

Things have changed over time. We have first-generation lawyers from national law schools. Look at women coming into the judiciary. At subordinate judges level, a very large percentage of women are getting recruited as judges. They vary from one-third to 50%. In times to come, I have no doubt, womens presence like most other fields would be 50%.

There is a saying that judiciary is stronger when the government is weak and vice versa. Is there greater pushback when you have a government with an absolute numerical majority?

Im a strong votary that the judiciary must be strong by itself. It has an opinion, and it must reflect that opinion. It should not feel that the opinion is either pro- or anti-government. A judges job is to decide with law, some part of the heart, and do what you think is proper.

There has always been a little turf war which occurs between the executive and judiciary. Its normal because judiciary is perceived to be the check and balance of the executive. And when there are politically weaker governments, the political pushback is less. When there are politically strong governments, the pushback is more. But it is how the judiciary handles it. Both executive and judiciary must intend to handle the pushbacks and come to a two-demarcation line.

At your farewell, you said judges must be bold. What do you think is the greatest threat to the independence of judiciary?

The real threat to independence comes only when the appointed judges lack merit. A threat will only come within the judiciary if we dont have the right judges to decide the cases. If you have the right judges, I believe the judiciary is capable of dealing with it. We have constitutional protection. So, we should be able to take the calls. Of course, one problem is the kind of dissemination of information that takes place today. It creates its own problems. Often, there can be half-truths or there can be no truths. And there is no method of denying it. The judiciary really has no real way of dealing with this other than the tendency to withdraw from cases, which should not happen. The executive must also understand that it is the judiciarys job of having checks and balances, and it is not antagonism towards the executive. Judiciary should not go the path of performing executive function but testing those functions on the parameters of law.

When I said judges need to be bold, I said what I feel judges should be. Let us see the millions of people who come to the judiciary for redressal of grievances. The government is the litigant in more than 50% of cases. I believe that the person must get relief that is due, if not more than certainly not less. If he gets less, he loses faith in the system. Therefore, we should not have any hesitation in passing an order which is not favourable to the government.

The government has brought a new law that sets a timeline for trial court judges to deliver judgments within an outer limit of 60 days. Your views on these reforms.

Let us first see how many cases are listed before such judges. Now, we are putting pressure on the judge. Yes, he should pronounce but for that he should have the ideal number of cases that he can handle... not if he has hundreds of cases. You should have a certain time for the judge to decide but you should (also) have a certain number of cases too. How will the judge handling 100 cases be able to do it? Then you will have new methods to beat the system. There has to be a study of how and from where so many cases come from. What is the judges ratio that you must have? Again, you will have to look at the appointment of judges at different levels. There are situations in states where the pressure on judges individually is very large and the number of judges is small. What is important is to consider how many cases a judge is to hear. An ideal number of cases if the judge hears, on that performance certainly it should take place.

There has also been a criticism from a section that the top court has become a battleground of high political stakes. How do you answer that?

You have seen that the Supreme Court is inundated with perpetual wrangling between governments of different political hues. Is the court supposed to only decide this? These are becoming political battles in court proceedings. You fight your political battles elsewhere. Thats the political domain of an electoral first-past-the-post system. I believe we should not get into the thicket of those kind of cases which are really for politics but decide the cases which are for us. The number of cases which have political ramifications are increasing. There is no doubt about it. That they should not be put in the back burner I agree with. They should also not be, out-of-the-way, taken up every time because then, what do you do about the common man -- the Ram Lal, Shyam Lal cases, as they are called, which wait indefinitely. Priority has to be given to those cases. Are we here only to decide cases with political ramification and high-profile cases. The current cases will have to stay a while despite all the noise being made for their taking up on priority. Those cases (old cases) must also move as they create a sense of not getting justice to a common man.

You authored the decision allowing same sex-marriage. However, the majority denied this right. Was the judgment a setback?

These are all social issues. Sometimes, law has changed before social norms. The country changes; the Hindu law is a reflection of it. There was a lot of debate and resistance, but the law changed and that brought in a change . There are many such illustrations to it. It takes society more time than bringing a law into force. This particular case was one of social acceptance. You had the government strenuously arguing that this is not socially acceptable in India. There were others who were saying that the time has come as change has occurred. There would be very divergent views on this. I believe there will be a time when social acceptability will take it beyond.

You have been a strong votary of personal liberty and passed significant orders on bail? What are the chief barriers for speedy justice?

Its my view that custody during trial cannot be a replacement for serving out a sentence. Somewhere, the prosecution wants to keep people in custody pending trial. In the Supreme Court, bails, anticipatory bails and notices being issued are more than one-third of cases. These situations have to be tested in different areas so that all kinds of cases do not come to the top court and all kinds of district court cases dont come to high courts.

We need to have a rethink on our legal system not merely by changing the law. There has to be a thorough restructuring on how we handle litigation. No court in the world can handle this volume of cases. We have to reduce the number of cases going to trial if we want to see proper results. I think mediation at a pre-trial stage can go a long way.
Indias headline unemployment rate has decreased continuously in the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) that started in 2017-18. This was possible because more jobs than job-seekers were added to Indias labour market between 2017-18 and 2022-23. However, not all of these jobs were good. Unpaid family workers have contributed to 37% of the growth in Indias workforce since 2017-18. The share of such of unpaid workers in the workforce is now not very different from regular wage or salaried workers. Unpaid family workers accounted for 18.3% of the workers in the 2022-23 PLFS compared to the 20.9% share of regular wage workers. These numbers were 13.6% and 22.8% for unpaid workers and regular workers in 2017-18. Who are these unpaid workers and what has contributed to their growth? Here are five charts that answer these questions.

As expected, 82% of the growth in unpaid work since 2017-18 is from women(AP FILE)
There are no consequences if a prime ministerial face is not projected ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar said when asked about a potential candidate for PM from the Opposition-led INDIA bloc. He referred to the 1977 general elections and said then PM Morarji Desai's name was nowhere mentioned before the polls, even when the government was formed under the newly-formed Janata Party. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Sharad Pawar(Hindustan Times)

In the 1977 elections, no face was projected for PM and after the election, Moraraji Desai was elected for the PM post. Desai's name was nowhere before the elections and in fact, a new party came into existence. After the polls, Moraraji Desai was made PM. There are no consequences if a face is not projected. If people are in the mood for change, they will take a call to bring about that change, Pawar said.

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The former Union minister's statement came came when some parties of the bloc reportedly concurred to project Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge's name as PM candidate. However, the INDIA bloc is yet to announce a name officially.

Mamata floated Kharge's name

Last week, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said she had proposed Kharge's name as a potential PM candidate on behalf of the alliance during the fourth INDIA bloc meeting in New Delhi. The proposal was reportedly backed by several parties, including AAP convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, who is mostly found out-of-sync with the Congress.

Nitish not upset over name proposal

Nitish Kumar, the Bihar CM known to have convened the INDIA bloc, on Monday rubbished speculations of him being disappointed after Kharge's name was floated during the meeting.

I felt no disappointment (maayusi)....no resentment (naaraazgi)At the meeting the issue (of naming a leader came up). I made it clear at the outset that I was not interested. Then another name was proposed, I said it was okay with me, he said.

BJP weighs up split in coalition

Referring to Pawar's statement, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, "Even Congress wasnt happy about Kharge ji name pushed by didi" (CM Banerjee). Once again the SPLIT is out in the open, he added.

Earlier, Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who cleaved away from the erstwhile NCP with his faction, said there was a huge difference between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kharge. "There is a huge difference between Modi and Kharge. People of India will support Modi again and everyone should come together to back his leadership," he said.
A charter plane carrying 276 passengers, primarily Indians, that had been grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking concerns has finally arrived in Mumbai. The Nicaragua-bound flight, operated by a Romanian company, was detained at Vatry airport near France. The plane eventually departed from Vatry airport around 2:30 pm local time and landed in Mumbai shortly after 4 am on Tuesday. The extended grounding raised questions about the nature of the suspicions and the circumstances leading to the delay. Crew members board the plane grounded by police at the Vatry airport on Monday. The plane landed in Mumbai shortly after 4 am on Tuesday.(AP)

READ | Plane with 303 Indians grounded over 'human trafficking' freed to leave France, may head to Mumbai today

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The charter flight with 303 passengers originating from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates was grounded at Vatry airport, 150 km east of Paris, on Thursday due to suspected human trafficking. According to French authorities, 25 individuals, including two minors, expressed a desire to apply for asylum and remained on French soil. Two others, who were presented before a judge, were released and put under assisted witness status, as reported by a French news channel.

On Sunday, Vatry airport was transformed into a makeshift courtroom, where four French judges interrogated the detained passengers as part of an investigation initiated by the Paris prosecutor's office into suspicions of human trafficking.

Reports from French media indicated that among the passengers, some spoke Hindi while others spoke Tamil.

READ | What airline said after France grounds plane with 300 Indians over suspected trafficking

Following the authorization for the plane to depart, the French judges decided to cancel the hearings of the passengers on Sunday, citing irregularities in the procedural process.

On Monday, police custody measures for two passengers of the flight were lifted. These individuals had been taken into custody on Friday under suspicion of involvement in a potentially illegal immigration ring. The initial detention, which was extended on Saturday for up to 48 hours, was part of an investigation into aiding the illegal entry and stay of foreigners in the territory. The Public Prosecutor's Office clarified that this investigation is focused on organized gang activity related to facilitating illegal entry and stay, as well as participation in a criminal association.
Addressing a press conference, Union Tourism Minister Reddy, also the Telangana BJP president, exuded confidence that the saffron party will get seats in double digits in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. In the last elections in 2019, it got four seats with 19 per cent vote share in Telangana. HT Image

"In order to keep the party ready for the Parliamentary elections, there will be a meeting on December 28 which will be attended by the party's mandal presidents and national leaders. Union Minister Amit Shah and BJP national general secretaries Tarun Chugh, Bandi Sanjay Kumar and Sunil Bansal will also attend," he said.

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He further said the meeting will prepare a plan of action for the next 90 days in order to be fully prepared for the elections.

Reddy said though the party did not get the expected results in the recent Assembly polls in Telangana, the number of seats have increased and the vote share doubled.

According to him, there is discussion among people in favour of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Telangana.

Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi earlier claimed that the Assembly polls of the five states would be a semi-final for the general elections and people have given their response to it by giving excellent results in favour of BJP, he said.

"Modi will become the Prime Minister again making an electoral hat-trick," he opined.

In the 2018 Assembly polls, the BJP got 6.8 per cent vote share and won just one seat. However, just after 100 days, in the Lok Sabha elections, the saffron party won four seats with 19 per cent vote share, he said.

The union minister asked people to light five lamps in their houses on the evening of January 24, the day the Ram Temple will be inaugurated in Ayodhya, as requested by some organisations.
Mumbai: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said the central government has taken the recent drone attacks on commercial ships in the Arabian sea very seriously and it will find out the culprits even from the depth of the ocean. He made the remark at the commissioning ceremony of INS Imphal. Rajnath Singh

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Watch: India Vows To Punish 'Houthi-Style' Ship Attackers; 'Even From Bottom Of The Sea...'

"Nowadays turbulence in the sea has increased a lot. India's growing economic and strategic power has filled some forces with jealousy and hatred. The Government of India has taken the recent drone attack on 'MV Chem Pluto' in the Arabian Sea and the earlier attack on 'MV Sai Baba' in the Red Sea very seriously. The Indian Navy has increased surveillance on the sea. Whoever has carried out this attack, we will find them even if it is from the depth of the ocean. Those behind these attacks would be brought to justice," he said.

The Indian Navy has deployed several aircraft and destroyers in the region to maintain a deterring presence.

He said India will ensure that the maritime trade in the region reaches new heights.

Also read: Navy to carry out 'forensic analysis' of drone attack in Arabian sea, deploys destroyers

INS Imphal was commissioned today. The event was attended by Chief of Naval Staff R Hari Kumar, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, and other senior officers.

"I believe that the commissioning of INS IMPHAL will further strengthen India's naval power. It has been named after IMPHAL, which represents the Glory of the Northeast. It was sanctioned in Delhi, which is in North India," Singh said.

"The 15B project under which INS IMPHAL comes includes the names of four big cities of the country, i.e. Visakhapatnam, Murmugaon, Imphal and Surat. INS IMPHAL itself comes under the Visakhapatnam class, representing South India. It was built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, which is in Mumbai, i.e. Western India. So it could be said the glory of North-South, East-West is reflected in INS IMPHAL, which goes to further showcase the country's unity and integrity of India," he added.

Merchant vessel Chem Pluto, a Liberian flagged ship helmed by Indian crew, was attacked by a projectile last week. It was brought to Mumbai by the Indian Navy's escorting ships. The Navy yesterday said prima facie it appeared to be a drone attack. It further said it has deployed destroyers in the ship to deter such attacks.

With inputs from ANI
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reacted angrily to Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya's Hinduism is deception remark on Tuesday, saying such a person cannot be an Indian citizen. The party also called the SP leader a puppet of Akhilesh Yadav and Sonia Gandhi. Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya.

"In UP, SP leader, Swami Prasad Maurya, has again insulted Hindus. I believe that he is just a puppet in the hands of SP president, Akhilesh Yadav, and Sonia Gandhi. I request that UP CM Yogi Adityanath immediately register an FIR against (Akhilesh) Yadav and take strict action against him, said BJP MP Subrat Pathak.

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Union minister and BJP leader Narayan Rane said such a person cannot be a citizen of India. "We can't tolerate when someone says something about our religion," he added.

Maurya, known for making controversial remarks, was seen in a video claiming there is no religion called Hinduism.

"The roots of Brahminism are very deep and the reason for all the disparity is also Brahminism. There is no religion called Hindu; Hinduism is just a deception. There is a conspiracy to trap the Dalits, tribals and backward people of this country by calling the same Brahmin religion as Hindu religion," he had said.

He further claimed similar statements had been made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.

Also read: How can Lakshmi be born with 4 hands?: SP leader Swami Prasad Maurya stokes row, later clarifies remark

"In 1955, the Supreme Court said in its order that Hindu is not a religion but a way of life. It is a conglomeration of more than 200 religions. Even Mohan Bhagwat had said, not once but twice, that Hindu is not a religion but a way of life. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also said that Hindu is not a religion. Even Gadkari had said the same thing in a media conclave," he said on Monday.

"But when they say these, no one's sentiments get hurt but when Swami Prasad Maurya says that Hindu is not a religion but a betrayal (dhokha) and what we refer to as Hindu religion is a business for some people, the whole country is hit by a storm," Maurya said.

BJP leader Keshav Prasad Maurya said such remarks would worsen the party's situation in UP.

"Once upon a time, they were ruling the entire state; now look at the situation they have reached today. There was a time when they were in such good condition, now they have deteriorated to a great extent," he said.

BJP leader Amit Malviya said: After DMKs Udhayanidhi Stalin vowed to annihilate Sanatan Dharma, it is now SP leader Swami Prasad Maurya, who spews venom on Hinduism. Why are I.N.D.I Alliance leaders targeting the Hindus? Why havent Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi condemned these hate speeches, so far?

With inputs from ANI, PTI
Cuddalore (Tamil Nadu) [India], December 26 (ANI): On the 19th anniversary of the 2004 Tsunami on Tuesday, the fisherfolk and residents in Tamil Nadu's Cuddalore district paid homage to those who lost lives in the catastrophe. HT Image

The event began with a moment of silence, allowing everyone to reflect on the magnitude of the tragedy and the lives that were forever changed.

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The fisherfolk, dressed in traditional attire, offered prayers.

The remembrance day was also observed in Tamil Nadu's Pazlaverkadu beach.

This solemn occasion served as a reminder of the immense tragedy that struck their community and the resilience they have shown in the face of such adversity.

The fisherfolk, who were directly affected by the tsunami, shared their stories of survival and loss, recounting the harrowing experiences they went through.

The residents, too, expressed their deep sorrow and empathy for the victims and their families.

The event was also attended by regional leaders and some government officials, who expressed their solidarity to the families of the victims.

The flood from the tsunami on December 26, 2004, affected several regions of Tamil Nadu including Singarathoppu Devanambattinam, Dalanguda, Sonanguppam, Sothikuppam, Akkaraikkori and MGR.

As many as 610 people lost lives in Tamil Nadu and various fishing villages, including Thithu and Billumedu, were swept away by the tsunami waves.

The 2004 Tsunami was a result of an earthquake that occurred on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.

As per UNESCO's data, the earthquake, the third largest since 1900, caused severe damage and casualties in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, and in the Nicobar Islands, India.

The death toll was recorded as 227,898 dead or missing and presumed dead in 14 countries across the Indian Ocean.

The worst hit country was Indonesia with 167,540 listed as dead or missing and presumed dead, and damages of around 4,451.6 million dollars.

The remaining fatalities occurred in Sri Lanka (35,322), India (16,269), Thailand (8,212), Somalia (289), Maldives (108), Malaysia (75), Myanmar (61), Tanzania (13), Bangladesh (2), Seychelles (2), South Africa (2), Yemen (2), and Kenya (1). The total estimated material losses in the Indian Ocean region were 10 billion dollars (over 80,000 crore) and insured losses were 2 billion dollars, as per International Tsunami Information Centre data. (ANI)
A video shared by Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav on X (formerly Twitter) that shows him celebrating Christmas with his family, and dancing with Katyayani, his 9-month-old daughter, is going viral on social media. Screen grab from video posted by Tejashwi Yadav (twitter.com/yadavtejashwi)

Also Read: Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav welcomes first child

Also seen in the video are other members of the Yadav family, including Tejashwi's wife Rajshri, his mother and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi, among others.

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A wish for happiness, warmth, love and light," the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader captioned the video.

He also sent out Christmas greetings for his followers: Merry Christmas! May the light of love shine upon you and your life be filled with endless blessings in this season. May this festival bring more sparkle, love, light, joy, peace, prosperity & harmony to one and all! Wishing you all a season filled with endless happiness, brightness and merry-making!

This was the first Christmas for Katyayani, who was born on March 27. The little girl is her parents' first child and was named by her grandfather Lalu Prasad Yadav, another former chief minister of Bihar; Katyayani is an aspect of Mahadevi and the slayer of the tyrannical demon Mahishasura. The goddess is the sixth among the Navadurgas - the nine forms of the Hindu goddess Durga who is worshipped during the festival of Navaratri.

In December 2021, Tejashwi Yadav married Rachel Godinho. She is called Rajshri by her in-laws.
CHENNAI: After visiting flood-hit Thoothukudi district in Tamil Nadu, Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Monday criticised the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for mismanaging the situation, prompting the ruling party to rebuke the former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president for behaving like a politician while holding a constitutional post. Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan visited flood-hit areas of Thoothukudi district in Tamil Nadu on Monday (PTI)

Soundararajan criticised chief minister MK Stalin for attending the INDIA blocs meeting on December 19 in New Delhi. The four southern districts of Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Kanyakumari saw extreme rainfall on December 17 and 18, which was the regions wettest spell since 1871, Stalin had said. He met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to appraise him of the situation and returned the next day to inspect the flood-hit districts.

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The chief minister has become a one-hour chief minister. I asked many people. They informed me that he was here (to assess the impact of floods) for just one hour, said Soundararajan. This is wrong. They should have done more to protect people. The death toll in the four districts was 31, according to the Union government.

On the day of the floods, he was in Coimbatore. The next day also he did not come here. If the state had done its duty, why would I come here? The state government failed in preparing for the rains, the Telangana governor said.

Governors appointed by the BJP have been behaving like spokespersons of the party and its ideological parent, the RSS, according to DMK spokesperson Salem Dharanidharan. Her statements are unconstitutional and unbecoming of a governor, Dharanidharan said. As governor of another state, she has no locus standi to comment on this issue.
New Delhi: Reacting to the CPI(M)'s remark that it will not attend the January 22 Ram Temple event, BJP leader and union minister Meenakshi Lekhi, in a sharp jibe, said those who have been summoned by Lord Ram will only be able to reach Ayodhya for the consecration ceremony. Ayodhya Ram Temple: Preparations are in full swing for the January 22 event.

"The invitations have been sent to all. Those called by Lord Ram will only reach (Ayodhya, for Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of Ram Temple)," she said, when asked about CPI(M)'s refusal to attend the ceremony.

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Earlier today, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said he had received an invitation to attend the ceremony but he won't as the central government was mixing politics into religious beliefs.

"Nripendra Mishra was escorted by a VHP leader who came and gave me the invitation...Religion is a personal choice of every individual. We respect and safeguard the right of every individual to choose their particular form of faith...As far as the Indian Constitution and the Supreme Court are concerned they have very clearly said that the state shall not profess any particular religion or have any religious affiliation. What is happening in this inauguration ceremony is that it has been converted into a state-sponsored event with the Prime Minister, UP CM and others holding Constitutional positions... This is straightforward politicisation of the religious belief of the people which is not in consonance with the Constitution. Therefore, in these circumstances, I regret not being able to attend the event," he said.

CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat echoed her leader.

"The CPI(M) general secretary did receive an invitation to attend the inaugural ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The CPI(M) will not be attending the ceremony. The politburo today issued a statement that, as far as the CPI(M) policy is concerned, we respect religious beliefs, but we keep our distance as a political party from religious events," she said.

Several Opposition leaders, including former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, have received invitations for the ceremony. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have also been invited. The Congress, however, hasn't confirmed if they will attend the event.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several ministers will attend the event. 4000 saints have also been invited.

With inputs from ANI, PTI
A delegation of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA)s pro-talks faction arrived in Delhi on Monday ahead of expected talks for a peace agreement it is likely to sign with the Union and the Assam governments by the December end. Anup Chetia leads ULFAs pro-talks faction. (PTI)

Anup Chetia, the organisations general secretary, said the talks were expected to begin on Tuesday and that the Union government would decide the date for signing the agreement. ...they are indicating that it will happen before the end of this year.

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The separatist ULFA was formed in April 1979 in the aftermath of an agitation against undocumented immigrants from Bangladesh (erstwhile East Pakistan). It split into two groups in February 2011 with the Arabinda Rajkhowa-led faction giving up violence and agreeing to unconditional talks with the government. Paresh Baruah, who leads the other rebranded ULFA-Independent faction, is against the talks.

The pro-talks faction has sought constitutional and political reforms for the protection of the identity and resources of Assams indigenous people including their right to land. The Union government in April sent it a draft agreement. An earlier round of talks between the two sides was held in Delhi in August.

A series of talks were expected before the deal would be inked. Chetia and Sasadhar Choudhury, the ULFA pro-talks factions foreign secretary, were set to meet AK Mishra, the Union governments interlocutor, to discuss the agreement. People aware of the matter said the two will also meet Union home minister Amit Shah and Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma before signing the deal.

Once we talk, all issues will be discussed in detail and sorted out before inking the agreement, said Chetia.

Sarma this month said the agreement would be signed either towards December end or in the first half of January. He added a series of meetings involving the Union home ministry, the Assam government, and the pro-talks faction have taken place. Once that [agreement] happens, we will have to see how to bring the anti-talks faction of the outfit for talks, Sarma said on Monday.

The Union government has signed peace deals with rebel Bodo, Dimasa, Karbi, and Adivasi outfits in Assam over the last three years. The banned ULFA-Independent would be the only major insurgent outfit in the state once the deal with the ULFA pro-talks faction is inked.
Himachal Pradesh Police on Monday cracked down on an SUV owner for allegedly driving his vehicle across the Chandra River in Lahaul and Spiti district. The video of the SUV being driven in the river, possibly in an attempt to beat the massive traffic congestion, went viral on social media. Tourist driving Mahindra Thar through Chandra River(ANI)

Tourists have been thronging to the hill station to celebrate Christmas and New Year, causing a major traffic nightmare in the state. Amid the rush, a Mahindra Thar owner opted for an ingenious way to ditch the traffic snarls and drove his SUV across the river.

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The water level of the Chandra River was not too deep which allowed the SUV to cross it without much difficulty. However, the episode didn't sit well with the locals after the video started doing the rounds.

Taking note of the video, the police issued a challan to the driver. Recently, a video went viral in which a Thar is crossing the river Chandra in District Lahaul Spiti. The said vehicle has been challenged under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and to ensure that no one commits such an offence in the future, the district police have deployed police personnel at the said place, Mayank Chaudhry, superintendent of police, said.

Meanwhile, Roads connecting several tourist destinations in Himachal Pradesh are grappling with severe traffic congestion after a huge number of tourists started to arrive in the state to celebrate Christmas and New Year. The police in the Lahaul and Spiti district carried out drone surveillance to keep an eye on the traffic situation in the region, and the video clip shows trails of vehicles chocking the roads leaving no space for parking facilities.

Amid the traffic chaos, several people indulged in risky car stunts causing a nuisance. A video of a man driving his car with its doors open went viral on social media. The driver was seen precariously hanging from one of the doors. The police in Kullu took cognisance of the video and charged a 3,500 fine.
Dressed all in white, a man pretends to aim a slingshot towards another who, running away, tries to dodge the imaginary rock flung towards him. "Hassituha" (You Felt It), a mostly silent play from eastern Libya, symbolises both the country's divisions between west and east, and the rebirth of Libya's National Theatre Festival, which staged a comeback this week in Tripoli after a 15-year hiatus. When it last took place in 2008, the festival was to be held again in four years. Libya's National Theatre Festival returns, bridging divides through art(File photo)

Before that could happen, a NATO-backed uprising led to the overthrow and killing of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. With a myriad of militias subsequently vying for power, more than a decade of stop-start conflict followed before a period of relative stability. Taking to stages in the capital Tripoli and Misrata, about 190 kilometres (120 miles) to the east, performers came from 11 cities around Libya -- a country split between a United Nations-supported government in the west and a rival administration backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar in the east.

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"Hassituha", performed at Tripoli's Scouts Theatre by a group who travelled from Marj in eastern Libya, was well received by an audience of more than 1,000 people. "Some of them burst into tears" over the actors' performances, Muhammad al-Khaitouni, a spectator, said after seeing the play. He said the actors "mostly used gestures and other non-verbal expressions, but they quickly conveyed the meaning to us".

Accompanying his father and two brothers, Khaled al-Muwadhaf, 14, said the actors demonstrated the suffering brought by the chaos, poverty, and political corruption that has gripped the North African nation despite its oil wealth. Ali al-Qadiri, who directed the play, said he believed the show was a success because it touched on the circumstances of ordinary Libyans, including a "lack of opportunities, and the economic stagnation that most cities in Libya suffer from".

Uniting Libyans

Anwar Alteer, director of this year's festival, told AFP, "we want to rekindle the flame and celebrate great artistic figures that the public must not be deprived of". More than 60 playwrights and performers took part in the festival, alongside dozens of directors and authors. Like "Hassituha", other performances touched on the painful aftermath of Kadhafi's fall and the chaos that ensued.

Salwa al-Maqsabi, a Libyan actress who came from the eastern city of Benghazi to perform in Tripoli, said arts and theatre were a means of overcoming divisions among Libyans. "I am happy to be present in this sweet gathering," she said. "Theatre unites and does not divide, and it will succeed where politicians have failed."

"Ajyal" (Generations), a theatrical group from Derna, said they were optimistic about reviving the country's theatre despite the many challenges Libyans face. On September 10-11 a flash flood in Derna swept entire neighbourhoods into the sea, leaving thousands dead or missing and more than 40,000 displaced.

On top of the country's other challenges Derna still faces the task of rebuilding after the disaster. But Milad al-Hasadi, head of Derna's National Theatre, expressed hope for Libya's future. "Today we are here burdened, it is true, with wounds, pain and loss, but we are optimistic for our country and its artists who succeeded in reviving the national theatre", said Hasadi.

"The conflict in Libya has isolated theatre from artists, and today we need to encourage and support every Libyan theatre, because their role is great in rejecting division, uniting Libyans, and sowing smiles and hope in our lives," Hasadi added. The Tripoli-based government funded the festival's return, and members attended the opening.

Abdel Basset Buganda, undersecretary of the Libyan culture ministry, told AFP that Libya's theatre had gained lasting momentum. "The Libyan artist has always sought to communicate with the public, but the interruption was caused by the neglect and political strife that harmed the arts, especially theatre," said Buganda. "Today, we are united with all Libyan artists to overcome this strife."
Alia Bhatt celebrated Christmas with her two families this year. The star first attended a Christmas party at her mom Soni Razdan's residence in Mumbai with Ranbir Kapoor, Ayan Mukherjee and Shaheen Bhatt. Later, Alia attended Kapoor's Christmas bash with Ranbir Kapoor, where the couple first introduced their daughter, Raha Kapoor, to the world. Alia wore two dresses for the parties, earning thumbs up from her fans for her fashion A game. Scroll through to check them out and read about their price details. The two dresses Alia Bhatt wore to celebrate Christmas with Raha and Ranbir Kapoor. (Instagram)

Alia Bhatt wears two dresses for Christmas bash with her and Ranbir Kapoor's family

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Alia Bhatt attended her mom's Christmas bash in a lime green-coloured fringe dress from the French fashion house of Herve Leger. Meanwhile, she slipped into a stylish floral mini dress from the clothing label Summer Somewhere for the Kapoor family's Christmas bash. If you loved Alia's dress, you can easily include her ensemble into your party wardrobe. Though the actor wore the dress for Christmas, you can steal her look for the New Year festivities you will attend with your friends.

What is the price of Alia Bhatt's dress?

The price of the dress Alia Bhatt wore to the Christmas party hosted by Soni Razdan. (revolve.com)

Alia Bhatt's lime green gown from Herve Leger is called the Fringe One Shoulder Gown. Adding it to your wardrobe will cost you a whopping 1,65,253. Meanwhile, the Summer Somewhere floral-printed dress is called the Evora Mini Dress. The ensemble is worth 6,590.

The price of the mini floral dress Alia Bhatt wore to the Christmas bash hosted by Kapoor family. (summersomewhere.com)

Coming to the design elements of the lime green dress, it features a one-shoulder neckline, criss-cross straps on the back, fringe tassels on the hem, a cut-out on the decolletage, and a figure-hugging silhouette. Alia styled her steal-worthy gown with a pulled-back low bun, feathered brows, minimal eye shadow, winged eyeliner, nude brown lip shade, and mascara on the lashes.

Meanwhile, the black floral mini dress features a full-length bell sleeve, a round neckline, flower patterns in red and green hues, and a figure-hugging silhouette. Alia styled the ensemble with bright red pumps, open locks, mauve lip shade, a dewy rouge base, golden hoop earrings, feathered brows, and a hint of mascara on the lashes.

Which look of Alia Bhatt do you like the best?
An LGBTQ Fashion Show was organised in Siliguri where more than 28 participants from various districts of North Bengal participated in it. Siliguri Pride Walk, a platform for LGBTQ communities, organised the community-based LGBTQ Fashion Show in Siliguri. The show was organised to make the stakeholders, especially the people holding important positions in society, aware of the problems and issues faced by the LGBTQ community. The event aimed to raise awareness among key stakeholders, particularly individuals in influential societal roles, about the challenges and issues confronted by the LGBTQ community.(ANI photo)

Bodhi Satta, one of the organising members, said, "Our all participants did their own design and make-up. The community people want to show their talents and speak about personal rights from this platform. There is no marriage law, no adoption law, no inheritance law. So, we want the government to look into the issue and see the community people as normal as part of society. People should also make their thinking smart and accept the community as human beings." (Also read: North East India Fashion Week showcases the richness of handlooms and handicrafts from the region )

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Chandni Roy, a participant from Siliguri, said that it's great that the committee organised such a kind of show, through it, they can show their talents. There is still some negativity in society about the activities of the LGBT community. "But we can prove that they are like others in society."

"There is still a lot of discrimination in society. He likes to dress up like a woman. He likes to wear a saree and do make-up. But people use slang language while passing through them. That should be stopped," Vivek Ghosh, a participant from Raiganj, said.

The transgender community is still trying to prove themselves and make themselves acceptable in society after the Supreme Court scrapped Article 377, decriminalising same-sex relations between consenting adults in 2018.
Yoga experts insist that this fitness practices is not just about striking poses; it is a powerful tool that can help shake off the winter blues and combat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). As the days get shorter and colder, many people experience a dip in mood and energy levels. The good news? Yoga offers a holistic approach to uplift your spirits and enhance overall well-being during the winter months. Winter blues no more: Yoga tips to elevate mood and fight Seasonal Affective Disorder (Photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels)

Mindful Movement

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Himalayan Siddhaa Akshar, Founder of Akshar Yoga Kendraa, shared, Engaging in Yoga during winter encourages mindful movement. The deliberate and conscious flow from one pose to another fosters a mind-body connection, grounding you in the present moment. This mindfulness can be a potent antidote to the lethargy and low motivation often associated with the winter blues.

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Deep Breathing

Himalayan Siddhaa Akshar revealed, Winter tends to bring a sense of stagnation, both in the air and within ourselves. Yoga emphasizes deep, rhythmic breathing that not only enhances lung capacity but also invigorates the body. The influx of oxygen during yoga practice can boost energy levels and alleviate feelings of sluggishness, helping you breathe away the winter blues.

Increased Circulation

The cold weather can lead to decreased blood circulation, making you feel chilly and sluggish. Himalayan Siddhaa Akshar said, Yoga poses, especially those that involve twists and inversions, stimulate blood flow throughout the body. This increased circulation not only warms you up but also ensures that vital nutrients reach all parts of your body, promoting a sense of vitality.

Natural Mood Boosters

Himalayan Siddhaa Akshar informed, Certain Yoga poses stimulate the release of endorphins, the body's natural mood enhancers. Poses like backbends, inversions and sun salutations can trigger the production of these feel-good chemicals, counteracting the gloominess that often accompanies winter. Forget the winter blues; welcome the winter hues with a Yoga practice that uplifts your mood naturally.

Talking about stress reduction, he said, Winter can be a stressful time, with holidays, weather-related challenges, and year-end pressures. Yoga provides a sanctuary to unwind and release tension. The combination of physical postures, deep breathing and mindfulness in Yoga helps activate the body's relaxation response, reducing stress hormones and promoting a sense of calm.

As for Yoga helping with better sleep, the expert highlighted, Winter often disrupts sleep patterns, whether it's due to longer nights or the challenges of staying warm. A consistent yoga practice, especially one that includes relaxing poses and meditation, can improve sleep quality. As you wind down with gentle stretches and calming breathwork, you signal to your body that it's time to relax, promoting a restful night's sleep.

Healing Walk

Himalayan Siddhaa Akshar explained, Healing walk is a special type of body dynamics wherein we form a structure and then use the structure to walk. It is believed that by following this particular method of practice we will be able to prevent and even eliminate many types of diseases that affect the body which even medical science does not have a cure for yet. Whether a person is suffering from physical issues, emotional, mental, or spiritual, healing walk takes care of all these different aspects of one's being.

He suggested, Lift your arms up keeping them at shoulder width distance. Now, start walking with your arms raised in this position and your hands can be up in the air for 1-3 minutes. Initially this may not be possible as you will have to train the muscles of your arms and shoulders and strengthen them. Build up to 1-3 minutes gradually by starting of with a minute increase and so on until you are physically capable enough with the strength required to hold your arms up for 1-3 minutes straight. One round practice will require you to perform a minimum of three sets of these walks of minimum 1-3 minutes each. Take your yoga practice off the mat with this mindful walking. Focus on each step, grounding yourself in the present moment. This walking meditation can be a powerful tool for managing anxiety throughout your day.

He concluded, Say goodbye to the winter blues by embracing Yoga as a powerful ally in your well-being journey. Its holistic approach, combining movement, breath and mindfulness, addresses the physical and mental aspects of winter challenges. Whether you're a seasoned yogi or a beginner, a winter Yoga routine can be tailored to suit your needs and lift your spirits. So, roll out your mat, breathe deeply and let Yoga be your guide to a brighter and more energised winter season.
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar reflected the mood of the nation when he said that the smart strategy of turning the other cheek does not make sense.  If somebody is practicing cross-border terrorism, you must respond, you must extract, impose a cost out there, he said while addressing the media last Saturday. File photo of Prime MInister Narendra Modi with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval.

Extrapolating the erudite ministers thought, it means that India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi refuses to take things lying down when it comes to national security issues or core concerns. This was not a message to merely western neighbor Pakistan but also to a distant pretender Canada, where maverick Justin Trudeau is allowing radical Sikh proponents of Khalistan to divide the Indian diaspora in distant land for domestic political objectives. Of course Trudeau is hopping mad on how a third world country is calling out a G-7 power and a Five Eyes alliance partner on promoting insurrection in India through terrorists and extremists sheltered in Canada.

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The current public mood, rightly assessed by Minister Jaishankar, is that India will protect its national interests be it off the Gulf of Aden in high seas or against Islamic jihadists in Pakistan or expansionist China or so-called Khalistan elements taking shelter in Canada, US and UK or Germany.

However, the key to safeguarding Indian national interest is availability of actionable/operational intelligence and not readouts from western newspaper reports as was the case pre-2014. If India has to sit on the global high table, it has to develop indigenous capabilities on collecting operational intelligence rather than rely on scraps of intelligence from friendly countries or associates as they are called.

Fact is what India needs is hard intel not assessments and interpretations from analysts who have not done work on ground or field. It is like getting a decision from a police officer on how to handle a communal riot when the man himself has never ever handled law and order situations on ground zero. Analysis can never replace actionable intelligence but can only sharpen the government response.

The question that the Indian intelligence needs to ask itself is why the Chinese Army transgressed across the Line of Actual Control in East Ladakh on May 5, 2020 ? What were the real reasons behind the Chinese transgressions in East Ladakh and who ordered the PLA to create military upheaval in Ladakh? Can we even today answer the exact reasons why China waged a 1962 war on India under Jawahar Lal Nehru? Why did the erstwhile Soviet Union look the other way in 1962?Fact is that the Intelligence Bureau chief at that time was categorical that China will never attack India and this statement is part of official record. More than sixty years later, can we provide an explanation on why Chinese President Xi Jinping removed his Foreign and Defence Minister in quick succession. That China is behind a bamboo curtain is no answer but a mere justification.

Given the open society that India is, its adversaries or even competitors get ball by ball account on decision making or plans through the newspapers, TV channels or social media but the Indian government hardly gets similar intelligence from Pakistan, China or even countries in the west. And the worst part is that the Indian government is satisfied with it or has learnt to live with it without asking for more. Simply put, this is akin to turning the other cheek in operational intelligence terms.

While Jaishankars statement reflects the mood of the nation, it needs to percolate within the Indian intelligence, which is mired in bureaucratic red tape and functions like CPWD most of the time. Not turning the other cheek makes sense but it also requires best tools, practice, and initiative on part of intelligence agencies to present the government of the day with credible multiple options to respond to any threat. And this requires huge human and technical resources as well as top quality leadership based on merit and not merely seniority. Pre-emption is always better than retaliation.
The US president Joe Biden's administration on Tuesday opted not to veto a government tribunal's ruling to ban imports of Apple Watches, following a complaint from medical monitoring technology company Masimo. Apple Watch Ultra 2 signage at the company's Upper West side store in New York, US, on Wednesday.(Bloomberg)

This means the order barring imports and sales of Apple Watches that use patent-infringing technology for reading blood-oxygen levels goes into effect from Tuesday.

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Also read: US trade tribunal's ban on Apple Watch imports to continue, no breather from Biden government

How Apple Watch ban is going to affect the US customers?

 Apple informed its customer service teams through a memo that out-of-warranty models, dating back to Apple Watch Series 6, will no longer be replaced by the company in the US.

 This change means that issues like a broken screen on these models won't be addressed through Apple's replacement service; however, assistance with software-related problems, such as reinstalling the operating system, will still be provided.

 The decision impacts most new Apple Watches sold since 2020, including Series 6, 7, 8, and Ultra, as well as the current 9 and Ultra 2, all of which feature the blood oxygen function covered by the patents in question.

 Customers who purchased watches before ban and models still under warranty remain unaffected by the replacement prohibition, with the standard warranty lasting one year, extendable with AppleCare.

 Post ban, Apple won't facilitate exchanges for watches purchased before the ban, like changing colour or size, during the usual return period. However, accessory replacements, such as bands, will still be allowed, and watches can be returned for a refund.

 The ban specifically applies to Apple and its "affiliated companies, parents, subsidiaries, or other related business entities," and may not affect other retailers selling Apple Watches.

 Apple has already stopped selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 in the US on its online store, while the more affordable Apple Watch SE remains unaffected and continues to be available for purchase. However, Series 9 Apple Watches were still available from sellers including Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart in US

 Apple Watch sales in India will not impacted by the US tribunal order

Also read: From Watch X to updates in iPad lineup, heres what to expect from Apple in 2024

What's next after US Apple Watch import ban?

The ban on the watches will continue until Apple secures a licensing agreement with Masimo or resolves the issue.

Apple retains the option to appeal the ban to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

The tech giant is actively developing a software update, which it believes will address and mitigate the problem.

(Inputs from wires)
Albania's Parliament reported Tuesday it had suffered a cyberattack with hackers trying to get into its data and wipe them out, temporarily halting its work. A cyberattack blocks Albania's Parliament(Representative image)

A statement said Monday's cyberattack had not touched the data of the system, adding that experts were working to discover what consequences the attack could have. It said services would resume at a later time.

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The local media reported that a cellphone provider and an air flight company were also targeted by cyberattacks Monday from Iranian-based hackers called Homeland Justice, something which could not be verified independently.

Also read: For 'biggest scam in India's history', RBI, two private sector banks get threat mails

Albania suffered a cyberattack in July 2022 that the government and multinational technology companies blamed on the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Believed to be in retaliation for Albania sheltering members of the Iranian opposition group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, or MEK, the attack led the government to cut diplomatic relations with Iran two months later.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry denied Tehran was behind an attack on Albanian government websites and noted that Iran has suffered cyberattacks from the MEK.

In June, Albanian authorities raided a camp for exiled MEK members to seize computer devices allegedly linked to prohibited political activities.

Since 2013, some 2,500 Iranian exiles are sheltered in Albania, where they are not supposed to engage in any political activity and must abide by the country's laws.

The United States, NATO and the European Union supported NATO member Albania in the dispute.
A man posted a video on YouTube showing his journey on the Vande Bharat train, from boarding to having food and sleeping. The video, however, upset a few people when they noticed him sleeping with his foot on the trains snack tray. An individual shared a screenshot on X, tagging Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) officer Ananth Rupanagudi and the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Salem, Tamil Nadu. The IRAS officer responded to it and urged the passengers to travel responsibly on trains and use the fittings for their intended purpose. Passenger travelling on Vande Bharat train with his foot on snacks tray. (YouTube/@AarifsMindVoice)

#CBE- Chennai Vande Bharat. Such actions are not only disrespectful but also set a negative example for the wider community. Placing ones feet on surfaces designated for dining is unsanitary and exhibits a lack of basic etiquette, wrote X handle @NammaCoimbatore while sharing the screengrab of the YouTube video.

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Take a look at the post here:

Ananth Rupanagudi quoted the tweet and wrote, Please use the fittings for the purpose they are meant for. They have been created for you with your money, and hence you have a responsibility towards those fittings. And these trains are built at a considerable cost. Please travel responsibly. #VandeBharat.

Rupanagudis tweet, since being shared a day ago on X, has been viewed over 42,000 times. Many even retweeted it and shared their thoughts on the passengers behaviour.

Check out the reactions below:

Manners in public and civic sense- may be another few decades away! wrote an X user.

Another added, Cant this guy be fined?

Penalise such passengers, expressed a third.

A fourth commented, This guy should face a permanent ban so that others will think twice to do this kind of nonsense.

Also Read| Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inspects Amrit Bharat Train in New Delhi
Iraq's government condemned on Tuesday overnight U.S. air strikes on Iraqi military positions that it said killed one serviceman and wounded 18 other people, calling them a "clear hostile act". Iraqi security personnel talk to each other while positioned above armoured vehicles stationed along a street in Baghdad.(AFP)

The United States has carried out retaliatory air strikes on Monday in Iraq after a one-way drone attack earlier in the day by Iran-aligned militants that left one U.S. service member in critical condition and wounded two others.

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The government condemned the U.S. strikes as "an unacceptable violation of Iraqi sovereignty," while stressing that attacks by armed groups against military bases hosting U.S-led coalition advisers are hostile acts and violate Iraqi sovereignty, a government statement said.

Two Iraqi security sources said overnight U.S. airstrikes targeted headquarters for Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah in the Iraqi city of Hilla south of Baghdad.

One fighter from Kataib Hezbollah was killed in the strikes and 16 were wounded, said two security sources on condition of anonymity.

The United States has 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq on a mission it says aims to advise and assist local forces trying to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, which in 2014 seized large swaths of both countries before being defeated.
Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 has been missing for almost a decade but experts have now claimed that it can be found within days if there was a new search. Aerospace experts Jean-Luc Marchand and pilot Patrick Blelly called for a new search that could provide insight into the disappearance of the flight as per South China Morning Post. The pair said that new search could result in finding the flight in just 10 days during a lecture before the Royal Aeronautical Society in London. File photograph of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 taking off from the runway.(Agencies)

"We have done our homework. We have a proposal  the area is small and considering new capabilities it will take 10 days. It could be a quick thing. Until the wreck of MH370 is found, nobody knows (what happened). But, this is a plausible trajectory,'' Jean-Luc Marchand said as he called on the Malaysian government and Australian transport safety authority to launch a new search.

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What have the experts proposed?

Both experts proposed a new search area was based on the belief the plane was purposefully hijacked and downed. Jean-Luc Marchad said that the plane was on an ''atrocious one-way journey''.

''We think, and the study that we've done has shown us, that the hijacking was probably performed by an experienced pilot. The cabin was depressurised ... and it was a soft control ditching to produce minimal debris. It was performed to not be trapped or found. Certainly, the aircraft was not visible except for the military. The guy knew that if search and rescue would be triggered, it would be on the flight path,'' he explained.

What do the experts think on what happened to the plane?

The experts argued that the plane's transponder was turned off and that the "U-turn" it did which was far away from the flight path could not have been autopilot. Noting a sudden change in direction occurred when the plane was in a ''no man's land'', the experts made the claim.

What happened to the flight MH370?

Flight MH370 with 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board disappeared after leaving Kuala Lumpur Airport in southern Malaysia. It was en route to China on March 8, 2014 when the incident happened. Massive search operations went to waste as even its wreckage was not found.
Rishi Sunak marked Christmas with a funny video inspired by the 1990s Hollywood film Home Alone. The UK PM posted the video on social media with the message Merry Christmas from Downing Street. In the video, the UK premier can be seen seen hard at work at his desk at 10 Downing Street when he stops to ask himself, Am I the only one here? Screengrab from Rishi Sunak's Christmas wish video.(Rishi Sunak/X)

On realising he is alone, he celebrates by bowling a ball against stacked cans of Coca Cola after which he eats a plate of spaghetti with maple syrup as he watches the 2003 Christmas film Elf. Downing Streets cat Larry is there to give Rishi Sunak company before the telephone rings and he tells a certain Harry its a wrong number.

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Social media users said that the joke is in reference to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle being left off the invite list for the royal Christmas at Sandringham. One wrote on X (formerly Twitter), Even Rishi, the UKs Prime Minister roasts Prince Harry!

On Christmas, Rishi Sunak said that he in charge of cooking the traditional turkey roast dinner after watching films with daughters Krishna and Anoushka.

I always brine then cook the turkey, I hate the cooking, but no one else will do it! And watch The Snowman with my daughters on Christmas Eve followed by The Holiday on Christmas Day, he said.

Rishi Sunak was also seen shopping for boxes of mince pies, sweet Christmas treats, for key workers in Yorkshire.

On my way home to Yorkshire, I got the opportunity to thank just a few of the amazing people who keep this country going. Were so grateful for all the work that you do  this Christmas and always, he posted.

In his official Christmas message, he urged people to focus on the promise of a brighter future, saying, Christmas is a time of peace, joy, compassion. A time of hope and a promise of a better world. And today as we look ahead, let's keep that promise of a brighter future burning into the new year.
Explosions were heard over the Egyptian Red Sea resort city of Dahab on Tuesday, Egypt's Al Qahera News TV reported. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi (AP)

"A flying object was downed approximately 2 km from the shores of Dahab," Al Qahera said, citing witnesses.

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Earlier in December, Egyptian air defences shot down a suspected drone near Dahab, security sources had said.

The Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen have escalated attacks on shipping in the Red Sea in protest against Israel's war in Gaza.
Hamas is facing an unprecedented battle with Israel, the groups leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar said in his first public message since the October 7 attacks in Israel. Yahya Sinwar is believed to have been one of the masterminds of the devastating attack on Israel. Israel-Hamas War: Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas in Gaza, greets his supporters upon his arrival at a meeting in a hall on the sea side of Gaza City.(AP)

Hamas is fighting a fierce, violent and unprecedented battle against the Israeli occupation forces, and the occupation army suffered heavy losses in life and equipment, he said in a letter published by Al Jazeera. The group leader also claimed that Hamas has killed more than a thousand Israeli soldiers while Israel has said that 156 soldiers have died in the ground operation in Gaza.

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Yahya Sinwar, the highest ranking Hamas official still holed up in Gaza as per Tel Aviv, remained defiant about Israels advance in Gaza as he pledged to crush Israels forces.

Hamas will not be subject to the conditions of occupation", he said in reference to ongoing discussions over a potential deal with Israel which has reportedly been drafted by Egypt. The plan includes a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, release of all Israeli hostages and talks to establish an inclusive Palestinian government in Gaza. Hamas has not officially commented on the proposal which is due to be discussed by the Israeli government, it was reported.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that it was close to catching Yahya Sinwar, who is believed to be hiding in Hamas' extensive network of tunnels in Gaza.

The Hamas leader has not been seen in public since the October 7 attack, and the IDF dropped flyers on Gaza promising a $400,000 bounty for information on his whereabouts.

Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defence minister, said the IDF was completing its objectives in northern Gaza, adding that Yahya Sinwar will soon meet the barrels of our guns while Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Gaza Strip saying that Tel Aviv will step up the armys assault in the Palestinian territory.

I just came back from Gaza ... were not stopping, were continuing to fight and were intensifying the fighting in the coming days. Its going to be a long war thats not close to ending, he said.
In a major legal victory for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the Peshawar High Court (PHC) restored its election symbol 'bat' by suspending the order of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which had called its intra-party polls "illegal," Geo News reported on Tuesday. Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan.(Reuters)

The court said that the party's election symbol will be restored in a final decision on the petition, adding that a double bench will hear the matter after winter vacations.

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Earlier, Peshawar High Court's Justice Kamran Hayat Miankhel remarked that the ECP would have to allot the electoral symbol to PTI as it can't be revoked after the issuance of the election schedule.

Reacting to the verdict, Imran Khan's party PTI posted on X (formerly Twitter), "Hit the bat, embrace freedom!"

The party founded by former Prime Minister Imran Khan filed the petition after a five-member ECP bench -- headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja -- declared PTI's intra-party elections unlawful and stripped the party of its symbol, Geo News reported.

The party named the ECP and those who challenged the elections as respondents, requesting the court for an urgent hearing of the matter, after which the court took up the plea on Tuesday.

At the outset of the hearing, PTI lawyer Ali Zafar said the party was given 20 days to hold elections and it held internal party elections on December 3 in Peshawar. The ECP admitted the veracity of the intra-party elections and issued a certificate to the party.

The PTI counsel said that after this, the ECP withdrew the electoral symbol, saying the one who conducted the elections was not the right person. Hence, it "invalidated the elections, raising objections to the election commissioner."

Notably, PTI lost its electoral symbol 'bat' after ECP announced the verdict on its intra-party elections on December 22.

The electoral body had earlier reserved its verdict on pleas challenging the party's intra-party elections after hearing arguments.

Announcing the verdict, a five-member bench of the ECP, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, declared the PTI's intra-party elections null and void.

Following the ECP verdict, the newly elected PTI chairman, Gohar Ali Khan, no longer remains the party's head, ARY News reported.

Prominent among those who filed applications against the PTI intra-party polls were Akbar S. Babar, Raja Tahir Nawaz, and Naureen Farooq.
In a first, a Hindu woman in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Buner district has filed her nomination papers for a general seat in the upcoming polls in Pakistan, Dawn reported. Saveera Parkash(X/RabNBaloch)

General elections are scheduled to be held in Pakistan on February 8, 2024, to elect the members of the 16th National Assembly.

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Saveera Parkash has officially submitted her nomination papers for the general seat of PK-25 in Buner district.

A member of the Hindu community, Parkash is optimistic about contesting the elections on a Pakistan People's Party (PPP) ticket, following in the footsteps of her father, Oam Parkash, a recently retired doctor and a dedicated member of the PPP for the past 35 years.

READ | Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan files nomination for 2024 national elections

A local politician, Saleem Khan, who is affiliated with the Qaumi Watan Party, noted Parkash is the first woman from Buner to submit nomination papers for the upcoming elections on a general seat, as reported by Dawn on Monday.

Parkash, a 2022 graduate of Abbottabad International Medical College, serves as the general secretary of the PPP women's wing in Buner. Expressing her commitment to the welfare of the community, she highlighted her desire to work for the betterment of women, ensuring a safe environment and advocating for their rights.

She also emphasised the historical neglect and suppression of women in the development sector and aims to address these issues if elected.

In an interview with Dawn, Parkash spoke about her aspirations to follow in her father's footsteps, working for the area's underprivileged. She submitted her nomination papers on December 23, expressing hope that the senior leadership of the PPP would endorse her candidature.

READ | Pakistan's election body asks government to deploy army for general election day

Parkash, with a background in medicine, emphasised that her commitment to "serving humanity is in my blood." Her dream of becoming an elected legislator stems from her firsthand experiences with poor management and helplessness in government hospitals during her medical career.

Imran Noshad Khan, a social media influencer from Buner, expressed his wholehearted endorsement of Saveera Parkash, irrespective of her political affiliation. He commended her for breaking stereotypes perpetuated by traditional patriarchy, emphasising the significance of a woman stepping forward to contest elections in a region where it took 55 years since Buner merged with Pakistan.

Recent amendments by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) mandate a five per cent inclusion of women candidates in general seats, Dawn reported.
Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza will likely go on for many months, the country's military chief Herzi Halevi said. "There are no short cuts in dismantling a terrorist organization," he said in a televised statement on the Gaza border. Israel-Hamas War: Smoke billows over the southern Lebanese village of Meiss El-Jabbal near the border with Israel.(AFP)

"We will reach Hamas' leadership," he asserted as the Israel-Hamas war saw regional tensions spike with explosions reported off the coasts of Egypt and Yemen, US strikes in Iraq and strikes from Lebanon as well. The tensions soar following Hamas' unprecedented attack against Israel from Gaza on October 7 which killed about 1,140 people, mostly civilians. Hamas also took around 250 hostages, of whom 105 have been released and several killed. In retaliation, Israel led a relentless air and ground offensive that has left vast areas of Gaza in ruins and killed at least 20,915 people, mostly women and children.

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There are no magic solutions, there are no short cuts in dismantling a terrorist organization, only determined and persistent fighting. We will reach Hamas' leadership too, whether it takes a week or if it takes months, he said, adding, "We said from its first moments that this would be a long war because it was right to set far-reaching goals and we will reach far, that's why the duration will be long."

The duration will allow the military to adapt its methods and "ultimately, will we be able to say that there is no enemy surrounding the state of Israel? I think that's too ambitious, but we will create a new security situation," he asserted.

Here are top updates from Israel-Hamas war:
The Israeli army on Tuesday said it arrested senior Palestinian politician in the occupied West Bank, along with other activists of her leftist party. Israel-Hamas War: Israeli soldiers operate in a location given as Tuffah, Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.(Reuters)

Jarrar, 60, is a prominent figure in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a faction in the Palestine Liberation Organisation considered a "terrorist" group by Israel, the United States and the European Union.

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"Khaleda Jarrar, a wanted terrorist, was arrested... along with other PFLP activists," the army said in a statement.

Jarrar had been previously arrested by Israeli forces in October 2019 and released in September the following year, after being held without trial.

Her husband, Ghassan Jarrar, told AFP soldiers stormed the family home in the city of Ramallah "by breaking open the front door at 5:00 am (0300 GMT)".

Jarrar was elected in 2006 to the Palestinian assembly as a PFLP representative, and has long been an advocate of women's rights.

She has also lobbied for the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

The PFLP, in a statement, said Israel's army launched a "vast campaign on Tuesday morning to arrest leaders" of the group in the occupied West Bank.

"These arrests will not break the will of our people," it said.

Israeli forces have stepped up their operations across the West Bank in recent years, and violence there has risen particularly since the war with Hamas broke out in Gaza on October 7.

More than 300 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers since the Gaza war erupted, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah.

The conflict in Gaza began after Hamas militants attacked southern Israeli communities in which around 1,140 people, mostly civilians, were killed, according to an AFP tally based on the latest Israeli figures.

In Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza, more than 20,600 people have been killed, most of them women and children, according to the territory's health ministry.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted peace can only be achieved in Gaza if Hamas is destroyed, the territory demilitarised and Palestinian society "deradicalised", after warning the war is set to intensify. Israeli soldiers operate, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Beit Lahiya, Gaza. (Reuters)

The declarations came as the World Health Organization on Monday reported "harrowing" accounts of entire families killed from Christmas Eve strikes on a refugee camp in Gaza.

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Relentless Israeli strikes have devastated the Palestinian territory and the conflict has heightened tensions across the Middle East, with global pressure for a ceasefire mounting.

But in an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal on Monday night, Netanyahu vowed to stay the course.

"Hamas must be destroyed, Gaza must be demilitarised, and Palestinian society must be deradicalised. These are the three prerequisites for peace between Israel and its Palestinian neighbours in Gaza," Netanyahu said.

He said demilitarisation "will require establishing a temporary security zone on the perimeter" of the territory.

"For the foreseeable future Israel will have to retain overriding security responsibility over Gaza," he said.

Earlier on Monday Netanyahu visited Gaza, telling a meeting of his Likud party after his return: "We're not stopping".

"We're intensifying the fighting in the coming days," he said, according to a party statement.

- 'Harrowing accounts' -

The war in Gaza erupted when Palestinian militants broke through the militarised border and attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Fighters also seized about 250 hostages, Israel says.

Israel vowed to crush Hamas in response, and launched a retaliatory military campaign including extensive aerial bombardment and a siege of the territory. The campaign has killed at least 20,674 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

On Monday, some residents of Al-Maghazi refugee camp returned to the ruins of their homes after strikes the previous day that Gaza's health ministry said killed at least 70 people. AFP was unable to independently verify that toll.

Zeyad Awad said there was no evacuation warning before the strikes.

"What should we do? We are civilians, living peacefully and wanting only safety and security," he said.

"Yet we are suddenly struck by Israeli warplanes without any warning."

WHO staff visited a hospital treating victims of the Al-Maghazi strikes.

The "team heard harrowing accounts shared by health workers and victims", the UN health agency's chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on social media.

"One child had lost their whole family in the strike on the camp. A nurse at the hospital suffered the same loss," he added.

Sean Casey, a WHO emergency medical teams coordinator who joined the mission to the hospital, described the fate of a nine-year-old being treated who was expected to die.

"He was crossing the street in front of the shelter where his family is staying and the building beside him blew up," he said.

The Israeli army said it was "reviewing the incident", adding it was "committed to international law including taking feasible steps to minimise harm to civilians".

- 'Real hunger' -

Vast areas of Gaza lie in ruins and its 2.4 million people are enduring dire shortages of water, food, fuel and medicine, alleviated only by the limited arrival of aid trucks.

Grasping empty containers, dozens of Gazans waited on a street in Rafah, in southern Gaza, for food to be distributed.

"Now there is real hunger. My children are dying of hunger," said one of them, Nour Ismail.

An estimated 1.9 million Gazans have been displaced, according to the UN, many fleeing south and crowded into shelters or makeshift tents in the winter cold.

"A humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza is the only way forward," said the head of the UN refugee agency, Filippo Grandi.

In Monday's Likud meeting, Netanyahu said he was ready to support the voluntary migration of civilians out of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.

He reportedly told party members "our problem is not whether to allow an exit, but that there will be countries that are willing to absorb an exit".

Hamas rejected any discussion of such a plan as "absurd".

Palestinians "refuse to be deported and displaced. There can't be exile and there is no other choice than to remain on our land", it said in a statement.

- 'Free our hostages' -

Netanyahu also addressed parliament on Monday during a special session about the 129 hostages Israel says remain in Gaza. He was booed by families awaiting their loved ones' return after 80 days in captivity.

"Now! Now!" relatives chanted as Netanyahu said Israeli forces needed "more time" to increase military pressure on Hamas, which he argued would help to secure the captives' release.

The number of Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza has risen to 158, with an army spokesman announcing two more deaths early Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, fears of regional escalation only increased Monday.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said an Israeli air strike in Syria had killed Razi Moussavi, who state media described as "one of the most experienced advisers" of the military force's foreign arm.

There was no immediate comment from Israel, which has intensified strikes on targets in Syria since the Israel-Hamas war began.

Yemen's Huthi rebels, also Iran-backed, have fired at cargo vessels in the Red Sea, leading the United States to build a naval taskforce to deter the missile and drone strikes.

burs-smw/kma

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US president Joe Biden took a swipe at media for negative coverage of the economy as he went for his holiday vacation. As the US president was leaving the White House before spending his Christmas at Camp David, Joe Biden was questioned by a reporter about his "outlook" of the country's economy going into 2024. US president Joe Biden speaks to members of the media before boarding Marine One in Washington.(Bloomberg)

"All good. Take a look," Joe Biden responded, adding with a smirk, Start reporting it the right way.

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Joe Biden's approval ratings

Joe Biden has repeatedly been critical of the press which he says focuses on more negative news about his administration than positive things. This comes as his approval ratings among Americans continues to reach historic lows. Joe Biden's handling of the economy is a heavy factor in his unpopularity as per polls. Fox News poll showed that only 14% of Americans believe Joe Biden's economic policies have helped the country while nearly half -46%- said that his administration has hurt them financially.

The poll also showed a whopping 61% of Democrats joining the 93% of Republicans and 85% of independents who said that the US economy is in bad condition.

Joe Biden's Christmas greetings

The US president also extended greetings on the occasion of Christmas. In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), Joe Biden stated, "From our family to yours: Merry Christmas, America."

The US president and first lady Jill Biden spoke with young Americans who wanted to know about the whereabouts of Santa Claus.

This Christmas Eve, Jill and I got to speak with some excited young Americans who happened to be very curious about the whereabouts of one Santa Claus. Thankfully, @NoradSanta confirmed that St. Nick is on his way, Joe Biden said.
In his Christmas message, King Charles III reflected on the health of the planet and wars that are raging in the world. Standing beside a Christmas tree in Buckingham Palace, the monarch spoke of the message of Jesus life in serving those less fortunate. King Charles then went on to honor the selfless army that forms the backbone of our society and helps others. Britain's King Charles III waits on the church steps after attending the Royal Family's traditional Christmas Day service.(AFP)

My heart has been warmed by countless examples of the imaginative ways in which people are caring for one another, going the extra mile to help those around them simply because they know it is the right thing to do, he said in his second Christmas speech since he ascended the throne after his mother Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022.

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King Charles also said that he was encouraged to see awareness growing of the need to protect the earth.

To care for this creation is the responsibility owned by people of all faiths and of none, he said, adding, We care for the earth for the sake of our childrens children. My heart has been warmed by countless examples of the imaginative ways in which people are caring for one another, going the extra mile to help those around them simply because they know it is the right thing to do."

The video which played as King Charles spoke showed highlights from his trip to Kenya, Queen Camilla and his eldest son, Prince William, heir to the throne, along with his wife, Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, and their three children during their royal duries.

But Prince Harry and Meghan Markle who stepped down from their royal duties and moved to the US in 2020 were not seen in the video.

Talking about the increasingly tragic conflict around the world, a reference to wars in Ukraine and Gaza, King Charles said, They remind us to imagine ourselves in the shoes of our neighbors and to seek their good as we would our own. My heart and my thanks go to all who are serving one another, all who are caring for our common home and all who see and seek the good of others, not least the friend we do not yet know.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Tuesday said he was "fine" after a "pretty exhausting" 20-day transfer from his prison near Moscow to a penal colony beyond the Arctic Circle. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is seen on a screen via video link from the IK-2 corrective penal colony.(Reuters)

Navalny's supporters said on Monday that the Kremlin critic, whose whereabouts had been unknown for more than two weeks, was now in the penal colony in Russia's far north and had been visited by his lawyer.

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"Don't worry about me. I'm fine. I'm totally relieved that I've finally made it," Navalny wrote on X. "I'm still in a good mood, as befits a Santa Claus," referring to his winter clothing and beard.

The US State Department said it remained "deeply concerned for Mr. Navalny's wellbeing and the conditions of his unjust detention".

Navalny mobilised huge anti-government protests before being jailed in 2021, after surviving an assassination attempt by poisoning.

He has spent most of his detention at the IK-6 penal colony in the Vladimir region, some 250 kilometres (155 miles) east of Moscow.

A court last August extended his sentence to 19 years on extremism charges, and ruled he be moved to a harsher special regime prison that usually houses particularly dangerous prisoners.

Navalny posted on X that he arrived at the Arctic penal colony on Saturday and was visited by his lawyer on Monday.

"I didn't expect anyone to find me here before mid-January," he wrote, adding that he had seen little of his surroundings except for a snow-covered adjoining cell used as a yard and a fence outside his window.

"Unfortunately, there are no reindeer, but there are huge fluffy, and very beautiful shepherd dogs," he said.
Having maintained a relatively low profile during her husband's first term, Melania Trump is now poised to become a central figure in his 2024 campaign. According to recent Pagesix sources, Donald Trump has won his federal election subversion lawsuit. According to a person close to Trump, Melania, who went to Rosalynn Carter's burial with other former first women, is feeling more self-assured these days. This renewed confidence carries over to her position as her husband's envoy as well as to her own diplomatic stature. US President Donald Trump walks with first lady Melania Trump at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Cleveland, Ohio, on September 29.(REUTERS FILE)

Also read: You are Americans.., Melania Trump makes rare public appearance as she welcomes new US citizens

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Melania Trump is looking forward to leaving a historic mark

As per Pagesix source Trump and his family are so secure that he will become president again that insiders at Mar-a-Lago say hes reached an agreement with [wife] Melania [Trump] to step up top-tier diplomatic appearances in 2024.

In a rare public appearance last Friday, December 15th, former First Lady Melania Trump took center stage at a naturalization ceremony in the National Archives, Washington D.C. Sharing her own experience as a naturalized citizen, she delivered a heartfelt speech welcoming 25 immigrants sworn in as new Americans.

Melania's appearance had a bigger meaning. It signaled her return to public attention after being known for her reserved style during Trumps first term. And now, reports confirm that the Slovenian-born former model is determined to leave a historic mark.

Melania realizes its her time to join the ranks of historic first ladies and leave her mark on history She feels better prepared for her potential role the second time around. the source said.

Melania Trump wants to spend time with her son

The magazine's report also stated that the former first lady is hoping to get a chance to spend more time with her son. The insider continued, "Melania feels she can dedicate more time to the role now that Barron, her son with Trump, is 17."

Donald Trump has full family support

The immediate family including Melania is solidly behind the former president.The source added. Following her surprising attendance at former First Lady Rosalynn Carters funeral in Atlanta, Melania, 53, went to another ceremony alongside Trump. It has been claimed that she attended a Patriot Awards celebration in Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach.
Five dead bodies were found on Christmas Day in an apartment in the town of Meaux to the east of Paris, the local prosecutor told AFP, adding that a homicide inquiry had been opened. Five dead bodies were found on Christmas Day in an apartment in the town of Meaux to the east of Paris((Getty Images))

According to news website Actu17, which first reported the discovery, the victims were a woman and her four young children.

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It added that police were looking for the 33-year-old father, who was "on the run".

Prosecutor Jean-Baptiste Bladier confirmed that five bodies had been found to AFP.

ALSO READ| King Charles mocks Prince Harry-Meghan in speech? Selfless people'

The Versailles judicial police service is investigating.

The Paris region has recently seen a series of infanticides.

In late November, a 41-year-old man confessed to killing his three daughters, aged four to 11, and turned himself in.

Police found them dead in his home in the town of Alfortville, in the southeastern suburbs of the capital.

A month earlier, in October, a gendarme killed his three daughters before killing himself at his home in Vemars in Val-d'Oise.
Nawaz Sharif's nomination papers got the green light from the election commission, even amid suspense over his eligibility for the February 8 general elections, given the prior 'life-long disqualification' from the apex court. Former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif(Reuters Photo)

"PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif's nomination papers for NA-130 (National Assembly seat from Lahore) have been accepted by the Election Commission," Sharif's lawyer Amjad Pervez told reporters on Tuesday.

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He said, Sharif who returned to the country this October from London where he spent four years in self-exile on medical grounds , no objections to 73-year-old Sharif's candidature have been raised.

"Nawaz Sharif will now contest both from Lahore and Mansahra city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa," he said.

Also read- Nawaz Sharif praises India: They've reached moon, we haven't risen from ground

Different perspectives surround Nawaz Sharifs disqualification

When questioned about Sharif's lifetime disqualification from contesting polls, Pervez said , "Sharif's disqualification has ended after his acquittal in corruption references against him."

Barrister Zafarullah Khan claimed that Sharif can participate in elections, citing an amendment to the Elections Act by the previous Pakistan Democratic Movement-led government. This amendment to Section 232 of the Elections Act limits disqualifications to five years.

However, senior lawyer Raja Inam Ameen Minhas argued that the amended law cannot benefit Sharif, as the legislature did not retrospectively amend Section 232. He explained that since the amendment involves penal consequences, it cannot address past matters.

Another senior lawyer, Kashif Ali Malik, stressed that the lifelong interpretation in the Elections Act cannot interpret, override, or defeat constitutional provisions.

Also read- Analysis: Nawaz Sharif is Pak's best chance to normalise ties with India

PTIs bat symbol reinstated

The Peshawar High Court granted a significant relief to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), reinstating its 'bat' election symbol and suspending the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) order labeling intra-party polls as "illegal."

Also read- Imran Khan gets his bat again. Courtesy: This Pakistan court order

The court said that the party's election symbol will be restored in a final decision on the petition, adding that a double bench will hear the matter after winter vacations.

(Inputs from wires)
Nepali Foreign Minister Narayan Prasad Saud claimed on Tuesday that around 100 Nepalis serving in the Russian army are missing and injured during the ongoing battle against Ukrainian forces. Russia-Ukraine War: Servicemen of Ukraine's 3rd Separate Assault Brigade prepare to conduct a reconnaissance mission, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near Bakhmut.(Reuters)

In an interview with the state news agency, Saud stated that an estimated 200 Nepalis are currently serving in the Russian army, but the figures could be higher. The Foreign Minister also reiterated that the exact number of Nepalis serving in the Russian army is yet to be ascertained.

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"It is estimated that about 200 Nepali youths who went to Russia for work, study and visit have joined the army. The number should be much higher as the ministry has received complaints that around 100 are missing and injured," the Foreign Minister said in the interview released on Tuesday.

Also, the Foreign Minister said that the government raised its concerns with the Russian government over Nepali nationals serving in the army.

"The Russian government passed on the information that some Nepali citizens have joined its army and seven of them have been killed. Apart from this, the ministry has received complaints that around 100 Nepalis are missing and injured. The ministry was informed by their families and friends," the Foreign Minister said.

"The government summoned the Russian ambassador in Nepal to the ministry and requested the envoy convey our concerns to the Russian government," he added.

Read more: Sweden moves one step closer to NATO membership

Saud further said the government has made it mandatory to obtain a no-objection certificate for travel to Russia from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and six Gulf countries. Also, the Foreign Minister said the government is making efforts to secure the release of Nepalis currently under captivity by Ukrainian forces.

"We are in contact with the Ukrainian government and our ambassador is negotiating for their release. The government is also in close contact with the Ukrainian Embassy in New Delhi. We have requested the International Committee of the Red Cross facilitate the immediate release of four Nepalis under captivity. I believe these efforts will bear fruit soon," he said.

The Nepal Foreign Minister added that the government is also taking initiatives for the release of Bipin

Joshi, a Nepali student, was held hostage by Hamas. Joshi's whereabouts is unknown following the October 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group.
A Russian strike on a train station filled with fleeing civilians in Ukraine's southern city of Kherson has killed at least one person and wounded four others, the interior minister said on Tuesday. Passengers seen at the train station in Ukraine's Kherson.(Reuters)

"Kherson in the evening. Around 140 civilians waiting at the station for an evacuation train. That's the moment that the enemy began a massive bombing of the city," Igor Klymenko said in a post on Telegram.

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One policeman was killed and two civilians and two policemen were wounded by shrapnel, he said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that "a number of civilians were on the scene" when the strike hit, adding that rescue services were on the scene.

READ | Russian attack kills one in Ukraine's Kherson, war crimes investigation opened

The Ukrainian railway company Ukrzaliznytsya said on Telegram that a train and the station were damaged but that "the situation is under control and the railway is ready to continue functioning".

The city of Kherson was occupied by Russian troops shortly after Moscow invaded Ukraine in late February 2022.

Under pressure from Ukrainian troops, the Russian forces eventually withdrew to the other side of the Dnipro river that runs alongside the city.

The city has come under regular Russian bombardment since. Earlier on Tuesday, the head of the Kherson military administration, Roman Mrochko, had said that the city had come under sustained Russian strikes over the past 24 hours, wounding four people, including one seriously.
20,915 people have been killed and 54,918 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since Oct. 7, the Gaza health ministry said on Tuesday. Israel-Hamas War: A smoke plume erupts over Khan Yunis from Rafah in the southern Gaza strip during Israeli bombardment.(AFP)

The ministry added that 241 Palestinians were killed in the past 24 hours and 382 were injured.

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Israeli forces killed two Palestinians on Tuesday in a raid on a refugee camp near the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, the Palestinian health ministry said.

The two -- aged 17 and 31 -- were shot dead in the Fawwar refugee camp, south of Hebron, the ministry said.

The army said it carried out a "counter-terrorism" operation in the town of Fawwar.

It said during the operation "assailants hurled rocks, Molotov cocktails and fireworks at Israeli security forces".

The forces "responded with riot dispersal means and live fire. Hits were identified," the army added in a statement.

A resident from the camp told AFP that troops stormed the camp from its southern and northern entrances.

"The two men were killed just outside their homes," he said, asking to remain anonymous over security concerns.

He said after the death of the first man there were clashes in which five others were wounded and one of them later died.

Violence across the West Bank has flared since the war between Israel and Hamas militants erupted in the Gaza Strip following an attack on Israel by the Islamist group on October 7.

That attack left around 1,140 people, mostly civilians, dead in Israel, according to an AFP tally based on the latest official Israeli figures.

In Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza, 20,915 people have been killed, most of them women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

More than 300 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers since the Gaza war erupted, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah.
The UK royal family usually spends Christmas together. All the members of the family are seen getting together to celebrate the holiday season but it is rare to hear from someone who has actually spend the festive period with the royal family. One of King Charles' former assistants has said that at Christmas parties, the royal family really lets loose, especially Prince William. Prince William-Kate Middleton: Britain's William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales arrive for the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall, London, Britain.(Reuters)

Grant Harrold worked as King Charles personal butler from 2004 to 2011. His tasks included being a butler and valet to the monarch as well as a housekeeper, house manager, and driver. Talking about the Christmas celebrations of the royal family, Grant Harrold said in a latest interview, Christmas will have changed a bit since the passing of the queen, but traditions will be staying the same  The royals will all be together on Christmas Eve. They normally have afternoon tea in the drawing room and give each other presents. On Christmas Day, the children will get their presents from Santa, theyll have a served lunch and a buffet for dinner. Going to church is also a big part of the day. The queen would go to church at 8 a.m., but Im unsure whether the king would do that. He will then go to the famous service at Sandringham at 11 a.m."

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We then have the kings speech and the royals will all sit and watch it together. Traditions will stay the same, but the timings of when they will arrive on the day will probably change", he said.

The royals give each other gag gifts because Christmas presents with the royals are always jokey. Theyre always a bit of fun. But with William and Kate, Im sure they will give each other something nice that they will like. Kate will probably get a watch or some jewelry from William," he said.

Talking about Prince William, the former royal family employee said that once the Prince of Wales got into a water fight.

I remember going to one at St. James Palace and hanging out with Prince William, Prince Harry, and Camilla. I remember there was a water fight going on between another member of staff and Prince William  and I was in the firing line sitting between them! They filled up water balloons and it was hilarious. Everyone was in fits of laughter, he said.
The Turkish Parliament's foreign affairs committee gave its consent to Sweden's bid to join NATO on Tuesday, drawing the previously non-aligned Nordic country closer to membership in the Western military alliance. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, shakes hands with Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, right, as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg looks on prior to a meeting.(AP)

Sweden's accession protocol will now need to be approved in the general assembly for the last stage of the legislative process in Turkiye. No date has been set.

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Turkiye, a NATO member, has delayed ratifying Sweden's application for more than a year, accusing the country of being too lenient toward groups that Ankara regards as threats to its security, including Kurdish militants and members of a network that Ankara blames for a failed coup in 2016.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier this month threw up another obstacle by openly linking ratification of Sweden's NATO membership to the U.S. Congress' approval of a Turkish request to purchase 40 new F-16 fighter jets and kits to modernize Turkiye's existing fleet.

Erdogan also also called on Canada and other NATO allies to life arms embargoes imposed on Turkiye.

The White House has backed the Turkish F-16 request but there is strong opposition in Congress to military sales to Turkiye.

The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs committee had begun discussing Sweden's membership in NATO last month. The meeting however, was adjourned after legislators from Erdogan's ruling party submitted a motion for a postponement on grounds that some issues needed more clarification and that negotiations with Sweden had not matured enough.

On Tuesday, a majority of legislators in the committee voted in favor of Sweden's application to join.

Sweden and Finland abandoned their traditional positions of military nonalignment to seek protection under NATO's security umbrella, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Finland joined the alliance in April, becoming NATO's 31st member, after Turkiye's parliament ratified the Nordic country's bid.

NATO requires the unanimous approval of all existing members to expand, and Turkiye and Hungary are the only countries that have been holding out. Hungary has stalled Sweden's bid, alleging that Swedish politicians have told blatant lies about the condition of Hungary's democracy.

The delays have frustrated other NATO allies who were swift to accept Sweden and Finland into the alliance.
The United Nations named an outgoing Dutch minister its humanitarian coordinator for Gaza on Tuesday following last week's watered-down Security Council resolution which called for aid to be delivered to the strip "at scale." Sigrid Kaag, UN's new humanitarian coordinator for Gaza.(Reuters)

Sigrid Kaag's appointment comes as the people of Gaza face a dire humanitarian emergency, with aid slowed to a trickle by Israel's continued bombardment of the densely populated coastal strip.

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She will start work on January 8, the UN said in a statement.

Last week's UN Security Council resolution called for the "safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale" -- but did not call for an immediate end to fighting.

READ | UN Security Council adopts resolution on Gaza aid; US abstains

The bloodiest ever Gaza war erupted when Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7 and killed about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

They took 250 hostages of whom 129 remain inside Gaza.

Israel launched an extensive aerial bombardment and a siege followed by a ground invasion. The campaign has killed 20,915 people, according to Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry.

"United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today announced the appointment of Ms Sigrid Kaag of the Netherlands as Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza," the UN said in a statement.

The Security Council adopted the resolution on Gaza on Friday after days of delays and diplomatic wrangling.

READ | 'Gazans not checkerboard pieces' UN slams Israel's evacuation order

A draft version of the resolution had said that the aid mechanism to accelerate the delivery of relief would be "exclusively" under UN control.

But the final version, passed after Washington abstained, now states it would be managed in consultation with "all relevant parties" -- meaning Israel would retain operational oversight of aid deliveries.

Kaag has been the Netherlands' deputy prime minister and finance minister since January 2022. She has previously held a number of senior UN jobs including its special coordinator for Lebanon and the Joint Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations Mission in Syria.
A 6-year-old boy who was visiting his grandmother, unaccompanied, was put on a wrong flight by Spirit Airline crew. The boy is a first time flier and was scheduled to meet his grandmother in Florida. Spirit Airlines has apologised for wrongly boarding a 6-year-old boy, who was travelling unaccompanied(Bloomberg)

I had no kids with me', flight attendant told childs grandmom

His grandmother, Maria Ramos told WINK-TV, I ran inside the plane to the flight attendant and I asked her, Wheres my grandson? He was handed over to you at Philadelphia? She said, No, I had no kids with me.

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Maria, who has not been provided any answers by the airline was furious, I want them to call me [and] let me know how my grandson ended up in Orlando, she said. How did that happen? Did they get him off the plane? The flight attendant  after mom handed him with paperwork  did she let him go by himself? He jumped in the wrong plane by himself?

Grandmom I have landed 160 miles away

Fortunately, her grandchild called her as soon as he landed in Orlando and said he had landed  160 miles away.

The Airlines has apologised for commiting a grave mistake during the holiday season travel rush. The child was always under the care and supervision of a Spirit Team Member, and as soon as we discovered the error, we took immediate steps to communicate with the family and reconnect them, Spirit said in a statement Saturday. We apologise to the family for this experience.

The child was flying from Philadelphia International Airport to Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers on Thursday. But the minor was incorrectly boarded on a flight to Orlando, according to the airline.

The airline has offered to reimburse them the drive, Ramos told WINK-TV but more importantly, she wants to know why this happened.

The airline did not provide details about how the mishap happened. WINK-TV, a television station in Fort Myers, identified the child as a 6-year-old first-time flyer who was supposed to visit his grandmother.
Christmas night in New York city witnessed massive protests with numerous pro-Palestine supporters clashing with police. Chanting 'Christmas is cancelled here,' hundreds of protestors stormed the streets in what many perceived as a war on Christmas. Hundred Pro-Palestine protestors storm New York streets on Christmas day, even throw fake blood on nativity scenes(@AshAgony on X)

As they chanted slogans, protesters were seen throwing fake blood on nativity scenes, which celebrate the birth of Jesus.

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'Long Live Intifada' slogans were chanted

A crowd of over 500 protestors shouted Long live the intifada, as they surrounded the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree where revellers were enjoying the holiday.

'While You're Shopping, Bombs Are Dropping,' read one of the signs carried by the protesters.

'No Joy in Genocide,' another sign stated, placed atop the faux Nativity scene. This scene was splattered with what appeared to be fake blood, and several demonstrators carried it on their shoulders.

After witnessing scenes of rampage and ugly sloganeering throughout the day, the protests turned violent by night. Many scuffles broke out in the crowd outside St. Patricks Cathedral, prompting police to run through the mob.

It wasn't just the streets many Biden officials were confronted by protestors who laid siege at their offices and residents calling US government's Israel policy a genocide

Pro-Palestine protestors wreak havoc in New York City

After witnessing scenes of rampage and ugly sloganeering all through the day by night the protests turned violent, with many scuffles breaking out in the crowd outside St. Patricks Cathedral, which sent cops running through the mob.

The Daily Mail reported that, the NYPD has confirmed it had moved to 'Level Three' police mobilization to combat the protests.

At least six people were arrested  four for disorderly conduct, one for menacing and one for graffiti. They were later reported near Grand Central Station and Union Square, as protesters and cops clashed, according to law enforcement sources.

The protestors even left Zionism is terrorism and Free Palestine stickers and Murdered by Israel flyers on the exterior of the Union Square Holiday Market. Whereas some scrawled, From NY to Gaza, Globalize the Intifada; Netanyahu is a warmonger; and Israel kills babies.
The U.S. government has chosen not to overrule a decision by a federal agency to prohibit the import of certain Apple Watches. This action comes in response to allegations from Masimo, a company specializing in medical monitoring technologies. Biden Administration has refused to veto US trade tribunal's ban on Apple Watch imports(Pexels)

No breather for Apple Watch imports

The prohibition, effective from December 26, targets Apple Watches incorporating a specific blood-oxygen measuring feature. This feature, a pulse oximeter, has been a part of Apple's smartwatch lineup since the introduction of the Series 6 model in 2020.

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Ambassador Katherine Tai, after thorough discussions, opted not to overturn the decision of the International Trade Commission (ITC), thereby finalizing it on the aforementioned date. Despite this setback, Apple retains the option to challenge the ban in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Why are Apple watches banned in US?

Masimo has leveled serious accusations against Apple, claiming the tech giant poached its staff, misappropriated pulse oximetry technology, and then integrated it into the widely popular Apple Watch.

In a related development, a jury trial in a California federal court addressing Masimo's claims against Apple concluded without a verdict in May. Concurrently, Apple has initiated its own legal action against Masimo for patent infringement in a Delaware federal court, asserting that Masimo's legal pursuit is strategically aimed at advancing its competing smartwatch.

This non-intervention by the presidential administration marks a rare instance, the last being in 2013 when a previous administration reversed an ITC ruling concerning Apple's iPhones and iPads amidst a patent conflict with Samsung.

Anticipating the recent ban, Apple announced a temporary halt in sales of its latest Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches as of December 18.

In a separate incident earlier this year, the administration refrained from blocking another import ban on Apple Watches following a patent violation claim by AliveCor, another medical technology firm. However, this particular ban has been temporarily suspended for different reasons.

Apple's segment encompassing wearable devices, home products, and accessories, which includes the Apple Watch and AirPods, reportedly generated $8.28 billion in revenue during the third quarter of 2023, as per the company's financial report.
Residents of Nebraska in United States woke up to a white Christmas and winter storm. Several inches of snow and rain have wreaked havoc in the area and marred festivities. Nebraska Department of Transportation camera showed jackknifed semis completely blocking traffic with dozens of vehicles piled up on the highway

Nebraska Highway Pile Up

Even as the residents are struggling with snow blocades the Eastbound I-80 had to be shut down after multiple tractor-trailers jackknifed. The crash site has now been cleared.

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Nebraska Department of Transportation camera showed jackknifed semis completely blocking traffic with dozens of vehicles piled up on the highway. The crash reportedly happened on Monday morning amid a blizzard warning.

Eastbound traffic was being diverted off the interstate north into York and then east into Waco. No injuries have been reported.

Blizzard warnings have been issued in the region of Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, Colorado, and Wyoming.

Residents have been advised to refrain from traveling, if absolutely necessary they should have survival kits with them and be prepared to remain in their vehicles in case they are stranded.

The Nebraska State Patrol reported on Monday that cars were colliding and sliding off roads in the state. Additionally, tractor-trailers jackknifed and became stuck on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 80 near York during the morning and early afternoon.
As the holiday season takes over, more than 115 million Americans are embarking on journeys covering at least 50 miles, making this one of the busiest travel periods in 23 years, as per AAA's annual forecast. However, the winter storm is adding its own notes to this symphony, affecting travel conditions across the nation. Nebraska Department of Transportation camera showed jackknifed semis completely blocking traffic with dozens of vehicles piled up on the highway

Christmas weather recap:

While many hoped for a snowy, picturesque Christmas, record warmth swept across several states. Preliminary data indicates new high-temperature records for Christmas in Minnesota and Wisconsin, challenging the traditional white Christmas narrative.

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Current storm impact:

A winter storm is causing disruptions in the central U.S., particularly in the Plains and Upper Midwest. Travelers should brace for blizzard conditions, heavy snow, and freezing rain, especially in South Dakota and Nebraska. This storm is part of a larger system tracking from the Rockies to the South, impacting travel conditions through Christmas Day.

Blizzard warnings and hazards:

Blizzard warnings have been issued, covering over a half-million people in South Dakota and Nebraska. With gusty winds, up to a foot of snow, and near-zero visibility, travel becomes risky. Nebraska State Patrol reported I-80 closures, and the situation remains dynamic. The storm is expected to weaken gradually, but a wintry mix may persist into Wednesday.

Ice accretion and road safety:

The Eastern Plains of Minnesota faces a potential wintry mix, including freezing rain and sleet. Icy roads pose challenges to travellers heading east and northeast, affecting areas like Fargo, Grand Forks, Sioux Falls, and Sioux City. Bridges and overpasses along major interstates are particularly vulnerable.

Forecast beyond Christmas:

Post-Christmas, the storm shifts to the Northeast, increasing the chance of soaking rainfall along the East Coast. Simultaneously, the Pacific Northwest anticipates rain and mountain snow from an approaching Pacific storm. Travellers are advised to stay informed about evolving weather conditions.
Severe winter storms and blizzards wreaked havoc in the United States over the weekend and Christmas Day. Millions were affected by bad weather conditions, including those hitting the road to spend Christmas with their families. Airlines were also left affected, with several flights being either delayed or cancelled. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the conditions are expected to worsen across the country. Representational image(AFP)

Warnings issued across 10 US states

The NWS has issued winter storm and blizzard warnings, along with winter weather advisories for Alaska, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, and Washington. According to the latest forecast by the agency, a severe storm is expected to bring in heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions across the US.

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According to the agency's latest post on X, formerly Twitter, A major winter storm will continue to impact parts of the northern/central Plains and Upper Midwest with heavy snow, freezing rain, and strong winds through Tuesday night. The combination of heavy snow and strong winds (gusts up to 55 mph) will produce blizzard conditions for central South Dakota into parts of Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado resulting in difficult to near impossible travel.

ALSO READ: Why is Merry Crisis trending on X? Exploring the origins of popular Christmas term

Travel conditions in the Plains, Midwest, and South were predicted to be most hampered through Christmas Day. While a White Christmas may be exciting for those nestled at home, the heavy snowfall rates and reduced visibilities due to blowing snow will make for hazardous, to even impossible, travel conditions, the NWS forecast said.

After Christmas, the storm is expected to move into the Northeast and Upper Midwest, increasing the chance of soaking rainfall along the East Coast. By Wednesday, areas from Northern California into the Pacific Northwest will see increased chances of rain and mountain snow from an approaching Pacific storm.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin Tuesday that Ukraine had attacked the Crimean port of Feodosia and damaged a naval landing ship, a Kremlin spokesman said. Russian president Vladimir Putin is seen. (AFP)

Ukraine's military said earlier that its air force destroyed the Russian navy's Novocherkassk landing ship in the western Crimean port.

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"Today defence minister Shoigu reported (to Putin) about the strike that the Ukrainians carried out on Feodosia and about the damage to our large landing ship. It was a very detailed report," the president's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

The Ukrainian defence ministry wrote earlier on X that the "Novocherkassk landing ship was destroyed in Feodosia tonight".

The ministry posted an unattributed photo showing flames and smoke in a port at night.

"Ukraine's aviation did an excellent job. Crimea is Ukraine. There is no place for the occupier's fleet here," the ministry wrote.

The country's air force said that the ship was suspected to have been carrying attack drones.
In a first, a Hindu woman in Pakistan filed nomination papers for a general seat in the upcoming 2024 elections in the country. Saveera Parkash officially submitted her nomination papers for the general seat of PK-25 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Buner district on Tuesday. Saveera Parkash(X/RabNBaloch)

The general elections in Pakistan are scheduled to be held on February 8 to elect the members of the 16th national assembly. According to the recent amendments made by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), there is a mandate for a five per cent inclusion of women candidates in general seats.

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Who is Saveera Parkash?

A member of the Hindu community in Pakistan, Saveera Parkash is the first ever woman candidate to file nomination for general elections. Parkash is the daughter of a recently retired doctor and a dedicated member of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) for the past 35 years, Om Parkash. Parkash pursued MBBS and graduated in 2022 from Abbottabad International Medical College. She currently serves as the general secretary of the PPP women's wing in Buner. Expressing her commitment to the welfare of the community, Parkash said that she aims to work for the betterment of women, ensure a safe environment, and advocate for their rights. She also aims to address the historical neglect and suppression of women in the development sector and to address these issues if elected, reported Dawn. Stating serving humanity is in her blood, Parkash said her dream of becoming an elected legislator stems from her firsthand experiences with poor management and helplessness in government hospitals during her medical career. Meanwhile, a social media influencer from Buner, Imran Noshad Khan, expressed his wholehearted endorsement of Parkash, irrespective of her political affiliation. He commended her for breaking stereotypes perpetuated by traditional patriarchy, emphasising the significance of a woman stepping forward to contest elections in a region where it took 55 years since Buner merged with Pakistan, reported ANI.

(With inputs from ANI)
China's president Xi Jinping said that Beijing must resolutely prevent anyone from splitting Taiwan from China in any way at a symposium commemorating the 130th anniversary of the birth of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong. Xi Jinping said the motherland must be reunified and will inevitably be reunified after it was reported that the Chinese leader told US president Joe Biden during their recent summit in San Francisco that Beijing will reunify Taiwan with mainland China. Chinese president Xi Jinping(AP)

Xi Jinping paid tribute to Mao Zedong and hailed his political teachings, according to state news agency Xinhua. The Chinese leader also led the Politburo Standing Committee, the countrys most powerful decision-making body, in remembering Mao Zedongs achievements at Maos mausoleum in Beijings Tiananmen Square.

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What Xi Jinping reportedly told Joe Biden on Taiwan

The Chinese president told his US counterpart in a a group meeting attended by a dozen American and Chinese officials that Chinas preference is to take Taiwan peacefully, not by force, it was reported. Referencing public predictions by US military leaders who that Xi Jinping plans to take Taiwan in 2025 or 2027, Xi Jinping told Joe Biden that they were wrong because he has not set a time frame.

Chinese officials also asked Joe Biden to make a public statement after the meeting saying that the US supports Chinas goal of peaceful unification with Taiwan and does not support Taiwanese independence. This request was rejected by the White House, the report claimed.

This comes as Chinas behavior toward Taiwan is being seen as increasingly aggressive ahead of a pivotal presidential election in the self-governing democratic island.

US Senator Lindsey Graham responded to the report saying, This story as reported is beyond unnerving. I will be working with Democratic and Republican Senators to do two things quickly. First, create a robust defense supplemental for Taiwan and second, draft pre-invasion sanctions from hell to impose on China if they take action to seize Taiwan.
Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels on Tuesday claimed a missile strike on a vessel in the Red Sea and a drone attack towards Israel in solidarity with Gaza. Yemenis chant slogans and wave Palestinian flags during a march in solidarity with the people of Gaza, in the Huthi-controlled capital Sanaa. Yemen's Huthi rebels struck a cargo ship in the Red Sea on December 15, causing a fire on deck in the latest of a near-daily series of attacks in the commercially vital waterway.(AFP)

In a statement, the rebels said they "carried out a targeting operation against a commercial ship" they identified as MSC UNITED, and launched a number of "drones against military targets" in southern Israel.

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The attacks are the latest in a flurry of drone and missile strikes launched by the rebels since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7.

The Huthis say they are targeting Israel and Israeli-linked vessels to push for a stop to the offensive in the Gaza Strip, where Israel is battling Hamas militants.

Earlier on Tuesday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said "explosions (were) heard, missiles were sighted" near the port of Hodeida on Yemen's west coast, adding that a transitting vessel and its crew were safe.

READ | Explained: Who are Houthis of Yemen and why are they attacking ships in Red Sea?

The ship later continued its voyage, without reporting any major damage or crew injuries, UKMTO said.

It followed two other explosions earlier Tuesday that struck near a vessel also off Hodeida, according to the British maritime authority.

Explosions were also heard off the coast of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Tuesday, Egyptian state-linked media said, with the Israeli army later saying it had intercepted aerial objects in the Red Sea.

"An air force fighter jet successfully intercepted earlier today in the Red Sea area a hostile aerial target that was on its way to Israeli territory," the army said.

Al-Qahera News television channel, which has links to state intelligence, had said the blasts occurred about two kilometres (1.2 miles) from the Egyptian seaside town of Dahab.

Dahab lies around 125 kilometres (75 miles) south of Eilat on the southern tip of Israel, the closest target for Yemen's rebels.

"We heard a loud explosion coming from the direction of the sea, and then we saw a strange object falling into the water," an eyewitness told AFP.

No casualties have been reported.

According to the Pentagon, the Huthis have launched more than 100 drone and missile attacks, targeting 10 merchant vessels involving more than 35 different countries.

The attacks are endangering a transit route that carries up to 12 percent of global trade, prompting the United States to set up a multinational naval task force to protect Red Sea shipping.

The Huthis have also launched a series of attacks towards Israel, but most have failed to hit their targets.
??#AHORA Ministro @JChavezCresta, titulares de @MEF_Peru y @MINPRODUCCION, y representantes de @midagriperu y @viviendaperu, integrantes del grupo de trabajo Fuerza de Tarea Musltisectorial, se reunen en el @COENPeru para tomar acciones en los tres niveles de Gobierno ante el FEN pic.twitter.com/wdpEXuoR5Z
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. The former Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to Armenia, Hans Dannenberg Castellanos, has died.

Castellanos served as Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to Armenia from April 2022 until early 2023, when he was appointed Ambassador to Canada.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan offered condolences to the late ambassadors family.

Deeply saddened to learn of untimely passing of former Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to Armenia Hans Dannenberg. His relentless efforts aimed at building stronger bilateral ties, including opening of diplomatic office in Yerevan, will be always remembered. Condolences to his family & friends, FM Mirzoyan said on X.
Chicago, IL (60637)

Today

Considerable cloudiness. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Temps nearly steady in the low to mid 30s. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Watching a potential winter storm. Cloudy with snow developing after midnight. Low 27F. Winds ESE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of snow 90%. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected.
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YEREVAN, 26 DECEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 26 December, USD exchange rate down by 0.13 drams to 405.20 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.22 drams to 446.37 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.01 drams to 4.42 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 0.94 drams to 514.56 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 8.53 drams to 26598.21 drams. Silver price down by 0.10 drams to 318.65 drams.
Animal Health Officials Alert Dog Owners to Watch for Parvovirus

BOSTON ?The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources' (MDAR) Division of Animal Health is advising dog owners of a canine parvovirus (commonly called "parvo") outbreak in Franklin County.

At least one dog, recently purchased from Jason Whitmore at 35 Daniel Shay's Highway in Orange, Massachusetts, has been affected. The property is currently under quarantine. Anyone who may have purchased a puppy or dog from this source on or after December 1, 2023, should contact their veterinarian immediately if their animal exhibits any symptoms.

Canine parvovirus is a highly contagious disease that spreads easily between dogs and can be fatal. Severe vomiting, diarrhea, bloody stools, fever, lethargy, and loss of appetite are common symptoms of the virus and will usually develop after an incubation period of 3 to 7 days. Dogs that have been infected and recover can remain infectious for several months. Canine parvovirus does not affect humans or other domestic animals.

Vaccinations effectively prevent canine parvovirus, and MDAR is urging dog owners to check with their veterinarians to confirm their pets are protected. Puppies require a series of vaccinations, and adult dogs may need a yearly booster. State animal health officials advise not giving the animal any medications except as prescribed by a veterinarian. Any medicines provided at the time of purchase should not be administered to the animal and instead, should be securely stored.

Please contact MDAR's Division of Animal Health at (617) 626-1795 with any concerns.

Additional information regarding canine parvovirus is provided by the American Veterinary Medical Association?here.
Mount Greylock School Officials Debate Merits of Publicly Reporting Bias Incidents

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  A member of the Mount Greylock School Committee this month pushed the administration to be more transparent about incidents of bias in the classroom.

"Just this very term, this quarter, there were a number of incidents in which our teachers, with apparently good intention, have made decisions in the classroom either with students or in the curriculum that have caused serious harm," Jose Constantine said at the committee's monthly meeting.

"What I'm curious about is how are we sharing those incidents with the community, who, I think, should know what's happened in our classrooms? How are we supporting our teachers to prevent these incidents from happening, which I think seems like a good metric for success: How many times our teachers, whether they intend to or not, cause harm? And where are we headed as a district with regard to supporting our teachers and, most importantly, supporting our students in the classroom?"

Constantine asked his question during a quarterly update on the district's efforts in the area of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, a point of emphasis throughout the tenure of Superintendent Jason McCandless.

Although the administration last year pulled back, for budgetary reasons, on plans to fill a DEIB director position in the central office, McCandless has laid out a multi-pronged strategy for making the district's three schools more welcoming for all students and their families.

Two elements of that plan related directly to Constantine's question: a new bias incident reporting form that is available on each school's website and professional development opportunities for teachers and staff.

"The majority of incidents are being reported directly to the principal or the superintendent," Assistant Superintendent Joe Bergeron said in giving the quarterly update. "We are in the process of developing teams at the building level and district level to be part and parcel of any response. We want to make sure we line up the proper professional development and training for those teams."

Bergeron said that based on feedback from staff, the district has shifted its professional development work to focus on, "real-life scenarios and case-based type work."

That led to Constantine's questions about the real-life incidents that have happened at the school and whether the district should be providing information about them to the public. McCandless replied that the district has constraints when it comes to sharing such information.

"When something like that happens, there are guardrails in almost 360 degrees, starting with federal labor law and working down through state regulations regarding what we're allowed to speak about down to contractual obligations we make between ourselves and our staff," McCandless said.

"So alerting the community of those is just often, quite frankly  illegal is a strong word, but I think that's the word I'll use. And occasionally, it's immoral because all the facts are not always available."

McCandless said the district had consulted with experts in the diversity field about the value of "public pronouncements." And he shared that administrators spend, in some cases, hours addressing individual incidents.

But he said the best the district can do is work to minimize such events.

"If I knew the way to absolutely control people, be they young people or grown-up people to not say and do things that were, at best, not compassionate or well thought and, at worst, downright harmful  we would do that," McCandless said. "As it stands, we put a lot of time and effort into professionally developing our staff  as a whole, at grade levels, as individuals  and working to put our energies to supporting students when that happens."

Constantine followed up with McCandless, asking why the district cannot release anonymous data about incidents so that the public can track its progress in reducing them.

"This seems like a straight-forward metric," Constantine said. "Are we doing a better job of minimizing the number of times, and it should be zero times, ideally, that incidents happen in our classrooms, whether they are intended or not, that cause harm?"

That last comment sparked a discussion about whether "zero incidents" is an appropriate goal.

"I'm not saying it wouldn't be nice," Carolyn Greene said. "It would be lovely if zero incidents occurred. But we live in a world where racism exists and unconscious bias creeps in and people make mistakes. I think a lot of what happens is people making mistakes and not thinking through situations and maybe not getting the right mentorship.

"I would like to see the metric we measure be our response to those situations when they occur, because they will occur."

Bergeron agreed.

"One of the slides from last spring that I didn't repeat [in the Dec. 14 presentation] was one that said this is work we need to do without becoming paralyzed, without just refusing to address it," he said. "If I were a staff member hearing some portion of this conversation tonight, I would potentially go to bed tonight saying, I can't mess up. I'm going to avoid that subject material with my students, because I want to get the number of times I'm going to be in a situation like that down to zero.' Because that's the most sure fire way to get it to zero  to just run away from it.

"I think we have more good situations happening right now where staff members are reaching out to their principal or the director of curriculum or the superintendent saying, I really want to do this, but I need your help,' or, Can I do this?' or, This happened. What can I do now?' "

Julia Bowen sided with Constantine, while acknowledging that the "zero incidents" goal is aspirational.

"I think to say we aspire to anything other than zero means we're giving up," Bowen said. "We can aspire to zero, but that doesn't mean when we don't get to zero, heads will roll. To me, each year, that number should go down."

Constantine said he could not agree more with Bowen's argument.

"I think it's important to say that many marginalized families don't feel safe in our district," he said. "I appreciate that we care and we all acknowledge how difficult the role of teacher is. But I'm here to second Julia's point that if we are not aspiring to ensure that the people we pay to work in our district do not harm our children, ever, that's a problem. If that's not our aspiration, that's a problem, however difficult that may be.

"I would hope we'd be brave enough to be able to share, in even generic terms, our progress on this front."
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. Galaxy Group of Companies, one of Armenia's largest conglomerates, conducted a comprehensive review of the year 2023 in the meeting hall of Matenadaran named after Mashtots. The leadership teams of over 15 affiliated companies convened in this symbolic venue. Uniting under one roof, the corporate family solidified its shared vision to contribute to Armenia's economic advancement. This marks the fifth consecutive year that Galaxy has presented a detailed overview of the past year and outlined upcoming tasks and development strategies for the year ahead, emphasizing noteworthy achievements and valuable lessons.

"The Galaxy family continues to expand both in terms of companies and professionals each year. We successfully achieved all the set plans for this year, actively participating in various socio-educational initiatives. Our transparent work has attracted numerous highly qualified professionals who aspire to apply their expertise across any of our companies. The year-end review is not a conclusion for us but marks the commencement of new endeavors," stated Aram Khachatryan, Co-Founder, and CEO of Galaxy Group of Companies.

Next year marks the 25th anniversary of Galaxy Group of Companies. With 15 distinguished brand names, over 250 esteemed international partners, a workforce of 2,500 employees, and a robust customer base of 1 million active users, the Group stands as one of the leading employers and taxpayers in Armenia. Comprising well-established companies, each a leader in its own field, Galaxy Group is not just a business entity but a culture-changing system. Guided by principles of continuous learning, unity, and daily hard work, it contributes significantly to the business landscape in Armenia.

One of the largest companies in Armenia, proudly carries the torch of corporate social responsibility. Throughout the past year, it had numerous opportunities to extend substantial assistance to fellow Armenians displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh.

"As a business entity and as Armenians, we felt a deep commitment to stand by their side and take steps to assist them. Venturing into the regions, we witnessed the challenging circumstances our compatriots are facing. We encountered individuals who had lost their ancestral homes, their homeland. Having resettled in Armenia, we aspire that our ongoing and future initiatives will relieve their hardships. In response to the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis, we promptly initiated aid efforts, delivering 100 tons of food assistance to 5,000 families scattered across various regions of Armenia," expressed Artyom Khachatryan, Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of Galaxy Group of Companies.

The year-end gathering of the group was graced by the CEOs of all companies. They showcased the accomplishments and identified areas for improvement in their respective companies for the year 2023, and collaboratively discussed future concepts with their colleagues.

"This year, our company has solidified its position in catering to target groups. We successfully brought in new brands, showcasing their diverse offerings, and have built a level of trust that positions us as a reliable and caring company," highlighted Gabriel Avetisyan, CEO of the luxury multi-brand chain Chronograph.

Arsen Mnatsakanyan, the CEO of Time Armenia, Time Georgia, and Time Belarus (operating within Galaxy Group of Companies), shared the achievements of the brand in Armenia, Georgia, and Belarus.

"The recognition of our brand in Armenia, Georgia, and Belarus has reached a qualitatively new level. Time, as a unified Armenian brand, has successfully attracted foreign consumers and achieved competitiveness. This stands as a compelling example of how Armenian businesses can thrive in highly competitive markets and secure a significant position," stated Arsen Mnatsakanyan.

The event highlighted the significant role of corporate social responsibility projects, particularly the assistance extended to compatriots forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh. A detailed video showcasing the extensive support efforts was presented during the event. Additionally, the premiere of the Christmas song took place, performed by the band "Katil" and the choir of the art school named after Ghazaros Saryan of Yerevan, directed by choir director Grigor Harutyunyan. The film was directed by Arman Suleimanyan, and the song was produced by AxelMondrian & Partners, a reputation management company. Going forward, the song will be featured in all commercial areas of Galaxy Group of Companies.

The organization of the event and the production of the videos were expertly handled by the reputation management company "Axel Mondrian and Partners."
YEREVAN, 26 DECEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, have expressed their readiness to finalize the peace treaty, Russian mass media reports, quoting Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.

They are ready to conclude peace negotiations, issue a joint document, to sign the peace treaty," Peskov said in an interview with Channel One during the unofficial summit of the CIS in St. Petersburg. When asked whether it is not risky to gather conflicting parties in one place, Peskov responded: "There is no danger here."
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Kanye West has apologised to the Jewish community for a series of antisemitic remarks he made in 2022.

In a statement written in Hebrew and posted on his Instagram account on 26 December, he said (as translated by Google): I sincerely apologise to the Jewish community for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions. It was not my intention to hurt or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused. I am committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future.

Your forgiveness is important to me, and I am committed to making amends and promoting unity, he added.

The rapper, also known as Ye, faced significant backlash in 2022 after making crude remarks on Twitter/X as well as sharing antisemitic conspiracy theories and claiming that hed been blocked by the Jewish media.

In October 2022, he wrote on X that he was going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE  You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.

He posted a screenshot of a conversation with the rapper Diddy, in which West wrote: Ima use you as an example to show the Jewish people that told you to call me that no one can threat en or influence me.

The comments led Adidas to sever ties with West and end its lucrative Yeezy footwear partnership, calling the comments unacceptable, hateful, and dangerous. Clothing brand Gap, which had also collaborated with the rapper on a clothing line, stopped stocking products affiliated with West.

Wests comments intensified in December 2022, when he said there were good things about Hitler in an interview with right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Following the interview, West also posted an image of a swastika blended with a Star of David.

Kanye Wests Instagram post in Hebrew (@kanyewest / Instagram)

In The Trouble with KanYe, a documentary about the rappers downfall, Wests former business partner and friend, the entrepreneur Alex Klein, recalled the fallout that followed Wests outbursts and allegedly used offensive turns of phrase directly against him.

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We turned down $10m. Kanye was very angry, you know, he was saying I feel like I wanna smack you and Youre exactly like the other Jews  almost relishing and revelling in how offensive he could be, using these phrases hoping to hurt me, Klein said.

Kanye West in 2022 (Getty Images For Balenciaga)

West is preparing to release his latest album, Vultures, which is expected on 12 January. The collaboration with vocalist Ty Dolla $ign, which was recorded in Saudi Arabia and also features appearances from Young Thug, Kid Kudi, Wests 10-year-old daughter North and others, was originally due for release on 15 December but was pushed back.

West addresses his earlier remarks in an unreleased song, which was heard at an album playback in Miami earlier this month, as he raps I aint antisemitic in a sexually explicit line. Wests appearance at the listening party sparked fury after he was pictured wearing a black pointed robe similar to those worn by the Ku Klux Klan.

The Independent contacted Wests representatives for comment.
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A plane carrying hundreds of Indian nationals has landed in Mumbai, four days after it was detained in France over suspected human trafficking.

The chartered Airbus A340 with 303 passengers, mostly Indians, was detained inside the rural Valtry airport in Champagne on Thursday. The flight from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was en route to Nicaragua, a Central American country.

French authorities grounded the plane due to suspicions of human trafficking during a refuelling stop.

The flight landed at Mumbai airport with 276 passengers. Twenty-five, including some minors, requested asylum in France, and two others were briefly detained.

The flight left from east of Paris on Monday and landed after nearly 29 hours, just after 4am local time on Tuesday, aviation tracking website Flightradar24 showed.

Pictures and videos showed passengers, mostly young men, coming out of the flight wearing masks, carrying luggage, and sitting in a waiting lounge before being allowed to leave.

The passengers avoided speaking to the media when approached at the airport upon their return.

Officials at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport said that some passengers were allowed to leave, while others were held back for interrogation.

Parisian prosecutors said the passengers were held at Chalons-Vatry Airport after authorities received an anonymous tip-off that some passengers might be victims of human trafficking, according to Le Monde newspaper.

Several of the passengers were believed to be Indian citizens working in the UAE, with a third of them reported to be from Indias western state of Gujarat.

French authorities reportedly suspected that the passengers final destination would have been the US or Canada after travelling to Nicaragua.

More than 200 passengers arrived in India on Tuesday (REUTERS)

Judicial sources told the French newspaper that authorities are investigating the case for violation of immigration laws but have ruled out suspicion of human trafficking.

Two passengers who were held back for investigation were brought before the court but were released after it was established that they had boarded the plane of their own free will.

Among the 25 people who sought asylum in France, several are minors.

French authorities are also working to determine the purpose of the original flight and have opened a judicial inquiry into activities by an organised criminal group that assists foreigners in entering or staying in a country illegally, as stated by the prosecutors office.

The Indian embassy in Paris, which was providing support to the passengers, thanked French authorities for working through the Christmas holiday weekend.

French customs officers stand next to a customs car with an Airbus A340 in the background which was grounded on the tarmac since 21 December over suspected human trafficking (AFP via Getty Images)

Thank French Gov and Vatry Airport for quick resolution of the situation enabling Indian passengers to return home & hospitality. Also for working closely with embassy team, present throughout at the site to ensure welfare and smooth & safe return. Thank agencies in India, too, the Indian embassy in Paris wrote in a post on X/Twitter.

The incident sparked chaotic scenes at the airport on Thursday, with police requisitioning Vatry Airport for the day and the terminal filling up with media and local officials.

Several volunteers installed cots and ensured regular meals and showers for those held inside for days.

It turned into a makeshift courtroom on Sunday as judges, lawyers and interpreters carried out emergency hearings to determine the next steps.

During Sundays hearings, some lawyers expressed objections to the authorities management of the situation and the passengers rights, suggesting that the police and prosecutors may have overreacted in response to the anonymous tip.

Legend Airlines lawyer Liliana Bakayoko said some passengers did not want to return to India because they had paid for a tourism trip to Nicaragua.

Indian passengers who travelled in an unmarked Legend Airlines A340 from Vatry Airport in France (AP)

The airline denied any role in possible human trafficking suspicions.

Amid a surge in Indians crossing the Mexico-US border this year, the US government has designated Nicaragua as one of the countries that have failed to meet minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking.

Nicaragua has served as a migration launchpad for individuals escaping poverty or conflict, facilitated by lenient or visa-free entry requirements in certain countries.

It comes as India has extended an invitation to French president Emmanuel Macron to be the chief guest at the countrys national day celebrations on 26 January.

Mr Macron, who had invited Indian prime minister Narendra Modi as a guest of honour for Frances annual Bastille Day parade in Paris this year, called the invitation an extremely strong gesture.
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India has vowed strict action and launched an investigation into the suspected drone strike on a vessel off its coast, an incident that has sparked a diplomatic row between Iran and the US.

At least two vessels bound to India were hit by suspected drone strikes over the weekend.

In his first comments since the attack on Saturday, Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh promised to find out those responsible for the attack even from the depths of the sea.

He blamed the attack on jealousy and hatred among certain forces due to Indias growing economic and strategic power in the ocean.

The Indian Navy has increased surveillance of the sea. Whoever has carried out this attack, we will find them even from the seabed and strict action will be taken against them, Mr Singh said.

An Israel-affiliated merchant vessel, MV Chem Pluto, was bound for Indias southern Mangalore port from Saudi Arabia when it was hit by an unidentified drone strike on Saturday.

A crew of 21 Indians and a Vietnamese national were onboard when it came under attack, 200 nautical miles southwest of the Veraval coast in Gujarat, leading to an explosion and fire.

No one was injured in the attack.

The MV Chem Puluto, escorted by Indias ICGS Vikram, docked in Mumbai on Monday and is scheduled to undergo mandatory checks by the various inspecting authorities before undertaking Ship to Ship (STS) transfer of cargo, it said. This will likely be followed by repairs.

On Sunday a Gaban-flagged oil tanker, MV Sai Baba, was hit in the southern Red Sea along with another Norwegian-flagged ship. MV Sai Baba was bound for India with 25 crew members but no casualties were reported.

"Further forensic and technical analysis will be required to establish the vector of attack, including type and amount of explosive used," the statement added.

The Pentagon on Sunday alleged that Iran was behind the attack MV Chem Pluto, which comes amid a series of attacks on international vessels in the Red Sea in the wake of Israels war with Hamas.

Citing newly released intelligence, it said the one-way attack drone was launched from Iran and Tehran was deeply involved in the planning of Houthi attacks on vessels as well as supplying weapons, financial support and training.

Irans foreign ministry on Monday called a US claim that Iran had attacked the ship near India "baseless".
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The number of casualties from the explosion at the nickel smelter factory in Indonesia has reached 18.

Many people are still receiving treatment for burn injuries, and operations at the facility are currently on hold, according to officials on Tuesday.

A huge explosion rocked the Chinese-funded nickel smelter furnace on Sulawesi island, owned by Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel (ITSS), causing a fire on Sunday morning.

The accident happened during repair work on a furnace when a flammable liquid ignited and caused nearby oxygen tanks to explode, according to the initial investigation.

Chinese foreign ministry called authorities to launch emergency response after four Chinese nationals were killed.

Central Sulawesi police spokesperson Djoko Wienartono said on Tuesday that the death toll included eight foreign workers.

The investigation into the cause of the fire is still underway.

The operations at the factory remained suspended, Dedy Kurniawan a spokesperson for the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park where the plant is located, said.

Indonesian president Joko Widodo called for improved safety and enhanced monitoring of environmental standards in the wake of the accident.

A Chinese worker who was injured in the explosion at a nickel smelter furnace is brought to the Morowali Regional General Hospita (AFP via Getty Images)

But at the same time, he acknowledged that nickel processing remains a priority for the economic development of the country.

Indonesia is the worlds biggest nickel producer. It has banned unprocessed nickel ore exports while giving a major push to major investments in smelting and processing. However, the industry has remained plagued by several fatal accidents in recent years.

It was the latest in a series of accidents at nickel smelting plants in Indonesia that have been part of Chinas ambitious transnational development programme  the Belt and Road Initiative.

Other businesses at the park, which hosts 52 companies, remain operational, Mr Kurniawan said.

A worker at the industrial complex told AFP news agency that the victims faces were burnt and their clothes were all burnt.

TSS is jointly owned with a 50 per cent stake by Tsingshan Holding Group, the worlds biggest nickel producer and Chinas biggest stainless steelmaker.

Police officers and workers stand near the site where a furnace explosion occurred at PT Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel smelting plant in Morowali (AP)

The company said it would cover the cost of treatment for the injured workers.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said the Chinese embassy launched the emergency response mechanism, sending a special team to handle a local furnace explosion.

It was the third deadly incident this year at Chinese-owned nickel smelting plants in Central Sulawesi province, which has the largest nickel reserves in Indonesia.

Two workers, including a Chinese national, were killed at a nickel smelting plant in the same industrial park after a riot between workers and security guards broke out during a protest over safety conditions and pay.

Two dump truck operators were killed when they were engulfed by a wall of black sludge-like material following the collapse of a nickel waste disposal site in April.

Last year, a loader truck ran over and killed a Chinese worker while he was repairing a road in PT IMIPs mining area, and an Indonesian man burned to death when a furnace in the companys factory exploded.

Data collected by the Mining Advocacy Network, an Indonesian watchdog, showed that at least 22 workers from China and Indonesia have died in nickel smelting plants in Central Sulawesi province since 2019.
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Hugh Jackman has hilariously revealed how he got in trouble when he went to see the Rockefeller Center Tree on Christmas Day.

The 55-year-old actor took to Instagram to share some footage from his visit to the iconic tree on the morning of Christmas. Along with two photos of the tree as it was lit up, the post included a selfie of Jackson in front of the landmark. In addition, The Greatest Showman star shared a clip of himself walking towards the tree and filming it with his phone, before he stopped and posed in front, with a big smile on his face.

In the caption, he encouraged his followers to visit the New York City tourist site early in the morning, since there arent as many visitors there as usual. I highly recommend getting up really early on Christmas morning and taking a walk to see the Rockefeller Christmas tree, Jackman wrote. Its so beautiful and not crowded at all.

He then revealed how and why he got reprimanded during his visit, adding: I did get in trouble for going beyond the barrier but the security guard was nice and let me go with just a warning.

Jackmans post has quickly gone viral, with fans in the comments making quips about the security guard. They also poked fun at how the people in Jackmans video didnt appear to notice him at Rockefeller Center.

Yeah, like the security guard is gonna stop Wolverine. Merry Christmas! one wrote, referring to the actors iconic character in The Wolverine.

The people around not registering that theyre in close proximity to THE Hugh Jackman, one added, while another joked: Love the dude on the side whos probably thinking that looks a lot like Hugh Jackman.

Before the holiday, Jackman posted another picture of himself posing next to a Christmas tree inside a house, alongside the caption: Merry Christmas Eve!

Jackmans visit to the Rockefeller Center Tree comes months after he made headlines when he and his wife of nearly three decades, Deborra-Lee Furness, announced they were separating.

We have been blessed to share almost three decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage. Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth, the former couple, who share two children  Oscar, 23, and Ava, 18 , said in a statement to People in September.

Our family has been and always will be our highest priority. We undertake this next chapter with gratitude, love, and kindness, they continued. We greatly appreciate your understanding in respecting our privacy as our family navigates this transition in all of our lives.

They then signed the statement with Deb and Hugh Jackman, concluding: This is the sole statement either of us will make.

Although hes kept the breakup out of the spotlight, Jackamn did discuss some of his feelings amid the split in September. At the time, TMZ photographers caught the Australian actor opening up about the separation in a few short sentences, as he said: Its a difficult time. I appreciate your thoughts, man, thank you.

However, the former couple have remained on good terms, as Page Six reported in October that Jackman had celebrated his 55th birthday with Furness. For the celebration, the pair were seen at Polo Bar in Manhattan, New York, with a source claiming to the publication that they had a very happy time.

A representative for Jackman later confirmed that he celebrated his birthday with his ex, explaining: Yes, its true. It was a lovely evening.
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Federal prosecutors on Tuesday urged a judge to reject U.S. Sen. Bob Menendezs request to delay his bribery trial scheduled for next spring by two months, until July.

Prosecutors argued against the postponement a week after defense lawyers offered multiple reasons why they say a trial of the Democrat and codefendants, including his wife, should be delayed.

The senator gave up his position as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after his September arrest.

Prosecutors said the original May 6 trial date was appropriate and drew no objections when it was announced even though circumstances were the same.

The schedule was and remains reasonable, and in accord with the strong public interest in a speedy trial, prosecutors wrote.

Defense lawyers cited over 6.7 million documents to be reviewed, an unprecedented foreign-agent charge and complex legal questions to be addressed as they asked for a delay of a trial now scheduled for May 6. They said a two-month adjournment would still bring defendants to trial within 10 months of their arrests.

Four defendants, including Menendez, have pleaded not guilty to a bribery conspiracy charge that alleges that Menendez and his wife accepted bribes of cash, gold bars and a luxury car from three New Jersey businessmen who wanted the senators help and influence over foreign affairs.

The senator, his wife and a third defendant have also pleaded not guilty to a charge that they conspired to utilize the senator as an agent of the Egyptian government even though he was prohibited from doing so as a member of Congress.

In asking for a delay, defense lawyers wrote, Given the complexity of this case and the seriousness of the charges at issue, the speed with which this case is proceeding is extraordinary.

They said they plan to ask Judge Sidney H. Stein in Manhattan to dismiss the indictment on multiple grounds, including for constitutional and sufficiency reasons and because New York federal court is the wrong venue.

Prosecutors said in their letter to the judge that the voluminous amount of evidence turned over to the defense should not delay the trial because it was consistent with what the government promised at the first conference in October.

In short, if there were a right to have multiple months to digest discovery prior to filing motions, as the defendants appear to suggest, practice in this district would look quite different. The current schedule set by the Court is expedited, but reasonable, prosecutors said.
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The UK is facing a US-style drugs-death crisis over lethal super-strength drugs contaminating British illegal markets, with investigations launched into 94 deaths in the past six months.

Potent synthetic opioids known as nitazenes  some of which are 500 times stronger than morphine  have been detected in at least 20 postcodes around the UK since September, in a worrying surge in availability, The Independent can reveal.

The drugs  so dangerous that a dose the size of a grain of sand can kill  have contaminated heroin supplies since 2019 but are increasingly found in counterfeit prescription anxiety medication sold on the dark web and at online pharmacies.

Health officials have issued an urgent warning: that the contaminated tablets, commonly marketed as Xanax or Valium, could cause unintended overdoses, while campaigners fear the increase of the potent street drugs could usher in the biggest crisis since the HIV and AIDs epidemic hit drug users in the 1980s.

The Independent has found that:

The lethal new drugs have been detected in 20 samples across the UK since September, by users who thought they were illegally purchasing prescription drugs known as benzodiazepines

They are being sold in blister packs and boxes which look like legitimate pharmaceutical products, with users reporting overdose and hallucinations

The National Crime Agency (NCA) is investigating 54 deaths linked to nitazenes between June and December, with 40 more deaths awaiting forensic toxicology results

A leading drug researcher predicts a US-style acceleration in drug-related deaths, with some nitazene compounds found to be so dangerous even a grain of sand could kill

Nitazenes were first developed in the 1950s as a pain-killing medication, but are so potent and addictive they were never approved for use. However they are now becoming increasingly common in illicit drugs markets

Many recent nitazene-related overdoses have been linked to contaminated batches of heroin, but the dangerous compounds are now being detected in a range of prescription products being traded illegally  including fake oxycodone (OxyContin), diazepam (Valium) and alprazolam (Xanax).

The UKs first nitazene-related death was recorded in 2019. There was a spate of deaths and overdoses in the South East linked to heroin in summer 2021. Those followed constraints on traditional supply routes after the Taliban banned opium poppy production in Afghanistan.

However a big influx this summer has seen nitazenes detected all over the country and increasingly sold in counterfeit tablets, Dr Caroline Copeland, director of the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths at Kings College London told The Independent.

This is a big problem. The UK was already facing a drug-related death crisis and we are now faced with synthetic opioids becoming more prevalent. All we have to do is look at whats happening in the US, she said.

150,000 nitazene tablets were seized in the countrys largest-ever synthetic opioid haul in October (Metropolitan Police )

The latest figures show drug-related deaths are at a ten-year high, with 4,907 recorded in England and Wales in 2022  almost half of which involved an opiate. In the same year the US recorded more than 70,000 deaths linked to synthetic opioids, largely fentanyl.

In October the Metropolitan Police seized 150,000 nitazene tablets in the countrys largest-ever synthetic opioid haul. They were being manufactured in east London and allegedly sold on the dark web.

While synthetic opioids are still responsive to naxolone (a life-saving treatment to reverse opioid overdose), it may be less effective with some of the most potent nitazenes.

Dr Copeland said: Naloxone is only so strong. It can only counteract an opioid of a certain strength but if you are dealing with super-strength opioids it might not be effective  you might need four or five doses in quick succession. We can certainly expect there to be a large acceleration in the number of deaths.

This month, Public Health Wales issued a warning urging people to only take prescription drugs supplied by a doctor after the deadly new compounds  often compared to fentanyl  were first detected in pills sold as diazepam in February. Since September, this has surged, with nitazenes detected in 20 samples of drugs sold as prescription benzodiazepenes from every corner of the UK, according to the Wedinos drug-testing service.

Drug samples sourced in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, London, the Midlands, Manchester, Leeds, Brighton and Carlisle were among those testing positive for the potentially lethal contaminant.

One sample was sold in convincing pharmaceutical packaging and users reported overdose, hallucinations, memory loss and suicidal ideation among the terrifying effects.

This poses a particular threat to thousands who purchase illegal prescription drugs online and receive them through the post  often young recreational drug users or those looking to self-medicate for issues such as anxiety and insomnia.

Professor Rick Lines, Head of Substance Misuse at Public Health Wales and Wedinos, told The Independent contamination with high-potency nitazenes could have potentially fatal consequences for unwitting users without ready access to naloxone.

Since September we have seen a real change over into finding tablets that are packaged as benzodiazepines, he said.

People who purchase benzodiazepines wouldnt necessarily expect them to be adulterated with nitazenes. This creates obvious potential concerns for ill-effects or overdose as a result.

A drug sold as diazepam tested positive for a dangerous nitazene, the Wedinos drug testing service found (Wedinos)

These users may have previously been prescribed benzodiazepines, but turned to online pharmacies or other online sources when their prescription ran out.

They see themselves as taking a medicine that maybe previously they had been prescribed and cant see a problem with it at all, he added.

Chris Rintoul, head of harm reduction at charity Cranstoun, said the risk of overdose in unwitting users is incredibly high.

He told The Independent: Its one of the features of the nitazene story... that it has contaminated a range of drugs. Daily users of opioids have a tolerance. But those who dont use heroin and dont have any tolerance are really at high risk. They assume that contaminated drugs isnt something that really affects them.

The NCA and the Department of Health and Social Care wrote to the chief coroner in July over deaths linked to the drugs, although the contents of the letter have not been made public.

The NCAs deputy director, Charles Yates, confirmed 54 deaths were linked to nitazenes between 1 June and 7 December, with the most recent death recorded in Brighton on 5 November, while another 40 deaths are awaiting forensic toxicology results.

However, due to limited screening for the new substances, it is feared the number of fatalities could be far higher  with drug support groups reporting clusters of overdoses.

Some 19 of the recent deaths took place in the West Midlands after nitazenes contaminated the heroin supply. In Dublin last month, 40 overdoses were recorded in 24 hours as nitazenes were discovered in the citys drugs.

I would be surprised if thats even a tenth of it. I think the real number is probably many times that figure, Mr Rintoul added.

Thirty years ago we had a really awful time with people who were using heroin in those days and were contracting HIV and so many died and we really havent seen anything of that scale of risk since then. I think we are likely to experience something of the same severity.

The elements of the perfect storm are there. I do think this is going to the most challenging thing that drug treatment services have encountered since that HIV crisis in the 80s and 90s.

Abdirahim Hassan, founder of community organisation Coffee Afrik CIC, said the synthetic opioid crisis on the streets of the UK has been ongoing and worsening for months  and people were only now waking up. He fears the country is now facing a synthetic opioid epidemic like nothing seen before.

At the start of the year, his organisation, which supports drug users as part of its work, noticed a shift in the drug market and supply. Outreach workers were seeing people literally slumped over in daylight for hours in the streets.

He said: We need to call it what it is, which is a public health emergency  and literally, people are dying.

Whichever synthetic opioid is most prevalent at any one time, its the same thing as its creating the same crisis, said Mr Hassan. At present it is nitazenes, but the question is, whats next?

A drug sold as diazepam tested positive for a nitazene called metonitazene, Wedinos found (Wedinos)

The Home Office announced in November it was cracking down on synthetic opioids, with 15 new drugs. including 14 nitazene compounds, set to become class As in the New Year, but there are concerns it will do little to stop it flooding the illegal drugs market.

While recent figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show rates of drug misuse have remained broadly stable year on year, it is feared this is masking worrying new trends in drug abuse.

Cllr David Fothergill, chair of the Local Government Associations Community Wellbeing Board said: We are particularly concerned to see a rise in the use of new synthetic opioids and benzodiazepines, which substantially raise the risk of incredibly serious harm to the user and are believed to be linked to a number of drug-related deaths.

Councils want to see greater regulation of the sale of substances online that often enter the UK in the post; and increased surveillance to alert authorities to the types of drugs people are taking.

NCA deputy director Charles Yates told The Independent: Nitazenes pose a considerable risk to people as they can be much stronger than other opiate substances like heroin and indeed fentanyl. However, the opioid antidote, naloxone, still works to prevent overdose death.

The NCA, working closely with policing, Border Force and other international partners, is ensuring that all lines of enquiry are prioritised and vigorously pursued to stem any supply of nitazenes to and within the UK.

The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners leads on substance misuse, Dorset PCC (Police and Crime Commissioner) David Sidwick and Durham PCC Joy Allen, said they were taking the dangers posed by the new drugs very seriously.

We are deeply saddened by the reported deaths caused by synthetic opioids in the UK in the last six months. We take the dangers and risks posed by these drugs, which can be up to 1,000 times stronger than heroin, very seriously, they said, adding they were working to encourage police forces to expand the use of naloxone to save lives.

A Home Office spokesperson said: We are highly alert to the threat from synthetic drugs and have already established a cross-government taskforce to co-ordinate our response to the risk from synthetic opioids to the UK.

Our drugs strategy is focused on tackling the supply of illicit drugs through relentless policing action as well as building a world-class system of treatment and recovery to turn peoples lives around and prevent crime.
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Britain is set to be battered by rain and flooding as the Met Office warned of a danger to life in some parts of the country over the next few days.

The forecaster warned of flooding and power cuts in some parts of the country as it issued seven weather warnings across Britain for the next week.

It said there was a chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing a danger to life in Wales, and warned of power cuts in other parts of the country.

Wind and snow warnings were issued across the south of England, Wales, north of England and Scotland all day on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, an ice warning was put in place for Scotland on Monday and Tuesday, with risks of difficult travelling conditions and injuries from slippery paths and roads.

Britain is set to be battered by heavy rain and flooding (Met Office)

There is a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life. There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings, the forecaster said of Wales on Wednesday.

It comes after the Met Office officially declared a white Christmas with snow falling across parts of the UK after the record for the highest daily minimum temperature for Christmas Day was broken further south.

An ice warning was put in place for Scotland on Monday and Tuesday as the Met Office warned of potential injuries (Met Office)

Snow, sleet and rain moved across parts of Scotland, with Tulloch Bridge and Aviemore recording flakes falling, the Met Office announced on X, formerly Twitter.

The forecasting body said this made Monday an official white Christmas  defined by them as a single snowflake falling on 25 December.

It comes after the Met Office officially declared a white Christmas for the UK, which it defines as one snowflake falling on 25 December (PA Archive)

Temperatures at Exeter airport and in East Malling, Kent, stayed above 12.4C, beating the previous record of 11.5C measured at Waddon in Croydon in 1983.

In terms of maximum temperatures, the mercury has so far hit 13.2C at Exeter airport and in Merryfield in Somerset, which makes Monday the warmest 25 December since 2018, when meteorologists recorded a high of 13.3C.

Forecasters had thought this year could be the warmest Christmas Day since 2016, with predicted highs of 14C, and maximum temperatures could still change.

The Met Office announced the minimum temperature record on X on Monday morning, posting: It has been a very mild 24 hours across parts of the UK.

Provisionally this Christmas we have recorded the highest daily minimum temperature for Christmas Day on record, with both Exeter Airport and East Malling not falling below 12.4C.
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A crackdown on American XL bully dogs is coming into force following a series of attacks across the UK.

From 31 December, all bully XLs must be kept on a lead and muzzled in public. It will also be illegal to breed, sell, advertise, gift, exchange, and abandon these dogs or let them stray.

It comes ahead of a ban in February when it will be criminal offence to own an XL bully dog in England and Wales without a certificate.

Here is a deeper look into what the move might mean for dog owners.

What will happen if you own an American XL bully dog?

Owners of the dog will face new restrictions  including a requirement to have the dogs neutered and muzzled and on a lead when in public

The Chief Veterinary Officer said that there would be an amnesty approach, echoing the way the ban on pit bull terriers under the Dangerous Dogs Act was introduced in the 1990s.

Professor Christine Middlemiss also confirmed that owners will need to register their American XL bully. They will also need to be insured.

She stressed that anyone complying with new restrictions will be able to keep their dog.

What are American XL bully dogs?

American kennel clubs have different definitions of what an American XL bully is but it is not recognised as a specific breed by the UKs The Kennel Club, dog expert witness Colin Tennant told the PA news agency.

The American Bully Kennel Club defines the American XL bully as a crossbreed of the American pit bull terrier, olde English bulldogge, English bulldog and the American bulldog, while the American Dog Breeders Association defines it as a crossbreed of the American Staffordshire terrier and the American pit bull terrier.

American XL Bullies have been linked to 40% of more than 800 attacks tracked by campaign group Bully Watch (Getty Images/iStockPhoto)

Why are they not defined as a breed in the UK?

The dog is not recognised as a specific breed by The Kennel Club.

It could be hard to define and some fear a ban could inadvertently outlaw a range of other dogs.

How does identifying a dog as a banned breed work?

Police or dog experts can judge the type of dog.

Mr Tennant said this is done with lists of characteristics, so it can be classed as a banned breed if it ticks the boxes, even if the dog is crossbred with a breed which is not banned.

Will this make it difficult to enforce a ban?

Ministers were quick to acknowledge that the details of the ban, and the exact definition of the breed, would need to be worked out.

But officials appear confident that a consensus can be reached that will target a ban specifically on the American XL bully.

The chief veterinary officer said officials would work with vets, dog experts, the police and NGOs to find an appropriate breed definition.

XL Bullies will join the list of banned breeds by the end of the year, Rishi Sunak says (Getty Images)

Which dogs are already banned in the UK?

In the UK, it is against the law to own certain types of dog.

According to the government website, these are the pit bull terrier, Japanese Tosa, dogo Argentino and fila Brasileiro.

It is also against the law to sell a banned dog, abandon a banned dog, give away a banned dog, and breed from a banned dog.

What happens if you own a banned dog?

The police or local council dog warden can take it away, even if it is not acting dangerously and there has not been a complaint made.

A police or council dog expert will judge what type of dog it is and whether it is (or could be) a danger to the public. The dog will then either be released or kept in kennels while the police (or council) apply to a court.

It is the owners responsibility to prove the dog is not a banned type. If it is proved, the court will order the dog to be returned. If the owner cannot prove it (or they plead guilty), they will be convicted of a crime.

The owner can get an unlimited fine or be sent to prison for up to six months (or both) for having a banned dog against the law. The dog will also be destroyed.

If the dog is banned but the court thinks it is not a danger to the public, it may put it on the Index of Exempted Dogs and let the owner keep it.

When the ban comes into force, owners will need to prove their dog is not a banned type (Getty Images)

The owner will be given a certificate of exemption, which is valid for the life of the dog, and comes with a number of conditions.

The dog must be neutered, microchipped, kept on a lead and muzzled at all times when in public, and kept in a secure place so it cannot escape.

The owner must take out insurance against the dog injuring other people, be aged over 16, show the certificate of exemption when asked by a police officer or council dog warden, either at the time or within five days, and let the Index of Exempted Dogs know if the owner changes address, or the dog dies.
Those flying in and out of airports across the country this holiday season are being warned to expect price gouging at air-side cafes and restaurants after a photo of a $14 sandwich went viral. In the image, the Classic Chicken can be seen sitting on a shelf of an eatery at Melbourne airport's terminal 3 above a $13.90 price tag.

But the cost of the sandwich  which features free-range meat, house mayonnaise, dill, parsley and rocket on seven grain sourdough  is a far cry from what customers would pay to eat at one of the franchise's other restaurants, with an online menu selling the item for $10.90.

Look, youre at the airport, youre stuck, youre a captive audience, going to the other side of security isnt even an option, and youve only got so many choices, Professor Roberta Crouch from the College of Business, Government and Law at Flinders University told Yahoo News Australia.

Customers said they weren't surprised at the cost of the chicken sandwich. Source: Reddit

She added that Christmas is also the time when prices tend to go up.

You know its like travelling at peak time, she explained. And it is a bit of opportunism and price gouging and the only sort of offset to that would be the excruciating penalty rates that people would be paying staff working on Christmas. So theres always that to consider, however, it would want to be a pretty good sandwich for 14 bucks.

Ethical questions raised

Just like the price of petrol being pushed up during school holidays, when more families are out and about, Professor Crouch said people in retail and business can be opportunistic and theres always some ethical questions about that.

You know, there's the camp that says, well business is business and if people want to travel at this time, they've got to expect that they're going to pay higher prices for things because its peak, she explained. Then the other side of that coin is, fair is fair.

Story continues

At the end of the day, when is it over the line of good business or social licence accepted business practice and just price gouging? And 14 bucks for a chicken sandwich I think comes close to that line.

Sounds about right

While the cost of the sandwich has sparked fury online, many people arent surprised. Commenting on the Reddit post, which was uploaded on Tuesday morning, one person suggested the shocked poster must be new around here. Youre in Australia and youre also at an airport, they pointed out.

While another said the price sounds about right to me. Theres a reason why Maccas and Hungry Jacks always got the longest line, someone else wrote, while another recommended bringing boxes lunches from home the next time the poster travels.

Earlier this year, an airport breakfast went viral over its $19 bill. In a photo posted to social media, a bottle of orange juice could be seen next to a ham and cheese croissant. BEHOLD! the diner wrote. The $18.69 breakfast at Sumo Salad Brisbane Airport.

But the post failed to land with many users commenting that they didnt see the problem. The airport know youll pay and you paid, one person wrote. The price is expensive mainly because the lease for the trading area is very high, added another.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
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Labour is considering a scheme that would see asylum seekers claims processed elsewhere, according to reports.

Sir Keir Starmers party is considering detailed plans for a so-called offshoring scheme, as he seeks to deter Tory attacks on Labours alternative to the Rwanda plan.

The Labour leader has previously dismissed the bid to deport some asylum seekers to the African nation as a gimmick and made clear his partys opposition.

But The Times reports that shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper and shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock have been speaking to asylum experts, former home secretary Lord David Blunkett and other European countries to draw up an alternative proposal to tackle small boats crossings in the Channel.

The plan would see migrants having asylum claims processed overseas, with successful applicants allowed to come to the UK.

While explicit backing for an offshoring scheme would mark a significant shift for Labour, Sir Keir did signal earlier this month that he would not be opposed to considering such an approach.

Other countries around the world do have schemes where they divert people on the way and process them elsewhere. Thats a different kind of scheme.

And, look, Ill look at any scheme that might work, he told reporters after a speech in Buckinghamshire.

Labour has been contacted for comment about the report, which claims that the party has drawn up three tests for any such scheme  that it is cost-effective, credible enough to deter migrants, and would avoid the legal challenges that have delayed the Rwanda plan.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak and home secretary James Cleverly are hoping fresh legislation, currently in the Commons, will be enough to revive the flagship policy after it was declared unlawful by the Supreme Court earlier this year.

According to The Times a Labour red line would be any scheme that would automatically block migrants being granted asylum in the UK, with British officials also required to be in charge of processing claims.

This is not the first time the party has looked at such an approach.

In the early 2000s, Lord Blunkett and the Blair government were believed to be in talks with Tanzania about the possibility of housing asylum seekers in the country while claims were processed in the UK.

Lord Blunkett told the paper: Whats absolutely crucial is who is doing the processing and that theyre allowed back into the country. Without it, youre merely transferring the problem on to somebody else. But if British officials are doing the processing, then youve got a scheme that fits with the conventions.

It comes as Sir Keir and his frontbench team enter a crucial period, with a general election likely to be less than 12 months away.

The Conservatives have sought to make tackling illegal migration a crunch issue, with stopping the boats one of Mr Sunaks five priorities.
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By the time Brittany Watts miscarried in the bathroom of her home in Warren, Ohio, she had visited and left the hospital twice without receiving treatment. After waiting for eight hours at Mercy Health-St Josephs Hospital on 20 September, the 33-year-old left for the second time, inadvertently setting in motion a national debate over the felony charges that were brought against her two days later when she returned to the facility no longer pregnant.

When Ms Watts first consulted healthcare providers about her vaginal bleeding, she was told that her water had broken prematurely and the fetus she was carrying was unviable. Still, doctors had to grapple with the complex legalities of how to proceed with her 22-week pregnancy in a state with strict abortion laws.

The situation unravelled on 22 September, when Ms Watts returned to the hospital and told healthcare providers that she had miscarried into a toilet and then used a plunger to flush. Upon her return to Mercy Health, a nurse alerted police to the end of her pregnancy. Investigators searched Ms Watts home and found the 22-week-old foetus wedged in the toilets pipes.

Ms Watts was subsequently charged with felony abuse of a corpse, which carries up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine, in a case that has prompted uproar over the treatment of pregnant women post Roe v Wade. Ms Watts attorney, Tracy Timko, told The Independent over email that the criminal charges brought against her client are tragic and unjust.

The grief of her loss, the fear and frustration of her arrest and prosecution and the rollercoaster of emotions resulting from the public spotlight on the most intimate details of what should have been a private affair are challenges Ms Watts continues to face, Ms Timko said. Ms Watts prays that her story is an impetus to change so no other woman faces the horror of persecution and public scrutiny after such trauma.

Brittany Watts visited Mercy Health - St Joseph Warren Hospital twice and left without receiving treatment. Law enforcement was called by a nurse when she returned for a third visit and was no longer pregnant (Google Maps )

During a court appearance in early November, a medical examiner testified that the foetus died in utero before passing through the birth canal, local news station WKBN27 first reported. Despite further testimony stating that the foetus showed no signs of injury, Judge Terry Ivanchak ruled that the case should go to a grand jury.

There are better scholars than I am to determine the exact legal status of this fetus, corpse, body, birthing tissue, whatever it is, Mr Ivanchak said. Matter of fact, Im assuming thats what ... Issue 1s all about at what point something becomes viable.

As the early stages of Ms Wattss criminal case unfolded, Ohioans voted in favour of Issue 1, a measure to enshrine abortion protections into the state constitution. But records show that the issue at the centre of Ms Watts case was not whether her pregnancy was viable, as she was repeatedly told that the foetus would not survive.

Ms Timko argued in court that her client was being demonised for undergoing a miscarriage.

Biden condemns 'extremist' Supreme Court after Roe v Wade overturned

At one point, a physician advised Ms Watts that she should have her labour induced, a procedure that amounted to an abortion and would cause her to deliver the fetus but also put her at significant risk of death, according to those records obtained by the Associated Press.

Ms Timko said that her client left the hospital after providers took several hours to give her proper treatment. At the time of her last visit, Ms Watts had already missed Ohios then-21-weeks, six days of pregnancy window to access a legal abortion.

It was the fear of, is this going to constitute an abortion and are we able to do that, Ms Timko told the court.

Last month, judge Terry Ivanchak ruled that the case should go to a grand jury. (WKBN27)

When the nurse called authorities on 22 September, she claimed Ms Watts had stated that the babys in her backyard in a bucket. The toilet was seized by police and torn apart to retrieve evidence. An investigator at the scene testified in court that he felt what appeared to be a small foot with toes inside the toilet.

Ms Timko said her client described the pregnancy as unintended but not unwanted, and that she likely didnt want to fish parts of a dead fetus from the bucket of blood, tissue and faeces that shed scooped from her overflowing toilet after miscarrying.

Prosecutors have insisted on casting doubt on testimony by witnesses and records showing that the foetus was unviable. Warren Assistant Prosecutor Lewis Guarnieri accused Ms Watts of putting the baby into a toilet and going on with her day.

Ms Timko previously stated that Ms Watts was anxious and traumatised and was trying to prevent her mother from seeing the bucket and what was inside.

After the Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights coalition issued a public letter calling for prosecutors to drop the charges against Ms Watts last week, Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins said that he was bound by law to present the case to a grand jury.

Attorney Traci Timko says her client is being demonized for suffering a miscarriage (WKBN27)

This office, as always, will present every case with fairness, Mr Watkins said in a statement. Our responsibility carries with it specific obligations to see that the accused is accorded justice and his or her presumption of innocence and that guilt is decided upon the basis of sufficient evidence.

Ms Timko maintained that there is no law in Ohio requiring the state to charge a mother suffering a miscarriage to bury or cremate those remains.

Women miscarry into toilets every day, she told The Independent in a statement. In fact, the Ohio Legislature has created broad immunity to women for acts or omissions during pregnancy and has admonished that women should in no case be criminalized for the circumstances or outcomes of their pregnancies.

Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights Executive Director Laura Beene said the group fears the case will deter other women from seeking medical care in the aftermath of a miscarriage. Ms Beene addressed her letter to Warren Mayor Dough Franklin and others elected officials.

The case has garnered support from reproductive rights non-profits and prominent civil rights figures in recent weeks, and more than $146,000 has been donated to a GoFundMe page for Ms Watts legal fees.

Once its presented to a grand jury, they will decide whether Ms Watts is indicted.

We will continue to fight and I am confident that justice will prevail, Ms Timko said. Ms Watts is extremely grateful and empowered by the outpouring of support and for the countless messages she has received from around the world from women who have shared similar experiences.
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An Illinois man spent Christmas with his family first the first time in over four decades, after being exonerated for a 1981 shooting he didnt commit.

Jimmy Soto, 62, was released earlier this month, along with his cousin David Ayala, 60, both of whose wrongful convictions in the 1981 shooting of Julie Limas and Hector Valeriano were later vacated.

Mr Soto told CBS News he celebrated his newfound freedom by bringing 42 roses to Chicagos St Pius V Catholic Church, one rose for each year he spent in prison on a life sentence without parole.

He added in an interview with the broadcaster that hes at times struggled mentally with the impact of suddenly being free

"At times, Ill wake up in the middle of the night and I know Im out. And its like, Im sweating and Im crying. Why am I crying? I should be so happy; joyful Im out," he said, "but I just feel like I dont belong here."

Mr Soto and his cousin were convicted in 1982 of a shooting that took place in Piotrowski Park.

Police alleged that Mr Soto was one of the two men seen committing the shooting, and that Mr Ayala was a gang leader who ordered the attack.

No physical evidence tied the men to the shooting, and both denied any involvement.

The only one who implicated the pair was Wally Gator Cruz, who admitted to driving a car that carried the shooters. Cruz made a deal with prosecutors to lessen his sentence, and other witnesses later said his testimony was false.

Attorneys for Mr Soto and Mr Ayala contended witnesses against them were coerced, and that police failed to consider other witnesses who pointed at different suspects.

Mr Soto sought a new trial in 2015, and his convicted was vacated in late 2023.

He told reporters after being released he was elated but felt righteous anger.

The Illinois man got a bachelors degree from Northwestern University behind bars and hopes to become a lawyer and advocate on behalf of the wrongly convicted.

Theres somebody sitting in a cell ... who feels all hope is lost, its my hope I can reach back and help one of them, he told The Chicago Sun Times. I want to be that lawyer who can help people just like me.
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Police are still searching for Savanah Nicole Soto, a pregnant Texas teen who went missing on Friday, a day before she was scheduled to be induced into labour.

The Texas Department of Public Safety issed a CLEAR alert on Monday, describing Ms Soto as a white, 18-year-old woman with brown eyes.

She may be tied to a gray, 2013 Kia Optima with temporary Texas tags numbered 4289D57, according to the alert, which is issued when an individual is in imminent danger or police suspect their disappearance is involuntary.

She was last seen on Friday afternoon at the Valencia Lofts apartment complex, where she lived with her boyfriend, the father of the child, according to her family.

Ms Sotos family became concerned when she didnt show up for a hospital appointment on Saturday. She was a week past her due date, the family told KENS.

I pray to God every day, every minute, every second of the day we pray to God to bring her home, to bring her home safely because we need her home, to complete our family again, he grandmother, Rachel Soto, told the station.

The family member added that she hadnt been able to get ahold of Ms Sotos boyfriend either since the disappearance.

Police sent out a CLEAR alert on Monday for Savanah Nicole Soto, 18 (KTRK screengrab)

Its not normal, somethings not adding up here, she said. I want answers, we all want answers.

Various family members of the couple offered conflicting theories about what mightve happened.

Ms Sotos sister-in-law claimed her family member was being abused.

i wont allow you to be one of those statistics of what happens when u have an abusive boyfriend, she wrote on social media, in a post viewed by The New York Post.

If anyone knows my son Matthew Guerra he and his pregnant girlfriend are missing, Ms Sotos boyfriends mother wrote on social media, according to the Post. I know my son and he wouldnt do anything to hurt her.

Gloria Cordova told KHOU her daughter was excited to be a new mother.

Savanah was so, so happy because she was going to be a mommy. It breaks my heart, she said.

Those with information about the disappearance are encouraged to contact the Leon Valley Police Department at (210) 684-1391.
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The ex-boyfriend of an elementary school teacher whose body was found in the burned-out trunk of a car has been charged with her murder, authorities say.

Firefighters were called to an address in Lancaster, California, at around 8am on 20 December where they discovered the remains of UCLA graduate Veronica Aguilar, 27, inside a burning vehicle in the garage, the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department said.

Homeowner Matthew Switalski, 37, was identified as a person of interest and arrested in Kern County, 70 miles north of Los Angeles, two days later. He is being held on $10m bail, jail records show.

According to a LinkedIn profile, Mr Switalski had worked as a programme, cost and schedule controller at defense contractor Northrop Goodman since 2010.

Jail records also revealed that he was arrested in May 2023 and charged with the rape and sexual assault of a woman he had been in a relationship with, according to The Los Angeles Times. He was released on $600,000 bail following his arraignment in June.

On 20 December, emergency crews responded to reports of a fire at Mr Switalskis home on 38th Street West in the Quartz Hill neighbourhood after residents heard blood curdling screams coming from the address, KTLA reported.

Firefighters found thick smoke and flames coming from the garage, and extensive damage to the two-storey property.

Aguilars remains were found inside one of two vehicles that had been set alight, and she was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

Her brother, Juan Aguilar, said his sisters death just before Christmas was the darkest of times for the family in a GoFundme page set up to raise money for her funeral.

Things will never be the same ever again, Juan Aguilar wrote.

We miss her so much. She had the best spirit she always had a smile. My family is heartbroken, he added.

The mother of one of Aguilars students commented that she was the sweetest teacher in the world.

The LA Sheriffs Department said it was working to determine the circumstances of Aguilars death and asked for help from the public.

Anyone with information is asked to call its Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.

Anonymous tips can be made to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.
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An Arizona widower fatally shot his girlfriend and her elderly other in an apparent murder-suicide, according to police.

Officials say that David DeNitto shot his girlfriend Maryalice Cash, 47, and her mother Cynthia Domini, 83, inside his home on Christmas Eve.

DeNitto, who was married to the late Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel, was pronounced dead at the scene. Cash and Domini were rushed to hospital where they died from their wounds.

Investigators say that DeNitto and Cash had been involved in an argument before the violence unfolded.

It was some kind of fight, some kind of altercation. I dont know the subject matter, Phoenix police spokesperson Donna Rossi told NBC News.

Allister Adel was appointed Maricopas top prosecutor in 2019, before winning the office in 2020.

Officials say that David DeNitto shot girlfriend Maryalice Cash, 47, and her mother Cynthia Domini, 83, inside his home on Christmas Eve (FOX10)

She suffered a brain haemorrhage on the night she won the election, and in 2021 was treated for alcohol abuse and eating disorders, according to NBC News.

She died in April 2020 from health complications the family said at the time.

It is impossible to comprehend a tragedy such as this, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a statement on Monday.

Words cannot adequately express the flood of sorrow. I ask the community to join me in praying for the families affected and, most especially, Allisters children.

I also ask that the community surround the families with love, kindness, and a respect for the need for privacy.

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.
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A 41-year-old passenger is missing after falling into the Atlantic Ocean from a Royal Caribbean cruise to the Bahamas.

The Coast Guard says that the incident took place on 23 December about 100 miles off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina.

The agency dispatched a rescue plane to carry out an aerial search for the unnamed passenger. The search was suspended after rescuers searched more than 1,625 square miles for eight hours.

A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean Group confirmed that a guest on its Vision of the Seas cruise ship had been lost overboard.

The ship and crew immediately reported the incident to local authorities and launched a search and rescue mission, the spokesperson told The Post and Courier newspaper.

#FinalUpdate: The @USCG has suspended the search efforts for the missing cruise ship passenger 127 mi east of #Charleston.



Coast Guard crews searched more than 1,625 square miles and 8 hours.



Anyone with new information is asked to call @USCG Sector Charleston: 843-740-7050  USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) December 25, 2023

Out of privacy for the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share.

The companys 8 Night Bahamas & Perfect Day Holiday Cruise departed from Baltimore, Maryland, on 21 December.

Fellow passenger Jake Utzinger, a 21-year-old from New Jersey, told the newspaper he was in his cabin at around 7.45pm when the captain announced that someone had fallen overboard.

I instantly felt sick to my stomach knowing that one of our fellow travellers had been lost at sea, he told the newspaper.

He said that passengers rushed to the pool deck to help try to spot the missing man and that the liner stopped for six hours as they desperately and unsuccessfully searched.

The liner is due to stop in Port Canaveral, Florida, before continuing to the Bahamas and returning to Baltimore on 30 December.

It has a total capacity of 2,000 passengers and 700 crew members, according to Royal Caribbean.
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United States forces shot down a barrage of drones and missiles over the southern Red Sea that were fired from Yemen by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, the US Central Command announced.

The USS Laboon destroyer and F-18 Super Hornets destroyed 12 one-way attack drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles, and two land attack cruise missiles fired from Houthi-controlled territory over 10 hours on Tuesday, Central Command said in a statement.

There were no reported injuries or damage to ships.

Drone and missile attacks by Yemen-based Houthi rebels against cargo ships in the Red Sea have disrupted global supply chains and forced most large shipping companies to halt shipping through the vital corridor.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last week announced a new US-led multinational operation to protect ships operating in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

The operation includes military personnel from the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Bahrain.

The USS Laboon destroyer shot down a barrage of drone and missiles over the Red Sea fired from Somalia by Houthi rebels on 26 December, the US Central Command says (US Central Command)

The US had already deployed the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group to the Middle East in early November, amid rising tensions over the devastating Israeli operation in Gaza that has claimed more than 20,000 Palestinian lives.

The Biden administration has blamed Iran, which also funds and trains Hamas, for attacks by Houthi militants against commercial and military vessels entering the Suez Canal.

The US earlier on Tuesday carried out strikes against Iran-backed militia groups in Iraq after three US service members were wounded in drone strikes on Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq on Christmas Day.

The Kataib Hezbollah militia and affiliated groups, under an umbrella of Iranian-backed militants, claimed responsibility for the attack, which left one service member in a critical condition.

US forces in the Middle East have faced escalating threats since the 7 October Hamas terror attacks on Israel, which claimed the lives of around 1200 Israelis.

On Monday, Iran vowed to take revenge for the death of one of its top generals, Seyed Razi Mousavi, who was killed on the outskirts of the Syrian capital of Damascus.

Mousavi had been a close ally of General Qassem Soleimani, the former head of Irans elite Quds Force, who was killed in a US drone strike in Iraq in January 2020.

President Joe Biden was briefed on Mondays drone attack on US forces in Iraq and ordered the Department of Defense to prepare a response, according to White House national security council spokesperson Adrienne Watson.
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Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene shared a screenshot of a death threat she puportedly received days before a swatting attempt at her home on Christmas.

We received this death threat where this man is saying I will be shot in the head and skinned to make a parasol making a reference to Gein, who was a psychopath killer who would make things out of his victims skin, Ms Greene wrote on X, posting screenshots of messages from an individual named Ben McLean.

Swatting typically involves a fake emergency call to 911 operators that can lead to heavily armed and armoured law enforcement teams being dispatched.

Ms Greene said the US Capitol Police interviewed Mr McLean but he has not yet been arrested. The representative also shared a screenshot of an email she says US Capitol Police sent her after the interview. The email states Mr McLean told police he has no intent to harm anyone.

The US Capitol Police told The Independent they work closely with federal and local law enforcement when members of Congress are victims of swatting. They declined to provide further information to protect the investigation.

On 25 December, the Georgia representative posted on X: I was just swatted. This is like the 8th time. On Christmas with my family here.

My local police are the GREATEST and shouldnt have to deal with this. I appreciate them so much and my family and I are in joyous spirits celebrating the birth of our savior Jesus Christ!

The police department in Rome, Georgia confirmed the incident took place, NBC News reported.

Major Rodney Bailey said that a person in New York made a call to the suicide hotline, claiming that he had shot his girlfriend at Ms Greene's address in Georgia and threatening to kill himself.

Police contacted Ms Greene's local security liaison about the call. Her security team decided officers did not need to respond to her home and a police response was cancelled.

We determined before our personnel could get to her location that there was no emergency and there was no reason to respond, said Kelly Madden, a spokesperson for the police department in Georgia, told the Associated Press. Her security detail had it all under control, and there actually was nothing going on.

The criminal investigations division is working to identify Mondays caller and build a case, Ms Madden said.

Ms Greene has previously claimed left-wing activists staged similar attacks by placing 911 calls that prompted officers to visit her home in Georgia.

In August 2022, Rome Police Department officers responded to a 911 call that claimed a person was shot multiple times at an address within the city limits.

When officers responded they discovered this was the home of Marjorie Taylor Greene, according to a statement from the department at the time. She assured the officers there was no issue and the call was determined to be a false call commonly known as swatting.

The Rome police department said it has subsequently formed a working relationship with Ms Greene's security detail to better assess the threat level.

The Independent has contacted Ms Greene and the Rome Police Department for comment.

Ms Greene was not alone in having her Christmas Day interrupted.

Fellow Republican Rep Brandon Williams of New York was also swatted during the afternoon.

He tweeted: Our home was swatted this afternoon. Thanks to the Deputies and Troopers who contacted me before arriving.

They left with homemade cookies and spiced nuts! Merry Christmas everyone!
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Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with police during a demonstration in the streets of New York City on Christmas Day.

Six people were arrested and at least one police officer suffered minor injuries from a fall while assisting a colleague, an NYPD spokesperson said.

The protest began outside Fox News headquarters on 6th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan at around 2pm, before approximately 500 demonstrators headed over to 5th Avenue and surrounded the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.

Protesters carried a mock nativity scene and chanted Christmas is cancelled as they renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, where more than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed during the Israel-Hamas conflict.

A small number of demonstrators were involved in scuffles with police officers as the crowd moved downtown towards Union Square. The NYPD briefly moved to a level three mobilisation, the departments second highest alert, in response.

Pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with police during a Christmas Day rally in Manhattan (CBS New York)

Four men and two women were charged with offenses including disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and criminal mischief, an NYPD spokesperson said. The injured police officer was in a stable condition.

In Washington DC, demonstrators also protested at the homes of Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

Rallies have occurred on almost a daily basis across the US over the Biden administrations support of Israels devastating retaliatory campaign in Gaza.

Israel launched an invasion of the strip that is home to more than two million Palestinians after Hamas terror attacks on 7 October left 1,200 people dead and saw hundreds more taken hostage.

The US vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution and voted against a General Assembly resolution demanding immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza earlier this month.
A Queenslander who thought they could get away with dumping their rubbish on the side of the road is about to receive a nasty wake up call after leaving their details all over the scene of the crime. But a local volunteer group says this latest event is only the tip of the iceberg.

In a photo of the incident in Townsville in the states north, piles of debris can be seen scattered over the ground. Theres a garden chair, a draw and at least three mattresses as well as a bucket, clothes, and cardboard. But its the pages and pages of paper and envelopes that will hopefully catch this crime.

Merry Christmas to the grubs who dumped their rubbish in the bush off of Toolakea Beach Road, a local man, who came across the road-side discovery in Bluewater wrote online. Maybe next time dont dump mail with your name on it.

Piles and piles of rubbish were spotted on the side of Toolakea Beach Road in Bluewater in Townsville, Queensland. Source: Facebook

Caught red handed

The social media post has since gone viral, with residents calling on the poster to name and shame the person responsible for the disgusting mess, saying they cant believe anyone could just trash the environment like that.

They left it in public, might as well tell the public, one person wrote. Tag the dog, another said. While others urged the man who discovered the scene to pick it all up and throw it all over their front yard.

While in an update to Facebook users, the man explained that he put a report in to the illegal dumping website with their information and photo evidence of their names and addresses on the pieces of mail there.

According to Queensland Legislation, the maximum person for illegally dumping waste is 400 penalty units if the volume of waste is less than 2,500 litres. With each penalty unit coming in at $154.80, the total cost would be $61,920. While if the waste is over 2,500 litres, the offender could be hit with 1,000 penalty units which would be a $154,800 fine.

Story continues

The man who found the mess said the same person's name was over "every" letter. Source: Facebook

Photo highlights larger problem

While someone will be left to clean up the mess, TIDY UP Townsville Group, a local volunteer group, says the problem is about to get a whole lot worse as people clean up after Christmas.

With Christmas and people moving in and out, we generally see a lot more dumping than normal at this time of year  out with the old, in with the new, Dave Duley, the organisations co-ordinator, told Yahoo News Australia. Most of the waste we find could go in domestic bins, or the green waste, batteries, oil waste, steel, white goods or oil paint could be taken to the tip for free, or the council runs a curb-side collection and you could have a skip delivered. Yet we find it dumped in the bush.

Dave blames Townsvilles large transient population with a lot of people up this way that feel entitled to do as they please.

These people are just too lazy to do the right thing but there is NO EXCUSE ever, he said. And here we go  this roller coaster of dumping will be massive over the next couple of weeks and we have NO ONE to tackle it when it occurs and NO ONE out there patrolling to prevent it. Just the public.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
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Melania Trump is so rarely sighted at Mar-a-Lago that members of the Palm Beach private club are openly speculating about her whereabouts, according to a local author.

Nobody knows where she is, Laurence Leamer, author of Mar-A-Lago: Inside the Gates of Power at Donald Trump's Presidential Palace, told the Telegraph.

Its like a mystery. Its certainly talked about.

Ms Trump has scarcely been seen in public over the past year as her husband has campaigned for the Republican presidential nomination, been charged in four separate criminal cases, and appeared frequently in court for a civil fraud trial in New York.

In November, she made a rare public appearance when she joined the other living former first ladies at Rosalynn Carters memorial in Atlanta.

A few weeks later Ms Trump delivered a speech at a naturalisation ceremony at the National Archives in Washington DC, a move that garnered attention as her husband has been charged with the illegal retention of Archives documents.

Melania Trump speaks at a naturalisation ceremony at the National Archives in mid-December (AFP via Getty Images)

Speculation about Ms Trumps whereabouts intensified over Christmas when Mr Trump was spotted dining at Mar-a-Lago seemingly without any members of his family present in footage posted to social media.

Mr Leamer lives in Palm Beach and was a Mar-a-Lago member before being permanently banned after the publication of his 2021 expose about the club.

He told the Telegraph that Ms Trump hardly ever leaves Mar-a-Lago, and leads a strange, isolated life.

Mr Leamer says she is fiercely protective of her 17-year-old son Barrons privacy and is concerned about the level of attention he would attract should Mr Trump win back the presidency.

A Trumpworld source told Page Six this week that Ms Trump had been feeling more confident in public after her recent outings and would take on a more visible role for her husbands campaign in the new year.

Trump and his family are so secure that he will become president again that insiders at Mar-a-Lago say hes reached an agreement with Melania to step up top-tier diplomatic appearances in 2024, the source told Page Six.

In September, reports emerged that Ms Trump had quietly renegotiated her pre-nuptial agreement.

The new agreement was focused on maintaining and increasing Barrons substantial trust, and was prompted by Mr Trumps 2024 presidential run and swirling criminal exposure, a source told Page Six.

Mar-a-Lago has been the Trumps primary home since leaving the White House, as Joe Biden took office in the wake of the attack on the US Capitol and Mr Trumps second impeachment.

Mr Trump, 77, and Ms Trump, 53, have been married since 2005.
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First there were Ron DeSantis alleged heeled boots, now there are Donald Trumps toe pads.

Social media has not taken kindly to the discovery of the two black rectangular pads spotted under the former presidents feet while he was speaking at Mar-a-Lago.

What is Trump standing on here? How often does he use these? one account asked in an X post, which included a photo of Mr Trumps shiny black shoes leaning on the pads.

One user joked, trump toe pads, desantis heels - does the Republican Party have a foot fetish?

Counter balances the 3-inch lifts in his shoes since he can no longer hold his own weight, someone commented.

Another brutally remarked, Trump needs toe pads to stand up without falling over. What an aLpHa MaLe!

Yet another wrote, me leveling my uneven furniture.

Others posted photos of him leaning forward at press conferences, and is now using toe pads to prevent leaning too far.

One wrote, He now uses foot pads to prevent himself from tipping over. If Joe Biden did this, Fox News would talk about nothing else.

Others still speculated that his forward lean could be an indicator of health issues.

That forward lean is an indicator of Frontotemporal Dementia. Some have thought he was in early stages when he ran in 2016. MAGA candidates relax: it progresses slowly, a user postulated.

Other users suggested the same diagnosis with photos of the 2024 frontrunner and a list of symptoms, including poor judgment, socially inappropriate behavior, loss of empathy and problems with balance.

Another account posted another list of symptoms for Frontotemporal Dementia  but incorporated another rumour circulating about Mr Trump: a decline in personal hygiene.

Adam Kinzinger, former Illinois Republican congressman, warned earlier this week that Mr Trump has a nasty odour. Its truly something to behold. Wear a mask if you can, he said.

Earlier this year, comedian Kathy Griffin also remarked on his scent: Donald has a distinct smell that doesnt get enough press.
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A murder investigation has been launched after the bodies of a mother and her four children were found in a blood-soaked Paris apartment on Christmas Day.

Their 33-year-old father has now been arrested, following reports that he was missing and wanted by police in connection with the deaths in a suburb 25 miles northeast of the French capital.

The mother and her four children  two girls aged seven and 10, a boy aged four, and a nine-month-old baby  were discovered at around 9pm in a flat in Meaux, where prosecutors described finding a very violent crime scene and no sign of a break-in.

The mother, 35, and her two eldest daughters suffered so many knife injuries it was not possible to say how many times they had been stabbed, while the two youngest infants may have died by drowning or suffocation, prosecutor Jean-Baptiste Bladier said.

Autopsies are due on Wednesday, and an investigation into intentional homicides with premeditation has been opened and will be carried out by the judicial police of Versailles.

A police source told Le Parisien on Tuesday morning that the father had been arrested on Tuesday morning in Sevran, a commune in the capitals outskirts, some 13 miles west of Meaux.

French police patrolled the building where five bodies were found dead in Meaux (EPA/Christophe Petit Tesson)

Documents found during a search of the familys apartment suggest the father was hospitalised in a psychiatric unit in 2017, and prescriptions for anti-depressants were also discovered, Mr Bladier said. He was known to police, having previously been accused of assaulting his wife with a knife in 2019, although she did not press charges and the case was dropped due to his mental health at the time, the prosecutor said.

Mr Bladier said in a previous statement: Around 9pm, the bodies of five people were discovered in an apartment located in Meaux, after the alert had been given by relatives concerned about the lack of response from the occupants of the premises.

The apartment showed no signs of break-in and the father of the family was absent. The latter is currently wanted by the police, the prosecutor added.

A neighbour and family friend told radio station RMC that she had been due to eat with the family on Christmas Eve, and had spoken to the mother at around 7pm, who confirmed that they would attend dinner after her husband returned home.

After the mother stopped responding around an hour later, the friend said she believed she was simply tired  but after still having received no news the next day, she ventured to their apartment to find blood on the front door handle and alerted the police.

The woman described the mother as being very jovial and very kind, and like a sister, always there for us, adding: She lived for her family, her children and for her husband. Her children are friends with my children, they are in the same class in the same school.

The Paris region has suffered a number of infanticides this year, with a 41-year-old man confessing in late November to killing his three daughters  aged four, 10 and 11  in the southeastern suburb of Alfortville.

The previous month, a police officer killed his three daughters before taking his own life at his home in Val-dOise.
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Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has issued his first statement after disappearing for nearly three weeks.

Mr Navalny vanished shortly after Vladimir Putin announced his intention to run for a fifth presidential term in early December. On Christmas Day, Navalnys lawyers said they had tracked him down to one of Russias toughest prisons.

On Tuesday, the jailed critic made a series of bizarre posts on X, formerly Twitter, discussing the details of the past few weeks, during which many feared for his life.

Playing on the theme of being found on Christmas Day in a penal colony near the Arctic Circle, Mr Navalny began his statement by describing himself as the new Santa Claus.

Vladimir Putin (R) announced his intention to run for a fifth presidential term during a stage-managed awards ceremony with soldiers who had fought in Ukraine (EPA)

Mr Navalny said he was very surprised to have been found, adding that he expected to be missing until at least mid-January.

He wrote: The 20 days of my transportation were pretty exhausting, but Im still in a good mood, as befits a Santa Claus.

They brought me here on Saturday night. And I was transported with such precaution and on such a strange route (Vladimir - Moscow - Chelyabinsk - Ekaterinburg - Kirov - Vorkuta - Kharp) that I didnt expect anyone to find me here before mid-January.

Thats why I was very surprised when the cell door was opened yesterday with the words: A lawyer is here to see you. He told me that you had lost me, and some of you were even worried. Thanks very much for your support!

Mr Navalny went missing on 6 December but was discovered in the penal colony on Christmas Day. He is serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism.

The prison colony is located in the town of Kharp, in the Yamalo-Nenetsk region, about 1,200 miles northeast of Moscow. The region is notorious for its long and severe winters.

Mr Navalnys chief strategist, Leonid Volkov, described the colony as almost completely cut off from the rest of the world.

It is almost impossible to get to this colony; it is almost impossible to even send letters there. This is the highest possible level of isolation from the world, he wrote.

Alexei Navalny has been in prison since returning to Russia in January 2021 (Getty Images)

Mr Navalny appears to make light of his incarceration with further posts about Father Christmas.

I dont say Ho-ho-ho, but I do say Oh-oh-oh when I look out of the window, where I can see a night, then the evening, and then the night again, he tweeted.

Since Im Santa Claus, youre probably wondering about the presents. But I am a special-regime Santa Claus, so only those who have behaved very badly get presents, he added.

In Mr Navalnys last statement before going missing, he called on Russians to use the upcoming presidential vote, set for March, to vote against Putins brutal war in Ukraine.

A day later, Putin launched his bid to run for a fifth term during a stage-managed awards ceremony for soldiers who had fought in Ukraine, during which war veterans implored him to run again.

During those two days  the setting of the election date and Putins announcement to run  Mr Navalny went missing, while two of his lawyers had their own pre-trial detentions extended to 13 March, just four days before the scheduled national vote, and another opposition figure, ultranationalist Igor Girkin, had his pre-trial detention extended by six months.
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A massive fire at a guesthouse Tuesday morning in Romania left five people dead, including a child, authorities said.

Emergency intervention teams were deployed to the blaze in the village of Tohani, where 26 people were staying at the guesthouse, according to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations.

Before the emergency authorities confirmed the deaths of the fourth and fifth victims around noon, search and rescue teams were set up to find five missing persons. It wasnt immediately clear if the additional two dead had been among those listed as missing.

Romania Guesthouse Fire

Authorities said 18 people managed to escape the fire and two of them were being treated for burns. At around at 12:45 p.m. authorities said the blaze was extinguished and that the search for the missing people was ongoing.

The affected area was about 1,000 square meters (10,800 square feet). There was no indication as to what caused the blaze.

Photos of the fire shared by emergency authorities showed a near hollowed-out structure engulfed in flames as firefighters worked to put it out.
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Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko has announced that shipments of tactical nuclear weapons for deployment in his country are complete, marking the first such placement outside of Russias borders.

This has sparked concerns in Poland and other countries in the region.

The shipments of these tactical nuclear weapons were completed in October, Mr Lukashenko revealed at a meeting of a Moscow-led economic bloc in St Petersburg. However, he did not share further details regarding the quantity of weapons sent and their specific deployment locations.

Russian troops stationed in Belarus invaded Ukraine from the north during the opening days of the war in February last year, but Belarusian forces are not known to have participated actively.

Mr Lukashenko justifies hosting Russian nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil as a deterrent against aggression by Poland, a Nato member.

These short-range tactical nuclear weapons, designated for battlefield use, have a low yield of about 1 kiloton and impact compared to more powerful nuclear warheads fitted to long-range missiles.

Earlier this year, Mr Lukashenko confirmed Russias movement of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus in the first such deployment on foreign soil since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Russia has said it will maintain control over the weapons placed in Belarus.

In May, the two countries signed a deal formalising the transfer of the weapons, though control over their use remains in the hands of the Kremlin.

The move was denounced by the White House as an example of [Moscow] making irresponsible and provocative choices.

The US believes Russia has about 2,000 tactical nuclear weapons, which include bombs that can be carried by aircraft, warheads for short-range missiles, and artillery rounds. Such weapons have a relatively short range and lower yields than nuclear warheads fitted to long-range strategic missiles. The US has approximately 200 of these tactical weapons, with half of them stationed at bases in Europe.

Belarus shares borders with three Nato members  Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Of these, Poland is an active ally of Kyiv and offers its neighbour military, humanitarian and political backing in the fight against Russias invasion. Poland is also participating in international sanctions against Russia and Belarus.
 Close Kyiv suffers largest ever drone attack by Russia leaving five wounded

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A Russian strike on a hotel in Kharkiv has injured 13 people as it has been claimed Vladimir Putins exhausted troops have been hitting their own towns.

Two Russian missiles struck a hotel late on Wednesday in the centre of Ukraines second-largest city, Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synehubov wrote on Telegram. Kharkivs prosecutors office said that among the 13 wounded is a 35-year-old man who was seriously injured and two Turkish journalists covering the war.

Meanwhile, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) has claimed Russian forces have been accidentally bombing territories in their own country, or in occupied Ukraine. In its latest intelligence update, the MoD said the likelihood of these accidents had increased due to inadequate training and crew fatigue.

It comes as Ukrainian shelling injured three people in the Russian region of Belgorod late on Monday and air defences downed 10 RM-70 Vampir rockets, Russian officials and the defence ministry said.

Belgorod has come under repeated attack from Ukrainian forces in recent weeks. A missile and drone attack late last month killed 25 civilians, including five children.
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Ukrainian officials claimed responsibility for a massive air attack on the Crimean town of Feodosia early on Tuesday, damaging Vladimir Putins fleet parked in the port area as powerful explosions rocked the region.

Mykola Oleshchuk, the commander of Ukraines air force, shared a video of the attack on his official Telegram channel and stated that the assault destroyed a major Russian Navy vessel, the landing ship Novocherkask. The port, located 100km (62 miles) from the Kerch bridge, also came under attack from Ukraine.

And the fleet in Russia is getting smaller and smaller! Thanks to the Air Force pilots and everyone involved for the filigree work, the top commander said. He shared a 48-second video of the assault, captured from a distance, depicting a massive cloud of smoke and fire raging in the sky.

The official did not share any imagery showing the destroyed landing ship.

Mr Oleshchuk also warned Russia to leave Crimea before its too late.

Russias defence ministry said that one person was killed and two injured and the large landing ship, Novocherkassk, was damaged in the overnight Ukrainian attack. The Interfax news agency cited the Russian defence ministry as saying that Ukraine had used guided missiles launched by aircraft to attack Feodosia.

(Telegram / @VentdeCrimee/AFP via)

Russia-backed officials in Crimea confirmed the attack and said it had sparked a fire in the towns port.

The Russia-installed governor Sergei Aksyonov stated that the Ukrainian attack had caused a fire in the towns port area, but it was promptly contained.

All relevant emergency services are on site. Residents of several houses will be evacuated, he said on his Telegram channel.

Several Russian news outlets and Telegram channels, tracking the Ukrainian attacks on Crimea, showcased footage of massive explosions and fires engulfing the port area.

This is the first major Ukrainian attack on the Russian facility in Crimea in at least four months.

In September, Ukrainian forces fired at least 19 drones over the Black Sea and the Crimean peninsula, and three more over other border regions of Russia.

This is also a rare acknowledgement of an attack from Ukrainian officials within minutes of blowing up Russian infrastructure in Crimea. Previously, Ukraine did not take responsibility for these attacks on Russia and Russian-controlled territories.

It is not immediately clear if the massive air assault damaged more Russian Naval assets parked in the Crimean port town.

In another similar attack in November, Ukraine said its naval drones had destroyed two small Russian landing boats in Crimea, in an embarrassment for Mr Putin. Ukrainian military intelligence said at the time that two amphibious Russian ships loaded with armoured vehicles had been hit by naval drones overnight.
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Ukraine has said it has destroyed a Russian warship in occupied Crimea. It came as top Kremlin officials sat down for an end-of-year review of Russias full-scale invasion.

Kyivs air force announced that it had hit a landing ship in the southeastern port of Feodosia in the early hours of Tuesday morning, marking another successful attack on Vladimir Putins prized Black Sea fleet.

Unverified footage posted by Ukrainian air force commander Lt Gen Mykola Oleschuk showed a 10-metre-high fireball erupting from the area where the 110-metre-long Novocherkassk ship was located.

A huge fireball could be seen in the port of Feodosia, where the Novocherkassk was docked (Sourced)

The air force claimed the attack took place at roughly 2.30am local time, with local reports suggesting multiple explosions rocked the small port area for roughly an hour.

Sergei Aksyonov, the Kremlin-installed head of Crimea, said that one person had been killed and two people injured in the attack. He added that a number of buildings were damaged.

The Russian Ministry of Defence later admitted that the warship had been damaged by plane-launched guided missiles but stopped short of confirming it had been destroyed. It claimed that two Ukrainian fighter jets were destroyed by anti-aircraft fire during the attack.

Smoke is seen rising above a damaged warship following a Ukrainian attack in the Russian-occupied Black Sea port (AFP)

Thord Are Iversen, a defence analyst specialising in the Russian navy, said he believed the warship had been destroyed beyond repair.

He told The Independent: I think whatever the Novocherkassk was loaded with, likely munitions of some sort, blew up following the missile hit and the ship is a total loss.

A Ukrainian military official said the Novocherkassk, which was partially damaged in March 2022, had been used recently to transport weapons and soldiers to the Zaporizhzhia region, which is partly held by Russian forces. Satellite imagery showed the vessel arrived in Feodosia in September this year.

The attack is yet another high point in a months-long missile assault on the Russian naval ports across Crimea, which has forced the Black Sea fleet to partially retreat.

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu was forced to brief Vladimir Putin on the damaged warship hours before his end-of-year review of the war in Ukraine (Sputnik)

In September, a Ukrainian missile attack destroyed the headquarters of the fleet in the port city of Sevastopol in Crimea, reportedly killing 34 naval personnel. A number of Russian ships, including another landing vessel, were damaged that month.

Dozens of Russian vessels were subsequently moved in October to the port of Novorosso, more than a hundred miles to the east of Crimea.

Lauding the attack as a sign that the war in Ukraine had not reached a stalemate, British defence minister Grant Shapps claimed Kyiv had now destroyed 20 per cent of Russias Black Sea Fleet over the past four months.

This latest destruction of Putins navy demonstrates that those who believe theres a stalemate in the Ukraine war are wrong! he wrote on Twitter/X.

They haven't noticed that over the past four months 20 per cent of Russia's Black Sea fleet has been destroyed.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, joked that the ship had been turned into a submarine.

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu, a key figure in the Kremlins full-scale invasion of Ukraine, had to brief Vladimir Putin on the attacks on Tuesday morning, only hours before an end-of-year review of what Putin refers to as the special military operation.

During the review, he was quoted as saying that the main goal of the year had been to disrupt the Ukrainian counteroffensive, which was launched in June.

He said that Russian forces, in part due to extensive defensive lines built in the five months running up to the counteroffensive, had successfully repelled the attack and were now beginning to seize the initiative.

Over the weekend, Kyiv rejected claims by Mr Shoigu that Russian forces had gained control of the key eastern Ukrainian city of Marinka, which has been a flashpoint of the front line for months.
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The year draws to a close with yet another bitter reminder of how the international community could have done more to assist Ukraine against Russia, but chose not to. Threats to shipping in the Red Sea have triggered a strong and immediate international military response to protect commerce there  a galling sight for supporters of Ukraine after the international communitys refusal to do the same in the Black Sea to relieve Russias stranglehold on Ukrainian grain exports.

International resolve is what has set the conditions for Ukraines continued struggle for survival in 2024. There wont be the same hopes for a major Ukrainian breakthrough as there were in early 2023. Reporting in the US describes recriminations between Kyiv and Washington over the plan for Ukraines 2023 counteroffensive. But there is no disagreement that Ukraine was called upon to conduct a campaign without air superiority in a way no Western military would have contemplated. And now, not only aircraft but supplies of other essential war materials are under threat because of domestic politics in the US and Hungary.

The announcement by the Netherlands that it will provide 18 F-16 fighters is welcome, but the timeframe is still to be laid out completely. But Kyiv will be concerned that it is heading into the New Year without the confirmation of tens of billions of pounds of fresh financial support from both the US and EU.

The White House had already concluded that confronting Russia was not in the US national interest, but now Washingtons ongoing political nervous breakdowns raise the prospect of support ceasing altogether. A possible second Donald Trump presidency was the expected point of crisis for aid to Ukraine  and for the future of Nato this coming year. But a combination of hesitancy and self-deterrence by Joe Bidens administration and Republican opposition to ongoing funding means the crisis for Europe is already here.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has had an increasing battle for financial support as the war has ground on (AP)

Europe itself may begin at long last to face up to the prospect of holding back Russia without the US support it has historically relied on. Nevertheless the fact the EU will have to wait until January to confirm its own 43bn in funding thanks to the stalling of Hungarys Viktor Orban, an ally of Vladimir Putin, means that Kyiv is having to plan for the worst. Military operations have already been adapted to being even more starved of munitions. But this situation was entirely predictable. The mathematics of the war dictated that there was a limited opportunity to bring it to a swift conclusion: and Kyivs Western backers chose not to take it.

That means that Ukraine is likely to remain on the defensive for much of 2024, and indeed construction of fortifications along Russias main potential lines of advance has already begun. Russia, meanwhile, can either wait for a Trump presidency to tilt the balance of power further in the Kremlins favour along with a new conscript army, or go all-in with a new offensive to push for new territorial gains ahead of Vladimir Putins own re-election in March 2024.

Not all the news for Kyiv is bad. Its true that a long war favours Russia, with its deeper reserves of manpower, political patience, and tolerance for self-inflicted misery. But that doesnt mean Russias forces in Ukraine are invincible. The staggering rate of Russian losses there will force harder and harder choices as Moscow looks to dredge the country for new manpower to send into the meat grinder. And rushing substandard North Korean artillery shells directly to the front suggests that Russia isnt yet capable of meeting its ammunition needs from domestic stocks or production.

Meanwhile, a focus on the immobile front line obscures major Ukrainian successes in the war. One of these is regaining freedom of movement in the Black Sea independently after overt Western support was not forthcoming. Home-built defence technologies including maritime attack drones, part of Kyivs ambition to gain advantage through innovation, have been an important enabler. The UK aims to build on that success by helping Ukraine toward sustainable maritime defence in the long term.

Vladimir Putin has been unable to source sufficient ammunition domestically, relying instead on substandard North Korean shells (AP)

It has always been the case that more support for Ukraine, earlier, will be the cheaper option for the West in the long run than allowing the war to drag on and the Russian threat to remain unchecked. And a plan put forward by Estonia  one of Ukraines most committed backers  shows how, given sufficient political will, the tide of the war could be turned. The plan lays out the maths, and calculates the cost of denying Russia success at approximately 120bn  just a fraction of the amounts spent by Europe on other strategic challenges, such as recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

Others are already stepping up. Japan recognises the implications for global security of defeat for Ukraine, and has now augmented its existing financial and humanitarian support with a plan to backfill US stocks of Patriot missiles in order to release supplies for Kyiv.But none of these solutions will fully compensate for the potential loss of US support, with or without the possible re-election of Trump

A focus on campaigning for single high-profile weapons systems for Ukraine, such as main battle tanks or fighter aircraft, has obscured the continuing flows of less glamorous ammunition and equipment. The paradox is that the US has been by far the greatest provider of military support to Ukraine, but also the target of the greatest criticism for its reluctance to offer critical capabilities, and for the limitations Washington places on their use.

Support for Kyiv from the EU will remain hostage to members like Hungary. For all the symbolic value of an EU promise of future accession, its of much less immediate help than the aid that Hungary under Orban has so far successfully blocked. There is little point in the EU holding out the prospect of membership for Ukraine if Ukraine does not survive to achieve it.

Ukrainian servicemen fire from a self-made multiple rocket launcher on a front line in Donetsk (EPA)

Nevertheless its more widely recognised than ever that if Russia remains undeterred, the implications for European and global security are desperate. More western capitals must come to realise that they are in a war that must be won, not a crisis that can be managed. But a failure to seize the opportunity to rearm across the continent has left many European land forces still poorly prepared to face the Russian threat. In addition to the direct Russian threat to Nato, the world would also have to reckon with the cascade effects of Russian success encouraging other aggressors globally.

But supporting Ukraine as long as it takes is a public declaration that there is no initiative, no plan, and no strategy. The US fear of the consequences of confronting Russia hands Vladimir Putin a get out of jail free card, and Russia can continue to wage its war without fear of suffering the direct consequences that would befall any country behaving similarly without the security blanket of nuclear weapons.

As ever, the resilience and fortitude of the Ukrainian people is the essential component for continued resistance. But for all that Ukrainians recognise that their struggle is for nothing less than their continued existence, the final outcome of the war is unlikely to be decided in Ukraine.

Ukraine is highly unlikely to capitulate, even if international support slips still further. Ukrainians know the dire consequences of surrendering to Russian domination, and they know that the chances of Russia honouring any ceasefire agreement are negligible: so fighting on is the only rational choice. But decisions made earlier by Kyivs Western backers  and the interminable delays in making them  ruled out success for Ukraine in 2023, and have almost certainly done so for 2024 as well.

And, crucially, Putins war aims will not change  unless they are changed for him. The fighting in Ukraine may one day come to an end. But that wont end Russias broader war against the West. Now, as ever, it is only defeat of Russias ambitions that will bring peace for Europe. But Europe needs to make the decision to defend itself. The coming year will show whether it is willing and able to do so.

Keir Giles is a senior consulting fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House
A mum-of-three was enjoying Christmas festivities with her family on Monday when she unearthed a hidden danger under her lawn.

The mum, who has lived on the same in New South Wales property for over two years, said her son came to her with multiple cuts on his foot after playing a backyard game of cricket. Investigating, the mum was stunned to discover that chicken wire had been laid beneath the grass.

"The kids were playing backyard cricket on Christmas Day and my 15-year-old son came to me and said he just cut his foot on the grass," she told Yahoo News Australia.

The concerning discovery was made following a game of backyard cricket. Source: Facebook

She told the boy to clean up the wound while she went out to investigate where she found the hidden danger. The mum, along with her father and brother-in-law began ripping up the lawn to discover more wire hidden beneath the grass.

"It is concerning as I also have 3 dogs, one of them was licking her paws yesterday and this could be the reason why," she told Yahoo. "I am also concerned about how far through my lawn this goes."

Mum seeks advice on what to do

In a local Facebook group, the mum asked other lawn enthusiasts what she should do about the problem. What do I do? Why would anyone put chicken wire under the lawn? she asked. Many were quick to make suggestions and theorise as to why the grass was lined with the dangerous wire.

"To stop dogs from digging," one person suggested. "Used to be a thing to stop dogs digging. Maybe a previous owner had an issue with that, echoed another. The mum has owned the property for two years and has previously had issues growing grass on this particular patch.

"They mightve had, rabbits, Guinea pigs or chickens caged there at some stage or even previous owners," suggested another. Might be able to find the buried hazards if you can get your hands on a metal detector.

Story continues

Mum faces ripping up entire lawn

The single mum, who is a DIY enthusiast, said she will now look to rip up the entire lawn to avoid her children sustaining any further injuries. "Ill try pulling it back a bit more," she said. "It seems to be deeper the further I go so I will stop when its deep enough not to feel from the surface."

Have you had a problem with your lawn? Contact News Editor Courtney Greatrex at courtney.greatrex@yahooinc.com.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
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Israeli air strikes in Gaza are causing carnage in the besieged strip, as the injured are forced to make an impossible choice between risking death or undergoing limb amputation.

Benjamin Netanyahus blistering air and ground offensive has left only nine out of Gazas 36 hospitals operational, putting an unbearable strain on health facilities, said World Health Organization director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus.

The comments came as WHO officials visited Al-Aqsa Hospital where scores of injured were taken after an Israeli airstrike on Christmas Eve in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp. At least 70 people including 12 women and seven children were killed, said the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.

The attack came as the Israeli prime minister vowed to keep fighting in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed, defying global calls for a ceasefire. We are not stopping, he said on Monday while visiting troops in northern Gaza. The war will continue until the end, until we finish it, no less.

Calling for a ceasefire, Dr Tedros raised concerns about the alarming situation in Gaza.

The hospital is taking in far more patients than its bed capacity and staff can handle, he wrote, warning about the shortage of supplies.

Many will not survive the wait. It is currently running five operating theatres in the hospital and two more are being supported by[Doctors Without Borders], but it is still not enough.

WHO is extremely concerned about the unbearable strain that escalating hostilities are putting on the few hospitals across Gaza that remain open  with most of the health system decimated and brought to its knees, he wrote.

The wounded are confronted with the difficult decision of undergoing limb amputation, as overcrowded hospitals lack basic equipment to perform surgeries. In some cases, doctors believe the limbs could have been saved with proper treatment.

Sean Casey, a WHO official who recently visited several hospitals in Gaza, said the acute lack of vascular surgeons  the first responders to trauma injuries and best positioned to save limbs  is increasing the likelihood of amputations.

But also in many cases, he said, the severe nature of the injuries means some limbs are not salvageable, and need to be removed as soon as possible.

"People may die of the infections that they have because their limbs are infected, Mr Casey told a news conference last week. We saw patients who were septic.

There were many casualties at the Al Aqsa hospital with extremely severe wounds but [who] cannot be treated because there are so many people in front of them in the line for surgery, and the hospital is absolutely overloaded, Gemma Connell of the UN humanitarian agency OCHA told the BBC.

What I saw at the Al-Aqsa Hospital in [the city of] Deir al-Balah was absolute carnage, she said.

Israel declared war after Hamas militants stormed across the border on 7 October, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking more than 240 hostages. Israel has vowed to keep up the fight until Hamas is destroyed and removed from power in Gaza and all the hostages are freed.

More than 20,600 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting, about 70 per cent of them women and children, according to Gazas health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants among the dead.
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Spain is the most popular holiday destination for older Britons with billions spent on trips to the country last year, a survey has found.

Research by Rest Less, an organisation that offers help and advice to older people, found that Brits over the age of 55 spent 3.2bn on trips to Spain in 2022.

Despite the age group spending more than 17bn on overseas holidays around the world last year, the organisation warned the amount spent has not fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels.

Our latest analysis shows that overseas travel for the UKs over-55s has almost recovered from the pandemic and we expect 2023 to be the year that it returns to pre-pandemic levels, Stuart Lewis, chief executive of Rest Less, said.

Travel is a hugely important part of the lives of people aged 55 and older. In our own research, more than three-quarters of Rest Less respondents said that travel was very important to them.

A middle-aged Briton enjoys the warm weather in Malaga, Spain (Reuters)

France, the Canary Islands, Greece and Portugal were also found to be popular overseas destinations for older Britons, according to the survey.

The study estimated that in 2022, there was a 337 per cent increase in the number of overseas trips by people aged 55 and older, compared with 2021.

The group also predicted that 2023 would be the year when spending surpasses 2019 levels, and 2024 would set new records for overseas trips and holiday spend.

Mr Lewis added: The pandemic taught us just how fragile life can be and resulted in many mid-lifers reappraising what they wanted from their lives and careers. Were now seeing a reignited wanderlust to explore and experience new places and cultures.

For those with good health and a long list of must-see places to visit, there is much to make up for during the lost years of Covid when they couldnt travel, and a strong desire to live their lives to the fullest.
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Spirit Airlines issued an apology after putting a six-year-old unaccompanied minor on the wrong flight.

The child was set to fly on Thursday from Philadelphia International Airport to Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Florida, to visit his grandmother, WINK-TV reported.

Instead, the boy was incorrectly boarded on a flight to Orlando, Spirit acknowledged in a statement on Saturday.

The statement did not address how the error came to take place - during a busy holiday travel day.

"The child was always under the care and supervision of a Spirit Team Member, and as soon as we discovered the error, we took immediate steps to communicate with the family and reconnect them," Spirit said.

"We take the safety and responsibility of transporting all of our Guests seriously and are conducting an international investigation.

"We apologize to the family for this experience."

The boys grandmother, Maria Ramos, spoke to WINK-TV about her panic upon realising he hadnt arrived on his intended flight.

They told me, No, hes not on this flight. He missed his flight. I said, No, he could not miss his flight because I have the check-in tag, Ms Ramos recalled.

"I ran inside the plane to the flight attendant and I asked her, Wheres my grandson? He was handed over to you at Philadelphia?

She said, No, I had no kids with me.

Soon after, the boy called her to report that he had landed safely - in the wrong city.

Ms Ramos indicated that Spirit had not given her an explanation for the debacle.

"I want them to call me [and] let me know how my grandson ended up in Orlando," she said. "How did that happen? Did they get him off the plane? The flight attendant  after mom handed him with paperwork  did she let him go by himself? He jumped in the wrong plane by himself?"
Four donkey foals born after their malnourished mothers were rescued from an abandoned herd are now thriving at their sanctuary home.

Tweety, Milana, Sora and Bluebird have become part of the family at Donkey Sanctuary Ireland in Mallow, County Cork, less than a year after the shocking discovery of the badly neglected group of donkeys in a field in County Galway.

Among the group, the Donkey Sanctuary team identified four pregnant mares, three of which already had young foals, as the donkeys in most need of urgent care and all animals were transported down to one of the charitys farms in Cork.

Head of donkey welfare at the sanctuary, Cathy Griffin, said the outlook for the four young foals would have been very bleak if the abandoned herd had not been reported.
Residents were evacuated from their homes in parts of Germany on Christmas Day (25 December) as heavy rains and soaked ground led to flooding and high waters.

Areas in the regions of Thuringia and Lower Saxony were particularly badly affected.

Footage from the village of Windehausen, in Thuringia, showed homes, fields and streets submerged in floodwaters while people forced to leave their homes were being cared for at an emergency shelter.

Heavy rains have also swollen rivers in eastern Belgium in recent days, where authorities have issued warnings for the Our River, which marks the border with Germany.
An MP whose north London office was targeted by a suspected arson attack on Christmas Eve says he wears a stab vest when going to public events.

Mike Freer, Conservative MP for Finchley and Golders Green, said the use of vests by his colleagues is sadly par for the course these days.

I, personally, like some of my other colleagues, wear stab vests if I do public events, Mr Freer told Sky News.

Police on Tuesday (26 December) continued to investigate a fire started on Christmas Eve in a shed at the MPs office.

No one was in the office at the time of the blaze.
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While others fled the earthquake that split the streets of an Icelandic town, one man refused to comply with police orders to evacuate, even in the face of a volcanic eruption.

Olaf Benedikt Arnberg orarson, 72, has lived in the quiet, Icelandic fishing port of Grindavik since 1968. The whole town was ordered to evacuate in November after the region was hit with hundreds of tremors.

The former sea captain and his wife began staying overnight in the weeks that followed so they could refurbish Hotel Grindavik and their Bruin restaurant for when the tourists eventually return.

Olaf orarson speaks to local media after defying evacuation orders (INDICATOR/STATION2)

But mere hours before the volcano finally erupted on Monday, 18 December two policewomen spotted Mr orarson and presented him with an arrest warrant if he did not leave the town.

 I told them I wasnt going anywhere, Mr orarson told The Independent. "They were polite, but they started to get more annoyed.

As she [the police officer] put on leather gloves and threatened me with arrest, she said, Were leaving now, but well be back.

The hotelier claims the police told him other locals would be barred from returning to Grindavik if he did not comply.

The evacuated Icelandic town of Grindavik (R) is seen as smoke billow and lava is thrown into the air from a fissure (AFP via Getty Images)

So we just left, he said. The police chased us east with flashing lights after us. It was just so ridiculous.

Mr orarson was fortunate because that night lava of around 1,200 degrees Celsius began pouring out of a fissure about 4 kilometres long.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office estimated that hundreds of cubic metres of lava per second flowed out in the first two hours though fortunately it flowed north away from Grindavik.

Just three days after the eruption Mr orarson insists he wants the town to reopen, attracting media attention and becoming a local folk hero for defying state orders.

I didnt want to leave, he says on a break from trying to revitalise his hotel in town. This government is crazy. I have a factory here, my family live here.

We have this volcano now but Im not worried about it. The whole of Iceland could erupt at any time and most of the earthquakes have stopped now.

I think people will return but if my neighbours get settled for a long time in other towns they will never come home.

A guard at the giant crack in the centre of Grindavik (REUTERS)

The 4,000 residents were first evacuated when earthquakes began in November, and have been left in limbo ever since - some dreaming of a Christmas back home. But this was ruled out by officials forcing locals to celebrate the holidays as best they could elsewhere.

I want to say Look everybody it is ok, the former fishing captain said. This is my hometown, its a beautiful day yet we cannot stay.

The eruption just 4km away from Grindavik (AP)

I know so many people who want to rebuild and make Grindavik even better, he continued. Grindavik doesnt need any help it just needs people back. We need normal thinking from the government.

People are always asking why there are no people here. There is no lava here. We are very pleased the lava turns to rock quickly and we are safe.

Visitors are now allowed into the town at 7am but are still under strict orders to evacuate again by 4pm.

Ulfar Luviksson, police chief in the region, said: Many things have changed in the eruption area. Watching the eruption today is completely different than on Monday night. There have been changes there, hopefully positive.

Suurnesj police have been approached for comment.
Latest | Gunman overpowered and killed in Christmas Eve shooting as gardai now braced for revenge attacks

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar decries shocking attack in a well-known family restaurant Ive visited many times

Gardai braced for revenge attacks after gunman overpowered and killed in Christmas Eve shooting

Ken Foy, Robin Schiller and Tabitha Monahan Tue 26 Dec 2023 at 03:36







Gardai are braced for revenge attacks after a shocking incident that led to one man being stabbed to death in a knife attack just moments after he tried to gun down a customer in a busy Dublin restaurant.
Junior Minister Josepha Madigan has said she never thought she would personally benefit from legislation she constructed on divorce in recent years.

Minister Madigan has revealed that her marriage of 20 years recently came to an end and the legislation she helped create will now see her separation become divorce in half the time it took previously.

While speaking to the Irish Mirror, Minister Madigan  who will contest next Junes European elections, admitted it was a tough time personally. This time last year I was sitting down for my Christmas dinner, not knowing that my marriage will be over by this Christmas.

The Fine Gael TD announced she was separating from her husband Finbarr Hayes, to whom she had been married for 20 years.

Were doing everything we can to move forward.

Our boys, obviously, are our main priority.

Theyre 18 and 20, which is good. They do have an understanding of everything, she said.

Back in 2016, Ms Madigan wrote legislation to reduce the time between separation and divorce from four to two years, which passed by 82pc in 2019.

She was a family lawyer before, and that experience inspired her to propose this legislation.

However, she said she never thought she was going to benefit from it herself.

But I am going to. Theres an irony in that.

But I was grateful at the time, not knowing that I was going to benefit from it, that hundreds of thousands of people will benefit from it, she said.

Minister recently announced she will seek nomination in the European elections in the Dublin constituency in June, following former Tanaiste Frances Fitzgeralds resignation.

I didnt expect Frances to resign. [They are] big shoes to fill.

When she did resign I thought about it and the fact that Im 10 years in politics next year... From 2014 as a local councillor, to backbencher to Cabinet, so Ive only had six years of ministerial experience as well, she explained.

I think executive experience is important. I have a degree in French and German from Trinity, I was a lawyer for 20 years. I hope that I have the experience to go to Europe. I think its something that Id enjoy, something that I can really contribute to well.

I want to assist Dublin. Im particularly interested in the rule of law in the EU social model, and also in the migration policy. Those three things, I think, are something which I would look at, Minister Madigan told the Irish Mirror.
Ireland remains on high alert for flooding as Storm Gerrit ensured a wild end to 2023Blustery winds and intense squally showers now likely to last over the next four days to New Year's EveStatus Orange wind alert for Clare, Cork, Kerry, Waterford and Wexford will expire in the early hours of Thursday morning

Hundreds of households are currently without power as heavy rain and wind hits the south of the country.

The ESB is currently working to restore supply to customers in parts of Cork, Kerry, Wexford and Waterford who have been impacted by outages.

Storm Gerrit has caused major travel disruption across the country as blustery winds and intense rain have led to the cancellation of ferries from Rosslare and the flooding of some local roads.

Stena Line has cancelled the scheduled 8pm sailing from Rosslare to Cherbourg and the 7.30pm Rosslare to Fishguard due to adverse weather conditions on the Irish Sea.

The ferry line apologised for the inconvenience, informing customers that the next available departure for Cherbourg is set for tomorrow at 8pm.

One man and his dog watch the waves break near the Notrth Bull Wall. Picture: Frank McGrath 27/12/23

Sailings for Fishguard that were scheduled for tomorrow are currently in doubt.

Ryanair has notified passengers of potential delays to flights travelling to and from Ireland today and tomorrow due to expected high winds.

Meanwhile, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has warned that power outages and severe disruption is likely for counties under an orange wind warning, including Clare, Cork, Kerry, Waterford and Wexford.

Ireland remains on high alert for flooding as Storm Gerrit ensures a wild end to 2023 with blustery winds and intense squally showers now likely to last over the next four days to New Year's Eve.

A Status Orange wind alert for Clare, Cork, Kerry, Waterford and Wexford came into effect at 5pm today and will expire in the early hours of Thursday morning.

West Cork and the Beara Peninsula will experience storm force winds with violent gusts this evening, with Cork County Council urging people to take extreme care.

Despite Storm Gerrit departing Ireland and now likely to bring heavy snow showers for northern Scotland, Met Eireann warned that the weather will stay quite unsettled as the year draws to a close and 2024 dawns.

A Status Yellow rain warning has also been issued for the entire country and will last until midnight.

Met Eireann warned of very strong to gale force westerly winds overnight, in conjunction with spring tides, which may lead to coastal flooding.

Meanwhile, a Status Yellow wind and rain warning for Clare, Kerry, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo will come into force at midnight on Thursday and last until 6am on Friday morning.

Flood barriers were erected in two Cork towns this morning ahead of expected downpours.

Mallow and Fermoy saw barriers put in place earlier today as Longfields Bridge and Killavullen are now closed.

It comes as Midleton, a town around 30 minutes south of Fermoy, saw huge flood damage during Storm Babet earlier this year.

A few Cork roads are impassable due to floods, Cork Country Council has confirmed.

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The southwest of Ireland can expect the most intense showers today, with the strongest possibility of localised flooding, but the whole country will see heavy showers and strong winds.

The last of the heavy overnight rain and high winds will move off into the Irish Sea early this morning, Met Eireann said.

Although the sunny spells might develop, some intense squally showers and hail might move in across the country on a brisk southwest flow.

Temperatures will range between 7 and 10C this afternoon, with this evening becoming increasingly windy or even stormy.

Swathe of strong to gale force winds, associated with Storm Gerrit, will move in across the country.

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Tonight, it will be very windy and stormy in most places, which may lead to coastal flooding in the West and Southwest, due to a combination of spring and high tides.

The peak winds will occur early on with further scattered blustery wintry showers and possible embedded thunderstorms.

Meanwhile, Ulster and the Northwest will turn less windy, with winds easing down for a time in other areas later at night.

Temperatures will drop to 3 to 6C.

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Damage

Storm Gerrit brought powerful winds over the south west overnight but no major property or infrastructure damage was reported despite conditions proving quite wild across the south west for St Stephen's Night.

Gardai and the Road Safety Authority (RSA) urged people to drive with care amid reports of widespread spot flooding on various local roads across the south west.

Flooding was reported on roads near Fermoy, Mallow, Tralee, Bantry, Millstreet and Listowel.

Both Cork and Kerry Co Councils had emergency crews on standby given the ongoing concerns over flooding, particularly in coastal areas, due to the heavy rainfall, storm surge and high tides.

Kerry Co Council had sandbags stations operating in various parts of Kenmare, Sneem, Dingle, Castleisland, Killarney, Listowel, Tralee and Cahersiveen.

Cork Co Council similarly had sandbags available with flood barriers set to be erected as a precautionary measure in Mallow and Fermoy as the level of the River Blackwater is set to rise given the heavy rainfall.

Potential flooding is also being monitored in parts of west Cork and Cork city as well as along the Funshion and Lee river valleys.

Cork City Council said its crews remain on standby while Cork Co Council were alerted to a number of minor spot flooding incidents in the city though no major property damage was involved.

A number of trees fell victim to the gale force winds but no major damage or disruption was reported.

The wild weather is set to prove a headache over the coming days for traders who had hoped for milder conditions as the post-Christmas sales get into full swing, particularly in Cork, Tralee, Killarney and various other towns.

Traders determined to maximise Christmas earnings had already brought a number of sales forward to the days before December 25.

Publicans in the south west indicated that Storm Gerrit and various travel warnings did impact on the numbers out celebrating St Stephen's Night with numbers reported to be lower than over previous years as some opted against travelling long distances.

The St Stephen's Night festivities in some Cork and Kerry towns took place amid heavy rain showers and howling winds.

Those planning festive travel over the coming days were warned to check with bus and rail operators as some schedules remain at reduced levels.

Iarnrod Eireann's Jane Cregan said people should carefully check with operators given that some schedules will remain at Christmas and New Year levels.

"All rail services were back operating this morning but there are some (schedule) alterations between today and December 31," she said.

DART and InterCity services will operate at altered schedules.

Weeks forecast

Met Eireann stressed that while Storm Gerrit has departed Irish shores, the wild conditions will persist over the coming days as the New Year approaches.

"Wednesday night will be very windy or stormy across most areas, with some coastal flooding likely in the west and southwest, due to a combination of spring and high tides," a spokesperson explained.

"The peak winds will occur early on with further scattered blustery wintry showers and possible embedded thunderstorms. It will be less windy across Ulster and the northwest however with winds easing down for a time in other areas later too."

It will prove relatively mild with lowest temperatures of 3C to 6C.

"Thursday will be a rather windy day with sunny spells and showers, most frequent across Connacht and Ulster, possibly turning wintry here."

"Some thunderstorms are possible in the northwest too with highest temperatures of 5C to 10C in fresh to strong and gusty southwest winds."

"Thursday night will be cold with clear spells and scattered blustery showers with potential for some hail or sleet on the hills of the north and the northwest."

"There may also be a risk of some frost or ice too for sheltered areas with lowest temperatures of 1C to 4C, again in a fresh and gusty west to southwest wind."

"Friday will see some sunny spells and scattered blustery showers, some wintry, mainly over higher ground of the north and the west with highest temperatures of just 4C to 7C with an added wind chill factor."

"Saturday is again like to prove windy or very windy with sunny spells and wintry showers, especially across the north and the west. The highest afternoon temperatures will range from 4C to 8C, in a very strong and gusty southwest wind. Winds will gradually moderate overnight with some frost and ice in parts later."

New Year's Eve will prove a slightly calmer day with sunny spells and scattered showers though it is not likely to prove as blustery.

Forecaster Mark Bowe told the Irish Independent: Looking ahead, it's looking to stay rather unsettled as we move towards the end of the week as well.

There's more showers, blustery winds and rather unsettled weather continuing all the way through Thursday, Friday, and potentially into Saturday with some more wet weather on the way, so very unsettled indeed, Mr Bowe said.

UK

Meanwhile in the UK, travellers have been warned of delays and potentially hazardous conditions on their way home from the Christmas holidays as the UK braced for Storm Gerrit.

Scotland has been hit with blizzards and heavy snow leaving queues of cars stranded as roads have become obstructed, with some forced to close in both directions due to flooding.

Some 18,500 homes have been left without power.

Scottish police said a number of vehicles became stranded on the A9 at Dalnaspidal due to severe weather conditions and drivers are asked to remain in their vehicles, keep warm, and tune in to local radio or social media where further updates will be provided as soon as possible.

The storm will bring strong winds and heavy rain to many parts of the UK on Wednesday, with wintry hazards also likely, forecasters warned.

Network Rail Scotland warned passengers speed restrictions would be in place on Wednesday and to check for cancellations.

ScotRail customer operations director Phil Campbell said: Unfortunately, we expect disruption to our services due to the adverse weather, and customers can expect some changes to their journeys.

We will be working closely with our colleagues at Network Rail Scotland to ensure we are able to keep people moving as much as possible, but customers should also expect that their journeys will take longer than usual, and there could be some cancellations. 

Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said the storm was named as a warning to people coming home after the Christmas holidays.

He said: Due to the extent of the warnings that are being issued, it was deemed that a named storm would be a good idea because it will highlight to the public the risk associated, particularly as tomorrow is likely to be quite a busy day on the roads with people travelling back home from Christmas and things like that.

A storm is named when it is deemed to have the potential to cause medium or high impacts on the UK and/or Ireland.

The Met Office and Met Eireann launched the scheme in 2015 to name storms as part of efforts to raise awareness of extreme weather events.

Mr Partridge said wet and windy weather will cover pretty much the whole of the UK, with significant snowfall in parts of Scotland.

A yellow rain and snow warning is in place from 6am to 9pm across much of Scotland on Wednesday.

There are wind warnings out for the south of England, across the English Channel coast, Mr Partridge added.

But we also have wind warnings in force for parts of western Wales, north-west England, Northern Ireland, northern Scotland and the Northern Isles.

He said only the central section of the UK does not have a wind warning.

Wind warning areas can expect gusts of 50-60mph, with up to 70mph on high ground and exposed coasts.

Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely.

In terms of rain, we have rain warnings out for the whole of Northern Ireland, western Wales, north-west England, and then theres a combined sort of rain and snow warning for Scotland, Mr Partridge said.

Rain in the warning areas is forecast to be between 40-60mm, with the potential for 70-90mm in the western hills of Wales and the western side of the Pennines.

There is a chance of power cuts, as well as a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded.

Anywhere above 200 metres in Scotland and the Northern Isles is likely to see some snow, he added.
After redevelopment of a patch of vacant land behind the Auburn Walmart, the doors to the new RYCOE Enterprises and Apex Truck & Auto facility are officially open.

Ryan Coe, owner of the excavation and landscaping company, as well as is sister fleet repair startup, welcomed The Citizen into their new headquarters at 63 John Walsh Blvd. for a tour Dec. 18. The barely lived-in facility showed signs of life, with industrial lifts and trucks occupying both sides of the symmetrical building.

"It's good to have all the equipment and employees in one space," he told The Citizen.

Coe started RYCOE Enterprises in 2013. A passion for landscaping, dating back to a simple teenage lawnmowing business, sprouted into what the company is today. Born and raised in Auburn, Coe attended Cayuga Community College after high school but dropped out. But college isn't for everyone, he said, and doesn't determine the work ethic of a person.

"Employees  they might have trouble in school but they're the best in the business," he said.

Apex Truck & Auto General Manager Mara Casler said that business helps a variety of clients, including state and federal agencies like the U.S. Postal Service, with medium- and heavy-duty vehicle repairs.

The 25 employees of RYCOE and Apex provide personal services, Casler continued. So she and Coe take a familial approach to business, and want their relationships to be felt throughout the community. That means participating in food drives, working with Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES and helping the Friends of Emerson Park. In November, the companies had a float in Auburn's Holiday Parade.

"Our employees are like family," Casler told The Citizen.

Now, instead of working out of small locations across the area and sheltering equipment under a store-bought shed, RYCOE and Apex have a central storage and work facility with amenities like a conference room, full bathrooms with showers, a kitchen area and a gym to exercise and work off stress. The simple fact of having both businesses in one location, Coe said, is stress relief in itself.

Still, the burgeoning businesses didn't take an easy road to get where they are now.

The $2.4 million facility, which spans more than 17,000 square feet, was built on land purchased through Coe's real estate development company, RJC Development. The land was previously acquired by the city of Auburn through tax foreclosure after a previous owner failed to develop it. Assessed at $215,000, it was sold to Coe for $10,000 in August 2021.

On top of the low-cost transaction drawing some scrutiny, the Auburn Industrial Development Authority also granted Coe's companies more than $800,000 in sales and property tax incentives.

Coe said he's not looking to abuse the system, but to utilize the tax breaks to help grow his businesses. He hopes to more than double his current staff to about 60.

Excavation and landscaping are not glamorous jobs, Coe said, and require hard work. They can even mean working in actual trenches through hostile weather, enduring the cold and getting covered in mud. That's why finding people who are dedicated to the jobs is his biggest priority. Once he does find them, he continued, he will pay them well.

"When it comes to finding employees, it's not quantity," he said. "We want people to have our values."

The new headquarters of RYCOE and Apex takes up 4 acres of a 17-acre property. The construction was opposed by area residents, but Coe said only a little more than half of the property was affected.

"We went through many assessments, inspections and improvements of the property to ensure our plans would not negatively impact the environment or any other surrounding land owner," he said. "We have invested a lot of time, resources and financials into this project and intend to continue to do that to ensure this property is maintained and improved as needed."

To learn more For more information on RYCOE Enterprises and Apex Truck & Auto, call (315) 730-9737 or visit rycoe.com.
Its always a struggle to try to make sure you get the right work-life balance  Minister Helen McEntee on juggling politics and two small babies
From cuckolding to sexless relationships and rows with daughter-in-law  its our 20 most read advice columns of 2023

Every week our advice columnists receive questions from members of the public about love, sex, relationships, family quarrels and dealing with general difficulties in life

Read the 20 most-read advice columns of the year below

Tue 26 Dec 2023 at 03:30

As it comes to the end of 2023, we thought wed round up a list of our most read advice columns tackling tricky subjects.
David Quinn: Christianity paved the way for liberalism to follow

Disparaging Christian religion is fashionable but it was the first truly universal creed that urged us to love our neighbour  and society is the better for it

A stained glass window depicting the birth of Christ in Gamla Stan, Stockholm. Photo: Getty

David Quinn Sun 24 Dec 2023 at 03:30

There is a certain reading of history that runs something like the following.
This time next year, Donald Trump may well be preparing for his return to the White House. He is favourite to win the election next November, and we have to assume that if Joe Biden loses, he will not spend the weeks before the inauguration of his successor planning a coup  in which case, the peaceful transfer of power from Biden to Trump would be the last meaningful action of this vanishing thing we call American democracy, with obvious knock-on effects for any other brand of western democracy still out there.
People react next to bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Photo: Reuters

At first glance, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza dont appear to have much in common. The fight in Ukraine is a conventional conflict pitting two states against each other, while the Gaza war pits a conventional military against a terrorist organisation.

Yet, as Ive been talking in recent weeks with current and retired US generals and civilian analysts studying both conflicts, Ive concluded that they actually reinforce many of the same lessons. Those are lessons the US military urgently needs to internalise.

Hamas isnt just a terrorist organisation, after all. Its a quasi-governmental entity that entered the war with an estimated 30,000 fighters, and, just like the Russian army in Ukraine, it has engaged in terrible war crimes.

In both cases, the brutal violence is intended to terrorise its enemies into surrender. Hamas leaders appear to not care about the terrible costs inflicted on civilians  or even on their own fighters  by the war they started on October 7 (they dont open their tunnels to shelter civilians from Israeli bombing).

Likewise, the Kremlin has shown a shocking willingness to not only kill Ukrainian civilians, but its own soldiers, who have been sacrificed in meat grinder assaults for a few metres of ground.

The wars in Gaza and Ukraine should remind complacent Western leaders our adversaries do not share our liberal values and, thus, are much less casualty-conscious than Western militaries are. That gives them a major military advantage.

Ukraines commander, General Valery Zaluzhny, recently admitted he was wrong to believe he could stop the Russian onslaught by inflicting heavy casualties on the invaders. But even though US intelligence estimates 315,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded, Vladimir Putin keeps on attacking.

Israeli commanders are mistaken too if they think inflicting pain and suffering on Palestinian civilians will lead Hamas to stop fighting. This is known to intelligence analysts as mirror imaging, and its a critical mistake to avoid.

General James E Rainey, commander of the US Army Futures Command, told me the Ukraine and Gaza conflicts should remind us that war remains primarily a human endeavour, land is decisive, urban conflict unavoidable as it is undesirable, and close-combat proficiency at the small unit level is required and decisive.

Such conclusions might seem obvious, but they run counter to the modern tendency in the West, including in the Israeli and US armed forces, to try to reduce warfare to a long-range targeting exercise using precision strike systems. Those capabilities remain important, but Ukraine and Israel are learning anew the need for ground forces that can close with, and destroy, enemy forces in close-quarters combat.

Attacking is particularly hard to do in cities, where buildings offer cover for defenders and civilians are in the line of fire.

Ukraine has seen a series of bloody battles waged in and around cities including Mariupol, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Kherson. Now, in the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces are fighting simultaneously in two major urban areas  Gaza city and Khan Younis  where Hamass vast tunnel network presents another threat dimension.

Given that about 68pc of the worlds population will be living in cities by 2050, its vitally important to master what the US military calls MOUT  military operations on urbanised terrain.

US forces have experience in recent decades fighting in Fallujah and Ramadi and supporting local forces fighting Islamic State in Mosul and Raqqa, but they have not faced the kinds of challenges the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) is encountering in more built-up urban areas.

When was the last time a US infantry battalion cleared a hospital  or a skyscraper? write retired US Army Lieutenant General David W Barno and defence analyst Nora Bensahel in War on the Rocks. The US military would not be able to rely solely on stand-off tactics and precision strikes during urban operations in a large city. This means US military ground forces should be better organised, trained and equipped for intense urban fighting.

Another lesson taught in Ukraine, and reinforced in Gaza, is that we must engage and win the information war, retired US Navy Admiral James Stavridis said. This means dominating the news cycle, producing compelling visual content and putting forward competent, believable spokesmen.

Ukraine has done a better job of information operations than Israel because it has a better story to tell  it is the victim of unprovoked aggression, and it is not killing Russian civilians. The civilian death toll is entirely on Ukraines side, helping to generate popular sympathy for its cause.

By contrast, Hamas uses Palestinians as human shields, making it inevitable that Israeli combat operations will inflict large numbers of civilian casualties (nearly 20,000 killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry.)

Israel insists it abides by the laws of war, but such arguments count for little compared with the emotional power of a photo of a dead Palestinian child.

In the battle of victim narratives, Israels most effective counter has been to expose the depravity of the October 7 Hamas attack  for example, by highlighting Hamass use of sexual violence against Israeli women. Even so, theres little question that Israel is losing the information war, and that could lead it to lose the whole war.

Another important point was made by retired US Army Lieutenant General Douglas Lute, who said we should have a healthy scepticism of intelligence assessments. He points out that while the US intelligence community accurately predicted Putin would invade Ukraine, it did not anticipate how successfully Ukraine would resist.

Israels intelligence and military establishments vastly underestimated Hamass capabilities in much the same way the US did with al-Qaida before September 11, 2001.

As the New York Times reported: Israeli officials obtained Hamas battle plan for the October 7 terrorist attack more than a year before it happened, but Israeli military and intelligence officials dismissed the plan as aspirational.

The final lesson from the Ukraine and Gaza wars is the need for a robust defence-industrial capacity, because high-intensity conflicts always consume vast quantities of ammunition. The proliferation of rocket technology makes it especially critical to maintain supplies for missile-defence systems.

Both Israel and Ukraine are counting on replenishment from the US. Yet even if the US Congress could get its act together to provide critically needed support (which is in serious doubt at the moment), the US defence industry cannot produce enough munitions to go around.

Our defence industrial base has atrophied over the past 30 years and has now become a critical vulnerability, Lt Gen Lute noted. The war in Gaza should reinforce the message of the war in Ukraine about the need to reinvigorate US defence production.

The outcomes in Gaza and Ukraine remain uncertain. We dont know whether Ukraine will receive the support it desperately needs from Washington, given growing Republican isolationism; if it doesnt, the results could be catastrophic. In the case of Israel, its not clear whether the IDF will have the time it wants to destroy Hamas amid growing global outrage over the number of civilian casualties it is inflicting.

Whatever happens in the future, Israel and Ukraine have already suffered heavy losses because they were caught off-guard by enemy attacks. That should offer an urgent warning to the Pentagon to learn the right lessons from the conflicts as it prepares its own forces for the wars of the future.

As Israel and Ukraine remind us, the price of unreadiness will be paid in blood.
Nelofer Pazira-Fisk: Destruction and death now mires the birthplace of the prince of peace

Attitude of the Israeli government, so clearly exposed in this latest war, is that of us versus the rest

A figure symbolising baby Jesus lying amid the rubble inside an Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bethlehem. Photo: AP

Nelofer Pazira-Fisk Sun 24 Dec 2023 at 03:30

The early evening light glowed warmly over the ancient rocks of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. It was late September in 2018 and my last trip to the birthplace of the prince of peace.
Let's provide shelter to Ukrainian refugees who seek refuge as their homes, like this apartment building in Kyiv, are destroyed by Russian drones and rockets. Photo: Reuters

By now, hopefully, the argument over whose fault the tangles in the fairy lights was has been resolved, and Santa might even have been forgiven for forgetting to include those batteries.

The little ones should also still be soaring on their sugar rush. The best-laid plans for the perfect Christmas Day might have gone slightly sideways, but the show must go on.

More significantly, we have survived; so long as that holds, we are all to the good. Life is, as they say, a temporary assignment, so it is best to get on with it.

None of us really knows exactly why we are here, or what is around the corner, but just being here makes a difference.

Consider the life of Maureen Sweeney, from Co Mayo, who died aged 100 on December 17. The calculations she made as a postal clerk in 1944, when she checked her weather gauges, set her to thinking a storm could be rapidly approaching.

What she did next would change history.

Ms Sweeney felt something on the wind, cutting through the drizzle in the village of Blacksod. She double-checked, then sent the information on to Britains Met Office, which had used Blacksod post office as one of its weather stations since 1939.

The data she collected would determine the fate of the 7,000 ships and landing craft, 11,000 aircraft and more than 130,000 Allied troops amassed for Operation Overlord, the invasion of Nazi-occupied France. The assault was postponed from June 5 until the next day, based on Ms Sweeneys observations.

Someone else whom we also lost before Christmas  but who spent a lot of his time picking up the pieces of the shattered dreams of Irish emigrants and turning them into timeless ballads  was Shane MacGowan.

Everyone knows he battled his demons, but everyone also knows his humanity invariably won out, making the world a better place. He won a lifetime achievement award from the music industry here.

If he sang from the margins, he also reached out, leaving no one out of the picture.

True, perfection was not within our grasp, but as he said: Nobody can fly without at least one wing, but anyone can fly with a broken wing.

Many might be thinking of family members around the world who could not make it back home. That is tough. As Maya Angelou wrote: The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.

For some, there is no safe place, and many of those people have come to us, from Ukraine and other war-torn countries.

War and poverty are not natural. They are very much man-made and can therefore be overcome by the actions of human beings, once there is the will to do so.

We hope Irish hearts and hearths will continue to be warm this Christmas to all those who feel left out in the cold, whether they were born here or tossed on to our shores by global turbulence.
If anyone deserves a happy Christmas, it is our doctors and nurses. Photo: Getty

The next few days will be lonely and difficult for many people, especially those who lost loved ones this year.

We can take heart, though, from the wonderful letter from Brian McDevitt on November 18 on the passing of his wife, Breege.

His story about the nurse in Letterkenny University Hospital who came into the room afterwards and asked Would you mind if I opened the window to let her poor soul fly out? was a beautiful act of kindness.

To all the hard-working doctors and nurses on call this Christmas, I hope they too may get some fresh air.

Tom McElligott, Listowel, Co Kerry

Ive set an empty space at my table in honour of so many lives lost in Gaza

As a parent who has lost a child, it pains me intensely to watch children being murdered every day by Israeli bombs and tank fire.

Seeing this horror unfold at Christmas is even more upsetting. I think every parent wishes they could do something to stop this needless killing  its not a natural disaster, its a humane one.

I set an empty place at our Christmas table this year to mark the lost ones of Gaza. Maybe others will join me in this small gesture to recognise and remember the lives needlessly taken.

Tom Harper, Blackrock, Co Dublin

As bombs continue to fall, an average of 160 children are being killed every day

The failure to bring to an end the increasing casualties in Gaza is simply unconscionable and a stain on the international community.

In just over two months, at least 20,000 people have been killed in Gaza, and over 2.5pc of the total population have been wounded, including many with life-changing injuries.

Around 8,000 children have been killed, and it is estimated that an average of 160 children are killed every day, making Gaza the most dangerous place in the world to be a child.

The level of devastation and human suffering across Gaza is hard to fathom. Nearly 85pc of the population, about 1.9 million people, have been forced from their homes. This is the biggest forced displacement of Palestinians since 1948.

Over three-quarters are now living in makeshift shelters where overcrowded and unsanitary conditions are driving the spread of diseases.

Nine out of 10 people are going to bed hungry and nearly two-thirds are going days without food because of the conflict and siege conditions.

Only nine of Gazas 36 hospitals are still partially operating. The remainder have had to shut down their services because of bomb damage or a lack of fuel.

Christian Aids medical partners in Gaza fear for the well-being of the hundreds of children in their care, especially those with diabetes who rely on them for their daily medication.

Our colleagues continue to make life-saving medical deliveries at great personal risk and by any means possible, including travelling long distances by bicycle amid constant bombardment.

Rosamond Bennett, Christian Aid Ireland, Dublin

To end the war in the Middle East, we must help Israel to destroy Hamas

Jim Roche (Letters, December 21) describes Israels actions as a genocidal war on the people of Gaza. In a war, the attacker wants the defender to surrender something. The war ends once the defender surrenders it or the attacker gives up.

Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people because of membership of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. Thus, in a genocidal war, there is nothing the defender can surrender to the attacker to end the war, as the eradication of the defender is the goal.

Israel has clearly stated it wants the destruction of Hamas, a terrorist organisation. Once that is achieved, the war ends. So Israels war is not a genocidal war, but a legitimate action against a criminal organisation.

The solution is obvious. Anyone who wants the war to end should help Israel destroy Hamas.

Jason Fitzharris, Swords, Co Dublin

Cancer patients living in energy poverty should get the full range of benefits

New research funded by the Irish Cancer Society reveals stark levels of energy poverty and hardship experienced by cancer patients receiving palliative care at home. Patients with terminal cancer are dying in unheated homes due to high energy costs and a lack of financial support.

Meanwhile, three in five palliative care nurses reported households had difficulty paying bills like mortgage, rent and utilities.

The research was carried out by a team led by Dr Suzanne Denieffe of South-East Technological university (SETU).

Other concerning findings reveal the nurses have reported dampness (64pc), mould (50pc) and condensation (70pc) in the homes where they are delivering palliative care.

These conditions have a physical and psychological impact on these patients at the end of life. This is Irelands unseen crisis.

Averil Power, CEO of the Irish Cancer Society said the very least we should be able to do in these circumstances is provide comfort to someone with a terminal illness.

The charity is seeking the extension of the household benefits, fuel allowance and additional needs payments to all cancer patients.

Tom Towey, Cloonacool, Co Sligo

Say nothing, Santa, and keep skies sleigh-free for your very special night

If Santa shared the secret of his one night transglobal tour, we could solve the energy crisis. Perhaps he is wise enough to keep his own counsel to avoid a sky full of sleighs.

Paddy Murray, Castlepollard, Co Westmeath

It is a delight for priests now they are allowed to bless same-sex unions

What a delightful Christmas gift for the church  we priests can at last bless same-sex couples. Before we blessed all kinds of things, now we can truly bless something that is holy  two people who love each other.

During synods, the Popes predecessors would say the breviary, not listen much and already have prepared the final document.

How wonderful that Francis sees through all this and responds to what is completely unmuddied  our relationship with God. What we love in our friends is their humour, intelligence and goodness  sexual orientation is not the central theme of our love of one another.

Fr Paul OConnell, St Pauls Catholic Church, Douglas, Georgia, US
Did Facebook play a central role in the ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya people in Myanmar? Did algorithms amplify hate towards the group? And will the tech giant pay the Rohingya refugees' reparations?

For this week's episode of The Big Tech Show, Adrian hosted an Amnesty International panel discussion on Metas role in amplifying anti-Rohingya content on the Facebook platform in Myanmar. He was joined by member of the Rohingya community, Maung Sawyeddollah, head of big tech accountability at Amnesty International, Pat de Brun, and senior policy officer at the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, Olga Cronin.

Sawyeddollah is a member of the Rohingya community from Myanmar. In 2017, the Myanmar military unleashed an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya people who have faced decades of state-sponsored discrimination. For years before the attacks, Metas algorithms amplified anti-Rohingya content on the Facebook platform, fueling the Myanmar militarys violence.

In this panel discussion, Maung speaks to Adrian about the case he is taking against Meta in Ireland, what it was like in Myanmar for the Rohingya and how Facebook acted as an accelerant for state-sponsored discrimination.

Maung was driven from his home in 2017 by the Myanmar military and spoke to Adrian from the largest refugee camp in the world, Coxs Bazar, in Bangladesh.

You can listen to the full episode on Independent.ie or wherever you get your podcasts.
A woman who was forced to live in a north Cork cowshed because she was over the income threshold for social housing was offered accommodation by a generous property owner, just in time for Christmas.

Beata Kaesler (56) was just a few hundred euro over the limited and so moved into a several-hundred-year-old cowshed because she had no other viable option. The shed had electricity, but no running water or heating, and some mornings there was ice on the inside of the corrugated roof.

Ms Kaesler shared her story on Corks Red FM earlier this month and her plight spread to the masses, touching thousands across Co Cork.

She returned to the airwaves the following week and spoke to a man named David, from Killeagh, east Cork.

David had an empty farmhouse on his property and offered the accommodation to Ms Kaesler. She struggled to hold back the tears on air and described the moment as a Christmas miracle.

Speaking to the Irish Independent, she revealed she had now officially moved into the farmhouse. She said it had been a hectic week and she was still clearing her things from the cowshed, while her cats hadnt made the move yet.

I could sit down on a couch and have a cup of tea in front of a fireplace, and now I have a bedroom with a lovely comfortable bed in it.

I could wash myself this morning with warm water from the tap, instead of from a bowl with kettle water. Everything is on the up, Ms Kaesler said.

She said the reaction to her story had been mind-blowing because she only ever expected to go on the radio and tell her story.

I didnt want people to feel sorry for me, I just wanted to highlight that this is happening in Ireland today, and I am aware Im not the only person being affected, she said.

Ireland is supposed to be a wealthy country, but we need to highlight the people who are living in poor conditions like I was.

She is thankful for all the people who have donated furniture, and said David and his son Kenneth had been a huge help. The location of the farmhouse has also cut her commute to work in half.
U.S. Rep. Brandon Williams was the victim of a "swatting" incident on Christmas Day, Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck told The Citizen.

Members of Schenck's office and the New York State Police responded to a report of a shooting at 2 p.m. at Williams' home in Sennett, Schenck said. The call was made to the Cayuga County E-911 Center.

However, officers quickly confirmed the incident to be false, Schenck continued. His office believes the report was made to solicit an immediate response from law enforcement, a crime known as "swatting."

"It is unfortunate that someone would make such a false report on Christmas Day and cause Congressman Williams and his family such an inconvenience on this important holiday," Schenck said.

The Cayuga County Sheriff's Office is now investigating the report and working to determine who made it, Schenck said.

Williams said on his social media accounts Monday that Capitol Police are also investigating the incident. He thanked local law enforcement for being "polite, professional and prompt."

Fellow Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was the victim of a similar swatting that day, with a report of a shooting at her home in Floyd County, Georgia.
Bray Area Partnership (BAP), a local development company working in the Bray and Greystones Municipal District areas, has issued its annual report, outlining a busy year for the organisation.

In the second quarter of 2022 the war in Ukraine led to many Ukrainian people arriving into the area seeking refuge and shelter. This resulted in new actions responding to the immediate needs of this community, in addition to the ongoing inclusion-focused work locally.

A great achievement in 2022 was the mobilisation of the whole community to welcome Ukrainian people as friends and neighbours needing immediate and ongoing support. Volunteers, community and voluntary organisations, statutory services and Bray Area Partnership formed a coalition of the willing to work collaboratively to support Ukrainian people to settle and integrate into the community.

This collaborative approach enabled a range of initiatives, led by BAP, such as conversational English language classes for Ukrainian people in venues convenient for them.

In all, 13 Ukrainian parents and 116 children were supported to find school places; 161 adults and 59 children accessed services in our Ukrainian Community Centre; while, 128 learners and 108 volunteers took part in BAPs Failte Isteach English classes.

In terms of employment supports, over 400 people received supports from the Local Employment Service Network. This included, 290 progressions into employment, training, education and labour market programmes. Some 122 people with disabilities received supports from the IMPACT Initiative, with 35 progressions into paid and voluntary employment. Also, 142 people took part in training for work courses.

Health and well-being initiatives, which are run consistently throughout the year, had a huge take-up.

Some 166 people received support from BAPs Social Prescribing service; 10 people took part in the first Slaintecare We Can Quit stop smoking programme, which is being run again in January.

Some 17 people took part in the Healthy Eating, Healthy Ageing programme, which has proven a huge success. And eight people took part in the Nutrition for Better Well-being programme, run in collaboration with Purple House Cancer Support Centre.

Over 120 free period product packs were distributed in the community every month, while the BIA Food Initiative re-distributed surplus food weekly to more than 50 local families and community groups.
Sister Joan ODonovan of the Columban Sisters sadly passed away recently in the loving care of the staff and sisters at the St. Columban`s Nursing Home at Magheramore.

Sister Joan spent her missionary life assigned to China, Hong Kong, Ireland, Peru and Chile.

She was born in Clonakilty, County Cork and joined the Columban Sisters in 1944. In 1947 she was deployed to China and celebrated her 21st birthday in Shanghai where she was missioned to work in a school that the Columban Sisters had opened for Russian immigrants who had fled from Russia because of religious persecution. However, her time in Shanghai was cut short when Communist China outlawed Catholic schools.

Her next mission was Hong Kong, where she worked for a short time in Ruttonjee Hospital run by the Columban Sisters, but soon she was on her way again, this time to Dublin, Ireland to study and University College Dublin. This was followed by an assignment to Magheramore, Wicklow where she was appointed as Assistant Novice Directress.

In 1962, she was chosen with four others to start the Columban Sisters mission to Peru. There she spent fourteen happy years, working in the school which the Sisters opened for the poor children of the shanty town where the Sisters lived. During this time she also did pastoral work in a local parish run by the Columban Fathers.

Santiago, Chile was Joans next mission assignment, where she continued to give herself to the spreading of the Kingdom among the poor and suffering people of a marginated shanty town in Santiago. When Joan arrived in Chile, the country had been under military dictatorship for two years, a situation which lasted for 19 years, and which made life very difficult for the nation in general, but particularly for the poor.

In November, 2004, Joan retired to Magheramore and many tributes were paid to at farewell parties that were held in the different parishes of Santiago where Joan had worked.

Sister Joan is predeceased by her parents Tim Joe and Margaret, her brothers JJ, Michael, Tim and Matthew, her sisters Peg, Paddy, Sr. Eileen, Mary and Kitty, and sadly missed and lovingly remembered by all her nieces, nephews, relatives and friends, her community and the Columban Sisters worldwide.

Her funeral mass was held on Monday, December 4, in the Convent Chapel, Magheramore, followed by her burial in the convent cemetery.
Keanu Taylor appeared to die during the climax of EastEnders storyline The Six, which was first teased in February of this year and alluded to a murder.

During the Christmas Day episode, six of Walfords matriarchs; Stacey Slater, Suki Kaur Panesar, Linda Carter, Sharon Watts, Denise Fox and Kathy Beale, found themselves embroiled in a series of events that led to what looked to be the characters demise.

Several men had been teased as the potential victim including; Jack Branning, Tom Rocky Cotton, Dean Wicks, Nish Panesar, Ravi Gulati and Keanu.

Towards the end of the episode the women were drinking in the Queen Vic pub on Albert Square before they invited Nish along to talk things out with Suki.

Matters got physical when Nish tried to take Suki from the pub and Denise responded by hitting him over the head with a bottle.

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This action was initially believed to have killed him, but after Suki performed CPR, she managed to get him breathing again and told the others he was alive, upon which she discovered Keanu on the floor.

He had been stabbed by Linda after he entered the pub and strangled Sharon, upon believing her to have killed Nish.

Things had also heated up between the two as, earlier in the episode, Sharon had told him he was not biologically related to their son Albie.

She revealed the news after the couples wedding was disrupted when Phil Mitchell gatecrashed and told Sharon that her husband-to-be was the person behind the kidnapping of their young son.

Teasing the festive episode, the British soap had aired a first-of-its-kind flashforward scene earlier in the year on February 20 which offered viewers a glimpse at the 2023 Christmas Day storyline.

The clip showed a shocked-looking Sharon with blood on her wedding dress, taking the unknown mans pulse before exclaiming: Hes dead.
The Irish divorce: Why the arrangement of celebrity couples like Jada Pinkett and Will Smith is not unusual to us
A Ukrainian serviceman of the 55th Separate Artillery Brigade prepares 155-mm shells at a position near the front line town of Marinka, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine December 26, 2023. REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi

Russian forces shelled the railway station in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson on Tuesday as a train was set to evacuate residents, killing one policeman and injuring four people, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.

Klymenko said about 140 civilians had been at the station in the early evening and quick action by police to direct them away saved many lives.
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Image courtesy: Legend Airlines website

An Airbus A340 bound for Nicaragua, which was carrying mostly Indians and grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking charges, has landed in Mumbai.

The departure comes after hours of uncertainty about the plane's status, with several reports indicating that many passengers were reluctant to return to their home countries.

The Legend Airlines flight was detained in France following an anonymous tipoff. The plane was due for refuelling at Vatry airport near Paris.

"The situation is confusing," Liliana Bakayoko, legal counsel for Romania's Legend Airlines, to whom the plane is registered, told a French TV channel and radio network earlier today.

"Some of the passengers were unhappy... because they wanted to continue their journey to Nicaragua as planned."

News agency AFP earlier reported that the plane, suspected of being part of a crime syndicate involved in smuggling people into the United States through Nicaragua, is now under investigation by France's anti-organised crime unit, JUNALCO.

Human trafficking, the suspected crime, carries a sentence of up to 20 years in France.

On Sunday, authorities had indicated that the plane could leave after questioning all on board by local judges.

However, under French law, foreign nationals can be detained for extended periods upon arrival.

Indian citizens aboard the flight have been granted consular access, and the Indian government is working with the French authorities to address the situation.

Thank French Gov and Vatry Airport for quick resolution of the situation enabling Indian passengers to return home & hospitality.



Also for working closely with embassy team, present throughout at the site to ensure welfare and smooth & safe return.

Thank agencies in India, too.  India in France (@IndiaembFrance) December 25, 2023

Indian Embassy in France posted on X: "Thank French Gov and Vatry Airport for quick resolution of the situation enabling Indian passengers to return home & hospitality. Also for working closely with embassy (sic) team, present throughout at the site to ensure welfare and smooth & safe return. Thank agencies (sic) in India, too."

How the passengers were treated

The passengers had been provided with makeshift beds, food, water, and access to toilets and showers directly at the airport, according to officials.

Legend Airlines has asserted that it has done nothing wrong and is willing to cooperate with authorities in the investigation.

The airline has said it wants to pursue damages from the client who chartered its plane.
Photo courtesy: facebook.com/SukhbirSinghBadal

Chandigarh/IBNS: In a remark potent enough to stir a row, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal has claimed Muslims are not equal because of an absence of a leader unlike the Sikhs, media reports said.

Badal made the comment while he was slamming Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant questioning his authenticity as a Sikh.

Badal said as quoted by NDTV, "I do not consider him (Bhagwant Mann) a Sikh. He wears a turban to show that he is a Sikh. He does not know the history of Sikhs. We feel sad when we see him and hear his statements."

"The population of Muslims in the country is about 18 per cent but they have no leadership because they are not united. We are 2 per cent but we are united under Sri Akal Takht Sahib," he added.

Urging his community to stay united, he said, "I appeal to all of you not to be divided and remain united...Shiromani Akali Dal will establish party units in all the states..."

Badal has alleged that the Punjab government is run by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is the chief of Aam Aadmi Party, that runs the state as well as in the national capital.

A similar allegation was raised against AAP after Kejriwal in 2022 held a meeting with Punjab officials in absence of Mann, who became Chief Minister after his party registered a landslide victory.

The Opposition had back then accused Kejriwal of "remote-controlling" the north Indian state.

In 2022, AAP came to power for the inaugural time winning 92 of 117 seats uninstalling the Congress government. The Congress had managed to win only 18 seats.
Photo courtesy: Screenshot grab from X video

Dehradun/Roorkee/UNI: Several workers working in a brick kiln feared being buried alive after a wall collapsed in Haridwar district of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, reliable sources said.

Five bodies were retrieved so far, said the sources.

Three of the workers have been rescued and their condition is stated to be critical. The rescue operation is going on.

Sources told that on Tuesday morning, workers were working to fill bricks in the chimney to make a brick kiln when the wall suddenly collapsed.

The incident happened in Lahaboli village of Mangalore Kotwali area of Roorkee region.

All of a sudden, the workers standing near the wall were buried under the debris.

At present, the work of removing debris is going on with JCB machines. Police officers including Superintendent of Police Dehat have reached the spot.

Manglaur police station in-charge Pradeep Bisht said till now five bodies have been recovered.

The condition of three workers is critical and they have been admitted to a hospital.

Among the deceased, three workers were from Lahaboli village, one from Muzaffarnagar and another from a local village.
Photo Courtesy: Unsplash

A newly married Bangladeshi woman was arrested in Brajendranagar village of Kadamtala in North Tripura along the Assam border on Monday night and sent to jail on the charges of illegally entering the Indian Territory.

She was arrested in a joint operation of state police and BSF acting on secret information.

The woman was booked under the Passport Act for illegal entry into the Indian Territory and detained from the house of one Sudhangshu Das.

The detained Bangladeshi woman, identified as Jani Rani Das (25) is a resident of Hakaluki area under the Baralekha police station in Moulvibazar district, Bangladesh.

However, Sudhangshu Das, who claimed to bringing her to Tripura, fled away, evading police eyes during the raid. The court remanded her to judicial custody for five days for further investigation.

The search is continuing for Sudhangshu Das for illegally transporting the Bangladeshi citizen and sheltering her.

She claimed, I got separated from my husband for two years, but my divorce is under trial, and I was residing with my parents. A year ago, I fell in love with Sudhangshu Das (50), who is a visitor to her locality, and we got married on December 17 at a Jagannath temple in Kulaura, Bangladesh.

Three days ago, Sudhangshu brought the woman to his village, Brajendranagar illegally, and they started living as husband and wife. There was no problem in the family. But police got a specific complaint about the presence of a Bangladeshi woman in the house and conducted a raid.

A case was registered with Kadamtala police station two days ago under Section 12(B)/213 of the IPC and other sections of the Passport Act, based on which police launched an investigation but failed to arrest Sudhangshu and his close aide, Sushil Das, who was accused of assisting the former in crossing the border illegally with the woman.

Meanwhile, in a separate raid, police apprehended a group of 12 Bangladeshi nationals in the Teliamura area of Khowai district who had been residing in the guise of winter garment vendors and pretended to be migrant Indians in a secure rental accommodation on Sunday, and now they were also sent to jail.

The police investigation revealed that the accused had duped their landlord by providing fake identity cards claiming affiliation with Assam and Uttar Pradesh in the last month. Acting on a tip-off, police detained them from their rented room.

It was disclosed that they utilized multiple illegal routes to reach Teliamura and establish residence. All twelve were found to hail from the Gopalganj area of Bangladesh, and cellphone records uncovered connections to relatives residing in West Bengal, police said.

The investigation further revealed that the winter garments they sold in Tripura were sourced from West Bengal with the assistance of their relatives living there. They not only misrepresented their identities but also engaged in deceptive practices, exploiting the trust of locals and utilizing fake documents to secure accommodation.

(With UNI inputs)
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AUBURN  Sometimes, while dealing with code violations at Auburn residences in recent years, city officials have found people living in tents outside them.

City Manager Jeff Dygert and Director of Planning & Economic Development Jenny Haines told The Citizen that's just one of the challenges city officials face as they work to ensure safe housing.

"In most cases, the individuals living in this manner are not interested in supportive services," Dygert said. "I believe that all the agencies involved share the frustration and stress of balancing the factors of our legal responsibility to neighbors, as well as the homeless individuals, and our moral and ethical obligation to protect the vulnerable portion of our community."

Sitting down with The Citizen in late November, Dygert and Haines said there are other housing issues in Auburn that require similar balancing acts, such as problem landlords and tenants, as well as vacant buildings. They stressed that the city's priority is ensuring people have safe housing, and that homeowners comply with housing standards.

Recent initiatives like the city's Nuisance Abatement Committee and the Code Enforcement Office's two-person cleanup crew have helped address those issues, but many challenges still remain.

Landlords and tenants

While many property owners work well with the city and follow its codes, Dygert and Haines said, others accumulate multiple violations and neglect to address them.

One way the city has tried to reduce issues with owners is no longer auctioning properties it acquires through tax foreclosure.

Such properties would sometimes come back to the city years later because the buyer didn't improve or pay taxes on it, Haines said. So instead, the city adopted a more traditional sales method, with timelines for improvements, about a year ago. The new foreclosure process is slightly more technical, Dygert said, and involves the courts rather than just an internal administrative procedure.

Property owners who don't address violations also use creative methods to avoid paying the fees they incur. Some transfer their properties to limited liability corporations they own, Dygert said, or trade properties with other owners to make it difficult to contact the current one. In response, the city approved a new fee structure that doubles the amount due every 30 days the violation isn't addressed.

Dygert said that makes the fees add up quickly.

"It brings people in to talk to us, for sure," Haines added.

But the new fee structure, which is the subject of a lawsuit from one Auburn property owner, hasn't been as effective as the city would like, Dygert continued.

"It's amazing how many people wait until things get so crazy (and) out of hand until they come (to meet with city officials). They just don't take any correspondence with the city seriously," he said. "We legitimately have people that come in and their excuse for not complying with an order to fix their property is that, 'Well, I haven't looked at my mail in months.'"

Haines said she's even been told by property owners that snowplows took down their mailboxes. All the city wants is for them to fix their properties, she stressed.

"We would rather not invoice people for these fees," Haines continued. "We're not trying to get revenue off of these people, we're trying to get them to comply. It's about safety for their tenants."

Most code enforcement issues are not minor violations, Dygert noted, but significant health and safety risks for residents, such as a lack of heat, fire and electrical hazards, or water and sewage problems. Exceptions include more aesthetic violations, such as hoarding situations or trash buildup. When that clutter spills into yards, Dygert said, rodent infestations can result.

People who voice concerns about properties at Nuisance Abatement Committee meetings also regularly bring up the behavior of those living there, such as loud noises, fights or potential criminal activity.

Dygert said he believes COVID-19, by confining people to their homes, prompted more reports on code violations and disruptive neighbors. But other contributing factors from the pandemic include the nearly two-year moratorium on evictions, he continued, as well as rising rates of substance abuse and addiction, mental health problems and homelessness.

Sometimes violation notices are posted in front of properties, Dygert and Haines said, which gains the attention of both owners and tenants.

"We send violations to the owner. That's our legal connection with the property," Haines said. "But a lot of these are rental properties and the tenants may or may not know that there is an issue."

Dygert keeps track of the amount of properties owned by entities outside Auburn. Out of the 7,288 residential properties in the city, he said, 29.9% have an outside mailing address for the owner. One such owner is Advent Equities LLC, which Dygert said has about a dozen properties in Auburn, including 8 Delevan St. The site of a murder in November 2019, it was seized by the city two years later.

Haines said the city manager has worked hard to understand "the full picture of our out-of-town owners."

"It's something that's changed over the last few years," she said. "We didn't use to have a lot of out-of-town owners, but now that percentage has really increased."

Some of those property owners deal with tenant behavior more than others, Dygert said.

"Good property owners know how to deal with those folks," he said. "Some of the property owners, in my opinion, they take kind of an 'ehhh' attitude toward it and they let it happen. To me, it's probably not advantageous to them because those same tenants are probably causing damage to their property. They're causing damage, if nothing else, to their reputation."

Buildings

The city of Auburn has also been dealing with vacant buildings for years. A registry of them was approved by City Council in 2013, and implemented in 2014.

Dygert talked about the registry during a presentation at a City Council meeting in September. His presentation noted that the registry includes a hazard ranking and marking system required by the state and the International Code Council for the safety of firefighting personnel. Many know the system by the red X placards that are placed on vacant structures.

Administered by the Auburn Fire Department, the registry also includes escalating fees for properties deemed unsafe or inadequately maintained. Properties are inspected by the department every month. The registry initially had 119, with 49 owners outside Auburn and six outside the state. As of September, it had 202. The city anticipated that growth, however, as people reported properties they saw.

The registry has served as a database to track vacant buildings in the city and their condition over time. Properties come and go, with some getting rehabilitated by their owners. Others were demolished with American Rescue Plan Act funding obtained by Auburn during the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, Dygert said, the city puts a lot of thought into demolition.

"There's a shortage of housing," he said. "We don't want to take something off the market, but some of these properties are so far gone that no business-savvy individual would undertake them."

As of September, Dygert and Haines said, only 23 of the vacant buildings on the city's registry in 2014 are still there. The city has also been able to track down the 28 property owners it initially couldn't.

Meanwhile, Auburn in recent years has seen a rise in people breaking into vacant buildings. Dygert and Haines said this issue, like hoarding situations and homelessness, is often connected to mental health. The city works with its police department, the Cayuga County Department of Social Services, the Cayuga Community Health Network and others to address mental health and homelessness.

"Again, the goal is not to penalize," he continued. "The goal is to bring some order to neighborhoods that are suffering."
Photo Courtesy: UNI

Jammu and Kashmir National Conference President and member of Parliament Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday warned that India could meet the same fate as Gaza if a solution is not found through dialogue with Pakistan.

He said that India must initiate dialogue with its neighbour Pakistan to resolve the matters.

If we do not find a solution through dialogue, we will meet the same fate as Gaza and Palestine, which are being bombed by Israel," Farooq warned.

Talking to media persons here, the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister said even former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said that we can change our friends but not our neighbours. If we remain friendly with our neighbours, both will progress.

He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that war is not an option now and the matters should be resolved through dialogue.

Where is the dialogue? Farooq questioned.

He said, Nawaz Sharif is about to become the PM of Pakistan & they (Pakistan) are saying that we are ready to talk with India, what is the reason why we are not ready to talk?
A team of Delhi Police and NIA rushed to the spot near Israeli Embassy where the blast was reported. (Photo courtesy: Video grab)

New Delhi: The Delhi Police received a call about an alleged "blast" near the Israeli embassy this evening, media reported.

The blast was reported on a call by an unidentified caller to the Delhi Fire Service at around 6 pm earlier today, reported India Today.

A special cell team of the police along with the bomb squad reached the spot for inspection, the report said.

Upon reaching the location, the police team conducted a thorough search of the area but did not find anything suspicious. The fire services also quickly arrived at the scene to promptly extinguish any potential flames resulting from the explosion.

According to Times of India, the National Investigative Agency (NIA) is also at the scene.

Though the team investigating the complaint left the area, in an empty plot of land just a few meters from the embassy, police found a letter addressed to the Israeli Ambassador, along with a flag wrapped around it, NDTV reported.

The police have confiscated the letter for further investigation.

Israel's deputy envoy Ohad Nakash Kaynar, in a video statement, said, "This evening, several minutes after 5 pm, an explosion occurred in close proximity with the embassy. All our workers are safe. Our diplomats are safe. Our security teams are working in full cooperation with the local Delhi security."
Photo Courtesy: presidentofindia.nic.in

New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu approved the three new criminal code bills on December 25 that Parliament had ratified the previous week.

These new lawsthe Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Actwill replace the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872, the Colonial-era criminal laws, reported The Hindu.

According to the report, the three bills seek to overhaul the criminal justice system by giving definitions of various offences and their punishments. It defines terrorism clearly and has introduced a new section titled Offences against the State while abolishing sedition as a crime.

In the revised version of the sedition law, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita lists charges including secession acts, armed rebellion, subversive activities, separatist activities, and threatening sovereignty or unity.

Instead of being reported under the Indian Penal Code, all new First Information Reports (FIR) would be filed under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The INDIA bloc opposition parties are strongly against the laws, and during a floor leaders' conference, they discussed taking the bills to court after the president signs them into law, the report stated.

In a long post on micro-blog site X, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who is also a senior advocate in the Supreme Court, asserted that the new Indian Penal Code has become more draconian and contains many provisions that are unconstitutional and violate Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution.



Instead of strengthening due process of law, the new Criminal Procedure Code contains many provisions that severely restrict freedom and personal liberty. The new provisions for arrest and police custody (that can extend custody up to 60 days or 90 days) will only lead to police excesses and custodial persecution, Chidambaram said.

Just as the Christmas Day celebrations are coming to an end, we hear the news that the President has given her assent to the three criminal law Bills



The new Indian Penal Code has become more draconian. If you realize that the Code is more often than not used against the poor,  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) December 25, 2023

Earlier, replying to the discussion on the bills, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that after the new laws are implemented, there will be one criminal justice system from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Dwarka to Kamakhya, according to a UNI report.

Stating that the present criminal laws are nearly 150 years old and were made by the British to primarily protect their treasuries and railways, Shah said that the new laws are victim-centric and accord top priority to matters related to the human body and the protection of women and children.

According to a UNI report, the bills were passed in the Upper House even though 46 Opposition members remained suspended for the remainder of the winter session of Parliament and thus could not participate in the discussions on the key criminal laws.

In Lok Sabha, too, 97 Opposition members remained suspended and hence could not witness the passing of the draft legislation.
Representational Image/Courtesy: Pixabay

Mumbai: The explosives that were used to attack merchant ship MV Chem Pluto had exploded fully, revealed experts who examined the remains, media reported.

Suspicions that Merchant Vessel (MV) Chem Pluto was hit by a drone in the Arabian Sea were confirmed by the experts who inspected the ship on Tuesday.

The vessel was reportedly carrying crude oil to the New Mangalore port from the Al Jubail port in Saudi Arabia.

The ship returned to Mumbai yesterday with a huge gash on her stern.

On Sunday, the Pentagon stated that the ship was struck by "a one-way attack drone fired from Iran."

Liberian-flagged MV Chem Pluto was struck by a drone 400 km off the Indian coastline. The attacks on commercial vessels in the Arabian Sea have increased in the past days.

The drone strike came amid a series of drone and missile attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels on the Red Sea shipping lane in solidarity with Gaza where Israel and Hamas have been warring since October 7.

The experts came to the conclusion that the explosives were launched using a drone by the remains of the attack vehicle,

According to an NDTV report, the Navy said that after sanitisation and preliminary analysis, which is now in Mumbai, Explosive Ordnance Disposal specialists have said that the explosive charge on the drone "detonated completely causing extensive damage above waterline".

"Remnants of projectile have been collected by the Indian Navy for further forensic analysis."

"In light of the recent maritime incidents in the Arabian Sea, IN has commenced focused maritime security operations in the region. The presence of IN warships and air surveillance in the region has been enhanced. Actions are being progressed in coordination with national maritime agencies towards ensuring safety of merchant marine in the region," the Navy said, according to the report.

The Indian Navy deployed P-8I long-range patrol aircraft and warships INS Mormugao, INS Kochi, and INS Kolkata in the Arabian Sea off India's west coast for continued surveillance and to maintain a deterrent presence, media reports said.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said India has taken the attacks very seriously and the country would track down those behind the attacks even from the depths of the seas.

According to military officials from India and the United States, a drone targetted another oil tanker, the Gabon-registered MV Sai Baba, in the Southern Red Sea. The vessel had 25 Indian crew members on board.
Image by Avishek Mitra/IBNS

Kolkata/IBNS: Bengali actress-parliamentarian Mimi Chakraborty is all set for her digital debut with Hoichoi web series 'Jaha Bolibo Shotto Bolibo', which is based on a real life incident.

Directed by Chandrasish Ray, the makers unveiled the trailer of the courtroom drama last week.

Mimi, who has an over-a-decade experience in acting, plays a lawyer in the series, which is inspired by the true event of an accident and murder on the eve of a New Year in Kolkata around 20 years ago.

Mimi Chakraborty | Image by Avishek Mitra/IBNS

Reasoning out her decision to pick the series for her OTT debut, Mimi told IBNS, "I wanted to play a strong character on my OTT debut. Like many of my previous roles, I wanted to play something that would overshadow my real life personality."

"I wanted to play a character which will create a deep imprint on the minds of the audience."

Like many Bengali A-listers, Mimi, who started working way back in 2008, did not rush to venture into OTT, a platform that has gained immense popularity among the viewers in the last few years and particularly, after Covid-19.

Mimi Chakraborty in trailer | Photo courtesy: Screenshot grab

"Talks were going on for a long time but things happened at the right time. It was the right time, moment, platform, script, writers, casting for me to make my debut on OTT," she said.

In 'Jaha Bolibo Shotto Bolibo', Mimi shares screen space with senior actor Tota Roy Choudhury, who too plays a lawyer.

The trailer of the series shows lawyer Pritha Roy (played by Mimi) taking up a case that involves the murder of a cop.

The case does not appear as a smooth sail for Pritha, who faces "tough nut" lawyer Joyraj Singha in the form of Tota Roy Choudhury in the courtroom battle.

Tota Roy Choudhury (L) and Mimi Chakraborty (R) during trailer launch of 'Jaha Bolibo Shotto Bolibo' | Image by Avishek Mitra/IBNS

"For 'Jaha Bolibo Shotto Bolibo', I used to read the script and utter the lines in my mind even while doing other works. I read the lines until I achieved perfection. When I knew my dialogues completely, myself, Chandra (Chandrasish Ray, director) and other team members used to discuss the scenes and build them.

"So we were all prepared by the time we reached the set where it was just about delivery," Mimi shares on her prep-work.

Prior to 'Jaha Bolibo Shotto Bolibo', Mimi, who played a cop in her last Bengali project 'Raktabeej', turned a lawyer in 2017 film 'Dhananjoy', which was also based on a real life incident.

Mimi Chakraborty | Image by Avishek Mitra/IBNS

Though 'Jaha Bolibo Shotto Bolibo' is on a different medium, the 34-year-old actress with a meaty body of work was conscious of moulding Pritha Roy as someone non-identical to Kavya Sinha, the role she played in Arindam Sil's 'Dhananjoy'.

"It's a challenge to offer something new while repeating a character onscreen," Mimi says and adds, "From the beginning, I made sure not to repeat myself as Kavya Sinha."

'Jaha Bolibo Shotto Bolibo' will start streaming on Hoichoi on January 5, 2024.

(Images by Avishek Mitra/IBNS)
Photo Courtesy: Imran Noshad Khan X page

A Hindu woman has filed her nomination papers for a general seat in the upcoming polls in Pakistan, making her the first Hindu woman in the country to take such a step.

Dr Saveera Parkash has filed the nomination papers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwas Buner district for the general seat of PK-25, Dawn News reported.

Parkash is hopeful she will contest the polls on a Pakistan People's Party (PPP) ticket.

Pakistan is scheduled to vote and elect members of the 16th National Assembly on February 8, 2024.

Dr. Saveera Parkash, the first-ever female candidate and from a religious ethnic minority, is running for elections in Buner Pk25 on the @PPP_Org ticket. I wholeheartedly support her in breaking stereotypes.@BBhuttoZardari pic.twitter.com/YZEPjIrDZY  Imran Noshad Khan (@ImranNoshad) December 25, 2023

Parkashs father Oam Parkash, a recently retired doctor, was a member of PPP for the past 35 years.

According to local politician Saleem Khan, who is affiliated with the Qaumi Watan Party, Parkash is the first woman from Buner to have submitted her nomination papers to contest the upcoming elections from the general seat, reported the Pakistani newspaper.

Parkash said she wanted to work for the poor and women of the region.

Speaking to Dawn News, she said women have been suppressed and neglected, especially with regard to the development sector.

When asked about the party providing her a ticket, she expressed the hope she would get one, stating that the senior leadership had requested her father to let her run for the general seat.

What is the educational qualification of Parkash?

She completed her MBBS from the Abbottabad International Medical College in 2022.

She is the general secretary of the PPP womens wing in Buner.
In the complex landscape of South Asian geopolitics, the dynamics between Pakistan and India have often been characterized by tension, with the formers obsession with its neighbor frequently taking center stage.

Over the years, this fixation has manifested in a knee-jerk reaction of blaming India for various internal issues.

However, a closer examination of Pakistans terror network reveals a disturbing reality: the countrys policy of supporting and encouraging terrorism within its borders to disrupt its neighbors has backfired, leading to a cycle of violence and unintended consequences.

The echoes of this policy reverberate back to a critical moment in history, specifically October 6, 2003, when US deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage commended Pervez Musharraf and Pakistans military for their efforts to dismantle the terror infrastructure. Ironically, even as praise was being heaped upon Pakistan, unknown assailants were eliminating extremists within the country. Azam Tariq, head of the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, fell victim to this shadowy violence, just one among many extremists targeted in a span of a few months.

This period marked a response to the post-9/11 era, where pressure from the US compelled Islamabad to act against Taliban and Al Qaeda militants. However, the mysterious killings did not bring an end to terrorism; instead, many militants sought refuge with terror groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir, perpetuating the cycle of violence.

Fast forward two decades, and Pakistan finds itself once again grappling with a new wave of targeted killings. What sets these recent events apart is the focus on individuals wanted by India, including ideologues and commanders associated with cross-border operations. The killings of figures like Paramjit Singh Panjwar, Abu Qasim Kashmiri, and Shahid Latif have thrust Pakistan back into the international spotlight.

Terror networks, by their nature, seldom protect their own, working on the principle of deniability. The recent spate of killings underscores a shift in Pakistans approach. Ashok K. Behuria, a security expert, notes that while killings in Pakistan two decades ago aimed to show non-support for terror, the current situation suggests a different stance. The vernacular medias relative silence on these incidents raises questions about Pakistans perception of the issue.

While the elimination of certain figures may offer temporary relief for India, experts caution against prematurely letting the guard down. The killings may indicate a loss of utility for the ISI, but the larger players still find safe havens in Pakistan, keeping the specter of state-sponsored terrorism alive.

The Pakistani security establishments primary concern now centers around the opportunistic partnership between the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch rebels. Growing suspicions of covert support to the TTP from Balochs, especially in border regions, pose a significant challenge. The Pakistani army, facing economic constraints, grapples with the increased threat, particularly as the TTP gains traction in Baloch areas.

The death of Lakhbir Singh Rode, head of the banned International Sikh Youth Federation and Khalistan Liberation Force, highlights the complex web of cross-border terrorism. Rode, who operated freely in Pakistan, collaborated with Canada-based criminals, engaging in acts of terror, including a rocket-propelled grenade attack in Mohali in 2022.

As the international community watches these developments, it remains to be seen how Pakistan will navigate the intricate web of its own making. The unintended consequences of fostering terrorism as a tool of statecraft have come full circle, leaving Pakistan to grapple with the fallout of a policy gone awry.

(Photo and text courtesy: Khalsavox.com)
In a startling turn of events, a 27-year-old Indo-Canadian truck driver from Brampton, Ontario, has found himself at the center of a major drug bust. Manpreet Singh now faces serious charges after authorities intercepted and confiscated a staggering 52 kilograms of suspected cocaine in the province of Ontario.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) took Singh into custody, formally charging him with importation and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, as reported by CP24 news channel. The arrest stems from an incident earlier this month when Singhs commercial truck crossed the border at the Blue Water Bridge port in Point Edward.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) played a pivotal role in uncovering the illicit cargo. Singhs truck was subjected to a secondary examination, during which border services officers discovered and seized multiple boxes containing a total of 52 kilograms of suspected cocaine.

Singh was promptly arrested on December 4, and custody was transferred from the CBSA to the RCMP. The case is now under the jurisdiction of the court, where the truck driver will face the legal consequences of his alleged involvement in drug trafficking.

Superintendent Rae Bolsterli, overseeing the RCMPs Border Integrity Program, emphasized the collaborative efforts between the RCMP and CBSA in safeguarding Canadians from potential threats at the borders. This is another example of the tremendous work being done by our agencies to keep illegal drugs from reaching the streets in our communities, said Bolsterli in an official release.

The incident sheds light on the ongoing challenges faced by law enforcement agencies in curbing the flow of narcotics across borders. From January to October 31, 2023, the CBSA in the southern Ontario region alone seized more than 1,300 kilograms of narcotics, underscoring the magnitude of the issue.

The case of Manpreet Singh serves as a stark reminder of the relentless efforts required to maintain border integrity and protect communities from the potential harm associated with the drug trade. As legal proceedings unfold, the impact of this significant cocaine bust on the regions ongoing battle against drug trafficking will undoubtedly be closely monitored.

(Image and text courtesy: Khalsavox.com)
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One of the most interesting types of storytelling in movies and series is the revenge genre. So if you are in the mood for some OTT picks of the same kind, we have got your back.



We have curated a list of 9 incredible revenge dramas to give you that feeling of unease that will leave you intrigued too.

1. Badlapur

A bank heist goes horribly wrong, killing innocent people as a result. One robber escapes, while the other( Nawazudin Siddiqui), is apprehended and imprisoned. And the young man, played by Varun Dhawan, makes the "badla" pledge when something upends his snug, comfortable life.

Where To Watch: Jio Cinema

2. Stree

This surprising feminist horror comedy starring Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor was exactly what we needed. Stree, a female ghost that appears in the story, only assaults men with their permission.

Where To Watch:Disney+ Hotstar

3. Mirzapur

In addition to being the mafia lord of Mirzapur, Akhandanand Tripathi gained millions from exporting carpets. Munna, his unworthy and ambition-driven son, will do anything to carry on his father's legacy.

Where To Watch: Amazon Prime Video

4. Without Remorse

An Elite Navy SEAL discovers a global conspiracy that poses a threat to both the United States and Russia while searching for justice for the murder of his unborn wife.

Where To Watch: Amazon Prime Video

5. Gone Girl

The psychological thriller Gone Girl, which is based on Gillian Flynn's book of the same name, features one of the greatest surprises in cinema history. It centers on Amy's (Rosamund Pike) disappearance, with her husband Nick (Ben Affleck) serving as the main suspect.

Where To Watch: Netflix

6. Haider

When the state of Jammu and Kashmir is plagued by a brutal insurgency, Haider, a young guy, returns there. He wants answers about what happened to his father, but the politics of the state thwart him.

Where To Watch: Netflix

7. John Wick: Chapter 4

John Wick expands the scope of his battle with the High Table by looking for the most influential criminals in cities including New York, Paris, Japan, and Berlin.

Where To Watch: Amazon Prime Video

8. Kahaani

A pregnant woman travels from London to Kolkata in search of her missing husband, but everyone she asks claims they have never met him.

Where To Watch: Amazon Prime Video

9. Do Revenge

Exchange student Eleanor is plagued by a rumor, while popular Drea wants to exact revenge on her lover for releasing her sex tape. The two teens get together to confront their abusers.

Where To Watch: Netflix
Much is made about spreading joy during the holiday season, and Owasco Elementary School Principal Ron Gorney has a special way of doing it.

Gorney dresses up as the train conductor from the film The Polar Express. Tom Hanks plays the conductor in the film about a boy who rides a train to the North Pole to visit Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.

As the conductor, Gorney visits elementary schools in the Auburn Enlarged City School District, where he brings the character to life.

Let me just tell you this, he said, I'm in a position to spread joy. In my position there may be some authority, but I have an opportunity to spread joy to hundreds of children, so I do it.

Gorney said his portrayal of the conductor was just a spontaneous thing that happened.

It started when he was Genesee Elementarys principal around 2008. The kindergarteners would get in their pajamas to watch the movie, and Gorney thought he could portray an accurate version of the conductor.

It was interesting because I think my first mustache was made out of construction paper, black construction paper, he said. So I did that and I put a black coat on. The librarian happened to have an old Amtrak hat and I put (that) on and put on a black coat and black tie with a gold tie clip. I put the fake mustache on and I was a conductor and they still bought it. I can do the voice real good. I do the character well because Im kind of Tom Hanks-ish looking.

Gorney then became the principal at Casey Park Elementary, where he continued portraying the conductor, but he also went back to Genesee. After five years at Casey Park and a stint at Cayuga Centers, he went to Herman Avenue Elementary, which meant he was appearing as the conductor at three elementary schools.

And by that time, a couple of other teachers had spread out among the district, and there were a couple of (them) at Seward, Gorney said. Now they wanted me to go over there.

Now at Owasco, Gorney has appeared as the conductor at all five of the districts elementary schools and after 15 years, is very serious about how he becomes the conductor. He also rewatches the movie to make sure he has the voice right.

The mustache was always the tough thing to pull off, he said. Because I do have the fake costume mustache. But this year I decided, you know what, let's do this. Let me go with the beard and I'll shave the beard and I'll just have my mustache, and now it's actually come in quite nicely. At any rate, I've got my same costume, and I'm upgrading now. I got the vest and we actually purchased a lot, so I'm going through costume upgrades.

The conductor will read to the students and take their tickets as they walk into the auditorium to watch the movie.

In Genesee, I make the kids march down that long corridor, Gorney said. I'll come up and I actually got a train whistle that I blow. I play a little harmonica too, and I'll march them as a military kind of thing. They love marching.

As for the younger students reactions, Gorney said they can be mixed.

It's interesting because they're a little awestruck, he said, but they buy it, they buy it all the way. It's not until they get in the upper grades they figure it out but it's interesting. Some of the first-graders now ask when he's coming, so they anticipate it.

The conductor isnt the only character Gorney portrays during the school year. He has twin brothers, such as Flinko the hair band rocker and Reginald the nerd.

Flinko actually did the morning announcements, he said, but he has not shown up here (at Owasco) in person. The last time Flinko showed up, he was at Casey Park. So I haven't had a chance to really roll him out, but I think we're going to have a talent show, so he'll be back.

Then theres Reginald.

Reginald is my twin brother who has a pocket protector, a gob of white tape on his glasses and he's got toilet paper hanging off his shoe, Gorney said. He shows up on Halloween with a 'kick me' sign on his back.

On Halloween, Gorney also appears as Batman, standing on the roof. It was a complete surprise to the Casey Park staff and students the first time Gorney did it.

I didn't tell a soul, he said, I was the only one that knew it was going to happen. And when they went out on their parade, they looked up. And they saw Batman, they just about died. It's fun, who wouldn't dress up as Batman and go on the roof, who wouldn't? If you can do it, it's just a blast.

Gorney has another way to bring holiday joy to Owascos students, he does daily Grinch reports where the mischievous figure is caught performing pranks.

Even with all of these fun characters and activities, Gorney never forgets what the schools mission is.

Don't get me wrong, sometimes it can be distracting, he said. I don't want to distract from the meat and potatoes, (educating students) why we're here.

Why can't a child learn and have fun in elementary school?

Anything that's just going to brighten the kids' day, who wouldn't do it, Gorney asked as he remembered his own elementary school experience. I never knew my principal when I was in elementary (school). So when you ask me  why not, why wouldn't you? It's just a blast to see that joy.
Rekhte ke tumhin ustad nahin ho 'ghalib'

Kahte hain agle zamane men koi 'mir' bhi tha

(Of Rekhta, you are not the only master, Ghalib, they say that in an earlier time/age there was even/also some Mir/'master')

With this couplet, Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, clearly expressed the awareness of his predecessors who were considered masters of the language. Be it Delhi's Mir Taqi Mir and Mir Amman, or Mir Babar Ali Anis from Faizabad, all of them had truly mastered the language and are still followed by those who love Urdu poetry.

Like the several Mirs of their times, there lived some Ghalibs too. While for the Indians there will be only one Mirza Ghalib, one finds that his namesakes were as popular among their followers.

Many lovers of Mirza Ghalibs poetry would be wandering in Ballimaran in old Delhi on his birth anniversary, but I stood at the mausoleum of Turkiyes great poet Ghalib Dede (Dede is used for grandfather in the Turkish language, which is quite similar to our Dada) two days ahead of our Ghalibs birth anniversary. By strolling down Istanbul's famous Istiklal Street, I crossed the Ghalib Dede Caddesi (street) and reached the Ghalib Dede Turbesi (mausoleum).

Ghalib Dede of Turkiye

Ghalib 'Dede' vs 'Chacha' Mirza

My quest to uncover the link between the two legendary poets legacies began as I stood there. Upon reaching the mausoleum of Ghalib Dede, I was struck by the remarkable ambiance within. Whispers from a few individuals, perhaps reciting a poem or elegy dedicated to Ghalib Dede, filled the air. The atmosphere vividly portrayed the profound poetic heritage of Ghalib Dede, leaving me captivated and taking me to the revered legacy of Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib, whose mausoleum graces the streets of Old Delhi in India.

Reflecting on the connection between Ghalib's haveli in Ballimaran, Old Delhi, and Seyh (read as Sheikh) Ghalib Dede's tomb in Istanbul, I found myself pondering a profound mystery. Mirza Ghalib never ventured to Turkiye, and Ghalib Dede never set foot in India. Yet, the resonance, from names to sentiments, holds an uncanny similarity. This enigmatic connection sparked a deep fascination within me. Despite the scarcity of information on this bond, I embarked on a quest to unravel its secrets. As I proceeded, I discovered an astonishing and unique intertwining of these literary legacies.

The connection between Turkiye's Ghalib Dede and India's Mirza Ghalib, who is popularly known as Ghalib Chacha among the youth, slowly but surely began to dawn on me. It's quite astonishing to learn that there is a Ghalib in Turkiye as well. Just as there's a world of lovers of Ghalib's poetry throughout India, there's an entire realm devoted to the works of Ghalib Dede too. I find myself, perhaps, standing at a singular point between these two realms, attempting to fathom if there's any familial tie between the two Ghalib(s). After all, Mirza Ghalib's ancestors were also of Turkish descent, and it's also popularly said that Mirza Ghalib was proficient in the Turkish language too. Who knows if this Ghalib Dede from Turkiye was inspired by our Mirza Ghalib?

Ghalib Dede of Turkiye

Yet, as soon as I noted the date of Ghalib Dedes demise, which was way too earlier than our Ghalib chacha, my thoughts took a different turn. The next thought that struck me was if Mirza Ghalib was influenced by Turkiye's Ghalib Dede. I found myself in a perplexing dilemma. Many such questions began to strike my mind. In pursuit of answers to these queries, I stepped out of his tomb. I left his grave behind, but his presence lingered vividly in my mind.

A true Dervish

Near Ghalib Dede's tomb lies the Galata Mevlevihanesi Muzesi (Galata Maulvi Lodge Museum). In the Ottoman era, this place used to be a dervish lodge. During Ghalib Dede's time, it was called the Galip Dede Tekkesi, meaning the Ghalib Dede Dervish Lodge. It was established in 1491. After the closure of this dervish lodge in 1925, it was repurposed as a community center and primary school. Initially opened for visitors as the Divan Edebiyat Muzesi (Divan Literature Museum) on December 27, 1975, its name was later changed to the 'Galata Maulvi Lodge Museum' on September 30, 2007.

Consequently, the museum was reorganized and reopened for visitors on November 11, 2011. This place is renowned for dervish dances. During the early days of the Turkish Republic, dancing by dervishes was prohibited. Although the ban has been lifted, only a few dervish lodges remain in Istanbul, with the most famous being the Whirling-Dervish Hall.

Ghalib Dede of Turkiye

At the 'Galata Maulvi Lodge Museum', items related to Turkish poets, artists, and 'Maulvi culture' are on display. Inside, there's a text mentioning the decoration during the reign of Sultan Abdul Majeed I. The museum also showcases Ottoman army bands and musical instruments, making it a truly captivating place.

Despite the rich exhibits here, my focus was solely on tracing Ghalib Dede. That's when I perused the dates inscribed at this dervish lodge, and among the many names listed, Ghalib Dede's name stood at number 23. It was recorded that a new era commenced in the history of the 'Galata Maulvi House' when seyh Mehmed Emin Celebi, the Sheikh of Konya Dervish Lodge, appointed Ghalib Dede as Sheikh on June 11, 1791. At that time, the house was in a state of disrepair. Sheikh Ghalib wrote a letter to Sultan Salim III advocating for the improvement of this house, and as a result, extensive renovations were ordered by the Sultan.

When moving through the museum, mention of Ghalib Dede comes up in one place. It's inscribed that "Sheikh Ghalib Dede served this house as a Sheikh until his demise, merely at the age of 42.

Top Sufi poet of the Ottomans

Ghalib Dede is considered one of the most famous Ottoman Turkish Sufi poets. It's said that Ghalib Dede was a pioneer in modern Turkish poetry, or even regarded as the ultimate head of Ottoman poetry. Ghalib Dede reached a pinnacle in classical poetry that no one else could reach. His real name was Muhammad Asad. However, in Turkiye, he became famous as 'Ghalib Dede', also known as Sheikh Ghalib.

He was born in Istanbul, Turkiye, in 1757. His father and grandfather were scholars. He received his initial education from his father, Rashid Efendi, who was a poet and a scholar. Later, he learned Arabic and Persian from various teachers. At a young age, he started gaining recognition as an influential poet and a knowledgeable person with vast cultural insights.

Ghalib Dede compiled his "Diwan" at the age of 24. It's said that he always sought innovation in poetry. Sheikh Ghalib also had a taste for music and arranged songs that are part of Turkiye's cultural heritage.

In 1794, Ghalib Dede lost his mother, Emine Hanm, and then in 1796, one of his students, Esrar, passed away. Esrar was not just his student but also a very close friend. Because of Esrar's demise, Ghalib Dede fell into a state of shock and passed away on January 3, 1799 (some places cite the year as 1798), bidding farewell to this world forever.

Ghalib Dede of Turkiye

Interestingly, Mirza Assadullah Khan Ghalib was born only six days before Ghalib Dede's death, on December 27, 1797.

The occurrence of 'Asad' in both their real names is a mere coincidence. It's also coincidental that Ghalib Dede initially used the name 'Asad' for his poetry, but upon realizing there were several other poets with the same name, he adopted the pen name 'Ghalib,' which gave him an eternal name in Turkish literature.

Surprisingly, this also applies to Mirza Ghalib. His original pen name was also 'Asad,' but later, after finding similarity in the verses with another poet named Mir Amani Asad, he chose 'Ghalib' as his pen name. Ghalib Dede is also considered one of the greatest poets in the history of Turkish literature, a title that Ghalib Chacha also enjoys in the history of Urdu literature.

Ghalib Dede of Turkiye

So much similarity and such proximity, yet scarcely mentioned in history, was quite surprising for me. Literature enthusiasts in India have no information about the legacy of Ghalib Dede of Turkiye while in Turkiye, Ghalib Chacha remains a prominent figure, with his poems and ghazals translated into Turkish language. He remains the subject of ongoing discussions in the media here. However, it was disturbing for me that perhaps no one in our homeland, India, knows about Ghalib Dede from Turkiye.

The literary legacy of Ghalib Dede in Turkiye remains a treasure waiting to be unearthed, especially when viewed in comparison to Mirza Ghalib of India. The profound connection between these two literary giants, hailing from different corners of the world, inspired me deeply.

The writer is a freelance contributor currently living in Turkey.
A decorated Army veteran, who has been in a state of coma for over eight years, after he was shot in the face by terrorists, has passed away, the Indian Army has said.

Lt Colonel Karanbir Singh Natt from the Territorial Army (TA), died in a Military Hospital in Jalandhar on Saturday.

WESTERN COMMAND

What happened in November 2015

He has been in a coma since November 2015, after was hit by a bullet in the face during an anti-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara.

Lt Col. Natt who was the second-in-command (2IC) of the 160 Infantry Battalion TA (Jammu and Kashmir Rifles) was leading a combing operation against terrorists in Haji Naka village Kupwara, when he was shot at by the militants.

Lt. Col. Natt who fought through the pain ensured the safety of three of his fellow soldiers during the the operation.

How bad was Lt Col. Natt's injury

The officer sustained grievous injuries to his face, particularly the lower jaw, and despite extensive surgeries in Military Hospital Srinagar and Army Research and Referral Hospital New Delhi, he could not be saved.

WESTERN COMMAND

Lt. Col. Natt had lost the lower half of his face, his tongue was hanging loose and he was unable to lie back, as the tongue would fall back and obstruct his air passage.

Lt. Col. Natt's army career

A twenty-year veteran of the Indian Army, and a second generation soldier, Lt. Col. Natt was commissioned in 19 GUARDS (Gurdaspur) as Short Service officer in September 1998.

WESTERN COMMAND

Later, in May 2013, he joined the Territorial Army and was posted with 160 Infantry Battalion TA (H&H) Jammu and Kashmir Rifles.

For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
A Romanian flight that took off from Dubai, and was on its way to Nicaragua, that was grounded in France landed in Mumbai on Tuesday morning, at the end of what is widely believed to be a failed attempt to enter the US illegally.

275 of the 303 people who were on board the Legend Airlines flight were brought back to India after being stranded in France for four years.

AP

Though the exact details of what the group, mostly comprising of Punjab and Haryana residents were planning to do in Nicaragua is sketchy at the moment, it is assumed that the group's ultimate goal was the US or Canada.

Over the years, Nicaragua in Central America has emerged as the go-to country for millions, including Indians who try to enter the US illegally.

AP

Nicaragua has been used as a migratory springboard for people fleeing poverty or conflict because of relaxed or visa-free entry requirements for some countries.

This is probably the first time Indians have been caught using a chartered flight to enter the US illegally, but for many years thousands from the country have been attempting to cross the border, to fulfill their American Dream.

AFP

Some of these journeys end up in disasters and others in jails, but the number of Indians attempting to enter the US illegally through the Canadian and Mexican borders is only increasing every year.

Indian citizens were arrested 41,770 times entering the US illegally from Mexico till September 30, more than double from 18,308 the previous year.

In September alone a total of 8,076 Indians were apprehended for illegal entry into the US, out of which 3,059 were at the border with Canada.

REUTERS

In most of these cases, those wanting to illegally settle in the US pay anywhere between Rs 30-70 lakhs per person to human traffickers who promise them to take to the country.

They then travel to Canada or Mexico on the pretext of vacation and from there often join migrant caravans from Central America heading to the US border.

Some also set out on their own, in small batches, walking for days or even weeks through the punishing winter cold to reach the US border.

REUTERS

Unfortunately many don't make it and horror stories of illegal immigrants from India freezing to death, drowning and falling from the border wall have all emerged in recent years.

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A Romanian flight that was grounded in France for four days over suspicion of human trafficking has landed in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Out of the 303 Indian nationals who were scheduled to fly to Nicaragua from Dubai on a Legend Airlines flight, 276 passengers returned to India.

AP

25 passengers seek asylum

While two of the people on board were destined by the French authorities in connection with human trafficking, some 25 others had refused to fly back to India and have sought asylum in France.

The passengers grounded in France had included a 21-month-old child and several unaccompanied minors.

The aircraft, an Airbus A340, landed in Mumbai shortly after 4 am, the official said. It had taken off from Vatry airport near Paris around 2.30 pm local time.

AFP

On arrival in Mumbai, they were questioned by immigration officials.



Technical stop that foiled trafficking plans

The flight, which was operated by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines and bound for Nicaragua, had landed at Vatry on Thursday for a technical stopover en route from Dubai when French police intervened on suspicion of human trafficking.

After questioning the passengers for two days, French prosecutors on Sunday gave the go-ahead for the plane to leave.

AP

French authorities launched a judicial investigation into the conditions and purpose of the trip, with a unit specialising in organised crime investigating suspected human trafficking. Nicaragua has become a popular destination for those seeking asylum in the US.

What Legend Airlines said

The two people who were initially detained were released Monday after appearing before a judge, and they have been named as assisted witnesses'' in the case, a special status under French law that allows time for further investigation and could lead to eventual charges or to the case being dropped.

According to Legend Airlines, which operates just four flights, the chartered aircraft that was detained in France was booked by a client, who was also responsible for verifying the details of the passengers.

AP

Nicaragua, the new entry point for US

While the exact details of the flight are still unknown, it is widely assumed that the passengers were flying to Nicaragua in Central America with the aim of entering the US illegally.

Flights to Nicaragua or third countries where obtaining travel documents is easy have come to be known as 'dunki' flights.

The use of charter flights to aid migrants in getting to their dream destination "is a relatively new phenomenon," Manuel Orozco, director of migration issues at the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue, told AFP.

For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
Nature provides a celestial display as the year comes to an end to commemorate the magnificent conclusion of 2023. The last full moon of the year, this lunar eventalso referred to as the Long Night Moonhas a unique charm.

This guide will provide you with all the information you need, whether you're a novice or an experienced stargazer, to see the Moon in all its splendour.

Credit: Canva





What Is A Cold Moon?

According to CNN, Native Americans first used the term "Cold Moon" to describe the lower temperatures that are often associated with December in the Northern Hemisphere. Other names for it include the Snow Moon, the Winter Maker Moon, and even the Moon of the Antler Shedding. This time of year is when many deer species start to shed their antlers, which explains the last word. Every year, the antlers often get longer.

Credit: Canva

The longer duration of the Cold Moon provides extended viewing chances over the long winter hours. The Old Farmer's Almanac states that the winter solstice Moon "takes the highest path along the sky and is above the horizon for longer than any Moon - hence, it's the longest night."

When Will It Appear?

The Cold Moon, the 13th and last full moon of 2023, will reach its zenith on December 26, the day after Christmas. CNN reports that the event will take place across at least three nights rather than just one. The moon will remain brilliant until December 27, having risen on Monday.

According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the Earth's satellite will be at its greatest fullness at 7:33 p.m. on Tuesday (about 6 a.m. IST on Wednesday), the site added.

When Is The Next Full Moon?

Credit: Canva

The first of 12 full moons in 2024, dubbed the Wolf Moon after howling wolves, the next full moon will fall on January 25, 2024.

How Can You Watch?

Choose a location that allows you to have unhindered views of the horizon if you want to catch the Cold Moon up close. The Betelgeuse in Orion and the Capella in Auriga are the two bright stars between which you will find the Cold Moon gleaming.

The Cold Moon is a perfect chance to put new binoculars or a beginning telescope to the test during its three consecutive nighttime rises from December 25 to December 27 if you are a moon gazer.

What do you think about it? Do let us know in the comments.



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Within the field of education, where the traditional route necessitates years of study and commitment, some anomalies challenge the status quo.

A young genius who completed schools 8 through 12 in a scant nine months, becoming the youngest engineer in the process.

This is an inspiring tale of intelligence, tenacity, and a steadfast dedication to academic success.

Who Is This Boy?

Credit: DNA

While other 16-year-olds are still making their way through high school halls, Gujarat's youngest engineering graduate, Nirbhay Thacker, stands out.

What Is His Journey?

When Nirbhay started his fast-track education in the eighth grade, he showed great potential.

He finished the curriculum for grades eight through ten in six months and for grades eleven through twelve in just three months.

Under the International General Certificate of Secondary Schooling (IGCSE) programme run by Cambridge International Examinations, he received his schooling.

Nirbhay's ascent to prominence persisted. He had already obtained his High School Certificate (HSC) at the age of 13.

He became Gujarat's youngest engineer at the age of 15, demonstrating his unmatched commitment and intelligence.

His climb continued at a rapid pace. Nirbhay decided to enrol in the four-year B.Tech. degree.

He finished it in October, after an incredible one-year period.

Credit: TOI

Moreover, he had taken the Joint Entrance Examination (Main), demonstrating his academic prowess with a score of 75 out of 360.

In 2018, Gujarat Technological University (GTU) awarded him an engineering degree at the age of fifteen.

Nirbhay has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. In the next three to four years, he hopes to obtain ten engineering degrees, an astonishingly bold and exciting mission.

With his parents' unwavering supporta doctor for a mother and an engineer for a fatherNirbhay's special case was approved by the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the Admission Committee for Professional Courses (ACPC).

His parents are the epitome of success in their respective fields.

A 15 years old #Teen wonder Nirbhay Thacker completes #engineering degree, to get degree certificate from #Gujarat Technological University on January 12. The youngest #engineer? Reports my colleague @harrytaMirror #education pic.twitter.com/RMQajDPmsB  Niyati Rana (@NiyatiMIRROR) January 10, 2018

This made it possible for him to be admitted to the SAL College of Engineering, where he carried on with his extraordinary trip mapping out.



Nirbhay looks forward and continues to be unwavering in his quest for knowledge.

A prestigious IIT school has already extended him a strong offer for a PhD programme, along with money.

His long-term goal is to show his everlasting dedication to promoting science and technology for the greater good by establishing a state-of-the-art research centre in India specifically for the defence industry.

Where Is This Boy From?

Credit: DNA

At the age of 15, Nirbhay Thacker made history as Gujarat's youngest engineer.

The Bhuj native was born in 2002.

After finishing his full Bachelor of Engineering (BE) programme in less than a year, he became the talk of the town.

What do you think about it? Do let us know in the comments.

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A 6-year-old child flying alone for the first time to see his grandmother in Florida was placed on the wrong Spirit Airlines aircraft.

When did this incident occur?

Unsplash

On Thursday, the child was scheduled to fly from Philadelphia International Airport to Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers. The child was, however, ''incorrectly boarded'' on a flight to Orlando, which was four hours away from his original destination.



What did the family say?

Maria Ramos, the child's grandmother, told Wink News about her trauma, saying she became concerned when her grandson did not board the plane in Fort Myers.

''They told me he wasn't on this flight. He was late for his flight.' 'No, he couldn't miss his flight since I have the check-in tag,' I said. 'Where's my grandson?' I asked the flight attendant as I dashed into the plane. He was given to you in Philadelphia?'

'No, I had no kids with me,' she replied.

Where did the child land safely?

Unsplash

Later, the child called to say he had safely landed in Orlando. His luggage arrived safely in Fort Myers as scheduled. Ramos then drove four hours to pick up the six-year-old, describing the incident as one of the most horrific events of her life. Spirit Airlines offered to pay Ramos for the trip.

How did the airline react?

Spirit Airlines apologised to the family in an emailed message to CNN.

"The child was always under the care and supervision of a Spirit Team member, and as soon as we discovered the error, we took immediate steps to communicate with the family and reconnect them," the company stated in a statement provided to CNN.

The message did not explain how the error occurred, but a spokeswoman stated that an internal review was underway.

What do you think about this? Tell us in the comments.



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A situation that resembled the well-known scene from the recently released Telugu film "Balagam" actually led to the cancellation of a wedding between the bride and groom's families.

The wedding was called off in the movie scene due to a fight between the bride's younger brother and the groom about bone marrow in mutton.

What happened in Telangana recently?

Generated On DALL.E

An engagement was recently held at the bride's home. The bride's family, who was from the Nizamabad district, and the groom's, who was from the Jagtial district, had decided on the wedding.

Both families decided to have a traditional and opulent wedding, and the bride's family then planned non-vegetarian dinners for the groom's family and relatives.

Why did the baratis get upset?

File

While everything was proceeding as planned, one of the visitors abruptly brought up the fact that the non-vegetarian meal did not include any mutton bone marrow.

The hosts responded by clarifying that they had not added bone marrow to the plates, which ultimately resulted in an argument between the two groups.

The matter quickly came to the attention of the local police department, whose representatives made an effort to persuade the groom's side of the bone marrow controversy.

They disagreed, though, saying that the bride's family had wronged them by leaving out bone marrow from the non-vegetarian meals.

The bride's family also contended that the absence of bone marrow in the meals was a result of their lack of prior knowledge of it.

How did the fiasco end?

When the wedding was finally called off due to the problem, both parties returned to their own locations, much to the amazement of the locals and the police.

What do you think about this? Tell us in the comments.



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Politician and Veteran Nollywood actor, Desmond Elliot has written a touching note for his wife as they enjoy stunning photoshoots to commemorate their 20th wedding anniversary.

The retired actor took to his social media page to shower encomium on his wife for being the best life partner.

He praised her for being his safe space and a shoulder to cry on during his toughest times.

Expressing his undying love for her, he thanked her for always tolerating his strong headedness.

READ MORE: I Am Getting A Bigger House In 2024  Rudeboy

He wrote:

20 years gone by and I love you more and more each passing day

We have been through the mills, tough times and pains

We are going through happy feeling , experiences and thrills

Whats most heartwarming is , we are doing it TOGETHER

Thank you for putting up with this occasionally strong headed person

Thank you being a shoulder to cry on, lie on and sleep on

Thank you for being my partner, my friend ,my WIFE

Thank you for being BABAMAI

I love(d)you then

I love you now

I love you tomorrow

Yours

Dezinbong

See his post below:
Rampaging gunmen on Sunday unleashed terror at Nkweagu in Abakaliki Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, leaving trails of death and sorrow.

The gunmen invaded Immaculate Conception Catholic Church at about 11:30 pm, killing three in the Christmas eve tragedy.

According to reports, they called one of the victims, a popular Point of Sale operator at Nkwuagu market, on the phone to come out from the church.

As soon as he stepped out, they shot and killed him.

The killings of the three victims had tossed the whole community into mourning and despair, and paralyzed economic activities, especially on Christmas Day, at the popular Nkwuagu market located along the Abakaliki/Afikpo express road.

READ ALSO: Assailants Attack, Kill 14 Villagers On Christmas Eve In Plateau

Investigation revealed that the killings of these three worshippers at the Church may be connected with cult-related clashes between rival groups at Nkwuagu community.

The police in the state have not issued a statement on the matter.

In a swift reaction, the Catholic Bishop of Abakaliki Diocese, Most Rev. Peter Nworie, strongly condemned the gruesome murder of the three worshippers.

Nworie described the incident as sad and disheartening, adding that the suspected killers invaded the church while a priest was celebrating a vigil mass service and killed and injured many others.

This is the first time such an incident has happened in the church and in Ebonyi State in general, the bishop noted.

Information Nigeria understands that, a student, was recently killed at Nkwuagu community as a result of cult clashes, and now, three more people, making it four.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- On December 25, ZEEKR, Geely's premium new energy vehicle brand, revealed the extension of its highway NZP (Navigation ZEEKR Pilot) driving assistant system to encompass the cities of Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan, and Zhuhai in Guangzhou Province, ensuring continued coverage across the Pearl River Delta region.



Photo credit: ZEEKR

Additionally, the company announced that customers who pre-order the ZEEKR 001 or 009 models before December 31 will enjoy a complimentary 12-month usage of the ZEEKR NZP.

The highway NZP by ZEEKR operates on an HD map-based driving assistance system, facilitating automatic on and off-ramp navigation, cruising, lane changes, and interchange transitions on highways and urban expressways, reducing drivers fatigue during long-distance travel. This functionality will gradually be activated through remote software upgrades.

Photo credit: ZEEKR

This system excels in recognizing traffic light information and offers seven core functions, including active lane changing, navigation-based lane changing, automatic ramp passage, correct route selection, intelligent detours through construction zones, turn signal-based lane changes, and simulated environment display.

Both the ZEEKR 001 and the ZEEKR 009 models support the highway NZP functionality. Notably, the ZEEKR 001 model is equipped with the SuperVision system, incorporating two 7nm Mobileye EyeQ5H chips, seven 8-megapixel high-definition cameras, 12 ultrasonic radars, and one millimeter-wave radar, extending the vehicle's detection range to 600 meters, providing robust hardware support for the high-speed NZP.

Earlier this month, ZEEKR expanded its NZP system coverage to Wuxi, Suzhou, Changzhou, Nanjing, and Zhenjiang cities, connecting the Yangtze River Delta region.

The company has set a plan to launch the highway NZP function in 17 cities by the end of the year. Presently, the function has been activated in 17 cities, meeting this targeted expansion.
Daniel Bwala, chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has opined that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not the leader that will change Nigerias fortune.

According to him, Tinubu might end up like his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, adding that they both have nothing to offer.

He noted that this was exactly how Nigerians were told to be patient for eight years while the Buhari administration was busy doing very little or nothing at all.

Bwala said that Tinubu has already spent 31.8 percent of his first term in office and has only succeeded in inflicting more pain and sufferings on Nigerians during this period.

He said the President would not achieve anything even if given thirty years, adding that the 2024 appropriation bill and budget did not inspire confidence.

READ ALSO: Nigeria Safe With Tinubu As President  Akpabio

When people talk about being patient and waiting, you have to look at the time frame the public officer is expected to execute the work, Bwala, who was the spokesperson of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council for the 2023 elections, said on Channels TV on Monday.

The President has just been voted into a term of four years. He is eight months into the term which constitutes 31.8 percent of the total time that he has.

He has less than 70 percent time in government, when is that going to happen? When President Buhari took over in 2015 it was the same language and we patiently followed and he finished the first term and finished the second term.

When there is a fundamental problem with policy, time is irrelevant, 30 years it will not work. Most of the economists Ive listened to have faulted the Presidents budget with which he was supposed to deliver the agenda flat-out.

We want to see deliverables. Nigerians are tired of English, Mathematics, Economics, Science, and Technology. We want to see practical things, he added.
Nigerian actress, Anita Joseph has advised her friend alongside many other Nigerian ladies that calling your man before visiting his house indicates youre alone in the relationship.

She disclosed this to the public on her Instagram page, explaining how her friend got dumped because she neglected to call before visiting.

The friend was violating his privacy, in the ex-boyfriends opinion, and he could not stand it, so he called it quits.

However, Anita Joseph belongs to a different school of thought and believes it is quite alright to not call before visiting a man youre in a relationship with.

Infact she believes that if you have to call, then the relationship is not genuine.

READ MORE: Emeka Ikes Ex-Wife Started Fight, Slapped Him Twice  Former Personal Assistant

In her words;

So someone told me today 

That her boyfriend broke up with her because ,she didnt call him before coming to his house according to him dont invade my privacy eweee inukwa  taaaa



She said whats my Advice 

Onu m adiro kwa mma 

I told her the truth,if you have to call your man every time you need to go to his house ,then youre dating yourself Shallom 

Use your tongue and count your teeth Shallom 

Like how ina apu al* 



Biko merry Christmas 

See post below
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged Nigerians not to allow the hardship brought upon the nation by the policies of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration, prevent them from celebrating Christmas.

The PDP claimed in a Christmas greeting that the policies of the APC, with their misguided melodies, have wrecked the nations economy and social life, and that as a result, poor families are struggling to afford even the simplest joys.

Party spokesman, Debo Ologunagba in a Monday statement, compared the holiday season to singing off-key for many Nigerians as a result of increased fuel prices, a declining value of the countrys currency, and job losses.

Plundering national resources like scrooge hoarding gold, he said, the APC skewed the budget to cater to the extravagant tastes of APC elites, leaving the populace to suffer as a result.

He further charged citizens to continue to be their brothers keepers, especially at this trying time.

The statement added: Our Party is grieved that while families in other climes and nations are celebrating with joy, Nigerians are observing Christmas in hunger and misery because of the anti-people policies of the APC administration.

Instead of caring for Nigerians, the APC administration continues to allow the mindless plundering and diversion of our national resources to fund the luxury appetite of APC leaders while other Nigerians suffer excruciating hardship.

READ ALSO: My Visit To Tinubu An Embarrassing One; He Ignored My Advice On Running For Office  Wole Soyinka

Is it not heartless that instead of taking steps to revamp the economy, the APC administration deliberately caused an increase in the pump price of fuel from N167 to over N700 per liter; devalued the Naira to trigger high costs and crippled the productive sector with attendant job losses in their quest to weaponize poverty and suppress Nigerians to surrender to totalitarianism?

This explains why the N27.5 trillion 2024 budget is completely devoid of concrete mechanisms to address the comatose manufacturing and productive sectors, human capital development and depleting life expectancy of Nigeria citizens but heavily skewed to provide for the luxury appetite of APC leaders and their cronies.

Our Party again charges the National Assembly to be on the side of the people by cutting all provisions for luxury items in the budget and channel such funds to sectors that have direct bearing to the wellbeing of Nigerians.

The PDP encourages Nigerians not to succumb to despondency but use the occasion and essence of Christmas to offer prayers as well as renew their hope and trust in the Divine intervention of God in the affairs of our nation.

Despite these challenges, the PDP felicitates with Nigerians and wishes them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ahead.
Eastbound traffic on Route 70 in Cherry Hill at I-295 just east of the Barclay Farms Shopping Center on Dec. 20. Nine miles of Route 70 are in the midst of a $153 million reconstruction project. Read more

The N.J. Department of Transportations Route 70 corridor safety and improvement project is a $153 million top-to-bottom rebuild of a nearly nine-mile stretch of four- and six-lane highway between Pennsauken and Marlton. The daily traffic count for Route 70 in Cherry Hill is about 80,500 vehicles, according to the department.

The long, flat, and in places, slow stretch of the highway through Cherry Hill is chockablock with retail businesses, restaurants, office buildings, medical centers, convenience stores, and car dealerships.

Its both a Main Street and a main drag for a dozen or so densely populated neighborhoods immediately north or south of the highway, such as Erlton, Barclay, and Kingston.

Often these days, traffic slows to a crawl, and residents, business owners and people passing through encounter lane shifts, detours, and street closures.

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Among those frustrated is township council president and Mayor-elect Dave Fleisher.

Im disappointed in the level of communication coming from the DOT, said Fleisher, who will be sworn in Jan. 2. Its unacceptable for a small-business owner to wake up with their entrance blocked. Its difficult for residents to navigate the changing traffic patterns, especially when the patterns are changed without notice.

The DOT aims to keep travel lanes open and maintain access to businesses and residential areas despite multiple worksites and the multitude of tasks involved. These include fully excavating and rebuilding some sections, installing 14,500 feet of new water mains and 18,000 feet of new gas mains, as well as upgrading signals, signage, and other infrastructure at 27 major intersections, said Steven Schapiro, the departments press manager. The project is expected to be completed in early 2027.

Regardless of the construction-related challenges, Elias Bitar is confident his customers will find a way to Normas.

His familys Eastern Mediterranean restaurant and market in the Barclay Farms Shopping Center opened in 1992. Since 2021, when the state began rebuilding Route 70 in the township, weve been fortunate not to have problems getting our guests in the door, Bitar said.

In a statement, the DOT described the Route 70 project as a priority for the department. We have been responsive on any issues brought to our attention and will continue to do so.

We have had meetings with town officials and residents when they requested them, and we are committed to continued communication with Mayor-elect Fleisher. These meetings are in addition to the public information session held before the project began, numerous local official briefings, and the news conference we held last year with the local officials.

Too many surprises

Theres a joke going around Barclay about what lanes will we be driving on today?  said Eliza Babcock, a Realtor at KW Cherry Hill who lives in the neighborhood. People understand theres been deferred maintenance, and that there are infrastructure needs.

But it feels like the DOT forgot that people drive on Route 70. It feels like this project gave no consideration to residents or commuters, said Babcock, adding that a recent mile-long drive from Barclay to Erlton for her daughters music lesson took 25 minutes.

Anne Einhorn has long been active in the Greater Kingston Civic Association, which provides a voice to residents of the Kingston Estates neighborhood across Route 70 from Barclay.

Getting into and out of Kingston and getting through Kingston itself has become a debacle. You never know what roads are going to be closed off, Einhorn said, speaking for herself and not the association.

Its such a disruption of everyday life, she said. They [DOT] need to let us know about alternate routes. But in defense of the DOT, so many people are driving too fast. They need to slow down!

Yolanda Lorenz, a retired therapist, longtime Kingston resident, and advocate for pedestrian and cyclist safety, said: Kingston and Barclay are sister communities, and many of us would like to use the crosswalk on 70 to go over to Barclay, but we avoid it at all costs. You know how fast people drive these days.

No more parking

In the Erlton neighborhoods on both sides of 70 between Haddonfield Road and Kings Highway, homes, businesses and offices are close to one another and to traffic.

Kevin King is the owner of Framers Workroom, one in a row of stores on the westbound side.

I live in Fishtown, and I survived the I-95 construction, he said. I survived the recession, and COVID, but this Route 70 project is going to be tough.

King said he was going to lose the parking in front of his store. No more parking for customers, or deliveries, except around the corner. A solution would be the parking lot at the closed bank, but its not available.

The project is behind schedule, due mainly to discovery of a culvert beneath a portion of Route 70 where no culvert was known to exist, which required more construction related to a nearby gas main installation. Additional work also was needed to address what the DOT described as unknown underground utilities that were in the way.

To mitigate delays, we have multiple crews working simultaneously through the winter, Schapiro said.

Trees will be replanted

Other residents and business owners were concerned about the projects landscaping: Some 316 trees have been or will be removed.

The N.J. Department of Environmental Protection has approved a DOT reforestation plan to replant 236 trees. That plan also includes $24,000 that will be made available to Cherry Hill for planting trees elsewhere in the community to compensate for those not replanted within the project limits.

At Normas, Bitar saw a bright side.

We are a business thats a destination, he said. But maybe the traffic slowdown near us on 70 will give someone whos never noticed us before an opportunity to notice us.
Philadelphia English teacher Jeanette Jimenez and Cherelle Parker, mayor-elect of Philadelphia, in 1990. Jimenez taught Parker at the Philadelphia School District's innovative Parkway program, and the two forged a bond for life. Read more

When Cherelle Parker stood outside her Mount Airy polling place on Election Day, speaking emotionally about how she rose to the brink of becoming Philadelphias 100th mayor, she shouted out the village that got her there: her single, teenage mother, her political godmothers.

And Jeanette Jimenez, her high school English teacher.

She was the one who told me that my life was a real live textbook case study on how you turn pain into power, and she told me to write about it, Parker said. That encouragement from her teacher helped Parker  who endured poverty and trauma during her childhood in West Oak Lane  win a citywide oratorical competition and start down a path that would culminate in her being elected the citys first female mayor.

A reflection in Black literature

Stuffed in a corner of a jam-packed room on the second floor of Jimenezs Bella Vista home is a time capsule of Parkers high school years.

Heres a poem the future mayor handwrote on now-yellowing loose-leaf paper, I Dream a World. Here are photographs. Theres the 1990 Parkway yearbook, in which Parker proclaims in the quote next to her photo that she wants to help Black men and women of the future to unite and remember one nation under the groove.

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Theres Cherelle with her big gold earrings, Jimenez said. That was the style back then.

She first met Parker in the late 1980s at the Parkway program, an innovative Philadelphia School District high school model with campuses spread around the city.

Jimenez, Inquirer columnist Steve Lopez wrote in 1990, believes there is a creative way to reach every student, no matter how poor the performance, how bad the attitude, how difficult the home life. Every young person wants to learn, Jimenez believed, then and now.

At first, Parker  whose mother died when she was 13, whose father was not a presence in her life, who was raised by her grandparents  was skeptical of Jimenez, who had a reputation for giving a lot of homework, and making students read a lot of books. At Parkway, students could choose which classes they took, and Parker shied away from Jimenez.

Parker was spunky, a standout in pink jumpsuits and long fingernails, Jimenez remembers. And, eventually, Parker was curious enough about what was happening in Jimenezs classroom to find out more. Kids in Jimenezs classes took so many trips to libraries and plays and elsewhere that Jimenez kept a permanent stash of tokens for their ventures.

We acted out all the plays before we went, Jimenez remembers. The kids loved the opera more than the prom.

It felt as if there were sunshine coming out of Jimenezs room, Parker told the Daily News in 1990, and eventually, she wanted to walk toward the light.

Jimenez had a vast classroom library. Parker began to dig in.

I never said, You cant do that, you have to read Shakespeare, Jimenez said.

Jimenez had Shakespeare available, but she also had works by Langston Hughes and Toni Morrison and Sonia Sanchez. Although the district had banned The Color Purple at one point, Jimenez put into kids hands books in which they saw themselves.

It was For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow is Enuf, by Ntozake Shange, that sparked a love of literature, of Black authors, Parker told The Inquirer in 1990.

She saw herself as the protagonist in those books. Its what made her think she could do this, said Jimenez, referring to Parkers rise to power.

She made Connie Clayton cry

Parker had a loving family who did the best they could with limited resources, but her life was complicated, Jimenez said.

She had a grandfather who was very sick that she took care of, said Jimenez. She needed somewhere else to go, physically and emotionally and mentally.

She found that, partly, in literature and in Jimenez.

She calls me her white mother, said Jimenez, who is still vigorous, voraciously intellectual and amusing at 81.

Parker set her sights on the Philadelphia School Districts Black History Oratorical Contest.

Her first speech was decent, Jimenez said, but it wasnt good enough for me to put in the contest.

Parker was furious. I said no, and she didnt take the no. She said, Im getting there, Jimenez said.

That no made Parker buckle down to write a speech that not only won the 1990 citywide competition, but also made then-Superintendent Constance E. Clayton weep.

Parker called it Native Daughter, a play on Richard Wrights Native Son, and wrote about how Black literature inspired her to rise above her difficult life circumstances.

I, Cherelle Parker, was a child that most people thought would never succeed, a teenaged Parker wrote. You know? They almost had me thinking the same thing.

She won $1,000 and a trip to Senegal, but she also won something more: the attention of powerful adults, including City Councilmembers Augusta Clark and Marian Tasco, both of whom eventually nourished her the way Jimenez did.

Parker initially hadnt given much thought to college, but Jimenez and others encouraged her. Jimenez even took Parker on a visit to Lincoln University to make sure she gained admission.

I wasnt chancing it, with kids, you never know if they are going to follow through, said Jimenez. We just sat at Lincoln because I thought they were the ones that would take her fastest.

Know your audience

Jimenez grew up in South Philadelphia, raised by her Russian immigrant father, a photographer and architect. She graduated from Little Flower High School and Temple University, where fellow student Bill Cosby would practice jokes at Mitten Hall.

She thought she knew some things about teaching when she began working in Philadelphia, at Barratt Junior High in South Philadelphia. She was a white teacher teaching the Edgar Allen Poe poem Annabel Lee, describing a beautiful woman to her Black students as blond-haired and blue-eyed.

Her teacher colleague Lenore Johnson enlightened her.

She said, Have you looked at your audience? There was no course that taught you, know your audience, Jimenez said.

It was a mistake she did not repeat. Throughout her career, at Barratt, and at Parkway, and at Bartram High, Jimenez responded to student interests, teaching about writing and literature and life in ways that kids responded to. Sometimes, that meant using rap to reach students. Sometimes, that meant stopping mid-lesson to ask her students whether they were bored, and course correcting if they were.

Retired from teaching nearly 25 years, Jimenez is still keenly interested in teaching and learning. Shes trying to pick up Russian, and she thinks its vital to discuss matters of race and institutional racism, and she worries about how social media is distorting peoples world views. She thinks small class sizes are necessary, and knows that if she were still teaching, shed be using the recent Barbie movie as a tool to explore contemporary issues.

Jimenez treasures mementos from Parkers years as her student, but its not just relics of the mayor-elect that she keeps. There are the writings of a student who went on to become a college professor, the young woman Jimenez helped realize her dream of becoming a welder  now shes a SEPTA supervisor.

What Im proud of is those people that I had that became their own true selves, said Jimenez.

She counts Parker in that category.

My hope is that Cherelle will run the city as I run my classroom, said Jimenez.

Jimenez is confident that Parker picked up the most important lessons she instilled in all her students: Everyone can learn. Know your audience. Find ways to inspire them. Value peoples authentic voices. Work hard.

She has a great soul, a good brain, and the sense to surround herself with good people, Jimenez said.
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Philadelphias Chief Medical Examiner Constance DiAngelo announced her resignation Dec. 14, departing from the office that oversees death investigations after just over a year.

DiAngelo was hired in 2022 in the wake of scandal: The revelation that the office had kept for decades the remains of victims from the 1985 bombing of the Black liberation and activist group MOVE. The remains languished for more than three decades before their discovery in a cardboard box on a shelf in a storage room.

An independent report subsequently outlined serious missteps made by the medical examiners office in the immediate aftermath of the bombing. It also found that systemic issues still plagued the office. DiAngelo had vowed to revamp the office, saying in October 2022 that she would never do the things that happened 35 years ago.

Here we look at key changes recommended in the city-commissioned report, prepared by the law firm Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhodes LLP, and what was accomplished during DiAngelos short tenure. City officials declined to comment on why DiAngelo resigned.

Whats been accomplished?

Reclassifying the manner of death for MOVE victims: The report found that all of the deaths of the MOVE bombing victims had been classified as accidents. The decision was widely criticized, given how 11 people, including five children, were killed after police dropped explosives on their fortified house in West Philly during a standoff. Authorities then let the subsequent fire burn. The bombing and ensuing blaze also destroyed dozens of homes in the neighborhood.

The reports authors recommended reclassifying the bombing victims deaths as homicides, because the acts that led to their deaths were all intentional and aimed at the occupants of the house. The office has since done so, said James Garrow, a spokesperson for the city health department, which oversees the medical examiners office.

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Searching for a reform-minded leader: The report authors urged reform-minded new leadership at the department, saying the office should hire someone with character and courage who could remain impartial and stand up to political pressure. Garrow said the department has adopted this hiring policy and that those characteristics will be priorities as the office searches for a new medical examiner.

Improving recordkeeping: The office has also developed a computerized tracking system to keep better records, Garrow said, in order to avoid confusion around the chain of custody of remains as happened in the MOVE case.

Whats in progress?

Prioritizing homicide investigations: The office has new funding to hire staff for more on-the-scene investigations in homicide cases. The report found that other cities send medical examiner office investigators to the scene of every homicide. This helps to keep cause-of-death investigations separate from law enforcement. Philadelphia office has not done so in recent years because of insufficient staffing, the report found.

Improving communication with families: The office had no formal policies on how to communicate with families during death investigations, and the report recommended developing standards on what information should be shared with family members, when it should be shared, and general principles that should govern the interactions.

Earlier this month, the mother of a deceased 16-year-old girl sued the office for allegedly cremating the girls remains without telling her family. The office has declined to comment on this case, but Garrow said the office is in the process of developing a policy around communicating with families.

Handling remains kept for investigation: The report recommended that the office should be transparent with family members when it keeps or disposes of bones and other tissue specimens during death investigations  an issue at the center of the controversy over the offices handling of the MOVE remains.

Medical examiner office staff are meeting with funeral directors from various religious traditions to learn how to speak sensitively with families about their loved ones remains, and whether the office will keep human specimens, Garrow said. Until the policies are formalized, the office will not destroy remains retained at the office for ongoing investigations.

Further trainings for staff: Garrow said the office is also working to provide its employees with cultural diversity and sensitivity trainings.

Pursuing accreditation for the office: Philadelphia is the only one of the countrys 10 largest cities without an accredited medical examiners office. When she was hired, DiAngelo said she planned to stay in Philadelphia at least for the three to five years that it takes to get recognized for meeting professional standards asset by a national oversight group like the National Association of Medical Examiners. Garrow said the process is ongoing.

What hasnt been completed?

Preparing for mass fatality incidents: The report recommended that the office update its plan for responding to mass fatality incidents and hold trainings to ensure staff are familiar with the plan. That hasnt happened yet, Garrow said, without saying why.
The Wistar Institute is planning to open a new Center for Advanced Therapeutics that will bring together its expertise in vaccines and cancer. Above, a University of Pennsylvania Penn graduate student conducts analysis of different versions of the coronavirus vaccine in 2020. Read more

The Wistar Institute, a National Cancer Institute-designated research center in Philadelphia, plans to open a new research hub to explore how vaccines may be used to treat and prevent cancer.

The new Center for Advanced Therapeutics, backed by a $20 million anonymous donation, will combine Wistars specialization in early-stage research in treating cancer and developing vaccines. With the new center, Wistar seeks to position itself as a research partner for pharmaceutical companies.

Such partnerships would enable Wistar to play an important role in advancing the future of cancer care, which is increasingly zeroing in on highly personalized treatments and vaccines, said Dario C. Altieri, Wistars CEO.

Weve hit a crossroads, Altieri said of progress in the field of cancer research. Weve made great advances  people live longer, they live healthier  but still, there is a lot to be done.

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Founded in 1892 as the nations first independent biomedical research institution, Wistar is not part of a health system or university, which means it must partner with outside organizations to continue its research beyond early-stage discovery.

Wistar already works closely with University of Pennsylvanias Abramson Cancer Center and Fox Chase Cancer Center.

Partnerships with drug companies would enable Wistar to be more involved in developing new therapies for cancer and other diseases, and could diversify funding sources for the nonprofit, which is primarily supported by federal research grants.

The center will be housed within Wistars Spruce Street property. The nonprofit is planning a $5-to-8 million renovation to convert 12,000 square feet of administrative space left vacant after the COVID-19 pandemic into wet labs designed for analyzing biological matter, and testing chemicals and drugs.

The renovation will include specialty rooms for radioactive materials, tissue culture analysis, and advanced laboratory equipment. Wistar expects to begin renovations next year.

The institute plans to hire between eight and 10 researchers for the new center, plus a director.
Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel will become the city's managing director when Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker takes office next week. Read more

Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker on Tuesday announced that Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Adam K. Thiel will serve as her administrations managing director following her Jan. 2 inauguration.

Thiel has been the citys fire commissioner for almost all of outgoing Mayor Jim Kenneys tenure. From 2019 to 2022, he also served as the director of the citys Office of Emergency Management.

While serving in those dual roles, Thiel was part of the leadership team that oversaw the citys response to COVID-19 and the civil unrest following the 2020 police killing of George Floyd. He was also the face of the citys response to the January 2022 Fairmount rowhouse fire, which killed 12 people, including nine children, in one of the deadliest blazes in city history.

Parker emphasized Thiels extensive academic and professional credentials, noting that he  like Kevin Bethel, Parkers pick for police commissioner, who developed a national profile a school safety reformer  is viewed as an expert in his field.

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Adam has deep expertise in crisis leadership, risk management, organizational development, data science, and strategy, Parker said. We seem to be accumulating quite a few national experts to the Parker administration who also have great experience and roots in our city.

What does Phillys managing director do?

The managing director oversees city agencies, hiring top departmental officials and working hand in hand with the mayor. The appointee is essentially the citys chief operating officer. The city Home Rule Charter designed the office as a barrier between the mayors political appointees and the operating agencies, such as the Streets Department and the Department of Licenses and Inspections.

Unlike the chief of staff and deputy mayors, who serve at the pleasure of the mayor and can be fired for any reason, the mayor cannot fire the managing director without cause.

The managing director is likely to be particularly consequential in Parkers administration because she made improving city services a key part of her campaign, in which she promised to make Philly the safest, cleanest, greenest big city in the nation.

Is your trash picked up on time? Are the illegal trash dumps removed from your community? Are emergency responders responding to incidents in a timely manner? Parker said. All of these essential services of city government and others and involve the supervision of the managing directors office.

Thiel said that he was initially surprised when Parker reached out to him about the position and became interested after hearing her plans, including restoring a sense of lawfulness, cleaning up Kensington, and implementing city services that our residents, businesses, and visitors can see, feel, and touch with physical actions that make our lives better.

When the mayor-elect calls, you stop what youre doing, and you listen, Thiel said. I was energized by her leadership, her vision, and I am so honored to be able to take on this new challenge.

Thiel, 44, will replace Tumar Alexander, a City Hall veteran who has been Kenneys managing director since 2020. Alexander was previously the top deputy under his predecessor, Brian Abernathy, who resigned after protesters criticized his role in the citys response to the civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd.

What is Adam K. Thiels track record ?

When Thiel took over as fire commissioner in 2016, he inherited a department in turmoil. Response times were slowing, funding challenges were steep, and the department was reeling from the 2014 death of Joyce Craig, the first female firefighter to die in the line of duty. Following Thiels hire, officials with the firefighters union, Local 22 of the International Association of Firefighters, said they would have preferred Kenney tap an internal candidate.

But under Thiels leadership, firefighters said morale in the department improved. He fostered a better working relationship with the union, which last week inked a new one-year contract. With Thiel at the helm, the city reactivated seven fire companies that closed amid the recession, fulfilling one of Kenneys campaign promises.

In Philadelphia, the fire commissioner also leads the citys paramedics and EMTs, meaning Thiel has for eight years been part of the leadership team responding to various health crises, including the citys gun violence and opioid epidemics.

Prior to that, Thiel held a variety of roles with Virginias state government, including deputy secretary of public safety and homeland security.

He has bachelors degrees from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and from the University of Maryland University College. He has a graduate degree from George Mason University, and is currently pursuing a graduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania.

Thiel, who lives in Old City and has four adult children, grew up in Chicago. After working first for two fire stations in Durham, N.C., he served in Virginia as a lieutenant with the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department before becoming the state fire director.

For three years, he worked as a deputy in the Goodyear, Ariz., fire department, and then returned to Alexandria, where he did a seven-year stint as chief of that citys fire department.

His emergency operations experience includes responding to major disasters outside Washington, D.C., including 9/11.
On Tuesday, with the noon ceremonial lighting of an almost 11-foot tall kinara, Philadelphia made history.

It is the first time Kwanzaa was commemorated at City Hall. The ceremony featured remarks by Maisha Sullivan-Ongoza, leader of the team of artists who created the kinara, as well as a performance of Lift Every Voice and Sing also known as the Black national anthem.

We have been celebrating Kwanzaa here in Philadelphia for over 50 years, thanks to the great work of Mama Maisha and the Kwanzaa Cooperative, said Councilmember Kendra Brooks during a news conference earlier this month announcing that the kinara would join the Christmas tree and menorah as holiday symbols on the apron of City Hall.

How did Kwanzaa start?

Kwanzaa, which was created in 1966 by activist Maulana Ron Karenga, is based on harvest celebrations found throughout Africa. It is a celebration of African American culture and the Nguzo Saba, or seven principles. The kinara holds seven candles, signifying each of the seven days and seven principles of Kwanzaa. The black center candle signifies the first day and the first principle, Umoja or unity.

This year for the first time, with the help of Visit Philadelphia, Welcome America, and the Department of Parks and Recreation, we will be bringing Kwanzaa to the heart of our city with a beautiful kinara sculpture for all to enjoy, said Brooks.

 READ MORE: Philly will celebrate Kwanzaa with its first kinara

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For the African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP), Kwanzaa is the kickoff for its big four events of the year, said Morgan Lloyd, the museums programming coordinator. The other events are the MLK celebration, Black History Month, and Juneteenth.

For the last two years we have done seven days worth of [Kwanzaa] celebration, Lloyd said Tuesday, adding that the museums family-friendly programming attracts everyone from newborns to elders. From Dec. 26 through Jan. 1, the museum will host a daily event corresponding with the principle of the day.

Umoja (Unity)  Dec. 26

5 p.m.  A kickoff of storytelling, music, and the lighting of the kinara, and learning the Nguzo Saba, or seven principles. The principle of Umoja focuses on maintaining unity in the family, community, and nation.

Kujichagulia (Self-determination)  Dec. 27

2 p.m.  The AAMP will take over Reading Terminal to host Skillet and Skill Sets: A Soulful Journey, a cooking demonstration with chef Careda Matthews of Caredas Caribbean Cuisine. Kujichagulia means to define, create, and speak for oneself, as opposed to someone doing it for you.

Ujima (Collective work and responsibility)  Dec. 28

5 p.m.  An evening of music and dance performances with vocalist Shekhinah B. to celebrate Ujima (collective responsibility) and honor Black women. Ujima teaches the value of creating and building community together.

Ujamaa (Cooperative economics)  Dec. 29

5 p.m.  The focus on Ujamaa, the Kwanzaa principle for wealth, generosity, and economic self-reliance will take place at historic Franklin Square and include food trucks, 20 Black vendors, and a game of Kwanzaa-themed Quizzo.

Nia (Purpose)  Dec. 30

Noon  A storytelling and doll-making workshop, called What I was Made For: Reflection Our Best Selves. It celebrates the principle of Nia or purpose and encourages guests to think about the new year.

Kuumba (Creativity)  Dec. 31

1 p.m.  The sixth day of Kwanzaa celebrates the principle of Kuumba, which focuses on leaving our community better than we inherited it. The virtual program will feature the workshop Invincible to Identities: Crafting our Alter Egos, with Eric Battle, a comic book and graphic novel illustrator. The event was influenced by AAMPs current exhibition, Rising Sun: Artists in an Uncertain America.

Imani (Faith)  Jan. 1

1 p.m.  Kwanzaas celebration will end as we begin 2024 with the principle of Imani or faith. AAMP is hosting a virtual meditative and breathing workshop facilitated by Karen Taylor Bass of Soulful Yoga for participants to reset and reflect on the new year.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On December 14, Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor ("GWM") and the global multi-energy company TotalEnergies successfully hosted a Tech Day event at the Haval Technology Center in Baoding city, where GWM is headquartered, according to a post on GWM's press release.

Photo credit: GWM

The event centered around the themes of "Low Carbon," "Energy," and "Sustainability." The two parties delved into discussions on carbon neutrality and hybrid engine oil technology, and signed memoranda on "Carbon Neutrality Research Cooperation" and "Hybrid Engine Oil Technology Research Cooperation," aiming for more profound collaboration in carbon neutrality and new energy development.

To align with the tech day's theme, TotalEnergies offset the carbon footprint of the "2023 GWM & TotalEnergies Tech Day" by purchasing and deregistering the I-RECs (International Renewable Energy Certificates). This initiative achieved carbon neutrality for the event, with a verified carbon emissions of 9.848t CO2e, offsetting electricity consumption of 11.640MkWh and reducing carbon emissions of 9.848t CO2e.

Photo credit: GWM

GWM, with a target to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, has constructed the forest ecosystem guided by energy and intelligence. The company has established a parallel development framework for hybrid, pure electric, and hydrogen fuel technologies, deploying a comprehensive industry chain layout in areas such as intelligent driving, smart cabins, and intelligent chassis. This includes the creation of an industry-leading energy system combining "photovoltaics, distributed energy storage, and centralized energy storage" and a full value chain layout covering "solar energy - batteries - hydrogen energy - vehicle power."

TotalEnergies, centered on sustainable development and aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050, engages in projects and operations supporting this core mission. The collaboration between the two companies holds significant importance for the deep integration into the forest ecosystem deployment and low-carbon sustainable strategies.
At The Inquirer Opinion section, we specialize in arguments, essays, and election season endorsements that matter to Philadelphians. As 2023 comes to a close, here are the 10 opinions that most caught readers attention this year, measured by online page views in the Philadelphia metro area.

On Jan. 3, tow truck driver Dave Torres spotted a car pulled to the side of the road, the driver waving at passing motorists to ask for help. The driver was Latasha James, and she was giving birth. Torres used a shoestring from a sneaker found in a back seat to tie off the umbilical cord.

There are so many headlines out of Philadelphia about people being apathetic, callous, and unkind. It was wonderful to hear about a stranger who went out of his way to help a woman in need with no expectation of anything for himself, wrote columnist Jenice Armstrong. Thats the part of Philly that doesnt make the headlines or nightly news often enough.

In the mayoral primary election, The Inquirer Editorial Board was swayed by Rebecca Rhynharts experience, independence, vision, and temperament. (Cherelle Parker won the nomination and the eventual election.)

3. Why Im saying goodbye to Bruce Springsteen | Jeff Gammage

For 50 years, Inquirer reporter Jeff Gammage was a Bruce Springsteen fan, a relationship, he wrote, that save for my parents, has been the longest of my life. When news broke that Ticketmaster was charging fans up to $5,000 a seat to see the Boss on his 2023 tour, Gammage left the House of E Street and hasnt looked back.

Its odd that here, the first and last time I write about Bruce Springsteen, is to say goodbye, Gammage wrote. I dont know what Id say to him now. Maybe what hes told us in a thousand songs: No one can hurt you as much as someone you love.

4. Gas stoves should be banned in Philadelphia | Zakaria Hsain and Erin K. Reagan

Every day, Philadelphians are exposed to silent health hazards from gas stoves, boilers, and heaters. Gas appliances release dangerously high levels of pollutants, even when turned off. Many of these pollutants are toxic, carcinogenic, or associated with a higher risk of asthma and other respiratory diseases, particularly in children.

Read more from postdoctoral researcher Zakaria Hsain and doctoral candidate Erin K. Reagan at the University of Pennsylvania.

Earlier this year, Marcus Allen, the chief executive of Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence Region, withdrew five students from the Union Leagues annual Good Citizen program, which teaches civics and presents awards to high school students.

Allen cited concerns over the leagues honoring of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has banned the teaching of AP African American Studies and shipped unauthorized migrants out of his state to score political points, wrote columnist Jenice Armstrong. In bestowing upon DeSantis its highest honor, the league ignored the pleas of many of its own members and disrespected the citys Black population.

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Instead, leaders at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church asked the NAACP, local churches, and community residents to contribute to a fund that would provide each student with a $5,000 college scholarship.

In this interactive feature, Inquirer Opinion editor Alison McCook  a distant relative of one of the citys original flag designers  challenged readers to design a better flag for Philadelphia.

Philadelphia is a great city. So lets find a way to show we love it, by using the tool we created below to design something new and exciting that we can unite around, McCook wrote.

About 1,800 designs were submitted for The Inquirer-led contest. Catharine Pierce of Grays Ferry won, and her design was honored at a Flag Day event at the Betsy Ross House.

Ahead of this years election, The Inquirer Editorial Board vetted candidates in key races to help voters cast their ballots. The board thoroughly researched the candidates backgrounds and invited them for interviews over Zoom.

The board endorsed Cherelle Parker for mayor of Philadelphia; Brian J. ONeill for Philadelphia 10th Council District; Daniel D. McCaffery for justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court; Jamila Winder and Neil Makhija for Montgomery County Board of Commissioners; Diane Marseglia and Bob Harvie for Bucks County Board of Commissioners; Nina Ahmad, Rue Landau, Drew Murray, Katherine Gilmore Richardson, and Isaiah Thomas for Philadelphia City Council at-large; and Matt Wolf for judge of the Commonwealth Court.

In March, Mayor Jim Kenneys administration announced that it could not be sure if Philadelphias drinking water would be free of contaminants from a Bucks County chemical spill. Those who were able flocked to stores, where shelves instantly emptied of bottled water.

The citys failure to execute a proper emergency procedure has compromised our citizens safety and further eroded public trust, wrote Dena Ferrara Driscoll. Philadelphias next mayor must do a better job.

9. Banner ads at the beach are the worst part of the Jersey Shore | Alison McCook

The beach is a great equalizer, a place for everyone  young and old, no matter their race, creed, or political orientation  to disconnect from whats bothering them on land, look out at the horizon, and remember how beautiful the world can be, wrote Inquirer Opinion editor Alison McCook. All of that is interrupted by the nasal drone of an old crop duster telling me about a happy hour special at the local bar.

10. Journalism fails miserably at explaining what is really happening to America | Will Bunch

America is entering its most important, pivotal year since 1860, and the U.S. media is doing a terrible job explaining what is actually happening, wrote columnist Will Bunch.

We need to hear from more experts on authoritarian movements and fewer pollsters and political strategists. We need journalists wholl talk a lot less about whos up or down and a lot more about the stakes  including Trumps plans to dismantle the democratic norms that he calls the administrative state, to weaponize the criminal justice system, and to surrender the war against climate change  if the 45th president becomes the 47th. We need the media to see 2024 not as a traditional election, but as an effort to mobilize a mass movement that would undo democracy.
When the U.S. House of Representatives voted to kick out George Santos, it wasnt just voting on morals or crimes.

Some, like Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, were voting on grammar. Thats why, out of the monthslong ordeal that resulted in Santos expulsion, Raskin is the true American hero.

This time, Raskin, along with 310 of his colleagues, voted to expel Santos. But it was after the previous expulsion vote took place in November when Raskin proved his grammatical bona fides.

In that vote, Raskin voted not to kick Santos out because, despite the evidence, Raskin worried about the precedent it would set. After that vote, Santos sent a letter laden with grammatical and spelling mistakes to Raskin and the others who had sided with him. Raskin  in a delightful bit of trolling  copyedited and returned the letter to Santos.

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In a Congress thats on track to be the least productive of any American Congress since 1931, it was a rare moment of something  anything  happening.

I appreciate your note and only wish someone had proofread it first, Raskin scrawled on Santos letter, which screwed up principles vs. principals, left out a couple of words from one sentence, and used the wrong words in another sentence. Raskin caught all the errors and added, Meantime, you should apologize to the people of New York for all of your lies and deceit. I know you must have thought you could get away with it all in the party of Trump, but the truth is resilient. P.S. Its not shameful to resign.

And you thought your English teachers markups were bad.

Its not the first time Raskin  who, as former editor of the Harvard Law Review, knows about editing others work  has been a grammatical hero in Congress this year.

In February, Raskin excoriated his colleague Lauren Boebert for repeatedly using the word Democrat as an adjective, not a noun: I just wanted to educate our distinguished colleagues that Democrat is the noun. When you use it as an adjective, you say the Democratic member or the Democratic solution or the Democratic plan, he said on the House floor. It seems like its an act of incivility, as if every time we mentioned the other party, it just came out with a kind of political speech impediment, like, Oh, the Banana Republican Party.

Credit Raskin for pushing back against Boeberts very old grammatical trick. Raskin is correct; no reputable dictionary lists Democrat as an adjective.

If you think the difference between Democrat, used as an adjective, and Democratic is insignificant, why have language experts spent decades noting its ability to rankle? Across the 20th century, Republicans  depending on how petty they were feeling  went back and forth between using Democrat Party vs. Democratic Party in their platform and writings. In each documented debate, some liked that Democrat Party sounded so off-putting, but equivocated on whether that part of speech switcheroo was worth making. It was an ongoing battle between Lets deliberately make them sound worse vs. Call them what they want to be called.

But by the turn of the century, Democrat-as-adjective basically became part of the GOP platform. Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post observed in 2006, The derisive use of Democrat in this way was a Bush staple during the recent campaign.

And Donald Trump, ever a fan of saying the quiet part out loud, said in 2018, The Democratic Party sounds too good so I dont want to use that, OK? He added, I call it the Democrat Party. It sounds better rhetorically.

We can be thankful that Congress has members like Raskin who use grammar for good, not silly squabbling. As long as this Congress cant bother to pass laws, at least theyre learning something useful.

The Grammarian, otherwise known as Jeffrey Barg, looks at how language, grammar, and punctuation shape our world. Send comments, questions, and distributive adjectives to jeff@theangrygrammarian.com.
Floridians concerned about liability when sharing their automobiles with children or friends can relax a bit after the Florida Supreme Courts recent ruling on the states long-standing dangerous instrumentality doctrine. Its decision in Emerson v. Lambert, SC 2020-1311(Fla. Nov. 16, 2023), once again limits the doctrine.

Essentially, the doctrine was created to place financial responsibility on individuals who entrust the use of dangerous instrumentalities (i.e., automobiles) to others. In the real world, the doctrine often arises in cases where commercial companies allow their employees to use company vehicles and an accident occurs while the employee is entrusted with the vehicle. Courts have applied the doctrine in a myriad of other contexts in which another individual is operating a vehicle entrusted to him/her by the vehicles owner.

While the application of the doctrine is rather wide-reaching, various court decisions through the years have limited its application. For example, liability has been capped for short-term lessors and owners who are natural persons, as opposed to business entities. The doctrine has also eliminated vicarious liability for long-term automobile lessors and prohibits the imposition of vicarious liability on car rental companies.

In Emerson, a 21-year-old boy, was driving home when he hit a motorcyclist, causing life-altering injuries. The motorcyclist sued the boy and brought vicarious liability claims against his parents for his negligent use of the family vehicle. The motorcyclist claimed the boys father was vicariously liable as the vehicles titleholder, while his mother was vicariously liable as the bailee who allowed their son to drive the vehicle.

The jury found in favor of the motorcyclist and concluded the mother was a bailee who consented to her sons use of the vehicle. After considering fault apportionment, amongst other factors, the jurys verdict resulted in a net judgment of more than $18 million. The court reduced the fathers responsibility to $600,000, based on the statutory maximum allowed by Florida law for vehicle owners, but it still entered a final judgment against the son and mother for the full amount of the verdict.

On appeal, the Florida Supreme Court tackled the question of whether one family member who is a bailee of a car can be held vicariously liable when the vehicles acknowledged, titled owner is another family member who is also vicariously liable under the doctrine. The court found that the vehicles owner (the father) is vicariously liable to the motorcyclist for his injuries by statute and common law. However, in sharing his vehicle with his family members (the mother and son), the vehicles owner did not increase the number of people liable to the motorcyclist, and therefore, did not increase the amount of potential recovery under the doctrine.

The court acknowledged that in enacting the statutory maximum allowed for vehicle owners, the Florida Legislature had laid out protections for the vehicle owners as they are generally not directly at fault for causing the injury. Allowing the mother to hold any responsibility for the motorcyclists injuries would ultimately result in a way for plaintiffs and their attorneys to get around the statutory maximum for vehicle titleholders when the vehicle is shared amongst the family. Thus, the court answered the question in the negative.

This is a decision that will likely have implications for other scenarios.

Consider this hypothetical situation where a family owns several vehicles registered under the parents names. Two of these cars were acquired for the children, John and Jane. Lets imagine Johns car breaks down, prompting him to request the use of Janes vehicle from her. Jane gives permission to John to borrow the vehicle her parents let her use. With her consent, John drives her vehicle, still bearing the parents names on the title. Unfortunately, John ends up in a car accident. In this case, under Emerson, Jane can potentially find protection from vicarious liability under the dangerous instrumentality doctrine, as long as the parents can be held vicariously liable as the title owners who have not expressly objected to permissive use. This situation also protects an insurer from being responsible for the damages assessed against multiple insureds, especially for Jane, who would not fall under the vicarious liability cap for natural persons.

Expanding on the previous hypothetical, lets envision a scenario where John approaches Jane to borrow the car that remains titled to the parents. Rather than driving the vehicle himself, Johns girlfriend gets behind the wheel and gets into an accident.

With the slight change of facts, Emerson could potentially apply in different ways depending on specific circumstances. When considering the application of Emerson in this context, several questions arise.

Since Johns girlfriend is outside the immediate family unit, one must assess if permissive use extended to her. What would happen if the parents consent to the children did not extend to the girlfriend? What if the parents did not give specific consent but no one contests the permissive use? Moreover, does this situation fall under the concept of bailment? Lastly, would Emerson provide protection to Jane and John in this specific scenario?

Lets change the hypothetical to a divorced couple with a driving-age child. In the process of separating, the husband left the vehicle with the former wife without formally removing his name from the title. The vehicle was solely titled in his name. The former wife regularly uses the vehicle for her daily activities. Subsequently, the wife permits the son to borrow the vehicle to go to a friends house. As in our other scenarios, the son gets in a motor vehicle accident. Under this hypothetical, in the event the husband declines permissive use of the vehicle, Emerson may not provide legal protection. In this situation, the court may also have to analyze an additional element of permissive use.

In sum, situations like the hypotheticals above are bound to arise due to the complex nature of familial relationships, shared property, and legal implications of such. Thankfully, the Florida Supreme Court stopped what would likely have been very artful pleadings by plaintiffs attorneys any time a vehicle was shared amongst several individuals. Questions surrounding permissive use, consent from title owners, and bailment, will all have to be analyzed to see whether potential protection will be offered from Emerson.

Kimberly Kanoff Berman is a shareholder and Sheri-Lynn Corey-Forte and Tiffany Moore-Silverman are associates in the Fort Lauderdale office of civil defense litigation law firm, Marshall Dennehey. Berman focuses her practice on appellate law and Corey-Forte and Moore-Silverman concentrate on automobile liability and other general liability matters.

Topics Florida
Georgia authorities were searching for an Atlanta-area landscaper who has been charged with falsely claiming that one of his commercial-grade lawnmowers had been stolen, then collecting $19,000 from his insurance company.

It turns out that Bryan Gatlin, 57, owner of Atlanta Lawn Co., is wanted in connection with at least eight other fraudulent insurance claims on supposedly stolen lawnmowers, Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King said in a bulletin late last week.

In addition to submitting forged documents, the suspect used several false aliases when filing the claims, King said. In total, thefts connected to the suspect reached approximately $148,000 in insurance payments.

One of the allegedly fraudulent claims came in 2019. Gatlin reported to the Gwinnett County Police and Main Street Assurance Co. that the equipment was stolen. He soon received a payment from the insurer. But after an investigation, authorities determined that Gatlin should be charged with fraud, King said.

A warrant for Gatlins arrest was issued Dec. 5. As of Dec. 24, he remained on the lam.

Topics Fraud Georgia
OCALA, Fla. (AP)  Authorities in central Florida issued an arrest warrant Sunday for a 39-year-old man accused of fatally shooting another man at a shopping mall two days before Christmas in which police say the victim was targeted.

As of Sunday afternoon, the suspect hadn`t been located, and the Ocala Police Department was offering a $5,000 award for any information leading to his arrest. The arrest warrant was for premeditated first-degree murder and attempted premeditated first-degree murder, the police department said on social media.

Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken told reporters Saturday evening that the victim was killed after he was shot multiple times in a common area at Paddock Mall in Ocala, located about 80 miles (127 kilometers) northwest of Orlando.

A woman also was shot in the leg. She was treated at a local hospital and expected to recover, Balken said.

The suspect fled the scene and left behind the firearm, Balken said.

Ocala police posted photos overnight of a person of interest that appear to be taken from a mall security camera. The three images show a male with a red cap and dark clothing. Balken previously said the suspect wore a hooded sweatshirt and a mask partially covering his face.

On Sunday, the police department urged a person who took the suspects hat from the crime scene to turn it over to investigators or they would be charged with tampering with evidence.

That hat may contain valuable DNA evidence, and we need it back, the Ocala Police Department said on social media. We urge you to do the right thing and come forward immediately. Time is of the essence.

Police arrived at the mall around 3:40 p.m. Saturday after a call of multiple shots being fired at the mall.

Officers immediately made entry into the mall (and) ultimately discovered that this was not what we would consider an active shooter, Balken told reporters.

The attack was likely a targeted act of violence against the man, Balken said.

Several other mall patrons suffered injuries during the shooting, with one person having chest pain and another reporting a broken arm, police said.

Police have asked the public for assistance by submitting mobile phone video of the shooting scene.

The malls corporate owner, WPG, said in a statement that they were working with the Ocala Police Department in the investigation of what happened. The mall was closed Sunday, the day before Christmas.

We are deeply saddened by this tragedy. Our thoughts are with all those involved, the statement said. The safety of our guests, retailers and employees is our top priority.

The mall has dozens of stores, including J.C. Penney and Foot Locker.

Calvin and Diana Amos, who were shopping in the J.C. Penney store, told the Ocala Star-Banner that they evacuated the store quickly once they figured out what was going on. They described themselves as scared and apprehensive.

Police presence outside the mall Saturday. (Jeff Walczak/Ocala Police Department via AP)

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Florida Law Enforcement
A new Regional Resilience Grant Program aims to protect California communities from climate impacts like wildfire, drought, sea level rise and extreme heat.

State leaders have unveiled a $21.7 million funding initiative in the inaugural round of Californias Regional Resilience Grant, part of the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program.

The Grant, supported by the Gov. Gavin Newsoms multi-year climate budget, aims to fortify climate change resilience at a regional level. The initiative supports 16 new regional partnerships.

The Regional Resilience Grant focuses on addressing a range of climate-related challenges, including wildfires, rising sea levels, droughts, floods and extreme heat events. The grant distinguishes between two project types: planning and implementation.

The awards include $6.2M in planning grants to 10 regional partnerships engaging their communities in studying and determining how to address climate risks in their regions. In addition, $15.5 million in Implementation Grants to six regional partnerships are going to fund physical projects and programs that directly protect communities from climate change impacts.

The initiative is funding at least one project from each of the nine geographic regions the California Climate Adaptation Strategy identifies.

Topics California
As unemployment reaches record lows, Irelands labour and skills shortages are becoming increasingly difficult for employers to handle.

As the vast majority of Irish firms struggle to find specialist talent to upskill their teams, hiring platforms and recruiters have repeatedly warned that this could cause significant business disruptions in the future.

Jason Culloty has offered a solution to the issue. A former army officer, Mr Culloty draws several similarities between the world of business and the Defence Forces, using his skills within one realm to help him succeed in the other, much like what his company, Skillsvista has set out to achieve.

Launched by Mr Culloty at the beginning of 2021, Skillsvista is an online platform specialising in workplace planning. It enables firms to assess what skills they are missing within the organisation and connects these to existing employees capable of bridging the gap.

Speaking from the companys headquarters in Mallow, Co Cork, Mr Culloty tells the Irish Examiner: A company can post a job opening and immediately view all the employees that could make potential candidates".

The system will show internally who has the skills or the shortest skill gap for the role, strengthening the companys internal recruitment process.

As demand for labour continues to outstrip supply, Mr Culloty says his tech startup emphasises existing employees, easing reliance on external candidates.

With Skillsvista, it allows you to operate internally first and see if you already have that talent. If you hire within the company first, you can then hire at the lower level. If you can not get the talent internally, only then do you look for outside candidates.

Read More Irish recruiters look overseas for talent as employment soars

If a skills mismatch does exist, Skillvista recommends courses that would bridge the divide between what organisations have and what they need, with more than 100 offered by the Education and Training Board (ETB) which are available on the websites system.

For employees, the CEO explains that workers can view the top five jobs most suited to them within the company, as well as curate their own skills profile and avail of courses that will help upskill them in their current role.

Tasked with creating an upskilling plan for the Defence Forces during his time as an army officer, Mr Culloty said it took the team more than nine months to combine the number of skills gaps across the organisation.

I remember thinking to myself, 'there must be an easier way to do this'. And that is what Skillsvista is.

I had to learn a lot very quickly, Mr Culloty recalls. I dont have a background in tech, so it took longer than hoped to create the system, it was so different than anything else out there.

However, almost three years in, Mr Culloty says Skillsvista has entered talks with several national and international clients, with Mr Culloty saying companies with turnovers over 1bn have turned to Skillsvista seeking solutions to their hiring problems.

With the company now valued at 4m, Mr Culloty tells the Irish Examiner: We have converted more from our pipeline and the opportunity for this is just massive.

We have created artificial intelligence that will tag skills to content. That means we can accurately tag skills to ebooks, audio, and in the next few weeks, were looking at plugging in a full learning management system into Skillsvista  automating that using AI. Once that happens, its a game-changer.

With labour and skills shortages currently at the tip of every employers tongue, Mr Culloty sees extensive space for Skillsvista to grow, reiterating the need for a new solution to solve a worsening problem.

After being recently named overall winner of the Global EdTech Startup Awards Ireland Semifinals, Mr Culloty hopes to expand the Skillsvista team early next year before moving on to represent Ireland in the UK educational-tech exhibition BETT in 2024.

We want to hire for a number of key roles, especially in the areas of tech, business development, sales and marketing, says Mr Culloty.

Looking to the future, the CEO aims to have Skillsvista at the top of every employers mind, adding, I want this to change how we approach talent management globally".

If we keep bringing in multinationals, promising them talent, but we dont have the agile system that gives them what they want, they will not stay very long. We have a solution now, we just need to spread the word.
The Liebherr Story by Tom Foley

Based in Killarney for over 60 years, Liebherr is widely regarded as one of the most iconic examples of successful foreign direct investment in Ireland.

The Liebherr Story charts Hans Liebherr's arrival in Killarney in the 1950s, and details the innovative community leaders who persuaded him to set up shop in the town. The story follows the company from its establishment in 1963 to its present-day position as a world leader in the supply of container handling equipment.

Liebherr Container Cranes, founded in Southern Germany in 1949, is one of the largest construction equipment manufacturers in the world and includes over 140 companies across all continents. In 2021, it employed more than 49,000 staff and achieved combined revenues of over 11.6bn.

Tom Foley began employment with the company as a trainee fitter/welder in 1963, progressing through several management positions, including Works Organisation Manager and Human Relations Manager. He retired in 2009, after 46 years of service with the company.

He outlines the story of how Liebherr came into being, at a time when Killarney was still a rural backwater. When Hans Liebherr arrived in the town, initially to look at its possible potential as a factory site, a delegation of local business people arrived unannounced at the Great Southern Hotel to enthusiastically demonstrate to the German industrialist what Killarney had to offer.

It was a daring excursion that paid rich dividends in the decades to follow by persuading Herr Liebherr to locate his facility in an area that was remote from port facilities, had inadequate infrastructure, poor services, and little industrial experience.

The book details what Liebherr meant for a rural community mired in the economic stagnation of the 1950s, why he subsequently branched into the hospitality industry with three hotels, and how his companies have endured and prospered in spite of many challenges.

Were it not for the intervention of those Killarney business people, somebody else, in some other hotel, in some other town, perhaps even in some other country, would be standing here, launching The Liebherr Story, said Tom Foley.

Starting a Business in Ireland by Brian O'Kane

For over 30 years through seven printings, the book has taken readers through all the stages in starting a business, including: getting started; researching your idea and market; writing your business plan; and financing.

This latest 8th edition has an added final chapter, Moving to Ireland to Start a Business, offering advice to non-residents on business incentives, business structures and taxation, and residency requirements. The book also includes the most comprehensive directory available of State, EU and private sector organisations that provide assistance to start-ups and small businesses.

It seemed to immediately strike a chord with the emerging class of Irish entrepreneurs, many of whom have found their way not just onto the national stage, but internationally too, the author explained of the early editions. It is to them  and not to me  that the real credit must go. Irelands entrepreneurs have proved themselves, time and time again, through two recessions and a global financial crash. They have made a name for themselves  and for Ireland  for innovation, forward-thinking, teamwork and clever execution.

"In 2023, I am struck by how much has changed  most of all, in public attitude towards enterprise, small business and start-ups. Where previously the proper job  one with a pension after a lifetime of service  was the be-all-and-end-all, theres now a genuine interest across Irish society in entrepreneurship.

The Instant Coffee Shop: How To Open A Cafe In A Week by Darcy Millar

At a time when coffee shops are opening every week across the country, this seems a timely manual for all aspiring cafe owners.  If you read this book and absorb its contents, once you have secured a site and stocked up with the minimum necessary equipment, you will be able to serve your first cup of coffee within seven days, promises Darcy Millar.

It won't be easy  it may even be the hardest working week of your life  but it is certainly doable. I know because I have done it myself. The book includes a seven-day countdown to opening, with tips on cost-effective shortcuts and a list of key pitfalls to avoid.

As the owner of two bustling coffee shops in Copenhagen, Millar offers a complete practical guide to opening a modern coffee shop, covering every aspect with detailed, step-by-step advice on subjects from the essentials of how to brew good coffee to design and fit out a venue that suits your aims, whatever the budget.

How to strike a balance between takeaways and sit-down business; how to promote your coffee shop via social media; how to attract and retain the best staff; how to interact with customers and build a regular clientele which is the lifeblood of any cafe. There is much more to running a successful coffee shop than pouring a good coffee, he says.

It is the story of my personal experience as a student funding my living expenses through part-time jobs in hospitality, gradually training on the job as a barista, before finally founding my own one-man coffee shop in Copenhagen  with a minimal budget but plenty of sheer enthusiasm. Less than four years later, my two bustling Darcys Kaffes are busy seven days a week on prominent streets in Copenhagen, and I employ 18 staff. This book tells the story of how I did it, and shows you how you can do it, too.

Doing Good Business: How to Build Sustainable Value by Sheila Killian

This new book is a follow-up to Corporate Social Responsibility: A Guide, published by Chartered Accountants Ireland in 2012. Since then, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has evolved into the broader and deeper concepts of responsibility and sustainability.

Risks such as climate change have become so large and systemic that companies can no longer afford to ignore them. Corporate responsibility is no longer a nice-to-have tactic to enhance reputation, but a necessity for long-term survival. A Professor at the Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick, Killian is a Chartered Accountant with a bachelor's degree in mathematics, a masters in business studies and a PhD in taxation.

Sustainability in business has never been more urgent, she says. At the same time, however, the word sustainability is so overused that it risks losing its meaning. This book aims to clarify what it is to do good business and to build sustainable value both within the organisation and spilling over to external stakeholders.

"The text will take the reader beyond issues of philanthropy or greenwashing to real practical measures that can and should be taken to build a business that is economically, environmentally and socially sustainable.

From CIA to CEO by Rupal Patel

This is promoted as an operational manual for entrepreneurs that reveals how the esoteric techniques of the CIA can help anyone find their voice, discover their potential, and thrive in the world of business.

Agent-turned-entrepreneur Rupal Patel shares the unique skills she developed as a woman field agent in the high-octane, alpha-male world of the CIA, and combines those clandestine insights with her experience as a business leader and mentor.

She reveals how methods such as Profiling and Situational Awareness help amplify strengths and build resilience; how game-changing new frameworks like Identity Driven Leadership and Personal Energy Mapping instil drive, purpose and conviction; and how the CIA mindset encourages you to remake the rules to find your own path and reach your goals.

Patels career has taken her from military briefing rooms in jungles and war zones to corporate boardrooms and international stages. During her time as an analyst and field agent at the CIA, she advised four-star Generals, earned War Zone service medals, and was recognized by the CIA Director for her superior support to the President of the United States.

After leaving the CIA, she earned an MBA from London Business School and started her first award-winning business over 10 years ago. Ive developed a deep resilience that was forged in fire during those challenging early years. Im able to confront challenges more quickly and with less inner turmoil. There will always be new challenges to face in life, but whats important is that you develop your resilience muscle to handle these situations better.
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.

Li Auto announces highest-ever weekly deliveries

Li Auto announced on December 26 its weekly deliveries hit a new high of 12,100 vehicles in the 52nd week of 2023 (Dec. 18-Dec. 24).

Photo credit: Li Auto

Shaoxing city opens 21 roads for autonomous car road tests, pilot applications in Yuecheng district

Recently, 21 roads in Yuecheng district, Shaoxing city were opened for autonomous car road tests and pilot applications, according to information from the official website of Shaoxing municipal government. These roads are primarily located in the Jinghu New Area and around historical city attractions.

Geely Galaxy E8 all-electric model to hit market on Jan. 5, 2024

The Galaxy E8, the first battery electric vehicle (BEV) model under Geely Auto's new energy vehicle range "Galaxy", will hit the market on January 5, 2024. With a starting pre-sale price of 188,000 yuan, the new model comes with five trim levels  the 550km Pro, the 550km MAX, the 665km Starship Long-range Edition, the 665km Starship Intelligent-driving Edition, and the 620km Starship Performance Edition.

Great Wall Motor, TotalEnergies sign MoUs for cooperation in carbon neutrality, new energy development

On December 14, Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor ("GWM") and the global multi-energy company TotalEnergies successfully hosted a Tech Day event at the Haval Technology Center in Baoding city, where GWM is headquartered, according to a post on GWM's press release.

WeRide eyes global business expansion to Southeast Asia, Europe, South America

WeRide's Founder and CEO, Han Xu, revealed in an interview the company's plans following the acquisition of an autonomous driving license in Singapore. The company is considering entering key markets in Southeast Asia, Europe, and South America.

Huawei-powered AITO M9 hits market, starting at 469,800 yuan

AITO, the high-end new energy vehicle brand jointly developed by Huawei and SERES, officially put the M9 SUV onto the market on December 26, introducing both the extended-range and pure electric versions, available in Max and Ultra configurations priced between 469,800 yuan and 569,800 yuan.

Baidu, Geely-backed Robocar brand Ji Yue names second production model 'Ji Yue 07'

Ji Yue, the automotive robot (Robocar) brand jointly backed by Geely and Baidu, announced on December 26 that its second production model is officially named "Ji Yue 07," which is set to hit the market in 2024.

IT BOX, Ant Group cooperate to develop urban smart mobility solutions

On December 22, Chinese ride-share vehicle developer IT BOX and Ant Group Digital Technologies inked a strategic collaboration aimed at advancing smart mobility through data-centric innovation.

NETA Auto unveils rendering of NETA L SUV's interior, exterior

Recently, NETA Auto, the Chinese new energy vehicle maker under HOZON Auto, unveiled the interior concept images of the NETA L, the first SUV model based on its Shanhai Platform.

Autonomous mining solution developer WAYTOUS co-fund ICV research institute with WHIIID

WAYTOUS, the Chinese unmanned mining solution provider, has partnered with the Wuhan Institute of Industrial Innovation and Development (WHIIID) to establish the WHIIID Intelligent Vehicle Research Institute.

ZEEKR expands highway NZP system availability to four additional cities in China

On December 25, ZEEKR, Geely's premium new energy vehicle brand, revealed the extension of its highway NZP (Navigation ZEEKR Pilot) driving assistant system to encompass the cities of Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan, and Zhuhai in Guangzhou Province, ensuring continued coverage across the Pearl River Delta region.

SiEngine's SE 1000 automotive chip hits delivery milestone of 200,000 units

On December 25, SiEngine, the ECARX-backed provider of automotive electronic chip solutions, saw its 7nm high-performance vehicle-grade chip, known as the SE 1000, surpass the delivery milestone of 200,000 units since its inception earlier this year.

GAC Energy, DnTU team up on energy replenishment services

On December 26, GAC Energy, a subsidiary of GAC Group, signed an agreement with Dengtu Holding Group Limited ("DnTU"), who operates car rental services as one of its main businesses, in Beijing city, to form a strategic cooperation on energy replenishment network development, according to a post on GAC Energy's WeChat account.
Cabin fever is likely to strike in the coming days. Theres only so much eating, movie watching, or playing any of us can do before we start craving time outside. This is especially true of children with more energy to burn than adults.

An event organised by Yoga Walks Ireland could be the ideal remedy. Taking place from 1pm to 3pm on Wednesday, December 27, its a gentle loop walk along the Attycraan river at the foot of the Galty Mountains.

Everyone meets at Kilbehenny in Mitchelstown and from there, they stroll along the riverbank, learning about local history and nature as they go. The plan is also to stop for some relaxing stretches and breathing exercises along the way.

The walk is suitable for families and people of all fitness levels. It costs 10 per adult and children go free. To book, call 087-1220116 or visit www.eventbrite.ie.

Keeping healthy this Christmas

With respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) currently circulating at what the HSE has called extraordinarily high levels and kids mixing with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins over the holidays, we should all be taking steps to keep our families healthy this Christmas.

Thats according to pharmacist Tomas Conefrey of Conefreys CarePlus Pharmacy in Dublin.

Conefrey recommends starting by making sure everyone eats well. Citrus fruits, red peppers and broccoli are particularly recommended as they are good sources of vitamin C, essential for fighting infections.

If youve got a picky eater, Conefrey advises a vitamin C supplement to make up for any nutritional shortfalls.

Next, keep hydration levels up. Water is vital for keeping the immune system in optimal condition.

Ensure everyone gets enough sleep. Sleep deprivation increases the bodys cortisol levels, which can lead to inflammation. Adults should aim for eight hours of sleep a night while children need up to 12 hours.

Finally, be fastidious about handwashing. Children should be reminded to wash their hands after using the toilet and before and after eating food. They should also be shown how to do it properly with soap and water. Its the easiest and most effective way to prevent the spread of disease.

Warm and cosy knitwear

If youre thinking of bringing little ones out for a walk this Christmas, keeping them warm with some carefully chosen layers is a good idea.

These knitted cotton hoodies from babyboo.ie are perfect for keeping kids cosy throughout the year. Not only can they be layered in winter, but they can also be worn as a light jacket during the warmer months.

The hoodies are suitable for children with sensitive skin, as they are made from 100% organic cotton. They are machine washable, come in various colours, can be personalised with a childs name, and start from 25.

Podcasting parents

Parents often have moments when they worry about their childs behaviour. They can even struggle to know precisely what they should do about it.

Since moving back to Ireland in 2022, comedian Jarlath ORegan and his wife Tina have presented a podcast that aims to help parents.

Called Honey, youre ruining our kid, parents are invited to ask anonymous questions and Tina, a child behaviour expert with 20 years of experience, responds with practical advice. And Jarlath joins in, sharing his own experience.

Each episode is a mixed bag. One week, the couple might be asked how to motivate kids. The next week, they might share their thoughts on how to respond when grandparents disapprove of how you parent.

Throughout, Jarlath and Tina share their stories of parenting their son Mikey and often disagree about the best way to tackle the dilemmas they are presented with. Theres never a sense of judgment and always lots of laughs.
There's no denying parenting can be tricky  and most parents are consistently doing their best. But were not perfect and were going to fall foul of some typical parenting pitfalls now and again. As a New Year dawns, four therapists highlight parental behaviours that can catch us out  and suggest what might be better to do instead.

Mary McHugh, CEO and founder of www.counsellingonline.ie

Being too afraid to say no to your child

More frequently nowadays, parents are too afraid to say no. Yet boundaries are healthy and children need them to feel safe and grow. Not knowing where the line is can be damaging for children as they move away from their parents into teen and adult life. A child needs to build the muscle of resilience, learning how to deal with rejection and disappointment. This muscle needs to be built at home.

What to do instead: If youre not used to saying no, start with one thing you know you need to say no to and practice on that. Consistency is the key  begin with one no and gradually build it up to where you have a healthy balance for your child.

In an age-appropriate way, explain to your child the reason for the no. Encourage them to be emotional  healthy feelings [such as disappointment] are part of life. After the upset, find time to chat with the child about how that was for them. Again give them your reason for saying no. In this way, youre keeping communication open and normalising difficult emotions.

Mary McHugh

Disconnection

McHugh believes we are losing connection at an enormous rate through social media and internet use. Everyone has a device. Look around a restaurant and the whole family is on a separate device.

A US-based study of 400 parents of children aged from five to 12, published last year, found parental use of smartphones in the presence of children was associated with lower child emotional intelligence.

Parents need to model connection  they have a responsibility to the health and wellbeing of their children, says McHugh.

What to do instead: Begin with making an agreement about device-free time in the house [for everybody]. Start off with one hour and gradually build it up.

Play games that involve the whole family  this creates fun and gives you things to talk about. Have a device-free [communal] room in the house, preferably the kitchen.

Denise Enright, child and adolescent psychotherapist

Asking why questions

When you imagine someone asking why did you do that? you can probably easily imagine feeling a little defensive. A why question backs a person into a corner, especially our children. We inevitably get the response, I dont know.

For a parent, it can be automatic to ask why  parents dont mean any harm, but the child feels theyve done something wrong. It can straightaway create a power struggle. It doesnt lead to open communication, it closes it down.

What to do instead: Be more curious, recommends Enright. A handy phrase is I wonder. I use I wonder all the time with my two children who are aged six and three: I wonder were you feeling frustrated when that happened, and maybe thats why you threw your toy over there. Asking I wonder instead of why softens things, [and conveys] Im still on my childs side  were together looking at the situation.

Parents often have a hunch why something happened. Offering a wonder instead of why is an opportunity to build better communication skills and emotional awareness.

Denise Enright

Talking to teens too intensely

Adolescence is already an intense time with much physical, mental, social and academic adjustment, says Enright. As their supporting adults, we want to offer guidance and reassurance, but being overly serious can close down communication.

What to do instead: Make use of side talking opportunities to casually enquire about various topics. In the car is great for this, or when youre side-by-side washing the dishes. Even if parents dont get much information, showing an explicit interest in our teenagers life remains important  they dont like to be questioned, but they also dont like to be ignored.

Where possible, inject a sense of humour and lightness into the conversation. Listen and understand their perspective first. A good question is: Do you want my ears or my advice?

Dr Vincent McDarby, clinical psychologist

Underestimating a childs ability

Weve a tendency to overprotect children, says McDarby, a member of the Psychological Society of Ireland. He sees it manifesting in not giving children time to play by themselves unsupervised. A lot of children get very little unsupervised play. Everythings structured into organised play. We transfer our anxieties onto our children  we wont let them walk to the shop or climb a tree.

McDarby encourages parents to think of their own happiest childhood memories  were they outside and unsupervised? Children learn through play  and they need to learn for themselves, he says. If two children are fighting and a supervising adult steps in to sort it out, the children dont learn the skills to negotiate.

What to do instead: Realise that sometimes parenting is just standing back and letting the child work it out for themselves, whether thats figuring out what is thrilling or risky, or whats right or wrong.

Bypassing our own natural parental instincts

Being a parent is one of the most natural things in the world, says McDarby. Parenting, he says, is a relatively new word. We dont talk about husbanding or wifing. Yet we often expect a manual to tell us how to parent. We run to the book, the website, look to see what this or that expert says.

Were bombarded with so much information on TV, in books, telling us not to trust our own instincts.

What to do instead: Every parent is an expert in their own child  and every child is different, says McDarby. Parental advice tends to be generic, based on the average or general child  theres no such child.

And yes, by all means, seek help from other parents or experts, but do trust your own instincts. In the vast majority of cases [your instincts] are right.

Treasa Forristal, child and adolescent psychotherapist

Responding to a childs negative behaviour with punishment

Parents say, How do we make this behaviour stop? and they punish the child, says Forristal.

She sees poor behaviour as communication of an unmet need. No child chooses to be bold. A negative behaviour may mean theyre tired, hungry, or upset about a big event that has happened. They could be feeding off the anxiety of the adults around them.

Or the child may have a skills deficit thats playing out in different environments or with their peers, and the child doesnt know how to manage it. By punishing the behaviour rather than being curious about why its happening, parents lose opportunities to upskill their child, to change the environment or even to investigate further for neurodiversity.

What to do instead: Be curious, you will find an answer, though it will take more time than sanctioning a child, says Forristal.

Parents can ask, Is this behaviour present consistently at a particular time of day, or in certain environments, or when the child is with certain people?. Perhaps engage with the school, or ask your partner for input.

Youre looking for a pattern. Does it happen every evening as your child sits down to homework? Perhaps they need a rest before starting homework. Or perhaps they can do their homework lying on the ground, supporting themselves with their elbows  which can help calm the nervous system, and in turn with doing the homework.

Or maybe, as many parents say, the behaviour is for attention. It may be. So now you know you need to give your child pockets of attention.

When parents perception of their childs negative behaviour turns to being curious, they no longer see a child being bold, says Forristal. They see the behaviour as an opportunity to action change.
Sales shoppers are being urged to boycott Israeli goods in protest against what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank.

Encouraging consumers to "make a point", Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has said Israel must face sanctions for its bombardment of Gaza and for allowing violent settlers to destroy homes and schools in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

As many shops open their doors for the annual post-Christmas sales today, Ms McDonald said: "I'm conscious in Ireland we're a small marketplace. But I think inevitably, globally, there will be a necessity and a clamour for boycott, for divestment, for whatever it takes to ensure that Israel cannot continue to act with impunity. We cannot, as generations of people watch this play out on our television screens, sit on our hands."

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, she added: "I think every single thing, every single choice that you can make as a citizen, as a consumer that makes a point on this, I would encourage and urge people to do exactly that. It's the right thing to do."

Israel is a leading exporter of electrical and electronic equipment and also exports significant amounts of precious metals, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals.

The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement has issued a list of targeted consumer boycotts, divestment and pressure campaigns. Companies that are listed due to their links with Israel include Hewlett Packard, Siemens, AXA, Puma, SodaStream as well as Israeli fruit and vegetables.

Ms McDonald said: "For me, the Palestinian question is perhaps the most pressing human rights democratic question of our generation.

I think Israel will have to be sanctioned. I think we can all do that in our own small ways.

She said Israel had "looked the other way" despite "humanity's cry for ceasefire, for peace" and this cannot be allowed to continue.

"I would be very fearful for the multilateral system, for the rule-based international order, if a State can go rogue and commit a genocide on the watch of the world, and the most mealy-mouthed responses in terms of sanctionslike a no-fly list for settlers who have acted appallingly and murderously on the West Bank, but that's not a response. That's absolutely not a response," Ms McDonald said.

According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the value of goods imported from Israel in 2021 was 2.439bn, rising to 4.836bn in 2022. The value of services imports from Israel was 845m in 2020 and 1.415bn in 2021.
Thousands of sea swimmers togged off and braved the elements for Christmas Day swims across the country, but the fun is not over yet, with many more getting ready to take the plunge today.

Hundreds are expected to turn out for a St Stephens Day dip on Clonea Strand in Waterford this morning, in support of a local teenager.

Fourteen-year-old Caroline Kenny is currently undergoing treatment for a brain tumour in Germany, and will be spending the holidays away from home with her mum Breda.

Caroline was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour in 2014, when she was just five years old.

Today's #Swim4Caroline has already raised 42,570 for the Gavin Glynn Foundation.

The Wicklow-based charity has helped the Kenny family with the logistics and financial aspects of travelling overseas for specialist treatment not available in Ireland.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Carolines father Pat, who is taking the plunge alongside Carolines five sisters, says he would do anything for his daughter.

Caroline will be getting treatment on St Stephens Day while were going for the swim.

Id rather go for the swim any day. It is the least I can do, he said.

Pat says that Caroline has been giving out about missing the swim, but only because she wont be there to meet everyone on the day.

There is nowhere she would prefer to be in the whole world than in the middle of all those people who love her. She is an inspiration, and a major people person.

Seeing the support and donations pour in for his daughter has made Pat very emotional.

Its nice to know that everyone has your back, people are so good, so generous, he said.

Whilst Pat is missing Caroline and his wife Breda this festive season, he acknowledged that things could be worse for the Kenny family.

Its terrible when you get bad news, but you have to get up and get on with it.

Life keeps going, and theres lots of people in much worse situations.

There was two people missing from our table this Christmas, but please God theyll be back the end of January and theyll be here for Christmas next year, he said.

Caroline and Breda Kenny.

Elsewhere, eight-year-old Joe Buttimer from Innishannon has donated 22,755 to the Mercy Hospital Foundation in Cork, which he raised with the help of a Christmas Day dip last year.

The then seven-year-old braved the elements at Garrylucas beach in order to raise funds for the paediatric cancer unit in the Mercy University Hospital, where he received treatment for a kidney tumour.

Joe, who is now in remission, was treated by POONS, a service run by the hospital which allows sick children to be treated at home.

His mother Nicola told the Irish Examiner that they would have been happy if they raised 2,000  never mind 22,000.

The whole thing grew legs. There ended up being about 55 people going into the water on Christmas morning, she said.

And little Joe wasnt the youngest. There was a girl about five who went in as well, lots of his cousins, aunts and uncles, and lots of friends, Nicola said.

Nicola said that Joe was terrified going in. He was dreading it, but he literally ran in and ran out, he didnt stay in there too long, she laughed.

The Christmas Day swim gave the Buttimer family huge support and a bit of a boost when they needed it most.

Sometimes when youre going through cancer treatment, you can be consumed by it all.

She admitted that she found it hardest when Joes treatment stopped, and he was in recovery.

I think everyone thinks its a switch of a button when someone finishes their treatment, and it certainly is not.

It takes about two years for a child to regain their energy, their appetite, their weight, everything, she said.

Nicolas hope for the year ahead is for Joe to be happy and healthy. That is our biggest hope in life now, everything else is quite insignificant, she concluded.
A South African mother who has spent eight years in Direct Provision has said it is a very difficult place to spend the festive season.

Last week 150 children from the refugee community were treated to a Christmas party by students and staff at the Aula Max in UCC.

Natalie Mehmood said the event is something the families very much appreciate.

The party in UCC is one of five that takes place across Cork in December and is organised over the course of the year by volunteers through a GoFundMe page.

Ms Mehmood who lives in the Kinsale Direct Provision Centre said she is extremely grateful for the efforts of the organisers, whom she has supported since she moved to Ireland.

It is a challenge for sure, she said. You can only imagine how the children and their parents feel.

But anything that puts a smile on a childs face is wonderful, she said. It is a great feature of those parents who are here with those little ones.

It is a beautiful gesture from all the donors and organisers.

The mother of two came to Ireland with her children and was placed on the international protection system for six years.

Three years ago, she was awarded refugee status which allows her to work part-time.

I am in the Kinsale Unit, with my two daughters and since I got here, I have been involved in these Christmas parties with UCC.

My children were only young then, but they are much older now.

The parties are organised by several volunteers, including former UCC student and Cork woman Sinead Mulry.

Santa chats with some of his helpers Alison Ni Threasaigh, Sinead Mulry and Bhooshita Soyjaudah at UCC during a Direct Provision Christmas Party. Picture: Larry Cummins

The 29-year-old is a graduate of International Development and Food Policy and receives support from others on campus.

The aim is to raise 15,000 over the year to provide a Christmas party for 11 Direct Provision Centres in Cork.

Party

The Irish Examiner was invited to the party in UCC on Saturday, December 2.

We call it Direct Provisions Events Cork Ms Mulry told the Irish Examiner. We work with the migrant centre.

We have an Easter party, and we then raise funding for Christmas parties for the children. In UCC this month we had up to 150 children who were given presents and went to the party, we just feel it is something fun to do for the children.

Ms Mulry said the success of the parties is the result of spending all year raising funds with the help of other volunteers.

We have enormous amounts of volunteers to help, she said. Out of the main group of volunteers around six or seven of us will coordinate it. This includes Bhooshita Soyjaudah, Jacqui O'Riordan and Mike Fitzgibbon.

They also include UCC lecturers and friends like Failte Refugee Society on UCC and Saoirse - Ethic Hands on Deck volunteers.

Alison O'Reilly request- irish Examiner -Santa meets some of the children at the Direct Provision Christmas Party. Picture: Larry Cummins

We start raising money online and purchase gifts from wholesalers.

"Some centres will have their own volunteers internally that throw the parties and our job is simply to supply the presents. For others such as UCC we organise the party as well and Mike puts in his appearance as Santa Claus.

The children range in age from mere babies up to until 17 years of age. If there are any young adults there as well, we give them a little present too and a voucher.

Our goal at the start of every year is to give everybody a gift and everybody gets a voucher of 20; This can be challenging however depending on how much we get in donations.

The parties include face painting, craft tables, games, food, and music.

Its basically one big party for those in the centres and its a lot of hard work but extremely rewarding and we hope to build on this she continued.

Our target is usually to raise 10,000 each year, but we had over 100 more kids this year, so we had to raise an additional 5,000 to cover the cost.

Grace NiLaoighre, Cliff Masheti and Jacqui O'Riordan at the Direct Provision Christmas Party. Picture: Larry Cummins

Thankfully, despite the demand, this year we were able to hit that target due to generous donations from the public and some sponsors. Some sponsors like Himalaya Yoga, Scally Supervalu, Corporate Care Relocation, Apache Pizza Clonakilty, PizzaAmore, and The White Rabbit Cork City.

'We'll keep bringing the Christmas cheer'

The latest figures from the Department of Integration show there are a total of 26,000 international protection applicants living in accommodation provided by the state.

We know what the conditions are like in Direct Provision for these kids, and in many cases, this sadly isn't their first Christmas with us, said Ms Mulry.

Hopefully someday this will change but until it does, we'll keep bringing the Christmas cheer for those who need it."

Meanwhile, Ms Mehmood said she loves to assist at the parties and will continue to do so.

I am a refugee currently living in Direct Provision and like so many in Ireland, I cant find a home, so until we can move forward in this way, we just try to do our best for the younger ones. That is all I am doing, trying to help the little ones, she said.

I have always assisted UCC in collecting names and helping with the distribution and gift wrapping. I have been doing it for 8 years.

My own children were much younger when they arrived, but they are older now, and these parties go on for around 3 to 4 hours, and they organise a bus for us to get to and from the party.

There is everything from live puppet shows, to photos and Santa gift bags, I dont think people realise the effort and hard work that goes into organising these things.
Christmas used to be about kids. Now its about grandkids. Nothing else matters really, does it?

My 15-year-old grandson (hes the eldest) doesnt do emotion, but giving him something that merits a quiet grin and a thanks, Grandad makes my day.

And the things they do. A day or two before Christmas I went to a nativity play in which two of my grandchildren, far too energetic and mischievous to ever qualify as angels, appeared nevertheless as angels, and looked, well, positively angelic.

All the kids in that little play were brilliant, and the whole thing set out to make a very gentle and funny political point about there being no room at the inn.

It seems to me that the phrase no room at the inn was beginning to have a very modern, and tragic, twist to it as 2023 went on. And it may well be that by the end of next year it will be the defining phrase.

We are moving into a new era of public discourse in Ireland, and in many other parts of the world. The new discourse will be about immigration, and it looks to me to be the subject that will divide and polarise us like nothing has in generations.

Right now, there are only two sides to the discussion.

On the one side, theres the bleeding-heart liberals like me. Come one, come all. Send us your poor, your huddled masses. Were a rich country, we have room for everyone.

On the other side, theres the notion that foreigners are to blame for everything that has gone wrong. And whats more, theyre dangerous, sometimes even evil. You cant trust anything about them. And we will be overwhelmed, so great are the numbers.

The truth is somewhere in the middle, Im guessing.

The most compassionate and open immigration system in the world has to have some controls built in. They have to be fair but rigorous, transparent but effective.

But in addition to all that, we really need to debate this issue based on facts, not fiction. We have to strip away  again and again  the rhetoric from the reality.

The facts about immigration

So I spent a couple of hours digesting the plumpest turkey Ive come across in years and looking at some of the facts around immigration into Ireland.

Were not 100% sure, are we, what numbers were talking about. If you look at the totals in the census, at first glance it seems like one in eight of the people living in Ireland right now arent Irish, in the ordinary sense of the term. Thats 12%, or a bit more than 600,000 people. Jaysus, that could overwhelm us alright.

But hang on a second. Theres 3,500 Canadians in that lot, 13,000 Americans (give or take), 83,000 Brits, and just about 5,000 coming from Australia and New Zealand. Were not worried about any of them, right?

And more than half of all the non-Irish people are European citizens  more than 40,000 from France, Germany, and Spain. There are Polish people on the building sites and Romanian people in the meat processing plants.

Most of the rest are easy to find. Visit any hospital, any nursing home, any care setting in Ireland and youll find them  from Brazil, from the Philippines, from India. Some 80,000 people from those three countries alone. And we all know, I think, that we cant do without them. And we decided a long time ago to make Ukrainian people welcome here. Not afraid of them, surely.

I know thats a lot of figures. They come from the most recent census and they may be a bit out of date for that reason.

But if you take away the Brits and Yanks and Aussies and the Europeans and the care workers, you really have to dig a lot deeper to figure out whos left to be afraid of.

Is it the 20,000 Arabs, maybe? Or the 16,000 Roma? No hang on, were surely not afraid of all them. A quarter of the Arabs who live here are children. Half of our Roma population is under the age of 15.

So who is it then? Which of these marauding foreign gangs is going to overwhelm us, destroy our culture, frighten our children, attack our women?

Where is the terror really coming from? Is it the people who skin colour is black? All told, about 75,000 people identified as black in the census. But nearly 40% of them are full Irish citizens.

The more you dig, the harder it is to figure it out. We are told again and again that our country is crawling with dangerous unvetted males, that people living in disadvantaged communities cant get houses or jobs because foreigners are getting them, that our health systems and social services are falling apart because foreigners are leeching off them.

Not only is none of that true, its really hard to find out who these parasitic foreigners are.

Asylum seekers

There is one area that might provide an answer, that might show us exactly how and by whom we are going to be impoverished and then overwhelmed.

Asylum seekers, or refugees.

They have a right to come here and stay here if they have a genuine fear of coming to harm in their own country. We have a right to test that fear, and if we believe it isnt real, to send them home.

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine started, between 10,000 and 13,000 people came here each year looking for asylum.

According the Irish Refugee Council, about a third of them succeed in being allowed to remain. While they are waiting, they live in direct provision accommodation, and they are given an allowance of less than 40 a week. They have no other entitlements.

But apparently this tiny band of penniless immigrants is lying in wait. They have to be kept away from our towns and villages because of the danger they pose. The annual number of asylum seekers in Ireland (leaving Ukraine aside) is a quarter of 1% of our population. Theyre the threat, or so were supposed to believe.

Heres what I think. We  all of us  have to spend the next year, as long as it takes, debating and discussing this. We have to get a real understanding of the truth.

Otherwise, public discourse and politics  the way we run our country  is going to be heavily influenced by fear and misinformation.

Get it right, and 2024 will be worth celebrating.

Get it wrong, and 2024 will be a turning point in a fatal direction.

But, one way or the other, I dont want to finish 2023 without acknowledging what a topsy-turvy year its been. Ive seen the best of us this year in all sorts of ways  generosity of spirit, welcoming neighbourhoods, people pulling together to solve problems big and small. Whatever next year brings, I hope that Irish characteristic  where we try never to let each other down  remains as strong as ever.

If we manage that, then 2024 has the potential to be one of those years where we work through stuff together, and find happiness in all the ways were good at.
President Joe Biden has ordered retaliatory strikes against Iranian-backed militia groups after three US service personnel were injured in a drone attack in northern Iraq.

National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said one of the US troops suffered critical injuries in the attack on Monday.

The Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, under an umbrella of Iranian-backed militants, claimed credit for the attack.

Mr Biden, who is spending Christmas at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, was briefed on the attack before ordering the Pentagon to prepare response options.

The President and I will not hesitate to take necessary action to defend the United States, our troops and our interests. There is no higher priority

After defence secretary Lloyd Austin and the national security team presented him with options, the president directed strikes against three locations used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups.

Mr Austin said: The President and I will not hesitate to take necessary action to defend the United States, our troops and our interests. There is no higher priority.

While we do not seek to escalate conflict in the region, we are committed and fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities.

The latest attack on US troops follows months of escalating threats and actions against American forces in the region since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, which sparked the devastating war in Gaza.

The US has blamed Iran, which has funded and trained Hamas, for the rising violence by a network of proxy groups across the region, including attacks by Yemens Houthis against commercial and military vessels thorough a critical shipping choke point in the Red Sea.
A charter plane grounded in France amid a human trafficking investigation has arrived in India carrying 276 people.

More than two dozen others requested asylum in France.

The unmarked Legend Airlines A340 had been blocked inside the rural Valtry airport in Champagne for four days where it had landed en route to Nicaragua in an exceptional holiday ordeal.

The regional administration said 276 of the original 303 passengers were en route to Mumbai and 25 others requested asylum in France.

Crew members board the plane grounded by police at the Vatry airport (Christophe Ena/AP)

Those who remained were transferred to a special zone in Pariss Charles de Gaulle Airport for asylum seekers, it said.

The passengers grounded in France had included a 21-month-old child and several unaccompanied minors.

The remaining two passengers were initially detained as part of a human trafficking investigation but were released on Monday after appearing before a judge, the Paris prosecutors office said.

The judge named them as assisted witnesses to the case, a special status under French law that allows time for further investigation and could lead to eventual charges or to the case being dropped.

The plane stopped on Thursday for refuelling in Vatry en route from Fujairah Airport in the United Arab Emirates to Managua, Nicaragua. It was grounded by police based on an anonymous tip that it could be carrying human trafficking victims.

Prosecutors would not comment on whether the passengers ultimate destination could have been the US, which has seen a surge in Indians crossing the Mexico-US border this year.

French authorities are working to determine the aim of the original flight and opened a judicial inquiry into activities by an organised criminal group helping foreigners enter or stay in a country illegally, the prosecutors office said.

It did not specify on Monday whether human trafficking  which the UN defines as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit  is still suspected.

Police requisitioned Vatry Airport for days.

Local officials, medics and volunteers installed cots and ensured regular meals and showers for those held inside.

Then it turned into a makeshift courtroom on Sunday as judges, lawyers and interpreters filled the terminal to carry out emergency hearings to determine the next steps.

Some lawyers at Sundays hearings protested over authorities handling of the situation and the passengers rights, suggesting that police and prosecutors overreacted to the anonymous tip.

The Indian embassy posted its thanks on X, formerly Twitter, to French officials for ensuring that the Indians could go home.

French authorities worked through Christmas Eve and Christmas morning on formalities to allow passengers to leave France, regional prosecutor Annick Browne told The Associated Press.

Foreigners can be held up to four days in a transit zone for police investigations in France, after which a special judge must rule on whether to extend that to eight days.

Legend Airlines lawyer Liliana Bakayoko said some passengers did not want to go to India because they had paid for a tourism trip to Nicaragua.

Gendarmes guard the closed entrance of Vatry Airport (Christophe Ena/AP)

The airline has denied any role in possible human trafficking.

The US government has designated Nicaragua as one of several countries deemed as failing to meet minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking.

Nicaragua has also been used as a migratory springboard for people fleeing poverty or conflict because of relaxed or visa-free entry requirements for some countries.

Sometimes charter flights are used for the journey.
A Russian naval ship in Crimea has been damaged in an air strike by Ukrainian forces, Russias Defence Ministry said.

The landing ship Novocherkassk was hit at a base in the city of Feodosia by plane-launched guided missiles, officials said.

The ministry added that two Ukrainian fighter jets were destroyed by anti-aircraft fire during the attack.

Over recent months, Ukrainian forces have conducted attacks around Crimea, mostly with sea drones, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says those attacks have allowed Ukraine to restore navigation in the Black Sea and allowing the export of millions of tons of grain.

There was no immediate report of how bad the Russian ship was damaged, but videos on Ukrainian channels showed an extensive fire in the port area.

The Russian fleet has become smaller, Ukrainian air force commander Mykola Oleschuk said in a mocking message on the Telegram app.

He urged Russians to leave Crimea  which Moscow annexed in 2014  while its not too late.

The air force did not say whether any of its planes were shot down in the attack.

A summary from the Ukrainian presidential office on Tuesday said Russia had launched 18 drones against the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions, 13 of which were shot down, over the past day.

The remaining drones caused infrastructure damage but no casualties were reported, the summary said.
Israeli forces have bombarded Palestinian refugee camps in central Gaza, residents said, in apparent preparation to expand their ground offensive into a third section of the besieged territory.

Residents described a night of shelling and air strikes shaking the Nuseirat, Maghazi and Bureij camps.

The camps are built-up towns housing Palestinians driven from their homes in what is now Israel during the 1948 war and their descendants  and now also crowded with people who have fled from the north.

The bombing was very intense, Radwan Abu Sheitta, a Palestinian teacher said by phone from his home in Bureij. It seems they are approaching, he added of the Israeli troops.

Palestinians take shelter from the Israeli bombardment in Khan Younis (Hatem Ali/AP)

A strike on Tuesday hit the home of the a family in Mawasi, a rural area on Gazas southern coastline which Israel has declared a safe zone for people to take shelter.

One woman was killed, and at least eight other people were wounded, according to a cameraman working for the Associated Press at the nearby hospital.

The Qassam Brigades, Hamass military arm, said its fighters struck an Israeli tank east of Bureij. Its report could not be independently confirmed, but it suggested Israeli forces were moving towards the camp.

Warplanes and artillery also hammered areas east of Nuseirat camp.

Israel has vowed to crush Hamas after its October 7 attack on southern Israel, and Israeli forces have been engaged in heavy urban fighting in northern Gaza and the southern city of Khan Younis, driving Palestinians into ever smaller corners of territory in search of refuge.

Despite international pressure for a ceasefire and US calls for a reduction in civilian casualties, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday warned that the fight isnt close to finished.

More than 20,600 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and children, have been killed, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants among the dead.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu receives a security briefing in the northern Gaza Strip (Avi Ohayon/GPO/Handout/AP)

Meanwhile, there were new signs of the Israel-Hamas war enflaming tensions around the region, including an Israeli air strike in Syria which killed an Iranian general, bringing vows of revenge from Tehran.

The Israeli strike hit a neighbourhood of the capital Damascus, killing General Seyed Razi Mousavi, an adviser of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in Syria.

The strike hit as he was entering a farm reportedly used as an office of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in the district of Sayeda Zeinab on Damascuss outskirts, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Elsewhere, Iranian-backed militias in Iraq carried out a drone strike on a US base in Irbil in northern Iraq on Monday, wounding three American troops, one of them critically, according to US officials.

In response, American planes hit three locations in Iraq connected to one of the main militias, Kataib Hezbollah.

Throughout the war, Iranian-backed militia groups around the region have stepped up attacks in support of Hamas. So far, all sides have appeared to calibrate the violence to stay short of sparking an all-out conflict, but the fear is that an unexpected escalation could spiral out of control.

Hezbollah and Israel exchange missile volleys, air strikes and shelling across the Israeli-Lebanese border almost daily, and Iran-backed militias in Iraq have launched more than 100 attacks on bases housing US troops in Iraq and Syria.

Palestinians inspect the rubble of a building destroyed in the Maghazi refugee camp (Adel Hana/AP)

In the Red Sea, attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen against commercial ships have disrupted trade and prompted a US-led multinational naval operation to protect shipping routes.

Israeli troops have been engaged in nearly two months of ground combat with Hamas and other militants in northern Gaza and weeks of urban fighting in Khan Younis. The battles and bombardment have levelled large areas, and strikes have continued across the territory.

The Israeli military announced the deaths of two more soldiers on Tuesday, bringing the total killed in the ground offensive to 158.

Militants launched a barrage of rockets into Israel late on Monday, triggering air raid sirens in the southern city of Ashkelon. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

Israel has vowed to continue fighting to eliminate Hamass military and governing capabilities in Gaza, after the militants carried out their shock attack into southern Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 240 hostage.

Israel says it also aims to free more than 100 hostages who remain in captivity in Gaza.

Israel faces international criticism for the civilian death toll, but it blames Hamas, citing the militants use of crowded residential areas and tunnels. Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas militants.

In Khan Younis, the Palestinian Red Crescent said on Tuesday morning that its medics had found several dead and wounded after a house in the al-Amal neighbourhood was bombed overnight.
Ford

Here at Road & Track, a new year means new chances to drive some of the world's most exciting cars. Here are the new models we're most excited to get our hands on in 2024.

Ford Mustang GTD

The Mustang is going all in on performance. In the same year that Ford's pony car is going GT3 racing, the road car division has its sights set on the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. The result is a Mustang with 800 supercharged horsepower, the most advanced suspension Multimatic can muster, and a rear-mounted transaxle. This is not just a modern front-engined supercar, it is one built off the same S650-generation Ford Mustang that some buyers will option with an EcoBoost inline-four.

Ford

Cadillac Celstiq

On the other end of American ambition, Cadillac is aiming at Rolls-Royce and Bentley with a new elegant luxury sedan. The Celestiq harkens back to an era when Cadillacs were world-class, all while moving the brand forward to its electric future. World-class comes with a price, though: Celestiq buyers will fork out $300,000 for the ultimate use of the Ultium platform.

Cadillac

Future Dodge Charger EV

Dodge still has not shown us exactly what the electrified replacement for its long-lived Charger and Challenger muscle cars will be, but a concept and a Christmas ad have teased the imminent arrival of a stylish two-door performance car. With Dodge's "last call" for Challengers and Chargers almost complete, the brand's era of electric muscle should start very soon.

Dodge

Cadillac Escalade IQ

While the Celestiq will serve as Cadillac's new flagship in a segment it hasn't targeted since before World War II, the Escalade IQ is a new twist on the brand's modern flagship. With a massive 200-kWh battery pack that delivers 450 miles of range and a powertrain putting down some 750 horsepower, the electric Escalade is just as excessive as its gas-powered relative.

Cadillac

Mercedes-Benz EQG

It has been more than two years since Mercedes-Benz first showed its concept for an electric G-Wagen. After 26 months of mostly radio silence, Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kallenius took what looked like a production-ready electrified G-Class off road in a video last month. The battery-powered flagship SUV is coming very soon, which means we will get behind the wheel soon enough.



Story continues

Mercedes EQ

Lucid Gravity

Now that the Lucid Air has established itself as both a luxury car and a performance car, the brand is finally expanding with an SUV. This is the Gravity, a long-awaited premium crossover that brings the brand's strengths into a whole new segment. Impressively, Lucid does all this with about half the battery capacity of other big electric SUVs like the Cadillac Escalade IQ and GMC Hummer EV.

Lucid Motors

Volkswagen ID.Buzz

The Volkswagen ID.Buzz van may already be on sale elsewhere, but the U.S. market has been left waiting. That changes next year, when a more powerful ID.Buzz with a bigger battery finally arrives on our shores. If the wait felt long, it was: The stylish successor to VW's classic bus was first seen as a concept in 2017.

Volkswagen

BMW M5

The latest 5-Series is here, which means the latest M5 is just around the corner. BMW has not revealed any official details about the car yet, but rumors suggest that it will produce big power from a V-8 assisted by a hybrid powertrain. Not only is the next M5 coming as a wagon, the U.S. might actually get the five-door variant this time around.

BMW M / YouTube

Polestar 5

Ever since it was first shown as the Precept concept, the Polestar 5 has been one of our most anticipated new EVs. After years of development, our chance to drive the car should be imminent. It should be quick, too. The brand is targeting nearly 900 horsepower for its grand touring sport sedan.

Polestar

Porsche Macan EV

Porsche's excellent compact crossover is going electric very soon. While we have not seen the final car just yet, the details Porsche has already shared are promising: 603 horsepower, 311 miles of range on the European WLTP test cycle, and the kind of on-track performance Taycan owners have come to expect from a Porsche EV. The current Macan is still the best-driving crossover you can buy, so the electric version has a high mark to meet.

Porsche

Lexus GX

After 14 years, a new Lexus GX is finally here. The new truck is blocky and brash, but the modernized looks come with the same capability buyers have grown to expect from the GX nameplate. The Overtrail trim comes with 33-inch tires and locking differentials, so it should remain capable enough to get where you need to go.

Lexus

Toyota Land Cruiser

The other new Toyota-designed off-roader is bringing the Land Cruiser badge back to basics. No longer a luxury truck, the American-market land cruiser is now being sold in the "Mid-$50,000 range" with fabric seats. The Land Cruiser is simplified and still ready for trails, just as it was always supposed to be.

Toyota

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A massive fire at a guesthouse in Romania has left six people dead, including at least one child, authorities said.

Emergency intervention teams were sent to the blaze in the village of Tohani in Prahova county, where 26 people were staying at the guesthouse, according to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations.
A six-year-old boy who left on a flight for the Christmas holiday to visit his grandmother in south-west Florida, in the US, was put on the wrong plane and ended up 160 miles away in Orlando.

When the grandmother, Maria Ramos, arrived on Thursday at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers to greet her grandson, who was flying for the first time from Philadelphia, she was told he was not on the Spirit Airlines flight.
Coordinated drone and rocket attacks on junta targets in Myanmars second-largest city  including Mandalay Palace, which houses the militarys Central Command  have unnerved junta forces, residents say.

They used to feel safe, now they dont, a member of the resistance drone group Drop for Justice said.

Security has been tightened, civilians have been arrested and troops have conducted raids in villages nearby following the drone attacks on multiple targets on the night of Dec. 20 followed by attacks with homemade rockets at about 2 a.m. on Dec. 21, residents said.

They are arresting people in response to attacks on Mandalay Palace and police stations. Those arrested are civilians and have nothing to do with the revolution, a member of the Mandalay District Peoples Defense Team said.

No members of revolutionary forces have been arrested so far, he added.

The Drop for Justice member said: They are acting like a mad dog [by] making arbitrary arrests and raiding places they consider suspicious since we attacked Mandalay Palace.

The early morning Dec. 20 attacks were part of Operation Shwe Pyi Soe  an effort to drive junta forces out of Mandalay. Combined resistance forces based in the city, including Drop for Justice, carried out simultaneous drone attacks on three police stations, Obo Prison, and the houses of the commander and deputy commanders of Central Command, a military police unit in Mandalay Palace and Yadanabon Hall, which is owned by the family of junta chief Min Aung Hlaing.

The regime was quick to respond with arrests. Three young people were arrested in Amarapura Township on Dec. 21, and five more the next day: two in Maha Aung Myay Township and three in Chanmyathazi Township. Junta troops detained four more young people on Sunday in Maha Aung Myay Township, according to resistance forces and Voice of Mandalay, a media outlet.

The attacks were carried out by Drop for Justice with support from Brave Warriors for Myanmar, No More Dictatorship, the Mandalay Security and Special Task Force and Pyin Oo Lwin District Peoples Defense Team.

Six 107 mm homemade rockets were used to attack Mandalay Palace on the morning of Dec. 21, according to Brave Warriors for Myanmar.

Junta troops have tightened security across the town and some soldiers are patrolling in plain clothes, Mandalay residents said.

Junta troops tighten checks whenever there are attacks in the town. It has become normal. But the checks are tighter these days. We heard that at least 10 people, most of them young men, were arrested, one resident said.

Pro-junta Telegram channels have dismissed resistance attacks on Mandalay Palace and police stations as fake news, saying the regime arrested at least 10 suspects who were merely plotting to attack regime targets in the city.

Junta troops also began raiding villages near the city after the attacks. About 100 regime troops began targeted villages along the banks of the Ayeyarwaddy River in Patheingyi and Madaya townships  about 2.5 kilometers from Mandalay City  following the drone attacks, residents said.

Junta troops are raiding villages where they think the rockers were fired from or resistance fighters came from and attacked them. They have searched villages, and even checked the mobile phones of suspects. [However] there are still no reports of villagers being arrested, the member of Mandalay District PDT said:

Junta troops have torched homes during raids of at least 10 villages in the west of Madaya Township. The raids have forced hundreds of people to flee their homes.
Despite being shunned internationally, junta boss Min Aung Hlaing on Monday co-hosted the 4th Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Leaders Meeting.

The meeting was held via video conferencing, drawing Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and Min Aung Hlaings co-host Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

The Lancang-Mekong cooperation grouping was initiated in 2016 to promote regional peace and prosperity, narrow development gaps, and encourage sustainable development in Mekong countries (Lancang in China). It is a Chinese-led initiative that comprises China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand.

Min Aung Hlaing told the meeting that Myanmar had received 106 specially-funded projects worth US$31.6 million from 2017 to 2023 from Beijing, which contributed to Myanmars socioeconomic development.

The junta chief thanked China for helping construct the National Infectious Disease Prevention and Training Centre in Naypyitaw, which will be completed in early 2024.

And to please Beijing, which is always the co-host of the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Leaders Meeting, Min Aung Hlaing called for fostering cooperation among member countries in the rule of law to combat transnational crimes, drug production and trafficking, human trafficking, terrorism, cybercrimes, and online gambling.

These crimes hinder regional security and economic development, he told other leaders in the region.

It is widely believed that China has backed the Brotherhood Alliance  an ethnic military alliance consisting of the Arakan Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and Taang National Liberation Army  in its fight against the regime in northern Shan State as a punishment for the regimes failure to handle online scam syndicates operated by Chinese citizens near Myanmars border with China.

Analysts say the ethnic alliance might not have been able to seize control of dozens of towns and hundreds of outposts in less than two months unless Beijing backed it.

One of the objectives of the Brotherhood Alliance in launching Operation 1027 is to fight online scams, one of Beijings goals.

The first Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Leaders Meeting in March 2016 was attended by vice-president Sai Mauk Kham of Thein Seins quasi-civilian government. The second meeting in 2018 was attended by Myint Swe, the acting president of the current regime who then served as vice-president of the now ousted National League for Democracy (NLD) government.

The third meeting in 2020 was attended by NLD government President U Win Myint who took over co-chairmanship from Laos. China is always co-chairman of the meeting and member countries take turns as co-chairs every two years. At the meeting, Min Aung Hlaing handed over co-chairmanship to Thailand.

Despite Min Aung Hlaing having co-hosted the meeting, Beijing has turned down his repeated requests to make an official visit to China. Min Aung Hlaing has also been shunned from summits of the Association for Southeast Asian Nations.

Taking the opportunity during Mondays meeting, the junta boss urged Mekong-Lancang countries to assist each other under the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation procedure, calling for expediting the implementation of Mekong-Lancang Cooperation initiatives corridor and drafting the plan to deepen relationships among member countries.
Troops from the 55th Light Infantry Division (LID) stationed in Laukkai, the capital of the Kokang Self-Administered Zone in northern Shan State, have surrendered to the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), according to military analysts close to sources on the ground.

An analyst monitoring the fighting in northern Shan State reported, Based on a video clip on social media and accounts of residents, it is believed that three battalions of about 60 soldiers each from the 55th LID [were stationed around Laukkai].

This would suggest a total of 180 troops. Reports indicate that about half of them were killed [in fighting], while the remaining half chose to surrender.

Local pro-junta Border Guard Force (BGF) members under warlord Bai Suocheng also surrendered to the MNDAA, said the military analyst.

Bai was an MNDAA deputy commander who allied with the Myanmar military to oust MNDAA leader Peng Jiasheng in 2009. He then became the first leader of Kokang Self-Administered Zone formed under the military-drafted 2008 Constitution. His troops were reorganized as the BGF, which controls Laukkai, a notorious hub for cyber-scams and gambling on the Chinese border.

A video clip that went viral on TikTok on Monday morning shows men in MNDAA uniforms distributing snacks to around 70 men in junta military uniforms. Chinese subtitles accompanying the video explain MNDAA members are counting prisoners of war from the 55th LID and BGF. The subtitles claim that all the regime troops deployed on Mt Guan Ying were defeated on Sunday.

Another video clip on TikTok shows over 30 men in junta military uniform sitting on grass, some apparently injured, as someone says in Burmese, the medic is coming. Men wearing MNDAA badges and holding Chinese Type-81 assault rifles are standing guard nearby.

The Irrawaddy reached out to MNDAA spokesman Yang Yang for confirmation that soldiers from the 55th LID had surrendered, but had received no reply as of press time.

A member of the tripartite Brotherhood Alliance, the MNDAA stopped responding to media questions after joining Beijing-mediated talks with the junta in Chinas Yunnan province in early December. Analysts say the MNDAA was pressed by China to shun the media.

The Brotherhood Alliance has seized 10 towns and hundreds of junta bases since launching its Operation 1027 offensive in northern Shan State at the end of October

Kaung Thu Win, a former army captain who defected, said the video clips were strong evidence that 55th LID soldiers had surrendered.

They may be from 55th LID, but not all of them. I also saw badges of the Northeastern Command. The terrain in the video clips looks like northern Shan State. The Kokang soldiers look like MNDAA members.

The 55th LID was renowned for its combat ability before the 2021 coup, but its troop numbers and morale have declined since then, said Kaung Thu Win.

As their deployment prolonged, [the 55th LID] lost active status. They have been fighting for a long time and are weary, and they dont want to fight, he said.

The military analyst said the 55th LID and junta-affiliated militias reportedly surrendered at bases in western Laukkai, as the MNDAA attacks the town from the east and west.

MNDAA media outlet The Kokang said fighting continued in Laukkai on Sunday, with regime forces conducting 49 airstrikes on the town between December 18 and 24. Civilian casualties were confirmed in the strikes but details are still unknown, it said.
The Myanmar military is pounding civilian areas and historic sites in Mrauk-U, Rakhine State with artillery and airstrikes after the Arakan Army (AA) seized a police station and military outpost in the township, according to residents and AA sources.

The AA seized Ngwe Taung Pauk police station at around 4 am on Sunday, followed by Thutaw Ma hilltop outpost on Monday.

Clashes in Mrauk-U have intensified since Sunday, forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes.

The AA is attacking the Mrauk-U Townships police station. Junta forces are defending hard. Residents who remain in the town are panicking, said Ko Tun, a Mrauk U resident who fled to Laung Chay Chaung village with family.

Junta forces are launching air and artillery strikes on historic sites in Mrauk-U, the ancient Rakhine capital, according to residents and the AA.

Light Infantry Battalions 540, 377, 378 and Police Battalion No. 31 have been deliberately firing artillery shells at Mrauk-U Archaeological Museum, historic monasteries and other religious and cultural heritage, the AA said in a statement released on Monday evening.

Mrauk-U Archaeological Museum, which houses many ancient and cultural artifacts, was destroyed by shells fired by the juntas Light Infantry Battalions 540 and 377 on Monday, said AA.

Locals say at least four civilians were killed and 10 severely injured in the junta bombardment on Sunday and Monday. They also confirmed that Mrauk-U historical sites suffered damage and losses in the air and artillery strikes.

Three civilians were killed and four others, including two children, badly injured by indiscriminate shelling of Sin Cha Seik ward on Sunday, said residents.

A 40-year-old man was severely injured when a junta shell exploded in Ywar Haung village on the same day.

Another resident was killed and three others severely injured when junta artillery based in the town targeted Sin Cha Seik again on Monday afternoon.

Around 50,000 residents of Mrauk-U have fled as the bombardment intensifies, according to volunteer rescue teams and locals.

The AA warned that junta troops will not hesitate to target cultural heritage to avenge their losses in Mrauk-U, having already committed multiple atrocities and crimes against humanity.
The Myanmar military junta and the Brotherhood Alliance of three powerful ethnic armies failed to reach an agreement at a second round of China-brokered peace talks, according to sources close to the ethnic rebel groups.

The tripartite ethnic alliance of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and Arakan Army (AA) held discussions with junta representatives in Kunming, China for three days from Dec. 22 to 24.

The peace talks were arranged by Chinese special envoy Deng Xijun.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed the proposed relocation of troops and bases across northern Shan State as well as the reopening of vital Myanmar-China trade routes, over which the joint ethnic armies have taken control.

However, no agreements were reached at the talks, the sources said.

The three ethnic amies did not respond to a request for comment when contacted by The Irrawaddy on Tuesday.

Since the launch of Operation 1027 on Oct. 27, the Brotherhood Alliance has attacked and seized around 300 junta outposts, bases and tactical headquarters and around nine towns, as well as control of vital trade routes with China and around five border trade gates across northern Shan.

To achieve to a ceasefire, all armies would be required to stop fighting at the places they have currently reached. Neither side could accept that. The junta cant accept that the TNLA and MNDAA have taken control of the trade routes. Also, the ethnic armies cant retransfer to the junta the areas they have occupied. This is the main point that has not been solved, a military analyst with knowledge of the meeting told The Irrawaddy

Clashes are expected to continue in northern Shan as the junta cant allow the TNLA and MNDAA to administer the states Palaung and Kokang self-administered zones, respectively, said the analyst.

The ethnic armies have vowed to bring down the junta, in order to fulfill the wishes of the people of Myanmar.

The ethic revolutionary groups and the military regime first met to discuss a possible de-escalation of fighting at China-arranged peace talks in Kunming in early December.

Both sides agreed to a 20-day ceasefire from Dec. 11 to 31.

However, intense clashes continued to break out across northern Shan State, except in the Kokang area, formally known as Shan State Special Region 1. The military junta lost additional strategic bases, trade zones and some more towns in the clashes despite conducting heavy aerial bombardments and artillery shelling.

Also, fierce clashes resumed in the Kokang region last Wednesday as junta forces conducted artillery shelling and aerial bombardment against MNDAA bases in the area, the ethnic group said.

The Brotherhood Alliances Operation 1027 in northern Shan, launched in cooperation with several resistance groups, is the biggest and most closely coordinated anti-regime offensive since the coup.

To support the operation, dozens of resistance groups including Peoples Defense Forces (PDFs) under the command of the civilian National Unity Government (NUG) and other ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) have escalated attacks on regime targets and bases in Karenni (Kayah), Chin and Kachin states and Mandalay, Sagaing, Magwe and Bago regions.

The AA has widened the operation by escalating attacks on regime bases and targets across northern Rakhine State since Nov. 13.

The Myanmar junta also faces resistance attacks in Mon and Karen states and Yangon and Tanintharyi regions.
The first charter drafted by ethnic Chin people  the Chinland Constitution  legitimizes the Chinland Council as the leading political body overseeing the Chinland governments three branches: the executive, the parliament and the judiciary. The council is expected to fully establish the three branches next month.

It was ratified on Dec 6 by 235 representatives from the Chin National Front (CNF), local administration organizations (both township and area-based), elected members of parliament and special invitees from other Chin stakeholders.

This is the first Chin-written constitution ratified in Chin history. The Chin Hills Regulation Act (1896- 1947) was drafted by the British, while the Chinland permanent constitution, under the Chin Forum initiative (1998-2008), has gone through several drafts without being ratified.

Adopting a Chin-written constitution indicates its drafters are looking beyond their document and the council it enshrines to the future of the jurisdiction they envisage.

The Chinland Council comprises 112 members from the three clusters: 27 from the CNF, 17 MPs, and 68 from administration organizations.

Mixed reaction

The Chin community has had a mixed reaction to the formation of Chinland Council. Many have hailed it as a milestone in Chin history, but others doubt its validity and inclusivity due to the absence of some stakeholders in its formation.

All 17 MPs in the council are among the more than 20 who are active in the Spring revolution and are from the National League for Democracy. Other MPs (most of them from Tedim and Falam townships) declined to join the council reportedly due to ideological differences and divergent interests

Members of 14 of 17 recognized local administrative organizations joined the council, while three township administrative organizations  from Falam, Tedim and Mindat  snubbed it.

All 17 local administrative organizations have their own armed wings  mainly Chinland Defense Forces (CDFs)  in the Chin Joint Defense Committee (CJDC). Non-CJDC member groups are also split over the Chinland Council. One Area Administration Organization from Falam Township has expressed its support while another from Matupi Township has snubbed the Council.

Overall, more than 80 percent of the township and area administrative organizations have collaborated, or support, the Chinland Council.

However, the extent to which the Council can influence Chin state as a whole in terms of support from its people and control of its territory is not yet clear because control of some territory is claimed by both Chinland Council members and those who do not support the council.

The Constitutions essence

The name Chinland replaces Chin State in the Chinland Constitution. It authorizes its own national flag and official languages, and endorses the Chin National Army as the only national army while maintaining local resistance groups.

The new Constitution recognizes the people of Chinland as the ultimate owners of the land, natural resources, and sovereignty of Chinland. The Council also adopted a new two-level administrative structure  which is quite different from the one outlined in the 2008 Myanmar Constitution. It has a Chinland government and local governments. The Council agreed on the establishment of 15 ministries under its executive branch, including Defense, Home Affairs, Foreign Affairs and Immigration.

The Constitution did not contain any section about shared-rule with the union government, which has triggered speculation among unionists that the Constitution shows signs of separatism. However, the Constitutions preamble clearly states that federal democracy union is a goal of the Chin armed revolutionary movement.

Sources from the Chinland Council said that the Chinland Constitution is written based on the objective of Chin state and nation building through self-determination in Chinland, particularly in the liberated area, and that self-determination is rooted in a pre-Panglong concept  an idea that forms a federal vision with coming together.

The CNF chairman also told this analyst in late 2022 that the priority of the CNF and its local allies is to practice self-determinization while maintaining a relationship with anti-State Administrative Council union-level entities. Thus, making a reality of the self-determination enshrined with a bottom-up approach for the future federal union seems to be what the Chinland Constitution intends. The structure of the Constitution and its key principles might reflect how Chin groups want to build the future Chinland.

On the other hand, critics question how long the Council will last, pointing to past divisions and disputes among Chin stakeholders. These views might be right; if the Chinland Council does not work, the Chinland Constitution would make no sense. What makes the Chinland Council unique is its constitutional mandate. Having a legally binding document might be an advantage for the Councils future.

Pragmatic implementation of local and Chinland administrations might be validated by the Constitution. Chin joint forces continue to expand their liberated area by capturing SAC bases and towns. Seven towns have been overrun, and almost the entire rural area has now fallen to resistance groups. The Council has great potential to establish a connected administration in its area.

A relevant entity?

The Chinland Council appears to be the most inclusive statewide political body in Chin state, even though more work needs to be done. The involvement of the CNF and local administrative bodies contributes a de-facto legitimacy as they directly influence the territory and people at the grassroots level. The participation of elected MPs also constitutes de-jure legitimacy, and the Chinland Constitution has conferred on them a privilege to retain their mandate beyond 2025.

It is not clear if the NLD MPs have joined the Council with the green light of its Central Working Committee. But the division at the state-level is obvious as some NLD members refused to join. In this circumstance, working along the Chinland Council might be inevitable for the central NLD; otherwise, it could lose its influence on many of its Chin states members.

And as of now, none of the union-level entities including the National Unity Government, National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC), and Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw have publicly endorsed the Chinland Council. The reason for this delay is not known. But failing to do so might widen the ideological gap between the unionists and the pro self-determination actors, which could consequently alter political vision of the latter.

As the Chinland Council has said, service delivery to its administrative area is its main function. The Chinland Council might be the most relevant entity for local and international actors to engage with. Chin groups have taken over almost all of Chinlands area bordering India, including the international border trade point. This is a good opportunity for India to reconsider its approach to resistance groups  particularly the Chinland Council  if it truly seeks stability in the border region.

Challenges ahead

Due to the ethnic diversity and the lack of a unified political goal at the community level, there are visible challenges that the Chinland Council must deal with. It has said that it will keep the door open to meeting administrative groups and MPs who have so far snubbed it. Some groups or individuals are likely to reconsider joining the Council because of the flexibility for new member criteria and Constitutional amendment. However, the attempt to bring in some absentees may be a worthless venture as some of their ill feelings are rooted in historical factors or an alternative political vision.

Settling administrative divisions for local governments might be the toughest challenge. The local governments under the Council are divided based on township and area; but these existing local bodies have not had clear demarcations. An area administration means a self-administration run by a tribal group that usually lives in at least more than one township, and sometimes different tribal groups live in one village. Thus, the Council may have to facilitate negotiations not only between township and area groups but also between areas, or inter-tribal groups, in order to have an integrated and well-established administration.

The role of Interim Chin National Consultative Council (ICNCC), the first Council formed in April 2021 between virtually the same stakeholders, remains uncertain.

The CNF formally withdrew its membership in March this year while several individuals from political parties, civil society organizations and MPs, also deserted the ICNCC due to internal disagreements. Section 98 of the Chinland Constitution states that ratifying the Constitution means a dissolution of ICNCC by ceding its mandate to the Chinland Council. Most former and current ICNCC members agree to this.

However, some active ICNCC members have rebuffed the new Council and rejected dissolution of the ICNCC. Fresh reports have emerged about discussions on potential ICNCC reforms between non- Council members. Even in a reformed scenario, there is no sign that the ICNCC poses a serious threat to the Chinland Councils legitimacy. There is very little chance it will be a more inclusive body than the new Council. Nevertheless, reconciliation might be a requisite for the Chinland Council in order to build healthy interconnection between the state and union-level entities.

June N.S is an independent researcher writing regular analysis on conflict and political issues in Myanmar, particularly in the countrys northwest.
Russian seafood will no longer be legally allowed in U.S. markets after it is processed in China, under an executive order issued last week by President Joe Biden.

The action seeks to close a loophole that the Russian seafood industry was able to use to skirt import sanctions put in place in 2022 in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

The ban is now extended to any seafood caught in Russian waters or by Russian-flagged vessels, notwithstanding whether such products have been incorporated or substantially transformed into other products outside of the Russian Federation, the executive order says.

While the executive order affects other products, including alcoholic beverages and diamonds, it provides special relief to an Alaska seafood industry that has been struggling with competition from a flood of Russian fish, Alaskas U.S. senators said.

I think that that is going to be very, very welcomed news for the seafood industry at a time when they really need it, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said at an Anchorage news conference.

When the sanctions were first imposed in March of 2022, Murkowski said, it was thought that imports of Russian seafood would be effectively barred. But then we saw that Russia was going to do what Russia was going to do, which is basically cheat. They did it and they did it very effectively, she said.

She added that she is hopeful that the new sanctions will be strong enough and that the Putin government will not find another way to evade them.

Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, lauded the executive action but accused the administration of taking too long to issue it.

Ive relentlessly pressed this issue with senior members of the Biden administration, expressing my frustrationand the frustration of Alaskansthat our own government has allowed this damaging injustice to go on for far too long, he said in a statement. The administration has finally listened and taken action on this ridiculously unfair notion that reprocessed Russian fish, pumped with chemicals in China, could be classified as the product of another country and still sold on the U.S. market almost duty-free.

Huge catches of Russian fish such as pink salmon and pollock have inundated world markets and been cited as a reason for depressed prices paid for Alaska fish.

Like seafood from Russia, Alaska seafood has been exported to China for processing. Because of that activity, China has been Alaskas top export market in recent years; seafood made up the largest portion of the more than $1 billion in Alaska exports to China in 2021.

This story appeared on the website of the Florida Phoenix, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to coverage of state government and politics from Tallahassee. It has been edited for length. To read the complete report, click here.
LOS ANGELESGay performers Sage Roux and Jordan Jameson return to Squirt Studios for "Deposit at the Piggy Bank," a new scene co-starring Cesar Xes, available now on JustFor.Fans.

Directed by Guy Criss, the scene features Roux as he shows off his oral skills to multiple performers. Xes and Jameson join Roux as they take turns pounding the twink to their mutual satisfaction.

To watch the trailer on DailySquirt, click here. For more details, visit the Daily Squirt blog here.

Squirt Studios has also recently released Waiting at the Glory Hole, also co-starring Roux and Jameson. The scene is also available on JustFor.Fans.

All Scenes from Squirt Studios are available for promotion through JustFor.Fans. For more information, contact Drew Kameron at [email protected].

Pictured: From left, Cesar Xes, Jordan Jameson, and Sage Roux.
1371138342::cfb49c8e-2422-11e5-99a3-d7f5c6e8b241

A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
(Photo : Unsplash/Markus Winkler)

Organizations are currently in the process of implementing generative AI tools on a wide scale. This trend involves the integration of advanced artificial intelligence technologies into various company workflows and systems to enhance productivity and efficiency.

For instance, PwC US is launching ChatPwC, an internal AI tool powered by OpenAI and hosted on Microsoft Azure, to all 75,000 employees by year-end. PwC's Chief Products & Technology Officer, Joe Atkinson, who has three decades of experience, remarked that the exaggerated excitement about AI surpasses anything he has witnessed. AI can potentially transform every aspect of our lives, which he shared during an AI strategy session for chief financial officers at the CNBC CFO Council Summit in Washington, D.C.

What Will It Cost?

Chief financial officers and other C-suite are actively discussing whether to deploy AI as it becomes increasingly essential across various sectors. Prominent business leaders express the view that it's not a matter of whether AI will be implemented but rather when it will be integrated into their operations.

A recent survey of CFOs at the CFO Summit revealed that 44% anticipate implementing tech tools like ChatGPT will result in a net cost over the next 12 months. In contrast, the remaining 56% believe that AI will lead to cost savings in the short term, even if the potential productivity gains from artificial intelligence are apparent.

Extended AI Integration ROI

Eric Kutcher, a senior partner and CFO at McKinsey & Co., aligns with the group that expects the return on investment to take longer than a year. He mentioned running experiments, acknowledging that some might fail at the CFO Summit. While expecting cost savings over a few years, he admitted that in the next 12 months, spending on evolving large language models may exceed returns, and he anticipates encountering some setbacks along the way.

After their first female partner, McKinsey developed an AI platform named Lilli to help consultants accomplish tasks in minutes that would have taken weeks. Forty-five thousand employees now use Lilli, and it has significantly increased productivity. Consultants are using it for various purposes, including efficiently creating client presentations.

How AI Impacts Productivity And Efficiency on Companies

Growing the U.S. economy, even as workforce participation levels drop, will mean that employee productivity has to increase, and finance chiefs view AI as a prime tool for making that happen.

READ ALSO: How to Upskill with On-the-Job Generative AI: A Comprehensive Guide

PwC U.S.

Atkinson explains that the tool can manage various daily administrative tasks for employees, which frees up their time for more strategic projects, maximizing productivity and delivering excellent value to clients. PwC established its internal "AI factory" a year ago, generating over 3,000 potential applications within six weeks. Atkinson notes that most of these ideas have originated from individual contributors rather than leaders.

Atkinson advises organizations to monitor licensing and deployment costs as major tech providers invest heavily in AI tools and upgrades to existing products, including core productivity suites, finance applications, CRM tools, and Human Capital applications. While large language models will eventually become standard, the real value lies in customization at the firm level. However, this cost reduction may take a year or more to materialize. The primary challenge is not the business case versus the price but preparing the workforce for widespread AI usage.

Doximity

Anna Bryson, CFO at healthcare tech firm Doximity, highlighted AI as a powerful tool for enhancing the productivity and efficiency of physicians. She emphasized doctors' challenges in managing a constant influx of new information. She explained that the company leverages AI and machine learning to simplify this process.

Simultaneously, Doximity is using AI to reduce doctors' administrative workloads. Anna Bryson pointed out that for every hour physicians spend with patients, two hours are devoted to administrative tasks such as insurance claims and chart maintenance. AI is helping to decrease the time doctors spend on these non-patient-related tasks.

Palantir Technologies

Likewise, according to CFO Dave Glazer, the main objective of data analytics company Palantir Technologies is to enhance efficiencies and provide insights to clients through AI. He mentioned that the company has been utilizing machine learning for an extended period and is implementing AI in enterprise data to improve operational decision-making.

He recognizes the ongoing AI "hype cycle" as a sign that this technology is enduring. Consequently, Palantir has adjusted its market approach by providing one- to five-day AI "boot camps" to current and potential customers. The company encourages participants to bring their data to the boot camp, allowing them to develop use cases on Palantir's platform quickly.

AI Adoption

Regarding the initiation of AI adoption for CFOs, Bryson from Doximity suggests a gradual approach. The company has already invested in AI for sales forecasting. Even if they find the software less helpful in the future, Bryson believes it's worthwhile. The tool not only assesses pipeline health but also aids in understanding market trends by account and industry, making it valuable for experimentation.

McKinsey's Kutcher expects AI costs to decrease over time but sees it as a multi-year process, not something happening in the next six months. He emphasizes that the focus should not solely be on the immediate cost efficiency of the technology but rather on how to utilize it for productivity or revenue recognition.

RELATED ARTICLE: Businesses and Tech Groups Warn EU Against Over-regulating AI Foundation Models

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A business's prosperity and lasting presence depend on its workforce's overall positive mental well-being. A positive mental state gives individuals the resilience to tackle life's stresses, challenges, and setbacks associated with employment. Individuals can navigate challenges more adeptly and sustain productivity by building defenses against negative emotions and anxiety during tough times.

What Is Employee Mental Health?

Studies have shown a strong connection between mental and physical health, with conditions like depression, heart disease, and cancer having an impact on one's overall health. Mental health is essential, and employee creativity, productivity, and social interactions may all suffer if they are experiencing mental health issues. Hence, prioritizing mental health at work contributes to employee success, which is necessary for businesses to grow and thrive.

Looking After Mental Health at Work

Mental health significantly influences your work performance when you are mentally well. Employees are likely to be more focused, creative, and efficient. Hence, supporting mental health in the workplace is a compassionate approach and a strategic imperative for companies. Here are critical insights into why companies need to prioritize and actively support mental health at work:

Creating a Supportive Environment

A workplace that prioritizes mental health fosters a supportive and inclusive atmosphere. This involves acknowledging that everyone faces challenges and providing resources and support for those struggling with mental health issues.

Reducing Stigma

Open conversations about mental health contribute to reducing the stigma associated with it. When employees feel comfortable discussing their mental well-being, it creates an environment where seeking help is normalized, promoting a healthier workplace culture.

Work-Life Balance

Balancing work and personal life is crucial for mental health. Encourage breaks, discourage excessive overtime, and promote flexible work arrangements. These practices help prevent burnout and contribute to a healthier work-life balance.

READ ALSO: The Repercussions of Employer Surveillance, Workers Getting Worse at Their Jobs And More Likely To Quit

Communication and Feedback

Clear communication and constructive feedback are vital components of a mentally healthy workplace. Employees should feel valued and appreciated; regular feedback sessions can contribute to professional growth and a positive mental outlook.

Providing Resources

Employers can offer resources such as Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), counseling services, or mental health workshops. These can serve as valuable tools for employees dealing with stress, anxiety, or other mental health challenges.

Promoting Physical Health

Given the connection between physical and mental health, supporting physical well-being activities like fitness regimens or wellness campaigns can also benefit mental health. Additionally, leaders are essential in establishing the culture of a mentally healthy workplace. When leaders put their mental health first and communicate honestly, it inspires others to follow suit.

Flexibility and Accommodations

Recognize that individuals may have different needs. Offering flexibility in work hours, remote work options, or accommodations for mental health conditions demonstrates a commitment to supporting employees in their unique circumstances.

Training and Education

Providing training and educational resources on mental health awareness equips employees and leaders with the knowledge to recognize signs of distress, support colleagues, and foster a culture of empathy.

Taking steps to prioritize mental health benefits the individual and contributes to a more positive and productive workplace. It's an investment that improves well-being, job satisfaction, and overall team success.

RELATED ARTICLE: 5 Ways to Assess Workplace Culture Before You Are Hired

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Ralph Lauren has signed a long-term deal with the family-owned Haworth Lifestyle Design group in Michigan to broaden the production and distribution of Ralph Lauren's luxury furniture business.

Haworth will spearhead Ralph Lauren's product development, sourcing, manufacturing, product marketing, and wholesale account management starting April 1, 2024, showcasing the brand's lifestyle offerings across various home categories, including lighting, floor coverings, fabric, wall coverings, bedding, bath, tabletop, decorative accessories, and gifts.

Guillaume Tardy, Ralph Lauren's chief lifestyle and licensing officer, expressed that the home category holds significant potential for them. Partnering with Haworth Lifestyle Design will enable them to benefit from craftsmanship, manufacturing, and customer service expertise. This collaboration aims to expand the distribution of their luxury furniture, accelerating the global growth of Ralph Lauren Home.

Competitive Landscape and Trend in the Luxury Home Market

Ralph Lauren's home business may have once reached $500 million in sales at its peak, but exact figures are challenging to confirm due to its licensed nature. While the company doesn't disclose specific home business segment revenues, last year's licensing revenues from apparel, eyewear, fragrances, and home furnishings were approximately $160 million out of its $6.4 billion total. It was also reported that the company's major home licenses include lighting with Visual Comfort of America and bedding and blankets with Hollander Sleep, now Keeco.

The absence of furniture in Ralph Lauren's significant licenses indicates it may have overlooked the surge in the luxury home furnishings market post-pandemic. The market grew significantly, reaching $58 billion, a 24% increase from 2019 to 2022, per the Bain-Altagamma luxury report. However, this year, the segment is expected to see minimal growth, ranging from -2% to 2%, according to Bain estimates.

READ ALSO: 7 Ways To Ensure Your Business Is Scalable

Ralph Lauren's primary competitor in luxury homes, RH advanced, grew over 40% from $2.6 billion in 2019 to $3.8 billion in 2022, although it dropped to $3.6 billion in its latest year. Since 2020, Ralph Lauren's furniture has been produced under license with Theodore Alexander, available on the RL website and through various wholesale accounts, including Macy's and Bloomingdale's.

There's also a dedicated Ralph Lauren Home store in Dallas, which moved from Highland Park Village to its current location in the Knox Street area this year. Despite potential timing concerns, the new agreement with Haworth is expected to be robust. Ralph Lauren and Haworth Lifestyle Design will closely collaborate on bringing the Ralph Lauren Home experience to consumers, focusing on design, marketing, and selecting store locations and designs.

Taking it To The Next Level

Ralph Lauren might have found the ideal partner in Haworth to revive its former success in the home sector. While Haworth is renowned for office furniture and competes with the $4 billion MillerKnoll company, it also boasts other luxury furniture brands beyond its main label. With global sales revenues of around $2.5 billion, operations in 150 countries, and over 8,000 members, Haworth is well-regarded in the interior design trade and is the go-to for luxury consumers in making furniture design choices.

Haworth's portfolio includes renowned brands like Cappellini, Cassina, JANUS et Cie, Karakter, Zanotta, Poltrona Fra, Luminaire, and more. Moreover, it holds licenses for luxury names such as Dolce & Gabbana Casa, Versace Home, Trussardi Casa, Bentley Home, and Bugatti Home, solidifying its credibility in the luxury market.

"Like Ralph Lauren, at Haworth Lifestyle Design we are driven by a passion for craftsmanship, innovation, and helping people around the world lead a life well-lived," said Dario Rinero, Haworth Lifestyle Design CEO.

RELATED ARTICLE: Disney CEO Signals Era of Expansion, Pledges to "Start Building Again" in Employee Town Hall

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Shein is a fast-fashion brand making waves with its budget-friendly "Shein hauls" that influencers showcase on Social Media platforms. With a staggering 2020 revenue of nearly $10 billion and an estimated valuation of around $100 billion, Shein is on track to become the world's third most valuable startup. Despite its popularity for offering items under $15 and record profits, questions arise about the sustainability of a company thriving in fast fashion.

Items priced below $15 have made Shein the most talked-about brand on TikTok and YouTube and a globally visited apparel site. The ultra-low prices make it a consumer's dream, allowing them to build a wardrobe for less than the cost of takeout. It's also a dream for the company to record profits in the first half of 2023, according to WWD.

Shein Unmasked

While Shein is a convenient fashion destination, it has faced scrutiny for ethical and environmental concerns and questionable employee policies. A documentary, "Untold: Inside The Shein Machine," released in October, specifically delves into the latter. Journalist Iman Amrani hosts the documentary, revealing the human toll of Shein's business model by sending an undercover worker into two supply factories in Guangzhou, U.K., finding shocking discoveries.

Extended Working Hours

Under Chinese labor laws, employees are restricted to a 40-hour workweek. However, Shein workers in both factories endured 18-hour workdays, starting at 8 a.m. and ending in the early morning hours, only granted one day off per month, stating, "There's no such thing as Sundays here." The undercover reporter emphasized, "The factory has a very inhumane system."

READ ALSO: 5 Negative Impact of Extended Work Hours on People and Companies According to Research

Unjust Wages

Workers receive low wages, as seen in one factory where they earn a base salary of 4,000 yuan (about 492) monthly for producing 500 clothing pieces daily. This translates to a compensation of two cents for each clothing item manufactured, and will have a penalty of two-thirds of their daily wage if mistakes occur. Channel 4 noted that women washed their hair during lunch breaks in specific factories because they had no time to do so after their 18-hour workdays.

Environmental Concern

Shein has also faced criticism for having harmful chemicals like lead, PFAS, and phthalates in their clothing, as revealed in a Marketplace investigation last year.

Plagiarism from Designers

The brand has been condemned for plagiarizing designs from independent designers without proper credit or permission and for their questionable customer data handling.

"Need Help" Controversy

In June 2022, viral videos on social media alleged that Shein employees were hiding messages in clothes, with one tag supposedly containing a plea for help. Shein responded on TikTok, explaining it as a misunderstanding and highlighting a strict code of conduct against forced labor for suppliers. The company clarified that the "need your help" message aimed to remind customers to use fabric softener. However, some commenters remain skeptical, requesting videos showing working conditions rather than just a response video.

Shein's Response

According to Shein's 2021 Sustainability and Social Impact Report, 66% of its supplier factories and warehouses have a "mediocre" performance, indicating 1-3 significant risks needing corrective action. Another 12% fall into the ZTV category, signifying significant violations requiring immediate attention, with top issues including fire safety, working hours, and recruitment compliance.

While Shein expresses a commitment to ensuring compliance throughout its supply chain in the 2021 report, it lacks detailed information on wages and rights for factory employees. Instead, Shein provides general statements about maintaining a "safe, fair, and happy work environment" without offering specific details.

Sustainability

According to the sustainability report, Shein plans to release baseline greenhouse gas emission calculations publicly and is setting goals for increased use of renewable energy in its supply chain. While expressing a commitment to lower emissions and waste, the report lacks specifics on Shein's strategies. However, the brand is gradually transitioning to more sustainable materials, including recycled polyester and packaging.

Shein plans to announce a zero-waste goal by the end of 2022 and is gradually participating in a more circular economy by donating clothes and shoes to organizations. However, the fast fashion industry, ranked as the second most polluting industry globally, including Shein, contributes significantly to environmental pollution, responsible for 20% of wastewater and 10% of carbon emissions. The massive water and energy consumption producing millions of pieces annually poses sustainability challenges for Shein.

RELATED ARTICLE: Industrial Companies Take Bold Steps on Labor Issues, Extending Onsite Childcare to Ease "Tough Choices" for Workers

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Teachers, with a median annual salary of $61,000, are widely known for being underpaid in America. As stated by the Economic Policy Institute, low wages and high stress have caused the nationwide shortage in the Great Recession.

While there has been some progress in the last two years in addressing the educator shortage and teacher pay, the gap in weekly wages between college graduates in other fields and teachers reached a record 26.4% in 2022, up from 23.5% in 2021. This pay disparity was only 6.1% in 1996. Compared to other professionals, teachers made an average of 73.6 cents for every dollar, a significant decrease from the 93.9 cents per dollar they made in 1996, hampered the recruitment and retention of teachers by this gap.

American Teachers' Act

Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and some congress members are trying to solve the issue by introducing the Pay Teachers Act in March, establishing a national minimum salary of $60,000 for public school teachers using federal funds. The American Teacher Act, another bill introduced last year by Representative Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., and Representative Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., encourages states to raise teacher salaries to $60,000 using Department of Education grant money. Currently, teachers in 37 states and the District of Columbia earn an average wage below $60,000, according to WalletHub research.

Variations in Metropolitan Area's Salaries

A recent analysis by personal finance firm MoneyGeek shows that teachers' salaries vary widely based on the metropolitan area where they work. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Council for Community and Economic Research, the study emphasizes the differences in purchasing power for educators in various regions.

Teachers in McAllen, Texas, experience the best purchasing power among cities. Despite an average annual salary of $73,153, considering taxes and the cost of living, their take-home pay is $68,271. This exceeds the national average, providing teachers with a higher standard of living.

READ ALSO: California Faculty Protests, Pushing Fair Work Conditions And a Pay Raise

For K-12 teachers looking to maximize their salaries, the Kennewick-Richland metro area in Washington is an excellent choice. K-12 teachers have the highest take-home pay, averaging $60,822. Meanwhile, postsecondary teachers in Las Cruces, New Mexico, enjoy the highest purchasing power, with an average take-home pay of $84,429.

Illinois presents a less favorable scenario for teachers. MoneyGeek examined seven metro areas in the state, with only two ranking in the top half of their list. The St. Louis area, which extends into Illinois, secured the highest position in the state, boasting an average annual salary exceeding $74,300 and a take-home pay of about $59,800. This ranked it as the eighth-best metro area for educators nationwide. Champaign-Urbana, housing the University of Illinois, also found itself in a decent position, ranking 44th overall. Regrettably, the other metro areas in Illinois have some of the lowest teacher salaries. Springfield, in particular, ranked the lowest, with teachers earning less than $43,000. These results underscore the difficulties that educators in Illinois face, aligning with recent U.S. Census Bureau data that indicates residents with education degrees in Illinois earn less compared to those with other bachelor's degrees.

The differences in teacher salaries among cities raise worries about the financial well-being of educators and how it may affect recruiting and keeping qualified teachers. NEA President Becky Pringle stressed that educators shouldn't face financial struggles while dedicating themselves to students. Policymakers must tackle these disparities and guarantee that a career in education provides fair and lasting economic opportunities for teachers nationwide.

RELATED ARTICLE: Minimum Wage Update: Half of U.S. States Plan Adjustments by 2024

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An employment lawyer resolves workplace issues and protects employers' and employees' rights and obligations.

What is an Employment Lawyer?

An employment lawyer handles the legal aspects of work contracts and represents clients before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). They also offer advice on employees' rights in cases of alleged violations, including:

Unjust dismissal

Workplace Discrimination

Inappropriate sexual behavior

Breach of contract

Employee benefits concerns

Whistleblowers Protection

What Does an Employment Lawyer Do?

Employers and employees have their relationship managed by an employment lawyer, who also upholds their rights and duties. Lawyers conduct research, offer advice, and manage drafting, arbitration, and negotiation for non-contentious employment work. Controversial issues include disagreements over harassment, discrimination, terminations, and contract violations.

Employees can consult lawyers for guidance and representation when employers break the law. Employers may consult them to ensure employment laws are followed, including advice on HR policy, contract drafting, and claim defense. Companies, including employment agencies, law firms, government agencies, and internal HR or legal departments, employ employment lawyers.

5 Reasons Employees Need To See An Employment Lawyer

If you're in a work dispute or want to ensure you follow local, state, or federal employment laws, contact an employment contract attorney for help.

Reviewing a Job Offer

Employment lawyers can assist in reviewing employment contracts, especially the termination clause, which dictates the compensation when a job ends. Ensuring the terms are favorable, an employment lawyer helps you start your new job on the best terms.

Dealing with a Workplace Issue

Workplace conflicts can be challenging, but not every problem means the end of your job. An employment lawyer can help assess the issue and suggest simple solutions that won't lead to the termination of your employment.

READ ALSO: Dealing with Workplace Bullying: 5 Ways to Stop It

Harassment and Discrimination

Harassment and discrimination sadly occur in workplaces despite laws against them being in place. An employment lawyer can guide you through the various solutions for these issues.

Negotiating an Exit Package

Experienced employees seeking a gradual exit from their jobs instead of an abrupt retirement can consider assistance from an employment lawyer to negotiate this transition.

Terminations

Losing a job is a harrowing experience. Employment lawyers make sure you're treated fairly and receive a just payout.

5 Reasons Employers Need To See An Employment Lawyer

Employment Contracts

Regularly check employment contracts to keep the business healthy, review them annually, and ensure they align with current legal practices.

Workplace Policies

Progressive discipline is good for maintaining workplace standards but must comply with legal requirements to avoid penalties.

Discipline Issues

Being human, employers might want to fire a problematic employee immediately. Using progressive discipline can address performance issues in the workplace. An employment lawyer can assist in implementing effective strategies to enhance your team's overall performance.

Making Changes

Businesses that don't change can become outdated quickly. Companies often aim to expand or adapt, especially during challenging times. Collaborating with an employment lawyer can reduce the impact on your employees during these business changes.

Terminations

A poorly done termination can become the sharpest thorn in an employer's side.

RELATED ARTICLE: 3 De-Escalation Strategies for Customer Service Professionals

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In 2023, we said goodbye to Twitter and welcomed X; some explored BlueSky and Mastodon, and concerns about AI bots and teen mental health lingered. Users retreated to private chats and scrolled endlessly, reflecting on the changes in social media. For social media users, it was a year of both new beginnings and farewells, with moments of soul-searching in between.

Goodbye Twitter

Over a year ago, Elon Musk entered Twitter's San Francisco headquarters, ousted its CEO and other top executives, replacing Twitter's name and iconic blue bird with X.

Open AI Drama

Twitter, once a highly influential platform in popular culture, is experiencing a decline in its impact. Jasmine Enberg, a social media analyst at Insider Intelligence, notes that while Twitter had issues before Elon Musk's takeover, it was a beloved brand with a clear role in social media. Though there are still moments of magic, such as real-time updates during the OpenAI drama, the Twitter of the past 17 years has largely disappeared, and X's purpose is unclear.

READ ALSO: Amidst OpenAI Turmoil, Meta Could Benefit Though Indirectly Involved

Bringing Back Alex Jones

Since Musk took over, X has faced allegations of misinformation and racism, significant ad losses, and declining usage. Musk's expletive-laden interview criticizing advertisers worsened the situation. Following the trend of reinstating banned users in December, Musk brought back conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, citing an unscientific poll in his favor, despite Jones spreading misinformation about the Sandy Hook school shooting.

Dangerous Platform for LGBTQ+

LGBTQ+ and supportive organizations have expressed concerns about X becoming less safe. In April, it quietly removed a policy against targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals. GLAAD labeled it the "most dangerous platform for LGBTQ people" in June. In December, the LGBTQ education group GLSEN announced its departure from X, together with the suicide prevention Trevor Project, citing Musk's changes enabling harassment of the LGBTQ+ community without restriction or discipline.

Hello X, Threads and BlueSky

Musk wants to turn X into an "everything app" like China's WeChat, but it's unclear if US and Western users are interested, as Musk hasn't provided specifics. X faces an identity crisis, prompting some users to seek alternatives.

Mastodon and Bluesky were options for users looking for alternatives. Bluesky originated from Twitter as a project by former CEO Jack Dorsey, who remains on its board. When tens of thousands, mainly dissatisfied Twitter users, started joining the invite-only Bluesky in the spring, CEO Jay Graber mentioned the app had less than 10 people working on it.

Facebook's Meta seized the chance to attract unhappy Twitter users by introducing Threads in July. It gained popularity with tens of millions signing up, though retaining users posed challenges. In a surprising December move, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced testing interoperability, aligning with the concept supported by Mastodon, Bluesky, and other decentralized networks. The idea is that users should use their accounts across different platforms, similar to email addresses or phone numbers.

Rising Mental Health Concerns

This year, the impact of social media on children's mental health has become a significant concern. In May, the US surgeon general warned that there's insufficient evidence to prove social media's safety for kids and urged immediate action from tech companies, parents, and caregivers. Dr. Vivek Murthy expressed the unfair burden on parents to manage rapidly evolving technology that shapes how children perceive themselves, build friendships, and experience the world.

In October, numerous US states sued Meta, alleging harm to young people and contribution to the youth mental health crisis through intentionally designing addictive features on Instagram and Facebook. In November, a former Meta engineering director testified before a Senate subcommittee, revealing how Meta executives, including Zuckerberg, were aware of Instagram's adverse effects on teens but chose not to make substantial changes.

This testimony coincided with bipartisan efforts in Congress to establish regulations safeguarding children online. In December, the Federal Trade Commission proposed significant changes to a longstanding law, suggesting defaults to turn off targeted ads to children under 13 and limit push notifications.

What to Anticipate in 2024

Chatbots are just the beginning. Zuckerberg envisions a future where people interact with hologram versions of friends and AI bots for assistance. Meta introduced AI bots with faces like Snoop Dogg and Paris Hilton for users to interact with.

In the upcoming year, AI will be integrated into various aspects of platforms to drive usage, ad performance, revenues, subscriptions, and commerce. AI will strengthen the connection between users and advertisers on social media, but challenges may arise due to increased scrutiny from consumers and regulators. Some platforms are finding subscriptions to be a more appealing source of revenue. Initially used to diversify or boost income when social ad businesses faced challenges, subscriptions have persisted and expanded even as the social ad market stabilized. With significant elections approaching in the U.S., India, and other countries, the role of AI and social media in spreading misinformation remains a crucial concern for observers. A.J. Nash, VP of intelligence at cybersecurity firm ZeroFox, expressed concern in May, highlighting the significant impact of emerging audio and video capabilities when used on a large scale and distributed on social platforms, which they were unprepared for.

RELATED ARTICLE: Businesses and Tech Groups Warn EU Against Over-regulating AI Foundation Models

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An N.C. House Select Committee is recommending that the General Assembly change a state law forcing districts to start school the Monday closest to Aug. 26 and end no later than the Friday clo
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Ann Arbor (Informed Comment)  The extremist, fascist government of Binyamin Netanyahu continues to press its monstrous, illegal and most of all completely implausible plan to push the 2.2 million Palestinians of Gaza out of the Strip into Egypts Sinai Peninsula or into other Arab countries. Netanyahu also pledged to continue the high-intensity campaign against the people of Gaza.

This blatant project of ethnic cleansing recalls the ways in which the dictators of the 1930s and 1940s moved around entire ethnic groups. Stalin displaced the Soviet Koreans to Uzbekistan or Siberia. I met some of their descendants in Tashkent in the mid-1990s. The exile of the Crimean Tartars is recognized by Ukraine as a war crime. Hundreds of thousands died in these paroxysms of ethnic cleansing. Hitler ethnically cleansed millions, as well, and at the end of the war there were 11 million displaced persons in Europe, 8 million in Germany.

After the end of WW II, world authorities attempted to forestall such atrocities, creating or strengthening International Humanitarian Law. In the Rome Statute, which went into effect in 2002 and has been signed by 124 countries, one of the offenses constituting Crimes Against Humanity is:

Deportation or forcible transfer of population ( Rome Statute Art. 7 d ).

The heinous character of these plans of the Israeli far right is not masked by the phrase voluntary transfer. Helpless Palestinians made homeless and denied food and water by the Israeli authorities can no more assent to exile from their homeland of millennia than an enslaved woman can assent to sex with her master.

On Monday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu held a meeting of his Likud bloc and told the other far right politicians there that he was still working on the voluntary immigration of Gazas inhabitants to other countries. He said the only problem is finding countries willing to absorb them. A Likud member of parliament concurred, saying that such plans were already accepted by the Canadian immigration minister and by US presidential candidate Nikki Haley. So reports al-Ghad from Yisrael Ha-Yom.

For its part, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry was scathing about Netanyahus remarks, saying they were a slap in the face to all the countries that supported Israel in its war against our people, and still do, under the pretext of self-defense, especially since it reveals a malicious conspiracy hatched by the ruling Israeli right against our people with the aim of liquidating their cause and existence.

That Netanyahu is talking in this desperate way, the ministry said, is a clear sign that Israel has failed in its stated war aims.

That is, the Palestine Authority correctly recognized that Netanyahu is using revenge on Hamas as a cover story, and that the actual purpose of his total war on the civilians of Gaza is to ethnically cleanse them.

The Foreign Ministry called on other countries roundly to condemn Netanyahus grotesque remarks.

TRT World: Whats the situation like for displaced Palestinians in Rafah according to Norwegian Refugee Council ?

No one is going to take the Palestinians off the Israeli prime ministers hands. Egypt roundly rebuffed any such suggestion. In fact, the Egyptians have warned of a severe rupture in ties with Cairo if Israel tries to push the Palestinians south into the Sinai. So reported a prominent Egyptian television anchor.

Meanwhile Al-`Arabi al-Jadid reported yesterday that the Egyptian military is bulking up the number of troops it has stationed near the Rafah Crossing from Gaza into the Sinai. It is also building more barriers and watchtowers. This activity reflects Egyptian anxieties as the Israeli military campaign against the Palestinians in Gaza stretches south to Rafah, raising the specter of mass displacement. Apparently an unusual number of Palestinians are approaching Egyptian border authorities pleading for asylum.

The government of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has spent a decade attempting to wipe out the Muslim Brotherhood from Egypt, and has also repeatedly fought heavy battles to assert Cairos authority in the Sinai Peninsula, the people of which often feel badly treated by the government. The prospect of having 2.2 million angry, hungry and desperate Palestinians, many of them essentially Muslim Brothers, plopped into a place famed for its lawless smuggling and terrorism networks is a horror show for the Egyptian authorities. Egypt is a country of over 100 million people and its military is ranked 14 out of 145 countries in the global firepower review. If its officer corps doesnt want that influx of Palestinians, it wont happen. In some past incidents Egyptian troops have simply shot down Palestinians attempting to enter Egypt.

Netanyahus plans to ethnically cleanse the Palestinians of Gaza, which have been echoed by many other Israeli politicians, including cabinet members, arent just plans to commit crimes against humanity. They are also highly implausible fantasies. The hard line, fascist government that Netanyahu has cobbled together dreams big, but just isnt that powerful in the real world, and nor does the Biden administration want to see the Palestinians ethnically cleansed. Though, if it somehow did happen, no doubt Washington would put lipstick on that pig for Israels sake, as well.
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By Layla Kattermann and Diala Shamas | 

( Al-Shabaka )  Israels 2023 genocide of Palestinians in Gaza has horrified many around the world and drawn widespread public outcry, with unprecedented levels of solidarity organizing taking place across the globe. Millions have gathered in the streets, issued public statements, and mobilized to block corporate and state-led support not only for the Israeli regimes recent onslaught but for its decades-long colonial occupation of Palestine. But as this unparalleled solidarity has emerged, so too has extraordinary repression at every level.

Al-Shabaka spoke with Layla Kattermann of the European Legal Support Center (ELSC) and Diala Shamas of the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) for further insight on this suppression of mobilization. Together, they detail some of the intimidation tactics and punitive actions taken by governments across North America and Europe and offer concrete advice for how to resist such efforts to stifle Palestine solidarity.

This interview is a lightly edited version of a conversation featured on Al-Shabakas podcast series, Rethinking Palestine, hosted by Senior Analyst Yara Hawari, in October of 2023. The full discussion may be listened to here.

Since the start of the assault on Gaza, what has the repression of solidarity with Palestine looked like in Europe?

Layla Kattermann

The repression we are currently witnessing in Europe is the culmination of a decades-long attempt to connect the Palestinian identity and experience with terrorism and antisemitism. This false connection has been particularly exploited to suppress protests and demonstrations. Although the right to protest is considered fundamental in Europeand demonstrations are an indicator of a healthy democratic systemseveral countries, such as Germany, France, and Austria, are violating that right by banning demonstrations in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

The language used by European media, politicians, and police orders to justify Palestine solidarity repression is aimed at thwarting any divergence from the colonial mainstream narratives Click To Tweet

In Germany, for example, not only are protests being banned, but we are also witnessing police violence, arrests, and harassment for any displays of Palestine solidarity. In Berlin alone, there were roughly 600 police detentions between October 11th and October 20th, 2023, for this reason. This crackdown has also extended to schools: The Berlin Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family, for example, sent a letter to all Berlin school authorities and supervisors asking them to ban students from wearing keffiyehs and other Palestinian symbols or slogans, such as Free Palestine. School authorities were likewise asked to notify the police of any violations of this ban, and in at least one instance a school director has been suspended for refusing to comply.

Work suspensions and terminations of employment such as these are also on the rise for expressions of solidarity with Palestine. Other forms of repression that we are seeing at increasing rates include smear campaigns of individuals and groups, online de-platforming, withdrawal of use of venues, cancellations of events, and disinvitations. Many of these punitive measures are justified through racist arguments and bolstered by the rise of far-right parties across Europe, which have consistently dehumanized migrants, refugees, and particularly those of Muslim backgrounds.

What about in the US?

Diala Shamas

In the US, there has been a range of incidents of both institutional and private repression. On the institutional side, law enforcement officers, including the FBI, have summoned Palestinians for questioning through voluntary interviews, often leveraging immigration concerns or status to coerce individuals into speaking. Additionally, local police departments have circulated notices indicating plans for special monitoring or surveillance of Palestine solidarity protests. This has come as a directive from the highest levels of governmentindeed, President Biden himself mentioned that he was instructing law enforcement to monitor the situation closely. In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams went further to essentially equate protesters marching and speaking out in support of Palestinian rights with support for terrorism. Such discourse has been widespread, from elected officials across city, state, and federal levels. It is really concerning to witness the exploitation of this tremendous power imbalance, especially when these officials start publicly naming different activist groups, and sometimes even specific individuals.

Private repression is also taking place at a frightening level. For example, a conference by the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights was cancelled because the venuea Hilton hotelreceived threats and ultimately pulled out from hosting the event. There has also been a surge in hate crimes, from the violent murder of 6-year-old Palestinian-American, Wadea Al Fayoume, in Chicago, to the attempted murder of three Palestinian university students in Vermont.



Photo by Ian Hutchinson on Unsplash



There is an infrastructure behind the repression of Palestine solidarity that includes both legislation and a discourse that equates anti-Zionism with antisemitism. In moments like this, the switch can be flipped and all tactics may be Click To Tweet

Similarly, the professional repercussions of voicing support for the Palestinian people at this time have been at an all-time high. At academic institutions, for example, professors have come under pressure for statements made about October 7th and the unfolding genocide in Gaza. And across various professional fields we are learning of reports of individuals demanding that staff face severe consequences or be terminated from their positions for statements made in their personal capacities. This is happening all over the US, and we are yet to understand the full scale of it.

Doxxing is likewise on the rise, with the posting of private and identifying information of people speaking out against the genocide in Gaza. On the Harvard University campus, for instance, pro-Israeli groups sponsored digital billboard trucks to drive around with pictures of student activist leaders under the headline antisemite. The students featured had signed statements condemning Israeli atrocities in Gaza. Acts such as these are clearly intended to intimidate those in support of Palestinian rights and to inflict both mental health and professional consequences. It is worth noting that many of the people subjected to doxxing are Palestinian, Arab, or from other communities of color.

Is this level of repression unprecedented?

Layla Kattermann

Not necessarily. Rather, it should be understood as a continuation and acceleration of a worrying trend. The repression of the Palestine solidarity movement or Palestinian rights advocacy did not start with the latest bombardment of Gaza. While the ELSC has monitored Europes crackdown on Palestine solidarity since 2019, it of course existed long before. It is a repression that has long been justified through racist depictions of Palestinians that depict them as either terrorist threats and/or inherently antisemitic.

In Europe, there is the Orwellian strategy used to portray the Other as a barbaric threat and the Self as a barometer of moral security. Within this strategy we see new words being invented and undesirable ones stripped of their meaning. Thus, the language used by European media, politicians, and police orders to justify Palestine solidarity repression is aimed at thwarting any divergence from the colonial mainstream narratives. As part of this strategy, we see a huge effort by European politicians and mainstream media that echoes the us versus them and civilized versus uncivilized dichotomy of 9/11.

While the tactics used to silence criticism of the Israeli regime today are not as visible or obvious as imprisonments or assassinations of dissidents, what we see instead is the attempt to damage activists psychological and organizational strength. Indeed, the censoring of civil society organizations and the demonization of solidarity groups are efforts to reduce the political capabilities of the Palestine solidarity movement. Likewise, the attempts to criminalize certain slogans, such as from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free, are obvious efforts to frighten activists. This repression is the continuation of a trend that started several years ago, with implementation of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism in many institutions and the passing of anti-BDS legislation.

Diala Shamas

The repression itself is not unprecedented, but the level and scale feel like nothing we have had to face before. Those particularly working in the legal response to this crackdown have noted that the numbers of reported instances of repression are at an all-time high. But I do think it is helpful to think of all of this as part of the architecture of repression that has been built over the last decade. Indeed, there is an infrastructure behind the repression of Palestine solidarity that includes both legislation and a discourse that equates anti-Zionism with antisemitism. In moments like this, the switch can be flipped and all tactics may be activated at once. These are mechanisms of repression that have become very well oiled in many ways over a long period of time.

It is important that both individuals and the movement as a whole are not intimidated into silence or inaction Click To Tweet

On the other hand, because this has been happening over a period of years, we also now have institutions and professionals well prepared to challenge these oppressive strategies. In a moment such as this, they are able to provide support and a line of defense. For example, Palestine Legal has a network of attorneys that theyve built up to support people facing attacks for their advocacy in favor of Palestinian rights. Meanwhile, CCR is also doing similar work but on a broader range of civil and human rights issues. Nonetheless, there is a dire need to expand our movement defense capabilities to be able to handle the unprecedented caseload.

How have the ELSC and CCR responded to this repression?

Layla Kattermann

The ELSC comprises movement lawyers who consider themselves accountable to Palestinian civil society. In that sense, we view the law in a pragmatic way and are very aware of the fact that it can be used as an exploitative and even oppressive tool. But we also see law as a tool to both push back against repression and one that can mobilize people. The ELSC has three pillars that define our work: defense, monitoring, and empowerment. The defense pillar works as a filter between clients and lawyers, where we offer co-counseling and expertise to defend those facing repression. The monitoring pillar involves keeping a record of the mechanisms used to silence advocates and the criminalization of Palestine solidarity work, not only for archival purposes but also to track trends of repression. The empowerment pillar involves working on campaigns of strategic litigation, such as holding companies accountable for human rights violations, and strengthening the Palestine solidarity movement.

Diala Shamas

Since the outset of the assault on Gaza, we have been in rapid response mode. Its very hard to strike the right balance of focusing on repression and making sure that people are protected as they speak out and also not losing the focus on whats happening in Gaza and throughout Palestine. In that regard, we have been really attentive to trying to offer language and legal analysis about what the Israeli regime is doing to the Palestinian people in Gaza. Not only have we reaffirmed that the Israeli regimes current assault constitutes genocide, but we have also laid out US complicity in that genocide.

Simultaneously, we have increased our work to support those who are doing important advocacy in the US. For example, we have represented individuals who have been contacted by the FBI for questioning, and we have fielded calls from people across the country who are dealing with consequences in their workplaces for speaking out against the genocide in Gaza. Relatedly, Palestine Legal has been building a network of attorneys, largely with a focus on experts in employment law, to help respond to these calls. We have also been increasing our capacity to advise individuals facing doxxing attacks, both in terms of personal safety as well as online reputation.

What has been really great to see is so many people within the legal community reach out and ask how they can support.

What advice would you give organizers at the momentparticularly those who might be feeling apprehensive or fearful in light of this repression?

Layla Kattermann

It is important that both individuals and the movement as a whole are not intimidated into silence or inaction. The allegations and accusations that politicians and the mainstream media use against the Palestine solidarity movement are nothing new. I think we should therefore be confident enough in countering and challenging them. Its also important to remember that we are stronger in numbers, as demonstrated in Berlin, where the masses defied the police prohibition on protests. Of course, the authorities can still resort to violence, but its important in these moments that people stick together.

Now more than ever is the time to speak up and out against what is happening. Not only is there a moral imperative in doing so, but it will also enable you to connect with other like-minded people and organize together. Smear and doxing campaigns usually aim to isolate a person from support networks and wider society. Indeed, it is always easier to attack one person rather than a group. Therefore, strength in numbers when it comes to defying the current repression cannot be underestimated.

Diala Shamas

We must remind ourselves that, while were seeing an unprecedented scale in repression, were also witnessing an unprecedented amount of solidarity and people speaking out against whats happening to Palestinians in Gaza. The rise in repression is, in fact, in direct correlation with the growing Palestine solidarity movement. In this moment, we cannot stop speaking out and opposing genocide.

With this in mind, its also important to be cautious. We are all really angry and outraged at what we are seeing and experiencing. We have seen some of the most horrific images and videos coming out of Gaza, and the sense of abandonment coupled with feelings of both rage and sadness is overwhelming. In this climate, it is really difficult to remain clear-headed and rational. This is when we see lapses in judgment that are sometimes exploited by the other side. Yet as Palestinians and as advocates for Palestinian rights, we cannot afford the luxury of a lapse in judgment because it results in our energies and attention being diverted.

If one finds themselves in a situation where they are facing repression, it is imperative to know your rights. In the US, if you are approached by any authorities for an interview, you are entitled to decline and refer them to your lawyer. Alternatively, you can take their number and have your lawyer reach out to them. For legal representation, you can contact Palestine Legal, the Center for Constitutional Rights, your local National Lawyers Guild chapter, your local CAIR chapter, or your local ACLU affiliate.

We must remind ourselves that, while were seeing an unprecedented scale in repression, were also witnessing an unprecedented amount of solidarity Click To Tweet

If you are called into a meeting with your employer or your university administration, try to get a legal consult before going into that meeting, or dont go in alone. It is also important to document everything. This can be in the form of notes or self-written emails, with timestamps of events as they occur. It might also make sense to try to be preemptive and reach out to your employer or your university administration to let them know what is happening and make sure that they are hearing from you first and not from those who are trying to smear you. Importantly, remember youre not aloneif you can and are confident, speak out about the repression so that you can find solidarity with others and vice versa.

Over the years, weve gone back and forth on the question of whether we want to talk openly about how difficult it is to speak about Palestinian rights, because we dont want to discourage folks from doing it. However, we are well past this pointeverybody knows that this kind of repression is happeningso we now feel that speaking out actually draws support and solidarity and can also build on political organizing. Weve seen really inspirational instances of activists coming together to support each other, as well as professionals offering support to colleagues to find alternative employment when someones employment has been terminated. This kind of solidarity is a really important way to build resilience in these moments of heightened repression.

Which legal resources would you suggest for people navigating this repression?

Layla Kattermann

We have several resources available on the ELSC website that are also country-specific and are aimed at educating people on their rights, because much of the current repression is unconstitutional and unlawful. Certainly, in many countries across Europe, the police are exercising unlawful conduct. In those situations, its always useful to record the police, to register the officer and unit number, and to make the abuse or conduct publicly known. As Diala said, one shouldnt deal with such repression alone. From our experience, once publicized, people usually reach out and offer support. Indeed, at the moment, we are seeing people really helping each other and standing in solidarity with one another against this pushback.

If you are in Europe, you can report to the ELSC. There are also a lot of collectives of lawyers at the moment that are actively helping the Palestine solidarity movement.

Diala Shamas

People in the solidarity movement across the US should familiarize themselves with Palestine Legals website. It has a range of resources, including on how to navigate doxxing and hostile environments on university campuses. If someone is struggling with something specifically regarding state repression, whether its federal or local law enforcement, there are a range of organizations that can support you. The organizations I mentioned previously may be able to also refer you.

Id also be remiss to not mention the importance of taking care of yourselfto breathe and remember that you have a community, because these small things allow us to continue our work. These are really, really difficult times. We are all feeling it. But we dont have a choice other than to continue speaking out. Indeed, the consequences might be difficult for us here in the US or Europe, but the conditions are far worse for the people in Gaza, as well as for those in the rest of colonized Palestine.

Layla Kattermann Layla Kattermann is the Monitor Team Manager at the European Legal Support Center (ELSC). Layla studied International Studies at Leiden University and specialized in the region of the Middle East, where she focused on the politics of law, the media discourse on Palestine and Israeli disinformation. She is also a co-founder of the Student Coalition for Palestine in the Netherlands.
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( Michigan Advance )  Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said she wasnt surprised by news that former President Donald Trump allegedly pressured Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers to refuse to sign the certification of the 2020 presidential election.

Benson, a Democrat who spent most of 2020 warning about the potential for disinformation over election results, told CNN that the revelation, first reported late Thursday night by the Detroit News, was further evidence of Trumps efforts to upend a free and fair election.

Its quite extraordinary, said Benson. We had a gut feeling and had lots of different pieces of evidence to suggest that this was happening. So, I wasnt surprised by anything that was revealed or any of the revelations in the recording.

The News said it had reviewed a recording of a phone call Trump made on Nov. 17, 2020, to the two GOP Wayne County canvassers, Monica Palmer and William Hartmann.

Weve got to fight for our country, the News reported Trump said on the recording. We cant let these people take our country away from us.

Also reportedly on the call, which the News said was recorded by a person present with Palmer and Hartmann at the time, was Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, a Wayne County resident and niece of U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah).

If you can go home tonight, do not sign [the certification].  We will get you attorneys, McDaniel is reported to have told Palmer and Hartmann.

Trump is then said to have added: Well take care of that.

President Joe Biden, a Democrat, won Michigan over GOP President Donald Trump by over 154,000 votes. Biden secured about 68% of the votes cast for president in Wayne County and Trump received about 31% of votes in the county. The blue county is home to Detroit, Michigans largest city and is 79% African American.

After initially voting against certifying the Wayne County election results, Palmer and Hartmann relented after sharp criticism from members of the public and voted to approve them, as the Advance reported at the time.

Benson said on social media that moment was a turning point.

Hundreds  hundreds (!)  of citizens showed up to the meeting of the Wayne County Canvassing Board to remind them of their duty under the law to ensure their votes counted, she said. Their voices mattered. Their votes mattered. In my view that turned the tide. Citizens and election officials in Wayne County and statewide didnt flinch, stood firm, and demanded their votes be certified as required under the law.

However, the News says it was 30 minutes after the meeting ended that Trump called, saying it would look terrible if they ended up signing the certification after initially voting in opposition.



Former President Donald J. Trump is seen in silhouette holding an umbrella as he talks to members of the press on the South Lawn of the White House Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019, prior to boarding Marine One to begin his trip to Hershey, Pa. | Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian via Flickr Public Domain

Following the phone call, Palmer and Hartmann left the canvassers meeting without signing the official certification document. Then they tried to rescind their votes the following day, an effort that proved unsuccessful and paved the way for certification in Wayne County, but also ultimately at the state level, confirming Joe Bidens win in Michigan. He would be awarded all 16 of the states electoral votes.

Had Trump succeeded in delaying or preventing a county or statewide certification in Michigan, that precedent would have been used to delay or block certification in Pennsylvania (which was certifying the following week), Georgia and so on, paving the way for the false slate of electors. We knew we were the first domino to go and that what Michigan did would impact the others, said Benson on the social media platform X.

Trump also met with Michigan GOP leaders in the White House on Nov. 20, 2020, including former Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R-Clarklake) and House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R-Levering). Republicans have claimed they werent pressured to overturn election results.

The News reported that while Hartmann has since died, neither Palmer nor McDaniel and Trump, through spokespeople, disputed a summary of the phone call when presented to them. The paper noted, however, that Palmer in the past described the conversation with Trump as, Thank you for your service. Im glad youre safe. Have a good night.

The News said those comments werent included in the segments of the call the paper reviewed.

McDaniel, a former Michigan GOP chair, said she stands by her statements made at the time that there was ample evidence that warranted an election audit.

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told the paper that Trumps actions were taken in furtherance of his duty as president of the United States to faithfully take care of the laws and ensure election integrity, including investigating the rigged and stolen 2020 presidential election.

Despite continued allegations of election fraud, no evidence has been validated, while multiple judges, many of them Trump appointees, have rejected every legal attempt to overturn the results.

Trump also faces both state and federal charges for illegally attempting to interfere in the election process.

The day following the phone call to Palmer and Hartmann, Trump further boosted the pressure to stop the certification by making unproven and inaccurate statements.

The numbers have not improved, it is still 71% out of balance, stated Wayne County, Michigan, Canvassers. There is widespread irregularities in poll numbers. There are more votes than people. The two harassed patriot Canvassers refuse to sign the papers!, he posted on social media.

Similar false conspiracies were later brought up during a now-infamous Michigan House committee meeting featuring Rudy Giuliani, who was then serving as Trumps personal attorney. Giuliani, who is also facing charges in Georgia for election interference, filed for bankruptcy on Thursday, days after a jury ordered him to pay nearly $150 million to two former Georgia election workers for defamation.

Peter Bondi, managing director of the nonprofit Informing Democracy, expressed concern about what Trump will do after the 2024 election if he loses again.

Following Donald Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 election, its easy to predict that he will loudly call for every local election official to refuse to certify the results of the election in 2024. What we cant predict is how many will actually listen to him, Bondi said. Unfortunately, from what weve seen in Michigan, Arizona, and elsewhere, we know that some may follow his command, breaking their oath and disregarding the votes of the citizens theyve sworn to serve  and in many cases breaking the law.

Benson, meanwhile, was asked by CNNs Abby Phillip that in light of the recording, if she thought charges should be sought against Palmer or McDaniel.

I have great faith in our Attorney General Dana Nessel, she responded. She just today announced charges in a very different inquiry against former state employees for abusing their power [Robert and Anne Minard]. So when the law is violated, she will ensure there is accountability. So well see how that unfolds. I think the other thing to remember here is at the end of the day, the commissioners and folks on the Wayne County Board of Canvassers did their job. They certified the election, as the state board did as well. So despite attempts to bribe or cajole or interfere, influence, it was unsuccessful. And democracy prevailed, in part because hundreds of citizens showed up that night to demand that the law be followed. And indeed, it ultimately was.

Mark Brewer, an elections lawyer and former Michigan Democratic Party chair, was more blunt.

Lock em up: Trump, Palmer, Ronna Romney McDaniel, and everyone else who was part of this criminal scheme, he posted.
The Hamas health ministry on Saturday said dozens of Palestinians were killed this week and publicly "executed" during an Israeli military operation in the north of the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli "massacre resulted in the death of dozens" of people in the Jabalia camp and Jabalia town, ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said in a statement.

"They also executed dozens of citizens in the streets," he added.

When contacted by AFP, the Israeli army did not directly comment on the allegations but said it ensures that its "strikes against military targets comply with the provisions of international law".

According to videos broadcast by local media, which AFP was unable to independently verify, decomposing bodies were seen strewn on the streets of Jabalia.

In Beit Lahia, a city in the north of the Gaza Strip, the civil defence authority said it had found on Saturday "dozens of decomposing bodies".

"Most of the bodies recovered in Beit Lahia were executed in the streets and mauled by dogs," it said.

On Wednesday, the United Nations human rights office said it received "disturbing" reports that Israeli troops "summarily killed" at least 11 unarmed Palestinians in a possible war crime in Gaza.

The killings were alleged to have been carried out in the Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City this week, it added.

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, rejected the allegations as "yet another example of the partisan and prejudiced approach against Israel" by the UN body.

The official added that the claims were "nothing but blood libel".

AFPTV footage shows one body buried under rubble in Jabalia and massive destruction in various parts of the city.

Israel has been under increasing pressure from allies, including the United States, which provides it with billions of dollars in military aid, to protect civilians in its war with Hamas.

The war erupted after a Hamas attack on October 7, which left around 1,140 people killed in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on the latest official Israeli figures.

Palestinian militants also abducted around 250 people, 129 of whom Israel says remain in Gaza.

Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel launched a relentless bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza, where 20,057 people have been killed, mostly women and children, according to the latest toll from the Hamas government.
Sitting outside her makeshift shelter in eastern Chad, Sudanese refugee Mariam Adam Yaya warmed up tea on some firewood in a bid to quell the pangs of hunger.

The 34-year-old from the Masalit ethnic group crossed the border on foot after a four-day trek with no provisions and her eight-year-old son clinging to her back.

She said "heavily armed" men attacked her village, forcing her to flee and leave seven of her children behind amid brutal violence that has sparked fears of ethnic cleansing.

Sudan has since April 15 been plunged into a civil war pitting army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, his former deputy and commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Thousands have fled for neighbouring Chad and found refuge in overcrowded camps such as Adre where Yaya has settled.

In the western Darfur region, paramilitary operations have left civilian victims belonging to the non-Arab Masalit group in what the United Nations and NGOs say is a suspected genocide.

In the West Darfur town of Ardamata alone, armed groups killed more than 1,000 people in November, according to the European Union.

"What we went through in Ardamata is horrifying. The Rapid Support Forces killed elderly people and children indiscriminately," Yaya told AFP.

- Trauma -

Chad, a country in central Africa that is the world's second least developed according to the United Nations, has hosted the highest number of Sudanese refugees.

The UN says 484,626 people have sheltered there since the fighting broke out, with armed groups forcing more than 8,000 people to flee to Chad in one week.

Formal camps managed by NGOs and informal settlements erected spontaneously have sprouted throughout the border region of Ouaddai.

A traumatised Amira Khamis, 46, said she was targeted due to her Masalit ethnicity and has lost five of her children.

Recovering in an emergency medical structure run by the NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) near the Adre camp after shrapnel fractured her feet, she told AFP women and young girls were raped.

"They systematically kill all the people of dark black colour," she said.

Mahamat Nouredine, a 19-year-old who is nursing a fractured arm and has lost four relatives in the violence, said the RSF mercilessly hounded the Masalit community before he escaped to Chad.

"A group of RSF followed us to a hospital and tried to kill everyone... they laid us on the ground in groups of 20 and fired at us," he said.

"Their unspoken goal is to kill people due to their skin colour."

- 'Critical conditions' -

The United States and other Western nations have accused the RSF and its allies of committing crimes against humanity and acts of ethnic cleansing.

An estimate by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project puts the war's death toll at 12,000. Almost seven million people have fled their homes, according to the UN.

After surviving atrocities in their homeland and the perilous journey abroad, the refugees are now confronting the looming threat of famine.

Yaya said she and her child have "barely" eaten since their arrival in Chad.

The scarcity of water in the camps has generated tensions that humanitarian organisations have struggled to calm.

Gerard Uparpiu, MSF's project coordinator in Adre, said the influx of Sudanese refugees was creating a "worrying" situation.

"We receive them in critical conditions. They are shaken physically and psychologically," he added.

MSF's hospital is surrounded by fencing and constantly monitored by a guard, measures necessitated by the brutality of a conflict that has not spared the wounded.

"They also attacked us when I was being taken to Chad to receive treatment," said Amir Adam Haroun, a Masalit refugee whose leg was broken by an explosive.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas on Saturday called for an international investigation into "summary executions" that it accused the Israeli army of committing in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip.

Hamas claimed in a statement to have gathered testimonies showing "the Israeli army had carried out the summary execution of 137 Palestinian civilians" in the northern Gaza Strip, including Gaza City, since the start of Israel's ground offensive on October 7.

The group accused the Israeli army of "digging a large pit east of Gaza City and placing dozens of detained citizens in it before executing them and filling up the pit".

AFP could not independently verify the claims.

When reached by AFP for comment, the Israeli military said in a statement that it was "currently unaware of the incident described" and insisted on more details to "produce a clearer picture".

The army, the statement added, was "at war with the Hamas terrorist organisation who has proven that they do not value truth or accuracy".

Earlier Saturday, the Hamas health ministry said dozens of Palestinians were killed this week and publicly "executed" during an Israeli military operation in the northern town of Jabalia.

- UN concern -

The Israeli army did not directly comment on those allegations but said it ensured that its "strikes against military targets comply with the provisions of international law".

On Wednesday, the United Nations human rights office said it had received "disturbing" reports that Israeli troops had "summarily killed" at least 11 unarmed Palestinians in a possible war crime in Gaza.

The killings were alleged to have been carried out in the Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City this week, it added, calling on Israel to open an investigation.

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, rejected the allegations as "yet another example of the partisan and prejudiced approach against Israel" by the UN body.

The claims were "nothing but blood libel", the official added.

At least 20,258 people --- most of them women and children -- have been killed in Gaza since the start of the Israeli army's offensive, according to Hamas.

The war was launched in retaliation for the unprecedented attack carried out on October 7 by Hamas, which left around 1,140 dead in southern Israel, the majority civilians, according to the authorities.

Palestinian militants also abducted around 250 people, 129 of whom Israel says are still in the Gaza Strip.

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Israel pounded Gaza on Monday, exacerbating the dire conditions for civilians with no end in sight to the war Hamas says has killed more than 20,000 people in the Palestinian territory.

Pope Francis decried the "desperate humanitarian situation" in Gaza, calling for an immediate ceasefire and the freeing of hostages during his traditional Christmas message at the Vatican.

Festivities in Bethlehem, the revered birthplace of Jesus Christ in the occupied West Bank, were meanwhile effectively scrapped amid the conflict, leaving the city's usually vibrant streets with only a handful of worshippers and tourists.

The war erupted when Hamas militants broke through Gaza's militarised border and attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, and seizing 250 hostages, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Israel vowed to crush Hamas and launched a retaliatory military campaign in Gaza, including extensive aerial bombardment and siege, killing at least 20,424 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

The Gaza health ministry said an Israeli air strike killed at least 70 people on Christmas Eve at the Al-Maghazi refugee camp.

The army said it was "reviewing the incident", adding it was "committed to international law including taking feasible steps to minimise harm to civilians".

Zeyad Awad, a resident of Al-Maghazi in the Gaza Strip's centre, said the strike caused "extensive, enormous destruction and panic in the hearts of my children".

"My child said to me, 'Protect me, what's happening? I can't breathe'."

Ten members of one family were killed in an Israeli strike on their house in the Jabalia camp in northern Gaza, the health ministry said.

In a separate attack, the ministry said 18 people were killed in an overnight strike on Khan Yunis.

There was no respite on Christmas Day, with the army saying it continued its ground, air and sea operations and struck several Hamas targets, including commanders.

Before dawn, an Israeli strike "targeting a house" in the central Al-Zuwaida area killed at least 12 people, mostly women and children, the Gaza health ministry said. AFP was unable to independently verify the tolls.

- 'Real hunger' -

In southern Gaza, an AFP correspondent reported heavy bombings through the night in Rafah and Khan Yunis. In the north, live AFPTV footage on Monday morning showed a long plume of smoke extending across the horizon.

Grasping empty containers, dozens of Gazans waited on a street in Rafah for food to be distributed.

"Now there is real hunger. My children are dying of hunger," said one of them, Nour Ismail.

Vast areas of Gaza lie in ruins and its 2.4 million people have endured dire shortages of water, food, fuel and medicine, alleviated only by the limited arrival of aid trucks.

Eighty percent of Gazans have been displaced, according to the UN, many fleeing south and now shielding against the winter cold in makeshift tents.

The head of the UN refugee agency, Filippo Grandi, called for an end to the suffering, saying: "A humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza is the only way forward."

The World Health Organization said it led missions to barely functioning hospitals in northern Gaza at the weekend, describing growing desperation and starving people stripping an aid truck of supplies.

"Everyone we speak to is hungry," said Sean Casey, a WHO emergency coordinator. "There's the risk of famine."

Israel lashed out at the UN on Monday, with Foreign Minister Eli Cohen accusing the world body of "hypocrisy" and ordering his ministry not to extend one UN employee's entry visa and to refuse entry for another.

He condemned in a statement on X the "secretary-general who legitimised war crimes", adding: "We will stop working with those who cooperate with the Hamas terrorist organisation's propaganda."

- Israel vows to keep fighting -

Pope Francis on Monday appealed for an end to the hostilities.

"I plead for an end to the military operations with their appalling harvest of innocent civilian victims," he told thousands of faithful gathered in Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

"My heart grieves for the victims of the abominable attack of October 7, and I reiterate my urgent appeal for the liberation of those still being held hostage," he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday the war was exacting a "very heavy price" on the army, as the death toll of soldiers killed in the conflict continued to mount.

"But we have no choice but to keep fighting," he said, adding: "This will be a long war."

The army said Monday two more soldiers had been killed, bringing to 17 the number killed since Friday and 156 since Israel's ground assault began on October 27.

Two freed detainees and a medic said Sunday that Palestinians held by the Israeli army in Gaza had suffered torture, a charged denied by the military.

The war has heightened tensions across the Middle East. Cross-border fire has erupted almost daily between Israel and Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah movement.

And Yemen's Huthi rebels have fired at cargo vessels in the Red Sea, leading the United States to build a naval taskforce to deter the missile and drone strikes.

Iran on Monday rejected US accusations that a drone strike targeting a Japanese-owned chemical tanker off the coast of India had been fired from its territory.

burs-jsa/ami

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Israel on Monday said it was "intensifying the fighting" against Hamas in Gaza, where relentless strikes across the Palestinian territory exacerbated the dire conditions for civilians in the war's 12th week.

The conflict has heightened tensions across the Middle East where Iran -- which supports Hamas -- on Monday accused Israel of killing a senior Revolutionary Guards general in Syria and vowed revenge.

Pope Francis decried the "desperate humanitarian situation" in Gaza. During his traditional Christmas message he called for an immediate ceasefire and the freeing of hostages.

As war raged, festivities in Bethlehem, which Christians consider to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, were effectively scrapped in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The city's usually vibrant streets had only a handful of worshippers and tourists.

The war erupted when Palestinian militants broke through Gaza's militarised border and attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Militants also seized about 250 hostages, Israel says.

Israel vowed to crush Hamas and launched a retaliatory military campaign in Gaza, including extensive aerial bombardment and siege. The campaign has killed at least 20,674 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

Four major Israeli strikes since Sunday killed more than 100 people, the ministry said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Monday after visiting Gaza, "We're not stopping," according to a statement from his Likud party.

"We're intensifying the fighting in the coming days," he told party members.

Palestinian militants launched rockets towards Israel during the day, most of which were intercepted by Israeli air defences.

In Gaza, the health ministry said an Israeli air strike killed at least 70 people on Christmas Eve at the Al-Maghazi refugee camp.

AFP was unable to independently verify the toll.

Rows of victims' bodies, shrouded in white bags, lined the ground at Al-Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, ahead of a mass funeral.

The army said it was "reviewing the incident", adding it was "committed to international law including taking feasible steps to minimise harm to civilians".

Israel has been under increasing pressure from its allies to protect civilians during its military campaign.

Speaking with Netanyahu on Saturday, US President Joe Biden "emphasised the critical need" for such protection, the White House said.

Zeyad Awad, a resident of Al-Maghazi, said there was no evacuation warning before the strike that caused "extensive, enormous destruction and panic in the hearts of my children".

- 'Real hunger' -

The health ministry said 10 members of one family were killed in an Israeli strike in Jabalia camp, northern Gaza, and 18 people died in an overnight bombardment of Khan Yunis in the south.

Monday brought no respite, with the army saying it continued ground, air and sea operations and struck several Hamas targets, including commanders.

Before dawn, an Israeli strike "targeting a house" in central Gaza's Al-Zuwaida area, near Al-Mughazi, killed at least 12 people, mostly women and children, the Gaza health ministry said.

Vast areas of Gaza lie in ruins and its 2.4 million people are enduring dire shortages of water, food, fuel and medicine, alleviated only by the limited arrival of aid trucks.

Grasping empty containers, dozens of Gazans waited on a street in Rafah, in southern Gaza, for food to be distributed.

"Now there is real hunger. My children are dying of hunger," said one of them, Nour Ismail.

An estimated 1.9 million Gazans have been displaced, according to the UN, many fleeing south and crowded into shelters or makeshift tents in the winter cold.

"A humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza is the only way forward," said the head of the UN refugee agency, Filippo Grandi.

The World Health Organization said it led missions to barely functioning hospitals in northern Gaza at the weekend. It described growing desperation and starving people stripping an aid truck of supplies.

"Everyone we speak to is hungry," said Sean Casey, a WHO emergency coordinator, warning of a "risk of famine".

- 'Free our hostages' -

Israel lashed out at the UN on Monday over its response to the war. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen accused the world body of "hypocrisy" and said its chief Antonio Guterres "legitimised war crimes".

"We will stop working with those who cooperate with the Hamas terrorist organisation's propaganda," Cohen said on X, adding his ministry would not extend one UN employee's entry visa, and would refuse entry for another.

Netanyahu addressed parliament on Monday during a special session about the 129 hostages Israel says remain in Gaza. He was booed by families awaiting their loved ones' return after 80 days in captivity.

"Now! Now!" relatives chanted as Netanyahu said Israeli forces needed "more time" to increase military pressure on Hamas, which he argued would help to secure the captives' release.

Later, protesters gathered near the defence ministry headquarters in central Tel Aviv ahead of a war cabinet meeting, holding posters demanding: "Free our hostages now -- at any cost!"

The premier on Sunday said the war was exacting a "very heavy price" on Israel's military, 156 of whose soldiers have been killed in Gaza.

Fears of regional escalation only increased Monday.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said an Israeli air strike in Syria had killed Razi Moussavi, who state media described as "one of the most experienced advisers" of the military force's foreign arm.

There was no immediate comment from Israel, which has intensified strikes on targets in Syria since the Israel-Hamas war began.

Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah movement said in a statement: "We consider this assassination a flagrant attack that crosses the limits." The group added that Moussavi had supported it for decades.

Cross-border fire has erupted almost daily between Israel and Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon.

Yemen's Huthi rebels, also Iran-backed, have fired at cargo vessels in the Red Sea, leading the United States to build a naval taskforce to deter the missile and drone strikes.

And in Iraq, where attacks against Israel-allied US forces have surged, a drone strike on Monday targeted a military base used by US and anti-jihadist coalition forces, according to US and Iraqi officials.

burs-ami/it

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The upcoming rom-com drama "Doctor Slump" released its official drama poster featuring Park Shin Hye and Park Hyung Sik, which is filled with nostalgia and juvenile synergy.

In addition, the brand new JTBC series marks Park Shin Hye and Park Hyung Sik's second acting project after a decade since "The Heirs."

'Doctor Slump' Delivers Nostalgic Romance With New Poster

Ahead of its long anticipated premiere, JTBC's "Doctor Slump" hinted at the cider-like romance between Park Shin Hye and Park Hyung Sik through its newest poster.

The series, which marks the two actors' reunion, depicts the victories and failures of two promising doctors who fell into a slump due to the difficult challenges in life.

On December 26, a new teaser was released, and it showcases the nostalgic chemistry between Nam Ha Neul and Yeo Jeong Woo, played by Park Shin Hye and Park Hyung Sik, respectively.

Both of them grew up with unrivaled skills and intelligence. On top of that, they became South Korea's most renowned doctors. Sadly, they also fell into the worst slumps of their lives.

READ MORE: 'Doctor Slump' Shares First-Ever Sneak Peek of Park Shin Hye & Park Hyung Sik As High School Students

In the poster, they sit side by side in front of an old stationary store, enjoying their ice cream sticks. The beautiful sunlight that permeates the atmosphere gives off warmth and tranquility.

"I feel comforted knowing that I'm not alone" is a phrase written on the poster, suggesting the unspeakable challenge that Nam Ha Neul and Yeo Jeong Woo both experienced together.

With this, expectations are heightened for the return of the romantic comedy queen Park Shin Hye and experienced actor Park Hyung Sik.

Park Shin Hye & Park Hyung Sik Praised By 'Doctor Slump' Director

Besides the reunion of Park Shin Hye and Park Hyung Sik, attention is directed to "Doctor Slump" as it is helmed together by trust-worthy showrunners.

It's directed by Oh Hyun Jong, the creator of the mega hit show "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo" and Baek Sun Woo, the screenwriter of "What's Wrong With Secretary Kim?," another top-notch series.

With their credibility, they raised the tension for "Doctor Slump" after praising Park Shin Hye and Park Hyung Sik, saying, "The two have a long history of experience. They simply gave justice to the work."

In addition, Oh Hyun Jong guaranteed that the drama will deliver sympathy and comfort to viewers who also fell into their own slumps and burnout phases in 2023.

Don't miss JTBC's new weekend drama. It will air for the first time on January 27, 2024 at 10:30 p.m. KST.

ALSO READ: 'Doctor Slump' Teaser Captures Park Shin Hye & Park Hyung Sik's Love-Hate Romance

ICYMI, watch the teaser below:

KDramaStars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
Lee Dong Wook and Kim Hye Jun exuded a strong chemistry in the newly released poster for the new thriller series "A Shop For Killers."

With the excitement doubled for the new Disney+ drama, a looming doom awaits the uncle-and-niece duo. Here's what you must know about the series.

'A Shop For Killers' Drops New Poster of Lee Dong Wook & Kim Hye Jun

On December 26, a brand new poster for Disney+'s "A Shop For Killers" was released which doubled the tension for work.

Based on the webtoon of the same name, the series tells the story of a young girl who faces the truth that lies inside the shopping mall that his late uncle owns.

In the show, rising star Kim Hye Jun plays Jung Ji An, a young girl who lives with her loving uncle Jung Jin Man, played by Lee Dong Wook.

The released poster captures Kim Hye Jun and Lee Dong Wook's chemistry. As the young girl trembles in fear, her uncle guards her with determined eyes and unfailing attitude.

Jung Jin Man's intense aura is depicted as he keeps the shopping mall safe, making sure no one discovers the dangerous items and unknown truths it holds.

READ MORE: Lee Dong Wook Leaves Kim Hye Jun Dangerous Legacy In 'A Shop For Killers'

On the other hand, he also teaches his survival strategies to Jung Ji An who's firmly pulling the slide of the gun in her hand, hinting at her formidable personality like her uncle.

Attention is given to Kim Hye Jun as she tries to survive the dangers surrounding the shopping mall without the help of Lee Dong Wook and his guidance.

Moreover, "A Shop For Killers" airs for the first time on January 17, 2024 on Disney+. Don't miss it.

Kim Hye Jun's Rise To Stardom





Kim Hye Jun made a remarkable metamorphosis when she appeared in the 2021 series "Inspector Koo" where she played a high school murderer.

With her satisfactory performance, she bagged the Best New Actor Award at the 2022 Baeksang Arts Awards.

In addition, the actress also challenged herself with the comedy disaster film "Sinkhole," where she showcased her improved acting opposite Lee Kwang Soo, Kim Sung Kyun, Cha Seung Won and more.

Kim Hye Jun once again widened her acting resume when she joined Jung Hae In in Disney+'s "Connect" in 2022.

With her amazing filmography, the viewers are curious as to what kind of performance she will bring to the table with "A Shop For Killers."

In particular, she also joined the production of "Cashero" with Lee Junho and Kim Hyang Gi, which is expected to begin filming some time next year. Stay tuned for more updates.

ALSO READ: 4 Must-Watch Comedy Films To Check Out This Week: '6/45,' 'Sinkhole,' More!

KDramaStars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
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I have never been a very touchy-feely person. I was trained as a biologist and chemist, then went to medical school where more science on top of science was aimed at me like a gushing firehose. I learned to put science and evidence first and to try in my practice of medicine to use only the therapeutic techniques that had some evidence base. That assured me that my patients would get well. This has always included solid therapies, medications, and procedures. Even though I love to write, I have never really thought of writing and expressions of gratitude as especially helpful when dealing with sadness, depression, or poor health in general.

Then I got an email a few weeks ago from the folks who make a journaling app that I do use to track my experiences, travel, food, and family time. It invited me to embark on a Thirty Days Of Gratitude challenge this month. The ask was to respond to a daily prompt that would allow you to ponder, consider, and explore people, things, actions, and events that had made you happy or fulfilled, and for which you felt gratitude. My non-touchy-feely clinical self would normally delete that kind of email right away, thinking that this kind of exercise was not my cup of tea. This time, though, maybe because of recent stresses, losses, and negative vibes in my world, I decided that I would go for it. After all, didnt I have a tremendous number of things and people to be thankful for? Of course, I did.

The prompts over the last three weeks have included things like who I need to thank, what three things I appreciate in nature, and what I like about this time of year. I have written a little something each day, without fail, and on days that I get to this task later than sooner, I begin to fret that I will not meet my obligation to the challenge. In other words, the activity, the repetition, and the sheer act of writing down what I am thankful for has grown on me, to the point that I look forward to it every day. It has made me more attuned to the gratitude I feel every day for my wife, my lifes work, my friends, my hobbies, and my many blessings in all their many forms. It has done what it was advertised to do for me, but the clinician in me still asks the question, is it scientifically based? Is there evidence that this daily expression of gratitude really helps to increase your quality of life? I went hunting for evidence.

In the June 8, 2023, New York Times article Gratitude Really is Good for You, Christina Canon wrote of a study done two decades ago by Robert A. Emmons at UC Davis. This study found that gratitude might possibly improve psychological well-being, and it led to much more research in the area. This subsequent research has found that a grateful outlook and expressing gratitude may positively affect emotional health and the quality of interpersonal and romantic relationships. Gratitude is a positive emotion, it reflects the goodness in your life, and it also acknowledges that other people or a higher power, if you subscribe to that notion, may have some part in helping you feel positive and grateful. The source of many good things lies outside ourselves, and gratitude may be felt for that source, but the power of gratitude is multiplied manyfold by sharing it, wrote Canon in this article. Increased gratitude has been found to decrease depression, increase sleep quality, and may have physical effects such as lowering blood pressure.

How to express gratitude in a specific, measurable, and effective way? According to Joel Wong, a professor of counseling psychology at the Indiana University School of Education, long-term expression of gratitude in a habitual way is optimal. Daily journaling, as it turns out, is ideal! Who knew? To make your habitual gratitude even more powerful, link it to an existing routine, habit, or time of day. Make it as specific as you can, which deepens the gratitude you feel, says Wong. And that journaling habit that youre going to try? Your iPad or laptop are fine tools, but the very act of writing things down slows your thinking just enough to help you ponder, better digest, and better express that gratitude you feel. Pen and paper are fine tools to this day. (I love my notebooks, and I always have several going at once for different purposes.)

Another August 14, 2021, article in Harvard Health, Giving Thanks Can Make You Happier, found Dr. Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania echoing that even if there is no demonstrable cause and effect between gratitude and wellbeing, there is most assuredly a strong association. Whether in relationships between romantic partners, managers, workers, or others, expressed gratitude fosters good feelings, better communication and understanding, and even harder work. Another wonderful point that this Harvard article made was that gratitude focuses on what we have, not what we lack. I love this because in my clinical practice, it is so evident that we often let the negative and the stressful get to us, leading to our inability to see, experience, and feel gratitude for the many blessings we have, no matter how small.

If you are like me and you need a little push to start flexing that gratitude muscle (which gets stronger with use and practice), then here are a few things to try, from that same Harvard Health piece. Write a thank-you note. Keep a gratitude journal, with daily entries if you can. Write weekly about three blessings that you are thankful for. Be specific! Pray if you are so inclined. Meditate. (This is one that I want to take a stab at in 2024.)

Finally, dear readers, I want to take the time to express my profound gratitude to all of you who read my musings and who have taken the time to thank me for them over the years. They say you teach what you need to learn, and I learn something every time I sit down to write. Peace, blessings, and happiness to you and yours.

Greg Smith is a psychiatrist.
An excerpt from From Hurting to Healing: Delivering Love to Medicine and Healthcare.

Before we speak

Many people enter a conversation with preconceived ideas of how it will go. We constantly make assumptions, and our brains often jump to conclusions based on experience, previous interactions with a particular person, our current emotional state, and our own agenda and aspirations. Sometimes, our interactions may be influenced by feelings of arrogance, contempt, or bravado, while other conversations may be constrained and tentative due to feelings of anxiety, fear, or uncertainty.

A discussion can serve many functions, but two of the most important are the exchange of information and the development of a more trusting and mutually beneficial relationship. However, in some organizations and interpersonal interactions, information can be seen as a currency of power. In a poor culture, data and information may be protected and withheld, used to further ones own aims, or to hinder the progress of others. Connections will not thrive in such an unhelpful scenario.

Furthermore, within any conversation, a sense of not being listened to or valued will hinder a relationship. Without mutual respect, the relationship cannot become trusting and supportive. Often, these poor communication characteristics will play out repeatedly. The elements of poor interaction can even manifest before the conversation begins. After such exchanges, both people will leave with their negative assessments of each other reinforced.

In the New Testament, Jesus is quoted as saying, It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:24). This metaphor has generated much discussion. It has been claimed that there was a small side gate into the walled city of Jerusalem that allowed access and entry at night when the main gates were closed. This small gate was known as the eye of the needle due to its size. For a loaded camel to enter, it would need to have its packs removed and stoop down, essentially losing its baggage. Only the wealthy would own a loaded camel. Therefore, for a rich or proud person to reach the kingdom of God, they would need to lose their baggage. This presumably meant casting off arrogance, hubris, self-pride, and preconceived attitudes and becoming humble.

A similar situation exists with communication. To achieve truly worthwhile interactions, we need to cast off our preconceptions, already-formed opinions, and attitudes. We need to enter the conversation with curiosity, prepared to learn, and ready to share. This benefits both participants because we cant learn without listening and hearing other views. As Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw said:

If you have an apple and I have an apple, and we exchange them, we still each have an apple. If you have an idea and I have an idea, and we exchange them, then we each now have two ideas.

Embracing curiosity

Medicine is a very conservative profession, and there is occasional reluctance to accommodate new ways. This resistance can result in attitudes that quickly end discussions about innovative ideas. Some skepticism is entirely appropriate as unproven techniques should not be embraced too quickly, as hasty adoption could lead to patient harm. On the flip side, the system can become staid and resistant to change, creating a conservative wall of pride and arrogance. In some cases, those who see things differently can face ostracism by the establishment.

Barry Marshall was a medical registrar when he, together with pathologist J. Robin Warren, became interested in stomach biopsy specimens from patients with peptic ulcers. These specimens also identified bacteria in the biopsies. At that time, the cause of peptic ulcers was universally thought to be due to stress and associated with lifestyle factors such as smoking and spicy food. It was taken for granted that the acidity of the stomach would kill all bacteria, so the organisms identified in the biopsy specimens were considered contaminants according to the prevailing view.

However, Marshall and Warren became convinced that the cause of ulcers was related to the organism they had isolated. Marshalls theories were met with ridicule by the medical establishment, which continued to treat patients with long-term medications to reduce stomach acid. Marshalls career suffered, and he endured public ridicule. Eventually, he conducted an experiment on himself, inducing his own peptic ulcer by drinking a culture of the organism (subsequently named Helicobacter pylori) and then successfully treating himself with antibiotics instead of antacids. After years of opposition to his ideas in Australia, Marshall set up a laboratory in the US. Today, standard treatment of peptic ulcers throughout the world involves microbiological culture and treatment for Helicobacter. In 2005, Marshall and Warren were awarded the Nobel Prize.

As a medical student in the 1980s and a hospital resident doctor in the early 1990s, I recall the scorn with which Marshall was spoken about by consultants in the tea rooms of operating theaters. How dare Marshall challenge the accepted wisdom of the establishment? Due to the attitudes of my senior colleagues, whom I assumed to be all-knowing, I developed an opinion that Marshall must indeed be a crackpot, despite not having analyzed his research myself or even having a full understanding of the arguments.

A personal lesson that I take away from this is the great influence, even when unspoken and unconscious, that senior colleagues have over less experienced staff. The medical profession that didnt listen and was too proud to consider new ideas reinforced these attitudes in junior doctors. The resistance to listening and the arrogance in assuming that what was taught was indisputable were poor examples of communication and culture. Experienced doctors allowed a lack of personal humility to hinder wider understanding of the true pathogenesis of medical conditions, delaying effective treatment for many people. This inability to overcome entrenched attitudes before entering a conversation can inhibit innovation. Without mutual positive regard, effective exchange of ideas cant take place. And unless we listen and remain curious, we will never learn anything new. To move through the barrier to a more informed and better way, we must first shed our baggage.

Simon Craig is an obstetrician-gynecologist in Australia and author of From Hurting to Healing: Delivering Love to Medicine and Healthcare.
What should you do if your child is diagnosed with bronchiolitis this cold and flu season?

The cold and flu season is already causing a surge of viral infections among children in doctors offices and emergency rooms. Health care providers are urging parents to brace themselves for whats expected to be another season of COVID-19, influenza (flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and other common viruses all circulating at the same time.

In young children, these viruses can cause bronchiolitis  a lung infection which is similar to bronchitis in adults  and can lead to a lot of health care visits, tests and treatments, many of which are unnecessary.

While bronchiolitis affects more than one-third of children in the first two years of life, the majority of cases are mild and will resolve on their own. The infection causes inflammation in the tiny airways of the lungs, sometimes causing wheezing and can even make breathing more difficult. Children will also experience cough, congestion, decreased appetite, and sometimes fever.

Bronchiolitis is a diagnosis made by a health care provider based on history and physical exam rather than diagnostic tests. Yet despite recommendations to avoid additional testing, many children still undergo needless tests and treatments for bronchiolitis.

In fact, studies have found more than half of children receive at least one form of unnecessary treatment, sometimes even leading to harm.

One common example is the unnecessary use of chest X-rays, which provide an image of the lungs. Chest X-rays are not recommended for bronchiolitis because the findings can lead to an incorrect diagnosis of bacterial pneumonia, resulting in kids getting antibiotics they dont need and wont help them get better.

Unnecessary antibiotics can cause your child to experience allergic reactions, nausea, diarrhea, and stomach pain. At a global level, with the continued concern of rising antimicrobial resistance, reducing needless antibiotic use is crucial in the fight against this growing threat.

So, what should you do if your child is diagnosed with bronchiolitis?

When a child is sick, it can understandably cause stress and anxiety. If your child has symptoms, your health care provider will make the diagnosis of bronchiolitis. If the symptoms are mild, they will let you know how to ease symptoms at home and what warning signs to watch out for if symptoms worsen or are not improving.

Over-the-counter cough and cold syrups and medications dont work and are not safe for children five years of age and younger.

Your health care provider will recommend rest, fluids, treating your childs fever, and keeping their vaccinations up to date. They may also provide you with information through what is known as a viral prescription about managing your childs symptoms and help them feel better while explaining why an antibiotic is unnecessary.

Unfortunately, there is no quick fix for bronchiolitis, and the watching and waiting period can be stressful. While the fever should resolve in a few days, the cough and congestion can last a few weeks. But an unnecessary test or prescription wont help and may cause more harm than good.

To help navigate bronchiolitis this cold and flu season, Choosing Wisely Canada, in collaboration with multiple health experts, has developed simple tools and resources to help support providers and educate the public on bronchiolitis. These resources provide answers to common questions and help parents make informed decisions about their childs care.

As health care providers, our primary goal is to ensure your child gets better as soon as possible. Remember to speak with your health care provider about your concerns and what you can do to help your child feel better this winter season.

Olivia Ostrow is a pediatric emergency physician. Jennifer Young is a family physician.
By Rashul Adidi

The Uganda Police Force Marine Unit has discovered the second body of two children who drowned in Lake Victoria, Jinja City on Christmas Day.

Since the incident occurred, only one body had been discovered, with Mr James Mubi, the Kiira Region Police Spokesperson, saying the search for the second body will continue today (Tuesday) morning.

The body of one yet-to-be-identified male juvenile has been discovered, while the second person, also unidentified, is still missing. Jinja Marine Police have tried to search for the second body in vain, Mr Mubi said on Monday.

He added that the duo went swimming at Masese Landing Site in Jinja South East Division without any adults to monitor their activities and movements.

Earlier, the body of 12-year-old Fazali Ebere Mukungu, a former Primary Five pupil of Happy Hours Primary School in Bugembe, Jinja North City Division, was brought ashore, triggering a sombre mood.

On Tuesday afternoon, a similar mood gripped residents at the Landing Site when the body of Akishan Wambadde, 10, a former pupil of Nakayonyi Primary School in Jinja City was also brought ashore.

Brian Mungdit, an eyewitness, says one of the teens went swimming but disappeared in the water, adding that when his colleague went to search for him, he, too, didnt return, triggering a frantic search for him.

One first responder to the lake was overwhelmed by the waters, and after not making it far into the water body, he returned empty-handed, Mungdit said.

He, however, added that when Police arrived at the scene, one body had been discovered and brought ashore by the locals, while focus had shifted to finding the second body.

We havent yet identified them, but it is being suggested by locals that they are not from Masese. Police came when the body was retrieved from the lake by first responders and took it to the mortuary, he added.

Richard Mutenyo, another eyewitness, says the first body was discovered after a long search.

We heard colleagues screaming for help and mobilised very fast, but unfortunately, we couldnt rescue the recovered child alive, Mr Mutenyo said.

Following the discovery of the second body, it became contentious between Police and relatives of the deceased over the formers intention to take the body to Jinja Regional Referral Hospital mortuary for an autopsy.

Police, however, agreed to hand over the body to the relatives at the scene to proceed with the burial.
By Alex Ashaba

Three people were killed last night by suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militants who raided Nyabitusi village 1, Kamwenge District in western Uganda, just a week after a similar attack in another village in the same district claimed the lives of 10 residents.

Kamwenge Resident District Commissioner, Isiah Byarugaba Kanyamahane said the victims house was set ablaze during the Christmas Day attack.

Its true three people were killed by ADF rebels and their house was burnt. I am at the scene establishing more facts, he said. The victims are said to be an elderly woman and her two grandchildren. Read more
By Rashul Adidi

Two teens drowned Monday evening in Lake Victoria, before one of the bodies was washed ashore at Masese Landing Site, Jinja South East Division in Jinja City.

Brian Mungdit, an eyewitness, says one of the teens went swimming but disappeared in the water, adding that when his colleague went to search for him, he, too, didnt return, triggering a frantic search for both.

One first responder to the lake was overwhelmed by the waters, and after not making it far into the water body, he returned empty-handed, Mungdit said.

He, however, added that when Police arrived at the scene, one body had been discovered and brought ashore by the locals, while focus had shifted to finding the second body.

We havent yet identified their names, but it is being suggested by locals that they are not from Masese. Police came when the body was retrieved from the lake by fast responders and taken to the mortuary, he added.

According to Mungdit, kids have been drowning at the same point, recalling January 1, 2023, when a similar tragedy happened.

Richard Mutenyo, another eyewitness, says the body was discovered after a long search.

We heard colleagues screaming for help and mobilised very fast, but unfortunately, we couldnt rescue the recovered child alive. One body is still missing and we shall continue the search on Tuesday (today) morning, Mr Mutenyo said.

James Mubi, the Kiira Region Police Spokesperson, says: The body of one yet-to-be-identified male juvenile has been discovered, while the second person, also unidentified, is still missing.

He adds: Jinja Marine Police have tried to search for the second body in vain. The two went swimming at Masese Pier without any adults to monitor their activities and movements. Scene documented by scene of crime officials, while his body is at Jinja main hospital mortuary.
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-Global Times Editorial

December 25 is Christmas Day in the West, which is supposed to be the most important and lively festival of the year. But if you look at the headlines of the US and Western media on Monday, people feel that "Christmas Eve is not safe," and the due festiveness and peace of the holiday were pushed to the edge of various conflicts and chaos. The ongoing war in Gaza, the shooting at a Colorado mall in the US, the alerts against terrorism in Europe, the flooding in Australia, etc. Pope Francis said on Christmas Eve that "the Prince of Peace is once more rejected by the futile logic of war, by the clash of arms." This allegorical exclamation was widely spread and touched the heart of the Western world.

Christmas Eve and Christmas is a time of reunion, tranquility and good tidings in Western culture. For the Western world, this year's Christmas Eve was indeed full of trouble: the tumultuous atmosphere brought about by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and domestic political and social divisions, "dulls and threatens to suffocate the joy of Christmas." It would not be an exaggeration to say that this was the most depressing Christmas Eve in the West since the end of the Cold War.

However, it is regrettable that although Western public opinion lamented the world's insecurity, they could hardly dive into any deep reflection on the reasons why Christmas Eve is no longer peaceful. Instead, they fell into a kind of meaningless wail and complaint. If the lamentations of the West do not touch the soul and are still revolving around "Western-centrism," then they will not have any positive effect on the fight for global security.

Can't the West perceive the root of its insecurity? It lies within the West itself. In recent years, Western countries have not ceased discussing security; many political leaders and public opinions habitually talk about "derisking." In pursuit of absolute security, the US-led West invested a considerable amount of manpower, resources, and finances. The proportion of military spending to GDP is generally on the rise. Not only has NATO, a relic of the Cold War, refused to fade away, but the West has also initiated numerous groups worldwide in the name of "security." However, despite such significant investments and efforts, the security situation in the West has deteriorated. It has fallen into the paradox where the more they pursue "security," the more insecure they become. The fundamental reason is that the West's approach deviated from the right path from the very beginning.

The security pursued by the US and the West is a narrow form of security rooted in conflict and confrontation. When Western countries, particularly the US, speak of "our security," the term "our" does not encompass all of humanity but is limited to the US-led West. Similarly, when discussing "maintaining global security," it does not genuinely aim to safeguard the security of the entire world but rather to talk about upholding the hegemony of the US and the West.

This form of fragmented security, created through military aggression, forming alliances, inciting conflicts, and shifting blame, undermines the common security of the entire world. The narrow and one-sided pursuit of so-called group security by the US and the West, inevitably results in insecurity for other nations. The deterioration of the security situation in other countries, in turn, places the Western world in an even more precarious position. This artificially created security opposition only leads all involved parties into a security trap, making everyone increasingly feel insecure.

Some public opinions insightfully pointed out that the West, driven by its desire to maintain hegemony, is more inclined to focus on "crises of others." However, the Western world does not exist in a vacuum - the entire world shares a common destiny. Constantly manufacturing "crises of others" also easily sparks one's own crises. The West cannot remain exempt on its own. A German auxiliary bishop from Cologne, interviewed by the Associated Press, mentioned that the Cologne Cathedral, which received special attention from police and police dogs on Christmas Eve this year, was "probably the most secure church service in all of Germany." This could be taken as a form of self-deprecation, mirroring real security challenges faced in the West.

Whether in the West or the East, among developed nations or developing countries, the aspirations of ordinary people boil down to the same thing - a peaceful and prosperous life. No one wishes for warfare to occur in their own country, and nobody wants to witness the emergence of economic or social crises. In this regard, there is a universal sentiment worldwide. The difference lies in the type of "security" we seek - whether it is a universally shared security or a comparative security where "you must be worse off than me." The diverse starting points often lead to vastly different outcomes.

A secure world is a common aspiration of all humanity. Security is not something that falls from the sky. China proposed the Global Security Initiative this year, urging the world to follow a path of pursuing common security. This proposal has rapidly gained enthusiastic responses from the international community, reflecting its timeliness and urgency. On this Christmas Eve that is not so silent, we hope it can lead to more reflection in the West and prompt greater participation from various sides, including Western and US societies, in building a path toward common security. In doing so, the world may expect a more hopeful Christmas Eve next year.


When you sit at the TA Ranch now, the thing you notice is the stillness.

The ranch is in Wyoming, just south of Buffalo. It sits in the shadow of the Bighorn Mountains where the Great Plains, which roll gently for hundreds of miles to the east, finally buckle and erupt, shooting skyward 13,000 feet.

But at the TA, all is calm. Its a green oasis on a grass sea, covered in cottonwoods so large they shade the ranchs buildings, which include a large lodge and kitchen, a ranch house, a bunkhouse, a handful of ancillary buildings and a massive barn made of well-worn lumber. They dont run cattle anymore and use a lot of the land for hay, but out in the fields  the ranch is comprised of about 8,000 total acres  horses graze and goats murmur. Its peaceful here.

But sit there long enough and itll creep up on you. Maybe its the shadows. Maybe its because the burbling water you hear is from the ominously named Crazy Woman Creek. Maybe its just a general vibe. Or maybe its the bullet holes that still mar the clapboard buildings all over the ranch.

Because, for as nice as the TA Ranch is today, at one point it was a nightmare. The ranch was the main battleground of whats known as the Johnson County War, an eruption of violence that overtook eastern Wyoming during the last couple decades of the 19th century.

The stuff of westerns

Even if youve never heard of the Johnson County War you already know about it, you just havent realized it yet. Its one of the most mythologized events of the Old West. The clash, fought between wealthy land and cattle barons and upstart homesteaders, has been told and retold in the nearly 150 years since it happened.

The Virginian, Owen Wisters novel that basically invented the modern Western, told the story from the ranchers point of view. Shane, Jack Schaefers book that George Stevens adapted into a movie so good it made Alan Ladd look tough, portrayed the homesteaders as innocents plagued by rich, powerful men who wanted what the small-timers had. When Michael Cimino tried to tell the story in 1980s Heavens Gate, he went so far over budget in an attempt to do the tale justice that he permanently changed the trajectory of American filmmaking.

That array of adaptations is understandable. The real story reads like fiction.

For the long version, check out Johnson Countys two excellent museums, the Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum in Buffalo and Kaycees Hoofprints of the Past Museum. Its also been written about myriad times. Theres the early western reporters like Helena Huntington Smith and Asa Mercer, whose Banditti of the Plains was viewed as so controversial it was out of print until the 1950s. Today, the best one-volume deep dive is probably from John W. Davis, a lawyer who grew up in Worland, Wyoming, and did landmark work separating propaganda from fiction in Wyoming Range War.

But the short version is this: The area around the Powder River in northeastern Wyoming is paradise, as long as youre a cow. The plains that swallow up Buffalo and Kaycee are big, wide and open. Its dry, but in the springtime the grasses glow so green you could mistake it for Ireland. There are few better places in America to run cattle, and around the mid-19th century, people started to figure that out. Big moneyed interests moved in to Johnson Country, filling it with cattle that could be fattened on Wyoming grass and shipped eastward for big profits. One of them, an Englishman named Moreton Frewen, who eventually returned to Britain and became a member of Parliament, built a house so grand they called it Frewens Castle.

For a while, the plains were free, and you could run cattle wherever you wanted. This was hard work and the barons rarely got their hands dirty, of course. Or even visited all that much. They paid people for all of that. But the cowboys were entranced by this landscape, too, and especially once the Homestead Act passed and it became possible for poor people to get a piece of the perfect Western pie, they started to move in. The plains risked becoming crowded.

As people started moving in, the cattle barons, from their metropolitan center of Cheyenne, founded the Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA) in 1872. The WSGA effectively became Wyomings territorial government.

Tensions brewed between homesteaders and cattle barons for a while. Johnson County is big, even after they split it in two to make Big Horn County in 1881. But especially after the winter of 1886-87 destroyed the cattle industry and emptied pockets across the state, violent cataclysm seemed inevitable.

Shots fired

The first victims of the Johnson County War were actually killed in Natrona County, far to the south. A woman named Ellen Watson was legally homesteading land that sat on water rights that a wealthy rancher named Albert Bothwell wanted. When Watson refused to sell, Bothwell  who didnt even legally own the land he lived on  accused her of cattle rustling. There was no evidence, from the period or modern research, that suggests Watson was guilty. But with the help of a WSGA detective, Watson and her husband Jim Averell were lynched in July 1889. All the witnesses disappeared or mysteriously died, the WSGA-sponsored press dubbed Watson Cattle Kate and alleged that she was guilty of prostitution as well, and the truth died just as quickly as the two alleged rustlers had.

That strategy of the powerful accusing poor people of crimes they didnt commit, and then holding a summary execution before any investigation could take place, seemed to be a good one for the WSGA.

When some of the smaller ranchers tried to band together and form their own stock growers association, they picked a Johnson County cowboy named Nate Champion to head it up. On Nov. 1, 1891, gunmen showed up at Champions cabin, looking to repeat the WSGAs playbook. But Champion, who grew up in Texas during the birth of the open range era, returned fire.

Champion killed one of the invaders. They fled, but shortly after, two small ranchers were shot dead, Oreley Ranger Jones and John A. Tisdale, who was ambushed while returning to his ranch from Buffalo, and bled out on top of Christmas gifts hed just bought for his children.

But that bloodletting wasnt enough. Following the pattern theyd established in the killings of Averell and Watson, the WSGA accused almost all of Johnson County of being criminals and rustlers. This wasnt just a few bad apples, they insisted, it was a whole rotten crop that had to be burned out.

Its not true, of course. Davis spends chapters in Wyoming Range War demonstrating how low Johnson Countys crime rate was at the time. But the story the WSGA pushed said that Johnson County needed to be cleansed, and they had a lot of mouths repeating it. The WSGA had the governor on their side, and most newspapers.

The war kicked into full gear in early 1892, when a large rancher named Frank Wolcott convinced his WSGA brethren to fund a massive invasion of Johnson County. They hired gunmen from Texas to supplement their own troops.

There were 50 of them, armed with untold amounts of ammunition and enough dynamite to turn Buffalo into a crater. They took a train to Casper and proceeded to Johnson County on horseback, leaving the first week of April 1892.

$50 a head, for 'rustlers'

The invaders were led by a hardnosed gunman named Frank Canton. Canton was born Josiah Horner in Indiana and spent time in Texas robbing banks, rustling cattle, and murdering at least one person. He escaped from the custody of the Texas Rangers and renamed and rebranded himself in Wyoming, becoming sheriff of Johnson County in 1885. But he was voted out in favor of a liquor store owner named William Red Angus.

Incensed that hed been voted out, Canton turned to a career as a range detective for the WSGA. When he was picked to head up the invaders, he had a list of 70 Johnson County residents who needed to die, including Champion and Angus. The invaders were promised $5 a day, and $50 for each rustler killed. Buffalos telegraph lines were cut, and two newspaper reporters tagged along on the invasion.

They started with Champion. Late in the day on April 8, invaders surrounded and pinned him down at the KC Ranch (present day Kaycee) about 40 miles south of Buffalo. The cowboy again proved hard to kill. He stood his ground, repelling the invaders for the better part of a day. When they set his cabin on fire, Champion came roaring out in sock clad feet, a revolver in one hand and a rifle in the other.

He was finally killed, and the invaders pinned a note to his chest that red Cattle Thieves Beware (but not before one of the newspaper men pulled a short journal out of Champions pocket that captured his thoughts during the siege).

But the invaders had a problem. During their long standoff with Champion, theyd been spotted by another local rancher. Jack Flagg was on the WSGAs execution list, but he escaped after witnessing the siege. He raced into Buffalo and warned the town. Sherriff Angus gathered 200 men into a posse, and they set out to defend Johnson County.

Shootout at the TA Ranch

Here, finally, we get to the TA Ranch. On April 11, the invaders heard of the large force that was after them, and hunkered down in the ranch, which at the time was little more than a barn and a modest farm house. For three days Angus posse poured shots into the ranch, and for three days the invaders held out.

The men trapped on the ranch were cold and uncomfortable, running out of ammunition and energy. Theyd abandoned their supply wagons during their retreat, and were dangerously low on provisions. For most of them, this wasnt even their war. They were just looking for a paycheck.

The posse slowly creeped closer and closer to the ranch. Using scrap lumber, they made an armored siege engine they called a go-devil that would allow them to get close enough to lob dynamite (taken from the invaders abandoned supply wagon) into the ranch.

In yet another moment that felt scripted, on April 13, just as the posse were about to finish off the invaders, the cavalry showed up. Literally. Members of the Sixth Cavalry were dispatched from Fort McKinney, near Buffalo, after one of the invaders escaped and managed to get a telegram to President Benjamin Harrison, pleading for help.

The invaders were captured, but eventually released. No charges were filed, nobody went to jail. Nobody paid any consequences for instigating an armed invasion targeting American citizens.

Front page news

The Johnson County War was huge news, and was on the front page of the New York Times. The events specifics faded and truth turned to myth.

Thats the end of the Johnson County War. But its not the end of the TA Ranch. The property was established in 1882 by Dr. William Harris, who was yet another absentee landlord who sided with the WSGA, which is why the ranch was seen as a safe hiding spot during the invasion. He eventually traded away the ranch in the early 1900s, and it changed hands over the years, being used to raise horses, cattle and hogs at different points.

In 1991 the ranch was purchased by Earl and Barbara Madsen. They werent looking for a guest ranch, just a place to live after Earl retired from practicing law in Denver.

When they arrived, the buildings were in rough shape. As it stands now, the TA Ranch is comprised of the original ranch house, the original barn, and a series of buildings built after the invasion. Theres a bunkhouse, and a large cookhouse, plus a few other ancillary structures.

A guest ranch

When the Madsens bought the place it had fallen into disrepair. Nobody had lived in the buildings since probably the 1960s.

They started by restoring the bunkhouse, which only took a couple months. Then they fixed up the cookhouse. Finally they fully restored the old ranch house, finishing the project in 1993. By that time, they couldnt help but turn the place into a functioning guest ranch.

Right now, they have 12 rooms. Five in the bunkhouse, three in the ranch house, three in the milk barn and two in the granary.

The Madsens have turned the property into a first rate guest ranch, with cushy, well decorated rooms and an excellent restaurant that specializes in farm to table meals. They offer horseback riding and training. But this wasnt the goal when they bought the place. They just wanted a nice spot.

Earls hope was that it would be a family ranch, said Barbara Madsen.

In a way, they got their wish. Earl and Barbara Madsen are omnipresent on the ranch, but its their daughter, Kirsten Madsen Giles, who runs the day-to-day operation. Giles son Tucker also works on the property.

Little by little, theyve kind of been drawn back to the area, Madsen said.

Its hard not to. You feel a spirit here. Of a West that doesnt exist anymore, if it ever even did.

The ranch is busy during the day, full of tourists who arrive in big buses to get a peak at one of the last remaining strongholds of the Old West.

The pieces of history are everywhere. The hills are still dotted with disturbances in the ground, where rifle pits were dug and fortified during the siege. You can stand anywhere on the ranch and gaze into the distance, just imagining what it would have felt like to have 200-plus armed and angry men firing at you.

The magic of the TA Ranch is that it doesnt take much imagining. The ranch house still shows off bullet holes. The barn, which was the invaders last stronghold, is marred on the inside and the out. There are rifle ports in the barns walls, drilled by desperate invaders as a means to fire at the posse without being hit.

These arent normal bullet holes. Theyre huge, over an inch wide. These men fired big rifles that fired enormous bullets, which tore through walls and windows.

The east-facing (or Buffalo-facing) Della Gammon room in the ranch house is the one with the most pock-marked exterior. Its nice in there now, with fluffy beds and antique furniture. But during the siege here the trapped invaders couldnt even risk standing up.

As the story goes, one of the invaders was shot through one of the windows.

The old West isnt old here. It still feels fresh. If you sit on the porch on a still night, youd swear you can still hear gunfire in the hills.

We need places like this. Spots that remind us that the past hasnt passed us by. Its still all around us, you just need to know where to look.

Because even though the Johnson County War technically ended in the 1890s, its still raging on. This ultimately was a dispute over land ownership, sparked by rich and powerful people exploiting common resources and turning to violence when the poor folks tried to get in on the good deal. You can read about the Johnson County War in a history book, or you can turn on the nightly news and see people still trying to learn the same lessons.

When you get back in your car, put the TA Ranch in your rearview mirror and leave the Johnson County War behind, youre not actually going all that far. Youre just re-entering the world that was created here.
Stuff reports:

At a November Hutt City Council meeting, Mayor Campbell Barry asked if there was anything that could be done about the stink before thousands of young people descended on Hutt Park for the Juicy Festmusic festival on January 5. The event is set to be headlined by T-Pain and Ashanti. Residents could stop pooing, strategic advisor Bruce Hodgins told councillors.

I would have thought that the impact on local residents should be of paramount concern.

Sometimes I've felt close to vomiting. You can't escape when it's in your home. It gets hot, but you can't open a window. She said children at local schools were having trouble concentrating. Finally, it's summer and the kids can get outside, but when they do, everyone is gagging. Jaysen Eveleigh of Auto Despatch previously said the stench had become a health and safety issue. It smells like a portaloo after a three-day festival. I have staff who won't eat lunch in our building.

A pity perhaps the plant isn't by the town hall. I suspect it would be remedied in days.

It was revealed in November that Greater Wellington Regional Council had issued $7250 in fines in the last three years as a result of the plant breaching resource consent conditions with the stench.  Kylie Hood said the fines hadn't seemed to stop the problem and an independent voice was needed. They just continually breach their consent and there are no consequences, except for the fines which are picked up by the ratepayers.

Fines only real work as an incentive when you have to pay the fine yourself, rather than have ratepayers do it.

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Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Cloudy skies with a few snow showers this afternoon. High 24F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 30%..

Tonight

Watching a potential winter storm. Snow. Winds will be gusty at times this evening. Low 11F. Winds NNE at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of snow 100%. Snow accumulating 5 to 8 inches.
The project will essentially rebuild the shelter and its services from the ground up, including space for the city's homeless and transient population as well as affordable, low-income housing. The new structure will be a three-story building with 200 beds in a series of small group rooms for the homeless, and 29 affordable housing apartments on the top floor. The campus will also include a new community dining area, healthcare services, a job skills training academy, and therapy and case management offices, in addition to other services.
AUDRAIN COUNTY  The ability for foreign-based entities to buy U.S. farmland is a hot-button issue and will surely remain one as we head into an election year.

In October, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed legislation forcing a Chinese seed company to divest 160 acres of farmland in the state. During Missouri's 2023 legislation session, House Minority Leader and 2024 Democratic gubernatorial candidate Crystal Quade (D-Springfield) introduced legislation that would ban foreign ownership of land in Missouri. A modified version of the bill made it to the Senate and gained Republican support, but it did not get the chance for a final vote before session ended.

With bipartisan support for an effort to prevent foreign-owned farmland in Missouri, Target 8 looked into why that legislation hasn't taken as high a priority already.

Bill Kessler, a farmer in Audrain County, runs an independent operation with 300 pigs and also raises 5,000 pigs on his property through a contract with JBS, a multinational company based out of Brazil.

"It's kind of a world economy in agriculture," Kessler said. "But some countries don't let us own farm ground there, too. So it's an agriculture and political issue. That's what it is."

JBS buys pigs and feed and pays Kessler and his farmers to raise the pigs in buildings Kessler owns on his farm.

"It's a rental building. I get so much a month from them," Kessler said describing the difference between his contract and independent operations. "Whereas here, I'm on the demand of what I get for the pigs on the market. So that I know my monthly income, and here I don't."

Foreign-owned farmland in Missouri

Through the Sunshine Law, the Missouri Department of Agriculture provided a list of every acre of farmland owned by a foreign-based person or organization in the state.

Foreign-owned farmland in Missouri The Missouri Department of Agriculture compiled every acre of registered foreign-owned farmland in the state.

According to the list, a total of 118,762 acres of farmland are owned by foreign-based enterprises in Missouri. However, when compared to the 27.5 million total acres of farmland in Missouri, that represents only 0.43% of farmland in Missouri that is foreign-owned.

Chinese entities own more farmland in Missouri than any other foreign country. Their 42,596 acres are more than twice that of the next largest foreign owner of Missouri farmland  Canada with 19,484 acres.

A Chinese company hasn't always owned most of the acres, though.

According to the list, 42,172 (99%) of the Chinese-owned acres belong to Smithfield Foods, the largest producer of pork in the United States. Chinese multinational company WH Group purchased Smithfield, an iconic American pork producer, in 2013.

That's the same year the General Assembly passed a bill that allows foreign entities to own up to 1% of all farmland in Missouri. There are exceptions, including foreign-owned land used for non-farm purposes. Only 64,262 foreign-owned acres of Missouri agricultural land count toward that 1%. However, even if including all the foreign-owned farmland in Missouri, it still only adds up to .43% as noted earlier.

Don Nikodim has been the executive director of the Missouri Pork Association for 40 years.

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"How do you define what foreign ownership is? Smithfield USA is a company that's been here since way before my time. They're the same people there today that were there back before any ownership change occurred," Nikodim said.

Foreign-owned farmland and politics

Yet, the issue remains politically heated. During the 2022 U.S. Senate campaign, Democratic Senate candidate Trudy Busch Valentine ran campaign ads blasting eventual winner and then-Attorney General Eric Schmitt for voting to approve the 1% bill in 2013 when he was a state senator.

Eric Schmitt not only allowed 146,000 acres of Missouri farmland to be bought up by Communist China, he voted to let them do itTWICE. Missourians deserve so much better than someone who will sell us out to the highest bidder. I will be nobody's senator but yours.My new ad: pic.twitter.com/bZcdmppW0H  Trudy Busch Valentine (@buschvalentine) September 27, 2022

It remains an issue in the 2024 race for governor. Quade's proposed legislation would prevent the future purchases of farmland by foreign entities.

"The issue with foreign entities owning our farmland is the uncertainty around that," Quade said. "The farmers and folks I talk to continue to be worried about this issue. That's the problem around allowing foreign entities to continue to buy up our farmland."

Prominent Republicans running for governor have also spoken out in favor of restricting foreign-owned farmland.

At a Missouri Farm Bureau forum in December, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, who is running for governor, said, "Food security is national security. We've seen problems with countries like China building up land around military bases and otherwise. We need to take a stand against that."

Republican gubernatorial candidate and current Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe has also expressed interest in further limiting foreign-owned farmland.

The National Agricultural Law Center reports that 12 states have proposed legislation to limit foreign ownership of farmland. Most of them have Republican-majority legislatures, such as Alabama, Indiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Missouri.

"To just say it's 'Chinese owned,' I don't know how accurate that is. But it plays good in the political realm. And I think the thing I've noticed is it's become really politicized. That's the big change I've seen," Nikodim explained.

The WH Group is publicly traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The Wall Street Journal reports Smithfield may begin trading on American exchange markets again as early as 2024. Smithfield previously traded on the New York Stock Exchange before being purchased by the WH Group.

Nikodim pointed out the benefits of maintaining the status of hog farming as a global industry.

"Between 25% to 30% of the pork we produce in this country is exported, and it varies from month to month," he said. "The good news about the Pacific Rim countries, China included, is they buy a lot of the parts and pieces of the pig we don't buy and we don't eat here. So, it actually puts a very valuable component into the market because if those products weren't being bought for export, we probably wouldn't be using them here and we'd get very little for them."

Public sentiment for foreign-owned farmland is low, especially for nations such as China and Russia. In August, a CNBC investigation uncovered 365 acres of farmland a Chinese company in North Dakota purchased near an Air Force base that was not disclosed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is illegal. While the Chinese firm in that case stated it had no interest in the base, backlash from local, state, and federal officials stopped the company from developing that land.

Back on Kessler's farm, he says he's not concerned about the China scare.

"You've got to look at it two ways. Are they in it for the agriculture business, or for what you hear on TV where they're trying to put spy satellites or something up there?" Kessler said. "To me, both Smithfield and JBS came here and needed the hog business."

Nationally, the total amount of farmland owned by Chinese entities is less than three-hundredths of 1%, according to NBC News.
Headwater Exploration (OTCMKTS:CDDRF  Get Free Report) is one of 393 public companies in the Oil & Gas E&P industry, but how does it contrast to its peers? We will compare Headwater Exploration to similar companies based on the strength of its analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation, risk, dividends, profitability and earnings.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

47.9% of Headwater Exploration shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 23.7% of shares of all Oil & Gas E&P companies are owned by institutional investors. 24.9% of shares of all Oil & Gas E&P companies are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

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Profitability

This table compares Headwater Exploration and its peers net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Headwater Exploration N/A N/A N/A Headwater Exploration Competitors 162.40% 6.24% 4.04%

Analyst Recommendations

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Headwater Exploration 0 0 0 0 N/A Headwater Exploration Competitors 1099 6683 11721 413 2.57

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Headwater Exploration and its peers, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Headwater Exploration currently has a consensus target price of $5.50, indicating a potential upside of 12.13%. As a group, Oil & Gas E&P companies have a potential upside of 23.67%. Given Headwater Explorations peers higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Headwater Exploration has less favorable growth aspects than its peers.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Headwater Exploration and its peers gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Headwater Exploration N/A N/A 14.33 Headwater Exploration Competitors $1.50 billion $441.20 million -26.55

Headwater Explorations peers have higher revenue and earnings than Headwater Exploration. Headwater Exploration is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more expensive than other companies in its industry.

Summary

Headwater Exploration peers beat Headwater Exploration on 6 of the 8 factors compared.

Headwater Exploration Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Headwater Exploration Inc. engages in the exploration, development, and production of petroleum and natural gas in Canada. It holds interest in the Marten Hills area located in Alberta; and McCully Field area located in New Brunswick. The company was formerly known as Corridor Resources Inc. and changed its name to Headwater Exploration Inc. in March 2020. Headwater Exploration Inc. incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

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Cross Timbers Royalty Trust (NYSE:CRT  Get Free Report) declared a monthly dividend on Monday, December 18th, Zacks reports. Investors of record on Friday, December 29th will be paid a dividend of 0.143 per share by the oil and gas company on Tuesday, January 16th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 28th.

Cross Timbers Royalty Trust has raised its dividend by an average of 30.7% annually over the last three years.

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Cross Timbers Royalty Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CRT opened at $18.33 on Tuesday. Cross Timbers Royalty Trust has a 1-year low of $13.51 and a 1-year high of $30.40. The stocks 50-day moving average is $18.74 and its 200 day moving average is $20.10.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cross Timbers Royalty Trust

Cross Timbers Royalty Trust ( NYSE:CRT Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 13th. The oil and gas company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $2.69 million for the quarter. Cross Timbers Royalty Trust had a return on equity of 431.53% and a net margin of 75.62%.

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. UBS Group AG increased its stake in Cross Timbers Royalty Trust by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 11,765 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares during the period. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Cross Timbers Royalty Trust in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,569,000. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Cross Timbers Royalty Trust by 817.7% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 20,327 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $517,000 after purchasing an additional 18,112 shares during the period. Citadel Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Cross Timbers Royalty Trust in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $216,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in Cross Timbers Royalty Trust by 20.9% in the 2nd quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 13,010 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $197,000 after purchasing an additional 2,251 shares during the period.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com began coverage on Cross Timbers Royalty Trust in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating on the stock.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Cross Timbers Royalty Trust

Cross Timbers Royalty Trust Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Cross Timbers Royalty Trust operates as an express trust in the United States. It holds 90% net profits interests in certain producing and nonproducing royalty and overriding royalty interest properties in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico; and 75% net profits working interest in four properties in Texas and three properties in Oklahoma.

See Also

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Permian Basin Royalty Trust (NYSE:PBT  Get Free Report) announced a monthly dividend on Monday, December 18th, Zacks reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 29th will be given a dividend of 0.106 per share by the oil and gas producer on Tuesday, January 16th. This represents a $1.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.65%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 28th.

Permian Basin Royalty Trust has raised its dividend payment by an average of 40.2% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 1 consecutive years.

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Permian Basin Royalty Trust Stock Performance

NYSE:PBT opened at $14.71 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $685.63 million, a P/E ratio of 23.73 and a beta of 0.77. Permian Basin Royalty Trust has a fifty-two week low of $14.35 and a fifty-two week high of $27.77. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $17.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $20.86.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Permian Basin Royalty Trust

Permian Basin Royalty Trust ( NYSE:PBT Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 8th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $3.34 million during the quarter. Permian Basin Royalty Trust had a net margin of 96.27% and a return on equity of 13,208.86%.

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC purchased a new stake in Permian Basin Royalty Trust in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. LPL Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Permian Basin Royalty Trust by 10.6% during the second quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 86,300 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $1,428,000 after purchasing an additional 8,298 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its position in shares of Permian Basin Royalty Trust by 3.3% during the second quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 18,887 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $312,000 after purchasing an additional 597 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Permian Basin Royalty Trust by 78.9% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,400 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Permian Basin Royalty Trust during the first quarter valued at about $132,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 28.12% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on PBT shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Permian Basin Royalty Trust in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating for the company. TheStreet downgraded shares of Permian Basin Royalty Trust from a b rating to a c+ rating in a report on Thursday, November 9th.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Permian Basin Royalty Trust

About Permian Basin Royalty Trust

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Permian Basin Royalty Trust, an express trust, holds overriding royalty interests in various oil and gas properties in the United States. The company owns a 75% net overriding royalty interest in the Waddell Ranch properties comprising Dune, Sand Hills (Judkins), Sand Hills (McKnight), Sand Hills (Tubb), University-Waddell (Devonian), and Waddell fields located in Crane County, Texas.

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Two workshops are planned in coming weeks for people considering running for local elected offices in Bismarck-Mandan.

The Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC, Bismarck Mandan Board of Realtors and North Dakota Association of Realtors are hosting a Candidate Training session on Wednesday, Jan. 24, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum, at 612 E. Boulevard Ave. in Bismarck. There is a $50 registration fee. For more information or to register, go to https://bit.ly/2024candidatetraining.

A free workshop is planned in Mandan. The Empowering Tomorrows Leaders workshop is Wednesday, Feb. 7, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Mandan City Hall, 205 Second Ave. NW. It will be conducted by the Mandan Tomorrow: Leadership, Pride and Image Committee in partnership with NDSU Extension Morton County. Registration is requested by Feb. 4 at cityofmandan.com/register or by calling 701-667-3478.

Our goal is to promote interest in leadership so the public has more candidates than the number of positions available to choose from (for) each open position with the city and county commissions as well as school and park boards, Committee Chair Laurie Leingang said. Contested elections encourages voting, stimulates debate and conversation, which helps bring new ideas and perspectives."
Whitecap Resources Inc. (OTCMKTS:SPGYF  Get Free Report) declared a dividend on Wednesday, December 20th, investing.com reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 29th will be given a dividend of 0.0453 per share on Monday, January 15th. This represents a yield of 8.04%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 28th. This is an increase from Whitecap Resourcess previous dividend of $0.04.

Whitecap Resources Price Performance

Whitecap Resources stock opened at $6.88 on Tuesday. Whitecap Resources has a 52-week low of $6.36 and a 52-week high of $8.98. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $7.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $7.62.

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Whitecap Resources Company Profile

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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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The defense ministry has described followers of North Korea's ideology and system in South Korea as an "internal threat" in its latest basic educational material for soldiers, in a departure from the previous liberal government that did not outline such threats.

The conservative Yoon Suk Yeol government has taken a hard-line stance on North Korea amid its evolving nuclear and missile threats, compared with the preceding Moon Jae-in government that sought for reconciliation and cooperation with North Korea.

The basic material published Tuesday said there are forces inside South Korea that follow North Korea "uncritically," while remaining silent on the regime's human rights abuses and economic woes.

"As for internal threats, there are those from forces that seek to shake the foundations of liberal democracy by following North Korea's ideology and system against the Republic of Korea's constitution," it reads, using South Korea's official name.

The new educational material for soldiers also called the North Korean regime and its military South Korea's "enemy," renewing the description it made of the North in the 2022 Defense White Paper published early this year.

The ministry is set to distribute the new educational material to military units from the end of this month.

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik has called for strengthening troop education amid heightened tensions over North Korea's continued saber-rattling, highlighted by its recent launch of a Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile. (Yonhap)
The unification ministry said Tuesday it will push to conduct DNA tests on descendants of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War in a bid to use their gene information for potential family reunions with their relatives in North Korea.

The move comes as more aging separated family members in South Korea have died without having a chance to meet with their long-lost relatives in North Korea amid strained inter-Korean ties.

A plan to conduct DNA tests on children and grandchildren of separated families is part of South Korea's new road map on the improvement in North Korea's human rights situation.

The blueprint laid out a short-and long-term vision and plan to address human rights violations in North Korea and allow more North Koreans to get access to outside information.

Currently, the government has carried out gene tests on separated families in a bid to set up a gene information database so that it can be used for finding their kin in North Korea after their deaths.

The number of surviving separated family members came to 39,881 as of the end of November, with 65.6 percent of the total aged 80 and older, government data showed.

The ministry said it plans to actively encourage descendants of separated families to receive gene tests starting next year and provide support for DNA tests on separated family members living abroad.

The divided Koreas have held 21 rounds of reunions since the landmark summit of their leaders in 2000, bringing together more than 20,000 family members who had not seen each other since the war. The two sides last staged temporary family reunions in 2018.

In 2022, South Korea proposed holding talks with North Korea to try to discuss family reunions, but the North has yet to respond to the offer.

South Korea said it also seeks to allow North Korean defectors to apply for DNA tests if they want, as they can be viewed as separated family members in a broad sense.

To publicly raise the issue of six South Koreans detained in North Korea, the ministry said it plans to regularly request North Korea confirm their fates and repatriate them back home.

The six South Koreans, including missionary Kim Jong-wook, are under yearslong detention in North Korea, with their whereabouts in the North being unknown.

Separately, the estimated number of South Koreans abducted to North Korea following the Korean War is 516 as of the end of 2022, but many of them are believed to have died.

Meanwhile, the ministry said it will support civic groups' efforts to promote the inflow of outside information to North Korea.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, North Korea has further tightened state control on people's ideology by adopting a new law in 2020 that calls for punishing people for bringing and disseminating outside culture and information.

A ministry official said the government's planned support for civic groups would have nothing to do with activists' campaigns to send leaflets carrying message critical of the North Korean regime across the border. (Yonhap)
By Kim Sang-woo

U.S. President Joe Bidens speech to the nation in October connected the dots between Russias invasion of Ukraine and Hamass terrorist attack on Israel, assisted by Iran.

Were facing an inflection point in history, he said, one of those moments where the decisions we make today are going to determine the future for decades to come.

Biden warned against the political divisions in the U.S. We cant let petty, partisan, angry politics get in the way of our responsibilities as a great nation, the president declared.

History has taught us that when terrorists dont pay a price for their terror, when dictators dont pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos and death and more destruction. They keep going, and the cost and the threats to America and the world keep rising.

Members of the U.S. Congress who opposes further military aid for Ukraine often seek to justify its position by claiming that China rather than Russia presents a greater danger to the United States.

But the truth is, China and Russia act together to endanger the U.S. and its allies. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin both views the consolidation of democracy as an existential danger to their own power.

Putin is waiting for a reversal of fortune not by a brilliant military victory on the battlefield but by the lack of steadfastness of the U.S. and its allies and partners.

Military cooperation between Russia and North Korea is an enabler of Putins war of aggression against Ukraine. Beyond the shipment of military weapons, the Moscow-Pyongyang axis threatens world peace.

Moreover, the possibility that Russia recently offered core technical assistance to help North Korea launch a military satellite into space could be the beginning of a new and more dangerous strategic cooperation that could undermine the security of the Korean Peninsula and beyond.

The Russia-North Korea military axis should reinforce our understanding that security in Europe and Asia is inseparable.

In a similar vein, representatives from 8 NATO countriesthe U.S., the United Kingdom, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Romania and Poland--- made joint visits to South Korea and Japan this month.

[Geopolitical] conflict in Asia and Europe these days carry implications for both regions, said Andrew Yeo, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. NATO was seen as attempting to bolster regional security cooperation with Indo-Pacific countries.

Ramon Pacheco Pardo, a professor at Kings College London, said NATO sees China as the biggest long-term threat and cooperation between China, Russia, North Korea and Iran as a strategic challenge.

The 2022 summit In Madrid, Spain was the first time NATO declared China as a systemic challenge and Beijings ties with Russia as threatening the rules-based international order. They were reiterated in the joint communique at the Vilnius summit this year.

The Chinese foreign ministry criticized NATOs statements and said NATO must not seek to sow chaos here in the Indo-Pacific or elsewhere in the world.

The fact that Europe is paying attention to what China is doing in the region may reduce its military adventurism more than just having the Indo-Pacific partners and the United States doing it, said Mirna Galic, a senior policy analyst on China and East Asia at the U.S. Institute for Peace.

According to Galic, ties between Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific partners can be seen as a response to the return of strategic competition in the international system, where any events in one region become more relevant to the security of the other region.

On Nov. 8, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken claimed that the U.S. could maintain focus on the Indo-Pacific while simultaneously handling multiple security issues by working with regional allies and partners that the Biden administration has called The U.S. greatest strategic assets.

The empowerment of allies has been the overriding priority of the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy since Biden took office. Concerns about China taking advantage of an overextended US military are the reason Washington has placed so much emphasis on fostering security cooperation initiatives in the Indo-Pacific.

This year, the BRICS -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- announced their expansion by inviting six additional nations to join their group of emerging economies.

The addition of more nations to a group dominated by China and Russia raises the question: shouldn't the democracies also comply? For the United States, the core grouping for more than 50 years has been the G7.

Given that the group is already Eurocentric, with Japan the only Asian member, and given the challenge posed by China, adding nations from the region seems logical. The two largest economies by GDP that are neither members of the BRICS or the G7 are South Korea and Australia.

As the Ukraine war has increased military ties between Russia and North Korea -- and U.S. tensions with China have made South Korea ties with its number one trade partner more difficult -- the case for having South Korea at the table of the G7 seems natural.

Likewise, as the U.S. works to improve relations between South Korea and Japan -- overcoming their historical issues -- giving South Korea a seat at the G7 table on the same terms as Japan will help soften South Korean domestic opposition to closer ties with Japan. And this moment in history seems including South Korea the right thing to do.

The G9 -- G7 plus South Korea and Australia -- would have to make clear to the global South countries that this can benefit them too, by working together to solve global challenges that are the same concerns they share, including climate change and pandemic readiness among others.

To paraphrase Winston Churchill, it is not the beginning of the end, but the end of the beginning.

Kim Sang-woo (swkim54@hotmail.com), a former lawmaker, is chairman of the East Asia Cultural Project and a member of the board of directors at the Kim Dae-jung Peace Foundation.
Bahara Rustam, 13, took her last class at Bibi Razia School in Kabul on Dec. 11 knowing it was the end of her education. Under Taliban rule, she is unlikely to step foot in a classroom again.

In September 2021, a month after U.S. and NATO troops withdrew from Afghanistan following two decades of war, the Taliban announced that girls were barred from studying beyond sixth grade.

They extended this education ban to universities in December 2022. The Taliban have defied global condemnation and warnings that the restrictions will make it almost impossible for them to gain recognition as the countrys legitimate rulers.

Last week, U.N. special envoy Roza Otunbayeva expressed concern that a generation of Afghan girls is falling behind with each day that passes.

Last week, an official in the Education Ministry said Afghan girls of all ages are allowed to study in religious schools known as madrassas, which have traditionally been boys-only. But Otunbayeva said it was unclear if there was a standardized curriculum that allowed modern subjects.

Bahara is holding onto her education and pores over textbooks at home. Graduating (from sixth grade) means we are going to seventh grade, she said. But all of our classmates cried and we were very disappointed.

There was no graduation ceremony for the girls at Bibi Razia School.

In another part of Kabul, 13-year-old Setayesh Sahibzada wonders what the future holds for her. She is sad she cant go to school anymore to achieve her dreams.

I cant stand on my own two feet, she said. I wanted to be a teacher. But now I cant study, I cant go to school.

Analyst Muhammad Saleem Paigir warned that excluding women and girls from education will be disastrous for Afghanistan. We understand that illiterate people can never be free and prosperous, he said.

The Taliban have barred women from many public spaces and most jobs, all but confining women to their homes. (AP)
Angola, IN (46703)

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Watching a potential winter storm. Cloudy. Low 26F. SW winds shifting to ESE at 10 to 15 mph.
Kendallville, IN (46755)

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Cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Temps nearly steady in the low to mid 30s. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph..

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Three officer-involved shootings in Bismarck, and one in Fargo that reverberated across the state and nation, marked the year in law enforcement in the capital city area.

The shootings resulted in the deaths of 17-year-old Nick Bruington, of Bismarck, and 23-year-old Fargo Police officer Jake Wallin. The other two Bismarck incidents resulted in charges being filed against men who are awaiting trial in state or federal court, while the officers involved have been cleared of any wrongdoing and returned to regular duty.

Other notable 2023 events included the retirement of the state's longest-serving Supreme Court Justice, and the appointment of his replacement; the rollout of body-worn cameras by the Bismarck Police Department; and the dismissal of charges against a Bismarck woman after an autopsy determined her infant daughter did not die as a result of being neglected.

Also notable in the region were a number of cases involving Detroit-area men arrested along with local residents on charges of attempting to deliver large quantities of fentanyl; and the case of a U.S. senator's son accused in the death of a Mercer County sheriff's deputy.

Officer-involved shootings

Bruington was shot and killed in the early morning hours of Nov. 12 in a parking lot near Kirkwood Mall by officers who had earlier responded to reports of a shooting at a nearby motel. Officers identified Bruington as a potential suspect, and they stopped a car in which he was a passenger. Bruington brandished a firearm and did not comply with commands, police said.

Three officers were placed on administrative leave while the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation looks into the shooting.

Four officers were put on leave following an April 22 shooting in south Bismarck, but they were later cleared and returned to duty.

In that case, Kyle Johnson, of Jamestown, led law enforcement on a chase that began after an attempted traffic stop on Interstate 94, reached a reported 120 mph on rural roads and city streets, and ultimately ended near Ivy Avenue and South Washington. Johnson reportedly fired multiple rounds at officers from his moving vehicle during the chase. Officers returned fire, leaving 44 bullet hole defects in his car, according to BCI reports.

Johnson faces a March 2024 trial in federal court on drug and weapons charges.

In May, Bismarck Officer Damien Girodat shot then-19-year-old Damien Lewellyn outside the U-Haul facility on Interstate Loop in north Bismarck. Police were searching for Lewellyn in connection with another incident in which he allegedly pulled a gun on another man. Trials in the two cases are set for late January.

Girodat was cleared and returned to duty from administrative leave in mid-July.

Administrative leave

Bismarck Police Chief Dave Draovitch said being placed on administrative leave doesnt mean an officer is completely off duty. They're not out patrolling, but they serve in other areas.

Whatever pops up at the time, Draovitch said.

That can be duties ranging from assisting the investigations division with research to helping ferry cars needing service to and from the maintenance garage. Draovitch told the Tribune one of the officers currently on leave following the Bruington shooting is helping out on the night shift by answering calls for service inside police headquarters.

Youd be surprised, even during the night, theres quite a few things going on inside the station, Draovitch said.

He did not identify the three officers currently on administrative leave.

Fargo tragedy

Bismarck officers now wear body cameras. The equipment went into service in early September as part of the departments efforts to increase transparency. The body cams and a fleetwide replacement of car-mounted cameras are part of a $1.2 million departmentwide technology upgrade.

Video from body cams worn by Fargo police were made public following the BCIs investigation into the July 14 shooting in that city. Wallin, 23, was killed and fellow officers Andrew Dotas and Tyler Hawes were wounded after 37-year-old Fargo resident Mohamad Barakat opened fire on the officers as they were responding to a traffic crash. North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley described the shooting as an ambush. Barakat died at a Fargo hospital after being shot by officer Zachary Robinson. Video from Robinsons body cam showed the officer and Barakat exchange gunfire for nearly two minutes.

Fargo police said Robinson's actions likely prevented a bigger and bloodier attack, possibly at the Downtown Fargo Street Fair that day. Wrigley at an August news conference said Robinsons use of deadly force was reasonable, it was necessary, it was justified, and in all ways, it was lawful.

The Fargo shooting affected law enforcement agencies statewide, according to Draovitch.

Were very close to our Fargo brothers and sisters, in fact with all the police departments and sheriffs departments in the state," he said at the time. "Its always tragic when something like this happens.

Other events

Following is a snapshot of some other notable 2023 crime and court events in the Bismarck region.

January

Victor Velazquez robbed the Wells Fargo bank on Bismarck's East Interstate Avenue of roughly $1,800. He pleaded guilty in April and was sentenced to four years in prison. At the time of the Bismarck robbery, Velazquez was on probation for the armed robbery of a Fargo jewelry store five years earlier.

Justice Gerald VandeWalle announced his retirement from the North Dakota Supreme Court at age 89. VandeWalle was the longest-serving justice in state history, serving more than 36 years, beginning in 1978. He served as chief justice from 1993 to 2019.

February

Douglas Bahr, then a South Central District judge, took VandeWalle's seat on the high court.

Nikki Entzel was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for the love triangle-insurance scheme slaying of her husband in Bismarck in 2019 with co-conspirator Earl Howard. The state Supreme Court in August upheld her conviction and sentence.

March

The state Supreme Court rendered the appeal of Chad Isaak's 2021 murder conviction moot after his death by suicide at the North Dakota State Penitentiary. Isaak had been sentenced to serve four consecutive life sentences in the 2019 slayings of four people at RJR Maintenance and Management in Mandan.

An encounter between Bismarck Police officer George Huff and Keith Erlandson, a 63-year-old homeless man with mental health issues and a history of run-ins with law enforcement, resulted in Huff being accused of excessive force and fired. He later pleaded guilty to assault and was sentenced to probation.

April

A Burleigh County jury convicted Rolanda Doyle of murder and child abuse in the 2022 death of her 5-year-old nephew. She was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. She has appealed.

June

Bismarck police launched an online incident map, enabling anyone with access to a computer to track where calls for police occur within the city.

Corbin Lampert was charged with murder in connection with the death of 16-year-old Taryn Hohbein in an apartment on Bismarck's Ohio Street.

August

The state Supreme Court upheld a district judge's decision to grant a new trial to Cassandra Black Elk, of Bismarck, who had been sent to prison in the death of her infant daughter in 2022. Prosecutors in October dismissed the case.

September

Mandan 17-year-old Jesse Taylor, Jr. was convicted in adult court of murder and aggravated assault stemming from the Sept. 23, 2022, death of Maurice Thunder Shield, 28, of McLaughlin, South Dakota, in an altercation at Motel 6 in north Bismarck.

Victor King, 21, of Mandan, and Jesus Vera-Leon, 35, of Bismarck, died after exchanging gunfire following a disagreement at The Elbow Room bar in downtown Bismarck.

November

Businesses, vehicles and homes were targeted by Bismarck-Mandan men who allegedly fired multiple rounds from a .22 caliber rifle out of a moving car window, not injuring anyone but narrowly missing a sleeping 1-year-old child. Elijah Infante and Marcus Johnson face multiple charges; they have pleaded not guilty and face trial in February 2024.

December

Mercer County Deputy Paul Martin was killed during a Dec. 6 police chase that authorities say involved Ian Cramer, the son of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., whom the senator said was having a mental health crisis. Ian Cramer faces homicide and other charges.
During the 2023 SBS Gayo Daejeon, Ten went viral online for his shocking fall from the stage, sparking safety concerns.

Here's what happened.

NCT Ten Falls Off From Stage, NCTzens Frustrated at SBS as Red Velvet Wendy's Horrific Incident Echoes Across Social Media

On December 25, the 2023 SBS Gayo Daejeon was held at the INSPIRE Arena, Yeongjongdo, Incheon, drawing in numerous fandoms to watch their favorite artists on live stage. The music event was also special since it took place on Christmas Day.

From performing their classic hits to collaborating with special stages, the K-pop artists gave their best just to create more precious memories and engagement with loving fans.

Unfortunately, one mishap involving Ten was caught on camera. According to the viral clips scattered across social media, it showed Ten accidentally falling from the stage lift.

YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN: WayV Ten Admits Delaying 'Birthday' Release: 'I felt like it shouldn't be that moment'

Despite falling down and seemingly hitting his upper body, Ten still managed to get out of the space and go back on the stage to do his performance. On the same day (December 25), netizens gathered in an online thread to discuss Ten's shocking incident.

Watch the clips below:

The elevator has gone down. His face almost hit. But Ten can hold on. And the spirit is very high. Continue coming up on stage. I hope you are safe. Dont get hurt my Tennie baby. #TEN #TENLEE #NCT #WAYV#SSBgayoDaejeonxTEN https://t.co/aNWDO70A5H pic.twitter.com/6kswRByoDF  NCT lover  (@NCT_127LOVER) December 25, 2023

nct! TEN JATUH GUYS pasti sakit bgt itu tapi dia langsung lari buat tampil  TENNIEEpic.twitter.com/8ZXIkFtJmK December 25, 2023

"He came out late on stage and fell off, then came back up again," OP stated. Netizens drew their frustration towards SBS and expressed worries regarding Ten's well-being. Read their comments below:

"Oh, Ten-ah."

"SBS again?"

"He still came on Bubble to say that he was fine, and it was a relief, but still."

"Even if he wasn't hurt on the spot, she should still go check at the hospital."

"I hope he didn't get hurt."

"No, but who is managing these places?"

"This was shocking. It's a relief that he's fine but he must go to the hospital."

The community was also reminded of Wendy's dreadful accident during her rehearsals at the 2019 SBS Gayo Daejeon, where the idol fell 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) off a platform, leading to serious injuries in her jaw, ribs, and wrist.

"SBS did what they've done to Wendy and now they're bulls**tting again. They just don't manage anything properly."

"Does SBS do some blood sacrifice thing at the end of the years? It's not the first time."

"So this is their new tradition every new year? Until someone dies?"

"He hit his chin so bad. I hope he's okay but why does this keep happening and no one is taking care of it?"

"SBS again. Still can't forget how my Wendy got hurt because of their poor stage safety & RV gone hiatus over one year after that incident."

"Jeez, I thought SBS learned their lesson already." I saw a video of NCT Ten falling onstage during Gayo Daejun. After what happened to Wendy during Gayo Daejun 2019, SBS didnt learn a thing! Why are accidents always common during year-end shows?!  December 25, 2023 They kept doin everythin they can to sabotage them Also SBS is terble The first incident was the RV Wendy She had serious injuries after it Next was Ten from NCT and they had a platform lowered in stage when it wasnt supposed to be and he fell in it and he fell nd hit his face  Vee  (@Vee_143_) December 26, 2023

Wasnt SBS the one that caused Wendy to be injured too https://t.co/sU1FzaRd7V  emzee  (@00enthusiast) December 25, 2023

What are your thoughts on Ten's accident? Let us know in the comments below.

Read KpopStarz for more K-pop news.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: NCT Ten, Red Velvet Wendy, and More: Korean Show Names the Idols Who Had the Most Expensive Tuitions

KpopStarz owns this article

Written by Riely Miller
Despite unexpected accidents, the K-pop artists who attended the 2023 SBS Gayo Daejeon didn't only serve the looks but presented impressive stages as well!

On December 25 at 5:10 p.m. KST, the 2023 SBS Gayo Daejeon was broadcast live, under the theme, "SWITCH ON."

As if lighting up the Christmas tree, the music festival aimed to brighten up the viewers' and fans' Christmas with colorful performances and special stages by the most shining artists this year.

This 2023, the event was held at Inspire Arena, Korea's first K-pop performance arena, to give K-pop enthusiasts a high-quality viewing experience.

Although the music festival was met with unfortunate accidents like lift fall, ticket fraud, sound problems and mishaps, the artists still gave their best to make it a one-of-a-kind experience for every spectator.

2023 SBS Gayo Daejeon Artist Lineup: TXT, IVE, aespa, LE SSERAFIM, More Grace Event's Red Carpet With Stunning Visuals

On this day, the event was filled with top-tier and rising artists that dominated the second-gen to fifth-gen K-pop eras, hosted by special MCs SHINee Key, IVE An Yujin and TXT Yeonjun.

In particular, this year's lineup was comprised of TVXQ, SHINee, NCT 127 & NCT DREAM, fromis_9, THE BOYZ, ATEEZ, ITZY, STAYC, aespa, Stray Kids, (G)I-DLE, TXT, IVE, LE SSERAFIM, ENHYPEN, CRAVITY, NMIXX, ZEROBASEONE, RIIZE, BOYNEXTDOOR, NewJeans, Xikers, NiziU and &TEAM.

ALSO READ: '2023 SBS Gayo Daejeon' Descends into Chaos as Stray Kids Battle Technical Turmoil  Details Inside

On the red carpet, the artists flaunted their spectacular appearances and charms, wearing outfits under the colors; white, black, red and blue.

Here Are Some of the Best Looks at SBS Gayo Daejeon Red Carpet

MCs SHINee Key, IVE An Yujin, TXT Yeonjun

TVXQ

SHINee

ENHYPEN

TXT

Stray Kids

RIIZE

NewJeans

IVE

aespa

NMIXX

LE SSERAFIM

ITZY

Idols Showcase High-Quality Performances at the 2023 SBS Gayo Daejeon

Aside from looks, the artists' lineup had also performed only high-quality performances despite meeting unexpected accidents and problems.

Starting with TXT Yeonjun and ITZY Yuna, the two performers showed off spectacular special stages under the theme, "I'm SOLO." This is to honor solo artists who were greatly loved by global fans this 2023.

As a result, Yeonjun showed off a perfect cover of BTS Jungkook's "3D," while Yuna embodied BLACKPINK Jennie's "You & Me."

Under the theme of "LOVE & PEACE," NCT 127 performed "Kick It" and "Fact Check" wearing traditional custom-made Hanboks, along with Stray Kids who magnificently delivered stages for "BATTLE GROUND," "LALALALA" and "Megaverse."

Meanwhile, four boy groups representing the 5th-gen era including BOYNEXTDOOR, ZEROBASEONE, RIIZE, and &TEAM united to present a special cover of Super Junior's "Miracle" to share a message of unity to fans around the world.

Lastly, NCT & aespa prepared respective covers of their senior TVXQ hits to commemorate its 20th debut anniversary.

The boy group showcased "I Believe," while the quartet performed "Mirotic."

READ MORE: SHINee, TXT, IVE, MORE at Risk 2023 SBS Gayo Daejeon Ruined by Ticket Scam

For more K-Pop news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KpopStarz.

KpopStarz owns this article.

Written by Eunice Dawson.
Leaders of North Dakotas Republican Party on Tuesday called for Williston GOP Rep. Nico Rios to resign, just days after the lawmaker made national headlines for what police called verbally abusive, homophobic, racially abusive and discriminatory comments toward officers during an arrest earlier this month.

Rios, a first-term lawmaker who was elected in 2022, was arrested on Dec. 15 and charged with two misdemeanors -- driving under the influence and refusing a chemical test -- and cited for having an open container of alcohol in his vehicle. During the arrest, he clashed with law enforcement and attempted to hand the officers his business card, saying they would regret picking on (him).

House Majority Leader Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson, state GOP Chairwoman Sandi Sanford and John Trandem, the state partys first vice chair, all called on Rios to resign. Rios did not immediately comment.

The incident report says Rios "was verbally abusive, homophobic, racially abusive and discriminatory toward (responding) Officer Welch for the entire duration of the incident following road side testing."

Police bodycam footage of the interaction shows Rios repeatedly called the responding officer homophobic slurs, claimed migrants are rapists and said he intended to call Attorney General Drew Wrigley" to tell him the officers were mistreating him. Wrigley last week told the Tribune he hadnt received a call from Rios about the arrest.

Lefor condemned Rioss actions in a statement Tuesday, affirming his support for law enforcement and thanking Willistons police force for handling the situation with exemplary professionalism.

There is no room in the Legislature, or our party, for this behavior, Lefor said. I understand people make mistakes, but his comments and defiance to law enforcement are beyond the pale. In addition, any lawmaker attempting to use his or her elected position to threaten anyone or skirt the law is completely unacceptable.

Rios was the first to make his arrest publicly known, posting a Dec. 18 statement on X apologizing for the incident. His initial statement didnt provide details of the arrest, which were first reported by Forum columnist Rob Port.

When details of Rioss altercations with responding officers came to light, Rios apologized again in a statement shared with the Tribune.

Inebriated or not my actions and words to law enforcement that night were absolutely unacceptable, he wrote.

Moving forward after this night I feel like I have to emphasize my complete and total commitment to supporting Law Enforcement, he added. I messed up big time and I am truly sorry.

He did not immediately provide a response to the Tribune after the state party put out its statement Tuesday.

Sanford backed Lefors request for Rioss resignation, saying his actions fall short of the basic decency we expect from any of our neighbors.

He endangered the community he was elected to serve and disrespected peace officers, Sanford said in the statement. This violates our core values as Republicans. I support the House Leaders decision to call for his resignation.
New Delhi, December 26: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi held a meeting with Bihar Congress leaders here on Tuesday to discuss the strategy for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, including seat sharing. Party general secretary K C Venugopal, Bihar Congress chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh, newly appointd state in-charge Mohan Prakash, along with leaders like Ranjeet Ranjan and Shakeel Ahmed, were present in the meeting.

Around 40 leaders from the state attended the meeting. Talking to media after the meeting, the Bihar Congress chief said the RJD-JDU-Congress-Left alliance will fight the Lok Sabha polls together, and a final decision on seat sharing will be taken in the meeting of the alliance committee of Congress which is scheduled for December 29. "We held detailed discussions on the preparations for the Lok Sabha elections. We have made an action plan which will be taken forward. The discussion on seats will be held in the alliance committee meeting on December 29," he said. CWC Meet: Mallikarjun Kharge Chairs Congress Working Committee Meeting at Party Headquarters, Nod for Bharat Jodo Yatra 2.0 Likely (See Pics)

The Congress had fought on nine seats in 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Asked how many seats the Congress would fight on, Singh said they will be flexible in seat sharing. "One or two seats may go here or there...It is not a problem. Last time we fought in alliance with RJD and Left parties, this time JD(U) is also there," he said. Earlier, in a post on X, Kharge said, "The Grand Alliance government in Bihar is working firmly as per the expectations of the people of Bihar. We are committed to social justice. For the progress, prosperity and peace of Bihar, every Congress worker is ready to reach out to the people and live up to the aspirations of the people of Bihar." BJP Promised To Provide Jobs, Now Doesnt Listen About Unemployment in Parliament, Says Rahul Gandhi (Watch Video)

Kharge, Rahul Hold Meeting with Bihar Congress Leaders

#WATCH | Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary KC Venugopal hold a meeting with J&K leaders at AICC headquarters in Delhi pic.twitter.com/aykJ26n4Kd  ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2023

Finalising seat sharing was at the centre of the recent INDIA bloc meet, after which the Congress formed a National Alliance Committee to oversee it. In 2019, out of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, RJD was given 20, Congress got nine, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) fought five, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Hum) and VIP fought three each and CPI-ML got one seat from RJD quota. The Congress had won one seat, while JD(U), which was in alliance with BJP at that time, won 16. The BJP won 17 seats, and the Lok Janshakti Party six. Kharge is also scheduled to meet Congress leaders from Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab later, according to sources.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Udhampur (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], December 26 (ANI): The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), under which clean cooking fuel is provided to poor households across the country, is transforming the lives of women in Panchayat Satian of Ramnagar Tehsil in Udhampur who had to cover a lot of distance to collect firewood for cooking throughout their lives.

A large number of women lined up in the queue on Monday to get the free gas cylinders under the scheme.

Also Read | Delhi Weather: Two Flights Diverted, Nearly 30 Delayed at IGI Airport Due to Dense Fog.

Teja, an 80-year-old woman, said that she is now able to use cooking gas at her age. She added that she used to collect firewood from the nearby jungle to cook food all her life. She thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for launching the scheme and said that she is now happy as she gets free gas connections and cylinders at her doorstep.

Rita Devi, another woman from the same village who had to cover a lot of distance to collect firewood from the forest throughout her life, expressed gratitude to PM Modi.

Also Read | Jammu and Kashmir Fire Video: Three-Storey Footwear Store Gutted in Fire in Poonch Market.

"We had to cover a lot of distance. It was getting very difficult. Now, we have been provided with the gas connections. We are very grateful to the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi."

She added that the gas cylinders reach their doorstep, "which saves a lot of time in cooking.".

Arti Sharma, Chairman of Block Development Council Ghordi Block, said that providing free gas to women under the PMUY is a step towards empowering women and protecting their health. She hailed the Government of India and PM Modi for launching the scheme and bringing benefits to the far-flung and remote corners of the district.

She added that earlier, women in these areas suffered from many diseases due to the use of wood, dried cow dung, kerosene, and low-quality coal. But now, they are happy as they get free gas connections and LPG cylinders delivered to their doorsteps.

Sushma Devi, another woman, narrated the harrowing experience of cooking by collecting firewood.

"I have a gas connection. Now I do not have to gather firewood. We express our gratitude. It brings a lot of happiness. I want to thank Shri Narendra Modi Ji."

Sachin Sharma, an operator at a gas agency, said they have already provided 250-300 gas connections here under the scheme.

"Our priority is to make as many connections as possible. Maximum connections have been provided. There is no household without a gas connection here. But still, we ensure to provide gas connections to our mothers and sisters," Sharma said.

The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was started in May 2016 to provide clean cooking fuel to poor households across the country. Under PMUY, a deposit-free LPG connection is provided to adult women from poor households.(ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Bengaluru/Vijayapura, Dec 26 (PTI) Disgruntled BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal on Tuesday warned that he would expose the alleged irregularities to the tune of Rs 40,000 crore in the BJP government in Karnataka led by B S Yediyurappa at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic if he was expelled from the party.

Quickly responding to his statement, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said Yatnal's allegations about the irregularities that took place when Yediyurappa was the chief minister were proof of their charges that there was a '40 per cent commission government' in the state during the BJP rule.

Also Read | Nitish Kumar-Led Bihar Government Grants State Employee Status to Over Four Lakh Contractual Teachers.

As many BJP leaders have been demanding action against him, Yatnal said, "They (the BJP government in Karnataka) have done everything (huge corruption during Covid). Let them serve me a notice and try to expel me from the party, I will expose them."

Yatnal, who has launched a tirade against Yediyurappa and his family, especially after his second son B Y Vijayendra was made the BJP state president, said there was large-scale corruption in coronavirus management during the BJP government.

Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Speaks With Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Discusses West Asia Crisis Amid Ongoing Israel-Hamas War.

"A mask that costs Rs 45 each, Mr Yediyurappa how much did your government spend on each of them during Covid? They had put a price of Rs 485 for each mask...," the agitated BJP MLA said in Vijayapura.

"They (BJP government) said they arranged 10,000 beds in Bengaluru. The rent for these beds...remember that it was taken only on rentif they had purchased then two beds could have been bought (for the same price). They paid Rs 20,000 as rent per day. Two cots with saline stands could have been purchased with Rs 20,000. Do you know how much they spent a day during corona?" Yatnal further said.

When asked to release documents, Yatnal said the documents were available with the Public Accounts Committee. He asked reporters to speak to the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil, who was the chairman during the BJP rule.

The Vijayapura MLA said he was also asked to be made chairman of the Public Accounts Committee but he said he would make everything public. Hence, he was not appointed.

"Do you know how many thousands of crores of rupees was looted in this (Covid)? There is Rs 40,000 crore irregularities during Covid-19 outbreak," Yatnal claimed.

According to the MLA, bills worth Rs eight lakh to Rs 10 lakh were made for each patient during the BJP government.

He said when he was hospitalised at a private superspecialty hospital, the bill was Rs 5.8 lakh.

He said though he was entitled to get a medical claim from the government, he preferred to pay from his pocket.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said Yatnal's statement was proof of large-scale corruption during Covid time.

He said the Congress when in the opposition had called a press conference and alleged with documents that the Yediyurappa government had committed corruption to the tune of around Rs 4,000 crore in the name of coronavirus treatment and control.

However, going by Yatnal's allegation, it seems that there has been ten times more corruption than the Congress party's estimate.

Siddaramaiah appealed to Yatnal and said that his charges should not be like a hit-and-run case.

"If Yatnal is committed to eradicating corruption, he should carry their charges to their logical conclusion. For this, he should hand over all the information he has about corruption during the coronavirus pandemic to the commission of inquiry formed (by the Congress government) under the leadership of retired High Court Judge Justice Nagmohan Das," the Chief Minister said.

He also wondered why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was silent on these charges.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Moscow [Russia], December 26 (ANI): External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Tuesday met with Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov and held a 'comprehensive' and 'productive' meeting to discuss the bilateral economic cooperation between the two countries.

The two leaders also finalised the program of cooperation in the Russian Far East and also expressed hope for the early meeting of EaEU-India FTA negotiators.

Also Read | US Military Bombards Hezbollah Facilities in Iraq.

Taking to X, EAM Jaishankar shared about his meeting saying, "A comprehensive and productive meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov of Russia on our bilateral economic cooperation. Noted the significant progress in trade, finance, connectivity, energy, civil aviation and nuclear domains. Appreciated the greater focus on exploring new opportunities."

He said further, "Discussed making our cooperation more balanced and sustainable in different dimensions. Finalized the program of cooperation on Russian Far East. Expect to hold early meeting of EaEU-India FTA negotiators."

Also Read | Hamas Thanks Pakistan for Unequivocal Support Amid War Against Israel.

EAM also shared that both leaders signed agreements on nuclear power and in areas of medicines and others.

Jaishankar said, "Will jointly organize connectivity events across land and maritime corridors. Witnessed signing of agreements on nuclear power and in areas of medicines, pharmaceutical substances and medical devices."

Later on, EAM Jaishankar visited the Russian Industry and Trade exhibition with the Russia's Deputy PM and affirmed greater collaboration between two countries.

EAM shared on X, "Visited the Russian Industry and Trade exhibition with DPM Denis Manturov. An interesting exposition on Russia's contemporary capabilities. Holds promise for greater collaboration between our two countries."

Earlier on Monday, Jaishankar held a meeting with leading representatives of the Russian strategic community and discussed connectivity, multilateralism, big power competition and regional conflicts. They spoke about the importance of rebalancing and the emergence of multipolarity.

Jaishankar arrived in Moscow on Sunday for a four-day visit to Russia from December 25-29. After he arrived in Moscow, Jaishankar said he looked forward to his engagements in Russia. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Islamabad, Dec 26 (PTI) Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Pakistan's former foreign minister and a close aide of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, was on Tuesday arrested at the Adiala Jail at Rawalpindi for 15 days in another case, a day after the Supreme Court granted bail to him in the cipher case.

Qureshi, Vice Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, was arrested for 15 days under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance, a colonial era law that allows a government to arrest anyone if there was threat of public disorder.

Also Read | US Military Bombards Hezbollah Facilities in Iraq.

The 67-year-old two-time former foreign minister was incarcerated in the jail along with Khan in the cipher case but the apex court granted them bail in the case last week.

Khan could not be released as he was in custody in other cases but it was expected that Qureshi may be released. However, before he could get release order from the court, Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner (DC) Hassan Waqar Cheema issued an order for his 15-day detention under the MPO.

Also Read | Hamas Thanks Pakistan for Unequivocal Support Amid War Against Israel.

The DC in his order stated that the Rawalpindi city police officer (CPO) had intimated him that Qureshi was a member of a political party which was involved in anti-state activities and caused damage to public and private property.

It added that the letter said it was probable that after his release from jail, he will again continue his above activities which may lead to law and order situation, harmful to life and property of the general public and recommended his arrest.

The letter added the Rawalpindi District Intelligence Committee had also endorsed the police department's stance and agreed to Qureshi's detention.

Cheema said he was satisfied that Qureshi's detention is necessary and expedient in public interest to prevent him from acting in any manner prejudicial to the public safety or the maintenance of public order.

Qureshi has the right to appeal to the Punjab government against the order. His lawyer Taimur Malik said his team would avail all available legal remedies. His daughter, Meher Bano Qureshi, said the family would continue the process for her father's release.

Separately, Special Court Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain conducted the cipher case hearing against Khan and Qureshi. Later, he adjourned the case till Wednesday.

The cipher case pertains to a piece of paper, purported to be a diplomatic cable -- the cipher -- that Khan had waved at a public rally on March 27, 2022, and naming the US claimed that it was evidence' of an international conspiracy to topple his government.

Qureshi, 67, was serving as a foreign minister at the time when he was indicted in the case on October 23.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Rio De Janeiro, December 26: In a horrifying incident, a woman in Brazil cut off her husband's genitals and flushed them down the toilet after he had sex with her teenage niece. The incident occurred in Atibaia near Sao Paulo on December 22. The woman also took a picture of severed private parts before throwing them in the toilet. The 34-year-old later surrendered before the police.

The Daily Star reported, citing the local media, that the accused allegedly attacked him after convincing him of kinky sex. She tied his hands and legs to the bed and chopped off his genitals with a razor. The woman then flushed the severed male organs down the toilet, but not before taking a picture of them. The accused woman later turned herself in to the police. Brazil Freak Accident: Woman Cut in Half After Falling From Bus and Getting Hit by Train, Five Others Injured.

As per the report, she walked into the police station with her brother and said, Good evening, officer, Im here to confess that I chopped off my husbands genitals. When the police asked her why she threw the limb into the toilet, she said she did it because she thought it could be reattached. The 39-year-old man, whose name was not disclosed, survived the attack and was taken to the hospital. His current condition is unknown. The woman was arrested and charged with attempted murder. Russia Horror: Man Keeps Woman as Sex Slave for 14 Years, Arrested After Victim Manages to Escape; Police Recover Sex Toys and Porn CDs From Accused's House.

The woman claimed she cut off her husband's genitals after learning her husband had sex with her 15-year-old niece. The police did not respond to the allegation except to say that they were investigating if the man and the girl had a consensual relationship. In Brazil, the legal age for consent is 14. The case is still open.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 26, 2023 08:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Chile, situated in South America, is a stunning country characterized by its narrow and elongated shape along the western edge of the continent.

With over 6000 km of coastline bordering the vast Pacific Ocean, Chile boasts breathtaking natural beauty. Santiago, the country's capital, serves as a vibrant hub.

Chile has earned the moniker "the country of poets" due to the notable achievements of two great poets who were awarded Nobel Prizes in literature.

The geographical location of Chile, nestled beside the Pacific Ocean, enhances its visual appeal. The country's landscapes and attractions make it an enticing destination for travelers.

From the picturesque coastline to the captivating inland regions, Chile offers a diverse range of beautiful places to explore.

A visit to Chile promises a vacation filled with memorable experiences and breathtaking scenery.

READ NEXT: Chile Travel Guide

Here are some notable Chile tourist spots:

Easter Island And Rapa Nui National Park

This island, located 3500 km from mainland Chile, stands out as one of the top Chile tourist spots.

Renowned for its remarkable stone sculptures, it captivates a considerable number of visitors, according to Travel Triangle.

The statues, known as Moai, are believed to have not been crafted by the island's original inhabitants, the Rapa Nui.

Consequently, they are commonly referred to as the Rapa Nui National Park.

Ahu Tongariki, a significant attraction on the island, showcases an impressive collection where 15 statues have been meticulously re-erected on the island's platform or ahu.

Another noteworthy site is Hare paenga, adding to the island's allure with its cultural and historical significance.

The island's unique blend of archaeological wonders and natural beauty makes it a must-visit destination in Chile.

Valparaiso

The Valparaiso port is renowned for its picturesque scenes, drawing fame from its vibrant and colorful houses, lively nightlife, and breathtaking sea views, per Pickvisa.

It stands out as an excellent destination for those who enjoy city walks, especially during the evening hours.

Embarking on a tour from the hillside to the streets adorned with bars and pubs provides a unique perspective, with the vibrant nightlife showcasing why Valparaiso is celebrated.

Graffiti plays a significant role in making Valparaiso one of the most popular Chile tourist spots.

Often regarded as the graffiti capital of South America, the streets boast exceptional architecture and street art.

For those interested in exploring the maritime heritage of Valparaiso, a visit to the Lord Cochrane's Museum offers insight into the city's nautical history.

Valparaiso's unique blend of visual charm, cultural richness, and maritime heritage makes it a captivating destination for travelers.

Los Pinguinos Natural Monument

In addition to the national parks, Chile boasts a plethora of monuments that are highlighted among its tourist attractions.

One such monument is located approximately 35 kilometers from Punta Arenas in the southern part of the island.

Aptly named, this monument serves as a sanctuary for penguins, specifically the Magellanic penguins, with a population exceeding 60,000.

To explore this remarkable site, tourists are required to participate in guided tours, ensuring a responsible and respectful visit to the area.

Beyond the penguins, the monument is also home to colonies of seals and sea lions, adding to the diverse wildlife that thrives in this captivating Chile destination.

READ MORE: Belize: Top 5 Tourist Destinations

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: 10 Best Places to Visit in Chile - Travel Video - From Travel-Spots
Much like many ancient civilizations in Ecuador, the Incas held the sun and moon in high regard, attributing great importance to solstices and equinoxes, according to Happy Gringo.

Among these significant dates, none were more revered than Inti Raymi, the summer solstice.

These sacred occasions are celebrated in present-day Ecuador through vibrant and colorful festivals, especially within indigenous communities. Tourist visitors are often welcome to partake in the festivities.

Inti Raymi, the festival of the sun observed during the summer solstice, stands out as the most well-known event in the annual indigenous calendar.

This presents a wonderful opportunity for individuals to delve into Ecuadorian Indian culture and traditions, interact with the locals, and even partake in homestays within indigenous communities.

The celebration of Inti Raymi allows for a rich cultural exchange and an immersive experience in the heart of Ecuador's indigenous heritage.

READ NEXT: Top 5 Festivals in Peru

Inti Raymi: A Brief History

Inti Raymi, which translates to "Festival of the Sun" in the Quechua language, has deep roots that extend back centuries to the Inca civilization, per Andean Travel Company.

This sacred ceremony was held annually, honoring Inti, the Sun God, and celebrating the winter solstice.

The historical significance of Inti Raymi is profound, encompassing its origins, rituals, and cultural importance for the Inca Empire.

In the Inca civilization, Inti Raymi was a yearly religious ceremony to pay homage to Inti, the Sun God.

This grand celebration occurred during the winter solstice, typically in June, and spanned 15 days marked by captivating dances and symbolic sacrifices.

According to historical chronicles, a key ritual involved the Inca kneeling with arms open, welcoming the sun's rays during the ceremony.

Holding a golden cup in his left hand, he would offer chicha, a traditional corn-based beverage, to family members while pouring chicha into a golden jar with his right hand.

Local leaders presented their offerings, and the main priest ignited the ceremonial fire to kickstart the festivities.

The meat from sacrificial animals was shared among all attendees, fostering a communal spirit.

During the colonial era in Ecuador, Inti Raymi faced restrictions, as Spanish authorities considered it a pagan celebration.

Despite these constraints, it continued to be clandestinely practiced. Only in recent years has Inti Raymi re-emerged as a public event, becoming a showcase of Ecuador's cultural heritage.

In locations such as Ingapirca, the country's most significant Inca archaeological site, Inti Raymi is celebrated enthusiastically, drawing both locals and tourists to participate in this vibrant and historic event.

How Ecuador Celebrates Inti Raymi?

Inti Raymi initiates with the sacred Armay Chisi, a ritual bathing ceremony aimed at spiritual purification, energy cleansing, and renewing connections to Pacha Mama (Mother Earth).

Indigenous communities gather by local water sources at midnight, stripping down to immerse themselves in cold waters, symbolizing a profound spiritual rebirth.

Inti Raymi is accompanied by lively festivities in the vibrant tapestry of Ecuadorian celebrations.

Local musicians play Kichwa songs daily, and communal dances invite everyone to participate.

Participants stomp their feet to attract Pacha Mama's attention. At the same time, Aya Uma, portrayed by a respected community member, leads the dance.

Recognizable by a mask with two faces symbolizing day and night and fabric snakes representing wisdom, Aya Uma embodies Andean cultural significance.

Festivities often extend into the early hours, featuring locally crafted potent alcohol, with tourists encouraged to join the dance, embodying the spirit of "if you can't beat them, then join them."

At its essence, Inti Raymi is a celebration of harvest and abundance, with food playing a central role.

The Pampamesa, translating to "Food for All," is a communal experience. A fabric strip or ponchos on the ground is adorned with staple foods like corn, potatoes, and pork.

Chicha, a local corn-based moonshine, flows freely. This communal feast, where all contribute and partake, fosters a deep sense of community and connection to Mother Nature.

Ecuadorian indigenous pride is evident in their clothing traditions, showcasing unique fabrics and hats specific to each community and region.

Men wear chaps made from sheep hides, a symbolic nod to the indigenous reclaiming control of the land.

Indigenous women don vibrant dresses and jewelry during the dance, contributing to the vibrant and culturally rich atmosphere of Inti Raymi.

READ MORE: Ecuador: Top 5 Tourist Spots

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Ecuador's Indigenous Celebrate Inti Raymi Sun Festival - From TeleSUR English
Peru street food is widely popular and known for its surprising diversity, making it a delightful experience for visitors exploring the South American culinary scene, according to Authentic Food Quest.

The Peru street food culture is vibrant and dynamic, with different types of vendors showcasing their offerings at various times of the day.

In the mornings, street carts emerge, offering breakfast options such as bread with cheese, omelets, or fried eggs, providing a hearty start to the day.

As the day progresses into the evening, a new set of street carts takes the spotlight, presenting a diverse array of options.

Carts with intriguing names like "anticuchos" and "mazamorra morada" line the streets, creating a lively atmosphere.

When traveling to Peru, it's highly recommended to indulge in these authentic street foods.

The culinary adventure promises not only a taste of local flavors but also an immersion into the rich street food culture that adds a distinctive charm to the Peruvian gastronomic scene.

READ NEXT: Get To Know Peru's National Dish

Anticuchos

Anticuchos, a beloved and perhaps the most famous Peruvian street food, are crafted from beef hearts marinated in a flavorful seasoning blend, Valencia Travel noted.

This marinade typically features ingredients like chili pepper, garlic, yellow pepper, and vinegar, creating a bold and aromatic profile.

The marinated beef hearts are then skewered and grilled right in front of you, offering a tantalizing display of the cooking process.

This iconic street food is a ubiquitous sight on street corners throughout Peru, showcasing its popularity and cultural significance.

While beef hearts are the traditional choice for Anticuchos, variations using beef or chicken are also enjoyed, and they all deliver a delicious and savory experience, regardless of the meat choice.

Anticuchos are not just a culinary delight; they represent a cherished part of Peru street food culture, inviting locals and visitors alike to savor the unique flavors of this traditional dish.

Butifarras

Despite its unassuming appearance, the butifarra, a Peruvian pork sandwich, boasts a top-notch flavor that captures the essence of delicious street food in Lima, Peru.

This sandwich is crafted from sliced pork or ham, known as Jamon Del Pais, and complemented by a medley of chopped veggies, including tomatoes, onions, and chilies.

The magic unfolds as the tender ham contrasts with the crispiness of the bread buns, creating a satisfying and flavorful experience.

For those staying in Miraflores, The Parque Kennedy is the place to savor the best street food in Lima, Peru, particularly the enticing butifarra stands.

Don't let its unassuming appearance deceive you; this Peruvian delight is a testament to the city's diverse and flavorful street food culture.

Choclo con queso

Choclo con queso is a delightful Peruvian dish often enjoyed as a snack, appetizer, or side dish. Peruvian choclo, a type of corn with large kernels, imparts a nutty flavor and chewy texture, per Taste Atlas.

When paired with creamy and salty cheese, along with a touch of butter on top, it creates the flavorful combination known as choclo con queso, translating to "corn with cheese."

While it can be found in restaurants, this delicious treat is most commonly purchased from street vendors, adding to the vibrant street food culture in Peru.

Some modern variations of the dish transform it into a baked casserole, incorporating ingredients like onions, cumin, flour, and milk to enhance the flavors and textures of this beloved Peruvian snack.

Picarones

Picarones hold a special place as a staple in Peru street food scene, often described as the "Peruvian doughnuts."

These delectable treats are crafted by shaping the dough into rings and deep-frying them in hot oil, resulting in a delightful and crispy exterior.

To complete the experience, picarones are drizzled with sweet cane syrup, adding a touch of sweetness.

The origins of picarones can be traced back to the Spanish Viceroyalty in Lima, where they were likely inspired by the Spanish bunuelos.

However, locals adapted the recipe by incorporating sweet potatoes and squash into the dough, giving rise to a distinct and delicious Peruvian dish.

Picarones exemplify the rich fusion of culinary influences that contribute to the diverse and flavorful landscape of Peruvian street food.

READ MORE: Jalea de Mariscos: Peruvian Seaside Dish

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Street Food in Peru!! Lima's Dangerous Street Eats!! - From Best Ever Food Review Show
Miss Nicaragua Sheynnis Palacios's big win at the Miss Universe beauty pageant in El Salvador should have brought Nicaragua national pride. However, the regime under dictator Daniel Ortega is treating her like a pariah.

Initially, the Ortega regime was actually very happy when she won, celebrating her victory as any government would when a countryman brings national pride and honor to their country. The government even called her their "legitimate joy and pride."

However, things changed when it surfaced that the new Miss Universe, the first Nicaraguan to ever win the prestigious title, actually took part in the 2018 anti-Ortega protests that the regime put down violently, leading to several protesters being killed with some of its leaders being either exiled or imprisoned in some of the world's most inhumane prisons.

Her win as Nicaragua's first-ever Miss Universe was initially met with celebrations on the street. Now, celebrating her win could be tantamount to protesting against the government and landing someone in jail. This all stemmed when photos of the beauty queen when she was still a university student surfaced. She was seen marching with other protesters against Ortega's Sandinista government.

This was followed by some of Nicaragua's exiled opposition leaders, including Rev. Silvio Baez, an exiled priest, who praised her by posting on social media, "Thank you for bringing joy to our long-suffering country! Thank you for giving us hope for a better future for our beautiful country!"

It did not take long for the government to sour on Palacios, with Vice President Rosario Murillo, the wife of Daniel Ortega, blasting the opposition leaders praising her. Soon, this spiraled into the government looking for excuses why an anti-Ortega protester was the one representing Nicaragua. This soon turned into the country taking aim at the Miss Nicaragua organization itself.

READ MORE: Nicaragua: New Miss Universe Sheynnis Palacios' Win Shows Deep Political Divide in Daniel Ortega-Ruled Country

Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega Regime Accuses Beauty Pageant Organizer of Organizing a Coup

How did the Nicaraguan government explain why the first-ever Nicaraguan Miss Universe turned out to be an Ortega critic? They claimed it was all the Miss Nicaragua organization's fault for allowing an anti-Ortega candidate to win, going as far as accusing its director of committing a coup without any solid evidence against her.

This led to Miss Nicaragua director Karen Celebertti, a former beauty queen herself, being investigated by police, raiding her home, arresting her husband and child, and barring her entry when she arrived home after the Miss Universe pageant.

According to the Washington Post, she is accused by the regime of using "spaces supposedly dedicated to promoting 'innocent' beauty pageants," in a foreign-backed plot to boost the opposition. This was the latest bout of paranoia from the Nicaraguan government which has suppressed all forms of dissent, from opposition parties all the way to its ongoing feud with the Roman Catholic Church.

Sheynnis Palacios Won Miss Universe With Intelligence and Charisma

Despite what the Nicaraguan government is currently saying about her, Sheynnis Palacios's win as the new Miss Universe is a mild surprise for many as she was not even one of the Top 3 favorites to win it all. However, she managed to wow many with her stunning looks, as well as her intelligent answers.

The 23-year-old was born on November 24, 1995, in Chinandega. She is currently traveling the world and doing her duties as Miss Universe. She has not gotten home since her win yet, but given her government's treatment of critics, that might not happen soon.

Taking up mental health and social justice causes, Marca noted that it was her intelligence and charisma that netted her a rather unlikely win.

READ NEXT: Daniel Ortega Net Worth

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Full interview: Meet Miss Universe 2023 Sheynnis Palacios | ABS-CBN News
The North Dakota Securities Department claims a Killdeer rancher made more than $6 million selling under-the-table investment contracts for Agridime, a national cattle company accused by federal regulators of orchestrating a Ponzi scheme.

A cease-and-desist order filed Dec. 15 states Taylor Bang sold unregistered cattle contracts for the company from the beginning of 2021 to Oct. 30, 2023. It also claims Bang was not registered as an agent with the North Dakota Securities Department.

Bang said in an interview with the North Dakota Monitor that he did, in fact, sell cattle contracts for the company, but he is not sure what it means for those contracts to be unregistered. He also says he didnt make $6 million.

People who sell investment contracts are generally required by law to register as agents with the state and federal government, North Dakota Securities Commissioner Karen Tyler said. The contracts themselves are also usually subject to registration requirements, depending on the type of agreement offered.

The filing demands that Bang stop selling contracts until he registers as an agent and the securities he offers are properly filed with the Securities Department.

This isnt the first time the state has tried to crack down on Agridime. The agency in May issued a similar order against the company and one of its owners, Josh Link.

The company was supposed to stop selling unregistered investment contracts in North Dakota roughly seven months ago, according to that order.

But the Securities Department says Bang continued offering them on Agridimes behalf.

Just days before the agency filed the cease-and-desist order against Bang, Agridime was accused by the federal Securities and Exchange Commission of using the cattle contracts to run a Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors of millions.

The SEC on Dec. 11 filed a complaint against the Fort Worth-based business, Link and another owner, Jed Wood, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas claiming the company raised more than $190 million from the alleged scheme.

How did it work? Agridime would sell investors cattle contracts for $2,000 per calf. The company would then promise to buy the cattle back a year later at return rates of 15% to 32%, the complaint says.

Agridime told their investors that it would use their funds to purchase, feed, finish, process, and sell specific cattle, the federal agency wrote in the filing. Instead of using investor funds to do these things, Agridime instead diverted tens of millions of dollars in investor funds to make Ponzi payments to prior investors.

The SEC was granted a temporary restraining order, asset freeze, the appointment of a receiver, and other emergency relief against Agridime, according to an announcement from the agency.

At least $9 million in contracts have been sold to North Dakota investors since late May, when state regulators had already ordered the company to stop, court documents indicate.

North Dakotas cease-and-desist order against Bang asks the rancher and Agridime to pay that sum, plus interest, back to investors.

The filing also requests that Bang hand over any commission money he was paid by Agridime to the North Dakota Investor Restitution Fund.

The North Dakota securities commissioner can fine people up to $10,000 each time theyre found in violation of state securities law, according to the order.

The North Dakota order does not say Bang knew the contracts he was selling were unregistered, nor whether he knew of the alleged Ponzi scheme.

Bang said hes always approached his business honestly and was simply taking direction from Agridime.

I dont know if theres underlying circumstances that I dont know that Im not being told, Bang said. I was just doing a job.

Bang disputes the claim that he made more than $6 million in commissions from Agridime. He said that figure is way high and that he wasnt sure how the Securities Department arrived at that number. The Securities Department says it calculated the figure from subpoenaed financial records.

Bang said he was aware of the May cease-and-desist order the North Dakota Securities Department filed against Agridime and Link, but that as far as he could tell, the company took the legal demands outlined in the orders seriously and was working to address them.

The rancher said hes worked with Agridime for roughly seven or eight years. He first learned of the company when representatives visited his hometown.

They were talking to some of my customers about purchasing their calves and their beef, Bang said. I said, Hey, lets try to work together instead of against each other and make it better for everybody.

He said he still thinks very highly of the company and is proud to support the American livestock industry.

To date, I have not had one person that has done this, as far as the cattle-purchasing contracts, not get paid on time, Bang said.

A voicemail left with Agridime was not returned.

The order states the North Dakota Securities Department is still actively investigating Bang.

Bang may request a hearing before the North Dakota securities commissioner challenging the alleged violations outlined in the cease-and-desist.

In wake of the SEC's complaint against Agridime, the North Dakota Department of Agriculture denied renewal of a license for Agridime to deal livestock in North Dakota, and said it would issue an order preventing the company from purchasing any more livestock in the state.
Christmas is upon us, and this means a fest on Christmas Eve or Noche Buena would certainly bring in many favorite foods in Mexican households. There are plenty of traditional Christmas dishes that are quite exquisite and perfect for such a festive occasion.

As Mexico in My Kitchen pointed out, Christmas in Mexico always brings family and friends together, especially if Mexican Christmas foods are involved. The most traditional Mexican feast, of course, happens on Noche Buena, the night before Christmas, and plenty of foods are usually served during that feast.

5 Mexican Meals To Be Enjoyed During Noche Buena

We have chosen five of our favorite things to eat every Noche Buena, and we certainly did not decide on our choices lightly, as we had to drop some personal favorites.

Here are our five picks:

Bacalao

This dish made with dried salted codfish may have originated in Europe, but much like Christmas itself, it has been embraced throughout Mexico and is usually enjoyed during Noche Buena. In fact, many believe the Christmas Eve feast would not be complete without it.

One of the most popular variants enjoyed during Christmas is bacalao a la vizcaina, which is dried cod stewed with tomatoes, capers, olives, and potatoes.

Pozole Rojo

Christmas in Mexico is usually quite cold, so to enjoy Noche Buena, soup is commonly served. While there are many types of Pozoles being served during the feast, many consider Pozole Rojo as their favorite.

Tender pork cooked with sweet white corn and served hominy, and red dried chiles and topped with shredded cabbage, radishes, lime, and cilantro paired with its immaculate soup will certainly warm you up during that cold Christmas Eve.

READ MORE: Lechon: The Iconic Roasted Pork From Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Spain

Ponche Navideno

Speaking of drinking something hot during a cold Christmas night, Ponche Navideno would also be a perfect drink to enjoy in winter. This Mexican hot fruit punch is made with tejocotes or Mexican hawthorn and flavored with cinnamon and is a great way to warm up during a cold winter night.

Ensalada de Noche Buena

No Mexican feast would be complete without a colorful Christmas salad, and this dish often makes Noche Buena feasts even more festive. They usually contain beets and lettuce, as well as various fruits and tubers such as oranges, pineapple, beets, jicama, and pomegranates. They all come together in a sweet and citrusy dressing. That feels very festive and perfect for Christmas.

Flan

Of course, we end this with dessert. And what better dish to serve at Christmas than flan? This sweet and velvety custard, with origins dating back to ancient Rome, is a staple of many Christmas feasts around the world, and Mexico is certainly no different.

Silky smooth, eggy, and creamy, this festive dessert is made even more divine thanks to its signature caramel syrup, and many believe it is a great way to end a great holiday feast.

READ NEXT: Aztec Culture Still Alive in Mexico Even After 500 Years

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS DINNER , The BEST HOLIDAY FEAST | Mexican Cooking - Views on the road
In a major setback for keeping the March 2024 trial for Donald Trump's federal election interference case, the Supreme Court denied Special Counsel Jack Smith's request to hear the question of Trump's immunity. This is considered a rare victory for Trump's legal team as they continue their "delay delay delay" strategy to delay all of the former president's cases after the election.

Smith tried to fast-track the case to prevent that usual Trump delay tactic by skipping the appeals courts and therefore prevent the case from being bogged down by appeals. However, the move was a rare step and the Supreme Court rejected his request and did not explain its reasoning and there were no notable dissents in the decision.

What happens next may be happening on January 9 when an expedited review of the Trump immunity question is already underway at the DC Circuit. Oral arguments are scheduled for that day. However, with Trump's delay tactics, the election subversion trial scheduled for March may not begin as scheduled.

"I was President, it was my right and duty to investigate, and speak on, the rigged and stolen 2020 Presidential Election. Looking forward to the very important arguments on Presidential Immunity in front of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals!" he wrote on Truth Social shortly after the Supreme Court's decision not to hear the case about his immunity, according to CNN.

Judge Tanya Chutkan previously rejected the former president's immunity claims, finding that his efforts to overturn the election were done as a candidate and not part of his duties as president.

Supreme Court Denial of Jack Smith Request Vs. Donald Trump 'Not Surprising' Says Expert

The DC Circuit Court of Appeal quickly decided to schedule oral arguments on the immunity claim and legal analyst Andrew Weissmann says that because of this, the Supreme Court's denial is "not that surprising."

READ MORE: Donald Trump Tried To Spread Fake News About New York Judge Overseeing Fraud Trial But Gets Exposed

Weissman added that how the justices respond after a ruling from the court of appeals will be important to watch as it might be "tricky" for Jack Smith and his prosecutors to secure a trial date before the 2024 presidential election if the justices don't expedite their review of the immunity claim.

The question of Trump's immunity is at the heart of the former president's legal arguments, as he feels he is entitled to do whatever he wants without repercussions. However, Judge Chutkan rejected this argument and it is now heading to the DC Circuit.

Donald Trump's 'Delay Delay Delay' Tactics Explained

Trump's delaying tactics have been famous in the legal world and Jack Smith tried to stop it by going directly to the Supreme Court. Now that it goes to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, legal experts are expecting a protracted battle that may delay the scheduled March trial date.

As the BBC noted, should Trump delay it after the US presidential elections in 2024 and Trump wins the election, he may have his new DOJ, which he vowed to fill with loyalists, drop the cases against him entirely.

Legal analysts and experts fear that Trump may never face justice should he win the presidency as he may just pardon himself and use his immunity from prosecution and become a dictator.

READ MORE: Donald Trump is Confused Why Co-Defendants Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, Kenneth Chesebro Pleaded Guilty

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WATCH: Why this legal expert believes Trump wants to delay trials - CNN
A surge of migrants is swiftly making its way across the Texas border, driven by the impending enforcement of a new state law allowing police to apprehend individuals suspected of illegally crossing into the US, per the NY Post.

Tens of thousands of Texas migrants are congregating at the US Mexico border daily, overwhelming border patrol agents and local authorities.

The urgency is palpable, with migrants aiming to beat the March deadline when Texas law officers gain the authority to enforce the stringent measures.

"We need to get to America fast," Fernando Valencia, a 36-year-old Venezuelan truck driver, said. "With the new laws in Texas, we have a better chance of getting into America now than if we wait."

Valencia, part of a group headed to a shelter in Piedras Negras, emphasized the swift decision-making spurred by the approaching law.

Record numbers of Texas migrants have been apprehended crossing the US Mexico border since President Biden took office in 2021.

READ NEXT: Texas Governor Greg Abbott Signs Law That Allows Police To Arrest Migrants

Texas Governor Signs Law Empowering State Law Enforcement

Governor Greg Abbott signed SB 4 into law Monday, granting Texas law enforcement the power to arrest those suspected of illegal Texas border crossings, Reuters reports.

This move delegates powers historically held by the US government, potentially setting the stage for legal challenges.

Effective in March, the law establishes a new state crime for illegal entry or re-entry into the Texas border, with penalties ranging from 180 days to 20 years in prison.

Judges in Texas will mandate migrants' return to Mexico, with severe sentences for non-compliance.

Governor Abbott criticized President Biden for failing to enforce existing federal laws and, in response, signed a bill allocating $1.5 billion for border wall construction and other operations.

The law's reach is expansive and applicable anywhere in Texas. However, arrests near the US Mexico border are expected to be predominant.

Certain locations, including public and private schools, places of worship, and healthcare facilities, remain off-limits for arrests.

Legal Challenges and Opposition

Legal experts and immigrant rights groups argue that the new Texas law encroaches on the federal government's authority to regulate immigration, according to KTLA.

A lawsuit filed by the ACLU and other groups contends that SB 4 violates the US Constitution's supremacy clause, creating a parallel state system conflicting with the federal framework.

Critics view the measure as the most significant attempt by a state to regulate immigration since Arizona's 2010 law, "Show Me Your Papers," largely struck down by the US Supreme Court.

Governor Abbott and fellow Republicans insist that Texas, without federal action, has the constitutional authority to secure its border.

The U.S. government has not indicated whether it will challenge the Texas law, similar to its response to Arizona's measure in the past.

While the US government's response to the governor's action at the Texas border remains uncertain, Mexico's president has signaled intentions to intervene.

READ MORE: California Approves' Toilet-to-Tap'

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Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Questions rise over new Texas immigration law as border sees spike in migrants - From CBS News
A new recording of former President Donald Trump and Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman blatantly intimidating Wayne County canvassers in Michigan has surfaced, and they could mean bad news for the ex-POTUS in his federal election interference case in Washington, DC.

A bombshell new report from The Detroit News revealed Trump has personally pressured two Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers and told them not to sign the certification of the 2020 presidential election.

The audio came from a recorded November 17, 2020 phone call involving Trump, McDaniel, and Michigan Republican canvassers Monica Palmer and William Hartmann. Trump reportedly told the two GOP Wayne County canvassers that they would look "terrible" if they ever signed the documents after they first voted in opposition to it in the same meeting.

"We've got to fight for our country," the then-president reportedly told the two Republican canvassers. "We can't let these people take our country away from us."

Meanwhile, McDaniel, who is actually from Michigan, told the two, "If you can go home tonight, do not sign it. ... We will get you attorneys." Trump then added, "We'll take care of that."

After the call, both Palmer and Hartmann left the meeting without signing the official statement of votes for Wayne County. The next day, they tried to rescind their votes in favor of certification, but their attempts were unsuccessful. In their legal affidavits, they admitted they were pressured.

It was noted that had they been successful in their attempt not to canvass the results, they would have "threatened to throw the statewide certification of Michigan's 2020 election into doubt."

Leaked Michigan Tapes Regarding Donald Trump May Count as Election Interference Case

When the recordings came out, neither Trump nor McDaniel disputed the summary of the recordings. Trump spokesman Steven Cheung even told Detroit News that the former president's actions "were taken in furtherance of his duty as president of the United States to faithfully take care of the laws and ensure election integrity, including investigating the rigged and stolen 2020 presidential election."

READ MORE: Donald Trump Tried To Spread Fake News About New York Judge Overseeing Fraud Trial But Gets Exposed

However, legally, this can be made as evidence of election interference as even though Trump was president at that time, he was also one of the candidates with a stake in the results.

"It's just shocking that the president of the United States was at the most minute level trying to stop the election process from happening," admitted Jonathan Kinloch, a Democratic member of the Wayne Board of Canvassers, also calling the call to be "insane."

Jack Smith Can Use Leaked Michigan Tapes Vs. Donald Trump in Election Interference Case

Trump already faces four counts of criminal conspiracy to defraud the United States in his effort to overturn the 2020 election results, and these recordings may be submitted as evidence in that case, especially in Jack Smith's federal investigation, as well as Fani Willis's Georgia investigation.

The tape tells a sinister story, according to former federal judge J. Michael Luttigm, who told Politico, "This new evidence is of a piece with, and bolsters, the considerable other similar evidence of the former president's interference in the 2020 presidential election that both Jack Smith and Fani Willis have assembled."

The former judge explained, "The president was not acting in furtherance of his duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed when he attempted to interfere in the presidential election in Michigan and elsewhere."

Former Trump attorney Ty Cobb also agrees that this might be election interference, admitting that he saw the recordings as "likely a violation" of the federal honest services fraud statute.

He also stated that McDaniel is implicated in this as well, adding, "McDaniel is equally exposed. Clearly, evidence going to the core conspiracies charged by the special prosecutor."

READ MORE: Donald Trump is Confused Why Co-Defendants Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, Kenneth Chesebro Pleaded Guilty

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: New report on Trump's efforts to overturn 2020 results in Michigan could add to his legal problems - MSNBC
When crafting your itinerary for El Salvador, explore the country's popular beverages, each offering a taste influenced by the rich blend of Spanish and Mayan cultures.

Among these, atole de elote stands out as a Mayan creation consisting of corn, sugar, cinnamon, and water, according to TripSavvy.

Reflecting the diversity of Salvadoran culinary heritage, various types of atolls extend beyond the traditional corn-based version.

Embracing a range of flavors, enthusiasts can savor atolls infused with seeds, cashew, pineapple, pinuela, and the classic chuco atol.

Notably, atolls hold a historical significance, echoing the traditions of our ancestors. Indulging in these flavorful El Salvador drinks provides a delightful journey through El Salvador's cultural and culinary past.

READ NEXT: El Salvador Food: Traditional Dishes That Every Traveler Should Try

Atole de Elote

Atole de Elote, one of the cherished El Salvador drinks, holds its roots in the ancient Maya civilization, making it a cultural mainstay with a history spanning over 500 years.

This well-loved creamy drink is typically served hot and meticulously crafted from fresh corn, blended with either milk or water, and infused with the delightful flavors of cinnamon and sugar.

Having secured a prominent place in Salvadoran gastronomy, Atole de Elote has become a symbol of cultural heritage, resonating with tradition and a shared culinary legacy.

Its popularity has inspired its own dedicated song, underscoring its significance in the hearts and palates of Salvadorans.

Atole Chuco

Atole Chuco, or Atol Chuco, stands as a venerable tradition in El Salvador, crafted from purple fermented corn and beans, resulting in its distinct dark and earthy hue, El Salvador Info noted.

This beverage, revered as the oldest traditional hot drink in the country, traces its origins back to pre-Columbian times.

Available in municipal parks and small stands nationwide, Atole Chuco is typically served during the late afternoon hours.

Its presentation is steeped in tradition. It is often served in a dish resembling a bowl, crafted from the fruit of a tree known as Morro, adding an authentic touch to this ancient Salvadoran drink.

Pinuela Atol

This unique beverage is crafted from the fruit of the "Pinal" tree, typically employed as a field fence. The key ingredient is the small fruits resembling light bulbs and arranged in wedge shapes.

To prepare this distinctive drink, pinuela atol, the pinuelas are sliced from one end and undergo a cooking process, per El Salvador Trips.

Subsequently, they are combined with water, rice powder, sweet brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt, resulting in a flavorful and culturally rich concoction.

Atol de Maranon

This beverage incorporates toasted and ground seeds of the Maranon, combining them harmoniously with cow's milk, sugar, and a touch of cinnamon.

The resulting drink offers a flavorful blend highlighting the rich and aromatic essence of the Maranon seeds, creating a distinctive and enjoyable beverage.

El Salvador Alcoholic Drinks

El Salvador boasts a variety of Alcoholic beverages, including the renowned Liquor de Chaparro or La Chicha. This popular moonshine liquor is a traditional concoction fermented with corn, sugar cane, and fruits.

Originally a clandestine creation during celebrations, La Chicha has transitioned into a legally available store libation. However, clandestine versions can still be found in certain cities.

With roots dating back to pre-Columbian times, the liquor was crafted solely from fermented corn by Maya, Aztec, and Inca Indians.

Over time, the introduction of sugar cane during colonial periods led to the evolution of La Chicha, incorporating both corn and sugar cane.

In contemporary times, this Salvadoran drink can be prepared using various fruits, adding a modern twist to its ancient origins.

In addition to traditional beverages, El Salvador is a nation with a strong beer culture. Pilsener, Golden, Regia, and Suprema stand out as the most popular beers among Salvadorans, with locals often expressing loyalty to a specific brand.

Meanwhile, in the realm of liquor, Venado, a light rum, enjoys widespread popularity and is recognized for its affordability.

READ MORE: Top 4 Beautiful Places to Visit in El Salvador

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Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: El Salvador: What to eat in El Salvador - From Wolters World
As more and more migrants travel through Mexico to head to the US-Mexico border, Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says he is willing to help but has some conditions. The first one is that the US government must hold talks with Cuba, and the second one is that the US must send more development aid to migrants' home countries as these migrants often leave their homes for what they believe is a better life in the US.

The announcement from AMLO came a day after it was announced that a delegation of top US officials headed by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken would be heading to Mexico for talks regarding immigration and how to enforce the US-Mexico border.

The Mexican president also confirmed that the US wants the Mexican government to block migrants from entering through the Mexico-Guatemala border to its south or at least make it more difficult for migrants to move across Mexico by train or in trucks or buses, according to the Associated Press.

Many of the migrants coming into the US-Mexico border are from countries hit by crippling US sanctions, such as Venezuela and Cuba, and Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says that in addition to sending more development aid to migrants' home countries, he wants the US to reduce or eliminate these sanctions.

"We are going to help, as we always do," AMLO said. "Mexico is helping reach agreements with other countries, in this case, Venezuela," adding that "We also want something done about the (US) differences with Cuba" and that he had already told US President Joe Biden that a bilateral US-Cuba dialogue must be opened.

READ MORE: Mexico: Data Reveals Shocking Reality About War on Drugs

Thousands Join Migrant Caravan in Mexico Ahead of US Delegation's Visit

Meanwhile, as the US prepares for high-level talks with Mexico over the migrant crisis, thousands of migrants have joined a massive caravan on its way to the US-Mexico border.

According to the Associated Press, these migrants hail from various Central American countries, as well as Venezuela and Cuba. There is an estimated 6,000 people in that caravan, including families with young children. This is considered the largest caravan in over a year, and it departed from the southern Mexican city of Tapachula, near the country's southern border with Guatemala.

Border Security Deal Closer Than Many Think

Right now, both chambers of Congress are on Christmas break and are expected to return next month. However, according to WTTW, a deal between Democrats and Republicans on border security might happen soon in the Senate after it gets back from vacation.

The White House is currently talking with key senators, and they have stuck to the three main areas of discussion, which are toughening asylum protocols for migrants, bolstering border enforcement with more personnel and high-tech systems, and deterring migrants from making the journey in the first place.

Shortly before the Senate went on break, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell issued a rare joint statement that indicated that negotiations are progressing.

READ MORE: Mexico: Bodies of 5 Students Found Dead Inside a Car in Celaya

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WATCH: Violence on Mexico-US border: Mexico says increasing enforcement at crossing - Al Jazeera English
In a significant development in Brazil, federal police announced that Luiz Antonio da Silva Braga, widely known as "Zinho," surrendered after negotiations with local authorities, AP reports.

Zinho, the leader of largest Brazil militia group, faced a staggering 12 arrest warrants.

Brazil's federal police revealed that after the necessary arrest procedures, Zinho underwent medical forensics before being transferred to the state's prison system.

Ricardo Cappelli, the executive secretary of the federal Justice Ministry, praised the extensive investigative efforts that led to Zinho's surrender, emphasizing the dedication of the federal police in their pursuit of justice.

"This is work, work, work," Capelli said.

Brazil Justice Minister Flavio Dino commended the apprehension on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday, referring to it as a significant achievement resulting from "serious and planned work" conducted in Rio de Janeiro and other states in the ongoing effort to combat criminal factions, DW noted.

READ NEXT: Brazil: Suspected Politically Motivated Assassination Leaves 3 Doctors Dead, 1 Injured

Brazil Militia Boss, Zinho

Zinho had been designated as the "public enemy Number 1" in the state of Rio de Janeiro, underlining the severity of his criminal influence.

His Brazil militia group has been linked to a series of violent activities, including the torching of 35 buses in retaliation for the police killing of one of its leaders in October, according to BNN.

The same month witnessed the militia's involvement in the murders of three doctors mistaken for the leader of a rival group.

Such incidents of violence have created a climate of fear, underscoring the pressing need for decisive action by law enforcement agencies.

Zinho became the target of Operation Dynasty, a joint effort by the federal police and the Public Ministry of Rio de Janeiro, executed on December 19, per Time News.

The operation aimed to uncover the illegal charging scheme and investigate the financial transactions benefiting from these charges.

The Brazil militia, operating in Rio de Janeiro's west zone, is notorious for imposing its authority through threats and violence, charging illegal fees to businesses and local traders, severely impacting the region's economy.

Zinho's arrest is hailed as a significant victory in the fight against militia-controlled crime, with these groups estimated to control about 10% of Rio's metropolitan area.

Brazil Militia Criminal Groups

Militia groups emerged around four decades ago as community self-defense units against drug gangs, comprising former police, soldiers, firefighters, and prison guards, said Vanguard.

Initially formed with good intentions, they later deviated into extortion and took control of service provision in Rio's poor favelas.

In recent years, these militias have expanded into drug trafficking and money laundering.

A 2020 study revealed that militias control over half of Rio's territory, imposing a reign of terror in poor neighborhoods housing more than two million people.

This ongoing struggle against militia influence emphasizes the challenges faced by law enforcement in ensuring the safety and well-being of Rio's residents.

READ MORE: Nicaragua Detains Second Bishop

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Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Buses torched across Rio De Janeiro in apparent retaliation for killing of militia leader - From Associated Press
Another shooting happened in the US, this time in a mall in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Christmas Eve as shoppers try and make their last-minute Christmas shopping.

According to police, the incident left one person dead, with three others wounded during the Christmas Eve shooting that happened inside the Citadel Mall in Colorado Springs on Sunday.

CNN reported that the shooting happened after a fight broke out between two groups. Officers from the Colorado Springs Police Department soon responded just after 4:30 PM while holiday shoppers were making their last-minute purchases. This meant that the shooting happened during what is considered the second-busiest shopping weekend of the year, just behind Black Friday.

The two injured people are each "suffering from at least one gunshot wound" and were shortly taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. Both of them were males and were described to have had serious injuries. They remained in serious condition come Christmas day.

As for the mall, it has been "cleared and closed," with police announcing that "There is no known threat to the community at this time." Meanwhile, another woman was also hospitalized after the Colorado Christmas Shooting. However, she was shot and was only treated for minor injuries.

Several People Detained but No Arrests Yet in Connection with Colorado Christmas Shooting

The shooting itself happened near a JCPenney store inside the mall located at 750 Citadel Drive East in Colorado Springs. As the shooting happened, it caused major panic among last-minute Christmas shoppers.

READ NEXT: University of Nevada-Las Vegas Shooting: 'Multiple Victims' Recorded, Gunman Dead in School Attack

"We just started hearing gunshots. Just started hearing gunshots. I heard at first and then I saw everybody running from the play gym area and they were telling everybody to get out. And then that's when they just unleashed, it was... I don't even know how many gunshots there were after that," one witness at the scene told CBS News.

Investigations are now underway as the Colorado Springs Police Department has opened an investigation into the deadly Christmas shooting. This has led to police detaining multiple people as investigators try to find out what their role in the incident was.

While there were people who were detained, nobody has been arrested yet, according to Detectives who stated that the attack appeared to be a targeted one.

Another Christmas Season Shooting Happened Inside Florida Mall

Meanwhile, that was not the only shooting that happened over Christmas weekend as police in Ocala, Florida are looking for a man who opened fire inside a mall. The attack reportedly left one man dead and another injured last Saturday.

Police have offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of 39-year-old Albert J. Shell Jr. who is suspected of being the one behind the deadly Florida mall shooting on Saturday, He is wanted for premeditated first-degree murder and attempted premeditated first-degree murder, according to CNN.

Shell killed 40-year-old David Nathaniel Barron in his attack and injured an unnamed woman who was shot in the leg, She is expected to survive but the suspect fled the mall on foot after the shooting.

READ MORE: Lauren Boebert Sex Scandal: MAGA Republican Says She Broke Up With Man She Fondled Inside a Denver Theater

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: 1 dead, 3 hospitalized after shooting at mall in Colorado Springs - FOX31 Denver
Billionaire Elon Musk is in even more trouble, and he may now be heading to a court battle after not paying workers on X, formerly Twitter, the bonuses he previously promised.

The social media company, which was bought by Musk in October 2022, was accused of not paying annual bonuses to staff after he took over the company. This is despite executives from then-Twitter repeatedly assuring workers that they will be given bonuses.

According to CNN, the lawsuit against the Elon Musk-owned social media giant was filed in a San Francisco federal court by Mark Schobinger, X's former senior director of compensation. He filed it last May, and he is seeking class-action status for former and current X employees who were not paid their 2022 bonuses.

Musk was then given even more bad news when a federal judge in California ruled that Schobinger's case against X was plausible and allowed it to move forward.

"Twitter's offer to pay him a bonus in return became a binding contract under California law," wrote US District Judge Vince Chhabria in his ruling on Friday. The company had previously tried to have the lawsuit dismissed, arguing that an oral promise should not be binding and that the case should be heard in Texas.

However, the judge shot their motion to dismiss down, saying that California law applies in matters questioning whether a contract can be enforced. "Once Schobinger did what Twitter asked, Twitter's offer to pay him a bonus in return became a binding contract under California law. And by allegedly refusing to pay Schobinger his promised bonus, Twitter violated that contract," concluded the judge.

READ MORE: Elon Musk Tirade Causes More Advertisers To Flee X

Elon Musk and X Also Facing Lawsuit from Twitter Investors

That lawsuit from current and former X employees is not the only legal problem that Musk and the company are facing. A few weeks ago, a federal judge advanced a lawsuit from investors of the social media platform.

These investors claimed they suffered losses when they sold their shares on Twitter after Elon Musk claimed that the social media platform "has a major issue with fake accounts and that he could wiggle out of the deal because of it."

The Hollywood Reporter noted that US District Judge Charles Breyer found several of the billionaire's statements were false or misleading. This is in part because he waived due diligence.

Elon Musk Is Suing Anti-Hate Groups Over Exposing X's Inaction Over Racist Posts

Meanwhile, as he is getting sued by investors and employees, Musk is also suing anti-hate groups and media watchdogs over the spread of misinformation on his platform. However, one of these groups, The Center for Countering Digital Hate, remains defiant.

"We will not be cowed by bullies," said the group in a statement after Musk sued them. The group revealed that 98% of 200 tweets that it flagged to X were still posted on the platform after two weeks. This came after a surge in social media disinformation and hate speech related to the Israel-Hamas war.

READ MORE: Elon Musk's SpaceX Sued by US DOJ -- Here's Why

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Elon Bought Himself A Bunch of Lawsuits - LegalEagle
On the morning of December 23, investigators from the Camden County Sheriff's Office, accompanied by cadaver dogs from Gateway Search Dogs, Inc., revisited the Southern Camden County pond where the Hyundai Elantra belonging to missing Missouri man Donnie Erwin was discovered on December 16.

The prolonged search, spanning several days, took an unexpected turn when cadaver dogs signaled the possible presence of human remains in the pond, according to KRCG.

Despite the considerable time that had passed since Erwin's disappearance, the cadaver dogs honed in on a specific area near the center of the pond, hinting at a potential location for the remains.

This crucial information prompted a return to the site on December 24, where divers from the Mid County Fire Protection District meticulously combed the indicated area.

Subsequently, they successfully retrieved human remains from the pond.

Among the recovered items was an artificial hip, consistent with the one Donnie Erwin had.

Although a conclusive determination awaits forensic examination, investigators express confidence that both the artificial hip and the remains belong to the missing Missouri man, Donnie Erwin.

READ NEXT: Missouri: Potential Witness for Kidnapping, Rape Case Found Deadmissing

YouTuber Found Missing Missouri Man's Car

Donnie Erwin, a 59-year-old Army veteran, went missing on December 29, 2013, after leaving his residence in a 2002 silver Hyundai Elantra to purchase cigarettes, per The Messenger.

The case had remained unsolved for a decade until freelance drone pilot and videographer James Hinkle, known for his YouTube channel, stumbled upon a submerged vehicle in the Southern Camden County pond during a routine search on December 16.

Hinkle, after noticing an unattached tire in the water via his drone, contacted the property owner and subsequently collaborated with authorities to investigate further, KOMU reported.

The vehicle's license plate confirmed it was Erwin's missing Hyundai Elantra.

Sgt. Scott Hines of the Camden County Sheriff's Office expressed relief at this breakthrough, highlighting the significant role played by volunteers and the community in providing crucial information to law enforcement.

Lt. Cole Hurst, a rescue diver for Mid-County Fire Protection District, emphasized his team's role in aiding Hinkle's discovery, acknowledging the tense atmosphere surrounding the operation.

Closure for the Donnie Erwin's Family

James Hinkle expressed happiness for the missing Missouri man's family.

"This is the first Christmas morning that they wake up and they know where their missing person is," Hinkle said during the ABC 17 News interview.

Hinkle's revelation marks a crucial milestone, ending ten years of uncertainty for the family.

Erwin's sister, Yvonne Erwin-Bowen, shared her emotions on Facebook, stating, "What a special Christmas this is. Even though you're not with us, we know where you are now, and we can rejoice because of it."

While the discovery brings closure, investigators continue their work, exploring the surrounding area in an effort to piece together the details surrounding Donnie Erwin's mysterious disappearance.

READ MORE: High-Speed Police Chase Crash Kills 2 Boys, Critically Injured 4

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Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Donnie Erwin's Car Located - From Echo Divers
A holiday ice storm coated roads, driveways and sidewalks with freezing rain in much of the eastern half of North Dakota, shutting down travel and offices and cutting power to thousands of people.

The system was caused by what a meteorologist called "unusual" weather conditions in the Upper Midwest. The last such system in North Dakota happened seven years ago.

Interstate 29 was closed from Grand Forks to the Canada border Tuesday morning, and the westbound lanes of Interstate 94 were shut down between Steele and Jamestown.

"There are multiple vehicles sliding off the roadway along the route, and crews need time to clear the vehicles," the state Department of Transportation said in a morning statement.

I-29 reopened early in the afternoon; the stretch of I-94 reopened at midafternoon.

No travel was still advised in south central and much of southeastern North Dakota, including the Bismarck-Mandan area. A travel alert was in effect for much of the rest of eastern North Dakota, cautioning motorists to be aware of the conditions if they venture out.

Burleigh County and Morton County closed offices for the day. The city of Mandan closed offices and canceled garbage pickup. The Mandan Progress Organization said the Holiday Lights on Main display would not be lit up Tuesday night.

Bismarck city offices remained open, but the city suspended garbage collection and closed the landfill, and suspended building field inspections. The Bismarck Parks and Recreation District closed its facilities and canceled programs until noon Wednesday.

The Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library and the Morton Mandan Public Library shut down. Bismarck State College and United Tribes Technical College closed their offices and canceled all Tuesday events. University of Mary employees were told to work from home. The public school systems in Bismarck and Mandan are on holiday break.

North Dakota Health and Human Services closed its offices in Bismarck, Devils Lake, Fargo, Grafton, Grand Forks, Jamestown, Rolla and Valley City. In Bismarck that impacted the West Central Human Service Center as well as the regional vocational rehabilitation and child support offices. HHS said people experiencing a behavioral health crisis should call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for immediate help.

Laura Schmidt-Dockter wore ice spikes on her shoes as she walked outside in Bismarck. Her driveway was sheer ice, she said. A neighbor took to the street on ice skates. Its actually not bad, the neighbor quipped when asked about the quality of the ice as he skated by, in a short video that Schmidt-Dockter posted to social media.

The storm hit eastern North Dakota on Christmas Day and moved into the central part of the state overnight. The weather service posted an ice storm warning for much of the Red River and James River valleys, as well as the far south central region into Tuesday evening. A winter weather advisory was posted for much of central North Dakota and also part of the southwest, including the Bismarck and Dickinson regions.

Up to a quarter inch of ice was forecast for the Bismarck region, and up to half an inch for the Jamestown area.

Public Works crews in both Bismarck and Mandan began sanding streets at 3 a.m. Tuesday, but officials reported that streets were refreezing, and many roads remained treacherous.

Bismarck police reported 30 traffic crashes by 11 a.m. The Police Department advised no travel in city limits.

At this time, we are pleading with the public to not travel in Bismarck, Deputy Chief Jason Stugelmeyer said. Our officers are already tied up with a significant number of traffic incidents, and road conditions do not appear to be improving at this time. The best choice you can make is to postpone whatever you need to do and stay at home.

Some flights at the Bismarck Airport were delayed or canceled, though many remained on time.

Poweroutage.us, which tracks power outages across the country, reported more than 17,000 people in North Dakota without electricity Tuesday evening, mostly in the southeast.

'Large, dynamic'

The conditions were caused by what the National Weather Service called "a large, dynamic storm system over the central U.S." Moisture moved northward ahead of a cold front pushing eastward across the country, according to the weather service.

The weather conditions are unusual in the Northern Plains for this time of year, according to Megan Jones, a meteorologist in the weather service's Bismarck office.

"We don't typically get ice storms up here," she told the Tribune. "There's warmer air aloft, and precipitation is falling as rain, then freezing as soon as it gets to the surface."

The last ice storm warning the Bismarck weather service office issued was in 2016, according to Jones. This week's storm "was definitely a tricky forecast for us, just because this isn't something we deal with very often," she said. "Usually it's just too cold for this to happen."

Ice accumulations were as thick as three-quarters of an inch in the Jamestown area, according to Jones.

The storm outlook initially included a few inches of snow in some areas of the state; that didn't materialize. But the freezing rain was expected to linger through the day Tuesday. Temperatures were reaching into the lower 30s in the Bismarck-Mandan region, hovering around the freezing mark. Normal for this time of year is a high in the mid-20s.

Jones said the system was packing a lot of moisture, and that conditions "should hopefully be getting better as drier air pushes in."

The weather service said there could be more light ice accumulations overnight. The Wednesday forecast for Bismarck-Mandan called for sunny skies and high temperatures in the mid-30s.

Central Plains hammered

Conditions were equally bad in states south of North Dakota, The Associated Press reported.

At Denver International Airport there were over 530 flight delays and 23 cancellations as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the tracking website FlightAware. Blizzard conditions on Interstate 70, from Denver to Kansas, closed the highway early Tuesday. But it reopened later in the morning.

Blizzard warnings were in effect mid-Tuesday for western portions of South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas, along with eastern portions of Colorado and Wyoming.

Rosebud Sioux Tribe officials in South Dakota said on social media that some people had ignored the no-travel advisory that had been issued Monday evening. The advisory meant no one should have been on highways, backroads or gravel roads, they said.

We have multiple resources being dispatched to rescue a total of 13 people who ignored the advisory, and then rescue the ranchers who got stuck trying to get to them, the tribe's Office of Emergency Management posted on Facebook early Tuesday.

Nine hours later, the office posted an update to say the motorists have been assisted, all is well, and thank you to the crew that jumped into action to rescue the motorists during the whiteout conditions.

On Christmas Day, one person was killed and three others were injured in Kansas, when the driver of a pickup truck lost control on snow and ice and collided head-on with a sport utility vehicle 5 miles west of Larned, according to the State Patrol. The woman killed in the crash was identified as 86-year-old Evelyn Reece of Wichita.

The weather service reminded people about the fire risk from candles or space heaters. Anyone using a portable generator should keep it outside and at least 20 feet away from doors, windows and garages to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.

We just want people to be careful if they have power outages," Jones said. You always want to be careful with your heat sources.
Early on Christmas morning, the childhood home where global music icon Beyonce spent her early years caught fire, leaving the current occupants without a home, according to official records, according to KHOU 11.

Houston firefighters received a distress call just after 2 a.m. reporting a house fire on Rosedale Street, east of Highway 288.

The family residing in the two-story house had already evacuated safely by the time fire crews arrived. The fire, emanating from the second floor, required swift action from the firefighters.

Neighbor Jack May recounted witnessing the flames and the emergency responders' efforts to control the situation.

"My first thought was they have little children, so we came out, and there was no indication that there was any tragedy, so we watched and prayed for the best," May said.

Despite the damage, the occupants escaped unharmed, and firefighters successfully contained a significant portion of the flames within 10 minutes.

However, they had to cut into the roof to address the attic, where the fire was spreading.

READ NEXT: Magic Johnson Slams Grammy for Disrespecting Beyonce

Beyonce Childhood Home

The house, though no longer Beyonce's residence for decades, remains a landmark for her fans.

The property, which the Knowles family acquired for $64,000 in 1981, holds historical significance as they lived there until 1986, the year Beyonce's sister Solange, also a Grammy winner, was born, HuffPost noted.

Beyonce herself was seen at the home in September, taking pictures with her mother, Tina, during the Texas leg of the "Renaissance" world tour.

The property has drawn attention from fans over the years.

"We have Beyonce tourists here all the time; it's bizarre," remarked May, the next-door neighbor.

For the family now displaced due to the Christmas morning fire, May expressed hope that the incident doesn't attract additional fanfare.

"Oh, I hope [it draws] fewer people - there's nothing to see today that you couldn't see yesterday or six months from now," he emphasized.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Beyonce and Jay-Z Celebrate Christmas Away

As the fire unfolded in Houston, Beyonce and her husband Jay-Z were spending their Christmas holiday at their home in Malibu, California, per PEOPLE.

On Christmas Eve, Mathew Knowles, Beyonce's father, paid tribute to his daughters on Instagram with a heartwarming family picture.

The photo captured the sisters in their youth, dressed up and decorating a Christmas tree.

Knowles reflected on the simple joys of the holiday season for young children and the special bond between Beyonce and Solange.

"What I love most about this very moment is the sheer love, determination, and confidence that Beyonce has in her eyes while looking at Solange," he wrote.

Knowles reminisced about their Christmas celebrations, highlighting the joy and music that filled their home during the festive season.

Despite the unfortunate incident in Houston, the family celebrated the holiday with cherished memories and the enduring spirit of togetherness.

READ MORE: Mariah Carey Splits with Boyfriend Bryan Tanaka

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Beyonce's childhood home catches fire - From FOX 26 Houston
Neel Nanda, a talented US comedian of Indian descent, passed away shortly after marking his 32nd birthday, as confirmed by his manager of more than a decade, Greg Weiss, according to NDTV.

The exact date and cause of his death remain undisclosed, honoring the wishes of Nanda's family and girlfriend.

Weiss shared his sorrow with the media, describing Nanda not only as a remarkable comedian but also as a cherished friend and a wonderful human being.

The shocking news of Nanda's demise emerged just days after he celebrated his birthday headlining a comedy club in Toronto, where he also promoted a "birthday weekend" show at Jokers Theatre and Comedy Club on Instagram.

Neel Nanda gained recognition for his memorable five-minute set on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

READ NEXT: Michael Gambon: Dumbledore Actor Dies at 82

Neel Nanda Career

Born in Atlanta to Indian immigrant parents, Nanda made his debut on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" in 2017, showcasing his comedic prowess.

His comedic talent extended to Comedy Central, where he appeared on various shows, including "Adam Devine's House Party" and, most recently, "Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents" in January, per USA Today.

Beyond stand-up, Nanda ventured into producing and acting, earning credits in the internet comedy horror series "Garland: Anthology."

He also featured in the Snapchat original series "Apocalypse Goals" and starred in the 2019 comedy horror film "Deep Murder."

His journey in comedy began in Atlanta, where he started performing stand-up before making the move to Los Angeles in 2013.

In LA, he left his mark on various networks, including Comedy Central, MTV, Viceland, IFC, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.

His show, "Unnecessary Evil," in Los Angeles, earned recognition as one of LA Weekly's top 10 stand-up shows.

Heartfelt Tributes Pour In for Comedian Neel Nanda

Following the news of Nanda's untimely death, tributes flooded in from the comedy community.

Jokers Theatre and Comedy Club expressed their condolences, describing Nanda as a "brilliantly funny soul" in a heartfelt post.

Comedian John Roy remembered him as a great comic who played a pivotal role in building the comedy scene in Santa Monica.

Matt Rife, in a tribute on Twitter, recalled Nanda as one of the nicest and hardest-working comedians, wishing him peace, ACCESS Online noted.

"RIP Neel Nanda. You were one of the nicest, hardest working comedians I've ever called a friend, and I hope you can be at peace, brother," Rife posted.

RIP Neel Nanda  you were one of the nicest, hardest working comedians Ive ever called a friend and i hope you can be at peace brother  December 23, 2023

Mario Adrion, who recently performed with Nanda, posted a touching message on Instagram, expressing his heartbreak and gratitude for the positive impact Nanda had on his life. "Neel was a great comedian and always made an effort to lift up others around him- I am grateful I got to meet him.

Much love to his family and everyone who's grieving!" Said Adrion.

Dane Cook, reflecting on the tributes, acknowledged the heartbreak and enlightenment that comes from reading about Nanda's impact, even for those who did not personally know him.

"I didn't know Neel Nanda personally, but reading several tributes is both heartbreaking and eye-opening," Cook posted.

I didnt know Neel Nanda personally but reading several tributes is both heart breaking and eye opening. I echo so many in expressing there is help out there. Please remember you are never alone. People want to help you. There is a path through your pain. Prayers to Neels family,  Dane Cook (@DaneCook) December 24, 2023

READ MORE: Former Buccaneers Star WR, Dead at 36

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Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Neel Nanda, comedian who appeared on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' and 'Comedy Central', dead at 32 - From New York Post
With next years total solar eclipse, up to 4 million people are expected to travel to get the best experience.

According to New Mexico-based Great American Eclipse, the event on April 8, 2024, will sweep across the United States from Texas to Maine.

31 million Americans currently live inside the path of totality. Millions more will travel on eclipse day to witness natures greatest sight, Great American Eclipse said.

Great American Eclipse has developed a model to estimate how many people will travel to see the eclipse and found that between 1 million and 4 million people will travel to the path of totality.

Texas is expected to have the most visitors followed by Indiana, Ohio, New York, Arkansas, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Oklahoma, Maine and New Hampshire.

It will likely be the most-viewed astronomical event in American history. When you combine the populations of Mexico, USA, and Canada that live inside the path of totality, and add all of those who will travel on eclipse day, a total of 50 million North Americans witnessing totality is possible, said Michael Zeiler, expert eclipse cartographer and co-founder of Great American Eclipse.

The Northwest corner of Pennsylvania, which is in the path of totality, is expected to draw between 52,000 and 207,000 visitors. The area in totality in Pa. extends south from Erie to about Sharpsville in Mercer County in the west and Warren in Warren County to the northeast.

During the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, the moon will pass between Earth and the sun, blocking the suns light. The last total solar eclipse was on Aug. 21, 2017. The next one wont happen for another 20 years and will only be visible on Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.

It will start in the Pacific around 11:07 a.m. then cross into Texas and across the Midwest and Northeast in the afternoon. The path of totality is 115 miles wide. Outside of that path, observers will see a partial eclipse - the sun will look like a crescent shape.

As with any solar eclipse, you will need eclipse glasses to view it without causing serious damage to your eyes.

Proper protection does not mean the sunglasses you use every day or binoculars.

Do NOT look at the sun through a camera lens, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while wearing eclipse glasses or using a handheld solar viewer  the concentrated solar rays will burn through the filter and cause serious eye injury, said NASA.

Safe solar viewers have special filters and eclipse glasses are thousands of times darker than regular sunglasses.

Viewers also can use a pinhole projector - such as a hole punched in an index card - to project the image of the sun onto a nearby surface. Instructions on how to make a pinhole projector are available online, including from NASA.

With the sun at your back, you can then safely view the projected image. Do NOT look at the sun through the pinhole, NASA said.

The so-called ring-of-fire eclipse on Oct. 14 was only full visible from Oregon to Texas. In Pa., we would have seen a partial eclipse but the day was cloudy and rainy.
A new survey has confirmed the top three favourite Coillte forests in Laois as voted by the public.

The three are all in the Slieve Bloom Mountains.

First up is The Slieve Blooms Mountain Bike trail, a network of purpose-built singletrack trails and forest roads that are designed for use by mountain bikes on a waymarked circular route.

There are three routes to choose from, one of which is blue grade, suitable for beginners and novices while the other two are more challenging red and black grade options. The trails take riders through beautiful forests and open land with fantastic views over Baunreagh Valley and beyond.

Next up is a woods located in Clonaslee Village. Brittas is a forest that follows the path of the River Clodiagh through mature stands of Douglas fir. The presence of old buildings and ruins in the area are of considerable cultural significance. The lakes seclusion and tranquillity make it an ideal location for relaxing picnics.

Brittas forest has one way-marked walking trail and the Slieve Bloom Way can also be accessed from this looped trail. Starting in the car park at the entrance to Brittas Forest in Clonaslee village, the trail is an 8km gentle loop through the forest.

The forest is part of the Clonaslee St Stephen's Day charity walk in aid of Laois Hospice. Read a full list of such events this Christmas here.

Finally, with stunning waterfalls and a steep-sided valley, Glenbarrow is one of the most scenic locations across the Slieve Bloom Mountains.

The area is a popular spot for visitors and provides a choice of long and short looped trails, one trail being accessible for buggies. The main trail at Glenbarrow leads past the waterfalls, past old homesteads in Cones and out onto the stunning open mountain Nature Reserve on the Ridge of Capard.

The trailhead also now has a carpark that has been tripled in size by Laois County Council, while a local cafe beside the carpark has just added much needed toilet facilities for customers.

Coillte has responsibility for many more popular Laois forests besides the Slieve Blooms, including those at Emo Court, Durrow, Oughaval in Stradbally, Garryhinch and Carrick Woods in Portarlington and Lacka in Mountrath.

The vote is part of a Red C Research survey for the semi-state forestry company.

It also revealed that the vast majority of the public (81%) say Ireland needs to grow more trees to combat climate change, and 86% of survey respondents say forests are important for physical and mental health and wellbeing.

Furthermore 82% believe forests are important for nature and biodiversity, which is central to Coilltes strategic vision.

Some 74% agree that having a mix of trees, such as conifers that grow quickly and capture carbon at a high rate, along with broadleaves that provide a long-term store of carbon, is important for climate action. In terms of tackling climate change 66% are in favour of using Irish wood as an alternative building material to high-carbon materials such as concrete and steel.

Paul Jordan is Regional Manager for Coillte.

At Coillte we recognise the importance of nature and forests in supporting our overall wellbeing and its encouraging to see that the majority of the Irish public agrees, as revealed in our recent survey. Laois is home to some great Coillte forests including the Slieve Blooms Mountain Bike Trail, Brittas and Glenbarrow and we are reminding people to where possible to take some time this festive season to get out and reconnect with nature.

Coilltes forestry strategic vision includes actions aiming to capture approx. 28m tonnes of CO2 from the environment by 2050. It aims to enable the creation of 100,000 hectares of new forests by 2050, half of which will be native woodlands, thereby enabling the sinking of 18m tonnes of CO2 by 2050.

Coillte promises to manage its existing forest estate to capture an additional 10m tonnes of CO2 by 2050.

It plans to produce 25 million m3 of certified Irish timber, to support the construction of 300,000 new homes in Ireland by 2030. It will also promote the use and benefits of wood products to increase the level of timber homes from 20% to 80% by 2050.

Coillte also intends to enhance and restore biodiversity by increasing the area of the forest estate being managed primarily for nature from 20% to 30% by 2025 and to 50% in the long term.

it plans to use the investment of 100 million to create world class visitor destinations to support growth in tourism and recreation by 2030, and to double the number of recreation areas nationally to 500, to benefit local communities and peoples wellbeing.

Established in 1989, Coillte is responsible for the management of 440,000 hectares of Irelands forests, which represents 7% of the country. Coillte has an open forest policy and welcomes all visitors to its forests according to the principles of Leave No Trace.
A post-mortem examination has been conducted on a suspected attacker killed in the aftermath of a shooting at a Dublin restaurant on Christmas Eve.

The man has been named locally as Tristan Sherry, who was aged in his 20s.

The results of the post-mortem examination, which was conducted by the State Pathologist at Dublin City Morgue on Tuesday, are not being released by gardai for investigative reasons.

A man in his 40s continues to receive treatment for gunshot wounds sustained in the incident at Brownes Steakhouse on Blanchardstown main street at 8pm on Sunday.

Gardai said he remained in a serious condition in hospital on Tuesday.

It is understood gardai are investigating whether Mr Sherry was a participant in the initial shooting and was tackled and stabbed after the shots were fired.

No arrests have yet been made and gardai have appealed for witnesses to come forward.

Gardai have also stepped up uniformed patrols in Dublin after the incident amid fears of reprisal attacks.

Uniform patrols in the Dublin Region, with support from armed patrols including the Garda Armed Support Unit, have been increased.

The incident unfolded inside a restaurant filled with customers, including families out for Christmas Eve celebrations.

Gardai have appealed to the public not to share videos captured in the aftermath of the violence and to be aware of a significant level of speculation, misinformation and disinformation.

An incident room has been established at Blanchardstown Garda Station and the investigation is being led by a senior investigating officer (SIO).

The Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation is also providing assistance and a Garda family liaison officer has been appointed to both families.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has described his shock at the incident, revealing he had visited the family-run restaurant many times, while Minister of Justice Helen McEntee has condemned the violence as disgusting.
Classic Black was Texas' #1 Selling Plate in 2023! My Plates ran the numbers to see what was the number 1 selling specialty license plate in Texas for 2023





In all, over 90,000 My Plates specialty license plates were sold during the last 12-months across 271 unique designs, with Classic Black racking up just over 15,400 of those sales making it the number 1 plate sold in Texas. The popularity of this design reaches back to the mid-1900s when a general issue Texas license plate featured a full black background. Ever since this plate was released in 2016, it has held the honor as the top selling plate in Texas.

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Classic Black was Texas' #1 Selling Plate in 2023!

Texans just love this classic design harking back to the 60's

With the new year just around the corner, the team at My Plates ran the numbers to see what was the number 1 selling specialty license plate in Texas for 2023. It was a much closer race than in previous years, but Classic Black edged out Classic Black Silver to retain the top selling specialty plate in Texas.

In all, over 90,000 My Plates specialty license plates were sold during the last 12-months across 271 unique designs, with Classic Black racking up just over 15,400 of those sales. The popularity of this design reaches back to the mid-1900s when a general issue Texas license plate featured a full black background. Ever since this plate was released in 2016, it has held the honor as the top selling plate in Texas.

When looking further afield at other plate categories, the top selling college branded plate was Texas A&M University, achieving a little over 1,200 sells in total.

The top selling My Plates State organization plate was Texas Parks & Wildlife's Bluebonnet design, just ahead of their Monarch Butterfly option.

When it came to the number 1 selling pro-sports brand for 2023, it was America's team, the Dallas Cowboys that just beat out a relatively newcomer to the program, Austin FC.

With over 500 specialty plate designs to choose from, including military plates, sports, college, colors and Texas themes, My Plates has something for everyone.

Media Contact

Steve Farrar, MyPlates, 512-633-7978, marketing@myplates.com, www.myplates.com

SOURCE MyPlates

26 december 2023 at 06:00

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EverGlade Consulting Lands ModeX Therapeutics Up to $168 Million in BARDA Funding





By Stephen Richardson, Managing Consultant and Eric Jia-Sobota, Founder

CHARLESTON, S.C., Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- EverGlade Consulting, a national consulting firm, has helped ModeX Therapeutics successfully secure up to $168 million in funding through a contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority ("BARDA") to develop novel multispecific antibodies against viral infectious disease threats.

The $168 million in BARDA funding will advance research and clinical trials for multispecific antibodies, based on ModeX's proprietary MSTAR technology which is able to incorporate four to six independent antibody binding sites into a single molecule, dramatically expanding their therapeutic potential while enabling rapid responses to emerging infections and their viral variants, including COVID-19, influenza, and other pathogens.

"EverGlade specializes in creating synergies between groundbreaking scientific endeavors and federal funding opportunities, ensuring vital health innovations receive the support needed. This partnership exemplifies our strategic approach in aligning cutting-edge research with governmental objectives, reinforcing our role as a pivotal connector in the health and defense sectors," stated EverGlade Consulting Founder, Eric Jia-Sobota

The SARS-CoV-2 program is supported by HHS' Project NextGen. The BARDA contract includes an initial $59 million for for the development, manufacturing and execution of a Phase 1 clinical trial for a next-generation MSTAR multispecific antibody with broad neutralizing activity against known variants of SARS-CoV-2.

This initiative builds on a collaboration between ModeX and the Vaccine Research Center of the National Institutes of Health for the discovery and characterization of novel therapeutic antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Additional funding of up to $109 million may be available from BARDA upon achieving additional milestones to develop multispecific antibodies targeting other viral pathogens.

"Our collaboration with ModeX Therapeutics, culminating in $168 million in BARDA funding, is a testament to EverGlade's dedication to driving innovation in biomedicine. This achievement not only demonstrates our expertise in government consulting but also reflects our commitment to bridging the gap between innovative biotech firms and federal health initiatives," stated EverGlade Managing Consultant, Stephen Richardson

If your company has considered applying for BARDA funding, EverGlade Consulting is the right partner to help. EverGlade Consulting is a national consulting firm connecting public sector needs with private sector solutions. We offer services ranging from Pursuit, Proposal and Post-Award support to comply with federal regulations at agencies including BARDA, ASPR, NIH, DTRA, JPEO, DOD, DIU, DOE, and DARPA.

For additional information about EverGlade Consulting, reach out to:

[email protected]

SOURCE EverGlade Consulting

26 december 2023 at 06:13

News published onand distributed by:
KAY Jewelers will ring in hope and love at the Times Square New Year's Eve Celebration with celebrity host Jonathan Bennett and TikTok personality Kat Stickler





KAY will spotlight partnership with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Inspire Hope in the New Year

AKRON, Ohio, Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- KAY Jewelers will celebrate every kiss and inspire hope for the New Year as the Official Kiss Sponsor of the Times Square New Year's Eve Celebration for the third consecutive year. KAY will partner with event host Jonathan Bennett and his husband Jaymes Vaughan to welcome the New Year with in-person revelers and viewers around the country.

As part of the festivities, KAY and partners Jonathan and Jaymes, as well as TikTok personality Kat Stickler, will ask people to share their New Year's kiss with the new #KayKiss TikTok branded effect.

KAY Jewelers will use the worldwide platform to usher in hope for 2024 and celebrate love by highlighting their partnership with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital . As part of this initiative, the hosts will interview the parents of 3-year-old St. Jude patient, Beckett, who recently celebrated the end of chemotherapy after eight months of treatment for brain cancer. KAY hopes viewers will be inspired by his story and consider setting the intention of hope and love for the New Year with a gift to St. Jude.

"Our integrated partnership for New Year's Eve is a special one," said Bill Brace, President of KAY. "It ladders up to our mission of having KAY inspire hope and love, but in a modern way. With the integration of our social media campaign, particularly with TikTok, this is one of our most successful brand campaigns to date. KAY is constantly evolving to meet the needs of our consumers, which goes beyond product. We're happy we can use the stage on New Year's Eve to not only highlight our mission as a brand to celebrate every kiss, but also, our long-standing partnership with St. Jude."

KAY's commitment to St. Jude has helped advance research, treatment and cures for life-threatening pediatric diseases. KAY has supported St. Jude in its promise that no family will ever receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food ? so that they can focus on helping their child live. KAY is celebrating hope and love for the New Year in the following ways:

To close out 2023, Signet Jewelers, parent company of KAY Jewelers, announced a new $100 million commitment to St. Jude to further increase survivorship in the US and around the globe where survivorship rates are much lower. This is in addition to the $100 million Signet Jewelers and its customers have already raised over their 25-year partnership.

commitment to St. Jude to further increase survivorship in the US and around the globe where survivorship rates are much lower. This is in addition to the Signet Jewelers and its customers have already raised over their 25-year partnership. A holiday "Light Up Hope" drone show, which took place above the St. Jude campus in Memphis, Tennessee , was executed by KAY Jewelers, St. Jude and Pixis Drones. The show brought love, light and holiday cheer to the patients, families, and hard-working staff of St. Jude.

, was executed by KAY Jewelers, St. Jude and Pixis Drones. The show brought love, light and holiday cheer to the patients, families, and hard-working staff of St. Jude. As part of KAY's ongoing partnership with St. Jude, KAY introduced Harvey and Harper, the newest additions to the St. Jude holiday plush collection available at KAY stores for $14.99 . KAY will donate to St. Jude all profits, no less than $7.00 of the purchase price of every plush purchased from August 11, 2023 through December 24, 2023 . KAY launched a special edition teddy bear fine jewelry collection in honor of St. Jude. This collection includes nine total styles of pendants, bracelets and earrings in sterling silver, sterling silver with 10K yellow gold and 10K yellow gold ranging from $99.99 - $999.99 . In celebration of the launch of the teddy bear fine jewelry collection honoring St. Jude, KAY is donating $50,000 to St. Jude by 12/31/2023.

The Times Square New Year's Eve Celebration will stream live on December 31, 2023, starting at 6:00 pm ET. The live webcast can be streamed on TimesSquareNYC.org and TimesSquareBall.net.

The #KayKiss TikTok challenge will be live 12/30-1/1 on the platform.

For more information about KAY, please visit www.KAY.com.

ABOUT KAY JEWELERS

For over 100 years, KAY has helped millions of people express love and celebrate life's most meaningful moments. Operated by Signet Jewelers Ltd., the world's largest retailer of diamond jewelry, KAY is America's #1 specialty jewelry retailer. For additional information, visit www.Kay.com.

About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was largely considered incurable. Since then, St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate from 20% to more than 80%, and it won't stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes to help doctors and researchers at local hospitals and cancer centers around the world improve the quality of treatment and care for even more children. Because of generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food, so they can focus on helping their child live. Visit St. Jude Inspire to discover powerful St. Jude stories of hope, strength, love and kindness. Support the St. Jude mission by donating at stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok, and subscribing to its YouTube channel.

PRESS CONTACT

Lividini & Co.

[email protected]

SOURCE Kay Jewelers

26 december 2023 at 08:30

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Keroman fishing port, Lorient, 2017. LOIC VENANCE / AFP

A project by a French semi-public company to participate in the creation of an industrial fishing port in Oman and import tons of seafood products by cargo plane or boat has made waves in the Brittany region. The company, Keroman, which is nearly 60% owned by the Lorient Agglomeration and 4% by the City of Lorient, has come under fire for the possible environmental impact, at a time when President Emmanuel Macron has announced that he wants to devote 700 million to the energy transition of the fishing industry.

In 2021, Keroman decided to invest in a simplified joint-stock company named Ker-Oman, in a Breton-style play on words. Ker-Oman is involved in the development of a 250-hectare port complex in Duqm, 500 kilometers from Muscat, the capital of the sultanate of Oman. The site, which is five times larger than Lorient's port, France's second-largest in terms of tonnage, is to become a world-class fishing hub, capable of handling 200,000 metric tons of seafood annually five years from now, with a floating dock of 5,000 metric tons. The project is estimated to cost 200 million, plus 80 million for state-of-the-art equipment (refrigeration facilities, processing plant, fish auction, training center, etc.).

Its operation will be "directly inspired by Lorient's maritime ecosystem." All local companies have been invited to "take part in this development, whatever their specialty  naval, fishing or agri-food," according to the enthusiastically superlative brochure on the Lorient Agglomeration website.

'Disastrous energy balance'

The brochure points out that Oman's fish-bearing waters extend over 535,000 square kilometers in the Arabian Sea. And Lorient's facilities need to secure their seafood supplies. Auction sales have been declining. In 2022, 18,109 metric tons were landed, compared with 19,335 in 2021, while around 80,000 metric tons were processed on-site. The Ker-Oman project is expected to bolster business by bringing in fresh fish by cargo plane.

Local environmentalists have said they are "flabbergasted" by the project. "Including packaging, cold chain and transport, we have calculated that the carbon footprint of a fish shipped from Oman would be 10 times greater than one caught here," said Damien Girard, a local councilor. "We're hearing talk of hundreds of thousands of tons being imported in the long term. It's a 'recarbonation' of the sector!"

In addition to this "disastrous" energy impact, the elected representative and his group are concerned about the populations and fishermen of Oman, whose fishing resources will be industrially exploited. They question the environmental impact of the operation and have asked for access to any studies on this aspect, to no avail.

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Ukraine's commander-in-chief said on Tuesday, December 26, that his forces had pulled back to the outskirts of the town of Marinka, a day after Moscow claimed full control of the key town.

"We have now moved to the outskirts of Marinka, and in some places already beyond the boundaries of the settlement," Valeriy Zaluzhny told reporters in Kyiv. Marinka is close to the key Russian-held city of Donetsk in east Ukraine. "We protect every piece of our land but the lives of our soldiers are more important to us," Zaluzhny said, adding that in any case the town "no longer exists" after being destroyed "street by street" by the Russians. Of the troop move, he said: "There is nothing in this that can cause a public outcry."

On Monday, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russian forces had "completely" captured Marinka, speaking at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin shown on state television. Piles of rubble and gutted apartment buildings over a wide area could be seen in drone images shown on Russian television that were said to be of Marinka.

"I want to congratulate you," Putin told Shoigu. "This is a success" that gives Russian troops "the opportunity to move into a wider operational area," the president said.

Shoigu said that control of Marinka would enable his soldiers to "move further in this direction" and "make it possible to protect Donetsk more effectively from strikes" from Ukrainian forces.

But Oleksandr Shtupun, a spokesman for Ukraine's army, said on Monday it was "incorrect" to claim that Marinka was fully controlled by Russian forces. "The fighting for Marinka continues," he said, adding that there were still Ukrainian soldiers within the borders of the district of Marinka.

From August 2023 Article reserve a nos abonnes War in Ukraine: Marinka, a ghost town systematically razed by Russian forces
An Israeli navy missile boat patrols in the Red Sea off the coast of Israel's southern port city of Eilat on December 26, 2023. ALBERTO PIZZOLI / AFP

US military forces shot down more than a dozen attack drones and several missiles fired by Yemen-based Houthi rebels at shipping in the Red Sea, the Pentagon said on Tuesday, December 26.

"There was no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries," the Pentagon's Central Command said in a social media post, describing a barrage of 12 drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles and two land-attack missiles over a period of 10 hours.

Earlier, Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a missile strike on a vessel in the Red Sea and a drone attack toward Israel in solidarity with Gaza.

In a statement, the rebels said they "carried out a targeting operation against a commercial ship" they identified as MSC UNITED and launched a number of "drones against military targets" in southern Israel.

Read more US announces 10-nation coalition to combat Houthi attacks in Red Sea

More than 100 drone and missile attacks

The attacks are the latest in a flurry of drone and missile strikes launched by the rebels since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7. The Houthis say they are targeting Israel and Israeli-linked vessels to push for a stop to the offensive in the Gaza Strip, where Israel is battling Hamas militants.

Also earlier on Tuesday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said "explosions [were] heard, missiles were sighted" near the port of Hodeida on Yemen's west coast, adding that a transiting vessel and its crew were safe. The ship later continued its voyage, without reporting any major damage or crew injuries, UKMTO said. It followed two other explosions earlier Tuesday that struck near a vessel also off Hodeida, according to the British maritime authority.

Explosions were likewise heard off the coast of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Tuesday, Egyptian state-linked media said, with the Israeli army later saying it had intercepted aerial objects in the Red Sea. "An air force fighter jet successfully intercepted earlier today in the Red Sea area a hostile aerial target that was on its way to Israeli territory," the army said.

According to the Pentagon, the Houthis have launched more than 100 drone and missile attacks, targeting 10 merchant vessels involving more than 35 different countries. The attacks are endangering a transit route that carries up to 12% of global trade, prompting the United States to set up a multinational naval task force to protect Red Sea shipping. The Houthis have also launched a series of attacks towards Israel, but most have failed to hit their targets.
Voters queue outside a polling station during the presidential elections in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Wednesday, December. 20, 2023. MOSA'AB ELSHAMY / AP

The Democratic Republic of the Congo's government said Tuesday, December 26, that it will outlaw an opposition-led demonstration planned for Wednesday to protest alleged "irregularities" in last week's elections. Five opposition presidential candidates informed the governor of Kinshasa in a letter published Saturday of their intention to organize the march. But with definitive results still not announced, the government said the protests will be disruptive.

"Tomorrow's demonstrations are intended to undermine the electoral process  the government of the republic cannot accept this," Interior Minister Peter Kazadi told journalists. "I can assure you that there will be no such march."

The opposition leaders who signed the letter include Martin Fayulu  who claimed he won last elections in 2018  and Denis Mukwege, the Nobel Peace Prize winner for his work with victims of wartime sexual violence. "We will protest against the irregularities observed during voting," they wrote. They denounced the election as a "sham." Moise Katumbi, another candidate and former governor of the south-east Katanga region, called for the elections to be annulled.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes DR Congo election 2023: Felix Tshisekedi's losing battle to restore security in the east

Dozens of civil society groups and other presidential candidates also joined the call later Tuesday "demanding the annulment" of the elections. They said the extension of the vote over several days had "encouraged widespread fraud," while adding they would join Wednesday's protests despite it being banned.

"You cannot threaten or traumatize population that wants to march peacefully," said Mino Bopomi from the citizens' movement Filimbi.

Almost 44 million voters, out of about 100 million inhabitants of the massive country, were eligible to elect their president, national and regional lawmakers, and municipal councils in last Wednesday's ballots. Due to numerous logistical problems, the voting was officially extended by a day, and even lasted until Christmas Day in some remote areas. The opposition claimed there was "total chaos."

Extremely partial results released by the electoral commission show incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi well ahead, with 80% of the some 1.8 million ballots counted so far.
A BNP bank branch in Lille in 2014. PHILIPPE HUGUEN / AFP

It is a sensitive case, involving judicial authorities on both sides of the Atlantic. French investigators opened a preliminary probe in June into "aggravated money laundering," as confirmed to Le Monde by the Paris prosecutor's office. The investigation examines several suspicious financial flows made between 2019 and 2021 through TCR International Limited, registered in Cyprus. At that time, TCR International carried out investment transactions on behalf of its clients with BNP Paribas Securities Services, a branch of the French group BNP Paribas, as its banking partner.

The judicial procedure  supervised by the National Jurisdiction for Combating Organized Crime (JUNALCO), a specialized inter-regional court of the prosecutor's office  has been entrusted to the judicial investigations department of the Finance Ministry, known as SEJF. "Over the period from 2019 to 2021, several hundred million euros and dollars allegedly circulated through TCR International's cash accounts in France, corresponding to funds of potentially dubious origin and/or flows with no explicit economic logic," said the Paris prosecutor's office.

The previously unreported amounts involved exceed 220 million. The identity of TCR's clients is also at the heart of the investigation.

TCR International Limited is a brokerage firm that sells financial market investment advisory services and manages funds on an international scale. Its clients include companies and high-net-worth individuals. From January 2019 to January 2022, BNP Paribas Securities Services provided this Cypriot entity with "custody services"  a service consisting of safeguarding shares and bonds on behalf of institutional clients in dedicated "cash or securities accounts." Along with other big international banks, BNP Paribas is one of the world's major providers of this type of service.

An investigation into Prigozhin and the Wagner Group

It was in the context of this contract that suspicious transactions involving TCR International came to the French judiciary's attention, which began investigating the origin and destination of the funds. The investigators did not, however, come across these transactions by chance. It all began with an investigation by the United States federal government, which has been looking into the financial networks used by the Wagner Group and its former leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who died last August in the crash of his private jet. The American investigators have sought to identify financial intermediaries who may have been involved in such transactions. In this context, their attention has been focused on certain flows linked to TCR International and having transited through BNP Paribas Securities Services. A task that is made all the more complex by the potential use of shell companies.

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Nobody is questioning the scale of the ongoing carnage in Gaza's human toll any longer. Yet none of the international leaders who claim to want to provide solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are speaking out about it. Take, for instance, the silence that followed the particularly deadly strike on a refugee camp on December 24.

This condemnable apathy  if not blind support for the destruction underway  plays into the hands of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who announced on December 25 that the Israeli army would be intensifying the fighting in the narrow strip of land. "It's going to be a long war that's not close to ending," he promised.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Failing to achieve its goals, Israel promises a 'long' war in Gaza

Effectively, the war can continue as long as the United States is satisfied with the fact that a little aid reaches the Palestinians of Gaza, who have been sunk into extreme destitution, and are liable at any moment to be mowed down by the bombs which are supplied to Israel. Such was the message sent by the latest United Nations resolution, which was watered down by American diplomats.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes UN demands more aid for Gaza, but no truce

The Israeli prime minister had set two goals for his troops following the October 7 massacres perpetrated by Hamas against Israeli civilians: The eradication of the Islamist movement and the liberation of those captured during this terrorist operation. After two months of unprecedented bombings, the Israeli military has been careful not to declare Hamas as being destroyed. The fate of the hostages, meanwhile, trapped by their captors and by their own army's strikes, is now more worrying than ever.

On the evening of October 7, Netanyahu's political fate seemed sealed. He was responsible for the Israeli security apparatus fiasco, as well as accountable for the strategy of appeasing Hamas in order to weaken the Palestinian Authority and thereby bury the prospect of the creation of a Palestinian state. The leader of Israel's nationalist right has been fighting against that outcome for the past three decades.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Israel vs the UN: A long history

Salvation board

Today, this prime minister seems to consider that the permanent state of war  which he is striving to establish by playing on the Israeli public's thirst for revenge  could offer him a lifeline. The continuation of operations postpones the moment of reckoning and the work of a possible commission of inquiry to establish responsibility in the Israeli chain of command.

Prolonging the fighting also makes it possible to keep quiet about what will happen to Gaza once the Israeli bombardment has ended. Netanyahu has only shown himself capable of defining what he doesn't want  starting with the return of Fatah, which controls the Palestinian Authority.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Under the bombs, famine looms in Gaza

Yet this is a crucial issue. Rehabilitating a poor and overpopulated territory, where living conditions were already critical before the massive destructions of the past three months, will be a prerequisite for any relaunch of a diplomatic process.

The massacres of Israelis on October 7 and the indiscriminate bombings that have killed Palestinians by the thousands have tragically underlined its urgent necessity. Washington and Paris cannot advocate a two-state solution while accepting the endless war that Netanyahu has set for his country as the only possible horizon. It's time to put an end to this pusillanimous dissonance.
TL;DR: Having advanced Excel skills can add tens of thousands to your salary  and you can learn them with The Ultimate Microsoft Excel Certification Training Bundle. Usually $48, right now you can grab it on sale for less than $30.

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Each course is taught by an expert in the field, such as from Excel Maven, the online learning hub which specalizes in applied analytics training and boasts more than 25,000 students around the world in 150 countries, and Kyle Pew, a Microsoft Certified Trainer who has been teaching clients his expertise for over a decade and has a reputation as a top-ranking tutor across the board.

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MET Eireann has issued multiple weather warnings with 'intense rainfall' and strong winds likely to batter Limerick and the rest of the country over the coming days.

As Storm Gerrit approaches, the national forecaster has updated the warnings, which were issued for six counties on Christmas Day, to cover the entire country.

The worst of the weather is set to impact west Cork and Kerry with a status orange wind warning set to come into effect at 8pm this St Stephen's Day.

According to Met Eireann, there will be very heavy rain overnight on Tuesday followed by "intense heavy showers" on Wednesday.

#StormGerrit has been named by the UK Met office



Yellow rain (orange for Kerry and West Cork) and wind warnings for Ireland



See warninghttps://t.co/Xg3aMJlyuS pic.twitter.com/chGsrnuQH7  Met Eireann (@MetEireann) December 26, 2023

A separate, status yellow wind and rain warning has been issued for the rest of the country, including Limerick.

"Heavy rain overnight (Tuesday), followed by heavy showers tomorrow (Wednesday), may lead to localised flooding," states the warning which takes effect from 8pm on St Stephen's Day.

Met Eireann says there will be strong southerly winds overnight on Tuesday veering southwesterly on Wednesday.

This, in conjunction with spring tides, may lead to coastal flooding.

All road users are being urged to exercise caution if travelling while the weather warnings are in place.

Crews from Limerick City and County Council have been placed on standby following the issuing of the warnings.
BharatPe, Indias leading name in fintech, today announced its financial performance for the fiscal year 2023, showcasing substantial growth and strategic advancements across key business segments. The fintech firm recorded 182% increase in revenue from operations in FY23, from Rs. 321 Cr in FY22 to Rs. 904 Cr in FY23. A significant progress was made in reducing loss before tax, plunging from Rs. 5,594 Cr to Rs. 886 Cr. Additionally, the EBITDA loss also decreased by approximately Rs. 158 Cr, showcasing focused efforts towards financial sustainability.

In the lending vertical, BharatPe's Merchant Lending division witnessed remarkable growth, with a 129% increase in loans facilitated (reaching Rs. 5,339 Cr), emphasizing BharatPe's commitment to empowering merchants. BharatPe also introduced innovative revenue streams, including QR usage, credit card bill payments, and utility payments, showcasing dedication to innovation and diversification in its consumer business-postpe. On the other hand, Swipe business experienced a remarkable 63% increase in TPV, and the installation of approximately 8 lakh new soundbox devices in FY23 highlights BharatPe's continuous efforts to expand its presence and drive financial inclusion as well as adoption of digital payments across the country.

Speaking on the milestone, Nalin Negi, CFO and Interim CEO, BharatPe, said, We are thrilled to announce yet another year of exceptional performance at BharatPe. The significant growth across our business verticals, coupled with improved financial metrics, underscores our commitment to creating value for our merchants and stakeholders. These results are a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, as well as the trust and support of our valued customers."



Added Nalin, Going forward, our strategic focus is on sustained profitability, scaling lending, POS, and soundbox businesses, and launching new merchant-centric products. We are committed to building a sustainable business, fostering financial inclusion, nurturing our partnerships and establishing BharatPe as a leading merchant-first fintech company in the country."

About BharatPe Group



BharatPe was founded in 2018 to make financial inclusion a reality for Indian merchants. In 2018, BharatPe launched Indias first UPI interoperable QR code, the first zero MDR payment acceptance service. In 2020, post-Covid, BharatPe also launched a card acceptance terminal  BharatPe Swipe. Currently with a registered network of over 1.3 crore merchants across 450+ cities, the company is one of the leading players in UPI offline transactions, processing 370 million+ UPI transactions. The company processes payments of annualized Transaction Processed Value of over Rs. 1.7 Lac Crores. The company has already facilitated the disbursement of loans of over Rs. 12,400 crores, in partnership with NBFCs. BharatPes POS business processes payments of over Rs. 29,000 crores annually on its machines. BharatPe has raised over US$ 583 million in equity till date. The companys list of marquee investors includes Peak XV Partners (formerly known as Sequoia Capital India), Ribbit Capital, Insight Partners, Amplo, Beenext, Coatue Management, Dragoneer Investment Group, Steadfast Capital, Steadview Capital and Tiger Global. In June 2021, the company announced the acquisition of PAYBACK India (Rebranded to Zillion), the countrys largest multi-brand loyalty program company with 100 million+ members. In October 2021, the consortium of Centrum Financial Services Limited (Centrum) and BharatPe, was issued a Small Finance Bank (SFB) license by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). BharatPe also entered the Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) segment with the launch of postpe in October 2021. postpe has over 15 million downloads. In January 2023, BharatPe Group received an in-principle nod from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as an online payment aggregator. BharatPe is also a promoter in TrillionLoans, a renowned NBFC (Non- Banking Financial Company). For more details, please visit- https://bharatpe.com/

Facebook: BharatPeIndia, Twitter: bharatpeindia, YouTube: BharatPeIndia, LinkedIn: BharatPe, Instagram: bharat.pe

Media Contact Details

Aakanksha Kumar, Avian WE, aakankshak@avianwe.com, +91-7053318872;

Shruti Jain, Avian WE, shrutij@avianwe.com, +91-8109471840

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.

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Japanese car maker Daihatsu has suspended all its domestic production as the Toyota-owned company faces a massive safety testing scandal.

The firm, which has about 9,000 factory workers in Japan, closed the last of its four domestic plants, a Daihatsu spokesman told AFP on Tuesday.

"Production will be suspended through January. We have not been able to assess as to exactly when our domestic production can resume," the spokesman said.

The move could affect more than 8,000 companies across the country, according to a private research firm.

Last week, the company said it had been manipulating safety tests since at least 1989, affecting 64 models, including some sold under the Toyota brand which also are being suspended.

In April it said it had been falsifying crash test results for four of its models, involving a total of 88,000 vehicles made in Thailand and Malaysia in 2022 and 2023.

In May, it announced it was halting production in Japan of two hybrid vehicle models because of similar "irregularities", including the Toyota Raize SUV, manufactured on behalf of its parent company.

Founded in 1907 to manufacture internal combustion engines, Osaka-based Daihatsu launched its first three-wheeled vehicle in 1931, before being taken over by Toyota in 1967.

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This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
The government's production-linked incentive scheme to boost manufacturing and exports in different sectors has emerged a significant driver of economic growth, according to the ministry of commerce and industry's year-end review.

More than 95,000 crore in investments were channeled through the PLI scheme in 2023, generating employment for about 640,000 individuals, according to a statement on Tuesday from the ministry's department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT).

The ministry in 2023 approved 746 applications under the scheme, which targets 14 key sectors, including mobile manufacturing, telecom, pharmaceuticals, and the burgeoning drone industry.

Overall, DPIIT said it is working with 24 sub-sectors, including furniture, aluminium, agrochemicals, robotics, and gym equipment, to promote domestic manufacturing, boost exports and reduce imports.

DPIIT is also coordinating action plans for 15 manufacturing sectors under the government's Make in India 2.0 plan, while department of commerce is coordinating for 12 service sectors, the commerce ministry said in the statement.

Industrial performance, as measured by the index of industrial production (IIP), expanded by 6.9% during April-October.

India's startup ecosystem, too, reached new heights, with the government recognising more than 114,000 startups during the year. These companies collectively contributed to the creation of more than 1.2 million jobs, according to the statement.

The government's fund of funds for startups invested 17,272 crore across 915 startups.

Apart from startups, the Open Network for Digital Commerce also emerged as a game-changer in facilitating digital transactions.

Boasting more than 230,000 sellers and service providers across 500 cities, ONDC recorded over 6.3 million transactions in November alone, according to the statement.

A significant milestone was achieved with a successful pilot for exports, making Singapore the inaugural market to purchase products through the ONDC network.

The 'One District One Product' (ODOP) initiative aimed at promoting and selling region-specific products also gained traction, with over 1,200 products identified across 767 districts. Overall, Unity Malls have been approved in 17 states under the initiative, backed by investment of 2,944 crore.

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According to the Chinese lunar calendar, 2023 was the year of the Rabbit. It symbolizes swiftness, quick-mindedness and ingenuitytraits that India Inc. had to adopt to preserve its workforce without denting the coffers, survive the hesitancy in the global markets, and prepare for onslaught of new age technologies like artificial intelligence (AI).

The need to become agile, skirting around the gnawing over-hiring mistakes of 2022 (year of the Tigersymbolizing power, over-confidence, adventure) became the mandate for banking, IT, startup, edtech, fintech, and retail sectors in the first quarter of 2023. They clamped down on recruitments, shifted the reserve strengths across other profiles and, in many cases, retrenched. But they soon realized that while layoffs were the sure shot and albeit easy way to reduce the flab, the companies were losing high potential talent along with those in generic roles.

Companies decided to emphasize on upskilling with the latest in digital technologies, and role out promotions and hikes to a select few because by the second quarter of the calendar, the job market had tilted favourably towards the employers.

For the employees across sectors, 2023 meant that the days of soft nudging to head back to office were over, and companies had clear mandates that their workforce was expected to be in office a few days a week. Some decided to stay put, but the lack of opportunities forced many to buckle and don the office badges after almost three years.

While manufacturing and financial services recruited on the back of production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes and expansion to smaller towns, it is the IT sector that had to freeze its open mandates, deal with delayed onboarding, and reshuffle the bloated bench of employees waiting in the wings. The attrition after a couple of quarters fell significantly, but the top performers started moving to a new segment of rivals. They are called the global capability centres or GCCs, which are wooing the IT sectors top talent with better compensation.

On the compensation front, corporates brought out long-term incentive programs and stock options, which percolated to the middle order as a retention tool. The edtech and fintech sectors struggled to get candidates even though they were willing to give offers above the market prices. The deterrent for many candidates was the poor visibility of the companies, dependency on global venture capitalists for funding, and the mass scale retrenchmentspegged at more than 20,000in the earlier months.

The year also saw hundreds of graduates awaiting their onboarding, including from engineering and management colleges. IT and consulting companies were largely responsible for the delays. Students with offers were on the lookout for other options as they were yet to be onboarded. Now for the first time , both Infosys and Wiproamong the largest recruiters of engineershave decided not to head to campus this year, which means the job market will see an influx of young graduates jostling for space with laterals.

However, among the cyclical changes in the job market, what perturbed companies across sectors was the drop in women employees once the hybrid work policies started waning. India Inc. realized that women employees had picked up more responsibilities during the two years of work from home, and returning to office was a challenge. Diversity in a company is crucial for its functioning and talent attraction score, so companies are back to the drawing board to find ways to retain women employees.

While women dropouts alarmed the senior management, the reduction in moonlighters pacified them. Lack of multiple job offers and working in office space under the scanner, stopped the moonlighters.

The swift changes that corporates made in 2023 should all come together as companies expect deal pipelines to unclog after the first few months of 2024.

The one factor that will bring in both upheaval and immense opportunities is the advent of AI. Companies are calibrating how much of AI will get adopted, but may soon realize that it will play a part in all functions.

The coming year will see the rise of the niche skilled employees who bring in the expertise that AI cannot overtake. Those in generalist roles need to change their career trajectories swiftly while the workforce in lower hierarchies will find fewer roles available for freshers. While India Inc. is talking about opportunities with the advent of AI , there is also redundancy.

There may be more space created for the ambitious and bold. Because 2024 will be the year of the Dragon.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Devina Sengupta Devina Sengupta reports on the shifts in India Incs workplaces, HR policies and writes about the developments at Indias biggest conglomerates. Her stories over the last decade have been picked up and followed by Indian and international news outlets. She joined Mint in 2022 and previously worked with The Economic Times and DNA-Money. Read more from this author
Investors holding shares of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies are likely to exit the calendar year 2023 with mixed feelings. Of two crucial developments -- the extent of margin recovery and rural demand revival -- only the former played out as expected.

Rural demand remained sluggish, hurting volume growth. This in turn impacted the revenue performance as softening raw material costs restricted further price hikes. For perspective, Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL), which derives a significant chunk of revenue from the rural markets, clocked a mere 3.6% year-on-year sales growth in the three months ended September (Q2FY24), the slowest in the past nine quarters at least.

The ongoing quarter (Q3FY24) doesn't seem to offer much respite for FMCG companies from a demand perspective. The festive season was expected to boost sales, but that did not help.

Retail inventory increased due to lower secondary sales compared to primary sales on account of lower than expected off-take growth during the festive season and delayed winter," said Antique Stock Brokings recent FMCG dealers channel check.

Additionally, listed FMCG companies are grappling with rising competition from local firms or the unorganized sector, especially in widely used products such as tea, soaps and detergents.

Local companies in the sector have made a comeback aided by softening commodity costs which helped their pricing power. To beat this pressure, listed FMCG companies have cut prices to recover market share from local companies, but to what extent this strategy has worked remains to be seen.

We reckon volumes of most staples companies shall stay muted in Q3, especially in rural India," said Nuvama Research report dated 21 December.

For Dabur India Ltd, the broking firm expects low-single-digit volume growth in Q3, which aligns with the 3% year-on-year growth seen last quarter. Whats more, the outlook appears clouded going into 2024 with no significant green shoots visible in the near term.

It is hardly surprising that investors are treading carefully with shares of FMCG companies that have vast rural exposure such as HUL and Marico whose stocks are up only by 1% and 4%, respectively. Dabur shares have lost nearly 6% in 2023 so far.

In comparison, the Nifty FMCG index has risen over 25% so far. However, it is worth noting that the climb in the index was primarily driven by ITC Ltd, shares of which have risen by 38%.

A lower-than-expected increase in tax on cigarettes during the Union budget 2023, coupled with improvement in its businesses have aided investor sentiment. However, growth is moderating now in its cigarette business, partly owing to a higher base.

Coming to profitability, most FMCG companies are expected to clock a year-on-year rise in gross margin in FY24 after two consecutive years of decline. This is largely due to benign raw material costs, with prices for commodities like crude oil falling. Even so, caution is warranted as prices of some agricultural commodities have been on the rise with wheat, and sugar prices increasing 6-7% sequentially in Q3 so far. These impact the raw material baskets of food companies such as Dabur, Nestle India Ltd and Britannia Industries Ltd.

According to Motilal Oswal Financial Services, the overall commodity cost basket in Q3 so far is down by 2.4% year-on-year, but is higher sequentially albeit slightly by 0.5%. The increase in the agricultural basket was offset by a drop in the prices of non-agricultural commodities.

In any case, the valuations of most FMCG companies do not offer comfort. Shares of HUL, Dabur, and Britannia trade at higher multiples of 41-51 times their FY25 estimated earnings, according to Bloomberg data. Given the lack of near-term growth levers, these multiples look expensive.
There have been a lot of crazy developments in the public markets since the start of 2023.

We saw an approximate 10% drop in indices at the start of the year. This was followed by an epic rally, off the bottom, that was fuelled by multiple factors primarily because of FII buying.

These are just the structural movements though. The real fun has been happening in individual stocks.

A little-known stock involved in the manufacture of printed circuit boards has been the darling of the market.

It had an epic run from 7 per share to todays price of 466 per share. The current P/E ratio is 278 (no, Im not making that up!).

This rally has taken the companys marketcap to almost 4 billion (bn).

The company in question is Integrated Industries.

About Integrated Industries

Integrated Industries is primarily engaged in the manufacturing of printed circuit board (PCB).

The company also manufactures high-quality single-sided, double-sided and multilayer PCBs with process technology from FUBA Printed Circuits Gmbh, a PCB supplier based in Tunisia.

In November last year, the company underwent a major rejig where the new promoters acquired shares via an open offer.

Integrated Industries has been out of operations and faced multiple challenges for reviving its operational plants.

Its only in recent years that the financials show a turnaround, and the company has also paid all its liabilities.

Financials, the Only Reasons for the Speculative Rally?

In financial year 2023, the company posted a net profit much higher compared to earlier years, which could be the main reason behind the speculative rally seen in this microcap stock.

This net profit came on the back of a one-time other income, which comprised of credit balances written back.

That was for 2023. Now, it appears that the company has resumed operations as it posted steady sales numbers for the first two quarters of FY24.

The company has already reported a net profit of 11.7 million (m) and 13 m in June 2023 and September 2023, respectively.

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The other logical reason behind this rally in Integrated Industries shares could be the low free float.

The stock has been in a never-ending rally due to scarce supply of shares, and people clamouring to buy whatever shares they can get their hands on.

Bright Industry Prospects

Printed circuit board, the companys primary manufacturing product, is used in almost all electronic devices, be it resistors, capacitors, integrated circuits, and connectors. This allows them to communicate and function as intended.

Currently, about 80% of printed circuit board assembly and box-build products are imported from China. However, there is a growing trend towards import substitution.

This comes on the back of global electronics manufacturers contemplating the China plus one strategy and looking for alternate manufacturing locations for export business.

The shift is creating tremendous investment potential for emerging countries like India.

With continued policy reforms such as the ongoing PLI schemes, the country seems well-poised to bite off a sizeable chunk of this opportunity.

How the Stock has Performed Recently

In the past one month, the stock has gained 26%.

On a year to date basis, the stock is currently Indias best performing stock which has rallied over 6,000% since January 2023.

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It has a 52-week high of 467 touched on 20 December 2023 and a 52-week low of 22 December 2022.

Also take a look at other best performing stocks of 2023.

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A word of cautionlow-float shares fall at the same pace that they have risen.

Historically, large free-float size companies are considered more stable while the ones with smaller public exposure are volatile.

Shares with a higher float are usually the ones with better governance since the promoter has lesser influence and shareholders have more power to exercise their rights.

So before investing in such stocks, one must do their homework. Although low free float companies can be rewarding, they can be equally risky.

Happy Investing!

Disclaimer:This article is for information purposes only. It is not a stock recommendation and should not be treated as such.

This article is syndicated from Equitymaster.com
Infosys share price fell 1 per cent on NSE on Tuesday, December 26, following its announcement on Saturday, December 23, that it had terminated its $1.5 billion agreement with an undisclosed global company, focused on artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, signed in September.

In an exchange filing on Saturday, the IT major announced, " This is in continuation to the disclosure made by Infosys via a letter dated September 14, 2023, titled Company Update" with respect to a Memorandum of Understanding with a global company which was subject to parties entering into a Master Agreement. The global company has now elected to terminate the Memorandum of Understanding, and the parties will not be pursuing the Master Agreement."

The agreement between Infosys and the company was planned as a 15-year commitment, with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on September 14, 2023.

"Infosys has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with a global company to provide enhanced digital experiences, along with modernization and business operations services, leveraging Infosys platforms & AI solutions. The total client target spend over 15 years is estimated at USD 1.5 billion. This is subject to parties entering into a master agreement," the company said in an exchange filing made in September.

The deal loss indicates further pressure on Infosys and other IT companies in India to drift over the muted business over the past three to four quarters.

Also Read: Infosys terminates $1.5 billion AI deal with global client

Shares of the company opened at 1,535 against the previous close of 1,562.90 and soon slipped 2.6 per cent to the level of 1,523.

The stock, however, recovered later and was 1.08 per cent lower at 1,546 at the time of closing.

The loss in Infosys share price weighed on the Nifty IT index. The index ended 0.41 per cent lower.

Infosys share price has gained just over 2 per cent while the Nifty 50 is up over 18 per cent this year so far.

Infosys is to announce its Q3FY24 financial results on January 11 following a board of directors meeting commencing on January 10.

Read all market-related news here

Disclaimer: The views and recommendations above are those of individual analysts, experts and broking companies, not of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.

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Union Health Ministry report on Monday revealed that Goa reported the highest number of 34 cases in the country while a total of 63 COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 cases have been detected in the country till Sunday. In Maharashtra, nine cases were reported while eight in Karnataka, six in Kerala, four in Tamil Nadu and two cases in Telangana were detected.

Here are top 10 updates about the recent rising trend of COVID sub-variant cases in the country.

The report further stated that the total number of active COVID cases in the country stood at 4,054 while the highest number of active cases were reported in Kerala. India witnessed a inflated number of 628 new coronavirus cases with the number of active cases being 4,054 as per Union health ministry report. Delhi Health minister, Saurabh Bharadwaj, on Monday said, "We have been conducting tests and we have receiving on an average three to four cases per day which is less than even one per cent. We have conducted mock drills and made all necessary arrangements," reported PTI. As per a Telangana state government report that gave COVID status bulletin on Monday reported 10 positive COVID-19 cases among a test conducted on 989 samples. Around 8,40,392 COVID infected people have recovered so far in Telangana with one more addition to the recovery list on Monday as per the report. According to the Public Health Department of Maharashtra, the state reported 28 new cases of COVID on Monday with at least 10 cases of JN.1 variant, taking the number of active cases in the state to 153. Moreover, the dominant variant of COVID is Omicron XBB.1.16 in the state with 1972 reported cases and 19 reported deaths among the cases of this variant. Karnataka reported 125 new COVID cases on on Monday and three new related deaths in the last 24 hours. The Health bulletin updated the total number of active cases in the state to 436. This new variant doesn't seem as deadly as older variants that gripped the country as all the cases of the JN.1 subvariant have mild symptoms and no clustering of cases has been reported. In view of the rising caese of COVID sub-variant states have been asked to monitor and report district-wise cases of Influenza-like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) from all health facilities regularly. Former World Health Organisation (WHO) chief scientist, Dr Soumya Swaminathan informed that there is no need to panic as JN.1 is a variant of interest and not of concern. However she urged people to be cautious and vigilant. He recommended people to take proper precautionary measures. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently classified the new COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 as distinct from its parent lineage, BA.2.86 and a variant of interest. As per latest evidence and reports, the WHO stated that the overall risk posed by JN.1 remains low.

Rajasthan Chief Minister, Bhajan Lal Sharma, held a review meeting on Monday with health department officials, reported ANI. This meeting took place amid growing apprehension of the effects of the new variant of COVID whose reported cases have been rapidly increasing in several parts of the country. CM Sharma also made a surprise visit to Sawai Man Singh Hospital (SMS) to inspect the condition of healthcare services.

Karnataka government's Cabinet sub-committee will meet today, December 26, to hold a discussion on the recommendations made by the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) amid rising COVID sub-variant cases in the state as informed by Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao.

The meeting aims to bring forth measures to deal Covid-19 situation. Rao said, "There are no restrictions as of now (on New Year celebration and other activities)," reported PTI. The Karnataka Department of Health & Family Welfare Services on Monday reported 34 cases of COVID's new variant with three deaths.

(With PTI and ANI inputs)

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Maharashtra: Uddhav Thackeray faction leader Aaditya Thackeray on Tuesday targeted the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government over the delay of the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) inauguration which was earlier speculated on December 25.

CM Eknath Shinde earlier announced that the first phase of Mumbais ambitious coastal road, from Marine Drive to Worli, will be operational by the end of January 2024. For those residing in Maharashtra. The discriminatory treatment we face as a state is tremendous! The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) wasnt even inaugurated yesterday, since the VIPs were busy elsewhere. It has been over 2 months that the MTHL has been ready and awaiting inauguration," Thackeray wrote on the microblogging site. He said, Media had reported that the GoM said itll be inaugurated on 25th December. Now it isnt inaugurated."

Why does our state face so much discrimination?" Aaditya Thackeray asked.

He said Surat Diamond Bourse was shown to the world in a hurry, but MTHL, Digha Railway Station, and Uran Line await inauguration in Maharashtra.

The Uddhav-faction leader further stated there are a of the infrastructural works that this regime has nothing to do with, apart from inauguration, and yet are delaying it.

The delay is either because they want to inaugurate closer to election dates, or the VIPs dont have time for Maharashtra. Or maybe, push a few more crucial industries to their favorite state" before Maharashtra can have its infrastructure used by its citizens," Thackeray said.

Whatever it is, the citizens suffer due to the absolute hatred the current regimes have for Maharashtra. 2024 is the year we decide through our elections, whether we want these anti-Maharashtra forces to decide the future of our state, or do we decide our future," he added.

The coastal road, being constructed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), proposes to connect the Marine Drive area in south Mumbai to Kandivali, a western suburb, via the existing Bandra Worli Sea Link. It is expected to ease Mumbais northbound traffic.

The first phase of the project is a 10.58-km stretch between Marine Drive to Worli in south Mumbai.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is the implementing authority for the six-lane MTHL project, financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

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Alexei Navalny, the jailed Russian opposition leader who disappeared weeks ago from the prison he was being held at, has been located by his lawyers in a remote Siberian prison camp.

The Kremlin critic has been missing for weeks, with many fearing for his life. "We have found Alexey Navalny. He is now in IK-3 settlement of Kharp in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District," Yarmysh wrote on social media, using alternative spellings for Navalny and the region's names. "His lawyer visited him today," she said.

Not a nice place to be, but alive is better than dead.
Ahead of the upcoming New Year's Day, Bengaluru police on Tuesday announced strict measureswith stringent checks on drunk driving and traffic restrictionsin key areas of the city to prevent any untoward incident during the celebrations. The city police have fixed a deadline of 1 am for New Year parties after which no hotels, clubs, and pubs, will be allowed to remain open. The police have also launched a campaign against Drink and Drive across the city.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayanand said to curb traffic congestion, restrictions have been imposed around MG Road, Brigade Road, Museum Road, Rest House Road, and Residency Cross Road. No vehicular movement will be allowed except police and essential services vehicles, between 8 pm on December 31 and 1 am on January 1. Also Read | Financial Planning: 4 experts share tips on how to plan your finances for 2024

The city police commissioner said all parties, including at hotels, clubs, and pubs, will be required to conclude by 1 am to avoid any untoward incident. All hotels, clubs and pubs have been asked to maintain a record of customer details, including their names, ages and phone numbers.

The Bengaluru police have also established Women's Safety Islands in several places besides the deployment of additional women officers and staff at major locations.

In an advisory, the Bengaluru police said pedestrians will only be allowed to walk on Brigade Road from MG Road junction to Opera junction. Walking in the opposite direction has been restricted for New Year. People who want to go to MG Road can take the Residency Road cross (near Shankarnag theatre cross).

The police further said vehicular movement on all flyovers (except the flyover leading to the international airport) will be prohibited from 11 pm on December 31 to 6 am on January 1 to prevent accidents and crashes.

To avoid any stampede, MG Road Metro Station will be closed from 11 PM to 2 AM. Hence, the public is requested to opt for Trinity and Cubbon Park Metro Stations while returning, the city police said.

The Bengaluru police said besides the observation towers, CCTV cameras and police kiosks have been opened in several strategic areas to address cases of missing children, any kind of theft, or emergencies.

A total of 3,000 police officers and personnel including 10 ACPs and 30 police inspectors will be deployed to Brigade Road - MG road, Opera Junction, Richmond Road, and Residency Road, the city police commissioner added.

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Providing dual citizenship to Indians residing abroad poses various economic and security challenges, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar acknowledged recently but, debate is still alive

He, however, highlights that there is an alternative - Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) and calls it a step towards fulfilling the demand for dual citizenship. Here is all you need to know about the ongoing debate.

What is dual or multiple citizenship?

Dual or multiple citizenship grants an individual legal status as a citizen of two or more countries simultaneously.

This means they can possess passports from both countries and enjoy social and legal rights equivalent to other citizens. They have the privilege to participate in the political affairs of both countries, obtain visa exemptions for travel, and engage in employment in either nation.

Which countries offer dual citizenship?

The United States, Finland, Albania, Israel, and Pakistan allow dual citizenships. However, the rules and regulations differ for each country.

Is dual citizenship possible in India?

The Indian Constitution prohibits dual citizenship for nationals.

Speaking about it, Jaishankar recently said, There are economic and security challenges as to Indians living in which countries should be provided with dual citizenship."

What is the alternative?

India offers the Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) program to Persons of Indian Origin (PIO), excluding those who migrated to Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Speaking about it, Jaiishankar pointed out that OCI is a step towards to bridge the demand, however, the debate on dual citizenship is still alive."

What are the benefits for OCI cardholders?

An OCI card holder enjoys multiple entry, multi-purpose life-long visa to visit India;

Other benefits include exemption from reporting to police authorities for any length of stay in India; and also parity with NRIs in financial, economic and educational fields except in the acquisition of agricultural or plantation properties.

Who is eligible for OCI card?

-As per the ministry's statement, a foreign national, - (i) who was a citizen of India at the time of, or at any time after 26th January, 1950; or (ii) who was eligible to become a citizen of India on 26th January, 1950; or (iii) who belonged to a territory that became part of India after 15th August, 1947; or (iv) who is a child or a grandchild or a great grandchild of such a citizen; or (v) who is a minor child of such persons mentioned above; or (vi) who is a minor child and whose both parents are citizens of India or one of the parents is a citizen of India - is eligible for registration as OCI cardholder.

Where to apply for OCI registration?

The application for OCI registration can be done online from the official website i.e. ociservices.gov.in

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Terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir are increasingly using China-made weapons and communication tools in their assaults against the Indian Army, India Today reported. Intelligence sources have disclosed to the publication that groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba are employing Chinese arms, body cameras and communication devices in their operations. LiveMint could not independently verify the India Today report .

This alarming trend extends beyond mere equipment usage. China is accused of providing drones, grenades and various weapons to the Pakistan army. These arms are then allegedly redirected to terrorist factions for use in Jammu attacks. Security forces have gathered evidence supporting these claims in recent terror incidents, the publication added.

Furthermore, the Pakistan army's use of sniper rifles, developed with Chinese technology, against Indian soldiers, has been noted. An incident in November highlighted this, where a sniper rifle was employed against an Indian soldier at the Jammu border.

The images released by terrorists following major terror attacks this year, captured using Chinese body cameras, were reportedly altered and morphed, according to the publication.

Intelligence sources also indicate that encrypted messaging devices used by terrorists are of Chinese origin, as per India Today. This revelation points to a deeper collusion wherein the Pakistani army, receiving a regular supply of weapons and communication gear from China, reportedly diverts these to terrorist groups in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). These groups then perpetrate infiltrations and terrorist attacks in India.

India Today sources also suggest that China, irked by India's increased military presence in Ladakh after the 2020 Galwan standoff, is attempting to revive terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

The objective, as per the sources, is to compel the Indian Army to redirect its focus from the Ladakh border back to Kashmir, thus easing pressure on China in the disputed region.

Weapons seized in J&K

Meanwhile, on December 25, the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police carried out a search operation in Panzu and Gamiraj, Pulwama, based on specific information, PTI reported. They caught three suspects and found two pistols and other military-type items. The Army and police are now questioning these suspects together.

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The Mumbai Police said on Tuesday that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and other banks, including the HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank in the city, received a bomb threat. In an email, the sender said bombs were planted at 11 different locations across Mumbai. The sender demanded the resignation of RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

A screenshot of the threat email accessed by ABP news read: "We have planted 11 bombs in different locations in Mumbai. RBI along with private sector banks have executed the biggest scam in the history of India. The scam involves RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, some of the top banking officials and some renowned ministers of India."

ALSO READ: Delhi's Amrita School gets bomb threat via e-mail; nothing suspicious found yet

The Mumbai Police said, A total of 11 bomb threats were made at 11 places in Mumbai." Moreover, the email also mentioned the locations where three bombs were planted. "1. RBI- New Central Building Fort, Mumbai; 1. HDFC House-Churchgate, Mumbai; 3. ICICI Bank Towers, BKC, Mumbai." A warning was also issued that the bombs would detonate at 1:30 PM.

ALSO READ: TCS office in Bengaluru receives hoax bomb threat from laid-off employee: Reports

We demand that both RBI Governor and Finance Minister to immediately resign from their posts and release a press statement with full disclosure of the scam. We also demand government to give them both and all those who are involved the punishment they deserve," the email said.

Mumbai police said they went to all these places and investigated but did not find anything. A case has been registered and the probe is underway," they were quoted by ANI as saying.

In November 2023, the Mumbai International Airport, also known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, had received a "threat" email to blow up its Terminal 2 if the authorities didn't comply with the demands, police told ANI.

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Indias foreign minister S Jaishankar landed in Russia on Monday for a five-day visit, during which he is expected to meet the countrys top economic and foreign policy officials.

While his agenda promises much, observers have pointed out that this is the second time prime minister Narendra Modi has skipped his annual summit with Vladimir Putin.

What is on Jaishankars agenda?

Indias top diplomat is expected to meet with Russia's deputy prime minister Denis Manturov and foreign minister Sergey Lavrov during his visit, which ends on 29 December.

During this visit, EAM will meet Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia H.E. Denis Manturov to discuss matters related to economic engagement. EAM will meet his counterpart, the Foreign Minister of Russia H.E. Sergey Lavrov for discussion on bilateral, multilateral and international issues," the MEA said in a press statement.

Are there any specific topics of interest?

On the economic front, India and Russia will likely discuss the India-Eurasia Economic Union (EEU) free trade agreement. Both countries have expressed their eagerness to sign the agreement as soon as possible.

India and Russia have also discussed ways to reduce the trade deficit between the two countries, which is heavily skewed in Moscows favour. India wants to increase its exports to Russia, while Russia wants to see Indian investment in the regions of the Far East.

The two countries are also working on a maritime trade route to increase trade. Bilateral trade between India and Russia reached almost $50 billion in January-September 2023, according to Russian ambassador Denis Alipov. The increase was largely due to the surge in hydrocarbon and energy flows between the two countries. The Ukraine war and other strategic questions are also likely to come up during Jaishankar's meeting with Lavrov.

Are there any irritants?

Observers have pointed out that this will be the second time that prime minister Narendra Modi has skipped his annual summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin. The meeting did not take place in 2022 and Russias president also skipped the G20 Leaders Summit in New Delhi this year.

Some argue that this represents an Indian signal to Western powers, who have watched New Delhis relationship with Moscow closely since the outbreak of the Ukraine war.

What does this mean for the India-Russia relationship?

India continues to have a robust trade relationship with Russia and defence ties remain important for the armed forces. Jaishankar has also publicly praised the bilateral relationship, citing its stability and durability.

However, there are signs that India is looking to reduce its exposure to Moscow while maintaining it as a vital ally. Russias share of Indian arms imports has fallen over the past five years as India has sought out new partners. The lack of an annual leaders' summit for two years may also indicates how much visibility India wants to give the relationship.
New Delhi: The recent spike in active covid-19 cases in India could be due to other variants such as BA.2.86 and not just JN.1 variant, experts have said.

"Based on whatever information we have, it appears that JN.1 can infect many at a time, more than other mutants. In India, the virus is present and with time it might pre-dominate. But having said that, other strains also tend to exist and can continue causing the infection," said Dr Raman R Gangakhedkar, epidemiologist, former ICMR scientist and member of the governments covid-19 task force.

Considering that many active cases are not being registered, say those with milder symptoms, it is tough to say that only JN.1 is causing a surge. We have to wait a bit more," Gangakhedkar said.

As per the health ministry data on Tuesday, India reported 412 new covid cases and three deaths in Karnataka on Tuesday. With 4,170 active cases nationwide, genome sequencing revealed 69 instances of the JN.1 strain. This variant is gaining dominance in other countries, including the US, where it accounts for 39% to 50% of cases, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"The US is doing extensive mapping of all existing variants and the JN.1 was seen as more susceptible. This has happened because there is a race for survival among mutants  if there are say 1,000 variants, only those with more fitness will survive," Dr Gandakhedkar stated. When we talk about the presence of JN.1, it doesn't mean everybody will get infected by the same variant. Because this virus continues to belong to Omicron family, it is just that JN.1 is fitter to survive."

Kerala did not report any new cases in the last 24 hours, while Goa recorded the highest number of JN.1 cases at 34. Other states that have also reported JN.1 cases are Maharashtra (9), Karnataka (8), Kerala (6), Tamil Nadu (4), and Telangana (2). Rajasthan and Odisha have also reported cases.

Dr Lalit Kant, former ICMR scientist cautioned that the current surge might be due to both JN.1 and BA.2.86 variants. "It is not necessary that all the cases that are being reported now are owing to JN.1 strain. The variants keep circulating and mutating. However, one variant will be dominant only, and going ahead, JN.1 might emerge as a dominant strain. But the problem is there is not enough data currently available in India," Kant said.

JN.1, with an additional spike protein, is more transmissible than BA.2.86. It is a descendent of the Omicron variant, and evolved from the BA.2.86 lineage, first identified in August 2023 in India. Both variants share similar characteristics, but JN.1's extra spike protein sets it apart.

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After remaining grounded for four days in France due to the concern of human trafficking, the charter plane carrying 276 passengers landed in Mumbai on Tuesday. The Airbus A340 aircraft landed in Mumbai shortly after 4 am after taking off from Vatry airport near Paris around 2.30 pm local time, reported PTI. After landing in Mumbai, most of them avoided media interaction and continued to leave the airport. However, some of the passengers were interrogated by CISF officials. Some of them were allowed to leave after questioning whereas, some are still at the airport for interrogation.

According to French authorities, the plane had 276 passengers on board when it took off for Mumbai, as 25 persons, including two minors, had expressed the wish to apply for asylum and were still on French soil. Two others were held, produced before a judge, and placed on assisted witness status, a French news channel said.

At the time the flight landed in Vatry airport, there were 11 unaccompanied minors among the 303 Indian passengers on board, reported the news agency citing a local official.

The stranded passengers were given access to toilets, showers, and other basic facilities including food and water for consumption in the hall of Vatry airport. The incident came to light after French police intervened on the flight bound for Nicaragua, which had landed at Vatry on Thursday for a technical stopover en route from Dubai.

Later, a judicial investigation into the conditions and purpose of the trip was also launched in France. A unit specialized in organised crime investigation suspected human trafficking was also involved in the inquiry. Nicaragua has become a popular destination for people who want to seek asylum in the US.

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Days after drone attacks damaged a commercial ship off India's coast, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday, "Whoever carried out this attack, we will find them even from the depth of the sea and take strict action against them. The defence minister said the Indian government took the recent drone attack on 'MV Chem Pluto' in the Arabian Sea and the attack on 'MV Sai Baba' in the Red Sea a few days ago "very seriously".

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony of INS Imphal in Mumbai on Tuesday, Singh said, "India's growing economic and strategic power has filled some forces with jealousy and hatred."

ALSO READ: MV Sai Baba with Indian crew, among other ships attacked by Houthi drone in Red Sea. Here's what we know so far

He added that India has intensified patrolling of seas after recent attacks on merchant navy ships. "The Indian Navy has increased surveillance of the sea. Whoever has carried out this attack, we will find them even from the seabed and strict action will be taken against them," the defence minister said.

ALSO READ: Drone strike hits Israel-affiliated ship off India's coast, say maritime agencies

Singh said that India will ensure maritime trade in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) achieves new heights. "India is in the role of Net Security Provider in the entire IOR/ We will ensure that the maritime trade in this region rises from the sea to the heights of the sky. For this, together with friendly countries, we will keep the sea lanes safe and secure for maritime commerce," the defence minister said.

Singh's comments came after the Liberian-flagged and Japanese-owned MV Chem Pluto, with 20 Indian and one Vietnamese crew members, caught fire after it was attacked by a suspected drone off India's coast on December 23. It was later secured by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), the ICG said in an official statement.

Elsewhere, in the Red Sea, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels carried out a string of drone and missile attacks in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is battling Hamas militants. The US Central Command said the vessel, MV Sai Baba, was targeted by a drone launched by Houthi militants in the Southern Red Sea on December 23.

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A flight initially grounded in France under human trafficking suspicions finally touched down in Mumbai. Early morning on December 26 witnessed the arrival of a charter plane with 276 passengers, mostly Indian, ending a four-day halt.

The Airbus A340, managed by Romanian Legend Airlines, left Vatry airport near Paris at 2:30 PM local time, reaching Mumbai after 4 AM. The flight was originally en route to Nicaragua from Dubai. French authorities interrupted it for a technical stopover after an anonymous tip, AFP reported. This sudden halt led to a probe into the purpose and conditions of the journey, focusing on suspected human trafficking.

During the wait, passengers received makeshift beds, meals, hot drinks and access to essential facilities. The Indian embassy in Paris, expressing gratitude for the swift handling of the situation, updated the public via social media platforms.

Not everyone ready to fly home

Authorities in France, after extensive questioning, permitted the flight's departure. However, 25 individuals, including two minors, stayed back to seek asylum. A French news channel mentioned two others were presented before a judge and later given assisted witness status.

As per their lawyers, they have received an expulsion order from France. The other 25 people have sought asylum in France. Five of them are minors. Their applications would be processed at Charles-de-Gaulle airport.

Human trafficking concerns

The flights ordeal highlighted a larger issue. Nicaragua is increasingly becoming a transit point for Indians seeking to enter the US or Canada. US Customs and Border Patrol data showed a significant rise in Indians attempting illegal entry into the US, with many opting for 'dunki' flights to Nicaragua or other countries with lenient travel document policies, PTI reported.

In his latest Bollywood film Dunki starring Shah Rukh Khan, director Rajkumar Hirani tells a story of opting for illegal immigration and seeking asylum.

The incident raised concerns about human trafficking. Genevieve Colas from Secours Catholique-Caritas expressed surprise at the release of the plane. "What if they really are victims of people trafficking?" AFP quoted her as saying. "Then it wouldn't be right to just let them take off to another country."

(With agency inputs)

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Criticising the Modi government over setting up selfie booths" at railway stations with photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge Tuesday termed the move a "brazen waste" of taxpayers' money when opposition-ruled states are awaiting MGNREGA funds.

The Congress president in a post on microblogging platform X (formerly known as Twitter) said, Modi Govt hasnt provided drought and flood relief to states. MGNREGA funds for opposition-ruled states are also pending. But it has the audacity to generously splurge public money on these cheap election stunts!" Kharge also shared a right to information (RTI) response by the Central Railway on the selfie booths.

Responding to a request by a Mumbai-based activist, the Central Railway listed the stations where temporary and permanent selfie booths had been set up at an approved cost of 1.25 lakh and 6.25 lakh, respectively.

Self-obsessed promotion by Modi Govt knows NO bounds! Absolutely brazen waste of taxpayers money by installing Modi jis 3D selfie points at Railway Stations. Earlier, the blood and sacrifice of our brave soldiers was politically used by ordering the Armed Forces to install 822 such selfie points with a prominent cut-out of Modi ji," Kharge said in the post.

Earlier in October, The Hindustan Times reported that the railway board in Delhi told general managers of 19 zonal railways to install selfie booths at stations. These booths were supposed to be designed with durable 3D fibre sculptures, acrylic boards, glass, and integrated lighting to showcase 3D sculptures crafted from materials like fibre, clay, or Plaster of Paris (PoP). The installations highlight central government initiatives such as Skill India, Ujjwala Yojana, and Chandrayaan Mission.

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A Buffalo man convicted in two separate cocaine charges has been sentenced to eight years in prison, U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross reported.

Augustin Ramos, 42, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr. on one count of attempting to possess 500 grams or more of cocaine with intent to distribute and one count of possession of that much cocaine.

Prosecutors said the first charge originated in June 2018 when investigators found approximately 2,986 grams of cocaine, more than 6.5 pounds, in a package mailed from Puerto Rico to a co-conspirator in Buffalo.

Agents replaced the contents with fake drugs and a transmitter. Ramos was arrested after he went to the co-conspirator's home to pick up the package. He pleaded guilty to attempt to possess in May 2021.

While awaiting sentencing on that charge, Ramos was arrested again April 18, 2022, at his residence after the Erie County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant and seized about two kilograms of cocaine.

- Dale Anderson
Israel-Hamas war that began following an attack on October 7 by Hamas militant group continues and it seems that it will not come to end soon as proclaimed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has repeatedly defied international calls for a ceasefire.

Also read: Israel-Hamas War Day 78: UN chief says Israel creating distribution 'obstacles' | Top 10 updates Here are some top ten updates about the war that is a retaliation to cross-border rampage. Also read: Israel-Hamas war: 'If war ends, then...': Antony Blinken urges nations to demand Hamas surrender Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu visited Israeli troops in northern Gaza on Monday and said that he will continue the fight against Hamas militants and dismissed media speculation that his government cease the fight. Netanyahu said, We are not stopping. The war will continue until the end, until we finish it, no less," reported Reuters.

Netanyahu asserted that Israel wanted to free its remaining hostages held by Hamas by applying military pressure.

The death toll has been rising while Israeli operations have intensified, killing more than 20,600 Palestinians and has displaced almost all of the territory including 2.3 million people. US has repeatedly pressured Israel to designate safe areas and minimise civilian harm.

A United Nations humanitarian team leader on Monday said that Palestinian civilians in Gaza who have been executing Israeli orders and evacuation the area are also unsafe.

Israel has however been under pressure from international agencies as well as its closest ally the United States in a call for ceasefire. Moreover, calls for a reduction in intensity of operations in Gaza have been in place considering massive civilian deaths that have taken place since the war began. US also called for clearing humanitarian routes for people to escape but the calls have been ineffective.

United Nations team leader stationed in Gaza, Gemma Connell described the situation as a "human chess board" in which thousands of people who displaced a number of times are already on the run with no guarantee for a safe future destination. Connell after visiting the Deir al-Balah place in central Gaza said, There's so little space left here in Rafah that people just don't know where they will go and it really feels like people being moved around a human chessboard because there's an evacuation order somewhere." Connell added, "People flee that area into another area. But they're not safe there," she told Reuters .

on the run with no guarantee for a safe future destination. Connell after visiting the Deir al-Balah place in central Gaza said, There's so little space left here in Rafah that people just don't know where they will go and it really feels like people being moved around a human chessboard because there's an evacuation order somewhere." Connell added, "People flee that area into another area. But they're not safe there," she told . As per AP report, a senior Egyptian official and a European diplomat familiar with the Egyptian proposal said that the plan calls for a release of hostages in a phased manner and recommends the formation of a Palestinian government of experts to administer the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank. Hamas did not react to the proposal but it is difficult to agree on such a proposal to relinquish power after controlling Gaza for the past 16 years while PM Netanyahu wishes to continue the war.

report, a senior Egyptian official and a European diplomat familiar with the Egyptian proposal said that the plan calls for a release of hostages in a phased manner and recommends the formation of a Palestinian government of experts to administer the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank. Hamas did not react to the proposal but it is difficult to agree on such a proposal to relinquish power after controlling Gaza for the past 16 years while PM Netanyahu wishes to continue the war. In Maghazi refugee camp on Monday, AP reported that the death toll mounted, adding 106 people following Al-Aqsa Hospital airstrike that made it one of the deadliest strikes of Israels air campaign.

The United Nations' World Health Organization team member who visited the hospital on Monday, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a post on X said, The hospital is taking in far more patients than its bed capacity and staff can handle. Many will not survive the wait."

Several airstrikes were reported near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on Tuesday which is the largest medical facility in the southern Gaza Strip.

UN officials warned that a quarter of the displaced Palestinian population is starving under Israels siege of the territory, which permits a handful of supplies.

(With agency inputs)

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In Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama three individuals were arrested. These suspects carried two pistols and other war-like weapons that have been recovered by the security forces.

Also read: Jammu and Kashmir news: Retired police officer shot dead inside mosque in Baramulla. Details here The operation was initiated on December 25 based on specific intelligence inputs provided by the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police in the Panzu and Gamiraj areas of Pulwama. Also read: Four terrorists spotted in IB sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Khour: Report In a social media post on platform X (formerly twitter) Chinar Corps of the Indian Army which stated, Based on specific intelligence inputs, a Joint Cordon & Search Operation (CASO) was launched by #IndianArmy & JmuKmrPolice at Panzu & Gamiraj in Pulwama on 25 Dec 23." Also read: Article 370 verdict highlights: Govt plans to introduce 33% women's quota in J-K assembly today It further read, Three suspected individuals have been apprehended with recovery of 02xPistol and other war-like stores." The post also mentioned that joint interrogation of the suspects is is in progress with Jammu and Kashmir Police.

In order to curb increasing attacks by Pakistani terrorists, the Indian Army is planning to increase the number of troops in the Poonch-Rajouri sector. As per a report by ANI, sources in the Army stated, "An additional brigade-size formation had been moved into the area a few months ago. It is planned that another brigade will come there along with a few other units to support counter-terrorist operations."

With an aim to strengthen the counter-terrorist grid, this attempt by the Indian Army is expected to increase the confidence of the local population. Moreover, the local police has also strengthened their intelligence network in the area.

A Staff Court of Inquiry is in place, in view of recurring lapses in operations in which the Army has lost many troops, against the 13-Sector Rashtriya Rifles Commander who is a Brigadier.

As per sources Pakistan Army and its intelligence agencies want to revive terrorism in the Poonch Rajouri sector. These recurrent terror attacks aim pressurise the Indian Army to bring down troop numbers along the northern border with China.

(With inputs from ANI)

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As New Year 2024 approaches many are looking for a getaway and a sneak peek into the snow-shrouded Himalayas. The meteorological department has predicted rain in mid hills and rain and snow in higher hills on December 30 and 31.

Also read: Weather update: Ahead of Christmas, IMD issues snow, rain, fog predictions in THESE Northern states This time of the year witness peak tourism as tourists throng to the hilly areas to witness snowfall. On December 24 the snowfall at Atal Tunnel prompted 28,210 vehicles to crosse Atal Tunnel and witness the charm of the snowclad city of Manali. President of Federation of Himachal Hotels and Restaurant Associations (FOHHRA) Gajender Thakur said that usually, the occupancy in hotels is around 90% while the Manali Carnival is scheduled from January 1 to 6, reported PTI. This carnival would enable tourists to explore local culture and cuisines and serve as a major boost to tourist arrival at the year-end. Also read: Christmas Vacation 2023: Six snow-capped destinations to travel in India Shimla police said they were anticipating a huge rush of visitors ahead of year-end festivities, reported ANI. The Police official further informed they were expecting over one lakh tourist vehicles to roll into the hill town in the last week of December. Also read: Snow blanket covers Jammu and Kashmir's Gulmarg | Watch video To draw tourists to Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh, the Mayor of has planned the first-ever winter carnival with year-end festivities that began on December 25. The carnival will provide a boost to the tourism industry while promoting the traditions and culture of the state. Superintendent of Police (SP) of Shimla, Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi said, "The police are expecting over one lakh tourist vehicles to roll into the hill town in the last week of this year." He added, "There is a steady increase in tourist vehicles. There is a particular number of vehicles entering the city from the Shogi Barrier. the count has now gone up to 12,000 to 13,000 ahead of the year-end festivities. We expect this number to rise further to 20,000 around .. the New Year," reported ANI.

President of Shimla Hotel and Restaurant Association M K Seth said that with the weather forecast suggesting rain and snow on December 30 and 31, the occupancy is expected to be 100%, reported PTI.

Managing Director Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC), Amit Kashyap, informed that HPTDC is offering special packages for New Year celebrations in its resorts.

Kashmir continues to witness dip in temperatures especially at night with dense fog disrupting morning life. The summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar recorded minus 3 degrees Celsius temperature on Monday night.

Kashmir is currently under the grip of 40-day harsh winter period termed as 'Chilla-i-Kalan,' when the Valley is most likely to witness snowfall. This situation occurs when a cold wave grips the region leading to the freezing of water bodies and the temperature drops considerably. Moreover, water supply in several parts of the Valley also gets disrupted along with freezing of Dal Lake and this period will end on January 31. The IMD predicted that the weather will remain mainly dry till the end of the month.

The IMD further predicted that a fresh western disturbance will affect Northwest India from December 30. Light rainfall is likely over Northwest and adjoining Central India from December 30 to January 2 under its influence.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)

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President Joe Biden has ordered retaliatory strikes against Iranian-backed militia groups after three US service members were injured in a drone attack in Northern Iraq, according to a report published by The Associated Press.

Early this morning in northern Iraq, U.S. military personnel were targeted by a one-way attack drone. The attack wounded three US service members, one critically. The Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, under an umbrella of Iranian-backed militants, claimed credit for the attack.," said National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson.

The statement read, Those options were then presented to the President during a call this afternoon with Secretary of Defense Austin and members of the Presidents national security team. During that call, the President directed strikes against three locations utilized by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups focused specifically on unmanned aerial drone activities."

The Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups claimed credit for the attack. Biden was briefed on the attack on Monday and ordered the Pentagon to prepare response options.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and national security team quickly drew up plans and presented him with options in a call and Biden directed strikes against three locations utilized by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, AP reported.

The latest attack on the United States follows months of escalating threats and actions against American forces in the region since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the devasting war in Gaza. The Iranian government and its allied militant forces in Yemen have openly criticized Israel's military operations in Gaza.

The Gaza Strip has endured over 11 weeks of Israeli air and ground attacks that have killed more than 20,400 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run coastal territory.

The US has blamed Iran for the rising violence by its network of proxy groups across the region, including attacks by Yemens Houthis against commercial and military vessels through a critical shipping choke point in the Red Sea. The US Department of Defense said that a chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean was hit by a drone launched from Iran.

Iran has repeatedly dismissed US and Israeli accusations that Tehran was involved in attacks by the Houthis, saying the group was acting on its own.

(With inputs from agencies)

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In a first, a Hindu woman in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Buner district has filed her nomination papers for a general seat in the upcoming polls in Pakistan that are scheduled to take place on February 8, 2024, to elect the members of the 16th National Assembly.

Saveera Parkash, who has officially submitted her nomination papers for the general seat of PK-25 in Buner, is optimistic about contesting the elections on a Pakistan People's Party (PPP) ticket.

Parkash is a 2022 graduate of Abbottabad International Medical College. She serves as the general secretary of the PPP women's wing in Buner, according to a report published by the news agency Dawn.

She highlighted her desire to work for the betterment of women, ensuring a safe environment and advocating for their rights. Parkash also emphasized the historical neglect and suppression of women in the development sector and aims to address these issues if elected.

In an interview with Dawn, Parkash spoke about her aspirations to follow in her father's footsteps, working for the area's underprivileged. She submitted her nomination papers on December 23, expressing hope that the senior leadership of the PPP would endorse her candidature.

Parkash, with a background in medicine, emphasized that her commitment to "serving humanity is in my blood." Her dream of becoming an elected legislator stems from her firsthand experiences with poor management and helplessness in government hospitals during her medical career.

A social media influencer from Buner, Imran Noshad Khan expressed his wholehearted endorsement of Saveera Parkash, irrespective of her political affiliation, as per Dawn reports.

He commended her for breaking stereotypes perpetuated by traditional patriarchy, emphasizing the significance of a woman stepping forward to contest elections in a region where it took 55 years since Buner merged with Pakistan.

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Days after the ship was hit by a drone off India's west coast in the Arabian Sea when it was on its way to New Mangalore port, the Indian Nady's explosive ordnance disposal team on Monday carried out a detailed inspection of merchant vessel MV Chem Pluto on its arrival at Mumbai harbor.

Officials said the Navy deployed P-8I long-range patrol aircraft for surveillance, and warships INS Mormugao, INS Kochi, and INS Kolkata in the region to maintain a deterrent presence. This came given the spate of attacks on commercial vessels in the Arabian Sea.

Saturday's drone attack on Liberian-flagged MV Chem Pluto came amid increasing concerns over various commercial vessels being targeted reportedly by Iran-backed Houthi militants in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The Liberian-flagged vessel with 21 Indians and one Vietnamese crew, anchored at outer anchorage off Mumbai at 3:30 pm, PTI reported.

A Navy spokesperson said, On her arrival, the Indian Navy explosive ordnance disposal team inspected the vessel to make a preliminary assessment of the type and nature of the attack. The analysis of the area of attack and debris found on the ship points towards a drone attack."

"However, further forensic and technical analysis will be required to establish the vector of attack including type and amount of explosive used," he added.

The Indian Navy spokesperson also stated that a joint investigation by various agencies commenced following the completion of the analysis of the vessel by the explosive ordnance team, as per PTI reports.

"MV Chem Pluto has been cleared for further operation by her company-in-charge at Mumbai. The ship is scheduled to undergo mandatory checks by the various inspecting authorities before undertaking the ship-to-ship transfer of cargo. This is likely to be followed by docking and repairs of the damaged portion of MV Chem Pluto," he said.

The Navy official also said three guided missile destroyers have been deployed in the Arabian Sea given the spate of attacks on commercial vessels in the region.

MV Chem Pluto, carrying crude oil to New Mangalore port from Al Jubail port in Saudi Arabia, was struck about 217 nautical miles from Porbandar on Saturday. No one was injured in the incident.

A Gabon-flagged commercial crude oil tanker with 25 Indian crew members also came under a drone attack in the Southern Red Sea on Saturday but no one was injured, according to Indian officials and the US military.

(With PTI inputs)

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Over the weekend and Christmas Day in the United States, millions of people were affected by bad weather.

Several flights were either delayed or cancelled and vehicular traffic was affected due to winter storms, blizzards, and dense fog.

According to the tracking website FlightAware, 157 flights within, into or out of the US had been cancelled and 2,111 were delayed as of late afternoon on Monday due to the weather disruptions.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said the conditions are expected to worsen across the country.

The weather agency has issued warnings about winter storms and blizzards, along with weather advisories for 10 US states -- Alaska, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, and Washington.

A severe storm is expected to bring in heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions across the US, said the NWS forecast.

A major winter storm will continue to impact parts of the northern/central Plains and Upper Midwest with heavy snow, freezing rain, and strong winds through Tuesday night. The combination of heavy snow and strong winds (gusts up to 55 mph) will produce blizzard conditions for central South Dakota into parts of Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado resulting in difficult to near impossible travel," said the National Weather Service in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
In a first for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Buner district, a Hindu woman has filed her nomination papers for a general seat in the upcoming polls in Pakistan that are scheduled to take place on February 8, 2024, to elect the members of the 16th National Assembly.

Saveera Parkash has officially submitted her nomination papers for the general seat of PK-25 in the Buner district. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) recently amended its rules to require the participation of five percent female candidates for general seats.

Who is Saveera Parkash?

Saveera Parkash completed her MBBS in 2022 from Abbottabad International Medical College. She serves as the general secretary of the PPP women's wing in Buner, according to a report published by the news agency Dawn.

She follows her family's tradition of community service, which was sparked by her father, Oam Parkash, a retired physician who spent 35 years as a PPP member. If endorsed, she could be the first woman from Buner to contest elections in Pakistan general elections.

In an interview with Dawn, Parkash spoke about her aspirations to follow in her father's footsteps, working for the area's underprivileged. She submitted her nomination papers on December 23, expressing hope that the senior leadership of the PPP would endorse her candidature.

Parkash, with a background in medicine, emphasized that her commitment to "serving humanity is in my blood." Her dream of becoming an elected legislator stems from her firsthand experiences with poor management and helplessness in government hospitals during her medical career.

She also highlighted her desire to work for the betterment of women, ensuring a safe environment and advocating for their rights. Parkash also emphasized the historical neglect and suppression of women in the development sector and aims to address these issues if elected.

A social media influencer from Buner, Imran Noshad Khan expressed his wholehearted endorsement of Saveera Parkash, irrespective of her political affiliation.

He commended her for breaking stereotypes perpetuated by traditional patriarchy, emphasizing the significance of a woman stepping forward to contest elections in a region where it took 55 years since Buner merged with Pakistan.

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Immune-boosting drugs have revolutionized cancer care. Now doctors are experimenting with cutting them off.

Immunotherapies unleash the immune system on tumors. They have extended the lives of people with melanoma, lung and bladder cancers. They have also been a boon for drugmakers, generating global sales of $44 billion in 2022, according to Leerink Partners analysts.

But some patients are getting more of the drugs than they need, exposing them to side effects and costs they could avoid without risking their cancer recurring. Preliminary research suggests taking the drugs at a lower dose or for a shorter period could be sufficient, but drugmakers havent funded the studies needed to confirm the findings.

We dont know when to stop," said Dr. Jedd Wolchok, an oncologist focused on melanoma at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York.

Immunotherapies are the latest cancer treatment doctors are rethinking. They are doing less chemotherapy, radiation and surgery for lower-risk cancers including breast and prostate. Researchers at a conference in San Antonio this month showed some low-risk breast cancer patients could safely skip radiation or get follow-up screening less often.

Recalibrating care toward less treatment is a fraught undertaking. Drug companies wont fund studies exploring whether patients can do as well with less of their products, doctors said. Some doctors and patients worry about pulling back before exhausting their best chance to beat the disease.

There was this dogma that more is better," said Dr. Mark Ratain, an oncologist at the University of Chicago.

He is trying to recruit cancer patients to study whether they could do as well with less of Mercks Keytruda or Bristol-Myers Squibbs Opdivo, so-called immune checkpoint inhibitors. After three years, he has found just 60 of the 260 patients he wants, and most medical centers have declined to join the trial. It was going to be difficult to convince people," he said.

Merck said that it balances effectiveness and safety in setting the recommended doses for its cancer drugs. It said it is focused on how approved drugs could help patients in combination with other treatments rather than re-evaluating its original dosing.

Bristol said standard dosing for Opdivo is supported by robust evidence that it is effective and tolerable. One Bristol study found that lung-cancer patients who got Opdivo infusions for two years rather than one experienced better outcomes.

Lodi Vercelli, a 67-year-old from Wilmington, Ill., joined Ratains study when his esophageal cancer came back six months ago. You hear some stories that some people have had some pretty nasty side effects from immunotherapy," Vercelli said. Maybe half a dose was the way to start this thing."

He said he hasnt experienced side effects after five months of treatment. His most recent scans suggest the drug is working.

People taking immunotherapies often experience itchy skin and rashes, diarrhea and joint pain. Rare side effects including thyroid problems or pancreatitis can occur well into treatment.

Every therapy that we do is a double-edged sword," said Dr. Yuan Yuan, an oncologist focused on breast cancer at Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles.

Many patients who stop taking the drugs before finishing the standard one-to-two years of treatment because of side effects still do well, preliminary research shows. A report this month in the journal Cancer Research Communications found that most metastatic colon cancer patients who responded well to their initial treatment didnt experience a worsening of their disease nearly two years after discontinuing the drugs.

All patients probably dont need a long duration of therapy to have durable benefits," said Dr. Geoffrey Gibney, a melanoma doctor at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

He is testing whether advanced melanoma patients can discontinue Keytruda, Opdivo or Bristols Opdualag if they appear disease-free after one year of treatment. About 35 of the 150 patients he is seeking have joined so far.

Stopping treatment earlier would also save patients from continuing to pay for the expensive drugs. Keytruda has a list price of $11,115 for a dose given every three weeks, while Opdivo has a list price of $14,389 for a dose given every four weeks.

Bristol said the final price for Opdivo depends on factors including how long it is administered and the combination of drugs a patient receives. Merck declined to comment on Keytrudas cost.

At Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai, most patients eligible for immunotherapy couldnt afford it, said Dr. Kumar Prabhash. An oncologist, Prabhash found that head-and-neck cancer patients experienced a significant survival benefit with chemotherapy plus Opdivo at 6% of the dose used in the U.S., compared with patients who got chemotherapy alone.

Doctors in India, Bangladesh and Nepal are using the lower Opdivo dose, Prabhash said. He is working with doctors at Mass General Cancer Center in Boston to test giving low-dose Opdivo to patients with tumors that tend to respond well to the drug, and track the results with blood tests.

Can we use technology to stop this treatment after some time?" he said. Were hoping this gives us a lot of information."

Write to Brianna Abbott at brianna.abbott@wsj.com and Jared S. Hopkins at jared.hopkins@wsj.com
Escalating Iran-backed attacks against global commercial shipping in the Red Sea have heightened pressure on the Biden administration as officials scramble to protect trade while trying to avoid a direct confrontation with Tehran.

The U.S. Navy said late Saturday that two more vessels had been attacked that day by Iranian-backed Houthi forces in Yemen, bringing the number of commercial ships attacked near a crucial passageway between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East to 15. The Pentagon said earlier in the day that a chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean was struck by a drone launched directly from Iran, a claim Tehran denied.

The shipping attacks are part of a broader regional confrontation between Irans allies and the U.S. and Israel, and are increasing. A declassified document from the Defense Department, shows Houthi attacks on ships escalated during the first half of December to eight incidents, compared with just three during the last half of November.

The Houthi attacks have created a new front in the battle between Israel and Hamas and are just the latest test of Washingtons ability to support its closest Middle East ally while trying to contain the conflict from spilling over into a regional war.

Everyone, including Iran, is trying to avoid escalating and falling off the ladder," said Andrew Tabler, a former Middle-East director at the White Houses National Security Council.

Yemen has been engulfed in a civil war for nearly 10 years, with Iran backing the Houthis, who control the capital and other large parts of the country. After Israel responded to Hamass Oct. 7 assault by launching a military operation against Gaza, the Houthis directed attacks at targets they associated with Israel, while other Tehran-aligned militias have launched missiles and drones at U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria. Lebanons Hezbollah has also targeted its rockets at Northern Israel.

The Houthi attacks prompted the U.S. and allies to deploy naval ships to deter further strikes, a move that has helped ease concerns among some shippers. On Sunday, the shipping and logistics company A.P. Moller-Maersk said the U.S.-led effort had prompted a decision to take steps to resume sending container ships through the Red Sea.

But other companies that have stopped voyages through the waterway, including BP PLC of the U.K. and Equinor of Norway, have yet to return.

On Sunday, the Houthis warned of more attacks in response to the arrival of U.S. warships. The threat to international maritime navigation results from the militarization of the Red Sea by the United States and its allies," Mohammed Abdul Salam, a spokesman for the group, said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

U.S. officials are pushing the Israelis to wind down this phase of the conflict in Gaza quickly, in the hope that doing so would curb the attacks in the Red Sea. But there is a debate, within the Biden administration and between the U.S. and Israel, over how to respond to the attacks in the Red Sea.

Some inside the U.S. government would like to avoid having to conduct a strike against the Houthis now, choosing to sidestep a provocation that could widen the conflict beyond its current scope. Others say the U.S. should send a signal to the Houthis soon.

But Washington also sees the Houthis as a wild card whose conduct isnt always predictable.

The attacks, as described by sailors who spoke to The Wall Street Journal, appear to include attempts to hijack the ships.

Late Saturday, the crew of the Norwegian-flagged Blaamanen was on deck near Yemens coastline when they heard an approaching buzzing sound. Minutes later, a ball of fire exploded in the night, according to a sailor on board.

It was terrifying," the crew member said.

U.S. Central Command said later that the Houthis had unsuccessfully launched a drone at the Norwegian-flagged tanker, which the U.S. Navy later escorted through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on its way to India. The Blaamanens operator and owner, Hansa Tankers, on Sunday confirmed a drone had narrowly missed the vessel.

Ten days earlier, the Bermuda-registered Ardmore Encounter was on its way to deliver Indian jet fuel to Western Europe, when a skiff with gun-toting men on board appeared. Someone claiming to be with Yemens navy made contact on the tankers emergency radio channel, ordering the ship to move to a nearby terminal controlled by the Houthis, or be attacked, according to a member of the crew.

We refused and we were fired upon," the crew member recounted.

The attackers fired two missiles at the vessel, but both missed their target. The captain made a distress call, prompting a nearby U.S. warship to move in to protect the tanker.

The USS Mason intercepted a drone that was also launched by the Houthis, according to the Defense Department and British security consulting firm Ambrey, which both corroborated the sailors account. We were lucky enough to continue our voyage," the crew member said.

The Ardmores manager Ardmore Shipping didnt return a request for comment. Its nominal owner, Ballycotton Shipco in the Marshall Islands, couldnt be reached for comment.

View Full Image Graphic: WSJ

The conflict in the Red Seawhere about 12% of the worlds seaborne trade transitsand in nearby shipping lanes, is forcing shippers to delay deliveries from Asia to Europe by sailing around Southern Africa rather than pass through the Suez Canal

This will have a significant cost impact," said Mads Drejer, the chief operations officer at Denmarks Scan Global Logistics. There are simply not enough vessels for each roundtrip considering that additional vessels are now needed to maintain a weekly schedule."

Sen. Bill Hagerty, a Tennessee Republican, told Fox News on Dec. 24 that Iran has been emboldened by what he described as inconsistent messages from the administration. We have to maintain freedom of navigation operations in the seas," said Hagarty, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. We cannot cede that to Iran."

A spokeswoman for the White Houses National Security Council, Adrienne Watson, defended the administrations policy on Iran, including establishing a multinational naval force for the Red Sea to protect commercial shipping. We have been outspoken about the danger of Irans destabilizing actions, and have forcefully condemned the direct threat their support of the Houthis presents to international commerce and maritime security," she said.

On Saturday, India sent the naval ship Mormugao to escort the Israeli-connected Chem Pluto after it was attacked. The vessel was then brought to Mumbai to check for explosives.

Later in the day, the U.S. said the Houthis had attacked the Sai Baba, a tanker loaded with Russian crude oil pumped by Kremlin-connected Rosneft and destined for an Indian refinery. A spokesman for the Houthis blamed a U.S. warship for firing a missile after spotting a Yemeni reconnaissance plane.

The Russian government didnt respond immediately to a request for comment.

The U.S. has become increasingly concerned about Irans direct involvement of Iranian actors in the shipping war. On Friday, Washington said Iranian forces had been providing the Houthis real-time intelligence as well as weaponry, including drones and missiles, to target ships passing through the Red Sea.

Yet the attacks also illustrate the tensions inside Irans regime. Iranian military operations abroad are generally carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a paramilitary force that operates autonomously from the civilian government and often contradicts its diplomatic agenda.

The administration of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, which was rattled last year by civil unrest, has tried to keep its distance from the attacks to avoid alienating the U.S.

On Sunday, a spokesman for Irans Foreign Ministry denied Tehran was involved in targeting Israeli interests, according to Press TV, a state-owned news outlet.

In mid-December, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told his Lebanese counterpart Abdallah Bou Habib that he was encouraging Tehrans allies not to escalate tensions, according to Lebanese officials. Even so, he also indicated that the key to stopping the attacks was a truce between Israel and Hamas.

If there is a cease-fire in Gaza, there will be a cease-fire all over the region," he said, according to the officials.

Dov Lieber, Saleh al-Batati, Tripti Lahiri, Aresu Eqbali and Andrew Ackerman contributed to this article.

Write to Benoit Faucon at benoit.faucon@wsj.com and Gordon Lubold at gordon.lubold@wsj.com
An investigation is continuing into a shooting early Sunday that sent three people to Erie County Medical Center with bullet wounds, Buffalo police spokesman Michael J. DeGeorge reported.

The injured include a 31-year-old Buffalo man initially listed in critical condition and a 28-year-old Buffalo woman and a 29-year-old Buffalo man who were listed in stable condition.

According to the report, the shooting took place just after 3 a.m. at what appeared to be a large indoor holiday gathering in the 500 block of Cornwall Avenue between Pembroke Avenue and Sussex Street in the Delavan-Grider neighborhood.

DeGeorge noted that investigators are checking to see if the party, which had been promoted, had received the proper permits.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call or text the Buffalo police confidential Tipcall line at 716-847-2255.

- Dale Anderson
If you were asked to imagine a manager, you might well conjure up someone comically boring, desk-bound and monotonal. Now do the same for a leader. You may well be picturing someone delivering a rousing speech. A horse may be involved. You almost certainly have different types in mind. There is indeed a distinction between managers and leaders, but it should not be overdone.

Various attempts have been made to pin down the differences between the two, but they boil down to the same thing. Managers, according to an influential article by Abraham Zaleznik in the Harvard Business Review in 1977, value order; leaders are tolerant of chaos. A later article in the same publication, by John Kotter, described management as a problem-solving discipline, in which planning and budgeting creates predictability. Leadership, in contrast, is about the embrace of change and inspiring people to brave the unknown. Warren Bennis, an American academic who made leadership studies respectable, reckoned that a manager administers and a leader innovates.

Some of these definitions might be a tad arbitrary but they can be useful nonetheless. Too many firms promote employees into management roles because that is the only way for them to get on in their careers. But some people are much more suited to the ethos of management. They are more focused on process; they like the idea of spreadsheets, orderliness and supporting others to do good work. Shopify, an e-commerce firm, has created separate career paths for managers and developers with these differences in motivation in mind.

In our new seven-part podcast series, Boss Class, our Bartleby columnist searches for the secrets to being a better manager. Episode one finds the traits of effective leadership and episode two looks at hybrid working.

The difference between managing and leading is not just a matter of semantics. Research by Oriana Bandiera of the London School of Economics and her co-authors looked at the diaries of 1,114 CEOs in six countries, and categorised their behaviours into two types.

On their definitions, leaders" have more meetings with other C-suite executives, and more interactions with multiple people inside and outside the company. Managers" spend more time with employees involved in operational activities and have more one-to-one meetings. Leaders communicate and co-ordinate; managers drill downwards and focus on individuals. The research suggested that firms that are run by leaders perform better than those run by managers.

But pointing to the differences between managers and leaders can also be unhelpful, for two reasons. The first is that being a leader seems so much sexier than being a manager. That is partly because leadership qualities are associated with seniority. As people scale the corporate ladder, they go on leadership courses, join leadership teams and start sentences with phrases like as a leader". It is also because the two archetypes are not created equal. Would you rather be the person who likes to do budgeting or the one who holds others in thrall? The type that likes the status quo or the one that wants to change the world? It takes neither genius nor heroism to be a manager," wrote Zaleznik. No wonder there are feted programmes for young global leaders but not for young global managers.

The capacity to inspire others and to head into uncharted waters does become more salient the higher you rise. But management skill does not become less important. Dr Bandiera and colleagues concluded that although CEOs who displayed the behaviour of leaders were associated with better company performance overall, different firms may require different types of boss. Some would be better off with manager" CEOs. And performance is independently correlated with other things, including the quality of management practices.

The second unhelpful by-product of the debate about managers and leaders is that it tends to separate people into one camp or the other. In fact, bosses must combine the qualities of both. Just as it is hard to motivate people if you are highly efficient but have the inspirational qualities of feta cheese, so it is not much use laying out ambitious visions for the future if you dont have a clue how to make them reality. You need to turn the dial back and forthfrom strategy to execution, change to order, passion to process, leader to manager.

Read more from Bartleby, our columnist on management and work:

How big is the role of luck in career success? (Oct 19th)

Trialling the two-day workweek (Oct 12th)

How to make hot-desking work (Oct 5th)

Also: How the Bartleby column got its name

 2023, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com
For avid gamers seeking the ultimate visual edge, selecting the right computer monitor is a game-changer. This article presents a carefully curated list of the top 10 gaming monitors, each promising to dramatically enhance your gaming sessions. These monitors aren't just about displaying the game; they're about bringing every virtual world to life with stunning clarity and fluidity.

Today's gaming monitors are at the forefront of technological innovation, boasting features that transform the way games are played and experienced. High refresh rates, quick response times, and crystal-clear resolutions are just the beginning. Technologies like NVIDIAs G-SYNC and AMDs FreeSync have revolutionized gameplay, eliminating screen tearing and stuttering for buttery-smooth visuals.

Yet, the appeal of a great gaming monitor extends beyond raw technical specifications. Ergonomics and design also play a significant role. Many models feature adjustable stands for optimal viewing angles and include eye-catching aesthetics like RGB lighting to complement any gaming setup. Screen size and aspect ratio variations, including wide, ultra-wide, and curved displays, offer immersive experiences tailored to different gaming preferences.

Our selection encompasses monitors that cater to various gaming needs: from the competitive esports player prioritizing speed to the immersive gamer seeking rich, cinematic visuals. Whatever your gaming style or rig configuration, this list offers options across different features and price ranges.

Choosing the perfect monitor is subjective and depends on individual gaming styles and preferences. This guide aims to simplify that choice, helping you find a monitor that not only matches your gaming rig's capabilities but also enhances your overall gaming experience. Prepare to discover monitors that redefine gaming visuals, setting the stage for countless hours of engaging, high-performance gameplay.

1. BenQ Zowie XL2546K Monitor

The BenQ Zowie XL2546K emerges as a top contender in the gaming monitor space, especially for esports enthusiasts. This monitor features a 24.5-inch TN panel, delivering Full HD resolution for crisp and clear visuals. Some might think that a TN panel is a shortcoming, but its standout feature is the ultra-high 240Hz refresh rate combined with a swift 1ms response time, making it ideal for fast-paced gaming. Unique technologies like DyAc+ and Black eQualizer enhance motion clarity and improve visibility in dark scenes. Additionally, the S-Switch and adjustable shield add convenience and focus to your gaming sessions.

Specifications of BenQ Zowie XL2546K Monitor

Display: 24.5-inch Full HD TN Panel, 320 nits brightness

Connectivity: HDMI 2.0 x 3, DP 1.2 x 1, Headphone Port

Image Optimization: DyAc+, Color Vibrance, XL Setting to Share, Black eQualizer

Stand: VESA mount 100x100mm, Pivot, Tilt, Swivel, Height Adjustment

Eye Care: Low Blue Light, Flicker Free

Pros Cons High 240Hz refresh rate and 1ms response TN panel might not offer optimal colour accuracy Advanced technologies for enhanced gameplay Price may be high for casual gamers

2. LG 32 inch UltraGear QHD Monitor

LG's 32-inch UltraGear QHD Monitor is a splendid choice for gamers seeking a large, immersive display. This monitor boasts a QHD resolution on a 32-inch wide-angle VA panel, ensuring vibrant colours and deeper blacks. The combination of a 165Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time offers seamless gaming, further enhanced by AMD FreeSync Premium to eliminate screen tearing. HDR 10 support and colour calibration make this monitor versatile for gaming and creative work. This monitor excels in providing an expansive, high-quality gaming experience.

Specifications of LG 32 inch UltraGear QHD Monitor

Display: 32-inch QHD VA Panel, sRGB 95%, HDR 10

Gaming Features: 1ms MBR, 165Hz, AMD FreeSync Premium

Connectivity: Display Port, HDMI x 2, Headphone Out

Stand: Height Adjust, Pivot, Tilt, VESA Mount 100 x 100mm

Special Features: Dynamic Action Sync, Black Stabilizer, Cross Hair

Pros Cons High 165Hz refresh rate and fast response VA panel might not offer the viewing angles of IPS HDR 10 support for enhanced visuals Size may be too large for some setups

3. Acer Nitro QG221Q Monitor

The Acer Nitro QG221Q is an excellent entry-level gaming monitor. This 21.5-inch monitor offers Full HD resolution on a VA panel, providing good colour contrast and wide viewing angles. Its standout features include a 100Hz refresh rate and a 1ms VRB response time, ensuring smooth gameplay. AMD FreeSync technology is integrated to minimize screen tearing. Additionally, eye care features like BlueLight Shield and Flickerless make it a comfortable choice for extended gaming sessions. This monitor is an ideal option for budget-conscious gamers.

Specifications of Acer Nitro QG221Q Monitor

Display: 21.5-inch Full HD VA Panel

Connectivity: HDMI x 2, VGA

Gaming Features: 1ms VRB, 100Hz Refresh Rate, AMD FreeSync

Audio: Stereo Speakers

Eye Care: BlueLight Shield, Flickerless

Pros Cons Affordable and good value for money Smaller screen size may not suit all gamers Smooth gameplay with 100Hz refresh rate Lower refresh rate compared to higher-end models

4. AOC Agon PRO AG275QXL Monitor

The AOC Agon PRO AG275QXL is an exceptional gaming monitor, especially for fans of 'League of Legends'. It features a 27-inch QHD resolution on an IPS panel, offering vibrant and sharp visuals. The monitor excels with a 170Hz refresh rate and a 1ms response time, ensuring fluid gameplay. It's G-SYNC compatible, offering smooth, tear-free visuals. The unique Hextech design and AOC LightFX provide an immersive gaming experience, making it a top choice for gamers who appreciate both performance and style.

Specifications of AOC Agon PRO AG275QXL Monitor

Display: 27-inch QHD IPS Panel, 170Hz, 1ms Response

Special Features: Hextech Design, AOC LightFX, G-SYNC Compatible

Connectivity: HDMI, DisplayPort

Stand: Adjustable-Height, Tilt

Gaming Features: Adaptive-Sync, 170Hz Refresh Rate

Pros Cons High refresh rate and quick response for competitive gaming Premium price for special design features League of Legends-themed design for fans Design may not appeal to non-League of Legends players

5. MSI MPG323CQR Monitor

The MSI MPG323CQR is a standout gaming monitor that offers a truly immersive experience. Its notable feature is the 1000R curvature, perfectly matching the human eye's natural curve for enhanced viewing comfort during long gaming sessions. The monitor's QHD resolution on a sizeable 31.5-inch display ensures crisp and detailed visuals. Its 165Hz refresh rate and rapid response time provide fluid and smooth gameplay. Enhanced by Gaming Intelligence technology, including Smart Brightness and Sound Tune, this monitor is tailored for gamers seeking both performance and cutting-edge features.

Specifications of MSI MPG323CQR Monitor

Display: 31.5-inch QHD, 1000R Curvature

Gaming Intelligence: Smart Brightness, Smart Crosshair, Night Vision AI

HDR: HDR400 Certification

Connectivity: DisplayPort, HDMI, USB

Gaming Features: 165Hz Refresh Rate, Rapid Response

Pros Cons Immersive 1000R curved screen Size might be too large for some setups High 165Hz refresh rate for smooth gaming Higher price due to advanced features

6. Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 Monitor

The Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 is a top-tier gaming monitor that offers unparalleled visual fidelity. Its 34-inch screen provides an Ultra WQHD resolution, bringing out the finest details in games. The OLED technology ensures deep blacks and vibrant colours, making every scene come alive. The monitor's 175Hz refresh rate and a near-instantaneous response time make for an exceptionally smooth gaming experience. CoreSync and Core lighting add an aesthetic touch, enhancing the overall gaming atmosphere. This monitor is an ideal choice for gamers who prioritize display quality and performance.

Specifications of Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 Monitor

Display: 34-inch Ultra WQHD OLED

Refresh Rate: 175Hz

Features: CoreSync & Core lighting, FreeSync

Connectivity: HDMI, USB Type-C

Eye Care: Flicker Free, Eye Saver Mode

Pros Cons Exceptional OLED display quality Premium pricing for high-end features Ultra-high 175Hz refresh rate May be too advanced for entry-level gamers

7. BenQ MOBIUZ EX3210U Monitor

The BenQ MOBIUZ EX3210U is a formidable contender in the 4K gaming monitor market. This 32-inch monitor delivers stunning UHD visuals, making it perfect for both gaming and professional use. The HDR600 support enhances the colour and contrast, providing a lifelike gaming experience. Its 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time ensure fluid and responsive gameplay. Additional features like BenQ HDRi technology and Motion Blur Reduction elevate the visual performance. The monitor is also PS5 compatible, making it a future-proof choice for console gamers.

Specifications of BenQ MOBIUZ EX3210U Monitor

Display: 32-inch 4K UHD, HDR600

Refresh Rate: 144Hz

Connectivity: HDMI 2.1, DP 1.4, USB Hub

Features: BenQ HDRi technology, Motion Blur Reduction

Audio: 2.1 Channel Speakers=

Pros Cons 4K UHD resolution with HDR600 High price due to 4K and advanced features High 144Hz refresh rate for gaming Might be overkill for casual gaming

8. MSI PRO MP341CQW Monitor

The MSI PRO MP341CQW is a professional-grade monitor that caters to both work and play. This 34-inch monitor boasts a Full HD resolution, offering ample screen real estate for multitasking. Its 100Hz refresh rate and fast response time make it suitable for casual gaming. The monitor's ergonomic design with VESA mount compatibility ensures comfortable viewing angles. Anti-Glare and Anti-Flicker technology make it easier on the eyes during extended use. This monitor is ideal for professionals who need a versatile screen for work and occasional gaming.

Specifications of MSI PRO MP341CQW Monitor

Display: 34-inch Full HD, Curved

Refresh Rate: 100Hz

Eye Care: Anti-Glare, Anti-Flicker

Connectivity: HDMI, D-Sub (VGA)

Stand: VESA Mount Compatible

Pros Cons Suitable for work and casual gaming Full HD resolution may not satisfy all gamers Ergonomic design with VESA compatibility Lower refresh rate compared to high-end gaming monitors

9. HyperX Armada 27 inch IPS QHD Gaming Monitor

The HyperX Armada 27 inch is a gaming monitor that strikes a perfect balance between performance and design. Boasting a QHD resolution, this 27-inch IPS display brings games to life with vivid colours and crisp details. The 165Hz refresh rate coupled with a 1ms response time provides a smooth and responsive gaming experience. The monitor's inclusion of DisplayHDR 400 ensures enhanced brightness and contrast. A unique feature is its all-in-one package with a desk mount, adding convenience to its setup. This monitor is a great choice for gamers who value both visual quality and gaming performance.

Specifications of HyperX Armada 27 inch IPS QHD Gaming Monitor

Display: 27-inch IPS, QHD Resolution

Refresh Rate: 165Hz

Connectivity: VGA

Features: DisplayHDR 400, 1ms Response Time

Additional: All-in-One Desk Mount Included

Pros Cons High refresh rate for smooth gaming VGA connectivity might limit options QHD resolution for detailed visuals May be pricey for budget-conscious gamers

10. LG Electronics Ultragear 34 inch Curved Gaming LED Monitor

LG's Ultragear 34-inch Curved Gaming Monitor is an exceptional choice for immersive gaming. This monitor offers a wide 21:9 aspect ratio on a 34-inch curved screen, providing an expansive field of view. Its high resolution of 3440 x 1440 ensures sharp and detailed images. The 160Hz refresh rate and 5ms response time make for fluid gameplay, complemented by AMD Freesync Premium for a tear-free experience. HDR 10 support enhances the colour depth, making this monitor ideal for gamers seeking a large, feature-rich display for a comprehensive gaming setup.

Specifications of LG Electronics Ultragear 34 inch Curved Gaming Monitor

Display: 34-inch, 21:9 Aspect Ratio, 3440 x 1440 Resolution

Refresh Rate: 160Hz

Connectivity: HDMI, DisplayPort

Features: AMD Freesync Premium, HDR 10

Stand: Height Adjust, Tilt

Pros Cons Wide curved screen for immersive gaming High price point for advanced features High refresh rate and AMD Freesync Premium May be too wide for some desk setups

Best 3 features for you

Product Name Feature 1 Feature 2 Feature 3 BenQ Zowie XL2546K 24.5 inches Full HD TN Panel 240Hz Refresh Rate DyAc+ Technology LG UltraGear 32 inches QHD Monitor 32 inches QHD Wide Angle VA Panel 165Hz Refresh Rate AMD FreeSync Premium Acer Nitro QG221Q 21.5 inches Full HD VA Panel 100Hz Refresh Rate 1 MS VRB Response Time AOC Agon PRO AG275QXL 27 inches QHD IPS Panel 170Hz Refresh Rate G-SYNC Compatible MSI MPG323CQR 31.5 inches QHD Curved Screen 165Hz Refresh Rate Gaming Intelligence Features Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 34 inches Ultra WQHD OLED 175Hz Refresh Rate CoreSync & Core Lighting Design BenQ MOBIUZ EX3210U 31.5 inches 4K UHD IPS Display 144Hz Refresh Rate HDMI 2.1 Support MSI PRO MP341CQW 34 inches Full HD Curved Screen 100Hz Refresh Rate Anti-Glare & Anti-Flicker Technology HyperX Armada 27 inches 27 inches QHD IPS Panel 165Hz Refresh Rate DisplayHDR 400 LG Ultragear 34 inches Curved Gaming Monitor 34 inches Wide Angle VA Panel 160Hz Refresh Rate AMD Freesync Premium

Best value for money

The Acer Nitro QG221Q stands out as the best value for money. With a 21.5-inch Full HD panel, 100Hz refresh rate, and 1 MS VRB Response Time, it offers a balance of performance and affordability, making it ideal for gamers who need quality without a high price tag.

Best overall product

The LG UltraGear 32-inch QHD Monitor is the best overall product. Its large 32-inch QHD display, combined with a 165Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync Premium, provides an immersive gaming experience. It's versatile for various gaming genres and offers great colour accuracy and response time.

How to find the right computer monitor for gaming?

When searching for the right gaming monitor, consider several key factors. First, prioritize screen size and resolution based on your space and gaming needs - larger screens and higher resolutions offer more immersive experiences. A higher refresh rate, ideally above 100Hz, ensures smoother visuals, crucial for fast-paced games. Look for adaptive sync technology like NVIDIA's G-Sync or AMD's FreeSync to prevent screen tearing. Response time is another critical aspect, with lower times (1-5 ms) being ideal for reducing motion blur. Connectivity options are important for compatibility with your gaming setup, and finally, consider ergonomic features and eye care technology for comfortable extended gaming sessions

FAQs

Question : What's the ideal refresh rate for a gaming monitor?

Ans : 144Hz is widely considered ideal, but 100Hz and above is sufficient for most gamers.

Question : Is a curved monitor better for gaming?

Ans : Curved monitors can offer a more immersive experience, especially for wide or ultra-wide models.

Question : What does response time mean in gaming monitors?

Ans : Response time refers to how quickly the monitor can change pixels from black to white or between shades of gray, affecting motion blur.

Question : Are gaming monitors good for everyday use?

Ans : Yes, gaming monitors are generally suitable for everyday use, offering excellent colour and contrast for various tasks.

Question : How does FreeSync or G-Sync enhance gaming?

Ans : These technologies synchronize the monitors refresh rate with the GPU, reducing screen tearing and stuttering for smoother gameplay.

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.

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The microwave has evolved from a basic warming appliance to a multipurpose culinary powerhouse in the world of kitchen equipment. With the speed of a microwave and the grilling power of a traditional oven, grill microwaves are a unique combination of efficiency and style among the wide range of microwaves on the market. They provide a flexible cooking experience.

This article explores the world of grill microwaves and their alternatives, like convection microwaves and OTGs, highlighting the best 9 models that are effective, practical, and aesthetically pleasing. These carefully chosen appliances provide a seamless fusion of state-of-the-art technology and elegant form, redefining the traditional idea of microwaves.

Grill microwaves are highly regarded for their accuracy in grilling, roasting, and baking, in addition to their capacity to reheat and defrost food. Their combined microwave cooking and grilling features allow users to prepare a wide variety of dishes, from baked goods to expertly grilled meats and veggies, all from the comfort of one single device.

One characteristic of these premium grill microwaves is their efficiency. With cutting-edge features like programmed settings, numerous power levels, and easy-to-use controls, they simplify cooking and guarantee consistently delicious results every time. Furthermore, their adaptability is increased with the addition of grill racks, crisping trays and specialty heating components, which open up new avenues for experimentation with cooking methods.

Nor does style become secondary. These microwaves have elegant designs that go well with the aesthetics of contemporary kitchens. Not only are they practical tools, but their sleek finishes, stainless steel accents, and creative layouts make them fashionable complements to any kitchen.

These top grill and convection microwaves, alongside OTGs, provide an ideal balance of efficiency and style to meet a variety of cooking demands, whether you're a foodie eager to try out new cooking methods or a busy person searching for convenience without sacrificing flavour. Come along as we examine and assess these remarkable gadgets that revolutionise microwave cooking.

Also Read: 10 best microwaves under 30000: Top picks for the Indian households

1. Bajaj MTBX 2016 20L Grill Microwave Oven, Black

Sleek and black, the Bajaj MTBX 2016 20L Grill Microwave Oven combines design and performance. Its 20-litre volume provides enough room for a wide range of culinary requirements. Perfectly grilled foods are made possible by its versatile grill function. This appliance has an easy-to-use control panel that guarantees effortless operation. The sleek black exterior goes well with any kitchen's decor, thanks to its contemporary style. Its modest size and strong performance make it perfect for little areas. Reliability and efficiency in cooking, grilling, and reheating are features that the Bajaj MTBX 2016 20L Grill Microwave Oven offers, all encased in a stylish design.

Specifications of Bajaj MTBX 2016 20L Grill Microwave Oven, Black:

Brand - Bajaj

Colour - Black

Capacity - 20 litres

Wattage - 800 Watts

Special Feature - Auto_cook

Pros Cons Its smaller size makes it suitable for kitchens with limited space It might lack certain advanced features or cooking modes. The inclusion of a grill function adds versatility The grill space might be limited The intuitive control panel and settings make it easy to operate, even for beginners. Offers quick and efficient heating

2. LG 20 L Grill Microwave Oven (MH2044BP, Black)

Culinary convenience is redefined with the LG 20 L Grill Microwave Oven. It blends elegance and utility with its sleek black appearance. It is perfect for little kitchens or cramped areas because of its 20-litre capacity, which holds dishes of different sizes. With its robust grill feature, it easily produces foods that are crispy and cooked evenly. Cooking experiences are made easier by the user-friendly control panel and pre-programmed cooking modes, which meet a variety of cooking demands. Its cutting-edge technology guarantees even and effective heating. It is a flexible addition that promises enjoyable cooking experiences for people looking for a mix of performance and elegance. Its smart design is matched with a sturdy structure.

Specifications of LG 20 L Grill Microwave Oven (MH2044BP, Black):

Brand - LG

Colour - Black

Capacity - 20 litres

Heating Method - Radiant

Finish Type - Polished

Wattage - 2000 Watts

Special Feature - Auto Cook, Timer, Turntable, Interior Light, Racks

Pros Cons Perfect for small kitchens or limited countertop space The control panel might be overwhelming for some users Simplifies cooking with pre-set cooking modes tailored for various dishes, Some users may experience issues with long-term durability Utilises advanced heating technology The black exterior adds a touch of elegance to kitchen decor

3. Panasonic 27L Convection Microwave Oven(NN-CT645BFDG,,Black Mirror, 360 Heat Wrap, Magic Grill)

With its seamless integration of convection cooking accuracy and microwave convenience, the Panasonic 27L Convection Microwave Oven is a multipurpose kitchen powerhouse. With its roomy 27-litre capacity, it can easily fit big dishes. With its innovative technology, which uses grill, convection, and microwave features to meet a variety of culinary demands, cooking is done quickly and evenly. It makes meal preparation easier while preserving flavour and texture thanks to its numerous power settings and pre-set cooking modes. With its elegant appearance that complements any kitchen style and its user-friendly control panel, it's straightforward to use. For both novice and experienced cooks, this appliance's flawless cooking experience is the result of its innovative and efficient design.

Specifications of Panasonic 27L Convection Microwave Oven(NN-CT645BFDG,,Black Mirror, 360 Heat Wrap, Magic Grill):

Brand - Panasonic

Colour - Black Mirror

Capacity - 27 litres

Wattage - 900 Watts

Special Feature - Auto Cook

Pros Cons Offers multiple cooking functions The additional convection and grill functions can make it relatively more expensive. It accommodates larger dishes and multiple servings. Convection and grill functions may consume more energy Advanced technology ensures that even cooking and heating It comes with a range of pre-set cooking modes and power levels

4. SHARP 25L Bake+Grill Microwave Oven, JAPAN TECHNOLOGY, Auto Menus, Ceramic Coating, Jog-Dial, Quick Start, Model No. R625KNK, Color: Black (2023 Model)

Showcasing state-of-the-art JAPAN TECHNOLOGY, the SHARP 25L Bake+Grill Microwave Oven is a culinary powerhouse. With a variety of Auto Menus to suit different preferences, its Ceramic Coating guarantees even heat distribution and ease of cleaning. Fast meal preparation is made possible with the Jog-Dial's Quick Start feature, which also makes operation simpler. It is a sophisticated piece that looks well in contemporary kitchens. This 2023 model is an improvement over previous models in terms of accuracy and convenience for culinary fans seeking efficiency and perfection in microwave technology. Its roomy interior, attention to detail, and various bake and grill options boost cooking experiences.

Specifications of SHARP 25L Bake+Grill Microwave Oven, JAPAN TECHNOLOGY, Auto Menus, Ceramic Coating, Jog-Dial, Quick Start, Model No. R625KNK, Color: Black (2023 Model):

Brand - SHARP

Colour - Black

Capacity - 25 litres

Wattage - 1000 Watts

Special Feature - Timer, Defrost, Turntable

Pros Cons Ceramic Coating ensures easy cleaning and durability Only available in Black, potentially limiting aesthetic choices for kitchen decor. Intuitive Jog-Dial Interface streamlines operation for quick and precise settings adjustments. The bake and grill functions might consume more power Diverse pre-set menus for various dishes simplify cooking Quick Start Feature allows for swift and hassle-free meal preparation

5. Panasonic 23L Convection Microwave Oven(NN-CT353BFDG,Black Mirror, 360 Heat Wrap, Magic Grill)

With the Panasonic 23L Convection Microwave Oven, you can combine convenience and creativity to create culinary masterpieces. Its Black Mirror coating, which conceals a number of characteristics, lends elegance to any kitchen. Cooking is even thanks to the 360 Heat Wrap, which constantly produces mouthwatering results. With only a little touch, use the Magic Grill feature to create precisely cooked meals. This oven simply accommodates a variety of culinary demands by balancing design and practicality. Its roomy but compact design accommodates a range of cooking experiences. This device is a must-have for foodies looking for quality and adaptability since it ensures accuracy and efficiency, whether it is being used for baking, roasting, grilling, or reheating.

Specifications of Panasonic 23L Convection Microwave Oven(NN-CT353BFDG,Black Mirror, 360 Heat Wrap, Magic Grill):

Brand - Panasonic

Colour - Black Mirror

Capacity - 23 litres

Wattage - 800 Watts

Special Feature - Auto_cook

Pros Cons 360 Heat Wrap ensures thorough and even cooking The grill function and convection features might require more cleaning and maintenance Magic Grill Function provides efficient grilling capabilities The 23L capacity might be insufficient for larger families Occupies minimal space on the countertop Aesthetically pleasing design that complements modern kitchen aesthetics.

6. Kenstar Durachef 20 Litres Grill Microwave Oven (Black)

Sleek and black, the Kenstar Durachef 20-Litre Grill Microwave Oven combines design and performance. With its roomy 20-litre capacity, it's ideal for contemporary kitchens. The microwave function provides quick heating and defrosting, and uniformly cooked, the grill option guarantees crispy meals. Any countertop is made more sophisticated by the gorgeous black exterior. It readily meets a variety of culinary demands thanks to its user-friendly controls and several cooking settings. Its sturdy construction and effective functionality make it a dependable kitchen assistant, perfect for anybody looking for a fashionable, functional, and efficient microwave oven for everyday culinary endeavours.

Specifications of Kenstar Durachef 20 Litres Grill Microwave Oven (Black):

Brand - Kenstar

Colour - Black

Capacity - 20 litres

Special Feature - Auto Cook, Defrost

Pros Cons Offer a combination of grill and microwave functionalities. It might lack some of the advanced features. Intuitive controls and preset cooking options simplify the cooking process. Some users might experience issues with long-term durability. Ensures even cooking and grilling. Its 20-litre capacity makes it ideal for smaller kitchens.

7. Pigeon Oven Toaster Grill 9 Liters OTG Without Rotisserie for Oven Toaster and Grill for Grilling and Baking Cakes (Grey)

Perfect for grilling and baking cakes, the Pigeon Oven Toaster Grill (OTG) packs culinary power into a small 9-litre package. Its sleek grey appearance gives any kitchen a contemporary feel. This gadget is designed to concentrate on grilling and baking with accuracy rather than having a rotisserie. Its exact cooking is ensured by its adjustable temperature settings, and its effective heating components uniformly disperse heat. It's ideal for novices and tiny rooms since the inside has plenty of room for small batches. This oven-to-grill gas grill (OTG) is multipurpose and easy to use. It makes baking and grilling simpler and guarantees delicious delicacies and evenly scorched food every time.

Specifications of Pigeon Oven Toaster Grill 9 Liters OTG Without Rotisserie for Oven Toaster and Grill for Grilling and Baking Cakes (Grey):

Brand - Pigeon

Colour - Black

Capacity - 9 litres

Special Feature - Temperature Control, Timer

Finish Type - Painted

Pros Cons Efficient heating elements ensure even distribution of heat The 9-litre size might be limiting for larger batches Its versatile enough for baking cakes and grilling various foods Lacks a rotisserie feature Adjustable temperature controls make it easy to set the right cooking temperatures It consumes less energy compared to larger ovens

8. Borosil Prima 21 L Oven Toaster & Grill, With Convection Heating, 5 Heating Modes, Heat Efficient Low E-Glass, Black

For those who like cooking, the Borosil Prima 21 L Oven Toaster & Grill is a multipurpose kitchen tool. With its convection heating technique, cooking is guaranteed to be uniform and practical. It supports a variety of culinary methods, including baking and grilling, with 5 programmable heating settings. The appliance uses Low E-Glass, which is heat-efficient and improves insulation while using less energy. Any kitchen is made more sophisticated by its sleek black style. Enough room is provided for modest to medium-sized meals with a 21-litre capacity. The Borosil Prima Oven produces tasty and reliable results with ease, whether you're toasting sandwiches, roasting veggies, or baking pastries.

Specifications of Borosil Prima 21 L Oven Toaster & Grill, With Convection Heating, 5 Heating Modes, Heat Efficient Low E-Glass, Black:

Brand - Borosil

Colour - Black

Capacity - 21 litres

Special Feature - Timer, Removable Crumb Tray

Control Type - Knob Control

Pros Cons Efficiently circulates hot air for even cooking The positioning of items might affect cooking consistency. Offers 5 distinct modes catering to diverse cooking preferences Cleaning intricate parts or surfaces is challenging. Heat-Efficient Low E-Glass enhances insulation Adequate space for small to medium-sized meals

Also Read: Amazon Sale 2023: Aiming for healthy fried food? Get up to 75% off on air fryers

9. Philips HD6975/00 Digital Oven Toaster Grill, 25 Litre OTG, 1500 Watt with Opti Temp Technology, Chamber light and 10 preset menus, Inner Lamp (Grey)

The Philips Digital Oven Toaster Grill is a multipurpose kitchen appliance with a 1500-watt power output and a 25-litre capacity. Every time, ideal results are guaranteed by its Opti Temp Technology, which guarantees exact cooking temperatures. You can easily keep an eye on your dishes thanks to the inside illumination provided by the chamber light. It makes preparing different meals easier with its ten preset menus. Its internal light improves visibility and guarantees even frying and browning. This sleek, grey appliance offers a seamless cooking experience by combining elegance and practicality. This oven is a must-have for every kitchen lover, accommodating a wide range of culinary demands, whether they include baking, toasting, or grilling.

Specifications of Philips HD6975/00 Digital Oven Toaster Grill, 25 Litre OTG, 1500 Watt with Opti Temp Technology, Chamber light and 10 preset menus, Inner Lamp (Grey):

Brand - PHILIPS

Colour - Grey

Capacity - 25 litres

Special Feature - Adjustable Rack

Control Type - Touch Control

Pros Cons Opti Temp Technology ensures accurate and consistent cooking temperatures Higher cost compared to other ovens Chamber Light and Inner Lamp It might consume more energy compared to lower wattage ovens. Streamlines cooking by offering preset options for various dishes. Spacious interior accommodates larger dishes or multiple items at once

Top 3 features for you

Product Feature 1 Feature 2 Feature 3 Bajaj MTBX 2016 20L Grill Microwave Oven, Black 20L Capacity Grill Function Multiple Power Levels LG 20 L Grill Microwave Oven Quartz Heater Even Heating Intellowave Technology Panasonic 27L Convection Microwave Oven Convection Cooking Large 27L Capacity Auto Cook Menus SHARP 25L Bake+Grill Microwave Oven Bake and Grill functions 25L Capacity Multiple Power Levels Panasonic 23L Convection Microwave Oven Convection Cooking 23L Capacity Inverter Technology Kenstar Durachef 20 Litres Grill Microwave Oven Grill Function 20L Capacity Multistage Cooking Pigeon Oven Toaster Grill 9 Liters Compact 9L Capacity Oven Toaster Grill Function Temperature Control Borosil Prima 21 L Oven Toaster & Grill 21L Capacity OTG Function Timer Function Philips HD6975/00 Digital Oven Toaster Grill Digital Controls 25L Capacity OptiTemp Technology

Best value for money

The Panasonic 23L Convection Microwave Oven is the most affordable model out of all the selections on the list. It is an excellent option because of its cost, performance, and feature set. Its 23L capacity allows it to meet a variety of culinary demands while maintaining a good size-to-function ratio. The integration of convection cooking and inverter technology guarantees efficient and uniform cooking outcomes. This oven's worth is increased by its capacity to prepare a variety of foods, as well as by its sturdy construction and dependable brand. Its competitive advantage in the market stems from the price, which is in line with its characteristics. The Panasonic 23L Convection Microwave Oven offers a great mix of affordability and usefulness, which makes it an appealing option for customers on a tight budget who want a high-quality and adaptable microwave oven.

Best overall product

Out of all the possibilities, the LG 20 L Grill Microwave Oven stands out as the best overall product. Its flawless fusion of cutting-edge technology and intuitive features makes it an exceptional option. Its quartz heater and Intellowave technology offer consistent, uniform heating, which means that dishes are always cooked to perfection. The 20L capacity is ideal for most homes as it finds a compromise between utility and compactness. It is simple to use and attractive to a variety of consumers due to its user-friendly design and straightforward controls. LG's standing as the most excellent product all around is further cemented by its reputation for dependability and quality. The LG 20 L Grill Microwave Oven is the best option because of its innovative technology, user-friendliness, and reliable brand reputation. It also excels in terms of performance and satisfaction from users.

How to find the Best Grill Microwave?

In order to choose the best grill microwave, keep the following critical factors in mind:

Grill Function: Seek a microwave with a separate grilling feature. Using this tool, you may brown or grill food to give it a crispy feel.

Capacity: Based on the size of your home, choose the size you require. Choose a grill microwave that fits the size of your typical meals from the range of capacities available.

Heating Elements and Power Levels: To regulate the degree of cooking, look for many power settings. To ensure consistent and effective cooking, find out more about the kind of heating components that are used in the grill function.

Ease of Use and Cleaning: Choose a model whose interior is simple to clean and has an intuitive interface. Cleaning up after grilling is made easier with detachable trays or grids.

Other Features: To improve convenience, take into account other features like sensor cooking, child lock, defrosting choices, and pre-programmed settings.

Value and Price: Evaluate the value of the features provided in proportion to the price. Within your budget, the finest grill microwave strikes a compromise between features and performance.

Guarantee and Support: Verify the duration of the warranty and the manufacturer's assistance in the event of problems or repairs.

Finding a grill microwave that best fits your cooking habits and improves your culinary experience may be achieved by weighing these variables according to your requirements and tastes.

FAQs

Question : Can I use metal grill racks in a grill microwave?

Ans : Metal racks are not compatible with the majority of grill microwaves. Usually, they include unique non-metallic grill attachments designed for use in microwaves.

Question : Are grill microwaves the same as regular microwaves?

Ans : No, normal microwaves do not have the extra grilling element that grill microwaves have. This gives them the ability to brown and crisp food, providing an alternative cooking method to simple microwaving.

Question : Can I use a grill microwave for baking or roasting?

Ans : Microwave grills can provide some crispiness and browning, but they may not be able to mimic the baking or roasting effects of a traditional oven perfectly. Still, they work well for a variety of heating, toasting, and grilling applications.

Question : Is it harder to clean a grill microwave than a regular microwave?

Ans : Because of the grilling element and related accessories, cleaning grill microwaves may take a little more time. Nonetheless, the majority include detachable components that simplify cleaning considerably.

Question : Can I microwave and grill simultaneously in a grill microwave?

Ans : For certain meals, you may utilise the grill and microwave capabilities simultaneously or in succession with specific grill microwaves.

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.

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In a world dominated by fully automatic washing machines,Samsung 7kg semi-automatic washing machine models hold their own. These machines offer a unique blend of affordability, efficiency, and user control, making them a compelling choice for many households.

Unlike their fully automatic counterparts,Samsung semi-auto washers require some manual intervention. They typically have two separate drums: one for washing and one for drying. Users fill the washing drum with clothes and water, select the washing cycle, and then manually transfer the clothes to the drying drum once the wash cycle is complete. Samsung 7kg semi-automatic washing machines offer a unique blend of affordability, efficiency, and user control, making them a valuable option for many households. Whether you're on a tight budget, prefer a hands-on approach to laundry, or simply value durability and ease of maintenance, Samsung's semi-automatic models can be a great choice.

Product List

Samsung 7 kg Semi-Automatic Washing Machine (LIGHT GRAY)

Samsung 7kg semi automatic washing machine with top load is economical with low water and energy consumption. It has a capacity of 7 kg which is suitable for 3 to 4 members. It has a manufacturer warranty of 2 years comprehensive on the product and 5 years on the motor. The motor has higher spin speeds of 1300 RPM which helps in a faster wash and drying. It includes 2 wash programs for heavy, gentle, and normal. It reduces drying times by removing more water using the Air Turbo Drying System. It is equipped with 4 wheels the machine can be moved around by sliding it with ease.

The key performance feature is its magic filter. Other special features include rat protection. The caster wheel means 4 wheels located on each corner of the base. The auto restart feature resumes the washing process when the power is back.

The washing machines high energy efficiency is certified by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) with its highest 5-star" rating. The Double Storm system creates a constantly variable and powerful water wave that moves garments around and rubs them together for better washing results. It also has a scrub board with a series of ridges, which is gentle on fabrics. The magic filters gather the lint, fluff and particles that come out of your laundry, so clothes always appear spotlessly clean. Its easy to empty, so it works efficiently and prevents blockages. Reduce drying times by removing more water using the Air Turbo Drying System. During the spin cycle, it rotates the drum at high speed to extract more water, while dual air intakes draw in and circulate more external air.

Protect your washing machine from rodent damage. The holes in the plastic base are now smaller in size to prevent rats from getting in and causing damage. With a caster wheel, it has 4 wheels, located on each corner of the base, so it moves more smoothly and with less effort in any direction.

As soon as your electricity supply is restored after a power cut, the Auto Restart feature immediately resumes the washing process. It has a non-corrosive and rust-proof plastic body that is extremely durable. The Washing Machine features a buzzer that sounds at the end of the wash cycle.

Specifications of Samsung 7 kg Semi-Automatic Washing Machine

Brand:Samsung Capacity:7 Kilograms Access Location:Top Load Maximum Rotational Speed:1300 RPM Material:Plastic

Pros Cons Compact design to fit small gallery Build quality is not that good Large washing tub as well as spin tub

Also read:10 best washing machines in India: Buying guide

2. Samsung 7 kg Semi-Automatic Top Load Washing Machine (LIGHT GRAY)

Samsung 7kg semi automatic washing machine with top load is economical with low water and energy consumption. It has a capacity of 7 kg which is suitable for 3 to 4 members.

It includes a manufacturer warranty of 2 years comprehensive on the product and 5 years on the motor. The motor has higher spin speeds of 1300 RPM which helps in a faster wash and drying.

With its high speed and efficiency, it's perfect for busy households or those who want to get laundry done quickly and effectively. It has 2 wash programs for heavy, gentle, and normal. It reduces drying times by removing more water using the Air Turbo Drying System. Its key performance feature is the magic filter. The washing machines high energy efficiency is certified by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) with its highest 5-star" rating.

A Magic Filter effectively gathers the lint, fluff and particles that come out of your clothes, so your laundry stays cleaner while protecting your drainage from getting clogged up. And it's easy to clean. During the spin cycle, the Air Turbo Drying System rotates the drum rapidly, while dual air intakes draw in more air. By extracting more water from your clothes, the Indus2 helps them dry faster.

With a caster wheel, it is equipped with 4 wheels, the machine can be moved around by sliding it with ease. The casters are discretely located behind the legs of the stand, so they are practically invisible. The Washing Machine features a buzzer that sounds at the end of the wash cycle. It has a non-corrosive and rust-proof plastic body that is extremely durable.

Specifications of Samsung 7 kg Semi-Automatic Top Load Washing Machine

Capacity:7 Kilograms Colour:Light Gray Body - Blue Lid Cycle Options:Tub Clean Controls Type:Fully Automatic Maximum Rotational Speed:1300 RPM

Pros Cons Good for 4-5 members of family Less durable and a bit noisy operation Very easy to use

3. Samsung 6 kg Semi-Automatic Washing Machine (LIGHT GRAY)

Samsung 6 kg semi-automatic top load washing machine is economical with low water and energy consumption. It has a capacity of 6 kg, which is suitable for small families. It comes with a manufacturer warranty of 2 years comprehensive on the product and 5 years on the motor. The motor has a higher spin speed of 700 RPM which helps in a faster wash and drying.

With its high speed and efficiency, it's perfect for busy households or those who want to get laundry done quickly and effectively. It features 3 wash programs for heavy, normal, and soak. It reduces drying times by removing more water using the Air Turbo Drying System. With its water and shockproof panel, the machine can be placed anywhere without worrying about water damage.

The special features include rat protection, a rust-proof body, and a caster wheel. The washing machines high energy efficiency is certified by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) with its highest 5-star" rating. The double storm pulsator gets clothes thoroughly cleaned with increased washing power. During the spin cycle, the Air Turbo Drying System rotates the drum rapidly, while dual air intakes draw in more air. By extracting more water from your clothes, the Indus2 helps them dry faster.

With a caster wheel, it is equipped with 4 wheels so the machine can be moved around by sliding it with ease. The wheels are discretely located behind the legs of the stand, so they are practically invisible. The Washing Machine features a buzzer that sounds at the end of the wash cycle. It has a non-corrosive and rust-proof plastic body that is extremely durable. The rat protection protects your washing machine from rodent damage.

Specifications of Samsung 6 kg Semi-Automatic Washing Machine

Brand:Samsung Material:Plastic Colour:Light Grey Style:6.0 Kg with 5 star Pattern:Solid

Pros Cons Good appearance and is lightweight Build quality could be better Performance is good

Also read:7 kg Haier washing machine: Top 8 options just for you

4. Samsung 6.5 kg Semi-Automatic Washing Machine (LIGHT GRAY)

The Samsung 6.5 kg semi-automatic top load washing machine is economical with low water and energy consumption. It has a capacity of 6.5 kg which is suitable for 3 to 4 members. It comes with a manufacturer warranty of 2 years comprehensive on the product and 5 years on the motor. The motor has a higher spin speed of 1300 RPM which helps in faster wash and drying.

With its high speed and efficiency it's perfect for busy households or those who want to get laundry done quickly and effectively. It features 3 wash programs for heavy, normal, and soak. Due to the water and shockproof panel, the machine can be placed anywhere without worrying about water damage. The special features include rat protection, a rust-proof body, and a caster wheel.

The washing machines high energy efficiency is certified by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) with its highest 5-star" rating. The machine reduces drying times by removing more water using the Air Turbo Drying System. During the spin cycle, it rotates the drum at high speed to extract more water, while dual air intakes draw in and circulate more external air.

Protect your washing machine from rodent damage. The holes in the plastic base are now smaller in size to prevent rats from getting in and causing damage. With castor wheel, it has 4 wheels, located on each corner of the base, so it moves more smoothly and with less effort in any direction. It has a non-corrosive and rust-proof plastic body that is extremely durable. The Washing Machine features a buzzer that sounds at the end of the wash cycle.

Specifications of Samsung 6.5 kg, 5 star, Semi-Automatic Washing Machine

Brand:Samsung Capacity:6.5 Kilograms Access Location:Top Load Maximum Rotational Speed:1300 RPM Colour:Blue

Pros Cons Easy to use Reduced plastic quality lightweight

Top 3 features for you

Product Feature 1 Feature 2 Feature 3 Samsung 7 kg Semi-Automatic Washing Machine Capacity of 7 kg Higher spin speeds of 1300 RPM 2 wash programs Samsung 7 kg Semi-Automatic Top Load Washing Machine Capacity of 7 kg Higher spin speeds of 1300 RPM 2 wash programs Samsung 6 kg Semi-Automatic Washing Machine Capacity of 6 kg Higher spin speed of 700 RPM 3 wash programs Samsung 6.5 kg Semi-Automatic Washing Machine Capacity of 6.5 kg Higher spin speeds of 1300 RPM 3 wash programs

Best overall product

Samsung 7kg semi automatic washing machine with top load is economical with low water and energy consumption. It has a capacity of 7 kg which is suitable for 3 to 4 members. It has a manufacturer warranty of 2 years comprehensive on the product and 5 years on the motor. The motor has higher spin speeds of 1300 RPM which helps in a faster wash and drying. It includes 2 wash programs for heavy, gentle, and normal.

It reduces drying times by removing more water using the Air Turbo Drying System. It is equipped with 4 wheels the machine can be moved around by sliding it with ease.

The key performance feature is its magic filter. Other special features include rat protection. The caster wheel means 4 wheels located on each corner of the base The auto restart feature resumes the washing process when the power is back.

The washing machines high energy efficiency is certified by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) with its highest 5-star" rating. The Double Storm system creates a constantly variable and powerful water wave that moves garments around and rubs them together for better washing results. It also has a scrub board with a series of ridges, which is gentle on fabrics.

The magic filters gather the lint, fluff and particles that come out of your laundry, so clothes always appear spotlessly clean. Its easy to empty, so it works efficiently and prevents blockages. Reduce drying times by removing more water using the Air Turbo Drying System. During the spin cycle, it rotates the drum at high speed to extract more water, while dual air intakes draw in and circulate more external air.

Protect your washing machine from rodent damage. The holes in the plastic base are now smaller in size to prevent rats from getting in and causing damage. With a caster wheel, it has 4 wheels, located on each corner of the base, so it moves more smoothly and with less effort in any direction.

As soon as your electricity supply is restored after a power cut, the Auto Restart feature immediately resumes the washing process. It has a non-corrosive and rust-proof plastic body that is extremely durable. The Washing Machine features a buzzer that sounds at the end of the wash cycle.

Best value for money product

Samsung 7kg semi automatic washing machine with top load is economical with low water and energy consumption. It has a capacity of 7 kg which is suitable for 3 to 4 members.

It includes a manufacturer warranty of 2 years comprehensive on the product and 5 years on the motor. The motor has higher spin speeds of 1300 RPM which helps in a faster wash and drying.

With its high speed and efficiency, it's perfect for busy households or those who want to get laundry done quickly and effectively. It has 2 wash programs for heavy, gentle, and normal. It reduces drying times by removing more water using the Air Turbo Drying System. Its key performance feature is the magic filter. The washing machines high energy efficiency is certified by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) with its highest 5-star" rating.

A Magic Filter effectively gathers the lint, fluff and particles that come out of your clothes, so your laundry stays cleaner while protecting your drainage from getting clogged up. And it's easy to clean. During the spin cycle, the Air Turbo Drying System rotates the drum rapidly, while dual air intakes draw in more air. By extracting more water from your clothes, the Indus2 helps them dry faster.

With a caster wheel, it is equipped with 4 wheels, so the machine can be moved around by sliding it with ease. The casters are discretely located behind the legs of the stand, so they are practically invisible. The Washing Machine features a buzzer that sounds at the end of the wash cycle. It has a non-corrosive and rust-proof plastic body that is extremely durable.

How to choose the right product?

Choosing the right Samsung 7kg semi-automatic washing machine can be tricky, as there are several factors to consider. Consider wash cycles as different models offer various wash cycles for different types of clothes (delicates, woollens, jeans, etc.). Choose a machine with cycles you'll use regularly. Consider spin speed as higher spin speeds remove more water from clothes, reducing drying time. Consider a spin speed of at least 700 RPM for efficient drying. Look for additional features like auto-fill (automatically fills the wash tub to the desired level), pulsator type (gentle or powerful), and lint filter (prevents lint buildup).Samsung manual washers range in price from around 8,000 to 15,000. Set a budget before you start shopping to narrow down your options. Samsung is a reputable brand known for its quality appliances. Look for a model with a good warranty (at least 1 year) for peace of mind.

Read online Samsung semi auto reviews from other buyers to get their feedback on specific models. This can help you identify potential problems or quirks with certain machines. Compare prices and features from different retailers before you make a purchase. You may be able to find a good deal online or at a local appliance store. Ultimately, the best Samsung efficient machine for you will depend on your individual needs and preferences.

FAQs

Question : Q. What is the difference between a semi-automatic and a fully automatic washing machine?

Ans : A. A semi-automatic washing machine requires manual intervention for filling, draining, and transferring clothes between wash and spin tubs. While a fully automatic washing machine handles all cycles automatically, just add detergent and clothes.

Question : What is the difference between different pulsator types?

Ans : A. A double storm pulsator creates strong water currents for thorough cleaning. While a gentle pulsator softly agitates clothes to prevent damage.

Question : Is a lint filter important?

Ans : A. Yes, a lint filter in a washing machine is important. It traps lint and prevents it from redepositing on clothes.

Question : How much water does a Samsung semi-automatic washing machine use per wash?

Ans : A. The water usage of a Samsung semi-automatic washing machine varies by model and wash cycle. It is typically around 20-30 litres.

Question : What is the average spin speed for these models?

Ans : A. Typically, the average spin speed for these models ranges from 700 to 800 RPM. Higher speeds remove more water, reducing drying time.

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EVERY DAY AROUND 3 p.m. when my attention wanes and deadlines loom large, I self-soothe by filtering my Gmail for messages larger than one megabyte and deleting them. Yet, my inbox still brims with unsolicited PDFs, unread newsletters and virtual webinar invites.

A more streamlined digital life is possible, say several professional organizers I consulted. Their main advice? Digital decluttering takes time. Stormy Perez, who specializes in creating organization systems for people that hire her on TaskRabbit in New York, recommends trying to do one digital cleanup chore each week (or even month). Here, six strategies you can undertake to start your year off right.

1. Download a password manager.

Kate Hufnagel, a digital organizer based in Monument, Colo., has worked with clients who keep all their login credentials in a spreadsheet, Google Doc, even on random scraps of paper strewn throughout the house. Though storing passwords in your internet browser is more convenient, she says, it creates a security risk. Her suggestion: Instead, get a password manager, which helps generate more-secure passwords and stores all your login information in one safe place. Amanda Jefferson, an organizer based in West Chester, Penn., specifically recommends 1Password, which costs $3 a month.

2. Delete extra apps.

Has your phone screen started to look as chaotic as a living room featured on Hoarders"? Sweep away as many apps as you can. Lindsey Mahanna, a professional organizer in Morris County, N.J., suggests you start by uninstalling any apps that you havent used in the past month. Then, reposition the remaining app icons according to priority. Reserve the first page of your home screen for apps you use daily, the second for ones you use less often and so on. Just make sure to leave a bit of room. Having a little open space on that front page makes it seem calmer and less cluttered," said Mahanna.

3. Purge your inbox.

Manually opening and deleting emails gets tedious fast. But inbox zero can be yours with some shortcuts. Take the time to unsubscribe," said Alex Brzozowski, a digital organizer who is based in San Diego. She recommends people use Clean Email (from $10 a month), which will unsubscribe you from mailing lists, prescreen messages from new senders and automatically keep your account organized with folders. (Unroll.Me will unsubscribe you from unwanted emails for free, but Brzozowski warns that it sells your information.)

4. Create an email alias.

You simply do not need to give everyone your primary email address. Mahanna suggests you dedicate one email account for purchases, to spare your main inbox from promotions. If you use Gmail, its very easy to check multiple accounts through its app," she said.

5. Unfollow extra accounts.

New year, new feed. Perez said now is a great time to scroll through the list of accounts you follow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. and unfollow any people that you dont know, arent interested in or make you feel bad about yourself. That is, if you havent already deleted the apps altogether.

6. Be humble, use Google.

Jefferson says that when her clients are trying to get a grip on their digital landscapes, they often just give up if stuck. But you can troubleshoot most problems with a quick Google search, she said. Usually the first few search results will provide super-easy, step-by-step instructions to solve a problem that has been driving [you] nuts." For instance, a fast Google query just revealed that I can enable auto-deletion on my computer, so that I dont have to remember to Empty Trash" regularly myself.
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In recent years, the global economic landscape has witnessed significant shifts, with China and Russia increasingly challenging the longstanding dominance of the US dollar. While the USA has historically wielded considerable influence through its currency, the weaponization of the US dollar and the response by strategic adversaries like China and Russia signals a pivotal juncture in global economic dynamics.

Challenging Assumptions of US Dollar Dominance

For decades, the assumption that the USA controlled the world economy through the preeminence of the US dollar has shaped global economic policies, trade dynamics, and geopolitical strategies. However, the strategic counter maneuvers by China and Russia to diminish the dominance of the US dollar underscore a fundamental miscalculation of US hegemony.

Strategic Alignments and Economic Alliances

China and Russias concerted efforts to diversify their foreign reserves, promote bilateral trade agreements, and establish alternative financial infrastructures reflect a calculated strategy to reduce dependency on the US dollar. Initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), and the establishment of alternative payment systems challenge the traditional financial frameworks dominated by Western institutions.

Weaponizing Financial Instruments

The weaponization of the US dollar extends beyond mere economic strategies; it encompasses the utilization of financial instruments, sanctions, and regulatory frameworks to exert influence, impose constraints, and advance geopolitical objectives. China and Russias efforts to develop alternative payment systems, digital currencies, and trade mechanisms circumvent US-led politically motivated financial sanctions, promote economic sovereignty, and foster multipolarity in the global financial system.

Implications for the USA

The diminishing influence of the US dollar, coupled with the strategic initiatives by China and Russia, poses significant implications for the USA. A loss of financial leverage, reduced influence over global economic policies, and challenges to the primacy of the US dollar could undermine US geopolitical objectives, economic competitiveness, and strategic alliances.

Moreover, the weaponization of the US dollar and subsequent reactions by China and Russia reflects a broader geopolitical contest for influence, power, and control in an increasingly multipolar world. As the USA confronts these evolving dynamics, it must reassess its economic strategies, diplomatic engagements, and geopolitical alignments to navigate the complexities of a shifting global order.

Conclusion

The weaponization of the US dollar and the countermeasures by China and Russia signifies a paradigm shift in global economic dynamics, challenging longstanding assumptions of US dominance. As China and Russia continue to promote alternative financial systems, payment mechanisms, and trade agreements, the USA must recognize, adapt, and navigate the complexities of a multipolar world.

By understanding the strategic motivations, economic implications, and geopolitical consequences of the weaponization of the US dollar, policymakers, economists, and stakeholders can anticipate, adapt, and engage constructively in shaping a more equitable, resilient, and cooperative global financial system.

Shayne Heffernan
A federal judge delivered a major setback to the father and brother of a Lackawanna woman they are accused of kidnapping.

U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra Jr. ruled that Customs and Border Protection officers legally searched text messages on the brothers cellphone at Boston Logan International Airport. The text messages tipped them off to the Lackawanna familys turmoil and led to criminal charges.

Prosecutors have described an elaborate plot relying on trickery to kidnap the 22-year-old woman from Mexico to the United States, then from the United States to Egypt, and finally from Egypt to Yemen.

Sinatra denied a defense motion to suppress the cellphone evidence.

It was one of several motions Sinatra decided in the prosecutions favor Wednesday, including evidence from search warrants, remarks during a jailhouse phone call and spontaneous statements to FBI agents.

The officers did not need reasonable suspicion or probable cause to inspect Waleed Abughanems cellphone or ask him for the pass code when he arrived from Yemen on Dec. 17, 2022, Sinatra ruled.

That is when Waleed Abughanem left his sister in the custody of his spouse in Yemen and flew back to the United States, landing in Boston.

Waleed Abughanem was detained at the Boston airport and told he could not leave the CBP area or re-enter the United States until he provided access to his personal cellphone, said his lawyer Eric Soehnlein.

Even though he did not want to, he complied with the request, Soehnlein said. When an officer scrolled through his messages, the officer saw messages to his father in a Yemeni dialect discussing his sister.

CBP translated one text message to, if she sits for the rest of her life, this is what will happen. If she does not change her mind, she will be killed, and no one will say anything.

But for that cellphone search, Waleed Abughanem would not have been charged with a crime, Soehnlein said.

The government did not apply for a search warrant for the cellphone until he was arrested in February, he said.

Khaled Abughanem, 50, and his son, Waleed, 32, have been in jail since February. Both have pleaded not guilty to kidnapping conspiracy charges. The fathers lawyers describe Khaled Abughanem as a loving father to his 22-year-old daughter who was trying to protect her after she sneaked away from the familys Lackawanna home to Mexico to marry a man he had never met. FBI agents arrested another brother, Adham Abughanem, at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York upon his arrival from Dubai in November. Sinatra ordered him detained, as well. Any motions he makes as part of his defense will be handled separately as his case proceeds.

Because she attempted to marry someone of her own choosing, rather than entering into a forced marriage, Khaled Abughanem and his sons Waleed and Adham conspired to hold her against her will in Yemen for roughly 16 months, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles Kruly and Maeve Huggins have said.

Soehnlein argued that the government should not be able to compel inspection and imaging of an individuals cellphone at the border without their consent, without reasonable suspicion or without probable cause.

After the CBP officer found that message, a watch commander authorized a forensic search of Abughanems phone.

Huggins and Kruly told Sinatra that Abughanem offered no reason to conclude that CBP would be unjustified in searching for information related to a scheme to kidnap a U.S. citizen across international boundaries.

In an affidavit, Khaled Abughanem said that when he was arrested Feb. 14 at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, the FBI agents read some rights to him which he said he did not fully understand.

He said he told the agents he wanted to have an attorney and declined to speak with them or sign any forms they put before him.

One of the agents continued to speak with me, he said. I felt threatened by the way he was talking with me. He made statements to me about my daughter, threatening me, to the effect, bad things would happen to me. He also ordered me to bring my daughter home to the United States. I felt that I had no other choice but to speak with the agent and explain certain things because of the threatening nature of what he was saying to me.

The defendant knew his rights, and he chose to speak to the agents, Kruly said.

Sinatra agreed and allowed the spontaneous comments to be used as evidence.

Khaled Abughanem also sought to suppress statements he made on the telephone at the Cattaraugus County jail.

He said the conversations he had with his wife were privileged and should not be used against him.

In one phone call, he said, I will wait for three days, three days, otherwise the one over there will be slaughtered, according to the criminal complaint against him.

Authorities believe he was referring to his daughter, then in Yemen, so they added a charge against him: threatening to retaliate against a witness, victim or an informant.

While I do speak English, I did not have a firm understanding at the time of many of the conversations that I was being listened to, monitored or tape recorded, he said in his affidavit. It was my belief, for the most part, the conversations I was having with anyone over the phone from the Cattaraugus County jail were private conversations and would not be tape recorded and then used against me.

Attorney Herbert Greenman, who with attorney Thomas Eoannou, represents the father, said a language barrier explains why he did not fully understand the prompts on the jails phone line about calls being recorded.

Khaled Abughanem, who was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and became a U.S. citizen, has lived in the U.S. for about 22 years.

Sinatra noted the interpreter who sits with the father during court proceedings rarely translates for him.

Im not sure Ive seen the interpreter say more than a few words to him, Sinatra said. I think he understands English just fine.

Sinatra denied the motion to suppress the jailhouse conversations.

I dont know if I can hear that one with a straight face, Sinatra said.
A Fulton County judge has ruled against a media company that sued the city of Sandy Springs over its interpretation of the state's Open Records Act
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Four donkey foals born after their malnourished mothers were rescued from an abandoned herd are now thriving at their sanctuary home.

Tweety, Milana, Sora and Bluebird have become part of the family at Donkey Sanctuary Ireland in Mallow, Co Cork less than a year after the discovery of the badly neglected group of donkeys in a field in Co Galway.

Four of the animals in the herd were in such bad condition that they had to be put down on site.

Among the group, the Donkey Sanctuary team identified four pregnant mares, three of which already had young foals, as the donkeys in most need of urgent care and all seven animals were transported down to one of the charitys farms in Cork.

Unfortunately, one of the mares, Linnet, died shortly after giving birth, to Milana, requiring staff at the sanctuary to bottle feed the young foal in her early weeks of life.

Orphaned Milana has however since developed a close bond with mare Starling and her foal Tweety, and the trio now spend all their time together.

Head of Donkey Welfare at the sanctuary, Cathy Griffin, said the outlook for the four young foals would have been very bleak if the abandoned herd had not been reported.

There are foals there that if we hadnt intervened, the likelihood is that none of them would have survived where they were, because their mothers were all compromised and they certainly werent going to be getting the specialist vet care that they needed when they were born with us, she said.

So, we likely would have been lucky if any of them had survived and now, because of our intervention, they get to live out their life, knowing nothing but kindness and what good donkey welfare is and enjoy their lives.

And it would be nice to think that they perhaps then could go back out on our rehoming scheme and give somebody else the pleasure of having lovely donkeys as pets and give something back in that way.

But, either way, theyll have us looking out for them for the rest of their lives.

So, theyve kind of won the donkey lottery in a way.

Donkey Sanctuary Ireland is currently at full capacity and can only offer care for other animals in exceptional circumstances.

Ms Griffin said many other animal charities in Ireland are in a similar situation, finding it hard to deal with increasing demand for its services amid mounting budget pressures.

I suppose the real thought Id have is I know these four are really lucky foals, but we dont have space for the next foal that needs help and whats going to happen to it? she said.

And thats a worry that we carry all the time. You know, what about the next pregnant mare and the next foal and all of the rescues are full, all of the animal charities are on their knees struggling with the numbers of animals, whether its dogs or donkeys or horses, were all in the same boat, and something has got to change.

She added: The foals they are beautiful and everybody wants to go and cuddle them and spend time with them. Theyre amazing animals and were delighted that theyre healthy now and doing well and, you know, theyre part of the Donkey Sanctuary family now.

But from a practical sense, the amount of work and resources that have gone into these donkeys is just huge, from staff having to come in during the night to check on them and feed the little orphan foal throughout the night.

It puts such a huge pressure on the resources of a charity thats already struggling with the number of donkeys they have.

With space at the sanctuary at a premium, the charity is now placing enhanced focus on prevention and community-based solutions to try to reduce the number of neglect and abandonment cases.

This year it undertook 13% more welfare calls out in the community and also performed around 100 donkey castrations, up 30% on 2022, in a bid to tackle unplanned breeding.

The sanctuary says this proactive approach in the community is designed to reduce the number of donkeys that will ultimately need sanctuary, making the welfare crisis more manageable going forward.

Ms Griffin explained the charitys rationale.

Its trying to get in early now, to educate and help people understand what donkeys need, try and help people understand donkeys are not native to Ireland, they evolved to live in a desert environment, so when theyre in this country, where its the complete opposite environment, you have to make certain changes to how you keep them, how you feed them, how you care for them, she said.

And, if you do that, they have a really nice life. If you dont, theyll suffer, and its just helping people to understand all that.

To help support the work of Donkey Sanctuary Ireland visit www.thedonkeysanctuary.ie
Governor Kathy Hochul today joined Acting Superintendent Dominick L. Chiumento in honoring 232 new State Troopers as they graduated from the 213th session of the Basic School of the New York State Police Academy. The ceremony was held at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany. Todays graduation increases the State Police ranks to 4,781 sworn members.

I commend these 232 men and women for dedicating themselves to public service, and their commitment to protecting the people of New York State, Governor Hochul said. The members of the New York State Police put their lives on the line each day to keep the rest of us safe  in a world where their mission has grown more challenging and complex. On behalf of all New Yorkers, I want to thank the graduates for their hard work and perseverance  and welcome them to the long gray line.

New York State Police Acting Superintendent Dominick L. Chiumento said, Today marks another significant moment in the proud history of the New York State Police. The graduation ceremony is one of our finest traditions and introduces a new generation of highly trained Troopers, who will serve the citizens of the State of New York with honor and integrity. They have endured months of intense training both within and outside the classroom, and have earned their place in our ranks. I am proud to welcome these graduates to the most prestigious and well-respected law enforcement agency in the nation.

Since the last State Police graduation in June, the State Police were involved in lifesaving, monumental cases across New York State. The State Police was involved in the capture of the Gilgo Beach serial killer, bringing back a sense of security to a Long Island community. In addition, the State Police were involved in saving the lives of more than 50 high school students from Farmingdale in a bus crash in Orange County. Lastly, the State Police were instrumental in returning a young girl home after being kidnapped from a state park.

In addition to honoring all graduates from the 213th Session of Basic School, Acting Superintendent Chiumento presented the following awards:

Academic Achievement Award

As a special incentive for all students attending the State Police Academy Basic School, the Superintendent sponsors the awarding of a firearm for the attainment of the highest level of academic performance during Academy training. The winner of the Academic Achievement Award is Trooper Mark J. Novello, a 24-year-old resident of Astoria, New York. He is a graduate of Adelphi University with a bachelors degree in Criminal Justice. Prior to joining the New York State Police as a Trooper, he was a Police Officer with the New York City Police Department for 2 years. Throughout the Academy training program, he achieved an outstanding overall academic average of 97.23 percent. He will be assigned to Troop K.

Firearms Proficiency Award

The New York State Trooper Foundation has sponsored the awarding of a firearm for the attainment of the highest level of performance in all phases of firearms training.

The winner of the Superintendents Firearms Proficiency Award is Trooper David A. Heath, age 25, of Central Square, New York. Prior to joining the New York State Police, he was a Deputy with the Oswego County Sheriffs Office for 4 years. During firearms training, he fired an average score of 250 out of a possible 250. He will be assigned to Troop D.

Investigator Joseph T. Aversa Physical Fitness Award

The New York State Police Investigators Association has sponsored the awarding of a firearm for the attainment of the highest degree of physical fitness during the Physical Training Program at the Academy. This award will be presented in memory of deceased Investigator Joseph Aversa. Investigator Aversa made the ultimate sacrifice in New York City on March 5, 1990, during a narcotics investigation while serving as a member of the Joint Drug Enforcement Task Force. Investigator Aversa was a six-year State Police veteran who believed that physical conditioning was an integral part of being a Trooper.

The recipient of this Award is Trooper Paul R. Tripi, who resides in Cheektowaga, New York. He is a graduate of Wheeling University with a bachelors degree in Exercise Science. During the physical agility testing, he achieved the highest score of all 232 members of the 213th Session, a tribute to his superb physical conditioning. He will be assigned to Troop A.

Student Representative

The New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association (PBA) has sponsored the awarding of a firearm to the member of the class who is selected by his or her peers to represent them during these exercises. The PBA presents the award in memory of Trooper John J. McKenna IV, who was killed in action in 2006, while serving his country as a Marine in Iraq.

The recipient of this Award is Trooper Kevin J. Knightes, age 32, who resides in Schenectady, New York. He is a graduate of Fordham University with a bachelors degree in Middle East Studies. Prior to joining the New York State Police, he worked at Rotterdam Police Department for 4 years and served in the United States military for 12 years. He will be assigned to Troop G.

The graduation ceremony was held at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany. The National Anthem was performed by Trooper Cameron D. Fryer. The ceremony included a video presentation of the training received by all members of the 213th Basic School Session.

The new Troopers will report for field duty on December 27, 2023. For the following 10 weeks, the new Troopers will be evaluated under a field-training program supervised by senior Field Training Officers.
Nassau County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D  Glen Cove) thanked her colleagues in the Legislature for voting unanimously to approve a $6,500 Hotel-Motel Occupancy Tax Fund grant for the North Shore Historical Museum in Glen Cove.

The funds will be applied toward ongoing renovations of the circa-1907 Justices Court Building which houses the museum. To date, 38 of the buildings 60 storm windows have been renovated in accordance with historic preservation standards; the new grant will equip the Museum to complete another five to six of the remaining windows, which will be equipped with a special film on the glass to protect the museums collections and exhibits. The Courthouse is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places.

The Museums mission is to preserve the history of the North Shore of Long Island through the stewardship of its collections and historic structure to engage the public, and to interpret the history of the North Shore, in particular the area once known as the Gold Coast, through exhibitions, lectures, and programs.
Crime

By Chris Boyle Published: December 26 2023

Anyone with information in the case is asked to contact the Riverhead Town Police Department at 631-727-4500.

A 39-year-old Selden woman is under arrest After police say she left a sleeping 7-year-old child unattended and a running car outside of a riverhead business on Christmas; a car that was subsequently stolen, prompting a massive and desperate search by several law enforcement agencies to locate the vehicle and the innocent child within.

According to Riverhead Town Police, the woman had left her Ford Fusion running with the heat on while she went inside the Riverhead Stationery store at approximately 11 p.m. on Monday. While she was inside, an unidentified suspect jumped into the vehicle - the child still sleeping in the back seat - and drove off, officials say.

Rriverhead, Southampton, and New York State Police conducted a widespread and intense search for the missing vehicle, which was eventually discovered in Flanders approximately four miles from where it was stolen. Authorities report that the child was discovered completely unharmed, still sleeping in the back seat where he was originally left.

Suffolk County police utilizing canine units conducted a search of the surrounding area for the suspect who had stolen the vehicle, but were unable to locate them.

The owner of the vehicle - whose identity was not publicly released to protect the identity of the child victim - was arrested on charges of endangering the welfare of a child.

Anyone with information in the case is asked to contact the Riverhead Town Police Department at 631-727-4500.
Its the question asked from River Road to Niagara Falls Boulevard every year beginning around Oct. 31.

No, its not: Mom and Dad, how much of my Halloween candy am I allowed to eat?

Its: Will the Town of Tonawanda let me park on the street for another two weeks?

The town, like nearly all Buffalo Niagara suburbs, bans on-street parking overnight to allow plows to clear roads during the winter.

For at least 40 years, Tonawandas ban has taken effect Nov. 1 and ended April 1. But thats about to change.

The Town Board voted at its Dec. 18 meeting to delay the effective date for the parking ban two weeks, until Nov. 15, and to lift the ban two weeks early, on March 15.

Town of Tonawanda imposes overnight winter parking ban The town is imposing its on-street parking restrictions effective 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Its a step driven by changing weather patterns and a need for year-over-year consistency in when to impose the winter parking ban, Tonawanda Supervisor Joseph Emminger said.

Once again, at the boards discretion, every year they can extend it or lift it early, if need be, Emminger said at the Town Board meeting. But, I do want to say this, it becomes problematic to our police officers and our judges to have the parking ban dates  its on, its off, its on, its off  like weve been known to do in the last couple of years.

Some communities are known for setting the start and end dates for their on-street parking bans and sticking to them no matter what the forecast shows.

The City of Tonawanda, for example, begins to ban street parking on Oct. 1 and rarely if ever delays this prohibition further into the fall. Its a similar situation in Amherst, where the ban starts on Nov. 1, though former Supervisor Barry Weinstein did delay the ban for at least two weeks in 2016.

In the Town of Tonawanda, officials will delay the ban for two weeks at a time if the forecast is favorable.

Over the last 10 years, I bet you weve done it almost every year, Emminger said of delays to Nov. 15, citing the overall temperature and snowfall trends.

This year, the town delayed the beginning of the ban throughout the month of November. The law, which bans parking on town streets between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., took effect on Dec. 1.

The Village of Kenmore, however, delayed its parking ban until Dec. 15 and again until Jan. 2.

The town on Thursday announced it was temporarily suspending the ban through the holiday season. It will go back into effect at 2 a.m. Jan. 3.

Its just a judgment call by the government, Kenmore Mayor Patrick Mang said. And we recognize the fact its the holidays and people have got company coming in from out of town and lots of people over. So, basically, if theres no snow in the forecast, we look out that far and, if theres no snow, we just kind of take that chance.

Mang said that while the region still sees the occasional major snowstorm in November or early December, winters overall are trending milder and parking ban delays are becoming more frequent.

I do believe its due to climate change. We all have to admit our winters are, when they start, theyre fairly mild into December, he said. And the residents like it when they can still park on the street for a couple extra months, you know?

When the town or village bans are delayed, officials urge residents to move their vehicles in case of a snowstorm.

People use common sense, Emminger said. If it gets bad, we tell people to get off the street.

This, combined with the delay in putting the ban in effect, can lead to confusion, the supervisor said.

By starting the ban two weeks later and ending it two weeks earlier, under the law that passed Dec. 18, the town can avoid this problem, he said.

Emminger said judges in the past have dismissed parking tickets when residents have come to Town Court and argued they didnt know the ban was in effect.

The people go in there and say, We never knew it was back on, he said in an interview.

This year, town police have not ticketed anyone for parking overnight on town streets since the ban took effect Dec. 1, Town Attorney Michael Kooshoian said in an email.

The change approved Dec. 18 didnt appear to raise concerns among town residents. No one spoke at the public hearing that preceded the vote.

Emminger said he hopes the town can, in the future, take advantage of upgraded technology to reach people with alerts sent to their smart devices announcing the beginning or end of the street parking ban.

Itd be nice if we just were able to flick on a switch and the message went out to everybody in the town to say hey, The overnight parking ban is starting tonight. Get your cars off the road, Emminger said at the meeting. But were not there yet. Maybe someday we will be but were not there yet.
The U.S. military launched airstrikes in Iraq against Hezbollah Brigades, an Iranian proxy, and allied militias after three U.S. soldiers were wounded, including one critically, when a drone struck a U.S. airbase in Erbil on Dec. 25. But the Biden administration continued to send mixed messages to the Iranian-backed militias and Iran itself, as it says it does not seek to escalate conflict in the region.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin described the strikes as necessary and proportionate and said it targeted three facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah [Hezbollah Brigades] and affiliated groups in Iraq.

These U.S. airstrikes destroyed the targeted facilities and likely killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants, according to a statement by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).

Following the strikes, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) announced the death of Dera Hassan, a fighter belonging to the organization.

Hezbollah Brigades is a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization and is led by Ahmad al-Hamidawi. Hezbollah Brigades receives training, funds, weapons, intelligence and other key aid from Irans Qods Force. The terror group is responsible for killing hundreds of American soldiers in Iraq. Hezbollah Brigades was founded by Abu Mahdi al Muhandis, who was listed by the U.S. government as a specially designated global terrorist in July 2009 and was described as an advisor to former Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani. Muhandis, along with Qaiz Khazali, played a key role in the Shia militias formation and subsequent attacks on U.S., Coalition, and Iraqi forces. The U.S. killed Muhandis and Soleimani in an airstrike in Baghdad in 2020.

While the Pentagon has not disclosed the exact number of strikes the Iranian-backed militias have conducted against U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria, a Department of Defense official told FDDs Long War Journal that the number is over 90 and quickly approaching 100. More than 50 U.S. soldiers have been wounded in the militia attacks. The U.S. has responded with only six counterstrikes, four in Iraq and two in Syria.

Austin continued to send muddled messages to Iran and its proxies. On one hand, Austin attempted to project strength, and indicated that the counterstrikes could prevent future attacks. The airstrikes that hit Hezbollah Brigades and its allies were intended to disrupt and degrade capabilities of the Iran-aligned militia groups directly responsible, Austin said.

On the other hand, Austin signaled reluctance to conduct further strikes against the militias, and there is no indication that the real driver of the conflict, Iran, will be forced to pay a price.

While we do not seek to escalate conflict in the region, we are committed and fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities, Austin said.

In an effort to force the U.S. to abandon the Middle East and support Hamas in its war against Israel, Iran is leveraging its network of militias, referred to as the Axis of Resistance, and is ratcheting up pressure on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, as well as against international shipping in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Indian Ocean. In addition to the attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria, an Iraqi militia recently targeted the city of Eilat, Israel. However, that drone was shot down by Jordanian air defenses.

Meanwhile, the Houthis  another Iranian-backed militia  continue to disrupt maritime traffic passing through the Red Sea. Today, the USS Laboon, a U.S. Navy destroyer, and F/A-18 fighters USS Eisenhower shot down twelve one-way attack drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles, and two land attack cruise missiles in the Southern Red Sea that were fired by the Houthis. On Dec. 23, USS Laboon shot down four Houthi drones that were inbound as it was patrolling the Red Sea while Houthi drones targeted two oil tankers. One of the ships was struck. The Houthis have launched at least 15 attacks against commercial vessels since Oct. 17, according to CENTCOM. In the Indian Ocean, an Iranian drone struck a Japanese-owned chemical tanker. The U.S. and international community have yet to respond with force to Houthi and Iranian attacks on commercial vessels or even their own warships.

The U.S. has formed an international coalition, called Operation Prosperity Guardian, to deal with the Houthi threat. However, it has gotten off to a rocky start, with France refusing to abide by U.S. leadership, and Spain denying Austins claims that it joined the coalition. Australia, a close U.S. ally, refused to send ships to support the mission. The cracks in Operation Prosperity Guardian and the weak messaging by the U.S. on militia attacks in Iraq and Syria likely will only embolden Iran and its Axis of Resistance.

Joe Truzman is a research analyst at FDD's Long War Journal focused primarily on Palestinian militant groups and Hezbollah. Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
Manchester, VT (05254)

Today

Cloudy with snow showers developing for the afternoon. Temps nearly steady in the mid 30s. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 60%..

Tonight

Mainly cloudy with snow showers around this evening. Low around 30F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 40%.
A 70-year-old man has died more than a week after he was rescued from a two-alarm fire that broke out in Newton earlier this month, according to local officials.

The fire broke out near 125 Allen Ave. at around 10 a.m. on Dec. 13, the Department of Fire Services said in a release Tuesday. By the time firefighters arrived, one person had already escaped the burning building while another was trapped inside.

Crews entered the home and pulled the person, later identified as the 70-year-old man, to safety. He was brought to Massachusetts General Hospital with serious injuries, officials said. He died on Saturday, Dec. 23.

This is a terrible loss for them and for the community, especially during the holiday season, Newton Fire Chief Gregory J. Gentile said. I want to remind all our residents just how important it is to have working smoke alarms on every level of your home, especially for older adults.

The fire caused significant damage to the home and was brought under control after about half an hour, officials added. The Newton firefighter who rescued the man was also hospitalized with serious injuries, but has since been released and is recovering.

At this time, investigators believe the fire was accidental and started in the living room with a lamp that was not working properly.

Electrical events like this one are historically the third leading cause of fire deaths in Massachusetts, State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine said. Having your homes electrical system inspected by a licensed professional every 10 years can identify problems before they become emergencies.

Anyone who has an appliance in their home that is sparking or smoking should unplug it right away and call 911 for help.
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Nadia Pizarro waited a long time for this chance.

On Friday, she and Will Marcy reunited with Firefighter Sam Merlo at the Buffalo Fire Department repair shop on Seventh Street, almost a year to the day since they all were last together.

Twelve months ago, on a blinding Friday night in late December, Merlo knocked on the window of an SUV when Marcy and Pizarro were stranded, in the heart of the Christmas weekend blizzard.

What an amazing journey, said Pizarro, now co-chairperson of the Code Blue Collaborative, who had teamed up with Marcy on a desperate mission on that night.

Code Blue exists to provide shelter to anyone who might be living outdoors, without refuge, when temperatures fall below 32 degrees. A year ago, Pizarro  then chair of the WNY Coalition for the Homeless  joined Marcy, of the Kenmore Alliance Church Shelterless Ministry, in trying to reach as many people as they could on a night of lethal danger.

The way I felt, Pizarro said, is that we cant not go out.

They ended up stuck in deep snow, on Clinton Street. Marcy plays down the risk, saying he had plenty of gas, food and water. Merlo, too, prefers to emphasize all the firefighters, police officers and emergency workers who saved lives during the storm, insisting hes no hero for doing his job.

Through the intensity of the hug she offered Merlo, Pizarro clearly disagrees. Last week, she took part in a solstice ceremony, a homeless persons memorial, at the Buffalo Central Library. Mourners read the names of 17 people who died without shelter over the past year  including four lost in the blizzard.

Pizarro has spent years trying to offer safety to anyone facing such danger. At a time when the number of people without homes is on the rise, she speaks with gratitude of a legion of others dedicated to the same cause  particularly Jean Bennett, co-chair of Code Blue, who oversaw an effort that sheltered about 250 people during the blizzard.

Yet for a few hours in the storm, from the time Marcys SUV got stuck in deep snow until they arrived around 1 a.m. at a warm firehouse, Pizarro stepped onto the other side of what she does:

She was beyond help, with no way to get home.

Looking back on it, she was not supposed to work that day, at all. For months, Pizarro looked toward Dec. 23 as the beginning of her first two-week vacation in years. As warnings about the coming storm grew in urgency, she realized that break wasnt going to happen.

Marcy, for his part, has worked for years to build communion with women and men on the streets. I make it my business to know those guys, he said, recalling how he went out on the day before the storm to make sure about 20 people who rarely seek shelter understood the level of extreme risk.

Once the storm arrived with its unfathomable violence, Marcy wanted to find anyone who might be exposed. Pizarro was already speaking with the police, who advised her of the danger  but understood why she and Marcy felt they had to go.

I dont want anyone to die before their time, Marcy said. These are people out there suffering, theyve given me their trust, and Im going to do anything I can for them.

By Friday afternoon, he and Pizzaro decided to go on a search, and take their chances.

I told Will itd be just like old times, said Pizarro, who worked with Marcy at moments of crisis, many times before.

One of their first stops was at a tent beneath Interstate 190, where a couple often stay. It was brutally obvious, in frigid and lunar conditions, that no one inside could have survived. We were so afraid, said Pizarro, wholl never forget her relief once they pulled back the flap, and the tent was empty.

They drove next to a nearby parking ramp, where a man and a pregnant woman  caught outdoors  were in dire need of help. Marcy and Pizarro got them into the van, then dropped the couple at what was then a Code Blue shelter at Holy Cross, on Niagara Street.

From there, they turned east, hoping to reach some desperate people who had called Nadia. They had no power, and were frightened, Marcy said.

The two travelers didnt make it. Unable to see, driving a couple of miles an hour into the utterly opaque night, based only on the lines on a GPS screen, they went straight into a snow bank on Clinton Street.

In 70 mile-an-hour winds, in blinding snow, in bitter cold 

They were trapped.

There was a small shovel in the car. They tried digging themselves free, but it was hopeless. Marcy brought out a rug he keeps on hand to stick beneath his tires, for traction, and the winds blew it away like a feather. As Pizarro dug, the twisting shovel tore open her boots.

They settled into the SUV, to wait. We had food, we had water and a full tank of gas, Marcy said. Still, Pizarro said the snow was piling up so fast she worried it would block off the exhaust. They made several calls to explain where they were, and Marcys mother contacted 911 on their behalf.

A dispatcher promptly called them to lay out the reality:

She couldnt promise any help could get there.

They had already spoken by phone with Charles Garner, a Code Blue coordinator at Holy Cross, where Marcy and Pizarro had close bonds with many of the people taking shelter.

Garner drives a pickup. Joined by four of the homeless people they serve  including one who typically lives in the tent Marcy and Pizarro had first checked  Garner set out to rescue his friends.

Sean Kirst: Amid grief at death in blizzard, a renewed promise at St. Luke's The death of Larry Bierl, and the sorrow amid outreach workers and the community that tried to protect him, only intensifies the search for answers and greater

No chance. On Niagara Street, the snow became a wall. Garner had to throw the truck into reverse to make it back to Holy Cross.

Armageddon, he said of the storm.

On Clinton Street, Marcy and Pizarro considered their options. Marcy thought it wisest to remain in the SUV. Pizarro, for a multitude of reasons, had steeled herself to get out and try and walk to safety when abruptly  from the barrier of blowing snow outside their vehicle  the outline of a gloved hand knocked on the window.

It was Merlo. He was on the Ladder Two truck, which had pulled up a only few feet from the frozen SUV. Merlo recalls that driver Bill Neuman  just put in there that he loves big trucks, Merlo said  was returning to the firehouse when they noticed the hazard lights, barely visible in the snow.

They were in there, Merlo said, and I told em, You should probably come with us.

Marcy and Pizarro werent about to argue. They spent a couple of nights in the firehouse with a few other stranded travelers, doing what they could to help. Merlos wife, Jocelyn, and infant son, Massimo, were also there for shelter, and Merlo and Pizarro agree there was a shared sense of weary but intense gratitude.

We had our toes over the edge trying to save people, and we needed to be saved, and we were, Marcy said.

Sean Kirst: For founder of clinic in South Sudan, rescue in blizzard built on Epiphany Lost in the Christmas weekend blizzard, Fidele Dhan was led to safety by a family who set out looking for him. Some of his rescuers offer this thought as both a fact and a point of wonder: He was saved, without question, because of the three kings.

Two days later, he and Pizarro both took long walks to get back to what they do. Marcy, with a medical kit, was able to bring some supplies to people who needed them, sheltering at a downtown hotel.

As for Pizarro, she made it home, woke up with Covid, and then worked by phone all week on storm response. A year later, she contemplates the devastation of the blizzard and the scope of all the loss, and she can appreciate why Merlo downplays his solitary role.

But she also thinks of the people she serves every day  women and men who have lost their way to hope and shelter  and she promises she will always remember what she felt in her gut when she and Marcy were isolated, in the storm.

All I wanted so much was to be home, Pizarro said.

The knock on the window: It is the point of all her work, and it is Christmas.
A Connecticut woman is dead as a result of a single-car crash into a brook in East Longmeadow Friday night, according to the towns police chief.

Officers responded to the intersection of Parker Street and Meadowbrook Road at 11:07 p.m. after a person inside the car called 911, Police Chief Mark Williams said. The caller told dispatchers that the car had crashed into Watchaug Brook, which runs under the intersection.

Police and firefighters were able to extricate the driver from the car, but she was unconscious when she was taken to a hospital, Williams said. The 29-year-old Connecticut woman was treated at the Bay State Medical Center ICU, but died from her injuries Saturday.

There was one other person in the vehicle, but it is unclear whether they were injured in the crash, Williams said.

A guard rail at the intersection of Parker Street and Meadowbrook Road was damaged a few months ago and has not been repaired, the police chief said. However, a barrier has been up while the guard rail is being repaired, and Williams said he does not know whether the car went through the barrier when the car crashed into the brook on Friday.

No further information about the crash, including the drivers identity, has been released.
The victim in a fatal shooting in a bar in Lawrence has been identified.

Edward Javier-Perez, 29, was shot at Energy Lounge, a bar at 459 Broadway in Lawrence, according to Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tuckers office.

The call to police came in at 12:20 a.m. on Dec. 24.

Police tried to treat Javier-Perez when they found him shot at the bar, and he was taken by ambulance to Lawrence General Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, according to the District Attorneys office.

An investigation into the shooting is ongoing, the District Attorneys office said.
A family friend of Steven Zografos has started a GoFundMe page to support the family of the 22-year-old man killed in a dirt bike crash two days before Christmas.

It is with a heavy heart that I share that on December 23, 2023, Steven Zografos tragically lost his life in a dirt bike accident in Thompson, Ct., the page says. Steven loved riding dirt bikes and being surrounded by friends and family.

The page was organized by Kelly Porter, the mother of one of Stevens friends Hunter.

Read more: Driver dies after crashing into brook under Massachusetts intersection

Zografos, of Oxford, Mass., was pronounced dead at the scene of a crash at Quaddick State Forest in Connecticut, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Conservation officials said Sunday.

The crash involved two dirt bikes. Environmental Conservation Police and the Connecticut State Police responded to the state forest around 4 p.m. Saturday, officials said. A 21-year-old man also involved in the collision was flown by helicopter to a local hospital.

The state forest is located in northeast Connecticut, near the border with Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Steven was loved by so many and his smile was infections, the GoFundMe reads. Please consider offering financial support to Stevens family at this most difficult time to plan his final arrangements.

The funds will be given to the Zografos family. As of 8 a.m. on Tuesday, more than $1,700 had been raised out of a goal of $15,000.

Life is so precious and Stevens life was taken far too soon, the GoFundMe read.
Actor Kevin Spacey may bring his once-popular Netflix character to life more than ever after suggesting  as Frank Underwood  he may have to run for president next year as a sacrifice for the people during a confusing Christmas Eve interview with Tucker Carlson.

The former House of Cards star covered a slew of topics in an interview with the former Fox News anchor that aired on Sunday, Dec. 24. Spacey has been known to deliver such holiday videos over the years.

For this one, Spacey was in character during the entire seven-minute video with Carlson, portraying Frank Underwood, even looking at the camera occasionally and speaking directly to the viewer as he did on the popular Netflix show that aired 2013-2018.

Spacey, still in character, referred to being fired by Netflix, which produced House of Cards, after multiple sexual assault accusations against him surfaced. During that portion of the interview, Spacey took credit for Netflixs trademark opening tu-dum sound effect. He also said allegations against him are not true.

It is bizarre that they decided to publicly cut ties with me on allegations alone, allegations that have now been proven false, he said. Netflix exists because of me. I put them on the map and they tried to put me in the ground.

The allegations eventually led to Spaceys character, politician and eventual president, Frank Underwood, being written out of the show in 2018.

Spacey, who was acquitted of nine charges stemming from allegations of sexual misconduct in the United Kingdom that surfaced in 2017, was found not guilty by a London jury this July.

But perhaps the biggest mic drop from the interview was when the now-publicly disgraced actor, or at least Frank Underwood, expressed his interest in running for president. Spacey, who delivered annual Christmas Eve videos from 2018-2020, the first two in character as Frank Underwood, implied hes considering a potential 2024 run.

Carlson said it is nearly impossible for a new candidate to throw their hat in the ring now, but he also said Spacey (or Underwood?) could be the only person who could jump in and throw a wrench in the political plans.

There may be someone. And in fact, you already know him  you know his face, Carlson said ahead of introducing Spacey-as-Underwood. The question is, will he get in this cycle?

In response to the question, Spacey said it would truly be up to the people. But the actor said he believes that essentially nothing is completely off the table.

Read More: Kevin Spacey accused of sexually assaulting three men in the UK

I think we could both agree that we need to get some adults back in the room, Spacey said. So if that means taking on the chief executive role, well, thats a sacrifice Im willing to make for this great nation.

The pair sort of acknowledged the confusing nature of the video after Carlson asked Spacey/Underwood when he will go back to work.

Oh, Ive been back to work from the moment we started talking, Tucker, Spacey said, to which Carlson asked if the interview is a television episode or real.

Well, its probably a little of both, Spacey said. I mean, Tucker, whats true? Whats false? Whats life? Whats art? Whats real? Whats performance? I love it when these things intersect, because then it gets interesting.

The actor later concluded the interview by saying, We need someone in the White House whos not afraid, like me  not afraid to push our country or a journalist in the right direction if it comes to that.

You can watch the full interview below and decide for yourself who is suggesting they might run for president: Spacey or Underwood.
Two members of a family from Dighton, including a 14-year-old boy, were killed in a head-on crash late Christmas night, and a man from New York City has been charged with motor vehicle homicide and driving under the influence in connection to the fatal crash, state police said.

Adam Gauthier, 41, faces several charges including motor vehicle homicide while under the influence, manslaughter and other motor vehicle violations, police said.

The crash happened at 11:10 p.m. on Dec. 25, on the westbound side of Veterans Memorial bridge that connects Somerset and Fall River, police said.
Drivers in Massachusetts should proceed with caution as they travel across the state Tuesday morning. The National Weather Service warns of dense fog that will persist through most of the morning, as well as black ice in Central and Western Massachusetts.

Most of Massachusetts is under a dense fog warning until 10 a.m. The weather service said it could impact visibility as far as a quarter mile in front of cars. It recommends that drivers slow down, use their headlights and leave plenty of room ahead of them in case they need to stop unexpectedly.

The weather service also warns of patchy black ice in Central and Western Massachusetts Tuesday morning. It recommends that drivers use caution if traveling, especially on bridges and overpasses, as roads that look wet may actually have a thin layer of ice. The threat will lessen beginning at 9 a.m. as temperatures warm, the weather service said.

The rest of the day is expected to be mild, with partly sunny skies and temperatures in the low 50s in Eastern and Central Massachusetts and temperatures in the high 40s with mostly cloudy skies in Western Massachusetts, according to the weather service. Lows overnight across the state should be in the upper 30s and low 40s.

Highs across Massachusetts Tuesday are expected to be in the upper 40s and low 50s, according to the National Weather Service.National Weather Service

The rest of the week is expected to be rainy, according to the weather service. The Berkshires have a 50% chance of rain beginning Tuesday night, while the rest of the state likely wont see rain until Wednesday afternoon. That rain is expected to stick around until Saturday morning, and higher elevations may see some snow mixed in that morning.

Meanwhile, the weather service predicts highs in the low 50s and upper 40s on Wednesday and Thursday, and then the low to mid 40s on Friday. Lows overnight should start in the low 40s before dropping to the mid and then lower 40s.

Read more: Bomb threat targets Marshalls store on Christmas Eve

The weekend is expected to be clear and cool, with highs in the upper 30s and low 40s, according to the weather service. Lows overnight are expected to dip into the low to mid 20s.
Legislation providing in vitro fertilization therapy to LGBTQ+ Massachusetts veterans faces a January hearing. The federal Veterans Administration does not allow such therapy to veterans in same-sex marriages.

The Healey administration filed legislation called the Hero Act to provide a range of services to Massachusetts veterans, including thousands of LGBTQ+ citizens who served. Gov. Maura T. Healey is the first Massachusetts governor who openly identifies as gay.
Turtleboy blogger Aiden Kearney turned himself in to police Tuesday after being charged with domestic assault and battery and intimidation of a witness over the weekend, according to a special prosecutor.

According to attorney Ken Mello, a special prosecutor appointed by the Norfolk district attorney to handle Kearneys case in a related matter, the charges stem from a Saturday incident in Medfield involving Kearneys then-girlfriend, who is also a witness for the prosecution in Kearneys ongoing witness intimidation case.

Kearney was previously charged with witness intimidation in connection with allegations he harassed witnesses connected with the case of Karen Read  a Mansfield woman accused of killing her then-boyfriend and Boston police officer John OKeefe.

Kearney, a Holden resident behind the controversial TB Daily News website, has repeatedly said he believes Read is innocent.

The Saturday incident comes less than two days after Kearney was released on personal recognizance bail without conditions during his arraignment in Norfolk County Superior Court on the witness intimidation charges.

The victim involved in the Saturday incident is a Medfield woman who was dating Kearney until the incident, Mello said. The incident happened late Saturday night at her home, he said, and the unidentified woman contacted Medfield police after, leading to the new charges.

Mello would not comment on the incident or charges further, other than to say they came as a surprise to him. He said Kearney was still in police custody Tuesday afternoon.

A Tuesday post on the official Turtleboy Facebook page addressed the new charges. Attention: Aidan has been framed for A&B. He can prove his innocence, but he also currently has strict bail conditions, the post reads.

Kearney was first charged with witness intimidation in connection with the Karen Read case in October. When Kearney was arraigned on the initial charges, the judge ordered him released with conditions, including having no contact with the people he was accused of intimidating. The superior court judges decision Friday had no such conditions.

On Dec. 20, a grand jury indicted Kearney on 18 charges in connection with the Karen Read case, including eight counts of witness intimidation. He pleaded not guilty to the charges Friday.

Karen Read was first charged for OKeefes death in 2022 and now faces charges including second-degree murder. As her case has advanced, Kearney has been among her most ardent supporters. He claims, as have others, that she is the victim of a cover-up, and often posts about the case on his website and social media platforms.

But in October, authorities accused Kearney of trying to intimidate the lead investigator in the Read case, as well as his family, and other witnesses for the prosecution. Court documents accuse him of harassing them through voicemails and text messages and conspiring with a police dispatcher to get information on them.

Prosecutors have also accused Kearney of encouraging his followers to harass witnesses. But Kearney and his attorney have argued hes an investigative journalist being targeted for uncovering corruption.
Dear Readers: As I offer my 20th annual year-end charity roundup, Id like to remind readers that while charity truly does begin at home, it need not stay there.

Those who can afford to share their material wealth should give abundantly, donating locally to the local library, after-school program, hospice center, arts organizations, historical society and animal shelter.

Acts of kindness and compassion are always worth their weight in gold: Shoveling a walk for a neighbor, writing a letter to an elder and volunteering at the local food bank are all ways to express your generosity.

All of the organizations I recommend have the highest rating by Charity Navigator, a trusted source. Always do your own research before donating, and choose organizations that align with your own values.

Supplying shelter

Habitat for Humanity: In 2023 Habitat for Humanity helped 13.4 million people build or improve a place to call home. You can honor the humanitarian generosity of President Jimmy Carter and the memory of first lady Rosalynn Carter by funding a project or volunteering in your own community. Habitat.org.

Supporting education

ScholarMatch: Author Dave Eggers founded this nonprofit in 2010 as a way to help first-generation college students from low-income backgrounds attend college. They provide scholarships and full support all the way through to graduation. ScholarMatch.org.

Donors Choose: Prospective donors can choose a specific classroom project to fund  from donating art supplies and musical instruments to classroom technology and gym equipment. Donorschoose.org.

American Indian College Fund: The mission is simple  to send Native American and Alaska Native students to college. Every year, around 4,000 scholarships are granted to motivated students. They also support accredited tribal colleges and universities. Collegefund.org.

Serving service members

The needs of veterans are wide-ranging. These organizations serve veterans.

Travis Mills Foundation: Founder Travis Mills lost portions of all of his limbs due to an IED explosion while serving in Afghanistan. He coined the term recalibrated veteran to describe those wounded in service.

These veterans and their families are brought to a retreat center in Maine for an adaptive, barrier-free opportunity to regroup, relax and connect with other veterans and their families. Travismillsfoundation.org.

K9s for Warriors: Determined to end veteran suicide, K9s for Warriors provides highly trained service dogs to military veterans suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injury and/or military sexual trauma, the organizations website states. In a beautiful symmetry, service dogs are rescued from shelters, and then humans and dogs rescue each other. K9sforwarriors.org.

Emergency response for victims of war in Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine

Project HOPE: In 1958, Project HOPE founder Dr. William B. Walsh worked with U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower to charter a U.S. Navy hospital ship for $1/year, to deliver medical supplies to areas of conflict around the world.

Now a worldwide emergency response organization, personnel in Israel, Gaza, and Egypt are working with local authorities to coordinate the delivery of aid into both Israel and Gaza. projecthope.org.

Direct Relief: Founded by an Estonian immigrant to America in 1945, this organization responds to natural disasters and conflict in America and around the world, providing emergency medical supplies and essentials directly to communities in need. Directrelief.org.

Other groups offering life-changing relief are Doctors Without Borders and International Rescue Committee.

WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene services): Safe drinking water is necessary for human and animal health and well-being.

Water Mission is a Christian-based charity founded in South Carolina by Molly and George Greene, who were inspired to use their professional skill (building water treatment plants) to benefit those in dire need. Now with projects in 60 countries, the group builds water plants and trains local people to operate and maintain them  bringing safe drinking water to an estimated 8 million people. Watermission.org.

Feeding people: The act of offering food is a beautiful mission of connection. These groups feed the hungry.

Meals on Wheels: Offering nutrition delivered to the door, this organization was a lifeline for the elderly during the pandemic, and beyond. Donate locally or sign up to volunteer through Mealsonwheelsamerica.org.

World Central Kitchen: Founded by chef Jose Andres, World Central Kitchen mobilizes local chefs to deliver food and hot meals to first responders and displaced people around the world. WCK trucks containing food and water are now serving Gaza. Their motto: Food is a universal human right. Wck.org.

Reproductive rights

Since its founding over a century ago, Planned Parenthood has provided reproductive health care, education and abortion services.

Interested donors should give directly to a clinic serving an underserved community  through a search on the organizations website: Plannedparenthood.org.

(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)

2023 Amy Dickinson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A 31-year-old Spencer man suffered severe injuries after a violent high-speed crash Christmas morning, police said.

Following the crash just before 1 a.m., police were investigating whether the same vehicle was also involved in an earlier hit-and-run crash in Worcester that resulted in injuries, the Spencer Police Department said.

Spencer first responders were called to the crash scene at the corner of Paxton and Thompson Pond roads at 12:55 a.m., the police department said. Photos shared on Facebook by the Spencer Fire Department showed a vehicle crumpled and on its side in a wooded area.

We can say it appears speed was an obvious factor in this crash, Spencer police said in a statement on Facebook.

The driver was transported to a hospital with significant injuries, though they did not appear to be life-threatening, police said.

The department referred further questions to the Worcester District Attorneys Office.

The Central Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council, a regional coalition of police departments, is assisting in the investigation and providing the accident reconstruction, Spencer police said.
Hamburgs former finance director approved her own credit card purchases, and spent about $2,000 on improper purchases with a town credit card, according to a state audit.

Other department heads also approved their own credit card purchases, according to the audit, and department heads were allowed to review and approve their own time records without oversight.

Allowing individuals to authorize their own credit card purchases and approve their own credit card statements for payment increases the risk of improper credit card usage, the audit said.

The audit by the office of Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli was released about two years after Samantha Tarczynski was fired as finance director and one year after she pleaded guilty in Hamburg Town Court to disorderly conduct for misusing the credit card. She was ordered to perform 50 hours of community service and pay a $275 fine. She also paid full restitution.

Prosecutors said that between May 17, 2019, and Oct. 24, 2020, Tarczynski knowingly misused a Town of Hamburg credit card to buy personal items.

The town launched an investigation after someone brought Finance Department credit card purchase records obtained through a Freedom of Information Law request to then-supervisor James M. Shaw.

Shaw said some purchases looked a little suspicious, and he gave the information to the Police Department. After hearing a report from the police chief and a detective, the Town Board voted in September 2021 to fire Tarczynski.

The state audit found that about $1,200 worth of goods were delivered to her home or were in-person purchases. An employee was unable to confirm whether the purchases were delivered to the town and used for town purposes.

Auditors said the Town Board and town officials did not ensure that credit card purchases were supported, nor that the Finance Office payroll was accurate.

The audit recommended the town adopt a written credit card policy establishing procedures for documenting credit card purchases, authorizing credit card use and reviewing, reconciling and approving credit card transactions.

It also recommended the town prohibit officials and employees from approving their own time sheets and overtime.

Supervisor Randy Hoak said he was surprised when he saw the lax procedures after he took office.

Weve tightened up our procurement, not just in policy, but in practice. We should not have employees running to the store with a credit card for one-off purchases, Hoak said.

He also said new town payroll software would prevent some of the issues outlined in the audit.

In the towns formal response to the audit, Hoak wrote that the town agreed with the findings and said they would be addressed in an upcoming action plan.
From the migrant shelter crisis and the exploding cost and availability of housing to a renewed debate over a gun violence reduction bill and efforts to tackle prescription drug prices, the Massachusetts Legislature faced no shortage of challenges in 2023.

Now, as the majority-Democrat body heads into the second year of its two-year session in January, new challenges, along with some unsolved problems, beckon. It will also be an election year, with state legislators and the commonwealths congressional delegation on the ballot, along with a highly consequential race for the White House.

MassLive reached out to legislative leaders on both sides of the State House to ask them about the policy snarls they want to untangle in 2024, as well as the more aspirational proposals that Beacon Hill lawmakers hope to put on Democratic Gov. Maura Healeys desk in the New Year.

Heres a look at what they had to say.

In the House

Health care challenges top the list for state House Speaker Ron Mariano, D-3rd Norfolk, who told MassLive in an email that the states entire health care system is still reeling from the effects of the pandemic.

During an appearance before the states Health Policy Commissions Advisory Council earlier this month, the head of Emerson Hospital told lawmakers that Massachusetts healthcare system had reached the proverbial tipping point, while a small business leader said theres something wrong with the costs his members face, State House News Service reported.

The evidence is in the numbers: Between 2019 and 2021, total health care expenditures per capita in the Bay State rose by an annualized rate of 3.2 percent. Thats just above the 3.1 percent benchmark that state officials set as their cost-containment goal, according to State House News Service.

The state Senate has started to address those challenges by approving, for the third session in a row, a prescription drug pricing measure, State House News Service reported.

For the first time, the bill also includes a new provision that caps out-of-pocket costs for some medications. The House has yet to take up the bill. And the chamber has not indicated its inclined to do so this time out, State House News Service further reported.

In his statement to MassLive, Mariano acknowledged that hospital emergency departments are still overflowing, providers ranging from primary care offices to entire acute care hospitals are facing closure, bankruptcy or consolidation, and health insurance is becoming increasingly unaffordable for the average Massachusetts family.

He said the chamber plans to address these issues in separate, comprehensive legislation in the second year of the session.

House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones Jr., R-20th Middlesex, put addressing the states looming revenue problems at the top of his 2024 priorities list, followed by aid to cities and towns, and economic development.

Once again, the problems lie in the numbers.

The state collected $2.24 billion in taxes in November, which was 5.5% less than actual collections at the same time last year, and $274 million, or nearly 11%, behind projections, according to recent state Revenue Department data.

Year-to-date collections totaled $14.09 billion, which were $146 million ahead of collections at the same time in 2023, but still $627 million, or 4.3% behind year-to-date estimates.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey takes questions after signing a $1 billion tax relief package into law on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023 (MassLive photo by John L. Micek)

Republican lawmakers will find a way to navigate the increasingly choppy waters of declining state tax revenues in a responsible manner to protect vital state programs and services, Jones told MassLive in an email.

Earlier this month, Healey rolled out a sweeping economic development plan that calls for a mix of workforce development initiatives, along with investments in such key sectors as the life sciences.

In a year-end interview with MassLive, Healey said shes looking forward to working with the lawmakers on the legislation backing up those proposals.

Were just going to keep building and keep ... working every day to meet the moment, and deliver what folks here in the state need, Healey said, adding that shes keeping an eye on the volatile revenue picture.

Jones told MassLive that the bill will be top of mind for his caucus, predicting that the House and Senate will approve a robust economic development package that will help to promote a more business-friendly climate, encourage companies to open and grow in Massachusetts, and create more good-paying jobs to ensure that all residents of the Commonwealth can share in the states prosperity.

In the Senate

On the other side of the State House, Senate President Karen E. Spilka, D-Middlesex/Norfolk, said she wants to double down on creating policies that make positive changes in our residents lives and make our state more affordable, equitable, and competitive.

That could include free community college for all Massachusetts residents, expanding the states existing MassReconnect program, which provides free community college tuition for students aged 25 and older and nursing students of any age. The $20 million program was approved as a part of this years state budget, MassLive previously reported.

This year, we laid the groundwork for free community college, Spilka told MassLive. In 2024, were going to follow through and work to make it a reality.

The Senate Democratic leader also underscored the importance of the prescription drug bill the chamber approved earlier this year, arguing that the legislation will save lives and help people in our state who desperately need lower costs for their medications.

Rounding out Spilkas list of resolutions for 2024 is legislative authorization of an early education and care bill, which will benefit our kids, families, and employers.

Advocates have called for lawmakers to build on this years investments in child care and early childhood education by passing legislation known as the Common Start bill.

The bill, which has the backing of majority of state lawmakers, and a coalition of more than 170 advocacy groups, aims to expand financial assistance for families, provide new funding for child care providers, and underwrite better pay and benefits for early educators, WGBH reported.

Speaking to MassLive, Healey also put the legislation on her priority list, saying the state [needs] to drive down the cost of childcare and education.

One thing we did this year in the budget is make historic level of a historic level of funding available for childcare, because that is an economic imperative, Healey told MassLive. How many people are not working outside of the home right now, because they cant afford childcare? Thats holding us back. Thats a drag on our economy ... So were going to need to figure out a way to continue to make those investments.

Senate Minority Leader Bruce E. Tarr, R-1st Essex/Middlesex, meanwhile, ticked off a multipoint priorities list that included tackling the ongoing shelter crisis, taming healthcare costs, providing aid to school districts dealing with high special education costs, and taking the steps that will allow the state to lead the way on carbon sequestration.

In a recent report, the Healey administration said the state could spend as much as $2 billion over the next two years to fund Massachusetts emergency shelter system. The administration plans to drain a $700 million state escrow account to cover a portion of the unanticipated expenses, MassLive previously reported.

Among his other priorities, Tarr also listed the strong health of the states stabilization fund, which could be tapped to help fund the shelter system.

The Republican floor leader also said he wants:

Additional relief for household and employer budgets struggling with the high cost of living and doing business in Massachusetts;

More support for the men and women who work to provide us with public safety, including workforce recruitment and retention;

A plan to ensure that our electric grid can deliver the needed supplies of electricity to meet the demands of the states decarbonization goals;

Legislative sessions that take place during hours that allow members to be fully engaged and the public to be aware of what is happening, and

The timely appointment of conference committees that actively and transparently meet and engage to resolve differences between the House and Senate.

State House watchers may take particular delight in Tarrs goal to continue coming up with new props, graphics, and other visual aids from the Senate GOP prop shop to illustrate key points during floor debates in 2024.
The news about changes to graduation requirements prompted me to write.

As a parent and retired educator, I was concerned with the pathways of graduation for students before New York State began expressing ideas to change them. My certifications are in special education and mathematics.

When I graduated from high school back in 1976, there were three pathways to graduation. One, a local diploma with a (BOCES) vocational emphasis and no Regents exams. The second was a Regents diploma with emphasis on college careers with exams. Third was a general diploma with no Regents exams. Each pathway was equally important.

With the many shortages in vocational careers, wouldnt it make sense to change graduation requirements and revisit these pathways and have students career-ready right from high school?

Before retiring, the Buffalo School Board granted me permission to do a survey reflecting that question. The question paraphrased from the survey is, How important is it for students to have a choice in graduation? Should they be able to choose a local diploma with vocational emphasis and no Regents exams, or a Regents diploma with college emphasis and exams?

Briefly, of the 321 people who took the survey, 236 chose, It is very important for students to choose their own pathway with Local and Regents diplomas separate.

How do you make sure students are choosing the correct path? Educating them in the choices available to them, beginning in the eighth grade with two college and career-ready courses. One would focus on the vocational jobs and partner with local business, while the other would look at college-prepared careers. Upon completion of the courses, students would choose the pathways they feel most comfortable with for graduation.

The news that New York state is looking to change the graduation requirements is encouraging. There should be assessments for the college pathway to ensure students are ready for college, just as there should be assessments to determine if a student is prepared to enter a vocational career. My hope is there is a serious discussion of the merging of these ideas with the states proposal.

If at some point a vocational student would like to go to college, it will not be a problem for them to go to a community college, then transfer to a four-year institution. Let students who want to go to college soar without being held back because teachers are trying not to lose the students who have other goals and aspirations. Let students training for a vocational career feel free to excel in their desired field of expertise without exams.

Ultimately, this would create fewer behavior issues in the classroom, which translates into fewer suspensions anda more productive educational environment for everyone.

Terry Fiedler is a retired teacher with the Buffalo Public Schools.
by Ray Schultz , December 25, 2023

Mel, the mens lifestyle magazine that was founded by Dollar Shave Club in 2015 and stopped publishing in 2022 after reaching 4 million unique monthly visitors, per month, is coming back.

Literally Media, owner of such titles as Cracked, Know Your Meme, eBaums World and Cheezburger, acquired Mel from Recurrent Ventures earlier this year and plans to re-establish it as a multi-faceted brand for men.

We wanted to expand our network by acquiring like-minded brands and Mel is a perfect fit, says Oren Katzeff, CEO of Literally Media, who helped deelop the founding team at Mel. At a time in media where brand and voice matter more than ever, Mel offers us an amazing opportunity to make this platform more than just a magazine.

Katzeff adds, We believe that Mel is rich with storytelling and IP that can translate very well to documentaries, film, and other long form opportunities.

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In its heyday, Mel was described as the rare mens magazine that has taken upon itself to investigate masculinity, not enforce it, The New York Times wrote.

Recurrent Ventures acquired Mel in 2021, but stopped publishing it in July 2022.

Mel is a beloved brand with a history of inclusive and unique storytelling, says Andrew Perlman, CEO of Recurrent. Although it did not fit within our portfolio or go-forward strategy, we have a lot of respect for its content and legacy.
by Ray Schultz , December 25, 2023

Debra A. Paul will not be going to jail for failing to properly label political ads as such.

Instead, Paul was handed a $620 fine by Derry District Court Judge Kerry Steckowych last week.

Steckowych convicted Paul of five out of six counts after a one-day trial in November. In theory, Paul could have faced up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine on each count.

The improperly labeled ads ran in the Londonderry Times and Nutfield News.

New Hampshire is unusual in that it criminalizes what would normally be deemed a civil matter.

Pauls lawyers argued during the trial that she never intended to break the law and that the prosecution didnt prove that she did so knowingly, according to indepthnh.org.

However, prosecutors argued that ignorance of the law is no excuse.

Paul has a deadline of Jan. 5 for paying the fine.
by Tanya Gazdik , December 26, 2023

Genesis unveiled three immersive activations earlier this month featuring partners Boston Dynamics and the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

The activations from the Hyundai Motor Group luxury brand are at the brands dedicated 46,000-plus square foot public-facing space in New Yorks Meatpacking District neighborhood, which opened in November 2021.

Genesis and Boston Dynamics, also part of Hyundai Motor Group, have teamed up for an interactive showcase that celebrates innovation through exploration against a distinctly Korean backdrop.

Innovation Playlab at Genesis House allows visitors to interact with Boston Dynamics pioneering robots. Genesis House will host Spot, a mobile robot, for an interactive experience within the Cellar Stage. Spots cutting-edge technology will be demonstrated through a series of touchpoints, including a live vehicle diagnostic during which Spot will showcase the details of a Genesis vehicle.

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Spots Terrace will feature Spot demonstrating his mobility capabilities on a stage with an LED light display, as a nod to Genesis Houses Winter Lights installation on the second floor Terrace.

In another activation, the Genesis House Terrace allows visitors to view Winter Lights, an illuminating experience alongside New York Citys High Line inspired by Genesis electric vehicles vehicle-to-load capabilities.

Featuring the GV60 as the focal point of the installation, Winter Lights will pay homage to the design principle of tension and balance with two interactive LED screens for visitors to discover their own meanings behind each, according to a release.

Finally, Genesis and the Council of Fashion Designers of America are continuing their partnership by bringing designer creations to life using Genesis vehicles.

Designers including Adam Lippes, Alice & Olivia, Altuzarra, Carolina Herrera, Christopher John Rogers and Rosie Assoulin will showcase their designs wrapped across the full Genesis vehicle lineup.

Each vehicle will feature a custom display showcasing the design inspirations and runway debut as part of a limited-time installation on the first floor showroom level.
News / National

by Staff reporter

BEITBRIDGE municipality says it will provide land for the construction of police bases in its fast-growing residential suburbs.Town Clerk Loud Ramakgapola said this was part of the municipality's contribution towards fighting crime in the border town."We will provide land and even contribute towards the building of those bases," Ramakgapola said in an interview."We are at the moment discussing with our stakeholders on what contribution they can make towards this noble cause."We should have proper bases complete with ablution facilities. We plan to have bases with at least five rooms and we appeal to willing community members to donate towards this cause."Kwalu suburb otherwise known as SDP has been in the news following a series of yet unsolved robberies where firearms were used resulting in the shooting of a child recently.The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) last week conceded resource challenges in arresting runaway crime, particularly robberies occurring daily in that area about four kilometres from the Beitbridge main police station.Police blamed darkness in Kwalu as the area is not connected to the electricity grid.Most people in Kwalu use solar power."It should be the concern of any local authority when its residents fall prey to crime and we have noted with concern several incidents of armed robberies in Kwalu suburb and other areas. If we have bases there, it will obviously have an impact on police presence and patrols," the town clerk added.In reaction to the latest spate of crime, residents have been unkind to police accusing them of not doing their core business.According to sources, there are complaints about corrupt deployments to Beitbridge where police officers pay their way to be posted to the border town where they extort the travelling public.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday hailed the shooting down of two Russian fighter jets on Christmas Eve and said this Christmas sets the right mood for the entire year ahead.

In a Christmas message marking the first time the country has officially observed the holiday on Dec. 25 rather than Jan. 7, Zelenskyy also referred to Ukraines claim to have destroyed a further three Russian fighter planes on Friday.

The stronger our air defense, the fewer Russian devils will be in our skies and on our land, Zelenskyy said, praising Ukraines capabilities in negotiations with partners, capabilities in bolstering our sky shield, capabilities in defending our homeland from Russian terrorists. 

His upbeat assessment comes amid growing concern about battlefield disappointments and about the future of Western aid for Ukraines war effort. Despite high hopes for a summer counteroffensive, the front line has barely moved and political disputes in allied countries leave billions of dollars of aid in doubt.

Russia on Monday claimed a battlefield advance. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Moscows forces had taken control of Marinka, a now-deserted strategic town about 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of Donetsk, the largest city in Russian-held territory.

This allows us today to more effectively protect Donetsk from attacks, Shoigu said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian officials didnt comment on the possible seizure of the town.

Ukraine said that along with the two Russian planes that were shot down during the night, its air defense forces intercepted 28 Russian drones. The air force said 31 drones were launched in all, but no details were given about what the three that werent intercepted may have struck.

A summary from the Ukrainian presidential office said that one civilian was killed and at least four wounded in Russian attacks over the previous 24 hours. The death occurred in the town of Chornobaivka in the Kherson region, which is under Ukrainian control and experiences frequent attacks.

Zelenskyy signed legislation in July to move the date for the Christmas public holiday. Ukraine is predominantly Orthodox Christian, but the faith is divided between two churches, one of which had long affiliation with the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which didnt recognize the authority of the Russian church and had been regarded as schismatic, was granted full recognition in 2019 by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Orthodoxys top authority.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which was a branch of the Russian church, announced in 2022 after the start of the Russia-Ukraine war that it was breaking ties with Moscow and considered itself autonomous. However, its parishes continue to follow the same liturgical calendar as the Russian church and will observe Christmas on Jan. 7.

Many Ukrainians embraced the change with enthusiasm, viewing it as a positive step that will further strengthen their cultural separation from Russia.

Its historical justice, said Yevhen Konyk, a 44-year-old serviceman who, along with his family, participated in traditional celebrations at the open-air museum in Kyiv. We need to move forward not only with the world but also with the traditions of our country and overcome the imperial remnants we had.

Konyk, who serves in Kyiv, said he is hopeful of victory next year but noted the dire situation on the frontline.

This year, everyone expected major achievements on the front, but it turned out that the predictions were too optimistic. The enemy was also preparing, he said.

Oksana Poviakel, the director of the Pyrohiv Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine, where the celebrations of Christmas took place, said that celebrating on Dec. 25 is another important factor of self-identification.

We are separating ourselves from the neighbor who is currently trying to destroy our state, who is killing our people, destroying our homes, and burning our land, she said.
The Pentagon will have to set military-wide standards for what makes barracks habitable under the defense policy bill that was signed into law late last week.

Requiring minimum standards for habitability is one of several ways this year's National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, seeks to improve barracks conditions, which have come under increasing scrutiny from lawmakers over the past year amid growing evidence of deplorable living conditions for junior service members.

President Joe Biden signed the NDAA into law late Friday afternoon. The wide-ranging bill covers everything from endorsing the annual military pay raise to facilitating medical studies of psychedelic drugs to scaling back diversity programs.

Read Next: The Top 10 Military.com News Stories of 2023

Also included in this year's NDAA are several reforms for barracks that come after a Government Accountability Office report documented squalid living conditions, including overflowing sewage, rampant mold, bedbug infestations and squatters.

The GAO report bolstered previous anecdotal evidence and news reports about rundown, moldy barracks. The report infuriated lawmakers, who demanded accountability and a culture change within the military that pays more attention to living conditions.

"If I would have had these conditions in any of our barracks, I would have gotten fired," Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., a retired Air Force brigadier general who heads a House Armed Services Committee quality-of-life panel, said in September following the revelations.

While military officials have acknowledged falling short in maintaining their barracks, some have continued to deny that there are systemic issues even after the GAO report. Top officials have also largely attributed barracks woes to funding issues. The Army, which owns the lion's share of barracks in the military, has said it plans to ask Congress for $4 billion to renovate and build new housing.

In the meantime, Congress is mandating several changes to the way the military thinks about the barracks. Most prominently, the NDAA requires the secretary of defense to establish military-wide minimum standards for assigning service members to barracks.

The standards will cover the buildings' condition, habitability, health and environmental comfort, safety and security, and "any other element the secretary of defense determines appropriate," according to the bill text.

Clarifying department-wide minimum standards for health and safety of the barracks was one of the key recommendations in the GAO report.

The standards can be waived only by a service secretary, according to the bill. The services will have 30 days from when the Pentagon establishes the standards to issue their own guidance on them.

The Pentagon will also have to certify to Congress every year that the cost of repairing a barracks facility isn't more than 20% of what it would cost to replace the building altogether. And it will have to create a military-wide index of the condition of all barracks, as well as a department-wide maintenance work order system.

For barracks that are substandard, the bill seeks to give the military more flexibility to replace them quickly by launching a five-year pilot program that will allow the services to dip into their operations and maintenance funding or unspecified minor military construction funding to build new housing.

The Pentagon will also have to establish military-wide design standards for barracks that stipulate, among other things, the minimum amount of floor space rooms can have and the quality of construction material that must be used, according to the NDAA. The military services will have two years from when the standards are issued to comply.

The bill also makes it harder to waive any minimum standards for privacy and configuration of the barracks by raising the waiver approval authority to the service secretaries. And it mandates that a civilian be put in charge of managing the barracks at each base's housing office, with limited exceptions for service members whose occupational specialty is focused on barracks management.

The reforms in this year's NDAA could be just the start of more sweeping changes. The House Armed Services Committees quality-of-life panel launched this year will make recommendations to include in next year's defense bill. Bacon and panel members have said housing will be one of its key priorities.

Related: Biden Signs Law Backing Military Pay Increase for 2024. Here's How Much More You'll Get.
News / National

by Staff reporter

The president of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Douglas Mwonzora, has urged the government to ensure an equitable distribution of food aid and take measures to address the impacts of the El Nino-induced drought.El Nino is a natural climate phenomenon characterized by unusually warm surface waters in the central and eastern Pacific, leading to global weather pattern changes. The anticipated El Nino event for 2023-2024 is expected to result in below-average rainfall.In Zimbabwe, the planting of staple crops has been delayed due to high temperatures, significantly reduced rainfall, and dry spells attributed to El Nino. Experts predict adverse effects on crop yields.In a Christmas message to the people of Zimbabwe, Mwonzora expressed concern about subpar service delivery at both local and central government levels."We conclude the year with many Zimbabweans experiencing inadequate service delivery from both central and local governments. Some urban centers are grappling with cholera outbreaks, compounding the challenges faced by our people, including the impending drought caused by El Nino."As we approach the new year, we insist that the government ensures a fair distribution of food aid and implements other interventions to mitigate the impact of the drought," he emphasized.Mwonzora also called for free education and healthcare services, stating, "We advocate for the elimination of school fees for students from grade one to form four. Essential healthcare services, particularly maternity care, should be provided free of charge, especially for the less privileged."The government should stimulate employment by implementing policies that attract both local and foreign investment, especially in the manufacturing, mining, and agricultural sectors."While facing accusations of weakening the once powerful opposition party in Zimbabwe, Mwonzora urged the government to uphold the Constitution, criticizing recent amendments as "unwarranted.""As a social democratic party, the MDC urges the government to honor the social contract and enhance the working conditions for all employees, particularly those in the civil service. Importantly, the government must respect the Constitution of Zimbabwe and refrain from unnecessary amendments," he concluded.
As the defueling of the Red Hill fuel facility enters its final stages and the Navy prepares for a long cleanup and closure process, the U.S. military is looking at how it will support its vast Indo-Pacific operations without it. While it moves forward, some Chinese military intellectuals and analysts are also looking closely at U.S. military logistics in the region as tensions simmer.

The September 2023 issue of Chinese publication Xiandai Jianchuanor Modern Shipsincluded an 18-page article titled "If the Japanese Destroyed the Oil Storage Tanks at Pearl Harbor, " examining the Dec. 7, 1941, surprise attack and Imperial Japan's strategic thinking.

The journal is published by the 714th Research Institute of the China State Shipbuilding Corp., a major Chinese state-run naval development conglomerate. Lyle Goldstein, director of Asia Engagement at the Defense Priorities Foundation and a visiting professor at Brown University, read the article and shared excerpts on social media.

Goldstein said that it's one of several articles he's seen published recently in publicly available Chinese military journals examining Imperial Japan's surprise attack on Oahu. He said that while it's common to examine historical battles, that "it is unnerving to see this stuff, I can count maybe five or six articles now."

Goldstein said it's a reminder that conversations about whether places like Hawaii and Guam are potential targets in a conflict are "not just theoretical, these could have devastating impacts."

The Red Hill facility was built to hold up to 250 million gallons of fuel for military ships and aircraft in its 20 massive underground tanks. But the tanks also sit just 100 feet above a critical aquifer that most of Honolulu depends on for drinking water. Local officials warned that posed a threat to Oahu's water supply, while the Navy insisted the facility was safe and critical to national security. In November 2021, jet fuel from the facility tainted the Navy's Oahu water system, which serves 93,000 people.

When the Pentagon announced in March 2022 that it would close Red Hill, military officials said they would pursue a new "distributed " strategy of storing fuel at various points around the region, as well as "afloat locations " aboard tankers. After years of insisting that Red Hill was vital to national security, top Pentagon brass now argue the new plan will make supply lines more "resilient " and give commanders more flexibility.

Sal Mercogliano, a maritime historian at Campbell University in North Carolina, said that as the military prepares for a post- Red Hill reality, it will soon grapple with realities it may not be ready to face.

"Red Hill is a huge strategic reserve; it's massive. I mean, it is factored into all the war plans for the (Indo-Pacific) area," said Mercogliano.

Tensions have mounted in the South China Sea, a busy waterway that more than a third of all international trade travels through. China claims the entire waterway as its exclusive sovereign territory and has attacked vessels from neighboring countries that also have claims in the region. The U.S. military, for its part, has been conducting near-constant "freedom of navigation" operations in the area.

Those operations require millions of gallons of fuel. In the event of a major conflict, those demands could increase.

"High-intensity aircraft operations from a carrier battle group obviously entail huge amounts of oil ... so we'd absolutely need vast amounts of oil in wartime, " said Goldstein. "So I think there's every reason to believe that the Chinese have integrated that well into their plans."

Chartered commercial tankers have ferried fuel from Red Hill to West Oahu facilities run by Island Energy Services at Campbell Industrial Park, to a fuel storage point in San Diego, a fuel storage point in the Philippines at Subic Bay and another fuel storage point in Singapore. The last tanker recently left Pearl Harbor.

Timothy Walton, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C., who specializes in missile defense and military logistics, thinks commanders have the right idea with the shift away from Red Hill. But he also thinks the military has a long way to go to truly make it live up to the promises officials have made.

"The U.S. military lacks sufficient fuel storage tanks in the Indo-Pacific and maritime tankers and oilers," said Walton. "Even before the latest Red Hill crisis, the Department of Defense recognized that there were multiple challenges to its network of Defense Fuel Support Points."

'Striking distance'

Mercogliano said that "the problem you have obviously with Subic and Singapore is if your main purpose for that fuel is a potential conflict with China, you put it right within their striking distance."

Red Hill was secretly built underground during World War II to make it nearly impossible to find and attack. But its unique subterranean design also posed unique maintenance and operational challenges.

"Hardened underground fuel stores were necessary in 1943 when construction at Red Hill started, and given even more potent Chinese and Russian missile threats, they are still necessary today, " said Walton.

Walton argues that modern construction practices and technology could make new underground tanks more environmentally friendly than World War II-vintage ones, and has proposed that the Pentagon build several smaller ones spread across islands in the Pacific. Currently, the U.S. military is building above-ground tanks.

"New underground fuel facilities in coral atolls about to get swallowed by sea level rise or along the earthquake-prone 'ring of fire' sounds like a great way to burn millions, if not billions, of taxpayer dollars," said Wayne Tanaka, director of the Sierra Club's Hawaii chapter, noting that islands have particularly vulnerable ecosystems and limited resources. "Placing fuel storage facilities underground and almost certainly above fresh drinking water sources would let a single bomb, act of sabotage or earthquake render strategic locations effectively uninhabitable."

Goldstein said there has been debate about the range and accuracy of Chinese weapons but that he personally thinks Chinese forces are perfectly able to strike targets as far as Hawaii and the U.S. mainland.

"China has a vast array of missiles and a large air force. It has been perfecting its ability to strike targets ashore from its ships and submarines," said Goldstein. "I think that we need to realize that it will be very difficult to kind of try to sort of build our way out of this just by building more and more and more bunkers."

Mercogliano said that while keeping fuel closer to the potential hot spots makes sense tactically, the military could struggle without a large reserve in the Central Pacific.

"If we had a big robust merchant marine like we once had, with a fleet of tankers, that's not so much of a problem. But we don't; we have less than 90 ships involved in international trade," said Mercogliano. "If we get into a peer-to-peer conflict against a nation like China, I think we're going to be at a severe disadvantage. Because once that fuel is consumed in those forward depots, or if they're taken out or if those tankers are taken out, you're going to have to run back to California to go get moreor through the Suez or through the Panama Canal."

Pentagon officials have said they intend to heavily utilize tankers, both military and commercial, after Red Hill is defueled.

In March 2022 after announcing the defueling, a senior Pentagon official told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, "We're still just now at the beginning of working through the process of determining exactly how many (tankers we need ) and how fast can you get them. And if you can't get them fast enough, would you need to pull some from elsewhere ?"

'Floating storage'

The U.S. Navy currently has 16 military tankers in service, and many of them are scheduled for decommissioning as the service looks to replace its current Kaiser-class oilers with new John Lewis-class oilers. But the USNS John Lewis, the first in the class, is currently in a shipyard in Portland, Ore., as workers go through a series of repairs and inspections regarding issues with the shipand potentially with subsequent vessels in its class.

"These ships are not being delivered at the speed that they need, and more importantly, the cost is increasing on them to quite a bit, " said Mercogliano. "We're going from half a billion dollars for an auxiliary vessel, and you're probably going to start seeing price tags of up to a billion dollars on them."

During major conflicts, the U.S. military has historically been able to call on commercial ships to support operations. According to the Center for Maritime Strategy, in 1950 there were 1, 087 privately owned cargo vessels registered under the U.S. flag and 2, 277 government-owned cargo ships in the National Defense Reserve Fleet. But today there are just 178 U.S.-flagged cargo ships.

"(Military Sealift Command ) only has five tankers under long-term charter, even though the U.S. Navy would likely require around 20 maritime tankers to deliver fuel to naval forces at sea," said Walton. "U.S. Transportation Command has stated it has a requirement for around 100 tankers to serve not only naval forces, but also to deliver fuel to airfields and other forces ashore. Although there are 53 U.S.-flagged commercial maritime tankers with military utility that could be called upon to support the U.S. military in a conflict, all but 10 of them are busy supporting the U.S. domestic economy and commercial economy."

Walton said the new Tanker Security Program, which is managed by the U.S. Department of Trans portation's Maritime Administration and intended to make more commercial ships available to the military, is "on track to add five more tankers, (so ) the U.S. military appears to be around 85 tankers short of what it would need in a conflict."

Mercogliano, who formerly worked as a captain at sea, said he has concerns about using tankers as "floating storage " to make up for lost storage on land, explaining that "tankers are typically designed to carry fuel from point A to point B. ... It doesn't do very good to keep tankers loaded with fuel floating around in the Pacific ; you start getting condensation in the tanks, there's a whole myriad of issues."

Chartered ships and their merchant crews also potentially would become targets in a conflict.

Goldstein said that just as Chinese military scholars are examining the Japanese imperial military's decision to focus on destroying ships in Pearl Harbor rather than fuel stores on the base, they are also looking at tankers at sea. The September article included a chart of every tanker the U.S. had in the Pacific during World War II.

"The Japanese submarines went after our battleships and our aircraft carriers, and if they were much smarter, they would have gone after U.S. logistics, " said Goldstein. "I distinctly recall the wording in (the article ). It said 'logistics is a soft rib'that's the weakness."

"There's no escorts for these vessels, " said Mercogliano. "The Navy has been very clear about this since 2018, that they lacked sufficient escorts to escort even their own USNS Military Sealift Command oilers that provide the replenishment for the battle groups directly, let alone commercial charter tankers. ... They're going to be floating around out there on their own."

'We can avoid a war'

The administration of President Joe Biden has been working to restore military-to-military talks between the U.S. and China. During a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in November in San Francisco, they seemingly made a breakthrough, but tensions have continued to mount.

In particular, Chinese ships have been attacking Philippine vessels in disputed regions of the South China Sea, ramming them and shooting water cannons. But Goldstein stressed that diplomatic efforts need to continue.

"Of course, the best approach by far is to have a strong diplomatic track with China and try to prevent a war, " said Goldstein. "I'm quite pessimistic about all these scenarios that have us fighting in the South China Sea or, even worse, around Taiwan. ... I think if we we're smart, we can avoid a war with China."

The Red Hill water crisis has strained relations between military leaders and Hawaii residents at a time when the Pentagon sees the islands as more important than ever. Military operations and construction programs now face much more scrutiny from local officials and community groups.

In November a state working group called on the federal government to clean up contamination around Red Hill in a report that estimated that as much as 2 million gallons may have leaked from the facility over 80 years. Water shortages from well closures after the November 2021 spill are contributing to price hikes that could reach as high as 80 % for some Honolulu Board of Water Supply customers.

"The U.S. Navy failed to appropriately upgrade Red Hill's aging facilities and is now paying the price, " said Walton. "And now the bill is coming due as buildings, piers and runways age or are rendered obsolete by security threats or rising oceans."

___

(c)2023 The Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Visit The Honolulu Star-Advertiser at www.staradvertiser.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A Navy ship and strike group fighter jets thwarted another series of attacks in the Red Sea on Tuesday, shooting down numerous drones and missiles fired by Houthi rebels operating in Yemen, U.S. Central Command announced on social media.

The destroyer USS Laboon and F/A-18 Super Hornets from the USS Eisenhower carrier strike group shot down "twelve one-way attack drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles, and two land attack cruise missiles in the Southern Red Sea that were fired by the Houthis over a 10-hour period," the command said. The attack began at around 6:30 a.m. local time.

The barrage comes a week after the Pentagon announced a new task force in the region to protect commercial shipping from such attacks. The Houthis have targeted shipping in the Red Sea since Oct. 19 in hopes of disrupting support for Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza.

Read Next: The Top 10 Military.com News Stories of 2023

The post did not say what the drones and missiles were targeting, but it noted that there was no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries. The 10-hour barrage also appeared to be the first instance of Navy jets responding to Houthi attacks.

Central Command also said that the Laboon was also forced to shoot down four unmanned aerial drones just three days earlier on Dec. 23 because they were headed toward the ship.

Military.com reached out to the Pentagon at that time to get more clarity on whether the ship was targeted in the earlier incident but did not receive a response.

The attacks are just the latest in a growing number that the Houthis have launched with the apparent aim of targeting merchant shipping in the area and not U.S. Navy ships. The strikes have not only managed to hit some merchant ships with missiles, they have also undermined the Pentagon's claim that Israel's war with Hamas is contained and that the U.S. military presence is successfully deterring further aggression in the region.

Early in December, Houthi officials said that their forces would continue to "prevent Israeli ships from navigating the Red Sea and [Gulf of Aden] until the Israeli aggression against our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip stops."

Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters the next day that "it's still important to understand and to focus on [the fact that] what's happening in Israel and within Gaza has not spread out into a wider regional conflict."

On Dec. 18, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a new international task force that is aimed at halting the attacks. The announcement came within days of several major shipping companies announcing that they would begin to avoid the area.

Defense officials have not offered many details on how the new unit differs from already existing security task force efforts in the region.

The U.S. also operates the Combined Maritime Forces, which has five separate task forces in the region, including Combined Task Force 153 that has focused on Red Sea maritime security since 2022.

Austin's announcement said the task force, dubbed Operation Prosperity Guardian, or OPG, will include the U.K., Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain, and will jointly address security in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

However, Reuters has reported that Spain, Italy and France have pushed back on that claim and some countries, such as Norway and Denmark, were sending only officers, not ships.

Despite that, Maersk, one of the shipping companies that diverted its ships from the area, said the unit was "most welcome news for the entire industry and indeed the functionality of global trade," in a Dec. 24 statement.

"With the OPG initiative in operation, we are preparing to allow for vessels to resume transit through the Red Sea both eastbound and westbound," Maersk said.

The Laboon now joins the USS Carney, USS Mason and USS Hudner in having engaged and downed Houthi military equipment in the Red Sea.

Related: Incidents with Navy Ships and Rising Tensions in the Red Sea Test Pentagon's Deterrence Claims
KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian warplanes damaged a Russian ship moored in the Black Sea off Crimea, both countries said Tuesday, bolstering Ukrainian morale after battlefield disappointments and doubts about the future of Western aid.

The planes fired guided missiles at the landing ship Novocherkassk, which is moored at a base in the city of Feodosia, Russias Defense Ministry said. Video on Russian and Ukrainian social media showed an explosion in the port.

Ukrainian authorities claimed the ship was destroyed. They said it was likely carrying ammunition and possibly drones.

The 360-foot Novocherkassk can carry 10 tanks and 225 sailors.

We saw how powerful the blast and detonation were. Its extremely difficult for a ship to survive something like that, Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said on U.S.-backed Radio Liberty.

The Russian fleet has become smaller, Ukrainian air force Cmdr. Mykola Oleschuk said in a mocking message on the social media app Telegram. He urged Russians to leave Crimea while its not too late.

Over the last few months, Ukrainian forces have conducted a string of attacks around Crimea, a Black Sea peninsula invaded and illegally annexed by Russia in 2014. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy credits those attacks, mostly with naval drones, with allowing Ukraine to restore navigation in the Black Sea and export of millions of tons of grain.

In September, a Ukrainian attack hit the headquarters of Russias Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean city of Sevastopol, killing one serviceman. Ukraine launched more missiles against the city the following day.

But despite high hopes for a broader Ukrainian summer counteroffensive, the front line barely moved, and political disputes in allied countries have left billions of dollars of aid in doubt.

This week, President Joe Biden is struggling to secure congressional support for continuing American assistance to Ukraine. Even though hes repeatedly promised that the United States would back Ukraine for as long as it takes to defeat the Russian invasion, theres no sign of a bipartisan deal to maintain the flow of supplies as the war approaches its third year.

Showing Ukrainian forces difficulties on the battlefield, commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi said Tuesday that his troops had retreated to the northern outskirts of the city of Marinka.

Russia said Monday that it had taken Marinka, which sits about 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of Donetsk, the largest city in Russian-held territory.

Zaluzhnyi told journalists Tuesday that Ukrainian troops had held Marinka for almost two years but Russians were destroying it street by street, house by house.

Our forces prepared a defensive line beyond this settlement. But I can say that this town no longer exists, Zaluzhnyi said. He compared Russian tactics in Marinka to its tactics in Bakhmut, which was reduced to rubble by the time the Russian army captured the city.

Against that backdrop, the attack on the Novocherkassk offered some hope to Ukraine's allies.

U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps wrote on X that, This latest destruction of Putins navy demonstrates that those who believe theres a stalemate in the Ukraine war are wrong!"

They havent noticed that over the past 4 months 20% of Russias Black Sea Fleet has been destroyed, Shapps wrote. Russias dominance in the Black Sea is now challenged.

Russia also said Tuesday two Ukrainian fighter jets were destroyed by anti-aircraft fire during the attack. Ihnat, of the Ukrainian air force, denied that.

The Russia-appointed head of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said one person was killed in Tuesday's attack and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu briefed Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Russian news agencies that provided no details.

Shoigu touted Russian accomplishments in the war this year, saying, "The main efforts in the outgoing year were focused on achieving the goals of the special military operation. The main one is to disrupt the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian armed forces, loudly announced by Ukraine and its NATO allies. This task has been successfully completed.

Russian authorities use wording special military operation for the war it started in Ukraine nearly two years ago.

The Novocherkassk was damaged in an attack in March 2022, about a month after the war started, but Ihnat said it has been recently used to transport weapons and soldiers to the Zaporizhzhia region, which is partly held by Russian forces.

The Ukrainian air force's Tuesday morning update said that Russia launched 19 drones, mostly against the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions  13 of which were shot down  over the past night. The remaining drones caused infrastructure damage, but no casualties were reported, according to Ukraines presidential office.
A ship poisoning its own crew by mixing fuel into its water. Extremist groups targeting service members and veterans for recruitment. An ongoing shroud of uncertainty surrounding accidents harming troops aboard Osprey aircraft. A recruiter accused of grooming a young prospective Marine, and then bragging about his actions in a self-published memoir.

Those are just some of the stories the Military.com newsroom unearthed in 2023. Sometimes, our reporting yielded important information with only a couple of days of shoe leather. Sometimes, the journalism was the work of years of careful investigation.

All of these stories helped the military community understand what was happening, and helped some receive the care and benefits theyd earned through their service.

This year, the reporting team also received recognition for investigations published in 2022, including the Joe Galloway Award from MRE and an honorable mention from the Gerald R. Ford Awards, both for this deep investigation into traumatic brain injury in the military community. Two Military.com reporters also were honored for being among the top 10 veterans in journalism by MVJ for their reporting on American veterans fighting in Ukraine, and on a church accused of scamming veterans.

Here's an unranked list of the Top 10(ish) stories written by Military.com for 2023, many of which will likely land on awards lists released this coming year.

Aaron Provost Illustration for Military.com

Service often entails a certain amount of health and safety risk. But in one case documented by Military.com, the hazard for the crew of the USS Boxer was entirely preventable and the lack of documentation problematic for those sickened troops when they sought help and compensation.

The multiyear investigation revealed that crew members on the ship had dumped fuel into the ocean, only to suck that same fuel back up into the ship's water system, forcing sailors and Marines to drink and bathe in tainted water. Years later, when some sought help from the Department of Veterans Affairs, they found that the Navy didn't keep any documentation about the 2016 incident.

As part of Military.coms reporting, the Navy, for the first time, publicly acknowledged the event. Former crew members have been using that acknowledgment and the article's description of the fuel dump to seek benefits and, in at least one case, a previous claim denial was reversed.

CPT Eugny Proshin, Commander of the Springfield Recruiting Company, swears in six recruits on August 25, 2023. (U.S. Army photo by Jazika Levario)

No issue drove concern among military leadership quite like the alarming shortages in recruiting. Even the smaller services that managed to hit recruiting targets barely cleared the mark, and often had to rely on reserves of deferred-entry recruits to make quota.

Why the military is struggling to attract young talent is the subject of raging debate, both in the military community and among politicians who have chosen the issue as a mechanism to highlight their favored issues.

Military.com covered the wide range of techniques the services are using to try to make up for the shortfall, including massive increases to bonuses and specialized pre-basic training camps designed to help recruits meet service standards. (While not included in the Top 10 for thematic reasons, this feature on the course designed for potential soldiers who havent met the academic standards of the service is a must read" 'Last Stop USA': How the Army Is Trying to Fill in for a Broken Education System.)

Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston attends an Army COVID-19 press briefing at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., April 30, 2020. (DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando)

If you want to understand the policy alterations that are changing life for those in the enlisted ranks, it's often very important to understand those services' enlisted leaders.

These two features look at the men who were departing key positions with the Army and Space Force, respectively.

The common theme between the two is how these leaders leaned on personal experience and the empathy that imbued in them to try to make changes to help those in uniform and shape cultures that were supportive.

Illustration by Elize McKelvey for Military.com

The number of veterans who were identified as participating in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has led to a lot of questions about radicalization in the military community. Four Military.com reporters spent more than a year working to investigate the ways extremist groups target those in the military community.

The resulting three-part series detailed how the groups initially lure service members and veterans, the rise of the threat posed by these extremist groups, and what the military has and hasn't done to try to make sure troops aren't susceptible to recruitment.

The series paints a picture of groups that recognize the inherent credibility and knowledge that can be gained by putting veterans in prominent positions, as well as particular moments of vulnerability for vets that make them easier targets. It also shows that the interest in combating the problem quickly faded after the topic became highly politicized, and ongoing efforts are minimal.

A CV-22 Osprey takes off at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Jan. 8, 2021, during a training mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Yasuo Osakabe)

The services experienced a series of Osprey crashes in the past year and, while the causes of all of them arent entirely known at this time, a long-recognized mechanical issue has put the safety record of the aircraft back in the spotlight.

This feature revealed the details of one past incident with the mechanical flaw the military has struggled to fix resulting in repeated grounding of the aircraft. While the services downplayed the clutch problem, this story showed just how debilitating failure of the component could be, putting service members' lives at risk.

Another crash late in the year, the deadliest in the history of the Air Force's use of the platform, has led to a congressional inquiry into the safety of the Osprey.

Labeled with asbestos and lead warnings, sheeting covers rubble from demolished barracks at Fort Ord on Thursday, April 29, 2021, in Fort Ord, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)

The PACT Act represented one of the largest expansions of VA benefits in the agency's history, but not all veterans were included. This article detailed how some veterans, exposed to toxins while serving at military installations not mentioned in the PACT Act, were left out of the opportunity to get help.

In addition to highlighting the issues these veterans face, this story also serves as a preview for four separate investigations all underway by Military.com reporters that are part of a project supported by the Pulitzer Center.

The publication always closely covers VA benefits, but this project will look at several major issues tied to veterans health and health care, with more in-depth investigations set to be published in early 2024.

Marine Corps recruiter speaks with a prospective Marine about opportunities and benefits during a follow up interview June 12, 2013. (U.S. Marine photo by Sgt. Scott Schmidt)

The relationship between recruiters and potential service members is under renewed scrutiny as the services look to improve recruiting in the face of weak numbers. But the inherent power dynamic, where an adult holds tremendous authority over often underage kids desperate to fulfill dreams of service, creates clear opportunity for abuse.

This story detailed accusations against a Marine recruiter who self-published a memoir that outlined a sexual relationship with a recruit that allegedly began when she was underage.

After the initial report, the victim described that she received threatening messages from the recruiter, and Military.com continued to report on the situation and the lack of action by the service.

The Cortez family -- Spc. Daysha Cartagena, Mya Cortez and Staff Sgt. Isaiah Cortez, were overwhelmed by medical debt when their baby was transferred from Womack Army Medical Center to a private hospital following her birth in 2021. The family didn't receive any attention or help until Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston intervened on their behalf. (Photo courtesy of the Cortez family)

Sometimes, themes that are prevalent across America, like crushing medical debt, appear in the military community despite programs and policies that should insulate service members.

In this report, Military.com disclosed how a dual-military couple had been getting harassing calls after their daughter had a medically complicated birth that should have been covered by military health care.

It was only after they turned to social media that an Army official personally intervened, and the debt was eliminated, but it's a reminder that, even in a system that is designed to guarantee health benefits, consistent monitoring and advocacy is crucial.

Fire Watch Host, Drew F. Lawrence gets tattooed at the Baltimore Tattoo Museum. (Kelsey Baker/Military.com)

A lot of service members are inked. The art serves as an opportunity to remember important moments and people, a form of self-expression in an environment where conformity is the norm, and a means of bonding with those who have shared a foxhole.

This episode of the Fire Watch podcast saw the show's host travel to a tattoo museum to better understand the art form, in addition to recording himself getting a new tattoo while talking to a fellow vet about what ink means to them.

While most of the journalism carried out by Military.com appears as written articles on the website, this year saw several compelling episodes of Fire Watch, including one that helped reveal the struggle by the family of Col. Paris D. Davis to help him receive the Medal of Honor he clearly deserved, and an inside account of a fight against a terrorist group in Somalia.

Subscribe to Fire Watch on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Washington National Guard soldiers with Charlie Battery, 2nd Battalion, 146th Field Artillery Regiment, 81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, take part in Table VI certification live fire at Yakima Training Center, Wash., April 21-23, 2023. (Adeline Witherspoon/U.S. Army National Guard)

At a time when the services are struggling to attract new recruits, Military.com broke the news that the National Guard hadn't paid out enlistment bonuses to at least 9,000 soldiers promised sums for signing on the dotted line.

Thousands of those soldiers completed their service without receiving the bonuses, with officials trying to fix issues with the Army tracking systems to deal with the massive backlog.

"I did my end of things, and this is a really bad introduction to the Army, not taking care of people," one affected soldier told Military.com.

Honorable Mention

We focus our coverage on the issues impacting the military community at Military.com, meaning that we don't tend to cover pie-in-the-sky ideas when it comes to prospective technology. But what if that technology is planted inside troops' heads and is a lot closer to reality than science fiction? That question led to an investigation into ongoing research about bioenhancement for troops and, in particular, efforts to link brains to computers.

(Editor's Note: This article was excluded from the formal top 10 list given that Military.com Managing Editor Zachary Fryer-Biggs shared a byline on the feature.)
Amy Dickinson Tribune Content Agency

Ask Amy: Advice for the Real World

Dear Readers: As I offer my 20th annual year-end charity roundup, Id like to remind readers that while charity truly does begin at home, it need not stay there.

Those who can afford to share their material wealth should give abundantly, donating locally to the local library, after-school program, hospice center, arts organizations, historical society and animal shelter.

Acts of kindness and compassion are always worth their weight in gold: Shoveling a walk for a neighbor, writing a letter to an elder and volunteering at the local food bank are all ways to express your generosity.

All of the organizations I recommend have the highest rating by Charity Navigator, a trusted source. Always do your own research before donating, and choose organizations that align with your own values.

Supplying shelter:

Habitat for Humanity: In 2023 Habitat for Humanity helped 13.4 million people build or improve a place to call home. You can honor the humanitarian generosity of President Jimmy Carter and the memory of first lady Rosalynn Carter by funding a project or volunteering in your own community. Habitat.org.

Supporting education:

ScholarMatch: Author Dave Eggers founded this nonprofit in 2010 as a way to help first-generation college students from low-income backgrounds attend college. They provide scholarships and full support all the way through to graduation. ScholarMatch.org.

Donors Choose: Prospective donors can choose a specific classroom project to fund  from donating art supplies and musical instruments to classroom technology and gym equipment. Donorschoose.org.

American Indian College Fund: The mission is simple  to send Native American and Alaska Native students to college. Every year, around 4,000 scholarships are granted to motivated students. They also support accredited tribal colleges and universities. Collegefund.org.

Serving service members: The needs of veterans are wide-ranging. These organizations serve veterans.

Travis Mills Foundation: Founder Travis Mills lost portions of all of his limbs due to an IED explosion while serving in Afghanistan. He coined the term recalibrated veteran to describe those wounded in service.

These veterans and their families are brought to a retreat center in Maine for an adaptive, barrier-free opportunity to regroup, relax and connect with other veterans and their families. Travismillsfoundation.org.

K9s for Warriors: Determined to end veteran suicide, K9s for Warriors provides highly trained service dogs to military veterans suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injury and/or military sexual trauma, the organizations website states. In a beautiful symmetry, service dogs are rescued from shelters, and then humans and dogs rescue each other. K9sforwarriors.org.

Emergency response for victims of war in Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine

Project HOPE: In 1958, Project HOPE founder Dr. William B. Walsh worked with U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower to charter a U.S. Navy hospital ship for $1/year, to deliver medical supplies to areas of conflict around the world.

Now a worldwide emergency response organization, personnel in Israel, Gaza, and Egypt are working with local authorities to coordinate the delivery of aid into both Israel and Gaza. projecthope.org.

Direct Relief: Founded by an Estonian immigrant to America in 1945, this organization responds to natural disasters and conflict in America and around the world, providing emergency medical supplies and essentials directly to communities in need. Directrelief.org.

Other groups offering life-changing relief are Doctors Without Borders and International Rescue Committee.

WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene services): Safe drinking water is necessary for human and animal health and well-being.

Water Mission is a Christian-based charity founded in South Carolina by Molly and George Greene, who were inspired to use their professional skill (building water treatment plants) to benefit those in dire need. Now with projects in 60 countries, the group builds water plants and trains local people to operate and maintain them  bringing safe drinking water to an estimated 8 million people. Watermission.org.

Feeding people: The act of offering food is a beautiful mission of connection. These groups feed the hungry.

Meals on Wheels: Offering nutrition delivered to the door, this organization was a lifeline for the elderly during the pandemic, and beyond. Donate locally or sign up to volunteer through Mealsonwheelsamerica.org.

World Central Kitchen: Founded by chef Jose Andres, World Central Kitchen mobilizes local chefs to deliver food and hot meals to first responders and displaced people around the world. WCK trucks containing food and water are now serving Gaza. Their motto: Food is a universal human right. Wck.org.

Reproductive rights:

Since its founding over a century ago, Planned Parenthood has provided reproductive health care, education and abortion services.

Interested donors should give directly to a clinic serving an underserved community  through a search on the organizations website: Plannedparenthood.org.

You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.

2023 Amy Dickinson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Detroit Lions have clinched a playoff spot and Stubhub, Vivid Seats, and SeatGeek already have tickets available for the playoff game at Ford Field.

Fans can get tickets to potential playoff games now, including a possible Detroit Lions NFC wildcard game at Ford Field.

San Francisco currently holds the first-round bye based on conference record, meaning Detroit would be in line to host a wildcard game.

Stubhub, Vivid Seats, and SeatGeek have tickets available starting at $463 but ticket prices will fluctuate.

The Lions (11-4) beat the Vikings 30-24 Sunday to win their first NFC North title and are headed to the playoffs.

Detroit, NFC North title holders will challenge Dallas Cowboys (10-5) in the NFC East on Saturday, Dec. 30 in Arlington.

Looking for Lions gear? Check out the MLive Lions shopping page for deals on the latest Detroit Lions styles.

NFC Wild Card - TBD, Ford Field, Detroit, MI

Stubhub

Vivid Seats

SeatGeek

Heres where to find tickets for the remaining regular season games on the Lions schedule:

Stubhub

Vivid Seats

SeatGeek

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WARREN, MI  A man is in critical condition after a Christmas Day shooting in Warren.

According to Warren Police Commissioner William Dwyer, the incident occurred near 9 Mile Road and Hoover Road at approximately 10:20 a.m.

Officers arrived on scene and discovered a 23-year-old male had been shot after an apparent argument. Police said the incident does not appear to be random and that there is no threat to the public.

The Warren Fire Department transported the victim to an area hospital. He remains in critical condition on Tuesday, police said.

A possible suspect fled the scene immediately after the shooting in an unknown direction, police said. The suspect, a 25-year-old man, was arrested near 10 Mile and Lorraine in Center Line on Tuesday, police said.

An investigation is ongoing. No one has been identified by name.

Although still early on, it appears that all persons involved were acquaintances to each other, Dwyer said. This is an active investigation with investigators processing evidence and speaking with witnesses. We hope to have more complete information regarding this unfortunate incident in the near future.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Det. Stieber at 586-874-4841.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - About one million Corewell Health patients in southeast Michigan may have had their personal and medical information exposed in yet another nationwide data breach.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Tuesday, Dec. 26, announced the second data breach of a vendor used by Corewell Health.

It comes less than a month after a data breach of another Corewell Health vendor that also is believed to have exposed similar personal and medical information of about one million patients serviced by the health system in southeast Michigan.

In this latest breach, the compromised vendor, HealthEC, mailed letters on Dec. 22 to those impacted, Nessel said.

Some of the following information may have been garnered by hackers: names, addresses, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, diagnoses, mental/physical conditions, prescription information, patient account numbers, health insurance information, treatment cost information, provider names and more.

Health information is some of the most personal information we have, Nessel said. Michigan residents have been subjected to a surge of healthcare-related data breaches and deserve robust protection.

Corewell formerly operated as Spectrum Health but changed its name to Corewell after it merged with Beaumont Health in 2022.

Corewell Health contacted Nessels office about the most recent breach ahead of its public announcement about it. State law currently doesnt require that notification, and Nessel said her department often learns about data breaches through the media.

Nessel wants state lawmakers to require companies to report data breaches to her office.

It is critical that the Michigan Legislature join the many other states that require companies who experience a data breach to immediately inform the Department of Attorney General, Nessel said.

Nessel said this latest breach also impacted a smaller number of people through Beaumont ACO, which also uses HealthEC.

HealthEC provides services identifying high-risk patients and barriers to care and closing gaps in care.

To those impacted, HealthEC is offering 12 months of credit monitoring and identity protection services through TransUnion. Information on how to enroll will be mailed directly to potentially impacted patients. People can also call 1-833-466-9216 for more information.

The first data breach of about 1 million Corewell Health patients in southeast Michigan was announced Dec. 1. About 2,500 Priority Health members were also impacted by that breach.

The breach occurred through Welltok Inc., which provides patient-communication services for Corewell Health on the southeast side of the state as well as a Priority Health healthy lifestyle portal for the health systems health plan.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa and First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa has mended their broken and bitter relations with the former president Robert Mugabe's widow, Grace and her family.They have had an acrimonious political fallout over Mugabe's succession in 2017 and his burial in 2019.The two rival families first publicly appeared together at Mnangagwa's inauguration on 4 September 2023.And on Saturday at Chiwenga's wedding, they met once again and Mnangagwa extended an olive branch to Grace yet again.Auxillia and Grace, whose relations were completely broken, even had some time to dance together at the wedding.
WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI -- Heather Dew has been working with children her entire life, and now has a new road open to her to explore her passion for youth education.

Dew, 39, attended Lansing Community College with the goal of becoming an American Sign Language interpreter. Her career over the following years took her across several Michigan school districts working as an educational interpreter for cognitively-impaired high school and college students.

Since 2013, she has been serving as a paraprofessional for Saline Area Schools, having previously worked with the Washtenaw Intermediate School District during stints with Livonia Public Schools and Ypsilanti Community Schools.

About four years ago, Dew was intrigued by an email sent throughout the WISD calling on paraprofessionals interested in becoming special education teachers to consider a new pilot program. Though the program only offered the option of specializing in emotional impairment -- rather than learning disabilities, as she had preferred, Dew took the leap.

On Dec. 17, Dew joined 18 graduates of the Paraprofessional-to-Teacher Certification Pilot Program. The program -- spearheaded by Eastern Michigan University and WISD -- is designed to invest in existing public school employees looking to earn a degree and become a special education teacher.

The pilot program, made possible by a special waiver granted by the Michigan Department of Education, focuses on areas of critical need for educators, officials said.

Dew currently works as a co-teacher and resource room technician for Saline schools. She plans on remaining with the district for the foreseeable future.

I have had students as young 4 and as old as 32 that are still in the district in their young adult or preschool programs, and I would like to stick around and be there for them, Dew said.

Dew does, however, have an interest in becoming certified in the Deaf or Hard of Hearing Consortium for Teacher Preparation offered by MDE and currently fielding more candidates.

Shortly after graduating, Dew sat down with MLive/The Ann Arbor News to talk about her involvement with the program the paths its opened up for her future.

The Ann Arbor News: What were some of your most valuable takeaways from participating in this program?

Heather Dew: The camaraderie and the collaboration -- the learning that I can reach out to a number of people when I need assistance or dont understand something. The ability to learn how to collaborate and work with others to achieve a common goal was another big thing. The program offered such a wealth of experience from our professors, who gave us a lot of resources and advice with how to manage all the things.

AAN: Was there a specific moment or experience in your past that inspired you to enter this field of education?

Dew: Learning was always a challenge for me -- I had learned how to build my own accommodations and how to work with my own struggles with learning. I really enjoy seeing other kids learn those strategies -- the students that struggle with how to grasp a concept figure out if they can just say Hey, lets present it in a slightly different way, and have them reach their Aha moments. Ive worked with students my entire life -- my mom owns a daycare center. Ive always been around kids and its always been natural to me.

AAN: There are some well-documented challenges teachers are facing in the profession at this time. Why did you believe now was a good time to take steps toward being a teacher?

Dew: It wasnt necessarily COVID-19 that inspired me, because when we first got that email (from the WISD), COVID hadnt happened. But, I did see the strong emotional need and the differences over the years -- being in education and seeing that struggles increase. Students almost seemed less receptive to being connected with. Being able to reach those students who are really shut down -- theres really nothing like having a kid whos really guarded let you in.

AAN: Why was teaching in the field of special education such a calling for you?

Dew: I think part of it was knowing that I struggled myself, and I also was really more interested in the learning disability side of things until (WISD officials) said (emotional impairment) was my only option. At first, I really wondered if that would be within me, but now I wouldnt want it any other way.

AAN: What have been the most rewarding aspects of working with students as a teacher?

Dew: Seeing students reach their Aha moments is rewarding. Being let in and trusted by students who really struggle with trust and have been severely hurt in many ways by the institution or by personal traumas -- those things very inspiring to me. To say to students You are still human, at the end of the day and I see you -- you cant be invisible. I myself am a foster child who wasnt adopted , so I feel like a lot of that calls to me as well.

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ANN ARBOR, MI - An Ann Arbor filmmaker will premiere her new film that was shot in the area at the Michigan Theater on Jan. 5.

The comedy titled, Tommy Hollywood and Katie Encino Move to the Midwest to Get Real,  or just Get Real for short  follows a Los Angeles couple leaving behind their Hollywood life after finding out their idealized celebrity couple has broken up. Devastated and without a role model for their own relationship, they set off to Michigan where they hear people have real relationships.

Its really about what it takes to become authentic, the films director Christina Morales Hemenway said. And how scary that can be in a relationship and really being willing to share who you actually are but its very much a comedy.

A promotional poster for "Get Real" a film by a Ann Arbor director Christina Morales Hemenway. The films red carpet premiere will begin at 6 p.m. on Jan. 5.Courtesy of Dancingstar Productions

Drawn to the town by its seemingly exotic and exclusive name, the clueless couple moves to Milan, Michigan  where a significant portion of the film was shot along with some locations in Ann Arbor and Brighton, Morales Hemenway said.

The leads Chis Daftsios and Joni Allen as Tommy Hollywood and Katie Encino, are joined on screen by local actors, mostly from Ann Arbor. The leads portray exaggerated, larger-than-life characters, according to a press release from Dancingstar Productions  Morales Hemenways production company.

But most of the [local] actors have never done any acting before, Morales Hemenway said. There are a couple of actors that have been in plays before but we had open auditions and I got really lucky.

The film captures cultural clashes as the Los Angeles couple embarks on zany adventures, hilarious mishaps, and heartwarming moments as they interact with the welcoming, albeit baffled, locals, according to the release.

Morales Hemenway grew up in Ann Arbor where she pursued her interests in acting, playwriting and jazz while attending Community High School. She said the idea for the film came about from her own experience moving to Los Angeles when she turned 18 to attend the California Institute of the Arts.

It was just such a culture shock, she said. And I feel like Ive lived in both areas long enough to be able to make fun of both areas. So thats why I call it a mutually offensive comedy. Because it makes fun of Midwesterners. It makes fun of Los Angeleans. If you cant laugh at yourself, you might not want to come to this movie.

She moved back to Ann Arbor in 2005 to start a family, hopeful to have her career and her family all in one place. Years later, during the challenges of the pandemic, she began teaching others about filmmaking through her Dancingstar Creative Academy within her production company.

Get Real fourth film to premiere at the Michigan Theater. The trailer is available online.

The films red carpet premiere will begin at 6 p.m. on Jan. 5. The announcement advises, Dress to impress! Wear your best 80s attire! (Or not! Its Ann Arbor, so you do you!)

Tickets for the premiere alone are available online for $12 and $25 for those who wish to attend the after party in the lobby, which includes mingling with the cast and crew, T-shirt and poster signing, a silent auction for the costumes featured in the film and a reception with live music.

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  Calvin Theological Seminary is exploring plans to develop new housing for students and their families.

The seminary has asked the city of Grand Rapids to rezone property at 3300 Burton St. from a neighborhood office service district to a special district-institutional campus, which would allow Calvin to build a 48-unit residential building on the property, according to city documents.

The Grand Rapids City Commission is scheduled to consider the rezoning request on Tuesday, Jan. 9.

Calvin Theological Seminary Chief Operating Officer Margaret Mwenda told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press that the seminary, 3233 Burton St., is still in the very beginning of the planning process for the new housing development and could not share any details about the project.

The Grand Rapids Planning Commission approved recommending the rezoning for future housing to the city commission at its Nov. 9 public hearing. Records show the seminary is planning for a 4.5-story residence building for students and their families on the 1.96-acre lot at 3300 Burton St. The new 48 units would range from 1- to 3-bedrooms with some community space, according to planning commission minutes.

No written or oral testimony was received in support of or opposition to the request, the minutes said.

The property owned by Calvin Theological Seminary is currently occupied by a two-story office building known as the KnollCrest Professional Building, according to the city commission Dec. 12 meeting documents, when the rezoning was placed on the Jan. 9 agenda.

The KnollCrest Professional building, at 3300 Burton St. SE, is pictured on Monday, Dec. 25, 2023. Calvin Theological Seminary, which is located across the street from the building, is considering plans to develop the building into student housing. The Seminary has asked the city of Grand Rapids to rezone the property to allow for residential units.Melissa Frick

Project developers told the planning commission that Calvin Theological Seminary bought the property approximately nine years ago with a vision to eventually bring students and their families to live closer to its campus.

Calvin currently offers seminary owned housing to students, including one, two, and three bedroom apartments and townhouses available on and off campus.

The seminary has been using it for office space, but the seminary recently expanded its office spaces across the street, allowing the building to be used for student housing, Jeff Van Laar, of Exxel Engineering, told commissioners.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  The city is offering matching funds for residents to develop projects to build relationships in the community.

Neighborhood Match Fund provides awards of $500 to $5,000 for projects led by city residents that are community focused, inclusive, promote a deeper sense of belonging among neighbors and increase the overall quality of life in neighborhoods, city officials said.

The deadline to apply is Dec. 31.

Previous projects have included an early-childhood education summit, a dance for those with special needs, and a one-day event for girls and young women with speeches on self-esteem, motivation and career planning.

Another project was the Alger Garfield Neighbors Collaborative, where a diverse group of residents gathered to connect and share a meal.

The funds are for projects planned between March and August. Grand Rapids residents and community-based organizations can apply here.

The program began in 2017, with over $500,000 distributed among 245 projects.

Talent lives here, and this investment has made a positive impact in the lives of so many of our neighbors, the city said in a statement.

The NMF project liaison and Office of Equity and Engagement team will review applications to determine if they are complete and in line with NMF objectives. Projects that are recommended will be evaluated by a diverse, community-led team for final approval.

Project leaders would then meet with the NMF coordinator or team to look at the projects scope, expectations and strategies for intentional and inclusive project outreach and brainstorm how the event or opportunity can be designed to foster relationship-building among residents.

Matching funds can be raised through volunteer labor (valued at $31.80 an hour), in-kind goods and services and cash donations.

For more information, residents or organizations can email nmf@grcity.us or go to www.grandrapidsmi.gov/nmf
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  Police are investigating after a man was shot in the leg Christmas afternoon on the citys northeast side.

The incident happened around 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 25, according to the Grand Rapids Police Department. Officers responded near the intersection of Lafayette Avenue NE and Matilda Street NE for reports of a shooting.

The age of the man was not released. He was taken to an area hospital for treatment and is currently stable with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Police could not provide additional information regarding the circumstances of the shooting. Anyone with information can contact Grand Rapids Police Department at 616-456-3380 or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  As we begin to say goodbye to 2023, there are several restaurants around Grand Rapids that also said goodbye this year. Some right in the heart of downtown closed their doors in 2023, along with others throughout the Grand Rapids area.

Below is list of some of the restaurants Grand Rapids foodies bid farewell this year:

Slows Bar-B-Q

An anchor at the Grand Rapids Downtown Market since 2015, Slows Bar-B-Q closed its doors on Sunday, Oct. 8. According to the restaurant, it closed its Grand Rapids location because it never fully recovered post-COVID.

The restaurant took up 6,000 square feet in the southeast corner of the Downtown Market but chose not to renew its lease in the Grand Rapids space.

RELATED: Slows Bar-B-Q to close Grand Rapids location at Downtown Market

Slows Bar-B-Q is known for its smoked pulled pork barbecue sandwiches, along with brisket, ham, smoked chicken, rib tips and other favorites.

However, those who still crave Slows can still head to Detroit where the restaurant remains open in Corktown at 2138 Michigan Ave.

Freshii

To the dismay of many downtown Grand Rapids workers, healthy lunch spot Freshii closed its doors to customers on Friday, Nov. 3. The last Freshii location in Grand Rapids was located in McKay Tower at 146 Monroe Center St. NW #160.

According to the owner, the restaurants lease was up for renewal at the same time its franchise license was up, and renewing both didnt make sense amid decreased profits since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The downtown Grand Rapids Freshii was open for 10 years and served wraps, soups, salads, quinoa bowls, smoothies and fresh-pressed juices.

RELATED: Downtown Grand Rapids Freshii location permanently closed

Owner Nate Ashcraft said increased product costs, significantly increased labor costs and fewer consistent customers created a perfect storm that made it more challenging for the popular lunch spot to be profitable.

The Freshii restaurant in the McKay Tower in downtown Grand Rapids closed after 10 years in business. Photo taken Monday, December 16, 2013. (Chris Clark | MLive.com) MLive.comMLive.com

Ashcraft also closed the Knapps Corner Freshii location, which he opened in 2016, earlier this year. Now, the closest Freshiis spot to Grand Rapids is over two hours away in Royal Oak on the east side of the state. There is also a remaining location on Woodward Avenue in Detroit.

Wahlburgers

Founded by chef Paul Wahlberg and his famous actor brothers, Mark and Donnie, Grand Rapids burger spot Wahlburgers closed on Tuesday, Aug. 1 earlier this year.

The Wahlburgers at 10 Ionia Ave. NW announced its closure after less than two years in business.

The restaurant featured burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, starters and a full-service bar.

RELATED: Wahlburgers closes Grand Rapids location

The burger spot was located on the ground floor of the Marriot Residence Inn hotel, with 104 indoor seats and 68 outdoor seats.

Since Wahlburgers closed in August, a new restaurant has opened in the space. The Foolery opened on Monday, Dec. 18, and is described as a fine dive bar.

The Foolery is the latest endeavor for Social Misfits owner Spencer Raymond. This sibling restaurant serves Detroit-style pizza, craft cocktails and cold beer.

A line forms outside Wahlburgers before opening for the day in downtown Grand Rapids as chef Paul Wahlberg was visiting the location on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. The fast-casual burger chain was founded by Wahlberg and two of his brothers, Mark and Donnie, both of whom are famous actors. (Cory Morse | MLive.com) Cory Morse | MLive.com

Rockys Bar and Grill

A staple in the Monroe North neighborhood, Rockys Bar and Grill recently closed after Corewell Health purchased the property to build office headquarters in the space at 633 Ottawa Ave. NW.

Though the bar didnt officially announce its closure, the restaurant is listed as permanently closed online. The pub-style restaurant included a dance floor, darts, pool and other fun features across its two floors. The spot also regularly featured many of Grand Rapids up-and-coming bands and DJs weekly.

Abacus Chinese

After 28 years in business, Grandville Chinese restaurant Abacus Chinese closed its doors in early October.

The Chinese restaurant, at 3901 Chicago Drive SW #103 announced its closure on social media Sunday, Oct. 1. The owners told customers they were retiring their family business after nearly 30 years serving the greater Grand Rapids community.

The restaurant had a large menu, including favorites like egg rolls, dumplings, seafood, chicken, pork and a wide variety of combination dishes.

Paddock Place

The historic Paddock Place mansion restaurant had been shuttered for several months for renovations, but officially announced in November it would not reopen as its current iteration.

The Pub at Paddock

The Paddock Place, at 1033 Lake Drive SE, will reopen in 2024 as Mangiamo, an elegant Italian restaurant. Mangiamo is the name of the restaurant previously housed in the East Hills mansion, but closed in 2017. It will make its return to Grand Rapids in the new year.

RELATED: Mangiamo reopening at historic mansion, touting a more elevated dining experience

Mangiamo is set to open to the public on Jan. 10, 2024, according to The Gilmore Collection, which owns the restaurant. The restaurant will include items like chicken piccata, steaks and fresh seafood. There will also be a cocktail lounge in the wine cellar.

El Sombrero

The longtime Mexican restaurant El Sombrero at 527 Bridge St. NW closed earlier this year, without much explanation. The Westside landmark restaurant has served Mexican cuisine for decades in Grand Rapids, and closed in the summer.

The property was purchased by a new owner in 2016. Charlie Secchia, who bought the property, said his plans were to restore the 50-foot railroad crossing tower at the spot but said at the time he would maintain the lease with the owner of El Sombrero. In 2016, Secchia told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press he purchased the property because of its investment potential.

Bird Dogs

Casual hot dog and fried chicken restaurant Bird Dogs in Jenison closed on Monday, March 6.

Bird Dogs, a Jenison hot dog and fried chicken restaurant, announced it was closing Monday, March 6. (Audra Gamble | MLive.com)

The spot, at 672 Baldwin St., announced it would be closing permanently on social media. Bird Dogs opened in 2019 and was known for its fried chicken and chili dogs. The restaurant was opened by several partners who opened The Win Tavern 33 in Jenison, but eventually became solely owned by Scott Ingersoll.

RELATED: Hot dog joint in Jenison suddenly closes

Ingersoll is now the owner of Mill Creek Tavern in Comstock Park.

Did we miss your favorite restaurant that closed this year? Email us at agamble@mlive.com to let us know.

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KENTWOOD, MI  A man who killed his pregnant wife will continue to stay in prison for at least three decades.

On Dec. 21, the Michigan Court of Appeals upheld the 33-year minimum prison sentence for 38-year-old Richard Guichelaar.

Guichelaar was sentenced last year to 33 to 100 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and assault against a pregnant individual intentionally causing a miscarriage.

Richard Guichelaar strangled his wife, Amber Guichelaar, on Nov. 16, 2020, within view of one of the couples two young daughters. Amber Guichelaar had taught for Kentwood Public Schools.

According to the Michigan Court of Appeals opinion released Dec. 21, Richard Guichelaar tried to appeal his sentencing on grounds that the sentencing judge, Kent County Circuit Judge Mark Trusock, erred in sentencing him above his advisory sentencing guidelines range.

The sentence imposed by Trusock was still within the agreed upon sentencing range for Richard Guichelaars guilty plea.

The Michigan Court of Appeals upheld Trusocks sentence.

Related: Beyond comprehension, judge says in sentencing Kentwood man who killed pregnant wife

At sentencing, Trusock called Amber Guichelaars death a brutal and senseless murder.

What you did to your wife, your children, to the family of Amber and her friends, is beyond comprehension, quite frankly, he said.

Trusock said he believed Richard Guichelaar was a danger to society and that he didnt think he should ever be set free.
BARAGA, MI  Keweenaw Bay Indian Community may receive nearly $34 million in federal money to pay for land stolen from the tribe 150 years ago.

The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a bipartisan bill this month, sponsored by Michigan Sens. Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, both Democrats, to settle longstanding land claims by the Upper Peninsula tribe and clear titles for current property owners today. Michigans U.S. Congressman Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, is expected to introduce the companion bill in the House.

The Keweenaw Bay-based Indigenous tribe was guaranteed occupancy over a large region established under the LAnse Reservation through treaties signed in 1842 and 1854. Despite those treaties, thousands of acres were illegally taken by the federal government without compensation.

The U.S. government gave the stolen land to the state.

Related: On Lake Superior, a $1 billion eco-disaster is swallowing the coast

Specifically, as many as 2,720 acres of land was transferred by the U.S. government to Michigan as compensation for the construction of the Sault Ste. Marie Canal. Additionally, about 2,743 acres of swampland was included.

Tribal leaders argue the wrongful theft of the land created substantial economic and other harms through the loss of valuable lands in prime locations along the Lake Superior shoreline. Those lands could have been used by tribal citizens to build value and wealth with businesses and other activities.

Under the federal Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Land Claim Settlement Act of 2023, the tribe will now be financially compensated for that land to the tune of $33.9 million.

The money can be used by the tribe to pay for government services, economic development, natural resources protections, and land acquisition  but not for gaming.

Related: Do you know what manoomin is? Michigans state native grain.

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community President Doreen Blaker said both the Tribal Council and entire community are beyond overjoyed by the Senates vote.

We have sought relief and compensation for generations for the unlawful taking of our lands. Thanks to Sen. Peters and Sen. Stabenow we finally feel heard, Blaker said.

Peters said the bipartisan bill both rightly settles the tribes land claims and provides legal clearance for local residents who today own the properties at issue.

Non-Native people, organizations and local municipalities that acquired the land at issue over the years in good faith will be ensured clear titles to their properties under the legislation.

Related: Michigan parks receive millions for improvements, expansions

Its time to right this wrong, Peters said.

Stabenow agreed and called the bill a long overdue solution.

Should the legislation also be approved in the U.S. House and signed by President Joe Biden, the tribe would receive the millions of dollars through future budgeting.

The Department of Interior would be expected to include the already-authorized figure in its funding request sent to Congress by the administration. The allocation to the tribe could be included as soon as the next federal fiscal years national budget.
In the spirit of giving this holiday season, the Get Out Of Depression (GOOD) Foundation has extended a helping hand to the Human Service Trust Orphanage in Cape Coast.

With a dedicated commitment to supporting vulnerable individuals nationwide, the GOOD Foundation geared up for a heartwarming Christmas activity themed, "Hearts Ablaze: A day of hope and healing" held on the 24th of December, 2023.

This initiative aims to bring joy, education, and a sense of community support to over 100 beneficiaries of the facility, who include orphans, persons with mental health challenges, persons with disabilities, widows, teenage mothers, ex-convicts, elderly individuals, unemployed youth, and children rescued from child slavery, labour and trafficking.

Specially and carefully selected activities for this event include games, art therapy, and educational sessions on mental health, personal development and menstrual hygiene.

Mental health screenings were also conducted, recognising the inseparable link between mental and physical well-being.

These activities according to Madam Helena, Founder of GOOD Foundation were to teach teamwork, leadership, effective communication, resilience, and other vital life skills and help their cognitive, social, and personal development.

Helena Amoah (Nana Aba Appiatewaa) speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the event emphasised the significance of spending Christmas with loved ones, considering the programme beneficiaries as part of their extended family.

"The organisation's unique approach focused on educational games like the tallest tower, egg exercise, and cup pong, designed to teach teamwork, leadership, effective communication, resilience, and other vital life skills," she stated.

Mr. Joss Acquah, the Board Chairman of the Human Service Trust Ghana said GOOD Foundations programme is one of the best they have seen, bringing many interconnected activities to encourage participants.

The Board Chair emphasised The program is one of the best so far within the year; in fact, oftentimes, people come, they donate and go, but this time, we had health screening, did some mental health talk, art therapy and the children were so happy about it" adding "and I think if it continues like that, the children will feel more excited".

He shared, "The elders who came around, and through that, some of them were saying their sugar level was high, while others were low and were advised to see a medical practitioner and I think if the exercise continues like that in years to come, many people will have an idea about health issues. So I think the programe today has been an excellent one.

Reverend Ato Hills, a Board Member at the orphanage, expressed gratitude to the foundation for the great work, activities and donations.

Miss Daniella Annam, the president of GOOD on the hand, acknowledged the crucial support from partners such as the University of Ghana Medical Students Association, Curious Minds Ghana, Edis Mart, Bibiniba Foundation, Flairup, and Smile Fun House.

Mr. Bernard Agbesi, The Vice President of the organisation, also mentioned that the organisation is going to do more.
Chadians have voted in favour of a new constitution that critics say could help cement the power of junta leader Mahamat Idriss Deby.

The referendum held on 17 December was approved by 86 percent of voters, the government commission that organised it said.

Turnout was about 64 percent of the eight million people who are entitled to vote, it added.

The results are preliminary, with the definite results due from the Supreme Court on 28 December.

Chad's military authorities have called the vote a vital stepping-stone to elections next year.

But many opposition leaders say it is just a show to prepare the way for the eventual election of the current military leader, who assumed power in 2021 following the death of his father, Idriss Deby, who himself took power in a coup 33 years ago.

The junta promised a return to democratic rule after they seized power in 2021.

Former president Deby was killed on the battlefield during a conflict with insurgents.

The new constitution will maintain a unitary state, which Chad has had since independence, while some of its opponents wanted the creation of a federal state, saying it would help spur development.

Call to boycott

Several opposition groups had called for a boycott of the vote, saying the junta had too much control over the referendum process.

"The participation was much less than what the officials announced," said Max Kemkoye, head of an opposition group. "Everyone saw on voting day that the boycott was respected.

"They have fiddled with the results, raising them over time to make them public today," said Yoyana Banyara, head of the Federal Bloc, which had called for a "No" vote. "It's a disgrace for the country."

Some opponents hoped the 'No' would lead to a federation.

Brice Mbaimon Guedmabaye, president of the Movement of Chadian Patriots for the Republic (MPRT) and coordinator of the "No" front in the referendum, said he believed that the results were not credible.

"Today, the people's opinion is simply hijacked, " he told RFI.

'Smooth' vote

The electoral authorities said that apart from some minor dysfunctions, the referendum had passed off smoothly.

The "Yes" coalition led by transitional Prime Minister Saleh Kebzabo welcomed the results of the vote, Mahamat Assileck Halata, Minister of Planning and communications officer for the coalition told RFI.

"The people chose to say "Yes" and I think that is necessary for a people who have decided to chart their course towards the future," he said.

"However, we must also listen to 14 percent of our compatriots who vote, because they have a message to convey and we must listen to these compatriots."

The "Yes" camp argue that the federalism sought by opposition groups would encourage "separatism" and "chaos".

The text as approved roots for a "unitary and decentralised state", and keeps most of the power concentrated in the head of state.

Mahamat Deby initially promised an 18-month transition to elections after his father's death.

But last year his government adopted resolutions that delayed elections until 2024 and will allow him to run for president in the eventual vote.

(with newswires)
The number of casualties from the explosion at the nickel smelter factory in Indonesia has reached 18.

Many people are still receiving treatment for burn injuries, and operations at the facility are currently on hold, according to officials on Tuesday.

A huge explosion rocked the Chinese-funded nickel smelter furnace on Sulawesi island, owned by Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel (ITSS), causing a fire on Sunday morning.

The accident happened during repair work on a furnace when a flammable liquid ignited and caused nearby oxygen tanks to explode, according to the initial investigation.

Chinese foreign ministry called authorities to launch emergency response after four Chinese nationals were killed.

Central Sulawesi police spokesperson Djoko Wienartono said on Tuesday that the death toll included eight foreign workers.

The investigation into the cause of the fire is still underway.

The operations at the factory remained suspended, Dedy Kurniawan a spokesperson for the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park where the plant is located, said.

Indonesian president Joko Widodo called for improved safety and enhanced monitoring of environmental standards in the wake of the accident.

A Chinese worker who was injured in the explosion at a nickel smelter furnace is brought to the Morowali Regional General Hospita (AFP via Getty Images)

But at the same time, he acknowledged that nickel processing remains a priority for the economic development of the country.

Indonesia is the worlds biggest nickel producer. It has banned unprocessed nickel ore exports while giving a major push to major investments in smelting and processing. However, the industry has remained plagued by several fatal accidents in recent years.

It was the latest in a series of accidents at nickel smelting plants in Indonesia that have been part of Chinas ambitious transnational development programme  the Belt and Road Initiative.

Other businesses at the park, which hosts 52 companies, remain operational, Mr Kurniawan said.

A worker at the industrial complex told AFP news agency that the victims faces were burnt and their clothes were all burnt.

Story continues

TSS is jointly owned with a 50 per cent stake by Tsingshan Holding Group, the worlds biggest nickel producer and Chinas biggest stainless steelmaker.

Police officers and workers stand near the site where a furnace explosion occurred at PT Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel smelting plant in Morowali (AP)

The company said it would cover the cost of treatment for the injured workers.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said the Chinese embassy launched the emergency response mechanism, sending a special team to handle a local furnace explosion.

It was the third deadly incident this year at Chinese-owned nickel smelting plants in Central Sulawesi province, which has the largest nickel reserves in Indonesia.

Two workers, including a Chinese national, were killed at a nickel smelting plant in the same industrial park after a riot between workers and security guards broke out during a protest over safety conditions and pay.

Two dump truck operators were killed when they were engulfed by a wall of black sludge-like material following the collapse of a nickel waste disposal site in April.

Last year, a loader truck ran over and killed a Chinese worker while he was repairing a road in PT IMIPs mining area, and an Indonesian man burned to death when a furnace in the companys factory exploded.

Data collected by the Mining Advocacy Network, an Indonesian watchdog, showed that at least 22 workers from China and Indonesia have died in nickel smelting plants in Central Sulawesi province since 2019.
People donned Santa caps on beaches, ski slopes and streets around the globe on Monday to celebrate Christmas, as Pope Francis called for an end to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine that this year have cast a shadow over one of the world's favourite holidays.

Red and white Santa outfits appeared on surfers from Australia to Florida, on bicyclists in the smog-filled streets of New Delhi and intrepid souls braving chilly Channel waters for a holiday dip near Britain's Dover.

In his annual Christmas Day "Urbi and Orbi" mass at the Vatican, Pope Francis called for an end "to war, to every war, to the very mindset of war, an aimless voyage, a defeat without victors, an inexcusable folly".

Pope Francis called for the release of hostages and an end to the war in Gaza. By Tiziana FABI (AFP)

May peace "come in Israel and Palestine, where war is devastating the lives of those peoples", he said.

"I reiterate my urgent appeal for the liberation of those still being held hostage. I plead for an end to the military operations with their appalling harvest of innocent civilian victims, and call for a solution to the desperate humanitarian situation by an opening to the provision of humanitarian aid", he said.

"I implore peace for Ukraine. Let us renew our spiritual and human closeness to its embattled people", he said, also calling for the resolution of conflicts simmering in the Middle East, Africa and the Caucasus.

The Gaza war made for a sombre Christmas in Bethlehem, the biblical city in the occupied West Bank where Christians believe Jesus Christ was laid in a manger after being born more than 2,000 years ago.

Santa Claus braves fog to spread some cheer in New Delhi. By Arun SANKAR (AFP)

The town did away with its giant Christmas tree, marching bands and flamboyant nativity scene that normally draw tourists, settling for just a few festive lights.

In the centre of town, a huge Palestinian flag had been unfolded with a banner declaring that "The bells of Bethlehem ring for a ceasefire in Gaza".

"A lot of people are dying for this land," said Nicole Najjar, an 18-year-old student.

"It's really hard to celebrate while our people are dying."

Inside Gaza, the horrid conditions were driving "rising desperation due to acute hunger," World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday.

The Church of the Nativity in the biblical city of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank. By HAZEM BADER (AFP)

The Gaza war started after a Hamas attack on October 7 left around 1,140 people dead in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on the latest official Israeli figures.

The Palestinian militants also abducted around 250 people, 129 of whom Israel says remain in Gaza.

The faithful attended services around the globe, here with worshippers attending a mass near Ugunja in Kenya. By LUIS TATO (AFP)

Israel retaliated with a sustained bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza, that has killed more than 20,400 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's health ministry.

New Christmas Day

Ukraine, invaded by Russia nearly two years ago, this year is celebrating Christmas on December 25 for the first time, jettisoning the traditional Orthodox date of January 7, which is feted in Russia.

'We all celebrate Christmas together,' said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Sunday. By YURIY DYACHYSHYN (AFP)

"We believe that we really should celebrate Christmas with the whole world, far away, far away from Moscow. For me that's the new message now," said one smiling parishioner in Odesa, Olena, whose son is a medic on the front line.

The date change -- moving away from the Julian calendar favoured by the Orthodox Church -- is part of numerous moves since the invasion to remove traces of the Russian and Soviet empires.

The Ukrainian military said that it had shot down 28 of the 31 drones that Russia launched on Christmas day at its neighbour, with no casualties reported.

Surfing Santas

In Sydney, Australia, many residents and tourists headed to the beach for Christmas. By DAVID GRAY (AFP)

In countries not afflicted by war, festive revellers opened presents and donned the red and white Santa hats for a shot of holiday cheer.

In Sydney, Australia, residents and tourists headed to the beach to enjoy the heat of the Southern Hemisphere's summer.

In Florida, thousands descended on Cocoa Beach for the annual "Surfing Santas" celebration that raises funds for a charity helping cancer patients travel for treatment and the local surf museum.

Christian churches hold mass both on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day. By SAVO PRELEVIC (AFP)

In Sri Lanka, the president granted an amnesty to more than 1,000 convicts across the country to mark Christmas, prison officials said.

Prayers in Turkey

In southern Turkey, much of which was devastated by an earthquake in February, faithful prayed for new beginnings.

The February earthquake levelled many churches, including this one in Hatay. By BULENT KILIC (AFP)

"It's important for us to celebrate the birth of Jesus. but it's a very sad Christmas," said Vehbi Tadrasgil, a 55-year-old who lost his wife and two of his three children in the quake that killed at least 50,000 people in Turkey and more than 5,000 in neighbouring Syria.

"I hope that their souls are here, I am certain that our prayers rise to them," he said in front of the ruins of a church at Antakya.

Christmas mass at the Saint Mary the Chaldean church in Iraq's southern city of Basra. By Hussein Faleh (AFP)

Twenty kilometres (12 miles) down the coast in Samandag, a generator powered the lights on a tree in front of the Saint-Ilyas church, which survived.

"After the earthquake, our community -- 400 families -- was annihilated. With this Christmas, we want to wish everyone rebirth, love, joy and peace. We must move forward, rebuild a new life," said Father Yumurta.

"They say that with the birth of the child Jesus, a new life begins, a new beginning. For us too, here, it will be a new beginning," he said.

burs/yad/ach
As the year 2023 draws to an end, a renowned advocate of cyber safety and CEO of Internet Safety Magazine, Rotimi Onadipe, has called on cyber criminals to repent and reconcile with God before the new year 2024.

Onadipe made the call on Saturday, December 23, 2023 at Internet Safety Magazine Office, Ibadan during his weekly broadcast on internet safety, an initiative which is aimed at educating smartphone and internet users about how to prevent cyber crimes and other online risks.

He said: "As the year draws to a close, I want to appeal to cyber criminals all over the world to use the remaining few days of 2023 as a time of sober reflection.

"Think about the kind of life you are living, repent from your evil ways, ask God for forgiveness and reconcile with him before the new year. This is a decision that will give you everlasting peace.

"God is a merciful God. He is interested in the salvation of your souls. He still loves you all and that's why he preserved your lives till this time despite all the atrocities you have committed.

"Don't postpone your day of salvation. The best time to repent from your evil works and reconcile with God is now. It's a decision that you will never regret if you are sincere with yourselves," Onadipe added.
The General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Pastor Mensa Otabil, has called on Ghanaians to be more proactive in addressing national challenges rather than solely relying on the government.

In a speech to church congregants on Sunday, Pastor Otabil said Ghanaians always have the perception that government is solely responsible for solving societal problems.

One of the challenges we have as Ghanaians or as a nation is that we always think that the government must solve our problems. We don't have enough private effort to solve our problems; we lack private enterprises, companies actively addressing community issues because we perceive the government as the sole problem solver," he said.

While agreeing that governments have a responsibility to address issues, Pastor Otabil argued that citizens and the private sector must also play a role.

Governments must solve problems, and when they fail, we must hold them accountable. But there is also a place for individuals, for churches, for citizens to make a contribution and to make a difference," he stated.

He called on Ghanaians to get more involved in finding solutions through community initiatives and private enterprises rather than always waiting for government to act.

The renowned man of God said Ghanaians can help by giving to the underprivileged in society.

"You may be in need, but somebody is in more need than you are, and you can make a difference in the life of that person," Pastor Otabil said in his remarks, encouraging citizens to play a role in development beyond just holding governments accountable.

His comments come amid concerns about over-reliance on government and under-investment by the private sector in addressing social, economic and infrastructure problems in Ghana.
Parliamentary aspirant for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Kwadaso Constituency, Vincent Frimpong Manu has pledged to work with all stakeholders in the party for the betterment of grassroot members if voted to lead the party as a parliamentary candidate.

The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Middle Belt Development Authority said he is ready to serve his constituents and unite the party for a common goal.

Vincent Frimpong Manu said this after he filed his nomination forms to contest the parliamentary primaries of the NPP in the Kwadaso Constituency of the Ashanti Region.

Speaking to this reporter after the process on Monday, December 25, 2023, the NPP stalwart noted that he remains the best candidate to lead the party for landmark victory in the 2024 general polls.

He revealed that the Kwadaso Constituency has been served with poor leadership by the incumbent Member of Parliament hence the need to change him.

He noted that the incumbent MP's abysmal performance has rendered the party unattractive in the area and appealed to delegates to save NPP by voting out the underperforming MP.

"Politics is about numbers, the grassroots are calling for me to represent them in parliament, that's why I'm appealing to the delegates to listen to the grassroots and vote me as the next parliamentary candidate for the NPP.

"I strongly believe that my candidature will bring back residents' love for the party and increase the party's votes," he stated.

About Vincent Frimpong Manu

Vincent Frimpong previously served as the Ghana Country Director of World Cocoa Foundation, with oversight on programmes in Nigeria.

He was the Ghana Country Manager (cocoa) of Solidaridad, where he also coordinated cocoa projects in Nigeria, Cameroon and Cote dIvoire, among other enviable positions.

He currently works as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer at the Middle Belt Development Authority.
The Oguaa Traditional Council has made an official declaration to end child marriage in Cape Coast with a stern warning to perpetrators of the crime.

The Council said it would fight the harmful menace through education, advocacy and legal and legitimate means, vowing that the resolution would remain valid until the objective had been achieved.

We will ensure that any child who is below 18 years will not go into marriage and anybody who would act contrary to undermine the resolution will be in serious trouble with the Council, Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II, the Oguaamanhen cautioned.

He made the declaration at a durbar at his seat, the Emintsimadze Palace, to crown a three-day workshop for the Oguaa Traditional Council on ending child marriage in Ghana.

The workshop was organised by the Obaapa Development Foundation, an NGO focused on women development, with support from the UNFPA as part of efforts to empower traditional and religious leaders and the public to end child marriage.

Experts took the traditional leaders through the effects of child marriage and related issues, including sexually based violence, health complications, and legal provisions and sanctions.

The programme is scheduled to take place in three paramountcies, comprising Avatime, Oguaa and Akwamufie after which the traditional councils would put together an action plan.

Shortly after the declaration, Madam Halima Saadia Yakubu, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, led members of the Council to take a pledge to fight all harmful practices against children and to create a community where every child could reach their full potential.

Osabarimba Kwesi Atta, alluding to the numerous dangers of child marriage, said they would work urgently in close collaboration with other stakeholders, including heads of schools, families, police, the Ghana Education Service and the Ghana Health Service to mitigate the menace.

He said it was wrong for parents to throw their pregnant girls out to stay with the men responsible, maintaining that such acts fuelled child marriage.

Why should a child below 18 years move out to stay with a man?

If they bring the pregnancy home, find legitimate means to deal with the situation but dont support them to break the law, he said.

When they stay with these men, they can be abused or killed, he added.

Osabarimba also bemoaned a growing trend of school girls giving their contacts out to hotels and other establishments to offer sex for money.

He stressed that child marriage was dangerous and if stakeholders acted indifferently, it might come back to haunt them.

The Executive Director of the Foundation and Development Queenmother of Afigya Kwabre in the Ashanti Region, Nanahemaa Adwoa Awindor, said the campaign had to be intensified to make people aware of their own contributions to the menace.

Citing teenage pregnancy as a major cause, she said many parents unconsciously pushed their girls into early marriage out of anger and frustration.

Anytime we say early child marriage, we are thinking about a religion or a particular community.

No, we are all encouraging child marriage and the earlier we brought peoples attention to it, the better, she said.

She warned that any girl below 18 years old was fragile and susceptible to many health complications including fistula during childbirth.

Nanahemaa Awindor called for the strict implementation of national and international laws against child marriage and related offences.

Dr Wilfred Ochan, the Resident Representative, UNFPA, commended the Traditional Council for taking the bold decision to fight for the rights of young people.

He intimated that child marriage was a human rights violation which denied young people education, economic engagement, participation in governance, among other developmental activities.

He said child marriage remained a significant problem in Ghana, indicating that the prevalence of marriage by age 15 had stalled at about five per cent over the last 10 years, without any visible improvement.

For us in UNFPA, no girl, absolutely none, should be married as a child.

We aim at achieving zero gender-based violence and harmful practices including child marriage in every country, he said.

GNA
Accepting accountability or responsibility is one of the main issues or obstacles facing Akufo Addo's administration. The fact is, any person, business, or government that shirks responsibility always fails. If the NPP government doesn't bring charges against Cecilia Dapaah for stealing and hoarding more than $1million in cash, Ghanaians shouldn't think of them as a party they can rely on for advancement in the country or in the future.

Akufo Addo is undermining Cecilia Dapaah's case, making efforts for Ghanaians to forget about it as it has been the case with all NPP politicians involved in significant corruption scandals because he has turned corruption into a profitable business within the NPP government and has refused to punish any of the party's corrupt officials. This is a serious case that the offender should have been in prison long ago in many developing countries, let alone a developed one.

From the beginning of their failure and pervasive corruption, Akufo Addo and the NPP administration have blamed Mahama, COVID-19, and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Ghanaians should not take a government seriously if it refuses to take responsibility or if it does not punish corrupt politicians, regardless of how well it may persuade the populace that it is the best way to address their issues or that it has implemented free education to address their educational crisis or other issues.

Every corruption scandal that the NPP government encounters is never resolved; the case eventually fades away, much like unsolved murder cases in this government. Since his election, Akufo Addo has made Ghanaians known that his promises to combat corruption are hollow, as he has no intention of imprisoning any corrupt politician. Ghanaians therefore; understand that the president would let Cecilia Dapaah go free with no consequences when her case became the talk of the town.

As the government came under increasing pressure to bring charges against the former Sanitation Minister, they said that a new judge had taken up the case because Akufo Addo knew there was nothing he could do and was unwilling to prosecute the criminal. I want every Ghanaian to know that relying on a government that refuses to take accountability or prosecute corrupt politicians will be a waste of time, as a result, if Cecilia Dapaah is spared from prison, the NPP should be forced out of power quickly.

They don't deserve to be in charge of the country's administration because of the abnormally high amount of corruption they have brought about, which has caused the nation's economy, businesses, and investments to collapse. There are many unanswered questions about this regime, that Ghanaians must act quickly to sabotage its evil schemes or else it will have a severe negative impact on them. Every politician in the NPP, such as Akufo Addo, Bawumia, and Ofori-Atta, is a liar.

The president pretends to be fighting corruption, to win over people, he claims that "every cedi that is stolen means a child being denied education, a farmer being denied fertilizer, a driver not getting good roads, and sick being left to die," but in reality, he has failed in this area and has turned widespread corruption in his government into a profitable business. Meanwhile, the NPP's stronghold, the Ashanti Region, has seen greater development under Mahama than Akufo Addos seven years in office.

At times, I wonder why Akufo Addo became president and, more significantly, why John Mahama, who has performed better than him, continues to face obstacles of hate and hypocrisy. The former Ghanaian leaders accomplishments are visible throughout Ghana. Any rational person can see how corrupt the NPP administration is from the fact that they fund the media and public figures, including religious leaders, to legitimize their immoral policies and present them as the finest ones.

The president is now calling on the armed forces to ensure peaceful elections in 2024 because he has realized his failure and that the NPP will lose. The question is what role do the armed forces play in elections? Not the Ghana Army, but the Electoral Commission needs to be forewarned to guarantee a peaceful election. The army won't intimidate Ghanaians because the country has reached a critical point where the NPP must go and they will leave.

If the money the NPP government has embezzled, including Cecilia Dapaah's, is being held back to start comedic projects they believe would maintain their position in 2024, then they are lying to themselves. They will abandon their quack projects unfinished to relinquish power, just as they left Mahama's amazing initiatives uncompleted.
Shalimar Abbiusi, Deported Spokesperson of the New Force

26.12.2023 LISTEN

Shalimar Abbiusi, the Belgian activist and television presenter who was recently deported from Ghana, has said being taken back home is not a punishment to her.

Abbiusi, who is the spokesperson for the newly formed political group, The New Force, was repatriated by Ghanaian immigration authorities last week for allegedly forging her residence permit documents.

However, her group claims it was just an attempt to silence political dissent, indicating that the claims by the authorities are untrue.

In a post on X social media platform on Monday, December 25, Miss Abbiusi thanked her supporters for their messages, revealing she was happy to be safe and home in Belgium.

Thank you for all the messages and overwhelming love - I love you guys!! The naked truth will come out very soon but for now, I just want to let you know I am happy to be safe and home. Home is not a punishment - home is a beautiful place," she stated.

When a social media user advised her to ensure her papers are valid if she plans to return to Ghana in future, Abbiusi appeared to dismiss claims about issues with her documents.

The sad thing is people really believe the lies that something was wrong with my documents .. please wake up," she responded.
26.12.2023 LISTEN

Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, has charged delegates in the Ayawaso Central Constituency to vote massively for him in the upcoming NPP primaries to maintain the seat for the party in the 2024 general elections.

The three-time Member of Parliament is being contested by the former Greater Accra Regional Youth Organiser of the NPP, Moses Abor.

He expressed his appreciation to the delegates for believing in him to maintain the seat by picking a form on his behalf.

I decided not to contest again but you said I should go. Today, I thank you again. 2020, you contributed and bought the forms on my behalf and I went unopposed. Today, I was in the office and saw that youve made such an offer again. So today Im here to say Im back again.

Addressing delegates after submitting his nomination form at the Ayawaso Central Constituency office at Alajo, Henry Quartey called for their support.

When you are voting, vote massively for me, Mr Quartey added.
"Omen", the debut feature from Congolese director Baloji, is a poignant tale of cross-cultural discovery that weaves together themes of witchcraft, exclusion and feminism. Having already impressed the jury at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, the film has been picked to represent Belgium at next year's Oscars.

A young black man living in Europe is heading back home to the Democratic Republic of Congo on a special trip. He is taking his white girlfriend to meet his family, who he hasn't seen for a long time.

He's nervous, especially as he is to introduce her as his future wife and the mother of his unborn child.

On paper, "Omen" might appear to tell a classic story  except that, as the film unfolds, audiences are taken deeper into a strange rabbit hole where nothing is as it seems.

The mood is set from the moment Koffi (played by Marc Zinga) arrives at a family gathering where he is referred to with the word "zabolo". When his partner Alice (played by Lucie Debay) asks the meaning, he answers: "mark of the devil".

We learn that the birthmark on his forehead has marked him as "evil"  something akin to a sorcerer, bringing bad omens to the community.

His relatives stare at him in stunned silence as he meets the piercing gaze of Mama Mujila (played by Yves-Marina Gnahoua). This formidable woman makes Koffi's knees buckle, but he's determined to set things right with the past.

This will not be an easy task in the eyes of a mother figure who has had to shun her own son to avoid being stigmatised by those around her.

There is a sense that she may even be jealous of her son, who was able to escape the burden of tradition and superstition to make his own way in the world.

Switching perspectives

In his modern-day fairytale, Baloji tricks the audience into believing they are seeing the story through the European eyes of his lead couple, but ends up drawing them into the other characters' points of view.

Baloji is keen to let his characters tell their own stories, and he makes them more than first meets the eye.

From New Orleans carnival traditions to European folklore, Baloji says he deliberately called on references from all over the world to shake up the boundaries of storytelling.

Like Koffi, the director grew up with a name that was linked to sorcery. Baloji originally means "man of science" in Swahili  but over time and with the arrival of Christianity in Africa, it came to carry negative connotations.

"I'm here to say is that your name doesn't identify you as a human being," he told RFI after the premiere of "Omen" at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

"You can be more than this. So this is the whole journey I'm trying to do as a person. I think this is what my characters are going through, to be more than what they're assigned to."

Among the misfits

Born in Lubumbashi and now based in Belgium, Baloji  who makes music as well as films  says he doesn't want to be put in one box.

Through "Omen" he has become a flag bearer for the misfits of society, those who are misunderstood and marginalised.

Koffi's sister Tshala (Eliane Umuhire) is not accepted because she has chosen to live an independent life and refuses to be intimidated by society's expectations.

Meanwhile Paco the street urchin (Marcel Otete Kabeya) fends for himself. He dresses in costumes and make-up, hustles to get by and gets caught up in petty rivalries with other gangs.

"I think it's very interesting that once women turn 50, they disappear, so their point of view doesn't matter anymore. I think this is an interesting contrast with the 15-year-old street kid  his point of view doesn't exist either," Baloji explains.

"And Tshala's opinion won't matter until she becomes a mum. People still see her as incomplete human being."

Feminist exploration

The director says he was specifically interested in women's experiences within a patriarchal society.

"That was one of the most important things I wanted to show: how society is structured for men, and how they try to control women's bodies," he says.

"I've been studying feminism a lot. I think that's my obligation, because as a man, I'm part of the problem. And part of the solution as well."

Using his skills as a musician, he has written four soundtracks for "Omen", one for each of the main characters  a powerful tool he said helped develop their energies and personalities.

He also was in charge of designing costumes, and the aesthetic recalls his two short films "Zombies" (2019) and "Peau de Chagrin/Bleu de Nuit" (2018).

After winning the Un Certain Regard New Voice Prize at Cannes, "Omen" has gone on to win numerous other prizes  notably best director at the Angouleme francophone film festival in August, best cinematic contribution at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah in December, and best African film at the Durban International Film Festival in July.

Released in France last month, it has been chosen to represent Belgium at the 2024 Oscars.
The Red Apples (part 49)

Our strength as Africans depends on these days of our unity not demonstrated under the old African Union. Pan-Africanism during these dark days in African history was a lie not worth to be called as such. The fact that the building of the African Union was constructed and paid for by China with China putting listening devices into the walls detected fifteen years later is a shamble of the highest order. But with any man so with any nation and with any continent God and Allah all Mighty give a second chance. Moses had to climb the mountain twice before the Jews accepted God's commandments and him as the only God that there is not a golden cow or any other creature only a God as a spirit guiding and protecting us.

It was and is that Almighty spirit that has connected us to the African continent regardless of our religion no matter our individual history no matter the jealousy we felt in our hearts against each othera bond to be proud Africans binds us together for eternity. Our strength comes out of the blessings God has poured over us in abundance as the continent in which man was born humanity was raised with problems carried to us from outside were overcome by our endurance. Our unity which we fought for in battles against evil with the help of good-minded white individuals who opened up our eyes as we were bound to see and could not hear. They taught us what it takes to overcome our shortcomings our witchcraft our Mallams but hear and see and live the good news.

We are destined to rule the world again for a thousand years before history starts a new circle of world dominion. This is how history was, is, and always will be. What matters in the life of people is to hear the sound of the trumpets and be ready for the moment when history when God calls you. Otherwise not being ready and seeing the signs means missing the moment of glory. The door to pass through the downfall from misery into the promised land will be closed when people are not ready for the passage.

Remember Moses and the Israelites who had to walk under the leadership of Joshua for forty good years around the promised land. Can you all imagine that? Moses before he died saw the promised land right in front of his eyes in the distance. But the Israelites in their hearts and their minds were not ready for the promised land. With us here in Africa, it was the same for generations that died in shame out of nothing except for our blindness as people who can see and hear. It took a leader from outside like Moses one of us raised by raised by the Pharaoh in his palace. He was old but chosen by God to lead his people to the promised land. Even Jesus Christ left Nazareth knowing that a prophet does not mean anything in his own country. God decides on the helper for a people, not people on their minds. So we as proud Africans remember the words of Doctor Kwame Nkrumah very well on this special occasion when the black man is finally free he can manage his affairs. It took us the black man another four generations walking around the promised land before a second generation of chosen leaders came to us and let us live in the promised land.

I am not a pastor only a humble Christian but I can hear and follow the word of God. Let us use this moment in time for reflection and let us thank our God, our Allah how far he has brought us and that he has opened up our hearts to his will and not our will. Amen! said King Carl I in his opening speech. The audience gathered got up and a standing ovation for minutes filled the auditorium. The international press rushed to the pulpit to take photos after photos. This session was live broadcast in all major cities around the world.

King Hossein III climbed up the stairs of the stage King Carl I stood firmly on and joined him at the pulpit. He congratulated him with the words: Even though you are not black or brownish not even born on our continent the love for our peoplefor your people nowspeaks out of all words spoken. I am deeply impressed by your honesty that you are an upright person with endless affection for this continent a wise man who understands our weaknesses and our shortcomings. And that you are an upright King who does not shake when he stands in the middle of fire opposition against him. On behalf of the leaders of Africa let me express my greatest admiration and gratitude for this wonderful speech of reflection and encouragement.

King Carl I thanked his counterpart from Tunisia by smiling and saying: The color of a person is an indication never a meaning. People in Ghana say I am more of a Ghanaian than most Ghana-born black folks. I take it as a medal of honor and love to show the medal of honor to others. At the same time, it is a constant reminder and challenge to do and give my best regardless of the opposition against my person or ideas for a better Ghana and a better Africa to stand before God in the greatness of the moment. That our ancestors here in Africa for generations allowed bad things to happen to them and later themselves out of greed and selfishness walked around the promised land with generations left behind that never just like Moses saw and entered the promised land is the historical fact of the dark days of Africa. Generations of leaders having betrayed African countries must live with the facts created and the misery caused. Now my very good friendthese dark days of Africa are over, washed into history before one day history will challenge us again to fight for greatness. But now, King Carl I stepped off the stage to lead his guests into a small conference room wanting to hear the latest hopefully good news from other leaders close to him.The Red Apples (part 49)

Our strength as Africans depends on these days of our unity not demonstrated under the old African Union. Pan-Africanism during these dark days in African history was a lie not worth to be called as such. The fact that the building of the African Union was constructed and paid for by China with China putting listening devices into the walls detected fifteen years later is a shamble of the highest order. But with any man so with any nation and with any continent God and Allah all Mighty give a second chance. Moses had to climb the mountain twice before the Jews accepted God's commandments and him as the only God that there is not a golden cow or any other creature only a God as a spirit guiding and protecting us.

It was and is that Almighty spirit that has connected us to the African continent regardless of our religion no matter our individual history no matter the jealousy we felt in our hearts against each othera bond to be proud Africans binds us together for eternity. Our strength comes out of the blessings God has poured over us in abundance as the continent in which man was born humanity was raised with problems carried to us from outside were overcome by our endurance. Our unity which we fought for in battles against evil with the help of good-minded white individuals who opened up our eyes as we were bound to see and could not hear. They taught us what it takes to overcome our shortcomings our witchcraft our Mallams but hear and see and live the good news.

We are destined to rule the world again for a thousand years before history starts a new circle of world dominion. This is how history was, is, and always will be. What matters in the life of people is to hear the sound of the trumpets and be ready for the moment when history when God calls you. Otherwise not being ready and seeing the signs means missing the moment of glory. The door to pass through the downfall from misery into the promised land will be closed when people are not ready for the passage.

Remember Moses and the Israelites who had to walk under the leadership of Joshua for forty good years around the promised land. Can you all imagine that? Moses before he died saw the promised land right in front of his eyes in the distance. But the Israelites in their hearts and their minds were not ready for the promised land. With us here in Africa, it was the same for generations that died in shame out of nothing except for our blindness as people who can see and hear. It took a leader from outside like Moses one of us raised by raised by the Pharaoh in his palace. He was old but chosen by God to lead his people to the promised land. Even Jesus Christ left Nazareth knowing that a prophet does not mean anything in his own country. God decides on the helper for a people, not people on their minds. So we as proud Africans remember the words of Doctor Kwame Nkrumah very well on this special occasion when the black man is finally free he can manage his affairs. It took us the black man another four generations walking around the promised land before a second generation of chosen leaders came to us and let us live in the promised land.

I am not a pastor only a humble Christian but I can hear and follow the word of God. Let us use this moment in time for reflection and let us thank our God, our Allah how far he has brought us and that he has opened up our hearts to his will and not our will. Amen! said King Carl I in his opening speech. The audience gathered got up and a standing ovation for minutes filled the auditorium. The international press rushed to the pulpit to take photos after photos. This session was live broadcast in all major cities around the world.

King Hossein III climbed up the stairs of the stage King Carl I stood firmly on and joined him at the pulpit. He congratulated him with the words: Even though you are not black or brownish not even born on our continent the love for our peoplefor your people nowspeaks out of all words spoken. I am deeply impressed by your honesty that you are an upright person with endless affection for this continent a wise man who understands our weaknesses and our shortcomings. And that you are an upright King who does not shake when he stands in the middle of fire opposition against him. On behalf of the leaders of Africa let me express my greatest admiration and gratitude for this wonderful speech of reflection and encouragement.

King Carl I thanked his counterpart from Tunisia by smiling and saying: The color of a person is an indication never a meaning. People in Ghana say I am more of a Ghanaian than most Ghana-born black folks. I take it as a medal of honor and love to show the medal of honor to others. At the same time, it is a constant reminder and challenge to do and give my best regardless of the opposition against my person or ideas for a better Ghana and a better Africa to stand before God in the greatness of the moment. That our ancestors here in Africa for generations allowed bad things to happen to them and later themselves out of greed and selfishness walked around the promised land with generations left behind that never just like Moses saw and entered the promised land is the historical fact of the dark days of Africa. Generations of leaders having betrayed African countries must live with the facts created and the misery caused. Now my very good friendthese dark days of Africa are over, washed into history before one day history will challenge us again to fight for greatness. But now, King Carl I stepped off the stage to lead his guests into a small conference room wanting to hear the latest hopefully good news from other leaders close to him. On
ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  The Turkish parliaments foreign affairs committee resumed deliberations Tuesday on Swedens bid to join NATO, days after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan linked the Nordic countrys admission to U.S. approval of Turkeys request to purchase F-16 fighter jets.

Turkey, a NATO member, lifted its objection to Sweden joining the trans-Atlantic alliance in July but the ratification process has since stalled in parliament. Turkey accuses Sweden of not taking its security concerns seriously enough, including its fight against Kurdish militants and other groups that Ankara considers to be security threats.

This month, Erdogan threw up another obstacle by saying openly that Turkey would only ratify Sweden's NATO membership bid if the U.S. Congress approved Ankara's request to buy 40 new F-16 fighter jets and kits to modernize its existing fleet. The Turkish leader also called on the two legislatures to act simultaneously and said Canada and other NATO allies must lift arms embargoes imposed on Turkey.

The White House has backed the Turkish F-16 request but there is strong opposition in Congress to military sales to Turkey.

The Turkish parliaments foreign affairs committee had begun discussing Swedens membership in NATO last month. The meeting however, was adjourned after legislators from Erdogans ruling party submitted a motion for a postponement on grounds that some issues needed more clarification and that negotiations with Sweden had not matured enough.

If approved by the committee, Swedens bid would then need to be approved by the full assembly.

Sweden and Finland abandoned their traditional positions of military nonalignment to seek protection under NATOs security umbrella, following Russias invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Finland joined the alliance in April, becoming NATOs 31st member, after Turkeys parliament ratified the Nordic countrys bid.

NATO requires the unanimous approval of all existing members to expand, and Turkey and Hungary are the only countries that have been holding out. Hungary has stalled Swedens bid, alleging that Swedish politicians have told blatant lies about the condition of Hungarys democracy.

The delays have frustrated other NATO allies who were swift to accept Sweden and Finland into the alliance.

The Associated Press
Navigating Democratic Boundaries: A Psychologist's Reflection on Military Involvement in Public Media and Domestic Affairs, with Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Christopher Musa and Other Military Leaders, Past and Present

In recent times, both past and present military leaders, including the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, have become prominent public figures, transcending their traditional military roles. This trend, observed in various military figures, prompts a critical examination of the military's expanding presence in civil society. Gen. Musa's recent visit to the Defence Headquarters Hospital in Abuja, coinciding with the Christmas season and his birthday, exemplifies this evolving dynamic.

While the act of visiting ailing personnel at the hospital reflects commendable leadership and compassion, it raises broader questions about the military's role and its growing visibility in everyday civilian life. The prevalence of military discussions in traditional newspapers and civilian media forums suggests that military matters have become ingrained in public discourse, prompting a need to scrutinize the appropriate extent of military involvement in domestic affairs within the context of Nigeria's democratic aspirations.

Gen. Musa's call for Nigerians to "stay back, fight for Nigeria" introduces an authoritative tone uncommon for military leaders in democratic settings. While expressing urgency and patriotism, the language used risks blurring the lines between the military and civilian spheres. Advocating for citizens to "stay and fight" could be perceived as an intrusion into civilian matters, potentially conflicting with democratic principles that emphasize the military's primary role in external defense.

Moreover, comparisons drawn between Nigerians facing challenges and other countries that "stood back and fought" suggest a direct involvement in domestic affairs. Although motivational, such comparisons may inadvertently reinforce a perception of the military playing a substantial role in internal governance, a position contrary to democratic norms that prioritize civilian authority over military intervention.

As Nigeria navigates its democratic journey, the delicate balance between military authority and democratic principles comes into focus. Gen. Musa's recent activities highlight the need for a nuanced approach, ensuring that the military's role aligns with democratic values. While acknowledging the positive aspects of leadership and compassion demonstrated through hospital visits, it remains crucial to assess the potential impact of authoritative language on democratic boundaries.

As military leaders like Gen. Musa take on increasingly visible roles, it is imperative to navigate these democratic boundaries with care. The evolving dynamics should be approached with a commitment to upholding democratic principles, ensuring that the military's involvement in domestic affairs is complementary to civilian governance rather than encroaching upon it. The examination of these nuances is essential for sustaining a healthy and robust democracy in Nigeria.

The call from Gen. Musa for Nigerians to take ownership of the country's challenges is a commendable and democratic approach. Acknowledging that security challenges extend beyond the armed forces or police emphasizes the need for a collaborative effort involving all citizens. Encouraging prompt incident reporting fosters community involvement, promoting a shared sense of responsibility for national security.

However, the increasing prevalence of military discussions in civilian media and public discourse raises concerns. Traditionally responsible for national defense, the military is now a frequent subject in domestic matters, blurring the lines between military and civilian spheres. In a growing democracy, where civilian control over the military is crucial, the heightened visibility of military figures in domestic affairs necessitates a reevaluation of the balance between national security imperatives and democratic norms.

The ongoing trend of military engagement in public discourse prompts a reflection on its nature. Is it a proactive approach to transparency and accountability, or does it inadvertently contribute to the perception of militarization of civil affairs? Careful calibration of the military's role in public discourse is essential to preserve democratic ethos while addressing security concerns.

From a psychological standpoint, the emphasis on internal challenges in the statements of military leaders, including Gen. Musa, may inadvertently contribute to a perception of increased military involvement in internal affairs. This raises concerns about potential militarization, particularly within a democratic context where civilian institutions traditionally handle internal matters. Balancing expressions of care for wounded personnel with a clear emphasis on the distinct roles of various institutions, including law enforcement agencies, is crucial for maintaining public psychological well-being.

While the military's commitment to democracy and loyalty to President Bola Tinubu is reiterated in official statements, deeper concerns arise. The military's active involvement in addressing speculations about its role in domestic governance challenges established norms in democratic nations. In a well-functioning democracy, issues related to civilian governance, political statements, and rumors are typically addressed by constitutional bodies such as the police, intelligence agencies, and/or even the president's ministry of defense, not the military. This departure from established practices raises questions about the appropriate boundaries between military and civilian authorities in a democratic setting.

This incident underscores the importance of maintaining a clear separation of roles between the military and domestic law enforcement agencies to prevent any perception of the militarization of civil affairs.

In many democracies, a clear division exists between the military's role in external defense and domestic law enforcement agencies handling internal security. The situation in Nigeria prompts a careful examination of these boundaries to uphold democratic principles and ensure the stability of civilian institutions in addressing internal matters.

When military leaders, such as Gen. Musa, extensively involve themselves in domestic issues, concerns about the militarization of internal affairs may arise. A democratic system benefits from a clear separation of military and civilian roles to uphold the balance of power. Respecting the principle of civilian control over the military is crucial for a healthy democratic system.

If the military assumes a more prominent role in addressing domestic challenges, monitoring its involvement to align with democratic principles, the rule of law, and respect for human rights becomes essential. Open dialogue about the appropriate roles of different institutions contributes to ensuring a healthy and balanced democratic governance structure.

In a recent statement, the military high command reiterated loyalty to President Bola Tinubu and commitment to democracy amid allegations of poor troop welfare. Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau, Director of Defence Information, clarified that the Armed Forces never received a request to change the government, denouncing false social media reports. While affirming loyalty, the military's direct engagement in dispelling rumors and launching a manhunt raises questions about the appropriate boundaries between the military and civilian authorities in a democratic setting. Typically, civilian governance issues are handled by constitutional bodies like the police and intelligence agencies, not the military. This incident underscores the importance of maintaining a clear separation of roles to prevent any perception of the militarization of civil affairs.

The consistent media presence of the military discussing domestic matters is uncommon in many democratic nations. While these countries recognize occasional communication on security matters as important, the norm is for the military to operate within barracks and strategic locations dedicated to external defense. Public engagement on domestic issues by the military, beyond rare and exceptional circumstances, contrasts with practices observed in mature democracies.

This distinction is not merely procedural but holds psychological significance. The constant visibility of the military in domestic discourse can contribute to a perception of the militarization of civil affairs, contrary to foundational principles of democratic governance. Democracies thrive when there is a clear demarcation between military and civilian roles, and the military's active presence in public discussions about internal matters can potentially undermine this delicate equilibrium.

Acknowledging Nigeria's status as a developing nation, it is crucial not to take the people for granted. The sight of militarization is not conducive to fostering a democratic ethos. Even in a developing context, there is a valuable lesson to be learned from established democratic societies. Recognizing the potential psychological impact on public perception, it becomes imperative to adopt practices that align more closely with democratic norms. By doing so, Nigeria can navigate its developmental challenges while upholding the dignity of its people and reinforcing the foundational principles of democratic governance.

One distinctive aspect that sets Nigeria apart is the practice of having military or police officers standing prominently behind political leaders during public appearances. This practice, ostensibly rooted in security considerations, is not in line with the norms observed in well-established democracies. In the United States, for instance, the sight of military personnel standing behind the President is rare, emphasizing the civilian nature of governance and the principle of civilian control over the military.

As Nigeria continues its democratic journey, there is an opportunity to reassess and reshape these symbolic practices. Utilizing police officers, if deemed necessary for security, without the overt prominence observed currently, could be a pragmatic step toward aligning with global democratic norms. This shift would not only enhance the democratic image of the nation but also contribute to a more transparent and accountable system where civilian institutions lead in matters of governance and security.

The importance of this reassessment extends beyond mere symbolism. It delves into the heart of democratic governance and the need to foster an environment where the roles of civilian and security institutions are clearly defined. Democracies thrive when civilian authorities, elected by the people, are at the forefront of decision-making, with military and police forces serving in their designated roles to safeguard national security. The media presence of military leaders actively engaging in discussions on domestic matters is notably distinct in Nigeria. While occasional communication on security matters is essential for public awareness, the constant visibility of the military in these discussions may inadvertently contribute to a perception of militarization of civil affairs. This, again, contrasts sharply with the practices observed in mature democracies where the military primarily operates within barracks and strategic locations dedicated to external defense.

The call is not to undermine the military's role in national security but to recalibrate its visibility in domestic affairs, aligning with practices in established democracies. Nigeria's growth as a democracy should limit military engagement with the public on domestic matters to extraordinary situations. The military should primarily operate from barracks, allowing civilian institutions, especially the police, law enforcement, and domestic intelligence agencies, to lead in addressing day-to-day challenges. This approach ensures a more balanced and democratic distribution of responsibilities in governance.

The symbolic presence of military or police officers behind leaders, including the President, Vice President, Governors, Deputy Governors, and Chief of Staff, during public appearances goes beyond mere optics; it carries significant psychological and democratic implications. It reinforces an image of power dynamics that may blur the lines between civilian and military authority, presenting a perception contrary to democratic ideals.

Nigeria's practice of having uniformed officers, whether military or police, visibly behind these officials contrasts with norms observed in mature democracies. In these democracies, intentional separation emphasizes clear civilian-military roles, with civilian officials like the Vice President, Deputy Governors, and Chief of Staff often standing near the President or Governors instead of uniformed officers. The recurring presence of military or police officers behind leaders in democratic times raises concerns about potential impacts on democratic norms, contributing to the blurring of lines between civilian and military authority.

It's crucial to highlight that justifying the presence of military officers behind the President by the argument that the President is in charge of the armed forces might be considered a weak rationale. In democratic societies, although the President indeed holds ultimate authority over the military, the practice of having a military officer behind them during public appearances is not in line with established democratic norms. Democratic settings emphasize the presence of civilian leaders without uniformed officers behind them, reinforcing the principle of civilian control over the military. This practice, common in democratic nations, reflects a commitment to the clear separation between military and civilian authority, a fundamental aspect of democratic governance.

As Nigeria evolves, there's an opportunity to reshape practices. Using police officers for security, rather than military personnel, could align with democratic norms, enhancing the nation's democratic image. This shift would signal a commitment to upholding democratic principles, emphasizing civilian leadership accountable to the people.

Embracing practices from established democracies can build a robust democratic culture in Nigeria. Education on the distinct roles of security agencies is crucial. Democracies rely on police, intelligence, and law enforcement for internal security, preventing the militarization of domestic affairs. Framing discussions as opportunities to strengthen democratic institutions encourages collaboration between the

In navigating Nigeria's democratic journey, it's crucial to deliberate on the military's role in civilian affairs. Frequent military engagement with the media on internal law enforcement might be seen as straying from democratic norms, potentially instilling fear and memories of military rule. Striking a balance is vital for public confidence in civilian institutions and ensuring the military stays within democratic bounds.

Gen. Musa's people-centric leadership exemplifies this delicate balance, making it a microcosm of Nigeria's broader challenge. While some statements carry an authoritative tone, the overall approach aligns with democratic values. Commending the military's contributions to national security is important, with a continued emphasis on restrained military involvement in domestic affairs.

Moreover, the constant media presence of the military in domestic matters is uncommon in democracies. Fostering a culture of limited military engagement in public discussions on domestic affairs is essential, with the military primarily stationed in barracks. This aligns with established democratic practices, reinforcing the resilience of Nigeria's democratic institutions.

Expressing appreciation to the military for safeguarding the nation, particularly acknowledging Gen. Musa's compassionate gestures, underscores dedication to both national security and citizens' well-being. Our thoughts are with ailing military personnel, and we wish them a swift recovery, recognizing their sacrifices for a strong and democratic Nigeria. May their courage inspire us as we navigate the complexities of democracy. Furthermore, recognizing the military's commitment, including Gen. Musa's leadership and compassionate gestures, highlights their dedication to national security and citizens' well-being. However, internal issues, such as the reported delay in soldiers' salary payments, should be addressed discreetly and effectively by the military administration. This emphasizes the need for a prompt resolution to uplift soldiers' morale and ensure a strong and democratic Nigeria, without the necessity of public disclosure of internal matters.
According to Therise Khan-dual citizenship comes with insecurity because of how the country and its citizens view it, and in so doing, creates a paradox of dual citizenship, a fractured sense of belonging spurred by both the personal and political. It is well documented that the Constitution of Ghana prevents a Ghanaian who happens to be a dual citizen to enjoy the rights of political citizenship with emphasis on running for parliamentary office or in other words member of parliament (MP). As stated in our Constitution "a person shall not be qualified to be a Member of Parliament if he or she owes allegiance to a country other than Ghana."

Supporters against dual citizens to run for political office in this case becoming a member of parliament argue that dual citizens may have divided loyalties which could potentially compromise national security. This argument is subject to debate. The question is how can a dual citizen if allowed to become an MP be a threat to national security in Ghana? I may agree with the argument that a dual citizen should not run for office of the president. However, when it comes to running for a parliamentary office, the restrictions should be removed to allow the dual citizen to participate in the political process.

It is well-documented that those who often engaged in espionage activities have most times been folks with singular nationality. For example, in November 1985, the United States CIA swapped a spy for 8 Ghanaians who helped the CIA. This case involved Michael Soussoudis accused of colluding with a CIA clerk to solicit information. As of today, the dual citizen does not have a voice in shaping the policies and decisions that affect our socio-economic lives. As to whether our Constitution should be amended to allow dual citizens to run for political office is a matter of debate. However, it is important to point out that the dual citizens form parts of the political community and their right to political citizenship shouldnt be restricted. It is about time that we amend the constitution to allow dual citizens to participate in the political process with emphasis on parliamentary elections.

Interestingly, some Ghanaian lawmakers actively seek dual citizenship for their unborn children by giving birth overseas purposely to acquire foreign citizenship. Are we saying then that those MPs have no loyalty to their country just because they chose to give birth outside the country? Once again it is about time that we amend the constitution to allow the Ghanaian dual citizen to enjoy the full rights of political citizenship. If not, the issue of a dual citizenship would be described as a paradox of an apartheid political prejudice in Ghana.
Parliament on Thursday approved GH63.2 million for the implementation of programmes and activities of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) for the fiscal year ending 31st December 2024.

Dr John Ampontuah Kumah, a Deputy Minister of Finance, moved the Motion for the House to approve the sum.

Mr Kwaku Agyeman Kwarteng, the Chairman of the Finance Committee of Parliament said tracking the progress of development under the National Development Policy, Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Programme (NDPPM&EP), the Commission would, in 2024, track the implementation of policies, programmes, projects and activities about national development policy framework and plans and provide feedback on attainment of targets to stakeholders.

He said in 2024, the Commission would strengthen its coordination, implementation, monitoring and evaluation role to ensure that programmes and projects delivered positive development outcomes.

Mr Kwarteng, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Obuasi West, in his report to the House, said in 2024, the Commission would continue to perform its constitutional mandate of advising the President on national development planning policy and strategy.

He said other specific operations to be undertaken would include building the capacity of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the application of ICT in plan preparation, Annual Progress Report (APR) on the implementation of the National Medium-Term Development Policy Framework (NMTDP), preparing field monitoring reports, coordination of environmental policies and mainstreaming development communication.

Mr John Abu Jinapor, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Yapei Kusawgu, noted that the NDPC remained a very pivotal structure when it came to the nations development.

He said if the country wanted to develop, Ghanaians ought to pay particular attention to the NDPC.

In most countries, where they have witnessed accelerated economic development, the equivalent of the National Development Planning Commission, which is nonpartisan, is at the centre of policymaking, he said.

Indeed, what they do is that they formulate policies over a long period of time and irrespective of the government in power, your budget only aims to achieve what the National Development Planning Commission is set up for.

He said there was a need for the nation to gravitate towards a system where irrespective of the political regime, the NDPC would continue its pivotal role in development.

Mr Jinapor urged the Commission to be innovative in raising internally generated funds to augment the Budgetary allocations from the state.

Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Deputy Minority Leader and NDC MP for Ellembele underscored the importance of the NDPC in helping the Government machinery to be more efficient.

GNA
Former Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo, has opined on the ongoing debate surrounding LGBTQ+ rights in Ghana.

While she emphasizes the importance of preserving the countrys traditions and customs, she also highlights the need for respectful dialogue and inclusivity.

Speaking in an interview on Metro TV on December 25, 2023, the former Chief Justice stated As Ghanaians, we have our traditions, we have our traditional and customary practices, which certainly do not, as far as I know in almost 75 years of my age, include men marrying men.

Therefore, I cannot accept the idea of men marrying men or women marrying women, as it goes against our cultural norms.

I have not been told that in my customs, men marry men, and therefore, I can also choose to marry a woman. You know, I have not come upon that, and I will not accept that either, she declared.

It's worth noting that Ghanaian lawmakers have been engaged in discussions since August 2021 regarding a bill that seeks to criminalize same-sex relations, being transgender, and advocating LGBTQ rights.

The bill, known as the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, has garnered support from many MPs in Ghana, with proposed jail sentences of up to 10 years for those advocating for LGBTQ rights.

The bill, backed by religious and traditional leaders, includes prosecution for publishing content considered pro-LGBTQ or that challenges traditional binary gender identities.

Citi Newsroom
Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has urged Ghanaians not to fall prey to the New Patriotic Partys (NPP) litany of phantom and broken promises during the elections 2024.

He said as an incumbent government that was approaching the end of its second term in office, the expectation would have been for it to make the re-election bid based on its current performance and record of accomplishment.

Instead, we see the NPP making very grandiose promises to Ghanaians of what they would do if re-elected, while staying silent on how their abysmal current performance, an indicator of how well they will do if re-elected, he said.

Speaking at separate durbars in the Central Region, he described the 2016, 2020 and a yet to be announced 2024 manifesto of the NPP as promises made, promises broken and promises repeated.

Knowing that the NDC National Chairman asked the people of the Central Region to own the party and make it one of the regional strongholds, having had many of its stalwarts as leaders.

Having had former leaders like the late Kow Nkensen Arkaah, Paa Kwesi Amissah Arthur, both former Vice Presidents, late Prof John Evans Atta Mills, former President, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, a former Education Minister, late Ama Benyiwa Doe, former Central Regional Minister, the Region deserved to change its voting pattern, he said.

Mr Asiedu Nketia said it had become clear that Ghana needed a new precedent, which required the election of a new leader, who would leverage his credibility with the people to lift the country to greater development heights.

The Elections 2024 is very critical in the country's history, with greater emphasis on a leader who will be the preference of the majority of Ghanaians and not just a leader of a political party, he said.

Allaying the fears of Mr Nketia, Prof Richard Kofi Asiedu, the Central Regional Chairman of the NDC, said in the Elections 2020, the party won 13 of the 23 parliamentary seats and secured 45.9 per cent of the presidential votes.

Nonetheless, the regional arm of the party was determined to increase its presidential votes in the Region from 45.9 per cent in 2020 to over 60 per cent in 2024.

The party would win at least 20 out of the 23 parliamentary seats and more than 60 per cent of presidential votes in the Elections 2024, he said.

He indicated that the party had therefore, set a target to increase both its parliamentary and presidential votes from 13 to 20 and from 45.9 per cent to 60 per cent respectively.

GNA
26.12.2023 LISTEN

The newly elected Assemblyman for Adaklu Kodzobi Electoral Area in the Adaklu district, Mr Evans Akpah, said called for collaboration, especially from the other contestants of the race, to succeed in his work.

I am, therefore, extending an olive branch to those who contested with me, as I need all of you to come on board to help me succeed in my work as Assemblyman, he said.

Mr Akpah said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Adaklu Kodzobi in the Adaklu district, to throw more light on his vision for the Electoral Area.

He noted that for a start he would, in consultation with the chiefs and other stakeholders in the five communities, form a committee to be known as Adaklu Kodzobi Electoral Area Development Committee, which would plan the development of the area.

The Assemblyman elect stated that the committee would also serve as an advisory board for him.

He continued that he would liaise with professional bodies to continually give counselling to the youth, to guide them in making the right choices of professions.

Mr Akpah said he would also work hard to solidify the already cordial relationship that existed between the five communities that made the Electoral Area.

The unity of the five communities is the catalyst to the total development of the area, and that should not be compromised, he noted.

He said though the position of Assemblyman was not a paid job he promised to dedicate himself to his work as an Assemblyman adding, I pledge to be the voice of the Electoral Area in the Assembly and vise versa.

Mr Akpah, a Master of Philosophy student and a first-time contestant caused an upset in the recent District Assembly election by defeating Mr Sampson Gakpo, the incumbent Assemblyman for the Area who is also the Presiding Member of the Adaklu District Assembly.

Mr Akpah, the favourite of the youth polled 531 votes from a total valid vote of 1,070 whilst Mr Gakpo obtained 266 votes.

Three others who also contested were Rev. Gideon Gogo who obtained 65 votes, Mr Felix Agbedor, 89 votes and Mr Obed Kwame Dotse, 119 votes.

GNA
Jailed Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko has submitted his candidacy to contest a February presidential election with the constitutional council despite the state's refusal to provide him the necessary documents.

Sonko's back-up Bassirou Diomaye Faye has also filed to run, according to Ousseynou Ly, an official in their dissolved party Pastef.

Like other candidates, Sonko had until 26 December to submit his candidacy and show he has collected enough signatures.

Last week, the national entity that runs elections in Senegal, did not provide Sonko's representative with the documents needed to file.

His lawyers said they would file anyway, hoping the justice system would be more receptive.

"We are certain that his candidacy will be accepted and validated," Said Larifou, one of his lawyers, said during a press conference in Paris.

"The constitutional council is a judicial organ and not political."

Sonko was condemned to two years in prison on 1 June on charges of corrupting minors. He refused to attend his trial and was tried in absentia.

The 49-year-old has been jailed since the end of July on other charges, including calling for insurrection, conspiracy with terrorist groups, and endangering state security.

He has denied the charges, saying they are intended to prevent him challenging President Macky Sall in the 25 February election.

In mid-December, a judge ordered that he be re-installed on the list of candidates, confirming a lower court order that had been overturned on first appeal.

Former prime minister Aminata Toure, once an ally of Sall but who has since joined the opposition, also said Monday she had filed to contest the presidential election.

(AFP)
Japan and the U.S. have adopted record-breaking defense budgets for 2024, with Japan accepting a 16-percent rise in military spending, and the U.S. authorizing $886 billion in annual military expenditure, which totals $28 billion higher than it did for the $858 billion it budgeted for 2023.

How will the military budgets of the United States and Japan be allocated? Destabilizing regional and global peace is a simple solution. The U.S. has plainly stated that competition with China drove the fiscal year 2024 budget request. The military-industrial complex of the U.S. is highlighted by the fact that its defense expenditure, which ranks first in the world, is larger than the sum of the defense budgets of the next 10 nations, which reveals the U.S. is a war-mongering country.

Thus, the budget was accurately assessed by the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, which said that "sticking to the current defense spending strategy is not only economically wasteful but will also make America and the world less safe." Over the next decade, a prudent strategy might save at least $1.3 trillion, money that could be used to finance other areas of critical national needs. Senator Bernie Sanders opposed the $886 billion defense authorization bill, citing the country's pressing issues such as climate change, healthcare, education, and housing, arguing it is unnecessary, overspending, and promoting waste and fraud in the Pentagon.

Because of the possibility of an arms race and intensifying geopolitical rivalry, the U.S.'s military expenditure is becoming a greater danger to international peace and stability because it might be used to maintain U.S. military hegemony and contain China, spending public dollars on pointless military endeavors. On December 24, the front page headline of the Taipei Times read, "Biden signs Taipei-friendly defense bill." How can Washington's defense budget be a Taipei-friendly defense bill? This implies that the U.S. will violate China's sovereignty and heighten tensions across the Taiwan Straits by using taxpayers' money to destabilize the area.

As seen by the current Palestine-Israel dispute and the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the U.S. often takes sides that serve its interests. U.S. leaders emphasize the harsh reality of their interests above addressing the misery of the people, preferring to maintain tensions, geopolitics, geostrategic interests, and a Cold War mindset. These U.S. actions cannot ensure world peace.

Japan's cabinet approved a 16 percent increase in military spending for 2024 and eased its postwar ban on lethal weapons exports, underscoring a shift away from its self-defense principle. Japan's government has revised its arms export ban, allowing the export of weapons and components made in Japan under foreign licenses to licensing nations, marking a controversial change in security strategy. Japan's government approved the first export shipment of Patriot guided missiles to the U.S., paving the way for future exports of lethal weapons and components.

An honor guard ceremony is held for the arrival of Japanese Defense Minster Yasukazu Hamada at Japan Ground Self Defense Force (JGSDF) Camp Narashino in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo, capital of Japan, January 8, 2023. /CFP

However, some Japanese officials such as Takakage Fujita, chairman of Japan's Inheritance and Development Murayama Talk argue that Japan's expansion of defense expenditure and loosening of arms exports are contrary to its pacifist constitution and should be rejected. This action is seen to be against Article 9 of Japan's pacifist Constitution and might exacerbate tensions in East Asia.

Concern from China and other surrounding nations is growing as a result of U.S. pressure on Japan to increase military expenditure and engagement. U.S. officials praised Japan for raising defense expenditures to counter growing Chinese threats. What an ironic position! Japan started an aggressive attack against China and other Asia-Pacific nations during World War II, which resulted in severe casualties for all parties involved, including the U.S. Did the U.S. forget this?

However, the U.S. views China as a threat, even though China has been a global peacebuilder which contributes to world growth and supports the international order. Faced with the record-breaking military budgets of the U.S. and Japan, China may take countermeasures to ensure that it does not fall behind.

For other Pacific Rim countries such as ASEAN, they should support peace over rearmament in light of Japan's history of atrocities carried out by its imperialists. For example, the Camp David U.S.-Japan-Korea Trilateral Summit in August proved to be a purposefully provocative expansion of the containment of China by the U.S. and Japan. In February, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos stressed the need for a trilateral military alliance between the U.S, Japan, and the Philippines to counter China. I would want to ask both Marcos and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol: Did they overlook Japan's savagery and carelessness during World War II?

Japan's hostile stance prevents it from showing sincerity in the face of its neighbors' strong demand for an apology for the war crimes committed there. Japan began discharging its radioactively tainted water into the Pacific Ocean in defiance of international objections. The world saw Japan's recklessness and haughtiness.

As a traditionally aggressive country and colonial power, Japan's growing aggression and irresponsibility in the area threaten the peace and stability of the region. The security and peace of the countries in East and Southeast Asia will be negatively impacted by Japan's increased defense spending, which stems from the country's belligerent pre-World War II stance that has endangered the region. This article was first published at CGTN.

The author is a freelance columnist and researcher from Bangladesh.
Members of Parliament in Ghana are more loyal to their party than the people they represent due to their personal interest which makes them quickly forget the promises they made to their constituents.

They thought playing the sycophantic cards may guarantee the attainment of their desires as Ministers, Deputy Ministers or appointments to lucrative positions. Based on their personal interests they blindly support any bill from government even if it's offensive to the mass of the electorates they would approve it, without recourse of their constituents.

While they are seriously pursuing their personal interests and forgetting the social contract they had with their constituents. The constituents would be scouting for someone to dislodge their members of parliament, before they come to their senses the harm has already been done, and it would be difficult for them to persuade their constituents to forgive and vote for them again, hence the option to induce the constituents with money.

Unfortunately by time they would realize to make an amend with the constituents, another desperate party members, most often government appointees like Chief Executive Officers,Presidential staffers and other high ranking appointees who are not sure of their survival in office and want a shelter as a members of parliament quickly takes advantage of the incumbents neglect of their constituents, gets in to undermine the incumbents inaction to enable them gain favour from the constituents.

The president and his kitchen cabinet, knowing very well desperation would affect some of the members of parliament who are under siege from other aspirants may affect government business in parliament, because politics strive on deceptions and lies, they will quickly deploy tools of deceit by telling them it's not possible everyone would benefit at the same time, therefore it would get to their turn in the next administration. And based on this deception some of them would do everything possible to retain their seat to enable them achieve their lifelong interest.

The sad spectacle of all this is members of parliament who are not darling boys and girls of the establishment are subjected to unfair treatments by deliberately sponsoring candidates to dislodge them despite their loyalty.

Any member of parliament who want to have a carrier in parliament must consciously make an effort to firmly bond with their constituents. Speaker Bagbin survived all schemes to dislodged him from parliament by his own party gurus and it never works, because ASK Bagbin knew Party Gurus do not vote in his constituency, it is the grassroots party members who always vote for him, hence his unalloyed bond with them.

Mike Kalley

Sociopolitical Analyst.
26.12.2023 LISTEN

This thoughtful publication as much as it is destined for the attention of the Basoah/Serwaah nuclear and extended families, any Ghanaian or person, is equally authorised to read it for their own appreciation and understanding of family values and what the future can hold for anyone either in their lifetime, or after their death.

My great grandmother, Nana Asieduaa, of Juaben-Asiampa, the eldest sibling of four children, was understood to be visibly sporting a protrusion on her back, thus, she was slightly humped.

She was teased by the village folk to never be able to get married, or never be able to carry her children on her back if she ever birthed.

The four siblings were, Asieduaa, Mogye, Kwasi Donkor and Akyeamaah.

However, as man proposes and God disposes, she got married and gave birth to three children, namely, Kwasi Kodua, Gyamfuah and Kwadwo Agyei. She was miraculously able to carry her babies on her back to the shock of both her siblings and enemies/ friends.

What is shocking about this? Does Providence not take such situations into consideration? If it were not so, Nigerians wont be saying, Na cow no get tail, na God de drive am flies. They mean, God drives away flies from the tailless cow, to wit, God takes care of the problems of the poor and the needy persons or redeems people from their difficulties but at the appropriate time within His plan.

When she died, none of her own female siblings was prepared to inherit her. They kept rejecting in turns the request to them to inherit her as our Akan or Asante tradition demands. They were turning down the request to them to inherit her on the grounds that she was extremely poor and without anything to be inherited.

I have been told, they were rejecting the offer to them to inherit her saying, and in turns, in Twi, W nni apanpan si br, to wit, she has nothing to be inherited.

Apanpan is a tray used for fetching foodstuff from the farm by female farmers and carried on the head. The same tray is used by hawkers on the streets of Ghanas cities and towns.

She has not even a space for such small tray hence it was not worth accepting to inherit her, they concluded.

Sorry folks, there is a lump in my throat now. I am having teary eyes at this stage. However, I shall manage to continue to write this true-life story to the desired conclusion. This was how destitute my unknown great grandmother was and disgracefully treated at death by her same mother same father siblings.

One of her extended family members from Pankese in the Eastern region, offered to inherit her saying, I will inherit her. Even if she has nothing, at least, she has left me three precious children and the children worth a lot.

Her children grew up to bear children of their own.

Gyamfuah, who was later to become my unknown grandmother, gave birth but lost all her children at their infancy or young age, except my mother. My mother, later to be affectionately renamed and called Awo Serwaah, became a fille unique, thus, only child.

Her mother, Gyamfuah, died when she, Awo, was an adolescent.

The fact Gyamfuah was repeatedly losing her children, her siblings and other relatives looked eerily at her, insinuating she was a witch. Therefore, when she fell seriously ill, she was taken to a fetish shrine in the belief that she had been struck by the fetish for being a witch.

Despite her insistence to her siblings and relatives to rather move her to the hospital because she was sick but not a witch, they did not heed her pleas. They kept her at the shrine until she passed. So callously did the relatives ignore her; left her to die and buried in an unmarked grave at the shrine.

Tears are streaming down my cheeks, dropping like beads on to my desk. Although overwhelmed with emotions, I will continue until I have told the world the oxymoronic story of my great grandmother, Nana Asieduaa. For I want to encourage people in similar destitution to never despair as the future is full of surprises for them.

Years later, beautifully slender, and grown-up Awo Serwaahs hand was asked in marriage to alias Kwame Basoah. This only child of Nana Gyamfuah gave birth to eleven children. Two of the children are deceased. They were Kwadwo Duah and Nana Amma Akyeamaah, the sixth and eighth born, respectively.

As the path of God in the life of individuals may be tortuous but not straight as one may expect, the great and great-great grandchildren of Nana Asieduaa are now many and keep increasing. They are found in some towns in Ghana with most of them residing in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

Almost are the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren of Awo Serwaah are living abroad.

Great grandmother Asieduaa may be happy wherever she is to see how far God has brought her descendants. What a perfect practical case of the stone that the builder rejected as in Matthew 21:42 Jesus said unto them, Did ye never read in the Scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner. This is the Lords doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?

Her very siblings rejected to inherit her for the reason specified above, but God made her poor to make her descendants great. Awo Serwaah has over forty-five of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren presently living abroad.

Before her demise, Awo used to spend time with her children in both London and Paris and the last time she returned to Ghana to come back no more on European visit, she spent three consecutive years with me in London.

I am publishing this true story to advise the children and great children of Awo Serwaah to know their familys humble and mocked beginnings and how far they have come. They must be guided by this to aspire for greater things to continue to prove wrong those that mocked and rejected Nana Asieduaa, even in death.

This is what God can do.

I call on the grandchildren and great grandchildren of Awo Serwaah to name some of their children after her and their great-great grandmother Asieduaa. They must as well name some after Nana Gyamfuah. We should not let their names vanish, or slip away, from, the family but be kept and remembered always.

I have done my part of the naming and I leave it to the rest of the Nana Asieduaa family to continue.

It will be a shame for us not to recognise our grandparents in appreciable ways to bring smiles to their face wherever they are.

To fellow Ghanaians, please dont reject family members, relatives, and friends for being poor as it was the situation of my great grandmother.

The four mentioned siblings mother was Nana Adutwumwaa.

Merry Christmas to you all.

To be continued.
(PA Archive)

Britain has welcomed claims that Ukraine has destroyed a Russian naval ship in an air strike on a Black Sea port as a sign the war has not reached a stalemate.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps seized on Tuesdays early morning attack on the warship in Feodosiya in Russian-occupied Crimea as evidence that Ukraines critics are wrong.

Russias defence ministry conceded that the Novocherkassk landing ship had been damaged by plane-launched guided missiles.

Russia's dominance in the Black Sea is now challenged and the new UK & Norway led Maritime Capability Coalition is helping to ensure Ukraine will win at sea

Grant Shapps statement

Ukrainian authorities claimed the ship was probably carrying weapons including drones and was destroyed by the strike.

The blow to Vladimir Putins fleet comes at a crucial time for Ukraines Volodymyr Zelensky as he strives to shore up military aid from Western allies amid some unease at the spending.

In a statement, Mr Shapps said: This latest destruction of Putins navy demonstrates that those who believe theres a stalemate in the Ukraine war are wrong!

They havent noticed that over the past 4 months 20% of Russias Black Sea Fleet has been destroyed.

Russias dominance in the Black Sea is now challenged and the new UK & Norway led Maritime Capability Coalition is helping to ensure Ukraine will win at sea.
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (TSE:CM  Get Free Report) (NYSE:CM) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, December 27th, RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 28th will be paid a dividend of 0.90 per share on Monday, January 29th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.61%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 27th. This is a positive change from Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerces previous quarterly dividend of $0.87.

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Stock Up 1.4 %

CM traded up C$0.86 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching C$64.17. 5,103,683 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,325,266. The firm has a market capitalization of C$59.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 31.58 and a beta of 1.08. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce has a one year low of C$47.44 and a one year high of C$64.43. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of C$54.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of C$54.91.

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Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (TSE:CM  Get Free Report) (NYSE:CM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 30th. The company reported C$1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of C$1.58 by C($0.01). Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce had a net margin of 23.44% and a return on equity of 9.72%. The firm had revenue of C$5.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$5.86 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce will post 6.6704782 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America upgraded shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and lifted their target price for the company from C$63.00 to C$66.00 in a research note on Monday, December 18th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce from C$58.00 to C$57.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 1st. Cormark lowered their price target on shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce from C$62.00 to C$61.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 1st. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce from C$57.00 to C$62.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. Finally, CSFB lowered their price target on shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce from C$57.00 to C$56.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 1st. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of C$62.73.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Senior Officer Christina Charlotte Kramer sold 15,446 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$57.19, for a total value of C$883,356.74. Company insiders own 0.05% of the companys stock.

About Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce

(Get Free Report)

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, a diversified financial institution, provides various financial products and services to personal, business, public sector, and institutional clients in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through Canadian Personal and Business Banking; Canadian Commercial Banking and Wealth Management; U.S.

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Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT  Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Monday, December 18th, Zacks reports. Investors of record on Friday, December 29th will be given a dividend of 0.355 per share on Wednesday, January 10th. This represents a $1.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.87%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 28th.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust has a dividend payout ratio of 87.1% meaning its dividend is currently covered by earnings, but may not be in the future if the companys earnings decline. Equities analysts expect Franklin BSP Realty Trust to earn $1.70 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.42 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 83.5%.

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Franklin BSP Realty Trust Stock Performance

Franklin BSP Realty Trust stock opened at $14.38 on Tuesday. Franklin BSP Realty Trust has a 12-month low of $11.08 and a 12-month high of $14.92. The company has a market capitalization of $1.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.42 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.06, a current ratio of 83.78 and a quick ratio of 83.78. The firms fifty day moving average price is $13.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $13.61.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Company Profile

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FBRT. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 70.0% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,881 shares of the companys stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 1,186 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 1st quarter worth $40,000. Captrust Financial Advisors acquired a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 2nd quarter worth $68,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank acquired a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 2nd quarter worth $74,000. Finally, Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 2nd quarter worth $96,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 59.70% of the companys stock.

(Get Free Report)

Benefit Street Partners operates as a self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT). BSP earns income from investing in a leveraged portfolio of residential mortgage pass-through securities consisting almost exclusively of adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) securities issued and guaranteed by government-sponsored enterprises, either Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) or Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (together, the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs)), or by an agency of the federal government, Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae).

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IGM Financial Inc. (OTCMKTS:IGIFF  Get Free Report) announced a dividend on Wednesday, December 20th, investing.com reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 29th will be given a dividend of 0.4079 per share on Wednesday, January 31st. This represents a dividend yield of 6.15%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 28th.

IGM Financial Stock Up 0.6 %

IGM Financial stock opened at $26.78 on Tuesday. IGM Financial has a 12-month low of $22.14 and a 12-month high of $33.21. The firms 50-day moving average is $24.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.24.

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IGM Financial Company Profile

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IGM Financial Inc operates as a wealth and asset management company in Canada. It operates through Wealth Management, Asset Management, and Strategic Investments and Other segments. The company offers financial advisory services; and IG Living Plan that provides financial planning services, such as investment vehicles, insurance products, mortgage and banking solutions, and charitable giving program.

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Shares of iShares North American Natural Resources ETF (BATS:IGE  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $41.66 and last traded at $41.54, with a volume of 35408 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $41.12.

iShares North American Natural Resources ETF Stock Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average price of $40.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $40.52. The company has a market capitalization of $591.95 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.32 and a beta of 1.25.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On iShares North American Natural Resources ETF

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of iShares North American Natural Resources ETF by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 24,242 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,008,000 after acquiring an additional 1,656 shares during the period. Q3 Asset Management bought a new position in shares of iShares North American Natural Resources ETF during the 3rd quarter worth about $2,089,000. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of iShares North American Natural Resources ETF by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 13,351 shares of the companys stock worth $555,000 after purchasing an additional 754 shares in the last quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of iShares North American Natural Resources ETF by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 14,129 shares of the companys stock valued at $592,000 after buying an additional 584 shares during the period. Finally, Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC increased its position in iShares North American Natural Resources ETF by 22.0% in the 2nd quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 14,611 shares of the companys stock valued at $563,000 after buying an additional 2,637 shares in the last quarter.

iShares North American Natural Resources ETF Company Profile

iShares North American Natural Resources ETF, formerly iShares S&P North American Natural Resources Sector Index Fund (the Fund), is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of U.S.-traded natural resource-related stocks as represented by the S&P North American Natural Resources Sector Index (the Index).

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Sienna Senior Living Inc. (TSE:SIA  Get Free Report) announced a monthly dividend on Friday, December 15th, Zacks reports. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 29th will be paid a dividend of 0.078 per share on Monday, January 15th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.18%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 28th.

Sienna Senior Living Price Performance

Shares of TSE SIA opened at C$11.44 on Tuesday. Sienna Senior Living has a 1 year low of C$9.87 and a 1 year high of C$12.66. The stock has a market capitalization of C$834.78 million, a P/E ratio of -46.64 and a beta of 1.14. The companys 50-day moving average is C$10.76 and its 200 day moving average is C$11.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 254.64, a current ratio of 0.26 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

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Sienna Senior Living (TSE:SIA  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 9th. The company reported C$0.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of C$191.97 million during the quarter. Sienna Senior Living had a negative net margin of 0.01% and a negative return on equity of 0.02%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Sienna Senior Living will post 0.2707935 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on SIA. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Sienna Senior Living from C$14.00 to C$13.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 20th. CIBC dropped their price target on shares of Sienna Senior Living from C$13.00 to C$12.50 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 13th. Finally, National Bankshares reduced their price objective on shares of Sienna Senior Living from C$13.50 to C$13.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 24th.

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About Sienna Senior Living

(Get Free Report)

Sienna Senior Living Inc provides senior living and long-term care (LTC) services in Canada. It operates through Retirement and LTC segments. The company offers a range of seniors' living options, including independent supportive and assisted living, memory care, and long-term care services. The company was formerly known as Leisureworld Senior Care Corporation and changed its name to Sienna Senior Living Inc in May 2015.

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The Taiwan Fund, Inc. (NYSE:TWN  Get Free Report) declared an annual dividend on Wednesday, December 13th, Zacks reports. Investors of record on Thursday, December 28th will be paid a dividend of 0.437 per share on Wednesday, January 10th. This represents a yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 27th.

The Taiwan Fund Trading Up 1.9 %

The Taiwan Fund stock traded up $0.66 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $34.62. The companys stock had a trading volume of 744 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,272. The Taiwan Fund has a 1 year low of $22.92 and a 1 year high of $34.94. The stocks fifty day moving average is $31.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.42.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Taiwan Fund news, Director Anthony S. Clark purchased 1,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, September 29th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $30.07 per share, for a total transaction of $30,070.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $60,140. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.00% of the companys stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Taiwan Fund

About The Taiwan Fund

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in The Taiwan Fund by 198.2% in the second quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,333 shares of the companys stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 886 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. purchased a new position in The Taiwan Fund in the second quarter worth $44,000. Captrust Financial Advisors purchased a new position in shares of The Taiwan Fund in the second quarter valued at $83,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd purchased a new position in shares of The Taiwan Fund in the third quarter valued at $89,000. Finally, Advisor Group Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in shares of The Taiwan Fund by 21.7% during the first quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 3,652 shares of the companys stock valued at $121,000 after acquiring an additional 651 shares during the last quarter. 68.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

(Get Free Report)

The Taiwan Fund, Inc is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Nomura Asset Management U.SA Inc It invests in the public equity markets of Taiwan. The fund seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. It employs fundamental analysis focusing on such factors as overall growth prospects, competitive position in the respective industry, technology, research, and development, productivity, labor costs, raw material costs and sources, profit margins, return on investment, capital resources, government regulation, and management to create its portfolio.

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December 26, 2023 / 08:30 PM IST

-- Revfin, the leading digital lending platform committed to transforming sustainable mobility and promoting financial inclusion in India, announced the successful conclusion of its Series B funding round, securing $14 million (115 crore).

-- Omidyar Network spearheaded the round with a $5 million investment, joined by the Asian Development Bank, Companion Capital Limited, and existing investors Green Frontiers Capital and LC Nueva.

-- This funding brings Revfin's total capital raised through debt and equity to 625 Crore.
The year 2023 will go down in history as the year the COVID-19 federal health emergency was lifted.

The Chippewa Herald will count down its top 10 local stories of the year through Jan. 2.

Almost every church in America introduced online service options in response to COVID-19 lockdowns, and most religious organizations have opted to keep those livestreams going in 2023. Church participation is on the rebound post-pandemic as people either continue to worship online from the comfort of home or return to church in person.

I dont think theres any substitute for actually being with people. Online they see the things, they can see and sing along and participate, but you know, you need to be with people, talk to people, shake their hands, said Brad Crocker, senior pastor at Landmark Christian Church in Chippewa Falls.

Prior to COVID, the church averaged 130 attendees each Sunday. During COVID-19, that dropped to about 60. In-person attendance at Landmark now averages between 90 and 100 people each Sunday, Crocker said, and he encourages people to come in person if they can.

Members of the city and county government, Chippewa Area Chamber of Commerce staff and ambassadors as well as local business owners celebrated the new addition of Chippewa Mall Drive on Aug. 17. The drive now connects to Chippewa Crossing Boulevard.

The new road, by Micon Cinemas, extends the previously existing road to Chippewa Crossing Boulevard near Toycen Ford. This is a much anticipated area of development in Chippewa Falls.

Kwik Trip and Festival Foods grocery store opened locations just off of Chippewa Mall Drive this fall. The Festival Foods store is located on Chippewa Crossing Boulevard between the newly opened Kwik Trip and Toycen Ford. The area is bordered by Highway 29 to the south, Summit Avenue to the north, Business 53 to the west and 160th Street to the east.

A Caribou Coffee cabin opened by Festival Foods on Dec. 20. A Culvers restaurant and hotel will open in the immediate vicinity of Fire Station No. 1 in 2024.

A downtown Chippewa Falls revitalization project on River Street is making progress after years of planning. Market on River will house the new Wisconsin Farmers Union offices, as the union owns the property. The building will also be home to food vendors, retail and event space and apartments in downtown Chippewa Falls across from Riverfront Park.

All potential vendors at the facility agree to buy a percentage of food and beverage supplies from Wisconsin Farmers Union members.

What the individual vendor spaces will look like on the first floor will be similar to kiosks that shoppers might expect to see in a mall. The first floor will offer communal seating like a stand-up bar area and table rounds.

Market on River anticipates the second floor being multifaceted. That location offers about 2,300 square feet of workable space for tenants. The second floor of Market on River will include space for a hair salon and house the offices for the Wisconsin Farmers Union state headquarters. It also offers event space that can accommodate up to 150 people.

The third story will house nine residential units with views of the park and river. A few units have already been leased, according to Wisconsin Farmers Union facilities director Jackie Boos.
Chandra R Srikanth is Editor- Tech, Startups, and New Economy

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Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried and Debtors Reach Settlement in Embed Proceeding

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 bankrupt crypto exchange FTX and its debtors have reached a settlement agreement with founder Samuel Bankman-Fried and others to address certain claims related to the acquisition of the stock trading platform Embed.

In a December 22 filing with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, the FTX debtors announced a proposed settlement with former CEO Sam SBF Bankman-Fried specifically related to claims in the Embed proceeding. According to the filing, the resolution would only address certain aspects of the bankruptcy case concerning Embed and SBF, rather than all the assets involved in dealing with creditor claims.

The proposed agreement is considered to be in the best interests of the estates, creditors, and stakeholders, recovering over $240 million FTX paid for Embed and all of the value conferred by the simple agreements for future equity upon Bankman-Fried and former FTX executives Nishad Singh and Gary Wang.

According to the filing, FTX US issued two simple agreements for future equity to Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) in 2022, requiring him to pay $160 million for the right to a number of shares in the crypto hedge fund. The proposed settlement aims to return all the value of FTX US to which SBF may be entitled.

Under this agreement, the FTX debtors will recover 100% of the value paid for Embeds acquisition and all the assets held under the names of Bankman-Fried, Singh, and Wang at Embed. Bankman-Fried will also relinquish the right to and assign to plaintiffs all assets held in accounts in his name at Embed.

The Agreements terms will recover for the Plaintiffs estates 100% of the value conferred by the [simple agreements for future equity] upon Bankman-Fried. Bankman-Fried also relinquishes the right to, and assigns to Plaintiffs, all assets held in accounts in his name at Embed.

However, this recent settlement happened a few days after FTX Trading Ltd. announced reaching a global settlement with FTX Digital Markets Ltd. to pool assets and redistribute them to FTX.coms customers worldwide. FTX reached a global settlement between its US and Bahamas bankruptcy proceedings in an effort to maximize creditor payouts and liquidation processes.

FTX Announces Global Settlement to Address Complexities in US and Bahamas Bankruptcy Proceedings



On December 18, the global settlement agreement was signed with the joint official liquidators overseeing the wind-down of FTX Digital Markets Ltd., a subsidiary incorporated in the Bahamas. The Bahamas-based subsidiary entered liquidation proceedings following FTX Trading Ltd.s bankruptcy filing.

The deal is contingent on approvals from the Supreme Court of the Bahamas and the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, which the parties plan to seek soon.

If approved, FTX Digital Markets will lead the realization of assets in the Bahamas. At the same time, FTX Debtors will oversee other recovery activities, including any sale transactions involving the FTX.com exchange and the realization of intellectual property.

Also, it would provide a novel resolution to synchronize the bankruptcy and liquidation processes across jurisdictions.

The agreement aims to facilitate cooperation in pooling assets, align the timing of creditor payouts, and establish unified policies for valuing claims and administering proceedings. The move is part of efforts to maximize creditor payouts following FTXs dramatic collapse.

A liquidity crunch triggered the collapse of the FTX exchange in November 2022 as users attempted to withdraw assets amounting to billions of dollars.

FTX filed for bankruptcy in November 2022 after the resignation of Bankman-Fried, who has been convicted of seven felony charges in the United States. However, FTX closed the Embed acquisition just six weeks before the exchange collapsed in November 2022, resulting in the loss of billions in customer funds. The current CEO, John Ray, described the actions leading to the collapse as old-fashioned embezzlement.
In today's edition of Moneycontrol Pro Panorama: India should join the Bitcoin party, foreign investors to drive Indian equities i...

Highlights: Elections in Taiwan, the US, India and Pakistan will impact Chinas foreign policy in 2024. China wants to block the return of the ruling DPP to power in Taiwan. Intelligence reports suggest China tried to influence the 2022 midterm elections in the US in selected seats. The turmoil in Pakistan and uncertainty about its elections in 2024 is also worrying Chinese leaders. Elections in four countriesthe US, Taiwan, India and Pakistanwill seriously impact Chinas foreign policy in 2024. Economic challenges faced by China...

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Prior to any stop on the Food Court Press tour, I tend to do some research on the restaurant I plan to visit.

The research isnt in-depth, but it usually leads me to the restaurants website where I do a quick scan of the menu, figure out the establishments hours of service and read up on any history provided.

Prior to my visit at Get Smokd BBQ in Lower Allen Township, I noticed a tab on the restaurants website titled Community. I hadnt come across many websites with that dedicated section, so naturally, it piqued my interest.

Scrolling through the statement provided, which reads, We sling BBQ, but were truly in the business of building community! Whether were coming to you, or youre coming to us, we value the time we spend getting to know our neighbors and connecting people. We dont take for granted that you choose to chow down with us, and by doing so, you support our family and make our dreams a reality. I immediately knew I needed to stop in.

Upon arrival at Get Smokd, located at 1104 Carlisle Road, Suite 130, in the Shoppes at Cedar Cliff, the community feel greets you at the door. Walking in, you immediately recognize the restaurants spacious atmosphere, with seating options of benches, high tops and traditional tables.

Get Smokd is in the holiday spirit, with a large and decorated tree welcoming you upon entry, and other Christmas trinkets cover an outdoor seating area. The restaurant, which began as a food truck in 2016, is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday to Saturday with dine-in and takeout options. Get Smokd opened its brick-and-mortar restaurant in June.

After taking in the atmosphere, I was chomping at the bit to try the food. I began my meal with the loaded nachos ($15), which included corn chips, nacho cheese, pork and pico de gallo.

Dont let the price scare you away, as Get Smokd makes every dollar worth it between the portion and the quality of the nachos. My order weighed enough to likely to break your average grocery store scale, with a pool of nacho cheese filling in all the cracks and crevices between the several layers of chips.

The nacho cheese came with some heat and paired nicely with the smokiness and tenderness of the pork. It also helped the pork pull apart easier with each scoop, since the meat sopped up the extra cheese that had settled at the bottom of dish. And the pico added a splash of freshness with each bite, the tomatoes and onions calming the spice of the nacho cheese.

Call me crazy, but after enjoying the nachos, I knew I had to test the Lets Taco-Bout It ($13) waters. The Lets Taco-Bout It order comes with two corn shells and is packed to the brim  literally, I thought everything was going to cascade out  with pork or chicken, island slaw, queso fresco and cilantro.

To get two different flavors working, I selected one taco with pork and the other chicken. Again, the smokiness and tenderness of the pork was the show-stopper, but the acidity of the island slaw, and the slight punch from the queso fresco, balanced the whole taco. The chicken was of similar makeup to the pork  tender and succulent  but added another layer of spice to the second taco, which I thought impeded the island slaw and quesos strengths.

I ended my visit with the Cuban wrap ($14), which features pulled pork, ham, Swiss cheese, house-made pickles, liquid gold sauce, and is encased in a garlic-herb tortilla. The crunch and sweetness of the house-made pickles immediately shined through and made for a dynamic duo with the warmth of the pulled pork. The liquid gold sauce, taking on the combination of honey mustard and hickory BBQ, oozed from the confines of the wrap and trickled down into the quilting of ham and Swiss cheese, softening each element. The garlic-herb tortilla was another coating of flavor, and the grill marks on the outer shell made the wrap more enticing.

The Get Smokd menu doesnt stop with my selections, as the restaurant offers traditional smokehouse sandwiches  pork BBQ, brisket and grilled chicken  and features other out-of-bounds offerings like the Spudnik (a large baked potato with nacho cheese, choice of meat, bacon, pico de gallo, jalapenos sour cream and a roasted poblano aioli). Desserts are another menu favorite, including Mama Dukes peanut butter pie.

I can recommend the Get Smokd food to you 24/7 and seven days a week. At the very least, the restaurant deserves admiration for its passion to serve its community.
Manik Sharma is an independent entertainment journalist. Views expressed are personal.

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Lou Werdebach recalls visiting Union Cemetery in Carlisle as a child.

About a year and a half ago, when the Carlisle resident returned to his hometown after retiring from work in the federal government, he was alarmed by the condition of the grounds.

Werdebach said in recent years, the cemetery located east of Franklin Street near G Street has fallen into disrepair.

A lot of my relatives are buried there ... my father is buried there, he said.

Thus, he is joining forces with multiple local entities to conduct a restoration project for the cemetery.

According to a historical marker at the site, Union Cemetery was named for the two dozen Civil War veterans buried there. The land was purchased in the 1890s when Lincoln Cemetery, an African-American cemetery at the corner of North Pitt and West Penn streets, became full.

The oldest gravestone is dated 1885, and the cemetery was established by Carlisle resident Robert Thompson, who was born as a slave in Virginia. The marker said Thompson owned several properties and businesses in Carlisle and Harrisburg.

After his death in 1900, generations of the Thompson family have continued to manage the site.

Carlisle resident Consuelo Thompson, 73, a relative of Robert, believes the cemetery offers a service to the community.

[Its] somewhere to bury their loved ones, then go see them, she said.

Werdebach said the Haines Stackfield American Legion Post 826 adopted the cemetery and has been a long-time sponsor of its upkeep.

He said the restoration work will serve as a multifaceted effort among the legion, the borough, the Cumberland County Historical Society and a group of volunteers with the Ujima Union Cemetery Project.

[Were] trying to get as many people involved that want to be involved, Werdebach said, adding that he hopes to include some of Carlisles Black churches in the work as well.

Volunteers completed some cleanup at the site during the summer, pruning some of the trees and removing brush in the area, he said.

Carlisle Parks & Recreation Director Andrea Crouse said the borough helped haul brush away and also mows the space.

The legion replaced the American flag that flies above the cemetery, and a new sign was installed this week.

Crouse said the old sign had been installed in the early 2000s.

We agreed ... we needed to place a new sign there, she said. It looks really similar to the old sign, except now the new sign is made with an aluminum composite material.

Werdebach said plans include headstone restoration and resurfacing the road that runs through the plots.

He said the Cumberland County Historical Society has helped determine who is buried there and he hopes the society will help replace a historical marker at the site and help get the property onto a register of historical places.

As for a timeline on the completion of the restoration project, he said its tough to identify an end date.

In a year or two its going to get close to what it used to be many decades ago, but were hoping to go past that and actually make it better than it ever was, Werdebach said. So thats kind of a difficult question; where and when do you stop the effort?

Aside from family ties to the cemetery, Werdebach believes preserving the cemeterys history shows respect for the past and honors many people that helped build the community of Carlisle.

Crouse said the cemetery is important to Carlisle because it is sacred ground and contains veterans remains.

Werdebach hopes restoring the site will help remind younger generations of those who came before them.

If young people do not know from whence they came and do not know the contributions that their ancestors made, they dont feel a responsibility to drive on forward and to make similar contributions and do other things with their lives in respect for those who have worked so hard to help get them to where they are today, he said.

Photos: Carlisle Marine Corps League 524 Toys for Tots distribution
On Tuesday, 2330 stocks advanced, 1558 declined and 142 remained unchanged, with an advance decline ratio of 1.49 on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), indicating positive closing of stocks in broader markets. The trend of the major indices on Tuesdays trading is given in the table below.

On NSE, 166 securities advanced and closed at a new 52-week high whereas 13 securities sank to close at their new 52-week lows. In sectoral indices, Nifty Media, Nifty IT and Nifty PSU Bank were among the biggest losers. Nifty Energy, Nifty Metal and Nifty Pharma among the biggest gainers.

Kore Digital (+5.00%) has successfully bid for expression of interest for a Railtel order of 35kms of underground optical fibre contract valued at Rs25 crores.

Adani Green board approved issuance of 6.31 crore convertible warrants worth Rs9,350 crore to promoter on preferential basis at Rs1480.75 per warrant.

Polycab has said the Income Tax Department search is under process at some of the premises and plants.

Tata Motors (-0.71%) bagged order of 1,350 bus chassis from UP State Road Transport Corp.

DLF (-0.27%) launched a commercial project in Gurugram & a residential project in Panchkula, Haryana.

KPI Green Energy (-1.09%) has commissioned a total of 16.83 MWp solar power projects under the Captive Power Producer (CPP) segment of the company.

Greenply Industries (-0.59%) board approved transfer of 51% of shareholding for $1.6 m in Greenply Middle East to an investor group. Greenply Middle East, Dubai will cease to be a subsidiary of the company.

RateGain (-1.78%) has incorporated subsidiary RateGain Adara Japan GK for software and support service business.

IndusInd Bank (+0.54%) launched eSvarna, corporate credit card on RuPay network.

SBI (+0.20%) has purchased non-convertible debentures worth Rs 200 crore issued by MuthootFincorp.

5Paisa Capital(+8.95%) KMP sold net 54,516 shares through open market. Advanced Enzyme Technologies Promoter (+1.57%) sold net 439,000 shares through open market.

The top gainers and top losers of the major indices are given in the table below:

The closing values of the major Asian indices are given in the table below:
IT major Infosys on Saturday announced that a global client has decided to terminate the memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a $1.5 billion deal focused on artificial intelligence (AI) solutions.

The 15-year deal was signed in September with the undisclosed global client.

No reason was given for the termination of the deal. The agreement in September was subject to the parties entering a master agreement.

Both the parties will not be pursuing the master agreement now.

"This is in continuation to the disclosure made by Infosys vide letter dated September 14, 2023, titled 'Company update' with respect to a memorandum of understanding with a global company which was subject to parties entering into a Master Agreement," Infosys said in an exchange filing.

"The global company has now elected to terminate the memorandum of understanding and the parties will not be pursuing the Master Agreement," the company added. Infosys was to provide enhanced digital experiences to the global client, leveraging its platforms and AI solutions.

The technology solutions-provider recently signed a US$1.64bn deal with London-based Liberty Global for a five-year period.

Infosys, which will declare its December quarter earnings on 11th January, won deals worth US$7.7bn in the September quarter.

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.
Vivo Mobile India Private Limited since its inception in India in 2014 remitted funds to the tune of over Rs70,000 crore out of the total funds accumulated by them through sale of goods, the enforcement directorate (ED) probe in the money laundering case has found.

The details were revealed in the charge-sheet filed by the financial probe agency against Vivo India.

According to the ED charge-sheet, seen by IANS, Vivo Mobile India Pvt Ltd since its inception in 2014 remitted Rs 7,08,37,25,17,191.04 out of India out of the Rs 7,16,25,02,26,650.17 (Over Rs 70,000 crore) accumulated by them through sale of goods.

The ED claimed that the imports were made by Vivo India from entities based in Hong Kong, Samoa and British Virgin Islands.

It said, These foreign companies are hired by Vivo India and are termed as Trading Companies. Many of these overseas companies are found to be owned or controlled by Vivo China, which establishes the facts that Vivo India has siphoned off thousands of crores of foreign currency to its beneficial owner Vivo China.

Mentioning the role of Hari Om Rai, managing director of the Lava International Limited, the ED said, During the probe, it was found that Vivo China with the active assistance of Rai, used an Indian company -- Labquest Engineering Private Ltd as a front for establishing their network of companies in India and for carrying out activities which were not permitted otherwise.

It said, Vivo China controlled and monopolised all the operations of Vivo Mobiles in India through Vivo India, which in turn controlled and monopolised the operations of 23 companies SDCs of Vivo.

All these companies were controlled and operated by the Chinese management of these companies, ED claimed.

ED said that all the 23 companies were incorporated by Vivo China in India with the help of Rai; Rajan Malik and Nitin Garg (chartered accountants) and these companies are the exclusive distributor of Vivo phones and accessories.

ED further said that many of the Chinese persons employed with Vivo India and SDCs were associated with Vivo China and there is complete economic control of Vivo India over the finances of these SDCs which, on paper, have been projected as independent legal entities in the statutory compliances made before the Indian government.

ED probe also found that the Vivo group companies employees communicated through various Chinese applicationsWeChat, DingTalk, V-Chat and despite these companies operating in India, their data was not maintained in India and it was found that their data was maintained in the servers in China which is not accessible to Indian authorities.

The ED probe also found grave violation of visa rules for entry into India by or in relation to office bearers of Vivo China and its related companies have been also been found.

Chinese nationals submitted false information before the Indian Embassy or Mission in China for getting a visa for their travel to India which is a matter of 'grave' 'national security concern," ED alleged.

It also said that to circumvent the verification and scrutiny from Indian government authorities, these Chinese nationals used an Indian entityLava International Limitedto get invitation letters to avoid any suspicion.

Those named in the charge-sheet, filed before a special court in Delhi on December 7, include Mr Rai, Guangwen Kyang alias Andrew Kuang (a Chinese national who allegedly played a key role in Vivos money laundering activities), Garg and Malik (statutory auditors of Lava). Vivo as a company has also been named as an accused in the charge-sheet.

They have been charged under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The ED probe that began in 2022 has revealed that the Chinese phone manufacturer had incorporated 19 more companies in various cities after its entry in India in 2014.

These companies had Chinese nationals as their directors and or shareholders and controlled the complete supply chain of Vivo Mobiles in India.

A Delhi court has sent three freshly arrested top executives to three-day ED custody in a money laundering case against the Chinese smartphone-maker Vivo.

On 23rd December, ED arrested three accusedVivo India interim CEO Hong Xuquan, Vivo chief financial officer (CFO) Harinder Dahiya and consultant Hemant Munjal in connection with its probe.

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.
We can not thank the community enough for the support received in 2023. As a small privately owned nonprofit organization, we operate without government funding, relying solely on grants and generous donations from compassionate individuals like you. This year, due to your unwavering support, what we have achieved together has been nothing short of incredible.

As we reflect on this past year, we are filled with gratitude for the remarkable community that surrounds and uplifts us. Your dedication not only fuels our daily operations, but ignites our passion to do more, to reach further and to ensure that every cat receives the love and care they deserve. Please read on to discover the amazing impact your support has had and join us in celebrating our collective achievements in 2023.

By the numbers: A year of remarkable achievements

In collaboration with local partners such as PetSmart and Tractor Supply Company, we successfully hosted over 20 adoption events, creating numerous opportunities for cats to find their forever homes. We are thrilled to report that over 400 cats, both young and old, have been placed into loving, permanent homes through our organization. Beyond taking in local stray cats or owner surrenders, we have rescued over 50 cats from kill shelters in and outside of Virginia. These cats were scheduled to be euthanized, and we are now ensuring their safety and wellbeing. Our commitment to community support and animal welfare was evident through our 19 low-cost spay-neuter and rabies vaccine clinics. These clinics support both local cat owners and the community by participating in trap-neuter-return programs which reduce the local feral cat population. Over 550 cats have benefited from our clinics this year.

2023 success stories

While we consider every rescue or adoption a success story, there are a few special cases that stand out from this year.

Raisin is a 1-year-old tabby that we rescued from an out of state kill shelter. When she came to us, she had a badly broken rear leg and had received substandard veterinary care. Our expert veterinary team determined that the leg was in such poor shape that it could not be saved and needed to be amputated. Today, Raisin is recovering in a foster home and will be ready for adoption in a few weeks. She is so very sweet and loves pets and to be held. Losing a leg has not slowed her down one bit.

Scout is one very lucky girl. Greene County Public Works workers were cleaning a drainpipe when they heard her weak meows. She was only a tiny kitten and likely would not have made it if she was not brought to us. Our shelter staff quickly went to work on getting her warm, fed and hydrated. After a few tense days of recovery, a full assessment proved that she was in good shape aside from a nasty cold. She grew up a bit, got spayed and vaccinated, and is happily living in her forever home.

Birdie and Otie came to the humane society as kittens with severe eye infections. Extensive treatment proved unsuccessful, and both eyes on both cats had to be surgically removed. They both found a new, quiet home where they received the loving attention that made them feel safe. Unfortunately, their owner recently passed, and they are now living in the shelter. While we can give them great care, this bonded brother-sister pair would do best in a quiet home without any other pets or small children. They are so playful and sweet, they both love scratches and cuddling.

Whats in store for 2024?

While we are proud of our accomplishments in 2023, we always strive to do better. To put it simply, we plan to directly channel every donation received towards surpassing this years achievements. This includes adoptions, rescues, events and community outreach. Our goals are ambitions, but with your help, we can make them possible. Some of our 2024 goals are:

 Rescuing at least 150 cats from kill shelters, both within and beyond the borders of Virginia, providing them a chance for a better life.

 Hosting a minimum of three off-site adoption events each month, totaling at least 36 events throughout the year, to increase our visibility and adoption opportunities.

 Conducting at least two low-cost spay-neuter and rabies vaccine clinics each month, aiming for a minimum for 24 clinics over the year to support the health and well-being of local cats.

 Enhancing our involvement in trap-neuter-return programs by partnering with other local non-profit organizations, contributing to the management of the feral cat population in our community.

 And last, but certainly not least, our most heartfelt goal is to facilitate at least 550 adoptions into loving, safe, forever homes, ensuring more cats find the care and affection they deserve.

Holiday giving

Every contribution, whether in time, resources or funds brings us closer to these goals. While you plan your holiday gifting this season, we kindly ask you to remember the Madison-Greene Humane Society. We have multiple ways you can contribute, and your support can make a tremendous difference in the lives of countless cats. Please help us continue our mission of care and compassion.

Donations can be mailed to: P.O. Box 95, Ruckersville, Virginia 22968.

Donations can also be dropped off at the shelter: 37B Jeri Allen Way, Ruckersville, Virginia 22968.

Or you can make a one-time or recurring donation online: https://checkout.shelterluv.com/donate/mghs.

We cant do what we do without your help. Thank you for your support.

Happy Holidays!

Madison-Greene Humane Society
Pope John Paul II, Nelson Mandela, Jesus Christ and Reo Hatfield II.

How a boy from Huntington, West Virginia, came to have his name on a list of the greatest acts of forgiveness alongside some of historys greatest figures is a tale of an age-old Appalachian feud  yes, he is one of those Hatfields  and history-changing big moves.

Hatfield has once again made a big move, leaving TA Services, a Texas-based, multimillion-dollar logistics company where he served as vice president of business development, for Prince Michel, a Madison County vineyard and winery where he has been named president and CEO.

It was Prince Michel owner Kristin Easter who made the eyebrow-raising decision to bring on Hatfield to help carry one of the commonwealths oldest and largest wineries into the future. Eyebrow-raising because Hatfield has no prior experience in the wine industry and, more than that, doesnt drink.

It is a leap, but the reality is that any business has similarities in lots of ways, Hatfield told The Daily Progress. What you have to do is acquire the knowledge of actually running a business and, at the same token, understand the circumstances of business. If you can do that, it doesnt matter what business it is as long as you operate the company with reasonable standards.

Hatfield met Easter through his wife. He did some consulting for the winery about five years ago that gave him a taste of what it would be like working in the industry. Now, they are combining Easters love for wine with Hatfields wealth of management knowledge to lead the company into a new era.

Ive been in transportation my whole life, so thought I might as well finish in something else, said Hatfield. I thought I could serve this business even greater than there [at TA Services] because it was a million-dollar company and I thought, Well, my goal is to help other companies, and I thought I could help them.

The learning curve isnt daunting for Hatfield, who brings a realpolitik to the job. His business motto is Success is never final.

Never go into a place thinking you have all the answers, said Hatfield. Go into a place thinking you want to answer all your questions. Ever since Ive arrived all Ive done is ask why when people say theyve been doing it this way for years. I want to give everything a fresh look.

Hatfield considers himself a lifelong learner. He said hes learned a lot about business since taking his first job at 15. Each individual company has a little quirk to it, so the key is to figure out and understand those variations, what works and what doesnt.

While Hatfield has a few things to learn about his new position, Prince Michel has even more to gain from his years in logistics, his management skills and, perhaps above all, his connections.

As part of his job at TA Services, Hatfield was involved in handling international affairs, he said, allowing him to foster relationships with businesses all over the world  businesses he remains in contact with even after leaving logistics.

He was recently awarded an honor from the Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China in Washington, D.C., for the connections he fostered between Waynesboro and a sister city in China.

Those connections and that experience will help bolster business for a winery that is already one of the more well-known and widely distributed in Central Virginia. Prince Michel is familiar to East Coast grocery shoppers as well as motorists traveling between Washington and Charlottesville. While it advertises itself as situated among the rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge, true of dozens of Virginia wineries, it is far more apt to say Prince Michel is situated off a well-traveled stretch of U.S. 29 with its tasting room fronting the busy highway.

Founded in 1982, two years before the neighboring Monticello American Viticultural Area was christened, Prince Michel was the brainchild of Parisians-turned-Virginians Jean and Sylvian LeDucq. The Le Ducqs had a vision for a winery that married the high-end craft wines, as they called them, of viognier, syrah and symbius, with more unique novelty wines, such as peach and chocolate.

Early on it was recognized as the largest winery in Virginia, and while it has been usurped in the intervening years  that title now belongs to Trump  it remains one of the more widely distributed wineries. While pricier Virginia wines coming from the elite Monticello AVA can be difficult to find on shelves outside Central Virginia, Prince Michel can be easily found on shelves from Southside to Northern Virginia and even beyond the commonwealths borders.

This company was built on a great foundation, so all I want to do is try and enhance it and give it more exposure than it has been getting in the past, so were going to grow it that way, said Hatfield. I believe that we can make a big difference to a lot of places who dont even know who we are right now.

Hatfield credits much of his business know-how to lessons learned at an early age.

Ive enjoyed every minute of it, Hatfield said with a slow drawl permanently tethering him to his Appalachian roots. My fun in life is working with people and working towards success for the business and to do it with a heart.

His first job, and one of only a few that didnt involve trucks, was working at a grocery store in Huntington when he was 15 years old. Hatfield was not bagging groceries for long when he was drafted into the Army and stationed in Korea for three years during the Vietnam War. When he returned home as a 20-year-old, he found an entry-level job at Smith Transfer based out of Staunton.

Hatfield started out there as a typist. Eighteen years later, he was the companys vice president and the company was the eighth-largest trucking company in the country.

It was already an accomplishment for a man with no formal education in the industry beyond a two-year degree from Marshall University. But Hatfield wasnt finished.

After leaving Smith, he founded his own company, Reo Distribution, in Waynesboro. He spent the next three decades there, and its there where the lessons he learned at the knee of his father, Reo Hatfield Sr., came into play.

What he taught me was that revenue is one of the most critical parts of running a successful business. You cant just cut costs, youve got to increase revenue, said Hatfield. You can do that with the solutions other people bring with them when they come to work for you.

The elder Hatfield, it may come as a surprise, was a minister. But since he refused to take any compensation for his ministerial work, he also worked full-time as a director of sales for Century Oil.

Like his father, Hatfield has never been satisfied working just one job. On top of his other duties, Hatfield served 25 years as a member of the Waynesboro auxiliary police force and two separate terms as a councilman and vice mayor for the city.

It was his fathers balance between faith and finances that shaped how the younger Hatfield grew to see management.

Youve got to run a business with a heart. Thats what Hatfield said was one of his fathers most valuable lessons.

Hatfield said he prefers to bring everyone to the table to hash out ideas and solutions, rather than issuing edicts.

Its that sort of diplomacy that put Hatfield on national TV in 2003, when he signed a truce with Bo and Ron McCoy, formally ending the 140-year-old feud between their respective families that had lasted so long and cost so many lives that its become shorthand for the very idea of a family feud.

Hatfield said he considers it one of the proudest moments of his career because it wasnt done for anything.

That career of his will come to an end eventually, and it will come to an end at Prince Michel, Hatfield said. But that end wont come for a while yet, he added.

Hatfield is already eager to capitalize off the recent recognition of the Monticello wine country as Wine Region of the Year by Wine Enthusiast magazine. Hatfield said he is looking forward to collaborating with Prince Michels other new hire, winemaker Bryan Jones, who spent a decade as chief winemaker at Lovers Leap Vineyards in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky.

There are a lot of big moves happening at Prince Michel.

Another one? The teetotaler Hatfield admitted he sampled this years Decadence Chocolate wine. It was pretty good, he said.
Guam Police Department detectives convene Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023, at a residence on Dimas Street in Mangilao where a body was discovered.
Does the new COVID vaccine work against the variant now spreading? Who can get it now?
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a rally on the Ellipse on Jan. 6, 2021, near the White House in Washington, D.C., shortly before his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
Gun rights advocates rally on the Boston Common against HD4420, which they say complicates state gun laws.
November 13, 2023 a New York, NY a Governor Kathy Hochul holds roundtable on hate crimes and public safety, on Nov. 13, 2023, in New York City.
A GTA TeleGuam vehicle and equipment are photographed at the company's Hagatna facility on Friday, Dec. 22, 2023.
A Williamsburg man was sentenced for assaulting law enforcement during the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol.

Jonathan Mellis, 35, pleaded guilty in June to one count of assaulting, resisting and impeding certain officers. He was sentenced Wednesday to 51 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release and ordered to pay $20,000 in fines.

According to court documents, Mellis traveled to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, to attend the Stop the Steal rally to protest the results of the 2020 presidential election. Following the rally, a large crowd, including Mellis, marched into the Capitol building. Mellis posted multiple videos on social media.

Mellis told another rioter to knock their masks off, referring to law enforcement inside, and the rioter knocked an officer to the ground. Court documents state Mellis urging and the attack further incited the rioters.

Other instances of Mellis striking officers and throwing a piece of plywood were reported in court documents.

Mellis was arrested by the FBI in February 2021 in Williamsburg. Since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,230 individuals have been charged for crimes related to the Capitol breach. The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit tips.fbi.gov.
A fire over Christmas weekend heavily damaged a Lebanon home, though nobody was injured, according to a Lebanon Fire District news release.

The Lebanon Fire District responded to a house fire in the 400 block of Park Street around 11:27 p.m. Dec. 23 after receiving reports of people screaming for help and exiting the structure, according to a news release.

A Place to Sleep, episode 10: Wrapping up We check back with some of the people we've met along our travels and we catch up with politicos who are trying to come up with solutions.

The first battalion chief on the scene reported a heavy fire on the first and second floors with flames threatening two neighboring houses. The owner wasn't inside, and no injuries were reported, according to the news release.

The first-arriving engine tried to thwart the fire's forward progress, and more units were requested from Albany, Scio, Tangent and Sweet Home, according to the news release.

Crews were on the scene for more than three hours to make sure the fire was extinguished. The Lebanon Fire District responded with 22 people, and other units brought in 19 more to help with the fire and cover the district for any other calls, according to the release.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by becoming a subscriber today.

The district reminds the public to use safe heating sources in the home during colder temperatures and to make sure their smoke detectors work.
California Farming Water Pollution View Photo

Near fields awash with strawberries and greens, Ileana Miranda and her family pay $72 a month to get water piped into their home in a rural California community  and thats before they consume a drop.

They pay to bring it from more than a mile away because the groundwater beneath them has been contaminated with nitrates leached into the soil from years of large-scale farming.

Now, the San Jerardo cooperative  where Miranda and 300 others live  and environmental organizations have sued the state, demanding stricter rules about how much fertilizer farmers can use in the hope that the next generation of residents in the community 100 miles (161 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco will have cleaner water.

We understand crops need these chemicals to grow, but you dont need to put that much in the groundwater, said Miranda, who manages the cooperative. It is essentially poisoning the groundwater that we need to live.

Some California farming communities have been plagued for years by problems with their drinking water due to nitrates and other contaminants in the groundwater that feeds their wells. Advocates have long pushed to remedy the situation, which disproportionately affects low-income and Latino residents, many who worked in the same fields where farmers are accused of leaving too much nitrate behind.

Nitrogen is in fertilizer because plants depend on it, but can lead to the contamination of drinking water supplies. Much of the nitrate detected in wells today comes from fertilizer applied decades ago to ensure crop size and quality. As a result, researchers say the issue of nitrate-laden drinking water, which can cause a blood disease known as blue baby syndrome in infants and affect pregnant women, will likely persist for decades.

California has been working for years to address the problem through regional water quality control boards and the State Water Resources Control Board. Different approaches have been taken in the Central Valley, which is home to more dairies and tomato farms, and the Central Coast to the west, where strawberries and leafy greens thrive.

Two years ago, the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board issued rules limiting how much fertilizer farmers could apply and protecting areas near streams. The state water board this year put those plans on hold, arguing more consistent standards and scientific review are needed.

The decision drove San Jerardo residents and water quality advocates to take the state to court.

Farmers, meanwhile, filed their own legal action, arguing neither the state nor the regional board fully considered the economic impact of the changes on those responsible for the countrys food supply. Norm Groot, executive director of the Monterey County Farm Bureau, said nitrogen is vital to ensure the size and quality of produce consumed throughout the country, but fertilizer is already being applied more precisely than it was in the past.

We just cant sustain our food supply without some sort of nitrogen application, Groot said. We now have a lot more science that supports when applications are needed, and how those applications can be measured and metered. Were not using nearly as much fertilizer as what was done a decade or 30 years ago.

The Central Coast boards limits would have forced some county farmers to grow two crops of leafy greens a year instead of three, he said. Pumping out groundwater laden with nitrates to irrigate fields while replacing it with newer water could help improve the situation over time, he said, adding that farmers depend on local drinking water, too.

Edward Ortiz, a spokesperson for the State Water Resources Control Board, declined to comment on the lawsuits but said in an email that the approach taken in the Central Valley has the support of a panel of scientific experts. A second panel, he said, is expected to review both approaches.

The litigation comes as California is stepping up efforts to regulate the use of groundwater after years of drought and with potentially drier winters due to climate change. Farming is a key part of the states economy, with strawberries and lettuce bringing in more than $5 billion combined in 2021, agricultural statistics show.

Michael Cahn, irrigation and water resource advisor for University of California, Cooperative Extension, said hes been working with Central Coast farmers to reduce the nitrogen they leave behind. Strategies include rapid-testing soil before applying fertilizer, improving water management and planting cover crops, he said, but added the problem wont be resolved quickly.

The reality is the value of vegetables is so high and a lot of time it is just easer to put more fertilizer and water on than do careful management, Cahn said. We have a lot of contaminated groundwater to use so it will take a long time to clean up. People say this could be 50 years in the future.

Some local communities rely on bottled drinking water due to nitrate levels in groundwater wells, said Brandon Bollinger, senior community advocacy manager at Community Water Center. He said his organization delivers bottled water weekly to about 260 households in the Central Coast, and in one area, nitrate levels were six times whats deemed safe to drink.

We like to say water flows toward money and power and in California that generally looks like water flowing toward industrial agriculture, he said. We need to have limits and targets and a timeline.

In San Jerardo, which was founded by farmworkers in the 1970s, people rely solely on groundwater for drinking, bathing and washing. The communitys first well was deemed contaminated in 1990, and the second, a few years later. After a third well went bad, the county got involved and drilled the latest well, said Horacio Amezquita, whose father was among the communitys founding members.

Amezquita said efforts can be made to clean up the water system, but the answer is to not use synthetic fertilizers in the first place. He said hes still farming in the area, growing cover crops and grains, but doesnt use fertilizer.

Theyre more interested in having their crops, at their own time, having their schedule at their own time, Amezquita said. Its not a sustainable agriculture.

By AMY TAXIN

Associated Press
Court reverses former Nebraska US Rep. Jeff Fortenberrys conviction of lying to federal authorities

Court reverses former Nebraska US Rep. Jeff Fortenberrys conviction of lying to federal authorities View Photo

LOS ANGELES (AP)  An appellate court on Tuesday reversed a 2022 federal conviction against former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska, ruling that he should not have been tried in Los Angeles.

Fortenberry was convicted in March 2022 on charges that he lied to federal authorities about an illegal $30,000 contribution to his campaign from a foreign billionaire at a 2016 Los Angeles fundraiser. He resigned his seat days later following pressure from congressional leaders and Nebraskas GOP governor.

In its Tuesday ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit wrote that the trial venue of Los Angeles was improper because Fortenberry made the false statements during interviews with federal agents at his home in Lincoln, Nebraska, and in his lawyers office in Washington.

Fortenberrys convictions are reversed so that he may be retried, if at all, in a proper venue, the decision said.

A federal jury in Los Angeles found the nine-term Republican guilty of concealing information and two counts of making false statements to authorities. He vowed to appeal from the courthouse steps.

Fortenberry and his wife, Celeste Fortenberry, praised the courts decision.

We are gratified by the Ninth Circuits decision, Jeff Fortenberry said in a statement. Celeste and I would like to thank everyone who has stood by us and supported us with their kindness and friendship.

Thom Mrozek, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys Office in Los Angeles, noted that the appellate court left a path open for future proceedings against Fortenberry.

The ruling does not preclude a retrial on the charges that then-Congressman Fortenberry made multiple false statements to federal agents, Mrozek said in a statement. We are evaluating potential next steps before deciding how best to move forward.

Patricia Hartman, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia, declined to comment on the rulings potential impact for federal prosecutors in Washington.

We cannot comment on matters where we dont have charges filed, she said in an email Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys Office in Nebraska did not immediately return a phone message.

Fortenberry was charged after denying to the FBI that he was aware he had received illicit funds from Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigerian billionaire of Lebanese descent.

At trial, prosecutors presented recorded phone conversations in which Fortenberry was repeatedly warned that the contributions came from Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigerian billionaire of Lebanese descent. The donations were funneled through three strawmen at the 2016 fundraiser in Los Angeles.

The case stemmed from an FBI investigation into $180,000 in illegal campaign contributions to four campaigns from Chagoury, who lived in Paris at the time. Chagoury admitted to the crime in 2019 and agreed to pay a $1.8 million fine.

It was the first trial of a sitting congressman since Rep. Jim Traficant, D-Ohio, was convicted of bribery and other felony charges in 2002.

By STEFANIE DAZIO

Associated Press
Swedens bid to join NATO is back for debate by a Turkish parliamentary committee View Photo

ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  The Turkish parliaments foreign affairs committee resumed deliberations Tuesday on Swedens bid to join NATO, days after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan linked the Nordic countrys admission to U.S. approval of Turkeys request to purchase F-16 fighter jets.

Turkey, a NATO member, lifted its objection to Sweden joining the trans-Atlantic alliance in July but the ratification process has since stalled in parliament. Turkey accuses Sweden of not taking its security concerns seriously enough, including its fight against Kurdish militants and other groups that Ankara considers to be security threats.

This month, Erdogan threw up another obstacle by saying openly that Turkey would only ratify Swedens NATO membership bid if the U.S. Congress approved Ankaras request to buy 40 new F-16 fighter jets and kits to modernize its existing fleet. The Turkish leader also called on the two legislatures to act simultaneously and said Canada and other NATO allies must lift arms embargoes imposed on Turkey.

The White House has backed the Turkish F-16 request but there is strong opposition in Congress to military sales to Turkey.

The Turkish parliaments foreign affairs committee had begun discussing Swedens membership in NATO last month. The meeting however, was adjourned after legislators from Erdogans ruling party submitted a motion for a postponement on grounds that some issues needed more clarification and that negotiations with Sweden had not matured enough.

If approved by the committee, Swedens bid would then need to be approved by the full assembly.

Sweden and Finland abandoned their traditional positions of military nonalignment to seek protection under NATOs security umbrella, following Russias invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Finland joined the alliance in April, becoming NATOs 31st member, after Turkeys parliament ratified the Nordic countrys bid.

NATO requires the unanimous approval of all existing members to expand, and Turkey and Hungary are the only countries that have been holding out. Hungary has stalled Swedens bid, alleging that Swedish politicians have told blatant lies about the condition of Hungarys democracy.

The delays have frustrated other NATO allies who were swift to accept Sweden and Finland into the alliance.
Israeli military says Gaza ground offensive has expanded into urban refugee camps View Photo

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP)  Israeli forces on Tuesday expanded their ground offensive into urban refugee camps in central Gaza after bombarding the crowded Palestinian communities and ordering residents to evacuate. Gazas main telecom provider announced another complete interruption of services in the besieged territory.

The militarys announcement of the new battle zone threatens further destruction in a war that Israel says will last for many months as it vows to crush the ruling Hamas militant group after its Oct. 7 attack. Israeli forces have been engaged in heavy urban fighting in northern Gaza and the southern city of Khan Younis, driving Palestinians into ever-smaller areas in search of refuge.

The U.S. said Israels minister for strategic affairs, Ron Dermer, was meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan to discuss topics including transitioning to a different phase of the war to maximize focus on high-value Hamas targets, improving the humanitarian situation, and planning for governance and security in Gaza after the war.

Despite U.S. calls for Israel to curb civilian casualties and international pressure for a cease-fire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military was deepening the fighting.

We say to the Hamas terrorists: We see you and we will get to you, Netanyahu said.

Israels offensive is one of the most devastating military campaigns in recent history. More than 20,900 Palestinians, two-thirds women and children, have been killed, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, whose count doesnt differentiate between civilians and combatants. The agency said 240 people were killed over the past 24 hours.

The U.N. human rights office said the continued bombardment of middle Gaza had claimed more than 100 Palestinian lives since Christmas Eve. The office noted that Israel had ordered some residents to move there.

Israel said it would no longer grant automatic visas to U.N. employees and accused the world body of being complicit partners in Hamas tactics. Government spokesman Eylon Levy said Israel would consider visa requests case by case. That could further limit aid efforts in Gaza.

Residents of central Gaza described shelling and airstrikes shaking the Nuseirat, Maghazi and Bureij camps. The built-up towns hold Palestinians driven from their homes in what is now Israel during the 1948 war, along with their descendants.

The bombing was very intense, Radwan Abu Sheitta said by phone from Bureij.

The Israeli military ordered residents to evacuate a belt of territory the width of central Gaza, urging them to move to nearby Deir al-Balah. The U.N. humanitarian office said the area ordered evacuated was home to nearly 90,000 people before the war and now shelters more than 61,000 displaced people, mostly from the north.

The military later said it was operating in Bureij and asserted that it had located a Hamas training camp.

The telecom outage announced by Paltel follows similar outages through much of the war. NetBlocks, a group that tracks internet outages, confirmed that network connectivity in Gaza was disrupted again and likely to leave most residents offline.

Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said several countries had sent proposals to resolve the conflict following news of an Egyptian proposal that would include a transitional Palestinian government in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. He did not offer details of the proposals.

REGIONAL SPILLOVER

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel faces a multi-arena war on seven fronts  Gaza and the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Iran. We have responded and acted already on six of these, he told the Knessets Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Iranian-backed militia groups around the region have stepped up attacks in support of Hamas.

Iranian-backed militias in Iraq carried out a drone strike on a U.S. base in Irbil on Monday, wounding three American service members, according to U.S. officials. In response, U.S. warplanes hit three locations in Iraq connected to a main militia, Kataib Hezbollah.

Almost daily, Hezbollah and Israel exchange missiles, airstrikes and shelling across the Israeli-Lebanese border. On Tuesday, Israels military said Hezbollah struck a Greek Orthodox church in northern Israel with a missile, wounding two Israeli Christians, and fired again on arriving soldiers, wounding nine.

Hezbollah is risking the stability of the region for the sake of Hamas, said Israels military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.

In the Red Sea, attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen against commercial ships have disrupted trade and prompted a U.S.-led multinational naval operation to protect shipping routes. The Israeli military said a fighter jet on Tuesday shot down a hostile aerial target above the Red Sea that the military asserted was on its way to Israeli territory.

The USS Laboon, a Navy destroyer, and American fighter jets shot down 12 drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles and two land-attack cruise missiles in the southern Red Sea that were fired by the Yemen-based Houthis over a 10-hour period Tuesday, according to the Pentagon. U.S. Central Command said there was no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries.

A MASS GRAVE

More than 85% of Gazas 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes. U.N. officials say a quarter of the territorys population is starving under Israels siege, which allows in a trickle of food, water, fuel, medicine and other supplies. Last week, the U.N. Security Council called for immediately speeding up aid deliveries, but there has been little sign of change.

In an area Israel had declared a safe zone, a strike hit a home in Mawasi, a rural area in the southern province of Khan Younis. One woman was killed and at least eight were wounded, according to a cameraman working for The Associated Press at the nearby hospital.

In response, Israels military said that it wouldnt refrain from operating in safe zones, if it identifies terrorist organization activity threatening the security of Israel.

Hamas Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 240 others hostage. Israel aims to free the more than 100 hostages who remain in captivity.

President Joe Biden and Qatars ruling emir, Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, spoke on Tuesday, discussing the urgent effort to secure the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas, including American citizens. The leaders also discussed the ongoing efforts to facilitate increased and sustained flows of life-saving access to humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Israel blames Hamas for the high civilian death toll in Gaza, citing militants use of crowded residential areas and tunnels. Israel says it has killed thousands of militants, without presenting evidence.

At the Kerem Shalom border crossing, U.N. and Gazan medical workers unloaded a truck carrying about 80 unidentified bodies that had been held by Israeli forces in northern Gaza. They were buried in a mass grave.

Medical workers called the odors unbearable. We cannot open this container in a neighborhood where people live, Dr. Marwan al-Hams, health emergency committee director in Rafah, told the AP. He said the health and justice ministries would investigate the bodies for possible war crimes.

The Israeli military announced the deaths of two more soldiers, bringing the total killed since the ground offensive began to 161.

___

Wafaa Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, and Samy Magdy from Cairo. Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed to this report.

___

Find more of APs coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

By NAJIB JOBAIN, WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY

Associated Press
Victoria Falls plice are currently investigating a disturbing case involving 13 Ethiopian nationals who were apprehended at a residence in the city. The individuals were found hiding after illegally entering the country, raising concerns of potential human trafficking.

It is suspected that the undocumented immigrants entered Zimbabwe through an undisclosed point of entry from neighbouring Zambia.

According to initial reports, it is believed that local collaborators assisted the illegal immigrants by providing them with shelter at the house where they were discovered. Acting on a tip-off from a vigilant community member, the police swiftly responded, leading to the apprehension of the foreigners, who were found without any travel documents.

All 13 individuals, who are men ranging in age from their late 20s to early 40s, are now in custody. This incident is not an isolated one, as law enforcement agencies have previously intercepted illegal immigrants who have attempted to enter the country through undesignated entry points. In such cases, offenders have been brought before the courts and subsequently deported to their respective countries.

It has come to light that certain individuals residing in Victoria Falls, as well as transport operators, have gained notoriety for their involvement in the clandestine transportation of undocumented immigrants. Allegedly, these individuals collaborate with locals in Victoria Falls before handing over the immigrants to accomplices in Bulawayo. From there, the immigrants are reportedly transported to South Africa.

Inspector Glory Banda, the police spokesperson for Matabeleland North, was unavailable for comment at the time of reporting. However, reliable sources close to the matter have indicated that the illegal immigrants will face charges related to their unlawful entry into the country.

The discovery of this possible human trafficking case has underscored the need for heightened vigilance and collaboration between law enforcement agencies and local communities.

Breaking News via Email
Trends in the prevalence of severe obesity among U.S. children aged 2 to 4 years enrolled in WIC from 2010 to 2020 by (A) sex, (B) age, (C) race and ethnicity, and (D) household income. Graphic: Zhao, et al., 2023 / Pediatrics

By Mike Stobbe

17 December 2023

NEW YORK (AP)  A new study adds to evidence that severe obesity is becoming more common in young U.S. children.

There was some hope that children in a government food program might be bucking a trend in obesity rates  earlier research found rates were dropping a little about a decade ago for those kids. But an update released Monday in the journal Pediatrics shows the rate bounced back up a bit by 2020.

The increase echoes other national data, which suggests around 2.5% of all preschool-aged children were severely obese during the same period.

We were doing well and now we see this upward trend, said one of the studys authors, Heidi Blanck of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We are dismayed at seeing these findings.

The study looked at children ages 2 to 4 enrolled in the Women, Infants and Children program, which provides healthy foods and other services to preschool-aged children in low-income families. The children were weighed and measured.

The researchers found that 2.1% of kids in the program were severely obese in 2010. Six years later, the rate had dipped to 1.8%. But by 2020, it was 2%. That translates to about 33,000 of more than 1.6 million kids in the WIC program.

Significant increases were seen in 20 states with the highest rate in California at 2.8%. There also were notable rises in some racial and ethnic groups. The highest rate, about 2.8%, was in Hispanic kids.

Experts say severe obesity at a very early age is nearly irreversible, and is strongly associated with chronic health problems and an early death.

Its not clear why the increase occurred, Blanck said.

When WIC obesity rates dropped, some experts attributed it to 2009 policy changes that eliminated juice from infant food packages, provided less saturated fat, and tried to make it easier to buy fruits and vegetables.

The package hasnt changed. But the daily hardships that families living in poverty are facing may be harder today than they were 10 years ago, and the slight increases in the WIC package just werent enough, said Dr. Sarah Armstrong, a Duke University childhood obesity researcher. []

Whats happened since 2020 is not yet known. Some small studies have suggested a marked increase in childhood obesity  especially during the pandemic, when kids were kept home from schools, eating and bedtime routines were disrupted and physical activity decreased.

We are thinking its going to get worse, Hoelscher said. [more]

A new study bolsters evidence that severe obesity is increasing in young kids in the US

Trends in Severe Obesity Among Children Aged 2 to 4 Years in WIC: 2010 to 2020

ABSTRACT: The prevalence of severe obesity significantly decreased from 2.1% in 2010 to 1.8% in 2016 and then increased to 2.0% in 2020. From 2010 to 2016, the prevalence decreased significantly among all sociodemographic subgroups except for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) children. The largest decreases were among 4-year-olds, Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic children, and children from higher-income households. However, from 2016 to 2020, the prevalence increased significantly overall and among sociodemographic subgroups, except for AI/AN and non-Hispanic white children. The largest increases occurred in 4-year-olds and Hispanic children. Among 56 WIC agencies, the prevalence significantly declined in 17 agencies, and 1 agency (Mississippi) showed a significant increase from 2010 to 2016. In contrast, 21 agencies had significant increases, and only Alaska had a significant decrease from 2016 to 2020.

Trends in Severe Obesity Among Children Aged 2 to 4 Years in WIC: 2010 to 2020
Yves here. As befitting over the holiday season, there is not a lot of new news about the Houthi effort to block shipping to and from Israel, nor much in the way of updates on the so-far-halting US Operation Prosperity Guardian response. There has been much consternation over an attack, attributed to Iran, on an Israel-linked ship near India. So John Helmers intel from the Red Sea, about Iran potentially baiting the US and Israel, is an important addition to the state of play, as are reports that European states are quietly trying to work out deals with the Houthis and allegedly Iran too to have their ships left alone.

Some recent sightings from the Twitterverse:

Yemens Ansarullah says US warships fired missiles wildly in the Red Sea and nearly struck a tanker owned by Gabon which was traveling from Russia

https://t.co/WViAfoEZhB  Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) December 25, 2023

The Israeli Food Industries Union has warned of a food shortage due to the intervention of the Yemeni Armed Forces in the Red Sea.  Lowkey (@Lowkey0nline) December 25, 2023

By John Helmer, the longest continuously serving foreign correspondent in Russia, and the only western journalist to direct his own bureau independent of single national or commercial ties. Helmer has also been a professor of political science, and an advisor to government heads in Greece, the United States, and Asia. He is the first and only member of a US presidential administration (Jimmy Carter) to establish himself in Russia. Originally published at Dances with Bears

The Iranian intelligence vessel, MV Behshad, at anchor in the Red Sea, is a honey trap intended to lure both the Israelis and US Navy into an attack, according to Russian and other sources.

The French and Spanish navies appear to anticipate or to know: they have announced they will not operate their warships in the area under US command. Instead, the French have said they will restrict their operations to guarding their own French-flagged vessels and cargoes. The French Navy also appears to have agreed to clear the backlog of Maersk container vessels trapped and no longer under way in the Red Sea and in the Gulf of Aden.

The French and similar disclaimers from Spain and Italy follow maritime media reports of acrimonious disputes between the Europeans and the US over the US priority to attack the Houthis and save Israel.

The Europeans, including the Italian and Greek navies, which have also announced they are sending warships, are following the Russian lead in secretly working out an accommodation with Iran and the Ansar Allah (Houthi) leadership for safe passage through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in exchange for agreement to boycott Israel. In defence of their economies and shipping, support from the European allies is dwindling for Israels war against the Palestinians; there is no support for Israeli and American threats to expand the war against Iran and the Houthis.

The Pentagon and White House-led plan to save the Israeli port of Eilat and the Israeli economy from the long-war attrition strategy of the Arabs is collapsing. US maritime sources report the precarious situation of US-flagged ships stranded with military cargo near the Red Sea is at the center of this coalition angst. The French want to prioritize their ships while US-flagged ships  which the US Navy is obligated to defend  are inexplicably a lower priority for the US. This urgent matter, highlighted by the recent rocket attack on a US-flagged tanker in Israel, starkly exposes the vulnerability of these vessels due to the alarming absence of adequate military protection. This critical situation not only threatens the safety of these ships but also raises profound questions about the United States resolve to safeguard its maritime assets, a commitment that seems to be wavering dangerously.

Irans Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said the decision to attack vessels in the Red Sea region is a completely Yemeni decision in support and defence of Gaza. He added there is no need for the US coalition operation. If they stop supporting the murderous Israeli regime and they will see a safer region and a better situation even for the transfer of energy.

Since the start of the Gaza war, and the engagement of Houthi forces in support of the Palestinians, the identification of the Motor Vessel Behshad was first made in the open press last Thursday. A Russian map showing the Behshad and the positions of all other state naval vessels in the area was published by Militarist, a Moscow military blogger on Thursday morning, Moscow time. It was then republished by Boris Rozhins Colonel Cassad. They provided no comment at the time, or since.

Follow the story here.

Click to enlarge the map and read analysis: https://johnhelmer.net/

A day earlier in Moscow, the business newspaper Kommersant reported that Russian oil shipments were continuing to move unhindered and undeterred through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait enroute to India and China. The newspaper failed to report that this required secret Russian negotiations and maritime intelligence-sharing with the Iranians and the Houthis. Read the analysis here.

This was the first overt sign that the distinction President Vladimir Putin has been making between Hamas terrorism and the Palestinian war for national liberation has collapsed. Publication of the Red Sea naval deployment map was the second sign. The Israeli and American threat to strike the Iranian intelligence vessel Behshad as part of their war against Houthi terrorism is leading to a third Russian sign. It has yet to materialize.

Russian and western military sources recall the Behshads predecessor, the MV Saviz, also at anchor in the Red Sea, was hit by an Israeli commando raid which detonated limpet mines to sink the vessel. That was on April 6, 2021, and was reported by Iranian, Arab, British and US media at the time. The attack fell short; the Saviz did not sink, and was towed back to Iran. It was then replaced in the Red Sea by the Behshad. The Saviz has been repaired and refitted and redeployed in the eastern sector of the Indian Ocean, off India.

The Israelis, assisted by the US, have been waging a frequent sabotage war against Iranian Navy vessels, and the Iranians are well aware of it.

What signals intelligence, satellite and other information Russia is providing Iran, to be shared with the Houthis, is unknown. Unprecedented, however, is the intervention with President Putin by Igor Sechin  head of the Rosneft group, Russias largest oil producer and the closest of Putins policy advisors in the past  to place the security of Russias oil interests in collaboration with Iran and the Houthis above Putins concern for Israel. In Putins office, Sechin was once Turkeys advocate for similar reasons.

How is Russia responding to the Israeli-American threat against the Behshad?

MV Saviz -- https://www.marinetraffic.com/

MV Behshad  https://www.marinetraffic.com/

Intelligence-sharing with Iran is a Defense Ministry and General Staff responsibility, sharpened by deep-seated hostility towards the Israelis for their attacks in Syria against Iranian and also Russian targets, including the shoot-down of the Russian Il-20 signals intelligence aircraft in November 2018. At the time, Putin defended Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the public objections of the Defense Ministry and General Staff; read that story here.

Iran is also playing a significant role in support of Russias war against NATO in the Ukraine, while Israel has backed the Zelensky regime. Putin has again insisted on soft-pedaling towards Netanyahu and was cool towards Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi when they met earlier this month.

Source: https://johnhelmer.net/

Western and Russian sources think the positioning of the Behshad in the present situation is more likely to be a lure for foolhardy Israeli or US operations than it is a vulnerability on the part of the Iranian military. The record suggested by these sources is that after the Saviz incident two years ago, vessel detection and tracking in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden have been securely transferred to hidden locations onshore in Yemen. I suspect, one source said, the Behshad is a honey trap, but Ive no idea what response the Iranians, Russians and Chinese have formulated if there is an attack on the Behshad.

The Spanish and Italians have intimated in their announcements they want no part of such an Israeli-American operation against an Iranian target.

According to US maritime sources reporting to the US publication gCaptain, the French Navy has shifted their focus away from US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian after a representative allegedly stormed out of the operations first meeting with US officials. The French have begun escorting their own cargo ships, including the containerships CMA CGM Pegasus, CMA CGM George Washington and APL Salalah, through the Red Sea. At the heart of this unfolding drama is a critical question: which ships deserve protection? While the French have shown a clear intent to prioritize their own shipping interests, the US approach has left its own American-flagged ships stranded in the region, that have been  some for a full week  waiting for escortThis development marks a significant shift in the geopolitical dynamics of maritime security in one of the worlds most vital shipping lanes. The French decision underscores a growing crisis in shipping that puts national and regional priority ahead of global needs, while the US focuses on protecting all shipping  including ships owned by rivals like China  at the expense of the dwindling fleet of US-flagged merchant ships.

gCaptain is one of the leading website and twitter publishing platforms in the US for the maritime industry; it is based in California and run by John Konrad, a professional merchant mariner and ships captain. He is hostile to Russia, and since the start of the Special Military Operation he has refused to report on Russian shipping or the new book, Sovcomplot.

Top: John Konrad of gCaptain; Sovcomplot, the first book on the Russian shipping industry since 1991 in English

Bottom: Ship charter rates have begun to jump since the start of the Gaza war, together with insurance premiums and logistics costs, as the Houthi campaign has driven global shipping away from Israel. Read more: https://gcaptain.com/

Konrad is also reporting that sources have revealed a pervasive sense of confusion, affecting not only European shipping executives but also US shipowners who have access to classified Pentagon briefings. In interviews conducted by gCaptain, sources within the US military highlighted a disjointed response to the crisis. While certain military elements, such as the US Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) and the Navys Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS), have been actively engaging with ship owners, other segments of the military appear uncertain about the command structure of the operation. This lack of clarity over leadership roles is contributing to the overall confusion surrounding the initiativesources have revealed a pervasive sense of confusion, affecting not only European shipping executives but also US shipowners who have access to classified Pentagon briefings. In interviews conducted by gCaptain, sources within the US military highlighted a disjointed response to the crisis. While certain military elements, such as the US Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) and the Navys Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS), have been actively engaging with ship owners, other segments of the military appear uncertain about the command structure of the operation. This lack of clarity over leadership roles is contributing to the overall confusion surrounding the initiative.

Vessel location map as of December 22. As of Friday, the French Navy appears to be escorting the US-flagged Maersk Seletar and Green Bay.

Editorially, the US maritime media are trying to save themselves, and have no regard for Israel.

The leadership vacuum needs to be filled across the pond [Atlantic] as well, claims gCaptain. If the operation continues under American leadership, its crucial for top executives of major shipping companies, such as Vincent Clerc of Maersk, to engage directly with key U.S. officials. Meetings in Washington D.C. with the Navy and Transportation Secretaries would be a pivotal move. Such collaboration would send a resounding message to mariners navigating the precarious waters under threat from Houthi drones. It would demonstrate a united front where the shipping industry, government authorities, and naval leadership are synchronizing their efforts to ensure safer seas. This is more than a strategic decision; its a necessary step to bolster confidence and security in these high-risk areas.

Late on December 23, the US Central Command issued a report claiming it had responded to at least two Houthi drone attacks on oil tankers in the southern sector of the Red Sea. One of the targets was the Norwegian-flagged MV Blaamanen; it was missed narrowly. The second target was the Indian-flagged MV Saibaba, which was hit but reported no injuries. Before these strikes, the USS Laboon was targeted by at least four drones, and claims to have shot them down. It then moved to assist the tankers targeted. Two anti-ballistic missiles were also reported to have been fired in the area during the day without hitting their targets and without being intercepted.

Source: https://twitter.com/

The British maritime warning agency, UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), has issued a tweet indicating that late on Saturday afternoon of December 23, local time, a ship had been attacked in the Indian Ocean, southwest of India, by a drone. This caused an explosion and fire on the ship but no casualties.

Later reports indicate that the vessel was the Liberian flagged, Indian crewed, and Israel affiliated MV Chem Pluto which was carrying a cargo of crude oil from Saudi Arabia to Mangalore. The 1,600-kilometre distance from Yemen to the site attack is greater than the known ranges of Houthi drones. The Pentagon is claiming the attack was launched directly from Iran by the Iranian Armed Forces. An Indian media report claims the drone may have been launched by the Saviz, now reportedly located in the Indian Ocean just 87 kilometres away from the Chem Pluto.

Source: United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO)

There were four UKMTO warning notices for the Indian Ocean area on December 23; altogether for the month of December so far, there have been 20 incident reports, a record for the year. For maps and incident summaries for use by mariners, ship charterers, and logistics planners, click on this UKMTO security chart.
Yves here. A lot of catch up here. An awfully busy run-up to the holiday season.

Songs of beauty amid war Christian Science Monitor

Winners of the 2023 International Landscape Photographer of the Year Atlantic (David L)

The Church, Living in Christmas Past Maureen Dowd, New York Times (furzy)

Barbie: 5 ways to be more like Allan than Ken The Conversation (Dr. Kevin). Kill me now.

Lagrange Points Could Become Battlegrounds in a New Space Race ScienceAlert (Chuck L)

Why the universe might be a hologram Universe Today

Discovering Abandoned Cruise Ships and Ocean Liners CruiseHive (Kevin W)

Tech Billionaires Need to Stop Trying to Make the Science Fiction They Grew Up on Real Scientific American (Kevin W)

Genetic engineering was meant to save chestnut trees. Then there was a mistake. Washington Post (Dr. Kevin)

Sickle cell patients journey leads to landmark approval of gene-editing treatment MPR News (Chuck L)

Could taking cod liver oil every day actually make me a happier person? Salon

#COVID-19

Digital measurement of SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk from 7 million contacts Nature (Dr. Kevin) Had ChatGPT rewrite this in common language. This study used miniature heart tissues grown from human stem cells to investigate how the heart is affected by COVID-19. They found that mild infections can linger in the heart without immediately causing major problems, lasting https://t.co/ANUWlP2yE8  David it up! (@Dave_it_up) December 24, 2023

Climate/Environment

China?

Gaza

New Not-So-Cold War

Syraqistan

Israeli airstrike kills senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards general in Syria Sydney Morning Herald (Kevin W)

Imperial Collapse Watch

Our No Longer Free Press

Can ticket-splitting governor races survive a Trump-Biden rematch in 2024? Politico

Police State Watch

Antitrust

Google Rejected Play Store Fee Changes Due To Impact on Revenue, Epic Lawsuit Shows Bloomberg

AI

Economists had a dreadful 2023 Economist (David L)

The Bezzle

Class Warfare

Antidote du jour. Tracie H:

Got sugar cubes? Since I had some time to kill before work, and this training center was on my way, I stopped to photograph an equestrian class as they trotted around the ring and made some jumps, when this horse seemed to take an interest in me.

And a bonus from guurst:

The spotted eagle ray can be identified by its dark dorsal surface covered in white spots or rings. Near the base of its tail, just behind the pelvic fins, are several venomous, barbed stingers [ maniurashydh]pic.twitter.com/NfnAoQAJKZ  Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) December 26, 2023

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Biden administration DIRECTLY LINKED to Colorado banning Trump from the ballot

The Daily Caller has uncovered a direct line between President Joe Biden's administration and former President Donald Trump's name being barred from showing up on the Colorado Republican Party's presidential primary.

This comes as most people and news outlets reviewing Trump's case in Colorado are focusing on the fact that Democrats appointed all seven members of the Colorado Supreme Court. (Related: BREAKING: Colorado Supreme Court disqualifies Trump from appearing on state's primary ballot.)

According to an investigation conducted by Daily Caller reporter James Lynch, the organization responsible for bringing the Colorado case against Trump is the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).

Noah Bookbinder, CREW's president and CEO, currently serves on the Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC), which is tasked with providing Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas with real-time advice. Bookbinder was appointed in March 2022.

"Our Constitution clearly states that those who violate their oath by attacking our democracy are barred from serving in government," said Bookbinder in a press release, alluding to Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, or the insurrection clause, which is the very clause that the Colorado Supreme Court argued bans Trump from holding the presidency. "It has been an honor to represent the petitioners, and we look forward to ensuring that this vitally important ruling stands."

Mayorkas met with HSAC numerous times in meetings that discussed issues such as so-called disinformation, supply chains and innovation. The council's latest meeting was in September and Bookbinder himself was in attendance.

CREW Executive Vice President and Chief Counsel Donald Sherman argued that the organization "brought the right case in the right place at the right time in order to prevail on the merits."

Group spearheading efforts to take Trump off the ballot in other states heavily donates to Biden

The Colorado Supreme Court's argument for banning Trump rests on the false idea that the former president incited an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. This same argument is being used by one other Biden-linked group in multiple other states to prevent Trump's name from appearing on Republican primary and general election ballots.

This group is known as Free Speech For People (FSFP). Both it and CREW are not only directly linked to Biden but are also heavily financed by liberal donors who support the current president. This connection has made Trump himself blame Biden for the multiple lawsuits attempting to prevent him from running for a second term.

One case in Minnesota was decided last month when the state's supreme court argued that the Minnesota Republican Party and all other state political parties are free to put anybody they want on their primary ballots. This verdict dismissed FSFP's Section 3 lawsuit but left the door open for the group to bring the lawsuit up again during the general election.

In Michigan, another 14th Amendment case was struck down before it could reach the state supreme court, with the judge arguing that Congress, not the judiciary, gets the final say in whether or not certain candidates can stay on the ballot or must be removed. FSFP is appealing this ruling.

Litigation is pending in at least 12 other states, including crucial swing state Arizona. The next state expected to rule on the matter is Maine, where the state's Democratic secretary of state is expected to make a declaration on Trump's eligibility in the coming days.

Sherman noted that he is not as hopeful about the chances of lawsuits succeeding in other states as they may not have the same conditions for legal success.

"It really depends state by state on what the state law looks like, what relief voters can see in the courts, what jurisdictional authority courts or the secretary of state have," said Sherman. Still, he believes the Colorado court's findings are relevant enough that judges in other states "may find it relevant as well."

"The Colorado decision will have a major impact," said FSFP co-founder and president John Bonifaz, who noted that the Colorado suit shares many of the same legal questions that FSFP is pushing in other states. This includes the question of whether the 14th Amendment applies to Americans running for president and whether courts can enforce the insurrection clause even without congressional legislation.

"We now have a definitive, for the first time, state supreme court ruling on those questions," said Bonifaz. "And we think it's applicable to these other states."

Watch this clip from Newsmax as Eric Bolling interviews Colorado GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert about the Democrat's election interference plans.

This video is from the News Clips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

RFK Jr. skewers Colorado Supreme Court decision to block Trump from 2024 ballot: "That's not a real democracy."

The greatest act of collective treason in U.S. history.

Colorado Supreme Court launches actual INSURRECTION against America with election deplatforming of Donald J. Trump.

Democrats DESPERATELY looking for ways to prevent Trump from appearing on the ballot.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

DailyCaller.com

NPR.org

APNews.com

AlJazeera.com

Brighteon.com
3,000 Doctors file lawsuit against Biden administration mandate requiring gender-affirming care

A group of 3,000 doctors has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services over a mandate that will force them to provide children with so-called gender affirming care.

The suit was filed by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) on behalf of the American College of Pediatricians, Catholic Medical Associates, and an ob/gyn who focuses on adolescent care.

The mandate expands the definition of the word sex in civil rights statutes to go beyond biology and encompass an individuals declared sexual orientation and gender identity as well.

As a result, the group explains that doctors who take care of Medicaid patients and those who receive any type of federal funding will therefore be required to give children seeking to transition to a different sex gender-affirming care.

This is something that many physicians and other medical professionals are morally opposed to as it may include performing operations like removing girls breasts or giving patients puberty blockers and hormone treatments that put their health and fertility at risk.

This, they argue, is unconstitutional because it requires them to give treatment that goes against their religious beliefs or that they believe is wrong for their patient from a medical standpoint.

The suit asks the court to block the Biden administration from penalizing physicians who are unwilling to give children gender-altering treatments. A decision on the matter by the court could take as long as three months. Should the request be denied, the group could take it to the U.S. Supreme Court for a review.

Doctors need reassurance they won't be sued for refusing to provide potentially dangerous care

The Department of Justice filed a motion to dismiss the suit, arguing that the HHS did not mandate that all healthcare providers "perform all kinds of gender transition services, even providers who have religious objections."

However, ADF attorney Chris Schandevel is not convinced this is the case. "Outside of the courtroom, in their public statements, the administration has given every indication that they plan to enforce this gender-identity mandate as broadly as possible," he noted.

"They have given every indication that they plan to come after doctors, like our doctors, that we're representing in this case," he added, citing a notice from the HHSs Office for Civil Rights encouraging patients and parents to file formal complaints if they believe a doctor has refused to provide them gender-affirming care.

The notice specifies: "As a law enforcement agency, OCR is investigating and, where appropriate, enforcing Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act cases involving discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in accordance with all applicable law."

Schandevel maintains that doctors should not have to hope they keep their word. Instead, they need an official confirmation that they wont have to provide care that goes against their beliefs and rights.

He said: We should be able to get a court to say that their rights are protected."

Doctors argue that gender-affirming care damages children

Although many doctors are unwilling to provide this type of care because of their personal convictions, there are also some very valid medical reasons for their refusal.

Pediatrician Dr. Quentin Van Meter said that he believes the research some have presented to support the need for these treatments has been cherry picked, with conclusions failing to support the data researchers collected.

For example, a study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics is often cited by those claiming gender-affirming care reduces anxiety and suicide risk. However, researchers who found flaws with the studys statistical methodology requested a new analysis of the data, and a correction was later issued stating that there is no advantage of surgery when it comes to anxiety and suicide attempts.

Countries like Norway and Sweden have recently reversed previous stances on "gender-affirming" care, with Sweden saying that it found the risks outweigh the benefits.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

USNews.com
TIT FOR TAT: Republican lawmakers move to exclude Bidens name from the ballots of 3 swing states

Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania, Arizona and Georgia have made a bold and attention-grabbing move by proposing legislation aimed at excluding President Joe Biden from the 2024 general election ballots in their respective states.

This significant development comes in the aftermath of the Colorado Supreme Court's recent 4-3 decision to bar former President Donald Trump, who is considered the GOP frontrunner for the 2024 presidential nomination, from appearing on the state's primary ballot.

The Colorado court based its decision on the 14th Amendment, which prevents officials engaged in insurrection from holding future office.

Aaron Bernstine of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Cory McGarr of the Arizona House of Representatives and Charlice Byrd of the Georgia House of Representatives jointly issued a statement outlining their plan. (Related: Joe Biden just DISQUALIFIED himself from the very presidency he STOLE in the first place.)

The lawmakers argue that if the Colorado court can exclude Trump based on its interpretation of the law, then Biden should face a similar exclusion. They believe this countermove serves to highlight what they perceive as the absurdity and potential partisan bias in the Colorado court's decision.

The joint statement criticizes the Colorado court's ruling as an "absurdity" and emphasizes the urgent need for legislation to remove Biden from the ballot in Georgia, Arizona, and Pennsylvania.

The lawmakers point to the Democrats' arguments for removing Trump, such as his alleged involvement in insurrection and corrupt family business dealings, and assert that these arguments can be applied to Biden. They specifically highlight Biden's immigration policies, which have faced criticism from Republicans advocating for tougher border security.

The press release stated: "Democrats' insane justification to remove Trump can just as easily be applied to Joe Biden for his 'insurrection' at the southern border and his alleged corrupt family business dealings with China." The lawmakers expressed their determination to fight against what they perceive as a threat to the electoral system and underscore their objective of showcasing the "absurdity" of the Colorado court's decision.

Politicians are willing to employ unconventional tactics to protect their own interests

This move by Republican lawmakers signifies a strategic response to legal actions seen as targeting prominent political figures and highlights the escalating polarization in American politics. It reflects the willingness of politicians to employ unconventional and provocative tactics in defense of their own interests.

The press release emphasized the Republican lawmakers' commitment to resisting what they describe as efforts to undermine the democratic process, setting the stage for a potentially contentious and high-stakes political battle in the lead-up to the 2024 elections.

The bills seeking to prevent Biden from appearing on the ballot are the brainchild of Republicans in each state legislature. These lawmakers argue that they are employing a tactic reminiscent of Democrats' efforts to challenge Trump's eligibility.

The Colorado Supreme Court's decision set a precedent by disqualifying a candidate based on the interpretation of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which focuses on insurrection or rebellion against the United States.

The move is not merely a legal counteraction; it underscores the intensifying tit-for-tat dynamic between Republicans and Democrats, raising concerns about the potential consequences for the integrity of the electoral process and the exacerbation of political divisions in the nation.

Legal experts and political commentators are closely watching the unfolding situation as Republicans strategically deploy legislative measures in response to what they perceive as Democratic attempts to undermine constitutional principles and voters' choices.

The maneuver highlights the increasing polarization and ideological battles between the two major political parties, potentially setting the stage for a protracted and contentious political landscape.

As lawsuits challenging Donald Trump's candidacy have been filed in over 25 states, the legal and constitutional implications of these actions are becoming more pronounced. This tit-for-tat approach carries the risk of escalating tensions and deepening mistrust in the electoral process. If this trend continues, it could lead to an unprecedented crisis where numerous states, regardless of political affiliation, grapple with the exclusion of major candidates from the ballot, further exacerbating divisions and threatening the very foundation of the nation's democratic principles.

Read more stories like this at CancelDemocrats.news.

Watch former President Donald Trump declare Joe Biden as a "threat to democracy."

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

JOE BIDEN IS BUSTED! New info reveals details about meetings at White House arranged with hedge fund customer of Hunter's with the "big guy."

Comer: Joe Biden received $40k in laundered Chinese funds from his brother.

Hunter Biden implicated in a 'laundry list' of corrupt overseas business practices as father Joe Biden intimately involved

Sources include:

TheNewAmerican.com

Newsweek.com

Brighteon.com
Texas Gov. Abbott begins flooding sanctuary cities with chartered flights of illegal immigrants

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has started transporting illegal immigrants to different sanctuary cities using private planes as the "Biden-made crisis" at the southern border worsens.

The initiative, dubbed "Air Texas," takes a cue from a similar program implemented by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, known as "Air DeSantis," which involved transporting South American asylum seekers around the country via chartered aircraft.

According to Customs and Border Protection, the total number of migrant encounters this December surpassed 190,000, with daily averages exceeding 10,000 encounters. The situation is on track to break the record set in September 2023, when 269,000 encounters were recorded in a single month.

As a response, Abbott has started to transport 89,200 migrants this week to Democratic-controlled states and cities, including Washington, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver and Los Angeles.

"Because [Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson] is failing to live up to his city's 'Welcoming City' ordinance by targeting migrant buses from Texas, we are expanding our operation to include flights to Chicago, like the Biden Administration has been doing across the country," said Abbott's press secretary Andrew Mahaleris.

He added that the operation provides "vital relief" to border towns drowning under the number of migrants. "Until President Biden steps up and does his job to secure the border, Texas will continue taking historic action to help our local partners respond to this Biden-made crisis."

The first flight under the program departed from El Paso on Dec. 19 and arrived at O'Hare Airport in Chicago on that same day, carrying over 120 passengers, including families and children.

"Migrants willingly choose to go to sanctuary cities, having signed a voluntary consent waiver available in multiple languages upon boarding that they agreed on the destination," said Mahaleris.

Abbott charters migrant flights after lawsuits against migrant buses

In April 2022, Abbott started bussing migrants from Texas to Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver and Los Angeles to support border communities overwhelmed by the influx of migrants. However, Johnson has interfered with the strategy and filed 55 lawsuits against bus companies transporting migrants to Democratic-controlled states.

According to reports, Chicago has filed 55 lawsuits since the implementation of new rules in mid-November regarding when and where buses can arrive. These lawsuits have accused 77 buses of violating the rules, with some cases seeking fines against the bus companies. Johnson claims that the buses are "rogue, uncoordinated," and are endangering the lives of migrants. (Related: Outgoing Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot pleads with Texas Gov. Abbott to stop sending illegal migrants to her sanctuary city.)

The strict rules for drop-offs include allowing only two per hour and restricting drop-offs to 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from Monday through Friday. The city has threatened fines and the potential impounding of buses that do not comply with these regulations. The reality of housing and feeding the growing number of migrants kicked in, especially as winter set in after Johnson proclaimed Chicago a sanctuary city to welcome migrants. The city now grapples with the consequences of an open border and poor handling of the crisis.

Moreover, Johnson has accused Abbott and his "Air Texas" program of sowing "chaos" throughout the country and attacking the nation. He has even condemned the transportation of migrants as an "illegal" political stunt.

"The governor of Texas needs to take a look in the mirror, with the chaos hes causing for the people of this country," Johnson said.

However, Mahaleris countered the criticism and accused Johnson of spreading falsehoods. "If he truly cared about these migrants, he would stop complaining about a few thousand migrants being bused into his sanctuary city," Mahaleris said. He urged Johnson to call on Biden to secure the border, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by border patrol agents.

Follow Migrants.news for more news about illegal immigrants coming to America.

Watch this video from InfoWars as Alex Jones discusses the hell unleashed upon the United States by the tsunami of illegals crossing the border.

This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Bidens federal border patrol agents sabotage Texas Gov. Abbotts efforts to keep illegal migrants out.

Texas sues Biden admin for allowing migrants to be illegally approved through a mobile app.

Heavy rains compel hundreds of illegal migrants to try to FORCE their way across border into Brownsville, Texas.

24 Republican governors pledge to support Texas in securing US-Mexico border.

BORDER DEFENSE: America protects US-Mexico border with barbed wire and verbal warnings.

Sources include:

FoxNews.com

NYSun.com

TheAmericanTribune.com

Brighteon.com
Two Chinese balloons spotted flying over Taiwan ahead of the island nations presidential election

Military observers have spotted two Chinese balloons flying over Taiwan ahead of the island nation's presidential election.

The balloons traveled from China and over the Taiwan Strait on Dec. 17, and made a course to the north of the island nation, Taiwan's Defense Ministry said, as reported by ABC News. The ministry said the balloons reached an altitude of 27,000 feet, went east and disappeared at 9:36 a.m. and 4:35 p.m. local time.

Another Chinese balloon passed southwest of Keelung on Dec. 7.

China has flown these balloons over the U.S., Europe, South America and Taiwan, but the communist nation maintains the balloons are just used in weather data collection. (Related: New evidence reveals Chinese spy balloons are also flying over Japan and Taiwan.)

Taiwan's Defense Ministry also called them "weather balloons." Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said these weather balloons had floated toward Taiwan due to monsoon winds. Taiwan is on high alert ahead of its presidential election on Jan. 13, with Taipei and Washington warning Beijing not to influence the result.

Beijing, which has promised to one day seize Taiwan, has increased pressure since independence-leaning President Tsai Ing-wen came to power in 2016, frequently sending warplanes and vessels around the island.

The current frontrunner in the upcoming presidential election is the Democratic Progressive Party's William Lai, who openly supports the independence of Taiwan from Mainland China.

China's spy balloons have entered U.S. airspace before

The U.S. is very familiar with Chinese spy balloons, although the Biden administration worked thoroughly to hide the fact that they were used for espionage. The first balloon was reported floating over America on Feb. 2.

The Biden administration let it go wherever the Chinese directed it to go over U.S. domain, as well as over military sites. The Department of Defense eventually shot it down on Feb. 4 after it floated out over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina. During that same week in February, the Pentagon said another balloon was spotted flying over Latin America.

The incidents made Americans wonder who President Joe Biden's Pentagon is working for. "Joe Biden has just given the 'okay' for Chinese spy balloons to fly all over our nation. Have we ever looked weaker?" Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert said in a social media post at the time.

NBC News reported in April that the Chinese spy balloon first spotted on Feb. 2 had in fact collected intelligence from American military sites, and the country's attempts to block it from doing so were not successful. However, the government maintained that the balloon was not gathering information on U.S. targets over which it flew.

"In terms of the balloon and the capabilities that it has, as you heard at the time, we were aware that it had intelligence collection capabilities, but it has been our assessment now that it did not collect while it was transiting the United States or over-flying the United States," Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said during a news conference.

Follow CommunistChina.news for more news about this communist Asian nation.

Watch the video below about the Pentagon getting caught lying about China's spy balloons.

This video is from the Cisco Girl channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

CCP has been creating spy balloons for YEARS out of a heavily guarded naval base in southern China.

Spy balloons are part of global Chinese surveillance, US military and national security officials say.

China is triggering CONFLICTS around the world, alleges Col. John Mills.

Threat of EMP attack on U.S. detailed in 2013  a decade before Chinese spy balloons that could deliver EMP weapon spotted over U.S.

Chinese spy balloon collected intelligence from military sites and transmitted it to Beijing in real time.

Sources include:

WesternJournal.com

ABCNews.go.com

ChannelNewsAsia.com

NBCNews.com

Brighteon.com
As the year 2023 draws to a close, we look into the most interesting stories that drove the environmental narrative.

Heat And Wildfires

The specter of wildfires casts a tremendous shadow in the annals of environmental issues as the world finds itself once again struggling with the blazing tempests that transform landscapes and lives in 2023.

Canada has struggled to address the wildfires, where more than 18.5 million hectares burned.

In August, a Northwest Territories settlement, as well as many other buildings from Nova Scotia to British Columbia's interior, were destroyed. Thousands of people were forced to flee across the country.

Wildfires convert Canada's enormous forests from a carbon sink to an emitter of carbon. This year's wildfires produced 2 billion tons of carbon dioxide, more than double the country's annual carbon footprint.

At least three firefighters were killed while fighting the country's wildfires.

In the US, at least 100 people were killed in the wildfire in Maui.

Hawaii Governor Josh Green said a few days after the fires started that there was "very little left" of Lahaina, where more than 2,700 structures had been burned in what has now become the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.

Greece also suffered from deadly wildfires as Southern Europe battled challenging heat conditions, bringing intense heat to the country as well as Poland, Germany, and Spain.

The main drivers of wildfires are hot weather fueled by the oxygen in the air and dry leaves, grass, branches, and other organic materials.

2023 As The Hottest Year On Record

The global temperature in 2023 would be more than 1.4 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels.

Experts also claimed from June to August was the hottest season on record.

Hot temperatures resulted in heatwaves in major parts of the world.

According to meteorological reports, Asia is experiencing potentially deadly heatwaves. This is based on recent high temperatures in various nations, including Bangladesh, China, India, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Multiple fatalities have also been reported this year, especially in India's Uttar Pradesh state.

Read Also: 2023's Global Temperature Will Be More Than 1.4 Degrees Celsius Warmer Than Pre-Industrial Levels

Volcanic Activities

Various volcanic activities were also recorded this year.

After weeks of uncertainty, a volcano in southwest Iceland has finally erupted, spewing lava plumes into the night sky.

Approximately 4,000 people from Grindavik were evacuated earlier this month.

At least 23 mountaineers were killed when Mount Marapi in Indonesia suddenly erupted.

About 75 climbers began climbing to the top of the nearly 2,900-meter (9,480-foot) mountain in West Sumatra province's Agam district, but were stuck due to volcanic activity.

Fukushima Water

Japan received a green light from the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to dump the radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean.

After being polluted by contact with fuel rods at the reactor, which was devastated in a 2011 earthquake and tsunami, the water was distilled.

However, this move was greatly opposed by neighboring countries such as China and Hong Kong, which threatened to ban Japanese products.

But in August, Japan began pumping more than a million metric tons of treated radioactive water, a process that will take decades to complete.

Fight To Climate Change

Brazil marks a significant milestone as their Amazon decreased 66.11% in August to its lowest level for the month since 2018.

This is considered a success in the country's environmental policy at a time when destruction is often at its highest.

However, a study suggested that the Amazon rainforest could be the epicenter of the world's next pandemic.

Experts explained that the Amazon jungle possesses features that make it a possible source of pandemic-capable diseases, such as a diverse wildlife population that includes birds, bats, and rodents.

Marine species are threatened due to the impact of climate change.

According to a study led by Australian researchers, mass coral bleaching is expected to occur worldwide in the next few years as a result of record-breaking marine heat waves or ocean temperatures.

Related Article: Global Temperatures, Heatwaves to Rise As El Nino Expected in 2023
La Habana

La Habana

In addition to increases in the price of fuel, electricity, water and other services, the end of the universal subsidy for food and other products included in the ration card is also slated in the economic shock plan for 2024 announced by the Cuban Government on past Wednesday.

Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero shared some details of this package when he spoke on the first day of the second ordinary session of the National Assembly of Popular Power, during the debate on the difficult economic situation.

With regards to the regulated provision for groceries, Marrero said that the objective is to "subsidize people and not products" to achieve "a fairer and more efficient system," according to the Cubadebate portal. In this way the prime minister implicitly recognized the worsening of social and economic inequalities on the island.

"It's not fair that those who have a lot receive the same as those who have very little. Today elderly retirees on pensions receive the same subsidy as the owners of large private businesses, people who have a lot of money," he explained.

He announced that the Ministry of Labor and Social Security must classify people according to their degrees of "vulnerability" so as to "not leave anyone by the wayside" and enable them to continue acquiring highly subsidized basic products with the ration book.

Marrero stressed that this classification will be carried out in "the coming weeks and months", without offering more details.

On September 27, Minister of the Economy and Planning Alejandro Gil said that the Government did not have the funds to import the increasingly paltry quantity of products that Cubans acquire at subsidized prices through the ration card. Five days after those statements on the Mesa Redonda TV program, a report by the state-run Canal Caribe described the task of distributing the country's regulated groceries subsidy as "titanic" due to the rains, especially in the eastern part of the country.

Minister Gil's remarks, the Canal Caribe report and Marrero Cruz's recent words are portents of news that is terrible for Cubans, though not surprising: the ration card's days are numbered.

The products purchased through the ration book are not even enough to eat, while scrimping, for 15 days, but Cubans without relatives abroad to help them depend on it to keep from going hungry.

The Cuban ration card was instituted on July 12, 1963, with the euphemistic name of Libreta de Abastecimiento (Supply Book). The objective was to ration and control Cubans' consumption while creating the illusion that socialism would protect the population and guarantee everything necessary for them.

Cubans received beef, chicken, oil, butter, condensed milk, toilet paper, coffee, rice, grains and other staples. They even managed to get candy, cookies, chocolate, cigarettes, soft drinks and cases of beer through the ration card back when the former Soviet Union and the socialist bloc subsidized the Cuban regime.

Over the decades, however, the card has waned. Getting rid of it is a long-standing desire of the Cuban regime, but they still want to exploit it for propaganda purposes. After the 11-J protests, in an attempt to quell unrest the Government distributed "exceptional ration cards" to more than 60,000 families who lacked them.
Weather experts said that a strong cold wave had hit Beijing as it also pushed the heating capacity of cities in Northern China to its limit.

Officials said that China's capital had recorded its longest cold wave since records began in 1951.

Temperatures in the city have frequently fallen below -10 degrees Celsius this month. Experts noted that it has been a year of extremes in the capital in which six months ago, Beijing recorded its hottest ever June day, at just over 40 degree Celsius.

This as the biting temperatures and snowfall being experienced by residents in Beijing and elsewhere in the country had begun to ease.

Cold Wave Affecting Chinese Provinces

Meteorologists indicated that the temperature recorded at Beijing's Nanjiao weather station rose to above zero degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday afternoon.

They noted that since the temperature first dropped to below zero degrees on December 11, the temperature had remained below that line for more than 300 hours.

The strong cold wave has affected provinces across China, with schools in some areas being forced to close and transport services facing challenges and difficulties in their operations.

Furthermore, the persistent cold weather has put energy supplies in Henan province under strain, with reports that some heating boilers have broken down due to the weather condition.

Read Also: Extreme Flooding Became More Intense in Eastern China Due to Climate Change Effects in 2020

Temperatures Near Historic Lows

To recall, large swathes of China, including its northwest, have been gripped by a sudden cold snap in the early days of December, with temperatures plunging to near historic lows in some of the northern areas.

This weather condition had forced some highway closures around China's capital as the unusually icy conditions disrupted road, rail and even aviation networks.

The cold snap had moved from several northern provinces hit by blizzards towards the central and southern areas, such as the province of Guizhou. This then pushed deep into the lower reaches of the Yangtze River delta.

Moreover, sections of highways under the Beijing traffic authority's purview, including the Daxing Airport, which was an outer ring road linked to neighboring Hebei as well as parts of expressways to Shanghai and Guangdong province in the south, had been temporarily shut due to the strong snow.

Weather forecasters had explained that the sharp falls in the temperatures were expected over the next days, particularly in the southern portion of the country.

China's national forecaster had said that the strongest cold wave this winter would sweep across most parts of the country, noting that it will reach as far as the southern-most tip that is tropical island Hainan.

Authorities said that many places in the north would experience record-breaking cold, while temperatures in the south will reverse from warm to cold.

In the city of Jiaozuo, the heating was partially halted after a dysfunction at the Wanfang power plant last Friday.

Authorities said that the problem was solved on Saturday and heating is expected to resume on Sunday night.

Two other cities in the province, Puyang and Pingdingshan, have cut heating to most government buildings and state-owned enterprises since Friday in order to prioritize limited heating resources for hospitals, schools as well as the residential buildings.

Related Article: New Typhoon Koinu Impacts: Stormy Conditions Likely in Southern Taiwan, Southeastern China This Week
A recent study indicated that Asia's tropical forests were found to be more resilient to climate change.

Experts discovered that rather than dry savannah in Southeast Asia that was persistent during the Last Glacial Maximum more than 19,000 years ago, there was a mosaic of diverse closed and open forest types.

They pointed out that the continent's tropical forests could be more resilient to climate change than previously thought, provided that the diversity of landscape is being maintained.

Mosaic Of Forests

Dr. Rebecca Hamilton, lead author of the study, said that with climate change accelerating, scientists and ecologists have been concerned about what impact this will have on tropical rainforests in regions like the Southeast Asia.

Hamilton said that maintaining forest types that facilitate resilience should be a conservation objective for the region.

She said the study has suggested that prioritizing protection of forests above 1000 meters or the montane forest, alongside seasonally dry forest types could be important for preventing future ''savannization'' of Asia's rainforests.

Hamilton explained that savannization refers to the metamorphosis of a landscape, typically a forested area, into a savannah ecosystem, which typically involves open wooded plains.

She noted that the change is typically induced by climate variations, human interventions or even natural ecological dynamics.

In the study, experts have analyzed records from 59 paleoenvironmental sites across tropical Southeast Asia to test the so-called savannah model. This had assumed a large, uniform grassland expanded across the region during the Last Glacial Maximum.

They found out that records from pollen grains preserved in lakes have shown that forests persisted during this period alongside an expansion of grasslands, indicated by other biochemical signatures.

Previous studies have indicated that tropical forests are on the front line of climate change and human sustainability challenges, being key environments in discussions of the "Anthropocene" and some of the most threatened land-based habitats on the face of the Earth.

However, while it has been acknowledged that 21st-century anthropogenic alterations to tropical forests have the potential to set off major earth systems feedbacks on regional to global scales, there has been less discussion on how past human activities may have had similar impacts.

Read Also: Farms vs Forests: Asia's Next Dilemma is Weighing Between Tropical Rain Forests and Social Needs

Animal Migration

In the study, it was also disclosed that humans and animals migrating across the region would have had a more diverse resource base than what is previously understood.

Researchers have said that climate change is likely to reduce the suitable natural habitats in Southeast Asia, with an average reduction of habitat patches was 180,970 km2 (11%) when comparing the future predictions with the current state.

They noted that most of the species appeared to be retreating to higher altitudes and face suitable habitat reduction by 2100.

Further, they said that the large habitat patch average declined 183,474 km2 (12%), with two to ten species in imminent danger of losing their habitat, depending on the climate change modeling scenarios.

The biodiversity of Southeast Asia has been under threat over the past decades and is expected to decline between 13% and 85% by 2100

The main threats include habitat loss and degradation owing to extensive logging, agricultural expansion and hunting pressure. Natural forests have been degraded both in lowland, with a 50% loss over the past 20 years, facing increased agricultural expansion.

Related Article: Asia Pulp and Paper's Innovations in Sustainable Forestry
Thai authorities have confirmed that there are no more trafficked orangutans in their care, as they sent back three Sumatran orangutans to Indonesia as part of the countries' collaborative effort to combat illegal wildlife trafficking.

Repatriation For Orangutans

Nobita and Shizuka, both 7 years old, and Brian, 5 years old, were residing at a wildlife sanctuary in the western Thai province of Ratchaburi.

The orangutans were brought from the refuge to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport before being flown to Jakarta.

Before being loaded onboard the plane, Thai and Indonesian officials fed the animals bananas and dragon fruit while they were displayed inside their crates at the Bangkok airport.

According to Thai officials, Indonesia pays for the animals' transportation and health examinations.

They are sent to a rehabilitation center in Sumatra before being released back into the wild.

Rachmat Budiman, Indonesia's Ambassador to Thailand, expressed gratitude to both countries' authorities for the repatriation and expressed "mixed feelings" about it, saying he is happy the orangutans will be returned to their natural habitat but sad for the Thai caregivers who had bonded with the animals over several years.

Athapol Charoenchansa, Thailand's director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation, stressed the importance of the repatriation because it demonstrates the two countries' commitment to working together to combat illegal wildlife trade.

He expressed hope that it would increase awareness about wildlife conservation in the area.

Read Also: Talking Ape? An Orangutan Named Rocky Could Mimic Human Speech

Trafficked Apes

In 2016, Nobita and Shizuka were only a few months old when they were rescued during a sting operation in Bangkok by wildlife officials, who had agreed to buy the pair online for $20,000 at the time.

The then-baby orangutans, named after characters from the popular Japanese cartoon Doraemon, were placed in a basket in the back of a cab, and images of them tightly clutching each other in the basket quickly went viral.

Brian, another male orangutan, was rescued from traffickers in 2019 and handed over to Thai wildlife officials.

Thailand has sent back 74 orangutans to Indonesia in six batches since 2006, including the three.

Ung-Ing and Natalie, two orangutans, were returned in 2020.

The global trade of orangutans is prohibited under the Convention on International Commerce in Endangered Species (CITES).

Indonesia has regulations in place to preserve endangered animals such as the orangutan, and violators risk up to five years in prison and a $7,000 fine. However, traffickers are rarely prosecuted.

According to government data from the Sumatra Region, just two people were named as suspects in orangutan trafficking in 2020.

The World Wildlife Fund estimates that there are around 14,500 Sumatran orangutans, one of three species of giant apes, residing in Indonesia, where they are threatened by habitat loss and poaching.

The creatures are attractive targets for traffickers due to their unique red hair, mild demeanor, and tourism selfie potential.

Orangutans are listed as severely endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the world's authority on the state of the natural world.

Related Article: Male Orangutans Attract More Females by Having Padded Cheeks
The British Ministry of Defence has confirmed the deployment of HMS Trent, an offshore patrol vessel, for joint exercises scheduled after Christmas. Guyana, a member of the Commonwealth and the only English-speaking country in South America is facing renewed territorial claims by Venezuela over a part of Guyanese territory rich in natural resources.

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HMS Trent sailing from Gibraltar to the Caribbean. (Picture source: Twitter account of HMS Trent)

Initially assigned to the Caribbean for anti-drug trafficking operations, the mission of HMS Trent was redirected following Venezuela's aggressive stance towards the Essequibo region in Guyana. This move by Venezuela has heightened concerns about a potential military conflict, the first in South America since the Falklands War in 1982.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence stated that the visit of HMS Trent to Guyana is part of the United Kingdom's commitment to its regional allies and Commonwealth partners. The ship is equipped for various missions, including anti-piracy, counter-terrorism, humanitarian aid, and border patrols.

The HMS Trent is a River-class patrol vessel, specifically from the Batch 2 series, of the British Royal Navy. It was ordered in August 2014 and built by BAE Systems Naval Ships. The steel cutting for its construction began on October 7, 2015, and the ship was launched on March 20, 2018. It was sponsored by Mrs. Pamela Potts and christened on March 13, 2018, before being officially commissioned on August 3, 2020. HMS Trent's homeport is Portsmouth.

Regarding its general characteristics, HMS Trent has a displacement of 2,000 tonnes. It measures 90.5 meters in length, 13 meters in width, and has a draught of 3.8 meters. Its maximum speed is 25 knots (about 46 km/h), with a range of 5,500 nautical miles (about 10,200 km) and an endurance of 35 days. It can carry two rigid inflatable boats and accommodate up to 50 troops. The crew varies between 34 and 45 members.

HMS Trent has several sensor and processing systems, including a SharpEye navigation radar from Kelvin Hughes Ltd, a Terma Scanter 4100 2D radar, the BAE CMS-1 combat management system, and a Shared Infrastructure operating system. Its armament includes a 30 mm DS30B gun, four 0.5" heavy machine guns, two miniguns (retired as of 2023), and two general-purpose machine guns. The ship is also equipped with a Merlin-capable flight deck and can embark small UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). Additionally, it has a 16-tonne crane.

With these capabilities, HMS Trent is primarily used for missions such as anti-piracy and drug trafficking, fisheries protection, counter-terrorism, humanitarian aid, and search and rescue operations, as well as for border patrols and defense diplomacy.

In related developments, the UK Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron, and the Minister for the Americas, David Rutley, expressed strong support for Guyana's sovereignty. Rutley's recent visit to Georgetown marked the first by a G7 representative since the renewal of Venezuela's claim. He emphasized respecting sovereign borders and promised the UK's support for Guyana's territorial integrity.

In response, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil criticized the UK's involvement, alleging destabilization efforts in the region and historical grievances, accusing the UK of historical injustices in the region. The disputed border between Guyana and Venezuela was established under an international agreement in 1899. Guyana, formerly British Guiana, gained its independence in 1966.
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Yeshi Seli By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Eight governors from Russia will be taking part in the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Summit that begins on January 10 and concludes on January 12 in Gandhinagar. Russia is among the 25 nations that have agreed to be a partner country for the summit.

"The Russian governors will land in Delhi on January 8th and later head for Gandhinagar to attend the summit. India and Russia are strategic partners and bilateral relations between the two nations have been on the ascendancy despite the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine," said a source.

Twenty-five countries have given their consent as partners for the upcoming summit (out of which 21 have given consent in writing while four including Russia have given verbal acceptance), said senior Gujarat minister Rushikesh Patel. He added that the summit will give the participants a chance to explore all the sectors they could invest in. Gujarat is hoping to receive investments worth Rs 3.37 lakh crore through this summit.

With robust bilateral trade which reached $49.36 billion in 2022-23, and an increase of 161.22 per cent increase during the first six months of the ongoing financial year, the two nations have set a bilateral investment target at $50 billion by 2025.

Earlier this month (December 4th), Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov met with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in Gandhinagar and spoke about strengthening cooperation with Gujarat.

"Gujarat plays an important role in the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) project. Given the states 1600 km coastline and maritime transportation capacity this route can be developed by India and Russia along with other nations in Central Asia to move goods," Patel had said after meeting Ambassador Alipov.

Patel also urged Russia to consider setting up an educational research institute in GIFT City (Gujarat International Finance Tec City). It is learnt that some Russian companies have already applied for licences for different segments in GIFT City. It may be noted that the upcoming Summit is seeking further investments in the GIFT City which is being promoted as Asias newest financial hub.

Ambassador Alipov also discussed ways to expand bilateral cooperation in trade, industrial production, infrastructure and education with Gujarat.

Russia in the past had invested in a butyl rubber facility in Jamnagar, a joint venture between Reliance and Sibur (Russian petrochemical company). Russias Roseneft is the largest shareholder of Nayara Energy -- in 2017 they had invested nearly $13 billion.

India and Russia are strategic partners. Even though the India Russia Annual Summit has not taken place for two years, due to the Ukraine conflict and the sanctions that followed, the two nations have continued to cooperate. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is on an official visit to Russia at present and during his interaction with his counterpart Sergey Lavrov, discussions will take place on increasing trade in national currencies and furthering investments.

ALSO READ | External Affairs Minister Jaishankar to visit Russia from December 25-29

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NEW DELHI: Eight governors from Russia will be taking part in the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Summit that begins on January 10 and concludes on January 12 in Gandhinagar. Russia is among the 25 nations that have agreed to be a partner country for the summit. "The Russian governors will land in Delhi on January 8th and later head for Gandhinagar to attend the summit. India and Russia are strategic partners and bilateral relations between the two nations have been on the ascendancy despite the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine," said a source. Twenty-five countries have given their consent as partners for the upcoming summit (out of which 21 have given consent in writing while four including Russia have given verbal acceptance), said senior Gujarat minister Rushikesh Patel. He added that the summit will give the participants a chance to explore all the sectors they could invest in. Gujarat is hoping to receive investments worth Rs 3.37 lakh crore through this summit.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); With robust bilateral trade which reached $49.36 billion in 2022-23, and an increase of 161.22 per cent increase during the first six months of the ongoing financial year, the two nations have set a bilateral investment target at $50 billion by 2025. Earlier this month (December 4th), Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov met with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in Gandhinagar and spoke about strengthening cooperation with Gujarat. "Gujarat plays an important role in the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) project. Given the states 1600 km coastline and maritime transportation capacity this route can be developed by India and Russia along with other nations in Central Asia to move goods," Patel had said after meeting Ambassador Alipov. Patel also urged Russia to consider setting up an educational research institute in GIFT City (Gujarat International Finance Tec City). It is learnt that some Russian companies have already applied for licences for different segments in GIFT City. It may be noted that the upcoming Summit is seeking further investments in the GIFT City which is being promoted as Asias newest financial hub. Ambassador Alipov also discussed ways to expand bilateral cooperation in trade, industrial production, infrastructure and education with Gujarat. Russia in the past had invested in a butyl rubber facility in Jamnagar, a joint venture between Reliance and Sibur (Russian petrochemical company). Russias Roseneft is the largest shareholder of Nayara Energy -- in 2017 they had invested nearly $13 billion. India and Russia are strategic partners. Even though the India Russia Annual Summit has not taken place for two years, due to the Ukraine conflict and the sanctions that followed, the two nations have continued to cooperate. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is on an official visit to Russia at present and during his interaction with his counterpart Sergey Lavrov, discussions will take place on increasing trade in national currencies and furthering investments. ALSO READ | External Affairs Minister Jaishankar to visit Russia from December 25-29 Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
ZHENGZHOU, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- A family cemetery belonging to the late Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 B.C.), composed of 28 tombs, has been excavated at the Dapo ruins site in the city of Anyang, central China's Henan Province.

The discovery was made public at an annual meeting on archaeological work achievements in Henan Province held recently.

The Dapo ruins are located in Yindu District in Anyang, about 4.5 km from the World Heritage Site of Yinxu, also known as the Yin Ruins. "There are three types of tombs, namely large, medium, and small," said Cui Zongliang, vice president of the Anyang institute of cultural relics and archaeology.

Among these tombs, three large ones are in the shape of the Chinese character "Zhong."

Such tombs belonged to high-grade aristocrats, and this is the first time that such large tombs have been found in the outer areas of the Yin Ruins, said Cui.

In addition, archaeologists also found sacrificial pits for humans, horses, and cattle around the tombs.

Cui said this discovery provided new information for studying the funeral system of the late Shang Dynasty, and was also helpful for exploring the nature and social organization structure of society at that time.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Poor visibility due to foggy conditions in the morning in Hyderabad resulted in many flights from Bengaluru getting diverted back to the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) or suffering massive delays in departure.

A Oman Air flight from Muscat to Hyderabad (WY 235) could not land at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport and was diverted to Bengaluru.

Vistaras UK897 reached its destination 3 hrs and 45 mins late. It left KIA at 6.55 am and was scheduled to reach Hyderabad at 8.10 am. Instead, it returned to Bengaluru by 9.40 am. The official handle posted on X: Flight UK897 which returned to Bangalore has departed from Bangalore at 1051 hours and is expected

to arrive in Hyderabad at 1140 hours.

Flights of Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines from KIA to Hyderabad were diverted back to Bengaluru. Lufthansa flight LH 7352 finally departed at 10.31 am instead of 6.55 am and reached Hyderabad only around noon, a delay of 3 hrs and 45 minutes.

Singapore Airlines SQ 4803 departed at 7.17 am from KIA but was diverted back to Bengaluru at 9.52 am. It took off much later from KIA.

Japan Airlines JL 9251 from KIA to Hyderabad departed 23 minutes late (7.17 am), but could not land there immediately and was able to land only at 11.15 am (delayed by 3 hrs and 5 mins).

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BENGALURU: Poor visibility due to foggy conditions in the morning in Hyderabad resulted in many flights from Bengaluru getting diverted back to the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) or suffering massive delays in departure. A Oman Air flight from Muscat to Hyderabad (WY 235) could not land at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport and was diverted to Bengaluru. Vistaras UK897 reached its destination 3 hrs and 45 mins late. It left KIA at 6.55 am and was scheduled to reach Hyderabad at 8.10 am. Instead, it returned to Bengaluru by 9.40 am. The official handle posted on X: Flight UK897 which returned to Bangalore has departed from Bangalore at 1051 hours and is expected to arrive in Hyderabad at 1140 hours. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Flights of Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines from KIA to Hyderabad were diverted back to Bengaluru. Lufthansa flight LH 7352 finally departed at 10.31 am instead of 6.55 am and reached Hyderabad only around noon, a delay of 3 hrs and 45 minutes. Singapore Airlines SQ 4803 departed at 7.17 am from KIA but was diverted back to Bengaluru at 9.52 am. It took off much later from KIA. Japan Airlines JL 9251 from KIA to Hyderabad departed 23 minutes late (7.17 am), but could not land there immediately and was able to land only at 11.15 am (delayed by 3 hrs and 5 mins). Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Ujwal Jalali By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: An unknown forger in Malaysia is most likely to lose its customer base as he or she is continuing to make the same spelling mistakes that is resulting in the arrest of his customers at Delhi Airport.

On October 30, The New Indian Express reported that a man was nabbed by the alert immigration officials for one small spelling error -- on his passport.

It was Rajeshkannan Murugan, an Indian National, who arrived at the Delhi Airport on an Air India flight from Bangkok on the intervening night of October 26-27. He looked confident and walked up straight for the immigration clearance.

When he showed his passport, the alert immigration official caught something unusual. It was the Malaysian immigration stamp dated October 4, affixed on page no 11 of his passport, which was a cause of concern.

The word from in the stamp was written as fram -- confirming it as a fake and a work of an amateur. Now, exactly two months later, an exactly similar case has come to light alerting the security agencies who are now joining the missing dots.

This time, Manjot Singh, an Indian National, arrived at the Delhi Airport on an Air India flight from Bangkok in the intervening night of December 21 and 22 and produced his passport for arrival immigration clearance. When the immigration staff checked his passport, it was noticed that from was spelt wrongly as frame in the arrival immigration date April 26, 2023, affixed on page no. 6 of his passport indicating these stamps as fake.

Singh was handed over to the cops, who booked him under the relevant section of the Passport Act 12 and a hunt to nab the the alleged fraudster who is preparing such fake immigration stamps has been launched.

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NEW DELHI: An unknown forger in Malaysia is most likely to lose its customer base as he or she is continuing to make the same spelling mistakes that is resulting in the arrest of his customers at Delhi Airport. On October 30, The New Indian Express reported that a man was nabbed by the alert immigration officials for one small spelling error -- on his passport. It was Rajeshkannan Murugan, an Indian National, who arrived at the Delhi Airport on an Air India flight from Bangkok on the intervening night of October 26-27. He looked confident and walked up straight for the immigration clearance.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); When he showed his passport, the alert immigration official caught something unusual. It was the Malaysian immigration stamp dated October 4, affixed on page no 11 of his passport, which was a cause of concern. The word from in the stamp was written as fram -- confirming it as a fake and a work of an amateur. Now, exactly two months later, an exactly similar case has come to light alerting the security agencies who are now joining the missing dots. This time, Manjot Singh, an Indian National, arrived at the Delhi Airport on an Air India flight from Bangkok in the intervening night of December 21 and 22 and produced his passport for arrival immigration clearance. When the immigration staff checked his passport, it was noticed that from was spelt wrongly as frame in the arrival immigration date April 26, 2023, affixed on page no. 6 of his passport indicating these stamps as fake. Singh was handed over to the cops, who booked him under the relevant section of the Passport Act 12 and a hunt to nab the the alleged fraudster who is preparing such fake immigration stamps has been launched. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Ujwal Jalali By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: A man accused of rape in Punjabs Ludhiana, escaped from the custody of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) after landing at the Delhi Airport, a senior officer said on Monday. The police have registered a case against him.

Identified as Amandeep Singh, a resident of Fatehgarh Sahib, the accused had arrived at the airport from Bahrain on December 20.

According to the police, a complaint was lodged by the Immigration Staff of the Airport in which they stated that Singh was stopped at the immigration counter as a lookout circular (LOC) was issued against him and he was subsequently handed over to the CISF personnel deployed there.

The complainant immigration officer further said that at around 10 a.m, while the CISF guard was away in the restroom, Singh exited the arrival immigration area illegally by jumping the counter no. 33 gate. Accordingly, based on his complaint, the police registered an FIR under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

However, a senior CISF official, while speaking to this newspaper, denied any such incident saying that the alleged passenger was never handed over to the CISF personnel. This is a completely wrong report. We dont know anything about that passenger. He was never handed over to us, the official asserted.

Meanwhile, DCP (IGI) Devesh Kumar Mahla confirmed that the FIR was registered based on the complaint given by the Immigration staff. Whether the accused was in the custody of CISF or not, is a matter of probe, Mahla said.

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NEW DELHI: A man accused of rape in Punjabs Ludhiana, escaped from the custody of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) after landing at the Delhi Airport, a senior officer said on Monday. The police have registered a case against him. Identified as Amandeep Singh, a resident of Fatehgarh Sahib, the accused had arrived at the airport from Bahrain on December 20. According to the police, a complaint was lodged by the Immigration Staff of the Airport in which they stated that Singh was stopped at the immigration counter as a lookout circular (LOC) was issued against him and he was subsequently handed over to the CISF personnel deployed there.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The complainant immigration officer further said that at around 10 a.m, while the CISF guard was away in the restroom, Singh exited the arrival immigration area illegally by jumping the counter no. 33 gate. Accordingly, based on his complaint, the police registered an FIR under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. However, a senior CISF official, while speaking to this newspaper, denied any such incident saying that the alleged passenger was never handed over to the CISF personnel. This is a completely wrong report. We dont know anything about that passenger. He was never handed over to us, the official asserted. Meanwhile, DCP (IGI) Devesh Kumar Mahla confirmed that the FIR was registered based on the complaint given by the Immigration staff. Whether the accused was in the custody of CISF or not, is a matter of probe, Mahla said. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Yeshi Seli By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Four days after 303 passengers (299 Indian and 4 Nepalese) were grounded in Vatry, France, on suspicion of being trafficked, 276 are returning to India, while 23 have sought asylum. The same aircraft that was taking them to Nicargua, Legend Airlines, will fly them to Mumbai with a brief stopover in Fujirah.

There are 276 passengers on board the aircraft returning to Mumbai as 23 have stayed back, seeking asylum. The other passengers voluntarily returned to India. Out of the total number of passengers (303) that were grounded, four are from Nepal. While two passengers have been detained by the French authorities as they want to investigate them further, said a source.

There were 11 unaccompanied minors. The age group of minors ranged from 21 months to 17 years, the source said. The two detained passengers are being interrogated for their role in human trafficking. In France, human trafficking can lead to up to 20 years of imprisonment.

We thank the French government and Vatry airport for a quick resolution of the situation enabling Indian passengers to return home, besides their hospitality. Also, for working closely with the Indian embassy team, present throughout the site to ensure welfare and smooth and safe return.

We thank the agencies in India too, said the Indian Embassy in France. The investigation in France was carried out with the help of translators. Media was kept away from the airport and tarpaulin was used to cover the facade. The passengers were provided beds, food and toilet facilities.

It is learnt that the take-off from Vatry got delayed after some passengers sought asylum. While some demanded that they should be flown to Nicaragua as per the original plan. There was a lot of confusion as to how many passengers would eventually leave for India. The departure got delayed, according to Liliana Bakayoko, lawyer for the Romania-based airline.

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NEW DELHI: Four days after 303 passengers (299 Indian and 4 Nepalese) were grounded in Vatry, France, on suspicion of being trafficked, 276 are returning to India, while 23 have sought asylum. The same aircraft that was taking them to Nicargua, Legend Airlines, will fly them to Mumbai with a brief stopover in Fujirah. There are 276 passengers on board the aircraft returning to Mumbai as 23 have stayed back, seeking asylum. The other passengers voluntarily returned to India. Out of the total number of passengers (303) that were grounded, four are from Nepal. While two passengers have been detained by the French authorities as they want to investigate them further, said a source. There were 11 unaccompanied minors. The age group of minors ranged from 21 months to 17 years, the source said. The two detained passengers are being interrogated for their role in human trafficking. In France, human trafficking can lead to up to 20 years of imprisonment.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); We thank the French government and Vatry airport for a quick resolution of the situation enabling Indian passengers to return home, besides their hospitality. Also, for working closely with the Indian embassy team, present throughout the site to ensure welfare and smooth and safe return. We thank the agencies in India too, said the Indian Embassy in France. The investigation in France was carried out with the help of translators. Media was kept away from the airport and tarpaulin was used to cover the facade. The passengers were provided beds, food and toilet facilities. It is learnt that the take-off from Vatry got delayed after some passengers sought asylum. While some demanded that they should be flown to Nicaragua as per the original plan. There was a lot of confusion as to how many passengers would eventually leave for India. The departure got delayed, according to Liliana Bakayoko, lawyer for the Romania-based airline. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Mayank Singh By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Amidst allegations of the Armys role in the death of the three civilians in Poonch district following an ambush last week that killed four soldiers, Army Chief General Manoj Pande reached the area to take stock of the situation.

After a full briefing and interaction with officers on the ground, General Pande urged the commanders to conduct all operations in the most professional manner. Two days after the ambush on December 21, the Army set up a Court of Inquiry into the mysterious deaths on December 23. It has since attached a Brigadier, a Colonel (Commanding Officer of the unit) and a Lieutenant Colonel, sources said. Attaching is a euphemism for putting them under watch of the local higher formation pending inquiry.

The J&K administration, too, filed a murder case against unknown Army personnel, announced compensation to the bereaved families and jobs to the next of kin, sources said. Four soldiers were killed and three injured on Thursday when two Army vehicles in J&Ks Poonch district were ambushed by terrorists. The attack took place at Dhatyar Morh between Dhera Ki Gali and Bufliaz around 3.45 pm. The vehicles were fired upon from an advantageous point as they couldnt speed away because they were negotiating a blind curve.

Eight civilians were then picked up for questioning by the security forces. Subsequently, the bodies of three of them were mysteriously found near the ambush site. All three were from Topa Peer village. Their families alleged that they were tortured and killed by the Army personnel. The five other civilians picked up by the Army are undergoing treatment for serious injuries at a hospital, sources said. The Army is yet to nab the assailants involved in the ambush. Search operations are continuing.

Heat on cops, Army

The dead civilians were picked up by the troops accompanied by policemen Mohd Rafiq and Mohd Rashid along with their sources Jagi and Ganesh, said Mohd Sadiq, a relative of one of them

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NEW DELHI: Amidst allegations of the Armys role in the death of the three civilians in Poonch district following an ambush last week that killed four soldiers, Army Chief General Manoj Pande reached the area to take stock of the situation. After a full briefing and interaction with officers on the ground, General Pande urged the commanders to conduct all operations in the most professional manner. Two days after the ambush on December 21, the Army set up a Court of Inquiry into the mysterious deaths on December 23. It has since attached a Brigadier, a Colonel (Commanding Officer of the unit) and a Lieutenant Colonel, sources said. Attaching is a euphemism for putting them under watch of the local higher formation pending inquiry. The J&K administration, too, filed a murder case against unknown Army personnel, announced compensation to the bereaved families and jobs to the next of kin, sources said. Four soldiers were killed and three injured on Thursday when two Army vehicles in J&Ks Poonch district were ambushed by terrorists. The attack took place at Dhatyar Morh between Dhera Ki Gali and Bufliaz around 3.45 pm. The vehicles were fired upon from an advantageous point as they couldnt speed away because they were negotiating a blind curve.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Eight civilians were then picked up for questioning by the security forces. Subsequently, the bodies of three of them were mysteriously found near the ambush site. All three were from Topa Peer village. Their families alleged that they were tortured and killed by the Army personnel. The five other civilians picked up by the Army are undergoing treatment for serious injuries at a hospital, sources said. The Army is yet to nab the assailants involved in the ambush. Search operations are continuing. Heat on cops, Army The dead civilians were picked up by the troops accompanied by policemen Mohd Rafiq and Mohd Rashid along with their sources Jagi and Ganesh, said Mohd Sadiq, a relative of one of them Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has issued an open-ended non-bailable warrant (NBW) against UK national Sumit Chadha in a money laundering case related to fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari and others.

Special Judge Neelofer Abida Perveen passed the order, noting that the presence of Chadha cannot be secured through the ordinary process.

Unlike a regular non-bailable warrant, an open-ended NBW has no time limit for its execution.

The court passed the order after taking cognisance of a supplementary charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate(ED) against the accused, saying there was sufficient ground for summoning him.

"...I am satisfied that the presence of accused Sumit Chadha cannot be secured through the ordinary process. Open-ended NBW has been prayed for. NBW is ordered against accused Sumit Chadha for his arrest and production before this Court, accordingly," the judge said.

The court noted the submission made by the ED that summons were issued to Chadha through diplomatic channels but he refused to receive them.

The judge will further hear the matter on January 29.

According to ED, represented by Special Public Prosecutors Naveen Kumar Matta and Anil Khatri, besides advocate Mohd Faizan Khan, Sanjay Bhandari had created a web of entities by engaging various individuals based in the UAE and the UK for the purpose of acquiring several properties outside India.

"Perusal of the several e-mails exchanged, filed on record, clearly indicates that accused Sumit Chadha was working in tandem and was close confidant of accused Sanjay Bhandari," the ED claimed.

The Enforcement Directorate launched the probe against Bhandari and others in the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act on a complaint filed by the Income Tax Department in December 2018.

The IT authority had booked Bhandari under Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015.

The central probe agency told the court that charges are yet to be framed against Bhandari, a proclaimed offender, as he is absconding.

Bhandari has appealed against his extradition from the UK.

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NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has issued an open-ended non-bailable warrant (NBW) against UK national Sumit Chadha in a money laundering case related to fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari and others. Special Judge Neelofer Abida Perveen passed the order, noting that the presence of Chadha cannot be secured through the ordinary process. Unlike a regular non-bailable warrant, an open-ended NBW has no time limit for its execution.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The court passed the order after taking cognisance of a supplementary charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate(ED) against the accused, saying there was sufficient ground for summoning him. "...I am satisfied that the presence of accused Sumit Chadha cannot be secured through the ordinary process. Open-ended NBW has been prayed for. NBW is ordered against accused Sumit Chadha for his arrest and production before this Court, accordingly," the judge said. The court noted the submission made by the ED that summons were issued to Chadha through diplomatic channels but he refused to receive them. The judge will further hear the matter on January 29. According to ED, represented by Special Public Prosecutors Naveen Kumar Matta and Anil Khatri, besides advocate Mohd Faizan Khan, Sanjay Bhandari had created a web of entities by engaging various individuals based in the UAE and the UK for the purpose of acquiring several properties outside India. "Perusal of the several e-mails exchanged, filed on record, clearly indicates that accused Sumit Chadha was working in tandem and was close confidant of accused Sanjay Bhandari," the ED claimed. The Enforcement Directorate launched the probe against Bhandari and others in the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act on a complaint filed by the Income Tax Department in December 2018. The IT authority had booked Bhandari under Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015. The central probe agency told the court that charges are yet to be framed against Bhandari, a proclaimed offender, as he is absconding. Bhandari has appealed against his extradition from the UK. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Suchitra Kalyan Mohanty By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has in a recent order dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by an 84-year-old man, seeking to replace the term 'Central government' with 'Union' or 'Union government' in all orders, notifications and correspondences.

"Federalism is the basic structure of the Constitution and it cannot be said it is diluted or violated by the use of the expression 'Central government' instead of 'Union government', a bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan said, refusing to entertain the petition filed by Atmaram Saraogi from Kolkata.

Saraogi had moved the high court seeking a direction to the Union of India, through the Ministry of Law and Justice, to use the expression 'Union', 'Union government' or 'Union of India' instead of 'Central government', 'Centre' or any other similar reference.

But the Delhi HC did not find any merit in Saraogi's plea and dismissed it.

"Thus, this Court will not enter into the arena of legislation, which is not within the domain of this Court," the bench said in the order and refused to entertain the PIL.

The Court went on to say that the basic structure of our Constitution is the foundation on which the governance of our country is rooted.

The HC refused to allow the submission of the petitioner that the use of the expression 'Central government' gives the wrong impression that state governments are subordinate to the Union government.

Saraogi had moved the Delhi HC seeking a direction to strike down the definition of 'Central government' as defined under Section 3(8)(b) of the General Clauses Act.

"We do not find any merit in the petition of Mr Saraogi. We thereby dismis it," the court said.

Saraogi in his plea said that he has a genuine concern to correct this continued error of usage of terms, which has the potential to strain the relationship between the Union government and the state government. Thereby this court should pass appropriate directions and or orders into his plea.

He further tried to say that the term "Central government" found no place in the Constitution of India and even a parliamentary committee favoured the usage of "Union government".

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NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has in a recent order dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by an 84-year-old man, seeking to replace the term 'Central government' with 'Union' or 'Union government' in all orders, notifications and correspondences. "Federalism is the basic structure of the Constitution and it cannot be said it is diluted or violated by the use of the expression 'Central government' instead of 'Union government', a bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan said, refusing to entertain the petition filed by Atmaram Saraogi from Kolkata. Saraogi had moved the high court seeking a direction to the Union of India, through the Ministry of Law and Justice, to use the expression 'Union', 'Union government' or 'Union of India' instead of 'Central government', 'Centre' or any other similar reference.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); But the Delhi HC did not find any merit in Saraogi's plea and dismissed it. "Thus, this Court will not enter into the arena of legislation, which is not within the domain of this Court," the bench said in the order and refused to entertain the PIL. The Court went on to say that the basic structure of our Constitution is the foundation on which the governance of our country is rooted. The HC refused to allow the submission of the petitioner that the use of the expression 'Central government' gives the wrong impression that state governments are subordinate to the Union government. Saraogi had moved the Delhi HC seeking a direction to strike down the definition of 'Central government' as defined under Section 3(8)(b) of the General Clauses Act. "We do not find any merit in the petition of Mr Saraogi. We thereby dismis it," the court said. Saraogi in his plea said that he has a genuine concern to correct this continued error of usage of terms, which has the potential to strain the relationship between the Union government and the state government. Thereby this court should pass appropriate directions and or orders into his plea. He further tried to say that the term "Central government" found no place in the Constitution of India and even a parliamentary committee favoured the usage of "Union government". Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Preetha Nair By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Responding to an invitation by Rajya Sabha chairperson Jagdeep Dhankar for a meeting at his residence on Monday, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to the former expressing his inability to meet him as he is currently away from Delhi and suggested a meeting after he returns.

Both have been exchanging letters regarding disruptions in Parliament and the suspension of 146 opposition MPs. In a two-page letter, Kharge said that he agrees with the House chairmans call to all members to rise above their differences. I agree with you that we need to move ahead.

The answer lies in holding ours true to the Constitution, Parliament and innate belief in democracy vis-a-vis an authoritarian government that is bent upon subverting the Parliament. I would like to state with all humility that the answer may not lie in a discussion in your chambers if the government is not keen on running the house.

He added, The Chairman is the custodian of the house and should be at the forefront to uphold the dignity of the House, defend Parliamentary privileges, and protect peoples right of holding its government accountable through the debates, discussion and reply in Parliament.

He said that the Chairmans letter unfortunately justifies the autocratic and arrogant attitude of the government towards Parliament and the ruling party has weaponized the suspension of MPs as a tool to undermine democracy, sabotage Parliamentary practices and throttle the Constitution.

In a letter to Kharge dated December 23, Dhankhar said that the disruptions during the winter session of Parliament which led to the suspension of 146 MPs were deliberate and strategized. Dhankhar said that he had to painfully suffer in the Upper House the consequences of the Congress leaders decision to turn down the formers offer of interaction in his chamber.

In his reply, Kharge said that by suspending MPs, the government is silencing the voice of the voters. It would be distressing when history judges the presiding officers harshly for bills passed without debate and not seeking accountability from government, he said.

You have also mentioned that the disorder was predetermined. If anything, it is the mass suspension of the MPs that seems to be predetermined. I am sorry to say, executed without any application of mind, as can be seen by the suspension of an INDIA party MP who was not even present in the Parliament, he said.

Letter justifies autocratic attitude of govt: Kharge

Kharge said that the Chairmans letter unfortunately justifies the autocratic and arrogant attitude of the government towards Parliament and the ruling party has weaponized the suspension of MPs as a tool to undermine democracy, sabotage Parliamentary practices and throttle the Constitution.



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NEW DELHI: Responding to an invitation by Rajya Sabha chairperson Jagdeep Dhankar for a meeting at his residence on Monday, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to the former expressing his inability to meet him as he is currently away from Delhi and suggested a meeting after he returns. Both have been exchanging letters regarding disruptions in Parliament and the suspension of 146 opposition MPs. In a two-page letter, Kharge said that he agrees with the House chairmans call to all members to rise above their differences. I agree with you that we need to move ahead. The answer lies in holding ours true to the Constitution, Parliament and innate belief in democracy vis-a-vis an authoritarian government that is bent upon subverting the Parliament. I would like to state with all humility that the answer may not lie in a discussion in your chambers if the government is not keen on running the house.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); He added, The Chairman is the custodian of the house and should be at the forefront to uphold the dignity of the House, defend Parliamentary privileges, and protect peoples right of holding its government accountable through the debates, discussion and reply in Parliament. He said that the Chairmans letter unfortunately justifies the autocratic and arrogant attitude of the government towards Parliament and the ruling party has weaponized the suspension of MPs as a tool to undermine democracy, sabotage Parliamentary practices and throttle the Constitution. In a letter to Kharge dated December 23, Dhankhar said that the disruptions during the winter session of Parliament which led to the suspension of 146 MPs were deliberate and strategized. Dhankhar said that he had to painfully suffer in the Upper House the consequences of the Congress leaders decision to turn down the formers offer of interaction in his chamber. In his reply, Kharge said that by suspending MPs, the government is silencing the voice of the voters. It would be distressing when history judges the presiding officers harshly for bills passed without debate and not seeking accountability from government, he said. You have also mentioned that the disorder was predetermined. If anything, it is the mass suspension of the MPs that seems to be predetermined. I am sorry to say, executed without any application of mind, as can be seen by the suspension of an INDIA party MP who was not even present in the Parliament, he said. Letter justifies autocratic attitude of govt: Kharge Kharge said that the Chairmans letter unfortunately justifies the autocratic and arrogant attitude of the government towards Parliament and the ruling party has weaponized the suspension of MPs as a tool to undermine democracy, sabotage Parliamentary practices and throttle the Constitution. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

HAZARIBAG: A four-year-old boy, who was abducted from Jharkhand's Hazaribagh district and sold at Rs 2.95 lakh to a couple in Koderma district, was rescued after a week, police said on Tuesday.

Six persons involved in the crime were arrested, the police said.

Sadar Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Mahesh Prajapati said, "The boy was abducted from Okni locality in Hazaribag on December 18 and he was rescued from Koderma on December 25."

He said that six mobile phones and the cloth sheet, which was used to abduct the boy, were also recovered from them.

The boy had been sold to a couple - Geeta Devi and Rohit Ravidas - in the Indrapuri locality of Koderma district at Rs 2.95 lakh, he said.

The couple allegedly wanted a child to carry on the family dynasty, he said.

One Jyoti Kumari and Kanhiya Kumar came to know about their willingness and told the couple that they know an NGO that helps in adoption, another police official said.

This way a deal at Rs 2.95 lakh was finalised between them. The couple gave them Rs 1.7 lakh in advance, he said. Jyoti and Kanhiya then contacted one Nutan Devi, who lived in the locality of the abducted boy, for the task.

Nutan involved one Kareena Devi for keeping a vigil on the boy, the police officer said.

On December 18, Nutan abducted the boy and handed over the boy to Jyoti and Kanhiya. Then, they gave the boy to the Koderma-based couple and took their remaining amount of Rs 1.25 lakh.

After finding no trace of their son, the parents complained with the Lohsinghna police station in Hazaribag. Based on the complaint, a special investigation team (SIT) was formed at the direction of Hazaribag SP Manoj Ratan Chothe.

The police accessed the CCTV footage of the locality and based on this Kareena Devi was arrested.

On her information, other members of the crime were also arrested, police said.

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HAZARIBAG: A four-year-old boy, who was abducted from Jharkhand's Hazaribagh district and sold at Rs 2.95 lakh to a couple in Koderma district, was rescued after a week, police said on Tuesday. Six persons involved in the crime were arrested, the police said. Sadar Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Mahesh Prajapati said, "The boy was abducted from Okni locality in Hazaribag on December 18 and he was rescued from Koderma on December 25."googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); He said that six mobile phones and the cloth sheet, which was used to abduct the boy, were also recovered from them. The boy had been sold to a couple - Geeta Devi and Rohit Ravidas - in the Indrapuri locality of Koderma district at Rs 2.95 lakh, he said. The couple allegedly wanted a child to carry on the family dynasty, he said. One Jyoti Kumari and Kanhiya Kumar came to know about their willingness and told the couple that they know an NGO that helps in adoption, another police official said. This way a deal at Rs 2.95 lakh was finalised between them. The couple gave them Rs 1.7 lakh in advance, he said. Jyoti and Kanhiya then contacted one Nutan Devi, who lived in the locality of the abducted boy, for the task. Nutan involved one Kareena Devi for keeping a vigil on the boy, the police officer said. On December 18, Nutan abducted the boy and handed over the boy to Jyoti and Kanhiya. Then, they gave the boy to the Koderma-based couple and took their remaining amount of Rs 1.25 lakh. After finding no trace of their son, the parents complained with the Lohsinghna police station in Hazaribag. Based on the complaint, a special investigation team (SIT) was formed at the direction of Hazaribag SP Manoj Ratan Chothe. The police accessed the CCTV footage of the locality and based on this Kareena Devi was arrested. On her information, other members of the crime were also arrested, police said. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

AHMEDABAD: Ahead of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, Gandhinagar-based Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) has become a focus area with the state government promoting it as a key investment destination by engaging with over 1,000 companies to organise roadshows and delegation visits, officials said.

Spread over 886 acres of area, GIFT City is India's first operational smart city with infrastructure for international banking, insurance and capital markets.

It has a committed investment of USD 1.57 billion, and a workforce of 10,000 professionals.

The upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit (VGGS), to be held in Gandhinagar between January 10 and 12, 2024, has made GIFT City an important focus area with international companies from countries like UAE, Japan, Australia, Singapore, and the USA expressing interest towards exploring investment opportunities in the GIFT International Financial Services Centre (GIFT IFSC), government officials said.

While GIFT City has already witnessed several large-scale investments, the state government has engaged with over 1,000 companies through six international and eight domestic roadshows and delegation visits held in the run-up to the VGGS to explore investment opportunities, a government release said.

During these engagements, the leaders shared the government's vision for GIFT IFSC and discussed various opportunities for setting up their units and/or expanding their businesses there.

"In the course of these meetings, various international companies from countries like the UAE, Japan, Australia, Singapore, and the USA showed their inclination towards exploring investment opportunities in GIFT IFSC," the release said.

The state government has signed several MoUs with leading Australian companies with the intention of developing strategic partnerships in the area of digital technology and establishing finance sector firms in Gujarat's GIFT IFSC, it added.

ALSO READ | Uproar over Gujarat decision to allow booze in GIFT City

Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his speech that India is one of the fastest-growing fintech markets in the world and the country's strength in fintech is aligned with the vision of GIFT IFSC.

"GIFT City has the potential to become the gateway to the global fintech world and a fintech laboratory," he said.

The prime minister also said that the government wants to make GIFT City the global nerve centre of new-age global financial and technology services.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said GIFT City is a priceless gift that PM Modi has given to Gujarat.

He attributed the realisation of the GIFT City to Modi's visionary leadership.

"GIFT City, which is a dream project of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is becoming a hub for international financial services and is progressing very fast. GIFT City is a priceless gift given to Gujarat by our prime minister," he said.

According to Patel, Gujarat has initiated its contribution to realise the prime minister's vision of a developed India through future-ready mega projects like GIFT City, Dholera SIR, DREAM City, Greenfield Ports, and the Ahmedabad-Mumbai High-Speed Rail (bullet train) project.

Bonds worth USD 50 billion have already been listed at GIFT City IFSC exchanges, and the government is shaping up strategies to attract more businesses through a string of tax benefits, including 100 per cent tax exemption for 10 consecutive years, and a more recent decision to allow liquor with the aim to provide it with a "global ecosystem".

GIFT CITY'S MD and Group CEO Tapan Ray said GIFT City, based on a tri-city concept as envisaged by PM Modi, represents the future of not only Gujarat but of the country.

"GIFT City, as you know, is the dream of our honourable prime minister. And he had come up with a very unique concept. He says that it's a part of a tri-city concept where you have Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and the GIFT City," Ray told PTI.

"Vibrant concept. We have been seeing that in all our roadshows for Vibrant, GIFT City represents the future of not only Gujarat but India as a whole," he added.

The state government believes that the ecosystem created at GIFT City for crucial economic activities combined with globally benchmarked regulations, taxation, and policies, etc, will help businesses and services engaged in sectors such as banking, finance, IT and ITES, fintech, capital market, insurance, automobiles, engineering, pharmaceuticals, e-commerce, ship and aircraft leasing, and ancillary services.

In a recent speech, CM Patel discussed how the state government plans to further expand GIFT City by connecting it to the metro rail system by July 2024, providing a significant convenience for professionals and employees commuting to GIFT City.

The government also plans to expand the Sabarmati riverfront, spanning about 9 kilometres, near GIFT City.

It has granted approval for the construction of additional residential units in GIFT City, and the Phase-2 development plan for GIFT City is to be unveiled ahead of the VGGS 2024.

As part of the development plan, town planning schemes will be devised.

There will be construction of a large township in the adjoining areas of GIFT City, seamlessly integrated with all social infrastructure facilities, the CM said.

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AHMEDABAD: Ahead of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, Gandhinagar-based Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) has become a focus area with the state government promoting it as a key investment destination by engaging with over 1,000 companies to organise roadshows and delegation visits, officials said. Spread over 886 acres of area, GIFT City is India's first operational smart city with infrastructure for international banking, insurance and capital markets. It has a committed investment of USD 1.57 billion, and a workforce of 10,000 professionals.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit (VGGS), to be held in Gandhinagar between January 10 and 12, 2024, has made GIFT City an important focus area with international companies from countries like UAE, Japan, Australia, Singapore, and the USA expressing interest towards exploring investment opportunities in the GIFT International Financial Services Centre (GIFT IFSC), government officials said. While GIFT City has already witnessed several large-scale investments, the state government has engaged with over 1,000 companies through six international and eight domestic roadshows and delegation visits held in the run-up to the VGGS to explore investment opportunities, a government release said. During these engagements, the leaders shared the government's vision for GIFT IFSC and discussed various opportunities for setting up their units and/or expanding their businesses there. "In the course of these meetings, various international companies from countries like the UAE, Japan, Australia, Singapore, and the USA showed their inclination towards exploring investment opportunities in GIFT IFSC," the release said. The state government has signed several MoUs with leading Australian companies with the intention of developing strategic partnerships in the area of digital technology and establishing finance sector firms in Gujarat's GIFT IFSC, it added. ALSO READ | Uproar over Gujarat decision to allow booze in GIFT City Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his speech that India is one of the fastest-growing fintech markets in the world and the country's strength in fintech is aligned with the vision of GIFT IFSC. "GIFT City has the potential to become the gateway to the global fintech world and a fintech laboratory," he said. The prime minister also said that the government wants to make GIFT City the global nerve centre of new-age global financial and technology services. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said GIFT City is a priceless gift that PM Modi has given to Gujarat. He attributed the realisation of the GIFT City to Modi's visionary leadership. "GIFT City, which is a dream project of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is becoming a hub for international financial services and is progressing very fast. GIFT City is a priceless gift given to Gujarat by our prime minister," he said. According to Patel, Gujarat has initiated its contribution to realise the prime minister's vision of a developed India through future-ready mega projects like GIFT City, Dholera SIR, DREAM City, Greenfield Ports, and the Ahmedabad-Mumbai High-Speed Rail (bullet train) project. Bonds worth USD 50 billion have already been listed at GIFT City IFSC exchanges, and the government is shaping up strategies to attract more businesses through a string of tax benefits, including 100 per cent tax exemption for 10 consecutive years, and a more recent decision to allow liquor with the aim to provide it with a "global ecosystem". GIFT CITY'S MD and Group CEO Tapan Ray said GIFT City, based on a tri-city concept as envisaged by PM Modi, represents the future of not only Gujarat but of the country. "GIFT City, as you know, is the dream of our honourable prime minister. And he had come up with a very unique concept. He says that it's a part of a tri-city concept where you have Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and the GIFT City," Ray told PTI. "Vibrant concept. We have been seeing that in all our roadshows for Vibrant, GIFT City represents the future of not only Gujarat but India as a whole," he added. The state government believes that the ecosystem created at GIFT City for crucial economic activities combined with globally benchmarked regulations, taxation, and policies, etc, will help businesses and services engaged in sectors such as banking, finance, IT and ITES, fintech, capital market, insurance, automobiles, engineering, pharmaceuticals, e-commerce, ship and aircraft leasing, and ancillary services. In a recent speech, CM Patel discussed how the state government plans to further expand GIFT City by connecting it to the metro rail system by July 2024, providing a significant convenience for professionals and employees commuting to GIFT City. The government also plans to expand the Sabarmati riverfront, spanning about 9 kilometres, near GIFT City. It has granted approval for the construction of additional residential units in GIFT City, and the Phase-2 development plan for GIFT City is to be unveiled ahead of the VGGS 2024. As part of the development plan, town planning schemes will be devised. There will be construction of a large township in the adjoining areas of GIFT City, seamlessly integrated with all social infrastructure facilities, the CM said. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Dilip Singh Kshatriya By

Express News Service

AHMEDABAD: The government has been promoting organic farming in the country since 2015-16 through the schemes of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) and Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER). Both the schemes stress end-to-end support to farmers engaged in organic farming i.e. from production to processing, certification and marketing, and post-harvest management.

However, according to the Ministry of Agriculture of Indias response in the Lok Sabha, a measly Rs 10.10 lakh have been provided under this initiative in Gujarat during the last three years, and this cash has also remained idle for three years. So, in the last three years, the Gujarat government has spent nothing to promote organic farming.

On December 19, 2023, in the Lok Sabha, in response to a question raised by MPs Rajesh Chudasma and Nama Nageshwar Rao, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Government of India stated that in the last three years, 10.10 lakh rupees have been allocated under the PKVY scheme in Gujarat, while 0.00 rupees have been used, i.e. that the central government allocated only 10 lakh rupees for organic farming and that too was not used.

On the other hand, Andhra Pradesh utilized Rs 10,004.83 lakh out of a total of 10004.83 lakh PKVY Funds, Bihar received 2541.31 lakh, of which 792.98 lakh were used, and Chhattisgarh received 3,738.11 lakh, of which 2,393.78 lakh were used. Besides, the money granted to other states has been substantially utilized, demonstrating that the Gujarat government is unconcerned about organic farming in Gujarat.

The Ministry of Agricultures June answer to the Lok Sabha states that between 2016 and 2022that is, the last six yearsorganic agricultural land in Gujarat has not increased by an inch. In addition, while 10,27,865 beneficiary farmers nationwide are engaged in organic agriculture under the PKVY program, not a single farmer from Gujarat is among them.

Gujarat cultivates around 96 lakh hectares of land, with organic agriculture accounting for 32,902.51 hectares. Organic farming was practised on 30,092 hectares in 2014-15, with an additional 2,000 hectares added in 2015-16, implying that organic agricultural area has not risen even an inch from 2016 to 2022. Gujarat Congress spokesperson Parthiv Kathawadia alleged that the state governments policy of promoting organic farming is completely futile. Organic farming is both costly and time-consuming. Farmers receive lower yields and returns, he said.

In India, as of March 2020, 2,780,000 hectares were under certified organic farming, about 2% of Indias 140.1 million hectares net sown area. Sikkim became Indias first and only state to proclaim itself organic in 2016. It was not simple for Sikkim to shift to a 100% organic state. The farms are modest and numerous, located on the Himalayas.

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AHMEDABAD: The government has been promoting organic farming in the country since 2015-16 through the schemes of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) and Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER). Both the schemes stress end-to-end support to farmers engaged in organic farming i.e. from production to processing, certification and marketing, and post-harvest management. However, according to the Ministry of Agriculture of Indias response in the Lok Sabha, a measly Rs 10.10 lakh have been provided under this initiative in Gujarat during the last three years, and this cash has also remained idle for three years. So, in the last three years, the Gujarat government has spent nothing to promote organic farming. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); On December 19, 2023, in the Lok Sabha, in response to a question raised by MPs Rajesh Chudasma and Nama Nageshwar Rao, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Government of India stated that in the last three years, 10.10 lakh rupees have been allocated under the PKVY scheme in Gujarat, while 0.00 rupees have been used, i.e. that the central government allocated only 10 lakh rupees for organic farming and that too was not used. On the other hand, Andhra Pradesh utilized Rs 10,004.83 lakh out of a total of 10004.83 lakh PKVY Funds, Bihar received 2541.31 lakh, of which 792.98 lakh were used, and Chhattisgarh received 3,738.11 lakh, of which 2,393.78 lakh were used. Besides, the money granted to other states has been substantially utilized, demonstrating that the Gujarat government is unconcerned about organic farming in Gujarat. The Ministry of Agricultures June answer to the Lok Sabha states that between 2016 and 2022that is, the last six yearsorganic agricultural land in Gujarat has not increased by an inch. In addition, while 10,27,865 beneficiary farmers nationwide are engaged in organic agriculture under the PKVY program, not a single farmer from Gujarat is among them. Gujarat cultivates around 96 lakh hectares of land, with organic agriculture accounting for 32,902.51 hectares. Organic farming was practised on 30,092 hectares in 2014-15, with an additional 2,000 hectares added in 2015-16, implying that organic agricultural area has not risen even an inch from 2016 to 2022. Gujarat Congress spokesperson Parthiv Kathawadia alleged that the state governments policy of promoting organic farming is completely futile. Organic farming is both costly and time-consuming. Farmers receive lower yields and returns, he said. In India, as of March 2020, 2,780,000 hectares were under certified organic farming, about 2% of Indias 140.1 million hectares net sown area. Sikkim became Indias first and only state to proclaim itself organic in 2016. It was not simple for Sikkim to shift to a 100% organic state. The farms are modest and numerous, located on the Himalayas. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

KANNAUJ: Family members of an alleged criminal fired on the police team that had gone to arrest him, killing a constable who was shot in the encounter in Kannauj district, officials said on Tuesday.

Police constable Sachin Rathi (28) sustained a bullet injury in the incident that happened in the Vishungarh police station area and was sent to Kanpur for treatment where he succumbed to his injuries, Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Kumar Anand said.

Police said Ashok Kumar alias Munna Yadav, the alleged criminal, and his son were shot in retaliatory firing. They were sent to a hospital in Kannauj.

The SP said Kumar was a history-sheeter with 20 cases registered against him and there was a non-bailable warrant against him.

On Monday police received information that Kumar was at his home following which a police team of Chhibramau and Vishungarh police station jointly laid siege to the house, Anand told reporters.

Kumar, his wife and son opened fire at the police team as soon as the police team arrived at the spot in Dharni Dheerpur Nagariya village, the SP said.

Constable Rathi was shot in the thigh and was rushed to Kanpur for treatment where he succumbed to his injuries late in the night, he said.

The history-sheeter and his son have been sent to Tirva Medical College in Kannauj, he added.

Anand said that two pistols had been recovered from Kumar and his son with which they were firing at the police. During a search at the house, a double-barrel rifle was also found, police said.

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KANNAUJ: Family members of an alleged criminal fired on the police team that had gone to arrest him, killing a constable who was shot in the encounter in Kannauj district, officials said on Tuesday. Police constable Sachin Rathi (28) sustained a bullet injury in the incident that happened in the Vishungarh police station area and was sent to Kanpur for treatment where he succumbed to his injuries, Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Kumar Anand said. Police said Ashok Kumar alias Munna Yadav, the alleged criminal, and his son were shot in retaliatory firing. They were sent to a hospital in Kannauj.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The SP said Kumar was a history-sheeter with 20 cases registered against him and there was a non-bailable warrant against him. On Monday police received information that Kumar was at his home following which a police team of Chhibramau and Vishungarh police station jointly laid siege to the house, Anand told reporters. Kumar, his wife and son opened fire at the police team as soon as the police team arrived at the spot in Dharni Dheerpur Nagariya village, the SP said. Constable Rathi was shot in the thigh and was rushed to Kanpur for treatment where he succumbed to his injuries late in the night, he said. The history-sheeter and his son have been sent to Tirva Medical College in Kannauj, he added. Anand said that two pistols had been recovered from Kumar and his son with which they were firing at the police. During a search at the house, a double-barrel rifle was also found, police said. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Mayank Singh By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to visit Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, days after a deadly terror ambush in Poonch district left four Army personnel dead. Army Chief General Manoj Pande is already in Jammu.

He is likely to take stock of the security situation in the region post the terror strike, said sources.

Meanwhile, the Army has been conducting extensive operations to track down the terrorists behind the ambush that left four soldiers dead in Poonch last week.

The Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) also asked them to remain resolute and steadfast against all challenges.

After a full briefing and interaction with officers on the ground, General Pande urged the commanders to conduct all operations in the "most professional manner".

After the incident of the terrorist ambush on two Army vehicles on Thursday at Dhatyar Morh between Dhera Ki Gali and Buffliaz in Poonch, three civilians picked up by the Army for questioning were found dead on December 23.

The Army set up a Court of Inquiry into the mysterious deaths on the same day. It has since 'attached' a Brigadier, a Colonel (Commanding Officer of the unit) and a Lieutenant Colonel. "The officers have been attached with the local higher formation pending inquiry," said a source.

The J&K administration, too, filed a murder case against unknown Army personnel, announced compensation to the bereaved families and jobs to the next of kin, sources said.

Four soldiers were killed and three injured on Thursday when two Army vehicles in J&K's Poonch district were ambushed by terrorists. The attack took place at Dhatyar Morh between Dhera Ki Gali and Bufliaz around 3.45 pm. The vehicles were fired upon from an advantageous point as they couldn't speed away because they were negotiating a blind curve.

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NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to visit Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, days after a deadly terror ambush in Poonch district left four Army personnel dead. Army Chief General Manoj Pande is already in Jammu. He is likely to take stock of the security situation in the region post the terror strike, said sources. Meanwhile, the Army has been conducting extensive operations to track down the terrorists behind the ambush that left four soldiers dead in Poonch last week.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) also asked them to remain resolute and steadfast against all challenges. After a full briefing and interaction with officers on the ground, General Pande urged the commanders to conduct all operations in the "most professional manner". After the incident of the terrorist ambush on two Army vehicles on Thursday at Dhatyar Morh between Dhera Ki Gali and Buffliaz in Poonch, three civilians picked up by the Army for questioning were found dead on December 23. The Army set up a Court of Inquiry into the mysterious deaths on the same day. It has since 'attached' a Brigadier, a Colonel (Commanding Officer of the unit) and a Lieutenant Colonel. "The officers have been attached with the local higher formation pending inquiry," said a source. The J&K administration, too, filed a murder case against unknown Army personnel, announced compensation to the bereaved families and jobs to the next of kin, sources said. Four soldiers were killed and three injured on Thursday when two Army vehicles in J&K's Poonch district were ambushed by terrorists. The attack took place at Dhatyar Morh between Dhera Ki Gali and Bufliaz around 3.45 pm. The vehicles were fired upon from an advantageous point as they couldn't speed away because they were negotiating a blind curve. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

NEW DELHI: India has recorded 412 fresh cases of COVID-19, while the number of active cases of the infection has gone up to 4,170, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

The death toll due to the viral disease was recorded at 5,33,337 with three new fatalities reported from Karnataka in 24 hours, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am.

India's Covid case tally currently stands at 4,50,09,660.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has increased to 4,44,72,153 and the national recovery rate stands at 98.81 per cent, according to the ministry's website.

The case fatality rate stands at 1. 19 per cent. According to the website, 220. 67 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines have so far been administered in the country.

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NEW DELHI: India has recorded 412 fresh cases of COVID-19, while the number of active cases of the infection has gone up to 4,170, the health ministry said on Tuesday. The death toll due to the viral disease was recorded at 5,33,337 with three new fatalities reported from Karnataka in 24 hours, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am. India's Covid case tally currently stands at 4,50,09,660.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has increased to 4,44,72,153 and the national recovery rate stands at 98.81 per cent, according to the ministry's website. The case fatality rate stands at 1. 19 per cent. According to the website, 220. 67 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines have so far been administered in the country. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Yeshi Seli By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is on a five-day visit to Russia, signed an agreement on the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project when he met Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov on Tuesday.

"There is an X factor when is comes to the relationship between India and Russia which has remained good and has enhanced to a Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. I signed an agreement along with DPM Manturov for future units of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project in Tamil Nadu. The bilateral trade between India and Russia can increase from the present $50 billion to $100 billion in the next few years," said Jaishankar, while interacting with the Indian diaspora in Moscow on Tuesday.

Jaishankar said that India has strong ties in defence, nuclear power and space with Russia as it's a trusted partner.

"Our relationship with Russia has been stable over the past many decades as the leadership has taken care to nurture it and there is a strong people to people connect between our two nations. We support Russia for their BRICS Presidency and will continue to be their partner," he added.

He said that there was scope of improving connectivity between the two nations, but since the civil aviation sector was privatised, it's up to the carriers to chose a route that would be rational for them.

Regarding trade in local currencies, Jaishankar said that since reliance on traditional currencies is dwindling, more and more countries are now considering trading in local currencies which also happens when there are conflicts and shortage of traditional currencies.

"What I realised after meeting Deputy PM Manturov today was that many people in Russia are now aware of how much India has progressed, whether its digital payments, our growth rate at 7.7 per cent or expertise in pharma sector or education. We need to make others aware of our achievements and the diaspora can do that through their network. Also, just like Prime Minister Narendra Modi always says during his interactions with the diaspora, we would urge you to get your friends to visit India. Not just will it enhance tourism, but also dispel a lot of things they may feel about the country," he added.

In this fast changing world, India too has changed and progressed, he said, adding that from being the 10th largest economy a decade back, the country has now moved to the 5th position and a few years from now, it will become the 3rd largest economy. This improvement should be shared with people locally by the diaspora as the narrative needs to be changed to what it is at present, Jaishankar said.

ALSO READ | Eight Russian governors to take part in Vibrant Gujarat Summit, investments likely

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NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is on a five-day visit to Russia, signed an agreement on the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project when he met Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov on Tuesday. "There is an X factor when is comes to the relationship between India and Russia which has remained good and has enhanced to a Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. I signed an agreement along with DPM Manturov for future units of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project in Tamil Nadu. The bilateral trade between India and Russia can increase from the present $50 billion to $100 billion in the next few years," said Jaishankar, while interacting with the Indian diaspora in Moscow on Tuesday. Jaishankar said that India has strong ties in defence, nuclear power and space with Russia as it's a trusted partner.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "Our relationship with Russia has been stable over the past many decades as the leadership has taken care to nurture it and there is a strong people to people connect between our two nations. We support Russia for their BRICS Presidency and will continue to be their partner," he added. He said that there was scope of improving connectivity between the two nations, but since the civil aviation sector was privatised, it's up to the carriers to chose a route that would be rational for them. Regarding trade in local currencies, Jaishankar said that since reliance on traditional currencies is dwindling, more and more countries are now considering trading in local currencies which also happens when there are conflicts and shortage of traditional currencies. "What I realised after meeting Deputy PM Manturov today was that many people in Russia are now aware of how much India has progressed, whether its digital payments, our growth rate at 7.7 per cent or expertise in pharma sector or education. We need to make others aware of our achievements and the diaspora can do that through their network. Also, just like Prime Minister Narendra Modi always says during his interactions with the diaspora, we would urge you to get your friends to visit India. Not just will it enhance tourism, but also dispel a lot of things they may feel about the country," he added. In this fast changing world, India too has changed and progressed, he said, adding that from being the 10th largest economy a decade back, the country has now moved to the 5th position and a few years from now, it will become the 3rd largest economy. This improvement should be shared with people locally by the diaspora as the narrative needs to be changed to what it is at present, Jaishankar said. ALSO READ | Eight Russian governors to take part in Vibrant Gujarat Summit, investments likely Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

As a precursor to the big consecration day in Ayodhya on January 22 next year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take a mini trip to the temple town on December 30 to launch the international airport, renovated railway station, and lay the foundation stone for projects worth `3,000 crore. The highlight of the visit, apart from his public meeting, is a roadshow the PM will hold in the town, covering 15 km. After the public meeting near the airport, the PM will travel from the airport to the railway station, which will be in the form of a roadshow. Arrangements are being made to welcome him, says a senior official.

Pande, a dyed in the wool Congman

The newly-appointed Congress general secretary in charge for UP is a low-key but a very old party loyalist. Former Rajya Sabha member Avinash Pandey, who replaced Priyanka Gandhi as the Congress in charge of UP hails from Nagpur. The 65-year-old started his political career with the NSUI and rose through the ranks. He is known as an organisation man and has served as the in charge of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Besides, he has worked closely with Digvijaya Singh and Madhusudan Mistry when they were looking after the partys affairs in UP.

BSP maintains its exclusion in INDIA

Although the elections to five state assemblies are now long over, the INDIA block is yet to take shape in UP. Despite Mayawatis denial, the biggest question still remains: whether BSP will be part of the grand opposition alliance. The BSP supremo has been asserting that she would do it alone as her party always remains on the losing side in an alliance, however, her cryptic remark recently has made the analysts take notice. INDIA bloc parties should be cautious while making remarks about BSP as one never knows who will need them in the post-poll scenario, she said. RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary said, BSP cannot be included in the alliance by force.

Namita bajpai

Our correspondent in Uttar Pradesh

namita.bajpai@ newindianexpress.com

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As a precursor to the big consecration day in Ayodhya on January 22 next year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take a mini trip to the temple town on December 30 to launch the international airport, renovated railway station, and lay the foundation stone for projects worth `3,000 crore. The highlight of the visit, apart from his public meeting, is a roadshow the PM will hold in the town, covering 15 km. After the public meeting near the airport, the PM will travel from the airport to the railway station, which will be in the form of a roadshow. Arrangements are being made to welcome him, says a senior official. Pande, a dyed in the wool Congman The newly-appointed Congress general secretary in charge for UP is a low-key but a very old party loyalist. Former Rajya Sabha member Avinash Pandey, who replaced Priyanka Gandhi as the Congress in charge of UP hails from Nagpur. The 65-year-old started his political career with the NSUI and rose through the ranks. He is known as an organisation man and has served as the in charge of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Besides, he has worked closely with Digvijaya Singh and Madhusudan Mistry when they were looking after the partys affairs in UP. BSP maintains its exclusion in INDIA Although the elections to five state assemblies are now long over, the INDIA block is yet to take shape in UP. Despite Mayawatis denial, the biggest question still remains: whether BSP will be part of the grand opposition alliance. The BSP supremo has been asserting that she would do it alone as her party always remains on the losing side in an alliance, however, her cryptic remark recently has made the analysts take notice. INDIA bloc parties should be cautious while making remarks about BSP as one never knows who will need them in the post-poll scenario, she said. RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary said, BSP cannot be included in the alliance by force.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Namita bajpai Our correspondent in Uttar Pradesh namita.bajpai@ newindianexpress.com Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Anuraag Singh By

Express News Service

BHOPAL: The much-awaited first cabinet expansion of the newly elected Dr Mohan Yadav-led BJP government finally happened on Monday, with the induction of 28 ministers, among them 18 cabinet ministers and ten ministers of state.

The 18 cabinet ministers, included four political biggies  ex-union minister Pralhad Singh Patel, BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya (both were in CMs race before Yadav was elected BJP state legislature party leader on December 12), former Jabalpur MP and ex-state party chief Rakesh Singh and third time former MP from Hoshangabad seat Uday Pratap Singh.

The 28 new ministers, however, only included six ministers of the previous Shivraj Singh Chouhan regime, including Tulsi Silawat, Pradumn Singh Tomar, Govind Singh Rajput (all Jyotiraditya Scindia-loyalists), Vishvas Sarang, Kunwar Vijay Shah and Inder Singh Parmar, all of who were among the 18 new cabinet ministers. Ten other ministers of the previous regime, including the former CMs loyalist Bhupendra Singh and nine-time sitting MLA Gopal Bhargava, were not considered in Dr Yadavs team.

Region wise break-up of the new ministry saw the new CMs home region  the Malwa-Nimar region (which houses maximum 66 assembly seats  cornering seven posts, followed by six from the central MP, 5 ministers from tribal dominated Mahakoshal region, four each from Gwalior-Chambal and Bundelkhand regions and two from Vindhya region. With the CM and one of the deputy CMs also being from Malwa-Nimar region, the number of ministers from that area in the 31-strong council of ministers now stands at nine.

With Mondays cabinet expansion, Dr Yadavs council of ministers now has 31 ministers (including the CM and two deputy CMs), which means there is scope for four more inductions in the future. On expected lines, the OBCs dominated the new council of ministers headed by the OBC Dr Yadav. Out of the 28 new ministers sworn in on Monday, 12 (43%) hailed from OBC castes. Importantly, MP has around 52% OBC population, followed by 21% tribal and 16% scheduled caste population.

After the OBCs, the upper caste segment had seven ministers (25% of new ministers), five tribals (18%) and four scheduled caste MLAs (which was 14% of 28 new ministers). The 28 new MLAs sworn in as ministers by Governor Mangubhai C Patel at the Raj Bhawan on Monday, included just five women (18% of those sworn in on Monday), among them former minister Nirmala Bhuria, ex Rajya Sabha member Sampatiya Uike (both sworn in as cabinet ministers) and three new faces, including second time MLA from Govindpura (Bhopal) Krishna Gaur (who is the daughter in law of ex-CM Babulal Gaur) and first time MLAs from Vindhya region Pratima Bagri and Radha Singh. In the previous BJP regime, merely three out of the 34 ministers were women.

Age has emerged a key factor for inducting or dropping ministers, with 70-years-old ex-minister MLA Gopal Bhargava not being considered owing to age.

MP cabinet

28 new ministers represent 20 of 29 LS constituencies

Total number of ministers: 31, including CM, 2 Dy CMs

4 ministerial berths are still vacant.

7 ministers are from Malwa-Nimar region, where BJP won 47 of 66 seats.

6 new ministers hail from central MP, where BJP won 31 of 36 seats

5 of 28 new ministers are from Mahakoshal, where won 21 of 38 seats

4 ministers each come from Gwalior-Chambal and Bundelkhand regions

Only 2 ministers are from Vindhya region, where the BJP won 25 of 30 seats

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BHOPAL: The much-awaited first cabinet expansion of the newly elected Dr Mohan Yadav-led BJP government finally happened on Monday, with the induction of 28 ministers, among them 18 cabinet ministers and ten ministers of state. The 18 cabinet ministers, included four political biggies  ex-union minister Pralhad Singh Patel, BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya (both were in CMs race before Yadav was elected BJP state legislature party leader on December 12), former Jabalpur MP and ex-state party chief Rakesh Singh and third time former MP from Hoshangabad seat Uday Pratap Singh. The 28 new ministers, however, only included six ministers of the previous Shivraj Singh Chouhan regime, including Tulsi Silawat, Pradumn Singh Tomar, Govind Singh Rajput (all Jyotiraditya Scindia-loyalists), Vishvas Sarang, Kunwar Vijay Shah and Inder Singh Parmar, all of who were among the 18 new cabinet ministers. Ten other ministers of the previous regime, including the former CMs loyalist Bhupendra Singh and nine-time sitting MLA Gopal Bhargava, were not considered in Dr Yadavs team.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Region wise break-up of the new ministry saw the new CMs home region  the Malwa-Nimar region (which houses maximum 66 assembly seats  cornering seven posts, followed by six from the central MP, 5 ministers from tribal dominated Mahakoshal region, four each from Gwalior-Chambal and Bundelkhand regions and two from Vindhya region. With the CM and one of the deputy CMs also being from Malwa-Nimar region, the number of ministers from that area in the 31-strong council of ministers now stands at nine. With Mondays cabinet expansion, Dr Yadavs council of ministers now has 31 ministers (including the CM and two deputy CMs), which means there is scope for four more inductions in the future. On expected lines, the OBCs dominated the new council of ministers headed by the OBC Dr Yadav. Out of the 28 new ministers sworn in on Monday, 12 (43%) hailed from OBC castes. Importantly, MP has around 52% OBC population, followed by 21% tribal and 16% scheduled caste population. After the OBCs, the upper caste segment had seven ministers (25% of new ministers), five tribals (18%) and four scheduled caste MLAs (which was 14% of 28 new ministers). The 28 new MLAs sworn in as ministers by Governor Mangubhai C Patel at the Raj Bhawan on Monday, included just five women (18% of those sworn in on Monday), among them former minister Nirmala Bhuria, ex Rajya Sabha member Sampatiya Uike (both sworn in as cabinet ministers) and three new faces, including second time MLA from Govindpura (Bhopal) Krishna Gaur (who is the daughter in law of ex-CM Babulal Gaur) and first time MLAs from Vindhya region Pratima Bagri and Radha Singh. In the previous BJP regime, merely three out of the 34 ministers were women. Age has emerged a key factor for inducting or dropping ministers, with 70-years-old ex-minister MLA Gopal Bhargava not being considered owing to age. MP cabinet 28 new ministers represent 20 of 29 LS constituencies Total number of ministers: 31, including CM, 2 Dy CMs 4 ministerial berths are still vacant. 7 ministers are from Malwa-Nimar region, where BJP won 47 of 66 seats. 6 new ministers hail from central MP, where BJP won 31 of 36 seats 5 of 28 new ministers are from Mahakoshal, where won 21 of 38 seats 4 ministers each come from Gwalior-Chambal and Bundelkhand regions Only 2 ministers are from Vindhya region, where the BJP won 25 of 30 seats Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Pranab Mondal By

Express News Service

KOLKATA: Union Home minister Amit Shah and BJPs national president J P Nadda are scheduled to be in Kolkata in their two-day Bengal visit starting from Monday to take stock of the partys preparations and assess the organisational landscape in the state ahead of the next years Lok Sabha elections.

The two heavyweights of the saffron camp are scheduled to land in Kolkata late on Monday night and hold a series of indoor meetings. The visit by Shah and Nadda is said to be significant in the backdrop of the BJPs stellar performance in Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Rajasthan and the two leaders will hold several meetings with the partys Bengal functionaries and others perceived to be close to the organisation. Shah and Nadda, however, will not attend any public events or rally.

Sources in the BJP said poll strategy and selection of candidates would get top priority in the meetings with Shah and Nadda. Some of the sitting MLAs could be engaged in the Lok Sabha poll fray. It will

not be surprising if a few sitting MPs are axed from the candidate list of 2024 LS polls, said a senior BJP leader in Kolkata.

The leader also pointed out that fresh faces could be fielded in the upcoming general elections as the two top-level leaders would meet saffron camps sympathisers as well. The first meeting will be held on Tuesday afternoon at the National Library, where some people perceived to be close to the saffron camp, apart from BJPs state functionaries, have also been invited. Before flying to Delhi, the two heavyweights also meet the leaders of the partys state chapter in a separate meeting.

BJPs state functionaries are hopeful that the visit by Shah and Nadda will definitely boost up the partys foot soldiers. A section of our partys grassroot level functionaries became inactive because of the violence unleashed by the ruling TMC after the panchayat elections. They have become active again. In his previous Kolkata visit, Shah had set a target of 35 seats out 42 in the Lok Sabha polls. In the 2019 general elections, the target was 22 and we won 18 seats. This time, we will win over 30 seats in Bengal, said BJPs former state president Dilip Ghosh.

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KOLKATA: Union Home minister Amit Shah and BJPs national president J P Nadda are scheduled to be in Kolkata in their two-day Bengal visit starting from Monday to take stock of the partys preparations and assess the organisational landscape in the state ahead of the next years Lok Sabha elections. The two heavyweights of the saffron camp are scheduled to land in Kolkata late on Monday night and hold a series of indoor meetings. The visit by Shah and Nadda is said to be significant in the backdrop of the BJPs stellar performance in Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Rajasthan and the two leaders will hold several meetings with the partys Bengal functionaries and others perceived to be close to the organisation. Shah and Nadda, however, will not attend any public events or rally. Sources in the BJP said poll strategy and selection of candidates would get top priority in the meetings with Shah and Nadda. Some of the sitting MLAs could be engaged in the Lok Sabha poll fray. It will not be surprising if a few sitting MPs are axed from the candidate list of 2024 LS polls, said a senior BJP leader in Kolkata.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The leader also pointed out that fresh faces could be fielded in the upcoming general elections as the two top-level leaders would meet saffron camps sympathisers as well. The first meeting will be held on Tuesday afternoon at the National Library, where some people perceived to be close to the saffron camp, apart from BJPs state functionaries, have also been invited. Before flying to Delhi, the two heavyweights also meet the leaders of the partys state chapter in a separate meeting. BJPs state functionaries are hopeful that the visit by Shah and Nadda will definitely boost up the partys foot soldiers. A section of our partys grassroot level functionaries became inactive because of the violence unleashed by the ruling TMC after the panchayat elections. They have become active again. In his previous Kolkata visit, Shah had set a target of 35 seats out 42 in the Lok Sabha polls. In the 2019 general elections, the target was 22 and we won 18 seats. This time, we will win over 30 seats in Bengal, said BJPs former state president Dilip Ghosh. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Mayank Singh By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Indian Navys preliminary assessment of the Merchant Vessel Chem Pluto on Monday has pointed towards a drone attack. The analysis of the area of attack and debris found on the ship point to a drone attack. However, further forensic and technical analysis will be required to establish the vector of attack, including type and amount of explosive used,

The Indian Navy said in a statement. MV Chem Pluto, a merchant ship, arrived at the Mumbai port on Monday under the protection of Indian Coast Guard ship ICGS Vikram. The vessel is a Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned and Netherlands-operated chemical tanker. It was struck in the Indian Ocean, 200 nautical miles from the coast of India on December 23.

The Navy said a joint investigation by various agencies has commenced on completion of the analysis by the Navys ordnance team. On her arrival, the Navys ordnance disposal team inspected the vessel to make a preliminary assessment. The merchant vessel, which was transporting crude oil from Saudi Arabia to Mangalore, was over 200 nautical miles southwest of Veraval in the Arabian Sea when it was hit by a drone.

MV Chem Pluto has been cleared for further operation by her company-in-charge at Mumbai, the Navy said. The ship is scheduled to undergo mandatory checks by various inspecting authorities before undertaking Ship to Ship (STS) transfer of cargo.

This is likely to be followed by docking and repairs of the damaged portion of MV Chem Pluto. Following incidents of hijack/drone attacks, the Navy has enhanced its deterrence presence, pressing warships into operational deployment.

Naval deterrence

Indian Navy says it has deployed guided missile destroyers, INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata to maintain a deterrent presence. Besides long-range maritime reconnaissance P8I aircraft are being regularly tasked to maintain domain awareness



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NEW DELHI: The Indian Navys preliminary assessment of the Merchant Vessel Chem Pluto on Monday has pointed towards a drone attack. The analysis of the area of attack and debris found on the ship point to a drone attack. However, further forensic and technical analysis will be required to establish the vector of attack, including type and amount of explosive used, The Indian Navy said in a statement. MV Chem Pluto, a merchant ship, arrived at the Mumbai port on Monday under the protection of Indian Coast Guard ship ICGS Vikram. The vessel is a Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned and Netherlands-operated chemical tanker. It was struck in the Indian Ocean, 200 nautical miles from the coast of India on December 23. The Navy said a joint investigation by various agencies has commenced on completion of the analysis by the Navys ordnance team. On her arrival, the Navys ordnance disposal team inspected the vessel to make a preliminary assessment. The merchant vessel, which was transporting crude oil from Saudi Arabia to Mangalore, was over 200 nautical miles southwest of Veraval in the Arabian Sea when it was hit by a drone.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); MV Chem Pluto has been cleared for further operation by her company-in-charge at Mumbai, the Navy said. The ship is scheduled to undergo mandatory checks by various inspecting authorities before undertaking Ship to Ship (STS) transfer of cargo. This is likely to be followed by docking and repairs of the damaged portion of MV Chem Pluto. Following incidents of hijack/drone attacks, the Navy has enhanced its deterrence presence, pressing warships into operational deployment. Naval deterrence Indian Navy says it has deployed guided missile destroyers, INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata to maintain a deterrent presence. Besides long-range maritime reconnaissance P8I aircraft are being regularly tasked to maintain domain awareness Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Shahid Faridi By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is planning a big show of strength in the national capital by holding the national executive meeting of the Janata Dal (United) on December 29 where he is likely to take over as party president from incumbent Lalan Singh.

Sources said Nitish plans to aggressively play the backward card as the head of his party and position himself as the top backward leader of the INDIA bloc. Party leaders said a message will be sent to INDIA from the meeting that the JD(U) is keeping its options open and watching closely how Nitish is being treated.

JD(U) leaders consider Nitish as the architect of the INDIA alliance. It was he who had persuaded West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee against going with her then Telangana counterpart and Bharat Rashtra Samithi chief K Chandrashekhar Rao to form a third front. Mamata had then convinced Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal to join the Opposition group, now known as INDIA. Nitish had travelled across the country to bring non-BJP leaders on one platform.

Nitish was certain that the allies would reward him by making him INDIA convenor. That has not happened. Much to his surprise, the two leaders who were opposed to partnering with the Congress  Kejriwal and Mamata  have now suggested Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as INDIA blocs candidate for the post of prime minister.

The Delhi meet aims to pressure INDIA leaders to value the centrality of his role in the formation of the group and give him a leadership position. According to sources, Nitishs feelings have already been conveyed to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. JD(U) sources said Nitishs name as party head will be proposed as the national executive committee meet. Once approved, the national council will ratify it.

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NEW DELHI: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is planning a big show of strength in the national capital by holding the national executive meeting of the Janata Dal (United) on December 29 where he is likely to take over as party president from incumbent Lalan Singh. Sources said Nitish plans to aggressively play the backward card as the head of his party and position himself as the top backward leader of the INDIA bloc. Party leaders said a message will be sent to INDIA from the meeting that the JD(U) is keeping its options open and watching closely how Nitish is being treated. JD(U) leaders consider Nitish as the architect of the INDIA alliance. It was he who had persuaded West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee against going with her then Telangana counterpart and Bharat Rashtra Samithi chief K Chandrashekhar Rao to form a third front. Mamata had then convinced Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal to join the Opposition group, now known as INDIA. Nitish had travelled across the country to bring non-BJP leaders on one platform.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Nitish was certain that the allies would reward him by making him INDIA convenor. That has not happened. Much to his surprise, the two leaders who were opposed to partnering with the Congress  Kejriwal and Mamata  have now suggested Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as INDIA blocs candidate for the post of prime minister. The Delhi meet aims to pressure INDIA leaders to value the centrality of his role in the formation of the group and give him a leadership position. According to sources, Nitishs feelings have already been conveyed to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. JD(U) sources said Nitishs name as party head will be proposed as the national executive committee meet. Once approved, the national council will ratify it. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Online Desk

MUMBAI: A plane carrying more than 300 passengers, mostly Indians, grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking, landed in Mumbai in the early hours of December 26, three days after it was detained by French authorities over suspected human trafficking, a source said.

The aircraft, an Airbus A340, landed in Mumbai shortly after 4 a.m., the official said. It had taken off from Vatry airport near Paris around 2:30 p.m. local time.

The Nicaragua-bound flight that had taken off from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates with 303 passengers was grounded at Vatry airport, 150 kilometres east of Paris, on Thursday over suspected "human trafficking".

The aircraft, an Airbus A340, landed in Mumbai

shortly after 4 am | PTI

On Sunday, four French judges questioned the detained passengers.

The hearings were conducted as part of the investigation opened by the Paris prosecutor's office on the suspicion of human trafficking. According to the French media, some of the passengers spoke Hindi and others Tamil.

After authorising the plane to leave, the French judges on Sunday chose to cancel the hearings of the passengers due to irregularities in the procedure. The plane includes 11 unaccompanied minors.

Two passengers in custody since Friday had their detention extended on Saturday evening for up to 48 hours, according to French prosecutors.

(With inputs from PTI)

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MUMBAI: A plane carrying more than 300 passengers, mostly Indians, grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking, landed in Mumbai in the early hours of December 26, three days after it was detained by French authorities over suspected human trafficking, a source said. The aircraft, an Airbus A340, landed in Mumbai shortly after 4 a.m., the official said. It had taken off from Vatry airport near Paris around 2:30 p.m. local time. The Nicaragua-bound flight that had taken off from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates with 303 passengers was grounded at Vatry airport, 150 kilometres east of Paris, on Thursday over suspected "human trafficking".googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The aircraft, an Airbus A340, landed in Mumbai shortly after 4 am | PTI On Sunday, four French judges questioned the detained passengers. The hearings were conducted as part of the investigation opened by the Paris prosecutor's office on the suspicion of human trafficking. According to the French media, some of the passengers spoke Hindi and others Tamil. After authorising the plane to leave, the French judges on Sunday chose to cancel the hearings of the passengers due to irregularities in the procedure. The plane includes 11 unaccompanied minors. Two passengers in custody since Friday had their detention extended on Saturday evening for up to 48 hours, according to French prosecutors. (With inputs from PTI) Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Yeshi Seli By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Three days after an unmanned drone attacked a merchant ship off the coast of Veraval and another Indian merchant ship was attacked in the Red Sea, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, expressing concern on the situation in West Asia.

"I held a good conversation with my brother Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on the future of Strategic Partnership between India and Saudi Arabia. We exchanged views on West Asia situation and shared concerns regarding terrorism, violence and the loss of civilian lives. We agreed to work together for peace, security and stability in the region," said PM Modi.

It may be recalled that three days ago an unmanned drone hit a merchant ship (MV Chem Pluto) off the coast of Veraval which had 21 Indian sailors on board. Fortunately nobody was hurt but the ship (which carried oil from Saudi Arabia and was heading to Mangalore) was damaged. A day later, another Indian ship (MV Sai Baba) was attacked in the Red Sea.

The Houthis, who rule the major part of Yemen, have pledged to continue carrying out attacks until Israel halts its assault on Gaza. About 40 per cent of international trade passes through the narrow strait between Yemen and northeast Africa, which leads northwards to the Red Sea, Israels southern port facilities and the Suez Canal. Many merchant ships have now paused operations.

The increased threat has caused shipping insurance costs to jump by tens of thousands of dollars a day and raised oil prices.

ALSO READ | Egypt floats ambitious plan to end Israel-Hamas war

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NEW DELHI: Three days after an unmanned drone attacked a merchant ship off the coast of Veraval and another Indian merchant ship was attacked in the Red Sea, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, expressing concern on the situation in West Asia. "I held a good conversation with my brother Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on the future of Strategic Partnership between India and Saudi Arabia. We exchanged views on West Asia situation and shared concerns regarding terrorism, violence and the loss of civilian lives. We agreed to work together for peace, security and stability in the region," said PM Modi. It may be recalled that three days ago an unmanned drone hit a merchant ship (MV Chem Pluto) off the coast of Veraval which had 21 Indian sailors on board. Fortunately nobody was hurt but the ship (which carried oil from Saudi Arabia and was heading to Mangalore) was damaged. A day later, another Indian ship (MV Sai Baba) was attacked in the Red Sea.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The Houthis, who rule the major part of Yemen, have pledged to continue carrying out attacks until Israel halts its assault on Gaza. About 40 per cent of international trade passes through the narrow strait between Yemen and northeast Africa, which leads northwards to the Red Sea, Israels southern port facilities and the Suez Canal. Many merchant ships have now paused operations. The increased threat has caused shipping insurance costs to jump by tens of thousands of dollars a day and raised oil prices. ALSO READ | Egypt floats ambitious plan to end Israel-Hamas war Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Rajesh Kumar Thakur By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hailed the contribution of the Christian community in the nation building, saying that it has always been at the forefront to serve the poor and the deprived. The Prime Minister was hosting eminent members of the community at his residence on the occasion of Christmas.

Quoting a verse from the Holy Bible, the Prime Minister said,Whatever gift God has given should be utilized to serve others. Gandhi ji had himself said that the Non-Cooperation Movement was conceived under the patronage of Sushil Kumar Rudra- principal of St Stephens College during the freedom struggle, the PM said.

Even today, institutions of the Christian community are making a huge contribution in important areas like education and healthcare, he said, and urged those associated with education and healthcare to educate the people on the issues.

Lauding their services in social sectors, Modi also requested the community to work towards making earth a better planet for future generations. There is a tradition of giving gifts on Christmas. Let us take this opportunity to consider how we can gift a better planet to future generations.

Sustainability is the need of todays time and living a sustainable lifestyles the central message of Mission LiFE, the prime minister asserted. He also said that Mission LiFE is now an international movement being led by India inspiring pro-planet people to adopt pro-planet lifestyle.

The prime minister also called upon them to promote the concept of vocal for local by becoming ambassadors of goods made in India as part of service to the nation. With the success of mantra of Vocal for Local, employment and self-employment of lakhs of small entrepreneurs of the country is linked. That is way I would like to request that they continue to receive guidance from you all to become more vocal for local Christian co munity, Modi urged.

Recalling his meeting the Holy Pope, Modi said that he discussed several issues, including climate change and global brotherhood, with him. He said Jesus lived the values of compassion and service and worked to create a society in which justice to all prevails. On the occasion, some Christian members also spoke and praised several initiatives of the Modi government.

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NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hailed the contribution of the Christian community in the nation building, saying that it has always been at the forefront to serve the poor and the deprived. The Prime Minister was hosting eminent members of the community at his residence on the occasion of Christmas. Quoting a verse from the Holy Bible, the Prime Minister said,Whatever gift God has given should be utilized to serve others. Gandhi ji had himself said that the Non-Cooperation Movement was conceived under the patronage of Sushil Kumar Rudra- principal of St Stephens College during the freedom struggle, the PM said. Even today, institutions of the Christian community are making a huge contribution in important areas like education and healthcare, he said, and urged those associated with education and healthcare to educate the people on the issues.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Lauding their services in social sectors, Modi also requested the community to work towards making earth a better planet for future generations. There is a tradition of giving gifts on Christmas. Let us take this opportunity to consider how we can gift a better planet to future generations. Sustainability is the need of todays time and living a sustainable lifestyles the central message of Mission LiFE, the prime minister asserted. He also said that Mission LiFE is now an international movement being led by India inspiring pro-planet people to adopt pro-planet lifestyle. The prime minister also called upon them to promote the concept of vocal for local by becoming ambassadors of goods made in India as part of service to the nation. With the success of mantra of Vocal for Local, employment and self-employment of lakhs of small entrepreneurs of the country is linked. That is way I would like to request that they continue to receive guidance from you all to become more vocal for local Christian co munity, Modi urged. Recalling his meeting the Holy Pope, Modi said that he discussed several issues, including climate change and global brotherhood, with him. He said Jesus lived the values of compassion and service and worked to create a society in which justice to all prevails. On the occasion, some Christian members also spoke and praised several initiatives of the Modi government. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
T Muruganandham By

Express News Service

VARANASI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has told BJP functionaries in Varanasi and other places in Uttar Pradesh to treat Tamil delegates participating in the Kashi Tamil Sangamam (KTS) as his guests and not as tourists.

Speaking at an interactive session with journalists in Varanasi, district collector S Rajalingam, who hails from Kadayanallur, Tamil Nadu, asked journalists regarding their views on the second phase of KTS. They responded by saying that delegates from Tamil Nadu were so overwhelmed by the respect afforded to them by Kashi Viswanath temple authorities and other officials.

At the entrance, the delegates were welcomed by K Venkat Ramana Ghanapati, the first Tamil trustee of the temple, with flowers amid Vedic chants, they said, adding that they were treated like VIPs. The collector attributed all the hospitality to PM Modis instructions given to party cadres and officials last year, ahead of KTSs launch.

Rajalingam was appointed as district collector just ahead of the first phase of KTS last year, since then, he has initiated a slew of developmental works in the town, which also happens to be PM Modis parliamentary constitution. Since KTS is a cultural connect event, we have made certain specific changes this time. To make Tamil delegates get the full experience of Kashi, we are holding the event in Namo Ghat which is located right on the banks of the holy river Ganges.

Last year, we had received some feedback on the South Indian food served to Tamil Delegates. They wanted to taste Kashis authentic cuisine. So, this time around, we have prepared a cuisine that is a fusion of North and South Indian food. Besides, we have made additional arrangements to accomodate 300 more delegates from Tamil Nadu in Varanasi, the collector added.

Moreover, the collector said that there will be an interactive session between the students in Kashi and the Tamil delegates, for the latter to better understand the cultural ethos of the region. A medical team and police will accompany the delegates wherever they go in UP. He also mentioned the district administration has launched a website that provides all details regarding important spiritual destinations within Kashi.

Akin to the Girivalam in Tiruvannamalai, devotees perform Parikrama around Kashi, details regarding the same are also provided on the website. Moreover, QR codes have been placed in all temples for easily accessing information regarding the location, he added.

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VARANASI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has told BJP functionaries in Varanasi and other places in Uttar Pradesh to treat Tamil delegates participating in the Kashi Tamil Sangamam (KTS) as his guests and not as tourists. Speaking at an interactive session with journalists in Varanasi, district collector S Rajalingam, who hails from Kadayanallur, Tamil Nadu, asked journalists regarding their views on the second phase of KTS. They responded by saying that delegates from Tamil Nadu were so overwhelmed by the respect afforded to them by Kashi Viswanath temple authorities and other officials. At the entrance, the delegates were welcomed by K Venkat Ramana Ghanapati, the first Tamil trustee of the temple, with flowers amid Vedic chants, they said, adding that they were treated like VIPs. The collector attributed all the hospitality to PM Modis instructions given to party cadres and officials last year, ahead of KTSs launch.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Rajalingam was appointed as district collector just ahead of the first phase of KTS last year, since then, he has initiated a slew of developmental works in the town, which also happens to be PM Modis parliamentary constitution. Since KTS is a cultural connect event, we have made certain specific changes this time. To make Tamil delegates get the full experience of Kashi, we are holding the event in Namo Ghat which is located right on the banks of the holy river Ganges. Last year, we had received some feedback on the South Indian food served to Tamil Delegates. They wanted to taste Kashis authentic cuisine. So, this time around, we have prepared a cuisine that is a fusion of North and South Indian food. Besides, we have made additional arrangements to accomodate 300 more delegates from Tamil Nadu in Varanasi, the collector added. Moreover, the collector said that there will be an interactive session between the students in Kashi and the Tamil delegates, for the latter to better understand the cultural ethos of the region. A medical team and police will accompany the delegates wherever they go in UP. He also mentioned the district administration has launched a website that provides all details regarding important spiritual destinations within Kashi. Akin to the Girivalam in Tiruvannamalai, devotees perform Parikrama around Kashi, details regarding the same are also provided on the website. Moreover, QR codes have been placed in all temples for easily accessing information regarding the location, he added. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Narendra Sethi By

Express News Service

DEHRADUN: Six people were buried alive after a brick kiln collapsed in Lahauli village of Roorkee in Uttarakhand on Tuesday morning. At least 12 labourers and cattle were buried under the debris.

According to the police, the disaster management received information around 6 am about the collapse of a wall with an iron plate at a brick kiln in the Roorkee development block of Narsan.

The squad reached the spot and removed the debris with the help of a JCB machine. As soon as the accident was reported, a huge crowd of onlookers gathered at the spot. Rescue teams have recovered six bodies from the debris while three others are in critical condition. A horse was also killed in the incident.

Senior Superintendent of police Pramendra Dobhal told The New Indian Express, "The labourers were in the midst of their work when the kiln abruptly collapsed, resulting in the workers who were standing near the wall, being engulfed in the debris before anyone could comprehend the situation."

"Six bodies have been pulled out of the debris, while the condition of three labourers is critical and they have been admitted to a hospital," Mangalore Kotwali in-charge Pradeep Bisht said. The deceased were identified as Mukul (28), Sabir (20), Ankit (40), Baburam (50), Jaggi (24) and Sameer. The injured include Ravi and Intezar.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has expressed deep grief over the tragedy. Describing the incident as heart-wrenching, he has directed to give financial assistance of Rs two lakh to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured.

After inspecting the spot, District Magistrate Dheeraj Singh Garbiyal ordered a magisterial inquiry by the Joint Magistrate of Roorkee.

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DEHRADUN: Six people were buried alive after a brick kiln collapsed in Lahauli village of Roorkee in Uttarakhand on Tuesday morning. At least 12 labourers and cattle were buried under the debris. According to the police, the disaster management received information around 6 am about the collapse of a wall with an iron plate at a brick kiln in the Roorkee development block of Narsan. The squad reached the spot and removed the debris with the help of a JCB machine. As soon as the accident was reported, a huge crowd of onlookers gathered at the spot. Rescue teams have recovered six bodies from the debris while three others are in critical condition. A horse was also killed in the incident.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Senior Superintendent of police Pramendra Dobhal told The New Indian Express, "The labourers were in the midst of their work when the kiln abruptly collapsed, resulting in the workers who were standing near the wall, being engulfed in the debris before anyone could comprehend the situation." "Six bodies have been pulled out of the debris, while the condition of three labourers is critical and they have been admitted to a hospital," Mangalore Kotwali in-charge Pradeep Bisht said. The deceased were identified as Mukul (28), Sabir (20), Ankit (40), Baburam (50), Jaggi (24) and Sameer. The injured include Ravi and Intezar. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has expressed deep grief over the tragedy. Describing the incident as heart-wrenching, he has directed to give financial assistance of Rs two lakh to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured. After inspecting the spot, District Magistrate Dheeraj Singh Garbiyal ordered a magisterial inquiry by the Joint Magistrate of Roorkee. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

JAIPUR: Three men allegedly kidnapped a 17-year-old girl at gunpoint and raped her in a hotel in Rajasthan's Alwar district, police said Tuesday.

According to police, the victim had gone out to purchase some medicines when the accused kidnapped her in a car and forced her to drink liquor. They took her to a hotel where they raped her, police said.

A case has been registered against three named accused and searches are being conducted to nab them, they said. The victim's mother has lodged a report with the police that the minor was kidnapped on the night of December 23.

The accused took her away in a car at gunpoint and raped her, Kherli police station in-charge Mahavir Prasad said.

Manoj Saini, Kedar Saini and Narendra have been named as the accused in the FIR, Prasad said.

The victim has been medically examined and investigation in the case is under way. The investigation has been handed over to DSP Kathumar, police said.

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JAIPUR: Three men allegedly kidnapped a 17-year-old girl at gunpoint and raped her in a hotel in Rajasthan's Alwar district, police said Tuesday. According to police, the victim had gone out to purchase some medicines when the accused kidnapped her in a car and forced her to drink liquor. They took her to a hotel where they raped her, police said. A case has been registered against three named accused and searches are being conducted to nab them, they said. The victim's mother has lodged a report with the police that the minor was kidnapped on the night of December 23.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The accused took her away in a car at gunpoint and raped her, Kherli police station in-charge Mahavir Prasad said. Manoj Saini, Kedar Saini and Narendra have been named as the accused in the FIR, Prasad said. The victim has been medically examined and investigation in the case is under way. The investigation has been handed over to DSP Kathumar, police said. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Mayank Singh By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: On Tuesday, Rajnath Singh stated that India's growing economic and strategic power has filled some forces with jealousy and hatred. The Government of India has taken the attacks very seriously and the Navy has increased its surveillance. He assured that the perpetrators of these attacks will soon be brought to justice and strict action will be taken against them, he said while speaking at the commissioning ceremony of indigenous stealth destroyer INS Imphal.

The Defence Minister stressed on the need to continuously develop the Navys capabilities as global trade is of great importance to India to secure its national interests.

Meanwhile, speaking on the occasion Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar pointed out that to counter piracy & drone attacks on merchant shipping, the Indian Navy has deployed four destroyers.

The P8I Aircraft, Dorniers, Sea Guardians, Helicopters & Coast Guard Ships have all been deployed jointly to counter these threats, he added during the commissioning ceremony of INS Imphal.

While the Liberia-flagged merchant vessel M/V Chem Pluto carrying 21 Indian and one Vietnamese crew members came under a drone attack off the coast of Gujarat, M/V Saibaba was hit by a one-way drone attack in the southern Red Sea on Saturday.

INS Imphal, a Project 15B stealth-guided missile destroyer, was commissioned into the Indian Navy at an impressive ceremony held at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai.

ALSO READ | MV Chem Pluto: Navy dispatches warship to assess drone strike on merchant vessel off India's coast

It is the third of four indigenous Visakhapatnam class destroyers, being designed by the Indian Navys Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai.

Speaking on the occasion, the Defence Minister described INS Imphal as a shining example of Aatmanirbharta in defence and a reflection of the commitment of the Indian Navy, MDL & all other stakeholders towards national security. INS Imphal is a symbol of India's growing maritime power and it will strengthen it further. It will bolster our principle of Jalmev Yasya, Balmev Tasya (One Who Controls the Sea is All Powerful) in the Indo-Pacific region, he said.

The ship measures 163m in length, 17m in breadth with a displacement of 7,400 tonnes and is amongst the most potent warships built in India. It is propelled by four powerful Gas Turbines, in a Combined Gas & Gas configuration, and is capable of speeds over 30 knots.

The ship has a total complement of about 315 personnel and is commanded by Captain KK Choudhury, a Gunnery and Missiles specialist. It will augment the Navys mobility, reach and flexibility in safeguarding the nations maritime security and interests.

As reported earlier by this newspaper the contract for the construction of four ships under Project-15B was signed in January 2011 at a project cost of about Rs 29,643.74 crore. The final cost of the project is Rs 35,000 crore. The four ships are christened after major cities of the country - Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal, and Surat. The remaining ships would be commissioned one per year from 2022 to 2024.

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NEW DELHI: On Tuesday, Rajnath Singh stated that India's growing economic and strategic power has filled some forces with jealousy and hatred. The Government of India has taken the attacks very seriously and the Navy has increased its surveillance. He assured that the perpetrators of these attacks will soon be brought to justice and strict action will be taken against them, he said while speaking at the commissioning ceremony of indigenous stealth destroyer INS Imphal. The Defence Minister stressed on the need to continuously develop the Navys capabilities as global trade is of great importance to India to secure its national interests. Meanwhile, speaking on the occasion Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar pointed out that to counter piracy & drone attacks on merchant shipping, the Indian Navy has deployed four destroyers.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The P8I Aircraft, Dorniers, Sea Guardians, Helicopters & Coast Guard Ships have all been deployed jointly to counter these threats, he added during the commissioning ceremony of INS Imphal. While the Liberia-flagged merchant vessel M/V Chem Pluto carrying 21 Indian and one Vietnamese crew members came under a drone attack off the coast of Gujarat, M/V Saibaba was hit by a one-way drone attack in the southern Red Sea on Saturday. INS Imphal, a Project 15B stealth-guided missile destroyer, was commissioned into the Indian Navy at an impressive ceremony held at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai. ALSO READ | MV Chem Pluto: Navy dispatches warship to assess drone strike on merchant vessel off India's coast It is the third of four indigenous Visakhapatnam class destroyers, being designed by the Indian Navys Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai. Speaking on the occasion, the Defence Minister described INS Imphal as a shining example of Aatmanirbharta in defence and a reflection of the commitment of the Indian Navy, MDL & all other stakeholders towards national security. INS Imphal is a symbol of India's growing maritime power and it will strengthen it further. It will bolster our principle of Jalmev Yasya, Balmev Tasya (One Who Controls the Sea is All Powerful) in the Indo-Pacific region, he said. The ship measures 163m in length, 17m in breadth with a displacement of 7,400 tonnes and is amongst the most potent warships built in India. It is propelled by four powerful Gas Turbines, in a Combined Gas & Gas configuration, and is capable of speeds over 30 knots. The ship has a total complement of about 315 personnel and is commanded by Captain KK Choudhury, a Gunnery and Missiles specialist. It will augment the Navys mobility, reach and flexibility in safeguarding the nations maritime security and interests. As reported earlier by this newspaper the contract for the construction of four ships under Project-15B was signed in January 2011 at a project cost of about Rs 29,643.74 crore. The final cost of the project is Rs 35,000 crore. The four ships are christened after major cities of the country - Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal, and Surat. The remaining ships would be commissioned one per year from 2022 to 2024. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

NEW DELHI: CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has turned down an invitation to attend the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the party said on Tuesday while underlining its belief that religion is a personal choice.

"Our policy is to respect religious beliefs and the right of each individual to pursue their belief. Religion is a personal choice not to be converted into an instrument for political gain. Comrade Sitaram Yechury will not attend the ceremony despite receiving an invitation to do so," the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said in a post on X.

In a statement, the politburo of the Left party said Yechury received an invitation to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

"The CPI(M) policy has been to respect religious beliefs and safeguard the right of every individual to pursue their belief. It believes that religion is a personal choice not to be converted into an instrument for political gain. Therefore, we will not be attending the ceremony," the party said.

Our policy is to respect religious beliefs & right of each individual to pursue their belief. Religion is a personal choice not to be converted into an instrument for political gain. Comrade Sitaram Yechury will not attend the ceremony despite receiving an invitation to do so. pic.twitter.com/EuSdS4UGid  CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) December 26, 2023

It added that it is "most unfortunate" that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have converted a religious ceremony into a State-sponsored event directly involving the prime minister, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and other government functionaries.

"A fundamental principle of governance in India as reiterated by the Supreme Court is that the State in India, under the Constitution, should have no religious affiliation. This is being violated by the ruling regime in the organisation of the event," the CPI(M) said.

The Ram temple will be inaugurated on January 22, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and more than 6,000 people expected to attend the grand "Pran Pratistha" ceremony.

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NEW DELHI: CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has turned down an invitation to attend the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the party said on Tuesday while underlining its belief that religion is a personal choice. "Our policy is to respect religious beliefs and the right of each individual to pursue their belief. Religion is a personal choice not to be converted into an instrument for political gain. Comrade Sitaram Yechury will not attend the ceremony despite receiving an invitation to do so," the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said in a post on X. In a statement, the politburo of the Left party said Yechury received an invitation to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "The CPI(M) policy has been to respect religious beliefs and safeguard the right of every individual to pursue their belief. It believes that religion is a personal choice not to be converted into an instrument for political gain. Therefore, we will not be attending the ceremony," the party said. Our policy is to respect religious beliefs & right of each individual to pursue their belief. Religion is a personal choice not to be converted into an instrument for political gain. Comrade Sitaram Yechury will not attend the ceremony despite receiving an invitation to do so. pic.twitter.com/EuSdS4UGid  CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) December 26, 2023 It added that it is "most unfortunate" that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have converted a religious ceremony into a State-sponsored event directly involving the prime minister, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and other government functionaries. "A fundamental principle of governance in India as reiterated by the Supreme Court is that the State in India, under the Constitution, should have no religious affiliation. This is being violated by the ruling regime in the organisation of the event," the CPI(M) said. The Ram temple will be inaugurated on January 22, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and more than 6,000 people expected to attend the grand "Pran Pratistha" ceremony. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: Amid growing concerns around the rising cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1, a 51-year-old woman from Visakhapatnam died of infection on Tuesday.

The woman was admitted to King George Hospital on December 24, following acute respiratory distress syndrome. She was tested positive for COVID-19 in the RT-PCR test, and doctors provided her with specialized treatment.

#BreakingNews

A 51-year-old woman admitted to King George Hospital in #Visakhapatnam with Accute Respiratory Distress Syndrome died. She was found to be #COVID positive @NewIndianXpress pic.twitter.com/souBNSsznt December 26, 2023

Although her samples were sent to a Genome Sequencing Lab in Vijayawada to test for the Saras variant, she, unfortunately, passed away, before the results could be obtained.

Dr P Ashok Kumar, Superintendent of King, George Hospital, stated that the woman succumbed at 3:00 am on Tuesday despite receiving advanced treatment. He further stated that It is important to note that while she tested positive for COVID-19, it cannot be definitively concluded, that her death was due to the virus.

The woman has comorbid conditions. She had kidney failure and suffered from multi-organ dysfunction syndrome, the doctor said. She was initially admitted to Chest Hospital and shifted to KGH after she tested positive for COVID-19.

READ MORE | India records 412 fresh COVID-19 cases

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VIJAYAWADA: Amid growing concerns around the rising cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1, a 51-year-old woman from Visakhapatnam died of infection on Tuesday. The woman was admitted to King George Hospital on December 24, following acute respiratory distress syndrome. She was tested positive for COVID-19 in the RT-PCR test, and doctors provided her with specialized treatment. #BreakingNews A 51-year-old woman admitted to King George Hospital in #Visakhapatnam with Accute Respiratory Distress Syndrome died. She was found to be #COVID positive @NewIndianXpress pic.twitter.com/souBNSszntgoogletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); });  TNIE Andhra Pradesh (@xpressandhra) December 26, 2023 Although her samples were sent to a Genome Sequencing Lab in Vijayawada to test for the Saras variant, she, unfortunately, passed away, before the results could be obtained. Dr P Ashok Kumar, Superintendent of King, George Hospital, stated that the woman succumbed at 3:00 am on Tuesday despite receiving advanced treatment. He further stated that It is important to note that while she tested positive for COVID-19, it cannot be definitively concluded, that her death was due to the virus. The woman has comorbid conditions. She had kidney failure and suffered from multi-organ dysfunction syndrome, the doctor said. She was initially admitted to Chest Hospital and shifted to KGH after she tested positive for COVID-19. READ MORE | India records 412 fresh COVID-19 cases Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: Adding another species to the list of exotic animals, the Nandankan Zoological Park (NZP) here has brought a pair of wallabies, a small/middle-sized macropod, native to Australia and New Guinea, after a gap of over three and half decades.

Along with the wallabies, the zoo also brought a pair of Livingstones Turacos. The new guests were welcomed to the zoo on Saturday and have been planned to be released to the enclosures for visitors viewing from December 29.

The zoo earlier had wallabies way back in 1987-88. However, the NZP authorities had not been successful in bringing a new pair of the mammal species to the zoological park thereafter, said an official.

The wallabies were brought with the help of an individual donor from Hyderabad. The donor also helped in getting the Livingstones Turacos for the zoo, the zoo official said.

Livingstones Turaco is a bird species found in dense woodlands, and mostly distributed through the subtropical lowlands of southeastern Africa.

The new pair has increased the number of Livingstones Turacos in the zoo to three.

Zoo records 60K footfall, to remain open on New Year

Bhubaneswar: Christmas fever gripped Capital city with Nandankanan Zoo receiving close to 60,000 visitors in the last two days. Zoo officials said, they have also decided to keep the zoo open for visitors on the New Year day on January 1. The zoo will remain closed for visitors on January 2.

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BHUBANESWAR: Adding another species to the list of exotic animals, the Nandankan Zoological Park (NZP) here has brought a pair of wallabies, a small/middle-sized macropod, native to Australia and New Guinea, after a gap of over three and half decades. Along with the wallabies, the zoo also brought a pair of Livingstones Turacos. The new guests were welcomed to the zoo on Saturday and have been planned to be released to the enclosures for visitors viewing from December 29. The zoo earlier had wallabies way back in 1987-88. However, the NZP authorities had not been successful in bringing a new pair of the mammal species to the zoological park thereafter, said an official.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The wallabies were brought with the help of an individual donor from Hyderabad. The donor also helped in getting the Livingstones Turacos for the zoo, the zoo official said. Livingstones Turaco is a bird species found in dense woodlands, and mostly distributed through the subtropical lowlands of southeastern Africa. The new pair has increased the number of Livingstones Turacos in the zoo to three. Zoo records 60K footfall, to remain open on New Year Bhubaneswar: Christmas fever gripped Capital city with Nandankanan Zoo receiving close to 60,000 visitors in the last two days. Zoo officials said, they have also decided to keep the zoo open for visitors on the New Year day on January 1. The zoo will remain closed for visitors on January 2. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Express News Service

CUTTACK: Commissionerate police on Monday claimed to have cracked the gruesome murder of a 13-year-old boy whose body was found lying in a pool of blood with slit throat near a pond at Purbakachha village within Jagatpur police limits on December 17 morning and arrested the killer.

The 25-year-old accused identified as Jogendra Panda alias Babula of Purbakachha has reportedly confessed to having murdered the boy after the latter resisted his frequent attempts to sodomise him.

Briefing mediapersons, DCP Pinak Mishra said the deceased had been missing since December 16 morning. The boy had reportedly left home after his father Jagannath Behera, a mason, rebuked him for not focusing on his studies.

On December 17 morning, some locals found the boys body lying in a pool of blood with slit throat on the paddy field road leading to the village pond Chandan Pokahari and informed his family as well as police.

After the recovery of the body, the boys elder brother filed an FIR based on which a murder case was registered and an investigation carried out.

Police formed a special team headed by ACP-Zone-1 Arun Kumar Swain which verified the CCTV footage and also drew up a list of local antisocial elements, criminals and addicts.

During investigation, it came to light that the boy was killed on the rooftop of the cyclone shelter in the village and subsequently thrown near Chandan Pokhari.

The special team then focused on the movement of the persons who used to congregate at the cyclone shelter for using intoxicants and started screening them. They found the accused Babula used to sit on the roof of the shelter for intoxication and had absconded from the locality after two days of the incident, said Mishra.

After much effort, the accused who was hiding in a paddy field near Padmapur was apprehended on Sunday.

During interrogation, Babula confessed that he had befriended the boy last July and had been sodomising him by providing him biscuits and chocolates on the first floor of the abandoned cyclone shelter.

Babula had taken the boy to the cyclone shelter on December 16. However, the boy resisted and stated that he would disclose the matter to his father. Enraged, the accused assaulted the boy with a broken wooden door bottom. The boy fell down there and became unconscious. The accused then went to his house, brought a sickle and slit his throat.

He then shifted the dead body from the cyclone shelter to the road near Chandan Pokhari and abandoned it there, Mishra added.

The weapons of offence i.e. a wooden door bottom and the sickle have also been seized, informed the DCP.

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CUTTACK: Commissionerate police on Monday claimed to have cracked the gruesome murder of a 13-year-old boy whose body was found lying in a pool of blood with slit throat near a pond at Purbakachha village within Jagatpur police limits on December 17 morning and arrested the killer. The 25-year-old accused identified as Jogendra Panda alias Babula of Purbakachha has reportedly confessed to having murdered the boy after the latter resisted his frequent attempts to sodomise him. Briefing mediapersons, DCP Pinak Mishra said the deceased had been missing since December 16 morning. The boy had reportedly left home after his father Jagannath Behera, a mason, rebuked him for not focusing on his studies. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); On December 17 morning, some locals found the boys body lying in a pool of blood with slit throat on the paddy field road leading to the village pond Chandan Pokahari and informed his family as well as police. After the recovery of the body, the boys elder brother filed an FIR based on which a murder case was registered and an investigation carried out. Police formed a special team headed by ACP-Zone-1 Arun Kumar Swain which verified the CCTV footage and also drew up a list of local antisocial elements, criminals and addicts. During investigation, it came to light that the boy was killed on the rooftop of the cyclone shelter in the village and subsequently thrown near Chandan Pokhari. The special team then focused on the movement of the persons who used to congregate at the cyclone shelter for using intoxicants and started screening them. They found the accused Babula used to sit on the roof of the shelter for intoxication and had absconded from the locality after two days of the incident, said Mishra. After much effort, the accused who was hiding in a paddy field near Padmapur was apprehended on Sunday. During interrogation, Babula confessed that he had befriended the boy last July and had been sodomising him by providing him biscuits and chocolates on the first floor of the abandoned cyclone shelter. Babula had taken the boy to the cyclone shelter on December 16. However, the boy resisted and stated that he would disclose the matter to his father. Enraged, the accused assaulted the boy with a broken wooden door bottom. The boy fell down there and became unconscious. The accused then went to his house, brought a sickle and slit his throat. He then shifted the dead body from the cyclone shelter to the road near Chandan Pokhari and abandoned it there, Mishra added. The weapons of offence i.e. a wooden door bottom and the sickle have also been seized, informed the DCP. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Ireddy Srinivas Reddy By

Express News Service

HYDERABAD: The BJP is on the edge with reports pouring in that desertions might soon take place, given the fast-approaching Lok Sabha elections.

A sitting MP and a former MP are likely to shift loyalty to the grand old party. Both of them want to contest from their home constituencies as Congress nominees. The former MP had met Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy a few days ago.

The sitting MP, who is said to be unhappy with the partys national leadership for denying him a berth in the Cabinet, had thought of joining the Congress on the eve of Assembly elections but could not get an assurance of a ticket. The sitting MP is said to be very close to Revanth Reddy.

Both leaders are expecting the Congress to win a majority of Lok Sabha seats under the leadership of Revanth. They want to develop their constituencies with state funds.

If the speculation proves right, it would be a major setback for the BJP before the Lok Sabha elections as it is keen on winning as many seats as possible from Telangana after it improved its performance in the recent Assembly elections.

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HYDERABAD: The BJP is on the edge with reports pouring in that desertions might soon take place, given the fast-approaching Lok Sabha elections. A sitting MP and a former MP are likely to shift loyalty to the grand old party. Both of them want to contest from their home constituencies as Congress nominees. The former MP had met Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy a few days ago. The sitting MP, who is said to be unhappy with the partys national leadership for denying him a berth in the Cabinet, had thought of joining the Congress on the eve of Assembly elections but could not get an assurance of a ticket. The sitting MP is said to be very close to Revanth Reddy. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Both leaders are expecting the Congress to win a majority of Lok Sabha seats under the leadership of Revanth. They want to develop their constituencies with state funds. If the speculation proves right, it would be a major setback for the BJP before the Lok Sabha elections as it is keen on winning as many seats as possible from Telangana after it improved its performance in the recent Assembly elections. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By AFP

MOSCOW: Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been moved to a penal colony in the Arctic, allies said on Monday after over two weeks during which his whereabouts were unknown.

Authorities transferred Russia's most prominent opposition politician to an isolated penal colony three months before a presidential vote expected to easily hand Vladimir Putin a fifth term.

"We have found Alexei Navalny," his ally, Kira Yarmysh, said on social media. "He is now in IK-3 in the settlement of Kharp in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District," Yarmysh added. "His lawyer visited him today. Alexei is doing well."

The district of Kharp, home to about 5,000 people, is located above the Arctic Circle.

It is "one of the most northern and remote colonies", said Ivan Zhdanov, who manages Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation. "Conditions there are harsh, with a special regime in the permafrost zone" and very little contact to the outside world, Zhdanov said.

Washington welcomed reports that the dissident was finally located alive but slammed Moscow for its "malicious targeting of Navalny and the more than 600 other political prisoners Russia has imprisoned". The State Department said it remained "deeply concerned for Mr. Navalny's wellbeing and the conditions of his unjust detention".

It said it joined Navalny's family and supporters "in calling for his immediate release, without conditions" and for Russia to "end its escalating repression of independent voices in Russia".

France condemned the transfer, with a foreign ministry spokeswoman saying Russia had committed "blatant violations of human rights".

'Isolate Alexei'

Navalny has been behind bars in Russia since January 2021, when he returned to Moscow after recuperating in Germany from nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin. Before his arrest, he campaigned against official corruption and organized major anti-Kremlin protests.

He has since received three prison terms and spent months in isolation in Penal Colony No. 6, some 250 kilometres (155 miles) east of Moscow in the Vladimir region. for alleged minor infractions. He has rejected all charges against him as politically motivated.

A court extended his sentence to 19 years on extremism charges. It also ruled he be moved to a harsher special regime prison, usually housing particularly dangerous prisoners.

After weeks of uncertainty, Navalny was found at IK-3 -- "Polar Wolf" -- a strict-regime colony. He could be moved to the nearby penal colony No.18 -- "Polar Owl" -- which has an even harsher regime.

It is common for transfers to take weeks in Russia, as prisoners are slowly moved by rail between far-flung facilities.

  .



     -3    -  .



           .        .



,    . pic.twitter.com/oJLWwjAalG    (@teamnavalny) December 25, 2023

But the complete lack of news on his whereabouts had spurred concerns from allies, rights groups and Western governments.

Navalny's allies said they had sent requests to over 600 detention centres. "There was a complete ban of information about him," Zhdanov said.

Allies believe the Kremlin aimed to further isolate the vocal critic. "From the very beginning, it was clear that authorities wanted to isolate Alexei, especially before the elections," Zhdanov said.

Russia will hold a presidential vote in March 2024, with Putin the undisputed favourite.

Several Kremlin-friendly parties are due to put forward candidates for the vote, but the real opposition has been sidelined.

Moscow has for years weakened Russia's independent politicians and activists, a clampdown that accelerated after the Kremlin ordered Russian troops into Ukraine in 2022.

Navalny's movement in particular has been targeted by Kremlin repression.

Even before the offensive in Ukraine, Navalny's organisation was declared extremist, which facilitated the prosecution of members and supporters.

Several regional heads of the Anti-Corruption Foundation were jailed.

Among them was Lilia Chanysheva, Navalny's ally in the central Bashkortostan Republic, who was handed seven and a half years in prison this summer.

Many high-profile allies have fled, including Maria Pevchikh, who runs the Anti-Corruption Foundation from abroad and was targeted by a Russian arrest warrant last week.

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MOSCOW: Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been moved to a penal colony in the Arctic, allies said on Monday after over two weeks during which his whereabouts were unknown. Authorities transferred Russia's most prominent opposition politician to an isolated penal colony three months before a presidential vote expected to easily hand Vladimir Putin a fifth term. "We have found Alexei Navalny," his ally, Kira Yarmysh, said on social media. "He is now in IK-3 in the settlement of Kharp in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District," Yarmysh added. "His lawyer visited him today. Alexei is doing well."googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The district of Kharp, home to about 5,000 people, is located above the Arctic Circle. It is "one of the most northern and remote colonies", said Ivan Zhdanov, who manages Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation. "Conditions there are harsh, with a special regime in the permafrost zone" and very little contact to the outside world, Zhdanov said. Washington welcomed reports that the dissident was finally located alive but slammed Moscow for its "malicious targeting of Navalny and the more than 600 other political prisoners Russia has imprisoned". The State Department said it remained "deeply concerned for Mr. Navalny's wellbeing and the conditions of his unjust detention". It said it joined Navalny's family and supporters "in calling for his immediate release, without conditions" and for Russia to "end its escalating repression of independent voices in Russia". France condemned the transfer, with a foreign ministry spokeswoman saying Russia had committed "blatant violations of human rights". 'Isolate Alexei' Navalny has been behind bars in Russia since January 2021, when he returned to Moscow after recuperating in Germany from nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin. Before his arrest, he campaigned against official corruption and organized major anti-Kremlin protests. He has since received three prison terms and spent months in isolation in Penal Colony No. 6, some 250 kilometres (155 miles) east of Moscow in the Vladimir region. for alleged minor infractions. He has rejected all charges against him as politically motivated. A court extended his sentence to 19 years on extremism charges. It also ruled he be moved to a harsher special regime prison, usually housing particularly dangerous prisoners. After weeks of uncertainty, Navalny was found at IK-3 -- "Polar Wolf" -- a strict-regime colony. He could be moved to the nearby penal colony No.18 -- "Polar Owl" -- which has an even harsher regime. It is common for transfers to take weeks in Russia, as prisoners are slowly moved by rail between far-flung facilities.   .      -3    -  .            .        . ,    . pic.twitter.com/oJLWwjAalG    (@teamnavalny) December 25, 2023 But the complete lack of news on his whereabouts had spurred concerns from allies, rights groups and Western governments. Navalny's allies said they had sent requests to over 600 detention centres. "There was a complete ban of information about him," Zhdanov said. Allies believe the Kremlin aimed to further isolate the vocal critic. "From the very beginning, it was clear that authorities wanted to isolate Alexei, especially before the elections," Zhdanov said. Russia will hold a presidential vote in March 2024, with Putin the undisputed favourite. Several Kremlin-friendly parties are due to put forward candidates for the vote, but the real opposition has been sidelined. Moscow has for years weakened Russia's independent politicians and activists, a clampdown that accelerated after the Kremlin ordered Russian troops into Ukraine in 2022. Navalny's movement in particular has been targeted by Kremlin repression. Even before the offensive in Ukraine, Navalny's organisation was declared extremist, which facilitated the prosecution of members and supporters. Several regional heads of the Anti-Corruption Foundation were jailed. Among them was Lilia Chanysheva, Navalny's ally in the central Bashkortostan Republic, who was handed seven and a half years in prison this summer. Many high-profile allies have fled, including Maria Pevchikh, who runs the Anti-Corruption Foundation from abroad and was targeted by a Russian arrest warrant last week. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Agencies

WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden ordered the US military to carry out retaliatory strikes against Iranian-backed militia groups after three US service members were injured in a drone attack in northern Iraq. That attack wounded three US military personnel, one critically, US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

The US strikes were carried out at about 4:45 a.m. on Tuesday in Iraq, less than 13 hours after the U.S. personnel were attacked.

"US military forces conducted necessary and proportionate strikes on three facilities used by Kataeb Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq," Austin said in a statement.

"These precision strikes are a response to a series of attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias, including an attack by Iran-affiliated Kataeb Hezbollah and affiliated groups on Arbil Air Base earlier today," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

The Iranian-backed militia Kataeb Hezbollah and affiliated groups, under an umbrella of Iranian-backed militants, claimed credit for the attack that utilized a one-way attack drone.

Biden, who is spending Christmas at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, was alerted about the attack by White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan shortly after it occurred on Monday and ordered the Pentagon and his top national security aides to prepare response options.

Sullivan consulted with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Biden's deputy national security adviser, Jon Finer, was with the president at Camp David and convened top aides to review options, according to a US official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and requested AP to keep anonymity.

Within hours, Biden convened his nationals security team for a call in which Austin and Gen. CQ Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, briefed Biden on the response options. Biden opted to target three locations used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, the official said.

Washington has repeatedly targeted sites used by Iran and its proxy forces in Iraq and Syria in response to dozens of attacks on American and allied forces in the region since the October 7 outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.

ALSO READ | Iran Guards say Israeli strike kills senior general in Syria

More than 100 attacks

Biden "places no higher priority than the protection of American personnel serving in harm's way. The United States will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue," the statement added.

The drone attack was claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose formation of armed groups affiliated with the Hashed al-Shaabi coalition of former paramilitaries that are now integrated into Iraq's regular armed forces.

A tally by US military officials has counted 103 attacks against its troops in Iraq and Syria since October 17, most of which have been claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which opposes US support for Israel in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The latest round of the Israel-Hamas conflict began when the Palestinian militant group carried out a shock cross-border attack from Gaza on October 7 that killed about 1,140 people, mostly civilians according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Following the attack, the United States rushed military aid to Israel, which has carried out a relentless campaign in Gaza that has killed at least 20,670 people, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

Those deaths have sparked widespread anger in the Middle East and provided an impetus for attacks on American troops by forces opposed to their presence in the region.

There are roughly 2,500 American troops in Iraq and some 900 in Syria as part of efforts to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State group.

The militants once held significant territory in both countries but were pushed back by local ground forces supported by international air strikes in a bloody, multi-year conflict.

The US has blamed Iran, which has funded and trained Hamas, for the rising violence by its network of proxy groups across the region, including attacks by Yemens Houthis against commercial and military vessels thorough a critical shipping choke point in the Red Sea.

The Biden administration has sought to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spiraling into a wider regional conflict that either opens up new fronts of Israeli fighting or that draws the US in directly. The administrations measured response  where not every attempt on American troops has been met with a counterattack  has drawn criticism from Republicans.

The US has thousands of troops in Iraq training Iraqi forces and combating remnants of the Islamic State group, and hundreds in Syria, mostly on the counter-IS mission. They have come under dozens of attacks, though as yet none fatal, since the war began on October 7.

(With inputs from AP and AFP)

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WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden ordered the US military to carry out retaliatory strikes against Iranian-backed militia groups after three US service members were injured in a drone attack in northern Iraq. That attack wounded three US military personnel, one critically, US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement. The US strikes were carried out at about 4:45 a.m. on Tuesday in Iraq, less than 13 hours after the U.S. personnel were attacked. "US military forces conducted necessary and proportionate strikes on three facilities used by Kataeb Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq," Austin said in a statement.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "These precision strikes are a response to a series of attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias, including an attack by Iran-affiliated Kataeb Hezbollah and affiliated groups on Arbil Air Base earlier today," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. The Iranian-backed militia Kataeb Hezbollah and affiliated groups, under an umbrella of Iranian-backed militants, claimed credit for the attack that utilized a one-way attack drone. Biden, who is spending Christmas at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, was alerted about the attack by White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan shortly after it occurred on Monday and ordered the Pentagon and his top national security aides to prepare response options. Sullivan consulted with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Biden's deputy national security adviser, Jon Finer, was with the president at Camp David and convened top aides to review options, according to a US official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and requested AP to keep anonymity. Within hours, Biden convened his nationals security team for a call in which Austin and Gen. CQ Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, briefed Biden on the response options. Biden opted to target three locations used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, the official said. Washington has repeatedly targeted sites used by Iran and its proxy forces in Iraq and Syria in response to dozens of attacks on American and allied forces in the region since the October 7 outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. ALSO READ | Iran Guards say Israeli strike kills senior general in Syria More than 100 attacks Biden "places no higher priority than the protection of American personnel serving in harm's way. The United States will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue," the statement added. The drone attack was claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose formation of armed groups affiliated with the Hashed al-Shaabi coalition of former paramilitaries that are now integrated into Iraq's regular armed forces. A tally by US military officials has counted 103 attacks against its troops in Iraq and Syria since October 17, most of which have been claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which opposes US support for Israel in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The latest round of the Israel-Hamas conflict began when the Palestinian militant group carried out a shock cross-border attack from Gaza on October 7 that killed about 1,140 people, mostly civilians according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. Following the attack, the United States rushed military aid to Israel, which has carried out a relentless campaign in Gaza that has killed at least 20,670 people, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. Those deaths have sparked widespread anger in the Middle East and provided an impetus for attacks on American troops by forces opposed to their presence in the region. There are roughly 2,500 American troops in Iraq and some 900 in Syria as part of efforts to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State group. The militants once held significant territory in both countries but were pushed back by local ground forces supported by international air strikes in a bloody, multi-year conflict. The US has blamed Iran, which has funded and trained Hamas, for the rising violence by its network of proxy groups across the region, including attacks by Yemens Houthis against commercial and military vessels thorough a critical shipping choke point in the Red Sea. The Biden administration has sought to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spiraling into a wider regional conflict that either opens up new fronts of Israeli fighting or that draws the US in directly. The administrations measured response  where not every attempt on American troops has been met with a counterattack  has drawn criticism from Republicans. The US has thousands of troops in Iraq training Iraqi forces and combating remnants of the Islamic State group, and hundreds in Syria, mostly on the counter-IS mission. They have come under dozens of attacks, though as yet none fatal, since the war began on October 7. (With inputs from AP and AFP) Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Express News Service

As the year is coming to an end and COVID-19 cases are on the rise across the country people should take precautions rather than the government imposing restrictions, said Dr Rajath Athreya, senior consultant and HOD paediatrics and neonatology, Sakra World Hospital, Bengaluru. A member of the Karnataka governments Covid-19 Technical Advisory Committee, in an interview with Aknisree Karthik, he says there is no cause for concern now.

After a lull, we see that Covid-19 cases are rising. What could be the reason?

Coronavirus will remain in circulation at a low level. The precursor of the JN.1 variant was Pirola which was in circulation for several months with very few cases globally. The JN.1 variant has a single mutation which has enabled higher infectivity and ease of spread. This is to be expected with newer variants.

JN.1 variant is found in Kerala and other states. Is it a cause of worry?

As of now World Health Organisation (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC ) who have based their opinion on JN.1 trajectory in Singapore and other countries have said that this variant does not seem to add any further burden to public health. WHO has called it a Variant of Interest. There is no cause for concern apart from the need to be vigilant.

We have been hearing of waves and new variants. Can we consider Covid-19 to be endemic and live with it?

We feel we are past the pandemic now. We have entered a phase of endemicity where the population has varying degrees of immunity to coronavirus by infections, exposure and vaccination. The viruses will keep mutating and when a variant has the advantage of dodging some of this immunity, it will cause some surges.

What is your opinion on vaccination and booster doses? We see that the majority of those who died recently in Karnataka are double vaccinated.

The links between vaccines and unexpected deaths purportedly are more anecdotal than evidence-based. There is not much data to attribute causation. So our advice will be to go with the recommendations of the Government of India, WHO and other professional bodies concerning vaccination advice. As of now, a booster has not been recommended. We have to wait for further guidance.

Do you feel any strict restrictions are needed as there will be New Year celebrations and people travelling to different tourist spots?

The way we handle respiratory virus infections when it is a pandemic and a public health concern, and when it is not of that magnitude are different. Now is the time for sensible precautions rather than restrictions. I would urge the public not to panic and all of us to remain vigilant. People with medical conditions like kidney, lung, liver and heart diseases, the elderly and those with lowered immunity should be masked up in crowded indoor and outdoor places until we know better. We need to act responsibly if we have any symptoms like fever, cough and sore throat avoid close contact with vulnerable individuals and mask up until we recover.

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As the year is coming to an end and COVID-19 cases are on the rise across the country people should take precautions rather than the government imposing restrictions, said Dr Rajath Athreya, senior consultant and HOD paediatrics and neonatology, Sakra World Hospital, Bengaluru. A member of the Karnataka governments Covid-19 Technical Advisory Committee, in an interview with Aknisree Karthik, he says there is no cause for concern now. After a lull, we see that Covid-19 cases are rising. What could be the reason? Coronavirus will remain in circulation at a low level. The precursor of the JN.1 variant was Pirola which was in circulation for several months with very few cases globally. The JN.1 variant has a single mutation which has enabled higher infectivity and ease of spread. This is to be expected with newer variants.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); JN.1 variant is found in Kerala and other states. Is it a cause of worry? As of now World Health Organisation (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC ) who have based their opinion on JN.1 trajectory in Singapore and other countries have said that this variant does not seem to add any further burden to public health. WHO has called it a Variant of Interest. There is no cause for concern apart from the need to be vigilant. We have been hearing of waves and new variants. Can we consider Covid-19 to be endemic and live with it? We feel we are past the pandemic now. We have entered a phase of endemicity where the population has varying degrees of immunity to coronavirus by infections, exposure and vaccination. The viruses will keep mutating and when a variant has the advantage of dodging some of this immunity, it will cause some surges. What is your opinion on vaccination and booster doses? We see that the majority of those who died recently in Karnataka are double vaccinated. The links between vaccines and unexpected deaths purportedly are more anecdotal than evidence-based. There is not much data to attribute causation. So our advice will be to go with the recommendations of the Government of India, WHO and other professional bodies concerning vaccination advice. As of now, a booster has not been recommended. We have to wait for further guidance. Do you feel any strict restrictions are needed as there will be New Year celebrations and people travelling to different tourist spots? The way we handle respiratory virus infections when it is a pandemic and a public health concern, and when it is not of that magnitude are different. Now is the time for sensible precautions rather than restrictions. I would urge the public not to panic and all of us to remain vigilant. People with medical conditions like kidney, lung, liver and heart diseases, the elderly and those with lowered immunity should be masked up in crowded indoor and outdoor places until we know better. We need to act responsibly if we have any symptoms like fever, cough and sore throat avoid close contact with vulnerable individuals and mask up until we recover. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Hyderabad, Dec 26

A delegation from Taiwanese contract manufacturing giant Foxconn, which is setting up a plant near Hyderabad, met Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy here on Tuesday.

The delegation from Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd of Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) met the Chief Minister at the State Secretariat.

This was the first meeting by the representatives of the iPhone maker with Revanth Reddy after he assumed office as the Chief Minister early this month following a change of guard in the state.

Industries and IT minister D. Sridhar Babu, Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, Chief Secretary of the Department of Information Technology Jayesh Ranjan and other senior officials were also present

Speaking on the occasion, Revanth Reddy made it clear that his government is committed to industrial development in the state.

According to the Chief Ministers Office, the Chief Minister said that the newly formed government has the responsibility of fulfilling the aspirations of the people and they are adopting a friendly approach towards all sections.

Revanth Reddy assured that full support and cooperation will be provided to industrialists as well. He stated that along with providing necessary permits for the development and establishment of industries, the government will also build required infrastructure.

The Chief Minister said that all necessary steps will be taken to make Telangana the leading industrial state in the country.

In March, Foxconn chairman Young Liu had visited Hyderabad and met then Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. The company had signed an MoU to set up a factory, which is expected to provide employment to one lakh people.

The plant is coming up on 200 acres of land in Kongara Kalan near Hyderabad. The factory to manufacture Apple AirPods is expected to be inaugurated next year.

Foxconn delegation meets Telangana CM Revanth Reddy

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Los Angeles, Dec 26

H ollywood star Chris Hemsworth and his wife Elsa Pataky have shared a loved-up festive photo dump. These pictures come amidst unkind rumours about their marriage continue to swirl.

The Thor star, 40, and the 47-year-old Spanish actress have been married for thirteen years and share three children, India, and twin boys Sasha and Tristan.

In new photos Chris posted to Instagram, they can be seen enjoying Christmas Day at their home, eating in the blazing Australian sun, and gazing over their infinity pool and out towards the sea, reports Mirror.co.uk.

The couple's fans have voiced their concern that there might be problems at home after noticing that they had been holidaying apart and not posting many photos together.

After Elsa posted a photo of her and one of their sons decorating a massive Christmas tree, one fan commented: "Haven't seen you and Chris together in a while. Hope all is good."

As per Mirror.co.uk, in October they took their kids on separate trips with Elsa and the twins going to Japan, and Chris and India heading to Iceland. They both documented their respective trips, leaving their followers wondering why they didn't all go away as a five-some.

The following month they travelled separately again. Elsa returned to Spain for The Woman Awards, and Chris joined his brothers, their partners Gabrielle and Samantha and siblings' parents, Craig and Leonie on a trip to Abu Dhabi. Chris also took the twins, and it is not known if India went with them too, or if she went to Spain with her mum.

Earlier this month, Chris travelled to Brazil to promote his new film, Furiosa, with his co-star Anya-Taylor Joy. Chris previously revealed the lifestyle changes he made after discovering he is genetically predisposed to Alzheimer's disease.

He learned while filming National Geographic's Limitless that he is "eight to 10 times more likely" to battle the progressive disease than the general population as he is one of only two to three percent of people globally who have two copies of the gene APOE4.

At the time, Chris explained how doing the show "really triggered something in me", prompting him to take an unforced break from the limelight.

At the time, the Thor: Love and Thunder star opened up about discovering the news and the steps he had to take to not put a strain on his body.

Chris Hemsworth, wife Elsa Pataky defy split rumours with loved-up Christmas pictures

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Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. High 38F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy with rain developing after midnight. Low 33F. Winds E at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
Abdominoplasty continues to be a safe and effective procedure, with more cases performed on an outpatient basis and increased use of concomitant liposuction, according to a new 16-year analysis in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

Taking advantage of quality-improvement data submitted by US Board-certified plastic surgeons, our study provides new insight on the evolution of the abdominoplasty technique." Michael J. Stein, MD, MAS, FRCSC, FACS, lead author of Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, N.Y.

Shifts in 'tummy tuck' techniques and outcomes from 2005 to 2021

Abdominoplasty  sometimes called "tummy tuck"  is a cosmetic surgical procedure to improve the appearance of the abdomen. In 2022, ASPS Member Surgeons performed nearly 162,000 abdominoplasty procedures, according to ASPS statistics.

To assess the evolution of practice patterns and surgical techniques, Dr. Stein and colleagues analyzed data from the Continuous Certification process of the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS). In that process, plastic surgeons submit information on specific "tracer procedures" as evidence of ongoing improvement in clinical practice.

The researchers analyzed data on 8,990 abdominoplasty cases submitted by 390 ABPS-certified plastic surgeons between 2005 and 2021. To assess trends over time, cases were divided into early (2005-14) and recent (2015-21) cohorts.

The study period saw an increased rate of outpatient abdominoplasty, without an overnight hospital stay, from 77% to 81%; and increased use of heparin to prevent blood clot-related complications. Patients treated in more recent years were more likely to undergo multiple surgical procedures, particularly liposuction to reduce fat in the abdominal tissue flap.

'Abdominoplasty remains a safe and reliable procedure'

Other technical changes included decreased use of wide tissue undermining, vertical plication of the abdomen, and postoperative of surgical drains  although all these techniques continued to be used in most abdominoplasty cases. The researchers note that while the observed changes are statistically significant, they are "best appreciated as positive or negative practice trends between cohorts, rather than clinically significant changes in practice."

"Abdominoplasty remains a safe and reliable procedure over the study period, with a slight but statistically significant decrease in adverse events in the recent cohort," Dr. Stein and coauthors conclude. "Careful pre-operative evaluation of patients should identify risk factors that increase the risk of complications."

Senior author and past ASPS President Dr. Alan Matarasso of Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital has contributed to similar reviews using ABPS Continuous Certification data for other "tracer" procedures  most recently including a report on trends in cosmetic breast augmentation. Fellow authors include Drs. Arun Gosain and Peter Rubin.

Dr. Matarasso comments: "While not without potential sources of bias, the use of ABPS Continuous Certification data  with mandatory reporting of large numbers of common procedures by Board-certified plastic surgeons  provides unique insights into trends in surgical practice and benchmarks to inform further safety and quality improvement efforts."
Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute at Jersey Shore University Medical Center's Mary Sedarous, M.D., medical director of the ALS Center, was honored at ALS United Mid-Atlantic's 2023 Annual Celebration with the organization's Flame of Hope Award, recognizing research and innovation.

Dr. Sedarous is simply amazing. She has that perfect combination of being extremely competent and intelligent, compassionate, and engaged with her and the team's mission to care for those with ALS and their loved ones. Honoring Dr. Sedarous and the ALS Center at Jersey Shore with the Flame of Hope Award was our distinct pleasure." Steve Spaulding, Director of Care Services, ALS United Mid-Atlantic

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a progressive, debilitating disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, resulting in muscle weakness and atrophy. ALS often leads to total paralysis and death within two to five years of diagnosis.

In 2015, Dr. Sedarous and her team created a multidisciplinary ALS treatment center with an aim to provide high-quality care to individuals with the disease, in central and southern New Jersey. Since its launch, Dr. Sedarous has searched for ways to innovate and broaden her care for patients, and the exploration of the condition.

"As a national leader in the fight against ALS, I can't imagine a better recipient of the Flame of Hope Award than Dr. Sedarous," said Alan Colicchio, M.D., chair of Neurology, Jersey Shore University Medical Center and medical director, Neuroscience Care Transformation Service, Hackensack Meridian Health, Southern Market. "Her team is furthering significant research related to assistive technology to optimize quality of life for those with ALS, and was the first center in New Jersey to provide Relyvrio, an FDA-approved ALS treatment, when it was released in 2022."

Jersey Shore University Medical Center's ALS Center collaborates with ALS United Mid-Atlantic, ALS Association and the Northeast ALS consortium (NEALS), allowing the exchange of research and best care practices with the nation's leading ALS experts and clinics.

"Dr. Sedarous is so deserving of the Flame of Hope Award, she and the ALS Center team continue to pioneer clinical interventions and provide the latest medications for their patients," said Kenneth N. Sable, M.D., MBA, FACEP, regional president, Southern Market, Hackensack Meridian Health. "She is exceedingly dedicated to those patients and their families."

The ALS Center is one of only two nationally Certified Treatment Centers of Excellence in New Jersey, as designated by the ALS Association. The center's multidisciplinary team provides patients diagnosed with ALS with the unique, comprehensive care they require.

"Dr. Sedarous and her team have come to be regarded as prestigious leaders within their field and staunch supporters of the ALS community," said Vito Buccellato, MPA, LNHA, president and chief hospital executive, Jersey Shore University Medical Center (JSUMC). "I'm extremely proud of their work, providing hope to their patients with their tremendous commitment to fighting this deadly disease."

Individuals can view this video for more information about the ALS Center and Dr. Sedarous' efforts; www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQjnywUKOP4.

The ALS Center is supported by the Joan Dancy and PALS Foundation, providing valuable feedback, education and in-service training to enhance the care experience. It is located in the Dr. Robert H. Harris Neuroscience Treatment Center, home to specialists in numerous neurological diseases and conditions. They provide diagnostic, medical and surgical treatments at JSUMC for multiple sclerosis (MS), stroke, epilepsy and other movement disorders, pediatric neurology, headaches and migraines, sleep medicine and neuro-oncology, among others.

Neuroscience services also include the Center for Memory and Healthy Aging, Center for Paralysis and Reconstructive Nerve Surgery, Center for Advanced Skull Base Surgery, the Craniofacial Center, which is certified as an American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association, and a General Neurosurgery Program, including spine surgery.
Recent research suggests that the emergence of tuberculosis infection in human populations dates back tens of thousands of years earlier than previously known cases in the Middle East. In collaboration with an international research team, Hungarian researchers have edited and published a special issue of the journal Tuberculosis.

In July 2022, the Department of Anthropology of the University of Szeged organised a conference on the paleopathology and evolution of tuberculosis. The ICEPT3 conference was closely linked to the NRDI-best funded research project of Gyorgy Palfi (Department of Anthropology, Szeged University), and the presentations of researchers from all over the world provided a comprehensive overview of the history of the pathogen, going beyond the previous knowledge.

In the last decades, the historical Carpathian Basin has become the best-researched region in the world in terms of TB infection, primarily as a result of the work of researchers from the Department of Biological Anthropology at the Faculty of Science and Informatics at University of Szeged the Department of Biological Anthropology at the Faculty of Science at Eotvos Lorand University and the Department of Anthropology at the Hungarian Natural History Museum. Recent analyses by Gyorgy Palfi, Ildiko Pap, and their colleagues suggest Neanderthal specimens from Subalyuk cave (Hungary), who lived more than 32,000 years ago, may have also suffered from TB infection. These new scientific discoveries place the appearance of tuberculosis in human populations tens of thousands of years earlier than the earliest known cases.

The first section of this Tuberculosis Supplement issue is dedicated to the memory of Professor David Ernest Minnikin, an outstanding scholar of TB evolution and a well-known pioneer in the field of mycobacterial research, who died in 2021. In the first articles, the authors commemorate his outstanding work and the remarkable findings which have enriched both the modern and ancient mycobacterial research community. The following papers are about essential ancient TB research results with active contributions by Professor Minnikin and collaborators: the above-mentioned discovery and analysis of paleopathological and paleomicrobiological traces of TB infection in the Subalyuk Neanderthal remains (Hungary). These results are of great importance for our knowledge of the evolution of tuberculosis, and these studies are closely related to the subjects of the articles that follow.

Two studies led by doctoral students from the Department of Biological Anthropology at ELTE have contributed significantly to the detailed exploration of the evolution of tuberculosis, reviewing previously known and publishing newly identified cases from inside the borders of today's Hungary.

Anett Gemes and colleagues presented a detailed review of 18 cases alongside the introduction of 7 new cases. Three of the seven cases are from the Bronze Age (2600/2500-800 BC) when cases of skeletal tuberculosis from the Carpathian Basin had not been reported.

Krisztian Kiss and colleagues have reviewed 114 previously published cases of TB with the publication of the detailed description of an additional 39 new cases.

Thus, a comprehensive database representing the Carpathian Base of 2nd-16th centuries was established. Primary data (sex and age) and detailed description of pathological alterations are available for the affected individuals, illustrated by photo- and radiographs. It would not have been possible to collect this large number of cases without close cooperation between the Departments of Biological Anthropology of ELTE and SZTE, and between several other institutions, anthropologists, and archaeologists.

All articles in the volume will be available free of charge until 14 January 2024 at the following link (5 studies are Open Access and will remain available for download): https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/tuberculosis/vol/143/suppl/S

As the database includes detailed paleopathological descriptions furthermore photo- and radiographic documentations for skeletal tuberculosis, a deeper understanding of the natural course, macromorphological and radiological manifestation of the disease can be achieved. Thus, besides revealing temporal and spatial trends based on the results, the study can be also considered significant contribution to the paleopathological and clinical disciplines.

The conference and the accompanying special issue of Tuberculosis Journal highlight how a broad national collaboration in a given field, supported by an international network of researchers, can achieve tremendous and internationally outstanding results.

The number of cases representing this relatively small geographical region is unique around the globe, which is the result of the hard work of Hungarian anthropologists in the last decades. The many identified TB cases with the detailed descriptions provide a good basis for designing future molecular studies and test multiple hypotheses better to understand the evolutionary history of tuberculosis pathogen strains.

The entire proceedings of the conference were published in December 2023 in the prestigious journal Tuberculosis. An outstanding Hungarian-French-Italian collaboration among the University of Szeged, the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, the Eotvos Lorand University, the Universite Paris-Saclay, and the Eurac Research has resulted in the publication of the latest international TB evolution research results.

The volume was edited in an international collaboration, thanks to the guest editorship of Gyorgy Palfi from Szeged University (Szeged, Hungary), Olivier Dutour from Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes - PSL University Paris and CNRS, Universite Bordeaux Montaigne (France), Tamas Hajdu from ELTE (Budapest, Hungary), Christophe Sola from Universite Paris-Saclay, Universite Paris-Cite (France) and Albert Zink from Institute for Mummy Studies, EURAC Research (Bolzano, Italy). Of the 22 studies included, 10 are partly or entirely the work of Hungarian researchers.
If youre having trouble sleeping, perhaps contact with a bedmate is causing the problem, say University of Michigan researchers.

Ada Eban-Rothschild, assistant professor in U-Ms Department of Psychology, and colleagues tracked the sleep behavior of mice while in a social context. They noticed that these small rodents seek physical contact prior to sleep initiation and cuddle up during sleep. They further show that cuddling during sleep is driven by an inner motivation for prolonged physical contact, which they termed somatolonging.

The study, published in Current Biology, highlights the strong need for social contact in species other than humans.

The lack of this kind of contact was evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which people experienced somatolonging. Ada Eban-Rothschild, assistant professor in U-Ms Department of Psychology

Cuddling during sleep doesnt come without a cost; the mice often disrupt each others sleep. Similarly in humans, co-sleeping isnt always positive, and insomnia can be transmitted between bed partners. So, why do humans and other animals willingly choose situations that might compromise their sleep? Researchers dont yet know.

On the other hand, co-sleeping individuals show synchronization in multiple neurophysiological measures, including the timing of sleep/wake onset and REM sleep. In the study, the researchers used advanced wireless devices and video recordings to simultaneously monitor multiple mice within a group for 24 hours.

The mice were willing to forgo their preferred sleep location to gain access to social contact. This suggests that the motivation for prolonged physical contact drives huddling behavior, the researchers said.

They also noticed coordination in multiple neurophysiological features among co-sleeping individuals, including in the timing of falling asleep and waking up, and sleep intensity.

Notably, the timing of rapid eye movement, or REM, sleep was synchronized among co-sleeping male siblings, but not co-sleeping female siblings or unfamiliar mice. This suggests that an individuals internal state, such as feeling safe, controls the degree of synchronization.

In addition to Eban-Rothschild, the studys authors were postdoctoral student Maria Sotelo, lab technician Chelsea Markunas, and undergraduate students Tyler Kudlak and Chani Kohtz, all from U-M; Alexei Vyssotski, senior scientist at the University of Zurich; and Gideon Rothschild, U-M assistant professor of psychology.
As the construction of roads and highways takes place every minute in the country, which somehow puts India on the developing list, the number of road accidents can not be ignored as the graph is climbing rapidly every year.

There are multiple reasons for road and highway accidents. Out of all, black spots are considered one of the major grounds, and Tamil Nadu has topped the chart in reporting the highest number of road accidents, mainly caused by black spots.

What is Black Spot on Highway?

It is an area on the national highway within a distance of roughly 500 metres, where at least five road accidents have been reported, which resulted in ten fatalities in the past three years. Such areas have been marked as black spots by the both Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

Heres What Nitin Gadkari Says About Black Spots

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari also showed concern over the same. As per the details shared by the HT, the minister has confirmed that the state has the highest number of black spots in the countrys national highway network.

He said the government has spotted more than 5,800 black spots in Indias entire national highway network, out of which 748 have been identified in Tamil Nadus national highways, followed by West Bengal with 701 identified black spots, while Telangana number stood at 485.

NHAIs Take on Black Spots

Gadkari reportedly said that the NHAI has spent an amount of 715,702.80 crore for the repair and maintenance of black spots during the last five financial years 2018-19 to 2022-23, HT reported.
Stocks To Watch on December 26: Nifty futures on the Gift Nifty traded 22 points 0.12% higher at 21,421 around 6.45 am on Tuesday, signalling a positive start for Dalal Street. Here are the top stocks that will likely remain in action today:

Vedanta: Vedanta arm Bharat Aluminium Co (BALCO) received Rs 84 crore GST demand from Bilaspur authorities for FY17-18 on account of various interpretational issues.

Infosys: A global company terminated the MOU for a $1.5 billion deal with Infosys. The MoU was signed to provide enhanced digital experiences, business operation services for the company.

Tata Steel: Tata Steel shareholders meeting will be held on January 25 to consider and approve the scheme of amalgamation amongst Tata Steel Limited and The Indian Steel and Wire Products.

Muthoot Microfin, Suraj Estate Developers: These two stocks will debut on the bourses today. The former was subscribed up to 11.5 times, while the latter 15.7 times.

Paytm: Changes in its business due to shifts in regulatory stance and the adoption of artificial intelligence have been responsible for the fintech major to rationalize its employee cost structure.

Kalyan Jewellers: Incorporates a wholly-owned step-down subsidiary  Kalyan Jewellers Procurement LLC  in UAE.

Anupam Rasayan: Inks Letter of Intent worth Rs 507 crore with one of the leading Japanese Multi National Chemical company to supply new age polymer intermediate for the next 9 years.

Adani Green: Has inked a power purchase agreement (PPA) to supply 1,799 megawatts (Mw) of solar power with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). With this, Adani Green now has tied up PPAs of 19.8 Gw.

ONGC: The companys wholly-owned overseas arm ONGC Videsh plans to raise up to Rs 5,000 crore through non-convertible debentures (NCDs) for funding capex, refinancing and operations.

Aurobindo Pharma: The company in an exchange filing said the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) completed a Pre-Approval Inspection (PAI) at its new injectable facility in East Windsor, New Jersey. The inspection resulted in 10 observations, which are procedural in nature.

Adani Wilmar: Promoters will offload 1.24 per cent stake to comply with Sebis minimum public shareholding norms. The divestment is to be done by January 31, 2024.

Biocon: The pharma companys arm Biocon Biologics has partnered with Sandoz for the distribution, sale, and promotion of Adalimumab (a biosimilar version of the blockbuster drug Humira) in Japan.

Lupin: Lupin Atlantis Holdings, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lupin, has signed an Asset Purchase Agreement with French-based Sanofi for acquisition of a portfolio of accretive established products in Europe and Canada. The brands AARANE in Germany and NALCROM in Canada and the Netherlands have a combined turnover of approximately $6.494 million (Rs 53.7 crore) for FY23.
A recent examination aimed at determining the eligibility for research scholarships at Sarthi, Barthi, and Mahajyoti institutes has sparked controversy not just in Pune but across the state as reported by Pune Pulse. The qualifying exam conducted across various divisions including Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Kolhapur, Nagpur, and Pune, raised concerns among students as it was found that the question paper was a direct replica of the SET (State Eligibility Test) 2019 question paper.

Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) was given the task of overseeing the tests transparent and efficient administration. Similarly, the responsibility for crafting this question paper lies with the Maharashtra State Eligibility Test (MH-SET) Department of Savitribai Phule Pune University.

3,473 PhD candidates took the test for 200 seats, including 1,329 Sarathi, 1,383 Mahajyoti students, and 761 Barti students. The dissatisfaction among the students who participated in the exam, was palpable as they expressed their displeasure at the blatant copy-paste approach.

Upon examination of the question paper, it became evident that not only the content but also the sequence of questions closely mirrored the SET-2019 paper. This revelation prompted students to voice their concerns, demanding a reevaluation of the examination system. Some students argue that instead of allocating funds for exams, the government should channel resources towards providing fellowships directly to registered students.

As a result, following the examination, a formal complaint was filed with the authorities of Sarthi, Barti, and Mahajyoti. Students have demanded a comprehensive inquiry into the situation, calling for accountability and transparency. They have asked the government to take firm action against those who are to blame for the current situation.

Several allegations have surfaced suggesting that the question papers were not properly sealed when they were handed out in the test rooms, reported the Pune Mirror. This sequence of events has caused student resentment about the SPPUs integrity, while also throwing questions on the methods of Mahajyoti, Sarthi, and Barti.
In the realm of the education sector in India, the year 2023 unfolded significant developments including establishing CBSEs new office in the UAE, and a home-based education system, among others. From the Ministry of Educations new curriculum framework to the 23 Sainik schools set up, lets have a look at some top developments that took place in the education sector during this year:

OVER 8 LAKH TEACHING VACANCIES IN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS

The Education Ministry of India shared that there are over 8.4 lakh teaching vacancies at the elementary and secondary levels in government schools across India. As per the ministry, there are 7.2 lakh teaching positions available at the primary level and 1.2 lakh vacancies at the secondary level.

CBSE TO SET UP OFFICE IN UAE

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will soon establish an office in the UAE in the near future. During his three-day visit to Abu Dhabi, the education minister stated that the UAE and India have strong ties in the strategic partnership, particularly in education and skills. More than 100 CBSE schools operate in the UAE, and India is further looking to open a CBSE office there soon.

TWO BOARD EXAMS

In order to make the board exams easier and provide the students with the option to retain the best score, the Ministry of Educations new curriculum framework recommended that the board examinations will be conducted twice a year. While students in classes 11 and 12 will have to study two languages instead of one, including a native Indian language.

OVER 70,000 STUDENTS RECEIVE HOME-BASED EDUCATION

The Union Education Ministry revealed that there are 72,186 students whose education is based at home instead of any school in the country for the years 202324. Out of which, Tamil Nadu leads the list with 11,400 students, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 10,935 students who dont go to school. The home-based education included children with multiple or severe disabilities who are unable to attend school, as well as children whose parents refused to send them to school.

RAJNATH SINGH APPROVES 23 NEW SAINIK SCHOOLS

To provide quality education to the students and give them better career opportunities, including joining the Armed Forces, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved the setting up of 23 new Sainik schools in partnership mode. This initiative has started in a categorized manner, starting from Class 6 onwards, in partnership with NGOs, private schools, and state governments. Under this initiative, the Sainik Schools Society has also signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with 19 new Sainik schools located all over the country.

CBSE ALLOWS STUDENTS TO LEARN IN 22 REGIONAL LANGUAGES

The Union Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, informed that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools have decided to keep 22 regional languages as a medium of instruction in their schools. Till now, the mediums of instruction were English and Hindi in CBSE schools across the country. The education minister issued a circular and stated that a student who reads in his or her mother tongue understands the subject better than in Hindi or English. Hence, from classes 1 to 12, the new mediums of instruction were added under the National Education Policy (NEP) provisions.
It would have been a minor post-poll reshuffle in the Congress organisation if not for one omission that has led to burning speculation, the kind of which is seen only once every five years  has Priyanka Gandhi Vadra not been given charge of any state despite being retained as a General Secretary because shes making her electoral debut in 2024 Lok Sabha elections?

According to sources, the top leadership of the Congress does not want to be caught missing any trump card that could be used to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi in General Elections. Given its success in Telangana and Karnataka where Priyanka Gandhi was the most aggressive during campaigning, the top brass likely sees her as that trump card.

Top sources in the Congress, however, indicated that it may not be a direct Modi vs Priyanka contest in Varanasi as suggested by INDIA bloc constituent and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee. Insiders, in fact, suggested that the party may not go with such suggestions by other parties and even allies

The Congress is on a sticky wicket in Uttar Pradesh. Its erstwhile bastion of Amethi as well as Rae Bareli are no longer assured wins. Neither can be the sure footing Priyanka Gandhi needs for a successful electoral debut. Priyanka Gandhi was earlier the General Secretary in-charge of UP but that charge has been given to Avinash Pande in the latest reshuffle. Though she is part of the manifesto committee, Priyanka is no longer in-charge of any state, leaving her to focus on Lok Sabha elections.

South is where success may lie for Priyanka Gandhi. In fact, southern India has been the setting for the political revival and springboard wins of Indira Gandhi (Medak in undivided Andhra Pradesh and Chikkamagaluru in Karnataka), and Sonia Gandhi (Bellary in Karnataka). The Telangana unit of the party feels Priyanka should contest the Lok Sabha elections from the state as it would help the party in Andhra Pradesh Assembly polls too.

The only drawback of the plan is that Rahul Gandhi is an MP from the south too  Wayanad in Kerala. How well will it bode for the party if both heirs of its first family enter Parliament from the south? Will it convey the impression that while the BJP is a national party that is building its base in the south too, the Congress is now a southern entity?

It wont be an easy decision for the Congress and Priyanka Gandhi.
A Nicaragua-bound flight carrying 303 passengers, mostly Indians, was allowed to resume its journey three days after they were detained by the French authorities at an airport near Paris over suspected human trafficking.

The charter plane carrying 276 passengers landed in Mumbai on Tuesday, while two dozen passengers have stayed back and sought asylum in France. The passengers include 20 adults and five minors and their applications would be processed at the Paris airport.

But what is an asylum, how it is different from a migrant or a refugee and what are the conditions for seeking asylum in Europe. News18 take a look at these key questions:

Who is an Asylum Seeker?

As asylum seeker is a person who has left their country and seeking protection in another country due to persecution and human rights violations in their country, according to Amnesty International.

PHOTOS | A charter plane carrying 276 passengers, mostly Indians, grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking, landed in Mumbai in the wee hours on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/CPrtv8F2DS Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 26, 2023

An asylum seeker is, however, not a refugee and is waiting to receive a decision on their asylum claim. Asylum is a fundamental right and an international obligation for countries, as recognised in the 1951 Geneva Convention on the protection of refugees.

How Asylum Seekers Differ from Migrant and Refugee?

While asylum seekers move from one country to another fearing persecution or unlawful detention, a refugee is a person who are forced to flee their country in fear of persecution and serious human rights violations.

Refugees, who have a right to international protection, have no choice but to leave and seek safety outside their country because their government cannot or will not protect them.

Asylum-seekers, on the other hand, are people whose request for refugee status, or asylum, is being processed.

Migrant, on the other hand, are people staying outside their country of origin, who are not asylum seekers or refugees. However, there is no internationally accepted legal definition of a migrant.

International Laws Regarding Asylum Seekers

The rights of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers are protected by several international law, irrespective of how and why they arrive in a country. Some of the laws listed for protecting them are:

Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to seek and enjoy asylum from persecution in other countries.

The 1951 UN Refugee Convention (and its 1967 Protocol) protects refugees from being returned to countries where they risk being persecuted.

The 1990 Migrant Workers Convention, which protects migrants and their families

Regional Refugee law instruments (including 1969 OAU Convention, 1984 Cartagena Declaration, Common European Asylum System and Dublin Regulation)

Asylum Seekers: Where They Come From and Where They Go?

The first-time asylum seekers are concentrated in a few European countries including Germany, the UK, Sweden, Italy and France. In the UK, the number of asylum seekers has increased from 42,000 in 2019 to 75,000 in 2023.

According to UNHCR, Europe, including Turkey, hosted more than one-third (36 per cent) of all refugees globally by the end of 2022.

The asylum seekers mostly come from countries afflicted by war and civil conflict, such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan and Syria.

What is the Process of Seeking Asylum

In case of Europe, the European Union has adopted various rules to manage legal migration flows, process asylum requests and return illegal migrants. In order to apply for asylum, a person must first go to the prefecture and apply for an asylum-seekers residence permit.

An asylum application can be lodged either on the territory of the country, from a detention centre or at the border. In all the three cases, a Border Guard officer is responsible for accepting and transferring the request to the Head of the Office for Foreigners.

The application form needs to be filled and submitted along with other documents including photographs, information and documents about the conditions under which the person entered the country and itinerary since leaving the country of origin.

A person may apply for asylum even if they do not have a passport, visa or identity documents. But in this case the person will have to make a written declaration of your name, affiliation and marital status.

A regular asylum procedure has four possible outcomes:

 The applicant is granted refugee status

 The applicant is granted subsidiary protection

 The application is rejected

 The proceedings are discontinued

In the last two cases, the authority informs the Border Guard about the outcome, subsequently allowing for return proceedings to be initiated. In case of rejection, an applicant may appeal against the decision and the Refugee Board handles the appeal against first-instance negative decisions.

The efficiency of the asylum application varies substantially among EU countries. Till 2020, the average time taken to process applications was eight months. Germanys processing time is around nine months, but it can take much longer in some other countries like Austria (17 months) and Belgium (17.5 months).
The mortal remains of Army soldier Chandan Kumar, who was killed in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmirs Poonch, arrived at his native place in Nawada on Monday evening, as a large number of people gathered near his residence to pay their last respects.

Kumars mortal remains were brought to Naromurar village in Nawada by an Army convoy. The cremation is expected to take place in a few hours.

Five soldiers were killed and two injured when heavily armed terrorists ambushed two Army vehicles in Jammu and Kashmirs Poonch district on December 21, officials said.

Earlier, the mortal remains arrived in a special aircraft at Gaya airport, where he was given a guard of honour by the Army.

Following the wreath-laying ceremony at Gaya, the convoy halted for a brief time at Prajatantra Chowk, where Lok Sabha MP from Nawada, Chandan Singh, and MLA from Govindpur assembly seat, Mohd Kamran, paid floral tributes. Senior officials of the district administration and hundreds of people from Naromurar and adjoining villages gathered outside Kumars house to pay their last respects.

Kumar had joined the Army in 2017, family members said.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday received a threat mail saying 11 bombs have been planted at 11 locations in Mumbai. The threat comes before the New Year Celebrations in Indias financial capital.

The mailer demanded the resignations of RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman alleging that they were involved in the biggest scam in Indias history.

The mail said 11 bombs have been planted at different locations in Mumbai including RBI offices, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank and the blast would take place at 1:30 pm.

We have planted 11 different bombs in different locations of Mumbai. The RBI along with private sector banks have executed the biggest scam in the history of India. The scam involves RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, some of the top finance officials and some renowned ministers of India. We have sufficient proof for the same,  the mail read, as seen by CNN-News18.

The mail further mentioned three locations where the bomb was planted 

RBI New Central Office building, Fort HDFC House Churchgate ICICI Bank Towers BKC

We demand that both, the RBI Governor and the Finance Minister immediately resign from their posts and release a press statement with full disclosure of the scam. We also demand that the government give both and all those who are involved in the scam the punishment they deserve. If our demands are not met before 1:30 pm, all the 11 bombs will blast one by one, the mail further read.

Mumbai police sprung into action and comprehensively searched all the locations. Nothing suspicious was found in the search.

An FIR was also filed based on the complaint of Sanjay Harishchandra Pawar, the head guard at RBI, in connection with the case at MRA Marg police station under IPC sections 505 (1) (b), 505 (2) and 506 (2).

According to the FIR copy, accessed by CNN-News18, police received information about the bomb threat mail at 2:00 pm on Tuesday.
A man who murdered his mother-in-law in Chennai 28 years ago was arrested in Berhampur on Tuesday, police said.

The accused, 51-year-old Harihara Pattjoshi, was 23 years old when he stabbed to death his 48-year-old mother-in-law (mother of his estranged wife, Indira), at her Nanganallur residence in Chennai on August 9, 1995, police said. He had also attacked his 21-year-old wife, Indira and 24-year-old brother-in-law, Karthik, leaving them both grievously injured.

Pattjoshi worked at a printing press in an advertisement company in Chennai, while Indira was a telemarketing executive in another firm in the same city. They met due to a work-related assignment, fell in love and got married in 1994.

A few months after marriage, the couple got separated and the wife filed for divorce in the local court citing domestic violence.

Enraged by Indiras allegations, Pattjoshi attacked his wife, mother-in-law and brother-in-law. While the mother-in-law died, his wife and brother-in-law were severely injured in the attack. A murder case against Pattjoshi was registered at Adambakkam police station in Chennai on the same day.

The accused had been hiding at various locations across Odisha and Surat since 1995. Initially, he hid in a friends house in Aska where he met another woman and married her in 2001.

Later, he worked in a masala factory in Berhampur, followed by as a salesman in a Bajaj insurance company in Kendrapara and as a manager in a chit fund company in Berhampur. He also shifted many houses during this time.

Multiple police teams have camped and conducted raids at Berhampur and nearby places over the last 28 years searching for him but he always managed to evade arrest.

Around a week ago, a four-member police team from Chennai, Adambakkam police station under SI Kannan along with HC Balamurugan, PC Edwin Deepak, and PC Manivannan reached Gosaninuagaon PS of Berhampur police district.

A team was formed under Gosaninuagaon IIC, Inspector Smruti consisting of several police personnel.

The police team worked in close coordination and kept a watch on all suspected locations. After a gruelling week, the police team were able to find Pattjoshi hiding in a location under the Gosaninuagaon PS area. He was apprehended while he was trying to escape again near the railway station, said Berhampur SP Dr. Saravana Vivek M.
Meera (name changed) was just 16 years old when she was sold to a 30-year-old man in Haryana by her female cousin. For the next five years, her buyer and his father held her captive and repeatedly raped her, before Meera managed to escape from their clutches with the help of her father.

Now a 21-year-old mother of a toddler, Meera is back home in Chhattisgarhs Kabirdham district with her family. Her maternal uncles daughter, who sold her off for Rs 2 lakh, has been arrested but the father-son duo from Haryanas Rohtak, who repeatedly raped her, are yet to be caught, according to a report by Times of India.

Based on the survivors statement, an FIR was lodged for trafficking, rape and criminal intimidation under IPC against her cousin and the two accused. Police have arrested the cousin and a team of cops will be sent to Haryana to nab the two others, the report quoted Kabirdham SP Abhishek Pallava as saying.

Since Meera was a minor when the crime took place, additional sections under the POCSO Act would be imposed on all the accused, police said.

In 2018, 16-year-old Meera was looking for work to help her familys economic situation when her maternal uncles 32-year-old daughter, who lived in Madhya Pradesh back then, told her about how she could work in Delhi and get paid well.

Meera came to Delhi with her cousin in December 2018 and was put to work as a domestic help at a doctors house initially.

However, after some time, the strenuous life and loneliness broke her resolve and she told her cousin that she wanted to return home, Meera told the police, according to the TOI report.

Instead of taking her back home, her cousin sold Meera to a man in Rohtak.

Meera told police that she had no clue she had been sold until she was in the mans grip and forced to perform wedding rituals at a temple.

From then on, the trafficked womans life became hell, as both the man and his father would rape her any time of the day, torture her, and would make her work like a slave.

To escape the torture, Meera decided to escape from them. After her baby boy was born, she started acting as if she had accepted her life with the father-son duo and gradually persuaded them to let her speak with her family members.

They eventually agreed but let her talk, but only in their presence.

The woman went along with their condition waiting for them to let their guard down at some point.

One day in early October this year, Meera got her chance and told her father about her escape plan.

As per the report, Meeras husband and his father worked as contractors for construction companies and were struggling to get manpower.

She told them that there were labourers in abundance in her village and they could accompany her there to fix rates and get workers in bulk, the woman told the police.

The man agreed and took Meera to her village in November with her child. It was only when they reached the village that he reportedly realized he had been tricked.

The man tried to fight with the survivors parents, who retaliated and drove him out. However, he managed to take the child away.

Later, the father-son duo returned and tried to take the woman back, leading to another fight, which they lost. Undeterred, they even approached local police with false statements but could make no headway and returned. They had to hand over the two-year-old boy to his mother.

The matter came to light when the woman narrated her ordeal in detail to the police.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to visit Jammu and Rajouri on Wednesday. This will be Singhs first visit to the state following the death of four army personnel during an encounter between security forces and terrorists in Jammu and Kashmirs Rajouri last week.

Sharing the news of his visit on X, he said, Tomorrow, 27th December, I shall be in Jammu and Rajouri.

Tomorrow, 27th December, I shall be in Jammu and Rajouri. Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) December 26, 2023

At least four Army personnel lost their lives while three others were injured in a terrorist attack on two military vehicles in the Rajouri sector of Jammu and Kashmir last week.

Terrorists opened fire at vehicles when troops were moving to the operational site at the general area DKG (Dera ki Gali), Thanamandi. The attack took place at 3:45 PM in the Thanamandi area.

(with PTI inputs)Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to visit Jammu and Rajouri on Wednesday. This will be Singhs first visit to the state following the death of four army personnel during an encounter between security forces and terrorists in Jammu and Kashmirs Rajouri last week.

Sharing the news of his visit on X, he said, Tomorrow, 27th December, I shall be in Jammu and Rajouri.

At least four Army personnel lost their lives while three others were injured in a terrorist attack on two military vehicles in the Rajouri sector of Jammu and Kashmir last week.

Terrorists opened fire at vehicles when troops were moving to the operational site at the general area DKG (Dera ki Gali), Thanamandi. The attack took place at 3:45 PM in the Thanamandi area.

(with PTI inputs)
A Delhi court on Tuesday extended by two days the ED custody of three Vivo-India executives in a money laundering case against the Chinese smartphone maker and others. Additional Sessions Judge Aparna Swami extended the custody of Interim CEO of Vivo-India Hong Xuquan alias Terry, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Harinder Dahiya and consultant Hemant Munjal on an application moved by the Enforcement Directorate.

The accused were produced before the court on the expiry of their three-day ED custody granted earlier. The ED sought their remand for five days, claiming they were required to be confronted with the other accused arrested in the case earlier.

China had said on Monday it will provide consular protection and assistance to the arrested employees working for smartphone maker Vivo in India and expressed its firm backing to the Chinese businesses in protecting their lawful rights and interests. The federal anti-money laundering agency had earlier arrested four people  mobile company Lava Internationals MD Hari Om Rai, Chinese national Guangwen alias Andrew Kuang, and chartered accountants Nitin Garg and Rajan Malik  in the case.

They are in judicial custody at present. The ED had filed a charge sheet against the four in a special PMLA court in Delhi. The court recently took cognisance of the charge sheet.

The ED alleged in documents submitted to the court with regard to the four arrestees that their activities enabled Vivo-India to make wrongful gains that were detrimental to the economic sovereignty of India. It had raided Vivo-India and people linked to it in July last year and claimed to have busted a major money laundering racket involving Chinese nationals and multiple Indian companies.

The ED had then alleged that Rs 62,476 crore was illegally transferred by Vivo-India to China to avoid payment of taxes in India. The company had, however, said it firmly adheres to its ethical principles and remains dedicated to legal compliance.

Lava Internationals Hari Om Rai had recently told a court that though his company and Vivo-India were in talks to launch a joint venture in India a decade ago, he had nothing to do with the Chinese firm or its representatives since 2014. He has not derived any monetary benefit nor has he engaged in any transaction with Vivo-India or any entity allegedly related to Vivo, let alone having been associated with any alleged proceeds of crime, Rais lawyer Nitesh Rana had told the court.

The probe agency filed an enforcement case information report (ECIR), the EDs equivalent of a police FIR, on February 3 after studying a December 2022 Delhi Police FIR against an associated company of Vivo-India, Grand Prospect International Communication Pvt. Ltd. (GPICPL), its directors, shareholders and some other professionals. The police complaint was filed by the Corporate Affairs Ministry alleging that GPICPL and its shareholders used forged identification documents and falsified addresses at the time of incorporation of the company in December 2014.

This company had its registered addresses in Himachal Pradeshs Solan, Gujarats Gandhinagar and in Jammu. The crackdown on the leading Chinese company came after ED found that three Chinese nationals, all of whom left India between 2018 and 2021, and another person from that country incorporated 23 companies in India in which chartered accountant Nitin Garg allegedly assisted them.

The allegations (made by the Corporate Affairs ministry) were found to be true as the investigation revealed that the addresses mentioned by the directors of GPICPL did not belong to them. In fact, it was a government building and the house of a senior bureaucrat, the ED said. It said Vivo Mobiles Pvt. Ltd. was incorporated on August 1, 2014 as a subsidiary of Multi Accord Ltd., a Hong Kong-based company.

The 23 companies incorporated in India were found to have transferred huge amounts of funds to Vivo India. Further, out of the total sale proceeds of Rs 1,25,185 crore, Vivo India remitted Rs 62,476 crore or almost 50 per cent of the turnover out of India, mainly to China, the ED has alleged. These remittances, it added, were made to disclose huge losses in Indian incorporated companies to avoid payment of taxes in India.

The action is seen as part of the Union governments effort to tighten the screws on Chinese entities that are allegedly indulging in serious financial crimes like money laundering and tax evasion while operating here.
India and Russia on Tuesday signed some very important agreements related to the construction of the future power generating units of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said.

Jaishankar, who is on a five-day visit to Russia, made the announcement after his comprehensive and productive meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov on the bilateral economic cooperation during which they witnessed signing of agreements on nuclear power and in areas of medicines, pharmaceutical substances and medical devices.

Today, in my presence and that of Deputy Prime Minister Manturov, we signed some very important agreements pertaining to the future units of the Kudankulam nuclear project, he said while addressing the Indian diaspora here.

The Kudankulam nuclear power plant is being built in Tamil Nadu with the technical assistance of Russia. The construction began in March 2002. Since February 2016, the first power unit of the Kudankulam NPP has been steadily operating at its design capacity of 1,000 MW. The plant is expected to start operating at full capacity in 2027, according to Russian state media.

During the meeting, Jaishankar noted the significant progress in trade, finance, connectivity, energy, civil aviation and nuclear domains.

Appreciated the greater focus on exploring new opportunities. Discussed making our cooperation more balanced and sustainable in different dimensions, he said in a post on X.

In his address to the Indian community, Jaishankar described Russia as a special partner in a few areas such as defence, nuclear power and space.

Collaborations are done in areas of defence, space and nuclear [energy] with countries with which you have a high degree of trust, he added.

Jaishankar also said that the two sides have agreed that their negotiating teams will meet by the end of January to start in-person negotiations on the free trade agreement between India and the Eurasian Economic Zone.

Today, when I met the Prime Minister we agreed that early next year, our negotiating teams will meet. So I expect by the end of January, hopefully, that the in-person negotiations will start, he said while responding to questions at the community event.

Finalised the program of cooperation on Russian Far East. Expect to hold early meeting of EaEU-India FTA negotiators. Will jointly organize connectivity events across land and maritime corridors, he later posted on X.

If one looks at our economy, influence, and impact on the world today, it is very different from 10 years ago and will be different 10 years later. We went on from the 10th largest economy a decade ago, to be the 5th largest now and will hopefully be the 3rd largest and beyond that, later, Jaishankar said.

Responding to a question on the payment problem between Russia and India, the minister said that in an unusual situation, we are trying to find ways by which banks deal with each other.

People are unclear what is happeningIf you dont have a full picture or you dont have confidence people hold back. Those who have banking relationships, do business with Russia can educate people about good banks, safe routes, he said.

We have been trying to find a solution regarding the payment problem, he said.

On Wednesday, the Indian foreign minister will meet his counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, to discuss bilateral, multilateral, and international issues.

Im very sure that this relationship will only grow from strength to strength. And I think even in the last few years, I see, frankly, for example, a greater Russian focus on Asia. I think that is partly one reason why our trade has grown so much in the last two years, he added.

He appreciated the Indian communitys contribution to building a strong and steady collaboration between India and Russia.

The Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership reflects experiences and sentiments of last 75 years. Urged the community to contribute to deepening of mutually beneficial cooperation. Their role in promoting close ties between our civil societies is invaluable. An AtmanirbharBharat will deepen ties with Russia in a multipolar world, he later posted on X.

Jaishankar also visited the Russian Industry and Trade exhibition with Manturov.

An interesting exposition on Russias contemporary capabilities. Holds promise for greater collaboration between our two countries, he said.

The ties between India and Russia remained strong notwithstanding Moscows invasion of Ukraine. India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it has been maintaining that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.

Indias import of Russian crude oil has gone up significantly despite increasing disquiet over it in many Western countries.
The Indian Navy has deployed one more warship, INS Mormugao in the Arabian Sea amid the series of attacks on merchant ships in the region. This comes two days after merchant vessel  MV Chem Pluto  was hit by a drone off the Indian coastline in the Sea.

Considering the recent spate of attacks in the Arabian Sea, Indian Navy has deployed guided missile destroyers, INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata, in various areas to maintain a deterrent presence, the official said.

The Indian Navy has also deployed P-8I long-range patrol aircraft for regular surveillance and to maintain domain awareness.

The Navys explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team on Monday carried out an extensive inspection of the merchant vessel MV Chem Pluto upon its arrival at Mumbai Harbour. This comes two days after the merchant ship was struck by a drone off the Indian coastline in the Arabian Sea.

MV Chem Pluto was on its way to the New Mangalore port. Earlier, the Navy analysis also confirmed that MV Chem Pluto was hit by a drone 400 km of the Indian coastline, NDTV reported.

Navy officials said that the debris found on the ship indicated a drone attack and further analysis of the vessel is currently underway.

The ship with a 21-member crew  20 Indians and one Vietnamese  arrived at the Mumbai Port on Monday, under the surveillance of Indian Coast Guard ship Vikram.

The drone attack on the Liberian-flagged MV Chem Pluto on Saturday came in the backdrop of rising concerns over merchant vessels reportedly being the targets of Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

A Pentagon spokesperson on Sunday said that MV Chem Pluto was struck by a one-way attack drone fired from Iran.

Following this, a joint investigation was launched by various agencies following the complete analysis of the ship by the EOD team, the Indian Navy spokesperson said.

MV Chem Pluto has been cleared for further operation by her company-in-charge at Mumbai. The ship is scheduled to undergo mandatory checks by the various inspecting authorities before undertaking ship to ship transfer of cargo, the spokesperson noted.

Following this the vessel will be docked and its damaged portion will be repaired.

Officials said that now three guided missile destroyers have been deployed in the Arabian Sea.

Reports say that MV Chem Pluto, carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabias Al Jubail port to New Mangalore port, was struck about 217 nautical miles from Porbandar on Saturday.

On the same day, a Gabon-flagged commercial crude oil tanker with a 25-member Indian crew also came under a drone attack in the Southern Red Sea. Thankfully, as per Indian officials and the US military, no one was injured.

In addition to the Indian Navy deploying three warships in the region, the Navy spokesperson also noted that, Western Naval Commands Maritime Operations Centre is actively monitoring the situation in close coordination with Coast Guard and all concerned agencies, he said.

(With PTI inputs)
The indigenously-built stealth guided missile destroyer, INS Imphal, was commissioned into the Indian Navy on Tuesday. The warships induction is aimed at boosting Indias maritime capability amid Chinas increasing forays into the Indian Ocean.

The @indiannavy is all set to commission its latest Stealth Guided Missile Destroyer Imphal at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.Tomorrow, 26th December, RM Shri @rajnathsingh will grace the ceremony. pic.twitter.com/i685GHarCn    / RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) December 25, 2023

The commission ceremony was held at the naval dockyard in Mumbai in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, officials said. They noted that the name of the ship  after Manipurs capital city  denotes the importance of Northeast regions in national security and prosperity.

Heres All You Need to Know:

INS Imphal is the first warship to be named after a city from the Northeastern region, which was approved by the President in April 2019. Officials said that the name underlines the importance of Northeastern regions for national security and prosperity. This will be the third of the four Vishakhapatnam class destroyers, indigenously designed by Indian Navys in-house organisation, Warship Design Bureau. Constructed by Mazagaon Dock Limited, the ship was delivered to the Indian Navy on October 20 after completion of a rigourous and comprehensive trial programme both in the harbour and at sea. A guided missile destroyer with a displacement of 7,400 tonnes and overall length of 164 metres, INS Imphal is a potent and versatile platform equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, including surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles and torpedoes. The ship boasts of having high indigenous content including BrahMos surface-to-surface missiles, medium range surface-to-air missiles, anti-submarine indigenous rocket launchers and 76mm super rapid gun mount. The warship is powered by Combines Gas and Gas (COGAG) propulsion and is capable of achieving speeds in excess of 30 knots (56 km/hour). INS Imphal is also equipped to fight under Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare conditions and has a high degree of automation and stealth features further enhancing her combat capability and survivability. According to the Indian Navy, Imphal can be rightfully regarded as one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in India  a testament to Indias growing shipbuilding prowess in pursuit of the national vision of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat. The ship is fitted with a modern surveillance radar which provides target data to the gunnery weapon systems of the ship. INS Imphals built and trial time is the shortest for any indigenous destroyer. Its keel was laid in May 2017 and the warship was launched into water in April 2019. The warship also successfully test-fired the extended-range supersonic BrahMos missile last month, a first for any Indian-made warship before commissioning. Following its commission into the navy, INS Imphal will join the Western Naval Command.

(With PTI inputs)
Two persons died and another was admitted to the hospital in a critical condition on Tuesday after they inhaled gas accumulated in a storage chamber of a fishing boat in Mumbai.

The incident took place at the New Fish Jetty around 11 am, when the workers were removing fish from the boat Anjani Putra. Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjay Latkar, said that the boat had returned to the coast at around 2 am, and it is suspected that gas was generated due to rotting fish.

The police commissioner further said that the worker climbed down into a storage chamber passed out and the five others who followed him inside also fell unconscious. All of them were rushed to the government-run J J Hospital.

Sriniwas Anand Yadav (35) and boat owner Naga Don Sanjay (27), both hailing from Andhra Pradesh, died during treatment, he said. Suresh Mekla, also from Andhra Pradesh, was on ventilator while the condition of the other three was stable, the official added.

A case of accidental death was registered at Yellow Gate police station and further probe on the matter is on.

(with PTI inputs)
A woman was booked for falsely accusing her in-laws of murdering her husband in Uttar Pradeshs Gonda as part of her plan to take over the family land. However, police found the husband to be alive and arrested the couple for their fake murder accusation plan.

Earlier, the accused  Gudiya Devi  had filed a case against her father-in-law Nanke and three brother-in-laws  Arjun, Shyam and Agyaram  for killing her husband, Ramkaran and later disposing off his body, NDTV reported.

Following her complaint, police registered a case under Section 156(3) of the Criminal Code of Procedure (CrPC). The court on June 5 had directed police to conduct an investigation into Devis claims about her husbands murder.

Reportedly, Gonda Police chief Vineet Jaiswal revealed that during investigations they learnt that Ramkaran, in fact, was alive and the murder case was just a plan concocted by Devi and Ramkaran to take over the family land.

Police traced Ramkaran to Gujarat, where they caught hold of him and brought him back to Gonda. He told the police that he had been working as a labourer in the state.

Ramkaran also told them about his wifes motive behind leveling the false murder accusation. The police have initiated the legal process and have booked Gudiya Devi under CrPC Section 194/182 for filing a false report and misleading the court, an India Today report said.

During questioning, the couple told the police that there were tensions between Ramkaran and brothers over the family property. They had hatched this conspiracy to send the others to jail so that the property comes under their control. But the police managed to bust it, an officer was quoted as saying.

The couple are in police custody and further action is being taken.

Last month a married woman and her lover were arrested filing a fake gangrape-cum-loot case to pay off the mans debts.

Police cracked the case just days after the lover, a businessman from Bijnor, filed an FIR claiming that five to six men allegedly gang-raped his wife and looted valuables worth Rs 10 lakh after forcefully entering his house. The 32-year businessman, Pushpendra Chaudhary, was arrested by the police.

Bijnor SP Neeraj Kumar Jadaun told ToI that, The woman came under police radar during questioning. In her statement, she said that six men barged into the house around 7 pm on Tuesday. It was not possible as the area remains crowded in the evening hours. Besides, from the initial stage, we knew the criminal was informed about the absence of all other family members.

Later, the woman also broke down and confessed to the crime.

Early in November, a 39-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh was arrested in Ahmedabad, for faking his own death to claim Rs 80 lakh in insurance money.

The accused had been living in Ahmedabad under a new identity for the last 17 years after allegedly killing a beggar with the help of his family members to fake his own death and claim insurance money.

(With PTI inputs)
Kenya, known for its rare wildlife and the iconic Masai Mara, is poised to enhance accessibility for global travellers following an announcement by Kenyas President, William Ruto, on December 12. In a move to streamline the journey, Ruto outlined plans for a digital platform offering electronic travel authorization, eliminating the need for a visa in future. Originally intended for travellers from African nations, this initiative has now been expanded globally, enabling visitors from around the world to experience the natural wonders of Kenya. Currently, Indian tourists require a three-month tourist visa, priced at approximately Rs 6,000, for travel to Kenya.

While giving a speech, William Ruto said, Beginning January 2024, Kenya will be a visa-free country. It shall no longer be necessary for any person from any corner of the globe to carry the burden of applying for a visa to come to Kenya.

President Ruto: Beginning January 2024, Kenya will be a visa-free country. It shall no longer be necessary for any person from any corner of the globe to carry the burden of applying for a visa to come to Kenya.#SikuKuuYaJamhuri pic.twitter.com/WZkUALoAy4 NTV Kenya (@ntvkenya) December 12, 2023

Effective January 1, 2024, the Kenyan government has eradicated visa requirements for global travellers wishing to visit the African country. While the most famous Masai Mara stands as a prime attraction, adventurers also have the option to explore places like Simba Safari, Tembo Safari, Twiga Safari and more, each promising a unique experience. After President, William Rutos announcement, the nation joined Benin, Gambia and Seychelles as the fourth African country to take the major step.

Meanwhile, Kenyas economy heavily relies on tourism and the recent decision aims to attract more foreign tourists. In a similar move, Iran is also planning to waive visa requirements for travellers from 33 more countries, including India, to grow tourism and economy. On the other hand, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia have also chosen to take similar routes for Indian tourists. Amid the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, smaller countries such as Mongolia and Indonesia have also eased visa restrictions to attract international tourism.

As per the recent Henley and Partners Passport Index for 2023, Indian passport holders have access to visa-free travel, visa-on-arrival provisions, and Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) in 57 countries worldwide.
As 2024 approaches, many of you might be engrossed in crafting your New Years resolutions, contemplating improvements in well-being, eating habits, focus levels, or achieving personal goals, such as embarking on new travel adventures. Travelling serves as a remarkable avenue for learning, and venturing out alone can bring even more profound benefits.

Embarking on a solo trip may initially seem daunting, as it pushes you into unfamiliar territories. Yet, personal growth often unfolds when you step beyond the boundaries of your comfort zone. If you are planning a solo trip this year or in 2024, here are some travel destinations to consider-

Thailand:Considering a solo trip to Thailand in December can add an unforgettable chapter to your travel journal. This month offers a perfect blend of festive vibe, affordability, and safety, making Thailand an ideal destination for solo travellers. The countrys warm hospitality, rich culture, delectable cuisine, and stunning landscapes are renowned.While planning your itinerary include must-visit destinations like the Phi Phi Islands, Phuket, Krabi, and Bangkok. For those seeking less-explored locations, Koh Chang, Ko Kut, Koh Lanta, and other off-the-beaten-path destinations in Thailand can provide a more tranquil and memorable experience. Vietnam:Solo travellers seeking an unforgettable experience should consider Vietnam. Ha Long Bay, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and Phu Quoc are some of the popular places to visit in the country. Not only safety-wise, but Vietnam is also quite affordable. Moreover, this place is renowned for having some of the most delicious street food and coffee. Brazil:Brazil, which welcomes visitors with beautiful beaches, is well-known for its kind people and 300 sunny days a year. The colourful culture, which is celebrated on occasions like Carnival, attracts lone travellers. Brazil is a paradise with 72 national parks, breathtaking scenery, and a vibrant culture. Singapore:Singapore, renowned as one of the worlds most expensive countries, offers solo travellers a safe haven. Travel is made even more enjoyable by the citys excellent public transport system and user-friendly infrastructure. For adventure enthusiasts, a visit to the renowned Universal Studios is a must. Sri Lanka:While tourists swarm India, the nearby island of Sri Lanka has not received as much attention despite having an abundance of natural beauty, wildlife, and cultural diversity. With its rich history and abundance of natural retreats, Sri Lanka is a fantastic destination for lone travellers.

So remember to visit these breathtaking locations for an unforgettable experience.
Abhishek Bachchan made his acting debut in Refugee in 2000, opposite Kareena Kapoor. The debut was a big affair, considering that he was Amitabh Bachchans son. However, not many might know that Abhishek had penned a script for his own debut with the help of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra which Amitabh Bachchan badly rejected. Speaking in a roundtable with Galatta Plus, Abhishek recalled he and Rakeysh wrote the film called Samjhauta Express which was intended to launch Abhishek as an actor and Rakeysh as a director.

The duo, who have been friends for decades now, decided to write the script because no one was ready to launch Abhishek as an actor and Rakeysh  who was an ad filmmaker  was not being encouraged to make films. I was sitting with my friend Rakeysh Mehra and I said, Yaar, it has been two years and I cant get a film and I am getting really demoralised. He said, I also want to direct a film but they all want me to direct ads. So I said, Ill act for you. He said, Yeah, Ill direct you. We wrote a script called Samjhauta Express, he said.

Abhishek revealed that the film revolved around a terrorist who comes in search of his father who had been taken away from him as a child. The actor revealed that the duo had also started prep for the film, with Rakeysh doing look tests while Abhishek grew out his hair and beard. They then decided to pitch it to Amitabh Bachchan for his production house.

Anybody who has narrated a film to my father knows it is a scary thing because he doesnt react. He just sits there quietly and listens. So we were prepared for that. I remember we narrated the whole script and there was silence afterwards. Thats when I realised Rakeysh is the worlds worse narrator so just read the script, never get a narration from him, he will confuse you, Abhishek said.

After a long silence, Amitabh looked at them and said, Boys, bahut hi bakwaas script hai. He added that Amitabh asked him to get out. We got really demoralised. Rakeysh went off and he was very upset and I think he took it rather badly and opened a bottle of rather strong stuff and he penned down something. Next day he called me and said, I have written something and I am vengence writing. Ive written a script called Good vs Evil. Which then went on to become Aks. He wrote it as kunus, Abhishek revealed.

Abhishek went on to make his acting debut in Refugee while Rakeysh debuted as a director with Aks. They worked together in Delhi 6 (2009).
Abhishek Bachchan made his acting debut with the 2000 movie Refugee. However, before getting director JP Duttas project, it wasnt easy for Amitabh Bachchans son to step into the world of showbiz. In a recent interview, Abhishek recalled the same and mentioned that nobody wanted to take on the responsibility of launching Amitabh Bachchans son. Not just this, the Ghoomer actor also shared that before his acting debut, the Bachchans were going through a rough time and therefore, he also returned to India from college in the United States to be with his father.

Filmfare, 20 years ago, you planned months in advance about what youd wear. And nobody was giving away free clothes in those days, youd have to buy them yourself. Youd make sure you werent shooting that evening, the entire industry would show up, even if they werent nominated. It was an occasion. But then, I was like, What to wear? It sounds weird to (say it now) but I didnt have that many clothes, we couldnt afford to We were going through a rough time, and trying to be as frugal as we could be, Abhishek told Galatta Plus.

I had nothing formal to wear, and I didnt think it would be prudent to show up in jeans and a T-shirt. So, the sherwani that was made for my sisters wedding a couple of years earlier, I wore that and went, the actor added.

Abhishek revealed that it was at the same award show when JP Dutta won the Best Director award for Border. When the filmmaker was walking down the stage, he spotted Abhishek. The director later asked Abhishek to meet him when he offered him Refugee.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Abhishek was last seen in R Balkis Ghoomer. Released earlier this year, the film gained mixed reviews from all.
Netflixs Korean hit Korean drama My Name became the talk of the town as soon as it was released in October 2021. After this crime thriller directed by Kim Jin-min started streaming, its leads, namely Han So-hee, Park Hee-soon, and Ahn Bo-Hyun also gained unprecedented fame and success. One of the male leads of the show  Ahn Bo Hyun  who played the role of Jeon-Pil Do, during a recent interaction, provided candid insights into the popular sex scene featured in the drama. In the scene, he starred alongside Han So Hee who played Yoon-Ji Woo.

Amid the initial success of the show, marked by positive reviews for acting and visuals, the unexpected and intense intimate moment between the two characters in the final episode became a major talking point, reports Koreaboo.

Contrary to Han So Hee, who reportedly disclosed in an earlier interview that she was not informed about the scene until committing to the project, Ahn Bo Hyun, in a subsequent interview, openly shared his perspective on the scene. Acknowledging the diverse opinions among viewers, Ahn Bo Hyun perceived the scene as a portrayal of genuine emotions between two individuals grappling with inner turmoil.

As I saw people being divided in opinion regarding that scene, I saw that it could be interpreted in different ways. For me, as both Jiwoo and Pildo have scars, I hoped that they would become a source of comfort to each other," said Hyun.

He further added, it was the process of how Jiwoo changed from a monster, due to Pildo. Regarding that part, I thought that it would bring about the emotions of a love scene."

In addressing the divisive reactions to the scene, Ahn Bo Hyun recognised the potential for varied interpretations. He expressed a desire for the characters, Jiwoo and Pildo, both carrying emotional wounds, to find solace in each other. For him, the sex scene served as a transformative moment for Jiwoo, evolving from a character marked by monstrosity due to Pildos influence. Ahn Bo Hyun saw it as a depiction of emotions akin to a love scene.

Regarding concerns about the challenges posed by such a revealing scene, Ahn Bo Hyun emphasised that extensive discussions with director Kim Jin Min, writer Kim Ba Da, and his co-star Han So Hee alleviated any apprehensions. This collaborative approach allowed him to immerse himself in the emotions of his character, Pildo, without feeling undue pressure.

Director Kim Jin Min, Writer Kim Ba Da, Han So Hee and I discussed it lots before we filmed it and so I think that I didnt feel much pressure but was able to be immersed in Pildos emotions," he explained.

The outcome of this collaborative effort resulted in a well-received and emotionally resonant scene that left a lasting impact on viewers.

Jeon-Pil Do, a diligent police detective in the Drug Investigation Unit, becomes Ji Woos partner in her undercover mission. For a glimpse into the intensity of My Name, you can

watch the trailer here:

My Name revolves around Yoon Ji Woo, seeking vengeance for her fathers murder, who allies herself with a formidable crime boss and infiltrates the police force under his guidance. As a member of an organised crime ring, Ji Woo assumes the role of an undercover police officer, driven by cold revenge. Supported by Choi Moo Jin, the leader of Koreas largest drug ring, whose motives remain enigmatic, Ji Woo navigates the complex underworld.
Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor are off for their New Year vacation and this time, they are travelling with their daughter Raha. After introducing her to the world on Christmas, Alia and Ranbir were spotted with their blue-eyed daughter at the Mumbai airport. In a video shared by a paparazzo on Instagram, Alia was seen holding Raha close while she and Ranbir prepared to head to their flight. It seems like Raha was asleep while Alia was craddling her.

For their flight out, Alia and Ranbir opted for casual clothes. Ranbir was seen wearing a black sweatshirt with pants while Alia opted for a white tee and a pair of black pants. The couple sported sunglasses as they made their way to the flight. Watch the video below:

Ranbir and Alia surprised fans by giving them the first look at Raha. The actors, who welcomed their daughter in November 2022, introduce Raha to the media at the Kapoor family Christmas lunch. The blue-eyed Kapoor daughter joined her parents at the annual Christmas lunch, wearing the perfect Christmas dress.

In videos shared by the paparazzi, Raha was seen wearing a pink and white dress with a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer work on her dress. She was also seen wearing a pair of red shoes. Raha was welcomed with a loud cheer. However, Ranbir calmed the paparazzi down in an attempt to not scare her.

Ranbir and Alia had decided to wait a while before they introduce Raha to the world. Explaining her reason on Hindustan Times Leadership Summit earlier this year, Alia said, I dont want it to seem like I am hiding my daughter. I am proud of her. If the cameras were not rolling right now, I would put a giant image of her on the screen. I love her. I am proud of our baby. But we are new parents. We dont know how we feel about her face splashed out all over the internet, shes barely a year old.
Actor and filmmaker Arbaaz Khan married make-up artist Sshura Khan on Sunday. The intimate wedding ceremony took place at his sister Arpita Khans home in Mumbai. His entire family, including Salman Khan and Sohail Khan, his son Arhaan Khan, parents Salim and Salma Khan, and his nieces and nephews were present during the nikah ceremony. In an exclusive conversation with News18 Showsha, Arbaazs father, veteran screenwriter Salim Khan opened up about the wedding. He said he is happy for his son.

Read More: Mega Exclusive: Salim Khan BREAKS Silence on Arbaaz Khans 2nd Wedding: Koi Gunaah Nahi Hai

Ankita Lokhande opened up about Sushant Singh Rajput yet again in the new episode of Bigg Boss 17. This time around, she spoke about watching him perform intimate scenes and the impact it had on her. Ankita revealed that she was dating Sushant when he starred in Shuddh Desi Romance and PK, both the films featured Sushant sharing intimate moments with Parineeti Chopra, Vaani Kapoor and Anushka Sharma, respectively. Ankita said that while she knew about the intimate scenes, she was uncomfortable when she watched them play out.

Read More: Ankita Lokhande Makes SHOCKING Confession About Sushant Singh Rajput, Anushka Sharmas Kiss in PK

Abhishek Bachchan made his acting debut with the 2000 movie Refugee. However, before getting director JP Duttas project, it wasnt easy for Amitabh Bachchans son to step into the world of showbiz. In a recent interview, Abhishek recalled the same and mentioned that nobody wanted to take on the responsibility of launching Amitabh Bachchans son. Not just this, the Ghoomer actor also shared that before his acting debut, the Bachchans were going through a rough time and therefore, he also returned to India from college in the United States to be with his father.

Read More: Abhishek Bachchan Talks About Rough Time In Family, Says I Didnt Have Clothes For An Award Show

Ranbir Kapoor truly broke the internet with his presence at the Kapoor Family Christmas Lunch. After introducing his blue-eyed daughter Raha to the world, Ranbir was seen having a ball at the Christmas lunch with uncle Kunal Kapoor (Shashi Kapoors son) and other Kapoor cousins. While he was seen posing with the family, a video of him joining Kunal to set the Christmas cake/pudding on fire is going viral for a hilarious reason. In the video, Ranbir was heard declaring Jai Mata Di after the cake was set on fire.

Read More: Ranbir Kapoor Leaves Internet In SHOCK After He Says Jai Mata Di at Christmas Lunch: Did He

This digital age is inarguably very tough to navigate. The need for constant attention and validation has made us lonelier and our lives more complicated than ever. Keeping friendships alive is no cakewalk. The era of instant hook-up and break-up thanks to online dating apps has made relationships messier leaving the lines between love and lust blurred. At a time when gratitude, manifestation, FOMO, and YOLO have become mere eyeball-grabbing keywords on social media, the definitions of human equations have and constantly keep changing.

Read More: Kho Gaye Hum Kahan Review: Ananya Panday, Siddhant, Adarshs Film Is a Fuzzy Ode to Friendship
Hugh Jackman recently provided a glimpse of his first Christmas post breakup from his long term partner Deborra-Lee Furness. Amid his busy schedule filming Deadpool 3, the 55 year old actor shared snippets on his Instagram, showing his Christmas Eve dinner at the Polo Bar and a unique Christmas morning adventure. Rising early, the Australian heartthrob visited the most famous Rockefeller Center to witness the iconic Christmas tree and advised his followers that early mornings is the best time to view the tree without crowds. However, while Jackman was enjoying his time at the Rockefeller Center, his adventure took an unexpected turn as he was stopped by a security guard for breaching the designated area.

In the video, Hugh is wearing a dark blue puffer jacket paired with matching pants; the actor completed his look with a cream beanie. Despite the fun visit, his outing took a bittersweet turn when security intervened and gave him warning for getting too close to the tree. Unfazed by the incident, Jackman shared advice with his followers and wrote, I highly recommend getting up really early on Christmas morning and taking a walk to see the Rockefeller Christmas tree. Its so beautiful and not crowded at all. I did get in trouble for going beyond the barrier but the security guard was nice and let me go with just a warning.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hugh Jackman (@thehughjackman)

Hugh Jackman has established a strong connection with New York City, making it a second home due to his numerous Broadway activities. Renowned for his roles in hit musicals and plays like The Boy From Oz, A Steady Rain and The River, Jackman recently starred in The Music Man, playing the lead role of Harold Hill. Despite being born and raised in Sydney, Australia, Jackman and his family have a special place for NYC in their hearts, where they now mainly reside.

Following the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike, Deadpool 3 was among the first Hollywood movies to kickstart its production. Jackman remained occupied with the shooting of Ryan Reynolds film during this period and currently, hes been taking a hiatus to enjoy the festive season in NYC. Jackman plans to return to the United Kingdom post holidays to resume work on the upcoming Marvel film. Interestingly, Jackman and Reynolds, previously crossed paths in the 2009 film X-Men Origins: Wolverine, are set to reunite in Deadpool 3.
Katrina Kaif is gearing up for her next release Merry Christmas. The trailer which was released recently has been getting huge praise. Well, the actress has always been praised for her fashion sense and today it was no different. Katrina once again stole the spotlight with her effortless style as she was spotted at the airport. The actress showcased a chic and comfy outfit that immediately caught the attention of fans.

In the video, shared by Viral Bhayani, we can see Katrina wearing a simple yet stylish-looking all-black ensemble. She is looking very beautiful. As she moved forward towards her car, she even wished shutterbugs Merry Christmas. Fans were seen dropping heart emojis in the comment section. Many called her beautiful.

Watch the video here:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Viral Bhayani (@viralbhayani)

Coming to the Merry Christmas trailer, it begins with a montage of various clips. On Christmas Eve, Katrina encounters Vijay Sethupathi and playfully questions whether he is single or if he discreetly removed his wedding ring upon seeing her. Soon, they head to her residence, and events take an unexpected turn. She requests him to stay, hinting that appearances can be deceiving. The narrative unfolds over the course of one night in what looks like an intriguing and suspenseful dark thriller.

The release schedule for Merry Christmas has undergone several changes. Initially planned for December 15, where it would have clashed with Dharma Productions Yodha starring Siddharth Malhotra, both films later rescheduled to December 8. Subsequently, Yodha was shifted from the December slot to March 15, 2024.

Katrina recently attended the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah and said that her next film, Merry Christmas, is the most challenging film of her career yet. She said that working with director Sriram Raghavan had been a goal of hers. Katrina also added that her character in the film needed some emotional and artistic investment from her. Katrina also spoke about working with Vijay Sethupathi and said that she found him to be phenomenal and expressed her admiration for watching him switch between Hindi and Tamil languages.

The film also stars Sanjay Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Pratima Kannan, Tinnu Anand, Radhika Sarathkumar, Shanmugaraja, Kevin Jay Babu, Rajesh Williams, and Pari. Ashwini Kalsekar and Radhika Apte will also be seen in cameos in the film. Merry Christmas is produced by Ramesh Taurani, Jaya Taurani, Sanjay Routray and Kewal Garg.
Sandeep Reddy Vangas brother Pranay Reddy Vanga feels that Rashmika Mandanna did not get the acknowledgment she deserved for Animal. The actress played Ranbir Kapoors wife in the film. Her role was one of the most layered characters in the film after Ranbir Kapoor. However, the stars who have emerged into the spotlight were Ranbir Kapoor, Bobby Deol, and Triptii Dimri. Speaking about the film, Pranay felt that Rashmika was not getting enough attention.

Speaking with iDream Media, Pranay was speaking about the subject of feminism in connection with Animal when he brought up Rashmikas name. The film producer, who co-produced Animal, said that Rashmika has done a great job in the film. Geetanjali was a powerful character. (The critics) still want to make an issue. Rashmika did a good job in comparison with RK. Ranbir is one of the top 3 actors in cinema today. But none of the media in Mumbai are writing much about her. Maybe because of PR agencies and what her background is that mattered. They are not showing openly but if you see through those lines, you will undestand. Triptii got a lot of fame, he said.

He added that while Tripti also did a good job in the film, the post release media attention was only on her and Rashmika was sidelined. I feel Rashmikas role was the best role after RK, he said.

Watch the interview here:

Triptiis popularity shot up after Animals release. The actresss follower count rose by 320 percent within a few days of the films release. At the time of reporting, Triptii has 4.4 million followers. She was also dubbed as Indias new national crush, a tag that was previously held by Rashmika Mandanna. Meanwhile, Rashmika is yet to comment on the turn of events.
In a recent interaction, actor Dominic West, widely recognised for his portrayal of King Charles III in the acclaimed Netflix series The Crown, spoke about the apparent absence of communication between himself and Prince Harry. The actor disclosed that their once amicable relationship took a downturn due to an incident surrounding a press conference where, as West puts it, he said too much. During the December 24th episode of Sunday Morning on Times Radio, West delved into the specifics of this rupture, prompted by queries from host Kate McCann.

The main and immediate reason for their falling out, as West narrates, transpired a year after their joint participation in the Walking With the Wounded Charity event in 2013, a tour that took them through Antarctica alongside injured veterans.

Despite the actors reluctance to provide explicit details, he subtly hinted at his comments during a 2014 press conference, where he praised Prince Harrys hands-on involvement in the team. Harry was very much part of the team. He seemed to specialise in building latrines. He built this incredible castellated structure with blocks to keep out the wind, and it even had a toilet roll holder, West explains.

Reflecting on these past remarks during the interview, the 54-year-old Wire actor admitted to potentially over sharing details about their experiences. West went on to explain that their friendship had unraveled over a decade ago, lamenting the missed opportunity to seek guidance from Prince Harry, now 39, on portraying the character of Charles.

In a separate revelation earlier this month, West had explained another aspect of his involvement in the show, sharing that he intervened to prevent his 15-year-old son, Senan West, from playing the role of young Prince William in Season 6. The actor cited discomfort with the storyline, particularly a scene set at Balmoral Castle where he would have to inform a young boy of his mothers death. While acknowledging his sons commendable performance in the previous season, West confessed to reservations about this particular portrayal, a decision he deemed fair, although it was potentially unfair to his sons aspirations.

On the other hand, Prince Harry has confessed to watching The Crown and expressed a level of comfort with how the producers narrate his familys story in comparison to other projects, reports Page Six.
Movies have the power to leave an impact on the audience. There are certain movies that leave a positive impact on people, while there are some films that leave a tormenting effect on the audience. There is one film, which is known in the world for its gruesome and violent content. The film was so horrific that it is still banned in 50 countries, including India. The film had such horrific scenes that it could traumatise the audience. As a result, the certification board decided to ban the film. The name of the film is Cannibal Holocaust, and it was directed by Ruggero Deodato.

Cannibal Holocaust is an Italian film that was made in 1980. The whole film was always found to be in the middle of various controversies due to its horrific and unimaginable scenes. As per reports, the director of this film made the actors kill animals in front of the camera to make the violent scenes look real. His vision was not just limited to animal violence. He even wanted to show realistic rape scenes and convinced the actors to do the same.

It was found that the conditions were so bad that during the shooting, the actors vomited on the set; and some of them even went into depression. There were reports that an actor broke up with his girlfriend right after shooting a rape scene because he hated himself, but the director was obsessed with perfection. The film was released and banned within just 10 days. Ruggero Deodato was even accused of murder, as one actor was even found to be missing from the sets.

The film was banned in more than 50 countries, but it was a huge box-office hit, wherever it was released. Cannibal Holocaust was made on a budget of 1 lakh dollars, and the film grossed 20 million dollars in just 10 days. It was considered to be the most successful film, grossing 2000 times its budget, and was also given cult classic status. The story of this film is about the tribes living in the Amazon jungle who are cannibals. A group goes into the Amazon jungle to shoot a documentary on these tribes, and then a gruesome game of murder, rape, and violence begins.
Zack Snyders Rebel Moon Part 1 has created a lot of buzz ever since its release earlier this month. The sci-fi film has not only become a fan favourite, it has also increased the anticipation for the sequel. Much to the delight of the viewers, the teaser for Rebel Moon Part Two, which will serve as the conclusion to his two-part sci-fi epic, has been released by Netflix. The first installment was released on December 22 and the sequel will be released on the streaming platform on April 19, 2024.

Rebel Moon Part 1- A Child Of Fire follows the story of Kora, a lone soldier who has established a peaceful life and community on the farming moon, Veldt. Shes left her life of fighting the Imperium, the evil intergalactic royal empire, on a mission to dominate the entire cosmos behind her. But her peaceful life is thrown into disarray when Atticus Noble visits her world on behalf of the Imperiums leader, Balisarius. Kora gathers a band of fighters to help her in the battle, including Gunnar, Darrian Bloodaxe, Kai, and a robot named Jimmy.

Spoiler Alert: Kora is seen killing Noble at the end of Part One, only to be resurrected by Balisarius, who orders Kora to be brought back for execution. The new teaser for Part 2: The Scargiver, will continue his epic narrative, with Kora and the surviving warriors preparing to sacrifice everything in order to battle alongside the people of Veldt. On the eve of their battle, the heroes are forced to confront their pasts as they defend a once idyllic town. In the two-minute teaser for the next film, Sofia Boutella as Kora and Djimon Hounsou as Titus take centre stage alongside a bevy of terrifying ships and weapons.

Speaking about the inspiration behind making Rebel Moon, Zack Snyder told Hindustan Times that the plot of the film is inspired by a number of sci-fi films he grew up watching. He mentioned, Thats why Rebel Moon is a love letter to those fantasies, sci-fi blockbusters that they were making without abandon. Those were new, original things. You didnt know theyd be coming. Aliens was just that. Where you just go and get your mind blown."

The film, co-written by Zack Snyder, Shay Hatten, and Kurt Johnstad boasts an ensemble cast including Charlie Hunnam, Jena Malone, Corey Stoll, Cleopatra Coleman, and Cary Elwes, among other talented actors.
How often do you see leaders of a ruling party putting their foot in their mouth? With the Congress government in Karnataka it is far too often.

Three senior Congress members, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, have found themselves embroiled in controversies after making statements that seem unguarded.

The latest instance involves Karnataka Minister for Sugar and Agriculture Marketing Shivanand Patil, who asserted that farmers hope for droughts so that their loans can be waived off. Patils statement not only caused a stir but prompted the opposition to demand his resignation for being insensitive.

This is not the first time Patil has courted a controversy. In September this year, he said farmer suicides had increased after the compensation amount for the kin was raised from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.

Patils recent insensitive comment came during a private function in Karnatakas Belagavi. He mentioned that water from the River Krishna was free for the people, as was electricity. Patil highlighted how Karnataka is grappling with one of the worst droughts in recent years and referred to how chief ministers, including Siddaramaiah (present), BS Yediyurappa and HD Kumaraswamy had announced loan waivers during droughts when farmers were unable to repay their loans.

The chief minister has also provided seeds and fertilisers for the farmers, and now they (farmers) will only wish for droughts to happen repeatedly so that their loans can be waived off by the government. You should not wish in that manner  even if you do not do so, we will see drought every three to four years, minister Patil was heard saying.

Karnataka BJP Chief BY Vijayendra lambasted Patil for being irresponsible with his comments, and recalled how his statement on farmer suicides in September reflected arrogance and insensitivity.

Shivanand Patil has once again insulted the farmers. I urge the chief minister to call him immediately and reprimand him. If he is unable to reform, he should resign, Vijayendra said.

Just a day before Patils statement, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah did a volte-face on the hijab ban issue.

While speaking at a function in Nanjangud on December 24, Siddaramaiah, in response to a question on hijab, stated that his government had decided to withdraw the ban. He said he had instructed officials to initiate the process. The CM stressed that there was no restriction on what to eat or wear in Karnataka and added that women who want to wear a hijab can do so and go anywhere they please.

You can go around wearing a hijab; I have already given instructions to my officials to lift the ban. What you wear and what you eat is your choice. Why should I come in the way? You wear any clothing you want; you can eat whatever you want; why should I be worried? I will eat what I want. Its very simple, the chief minister declared amidst a cheering crowd.

Hours later, Siddaramaiah backtracked, claiming that he only meant to convey that his government was considering lifting the ban, and no formal decision had been made. The BJP seized on the issue, calling it an irresponsible statement on the hijab issue, with the intent to disturb the secular nature of educational institutions in the state. The resulting backlash saw the CM reversing his stand and saying that the government will look into it.

A third controversy arose when Karnataka housing and minority minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan posted pictures of flying in a luxurious private jet with Siddaramaiah and another minister, Krishna Byre Gowda, among others. A video showing Zameer inside the jet with the background song Dekho Dekho Dekho Chalta Hai Sultan, Dekho Dekho Dekho Lalkar Hai Sultan went viral on social media.

The BJP heavily criticised the Congress government in Karnataka for travelling in a luxurious jet and flaunting wealth and lifestyle during drought-like conditions. The BJP argued when austere measures should be adopted by the government, the Congress was ostentatiously displaying financial power.

In response to the controversy, CM Siddaramaiah counter-questioned, How does Prime Minister Narendra Modi travel? You must ask this question to the BJP. Which plane does Mr. Modi travel in? He travels alone. Why does he travel alone? The leaders in the BJP have nothing better to do than raise such trivial issues all the time.

Karnataka Leader of Opposition R Ashok questioned the intent of the Congress leaders who, in an entourage, went in a luxurious special flight to seek the Centres help to handle drought. Dont they have an idea of the rough times the people of Karnataka are facing?

On the one hand, Congress is pretending to crowdfund and didnt even serve samosas in I.N.D.I Alliance meeting, on the other, Zameer Ahmed Khan, Cabinet Minister for Housing, Waqf and Minority Affairs in Karnataka Govt, is flaunting his pictures with CM Siddaramaiah in a private pic.twitter.com/SkrLB5OdjI Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) December 22, 2023

Minority minister Zameer had in November found himself in another controversy when he claimed during an election campaign in Telangana that the best-of-the-best BJP leaders stood before Speaker UT Khader, a Muslim, and bow their heads saying Sahab Namaskar. Zameer wanted to make a point that it was the Congress who made a minority leader the Speaker, a first in Karnatakas legislative assembly history.

R Ashok accused Zameer of bringing disgrace to the Speakers chair and attempting to create communal prejudice. Khader reacted, stating that the post he assumes is constitutionally significant and transcends politics and religion.
For many in the Congress, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is a lucky charm. She did over 60 rallies ahead of the recent state elections and the party thinks her strike rate has been much better than other seniors like Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge among others. So it comes as no surprise that the party wants her to contest the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.

Jairam Ramesh told News18, She is not just our star campaigner. She is a superstar and we would want her to contest in the Lok Sabha polls. Thats the most natural thing to do, but its her decision.

It took a while for Priyanka to adjust to her mainstream political launch. For years before she was made general secretary incharge of Uttar Pradesh along with Jyotiraditya Scindia (then in the Congress) in 2019, Priyanka would campaign for her brother and mother in Amethi and Raebareli. She spent a lot of time managing her mother Sonia Gandhis Lok Sabha constituency. But each time she would be asked when she would take the formal plunge, Priyanka dismissed it by saying she had to look after her two children. However, those who know the workings of the Congress reveal that she would be part of all key meetings of the party. Particularly when it came to her mother and brothers campaigns and political strategy, Priyanka would be the go-to person. She usually had the last word.

Another reason why Priyanka wanted to stay away was that she wanted her brother Rahul Gandhi to be the centre, focus, and face. There is no denying that Priyanka has more charisma and connect with the crowds and that she could be a challenger, say some party insiders. Priyanka and the family never wanted this.

But in 2019, with Rahul Gandhi almost directly pitted against Narendra Modi, the space in the states was clear for Priyanka. She took charge of a state like UP, knowing that the party had little chance there. But like Indira Gandhi, Priyanka wanted her party to know that she was not scared of taking on a challenge. A poor performance and failure of the Ladki hun, lad sakti hun campaign didnt seem to daunt her. She was used extensively in state polls and campaigns. It was her idea to woo women and offer money directly into their accounts. It clicked in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana. Where it did not, the blame fell on the respective state leadership.

So when the new list of Congress office-bearers came recently and Priyanka was not put in charge of any state, many wondered what the reason could be. Avinash Pande has replaced her as UP incharge. Priyanka had resigned along with others when the old Congress Working Committee (CWC) gave way to the new. But not taking charge of a state means Priyanka wants to focus on the Lok Sabha polls, both as a strategist and most likely as a candidate. She has been included in the partys manifesto committee for 2024. The party feels that she can give valuable input that will help revive the Congress.

Sources say Priyanka felt that taking charge of a state would limit her activities. And being a star campaigner could benefit her as a leader. This, of course, leaves the door open for her to contest. The party will leave it to her to choose a safe seat, say sources. But Priyanka being billed as Indira reincarnated could work for her in the south and not so much in the north. However, both Gandhi siblings contesting from southern constituencies (Rahul is the MP from Keralas Wayanad seat) would only reinforce the BJP argument that the Congress is a south party. Himachal is another possibility, say sources. With her no longer being in charge of UP, Priyanka is under no pressure to contest from the state.

Many in the Congress hope that an aggressive Priyanka will take on Modi directly in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, something Rahul Gandhi did but without success.
National Conference (NC) leader Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday stirred a row by saying Kashmir will turn into Gaza if India and Pakistan do not find a solution through dialogue.

Speaking to reporters, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said if India remains with its neighbour (Pakistan), both countries will progress. He also referred to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayees statement on India-Pakistan relations that we can change our friends but not our neighbours.

Prime Minister Modi also said that war is not an option now and the matters should be resolved through dialogue. Where is the dialogue? Nawaz Sharif is about to become the Prime Minister (of Pakistan) and they are saying that we are ready to talk (to India), but what is the reason why we are not ready to talk? Farooq Abdullah said.

If we do not find a solution through dialogue, we will meet the same fate as Gaza and Palestine, which are being bombed by Israel, he added.

#WATCH | National Conference MP Farooq Abdullah says, Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said that we can change our friends but not our neighbours. If we remain friendly with our neighbours, both will progress. PM Modi also said that war is not an option now and the matters should be pic.twitter.com/EcPx9B70jJ ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2023

The NC leaders remarks come in the backdrop of at multiple terrorist activities reported in the Valley over the past few days. On December 21, at least four Army personnel lost their lives while three others were injured in a terrorist attack on two military vehicles in the Rajouri sector.

On December 24, a retired senior police officer Mohammed Shafi Mir, a resident of Gantamulla Bala village in Jammu and Kashmirs Baramulla, was shot dead by terrorists while he was offering prayers inside a mosque.

BJP Reacts to Farooq Abdullahs Statement

Senior BJP leader Dr Hina Shafi Bhat condemned the veteran leaders remarks saying it is regrettable that a senior leader from Jammu and Kashmir is still talking about talks with Pakistan.

Farooq saab should learn now, this regime is not going to bow down before Pakistan. We tried, they have backstabbed us again and again, Dr Hina said.
Donning a white sweater with a saffron shawl, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the leaders and members of the Christian community in his official residence in Delhi on Monday. Mentioning his meeting with the Pope, and his old and close ties with the community since his days as the chief minister in Gujarat, the PM invoked the Bible, and said, Jesus worked to create an inclusive society where justice prevails for all and it is these values that are illuminating the way like a guiding light in the development journey of India. In The Holy Bible, truth has been given great importance and service as the supreme religion.

Even though this is the first time when PM Modi hosted the community leaders and members in his official residence, the outreach has been happening over the past nine months. The exercise took a prominent shape when PM Modi attended an event and met a delegation of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church and another delegation of eight Bishops in Kerala in April.

Sneha Yatra

Speaking with News18, K Surendran, BJPs state unit president in Kerala, said that the party has taken up a programme to make an outreach to the Christian community. The programme, named Sneha Yatra, is meant to build a socio-cultural bond with the community that constitutes 17% of Keralas population.

We have taken up this programme for 10 days, from December 21 to December 31. Over the last five days, we have already reached out to around 5 lakh households and covered around 2,000 churches across Kerala. We plan to reach out to at least 7 to 9 lakh households. This is a sampark yatra (outreach programme) meant for Christian community brothers and sisters, Surendran told News18.

Christians are culturally aligned

According to senior leaders of the BJP, the Christian outreach has been planned systematically to bring in an inclusive political approach ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

There are some powerful and foreign-funded lobbies that always want to pit Muslims and Christians against the PM and the party. We have to break such a stereotypical approach towards the BJP by other opposition forces. There is no qualm about the BJP accepting its Hindu cultural roots, but this is the time when we should actively work to shrug off the communal tag. PM Modi has taken the lead to address this issue, said a senior BJP leader, who has been a part of the outreach programme in Kerala and towards the Christian community.

Christianity in Europe and Christianity in India, especially in the southern part of India, are very different from each other, he added. Christianity in Kerala, particularly, is unique. They share the same heritage and cultural values as us. Indian Christians are culturally aligned with us. Making an outreach will make our partys approach to inclusivity stronger, he said.

Apart from PM Modi, BJPs national president JP Nadda was also seen reaching out to the community. On December 25, Nadda visited the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Delhi. After meeting the senior priests there, Nadda also spoke about Jesus Christs contribution towards peace and harmony. PM Modi had also visited the cathedral on Easter.
Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya has reiterated his contentious comments that Hinduism is a betrayal, triggering a fresh controversy and drawing criticism by the Centres ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Hindu ek dhoka hai (Hindu religion is a betrayal), the controversial leader said at the National Buddhist and Bahujan Rights Conference in New Delhi on Monday. In the same breath, he tried to to justify his statement, citing views that Hinduism is a way of life.

In 1955, the Supreme Court said in its order that Hindu is not a religion but a way of life. It is a conglomeration of more than 200 religions. Even Mohan Bhagwat had said, not once but twice, that Hindu is not a religion but a way of life. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also said that Hindu is not a religion. Even Gadkari had said the same thing in a media conclave, Maurya said while speaking at National Buddhist and Bahujan Rights Conference in New Delhi on Monday.

The Samajwadi Party leader questioned why no ones sentiments get hurt when they say the same thing on Hinduism that he had said.

But when they say these, no ones sentiments get hurt but when Swami Prasad Maurya says that Hindu is not a religion but a betrayal and what we refer to as Hindu religion is a business for some people, the whole country gets into a storm, Maurya said.

When the Supreme Court said the same thing in 1955, no one took offence. But when Swami Prasad Maurya says it, FIRs are registered throughout the country. I am saying the same thing that the Indian Constitution is saying, he added.

The Samajwadi Party leader said that the Hindu upper classes make use of the Bahujan vote bank to come into power, but after doing so they cancel reservations for them.

Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas together make up eight per cent of the population. These eight per cent cannot form a government on its own. These have exploited the backward classes and formed the government in the name of Hindu. For the purpose of votes, we are Hindus. But after forming the government, we are no longer Hindus. If it had been the case, they would have never cancelled reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes or backward castes, Maurya said.

The Samajwadi Party MLC said that those sitting at the top echelons of power are weakening democracy by doing away with reservations.

Those who swear by the Constitution, the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers, those who are at the helm of power are prioritizing Manuvaad. The Constitution is being made ineffectiveReservations are being done away with. Even democracy is being weakened. Almost 150 MPs were disqualified from Parliament. Is it not a conspiracy against democracy? Is the government not imposing its say on its people? Maurya said.

#WATCH | Delhi: Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya says, Hindu ek dhokha haiRSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat has said twice that there is no religion called Hindu but instead, it is a way of living. Prime Minister Modi has also said that there is no Hindu religionSentiments pic.twitter.com/1qnULH1rqt ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2023

Swami Prasad Mauryas Recent Controversial Remarks

Swami Prasad Maurya, who came to limelight after stoking a major controversy with his Ramcharitmanas comments had earlier said in August the Hinduism is a betrayal.

In a video posted on X Maurya was heard saying, The roots of Brahminism are very deep and the reason for all the disparity is also Brahminism. There is no religion called Hindu, Hinduism is just a hoax. There is a conspiracy to trap the Dalits, tribals and backward people of this country by calling the same Brahmin religion as Hindu religion.

The SP leader had also questioned the birth of Hindu goddess Lakshmi and said, How can Lakshmi be born with four hands? In a post on X, Swami Prasad Maurya said that every child born anywhere in the world has two hands, two legs, two ears, and two eyes and if a child with eight hands, and ten hands has not been born till now, how can goddess Lakshmi be born with four hands.

#BreakingNews | SPs Swami Prasad Maurya strokes row by making a controversial statement on Hindu Deity@DhantaNews shares details with @AnushaSoni23 pic.twitter.com/hR4cY7ERtv News18 (@CNNnews18) November 13, 2023

Sharp Reactions from Opponents

 On Mauryas Hindu ek dhoka hai remark, Union minister Nityanand Rai said, Be it Swami Prasad Maurya or any leader of the INDIA alliance, they dont understand the meaning of dharmaTheir ideology is based on appeasement and this is done for votes.

 Last month BJP president Bhupendra Chaudhary had lashed out at Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav in connection with Mauryas statement on Goddess Lakshmi. Choudhury said, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav remained silent on the insult of Ramayana in the past and is now keeping mum on the insult of Mata Mahalakshmi Ji. This proves that the SP chief has himself handed over the agenda of insulting Sanatan Hindu religion to Swami Prasad Maurya by making him the national General Secretary of the party.
Amidst wide speculation over JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan aka Lalan Singhs resignation from his party post, Singh has denied such claims by a section of media and termed them Faltu Khabar (nonsense) in an exclusive interaction with News18.

Three days ahead of the central committee meetings of JD (U), scheduled to be held in Delhi, on December 29, it was reported in the section of media that Singh has tendered his resignation, which is yet to be accepted by party president and chief minister Nitish Kumar.

Does anyone have a copy of my resignation letter? From where did they come to know things that I even dont know. This is absolute nonsense, Singh told News 18.

Claims and counter-claims over an alleged rift between Nitish Kumar and one of his close aides and colleagues, Lalan Singh, have been doing the rounds over the past week. As the opposition INDIA bloc approaches the crucial seat-sharing stage for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, speculations are rife over Nitish Kumars call for a central committee meeting on December 29 amid murmurs of friction in Bihars ruling JD (U).

Senior leaders, who are close to Nitish Kumar, however, dismissed the news about the rift between the leaders, and said they are the closest friends. We are expecting some shake ups in the party structure and we may also see a new strategy to be adopted before the crucial election. However, the central committee meetings are not about national president Lalan Singh. None of them has ever mentioned such things to us. Everyone is only making conjectures, said a senior leader of JD(U) on condition of anonymity.

The party leaders are taken aback by the attitude of other constituents of the INDIA coalition. We all agree that our primary goal is to defeat BJP. Our leader, Nitish Kumar ji, has contributed most for the goal. But we, as his colleagues and the member of the party, expected a respectful position and political recognition for him in the alliance. That did not happen, which underwhelmed all of us. He has been a prime mover for the alliance, and he along with Lalu ji played the most important role in coordinating and getting all stakeholders to the table, said the leader.
The much-awaited consecration of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple on January 22, which will witness presence of several key people like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has become a political issue ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While invitations have been sent to netas, religious leaders and actors, it is the Opposition leaders response that has been creating a buzz.

While CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat described the programme as politicisation of a religious programme, former Congress leader Kapil Sibal said he has Lord Ram in my heart, and therefore does not will not attend BJPs show-off event.

Speaking to News18, Brinda Karat confirmed that CPI(M) will skip the Pran Pratishtha Mahotsav for Lord Ram. Neither she not partys general secretary Sitaram Yechury will attend the event.

No, we will not go. We respect the religious beliefs but they are connecting a religious programme with politics. Using religion as a political weapon or to advance a political agenda is not right, Karat said.

Kapil Sibal was quoted by ANI as saying, What I say to you is from my heart because I do not care about these things. If Ram is in my heart, and Ram has guided me on my journey, it means I have done something right.

The former Congress leader attacked the BJP for being a show-off and said, They talk about Lord Ram but their character is nowhere close. Truthfulness, tolerance, sacrifice, and respect for others are some of the traits of Ram but they do exactly the opposite you need to have Rams principles in your heart.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Congress leader in the outgoing Lok Sabha, and ex-PM Manmohan Singh have also been invited, but it is not clear if Rahul Gandhi received one.

The grand old party has not clarified on their stand regarding the invite. Partys general secretary KC Venugopal confirmed the invite but told reporters, You will (be told) about the partys stand you will know on January 22. They (the BJP) invited us. We are very thankful for inviting us let us (see).

BJPs Response

 Attacking Karat, Union minister Meenakshi Lekhi said, :invitations were sent to all (but) only those called by Lord Ram will come.

 Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis taunted BJPs rivals, especially those who used to mock us He added, Now, if you have courage, come to Ayodhya and we will show you the temple.
Rajasthan Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra on Tuesday asked the BJP why it could not form a cabinet even after 25 days of coming to power and criticised it for closing the Rajiv Gandhi Yuva Mitra Internship Programme started by the previous government.

Even after 25 days, they have not formed the cabinet and even officers have not been appointed in the Chief Ministers office. Who will run the government and the Chief Ministers office is beyond understanding even after 25 days.

The people of Rajasthan are feeling cheated about what is happening, why is the cabinet not being formed? Dotasra told reporters at a press conference. The Congress leader also asked the newly appointed chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma what he meant when he said the government would be formed soon. He also demanded the arrest of the accused in the Dalit murder in Ratusar.

Dotasra said that the BJP had said that no scheme of the previous government would be stopped but it issued an order to stop the Rajiv Gandhi Yuva Mitra Internship Programme. Rajasthan went to polls on November 25 for 199 out of 200 assembly seats.

On December 3, when the results were announced, the BJP came ahead of the rival Congress and on December 15, Bhajan Lal Sharma took the oath of chief minister.

In Ratusar of Churu district, four people beat up two Dalit youths on Sunday on suspicion of cable theft. One of the victims later died. Dotasra said that during its campaign, the BJP talked a lot about crimes in the state and made many allegations against the then Congress government, but now that it is in power, it has not been able to arrest the people named in the case.

He appealed to the people of Rajasthan to donate to the Congress under the partys Donate for Country campaign. Dotasra said that the Leader of the Opposition will be announced before the commencement of the Assembly session on January 19.
With the New Year celebrations around the corner, foodies across the globe are looking for some amazing recipes to add a delectable touch to the festive season. From sweet to spicy, the options are endless in the culinary tapestry of the world. But still there are some users who try their hands on cooking and end up making some bizarre dishes that leave everyone annoyed.

Recently, an Instagram user posted a video that shows what a disgusting food recipe could be made. Shared by Singapore food blogger Calvin Lee, the video has triggered a heated debate on Instagram. The creator often shares videos of his unique food experiments, and this time the cook has taken his experiments a level up by mixing two most favourite dishes of foodies.

The video of the pasta-making process has made food lovers uncomfortable since the opening. A food blogger begins his experimental speciality by preparing a white sauce pasta in a pan. Get ready for the gut-wrenching surprise as once the pasta is cooked, the blogger adds Ferrero Rocher chocolates and creamy cheese block into the pan, creating a creamy, chocolatey dish. The pasta is then stirred well to mix everything before transferring it out into a plate. He then garnished the chocolatey pasta with more Ferrero Rocher.

Shocking right? But watch the vlogger relishing this bizarre food combination with appetizing expressions.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Calvin Lee | Singapore Foodie (@foodmakescalhappy)

It goes without saying that the post that went crazy viral didnt settle well with social media users. Instagram users chimed in to the post and flooded it with an influx of reactions expressing their sheer disgust towards such food combinations. Some raged out their anger and asked to delete the video, while others suggested the food blogger never step into the kitchen again to prepare such disasters.

An Instagram user commented, Congratulations, you have just declared a war against Italy.

Expressing anger and disappointment, another individual mentioned, I just woke up and my whole day is entirely ruined.

I swear to god I will find you and make you pay for what youve done, even if it takes my whole life to achieve it, an account remarked.

If you cancel this video, well let go now, thatll be the end of it. We will not look for you, we will not pursue you. But if you dont, we will look for you, we will find you, and I will teach you how to cook, an individual asserted.

Never step foot into a kitchen again, a user suggested.

However, this isnt the only food kind that disgusted users to the core this year. Earlier, Maggi dosa, Rasgulla Chai, apple-infused idli, egg in tea, and many more bizarre recipes had left foodies cringe.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Zin Dhruti Tailor (@cutilicious_dhruts)

No, seriously. Why would you destroy lip-smacking Ferrero Rocher chocolates like this?
Love has a mysterious way of blossoming, and for one couple, it unfolded through the wrong number. This heartwarming tale of romance has captivated people worldwide as the couples unique story went viral. The protagonists of this unique love story are Aarti Kumari from the village of Jawatari in the Jamui district and Ramsevak from Pandarak in the district of Patna. Their connection began four years ago when Ramsevak received a call from an unknown number, leading to a growing conversation and eventually a relationship. Over the years, they met frequently at Aartis house and the Jamui railway station, with Aartis mother being aware of the situation.

According to reports, a young man received a call from the wrong number, and serendipitously, the caller was a young woman. Their accidental conversation led to a connection that blossomed into love. Despite the distance of 150 km between them, the boy decided to meet the girl.

However, their budding romance took an unexpected turn when, during one of their meetings in a room, villagers discovered them. Seemingly disapproving of the relationship, the locals took matters into their own hands and trapped the couple in the room. Despite the couples pleas to be released, the villagers presented an astonishing condition, leaving the pair in disbelief.

Reports indicate that the villagers imposed a marriage condition on the couple, stating that only upon agreeing to marry would they be released. The young couple, filled with love and determination, decided to tie the knot on the spot, receiving blessings from their respective families.

In a similar tale from the United States, Brenda Rivera Stearns and Isaiah Stearns found love after Brenda accidentally texted Isaiah in 2009 due to a wrong number. Fast forward to the present, the couple is happily married with six children, proving that sometimes, love finds its way through unexpected twists of fate.
Since the war in Gaza began, plenty of posters, stickers and leaflets in the occupied West Bank have urged Palestinians to boycott Israeli products and buy local.

By us, for us, reads the slogan of the new campaign that has spread across towns in recent weeks, as calls to ban Israeli goods also grow in other countries.

The slogan is everywhere at one well-known supermarket chain in the West Bank, where Made in Palestine fare like water, milk and toilet paper take pride of place.

Its all about highlighting Palestinian products, said Omar Bawatneh, manager of a branch in Ramallah.

The chain estimates that sales of Israeli products at its stores have dropped by 30 percent since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas.

On October 7, Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel in an attack that left around 1,140 people dead, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Palestinian militants also abducted around 250 people to the Gaza Strip. Israel says 129 of them remain there.

Israel retaliated with a land, sea and air assault on Gaza and vowed to eliminate Hamas. The offensive has killed more than 20,900 people, most of them women and children, according to Gazas health ministry.

Violence in the West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967, has also flared since the outbreak of the war.

More than 300 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers since the Gaza war erupted, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah.

At supermarkets across the occupied territory, young people in particular have developed a political conscience and are consuming more and more Palestinian products, Bawatneh said.

They look at the labels, go online to see the list of products to boycott, he added, referring to the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

 Global momentum 

Launched by Palestinian civil society organisations in 2005, BDS advocates political and economic action against Israel over its treatment of Palestinians.

The movement is regularly accused of anti-Semitism by Israel and its key backer the United States.

But co-founder Omar Barghouti told AFP the BDS movement categorically opposes all forms of racism, including Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.

He said it drew inspiration from South Africas anti-apartheid movement.

The founders have three demands: Ending Israels 1967 military occupation, dismantling its system of apartheid, and respecting the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their lands and receive reparations.

BDS also advocates a boycott of Israeli sports, cultural and academic events, and calls for pressure on foreign companies that collaborate with Israel.

Eighteen years after its emergence, the campaign has gained global momentum, with branches in 40 countries.

I support this movement because we can only change things here through international pressure, said Ofer Neiman, an Israeli member of the group.

This is a very good campaign that uses the principles of non-violence and human rights to bring about change, the left-wing activist said.

In his daily life, he tries to boycott products from settlements.

 Zero Israeli products 

But others say a boycott is just not practical.

The owner of a shop selling sanitary and heating equipment in downtown Ramallah said it would be impossible to run his business without Israeli goods.

Its extremely difficult to get hold of top-quality bathtubs and plumbing that is not made in Israel, he said.

My customers want the best product for their home, said the Palestinian shopkeeper, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals.

You can eat Palestinian food, but we havent been able to develop our industry.

In a report this year, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development said Palestinian households were struggling under the severe economic impact of Israeli restrictions in much of the West Bank.

In annexed east Jerusalem, stores are full of Israeli items.

Traders use a wholesale system overseen by an Israeli official who makes sure theres a balance between Israeli and Palestinian products, Bawatneh said.

In El-Bireh, near Ramallah, Mohamed Ali said his grocery shop has been stocked with zero Israeli products for 10 years.

Instead, he mainly buys Turkish, Jordanian and Chinese products, as well as French canned goods.

On one occasion, he said, soldiers had tried to intimidate him and shut down his shop.

But, he explained: I refuse to give money that will go to the Israeli military who will kill Palestinians.
The flight operated by Romanias Legend Airlines carrying 303 Indians which was grounded in France allegedly over concerns that its nearly 300, mostly Indian, passengers were part of a human trafficking scheme landed in Mumbai early Tuesday, according to a report by news agency AFP.

Of the original 303 people on the passenger list, 276 were on the plane that arrived in Mumbai before dawn on Tuesday, news agency AFP said in its report.

French authorities earlier on Monday cleared the flight for departure following the completion of legal formalities, according to a separate report by CNN-News18. Following the completion of legal formalities and clearance, Indian authorities in France thanked French officials for the quick resolution of the situation.

The plane, a Nicaragua-bound Airbus A340, was detained last Thursday at Vatry airport, east of Paris, when it halted for refuelling. The flight arrived there from Dubai and authorities in France received an anonymous tip-off that it was carrying potential victims of human trafficking.

The report by AFP said the flight landed at Mumbais international airport after a nearly nine-hour flight, around 4:00 am (local time), citing aviation tracking website Flightradar24. It also said, citing French judicial sources, that the authorities there are no longer probing for potential people trafficking but have launched a probe to see if there was violation of immigration laws.

The flight carrying over three hundred fliers, a bulk of them Indians, is now thought to be a donkey flight.

The Sunday Times Nicola Smith, in her 2014 research paper, Donkey Flights: Illegal Immigration from the Punjab to the United Kingdom, define donkey flights as a term used by immigrants as a popular route used by immigrants to enter the UK. This involves a technique where immigrants hop from place to place until they gain entry to the nation they were seeking entry to.

A report by News18 last week said citing top sources in the ministry of external affairs (MEA) that the flight received clearance from a French judge to fly out of the country and the Indian government will decide on further action after the aircraft lands here. The Indian embassy in France thanked French authorities for the quick resolution of the situation later on social media site X (formerly Twitter).

The report also said that those aboard the flight were poor villagers from Punjab and Gujarat who wanted to enter the US through Nicaragua, a jumping off spot for the US or Canada for illegally entering these nations after the Mexican side of the US border was closed.

In consular access, it was found that the passengers were mostly Gujarati and Punjabi who were tutored that they were travelling for tourism.
An Israeli strike in Syria has killed a senior general with Irans Revolutionary Guards, the military force said, with Tehran vowing retribution.

The incident further raises tension in the Middle East where Iran-aligned groups have escalated attacks since Iran-backed Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, triggering a war with Israel.

Iranian state media also reported the death of Razi Moussavi, describing him as one of the most experienced advisers of Quds Force, the foreign arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

There was no immediate comment from Israel, which has intensified attacks in Syria, particularly against Lebanons Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, since the Israel-Hamas war began.

Moussavi is the most senior Quds Force commander to be killed outside Iran since General Qasem Soleimani. A US drone strike in Baghdad nearly four years ago  on January 3, 2020  killed Soleimani, the Quds Force leader.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi expressed condolences for Moussavis death, saying Israel will certainly pay for this crime.

The general was killed during an attack by the Zionist regime a few hours ago in Zeinabiyah district in the suburbs of Damascus, official news agency IRNA reported, using a different name for Sayyida Zeinab south of the Syrian capital.

Moussavi was active in the field of providing logistical support to the axis of resistance in Syria, IRNA said, referring to groups backed by Tehran and arrayed against Israel.

An IGRC statement said a missile attack killed Moussavi, and vowed to avenge his death.

The statement noted that Moussavi was a companion of Soleimani.

Three missiles

Irans state TV said three missiles targeted Moussavi and aired footage showing smoke rising from the area of the strike.

Tehrans ambassador to Syria Hossein Akbari told Irans Mehr news agency that the generals house was targeted at 4:20 pm (1320 GMT) by three missiles.

The building was destroyed, and Moussavis body was later found in the yard, he said.

A Britain-based monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reported Israeli strikes on positions used by Iranian groups and Hezbollah in the Sayyida Zeinab area.

Residents reported hearing loud explosions and seeing columns of smoke rising from farms in the area.

We consider this assassination a flagrant attack that crosses the limits, Lebanons Hezbollah said in a statement, adding that Moussavi had supported the group for decades.

Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been exchanging regular fire over their border during the Gaza war.

Since Syrias civil war began in 2011, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on targets in Syria, primarily against Iran-backed forces and Hezbollah fighters as well as Syrian army positions.

On December 2, the IRGC accused Israel of killing two of its members in Syria, where the force said they had been on an advisory mission, without providing further details.

The Islamic republic, which supports Hamas financially and militarily, has hailed the deadly attacks on southern Israel as a success but denied any direct involvement.

Iran does not recognise Israel and has made support for the Palestinian cause a centrepiece of its foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Israel rarely comments on reported strikes in Syria but has repeatedly said it will not allow arch-enemy Iran to expand its presence in Syria.
Israel bombed Gaza on Tuesday after its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed there wont be peace until its Hamas rulers are destroyed and Palestinian society is deradicalised.

The army said it had struck more than 100 targets in 24 hours, including military sites and tunnel shafts in central Jabalia and Khan Yunis in the south, as heavy ground combat continued.

The withering military campaign launched after the Hamas attacks of October 7 has caused mass civilian casualties and widespread hunger and reduced much of the coastal territory to rubble.

The UN World Health Organization reported harrowing accounts of entire families killed during Christmas Eve strikes on the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central area of the Gaza Strip.

Global concern has mounted and international calls for a ceasefire have multiplied but Netanyahu vowed to stay the course in an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal late Monday.

Hamas must be destroyed, Gaza must be demilitarised and Palestinian society must be deradicalised, he argued. These are the three prerequisites for peace between Israel and its Palestinian neighbours in Gaza.

Once the fighting ends, he said, for the foreseeable future Israel will have to retain overriding security responsibility over Gaza and build a temporary security zone on the perimeter of the territory.

Netanyahu had earlier visited Israeli troops inside Gaza, then reportedly told a meeting of his conservative Likud party that were not stopping Were intensifying the fighting in the coming days.

The bloodiest ever Gaza war erupted when Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7 and killed about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

They took 250 hostages of whom 129 remain inside Gaza.

Israel launched extensive aerial bombardment and a siege followed by a ground invasion. The campaign has killed 20,674 people, mostly women and children, according to Hamas-run Gazas health ministry.

 Great destruction 

The Israeli army published footage showing its troops moving through the muddy war zone of shattered buildings as gunfire rings out, tanks churning up dust and a soldier firing a heavy machine gun from a window.

The army says 158 Israeli soldiers have been killed inside Gaza.

AFPTV images from Gaza Citys devastated and largely deserted Tal al-Hawa area showed dirt roads winding through mountains of rubble amid multi-storey buildings pancaked by strikes or standing askew.

By God, the destruction is very great, and all the owners of the place have been displaced to the south, says one Palestinian man. May God help people through the misfortunes they are in.

Video footage from inside the citys Al-Quds Hospital showed an empty ward with a hole blasted into a wall, broken window glass strewn across the floor and medical equipment covered in a layer of dust.

Some residents of Al-Maghazi refugee camp returned to the ruins of their homes after strikes that Gazas health ministry said killed at least 70 people. AFP was unable to independently verify that toll.

One of those coming back, Zeyad Awad, said there had been no evacuation warning before the strikes.

What should we do? he asked. We are civilians, living peacefully and wanting only safety and security.

WHO staff visited a hospital treating victims of the strikes and heard harrowing accounts from health workers and victims, said the agencys chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Sean Casey, a WHO emergency medical teams coordinator, described the fate of a nine-year-old being treated who was expected to die.

He was crossing the street in front of the shelter where his family is staying and the building beside him blew up, he said.

The Israeli army said it was reviewing the incident and added that it was committed to international law including taking feasible steps to minimise harm to civilians.

 Real hunger 

Vast areas of Gaza lie in ruins and its 2.4 million people are enduring dire shortages of water, food, fuel and medicine, alleviated only by the limited arrival of aid trucks.

Now there is real hunger, said Nour Ismail, who was waiting for food to be distributed in the southern city of Rafah.

My children are dying of hunger.

An estimated 1.9 million Gazans have been displaced, according to the UN, many fleeing south and crowded into shelters or makeshift tents in the winter cold, even as the fighting comes ever closer.

Netanyahu told Likud party members on Monday that he was ready to support the voluntary migration of civilians out of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.

He reportedly told party members our problem is not whether to allow an exit, but that there will be countries that are willing to absorb an exit.

Hamas rejected as absurd any such discussion. Palestinians refuse to be deported and displaced, it said in a statement. There cant be exile and there is no other choice than to remain on our land.

The Gaza war has heightened regional tensions between, on the one hand, Israel and its ally the United States, and, on the other, Iran-backed armed groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said an Israeli air strike in Syria had killed the senior Quds Force commander Razi Moussavi, and President Ebrahim Raisi vowed Israel will certainly pay for this crime.

In Iraq the US military launched strikes on pro-Iran groups whom it has blamed for more than 100 attacks in recent weeks, said US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

The Iraqi government denounced the air strikes, which it said had killed one member of the security forces and wounded at least 18 others, as a hostile act.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Tuesday said he was fine after a pretty exhausting 20-day transfer to a penal colony beyond the Arctic Circle.

Navalnys supporters said on Monday that the Kremlin critic, whose whereabouts had been unknown for more than two weeks, was now in the penal colony in Russias far north and had been visited by his lawyer.

Dont worry about me. Im fine. Im totally relieved that Ive finally made it, Navalny wrote on X.

Im still in a good mood, as befits a Santa Claus, he said, referring to his winter clothing and beard.

The US State Department said it remained deeply concerned for Mr. Navalnys wellbeing and the conditions of his unjust detention.

Navalny mobilised huge anti-government protests before being jailed in 2021, after surviving an assassination attempt by poisoning.

He has spent most of his detention at the IK-6 penal colony in the Vladimir region, some 250 kilometres (155 miles) east of Moscow.

A court in August extended his sentence to 19 years on extremism charges, and ruled he be moved to a harsher special regime prison that usually houses particularly dangerous prisoners.

The facility that Navalny is currently being held in is not a special regime one although there is one of that category in the same location.

One major difference from his previous place of detention is that any letters will take much longer to reach Navalny as they would go through the regular postal service rather than email.

Allies said his transfer could be linked to the upcoming presidential election in Russia, ahead of which many Kremlin critics have been jailed or fled.

Navalny posted on X that he arrived at the Arctic penal colony in the village of Kharp on Saturday and was visited by his lawyer on Monday.

Prisoner transfers in Russia can take weeks as inmates are moved by train to far-flung facilities in what was known as the Gulag in Soviet times.

I didnt expect anyone to find me here before mid-January, he wrote, adding that he had seen little of his surroundings except for a snow-covered adjoining cell used as a yard and a fence outside his window.

Unfortunately, there are no reindeer, but there are huge fluffy, and very beautiful shepherd dogs, he said.

Temperatures in Kharp are expected to go down to minus 26 degrees Celsius in the coming days.
Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday informed Russian President Vladimir Putin that a Ukrainian raid on Crimeas Feodosia port damaged the Novocherkassk  an important Russian warship.

Defence minister Shoigu reported to Vladimir Putin about the strike by the Ukrainian Armed Force on Feodosia and the damage to the large landing ship Novocherkassk, the presidents spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, quoted by TASS news agency.

Russian authorities on Tuesday said the Ukrainian attack on the Crimean port of Feodosia has damaged the Novocherkassk and killed one person. Authorities in Kyiv said they destroyed an important Russian warship earlier.

Russian defence ministry officials told news agency Interfax that Ukraine used air-launched missiles to attack Feodosia and that the Novocherkassk large landing ship sustained damages in the raid. The ship, built in Poland, entered service in the late 1980s.

The Novocherkassk, according to a Reuters report, is designed for amphibious landings and can carry various types of armoured vehicles, including tanks. The news agency, citing videos shared on Telegram messaging app by Russian news outlets, said powerful explosions detonated and fires burnt following the raid.

Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-installed governor of Crimea, said one died, two were wounded and six were evacuated after the raid.

Ukraine, whose much discussed counteroffensive is failing to yield the desired results, launched a series of attacks on Crimea which is also the headquarters of Russias Black Sea Fleet and in some cases have inflicted serious damage, even though Russia has made some military gains.

And the fleet in Russia is getting smaller and smaller! Thanks to the Air Force pilots and everyone involved for the filigree work! the commander of Ukraines air force, Mykola Oleshchuk, said on Telegram.

The Russian-backed Crimean administration said trains were not running from Feodosia and residents were advised to use an alternative nearby station. Feodosia, which has a population of around 69,000 people, lies on the southern coast of the Crimean Peninsula. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
A key committee in the Turkish parliament on Tuesday approved Swedens bid to join NATO after months of delays, clearing another hurdle in the Nordic countrys accession process in the wake of Russias invasion of Ukraine last year.

Swedens NATO bid had been stalled amid opposition from Turkey and Hungary and recently it was further complicated after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan linked it to Ankaras request for F-16 fighter jets from its ally the United States.

Sweden and Finland dropped decades of military non-alignment and sought to join the US-led defence organisation after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Their bids won fast-track approval from all NATO members except Turkey and Hungary. The two ultimately relented and Finland was accepted as NATOs 31st member in April.

Turkey and Hungary remain the only North Atlantic Treaty Organization members left to ratify Swedens bid 19 months after it applied for membership.

On Tuesday, the Turkish parliaments foreign affairs committee approved the measure.

The protocol (on Swedens NATO accession) passed the committee, opposition CHP party lawmaker Utku Cakirozer, a member of the foreign affairs committee, told AFP after the vote.

The move paves the way to a vote by the full parliament, where Erdogans ruling alliance holds the majority of seats. It was no immediately clear when the full parliament would hold its vote.

Erdogan in July lifted his objections to Swedens NATO membership after Stockholm cracked down on Kurdish groups that Ankara calls terrorists.

NATO allies have piled pressure on Turkey, with France saying the credibility of the alliance was at stake.

 Simultaneously 

In December, Erdogan had linked Swedens membership to the US Congress simultaneously agreeing to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. He also said NATO allies including Canada should lift arms embargoes imposed on Ankara.

Swedens NATO membership and F-16 sales to Turkey will be handled in coordination to some extent because unfortunately, neither country trusts the other, Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, the Ankara office director of the US German Marshall Fund think tank, told AFP.

Turkeys ageing air force has suffered from Ankaras expulsion from the US-led F-35 joint strike fighter programme in 2019.

This was in retaliation for Erdogans decision to acquire an advanced Russian missile defence system that NATO views as an operational security threat.

US President Joe Bidens administration has repeatedly promised to move forward with the $20-billion F-16 sale but lawmakers have blocked it over concerns about Turkeys alleged violations of human rights and long-running tensions with Greece.

There is no strong consensus in the parliament on Swedens NATO membership, nor in the US Congress on the sale of F-16s to Turkey, Unluhisarcikli said.

Erdogans anti-Israel rhetoric after the start of its war with Hamas had raised concerns in Washington.

Although the issues are not related, Turkeys statements supporting Hamas further complicated the F-16 process, Unluhisarcikli said, adding that the killing of Turkish soldiers by Kurdish militants last weekend could also factor into Swedens NATO membership.

But if Biden and Erdogan show the necessary will, we can expect the process to be concluded soon, he added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was booed and heckled by the families of Hamas-held hostages who disrupted his speech to the Israeli parliament as they sought immediate rescue of their loved ones who were being held captive in Gaza Strip.

Hamas killed 1,140 people, mostly civilians, when they attacked Israel on October 7 and seized about 250 hostages. Hamas has released some of the hostages but over 129 hostages are still being held captive in Gaza.

Israel has retaliated against the October 7 attack by launching relentless airstrikes and a ground invasion which so far has killed over 20,674 people, mostly women and children, according to Gazas Hamas-run health ministry. The intensity of the attacks has only increased as Israel aims to eliminate Hamas but it has also led to worry and anxiety among the families of those taken captive as they fear that the hostages lives are in danger due to the war.

Netanyahu offered no respite to them during his speech to the parliament when he said that Israels mission in Gaza isnt close to finished. We are expanding the fight in the coming days and this will be a long battle, Netanyahu said.

His speech was met with boos by kin of those held hostage. Now! Now! relatives chanted as Netanyahu said Israeli forces needed more time to increase military pressure on Hamas, which he argued would help to secure the captives release.

Netanyahu vowed to stay the course in an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal on Monday night. Hamas must be destroyed, Gaza must be demilitarised, and Palestinian society must be deradicalised. These are the three prerequisites for peace between Israel and its Palestinian neighbours in Gaza, Netanyahu said.

He said demilitarisation will require establishing a temporary security zone on the perimeter of the territory.

For the foreseeable future Israel will have to retain overriding security responsibility over Gaza, he said.

The protesters gathered near the defence ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv and held up posters demanding that the hostages be freed at any cost. Israel is facing calls to lower the intensity of the Gaza siege by the international community and in the recent weeks the US, its largest ally, has also pressured Israel to change tack in Gaza.
Saveera Parkash officially submitted her nomination papers for the upcoming general elections in Pakistan becoming the first Hindu woman from Khyber Pakhtunkhwas Buner to contest for the elections, Pakistan-based newspaper the Dawn said in a report.

Pakistan will go to polls on February 8 to elect the members of the 16th National Assembly.

Parkash, who is contesting on a Pakistan Peoples Party ticket, officially submitted her nomination papers for the general seat of PK-25 in Buner district last week.

She remains optimistic about contesting the elections on a PPP ticket as she follows her father, Om Prakashs, lead. Om Parkash, a doctor, retired recently from the medical profession and is a dedicated member of the PPP for the past 35 years.

Saleem Khan, a local politician affiliated with the Qaumi Watan Party, highlighted while speaking to the Pakistan-based newspaper the Dawn that Saveera is the first woman from Buner to submit nomination papers for the upcoming elections on a general seat.

Saveera Parkash graduated from the Abbottabad International Medical College in 2022. She served as the general secretary of the PPP womens wing in Buner. She has expressed her desire to work for the betterment of women and advocating for their rights, while fighting for a safe environment for them.

She says that if she is elected she will address the historical neglect and suppression of women in the development sector. She told the newspaper that she wants to work for the underprivileged.

Saveera told the newspaper that serving humanity is in her blood and she chose to become an elected legislator after her firsthand experiences with poor management and helplessness in government hospitals which she witnessed during her medical career.

Saveera was applauded by Imran Noshad Khan, a social media influencer from Buner who told the newspaper that he wholeheartedly endorses Saveera Parkash, irrespective of her political affiliation. He highlighted that she broke stereotypes kept alive by traditional patriarchy. He said the Saveeras nomination was significant because it took over 55 years for a woman to step forward to contest the elections in Buner.
On the evening of December 25th, Huangmei Opera "Marriage of the Fairy Princess" was performed at Beijing Mei Lanfang Grand Theater as an important repertoire in the "New Era, New Huiban(opera troupes from Anhui), New Outlook" Exhibition of High-Quality Plays. Young actors from Anhui Huangmei Opera Theatre took on the leading role and presented the well-known touching story to the capital audience, fully demonstrating the vibrant vitality of Huangmei Opera in the new era. The ups and downs of the plot drive the audience's emotions. Hong Dou, a Beijing audience, said: "When I first walked into the theater to watch 'Marriage of the Fairy Princess', I was surprised by the stage setting and the actors' performances." As the "flagship drama" of Anhui Huangmei Opera Theatre, "Marriage of the Fairy Princess" has been rehearsed and performed for decades, cultivating a large number of outstanding opera talents. Nowadays, the "baton" of inheriting the classic is handed over to the younger generation. When Wang Ying, a young actor, first entered school to study Huangmei Opera, she began to rehearse "Marriage of the Fairy Princess", and has played many roles in the play over the past decade. Now she takes on the important task of performing as "Seven Fairies". "It is the highest honor to play the role I have always dreamed of. I will strive to learn from the experienced artists and work with young colleagues to present a refreshing 'youth version' of 'Marriage of the Fairy Princess' to the audience." Wang Ying said. The "New Era, New Huiban, New Outlook" Exhibition of High-Quality Plays is jointly organized by the Publicity Department of CPC Anhui Provincial Committee, Anhui Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, and Anhui Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles. From November 29 to January 17 next year, eight theatre troupes from all over the province will present 21 wonderful performances in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou and some cities in the province, including Huangmei Opera, Anhui Opera, Huaibei Bangzi Opera, Drama, Musical, Dance Drama, with diverse genres and rich repertoires, showcasing the achievements of Anhui's literary and artistic development and highlighting the unique charm of Anhui's cultural heritage.

Source: Anhui Daily
Man's best friend has proved its worth once again, this time in the Last Frontier. A local man taking his dog for a walk in the Tsalteshi Trails system in Soldotna was attacked by a moose on Dec. 18, though his injuries were thankfully non-life-threatening, Alaska State Troopers say in a release . Officials say the moose emerged from the woods that afternoon near a trail intersection, then "without notice ... charged and knocked [the man] to the ground," kicking him "multiple times."

The man's dog then leaped into action, barking and scaring the moose away as its owner scrambled toward relative safety near a tree and snowbank, per the release and the Tsalteshi Trails Association. The release notes there were four moose known to be in the area around the time of the attack. "We are relieved to hear the man and his dog are OK!" the association wrote on Facebook after the incident. "Please be extra careful keeping an eye out for wildlife."

CNN reports that even though bears are thought to be more dangerous than moose in Alaska, it's moose who attack humans more often, per the state's Department of Fish and Game. The agency notes that moose aren't typically aggressive, but "they can become aggressive when they are harassed by people, dogs, and traffic, or when hungry and tired, especially in winter when they must walk through deep snow." After the Dec. 18 attack, the association advised people to stay away for the rest of the day, noting that "the moose are likely still stressed" and advising visitors on the trails to "give moose lots of space" and report any moose sightings. (Read more moose stories.)
A super PAC's plan to go door to door in Iowa to build support for Nikki Haley faces a couple of difficulties. With the caucuses less than a month away, there are fewer undecided Republican minds now, the New York Times reports. And not everyone is interested in answering their front door on a freezing morning. Either way, the state director for Americans for Prosperity Action said his volunteers and staff members will be out there trying. "My team's knocked in negative-30-degree wind chills before," Tyler Raygor said. "Winter does not scare us."

The pitch is to give the former governor of South Carolina a second look as an alternative to front-runner Donald Trump who matches up better against President Biden. Haley's goal is to post a stronger showing in the caucuses than anyone expects, after being outspent so far by her competitors. The super PAC can narrow the spending gap; it's spent $5.7 million in support of Haley around the country since endorsing her last month. Although Haley's star has been on the ascent generally, her standing in Iowa polls hasn't budged. She's been running about 16%, close to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Trump has been around 50%.

A spokesman for DeSantis expressed no concern about the super PAC effort. "Nikki Haley's 11th-hour rent-a-campaign gambit won't work," he said. "Only the Washington establishment would try to pitch that grass-roots success can be bought." Raygor made incremental headway after knocking on a front door in Ames, per the Times. Mike Morton answered and said he hadn't thought much about supporting Haley. After Raygor's pitch, Morton promised to take a closer look. "If you didn't come to my house," he said, "I probably would overlook her a little bit more." (Read more Iowa caucuses stories.)
In the face of international pressure for a ceasefire, Benjamin Netanyahu went to northern Gaza on Monday to deliver his message of persistence to Israeli troops in person. The trip followed a weekend of fighting that produced a high death toll on both sides of the Israel-Hamas war. The prime minister told the soldiers he brought a couple of messages, NBC News reports. Netanyahu assured the troops that their lives are important, adding that military leaders will do their best to protect them. "Second thingdon't stop," he said.

"Anyone who talks about stoppingno, do not stop," Netanyahu told them as Israel presses its offensive against Hamas. "The war continues to the end. Until they are finished, no less than that." Later in the day, Netanyahu addressed the Knesset, saying that waging the military campaign is the best way to secure the release of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas. He was interrupted by chants from relatives of the hostages seated in the gallery, per the New York Times, calling instead for quick action to return their family members. "Now! Now! Now," they shouted. (Egypt offered a proposal to end the war and establish a government in Gaza and the West Bank.)
The US conducted new retaliatory airstrikes in Iraq early Tuesday after three US servicemembers were injured in a drone attack, one of them critically, said US officials. The Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups claimed credit for the attack on an air base used by American troops in Erbil in northern Iraq. President Biden, who is spending Christmas at the presidential retreat at Camp David, authorized the retaliatory strikes after being briefed on Monday, per the AP . The American strikes were carried out about 4:45am Tuesday at three locations used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq, and US Central Command said they "destroyed the targeted facilities and likely killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants."

The latest attack on US troops follows months of escalating threats and actions against American forces in the region since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the devastating war in Gaza. 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 US facilities Oct. 17, the date that a blast at a hospital in Gaza killed hundreds.

The Biden administration has sought to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spiraling into a wider regional conflict that either opens up new fronts of Israeli fighting or draws the US in directly. The administration's measured responsewhere not every attempt on American troops has been met with a counterattackhas drawn criticism from Republicans. (The US also conducted airstrikes last month.) The Pentagon has thousands of troops in Iraq training Iraqi forces and combating remnants of the Islamic State group, and hundreds in Syria, mostly on the counter-ISIS mission. (Egypt is floating a peace plan for the Israeli-Hamas war.)
After all kinds of antisemitic remarks over the last year or so, Kanye West appears to be trying to make amends in unusual fashion. He posted an apology Monday evening on Instagram written entirely in Hebrew, reports Page Six . The translation:

West, who now goes by Ye, did not elaborate on any specific statements, such as when he professed admiration of Hitler or threatened to go "death con 3" (sic) on Jewish people. The Campaign Against Antisemitism even anointed him Antisemite of the Year in 2022, notes the Jerusalem Post, and he lost a massive contract with Adidas. Nor did he reference a video that surfaced of him earlier this month on a 10-minute self-described "Farrakhan Don" tear about "Zionist schools" and much, much more, as reported by Rolling Stone.

The 46-year-old rapper, who is bipolar and says his mental health struggles sometimes affect his behavior, has a new album coming out next month. On the title track for Vultures, he raps that he's not antisemitic, though he supports that claim with an NSFW line about having sex with a Jewish woman, notes Business Insider. He also raps that he has no Jewish managers because "I only let 'em do my jewelry," per Page Six. (Read more Kanye West stories.)
A little more than a decade ago, right around the time current Chinese leader Xi Jinping was rising to power, China obliterated America's spying network within the country. About two dozen Chinese agentsmany of them recruited when China was weaker and beset by corruptionwere rounded up and either executed or imprisoned, the Wall Street Journal recounts. It's still not clear what happened, beyond the broad explanation that China found what the newspaper describes as a "flaw in the CIA's covert communications with its agents." But what is clear is that the US is still struggling to rebuild its espionage abilities in Beijing, writes Warren P. Strobel. For now, it remains largely blind to what is happening behind closed doors as China, and Xi himself, grow more powerful.

"Horrendous. Horrendous. Horrendous," a former senior US official says of that breach of agents a decade ago, which the US has never publicly acknowledged. "And I have doubts about whether there's been much of a recovery since then." A former US intelligence official points out the recruitment problem, with Chinese officials surely thinking, "Why would I take a call from a US personI know that Chinese people got bullets in the back of their head.'" The CIA has shifted more money and resources into programs to infiltrate China's government since 2020. While things have improved, the level of intelligence is reportedly not what it was when the earlier network of spies was in operation. (Read the full story.)
The holiday shopping season is in the books, and retailers will likely be relieved, the New York Times reports. Retail sales were up 3.1% compared to last year between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24, according to stats released by Mastercard SpendingPulse. "This holiday season, the consumer showed up, spending in a deliberate manner" is how Michelle Meyer, chief economist at the Mastercard Economics Institute, put it, per MarketWatch. Restaurants saw the biggest uptick, at 7.8%, followed by apparel (2.4%) and grocery (2.1%). However, jewelry and electronic sales both dipped, by 2% and 0.4%, respectively.
Four children between 9 months and 10 years old and their mother were killed in their apartment east of Paris, in what the local prosecutor called an exceptionally violent crime. Authorities said the children's father was arrested Tuesday and is the primary suspect. Neighbors spotted a pool of blood outside the family's door on Christmas Day and alerted police, who discovered the five bodies, prosecutor Jean-Baptiste Bladier told reporters in the city of Meaux, per the AP . The mother and two daughters, ages 7 and 10, were stabbed several times overnight from Sunday to Monday, he said. The couple's two sons, ages 9 months and 4 years old, were suffocated or drowned.

The prosecutor described a small, bloodstained apartment in extreme disarray. The motive for the killings was unclear. The suspect, a 33-year-old man born in the Paris suburb of Colombes, was arrested Tuesday outside his father's home northeast of the French capital, the prosecutor said. The suspect had stabbed his partner once before, when she was pregnant with their older son in 2019, but the investigation was dropped because he was declared mentally unsound at the time of the attack, the prosecutor said.

The suspect had been placed in a psychiatric hospital in 2017 and also attempted suicide that year, the prosecutor said. The couple had been together for 14 years and had known each other since high school, Bladier said. None of the family members' names were released, according to French law protecting minors who are victims of crimes. Authorities are opening an investigation into five homicides, and the suspect will undergo psychiatric examination to determine the next steps, the prosecutor said.

(Read more France stories.)
Ukrainian aircraft dropped guided missiles at a naval base in Russian-occupied Crimea, reportedly destroying a large Russian landing ship, as Boxing Day dawned. Russian officials acknowledged the early morning attack at the naval base in Feodosia that killed at least one person and injured several others without confirming the ship, Novocherkassk, was put out of commission. Ukraine's air force claimed the vessel was "destroyed," per Al Jazeera . That would mark a big blow to Russia. "Given that the Novocherkassk was in dock, it is highly likely it was being loaded with soldiers, equipment, or both," the BBC reports. Ukraine claimed the ship was transporting Iranian-made explosive drones used during the nearly two-year-old Russian invasion.

A representative for Ukraine's southern command said Russia had been having trouble moving "important cargo" north because of damage to the Kerch Bridge, meaning Novocherkassk's supplies were a kind of "Christmas present, completely wrapped," per the BBC. The rep said the attack would further inhibit Russia's ability to supply its troops in the region. Crimea's Russian-installed governor said six buildings were damaged, but that a fire had been contained and the port was operating as normal. Ukraine also suffered a blow Tuesday, confirming it had withdrawn troops from the town of Marinka in Donetsk. Russian President Vladimir Putin said his troops had seized the town, giving them the "opportunity to move into a wider operational area," per the Kyiv Post. (Read more Russia-Ukraine war stories.)
Kevin Spacey isn't feeling very appreciated this holiday as a new interview finds the actor blasting his former employer Netflix, a platform he claims to have put "on the map." Spacey starred in Netflix's first original scripted series House of Cards , which was a big hit for the platform when it premiered in February 2013. Netflix cut ties with Spacey , and killed off his power-hungry character, four years later as numerous men came forward to accuse the actor of sexual misconduct and assault. Yet Spacey has a habit of reviving his House of Cards character , Frank Underwood, particularly around Christmastime, as Deadline points out. This year, he sat down with Tucker Carlson to answer questions in Underwood's Charleston accent in what he said was a blend of life and art.

Asked about Netflix, Spacey said, "It is bizarre that they decided to publicly cut ties with me on allegations aloneallegations that have now been proven false," per the Guardian. Last year, a court in New York found Spacey did not molest the actor Anthony Rapp. This past July, a court in the UK found him not guilty of sexually assaulting four men. "I don't think there's any question Netflix exists because of me," Spacey went on. "I put them on the map, and they tried to put me in the ground."

When Carlson asked if what was happening was "an episode" or real, Spacey said, "it's probably a little of both. ... What's true, what's false, what's life, what's art, what's real, what's performance, I love it when these things interact because then it gets interesting." Going forward, he added, "I will play whatever role the public wants me to play." (Read more Kevin Spacey stories.)
The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs committee gave its consent to Sweden's bid to join NATO on Tuesday, drawing the previously nonaligned Nordic country closer to membership in the Western military alliance, per the AP . Sweden's accession protocol will now need to be approved in the Turkish parliament's general assembly for the last stage of the legislative process in Turkey. No date has been set. Turkey, a NATO member, has delayed ratification of Sweden's membership for more than a year, accusing the country of being too lenient toward groups that Ankara regards as threats to its security, including Kurdish militants and members of a network that Ankara blames for a failed coup in 2016.

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom welcomed the committee's decision on a message posted on X. "The next step is for parliament to vote on the matter," he wrote. "We look forward to becoming a member of NATO." NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the development, saying that he counts on Turkey and Hungary "to now complete their ratifications as soon as possible. Sweden's membership will make NATO stronger." NATO requires the unanimous approval of all existing members to expand, and Turkey and Hungary are the only countries that have been holding out. Hungary, however, has previously suggested it would follow Turkey's lead.

Earlier this month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan openly linked ratification of Sweden's NATO membership to the US Congress' approval of a Turkish request to purchase 40 new F-16 fighter jets. The White House has backed the Turkish F-16 request, but there is strong opposition in Congress to military sales to Turkey. Erdogan also called on Canada and other NATO allies to lift arms embargoes imposed on Turkey. Sweden and Finland abandoned their traditional positions of military nonalignment to seek protection under NATO's security umbrella, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Finland joined the alliance in April, becoming NATO's 31st member. (Read more NATO stories.)
Pope Francis said in his Christmas message on Monday that children dying in wars, including in Gaza, are the "little Jesuses of today" and that Israeli strikes there were reaping an "appalling harvest" of innocent civilians.

In his Christmas Day "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and world) address, Francis also called the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants "abominable" and again appealed for the release of around 100 hostages still being held in Gaza.

Speaking from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica to thousands of people in the square below, he took another swipe at the armaments industry, saying it ultimately controlled the "puppet-strings of war".
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Agencies | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain and its Gulf Arab neighbours, including Saudi Arabia, yesterday welcomed new commitments by Yemens warring parties to take steps towards a ceasefire and engage in a UN-led peace process.

The commitments announced by the United Nations special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, for a roadmap to support the path of peace marked the latest effort to end years of war. Kingdoms Foreign Affairs Ministry renewed Kingdoms appreciation for the efforts of the United Nations, Saudi Arabia and Oman, valuing their vital role in urging the Yemeni parties to de-escalate for a lasting political solution under the auspices of the United Nations. Riyadhs foreign ministry encouraged Yemens warring parties to sit at the dialogue table, to reach a comprehensive and lasting political solution under the auspices of the UN.

Oman, which has acted as a mediator in the conflict, also welcomed the development, saying it hopes a deal will be signed as soon as possible. The United Arab Emirates, a member of the Saudi-led coalition battling Huthis, commended efforts to streamline a deal on a road map. Fellow Gulf Cooperation Council member Qatar thanked the United Nations, Saudi Arabia and Oman for the peace push and urged the warring parties to accelerate an agreement.

Yemens warring parties, however, remain at odds over a series of issues, including attacks by the Huthi rebels on commercial vessels in the Red Sea in solidarity with war-ravaged Gaza. In a statement on Monday, the Saudi-backed Yemeni government warned of the risks and domestic ramifications from Huthi drone and missile attacks.

They will lead to an increase in food prices in a country suffering from a humanitarian crisis, Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said on X, formerly Twitter. He noted the rise in insurance premiums on ships transiting the vital waterway.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

MP Dr. Maryam Al-Dhaen has lauded the Kingdom of Bahrains commitment to human rights, calling it a pioneering model on the global stage. She highlighted the countrys efforts in promoting and protecting democracy, freedom of expression, and equality for all citizens, as enshrined in the Constitution and National Action Charter.

Al-Dhaens remarks came during her participation in a lecture on the National Human Rights Plan. She commended the progress made under the plan, which encompasses both civil and political rights as well as initiatives promoting religious freedom, peaceful coexistence, and the right to opinion and expression.

She praised the work of ministries and agencies involved in human rights, emphasizing their contribution to establishing a state of law and social justice. Bahrains dedication to human rights extends beyond its national borders, according to Al-Dhaen.

The Kingdom has ratified the majority of international human rights agreements and treaties, and it remains committed to keeping pace with global developments in areas like combating human trafficking and navigating the evolving landscape of digital rights, technology, and artificial intelligence.

Al-Dhaen further pointed to Bahrains recent parliamentary and municipal elections as a testament to the countrys commitment to political participation. She described these elections as an important milestone in Bahrains journey towards a fully realized constitutional monarchy.

Respecting and protecting human rights is not just a legal obligation for Bahrain, but also an integral part of its cultural and humanitarian heritage, AlDhaen asserted. She emphasized the countrys efforts in areas such as worker protection, education, healthcare, housing, and the rights of vulnerable groups like people with disabilities, children, and the elderly. These initiatives, she concluded, align with Bahrains pursuit of sustainable development and global peace and security.
1. Vladan Vuletic (MIT professor and QuEra Co-founder) had a scientific and technical presentation at the 2023 Q2B conference today. The main part of the talk came on the last slide where Vladan laid out his projection for how QuEra and its research partners will be able to advance their breakthrough Quantum Error Correction work.

Vladan expects sometime in 2025, QuEra will be able to get 10,000 to 100,000 physical qubits.

They will be able to get 100 error corrected qubits with 1 in a million to 1 in 100 million error rates.

This will mean very robust error correction with more physical qubits per logical qubit.

If this target is met then there QuEra will be delivering rapid progress and before 2028 commercial quantum error corrected computer systems that will be delivering commercially valuable work.

Prof. Vuletic did not commit that QuEra will have a 100 Qubit system with less 1 in a million in two years. A computer with such capabilities will be demonstrated in the labs (e.g. Harvard or MIT) in two years, and later then perhaps turned into a commercial product.

In 2023, QuEra revealed error correction with neutral atoms at about 50 qubits. This paper was peer reviewed and published in Nature.

Other quantum computer companies have made progress with the volume of quantum computing qubits and suppression and mitigation of errors.

2. Room Temperature Superconductivity discovery revealed by South Koreans. Computational confirmations through DFT (Density Function theory) simulations. In December, 2023, experimental confirmation by researchers from five Universities and research labs.

South China University of Technology and Central South University published a paper confirming the discovery of a near-room-temperature superconducting component in LK99-type materials through sample testing. This is significant experimental support for LK99 room temperature superconductivity.

They have found significant hysteresis and memory effect of LFMA in samples of CSLA. The effect is sufficiently robust in magnetic field sweep and rotation and will lose memory in a long duration. The temperature dependence of LFMA intensity exhibits a phase transition at 250 K. The phase diagram of superconducting Meissner and vortex glass is then calculated in the framework of lattice gauge model. In the near future, they will continue to improve the quality of samples to realize full levitation and magnetic flux pinning by increasing active components. The application of a microwave power repository will be considered as well.

Most superconductors have got the low-field microwave absorption (LFMA) due to the presence of superconducting gap and the relevant superconducting vortices as excited states. More importantly, the derivative LFMA of superconductors is positively dependent of the magnetic field as the vortices are more induced under higher field. As a comparison, although the soft magnetism is also active under low field, the precession of spin moments will be suppressed so that the derivative LFMA of magnetic materials is normally negative. The sign of LFMA can be always corrected by the signal of radicals in our measurements. In this case, the signals below 500 Gauss are all positive, implying the presence of superconductivity.

School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, China

State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China

Department of Physics, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China

Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Luminescence from Molecular Aggregates, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory of Optoelectronic and Magnetic Functional Materials, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China

School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China

3. AI expert, Alan Thompson has moved up his conservative estimate of AI reaching AGI (Artificial general intelligence from 61% to 64%. At the start of 2023, Alan was at 39% toward reaching AGI.

In a paper published in Nature, Google/Deepmind introduce FunSearch, a method to search for new solutions in mathematics and computer science. FunSearch works by pairing a pre-trained LLM, whose goal is to provide creative solutions in the form of computer code, with an automated evaluator, which guards against hallucinations and incorrect ideas. By iterating back-and-forth between these two components, initial solutions evolve into new knowledge. The system searches for functions written in computer code; hence the name FunSearch. FunSearch uses Googles PaLM 2, but it is compatible with other LLMs trained on code. It was used to solve the best bounds for Cap Sets problem.

As requested by @dralandthompson , here is the data updated from https://t.co/5zW33mS4VO, fitted to exponential growth. Seems we will reach AGI in july 2025? pic.twitter.com/Ei4CFwkBVz  Dennis Xiloj (@denjohx) June 23, 2023

Definitions for AI

AGI = artificial general intelligence = a machine that performs at the level of an average (median) human.

ASI = artificial superintelligence = a machine that performs at the level of an expert human in practically any field.

I use a slightly stricter definition for AGI that includes the ability to act on the physical world via embodiment. I appreciate that there were some approaches on getting to AGI that fully bypass embodiment or robotics.

Artificial general intelligence (AGI) is a machine capable of understanding the world as well asor better thanany human, in practically every field, including the ability to interact with the world via physical embodiment.

And the short version: AGI is a machine which is as good or better than a human in every aspect.

4. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) made worldwide news when they reached nuclear fusion ignition in December 2022 but they went beyond that result on July 30, 2023.

The Big 3 recent results were:

1. Aug 8, 2021 1.9 megajoules (MJ) of laser power was fired at a target which resulted in the release of 1.35 megajoules (0.72 return)

2. Dec 5, 2022 2.05 megajoules was fired at a target which resulted in the release of 3.15 megajoules (1.54X gain)

3. July 30, 2023 2.05 megajoules was fired at a target which resulted in the release of 3.88 megajoules (1.9X gain)

There are plans to increase the power to 3 MJ which would conservatively deliver more than a 10X gain and 30 MJ.

They have already operated with 2.2 MJ shots. The first 2.2 MJ shot are calculated to deliver 5-10 MJ. Modifying the target shape from a pill capsule like shape to one with a wide centerline with two stacked trapezoids (Frustraum) could deliver over 10 MJ using 2.2 MJ of laser power.

The latest series of experiments features a 7% boost in laser energy should lead to even larger yields. The first experiment in this series was one of the successful ignitions, on 30 October. Although it didnt break the record, an input of 2.2 megajoules of laser energy yielded an output of 3.4 megajoules of fusion energy.

5. SpaceX got close to 100 launches in 2023. SpaceX is making great progress mass producing satellites, rocket engines and rockets.
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Postal Code


Austin Umahi, a younger brother of David Umahi, minister of works, has declared his intention to contest the Ebonyi south senatorial district election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed February 3, 2024, for the conduct of by-elections resulting from the resignation or demise of members of the national and state houses of assemblies.

The older Umahi was elected to represent the district in the upper legislative chamber in the February 2023 election.

However, he resigned from the red chamber after President Bola Tinubu appointed him into his cabinet.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has since declared his seat vacant.

Addressing a press conference in Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi, on Monday, the younger Umahi said he would give constituents of Ebonyi south "good representation".

"True democratic process is the only way to ensure the emergence of an acceptable senator for the district," NAN quoted the politician, who is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as saying.

"I will give the people the best representation, having gained experiences from both the business and political sectors.

"I am a pencil in the hands of God and he is not done with me.




Emmanuel Dennis is facing an uncertain future after Turkish side, Istanbul Basaksehir decided against signing him on a permanent contract.





Dennis joined Istanbul Basaksehir from Premier League club, Nottingham Forest on a season-long loan deal in the summer.





The 26-year-old has however struggled to make impact at the former Turkish Super Lig champions.





The versatile striker has make just eight league appearances for Basaksehir without a goal or an assist to his name.





Dennis, who was named in Nigerias provisional squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, has struggled with injury since joining Cagdas Atans team.





He is expected to return to Nottingham Forest next summer.
Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the last election, has reacted to the recent massacre in Plateau state.

More than 115 persons have been confirmed dead following attacks by gunmen on communities in Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi LGAs of Plateau.

The gunmen launched the attacks at about 10 pm on Christmas eve.

In a thread on his official X account, Obi said his thoughts are with the overstretched security agencies and the victims of these attacks.

After my sympathy visit to the Regent of Oba Community in Anambra State for the recent horrific killing of people in a nightclub in that community; plus the mindless act of terrorism that occurred on Christmas Day in Plateau State, where the death toll is now reportedly more than 100 with over 300 injured, the post reads.

With the saddening acts of violence that have occurred in Zamfara and Katsina States, where farmers were killed and several others kidnapped.

And the many other violent attacks in many parts of the country, which may go unreported; my thoughts went to our overstretched security operatives. The men and women of our armed and security services come to mind.

These illustrious citizens are often lost in our thoughts and prayers both as leaders and fellow citizens, yet they remain the guardians and protectors of our freedom as a people.

I am referring to those who face the risk of the supreme sacrifice to protect and defend the freedom of our dear nation and the liberties that come with our democracy. Let us spare them our thoughts and prayers this season.

Let them be reassured that their labours are appreciated by a grateful nation. Great nations are built by rulers, citizens, and the protectors of freedom.

Therefore, to all our illustrious heroes, please accept the prayers and thoughts of your compatriots and the appreciation of a grateful nation for your services and sacrifices. God bless you all for what you do for us all.

Obi also sent his condolences to all the families who have lost their loved ones to these acts of violence, saying these are very challenging times for Nigeria.

Even some countries in open declared wars have not experienced this level of insecurity, violence and loss of human lives. Let us continue to pray for our nation that God will heal our land, he added.












President Bola Tinubu has hailed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, on his 70th birthday.





Tinubu made this known on Tuesday in a statement by the presidential spokesperson, Aguri Ngelale.





He stated that Akume is the most reliable citizen Nigeria can boast of.





The President commended the SGF for his consistency and perpetual dedication to duty in coordinating the affairs of the Government.





In a statement, the President said, George Akume is one of the most reliable citizens this country can boast of. The people of Benue have subscribed to his sterling leadership principles and leveraged his remarkable talent for so many years because of what he has always stood for. He will be with you on the best of days and, even most reliably, on the worst days. The country has been blessed with the dedication and sure-handedness of Senator Akume.





Akume, the 21st SGF of Nigeria, hails from Benue State and was born on December 27th, 1953.
Bukola Saraki, a former president of the senate, says he is heartbroken and outraged over the killing of over 115 people in Plateau state.

On Christmas eve, over 115 persons were confirmed dead following attacks by gunmen on communities in Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi LGAs of the state.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Saraki said the attack is another reminder of the dire need for decisive action against the scourge of armed conflict in the country.

The former Kwara governor urged the federal government to thoroughly investigate the attack, adding that no stone should be left unturned.

The news of over 100 innocent lives brutally cut short, along with numerous others injured in Christmas Eve attacks perpetrated by marauding gunmen across multiple communities in Plateau State, has left me heartbroken and outraged, Saraki said.

The audacity of the assailants and the sheer scale of the carnage are reminders of the deep-seated challenges that continue to plague our nation and the urgent need for decisive action to address the root causes of these conflicts.

I urge the Federal Government to launch an immediate and thorough investigation into this heinous act.

No stone must be left unturned, and no perpetrator is allowed to go free. All the affected communities should receive justice. All well-meaning Nigerians want answers.

I extend my deepest condolences to the affected communities and families of those who have lost loved ones in this senseless tragedy. I pray for speedy recovery and physical and emotional healing for the injured.




Former Liverpool ace Jose Enrique has claimed that Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag killed Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho with his comments during his feud with the pair.





Ten Hag and Ronaldo endured a broken relationship during their time at Man United.





The Portugal captain was unhappy with the way he was treated by Ten Hag and slammed him during a controversial interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan last year.





Eventually, Ten Hag played down Ronaldos rants and Man United mutually decided to terminate the forwards contract after his fall-out with the Dutchman.





Apart from Ronaldo, Sancho has also fallen out with Ten Hag at Man United.





The England star has not played for the Red Devils for the past few months after he hit back at his manager on social media for criticising his output in training.





Reflecting on the developments, Enrique told Daily Star Sport: I think [Erik Ten Hags] comments about Cristiano killed him. The manager handled the situation really well in what was a much bigger issue because he is f***ing Cristiano Ronaldo.





It is wrong what Ten Hag said in the press, I think it killed him [Sancho], Enrique added.





With him going in the press and saying what he said [about Sancho] I dont think it was good. I think these sorts of things they need to keep private and talk between themselves.
The Plateau State Police Command on Tuesday revealed that 96 people were killed attacks on some communities in Barkin Ladi and Bokkos local government areas on Christmas Eve.

The Command also revealed that 12 villages, 221 houses, 27 motorcycles and eight motor-vehicles were burnt in Bokkos LGA.

It revealed that three villages were affected in Barkin-Ladi LGA namely; NTV, Hurum and Darawat.

This was disclosed by the Commands Public Relations Officer, DSP Alfred Alabo, in a press statement made available to journalists in Jos, the State capital.

He said, The Commissioner of Police Plateau State Command, CP Okoro J. Alawari, expresses grief over the deadly attacks that took place in some remote villages of Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi Local Government Areas of Plateau State carried out by some yet to identified assailants on the 24/12/2023 at odd hours of the night.

According to him, On the 24th December, 2023, at about 22:00 hours, the following 12 villages in Bokkos LGA were attacked; Ndun, Ngyong, Murfet, Makundary, Tamiso, Chiang, Tahore, Gawarba, Dares, Meyenga, Darwat and Butura Kampani village.

Similarly, on 24th December, 2023, at about 22:45 hours, three villages in Barkin-Ladi LGA namely; NTV, Hurum and Darawat were also attacked.

In order to prevent further carnage, the Commissioner of Police have directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police incharge Operations (DC DOPs) to relocate to Bokkos LGA.

The CP has also deployed high-power delegation of well armed operational forces to the troubled areas to prevent further attacks and also assess the level of damages in the affected areas.

However, findings from the assessment of the ugly incidents in Bokkos LGA revealed that the total number of villages attacked is Twelve, two hundred and twenty-one houses were set ablaze, twenty- seven motorcycles were burnt, eight motor-vehicles were burnt down and over seventy -nine persons were killed; while seventeen deaths was recorded in Barkin-ladi LGA.

The CP sympathizes with the families of those who lost their loved ones in the gruesome attack.

Investigation and monitoring of the incidents is still on. Further development will be communicated soon, he assured.




President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday condemned the brutal attacks in Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi local government areas, LGAs, of Plateau State, where over 115 persons were killed by bandits.





Recall that the gunmen had on Christmas Eve invaded the local councils, killed at least 115 villagers and burnt down 17 communities.





The state governor, Caleb Mutfwang, who confirmed the number of casualties and the level of destruction in the attack in an interview on Tuesday, said scores of residents are still missing.





Tinubu reacted to the attack in a statement by his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, on Tuesday in Abuja.





The statement said Tinubu has directed security agencies to immediately move in, scour every stretch of the zone, and apprehend the culprits.





The President also directed the immediate mobilisation of relief resources for surviving victims of the attacks as well as medical treatment for the wounded.





While condoling with the government and the people of Plateau, the President assured Nigerians that the envoys of death, pain, and sorrow would not escape justice.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked Nigerians to use the occasion of Christmas to strengthen the bond of love and unity.

In a statement issued on Monday, the PDP said Nigerians should continue to be their brothers keepers despite the hardship, pain and misery brought upon the nation by policies of the federal government.

The party charges Nigerians to continue to be their brothers keepers, especially at this trying time and not allow the hardship, difficulties and uncertainties imposed on the nation by the insensitive APC administration to change their caring nature, the statement issued by Debo Ologunagba, PDP spokesperson, reads.

The PDP claimed that millions of Nigerian families are economically stranded, socially dislocated and can no longer afford their daily meals and other necessities of life, especially at this festive period.

Our party is grieved that while families in other climes and nations are celebrating with joy, Nigerians are observing Christmas in hunger and misery because of the anti-people policies of the APC administration, the statement added.

The opposition party asked the national assembly to be on the side of the people by cutting all provisions for luxury items in the 2024 budget and channel such funds to sectors that have a direct bearing on the wellbeing of Nigerians.

The PDP urged Nigerians not to succumb to despondency but to use the occasion and essence of Christmas to offer prayers as well as renew their hope and trust in the divine intervention of God in the affairs of the country.

Similarly, Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, encouraged Nigerians to pray for a peaceful and prosperous nation.

In his Christmas message, Abubakar said Nigerians should continue to extend hands of love and fellowship to our neighbours and live as one big family, irrespective of our social, political and religious leanings and continue to trust God for a better tomorrow and a greater country.
A distressed cat spotted wandering the city of Irvington for several days with its head stuck in a jar was finally saved on Christmas Day by animal rescue volunteers.

John Debacker was visiting family in Middlesex on Monday when his phone began blowing up with messages regarding a grey tabby that had been spotted with its head stuck in a jar, unable to eat or breathe properly.

Neighbors and animal control had been trying for several days to rescue the cat.

Desperate for a holiday miracle, New Jersey-based animal rescue volunteers Marcia Sandford Fishkind and Eileen DiNicola reached out to their friend Debacker.

I pretty much just ran out the door to help. I didnt even tell my family where I was going, said Debacker, vice president of Long Island Cat/Kitten Solution, where he has racked up years of rescue experience on difficult cases.

When I got there, I very stealthily, slowly approached the cat so it wouldnt run away. Then I quickly grabbed it and removed the jar, said Debacker, who posted a video of the rescue on his Facebook page.

After the jar was slipped off the its head, the feline was placed in a cat carrier. It appeared uninjured, looking up at rescuers with curiosity, according to video of the rescue.

The cat is staying at Fishkinds home while volunteers figure out if its friendly or feral. Feral animals are domestic animals living in an unsocialized or wild state, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.

If the cat is feral, Debacker said it will be spayed or neutered before being returned to the neighborhood. This approach to community cats, or unowned cats who live outdoors, is referred to as trap-neuter-return.

Stray cats are not uncommon on New Jerseys streets, backyards and woods. The feral cat population is likely to approximate 400,000 cats in summer and 200,000 cats in the winter, according to the Animal Protection League of New Jersey.

Debacker said residents can help strays and wildlife in general by responsibly discarding all waste.

We always advise people to crush their cans, so hungry animals cant squeeze their face in while searching for food, said Debacker. Its actually pretty common unfortunately.

After spending several days walking Irvington with a jar caught on its head, a grey tabby was saved on Christmas by rescuer John DeBacker.John DeBacker

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Jackie Roman may be reached at jroman@njadvancemedia.com.
A 34-year-old man was fatally shot in Newark on Christmas Day, authorities said.

Ridge Scott Jr. of Newark was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds when police officers responded to the 300 block of Clinton Avenue about 1:30 p.m. following the report of a shooting, according to the Essex County Prosecutors Office.

Scott was taken to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Prosecutors released no further details of the circumstances, and said no arrests had been made.

Anyone with information was asked to call the prosecutors office confidential tips line at 1-877-847-7432.
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Dont miss the annual blessing of Joans sword at St. Louis Cathedral during the parade, or the singing of "Happy Birthday" at the golden statue mentioned above. Those are two of the great moments in all of Carnival.

Parade founder Amy Kirk Duvoisin said there will be some new features this year. The Krewe des Fleurs, a Carnival marching club, will debut its 2024 flower costumes during the parade, as members cavort around a maypole. The fabulous giant dragon puppet, which first appeared last year, has been made even more fabulous. There will be some new pikemen (spear-toting soldiers), and a new Notre Dame Cathedral prop.

Plus, for the first time, Duvoisin plans to costume as a wounded Joan of Arc, pierced through the shoulder with an arrow. Joan prophesied that she would be struck by an arrow during battle, and, naturally, she pulled it out herself. Surviving the injury was one of the miracles attributed to St. Joan, Duvoisin said.
Louisiana Inspired

There are churches near, and people near, places where there are no internet carriers at all, said the Rev. Barbara Williams-Skinner.
One of the most gratifying aspects of newspaper work is the connections you make.

We writerly folk are often introverts by temperament  most comfortable wandering our own mental landscape or absorbed in a book. Those of us get pushed or pulled into journalism are pushed out into a wider world, compelled by the demands of the work to enter other peoples spheres, engage with them and tell their stories.

Were lucky. I feel especially fortunate doing this work in a small town, where the connections forged through telling the communitys stories are no passing thing. I have come to know artists and activists, public servants, and entrepreneurs. Through The Nugget, I interact with school kids and community elders; creative thinkers and big-hearted volunteers. Folks who are experiencing wonderful success, and some who are going through struggles and hard times.

Its a privilege and an honor to tell their stories, which are always surprising and have more ups and downs and twists and turns than what might appear on the surface.

Some of those folks have become close friends  and I might not have ever made a connection with them if it werent for the work I do.

I got to thinking about this after reading an article on Politico a couple of days ago on Surgeon General Vivek Murthys campaign to combat loneliness as a threat to our health and well-being. I shared it with Kellen Klein, executive director of Citizens4Community.

Kellen is one of those folks who I connected with through work. Might not have crossed paths otherwise, and Im glad I did. I like the guy, even though he makes cracks about the condition of my hat.

C4C and The Nugget partnered on an October Town Hall discussion of the epidemic of loneliness and isolation that has alarmed the surgeon general and launched an effort by St. Charles Family Health to mitigate it. Among the takeaways from the Town Hall: Loneliness and isolation do plague folks in Sisters  and were in a lot better shape than most places.

The Politico piece found Surgeon General Murthy out on college campuses encouraging connection. He served up a five-day challenge to write and send a message to someone youre grateful for in 45 seconds  and do that for five days running. The idea was to show the digitally dependent  who feel that constant screen time has created more isolation than connection  that the technology actually can be used for good.

What weve heard from many students is that social media in its current form has ended up making many of them feel worse about themselves and about their friendships, Murthy told Politico. We also know that during the height of the pandemic, being able to video conference with their friends was actually a blessing and a great way to stay in touch.

Part of the reason we have people use their phones to send that message is as a reminder: We can use our technology in positive ways to strengthen connection, but we have to be really intentional about it. If those can be bridges to offline connection, thats even better. Its not about tech being good or bad. Its about how its designed and how we use it that ultimately determines whether it helps or hurts us.

Well, OK, good start. I guess. Like he said, maybe a bridge to offline connection.

Offline connection is better. Nothing beats sitting down with someone face to face and having a conversation. Or walking together on a trail, whether youre talking or not (the Sisters High School IEE concept of noble silence is, well, noble). You dont always need conversation to be connected. I have an innate bias in this direction, but I believe nothing connects people quite like the shared experience of live music.

We have so many opportunities for real connection in Sisters  and we can sustain those even as the community grows and changes. Among the tools for combatting loneliness and isolation identified at that Town Hall was the simple willingness to extend an invitation to somebody  for coffee, dinner, going to a show. The flip side of that, the group agreed, is that you have to be willing to say yes when someone reaches out.

I feel pretty lucky that my job actually requires me to say yes a lot. Sure, I still need to get my woods time in, by myself. But the work has created connections for me that have made my life infinitely richer.

So, I guess my message to someone Im grateful for goes out to the whole lot of you. Thanks for being who and what you are.
GARY  A young man and woman have been charged with battering their month-old daughter and then watching the baby's health deteriorate for several days before walking with the child to the hospital in order to avoid questioning by authorities, according to Gary police.

The child, identified as Royal Coger, died Dec. 18, police said.

"(Gerald) Coger and (Janaya) Hobson were reported to have smelled of marijuana at the hospital and to have been non-emotional at the situation," police said.

Coger and Hobson Gerald Coger and Janaya Hobson

Police were contacted when doctors noticed suspicious head trauma to the child, officials said.

"It was determined that the one month old died from blunt force trauma that occurred at some point in December," according to police. "A medical professional concluded that the one month old had injuries from forceful shaking, also known as 'shaken baby syndrome' and a form of blunt force trauma."

Coger and Hobson appeared like "a deer in headlights" when initially asked if someone has shaken the child, according to a court document. The child had reportedly suffered internal bleeding in the head.

Coger reportedly admitted to shaking the child as she was crying, and both he and Hobson watched the baby's health deteriorate over the week of Dec. 11. It was not until the child's condition was "perilous" that they opted not to call 911 and walked with the child to the hospital to avoid drawing attention, police said.

The parents reported that the baby slept during the few days before being taken to the hospital, which they said was abnormal, officials said. The child was also not eating normally.

Update on police K9 Rogue following shooting Rogue was shot in the paw Dec. 14 while pursuing a suspect on foot, who had led police in a vehicle chase.

It was not until after noticing that the child's heartbeat was faint and her eyes were not moving that the parents took her to the hospital on Dec. 15, according to a charging document.

When offered the opportunity to stay in the hospital room with their child, Coger and Hobson declined, according to police. They reportedly admitted to using marijuana.

Coger initially denied shaking the baby, claiming the child fell from a carrier at one point, a charging document says. He reported the girl crying more after the fall and would not eat as much as usual.

Coger then said he shook his daughter out of irritation on Dec. 12, "asking Royal Coger why she was crying as he did so," police said.

Hobson said the only injury she knew the child suffering was a minor bump to the head on a sink Nov. 22, police said.

Hobson said she and Coger opted not to call 911 because police and fire officials would ask too many questions and the child "was dead anyways," according to police. The walked instead the mile to Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

Man charged in brutal Porter County hookup app murder serving time in Ohio, records show The men admitted to taking part in the sexual encounter with Hartz and said they prepared by placing a butcher knife and landscaping brick in a purse, police said.

Coger, 21, of Gary, is charged with murder, two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, two count of aggravated battery, four counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury and two counts of neglect of a dependent, records show.

Hobson, 19, of Gary, is charged with two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, four counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury and two counts of neglect of a dependent, according to records.

Coger faces up to 65 years in prison if convicted and Hobson faces up to 40 years, police said.

Anyone with information regarding the case is encouraged to contact detective James Nielsen at 219-755-3855.
The Highland Griffith Chamber of Commerce recently named new board members and leaders.

Bryce Carden of Members Source Credit Union and Benjamin Tomera of Tomera Media Production joined the Board of Directors of the chamber made up of businesses in the neighboring suburban towns of Highland and Griffith. They joined existing board members Rebecca Alvarez of Fair Haven Rape Crisis Center, Dan Perez of Edward Jones, Leah Dumezich of the School Town of Griffith, Brian Smith of the School Town of Highland, Ann Coglianese of Region ATA, Debi Gifford of Centier Bank, Debby Dukes of Regional Federal Credit Union, Jane Powers-Schiesser of Humane Indiana and Susan Stammis of First Financial Bank.

Our Board of Directors in 2024 is a well-balanced group representing small business owners, nonprofits, education leaders, and financial institutions, incoming Chairman Dan Perez said. With the addition of Bryce and Ben, we also have two members who are part of our NextGen Leaders group.

Perez is succeeding Ann Coglianese as the board chair. Susan Stammis was elected vice chair, Jane Powers-Schiesser secretary and Rebecca Alvarez treasurer.

2023 started out as a bit of a rebuilding year and we are pleased with our membership growth this past year, Executive Director Lance Ryskamp said. We are going to be coming out of the gate fast in 2024 to build on our growth and offer value and resources to make our membership a worthy investment for area small businesses.

Ryskamp starts his second year as president and CEO. He plans to continue to pursue initiatives like the shop local, nonprofit and professional development committees. He also intends to keep moving forward with the chambers Women In Business and NextGen Leaders projects.

There has been an enthusiastic response to our new programs, and to the chamber in general this year, Ryskamp said. Next year, we are going to keep growing and getting better to provide even more value to our current and new members.
MICHIGAN CITY  The district-wide food drive conducted by the Michigan City Area Schools has broken a record for collections.

The annual drive for nonperishable food items for The Salvation Army of Michigan City collected 17,352.4 pounds. That's 8.7 tons of food. By comparison, the district collected 4.1 tons in 2021 and 4.2 tons in 2022.

The Michigan City High School mascot Wolfie, MCHS Student Council sponsor Ashley Koza and officers of the MCHS Student Council came to Joy Elementary School on Wednesday to present the traveling trophy for most food collected in the annual drive.

Joy Elementary School collected 5,539 pounds of food, which equates to 12.9 pounds per student. That total allowed the school to capture first place.

Many MCAS schools collected a significant of food in an effort to win the trophy donated a few years ago by Scotty's Dynamic Design.

Knapp Elementary, which had won the two previous years, collected 2,974 pounds (7.6 pounds per student). Marsh Elementary collected 1,883 (6 pounds per student) and Springfield Elementary collected 1,888 (5.8 pounds per student). Pine Elementary and Michigan City High School also collected over 1,000 pounds.

The school corporation spokesman said the distirct is grateful for the contributions from its MCAS families, staff, and community members who dropped off donations at Ames Field on Dec. 16.

MCHS Student Council, Honor Society, and JROTC students dropped off, sorted and delivered the donations.

The Salvation Army said it will meet the needs of its food pantry through February.

In another drive, Operation Bookworm totals are not yet in, but hundreds of books were collected in conjunction with this drive also for the Salvation Army's Christmas distribution.

GALLERY: The Times Photos of the Week
The fourth time's a charm.

After rejecting the first three contract proposals, United Auto Workers union members at the Lear seat factory in Hammond voted to approve a new contract that includes a 12.5% raise for the top wage rate by 2026.

UAW Local 2335 members voted earlier this month 57% to 43% to approve the deal.

Over the last few months, union members voted 95% to 5%, 75% to 25% and 72% to 28% to reject tentative agreements with Southfield, Michigan-based Lear, which employs around 1,000 workers at the Hammond plant across from the South Shore Line East Chicago station. Lear makes seats that go into the Ford Explorer and other vehicles manufactured at Ford's Chicago Assembly Plant just across the state line.

The seat workers voted to approve the deal after the UAW secured raises of 25% at Detroit's Big Three automakers.

The deal the UAW reached with Lear would raise the top pay rate at the Hammond plant from $24.44 an hour to $27.50 an hour in 2026, according to a UAW Local 2335 contract summary. It included $2,000 ratification bonuses with the highest-earning, most senior employees and $750 for newer employees.

Employees also stood to get separate lump sum bonuses of $2,000 in 2023 and 2024 and of $1,000 in 2025. The bonuses are not added to workers' base pay.

The pact came after months of negotiations. The last contract expired in August and workers voted to authorize a strike, but the two sides remained at the negotiating table until they could agree to terms.

Employees at the Lear Hammond Plant making $22.89 an hour and $24.44 an hour got their pay boosted to $26 an hour upon ratification, according to the UAW Local 2335 contract summary. Employees got a 50% company match of up to 6% of employee contributions to their 401(k) retirement plans.

The two sides were able to reach a deal without a strike or work stoppage. Lear workers went on strike in 2014 in response to a two-tier system in which new hires made as little as $13 an hour to help manufacturer vehicles.
Gov. Eric Holcomb is focusing on the upcoming Indiana legislative session  not his own political future or job prospects  as he enters his final year as the state's chief executive.

In an exclusive interview with The Times, the term-limited Republican acknowledged he's been approached by potential employers checking on his availability and interest in a post-gubernatorial career.

But Holcomb insisted he's turned them all away and intentionally is proceeding with no definite plans so nothing interferes with his service to Hoosiers during the slightly more than 12 months remaining in his second, four-year term.

"I don't know if they'll call back. But that'll be for a different day," Holcomb said. "If you need to know now, I'm not your guy."

The governor said he's not currently considering following in the footsteps of his onetime boss, former Gov. Mitch Daniels, by trading a Statehouse office for the ivory tower of academia.

Holcomb said he's aware of the presidential vacancy at Indiana State University, the Terre Haute campus where his mother and brother both earned their degrees, but he's told the university that if it wants to get in touch with him to do it later  much later.

"I'm not thinking about any walk, institution, organization or duty until this one has been completed," Holcomb said.

Holcomb said the only thing on his calendar after Jan. 13, 2025, is a two-month break from everything that Janet Holcomb, the state's first lady, requested he take.

"She asked for, and she will receive, two months post this assignment. She said, 'I want to see you deprogram right before my very eyes,' and thought that it would take two months," Holcomb said. "I'm pretty sure that after two weeks she'll say: 'Isn't there somewhere you need to go or be?'"

"But she asked, and more than deserves, after putting up with my last, what will be, eight years."

As for what he hopes to accomplish in his final year in office, Holcomb largely is keeping mum until his Jan. 9 "State of the State" address to the Republican-controlled General Assembly.

Though he said Hoosiers shouldn't look for him to endorse a potential successor among the candidates competing in the Republican gubernatorial primary until after lawmakers adjourn on or before March 14  or maybe ever.

"People are very discerning in Indiana. They split tickets, they vote unlike their spouse does. People don't need to be told anymore, I think, of endorsements," Holcomb said. "I don't want to come off as insulting. Like, 'You should vote for this person.' Especially until I see the plans of which I would be endorsing."

Holcomb said he hopes each of the Republican candidates for governor will be judged on their proposed policies for Indiana, as he believes he was with his "Next Level" agenda, instead of merely political factors  since the policies will have a much more significant impact long after the politics are forgotten.

"I've always said good policy makes good politics, not the other way around," Holcomb said. "I want to keep politics out of my policy discussions because I'm not a candidate."

Gallery: Take a virtual tour of Indiana's state parks Brown County State Park Chain O' Lakes State Park Charlestown State Park Clifty Falls State Park Falls of the Ohio State Park Fort Harrison State Park Harmonie State Park Lincoln State Park McCormick's Creek State Park Mounds State Park O'Bannon Woods State Park Ouabache State Park Pokagon State Park Potato Creek State Park Prophetstown State Park Shades State Park Shakamak State Park Spring Mill State Park Summit Lake State Park Tippecanoe River State Park Turkey Run State Park Versailles State Park White River State Park Whitewater Memorial State Park
Iran accused Israel on Monday of killing a high-level military figure in a missile strike in Syria at a time when concerns are growing that the war in Gaza could escalate into a regional conflict.

The assassinated Iranian was identified as Brig. Gen. Sayyed Razi Mousavi, a senior adviser to Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. He was said to have helped oversee the shipment of missiles and other arms to Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed military force in Lebanon and Syria that is a frequent adversary of Israels.

Israel, adopting its customary stance, declined to comment directly on Irans accusation that it was behind the killing. But Israels defense minister, Yoav Gallant, said on Tuesday that the country was already in a multifront war and coming under attack from seven theaters, naming Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Iran.

We have already responded and taken action in six of these theaters, he told lawmakers.

Israel is waging a major war in Gaza and skirmishing with Hezbollah fighters on its northern border with Lebanon. And on the Red Sea, in response to the Gaza conflict, Yemen-based Houthi forces  also backed by Iran  have been widening the conflict by targeting vessels.
Ye, the rapper and producer formerly known as Kanye West, apologized to the Jewish community on Tuesday for a series of antisemitic comments he made last year.

It was not my intention to offend or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused, Ye said in an Instagram post that was written in Hebrew. I am committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future. Your forgiveness is important to me, and I am committed to making amends and promoting unity.

Ye became embroiled in controversy in October 2022 after wearing a shirt at Paris Fashion Week that said White Lives Matter and posting an antisemitic tweet in which he threatened to go death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE. In an Instagram post, he shared a screenshot of a text exchange with the producer and music mogul Sean Combs in which he suggested that Combs was controlled by Jewish people.

Many organizations, including Adidas and Creative Artists Agency, eventually cut ties with the rapper.

The Anti-Defamation League said on Tuesday that Yes apology was welcome, while noting that actions speak louder than words.
Despite challenges, leaders see avenues for growth, mutual benefits at summit China and the European Union are seeking to stabilize and expand their relations despite differences and challenges on multiple fronts. Ding Chun, director of the Center for European Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, said the 24th China-EU Summit held in Beijing on Dec 7 has shown that China-EU relations this year "began low but ended high", referring to the tougher tone earlier on the EU side, which had often parroted Washington's rhetoric. "It shows that the two sides are looking to the future and are more pragmatic in tackling differences. This is an important step in stabilizing the relationship," Ding said. Bilateral relations have deteriorated in the past few years amid increasing geopolitical tensions between China and the United States, and with the Russia-Ukraine conflict now in its 23rd month. Tit-for-tat sanctions between China and the EU in 2021 led the European Parliament to freeze the ratification of the China-EU Comprehensive Agreement on Investment, which concluded in December 2020 after seven years of negotiations. However, leaders on both sides have attached great importance to the bilateral relationship at the latest Beijing summit. Chinese President Xi Jinping told EU leaders attending the summit  European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen  that China and the EU are two major forces advancing multipolarity, two major markets in support of globalization and two major civilizations championing diversity. The bilateral relations are showing a good momentum of consolidation and growth, he said, and the China-EU high-level dialogues in the strategic, economic and trade, green and digital fields have produced rich outcomes. "This serves the interests of both sides and meets the expectations of our peoples," he said. "As China pursues high-quality development and high-standard opening-up, it sees the EU as a key partner for economic and trade cooperation, a preferred partner for scientific and technological cooperation, and a trustworthy partner for industrial and supply chain cooperation." The summit took place following several high-level dialogues and visits. In October, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held the 12th China-EU High-Level Strategic Dialogue in Beijing, while European Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis co-chaired the 10th China-EU High-level Economic and Trade Dialogue with Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng in Beijing in September. Michel also applauded the relaunch of high-level dialogues on important issues. "We are united in our commitment to pursue a stable and mutually beneficial relationship with China, a commitment and a relationship that we wish to be based on the principles of transparency, predictability and reciprocity," he said, citing the EU's China policy coming out of the EU summit in June. Von der Leyen described her second trip to China this year as demonstrating how the EU attaches importance to its major relationship with China. "We have massive trade between us  2.3 billion euros ($2.5 billion) a day  and important investment stakes in each other's economies," she said. Bilateral trade of goods between China and the EU hit a record high of 857 billion euros last year, an increase of 23 percent year-on-year, according to EU statistics. China and the EU are each other's second-largest trade partner. Shared interest "And as major powers in the world, the European Union and China have global responsibilities. We have a shared interest in peace and security, in the effective functioning of the rules-based international order, and to find solutions to global challenges," von der Leyen said. This month's Beijing summit covered a wide range of issues from strategic bilateral relations to global governance and global and regional hot spot issues. Lai Suetyi, an associate professor of the Center for European Studies at the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, said the 24 summits from 1998 to 2023 show how important China and the EU see each other. "The return to face-to-face setting this time is definitely a positive element. Also, having the high-level people-to-people dialogue relaunched is good news," she said. "We cannot deny that mistrust has grown in the past few years. Henceforth, dialogue becomes even more essential." Lai dismissed the criticism on the absence of joint statement or joint news conference, and said she sees it as a maturity of the relationship. "We should not be tied by bureaucracy, but focus on actual communication and understanding. Moreover, it demonstrates that both China and the EU walk the walk that we can respect our differences." A new EU policy on China since March 2019 defines the latter as a cooperation partner, economic competitor and systemic rival. China has voiced strong disagreement over the term "systemic rival" since many Chinese people associate the words with hostility and confrontation. China has emphasized the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, which marks its 20th anniversary this year. Following the 12th round of China-EU High-Level Strategic Dialogue in Beijing on Oct 13, Wang said, "China and the EU are partners first and foremost, with far more consensus than differences." Borrell said in a blog post on Dec 12 that Chinese partners pushed back against being labeled a "systemic rival" in certain areas and argued that China does not wish to engage in systemic rivalry. "To them, the word 'rival' might convey a sense of 'enemy', a connotation that it does not have in English," Borrell wrote. "We are indeed rivals, not enemies." The Chinese side is also dissatisfied with the new EU rhetoric about "de-risking". Von der Leyen has repeatedly said the EU does not want to decouple from China but "de-risk". EU officials have expressed that the "de-risking" is not aimed at China, but other countries as well, including the US when the likelihood for Donald Trump winning the 2024 presidential election is high. EU officials also argued that China's policy to achieve self-reliance in certain industries is also a "de-risking" strategy. "That is why the European Union is working to ensure the security of its supply chains, critical infrastructure, and technological and industrial bases," von der Leyen said. Rhetoric rebutted But Chinese officials do not buy the argument. "'De-risking' and 'reducing dependence' should not evolve into throwing away and weakening cooperation," China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Nov 30. Von der Leyen's announcement in her State of the Union Address on Sept 13 that the EU will launch an anti-subsidy investigation into EU imports of battery electric vehicles has caused an uproar in China. China's Ministry of Commerce spokesman He Yadong said the investigation process is not transparent and the results are unfair. He described the measure as "a discriminatory approach" toward Chinese electric vehicle makers and is "suspected of violating World Trade Organization rules". He also urged the EU to abandon trade protectionism. The German Association of the Automotive Industry is also critical of the EU investigation, fearing that it could trigger a tit-for-tat trade war between the EU and China. Cora Jungbluth, a senior expert on China and the Asia-Pacific at the private foundation Bertelsmann Stiftung in Germany, said the case of China's EV industry is much more complex, and its rise should not be attributed to only subsidies, but more importantly, the early start such as in the promotion of battery systems in China's five-year plan. China became the world's largest market for EV sales last year, with a share of 60 percent. Meanwhile, it accounted for 35 percent of EV exports. They included foreign carmakers such as Tesla that jumped on the Chinese bandwagon. Jungbluth does not believe that the EU's threat of imposing anti-dumping duties on Chinese EVs will work. "The economic success (of the duties) is likely to be limited as the lessons from the solar industry have taught us," she wrote on the foundation's website. Last year, more than 90 percent of the EU's solar panels were imported from China. Voicing concern In its annual report released last month, the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU voiced its concern over the EU's anti-subsidy investigation and other discriminatory policies against Chinese companies. Chinese companies' evaluation of the EU's business environment has declined for the fourth consecutive year because of the bloc's "de-risking" strategy and its policy measures targeting Chinese investors. The report warned the EU not to politicize critical business matters, particularly in key areas such as information and communication technology, EVs and renewable energy. The EU's description of Chinese telecom company Huawei as a "high-risk vendor" has been viewed as discriminatory. Unlike her previous rhetoric which is heavy in ideology, von der Leyen has now placed more emphasis on economic and trade issues, especially the EU's trade deficit with China. She said Europe will not tolerate its soaring trade imbalance with China forever. China has argued that the trade deficit is a result of the growing competitiveness of Chinese products in the global marketplace, the EU's export control on high-tech products to China and the fact that many EU companies that invested in China are exporting their products back to Europe. Wang Wenbin said China has a trade surplus with the EU on the surface, but a substantial part of profits was pocketed by European companies. "China has never deliberately sought to maintain a trade surplus," he said. Lai said the future development of China-EU relations will also be affected by next year's election results of the European Parliament and US president. "Uncertainty is high," Lai said. "One thing I am certain, that is China-EU relations will get even more complicated."


On a marshy stretch of the Louisiana coastline, a little-known company wants to build a $10 billion facility that would allow the United States to export vast stores of liquefied natural gas.

Supporters of the project, known as CP2, say the export terminal would be a boon for the United States economy and help Europe decrease its reliance on gas imported from Russia. They also claim that because burning natural gas produces fewer planet-warming emissions than burning coal, the project is a good thing for the climate.

But a nationwide movement is working to stop the export terminal from ever being built.

Opponents, including major environmental groups, scientists and activists, say that CP2 would lock in decades of additional greenhouse gas emissions, the main driver of climate change. They add that the project would be harmful to the people who live in the area, as well as the fragile ecosystem that supports aquatic life in the Gulf of Mexico.

It will be up to the Biden administration to decide whether or not the project moves forward.

In the coming months, the Energy Department is expected to rule on whether the export terminal is in the public interest, a subjective determination that could have far-reaching consequences for the countrys natural gas industry.
Earth is finishing up its warmest year in the past 174 years, and very likely the past 125,000.

Unyielding heat waves broiled Phoenix and Argentina. Wildfires raged across Canada. Flooding in Libya killed thousands. Wintertime ice cover in the dark seas around Antarctica was at unprecedented lows.

This years global temperatures did not just beat prior records. They left them in the dust. From June through November, the mercury spent month after month soaring off the charts. Decembers temperatures have largely remained above normal: Much of the Northeastern United States is expecting springlike conditions this week.

That is why scientists are already sifting through evidence  from oceans, volcanic eruptions, even pollution from cargo ships  to see whether this year might reveal something new about the climate and what we are doing to it.
No one can predict with certainty what we will eat and drink in the new year, but multitudes try.

As my own end-of-the-year ritual, I sift through an avalanche of predictions from big food companies, PR firms, restaurant groups and market researchers. And then I get on the phone, interviewing the best prognosticators in the business.

Im not interested in the next viral chickle or what will replace almond moms and girl dinners. Instead, I study small cultural, media and economic data points and watch the trend emerge.

So whats up for 2024? Id call it hi-lo, said Andrew Freeman, president of AF & Co., the San Francisco consulting firm that for 16 years has published a popular food and hospitality trend report in conjunction with the brand and marketing firm Carbonate. There is this desire for boldness and maximalism and collaboration, but with this sense that whatever I spend, I need to feel real value for my money.

People want high-quality ingredients, but they also want value  especially members of Generation Z, who are emerging as sensible and skeptical cooks and diners who want safe rewards wrapped in adventure.
Jane Matsumotos family is so eager to eat their annual ozoni that they gather around the table at 2 in the morning, right after theyve cleaned the confetti, streamers and champagne glasses from their New Years Eve festivities. Ms. Matsumoto, who is sansei, or third-generation Japanese American, and the executive culinary director of the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in Los Angeles, looks forward to the brothy soup bobbing with mochi pieces every year.

Ozoni is standard New Years Day fare for many Japanese Americans, whether they are nisei, the children of Japanese immigrants, or yonsei, fourth-generation Japanese Americans. Starting in the 1880s, the first major wave of Japanese immigrants arrived in the United States, and although many New Years Day tables have evolved to include dishes from other cultures, customary Japanese dishes remain.
Consumed by fears of inner-city violence and the traumatic effects of the crack epidemic, Down in the Delta didnt lead to a career in filmmaking for the writer Maya Angelou. Instead, 25 years later, the inspiring yet uniquely flawed film remains her lone directorial feature.

Though a Black fantasy unbound by a specific place and time, its a film whose conversations with the socioeconomic realities of the 1990s, the proliferation of hood movies, and the strategy for Black resistance, now, would appear dated. But the scripts idyllic return to the South has newfound resonance for the contemporary reverse-migration taking place in many northern Black neighborhoods affected by the consequences of decades of redlining, deindustrialization and divestment.

Down in the Delta opens on the South Side of Chicago, where the sound of blaring sirens and hovering helicopters pierce apartment windows, such as the one belonging to Rosa Lynn Sinclair (Mary Alice), the steady mother of Loretta (a perceptive Alfre Woodard), an unemployed single mother who feeds her autistic daughter, Tracy (Kulani Hassen), soda in lieu of milk and, through her drug use, persistently disappoints her only son, the artistically inclined Thomas (Mpho Koaho). To save her family, a vexed Rosa Lynn pawns Nathan, a silver-plated candelabra dating to the antebellum period, for bus tickets, sending Loretta and her children to Mississippi to live under the care of their Uncle Earl (Al Freeman Jr.). The sojourn isnt a cakewalk for Loretta. Not only is she there to sober up, but she must also earn enough money working at Earls chicken joint to buy Nathan back, or else permanently lose the heirloom.

Considering Angelous autobiographies  particularly, Gather Together in My Name  you can see why Myron Gobles script about the power of family appealed to her. Cinematically, kin as a restorative force for Black folks was covered in George Tillman Jr.s Soul Food (1997). And since Down in the Delta, Kingdom Come, The Secret Life of Bees and Tyler Perrys Madea character have walked similar paths.
New York City officials put forward a plan on Tuesday to direct public money toward mixed-income housing projects in wealthier neighborhoods  a proposal aimed at addressing the affordable housing shortage and spurring development after a lucrative property tax exemption lapsed last year.

Currently, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development uses city money to subsidize developments containing only affordable homes. But under the new plan, officials would make money available to projects that have a combination of affordable and market-rate homes.

The hope is that developers, who can no longer benefit from the property tax break, will produce more affordable units using the income from high-rent, market-rate apartments to supplement the city financing. Those units would also be in neighborhoods where affordable homes have traditionally not been built.

It allows us to stretch our public resources, Maria Torres-Springer, deputy mayor for housing, economic development and work force, said in an interview.
Since the Police Department opened its headquarters at 1 Police Plaza in Manhattan in 1973, reporters have worked in offices inside the building. Their space, nicknamed the shack, provides easy access to department officials.

But last week, journalists learned that the administration of Mayor Eric Adams would soon relocate them to a trailer outside the building, prompting news outlets and other organizations to denounce the plan.

The friction arose after several other Adams administration moves that critics have said are meant to hinder scrutiny of government operations. And it came as the mayor suggested that the administration might limit how many reporters each news outlet has in Room 9, the City Hall pressroom.

The trailer outside 1 Police Plaza is much larger than the shack, according to an emailed statement from the police, which said it contains conference rooms and amenities. The move has been in the works since Mr. Adams took office in 2022 and is to create space for reporters from additional outlets that have asked to cover the department, the unsigned statement said.
Building in the Bay Area will enable America to continue its history of allowing people to relocate to more productive places. In the early decades of the 19th century, farmers left the rocky soil of the East for better farmland in the Midwest. A century later, millions of people left agriculture behind in favor of even more fertile economic ground: cities. This huge transition was possible only because cities built vast quantities of housing. In the 1920s alone, New York City added 700,000 units. In recent decades American growth has moved to the Sun Belt, and people are going there not just for the nice weather. As Southern cities like Houston and Atlanta build enough housing to keep prices low, they are siphoning population away from the booming metros of yesteryear.

Today, California is one of the most productive places in the country, but it doesnt let people in because homeowners figured out how to block new construction, which pushes prices up and productivity down. Work by Chang-Tai Hsieh and Enrico Moretti found that limited access to Americas most productive places lowered aggregate U.S. growth by 36 percent from 1964 to 2009.

Even though opponents to development in coastal California often base their arguments on environmental grounds, building there is one of the best things that America could be doing to counter global warming. One of us, Professor Glaeser, and a University of Southern California environmental economist, Matthew Kahn, calculated that coastal California was easily the least carbon-intensive part of the country because of its mild climate.

The Flannery Associates effort to build in Solano County, about 60 miles northeast of San Francisco, faces major obstacles that have been compounded by the groups arrogance. The more than 50,000 acres of land the venture has obtained is not zoned for residential use. Securing governmental approval to get the project off the ground will require far more expertise in the workings of democracy than is typically found in Silicon Valley. As the company engages in fierce legal battles with local landowners, who accuse it of strong-arming them and turning family members against one another in the name of rapid land acquisition, it appears that the project is alienating itself from the very allies it would need to succeed.

City building has usually been a collaborative affair that requires openness and thrives on a hive of talent. Without assembling a wide and supportive community, Flannery Associates is on the way to suffering the same fate as Sidewalk Labs, an Alphabet company that failed to build a futuristic city in Toronto.
To the Editor:

Re Campus Allies of Palestinians Feel Muzzled (front page, Dec. 18):

When pro-Palestinian supporters feel muzzled, afraid to present their views on campus, and Jewish students, intimidated by pro-Palestinian language, also feel uncomfortable expressing their opinions on the Middle East, universities no longer become safe harbors for expression.

When both sides are reluctant to express themselves, stereotypes and exaggerations dominate: Palestinian, anti-Zionist protests are conflated with antisemitism, and Jewish students criticisms of Israel are presumed to reflect a total rejection of a Jewish state rather than reasoned criticisms of Israeli policies.

As public opinion scholars have long noted, in these situations a spiral of silence develops, in which people with nuanced views on both sides of the issue, perceiving their opinions are in the minority, become reluctant to speak out. As a result, pro-Palestinian supporters are presumed to harbor more hostile perceptions of Jews than they actually do, and Jewish critics of Israel are viewed as total opponents of a Jewish state.

What results are simple tropes and cartoonish stereotypes that further polarize the two sides.

Richard M. Perloff

Cleveland

The author is a professor of communication, psychology and political science at Cleveland State University.
Recent general-election polling has generally shown Donald Trump maintaining a slight lead over President Biden. Yet many of those polls also reveal an Achilles heel for Mr. Trump that has the potential to change the shape of the race.

It relates to Mr. Trumps legal troubles: If he is criminally convicted by a jury of his peers, voters say they are likely to punish him for it.

A trial on criminal charges is not guaranteed, and if there is a trial, neither is a conviction. But if Mr. Trump is tried and convicted, a mountain of public opinion data suggests voters would turn away from the former president.

Still likely to be completed before Election Day remains the special counsel Jack Smiths federal prosecution of Mr. Trump for allegedly scheming to overturn the 2020 election. That trial had been set to start on March 4, 2024, but that date has been put on hold, pending appellate review of the trial courts rejection of Mr. Trumps presidential immunity. On Friday the Supreme Court declined Mr. Smiths request for immediate review of the question, but the appeal is still headed to the high court on a rocket docket. That is because the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia will hear oral argument on Jan. 9 and will probably issue a decision within days of that, setting up a prompt return to the Supreme Court. Moreover, with three other criminal cases also set for trial in 2024, it is entirely possible that Mr. Trump will have at least one criminal conviction before November 2024.
As they awaited the arrival of their third child in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Kerri and Neil Beggs encountered a problem familiar to families everywhere: They needed more space, but didnt have the budget for the kind of house they wanted.

What we found was that we were in a certain price bracket, and it was quite a large leap in price for the size of house we wanted, said Ms. Beggs, 44, a health care professional. She and Mr. Beggs, 47, who runs a plumbing supply company, had been renting a narrow, four-story townhouse that sometimes felt like more of a big staircase than a home, and they wanted more space indoors and outdoors.

Fortunately, they had met Craig Hutchinson, the founder of the London architecture firm Hutch Design, through a mutual friend, and he offered to help them assess various properties.
One day last September, a team of scientists clambered onto a small boat and set out into the Salish Sea, searching for an endangered population of orcas. The Southern Resident killer whales, one of several distinct orca communities that inhabit the Pacific Northwest, can be elusive, so the researchers were delighted to find a small pod of them. But as they drew closer, a putrid smell washed over the boat.

The scientists eyed each other with suspicion before it dawned on them: The odor was coming from the clouds of mist that the whales were expelling from their blowholes. Everybody is allowed to have bad breath every now and then, but this was not just bad breath, said Dr. Hendrik Nollens, the vice president of wildlife health for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, who was on the boat. There was something going on.

Fetid breath can be a sign of illness or infection, but the cause could have been anything from a tooth abscess to a life-threatening case of pneumonia. Fortunately, the scientists were armed with an experimental diagnostic tool: a breath-collection drone. The technology  essentially a flying petri dish that could be steered into an orcas plume  was still under development, but it was about to face an unexpected, real-world test. We were concerned, Dr. Nollens said, and so we launched our drone.

Its not easy to perform a veterinary exam on a wild, multi-ton marine mammal that might surface for only seconds at a time. But for the last five years, a team of veterinarians, marine biologists and engineers has been developing tools to do just that. Their goal is to perform regular, remote health assessments on each of the Southern Residents  and, if necessary, to intervene with personalized medical care.
The rate of serious medical complications increased in hospitals after they were purchased by private equity investment firms, according to a major study of the effects of such acquisitions on patient care in recent years.

The study, published in JAMA on Tuesday, found that, in the three years after a private equity fund bought a hospital, adverse events including surgical infections and bed sores rose by 25 percent among Medicare patients when compared with similar hospitals that were not bought by such investors. The researchers reported a nearly 38 percent increase in central line infections, a dangerous kind of infection that medical authorities say should never happen, and a 27 percent increase in falls by patients while staying in the hospital.

We were not surprised there was a signal, said Dr. Sneha Kannan, a health care researcher and physician at the division of pulmonary and critical care at Massachusetts General Hospital, who was the papers lead author. I will say we were surprised at how strong it was.

Although the researchers found a significant rise in medical errors, they also saw a slight decrease (of nearly 5 percent) in the rate of patients who died during their hospital stay. The researchers believe other changes, like a shift toward healthier patients admitted to the hospitals, could explain that decline. And by 30 days after patients were discharged, there was no significant difference in the death rates between hospitals.
A federal appeals court tossed out the conviction of former Representative Jeff Fortenberry, a Nebraska Republican, on Tuesday on the grounds that his trial never should have been held in Los Angeles in the first place.

Mr. Fortenberry, 62, was convicted by a jury in March 2022 on three felony charges related to lying to the federal authorities about illegal campaign donations he received at a 2016 fund-raiser in Los Angeles.

During interviews at his home in Nebraska and at his lawyers office in Washington, D.C., he told federal investigators he was unaware that $30,000 in donations had originated from a Lebanese Nigerian billionaire, Gilbert Chagoury. As a foreign citizen, Mr. Chagoury was ineligible to contribute to an American candidate. But an F.B.I. agent had previously listened to a phone call in which a cooperating witness told the congressman about the source of the funds.

In the opinion on Tuesday, a three-judge panel determined that Mr. Fortenberry should not have been tried in Los Angeles because he had made his statements about the campaign contributions to federal agents in Nebraska and Washington, D.C. Mr. Fortenberry was charged with and convicted of making false statements, not the receipt of the illegal contributions.
Joe Faillace looked out the front windows of his sandwich shop this month and barely recognized the neighborhood where he has worked for almost 40 years. There were no tents within view, no emergency sirens, no campfires, no drug users slumped over on his patio or the sidewalk. Instead, he saw customers walking down quiet, clean streets toward his restaurant in time for a lunch rush that now doubles his average daily sales from early in the year.

The difference over the last six months is something I never believed was even possible, he said. Its an entirely new place. Every day feels like a miracle.

The transformation is in fact the result of a fractious, litigious and arduous process that has consumed much of downtown Phoenix since Sept. 20, when a Maricopa County judge ordered the city to clear away its largest homeless encampment, a tent city of more than 1,000 residents known as The Zone. The judge ruled that the encampment had become a public nuisance, a place of lawlessness and chaos with such high rates of crime that it violated the rights of local businesses, and therefore needed to be removed within 45 days.

The city spent more than $30 million to open three homeless shelters in October and then worked with a team of local nonprofits to clean up The Zone block by block. Outreach workers offered temporary shelter to more than 700 people living in The Zone, and 585 eventually accepted help and chose to move indoors. The city also added 362 transitional beds for longer-term housing and turned a nearby parking lot into a sanctioned camping area with security and portable restrooms; a few dozen people now pitch their tents there.
One year into his first term in Congress, Senator Eric Schmitt, Republican of Missouri, has sought to find his lane while learning how multilayered relationships in Washington can be.

Mr. Schmitt, a towering figure at 6-foot-6, is a hard-right conservative and staunch defender of former President Donald J. Trump. He introduced 11 bills his first year in Congress, including bills to cut diversity and inclusion offices across federal agencies and to require agencies to roll back three pieces of regulation for each new one. As the Missouri attorney general, Mr. Schmitt signed on to a lawsuit seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and he filed suits against China over the coronavirus and against school districts for their Covid-19 mask mandates.

Even as he has connected with his Senate peers on the right, however, Mr. Schmitt has also forged a deeper kinship with an unlikely colleague: Senator Maggie Hassan, Democrat of New Hampshire.

They have little in common in terms of politics or legislative priorities. But both have children with disabilities: Ms. Hassans son, Ben, 35, has severe cerebral palsy. Mr. Schmitts son, Stephen, 19, is nonverbal and has tuberous sclerosis, epilepsy and autism.
Senator Laphonza Butler came to her job in Congress in an unusual way and quickly decided she was not going to stay.

Gov. Gavin Newsom of California appointed Ms. Butler in early October after the death of Senator Dianne Feinstein to serve out the remainder of her term, which ends in 2025. The former Emilys List president, who once headed Californias largest labor organization, is not a candidate in the crowded Democratic primary for the 2024 nomination to succeed Ms. Feinstein permanently.

Ms. Butler, 44, recently spoke to The New York Times from her Senate office about why she opted not to stay in Congress, where she hopes to focus her attention while she is there and the unlikely areas where she has found commonality with some Republicans.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Aleksei A. Navalny, Russias most prominent opposition leader, published a letter on Tuesday describing an arduous transfer to his new penal colony in the Arctic, the first time his supporters had heard from him in three weeks.

Mr. Navalnys comments, posted on his social network accounts and written with a heavy dose of irony and humor, highlighted his good spirits and seemed intended to assuage concerns among allies who had grown anxious about his health and status since his sudden disappearance from the public eye on Dec. 5.

I am your new Father Frost, Mr. Navalny wrote, referring to the Russian version of Santa Claus. I have a sheepskin coat, a hat with earflaps; I should get felt boots soon, and I have grown a beard during the 20-day transit.

But, he added, The main thing is that I now live above the Arctic Circle.

Mr. Navalny, 47, is a longtime antagonist of President Vladimir V. Putin who has been subject to increasingly harsh punishment over the past year. His transfer to one of Russias high-security special regime penal colonies had been expected since September, when he lost an appeal against the 19-year sentence he is serving.
The foreign affairs committee of Turkeys Parliament on Tuesday approved Swedens bid to join NATO, placing the Nordic country one step closer to joining the military alliance.

The measure must now be approved by the full Parliament, but no date has been set for the vote, and the head of the foreign affairs committee told reporters not to expect it to happen quickly.

Since Sweden applied to join NATO after the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year, Turkey has repeatedly delayed the process, saying that Sweden, the United States and Canada all needed to meet Turkish demands.

Both Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO, a process that requires unanimous support from the alliances 31 member states. Turkey initially blocked them both, and although it has since relented on Finland, paving the way for that country to join NATO in March, Turkey has continued to hold out on Sweden.
Ukraine scored a major success on Tuesday when it struck a Russian warship at port in Crimea, one of the most significant attacks against Moscows Black Sea Fleet in months. But in another setback for their ground campaign, Ukrainian officials acknowledged that they had all but retreated from the eastern city of Marinka after a monthslong battle to defend it.

The two developments underscored the diverging fortunes of the two combatants this winter in a war that has largely settled into a deadlock: Ukraine racking up naval successes in the Black Sea and Crimea, where it is putting Russia on the defensive, and Russia pressing its attack on battlefields in the east after blunting a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

A day after Russia said it had taken complete control of Marinka, Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraines top military commander, spoke in sober terms about the fight, comparing it to the scorched-earth battle for Bakhmut, the eastern city that fell to Russia in May. Like Bakhmut, Marinka held limited strategic value, but is now a trophy in ruins for Moscow.

The situation is exactly the same as it was in Bakhmut, General Zaluzhny said at a news conference. Street by street, block by block, and our soldiers were being targeted. And the result is what it is.
The Oct. 7 attack on Israel has prompted soul-searching on the Israeli left, undermining faith in a shared future with Palestinians. It has created a crisis of confidence on the Israeli right, sapping support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It has drawn ultra-Orthodox Jews, often ambivalent about their relationship to the Israeli state, closer to the mainstream.

Across religious and political divides, Israelis are coming to terms with what the Hamas-led terrorist attack meant for Israel as a state, for Israelis as a society, and for its citizens as individuals. Just as Israels failures in the 1973 Arab-Israeli war ultimately upended its political and cultural life, the Oct. 7 assault and its aftershocks are expected to reshape Israel for years to come.

The attack, which killed an estimated 1,200 people, has collapsed Israelis sense of security and shaken their trust in Israels leaders. It has shattered the idea that Israels blockade of Gaza and occupation of the West Bank could continue indefinitely without significant fallout for Israelis. And for Israels Jewish majority, it has broken the countrys central promise.

When Israel was founded in 1948, the defining goal was to provide a sanctuary for Jews, after 2,000 years of statelessness and persecution. On Oct. 7, that same state proved unable to prevent the worst day of violence against Jews since the Holocaust.
Nearly Two Million Crowd Into Gazas South as Fighting Intensifies

Rafah Dec. 20 Building destroyed on Dec. 20 Two U.N. schools sheltering about 32,000 people Rafah Dec. 20 Building destroyed on Dec. 20 Two U.N. schools sheltering about 32,000 people Sources: U.N. Relief and Works Agency data as of Dec. 14; news reports; photograph by Shadi Tabatibi/Reuters

Since the end of the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in early December, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has deepened, with evacuation orders and intense fighting squeezing civilians into an ever-shrinking area.

On Friday, the Israeli military again ordered civilians to move south immediately, this time out of an area in central Gaza that was home to almost 90,000 people before the war. At least 60,000 displaced people, most of whom had fled from northern Gaza, had been sheltering there.

Gazans are struggling without sanitation, food or water. More than 1.7 million displaced people are registered in shelters in the south, including a few hundred thousand people who cannot fit within their walls and are sleeping along roads and in open spaces.

Tent camps visible in satellite imagery of southern Gaza Deir al Balah Khan Younis Rafah Rafah Tents Source: Satellite images by Planet Labs Note: Images for Rafah and Khan Younis taken on Dec. 19; Deir al Balah image taken on Dec. 6.

Many people have followed Israels evacuation orders, but doing so has not brought safety. Israeli bombing, which was relentless during the first six weeks of the war, has continued across the south since the end of the cease-fire, including in areas to which people were told to move.

Damage from airstrikes and fighting has been identified near almost every shelter in Gazas three southern regions this month, an analysis of satellite imagery and relief agency data shows. In some cases, shelters have been hit directly.

Damage near shelters for displaced people in southern Gaza Shelter locations Damage from Dec. 4 to Dec. 16 DEIR AL BALAH GAZA STRIP Area of detail KHAN YOUNIS Area of Dec. 2 and Dec. 3 evacuation orders RAFAH N 2 miles Sources: Damage analysis of Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite data by Corey Scher of the CUNY Graduate Center and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University; satellite image from Copernicus; shelter locations from the U.N. Relief and Works Agency and ReliefWeb Response Note: Damage data is from Dec. 4 through Dec. 16 at 5:49 p.m. in Gaza. Shelter locations include U.N. shelters with displaced people since Dec. 4 and government shelters with displaced people on Nov. 28.

The United Nations relief agency in Gaza estimates that at least 299 displaced people have been killed in its shelters across Gaza since the start of the war, with 81 deaths reported since Nov. 30.

The Israeli military has said it is taking precautions to mitigate civilian harm as it works to defeat Hamas, and that evacuation orders are intended to move civilians out of the areas with the fiercest fighting. It has said that Hamas built an extensive tunnel network to shield its fighters and weapons, putting civilian infrastructure and people above the tunnels in the line of fire.

But as Israels ground campaign broadens in southern Gaza, more people are being told to move into areas that cannot provide them shelter, the head of the U.N. relief agency in Gaza said on Saturday. Data on people registered at U.N. shelters since the war began shows where people have fled, and in some cases have fled again.

Shelter populations in southern Gaza Each circle represents the total number of people registered at one shelter. GAZA STRIP Area of detail N 2 miles In the first days of the war, most displaced Gazans were still in the north. On Oct. 13, Israel ordered everyone in northern Gaza to evacuate, and shelters in the south swelled with people. An animated map of southern Gaza shows the location of all U.N. shelters as circles sized by shelter population over time. The population in shelters increased rapidly after the Oct. 13 order for northern Gaza to evacuate. In early December, the Israeli military ordered more evacuations, this time in southern Gaza, forcing even more people into Deir al Balah and Rafah. After the additional orders to evacuate eastern Khan Younis on Dec. 2 and Dec. 3, the map shows a number of shelters shrink because of evacuation and many outside the evacuated area grow.

Source: U.N. Relief and Works Agency Notes: The map includes only U.N. shelters. Data for shelter populations after the Dec. 22 evacuation order are not available.

Rafah is now Gazas most densely populated area, according to U.N. officials. Data shows that U.N. shelters in Rafah host an average of more than 15,000 registered people each, though most shelters were designed for just 2,000.

Northwest Rafah before and after early December evacuation orders Nov. 23 Mosque Unfinished building Government shelter GAZA STRIP Location of image Dec. 19 People sheltering Source: Satellite images by Planet Labs

The region is not equipped to provide basic services to the displaced, relief organization officials say. Its three hospitals are only partly functional, and people in shelters live in cramped conditions with little food or water. Nearly 500 people on average share a single toilet.

Deir al Balah has also seen an enormous influx of the displaced. But, unlike Rafah, where some limited aid has arrived from Egypt, Deir al Balah and its northern neighbor, Khan Younis, have had little or no access to aid in recent days because of continued attacks.

Estimated number of displaced people staying in shelters in each region Deir al Balah Khan Younis Rafah Source: U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs via HDX Note: Numbers include people staying in government and U.N. shelters. Estimates for Deir al Balah are not updated daily.

Among the nearly 100 U.N. shelters in southern Gaza, only a handful in Khan Younis have seen significant declines in population. Some are within areas that have been evacuated, and that have seen intense fighting in recent weeks.

Satellite imagery has shown Israeli military vehicles positioned just blocks away from three evacuated shelters in Khan Younis. On Dec. 5, 17,000 people were living in those shelters. By Dec. 12, they were almost completely empty.

Damage near U.N. shelters in Khan Younis on Dec. 19 U.N. shelters Demolished roundabout Vehicles in bulldozed cemetery Destroyed buildings Cemetery Gaza Strip Vehicle track Location of image U.N. shelters Destroyed buildings Vehicles in bulldozed cemetery Demolished roundabout Vehicle track Cemetery Gaza Strip Location of image Sources: U.N. Relief and Works Agency (shelter locations); satellite image by Planet Labs

The U.N. shares initial reports of damage to shelters and injuries to residents almost daily. For example, fighting on Dec. 17 injured three children in a Khan Younis school after a wall was directly struck. Strikes near another Khan Younis shelter that day killed two Palestinians and injured several others, the agency said.

More than 50 U.N. school buildings in the south have been damaged since the start of the war, according to UNICEF, which relies on reports from other organizations on the ground. Most of these buildings were still housing displaced people as of mid-December.

Relief officials say that it has been difficult to track Gazas nearly two million displaced people, many of whom have moved in and out of shelters and the homes of others since the start of the war.

It is even harder to count those who remain in the north, where Israel first launched its attacks and where access has been restricted. A preliminary estimate from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics suggested that as many as 500,000 people might have remained there as of early December.

Without a new cease-fire, relief officials expect that homeless Gazans in the south will face repeated displacement in the weeks to come. And those who have not yet fled their homes are likely to be displaced as attacks continue.
Tokyo restaurant Sushiya no Nohachi reportedly serves great sushi, but it is most famous for its gimmick  making the worlds smallest sushi with a single grain of rice.

Located in Asakusa, a slightly quieter part of Tokyo, Sushiya no Nohachi is the place to go if you want to enjoy the tiniest, most adorable sushi in the world. Each piece is made with only a grain of rice and a tiny slice of topping wrapped in the thinnest piece of nori. Every served piece is actually perfect, which hints at the amount of work and patience that goes into making them. They are the work of Hironori Ikeno, the chef of Sushiya no Nohachi, who came up with the idea in 2002 when a client asked him how small he could make his sushi. He answered, as small as a grain of rice, and proceeded to demonstrate that he wasnt kidding. Over the years, the eatery became internationally famous for making the worlds smallest sushi.

Photo: Tamas Pap/Unsplash

Despite its size, miniature sushi actually takes a bit longer to make than regular-sized ones, because of the precision and concentration required to put the tiny ingredients together. That is part of the reason why Sushiya no Nohachi only prepares tiny sushi platters for patrons a few times a week and no more than five times a day, although they do sometimes make exceptions for foreign visitors who travel to the eatery just to experience the worlds smallest sushi.

I had a client from Sweden come just to see my tiny sushi and the moment she saw it, she literally cried in joy, Hironori Ikeno told Play Tokyo.



Interestingly, one cannot simply order the tiny sushi platter at Sushiya no Nohachi. It is served for free upon request with a regular-sized sushi course, which costs around $50. Considering the sushi served at this place is reportedly delicious, you should probably be more excited about that. Plus, it also justifies the gimmick that Sushiya no Nohachi is so famous for.
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Missing Office Address, Empty Apartment: The Curious Case Of Bengaluru CEO Suchana Seth Who Killed Her Son

Is New Year Celebration Allowed In Bengaluru? What Are The NYE Guidelines 2023?

Bengaluru

oi-Madhuri Adnal

The Karnataka health department issued guidelines for New Year celebrations across the state amid a rise in Covid-19 infections linked to a new variant, JN.1.

The state identified 34 cases of the JN.1 variant, with Bengaluru city accounting for 20 cases, followed by four in Mysuru, three in Mandya, and one each in Ramanagara, Bengaluru Rural, Kodagu, and Chamarajanagar.

In a circular dated Monday, the health department clarified that while JN.1 is currently classified as a Variant of Interest (VoI) by WHO and the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, it's not considered a Variant of Concern (VoC). The circular emphasized avoiding unnecessary panic and restrictions among the public.

Bengaluru New Year Restrictions: Clubs Get Extended Hours, Flyover Closures And More

However, in view of the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the state, the health department provided precautionary guidance recommended by the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC):

Elderly individuals (aged 60 and above), those with comorbidities (especially kidney, heart, liver ailments), pregnant women, and lactating mothers are advised to refrain from visiting enclosed, poorly ventilated spaces, and crowded areas. When outdoors, wearing masks covering nose and mouth is strongly advised.

For New Year celebrations, adherence to COVID Appropriate Behavior (CAB), including social distancing, mask-wearing, hand sanitization, and respiratory hygiene, is essential. Individuals with respiratory symptoms should avoid festive venues and recreational areas (such as swimming pools) and seek medical advice.

The circular mentioned that additional measures might be recommended based on the evolving situation in the upcoming days.

On Monday, Karnataka reported 125 new COVID-19 infections along with three additional fatalities.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, December 26, 2023, 14:26 [IST]
Which Is The Best City For Women In India In 2023? The Answer Is...

Silent Superstars: Why Are Rajinikanth & Kamal Haasan Missing From Tamil Nadu Flood Relief?

Chennai

oi-Veerakumar

Chennai: While Kerala's floods witnessed an outpouring of support from Tamil Nadu's biggest stars, the recent floods in Chennai, Tirunelveli, and Tuticorin have been met with a conspicuous silence from Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. This has left many fans and citizens questioning their absence in supporting their own state during these times of crisis.

Both actors have a history of philanthropy, with Rajinikanth donating Rs. 10 crore for Chennai flood relief in 2015 and Kamal Haasan also contributing Rs. 15 lakh. Additionally, both actors actively supported Kerala's flood relief efforts in 2018.

In 2018, when Kerala faced devastating floods, Haasan donated Rs. 25 lakh, while Rajinikanth contributed Rs. 15 lakh. Their contributions were lauded then for their timeliness and magnitude.

Chennai Flood Relief Fund: How To Contribute Donations For Tamil Nadu CM Relief Fund?

Whatever the reason this time, the public perception of Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan's silence remains. Some fans express disappointment, feeling their idols have abandoned their responsibility towards their own state. Others defend the actors, citing possible private contributions or criticizing the media for focusing on their absence rather than highlighting the work of countless other volunteers and donors.

Although Kamal Haasan did not fund the relief works openly, he visited Ennore Creek some days back, where a recent oil spill from Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) has devastated the environment and livelihoods of local fishermen, but Rajinikanth did not show his face in any matter related to the flood relief works, and did not give any funds too.

It's important to remember that charitable giving is a private decision, and judging these actors solely based on their public contributions might be unfair. However, their silence also underscores the complex relationship between celebrity status, social responsibility, and public expectations.

Airlifted Pregnant Woman From Flood-Hit Srivaikuntam Gives Birth To Baby

Regardless of the reasons behind their actions, the recent floods in Tamil Nadu highlight the critical need for continued support and assistance. Whether from celebrities, ordinary citizens, or the government, every effort to alleviate the suffering of those affected is crucial. The people of Tamil Nadu need and deserve all the help they can get, irrespective of the source.

The month of December 2023 will be etched in the memory of Tamil Nadu as a season of unrelenting rain and devastating floods. While the state has grappled with monsoon fury in the past, the sheer intensity and widespread impact of this year's floods were unprecedented. Two regions bore the brunt of the deluge - Chennai, the state capital, and the southern districts of Nellai (Tirunelveli) and Tuticorin.

Tamil Actor Vijay Trolled After Fans Serve Food To Chennai Flood-Affected People Holding His Pic

The floods left behind a trail of devastation. Infrastructure damage, crop losses, and disruption of essential services posed immense challenges. The long road to recovery is underway, with the state government and local communities working tirelessly to rebuild lives and livelihoods.
How Artificial Intelligence Is Snatching Away Our Jobs

Feature

oi-Oneindia English Desk

It's happening, the worst nightmare for anyone working in the corporate world is becoming true. Artificial Intelligence is slowly taking away jobs. From the clattering looms of the 18th century to the power looms, to robots in factories to artificial intelligence, each wave of technological advancement has gnawed away human jobs. But AI is different.

PAYTM & GOOGLE TO FIRE 1000s OF EMPLOYEES

India's Paytm is axing jobs to cut costs, highlighting a broader trend in the tech industry, and emphasising the growing impacts of AI in workforce dynamics. One 97 Communications, parent of fintech firm Paytm confirmed the lay-offs. "We will be able to save 10-15% in employee costs as Artificial Intelligence (AI) has delivered more than we expected it to," the spokesperson told Reuters. On Friday Google parent Alphabet Inc announced 12,000 job cuts. That's 6% of its global workforce. Google is the latest tech giant to retrench after years of abundant growth and hiring.

Did Delhi's Overnight Rain Come From Artificial Cloud Seeding?

MACHINES ON THE MARCH: CAN WE ADAPT?

Each leap in technology, from the telegraph to the smartphone, has chipped away at human labour, making once-vital jobs obsolete. Today, computers are getting smarter at every click of the mouse, and with every web search, it is learning and evolving. Machines are becoming efficient in using algorithms to crunch numbers and solve problems. Self-driving cars are navigating the streets, so drivers won't be in much demand soon. Chatbots are getting smarter and may soon replace tele-callers and answer questions, pushing the boundaries of automation further.

THE IMPACT OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE - WIDESPREAD JOB LOSSES

In the 1950s, the automation of switchboard operations in the US alone displaced 400,000 telephone operators. In 1900, 41 percent of Americans worked in agriculture; by 2000, it dwindled to only 2 percent. Again, in the post-World War II years 30 percent of Americans were employed in the manufacturing sector, today it has dropped to around 10 percent. According to a survey done by Oxford Economics, a UK-based research firm, lower-skilled regions, which tend to have weaker economies and already high unemployment rates, are much more vulnerable to job losses. Again a recent study by the Bank of Korea said some 3.9 million jobs in South Korea were at risk as AI adoption grows.

WHAT JOBS WILL AI REPLACE?

AI is replacing and will continue to replace some jobs. Workers in industries ranging from healthcare to agriculture and industrial sectors can all expect to see disruptions in hiring due to AI. There are some professions which are especially vulnerable. According to experts, jobs like Telemarketing, Accountants, Receptionists, Proofreaders, Doctors, Chemists & Computer Support Specialists.

For the first time Supreme Court uses Artificial Intelligence for live transcription of hearings

HOW CAN WE OVERCOME THE AI WAVE?

While new opportunities arise, not everyone can surf the wave of automation. The skills gap between those displaced and the jobs of the future widens with each passing year. But amidst the gloom, flickers of hope remain. While AI undeniably automates some tasks, it also creates new ones. Adaptability and reskilling will be key for individuals to navigate this shifting technological landscape. Machines will continue to evolve, there is no stopping them. But we humans need to rise to the challenge and ride the AI wave.

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Story first published: Tuesday, December 26, 2023, 9:01 [IST]
TS E-challan Payment: Up To 90% Discount Available From Dec 16 To Jan 10  Don't Miss Out!

Hyderabad

oi-Madhuri Adnal

The Telangana Government has introduced an extensive discount plan for outstanding traffic fines, providing a staggering reduction of up to 90% from the original penalty. This unique opportunity, available from December 26, 2023, to January 10, 2024, offers a chance to settle your dues promptly and evade late fees.

TS E Challan Payment

In a laudable move aimed at encouraging responsible driving and alleviating the financial strain on violators, the Telangana government has launched a generous discount scheme, slashing fines by up to 90%.

Running for a limited time, from December 26, 2023, to January 10, 2024, this initiative is an unmissable opportunity to clear pending dues and navigate the roads without worry.

OI EXCLUSIVE: Not Varanasi, Is PM Modi Eyeing This Seat In Telangana For Lok Sabha Polls 2024?

Whether you're a motorcyclist, a car owner, or a TSRTC bus commuter, this discount has something in store for you.

TS E Challan Discount

Acknowledging the diversity of traffic violations, the scheme offers tiered discounts based on the vehicle type involved:

For push carts and TSRTC buses: Enjoy a whopping 90% discount, paying only 10% of your original challan amount. Light on your wallet and your conscience!

For two-wheelers and three-wheelers: Zip away with an impressive 80% discount on fines, leaving you accountable for just 20% - a deal any two-wheeled warrior will appreciate.

For light-motor vehicles (cars) and heavy-motor vehicles (trucks): Whether you're cruising in a sedan or trucking cargo, relish a generous 60% discount, requiring only 40% payment of your initial challan - enough to put a smile back on any driver's face.

TS E Challan Discount Duration Period

The Telangana government, in a commendable effort to promote responsible driving and ease financial burdens, has unveiled an attractively discounted traffic challan scheme.

This initiative, running from December 26, 2023, to January 10, 2024, offers a limited-time chance for motorists to settle outstanding traffic fines, saving significantly.

Telangana: KCR Issues Video Message For Followers From Hospital, Watch Video Here

It's crucial to note that this time-bound offer provides an active window for clearing pending challans.

TS e-Challan Payment Method

Paying your discounted traffic challans in Telangana is designed to be a secure and seamless process.

Access the official Telangana e-Challan website at echallan.tspolice.gov.in through your web browser.

On the homepage, search for your challan using your vehicle's registration number, driving licence number, or the challan number itself (if available).

Enter the relevant details and click "Get Details" to view your pending challans.

Once you've located your challan, review the information carefully, including the original fine amount, applicable discount percentage, and discounted fine amount payable.

The e-Challan website offers secure payment options such as debit/credit cards, net banking, and various e-wallets. Choose your preferred method, proceed with payment, and download the receipt.
Amit Shah Vows to Implement Citizenship Amendment Act in West Bengal, Dismisses Mamata Banerjees Objections

Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted the unwavering implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act in West Bengal, refuting concerns and criticizing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for misleading the public. Shah expressed confidence in securing over 35 Lok Sabha seats in the state, aiming to form a BJP government and address issues like infiltration, cow smuggling, and citizenship for religiously persecuted individuals.

India

-Krishna Kripa

Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted the unwavering implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) during a closed-door meeting with the state BJP's social media and IT wing members in Kolkata on Tuesday. Shah dismissed any attempts to obstruct the CAA, emphasizing that it stands as the law of the land. He further accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of deliberately misleading the public regarding the act.

BJP's Commitment to CAA and Electoral Confidence

Shah expressed unwavering commitment from the party to implement the CAA. Exuding confidence, he projected the party's victory in securing more than 35 out of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state, a significant increase from the 18 seats won in the 2019 polls.

BJP's Vision for West Bengal

Addressing the party program, Shah outlined the BJP's vision for West Bengal. He emphasized the party's determination to form a BJP government in the state after the next assembly polls. According to Shah, a BJP government would signify the end of infiltration, cow smuggling, and the provision of citizenship to religiously persecuted individuals through the CAA.

Shah's Criticism of Mamata Banerjee

Shah launched a scathing attack on Mamata Banerjee for allegedly misleading the public on the issue of CAA. He accused her of attempting to confuse refugees about the implementation of the act. Shah firmly declared that the CAA is the law of the land and no one can impede its implementation, reiterating the party's commitment to the act.

CAA: A Contentious Issue in West Bengal

The CAA, passed by Parliament in 2019, has faced staunch opposition from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) led by Mamata Banerjee. The promise of implementing the CAA served as a significant poll plank for the BJP in the previous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The saffron party attributes its rise in Bengal partly to this factor.

CAA's Provisions

The CAA aims to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted minorities, including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. These individuals must have entered India on or before December 31, 2014, to be eligible for citizenship under the act.
Blast Reported Near Israel Embassy, Staff Unharmed, Probe Underway

India

oi-Gaurav Sharma

On Tuesday, the Delhi police received a phone call alleging a blast near the Israel Embassy. However, upon investigation, authorities have not discovered any explosives in the area thus far. Atul Garg, the director of Delhi Fire Services, informed the news agency ANI that they received a call reporting a bomb blast near the Embassy. He further stated, "So far, nothing has been found at the location."

Following the reports, the authorities started to conduct searches in the area.

According to the news agency Reuters, Israel's foreign ministry reported an explosion heard near the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi. Fortunately, all of its staff members are unharmed.

"We can confirm that around 5:20 there was a blast at proximity to the embassy," Israeli Embassy spokesperson Guy Nir said.

Israel Embassy's Deputy Chief of Mission Ohad Nakash Kaynar said: "This evening several minutes after 5, an explosion occurred nearby of the Embassy. All our diplomats and workers are safe. Our security teams are working in full cooperation with local Delhi security and they will investigate the matter further". Speaking to the media, an eyewitness said that the blast sounded like a tyre burst.

"This happened around 5 pm, I was on duty and heard a huge sound. When I came out, I saw smoke coming from the top of a tree, that's all I saw...The police have taken my statement," he said.

The reports of a blast near the embassy come amid an ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, resulting in a significant loss of life, the war was initiated by a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, claiming the lives of over 1200 individuals, predominantly civilians.
Why Some Groups Are Not Happy With Congressional Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh And Jain Caucus In US?

Mining Crucial For Growth, Jobs But Way Forward In Surguja After Weighing Pros Snd Cons: CM Sai

Chhattisgarh CM Lauds Sikh Communitys Legacy of Sacrifices on Veer Bal Diwas

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai highlighted the Sikh communitys glorious history of sacrifices during a Veer Bal Diwas event in Raipur, emphasizing the unwavering spirit of Guru Gobind Singh Jis sons in the face of Mughal oppression.

India

-Krishna Kripa

Raipur, December 26: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai paid tribute to the Sikh community's glorious history of sacrifices during a program organized at Mata Sundari Public School in Raipur to commemorate Veer Bal Diwas.

Remembering the Martyrdom of Guru Gobind Singh's Sons

Speaking at the event, Sai highlighted the martyrdom of Guru Gobind Singh's sons, who remained steadfast in their faith despite facing immense pressure and torture from the Mughals. He emphasized that their unwavering spirit and sacrifice at such a young age continue to inspire and glorify the Sikh community's history.

Prime Minister Modi's Role in Showcasing India's Glorious History

The Chief Minister also commended Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts in presenting India's glorious history to the people. He acknowledged the Prime Minister's instrumental role in shedding light on the nation's rich heritage and inspiring a sense of pride among citizens.

Fulfilling Promises and Empowering Citizens

Sai reaffirmed the commitment of the BJP government in the state to fulfill every promise made under the "Modi ki Guarantee" initiative. He highlighted significant achievements, such as approving houses for 18 lakh eligible families and disbursing over Rs 3700 crore to more than 12 lakh farmers on Good Governance Day.

Recognizing Brave Children with Gallantry Awards

During the program, the Chief Minister felicitated four childrenAmar Jyoti Jahire, Chhaya Vishwakarma, Janvi Rajput, and Bhameshwari Nirmalkarwith gallantry awards for their heroic acts. Jahire saved his friend from drowning during a picnic, Vishwakarma rescued her sister from a rabid dog attack, Rajput saved her five-year-old brother after an electric shock, and Nirmalkar saved two girls from drowning in a lake.

Cash Awards for Brave Children

In recognition of their bravery, Chief Minister Sai announced cash awards of Rs 50,000 each to the four children.
Congress Charts Path for Lok Sabha Polls: Key Leaders Meet to Strategize

The Congress party held a series of meetings with leaders from Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Punjab to discuss strategy for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Key topics included alliance formations, seat-sharing arrangements, and campaign plans.

India

-Krishna Kripa

The Congress high command held a series of crucial meetings with party leaders from Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Punjab on Tuesday, December 26, to chalk out a comprehensive strategy for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The meetings were attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, General Secretary Organisation K C Venugopal, and other central leaders, who engaged in detailed discussions with the delegations from the respective states and Union Territories.

Bihar: United Alliance and Seat-Sharing Discussions

In Bihar, around 40 leaders of the Congress unit, including state chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh and newly appointed state in-charge Mohan Prakash, participated in the meeting. Addressing reporters afterward, Singh emphasized the unity of the RJD-JDU-Congress-Left alliance in facing the Lok Sabha polls together. He announced that a final decision on seat-sharing would be taken during the alliance committee meeting scheduled for December 29. Singh expressed flexibility in seat-sharing arrangements, acknowledging that adjustments might be necessary for the greater good of the alliance.

Sources revealed that Rahul Gandhi sought insights from the leaders on strengthening the party's presence in Bihar. In a post on social media, Kharge expressed his support for the Grand Alliance government in Bihar, highlighting its commitment to social justice and the well-being of the people. He emphasized the dedication of Congress workers in reaching out to the people and fulfilling their aspirations.

Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh: Aiming for Electoral Success

The Congress high command also held a meeting with leaders from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. With five Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir and one in Ladakh, the party discussed strategies for both the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and the assembly elections whenever they may be held. Rajani Patil Solanki, the Congress Jammu and Kashmir in-charge, exuded confidence in winning all five seats in Jammu and Kashmir and one in Ladakh.

Kharge expressed his hope for the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, criticizing the Modi government for betraying the people of the region. He raised concerns about the clean chit given to China post-Galwan, which he believed endangered national security and strategic interests. The rise in terror attacks and targeted killings of innocent people in Jammu and Kashmir also drew his attention.

Additionally, Kharge highlighted the demand of the people of Ladakh for safeguards under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution for the tribal population. He criticized the Modi government for repeatedly deceiving the people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, who yearn for normalcy in their lives, as conveyed to Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Punjab: Addressing Internal Matters and Electoral Strategy

The Congress high command engaged in discussions with leaders from Punjab, where some state leaders shared their views on the Aam Aadmi Party's inclusion in the opposition INDIA bloc. It was decided that the Congress central leadership would make the final call on this matter. Concerns were also raised regarding Navjot Singh Sidhu, and Rahul Gandhi made it clear that indiscipline in any form would not be tolerated.

Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring informed reporters after the meeting that the focus was primarily on the strategy for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He clarified that the leadership did not discuss alliances or seat-sharing during this particular meeting.

Conclusion: United Front and Renewed Vigor

The series of meetings held by the Congress high command with leaders from Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Punjab underscores the party's commitment to strengthening its position and formulating a robust strategy for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. With an emphasis on unity, social justice, and addressing the concerns of the people, the Congress aims to emerge as a formidable force in the electoral arena.
Deepfake: Modi Govt. Issues Advisory To Social Media Platforms, Reminds IT Rules

India

oi-Gaurav Sharma

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued an advisory to social media platforms, instructing them to adhere to existing IT rules in addressing the concern of deepfakes. Many actors namely Rashmika Mandanna, Katrina Kaif, Kajol, Deepika Padukone, and Alia Bhatt have been the victim of deepfake video attacks.

According to the advisory, social media platforms are required to notify their users about content that is prohibited as specified under the IT Rules.

The IT Rules' Rule 3(1)(b) specifies restrictions on content sharing that violate the rights of others, such as invading bodily privacy or sharing "obscene or pornographic" material. Additionally, prohibited content includes any that might deceive or mislead users by presenting itself as factual but deliberately misrepresents its origins, along with content that impersonates someone else.

Misinformation represents a deep threat to the safety and trust of users on the Internet.



 #Deepfake which is misinformation powered by #AI, further amplifies the threat to safety and trust of our #DigitalNagriks.



 On 17th November, PM @narendramodi ji alerted the country pic.twitter.com/QM38gPOt7O  Rajeev Chandrasekhar  (@Rajeev_GoI) December 26, 2023

"In addition, the terms of service and user agreements must clearly highlight that intermediaries/platforms are under obligation to report legal violations to the law enforcement agencies under the relevant Indian laws applicable to the context," the advisory read.

The advisory emerged subsequent to discussions led by Union Minister of State for Electronics & IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, during the 'Digital India dialogues' conducted over a month. Engaging with industry leaders, he addressed the critical issue of deepfakes, emphasizing the imperative for all platforms to comply with existing laws and regulations.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar highlighted that following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's alert on the deepfake threat in November, social media platforms were urged to exercise vigilance in promptly removing such content. He underscored that platforms were duly notified about the legal ramifications linked to any breaches of the IT rules.

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Story first published: Tuesday, December 26, 2023, 22:21 [IST]
Blast Near Israel Embassy in New Delhi: Security on High Alert

A blast near the Israel embassy in New Delhi has raised security concerns, leading to an extensive investigation and increased security measures. While no injuries were reported, the discovery of an abusive letter near the site adds a concerning element to the incident.

India

-Krishna Kripa

On Tuesday evening, a blast occurred near the Israel embassy in the Chanakyapuri diplomatic enclave in New Delhi. Fortunately, no injuries were reported in the incident. However, an abusive letter addressed to the Israeli ambassador was discovered near the site, raising concerns about the security of the embassy.

Swift Response from Authorities

Upon receiving a call about a loud sound emanating from Jindal House behind the embassy at 5:53 pm, the police control room (PCR) promptly dispatched teams from the Crime Branch, bomb disposal squad, dog squad, and forensic department to the scene. An extensive search operation was conducted in the area, lasting nearly three hours. Additionally, a team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrived to examine the site.

Echoes of the 2021 Blast

The explosion and the discovery of the letter serve as a grim reminder of the 2021 blast near the embassy, which resulted in damage to several cars. The NIA had previously investigated that incident.

Heightened Security Measures

Security around the Israel embassy has been elevated since the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Hamas earlier this year. Following the explosion, which occurred in a green belt area outside the Central Hindi Training Institute near the embassy, teams from the Delhi Police's Special Cell, bomb disposal squad, and fire department swiftly arrived at the scene. Subsequently, a team from the NIA conducted an examination of the site.

Investigation Underway

Israeli embassy spokesperson Guy Nir confirmed the incident, stating that the blast occurred in close proximity to the embassy at approximately 5:48 pm. The Delhi Police and the embassy's security team are actively investigating the situation. Deputy Chief of Mission Israel Ohad Nakash Kaynar reassured that all diplomats and workers are safe and that their security teams are fully cooperating with local Delhi security to thoroughly investigate the matter.

Discovery of Abusive Letter

Police sources revealed the discovery of a typed letter addressed to the Israeli ambassador near the explosion site behind the embassy premises. The letter, deemed abusive in nature, has been sent to the forensic lab for fingerprint analysis. It is a one-page letter written in English and is suspected to be linked to an organization, according to a police source.

Enhanced Security Measures

In response to the incident, security has been further bolstered around the embassy and other Israeli establishments. A thorough search operation was conducted in the vicinity of the embassy, covering every corner of the area. Experts have meticulously examined the scene and collected potential exhibits for forensic examination, as stated in a statement released by the Delhi Police. The investigation is ongoing.

Absence of Explosive Traces

Notably, no traces of burnt explosives were found at the scene. Security officials who visited the site suggested that the possibility of a chemical explosion cannot be ruled out due to the absence of explosive remnants.

Previous Incident in 2012

In February 2012, a bomb was planted under an Israeli embassy car in Delhi, resulting in injuries to a diplomat's wife.
Jadavpur University Convocation Controversy: Governor Declares it Illegal

West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose has declared the recent Jadavpur University convocation illegal, expressing concerns over the validity of degrees issued due to the involvement of an officiating vice-chancellor who was removed before the event. The Governor is seeking legal advice to protect the interests of students and ensure the validity of their degrees.

India

-Krishna Kripa

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Tuesday termed the Jadavpur University convocation as illegal and said he was currently seeking legal advice to ensure that students do not face any issues regarding the validity of their degrees.

Bose Expresses Concern Over Validity of Degrees

Stating that Sunday's convocation was unlawful and unauthorized, Bose expressed concern over apprehensions of students and their parents regarding the validity of the degrees issued by JU because they contained the signature of officiating vice-chancellor Buddadeb Sau who was removed by him before the event.

Governor Prioritizes Students' Interests

Bose, who is also the chancellor of state-run universities, said he was trying to find a legally acceptable solution protecting the interests of students. "In the JU case, my first priority is the future of students. Because of uncalled actions from certain sections, the students should not suffer. There are serious charges and apprehensions raised by the students and their parents that the degrees issued will be invalid. I am getting legal opinion," he said.

Legal Options Being Explored

As the chancellor, I have two options. One is to fight a case and score a point. That is not my intention. My intention is to see that from this campus students are safe, how to protect their interests and try to find a legally acceptable solution, he added. Sources in the Raj Bhavan said the Bose is likely to move Calcutta High Court against JU for organizing the annual convocation despite his objection.

Calcutta High Court Action Likely

The chancellor has sought legal advice to move Calcutta High Court against the convocation, an official of Raj Bhavan said. Bose had removed Sau on disciplinary grounds on Saturday evening. A day later, the state government reinstated him as the officiating VC. Mathematics professor Sau was appointed as the officiating VC in August. The chancellor has constituted an inquiry committee to probe into several complaints received by his office against Sau.
Extremism Shouldnt Be Given Space: Jaishankar On Temple Vandalism In US

'If We Were More Bharat...': Jaishankar On Foreign Policy Towards China After Independence

Nations Can Be Tested By Neighbours Like Lord Rama Was By Parashurama: S Jaishankar

Looking Forward To Meetings With Russian Leadership, Says Jaishankar

India

oi-PTI

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said he was looking forward to his engagements in Russia, including his meetings with the country's leadership as he arrived here for a five-day visit.

During his stay in Moscow, Jaishankar will hold talks with his counterpart Sergey Lavrov and discuss various bilateral and global issues.

''Arrived in Moscow. Look forward to my engagements,'' Jaishankar said in a post on X along with a picture.

In another post, Jaishankar shared his 1962 invite, when he was a child, to celebrate space exploration by Soviet cosmonauts.

Extremism Shouldnt Be Given Space: Jaishankar On Temple Vandalism In US

He interacted with leading representatives of the Russian strategic community and discussed connectivity, multilateralism, big power competition and regional conflicts. ''An open and forward looking interaction with leading representatives of the Russian strategic community. Spoke about the importance of rebalancing and the emergence of multipolarity,'' Jaishankar said. He exchanged views on how India-Russia ties will develop in that framework and also discussed connectivity, multilateralism, big power competition and regional conflicts. ''Geopolitics and strategic convergence will always keep India-Russia ties on a positive trajectory,'' he said.

He will meet Russia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov to discuss matters related to economic engagement. He will also hold talks with his Russian counterpart Lavrov for discussion on bilateral, multilateral and international issues.

''The time-tested India-Russia partnership has remained stable and resilient and continues to be characterized by the spirit of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership,'' the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in New Delhi on Sunday.

''Focusing on the strong people-to-people and cultural ties between our two countries, the external affairs minister's programme will include engagements in Moscow and St. Petersburg,'' the MEA said.

The two sides are expected to discuss various aspects of the bilateral relations, especially in areas of trade, energy, defence and connectivity.

EAM Jaishankar, US Secretary Of State Blinken Hold Talks Ahead Of '2+2' Dialogue

The ties between India and Russia remained strong notwithstanding Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. India's import of Russian crude oil has gone up significantly despite increasing disquiet over it in many Western countries.

India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it has been maintaining that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.

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Story first published: Tuesday, December 26, 2023, 10:27 [IST]
Lt Col KS Natt, Injured in 2015 J&K Operation, Dies After Years in Coma

Lt Col KS Natt, who was critically injured during an anti-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir in 2015, succumbed to his injuries after being in a coma for years. He was honored with full military honors in Jalandhar.

India

-Krishna Kripa

In a somber turn of events, Lieutenant Colonel K S Natt, a brave soldier of the Territorial Army, passed away on Sunday after battling severe injuries sustained during an anti-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir in November 2015. The news of his demise has left the nation in mourning, with tributes pouring in from all corners.

A Life Dedicated to Service

Lieutenant Colonel Natt, a highly decorated officer, had a distinguished career spanning over two decades. He was initially commissioned as a Short Service Commission Officer in the Brigade of Guards in 1998 and served in the regular Army for 14 years before being relieved in 2012. His unwavering commitment to the nation led him to join the Territorial Army following the completion of his service as a Short Service Commission Officer.

The Fateful Encounter

In November 2015, Lieutenant Colonel Natt was leading a combing operation against terrorists in a densely forested area of Manigah in Kupwara when he encountered a fidayeen, a suicide bomber. Despite being grievously injured, he displayed remarkable courage and advanced towards the terrorist's location, eliminating the threat. His selfless actions saved countless lives and exemplified the highest standards of military valor.

A Battle for Life

Following the encounter, Lieutenant Colonel Natt was evacuated to various medical facilities, including the 168 MH Drugmulla, the 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar, and the Armys Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi. Despite receiving the best possible care, he remained in a coma for over six years, battling against the odds.

A Nation Mourns

The news of Lieutenant Colonel Natt's passing has deeply saddened the nation. Tributes have been pouring in from political leaders, military officials, and citizens alike, all expressing their condolences and recognizing his immense sacrifice. The Patahirri Garrison in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district paid rich tributes to the fallen hero, with officers and troops laying wreaths at the war memorial and observing a two-minute silence in his honor.

A Legacy of Courage

Lieutenant Colonel Natt's indomitable spirit and unwavering dedication to duty have left an indelible mark on the nation. His bravery and sacrifice will continue to inspire future generations of soldiers to serve the country with the same unwavering commitment and valor. He is survived by his wife Navpreet Kaur, two daughters -- 19-year-old Guneet and nine-year-old Asmeet -- and his father, an Army veteran himself.

A Father's Pride

In a poignant moment, Lieutenant Colonel Natt's father read out his son's last message, recorded on his mobile phone on WhatsApp and handed over to the family by the Army after the Kupwara incident. The message conveyed his unwavering determination and refusal to give up, even in the face of adversity. His father expressed immense pride in his son's accomplishments and acknowledged that he had fulfilled his duty with honor.

Lieutenant Colonel K S Natt's passing is a profound loss for the nation. His bravery, dedication, and sacrifice will forever be etched in the annals of military history. As the nation mourns the loss of this valiant soldier, his memory will continue to inspire and motivate future generations to serve the country with the same unwavering commitment and valor.
New Education Policy: A Transformative Force for Indias Progress

RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale emphasizes the transformative impact of the new education policy, highlighting the need for an Indian-centric approach rooted in traditional knowledge to address individual challenges and foster positive societal change.

India

-Krishna Kripa

RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale recently spoke about the transformative impact of the new education policy on India, emphasizing the favourable environment it is creating. Addressing a meeting of intellectuals in Jaipur, Hosabale highlighted the importance of an Indian-centric approach to education, aligned with the country's rich traditions.

Education Rooted in Indian Knowledge

Hosabale believes that education rooted in traditional Indian knowledge can address challenges in individual lives and foster positive changes in society, character building, and environmental protection. He expressed that the answers to individual life challenges lie within Indian education, and the new education policy is instilling confidence in the new generation.

Missed Greatness and Positive Shift

Hosabale lamented that post-independence generations failed to grasp India's greatness, but he sees a positive shift with the new education policy. He believes that the generation prepared under this policy will develop a sense of human love in society, enabling India to become a global model.

India's Timeless Traditions

Rajasthan Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani also spoke at the event, emphasizing the timeless traditions of India that inspire the world and shape the nation's identity. He called for active participation from all to make positive changes in education a mass movement, incorporating new technologies and aligning the curriculum with Indian values.

Educating the Younger Generation

Devnani stressed the importance of educating the younger generation about India's glorious history and instilling self-reliance and self-respect. Dr Pankaj Mittal, general secretary of the Indian Universities Association, highlighted the need to build children's character and conduct research beneficial to society.

Vedic Mathematics and Universities' Role

Mittal recognized Vedic mathematics as a gift from Indian education and emphasized universities' responsibility in societal development. The event brought together intellectuals and education experts to discuss the transformative potential of the new education policy and its role in shaping India's future.

The new education policy aims to create an environment that fosters Indian-centric education, rooted in traditional knowledge and values. By embracing its rich heritage and aligning education with societal needs, India can empower its citizens and become a beacon of inspiration for the world.
Will Find Attackers Of Merchant Navy Ships Even From Depths Of Seas And Take Strict Action: Rajnath Singh

India

oi-PTI

The Indian government has taken serious cognisance of the recent attacks on merchant navy ships MV Chem Pluto and MV Sai Baba, and it will take strict action against those behind the attacks by finding them even from the ''depths of seas'', Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday.

Speaking after the commissioning of stealth guided missile destroyer INS Imphal, Singh said India has intensified patrolling of the seas after the recent attacks on merchant navy ships.

''The Indian government has taken the drone attack on MV Chem Pluto and attack on MV Saibaba in the Red Sea seriously. We will find those who executed the recent attacks on merchant navy ships even from the depths of the seas and take strict action against them,'' Singh said.

MV Chem Pluto with 21 Indian crew members, was struck by a drone about 217 nautical miles from Porbandar on Saturday following which both the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard deployed a number of assets to provide assistance to the ship.

Indian Navy Confirms Drone Attack On MV Chem Pluto, Deploys Major Warships In Arabian Sea

A Gabon-flagged commercial crude oil tanker with 25 Indian crew members reportedly came under a drone attack in the Southern Red Sea. Indian officials later clarified that the commercial oil tanker was not an Indian-flagged vessel. Meanwhile, Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said four destroyers have been deployed to counter piracy and drone attacks on merchant ships. He said P-8I aircraft, Dorniers, Sea Guardians, helicopters and Coast Guard ships - all have been deployed jointly to counter the threats of piracy and drone attacks.

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Story first published: Tuesday, December 26, 2023, 16:53 [IST]
Yechury Turns Down Ram Temple Inauguration Invite; Religion Personal Choice, Says CPI

India

pti-PTI

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has turned down an invitation to attend the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the party said on Tuesday while underlining its belief that religion is a personal choice.

"Our policy is to respect religious beliefs and the right of each individual to pursue their belief. Religion is a personal choice not to be converted into an instrument for political gain. Comrade Sitaram Yechury will not attend the ceremony despite receiving an invitation to do so," the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said in a post on X.

In a statement, the politburo of the Left party said Yechury received an invitation to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. "The CPI(M) policy has been to respect religious beliefs and safeguarding the right of every individual to pursue their belief. It believes that religion is a personal choice not to be converted into an instrument for political gain.

#WATCH | On Pran Pratishtha of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury says, "I've not told anybody anything so far. Nripendra Mishra was escorted by a VHP leader who came and gave me the invitation...Religion is a personal choice of every pic.twitter.com/tfwkQe5Xsw  ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2023

Therefore, we will not be attending the ceremony," the party said. It added that it is "most unfortunate" that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have converted a religious ceremony into a State-sponsored event directly involving the prime minister, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and other government functionaries.

From Mumbai To Ayodhya: Muslim Woman Walks Miles To Witness Lord Ram

"A fundamental principle of governance in India as reiterated by the Supreme Court is that the State in India, under the Constitution, should have no religious affiliation. This is being violated by the ruling regime in the organisation of the event," the CPI(M) said.

The Ram temple will be inaugurated on January 22, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and more than 6,000 people expected to attend the grand "Pran Pratistha" ceremony.
First Hindu Woman In Pakistan Files Nomination To Contest February 8 Elections

International

pti-PTI

Dr Saveera Parkash has become the first woman from the minority Hindu community to run in the provincial elections in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. A doctor by profession, Parkash, 25, on Friday filed her nomination papers for the general seat of PK-25 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwas Buner district, her father Om Parkash told PTI on Tuesday.

Om Parkash said his daughter filed a nomination for the general seat PK-25 constituency of the KPK Assembly from the mountainous Buner district as a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate.

She has also filed papers for a seat reserved for women in the KPK Assembly. Parkash filed the papers at the request of the provincial leadership of the party Senator Rubina Khalid. She will formally get a party ticket during a PPP rally in Buner on Wednesday.

Pakistan Terrorist Hafiz Saeed's Son Talha Saeed's Big Move, Read Details

"She is a serious candidate and will contest the upcoming elections due for February 8 on a general as well reserved seat," said Om Parkash, a recently retired doctor who had been an active member of the party for the past 35 years. According to local politician Saleem Khan, who is affiliated with the Qaumi Watan Party, Parkash is the first woman from Buner to have submitted her nomination papers to contest the upcoming elections from the general seat.

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Parkash completed her MBBS from the Abbottabad International Medical College in 2022 and is also the general secretary of the PPP womens wing in Buner. Parkash said she wanted to follow in her father's footsteps in working for the areas poor. She said she had submitted her nomination papers on December 23 (Friday).

Parkash emphasised her desire to work for the welfare of women in the area to ensure a safe space for them and to help them attain their rights. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which borders Afghanistan is a stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban terror group, blamed for a series of attacks on security forces.

Pakistan: Suicide Bomber Kills Multiple Officers

She said women have been suppressed and neglected, especially concerning the development sector. Serving humanity is in my blood, she said, citing her medical background, highlighting that her dream to become an elected legislator stemmed from having experienced poor management and helplessness in government hospitals as a doctor. According to the ECPs recent amendments, a five per cent inclusion of women candidates is mandatory on general seats.
Israeli Embassy Blast: Travel Advisory Issued for Israeli Citizens In India

International

-Sathish Raman

Following a recent explosion near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi, the Israeli National Security Council (NSC) has issued a travel advisory for Israeli citizens in India. The advisory comes amid concerns of a possible terror attack, although no injuries were reported in the blast.

Heightened Security Measures

The NSC has urged Israeli nationals to exercise caution and avoid crowded places, malls, markets, and locations frequented by Westerners, Jews, and Israelis. They are also advised to remain vigilant in public areas such as restaurants, hotels, and pubs, and to refrain from openly displaying Israeli symbols.

Avoiding Large-Scale Events and Social Media

The advisory recommends avoiding unsecured large-scale events and refraining from publicizing itineraries, photographs, and details of visits in real-time on social media. These measures aim to minimize potential risks and ensure the safety of Israeli citizens in India.

Ongoing Investigation

The incident is currently under investigation by local authorities in collaboration with Israeli security forces. Teams from the Delhi Police's Special Cell, bomb disposal squad, and fire department conducted a thorough search operation in the area following the explosion.

Previous Incidents

This is not the first time that the Israeli embassy in New Delhi has been targeted. In 2021, an explosion outside the embassy caused damage to vehicles, while in 2012, the wife of an Israeli security staff member was injured in an attack on her car.

Heightened Security Around Embassy

Security has been significantly increased around the Israeli embassy in New Delhi, especially since the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas earlier this year. Officials have taken measures to ensure the safety of the embassy and its staff.

The Israeli National Security Council's travel advisory serves as a precautionary measure to safeguard Israeli citizens in India following the explosion near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi. By adhering to the recommended security guidelines, Israeli nationals can minimize potential risks and travel with greater peace of mind.
Nepalis Reported Missing After Joining Russian Army

Nepals Foreign Minister, NP Saud, disclosed that around 100 Nepalis who joined the Russian Army have gone missing, with seven confirmed fatalities. The situation raises concerns about the involvement of Nepali youths in the Russian military.

International

-Sathish Raman

In a concerning development, Nepal's Foreign Minister, NP Saud, has revealed that approximately 100 Nepalese individuals who joined the Russian Army have been reported missing. This alarming news comes amidst reports of seven Nepalese individuals losing their lives while serving in the Russian military, as confirmed by sources within the Foreign Ministry.

Foreign Ministry Addresses the Issue

Addressing the situation, Foreign Minister Saud stated that complaints have been received by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) regarding the missing and injured status of around 100 Nepalese individuals. In response, the Russian ambassador in Nepal was summoned to the MoFA to discuss the matter and seek clarification.

Nepalese Youths in Russia

It is estimated that approximately 200 Nepali youths, who initially traveled to Russia on foreign employment visas, study visas, and visit visas, have subsequently joined the Russian Army. This revelation raises concerns about the potential involvement of a significant number of Nepalese individuals in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Concerns and Diplomatic Efforts

Expressing his apprehension, Foreign Minister Saud highlighted the possibility that the actual number of Nepalese joining the Russian Army could be even higher than the reported figures. In light of this situation, he has reached out to the Ukrainian government, urging them to release at least four Nepalese individuals who are currently held as Prisoners of War (POW) in Ukraine.

The news of Nepalese individuals joining the Russian Army and the subsequent reports of missing and injured individuals have raised serious concerns within Nepal. The government's efforts to address the situation, including diplomatic engagements with Russia and Ukraine, are crucial in ensuring the safety and well-being of Nepalese citizens abroad.
Dry Day In Maharashtra On Jan 22? BJP MLA's Proposal For One-Day Ban On Alcohol & Meat

FIR Against NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad Over His Remarks On Lord Ram

Bomb Threatens Mumbai: 11 Locations Including Three Banks Targeted

Mumbai

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Panic gripped Mumbai on Tuesday as bomb threats targeting three prominent financial institutions - the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), HDFC Bank, and ICICI Bank - triggered a city-wide security operation.

Emails demanding the resignations of RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were received just before 11 locations across Mumbai were flagged as potential targets for detonation at 1:30 PM.

Swift action by authorities saw Mumbai police scrambling to secure all designated locations, conducting thorough searches that thankfully yielded no evidence of explosives or suspicious activity. Despite the lack of immediate danger, the incident underscores the need for continued vigilance and robust security measures.

Allahabad University Student Injured In Explosion While Making Bomb In Hostel Room

A case has been registered at the MRA Marg Police Station, and investigations are ongoing to identify the source of the threats and ensure the safety of Mumbai's residents and financial institutions.
Meenakshi Academy Of Higheer Education And Research Celebrates 17th Annual Convocation

Press Release

oi-Oneindia English Desk

The Meenakshi Academy of Higher Education and Research (MAHER) proudly marked a significant milestone today as it hosted its 17th Annual Convocation ceremony. The event took place at the illustrious auditorium of the Meenakshi Medical College Hospital and Research Institute, Enathur, Kanchipuram.

The Convocation began with a solemn moment of reflection, as attendees observed a minute's Silent Prayer in remembrance of the late Chairman, Thiru A.N. Radhakrishnan, whose visionary leadership laid the foundation for MAHER's success.

Mrs. Gomathi Radhakrishnan, the Honourable Interim Chancellor of MAHER, presided over the ceremony and awarded degrees to the graduating students. The event was graced by the presence of Padma Shri. Prof. Dr. Mohan Kameswaran, the Managing Director of Madras ENT Research Foundation, Chennai, who served as the Chief Guest.

In her welcoming address, Mrs. Jayanthi Radhakrishnan, Pro Chancellor of MAHER, reflected on the institution's remarkable journey since its establishment in 2004. She highlighted MAHER's commitment to providing affordable, contemporary, and high-quality education while aligning with the principles of the National Education Policy 2020 and the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047.

Prof Dr. R.S. Neelakandan, Vice-Chancellor of MAHER, presented the Annual Report, sharing key achievements in areas such as institutional accreditations, curriculum development, research, innovation, infrastructure, faculty development, and student welfare initiatives.

The Convocation also featured an address by Padma Shri. Prof. Dr. Mohan Kameswaran, the Managing Director - Madras ENT Research Foundation, Chennai who commended MAHER's Constituent Colleges for their outstanding track record, activities, and accreditation awards. He extended his heartfelt congratulations to the new graduates, wishing them a service-oriented and fulfilling professional journey.

In recognition of outstanding academic achievements, a total of 1158 candidates, including undergraduate, postgraduate, and 45 PhD candidates, were awarded degrees during the ceremony. Additionally, 100 meritorious candidates were awarded medals and certificates, while seven esteemed alumni of MAHER received Distinguished Alumni awards. Additionally, Dr. Usha Sriram, an Endocrinologist and General Physician was honored with an Honoris Causa for her exceptional contributions to women's reproductive health and women empowerment. Dr. Nimal Raghavan received the Institutional Social Responsibility Award for his dedicated service to the Environment.

The ceremony concluded with the Chancellor declaring the convocation dissolved and the National Anthem.
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Meanwhile, Israel and Hamas gave cool public receptions to an Egyptian proposal to end the war, but left the door ajar.
AFP English 31 Dec 2023

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Morocco and Indonesia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance their friendly relations to a strategic partnership on Dec. 22 in Rabat.



I am so glad that today we can elevate our bilateral relations to be a strategic partnership. But we must work harder to fill this new partnership with concrete cooperation...
White House says strikes targeted three sites used by Kataeb Hezbollah and other Iran-affiliated groups in Iraq.
"The Board may need to develop more specific employment guidelines and evaluation rubrics for the position of Superintendent; and may need to engage teachers, school administrators and parents in the process."



- BD3 Candidate Janie Dam



Andreas Farmakalidis and Janie Dam

(Image by Carl J. Petersen) Details DMCA



Janie Dam's candidacy for LAUSD's Board District 3 has suffered a setback with the Los Angeles City Clerk's office ruling that the signatures she submitted to appear on the ballot were insufficient. However, Dr. Dam is appealing this decision as she indicated in the following statement:

Some time next week the window will open for me to get an appointment with City Clerk staff to review all the rules applied in validating or challenging each of the nearly 1000 signatures that I submitted.



I am also conducting an investigation based on reports from supporters that someone might have been organizing a scam or prank against my campaign in certain neighborhoods during the signature collection window.



I can of course also decide to run as a write-in candidate. My team is also prepared with a strategy for this option.

As she awaits the results of her appeal, I will allow her to continue to publish her answers in the Candidate Forum series. She has already provided answers to questions about PROP-39 Co-Locations. This month the five questions centered around how the District is governed. For the introduction to this subject along with answers from other candidates, please see the article LAUSD Candidate Forum: Governance.

The following are the candidate's responses, printed exactly how she provided them with the exception of some minor formatting edits:

Would you agree with the statement: "The elected LAUSD Board is responsible for setting policy. The job of the Superintendent is to ensure that the bureaucracy follows this policy."? YES

It is the responsibility of the Board to hire the right person for the job of Superintendent and to ensure that there is a cost-effective way to terminate the district's contract with a failing Superintendent. One of the Board's main goals should be to avoid the disruption of student learning by workers union walkouts triggered by the action or inaction of a Superintendent. Board members as a team should remain hands-on, and should purposely keep themselves and each other consistently apprised of happenings around the district. They should remain visibly responsive when there is a crisis, especially one involving the Superintendent that they hired. The Mayor should not need to step in to resolve conflicts.

Do you agree with the statement: "The bureaucracy of the LAUSD is too big to be managed effectively."? NO

If I thought the district weren't manageable, I wouldn't be running. I would say that the district chronically lacks the bureaucratic leadership necessary to efficiently deliver the desired student outcomes.

Do you think that the evaluation of the Superintendent's job performance is something that the school board should do in full view of the public? YES

The executive assessment should be transparent. The Board may need to develop more specific employment guidelines and evaluation rubrics for the position of Superintendent; and may need to engage teachers, school administrators and parents in the process.

Should the number of Board Districts be increased beyond the existing seven? NO

Based on my experience with governing boards, 7 is a good tie-breaking odd number that's not too small or too large. However, I would suggest more support for improved joint management among the 7 members. I would even suggest the idea of bi-partisan or multi-party 7-member slates running in School Board elections.

If elected would you introduce the proposed "Board Meeting Accessibility to the Public" resolution? YES

I would further recommend that a Board-sponsored Web3 platform be developed to unite all educational stakeholders and partners in an asynchronous, interactive, democratic governance model. This platform can empower everyone in the LAUSD community to safely speak up, collaborate, make policy proposals and vote on policy proposals.

To provide you with a concrete example of a blockchain-powered Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO), my students and I successfully piloted and field tested The School DAO platform last school year. On this journey I had the wonderful opportunity to introduce to kids in grades 9-12 a re-purposing of the advanced technologies behind cryptocurrencies to positively transform public education and school governance. In addition, the experience fostered deep discussions around the role of feasibility studies in prudent policy-making. It was both cathartic and eye-opening for my students as they drafted and debated on proposals regarding cell phone use, campus bathrooms and the school dress code.

Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for public education, particularly for students with special education needs, who serves as the Education Chair for the Northridge East Neighborhood Council. As a Green Party candidate in LAUSD's District 2 School Board race, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action. Dr. Diane Ravitch has called him "a valiant fighter for public schools in Los Angeles." For links to his blogs, please visit www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com. Opinions are his own.
Vladimir Putin's involvement in Libya reflects Russia's broader strategy to expand its influence in various regions. By engaging with key Libyan figures like Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), and Abdelhamid Dabaiba, the prime minister of Libya under the Government of National Unity in Tripoli, Putin is positioning Russia as a significant player in Libya's ongoing political landscape. Putin's desire to maintain a presence in Africa can be understood through several strategic, economic, and geopolitical lenses. Russia's interest in Libya is likely not just political but also strategic. Libya's location and resources make it a valuable ally. Establishing military ties and bases in Africa provides Russia with strategic locations for its military operations. This includes access to ports, airfields, and training facilities, which can be crucial for projecting military power and securing Russian interests in the region and beyond. Africa is rich in natural resources, including oil, gas, diamonds, and minerals. Russian companies, particularly in the energy and mining sectors, can benefit significantly from access to these resources. Economic engagements in Africa also offer opportunities for arms sales, a major Russian export. Maintaining a presence in Africa allows Russia to project its power and influence on a global scale. In the context of international politics, having a foothold in Africa enhances Russia's status as a global player and counterbalances the influence of Western countries and China. By strengthening ties with Libyan leaders, Russia could be aiming to counterbalance Western influence in the region. This move might be part of a larger strategy to challenge NATO and EU policies in North Africa and the Middle East. Russia's involvement could significantly impact the internal dynamics of Libya. Aligning with Russia may provide certain Libyan factions with more leverage against their rivals, potentially altering the balance of power within the country. The international community, particularly Western nations, views Russia's deepening involvement in Libya with concern as it is likely to lead to increased diplomatic tensions and impact international efforts to stabilize Libya. On August 22, a delegation from Russia, led by Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-bek Yevkurov, arrived in Benghazi at the behest of Haftar. Their discussions centered on the involvement of the Wagner Private Military Company in Libya and its broader role across the African continent. The preceding day, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner group, declared from a location in the Sahel that his company was fully operational, aiming to enhance Africa's freedom. However, on August 23, Prigozhin and several of his close associates were killed in a plane crash near Moscow. The cause of the crash is a subject of speculation, with some analysts suggesting an advanced anti-aircraft strike and others suspecting an internal explosion that led to the aircraft's catastrophic failure - both options at Putin's behest of course. The Wagner group holds both strategic and economic importance for Moscow. Following a thwarted rebellion by Prigozhin and his followers in June, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov initiated steps to integrate the Wagner group more closely into the Russian military structure. Lavrov confirmed the group's continued operations in the Central African Republic, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Libya, signaling the Kremlin's resolve to sustain its African presence. By developing relationships with African governments, Russia aims to gain political allies and influence in international forums such as the United Nations. This can be particularly valuable in countering Western sanctions or policies that are unfavorable to Russia. Russia also seeks to spread its cultural and ideological influence in Africa, to promote a worldview that counters Western liberalism. This includes media influence, educational programs, and cultural exchanges. Africa has been a focus for both Western countries and China in terms of investment and diplomatic engagement. Russia's presence in Africa can be seen as an attempt to challenge this influence and to position itself as an alternative partner for African countries. Historically, Africa has been a key region for Russia, especially during the Cold War. In the wake of decolonization, the newly independent African states were of significant ideological and economic interest to the Soviet Union. These governments, emerging from European colonial rule, sought ideological support, and Moscow endeavored to disseminate its communist ideology and anti-American sentiment widely across the continent. Putin's interest in maintaining a presence in Africa is driven by a combination of strategic, economic, and geopolitical factors, reflecting Russia's broader ambitions to assert itself as a major player on the world stage. His actions in Libya are part of Russia's broader geopolitical strategy to extend its influence and challenge Western dominance in key regions. The long-term implications of these moves depend on how other international players respond and how the situation within Libya evolves.
In the United States, the sympathy of voters and politicians for each other determines elections in which there is no place for the weak and for justice. This is because life in America is unfair and only strong people win in this life.

The political consultants surveyed were unanimous in their opinion. The American government will not make federal laws that remove barriers to voting for people with disabilities and support the opposition. (1) There is also no information that the error in the electoral system will be corrected. We are talking about a mistake due to which the winning candidate sometimes receives fewer votes than the losing one. We are talking about the so-called "Electoral College" whose votes are capable of change the will of voters. The American electoral process will continue to ignore the weak and the fair.

This means that the share of disabled people voting will traditionally be less than the share of non-disabled people voting. (2)

Voting data in the table



Voting data table

(Image by Pavlo Kuliuk) Details DMCA



And US citizens going to the polls will not have a choice. After all, this is not possible in a two-party political system. If you are a Republican you can only become a Democrat and vice versa. But when there is only one option, it cannot be called a choice. This is hopelessness. Dozens of small political parties will not be able to change this. (3) Since without the help of the government these parties will not be able to reach the federal level.

But even if these parties were able to do this, the will of voters could be grossly distorted. The electoral system is so imperfect that a majority of votes does not guarantee victory for a presidential candidate. We are talking about the so-called "Electoral College" whose votes are capable of distorting the will of ordinary citizens. The last time this happened was during the fight between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. The woman who received 2.9 million votes more than a man who ended up losing. (4)

All of the above seems so incredible that it is hard to believe. But these are facts! However, voters do not care about these facts. Otherwise, politicians will definitely change it. America continues to enjoy a presidential election in which three things must be done to win.

"The beauty of America's system is that anyone - rich, poor, black, white, gay, straight, disabled or other - can run and win elected office if they build the right team, raise the requisite amount of resources and achieve a majority of the vote in their electoral district", said Owner & President Klink Campaigns, Inc., Matt Klink.

Incredible! Perhaps this will guarantee victory in the elections. But other than this, these rules do not guarantee anything else. In particular, compliance with these rules does not guarantee support for the weak and justice. However, voters agree with this. Otherwise, politicians removed barriers to voting for people with disabilities, supported the opposition and introduced direct and secret voting, excluding "electors" from the vote-counting system. Voters agree with the current electoral system because they are ready for an unfair life in which only the strong win! Defeating injustice by becoming strong is the American dream!

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For the first time in four years, the Oregon State Hospital is compliant with a federal order that requires the psychiatric institution to admit certain patients within a week.

But a mental health consultant who has monitored the hospitals progress said Thursday the hospital will fall behind again almost immediately if it doesnt hold to a judges strict timeline for discharging patients.

Dr. Debra Pinals recommended that U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman should extend for one more year his order that requires most aid-and-assist patients, or those charged with a crime but found mentally unable to defend themselves, be released from the hospital within six months.

Mosman first issued that court order in September of 2022, and its set to expire next Sunday.

Amber Shoebridge, a state hospital spokesperson, declined to comment. She said the hospital does not know when Mosman will decide whether to extend the order.

The latest report from Pinals underscores the fragility of the the state hospitals progress on overcrowding, and the ponderous efforts to build a more robust statewide network of community clinics, residential facilities and providers that could relieve it.

Extending the court order could draw the ire of county and local officials wary of the impact that releasing mental health patients after only short treatment stays might have on the communities they return to. Several district attorneys, circuit court judges and counties have opposed Mosmans order.

Pinals recent report backed up some of those concerns.

She wrote that while the state hospital has made good progress in quickly admitting patients so that theyre not languishing in jail, the quick release of patients has placed more strain on local communities. Pinals cited downstream consequences, such as increased strains on community mental health services.

The order, she said, has highlighted the need for more community mental health treatment and services that help treat people before they end up in the state hospital.

Still, she said, she believes the state hospital needs more time to adjust.

To go backwards and rescind the order now would create even more disruption, and run the risk of putting the state further back from compliance rather than continuing the momentum toward system expansion/refinement, Pinals wrote.

The hospital has struggled to keep up with admissions for years. Disability Rights Oregon first sued the state more than 20 years ago, alleging that the hospitals failure to admit aid-and-assist patients quickly was a violation of their rights to a speedy trial and due process. In 2002, a federal judge ruled that the hospital must admit those patients within seven days so they werent languishing in jail without treatment.

But the hospital lagged behind, with the pandemic only making things worse. In 2020, the state hospital began temporarily limiting patient admissions to try and slow the spread of COVID-19, which further contributed to the backlog of patients waiting in jail for a spot at the psychiatric facility.

As a part of a settlement with Disability Rights Oregon and Metropolitan Public Defenders, the state agreed in 2021 to regular reviews from an outside mental health expert  Pinals  who could offer recommendations for getting admissions back on track.

Pinals recommended that the state hospital adopt a strict release timeline for aid-and-assist patients to quickly make space for new ones, thereby shrinking the backlog.

She said patients charged with misdemeanor crimes should remain in the hospital for no more than 90 days, while most charged with felonies should be released after six months. Those charged with serious violent felonies, she advised, could stay for up to a year.

In September 2022, Mosman ordered the state hospital to follow those time limits. In July, following objections from several counties, judges and prosecutors about the orders impact on their communities, Mosman agreed to exceptions in cases where patients were considered a greater risk to the community.

Emily Cooper, the legal director of the advocacy group Disability Rights Oregon, praised Pinals latest recommendation.

Theres been real progress since the Mosman order came down, Cooper said in a written statement. For five months, no one has waited longer than seven days to be admitted into the state hospital, and no one has died while waiting for a transfer from jail. Thats real progress, and we want it to continue.

Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton, one of the prosecutors who objected to the court order early on, said he was unsurprised by the suggestion that it should be extended, and expected that Mosman will do so.

But he said he was puzzled that, in the year since the order was implemented, the state hasnt found longer-term fixes to house and treat behavioral health patients.

The solution that was brought was always seen as a Band-Aid, to get us from one point to another, he said. This cant be the permanent solution.

Barton said there have been some positive outcomes from the court order. Its prompted more discussions about how to find additional funding for mental health services such as community restoration, where patients can be rehabilitated in a non-hospital setting.

I think the proof will be in the pudding, as we see how that plays out over the next few months. But its encouraging that those conversations are happening, he said.

Jayati Ramakrishnan; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com
Police in Florida are looking for a man who went pond fishing last week inside of a Bass Pro Shop in search of a rare catch.

The Lee County Sheriffs Office says the unidentified suspect entered the store last Wednesday with a fishing net and went to the pond inside the store.

The man then used the net to capture a tarpon and pulled it from the water before he walked out of the store. The man fled from the scene and police are now asking for the publics help in finding him. A video captured by someone inside the store and shared by police shows the man and the tarpon passing by shortly after the fish was pulled from the water.

Tarpon are known as a very difficult fish to catch, and in Florida they are considered a catch-and-release only fish.

While sheriffs deputies are actively searching for the suspect, the office said anyone with information about the suspect can drop a line to police. Police and wildlife organizations in Florida are working to find the man and retrieve the fish.

-- Matt Durr, MLive.com
KRYVORIVNIA, Ukraine (AP)  Christmas carried more than spiritual weight for many Ukrainians this year as the country newly observed it as a public holiday on Dec. 25 rather than the later date followed in Russia.

The change, enacted in legislation signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in July, reflects both Ukrainians dismay with the 22-month-old Russian invasion and their assertion of a national identity.

Ukraine is predominantly Orthodox Christian, but the faith is divided between two churches, one of which had long affiliation with the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which didnt recognize the authority of the Russian church and had been regarded as schismatic, was granted full recognition in 2019 by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Orthodoxys top authority.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which was a branch of the Russian church, announced in 2022 after the start of the Russia-Ukraine war that it was breaking ties with Moscow and considered itself autonomous. However, its parishes continue to follow the same liturgical calendar as the Russian church and will observe Christmas on Jan. 7.

Many Ukrainians embraced the move to celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25 with enthusiasm.

Its historical justice, said Yevhen Konyk, a 44-year-old serviceman who, along with his family, participated in traditional celebrations at an open-air museum in Kyiv. We need to move forward not only with the world but also with the traditions of our country and overcome the imperial remnants we had.

In the village of Kryvorivnia, thousands of worshipers, many in traditional garb including the embroidered shirts called vyshyvankas, crowded the streets and streamed to the settlements noted elaborate wooden church.

Kryvorivnia, in the Carpathian mountains, is about 500 miles west from the frontline, but the war was on the minds of the worshipers.

People didnt just come to observe the celebration, they came to pray, said local priest Ivan Rybaruk, who said 16 people from the village of only 1,500 residents have died in the fighting.

People understand that we live here as safe as it could be. Missiles dont fly here, bombs dont explode, but we have lost a lot of guys, said 27-year-old Olha Mynykh, standing in front of the house of a soldier who was declared missing. People dont feel that kind of joy. Of course, they feel joy because of Christmas because its impossible not to feel the light of God in the heart. But the scale of the celebration, the nature of the celebration, has obviously changed. Its not as joyful and full of fun as before.

Oksana Poviakel, the director of the Pyrohiv Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine in Kyiv, where Christmas celebrations took place, said that observing the holiday on the 25th is another important factor of self-identification.

We are separating ourselves from the neighbor who is currently trying to destroy our state, who is killing our people, destroying our homes, and burning our land, she said.

Asia Landarenko, 63, said she prays every day for her son, who is currently in the military. The state of war affects everything, including the mood. The real celebration of Christmas will be after the victory, but as the Savior was born, so will be our victory, she said.

-- The Associated Press
This story was originally posted at Underscore.News

Standing in the midst of an uneven, muddy expanse where excavators and trucks chug back and forth like giant doodlebugs, Jesse Beers doesnt exactly look as if hes surrounded by a dream.

But for Beers and many other members of the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians (CTCLUSI) in Coastal Oregon, its a dream come true: in two years, restoration of a roughly 200-acre dairy farm will be complete, transforming the land into a system of channels thatll bring back wildlife largely absent for generations.

Some evidence of change is already visible. Beers walks over to a recently excavated site, where a small creek snakes through the marsh.

When the rains come and the tides are at their highest, this area has a lot of inundation of water, Beers said.

Beers is the cultural stewardship manager for the CTCLUSI. Along with the McKenzie River Trust and Siuslaw Watershed Council, the tribe has been working on the Siuslaw Estuary Restoration Project for more than a decade. In 2010, the McKenzie River Trust acquired the former Waite Ranch about three miles east of Florence, which set in motion plans to restore its pre-development splendor.

Beers says the Siuslaw Estuary Restoration Project is important to the CTCLUSI as active stewards of the lands and waters.

Access for Indigenous folks on the landscape is also part of the stewardship role that we play, Beers said. Were not separate than the landscape. Were part of it. Were still here.

A channel of water has already formed from river seepage at the Siuslaw Estuary Restoration site outside the coastal town of Florence.Brian Bull/Underscore News

Restoration

A small team of members from the Oregon State University Fisheries and Wildlife Club came here in 2019 to plant Western red cedar, but restoration on a large scale didnt get moving until this summer. Hunter White, an engineer with Environmental Science Associates (ESA) says on this particular phase, there are probably a dozen operators of excavators, bulldozers and heavy-capacity trucks working the estuary site.

We started to get some of that rain and so that really has limited the ability to get into certain areas, White said in October, as a couple excavators shoveled soil in the distance. A lot of this site is wetland, and so the ability for construction equipment to get out into some of these areas is getting more challenging. Right now were kind of working with a small window of dry conditions thats allowing the contractor to kind of do some final wrap up work, stabilize the bare soil surfaces, and get things seeded and stabilized for the winter.

White says once thats complete, theyll pick up again next year and finish out the project. Thats also assuming there are no signs of previous inhabitants, whether thats human remains, pottery shards, or other evidence of early Indigenous people. So far, Beers says, nothing has been unearthed.

Were really happy that we havent found anything because we dont want to really do anything either thats going to slow down the project at the same time, he says. We need to be conscious and make sure we preserve and protect any cultural resources that are found here.

Beers says there are living cultural resources there as well. He says a large stand of silverweed is on site  thats one of the tribes First Foods (the roots are edible).

So we can harvest those and take them back home and have them for future planting or even just for First Food gathering materials, Beers said. Im also looking at some white clay materials that are really good cultural resource materials as well, for making a variety of cultural things whether thatd be stone pipes or bowls.

Restoration is a concept all too familiar to the CTCLUSI and other tribes whose status as a federally-recognized tribe was terminated by Congress in the 1950s. Motivated by the stated desire to assimilate Native Americans into mainstream culture, the U.S. government terminated 109 tribes  60 of which were in Oregon. The terminations disrupted tribes operations and forced many to relinquish ownership of ancestral lands. The CTCLUSIs status was reinstated in 1984, and tribal leaders have been working since to regain many things that were lost during those three decades.

The big hope for all the partners behind this restoration is that salmon will prosper in this area, as development, climate change and pollution have disrupted their spawning grounds and migratory patterns for decades. Besides being a traditional staple for Indigenous people across what is now Oregon, the fish also is considered a vital part of the CTCLUSI culture.

The tribe says since the mid 1800s, about 70% of Oregons coastal estuarine habitat has been lost to development, which has hurt the numbers of salmon and steelhead. Last year, the Siuslaw basin was closed for the entire 2022 salmon season due to forecasted low returns.

You will see the river return  particularly at the high tides  up into this area that were looking at right now, said Margaret Treadwell, central coast conservation program manager for the McKenzie River Trust. It purchased the land with $750,000 funded by a grant from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board. She says working with the tribes and Siuslaw Watershed Council has provided a restoration plan thatll make a difference.

The river will be coming back in here bringing saltwater, creating just a nice passage for fish to come up through here and spend their juvenile time, Treadwell said.

Excavator and heavy load trucks stand at the ready on the Siuslaw Estuary Restoration site outside the coastal town of Florence.Brian Bull/Underscore News

Reconnection

While some members of the Waite Family have mixed feelings about the transformation of their dairy farm into an estuary, Mindy Montgomery said shes happy. Her grandparents Allan Bus Howard Waite and Loretta Johnson Waite as well as her father, Joey Allan Waite, all worked on the farm when she was young. Family reunions happened over the holidays, with members playing horseshoes, digging for clams, and having ill-advised softball games in the cow pasture which inevitably ended with at least one sprained ankle.

Montgomery explained that the rights to the dairy were sold in 1986 during the federal governments Whole Herd Buyout Program, after which it transitioned to a beef cattle operation for several more years.

My feelings of positivity come from knowing that the legacy of conservation and stewardship that were taught to me by my Dad are going to be memorialized with this restoration, Montgomery said. Her father was active on the Siuslaw Soil and Water Conservation Board, taught hunters safety through the Siuslaw Rod and Gun club, and was also engaged with the Salmon and Trout Enhancement Program. He took us fishing and hunting and taught us respect for the Earth, its natural resources, and the plants, fungi, birds, fish and mammals that we share it with, Montgomery said. Restoration of critical waterfowl and fishery habitat makes me proud and I am very glad to hear that the tribes are getting access to their ancestral lands.

During an earlier visit this summer, Kyle Terry, the restoration project manager for CTCLUSI, led a field tour of the estuary. Pausing the utility vehicle he drove on a small path flanked by piles of sod and clay, Terry pointed to the work done within just the first month.

There were about six linear drainage ditches dug to accommodate the dairy ranch, Terry said. And were going to fill all those in this year, they were originally dug to drain the site so the pasture grass could be raised and cows could graze.

Terry says a half-mile long artificial dike on the perimeter of the pasture will be lowered, and its removal will allow the Siuslaw River to reconnect with various channels at high tide. When finished, six miles of coastal habitat will be created, making a hospitable environment for salmon, steelhead, shorebirds and lamprey.

Language Revitalization 

Overall, this estuary restoration feat will take two years and cost $10 million, which covers the geotechnical engineering, design, permitting, both construction phases and revegetation.

Beers is especially excited to share this experience with his teenage son, Ramil, who participated in a program called New Beginnings for Tribal Students last year, coordinated by CTCLUSI, Oregon State University and Southwestern Oregon Community College. Working with Native youth who are interested in the natural resources and sciences, participants took several traditional canoes up to the Waite Ranch site. Now the plans feature a canoe ramp, says Beers.

And so when this project finishes up, were looking forward to having canoe trips up here with our tribal youth and actually being able to access the property from the water in that way.

Another significant feature will be the incorporation of the Siuslaw language. Over a dozen place names have been proposed for the restored area, including inqaai chiin; iktatuu chiinamuu (river returns; the place where the iktatuu [Siuslaw River] comes back) and haich iktatuu (heart of the Sisulaw), a reference to the shape of the land, which resembles the heart of an aluudaq canoe. The names were all suggested by tribal members, and a CTCLUSI committee is reviewing them as the project moves forward.

Itll be pretty spectacular to see, especially when the artificial levee gets breached and the water comes in the way it used to, said Beers, as a motor boat hummed up the Siuslaw River a few hundred feet away. Its gonna be exciting for sure.

 Brian Bull

Brian Bull has been involved in journalism for 25 years and has filed for National Public Radio, the BBC, and other broadcast outlets. A proud citizen of the Nez Perce Tribe, Bull mentors up and coming journalists of color through NPRs Next Generation Radio Project. When not covering news in the Pacific Northwest, hes either spending time with his family or looking for hidden patches of huckleberries.
Despite the political disruption of this years legislative session, lawmakers were able to pass more than 650 bills and resolutions during the five month session.

The highest-priority issues of the session were housing, homelessness, drug addiction, public safety and education. Many of the laws took immediate effect earlier this year, such as a massive $200 million housing and homelessness package signed by Gov. Tina Kotek in April.

But several notable bills will take effect Jan. 1. Here is a rundown of seven key bills plus one local ordinance that will clock in on the first day of next year.

OVERDOSE PREVENTION: Senate Bill 1043 will require clinics and drug treatment facilities to give two doses of opioid overdose reversal medicine, such as Narcan, to patients they discharge after treatment for opioid use. The bill also grants legal protection to individuals who administer opioid overdose reversal medicine to a person that is overdosing. The bill was one of several introduced to address rising fentanyl use in the state.

RETAIL THEFT: Senate Bill 340 harshens the penalties for individuals convicted of organized retail theft and gives prosecutors more leeway to respond to shoplifting. The bill will increase the range of time in which the value of stolen merchandise will aggregate towards the value required to count as retail theft from 90 days to 180 days. The bill also automatically increases the charge to theft in the first degree if the person committing retail theft threatens or creates a risk of violence to an employee.

DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIPS: House Bill 2032 removes the same-sex requirement from the states registered domestic partnerships law. Under the new law, all Oregon adult couples will be able to register as legal domestic partners regardless of gender.

ZONING: House Bill 2984 requires cities and counties to allow developers to convert commercial buildings within their urban growth boundaries into residential housing without requiring a zone change or conditional use permit.

CHILD TAX CREDIT: House Bill 3235 established Oregons first fully refundable state-based child tax credit starting with tax year 2023, allowing low-income families to claim it when they file a tax return as early as January 2024. Families earning $30,000 or less annually will be eligible for a state tax credit up to $1,000 per child age 5 or younger.

BREAST CANCER SCREENINGS: Senate Bill 1041 requires commercial insurance plans to cover the cost of necessary breast cancer diagnostic imaging tests, such as MRIs or ultrasounds, removing any patient deductible or copay fees.

WILDFIRE INSURANCE: Senate Bill 82 prohibits insurance companies from raising the premium, denying or canceling a homeowners insurance policy based on Oregons state wildfire risk map. The bill also will require insurance companies to provide information to homeowners about wildfire mitigation strategies that could lower their premiums.

FLAVORED TOBACCO BAN: In Multnomah County, flavored tobacco and nicotine products will be banned under an ordinance passed by county commissioners last year. House Bill 3090, which would have banned flavored tobacco products statewide, failed in this years legislative session.

 Carlos Fuentes; cfuentes@oregonian.com; 503-221-5386; @carlos_reports

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Photo: (Photo : DIDIER PALLAGES / Getty Images)

A woman from Alabama, Kelsey Hatcher, has accomplished a rare double uterus birth, bringing forth twin girls from each of her uteruses.

This astonishing occurrence took place at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital, where one baby was delivered on December 19 and the other on December 20 after a grueling 20-hour labor.

A Miracle Unveiled: Rare Double Uterus Birth

Kelsey Hatcher, a mother of three, wowed the medical and local communities in Alabam with a rare double uterus birth.

The safety deliveries of her one-in-a-million twin pregnancy are considered to be an exceptional feat.

The medical team at UAB ideally wanted Hatcher to occur spontaneously, since she had three previous pregnancies and all of them were delivered normally through vaginal birth.

However, labor did not occur spontaneously, so she was induced to see if one of her babies would progress more than the other.

Since she was pregnant with twins in each uterus, she was assigned two nurses to monitor the growth of her babies, which required double monitoring for each.

Successfully, a few hours later, on December 19, she gave birth to her first baby, Roxi, which was born vaginally, tipping the scales at a healthy 7 pounds 7 ounces.

Just under 11 hours later, Rebel, her sister, entered the world through a cesarean section on December 20, weighing in at 7 pounds 3.5 ounces.

The extraordinary birth story of these sisters was celebrated not only by Hatcher but also by the dedicated medical team at UAB, who played a pivotal role in ensuring a safe delivery.

Kelsey Hatcher's remarkable journey began with a rare medical condition known as double uterus, which she was diagnosed with at 17, affecting only 0.3 percent of individuals with uteruses.

This condition results from atypical embryonic development, leading to the presence of two uteruses and two cervixes.

While some individuals with double uteruses may experience discomfort, fertility challenges, or remain entirely asymptomatic, Hatcher's experience was truly exceptional.

Read Also: Brittany Watts' Bathroom Miscarriage Leads To Unprecedented Felony Charge in Ohio

The Medical Marvel and Expert Insights

Dr. Richard Davis, a specialist in maternal and fetal medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Women & Infants Center, explained that the likelihood of carrying babies simultaneously in both uteruses is extremely rare, approximately 1 in a million.

Kelsey Hatcher's case was a remarkable deviation from her previous pregnancies, where she carried single babies in one uterus, all of which went to full term without complications.

Despite her twins residing in different uteruses, they are considered fraternal twins, sharing a unique connection that defies convention.

This unprecedented double uterus birth has captivated the medical community, underscoring the significance of specialized care for exceptional pregnancies like Kelsey Hatcher's.

The safe delivery of both Roxi and Rebel was the utmost concern of the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Women & Infants Center. They also ensured Hatcher's stable health condition throughout this rare double uterus birth.



Kelsey Hatcher has etched her name in medical history with the successful birth of her twin girls, demonstrating that even the rarest of conditions cannot hinder the miracle of motherhood.

The indomitable spirit of mothers like Hatcher is a testament to the wonders of medical science. This double uterus birth serves as an inspirational story for expectant mothers and medical professionals alike, reminding us all that remarkable events can occur when science and determination converge.

Related Article: Minimum Wage Boost Across 22 States: $15 an Hour or More in 7 States as 2024 Kicks Off
Christmas is winding down. In certain areas of the globe, indeed, the Christmas holiday is already receding into the past  and a time that is often associated with resolutions for the future is rapidly approaching.

Many of you, no doubt, follow the same brilliant labor-saving technique that I do: I simply dust the previous years list of unfulfilled resolutions off and then recycle them yet again. For those, however, who may perhaps aspire to a bit more, I share this column, which I published in the Deseret News back on 31 December 2020 when we were beginning to emerge from the constraints of the Covid-19 pandemic:

More than resolutions: How religious holidays, traditions prompt remembering, reflection: Reflection, coupled with the notion of new beginnings, is at the very core of many religious beliefs and practices, including during Easter, Passover, Christmas, Ramadan, Yom Kippur and the sacrament.

As with so much else this year, celebrations of New Year 2021 will be different. Perhaps, since our typical New Year celebration is almost precisely opposite what it ought to be, theyll be even better.

At a season when many formulate personal resolutions for the next 12 months, overeating and raucously partying until almost morning provide little opportunity for taking stock or for reflection. And sleeping into the forenoon, perhaps cognitively impaired by a hangover, probably doesnt advance most New Years resolutions very well.

But, despite all the obstacles that weve erected against it, the turning of the year does afford a reasonably good occasion for remembrance, for reflection on the events, achievements, and failures of the preceding 12 months, and for learning from them. Moreover, such reflection, coupled with the notion of new beginnings, is at the very core of many religious beliefs and practices.

In the annual ritual of the Passover seder, for example, observant Jewish families reenact the meal that their ancestors consumed in Egypt and reflect upon the Exodus of the Children of Israel from their slavery in the Nile Valley.

At Easter time, devout Christians meditate on the even greater deliverance that Christ provided, through his atonement and resurrection on a Passover weekend, from the bondage of sin and death.

In the liturgy of the Mass, also known as the eucharist, communion, or, among Latter-day Saints, the sacrament, believers reenact the Last Supper of Jesus and his disciples (Matthew 26:17-30; Mark 14:12-26; Luke 22:7-39; John 13:1-17:26; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)  which was itself a celebration of the Jewish Passover  and commemorate his sacrificial death and atonement on their behalf. The heart of weekly worship in many Christian denominations, it is an occasion for meditation, reflection, and, for Latter-day Saints, for covenant-renewal and recommitment not unlike their temple worship. And not unlike the serious resolutions of an ideal New Years holiday.

The righteous kings among the ancient Jaredites, a non-Hebraic people who left the Old World for the New centuries before the institution of the Passover and the Israelite escape from Egypt, were those who remembered the great things that the Lord had done for their ancestors in bringing them across the sea and who passed those memories on to the next generation (Ether 6:30; 7:27; 10:2).

In Christmas, beneath all of the glitter and commercialism, believers remember the coming of God in the flesh. As one carol, The Wexford Carol, exhorts us, Good people all, this Christmas-time, consider well and bear in mind what our good God for us has done, in sending His beloved Son.

Among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, handcart treks have become almost a rite of passage for youthful church members. These experiences are not designed merely to satisfy antiquarian interest or to have a fun outdoor adventure. Rather, the intent is to connect both the youth and their elders to the heroic sacrifices of their pioneer predecessors (especially in the Martin and Willie handcart companies), to help participants to identify with their spiritual ancestors and to emulate their religious commitment.

During Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, pious Jews humbly remember the nomadic lives of their ancestors and solemnly repent of their shortcomings.

In Islam, daily dawn-to-dusk fasting during the lunar month of Ramadan commemorates Muhammads first revelation. Devout Muslims commonly read the entire Quran over Ramadans 29 or 30 days; all Arabic editions of the Quran are marked into 30 equal portions for precisely this purpose.

Every year, too, Shiite Muslims (especially in Iran) commemorate the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammads grandson Husayn in a passion play known as tazieh (or taziya). The term passion play points unavoidably to its counterparts in the Christian tradition  the most famous of them being the Passionspiele at Oberammergau in Bavaria, which have been performed roughly every 10 years since 1634. (See the previous column Four centuries of Christian devotion in a small Bavarian town on www.deseret.com).
At a glance Expert's Rating Pros Outstandingly affordable

Very good real-world performance Cons Short three-year warranty with low TBW rating

150MBps writing off cache Our Verdict If youre on the hunt for the least expensive PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, then the Kingston NV2 will likely appear at the top of the list. Performance is more than adequate for the average user, but its not for pros banging on it with lots of data.

Best Prices Today: Kingston NV2 SSD

Retailer Price Kingston $29.99 View Deal $35.99 View Deal Product Price

You wont find a more affordable PCIe 4.0 SSD than Kingstons NV2. Its slower than the vast majority of its peers, but being NVMe, its still adequate for most users and most everyday tasks.

Further reading: See our roundup of the best PCIe 4.0 SSDs to learn about competing products.

What are the Kingston NV2s features?

The NV2 is a PCIe 4.0 x4, 2280 form factor (22mm wide, 80mm long) M.2, NVMe SSD utilizing a DRAM-less (HMB/host memory buffer) design. The NAND is 144-layer Kingston-labeled QLC handled by a Silicon Motion SM2267XTV controller.

We tested the 1TB capacity of the NV2, but rated performance varies greatly by capacity: For the 250GB capacity its 3GBps reading/1.3GBps writing, for the 500GB and 1TB capacities its 3.5GBps/2.1GBps, and for the 2TB and 4TB capacities its 3.5GBps/2.8GBps.

The Kingston NV2 in its commodity retail packaging. Jon L. Jacobi / Foundry

The NV2 is warrantied for three years or 320TBW (terabytes that can be written) per terabyte of capacity. Those are paltry compared to most NVMe SSDs, and the low TBW is a dead giveaway that the NAND is QLC.

That said 320TBW per TB isnt the lowest rating weve seen: The Sabrent Rocket Q4, Corsair MP600 Core Mini, and Crucial P3  all QLC drives  are rated for 225TBW/TB, 250TBW/TB, and 220TBW/TB, respectively.

You are taking a bit of a chance on the NV2 and QLC drives in general, though endurance is generally understood to be greater (often considerably) than vendor TBW ratings, which are factoring in financial liability. Not only that, but most users write far less data than they think.

Still, you didnt think youd get Seagate-like backing at these prices, did you? What prices are those? See below.

How much does the NV2 cost?

At the time of this writing the 25GB NV2 was $28, the 500GB was $38, our 1TB drive cost $52, the 2TB was $100, and the 4TB was $187  all on Amazon (Kingstons MSRP is $10 to $30 higher). Those prices, folks, are a comparative pittance.

How fast is the Kingston NV2?

All NVMe SSDs are fast  we are comparing the thoroughbreds of storage here. But the NV2 is definitely one of the slowest such devices weve tested. It ensconced itself comfortably in next-to-last place, just ahead of the Crucial P3, a very similar design but only PCIe 3.0.

So in point of fact, the NV2 is the slowest PCIe 4.0 SSD weve ever tested, and its not even particularly close to the next slowest  the Solidigm P41 Plus.

While slower than most, our 1TB NV2 actually exceeded Kingstons ratings (see above). Note that Kingston was unwilling to fill out our fact-check sheet, so we quoted the ratings from the companys website.

The Kingston NV2 was hardly the fastest NVMe SSD weve tested, but 3GBps is still very fast in the grand scheme. Jon L. Jacobi

Again, the NV2 was off the NVMe performance pace in CrystalDiskMark 8s 4K performance tests. Only the PCIe 3.0 Crucial P3 was slower, and not in every test.

The Kingston NV2 would not be our choice to run your operating system off of due to the slower 4K transfers.

Our 48GB transfers were a relative jaunt for the NV2, which finished tied with, or in front of everything but WDs excellent TLC SSD, the SN770M. These kind of copies are where most users will be observing a progress bar, so have the most salient impact on performance satisfaction.

The 450GB write was where the NV2 basically fell off a performance cliff, plummeting to an average write speed of 140MBps when it ran out of secondary (QLC written as SLC) cache. Keep in mind that our test model was a 1TB drive, while all the others in the chart were 2TB with more NAND for secondary caching. No doubt, a 2TB or 4TB model wouldve finished with a more competitive time.

We had to extend the axis for this chart as the 1TB NV2 was so slothful compared to others.

Below you can see the drop in sustained write speed illustrated. The tiny bumps are the occasional jump up to 400/500MBps. The NV2 spent the majority of the time at the slower rate.

Again, I must point out that were talking NVMe here, which is far faster than any other type of storage youre likely to employ. But within those boundaries, youre definitely getting what you pay for. Or didnt pay for, more precisely.

Should I buy the Kingston NV2?

Yes, if youre on a tight budget and cant afford anything else. Its also suitable for external storage where the USB and even Thunderbolt busses arent fast enough to warrant a top-tier SSD.

On the other hand, definitely skip the NV2 if youre an enthusiast or prosumer regularly writing very large amounts of data. Its also not the optimal drive for running an operating system due to the relatively slothful 4K performance.

How we test

Drive tests currently utilize Windows 11, 64-bit running on an X790 (PCIe 4.0/5.0) motherboard/i5-12400 CPU combo with two Kingston Fury 32GB DDR5 4800MHz modules (64GB of memory total). Both 20Gbps USB and Thunderbolt 4 are integrated to the back panel and Intel CPU/GPU graphics are used. The 48GB transfer tests utilize an ImDisk RAM disk taking up 58GB of the 64GB of total memory. The 450GB file is transferred from a 2TB Samsung 990 Pro which also runs the OS.

Each test is performed on a newly formatted and TRIMd drive so the results are optimal. Note that in normal use, as a drive fills up, performance may decrease due to less NAND for secondary caching, as well as other factors. This is less of a factor with the current crop of SSDs with their far faster NAND.

Caveat: The performance numbers shown apply only to the drive we were shipped and to the capacity tested. SSD performance can and will vary by capacity due to more or fewer chips to shotgun reads/writes across and the amount of NAND available for secondary caching. Vendors also occasionally swap components. If you ever notice a large discrepancy between the performance you experience and that which we report, by all means, let us know.
Officials of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi say they are grappling with a worrying number of patients who are unable to settle their medical bills.



Such patients, mostly newly delivered mothers, come from poverty-stricken homes in the Ashanti Region and beyond.

Many of them, according to staff of the hospital, either extend their stay or flee the hospital premises to avoid footing medical expenses.



It was an emotional scene at the reception area of the MBU when the Ahafo Ano Premier Rural Bank PLC went to the rescue of such needy mothers of the unit by paying for the discharge of thirty (30) newly-delivered mothers who could not pay for their medical bills after delivery.



The mothers were also presented with diapers, baby wipers among others.

They also made a separate presentation of GHC 10,000 to 3 mothers for the payment of their wards medical bills at the Pediatric Unit of the MBU.



Some of them had spent about a week or two at the unit. Some too had spent about 3months at the facility.



Senior Nursing Officer at the Mothers and Baby Unit (MBU), Lydia Owusu Ansah who spoke to Despite Media Sampson Kwame Nyamekye said such patients continue to occupy bed-space after their discharge because they have no money to settle their bills.



She said some of them owed the facility ranging from Ghc 2,000 to as much as GGHC 8,000.



She noted that the gesture had brought a great relief to management and hospital staff, noting that this will create spaces to enable them to admit more patients.



Chief Executive Officer of the Ahafo Ano Premier Rural Bank PLC, Mr. Ernest Dankwah explained that the gesture is part of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of the bank.



Mr Dankwa expressed concern about how mothers and their babies are exposed to other diseases after delivery at the house to their inability to pay their bills.



This and other reasons according to him inspired the hospital to come to the aid of these mothers.



He entreated other banks and institutions to emulate this gesture to help the less privileged the society.



Some of the beneficiaries also spoke to Peacefmonline appreciating the kind gesture of the bank.





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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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has charged the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) to help preserve Ghanas status as the beacon of peace in Africa by ensuring that the 2024 General Election is conducted in an atmosphere of peace and serenity.



He urged them to protect the sovereign will of the Ghanaian people to help guarantee the longevity of the fourth republic.



He was speaking at the GAF annual West African Soldiers Social Activity (WASSA) which was held today (December 22) to climax this years activities.



WASSA



The WASSA is celebrated each year to create an informal environment for the GAF to socialise and also give the Command the opportunity to interact and appreciate the contributions of all ranks and the civilian staff.



The programme brought together high ranking officers of the GAF and other civilian staff.



Other dignitaries present were the Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul, Minister for the Interior, Ambrose Dery, the Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare and the Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service, Kwame Asuah Takyi.



The occasion was thrilled by the GAF Central Band and one of the countrys famous dancehall and reggae musical artist, Samini, who lit up the evening with a dazzling performance for the entertaining pleasure of the guests.



Retooling of the GAF



President Akufo-Addo further reiterated governments commitment to sustain the programme of retooling the GAF to enable it to perform it duties effectively and efficiently.



I assure you that my government will not relent its efforts to transform the GAF into a formidable force and enhance its capacity to contribute strongly towards the overall development of the nation, President Akufo-Addo said.



He extended his appreciation to international organsations and countries who supported the GAF in diverse ways to promote infrastructural development, training and equipment acquisition.



He also commended the European Union for recently donating specialised vehicles to the force in the fight against terrorism and tran-national organised crime.



While noting that integration of efforts and close corporate among countries were vital to making the world a safer place, he commended all international partners, particularly those whose governments continue to offer the GAF the opportunities and facilities for quality training.



Accra Initiative



He said it was their efforts that ensured successful implementation of the Accra Initiative which involved a consistent collaboration and cooperation of security and intelligence heads of the country and its neighbors to enhanced fight against terrorism in the region.



President Akufo-Addo said that had helped the country to reinforce the security of its northern and north-eastern borders against infiltrations.



While expressing his appreciation to the support of foreign partners in the Accra Initiative, he said it had greatly enhanced the command and control hub of the Multi-National Joint Task Force Headquarters in Tamale.



In addition, he said it had enhanced the Economic Community of West African States standby force to coordinate their response to the myriad of threats and other emerging ones confronting them.



It is therefore, my hope and expectation that this cooperation will continue to grow from strength to strength in the coming years, he stated.



Equipment and accommodation challenge



The Minister of Defence said equipment and accommodation challenges continued to be one of the biggest challenges confronting the GAF.



However, due to the innumerable interventions, he was hopeful that very soon the challenges would be minimised.



It is for this reason that I seize the opportunity to show gratitude to the President for commissioning a number of government sponsored projects at the Military Academy, Mr Nitiwul said.



He said those projects did not only help to improve the infrastructural amenities of the academy but also assisted to improve the quality of training of officer cadets as the academy



He said retooling of the GAF was also ongoing and the series of commissioning and handing over of vehicles and equipment was an attestation of governments commitment to it.



Lets remind ourselves that it is our duty to supper the governments effort by providing an enabling security environment for accelerated national development and growth and, thereby, improving the livelihood of the citizenry, Mr Nitiwul added.



Efforts of the GAF



The Chief of Defence Staff, Vice Admiral Seth Amoama admitted that the year had been one of the challenging years in the history of the GAF.



In spite of the limited resources and other constrains within which the GAF had to operate, it had strived to live up to expectations and prevailed in applying its capabilities in a manner that ensured the attainment of its mission.



All through the year, the GAF has offered it services to preserve stability and the internal security of the country and also worked assiduously to ensure that it provided its quota to the developmental effort of the country.



We have kept the flag of the nation flying high internationally through our sterling performance in peace support operations, Vice Admiral Amoama said.



With insurgency becoming more prevalent world wide, he said it only took training, modern equipment, the development of pragmatic strategies and cooperation with stakeholders and other security service for the GAF to keep pace with the changing trends.



In that regard, he applauded the government for its commitment and dedication demonstrated in ensuring the continuous retooling of the GAF so as to enhance its operational capabilities.

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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Director General of the National Development Planning Commission, (NDPC), Kodjo Esseim Mensah-Abrampah has said the commission will formulate policy development plans which are in line with the countrys budget.



According to him over the years, most of the Commissions strategic development plans are not linked to the national budget making it difficult for its implementation.



Our development plans will be linked to the national budget to seek execution and this will be done through working with the ministry.



 We are working together with the Ministry of Finance to ensure that the countrys developmental initiative is implemented, he said.



Dr. Mensah-Abrampahs comments were in reaction to many accusations against the Commissions ineffectiveness in ensuring the sustainability of government projects.



Issues of government unwillingness to complete projects initiated by previous governments hence abandoning the project to the detriment of the taxpayers were also raised.



He assured that with the coming into force of the new long-term development plan, project sustainability will be paramount to address the countrys socio-economic and environmental challenges and create a better future for its citizens.



He made this known at the two-day National Development Summit held in Accra.



The summit brought together key stakeholders from the government agencies, civil society organizations, the private sector, and international partners in a collaborative and inclusive environment for dialogue and decision-making on national progress.



Dr. Mensah-Abrampah also attributed the countrys slow growth in development to recent global developments such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war which have had profound effects on the nations economy, trade, and financial stability.



The Government of Ghana, therefore, had to approach and agree to a US$3 billion 36-month Extended Credit Facility Arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This deal builds on the governments Post-COVID-19 Program for Economic Growth (PC-PEG) which aims to restore macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability and includes wide-ranging reforms to build resilience and lay the foundation for stronger and more inclusive growth.



 By implementing effective policies and reforms, Ghana aims to overcome current obstacles and achieve its long-term vision of socio-economic development,  he stated.



Dr. Mensah-Abrampah added that the National Development Summit is a critical platform for Ghana to address the challenges and shortcomings in its development agenda.



He was hopeful of launching the Long-Term National Development Perspective Framework on the March 7, 2024.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.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 New Patriotic Party (NPP) incumbent Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya, Sara Adwoa Safo, has registered her candidacy for the partys constituency primary on January 27, 2024.



It is her fourth move towards Parliament since 2012.



That was after the three-time legislator submitted her nomination form to the Dome-Kwabenya constituency executives at Haatso on Friday [December 22, 2023].



The nomination form was received by the constituency Chairman of Election Committee, Osei Fordjour, who is also the Chairman of the Council of Elders in the constituency; the Constituency Chairman, Robert Osei Bonsu, and a member of the Council of Elders, Monica Agyei.



Amidst brass band, the incumbent MP was accompanied from the Zonal Council office at Dome New Station to Haatso by a large gathering of party faithful adorned in her campaign T-shirts and banners.



Ms Safo, who became MP for Dome-Kwabenya in 2013, will contest for the seat with the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Freezones Authority, Dr Mike Oquaye Jr, and another contender whose name has not yet been made public.



Ms Safo beat Dr Oquaye in 2019 parliamentary election with just eight votes when she obtained 496 votes as against Oquaye's 488.



The constituency is the largest constituency in Ghana in terms voter population of 172,000 and it is the stronghold of the NPP.



Forgive me



Speaking to the press soon after submitting her nomination, Ms Safo expressed her appreciation to the party supporters for leaving their busy schedules to still show love for her, promising not to let them down.



She optimistic that the constituents would cast their votes for her for continuity and for experience.



I have been your MP for 12 solid years and worked with humility, hard work, dedication. You cannot throw that experience away.



I know that everything that happened in the past one year or one-and-a-half-years, you have forgiven me because to err is human and to forgive is divine, she prayed.



She said following meetings she had had with party supporters for since her return, the people had expressed their willingness to surprise the whole of Ghana on January 27, 2024.



On that day, the whole radar will be on Dome-Kwabenya and they will be looking out for how you going to be vote to exonerate and show love for your Member of Parliament for the mother she has been and her service.



The saying goes that the older the wine gets, the better it is. So, I am your old wine, she said.



Give me another chance



Highlighting her accomplishments since she became MP for the area over the past 12 years, Ms Safo touted various achievements in education, sanitation, health and roads sectors in the constituency.



She, therefore, urged the voters in the constituency to give her the needed support to enable her to continue the good work for the various communities to continue to witness impressive progress.



On her long absence from the constituency, the MP said many considered her travel to the United States of America as a sign of her downfall.



As some Ghanaians think that I have fallen, you are my lovers to uplift me to give victory another chance, she said.

Source: graphiconline









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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Hiplife grandpapa, Reggie Rockstone has revealed that he regularly changes workers like his boxer shorts because many of them lack work ethics and steal from the company.



In a recent interview with Property FMs Amansan Krakye, the revered rapper said he doesnt hesitate to fire any staff who falls culprits since the youth of today are lazy but always want to find a fast way to succeed.



Its not been easy since I started operating my own company and the workers are very lazy while some are also thieves. As for stealing its so enormous thats why we regularly change the workers quite often like my boxers and you have to always keep an eye on them.



They are so corrupt in all their endeavours and these are the same people who will grow and end up as a politician in future, he told the host Amansan Krakye.



Also, in a bid to redirect the culinary discourse and celebrate Ghanaian heritage, Reggie Rockstone in a recent interview also urged Ghanaians to shift their focus from the Jollof rice debate with Nigeria and instead, direct efforts towards making Waakye gain global recognition just as Senegalese have done to earn the rights.



The musician called on Ghanaians to unite in championing Waakye and showcasing it as a symbol of Ghana's culinary excellence.



"Instead of arguing with Nigeria over Jollof, let's prioritise Waakye, which comes from Ghana in high esteem, he stated.

Source: graphiconline









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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Vice President Bawumia honored the esteemed occasion of Ing.Kwabena Agyei Agyepong's annual 24th-night celebration, hosted at the distinguished East Legon residence.



The name Ing.Kwabena Agyei Agyepong resonates with profound reverence, representing enduring sacrifice in the hearts of Ghanaians.



As a former General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Agyepong shares a political journey with Vice President Bawumia, forging a connection beyond the realms of governance.



The soiree, held at his private residence, unfolded as a testament to Agyepong's dedication to fostering connections.



In an exclusive conversation with members of Ghana Bloggers Association during the festivity, Agyepong conveyed the purpose of the annual gathering: a delightful amalgamation of socializing, reconnecting with old friends, mingling with new acquaintances, reminiscing with schoolmates, and cherishing moments with family members.



The celebration transcended mere merriment; it embodied a tradition of camaraderie and unity, interweaving the threads of relationships in the tapestry of Ghana's political and social landscape.



In addition to Vice President Bawumia, other esteemed dignitaries also graced the occasion.







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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A bank in Cumberland County has completed a merger that will expand its reach into Maryland, Virginia and Delaware and triple the number of its branches.

The Bank of Delmarva and Virginia Partners Bank merged with and into East Pennsboro Township-based Linkbank/Linkbancorp late last month.

We are delighted with the closing of this transformational combination that establishes Linkbank as a premier Mid Atlantic community bank franchise, Andrew Samuel, CEO of Linkbank, said in a news release. We look forward to moving forward united with an experienced and respected board, leadership team, and employees highly focused on building sustained value for our key stakeholders.

Ten former Partners directors have been appointed to Linkbanks board of directors including Partners current chairman, Jeffrey Turner, who has been appointed vice chair of Linkbanks board.

Under the terms of the agreement, Partners shareholders will receive 1.15 shares of Linkbank stock for each Partners share they own. Upon completion of the transaction, Partners shareholders will own approximately 56% and Linkbank shareholders will own approximately 44% of the combined company.

Following the merger, the combined company has total assets of approximately $2.8 billion serving clients in central and southeastern Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and southern New Jersey through 31 branches including locations in Camp Hill, East Pennsboro Township and Lower Paxton Township. When Linkbank announced that it planned to merge back in February, it had 10 branches.

Linkbank was founded in 2018.
A Hampden Township-based accounting, tax, and business advisory services firm is expanding into Philadelphia as the result of a merger.

Philadelphia-based Morris J. Cohen & Co. P.C, a 94-year-old accounting firm will merge with McKonly & Asbury on Jan. 1. The Philadelphia location will be the fourth office for McKonly & Asbury.

The Philadelphia office is located at 1601 Market Street, Suite 2525, and will be led by managing directors Frank Cellucci and Michael Bonventure.

Terms of agreement werent disclosed.

As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, I cant think of a better way to mark this milestone than by expanding our physical presence into the Philadelphia market through the addition of the Morris J. Cohen team, Michael Hoffner, managing partner at McKonly & Asbury, said in a news release. Our two firms have enjoyed a working relationship for more than a decade, and through that time have developed a mutual respect for each other and recognized the similarities in our cultures and in how we serve our clients.

McKonly & Asbury offers advisory and business consulting, audit and assurance, entrepreneurial support and accounting services, internal audit and management consulting, tax, and technology services. McKonly & Asbury also has offices in the Lancaster and Bloomsburg areas.
Three people were critically injured early Tuesday morning in a crash between a patrol car and a stolen vehicle, according to news reports.

The crash occurred at an intersection in the 5700 block of Old York Road in North Philadelphia around 3:12 a.m. Police said the stolen car crashed into the police vehicle. No additional details about the circumstances of the crash were available.

The patrol car sustained minor damage to the drivers side and no officers were hurt during the collision, Fox29 reported.

However, three unidentified people in the stolen vehicle were injured in the collision and were transported to a local hospital in critical condition, NBC10 reported.

So far, police arrested one suspect and recovered the stolen vehicle, both news outlets reported.
A man wanted on suspicion of shooting a romantic rival in the legs in Oregon in February was arrested Friday in Pennsylvania, according to the county Sheriffs Office.

Earlier this year, Washington County Sheriffs detectives identified George Ditzler III, 44, of Marietta, Pennsylvania, as a person of interest in a Feb. 6 shotgun shooting that left the 47-year-old male victim with non-life-threatening injuries to his legs, the office said in a press release.

The shooter ambushed the victim outside his business office on Southwest Tonquin Road in an unincorporated area of the county and shot the victim multiple times in the legs, the Sheriffs Office said. The victim was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

During an investigation, detectives learned that Ditzler previously had a romantic relationship with a person who later became romantically involved with the victim, according to the Sheriffs Office.

Detectives determined during the investigation that Ditzler had allegedly planned to kill the victim, a plot he had shared with an acquaintance who later cooperated with detectives, the Sheriffs Office said. The shooter also left the shotgun at the scene and DNA analysis of the shotgun by the Oregon State Police Crime Lab implicated Ditzler in the assault, according to detectives.

On Wednesday, a grand jury indicted Ditzler on charges of second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon.

Lancaster police officers arrested Ditzler at a relatives home in the 400 block of West Vine Street in the city. Police first established contact, via telephone, with family members inside the home, who confirmed Diztler was inside.

After talking for about 25 minutes on the phone, Ditzler exited the home and surrendered to officers without incident, police said.

As of Friday, Ditzler was awaiting extradition to Oregon.
By Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News (TNS)

From absent-minded drunks to a not-so-great dime heist and criminal acts of footsie, 2023 was packed with strange criminal allegations from coast to coast  and beyond.

Dad forgets his missing child is at home

Booze is said to have been a factor when Connecticut dad Colby Parker filed a missing persons report for the child he forgot at home while making an evening run to Price Chopper in October. Security video reportedly showed Parker had made two trips to the grocery store that night, but brought his son only the first time. The 30-year-old dad showed signs of possible impairment. His child was found safe at home.

Alabama woman reports mystery toddler on highway

Another child who turned out to be fine is an Alabama toddler who never existed. In July, nursing student Carlee Russell reported seeing an unaccompanied toddler strolling along Interstate 459 near Hoover. A short time later, she told her family shed been forced into a car and abducted. Neither claim appears to have been true and Russell was charged later that month for false reporting to law enforcement authorities and falsely reporting an incident.

Sleeping womans socks stolen

An Iowa woman got cold feet when a 23-year-old man broke into her apartment, watched her while she slept, then absconded with a pair of socks after hanging around for roughly 30 minutes on April Fools Day. Law & Order identified the alleged culprit as Dan Abimana, who also fixed himself a drink and used the victims bathroom during his visit, cops said.

Sleeping woman gets unwanted foot massage

Mark Anthony Gonzales wasnt accused of stealing stockings when he allegedly entered two Lake Tahoe, Nevada, condominiums in August and rubbed the feet of a pair of sleeping women over the Fourth of July weekend, but police say he is suspected of stealing womens shoes in his hometown of Atwater, California.

Dime heist defies sense

Four men were charged with stealing millions of dimes from a tractor-trailer parked outside a Philadelphia Walmart in April. USA Today said the quartet made off with nearly $235,000 worth of 10-cent pieces  some of which they later tried to deposit. The truck reportedly contained 75 million dimes moving from Philadelphia to Florida. The driver had reportedly parked his vehicle to take a short rest before making that long haul. It doesnt appear the alleged thieves initially knew what they were stealing.

Pilot gets high, tries to bring others down

While flying is generally safer than driving, thats not the case when a man high on mushrooms tries to shut-off a planes engine in mid-flight. Thats what off-duty pilot Joseph Emerson allegedly did during a West Coast flight in October where he was a guest traveling in a cockpit jump seat. The 44-year-old airman told investigators hed experienced an emotional breakdown and had not slept.

Colosseum vandal gets an F in history

Some people shouldnt go anywhere. A 27-year-old tourist confessed to carving his and his girlfriends names into the ancient Colosseum in Rome while visiting the nearly 2,000-year-old structure. The man identified by his lawyer as Ivan Danailov Dimitrov apologized, claiming he was unaware of the antiquity of the monument.

Teen terrorist shuts down Ford plant

Other people  like Zachariah A. Peterson  are fine staying local. The 19-year-old Missouri man is accused swatting Fords Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo so his friend wouldnt have to go to work. Peterson, who allegedly said he was barricaded in a bathroom on the second floor with an AK-47 and C4 explosives strapped to his chest, is charged with making a terroristic threat.

Jack in the Bang

Some people shouldnt go to work. Video released September as part of a lawsuit against Jack and the Box shows a fast food worker opening fire through a drive-thru window following an argument that reportedly involved curly fries. No one was injured.

Punishment fits the crime

An angry Ohio woman was sentenced to work in a fast food joint after throwing a burrito bowl at a Chipotle manager. A judge gave defendant Rosemary Hayne that bizarre offer to shorten her criminal sentence and she took it, according to Cleveland.com.
By AAMER MADHANI and ZEKE MILLER and QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden ordered the United States military to carry out retaliatory airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia groups after three U.S. service members were injured in a drone attack in northern Iraq.

National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said one of the U.S. troops suffered critical injuries in the attack that occurred earlier Monday. The Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, under an umbrella of Iranian-backed militants, claimed credit for the attack that utilized a one-way attack drone.

Iraqi officials said U.S. strikes targeting militia sites early Tuesday killed one militant and injured 18. They came at a time of heightened fears of a regional spillover of the Israel-Hamas war.

Iran announced Monday that an Israeli strike on the outskirts of the Syrian capital of Damascus killed one of its top generals, Razi Mousavi, who had been a close companion of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the former head of Irans elite Quds Force. Soleimani was slain in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq in January 2020.

Iranian officials vowed revenge for the killing of Mousavi but did not immediately launch a retaliatory strike. The militia attack Monday in northern Iraq was launched prior to the strike in Syria that killed Mousavi.

Biden, who was spending Christmas at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, was alerted about the attack by White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan shortly after it occurred Monday and ordered the Pentagon and his top national security aides to prepare response options to the attack on an air base used by American troops in Irbil.

Sullivan consulted with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Bidens deputy national security adviser, Jon Finer, was with the president at Camp David and convened top aides to review options, according to a U.S. official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity.

Within hours, Biden convened his national security team for a call in which Austin and Gen. CQ Brown, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, briefed Biden on the response options. Biden opted to target three locations used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, the official said.

The U.S. strikes were carried out at about 4:45 a.m. Tuesday in Iraq, less than 13 hours after the U.S. personnel were attacked. According to U.S. Central Command, the retaliatory strikes on the three sites destroyed the targeted facilities and likely killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants.

The President places no higher priority than the protection of American personnel serving in harms way, Watson said. The United States will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue.

The latest attack on U.S. troops follows months of escalating threats and actions against American forces in the region since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the devastating war in Gaza.

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 Oct. 17, the date that a blast at a hospital in Gaza killed hundreds. Iranian-backed militias have carried out more than 100 attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria since the start of the Israel-Hamas war more than two months ago.

In November, U.S. fighter jets struck a Kataib Hezbollah operations center and command and control node, following a short-range ballistic missile attack on U.S. forces at Al-Assad Air Base in western Iraq. Iranian-backed militias also carried out a drone attack at the same air base in October, causing minor injuries.

The U.S. has also blamed Iran, which has funded and trained Hamas, for attacks by Yemens Houthi militants against commercial and military vessels through a critical shipping choke point in the Red Sea.

The Biden administration has sought to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spiraling into a wider regional conflict that either opens up new fronts of Israeli fighting or draws the U.S. in directly. The administrations measured response  where not every attempt on American troops has been met with a counterattack  has drawn criticism from Republicans.

The U.S. has thousands of troops in Iraq training Iraqi forces and combating remnants of the Islamic State group, and hundreds in Syria, mostly on the counter-IS mission. They have come under dozens of attacks, though as yet none fatal, since the war began on Oct. 7, with the U.S. attributing responsibility to Iran-backed groups.

While we do not seek to escalate conflict in the region, we are committed and fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities, Austin said in a statement.

The clashes put the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in a delicate position. He came to power in 2022 with the backing of a coalition of Iranian-backed parties, some of which are associated with the same militias launching the attacks on U.S. bases.

A group of Iranian-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces were key in the fight against Islamic State militants after the extremist group overran much of Iraq in 2014. The PMF is officially under the command of the Iraqi army, but in practice the militias operate independently.

In a statement Tuesday, Sudani condemned both the militia attack in Irbil and the U.S. response.

Attacks on foreign diplomatic mission headquarters and sites hosting military advisors from friendly nations  infringe upon Iraqs sovereignty and are deemed unacceptable under any circumstances, the statement said.

However, it added that the retaliatory strikes by the U.S. on Iraqi military sites  referring to the militia  constitute a clear hostile act. Sudani said some of those injured in the strikes were civilians.

___

Abdul-Zahra reported from Baghdad.
UPDATE: Head-on crash killed 11-year-old girl on Christmas Eve

One person died Christmas Eve after a driver veered out of their traffic lane and struck another vehicle head-on in Lancaster County.

The 8:50 a.m. crash on Old Pennsylvania Pike in Salisbury Township also seriously injured two others.

Police said an eastbound driver left their lane of travel over the double-yellow centerline and struck a westbound vehicle, pushing it 10 yards toward a roadside tree line. The eastbound vehicle ended up blocking the westbound lanes.

The eastbound driver sustained minor injuries.

The backseat passenger of the westbound vehicle died at a hospital, while the driver and front seat passenger were taken to hospitals with serious injuries.

Police did not provide names, ages, genders or hometowns of any of the occupants.
Story by Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State College

This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for our regional newsletter, Talk of the Town.

KANE  Years ago, when winds from a storm rolling through McKean County knocked down a tree on Pennsylvania Route 6, motorists didnt wait for emergency services to clear the road.

A man grabbed a chainsaw from his truck and cut the tree into pieces. Then a group driving back to Kane from Warren County moved the pieces so traffic could pass.

Dressed in a business suit, Melanie Clabaugh helped haul wood that day.

Clabaugh told Spotlight PA she doubts the response wouldve been the same elsewhere, guessing most drivers would have waited for professionals to do the work.

Thats not what happens in Kane, she said.

Its people here, Clabaugh said. They work together to get things done in a way I havent seen in any other community.

That spirit of the people in Kane, nicknamed a star in the forest, has also transformed the town into a destination for tourists and new residents after years of empty storefronts and deteriorating buildings.

Through local and state-level connections, elected officials and community members in Kane have created a place where people want to stay and move to, shaping the town into a gateway to the Allegheny National Forest.

A full-time executive director at the Kane Area Development Center, an umbrella organization for three local boards, the borough applying for additional grants, and a dedicated volunteer base have all contributed to the revitalization, securing funding for new projects while preserving local traditions.

Kate Kennedy, the development centers director, said grants have played a key role in these efforts. Theyve supported facade improvements and marketing campaigns. The funding also goes toward community groups, which primarily rely on donations, membership fees, and volunteers.

The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, which has allocated thousands of dollars in grant money to Kane over the years, thinks Kanes targeted approach to development across local and regional groups has contributed to successful grant applications, spokesperson Penny Ickes told Spotlight PA. The area is also aided by a heavy dose of community pride.

Kane has set a strong example for other small, rural towns  and even those that dont fit that bill  to look at as an area setting success, Ickes said.

Kane has a decadeslong history of people coming together to put ideas in motion, John Cleland, a retired judge who grew up in Kane, told Spotlight PA. That culture sets the community apart from other towns, he argued, recounting a story about how the mayor led local relief efforts for months after an EF4 tornado tore through the area in 1985.

That doesnt just happen. You dont just create that, Cleland said. There has to be some group, traditions, and culture that create an environment that can help.

Kate Kennedy, Executive Director of KADC, poses for a portrait on Nov. 30, 2023. Nate Smallwood

Making revitalization possible

Julie Jackel remembers multiple clothing stores, a roller rink, and a five-and-dime from her childhood in Kane. Downtown was busy, and nearby factories were top employers in the 1980s.

After graduating from college in 1999, Jackel moved to Las Vegas and would come back over the holidays. Her husband, Thor, came with her to see family in 2012. By then, the town was disappearing, she told Spotlight PA.

Over the years, new businesses trickled into the area. Craft brewery Logyard Brewing, farm-to-table restaurant Table 105, and Lobo Fitness opened, and more new businesses were in the works.

When Julie and Thor Jackel visited in 2020, the change shocked them.

The Crooked Hem in Kane, Pa., on Nov. 30, 2023. Nate Smallwood

Now, the couple co-owns clothing boutique the Crooked Hem, which opened downtown in 2021. Theyre also raising their kids in Kane and participating in the business community: Julie serves as a board member for the local chamber of commerce.

I think that Kane works hard to make it a friendly place to open a business, Kennedy said.

Local businesses participate in events where they stay open late to promote shopping small and run specials in collaboration with neighboring storefronts. Additionally, development groups have committed to making local buildings attractive for existing and new entrepreneurs.

To help with that, the Kane Area Revitalization Enterprise  also called K.A.R.E.  applied for a DCED grant to fund facade improvements and address blight. The group received $35,000 to give local storefronts a facelift.

In the past five years, K.A.R.E. has received more than $120,000 from DCED for revitalization. The organizations budget is mostly equipped to handle administrative costs, staffing, and smaller events such as holiday carriage ridesso the outside funding allows it to pursue bigger projects.

She added that it seemed like each revitalization project created momentum for future efforts.

The Kane Area Industrial Development Corporation received $99,000 in federal dollars in 2020 to shore up a rural business incubator. The Appalachian Regional Commission, which gets public funding, also awarded a $5,000 grant for tourism promotion to the Kane Chamber of Commerce, which gets its budget from membership fees.

A mural in Kane, Pennsylvania.Nate Smallwood

Kane hosted remote workers as part of a publicly funded program aimed at enticing participants to move to the Pennsylvania Wilds region. The initiative included grant funding to help administer the program and support a window wrap campaign. Private groups throughout north-central Pennsylvania have also awarded grants to groups in Kane to fund development and revitalization projects.

Kane doesnt qualify for any special DCED designations  such as Main Street or Elm Street, which support long-term business growth and sustainability projects  that earmark it as a priority. However, the boroughs location in the PA Wilds made it eligible for the Route 6 Facade Program.

DCED uses its regional staff to build local connections, designating them as liaisons for community development efforts, Ickes said. The department also partners with other state agencies and nongovernment groups to push out available funding opportunities. Other state programs, such as Keystone Communities and Neighborhood Tax Credits, also aim to support smaller towns with revitalization.

Kane stands out to DCED for having residents dedicated to giving back to their community and an existing infrastructure that supports a full-time development role, Ickes said.

Kennedys executive director position has existed since the early 2000s, and she credits her predecessors for forming relationships with state officials, which have only strengthened with time.

Clabaugh, who previously served in the role and now serves on Kane Borough Council, said that project planning is more strategic now that Kane has experience applying for grants and carrying out projects. She called the executive director role revolutionary as a long-standing job in a small, rural town.

She added the role has strengthened relationships between community organizations, residents, and business owners.

The Evergreen Enchanted Playland was built by Kane volunteers in 1988.Nate Smallwood / For Spotlight PA

Creating an attractive place to live

Outside of public and private grant dollars, volunteers play a significant role in community projects, such as the annual Kare for Kane, a day when hundreds of residents do local beautification projects. Clabaugh started the tradition over a decade ago.

Several years ago, Kane officials were considering developing a strategic plan. Instead, community members organized an informal group  SPARKS  through which representatives from the borough council, the area school district, a local hospital, and others meet to discuss ways to make Kane a better place for residents.

Cleland said Kane didnt want to focus on recruiting big industries to the area because the competition would be endless. Instead, they wanted to find ways to make the community as attractive a place to live for people already there.

And if its attractive enough, people will choose to come here, he said.

The group has no budget, no agenda at its monthly meetings, and no official power. However, it has fostered discussions about projects residents can work together to accomplish, such as building a deck on a nearby trail.

All of a sudden, we got this collaboration put together in five minutes, Cleland said. Its a very powerful model, which probably cannot be replicated anywhere else because of the traditions  that cooperation.

The Evergreen Enchanted Playland, built by volunteers in 1988, is another testament to Kanes passion for building things that last.

Kane Mayor Brandy Schimps mom chaired the fundraising committee for the initial construction, and she grew up playing on the playground after its completion. In 2019, residents including Schimp and her family helped restain the project. Many participants had connections to the playground that went back generations.

Making sure children had a place in the community is what Kennedy remembers about growing up in Kane. Thats what motivates her work now, and she hopes that shared dedication lives on so the next generation can continue the tradition in their hometown.

SUPPORT THIS JOURNALISM and help us reinvigorate local news in north-central Pennsylvania at spotlightpa.org/donate/statecollege. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability and public-service journalism that gets results.
Responding to The Commonwealth Foundation lobby groups letter, I offer the following solution. Work to solve Pennsylvanias brain drain by providing improved resources to public school systems and support for union organization.

A 2022 article, by the Center for Economic & Policy Research, said that those who enter the labor market during economic crises may suffer economic harms due to delayed or derailed career progress during this crucial beginning stage. Workers between the ages of 18 and 34 will have entered the labor market during either the Great Recession or the COVID-19 pandemic.

Union representation presents a counter to keep working age citizens from going out to redress economic harm to other states. Since union wage advantages often match or exceed earnings setbacks related to economic shocks, increased union density could serve as a bulwark against longer term earnings suppression. Collective bargaining can help ensure stability, accountability, and parity. These attributes are especially consequential for younger workers.

It is vital to empower workers by protecting and supporting their Pennsylvania unions. The advantages of union representation for younger workers make reinforcing the labor movement that much more critical as an investment in our collective future.

As stated, lawmakers should combat the challenge to the departure of the working age population by making Pennsylvania an attractive place to live, work and to do business. My offered solution is supporting public education for the benefit of students rolling into the local work force and protecting their right to organize unions in Pennsylvania.

Karen Overly Smith, Upper Allen Township, Pa.
By Aneri Pattani, KFF Health News (TNS)

This year, about $1.5 billion has landed in state and local government coffers from court settlements made with more than a dozen companies that manufactured, sold, or distributed prescription painkillers and were sued for their role in fueling the opioid crisis.

That money has gone from an emerging funding stream for which people had lofty but uncertain aspirations to a coveted pot of billions of dollars being invested in real-time to address addiction.

Altogether, the companies are expected to pay more than $50 billion to state and local governments over nearly two decades.

Meanwhile, more than 100,000 Americans have died of drug overdoses annually in recent years, underscoring the urgent nature of the crisis.

KFF Health News has been tracking the funds all year and covering the windfalls mixed impact in communities across the country. Here are five things weve noticed in 2023 and plan to keep an eye on next year:

1. The total amount of settlement money state and local governments expect to receive is a moving target.

Before the start of the year, national settlements were in place with at least five companies, and several other deals were in the final stages, said Christine Minhee, founder of OpioidSettlementTracker.com.

Today, most states are participating in settlements with opioid manufacturers Johnson & Johnson, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, and Allergan; pharmaceutical distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson; and retail pharmacies Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS. Many are also settling with the national supermarket chain Kroger.

Several of these deals began paying out in the second half of this year, leading to bumps in states opioid settlement pots.

But there have been dents and slowdowns too.

Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, a manufacturer of generic opioids, originally agreed to pay $1.7 billion as a result of its 2020 bankruptcy filing to state and local governments, as well as people directly affected by the crisis. But the company filed a second bankruptcy in August, slashing $1 billion from that figure.

Purdue Pharma, perhaps the best known of all the companies for its creation and marketing of OxyContin, had agreed to pay $6 billion as part of its bankruptcy proceedings. But the Biden administration objected to the deal this summer, and the case now lies in the hands of the Supreme Court. At its core is the question of whether its legal for the Sackler family to gain immunity from future civil cases about the opioid crisis under the companys bankruptcy deal when they have not filed for bankruptcy as individuals.

The Supreme Court heard arguments in December and is expected to rule on the case next spring or summer. Until then, no Purdue money will flow.

2. Most states still arent being transparent about how the money is used.

In March, KFF Health News and Minhee published a comprehensive investigation showing that only 12 states had promised to publicly report how they were using all their settlement dollars.

Since then, that number has inched up to 16.

But 15 states still have not committed to publicly reporting anything at all, and others have promised to publicize only a portion of their spending.

Many people arent happy about the secrecy.

In Ohio, a local advocacy group, Harm Reduction Ohio, sued the OneOhio Recovery Foundation, which controls most of the states settlement dollars, for violating public records and open-meeting laws. Although a judge ruled in favor of the advocacy group, it became a moot point in July, when the state passed a budget that included language exempting the foundation from such requirements.

In Michigan, the Department of Health and Human Services came under fire for not publicly reporting how it was spending upward of $40 million in settlement funds. In October  just hours before a legislative subcommittee hearing in which lawmakers asked critical questions about the money  the department launched a website, displaying a breakdown of organizations to which it had awarded funds.

At the national level, a dozen Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about a lack of transparency and oversight via a Sept. 25 letter to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, which is leading the federal governments response to the opioid crisis.

We urge the Biden administration to closely track opioid settlement fund spending, to ensure that populations in need of additional support receive it, the lawmakers wrote.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy responded this month that it did not have the statutory authority from Congress to do so.

Currently, no mechanism exists that would allow ONDCP to require states to disclose their spending, the office wrote in a letter obtained by KFF Health News. ONDCP cannot effectively monitor how states use these funds.

3. Nationwide, money is being spent in several common areas.

Although there is no national data on how settlement dollars are spent, piecemeal tracking by journalists and advocates has surfaced some favorites.

One of the biggest is investing in treatment. Many jurisdictions are building residential rehab facilities or expanding existing ones. Theyre covering the cost of care for uninsured people and trying to increase the number of clinicians prescribing medications for opioid use disorder, which have been shown to save lives.

Another common expense is naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses. Wisconsin is spending about $8 million on this effort. Kentucky has dedicated $1 million. And many local governments are allocating smaller amounts.

Some other choices have sparked controversies.

Several governments used settlement dollars to purchase police patrol cars, technology to help officers hack into phones, and body scanners for jails. Supporters say these tools are critical to crack down on drug trafficking, but research suggests law enforcement efforts dont prevent overdoses.

People are also divided over school-based programs to prevent kids from developing addictions. While they agree on the goal, some people favor programs that teach kids about the dangers of drugs  like D.A.R.E. in the 80s  while others prefer programs focused on improving mental health, resiliency, and communication skills.

Perhaps the most contentious use, though, is shoring up county budgets and paying back old bills. Even if its legal, many people directly affected by the epidemic say this misses the goal of the settlement money, which is to address todays ongoing crisis.

4. The settlements required companies to change problematic business practices, but that has had unintended consequences.

As part of their settlements, manufacturers like Allergan and Johnson & Johnson agreed not to sell opioids for 10 years and curb marketing and promotion activities. Pharmaceutical distributors were required to step up efforts to identify suspicious orders from pharmacies, under the oversight of an independent third-party monitor. Retail pharmacy chains must conduct audits and site visits to their pharmacies, as well as share data with state agencies about problematic prescribers.

The goal of these stipulations is to prevent further misuse of prescription opioids. But some people see unintended consequences.

Distributors have placed stricter limits not only on pharmacy orders of opioids, but on many drugs considered potentially addictive, known as controlled substances. As a result, orders for these medications are being canceled more often and some pharmacies are hesitant to fill prescriptions for new patients. That has left people struggling to obtain medications for chronic pain, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder  and, ironically, even medication that treats opioid addiction.

Bayla Ostrach, a researcher in North Carolina who studies substance use and health policy, said buprenorphine, which is considered a gold-standard treatment for opioid use disorder, was already difficult to obtain at many community pharmacies and in rural areas. But the settlements appear to be making it worse.

Instead of increasing access to treatment  which is critical to stemming the number of overdoses  I really worry the settlements may be having the opposite effect, Ostrach said.

5. Many places havent decided what to do with the money yet.

Several states, including Montana and Hawaii, have yet to spend any of the settlement funds controlled by their state agencies. In Maine and West Virginia, councils overseeing the lions share of funds are still in the process of identifying priorities and developing processes to award grants.

Across the nation, some county officials say they need more guidance on appropriate uses of the money. Others are surveying residents on what they want before making decisions.

The slow pace has frustrated some advocates, who say there should be greater urgency at a time when the drug supply is becoming increasingly deadly. But others say the money will continue arriving through 2038, so setting up thoughtful processes now could pay off for years to come.

Its a trade-off between putting out current fires and preventing future ones, said Shelly Weizman, project director of the addiction and public policy initiative at Georgetown Universitys ONeill Institute. Shes hopeful officials will strike the right balance.

Is there a vision in each state about where were going to be when the settlement monies are done? she said. My hope is that 18 years from now were not still where we are today.

KFF Health News, formerly known as Kaiser Health News (KHN), is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs of KFF  the independent source for health policy research, polling and journalism.
Quebec's decision to restrict cellphone use in the classroom comes into effect in the new year, making it just the second province in the country to implement a provincewide ban, after Ontario. A person uses a cellphone in Ottawa on Monday, July 18, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
In the rapidly evolving global landscape, the ascent of China stands as the ultimate challenge of our times, one that demands a bold and innovative response. As the new generation of conservative leaders in South Carolina, we are acutely aware of the shortcomings in the approaches of both th Read moreGuest column: Reclaiming American supremacy: The path forward in an era of Chinese dominance
COLUMBIA  Military service can take a toll on the brain and body, ultimately pushing a person in crisis mode.

"Resilience" was the word officials at Fort Jackson, the country's largest Army recruitment and training base, called to mind after two drill sergeants were found dead at the Columbia-area base within eight days of each other.

"We want to increase resilience by ensuring everyone is aware of the things available which aid in coping with everyday stressors, traumatic life events," Brig. Gen. Jason Kelly said in November, weeks before the still-unexplained deaths of Staff Sgts. Allen Burtram and Zachary Melton on Dec. 6 and Dec. 18.

As the Armys main Basic Combat Training center, Fort Jackson trains more than 50 percent of soldiers, nearly 48,000 per year. But the base is not unique in ever having to notify families of sudden deaths, or alert veterans and trainees to counseling services, health clinics and nonprofit organizations aimed at suicide prevention. Between 6,000 and 7,000 veterans die each year by suicide, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, with an average of 18 veterans dying by suicide per day in 2021.

Though Fort Jackson has not released the cause of death for Burtram or Melton, the potential causes  and effects  of their deaths prompted both the base and media outlets to assure veterans that those who need help can call the Military Crisis Line at 958, chat at veteranscrisisline.net or text to 838255.

Fort Jackson also hosted what's called a "Resiliency Stand-To" in November  a seminar informing people of available resources such as the Armed Forces Wellness Center; the one-stop-shop health and fitness center with chaplain and counseling services that opened earlier this year; or local nonprofits like SCThrive, which teaches veterans how to identify and respond to signs of mental illnesses or substance use disorders.
WADMALAW  A fragrant breeze is more pronounced as one approaches the marsh on the north shore of Bohicket Creek, near where oysters are tumbled in a handmade contraption that cleans the shells and helps them develop a deep cup shape.

Alongside these oysters, known in the Charleston restaurant scene as Sea Clouds, there are piles of a new bivalve that recently entered the fold at Barrier Island Oyster Co.: Clams, which are receiving a deep pressure wash after spending the first part of their existence in the McClellanville mud. On any given week, thousands of them roll through the company's Wadmalaw Island headquarters.

Barrier Islands addition of clams, currently on the menu at Charleston restaurants like The Ordinary, Wild Olive, Slightly North of Broad, The Kingstide and 167 Raw, is not the only change at this local business, owned by Josh Eboch and Kendra Tidwell.

Six months ago, the couple took over the operation of a man Eboch called the godfather of the single oyster. With the acquisition came those clams and oysters known locally as Capers Blades, along with the processes it takes to produce both of them.

Setting the standard for singles

One of contemporary Charlestons first oyster visionaries was a man named Dave Belanger, who moved to the Holy City in 1988. He was instantly struck by the Charleston oyster roast.

It wasn't the celebratory atmosphere at these festive roasts that caught his attention. Rather, Belanger could not believe how many undersized oysters were consumed when they were cooked in clusters.

"As a farmer, that completely struck me as the wrong way to go," Belanger told The Post and Courier from a farm in Tazewell, Va., where he now resides.
PORT ROYAL  Mayor Kevin Phillips pulled no punches when he addressed a letter to Safe Harbor Marinas enumerating a long list of concerns about the current state of development of the town's port.

Safe Harbor purchased the 317-acre site along Battery Creek just over two years ago from the prior owner, Grey Ghost Properties, LLC. The purchase was completed in two transactions totaling $20.5 million, according to county records.

Phillips noted in his Dec. 14 letter that Safe Harbor's purchase was announced with great fanfare and said residents viewed the transaction as a welcome change after years of wasted opportunity by the property's prior owners. Plans were made to develop a first-class marina that included residential and commercial elements.

Since that time, the relationship between the town and developer/owner appears to have soured, at least for the moment.

"Despite the initial momentum, the town is concerned about the lack of quantifiable development and unequivocally opposes plans to develop the residential portions of the project as build to rent," Phillips wrote in the six-page letter addressed to Peter Clark, chief development officer for Safe Harbor Marinas.

Shortly after he was sworn in as mayor on Dec. 13, Phillips moved the Town Council in executive session to discuss matters relating to development of the port. At the conclusion of the closed-door session, Council announced that a letter outlining their concerns had been authorized, but the contents of the letter were not made public until several days later.

"In the short term, the town needs an accurate assessment of the timeline for the marina development, as it impacts the surrounding properties," Port Royal Town Manager Van Willis told The Post and Courier.
The Coast Guard has stopped searching for a cruise ship passenger who fell into the ocean Dec. 23 about 100 miles off the coast of Charleston.

Air crews spent eight hours and covered more than 1,625 square miles trying to find the 41-year-old passenger who fell off a Royal Caribbean Cruise on Dec. 23 before calling off the search the next day.

No further details were immediately available.

The call came around 7:15 p.m. on Dec. 23 that a passenger on a Royal Caribbean holiday cruise fell overboard about 127 miles east of Charleston.

The Coast Guard dispatched a rescue crew in a C-130 from Elizabeth City, N.C. But hours flying over the sea produced no results.

The passenger had been aboard Royal Caribbean's "8 Night Bahamas & Perfect Day Holiday Cruise," which departed from Baltimore on Dec. 22.

A Coast Guard spokesman said crews would only continue the search if presented with new information.

A passenger on the cruise previously told The Post and Courier the ship stopped for six hours and used a strobe lamp to try to find the passenger.
Neel Ghoshal was 13 years old when his life changed.

Born in 1978 to Sam and Pritha Ghoshal, who immigrated from India eight years prior in pursuit of the American dream, Neel grew up in the Northeast.

There were moments of struggle but life was good in the New York City area, where his father worked at the World Trade Center.

In November 1991, Ghoshals mother went back to India to visit her father. She never made it home.

His mother had been managing a kidney issue, Ghoshal said, but a disconnect between doctors and a lack of access to health care led to a misdiagnosis. For reasons unbeknownst to him, the family and doctors in India did not contact medical professionals back in the United States. She died a few weeks later in 1992.

Ghoshal recalls feeling angry at the systems that were designed to protect people like his mother.

There was no reason she had to pass, he said. She did because of this lack of access.

Though he has worked in multiple industries during his professional career, Ghoshals desire to help fill the gaps in the health care system has always stuck with him. That, plus a family connection to the hospitality industry, is driving his new business venture, Healthpitality.

The memory of his mother is directly tied to the why behind Healthpitality, Ghoshal said. Many U.S. citizens, including the majority of hospitality workers, struggle to access affordable health care. For those who do have traditional health care, long wait times and pricey copays can make it hard to see a primary care physician regularly.

Set to launch in January, Healthpitality is being marketed as a membership-based alternative to traditional health insurance. It will rely heavily on telehealth services to treat the many hospitality employees  more than 50 percent nationally  who do not receive health insurance from the restaurant or hotel that employs them. At Healthpitality, Ghoshal wants to create an environment where members of the hospitality industry are partners in their care and are treated with the same VIP treatment that they provide for their guests night after night.
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It was an unfamiliar sight: a Republican candidate in a Black church.

And a Black church in an overwhelmingly Black urban neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago.

But Tim Scott, a Black man in an overwhelmingly White GOP, is used to being an unfamiliar sight.

After months on the campaign trail speaking to primarily White audiences in Iowa and South Carolina with little attention given to race, Scott was appealing directly to Black people, something many Black conservatives hoped he would do since he announced his White House bid.

But 19 days later, Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, dropped out before any presidential preference votes were cast.

"I wish he had talked about urban issues a little bit more, what Black communities are being faced with," said Corey Brooks, a Black conservative and the pastor of New Beginnings Church, where Scott spoke in Chicago. It wouldve been nice for him to go all out addressing those issues.

Black conservatives, like Brooks and others interviewed for this story, said they saw Scotts campaign as both a sign of how far theyve come in the GOP and the limits that remain.

Many Black Republicans almost universally adore Scott, South Carolina's junior U.S. senator, and viewed his candidacy as a milestone.

It was the first-ever White House bid by a Black Republican officeholder, and, in contrast to the campaigns of businessman Herman Cain, surgeon Ben Carson and diplomat Alan Keyes, Scott's campaign had massive resources and establishment credibility.

Stephen Gilchrist, a Black Republican who is also chairman of the South Carolina African American Chamber of Commerce, described Scott's candidacy as "an eye-opening experience."

"African Americans can not only compete as president of the United States and in some cases win, there are two lanes for us to choose now," he said, referring to the ability for Black candidates to mount serious runs as either Democrats or Republicans.
CLOVER  It was a walk down the aisle unlike most others.

Cameron Hays and Kelsey Beatty were married in September following a yearlong engagement.

But that year wasn't filled simply with the typical wedding and honeymoon planning. In fact, finding ways to make the aisle walk itself was the primary way the couple spent that year.

"It was not a traditional 'get down on one knee' proposal," said Hays, 33. "I mean, I only have one knee."

The Clover couple survived a June 10, 2022, collision as a car on Ridge Road crossed into their path as they rode on Hays' motorcycle. They each lost their left legs to amputation after they were hospitalized. Hays also lost two fingers on his left hand. Thus, the engagement and the marriage has coincided with their ongoing recovery.

"There's things that help about us both being disabled," said Beatty, 31. "We're learning there's not a set way to make things easier, you just figure it out. So we have twice as many opportunities to figure that out  that kind of helps. And we both know what phantom pain feels like."

The crash happened on Ridge Road in Clover, not too far from the couple's home. The motorist in the car was identified as Armani Casper of York County. Hays has a pending civil lawsuit against Casper in the South Carolina Court of Common Pleas. Hays filed the suit in October 2022. Casper, through a court filing, denied allegations that she caused the crash by crossing the center line of the road.

No action has taken place in the lawsuit since the summer.

Beatty was unconscious for a few days after the crash, and the amputation happened during that time. Hays was in a coma for two weeks, also waking up without a leg.

Other chronic pain and lingering ailments remain. There's also the $3 million hospital bill for the life-saving care provided by Atrium Health in Charlotte.

"Even the doctors didn't think I was going to make it," Hays said. "I asked one of the doctors what their initial thought was when I arrived there. She said they looked at me and thought 'that's a waste of time.'"
The New York Times opened its opinion pages to Gaza City Mayor Yahya R. Sarraj. Sarrajs op-ed column runs as I Am Gaza Citys Mayor. Our Lives and Culture Are in Rubble.

Not to disappoint Times readers, Sarraj gave them what they came for on Christmas Eve  a blast of pure Hamas propaganda. In this respect it bears some resemblance to the news pages of the Times, but this is naked.

Hamas appointed Sarraj mayor in 2019. He didnt win office the old-fashioned way. In this respect he might even represent an offshoot of Our Democracy.

As the Hamas-appointed mayor of Gaza City, Sarraj must be a senior official of a foreign terrorist organization, designated as such since 1997 pursuant to United States law. Accordingly, its illegal for Americans to render material assistance to it, but the Times is of course a law unto itself  as I have had the occasion to point out in years past.

Everyone knows that Hamas is dedicated to the mass murder of the Jewish people and the destruction of Israel. Indeed, it is still showing its stuff for anyone with eyes to see. The Times nevertheless thinks Sarraj has something valuable to contribute.

Sarrajs column tends to belie the proposition that Gaza was an open-air prison before the current war. He decries the destruction that Gaza City has suffered as a result of the war. He seeks a return to the status quo ante, when everything was beautiful in its own way.

Reading the opening of Sarrajs column, one cant help but think of the tunnels Hamas built under Gaza City (and elsewhere) in Gaza with a single purpose in mind. See, for example, the December 21 Times of Israel story by Emanuel Fabian IDF demolishes major Gaza City tunnel network hidden underneath Palestine Square. Subhead: Military asserts that senior Hamas officials Yahya Sinwar and Muhammad Deif hid in underground passages just below bustling commercial square during October 7 assault on Israel.

However, Sarraj appears to have missed that. He walks down memory lane to revisit his teenage years:

As a teenager in the 1980s, I watched the construction of the intricately designed Rashad al-Shawa Cultural Center in Gaza City, named after one of Gazas greatest public figures, and its theater, grand hall, public library, printing press and cultural salon. Students and researchers, scholars and artists from across the Gaza Strip came to visit it, and so did President Bill Clinton in 1998. The center was the gem of Gaza City. Watching it being built inspired me to become an engineer, which led to a career as a professor and, in the footsteps of al-Shawa, as mayor of Gaza City. Now that gem is rubble. It was destroyed by Israeli bombardment.

As I say, one cant help but wonder if he caught the tunnel construction taking place under his nose as the Hamas-appointed mayor of Gaza City. It undercuts his idyll and had more than a little to do with the rubble. Missing along with the tunnels are the hostages that Hamas is holding in them.

Sarraj addresses a few questions to Times readers, For example: Why would Israel hit a U.N. school? Anyone? Anyone? Anyone should in fact be able to answer the question, but it may remain a mystery to those who get their news from the New York Times.

The mysteries continue in Sarrajs concluding paragraph: Why cant Palestinians be treated equally, like Israelis and all other peoples in the world? Why cant we live in peace and have open borders and free trade? As one respondent quoted by the Daily Mail put it: Its because your people raped, tortured and massacred your way across defenseless Israeli communities on 7 October, in barbaric scenes from hell.

Well, yeah. Those are all good questions. However, Sarraj ought to look in the mirror  as should the editors of the New York Times. As Marc Thiessen put it on X: But publishing Tom Cotton is a firing offense.
PR-Inside.com: 2023-12-26 15:40:16

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 26, 2023 / National plaintiffs law firm Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP encourages investors in ChargePoint Holdings, Inc. ("ChargePoint" or the "Company") (NYSE:CHPT) who suffered losses from purchasing or otherwise acquiring the securities of ChargePoint between June 1, 2023 and November 16, 2023 to contact us immediately regarding a pending securities fraud class action against ChargePoint. The deadline to apply to be lead plaintiff is January 29, 2024.Class Period: June 1, 2023 - November 16, 2023Lead Plaintiff Motion Deadline: January 29, 2024Case information: lieffcabraser.com/securities/chargepoint Contact us: Email or text investorinfo@ lchb.com or call 1-800-541-7358ChargePoint is an electric vehicle infrastructure company. Its core business involves providing networked solutions for charging electric vehicles, including the ChargePoint cloud subscription platform and charging hardware.The action alleges ChargePoint made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that it was experiencing elevated component costs and supply overruns for first generation direct current ("DC") charging products and, as a result, the Company's business and prospects were much worse than defendants claimed.On September 6, 2023, after the market closed, ChargePoint reported its second quarter fiscal year 2024 financial results, including an "$28.0 million, or 19 percentage point, inventory impairment charge." The Company stated the "inventory impairment charge was taken to address legacy supply chain-related costs and supply overruns on a particular DC product." As a result, ChargePoint reported a second quarter generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") gross margin of 1%, down from 17% in the prior year's same quarter. On this news, the Company's share price declined $0.77 per share, or 11%, from its closing price of $7.06 on September 6, 2023, to close at $6.29 per share on September 7, 2023, on unusually heavy trading volume.Then, on November 16, 2023, after the market closed, ChargePoint released preliminary financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2024, which included an "additional non-cash inventory impairment charge" in the amount of $42 million "related to product transitions and to better align inventory with current demand." As a result, the Company expected to report "GAAP gross margin of negative 23% to negative 21%." ChargePoint also reported revenue had fallen to "$108 million to $113 million, as compared to $150 to $165 million as previously expected." Moreover, the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer were both replaced, effective immediately. On this news, the ChargePoint's share price declined $1.11 per share, or 35%, from its closing price of $3.13 on November 16, 2023, to close at $2.02 per share on November 17, 2023, on unusually heavy trading volume.About Lieff CabraserLieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, with over 120 attorneys in offices in San Francisco, New York, Nashville, and Munich, Germany, is an internationally recognized law firm committed to advancing the rights of investors and promoting corporate responsibility. Recognized as a "Plaintiffs' Powerhouse" by Law360, Lieff Cabraser has litigated some of the most important civil cases in the United States, and has assisted clients in recovering over $129 billion in verdicts and settlements. For over 50 years, Lieff Cabraser has remained committed to ensuring access to justice for all.ContactSharon LeeLieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP415 956-1000 slee@ lchb.com SOURCE: Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein
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LONDON, ENGLAND / ACCESSWIRE / December 26, 2023 / DefiQuant introduces a comprehensive passive income platform combining bitcoin Litecoin ETH with diverse investment packages and customized plans, designed to provide accessible, efficient, and lucrative cryptocurrency earning opportunities for all types of investors. This innovation redefines digital asset growth, prioritizing user-friendliness, security, and informed investing.DefiQuant , a pioneering platform in the digital finance arena, proudly announces its latest innovation - a comprehensive passive income platform that integrates free bitcoin, a range of versatile investment packages, and tailored investment plans. This breakthrough is set to redefine the landscape of cryptocurrency earnings, providing users with an accessible, efficient, and lucrative avenue to grow their digital assets.Free crypto trading bot: A Game-Changer in Crypto EarningsDefiQuant introduces a groundbreaking crypto service, designed to democratize access to cryptocurrency mining. This service allows users to mine cryptocurrencies without the need for expensive hardware, technical know-how, or significant electricity costs. By leveraging cloud technology, DefiQuant enables users to participate in crypto mining effortlessly, fostering an inclusive environment for both seasoned investors and beginners.Diverse Investment Packages: Catering to Every InvestorUnderstanding the varied needs and strategies of investors,DefiQuantoffers an array of investment packages. Each package is carefully crafted to suit different levels of investment and risk tolerance, ensuring that there is an option for every type of investor. From conservative short-term plans to more aggressive long-term strategies, DefiQuant's packages are designed to maximize returns while aligning with individual financial goals.Tailored Investment Plans: Your Path to Financial FreedomDefiQuant's investment plans stand out for their customization and flexibility. Whether users are looking to generate a steady stream of passive income or are interested in capitalizing on the dynamic movements of the cryptocurrency market, DefiQuant provides tailored solutions to meet these objectives. The platform's user-friendly interface and expert support make navigating the world of digital investments both simple and effective.A Glimpse into DefiQuant's Investment Plans:Free Experience Bot: A risk-free introduction to the platform, offering a short-term investment with minimal commitment. Crypto Trading Bot Plans: Ranging from 1-day to 60-day durations, these plans cater to various investment horizons and profit expectations. Customizable Solutions: Beyond standard plans, DefiQuant offers bespoke solutions tailored to individual investor profiles and market conditions. Advanced Security and Compliance: Safeguarding Your InvestmentsAt DefiQuant, security is paramount. The platform employs state-of-the-art security measures toprotect user data and assets. Compliance with regulatory standards further assures users of a safe and reliable investing environment. DefiQuant's commitment to security and transparency forms the cornerstone of its promise to users.Empowering Users with Knowledge and ToolsEducation is a key component of DefiQuant's ethos. The platform offers comprehensive learning resources and tools to empower users to make informed decisions. From market analysis to investment strategy guides, DefiQuant equips users with the knowledge they need to navigate the crypto space confidently.Join the DefiQuant RevolutionDefiQuantinvites everyone to explore the potential of its passive income platform. With its user-friendly approach, diverse investment options, and commitment to security, DefiQuant is poised to become a leading player in the digital finance world.For a brighter financial future, step into the world of DefiQuant.Media Contact:Name: Allen HeeryPosition: Media RepresentativeEmail: AllenHeery@ defiquant.net Website: https://Defiquant.net SOURCE: Defiquant
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HAGENS BERMAN, NATIONAL TRIAL ATTORNEYS, Encourages LICY Investors Who Suffered Substantial Losses to Contact Firm's AttorneysSAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 26, 2023 / Hagens Berman urges Li-Cycle Holdings Corp. (NYSE:LICY) investors who suffered substantial losses to submit your losses now.Class Period: June 14, 2022 - Oct. 23, 2023Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Jan. 8, 2024Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/LICY Contact An Attorney Now: LICY@ hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895Li-Cycle Holdings Corp. (NYSE:LICY) Securities Fraud Class Action:UBS lowered its rating of Li-Cyle Holdings Corp. (LICY) to a Neutral position due to solvency concerns after the company announced it was stopping construction on its Rochester Hub facility. Analyst Jon Windham reportedly believes the firm needs to raise additional capital.Heightened analyst scrutiny is but one byproduct of the company's Oct. 23, 2023 announcement that it was pausing construction work on its Rochester Hub project. Another development is an investor securities class action lawsuit brought against Li-Cycle and its executives.The complaint there alleges that defendants mispresented and concealed that: (1) the Rochester Hub was experiencing escalating construction costs; (2) these escalating costs exceeded the expected aggregate cost of the project; and (3) as a result, the company would be forced to temporarily halt construction and reevaluate the Rochester Hub construction strategy.Investors learned the truth on Oct. 23, 2023, when Li-Cycle announced that it has paused construction at the Rochester Hub. The company claimed that construction costs have risen, and building will not be resumed until the company completes a strategic review of the project.This news drove the price of Li-Cycle shares down $1.04, or about 45%, on Oct. 23, 2023."We're investigating whether Li-Cycle may have violated the U.S. securities laws by failing to disclose the company was floundering with the Rochester Hub's rising construction costs," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the firm's investigation.If you invested in Li-Cycle Holdings and have substantial losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firm's investigation, submit your losses now If you'd like more information and answers to frequently asked questions about the Li-Cycle case and our investigation, read more Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Li-Cycle Holdings should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email LICY@ hbsslaw.com # # #About Hagens Berman Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs' rights complex litigation law firm focusing on corporate accountability through class-action law. The firm is home to a robust securities litigation practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and fraud. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com . Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.Attorney advertising.Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.Services may be performed by attorneys in any of our offices.Contact: Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895SOURCE: Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP
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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / December 26, 2023 / Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Barclays PLC ("Barcalys" or the "Company") (NYSE:BCS). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@ pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.The investigation concerns whether Barclays and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.[Click here for information about joining the class action]On November 1, 2021, after market hours, Barclays filed a current report on Form 6-K with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, announcing the departure of Barclays Group Chief Executive Jes Staley ("Stayley") as a result of Stayley's relationship with the late Jeffrey Epstein.On this news, the price of Barclays American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs") fell $0.25 per ADR, or 2.23%, to close at $10.93 per ADR on November 2, 2021.Then, on November 12, 2021, before the domestic market closed, the Financial Times published an article entitled "Jes Staley exchanged 1,200 emails with Epstein that included unexplained phrases." On this news, the price of Barclays ADRs fell $0.05 per ADR, or 0.469%, to close at $10.62 per ADR on November 12, 2021.Then, after hours on March 8, 2023, relating to the litigation Jane Doe 1 v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., 22-v-10019-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), JPMorgan Chase Bank filed a third-party complaint against Staley for indemnity, contribution, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of the faithless servant doctrine in the event that it is found liable.On this news, the price of Barclays ADRs fell $0.29 per ADR, or 3.59%, to close at $7.77 per ADR on March 9, 2023.The price of Barclays ADRs then declined by an additional $0.24 per ADR, or 3.08%, to close at $7.53 per ADR on March 10, 2023. Finally, on October 12, 2023, the Financial Conduct Authority published an announcement on its website entitled "FCA decides to fine and ban James Staley".On this news, the price of Barclays ADRs fell $0.39 per ADR, or 4.98%, to close at $7.43 per ADR on October 12, 2023.Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.SOURCE: Pomerantz LLP
The Special Investigator probing the Central Bank of Nigeria, Jim Obazee, has summoned the Chairman of Titan Trust Bank (TTB), Tunde Lemo, and two other shareholders of the bank to a follow-up meeting in Abuja on Thursday over the controversial 2022 acquisition of Union Bank of Nigeria.

The Special Investigator issued the summons hours after Mr Lemo, a former deputy governor of the CBN, faulted his findings on the issue.

Mr Obazee, in a report he submitted to President Bola Tinubu on 20 December, had said the former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, used ill-gotten wealth to establish TTB and used it to acquire Union Bank and Keystone Bank through some persons serving as his proxies.

Mr Obazee had also recommended that the banks be forfeited to the federal government.

Lemo, TTB defend acquisition

But in his reaction to Mr Obazees claims, Mr Lemo, on Sunday, insisted that his bank followed due process and met all regulatory requirements, including that of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Central Bank of Nigeria, in its acquisition of one of the oldest banks and iconic brands in Nigeria.

Mr Lemo said in an interview with Sunday Punch newspaper: The core shareholders and the banks will respond appropriately. Due process was followed in the establishment of Titan Trust Bank and every process that led to the acquisition of Union Bank was verified by the CBN, SEC and other regulators. The core shareholders will respond to the specific allegations against them.

In a more elaborate separate statement also on Sunday, the Corporate Communications Department of TTB said the establishment of the bank and its acquisition of the larger Union Bank complied with Nigerian laws.

It said: On allegations relating to the ownership of Titan Trust Bank, the Board and management provided the special investigators with the share ownership structure in TTB, including the holdings of Magna International DMCC and Luxis International DMCC owned by Mr Rahul Savara and Mr Cornelius Vink. These individuals are prominent global entrepreneurs and have thriving businesses in Nigeria and several countries around the world. The shareholding structure is also verifiable at the Corporate Affairs Commission.

Investigators miffed by reactions

Following those remarks, Eloho Okpoziakpo, a deputy commissioner of police who is the head of operations in the Office of the Special Investigator, in a letter on Sunday invited Mr Lemo and the two major shareholders in the bank for a follow-up meeting with the Special Investigators in Abuja.

The two shareholders, Cornelius Vink and Rahul Savara, had failed to honour a previous invitation to a meeting with Mr Obazee.

Please refer to your discussion with the Special Investigator earlier today regarding the offensive defence that your good self issued in Punch newspapers, on behalf of TTB which you chair, as well as the email you sent to the Special Investigator today wherein you tried to provide clarification on your reaction to the report on TTB. The defence seems contrary to the statements, made under caution, by the persons connected with these transactions, including your good self, before the Special Investigator at the Department of State Service (DSS) in August 2023.

In the said newspapers, you referred to both Cornelius Vink and Rahul Savara as prominent global entrepreneurs and having thriving businesses in Nigeria. In your email as well as your earlier discussion with the Special Investigator, you suggested that both of them be invited to provide clarification on their share ownership and given seven days to make such clarification; failure which they will forfeit their shares to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

We are surprised at your request with regard to these two shareholders. They were given this opportunity via a letter to them dated 28th August 2023 (copy attached as Appendix 1). Instead of honouring the invitation and providing the requested documents, we received a letter from the Company Secretary of Union Bank Somuyiwa Sonubi, dated 1st September 2023, informing the Special Investigator that Mr Cornelius Vink was out of the country on medical grounds and that both Messrs Vink and Savara will be available for the meeting as soon as they are in Nigeria which will be soon (copy attached as Appendix 2). Up until this offensive defence that you put in the public domain, the Special Investigator has neither heard from them nor received the requested documents.

Accordingly, you are hereby invited to come along with Messrs Cornelius Vink and Mr Rahul Savara to meet with the Team of Special Investigators by 2 p.m. on 28th December 2023 at the Department of Force Intelligence DFI), Opposite Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, Shehu Shagari Way, Area 11, Garki, Abuja; without fail or excuse.

Please inform them to come along with all the documents/information requested from them by the letter to Mr Cornelius Vink dated 28th August 2023 (attached herewith as Appendix 1). You will also be required to make additional statements to your earlier statement on that day.

 Kindly note that if Messrs Cornelius Vink and Rahul Savara refused to attend this meeting and provide/defend the requested documents/information, it will be construed that they have decided to forfeit their purported shareholdings in TTB and Union Bank of Nigeria; irrespective of which vehicle that they are using to own the purported shares.

Should you also refuse to attend the meeting to provide additional statement to your earlier statement made in August 2023, it will be construed that you misled the Nigerian public with your reaction in the Punch Newspapers today which has gained wide publicity in both electronic and print media.

This invitation is to further ensure that it is beyond reasonable doubt that the Federal Government of Nigeria has given you a fair hearing.

What Special Investigator reported to Tinubu

TTB acquired 94.05 per cent of Union Bank in three phases between October 2021 and June 2022. The bank told regulators that the acquisition was funded through a $300 million facility it obtained from Afreximbank and a capital injection of $175 million from two of its shareholders, Luxis International DMCC and Magna International DMCC.

However, in his report, Mr Obazee said his investigations revealed that those two companies are owned by Mr Vink, who he suspects to be a front for Mr Emefiele.

The two companies gave their locations as Dubai, so the Special Investigator said he contacted the Nigerian embassy in UAE to verify their physical presence and corporate status as claimed.

It was found that these entities do not have physical presence as claimed. This contravenes Section 3 (5) of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act, 2020. Accordingly, they are not supposed to be allowed to operate or acquire a bank in Nigeria.

The Special Investigator probed into the activities of the TTB and discovered that there is a mysterious shareholder who has given interest-free long-term loans (with no fixed repayment schedule) to the entities. The mysterious shareholder is believed to be Mr Godwin Emefiele.

Mr Obazee said he invited Mr Vink in August for proof of the funds he used in acquiring Union Bank, but the bank wrote back on 1 September that he was ill and would submit the documents when he got back. But he had not as of the time Mr Obazee submitted his report to Mr Tinubu.

We are informed that they want to seek a political solution. The Special Investigator is of the view that the Banks ( TTB and UBN) be recovered by the Federal Government, strengthened and sold in the nearest future, Mr Obazee said in his report.

Titan Banks defence

In its statement of Sunday, the Corporate Communications Department of TTB said it signed a Share Sale and Purchase Agreement on 18 December 2021 with Atlas Mara Limited, Union Global Partners Limited, Emeka Emuwa, Standard Chartered Bank, Montane Partners West Africa Limited, TLG Africa Growth Impact Fund, and Sanlam Life Assurance Limited.

The bulk shareholders, according to the statement, together owned 93.41 per cent of Union Banks issued ordinary share capital.

It said, The SPA was the product of a long and tortuous due diligence process that involved leading financial and technical advisers. Titan Trust Bank engaged reputable firms like PricewaterhouseCoopers Limited for the financial due diligence; Drey Law Practice for the legal due diligence and Norton Rose Fulbright, UK, as legal advisers; and Citibank London as financial/transaction advisers. The bulk shareholders engaged a prominent UK law firm, White & Case, as their legal advisers on the transaction.

The acquisition was conducted in the most professional, open, and transparent bidding process. The acquisition was funded by a combination of debt ($300m) and an additional equity injection of about $190m, which was contributed by TTBs two major shareholders  Magna International DMCC and Luxis International DMCC. The Certificates of Capital Importation for both the debt and the equity financing evidencing the receipt of these funds into Nigeria by legal means have been made available where requested. The $300m acquisition facility is sourced from Afreximbank and is priced on SOFR with a margin of 6.25 per cent (all together, almost 12 per cent pa) and a moratorium period of 30 months. TTB has paid interest on the loan for three interest periods (18 months so far).

TTB sought and obtained all necessary regulatory approvals from its primary regulator  the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Nigerian Exchange Limited, and the Federal Inland Revenue Service, among others.

Following TTBs acquisition of 93.41 per cent controlling interest in Union Bank on June 1, 2022, a change in control was effected with the dissolution of the former Board and the reconstitution of a new Board with new leadership. TTB proceeded to conduct a Mandatory Takeover Offer, which was legally triggered by the acquisition of 93.41 per cent of Union Bank by TTB, bringing the percentage float of Union Bank shares to less than 20 per cent. The purpose of the MTO was to give the minority shareholders the opportunity to offer their shares on the same terms as was offered to the bulk shareholders. The MTO was conducted after all due regulatory approvals were obtained.

On allegations relating to the ownership of Titan Trust Bank, the Board and management provided the special investigators with the share ownership structure in TTB, including the holdings of Magna International DMCC and Luxis International DMCC owned by Mr Rahul Savara and Mr Cornelius Vink. These individuals are prominent global entrepreneurs and have thriving businesses in Nigeria and several countries around the world. The shareholding structure is also verifiable at the Corporate Affairs Commission.

Union Bank

Union Bank of Nigeria was established in 1917 as Colonial Bank. In 1925 the bank became known as Barclays Bank DCO (Dominion, Colonial and Overseas) after its acquisition by Barclays Bank.

Between 1971 and 1979, the bank went through a series of changes, beginning with its acquisition by the Nigerian government, until it assumed its current name.

In 1993, in line with its privatisation/commercialisation drive, the government sold its controlling shares (51.67 per cent). During the CBN banking sector consolidation policy, Union Bank acquired the former Universal Trust Bank Plc and Broad Bank Ltd. and absorbed its one-time subsidiary, Union Merchant Bank Ltd.

Following the banking crisis in 2009 and the intervention of the CBN via Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON), the bank was recapitalized in 2012 with an injection of $500 million by Union Global Partners Limited (UGPL), a consortium of local and international investors. UGPL acquired 65% of the banks shareholding and in the last quarter of 2014, AMCONs remaining 20% stake in the bank was acquired by Atlas Mara. UGPL comprises:

Who is the Special Investigator?

PREMIUM TIMES reported that President Tinubu on 28 July appointed Mr Obazee as a Special Investigator to investigate the CBN and related entities. The president charged him to set up a suitably experienced and competent team and to work with relevant security and anti-corruption agencies for the assignment.

Mr Tinubu said the appointment relied on the fundamental objective outlined in Section 15(5) of the Nigerian constitution and was in furtherance of the countrys anti-corruption fight.

The president had also directed Mr Obazee, who was the chief executive officer of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN) between 2011 and 2017, to take immediate steps to ensure the strengthening and probity of key Government Business Entities (GBEs) and block leakages in the CBN and related GBEs.

He also directed him to provide a comprehensive report on public wealth currently in the hands of corrupt individuals and establishments (whether private or public).

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Movie Title: Ada Omo Daddy

Running Time: 2 hours 5 minutes

Released Date: 15 December 2023

Directors: Kazim Adeoti, Mercy Aigbe, Akay Mason, Adeniyi Johnson, Carol King, Charles Okafor, Dele Odule, Sola Sobowale, Taiwo Adeyemi, Unusual Phyna, Tayo Faniyan, Tomi Ojo, Nkechi Blessing, among others.

Usually, fans are thrilled with anticipation for their favourite actors next big movie when they have been off-screen for a long time. But that is not true with ace actor Charles Okafor and Omo Ada Daddy.

Many would recall the Nollywood actor for his stellar performance in the 1999 Nollywood blockbuster horror movie, End of the Wicked, where he played the role of Chris.

The Anambra State-born actor started his acting career with the 1996 landmark Nollywood movie, Domitilla, at age 26, shortly after a six-year-long career with the Security and Exchange Commission of Nigeria.

Mr Okafor, a graduate of Theater Arts from the University of Port Harcourt, grew to fame after featuring in several Nollywood blockbuster movies like Igodo (1999), Conspiracy (1999), The Lost Kingdom (1999), Mothering Sunday (2001), Saving Alero (2001), and My Desire (2004), amongst many others.

After dominating the movie industry for over two decades, Mr Okafor took a break from acting while his career peaked.

After some years away from the screen, Mr Okafor made a come-back to Nollywood with an eponymous biopic of Archbishop Benson Idahosa, Idahosas Trails in 2016, where he played the famous Bishop Benson Idahosa. But there again, Mr Okafor disappeared from the screen, not until the release of Ada Omo Daddy

Ada Omo Daddy is co-produced by Mercy Aigbe and Kazim Adeoti and directed by Akay Mason and Adebayo Tijani.

The movie delves into the paternity dilemma of Perosola, a young lady on the verge of marriage.

The storyline unfolds as Ifeanyi, eager to meet and walk his daughter down the aisle, pressures Ireti, her mother. Perosolas world shatters when she discovers that her beloved father is not her biological parent, forcing her to navigate the conflicting loyalties between the man who raised her and her newfound connection to her birth father.

Plot

The movie opens with a woman running in the middle of the night with her daughter, whom we later learn is Ireti and her daughter, Perosola, fondly called Pero for short, seeking refuge amid community crises; suddenly, there is a gunshot.

The subsequent scenes narrate the life of Pero Balogun, the pride of her father, who has been announced as the successor of her fathers company. Her life was going well, as her boyfriend, Victor, proposed, and she is set for marriage soon.

But her once-perfect life is suddenly shattered when her sister, Fara, a social media influencer, keeps feeding the internet with everything happening in her family. Unfortunately, Ifeanyi runs into one of the videos and finds his long-lost daughter, Pero.

Determined to reclaim his daughter, Ifeanyi relocates to Lagos, but all his efforts were frustrated by Ireti, his ex-wife. Not until Ifeanyi brings undeniable pictorial evidence that finally captures Peros interest.

Amid wedding plans, Pero grapples with her uncertain paternity. She confront her mother, Ireti, who is forced to ecount their past. Ireti narrates, through flashbacks, how she falls in love with Ifeanyi during her youth service year; an unplanned pregnancy forces them into marriage, and after that, when she has given birth, Ifeanyi has a change of character, this time for the worse.

He now womanises and beats his wife, but one particular night, his daughter is convulsing and needs to go to the hospital in the middle of the night.

He chases Ireti out of the house to go to the hospital along with his sick daughter. On her way, she meets a gang fighting, and she almost loses her life and that of her daughter. That night, she swears never to return to Ifeanyi.

Ireti remarries and births two children, Feyi and Fara, and her new husband, Chief Balogun, loves and cares for Pero like his own daughter. Despite knowing that Pero is not his biological daughter, he loves and cares for her as his own.

Now, Ifeanyi strives to mend his relationship with Pero, seeking acceptance and forgiveness. Will Pero recouncile with her estranged father, or will the scars of the past prove too deep to heal?

Character analysis

Despite the ensemble casts commendable performance, which includes a mix of seasoned actors and rising talents, their efforts couldnt rescue the film from its shortcomings.

While Charles Okafor has been seen less frequently on screen in recent years, he nonetheless showcased his enduring talent impressively. Unfortunately, the role he undertook did not provide him with the comeback he might have hoped for.

Sola Sobowale and Mercy Aigbe seamlessly embodied their characters, not only through their acting prowess but also in their physical presence.

Chiweta Agu, in the role of Uncle Ndubisi, consistently provided comic relief throughout the movie.

Omowumi Dada skillfully guides viewers through the narrative, maintaining engagement and interest.

However, Tayo Fanirans performance fell short of expectations. Lacking enthusiasm, his portrayal seemed lifeless and uninspired, giving the impression that he might have been forced into acting.

Movie analysis

Ada Omo Daddy attempts to break away from the conventional tropes of wedding-themed films, delving into complex themes of paternity deception, family dynamics, and the quest for identity. Unfortunately, the film falls short of its ambitious goals, stumbling into a confusing narrative that struggles to find its footing.

The narrative, which had the potential to be the movies forte, ended up being its most significant drawback.

If anything stands out in Ada Omo Daddy, it is that, unlike many films in its genre, the focus here is not solely on the wedding ceremony but extends to a narrative that navigates the complexities of family dynamics.

Despite its effort to be different, parts of Ada Omo Daddy oddly resemble the 2016 blockbuster The Wedding Party. Theres a conflict resolved during a wedding ceremony, and the characters exhibit similar personalities, with a reserved family featuring a standoffish mother and extroverted in-laws led by an exuberant mother.

The Wedding Party, a significant wedding-themed film in Nollywood, thrived by tapping into the rich traditions surrounding these ceremonies. As viewers yearned for alternative narratives, Ada Omo Daddy attempted to infuse some twists but didnt quite hit the mark.

To avoid replication, Ada Omo Daddy introduced plot twists that needed help to justify. The films attempt to introduce plot twists added more confusion than depth to the narrative.

The motivations of key characters, especially Ifeanyi, must be clarified, leaving the audience disconnected from their struggles and decisions. The lack of remorse from Ifeanyi, despite confirming his neglect at the time of Peros birth, challenges the films central message.

The two-hour runtime feels misused. Ada Omo Daddy had the potential to offer a fresh perspective on family-centric narratives but ultimately succumbed to a forced plot and lack of clarity. Despite commendable efforts from the cast, including Charles Okafor, the film struggles to leave a lasting impression and falls short of the viewers expectations.

However, the movie enjoys good visuals courtesy of the cinematography and rich customs, and the settings were carefully selected, which could tell the story even better.

Verdict: Despite the movies flops, Ada Omo Daddy earned a 6/10, as its not a befitting comeback for an actor like Charles Okafor.

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Hurriya Lawa, the wife of Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, has assured victims of terrorism in Bindin, Maru Local Government Area that her husbands government is making efforts to tackle terrorism.

Mrs Lawal, who travelled to the community on Christmas day (Monday), presented grains and other commodities to the residents to support them overcome the difficulties they are facing.

The community, located in the eastern part of Maru Local Government Area, has suffered several attacks. Many people have died while others were abducted during such attacks.

A statement from the media team of the first lady noted that Mrs Lawal reassured the people of her husbands commitment to bring back lasting peace to the area and the state in general.

Were here to sympathise with you on the situation youve found yourselves in. We would want to share what weve brought to you ourselves but due to time constraints, well hand over everything to the traditional ruler.

Youre in charge of this community, take the lead and share what weve brought to the people accordingly. By the grace of God, the security situation will be brought to an end in no time, she said.

The statement noted that the governors wife visited the area following a report by one of her aides that the situation in the area and district was alarming due to incessant terrorist attacks.

A resident of the district, Shamsu Abdullahi, was reported to have commended the governors wife for going to the community which he said had been deserted by government officials for over eight years.

For more than eight years, no elected state officials ever visited the place. Even during campaigns, they usually avoid the emirate because of insecurity.

I am very happy she visited the area and she will definitely convey a message directly to His Excellency Dauda Lawal about the level of dilapidation of the roads, the schools, hospitals, no electricity, no network or internet connections and abandoned vast farmlands, he said.

Maru is one of the worst-hit areas in terms of terrorist activities in the state.

Thousands of people have been killed and kidnapped by terrorists in Zamfara and neighbouring states in recent years.

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The Catholic Bishop of Abakaliki Diocese, Peter Nworie, has condemned the killing on Christmas Eve of three worshippers by gunmen during a Christmas vigil mass on Sunday night.

Mr Nworie disclosed this at Mondays Christmas service at Saint Theresa Cathedral Church, saying that the killing occurred at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Nkweagu, in Abakaliki Local Government Area of Ebonyi State at 11.30 p.m. on Sunday.

The bishop described the incident as sad and disheartening and prayed for the repose of the victims souls.

He explained that the killers invaded the church while a priest was celebrating vigil mass, killed three worshippers and injured many others.

According to Mr Nworie, such an unfortunate incident had never happened inside the church in the state.

READ ALSO: 16 killed in fresh Plateau attack

This is the first time such an incident is happening in the church and in Ebonyi State in general, the bishop said.

Earlier, the cleric, in his sermon, urged the people to align themselves with the significance of Christmas.

He urged the faithful to pray for unity and progress of Ebonyi and Nigeria.

NAN was unable to get the police to comment on the killing as the police in Ebonyi is yet to have a police a new spokesperson.

(NAN)

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The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Taoreed Lagbaja, stated on Tuesday that more than 50,000 soldiers are currently involved in several peacekeeping operations across the country.

The internal security operations include counter-terrorism efforts in the North-east, separatist operations in the South-east, and combating oil theft in the South-south.

Mr Lagbaja gave the disclosure at a special luncheon organised for frontline troops of the 6 Division, Nigeria Army, Port Harcourt.

Represented by Kevin Aligbe, the commander, Training and Doctrine Command, Nigeria Army, Mr Lagbaja said the troops had sacrificed their comfort for Nigerians to live peacefully.

So, it is a fact that over 50,000 of our colleagues will miss wishing their families and loved ones a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in person this season.

This is not because they do not want to but because they will be on duty across difficult-to-access towns, villages, and hamlets across the country and beyond.

They (troops) are duty bound to stand guard while their families and other families rejoice and celebrate together. To these gallant warriors, I say thank you for your sacrifice.

Mr Lagbaja stated that 2024 would be a significantly improved year due to the various programmes the federal government had launched for the Nigerian Army and the nation as a whole.

In the coming year, the Nigeria Army expects to take delivery of helicopters and other combat enablers that will see a better security environment develop across the country.

Also, the Army Headquarters has initiated several welfare projects that will directly impact the lives of soldiers and their families.

Troops wellbeing is of utmost importance, and we shall continue to work tirelessly to provide personnel with the necessary resources and support to carry out their duties effectively, he added.

The army chief said he was passionate about returning troops home to their families and had already begun taking actionable steps to ensure their safe return.

He said among the measures taken to safely withdraw soldiers from armed conflicts was the engagement of other security agencies to take over their constitutional role from the army.

To this end, we look forward to creating a more stable condition that will allow for a drawdown in the strength of troops deployed on internal security operations across the country.

We shall endeavour to help build capacity in statutory security agencies to take charge of our internal security effectively.

Consequently, we hope to recalibrate our efforts towards our primary constitutional duty of ensuring our territorial integrity, Mr Lagbaja said.

Earlier, the General Officer Commanding 6 Division, Nigeria Army, Jamaal Abdussalam, said the COAS luncheon was organised to appreciate troops for their many sacrifices for the country.

He stated that the sacrifices made by troops in the ongoing oil theft and illegal bunkering operations in the Niger Delta had led to a persistent increase in oil production.

According to him, the division will continue to support the federal government to enable the country to realise its expected oil output target for 2024.

I assure the Niger Delta people the division shall continue to conduct our operations in line with global best practices and adherence to fundamental human rights.

Our troops have been involved in various kinetic and non-kinetic activities that have considerably shaped the operating environment  with their attendant operational hazards.

Key among the hazards is the loss of precious lives of our dear colleagues and the occasional loss and damage of our equipment, he said.

READ ALSO: COAS charges troops to stamp out economic saboteurs

Mr Abdulssalam assured that the gunmen who ambushed and shot dead four soldiers in Ahoada council of the state would soon be apprehended and prosecuted.

Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers, represented by his deputy, Ngozi Ordu, commended the Nigerian Army for their sacrifices and pledged the state governments backing for security agencies in the state.

(NAN)

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President Bola Tinubu says the federal and sub-national governments of Nigeria have the mutual responsibility of ensuring the countrys peace and stability.

Speaking during a meeting with the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) at his residence in Lagos on Tuesday, the president reiterated his condemnation of the latest killings in Plateau State.

Addressing the governors, the president issued a stern directive to security agencies to halt the carnage in Plateau State and intensify the pursuit of those responsible for the recent tragic events in Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi Local Government Areas.

Condoling with the victims, President Tinubu emphasised the sanctity of human life and called for a paradigm shift among those with contrary beliefs, cautioning them about the inevitable consequences of their actions.

Nigeria needs peace and stability to move forward. Nigeria belongs to all of us, and we have to take care of it, he said.

President Tinubu acknowledged the presence of Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State at the meeting, commending him for his efforts to peacefully resolve the political challenges in the state.

I thank you for your statesmanship. I listened to your broadcast and your emphasis on peace. It is only with peace that effective governance can thrive, and governance has commenced in earnest under my watch, he said.

2024 budget

On the 2024 Budget proposals before the National Assembly, the president informed the governors that he had a review meeting earlier in the day on certain elements in the Appropriation Bill, with the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu.

He emphasised the need for joint responsibility and closer collaboration between the federal and sub-national governments to foster rapid infrastructural development in every part of the nation.

I want us to discard federal, state, or rural road classifications. We must regard development as a joint responsibility. Let us prioritise our children. The school feeding programme must return quickly, beginning from the local government to the state and federal governments.

We must be ready to protect our children and prepare them for the future, the president stated.

Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq expressed solidarity with the government and the people of Plateau State.

May God be with the souls of the departed and bring peace to Plateau State. The Governor of Plateau State, we are with you; stay strong, the NGF Chairman said.

Governor AbdulRazaq reaffirmed state governments support for the bold decisions and reforms initiated by President Tinubus administration.

These are challenging times. It is not a walk in the park. Removing fuel subsidies had a great structural effect on the economy of the states. But we are confident that we will overcome these challenges and bounce back better, he said.

Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

December 26, 2023

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The Kaduna State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), says it seized 1,458,709kgs of illicit substances in December.

This was contained in a statement issued to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna on Tuesday by the agencys Press Officer, Shuaibu Omale.

Mr Omale said the seized illicit drugs included cocaine, heroin, cannabis, tramadol, methamphetamine and other psychotropic substances.

READ ALSO:

In the same vein, the spokesperson said the command has arrested 103 suspects, representing drug traffickers, dealers and drug users.

Mr Omale added that the command gas carried out numerous sensitisation programmes across the state intending to enlighten the citizenry on the ills associated with drug use and illicit trafficking.

He said, It is paramount to note that 26 illicit drug joints were also dismantled while the command secured sux convictions and arraigned 24 suspects with December 2023.

NAN

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There have been renewed rocket alerts in Israel in the early hours of Tuesday, the Israeli army reported, with sirens sounding in communities along the border with the Gaza Strip.

An Israeli website which gives live rocket alert updates corroborated the armys information.

Israels army has stepped up its operations against the Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a visit to the sealed-off coastal strip that Israel would intensify the fight in the coming days.

Netanyahu spoke of a long battle, the end of which was not in sight.

Hamas, for its part, rejected a temporary ceasefire in the war and called for a permanent ceasefire.

It was reacting to an Arab media report according to which Egypt had drawn up a draft for a gradual end to the war.

Israels all-out assault on the Gaza Strip was triggered by the terrorist attack by Hamas and other extremist groups on 7 October in Israel near the border with Gaza.

They killed more than 1200 people, mainly civilians.

Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive in which, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 20,600 people have been killed and more than 54,500 injured so far.

Various UN bodies have in the past said that figures from the Gaza health authorities are credible.

(dpa/NAN)

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Cross River State, says a total of 2.05 tons of hard drugs were seized from drug peddlers between January and December in the state.

The state commander, Rachel Umebuali made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar on Monday.

Ms Umebuali, who is also the commander of narcotics, also disclosed that 223 suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure made in the year under review.

The suspects included 22 females and 201 males, according to the commandant who listed the seized hard drugs as cannabis, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and psychotropic substances.

According to her, 1.64 tons of cannabis were seized, while cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and psychotropic substances account for 3.5 gram, 4.3 gram, 81.9 gram and 410.24kg respectively.

Ms Umebuali said several of the suspects were charged to court, without giving specific figures.

The command, according to her, got some of the suspects convicted while some were discharged and acquitted by the courts.

The commander bemoaned rising cases of drug abuse among the youths, and identified vehicles and motor bikes as the peddlers mode of operations.

She said in spite of some obvious challenges, the command was still able to record huge success in the outgoing year.

She said the command hopes to perform better in the coming year.

Our operations are hampered primarily by inadequate operational vehicles, inaccessible and bad roads, especially during the rainy season, cultism and communal crisis.

(NAN)

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The Police Command in Adamawa State has confirmed attack by gunmen on Kwapre community in Hong Local Government Area of the state.

Suleiman Nguroje, a suprintendent of police and spokesperson for the command, disclose this to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yola, the state capital, on Tuesday.

He said that the incident occurred on Monday, Christmas day, and that investigation had since commenced.

According to him, the Commissioner of Police, Babatola Afolabi, has deployed officers and directed for investigation.

He called on the general public to report any suspicious character to the police and other security agencies to ensure security in the state and the country at large.

Simon Buba, District Head of Dugwaba, also confirmed to journalists that two persons were Killed during the attack.

According to him, the gunmen were suspected to be members of Boko Haram who invaded with motorcycle, carted away food items and rushed towards Sambisa Forest.

(NAN)

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Gunmen attacked 15 communities in Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi local government areas of Plateau State on Christmas eve, killing 96 persons and destroying 221 houses, the police have confirmed.

The assailants also destroyed eight vehicles and 27 motorcycles, the police spokesperson in the state, Alfred Alabo, a deputy suprintendent of ploice, stated on Tuesday in Jos, the state capital.

On 24 December at about 10 p.m., gunmen attacked 15 villages in Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi local government areas simultaneously.

Findings from the assessment of the incident in Bokkos revealed that the 12 villages were attacked; more than 79 persons killed and 221 houses were set ablaze.

Twenty-seven motorcycles and eight vehicles were equally burnt down.

Three communities were attacked in Barkin-Ladi where 17 persons were killed.

Investigation and monitoring are still on and further development will be communicated soon, Mr Alabo stated.

He listed communities attacked in Bokkos Local Government Area as Ndun, Ngyong, Murfet, Makundary, Tamiso, Chiang, Tahore, Gawarba, Dares, Meyenga, Darwat and Butura Kampani.

Mr Alabo stated also that communities attacked in Barkin-Ladi Local Government Area were NTV, Hurum and Darawat.

(NAN)

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Austin Umahi, the younger brother to former Ebonyi State Governor Dave Umahi, has indicated interest to contest for Ebonyi South District seat re-run, scheduled for February 2024.

The seat became vacant after the former governor vacated it to take up an appointment as the Minister of Works in President Bola Tinubus cabinet.

Austin, who announced his ambition at a news briefing on Monday in Abakaliki, thr state capital, said he remained a top contender for the senatorial seat.

He also said that he was eminently qualified for the position.

True democratic process is the only way to ensure the emergence of an acceptable senator for the district.

I will give the people the best representation, having gained experiences from both the business and political sectors, he said.

Thr senatorial aspirant was the director-general of the APC governorship campaign in the 2023 general elections.

He said that the prevailing political arrangements and structures, devoid of sentiments, favours his bid.

I am a pencil in the hands of God and he is not done with me.

We are in a democratic dispensation and I want all my supporters to pray for the success of both the primary and re-run elections.

I am from Ohaozara Local Government Area and that is where the APC Ebonyi zoning committee zoned the senatorial seat to, he said.

He further said that the zoning of the position had not changed to the best of his knowledge.

I am not contesting for personal gains but for the people as it is the time to make a positive mark.

I intend to change the narrative and the district should be given an opportunity to elect a representative in a transparent manner.

Whoever emerges democratically should represent the people as other aspirants should present themselves for the people to choose from, he said.

(NAN)

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The former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Sadiya Umar-Farouk, has dissociated herself from a contractor recently arrested over allegations of fraud and money laundering from the humanitarian ministry under Mrs Umar-Farouks watch.

Ms Umar-Farouk, the pioneer Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development between 2019 and 2023, disclosed this in a short statement posted on her known X handle on Tuesday. One of her former aides also confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that the tweet was by her.

She said the contractor, James Okwete, was unknown to her and that his alleged association with her was spurious.

Mr Okwete was reportedly arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in connection to a N37 billion money laundering case at the humanitarian affairs ministry while Mrs Umar-Farouk presided, Punch newspaper reports.

The newspaper reported that the EFCC had traced the sum to accounts with associations to Mr Okwete as part of the EFCCs investigation of Ms UmarFarouk.

In reaction to the news, however, the former minister said she would defend her actions, stewardship and programmes during her tenure whenever called upon to do so.

She also dissociated herself from Mr Okwete, saying she does not know anyone by the name. She said the linkages and associations of Mr Okwete to her were spurious.

The former minister also threatened legal action for what she described as an attack on her person.

There have been a number of reports linking me to a purported investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) into the activities of one James Okwete, someone completely unknown to me. James Okwete neither worked for, nor represented me in any way whatsoever. The linkages and associations to my person are spurious, she said.

While I resist the urge to engage in any media trial whatsoever, I have however contacted my Legal Team to explore possible options to seek redress on the malicious attack on my person.

Since its creation, the humanitarian affairs ministry anchored all the social investment programmes of the Nigerian government under former President Muhammadu Buhari. Some of the initiatives include the school feeding programme, Conditional Cash Transfer and the N-Power programme.

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The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says the Air Component of Operation Delta Safe, on 23 December, destroyed six illegal oil refining sites in Opu Arugbana in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State.

NAF spokesperson, Edward Gabkwet, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

Mr Gabkwet, an air commodore, said the air strikes were in continuation of efforts to rid the Niger Delta region of activities of oil thieves and oil pipeline vandals.

He said the illegal sites were sighted clustered within a radius of about 80 metres at a location about 6 nautical miles south of Opu Arugbana.

According to him, having been confirmed to be active, authorisation was obtained to destroy the six sites, thus discouraging the criminals from continuing with their acts of illegality.

READ ALSO: Nigerian Air Force inaugurates special mission aircraft

In spite of the festive season, air operations against criminals in the Niger Delta and other parts of the country continue unabated.

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, has commended the efforts of the Air Component Commanders in all the theatres of operation.

Abubakar, who spent the Christmas Day with troops in the North-east and currently in Katsina to fete troops, called on them not to rest until criminal activities are reduced to the barest minimum, the NAF spokesperson said.

(NAN)

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President Bola Tinubu has condemned the brutal attacks in Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi Local Government Areas of Plateau State, which caused scores of deaths.

The police in Plateau earlier confirmed that at least 96 people were killed in the attacks that occurred on Christmas Eve.

Global human rights group, Amnesty International, however, said about 140 people were killed in the attacks.

Amnesty International condemned the attacks and called for an investigation of the inexcusable security lapses that allowed the horrific killing of over 140 people by gunmen across over 20 villages of Bokkos and parts of Barkin-Ladi local government area of Plateau State.

The Christian Association of Nigeria also condemned the attacks, saying Such acts have no place in our society.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks but Plateau has for decades been embroiled in ethnoreligious crises that have claimed the lives of thousands of people.

In a statement by his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, on Tuesday, President Tinubu directed security agencies to immediately move in, scour every stretch of the zone, and apprehend the culprits.

The president also directed the immediate mobilisation of relief resources for surviving victims of primitive and cruel attacks as well as medical treatment for the wounded.

While condoling with the government and the people of Plateau, the president assured Nigerians that these envoys of death, pain, and sorrow would not escape justice.

CAN condemns Attack

In its reaction, CAN, in a statement by Daniel Okoh, its president, said Such acts have no place in our society

The cleric said that the attack was not only criminal but also an assault on shared values of peace, unity and mutual respect.

We condemn these acts of violence in the strongest possible terms.

The burning down of houses, and worship centres, and the destruction of properties worth millions of Naira is not only a criminal act but also a direct assault on our shared values of peace, unity, and mutual respect, Mr Okoh said.

Amnesty Demands Investigation

In its statement, Amnesty International called on Nigerian authorities to investigate the attacks.

Our investigation shows that the gunmen were on a rampage of killing and destruction for more than 48 hours, moving from one village to another. Apart from Bokkos local government area where the attacks started and lasted hours, the gunmen also crossed into Barkin Ladi local government area and killed dozens of people in Hurum, Daruwat, Maiyanga and NTV villages, Amnesty International said.

The rights group called for an independent investigation of the attack.

President Bola Tinubu must set up an impartial, independent and effective panel to investigate the apparent failure of security agencies to halt the bloodshed hours after villages that were attacked were gathering dead bodies of those killed and conveying those injured to hospitals, said Isa Sanusi, director of Amnesty International Nigeria.

Patterns of recent deadly attacks on the rural areas of Plateau State, clearly show, the Nigerian authorities have left these communities at the mercy of rampaging gunmen. Nigerian authorities failure to tame the tide of this violence is costing peoples lives and livelihoods, and without immediate action, many more lives may be lost, Mr Sanusi said.

Although President Bola Tinubu promised to put in place new ways of addressing increasing insecurity in the country, the attacks in Plateau state and recently in some parts of Benue, Zamfara, Sokoto and Katsina state show that protecting lives and property is low on the list of the governments priorities, the group said.

Issuing statements condemning the attacks is not enough and genuine commitment to protecting the people must be demonstrated by ensuring justice, it added.

The brazen failure of the authorities to protect the people of Nigeria is gradually becoming the norm. President Bola Tinubu said he will enact security measures in response to these attacks, but these promises have  so far  proven to be empty, said Mr Sanusi

Amnesty International called on Nigerian authorities to independently investigate all the Plateau attacks and ensure accountability by bringing the perpetrators to justice.

The inability of authorities to bring attackers to justice is fueling impunity, the group said.

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The Northern Governors Forum on Tuesday condemned the Christmas Eve attacks on communities in Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi Local Government Areas of Plateau State.

The forum described the attacks as reprehensible and heinous.

Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State, chairman of the forum, expressed disgust on behalf of the 19 governors in the northern parts of Nigeria.

He expressed the forums deepest condolences to the affected families and communities as well as the government and people of Plateau.

It is disheartening to hear of the loss of more than 100 lives and the destruction of property that occurred during these attacks, especially when people were preparing to celebrate Christmas.

Such acts of violence are not only cowardly but also run counter to the spirit of unity and coexistence that our region upholds.

We must all prioritise peace and harmonious living in our communities. Now, more than ever, we must reaffirm our commitment to peaceful coexistence and solidarity regardless of our differences.

We must unite in our commitment to peace and security, and stand firm against all forms of violence and divisions, the chairman said in a statement issued in Gombe by his media aide, Mr Ismaila Uba-Misilli.

Mr Yahaya commended Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau for his leadership in handling the situation in the aftermath of the attacks.

He assured Mr Mutfwang that the Northern governors stand united in solidarity with him in the face of adversity and would work together to ensure lasting peace in Plateau.

Mr Yahaya also commended security agencies operating in the area and implored them to redouble efforts in safeguarding the lives and property of the people through increased vigilance and swift actions.

It is imperative that those responsible for the heinous acts are swiftly apprehended and made to face the full weight of justice, Governor Yahaya stressed.

He urged communities in Gombe State to remain vigilant and to promptly report any suspicious activities to security agencies for immediate intervention.

Gunmen attacked 15 communities in Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi Local Government Areas of Plateau on Christmas Eve; killed 96 persons and destroyed 221 houses.

The assailants also destroyed eight vehicles and 27 motorcycles.

Three communities were attacked in Barkin-Ladi where 17 persons were killed.

Communities attacked in Bokkos Local Government Area were Ndun, Ngyong, Murfet, Makundary, Tamiso, Chiang, Tahore, Gawarba, Dares, Meyenga, Darwat and Butura Kampani.

In Barkin-Ladi Local Government Area, the assailants unleashed mayhem on NTV, Hurum and Darawat.

(NAN)

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The police in Edo State have confirmed the killing of a journalist in the state.

The journalist, Hillary Odia, was shot dead on Christmas Eve by suspected cultists at a drinking joint near a police station in Benin City, the state capital.

He was a staff member of Independent Television and Radio, Benin City.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that there has been a surge in cult clashes and killings in Benin City, and that the police in the state have acknowledged the ugly trend in the state.

Chidi Nwabuzor, the police spokesperson in the state, said in a statement on Tuesday in Benin that the police were fighting to bring the situation under control.

A police officer who took part in an anti-cult operation was shot dead on 24 December in the Ugbowo axis of Benin City, Mr Nwabuzor, a superintendent of police, said.

He said the loss of the operative underscored the police determination to combat cultism in Edo State.

Nevertheless, a sizable number of arrests of the secret cult members of various cult groups have been made in different locations in the state and will soon be charged to court.

In view of the above, Mr Mohammed Dankwara, the Commissioner of Police in Edo State, appeals to the people of Edo State to remain calm and go about with their Christmas celebration.

He reiterates the commands commitment and the readiness of officers and men to ensure the safety of the lives and property of the residents of Edo State during this Yuletide.

He, however, solicits the citizens participation in giving out information to the police, as modern and civilised policing entail citizenship and community policing, the spokesperson said.

(NAN)

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PANAMA CITY, Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (CCIAP) will hold three important trade Expos in 2024. From March 5 to 7, 2024, EXPOCOMER, EXPO LOGISTICA PANAMA and EXPO TURISMO Internacional will take place at the Panama Convention Center.

Exhibitors, buyers, and visitors from more than 30 countries will meet in 30 thousand square meters, where "we seek to offer them a unique experience not only for business, but for information and learning," said Jose Ramon Icaza, president of Exhibitions and Events of the CCIAP.

Expocomer

Expocomer celebrates 40 years of being the "World Trade Showcase" where countries from 5 continents present products of food and beverage, textiles and fashion, technology, and electronic equipment.

On the other hand, EXPO LOGISTICA Panama promotes the country as one of the most important logistic hubs in the region, giving rise to new opportunities for the development, dynamism, and innovation of the sector. While, EXPO TURISMO Internacional, promotes the growth of the Panamanian tourism industry, creating the ideal scenario for exhibitors to have direct contact with specialized buyers, tour operators and potential travelers; as well as, conference organizers interested in this warm, friendly and vibrant destination, which invites to connect with its authenticity and where you always Live for More!

"After COVID shutdown, since our comeback in 2022, Expocomer, Expo Logistica Panama and Expo Turismo Internacional have been successful exhibitions, every year exceeds the other," explained Adolfo Fabrega, President of the CCIAP. "During the 2023 edition, these three International expos reached US$ 134.2 million in business transactions and US$48.2 million in economic benefits to the country."

Panama is a thriving country, and, in these exhibitions, it promotes commercial and business exchange between more than 30 countries. In addition to promoting the well-being of the people of these nations through the free market as a substantial element of life in democracy.

For more information visit www.expocomer.com or write to [email protected]

Contact: Chamber of Commerce of Panama

[email protected]

SOURCE Camara de Comercio, Industrias y Agricultura de Panama
WUHAN, China, Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In the relentless battle against malicious bots, GeeTest takes a groundbreaking step forward by introducing its latest eBook series, starting with "Bot Management 101: The Basics of CAPTCHA's Security Showdown - CAPTCHA Harvesting." This comprehensive series is designed to demystify CAPTCHA cracking techniques, providing invaluable insights into the intricate dance between malicious bot operators, targeted websites, and GeeTest as the ultimate defender.

Enabling Online Businesses to Stay One Step Ahead of Potential Threats

Each eBook in the series delves into specific aspects of the attacker's playbook, offering a deep understanding of the methods used to exploit vulnerabilities. Recognizing the need for proactive defense strategies, GeeTest's Bot Management 101 series equips businesses with the knowledge and tools necessary to fortify their online defenses.

GeeTest's commitment to enhancing cybersecurity extends beyond mere detection; the Bot Management 101 series is a practical guide for businesses looking to implement proactive and effective mitigation strategies. By demystifying the tactics employed by malicious bots, organizations can better safeguard their online assets, customer data, and overall digital integrity.

GeeTest's Comprehensive Guide to Bot Attacks and Defenses

Embarking on a journey to understand CAPTCHA cracking, the Bot Management 101 series is crucial for crafting robust network security. Readers will gain a treasure trove of knowledge, arming themselves with the tools needed to counter the threat of CAPTCHA cracking.

What Awaits You in This eBook

The Exploration of CAPTCHA cracking techniques: Delve into the motivations behind attackers' preference for CAPTCHA cracking techniques, driven by its cost-effectiveness and high-yield nature. Bot Attack Monetization: Understand the classic strategies attackers employ to maximize their gains and how these strategies intersect with CAPTCHA vendors' countermeasures. Deconstructing CAPTCHA cracking techniques: Unravel the complexities of bot attacks, offering insights, strategies, and solutions to safeguard online platforms from malicious automated threats. Real-world Impact on Businesses: Explore real-life cases where businesses face the consequences of CAPTCHA cracking attacks and the challenges they encounter. GeeTest's Approach: Gain an exclusive look into GeeTest's proactive defense strategies against CAPTCHA cracking. Learn about our frequent image database updates and tailor-made security enhancements designed to thwart attackers at every turn.

For more information and to access the 'Bot Management 101' eBook Series, please click here. GeeTest continues to lead the charge in cybersecurity, empowering businesses to navigate the digital landscape with confidence and resilience.

Listen to the GeeTest episode of the Cybersecurity Matters Podcast for even more insights into online security!

About GeeTest:

GeeTest, a CAPTCHA and bot management provider, protects websites, mobile apps, and APIs from automated bot-driven attacks, like ATO, credential stuffing, web scalping, etc. GeeTest has been developing human-bot verification technology since 2012. Now it processes 2.9 billion CAPTCHA requests daily and serves 320,000+ companies in sectors like blockchain, online games, e-commerce, etc. In November 2021 GeeTest was recognized as a selected vendor in Forrester's Now Tech: Bot Management, Q4 2021. In Aug 2023, GeeTest CAPTCHA Awarded 2023 Best Ease of Use and Best Value Badges by Capterra.

GeeTest Protects Your Business From:

Account Takeover (ATO)

Web Scraping

Denial of Inventory

Card Testing/attacks

Credential Stuffing

SMS Pumping

Bonus & Gift card abuse

Spam Registration

SOURCE GeeTest
Lynyrd Skynyrd to host NYE Party and the Tennessee Debut of their Hell House Whiskey

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern rock icons, Lynyrd Skynyrd, are gearing up to kick off the New Year with a bang as they bring their acclaimed Hell House Whiskey to the heart of Tennessee. Building on the triumph of their Jacksonville launch, the legendary band is set to deliver a high-voltage performance on CBS' 'New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash,' accompanied by exclusive bottle signings at Nashville Palace and Total Wine.

Hell House NYE party.

The festivities are set to commence on December 29, 2023, at Nashville Palace, an iconic venue that has hosted legendary performances throughout its storied history. Starting out as The Home to Stars of The Grand Ole Opry, the Nashville Palace stands as a true legendary Honky Tonk, welcoming both established icons and aspiring artists, embodying the spirit of Nashville's timeless musical heritage. Fans will have the chance to join the band in celebrating the Tennessee launch, with the pre-party featuring a meet and greet, exclusive giveaways, and the special opportunity for fans to have their Hell House Whiskey bottles personally signed by Johnny Van Zant and Rickey Medlocke. For those unable to attend the pre-party, the excitement continues as fans can head to Total Wine the next day to have their Hell House Whiskey bottles signed by Johnny Van Zant and Rickey Medlocke.

"We're excited to bring Hell House Whiskey to Tennessee and celebrate with our loyal fans right in the heart of Nashville, a city steeped in the vibrant tapestry of music history. Sharing the essence of Hell House with a community that truly embraces the spirit of music is a special honor for us," says Johnny Van Zant, the lead vocalist of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

In a groundbreaking collaboration with Bespoken, a trailblazing craft whiskey maker celebrated for its remarkable achievements and an impressive collection of over 160 medals in just three years, Lynyrd Skynyrd introduced Hell House in July 2023. This American whiskey pays homage to the iconic cabin where the band crafted numerous legendary songs. Hell House encapsulates the same dedication and bold character that Lynyrd Skynyrd brought to the world of rock and roll. Featuring a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malt, this exceptional whiskey boasts enticing notes of honeydew, sorbet, butterscotch, and allspice. With a robust 45% ABV, Hell House stands as a testament to the hardworking soul in each of us.

"We're thrilled to extend the triumph of Hell House Whiskey from our successful Jacksonville launch to the core of Tennessee. Hell House embodies the band's unwavering dedication, and commemorating this achievement in Nashvillean iconic city steeped in musical historyis a true privilege. We're enthusiastic about sharing this exceptional spirit with the lively Tennessee community as we kick off 2024," expressed Peter Iglesias, CEO of Bespoken.

Schedule of Events:

December 29, 2023

4PM  7PM EST

Pre-Party / Meet and Greet / Bottle Signing

Nashville Palace

2611 McGavock Pike, Nashville TN 37214

On-site bottle purchase required. Must be over 21 years of age to attend.

December 30, 2023

6:30PM  8:30PM EST

Meet and Greet / Bottle Signing

Total Wine

330 Franklin Road, Brentwood, TN

On-site bottle purchase required.

About Lynyrd Skynyrd

As Lynyrd Skynyrd celebrates the 50th anniversary of the band's critically acclaimed debut album 'Pronounced 'Leh-'nerd 'Skin-'nerd,' in 2023, they resonate as deeply with their multi-generational fan base today as when they first emerged out of Jacksonville, Florida in 1973. Few ensembles have had the deep impact in creating a lifestyle as Skynyrd has. The band travels forward with a primary mission of celebrating a legacy that honors all whom have had a resonating contribution to the lives of hundreds of millions of fans globally. Former original members Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Steve Gaines, Billy Powell, Bob Burns, Leon Wilkeson and Ed King alongside others will forever remain significant contributors to this indelible repertoire and the band's colorful history. Today, Lynyrd Skynyrd rocks on with a current line-up featuring Johnny Van Zant, Rickey Medlocke, Mark "Sparky" Matejka, Michael Cartellone, Damon Johnson, Keith Christopher, Peter Keys, Carol Chase and Stacy Michelle.

The rock and roll powerhouse continually tours, and with a catalog of over 60 albums, billions of streams, and tens of millions of records sold, Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Lynyrd Skynyrd remain a cultural icon that appeal to all generations.

About Bespoken Spirits

Bespoken Spirits is a groundbreaking modern spirits company revolutionizing the industry with its sustainable maturation process, backed by $2.6 million in seed funding from market leaders such as billionaire T.J. Rodgers and MLB legend Derek Jeter. Bespoken uses the same all-natural elements of wood, toast, and char that traditional distillers use, but thanks to a combination of inserting toasted micro staves and a proprietary process they have that tailors natural flavors from billions of possible combinations, they're able to produce premium quality products mindfully while using less wood, water, time and energy required by traditional barrel aging. They have tested over 5,000 unique whiskey variations and have created a range of whiskey that has won over 150 medals in the past 3 years including ASCOT awards, American Distilling Institute, San Francisco World Spirits Competition, World Whiskies, New York World Wine & Spirits, and more.

For more information, follow Hell House Whiskey on Instagram (@hellhousewhiskey) and Lynyrd Skynyrd (@skynyrd). No memorabilia allowed at signings.

U.S. Media Contact: James Monahan, (917) 826-9449, [email protected].

SOURCE Hell House Whiskey
SHANGHAI, Dec. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, Panlin Capital announced that Hangzhou Panlin Xukang Fund, a venture capital fund focusing on innovative biopharmaceuticals, innovative medical device and biotechnology, has completed its second closing. This is the first fund that Panlin Capital has established in Hangzhou and the second VC fund that Panlin Capital has raised this year. In March this year, Panlin Capital announced the closing of its Chengdu Panlin Xiangxu Fund, which invested in the To B & tech sectors. In the past two years, Panlin Capital has raised over RMB 1.5 billion in total which is remarkable as the VC is going through a cold winter.

As one of the funds in which Panlin put a focus on healthcare investment, Panlin Xukang Fund was supported by a wide range of new institutional investors including Hangzhou Science and Technology Innovation Group and Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Venture CapitalHangzhou industry guidance funds at municipal and district levels) , Chengdu Science and Technology Innovation Investment Group (a state-owned funder), listed companies such as HitGen688222.SH, LEO Group (002131.SZ, I-Mab (IMAB.US, and market-oriented financial institutions Zhongyuan Trust (self-owned capital), and Chasestone Group etc. In addition, because of the trackrecord, the re-investment rate of Panlin's existing LP is over 40%. The fund has obtained strong support from Panlin's existin g LPs as cornerstone investors represented by high-net-worth individuals and entrepreneurs.

At the same time, Panlin Xukang Fund also shows high investment efficiency. Up till now, the fund has completed the investment settlement of near 20 high-quality co mpanie s. Based on its previous research on the policy direction and industry cluster of Hangzhou, especially Xiaoshan District, Panlin has invested in a number of local companies: Codon, a DNA data storage technology development platform; Levinthal, a protein rational design company; TinkerBio, a total solution provider focusing on R&D and manufacturing of microfluidic chips; DNano MetaBio, a biotechnology development company designing self-assembled nucleic acid nanocarriers; Leadbio, a small-caliber regenerative blood vessel R&D company; and Innoforce, a CDMO company specializing in cell and gene therapy. Also, Panlin has contributed to help companies move their headquarters to Hangzhou. In light of Xiaoshan District's plan to build a biopharmaceutical industry in the local airport industrial park, Dushi Pharmaceutical Supply Chain,a cold-chain intelligent service platform has successfully settle its headquarter in Xiaoshan. As the lead investor of that platform, Panlin has helped the industrial park to make early preparations for the sales and transportation part of its biopharmaceutical industry chain.

In addition, Panlin Xukang Fund has invested in early- stage companies like Real & Best Biotech, a rAAV gene therapy drug R&D company. Also, considering the needs for quicker investment returns by LPs, Panlin has made additional investments in the subsequent financing rounds of pre-invested star companies, such as Ribo Life Science, a leading siRNA drug R&D company; GenFleet, a global novel drug developer; Virogin Biotech, a global oncolytic virus company; and Kingstron Bio, a high-end medical device R&D company committed to treating structural heart disease, etc.

The performance of the fund is tremendous, four companies, namely, Ribo Life Science, GenFleet, Virogin Biotech, and Virogin Biotech, will gradually enter into the IPO filing process, and near 10 companies have completed a new round of financing within one year after Panlin's investment, with the amount of financing exceeding RMB 1 billion.

Mr. Li Yuhui, Founding Managing Partner of Panlin Capital, said, "We are grateful for the long-term attention and trust of new and existing investors, which has enabled Panlin Capital to run forward in small steps despite the sluggish market environment. This not only demonstrates the solid recognition of Panlin's professionalism by the investors, but also shows the long-term confidence of Panlin in China's healthcare and biopharmaceutical industry. As an RMB fund focusing on technology innovation since its inception, Panlin Capital has gone through two full investment cycles and has forged a mature methodology for investing in early to mid-stage tech startups. In recent years, Panlin has entered a new phase of growth that is driven by a 'double-wheel engine' of healthcare and To B & tech, setting up multiple new funds in many cities. Currently, in the context of the country's full efforts to promote sci-tech innovation, we will continue to make breakthroughs with our established professionalism and track record. In this way, we will contribute to the country's sci-tech innovation with the strength of market-oriented VC, continue to deliver high returns to our investment institutions and investors, and actively support the development of sci-tech innovation at the local level."

SOURCE Panlin Capital
Trading Symbol: TSX: SVM

NYSE AMERICAN: SVM

Silvercorp offers to acquire all OreCorp Shares it does not already own for A$0.19 cash plus 0.0967 Silvercorp shares per OreCorp Share (the same consideration offered under the Scheme of Arrangement this offer is replacing)





Off-market takeover offer subject only to a 50.1% minimum acceptance condition (and other customary conditions)





Implied value of A$0.589 1 per OreCorp share represents a:

40% premium to OreCorp's 20-day VWAP ending August 4, 2023

22% premium to OreCorp's 20-day VWAP ending December 22, 2023





The OreCorp Board is unanimously recommending OreCorp shareholders ACCEPT the Offer in the absence of a Superior Proposal

VANCOUVER, BC, Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Silvercorp Metals Inc. ("Silvercorp" or the "Company") (TSX: SVM) (NYSE American: SVM) and OreCorp Limited ("OreCorp") (ASX: ORR) have entered into a Bid Implementation Deed ("BID"), pursuant to which Silvercorp has agreed to acquire, by means of an off-market takeover offer, all of the OreCorp Shares not already owned by Silvercorp for consideration comprising 0.0967 common shares of Silvercorp ("Silvercorp Shares") and A$0.19 cash per OreCorp Share (the "Consideration"), currently equivalent to A$0.5891 per OreCorp Share (the "Offer", and overall the "Transaction").

Under the BID, Silvercorp and OreCorp have provided undertakings to each other to facilitate the Transaction. The Offer is subject to minimal conditions, including:

Silvercorp having a relevant interest in at least 50.1% of the OreCorp Shares;





no regulatory action which could reasonably be expected to restrain, impede or prohibit the Offer and completion of the Transaction;





no OreCorp material adverse change or prescribed occurrence (both terms defined in a customary manner); and





normal course listing approval for the new Silvercorp Shares to be issued

The OreCorp Board is unanimously recommending that OreCorp shareholders ACCEPT the Offer subject to their Independent Expert's Report concluding, and continuing to conclude, that the Offer is reasonable to OreCorp shareholders and there being no Superior Proposal2. Subject to those same qualifications, the OreCorp Board, who collectively hold 3.94% of the OreCorp Shares, intend to accept the Offer in respect of all OreCorp Shares they own or control.

________________________________________ 1 Value attributed to Silvercorp share and implied value attributed to OreCorp Share calculated based on the 20-day volume weighted average price ("VWAP") of Silvercorp's common shares on all U.S. exchanges for the period ending December 22, 2023, converted to Australian dollars using a U.S. dollar to Australian dollar foreign exchange rate of 1.505. 2 As defined in the Bid Implementation Deed

Silvercorp's Chairman and CEO, Dr. Rui Feng, said: "We are pleased to adjust our Transaction with OreCorp after it became clear that the previously proposed Scheme, due to outside interference, was at risk of not completing. Our Offer is subject to a very limited number of conditions. Silvercorp obtained the required approval of the Tanzania Fair Competition Commission ("FCC") approximately two months after the application was submitted. Even if an alternative proposal is made, there is uncertainty as to whether it would be successful in receiving similar FCC approval. Accordingly, our Offer provides OreCorp Shareholders with the opportunity to receive the Consideration in a timely manner. I encourage all OreCorp Shareholders to read the forthcoming Bidder's Statement for more details about the Offer and accept the Offer as soon as possible."

This Transaction aims to create a globally diversified precious metals producer, and will provide enhanced trading liquidity, re-rating potential and the opportunity to participate in further upside from the Nyanzaga Project and Silvercorp's existing mining portfolio to shareholders of both companies. Silvercorp is well-positioned to fund and immediately move to advance Nyanzaga towards commercial production.

The development of the Nyanzaga Project is also subject to regulatory and jurisdiction risks in Tanzania. For example, the Government of Tanzania (through the Treasury Registrar) currently holds a 16% non-dilutable free carried interest (the Free Carried Interest Shares) in the share capital of Sotta Mining Corporation Limited (SMCL). In addition, the Government of Tanzania has a right to acquire, in total, up to 50% of the share capital of SMCL, determined by the total value of the tax expenditures enjoyed by SMCL. However, relevant legislation also provides that the Government of Tanzania agrees and undertakes that any increase in ownership or economic participation rights by the Government of Tanzania in addition to the 16 percent Free Carried Interest Shares will be by agreement between the parties, and that the Government of Tanzania will not unilaterally seek to increase such ownership or economic participation rights.

Silvercorp has designed, permitted and constructed multiple mining and processing facilities, requiring it to establish and maintain constructive relationships with diverse stakeholders, including communities, regulators, and various levels of government. Silvercorp looks forward to bringing its philosophy of openness, transparency and cooperation in its future dealings with the Government of Tanzania to facilitate the prompt development of Nyanzaga for the benefit of all involved.

Additional Details

The BID Deed includes market standard deal protection measures equivalent to those previously agreed under the Scheme, including "no talk" and "no due diligence" provisions (subject to a fiduciary out exception) and "no shop". It also includes notification and matching rights for Silvercorp in the event of a competing proposal. Pursuant to these deal protection measures, OreCorp has agreed, inter alia that it will not solicit, encourage or initiate any competing proposal and further, that it will not participate in any discussions or negotiations with a third party in relation to any competing proposal (unless certain conditions are satisfied, including where a failure to do so would constitute a breach of the OreCorp Board's fiduciary duties or statutory obligations).

As with the Scheme, under certain circumstances a break fee of approximately A$2.8 million will be payable by OreCorp to Silvercorp if the BID is terminated.

The Offer is not subject to the approval of the Silvercorp's shareholders and is not subject to any financing or due diligence conditions.

As of the date of this announcement, Silvercorp holds 73,889,007 OreCorp Shares, representing 15.74% of the fully paid ordinary shares of OreCorp.

Next Steps

Further detail regarding the Offer will be provided in Silvercorp's Bidder's Statement and OreCorp's Target's Statement, which are expected to be despatched shortly. The Bidder's and Target's Statements will set out important information, including how to accept the Offer and the key reasons why OreCorp shareholders should accept the Offer. The Target's Statement will include an Independent Expert's Report prepared by BDO Corporate Finance (WA) Pty Ltd.

Termination of the Scheme Implementation Deed

In conjunction with the execution of the Bid Implementation Deed, Silvercorp and OreCorp have mutually agreed to terminate the Scheme Implementation Deed dated August 5, 2023 (as amended and restated on November 23, 2023) ("SID", or "Scheme"), with effect from today. Accordingly, OreCorp is seeking orders from the Federal Court of Australia that the Scheme meeting of OreCorp shareholders proposed for January 18, 2024 no longer be held.

Advisors and Counsel

Canaccord Genuity Corp. is acting as financial advisor to Silvercorp. King & Wood Mallesons, Australia is acting as Silvercorp's Australian legal advisor.

OreCorp shareholders who have questions regarding the Offer should call the Silvercorp Information Line on 1300 290 691 (within Australia) of +61 2 9066 4081 (outside Australia) between 9:00am and 5:30pm (Sydney time) Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays in Sydney.

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

No Offer or Solicitation

Silvercorp has not yet commenced the offer noted above to OreCorp shareholders. Upon commencement of the Offer, Silvercorp will dispatch the Bidder's statement to OreCorp shareholders in accordance with applicable Australian securities laws and will lodge the Bidder's Statement with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. The Bidder's Statement will contain important information about the Offer and should be read in its entirety by OreCorp shareholders. This news release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to buy or sell, or a solicitation of an offer to sell or buy, any securities. The Offer is being made solely by, and subject to the terms and conditions set out in the Bid Implementation Deed, Bidder's Statement and related offer documents.

The Silvercorp shares issuable pursuant to the takeover offer have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to U.S. persons unless the shares are registered under the 1933 Act, or an exemption from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act is available.

CAUTIONARY DISCLAIMER - FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain of the statements and information in this announcement may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 (Cth) and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian 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: organic growth; creating a globally diversified precious metals producer; providing enhanced trading liquidity; re-rating potential; future funding; statements regarding the actions of the Government of Tanzania; the opportunity to participate in further upside from mergers and acquisitions; and a potential break-up fee.

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: social and economic impacts of COVID-19; completion and timing of the transactions described above; receiving the necessary approvals to satisfy the conditions to the transactions; the determination of capital gains tax; 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; non-controlling interest shareholders; financing; recent market events and conditions; economic factors; timing, estimated amount, capital and operating expenditures and economic returns of future production; integration of future acquisitions into existing operations; competition; operations and political conditions; regulatory environment in China, Canada, Australia and Tanzania; environmental risks; legislative and regulatory initiatives addressing global climate change or other environmental concerns; foreign exchange rate fluctuations; insurance; risks and hazards of mining operations; key personnel; conflicts of interest; dependence on management; investments that are subject to risk; cybersecurity risks; internal control over financial reporting; issue of Silvercorp shares; less than 90% ownership in OreCorp; minority shareholders in OreCorp; transaction costs; due diligence; dilution; and bringing actions and enforcing judgments under U.S. and/or Australian securities laws.

This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of Silvercorp or OreCorp's forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements about the future and are inherently uncertain, and actual achievements 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 Silvercorp's Annual Information Form under the heading "Risk Factors". Although Silvercorp and OreCorp have 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. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is made by either Silvercorp or OreCorp that any forward-looking statement will be achieved or proved to be correct.

The forward-looking statements are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management as of the date of this announcement, and other than as required by applicable securities laws, neither Silvercorp nor OreCorp assumes 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. For the reasons set forth above, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional information related to Silvercorp, including Silvercorp's Annual Information Form, can be obtained under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.com, on EDGAR at www.sec.gov, and on the Silvercorp website at www.silvercorpmetals.com.

Additional information related to OreCorp can be obtained under the Company's profile on ASX at www.asx.com.au and on OreCorp's website at www.orecorp.com.au.

Cautionary Note to United States Investors

Silvercorp's reserve and resource estimates have been prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators that establishes standards for public disclosure by a Canadian company of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. OreCorp's resource estimates have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Joint Ore Reserves Committee of The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Australian Institute of Geoscientists and Minerals Council of Australia.

Australian standards and Canadian standards each differ significantly from the disclosure requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission under subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K, and mineral reserve and resource estimates disclosed by Silvercorp and OreCorp may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by U.S. companies.

SOURCE Silvercorp Metals Inc
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a flying cake!

DUBAI, UAE, Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On 20th December, Skydive Dubai, owned by Shamal Holding, celebrated its 13th anniversary with a one-of-a-kind BASE jump featuring a record-holding skydiver jumping out of an inflatable cake lifted by balloons, at the Dubai Dropzone.

This unique project, born from a simple idea, evolved over six months of implementation, from designing the inflatable cake to engineering its compatibility with the balloons and making the jump possible.

Skydive Dubai celebrated its 13th Anniversary with a unique BASE jump Skydive Dubai celebrated its 13th Anniversary with a unique BASE jump

The extensive effort was a testament to Skydive Dubai's passion for innovation. Collaborating with numerous partners, the journey was a true labor of passion, demonstrating the dedication that Skydive Dubai brings to every project.

For more than 13 years, Skydive Dubai has stood as a must-visit destination and a thrilling experience for skydiving enthusiasts, tourists, and residents alike. It holds the distinction of being the preferred choice in the UAE for those seeking an adrenaline-fueled tandem skydive.

Mohammad Javad, Vice President of Shamal Leisure, Shamal Holding, said: "Skydive Dubai has always endeavoured to proudly represent Dubai and the UAE on the global stage. It is recognised for always setting the standard in the sport worldwide. We were thrilled to witness and celebrate this remarkable birthday jump, which not only showcased the team's dedication and innovation but also contributed to Skydive Dubai's continuous efforts to elevate the sport and captivate skydivers for many more years to come."

If you'd like to join in Skydive Dubai's anniversary celebrations, make sure to visit its Dubai Dropzone between 24  31 December. Learn more at this link.

About Skydive Dubai

Skydive Dubai is the world's most sought-after skydiving experience. We are the place skydiving experts, enthusiasts and first-timers come to see the world from a different perspective.

As the most accessible and convenient place to skydive up to 13,000 feet at 120 miles per hour, our Dubai Dopzone at Dubai Harbour, provides a premium tandem skydiving experience in the heart of the city, set against an iconic bird's eye view.

Our Desert Campus located just outside Dubai on the Dubai-Al Ain Road (E66) serves as one of the world's largest skydiving centres of excellence where professionals, instructors and students come to hone their skills, using the latest training techniques and equipment to explore everything the sport has to offer.

Regulated by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Skydive Dubai's team of international champion instructors, experienced pilots and specialist operations crews work to the highest levels of professionalism in the pursuit of excellence in aerial sports.

As the standard-setting skydiving experience, we are inspired by our roots proudly representing Dubai on the global stage as a reflection of the city's spirit, optimism and attitude, playing our role in raising the profile, popularity and professionalism of the sport of skydiving around the world.

For more information, please visitwww.skydivedubai.ae

Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2307310/Skydive_Dubai_1.mp4

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2307311/Skydive_Dubai_2.jpg

SOURCE Skydive Dubai
Forging International Partnerships and attracting valuable Foreign Direct Investment into Texas

FRISCO, Texas, Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Texas Economic Development Connection (#TexasEDConnection), powered by Day One Experts, proudly announces the completion of a groundbreaking Japan-Taiwan Economic Development Trade Mission, showcasing the strength and versatility of Texas as a global business destination. The mission, driven to forge robust international partnerships, facilitate trade expansion, and encourage foreign direct investment in Texas, marks a significant stride in international economic relations.

TexasEDConnection gets an enthusiastic all thumbs up for Texas presentations at the Grand Hyatt Taipei in Taiwan The TexasEDConnection Team stays busy during their 12 day Japan and Taiwan economic development trade mission including a trip to Yamaha head quarters in Iwata, Japan.

Prominent figures Leading the mission included Super Dave Quinn, CEcD, founder of Day One Experts, and Carole Tam, CCIM, owner of TAC Brokerage & Consulting. Their expertise and vision have been instrumental in guiding this initiative towards success. The mission also included participation from dynamic Texas communities and #TexasEDConnection partners, including Lisa Denton, Executive Director of Kilgore EDC, Rush Harris, Executive Director of Marshall EDC, and staff from Fairview EDC and Melissa IEDC, all of whom demonstrated the diverse economic opportunities available across the state.

"Leading the Japan-Taiwan Economic Development Trade Mission has been an immensely rewarding experience, both personally and professionally. I'm deeply grateful for this opportunity to represent the Texas Economic Development Connection partners on the global stage and am optimistic about the future collaborations and successes that will undoubtedly stem from this initiative. We are open for business, and ready to welcome the world with open arms." Super Dave Quinn, CEcD

The mission was also generously sponsored by the Sulphur Springs Hopkins County EDC and Schulz Trade Law, underscoring the commitment of Texas entities in fostering an environment conducive to global business growth and development.

Throughout the mission, delegates engaged in high-level discussions and networking sessions with key stakeholders in Japan and Taiwan. These interactions have paved the way for future collaborations, trade agreements, and investment opportunities. The delegation showcased Texas' robust infrastructure, business-friendly climate, and diverse workforce, positioning the state as an ideal location for international companies looking to expand or establish new operations.

For all the #TexasEDConnection partners including corporate real estate professionals, Texas economic developers, and service-based business owners assisting foreign companies in starting operations in Texas, this trade mission is a testament to the organizations commitment to market the state's readiness and capability to support international business endeavors.

The #TexasEDConnection continues to spearhead efforts to enhance Texas' global economic standing, focusing on creating sustainable and mutually beneficial international relationships. This trade mission is just one of the many initiatives undertaken to fulfill this mission.

For more information about the Japan-Taiwan Economic Development Trade Mission or investment and partnership opportunities in Texas, please contact the Texas Economic Development Connection at www.TexasEDConnection.com.

**About Texas Economic Development Connection**

The Texas Economic Development Connection is dedicated to promoting and facilitating business growth and success in Texas. As a pivotal network for economic development, #TexasEDConnection connects communities, businesses, and investors, fostering an environment where businesses can thrive and contribute to the state's vibrant economy.

Media Contact:

Jane Witowich

2147750617

[email protected]

SOURCE Day One Experts
Pro Bono Legal Group Represented IDF Veteran and Television Personality, who was Called a "Terrorist" and "Killer"

TORONTO, Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lawfare Project (LP) is proud to announce a significant victory in a defamation lawsuit advanced by its client, Shai DeLuca, against Foodbenders and its proprietor, Kimberly Hawkins. LP was joined by attorneys David Elmaleh and Aaron Rosenberg of RE-LAW LLP in Toronto in this action before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.

In this groundbreaking case, Mr. DeLuca, a television personality and proud veteran of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), filed suit after he was maliciously called a "terrorist" and a "killer" for the sole reason that he proudly served in the IDF.

The victory underscores that there will be legal repercussions for those who defame Jewish people Post this

"The victory underscores that there will be legal repercussions for those who defame Jewish people, under the guise of 'Palestinian advocacy,'" said Brooke Goldstein, founder and Executive Director of The Lawfare Project. "We are proud to have facilitated the legal representation of Shai DeLuca, who bravely stood up against bigotry and hatred, and who won a significant victory in court against Jew-hatred. The defendant in this case spread an intentional and vicious blood libel against the Jewish state, and against Mr. DeLuca because he is Jewish. With our legal victory we have set an important precedent in Canada that such falsities have no place in our democracy, and anyone who likewise disseminates Jew-hatred will be held accountable."

Following over three years of high-conflict litigation in Toronto, and after a full, contested trial, the Court released a detailed decision on December 22, 2023, ruling that Foodbenders maliciously and unfairly defamed Mr. DeLuca without justification. Notwithstanding that certain Instagram posts were up for no more than 24 hours, the Court ordered the Defendants to pay $75,000 in general and aggravated damages and $10,000 in punitive damages, and also granted a permanent injunction.

As the trial judge aptly put it in awarding punitive damages, "These kinds of statements not only affect people's reputations, but they also contribute to prejudice, antisemitism and intolerance and have the potential to incite violence."

David Elmaleh, lead counsel on behalf of Mr. DeLuca, said, "The men and women in the IDF devote some of the best years of their lives to defending the democratic Jewish State of Israel and protecting Her citizens  often under dangerous and life-threatening circumstances. It is imperative that their reputations are protected when they enter the workforce, particularly internationally. We will continue to advocate strongly on behalf of Israelis, Jews, Zionists and IDF soldiers. We are fighting a global war for our values, our people and our homeland and we will win."

ABOUT THE LAWFARE PROJECT:

The Lawfare Project (LP) is the world's leading organization dedicated to protecting the civil and human rights of Jewish people worldwide through legal action.

SOURCE The Lawfare Project
SHENZHEN, China, Dec. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In a bold move that cements its position as a leader in the vaping industry, Yocan proudly unveils its final product of 2023  Yocan Cylo. This innovative release transforms the vaping landscape by seamlessly integrating advanced heating technology with an intuitive user-friendly design. Yocan's latest endeavor positions Cylo as the new flagship in the dynamic world of vaping.

Key Features of Yocan Cylo:

Yocan Cylo

1. Dazzling Rainbow-Breathing LED:

Cylo features a captivating rainbow-breathing LED, allowing users to express their personality and add a touch of radiance to every puff. Users can customize their LED style from dynamic to lyric, normal, or opt to turn it off.

2. Animated Display Screen:

Enhancing user interaction, Cylo boasts an animated color display screen that provides real-time insights into the vaping process. Voltage control, paired with cut-off time control, ensures a precise and satisfying vaping experience.

3. Ergonomic Design and Long-Lasting Power:

With an ergonomic metal exterior, magnetic mouthpiece, and a robust 1300 mAh battery, Cylo elevates vaping pleasure by offering unparalleled comfort and extended usage.

4. Innovative Heating Technology - C4-DE Plus Coil:

Cylo incorporates the latest C4-DE Plus (Ceramic & DE Coil) heating technology, unlocking unparalleled flavor quality. Its exceptional heat retention capabilities guarantee extended sessions for a maximized vaping experience.

5. Clashing Color Options:

Embracing new design aesthetics, Cylo is available in six vibrant colors, including White-Black, Blue-Red, Red-Gold, Green-Purple, White, and Black.

For more details about the Yocan Cylo device, please visit: https://www.yocan.com/featured_item/cylo

About Yocan Tech:

Yocan Tech is a leading manufacturer in the vaping industry, renowned for its exclusive vape technologies. Recognized for high-quality, sleek design, and exceptional vapor production, Yocan aims to elevate not only the act of vaping but also lifestyles and perspectives. Each device undergoes meticulous screening by our professional team to ensure a superior vaping experience. Stay tuned for Yocan's continuous innovation and the release of exciting new products in the near future.

Follow Yocan Tech:

Website: https://www.yocan.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Yocantech

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yocantech/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/Yocantechnology

SOURCE Yocan Tech
Bareilly, Dec 26 : A 24-year-old woman succumbed to her injuries on Monday after she was allegedly set ablaze by her in-laws for dowry in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district.

The woman's husband has been arrested in connection with the case, an officer said.

Bareilly Superintendent of Police (City) Rahul Bhati said four people, including the victim's husband, have been booked in the case, so far.

According to the complaint lodged by the victim's father Dinesh Kumar, his daughter, Akansha, was repeatedly harassed and assaulted by her husband Ashok and his family members for dowry.

Akansha had married Ashok in November 2019.

"On Sunday, her mother-in-law Shanti, brother-in-law Pradeep and sister-in-law Geeta set her afire and fled after admitting her to a private hospital, where she died during treatment," the police officer said.
Ukraine to fulfill EU's additional requirements for membership talks: Official. Image Source: IANS News

Kiev, Dec 26 : Ukrainian military spokesman Oleksandr Shtupun has reportedly denied the reports that Russian forces have gained full control of the town of Maryinka in the eastern Donetsk region.

"Battles for Maryinka continue ... It is incorrect to talk about the complete capture of Maryinka," Shtupun, the spokesperson for Ukraine's Tavria Defense Forces, was quoted as saying by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

Currently, the Ukrainian military troops remain within the administrative boundaries of Maryinka, but the city has been completely destroyed, the spokesman said.

Earlier in the day, Russian media reported that Russian forces had gained full control of Maryinka.

Maryinka, a small town with a pre-conflict population of about 9,500 people, lies about 30 km southwest of Donetsk.
Moscow, Dec 26 : Russian President Vladimir Putin attended a flag-raising ceremony for three new warships that are set to join the country's navy, the Kremlin has reported.

The Admiral Golovko frigate will join Russia's Northern Fleet, while the Naro-Fominsk small-rocket ship and the Lev Chernavin minesweeper will serve in the country's Baltic Fleet, the Russian leader said on Monday during the ceremony he attended at the Severnaya Verf shipyard in St. Petersburg, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The commissioning of the newest ships into the fleet demonstrates that the shipbuilding industry is thriving," the President said, adding that it is now engaged in successful mass production of different classes of warships.

The Admiral Golovko, a serial-produced frigate, is armed with Kalibr cruise missiles and was created with some of the most advanced technologies, the Russian president noted.

The Naro-Fominsk small rocket ship, which the president called as one of the most successful projects of its class, is able to carry out strikes with long-range cruise missiles. He said the Lev Chernavin was a modern minesweeper with a unique hull.

"We will undoubtedly implement all our plans for the construction of ships and qualitatively strengthen Russia's naval power in all strategic directions," Putin added.
Jerusalem, Dec 26 : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured the northern Gaza Strip and vowed to continue the fight, his office has said.

Netanyahu on Monday visited the Palestinian enclave, where an ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has raged, together with Deputy Chief of Staff Major General Amir Baram, the Prime Minister's office was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying.

"We don't stop. The war continues to the end until we finish them, nothing less," Netanyahu told Israeli soldiers.

Meanwhile, at least two soldiers were killed on Monday in battles in Gaza, said the Israeli military, bringing the total death toll of Israeli soldiers since the outbreak of the conflict to 156.

Since the army began its offensive in response to Hamas' surprise attack on October 7, in which about 1,200 Israelis were killed and 240 hostages were taken, large parts of Gaza have been devastated and most of its 2.3 million population have been displaced.

At least 20,674 Palestinians were killed and 54,536 others wounded in the enclave, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry on Monday.
Gaza, Dec 26 : Hamas has denied that it had rejected an Egyptian proposal to end the conflict in Gaza and exchange prisoners with Israel as reported by some media outlets.

Ezat al-Rashq, a member of Hamas' Political Bureau, said in a statement on Monday that the group "confirmed that there are no negotiations except with a comprehensive cessation of the Israeli aggression", Xinhua news agency reported.

Rashq added Hamas' leadership "is vigorously seeking to halt the aggression and killing against our people entirely, not temporarily".

"Our people want the aggression to stop, not temporary truces or partial calm followed by continued aggression," he said.

On Monday, a media outlet, citing two Egyptian security sources, reported that "Hamas and the allied Islamic Jihad have rejected an Egyptian proposal that they relinquish power in the Gaza Strip in return for a permanent ceasefire."
Prayagraj, Dec 26 : The Uttar Pradesh forest department will create a new range for the tortoise sanctuary, which will come on the banks of Ganga in the Kothari village of Uruva area in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj.

A proposal for the same has been prepared and sent to the government following which a team of officials and other supporting staff would be deployed at the sanctuary for its development," said district forest officer (DFO), Mahavir Kaujalgi.

The new proposed forest range office will be built on the banks of Ganga in the village.

Apart from one ranger, eight forest inspectors, 16 constables, 12 other staff will also be deployed for the sanctuary.

Earlier, a Gazette notification was issued for the sanctuary covering 30 km of the catchment area of river Ganga and surrounding coastal areas spreading in 76 villages of Prayagraj, Mirzapur and Bhadohi. The sanctuary was located in Varanasi and after being shifted to a new location, tortoises were released in this sanctuary.

During the last one year, about 6,000 turtles, big and small, have been released in the sanctuary. Besides, the area is also known for conserving Dolphins too.

A team of scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India (WWI) visited this sanctuary last week and they have suggested establishing six security posts and 15 watch towers on the banks of the tortoise sanctuary.

One of the senior scientists of the WWI team, S.K. Gupta, had also suggested the protection of turtle eggs in the sanctuary. Actually, turtles lay eggs outside the water on the banks of the river. In such a situation, their protection is a serious matter. Those places have been identified and the forest department is also preparing a security blueprint for special monitoring of these eggs, which is a vital component in increasing the population of turtles in the sanctuary and in river Ganga.
Kannauj, Dec 26 : Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Kannauj, Subrat Pathak, has urged Champat Rai, the international vice-president of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, not to invite Samajwadi Party leaders for the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

"I just request the Shri Ram Mandir Trust to invite every Sanatani, irrespective of party, in the Shri Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha programme but not the SP, the killers of Ram devotees," he said.

"This is a matter of pride for our country but we also know that some political parties did not want the Ram Temple to be built, especially the Samajwadi Party.

"You must remember how the Samajwadi Party had brutally killed Ram devotees by firing at them, for which they have not apologized till date. I just request Shri Ram Mandir Trust to call every Sanatani, irrespective of political party, but not the Samajwadi Party," Pathak said.
Prayagraj : , Dec 26 (IANS) Planning for cities in Uttar Pradesh to be developed under River Cities Alliance (RCA) -- a joint initiative of the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) -- has begun.

In the first phase, on the orders of the Union Jal Shakti Ministry, a blueprint for development along the banks of Gomti in Ayodhya, Ganga in Kanpur and Ramganga in Moradabad has been prepared.

Further, it will be done for other cities including Prayagraj.

Bithoor is being developed on the banks of Ganga in Kanpur.

Preparation of an Urban River Management Plan to develop Prayagraj and other cities on the banks of rivers is also underway.

In a recent workshop on water management with experts from the Netherlands, central officials gave information about forming the RCA in the state.

Jal Nigam executive engineer Surendra Singh Parmar said that under River City Alliance, the aim is to clean the river, develop river banks, develop river front along with some such development which will improve the economic condition.

In connection with the River City Alliance, development work has started here also on the banks of Ganga-Yamuna.

Green belt will be developed along the banks of river Ganga, with the help of an expert or professional agency which will prepare an urban river management plan.

Development work on the banks of Ganga in the city will be visible during Maha Kumbh.

Meanwhile, experts from the Netherlands have suggested that there is no shortage of water in the city but crores of litres of water is being wasted here every day in different ways which has to be stopped.

The experts said that the situation in Prayagraj could become grim if wastage of water is not stopped.

--IANS

amita/dan
Toronto, Dec 26 : Three Indo-Canadians have been taken into custody after police seized fake licence plates made out of cardboard affixed to a vehicle being used by the suspects, and a small quantity of drugs.

Lovepreet Singh (33), Prabhpreet Singh (28), and Rajwinder Mangat (37), from Ontario province are facing a total of eight charges, including obstructing a peace officer, CP24 news channel reported.

Police said they responded to the Monarch Drive business at around 2:25 pm last week after receiving reports that a group of suspects in a number of recent thefts were seen filling a shopping cart with electronic devices.

According to the Ontario Provincial Police, once officers arrived at the business, the suspects opted to leave the premises without the goods.

But they subsequently spoke to the suspects and commenced an investigation, the news channel reported.

During the investigation, officers discovered that the licence plate displayed on their vehicle was made out of cardboard "highlighting the arts and craft skills utilised to try and avoid detection", the police said.

Police say that while the plate numbers adorning the cardboard were not linked to the vehicle at the scene, they were a match for a vehicle with the same make, model and colour.

Police ultimately took all three suspects into custody, seizing the fake plates and a small quantity of cocaine and methamphetamine.
Beijing, Dec 26 : The Feodosia region of Crimea has been attacked, resulting in the blockade of the port area.

The explosions have stopped, the fire is under control and all specialized teams are on-site. Residents of several buildings will be evacuated, Xinhua News Agency reported.

--IANS

int/dan
Tel Aviv, Dec 26 : Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has said that Israel will pay a heavy price for killing Brig Gen Razi Mousavi of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in an airstrike in Syria.

"Without a doubt, this action is another sign of frustration, helplessness, and incapacity of the usurping Zionist regime in the region," the Iranian President said, in a press statement.

Brig Gen Mousavi was killed in an airstrike in Sayeda Zeinab area near Damascus, the capital of Syria.

Mousavi -- a high ranking officer in IRGC -- was coordinating Iran's military operations in Syria.

Israel has alleged that Brig Gen Mousavi was responsible for coordinating the supply of arms and materials to Hezbollah. However, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari -- during a press conference -- did not comment on the killing of Mousavi.

Israelis allege that Iran and its IRGC is supporting Hamas and Hezbollah who work in coordination for attacking Israel.

Meanwhile, Iran Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in a social media post, "Tel Aviv faces a tough countdown."
Seoul, Dec 26 : South Korea will tighten export controls against Russia and Belarus by significantly expanding its list of items subject to export restrictions, including excavators, batteries and larger vehicles, in response to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, officials said on Tuesday.

Under the revision to the regulations on trading strategic items, South Korea added 682 more items regarding heavy construction equipment, rechargeable batteries, aircraft components, machinery and other things to the list of items that are banned from shipping to Russia and Belarus, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The new regulation will raise the total number of items on the list to 1,159 from the current 798 items, Yonhap news agency reported.

The revision is expected to take effect in early 2024 following due administrative procedures and the government's issuance of guidelines for exporters.

The Ministry said it will make a case-by-case review of "exceptional cases" for shipments to the two nations.

The move came as chances are high for those items to be used for military purposes, though they are not classified as strategic items under South Korea's export control scheme.
Seoul, Dec 26 : South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol called on Tuesday for approaching the issue of the country's surprisingly declining birthrate from a fundamentally different perspective, emphasising the need to identify its causes and find effective solutions.

Yoon made the remark during a Cabinet meeting as South Korea's fertility rate, already the world's lowest, experienced another decline in the latest setback to the government's efforts to boost its declining population, Yonhap news agency reported.

According to the statistics agency, the fertility rate reached a record quarterly low of 0.7 in the third quarter of 2023. The rate is significantly below the replacement level of 2.1, which is necessary to maintain the population stability at 51 million.

"The issue of low birthrates requires us to take the situation more seriously and contemplate on the causes and solutions from a different dimension than before," the President said.

Yoon pointed out that experts attribute the declining birthrate to intense competition, particularly in areas such as education, and stressed that efforts should be concentrated on addressing and rectifying such problems.

"Time is running short. I hope that every government agency approaches the issue of low birthrates with extraordinary determination," he said.

Additionally, Yoon reiterated his commitment to completing three crucial reforms in the national pension, labour and education sectors, emphasising their significance in elevating the country's growth potential.

The President also called on each government agency to promptly execute next year's government budget, passed by Parliament last week, to support people's livelihoods.

"The confirmed budget aligns with the government's sound fiscal principles," Yoon said.
Seoul, Dec 26 : South Korea and the US have agreed to make efforts to expand the participation of South Korean companies in the maintenance of US military equipment in the Indo-Pacific region, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.

The two sides discussed such efforts during logistics policy talks in San Diego last Wednesday, attended by Lee Gap-su, head of the Ministry's logistics management bureau, and Christopher J. Lowman, US assistant secretary of defence for sustainment.

During the talks, the two sides shared the need to expand the use of logistics capabilities of US allies in the Indo-Pacific region, citing changes in the security environment, supply chain uncertainties and increasing regional conflicts, the Ministry added.

It said the US military will be able to reduce maintenance time if they receive maintenance in South Korea, noting that it would also minimise gaps in the operation of combined South Korea-US assets, Yonhap news agency reported.

South Korean defence companies also took part in the talks, including LIG Nex1, Hanwha and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, according to the Ministry.

The talks took place on the sidelines of a maintenance symposium hosted by the Pentagon in San Diego from December 19 to 22.
New Delhi, Dec 26 : Considering the recent spate of attacks in the Arabian sea, Indian Navy has deployed Guided Missile Destroyers INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata (Guided Missile Destroyers) in various areas to maintain a deterrent presence.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that long-range maritime reconnaissance P8I aircraft are also being regularly tasked to maintain domain awareness.

Meanwhile, 'MV Chem Pluto' (Liberian Flag Chemical/Oil Tanker) carrying 21 Indian and one Vietnamese crew, earlier reported as attacked by a suspected drone on December 23, reached Mumbai and anchored safely at the Outer Anchorage, officials said.

The MoS said that on its arrival, the Indian Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal team inspected the vessel to make a preliminary assessment of the type and nature of attack.

Analysis of the area of attack and debris found on the ship points towards a drone attack. However, further forensic and technical analysis will be required to establish the vector of attack, including type and amount of explosive used, officials added.

A joint investigation by various agencies has commenced on completion of the analysis by the Navy's Explosive Ordnance Team.

MV Chem Pluto has been cleared for further operation by its company-in-charge at Mumbai, officials added.

The MoD said that this ship is scheduled to undergo mandatory checks by the various inspecting authorities before undertaking Ship to Ship (STS) transfer of cargo. This is likely to be followed by docking and repairs of the damaged portion of MV Chem Pluto.

Western Naval Command's Maritime Operations Centre is actively monitoring the situation in close coordination with Coast Guard and all concerned agencies, officials added.
Guwahati, Dec 26 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has issued a stern warning to those involved in land-grabbing racket in the state, and said that even the BJP leaders will not be spared if they are found to be a part of it.

Earlier, the Guwahati Commissioner of Police, Diganta Barah said that a well-organised land-grabbing racket was found to be operating in Guwahati. The land mafias have been preparing forged documents probably with the help of government and police officials. A few advocates may also be involved in the nexus, he said.

At least three persons were arrested in Guwahati in the previous week for their alleged involvement in land grabbing incidents.

BJP OBC morcha leader identified as Pankaj Das was also found to be involved in a land grabbing case. He was later removed from the party post.

The Chief Minister told reporters here on Monday, "The land-mafias can not be classified as BJP or Congressmen. They are culprits. Nobody will be spared whether he belongs to the BJP or Congress party."

He claimed that due to police action, a section of land mafias has already vacated lands they occupied through illegal means. The actual owners of the land also got back their properties.

"The District Commissioners and police have been working to bust the entire nexus," Sarma mentioned.
Kanpur, Dec 26 : A Muslim woman in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur was harassed and humiliated by her family and community for wearing a saffron stole over her naqab (veil).

The woman, who had visited the police commissioner's office with a saffron 'dupatta' covering her headscarf, told reporters, "I had gone to meet the Chief Minister with concerns about harassment and property conflict. However, many people told me that I am now a Hindu and hence, as per Sharia, I am not eligible for any assistance."

The victim, from the Moolganj area, informed the chief minister about her predicament on December 23 while wearing the saffron dupatta. She said that her brothers wanted to evict her from the house due to a property dispute.

She had reported the matter to the authorities in 2022. She then visited Yogi Adityanath, after which the police intervened. The photograph of the meeting with the chief minister went viral, creating problems for her.

Her brothers stopped giving her food, took all her belongings, including sweaters and blankets, and left her to fend for herself in the winter with just her dupatta.

She said that she was mocked for wearing the stole.

Her brothers threw her out of the house after assaulting her, and she is currently living with her mother. Additionally, everything their father left behind, including the property, cash, and jewellery, was transferred into their names by her brothers.

The city cleric Abdul Quddus Haji initially promised to help her. However, when she visited him, he claimed that she had converted to Hinduism after meeting with the chief minister in saffron.

He ordered her to leave the place, hurling abuses at her and shooing her away when she pleaded for help to survive.

Furthermore, the meagre assistance from her brothers was also discontinued. She was supposed to receive Rs 3,000 and Rs 2,000 from her two brothers, respectively, along with the fulfillment of her basic requirements like food and clothes.

Following the incident, she complained to Jamiat Ulema-e-Hindas national president Arshad Madani and protested about the same, but he brushed her off, alleging that the city clergy would take care of this since it was a local problem.

The woman submitted a report to the police commissioneras staff officer Ashok Kumar Singh, who said "The woman and her brothers are already at odds. She has complained about it many times. The police have registered an FIR and taken action."

Meanwhile, the cleric has alleged that the accusations against him are false. "How can I even think of stopping her from going to meet the chief minister," he asked.
Lucknow, Dec 26 : Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Swami Prasad Maurya has once again landed in controversy over his comment on Hinduism.

Maurya, while addressing the Bahujan Samaj Rights Conference at Jantar Mantar, had called the Hindu religion a deception on Monday.

He said, "Hindu ek dhokha hai (Hindu religion is a kind of deception). RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has said twice that there is no religion called Hinduism but instead, it is a way of living. Prime Minister Modi has also said that there is no Hindu religion. Sentiments do not get hurt when these people make such statements but if Swami Prasad Maurya says the same, it causes unrest."

Following Maurya's remarks, Akhilesh Yadav advised that there should be no comment on religion and caste.

Addressing the representatives of Kannauj's Prabuddha Samaj and Maha Brahmin Samaj Panchayat at the party's state headquarters in Lucknow, Akhilesh Yadav advised that leaders should avoid making comments on religion and caste.

Some party workers had objected to the statements of Swami Maurya without taking his name. When the issue was raised in the Panchayat, Akhilesh agreed that this thing should be curbed at any cost.

Earlier, several Brahmin leaders of the party had complained to Akhilesh over statements made by Maurya.

Maurya, a prominent OBC leader in Uttar Pradesh, had kicked up a controversy earlier this year by alleging that certain verses of the Ramcharitmanas were an "insult" to a large section of society on the basis of caste and demanded that these be "banned."

Maurya, who was a Cabinet Minister in the BJP Government, had resigned and joined the Samajwadi Party before the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.
Lucknow, Dec 26 : Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) President Mayawati is likely to start touring Uttar Pradesh from next month to take stock of the preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand are the two states which Mayawati will oversee herself while in other states the party has either appointed in charges and coordinators or is in the process of doing so.

By touring the state, she hopes to get direct feedback from the party workers at the ground level.

"It will help the party chalk out a strategy for the upcoming general elections and also decide candidates for the elections. This may be a major shift in her electoral strategy from the previous two elections in UP -- the 2022 Assembly elections and the 2023 urban local body polls -- where she did not campaign much. The party fared poorly in both the elections," said a party functionary.

He said that Mayawati had got an 'overwhelming' response in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana, where she held 20-odd rallies.

The four states faced Assembly elections recently and Mayawati was at the helm of her party's campaign. Her presence, said sources, motivated the cadre.

"In UP, people in the party want to meet Behenji and receive guidance from her," said sources.

In several party meetings that Mayawati has held of late, she has anticipated early Lok Sabha elections and asked partymen to be prepared for it.

As she tours the state, she will seek direct feedback from the partymen at the ground level.

Of late, there has been a growing discontent in the party over Mayawati being 'cut off' from the ground level workers and coordinators functioning as conduits between her and others in the party.

One of the biggest challenges that the party is facing in Uttar Pradesh is to not only win enough seats to be in the reckoning but also retain the ones that it has. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the party had won 10 seats of the 38 it contested in alliance with the Samajwadi Party.

In 2014, it drew a blank. In 2009, it had won 20 seats in UP.

The upcoming Lok Sabha elections will also be crucial for the BSP in the sense that it had registered its worst ever performance in UP in 2022 Assembly elections, winning only one seat and polling 12.8 per cent votes.
Shimla, Dec 26 : "Climate change and the resultant warm winters have been seriously impacting our apple crop's productivity and quality. Over the last two to three decades, production has gradually come down by about 30 per cent. The lifespan of traditional varieties of apple (Mollies, Gala, Anna and Golden) trees has reduced," said Chatter Singh Kalet (64), an orchardist from Madavag in Chopal sub-division of Shimla district, while listing out the problems inflicting the Rs 6,000-crore apple economy of Himachal Pradesh.

Himachal Pradesh Sanyukta Kisan Manch co-convener Sanjay Chauhan (56) told 101Reporters that more than four lakh families are associated with apple farming, contributing around 13 per cent to the GDP of the hill state.

"However, less or no snowfall between December and February and untimely rains and hailstorms during the flowering or fruit-setting period from March to June have triggered a fall in production."

Sujat Chauhan (43), an apple grower from Theog, said less snowfall this year means apple trees will not get the required chilling hours.

"This hurts us more as we will have to shell out extra bucks to buy pesticides to reduce the impact of ecosystem imbalance in the form of pest attacks and diseases."

"Around three years ago, a 50-kg bag of fertiliser cost Rs 800 to 1,100. However, the same bag now costs Rs 1,500 to 2,000. This means the price has been increasing by almost 30 per cent year after year. Pesticide prices have soared from Rs 400-500 to Rs 800-900 per drum," Sujat said.

Not just winters, the monsoon season has also left the apple economy in tatters. Persistent and untimely spells of rain and hailstorm from March-April to June have led to widespread losses in Shimla, Mandi, Sirmaur, Kullu, Chamba and Kinnaur districts.

A horticulture development officer, on condition of anonymity, pegged the total number of horticulture farmers affected in Shimla, Kullu and Mandi districts at 59,338.

"The total losses is worth Rs 162 crore, while the total area affected in the rains is 25,237 hectare. The government only grants compensation to farmers who have suffered losses above 33 per cent," he informed.

According to the state government data (June 24 to October 2), apple crops in 808 hectare in Shimla district and 475 hectare in Mandi district were affected by monsoon fury. State Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi told 101Reporters that apple crop suffered extensive damage in heavy rains, thus bringing down the production by half this year as compared to the previous year.

The faceless villain

The highest-ever production figure of 5.11 crore boxes of apples in Himachal Pradesh was registered in 2010, but since then it has never crossed that mark. The lowest production was in 2018 as the state produced only 1.65 crore boxes. From this season onwards, the Himachal Pradesh government has decided that apples will be sold on the basis of kg and not boxes.

Each box carries 20 to 22 kg of apples. However, farmers used to make very little money from the market. The per box system fleeced them as only fixed rates were offered to them. By selling a box of low quality apple at per kg rate this season, a farmer could make Rs 1,200 to 1,400. When the box system was in place, the same box could fetch only Rs 700 to Rs 1,000.

The impacts of climate change on apple production are highlighted in a 2020 study.

"There is an average increase in temperature of about 1.5 degree Celsius till October, whereas, 2-10 per cent reduction in rainfall and 50-100 ppm increase in CO2 concentration have been observed, which reduce the apple yield."

The study noted that climate change led to the shifting of apple belt in hilly regions of Himachal Pradesh to places situated in even higher altitudes such as Kullu, Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti, Sirmaur district's Rajgarh area, Shimla district's Theog and Kotkhai and some areas in Solan district. It also highlighted that the population of pollinators such as honeybees and butterflies has declined due to high temperatures at higher hills, thus impacting apple production.

It said in Himachal Pradesh, there is a loss in yield by 40 to 50 per cent due to increased temperature and reduced chilling hours. Chilling period/requirement is the minimum period of cold weather required to resume normal spring growth of an apple tree following the winter period.

"In apples, there is a decrease in yield due to water shortage (80 per cent) and evaporation rate (20 per cent) leading to a reduction in chilling hours. This causes shifting of apple belts towards higher hills of Himachal Pradesh as most cultivators require 1,000 to 1,600 chilling hours at or below seven degree Celsius," the study detailed.

At lower elevations, apple cultivation has been affected and large areas have been deemed unfit for the crop. Climate change has also affected the quality of the fruits as too much heat messes up with its colour.

A 2011 study on the impact of climate change on apple crop in Himachal stressed that daily temperatures of 70AF and higher for four or more hours received by the tree during the previous 24 to 36 hours can actually negate chilling.

"Apple and stone fruit trees develop their vegetative and fruiting buds in the summer and as winter approaches, the already developed buds go dormant in response to both shorter day lengths and cooler temperatures," said the study.

The buds remain dormant until they have accumulated sufficient chilling units of cold weather. If the buds do not receive sufficient chilling temperatures, trees will develop delayed foliation, reduced fruit set, increased buttoning and reduced fruit quality.

"We have almost reached the threshold of the climate change situation this year. The change in temperatures from February to June period calls for a rejuvenation plan for orchards by providing new planting material or subsidies to shift to high-density cropping," Sanjay said.

Sujat said persistent rains at the time of flowering caused a drop in temperatures while the trees at that time required sunny weather with 15 degree Celsius or higher temperature.

"This badly affected pollination and fruit-setting, resulting in apple production falling by 40 to 50 per cent this year."

Rising pest attacks

Warmer winters are also leading to various diseases in apple trees. Sujat said farmers were witnessing higher incidences of Scab, Alternaria (leaf and fruit) and even mite attacks now than in the past.

Echoing such concerns, S.K. Bhardwaj, Head of Environment Science Department, YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry at Nauni in Solan district, told 101Reporters that the lack of favourable weather conditions calls for crop diversification.

"Farmers should also focus on pulses, vegetables or livestock farming, while going for high-density apple varieties that can withstand climatic challenges," he said.

Livestock rearing, and cultivation of pulses, fruits and vegetables can supplement the income of orchardists as they can deal with the adverse weather conditions better. Further, these can be managed by farmers themselves unlike in the case of apple where labourers need to be employed for the upkeep of orchards.

The situation in Himachal Pradesh, popularly known as the 'Fruit Bowl of India', is a wake-up call for the government, agri-horticulture universities and farmers to gear up to deal with climatic challenges. Horticulture Minister Negi said the department was urging farmers to go for high-density apple cultivation through new rootstock varieties to sustain challenges posed by global warming. He also exhorted farmers to join Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme to cover their losses in case of adverse weather conditions.

Royal Delicious, Red Delicious, Richared, Golden Delicious, Red Golden, Red Chief, Vance, Oregon Spur and Super Chief are among the high-density apple varieties. Against the 250 to 300 apple trees that can be accommodated in a plot measuring one hectare, 2,000 to 3,000 high-density trees can be grown in the same plot. These varieties give higher yields than traditional varieties, though the initial input costs on irrigation systems, plantation and nets are high.

The farmers have been getting their insurance claims, but the process is a bit lengthy and cumbersome for them. Meanwhile, Sandeep Kumar Sharma, a scientist at Meteorological Centre, Shimla, said the long-range forecast for Himachal Pradesh has predicted normal to above-normal precipitation in the ongoing winter season.

(Sanjeev Kumar is a Himachal Pradesh-based freelance journalist and a member of 101Reporters, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters)
Kottayam : , Dec 26 (IANS/101Reporters) From a researcher to an entrepreneur, Jikku Jose has many achievements to her credit. Born and brought up at Kanjirappally in Kottayam district of Kerala, her eco-conscious father fostered her interest in science.

"Though I was not clear about my future goals after class 12, my inclination towards science led me to BSc Biochemistry and MSc Biotechnology at Holy Cross College, Tiruchy," says Jose.

She later joined the same college for work, but her father encouraged her to study more.

"I completed MPhil in Biochemistry from Mother Teresa Women's University, Kodaikanal, and went on to do my PhD in Biotechnology from the Cochin University of Science and Technology, investing four-and-a-half years into the programme."

She worked on Jatropha curcas, also known as biodiesel plant, inducing variations in it through in-vitro propagation and conducting its molecular analysis.

"Surprisingly, my PhD guide Padma Nambisan showed a great inclination towards the environment," she adds.

The heterozygosity of Jatropha curcas leads to variable yields in agricultural settings, potentially impacting investments. Consequently, it becomes necessary to consider clonal propagation for such plants. The objective of her study was to establish a standardised tissue culture protocol for Jatropha curcas and to introduce controlled variation to enhance the development of improved varieties.

Jose became a scientific adviser at a private company in Mumbai in 2014 to learn how academia-industry gap posed impediments to the scientific community.

"The academia-industry gap has far-reaching consequences on knowledge transfer, skill development, research relevance and collaboration. While academia tends to emphasise theoretical knowledge and curiosity-driven research, industry places a premium on practical skills and real-world applications with a market-oriented approach. Academic research often leans towards scholarly publications, occasionally lacking direct industry applicability, whereas businesses are focused on viable commercial solutions," she says.

"Effective collaboration and communication can tackle challenges linked to research scalability. Partnerships, joint projects and internships to align students' skills with industry needs can be of help," she adds.

To address the issue, she formed the Society for Educational and Scientific Research, an NGO, and organised an international conference on biosciences in Kerala. The 2014 conference brought together 150 participants, resulting in valuable exchanges and fruitful outcomes.

Birth of Scire Science

Jose relocated to Dubai in 2015, having accepted a job offer from a private company. In 2016, she was presented with an opportunity to join a plant research project at a UAE university. Regrettably, despite a three-month jobless, legal struggle to resolve contract-related matters, she couldn't take on this role, which was deeply disheartening.

"At the same time, people in India were unaware of the challenges in my life and were urging me to organise the second edition of the conference. I still remember standing on the eighth floor of the apartment where I stayed in Dubai with the 9 a.m. sun shining. Suddenly, the word 'Scire', which means 'to know' in Latin, flashed through my mind. I immediately contacted a friend in India to register a company called 'Scire Science' in my name," she shares.

On returning to India in 2016, Jose began to focus on Scire Science, conducting conferences and training workshops for scientists. She successfully organised the second chapter of the international conference in Bengaluru the same year.

"At the conference, a female researcher presented a solution for biodegradability of diapers through microbes, which was inspired from the discussions held during the last conference," she beams.

Scire Science naturally found its path beyond the conference as people started seeking its services to publish academic books, journals and newsletters. In 2019, Scire Science began to conduct workshops, training and internships, exclusively for research students.

Turning into an entrepreneur

Scire Science opened its own lab at BioNest -- a biotech incubation centre run jointly by the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, and Kerala Startup Mission -- in Kochi in 2018. It successfully developed an energy-efficient equipment prototype to thaw refrigerated reagents in labs, thus saving 70 per cent energy.

"We have made it more cost-effective recently," Jose says, not divulging more as the patent process is on.

When the demand for liquid sanitisers soared in the initial days of Covid-19, BioNest Chief Executive Officer Saji George urged Scire Science to make hand sanitisers to meet the growing market demand. Despite the challenges in obtaining necessary licences while navigating a lockdown, Scire Science launched its Safe Touch Sanitiser in 2020.

On the other hand, the lockdown posed a challenging period for research. Jose and her team were conducting experiments on developing microalgae-based cosmeceuticals and nutraceuticals at that time. She recalls how they found the microalgae dead upon returning to the lab after the lockdown.

Some of these cosmeceuticals and nutraceuticals are now ready for commercialisation, while others are still in different stages of research and development.

"In the current landscape of our research endeavours, microalgae have emerged as a focal point of exploration and innovation," she says.

These diminutive organisms possess a wealth of untapped potential, offering a promising avenue for addressing the pressing global issue of food security. Their intrinsic attributes, including their remarkable capacity for carbon sequestration, nutrient richness and exceptional photosynthetic efficiency, position microalgae as a transformative force in the quest for carbon neutrality and the fulfillment of burgeoning industrial demands in the foreseeable future.

"We encounter a series of formidable challenges that necessitate diligent attention. Among these challenges are the considerable production costs associated with microalgae cultivation, a cautious acceptance within various industries and valid safety concerns regarding their utilisation. Addressing these hurdles will require the concerted and coordinated efforts of professionals across a spectrum of disciplines, all committed to unlocking the full potential of microalgae-based product development," Jose says.

"Our overarching goal is to leverage the versatility of microalgae across an array of applications, particularly in fields such as skincare and nutraceuticals. By doing so, we can circumvent the need to sacrifice conventional plants to extract similar molecules that can be readily sourced from microalgae. This approach underscores our unwavering dedication to sustainable practices that resonate across a diverse range of industries, aligning our efforts with the broader mission of fostering a more environmentally conscious and resilient future," she adds.

An inspiration to others

"After PhD, everyone tells you to enter the teaching profession. But my friend decided to pursue business in her research area. Without any management background, she effortlessly led her business to growth and diversified it as per the market demands. It was possible only because of her clear vision," says Hima Joy, a friend.

In 2019, Jose became a research member of the Indian Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD), New Delhi. Besides, she is a consultant and advisory board member of different companies. She was invited to a panel at the Indian Science Conference in Bengaluru in 2020.

"She is a versatile personality and one among the few doctorates in biofuel in the country. She is not content in just listing her published articles, and tries to translate theoretical science into businessa Unfortunately, very few scientists do that," says IISD Director General Srikanta K. Panigrahi.

Jose is a visiting faculty at St. Joseph College of Communications, Kottayam.

"The college introduced Environmental Studies and Human Rights as a subject in 2017. Since Jose's work majorly focuses on sustainability, we invited her to teach here three days a week. She is instilling a sense of social responsibility in our students, which is what we expect through this subject," says college principal Father Joseph Parackel.

Scire Science was recognised at the national level in 2018, when she received the Outstanding Achievement Award for Business Excellence from All India Achievers Forum.

Moreover, she has authored academic book chapters. She served as the chairperson of scientific sessions and was a speaker for various academic and non-academic programmes. She was a panellist of the Women's Science Congress during the Indian Science Congress, 2020.

Additionally, she served as a supervisor for a post-doctoral fellow, guiding the researcher on nutraceutical product development from microalgae. Although Jose may consider herself an accidental entrepreneur, she firmly believes that her vision to serve the society and environment has guided her path.

(The article is written by a member of 101Reporters, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters)
Lucknow, Dec 26 : The Uttar Pradesh State Institute of Forensic Sciences (UPSIFS) is preparing a forensic application for investigators and police officers which will help them to scientifically gather evidence in criminal incidents.

Often, in criminal incidents, lack of a scientific method to gather evidence causes difficulties in convicting the criminal.

In fact, in many cases, the criminal is acquitted due to a lack of evidence.

"Through this app, investigators will collect evidence scientifically and present it in court so that the criminal can be given the punishment they deserve," said an official.

Moreover, this app will provide complete information on what a police officer needs to do at the forensic level after a criminal incident. Additionally, the app will secure the evidence promptly to prevent any tampering.

The purpose of the app is to promote the practice of gathering evidence in criminal cases using scientific methods.

UPSIFS Director ADG GK Goswami said that through the app, top officers will also be able to view all the details related to the criminal incident with just one click and they can provide necessary guidance to the investigators involved in the case.

The app is being designed to be user-friendly for investigators so that they face no difficulties in gathering evidence using scientific methods.
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 26 : Former NSG commando and top film-maker Major Ravi was appointed Kerala BJP vice president on Tuesday.

Major Ravi is known for his exploits in the Indian Army, especially as head of mission aOperation One Eyed Jacka to capture suspects in the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhias assassination case and for making high-quality Malayalam films based on the army after his retirement.

Major Ravi, a former National Security Guard Commando who was honoured with the Presidentas Gallantry Award in 1991 and 1992 for fighting terrorism in Punjab and Kashmir, joined the BJP recently in Delhi.

Now, 65 year old Ravi has been made the party vice-president by state BJP President K Surendran.

Incidentally, in 2021 Ravi had joined the Congress party here and then had expressed his displeasure against the way things were going on in the BJP.

C Reghunath, a Congress leader who unsuccessfully contested against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at Dharmadom in Kannur also joined the BJP with Ravi and he was given a seat in the partyas national council.
New Delhi, Dec 26 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that Sikh Gurus have taught Indians to live for the glory of their land, and served as an inspiration to make the country better and developed.

Speaking at a 'Veer Bal Diwas' event here to commemorate the martyrdom of the two sons of Guru Gobind Singh, PM Modi highlighted that their sacrifices are not only being remembered in India but also globally.

The Prime Minister said, "Today the country is remembering the immortal sacrifice of the brave Sahibzadas and taking inspiration from them. In the golden age of independence, a new chapter has started in the form of Veer Bal Diwas."

He said that last year, for the first time, the country celebrated December 26 as 'Veer Bal Diwas'. "Then everyone in the entire country listened to the heroic stories of Sahibzadas with great emotion. Veer Bal Diwas symbolizes the resolve to do anything to protect Indianness. This day reminds us that age does not matter at the height of bravery," he said.

He said that now 'Veer Bal Diwas' is being celebrated at the international level also. "Programmes related to Veer Bal Diwas are also being organised in Britain, Australia, New Zealand, UAE and Greece. The whole world will know more about the brave Sahibzadas of India and will learn from their great deeds," he said.

He also said, "The courage and ideals of Guru Gobind Singhji and his four Sahibzadas continue to inspire and energise the hearts of the people of India.

"So, the Veer Bal Diwas is the nation's tribute to the unmatched bravery of those true heroes and the great mothers who gave birth to them."

He also said, "Unless we respect our heritage, the world will also not appreciate our heritage. Today when we are proud of our heritage, the world's perspective has also changed."

He said that he was happy that India is coming out of the slavery mentality, and "today's India has full faith in its people, its capabilities and its inspiration".

"The sacrifice of Sahibzadas is a matter of national inspiration for today's India. In today's India, the sacrifice of Lord Birsa Munda and the sacrifice of Guru Govind Singhji inspire the entire nation," he said.

"We have to live for the honor and glory of this soil, we have to live to make the country better. As children of this great nation, we have to live, unite, struggle and emerge victorious to make the country developed," PM Modi said.

He also pointed out that today, India is one of the countries in the world which has the youngest population. "India was not so young even at the time of its freedom struggle. When that youth power brought independence to the country, it is beyond imagination to what heights today's youth power can take India to," he said.

He also said that the coming 25 years will bring huge opportunities for the youth of India.

"The youth of India may be born in any region or society their dreams are limitless. To fulfill these dreams, the government has a clear road map, clear vision, clear policy and there is no flaw in its intentions," he said.

"Being the world's third largest economy means better healthcare, better education, more avenues and more employment opportunities. It also means quality of life and quality of products! How will the developed India of 2047 be? To draw this picture of Bharat on that big canvas, our youth has to take the lead," the Prime Minister emphasised

He also said that today the whole world is considering 'Bharat Bhoomi' as the land of opportunities.

"Today India is at that stage where India is playing a big role in solving major global challenges," the PM said.
New Delhi, Dec 26 : A Delhi court has issued an open-ended non-bailable warrant (NBW) against UK national Sumit Chadha, an accused in a money laundering case linked to controversial arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari and others.

The Special Judge said that the ordinary process couldn't secure Chadha's presence based on the Enforcement Directorate (ED)'s request and a report dated October 16.

The court then ordered open-ended NBWs against Chadha for his arrest and production before the court.

The court, after reviewing the supplementary prosecution complaint (ED's equivalent of a charge sheet) filed by the ED, found sufficient grounds to summon accused C.C. Thampi (UAE-based NRI) and Chadha.

The court noted that cognisance of the money laundering offence was taken on October 5, 2020.

The ED recently filed a supplementary charge sheet against Thampi and Chadha for the commission of offences defined under Section 3 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

ED alleges that Bhandari created a web of entities, with Thampi and Chadha working in tandem, involved in acquiring properties outside India.

Chadha, despite summons, refused to receive them through diplomatic channels.

In April, the Enforcement Directorate attached a property in Delhi worth Rs 4.50 crore belonging to Sharan Svadha LLP in connection with a case lodged against Pilatus Aircraft Ltd, Switzerland, Sanjay Bhandari, and others.
Moscow, Dec 26 : One person was killed and two others injured in an overnight attack by Ukraine on the city of Feodosia in Crimea, local authorities confirmed on Tuesday.

Sergey Aksenov, head of Crimea, said earlier on Tuesday that the port area has been cordoned off, while corresponding services operating on the site, Xinhua news agency reported.

Another six people have been evacuated to temporary accommodation centres, as six buildings were damaged by the attack, he said, adding that the remaining residents have been placed with relatives and friends, with transport infrastructure in normal operation.

Russian navy landing ship Novocherkassk was damaged in the attack on the port of Feodosia, said the Russian Defence Ministry.
TMC to get backing of umbrella body of civil society groups in Bengal for 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Image Source: IANS News

Kolkata, Dec 26 : The Trinamool Congress is all set to get the backing of Bharat Jodo Abhiyan, an umbrella body of civil society groups spearheaded by political activist Yogendra Yadav, against the BJP in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in Kolkata.

The walls in several pockets in central Kolkata have been plastered with posters by the West Bengal unit of the Bharat Jodo Abhiyan calling for public support to the Trinamool Congress against the BJP.

According to the office-bearers of the umbrella body, they are against the BJP nationally and hence they are backing the Trinamool Congress since the latter is the strongest political force against the saffron camp in West Bengal.

The posters mainly speak of opposition against "communal politics," "spread of hatred", "suppression of democratic voice," and "misuse of central agencies" allegedly spearheaded by the Union Government and the BJP.

"We are also trying to create public awareness against such things by organising public outreach programmes. We are doing that despite our limited resources. And we will continue with this even after the Lok Sabha polls next year will be over," said the convener of the umbrella body in West Bengal Kalyan Sengupta.

He clearly said that the organisation was not taking any stand against the Trinamool Congress considering that this would be a national- level election.

"We feel that everyone should be united against the BJP. In the West Bengal contest CPI(M) is not showing any visible move in the matter. Even the state Congress leaders are hesitant about joining hands with the Trinamool Congress. But still we are hopeful that finally the Congress and the Trinamool Congress will have an alliance in West Bengal," he added.

However, the state BJP leadership does not want to give much importance to this development.

"The 2024 polls will be for a stable government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is the true people's candidate," said the BJP's state spokesman in West Bengal, Samik Bhattacharya.
S.Korea in talks with Poland on arms deals amid worries about possible cancellation. Image Source: IANS News

Seoul, Dec 26 : South Korea is in talks with Poland to ensure the multiple arms contracts signed between Korean companies and the Polish government will be carried out as agreed despite the change of the leadership in Warsaw, a Seoul official said on Tuesday.

Concerns are growing as the new Polish government, led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, signalled a revision to some of the arms contracts inked under the preceding government, citing overspending of the budget.

South Korean defence firms have clinched about $13-14 billion worth of arms sales contracts with Poland this year, which include plans for deliveries of rocket launchers, fighter jets, tanks and self-propelled howitzers, Yonhap news agency reported.

"We are continuing consultations with the Polish government through diplomatic channels to make sure that what was agreed between the two countries will continue to be implemented regardless of the change of the government," a Foreign Ministry official said.

"We have not heard of anything related to the defence contracts with Poland that has made any impact or influence," the official added.

On Sunday, a Polish Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the "scope of some of the contracts may need to be reviewed to answer to current security needs," in response to a question from the Voice of America (VOA) about the issue, the VOA reported.

Last year, the value of exports contracts with Warsaw reached $17.3 billion, accounting for 72 per cent of the entire arms exports in the South Korean defence industry.
Seoul, Dec 26 : South Korea's Defence Chief on Tuesday instructed Navy officials to mercilessly bury North Korean sailors at sea in the event of another North Korean provocation.

Defence Minister Shin Won-sik made the remark as he inspected the new 2,800-ton ROKS Cheonan frigate, which was deployed for operations to the headquarters of the Navy's Second Fleet in Pyeongtaek, 60 km south of Seoul, on Saturday.

Shin told Navy officials and sailors to "mercilessly bury (the enemy) at sea if the enemy stages yet another provocation" after he paid tribute to 46 fallen sailors at the memorial monument at the headquarters of the Navy's Second Fleet.

In 2010, North Korea torpedoed the 1,200-ton-class Cheonan corvette near the western Northern Limit Line, the de-facto inter-Korean sea border, killing 46 South Korean sailors, Yonhap news agency reported.

A Seoul-led multinational investigation concluded that Pyongyang torpedoed the Cheonan warship, but the North Korea has denied its involvement in the incident.

The new Cheonan is the seventh warship produced as part of South Korea's plans to procure eight new frigates designed to replace its aging fleet of 1,500-ton frigates and 1,000-ton corvettes.

The 122-metre-long frigate has a helicopter deck, and is equipped with anti-ship and ship-to-ground missiles, anti-submarine torpedoes, as well as hull mounted and towed array sonar systems to better detect enemy submarines.
New Delhi, Dec 26 : Vivo Mobile India Private Limited since its inception in India in 2014 remitted funds to the tune of over Rs 70,000 crores out of the total funds accumulated by them through sale of goods, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe in the money laundering case has found.

The details were revealed in the charge sheet filed by the financial probe agency against Vivo India.

According to the ED charge sheet, seen by IANS, "Vivo Mobile India Pvt Ltd since its inception in 2014 remitted Rs 7,08,37,25,17,191.04 out of India out of the Rs 7,16,25,02,26,650.17 (Over Rs 70,000 crore) accumulated by them through sale of goods."

The ED claimed that the imports were made by Vivo India from entities based in Hong Kong, Samoa and British Virgin Islands.

It said, "These foreign companies are hired by Vivo India and are termed as 'Trading Companies'. Many of these overseas companies are found to be owned or controlled by Vivo China, which establishes the facts that Vivo India has siphoned off thousands of crores of foreign currency to its beneficial owner Vivo China."

Mentioning the role of Hari Om Rai, Managing Director of the Lava International Limited, the ED said, "During the probe, it was found that Vivo China with the active assistance of Rai, used an Indian company -- Labquest Engineering Private Ltd as a front for establishing their network of companies in India and for carrying out activities which were not permitted otherwise."

It said, "Vivo China controlled and monopolised all the operations of Vivo Mobiles in India through Vivo India, which in turn controlled and monopolised the operations of 23 companies SDCs of Vivo.

"All these companies were controlled and operated by the Chinese management of these companies," the ED claimed.

The ED said that all the 23 companies were incorporated by Vivo China in India with the help of Rai; Rajan Malik and Nitin Garg (chartered accountants) and these companies are the exclusive distributor of Vivo phones and accessories.

The ED further said that many of the Chinese persons employed with Vivo India and SDCs were associated with Vivo China and there is complete economic control of Vivo India over the finances of these SDCs, which on paper have been projected as independent legal entities in the statutory compliances made before the Indian government.

The ED probe also found that the Vivo group companies employees communicated through various Chinese applications  WeChat, DingTalk, V-Chat and despite these companies operating in India, their data was not maintained in India and it was found that their data was maintained in the servers in China, which is not accessible to Indian authorities.

The ED probe also found grave violation of visa rules for entry into India by or in relation to office bearers of Vivo China and its related companies have been also been found.

"Chinese nationals submitted false information before the Indian Embassy or Mission in China for getting a visa for their travel to India which is a matter of 'grave' 'national security concern'," the ED alleged.

It also said that to circumvent the verification and scrutiny from Indian government authorities, these Chinese nationals used an Indian entity -- Lava International Limited -- to get invitation letters to avoid any suspicion.

Those named in the charge sheet, filed before a special court in Delhi on December 7, include Rai, Guangwen Kyang alias Andrew Kuang (a Chinese national who allegedly played a key role in Vivo's money laundering activities), Garg and Malik (statutory auditors of Lava). Vivo as a company has also been named as an accused in the charge sheet.

They have been charged under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The ED probe that began in 2022 has revealed that the Chinese phone manufacturer had incorporated 19 more companies in various cities after its entry in India in 2014.

These companies had Chinese nationals as their directors and or shareholders and controlled the complete supply chain of Vivo Mobiles in India.

A Delhi court has sent three freshly arrested top executives to three-day ED custody in a money laundering case against the Chinese smartphone-maker Vivo.

On December 23, the ED arrested three accused -- Vivo India interim CEO Hong Xuquan, Vivo chief financial officer (CFO) Harinder Dahiya and consultant Hemant Munjal in connection with its probe.
Tel Aviv, Dec 26 : Several people in northern Israel took to the streets outside Kibbutz Amiad in Galilee on Tuesday after Hezbollah-propelled cross border attacks intensified.

Many Israeli citizens have been evacuated from the area following the cross border attacks from Lebanon and are protesting on the streets.

Several Israeli citizens have been protesting on the side of the highways, stating that the Israel government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was abandoning them. The protestors waved Israeli flags and shouted against the government.

Many protestors want the Netanyahu government to be dissolved and a new government to be constituted.

The protesters alleged that the current government did not protect the residents of southern Israel when the Hamas terrorists attacked on October 7, adding that the government would not protect those in northern Israel as well.

The Hezbollah has been occasionally firing missiles and short-range rockets into northern Israel creating disturbances in the area and government of Israel had evacuated many northern Kibbutzes fearing casualties. This has led to protest from the area.

Hezbollah, which is directly backed by Iran is a superior military power than Hamas, and Israel had warned Hezbollah that its army was prepared for a full scale war against it if they indulge in firing missiles into Israel.

Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah in two video appearances after the Hamas attack of October 7 and subsequent retaliation of Israel had heavily attacked Israel and mocked its superior Intelligence agency, Mossad.

However, the Hezbollah leader had not made any statements regarding a full scale war against Israel and this was construed as a tactical move, as Iran is not keen on a full scale war given the international repercussions and the definite involvement of the US.

--IANS

aal/khz
New Delhi, Dec 26 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a charge sheet against Jogendra Tiwari and his 11 entities in connection with its probe into the illegal sale of sand, liquor, and also the illegal sale and purchase of land and other criminal activities.

The ED said that it filed the charge sheet against Tiwari and his 11 entities -- Saran Alcohol Pvt Limited, Santhal Pargana Pvt Limited, Maihar Hotels and Resorts Pvt Limited, Rajmahal Traders and others under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), on December 16 before the Special PMLA Court in Ranchi. The court took cognizance of the charge sheet on December 23.

The ED initiated the probe on the basis of 19 FIRs registered by the Jharkhand Police under various sections of the IPC, 1860 against Tiwari and others related to illegal sale of sand, illegal sale of liquor, illegal sale and purchase of land and other criminal activities.

"The ED probe revealed that Tiwari is engaged in criminal activities related to trade of sand and liquor which were in the name of his close associates. However, all of these entities were controlled by Tiwari.

"Even the proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 14.79 crore were found to be generated from these criminal activities till now and substantial portion of the POC was invested in several entities controlled by Tiwari for monopolization of liquor business spread across Jharkhand during 2021-22," the ED claimed.

The ED said that during its probe it also carried out searches across Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal at 32 premises related to Tiwari and his associates on August 23 this year.

Tiwari was found involved in money laundering and was arrested on October 19 by the ED. He is currently in judicial custody.
One should nothing else but Indian, says V-P Dhankhar. Image Source: IANS News

Rohtak, Dec 26 : Describing the youth as 'the vanguards of a resurgent Bharat' Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday emphasised B.R Ambedkar's words, "You should be Indians first, Indians last, and nothing else but Indians." Rohtak, Dec 26 (IANS) Describing the youth as 'the vanguards of a resurgent Bharat' Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday emphasised B.R Ambedkar's words, "You should be Indians first, Indians last, and nothing else but Indians."

He was speaking at the convocation of Maharshi Dayanand University here and appreciated the thriving affirmative ecosystem empowering the youth.

Highlighting the vast vista of opportunities available to the youth today and encouraging the graduates to script their own success stories, the Vice-President said in today's ecosystem "nothing is impossible, as the word itself says, 'I am possible'!"

Describing graduation as a 'bittersweet moment' that marks as an end of an era and a beginning of a new one, the Vice-President stressed that "it is a blissful, unforgettable moment for family, teachers and alma-mater."

He encouraged the students to continue the pursuit of knowledge and learning throughout life.

Drawing inspiration from the life of Swami Dayanand Saraswati as an epitome of simplicity and virtuosity, Dhankhar said that Swami Dayanand dedicated his life for catalysing social reforms and disseminating the teaching of the vedas to the masses.

"Bharat presently is largely reflection of the dreams of Swamiji," he said.

He urged the students to always respect their teachers, their nation and take care of their parents. Lamenting on the rise of old-age homes, he said, "In our country there should be no need for old-age homes as family bonds and relationships are given importance in our society."

The Vice-President called upon the students to always take care of their parents and elders, no matter what their status, their place of residence, how much name, fame and wealth they have earned in life.

"God is in the service of one's parents and elders," he further added.

The Vice-President emphasised that the young generation should follow the words of B.R Ambedkar that is, "You should be Indians first, Indians last, and nothing else but Indians."

He questioned how any individual, claiming belief in Bharatiyata and being a citizen of Bharat, could undermine our nation's integrity, hinder its progress, or defame its constitutional institutions, whether within the country or beyond its borders.

The Vice-President emphasised the significance of maintaining a lasting connection with one's alma-mater, stressing that this link isn't just about 'quantum of physical contribution'.

Encouraging students to be proud ambassadors, he highlighted the importance of a fiscal connection, underscoring its role in propelling the institution's impactful journey towards further growth and success.

Calling the young minds of India, "the vanguards of a resurgent Bharat", the Vice-President said that the youth have revolutionised the agriculture sector, creating the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world, and "their contribution is such that Bharat@2047 will be a developed nation."

Stressing that world is confronting disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence, internet of things, machine learning, green hydrogen, and quantum computing, Dhankhar said the government has allocated significant Rs 6,000 crore for quantum computing and Rs 9,000 crore for the green hydrogen mission.

He also underlined that due to this investment by 2030 there will be eight lakh crore investment and nearly six lakh jobs would be created.

Underlining the importance of courage, and perseverance to execute any idea, he remarked: "A parachute works only when it is open. To be possessed of a great mind is of no use, like a parachute. If you drop it and do not open it, you suffer the consequences."
Los Angeles, Dec 26 : Hollywood star Chris Hemsworth and his wife Elsa Pataky have shared a loved-up festive photo dump. These pictures come amidst unkind rumours about their marriage continue to swirl.

The aThora star, 40, and the 47-year-old Spanish actress have been married for thirteen years and share three children, India, and twin boys Sasha and Tristan.

In new photos Chris posted to Instagram, they can be seen enjoying Christmas Day at their home, eating in the blazing Australian sun, and gazing over their infinity pool and out towards the sea, reports aMirror.co.uka.

The couple's fans have voiced their concern that there might be problems at home after noticing that they had been holidaying apart and not posting many photos together.

After Elsa posted a photo of her and one of their sons decorating a massive Christmas tree, one fan commented: "Haven't seen you and Chris together in a while. Hope all is good."

As per aMirror.co.uka, in October they took their kids on separate trips with Elsa and the twins going to Japan, and Chris and India heading to Iceland. They both documented their respective trips, leaving their followers wondering why they didn't all go away as a five-some.

The following month they travelled separately again. Elsa returned to Spain for The Woman Awards, and Chris joined his brothers, their partners Gabrielle and Samantha and siblings' parents, Craig and Leonie on a trip to Abu Dhabi. Chris also took the twins, and it is not known if India went with them too, or if she went to Spain with her mum.

Earlier this month, Chris travelled to Brazil to promote his new film, aFuriosaa, with his co-star Anya-Taylor Joy. Chris previously revealed the lifestyle changes he made after discovering he is genetically predisposed to Alzheimer's disease.

He learned while filming National Geographic's Limitless that he is "eight to 10 times more likely" to battle the progressive disease than the general population as he is one of only two to three percent of people globally who have two copies of the gene APOE4.

At the time, Chris explained how doing the show "really triggered something in me", prompting him to take an unforced break from the limelight.

At the time, the Thor: Love and Thunder star opened up about discovering the news and the steps he had to take to not put a strain on his body.
Hyderabad, Dec 26 : Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday assured Taiwanese contract manufacturing giant Foxconn all the support for its manufacturing centre at Kongara Kalan near Hyderabad and also upcoming projects in the state.

A delegation led by Foxconn's Hon Hai Precision Industry Company Limited representative, V. Lee, met the Chief Minister at the State Secretariat here.

This was the first meeting by the representatives of the iPhone maker with Revanth Reddy after he assumed office as the Chief Minister early this month following a change of guard in the state.

While Apple AirPods facility at Kongar Kalan is expected to begin operation in May 2024, the Telangana government is pursuing with Foxconn Group companies various proposals including Display Fab manufacturing facility, Semiconductor OSAT facility, Semiconductor Fab, Electric Vehicle manufacturing, notebook manufacturing and components manufacturing.

In March, Foxconn chairman Young Liu visited Hyderabad. The company had signed an MoU with the state government assuring to create one lakh jobs by setting up electronics manufacturing unit. In the first phase, the company will provide 25,000 jobs in the next two years.

Sidney Lu, CEO, Foxconn Interconnect Technology, a Foxconn Group Company, visited Telangana on May 15 for groundbreaking for Apple AirPods manufacturing facility. The facility is in advanced stage of construction at Kongar Kalan Park in Rangareddy district.

In November, an 18-member delegation visited Hyderabad for evaluation for setting up of the Display Fab Project. Discussions are on for the Display Fab manufacturing facility.

For Display Fab, clear titled land is available close to city and international airport at a subsidised cost. There is excellent road access and connectivity for the shortlisted land. There is also availability of power, water at discounted rates. Basic infrastructure will also be provided.

Fifty per cent incentives from the Centre and 25 to 30 per cent incentives from Telangana government have been offered. Similar incentives are being offered by competing states such as Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The state will take 10 per cent equity.

For proposed projects of Foxconn, Telangana is offering quick facilitation and support for all approvals. The state government is offering best in class incentive package. Required amount of land parcel to be provided close to the city.

Industry ready workforce will be trained by Telangana Academy of Skill and Knowledge (TASK) to be ready on day one of plant operations. Power and water will be provided at competitive rates while basic infrastructure will be provided for the allotted land.

The state is offering handholding by Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC) and Electronics Wing, ITE&C Department through a single point of contact for all requirements.

Foxconn is evaluating partners such as HCL for Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) and Telangana is actively pursuing the proposed project. The state hosted HCL team and discussion are on.

Discussions are also on for semiconductor fab and electric vehicle manufacturing. Foxconn is currently evaluating partners from India such as MEIL, JSW etc.

Telangana is also in discussion with Foxconn for a notebook manufacturing facility. The state is keen to host the facility.

The state is also keen to host components manufacturing (ecosystem partners of Foxconn for which the company will support the state government).
Rajnath vows to catch from the seabed those who attacked Indian ships with drones. Image Source: IANS News

Mumbai, Dec 26 : Taking a stern view of the recent drone attacks on two ships in the high seas, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday warned that they will not be spared and shall be given stringent punishment, as India is playing the role of a Net Security Provider for the entire Indian Ocean Region.

"The Indian Navy has increased surveillance of the seas India has taken the recent drone attacks on 'MV Chem Pluto' in Arabian Sea and 'MV Sai Baba' in the Red Sea very seriously. Whoever has carried out these attacks, we will find them even if they are hiding on the sea-bed," thundered Singh.

The Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar said that presently, India has deployed four latest warships to counter piracy and drone attacks on merchant shipping, besides the P8I Aircraft, Dorniers, Sea Guardians, Helicopters and Indian Coast Guard Ships, all joining to counter these threats.

The Defence Minister attributed the attacks to the increasing turbulence in the sea "owing to the growing economic clout and strategic power of India which has filled up some forces with jealousy and hatred," while commissioning the latest and most potent warship, 'Imphal' to the Indian Navy here.

"We are in the role of the NSP for the entire IOR We will ensure that the maritime trade in this region soars from the sea to the skies. For this, along with other friendly countries, we will keep the sea routes safe and secure for maritime commercial activities," assured Singh.

The Minister said that earlier, the country faced mostly land-based threats on the country's western and northern borders, and attention was given to the Indian Army and Indian Air Force.

However, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision underlining the importance of safeguarding the seas and oceans, equal attention is being paid to the Indian Navy.

"If we consider the movement of international goods from the geographical perspectives, due to the Himalayas in the north and a hostile Pakistan in the west, limited trade is possible there, and most of our goods come through the seas," Singh pointed out.

He said that the newly commissioned warship, INS Imphal reflects India's growing maritime power, and the vessel would further strengthen the principle of 'Jalmev Yasya, Balmev Tasya', or one who rules the water, is the most powerful in the Indo-Pacific region.

Speaking on the occasion, Navy chief Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar said that the 'INS Imphal' will not only tackle physical threats that emanate from the seas, but will also help deter nefarious designs which attempt to sabotage national unity.

"Once commissioned, the ship's crew will comprise personnel from every cross-section of our society, from every region and state of our demographically rich country -- all forged into one strong team that is ready to stake their lives for each other and for our sacred Tiranga, reflecting Bharat's inherent integrity," said Admiral Kumar.

Towards this aim, the Indian Navy hopes to induct at least one Agniveer from each district, block and village in the country -- both men and women -- from every corner of India.

"We shall upskill them while in service, certify their abilities through educational institutions, inculcate a spirit of nationalism and ensure that they rejoin the civil sector as invaluable assets. The vision is to percolate such a nationalistic workforce across the country," said Admiral Kumar.

In this context, he said that INS Imphal has a special place in the Indian Navy, the state of Manipur, the entire North-East and India.

He said that the new warship will 'breathe fire' upon the enemy as reflected in the ship's crest, of the Kangla-Sa with a Dragon Head and Lion's Body, and demonstrate unflinching resolve in the face of adversity.

"It is no surprise that Imphal is the first warship to have successfully undertaken test firing of the BrahMos Surface to Surface Missile, even before her commissioning," noted the Admiral with a tinge of pride.

In a significant achievement, the Indian Navy has commissioned three warships, the Visakhapatnam in 2021, the Mormogoa in 2022, the Imphal in 2023, and 'Surat' is expected to join in 2024, making it four in a row in four years.
Mumbai, Dec 26 : The Reserve Bank of India and two private banks on Tuesday got threats of bombs allegedly planted at 11 of their locations in the city to demand the resignations of the central bank's Governor and the Union Finance Minister.

The threats came from the sender claiming to be from 'Khilafat India' on email warning that bombs were planted at the apex bank and also at the ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank at total 11 spots, which would explode at 1.30 pm.

The purported email read: "We have planted 11 bombs in different locations of Mumbai. RBI along with private sector banks have executed the biggest scam in the history of India. This scam involves RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, some of the top banking officials & some renowned Ministers of India. We have sufficient solid proofs for the same."

The email  with subject line "Breaking News"  with CC to several officials, added the alleged locations of 3 bombs at RBI New Central Office Building in Fort, HDFC House at Churchgate, and ICICI Bank Towers at Bandra Kurla Complex.

"We demand that both RBI Governor & Finance Minister to immediately resign from their posts & release a press statement with full disclosure of the scam. We also demand government to give them both and all those who are involved the punishment they deserve, If our demands are not met, before 1.30 pm, all the 11 bombs will blast one by one," warned the email sent at 10.50 am.

Soon afterwards, the Mumbai Police teams went and scanned all the locations, but found nothing, and a case has been registered with further investigations underway, while security has been beefed up at all the sites.
Toronto, Dec 26 : Gurdev Singh Gill, who made history in 1958 as the first Indo-Canadian to practise medicine, passed away at the age of 92 in Canada's New Westminster city.

Gill moved to Canada from India in 1949 at a time when there were only about 2,000 South Asians in the country, the CBC news channel reported, citing Canadian Encyclopedia estimates.

"He was the first Indo-Canadian to graduate with a medical degree from the University of British Columbia and the first Indo-Canadian to practice medicine in Canada," according to the British Columbia government.

On Sunday, community members gathered at a gurdwara in Vancouver to pay respects to Gill who died on December 17.

He was an active staff member of St. Maryas, the Royal Columbian and Queenas Park hospitals, and was active in fundraising for the Cancer Society, Rotary Club and the Childrenas Hospital. He was honoured with the Order of British Columbia in 1990 in its inaugural year, alongside luminaries such as musician Bryan Adams, Olympic medallist gymnast Lori Fung and businessman Jim Pattison.

"Being on stage with all those other wonderful Canadians. He was so proud of that recognition," his grandson, Imran Gill, told CBC, adding that his grandfather lived "a very selfless life".

He also received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Gill was devoted to "uplifting others" not just in Canada but building sanitation infrastructure in Punjabi villages, including the one he left in 1949, Imran said.

"His medical practice was more than a medical practice. It was a community hall where new immigrants came for guidance and advice," he added.

Gill went on to become President of Vancouver's Khalsa Diwan Society, following which he oversaw the building of a new gurdwara in South Vancouver at a time when few existed for local Sikhs.

Jarnail Singh Bhandal, South Vancouver gurdwara's assistant secretary, told CBC that Gill's presidency was marked by a provincewide effort to raise funds for a new, larger building to host worship, meals and community events for the burgeoning faith community.

He retired after 40 years of practice in New Westminster, and went on to help 25 villages in Punjab with infrastructure and educational improvements through the Indo-Canadian Friendship Society, which was founded by him, the Global News reported.

--IANS

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Tel Aviv, Dec 26 : Several people in Israel are protesting against the International Humanitarian organisation the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) in Israel against the alleged partisan attitude of the Red Cross.

The protest will be held by an organisation, Awakening Israel, at Israel time 6 pm in front of the office of the head of Israel operations of Red Cross, Alessands Managon.

It may be noted that there is a growing resentment in Israel against the Red Cross and its office-bearers.

The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, had while speaking at Knesset on Monday said that he had met the Red Cross head Mirjana Spoljaric and had requested her to provide much-needed medicines to hostages in Gaza.

He said that he had even requested that the Red Cross collect the medicine from Israel and hand it over to Hamas to reach the hostages who are being held in Gaza.

Netanyahu told the Knesset that the Red Cross head did not heed to his request. He told the Knesset that the hostages in Gaza were in bad health conditions and need urgent medical attention and even after he had informed of the necessity of the medicines to reach the hostages, the Red Cross chief did not heed to it.

The organisation in a statement said, "We are fed up with the idea that the humanitarian organisation living among us isn't serving Israel and worse than that it is blaming our country in the failing negotiations with terror group Hamas-Isis."

It further said, "The role of the Red Cross is helping people affected by conflict and armed violence and promoting the laws that protect victims of war but this was not happening in Israel."

It is to be noted that Israel Defence Forces (IDF) is engaged in a stiff battle in Gaza with the Hamas terror group since October 7, when Hamas Miki swarmed into Southern Israel killing 1,200 people. As many as 240 people were kidnapped from Southern Israel, of which 105 were released by Hamas during a week-long ceasefire from November 24 to December 1.

Four hostages were released while one was rescued by the IDF.

Over 20,000 Palestinians also lost their lives in Israel shelling and attacks against the Hamas terrorists.

IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 26 : Two minors, aged 13 and 15 and a woman were allegedly picked up from a shelter home 'raain basera' by the police in New Delhi district and taken to Sansad Marg (Parliament Street) Police Station.

In one of the complaints filed by the victims, it was claimed that they were physically assaulted by the police personnel both in the shelter home near Bangla Sahib Gurdwara and at the Parliament Street Police Station.

The complainants stated that they were thrashed with sticks, slapped on the face, and their hair was pulled during the ordeal.

The entire incident occurred on December 24, as per the complaint copy in possession of the IANS.

The minors, in their complaint, asserted that they could identify all police personnel involved in the incident.

"On December 24, we and our mother, in an inhuman way, were picked up and beaten by police and taken to Sansad Marg Police Station. In a room at the police station we were again subjected to torture and were beaten on the legs with sticks. We were slapped several times on our cheeks and our hair was pulled. My sister can identify all the police personnel involved in the act and they can be identified," read the complaint by the minors.

One Pooja Sharma, in a separate complaint, accessed by the IANS, accused a female police officer of taking her to a room in the police station and subjecting her to physical assault.

Pooja, in her complaint recounted, "When I asked her about the matter or if there was any complaint, the policewoman got agitated and smashed my face on the table. I sustained injuries on my nose and head, and blood was oozing out. A medico-legal case (MLC) was also made at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital."

However, despite repeated messages to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi), there was no response at the time of filing of the news.
New Delhi, Dec 26 : JN.1 has numerous changes that have never been seen in previous variants, according to experts on Tuesday.

First detected in Luxembourg in August, JN.1 is currently present in about 41 countries, including India.

Due to its rapid spread, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified JN.1 as a separate variant of interest (VOI), from the parent lineage BA.2.86. It was previously classified as VOI as part of BA.2.86 sublineages.

Till date, India reportedly has 69 cases of JN.1 variant -- from Goa, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana.

JN.1 variant is a descendent lineage of Omicron sub-variant BA.2.86, with the earliest sample collected on August 25, 2023.

In comparison with BA.2.86, JN.1 has the additional L455S mutation in the spike protein -- which has immune-evasion properties.

"JN.1 is an all new variant with numerous changes that had never been seen in any commonly circulating lineage before. This is unlike other recent variants, which were merely a few mutations from their predecessor," Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, co-chairman of the National Indian Medical Association Covid Task Force, told IANS.

"Therefore, the disease patterns from an immune evasiveness and spread capability of this variant needs careful attention," he added.

He said immune invasiveness of a variant as the ability of the virus to overcome the existing immune response within an individual.

The WHO, in its latest epidemiological update, said that the global number of new Covid-19 cases has increased by 52 per cent during the last one month. The UN health body also reported an increase in hospital, ICU admissions as well as deaths globally.

While EG.5 remains to be the most reported VOI globally, as per the WHO, JN.1 could increase the burden of respiratory infections in many countries, it said.

"With the limited information available, we are aware that JN.1 has suddenly increased in numbers around the world, and is rapidly displacing the earlier circulating sublineage XBB. This means that JN.1 has the ability to overcome immunity generated by prior infection, vaccination, booster or any combinations of the above," Dr Jayadevan said.

Scientists Vinod Scaria and Bani Jolly in a post on X.com stated that JN.1as "capability for immune escape from antibodies is elicited due to prior infections or vaccines. The immune escape would mean reinfections would pick up significantly".

However, "there is no evidence to suggest that JN.1 could pose a significant more threat to public health compared to other variants in circulation", the scientist duo said, adding "the high immune escape property would mean JN.1 could out-compete other variants".

"What remains to be seen is an analysis of deaths that occurred during this wave with critical evaluation of the reasons that led to the death. At this time it appears that death was primarily caused by aggravation of existing health conditions, in otherwise frail individuals. A better picture will emerge in the coming weeks," Dr Jayadevan said.

Dr Ishwar Gilada, Consultant in Infectious Diseases Unison Medicare and Research Centre, Mumbai called on to increase wastewater surveillance and genome sequencing in the country.

"With wastewater, we can predict what can happen in the next 10 to 20 days in that particular town or municipal corporation area or a big city.

"Whole genome sequencing can help you know whether any new sub variant of Covid is coming," he told IANS.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday reported the number of active Covid cases has gone up to 4,170. Three new fatalities were also reported from Karnataka.

(Rachel V. Thomas can be contacted at rachel.t@ians.in)
Mumbai, Dec 26 : The Nationalist Congress Party (SP) on Tuesday accused the breakaway NCP (AP) faction of "pressurising" the Election Commission of India (ECI) by flouting its orders and claiming victory in the dispute over the split party's name and symbol.

Mumbai, Dec 26 (IANS) The Nationalist Congress Party (SP) on Tuesday accused the breakaway NCP (AP) faction of "pressurising" the Election Commission of India (ECI) by flouting its orders and claiming victory in the dispute over the split party's name and symbol.

NCP (SP) National General Secretary and MLA Jitendra Awhad said that the rival NCP (AP) state President Sunil Tatkare has been publicly making statements announcing 'victory' in its plea before the ECI on the party's name and its table clock symbol.

"This is a direct flouting of the clear orders of the ECI on November 29, which had reprimanded the NCP (AP) faction and directed it not to assume the ECI's decision and also refrain from making any claims that could undermine the process of justice," Awhad pointed out.

However, despite this, he lamented that the NCP (AP) faction "consistently shows disrespect" for the Constitution, and the institutions established under it, whether through defections or by making such insulting comments.

Awhad also said that his faction has again brought these lapses to the notice of the ECI and sought urgent action in the matter.

"The arguments before the ECI on the issue have been completed The ECI has reserved its decision, which is expected anytime. However, the people who are with the Ajit Pawar faction are claiming that they will get the NCP name and clock symbol. This is like building pressure on the ECI," said Awhad.

He reminded that the ECI is an independent body and it had clearly directed both the (rival) parties not to make any such comments during the hearings.

To a question, Awhad said that the NCP (AP) legislators of the Ajit Pawar group and also the Shiv Sena of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will be compelled to contest the upcoming elections on BJP tickets.

On the question of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), he said that efforts are being made at the top level of INDIA bloc to include it in the national opposition alliance, and Shiv Sena (UBT) President and ex-CM Uddhav Thackeray will discuss it with VBA chief Prakash Ambedkar.
Delhi court overturns JJB's order, two juveniles to be tried as adults in murder case. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Dec 26 : A Delhi court on Tuesday extended by two days ED custody of three top executives in a money laundering case against the Chinese smartphone-maker Vivo.

The three accused -- Vivo India interim CEO Hong Xuquan, Vivo Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Harinder Dahiya and consultant Hemant Munjal -- will now be produced before the court on December 28.

The accused were presented before Additional Sessions Judge Aparna Swami of Patiala House Courts on expiry of their previously-granted three-day Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody.

Claiming that the accused were required to be confronted with the other accused arrested in the case earlier, the ED sought their remand for five days.

The arrests were made in the case months after the four accused a" Lava International MD Hari Om Rai, Chinese national Guangwen alias Andrew Kuang, Chartered Accountants Nitin Garg and Rajan Malik a" were arrested on October 10 this year.

Speaking to IANS, a Vivo spokesperson had earlier said, "We are deeply alarmed by the current action of the authorities. The recent arrests demonstrate continued harassment and as such induce an environment of uncertainty among the wider industry landscape. We are resolute in using all legal avenues to address and challenge these accusations."

On the submission of senior counsels for the accused people that their clients were taken in the vehicle of ED on December 21 at around 6:55 pm and have not accompanied the ED officials voluntarily and are in custody of the agency since that day, the court had directed the Director of ED to conduct an enquiry in this regard and file the report on Tuesday along with the relevant CCTV footage, if any.

"The Director concerned shall also give a report as to the exact time since the accused persons were in custody of the ED and time of their arrest," the judge had said.

On Tuesday, the counsel for the accused argued that the report has been filed in a sealed cover and that no copy of it has been provided, failing transparency in the matter.

To this, the ED said that certain information in the report is confidential. However, the court said that the copy be provided to the accused counsel, but directed that it should not be leaked.

On December 20, the court took cognisance of the charge sheet filed by the financial probe agency naming the four accused in it.

The court had summoned the accused, who are in judicial custody, on February 19, 2024. In response to the ED's allegation that there has been recovery of several incriminating documents, a 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."

Earlier, a source told IANS that the arrests were made after the financial probe agency carried out searches at the premises of the four accused 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 firms.

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 Gandhi Nagar, Jammu.

The PMLA investigation by the 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 GPICPL, its director, shareholders and certifying professionals etc., on the basis of a complaint filed by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
Hyderabad, Dec 26 : Doctors and nurses at a private hospital in Hyderabad learnt sign language to share the new-born's progress with her deaf and dumb parents.

The medical team at KIMS Cuddles Hospital successfully treated and nurtured a premature baby born to a deaf-mute couple.

The baby's survival and flourishing health were achieved through a challenging 80-day Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) stay, where the medical team went above and beyond to ensure effective communication with the parents.

Marri Bhagyamma, 47, and Marri Rajasekhar, 55, a deaf-mute couple from Hyderabad, conceived twins through in vitro fertilization (IVF) at the age of 45.

Unfortunately, one of the twin boys faced pre-term complications and did not survive.

The surviving baby girl, born at an incredibly low weight of 540 grams, was admitted to KIMS Cuddles NICU.

The medical team, comprising seven doctors and nine support staff, faced the unique challenge of communicating with the deaf-mute parents.

Initially relying on written communication and the assistance of a young relative as a sign language interpreter, the team encountered a setback when the interpreter became unavailable.

Undeterred, the doctors and nurses undertook an impressive initiative, dedicating 10 days to learning sign language to communicate directly with the parents.

Dr. Aparna Chandrasekharan, Clinical Director of Neonatology, Head of NICU, and Senior Consultant Neonatologist at KIMS Cuddles Hospital, noted the complexity of the case.

"The baby girl faced multiple complications, including respiratory challenges and the loss of her twin brother to necrotising enterocolitis. Throughout the 80-day NICU stay, our medical team ensured effective communication with the parents, using sign language to convey treatment details and progress."

The baby girl's journey involved various forms of respiratory support and meticulous care, leading to her discharge after 79 days with a weight of 1,642 grams. Importantly, she exhibited normal neurological examination, hearing, and vision.

Rajasekhar expressed their gratitude through sign language.

"The doctors and other staff of the hospital have told us the entire treatment procedure. We had regular counseling about our baby's condition. They gave every minute of information," she said
Mumbai, Dec 26 : Actress Neha Joshi has shared her plans for the New Year celebrations, saying she is eagerly anticipating to relish delightful cuisines and enriching conversations with friends.

Neha, who essays Krishna Devi Vajpayee in the show 'Atal', shared: "I'm not particularly fond of the bustling ambience of clubs and bars, especially considering that most places adopt that atmosphere on such occasions. I generally opt for a more serene gathering at home during these times."

"A friend is hosting a social gathering this New Year's eve at their residence. I eagerly anticipate relishing delightful cuisines and enriching conversations with friends. Our plans also include partaking in games, and I've taken upon myself the task of brainstorming ideas, a responsibility I've already commenced preparing for," added the 'Drishyam 2' fame actress.

Produced by Euphoria Productions, aAtala deep dives into the formative years of late Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Set against the backdrop of British colonial rule in India, the show delves into the intricacies of Vajpayeeas childhood, shedding light on the incidents, beliefs, and challenges that moulded him into the leader that he was.

The storyline highlights his relationship with his mother, who deeply influenced his beliefs, values and thinking.

The show airs on &TV.
New Delhi, Dec 26 : A man died while another sustained grievous injuries in a lift accident in a Delhi factory, police said on Tuesday.

The accident took place on Monday night in a factory in the Narela area.

The deceased was identified as Neel Mani, 40, while the injured was identified as Anil Kumar.

According to the police, the duo was ascending in the lift to upper section of the factory, approximately 40 feet above ground level, when the incident occurred.

Investigators found that the lift cable had snapped, resulting in a free fall from a height of around 30 feet.

aBoth were rushed to the hospital for the treatment where Neel Mani succumbed to his injuries while Kumar is undergoing treatment. Mani's body has been sent for autopsy. An FIR has been filed under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)," a senior police official said.

--IANS

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Bravery and ideals of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Sahibzadas give strength to millions

Jaipur, Dec 26 (IANS) Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma reached Shri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara located at Raja Park on Tuesday on the occasion of Veer Bal Diwas. Sharma paid obeisance at the Gurdwara and prayed for peace and harmony in the country and the state.

Sharma said that today is the day to remember the extraordinary courage and sacrifice of Guru Gobind Singh Ji's younger Sahibzadas, Baba Zorawar Singh and Baba Fateh Singh.

"The bravery and ideals of Mata Gujri, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji and Sahibzadas give strength to millions of people. He never bowed his head before injustice. To remind of the bravery of the Veer Sahibzadas, Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced last year to celebrate 26th December as Veer Bal Diwas across the country," he added.

The Chief Minister said that Sri Guru Granth Sahib contains the good things of all religions and the Sikh community is dedicated to the welfare of all living beings. Sikhism promotes the principles of morality, harmony and unity and talks about equality. He said that today we need to not just read the knowledge in the words of Sri Guru Granth Sahib but to implement it in our lives.

Sharma said that our government will always protect the rights of the Sikh community. "As promised in the resolution letter, our government will work for the conservation and development of the historical Sikh religious places of the state."
Patna, Dec 26 : The Bihar government on Tuesday granted 4 lakh contractual teachers the status of state employees, fulfilling their long-standing demand.

The decision was taken into the cabinet meeting here.

With this, the 4 lakh contractual teachers will be known as Assistant Teachers in the schools. Earlier, they were known as Shiksha Mitra.

The Bihar government, which was facing the scarcity of teachers in schools, had hired Shiksha Mitras in 2003 during the Rabri Devi government. At that time, they were given a stipend of Rs 1,500 per month.

However, the stipends got higher and they were now getting Rs 22,000 per month. Now, they become the state employees, the teachers of primary school will get Rs 25,000 apart from TA, DA, and other allowances, while Class 11 and 12 teachers will get Rs 31,000 apart from other allowances.

Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi claimed that the decision to confer Shiksha Mitra state employees' status was taken during his tenure.

"(Chief Minister) Nitish Kumar is unnecessarily taking credit for making Shiksha Mitra state employees. I had made the decision to make them state employees during my tenure. When Nitish Kumar became the Chief Minister again, he cancelled the decision and said that it was wrong," he claimed.
Kolkata, Dec 26 : West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose, on Tuesday evening, told media persons that the convocation held by Kolkata's iconic Jadavpur University (JU) on Sunday did not have any legal sanctity.

"The convocation ceremony did not have any legal sanctity. It was totally illegal," the Governor told media persons on Tuesday evening.

Admitting that there might be some problems relating to the certificates distributed to the students at the convocation, since they contained the signature of the university's interim vice-chancellor Buddhadeb Sau who was removed by the Governor earlier, Bose assured that he would make all efforts to ensure that the students do not face any problem with regard to the legal sanctity of the certificates.

Sau was removed as the interim vice- chancellor of JU by the Governor, who had himself appointed him, on Saturday evening barely 12-hours before the convocation ceremony of the institute on Sunday morning. However, he was reinstated on Sunday morning by the state education department with an argument that it was done to give the convocation ceremony a smooth passage.

"There is confusion in the minds of the students with regard to the certificates they received. I am consulting legal experts to ensure that legal complications with regard to such certificates do not arise," the Governor said.

He also gave his explanation as to why the convocation ceremony of JU was illegal, especially when there is precedence of other state universities in West Bengal conducting convocation ceremonies presided over by the interim vice-chancellors there.

"There have been similar cases in certain other state universities with interim vice-chancellors at the helm. There were no legal hassles there. But in the case of JU there were allegations of the interim vice- chancellor being influenced by some outside forces, which is not at all desirable. That is why the decision was taken to remove him from that chair," the Governor said.
New Delhi, Dec 26 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday filed a supplementary charge sheet against C.C. Thampi, a UAE-based NRI and a close aide of Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi, stating that he not only renovated a property at No. 12 Bryanston Square in London through Sumit Chadha, but also stayed there.

The ED also claimed that Vadra as well as Thampi purchased huge chunk of land in Haryana's Faridabad and had financial transactions with each other.

The ED said that it filed the supplementary charge sheet on November 21 against Thampi and Chadha, a UK national, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 before a special PMLA court here.

The special court took cognisance of the same on December 22.

The ED registered a case of money laundering on the basis of searches as well as the charge sheet filed by the Income Tax Department under Section 51 of Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015.

The ED probe has revealed that Sanjay Bhandari held various undisclosed foreign income and assets, including properties at No. 12 Bryanston Square, London and 6 Grosvenor Hill Court, London.

"These assets are proceeds of crime as per the provisions of PMLA. Thampi and Chadha have been found to be involved in the concealment and use of these proceeds of crime," the ED alleged.

The ED had earlier filed a charge sheet on June 1, 2020 against Bhandari, his three offshore entities, Sanjeev Kapoor and Anirudh Wadhwa.

After that, the special court declared Bhandari a 'proclaimed offender' and the competent authority in the UK also ordered for extradition of Bhandari, who has filed an appeal challenging the extradition order before the High Court of UK.

In the matter, properties worth Rs 26.55 crore belonging to Bhandari held in India were attached.

"The ED probe further revealed that Thampi is a close associate of Vadra. Vadra not only renovated the aforesaid property at 12 Bryanston Square through Chadha, but also stayed in the same. Further, Vadra as well as Thampi purchased huge chunk of land at Faridabad and had financial transactions with each other," the ED claimed.
Kathmandu, Dec 26 : In a chilling revelation, Nepal's Foreign Affairs Minister Narayan Prakash Saud revealed some 100 Nepalis who joined the Russian army have been reported missing.

"As per the information made available to us by the Russian government, around 100 Nepalis serving in the Russian army are missing and injured," he said in an interview with state news agency, RSS.

With this, the casualties of Nepali nationals in the Russian army is higher than what is reported till now.

Nepal government does not permit its citizens to serve in foreign armies, apart from those of India and the United Kingdom as per two separate treaties.

Nepali nationals, who are taken to Moscow through the nexus of human trafficking, ended up in the Russian army under the pretext of earning huge money. Some individuals involved in human trafficking are arrested by the Nepal Police for illegally sending the citizens to the Russian Army.

The government of Nepal has already announced that at least seven Nepali citizens have been killed while serving in the Russian Army as mercenaries. Russia has opened recruitment for foreign nationals from this May through a decree issued by President Vladimir Putin.

Apart from the deaths of seven people, complaints have been filed into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that around 100 people are missing and injured, Saud said, adding that the exact number of Nepalis serving in the Russian Army is yet to be ascertained.

aIt is estimated that about 200 Nepali youths who went to Russia for work, study and visit have joined the army. The number should be much higher as the ministry has received complaints that around 100 are missing and injured," he said.

Saud, in his interview, said that the government has made it mandatory to obtain a no-objection certificate for travel to Russia from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and six Gulf countries.
Hyderabad, Dec 26 : A young woman, who tried to falsely implicate her ex-boyfriend in a drugs case by planting ganja in her car, and her six friends have been arrested in Hyderabad, police said on Tuesday.

According to police, she wanted to take revenge on him for separation.

Adokshaja alias Rinki, 26, a law student and an employee in a finance company in Hyderabad, had an affair with Shravan Kumar. Recently, he had stopped seeing her, which angered her.

She hatched a plan with her friend Deepak Mohan, 30, a techie, and Yashwant Sai, 21, a private employee, to falsely implicate Shravan in a drugs case.

She, along with their common friends, purchased 40 grams of ganja powder for Rs 4,000 from somebody in Mangalhat area.

As per their plan, she called Shravan to a park near Ameerpet. Later, she along with her friends and Shravan went to a pub in Banjara Hills. When they were all in the pub, Rinki called up a police constable known to her, saying a person named Shravan was selling ganja.

She informed him that ganja packets are kept in a car and shared his caras registration number.

Police reached the spot and checked the car. They found five packets, each containing eight grams of Ganja. Police detained Shravan and started questioning him. He told the police that he came to the pub in the car with some others and suspected that they may have concealed it.

Police questioned those who travelled in the car with him and they confessed. Jubilee Hills police arrested Rinki and her six friends who helped her. Dixit Reddy, Praneet Topi, Surya Teja, and Mahender Yadav were the others who have been arrested.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 26 : The Crime Branch of Delhi Police has initiated a probe after an eye-witness claimed to have heard a blast sound and noticed smoke outside the Israel Embassy in Chanakyapuri.

"At around 5 p.m., while I was on duty, I heard a loud noise resembling a tire burst. Upon stepping outside, I saw smoke emanating from the top of a tree near the premises. The police have recorded my statement," said the eyewitness, who works as a guard at a premises near the Embassy.

The Delhi Police are also on high alert following an alleged bomb threat call claiming that explosives have been planted near the Israel Embassy premises located in the diplomatic enclave of the national capital.

An unidentified caller contacted the Delhi Fire Service at around 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday, claiming the presence of a potential explosive device near the Israel Embassy.

Responding swiftly, bomb squads and police teams were dispatched to the spot to conduct a thorough search of the premises. After meticulous examination, no evidence of any explosive device was found.

Officials on the scene confirmed that so far it seems to be a false alarm, and there was no imminent threat to the Israel Embassy or the surrounding areas.

"So far, we have not found anything," said Anil Garg, Director of Delhi Fire Service.

Meanwhile, Israel Embassy said that an explosion occurred in close proximity of the Embassy, adding that all the workers and diplomats are safe.

"This evening several minutes after 5 p.m., an explosion occurred in close proximity of the Embassy. All our workers and diplomats are safe. Our security teams are working in full cooperation with the local security forces and they will investigate the matter," Deputy Chief of Mission of Israel to India, Ohad Nakash Kaynar, said in a video statement.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 26 : Vivo China through Vivo India created an elaborate network of companies under a corporate veil and acquired proceeds of crime (PoC) to the tune of over Rs 20,000 crore, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe has revealed.

The details were revealed in the charge sheet filed by the ED before a court here on December 7.

The charge sheet, which has been viewed by IANS, claimed, "Vivo China, through Vivo India, created an elaborate network of companies under a corporate veil and on piercing the corporate veil, the real beneficial ownership and control of all these entities is revealed.

"In other words, all the SDCs are controlled by Vivo India which in turn are controlled by Vivo China. By creating the said meshed and pan-India structure, Vivo India has acquired PoC to the tune of Rs 2,02,41,17,72,292.89."

The ED alleged that the PoC acquired were then siphoned off by Vivo India to "overseas trading companies" many of which are in control of Vivo China.

Those named in the charge sheet, filed before a special court on December 7, include Rai, Guangwen Kyang alias Andrew Kuang (a Chinese national who allegedly played a key role in Vivo's money laundering activities), Garg and Malik (statutory auditor of Lava). Vivo as a company has also been named as an accused in the charge sheet.

They have been charged under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The ED probe that began in 2022 has revealed that the Chinese phone manufacturer had incorporated 19 more companies in various cities after its entry into India in 2014.

These companies had Chinese nationals as their directors and/or shareholders and controlled the complete supply chain of Vivo Mobiles in India.

A Delhi court recently sent three arrested top executives of the company to three-day ED custody.

On December 23, the ED arrested the three accused -- Vivo India interim CEO Hong Xuquan, chief financial officer (CFO) Harinder Dahiya and consultant Hemant Munjal -- in connection with its probe.
Jerusalem, Dec 26 : Israel is engaged in a "multi-front war", its Defence Minister Yoav Galant has said, hinting at military operations across the Middle East as the war in Gaza showed new signs of a dangerous regional escalation, a media report said.

Jerusalem, Dec 26 (IANS) Israel is engaged in a "multi-front war", its Defence Minister Yoav Galant has said, hinting at military operations across the Middle East as the war in Gaza showed new signs of a dangerous regional escalation, a media report said.

Speaking in the Parliament on Tuesday, Gallant said Israel was "coming under attack from seven theatres: Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Judea and Samaria [an Israeli term for the West Bank], Iraq, Yemen and Iran".

"We have already responded and taken action in six of these theatres," he told the Knesset, without specifying, The Guardian reported.

Iran-allied militias around the Middle East have attacked Israel and US military installations across the region since Hamas launched its devastating attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,140 people and taking up to 250 hostages.

Gallant's comments on Tuesday came as the war in Gaza showed new signs of spreading outside Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Earlier in the day, Egypt said a drone was shot down near the Red Sea resort city of Dahab, the second such occurrence in a month.

The drone's origin was not immediately clear, but Yemen's Houthi rebels, which are aligned to Iran, have disrupted global trade in the Red Sea with attacks on international vessels and have launched drones and missiles towards Israel, The Guardian reported.

Explosions in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen were also reported on Tuesday.

On Saturday, the US defence department had explicitly blamed Iran for the first time for a drone attack targeting a chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean.
Washington, Dec 26 : The US military forces aerially struck facilities in Iraq said to be used by Kataib Hezbollah -- an Iraqi paramilitary group better known as the Hezbollah Brigades -- and its affiliates on Christmas night, Defence Ministry statements said.

Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said the strikes were carried out at the instance of President Joe Biden and in response to attacks carried out by the groups against coalition forces in the region.

aOne of those attacks was on Erbil Air Base earlier on December 25, which resulted in injuries to three US personnel. One service member was left in critical condition as a result of the air base attack," a statement from the Defence Secretary said.

"My prayers are with the brave Americans who were injured," Austin said in his statement.

"And let me be clear -- the President and I will not hesitate to take necessary action to defend the United States, our troops, and our interests," Austin said, adding, "There is no higher priority. While we do not seek to escalate conflict in the region, we are committed and fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities."

According to early assessments by CENTCOM, the targeted facilities were destroyed, and there were no signs that any civilians were impacted, ABC news reported.

"These strikes are intended to hold accountable those elements directly responsible for attacks on coalition forces in Iraq and Syria and degrade their ability to continue attacks," General Michael Erik Kurilla, US Central Command Commander, said in a statement.

"We will always protect our forces."

National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said the President was "immediately briefed on the attack this morning, and he ordered the Department of Defence to prepare response options against those responsible".

On a call later with Austin, Biden ordered the strikes against three locations utilised by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, focused specifically on unmanned aerial drone activities, media reports said.

"The President places no higher priority than the protection of American personnel serving in harmas way. The United States will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue," Watson's statement read.
Hyderabad, Dec 26 : Telangana on Tuesday reported eight new cases of Covid-19 but authorities denied any death.

Officials denied reports that a person died of Covid-19 at Osmania General Hospital (OGH) in Hyderabad, the officials denied it.

OGH Superintendent B. Nagender clarified that a 60-year-old patient succumbed due to heart failure, not due to Covid. He said the patient was admitted in acute medical care with medical emergency of acute onset of COPD with severe left ventricle dysfunction (heart failure) and type 2 respiratory failure.

A coincidental test for Covid was positive. This patient expired on December 24 because of severe heart failure and not because of Covid, he said.

The superintendent said three patients admitted in isolation ward with different medical emergencies were found to be Covid positive. All the three patients are stable.

He also stated that Covid JN1 is a very mild variant with mild symptoms, hence there is no need for panic.

The state government is keen on combating the surge in cases. The Health Minister and other higher officials of the state Health Department are vigilant and conducting regular reviews with all the hospitals and giving required guidelines for the hospitals to follow.

Meanwhile, the state on Tuesday reported eight new cases of Covid-19. According to the Director of Public Health and Family Welfare, the total number of active cases in the state now stands at 59. A total of 1,333 samples were tested during the 24-hour period that ended at 5.30 p.m. on Tuesday. Four people also recovered on Tuesday.

--IANS

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Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar : , Dec 26 (IANS) The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), led by Prakash Ambedkar, on Tuesday demanded 12 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra from the INDIA bloc "if the Opposition seriously wants to defeat" the Bharatiya Janata Party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Unveiling a seat-sharing formula, state VBA President Rekha Thakur said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) of the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party-SP, the Shiv Sena-UBT, besides the VBA, should contest 12 seats each in Maharashtra to dislodge the BJP.

The statement was issued after the VBA state executive meeting held here a" just two days ahead of the Congressa aHai Taiyaar Huma mega-rally planned in Nagpur on its 138th foundation day celebrations to kickstart the campaign for parliament elections.

Detailing the formula, Thakur, and her colleagues Siddharth Mokle, Farooq Ahmed, and Priyadarshi Telang said that in the present political circumstances, no party in the country, including the Congress, can independently capture power or elect a PM on its own.

Even in Maharashtra, the MVA is not an option as two constituents a" the Shiv Sena-UBT and NCP-SP a" have been weakened by the vertical splits they suffered in 2022 and 2023 respectively, and the Congress could get only one MP elected in 2019 parliament polls.

However, the last Lok Sabha elections proved that the VBA not only has a vote-bank but its base has increased significantly among the underprivileged section in the past five years, they said.

"Our clear agenda is to defeat Modi in the 2024 election. There is no need for the MVA to be overconfident in the current situation. The BJP is threatening the Opposition parties with central investigation agencies and to put them in jail for even minor mistakes," said Ahmed.

Mokle said that the BJP is dividing the society and attempting to undermine the Constitution which could affect the security of the underprivileged classes, deprived sections, tribals, Muslims and other minorities, etc., and its time to take the right decisions now.

He said that of the 12 seats in its share, the VBA will put up 3 Muslim candidates, plus give representation to other underprivileged groups like OBCs and nomadic tribes, which is not done by other parties, but if there is no decision, then the VBA would consider other options.

The VBA missive came even as the INDIA bloc has indicated that the seat-sharing formula is likely to be finalised in a week, and the MVA will do likewise in early-January 2024.
Tel Aviv, Dec 26 : The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Tuesday that the Iran-backed Hezbollah has fired missiles at a Greek Orthodox church in northern Israel that wounded a civilian and nine security personnel.

The IDF said the nine soldiers were injured when a second missile fired by the Hezbollah hit them while they were trying to remove the injured octogenarian from the site.

The IDF said that an anti-tank guided missile was fired from Lebanaon, adding that the Israeli force has targeted a Hezbollah site in Lebanon.

Israel is engaged in a bitter war with the Hamas in the Gaza Strip ever since the latter carried out a massacre in southern Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people and taking 240 as hostages.

However, during a one-week ceasefire from November 24 to December 1, 105 of the hostages were released. Four of the hostages were released earlier and a woman soldier who was a hostage was rescued by the Israel army.

The IDF has announced that 22 of these hostages were dead and three hostages were killed by the IDF in an accidental firing.

Israel and the US had warned the Hezbollah that it would have to face serious consequences if a war front is opened in the northern front of Israel.
Apple's Smart Watch Series 9 & Ultra 2 to go off shelves unless Biden intervenes. Image Source: IANS News

San Francisco, Dec 26 : Apple on Tuesday filed an appeal to the International Trade Commission's (ITC) decision to ban sales of Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 models in the US.

San Francisco, Dec 26 (IANS) Apple on Tuesday filed an appeal to the International Trade Commissionas (ITC) decision to ban sales of Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 models in the US.

In a court filing, Apple said that the company "will suffer irreparable harm" if the latest Watches remain off the shelves during legal proceedings.

It has also requested an emergency stay on the ban for at least two weeks until a decision is made on redesigned versions of the banned models.

Earlier, the Office of the United States Trade Representative said: "After careful consultations, Ambassador (Katherine) Tai decided not to reverse the ITCas determination and the ITCas decision became final on December 26, 2023."

Apple, in a statement, said: "We strongly disagree with the USITC decision and resulting exclusion order, and are taking all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the US as soon as possible."

While banned in the US, the Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 are still available for purchase outside the country.

Apple pulled its latest flagship smartwatches due to an import ban imposed by the US ITC over a patent dispute with medical device maker Masimo.

According to reports, Apple Stores is promoting Watch SE, which remains available because it lacks the blood oxygen sensor.

The ITC ruled in October that the blood oxygen sensor in the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 infringes on two Masimo patents. Following the ITC decision, the case was sent to the Joe Biden administration for a 60-day Presidential Review Period but he has so far chosen not to act.

The long-running patent dispute between Apple and medical technology company Masimo is around the Watchas blood oxygen sensor (SpO2 sensor) technology.

--IANS

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Security scare at Israel Embassy: Delhi Police retrieve abusive letter, no explosives found so far (2nd Ld). Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Dec 26 : A letter addressed to the Israeli Ambassador to India has been retrieved by Delhi Police from the vicinity of the alleged 'explosion' site behind the Israel Embassy in Chankyapuri, police sources said on Tuesday.

This comes amid Israel and Hamas, ongoing armed conflict in Gaza.

As per sources, the letter is said to contain abusive language.

The police have also initiated a probe after an eyewitness posted near the Israel Embassy claimed to have heard a blast sound and noticed smoke outside the Embassy premises located in the diplomatic enclave of the national capital.

However, the police haven't found any traces of explosives so far from the site, as per sources privy to the probe.

"At around 5 p.m., while I was on duty, I heard a loud noise resembling a tire burst. Upon stepping outside, I saw smoke emanating from the top of a tree near the premises. The police have recorded my statement," said the eyewitness, who works as a guard at a premises near the Embassy.

The Delhi Police were put on high alert following an alleged bomb threat call claiming that explosives have been planted near the Israel Embassy premises.

An unidentified caller contacted the Delhi Fire Service at around 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday, claiming the presence of a potential explosive device near the Israel Embassy.

Responding swiftly, bomb squads and police teams with sniffer dogs were dispatched to the spot to conduct a thorough search of the premises. After meticulous examination, no evidence of any explosive device was found.

Officials on the scene confirmed that so far it seems to be a false alarm, and there was no imminent threat to the Israel Embassy or the surrounding areas.

"So far, we have not found anything," said Anil Garg, Director of Delhi Fire Service.

Meanwhile, Israel Embassy said that an explosion occurred in close proximity of the Embassy, adding that all the workers and diplomats are safe.

"This evening several minutes after 5 p.m., an explosion occurred in close proximity of the Embassy. All our workers and diplomats are safe. Our security teams are working in full cooperation with the local security forces and they will investigate the matter," Deputy Chief of Mission of Israel to India, Ohad Nakash Kaynar, said in a video statement..

The bomb threat incident follows closely on the heels of a significant security alert in Mumbai, where the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) received a menacing email detailing a scheme to set off 11 bombs across the financial capital.

The HDFC Bank and the ICICI Bank were mentioned as potential targets in the threatening communication.
New Delhi, Dec 26 : Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday held meetings with party leaders of Bihar, Punjab, Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir to discuss the poll preparedness ahead of the crucial 2024 general elections.

Meanwhile, the leaders from Bihar will be holding the meeting with the five member National Alliance Committee to discuss the seat sharing issues.

The back-to-back meeting at the party headquarters were chaired by Kharge, where former party chief Rahul Gandhi, General Secretary, Organisation, K.C. Venugopal and several other top leaders including the state leaders met state wise separately.

Following the meeting with the Bihar Congress leaders, Kharge in a post on X said: "Discussion was held with state leaders of Bihar Congress regarding preparations related to Lok Sabha election.The Grand Alliance government in Bihar is working strongly as per the expectations of the people of Bihar. We are committed to social justice. For the progress, prosperity and peace of Bihar, every Congress worker is ready to reach out to the people and live up to the aspirations of the people of Bihar."

State unit chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh said: "We discussed the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and it was decided that the Congress will contest the elections with the Grand Alliance which includes the RJD, JD-U and the Left parties."

He said that an action plan has been made, and the party will go forward accordingly.

"On seat sharing, we will discuss the issue with the National Alliance Committee. Rahul Gandhi and Kharge listened to the leaders of Bihar and he suggested several things and we will go further on the same."

Singh, asked about the 2019 seat sharing formula, said that the seat sharing will be done accordingly as we have one more party in the alliance as compared to 2019.

Meanwhile, J&K unit chief Vikar Rasool Wani said: "Kharge and Rahul Gandhi and Venugopal held threadbare discussions. It was also discussed how to go forward with the INDIA bloc parties."

State incharge Bharatsinh Solanki said, aWe discussed the issue of how to strengthen the Congress in J&K. And as the Supreme Court has said that the elections should be conducted by September 30, 2024 all the leaders discussed and also gave their suggestion."

He said that they feel that the Congress, along with the INDIA bloc parties, will win all the five Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir and one in Ladakh.

He also said that Rahul Gandhi during the meeting said that J&K is an important part of India and the Congress is working to bring people together while the BJP is trying to divide. "Seat sharing was not discussed and we will continue to contest in alliance with the partners," Solanki said.

After the meeting with the leaders of &K and Ladakh Kharge said: "We had a detailed discussion with the Congress party leaders from Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, regarding the Lok Sabha elections."

"We hope to see full statehood restored to Jammu and Kashmir soon. Modi Govt has left no stone unturned in betraying its people. Prime Minister Modias clean chit to China, post Galwan has endangered our National Security and strategic interests. We are also concerned about the rise in terror attacks and targeted killings of innocent people.

"People of Ladakh are unitedly demanding safeguards for the tribal people of the region under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. But the Modi Govt has time and again, deceived them. People of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh want their life return to normalcy and thatas the message they gave to Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra," Kharge said in a tweet.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 26 : The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday notified to enforce the provisions of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Act, 2023 and Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Act, 2023.

In a notification, the MHA said: "In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Act, 2023 (35 of 2023), the Central government hereby appoints the 26th day of December, 2023, as the date on which the provisions of the said Act shall come into force."

It also said, "In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Act, 2023 (34 of 2023), the Central government hereby appoints the 26th day of December, 2023, as the date on which the provisions of the said Act shall come into force."

The move comes days after the Parliament passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 during the recently-concluded Winter Session.
Mumbai, Dec 26 : An actor-producer from Gujarat was arrested in Mumbai for allegedly molesting a minor girl after luring her with an offer for a film role, police said on Tuesday.

The incident occurred late on Monday when the 17-year old girl, also from Gujarat, was alone in a hotel room in the western suburbs.

The accused is known to the victim's uncle and she met him hoping to get a break in films.

On Monday, finding her alone in the hotel room in Andheri, the actor-producer allegedly molested her. Later, the shaken girl lodged a complaint with the D.N. Nagar Police Station in Andheri west.

A police team swooped onto the hotel where the accused was staying and arrested him. He has been charged under various sections of the IPC and POCSO and further probe is underway, according to the officials.
Security scare at Israel Embassy: Evidentiary exhibits found from the spot, say Delhi Police (Roundup). Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Dec 26 : Security agencies in Delhi were sent into a tizzy after receiving an emergency call reporting an 'explosion' near the Israel Embassy in Chanakyapuri on Tuesday.

After an extensive search operation, sources confirmed to have found potential evidentiary exhibits, including a typed letter addressed to the Israeli Ambassador to India.

When questioned about the contents of the letter, officials refrained from providing details.

"A call reporting an explosion near the Israel Embassy in Delhi at around 5:45 p.m. prompted the immediate dispatch of a fire tender," according to the Delhi Fire Service (DFS).

Anil Garg, Director of Delhi Fire Service, said, "So far, we have not found anything."

Delhi Police said in a statement that at 5:53 p.m. on Tuesday, a PCR call conveyed that a "loud sound was heard from the rear side of the Israel Embassy".

"Given the sensitivity of the site and the report of a sound resembling an explosion, a dog squad, crime team, and the bomb disposal squad of Delhi Police were sent to the spot from where the alleged explosion sound was reported," said a Delhi Police spokesperson.

"Subsequently, experts from the forensic science laboratory (FSL) also reached the scene and the area was cordoned off for a meticulous search. The experts conducted an examination of the spot, collecting potential evidentiary exhibits, which are now being sent for forensic analysis," said the spokesperson.

Simultaneously, the Israel Embassy confirmed the incident, asserting that an 'explosion' occurred in close proximity of the Embassy building. It also confirmed the safety of all the workers and diplomats present in the Embassy.

Deputy Chief of Mission of Israel to India, Ohad Nakash Kaynar, said in a video statement, "This evening, several minutes after 5 p.m., an explosion occurred in close proximity to the Embassy. All our workers and diplomats are safe. Our security teams are working in full cooperation with the local security forces, and they will investigate the matter."

An eye-witness claimed to have heard a blast sound and noticed smoke outside the Israel Embassy in Chanakyapuri.

"At around 5 p.m., while I was on duty, I heard a loud noise resembling a tire burst. On stepping outside, I saw smoke emanating from the top of a tree near the premises. The police have recorded my statement," said the eyewitness, who works as a guard at a premises near the Embassy.

According to the eyewitness, the explosion occurred on an empty plot of land situated in front of the Central Training Hindi Institute and behind the Israel Embassy.

Meanwhile, the police have reinforced security measures around the Chabad House in Paharganj where a large number of Israelis reside.

To recall, in January 2021, a minor explosion occurred near the Israel Embassy, causing damage to several vehicles.

Earlier in February 2012, a bomb was placed beneath an Israel Embassy vehicle, resulting in injuries to a diplomat's wife.
Jaipur, Dec 26 : After Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, a cabinet expansion is also on the cards for the new BJP government in Rajasthan too, with the Bhajan Lal Sharma government expected to induct new ministers in a day or two.

As per BJP sources, cabinet expansion can take place on Wednesday or Thursday and preparations are being made at Raj Bhavan for the swearing in.

It is believed that like Madhya Pradesh, new MLAs will be given more opportunities.

Asked about the issue, BJP state President C.P. Joshi said: "You will be informed about cabinet expansion soon."

CM Sharma was on a tour of Sri Karanpur Assembly on Tuesday and returned to Jaipur on Tuesday evening. Most of the MLAs are staying in Jaipur due to cabinet expansion.

The speculation is that instead of senior members, those MLAs who have never become ministers till now can be given a chance. Some senior MLAs can also be made ministers and their number will not be much.

At the same time, in view of Lok Sabha elections, the selection of new ministers will be with an eye on maintaining caste and regional balance.

Against this backdrop, it is being assumed that in Shekhawati region, where BJP's performance has been lagging, most of the winning MLAs can be included in the cabinet.

Meanwhile, former CM Ashok Gehlot has been continually attacking the BJP government for its delayed cabinet expansion. On Tuesday, he said that the public has lost hope in the newly elected government due to non-fulfillment of the guarantee of not closing his government's "wonderful schemes".

"While the youth are being deprived of employment by closing the Rajiv Gandhi Youth Internship Programme, there are also reports of no treatment under the Chiranjeevi Yojana. In such a situation, it becomes necessary that in the interest of Rajasthan, the government should first form a cabinet and clarify the situation for our schemes and smooth governance," he said.
In his last annual letter to authors as Hachettte Book Group CEO, Michael Pietsch hit on a number of topics, including the publishers steps to improve its marketing efforts. To that end, Pietsch pointed to the launch of direct-to-consumer sales from the Hachette Book Group website.

All our publishing divisions are working on how best to deploy this capability to drive preorders and sales and build a deeper connection with your readers, Pietsch told authors. This year we expanded our email lists, added followers to our content verticals, sharpened our advertising reach, and worked ever more closely with our retail partners.

In another initiative designed to react to where books are sold today, Pietsch highlighted HBGs You Are the Bookseller campaign, designed, he said, to emphasize the fact that more than half" of HBG sales take place on digital retail platforms, "and that nearly all of the information about our books on those platforms is created by us." With "new tools to track how often customers look at a book page and then go on to purchase the book," Pietsch said the Hachette program will encourage HBG's publishing teams "to measure and adjust selling lines, title descriptions, images, and other elements of our book pages in order to drive more sales.



Pietsch also wrote of his high hopes for continued growth of digital audiobook sales, driven by Spotifys entrance into the market late this year.

Among some other internal programs, Pietsch wrote that HBG has increased its efforts to combat the surge in book bans, which include providing financial support to the National Coalition Against Censorships Kids Right to Read program, PENs Countering Book Bans project, and We Need Diverse Books Books Save Lives campaign. The company also continued its efforts to diversify its staff and to get books into the hands of BIPOC readers.

Pietsch closed the letter with a farewell, noting he is handing over the HBG CEO reins to Hachette UK CEO David Shelley under a reorganization announced last month. "I commend David to you wholeheartedly: he is a brilliant CEO, with a background as an editor and publisher, and has been partnering with HBG and our authors for many years," Pietsch wrote. "Youre in great hands."

Pietsch will serve as HBG chairman through 2024.
Latin Americas most authoritarian president has once again shown his contempt for the rule of law.

On November 22nd, the authoritarian government of Nayib Bukele in El Salvador released Johana Flores, who Bukele alleges was a member of the Barrio 18 gang. She was jailed without a trial or access to a lawyer, the latest abuse in Bukeles national state of exception, which has allowed him to suspend constitutional and legal rights in the name of national security.

With no evidence of gang involvement, she was released, and her life was ruined after being labeled a terrorist by an extremely popular and reckless president.

In the past El Salvador, along with many of its other Central American neighbours, has faced a crippling security crisis, reaching a homicide rate of 104 per 100,000 in 2015, making it the most dangerous place in the world.

To meet the challenge, Bukele has embraced mano dura (iron fist) policies, suspending liberties and upending democratic institutions in favor of unilateral power to jail, torture, censure, or kill anyone deemed dangerous to the state.

While data shows his play has worked, with El Salvadors homicide rate now at 7.8 and still dropping Bukeles own career is rife with examples of successful alternatives that would not cost the country its democratic future.

Before turning into a darling of the American far-right, Bukele was a socialist  a member of the most established far-left party in El Salvador. He quickly climbed the ranks, becoming mayor of both Nuevo Cuscatlan and his hometown of San Salvador.

As mayor, he pursued policies where crime reduction went hand in hand with poverty reduction and socio-economic development. He first instituted public food distribution programs for the malnourished and impoverished.

Similar to what some American states such as Texas have done, he offered merit scholarships for any kid with a high GPA to attend any public university  even donating his salary to the scholarship fund. He started various clinics to provide needed medical care to his residents.

Bukele also helped build public infrastructure and local transportation to connect the cities with their peripheries, employing many and ensuring no one is trapped in the crime that often plagues the urban margins of many Latin American cities. He built libraries, community centers, and public schools, and made life more affordable for most residents.

As a result, crime dropped sharply in Nuevo Cuscatlan and San Salvador while he was mayor. In his three-year term at Nuevo Cuscatlan, only one murder was reported, a new normal for the town. The same followed in San Salvador, which dramatically cut its homicide rate as a result of Bukeles public economic programs.

Sadly, Bukele has abandoned this vision for a safe and democratic El Salvador, embracing a much harsher view of security policy. He has reportedly signed a deal with the MS-13, the largest and deadliest gang in Central America, in exchange for relative peace, imprisoning his opponents and the gangs rivals to form the largest prison state in the world.

He suspended the constitution and amended it to allow himself to run for office again, and destroyed the Supreme Court before anybody could challenge him. He even sent the military into Congress to force a vote on his gang crackdown, which fell in his favor. Critics are intimidated either by him directly or by his army of internet trolls, leading to violent raids and deaths of journalists, NGO workers, and activists.

What was once a rising Central American democracy has been replaced by the worst example of security-first politics.

Salvadorans deserve better, and only need to look at their own Presidents past policies to see that their desire for both liberty and security is not a choice, but a package deal.

Concerned citizens do not need to give up their rights for a fragile security built on negotiations between tyrants. Instead, they can embrace security through development, ensuring everyone has a right to a decent education, a vibrant community, a good job, and a responsible government, leaving them no socio-economic incentives to turn to crime.

This Devils bargain might end up tempting more Latin American states, who are seeing organized crime, armed conflict, corruption, and government mismanagement ruin their lives and prospects.

Confidence for democracy continues to decrease throughout the continent, and leaders like Bukele should be responsible enough not to embrace peoples fears, and instead embrace the most sensible policies. Otherwise, Latin America may revert to its authoritarian ways of the Cold War, and destroy all past democratic progress.

A different, more democratic, future is possible for the country, and Salvadorans should ask for that in February 2024.

Joseph Bouchard is a freelance journalist covering geopolitics in the Americas, with reporting experience in Colombia, Brazil, and Bolivia. His articles have appeared in The Diplomat, Mongabay, Responsible Statecraft, The National Interest, and Reason Magazine. He is a contributor with Young Voices.
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Court reverses former Nebraska US Rep. Jeff Fortenberry's conviction of lying to federal authorities

An appellate court has reversed a federal conviction against former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska, ruling that he should not have been tried in Los Angeles
Legal experts said that as such disclosures will have a bearing on stock prices there is a need for tweaks in regulations addressing fraudulent trade practices.

Khushboo Tiwari in Mumbai.

Photograph: Shailesh Andrade/Reuters

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) might relax the disclosure norms around rumour verification to help smooth implementation and ease compliance amid pushback from India Inc, said people in the know.

The rule has been notified following amendments to the Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements (LODR) by Sebi.

However, its implementation has been deferred until February.

In the meantime, a forum comprising industry bodies, exchanges, legal experts, and regulatory officials is in a huddle to understand the challenges around it and formulate a process for its easier implementation.

The feedback Sebi has got is that there could be some unintended fallout if the norms are implemented.

"As a result, some modifications will have to be made to this disclosure framework or another Sebi regulation, said a regulatory source.

As such disclosures will have a bearing on stock prices, legal experts said there was a need for tweaks in regulations addressing fraudulent trade practices.

But the RBI infused Rs 59,260 crore and Rs 1.5 trillion on Friday and Sunday (December 15 and 17), respectively.

The banking system liquidity deficit widened to a near five-year high on November 21 on the back of monthly goods and services tax payments; the central bank had infused Rs 1.74 trillion on that day.

The RBI has been clear about the fact that liquidity was on an extremely much tighter side given the outflows on account of GST and other factors.

"This month will see the ending of a quarter. Most quarter endings generally see liquidity on the tighter side.

"Thats the reason they (RBI) provided the VRR auction, which has eased liquidity to a certain extent.

"But given that it is just a seven-day instrument that they have given, this necessarily means that they are also expecting that liquidity will improve once the government spending comes in, said Indranil Pan, chief economist at YES Bank.

Against the notified amount of Rs 1 trillion, the RBI received bids worth Rs 2.7 trillion at the 7-day VRR auction  the first in six months.

Banks borrowed the amount at a weighted average rate of 6.63 per cent.

Significant demand was also fuelled by elevated call rates and tri-party repo (Trep) rates in the market, dealers said.

Earlier, the central bank conducted a VRR auction on June 19.

The market expects that the central bank will abstain from conducting open market operations (OMO) of bond sales in the near term.

However, if and when foreign inflows into bonds materialise, the central bank can utilize OMOs as a tool to manage liquidity, absorbing excess funds in the system.

The market is not thinking about OMO right now, because the RBI governor made it clear that they (the central bank) would use the tool only to deal with liquidity, and given the current scenario, OMO is out of the question, said the treasury head at a private bank.

The RBI has been conducting variable rate reverse repo (VRRR) auctions for the past six months to withdraw excess liquidity from the system.

However, banks remained reluctant to participate in these VRRR auctions given the tight liquidity situation.

Need for clarity
'These new laws give complete (impunity) to the police.'

'Whatever little accountability the police had, all that is gone now.'

'There is no accountability mechanism against the police for abusing or misusing in the new laws.'

On Christmas day, President Droupadi Murmu signed the three criminal law bills -- the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Sanhita, which will replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and The Indian Evidence Act -- into law.

'The idea of the new criminal bills is purely Bharatiya. The British era laws were aimed to protect foreign rule and the new bills are people centric,' Home Minister Amit Anilchandra Shah told Parliament last week.

The bills were cleared amidst the suspension of the 143 opposition Members of Parliament.

How will these news laws change the lives of ordinary Indians? What is in store for them?

To know more about this, Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf spoke to People's Union for Civil Liberties national General Secretary and human rights lawyer Dr V Suresh.

What will be the impact of this new criminal code on Indians?

First, let me clarify by saying that the government is saying they are replacing a colonial law with Indian law, which is a total farce.

The government is only playing to the political gallery. There is nothing Indian about this law. It is old wine in new bottle.

By and large, this is an old version of Indian Penal Code 1973 redrafted and by and large retained.

They have done some major corrections, which is a major concern.

What concerns?

In the earlier law, however badly it was implemented, there was protection by going to the judiciary in terms of seeking redress if there was any violation of the law (by the police).

In the earlier law, the judiciary could give an arrested person police remand for the first 15 days for investigation purposes.

The most important thing to note is that the bulk of torture or human rights violations takes place at the time of apprehending or arresting a person.

Earlier provision was that in the first 15 days of arrest alone the judiciary can give what is called as police remand.

The arrested person would be kept in police custody for investigative purposes for a maximum of 15 days.

The judiciary was a very key player in this. The judiciary in the old law could say we do not accept the police story and release the person from police custody and this used to happen.

The judiciary could tell the police that they did not see the need for a person to be kept in police custody for 15 days and could give them only six days of police custody.

And after six days the judiciary would again look into the paper and extend the police custody three times for a maximum 15 days.

Now, in the new law, the police remand can be given up to 90 days.

You mean police custody for 90 days for an accused without judicial intervention?

It is 60 days or 90 days. Right now it is not clear as we have to look at the fine print of the law as that will come in the procedure part saying that they can ask for (police custody) anytime (between) 60 days or 90 days.

This is a serious infringement of the rights of the person who is arrested and also looking at the way the police in India are.

Right now, a person arrested could be sent by the judiciary to judicial custody after 15 days and from where he was sent to the central jail of whichever state the accused was arrested.

And if the police wanted custody of the accused they had to approach the judiciary after 15 days.

In the new law this provision stops and the police can ask for police custody beyond 15 days (and keep an accused in police custody) from 60 days or 90 days. This is a dangerous change in the law.

In Amit Shah's wordsm this new law 'ka sharir bhi Bharatiya hai, aatma bhi Bharatiya hai aur soch bhi Bharatiya hai.'

There is nothing called colonial or Indian law, it was always Constitutional law. The entire claim that this new law is Bharatiya is farcical.

It is only playing to the right wing gallery and making people accept it without knowing what the consequences are.

Whether you have a Bharatiya law or colonial law, you cannot have police excesses against citizens.

Therefore, you have a judiciary to oversee that. Now, the judiciary's hands are tied because the police can ask any time for extension (of the police custody of the accused).

Is the judicial process weakened by these laws? Has the police gotten more powerful?

Yes, the judiciary will weaken and the police will get powerful with these new laws.

We already have a police State in the country, but that was a shadow police State.

This law is the formal character to transforming a Constitutional based criminal justice system into a police-centric criminal justice system.

Section 41 A of the Criminal Procedure Code says at the time of arrest policemen should wear uniform, his aim should be clear and tell the person why he/she is being arrested. The grounds of arrest, which case, which police station. The police has to get the signature of the relative or close friend present during the arrest.

Section 41 A of the CrPC came out of the D K Basu judgment, of the Supreme Court guidelines of 1997. From 1997 to 2009, PUCL and the human rights movement campaigned to tell the central government that please make the D K Basu judgment into law.

We wanted this judgment to become a legislative law so that any police officer in any remote corner of India could read it.

It took 15 years before the government made the D K Basu judgment into a law in the form of Section 41 A of the CrPC. (In the D K Basu case judgment, the court laid down certain basic requirements to be followed in all cases of arrest or detention to prevent custodial violence and protect human rights).

Now, this protection has been removed in the new laws.

Does it mean that the police, according to the new law, does not need to follow certain basic requirements in cases of arrest or detention?

Yes, there is no need for them to do that. Section 41 A says that arrest is not necessary unless the police inspector feels the person will run away or not talk to the police for investigation and if there is an arrest, then the police needs to write in the diary and show it to the court why the person is being arrested (external link).

Now, in the new law there is no need for the police officer who arrests a person to show the diary to the court.

With this new law, in just one stroke 30 years of the human rights struggle for Indian citizens against the police has been thrown out of the window.

There are good things too like the removal of sedition in the new law.

It is not removed, but has come in other form. We had terrorism cases under UAPA (the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act) which is a special law.

You could invoke UAPA only in special circumstances. Now, they have defined terrorism under Section 113 of the new law.

This point is very important for a lay person to understand. A special law is brought under special circumstances. You had some sort of checks and balances in the use of a special law.

When a special law becomes a general law that means any thanedar in India can use Section 113 of the new law which relates to terrorism.

Earlier under UAPA, the police had to show that the area was terrorism-affected, therefore UAPA had to be used.

Now, any police officer can use the terrorism law as it has become a general law.

Have we not finally got rid of colonial laws after 75 years of Independence?

It is wrong to say the Indian Penal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code and the Indian Evidence Act are colonial law.

It was drastically reviewed in 1973. It is just like saying that the Indian Constitution does not change. There are 101 amendments to the Constitution which makes it up to date. This is not understood by ordinary people, and that includes educated people.

Coming back to Section 113 of the new law, they have continued the usage of the word 'against economic security.' This means if there is an environmental group opposing a chemical plant or a thermal plant in India, the government will say the protestors are against the economic security of the country and they can be booked under (the terrorism law).

If you recall, when Prime Minister Modi came to power in 2014 the first case they filed against was Priya Pillai of Greenpeace.

Priya was booked and several other people who were involved with Greenpeace.

Now Greenpeace does not talk of any form of terrorism or attack on the national security of India. They only talk about environmental concerns.

Once this economic security concern comes under the general law there is greater possibility it can be invoked any time.

And once it is invoked you will have to go to knock the doors of the court.

The Supreme Court of India is already taking so long to hear the bail petitions of people arrested under UAPA.

Bail should be a matter of urgency, but the Supreme Court is giving adjournments of 2 to 3 months.

So these new laws means 'of the police, by the police, for the police;?

Absolutely. The new laws are of the police, by the police, for the police. Look at the remand power or removing the accountability of the police.

The new laws are more regressive. Under the old criminal procedure code, handcuffing could only be done at the time of remand.

Now, the new law says handcuffing can be done by the police anytime.

At present, the law says the prisoners have to come to the court during trial where they meet their lawyers or family members.

The prisoners get some sense about what is happening in the outside world.

Now, they say you dispense remand and everything can be done through video conferencing.

Earlier, if a prisoner was tortured and brought to court he could speak about his torture to his family or lawyers, but now he won't be able to do that with video conferencing.

Therefore, we oppose this system in a big way.

These new laws are going to give what in effect was a police State to become an openly police State.

Anybody can be picked up for any filmsy reason if they question or challenge the government.

We have been demanding to make the police accountable for misuse of the law in any amendment of the criminal law.

There are so many cases where people have been deliberately arrested for political reasons.

These new laws give complete (impunity) to the police. Whatever little accountability the police had, all that is gone now.

There is no accountability mechanism against the police for abusing or misusing in the new laws.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
Over seven months of violence severely hit businesses, schools, colleges and other institutions, besides disrupting transportation and communication networks. It also affected the agrarian sector, considered the mainstay of the state economy.

IMAGE: Khurai Pana Naha Sing (Youth of Khurai Pana) holding placards take part in a silent protest rally appealing for restoration of peace in strife-ridden Manipur. Photograph: ANI Photo

Manipur made headlines for much of 2023 as it witnessed one of the worst ethnic conflicts between the Kuki and Meitei communities, resulting in over 200 deaths and leaving nearly 60,000 people homeless.

Though violence broke out on May 3, tension had been building in the hill districts of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi since February due to the state government's efforts to remove encroachers from reserved forest areas.

In late February, the state government demolished few Kuki houses in Churachandpur district for encroaching on reserved forest land, triggering condemnation by Kuki-Zo community members.

Clashes broke out between demonstrators and police in Kangpokpi district in March when they tried to hold a rally against "encroachment of tribal land in the name of reserved forests, protected forests and wildlife sanctuary.

Following the clashes, the state cabinet withdrew from the tripartite Suspension of Operations (SoO) talks with two Kuki-based outfits -- Kuki National Army and Zomi Revolutionary Army -- saying the "state government will not compromise on steps taken to protect forest resources and for eradicating poppy cultivation."

The SoO was in effect between the central, state government and Kuki militant outfits since 2008.

The decision caused further damage to the already strained relations between the Bharatiya Janata Party government and the Kukis.

Public unrest against Chief Minister N Biren Singh, particularly in Churachandpur district, eventually led to violent protests in April last week.

Newly formed Churachandpur district-based Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) called an eight-hour shutdown on April 28 to protest eviction of villagers from forests.

As tension prevailed, a Tribal Solidarity March' was organised on May 3 by the All Tribal Students Union Manipur (ATSUM) in the hill districts to oppose the demand for inclusion of Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe category.

It was prompted after the Manipur high court passed an order instructing the state government to recommend to the Centre the inclusion of Meitei community in ST category.

The community accounts for 53 per cent population and dwells in the valley areas of the state, which comprises around nine per cent of its total territory.

Though the rally passed off peacefully in the Naga-dominated hill districts, in Churachandpur district headquarters town, where more than 15,000 protesters had gathered at a public ground, the situation took an ugly turn after a non-tribal driver was assaulted.

Later in the day, a 1,000-strong mob attacked the non-tribal villages of Torbung and Kangvai in Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts. Similar incidents of arson were reported from the border town of Moreh in Tengnoupal district the same night.

The state government immediately suspended mobile internet services "to maintain peace and communal harmony". Broadband services were also shut from May 5, as images of widespread violence led to communal tension.

Retaliatory attacks against Kuki localities and properties across Imphal valley were equally brutal.

Mobs targeted the 7th Manipur Rifles complex at Khabeisoi in Imphal East district and fled with hundreds of weapons, calling it a necessity "to defend their homes from invaders as security forces had failed to protect lives and properties of the people".

On May 3 night, Meiteis were targeted in Churachandpur and Moreh border town. Hundreds of houses were razed to the ground. Authorities clamped full curfew in all the nine affected districts hours later.

What followed were sporadic episodes of violence and arson, including a brutal assault on BJP MLA Vungzagin Valte and his driver by a mob at Nagamapal area in Imphal West district. While his driver succumbed to injuries in hospital, Valte, who was left for dead, survived and was later taken to Delhi for treatment.

Violence shifted from Imphal and Churachandpur to peripheral areas of Imphal valley as well, with both sides resorting to intense gunfights and ambushes.

Even as the state struggled to maintain law and order, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accompanied by top central officials, arrived on May 29 for a four-day visit to help restore peace. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also visited the state in the June last week.

In August first week, tension flared up again after ITLF announced its decision to bury the bodies of 35 Kuki Zo members. Reacting to the proposed burial, thousands from across Imphal valley started gathering, but were stopped by army personnel.

On December 3, satisfied with the improving law and order situation, the authorities restored mobile internet connectivity in most parts of the northeastern state.

Under pressure from the Supreme Court to dispose of unclaimed bodies, the government shifted 64 bodies lying at the morgues of JNIMS and RIMS in Imphal to Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts for final rites in December third week.

A burial was arranged for 19 such bodies at Phaijang village in Kangpokpi district on December 15. On December 20, the bodies of 87 Kuki Zo victims of ethnic violence were laid to rest in Churachandpur district headquarters.

Over seven months of violence severely hit businesses, schools, colleges and other institutions, besides disrupting transportation and communication networks. It also affected the agrarian sector, considered the mainstay of the state economy.

Businessmen in Imphal valley said in the initial days of violence, the supply of a number of edible and non-edible items brought from outside the state sharply declined due to blockades called by Kuki-based organisations on both the national highways of the state. However, by July, movement of goods trucks became normal after central security forces began to provide security.

Farmers and traders in the hills, particularly in the Kuki-dominated areas, also could not come to Imphal valley for trade because of fear.

The thriving trade between the state and Myanmar through Moreh town also came to a halt after hundreds of Meiteis fled the border town and those from Imphal valley could not go to the neighbouring country for business.
Larger hospitals are not worried about a spike in cases, as they are now accustomed to converting ICUs and general wards into negative pressure zones or isolation rooms. For smaller hospitals, the task is tedious.

Sohini Das, Shine Jacob and Sanket Koul report.

IMAGE: Hospital authorities make arrangements in view of new COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1, in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba. Photograph: ANI Photo

India reported 412 new cases of Covid-19 in a single day, according to data shared by the health ministry on Tuesday.

The steady surge has prompted various states to step up preparedness as experts advise caution.

In Tamil Nadu, T S Selvavinayagam, the state director of public health, has told authorities to conduct surveillance of influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory infections through the Integrated Health Information Platform, ensure functional RT-PCR facilities, test symptomatic patients and keep all public and private hospitals ready in case of a surge.

Earlier this month, Union Health secretary Sudhansh Pant advised all hospitals to conduct drills between December 13 and 17 and asked states and Union Territories to prepare for possible public health emergencies.

In a review meeting, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya also asked hospitals to conduct mock drills once every three months following the detection of the new JN.1 sub-variant.

In response, Selvavinayagam has asked officials to follow up with public and private hospitals in Tamil Nadu.

They have been told to check the functioning of all ventilators, pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen generating plants, liquid medical oxygen tanks, medical gas pipeline systems and oxygen concentrators, besides stocking up essential drugs. Karnataka had decided to conduct mock drills even before the Centre directed the states to do so.

A Maharashtra government official said the state was now focusing more on RT-PCR testing.

As of December 22, Maharashtra has five hospital admissions including two patients in intensive care units (ICU).

Larger hospitals are not worried about a spike in cases, as they are now accustomed to converting ICUs and general wards into negative pressure zones or isolation rooms. For smaller hospitals, the task is tedious.

The owner of a 100-bed nursing home in Mumbai pointed to the question of viability. Converting a ward into a Covid-19 ward or creating beds is not a problem for bigger hospitals. But for us, this is not viable as most patients now dont need hospitalisation. It would mean acquiring more PPE kits, and other consumables for staff. This is okay during a wave, when there is a patient flow, but now it would be a financial stress for us.

While hospitals with a bed capacity of 300 or more have a separate oxygen plant to cater to patients, mock drills and similar drives leave smaller hospitals at a loss.

An official with a smaller hospital in New Delhi said that while bigger facilities had installed PSA plants for oxygen, those with a capacity of 100-150 beds may have to source oxygen cylinders during a crisis. An official at Delhis CK Birla Hospital said preparedness drives included stress on Covid-appropriate behaviour, protocols and staff training.

Bishnu Panigrahi, group head, medical strategy and operations, Fortis Healthcare, said that while the uptick in cases was primarily seen in the South, other regions need to be cautious as well.
A lieutenant colonel in the Territorial Army, who had been in a coma since November 2015 after sustaining gunshot injuries in an anti-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir, has died in a Jalandhar hospital, officials said on Tuesday.

IMAGE: Lt Colonel KS Natt. Photograph: ANI Photo/Indian Army

Lt Colonel KS Natt was cremated with full military honours in Jalandhar earlier in the day.

The Patahirri Garrison in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district paid rich tributes to Natt during the day. Officers and troops of the Kupwara Terriers unit laid wreaths at its war memorial and observed a two-minute silence to honour his sacrifice.

Natt was posted with the 160 Infantry Battalion of the Territorial Army at the time of the encounter in November 2015. He was leading a combing operation against terrorists holed up in a densely forested area of Manigah in Kupwara when he was injured, they said.

"During the search, the officer along with his party approached the location of the terrorists. Suddenly, he was charged at by a 'fidayeen' and grievously injured. However, despite his injuries and without any concern for his safety, he advanced towards the terrorist's location and eliminated him," an official said.

He said the officer was evacuated from the encounter site on priority to 168 MH Drugmulla, and after being treated at the 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar and the Army's Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi, he was shifted to the Military Hospital (MH) Jalandhar, where he had been comatose since 2015. He passed away on Sunday.

"In line with the armed forces' rich legacy of honouring its fallen heroes, Kupwara Terriers organised a wreath-laying ceremony at Patahirri Garrison, Kupwara, to commemorate and honour the sacrifice and martyrdom of Late Lt Col K S Natt," he said.

Natt is survived by his wife Navpreet Kaur, two daughters -- 19-year-old Guneet and nine-year-old Asmeet -- and his father, an Army veteran himself. His eldest daughter lit the funeral pyre.

"I do not know how my story will end, but no one will say I gave up," his father said, reading out Natt's last message that had been recorded on his mobile phone on WhatsApp and handed over to his family by the Army after the Kupwara incident.

His father said he never lost hope that his son would one day come out of the coma and was tended to by the family all these years.

"He fought with his injuries and ultimately it was God's will which has taken place," he said.

"I am very proud of his son. He has done his duty," he added.

Natt was originally commissioned as a Short Service Commission Officer in the Brigade of Guards in 1998. He served in the regular Army for 14 years before being relieved in 2012.

He joined the Territorial Army following the completion of his service as a Short Service Commission Officer.
The Nicaragua bound charter Legend Airlines Airbus A340 flight, that was grounded at Vatry airport in France for four days on suspicion of human trafficking, arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday, December 26, 2023.

The plane, with 276 passengers on board, mostly Indians, landed in Mumbai around 4 am.

The plane was en route from Fujairah airport in the United Arab Emirates to Managua, Nicaragua.

It landed at Vatry for refuelling where the French police received an anonymous tip-off of suspected human trafficking. Two individuals were taken into custody before a French judge ruled that the flight could take off from Vatry.

Instead of its original destination -- Managua in central America -- the flight decided to head to Mumbai.

The passengers were quizzed by Central Industrial Security Force officers on their arrival.

IMAGE: Passengers from the Nicaragua bound flight leave the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj international airport in Mumbai. Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters

IMAGE: A passenger from the flight evades the media as he leaves the airport. Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters

IMAGE: Another passenger evades the media. Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters

IMAGE: A passenger leaves the airport. Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters

IMAGE: The passengers who arrived in Mumbai, here and below. Photograph: ANI Photo

Photograph: ANI Photo

IMAGE: The passengers exit the airport. Photograph: ANI Photo

Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi held a meeting with Bihar Congress leaders in New Delhi on Tuesday to discuss the strategy for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, including seat sharing.

IMAGE: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge along with party leaders Rahul Gandhi and KC Venugopal holds a meeting with Bihar Congress leaders, at AICC headquarters in New Delhi, December 26, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

Party general secretary KC Venugopal, Bihar Congress chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh, newly appointed state in-charge Mohan Prakash, along with leaders like Ranjeet Ranjan and Shakeel Ahmed, were present in the meeting.

Around 40 leaders from the state attended the meeting.

Talking to media after the meeting, the Bihar Congress chief said the Rashtriya Janata Dal-Janata Dal-United-Congress-Left alliance will fight the Lok Sabha polls together, and a final decision on seat sharing will be taken in the meeting of the alliance committee of Congress which is scheduled for December 29.

"We held detailed discussions on the preparations for the Lok Sabha elections. We have made an action plan which will be taken forward. The discussion on seats will be held in the alliance committee meeting on December 29," he said.

The Congress had fought on nine seats in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Asked how many seats the Congress would fight on, Singh said they would be flexible in seat sharing.

"One or two seats may go here or there...It is not a problem. Last time we fought in alliance with RJD and Left parties, this time JD-U is also there," he said.

Earlier, in a post on X, Kharge said, "The Grand Alliance government in Bihar is working firmly as per the expectations of the people of Bihar. We are committed to social justice.

For the progress, prosperity and peace of Bihar, every Congress worker is ready to reach out to the people and live up to the aspirations of the people of Bihar."

Finalising seat sharing was at the centre of the recent INDIA bloc meet, after which the Congress formed a National Alliance Committee to oversee it.

In 2019, out of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, RJD was given 20, Congress got nine, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party fought five, Hindustani Awam Morcha and VIP fought three each and CPI-ML got one seat from RJD quota.

The Congress had won one seat, while JD-U, which was in alliance with BJP at that time, won 16. The BJP won 17 seats, and the Lok Janshakti Party six.

Kharge is also scheduled to meet Congress leaders from Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab later, according to sources.
Its workers are on their toes to win over the voters once again, with idea of 'Amrit Kaal'.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi flags off four trains at the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra in Varanasi, December 18, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

From December 2023 to early April 2024, the Bharatiya Janata Party has mapped out a series of nationwide programmes aimed at keeping its karyakartas -- the workers who form the backbone of the party's massive organisation -- on their toes.

These programmes are based on the concept of 'Amrit Kaal' (translated by the National Democratic Alliance government as 'the Era of Elixir' in an official release), which encapsulates Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi's vision for a 'New India' by 2047.

This vision includes transforming 'Bharat' into a developed nation that will join the ranks of the First World elite, eradicating remnants of a 'colonial mindset', fostering national pride and unity, and promoting a sense of civic duty among citizens.

The wrapping on this package -- replete with elements of the BJP's world view of cultural nationalism and an 'Akhand Bharat' -- is Modi's persona.

At a recent media conclave, Union Home Minister Amit Anilchandra Shah was asked to spell out the BJP's agenda for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and to explain the 'magic' that would ensure the Modi government's return for a third term.

'There is no magic,' Shah responded. 'It is Modi's far-sighted vision. We have never had such a hard-working leader who, in 10 years has delivered clean governance, a polity free of caste, dynasty, and community appeasement, and a constructive agenda that has ushered in the politics of performance. As PM, he has motivated the cadre, from the national president to the head of the polling booths.'

According to Shah, the defining feature of Modi's leadership is not just his popularity, but the 'shraddha' (faith or reverence) he inspires in people.

'This won't end easily,' Shah asserted.

The vehicle for disseminating and popularising Amrit Kaal is the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra (Journey to Pledge the Creation of a Developed India), which Modi launched from Khunti in Jharkhand on November 15.

At a meeting with his ministers shortly before the inauguration, Modi explained that the yatra was a crucial effort to inform voters about the Centre's social schemes and asked them to connect with the grassroots by 'participating not as a VIP but as an organiser'.

As many as 2,500 special vans, christened as Information, Education, and Communication vehicles, have been deployed to promote flagship programmes, such as Kisan credit, Ujjwala gas, and rural housing, and are expected to reach 255,000 panchayats and urban areas.

The yatra is being overseen by the ministry of agriculture in the villages and the ministry of information and broadcasting in towns and cities.

The much-awaited consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22 is expected to be another highlight of the BJP's pre-election agenda.

In a demonstration of the coordination between the party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the RSS directed the Vishva Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal to start distributing akshat (sacred offerings) and encourage people to attend the celebrations, expected to be held simultaneously at several temples to coincide with the consecration.

Since the BJP's inception in 1980, three issues have been at the heart of its politics: The 'liberation' of the temples in Ayodhya, Varanasi, and Mathura, which the party claims were demolished to build mosques; the introduction of a common civil code; and the abolition of Article 370, which granted special rights to Jammu and Kashmir.

While the Ram temple is now a reality, the legally sanctioned surveys of Varanasi's Gyanvapi mosque (by the Archaeological Survey of India) and Mathura's Shahi Idgah mosque by a court-appointed team of advocate commissioners, despite objections, effectively pave the way for fulfilling the RSS-BJP's objective, possibly if the NDA-BJP is voted in again.

The Supreme Court's ratification of the Centre reading down Article 370 and resetting J&K's statehood was interpreted by the BJP as the 'vindication' of its stand against separatism and terrorism.

Speaking on the J&K Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and J&K Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, both of which were passed in Parliament's winter session, Shah pinned the blame for the 'injustice' done to Kashmir on Jawaharlal Nehru's decisions to call a ceasefire with Pakistan in 1949 'when our forces were winning' and take the Kashmir issue to the United Nations.

'If the ceasefire had happened three days later, PoK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir) would be part of India today,' Shah maintained.

Asked at the media conclave if the Centre planned to reclaim PoK shortly, Shah's answer was 'PoK is ours. Nobody can take it from us', but refused to say more.

On the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the home minister declared at a Kolkata rally that despite the Trinamool Congress' opposition, the Centre would implement the Act, although the rules have not been framed.

BJP President J P Nadda called a meeting of national and state office-bearers on December 22 and 23 to assess the Viksit Yatra. Of special focus were the Lok Sabha seats that the BJP lost in 2019 and plans to carpet bomb these in 2024.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
Upset about being snubbed by INDIA, Nitish Kumar is weighing his political options.

BJP would like him back knowing that it would jolt the Opposition alliance, perhaps irreversibly.

IMAGE: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar speaks to the media at the former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's 99th birth anniversary celebration in Patna, December 25, 2023. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav is on the left. Photographs: ANI Photo

All eyes are set on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is also the defacto leader of the Janata Dal-United party, about his likely political move on Friday, December 29, when the JD-U national executive and national council meets in Patna.

Will Nitish Kumar's decision cause severe tremors in the India National Developmental Inclusive Alliance?



Will Nitish rejoin the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, which he abandoned in August 2022, is what political observers in Patna are asking?



A couple of political developments in the last 24 hours have sparked off the speculation. First, on Monday, December 25, after maintaining silence for six days, Nitish made it clear that he is not unhappy over Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge's projection as INDIA's PM candidate and that he is also not bitter about not being named INDIA's convenor at the Opposition alliance's fourth meeting in New Delhi last week.

Nitish claimed he did not want any post and declared that the INDIA bloc is united and would fight the 2024 Lok Sabha election together.

On Tuesday, December 26, morning, word went around in Patna that JD-U national President Lallan Singh had submitted his resignation to Nitish three days ahead of the party meeting. Singh and senior JD-U leaders close to Nitish later denied this.



Only last week Nitish had visited Singh at his residence in Patna amidst speculation that his long-time political associate was unhappy and had offered to resign from the party presidency.

Lallan Singh's growing closeness to Rashtriya Janata Dal founder Lalu Yadav, local newspapers reported recently, has not gone down well with Nitish because he visualises a threat to his party's existence and his own status in the ruling Mahagathbandhan in Bihar.

There are reports that some JD-U leaders warned Nitish that Lallan Singh may split the party and help the RJD form the government on its own.

IMAGE: Janata Dal-United national President Lallan Singh, second from left, along with senior Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui, left, Congress state President Madan Mohan Jha, third from left, and others at a Mahagathbandan press conference at the JD-U office in Patna, November 12, 2022.

According to a senior JD-U leader close to Lallan Singh, Lalu had laid down a condition to Nitish -- when the JD-U left the NDA and formed the Mahagathbandan in Bihar in August 2022 -- that his younger son Tejashwi Yadav would be made chief minister when Nitish moved to national politics.

Lalu reminded Nitish about this recently, but the Bihar CM is not ready to step aside and that's why Lalu vetoed the move to appoint him convenor of the INDIA bloc.



JD-U sources tell this reporter that Lallan Singh may be replaced by an extreme backward caste or senior Dalit JD-U leader as the party president on Friday.



Nitish Kumar has done this before -- he removed then JD-U presidents George Fernandes, Sharad Yadav and R C P Singh for taking independent decisions.

Sources in the JD-U say that Lallan Singh and senior party leader and Bihar minister Bijendar Yadav have opposed their party rejoining the NDA on the ground that its political credibility would hit a new low if it does so.



Most senior party leaders and Bihar ministers including Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Sanjay Jha, Ashok Choudhary and Umesh Kushwaha, however, favour a return to the BJP-led NDA ahead of next year's Lok Sabha elections.

These leaders have reportedly told Nitish that the BJP is a natural ally of the JD-U while the party is not comfortable with the RJD.

Reliable sources in the JD-U claim that the BJP's top leadership has invited Nitish to rejoin the NDA and contest the 2024 poll together to win all of Bihar's 40 Lok Sabha seats.

In the 2019 poll, the JD-U, then a part of the NDA, contested 17 seats and won 16.

The BJP contested and won all 17 seats.

Another NDA ally, the Lok Janshakti Party, won 6 seats. The Congress won only the Kishanganj seat while the RJD did not open its account.



The BJP leadership, these JD-U sources say, has offered Nitish over a dozen Lok Sabha seats, two Rajya Sabha seats and a governor's post for one of his nominees.

Besides, the BJP also hinted that Nitish could call an early assembly election along with the Lok Sabha poll to get rid of his present allies, the RJD and Congress, and jolt the INDIA bloc.

Clearly, Nitish is upset over being sidelined in the INDIA bloc after having worked hard to bring the Opposition leaders together and giving the shape of a viable Opposition alternative to the BJP.



"Last year, Nitish Kumar announced that the Mahagathbandhan would contest the Bihar assembly polls in 2025 under Tejashwi Yadav's leadership," one observer in Patna noted on Tuesday. "But now it appears that he may change his plan after the INDIA bloc disappointed him by not naming him convenor and play a big role in national politics."



Sensing Nitish's likely political moves, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi telephoned the JD-U leader and praised his role in the formation of the INDIA bloc and assured him that he would continue to play a most important role in coming days.

Whether that assurance will be enough to soothe Nitish Kumar's bruised political ego and stall a return to the NDA remains to be seen.
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday said shunting out army officers will not address the Poonch civilian deaths case and called for an investigation to find out why innocent people were "tortured" to death.

IMAGE: National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah. Photograph: ANI/X

Three civilians were found dead a after they were picked up by the Army for questioning following a deadly terrorist ambush on two Army vehicles in Poonch last Thursday.

"Peaceful citizens, eight of them, were taken away and three were beaten so mercilessly and chilli powder rubbed into their wounds. Three of them could not bear the torture and succumbed. Five others are in the hospital. The brother of one of the victims is in the BSF and has been serving for the past 24 years, now he says that he has got brother's death in return to his services to the nation," Abdullah told reporters in Srinagar.

He added, "The Army Chief has taken Northern Commander also from here to the academy in Dehradun but it will not resolve the problem. There should an investigation into why this happened?"

If innocent people who have nothing to do with terrorism are killed "which India are we living in", he asked. "Is this Mahatma Gandhi's India where we can live in peace? The hatred has spread so much that Hindus and Muslims think they are enemies of each other."

The former chief minister trashed the BJP claims about end of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Four years ago, the Home Minister made a speech in Chennai where he said Article 370 was responsible for terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. Now terrorism will finish in JK and development is being done.

"Four years later, he made a speech in the Parliament and said he had not said anything like that. This is how much they are lying. Terrorism has not ended, it is increasing. Trained (terrorist) people are coming in and they are not caught. Innocent people are being targeted," he said.

In response to a question on whether India should holds talks with Pakistan, Abdullah referred to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's famous statement that "we can change friends but we cannot change neighbours".

"If we live in friendship with neighbours, we will both prosper but if we live in enmity, then we cannot progress rapidly. Modiji also has said war is not an option now and issues have to be resolved through dialogue. Where is that dialogue?"

He further added, "Leave aside Imran Khan. Now Nawaz Sharief is going to be the PM of Pakistan and he has been saying at top of his voice that they are ready for talks. Why are we not talking? If we do not resolve it through talks, I am sorry to say that who are being bombarded every day. Anything can happen. May Allah have mercy on us!" he added.
A blast occurred near the Israel embassy in the Chanakyapuri diplomatic enclave here on Tuesday evening. No one was injured in the incident and an "abusive" letter addressed to the Israeli ambassador was found near the site, officials said.

IMAGE: Delhi police forensics team near the Israel embassy for investigation after a call was received about a blast, in New Delhi, December 26, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

After the police control room received a call about a "loud sound" from Jindal House behind the embassy at 5:53 pm, teams of Crime Branch, bomb disposal squad, dog squad and forensic department were rushed to the spot, they said.

An almost three-hour-long search operation was carried out in the area. A National Investigation Agency team also examined the site, they said.

The explosion and the recovery of the letter is a grim reminder of the 2021 blast near the embassy in which some cars were damaged. The NIA had probed the case.

Security has been high around the Israel embassy since the war between Israel and Hamas began earlier this year, security officials said.

Soon after the explosion, which took place in a green belt area outside the Central Hindi Training Institute located near the embassy, teams of the Delhi police's special cell, bomb disposal squad and fire department rushed to the spot.

Later, a team of the NIA examined the site, a senior police officer said.

When contacted, Israeli embassy spokesperson Guy Nir said, "We can confirm that around 5:48 pm, there was a blast in close proximity to the embassy. The Delhi police and the security team are still investigating the situation."

Deputy chief of mission (Israel) Ohad Nakash Kaynar said, "All our diplomats and workers are safe. Our security teams are working in full cooperation with local Delhi security and they will investigate the matter further."

The police sources said a typed letter addressed to the Israeli ambassador was found near the explosion site behind the embassy premises.

The letter is "abusive" in nature. It has been sent to the forensic lab to check for fingerprints, they said.

"It's a one-page letter written in English. It is suspected to be related to some organisation," a police source said.

After the incident, security was further beefed up around the embassy and other Israeli establishments, according to officials.

An almost three-hour-long search operation was conducted in the area around the embassy. Every corner of the area was searched, another police officer said.

"Experts have examined the spot and lifted exhibits that may have evidentiary relevance. The same are being sent for forensic examination," the Delhi police said in a statement, adding that further investigation is underway.

Another officer said no traces of burnt explosives were found at the spot.

Security officials who visited the spot said since no remnants of the explosive were found at the spot, the possibility of a "chemical explosion" cannot be ruled out.

According to Delhi Fire Services officials, after the fire department received a call about the blast, two fire engines were immediately sent to the spot.

Sources said the caller told police that there was a blast behind the embassy. A guard deployed at the Central Hindi Training Institute told reporters that he heard a loud sound and saw smoke billowing from a tree in the green belt area.

In February 2012, a bomb was planted under an Israeli embassy car here, injuring a diplomat's wife.
'If attacks escalate, there is a risk the Suez Canal may be closed.'

IMAGE: Yemeni Houthi terrorists launched a drone attack on the merchant ship MV Chem Pluto. Photograph: ANI Photo

Indian shippers are bracing for rising costs and increased vigilance as geopolitical conflicts have prompted an increasing number of shipping lines to avoid the Red Sea.

The Iran-aligned Yemeni Houthi militant group has launched drone attacks on cargo vessels in what it says are a response to Israel's assault on Gaza.

About 15 per cent of world shipping traffic transits via the Suez Canal, the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.

A senior official with the Directorate General of Shipping said the Centre is constantly monitoring the situation and had been issuing advisories for the safety of seafarers.

'All company security officers and masters of vessels are advised to be extra cautious, follow the practices, and take necessary precautionary measures,' the regulator said in a circular, seen by Business Standard, earlier this month.

According to industry estimates, ocean freight rates are up about 10 per cent as compared with last month.

"As this is an arterial route, the attacks pose a clear threat leading to disruption in the global supply chains once again. The world is just about recovering from a series of disruptive events, including the pandemic-inflicted lockdowns, the Russia-Ukraine war, followed by the Gaza conflict," a representative for the All India Liquid Bulk Importers and Exporters Association (AILBIEA) told Business Standard.

Four of the five world's largest container shipping companies -- Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM Group, and Hapag-Lloy -- have paused or rerouted movements through the Red Sea.

Oil major BP temporarily paused all transits through the Red Sea last week, a sign the crisis -- which has mostly affected goods freight until now -- might include energy shipments.

Norway-based oil tanker group Frontline also said its vessels would avoid passages through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in the time ahead.

All ships transiting the Suez Canal have to sail through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

"If attacks escalate, there is a risk the Suez Canal may be closed. Most of the ships transiting the Suez Canal carry goods destined for Europe or the US, while good trade between Asia and Europe moves through the canal," AILBIEA said.

According to trade associations, there may not be an immediate impact, since ships would have exited that route.

Going ahead, however, there may be a 'temporary disruption' due to additional voyage time as ships will have to take the longer route via the Cape of Good Hope.

India uses the Red Sea route to send shipments to some parts of Asia, such as Egypt as well as northern Europe, to countries such as The Netherlands that may get impacted to some extent.

"As of now, there is no disruption to trade. There could be disruption if ships have to move via the Cape of Good Hope. If the situation persists, exports of items such as petroleum products and machinery may get affected," Ajay Sahai, director-general and CEO, Federation of Indian Export Organisations said.

"There is no specific information as yet about the fate of Indian goods to Europe or vice versa. The situation is evolving constantly," AILBIEA said.

London's marine insurance market has widened the area in the Red Sea it deems as high risk amid a surge in attacks on commercial ships.

With inputs from Shreya Nandi

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
The Janata Dal-United on Tuesday sought to deny rumours of its national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lalan' resigning from the top post, and that all was not well between him and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

IMAGE: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with Janata Dal-United national President Lallan Singh in Patna, November 26, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

The rumours erupted on a day Lalan was away in Delhi, even as senior party leaders blamed the confusion on a section of the media and ally-turned-adversary Bharatiya Janata Party.

JD-U national secretary Rajiv Ranjan Prasad told reporters in Patna that "the national president has himself issued a denial in response to the rumours of his resignation. It should serve as a full stop".

"There is no rift (between Kumar and Lalan). But, we are talking about it because the BJP, which owes much of its success to social media, plants such rumours and we end up spending time to debunk those," he claimed.

Prasad also said the party was gearing up for its two-day conclave in Delhi, beginning with the national office bearers' meet on December 28, and meetings of the national executive and national council a day later.

Meanwhile, speaking on condition of anonymity, a JD-U leader claimed that Lalan had, in a recent private conversation with Kumar, expressed the wish to give up the top party post.

Lalan is said to be wanting to spend more time in his Lok Sabha constituency of Munger, in view of the general elections due in a few months.

Kumar is understood to have asked Lalan to continue till a decision was taken on who could be the next party chief.

During the day, detractors of the JD-U predicted doom for the party, which joined the Mahagathbandhan' last year after dumping the BJP.

Former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha, who quit the JD-U a year ago to float a new party and has returned to the BJP-led NDA, accused Lalan of having brokered a deal by taking both Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad for a ride.

"Lalan had promised Nitish Kumar that Lalu will back him as the prime ministerial face of the anti-BJP coalition. On the other hand, he had assured the RJD supremo that JD-U will merge with his party, and his son (Tejashwi Yadav) will become chief minister. Both promises fell flat, said Kushwaha.

Kushwaha was the JD-U's parliamentary board chief when it pulled the plug on the alliance with the BJP, and joined the Mahagathbandhan' that include the RJD, Congress and the Left.

Somewhat similar views were expressed by BJP leader and former deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi, who also claimed that Kumar had grown wary of Lalan's "closeness" with Lalu Prasad.

However, state minister and senior JD(U) leader Vijay Kumar Chaudhary mocked Modi when, at a programme held inside the party office, his attention was drawn towards the claim of the BJP leader.

"Sushil Kumar Modi has become a nobody in his own party, a reason why he lets his imagination run wild about the JD-U. Forget about fissures, in our party there is not even a scratch, Choudhary asserted.
'Given that the situation is quickly escalating, such attacks will affect the flow of crude in the short term from West Asia'

Subhayan Chakraborty and Dhruvaksh Saha report.

IMAGE: A view of the damage caused by the suspected drone attack on the merchant ship MV Chem Pluto. Photograph: ANI Photo

Growing attacks on ships, especially oil tankers, in and around the Red Sea will temporarily affect Indias crude shipments from West Asia, a petroleum ministry official said on Sunday after two India-bound vessels were attacked by drones, triggering concerns over maritime trade amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Late on Saturday, Gabon-flagged commercial crude oil tanker MV Sai Baba with 25 Indian crew members reportedly came under a one-way drone attack in the Southern Red Sea from the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, who control much of Yemen, but no one was injured, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Sunday.

CENTCOM is one among 11 unified combatant commands of the US Department of Defense and operates in the Central Asian region.

The US Central Commands report came a day after merchant vessel MV Chem Pluto, with around 20 Indian crew members, was hit by a suspected drone about 217 nautical miles off the Porbandar coast in the Arabian Sea and caught fire.

Officials in the know said the attack appeared to be a targeted one as the ship did have some connection to Israel.

The area is far away from the Houthis main base in Western Yemen and was sailing about 860 nautical miles off the Yemen coast when it was hit.

The Japanese-owned and Liberia-flagged vessel was shipping petrochemicals to Mangalore, but it will now be going to Mumbai where the damage will be assessed.

The bulk of crude volumes pass through those waters. The government is keeping an eye on the situation. But given that the situation is quickly escalating, such attacks will affect the flow of crude in the short term from West Asia, an official said.

He also said the shipping charges were also expected to rise further as consignments from Europe were already ditching the Suez Canal-Red Sea route in favour of the much longer route around Africa and the Cape of Good Hope.

While the Ministry of External Affairs is yet to officially comment on the issue, shipping industry executives have expressed particular concerns about the attacks.

Indias shipping regulator, the Directorate General of Shipping, has been also actively monitoring the situation and coordinating with stakeholders.

Another senior official, however, said the attacks were unlikely to have an impact on any India-flagged vessels as most were operating on the coasts at this point.

Amid mounting attacks, the Centre has also resorted to seeking details of Indian seafarers on foreign-flagged vessels to ensure their protection, the official added.

If this happens, then ships coming from even the Persian Gulf are not safe, the official said.

Imports from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Oman traverse the Gulf to reach the Arabian Sea, and on to the west coast ports.

The fresh assaults have come in the wake of Iran-backed Houthis stepping up attacks on ships in the Red Sea amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Earlier this week, the Centre flagged the rising cases of piracy in international waters and advised seafarers to be extremely cautious.
Disgruntled Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal on Tuesday warned that he would expose the alleged irregularities to the tune of Rs 40,000 crore in the BJP government in Karnataka led by BS Yediyurappa at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic if he was expelled from the party.

IMAGE: Karnataka's BJP legislator Basanagouda Patil Yatnal. Photograph: ANI Photo

Quickly responding to his statement, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said Yatnal's allegations about the irregularities that took place when Yediyurappa was the chief minister were proof of their charges that there was a '40 percent commission government' in the state during the BJP rule.

As many BJP leaders have been demanding action against him, Yatnal said, "They (the BJP government in Karnataka) have done everything (huge corruption during Covid). Let them serve me a notice and try to expel me from the party, I will expose them."

Yatnal, who has launched a tirade against Yediyurappa and his family, especially after his second son BY Vijayendra was made the BJP state president, said there was large-scale corruption in coronavirus management during the BJP government.

"A mask that costs Rs 45 each, Mr Yediyurappa how much did your government spend on each of them during Covid? They had put a price of Rs 485 for each mask...," the agitated BJP MLA said in Vijayapura.

"They (BJP government) said they arranged 10,000 beds in Bengaluru. The rent for these beds...remember that it was taken only on rentif they had purchased then two beds could have been bought (for the same price). They paid Rs 20,000 as rent per day. Two cots with saline stands could have been purchased with Rs 20,000. Do you know how much they spent a day during corona?" Yatnal further said.

When asked to release documents, Yatnal said the documents were available with the Public Accounts Committee. He asked reporters to speak to the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil, who was the chairman during the BJP rule.

The Vijayapura MLA said he was also asked to be made chairman of the Public Accounts Committee but he said he would make everything public. Hence, he was not appointed.

"Do you know how many thousands of crores of rupees was looted in this (Covid)? There is Rs 40,000 crore irregularities during Covid-19 outbreak," Yatnal claimed.

According to the MLA, bills worth Rs 8 lakh to Rs 10 lakh were made for each patient during the BJP government.

He said when he was hospitalised at a private superspecialty hospital, the bill was Rs 5.8 lakh.

He said though he was entitled to get a medical claim from the government, he preferred to pay from his pocket.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said Yatnal's statement was proof of large-scale corruption during Covid time.

He said the Congress when in the opposition had called a press conference and alleged with documents that the Yediyurappa government had committed corruption to the tune of around Rs 4,000 crore in the name of coronavirus treatment and control.

However, going by Yatnal's allegation, it seems that there has been ten times more corruption than the Congress party's estimate.

Siddaramaiah appealed to Yatnal and said that his charges should not be like a hit-and-run case.

"If Yatnal is committed to eradicating corruption, he should carry their charges to their logical conclusion. For this, he should hand over all the information he has about corruption during the coronavirus pandemic to the commission of inquiry formed (by the Congress government) under the leadership of retired high Court Judge Justice Nagmohan Das," the Chief Minister said.

He also wondered why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was silent on these charges.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday vowed to ferret out the perpetrators of the attacks on merchant navy ships MV Chem Pluto and MV Sai Baba even from the "depths of the seas" and take tough action against them.

IMAGE: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh meets with Navy personnel during the commissioning ceremony of Indian Navys latest stealth guided missile destroyer INS Imphal, at the naval dockyard in Mumbai, December 26, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

Speaking after the commissioning of stealth guided missile destroyer INS Imphal, Singh said India has intensified patrolling of the seas after the recent attacks on merchant navy ships.

"India's growing economic and strategic power has filled some forces with jealousy and hatred. The Indian government has taken the attacks on MV Chem Pluto and attack on MV Sai Baba in the Red Sea very seriously. We will find those who executed the recent attacks on merchant navy ships even from the depths of the seas and take strict action against them. The perpetrators will soon be brought to justice and strict action will be taken against them," he said.

India plays the role of a net security provider in the entire Indian Ocean Region and will ensure that maritime trade in this region touches greater heights, Singh said.

"For this, together with our friend countries, we will keep the sea lanes secure. We have full confidence in the ability and strength of our Navy," the minister added.

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar said the Indian Navy will take robust action including boarding and searching all suspicious vessels.

"We don't want these attacks to come any closer. The closest attack that has happened is about 220 miles from our coast (referring to the attack on MV Chem Pluto) which is outside our EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone), but we want to ensure that nobody dares to come anywhere closer," Kumar said while talking to reporters.

Four destroyers, P-8I aircraft, Dorniers, Sea Guardians, helicopters and Coast Guard ships have been deployed to counter the threats of piracy and drone attacks, he said earlier at during the event.

MV Chem Pluto with 21 Indian crew members was struck by a drone about 217 nautical miles from Porbandar on Saturday following which both the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard deployed a number of assets to provide assistance to the ship.

MV Sai Baba, a Gabon-flagged commercial crude oil tanker with 25 Indian crew members, came under a drone attack in the southern Red Sea.

Replying to a reporter's question about the attack on the MV Chem Pluto, Kumar said the debris of the possible drone attack has been collected.

"I don't want to take any guesses. It (the drone attack) can be made from anywhere....We are analysing it to see what type of attack it is, if it is a drone then what was its type. We are trying to piece together the evidence. It will be a challenge to find where it was made, from where was it launched --- ship or shore," Kumar said.

"There are multiple questions to be answered in this. We can't say who has done this," he added.

It was a matter of concern that the number of attacks on merchant navy ships in the region has gone up, Kumar said.

Since November 19, there have been 30 drone and piracy attacks in the region which mean roughly one attack a day. Earlier there were barely four to five incidents a year, Kumar said.

About 50 percent of the 30 attacks have happened in the Red Sea and no attacks have taken place against Indian-flagged merchant vessels. There have been instances of attacks on vessels with flags of other countries and having some Indian crew, he said.

"The frequency of attacks has definitely gone up. We have decided to take very robust action to protect our merchant shipping. We have decided to take very effective action," Kumar said.

Elaborating on the anti-piracy operations of the Indian Navy, he said since 2008 India has been undertaking anti-piracy patrols and anti-armed robbery operations, and deployed ships even off the west coast of Africa.

Through Operation Sankalp in the north Arabian Sea, the Navy has been having continuous presence to ensure the safety of ships, he said.

"We have decided to bolster the numbers. We have two major platforms in the Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Oman. In the central to north Arabian Sea, we have two more units deployed. We are going to augment that further," the Navy chief said.

"I have given clear instructions. We will spare no effort and put additional units and hope to bring this under control," Kumar added.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Generally cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High around 40F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

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Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 29F. Winds light and variable.
The focus would be on further boosting nuclear capabilities, aimed at pressuring the U.S., experts say.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a plenary meeting of the Workers Party central committee in Pyongyang, North Korea in this photo supplied by North Korea's Central News Agency (KCNA) on Feb. 10, 2021.

North Korea is expected to determine its major policy direction for 2024 this week  with analysts predicting an increased focus on further boosting its nuclear capabilities aimed at exerting more pressure on the United States.

Pyongyang stated in early December that it would convene the Central Committee Plenary Meeting of the Workers Party Korea later the month, without specifying exact dates.

Given North Koreas tradition of convening year-end meetings and announcing results on New Years Day to set the next years policies, the meeting is likely to take place this week.

And analysts believe that Pyongyang is set to declare its continuation of the nuclear capability advancement plan, designed to justify its nuclear weapons acquisition.

Wang Son-taek, director of the Global Policy Center at the Han Pyeong Peace Institute, said that the meeting is expected to boast North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns strategy for what appears to be a new-Cold-War-diplomacy.

Ultimately, Kim Jong Uns approach, particularly his emphasis on nuclear capabilities, which has allegedly positioned North Korea as a formidable military power on par with the United States, will likely be affirmed, said Wang. This stance is anticipated to be further developed and showcased in the meeting.

Last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency has found that a new nuclear reactor is apparently operational at North Koreas Yongbyon nuclear complex, suggesting the countrys acquisition of additional means to obtain plutonium for nuclear weapons.

The nuclear watchdogs discovery came as the Norths official state media reported Kim Jong Un emphasizing the countrys implementation of its assertive response strategy, which includes the potential for a nuclear attack in retaliation against the allies. Meanwhile, the leaders sister Kim Yo Jong issued a fresh warning that the allies should consider how Pyongyang might respond to what it perceives as their hostile actions.

Furthermore, for 2024, it is anticipated that North Korea will maintain this approach while diplomatically working to build a tripartite alliance with China and Russia against the U.S., and also attempt to draw in more anti-U.S. nations into this coalition, Wang said.

Special efforts are expected to be made to involve China more actively in this anti-America coalition. Compared to Russia, China has been relatively passive, but the inclusion of China is crucial for elevating this alliance to a higher level. Continuous efforts to achieve this will likely be evident, the analyst added..

Next year marks the 75th anniversary of North Koreas normalization of relations with China. North Korea may use the occasion to further address North Korea-China relations extensively to maximize its strategic benefits.

Cheon Seong-whun, former security strategy secretary at South Koreas presidential office, believes the message may primarily articulate North Koreas stance to the U.S. Since its 2017 declaration of nuclear capability, North Korea has aimed to confront Washington, using its nuclear power to undermine American political resolve and compel engagement with a nuclear-armed regime.

This has resulted in a policy standoff between U.S. sanctions and North Koreas nuclear armament, with North Korea seemingly gaining the upper hand, partly due to China and Russia creating loopholes in the sanctions. North Korea likely believes it is winning in this battle, he said.

In its 2024 policy declaration, North Korea may proclaim the success of its nuclear strategy so far and announce plans to accelerate its nuclear capabilities, Cheon noted, adding that this could include additional launching of reconnaissance satellites and ICBMs, while simultaneously pressuring for recognition of its status as a nuclear power.

This may also be accompanied by a nuanced suggestion that the door to dialogue could be open, the pundit added.

Ultimately, North Korea aims to increase its bargaining strength ahead of the U.S. presidential election. Militarization is seen as a key strategy to draw the U.S. to the negotiating table, Cheon said. The approach will likely be full speed towards armament enhancement, preparing for disarmament negotiations.

Last week, North Korea fired its latest solid-fueled ICBM, the Hwasong-18, with the launch reaching a maximum altitude of about 6,500 kilometers (4,040 miles) and flying a distance of around 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) before hitting its target off its eastern coast.

Although the test was conducted at a high angle, it still represented a potential threat to the U.S. If launched at a lower trajectory, this missile may be capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.

The Central Committee Plenary Meeting is likely to cover Pyongyangs ongoing efforts to finish its military reconnaissance satellite system. Following the satellite launch in November, leader Kim Jong Un outlined his intention to complete the reconnaissance satellite launch agenda for the upcoming year. This detailed strategy might also be a key topic of discussion at the meeting.

Edited by Elaine Chan and Taejun Kang.
More than 440 bodies, mostly those of civilians, were burned by ruling junta forces across Myanmar between March 2022 and September 2023, according to a report by a U.K.-based nonprofit group dedicated to exposing human rights abuses and war crimes.

The report from the Centre for Information Resilience, or CIR, said the military regimes soldiers have routinely set villages ablaze and torched civilians  including some believed to be burned alive  amid the ongoing conflict with anti-junta forces to spread fear and control the population.

The report, issued on Dec. 24, the second anniversary of a Christmas Eve massacre in Kayah state, was based on information from local media reports and user-generated content compiled by the Myanmar Witness project which has monitored and documented human rights violations in Myanmar since the coup.

At that massacre two years ago, Myanmar army soldiers killed at least 35 civilians, including women and children, and burned their bodies near a village called Moso, Radio Free Asia reported. The number was later increased to 50 civilians.

Despite clear evidence and witness accounts pointing to national troops as the perpetrators, Myanmars military junta, which seized power from an elected government in a February 2021 coup, denied responsibility for the killings and blamed local resistance forces.

Matt Lawrence, director of the Myanmar Witness project, called the incidents another horrific dimension to the impact of the conflict on the people of Myanmar.

Grisly images

Investigators relied on local media reports and user-generated content to determine how many civilians were burned during the 19-month period, using photos and videos from social media platforms.

In one instance, the photos and videos allowed investigators to identify the burned bodies of 150 victims, including what appeared to be the charred bodies of children, and corpses of others stacked before being set ablaze, the report said.

Who these individuals were, and how they ended up here, is far less clear, but open source evidence suggests that some were burnt alive, while others were burnt after death or as a result of an artillery or air strike. CRI said.

The remains of burned bodies are seen in Pa Lon Twi village of Mindat township in western Myanmar's Chin state, Nov. 10, 2022. (Chinland Defense Force-Mindat)

Most of the burnings occurred in northwestern Myanmars Sagaing region, a hotbed of armed resistance to the junta, but the report did not specify whether civilians there were burned after being killed or burned to death before they died.

A local resident said that when the junta troops raided the villages and set fire to their homes during the clearance operations, some elderly people who could not escape were also burned to death.

During a raid of Mu Gyi in Sagaing region on Nov. 24, 2022, about 100 Myanmar soldiers burned down nearly 200 houses killing about six people, said a resident, who did not want to be named for security reasons. Among them was 80-year-old Aye Yin, who died because she could not escape.

The junta troops raided the village and torched houses owned by people who had connections to members of Peoples Defense Forces, said the resident, referring to local armed resistance fighters. The fire spread and burned down other houses.

Seeking justice

The greatest number of civilians burned in a single incident occurred during the December 2021 attack in Kayah state's Moso village.

Zue Padonmar, one of the secretaries of the Karenni State Interim Executive Council, said local officials tried to take action against the military, which had committed the mass killings but still enjoyed impunity.

We talked to international organizations to find ways to punish this army, especially for committing these war crimes [and] genocide, and in order to not support the mechanisms of the military council. We also continuously recorded accounts about the perpetrators.

Those who burned civilians to death or burned dead bodies should receive capital punishment, some Burmese legal experts said.

Because the acts are war crimes, top military leaders and commanders should be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court, said Kyee Myint, a veteran high court lawyer.

The people who gave the orders will be sent to jail, [and] the rest will be tried under domestic law, he told RFA. Burning people alive is an international crime.

RFAs calls to junta spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun for comment went unanswered on Tuesday.

Translated by Htin Aung Kyaw for RFA Burmese. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.
The attack also caused damage to an archaeological museum, famous for its ancient Buddhist pagodas and temples.

Residents from Mrauk-Us Ywar Haung village are fleeing to Let Pyat village on Dec. 24, 2023.

The junta armys heavy artillery shelling in Myanmars ancient capital of Mrauk-U in Rakhine State between Sunday and Monday resulted in the deaths of three civilians and the arrest of nine others, local residents told Radio Free Asia on Monday.

The shelling also caused damage to an archaeological museum that is renowned for its ancient Buddhist pagodas and temples, they added.

Locals said that the junta army has been continuously firing heavy weapons all over the Mrauk-U city after the battle between the junta army and the anti-junta force Arakan Army (AA) on Sunday.

The roof and antiques inside of the Cultural Museum which displayed the ancient cultural heritages in the citys Nyaung Pin Zay neighborhood were damaged by a junta heavy weapon at around 5 a.m. on Sunday, according to locals.

Three monasteries, Setdamma Sukarama, Gandamar, Mingalar Man Aung, and some houses in the city were also damaged during the attack, a monk in the city who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals told RFA Burmese on Monday.

They [junta troops] are shooting with heavy artillery continuously. We could not enter the city and there was no one in the city. The fighting broke out on Sunday [Dec. 24] morning. They are shooting with heavy weapons all day and night, said the monk.

The archaeological museum in Mrauk-Us Nan Yar Kone was hit and destroyed by junta heavy artillery on Dec. 25, 2023. (Citizen journalist)





The AA launched attacks on the police station and junta camp on the hill near Ngwe Taung Pauk bridge on the way out of Mrauk-U city early Sunday morning, and the junta responded with heavy weapons, killing three residents and injuring at least five others in the city, the locals explained.

Another anti-junta force Three Northern Alliances also confirmed in a Sunday statement that the junta army had targeted the citys residential areas of civilians and villages with heavy weapons.

After the battle, about 70 soldiers from Mrauk-U-based junta Infantry Battalion (377) entered the citys Aung Mingalar and Bandula neighborhoods and arrested nine civilians, said local residents.

The arrested include a 25-year-old man, Wai Lin Che, a 35-year-old man, Maung Hla Bu and a 50-year-old, Aung Tin Shwe. The names of the rest are still unknown.

A Mrauk-U resident, who declined to be named for security reasons, told RFA Burmese that the junta troops arrested the civilians to use them as a human shield.

They were arrested on Sunday afternoon. The junta troop assumed that the AA troops were also in the city. The [junta] troops were afraid of being attacked when they patrol into the city, so they took the civilians as human shields. All the residents are fleeing and some of the names [of those arrested] still unknown, he told RFA Burmese.

This photo shows a group of Arakan Army officers. (Arakan Army)

Anti-juta forces the Three Brotherhood Alliances also confirmed the arrest on Sunday night and said the nine civilians were arrested by the military council.

Locals said that almost the entire city residents had to flee amid arrests, battles and casualties. As of 2014, the population of Mrauk-U stood at around 40,000.

Juntas military council has not released any statement about the incidents.

Both Hla Thein, the councils spokesman for Rakhine state and Attorney General, and Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, a military council spokesman, did not answer RFAs inquiries.

Meanwhile, the AA released a statement on Monday that it will respond effectively to the military council army that deliberately attacked and destroyed the ancient cultural heritage of the Rakhine people.

Separately, the shadow National Unity Government (NUG) blamed the junta in a Monday statement calling its attack on the museum inhumane and act of war crime, adding that it is bringing these cases to domestic and international courts.

Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Taejun Kang and Elaine Chan.
The commanding officer of an electronic attack squadron on the Carl Vinson was removed for loss of confidence.

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) pulls into the Republic of Singapore for a scheduled port visit on Dec. 17, 2023.

William Coulter, the commanding officer of an electronic attack squadron on the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, was removed last week due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command, the U.S. Navy has said.

The carrier is in the South China Sea at the moment.

Cmdr. Coulter served as the commanding officer of the Electronic Attack Squadron 136 (VAQ-136) since January 2023, according to the Navys statement.

The VAQ-136, nicknamed Gauntlets and deployed aboard the Carl Vinson since October, flies a number of EF-18G Growler aircraft. This type of aircraft is used to disrupt enemy radar and other electronics.

Navy commanding officers are held to high standards of personal and professional conduct, the statement said. They are expected to uphold the highest standards of responsibility, reliability, and leadership, and the Navy holds them accountable when they fall short of those standards.

No further details were given and it is unclear how the removal would affect the carriers operations. Radio Free Asia has contacted the U.S. Navy for more information.

USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) is a Nimitz-class, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, and the flagship of the Navys Carrier Strike Group 1. Its homeported in San Diego but currently on a regularly scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.

The carrier and its escorts have just visited Singapore from Dec. 17-21 and are back in the South China Sea, according to USNI News published by the U.S. Naval Institute, an independent member association focusing on naval matters.

The carrier strike group comprises the USS Carl Vinson, Carrier Air Wing 2, cruiser USS Princeton and two destroyers  USS Kidd and USS Sterett.

It is one of the few extra-regional naval forces currently operating in South East Asia over the Christmas period, USNI News said, adding that Australian, Canadian and Russian navies all had wrapped up their Indo-Pacific deployments and returned home in the second half of December.

In November, the Carl Vinson joined naval forces of Australia, Canada and Japan in the Japan-led Annualex exercise in the Pacific, in which the Philippines was also present as an observer.

The exercise came as the U.S. and allies strengthen their cooperation in the region amid rising security challenges from China.

Last week Japan formally handed over an air surveillance radar system to the Philippines. Manila in recent months has been embroiled in a series of confrontations with Beijing in the South China Sea.

For months, the Philippines has been making provocations on Renai Jiao and other issues and drawing forces outside the region into those issues, Chinese foreign ministrys spokesperson Mao Ning told a press briefing on Monday, referring to the Second Thomas Shoal by its Chinese name.

The Philippines has accused China of repeatedly attempting to block its resupply missions to the troops stationed on the shoal.

China is compelled under those circumstances to take necessary measures to firmly respond to it, Mao said, adding: We hope the Philippines will stop pursuing the wrong course at once.

Edited by Taejun Kang and Elaine Chan.
Luu Binh Nhuong was widely known for speaking out against law enforcement agencies in the National Assembly.

Police arrest former Vietnam lawmaker Luu Binh Nhuong, who is known for speaking out against law enforcement agencies.

A former lawmaker who was expelled from Vietnams ruling Communist Party following his arrest last month is facing an additional criminal charge of abusing power for personal benefit, police announced on Tuesday.

Luu Binh Nhuong was widely known for speaking out against law enforcement agencies at the National Assembly during the 2016-2021 term.

The Thai Binh Provincial Polices Investigation Agency issued its first arrest warrant for him  for extortion charges  on Nov. 14.

The newest charge from Thai Binh police alleges that Nhuong made hundreds of thousands of dollars by using his position to influence others for personal gains, police said. No further details were provided.

During an Assembly session in 2018, he criticized the Ministry of Public Security and said police had made terrible mistakes.

As deputy head of the Assemblys Peoples Petitions Committee, Nhuong received public praise for investigating the cases of people seeking justice, including a Hoa Binh province man who was executed in September despite international criticism of the case.

The arrest in November was related to the case of convicted criminal Pham Minh Cuong, who is a suspect in a property appropriation case.

According to the Thai Binh police website, Nhuong helped Cuong carry out extortion activities by interfering in the work of government agencies.

Nhuong was also a member of the Assemblys Social Affairs Committee during the 2016-2021 term. He was not recommended for re-election as a lawmaker because at age 60 he was deemed to be old.

Under General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the Communist Party has continued an anti-corruption campaign that began in 2022 and has resulted in the discipline or dismissal of dozens of government officials.

The partys Central Inspection Committee announced its decision to expel Nhuong on Dec. 20.

Being expelled from the party is the ultimate disgrace for a member of Vietnams elite class because they no longer have the privileges and protection that party membership confers, and they can be in more legal jeopardy if suspected of crimes.

Translated by Anna Vu. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rejected the possibility of a cease-fire with Russia, saying it would not lead to substantive progress in the war and only favor Moscow by giving it time to boost supplies to its military as the conflict nears its two-year anniversary.

A pause on the Ukrainian battlefield will not mean a pause in the war, the Ukrainian leader said in Estonia's capital, Tallinn, on January 11 during a tour of the three Baltic nations.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

"Give Russia two to three years and it will simply run us over. We wouldn't take that risk.... There will be no pauses in favor of Russia," he said. "A pause would play into [Russias] hands.... It might crush us afterward.



Zelenskiy has pleaded with Ukraine's allies to keep supplying it with weapons amid signs of donor fatigue in some countries and as Russia turns to countries such as Iran and North Korea for munitions.



NATO allies meeting in Brussels on January 10 tried to allay Kyiv's concerns over supplies, saying they will continue to provide Ukraine with major military, economic, and humanitarian aid. NATO allies have outlined plans to provide "billions of euros of further capabilities" in 2024 to Ukraine, the alliance said in a statement.



Estonian President Alar Karis said after meeting Zelenskiy that his country will provide 1.2 billion euros ($1.31 billion) in aid to Ukraine until 2027.



"Ukraine needs more and better weapons," Karis said at a joint news conference with Zelenskiy.



"The capabilities of the EU military industry must be increased so that Ukraine gets what it needs, not tomorrow, but today. We should not place any restrictions on the supply of weapons to Ukraine," he added.



Estonia has so far provided military assistance to Ukraine worth nearly 500 million euros, or more than 1.4 percent of its gross domestic product, according to the Estonian Foreign Minstry.

In a separate message on X, formerly Twitter, Zelenskiy thanked Tallinn for its continued aid.



"Estonia's unwavering support for Ukraine, our people, and our defense is evident today, during my visit, and throughout the war," Zelenskiy wrote. "I am grateful to Estonia for all its support."



The Baltic countries have been staunch allies of Ukraine since the start of Russia's unprovoked invasion in February 2022.



On January 10, Zelenskiy held talks in Vilnius with Lithuanian counterpart, Gitanas Nauseda.

We have proven that Russia can be stopped, that deterrence is possible, he said after talks with Nauseda.



Ukraine has been subjected to several massive waves of Russian missile and drone strikes since the start of the year that have caused civilian deaths and material damage.



In the latest such attack, a hotel in downtown Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, was struck by Russian missiles overnight on January 11. The strike injured 13 people, including Turkish journalists staying at the hotel, Kharkiv regional police chief Volodymyr Tymoshko said.



Regional Governor Oleh Synyehubov said that one of those injured was in serious condition. More than 30 civilians were inside the hotel at the time of the attack, Synyehubov said on Telegram.



Ukraine's emergency services said those hurt in the strike were "hotel staff and guests, one of whom is a foreign journalist," without giving details. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said no military personnel were staying at the hotel.

With reporting by AFP and Reuters
Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny has published his first message from the Arctic prison he has been transferred to, telling his followers on X, formerly Twitter, not to worry about him after an absence of more than two weeks that raised concerns about his well-being.

"I'm totally relieved that I've finally made it," Navalny said in a series of posts on December 26 from the prison in the village of Kharp in the Yamalo-Nenets autonomous district. "Thanks again to everyone for your support. And happy holidays!"

Navalny joked that he was "still in a good mood, as befits a Santa Claus." He said he now has a sheepskin coat and a fur hat with flaps to cover his ears and expects to receive winter footwear. He also said he grew a beard during his transfer, which he said lasted 20 days and was "quite tiring."

"They brought me on Saturday evening (December 23). And they transported me with such precautions and on such a strange route...that I did not expect anyone to find me here before mid-January," he said.

He also said he was "very surprised" on December 25 when his lawyer arrived to see him. He also described some of the conditions in the prison, saying he "went for a walk" to a neighboring cell that was a "bit bigger with snow on the ground." He added that from his cell window he can only see a fence that is very close.

Navalny was transported to the Arctic prison from a prison in the Vladimir region about 240 kilometers east of Moscow. The Kremlin critic was sentenced to 19 years in prison in August on extremism charges, on top of previous sentences for fraud. He says the charges are politically motivated, and human rights organizations have declared him a political prisoner.

Navalny's associates reported on December 25 that he was in correctional colony No. 3 in Kharp and that his lawyer had visited him.

The so-called Polar Wolf prison is one of the most remote, said Ivan Zhdanov on X on December 25.

"The conditions there are harsh, with a special regime in the permafrost zone. It is very difficult to get there, and there are no letter delivery systems," Zhdanov said.

Navalny spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said on CNN that Navalny and his team, including many who have fled the country amid pressure from the Russian authorities, will continue their work because they believe it's something Russia needs.

"Russia is repressed by a dictator," she said. Navalny "knows he needs to keep going."

Navalny has posed one of the most serious threats to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who recently announced he was running for reelection in March.

Putin is expected to comfortably win the election amid the continued sidelining of opponents and a clampdown on opposition and civil society that intensified after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Navalny survived a poisoning with a Novichok-type nerve agent in 2020 that he says was ordered by Putin. The Kremlin has denied any role in Navalny's poisoning.
Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny, in his first court appearance since being moved to a notorious prison in the Arctic, joked and smiled at a hearing on his challenge to how he was being treated in prison, which the judge ultimately rejected.

The court said a suit filed by Navalny, who attended the January 10 hearing via video link, against his placement in a solitary confinement for 12 days at his previous prison in October was without merit as the move was legal.

In his decision, Judge Kirill Nikiforov ruled Navalny's placement in a punitive cell was warranted because it was proven that he violated an internal order at the IK-6 prison in the Vladimir region, namely by using "offensive" words when debating with a guard.

In a light moment during the proceedings, Navalny told the judge, who has presided over several similar sessions, that "a tear is flowing down my cheek" as a sign of pleasure at getting to see him again.

A second suit also filed by Navalny against the prison's decision not to allow his wife's letters to reach him will be considered by the court at a later date as Navalny asked for time to get acquainted with all documents related to the case. Navalny said he needed to see the prison warden's written order banning his wife's letters.

The day before, Navalny said on X, formerly Twitter, that he was immediately placed in a punitive solitary-confinement cell for seven days for failing to "properly" introduce himself to a prison guard after finishing a quarantine term at his new prison formally known as IK-3, but widely referred to as "Polar Wolf."

Navalny was transported to the notorious and remote prison in December.

Located some 2,000 kilometers northeast of Moscow, the prison holds about 1,050 of Russia's most incorrigible prisoners.

Human rights activists say the prison holds serial killers, rapists, pedophiles, repeat offenders, and others convicted of the most serious crimes and serving sentences of 20 years or more.

Navalny, who is serving a total of 19 years in prison on extremism and other charges, was hospitalized on August 20, 2020, after falling seriously ill on a flight from Tomsk to Moscow. He was later transferred to Germany for treatment of poisoning by a deadly nerve agent of the Novichok group.

His Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) conducted an investigation of the poisoning and determined that it was carried out by agents of the Federal Security Service acting at Putins behest.

Russian authorities have never investigated the poisoning, with prosecutors claiming there was no evidence a crime had been committed.

Navalny returned to Russia from Germany on January 21, 2021 and was immediately arrested. He has been in custody ever since.

He has posed one of the most serious challenges to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who recently announced he is running for reelection in March. Putin is expected to easily win the election amid the continued sidelining of opponents and a clampdown on opposition and civil society that has intensified since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

On January 9, Navalny's team, in a post on Telegram, called on Russian citizens both home and abroad to hold an action called "Russia Without Putin" on January 21 -- the third anniversary of Navalny's arrest at a Moscow airport after he returned from Germany.

Navalny's FBK and his network of regional offices were declared "extremist" organizations and shut down in Russia in 2021. Many of his supporters fled the country in the face of criminal cases or the threat of prosecution.

Several of his associates were arrested on extremism charges, with some of them being handed prison terms.

With reporting by Mediazona and Meduza
Thousands of Russian video-surveillance systems used by Ukrainian cities, infrastructure, private companies, and ordinary homes can relay footage to Moscow-based servers owned by big Russian companies that service the Russian government and military, Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service, has learned.



The State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection told Schemes it had warned the government that TRASSIR video-surveillance systems, which are sold by the Moscow-based firm DSSL, pose a security threat.



Technical experts, including a TRASSIR specialist, and one former senior Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officer echoed that assessment.



If this camera was located on some critical infrastructure facility, there may be a question about what the employees on the other side and the owners of that server see, and how they use that information for military purposes, said Serhiy Denysenko, executive director of the Ukrainian information-security company CyberLabs Digital Forensics Laboratory. By the other side, he meant Russia.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. To date, the Ukrainian government has issued no public warning against using the TRASSIR video-surveillance systems. However, after Schemes published a report on the results of its investigation, on December 7, Internal Affairs Minister Ihor Klymenko vowed that state authorities would conduct a thorough check of the journalists findings.

"Of course, it is unacceptable when any camera, even hypothetically, can be connected and transmit information, especially during wartime, to any [foreign] country," Klymenko said on national television the following day.

The shuttered Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which was occupied by Russian forces for over a month at the start of the invasion, is among the sensitive government-run sites that have used TRASSIR video-surveillance systems, according to the import-export database ImportGenius and a letter from a Chernobyl representative to DSSL. Others include the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority and the Maritime Search and Rescue Service in the Black Sea port city of Odesa, according to the public procurement database Prozorro.

Purchases were made both before and after Russia occupied the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea and fomented war in the eastern Donbas region in 2014.

The strategically important southern city of Kherson, which Russian forces occupied for months in 2022 before retreating that November, and which they continue to bombard frequently, bought TRASSIR for video surveillance of public spaces, the database shows. Other purchasers include the industrial cities of Nikopol, Poltava, and Slavutych, all of which have faced Russian attacks.

Schemes found no evidence that the Russian military or security services are using TRASSIR-system footage to target these specific locations. Less than a week into the full-scale invasion, Kyiv blocked access to the Russia-based Internet servers that TRASSIR uses. Most of the Ukrainian companies or facilities that have used TRASSIR and responded to questions from Schemes said that they used the Russian software in a closed local network, to reduce the risk of data leakage, or that they had stopped using it.

Yet Schemes and digital-security experts determined that the TRASSIR systems still can access these servers via virtual private networks (VPNs), which conceal a users location and are widely used in Ukraine.



The Kremlins Camera Connection

TRASSIR, owned by DSSL, is an established brand name for camera surveillance in Russia: The broadcast hub for Russian national TV channels, Moscows Ostankino Tower, the Tomsk regions government headquarters, and a St. Petersburg bridge all use the TRASSIR CCTV system, according to the DSSL website. Altogether, the company claims 150 partners in Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Romania, and Russia.



The system, which TRASSIR claims can be used at sites ranging from a small store to an airport, mostly uses cameras from the Chinese company Hikvision, but the software that transmits the cameras footage is TRASSIRs own.

The import-export database ImportGenius shows that Ukrainian companies imported over 10,000 cameras and video recorders from the TRASSIR surveillance system from 2016 until Kyiv ended all Russian imports in February 2022. Those numbers do not take possible illegal imports into account.



Digital security activists told Schemes that cameras equipped with the TRASSIR software can transmit video to Russian servers. Separately, a 2019 promotional article said that a number of government-run facilities and private companies were among the Ukrainian entities using TRASSIRs camera systems.

To confirm the activists findings, Schemes collaborated with the Digital Forensics Laboratory and the Digital Security Laboratory, a Kyiv-based nonprofit, to test the TRASSIR video-surveillance system. Schemes bought one of the cameras online; the activists, who requested anonymity, provided several cameras from the TRASSIR surveillance system and a video recorder.



Using a VPN to skirt Ukraines block on Russian servers, Digital Security Laboratory specialist Natalia Onishchenko determined that, aside from other destinations, such as Google in the United States, the camera sends data-transfer requests to a Russia-based subdomain of TRASSIRs website,, m30.ru.cloudtrassir.com.



A domain-name tracer revealed that this subdomains Internet Protocol (IP) address, the string of numbers that identifies it online, belongs to a Moscow company called Digital Network.

Digital Network is an Internet service provider (ISP) that is part of a large Russian corporation and is known by the brand name msm.ru. Its clients include the Internet company Yandex, whose products include Russias dominant search engine, and the Russian Defense Ministrys TV channel, Zvezda.

Records from Russias portal for government contracts, EIS Zakupki, show that Digital Network provided Internet access to military unit 43753, otherwise known as the Center for Information Protection and Special Communication, between 2015 and 2017. The Center, part of the Federal Security Service (FSB), Russias main intelligence agency, monitors and evaluates software and assists the FSB with decryption.

The TRASSIR systems software also sent a data request to a server that belongs to the massive private Russian IT company VK, another of the Kremlins corporate comrades, which, according to one German researcher, is state-controlled and pursues ideological and intelligence goals for the Kremlin. VK founded the popular social-media networks VK and Odnoklassniki, and owns the widely used email system Mail.ru.

Under Russias 2019 Sovereign Internet Law, Russian IT companies are obliged to install equipment that allows the federal communications agency Roskomnadzor to monitor their Internet traffic. An earlier regulation, part of the so-called Yarovaya amendments, stipulates that IT companies preserve data, including video footage, for six months and turn it over to Russian state structures upon demand.



Such legislation means that access to all resources stored in Russia is possible for the special services and law enforcement agencies even without court decisions, said Ukrainian counterintelligence specialist Viktor Yahun, a reserve SBU major general who formerly worked on counterintelligence operations against the FSB.

"Everything related to information, the Internet, communication -- all this is united in this center, he said.



A Blocked Purchase



Yury Shyhol, a former director of Ukraines State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection, which oversees cybersecurity, told Schemes in a written response that the agency had warned security and defense sector ministries in May 2022, some three months into Russias full-scale invasion, that DSSL and TRASSIR cooperate with Russian security ministries and services.

Shyhol did not elaborate about the Ukrainian ministries response, but Schemes could find no indication that the government has issued a public warning about the TRASSIR video-surveillance systems or attempted to stop their sale within Ukraine.

In response to Schemes query about TRASSIR, the SBU said that it could not discuss counterintelligence activities. It mentioned a 2020 case, however, in which it blocked the 8-million-hryvnya ($280,000) purchase of TRASSIR video-surveillance systems by the administration of the Lviv region in western Ukraine.



The systems could be used to obtain information about the movement of military equipment by rail transportation and public highways, the SBU said in a publication explaining the decision to block the purchase.



A 'Dangerous' Technology



A technician at one of the former main Ukrainian vendors of the TRASSIR system, TRASSIR EU, conceded that the fact that the cameras data travels first to Russian servers is dangerous.



But thats the way the technology is, said TRASSIR EU technical specialist Vitaliy Fedorenko. The whole world works like this.



The systems can be redirected to send their data to Ukrainian servers, but it is unrealistic for owners to do that for each of the hundreds of thousands of TRASSIR cameras in Ukraine, Fedorenko said.



Most reported TRASSIR clients who responded to Schemes questions stressed that they use or have used the system within a local network inaccessible to outside entities.



The acting general director of the Chernobyl plant, Serhiy Martinov, said that it had stopped using TRASSIR in 2023. A letter from the plant on the DSSL site states Chernobyl had used it since 2011.

In the east-central city of Poltava, where TRASSIR is used as part of a municipal safety program, First Deputy Mayor Valeriy Parkhomenko said he had had no official appeals or warnings that this system has any risks.

The head of the citys Housing and Communal Services Departments emergency response team, Mykola Yosipenko, conceded, though, that he could not be 100-percent sure that the cameras data-transfers are entirely safe.



An engineer from the company that installed TRASSIR for Poltava, Yavir-2000, advised against using the system, saying that it can be hacked and that Russia could use it for monitoring. The engineer, who did not know he was speaking to a journalist, suggested that it would make sense to use the system if you need to be monitored from Russia.



Plans For The Future



TRASSIR EUs founder, Oleh Kiyashko, a native of Ukraine who has Ukrainian and Russian citizenship and is listed on one business registry site as a co-owner of a sales-focused DSSL affiliate called DSSL-Pyervy (DSSL-First), could not be reached for comment about the surveillance systems software.



TRASSIR EU Director Larysa Osadcha claims that the company ended its contract and contacts with DSSL in April 2023.



Ukraines patent registry shows, however, that the firm still holds the copyright to the TRASSIR software in Ukraine.



Osadcha said that the company is now working with new software for video-surveillance systems called AZIGUARD -- this time from Romania, which is a member of NATO and the European Union. However, the website of AziTrend, the company that owns AZIGUARD, still contains numerous references to TRASSIR software, which, according to the advertisement, is part of the system from the Romanian manufacturer.

Later, after Schemes made inquiries and reported on TRASSIR, references to this Russian software began to disappear from the AziTrend website, but some of them have not been removed.

Written by Elizabeth Owen based on reporting by Kyrylo Ovsyaniy of Schemes
FEODOSIA, Ukraine -- Ukraine's air force hit a major naval port on the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula and claimed a Russian naval landing ship docked there was destroyed.

Ukraines military said in a post on Telegram on December 26 that tactical aviation units fired cruise missiles at the port of Feodosia, on the eastern side of the Black Sea peninsula, around 3 a.m. local time, hitting the ship, the Novocherkassk.

Explosions reverberated throughout the city, waking up residents, setting off car alarms, and breaking storefront and building windows some distance away from the port.

The commander of Ukraines air force, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, said in a post on Telegram that Russias naval fleet is getting smaller and suggested that Ukrainian jets were involved, but gave no other details.

We saw how powerful the explosion and detonation were," Colonel Yuriy Ihnat, an air force spokesman, told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service. "Its extremely difficult for a ship to survive something like that."

Russias Defense Ministry confirmed that the Novocherkassk had been damaged by a Ukrainian missile, but gave no other information. The Kremlin said that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had briefed President Vladimir Putin on the strike, a possible indication of the seriousness of the attack.

An enemy attack was carried out in the Feodosia area. The port area is cordoned off. At this moment, explosions have stopped and the fire has been contained, Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-backed governor of the Crimea region, said in a post on Telegram.

He said one person was killed and two others wounded in the attack. He gave no further information.

Unverified photos and videos showed fireballs climbing into the night sky, accompanied by an enormous shockwave. Photographs taken by a correspondent for Crimea.Realities, a regional desk of RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service, showed broken windows on several buildings along the citys waterfront embankment.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed "special thanks" to the Ukrainian Air Force for its "excellent work against the occupiers in Crimea" but did not say anything specific about the attack or the state of the Novocherkassk.

RFE/RL's Crimea.Realities reported that two Russian vessels left the port of Feodosia in the afternoon of December 26. It was not possible to identify the ships by name, but judging by their size, the vessels were a military ship and a military boat belonging to Russia's Black Sea Fleet, Crimea.Realities reported.

Elsewhere, Russias military claimed the capture of the eastern town of Maryinka, which would potentially open up a new corridor for advancing in the Donetsk region. Shoigu was shown in a televised meeting on December 25 telling Putin about the towns purported capture.

Kyiv initially disputed the claim, but on December 26 the Ukrainian military's commander in chief, General Valeriy Zaluzhniy, said Kyiv's forces had retreated from Maryinka and new defense lines had been prepared outside the town, which is largely destroyed and deserted but holds strategic importance.

Maryinka is located just under 30 kilometers southwest of the city of Donetsk, which is controlled by Russian forces.

Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said late on December 26 that a Russian strike on a train station in the southern city of Kherson killed at least one person and wounded four others. The train station was filled with about 140 civilians waiting for an evacuation train at the time of the attack.

Ukraines national railway operator said the station and trains were damaged in the attack.

"Currently, several injured workers are known. Passengers are in shelter," Ukrzaliznytsia added.

The company planned to transfer the passengers to buses that would take them to Mykolayiv, where reserve railway cars were waiting.

"The situation is under control, the railway workers are ready to continue moving," Ukrzaliznytsia said.

The head of the regional military administration, Oleksandr Prokudin, said Russian shelling of the region during the day on December 26 left three dead and several wounded. It was unclear whether this included the attack on the train station.

With reporting by RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service, AFP, Reuters, the BBC, and dpa

NOTE: The lead image for this article has been changed. The earlier photo was of a Ukrainian attack on Crimea in March.
The response to a shooting in Dublin on Christmas Eve dominated the national newspaper front pages for St Stephen's Day.

The Irish Times and Irish Examiner both focus on increased armed Garda patrols in Dublin following the shooting in a restaurant in Blanchardstown.

The Irish Independent reports fears of 'revenge attacks' following the incident.

Here is the front of page of the Irish Independent on St Stephen's Day pic.twitter.com/4r24EZTiEV  Irish Independent (@Independent_ie) December 26, 2023

It might be St Stephen's Day, but it's also Good Health day so be sure to pick up a copy of your always fantastic Irish Daily Mail today! pic.twitter.com/NtcOA53Edt  The Irish Daily Mail (@irishdailymail) December 26, 2023

Finally, both the Irish Daily Mirror and Irish Daily Star carry an image of the suspect, reporting he was stabbed '27 times after botched attack'.

In Britain, the front pages cover the healthcare system, the migrant crisis and royalty amid a range of stories.

The Guardian carries a warning of a child health timebomb as a report spells out the effects of the UK government shelving anti-obesity pledges.

GUARDIAN: Anti obesity U turn risks child health timebomb, report warns #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/KwD7YtW6bh  Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) December 25, 2023

The Daily Telegraph focuses on a hormone replacement therapy lottery with NHS figures indicating women are three times more likely to be offered treatment in some parts of the country.

TELEGRAPH: NHS under fire for menopause drug lottery #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/a4j66eekxV  Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) December 25, 2023

The Times leads on a Labour alternative to the Conservative Rwanda asylum plan which is due to be unveiled in the new year.

THE TIMES: Labour plots alternative to Rwanda asylum plan #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/BwuWUa7hcC  Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) December 25, 2023

The Sun concentrates on Sarah Ferguson, who was spotted on the royal Christmas church service walk for the first time in three decades.

On tomorrows front page: Sarah Ferguson seen on royal Christmas service walk for first time in 30 years as Prince Andrew faces new shame https://t.co/UUcaX0YlVv pic.twitter.com/bl8dGg8GpM  The Sun (@TheSun) December 25, 2023

The Daily Mail, Daily Express and the Daily Mirror run with a Christmas message from Britain's King Charles III, focusing on his plea for peace as tragic conflict continues in the Middle East.

Presenting #TomorrowsPapersToday from:#DailyExpress



Kings plea for peace on earth in the face of tragic conflict



For more newspapers visit: https://t.co/NNc1XQqHEw#buyanewspaper pic.twitter.com/DMa97hH7Gw  The Press Room #TomorrowsPapersToday (@channel_tsc) December 25, 2023

Tuesday's Front Page 



King of Peace 



Charles' plea for world



Read more: https://t.co/PVFpsZMzTh#TomorrowsPaperToday pic.twitter.com/2z50pCF9O8  The Mirror (@DailyMirror) December 25, 2023

The Independent also places its focus on the Middle East and 100 people killed in Gaza in one night.

INDEPENDENT: Prisons inspector: Overcrowding is a ticking time bomb #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/aVzjC4R1NK  Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) December 25, 2023

The i dives into politics with its splash as the Tories face a fresh general election threat from Nigel Farages Reform UK party.

And the Daily Star opts for a tale about car scoffing rats that may chew their way through a vehicle near you.
New precinct boundaries have been established for Richland County after the adoption of the 2023 Legislative Districting Plan. Section 13-3-102 (1), MCA, requires that precinct boundaries conform to legislative boundaries following the adoption of a districting and apportionment plan under Article V, Section 14 of the Montana Constitution.

The Legislative redistricting plan was determined by the Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission. The new plan divided Richland into two House and two Senate Districts. The division mainly follows along Highway 200 and the Yellowstone River, with some variations closer to the Sidney area. The redistricting split Precinct 7 (Lambert area) into Precinct 7A & Precinct 7B.

House District 30 and Senate District 15 is mostly north of Highway 200 & Highway 23, this includes Precincts 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 12, 17, 19, 22, 23, and Precinct 7A.

House District 33 and Senate District 17 is mostly south of Highway 200 and Highway 23 and east of the Yellowstone River, this includes Precincts 5, 9, and Precinct 7B.

The new precinct map is available on the Richland County website, Richland.org/elections.

To look up your voter information go to the Montana Voter Portal at http://voterportal.mt.gov.
Emma Cundiff placed 1st in dramatic solo at the Montana CLass A Speech, Debate and Drama State Meet on Jan. 27 and 28. The Debate and Drama rounds were held at Sidney Middle School while speech, finals, and awards ceremony were held at Sidney High School. Sidney Public Schools hosted the Montana Class A Speech, Debate and Drama State Meet for the first time since 1993.
With the Sidney and surrounding communities bereaved of their sugar beet industry, many farmers have looked to corn and soybeans to fill the gap. To soften the learning curve, Farmers Choice, McClusky, ND, has bought their expertise in those products to Sidney.

Duane Peters, Sidney, former Sidney Sugars agronomist, will represent Farmers Choice in Sidney. He wants local farmers to know that we are here to help. They have purchased the former Trans-Systems building at 1120 E. Main St. Farmers Choice is owned by farmers and the seed and products are tested at irrigated farms in North Dakota. Their motto, We trust it in ours, you can trust it in yours. is something founder Steve Knorr is passionate about. He started Farmers Choice five years ago with the goal of offering products that were tested and had proven results in the state, rather than continuing a cycle of trying untested products offered by sales staff to experiment in his, and others, crops.

Since starting Farmers Choice, Knorr has rapidly expanded the business. They offer a range of goods and services. Seed, biologicals, enzymes, sugars, nutritionals, chemical, fertilizer, and expertise in their application to different operations available at their storefront in Sidney. The seed they offer comes from one of the four seed breeding companies left in the world, with Golden Harvest being their most popular brand. As a 5th generation farmer, he brings over 20 years of experience with irrigated corn and beans in North Dakota to the table, and has staffed his company with farmers and agronomists just as dedicated to serving farmers as he is. They are currently seeking to hire several more agronomists for the Sidney location, and look forward to adding their expertise to our agricultural community.
The Board of Directors of Richland Federal Credit Union (RFCU) is pleased to announce the appointment of Korey Hagan as the new chief executive officer at Richland Federal effective Jan. 23. A northeastern Montana native who grew up on the family ranch near Plentywood, Hagan holds an MBA in business administration from St. Thomas University, Minneapolis and a B.S. in agricultural, business management with an economics minor from Montana State University. He brings 20 years of progressive lending and management experience in the financial services industry and with farm cooperatives, most recently as the Chief Lending Officer at Dakota West Credit Union, Watford City.

In that position he was responsible for all lending functions and oversaw a loan portfolio incorporating consumer, residential mortgage, agricultural, commercial, and pooled and individual participation loans. Hagan and his team grew total loans by 23%, from $115 million to $141 million during his four-year tenure. Additional responsibilities included developing policies and procedures, regulation adherence, and leading project initiatives. He also originated and executed staff training and development programs.

Korey brings a wealth of experience to our credit union, RFCU Board Chair Beth Redlin said. His broad lending background, particularly in agricultural lending, is buttressed by his business management experience with farmer co-ops. We are looking forward to working with him to build our Credit Union for the future and continue to meet our members ever evolving financial needs.

Hagan is also looking forward to stepping into the managers post at RFCU.

It is exciting to be back in Big Sky Country and so close to home. The small towns and farms and ranches of eastern Montana have a special place with me. I cant imagine a better place to continue raising my family. It means that much more to be back promoting the benefits and value of a member-owned cooperative in RFCU; principles that I know to still be guiding RFCU today. I am eager to get started and hope our RFCU team can continue to grow its member base and member value while maintaining the strong balance sheet it has built.

Hagan is taking over for long-time RFCU manager Kevin Mayer who is retiring after an impressive 38-year career at the credit union, 24 of those years as manager. During that time, he oversaw the growth of the credit union from $14 million to $108 million, supervised construction of a new facility, and directed numerous additions and improvements to member services for the digital age. Mayer has also served on many state and regional credit union boards over his tenure, most recently as the Montana representative to the Millennium Corporate Credit Union Board.

Kevin has been an excellent manager for us over so many years, helping RFCU to expand and grow, even during some very tough times, Redlin said. We are very sorry to see him go, but wish him all the best in his well-earned retirement.

As he prepares to hand over the reins, Mayer reflected on his long career with RFCU.

It has been a very good run. Mayer said. I never dreamed a 38-year career would be the beginning for me in 1985. The credit union industry has brought many friendships to me and my family. I have been blessed with a great team to work with and I feel good that I am leaving a healthy and sound financial cooperative to Mr. Hagan.
Punjabi Youth death in Italy News

Family of the deceased is urging the Italian government to conduct a thorough investigation

Punjabi Youth death in Italy News: In a heartbreaking incident, a young Punjabi man, Ajay Kumar, who embarked on a journey to Italy in pursuit of a better life just two months ago, met an untimely end in a tragic road accident. Ajay's family, residing in Nadala (Kapurthala), now grapples with grief and financial challenges, urging the Italian government for a thorough investigation and support in bringing the deceased's body back to India.

Ajay Kumar took a significant step in the pursuit of a brighter future by traveling to Italy two months ago. The young man, driven by aspirations and dreams, had invested substantial funds after securing a loan to make the journey abroad. Little did he know that his pursuit of a better life would end in a devastating road accident.

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The tragic incident unfolded as Ajay, along with his friend Rakesh Kumar, set out to pick up a relative from Fiumicino Airport in the Latina district of Lazio province. Opting to avoid parking fees near the airport, the driver parked the car in a No Parking zone, and the group patiently waited for their relative's flight.

Tragedy struck when Ajay Kumar, stepping out to use the restroom, was fatally hit by a speeding car. The impact proved fatal, leading to his immediate demise at the scene. The family, devastated by the sudden loss, revealed that Ajay leaves behind two young children.

To get all the latest updates, join us on Whatsapp Broadcast Channel.

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Expressing their grief and seeking justice, the family of the deceased is urging the Italian government to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances of the accident. Additionally, they appeal for assistance in repatriating Ajay Kumar's body to India, so that he may be laid to rest in his homeland.

(For More News Apart from Punjabi Youth death in Italy News, Stay Tuned to Rozana Spokesman)
Indian shares were seeing modest gains on Tuesday despite muted cues from global .

The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex was up 168 points, or 0.2 percent, at 71,275 in early trade while the broader NSE Nifty index was up 72 points, or 0.3 percent, at 21,422.

Adani Green Energy rallied 1.7 percent after it signed a pact with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to supply 1,799 MW of solar power.

Talbros Automotive Components jumped 2.3 percent after it decided to sell its entire 40 percent stake in its joint venture company Nippon Leakless Talbros for Rs. 81.8 crore.

UPL added 1.2 percent on fund raising reports.

Aurobindo Pharma rose over 1 percent after receiving 10 observations from the U.S. FDA for its New Jersey manufacturing unit.

Reliance Industries edged up slightly after it signed a non-binding agreement with Disney Star, taking one step forward to the mega-merger.

Infosys declined 1.4 percent after losing a mega contract.

Wipro fell about 1 percent after denying reports about ex-LTI CEO Sanjay Jalona joining the company.

JK Tyre dropped 1.2 percent after raising Rs. 500 crores through a QIP issue.

Anupam Rasayan was little changed despite signing a Letter of Intent worth Rs. 507 crores with a leading Japanese company.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
Oil prices surged higher on Tuesday amid escalating tensions in the Middle East and concerns over trade disruptions due to several international firms stopping to transit via the Red Seas following the attacks on ships.

Oil also found support from a weak dollar amid rising optimism the Federal Reserve will start cutting rates from early 2024 after data showed a bigger than expected slowdown in consumer price growth in November.

West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures for February settled higher by $2.01 or about 2.7% at $75.57 a barrel.

Brent crude futures settled at $81.07 a barrel, gaining $2.00 or about 2.5%.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militia claimed responsibility for a missile attack on Tuesday on a container ship in the Red Sea, and for an attempt to attack Israel with drones.

The Houthi group declared that ships owned or controlled by Israeli enterprises would be attacked in retaliation for Israel's attacks on the blockaded Gaza Strip.

Approximately 12% of global trade passes through the Suez Canal.

An Israeli minister reportedly hinted on Tuesday that the country had retaliated in Iraq, Yemen and Iran for attacks carried out against it as the war with Hamas-led militants in the Gaza Strip widens to other areas of the region and the Palestinian death toll continues to climb.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
Toyota Motor Corp.'s Daihatsu unit shut down production lines at its four factories in Japan over improper safety tests in over 64 models and three vehicle engines, including 22 models and an engine sold by Toyota. The affected models include some from Mazda Motor Corp. and Subaru Corp. sold in Japan, as well as models from Toyota and Daihatsu sold worldwide.

Daihatsu announced that it had shut down its production units in Shiga, Kyoto, Oita, and Osaka, and some media reports predict that it will remain closed through January. Toyota has also decided to cease shipments of affected vehicles temporarily.

In April, safety irregularity issues in around 88,000 small cars made in Thailand and Malaysia in 2022 and 2023 came into light.

Later in May, the company stopped production of two hybrid vehicle models - Toyota Raize SUV and Rocky, citing similar safety problems.

In a probe against the unit by an independent third-party committee chaired by Makoto Kaiami, 174 new cases related to procedural irregularities in 25 test categories were found, in addition to the previously mentioned issues. However, no deaths or fatalities have been reported so far.

Furthermore, it was found that a different airbag control unit (ECU) than the mass production model was used for testing airbags in Daihatsu Move/ SUBARU Stella, Daihatsu Cast / Toyota Pixis Joy, Daihatsu Gran Max / Toyota Town Ace / Mazda Bongo. However, in technical verification, the airbag met occupant protection performance standards.

It was also found that the "Safety Performance Standard for Occupant Evacuation (Unlocking)" in the side collision test of Daihatsu Cast / Toyota Pixis Joy didn't comply with the standards set by law.

Reacting to the probe, the company said it has started conducting one-by-one in-house technical verifications and vehicle testing to ensure its safety standards are at par with legal requirements.

Daihatsu was founded in 1907 to manufacture internal combustion engines. Later, it started manufacturing Hijet trucks and vans, and Mira hatchbacks. It assembled approximately 870,000 vehicles during the fiscal year 2022.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
U.S. District Court Judge Vince Chhabria, on Friday, allowed a lawsuit against Elon Musk's X, formerly known as Twitter, to move ahead. The company was accused of failing to pay promised annual bonuses to employees.

The lawsuit was filed in June by Mark Schobinger, the company's former head of compensation, on behalf of himself and approximately 2,000 other current and former employees. They claimed that the then-Twitter management had verbally promised employees to pay 50% of their 2022 annual bonus if they remained with the company during Musk's takeover in October 2022.

Usually, annual bonuses are paid in the first quarter of the following year, but the employees didn't receive any bonuses by the end of the first quarter, which amounted to more than $5 million.

Schobinger left in May after the company failed to honor its verbal contract.

X's lawyers argued the case stating that the Performance Bonus Plan was not a valid and enforceable contract, and thus verbal contract between Schobinger and former management couldn't be upheld.

However, the judge ruled that, "Once Schobinger did what Twitter asked, Twitter's offer to pay him a bonus in return became a binding contract under California law. And by allegedly refusing to pay Schobinger his promised bonus, Twitter violated that contract."

Further, X's lawyers argued to try the case under Texas law, where verbal contracts are not upheld, but the judge ruled against them and said that the case would be tried under California law.

In a similar scenario, many former employees had filed cases against X regarding around $500 million in unpaid severance to nearly 5,000 laid-off employees.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Government spokesperson Chai Wacharonke has revealed that four major Japanese car manufacturers are set to invest 150 billion baht, equivalent to approximately $4.3 billion, in Thailand over the next five years. This substantial investment is earmarked for the development of the electric vehicle industry in the country.

The announcement came during Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's visit to Tokyo, where he attended the Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation. During the visit, Prime Minister Thavisin engaged with representatives from seven Japanese automakers.

Following the discussions, Toyota Motors and Honda Motors committed to invest 50 billion baht each, with Isuzu Motors pledging 30 billion baht and Mitsubishi Motors to invest 20 billion baht for the Thai market.

In addition to the investment, the automakers have selected Thailand as their main production base in the ASEAN region. Also, pick-up trucks and battery-swapping systems for commercial vehicles will be developed.

In a bid to further facilitate collaboration, Thailand has implemented a visa-free policy for Japanese automakers on short trips from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2026. This strategic move aligns with Thailand's ambitious goal of converting nearly a third of its annual vehicle production into electric vehicles by 2030.

Toyota expects to start testing pick-up trucks in Thailand, whereas Isuzu plans to launch its electric pick-up trucks in 2025.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Blackened elements along with rugged attributes on Honda Elevate Field Explorer Concept look butch and brawny

Honda Cars India has launched the new Elevate mid-size SUV that has marked the return of this iconic Japanese brand to SUV business. Elevate is launched as Honda WR-V in Japan. The company has now revealed Honda Elevate Field Explorer Concept (WR-V in Japan) that accentuates toughness and ruggedness with multiple add-ons.

Honda Elevate SUV Launch  Features Leaked

In India, the new Elevate takes on the crowded compact SUV segment with Hyundai Creta, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Hyryder, Skoda Kushaq, Volkswagen Taigun, MG Astor, Citroen C3 Aircross and Kia Seltos. Field Explorer concept revealed with WR-V (Elevate in India) takes the design quotient a notch above.

So good, that we wish Honda launched it in India to take on the special editions of rival compact SUVs. The special edition trend is popularised by Tata Motors. The images show Elevate SUV with a new design angle that sets it apart from what is on offer with standard vehicle. The whole appeal now leans towards butchness and brawl, something compact SUV buyers love in India.

Honda has given Field Explorer Concept blackened headlights for a stealth look. We can see a similar approach to tail lights as well. All the unpainted body cladding on standard Elevate gets a matte-black finish that looks dope. Grill is now fully black including lower bumper. Standard Honda logo is replaced by classic HONDA lettering. The three pilot lamps along with fog lights radiate yellow light, which is unique.

Japan-spec Elevate (WR-V) lacks a sunroof. With Honda Elevate Field Explorer Concept, there is a black roof that extends to its rear spoiler. Elevate badging in chrome on front right fender is blackened on Field Explorer Concept, present on both sides too. The alloy wheels get a gloss black finish and tall profile all-weather tyres.

Another party piece for Elevate Field Explorer Concept is its functional roof rails with a luggage carrier. The whole thing is executed rather nicely in a gloss-black finish. Overall design and aesthetics with Field Explorer Concept is a big boost when compared to standard Elevate.

Interiors and features

Interior changes with Honda Elevate Field Explorer Concept are not revealed. Standard car gets a 5-seater layout, a 10.2-inch touchscreen unit with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a semi-digital instrument cluster, ventilated and massaging seats (accessory), wireless phone charging, and cruise control among others.

It is well equipped in terms of safety with up to 6 airbags, 360-degree camera, electronic stability control and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), among which will be lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control and forward-collision warning.

With Honda doing away with its diesel engine lineup, the Elevate in India is powered by a 1.5L NA petrol engine as seen on the City sedan. This engine offers 121 hp power and 145 Nm torque mated to a 6-speed MT and CVT options. Honda has confirmed Elevate EV that could launch by the end of 2024 or in 2025.
The interiors of Hyundai Creta Facelift interiors spied might retain its overall layout from current model, but will get many new elements

Hyundais darling of Indian portfolio, Creta compact SUV, is getting a mid-life facelift. Currently in its pre-facelift 2nd generation model, it builds on strengths and popularity that Creta enjoyed since day one. Interiors of facelifted model has been spotted for the first time, revealing key details.

New Hyundai Creta Facelift Interiors Spied

As of now, all test mule sightings have revealed only exterior details. For the first time, Explore The Unseen 2.0 has uploaded footage of Creta facelifts interior layout, revealing key info. There were many speculations in place suggesting that Creta facelift would get the same dual horizontal screen layout as Seltos facelift.

With recent sightings, we can see a similar dashboard layout to what is currently on offer. Both infotainment and instrument screens are disconnected, one behind steering wheel and other in the middle of dashboard. This footage is blurry and dark, but there is a good probability that Hyundai will retain the same dashboard layout as current model.

However, these spy shots do confirm the presence of a fully digital instrument console. Similar to what we have seen in Seltos facelift. It is likely to show similar functionality as well, primary of which is to display ADAS-related information on this instrument cluster. This will replace the three-part instrument cluster setup of current Creta.

Along with ADAS and a few interior material updates, there seems to be a new 2-spoke steering wheel with Hyundai Creta facelift interiors spied, reminding me of the one on offer with Hyundai Ioniq 5. Does this steering wheel feature Hyundai logo or the 4 dots? Only time will tell. Climate control panel seems to be new too. It looks similar to touch-sensitive ones seen on newer Tata Motors products and Hyundais own Tucson. Probably a dual-zone unit as well.

Infotainment screen is likely to stay the same 10.2-inch size. We wish there were more soft-touch plastics on the inside, though. Along with a dashcam seen with Adventure Edition. This test mule has after-market dashcam. Exterior changes include a new fascia inspired by Palisade with vertical headlights and horizontal LED DRL elements. There are new LED connected design tail lights that breathe newness into Cretas design.

Specs and powertrains

Dimensions are vastly the same as this is just a mid-life facelift. Where powertrains are concerned, Hyundai will introduce the new 1.5L turbo petrol engine that fills the void left behind by now discontinued 1.4L turbo petrol. This powertrain is good for 160 PS of power and 253 Nm of torque, mated to either a 6iMT or 7DCT.

Other engine options include a 115 PS 1.5L NA petrol mated to 6MT or a CVT and a 115 PS 1.5L turbo diesel engine mated to either a 6MT or 6TC along with a new 6iMT seen with Seltos. There will be a small price hike as opposed to current pricing ranging between Rs. 10.87 lakh and Rs. 19.2 lakh (ex-sh). An electric version is under testing too, as confirmed by multiple spy shots.
A recent Make-A-Wish grant awarded to an Oceanside child will have a lasting effect on many children: Alondra Sophia Lara, 5, is sharing her wish with her school, her home away from home.

The school is Vista Unified School Districts California Avenue Elementary, which is the districts primary preschool for children with special needs. About 300 preschool and elementary-school students attend fully integrated classes there.

Sophia, as she is known, has Pallister-Killian syndrome, a chromosomal abnormality that occurs so rarely that fewer than a couple hundred cases were known at the time she was born, said her mother, Veronica Lara.

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PK children have varying physical symptoms that may hinder their physical or mental development. Because they often physically resemble Down syndrome children, the condition is thought to be widely misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed.

Sophia has cerebral palsy and epilepsy, and has two or three seizures daily, said her mom. Last year, she had surgery to remove a tumor in her head.

She has low muscle tone, shes nonverbal. She cant sit or walk. She depends on me 24/7, said Lara of her daughter, now almost 4 feet tall and close to 100 pounds.

Sophia spends nearly eight hours daily, with a nurse, in her classroom. Her teacher (Mike Zeroski) is just awesome, Lara said. Its the best school I could ever have found for Sophia.

It does really awesome things for the kids: occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, all at the site. They have a heated indoor pool, and every Friday, Sophia gets in the pool and she really enjoys that. She also loves music therapy.

When their Make-A-Wish request was granted, the family sat down to consider what Sophias wish would entail.

Various trips near and far were suggested, said Veronica Lara, but the logistics were daunting, even with help from Make-A-Wish. Finally, she and husband Juan Manuel hit upon the solution: Why dont we try to do something with her classroom? Why not do something to benefit other kids, too, instead of just Sophia?

Principal Rachel Schmidt was delighted by the idea. This very generous family felt that because they had everything they needed at home, and school was a second home, they made the decision to donate the wish to the school.

The wish for the room renovation was enabled by two San Diego firms, HoyleCohen and Duane Morris, said Jenna Martin, a Wish Manager (and isnt that a great job title) for Make-A-Wish San Diego.

The employees and some professional organizers went in and looked at the flow of the classroom to help enhance it. They donated the money, and then they came out and volunteered to put everything together over a weekend.

When the room was ready, its upgrades included a new diaper changing table, new equipment for the sensory area, a new storage shed and an outdoor awning, including some waterproof shelving to safely store equipment and make more room indoors for the students.

One item purchased specifically for Sophia was a P Pod (peapod) Postural Support System  a large bean-bag-style chair to support Sophia when she takes a break from her wheelchair. Its purple, Sophias favorite color, said her mom.

The reveal took place earlier this month, and it was a surprise to the children. Sophia enjoyed all the commotion, said Lara: She was clapping on her way in. She was happy. She kinda knew something was going on around her.

What made it extra-special, said Schmidt, was that the VAPA campus (Vista Academy of the Visual and Performing Arts)  which regularly comes over to integrate with our classes  that class came over, and they were just thrilled, too.

Veronica Lara has another wish: that recognition will increase for children with Pallister-Killian syndrome.

Im trying to bring some awareness, she said. PKS Awareness Day is Dec. 4, and red and black are the colors. Well have a celebration at school. Lara is also hoping others will spread the word and donate to research on the syndrome at www.pkskids.net.

In the meantime, Sophias wish will be remembered for a long time at California Avenue Elementary.

This gift was really a legacy for the dozens of children who are going to follow in years to come, said Schmidt. Were very humbled and grateful, not only to Make-A-Wish, but that this family would donate this gift to the school.

laura.groch@sduniontribune.com
Theyre questions many ponder, but most are too embarrassed to answer:

Are internet porn sites filled with malicious software? And what are the best ways to prevent the malware from ending up on your computer or smartphone?

No sense in pretending this isnt an issue; few things generate as much traffic online as pornography.

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One company alone  Pornhub  said it attracted 23 billion visits from around the world last year, and they collectively viewed nearly 92 billion videos.

It would take a single person 5,246 centuries to watch all of it.

The malware infection rate isnt known; a lot of the problem goes unreported. But Stephen Cobb, a senior researcher in the San Diego office of ESET, has a lot of insight on the matter. Hes studied the interconnection between porn and the internet for more than 30 years.

Q: Does a person face an unusually high risk of downloading malicious software  or malware  if they visit a porn site?

A: It depends on the users behavior.

Porn sites generally dont have more malware than other kinds of sites. But some users exhibit risky behavior. They keep click-click-clicking on links that promise free, high-definition porn. The more you do that, the greater your risk of installing malware.

In some cases, the problem is compounded by the fact that a person is so embarrassed about getting a malware infection that they dont seek technical support in a timely manner.

Theres another risk issue: blackmail. We have see numerous cyber crime campaigns that scare people into paying bogus fines with warnings like this: This computer was used to visit websites containing illegal pornography. Obviously a threat like that is more effective if the person receiving it has actually been visiting porn sites.

Anyone who is planning on visiting an adult website should make sure their computer or mobile device has a full suite of up-to-date anti-malware and anti-phishing software, and they should know the latest tricks and scams.

Alternatively, they should use a Chromebook or a cheap secondhand Windows 7 laptop that has no personal information or banking/shopping/email/file-sharing apps on it. And they should be prepared to hit the off switch the moment anything weird happens.

Q: Do hackers develop malware that targets people who use these sites? And is the malware more sophisticated than you would find on other types of sites?

A: Most cyber crime is driven by classic business principles, like return-on-investment and targeted marketing. So, yes, you will see malware on porn sites that leverages video display software.

For example, you might see an advertisemnent that says, Download this video player now to see this celebrity sex tape or your system needs the latest video driver to see this, download it now.

I have not done enough research to conclude that porn sites are using malware that is more sophisticated than you would find on other types of sites. But I would say that porn-related malware is sometimes as sophisticated as anything you see in any other sector, particularly when it comes to things like click fraud.

Q: Dont porn sites sometimes experience malware problems that theyre actively trying to avoid?

I read a news story on TheNextWeb.com that said ESET researchers discovered earlier this year consumers were being tricked into downloading malware that was hidden in what appeared to be a legitimate mobile app for Pornhub.

A: Yes, that can happen. But Id say that the porn industry has helped pioneer things like video streaming and online payment services, and they dont want to do things that hurt their businesses. Theyve invested a lot in keeping sites secure.

Q: As you said, many people are too embarrassed to admit that they downloaded malware from a porn site. Does that mean that security experts dont have a clear idea of how big of a problem this is?

A: The embarrassment factor definitely complicates things, from gathering accurate metrics to determining the root cause of the problem. Are the adult sites highly infectious? Or could it be that the folks who visit them are naive and lacking in security awareness?

Either way, I think all security experts have seen a surfeit of computers riddled with malware, spyware, adware, and bloatware, along with a browser history chock full of adult website URLs.

Q: I read a story in a British paper that said that a hacker had developed a smartphone app that took a persons picture when they visited certain porn sites. The hackers then used the photos to try to extort money from people.

Is that true? Is it even possible?

A: It is certainly possible and might strike an ethically challenged criminal hacker as an interesting business proposition.

We saw a variation of this scheme in Shut Up and Dance, the third episode of the third series of the British sci-fi video series Black Mirror. A young man is blackmailed by someone who used the webcam in the lads laptop to record him watching porn.

Q: Ive also read that some users receive pop-up messages on their screens saying things like, Microsoft windows has detected that a porn virus has infected your system and is trying to steal pictures, data and social networking passwords.

How should a user respond to a message like that?

A: Users should ignore this message and they should not call the toll free phone number that typically appears with it. This message is associated with adware that hawks flaky support services. Use a malware scanner to find and remove the adware (ESET offers a free scanner at https://www.eset.com/online-scanner).

Q: I suspect that many people wouldnt take an infected computer to a repair store to get the malware removed. What are the options for getting rid of the malware?

A: A good security suite will be able to remove most malware infections and should also come with free phone support. Those support agents are likely to have a seen it all before attitude and are not going to be judgmental, unless of course the content is clearly illegal, such as child pornography.

Q: Is it possible that a person could unknowingly download child porn from virtually any site on the web?

A: While that risk does exist, there are some limiting factors. The creation, possession, or distribution of child pornography carries very serious penalties, not to mention social condemnation, even in some criminal circles, and one would hope this limits its use in malware schemes.

However, the mere possibility that a person could unknowingly have such content on their phone or computer renders plausible blackmail threats and ransom demands based upon false allegations.

Q: Are there a lot of hackers making a lot of money by placing malware on porn sites?

A: Quantifying the level of criminal hacking activity by sector is not only difficult, but a relatively low priority for resource-strapped authorities who are struggling to document and prosecute mainstream cyber crimes.

Priority tends to be given to tracking attacks on government agencies, the military, finance, energy, and retail sectors. What we can say is that the leading players in the adult website industry have a vested interest in self-policing and ensuring a risk-free customer experience.

Sticking with established sites makes as much sense for porn sites as it does for shopping sites. That said, brand name sites are not immune to problems, as the Ashley Madison hack amply demonstrates.

Q: Youre referring to an incident in 2015 in which hackers stole a lot of subscriber information from Ashley Madison, an online dating service that caters to people who are looking to have affairs. Data was stolen from more than 30 million subscribers. They got things like peoples email addresses, which were then posted to the internet.

Could hackers break into a persons laptop or tablet and steal the email addresses of people who were visiting porn sites?

A: If a criminal has gained access to your device they may be able to see that you have been watching porn and they will likely have access to your email accounts. But as a way of gathering data about potential victims of scams and frauds this is not as practical as stealing account data en masse from the subscriber databases of adult sites.

Q: This interview will probably make users of adult websites wonder whether they can erase their viewing history simply by clearing the cache on their computer or mobile device. Can they?

A: You can clear your browser history. But I generally maintain that you cannot count on anonymity online. Even if youve cleared your browser, your internet service provider knows what youve been looking at.

Cybersecurity Playlist  On Now Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) slams Equifax On Now LA 90: Yahoo data breach worse than originally reported On Now California beer maker thrives in Germany On Now Cyberattacks on Hollywood On Now Hackers gain access to OneLogin On Now What is WannaCry? On Now Senate overturns privacy rules for Internet providers On Now Online pirates claim to hold Disney's latest 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movie hostage, demand ransom On Now Yahoo warns users of malicious activity

Twitter: @grobbins

gary.robbins@sduniontribune.com
While NASA has demonstrated asteroid deflection, scientists explore Plan B: a nuclear bomb. California researchers simulated its impact, revealing deflection or fragmentation possibilities.

Exploring Nuclear Solutions for Asteroid Threats

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists devised a simulation to explore the nuclear bomb's potential role as a backup plan for asteroid deflection, should NASA's methods prove inadequate.

The aim is to refine survival strategies, utilizing the unique energy density of nuclear devices to counter potential asteroid threats. Although NASA exhibited success in asteroid deflection in 2020, Mary Burkey, leading the research, emphasized the prospect of launching a nuclear device millions of miles away with ample warning time.

Burkey underscored the unmatched energy density ratio of nuclear devices, positioning them as indispensable tools in addressing approaching asteroids. However, accurate predictions hinge on intricate multiphysics simulations encompassing X-ray energy deposition and subsequent material ablation.

LLNL's sophisticated simulation models, addressing various factors such as asteroid-like material surfaces (rock, iron, and ice) and complex processes like reradiation, are both intricate and computationally demanding.

The comprehensive approach renders the model adaptable to diverse asteroid scenarios, encompassing different porosities, source spectra, radiation fluences, source durations, and angles of incidence.

Megan Bruck Syal, LLNL's planetary defense project lead, emphasized the critical role of such simulation models in swiftly evaluating risks and preserving lives in the event of a potential killer asteroid threat. Despite the low likelihood of a large asteroid impact during our lifetime, the severe potential consequences underscore the urgency of proactive measures.

The team discussed their findings in full in the study, titled "X-Ray Energy Deposition Model for Simulating Asteroid Response to a Nuclear Planetary Defense Mitigation Mission" published in The Planetary Science Journal.

READ ALSO: China Eyes Launching Rockets to Prevent Asteroid-Earth Collision

DART Spacecraft: NASA's Asteroid Deflection Plan

NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission successfully changed the path of an asteroid called Dimorphos, a big step in protecting Earth from space threats.

By intentionally crashing into Dimorphos, DART made it orbit its larger partner asteroid, Didymos, 32 minutes faster. This achievement, exceeding NASA's expectations, is the first time humans purposefully altered a space object's path, showing that asteroid deflection works.

The DART team emphasized NASA's duty to keep Earth safe and readiness to face potential dangers from space. Administrator Bill Nelson called DART's success a groundbreaking moment for planetary defense. DART's impact demonstrated NASA's commitment to protecting our planet and being prepared for unexpected challenges.

Ongoing research focuses on understanding how DART's collision affected Dimorphos. They're studying the debris, called ejecta, thrown into space during the impact. This debris helped DART push Dimorphos, like a jet of air moves a balloon.

The team is collecting data from observatories worldwide, radar facilities at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Green Bank Observatory. They're now concentrating on learning more about Dimorphos, like its surface and strength, to understand the impact better.



RELATED ARTICLE: Asteroid Deflection: How NASA, ESA Prepare for the Space Occurrence?

Check out more news and information on Asteroids in Science Times.


S Jaishankar, India's External Affairs Minister (EAM), has begun a five-day visit to Russia. Upon his arrival in Moscow, the capital city, Jaishankar is set to engage in discussions with his counterpart, addressing both bilateral and global issues. "Arrived in Moscow. Look forward to my engagements", Jaishankar said in a post on X.

In November 2022, EAM Jaishankar made his most recent visit to Russia, where he held discussions with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov. During the visit, Jaishankar shared a 1962 invitation from the then-Soviet Union, celebrating Yuri Gagarin's historic achievement as the first human in space. Notably, Moscow was also Jaishankar's initial posting as an Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer.

During the visit, Jaishankar is also expected to travel to St. Petersburg, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). "The time-tested India-Russia partnership has remained stable and resilient and continues to be characterized by the spirit of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership", MEA said in a statement. "Focusing on the strong people-to-people and cultural ties between our two countries, the external affairs minister's programme will include engagements in Moscow and St. Petersburg", added MEA.

The visit assumes importance as several Russian dignitaries paid high-level visits to India this year, coinciding with New Delhi's presidency of the SCO and G20. During India's G20 presidency , Russia made several visits, with notable figures such as Foreign Minister Lavrov and Valentina Matvienko, the Head of the Federation Council (Upper House of Russian Parliament). The Russian delegation at SCO meetings included prominent individuals like Foreign Minister Lavrov, Nikolai Patrushev, the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Alexander Kurenkov, the Minister of Emergency Situations, and Sergei Shoigu, the Defence Minister.

In spite of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the ties between Moscow and New Delhi have remained robust. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while consistently urging an end to the conflict, has been careful not to strain relations with Moscow through any confrontational remarks, thus upholding a nuanced diplomatic equilibrium.
InCred Finance, the lending division of the financial services company InCred, has entered the unicorn club, attaining a valuation of $1.04 billion following a prosperous $60 million Series D funding round. The non-banking financial company (NBFC) revealed this achievement, marking it as the second company to become a unicorn in 2023, following the 10-minute grocery delivery startup Zepto.

The equity round, spearheaded by Ranjan Pai of MEMG, saw significant investments, with $9 million from Pai himself. Ravi Pillai, Chairman at RP Group of Companies, and Ram Nayak, Global Co-Head of the Investment Bank and Head of Fixed Income & Currencies at Deutsche Bank, also contributed $5.4 million and $1.2 million, respectively. In addition to these key investors, the funding round witnessed participation from various large ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and institutional investors, including Varanium Capital Advisors and Sattva Group.

Bhupinder Singh, Founder & Group CEO of InCred, expressed his confidence in the fundings impact, stating, The funding will strengthen our balance sheet and provide us enough runway for the next couple of years of expansion. With our Risk First approach, cutting-edge technology, and class-leading management team, we are well-positioned for sustained growth in the business over the years to come".

InCred Finance plans to strategically deploy the raised capital across its core business verticals, focusing on consumer loans, student loans, and MSME lending. The company highlighted the surging market for student loans in India, driven by a doubling of US student visas issued to Indians from 50,000 to 100,000 over the past two years. Simultaneously, the MSME business is experiencing substantial growth, especially in the secured LAP market nationwide, while the consumer lending business benefits from healthy demand driven by overall economic growth and the usual festive season boost.

InCred Finance proudly showcases a loan portfolio surpassing Rs 7,500 crore, exhibiting an impressive 50% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) over the past three years. The profit before tax (PBT) for FY22 amounted to Rs 42 crore and surged to Rs 203 crore in FY23. According to data provided by Statista, digital lending stands out as one of the swiftest-growing segments in India's fintech landscape, anticipated to reach a valuation of $350 billion by 2023. This growth is noteworthy, having escalated from $9 billion in 2012 to almost $150 billion in 2020. Another report by IIFL Infotech forecasts that India's digital lending market is poised to reach $515 billion by the year 2030.
ROME (AP)  Pope Francis on Monday blasted the weapons industry and its instruments of death that fuel wars as he made a Christmas Day appeal for peace in the world and in particular between Israel and the Palestinians.

Speaking from the loggia of St. Peters Basilica to the throngs of people below, Francis said he grieved the abominable attack of Hamas against southern Israel on Oct. 7 and called for the release of hostages. And he begged for an end to Israels military campaign in Gaza and the appalling harvest of innocent civilians as he called for humanitarian aid to reach those in need.

Francis devoted his Christmas Day blessing to a call for peace in the world, noting that the biblical story of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem sent a message of peace. But he said that Bethlehem is a place of sorrow and silence this year.

Francis annual Urbi et Orbi (To the City and the World) speech typically offers a lament of all the misery facing the world, and this years edition was no different. From Armenia and Azerbaijan to Syria and Yemen, Ukraine to South Sudan and Congo and the Korean peninsula, Francis appealed for humanitarian initiatives, dialogue and security to prevail over violence and death.

He called for governments and people of goodwill in the Americas in particular to address the troubling phenomenon of migration and its unscrupulous traffickers who take advantage of innocents just looking for a better life.

He took particular aim at the weapons industry, which he said was fueling the conflicts around the globe with scarcely anyone paying attention.

It should be talked about and written about, so as to bring to light the interests and the profits that move the puppet strings of war, he said. And how can we even speak of peace, when arms production, sales and trade are on the rise?

Francis has frequently blasted the weapons industry as merchants of death and has said that wars today, in Ukraine, in particular, are being used to try out new weapons or use up old stockpiles.

He called for peace between Israel and Palestinians, and for the conflict to be resolved through sincere and persevering dialogue between the parties, sustained by strong political will and the support of the international community.

Pope Francis waves before delivering the Urbi et Orbi (Latin for 'to the city and to the world' ) Christmas' day blessing from the main balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Monday Dec. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)AP

Vatican officials said about 70,000 people filled St. Peters Square for Francis noonday speech and blessing. They included many people flying Palestinian flags, as well as some Ukrainian ones.

Francis address from the loggia marked his main appearance for Christmas Day, though he is expected to deliver a blessing on Tuesday, the feast of St. Stephen, which is also a holiday in Italy. Rounding out the holiday, he is to celebrate a New Years Eve vigil in the basilica and Mass the following day.

Despite his recent bout of bronchitis, the 87-year-old Francis appeared to hold up well Monday and during Christmas Eve Mass the previous night, though he occasionally coughed and seemed out of breath.
Stories that will make you laugh, cry and question everything you thought you knew. Step into a portal where LGBTQ+ folks can live authentically, free from hate and where their contributions to art and culture are celebrated. Sign up for the QueerVerse newsletter today!

Queer media had a big year of representation across the spectrum of LGBTQ+ identities. In 2023 from TV/Film to books to music, queer experiences were baked neatly into the cultural zeitgeist. While this is by no means an exhaustive list, here are some of our favorite queer media that kept us engaged and feeling seen.

Theatrical one-sheet for KOKOMO CITY, a Magnolia Pictures release.

Kokomo City

In 2023, Grammy-nominated producer turned director D. Smith made her film debut with Kokomo City. The documentary swept the festival circuit, pulling back the layers of Black trans women and their relationship with the broader Black community. A few months after the films success at Sundance, one of the subjects, Rasheeda Williams, aka Koko Da Doll, was murdered, and Kokomo City became an homage to her memory and the complex life as a Black trans woman.

"Rustin" will open in select theaters on Nov. 3 and stream on Netflix beginning Nov. 17. 2023, marking the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington. (Netflix/David Lee)

Rustin

Netflixs Rustin, starring Colman Domingo as civil rights icon Bayard Rustin, tells the story of the man behind orchestrating the 1963 march on Washington and his experiences as a gay black man in the 60s. Domingo portrays Rustins passion for freedom and unapologetic queerness in the liberation space. The films breakneck pacing doesnt miss a beat but leaves you wanting to know more about Black queer folks lives in past eras.

Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri in the MGM release "Bottoms." (MGM)

Bottoms

Bottoms, with its highly queer title, follows lesbian best friends at the bottom of the social hierarchy of their high school who start a fight club to seem cool and get girls to like them. Its a cult classic-style teen movie and a hilarious, gritty, authentic portrayal of sapphic angst. The cast features Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edebiri, and Marshawn Lynch, who have great comedic timing while keeping the films humanity and heart present.

We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film by Trevell Anderson

We See Each Other

In the world of publishing, queer authors took over the bookshelves in 2023. One of those was Trevell Andersons novel We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film, which offered a streamlined canon of Black trans representation in TV and film. Its an interactive novel using visual elements, recommended viewing guides at the end of each chapter and a catalog of transcestors throughout history. Whether you are cisgender or trans, We See Each Other is for everyone. It provides tools to expand ones knowledge and allows trans folks to embrace the power of our trancestors.

"The Age of Pleasure," Janelle Monae's first new album in five years, arrives on Friday, June 9 (Courtesy Wondaland/Bad Boy/Atlantic Records)

The Age of Pleasure

Another nonbinary creator, Janelle Monae, gifted us a now Grammy-nominated album in 2023. The Age of Pleasure is a project that embodies freedom, exploration, and Monaes embracing of their queer identity. From tracks like Lipstick Lover to Float, the nonbinary musician entranced us to love and live life to the fullest. Their album was received so well that it sparked a significant shift for inclusion in the R&B/Soul music space when BET renamed its Lady of Soul award to the Spirit of Soul award to honor Monaes nonbinary identity.

'Monica' key art with Trace Lysette.IFC FILMS/EVERETT

Monica

Another film that garnered critical acclaim was Trace Lysettes Monica. The movie tells the story of a trans woman who returns home after decades of estrangement from her dying mother. Lysettes heartfelt performance added to the canon of trans stories on-screen, making history as the first-ever film led by a transgender actor to debut at the Venice Film Festival in its nearly 80-year history. Lysette also received a nomination for Best Lead Performance in Monica from the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards, making her the fifth trans actor nominated for a Spirit Award.

Lizze Broadway, Jaz Sinclair and Maddie Phillips star in "Gen V," premiering on Prime Video on Sept. 29.Brooke Palmer/Prime Video

Gen V

Genre television had a great year, and the superhero category was flipped on its head with Prime original Gen V. The Boys spinoff Gen V blends superheroes, crass humor, and an ensemble cast that works well together. But what makes it the best queer media of 2023 is its Asian nonbinary character, Jordan (London Thor & Derek Luh), and their romance with the main character, a Black woman named Marie (Jaz Sinclair). While these supes juggle college, uncovering conspiracy plots and saving the world, they still find time for romance. Gen V offers a very queer enemies-to-lovers story where Marie and Jordan duke it out for the top-class ranking and eventually act on their feelings for each other. Also, the depiction of the main character with a nonbinary love interest expands the realm of queerness for people of color, providing possibility models for viewers to feel seen.
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Waverley Council received 22 reports of tree poisonings in the past 12 months and issued penalties for 10 of them, while neighbouring Woollahra Council is currently investigating four incidents of tree vandalism, for which a spokesperson said it was in a strong position for successful prosecution. Liverpool Council had 30 reports of tree vandalism in 2023, an increase from 22 in the previous year, and Parramatta Council received 48 reports of public tree vandalism over the last six months. Burwood Council was the only one in Sydney to report a significant drop in tree vandalism in 2023. How tree killing happens When a tree is the only thing getting in the way of a harbour view and a drastically increased house value, some Sydneysiders have no qualms in getting illicit help. Those seeking to kill a tree with as little noise as possible simply inject it with poison. Some drill holes into the trees, a practice nicknamed by arborists as the Makita borer pest.

Chopping down a tree entirely takes a bit more work, but its just as simple. You just need to know who to call. Some names are well-known within the about 1600-strong arborist community in NSW as being willing to cut down trees without the right approvals. The destruction of 265 trees in Castle Cove has exposed water views. Credit: Nick Moir and Willoughby Council. Clive Woodknutt, the director of Bohmers Tree Care, is not one of them. He was once asked by a homeowner to illegally cut down a tree, and when he told the person it would come with a hefty fine from the council, the homeowner offered to just pay him the value of the fine. (He declined the offer.) But those who do accept almost always come to the soon-to-be crime scene in the dead of night. Some council staff, who were not allowed to comment publicly, report spotting unmarked utes with no licence plates heading into the areas.

Garnet Brownbill, a local resident who finds vandalised trees across Sydney and reports them to local councils, says the most common tactic he has identified is poisoning under the grass at the base of a tree. Garnet Brownbill has reported numerous tree vandalism sites to councils via the SnapSendSolve app. Credit: Oscar Colman The trees go from green to brown in one day, Brownbill said. You just buy some concentrate, and once its in the sap system, it runs up the bloodstream of the tree. Its a really bad state of affairs, he said. We just dont place much value on them. He has reported over 20 acts of tree vandalism to local councils via the SnapSendSolve app. Some of the citys oldest trees are worth up to $50,000, when age and location are considered. Tink is pushing local councils and Hoenig to count trees as assets on council budgets, by placing monetary values on each tree council owns.

Nowhere on a councils balance sheet are green assets captured, which is kind of crazy in a world where the value of a tree is increasing exponentially, she said. Prosecution is near-impossible If someone stole, vandalised, or destroyed virtually anything of material value, police would investigate the matter as a criminal offence. But when something happens to a tree, the responsibility to investigate falls on local councils. Tree vandalism is illegal under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act.

From 2018 to 2022, only 19 cases relating to trees, vegetation or biodiversity were prosecuted by councils in the Land and Environment Court. Lane Cove Mayor Scott Bennison wants to throw the book at the tree vandals. Credit: Janie Barrett The issue for us is that unless you get an admission of guilt by someone, or youve got very strong evidence of who actually did the act of killing the tree, the burden of proof is just too high [to prosecute], said Hills Shire Council general manager Michael Edgar, whose council had received 63 reports of tree removal and bushland clearing last financial year. We can see its been vandalised, but unless someone admits, or someone has very good proof, your chances of a prosecution are pretty low. We will investigate the landowners and take in other evidence that might be available, or [see] whether theres cameras in the area, Edgar said. But councils do not have the same level of powers to investigate that police do, and often hit dead ends in their investigations.

Those killing the trees also know they can keep appealing the decision in the courts, forcing councils to give up the case before they lose more money. What to do if you spot a vandalised tree If your council uses SnapSendSolve, upload photos of the tree to the app.

Otherwise, take photos of the tree/s and the surrounding area, as well as close up photos of anything indicating poisoning or other damage. Email your local council. Be sure to include the specific location of the site. Ku-ring-gai Council, which has almost doubled the number of penalty infringement notices it has issued over just three years, wrote to Scully in May asking the government to legislate tougher penalties for tree vandalism. In response to questions from the Herald about action the government would take to bring down the number of killed trees each year, Scully said he had asked the department to consult with councils to better understand the issues and other enforcement measures before progressing potential policy changes. Any suggestions from councils in considering both penalties, but also better means of identifying culprits, will be considered, he said.
A tiny fraction of public transport users are receiving compensation for poor service on Melbournes train and tram networks, prompting calls for more rights for passengers inconvenienced by delays and cancellations.

Metro Trains and Yarra Trams take up to 1 million passengers on trips every day, but just 429 customers were compensated  with a single day of free travel  last financial year, despite the two private operators falling short on performance targets.

Just a handful of public transport customers in Melbourne were compensated for poor service last year. Credit: Luis Ascui

Passengers can be credited for the value of a daily ticket  which will jump 6 per cent on January 1  on their myki card if the private operators cancel more than 2 per cent of scheduled services in a single month.

They can also be compensated if more than 10 per cent of trains or 21 per cent of trams are delayed by at least five minutes across a month.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size A casual comment to her book-club friends set Kerryn Mayne on the path to releasing her first novel. Ive always wanted to write a book, she declared, at that dinner at a Port Melbourne pub five years ago. First-time novelist Kerryn Mayne in the Dandenong Ranges, where her book is set. Credit: Simon Schluter It was a throwaway line, but the guest speaker at the meeting was bestselling author of nine novels Sally Hepworth, who heard it, and threw Mayne an inadvertent challenge. Sally said, Well, you should just write one, says Mayne. It ignited a spark that led to the publication in February 2023 of her first novel, the part-crime, part-contemporary fiction Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder. Maynes story is part of The Year I  series, where The Age profiles the experiences of Victorians in 2023.

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Mayne said juggling the writing of Lenny with her job in the police force and parenting two children under three didnt faze her. I was a bit burnt out with work, that was all I was doing, said Mayne, who now has four children under six, including 16-month-old twin girls. The cover of the novel, which was released in February 2023. I was really overly invested in work, so I did need something for myself because I didnt otherwise have a hobby, apart from book club. Mayne was impressed by how down-to-earth Hepworth was: a suburban mother and writer. (Albeit one whose novel, The Mother-in-Law, has been optioned for a TV series by US comedian Amy Poehler.) She could be us, Mayne said of Hepworth. Shes just somebody who wanted to write a story, and did. Mayne says writing fiction was a bit of a challenge, but when she started she loved it.

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And she was good at it. Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder, published by Penguin, is a bestseller and was shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award for best debut crime fiction. Loading St Martins Press has paid a six-figure sum for the US rights. Im so excited, Mayne said. Still a little in disbelief. Because its something I made up in my head, but its now being read and enjoyed by people. She said coming up with the main character, Lenny, was the key. Lenny is a reclusive 37-year-old primary school teacher, who learns that her violent stepfather is about to be released after 20 years in prison, forcing Lenny to revisit horrific memories of childhood abuse. The book is set in a town like Belgrave, in Melbournes Dandenong Ranges, with some eccentric characters.

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As a police detective or uniform officer for 15 years, Mayne often investigated domestic violence, and the book explores what might happen to a survivor, years after the initial trauma. Mayne admires such peoples strength. To have the worst possible things I could imagine thrown at you, and just to have to get up and be functioning and be a member of the community, I really admire that, she said. I think its incredible, the resilience. Mayne wrote Lenny in 2020 when her second child, a son, was a newborn and her first daughter was two. Wed get up and go for a walk, get a takeaway coffee, come home, Id put my son to bed  hes a great sleeper  and put my daughter in front of the TV and Id write, for as long as my son slept, she said. Mayne has now finished her second novel, which comes out on February 27. Joy Moody is Out of Time is about a woman who dies without telling her twin daughters who their real parents are. Mayne is buoyed by reader messages she gets via her website, such as the 15-year-old bullied at school who said that Lenny gives me hope that Ill find my place.

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Voters have turned on Labor in two of the battleground states at the next election and cut their support for the party nationwide while marking down Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on his personal performance.

The trend has sliced the partys primary vote from 37 to 33 per cent in Queensland and from 38 to 34 per cent in Western Australia over the past year, in a backlash that could force Labor into minority government or out of power.

Anthony Albanese has retained his advantage as preferred prime minister over Peter Dutton, although the gap between the two men has narrowed.

An exclusive survey also reveals the challenge for Albanese in holding support among families who are suffering from high inflation, with Labors primary vote falling 6 percentage points among voters aged 35 to 54 over the past year.

But the Labor primary vote remains higher nationwide than it was at the last election despite the setbacks, while the Coalitions primary vote has fallen to 32 per cent from 36 per cent at the election.
The head of the Australian Workers Union wants employers hiring migrants to have a union agreement in place to stem exploitation and restrict bosses from avoiding local talent, sparking a fresh clash with business groups over worker protections.

As the Albanese government overhauls the migration system, AWU national secretary Paul Farrow says he wants businesses to consult unions when they start looking abroad to fill gaps.

AWA head Paul Farrow wants employers recruiting overseas workers to hash out agreements with unions. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

This isnt a member grab. If you really want to be serious about a way to deal with exploitation, then datas there now that people on union collective agreements dont tend to be underpaid or exploited, Farrow said.

Whether its a collective agreement, whether its an MOU [memorandum of understanding], its really about employers sitting down with unions, and eyeballing them at the table and coming out with an understanding  and they tend to stick to it because its a bipartisan approach.
One of Englands oldest chocolate shops at 121 years old, Prestat was founded by the Dufour family who claim to have invented the chocolate truffle. Their incredible truffles were Dahls absolute favourites and possibly mine now too. And while no amount of money can pay for that sort of endorsement, theres nothing in the diminutive Prince Arcade store to alert you to this. No sign emblazoned across the window; no chalkboard screaming: Try Roald Dahls favourite chocolate here. Timothee Chalamet as a young Wonka. Credit: Warner Bros The whimsical chocolate factory may have been a figment of Dahls imagination, but it feels like you are walking in the footsteps of Wonka when youre on Earles three-hour tour. Australian expat Earle, a self-confessed chocoholic and judge of the Academy of Chocolate and the International Chocolate Awards, says while the first chocolate house was in Oxford and the first chocolate bar was made in Bristol, the most famous chocolate houses were in London. It was here the wealthy would congregate to drink chocolate and, usually, to gamble as well, she said as we duck down arcades and laneways in Mayfair and Soho.

Britains two oldest chocolate shops are in London and we visit both on her choc-a-block tour. Its like stepping back more than a century with many of the recipes at Prestat and the magical Charbonnel et Walker having altered little since they opened. Other places we visit are modern-day Willy Wonka chocolate factories with unusual flavours like rosemary and olive oil and apricot and wasabi. Both are surprisingly more delicious than they sound, Earle says. We kick off the tour at William Curleys delightful Soho boutique where Earle fills us in on cocoas history while we sip on heavenly hot chocolate. If the chocolate river in the original Willy Wonka movie tasted anything like this, I would have happily fallen in (minus being sucked up the pipe and sent to the fudge room bit). Something to suit all tastes. Curley, a veritable Willy Wonka in his own domain, is a multi-award winning chocolatier and was the youngest chef patissier in the history of the Savoy London (famous for its afternoon teas) when he worked there at age 27. Along with his nostalgia and classic British range (think thyme and Scottish heather honey) he also produces Japanese-inspired flavour combinations such as black vinegar and yuzu. Earle says smaller chocolate businesses have the opportunity to experiment in a way that large manufacturers dont and the best ones make the most of it with flavours like strawberry, quark and popping candy; juniper and cassis; gin, lemon and more popping candy; maple walnut praline and a bar made with croissants that would never pass supermarket shelf-life tests.

On the the aptly-named Chocolate Ecstasy tour. But once they woo you in with experimental flavours its often the classics like salted caramel, that taste so much better when theyre eaten soon after theyre made, that keep people coming back, she says. We tick off Carpo, Fortnum and Masons, Charbonnel et Walker (another royal warrant holder who produced the late Queen Mothers favourite chocolate) and Laderach, sampling Earles favourites from each store. Thirty minutes in were not demanding more a la Veruca Salt, but rather pleading for mercy as we taste one decadent chocolate after another. If youre not chocolated-out by the end, then I havent done my job, Earle says.

Apart from Earles hedonistic tour (tip: dont eat anything remotely sweet beforehand), there are other ways to walk in the footsteps of Wonka in London. Enjoy a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea at the One Aldwych and get hands-on with chocolate-making workshops, courses and more at Melt Chocolates in Notting Hill. Earle also recommends a visit to London Chocolate near Hyde Park Corner where chocolate is made from the bean downstairs. Youll smell it as soon as you walk into the cafe and peek down the stairs too. Upstairs you can enjoy possibly the best hot chocolate in London and buy some of the chocolate thats made on site, she says. Near Londons famous Borough Market is yet another bean-to-bar chocolate maker  Londons first  Lucocoa. Amarachi Clarke and her team make chocolate throughout the week and on Saturdays open to the public selling their bars, spreads and fabulous hot chocolate. But if you want to have as close an experience as Wonkas extravagant factory, then a chocolate tour walking the historic streets of London and sampling way too many decadent chocolates is absolutely the way to do it. Not only have we learned so much about chocolates history, but we can now also appreciate the huge leap in taste between those produced by small chocolatiers and those that are mass-produced. Smaller chocolatiers can experiment more with flavour.

I love watching peoples eyes widen with amazement and joy when they experience the next level of chocolates that we try on the tour, Earle says. Five other Wonka-like experiences in the UK Delve into the art of chocolate-making as you follow the journey of cocoa beans from their raw form to high-quality chocolate bars at Londons only Bean to Bar factory experience. See londonchocolate.co.uk

Visit Cadbury World in Birmingham as it celebrates its 200th anniversary next year (John Cadbury opened his first shop in Birmingham in 1824). See cadburyworld.co.uk

Trace 4000 years of chocolate history while discovering the stories behind some of the greatest names in chocolate at Yorks Chocolate Story. See yorkschocolatestory.com

Indulge your inner-child at the whimsical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea including fizzy lifting drinks, snozzberry jam and chocolate swudge milkshake in Londons theatre district. See onealdwych.com

Visit filming locations for the new Wonka movie including Brockley London, Bath, the Rivoli Ballroom in Crofton Park and Warner Bros Studios in Watford. THE DETAILS Visit

Jennifer Earles Chocolate Ecstasy Tour, from 368 for two, or $350 each, including hot chocolate, water, chocolate sampling, mini-chocolate tasting and discounts on purchases. See chocolateecstasytours Fly British Airways operates daily flights between Sydney and London. See britishairways.com Stay The new Ember Locke Kensington is a good base for exploring central London. Housed in a Victorian mansion block, the aparthotel offers 121 apartments in contemporary art deco style ranging from studios to duplex one-bedroom apartments including compact Smeg kitchen, fast Wi-Fi, Smart HDTV and laundry access from 99. See lockeliving.com
Its crucial to extend a helping hand to those in need and I believe this effort is a humble way to bring joy to those who truly deserve it amidst this festive time.
Mr Scott also attributes the popularity of The Broons, which is written in Scots, to the fact that people can relate to the characters and to the settings of tenement flats, the neighbourhood streets and nearby countryside.
He also said the Houthis had carried out a military operation targeting Eilat and other areas in Israel, which he referred to as occupied Palestine. He did not say whether any of the targets were successfully hit.
Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) released the 2023 Illinois Economic Development Highlights report. This summary reveals a record year for economic development in key sectors, including a tripling of REV and EDGE incentivized private investments to nearly $3 billion since 2022, record tourism achievements, and assistance for Illinois small businesses.

Over the last five years, Ive worked with the General Assembly to improve our states business environment and prioritize economic development, said Governor JB Pritzker. We attracted new companies and helped existing ones expand, achieved record job growth, and improved our states fiscal health. 2023 was another year of historic progress.

Illinois had an incredible year for economic development. From a record number of loans provided to start and grow small businesses to record tourism achievements, Illinois is the place to be, said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton.

Over the course of a year, the number of new jobs created by Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) and Reimagining Energy and Vehicles (REV) jumped nearly 60 percent, from 2,691 to 4,279 with the number of retained jobs increasing exponentially, from 151 to 2,962. By comparison, prior to the pandemic in 2019, company investments from EDGE totaled $348 million, new jobs totaled 1,667 and REV did not yet exist.

With competitive incentives, modernized infrastructure, unmatched transportation options to ship goods around the world, and an abundant and highly qualified workforce, Illinois is winning over companies looking to make large-scale, long-term investments.

Major agreements from 2023 include Gotions electric vehicle (EV) battery gigafactory in Manteno  which represents the largest manufacturing investment in decades and the largest EV battery investment to date, as well as REV agreements with Manner Polymers in Mt. Vernon, who is building a first-of-its kind solar-powered PVC compounding plant using clean energy generated on-site; Prysmian Group in Du Quoin, whose $64 million expansion will manufacture cables for the renewable energy and electric vehicle sectors; and Microlink Devices, which manufactures state-of-the-art solar cells and solar shields in Niles.

Notable EDGE investments include Incobrasa in Gilman, which broke ground on its $250 million expansion this summer; UPSIDE Foods, a recipient of EDGE for Start Ups, which is opening its first commercial-scale meat cultivation plant in Glenview; Gulfstream Aerospace Corporations expansion in St. Clair County that will create 200 new jobs and retain nearly 500; Flender Corporations manufacturing facility expansion in Elgin; Bonnell Industries expansion in Dixon and more.

In addition to REV and EDGE, in 2019 Governor Pritzker enacted incentives to attract data centers, and Illinois saw investments in that industry topping $1.5 billion in 2023 (up from $500 million in 2022), which include Prime Data Centers in Elk Grove Village, Metro Edge Development Partners $257 million data center investment in Chicago, Serverfarms CH1 data center in Chicago and more. In 2023, Illinois also celebrated the opening of Metas new $1 Billion DeKalb data center.

After nearly two decades of steady downgrades, Illinois has earned nine credit rating upgrades since June 2021. Credit rating agencies and bond investors attributed the upgrades to consistent responsible budgeting, focused investments in economic growth initiatives, more than $11 billion in debt pay down, and increasing pension funding.

Through the Advantage Illinois (AI) program, Illinois issued a record 145 low-interest loans totaling $35.7 million to small businesses  nearly 1.5 times the number of loans issued in 2022 and the most loans issued in a year since the programs inception in 2012. Nearly 70 percent of loans were provided to Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Individuals (SEDI) or through the Fund for the Advancement of Minority Enterprises (FAME). DCEO is greatly expanding its small business support thanks to $350 million in funding as part of the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
The famous flaming orange chips got sloshed with the launch of Empirical x Doritos Nacho Cheese. The partnership with Doritos is the most commercial offering from Empirical Spirits, a Copenhagen-based distillery. The limited release of the beverage, available at doritos.x.empirical.co and at to-be-announced locations in New York and California, will go for $65 for a 750 milliliter bottle. (The companies did not disclose the number of bottles theyre releasing.) Though PepsiCo is not paying for the partnership, they are supplying the chips: Williams estimates that they use a standard, 2-ounce bag in each bottle of the 42% ABV product.
Daniel Neman Features writer Follow Daniel Neman 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

Have pity for our poor brethren on the East and West Coasts.

Yes, they look down on us as provincial and dull, they see us as uninspired and uninspiring. Mostly they just ignore us.

But its not their fault. They cant help it.

Theyre so busy trying to latch onto the latest trend, staying ahead of the next trend and disgorging themselves of the last trend that they dont have time to think. Terrified that they will find themselves on the wrong slope of the trend curve, they automatically and reflectively look down on people who are constitutionally untrendy.

Which is to say, us.

Thats why those Top 10 food trends of 2024 stories generate little interest here in the Midwest. Our social standing does not depend on which trends we follow and when we start to follow them.

Were content to eat our mac and cheese and look at those predictions with amusement.

Do you know what Whole Foods predicted would be a huge food trend this year? Mac and cheese.

Mac and cheese, pizza bites, classic old-school cereals and more  we all crave the occasional comfort of a meal from our childhood, they wrote after consulting their Trends Council.

It took a Trends Council to prognosticate that hipster Americans are going to be eating what we Midwesterners have been eating nonstop for the last 80 years.

And they think we are untrendy.

Do you know what else the mighty Whole Foods Trends Council predicted would be huge in 2023?

Kelp. Yes, kelp  the ingredient found on the menus of apparently no restaurants in the St. Louis region. You can, however, buy it in fish food and fertilizer (its a brown algae or seaweed).

Kelp-inspired foods are gaining popularity, they said, and the trendies can keep it.

Admittedly, the folks who predicted food trends, like a broken clock, did get a few things right this year. Southern Living Magazine, as well as Whole Foods, predicted that no-alcohol drinks would soar.

Soar they did. Bars and restaurants everywhere are creating such mocktails as tangerine no-jitos (Retreat Gastropub), Wolves in Cheap Clothing (Planters House) and Dry 75s (The Lucky Accomplice).

So, give credit where it is due. They got one right.

But did dates become big this year in desserts, as predicted? Maybe in trendier parts of the country, though I kind of doubt it. And Im someone who loves dates.

Dates were going to become the next big dessert ingredient, according to Whole Foods, because a TikTok video went viral. It showed a woman slicing open a date, removing the pit and filling the middle with peanut butter. She sprinkled in some chopped peanuts, closed the date and refrigerated it to set. Finally, she dipped it in chocolate and added more chopped peanuts.

Admittedly, that sounds pretty amazing. But is it enough to spark an actual trend of restaurants and ordinary people using dates in desserts? Apparently not.

Meanwhile, the prognosticators thought that avocado snacks and, gulp, avocado desserts would be huge this year, and that there would be a huge explosion of foods with caviar in them.

Its enough to make you wonder if these predictions do not come from serious study and contemplation but are actually the result of simple transanal extraction.

So what are the predicted food trends of 2024? You dont want to know.

Actually, theyre not as bad as kelp, or honey alternatives, or everything coming in tamarind flavor, which were also predicted for 2023.

The Food Network thinks that sake will be the next it drink, that frozen food will be getting ever better and that white chocolate will become a gourmet ingredient.

Food & Wine predicts that chicken a la king will make a comeback, that ranch dressing will be everywhere (isnt it already?) and that Caesar salads will be huge, but made with such non-Romaine ingredients as kale (been there, done that) and asparagus.

Southern Living suggests the food trends youll see everywhere include French toast prepared in casseroles and muffins, tahini being used in non-dip ways and a resurgence in Italian foods.

Italian foods. Midwesterners have been eating that for 125 years.
ST. LOUIS  Union-represented nurses at SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital are scheduled to begin a two-day strike Wednesday, an escalation of labor actions theyve taken in recent months.

The strike is scheduled to begin Wednesday at 7 a.m., and end Friday at 6:59 a.m.

In a statement, SSM Health said that it has a plan in place to ensure there is no disruption in care at the hospital, and that it will bring in nurses from staffing agencies to fill in. The union said it gave the hospital notice of the strike on Dec. 15 so that it could prepare.

The union  National Nurses United  has been in negotiations for a new labor agreement with SSM since May. The previous contract expired in June. The nurses also held a 24-hour strike in September.

The union has said one of its main contentions in this round of bargaining is SSMs reliance on travel nurses, a practice which the NNU describes as outsourcing permanent staff jobs.

Many hospitals became increasingly dependent on travel nurses following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, as staffing shortages worsened. In the past, union-represented nurses at SLU Hospital have said that while agency nurses provide much-needed help filling gaps, they arent a replacement for permanent workers, who are more familiar with the units where they work.

In SSMs statement, the health system said it was disappointed in the unions decision to stage a strike, and claimed SSM has made its best efforts to advance good-faith bargaining. The health system accused the union of creating tension and division within hospitals.

SLU Hospital nurses on strike for a second time
HOUSE SPRINGS  A skunky smell wafted through a Jefferson County event hall on a recent afternoon as customers perused folding tables lined with jars of marijuana, pipes and home-baked cannabis cookies.

A sign taped to the door of the pop-up St. Louis Canna Expo event forbade the sale of marijuanas psychoactive component.

No THC sales, it read.

But inside the event, at the Knights of Columbus Hall in House Springs, the message was clear: Yes, THC sales.

Most vendors listed the amount of THC in their products. Some asked for donations instead of setting a specific price. In all, organizers say the expos largest two-day events in the spring and the fall had about 2,400 attendees apiece.

Missouri voters approved recreational marijuana last year. But its still illegal to buy THC products anywhere but state-licensed dispensaries that are required to pay taxes and follow strict facility and testing regulations. Home growers still cant legally sell their wares.

Still, the St. Louis Canna Expo is among a growing number of pop-up marijuana markets across the state where unregulated THC products are sold in the open by home growers and unlicensed small businesses.

Its a trend thats attracted plenty of customers  and concern from the states legal cannabis industry, regulators, local law enforcement and some residents.

Jack Cardetti, a spokesman for the Missouri Cannabis Trade Organization, said the trade group is concerned about the impact these sales will have on cannabis businesses that are following the law.

We support the ability for Missouri patients and adults to grow their own medicine in a regulated, common-sense way, he said in a written statement. But we worry the increasing and omnipresent commercialization of these home grows will undermine support for legalization and the legal cannabis program, because frankly what is taking place right now is definitely not what Missourians voted for.

Cardetti argued the state health departments Division of Cannabis Regulation needs to do more to curb home-grow sales.

Our industry is arguably one of the most heavily regulated in the state, yet there seems to be very little regulatory oversight of the commercialization of these home grows, he wrote.

Joe Lucas, organizer of the St. Louis Canna Expo, said he saw a need for an event for home growers looking to share their craft, but he pointed to his no THC sales rule as a step toward making his event compliant with state law. He announced the rule the day before the latest expo on Dec. 16 but declined to elaborate on the legality of his event or what prompted the new rule.

I got a lot of pushback from the home growers about that rule, but we want to move to the legal side of things, he said.

Lisa Cox, a spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, said the department is concerned about the safety of these events because, unlike legal dispensaries, the sellers arent following requirements to test their products for potency, contaminants or safety. Legal dispensary products are also tracked to ensure they dont prop up criminal enterprises, she said.

But, Cox said, regulators with the state health department can only revoke marijuana business licenses. Unlicensed businesses, like many at pop-up events, would need to be investigated by law enforcement, she said in a written statement.

Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak argues putting the onus on local law enforcement is not realistic.

The states crime labs wont even test marijuana anymore, its become so commonplace, he said. We have to focus on the more serious controlled substances. We were sold on the idea that there would be controls in place with recreational legalization, so the state health department needs to play a bigger role.

And residents like Michael Rangel, 37, have complained about the surprise of having pop-up marijuana sales near their homes. Rangels yard neighbors the St. Louis Canna Expos smoking porch.

There are kids in this neighborhood, and I think its a safety issue, Rangel said. Theyre all buying drugs, getting high and driving through here. I dont care if they want to do this  just dont do it here.

Marshak said he plans to work with Jefferson County officials and state lawmakers to find ways to control the local pop-up events.

Its not just here, he said. Events like these are advertised all over the state. ... They create a real risk to the end user. Theres no way to know what youre buying.
ST. LOUIS  Forecasters expect a mix of snow and rain to hit the region Wednesday through Thursday morning.

A low pressure system from the northwest will bring rain Wednesday morning, turning to a mix of snow and rain by the evening, and continuing into Thursday morning.

But warmer temperatures  Wednesday will see a high of 39 and a low of 33 at night  are expected to prevent travel problems, according to the National Weather Service in St. Louis.

Its hard to say as far as how much we may get at this time because of the warmer temperatures and warmer ground temperatures, said meteorologist Melissa Byrd.

Most of the region will see just a trace of snow. The western portion of the metro area could see a bit more, perhaps up to an inch, said meteorologist Fred Glass, also of the weather services local office.

Otherwise the further east you go, the chance of accumulating snow looks pretty darn low, Glass said.

Any accumulation would most likely happen on elevated or grassy surfaces.

Snow can happen even when temperatures on the ground are above freezing, Glass said. It can be plenty colder above the Earths surface, he said.

Snowflakes can form above ground but then melt when they meet warmer temperatures lower down.

Missouri Department of Transportation officials were monitoring the weather, said spokesman Andrew Gates.

The St. Louis region hasnt seen much snow this year, according to weather service data.

At 2.5 inches, 2023s total snowfall so far is tied for the second lowest since at least 1885.

The weather service logged 1.5 inches in 1954, and 2.5 inches in 2001.

Most of this years snow fell on Jan 25.
CAIRO  Israel and Hamas on Monday gave cool public receptions to an Egyptian proposal to end their bitter war. But the longstanding enemies stopped short of rejecting the plan altogether, raising the possibility of a new round of diplomacy to halt a devastating Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.

The Egyptian plan calls for a phased hostage release and the formation of a Palestinian government of experts to administer the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank, according to a senior Egyptian official and a European diplomat familiar with the proposal.

The Egyptian official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the proposal, said the details were worked out with the Gulf nation of Qatar and presented to Israel, Hamas, the United States and European governments. Egypt and Qatar both mediate between Israel and Hamas, while the U.S. is Israels closest ally and a key power in the region.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not comment directly on the proposal. But speaking to members of his Likud Party, he said he was determined to press ahead with Israels offensive, launched in response to an Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and took 240 others hostage.

We are expanding the fight in the coming days and this will be a long battle and it isnt close to finished, he said.

Hamas has continued to fire rockets into Israel throughout the fighting. Late Monday, it launched a barrage of rockets, triggering air raid sirens in the southern city of Ashkelon. AP video showed what appeared to be several interceptions by Israels rocket defense system. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

How can you allow the entire population to starve?: Gaza doctor Dr Ahmed Moghrabi expressed his anger at the international communitys failure to halt Israels ongoing attacks and siege on Gaza civilians.

The Egyptian proposal falls short of Israels declared goal of crushing Hamas. It also appears to be at odds with Israels insistence on maintaining military control over Gaza for an extended period after the war.

But Netanyahu faces heavy domestic pressure to reach a deal to bring home the more than 100 Israeli hostages who remain in captivity in Gaza.

As he vowed to continue the war during a speech in parliament, relatives of the hostages interrupted him and called for their immediate return. Now! Now! they shouted.

The rising death toll of Israeli soldiers from the ground operation also threatens to undermine public support for the war. The Israeli military announced the deaths of two more soldiers Monday, bringing the total killed in the war to 156.

Netanyahus War Cabinet was expected to meet late Monday. It was unclear if they would discuss the Egyptian proposal.

Hamas did not officially react to the proposal. But it is unclear if Hamas would agree to relinquish power after controlling Gaza for the past 16 years.

Izzat Rishq, a senior Hamas official who is believed to be based in Qatar, issued a statement repeating the groups position that it will not negotiate without a complete end to the aggression. He said Hamas would not agree to a temporary or partial truce for a short period of time.

Word of the proposal came as Israeli airstrikes pounded central and southern Gaza.

In the Maghazi refugee camp Monday, rescue workers were still pulling bodies from the wreckage of a strike the previous night. Records at the nearby Al-Aqsa Hospital seen by The Associated Press showed at least 106 people killed, making it one of the deadliest strikes of Israels air campaign.

The United Nations World Health Organization visited the hospital on Monday, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

The hospital is taking in far more patients than its bed capacity and staff can handle. Many will not survive the wait, he said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

The war has devastated large parts of Gaza, killed more than 20,600 Palestinians and displaced almost all of the territorys 2.3 million people.

U.N. officials have warned that a quarter of the population is starving under Israels siege of the territory, which allows in only a trickle of supplies.

In the southern Gaza Strip, Hamas admitted to shooting dead a 13-year-old boy who was among a group of people who tried to seize aid from a truck. The shooting prompted a violent protest and rare public criticism of Hamas.

The Egyptian proposal is an ambitious bid not only to end the war but also to lay out a plan for the day after.

It calls for an initial cease-fire of up to two weeks during which Palestinian militants would free 40 to 50 hostages, among them women, the sick and the elderly, in return for the release of 120-150 Palestinians from Israeli prisons, the Egyptian official said.

At the same time, negotiations would continue on extending the cease-fire and the release of more hostages and bodies held by Palestinian militants, he said. Israeli officials estimate that 20 of the hostages have died or been killed in captivity.

Egypt and Qatar would also work with all Palestinian factions, including Hamas and the rival, internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, to agree on the establishment of a government of experts, he said.

The government would rule Gaza and the West Bank for a transitional period as Palestinian factions work toward presidential and parliamentary elections, he added.

In the meantime, Israel and Hamas would negotiate a comprehensive all-for-all deal, he said. This would include the release of all remaining hostages in return for all Palestinian prisoners in Israel, as well as the Israeli militarys withdrawal from Gaza and the Palestinian militants halting of rocket attacks into Israel.

More than 8,000 Palestinians are held by Israel on security-related charges or convictions, according to Palestinian figures. Some have been convicted in deadly attacks on Israelis.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry spoke by phone Monday with Irans chief diplomat, Hossein Amirabdollahian, on the war in Gaza, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said. The statement said Shoukry discussed efforts to achieve a comprehensive cease-fire. It didnt offer further details. Iran is a major supporter of Hamas.

In Washington, the White House declined to comment about the Egyptian proposal.

Close An empty pitcher and shot sized cups sit on an altar during an ayahuasca ceremony hosted by Hummingbird Church in Hildale, Utah, on Friday, Oct. 14, 2022. Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brew that contains an Amazon shrub with the active ingredient, DMT, and a vine containing monoamine oxidase inhibitors that prevents the drug from breaking down in the body causing visions lasting several hours. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Participants lay face down on the grass during an integration circle at an ayahuasca retreat in Hildale, Utah, on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022. Following each of the three ayahuasca ceremonies, Hummingbird Church asks their participants to partake in integration, or a group reflection and discussion, to help interpret messages they received from the ayahuasca. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) The Rev. Siv Limstrand lights candles at the church's cabin in Bolterdalen, Norway, Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. The cabin is used for retreats and church groups. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole) Svalbard Kirke member Lars-Olav Tunheim descends from Plataberget mountain during a hike in Longyearbyen, Norway, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023. As climate change impacts the Svalbard archipelago faster and deeper than the rest of the world, its pastor is helping the community of miners and environmentalists grapple with transformation in this unforgiving, awe-inspiring wilderness. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole) Joshimath town is seen along side snow capped mountains, in India's Himalayan mountain state of Uttarakhand, Jan. 21, 2023. For months, residents in Joshimath, a holy town burrowed high up in India's Himalayan mountains, have seen their homes slowly sink. They pleaded for help, but it never arrived. In January however, their town made national headlines. Big, deep cracks had emerged in over 860 homes, making them unlivable. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh) Munni Devi, front, wipes her tears as she and Shanta Devi leave their house, in Joshimath, in India's Himalayan mountain state of Uttarakhand, Jan. 19, 2023. Big, deep cracks had emerged in over 860 homes in Joshimath, where they snaked through floors, ceilings and walls, making them unlivable. Roads were split with crevices and multi-storied hotels slumped to one side. Authorities declared it a disaster zone and came in on bulldozers, razing down whole parts of a town that had become lopsided. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh) Loyola University basketball player, Tom Welch, shakes hands with Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the team's official chaplain, before attending practice on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, in Chicago. The beloved Catholic nun captured the world's imagination and became something of a folk hero while supporting the Ramblers at the NCAA Final Four in 2018. At the age of 103, Sister Jean is using her platform to publish her first book, "Wake Up with Purpose: What I've Learned in My First Hundred Years." In the memoir she tells her story and offers life lessons and spiritual guidance. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Pope Francis, second from left, looks at traditional dancers performing at the Martyrs' Stadium In Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. Francis is in Congo and South Sudan for a six-day trip, hoping to bring comfort and encouragement to two countries that have been riven by poverty, conflicts and what he calls a "colonialist mentality" that has exploited Africa for centuries. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) Morning service concludes in the annex of the Cathedral Notre Dame du Congo in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sunday Jan. 29, 2023. The cathedral is being prepared for Pope Francis' visit to Congo and South Sudan for a six-day trip starting Jan, 31, hoping to bring comfort and encouragement to two countries that have been riven by poverty, conflicts and what he calls a "colonialist mentality" that has exploited Africa for centuries. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) Navy Chaplain Lt. Cmdr. Ben Garrett counsels a sailor in his quarters on the USS Bataan on Monday, March 20, 2023 at Norfolk Naval Station in Norfolk, Va. One of the chaplains' roles aboard the ship is help sailors deal with stress Navy life brings. (AP Photo/John C. Clark) A shoe that belonged to a child victim of the former Nazi German death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau is scanned at the conservation laboratory on the grounds of the camp in Oswiecim, Poland, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. Most of the victims were Jews killed in dictator Adolf Hitler's attempt to exterminate the Jews of Europe. (AP Photo/Michal Dyjuk) A sandstorm rolls into Dimona, Israel, as the Hebrew Israelite community marks New World Passover, an annual celebration of their 1967 exodus from the United States, Thursday, June 1, 2023. Now, dozens of their members are facing the threat of deportation. The community do not consider themselves Jewish, but they claim an ancestral connection to the Holy Land. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo) Firewalkers dance across a bed of burning coals in a ritual in honor of St. Constantine in the village of Lagkadas, Greece on Monday, May 22, 2023. Firewalking is the most spectacular and public of these annual rituals that also include dancing with icons, prayer, and shared meals by associations of devotees of the Christian Orthodox saint called "anastenaria" that have held similar celebrations for centuries. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell'Orto) A worker asks to a tour guide person to stop taking photos to tourists due to the start of the praying time at Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. With tourism reaching or surpassing pre-pandemic levels across Southern Europe this summer, iconic sacred sites struggle to find ways to accommodate both the faithful who come to pray and millions of increasingly secular visitors attracted by art and architecture. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) Worshippers attend a Mass in the Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, July 9, 2023. With tourism reaching or surpassing pre-pandemic levels across Southern Europe this summer, iconic sacred sites struggle to find ways to accommodate both the faithful who come to pray and millions of increasingly secular visitors attracted by art and architecture. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) Paramacharya Sadasivanatha Palaniswami stands at the base of a Rudraksha tree, which produces a bright blue fruit at the Kauai Hindu Monastery on July 10, 2023, in Kapaa, Hawaii. The monks who reside at the temple monastery practice Shaivism, one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the supreme being. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Paramacharya Sadasivanatha Palaniswami climbs the rocks along the Wailua river, which is sacred to many Native Hawaiians, at Kauai's Hindu Monastery on July 13, 2023, in Kapaa, Hawaii. The monastery was founded by guru Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami in 1970. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) The memorial of the Rev. Maxim Andre of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts, on the peninsula of Kalaupapa, Hawaii, on Tuesday, July 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) A Star of David hands from a fence outside the dormant landmark Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood on Thursday, July 13, 2023, the day a federal jury announced they had found Robert Bowers, who in 2018 killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue, eligible for the death penalty. The next stage of the trial with present further evidence and testimony on whether he should be sentenced to death or life in prison. It stands as the deadliest attack on Jewish people in U.S. history. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar/File) Members of the Hebrew Israelite community rally outside of the District Court in Beersheba, Israel, ahead of a hearing on the deportation orders for dozens from their community, Wednesday, July 19, 2023. Over the decades, the community has made inroads into Israeli society, and most of them have citizenship or residency rights. But 130 members remain undocumented, and Israeli authorities have ordered them to leave. The orders have left dozens of people, some of whom have lived most of their lives in Israel, in an uncertain legal limbo.(AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo) A girl watches the sunset over the scenic Kadisha Valley, a holy landmark for Lebanon's Maronite Christians, in the northeast mountain town of Bcharre, Lebanon, Friday, July 21, 2023. For Lebanon's Christians, the cedars are sacred, these tough evergreen trees that survive the mountain's harsh snowy winters. They point out with pride that Lebanon's cedars are mentioned 103 times in the Bible. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) Lebanese Maronite Christian Patriarch Beshara al-Rai, second left, leads the sermon to commemorate the Feast of the Transfiguration in the Cedars of God forest, in the northeast mountain town of Bcharre, Lebanon, Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023. For Lebanon's Christians, the cedars are sacred, these tough evergreen trees that survive the mountain's harsh snowy winters. They point out with pride that Lebanon's cedars are mentioned 103 times in the Bible. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) Maya Johnson, 7, of New York, is playfully swung into the lake by her friends during Camp Be'chol Lashon, a sleepaway camp for Jewish children of color, Friday, July 28, 2023, in Petaluma, Calif., at Walker Creek Ranch. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Dean Wiberg, right, volunteers at the evangelical Crossroads Chapel tent, which distributes thousands of free Bibles during the Minnesota State Fair in Falcon Heights, Minn., on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023. For many faith communities, the fair has long been an opportunity to reach a diverse crowd that can top two million. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell'Orto) A horse rider holds a Mongolian flag during a traditional performance at a cultural event organized for the media and entourage following Pope Francis' visit to Mongolia, at the Mongolia Cultural Park, some 40 kilometers out of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Friday, Sept. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) Pairs of oxen pull a boat-shaped float with an iconic century-old sacred image of Virgin Mary breastfeeding infant Jesus standing on the bow, during the Our Lady of Remedies procession in the small town of Lamego, in the Douro River Valley, Portugal, Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. One of Portugal's largest and oldest religious festivals, the two-week celebrations that culminate with the procession, draw thousands. (AP Photo/Armando Franca) 2023 in religion: Images capture global expressions of faith, spiritualism In the searing heat of Mecca, throngs of Muslims from around the world converged for the annual Hajj pilgrimage. In the round-the-clock darkness of the polar night, a Lutheran pastor in the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard persevered in her ministry to one of the worlds most remote towns. Associated Press photographers were on the scene  there and in scores of other locales ranging from the flood-stricken mountains of northern India to the sacred volcano Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Their mission: Finding myriad ways to convey how faith and spiritualism, in their many forms, manifested themselves around the world in 2023. An empty pitcher and shot sized cups sit on an altar during an ayahuasca ceremony hosted by Hummingbird Church in Hildale, Utah, on Friday, Oct. 14, 2022. Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brew that contains an Amazon shrub with the active ingredient, DMT, and a vine containing monoamine oxidase inhibitors that prevents the drug from breaking down in the body causing visions lasting several hours. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Participants lay face down on the grass during an integration circle at an ayahuasca retreat in Hildale, Utah, on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022. Following each of the three ayahuasca ceremonies, Hummingbird Church asks their participants to partake in integration, or a group reflection and discussion, to help interpret messages they received from the ayahuasca. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) The Rev. Siv Limstrand lights candles at the church's cabin in Bolterdalen, Norway, Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. The cabin is used for retreats and church groups. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole) Svalbard Kirke member Lars-Olav Tunheim descends from Plataberget mountain during a hike in Longyearbyen, Norway, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023. As climate change impacts the Svalbard archipelago faster and deeper than the rest of the world, its pastor is helping the community of miners and environmentalists grapple with transformation in this unforgiving, awe-inspiring wilderness. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole) Joshimath town is seen along side snow capped mountains, in India's Himalayan mountain state of Uttarakhand, Jan. 21, 2023. For months, residents in Joshimath, a holy town burrowed high up in India's Himalayan mountains, have seen their homes slowly sink. They pleaded for help, but it never arrived. In January however, their town made national headlines. Big, deep cracks had emerged in over 860 homes, making them unlivable. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh) Munni Devi, front, wipes her tears as she and Shanta Devi leave their house, in Joshimath, in India's Himalayan mountain state of Uttarakhand, Jan. 19, 2023. Big, deep cracks had emerged in over 860 homes in Joshimath, where they snaked through floors, ceilings and walls, making them unlivable. Roads were split with crevices and multi-storied hotels slumped to one side. Authorities declared it a disaster zone and came in on bulldozers, razing down whole parts of a town that had become lopsided. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh) Loyola University basketball player, Tom Welch, shakes hands with Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the team's official chaplain, before attending practice on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, in Chicago. The beloved Catholic nun captured the world's imagination and became something of a folk hero while supporting the Ramblers at the NCAA Final Four in 2018. At the age of 103, Sister Jean is using her platform to publish her first book, "Wake Up with Purpose: What I've Learned in My First Hundred Years." In the memoir she tells her story and offers life lessons and spiritual guidance. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Pope Francis, second from left, looks at traditional dancers performing at the Martyrs' Stadium In Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. Francis is in Congo and South Sudan for a six-day trip, hoping to bring comfort and encouragement to two countries that have been riven by poverty, conflicts and what he calls a "colonialist mentality" that has exploited Africa for centuries. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) Morning service concludes in the annex of the Cathedral Notre Dame du Congo in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sunday Jan. 29, 2023. The cathedral is being prepared for Pope Francis' visit to Congo and South Sudan for a six-day trip starting Jan, 31, hoping to bring comfort and encouragement to two countries that have been riven by poverty, conflicts and what he calls a "colonialist mentality" that has exploited Africa for centuries. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) Navy Chaplain Lt. Cmdr. Ben Garrett counsels a sailor in his quarters on the USS Bataan on Monday, March 20, 2023 at Norfolk Naval Station in Norfolk, Va. One of the chaplains' roles aboard the ship is help sailors deal with stress Navy life brings. (AP Photo/John C. Clark) A shoe that belonged to a child victim of the former Nazi German death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau is scanned at the conservation laboratory on the grounds of the camp in Oswiecim, Poland, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. Most of the victims were Jews killed in dictator Adolf Hitler's attempt to exterminate the Jews of Europe. (AP Photo/Michal Dyjuk) A sandstorm rolls into Dimona, Israel, as the Hebrew Israelite community marks New World Passover, an annual celebration of their 1967 exodus from the United States, Thursday, June 1, 2023. Now, dozens of their members are facing the threat of deportation. The community do not consider themselves Jewish, but they claim an ancestral connection to the Holy Land. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo) Firewalkers dance across a bed of burning coals in a ritual in honor of St. Constantine in the village of Lagkadas, Greece on Monday, May 22, 2023. Firewalking is the most spectacular and public of these annual rituals that also include dancing with icons, prayer, and shared meals by associations of devotees of the Christian Orthodox saint called "anastenaria" that have held similar celebrations for centuries. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell'Orto) A worker asks to a tour guide person to stop taking photos to tourists due to the start of the praying time at Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. With tourism reaching or surpassing pre-pandemic levels across Southern Europe this summer, iconic sacred sites struggle to find ways to accommodate both the faithful who come to pray and millions of increasingly secular visitors attracted by art and architecture. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) Worshippers attend a Mass in the Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, July 9, 2023. With tourism reaching or surpassing pre-pandemic levels across Southern Europe this summer, iconic sacred sites struggle to find ways to accommodate both the faithful who come to pray and millions of increasingly secular visitors attracted by art and architecture. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) Paramacharya Sadasivanatha Palaniswami stands at the base of a Rudraksha tree, which produces a bright blue fruit at the Kauai Hindu Monastery on July 10, 2023, in Kapaa, Hawaii. The monks who reside at the temple monastery practice Shaivism, one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the supreme being. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Paramacharya Sadasivanatha Palaniswami climbs the rocks along the Wailua river, which is sacred to many Native Hawaiians, at Kauai's Hindu Monastery on July 13, 2023, in Kapaa, Hawaii. The monastery was founded by guru Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami in 1970. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) The memorial of the Rev. Maxim Andre of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts, on the peninsula of Kalaupapa, Hawaii, on Tuesday, July 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) A Star of David hands from a fence outside the dormant landmark Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood on Thursday, July 13, 2023, the day a federal jury announced they had found Robert Bowers, who in 2018 killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue, eligible for the death penalty. The next stage of the trial with present further evidence and testimony on whether he should be sentenced to death or life in prison. It stands as the deadliest attack on Jewish people in U.S. history. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar/File) Members of the Hebrew Israelite community rally outside of the District Court in Beersheba, Israel, ahead of a hearing on the deportation orders for dozens from their community, Wednesday, July 19, 2023. Over the decades, the community has made inroads into Israeli society, and most of them have citizenship or residency rights. But 130 members remain undocumented, and Israeli authorities have ordered them to leave. The orders have left dozens of people, some of whom have lived most of their lives in Israel, in an uncertain legal limbo.(AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo) A girl watches the sunset over the scenic Kadisha Valley, a holy landmark for Lebanon's Maronite Christians, in the northeast mountain town of Bcharre, Lebanon, Friday, July 21, 2023. For Lebanon's Christians, the cedars are sacred, these tough evergreen trees that survive the mountain's harsh snowy winters. They point out with pride that Lebanon's cedars are mentioned 103 times in the Bible. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) Lebanese Maronite Christian Patriarch Beshara al-Rai, second left, leads the sermon to commemorate the Feast of the Transfiguration in the Cedars of God forest, in the northeast mountain town of Bcharre, Lebanon, Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023. For Lebanon's Christians, the cedars are sacred, these tough evergreen trees that survive the mountain's harsh snowy winters. They point out with pride that Lebanon's cedars are mentioned 103 times in the Bible. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) Maya Johnson, 7, of New York, is playfully swung into the lake by her friends during Camp Be'chol Lashon, a sleepaway camp for Jewish children of color, Friday, July 28, 2023, in Petaluma, Calif., at Walker Creek Ranch. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Dean Wiberg, right, volunteers at the evangelical Crossroads Chapel tent, which distributes thousands of free Bibles during the Minnesota State Fair in Falcon Heights, Minn., on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023. For many faith communities, the fair has long been an opportunity to reach a diverse crowd that can top two million. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell'Orto) A horse rider holds a Mongolian flag during a traditional performance at a cultural event organized for the media and entourage following Pope Francis' visit to Mongolia, at the Mongolia Cultural Park, some 40 kilometers out of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Friday, Sept. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) Pairs of oxen pull a boat-shaped float with an iconic century-old sacred image of Virgin Mary breastfeeding infant Jesus standing on the bow, during the Our Lady of Remedies procession in the small town of Lamego, in the Douro River Valley, Portugal, Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. One of Portugal's largest and oldest religious festivals, the two-week celebrations that culminate with the procession, draw thousands. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
WASHINGTON  As the Senate wrapped up its work for the year, Sen. Michael Bennet took to the floor of the nearly empty chamber and made a late-night plea for Congress to redouble support for Ukraine: Understand the stakes at this moment.

It was the third time in recent months the Colorado Democrat kept the Senate working late by holding up unrelated legislation in a bid to cajole lawmakers to approve tens of billions of dollars in weaponry and economic aid for Ukraine. During a nearly hourlong, emotional speech, he called on senators to see the nearly 2-year-old conflict as a defining clash of authoritarianism against democracy and implored them to consider what it means for Ukrainians to fight on that freezing front line and not know whether were going to come through with the ammunition.

Yet Congress broke for the holidays and is not expected to return for two weeks while continued aid for Ukraine has nearly been exhausted. The Biden administration is planning to send one more aid package before the new year, but says it will be the last unless Congress approves more money.

With support slipping in Congress even as conflicts and unrest rattle global security, the United States is once again struggling to assert its role in the world. Under the influence of Donald Trump, the former president who is now the Republican Party front-runner, GOP lawmakers increasingly have taken a skeptical stance toward U.S. involvement abroad, particularly when it comes to Ukraine.

Leaders of traditional allies Britain and France implored Western nations to continue their robust support, but Russias President Vladimir Putin is emboldened and building up resources for a fresh effort as the war heads towards its third year.

Bolstering Ukraines defense used to be celebrated in the Capitol as one of a few remaining bipartisan causes. But now the fate of roughly $61 billion in funding is tied to delicate policy negotiations on Capitol Hill over border and immigration changes. And in the last year, lawmakers have had to mount painstaking, round-the-clock efforts to pass even legislation that maintains basic functions of the U.S. government.

Still, congressional leaders are trying to rally members to address global challenges they say are among the most difficult in decades: the largest land invasion of a European nation since World War II, a war between Israel and Hamas, unrest and economic calamity driving historic levels of migration and China asserting itself as a superpower.

In the Senate, Democratic and Republican leaders cast the $110 billion aid package, which is attempting to address all those issues, as a potential turning point for democracy around the world. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters last week that history will look back if we dont support our ally in Ukraine.

In a year-end speech, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said: From South Texas to Southeast Asia and from the Black Sea to the Red Sea, it is an historically challenging and consequential time to protect Americas interests, our allies and our own people.

The Republican leader, a key supporter of Ukraine aid, has tried for months to build support in his party for Ukraine. But after a $6 billion military and civilian aid package for Ukraine collapsed in October, McConnell began telling top White House officials that any funding would need to be paired with border policy changes.

The White House deliberately stayed out of the negotiations until senior officials felt the time was right to do so. But senior Republicans involved in the border talks believe the administration stepped in too late, delaying the prospects of additional Ukraine aid getting approved until the new year.

Senate negotiators have had to navigate both the explosive politics of border policy as well as one of the most complex areas of American law.

This is a tightrope, but we are still on it, said Sen. Chris Murphy, the lead Democratic negotiator.

The White Houses strategy of including Republican priorities such as Israel aid and border security in the package also raised several thorny issues for Democrats.

Progressive lawmakers, critical of Israels campaign into Gaza that has killed thousands of civilians, called for humanitarian conditions to be placed on the money for Israel. And Latino Democrats in both the Senate and House have been critical of restrictions on asylum claims.

Any package also faces deep uncertainty in the House, where Republican Speaker Mike Johnson holds tenuous control of the closely divided chamber. Before becoming speaker in October, Johnson repeatedly voted against aid for Ukraine, but he surprised many by offering support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and saying he wants to find a way to approve the aid.

But Trumps allies in the House repeatedly tried to stop the U.S. from sending more aid to Ukraine.

As the border and immigration talks drag forward in the Senate, Johnson pushed for sweeping measures. On social media, he called for transformational change to secure the border and pointed to a hard-line bill that passed the House on a party-line vote.

As senators left Washington, they still sought to assure Ukrainians that American help was on its way. White House staff and Senate negotiations planned to work on drafting border legislation for the next two weeks in hopes that it would be ready for action when Congress returns.
RAFAH, Gaza Strip  Israeli forces bombarded Palestinian refugee camps in central Gaza on Tuesday, residents said, in apparent preparation to expand their ground offensive into a third section of the besieged territory.

The opening of a potential new battle zone points to the long and destructive road still ahead as Israel vows to crush Hamas after its Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel. For weeks, Israeli forces have been engaged in heavy urban fighting in northern Gaza and in the southern city of Khan Younis, driving Palestinians into further smaller corners of territory in search of refuge.

Despite international pressure for a cease-fire and U.S. calls for a reduction in civilian casualties, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday warned that the fight isnt close to finished.

Israels offensive has been one of the most devastating military campaigns in recent history. More than 20,600 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and children, have been killed, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants among the dead.

Meanwhile, there were new signs of the Israel-Hamas war enflaming tensions around the region. An Israeli airstrike in Syria killed an Iranian general, bringing vows of revenge from Iran. U.S. warplanes hit Iranian-backed militias in Iraq who had carried out a drone strike that wounded American soldiers there.

Residents of central Gaza on Tuesday described a night of shelling and airstrikes shaking the Nuseirat, Maghazi and Bureij camps. The camps are built-up towns, housing Palestinians driven from their homes in what is now Israel during the 1948 war and their descendants - and now also crowded with people who fled from the north.

The bombing was very intense, Radwan Abu Sheitta, a Palestinian teacher said by phone from his home in Bureij. It seems they are approaching, he said of the Israeli troops.

The Qassam Brigades, Hamas military arm, said its fighters struck an Israeli tank east of Bureij. Its report could not be independently confirmed, but it suggested Israeli forces were moving toward the camp.

Warplanes and artillery also hammered areas east of Nuseirat camp. We couldnt sleep because of the bombing, said Ezzel-Din Mohammed Abdallah al-Masry, a Palestinian fisherman who was displaced to the area from northern Gaza with his five children and other family. The children are terrified. We are terrified.

Regional spillover

Iranian-backed militias in Iraq carried out a drone strike on a U.S. base in Irbil in northern Iraq on Monday, wounding three American servicemembers, one of them critically, according to U.S. officials. In response, American warplanes before dawn Tuesday hit three locations in Iraq connected to one of the main militias, Kataib Hezbollah.

The Israeli strike Monday hit a neighborhood of the Syrian capital Damascus, killing Gen. Seyed Razi Mousavi, an adviser of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in Syria. The strike hit as he was entering a farm reportedly used as an office of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in the district of Sayeda Zeinab on Damascus outskirts, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Throughout the war, a constellation of Iranian-backed militia groups around the region have stepped up attacks in support of Hamas. So far, all sides have appeared to calibrate the violence to stay short of sparking an all-out conflict, but the fear is that an unexpected escalation could spiral out of control.

Hezbollah and Israel almost daily exchange volleys missiles, airstrikes and shelling across the Israeli-Lebanese border. Iran-backed militias in Iraq have launched more than 100 attacks on bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria.

In the Red Sea, attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen against commercial ships have disrupted trade and prompted a U.S.-led multinational naval operation to protect shipping routes.

Gaza fighting

Israeli troops have been engaged in nearly two months of ground combat with Hamas and other militants in northern Gaza and weeks of urban fighting in Khan Younis. The battles and bombardment have levelled large swaths of both areas, and strikes have continued across the territory.

Still, Hamas fighters have shown a tough resilience. The Israeli military announced the deaths of two more soldiers Tuesday, bringing the total killed in the ground offensive to 158. Militants late Monday launched a barrage of rockets into Israel, triggering air raid sirens in the southern city of Ashkelon. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

Israel has vowed to continue fighting to eliminate Hamas military and governing capabilities in Gaza, after the militants carried out their shock attack into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking some 240 hostage. Israel says it also aims to free the more than 100 hostages who remain in captivity in Gaza.

Israel faces international criticism for the civilian death toll. It blames Hamas, citing the militants use of crowded residential areas and tunnels. Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas militants, without presenting evidence.

In Khan Younis, the Palestinian Red Crescent said Tuesday morning its medics evacuated several dead and wounded after a house in the citys al-Amal neighborhood was bombed overnight. In nighttime footage posted by the charity, first responders and residents pulled a dead person from the rubble, using lights from mobile phones.

An Associated Press cameraman on the scene saw at least two dead and 15 wounded, mostly children.

The expanding fighting has pushed the population into a shrinking area, particularly the central city of Deir al-Balah and Rafah, at the far south of Gaza on the Egyptian border. More than a million people have squeezed into U.N. shelters, and many more displaced people are crowded into houses.

U.N. officials have warned that a quarter of the population is starving under Israels siege of the territory, which allows in only a trickle of food, water, fuel, medicine and other supplies.

The U.N. Security Council last week called for immediately speeding up aid deliveries to desperate civilians in Gaza. But so far there has been little concrete sign of a change in entry of aid, which the U.N. has said it struggles to distribute because many areas are cut off by fighting.

Meanwhile, negotiations have seemed to make little headway toward a pause in fighting to allow the exchange of more hostages held in Gaza for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Egypt has put forward an ambitious peace proposal aiming not only to end the war but also to lay out a plan for the day after. It calls for a phased hostage release and the formation of a Palestinian government of experts to administer the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank, according to a senior Egyptian official and a European diplomat familiar with the proposal.

But it has gotten a cool public reception from Israel and Hamas. It falls short of Israels declared goal of crushing Hamas and appears to be at odds with Israels insistence on maintaining military control over Gaza for an extended period after the war. It is also unclear if Hamas would agree to relinquish power after controlling Gaza for the past 16 years.

Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, and Magdy from Cairo.
JP Energy Global, a wholly owned subsidiary of JP 3E Holdings, Inc., formerly Spooz Inc., successfully closed a $53.4 million commodity contract, product shipment process commenced

CLEARWATER, FL / ACCESSWIRE / December 26, 2023 / JP Energy Global, PTE, LTD, a wholly owned subsidiary of JP 3E Holdings, Inc., formerly Spooz, Inc. (OTC: SPZI ), is pleased to announce executing a $53,460,000 commodity contract for Grade A Chicken Paws.

On Dec 15, 2023, the buyer confirmed the contract, submitting a MT799, secured through a Documentary Letter of Credit (DLC). The seller, JP Energy Global, issued a performance bond to the buyer in 2% (two percent) of the amount of the financial operative instrument, received and confirmed by the seller through KEB Hana Bank Singapore for a total of 5 refrigerated containers for chicken paws of which further details on all associated contracts will be released soon. Two payments to support the contract in the amounts of $99,890 USD and $99,900 USD were deposited to the JP Energy Global account, at KEB Hana Bank Singapore.

JP Energy Global, PTE, LTD is registered with the Overseas Exporters of Imported Foods with the General Administration of China Customs. Our registration number is 70223000258 and is permitted for all food categories. This is what allows authorization for the company to ship goods into China. https://www.gacc.app/

"This is very important for Spooz. The team is very excited about executing our first major contract. We anticipate having at least two more fully executed contracts for chicken paws within the next 10 days and a substantial sugar contract early Jan 2024" stated John K. Park, Chairman of Spooz, Inc., being renamed "JP 3E Holdings, Inc."

Spooz, Inc. has updated its Colorado Articles of Incorporation to reflect John K. Park as the Chairman. Also reflected is the elimination of all preferred shares that were dilutive. The Series A Preferred Shares are not convertible into common shares and only represent voting control for John K. Park. The new name should reflect the change to JP 3E Holdings, Inc.

About Spooz, Inc. (SPZI) now JP 3E Holdings, Inc.

Operating companies to supply the world with the vital needs of Eating, Energy, and Education (3E) which are essential needs for our everyday living and quality of life.

SAFE HARBOR ACT: Forward-looking statements are included within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements regarding the Company's expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, financing plans, business strategy, products and services, competitive positions, growth opportunities, plans and objectives of management for future operations or listing on an exchange - including words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should," "will" and other similar expressions - are forward-looking statements and involve risks, uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond the Company's control and may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from anticipated results, performance or achievements. The Company is under no obligation to (and expressly disclaims any such obligation to) update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. No information in this press release should be construed in any manner whatsoever as an indication of the future performance of the Company's revenues, financial condition or stock price.

Company Contact:

Paul D. Strickland, Jr., CEO

[email protected]

727-216-6765 Office

Website: https://www.jpenergygroup.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SpoozInc

Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/SpoozInc

E-Mail: [email protected]

SOURCE: Spooz, Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
CORAL GABLES, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. (NYSE: FDP) today announced that management will participate in the 2024 ICR Conference, to be held at the JW Marriott Orlando Lakes in Orlando, FL from January 8-10, 2024. Monica Vicente, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and Bianca Hernandez, Senior Manager of Investor Relations, will hold meetings with institutional investors on Monday, January 8 and Tuesday, January 9, 2024.

To schedule a meeting with management, please contact your ICR representative. If you are unable to attend the conference and would like to schedule a call with management, please contact Bianca Hernandez, Senior Manager of Investor Relations, [email protected].

About Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. is one of the worlds leading vertically integrated producers, marketers, and distributors of high-quality fresh and fresh-cut fruit and vegetables, as well as a leading producer and distributor of prepared food in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. markets its products worldwide under the DEL MONTE brand (under license from Del Monte Foods, Inc.), a symbol of product innovation, quality, freshness, and reliability for over 135 years. The company also markets its products under the MANN brand and other related trademarks. Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. is not affiliated with certain other Del Monte companies around the world, including Del Monte Foods, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Del Monte Pacific Limited, Del Monte Canada, or Del Monte Asia Pte. Ltd. Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. is the first global marketer of fruits and vegetables to commit to the Science Based Targets initiative. In 2022 and 2023, Fresh Del Monte Produce was ranked as one of Americas Most Trusted Companies by Newsweek based on an independent survey rating companies on three different touchpoints, including customer trust, investor trust, and employee trust. The company was also named a Humankind 100 Company for two consecutive years by Humankind Investments, which recognizes companies that substantially impact areas such as access to food and clean water, healthcare, and digital services. Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. is traded on the NYSE under the symbol FDP.

Source: Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231226016001/en/

Bianca Hernandez

Senior Manager, Investor Relations

[email protected]

305-520-8433

Source: Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc.
HSINCHU, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Taiwan has achieved a milestone in addressing persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including the "Century Toxins"dioxins, PCBs, and pesticides (DDT). These highly toxic and hard-to-degrade pollutants have posed a major threat to ecosystems and human health. The team simulated atmospheric ozone-ultraviolet light reactions to transform dioxins into harmless oxalic acid at room temperature.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231226794432/en/

NTHU Distinguished professor Kuo Chu Hwang (right) and postdoctoral researcher Vaibhav Pramod Charpe have developed a method to successfully decompose persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as dioxins. (Photo: National Tsing Hua University)

The research, which offers a promising solution to the global challenge of POPs, appeared in the December 2023 issue of the esteemed journal Green Chemistry, published by the United Kingdoms Royal Society of Chemistry. Led by Professor Kuo Chu Hwang from the Department of Chemistry at NTHU, the research team was assisted by the expertise of Ph.D. student Ayyakkannu Ragupathi and postdoctoral researcher Vaibhav Pramod Charpe.

The study primarily focuses on degrading pollutants like dioxins, known for their resilience to high temperatures and resistance to traditional decomposition methods. Dioxins pose severe risks to both the environment and human health, triggering gene mutations, congenital disorders, miscarriages, cancers, and neurological disorders.

Hwang's team simulated ozone's photochemical reaction conditions in the atmosphere, utilizing an ozone generator and UV light in the laboratory to decompose the hard-to-degrade POPs. The simulation led to the discovery of a gentle yet effective method for breaking the persistent pollutants into non-toxic oxalic acid.

The research team demonstrated the ability of this method to reduce the concentration of "2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin" by 47% after 16 hours of mercury lamp exposure. Additionally, the chemical "hexachlorobenzene" underwent a remarkable 98% decomposition into non-toxic oxalate after 20 hours of ozone-ultraviolet irradiation.

Hwang emphasized the interdisciplinary nature of this research, which seamlessly merged atmospheric chemistry with organic chemistry to craft an innovative solution. The atmospheric reactions were mostly driven by hydroxyl radicals, known as "atmospheric cleaners," to oxidize gaseous pollutants and contribute to their degradation or elimination.

The adverse effects of POPs on both the environment and human health are well documented. Hwang recalled the PCB poisoning incident in Taiwan in 1979, where over 2,000 people consumed rice bran oil contaminated with PCBs, resulting in 16 deaths and long-term genetic repercussions for the affected and their descendants.

Additionally, the widespread use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War led to severe deformities in 150,000 Vietnamese newborns, perpetuating the impact across generations. These incidents underscore the urgency of finding solutions for the elimination of POPs.

The research outcome showcases the potential of this environmentally friendly approach to tackle longstanding challenges in organic chemistry. Hwang anticipates that this research will pave the way for numerous practical applications, significantly contributing to global efforts to mitigate the environmental burden from these POPs.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231226794432/en/

Holly Hsueh

NTHU

(886)3-5162006

[email protected]

Source: National Tsing Hua University
Ashford Inc. (NYSE American: AINC) ("Ashford" or the "Company") today announced that it received a letter from the NYSE American LLC (the "NYSE American") dated December 20, 2023 , notifying that the Company is no longer in compliance with NYSE American continued listing standards. Specifically, the letter states that the Company is not in compliance with the continued listing standards set forth in Sections 1003(a)(i) and (ii) of the NYSE American Company Guide (the "Company Guide"). Section 1003(a)(i) requires a listed company to have stockholders' equity of $2 million or more if the listed company has reported losses from continuing operations and/or net losses in two of its three most recent fiscal years. Section 1003(a)(ii) requires a listed company to have stockholders' equity of $4 million or more if the listed company has reported losses from continuing operations and/or net losses in three of its four most recent fiscal years. The Company reported a stockholders' deficit of $295.7 million as of September 30, 2023 , and has had losses from continuing operations and/or net losses in three of its four most recent fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 .

However, Section 1003(a) of the Company Guide states that the NYSE American will not normally consider suspending dealings in, or removing from the list, the securities of a listed company which is below standards (i) and (ii) of Section 1003(a) if the listed company is in compliance with the following two standards: (1) total value of market capitalization of at least $50 million ; or total assets and revenue of $50 million each in its last fiscal year, or in two of its last three fiscal years; and (2) the listed company has at least 1.1 million shares publicly held, a market value of publicly held shares of at least $15 million and 400 round lot shareholders. As of December 20, 2023 , the Company was in compliance with the first standard because it had total assets and total revenue of at least $50 million in its last fiscal year and was in compliance with the second standard, except that the current market value of publicly held shares was below $15 million .

The Company must submit a plan of compliance (the "Plan") by January 19, 2024 addressing how it intends to regain compliance with Sections 1003(a)(i) and (ii) of the Company Guide by June 20, 2025 , or sooner if the NYSE American determines that the nature and circumstances of the Company's continued listing status warrant a shorter period of time. The Company intends to fully comply with the NYSE American's requests and will submit its Plan accordingly.

The Company's stock will continue to be listed on the NYSE American while the Company evaluates its various alternatives. The Company's receipt of such notification from the NYSE American does not affect the Company's business, operations or reporting requirements with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Ashford is an alternative asset management company with a portfolio of strategic operating businesses that provides global asset management, investment management and related services to the real estate and hospitality sectors.
PARTS iD Inc. (NYSE: ID) disclosed:

Item 1.01. Entry Into a Material Definitive Agreement.

The information set forth under the caption Bridge Loan / DIP Credit Agreement in Item 1.03 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 1.03. Bankruptcy or Receivership.

Bridge Loan / DIP Credit Agreement

On December 19, 2023, PARTS iD, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Company) and its subsidiary PARTS iD, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (PARTS iD, LLC and together with the Company, the Debtors) entered into a Credit Agreement (the Credit Agreement) with Fifth Star, Inc., a Delaware corporation (Fifth Star, and its various capacities, the New Bridge Lender, the New Money DIP Lender, the Administrative Agent and the Plan Sponsor) to which certain Roll-Up DIP Lenders (as defined therein) have joined the Credit agreement by execution of a Roll-Up Dip Lender supplement . In connection with the Companys intention to commence voluntary cases under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code (as defined below), the Credit Agreement provides for a secured credit facility, pursuant to which (i) the New Bridge Lender has provided a prepetition term loan facility in an aggregate amount of up to $3,000,000 (less $500,000 towards reimbursement of legal and financial advisory expenses of Fifth Star) prior to the Petition Date (as defined below) (the New Bridge Loan), (ii) the New Money DIP Lender will provide a new money term loan facility in the form of post-petition debtor-in-possession financing under Section 364 of the Bankruptcy Code in an aggregate principal amount of up to $6,000,000, subject to the terms of the Credit Agreement and the DIP Order (as defined in the Credit Agreement) and (iii) certain of the previous loans provided to the Company in which the Company issued various promissory notes (the Existing Bridge Loans) in the aggregate principal amount of $3,300,000, and the New Bridge Loan will be exchanged into post-petition term loans thereunder.

The Credit Agreement also provides that following the occurrence of (i) the failure to meet any Milestone (as defined in the Credit Agreement), (ii) the occurrence of any Event of Default (as defined in the Credit Agreement), (iii) the failure to satisfy the Direct Investment Commitment Conditions (as defined in the Plan (as defined below)) that have not been waived or (iv) the failure to obtain affirmative votes of the Vendor Claims (as defined in the Credit Agreement) in sufficient amount and number to satisfy the requirements of class acceptance under the Bankruptcy Code upon tabulation of votes received on or prior to the Voting Deadline (as defined in the Credit Agreement), with such tabulation to occur within two business days following the Voting Deadline, the Plan Sponsor may, in lieu of the Plan, elect to (a) pursue a sale, pursuant to Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code or otherwise, of all or substantially all of the Companys assets, on terms and conditions acceptable to the Plan Sponsor with the Plan Sponsor serving as the stalking horse bidder and (b) provide an additional $6,000,000 post-petition debtor-in-possession term loan facility to fund such sale process.

As collateral for the obligations under the Credit Agreement, the Debtors have granted to the Administrative Agent, on behalf of the Secured Parties (as defined in the Credit Agreement) a security interest in all of Debtors right, title, and interest in, to and under all of Debtors property (inclusive of intellectual property), subject to certain exceptions, as set forth in the Security and Pledge Agreement (as defined in the Credit Agreement) and the Trademark Security Agreement (as defined in the Security and Pledge Agreement). Such security interest shall be subordinate to any valid, perfected and enforceable Lien (as defined in the Credit Agreement) securing the Prepetition Senior Secured Obligations (as defined in the Credit Agreement), including being junior to the liens granted to Lind Global Fund II LP (Lind) under that certain Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of July 17, 2023, by and between the Company and Lind (as amended, the Lind Agreement)

The Credit Agreement also contains other customary representations and warranties, affirmative and negative covenants and events of default that are standard for agreements of this type.

The foregoing descriptions of the Credit Agreement, the Security and Pledge Agreement, the Trademark Security Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby are not complete and are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, the full text of the Credit Agreement, the Security and Pledge Agreement and the Trademark Security Agreement which are included as Exhibits 10.1, 10.2 and 10.3 to this Current Report on Form 8-K, respectively, and are incorporated herein by reference.

1

Voluntary Petition for Bankruptcy

As contemplated in the Credit Agreement, on December 20, 2023, the Company commenced solicitation of the Plan (as defined below). Thereafter, on December 26, 2023 (the Petition Date), the Debtors filed voluntary petitions (Case Numbers. 23-12098 and 23-12099) (the Chapter 11 Cases) for relief under Chapter 11 of title 11 of the United States Code (the Bankruptcy Code) in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (the Bankruptcy Court).

The Debtors have sought approval of a variety of first day motions containing customary relief intended to enable the Debtors to continue ordinary course operations during the Chapter 11 Cases. The Debtors continue to operate their businesses as a debtor-in-possession under the jurisdiction of the Bankruptcy Court and in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Bankruptcy Code and orders of the Bankruptcy Court. Additionally, the Debtors have requested the Bankruptcy Court schedule a hearing to confirm the Plan by no later than February 2, 2024, with a Plan voting deadline of January 8, 2024.

Additional information on the Chapter 11 Cases, including copies of all documents filed in the Chapter 11 Cases, can be found at: https://restructuring.ra.kroll.com/partsidballots. Interested parties who may have questions related to the Chapter 11 Cases may call the responsible claims agent at (844) 610-4783 (U.S./Canada, toll-free) or +1 (646) 777-2312 (international, toll) or email inquiries at [email protected].

It is unlikely that holders of the Companys Class A common stock (the Common Stock) will receive any payment or other distribution on account of those shares following the Chapter 11 Cases. On the Plan Effective Date (as defined below), the Companys existing securities shall be cancelled, released, and extinguished.

Prepacked Plan of Reorganization

On the Petition Date, the Debtors also filed with the Bankruptcy Court a pre-packaged Chapter 11 plan of reorganization (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the Plan). The Plan contemplates, among other things, the following:

 the Debtors will obtain a new debtor-in-possession multi-draw term loan financing facility pursuant to the Credit Agreement, consisting of (A) new money term loans in an aggregate principal amount of up to $12,000,000, and (B) term loans not to exceed the outstanding principal and accrued but unpaid interest owed under the New Bridge Loan and Existing Bridge Loans;

 on the effective date of the Plan (the Plan Effective Date), the Company (as reorganized, Reorganized PARTS iD) will issue and the Plan Sponsor will purchase $26,000,000 of new preferred equity interests (New Preferred Stock);

 on the Plan Effective Date, Reorganized PARTS iD will issue common equity interests (the New Common Stock);

 the initial board of directors of Reorganized PARTS iD will implement a customary management incentive plan;

 on the Plan Effective Date, the following distributions will be made:

o holders of New Money DIP Claims (as defined in the Plan) will receive their pro rata share of New Preferred Stock;

o holders of Tranche 1 Roll-Up DIP Claims and Tranche 2 Roll-Up DIP Claims (each as defined in the Plan) will receive their pro rata share of New Common Stock;

o holders of Tranche 3 Roll-Up DIP Claims (as defined in the Plan) will receive cash equal to the amount of such Tranche 3 Roll-Up DIP Claims;

o holders of Senior Secured Note Claims (as defined in the Plan) will receive cash in the aggregate amount of $4,224,500 minus any payments made to such Holders on account of such claims during the Chapter 11 Cases;

o holders of MCA Claims (as defined in the Plan) will receive either the Wave Distribution or the RCNY Distribution, as applicable (each as defined in the Plan);

o holders of Subordinated Secured Note Claims (as defined in the Plan) will be entitled to receive two (2) of the following, provided, however, that no holder of a Subordinated Secured Note Claim will receive, in the aggregate, more than 100% of amount of such holders Subordinated Secured Note Claim: (i) payment in cash of 55% of such Subordinated Secured Note Claim; (ii) such holders pro rata share from the net recoveries (after payments of fees, litigation financing and taxes) from the Litigation Proceeds (as defined in the Plan); and (iii) payment in cash upon the achievement of an EBITDA target to be agreed between the Plan Sponsor and the Debtors;

2

o holders of Vendor Claims (as defined in the Plan) will receive cash in an amount equal to 25% of such Vendor Claim, and beginning the month following the Plan Effective Date, payment in the aggregate amount equal to 30% of its Vendor Claim, paid in equal monthly installments over a period of 36 months; and

o holders of Convenience Claims (as defined in the Plan) will receive cash in an amount equal to 65% of its Convenience Claim.

During the Chapter 11 Cases, the Debtors intend to operate their business in the ordinary course and will seek authorization from the Bankruptcy Court to make payment in full on a timely basis to trade creditors, vendors, suppliers, customers and employees of undisputed amounts due prior to and during the Chapter 11 Cases.

The foregoing description of the Plan does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Plan, which is attached as Exhibit 99.1 hereto and is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 2.03 Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant.

The disclosure set forth above in Item 1.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K regarding the Credit Agreement is incorporated by reference herein.

Item 2.04 Triggering Events that Accelerate or Increase a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation Under an Off- Balance Sheet Arrangement.

The commencement of the Chapter 11 Cases described in Item 1.03 above constitutes an event of default that accelerated the Companys indebtedness owed pursuant to the promissory notes issued under the Lind Agreement and that certain (i) Note and Warrant Purchase Agreement, dated as of March 6, 2023, by and between the Company and the purchasers party thereto, (ii) Note and Warrant Purchase Agreement, dated as of May 19, 2023, by and between the Company and the purchasers party thereto, (iii) Note and Warrant Purchase Agreement, dated as of June 14, 2023, by and between the Company and the purchaser party thereto, (iv) Note and Warrant Purchase Agreement, dated as of July 13, 2023, by and between the Company and the purchasers party thereto, (v) Note Purchase Agreement, dated as of October 9, 2023, by and between the Company and the purchaser party thereto, (vi) Note Purchase Agreement, dated as of November 2, 2023, by and between the Company and the purchaser party thereto and (vii) Note and Warrant Purchase Agreement, dated as of December 11, 2023, by and between the Company and the purchasers party thereto, as each may be amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time (the Lind Agreement and the agreements set forth in (i)-(vii) above, together with all amendments thereto, collectively the Debt Instruments).

The Debt Instruments provide that as a result of the Chapter 11 Cases, the principal and interest due thereunder shall be immediately due and payable. Any efforts to enforce such payment obligations under the Debt Instrument are automatically stayed as a result of the Chapter 11 Cases, and the creditors rights of enforcement in respect of the Debt Instrument are subject to the applicable provisions of the Bankruptcy Code.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Trading in the Companys Securities

The Companys securityholders are cautioned that trading in the Companys Common Stock during the pendency of the Chapter 11 Cases is highly speculative and poses substantial risks. Trading prices for the Companys Common Stock may bear little or no relationship to the actual recovery, if any, by holders thereof in the Companys Chapter 11 Cases. Accordingly, the Company urges extreme caution with respect to existing and future investments in its Common Stock.
SALINAS, Calif., Dec. 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 1st Capital Bancorp (the Company), (OTCQX: FISB), holding company and parent company of 1st Capital Bank (the Bank), today announced the appointment of Laura Zehm, as a director. Ms. Zehm is the former Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Montage Heath.

We are excited to have Ms. Zehm as a member of the board, said Kurt Gollnick, chairman. Her wealth of knowledge and experience, will provide the Bank with a depth of experience and insight within her areas of discipline which will complement the board extremely well.

Ms. Zehms over 30 years of experience includes strategy, operations, business transformation and mergers and acquisitions within the healthcare industry. A long-time resident of Monterey County, she further strengthens the relationship of 1st Capital Bank within the community. She graduated from Western Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a masters degree in business administration from Golden Gate University.

Ms. Zehm is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors and has been recognized as a finalist of the 50 Women to Watch by 50/50 Women on Boards Inc, a global 501c3 nonprofit founded in 2010 with a mission to accelerate gender balance and diversity on corporate boards.

About 1st Capital Bank1st Capital Banks markets are commercial enterprises, professionals, real estate investors, family business entities and residents along the Central Coast region of California. The bank provides a wide range of credit products, including loans under various government programs such as those provided through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). A full suite of deposit accounts is also furnished, complemented by robust cash management services. The bank operates full-service banking offices in Monterey, Salinas, King City, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Cruz. The Banks corporate offices are located at 150 Main Street, Suite 150, Salinas, Calif. 93901. 1st Capital Bank is a five-star rated Superior bank by Bauer Financial, Inc. Member FDIC | Equal Opportunity Lender| SBA Preferred Lender |1stCapital.Bank | 831.264.4000

Media Inquiries:Sam Jimenez[email protected]831.264.4057

Source: 1st Capital Bank
TORONTO, Dec. 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Balram's Immigration Consultancy, a trusted Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) based in Canada, proudly introduces ApplyGCMS.online, a cutting-edge online portal designed to simplify the process of obtaining vital immigration documents. This user-friendly platform caters to individuals seeking transparency and detailed insights into their immigration journey.

1. GCMS Notes from IRCCApplyGCMS.online offers a unique service enabling users to obtain GCMS (Global Case Management System) notes directly from the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Beyond the conventional application status, these notes provide an in-depth understanding of the reasons behind a visa refusal. While IRCC's refusal letters typically contain generic explanations, the GCMS Notes offer a more accurate and detailed account, empowering applicants with the information they need to address concerns and improve their immigration strategy.

2. GCMS Notes from CBSAThe portal extends its services to include GCMS notes from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). This feature allows individuals to access comprehensive records related to their interactions with CBSA, offering insights into entry and exit details, admissibility assessments, and other critical information. By providing a holistic view of one's immigration history, this service ensures applicants are well-informed about their status and any potential areas of concern.

3. Copy of Immigration File from IRCC Visa GCMSApplyGCMS.online recognizes the prevalence of unscrupulous practices by some consultants and addresses the issue with its service to obtain a copy of the immigration file from IRCC. Particularly relevant for applicants from countries like India and Pakistan, this service becomes invaluable in combating fraudulent practices. It allows individuals to request a copy of their immigration application within two years after filing, ensuring transparency and safeguarding against unauthorized submissions of false documents.

This comprehensive suite of services is facilitated through the Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) act. For further information or assistance, please contact Balram Kishan at [email protected].

Balram's Immigration Consultancy, based in Toronto, is a leading Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) firm dedicated to guiding clients through their immigration endeavors. With a commitment to professionalism and transparency, the consultancy specializes in diverse immigration services, offering personalized solutions tailored to individual needs. Their experienced team ensures clients receive up-to-date information, empowering them to make informed decisions about pursuing opportunities in Canada. Balram's Immigration Consultancy stands as a trusted partner, simplifying the complexities of the immigration process and facilitating a smooth transition for individuals seeking a new beginning in Canada.

Media Contact:

Balram KishanEmail: [email protected]

Source: Balram's Immigration Consultancy
Prague, Czech Republic, Dec. 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Able Research Technology (AR Tech), after 4 months of continuous research and development investment, has launched a major upgrade for its AI and blockchain technology-based quantitative trading product, SRT. This upgrade not only enhances reliability and stability but also significantly improves trading computing power, providing investors and traders with more efficient, innovative, and reliable solutions. This product upgrade by Able Research Technology(AR Tech) could potentially herald a new era in quantitative trading.

Able Research Technology(AR Tech) leads technological innovation in quantitative trading:

As a frontier in modern securities investment, Able Research Technology(AR Tech) is committed to leveraging AI and blockchain technology to extract "high-probability" events from vast historical data, thus formulating more precise and sustainable trading strategies to embrace the technological revolution in the financial field.

Able Research Technology(AR Tech) emphasizes technology and data-driven intelligent decision-making:

Able Research Technology(AR Tech) recognizes the crucial role of technology and data in quantitative trading. Similar to pilots checking various indicators of an aircraft before takeoff, quantitative traders utilize historical data and mathematical models to develop strategies. Able Research Technology(AR Tech) believes that this data and algorithm-based approach can enable traders to make more rational and accurate decisions, freeing them from emotional fluctuations.

Able Research Technology(AR Tech)'s groundbreaking algorithm leads the way to the future:

Able Research Technology(AR Tech)'s research team has successfully developed an algorithm that automatically adjusts investment portfolios, flexibly allocating asset ratios based on real-time market changes to maximize investment returns. This groundbreaking algorithm is considered a milestone in improving trading efficiency and optimizing investment portfolios.

Able Research Technology(AR Tech) continuously innovates to meet market demands:

Able Research Technology(AR Tech) not only focuses on improving trading models but also looks to market demands for new technologies. The company's research team constantly explores innovative technologies to adapt to the future development of the fintech field.

Able Research Technology(AR Tech)'s emerging technologies drive the financial trend:

The company acknowledges that emerging technologies such as blockchain are profoundly changing people's lifestyles and investment perspectives. One of Able Research Technology(AR Tech)'s missions is to provide the public with smarter and more convenient fintech solutions within this transformative trend.

Able Research Technology(AR Tech)'s future outlook:

SRT developed by Able Research Technology(Able Research Technology(AR Tech)) has achieved excellent trading results internationally. Able Research Technology(Able Research Technology(AR Tech)) states that they will continuously innovate artificial intelligence trading technology across multiple financial products, aiming to bring more value to users who trust in their technology.

Looking ahead, Able Research Technology(AR Tech) is poised to establish a more transparent and secure trading platform through blockchain technology. This platform will provide investors with a more reliable trading environment, ensuring the security and efficiency of transactions through technologies like smart contracts. This initiative will bring about new innovations in the financial industry and drive the entire sector towards a smarter and more innovative future.

Able Research Technology(AR Tech)'s integration plan is regarded as a transformative force in the fintech field, opening up a new era of technology for investors and leading the future trends of quantitative trading.

Website: https://www.ableresearchtech.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.

Media contact Contact: Winston Armstrong Company Name: Able Research Technology(AR Tech) Website: https://www.ableresearchtech.com/ Email: marketing-at-ableresearchtech.com

Source: AR Tech
- Non-GAAP Adjusted Operating EBITDA Income of $1.204 Million -- Gross Profit of $5.103 Million -- Company Recorded Gross Margin of 66.7% -

SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Digerati Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: DTGI) ("Digerati" or the "Company"), a provider of cloud services specializing in UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) solutions for the small to medium-sized business (SMB) market, announced today financial results for the three months ended October 31, 2023, the Companys first quarter for its Fiscal Year 2024.

Key Financial Highlights for the Three Months Ended October 31, 2023 (Compared to the Three Months Ended October 31, 2022)

Revenue decreased 6% to $7.654 million compared to $8.130 million.

Gross profit decreased 3% to $5.103 million compared to $5.279 million.

Gross margin increased to 66.7% compared to 64.9%.

Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA income decreased 8% to $0.733 million, excluding all non-cash items and one-time transactional expenses, compared to non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA income of $0.795 million.

Net loss attributable to Digeratis common shareholders decreased 18% to $4.085 million, compared to a net loss attributable to Digeratis common shareholders of $4.988 million.

Non-GAAP operating EBITDA (Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA - OPCO) income decreased 6% to $1.204 million, excluding corporate expenses, all non-cash items, and one-time transactional expenses, compared to a Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA - OPCO income of $1.275 million.

Incurred legal, professional fees and transactional costs of $0.837 million mainly related to the restructuring of various notes payables and previously proposed and since terminated transaction with Minority Equality Opportunities Acquisition Inc. during the three months ended October 31, 2023.

Craig K. Clement, Executive Chairman and interim CEO of Digerati, commented, While our revenue was down slightly, we can report a company record of 66.7% gross margin. This continued improvement of gross margin is up from the 50% level four years ago and demonstrates the strength of our business. Since the acquisitions of Skynet in December 2021 and NextLevel Internet in February 2022, our operational focus has been more on profitable revenue streams and eliminating certain segments of our network that cost more to operate than they earn. The decline in revenue was done purposely and deliberately to optimize the business.

Clement, continued, With service to nearly 5,000 business customers and approximately 50,000 users, predominantly in Florida, Texas and California, we believe we have built a reliable and valuable platform in which to stack additional acquisitive and organic growth.

Antonio Estrada, CFO of Digerati, stated, We have really focused on our higher-margin revenue customers and opportunities, as we completed the full integration of our acquisitions from late-2021 and early-2022. Our team successfully streamlined the operations and processes, which have highlighted the efficiencies and resulted in these strong financial results, as we are now at an annualized run-rate of $4.816 million in Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA - OPCO. Of note, in the quarter, we incurred legal, professional fees and transactional costs of $0.837 million mainly related to the restructuring of various notes payables and previously proposed and since terminated transaction with Minority Equality Opportunities Acquisition Inc. We look forward to sharing our progress with shareholders over the coming months and quarters.

Three Months ended October 31, 2023, Compared to Three Months ended October 31, 2022

Revenue for the three months ended October 31, 2023, was $7.654 million, a decrease of $0.476 million or 6% compared to $8.130 million for the three months ended October 31, 2022. The decrease in cloud-based hosted service revenue is due to the strategic decision to optimize the business and focus on profitable customers with prospects for further growth potential from the previous acquisitions of Skynet in December 2021 and NextLevel Internet in February 2022.

Gross profit for the three months ended October 31, 2023, was $5.103 million, a decrease of $0.176 million or 3%, resulting in a gross margin of 66.67%, compared to a gross profit of $5.279 million and gross margin of 64.93% for the three months ended October 31, 2022. The increase in gross margin is primarily due to the addition of high-margin revenue associated with NextLevel Internets UCaaS product line and the acquisition of Skynet in December 2021.

Selling, general and administrative expenses (excluding legal and professional fees) for the three months ended October 31, 2023, increased by $0.059 million, or 1%, to $4.177 million compared to $4.118 million for the three months ended October 31, 2022.

Operating loss for the three months ended October 31, 2023, was $0.799 million, an increase of $0.399 million or 100%, compared to $0.400 million for the three months ended October 31, 2022.

Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA income for the three months ended October 31, 2023, was $0.733 million, a decrease of $0.062 million or 8%, compared to non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA income of $0.795 million for the three months ended October 31, 2022.

Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA - OPCO income for the three months ended October 31, 2023, was $1.204 million, excluding corporate expenses, and all non-cash items and one-time transactional expenses, a decrease of $0.071 million or 6%, compared to a non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA - OPCO income of $1.275 million for the three months ended October 31, 2022.

Net loss attributable to Digeratis common shareholders for the three months ended October 31, 2023, was $4.085 million, a decrease of $0.903 million or 18%, compared to a net loss attributable to Digeratis common shareholders of $4.988 million, for the three months ended October 31, 2022. The resulting Earnings Per Share loss for the three months ended October 31, 2023, was ($0.03), as compared to Earnings Per Share loss of ($0.03) for the three months ended October 31, 2022.

As of October 31, 2023, Digerati had $0.946 million in cash.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measurements

The Company believes that EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) is useful to investors because it is commonly used in the cloud communications industry to evaluate companies on the basis of operating performance and leverage. Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA income provides an adjusted view of EBITDA that takes into account certain significant non-recurring transactions, if any, such as impairment losses and expenses associated with pending acquisitions, which vary significantly between periods and are not recurring in nature, as well as certain recurring non-cash charges such as changes in fair value of the Companys derivative liabilities and stock-based compensation. The Company also believes that non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA income provides investors with a measure of the Companys operational and financial progress that corresponds with the measurements used by management as a basis for allocating resources and making other operating decisions. Although the Company uses non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA income as one of several financial measures to assess its operating performance, its use is limited as it excludes certain significant operating expenses. Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA - OPCO income is useful to investors because it reflects EBITDA for the core operation of the business excluding corporate expenses, non-cash expenses and transactional expenses. EBITDA, non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA income, and Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA - OPCO income are not intended to represent cash flows for the periods presented, nor have they been presented as an alternative to operating income or as an indicator of operating performance and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP). In accordance with SEC Regulation G, the non-GAAP measurements in this press release have been reconciled to the nearest GAAP measurement, which can be viewed under the heading Reconciliation of Net Loss to Adjusted EBITDA in the financial table included in this press release.About Digerati Technologies, Inc.

Digerati Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: DTGI) is a provider of cloud services specializing in UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) solutions for the business market. Through its operating subsidiary Verve Cloud, Inc. (f/k/a T3 Communications, Nexogy, and NextLevel Internet), the Company is meeting the global needs of small businesses seeking simple, flexible, reliable, and cost-effective communication and network solutions including, cloud PBX, cloud telephony, cloud WAN, cloud call center, cloud mobile, and the delivery of digital oxygen on its broadband network. The Company has developed a robust integration platform to fuel mergers and acquisitions in a highly fragmented market. as it delivers business solutions on its carrier-grade network and Only in the Cloud. For more information, please visit www.digerati-inc.com and follow DTGI on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Forward-Looking Statements

The information in this news release includes certain forward-looking statements that are based upon assumptions that in the future may prove not to have been accurate and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, including statements related to the future financial performance of the Company. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements such as [we believe we have built a reliable and valuable platform in which to stack additional acquisitive and organic growth] are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations or any of its forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Factors that could cause results to differ include, but are not limited to, our inability to source suitable acquisition targets, failure to execute growth strategies, lack of product development and related market acceptance, the impact of competitive services and pricing, general economic conditions, and other risks and uncertainties described in the Companys periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Facebook: Digerati Technologies, Inc. Twitter : @DIGERATI_IRLinkedIn : Digerati Technologies, Inc.

Investors

ClearThinkBrian Loper[email protected](602) 785-4120

Reconciliation of Net Loss to Adjusted EBITDA (In thousands) Three Months ended October 31, 2023 2022 Variances % OPERATING REVENUES: Cloud-based hosted services $ 7,654 $ 8,130 $ (476 ) -6 % Total operating revenues 7,654 8,130 (476 ) -6 % Cost of services (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) 2,551 2,851 (300 ) -11 % Selling, general and administrative expense 4,177 4,118 59 1 % Stock compensation expense 12 23 (11 ) -48 % Legal and professional fees 973 556 417 75 % Bad debt 57 29 28 97 % Depreciation and amortization expense 683 953 (270 ) -28 % Total operating expenses 8,453 8,530 (77 ) -1 % OPERATING LOSS (799 ) (400 ) (399 ) 100 % OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE): Gain (loss) on derivative instruments (612 ) (3,076 ) 2,464 -80 % Other income (expense) - 446 (446 ) -100 % Interest expense (3,041 ) (2,065 ) (976 ) 47 % Income tax expense (28 ) (50 ) 22 -44 % Total other income (expense) (3,681 ) (4,745 ) 1,064 -22 % NET INCOME (LOSS) (4,480 ) (5,145 ) 665 -13 % Less: Net loss attributable to the noncontrolling interests 395 161 234 145 % NET INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO DIGERATI'S SHAREHOLDERS $ (4,085 ) $ (4,984 ) $ 899 -18 % Deemed dividend on Series A Convertible preferred stock - (4 ) 4 -100 % NET INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO DIGERATI'S COMMON SHAREHOLDERS $ (4,085 ) $ (4,988 ) $ 903 -18 % Reconciliation of Net Income (Loss) to Adjusted EBITDA - OPCO, Net of Non-Cash Expenses & Transactional Costs. (In thousands) NET INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO DIGERATI'S SHAREHOLDERS, as reported $ (4,085 ) $ (4,984 ) $ 899 -18 % EXCLUDING NON-CASH ITEMS TRANSACTIONAL COSTS & CORP EXP ADJUSTMENTS: Stock compensation & warrant expense 12 23 (11 ) -48 % Corp Expenses (Net of stock compensation, Legal fees & Transactional cost) 471 480 (9 ) -2 % Legal, professional fees & transactional costs 837 219 618 282 % Depreciation and amortization expense 683 953 (270 ) -28 % OTHER ADJUSTMENTS Gain (loss) on derivative instruments 612 3,076 (2,464 ) -80 % Other income (expense) - (446 ) 446 -100 % Interest expense 3,041 2,065 976 47 % Income tax expense 28 50 (22 ) -44 % Less: Net loss attributable to the noncontrolling interests (395 ) (161 ) (234 ) 145 % ADJUSTED EBITDA - OPCO $ 1,204 $ 1,275 $ (71 ) -6 % ADD-BACKS Expenses Corp Expenses (Net of stock compensation, Legal fees & Transactional cost) 471 480 (9 ) -2 % ADJUSTED EBITDA - INCOME $ 733 $ 795 $ (62 ) -8 %

Source: Digerati Technologies
LAS VEGAS, NV, Dec. 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire - This holiday season has been abuzz with everything from hemp-derived personal care products to CBD-infused food and beverages, Hemp, Inc. (OTC: HEMP) reports. Consumers cant seem to get enough of the power-packed skinny foliage in personal care products, cosmetics, food, beverages, nutraceuticals, and other products, so much so that the global CBD markets valuation is anticipated to reach $19.67 billion by 2032 and the Hemp Source CBD Market is full speed ahead.

Considered one of the top producers of hemp-derived products, Hemp, Inc. knows a thing or two about CBDs. The Company distinguishes itself by using pharmaceutical-grade beta-cyclodextrin in combination with cannabinoids for rapid absorption and efficacy through its highly potent, therapeutic doses of CBD, CBDA, CBG, CBGA, and CBN products. Notably, Hemp, Inc.s CBD/CBG coffee enhancer is highly potent, rapidly absorbed, and competitively priced, offering consumers a premium coffee experience. Its lineup of CBD/CBG/CBN products includes a CBD-CBG Topical Pain Relief Roll-on (THC-free with 1,460mg of CBD and 630mg of CBG totaling 2,090mg of cannabinoids in 5ml), CBD/CBG Natural Coffee Enhancers, CBD/CBG Tinctures, and CBDa/CBGa/CBD/CBG/CBN Capsules.

A step above the rest, Hemp, Inc. continues to be featured as one of the major key players in industry-wide hemp market reports. Coupled with an invaluable roster of connections with hemp manufacturers and vendors across the country and abroad, the Company expects to see meteoric growth curves on a domestic and international scale as the industry continues to grow.

Through its e-portal (www.hempinc.com), the Companys hemp-derived products are poised to capture a large share of the marketplace on a global scale and to play a vital role in maintaining good health and well-being 2 significant growth factors of the CBD market. Lets take a closer look at some of these significant growth factors as reported by Custom Market Insights:

Wellness and Health Trends : The rising focus on health and wellness has spurred interest in natural and alternative remedies, leading consumers to explore CBD as a potential option for maintaining overall well-being.

Therapeutic Potential : CBD is believed to offer potential therapeutic benefits, and there is growing interest in its use as a natural remedy for various health conditions. Consumers are increasingly turning to CBD products to potentially alleviate symptoms of anxiety, pain, inflammation, insomnia, and other ailments.

Online Retail and E-commerce : The growth of online retail and e-commerce platforms has facilitated easy access to CBD products, allowing consumers to purchase them conveniently from the comfort of their homes.

Non-Psychoactive Nature : CBDs non-psychoactive nature, meaning it does not produce the high associated with THC, has made it more accessible and appealing to a broader audience, including individuals seeking health benefits without the intoxicating effects.

Increasing Acceptance and Legalization : The growing acceptance and legalization of cannabis and CBD products in various countries and states have significantly contributed to the markets expansion. As more regions relax their regulations on CBD, the market has seen increased consumer access and demand.

Diverse Product Offerings : The CBD market offers a wide range of products, catering to different preferences and consumption methods. This variety, including oils, tinctures, capsules, edibles, topicals, and more, has expanded the consumer base and market reach.

Beauty and Skincare Industry Integration : CBDs integration into the beauty and skincare industry, with claims of potential benefits for skin health and appearance, has contributed to its popularity among beauty enthusiasts.

Increasing Awareness and Education : As knowledge about CBDs potential benefits and safe usage spreads, consumers have become more informed and confident in trying CBD products.

Supportive Consumer Advocacy: The vocal support of consumers who have experienced positive effects from using CBD products has helped create a positive perception of CBD and encouraged others to explore its potential benefits.

(Source)

Hemp, Inc. also discovered its grounded kenaf and hemp blend is the perfect substrate to grow healthy and/or medicinal mushrooms and can make and/or provide the raw materials to produce hemp-based products such as hempcrete, horse bedding, hemp bio-plastics, and more. As one of the most rapidly growing plants on the planet, the hemp plant is used to make a variety of hemp products. It can be shifted into rope, paper, textiles, clothing, disposable polymers, paint, insulation, food, and animal feed.

On the industrial side, Hemp, Inc.s industrial hemp plant in North Carolina manufactures and sells two industrial hemp products: Spill-Be-Gone (an oil spill cleanup product made from the core particles and powder of the kenaf and hemp plant) and DrillWall (a non-toxic, biodegradable drilling fluid additive used in oilfield drilling applications). Hemp, Inc.s Spill-Be-Gone is sold in industrial-sized quantities for large oil spill cleanups. It is fast and cost-effective in cleaning up oil spills on land or water. The Companys DrillWall is a tested LCM made of kenaf and hemp cellulose. It includes milled products from kenaf and hemp that are made into oil drilling fluid additives and oil absorbents.

Hemp, Inc. will continue to keep its shareholders up to date on all pertinent material events, product releases, production plans, and inventory availability. As we bid farewell to 2023 and welcome the new year, we extend our warmest holiday greetings to our over 163,000 valued shareholders. May 2024 bring every one of you prosperity, success, and happiness to you and your families.

About Hemp, Inc.s Current Product Line

The product line contains CBD, CBDA, CBG, CBGA, and CBN (non-psychoactive compounds found in cannabis plants). These are active ingredients in cannabis that are derived from the hemp plant, which is widely known for pain relief, relaxation, and anxiety relief. A recipe is only as good as its ingredients and how those ingredients are blended. Hemp, Inc. is the only company in America that uses pharmaceutical-grade beta-cyclodextrin (a carbohydrate used during the manufacturing process) which is combined with all the cannabinoids for rapid absorption and uptake. The Companys CBD, CBDA, CBG, CBGA, and CBN product lines are highly potent therapeutic doses that have received rave reviews.

Hemp, Inc. has also pushed the boundaries with its CBD/CBG coffee enhancer. This powerhouse product is super potent, absorbs rapidly in coffee, and is 4 times more potent (at a fraction of the price) than other hemp-derived coffee enhancers currently on the market. Its high-quality ingredient combination offers 30 servings per bottle and contains a total of 10,000mg of cannabinoids (7,500mg CBD and 2,500mg CBG) in an MCT oil base. Per serving, thats 250mg CBD and 83mg CBG remarkably mixed in a wonderfully rich cup of coffee.

The CBD/CBG coffee enhancer comes in plain (natural) and vanilla flavors. The plain (natural) coffee enhancer is available now and the vanilla flavor will be available by the end of this month. A single container (7-day supply) retails for $27.95 and a bottle (30-day supply) retails for $99.95. Wholesale bulk orders are single-use packages, available through select restaurants.

For more information on Hemp, Inc.s products, click here. Catch up on Hemp, Inc.s latest news below.

Hemp, Inc. Profiled as One of the Leading, Innovative Companies in Recent Industrial Hemp Market ReportHemp, Inc. Reports: Growing Legalization of Industrial Hemp Driving Global Demand for HempHemp, Inc.s Creative Visionary Consultant, Bruce Perlowin, to be Interviewed Live on the Quantum Energy, Health, and Information Call TodayHemp, Inc. Reports: Global Natural Fiber Composites (Hemp, Kenaf, and Flax) Market Set to Reach $424 Million by 2028 Hemp, Inc. Profiled as Key Player in Latest Industrial Hemp Industry Report on Emerging Trends, Growth, and Future Scope by 2027Hemp, Inc. Reports Higher Education Aims to Harness Hemps Full Potential From Field to Fabric Hemp, Inc. Reports: Hemp Seed and Hemp Fiber Set to Flourish on a Global Scale Hemp, Inc. Reports: Hemp-Based Product Sales Expected to Reach $16.2 Billion by 2033Hemp, Inc. Reports: Hemp Recognized as Specialty Crop with US Department of Agriculture Significant Increase in Revenue Proving 2023 to be a Banner Year for Hemp, Inc. Hemp, Inc. Reports: Industrial Hemp Act 2023 New Look, New Feel for Hemp, Inc.s Hempinc.com Hemp Inc.s Year-to-Date Sales Increase 315% Over Last Year Hemp Inc. Reports Third Quarter Results and Removal of Yield Sign Hemp Inc. Reveals Stunning Results of its Hemp Research Hempcrete Approved for U.S. Residential Construction Hemp Inc. See Significant Increase in Revenue Over the Last 3 Quarters Hemp, Inc. Offers CBD-CBG Topical Pain Relief Roll-On Hemp, Inc.s Chief Visionary Consultant Bruce Perlowin Brings Opportunity to Hemp, Inc. (August 8, 2022) Hemp Inc.s CBDA and CBGA Products on Sale Now (July 19, 2022) Hemp Inc.s Chief Visionary Consultant Bruce Perlowin talks with Stock Day podcast about Hemp Inc.s super potent line of CBD/CBG/CBN Products (July 7, 2022) Healthy Products for Healthy Living: A Look into Hemp, Inc.s Pure, Premium, and Potent CBD and Wellness Products (June 16, 2022) Hemp, Inc. Releases New High Potency CBD/CBG Vanilla Flavored Coffee Enhancer (June 9, 2022) Hemp, Inc.s King of Hemp CBD-CBG-CBN Natural Sleep Aid Capsules in Stock and On Sale (May 26, 2022) King of Hemp Natural and Vanilla-Flavored CBD/CBG Super Tinctures Now in Stock (May 12, 2022)

About Hemp, Inc.With more than 14 years of experience in growing and processing hemp in North America, Hemp, Inc. has an established network of industry professionals in every segment of the industrial hemp industry. Its mission of providing green solutions that help make the world a better place continues to flourish as the company advances an ever-growing portfolio of revenue and value-generating synergistic businesses. Hemp may be the salvation in retooling America for greener, more sustainable domestic manufacturing.

The Company will continue to keep its shareholders up to date on all pertinent material events, product releases, production plans, and inventory availability. Those interested in distributing on a large-scale basis should email [email protected] or call 877-436-7564 for more information. The entire product line includes tinctures, gummies, capsules, and edibles in a variety of sizes, potencies, flavors, and formulas with a future focus on healthy foods for healthy living.

WHAT IS HEMP, INC.?With a deep-rooted social and environmental mission at its core, Hemp, Inc. seeks to build a business constituency for the American small hemp farmer, the American veteran, and other groups experiencing the ever-increasing disparity between tapering income and soaring expenses. The Company is on a mission to be a powerful engine for social change and economic revival, worldwide, by providing hemp products that are eco-friendly, sustainable, and healthy. Hemp, Inc. executives believe there can be tangible benefits reaped from adhering to a corporate social responsibility plan.

Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release may contain certain forward-looking statements and information, as defined within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and is subject to the Safe Harbor created by those sections. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires issuers to provide adequate current information. Financials for Hemp, Inc. are listed on the OTC Exchange. More information can also be found on the Hemp, Inc. website by visiting www.hempinc.com/financial-disclosures/. The material contains statements about expected future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and subject to risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties.

Contact:Hemp, Inc.Investor Relations(720) 220-0037[email protected]

Source: Hemp, Inc.
TUCSON, Ariz., Dec. 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Associa Arizona (AA), a leading provider of community management services throughout the greater Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tucson areas, recently teamed up with the Rancho Sahuarita homeowners association for its 8th Annual Brunch with Santa and Toy Drive. Community manager John Cousins donned his Santa suit, spending the event meeting young and old alike and hearing their wish lists.

Nearly 500 residents attended the event, which included brunch, the opportunity to donate toys to a local community non-profit, and plenty of pictures with Jolly Old St. Nicholas! It was just one of the many holiday events for Rancho Sahuarita where you can find Cousins as Santa. This annual event is a wonderful way for residents and team members alike to come together as a community, meet their neighbors and celebrate the holiday season.

About Associa

With more than 275 branch offices across North America, Associa is building the future of community for more than 6.5 million residents worldwide. Our 14,000+ team members lead the industry with unrivaled education, expertise, and trailblazing innovation. For more than 44 years, Associa has brought positive impact and meaningful value to communities. To learn more, visit www.associaonline.com.

Stay Connected

Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/associa

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Join us on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/associa

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Tom Womack Associa 214.272.4107 [email protected]

Source: Associa
LOS ANGELES, CA, Dec. 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire  As US Nuclear (OTC-QB: UCLE) has reported in previous releases, Magneto Inertial Fusion Technology Inc (MIFTI) is a leader in fusion power development and has already achieved extraordinary success with their 1-MegaAmp prototype fusion generator. Now, US Nuclear is excited to announce that MIFTI, led by president and chief scientist Dr. Hafiz Rahman, has recently demonstrated its fusion technology at the L3 Harris Lab in San Leandro, California, where they produced an amazing yield of 150 billion neutrons, which meets all advanced computer code predictions. This is 10,000 times higher than achieved by any other private company in the world.

Advanced simulations have shown that scaling up MIFTIs fusion generator to 10 Mega Amps should achieve net energy gain and also allow for the commercial production of medical isotopes that are desperately needed for hospital cancer scanning. US Nuclear is a partner, investor, and possible prime contractor for MIFTIs fusion power generator, and is looking forward to further developments.

Continuing breakthroughs in technology and a large influx of funding have rapidly accelerated fusion power development. Investment in the global fusion industry has skyrocketed, reaching a cumulative $6.21 billion, up from 4.8 billion just a year ago. Last year, Lawrence Livermore National Lab were the first to achieve positive net energy gain, paving the way towards the commercialization of fusion power, and Microsoft recently signed the worlds first deal to purchase commercial fusion energy from Helion Energy starting in 2028. MIFTI is unique in that they are the only company in the world that has developed a staged Z-pinch fusion method to the point of massive energy emission via neutron production. Their special approach has many advantages that will make them a leader in fusion power generation.

MIFTI was founded in 2008 by scientists from UC Irvine, who have spent over 25 years researching and developing their special Staged Z-pinch fusion technology. Years of experimentation, understanding, and advanced modeling have shown that MIFTIs Z-pinch fusion approach can solve the worlds energy problems by providing a net energy gain from ten to fifty times the energy used to drive the process . In addition, the staged Z-pinch approach is very flexible and can be used for numerous applications, including the production of medical scanning isotopes and solving the worldwide multi-billion-dollar medical shortage.

Safe Harbor Act

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ from expectations, estimates and projections and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as "expect," "estimate," "project," "budget," "forecast," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "may," "will," "could," "should," "believes," "predicts," "potential," "continue," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results.

Investors may find additional information regarding US Nuclear Corp. at the SEC website at http://www.sec.gov, or the companys website at www.usnuclearcorp.com

CONTACT:

US Nuclear Corp. (OTC-QB: UCLE)

Robert I. Goldstein, President, CEO, and Chairman

Michael Hastings, Chief Financial Officer

(818) 883 7043

Email: [email protected]

http://usnuclearcorp.com
Sekur Private Data (CSE: SKUR) (OTCQB: SWISF) (FSE: GDT0) is a cybersecurity and internet privacy provider of Swiss-hosted solutions for secure communications and data management. The company is positioned amid the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissions (SEC) unrelenting push and crackdown on Wall Street to offer a secure, easy-to-use and transparent messaging solution. The SEC has levied over $2.5 billion in fines on Wall Street, the product of two years of investigations into the industrys use of messaging apps, a recent article reads. SekurMessenger is an encrypted messaging service that offers full privacy for users, enabled by multiple layers of data protection that guarantee the security of communications SekurMessenger is currently available on both iOS and Android and on the web. Features include end-to-end encryption, proprietary VirtualVaults and HelixTech that ensure conversations are secure while also providing a way to maintain privacy. In addition, any messages or files sent or received between users are stored in a secure cloud hosted on Swiss-based Sekur-owned servers with military-grade security, letting compliance archiving the messages, while users themselves can delete them from their devices, protecting the chats from hacker intrusion With this initial offering, the company looks to carve out a significant market share, even as it plans to roll out more enterprise-related features In addition, the company is asserting itself as a leader in its segment, defining itself as an innovator and trendsetter in its space.

To view the full article, visit https://ibn.fm/rypmd

About Sekur Private Data Ltd.

Sekur Private Data is a cybersecurity and internet privacy provider of Swiss-hosted solutions for secure and private communications. The company distributes a suite of encrypted e-mails, secure messengers and secure communication tools. Sekur Private Data sells its products through its own website, www.Sekur.com, approved distributors and telecommunications companies. The company serves consumers, businesses and governments worldwide.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to SWISF are available in the companys newsroom at https://ibn.fm/SWISF

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Global Blockchain Show Dubai curated byVAP Group, is set to take place at the Grand Hyatt Dubai on 16-17 April, 2024. The two-day event aims to bring a global audience of over 7,000 attendees along with a lineup of more than 300 speakers and over 120 sponsors.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates--(Newsfile Corp. - December 26, 2023) - The Global Blockchain Show is poised to attract professionals from industries looking to connect and network. Decision makers will be in attendance with startups making up 46% of participants to reach heights, while corporates account for 41% seeking to push technological boundaries even further. Additionally, investors and government officials will join this dialogue offering their perspectives to ignite change and drive progress. Attendees will meet top experts and entrepreneurs in the blockchain world.

Global Blockchain Show is curated by VAP Group. Since 2013, VAP Group has emerged as a prominent player in the blockchain and AI industry. As the mastermind behind the Global Blockchain Show, VAP Group has meticulously crafted an exclusive platform tailored for diverse blockchain and AI businesses. With industry-leading experts, the firm extends its expertise to a spectrum of blockchain enterprises, offering strategic solutions and innovative business strategies for almost a decade. The show will be an immersive experience, where innovation, expertise, and growth seamlessly unite in the ever-evolving landscape of blockchain technology.

Participants in this show will have the ability to stay informed about the latest trends, establish new connections with professionals in their field and discover potential partners and clients, explore investment prospects, and obtain valuable insights into regulatory matters. Furthermore, it provides a platform for companies to present their projects to a wider audience.

Vishal Parmar, CEO, VAP group stated,"In today's era, innovation holds value, and the Global Blockchain Show will act as the catalyst for this transformation. It serves as a hub where ideas converge with opportunities, cultivating the advancements that will shape economies."

Dubai, the city that is hosting this event, is widely recognized for its progress and innovation. Its commitment to promoting a culture makes it an ideal backdrop for such an occasion. The city's developed infrastructure, progressive policies, and its status as a business hub create an environment that nurtures the flourishing blockchain industry.

Global Blockchain Show invites leaders and enthusiasts worldwide to exchange insights and explore ways blockchain can contribute to global prosperity.

Global Blockchain Show, taking place in Dubai, is officially supported and curated by CryptoNewZ.

For more information visit: Global Blockchain Show.

About Global Blockchain Show:

Global Blockchain Show is the premiere web3 platform where thought leaders from the Web3 ecosystem and projects gather under one roof to share their insights and discuss future opportunities in the web3 space. This show brings together the global Web3 humans and creates exceptional opportunities like networking, learning, leadership sessions, project showcases, and much more. The Global Blockchain Show will help you explore what's new, and upcoming about the space.

For further details about the announcement, please contact:

Karthik A

Marketing Department

[email protected]

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/192349
Nanjing, China--(Newsfile Corp. - December 26, 2023) - On December 19, the "Hearts Connect along the Silk Road" International Volunteer Service Seminar, organized by the International Volunteer Service Working Committee and hosted by Office of Nanjing Municipal Civic Enhancement Committee, took place in Nanjing, known as the literary hub of the world. Experts, scholars, and youth representatives from international institutions, research institutes, and NGOs in the field of volunteer service gathered in the city to exchange experiences and achievements in promoting sustainable development through voluntary service. The event also marked the release of the "Collection of Results of Gen Z's International Volunteering Practice."





Cannot view this video? Visit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXO45KJAlf0





Gao Xin, Youth Development Expert from the UNDP in China, delivered a keynote speech



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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The International Volunteer Service Working Committee was officially established on April 27, 2022, with its secretariat located in Nanjing, showcasing the city's significance in the realm of voluntary service. Addressing the gathering, Jing Disheng, Director of the Office of Nanjing Municipal Civic Enhancement Committee, expressed confidence in Nanjing's role in advancing voluntary service globally and turning it into a vivid representation of modern Nanjing's practices.





Releasing Ceremony of the "Collection of Results of Gen Z's International Volunteering Practice"



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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Duan Guiqing, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Volunteer Service Federation, emphasized the crucial role of voluntary service in building a community with a shared future for humanity. She highlighted the positive impact of international volunteer service in enhancing mutual understanding and communication between China and other nations. Zhu Jingfang, Deputy Director of the International Volunteer Service Working Committee, stressed that international volunteer service is a crucial means for countries to engage in global governance, shape their international image, and enhance international influence.

Young people, constituting a vital force in carrying out voluntary service and constructing socialist spiritual civilization, played a central role in the event. With Z-generation youth as the main participants, experts delivered keynote speeches on topics about "Youth Participation in Volunteer Service in Addressing Climate Change, Sustainable Development, and Trends and Practices." They called upon young people to actively engage in voluntary actions and radiate the brilliance of youth.

The seminar also witnessed the release of the "Collection of Results of Gen Z's International Volunteering Practice" on the Xinhua News Agency's application, a national media platform, showcasing 20 cases of international volunteer service from Chinese NGOs, including the Nepal Earthquake Relief, Cambodian Mine Action, Rainbow SENSE Scholarship, International Free Lunch Program, China-Pakistan Medical Congress, Belt and Road Initiative, and Living Water Campaign by Chinese voluntary force such as Guizhou Blue Sky Rescue, Gansu Rainbow Volunteer Club, Red Cross Society of China, Chinese Medical Association, Overseas Chinese Charity Foundation of China, China Charity Federation, The Amity Foundation, China Foundation for Rural Development, Burundi Agricultural Poverty Reduction, Enlai Foundation, and China Foundation for Peace and Development. These cases illustrated how the collective efforts of young people assisted in rebuilding homes, promoting economic development, and fostering social progress in difficult countries and regions.





Representatives from Chinese volunteer force shared the stories



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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Representatives from Chinese volunteer force shared the stories behind international volunteer service cases. Qiu Lili, Founder of the Beijing Peaceland Foundation, shared insights into the involvement of Chinese rescue teams and volunteers in the Tham Luang cave rescue. She revealed the behind-the-scenes analysis and arrangements made by the Chinese rescue teams and volunteers, including underwater route planning. Furthermore, she narrated a compelling story about one of the rescued boys participating in professional training conducted by the Chinese emergency rescue team in Thailand five years later, becoming actively involved in subsequent rescue operations.

Wu Dan, Deputy Director of the Overseas Projects Department of the China Red Cross Foundation, shared humanitarian aid experiences in Syria, screening projects for congenital heart disease, and international free lunch initiatives in African countries. Wang Haoyu, Deputy Director of the International Development Department of the China Foundation for Rural Development, discussed their practices in establishing offices in Myanmar, Nepal, Ethiopia, and executing projects. These stories vividly illustrated the path of internationalization for the China Foundation for Rural Development.

Concluding the event, a round-table discussion was conducted on the topic of "The Path and Prospects of International Volunteer Service in the New Era," moderated by Zhang Qiang, Professor of Beijing Normal University. Guests, including Liang Jie, Executive Deputy Secretary-General of the Beijing Enlai Foundation; Zhai Yan, Chairman of the Beijing ProBono Foundation; and Feng Pingping, Deputy Director of the Brand Communication Department at the Jiangsu Center of Xinhua News Agency, engaged in a discussion about the future of international volunteer service in the new era.

Media Contact:

Ms. Shen

[email protected]

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/192350
PORTO, Portugal , Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Adamastor recently took part in the "European Conference on the Structural Integrity of Additively Manufactured Materials", thus signalling its involvement in the Hi-rEV project - Recovery of the Automotive Components Sector, the agenda for the recovery of the automotive components industry.

As part of the innovative project, Adamastor has made a commitment to implement all its experience and skills in the production of carbon fibre components, promoting research and development operations. This is just one of the ways in which Adamastor will contribute to this consortium which aims to bring together relevant companies in the sector and whose objective is to promote the essential disruptive changes in the industry which will enable companies to adapt and provide an adequate response to the targets set for the energy transition.

Through its engineering centre of excellence, the company is currently involved in a research and concept development project in the production of battery structures for electric cars, positioning itself at the forefront of the automotive sector thanks to its expertise and technologies developed in-house.

" By relying on the characteristics of carbon fibre to manufacture crucial components for the electric mobility sector, we benefit from its high strength and low weight", Frederico Ribeiro , Engineering Director at Adamastor.

The carbon fibre components allow, on the one hand, for lighter solutions, boosting the range of the vehicles for which they are intended, and, on the other, for greater structural rigidity, benefiting the essential protection of the batteries and consequent safety in the event of an accident. The structures developed are intended for a wide range of vehicles, from the micromobility segment - which is clearly growing - to heavy passenger transport vehicles, including buses for public transport, a sector that is absolutely essential if we are to achieve the objectives set with regard to carbon emissions.

About Hi-rEV

Hi-rEV  Recovery of the Automotive Components Sector is a project in co-promotion with 12 other entities, as part of the Recovery and Resilience Programme, mobilising agendas for business innovation. This mobilising project seeks to unite the diverse experiences and knowledge of both the industrial and ENESI copromoters - non-business entities in the National Scientific and Technological System - and associations, through the sharing of knowledge, to drive the transformation needed to meet the demands of the future market. In this way, three central pillars have been defined for the project, with a common focus on the areas of intervention:

Green transition of the automotive component manufacturing sector;

Digital transformation of the production system;

Economic resilience - Capacity building for new processes/products for the vehicle of the future.

These pillars, common to all the co-producers, provide an effective response to the new challenges facing the automotive components manufacturing sector and drive increased resilience through specialisation, adaptation to the markets of the future and efficiency, as well as the sustainable and inclusive growth of the sector itself, in which the retention of human capital and a high level of qualification plays a key role.

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SOURCE Adamastor
Trading Symbol: TSX: SVM

NYSE AMERICAN: SVM

Silvercorp offers to acquire all OreCorp Shares it does not already own for A$0.19 cash plus 0.0967 Silvercorp shares per OreCorp Share (the same consideration offered under the Scheme of Arrangement this offer is replacing)





Off-market takeover offer subject only to a 50.1% minimum acceptance condition (and other customary conditions)





Implied value of A$0.589 1 per OreCorp share represents a:

40% premium to OreCorp 's 20-day VWAP ending August 4, 2023

22% premium to OreCorp 's 20-day VWAP ending December 22, 2023





The OreCorp Board is unanimously recommending OreCorp shareholders ACCEPT the Offer in the absence of a Superior Proposal

VANCOUVER, BC , Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Silvercorp Metals Inc. ("Silvercorp" or the "Company") (TSX: SVM) (NYSE American: SVM) and OreCorp Limited ("OreCorp") (ASX: ORR) have entered into a Bid Implementation Deed ("BID"), pursuant to which Silvercorp has agreed to acquire, by means of an off-market takeover offer, all of the OreCorp Shares not already owned by Silvercorp for consideration comprising 0.0967 common shares of Silvercorp ("Silvercorp Shares") and A$0.19 cash per OreCorp Share (the "Consideration"), currently equivalent to A$0.589 1 per OreCorp Share (the "Offer", and overall the "Transaction").

Under the BID, Silvercorp and OreCorp have provided undertakings to each other to facilitate the Transaction. The Offer is subject to minimal conditions, including:

Silvercorp having a relevant interest in at least 50.1% of the OreCorp Shares;





no regulatory action which could reasonably be expected to restrain, impede or prohibit the Offer and completion of the Transaction;





no OreCorp material adverse change or prescribed occurrence (both terms defined in a customary manner); and





material adverse change or prescribed occurrence (both terms defined in a customary manner); and normal course listing approval for the new Silvercorp Shares to be issued

The OreCorp Board is unanimously recommending that OreCorp shareholders ACCEPT the Offer subject to their Independent Expert's Report concluding, and continuing to conclude, that the Offer is reasonable to OreCorp shareholders and there being no Superior Proposal2. Subject to those same qualifications, the OreCorp Board, who collectively hold 3.94% of the OreCorp Shares, intend to accept the Offer in respect of all OreCorp Shares they own or control.

________________________________________ 1 Value attributed to Silvercorp share and implied value attributed to OreCorp Share calculated based on the 20-day volume weighted average price ("VWAP") of Silvercorp's common shares on all U.S. exchanges for the period ending December 22, 2023 , converted to Australian dollars using a U.S. dollar to Australian dollar foreign exchange rate of 1.505. 2 As defined in the Bid Implementation Deed

Silvercorp's Chairman and CEO, Dr. Rui Feng , said: "We are pleased to adjust our Transaction with OreCorp after it became clear that the previously proposed Scheme, due to outside interference, was at risk of not completing. Our Offer is subject to a very limited number of conditions. Silvercorp obtained the required approval of the Tanzania Fair Competition Commission ("FCC") approximately two months after the application was submitted. Even if an alternative proposal is made, there is uncertainty as to whether it would be successful in receiving similar FCC approval. Accordingly, our Offer provides OreCorp Shareholders with the opportunity to receive the Consideration in a timely manner. I encourage all OreCorp Shareholders to read the forthcoming Bidder's Statement for more details about the Offer and accept the Offer as soon as possible."

This Transaction aims to create a globally diversified precious metals producer, and will provide enhanced trading liquidity, re-rating potential and the opportunity to participate in further upside from the Nyanzaga Project and Silvercorp's existing mining portfolio to shareholders of both companies. Silvercorp is well-positioned to fund and immediately move to advance Nyanzaga towards commercial production.

The development of the Nyanzaga Project is also subject to regulatory and jurisdiction risks in Tanzania . For example, the Government of Tanzania (through the Treasury Registrar) currently holds a 16% non-dilutable free carried interest (the Free Carried Interest Shares) in the share capital of Sotta Mining Corporation Limited (SMCL). In addition, the Government of Tanzania has a right to acquire, in total, up to 50% of the share capital of SMCL, determined by the total value of the tax expenditures enjoyed by SMCL. However, relevant legislation also provides that the Government of Tanzania agrees and undertakes that any increase in ownership or economic participation rights by the Government of Tanzania in addition to the 16 percent Free Carried Interest Shares will be by agreement between the parties, and that the Government of Tanzania will not unilaterally seek to increase such ownership or economic participation rights.

Silvercorp has designed, permitted and constructed multiple mining and processing facilities, requiring it to establish and maintain constructive relationships with diverse stakeholders, including communities, regulators, and various levels of government. Silvercorp looks forward to bringing its philosophy of openness, transparency and cooperation in its future dealings with the Government of Tanzania to facilitate the prompt development of Nyanzaga for the benefit of all involved.

Additional Details

The BID Deed includes market standard deal protection measures equivalent to those previously agreed under the Scheme, including "no talk" and "no due diligence" provisions (subject to a fiduciary out exception) and "no shop". It also includes notification and matching rights for Silvercorp in the event of a competing proposal. Pursuant to these deal protection measures, OreCorp has agreed, inter alia that it will not solicit, encourage or initiate any competing proposal and further, that it will not participate in any discussions or negotiations with a third party in relation to any competing proposal (unless certain conditions are satisfied, including where a failure to do so would constitute a breach of the OreCorp Board's fiduciary duties or statutory obligations).

As with the Scheme, under certain circumstances a break fee of approximately A$2.8 million will be payable by OreCorp to Silvercorp if the BID is terminated.

The Offer is not subject to the approval of the Silvercorp's shareholders and is not subject to any financing or due diligence conditions.

As of the date of this announcement, Silvercorp holds 73,889,007 OreCorp Shares, representing 15.74% of the fully paid ordinary shares of OreCorp.

Next Steps

Further detail regarding the Offer will be provided in Silvercorp's Bidder's Statement and OreCorp's Target's Statement, which are expected to be despatched shortly. The Bidder's and Target's Statements will set out important information, including how to accept the Offer and the key reasons why OreCorp shareholders should accept the Offer. The Target's Statement will include an Independent Expert's Report prepared by BDO Corporate Finance (WA) Pty Ltd.

Termination of the Scheme Implementation Deed

In conjunction with the execution of the Bid Implementation Deed, Silvercorp and OreCorp have mutually agreed to terminate the Scheme Implementation Deed dated August 5, 2023 (as amended and restated on November 23, 2023 ) ("SID", or "Scheme"), with effect from today. Accordingly, OreCorp is seeking orders from the Federal Court of Australia that the Scheme meeting of OreCorp shareholders proposed for January 18, 2024 no longer be held.

Advisors and Counsel

Canaccord Genuity Corp. is acting as financial advisor to Silvercorp. King & Wood Mallesons, Australia is acting as Silvercorp's Australian legal advisor.

OreCorp shareholders who have questions regarding the Offer should call the Silvercorp Information Line on 1300 290 691 (within Australia ) of +61 2 9066 4081 (outside Australia ) between 9:00am and 5:30pm ( Sydney time) Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays in Sydney .

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

No Offer or Solicitation

Silvercorp has not yet commenced the offer noted above to OreCorp shareholders. Upon commencement of the Offer, Silvercorp will dispatch the Bidder's statement to OreCorp shareholders in accordance with applicable Australian securities laws and will lodge the Bidder's Statement with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. The Bidder's Statement will contain important information about the Offer and should be read in its entirety by OreCorp shareholders. This news release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to buy or sell, or a solicitation of an offer to sell or buy, any securities. The Offer is being made solely by, and subject to the terms and conditions set out in the Bid Implementation Deed, Bidder's Statement and related offer documents.

The Silvercorp shares issuable pursuant to the takeover offer have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to U.S. persons unless the shares are registered under the 1933 Act, or an exemption from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act is available.

CAUTIONARY DISCLAIMER - FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain of the statements and information in this announcement may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 (Cth) and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian 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: organic growth; creating a globally diversified precious metals producer; providing enhanced trading liquidity; re-rating potential; future funding; statements regarding the actions of the Government of Tanzania ; the opportunity to participate in further upside from mergers and acquisitions; and a potential break-up fee.

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: social and economic impacts of COVID-19; completion and timing of the transactions described above; receiving the necessary approvals to satisfy the conditions to the transactions; the determination of capital gains tax; 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; non-controlling interest shareholders; financing; recent market events and conditions; economic factors; timing, estimated amount, capital and operating expenditures and economic returns of future production; integration of future acquisitions into existing operations; competition; operations and political conditions; regulatory environment in China , Canada , Australia and Tanzania ; environmental risks; legislative and regulatory initiatives addressing global climate change or other environmental concerns; foreign exchange rate fluctuations; insurance; risks and hazards of mining operations; key personnel; conflicts of interest; dependence on management; investments that are subject to risk; cybersecurity risks; internal control over financial reporting; issue of Silvercorp shares; less than 90% ownership in OreCorp; minority shareholders in OreCorp; transaction costs; due diligence; dilution; and bringing actions and enforcing judgments under U.S. and/or Australian securities laws.

This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of Silvercorp or OreCorp's forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements about the future and are inherently uncertain, and actual achievements 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 Silvercorp's Annual Information Form under the heading "Risk Factors". Although Silvercorp and OreCorp have 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. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is made by either Silvercorp or OreCorp that any forward-looking statement will be achieved or proved to be correct.

The forward-looking statements are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management as of the date of this announcement, and other than as required by applicable securities laws, neither Silvercorp nor OreCorp assumes 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. For the reasons set forth above, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional information related to Silvercorp, including Silvercorp's Annual Information Form, can be obtained under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.com, on EDGAR at www.sec.gov, and on the Silvercorp website at www.silvercorpmetals.com.

Additional information related to OreCorp can be obtained under the Company's profile on ASX at www.asx.com.au and on OreCorp's website at www.orecorp.com.au.

Cautionary Note to United States Investors

Silvercorp's reserve and resource estimates have been prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators that establishes standards for public disclosure by a Canadian company of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. OreCorp's resource estimates have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Joint Ore Reserves Committee of The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Australian Institute of Geoscientists and Minerals Council of Australia.

Australian standards and Canadian standards each differ significantly from the disclosure requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission under subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K, and mineral reserve and resource estimates disclosed by Silvercorp and OreCorp may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by U.S. companies.

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SOURCE Silvercorp Metals Inc
Forging International Partnerships and attracting valuable Foreign Direct Investment into Texas

FRISCO, Texas , Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Texas Economic Development Connection (#TexasEDConnection), powered by Day One Experts, proudly announces the completion of a groundbreaking Japan-Taiwan Economic Development Trade Mission, showcasing the strength and versatility of Texas as a global business destination. The mission, driven to forge robust international partnerships, facilitate trade expansion, and encourage foreign direct investment in Texas , marks a significant stride in international economic relations.

Prominent figures Leading the mission included Super Dave Quinn , CEcD, founder of Day One Experts, and Carole Tam , CCIM, owner of TAC Brokerage & Consulting. Their expertise and vision have been instrumental in guiding this initiative towards success. The mission also included participation from dynamic Texas communities and #TexasEDConnection partners, including Lisa Denton , Executive Director of Kilgore EDC, Rush Harris , Executive Director of Marshall EDC, and staff from Fairview EDC and Melissa IEDC, all of whom demonstrated the diverse economic opportunities available across the state.

"Leading the Japan-Taiwan Economic Development Trade Mission has been an immensely rewarding experience, both personally and professionally. I'm deeply grateful for this opportunity to represent the Texas Economic Development Connection partners on the global stage and am optimistic about the future collaborations and successes that will undoubtedly stem from this initiative. We are open for business, and ready to welcome the world with open arms." Super Dave Quinn , CEcD

The mission was also generously sponsored by the Sulphur Springs Hopkins County EDC and Schulz Trade Law , underscoring the commitment of Texas entities in fostering an environment conducive to global business growth and development.

Throughout the mission, delegates engaged in high-level discussions and networking sessions with key stakeholders in Japan and Taiwan . These interactions have paved the way for future collaborations, trade agreements, and investment opportunities. The delegation showcased Texas' robust infrastructure, business-friendly climate, and diverse workforce, positioning the state as an ideal location for international companies looking to expand or establish new operations.

For all the #TexasEDConnection partners including corporate real estate professionals, Texas economic developers, and service-based business owners assisting foreign companies in starting operations in Texas , this trade mission is a testament to the organizations commitment to market the state's readiness and capability to support international business endeavors.

The #TexasEDConnection continues to spearhead efforts to enhance Texas' global economic standing, focusing on creating sustainable and mutually beneficial international relationships. This trade mission is just one of the many initiatives undertaken to fulfill this mission.

For more information about the Japan-Taiwan Economic Development Trade Mission or investment and partnership opportunities in Texas , please contact the Texas Economic Development Connection at www.TexasEDConnection.com.

**About Texas Economic Development Connection**

The Texas Economic Development Connection is dedicated to promoting and facilitating business growth and success in Texas . As a pivotal network for economic development, #TexasEDConnection connects communities, businesses, and investors, fostering an environment where businesses can thrive and contribute to the state's vibrant economy.

Media Contact:

Jane Witowich

2147750617

[email protected]

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SOURCE Day One Experts
DUBAI (Reuters) -Iraqi authorities on Tuesday found the bodies of a Kuwaiti and a Saudi national resident in Kuwait who had gone missing while on a hunting trip in a desert area of Iraq.

An Iraqi military statement said the bodies were found after their vehicle was struck by an unexploded bomb left from the war against Islamic State militants.

On Monday, Iraqi security sources said they had launched a search operation for two Kuwaitis who were kidnapped in the desert.

A senior security official said the initial investigation suggested that unknown gunmen tried to kidnap the hunters.

The circumstances of the explosion and whether the two were in the hands of kidnappers when it occurred was not clear. The military said it was still investigating the matter.

The initial details received by Iraqi authorities showed that both hunters were Kuwaiti nationals but after further checks with security forces it appeared that one national was Kuwaiti and the other was Saudi, the source said.

Kuwait's foreign ministry also said the bodies of the missing Kuwaiti and his Saudi companion who disappeared in Iraq's western Anbar province had been found. It gave no further details.

The desert region is known to be a hiding place for Islamic State militants who are still active, Iraqi security sources told Reuters.

Kuwaiti foreign minister Sheikh Salem Abdul Al-Jaber Al-Sabah praised the Iraqi authorities for their efforts and said they were in contact to investigate the case further.

(Reporting by Jana Choukeir and Ahmed Rasheed, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil will launch a program this week to encourage companies to update their machinery and acquire more modern equipment to increase productivity, Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said on Tuesday.

After meeting with acting President Geraldo Alckmin, Haddad told reporters they discussed "a commitment we have to the industry to allow entrepreneurs to deduct (machinery) depreciation from income tax more rapidly than the law currently allows."

The current tax code allows companies to deduct capital goods purchases gradually as the asset depreciates.

Vice President Alckmin had long been discussing the program as a promise from the leftist government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to boost the industry.

By Thursday, the government will send to Congress measures to offset the fiscal impact of an approved bill that extended payroll tax exemptions for 17 sectors until 2027, Haddad said.

(Reporting by Marcela Ayres; Editing by Richard Chang)
BEIJING (Reuters) -China warned that remnants of a rocket would hit an area in the South China Sea on Tuesday, following the sixth deployment of its most powerful launch vehicle eleven days ago.

Rocket debris, which generally burns up in the atmosphere on re-entry, is expected to fall off the coast of China's island province of Hainan between 11:00 a.m. (0300 GMT) and noon (0400 GMT), said the China Maritime Safety Administration.

China launched a Long March 5 rocket on Dec. 15 from Hainan's Wenchang launch site, a sixth launch of the rocket type since its first flight in 2016. A variant of the rocket, the Long March 5B, was previously used to launch China's probe to Mars and also modules of its space station.

A 2021 launch of the Long March 5B caused particular anxiety due to speculation over where remnants would land. In 2020, debris from a Long March 5B fell on Ivory Coast, damaging several buildings.

The Long March 5 mission earlier this month successfully launched what Chinese state media described as "a high-orbit optical remote sensing satellite". The powerful rocket is normally used to launch very large payloads.

The "satellite" will be used in land surveys, crop yield assessments, environmental management, meteorological warning and forecasting, and disaster prevention and relief, said the official Xinhua news agency.

Xinhua also reported at the time of the launch that the fairing of the payload atop the rocket was 18.5 metres (60.7 feet), far longer than the usual 12.267 m, suggesting an unusually large "satellite". No images of the satellite have been released to the public.

The unusual payload has sparked guesses that it is a high-altitude satellite would hold above the Earth at a fixed location, allowing it to peer down continuously at a certain region from its perch.

(Reporting by Ryan Woo; Editing by Tom Hogue)
Jeff Fortenberry, (R-NE) speaks during testimony by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at a hearing on the State Department's budget request for 2020 in Washington, U.S. March 27, 2019. REUTERS/Erin Scott/ File Photo

By Jonathan Stempel

(Reuters) -A federal appeals court on Tuesday overturned the conviction of former Nebraska congressman Jeff Fortenberry for lying to authorities investigating illegal contributions to his 2016 reelection campaign, saying his trial was held in the wrong place.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Fortenberry should not have been tried in Los Angeles, where the Republican's campaign allegedly received $30,000 from Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire Gilbert Chagoury, just because federal agents who later interviewed him about the money worked there.

Writing for a three-judge panel, Judge James Donato said the U.S. Department of Justice could seek a new trial in Nebraska or Washington, D.C., where Fortenberry denied knowing about illegal contributions.

Prosecutors said Chagoury donated the $30,000 through "straw donors" who attended a campaign fundraiser for Fortenberry in Los Angeles. Federal law prohibits foreign nationals from contributing to campaigns for federal, state and local offices.

Donato, a district judge who normally works in San Francisco, said the trial did not belong in California just because Fortenberry's alleged false statements affected investigators there.

"This outlandish outcome cannot be squared with the Constitution," Donato wrote for the appeals court, which heard the case in Pasadena, California.

A spokesperson for U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada in Los Angeles in a statement noted the prospect for a retrial, and added: "We are evaluating potential next steps before deciding how best to move forward."

Fortenberry, who turns 63 on Wednesday, represented Nebraska's 1st congressional district for 17 years before his March 2022 conviction on two counts of making false statements and one count of scheming to conceal material facts.

He resigned from Congress that month, and was sentenced in June 2022 to two years of probation and 320 hours of community service.

"We are gratified by the Ninth Circuit's decision," Fortenberry said in a statement, citing his wife. "Celeste and I would like to thank everyone who has stood by us and supported us with their kindness and friendship."

Chagoury paid a $1.8 million fine in December 2019 to resolve a Justice Department probe that he illegally conspired to donate $180,000 to four candidates in federal elections.

The case is U.S. v. Fortenberry, 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 22-50144.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Richard Chang and Daniel Wallis)
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi attends the Tehran International Conference on Palestine, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Tehran, Iran December 23, 2023. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

ANKARA (Reuters) - Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will visit Ankara on Jan. 4 to meet his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan for talks likely to focus on the situations in Gaza and Syria as well as bilateral ties, a Turkish official said on Tuesday.

A planned visit by Raisi in late November was postponed due to the conflicting schedules of the two regional powers' foreign ministers, the official also said. At the time, Turkey's foreign minister was in New York as part of a "contact group" of Muslim countries on Gaza.

Turkey, which supports a two-state solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has harshly criticised Israel for its attacks on Gaza, called for an immediate ceasefire, and said Israeli leaders should be tried in international courts for war crimes.

While it has ramped up its rhetoric against Israel since it launched its air and ground assault on Gaza in retaliation for Palestinian militant group Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, Turkey has also maintained commercial ties with Israel, prompting criticism from some opposition parties and Iran.

Unlike its Western allies and some Arab nations, NATO member Turkey does not consider Hamas a terrorist group.

Its neighbour to the east, Iran stands at the head of what it calls the Axis of Resistance, a loose coalition that includes Hamas as well as armed Shi'ite Muslim groups around the region that have militarily confronted Israel and its Western allies. It has voiced support for Hamas and warned of wider consequences if the fighting in Gaza continues.

Turkey and Iran have usually had complicated ties, standing at loggerheads on a host of issues, primarily the Syrian civil war. Ankara politically and militarily backs rebels looking to oust President Bashar al-Assad, while Tehran supports his government.

While several rounds of talks have been held between Syrian, Turkish, Iranian and Russian representatives to find a political solution to the war, Ankara has also moved to improve ties with Assad as part of a regional diplomatic push launched in 2020.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Ece Toksabay and Angus MacSwan)
TOKYO (Reuters) - The Japanese government will freeze assets and impose sanctions on payments and capital transactions on three senior Hamas members, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Tuesday.

The three individuals were believed to be involved in the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel and in a position to use funds to finance such terrorist activities, the top Japanese government spokesperson said.

(Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico re-launched former state airline Mexicana de Aviacion on Tuesday, setting out plans to increase operations with 10 additional aircraft next year, the government said.

During President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's daily press conference, a video was broadcast showing a Mexicana Boeing 737-800 taking of from the Felipe Angeles International Airport (AIFA) north of Mexico City destined for the beach resort of Tulum.

The airline run by the Defense Ministry currently has three planes and is renting two, but aims to add 10 next year with leasing deals, Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval said.

The additional rented planes should arrive in the first few months of 2024, Sandoval added.

The airline is also in talks with Boeing to place an order for new planes that could take about two years to be incorporated into the fleet, Sandoval said, without disclosing how many Mexicana is looking to acquire.

The new lift-off is the latest step in Lopez Obrador's handover of traditionally civilian-led duties such as airports, railways, natural parks and hotels to the armed forces.

"We need a strong institution of the Mexican state to be in charge of managing all these new public works that are being done for the development of the country with money from all Mexicans," Lopez Obrador told the news conference.

Mexicana is set to operate flights from the military-run AIFA, which Lopez Obrador opened last year.

Mexicana entered bankruptcy proceedings in 2010, years after being privatized, and Lopez Obrador had vowed to revive it to offer low-cost options to travelers.

The government announced in August it bought the Mexicana brand for $48 million.

A company controlled by the Defense Ministry took over four local airports last month, adding to the seven it already runs.

(Reporting by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
Swedish and NATO flags are seen printed on paper this illustration taken April 13, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

By Huseyin Hayatsever

ANKARA (Reuters) - The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs commission approved Sweden's NATO membership bid on Tuesday in a key step towards enlarging the Western bloc after 19 months of delays in which Ankara demanded security-related concessions from Stockholm.

The commission, controlled by President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party, voted to back the bid - which Sweden made last year in the face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine - after some four hours of debate, including talks on other matters. It had postponed a vote on the bid after an earlier debate on Nov. 16.

The next step is a vote in the parliament general assembly, where Erdogan's party also holds a majority. It is also expected to pass there in a vote that could be held within weeks. Erdogan would then sign it into law, concluding a process that has frustrated some of Ankara's allies and tested its Western ties.

Commission head Fuat Oktay played down expectations for a speedy vote in the general assembly, telling reporters in parliament that the parliament speaker would decide on timing.

"The decision to submit it to the general assembly has been made now, but this should not be interpreted as (a sign) that it will pass the general assembly with the same speed. There is no such thing," Oktay said. Parliament is set for a two-week recess in early January.

Erdogan's AK Party, its nationalist MHP allies, and the main opposition CHP voted in favour of ratification, while the small Islamist Felicity party and right nationalist Iyi party voted against it.

In a statement following the commission's approval, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said Sweden welcomed the move and looked forward to joining NATO.

Boris Ruge, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy, said on social messaging platform X that the commission's approval was "excellent news".

Oguz Kaan Salici, a lawmaker from the CHP and member of the commission, told Reuters that his party had asked for an explanation on what had changed since the Nov. 16 commission meeting, adding he expected all parties to take a similar stance in the general assembly.

"We questioned what changed from the last meeting to this meeting. As the main opposition party, we asked for this to be explained to us. They briefed us on the steps Sweden has taken, Turkey's foreign policy priorities, and openly referred to the talks between President Erdogan and (U.S. President Joe) Biden," Salici said.

TURKISH OBJECTIONS

Erdogan raised objections in May last year to both Swedish and Finnish requests to join the alliance over what he said was their protection of those Turkey deems terrorists and over their defence trade embargoes.

Turkey ratified Finland's bid in April, but kept Sweden waiting until it took more steps to crack down on local members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which the European Union and United States also list as a terrorist group.

In response, Stockholm introduced a new anti-terrorism bill that makes being a member of a terrorist organisation illegal, saying that it had upheld its part of a deal signed last year.

Sweden and NATO members Finland, Canada and the Netherlands also took steps to relax Turkey arms-export policies.

While NATO member Hungary has also not ratified Sweden's membership, Turkey is seen as the main roadblock to adding the Scandinavian nation to the military alliance and bolstering its defences in the Baltic Sea region.

Erdogan sent Sweden's bid to parliament in October, but has also linked its ultimate ratification with U.S. approval of sales of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. After a call with Biden this month, he said Washington was eyeing the ratification to move on the request.

The White House backs the sale, though there is no clear timeframe for the U.S. Congress to approve it and Turkey faces some congressional opposition over delaying NATO enlargement and over its human rights record.

Turkey's tough diplomacy over the last 18 months irked some alliance members amid the war in Ukraine. Unlike its allies, Ankara maintains good relations with Moscow as well as Kyiv, opposing Russia's invasion but also the Western sanctions on Russia.

(Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever; Additional reporting by Simon Johnson in Stockholm and Andrew Gray in Brussels; Writing by Ece Toksabay and Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Peter Graff and Nick Macfie)
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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):

Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETH)

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Delaware 000-56193 82-6677805 (State or Other Jurisdiction

of Incorporation) (Commission File Number) (IRS Employer

Identification No.) c/o Grayscale Investments, LLC 290 Harbor Drive, 4th Floor Stamford , Connecticut 06902 (Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

Registrants Telephone Number, Including Area Code: 212 668-1427

N/A

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)  Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:



Title of each class Trading

Symbol(s)

Name of each exchange on which registered Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETH) Shares ETHE N/A

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 ( 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ( 240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. 

Item 8.01 Other Events.

On December 26, 2023, Grayscale Investments, LLC, the sponsor (the Sponsor) of Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETH), announced that Barry E. Silbert and Mark Murphy notified the sole member of Sponsor (the Sole Member) of their resignation from the board of directors of the Sponsor (the Board) effective January 1, 2024, and that the Sole Member appointed Mark Shifke, Matthew Kummell and Edward McGee to the Board effective January 1, 2024. Mr. Shifke succeeds Mr. Silbert as Chairman of the Board. Effective January 1, 2024, the Board consists of Mr. Shifke, Mr. Kummell, Michael Sonnenshein, and Mr. McGee, who also retain the authority granted to them as officers under the limited liability company agreement of the Sponsor.

Mark Shifke, Chairman of the Board

Mark Shifke, 64, is the Chief Financial Officer of Digital Currency Group, Inc. (DCG). Since March 2021, Mr. Shifke has served on the board of directors of Dock Ltd., a full-stack payments and digital banking platform. Since September 2023, Mr. Shifke has served on the board of directors of Luno, a cryptocurrency platform. Mr. Shifke has nearly four decades of financial and fintech experience, and more than eight years of CFO experience leading two publicly-traded companies. Prior to joining DCG, Mr. Shifke served as CFO of Billtrust, a company focused on providing AR and cloud-based solutions around payments, and as CFO of Green Dot (NYSE: GDOT), a mobile banking company and payments platform. Previously, Mr. Shifke led teams at JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs, specializing in M&A Structuring and Advisory, as well as Tax Asset Investments. Mr. Shifke also served as the Head of International Structured Finance Group at KPMG. Mr. Shifke began his career at Davis Polk, where he was a partner. He is a graduate of Tulane University (B.A./J.D.) and the New York University School of Law (LL.M. in Taxation).

Matthew Kummell, Board Member

Matt Kummell, 47, is Senior Vice President of Operations at DCG. In this role, Mr. Kummell leads the businesss post-investment efforts, including investment operations and value creation with regard to DCGs portfolio companies. Since December 2023, Mr. Kummell has served as a member of the board of directors of Foundry, a digital asset mining and staking company. Until November 2023, Mr. Kummell served on the board of directors of CoinDesk, Inc., a digital media, events and information services company for the crypto asset and blockchain technology community. Until January 2012, Mr. Kummell served on the board of directors of Derivix Corporation, a financial services software company. Prior to joining DCG, Mr. Kummell was the Head of North America for Citis Business Advisory Services team, a strategic consulting practice focused on institutional investor clients in Citis Markets division. Mr. Kummell has also held strategic and front-office leadership roles at Citadel, Balyasny Asset Management, and S.A.C. Capital Advisors, the predecessor to Point 72 Asset Management. Previously, Mr. Kummell served as a case team leader at Bain & Company in its Boston headquarters. Mr. Kummell is an Adjunct Professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles (B.A.) and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College (MBA).

Edward McGee, Board Member and Chief Financial Officer

Edward McGee, 40, serves on the Audit Committee of the Sponsor, and has been the Chief Financial Officer of the Sponsor since January 2022. Before serving in such role, Mr. McGee was Vice President, Finance and Controller of the Sponsor since June 2019. Prior to taking on his role at the Sponsor, Mr. McGee served as a Vice President, Accounting Policy at Goldman, Sachs & Co. providing coverage to their SEC Financial Reporting team facilitating the preparation and review of their financial statements and provided U.S. GAAP interpretation, application and policy development while servicing their Special Situations Group, Merchant Banking Division and Urban Investments Group from 2014 to 2019. From 2011 to 2014, Mr. McGee was an auditor at Ernst & Young providing assurance services to publicly listed companies. Mr. McGee earned his Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the John H. Sykes College of Business at the University of Tampa and graduated with honors while earning his Master of Accountancy in Financial Accounting from the Rutgers Business School at the State University of New Jersey. Mr. McGee is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the state of New York.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

Grayscale Investments, LLC as Sponsor of Grayscale

Ethereum Trust (ETH) Date: December 26, 2023 By: /s/ Michael Sonnenshein Michael Sonnenshein

Chief Executive Officer

ATTACHMENTS / EXHIBITS

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XBRL TAXONOMY EXTENSION SCHEMA DOCUMENT

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IDEA: ethe-20231226_htm.xml

IDEA: Financial_Report.xlsx

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New facilities for Marines on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, are largely complete, although work was ongoing beside one recently built hangar on Nov. 30. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)

CAMP BLAZ, Guam  Starting late next year, a logistics detachment is expected to kick off a long-awaited, multiyear relocation of Marines from Okinawa to the services newest base in the Indo-Pacific.

The main cantonment of Camp Blaz, Gaum  named in honor of the late Brig. Gen. Vincente Ben Blaz, a Guam native  has been under construction since August 2017 to host about 1,300 members of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. Another 3,700 Marines will be based there as a rotational force.

The first group of Marines to move from Okinawa will be a small detachment of logistics Marines, Blaz spokeswoman Maj. Diann Rosenfeld told Stars and Stripes Nov. 30 during a tour of the 4,000-acre base. Its been operated by a skeleton staff since it officially opened in January.

Rosenfeld didnt identify the detachment that would make the first move but said additional detachments will follow to build the foundations to receive more and more Marines.

We will be at full operational capability in 2028, she said.

The 50 Marines already assigned to Blaz are working out of newly built offices for Marine aviation units at nearby Andersen Air Force Base on Guams northern coast.

Under an agreement with the United States to move Marines off Okinawa, Japan is paying $3 billion of the estimated $8.6 billion needed to build Blaz and its surrounding infrastructure.

The plan to move Marines off Okinawa was born out of massive protests following the 1995 rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan girl by two Marines and a sailor. Locals also demanded the closure of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma due to safety concerns in a densely packed urban area and sought a smaller U.S. military footprint there.

The southern island prefecture is home to about 30,000 U.S. troops  about half of all American service members based in Japan.

Hive of activity

Marine facilities on Andersen are largely complete, although work is ongoing. They include a pair of large hangars  each able to accommodate a squadron of 12 MV-22 Osprey aircraft  a logistics building and a wing support building.

A fitness center for the Marines is already up and running on Andersen and a dining facility will open in the summer, Rosenfeld said.

A live-fire complex between Blazs main cantonment and Andersen is also largely complete, although work is still underway on a machine gun range.

Bullets are already blasting down the Mason Live Fire Range Complex, which is being validated by the Defense Department and will have its official grand opening early next year, range director Robert Ledyard said during Stripes visit.

Blazs main cantonment, where the bulk of Marines will live and work, was a hive of activity during Stars and Stripes visit. Forty construction projects were ongoing, and an army of yellow-vested contract workers swarmed over gray concrete rising from brown dirt amid clouds of dust.

Construction workers build Marine Corps barracks at Camp Blaz, Guam, on Nov. 30. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)

Jungle has been cleared, the terrain landscaped down to bedrock, and waterworks and underground utilities have been installed. Roads are in place, although Blaz is designed to allow Marines to walk around the campus.

A headquarters building, post office and medical clinic appear close to completion. Several multistory barracks, which will each accommodate hundreds of officers or enlisted troops, loom over the base, although each is a work in progress.

Work on the base to date has cost $2.5 billion, Rosenfeld said. U.S.-funded projects at Blaz have an estimated budget of $680 million for fiscal year 2024. Japan-funded projects there are worth an estimated $430 million for the same period.

Graves and butterflies

The Marines have preserved several ancient, unmarked graves on the base. Unearthed during construction, the graves contain the remains of indigenous people who inhabited the site in pre-colonial times.

One grave site has been landscaped with plaques added and a crypt built to inter any other remains discovered on Blaz. Other graves have been left in their natural state and will be fenced off, Rosenfeld said.

The Marines are helping conserve endangered Mariana eight-spot butterflies that flutter around Guams north end by creating habitats for them behind the firing ranges, she said.

Some locals, however, see potential pitfalls as the Marines build up their presence on the island.

Leland Bettis, a director of the Guam-based Pacific Center for Island Security, said the Marines had cleared hundreds of acres of pristine forest and disturbed historical sites, such as the graves, to build the base.

Theres potential for pressure on off-base housing or clashes with local culture with the arrival of so many additional Marines on Guam, he told Stars and Stripes at the Hotel Nikko Guam on Dec. 1.

Marine Maj. Sean Fay has watched the base take shape during his three-year stint on Guam, he said at Andersen a day earlier.

The aviation officer said he has helped incoming Marine, Navy and foreign aviation units take advantage of the facilities built for future Blaz troops.

Fay said Task Force 72 from Naval Air Facility Misawa in northeastern Japan has operated its P-8A Poseidon surveillance planes out of one of the Marines new Andersen hangars. The building has also been used by fighter jets deployed from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni near Hiroshima.

In January, aviators will be able to use a second hangar built for Marines at Andersen, he said.

Guam has plenty of fun things for Marines to do in their free time, added Fay, whose family lives in off-base housing near Blaz.

I take my son to the beach and do snorkeling, swimming, surfing and hiking, he said.

Its been interesting watching the new base take shape, Fay added.

When I got there, the main cantonment was just earth, he said. And now its all coming together.
Brig. Gen. Adam Chalkley, right, commander of 3rd Marine Logistics Group, presents the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal to Sgt. Malik Pugh at Camp Kinser, Okinawa,Japan, on Dec. 6, 2023. (Sydni Jessee/U.S. Marine Corps)

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa  A Marine on Okinawa who repaired a mobile satellite communications terminal with a 3D-printed part earlier this year was recognized by the Marine Corps recently for his effort.

Sgt. Malik Pugh, 24, a digital wideband systems maintainer with Marine Wing Communications Squadron 18, was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal during a Dec. 6 ceremony at Camp Kinser, according to a Marine news release shortly afterward. The award was presented by Brig. Gen. Adam Chalkley, commander of the 3rd Marine Logistics Group.

Pugh, of Fairview Heights, Ill., distinguished himself over the summer, when he was called to work on a mobile communications satellite on wheels, known as a Very Small Aperture Terminal-Large, according to his award recommendation from the Corps. The terminal allows the exchange of high-bandwidth voice, video and data in support of intelligence and logistics missions.

Pugh and other repairmen began to tinker with the terminal to find out what caused the shutdown, the recommendation said. He soon identified the culprit, a faulty WCTRL-11 cable, called a Whiskey-11 by the Marines.

The cable, which carries data signals, is made up of several parts that must be ordered individually to field a viable replacement, Lt. Col. Matt Bowman, assistant chief of staff for communications and electronics with the 3rd Marine Logistics Group, told Stars and Stripes by email Dec. 19.

The part, a $0.48 plastic housing for pin connectors that plugs directly into the terminal, was on back order, meaning it would take more than a year to arrive.

I was like, OK, Ill be back tomorrow with a cable,  Pugh recalled Dec. 18 at his home workshop at Camp Foster. We have the schematics; its not that hard to build.

Pugh spent dozens of hours at home designing the specialized connector in a computer-aided design file, according to the recommendation. Soon, his LulzBot 3D printer was spinning plastic filament; he also had to perform the tedious task of rewiring the cable.

Marine Sgt. Malik Pugh in his home workshop at Camp Foster in Okinawa, Japan, on Dec. 18. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)

Armed with a working prototype, Pugh brought the file to Marines of 3rd Maintenance Battalion, the recommendation said. They printed the final product, which was then successfully tested.

The terminal was brought back online, and Pughs plastic connector was deemed a worthy stopgap going forward, the recommendation said.

He looked for a solution outside of the training manual and was able to help increase the readiness of one of our critical communications assets, Bowman said. His impact goes beyond the operational success of satellite repair.

The Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal is awarded to service members below the rank of colonel for meritorious service or achievement in combat or noncombat. The medal may either recognize sustained performance or a specific achievement that does not warrant a higher award.

For Pugh, making the part was just another day at the office, he said. The Marine is known around Okinawa for cruising to work on a motorized skateboard; his barracks workshop at Kinser was notoriously packed with electronics and tools.

Now living in family housing on Foster, the workshop full of remote-controlled cars, humanoid robots and commercial drones, has grown in size. He said he hopes his technical acumen inspires a new generation of tech-savvy Marines.

If you got somebody thinking on their feet out there, man, thats a lethal weapon right there, Pugh said. Thats something I want to spread to other Marines.
Construction work continued on a Marine Corps runway at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, on Sept. 15, 2022. (Frank Andrews/Stars and Stripes)

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa  A Japanese Cabinet minister is expected to signal a return to work on a Marine Corps runway at Camp Schwab on Thursday, three days after Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki ignored a court order to approve construction changes himself.

Japanese Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Tetsuo Saito notified Okinawa prefecture on Tuesday morning that Saito by proxy on Thursday will approve 3-year-old requests for permits for construction changes at the airfield, a spokesman for the ministrys Water and Disaster Management Bureau told Stars and Stripes by phone Tuesday.

The runway being built on reclaimed land in Oura Bay in the rural Henoko area of Okinawa is a planned replacement for Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in urban, densely populated Ginowan.

A copy of Saitos letter was sent via email Tuesday morning; the original letter is expected to arrive at the Okinawa prefectural government offices on Wednesday afternoon. The ministry spokesman called Tamakis refusal truly regrettable.

Some government officials in Japan may speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.

Tamaki may take the case again to Japans Supreme Court, he said in a statement posted Monday on the prefectures website. The court in September ruled against him on nearly the same question.

There are various problems with the judgment, and I decided it was difficult to give the approval as a governor entrusted by many prefectural citizens who oppose the construction of Henoko new base, he wrote Monday.

The prefecture plans to file another appeal with the Supreme Court by Wednesday, a spokesman for the prefectures Henoko Base Construction Countermeasures Division said by phone Tuesday.

Tamaki, who opposes the U.S. military presence in Okinawa, in November 2021 denied the pending requests for permits at Schwab but was overruled by Saito, who deemed the governors decision illegal and unreasonable.

Tamaki began a protracted legal battle, filing and losing three suits to block the permits, culminating in the September loss at the Supreme Court.

The governor continued to refuse the permits and the Fukuoka High Court, Naha branch, on Dec. 20 ruled again in Saitos favor and ordered Tamaki to approve the permits by Monday.

Appealing to the Supreme Court cannot halt the construction. Japans Local Autonomy Act states that the latest decision by the Fukuoka High Court remains in effect unless the Supreme Court overturns the ruling.

Tamaki argues that the soft seabed in the construction zone poses a hazard and that Tokyo had failed to consider the environmental impact on the endangered dugong, a cousin of the manatee protected by Japanese law.

The Sankei Shinbun, citing unnamed sources at Japans Ministry of Defense, reported Tuesday that the reclamation work on Oura Bay will resume on Jan. 12.

A spokesman for the Defense Bureau, which represents the Defense Ministry in the prefecture and had asked for the construction changes, declined to provide the starting date of the reclamation work when reached by phone Tuesday.
Navy mine countermeasures ship USS Devastator departs Naval Support Activity Bahrain for sea trials Dec. 17, 2023. The ship underwent a seven-month maintenance period, which was completed 18 days ahead of schedule. (MacAdam Kane Weissman/U.S. Navy)

NAPLES, Italy  A Navy mine countermeasures ship based in Bahrain could be back on duty earlier than expected after crews finished months of scheduled maintenance more than two weeks ahead of time.

A seven-month project on USS Devastator was completed Dec. 18, the Forward Deployed Regional Maintenance Center in Naples said in a statement issued Wednesday. The expected end date for the work was 18 days later, according to the statement.

The maintenance center serves U.S. 6th Fleet and U.S. 5th Fleet and has detachments in Bahrain and Spain.

Devastator will rejoin three sister ships as the U.S. and other nations work to address missile and drone attacks on international vessels in the Red Sea.

The project included work on propulsion systems, electrical systems and structural areas as well as hull inspection and preservation on the 33-year-old, wooden-hulled ship, according to the statement.

The work was done by the maintenance centers Bahrain detachment.

Devastators return to the fleet comes as Iran-backed Houthi rebels continue attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

On Saturday, the destroyer USS Laboon shot down four drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen coming toward the ship as it patrolled in the southern part of the sea, U.S. Central Command posted on its account on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Two tankers in the sea also came under drone attacks Saturday, with one sustaining a hit but no injuries.

The same day, two Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles were fired into international shipping lanes in the Red Sea. There were no reports of ships being hit, CENTCOM said.

As of Saturday, there had been 15 attacks on commercial ships by Houthi militants since Oct. 17, according to CENTCOM.

Commissioned in 1990, Devastator is among four Avenger-class mine countermeasures vessels homeported in Bahrain that can find, classify and destroy moored and bottom mines, according to the Navys website. The others are USS Sentry, USS Gladiator and USS Dextrous.

Four more of the same class are homeported in Sasebo, Japan.

Equipped with sonar and video systems, the ships also have cable cutters and a mine-detonating device that can be released and controlled remotely, the Navy said on its website.

They are armed with two .50 caliber machine guns, two M60.7 62 mm machine guns and two MK19 grenade launchers, according to the Navy.
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Laboon (DDG 58) arrives in Rota, Spain, Dec. 8, 2023. On Tuesday, Dec., 26, 2023, the USS Laboon and American fighter jets shot down 12 drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles and two land-attack cruise missiles in the southern Red Sea that were fired by the Yemen-based Houthis over a 10-hour period. (Elexia Morelos/U.S. Navy)

U.S. forces in the Middle East shot down a barrage of enemy weapons Tuesday off the coast of Yemen during a sustained attack that lasted for several hours, officials said.

Americans stationed in the region have seen an uptick in insurgent attacks over the last several weeks, which started not long after the militant group Hamas launched a surprise assault on Israel in October. So far, none of the attacks on U.S. bases have caused any American deaths or serious property damage to the bases.

On Tuesday, U.S. fighter jets and a warship shot down an onslaught of missiles and attack drones in the southern Red Sea over a 10-hour period, military officials said. The downed weapons included a dozen one-way attack drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles and two land attack cruise missiles.

U.S. assets, to include the USS Laboon and F/A-18 Super Hornets from the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, shot [them] down, said U.S. Central Command, the Pentagons top combatant command in the Middle East. There was no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries.

It wasnt clear exactly what the drones and missiles were targeting, but U.S. forces in the region have carried out a number of self-defense strikes and shot down other drones and rockets in recent months.

Officials said the attacks Tuesday were launched by Houthi rebels, Iranian-aligned militants that have been fighting with the Yemeni government since 2014. The western coast of Yemen borders the Red Sea.

Houthi rebels have also been attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea, which is a vital trade route in the area.

Tuesdays confrontation came one day after a militant attack in northern Iraq injured three American service members, one critically. In response, President Joe Biden ordered retaliatory strikes against the Iranian-aligned Kataib Hezbollah group in at least three locations in Iraq before dawn on Tuesday.

Attacks by Iranian-backed militant groups began sOct. 17, the date that a blast at a hospital in Gaza killed hundreds.

Iranian-backed militias have carried out more than 100 attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria since the start of the Israel-Hamas war more than two months ago.
Ukraine said Tuesday it had destroyed a large Russian landing ship docked in a Crimean port in an overnight attack  potentially striking a major blow against Russias already damaged Black Sea Fleet.

Russian officials confirmed the attack but said only that the ship and some surrounding buildings had been damaged. The Washington Post could not independently confirm the scale of the damage.

The Ukrainian Air Force said on its Telegram channel that it attacked the port of Feodosia around 2:30 a.m. local time. The port is in eastern Crimea, the contested peninsula that Moscow annexed in 2014 and has occupied since.

A video showing a fire followed by a massive explosion that could be seen from miles away was verified by social media intelligence firm Storyful as being shot at the right time and place to coincide with the attack.

Ukraine has launched a series of air attacks on Russian ships and ports in Crimea and the Black Sea throughout the war, seeking to make it harder for Russia to move troops and arms around the region and aiming to score high-profile victories through the sinking of powerful and expensive ships.

In April 2022, Ukraine sank the flagship of Russias Black Sea Fleet, the Moskva missile cruiser, giving a major morale boost to the Ukrainian army two months into the war.

In September 2023, Ukraine struck a shipyard and Russias navy headquarters in Crimea in the city of Sevastopol, according to the Associated Press. In November, Ukraine damaged another ship in the port of Kerch.

The 370-foot-long ship that Ukraine claimed to have sunk on Tuesday, the Novocherkassk, is designed to land troops and vehicles during amphibious assaults. It can carry 10 tanks and 340 personnel. The ships regular crew is 87 people. Ukraines military had previously claimed to have damaged it in May during another attack.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it shot down two Ukrainian SU-24 jets that had launched missiles at the port. A spokesman for Ukraines air force denied the claim in an interview with Radio Liberty, pointing out Russian officials often say planes have been shot down when they havent been.

Ukraines largely Soviet-era air force has been strained throughout the conflict. NATO governments including Holland and Denmark have said they will supply U.S.-made F-16 jets to Ukraine, but pilots are still being trained to fly the planes.

Natalia Abbakumova contributed to this report.
Ukrainian forces operate during a Vampire drones night mission on the front line in Ukraine on Oct. 28, 2023. (Julia Kochetova/Bloomberg)

KYIV  Ukraines top general on Tuesday called for mobilizing more troops, a rare acknowledgment of heavy casualties after nearly two years of war with Russia.

In his first news conference since Russias invasion in February 2022, Gen. Valery Zaluzhny also conceded that Ukrainian troops have largely withdrawn from the eastern Ukrainian town of Marinka. The loss of the small settlement, now in ruins, is unlikely to have a significant impact on the larger battlefield but is nonetheless a sign that Russian forces have seized the initiative after Ukraines disappointing counteroffensive stalled with the coming of winter.

In what could be a major blow against Russias already damaged Black Sea Fleet, however, Ukraine said Tuesday that it had destroyed a large Russian landing ship docked in a Crimean port in an overnight attack. Russian officials confirmed the attack but said only that the ship and some surrounding buildings had been damaged. The Washington Post could not independently confirm the scale of the damage.

The Ukrainian air force said on its Telegram channel that it attacked the port of Feodosia around 2:30 a.m. local time. The port is in eastern Crimea, the contested peninsula that Moscow annexed in 2014 and has occupied since.

With the war largely at a stalemate, mobilization for whats expected to be a long fight has been a prominent topic of discussion here. The text of a draft law posted on the website of Ukraines parliament late Monday proposed lowering the conscription age from 27 to 25.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week that Ukraines military leadership had proposed drafting up to 500,000 more troops. Adding another half-million soldiers or so, Zelensky said, would cost more than $13 billion. This is a very serious number, Zelensky said, adding that he wanted to hear more justification for why so many people should be mobilized.

Zaluzhny emphasized Tuesday that he hadnt said anything about a need for 500,000 or 400,000 soldiers  only a general need. To bring home soldiers whod enlisted at the start of Russias invasion, he said, Ukraine needed to start training more soldiers now.

Our needs are resources, Zaluzhny said. Its weapons, its ammunition, its people. We calculate all of this in formulating our needs  people who we have lost, people who we could lose in the next year.

How to fill the ranks has been a source of growing tension between Zaluzhny and Zelensky. Zelensky has so far declined to approve new draft measures without a war plan that includes the demobilization of already active soldiers.

As of now, I did not see demobilization in their plan. And that is a number one question, an issue of justice for those fighting at the war front for so long, Zelensky said last week.

But Zaluzhny pushed back against questions about imminent demobilization, adding that he hoped that in 2025  after three years of service for those who joined the fight at the start of Russias 2022 invasion  hed be able to replace these people who are currently doing their jobs in extremely difficult conditions.

Even providing rest for current troops, he acknowledged, was proving difficult. To comply with a law mandating that soldiers rotate out after six months, Zaluzhny said, he would need at least two times more troops  and even more if Russian launched a new onslaught.

If were working with demobilization after 36 months, then more likely than not, we have to start the process of preparing people of conscription age already next year, he said.

Ukraines military is believed to have about 1 million members in its ranks, though the number has not been publicly disclosed. Kyiv considers its casualty figures a state secret, but U.S. officials have estimated that more than 120,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or wounded, far fewer than Russia, which also benefits from a larger army.

Next year, Zaluzhny assured, would be different, though he declined to give any specifics. We only have to fight, he said.

Gerrit De Vynck and Mary Ilyushina contributed to this report.
An undated file photo shows Army Pvt. Homer J. Mitchell of Portales, N.M., at age 20. Mitchell was killed in Germany during World War II, and his remains were identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency in July. (DPAA)

This story has been corrected

A New Mexico soldier killed 79 years ago in a German forest during World War II will be buried in his hometown this spring after a multiyear effort to identify his remains, the Defense Department said.

Army Pvt. Homer J. Mitchell, who was 20 when he died, was successfully accounted for in July, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said in a Dec. 18 statement.

A resident of Portales, N.M., Mitchell served with the 359th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division. He was killed in the Pachten Forest near the town of Dillingen, roughly 20 miles northwest of Saarbruecken.

In the aftermath of the Allied victory, the American Graves Registration Command was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel in Europe.

They conducted several investigations in the Pachten Forest area between 1946 and 1950 but were unable to recover or identify Mitchells remains. He was officially declared killed in action in November 1951, the DPAA statement said.

Army Pvt. Homer J. Mitchell of Portales, N.M., was killed in Germany's Pachten Forest during World War II. He was accounted for by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency in July. (DPAA)

In 2018, a DPAA historian discovered what would turn out to be Mitchells remains while studying unresolved American losses connected to the fighting in the Pachten Forest area.

The DPAA determined that one set of unidentified remains, recovered in February 1946 from that area, may be those of Mitchell.

The remains had been interred in the United States Military Cemetery, now called Brittany American Cemetery, in 1950, DPAA said. In 2021, the remains were disinterred for analysis.

Mitchells name is on the Walls of the Missing at Lorraine American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in St. Avold, France, along with the others still missing from World War II.

Now, a rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate that he has been accounted for, DPAA said. Mitchell will be buried in Portales on April 26, 2024.

His battalion had been tasked with holding a defensive position against the Germans. He was reported killed in action on Dec. 10 by enemy artillery fire, but the intensity of the fighting prevented evacuation of his body.

American commanders eventually ordered the regiment to withdraw, but many casualties were nonrecoverable, the statement said.

The DPAA has worked for many decades to recover U.S. troops lost in Europe during World War II. The group often collaborates with German researchers in those efforts.

In 2015, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency opened a detachment in Germany to facilitate its investigations.
The North Texas Municipal Water District, which supplies water to Plano and other fast-growing suburbs in Collin County, is the latest target of a ransomware attack. (Smiley N. Pool, The Dallas Morning News/TNS)

In late November, an Iranian-backed hacking group attacked Israeli-made digital controls commonly used in the water and wastewater industries in the U.S., affecting multiple organizations across several states.

That same month, the North Texas Municipal Water District, which supplies water to more than 2 million customers, was the victim of a ransomware attack. And earlier this year, hackers linked to Chinas Peoples Liberation Army attacked a water utility in Hawaii, according to the Washington Post.

While none of the intrusions affected water quality or supply or disabled any critical function, theyve all taken place while the U.S. government has been haggling with municipal water associations and policymakers over how best to protect one of the nations most critical resources from cyberattacks.

The Iranian-linked hacks were a wake-up call that has jolted officials to redouble efforts to agree on at least minimum standards of security. But little actual progress has been made so far.

The recent events highlight that our national cybersecurity isnt where it needs to be, said Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser, speaking to reporters earlier this month. The White House is now working closely with Congress to beef up the EPAs authority to ensure minimum cybersecurity practices across the water sector, she said.

The next time could be much worse. The water system is an especially vulnerable part of U.S. infrastructure, fraught with weak controls, insufficient funding, staffing shortages and a lack of trust between the industry and government agencies. In October, the Environmental Protection Agency was forced to rescind plans introduced earlier this year that required states to evaluate the adequacy of cybersecurity protections at water facilities in order to help bolster defenses and mitigate exposure. Republican lawmakers in three states called the oversight illegal, accusing the EPA of overreach.

Less than two months later, a group that goes by the name CyberAv3ngers, and that the U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency said is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, targeted digital control devices used in the water and wastewater industries made by Israeli company Unitronics. The hackers, who sought out devices connected to the internet with default passwords, disabled the digital display screens used to adjust water pressure and left a message: You have been hacked, down with Israel.

The U.S. government has pushed to help secure all public utility infrastructure from the rising threat of digital incursions, and earlier this year rolled out a cybersecurity plan to bolster protections on critical sectors and make software companies legally liable when their products dont meet basic standards.

But the water sector has been more problematic than others because it comprises about 150,000 active public water systems across the country. Of those, 97% serve communities of 10,000 people or fewer and have minimal staffing. Many of them depend on tiny snippets of state or local government funding, leaving little to invest in technical expertise.

The Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa, which serves about 15,000 people around Pittsburgh, was at the center of the Iranian-linked group hack. Cybersecurity experts had expected an uptick in activity by state-backed Iranian and pro-Palestinian hackers since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas.

The cyberattacks extended beyond the small Western Pennsylvanian water authority and left vulnerable other industries that use the same equipment, which can be found in energy, food and beverage manufacturing, and healthcare, according to CISA. At least 10 water-related operations were affected by the CyberAv3ngers attack, a person familiar with the matter said.

Thats how a small craft brewery in New Jersey found itself an unlikely victim of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps global hacking operations. The family-run Frye Brewing Company said it was forced to stop brewing ales and lagers for a few days as a result of the CyberAv3ngers hack, highlighting the broader risks facing the fragmented U.S. water system.

We are a small mom-and-pop operation (literally) that was inconvenienced by a war being fought a world away, Mike Frye, who runs the brewery with his wife Colleen, said in an email. We were lax in our security and it cost us a few days of headache, Frye said.

White House officials, led by Neuberger, and EPA staffers met earlier this month with water association representatives to discuss how best to shore up defenses for the future, according to two people familiar with the meeting who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations.

The water associations agreed to spread the message to the utility operators on how to meet basic cybersecurity standards, the people said. But conversations about requiring mandatory cybersecurity checks in routine inspections or other technical details, including potentially any federal or state aid, were more cursory and didnt result in any action, according to one of the people.

The thing weve worried about the most since 9/11 was someone putting a pathogen or some kind of chemical biological agent in a water supply, said Mark Montgomery, a retired Rear Admiral and senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Montgomery and others have written recommendations for legislation that would include providing technical assistance to rural water operators and a risk-and-resilience program for larger systems. But those measures, set to be included in a Department of Agriculture bill, have idled as lawmakers spar over other issues. Meanwhile, the Biden administration hopes states can use existing resources to improve the cybersecurity of vulnerable water systems - by tapping funds in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, according to a National Security Council spokesperson.

The discussions between the EPA and the water associations have been steeped in acrimony for years, with the agency pushing forward a proposal in March that the water industry repeatedly said was unworkable and had no legal basis, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Meetings were described by people familiar with the discussions as tense, and association members said they felt talked at rather than heard in some sessions. The EPA said it had engaged extensively with stakeholders to build a shared awareness, understand the issues, and address concerns.

Since the EPA pulled its proposed plan in October, there had been little communication between the water associations and the federal agency, said Alan Roberson, executive director of the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators. The EPA said in a statement that it meets monthly with relevant members of the water sector which regularly includes representatives from various national water associations. Its most recent call was in early November.

Weve got to make more progress, Neuberger said last week on the sidelines of a security conference in Washington. I think all avenues are on the table.

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Taoiseach Leo Varadkar decries shocking attack in a well-known family restaurant Ive visited many times

A garda forensic officer at Browne's Steakhouse in Blanchardstown following the Christmas Eve attack. Photo: Mark Condren

Gardai are braced for revenge attacks after a shocking incident that led to one man being stabbed to death in a knife attack just moments after he tried to gun down a customer in a busy Dublin restaurant.

Tristan Sherry (26), who is originally from Finglas, was pronounced dead at Brownes Steakhouse on Main Street in Blanchardstown after he was overpowered by other men when he used a high-velocity weapon in the attempted gun murder on Christmas Eve.

His victim, a 47-year-old man from Corduff, was eating with family members in the restaurant when Sherry arrived at the scene and fired multiple shots at him at 8.10pm while there were children in the restaurant.

He was last night being treated at Connolly Memorial Hospital last night where his condition was described as serious.

He suffered at least one gunshot wound to the neck. Associates of the shooting victim, some of whom have strong links to gangland figures, have already sworn revenge.

All this has meant a huge increase in tensions and armed garda patrols in the Blanchardstown area, with one source saying threats are flying around everywhere.

Sherry was a known associate of the Finglas-based drugs trafficking gang led by the criminal nicknamed Mr Flashy.

This gang had previously become embroiled in the Corduff feud that led to numerous violent incidents in 2018 and 2019.

The potential for the gun attack to have been organised by the Mr Flashy crew is a very significant line of inquiry in this case, a source said.

It was a botched but very reckless shooting as there were a number of children in the restaurant when this happened and other people could have been easily hit.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee has described the attack as disgusting.

I deplore the violence in Blanchardstown, Ms McEntee said in an Instagram post.

This viciousness has resulted in unimaginable human suffering this Christmas. That anyone could perpetrate such violence as families gathered together is especially disgusting.

Im thinking of the bereaved, those who were at the scene and indeed all the emergency service personnel working tonight and over Christmas who have to deal with this senseless violence.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he was shocked to hear about the shooting at a well-known family restaurant Ive visited many times.

Full garda investigation under way. My thanks to them and solidarity to staff and customers, he wrote on X/Twitter.

Residents in Blanchardstown have told of their distress about the gun attack.

Im absolutely appalled, said Pauline Harte, a local school warden.

Its a very safe community and to happen on that occasion on Christmas Eve is absolutely deplorable.

She added: Im just really in a state of shock because Blanchardstown is a very tightly knit community and I often dine in that restaurant and its a very busy, popular restaurant. Lovely staff and lovely people go there from the area.

Everybody knows everybody, and what a time for it to happen and so unfortunate because Christmas is a time of peace and love and good Christmas spirit. Im absolutely shocked.

Another local said there had been a lot of people in the village attending Christmas mass at the time of the gun attack.

I just thought it was terrible that on Christmas Eve, with families out, that people would be so dreadful, they said.

Mass was at nine oclock, in fact there was a carol service at 8.30pm, so it was right in the middle of all that.

Blanchardstown is a very safe village and I walk up and down it alone all the time.

North Dublin Fianna Fail councillor Howard Mahony said he was totally horrified by the events on Christmas Eve.

What I find most concerning is that there were innocent men, women and children out during one of the busiest nights of the year, Cllr Mahony said.

Mr Mahony, who is a former garda, said he could never have imagined an incident like this happening in the village.

Im just shocked, to be honest  shocked is the only way I can describe it. I could never have imagined it.

In all my years, such a blatant attack...its just shocking.

People go out and they are at their happiest, theres the biggest buzz. Its one of the nicest days of the year, people are with family, theyre with friends, and to come across this incident... but I can imagine that those people are every bit as traumatised.

Cllr Mahony said that the village had begun to thrive again after struggling for some time when Blanchardstown Shopping Centre first opened nearby, taking business away from some local shops.

Blanchardstown is a settled village, its experiencing a period of prosperity now, he added. It had been failing when the town centre went up first but its experiencing great prosperity now.

We have restaurants, coffee shops, vibrant businesses, and its just not what we want, and you dont expect it.

To my knowledge, I cannot remember a similar incident or anything like it in Blanchardstown village.

Im totally horrified, and my thoughts are with the people who were there.
Some of Irelands most feared mobsters ended up behind bars abroad this year

15/02/16 Liam Byrne, brother of David byrne carries his the remains of David Byrne who was shot dead in the Regency Hotel attach are carried from St Nicolas of Myra Church,on Francis Street , Dublin after his funeral Mass...Picture Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin.

IRELANDs organised crime gangs are adept at operating in almost any country, forcing international police forces to co-operate with gardai more than ever.

Top of the list are the Kinahan Cartel with their no1 man in the UK, Thomas Kavanagh, facing more jail time after being charged with a plot to lead police to a weapons cache in a return for a lighter sentence.

'Bomber Kavanagh is already serving a 21-year-sentence and his son Jack has also been accused by the UKs National Crime agency of taking part in the scheme.

He was arrested in Spain this year as he transited through the country en route from Dubai to Turkey.

Liam Byrne who made an ill-advised trip form Dubai to Spain to meet family was also arrested and was extradited to the UK just two weeks ago over the same weapons plot.

Hes not the only Irish mob figure to end up behind bars outside of Ireland this year with gangster Ger Dundon getting a 15-year sentence in the UK in May.

Dundon was jailed after being convicted over a kidnap and ransom plot in which two men were stripped naked and threatened.

The Limerick thug was the only one of six defendants found guilty after a lengthy trial in which it was heard how two victims were threatened and humiliated in a seven-day ordeal.

Gangster Cornelius Price who had also been charged over the same plot died in hospital in Wales in February after developing a rare brain disease.

Liam Byrne

He had gone to the UK and became involved in crime there after being released from prison in Ireland where he had also been involved in the deadly gangland feud in Drogheda.

An Irish man who supplied Christy Kinahan Snr with a false passport was among a group jailed this year for selling the bogus documents for between st5,000 and st15,000.

Christopher Zietek also known as Chris McCormack, who was a key link to different crime gangs, was jailed for eight years.

With the focus still on the Kinahan Cartel it is easy to forget that George The Penguin Mitchell is still operating from the Netherlands and Germany.

In February the Sunday World revealed how he has been designated a suspect in a German police investigation into an encrypted phone network used by criminal gangs.

Separately, in a bizarre twist a convicted Irish drug-dealer previously linked to the Penguins network became embroiled in a controversy in the UK in which a 206-year-old pub was demolished without permission.

The Crooked House burned down and was then flattened by machinery hired by Morgan McGraths firm in the UK which has seen six people arrested and questioned by police.

The moment Ger Dundon was arrested in the UK

McGrath previously featured in the Sunday World almost 20 years ago when he was jailed for 12 years for his part in a conspiracy to import 22.5 million worth of drugs into Ireland.

Another Irish drugs importer Anthony Terry got a second lengthy sentence in the UK for conspiracy to smuggle cocaine in the UK following the 18 years he got over a 1.8 million cocaine stash seized in Belfast.

The on-the-run Limerick who escaped from Irish custody in 2006 was described by the NCA as the kingpin of the underworld transport network.

The professional burglary gangs from Ireland also operate in other jurisdictions where, in some cases, police have successfully prosecuted them.

Burglary gang leader Darren Joey OHalloran was jailed in the UK for 12 years for a spate of robberies in which st350,000 worth of jewellery was stolen.

OHalloran and three other men hit 54 homes in the space of just three months across the West Midlands, between last November and January this year.

Christy Kinahan Snr

The court had heard how OHalloran, Jason MacDonaugh (32), Barney Casey and Daniel Harty were part of the sophisticated group, which robbed 350,000 worth of jewellery, cash and other belongings.

Prosecutor Sarah Slater said: "This was a sophisticated operation. They were forensically aware and there were attempts to disguise their involvement.

Meanwhile, the Irish tarmac crews continue to generate headlines from north America to continental Europe as one gang featured on TV news in Toronto, Canada.

They had pressurised residents into getting driveways paved and started work before the householder had even made a decision in some cases.

Other tarmac crews have fallen foul of police in up-state New York and Massachusetts while others have been deported by Homeland Security from the US.
The Irish presidency has a standard to maintain.

The rise of the far-right in Europe has been exemplified by Geert Wilders in the Netherlands

The Chairperson of the Irish Muslim Council, Shaykh Dr Umar Al-Qadri, has warned that Ireland must act now to stop the extremist elements that are fuelling the rise of the far-right across Europe.

Following the victory of the anti-Islam leader Geert Wilders and his far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) in national elections in the Netherlands, where he grew up, Dr Al-Qadri said he feared that Ireland is going in the same direction.

Last month, as Chairperson of the Irish Muslim Council, Dr Al-Qadri even advised Muslims to avoid travelling into Dublin city in the wake of the riots that Garda chief Drew Harris blamed on a "lunatic, hooligan faction driven by a far-right ideology".

Al-Qadri told RTE how he could "never could have imagined" that he would have to give this advice in a country where the migrant experience over the last 20 years has been, for the most part, amazing and welcoming.

"That is now, slowly, unfortunately, changing," he said.

The Dublin riots wer blamed on a 'lunatic, hooligan faction driven by a far-right ideology' by Garda chief Drew Harris

Speaking to Sundayworld.com, Dr Al-Qadri said that while his advice was issued in the immediate aftermath of the riots, there remain serious concerns, not just among Muslims but for all migrant communities, about the direction Ireland appears to be going in.

We are not just Muslims, we are migrants too and as a minority community we're worried about a certain divisive rhetoric being spread against migrants, he said. We believe there should be some sort of system to prevent this.

As Ive said, our experience here in Ireland has been very welcoming, but in the last few years there seems to be this rhetoric against migrants and we are concerned that it is increasing, like it has in the Netherlands.

Now, you have the far-right as the largest political party in the parliament there, a party that's outright anti-migrant and anti-Islam and I would say, this didn't happen overnight.

It takes years and years for this momentum to grow. In the case of the Netherlands it took probably 20 years to get to this point. So the question is, where are we now in Ireland?

Well, we are probably at the stage where we can still ensure prevention. We can stop such rhetoric from spreading here. This is why we need to approach this subject with a lot of sensitivity and responsibility.

You have people here saying migrants should not be allowed, that Ireland is only for the Irish. But the people that say that, most of them, are simply brainwashed by what they are seeing and listening to, particularly in America and Britain.

Some of those voices that are spreading this propaganda, this radical extremism and radicalising people, particularly the young people in Ireland, are not even based here.

Here in Ireland, people who are in their 20s, they are upset and they are angry. I'm not just talking about the native Irish, I'm talking about anyone and everyone who was born and brought up in this country, who cannot afford to rent, never mind buy a house.

The rise of the far-right in Europe has been exemplified by Geert Wilders in the Netherlands

And that anger and frustration, unfortunately, is not directed at those who created the housing crisis in the first place, but is increasingly directed at migrants.

But the migrants are not the problem, migrants are not the reason why people cannot afford to pay rent or buy a house. Migrants have no role to play in that situation.

The majority of the migrant community consist of taxpaying people who contribute to the economy of Ireland so to assume that just because you're a migrant that you're somehow responsible for this crisis is obviously very, very wrong.

The situation now means that we need responsible dialogue. We need to send out the message that Ireland is a country of Cead Mile Failte and that we believe in sustainable migration.

Having grown up the Netherlands, Dr Al-Qadri revealed that he had recently spoken to the mayor of the Dutch city of Arnhem, Ahmed Marcouch, who is from a migrant background, and he was very disappointed and sad at what was happening in his country.

I want to see us avoiding this same situation developing here in Ireland, Dr Al-Qadri said. And I think we can because, at heart, the Irish people are very welcoming and genuine, in terms of their humanity and in terms of compassion.

They don't have the history of colonisation that the Dutch, who marginalised others, have. The Irish were on the receiving end, they were treated badly, they were the marginalised.

Just 20 or 30 years ago, being an Irish person in London would have attracted very negative attention. But we're living in an age of globalisation, in an era when what happens in America and what happens in England and Europe can quickly spread here.

Conor McGregor

Which means the hatred, and rhetoric of division can be exported to Ireland. And thats what we are seeing. Young people who've never experienced what it was like to be Irish and treated differently, for them to fall into this trap of extremist ideology is very easy.

People here who are a little bit older, in their forties, their fifties and sixties who have seen or perhaps even experienced being treated differently because they were an Irish immigrant will not be as easily swayed.

But as the younger population increases and the older population decreases it means that over the next 20 years, if we don't address it now, this far-right rhetoric we're seeing in places like the Netherlands is going to be prevalent here.

The doctor also referred to people like Conor McGregor who as a sportsman and as an athlete had made it to the top but had failed, in his opinion, to become a good ambassador for Ireland.

I really wish he had the same values that Irish people, the Irish nation, embody, Dr Al-Qadri added. I wish he was humble and was able to give back in positive way.

But he has previously made comments that were Islamophobic and very arrogant.

In April 2019, McGregor was embroiled in a row after a deleted tweet from the UFC star's account included an alleged racist slur directed at the wife of rival Khabib Nurmagomedov.

People were surprised because Irish people are not like that, Dr Al-Qadri said. It was a shame.

For people that look up to him as an example I would say to them, you dont have to be arrogant and move away from your Irish roots. Its about your upbringing, your behaviour and your attitude in life. Conor McGregor is in a position where he can influence people and he must use this wisely.

But he has not and he has instead become an agent of division rather than an agent of unity.

I'd rather have seen him become the person that says, guys who have to make everyone safe, we cannot tolerate any community to be marginalised or scapegoated.

Asked about the recent reports that McGregor could run for the Presidency of Ireland, Dr Al-Qadri said it was a joke as we could not lower the standards of the presidency.

We have the likes of Mary Robinson, Michael D Higgins, a poet and a philosopher, a great social activist for inclusion and then to have someone like McGregor? The Irish presidency has a standard to maintain.

An optimist at heart, Dr Al-Qadri says he sees light at the end of the tunnel and has hope for Ireland.

I see how my email inbox and postbox at the Irish Muslim Council is flooded with many, many letters and cards from people saying, you're welcome here, you're Irish and you're one of us.

But I also think there is responsibility on us, as migrants, to engage and participate in civic life and make sure there's representation and to advocate for a pluralist society, where everyone's welcome.
Thanks to all of the amazing places to visit and the different spots where people can set up a tent and enjoy the magic of nature, New Zealand is one of the favourite places for campers worldwide.

As an adventure seeker, Tauranga man Juan Cortes says having a tent is part of his must-gear to enjoy a country that offers gorgeous mountains, fresh rivers and deep forests just to mention some of the options  and places to sleep with all the facilities while being surrounded by Mother Nature.

Read further for Juan's camping experiences.

My birth place, Colombia, is an amazing country too  rich in places and activities to do outside. Like New Zealand, camping is one of those plans you can enjoy with friends and family.

But unlike Aotearoa, in Colombia, you can find or better  you could be found by  mountain lions, snakes, spiders, crocodiles, jaguars, poison frogs and even hippopotamus. An extensive variety of animals that will see you as a yummy, colourful and noisy appetiser.

Arriving in New Zealand and learning about all the destinations, places, and facilities people can visit, made me want to gear up and explore the islands and their wonders.

That is why from having nothing to spend a night out back in my hometown, I ended having a tent, inflatable mattress, a gas stove, clutter kit, camping chairs, torches and the big desire to camp every weekend in NZ!

One of my most memorable experiences is visiting Mount Ruapehu at the end of September 2020, and staying at Whakapapa village. Yes my wife and I were the crazy people sleeping in a tent during the snow.

In my defence, it was our first time watching the snow and the two nights trying to sleep in a tent in minus-five degrees Celsius conditions outside was worth the experience.

But we learned from it, and since that unforgettable experience, were now more aware about each seasons weather, and other things to consider before go on an adventure.

Now we enjoy sleeping under the stars in our tent or in a warm cabin with all the delightful amenities that holidays parks can offer. And since our first camping experience, weve pitched our tent at Rarawa Beach in the Far North, Mount Ruapehu again, Karangahake Gorge, Cape Reinga, the living room of our house during Covid lockdown, Lake Taupo, Rotorua and Napier  just to name a few. And we totally recommend it!

Camping near Cape Reinga, at the top of the New Zealands North Island. Photo: Juan Cortes.
Reports are coming in of a serious crash in Thames.

NZ Transport Agency is reporting that State Highway 25 is closed in both directions through the Coromandel Peninsual township.

"A serious crash has been reported to emergency services in the area," reads a highway alert from the roading agenc.

"SH25 is closed between Pahau Streert and Mary Street."

People are being advised to follow the directions from emergency services on scene.

"Local road detours are available, and drivers must follow all directions from emergency services at the crash site.

"Road users should plan extra time for their travel until the crash scene is cleared."

A police spokesperson confirms they are responding to a two vehicle crash involving a parked car on Queen Street, Thames.

"One person is in a moderate to serious condition and is being transported to hospital via helicopter."

NZTA reports the road is closed in both directions.

SunLive has contacted police and will provide an update when we can.

At the scene?

Call 0800 SUNLIVE or email photos to newsroom@thesun.co.nz
Europa Press Malaga Tuesday, 26 December 2023, 12:13 Compartir Copiar enlace

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The Junta de Andalucia's Ministry of Health is to open a total of 309 points in the morning and afternoon of 27 December to vaccinate children between the ages of six months and four years and eleven months against influenza. This measure is in addition to the walk-in campaigns launched on 12 December for the vulnerable adult population.

The department has stressed the importance of vaccination before the arrival of the peak of respiratory virus infections, which is expected after the Christmas holidays. "The flu vaccine for children is an efficient and safe tool that prevents serious illness and hospitalisation," it pointed out in a statement.

To date, a total of 106,234 children aged six to 59 months have been vaccinated against influenza since the 2023-2024 campaign began on 16 October, which indicates a coverage of 38%. But the Andalusian health authorities are once again calling on parents and guardians of the almost 174,000 children between these ages who have not yet been vaccinated to go to the health centres on 27 December to protect them from the virus.

The ministry also pointed out that children under five years of age suffer the most cases of flu each winter, and are the second age group with the most hospital admissions due to flu-related complications, after those over 80 years of age. "It is important to bear in mind that influenza can also be serious in children, especially those under five years of age," it added.

The annual vaccination of all children aged six to 59 months began in the Andalucia region with the 2022-23 campaign, and it was observed that those who were vaccinated had 70% fewer hospital admissions due to flu complications. Children under six months of age cannot be vaccinated against flu, but they can be protected by vaccination of the mother during pregnancy, so the Ministry of Health is calling on women to protect themselves against the virus, as well as their babies.

By province

By provinces, Almeria will have 47 vaccination points; Cadiz, 17; Cordoba, 40; Granada, 28; Huelva, 28; Jaen, 49; Malaga, 62 and Seville, 38. All information points can be consulted through via link: https://lajunta.es/4ihrh

Meanwhile, people included in the target groups for vaccination against influenza and Covid19 can make an appointment through the Salud Responde application or by telephone, ClicSalud+ or at their local health centre.

During the 2022-2023 flu campaign in Andalucia more than 70% of those over 65 years of age were vaccinated; 46% of children aged six to 59 months, the first time they were included in the routine vaccination; 81.3% of pregnant women; and 50.6% of health and social-health professionals.

Specifically, from 3 October 2022 to the end of April 2023, 1,953,383 doses were administered, which is 206,662 more than the 2021-2022 campaign making it the year with the highest number of flu doses administered in history in Andalucia.
Europa Press Tuesday, 26 December 2023, 15:21 Compartir Copiar enlace

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The Junta de Andalucia has pointed the finger at the national Spanish government and accused officials of not investing enough in Malaga province's rail network.

In an interview with Europa Press, the delegate of the Andalusian government in Malaga Patricia Navarro claimed the government had also failed to invest adequately in rail throughout the region and wider Spain.

"Not betting on railway transport nowadays in our country is not betting on the structuring of Spain. And this is also closely related to the direction that Pedro Sanchez's government is taking, dragged along by the pacts with the nationalists," she said.

Navarro also pointed out that it is "logical to think" that a government "that only looks after one part of Spain and that only dedicates time, money and effort to one part of Spain, forgets the rest, and is not interested in either the structuring or the connections or having a united country".

She went on to accuse Madrid of only investing in rail in Catalonia, and some areas in the Basque Country and Galicia, where Sanchez has political agreements with nationalists and secessionists.

"The European rail corridors, which used to connect us with the whole of Europe for more sustainable freight transport, are not even being built," Navarro said. "It is a pity because reversing the situation of obsolescence and deterioration in which our suburban, medium-distance and even high-speed trains are falling into, is going to be costly in time and economic resources," she added.

She referred to the new metro services in Malaga, Seville and Granada, as well as the tram in Cadiz and one that is also in the pipeline for Jaen, and highlighted the good that can come from proper investment in rail.
Tony Bryant Fuengirola Tuesday, 26 December 2023, 10:29 Compartir Copiar enlace

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Fuengirola has paid tribute to one of Malaga provinces most recognised gastronomic traditions, that of the espetos, the skewered sardines that are roasted on open fires on the beaches during summer months. As part of the town halls project to revitalise the Torreblanca area, a sculpture dedicated to the popular fish dish has been installed on the promenade next to where the old El Bote restaurant used to be located.

The sculpture consists of a modular structure made of stainless steel in the shape of a spiral and includes more than one thousand sardines.

The work, created by sculptor Tomas Castillo, whose work is closely related to nature and the sea, was visited on Friday by the councillor for culture, Rodrigo Romero.

We now have a new artistic work that is part of our roots and which will improve this area. What we intend with this project, and others that we will present soon, is to bring culture and art to the street. In addition to beautifying the spaces where they are installed, they will promote new social interactions in those chosen environments, Romero said.
Colpisa Madrid Tuesday, 26 December 2023, 10:18 Compartir Copiar enlace

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Strikes at Iberia have been reinstated for the Spanish airline's ground handling workers just days after unions called them off for the busy Christmas and new year period.

Spain's two main worker's unions, the UGT and CCOO, cancelled planned strikes for 29 December to 1 January and 4-7 January as the government announced it would mediate. But negotiations broke down and they recalled the strikes, this time for the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th of January.

According to a statement issued by Iberia, part of the International Airlines Group (IAG), after a first meeting with the Ministry of Transport, the unions refused to continue talks to find an alternative to auto-handling. The company claims to have made an "ambitious" offer that would serve to "further strengthen workers' rights". The offer made by Iberia would, according to the airline, guarantee all jobs by subrogation, so there would be "neither job destruction nor direct elimination of jobs".

Iberia's ground service workers, such as baggage handlers, at Spanish commercial airports operated by state-controlled Aena, are protesting against contracts signed with new providers in September. Aena hired new contractors for services which were previously provided by Iberia at many airports, angering unions even though the new suppliers committed to retaining workers and their working conditions.

According to the unions, the airline proposed the creation of a company led by a winning bidder, with an 80% majority shareholding, together with a minority company belonging to IAG, Yellow Handling. The unions rejected it and considered it to be "illegal" as it did not comply with the corresponding royal decree.
Juan Cano Malaga Tuesday, 26 December 2023, 10:53 Compartir Copiar enlace

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A married couple in the Extremadura region of Spain has been arrested for allegedly running a cult that purported to "cure homosexuality" by forcing their victims to have sexual relations.

National Police arrested a psychologist and his wife, who are suspected of leading the cult, on 16 December in a small town in Caceres province. The alleged "heterosexualising therapies" consisted of "healing sexual relations" with the cult's leader, according to investigators.

The couple allegedly ran a company where they promoted a series of psychological therapies and "coerced and manipulated" their victims into joining the cult. They lived on a large estate in the town of Caceres, but also ran a place in Madrid where, according to investigators, they carried out healing therapies one day a week. Police raided both properties and seized more than 100,000 euros in cash, various narcotic substances, computer equipment and documents.

The couple used different drugs - including marijuana and MDMA - during the course of the therapies to induce an altered state of consciousness in the victim, according to investigators. National Police also pointed out that the arrested couple would spread hate speech and claimed homosexuality is "a disease that can be cured".

They had been carrying out the alleged crimes for more than 20 years and gained about 50 followers. The General Commissariat of Information (CGI), which led the investigation with the National Police, has a group of officers that specialise in taking down illegal cults.

Anyone with information about any suspicious activity should email sectasdestructivas@policia.es. Information can be provided confidentially and anonymously.
Melchor Saiz-Pardo Madrid Tuesday, 26 December 2023 | Updated 27/12/2023 21:15h. Compartir Copiar enlace

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There has been an inexplicable security breach at Madrid's Alcala Meco high-security prison. On Saturday, a dangerous hitman - the Spanish national Yusef M. L. from Ceuta - aged only 20 but already with two alleged murders to his name, escaped from the prison taking advantage of the large number of visitors at the jail for Christmas.

The prisoner, arrested on 12 April in the port of Algeciras (in Andalucia's Cadiz province) and who only arrived at Alcala Meco on 3 December, managed to leave without any issues before 6pm hours on Saturday, when his absence was detected. The man, according to prison sources, managed to escape hidden among the groups of relatives visiting other inmates and himself.

The big question is how the escapee evaded the surveillance of officers and reached the areas reserved for visitors leaving the prison after family gatherings. In that part of the prison in Alcala, managed by the Ministry of the Interior, the surveillance is said to be "extreme", since it is one of the most vulnerable in the security of the prison.

Yusef M., better known as 'El Pastilla' was remanded in custody as the alleged perpetrator of at least two murders. The first was on 6 October 2022, when he allegedly killed a 26-year-old man to order in the El Saladillo neighbourhood of Algeciras when the leader of the gang he was working for, Nayim K. A. 'Tayena', mistook the man for a member of a rival group. El Pastilla, riding a motorbike, fired three shots at point-blank range at his victim, a family man with two children and a worker in the port of Algeciras with no connection to the Cadiz mafias. A bullet fatally pierced one of his lungs. His only mistake was driving a car of the same model as a criminal who Tayena wanted to settle a score with.

The second murder took place on 12 April this year, when the hitman betrayed his boss and killed Tayena himself with a shot at almost point-blank range in the stomach as he was leaving his house in Los Cortijillos, in Los Barrios, in the province of Cadiz. Yusef was captured that same afternoon in Algeciras when he was trying to board the ferry bound for his native Ceuta to hide there after this second murder, also contract killing.

Countless shootings

Apart from these two murders, El Pastilla is being investigated in countless shoot-outs carried out by the mafias to take control of drug trafficking in the outskirts of the autonomous Spanish city.

It was because of these conflicts with other rival gangs that it was decided to transfer him this December from Botafuegos prison in Algeciras, where he was threatened by mafia groups in the local area, to Alcala Meco.

The errors that led to the hitman's escape are even more inexplicable, according to sources at the prison, bearing in mind that the young man was in prison under FIES 5, one of the most restrictive regimes.
Europa Press Madrid Tuesday, 26 December 2023, 17:25 Compartir Copiar enlace

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In view of the rise in respiratory infections such as influenza and Covid-19, which in the last week has shown an increase of 37.17 per cent, Spain's Ministry of Health has published recommendations to prevent the spread, including hand hygiene, covering the nose or mouth when coughing or sneezing and using a mask in the event of presenting symptoms compatible with a respiratory infection.

Recommendations also include using tissues to contain respiratory droplets or secretions; throwing them in the nearest rubbish bag after use; and washing hands with soap and water or cleaning them with an alcohol-based hand gel regularly and after contact with respiratory secretions.

Finally, it is recommended to follow the vaccination guidelines against respiratory micro-organisms and to avoid, as far as possible, going to the workplace with symptoms of being ill.

The incidence rate of acute respiratory diseases in Spain in Primary Care currently stands at 739.9 per 100,000 inhabitants, an increase of 37.17 per cent over the previous week, especially in influenza, when the figure was 539.4, according to the weekly report Sentinel Surveillance of Acute Respiratory Infection in Primary Care (IRAs) and in Hospitals (IRAG): Influenza, COVID-19 and RSV produced by the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), attached to the Ministry of Health.

According to the data, this week the percentage of SARS-CoV-2 positivity has increased to 14.3 per cent (13.3 per cent in the previous week), for influenza it has increased to 20 per cent (13 per cent in the previous week, an increase of 53.8 per cent) and for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) positivity is steady (15.2 per cent compared to 15.8 per cent in the previous week).

In addition, the incidence of influenza in Primary Care has seen an upward trend and is evident in all age groups. In fact, the rate stands at 159.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (68.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the previous week), an increase of 133 per cent in just seven days.
Edurne Martinez Madrid Tuesday, 26 December 2023, 11:41 Compartir Copiar enlace

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More than one million fewer British tourists have so far travelled to Spain this year compared to the bumper, record-breaking period before the Covid-19 pandemic, new data shows.

Spain was visited by 20 million British passengers between January and November this year, some 5% less and a decrease of 1.05 million tourists from the UK compared to the same period in 2019, according to data from national tourist authority Turespana.

In the first 11 months of 2019, some 21.1 million Brits arrived in Spain, accounting for 24% of the total 88.4 million international visitors, while this year the figure is 22.7% of the total. However, the number of British tourists up to November is 15.5% higher compared to the same period in 2022, when 18.8 million visited from the UK, the figures show.

Looking at other nationalities, visits by Italian and French tourists by air this year exceeded pre-pandemic figures, with 10% and 5.4% more visitors. According to the data, there were 9% less Germans holidaying in Spain this year than between January and November in 2019. Tourists from the Netherlands were up almost 6%; those from Portugal, 24%; and those from Ireland, almost 17% above 2019 levels in the first eleven months of the year.

Spain's 88.4 million international passengers until November this year is 18.2% more than in the same period last year, and slightly 0.1% below 2019 figures.

Minister of Tourism Jordi Hereu said the increase in the arrival of tourists outside what is considered high season "is great news for the deseasonalisation of our tourism, which also shows how destinations are diversifying and more regions are experiencing increases in the flow of tourists outside the summer months".
Advance Media New York announced the addition of Alexandra Walz to the agencys advertising team.

A Syracuse native and Syracuse University graduate, she returned to Central New York after living in Vermont for nearly a decade.
Luck Grove announced that Dustin Thall was recognized by the Business Intelligence Group with Small Business Executive of the Year award at its 2023 BIG Awards.

>> Send us your companys news about People in Motion
Hochul grants clemency to rapper who admitted to NY murder

Rapper G. Dep has been granted clemency by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, more than a decade after he walked into a New York police precinct and admitted to a cold case murder to clear his conscience.

The Associated Press reports G. Dep, whose real name is Travell Coleman, has served 13 years of a 15-years-to-life sentence, but will now be eligible to seek parole earlier than his original 2025 date. Hochul commuted his sentence as one of 16 individuals granted clemency Friday.

Through the clemency process, it is my solemn responsibility as governor to recognize the efforts individuals have made to improve their lives and show that redemption is possible, Hochul said in a statement.

Coleman confessed in 2010 to shooting John Henkel during a 1993 robbery in East Harlem. Henkel, 32, was shot three times in the chest and died.

Coleman, who was a teen at the time, is now 49 years old. He earned an associates degree while in prison and facilitated violence prevention and sobriety counseling programs, while also participating in a variety of educational and rehabilitative classes, according to Hochuls office. His clemency application was supported by the prosecutor in the case and the judge who sentenced him.

As a hip-hop performer, G. Dep was part of Sean Diddy Combs Bad Boy record label in the late 1990s and early 2000s, scoring hits with Special Delivery and Lets Get It. He also helped popularize the loose-limbed dance known as the Harlem shake, but his career slumped after his 2001 debut album, Child of the Ghetto, and he became mired in drug use and low-level arrests, his lawyer said in 2011.

The AP reports Henkels brother, Robert Henkel, demanded Hochul reject Colemans request for clemency. It is one thing to seek (clemency) for drug crimes - but not murder, he told the New York Post last year.

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Buzz is a daily roundup of entertainment news about movies, TV, music and celebrities.
From theater classics to original local shows to new Broadway favorites, it was another dramatic year on the stages across Central New York.

In all, the three critics for syracuse.com and The Post-Standard reviewed 36 performances across Central New York, from stages as big as the Landmark Theatre to more intimate community shows at CNY Playhouse or CNY Jazz Central. We even made a visit to Broadway this year to revisit How to Dance in Ohio, the hit musical that debuted in Syracuse.
Subscribe to get the Good Morning, CNY newsletter delivered to your email inbox weekday mornings.

Weather

High: 49; Low: 44. Warm, but rain ahead. See the 5-day forecast.

Photo of the Day

Robin Schlesing, a waitress at Gracie's Kitchen, got a much-needed Christmas surprise this morning. A customer left her a $1,000 tip.(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

Customers leave waitress $1,000 tip at CNY diner: A generous group left a $1,000 tip on a $33.97 bill for a waitress at Gracies Kitchen on Christmas Eve. She hugged the customers, gave her co-workers $100 each, and then got on her walkie-talkie, which she says is a direct line to the North Pole. Santa? Santa, this is Robin. Are you there? she said. Santa, everythings going to be OK. (Charlie Miller photo)

The Latest

Onondaga County spent millions on property for Micron: See every purchase since 2020 (map): Onondaga County has spent more than $30 million buying property for Micron Technologys enormous chip manufacturing project in Clay since 2020, according to state and county land records. Nearly all of it has been in Clay. See a map of parcels bought since 2020 by either OCIDA or Micron.

Whats Trending

Reported shooting at Destiny USA appears to have been teens with BB gun, police say: Police and ambulance crews responded to Destiny USA on Saturday night for a reported shooting outside the malls Foot Locker store. Syracuse Police said the incident appeared to be teenagers with a toy gun and plastic pellets; no injuries or damage were reported. The mall was closed temporarily while police investigated, and later reopened.

Syracuse closing in on one of its warmest years ever recorded. Its becoming a trend: This year is expected to go down as the second-warmest Syracuse has experienced in at least 120 years. Five of Syracuses 10 warmest years have now occurred since 2002; the warmest was 2012. Syracuses average temperature for all of 2023 has been nearly 4 degrees warmer than normal. That doesnt sound like much, but its enough to make winters more rainy and icy than snowy, and to make already oppressive summer nights more dangerous for people without access to air conditioning.

Syracuse police investigate Christmas Eve shooting at gas station: Police are investigating a shooting at a Citgo Gas Station reported on Sunday night in Syracuse. Shortly after the shooting, a 29-year-old man arrived at Upstate University Hospital with several gunshot wounds. Hes expected to live, according to Syracuse police.

Looking ahead

New York minimum wage increases in 2024; heres the new pay in your area: The minimum wage in New York is set to rise in all areas of the state on Jan. 1. In Upstate New York, the wage will increase to $15 an hour, up 5.6% over the current minimum of $14.20 an hour. The wage will increase to $16 an hour in New York City and Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk counties. Additional hikes will follow in 2025 and 2026.

Gov. Hochul signs bill moving local elections to even years; McMahon threatens legal action: Hochul on Friday signed a bill that will move most local elections to even years. Democrats who control New Yorks Legislature voted on the last day of their annual session to change most town and county elections to even-numbered years, when Democrats typically have their highest voter turnout. Most Republicans opposed the change, arguing it is a political ploy to win more local elections. Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, a Republican who won reelection this year, said the county would litigate the law on behalf of our residents who voted on the years they want their local elections.

Sports

Which games does Syracuse need to win to make NCAA Tournament? Syracuse now sits at 80 in the NCAAs NET rankings, which are used to assemble and sort teams that merit consideration for its postseason tournament. SU is currently 0-3 in Quad 1, 1-0 in Quad 2, 4-0 in Quad 3 and 3-0 and Quad 4. So what do the Orange need to do to make the NCAA Tournament in Adrian Autrys first season at the helm?

MORE SPORTS:

In Brief

100-year-old woman dies after Cicero home catches fire on Christmas Eve

Carolyn Kelly, Syracuse music legend and NYS Blues Hall of Famer, dies

OCC student a person of interest in fatal NYC stabbing of CNY college student

After a year of popular spicy chicken at an Eastwood sports bar, this chef is moving on

Man staying at hotel in Clay accidentally shoots himself, drives to hospital in Syracuse, deputies say

Todays Obituaries

To view todays obituaries, please click here.

Your news. Your way.

New Custom Email Alerts let you select your favorite topics happening in your town. Choose the topics you love, well do the rest!
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  New Yorks governor vetoed a bill days before Christmas that would have banned noncompete agreements, which restrict workers ability to leave their job for a role with a rival business.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, who said she tried to work with the Legislature on a reasonable compromise this year, called the bill a one-size-fits-all-approach for New York companies legitimately trying to retain top talent.

I continue to recognize the urgent need to restrict non-compete agreements for middle-class and low-wage workers, and am open to future legislation that achieves the right balance, she wrote in a veto letter released Saturday.

The veto is a blow to labor groups, who have long argued that the agreements hurt workers and stifle economic growth. The Federal Trade Commission had also sent a letter to Hochul in November, urging her to sign the bill and saying that the agreements can harm innovation and prevent new businesses from forming in the state.

But in recent months, the legislation had come under fierce attack by Wall Street and top business groups in New York. They argued the agreements are necessary to protect investment strategies and keep highly-paid workers from leaving their companies with prized inside information and working for an industry rival.

While the agreements are often associated with top executives, about 1 in 5 American workers  nearly 30 million people  are now bound by noncompete agreements, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

For example, the sandwich chain Jimmy Johns previously came under scrutiny for forcing its low-wage workers to sign noncompete agreements that prevented them from working for a nearby business for two years after they left. In 2016, the company reached a settlement with the New York attorney general agreeing to no longer enforce the agreements.

The Federal Trade Commission has proposed its own rule to eliminate all noncompete agreements nationwide under the idea that they unfairly reduce competition.

Peter Rahbar, an employment attorney who represents individuals dealing with noncompete issues, said he was disappointed the governor vetoed the bill.

I view it as a missed opportunity to help employees and workers gain leverage in their negotiations with employers, he said. She is missing an important step that would help employees not only have freedom of choice on where they want to work, but deprive them of an opportunity to increase their income.

The Federal Trade Commission has estimated that banning noncompete agreements could increase workers earnings by approximately $250 billion to $296 billion per year.

Rahbar pointed to California as the center of American innovation, crediting that to the states longtime ban on noncompete agreements.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  New York Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed a bill days before Christmas that would have made it easier for people who have pleaded guilty to crimes to challenge their convictions, a measure that was favored by criminal justice reformers but fiercely opposed by prosecutors.

The Democrat said the bills sweeping expansion of eligibility for post-conviction relief would up-end the judicial system and create an unjustifiable risk of flooding the courts with frivolous claims, in a veto letter released Saturday.

Under existing state law, criminal defendants who plead guilty are usually barred from trying to get their cases reopened based on a new claim of innocence, except in certain circumstances involving new DNA evidence.

The bill passed by the Legislature in June would have expanded the types of evidence that could be considered proof of innocence, including video footage or evidence of someone else confessing to a crime. Arguments that a person was coerced into a false guilty plea would have also been considered.

Prosecutors and advocates for crime victims warned the bill would have opened the floodgates to endless, frivolous legal appeals by the guilty.

Erie County District Attorney John Flynn, the president of the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York, wrote in a letter to Hochul in July that the bill would create an impossible burden on an already overburdened criminal justice system.

The legislation would have benefitted people like Reginald Cameron, who was exonerated in 2023, years after he pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery in exchange for a lesser sentence. He served more than eight years in prison after he was arrested alongside another person in 1994 in the fatal shooting of Kei Sunada, a 22-year-old Japanese immigrant. Cameron, then 19, had confessed after being questioned for several hours without attorneys.

His conviction was thrown out after prosecutors reinvestigated the case, finding inconsistencies between the facts of the crime and the confessions that were the basis for the conviction. The investigation also found the detective that had obtained Camerons confessions was also connected to other high-profile cases that resulted in exonerations, including the Central Park Five case.

Various states including Texas have implemented several measures over the years intended to stop wrongful convictions. Texas amended a statute in 2015 that allows a convicted person to apply for post-conviction DNA testing. In 2017, another amended rule requires law enforcement agencies to electronically record interrogations of suspects in serious felony cases in their entirety.

Were pretty out of step when it comes to our post-conviction statute, Amanda Wallwin, a state policy advocate at the Innocence Project, said of New York.

We claim to be a state that cares about racial justice, that cares about justice period. To allow Texas to outmaneuver us is and should be embarrassing, she said.

In 2018, New Yorks highest court affirmed that people who plead guilty cannot challenge their convictions unless they have DNA evidence to support their innocence. That requirement makes it very difficult for defendants to get their cases heard before a judge, even if they have powerful evidence that is not DNA-based.

Over the past three decades, the proportion of criminal cases that make it to trial in New York has steadily declined, according to a report by the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. About 99% of misdemeanor charges and 94% of felony charges in the state are resolved by guilty pleas.

In my work, I know there there are a lot of circumstances where people plead guilty to crimes because they are advised or misadvised by their attorneys at the time, said Donna Aldea, a lawyer at law firm Barket Epstein Kearon Aldea & LoTurco. Sometimes theyre afraid that if they go to trial, theyll face much worse consequences, even if they didnt commit the crime.

She said the states criminal justice system right now is framed in a way that makes it impossible for people to challenge their guilty pleas years later when new evidence emerges, or when theyre in a better financial position to challenge their convictions.

Under the bill, those challenging their convictions would be provided court-appointed pro bono representation if they cant afford an attorney. Theyd also be able to request retesting of physical evidence, as well as access to both the defense and prosecutors discovery files related to their case.

State Senator Zellnor Myrie, a New York City Democrat who sponsored the bill, said he is considering reintroducing the bill in the next legislative session to give innocent people a fair chance to reverse a terrible wrong.

Nick Encalada-Malinowski, the civil rights campaign director for VOCAL-NY, a grassroots organization, said the bill would have removed various barriers for folks who got their wrongful conviction cases dismissed on procedural or technical grounds.

The bill, he said, would have given them a chance to get their cases heard on the merits.

The problem of wrongful convictions in New York requires a statewide solution, said Nick Encalada-Malinowski, the civil rights campaign director for VOCAL-NY, a grassroots organization. Were trying to have a system where people have an ability no matter where they are, if theyre wrongfully convicted, to get back in courts and argue their cases.
FORT MYERS, FL -- Police in Florida are looking for a man who went pond fishing last week inside of a Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in search of a rare catch. The Lee County Sheriffs Office says the unidentified suspect entered the Fort Myers store last Wednesday with a fishing net and went to the pond inside the store.

The man then used the net to capture a live tarpon and pulled it from the water before he walked out of the store. The man fled from the scene and police are now asking for the publics help in finding him. A video captured by someone inside the store and shared by police shows the man and the tarpon passing by shortly after the fish was pulled from the water.

Tarpon are known as a very difficult fish to catch and in Florida they are considered a catch and release only fish.

While the LCSO is actively searching for the suspect, the office had a little fun in asking for help saying the case would o-fish-ially catch your eye and anyone with information about the suspect can drop a line to police. Police and wildlife organizations in Florida are working to find the man and retrieve the fish.
Have you had enough of endlessly circling parking lots searching for your vehicle? You can easily remember where you parked your vehicle and return to it using Google Maps. Follow these hacks to locate your vehicle by maximizing Google Maps' accessibility in congested cities or huge parking areas.

Save Your Parked Car Location in Google Maps

Install Google Maps: Ensure you have the Google Maps app installed on your Android or iPhone. Unfortunately, you cannot use this feature on a computer or laptop using Google Maps on Chrome.

Set your location: Once you've parked your car, open the Google Maps app. Tap on the blue location dot icon, and at the bottom of the screen, select "Save Parking."

Add additional information: While Google claims it's that easy, enhance your experience by tapping "More Info." Lifewire noted that the feature allows users to add a parking note and specify how long they plan to be in the spot. For instance, you could input "Garage 1 for the concert" and set the time remaining to three hours.

Share your parking location: To make it even more convenient, tap "Share" and send the saved location to others in your group or text it yourself. This ensures easy retrieval of the information later.

Locating Your Parked Car

Find Your Parked Car: Reopen Google Maps.When you're ready to find your vehicle, reopen Google Maps on your iPhone or Android device. Look on the map for a gray icon that says, "You parked here," or use the link you sent yourself earlier, per How-To Geek.

Search or locate: Google suggests typing "Parking Location" in the search bar, but it often shows every possible parking location nearby. Alternatively, locate the gray icon on the map.

Navigate to Your Car: Walk towards the marked spot or tap the "You Parked Here" icon. Select "Directions" to use Google Maps navigation, providing turn-by-turn directions right to your car.

Adjust Navigation Type: If you're walking or using public transport, change the navigation type from driving to walking or your preferred method. Follow the instructions on Google Maps to return to your vehicle.

Read Also: Bing Image Creator and DALL-E 3 Synergy: Revolutionizing AI-Generated Art

Some More Tips

You may also want to take note of these tips that can also be helpful in using Google Maps to find your car.

Garage Challenges: In multi-level garages, the location may struggle a bit, but it will guide you to the correct building.

Clear Parking Icon: Once safely back in your car, tap on the parking icon again and select "Clear" to prevent it from resurfacing later.

Android Notifications: Android users receive a persistent notification for their parked car. If you prefer not to receive these notifications, disable them in the Maps settings under "Notifications."

Single Location Limit: Keep in mind that Google Maps allows you to save only one parking location at a time, according to The Verge. Saving another location overwrites the first.

Use Google Maps to never misplace your parked vehicle again with these effortless directions. Take note of these hacks to find your car immediately to save time and energy and avoid trouble.

Related Article: Flip or Flop: The Essential Guide to Picking the Best Flip Phone for Your Needs

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The Amazon Echo Frames have a clear purpose: to offer immediate access to Alexa wherever you are, right on your face. However, this may not align with the typical expectations for smart glasses, especially when the price tag reaches $389.99.

(Photo : GLENN CHAPMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Echo Frames eyeglass frames infused with voice-commanded digital assistant Alexa are pictured at at Amazon's headquarters in Seattle on September 25, 2019.

Echo Frames' Vision

Unlike the sleek, discreet devices often associated with iconic sci-fi and spy movie characters, the Echo Frames don't quite fit the mold. The Verge reported that the common perception of smart glasses is shaped by visions of hidden mixed reality displays or the ability to capture the world around you.

The original Google Glass solidified this image, and subsequent models like the Snap Spectacles and the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses have emphasized content creation. However, the Echo Frames don't harbor such grand ambitions.

Similar to the Bose Frames, Amazon's take on smart glasses revolves more around functioning as open-ear headphones for making calls, listening to music, and occasionally querying Alexa. There's no built-in camera, no display screen, and no outward indication that you're wearing anything other than ordinary glasses.

Amazon is sticking to the same winning formula with the third-generation Echo Frames. The notable updates include a lighter design, an extended battery life, enhanced bass for a more robust sound, and a considerable improvement in style compared to their predecessors.

While these upgrades represent a step in the right direction, they may not be sufficient to transform the Echo Frames into a must-have gadget. However, Ticker reported that it marks a commendable half-step towards that goal.

Comparing to Ray-Ban Meta

Similar to the Snapchat Spectacles, the Ray-Ban Meta prioritizes content capture with a built-in camera in the frame, allowing wearers to capture quick videos and livestream for social media. The temples incorporate speakers that direct music or podcast audio toward the wearer's ear.

In contrast, TechCrunch reported that the Amazon Echo Frames 3 diverge in functionality by excluding video capture-an aspect likely to be appreciated by privacy advocates worldwide.

Nevertheless, these frames offer a comparable audio setup, with speakers positioned in the temples just ahead of the temple tips. Notably, Amazon has chosen not to integrate bone conduction technology, a decision that is likely for the best given its variable performance.

Also Read: Meta Reveals AI-Powered Upgrades for Ray-Ban Smart Glasses, Introducing Real-Time Info Access

Distinguishing itself from typical headphones and earbuds, the Echo Frames 3 do not cover the entrance to the ear canal. While this design promotes situational awareness, it may compromise the potential for an immersive sound experience.

If your goal is to remain attuned to the surrounding environment while walking down the street or biking with music, this option proves to be a practical choice.

To charge the glasses, you fold them with the lenses facing upward, aligning the charging points on the temples with the charger. This charging method differs significantly from the Ray-Ban Meta's highly convenient and well-designed charging case.

In contrast, Amazon's case is collapsible. While it may not boast the same aesthetic appeal, there's certainly an added convenience in being able to fold it flat while still wearing the glasses.

Related Article: Amazon Echo Show Now Includes Showing Your ETA When Using Navigation Feature

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In a bid to push for space tourism in the future, a commercial startup known as Space Perspective has unveiled its latest take on a vessel that will bring humans to the cosmos, the Neptune. This is the company's first test capsule unveiled to the world, and it is unlike other human-carrying vessels introduced by other space companies before, unique in its way.

Space Perspective Reveals the Neptune Test Capsule

(Photo : Space Perspective)

A new space company called "Space Perspective" is now making waves with its latest test capsule, the Neptune, as the company unveiled its first step towards venturing to tour the cosmos.

The company has unveiled its earliest take on the Neptune, with the test capsule now ready for test flights, confident that it can make the trip and back with its tech.

Space Perspective also boasts that it is the "world's only carbon-neutral" spaceship, talking about Neptune, centering on a different kind of journey that will showcase the planet and space.

Read Also: 'Blue Origin Needs to be much Faster' Jeff Bezos Admits, But Is It Falling Behind the Space Race?

Spaceship Neptune to Bring You to Space Uniquely

Spaceship Neptune is a capsule that will offer luxurious experiences in its travels, and one of its key features is that it will not use a first-stage rocket to bring the vessel outside the planet. Rather, it will use the so-called 'SpaceBalloon' and Reserve Descent System that will bring it up and down the planet.

Neptune would remain attached to the capsule the entire flight, with Space Perspective claiming a safe and gentle experience throughout.

Space Tourism Industry: Commercializing Travels

Before, it was only astronauts, cosmonauts, and certified individuals who could go to off-Earth destinations, may it be in orbit or towards the natural satellite of the planet, the Moon. However, for those willing to pay the hefty price, space tourism is massive now, especially with the emergence and success of renowned companies including the likes of SpaceX, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, and more.

The latter two, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, have already proved this to be possible, centering on space tourism as their top offer, but have varying methods behind it.

First off, Blue Origin is the more traditional space company with the need for a first-stage rocket that will detach with its capsule once it reaches the right altitude. Its first mission took place in 2021, bringing Jeff Bezos, its founder, to orbit.

There is also Virgin Galactic, and while it is also a traditional company with a first stage and then the capsule, it uses massive airplanes to bring the rocket to the skies before venturing into space. It also brought its CEO, Sir Richard Branson, to space in their first mission.

SpaceX has not yet started its space tourism, as its mission, while bringing humans to the International Space Station, is part of NASA's Commercial Crew program.

That being said, there is a new player in town, and Space Perspective is not using any rockets to propel its Neptune capsule to orbit or other locations, but a balloon that would carry them to and from their launch point.

Related Article: SpaceX Starship: Static Fire Test a Success, Third Launch with Booster 10 Underway

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International Space Station (ISS) astronauts may be far from home and their loved ones, but this does not stop them from celebrating Christmas.

Aboard the ISS, astronauts celebrated Christmas in a truly out-of-this-world fashion, sending holiday wishes and festive cheer down to Earth in a video downlinked on December 18, 2023.

NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O'Hara, along with the ISS Expedition 70 commander Andreas Mogensen from the European Space Agency (ESA) and Satoshi Furukawa from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), shared their experiences of spending the holidays away from Earth while donning red and green Santa hats in the greetings video.

This holiday season, the ISS astronauts offered a unique perspective on celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year's in the microgravity environment of space.

Their festive video aims to bring a touch of holiday spirit to people on Earth and shed light on the distinctive traditions astronauts have developed over the years for these special occasions.

Celebrating Christmas in Space Through the Years

The ISS has a history of celebrating holidays in space, dating back to the space program's early years. The Apollo 8 astronauts, namely Frank Borman, James A. Lovell, and William A. Anders, were the first crew to spend Christmas in space in December 1968.

They celebrated the holiday while orbiting the Moon, a historic moment that captivated audiences worldwide. Over the years, as space missions became more frequent and extended, holidays in space became more commonplace.

During Skylab 4's 84-day record-setting mission in 1973 and 1974, astronauts Gerald P. Carr, William R. Pogue, and Edward G. Gibson celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's in space.

They crafted a makeshift Christmas tree from leftover food containers, adorned it with colored decals, and crowned it with a comet-shaped cardboard cutout. The crew even ventured out on a spacewalk on Christmas Day to change film canisters and observe Comet Kohoutek.

In the Soviet era, Yuri V. Romanenko and Georgi M. Grechko welcomed the new year aboard the Salyut-6 space station during their 96-day mission in 1977 and 1978. They marked the occasion with a televised toast to the new year.

Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights, found its way to space during the STS-61 Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission in 1993. NASA astronaut Jeffrey A. Hoffman celebrated the holiday by spinning a dreidel and having a traveling menorah onboard the space shuttle.

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First Space Shuttle Christmas

The crew of STS-103, another Hubble Space Telescope repair mission, marked the first space shuttle Christmas in 1999 aboard Discovery.

After successfully repairing the telescope, the astronauts had duck foie gras on Mexican tortillas, cassoulet, and salted pork with lentils for their Christmas dinner.

The holiday celebrations in space continue to evolve, with the most recent Expedition 68 crew members recording a holiday message for people on Earth in 2022.

This ongoing tradition reflects the astronauts' resilience, creativity, and camaraderie as they find ways to bring the holiday spirit to the unique environment of the International Space Station.

Related Article: International Space Station Reaches 25 Years in Orbit; NASA Celebrates Anniversary With ISS Crew

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Santa Claus is coming to town, but where is he? In a festive tradition that spans 68 years, the joint US-Canadian military monitoring agency, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), is once again tracking Santa as he embarks on his worldwide journey to deliver presents on Christmas Eve.

The NORAD Santa Tracker

According to AFP, the NORAD Santa tracker, available on the interactive website www.noradsanta.org, offers a 3-D display of Santa and his reindeer on their supposed worldwide delivery route, allowing users to learn more about the various cities along the way.

The origins of this heartwarming tradition trace back to 1955 when a Colorado newspaper advertisement mistakenly printed a phone number that connected children with the military hotline rather than Santa's workshop.

To prevent disappointment, NORAD's director of operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, instructed his staff to check the radar and update children on Santa's whereabouts. Thus, a beloved holiday tradition was born.

This year, NORAD continues the tradition with a temporary call center at its Colorado headquarters, where volunteers answer children's questions about Santa's journey.

Even top-level US officials, including President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, joined in on the holiday spirit, participating in the Santa tracking calls with children and families across the country.

Read Also: Santa Claus is Coming to Town and You Can Monitor Him Through NORAD'S Tracker

Minor Hiccup Along the Way

However, the festive excitement faced a minor hiccup when the tracker experienced technical difficulties. NORAD quickly reassured Santa enthusiasts on Facebook, saying, "Hey #SantaTrackers! We may be having a couple of technical difficulties with our tracking map, but #Santa is still flying! He is headed to Fiji next!"

An hour later, the technical glitch was resolved. Santa's journey, as portrayed by the NORAD tracker, kicked off with an otherworldly visit to the International Space Station orbiting Earth.

The sleigh then traveled across various regions, including Israel, southern Gaza, Africa, and even southward to Palmer Station, a research facility in Antarctica.

As Santa Claus continued his travels, NORAD reported that he had delivered approximately 100,000 gifts every second, accumulating an impressive total of 4.9 billion presents as of 0130 GMT Monday.

While spreading holiday cheer, it's worth noting that NORAD usually oversees aerospace and maritime control and warning operations, which include monitoring for missile launches.

This lighthearted note takes an amusing turn as NORAD playfully suggests that Santa Claus may want to keep the recent North Korean ICBM test in mind as he travels. The juxtaposition of festive celebrations and real-world considerations adds a distinctive element to the age-old tradition of tracking Santa Claus.

Related Article: US NORAD, Canada Took Down Unidentified Object Flying in Canadian Border's 'No Fly Zone'

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Researchers have unveiled a new artificial intelligence (AI) model named "life2vec" that uses sequences of life events to predict various aspects of an individual's life, including death.

All About Life2vec

Developed using transformer models similar to those powering large language models like ChatGPT, life2vec was trained on a dataset sourced from the entire population of Denmark, comprising six million people.

The tool demonstrated a capacity to predict future outcomes, including the lifespan of individuals, with a reported accuracy surpassing state-of-the-art models.

However, the research team emphasized that its primary utility lies as a foundation for future research rather than a tool for real-world predictions of individuals.

Tina Eliassi-Rad, Professor of Computer Science at Northeastern University, noted that while prediction is used to assess the model's effectiveness, it shouldn't be applied directly to real individuals.

She clarified that the tool is based on a specific dataset of a particular population and cautioned against its direct use for predicting outcomes for real people.

Eliassi-Rad, who contributed AI ethics expertise to the project, highlighted the broader societal implications of such tools, describing them as a means to "see into your society in a different way: the policies you have, the rules and regulations you have."

The tool essentially scans societal dynamics, shedding light on existing policies and regulations. To maintain a human-centered approach to AI development, the research team involved social scientists in the process.

Sune Lehmann, an author of the paper, emphasized that life2vec provides a more comprehensive reflection of human life, capturing the complexity of experiences and events that shape an individual.

The model relies on a massive dataset held by Statistics Denmark, offering a detailed registry of every Danish citizen's life events, encompassing health, education, and income.

The researchers transformed this wealth of data into long patterns of recurring life events, adapting the transformer model approach commonly used for training large language models.

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Millions of Life Event Sequences

Life2vec creates vector representations in embedding spaces based on the information gleaned from millions of life event sequences. These embedding spaces serve as the foundation for the model's predictions, which extend to various aspects, including mortality probabilities and individual responses to personality questionnaires.

While the model's predictive capabilities are noteworthy, the researchers emphasize that these predictions are rooted in correlations specific to cultural and societal contexts and may carry biases inherent in the dataset.

Eliassi-Rad and Lehmann view life2vec not as a final product but as the beginning of a larger conversation. They envision their work fostering a more transparent understanding of predictive algorithms, enabling public discourse on their capabilities, applications, and ethical considerations.

"When we visualize the space that the model uses to make predictions, it looks like a long cylinder that takes you from low probability of death to high probability of death," Lehmann said in a statement.

"Then we can show that in the end where there's high probability of death, a lot of those people actually died, and in the end where there's low probability of dying, the causes of death are something that we couldn't predict, like car accidents," he added.

The team's findings were published in two papers in Nature Computational Science. You can access the first paper here and the second here.

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Japan's SLIM spacecraft has successfully entered the moon's orbit, marking a significant milestone in the country's pursuit of its first lunar landing scheduled next month.

"The lunar orbit of SLIM will be inserted into an elliptical lunar orbit connecting the Moon's north and south poles with a period of approximately 6.4 hours, and altitude of about 600km at the closest point to the Moon (perilune), and 4,000km at the furthest point from the Moon (apolune)," the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said in a statement.

The 'Moon Sniper' Enters the Moon Orbit

The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), referred to as the "Moon Sniper" due to its precision landing capability within 100 meters of a predetermined target on the lunar surface, is on track to become Japan's first successful moon landing if all goes as planned.

JAXA announced on Monday that the robotic SLIM moon lander accomplished the crucial task of entering the moon's orbit at 4:51 p.m. Japan time, a maneuver executed as per the original plan. JAXA assured that there were no irregularities in the probe's conditions following the trajectory shift.

The elliptical lunar orbit, linking the moon's north and south poles, will have SLIM in its confines for approximately 6.4 hours, ranging from an altitude of about 600km at the closest point (perilune) to 4,000km at the furthest point (apolune).

The spacecraft is presently in normal condition, and from now until mid-January 2024, adjustments will be made to transition to a circular orbit at an altitude of approximately 600km. In mid-January, the perilune point will be lowered, initiating preparations for the landing.

On January 19, the perilune point is expected to reach an altitude of 15km, and the descent towards the moon will commence around 12:00 a.m. (JST) on January 20. The scheduled landing on the lunar surface is set for around 12:20 a.m. (JST) on the same day.

Read Also: UK, Japan, Italy Sign Pact for Supersonic Stealth Fighter: Global Combat Air Program Advances

All About SLIM of Japan

Crafted as a compact exploration lander, SLIM aims to accomplish precision landings on the moon's surface, diminish the dimensions and weight of equipment utilized in lunar landings, and delve into the moon's origins.

Furthermore, it will assess technology fundamental to exploration in environments with low gravity, a crucial prerequisite for forthcoming scientific inquiries into the solar system. The SLIM mission is in accordance with JAXA's goals of contributing to upcoming lunar and planetary exploration endeavors.

Primary objectives encompass precise lunar landing techniques within a compact explorer, expediting lunar and planetary research through a more lightweight exploration system, and laying the groundwork for future scientific exploration of the solar system by refining navigation precision and reducing the size of exploration systems.

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NASA has soared to new heights in aeronautics in 2023, pushing the boundaries of aviation technologies to enhance passenger experiences, bolster US economic growth, and chart a course toward cleaner, quieter, and safer skies.

Here's a look at the aviation breakthroughs achieved by NASA this year.

Faster Than Sound: The Quesst Mission of NASA

At the forefront of NASA's aeronautical ventures is the Quesst mission, aimed at ushering in commercial, faster-than-sound air travel over land. This ambitious endeavor centers around NASA's X-59 research aircraft, a pioneering supersonic jet meticulously designed to mitigate the loudness of sonic booms, transforming them into gentle thumps.

The X-59 will traverse select US communities as part of the mission, collecting invaluable human response data on the perceived noise levels. This data will be instrumental in shaping new regulations that may enable supersonic flight over land.

Another pivotal milestone in the Quesst mission was the completion of the X-59's assembly at Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works in California. The aircraft, equipped with cutting-edge technology, underwent rigorous testing and received its final coat of paint. It set the stage for its highly anticipated public debut and inaugural flight scheduled for 2024.

The X-66 Project

NASA's collaborative efforts with Boeing also took flight in 2023, marking the inception of the X-66 project. This full-scale demonstrator aircraft is poised to validate revolutionary fuel-efficient designs and green technologies to curb emissions from future single-aisle airliners.

The project plays a crucial role in supporting the US' ambitious target of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from aviation by 2050.

Redefining Community Transportation: The AAM Mission

Another trailblazing initiative on NASA's aeronautical agenda is the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) mission, poised to redefine community transportation by seamlessly integrating passenger transport, cargo delivery, and public service capabilities into low-altitude airspace.

This forward-looking project lays the foundation for the burgeoning industry of electric air taxis and drones. NASA actively contributes data to guide the industry's development and assists the Federal Aviation Administration in incorporating these vehicles into the national airspace.

New Look Unveiled

In the realm of hybrid electric aircraft, 2023 saw a collaboration between GE Aerospace and magniX. The unveiling of paint schemes for the Saab 340B and DeHavilland "Dash 7" showcased the innovative strides in NASA's Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration project, exemplifying the promising future of electric aviation.

Read Also: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Turns Two, Here's Its Top Achievements

Drones to the Rescue

Amid these milestones, NASA extended its reach into emergency response operations by launching the Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO) project. ACERO is enhancing wildland fire management operations by leveraging drones and advanced aviation communication technologies.

NASA collaborates with various stakeholders, including government agencies, the scientific community, and commercial industries, to create a concept of operations facilitating the safe use of drones in airspace restricted for operations around wildland fires.

"This year, NASA continued to make the impossible, possible while sharing our story of discovery with the world. ... We're making great strides to make aviation more dependable and sustainable," NASA's Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement.

Related Article: NASA's 3D-Printed Rocket Engine Beats Previous Records, Advancing Deep-Space Exploration

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Eleven kilometers into the depths: China says it wants to drill into the Earth's mantle with a special ship

According to the study, crocodiles are romantic lovers  and speak a "language of love"

Five New Restaurants and Travelers Who Are Going to Be Very Familiar This Year

Mantequeria Bermejo, the centennial trade that has gone viral for a few horns

Google will probably fail with lawsuit against billions in fine from the European Union

Zhongxin Health|Sudden "vomiting and diarrhea" in winter, be alert to the attack of norovirus!

"Kaiser Karl": discover the very first photo of the event series on Karl Lagerfeld

AFCON 2024: Strike and danger of death on plane, the eventful departure from The Gambia

Michaela May, Gisela Schneeberger and Jutta Speidel: "The image of women on television is underground"

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Osaka-Kansai Expo: Bringing food into the venue is prohibited in principle, and final adjustments are made

Carvajal, a request to Ancelotti and a prophecy: "With the draw I said 'it would be great to score a goal for my brother-in-law'"

Four transfers in four days: Zenit strengthened with three Brazilians and weakened their RPL rivals

Umea Basket in financial crisis: "Happy if we survive the rest of the season"

Umea Basket in financial crisis: "Happy if we survive the rest of the season"

Sweden is out of the World Junior Championships: "Has more in it"

Hilda Andersson on the cruciate ligament injury: "Remember that it will be difficult"

Flight to the Africa Cup of Nations: Gambia national football team has to make an emergency landing

Abanca workers are on strike this Thursday over the "brutal loss of purchasing power"

Montero corrects Junts: the increase in transport aid will not be only for Catalonia

The Ministry of Finance of Russia will sell currency and gold for 69,1 billion rubles

The government now justifies the pact with Junts on the exit of companies "to avoid fiscal engineering" from which they left

Planas rules out lowering taxes on more foods and encourages the 'super' to lower the price of oil from now on

Cottbus: Olaf Scholz is greeted by farmers' protests at the opening of the railway plant

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The escalation of relations between China and the Maldives has "two new" behind the "change of words"

Carry out the party's self-revolution to the end - the comrades attending the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection talked about studying and implementing the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech

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Israeli writer: Our borders will extend and we will take Mecca, Medina and Mount Sinai

 Communities 2019 - Privacy

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'With any luck, you learn not to fight the distance now dividing you from the familiar face in the cap and gown,' writes Danny Heitman. 'The job of parenting, youve slowly grasped, is to enable a son or daughter to thrive farther away from you.'
Even as Japan struggles to recruit conventional troops, it must also attract new battalions of technologically savvy soldiers to operate sophisticated equipment or protect against cyberattacks. For some tasks, military leaders say they can turn to unmanned systems like drones, but such technology can still require large numbers of personnel to operate. The demographic challenges pose economic ones, too: there is strong public resistance to tax increases to fund the defence budget at a time of rising social costs for older people. The budget itself cannot defend the country, said Yoji Koda, a retired vice admiral. The fundamental thing is how to recruit, he added. That means thinking about how to wake the kind of sleeping Japanese community up. Japanese troops during an amphibious landing exercise in Tokunoshima. Credit: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times With the United States stretched thin by the wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip as well as growing competition with China, it needs Japan to become a more equal partner. Since the end of World War II, Japan, which hosts more American troops than any other nation, has effectively been a protectorate of the United States.

American political and military leaders have spoken approvingly of Japans defence progress, hailing its budgetary expansion and new investments in military hardware. It brings credibility to deterrence, said Rahm Emanuel, the US ambassador to Japan. To demonstrate closer coordination, the two nations have expanded and accelerated military exercises. Members of the Japan Self-defence Forces during physical training at the Japan Maritime Self-defence Force headquarters in Sasebo, Japan. Credit: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times Last summer, during the largest-ever edition of Resolute Dragon, an annual bilateral exercise, the US Marines and the Japanese military conducted operations side by side, said Lt. Gen. James W. Bierman, the commander of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force on Okinawa. The idea is to train with Japanese troops so that we can truly swap out one platform or capacity from one nation for another, said Rear Adm. Christopher D. Stone, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 7 in Okinawa.

The tighter relationship comes as the Japanese publics view of the military has evolved. The country has pacifism written into its constitution, and, until recently, the public opposed the acquisition of missiles capable of striking enemy territory or legal changes that would allow Japanese troops, restricted by the constitution to defence of the nation, to fight in some combat situations outside Japan. Now, as much of the population sees China as a threat to Japans security, polls show support for such measures. Sasebo Security Force during a drill. Credit: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times That, however, has not translated into a surge in enlistment to Japans Self-Defence Forces, as the military is known. The societal acceptance of the SDF is much wider and deeper than in the past, said Ayumi Teraoka, a postdoctoral research scholar at Columbia Universitys Weatherhead East Asian Institute. But that doesnt translate to OK, lets send our kids to the SDF.

General Yoshihide Yoshida, chair of Japans joint staff, acknowledged the challenges in an interview at the Ministry of Defence in Tokyo. We are facing huge struggles in recruiting, he said, adding that its not enough to just do what we have been doing, given how quickly Japan wants to implement its ambitious goals. Loading To expand the overall ranks, Yoshida said the Self-Defence Forces should increase the proportion of women to 12 per cent, from less than 8 per cent, by 2030. The military must recruit mid-career officers, collaborate with the private sector, and deploy artificial intelligence and unmanned systems, he said. The hurdles are high. Accounts of sexual harassment in the military discourage women from enlisting. With the unemployment rate at 2.5 per cent, luring new graduates or job changers is difficult. In the past, people came to the Self-Defence Forces because they had no other choices, said Col. Toshiyuki Aso, director of recruitment at a military centre in Naha, the capital of Okinawa. Now they have many more choices.

Posters aimed at drawing in women and older recruits papered the walls of the centre, in a drab office building on a side street. Protect people, its so rewarding, read one slogan underneath a photograph of a female soldier. A future to be proud of, even after retirement, read another targeting prospective reserve officers. Its not over yet! Loading A recent drill on a base in Naha revealed the labour demands of even mundane tasks: 90 troops assembled on a 50-metre-long concrete slab to practise repairing a runway after a hypothetical enemy attack. Over nearly three hours, they bulldozed piles of rubble and tamped down dirt with teeth-rattling soil compaction rammers. The troops completed their duties with artisanal care, smoothing newly laid concrete with hand trowels and sweeping away cement dust with small brushes. Sheer numbers aside, experts say the modern military will demand higher-level skills to operate advanced weaponry and surveillance equipment. Already, Japan lags its allies in protecting against cyber warfare.

There is no military structure to defend Japanese citizens against cyberattacks, said Hideto Tomabechi, a computer scientist who has advised Japans Self-Defence Forces and is a fellow at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. The government has said it plans to expand its military cyber force to as many as 4,000 people, although many Japanese are leery of cybersecurity operations they believe could invade their privacy. There is a lot of worry that the government will be able to check on all private citizens emails and information and web searches, said Itsunori Onodera, a former defence minister. To make military service more appealing, Yoshida said the Self-Defence Forces needed to offer higher salaries or better living quarters. Naval recruiters have trouble attracting sailors, for instance, because young prospects worry about being cut off from Wi-Fi at sea. American sailors, by contrast, can access social media on their phones and even receive deliveries from Amazon onboard. Some recruitment tactics have fallen flat. Seeking to emulate the Be All You Can Be ads familiar to American moviegoers, the Self-Defence Forces aired ads in theatres last summer before showings of The Silent Service, a thriller set on a nuclear submarine.
Ukrainian fighter jets have destroyed a Russian warship docked at a port in occupied Crimea in an attack bearing the hallmarks of British Storm Shadow missiles.

Footage of the incident showed a fire and a huge explosion in the harbour at Feodosia at around 3am Ukraine time after the missiles struck the Novocherkassk, one of Russias biggest amphibious warships.

The Russian warship Novocherkassk burns at port in Feodosia, occupied Crimea, on December 27. Credit: Ukraine Defence

In a rare move, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu personally told Vladimir Putin about the strike shortly before the Russian president greeted leaders from former Soviet states at a summit in St Petersburg.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: Shoigu reported about the strike that the Ukrainians carried out on Feodosia and about the damage to our large landing ship. It was a very detailed report.
2 jawans cremated with military honours





DEHRADUN,

CHIEF Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday paid his last respects to the two jawans from Uttarakhand who were killed in a terrorist attack in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. Dhami laid a wreath on the mortal remains of Rifleman Gautam Kumar (28) of Kotdwar and Virendra Singh (33) of Chamoli as they were brought in two coffins to the Jolly Grant Airport. The sacrifice made by our soldiers for the defence of the nation will continue to inspire us all, Dhami said. The Chief Minister also consoled the bereaved family members of the soldiers and assured them of all support.

The mortal remains of two Army soldiers from Uttarakhand were consigned to flames on Monday in their hometowns with full military honours and a large number of people in attendance. Naik Birendra Singh (33) was cremated on the banks of Triveni Sangam -- the confluence of three rivers -- in Narayanbagar while Rifleman Gautam Kumar (28) was consigned to flames at Muktidham on the banks of the Khoh river in Kotdwar. Their elder brothers lit the funeral pyres. The State Government stands with them in this hour of grief, he said. The mortal remains of the two soldiers were consigned to flames with full military honours in their hometowns later in the day. Kumar and Singh were among the four soldiers killed when their vehicles were ambushed by terrorists in the Surankote area of Poonch on Thursday.
Christmas celebrations: Faithful proclaim in unison the birth of Christ





Staff Reporter

With carol singing, the message of the birth of Christ Jesus was conveyed at different churches in the city on Monday.

The infant Christ was born in a stable and devotees prayed for the peace, happiness and prosperity everywhere and to make the world free from the curse of COVID. As per tradition, the followers of Christian community celebrated the Christs birth with cake and coffee. In Jabalpur, the diversity of celebrations was evident as Christmas decorations adorn homes, streets, and churches, reflecting the rich cultural tapestry. The festive fervour united people from various backgrounds, fostering a sense of togetherness and goodwill.
Dr Panigrahi enters Golden Book of World Record for longest service





Staff Reporter

RAIPUR,

IN a unique record, Chhattisgarhs Dr Vishwanath Panigrahi has entered the Golden Book of World Record for longest service, serving four generation of same family for 55 years at Bagbahra in Mahasamund district. In addition to the long list of numerous achievements, Dr Vishwanath Panigrahi has set a world record by working with the four generations of the same company for the longest period of 55 years in the world. The name of Dr Vishwanath Panigrahi has entered in the Golden Book of World Records for the longest service. Dr Panigrahi has been working in the firm Chakubhai Ghelabhai & Sons located at Bagbahra in Mahasamund district for 55 years. In recognition to the longest period of service connected with four generations, Asia Head of Golden Book of World Records Manish Vishnoi honoured him by presenting a certificate and medal. Manish Vishnoi expressed gratitude to company owners Kishanlal Amarasibhai, Vijaybhai, Bhaveshbhai and Devansh Bhai for the long association with Dr Panigrahi. Feeling happy and proud, Dr Vishwanath Panigrahi said that as a teenager at the age of 16, he started service in the firm dealing in tendu leaf Chakubhai Ghelabhai & Sons on August 14, 1968, and since then he has completed 55 years of service.

Having completed 72 years of age, he services still continues with the fourth generation, with same hard work, dedication, loyalty and honesty. It is worth mentioning that Dr Panigrahi is such a well-known person with a long list of success and honors. He is Founder and President of Green Care Society India. He has been honoured with many awards at the regional, state, national and international level for his contributions in environmental protection, global warming, climate change, United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 1-17, plantation, cleanliness, Literate India, health, polio, leprosy, tuberculosis prevention, blood donation, social service, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Corona Yoddha, biodiversity conservation, voter awareness and other public welfare works.

Dr Panigrahi has also received the Chhattisgarh Governors Award for outstanding service to the Indian Red Cross Society. Due to his leading role, dedication and innovation in the campaign to make India Open Defecation Free and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, he has honoured with ODF Man, District Navratna, Clean & Green Ambassador and Swachhta Champion titles. Dr Panigrahi also got an opportunity ti interact with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mann Ki Baat radio episode. Recently, he was honoured with the Indo Malaysia Friendship Award in Malaysia.
Goons attempt to kill BJP leaders son





Staff Reporter

A festive gathering at Agent Jacks Bar in VR Mall took a violent turn, resulting into a brutal assault on a 53-year-old man and two youths, one of whom is the son of BJP leader Munna Yadav. The assailants obstructed the victims vehicle in a filmy style, forcibly pulled them out and attacked them with bricks. The incident took place on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday. The victims, identified as Anand Bipinchandra Shah (53), a resident of Badkas Square; Arjun Omprakash Yadav (24), a resident of Ajni; and Ashish Naujiya Hajare (24), a resident of Manish Nagar, sustained serious injuries during the assault led by Pradip Purandas Uikey (30) and his seven associates. Uikey is an accused in a 2016 murder case reported at the Ambazari Police Station, police said.

A police official revealed that Arjun and Ashish were at Agent Jacks bar for a Christmas party, where Anand Shah was also present with his friends. At 2.30 am, Anands friends left, and he found himself without transportation. Ashish knew Anand through his father, so he offered him a ride back home. As they were leaving the bar, a quarrel with Pradip escalated into a violent confrontation. Bar security intervened and escorted them to the parking slot, but the verbal abuses resumed, he said.

Anand, Arjun, and Ashish left in a Maruti Alto. While heading to Ajni, Pradip and his associates in a blue Maruti Dzire began chasing them. At 3 am, a motorcycle appeared in front of the Alto car and Ashish stopped his vehicle. Just then, the Dzire car and another motorcycle arrived at the scene. They surrounded the Alto car and forcibly opened the door, and brutally attacked Anand, Arjun, and Ashish. The assailants even used a roadside brick to hit the victims on the head. The victims collapsed in a pool of blood. Arjun managed to contact his brother, who rushed them to the hospital. The Imambada Police, after obtaining medical statements, initiated a case under various sections 307, 326, 341, 294, 506 (2), 143, 144, 147, 148, 149 of the Indian Penal Code against Uikey.
Grounded plane With 276 passengers departs for India





PARIS,

A ROMANIAN aircraft carrying 276 passengers, mostly Indians, on Monday left for India four days after they were detained by the French authorities at an airport near Paris over suspected human trafficking. The plane, which had been grounded since Thursday, departed shortly after 14:30 pm (local time), BFM TV, a French news broadcast television and radio network, reported. The Nicaragua-bound charter flight that took off from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates carrying 303 passengers was grounded at the Vatry airport, 150 km east of Paris, on Thursday over suspected human trafficking. The passengers include a 21-month-old child and 11 unaccompanied minors. On Sunday, the French authorities allowed the A340 aircraft, operated by Romanian company Legend Airlines, to resume its journey. According to the Marne prefecture, the plane had 276 passengers on board.

Indeed, 25, including two minors, have expressed the wish to apply for asylum and are therefore still on French soil. Two others, who were brought before a judge on Monday, have been released and placed on assisted witness status, the channel said. The asylum application will be analysed at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport. Earlier, the plane was expected to take off around 10 in the morning. However, the departure of the aircraft was delayed as some of the passengers did not want to return to their country of origin, media reports said. Thank French Gov and Vatry Airport for quick resolution of the situation enabling Indian passengers to return home & hospitality.

Also for working closely with embassy team, present throughout at the site to ensure welfare and smooth & safe return. Thank agencies in India, too, the Indian Embassy in France said in a post on X. It is reported that the plane will first land in the UAE and then proceed to Mumbai. The situation was for a while confusing, according to the airlines lawyer, Liliana Bakayoko. Speaking to BFMTV, she said that some passengers did not want to return to their country of origin and that they had refused to board the plane initially this Monday morning.
Indias longest cable-stayed bridge awaiting approval from Germany





By Dheeraj Fartode

Indias longest cable-stayed bridge at Ambhora village in Nagpur district is awaiting the final reports of the balance testing from Germany. Once the report comes, the procedure to handover the bridge to the Government will commence. An official said that the bridge balancing procedure and testing was completed and the reports would be generated in Germany. After receiving the reports, the audit by the Central team would begin for the approval, he said. The construction of the bridge was completed in December 2022, with cables imported from Austria. The bridge balancing exercise, which is the final step in balancing the bridge, was finished recently after a delay of almost six months. The opening of the bridge is expected to bring about a new dawn of development for locals of Nagpur and Bhandara district. It may be mentioned here that villagers in Bhandara district had staged protests against delay in the inauguration ceremony of the bridge. According to sources, the bridge was completed in December last year and not opened for traffic due to delay in bridge balancing procedure.

The bridge was constructed by T&T Infra Ltd, a Pune-based company, after the State PWD awarded a contract worth Rs 143 crore. The bridge has footpaths on both sides and two lanes of 7.5 metres wide each on which four four-wheelers can travel at a time. Five pylons have been constructed in the Wainganga river to support the bridge, with the central pylon being 40 metres tall. A viewing gallery has been constructed at the top of the central pylon to boost tourism, with tourists able to access the gallery from two capsule-sized lifts or a staircase. The gallery has a carpet area of 325 square metres and is covered by super-thick glass.

The bridge is set to open doors of development for the backward area of Kuhi and Umred tehsil, and provide a significant boost to tourism at the Shree Chaitanyeshwar Mahadev temple at Ambhora. Located 75 kilometres from
Midnight masses, celebrations mark Christmas festivities





NEW DELHI,

PRAYERS, midnight masses and carols sung in praise of Lord Jesus ushered in the Christmas festivities nationwide where several people gathered at churches and beaches for the celebrations held throughout the night. The streets of capital city were crowded with people who participated in the celebrations till the early hours of Monday after attending the midnight masses in churches. The famous Church Square in the heart of Panaji turned into a sea of people, as a large number of tourists have also arrived for the Christmas and New Year celebrations in the coastal State, which has about 30 per cent Christian population. Keeping with the festive spirit, Goans decked up their houses in colourful lights and put up beautifully decorated cribs, depicting the birth of Lord Jesus. Thousands of tourists thronged Himachal Pradesh during the long Christmas weekend with the Atal Tunnel in Rohtang joining Kullu and Lahaul & Spiti as the most sought-after destination.

An estimated 65,000 people in more than 12,000 vehicles crossed the Tunnel on Sunday, according to police data. The 9.2-kilometre Atal Tunnel is the worlds highest single-tube tunnel above 10,000 feet. Rohtang received heavy snowfall on Saturday, prompting tourists to make a beeline for it. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said, We welcome the tourists who have come in such huge numbers, crossing over lakhs. PM Modi wishes people on Christmas: PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Monday greeted people on the occasion of Christmas and wished them joy, peace and prosperity. He said on X, Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas! May this festive season bring joy, peace and prosperity to all. Lets celebrate the spirit of harmony and compassion that Christmas symbolizes, and work towards a world where everyone is happy and healthy.

We also recall the noble teachings of Lord Christ, he added. Nadda visits SaCred Heart Cathedral: BJP president J P Nadda on Monday visited Sacred Heart Cathedral Church here on Christmas and hailed Jesus Christ as an inspiration for humanity. Nadda met senior priests at the cathedral in what is being seen as part of the BJPs outreach to Christians. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also visited the same cathedral on Easter. The BJP President said after his visit that Christ dedicated his life to peace and harmony and is an inspiration for humanity. The BJP has been making efforts to connect with the communitys leaders, especially in States like Kerala where Christians are in large numbers.
Mother-fathers names to be part of childs full identity in Mah: Ajit Pawar





MUMBAI,

IN A major announcement ahead of the election year, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said that henceforth the mothers name will be included in any childs name along with the fathers name in Maharashtra. Speaking to the media, the breakaway Nationalist Congress Party (AP) leader said that Maharashtra is a progressive State and will soon introduce the Fourth Womens Policy. Under that policy, a provision is given to have the childs name, followed by the mothers and then the fathers names, and ending with the surname, while speaking at an event in Pune late on Sunday.

We already know that the fathers name is included as the middle-name of the child, but in the past few years, many people have started including their mothers name on social media and even for official documents, Ajit Pawar pointed out. This trend will now get official sanction under the proposed new womens policy, formulated by Women & Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare and approved by the State Cabinet, he said.

Emphasising the importance of women in homes and society, he said that under the far-sighted new policy another important provision will be made for those planning to buy a home. If a flat is purchased in the name of the man (husband), it attracts six per cent tax, but if it is bought in the wifes name, then only five per cent tax will be levied, thus resulting in savings for the entire family, said Ajit Pawar, who is also the Finance Minister.
Nagpurs Dr Chandekar to head Govts expert panel





Staff Reporter

Maharashtra Governments Higher and Technical Education Department has constituted an expert committee that would help in steering the formation of independent Divyang University. Nagpurs Dr Murlidhar Chandekar has been asked to head the committee. Dr Chandekar has worked as Vice Chancellor of Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University. The 15-member expert committee is supposed to prepare a report with plan of action and submit it to the Government. There are a lot of students with disabilities pursuing various courses in higher education of their choice in different universities. There are four categories of such students which come under divyangs. The committee would discuss the need for such an independent university and will suggest a plan of action, Dr Chandekar informed The Hitavada. In a public programme in Pune, Chandrakant Patil, State Minister for Higher and Technical Education, had indicated that the State Government was considering the establishment of a new independent university for the divyang students. Government had already created a separate department for disabled welfare. The move to establish specialised university under the concept of inclusive education is defined in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 which is also encouraged under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Police book couple for duping finance co of Rs 40 lakh





Staff Reporter

A fraudster couple was booked by the Chunabhatti Police in Bhopal for duping fraudulently taking a loan of Rs 40 lakh by showing the turnover of their own firm worth crores to a finance company. After this both of them disappeared without paying the installment. After which the police have registered the case and started searching for the couple. Let us inform that a case has been registered against the accused in Chuna Bhatti Police Station. According to the police, Ranveer Singh, resident of Arera Colony, is an auditor in a private company located in Amaltash Complex at Chuna Bhatti.

He told the police that apart from gold loan, his company also offers personal loan. In August year 2021, Bairagarh resident Suresh Sangtani and his wife Usha Sangtani sought for a loan of Rs 40 lakh for the business of their company. They told that their firm Dayal Das, Arjun Das had an office in MP Nagar and also showed the turnover of their firm worth crores in their forged balancesheet. The company then offered the loan to the accused. After taking the loan, the couple started delaying installments and when the finance company investigated the matter at its level, it came to know that Suresh Sangtani and Usha Sangtani had closed their office and are on the run.
Rs 3,716 crore Outstanding bonus amount distributed among 11,76,815 farmers across Cgarh





Staff Reporter

RAIPUR,

CHIEF Minister Vishnu Deo Sai distributed the outstanding bonus amount of Rs 3,716 crore to 11,76,815 farmers across Chhattisgarh. The distribution ceremony witnessed an online interaction with farmers, offering a platform for direct communication between the Chief Minister and the beneficiaries at village Bendri in Raipur. One such farmer, Visheshwar Ram Sahu from Tamora, Balod, expressed his gratitude to the Chief Minister during the online interaction. Farmer Sahu conveyed his appreciation for the Governments exemplary plan, stating that the bonus of Rs 89,640 received today brought unexpected joy and happiness. He acknowledged the positive impact of the governments initiative on the lives of farmers in the region. Another farmer, Rampal from Mahasamund district, shared his experience of receiving a bonus amounting to Rs 23,280. Expressing his satisfaction, Rampal conveyed his thanks to the Chief Minister, having checked the credited amount in his account.

Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed heartfelt congratulations to the attendees gathered for the distribution of the 2-year paddy bonus on this auspicious occasion. Chief Minister Sai marked the event as a historic day and extended his wishes for Good Governance Day, commemorating the birth anniversary of the visionary and Chhattisgarhs creator, Bharat Ratna Atal Behari Vajpayee. Chief Minister Sai proudly announced the successful transfer of Rs 3716 crore to the accounts of over 12 lakh farmers in Chhattisgarh. Expressing his happiness, Chief Minister Sai highlighted the positive response from farmers, who, he said, are content and have increased confidence in both the Chhattisgarh Government and Prime Minister Modi. The Governments dedication to fulfilling promises was further emphasised by Chief Minister Sai, citing the sanctioning of 18 lakh houses for the poor and the commitment to the Modi Ki Guarantee.

A commitment to providing Rs 10,000 annually to impoverished landless labourers. A promise to transparently recruit 1 lakh government posts to prevent exploitation of the youth. A commitment to purchasing tendu leaves at the rate of 5,500 standard bags for 15 days. Introduction of a scheme providing Rs 1,000 every month, totalling Rs 12,000 annually, under Mahtari Vandan Yojana for married women. Expansion of health services, ensuring free treatment up to Rs 10 lakh under the Ayushman Card. Chief Minister Sai assured the people that the government is dedicated to fulfilling every promise made and emphasised the inclusive nature of their governance. The commitment to purchase paddy at Rs 3,100 per quintal and arrangements for the purchase of 21 quintals of paddy per acre was also highlighted, with Chief Minister Sai affirming the governments readiness to extend deadlines if necessary.
Sufferer knows how to withstand from inside: Dhankhar raises mimicry row





NEW DELHI,

AFTER voicing his anguish over a viral video in which suspended Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee was purportedly seen mocking his mannerisms, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday invoked the mimicry row, saying he is a sufferer who isnt spared despite being the chairman of the Rajya Sabha and holding one of the highest public offices of the country. During an interaction with the current batch of Indian Statistical Service (ISS) probationers at his official residence in the national capital, Dhankhar said despite being slighted, he would never deviate from his path and principles. I am a sufferer. A sufferer knows how to withstand from inside, take all upfront insults with one direction. We are in the service of our Bharat Mata (mother India).

You will have to show integrity. You will have to exhibit high ethical standards. There will be pressures and counter pressures, Dhankhar said. During a protest over the bulk suspension of Opposition MPs on the steps of the new Parliament complex during the recent Winter Session, the TMC Lok Sabha MP came up with what appeared to be a crude impression of the Vice President. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was pictured videographing the act on his phone even as fellow Opposition members laughed and clapped. Even (a person) in my position as a constitutional head of Rajya Sabha -- I am the Chairman there, I am the Vice-President of this country -- people dont spare me. Should that change my mindset? No. Should this result in a deviation from my path? No.

On the path of rightness, we always must proceed, Dhankhar said during his interaction with ISS probationers at his Delhi residence. Banerjees crude impression of the Vice President stoked a major political showdown, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi dialing the Rajya Sabha Chairman to express great pain over the abject theatrics that he was at the receiving end of. President Droupadi Murmu, too, expressed her dismay over the incident. The President said elected representatives, while reserving the right and freedom to express themselves, should do so within the norms of dignity and courtesy. In the line of fire from the Treasury and the Centre, Banerjee issued a clarification saying he did not intend to hurt anyone. I wasnt intending to hurt anyone. I do not know why he is taking this on himself. Does he act like this in the Rajya Sabha? the TMC MP told reporters as the mimicry row exploded.
The Bombed & Bombers





By Gwynne Dyer

KNOWN death toll of Palestinians in Gaza since October 7 attack reached 20,000. The deaths of Hamas fighters are included in the numbers that the Hamas-run Health Ministry releases, and in past clashes with Israel the overall statistics have not been inflated. Hamas understands that accuracy builds credibility. So lets say 5,000 of the dead are Hamas fighters, although its an implausibly high number. Thats counter-balanced by the number of civilian dead still unfound and uncounted, especially where whole families lie buried deep in the rubble of pancaked buildings. So lets say 5,000 of them too. Its still 20,000 dead civilians. Thats a big number, ranking with the worst air raids over Germany in the Second World War: the firestorm in Dresden in 1945 killed at least 25,000 German civilians, and the one in Hamburg in 1943 (the first thousand-bomber raid) killed an estimated 40,000. A better comparison might be civilian deaths over the whole war. About one in one hundred of the residents of Gaza has been killed by rockets, bombs or artillery fire in the past 2 months. Up to half a million German civilians (highest estimate) were killed in the Allied bombing campaign in 1942-45, which works out at one in 160 over four years. Palestinian civilians are therefore having a much worse time now than German civilians had under the British and American thousand-bomber raids.

But there is a real difference in the experience of those who did the killing then, and those who are doing it now. I once did a television series about war that involved interviewing a lot of former aircrew who flew in Bomber Command. They were already in their 60s or 70s, but their memories of the Second World War were still clear and strong: it had been the formative event of their young lives. They were especially clear about the fear, which was constant. There can be few experiences more terrifying than flying in the dark with enemy night-fighters behind and enemy flak ahead, strapped into a flimsy metal box that gives you as much protection from the bullets and the shrapnel as wet cardboard. They were eloquent about that, because if they flew twenty-five missions they survived  but more than half of them did not survive. Another quarter were shot down and taken prisoner or were badly wounded in the air and taken off operations. Only 27% completed their twenty-five missions unscathed. So when you asked them about the innocent women and children under their bombs  because most of the fit adult men in Germany were away in the Army  they had no reply. Some of them felt a little guilt long afterwards, looking back, but none could recall any hesitation about bombing civilians at the time.

Fair enough: the constant presence of imminent death tends to focus your attention tightly on your own situation. But what should people in Britain, Canada (which provided 18% of Bomber Commands aircrew) and the United States (which used the same tactics against Japan even before the atomic bombs) think about it now? The answer is that they dont think about it at all. People get very upset even now if you bring it up in public, as if discussing the subject is unfair to those who did the bombing. But questioning those who took the command decisions is not. I once interviewed Sir Arthur Bomber Harris, who ran Bomber Command in 1942-45. Either he had no imagination, or he just didnt care. Maybe both. I came away with the sense that I had met a war criminal. So what is the relevance of all this to the Israel Defence Forces today? Firstly, the Israeli pilots and gunners who are actually doing the killing face almost no risk of death themselves. Im not sure why that makes a difference, but Im less inclined to make exceptions for them than for the doomed aircrew of World War II. As for those who give them their orders, they are professionals who should know that this is a completely futile strategy. Nobody has ever bombed an organisation like Hamas into submission. It would require a much more extensive and aggressive use of Israeli ground troops, and imply far higher Israeli casualties  and it probably still wouldnt work. US President Joe Biden calls it indiscriminate bombing and former British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace calls it a killing rage. It continues because a) the war keeps Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in power, and b) it reassures ordinary Israelis who were shocked and frightened by the massacre of the innocent on 7 October. But it has to stop, and soon. Biden can stop it just by pulling the plug, and he should. Even if Netanyahu then winds up in jail.
Three Naxals neutralised





Our Correspondent

DANTEWADA,

IN a significant blow to the Left Wing Extremists (LWEs) affiliated with the Kanger Valley Area Committee of the banned outfit, three hardcore outlaws were neutralised in a fierce gun battle between extremists and security personnel. The slain Naxals include LOS Commander Peddaras Laxman Kuharam and ACM Soma Madavi, each carrying rewards of Rs 5 lakh. Wanted in connection with over 30 Naxal incidents spanning multiple districts in Chhattisgarh and Odisha, these outlaws reportedly posed a substantial threat to regional security. The security personnel also recovered some arms and ammunition from the encounter spot. The recoveries comprise 1 pistol, 2 firearms, BGL cell, explosive materials, Maoist uniforms, backpacks, Naxal literature, medicines, and other Naxal-related equipment. In a bid to carry out a major incident, involving prominent Naxal commanders from the Darbha Division, 30-40 armed Maoists were conducting a meeting.

The Dantewada (DRG), Bastar Fighters (BFR), and CRPF teams promptly thwarted the nefarious designs of the Maoists. The district police and CRPF launched a coordinated joint operation in various regions of the district. During the operation, in the jungle hills between Tumakpal and Dabba Kunna, the Maoists initiated indiscriminate firing on the team of Dantewada DRG and Bastar Fighters, intending to kill police personnel and loot weapons. In self-defense, the police responded with counteraction.

The Maoists fled the jungle hills, leaving behind the bodies of three Maoist commanders, 1 pistol, 2 firearms, BGL cell, explosive materials, Maoist uniforms, backpacks, Naxal literature, medicines, and other Naxal-related equipment. Two of the slain Naxals have been identified as Kanger Ghati Area Committees Peddaras LOS Commander Laxman Kuharam and ACM Soma Madavi, a member of Kangar Ghati Area Committee, while the identity of the third Maoist remains unknown. Kuharam and Madavi were carrying on heads a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh each. As per police sources, these Naxalites were involved in various criminal cases, including murder, attempted murder, and possession of explosive substances, under different sections of the Arms Act.

Two IEDs defused

BIJAPUR: ALERT District Reserve Guard (DRG) troopers averted a major tragic incident by successfully discovering and neutralising two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) weighing 5 kilograms each, planted on a forested patch between Palnar and Cherpal. The Bomb Disposal Squad expertly handled the situation. While engaged in demining activities, DRG personnel spotted two IEDs strategically placed between Palnar and Cherpal villages. These explosive devices, with a weight of 5 kilograms each, were positioned 10 to 15 metres apart and connected through a pressure

switch system.
Utmost priority is to honour workers and uphold dignity of underprivileged: PM Modi













Staff Reporter

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave benefits to workers of Hukumchand Mill Indore while addressing virtually a programme Mazdooron ka hit Mazdooron ko Samarpit organised to commemorate the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Late Atal Behari Vajpayee observed as Good Governance Day. Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav greeted Prime Minister Modi and handed over the cheque of benefits to be distributed to the workers of Hukumchand Mill to the representatives of the labour union and the liquidator. Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone of a 60 megawatt solar power plant project to be built using money received from green bonds. Chief Minister Dr Yadav performed bhoomipujan and dedicated to people, a host of welfare development works worth about Rs 429 crore and distributed retrofitted scooties to 175 differently able people. It is a matter of satisfaction that new government is working for the poor: PM Modi: Addressing the programme, Prime Minister Modi said that it is an outcome of years of patience and dreams and dedication of the workers. It is a matter of joy and happiness birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Late Atal Behari Vajpayee is being observed today. The workers leading a life full of struggle and getting the opportunity to participate in such a programme is a matter of satisfaction.

The new team of the double engine government will get full blessings of our worker families. Modi hoped that the new team of Madhya Pradesh will make more such achievements. He said that when the package was announced for the workers of Hukumchand Mill, an atmosphere of celebration prevailed in Indore. This decision has further augmented the joy of festivals among workers. Todays event bears significance as today is the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Late Atal Behari Vajpayee and Good Governance Day. Modi said that we are aware of Late Vajpayees connection with Madhya Pradesh. A cheque of Rs 224 crore has been handed over to my family today as a symbolic gesture. This will reach the workers, who have faced many challenges, but now a bright future lies ahead. The people of Indore will remember the date of December 25 as the day of justice. I appreciate your patience and respect hard work. Workers should become empowered to build a prosperous India Prime Minister Modi said that there are four castes-the poor, the youth, the mothers and sisters and my farmer brothers and sisters. Madhya Pradesh Government has taken significant measures to change the lives of the poor. Service to the poor, respect to workers and honour to the deprived are the utmost priority. The worker should become empowered and contribute to building a prosperous India. Indore is a leader in many fields: Prime Minister Modi said that Indore, famous for maintaining cleanliness and nourishing taste, has been a leader in many fields.

The textile industry has played a pivotal role in development of Indore. Everyone is familiar with the historicity of the 100 year old Maharaja Tukojirao Cloth Market here. The citys first cotton mill was established by the Holkar royal family. Malwas cotton went to Britain and many European countries, and cloth was made in the mills there. There was a time when Indore markets used to determine the prices of cotton. The clothes made in Indore were in demand in the country and abroad. Textile mills had become a major centre of employment here. Many workers employed in these mills came from other states and settled here, this was the period when Indore was compared to Manchester. But times changed and Indore also had to bear the brunt of the policies of the earlier governments. Green bond of Jalud Plant to ensure participation of citizens in protecting environment: Prime Minister Modi said that Jalud Solar Energy Plant is going to save electricity bills worth Rs 4 crore per month. Funds are being raised from people for this plant by issuing green bonds.

This effort of Green Bond will become another medium to ensure participation of the citizens of the country in protecting the environment. People of state should take full advantage of Modis Guarantee Prime Minister Modi said that the State Government is working rapidly to meet the guarantees given during the elections. To ensure the reach of government schemes to every beneficiary, Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra is reaching various places in Madhya Pradesh. Though, the yatra was slightly delayed in Madhya Pradesh, but within a few days of its launch from Ujjain, more than 600 programmes have been organised. Lakhs of people are getting direct benefits from Yatra. He urged the people that when Modis Ki Guarantee Vehicle reaches your place, take full advantage of it, more and more people should reach there, ensure that no one is deprived of the benefits of government schemes. He expressed gratitude to the people of Madhya Pradesh for trusting Modis Guarantees giving overwhelming majority.

Moments of satisfaction and joy of workers will always be inspiring Prime Minister Modi said that these moments will always be inspiring. He expressed gratitude to Indore, Madhya Pradesh Government and the workers present in a large numbers. Finally a joyous moment has arrived after a long struggle. Indore Municipal Corporation has several achievements: Chief Minister Dr Yadav Chief Minister Dr Yadav, while greeting the peoples representatives of Indore, said that Indore Municipal Corporation has several achievements in the field of cleanliness.

The Hukumchand Mill workers issue has been resolved successfully through the continuous struggle of public representatives and representatives of workers organisations. Remembering former Prime Minister Late. Shri Vajpayee on his birth anniversary, Chief Minister Dr Yadav said that Vajpayee had a magnetic personality. He received his primary education in Badnagar tehsil of Ujjain. He loved cuisine from Malwa. Indore, the city of Lokmata Ahilya Bai, is the fastest growing cities Chief Minister Dr Yadav said that it is a matter of immense joy and pride that Indore, the city of Lokmata Ahilya Bai, is one among the fastest growing cities of the world. Lokmata Ahilya Bai dedicated her entire kingdom to Mahadev and lived an ideal life as a Sevika. She was the empress of the Holkar dynasty, but she got religious places all over the country renovated, her contributions in pilgrimage places like Kedarnath, Jamunotri, Gangotri, Rameshwaram, Dwarka, Banaras etc. is clearly visible. Ujjain also gained prominence due to Mahakal.

Difficulties of poor workers have been efficiently addressed Chief Minister Dr. Yadav said that the difficulties of poor works have been efficiently addressed during the rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said that the families of these workers. Assistance is provided by the state government in different ways for setting up industries, and these industries also become an effective means of providing employment. But in case of closure of the industry, the workers families have to face challenges. The case of Vinod-Vimal Mill of Ujjain was also pending in court, the resolution of which was done keeping in mind the comprehensive approach of the government, this was the first case resolved in the state.
Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY  Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, December 7th, RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 29th will be paid a dividend of 0.65 per share by the real estate investment trust on Wednesday, January 31st. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 28th.

Annaly Capital Management has decreased its dividend payment by an average of 3.8% annually over the last three years. Annaly Capital Management has a dividend payout ratio of 96.7% meaning its dividend is currently covered by earnings, but may not be in the future if the companys earnings tumble. Equities research analysts expect Annaly Capital Management to earn $2.70 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.60 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 96.3%.

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Annaly Capital Management Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NLY stock opened at $20.26 on Tuesday. Annaly Capital Management has a 12 month low of $14.52 and a 12 month high of $24.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The companys fifty day moving average price is $17.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.02.

Insider Activity

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Annaly Capital Management

In other news, CEO David L. Finkelstein sold 50,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.04, for a total value of $852,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 545,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,291,213.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website . Company insiders own 0.26% of the companys stock.

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NLY. Bank of Montreal Can grew its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 24.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 381,525 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $2,828,000 after buying an additional 73,892 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management during the 1st quarter valued at about $199,000. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 1,185,123 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $8,343,000 after buying an additional 37,762 shares during the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Annaly Capital Management by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 97,368 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $685,000 after buying an additional 6,043 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Annaly Capital Management during the 1st quarter valued at about $163,000. Institutional investors own 49.16% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on NLY. StockNews.com lowered shares of Annaly Capital Management from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Friday, December 1st. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $22.00 to $18.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Annaly Capital Management from $17.00 to $21.50 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, December 13th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $19.00 price objective on shares of Annaly Capital Management in a report on Wednesday, December 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Annaly Capital Management currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $21.06.

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About Annaly Capital Management

(Get Free Report)

Annaly Capital Management, Inc, a diversified capital manager, engages in mortgage finance. The company invests in agency mortgage-backed securities collateralized by residential mortgages; non-agency residential whole loans and securitized products within the residential and commercial markets; mortgage servicing rights; agency commercial mortgage-backed securities; residential mortgage loans; and agency or private label credit risk transfer securities.

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B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:AGG  Free Report) by 10.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,787 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 864 shares during the period. B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLCs holdings in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF were worth $826,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AGG. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 145.5% in the first quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 6,590 shares of the companys stock valued at $705,000 after purchasing an additional 3,906 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 36.2% in the first quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 52,003 shares of the companys stock valued at $5,570,000 after purchasing an additional 13,829 shares in the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF in the first quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Baltimore Washington Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF in the first quarter valued at approximately $241,000. Finally, West Michigan Advisors LLC boosted its stake in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 2.0% in the first quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC now owns 14,640 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,568,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.21% of the companys stock.

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iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of AGG stock opened at $98.83 on Tuesday. iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF has a 52-week low of $91.58 and a 52-week high of $101.15. The firms 50 day moving average price is $95.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $95.94.

About iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF

IShares are index funds that are bought and sold like common stocks on national securities exchanges as well as certain foreign exchanges. iShares are attractive because of their relatively low cost, tax efficiency and trading flexibility. Investors can purchase and sell shares through any brokerage firm, financial advisor, or online broker, and hold the funds in any type of brokerage account.

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B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Sonoco Products (NYSE:SON  Free Report) by 7.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,117 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 2,012 shares during the quarter. B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLCs holdings in Sonoco Products were worth $1,365,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SON. BlackRock Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sonoco Products by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 11,631,791 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $709,539,000 after acquiring an additional 76,945 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sonoco Products by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,740,557 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $609,312,000 after acquiring an additional 179,779 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Sonoco Products by 13.4% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 8,240,829 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $515,546,000 after acquiring an additional 972,157 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in shares of Sonoco Products by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,566,627 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $151,481,000 after acquiring an additional 32,230 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Sonoco Products by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,135,507 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $130,266,000 after acquiring an additional 54,808 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.20% of the companys stock.

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Sonoco Products Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of Sonoco Products stock opened at $56.15 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.89 and a quick ratio of 1.19. Sonoco Products has a 1 year low of $49.98 and a 1 year high of $63.74. The company has a market capitalization of $5.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.71. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $54.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.91.

Sonoco Products Dividend Announcement

Sonoco Products ( NYSE:SON Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. Sonoco Products had a return on equity of 24.40% and a net margin of 7.20%. The companys quarterly revenue was down 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.60 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Sonoco Products will post 5.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 10th were issued a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 9th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.63%. Sonoco Productss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com raised Sonoco Products from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 28th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Sonoco Products from $69.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Sonoco Products from $55.00 to $50.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sonoco Products has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $61.40.

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Sonoco Products Profile

(Free Report)

Sonoco Products Company, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, and sells various engineered and sustainable packaging products in North and South America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company operates through two segments: Consumer Packaging and Industrial Paper Packaging.

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B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC decreased its position in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC  Free Report) by 7.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,221 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 1,194 shares during the quarter. B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLCs holdings in WEC Energy Group were worth $1,226,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WEC. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $64,000. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its position in WEC Energy Group by 19.9% during the first quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 6,272 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $626,000 after acquiring an additional 1,040 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in WEC Energy Group by 8.3% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 848,405 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $84,682,000 after acquiring an additional 65,287 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its position in WEC Energy Group by 10.2% during the first quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 34,679 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $3,461,000 after acquiring an additional 3,224 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in WEC Energy Group by 11.8% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 8,765 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $875,000 after acquiring an additional 923 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity

In other news, Director Ulice Payne, Jr. sold 600 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.46, for a total value of $50,076.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 20,933 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,747,068.18. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

WEC Energy Group Stock Up 0.7 %

WEC opened at $82.94 on Tuesday. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $75.47 and a fifty-two week high of $99.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The firms fifty day moving average price is $82.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $85.19. The company has a market capitalization of $26.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.43.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.09. WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 14.80% and a return on equity of 11.48%. The company had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.96 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 4.62 EPS for the current year.

WEC Energy Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 14th will be paid a $0.835 dividend. This represents a $3.34 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.03%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 13th. This is an increase from WEC Energy Groups previous quarterly dividend of $0.78. WEC Energy Groups payout ratio is currently 72.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WEC has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $91.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, November 30th. Guggenheim dropped their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $94.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Monday, October 9th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 5th. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of WEC Energy Group in a research report on Wednesday, September 27th. They set a sector perform rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $102.00 to $94.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $89.58.

View Our Latest Stock Report on WEC Energy Group

WEC Energy Group Profile

(Free Report)

WEC Energy Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides regulated natural gas and electricity, and renewable and nonregulated renewable energy services in the United States. The company operates through six segments: Wisconsin, Illinois, Other States, Electric Transmission, Non-Utility Energy Infrastructure, and Corporate and Other.

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B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG  Free Report) by 10.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 52,372 shares of the banks stock after selling 6,167 shares during the quarter. B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLCs holdings in Citizens Financial Group were worth $1,404,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 60,391,319 shares of the banks stock valued at $1,575,006,000 after acquiring an additional 2,799,127 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,577,041 shares of the banks stock valued at $776,775,000 after acquiring an additional 241,869 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 76.0% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 19,002,482 shares of the banks stock valued at $861,383,000 after acquiring an additional 8,203,831 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 18.0% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 18,297,989 shares of the banks stock valued at $720,392,000 after acquiring an additional 2,785,751 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 58.7% during the 2nd quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 16,058,342 shares of the banks stock valued at $418,802,000 after acquiring an additional 5,939,590 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.67% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on CFG shares. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Citizens Financial Group from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $29.00 to $26.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 25th. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Citizens Financial Group from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and set a $31.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Monday, December 4th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Friday. Wolfe Research raised shares of Citizens Financial Group from an underperform rating to a peer perform rating in a research report on Monday, October 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $37.00 to $33.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 12th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Citizens Financial Group has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $34.00.

Citizens Financial Group Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE CFG opened at $33.06 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $15.41 billion, a PE ratio of 8.22 and a beta of 1.41. Citizens Financial Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.77 and a fifty-two week high of $44.82. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $27.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 18th. The bank reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.91 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.04 billion. Citizens Financial Group had a return on equity of 9.60% and a net margin of 17.61%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.30 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Citizens Financial Group, Inc. will post 3.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Citizens Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 1st were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 31st. Citizens Financial Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.79%.

Citizens Financial Group Company Profile

(Free Report)

Citizens Financial Group, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Citizens Bank, National Association that provides retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, corporations, and institutions in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Consumer Banking and Commercial Banking.

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Bluesphere Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Chevron Co. (NYSE:CVX  Free Report) by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,791 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. Bluesphere Advisors LLCs holdings in Chevron were worth $302,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CVX. Dechtman Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Chevron in the second quarter valued at approximately $648,000. Tsfg LLC increased its position in Chevron by 5.3% in the third quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 3,473 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $586,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Chevron by 13.1% in the second quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC now owns 14,333 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $2,255,000 after buying an additional 1,661 shares during the period. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA lifted its position in shares of Chevron by 13.4% during the 2nd quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA now owns 79,961 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $12,582,000 after buying an additional 9,477 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kooman & Associates grew its stake in shares of Chevron by 11.2% during the 2nd quarter. Kooman & Associates now owns 1,568 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $247,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.87% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

CVX has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com started coverage on Chevron in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Mizuho lowered their price target 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. BNP Paribas raised shares of Chevron from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and set a $190.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, October 12th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Chevron from $194.00 to $185.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 14th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised Chevron from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and cut their price target for the stock from $184.00 to $182.00 in a report on Thursday, November 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $186.50.

Chevron Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CVX opened at $151.05 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $285.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.21, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.11. 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 $148.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $156.41. Chevron Co. has a twelve month low of $140.72 and a twelve month high of $187.81.

Chevron (NYSE:CVX  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 27th. The oil and gas company reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.70 by ($0.65). Chevron had a return on equity of 16.15% and a net margin of 12.11%. The company had revenue of $54.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $51.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $5.56 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 18.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Chevron Co. will post 13.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chevron Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 17th were issued a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.00%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 16th. Chevrons dividend payout ratio is currently 44.84%.

About Chevron

(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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Shares of PagSeguro Digital Ltd. (NYSE:PAGS  Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of Moderate Buy from the ten research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $12.35.

Several analysts have issued reports on PAGS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of PagSeguro Digital from $11.50 to $10.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of PagSeguro Digital from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a sell rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 24th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an overweight rating and set a $14.00 target price on shares of PagSeguro Digital in a research note on Friday, November 17th. Finally, New Street Research upgraded shares of PagSeguro Digital from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $14.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, September 15th.

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Read Our Latest Research Report on PagSeguro Digital

Institutional Trading of PagSeguro Digital

PagSeguro Digital Trading Up 0.6 %

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. IFP Advisors Inc bought a new position in PagSeguro Digital in the 2nd quarter valued at about $69,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in PagSeguro Digital in the 1st quarter valued at about $66,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in PagSeguro Digital in the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. Quarry LP increased its holdings in PagSeguro Digital by 51.2% in the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,994 shares of the companys stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 1,690 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in PagSeguro Digital by 34.3% in the 3rd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,501 shares of the companys stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 1,917 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.29% of the companys stock.

NYSE:PAGS opened at $11.94 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.94 billion, a PE ratio of 12.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.81. PagSeguro Digital has a 1-year low of $6.93 and a 1-year high of $13.19. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $9.32.

PagSeguro Digital (NYSE:PAGS  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 16th. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.26 by $0.02. PagSeguro Digital had a net margin of 10.11% and a return on equity of 13.36%. The firm had revenue of $825.01 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $819.10 million. On average, equities analysts predict that PagSeguro Digital will post 1.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About PagSeguro Digital

(Get Free Report

PagSeguro Digital Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides financial technology solutions and services for consumers, individual entrepreneurs, micro-merchants, and small and medium-sized companies in Brazil and internationally. The company's products and services include PagSeguro Ecosystem, a digital ecosystem that operates as a closed loop where its clients are able to address their primary day to day financial needs, including receiving and spending funds, and managing and growing their businesses; PagBank digital account, which offers payment and banking services through the PagBank mobile app, as well as centralizes various cash-in options, functionalities, services, and cash-out options in a single ecosystem; and PlugPag, a tool for medium-sized and larger merchants that enables them to connect their point of sale (POS) device directly to their enterprise resource planning software or sales automation system through Bluetooth.

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Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Invesco Municipal Trust (NYSE:VKQ  Free Report) by 13.7% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 151,406 shares of the investment management companys stock after buying an additional 18,230 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in Invesco Municipal Trust were worth $1,263,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of VKQ. Wolverine Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Invesco Municipal Trust during the second quarter valued at about $31,000. Captrust Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Invesco Municipal Trust during the second quarter valued at about $44,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Invesco Municipal Trust during the second quarter valued at about $73,000. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Invesco Municipal Trust during the second quarter valued at about $95,000. Finally, Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Invesco Municipal Trust during the first quarter valued at about $99,000. 26.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Invesco Municipal Trust Price Performance

VKQ stock opened at $9.45 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $9.04. Invesco Municipal Trust has a one year low of $7.94 and a one year high of $10.35.

Invesco Municipal Trust Announces Dividend

About Invesco Municipal Trust

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 15th will be given a dividend of $0.0346 per share. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.39%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 14th.

(Free Report)

Invesco Municipal Trust is a closed-ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Invesco Ltd. The fund is co-managed by Invesco Advisers, Inc, INVESCO Asset Management (Japan) Limited, INVESCO Asset Management Deutschland GmbH, INVESCO Asset Management Limited, Invesco Hong Kong Limited, INVESCO Senior Secured Management, Inc, and Invesco Canada Ltd.

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Capital Investment Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL  Free Report) by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,006 shares of the transportation companys stock after selling 1,942 shares during the quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $999,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Delta Air Lines by 1.9% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 68,234,306 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $2,700,032,000 after purchasing an additional 1,267,578 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its position in Delta Air Lines by 3.9% during the second quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 26,563,427 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $1,262,825,000 after purchasing an additional 995,107 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in Delta Air Lines by 2.3% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 22,150,815 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $1,053,050,000 after purchasing an additional 498,172 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 399.7% in the 2nd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 19,665,620 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $934,904,000 after acquiring an additional 15,729,876 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 30.4% in the 1st quarter. FMR LLC now owns 14,779,351 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $516,095,000 after acquiring an additional 3,445,953 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.29% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $51.00 to $50.00 in a report on Thursday, September 14th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $60.00 to $44.00 and set a positive rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 26th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $64.00 to $56.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $54.40.

Delta Air Lines Trading Up 0.0 %

NYSE DAL opened at $41.13 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.44. The company has a market capitalization of $26.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 1.39. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $36.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $40.27. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a one year low of $30.60 and a one year high of $49.81.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 12th. The transportation company reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $15.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.55 billion. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 5.94% and a return on equity of 54.95%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.51 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 6.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 12th were given a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 11th. Delta Air Liness dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.58%.

Insider Transactions at Delta Air Lines

In other news, Director David S. Taylor acquired 10,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 18th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $33.09 per share, with a total value of $330,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,470 shares in the company, valued at $578,082.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, Director David S. Taylor acquired 10,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 18th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $33.09 per share, with a total value of $330,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,470 shares in the company, valued at $578,082.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Joanne D. Smith sold 3,030 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.29, for a total transaction of $100,868.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 95,362 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,174,600.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.89% of the companys stock.

Delta Air Lines Company Profile

(Free Report)

Delta Air Lines, Inc provides scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Airline and Refinery. Its domestic network centered on core hubs in Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit, and Salt Lake City, as well as coastal hub positions in Boston, Los Angeles, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, and Seattle; and international network centered on hubs and market presence in Amsterdam, Mexico City, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, and Seoul-Incheon.

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Cedar Brook Financial Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Free Report) by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,221 shares of the healthcare product makers stock after buying an additional 850 shares during the quarter. Cedar Brook Financial Partners LLCs holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $506,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich increased its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 97,996.2% during the second quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 2,101,555,797 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $229,111,613,000 after acquiring an additional 2,099,413,455 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 1.2% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 137,153,545 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $14,952,480,000 after acquiring an additional 1,584,552 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 1.1% during the second quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 77,225,258 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $8,419,032,000 after acquiring an additional 820,369 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 1.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 74,817,109 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $8,156,561,000 after acquiring an additional 1,362,889 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors increased its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 4.9% during the second quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 59,178,607 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $6,451,127,000 after acquiring an additional 2,747,652 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.70% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on ABT. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $120.00 to $112.00 in a report on Monday, October 2nd. TheStreet upgraded Abbott Laboratories from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a report on Thursday. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $130.00 to $122.00 in a report on Monday, October 2nd. StockNews.com began coverage on Abbott Laboratories in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Finally, Raymond James reduced their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $123.00 to $110.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 19th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $117.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 15,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.00, for a total value of $1,620,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 65,027 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,022,916. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, Director Daniel J. Starks sold 50,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.05, for a total transaction of $4,702,500.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,725,316 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $632,515,969.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 15,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.00, for a total value of $1,620,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 65,027 shares in the company, valued at $7,022,916. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Up 0.5 %

ABT stock opened at $109.03 on Tuesday. Abbott Laboratories has a twelve month low of $89.67 and a twelve month high of $115.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a market cap of $189.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.09, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.70. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $100.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $102.74.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 18th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.04. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 20.15% and a net margin of 12.92%. The firm had revenue of $10.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $9.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.15 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 15th. Investors of record on Friday, January 12th will be issued a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 11th. This is a boost from Abbott Laboratoriess previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.02%. Abbott Laboratoriess payout ratio is currently 74.83%.

Abbott Laboratories Profile

(Free Report)

Abbott Laboratories, together with its subsidiaries, discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells health care products worldwide. It operates in four segments: Established Pharmaceutical Products, Diagnostic Products, Nutritional Products, and Medical Devices. The Established Pharmaceutical Products segment provides generic pharmaceuticals for the treatment of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, irritable bowel syndrome or biliary spasm, intrahepatic cholestasis or depressive symptoms, gynecological disorder, hormone replacement therapy, dyslipidemia, hypertension, hypothyroidism, Meniere's disease and vestibular vertigo, pain, fever, inflammation, and migraine, as well as provides anti-infective clarithromycin, influenza vaccine, and products to regulate physiological rhythm of the colon.

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Cedar Brook Financial Partners LLC trimmed its position in Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Free Report) by 2.5% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 10,048 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 253 shares during the quarter. Cedar Brook Financial Partners LLCs holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb were worth $583,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Westshore Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Westshore Wealth LLC now owns 3,658 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $254,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the period. Stolper Co grew its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Stolper Co now owns 26,050 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,666,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. Brown Shipley& Co Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Shipley& Co Ltd now owns 9,161 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the period. Cherry Creek Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Cherry Creek Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28,274 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,808,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Finally, Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. now owns 17,472 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,117,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.98% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on BMY shares. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded Bristol-Myers Squibb from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $68.00 to $55.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 15th. HSBC upgraded Bristol-Myers Squibb from a reduce rating to a hold rating and cut their price target for the stock from $55.00 to $53.00 in a research note on Friday, October 27th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $56.00 to $50.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 27th. TheStreet downgraded Bristol-Myers Squibb from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research note on Thursday, November 9th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded Bristol-Myers Squibb from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and cut their price target for the stock from $68.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Thursday, November 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $63.59.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Price Performance

Shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb stock opened at $52.29 on Tuesday. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a one year low of $48.25 and a one year high of $75.18. The stocks fifty day moving average is $51.58 and its 200 day moving average is $57.95. The stock has a market cap of $106.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.18.

Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.24. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a return on equity of 51.59% and a net margin of 18.44%. The company had revenue of $10.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $10.96 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.99 EPS. Bristol-Myers Squibbs 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 7.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 5th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.59%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 4th. This is a positive change from Bristol-Myers Squibbs previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. Bristol-Myers Squibbs dividend payout ratio is presently 57.87%.

Bristol-Myers Squibb declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, December 7th that permits the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the biopharmaceutical company to reacquire up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the companys leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Bristol-Myers Squibb news, CEO Christopher S. Boerner purchased 3,071 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 28th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $48.86 per share, for a total transaction of $150,049.06. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 79,384 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,878,702.24. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Bristol-Myers Squibb news, CEO Christopher S. Boerner purchased 3,071 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 28th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $48.86 per share, for a total transaction of $150,049.06. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 79,384 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,878,702.24. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Christopher S. Boerner purchased 2,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $49.78 per share, with a total value of $99,560.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 82,672 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,115,412.16. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders acquired 13,571 shares of company stock worth $672,994. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the companys stock.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company 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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LMG Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Chevron Co. (NYSE:CVX  Free Report) by 2.8% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 57,913 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after acquiring an additional 1,562 shares during the period. Chevron comprises about 3.0% of LMG Wealth Partners LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. LMG Wealth Partners LLCs holdings in Chevron were worth $9,765,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hill Island Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Chevron during the third quarter valued at approximately $211,000. LexAurum Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Chevron by 122.8% in the third quarter. LexAurum Advisors LLC now owns 7,512 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $1,267,000 after purchasing an additional 4,140 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC IL increased its stake in shares of Chevron by 0.3% in the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC IL now owns 135,021 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $22,767,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. Herbst Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Chevron by 5.6% in the third quarter. Herbst Group LLC now owns 15,100 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $2,546,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Chevron in the third quarter worth $8,329,000. 68.87% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CVX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Chevron from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Chevron from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $184.00 to $182.00 in a research note on Thursday, November 2nd. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Chevron from $194.00 to $185.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 14th. Bank of America raised shares of Chevron from a neutral rating to a buy rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $190.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Monday, October 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Chevron from $203.00 to $201.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $186.50.

Chevron Price Performance

CVX stock opened at $151.05 on Tuesday. Chevron Co. has a 52 week low of $140.72 and a 52 week high of $187.81. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $148.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $156.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $285.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.11.

Chevron (NYSE:CVX  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). Chevron had a net margin of 12.11% and a return on equity of 16.15%. The business had revenue of $54.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $51.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $5.56 EPS. Chevrons revenue for the quarter was down 18.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Chevron Co. will post 13.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chevron Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 17th were issued a $1.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 16th. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.00%. Chevrons dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.84%.

About Chevron

(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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Clarus Group Inc. decreased its holdings in Chevron Co. (NYSE:CVX  Free Report) by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,332 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after selling 444 shares during the quarter. Chevron accounts for approximately 3.0% of Clarus Group Inc.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Clarus Group Inc.s holdings in Chevron were worth $4,103,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in CVX. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Chevron in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. HBC Financial Services PLLC bought a new position in Chevron during the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Chevron during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Nvwm LLC boosted its holdings in Chevron by 73.8% during the 1st quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 252 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Chevron in the 2nd quarter worth $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.87% of the companys stock.

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Chevron Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CVX opened at $151.05 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $148.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $156.41. Chevron Co. has a twelve month low of $140.72 and a twelve month high of $187.81. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $285.14 billion, a PE ratio of 11.21, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.11.

Chevron Dividend Announcement

Chevron ( NYSE:CVX Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). Chevron had a return on equity of 16.15% and a net margin of 12.11%. The business had revenue of $54.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $51.41 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $5.56 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was down 18.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Chevron Co. will post 13.13 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 11th. Investors of record on Friday, November 17th were paid a dividend of $1.51 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 16th. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.00%. Chevrons payout ratio is 44.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CVX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Chevron from $203.00 to $201.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 17th. BNP Paribas upgraded Chevron from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and set a $190.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Chevron in a report on Tuesday, October 24th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Chevron from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 24th. Finally, Raymond James reduced their price objective on Chevron from $200.00 to $175.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Chevron currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $186.50.

Check Out Our Latest Report on Chevron

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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CreativeOne Wealth LLC trimmed its holdings in Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN  Free Report) by 44.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 4,982 shares of the information technology services providers stock after selling 3,970 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLCs holdings in Accenture were worth $1,530,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACN. United Bank grew its position in Accenture by 6.3% in the first quarter. United Bank now owns 2,969 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $1,001,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the period. Weitz Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Accenture by 1.3% in the first quarter. Weitz Investment Management Inc. now owns 89,400 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $30,148,000 after acquiring an additional 1,168 shares during the period. Fund Management at Engine No. 1 LLC purchased a new position in Accenture in the first quarter worth approximately $1,805,000. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Accenture by 0.6% in the first quarter. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. now owns 7,292 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $2,459,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its stake in Accenture by 104.8% during the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 441,451 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $148,871,000 after purchasing an additional 225,943 shares in the last quarter. 70.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Accenture Price Performance

NYSE:ACN opened at $354.45 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $222.57 billion, a PE ratio of 32.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 1.23. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $323.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $317.22. Accenture plc has a 12 month low of $242.80 and a 12 month high of $354.82.

Accenture ( NYSE:ACN Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 19th. The information technology services provider reported $3.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.14 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $16.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.17 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 29.08% and a net margin of 10.65%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.08 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Accenture plc will post 12.21 EPS for the current year.

Accenture declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, September 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $4.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the information technology services provider to buy up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the companys leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.29 per share. This represents a $5.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 17th. Accentures payout ratio is 47.82%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Accenture news, CEO Jean-Marc Ollagnier sold 6,250 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.04, for a total transaction of $1,887,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 161,622 shares of the companys stock, valued at $48,816,308.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Ellyn Shook sold 5,250 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.48, for a total transaction of $1,567,020.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 20,265 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,048,697.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Jean-Marc Ollagnier sold 6,250 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.04, for a total value of $1,887,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 161,622 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,816,308.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 36,334 shares of company stock valued at $10,939,027. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on ACN shares. Citigroup restated a buy rating and set a $358.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research note on Monday, September 18th. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Accenture in a research note on Thursday, November 16th. They set a buy rating and a $410.00 price target on the stock. Wedbush upped their price target on Accenture from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, December 14th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Accenture from $340.00 to $356.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $340.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research note on Friday, September 29th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $348.59.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Accenture

About Accenture

(Free Report)

Accenture plc, a professional services company, provides strategy and consulting, industry X, song, and technology and operation services worldwide. The company offers application services, including agile transformation, DevOps, application modernization, enterprise architecture, software and quality engineering, data management; intelligent automation comprising robotic process automation, natural language processing, and virtual agents; and application management services, as well as software engineering services; strategy and consulting services; data and analytics strategy, data discovery and augmentation, data management and beyond, data democratization, and industrialized solutions comprising turnkey analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions; metaverse; and sustainability services.

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CreativeOne Wealth LLC lessened its stake in iShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF (BATS:IFRA  Free Report) by 19.5% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 47,497 shares of the companys stock after selling 11,520 shares during the quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLCs holdings in iShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF were worth $1,738,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IFRA. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich increased its position in iShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF by 98,060.2% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 10,650,379 shares of the companys stock valued at $416,217,000 after acquiring an additional 10,639,529 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of iShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF by 2,936,431.8% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 646,037 shares of the companys stock worth $23,425,000 after buying an additional 646,015 shares during the period. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. acquired a new stake in shares of iShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $15,121,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of iShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,514,772 shares of the companys stock worth $293,677,000 after buying an additional 307,743 shares during the period. Finally, Mariner LLC grew its position in shares of iShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF by 57.7% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 524,560 shares of the companys stock worth $19,021,000 after buying an additional 192,024 shares during the period.

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iShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF Stock Performance

Shares of BATS:IFRA opened at $40.27 on Tuesday. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $37.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.04. The firm has a market cap of $2.15 billion, a PE ratio of 15.08 and a beta of 1.03.

About iShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF

The iShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF (IFRA) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the NYSE FactSet U.S. Infrastructure index. The fund tracks an index of US-listed infrastructure companies that derive a significant portion of their revenue from within the US. IFRA was launched on Apr 3, 2018 and is managed by BlackRock.

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CreativeOne Wealth LLC cut its holdings in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:IWF  Free Report) by 64.5% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 6,833 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 12,430 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLCs holdings in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF were worth $1,818,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in IWF. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec grew its position in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 33.3% in the 1st quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 300,000 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $73,299,000 after purchasing an additional 75,000 shares in the last quarter. Newport Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF in the 2nd quarter worth about $10,612,000. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF in the 1st quarter worth about $3,778,000. Simplex Trading LLC grew its position in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 1,715.0% in the 2nd quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 27,969 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $7,696,000 after purchasing an additional 26,428 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Affiance Financial LLC grew its position in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 16.2% in the 2nd quarter. Affiance Financial LLC now owns 13,202 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $3,633,000 after purchasing an additional 1,837 shares in the last quarter.

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iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF Stock Performance

Shares of IWF stock opened at $302.79 on Tuesday. iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF has a 52-week low of $209.27 and a 52-week high of $304.74. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $284.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $278.04. The company has a market capitalization of $77.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.14 and a beta of 1.08.

About iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares Russell 1000 Growth Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment returns that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 1000 Growth Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of equity securities of Russell 1000 index issuers with relatively higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth.

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CreativeOne Wealth LLC cut its holdings in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 12.1% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 10,672 shares of the payment services companys stock after selling 1,463 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLCs holdings in American Express were worth $1,592,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Tyler Stone Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the second quarter worth $27,000. RVW Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the third quarter worth $33,000. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the second quarter worth $35,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. increased its position in shares of American Express by 2,142.9% during the third quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. now owns 314 shares of the payment services companys stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Shipley& Co Ltd acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the second quarter worth $49,000. 83.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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American Express Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of American Express stock opened at $185.57 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $161.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $162.82. The company has a market cap of $135.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.23. American Express has a fifty-two week low of $140.91 and a fifty-two week high of $186.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 1.60.

American Express Announces Dividend

American Express ( NYSE:AXP Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 20th. The payment services company reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.96 by $0.34. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.36 billion. American Express had a net margin of 13.61% and a return on equity of 30.60%. The companys revenue was up 13.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.47 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that American Express will post 11.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 5th will be given a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 4th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.29%. American Expresss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AXP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on American Express from $194.00 to $188.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of American Express from $192.00 to $167.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of American Express from $186.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, December 18th. Piper Sandler raised shares of American Express from an underweight rating to a neutral rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $150.00 to $151.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 24th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on shares of American Express in a report on Wednesday, November 15th. They set an overweight rating and a $184.00 price objective on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $171.78.

Get Our Latest Analysis on AXP

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Walter Joseph Clayton III purchased 1,000 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 24th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $143.93 per share, for a total transaction of $143,930.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $287,860. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, Vice Chairman Jeffrey C. Campbell sold 21,008 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.33, for a total value of $3,536,276.64. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 125,646 shares of the companys stock, valued at $21,149,991.18. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Walter Joseph Clayton III purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 24th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $143.93 per share, for a total transaction of $143,930.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $287,860. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.12% of the companys stock.

About American Express

(Free Report)

American Express Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides charge and credit payment card products, and travel-related services worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Global Consumer Services Group, Global Commercial Services, and Global Merchant and Network Services. Its products and services include payment and financing products; network services; accounts payable expense management products and services; and travel and lifestyle services.

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Meridian Wealth Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Devon Energy Co. (NYSE:DVN  Free Report) by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 63,168 shares of the energy companys stock after selling 1,718 shares during the quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Devon Energy were worth $3,056,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wahed Invest LLC boosted its position in shares of Devon Energy by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 7,933 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $469,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Devon Energy by 8.5% during the 2nd quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 2,459 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $119,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in Devon Energy by 13.2% in the 2nd quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. now owns 1,715 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $83,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Devon Energy by 6.0% in the 2nd quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,543 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $171,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the period. Finally, Diligent Investors LLC raised its holdings in Devon Energy by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Diligent Investors LLC now owns 4,639 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $224,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.34% of the companys stock.

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Devon Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Devon Energy stock opened at $45.81 on Tuesday. Devon Energy Co. has a one year low of $42.59 and a one year high of $66.96. The company has a market cap of $29.35 billion, a PE ratio of 7.83, a P/E/G ratio of 0.15 and a beta of 2.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.96. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $45.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $48.20.

Devon Energy Increases Dividend

Devon Energy ( NYSE:DVN Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 7th. The energy company reported $1.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $3.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Devon Energy had a return on equity of 33.97% and a net margin of 24.63%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Devon Energy Co. will post 5.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Investors of record on Friday, December 15th will be issued a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.72%. This is an increase from Devon Energys previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 14th. Devon Energys dividend payout ratio is 13.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DVN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of Devon Energy from $72.00 to $62.00 and set a positive rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 18th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Devon Energy from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 22nd. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Devon Energy from $67.00 to $61.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 16th. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Devon Energy from $62.00 to $58.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 12th. Finally, Pickering Energy Partners upgraded shares of Devon Energy from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, November 9th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Devon Energy presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $57.24.

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Devon Energy Company Profile

(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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Douglas Lane & Associates LLC purchased a new stake in Carrier Global Co. (NYSE:CARR  Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 5,745 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $317,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in Carrier Global by 29.2% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 16,359 shares of the companys stock valued at $750,000 after acquiring an additional 3,700 shares during the period. Panagora Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Carrier Global by 40.1% in the 1st quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 36,481 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,673,000 after purchasing an additional 10,445 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Carrier Global by 23.2% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,493 shares of the companys stock worth $343,000 after purchasing an additional 1,412 shares in the last quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. raised its holdings in Carrier Global by 22.7% during the 1st quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 65,241 shares of the companys stock worth $2,992,000 after buying an additional 12,089 shares during the period. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Carrier Global by 10.6% during the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 786,543 shares of the companys stock worth $36,078,000 after buying an additional 75,622 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.47% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Carrier Global

In related news, VP Ajay Agrawal sold 16,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.99, for a total value of $956,835.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 89,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,214,460.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the companys stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CARR. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Carrier Global from $57.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Friday, September 22nd. Mizuho cut Carrier Global from a buy rating to a neutral rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $63.00 to $61.00 in a report on Thursday, September 14th. Bank of America downgraded Carrier Global from a neutral rating to an underperform rating and dropped their price target for the company from $62.00 to $55.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Carrier Global from $47.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, September 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Carrier Global from $50.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Carrier Global presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $58.40.

View Our Latest Analysis on CARR

Carrier Global Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE CARR opened at $57.10 on Tuesday. Carrier Global Co. has a 12 month low of $40.28 and a 12 month high of $60.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $52.32 and a 200-day moving average of $53.18. The company has a market cap of $47.91 billion, a PE ratio of 40.50, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.41.

Carrier Global (NYSE:CARR  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.11. Carrier Global had a net margin of 5.43% and a return on equity of 26.60%. The firm had revenue of $5.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.89 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.70 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Carrier Global Co. will post 2.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carrier Global Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 21st will be given a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 20th. This is an increase from Carrier Globals previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. Carrier Globals payout ratio is 53.90%.

Carrier Global Profile

(Free Report)

Carrier Global Corporation provides heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, fire, security, and building automation technologies worldwide. It operates through three segments: HVAC, Refrigeration, and Fire & Security. The HVAC segment provides products, controls, services, and solutions to meet the heating, cooling, and ventilation needs of residential and commercial customers.

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Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of Moderate Buy from the nineteen ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $583.24.

LLY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America upped their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $600.00 to $700.00 in a research note on Friday, October 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, November 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, November 9th. They set a hold rating and a $535.00 price target on the stock. TheStreet cut shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a b rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Monday, December 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an overweight rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Wednesday, November 8th.

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Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on LLY

Insider Transactions at Eli Lilly and Company

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company

In other news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 215,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $605.44, for a total transaction of $130,169,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 99,768,810 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $60,404,028,326.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink . In other news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 215,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $605.44, for a total transaction of $130,169,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 99,768,810 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $60,404,028,326.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink . Also, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 670 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $571.10, for a total value 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 approximately $2,688,738.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Company insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock.

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cassia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Cassia Capital Partners LLC now owns 951 shares of the companys stock valued at $511,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC now owns 621 shares of the companys stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC now owns 623 shares of the companys stock valued at $335,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 1,280 shares of the companys stock valued at $688,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lathrop Investment Management Corp lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Lathrop Investment Management Corp now owns 1,476 shares of the companys stock valued at $793,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.38% of the companys stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of LLY stock opened at $570.39 on Friday. The firms 50 day moving average price is $586.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $537.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 1.05. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52-week low of $309.20 and a 52-week high of $629.97. The stock has a market cap of $541.48 billion, a PE ratio of 103.33, a PEG ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 0.33.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The company reported $0.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of ($0.08) by $0.18. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 48.12% and a net margin of 15.55%. The company had revenue of $9.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.88 billion. As a group, analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 6.6 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This is a boost from Eli Lilly and Companys previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 14th. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 81.88%.

Eli Lilly and Company Company Profile

(Get 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.

Further Reading

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Mach 1 Financial Group LLC reduced its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 6,019 shares of the companys stock after selling 172 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and Company comprises 1.3% of Mach 1 Financial Group LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Mach 1 Financial Group LLCs holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $3,233,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the 1st quarter valued at about $107,000. Roundview Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.6% in the first quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 2,056 shares of the companys stock valued at $589,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 1st quarter worth approximately $210,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 9.9% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 53,052 shares of the companys stock worth $15,193,000 after purchasing an additional 4,774 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barometer Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $561,000. 81.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 670 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $571.10, for a total value of $382,637.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,708 shares in the company, valued at $2,688,738.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Eli Lilly and Company news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 215,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the insider now owns 99,768,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,404,028,326.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 670 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $571.10, for a total value of $382,637.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,708 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,688,738.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:LLY opened at $570.39 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $586.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $537.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $541.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 103.33, a PEG ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 0.33. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1 year low of $309.20 and a 1 year high of $629.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 1.05.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 2nd. The company reported $0.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by $0.18. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 15.55% and a return on equity of 48.12%. The company had revenue of $9.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.88 billion. Equities analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 6.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 15th will be given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 14th. This is a positive change from Eli Lilly and Companys previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 81.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on LLY. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $727.00 to $822.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, December 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, November 9th. They issued a hold rating and a $535.00 target price for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an overweight rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Monday, December 18th. UBS Group reissued a buy rating and issued a $710.00 price objective (up previously from $612.00) on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, October 20th. Finally, Truist Financial restated a buy rating and set a $650.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Wednesday, November 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $583.24.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on LLY

Eli Lilly and Company Company Profile

(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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Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Molson Coors Beverage (NYSE:TAP  Free Report) by 60.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,727 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 3,299 shares during the period. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLCs holdings in Molson Coors Beverage were worth $555,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Molson Coors Beverage during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in shares of Molson Coors Beverage by 125.4% during the 2nd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 444 shares of the companys stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Molson Coors Beverage during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Molson Coors Beverage by 85.7% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 650 shares of the companys stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Molson Coors Beverage during the 2nd quarter worth about $39,000. 73.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Molson Coors Beverage Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE TAP opened at $61.36 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $60.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $63.06. The company has a market capitalization of $13.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.53. Molson Coors Beverage has a 1 year low of $48.49 and a 1 year high of $70.90.

Molson Coors Beverage Dividend Announcement

Molson Coors Beverage ( NYSE:TAP Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The company reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.39. Molson Coors Beverage had a net margin of 1.86% and a return on equity of 9.16%. The firm had revenue of $3.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.24 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Molson Coors Beverage will post 5.29 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 15th. Investors of record on Friday, December 1st were issued a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 30th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.67%. Molson Coors Beverages dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 142.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on TAP. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Molson Coors Beverage in a research note on Monday, November 13th. They set a hold rating and a $62.00 target price on the stock. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Molson Coors Beverage from $68.00 to $66.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Molson Coors Beverage from a sell rating to a hold rating and increased their target price for the stock from $57.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Friday, November 3rd. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Molson Coors Beverage in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Finally, TheStreet lowered shares of Molson Coors Beverage from a b- rating to a c rating in a research note on Monday, October 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $65.65.

Read Our Latest Research Report on TAP

Molson Coors Beverage Profile

(Free Report)

Molson Coors Beverage Company manufactures, markets, and sells beer and other malt beverage products under various brands in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company offers flavored malt beverages including hard seltzers, craft, and ready to drink beverages. It provides its products under Aspall Cider, Blue Moon, Coors Original, Hop Valley brands, Leinenkugel's, Miller Genuine Draft, Molson Ultra, Sharp's, Staropramen, and Vizzy Hard Seltzer above premier brands; Bergenbier, Borsodi, Carling, Coors Banquet, Coors Light, Jelen, Kamenitza, Miller Lite, Molson Canadian Lager, Molson Dry, Molson Export, and Niksicko, Ozujsko under the premium brands; and Branik, Icehouse, Keystone, Miller High Life, Milwaukee's Best, and Steel Reserve under the economy brands.

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Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK  Free Report) by 5.0% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 5,204 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 274 shares during the quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLCs holdings in American Water Works were worth $644,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in American Water Works by 2.0% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,960,717 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $3,635,157,000 after buying an additional 434,737 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 17,528,665 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $2,502,217,000 after purchasing an additional 232,858 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,015,069 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,572,401,000 after purchasing an additional 157,874 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 11.5% in the 2nd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 5,114,273 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $730,062,000 after purchasing an additional 528,070 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Water Works by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,139,918 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $589,429,000 after purchasing an additional 132,580 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.99% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated an outperform rating and issued a $169.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Thursday, September 14th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of American Water Works from $134.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 7th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a sell rating on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim reduced their target price on shares of American Water Works from $147.00 to $126.00 in a research note on Monday, October 9th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Michael Marberry acquired 3,786 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, November 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $130.20 per share, with a total value of $492,937.20. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 7,459 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $971,161.80. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.08% of the companys stock.

American Water Works Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE AWK opened at $131.56 on Tuesday. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $127.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $134.65. The company has a market cap of $25.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $114.25 and a 12-month high of $162.59.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.14 billion. American Water Works had a net margin of 22.26% and a return on equity of 9.99%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.63 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 4.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Water Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 8th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 7th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.15%. American Water Workss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.71%.

About American Water Works

(Free Report)

American Water Works Company, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides water and wastewater services in the United States. It offers water and wastewater services to approximately 1,600 communities in 14 states serving approximately 3.4 million active customers. The company serves residential customers; commercial customers, including food and beverage providers, commercial property developers and proprietors, and energy suppliers; fire service and private fire customers; industrial customers, such as large-scale manufacturers, mining, and production operations; public authorities comprising government buildings and other public sector facilities, such as schools and universities; and other utilities and community water and wastewater systems.

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Forte Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (NYSEARCA:IVV  Free Report) by 14.7% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,255 shares of the companys stock after selling 389 shares during the quarter. Forte Asset Management LLCs holdings in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF were worth $973,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of IVV. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of iShares Core S&P 500 ETF by 117,228.0% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 195,582,257 shares of the companys stock worth $75,144,659,000 after purchasing an additional 195,415,560 shares during the last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its position in shares of iShares Core S&P 500 ETF by 212,409.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 53,346,337 shares of the companys stock valued at $23,776,996,000 after buying an additional 53,321,234 shares during the period. Providence Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of iShares Core S&P 500 ETF by 38,525.9% during the 1st quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 11,421,288 shares of the companys stock valued at $27,783,000 after buying an additional 11,391,719 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in shares of iShares Core S&P 500 ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,101,052,000. Finally, IMC Chicago LLC raised its position in shares of iShares Core S&P 500 ETF by 122.2% during the 2nd quarter. IMC Chicago LLC now owns 534,522 shares of the companys stock valued at $238,242,000 after buying an additional 2,941,401 shares during the period.

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iShares Core S&P 500 ETF Stock Performance

IVV stock opened at $475.82 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $368.12 billion, a PE ratio of 18.43 and a beta of 1.00. The firms 50 day moving average price is $449.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $445.86. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has a one year low of $378.15 and a one year high of $479.08.

iShares Core S&P 500 ETF Profile

iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (the Fund) is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Standard & Poors 500 Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the large-capitalization sector of the United States equity market.

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McBroom & Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Chevron Co. (NYSE:CVX  Free Report) by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 3,603 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after purchasing an additional 282 shares during the quarter. McBroom & Associates LLCs holdings in Chevron were worth $608,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. V Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Chevron by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. V Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,007 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $1,102,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Addison Capital Co lifted its holdings in Chevron by 1.9% in the second quarter. Addison Capital Co now owns 3,339 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $525,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Strong Tower Advisory Services boosted its stake in Chevron by 0.9% in the second quarter. Strong Tower Advisory Services now owns 7,569 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $1,191,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. NCM Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Chevron by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. NCM Capital Management LLC now owns 5,570 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $909,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, Unionview LLC raised its position in shares of Chevron by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. Unionview LLC now owns 2,059 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $324,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.87% of the companys stock.

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Chevron Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of CVX stock opened at $151.05 on Tuesday. Chevron Co. has a 12-month low of $140.72 and a 12-month high of $187.81. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $148.25 and a 200-day moving average of $156.41. The company has a market capitalization of $285.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.21, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.11.

Chevron Announces Dividend

Chevron ( NYSE:CVX Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $54.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $51.41 billion. Chevron had a return on equity of 16.15% and a net margin of 12.11%. Chevrons revenue for the quarter was down 18.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $5.56 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Chevron Co. will post 13.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 11th. Investors of record on Friday, November 17th were given a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 16th. Chevrons dividend payout ratio is presently 44.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BNP Paribas raised Chevron from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 12th. Mizuho cut their target price on Chevron from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 14th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Chevron from $194.00 to $185.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Chevron from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and cut their price target for the company from $184.00 to $182.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an outperform rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Chevron in a report on Tuesday, October 24th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Chevron currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $186.50.

View Our Latest Analysis on CVX

About Chevron

(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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StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of NovaBay Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:NBY  Free Report) in a research report released on Monday. The brokerage issued a sell rating on the stock.

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NBY opened at $0.23 on Monday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $0.31. NovaBay Pharmaceuticals has a twelve month low of $0.22 and a twelve month high of $2.66. The company has a market cap of $1.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.03 and a beta of 2.68.

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NovaBay Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:NBY  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 9th. The company reported ($0.37) earnings per share for the quarter. NovaBay Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 93.83% and a negative return on equity of 219.83%. The company had revenue of $3.27 million during the quarter. On average, sell-side analysts expect that NovaBay Pharmaceuticals will post -2.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About NovaBay Pharmaceuticals

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company, develops and sells eyecare, skincare, and wound care products in the United States and internationally. It offers Avenova Spray, a solution for removing foreign materials, including microorganisms and debris from skin around the eye, such as the eyelid; and wound care products, which are used for cleansing and irrigation as part of surgical procedures, as well as treating certain wounds, burns, ulcers, and other injuries under the NeutroPhase and PhaseOne brands.

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Shares of Savers Value Village, Inc. (NYSE:SVV  Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of Buy from the nine research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $27.63.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on SVV shares. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Savers Value Village from $29.00 to $25.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 10th. Loop Capital reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $31.00 price target on shares of Savers Value Village in a research note on Tuesday, September 26th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Savers Value Village from $30.00 to $24.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 10th.

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Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Savers Value Village

Savers Value Village Price Performance

Shares of SVV stock opened at $16.60 on Thursday. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $14.77. Savers Value Village has a 52-week low of $10.16 and a 52-week high of $26.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.50, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Savers Value Village (NYSE:SVV  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 9th. The company reported ($0.05) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.23). The business had revenue of $392.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $395.61 million. Savers Value Village had a return on equity of 34.22% and a net margin of 2.40%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Savers Value Village will post 0.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Savers Value Village

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in shares of Savers Value Village by 5,798.0% during the 3rd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,008 shares of the companys stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 2,957 shares during the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Savers Value Village during the third quarter valued at about $60,000. Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Savers Value Village by 11.2% in the 3rd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 43,016 shares of the companys stock valued at $803,000 after buying an additional 4,328 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Savers Value Village in the 3rd quarter valued at about $92,000. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of Savers Value Village in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $107,000. Institutional investors own 98.78% of the companys stock.

About Savers Value Village

(Get Free Report

Savers Value Village, Inc sells second-hand merchandise in retail stores in the United States, Canada, and Australia. It operates stores under the Savers, Value Village, Village des Valeurs, Unique, and 2nd Avenue banners. The company purchases secondhand textiles, including clothing, bedding, and bath items; shoes; accessories; housewares; books; and other goods from non-profit partners, then processes, selects, prices, merchandises, and sells them in its stores.

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SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK  Free Report) by 15.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,437 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 189 shares during the period. SJS Investment Consulting Inc.s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $148,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 102,675.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 1,860,147,936 shares of the companys stock worth $214,642,470,000 after buying an additional 1,858,338,022 shares during the period. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 103,159.7% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 39,327,490 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,363,385,000 after purchasing an additional 39,289,404 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,736,293,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.6% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 68,563,817 shares of the companys stock valued at $7,294,504,000 after purchasing an additional 6,546,946 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at about $740,061,000. Institutional investors own 74.59% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a neutral rating to a buy rating and increased their price objective for the company from $117.00 to $122.00 in a report on Friday, October 20th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, October 27th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $132.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, October 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an overweight rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, December 18th. Finally, Truist Financial reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a $122.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, October 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $125.14.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 2,081 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.38, for a total transaction of $213,052.78. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 18,191 shares in the company, valued at $1,862,394.58. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 43,823 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.03, for a total value of $4,602,729.69. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 111,764 shares in the company, valued at $11,738,572.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 2,081 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.38, for a total transaction of $213,052.78. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 18,191 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,862,394.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.20% of the companys stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $107.70 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.38. The firms 50 day moving average price is $103.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $106.45. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $96.36 and a 52-week high of $119.65. The company has a market cap of $272.91 billion, a PE ratio of 59.83, a P/E/G ratio of 9.11 and a beta of 0.34.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 7.77% and a return on equity of 18.26%. The firm had revenue of $16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.30 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.85 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 1.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 14th. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.86%. Merck & Co., Inc.s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 171.11%.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

(Free Report)

Merck & Co, Inc operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes, as well as vaccine products, such as preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines.

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TELUS International (Cda) Inc. (NYSE:TIXT  Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from the fifteen analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $15.10.

TIXT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays cut their price target on TELUS International (Cda) from $11.00 to $9.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on TELUS International (Cda) from $12.00 to $8.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 6th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on TELUS International (Cda) from $12.00 to $9.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 3rd. TD Securities dropped their price objective on TELUS International (Cda) from $12.00 to $10.50 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 6th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on TELUS International (Cda) from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 6th.

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Read Our Latest Analysis on TIXT

Institutional Trading of TELUS International (Cda)

TELUS International (Cda) Price Performance

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in shares of TELUS International (Cda) by 0.4% during the second quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,252,390 shares of the companys stock valued at $201,171,000 after acquiring an additional 49,378 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its position in TELUS International (Cda) by 2.1% during the second quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 11,373,524 shares of the companys stock worth $172,457,000 after buying an additional 229,714 shares during the period. Capital International Investors lifted its position in TELUS International (Cda) by 14.5% during the first quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 5,536,117 shares of the companys stock worth $136,798,000 after buying an additional 699,567 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its position in TELUS International (Cda) by 5.2% during the first quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,025,916 shares of the companys stock worth $40,898,000 after buying an additional 100,012 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in TELUS International (Cda) by 11.2% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,428,626 shares of the companys stock worth $21,662,000 after buying an additional 143,899 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 59.55% of the companys stock.

TELUS International (Cda) stock opened at $8.33 on Thursday. TELUS International has a 12 month low of $6.03 and a 12 month high of $24.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $7.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $608.79 million, a PE ratio of 46.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.41 and a beta of 0.78.

TELUS International (Cda) (NYSE:TIXT  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 3rd. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.21. TELUS International (Cda) had a return on equity of 13.01% and a net margin of 1.89%. The business had revenue of $663.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $657.55 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.30 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that TELUS International will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current year.

About TELUS International (Cda)

(Get Free Report

TELUS International (Cda) Inc design, builds, and delivers digital solutions for customer experience (CX) in Europe, North America, the Asia-Pacific, and the Central America. The company provides digital experience solutions, such as AI and bots, omnichannel CX, enterprise mobility solutions, cloud contact center, big data analytics, platform transformation, and UX/UI design; and customer experience solutions, including work anywhere/work from home, contact center outsourcing, technical support, sales growth and customer retention, healthcare/patient experience, and debt collection.

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CreativeOne Wealth LLC reduced its holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW  Free Report) by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,968 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock after selling 128 shares during the quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLCs holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $2,032,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SHW. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the second quarter valued at about $37,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 46.4% in the second quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 142 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC increased its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 315.9% during the first quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 183 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the period. Independence Bank of Kentucky bought a new stake in Sherwin-Williams during the second quarter worth approximately $60,000. Finally, Archer Investment Corp lifted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 19.5% in the second quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 239 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.87% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity

In related news, COO Heidi G. Petz sold 6,699 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.24, for a total transaction of $1,944,317.76. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 14,718 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,271,752.32. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Sherwin-Williams news, COO Heidi G. Petz sold 6,699 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.24, for a total transaction of $1,944,317.76. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 14,718 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,271,752.32. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO John G. Morikis bought 2,125 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 25th. The shares were bought at an average price of $237.60 per share, for a total transaction of $504,900.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 317,270 shares of the companys stock, valued at $75,383,352. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.55% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on SHW shares. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $300.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, September 8th. StockNews.com raised shares of Sherwin-Williams from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $330.00 to $378.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, December 21st. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $310.00 to $280.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 26th. Finally, Berenberg Bank upped their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $224.00 to $249.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Friday, September 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $295.11.

Get Our Latest Report on Sherwin-Williams

Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

Shares of SHW opened at $311.27 on Tuesday. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 52 week low of $205.43 and a 52 week high of $311.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company has a market capitalization of $79.68 billion, a PE ratio of 33.33, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.11. The companys 50 day moving average price is $270.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $265.38.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 24th. The specialty chemicals company reported $3.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.43. Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 78.92%. The business had revenue of $6.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6 billion. Research analysts expect that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 10.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 17th were paid a dividend of $0.605 per share. This represents a $2.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 16th. Sherwin-Williamss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.91%.

Sherwin-Williams Company Profile

(Free Report)

The Sherwin-Williams Company engages in the manufacture, distribution, and sale of paints, coating, and related products to professional, industrial, commercial, and retail customers. It operates through three segments: The Americas Group, Consumer Brands Group, and Performance Coatings Group. The Americas Group segment offers architectural paints and coatings, and protective and marine products, as well as OEM product finishes and related products for architectural and industrial paint contractors, and do-it-yourself homeowners.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SHW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW  Free Report).

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Maritime lawyers have advised the Federal Government to support African countries within the Gulf of Guinea to set up deep blue projects as a way of intensifying the fight against maritime crimes.

The lawyers, who spoke separately with a correspondent, praised the efforts of the Nigerian Navy in the fight against piracy and other maritime crimes.

Also, the Vice President of the Maritime Arbitrators Association of Nigeria, Jean-Chiazor Anishere, urged the government to adopt the use of artificial intelligence to fast-track the process and beat the pirates to their crimes..

She said, The Federal Government through NIMASA should continue with collaboration not only among the Nigerian Navy, Air Force, and Marine Police, but also ensure that other African Countries within the Gulf of Guinea are participatory in the deep blue project, by encouraging them to set up similar projects in their countries.

They should know that a united and inclusive approach is sine qua non to a collaborative success in curbing or suppressing piracy in the Gulf of Guinea."

She declared that the country would lose unquantifiable economic resources if it fails to collaborate with neighbouring countries.

While also speaking, a maritime lawyer, Emmanuel Nwagbara, seeked more transparency in dealing with maritime crimes.

He said, A lot of people provided advice, including myself, and we thought that there were better ways of dealing with such issues. And one of them was that when the maritime crimes were committed it was important to get to the root of it, not just the people that were caught but people who were behind the people that were caught."
Herbal brew left to boil sets house on fire

PHUKET: A man cooking his own herbal medicine balm at home in Wichit yesterday (Dec 25) saw his own home catch fire, with an estimated B300,000 in damage caused.



By Eakkapop Thongtub

Tuesday 26 December 2023 09:30 AM

Pol Lt Theppitak Puangmanee of the Wichit Police was informed of the fire, at a one-story townhouse at the Phuket Villa 3 housing estate, at 12:50pm.

Firefighters from Wichit Municipality rushed to the scene, with rescue workers and Wichit Police Deputy Superintendent Pol Lt Col Rachan Phanwai all arriving as well.

The fire was still burning in the kitchen behind the house, with a a lot of smoke billowing towards neighbouring houses.

Firefighters took more than 20 minutes to bring the fire under control.

No injuries were reported as a result of the fire.

The owner of the house explained that he was boiling a herbal medicine containing Vaseline oil on a gas stove in the kitchen behind the house when the concoction caught fire.

He tried to douse the flames with a soaked cloth, but to no avail. The flames spread and the fire grew, and he called emergency services.

Despite the homeowners explanation of how the fire started, officers noted that they were continuing their investigation in order to confirm the cause of the fire.
Russian man nabbed at airport for role in Boat Avenue shooting

PHUKET: Immigration officers at Phuket International Airport yesterday (Dec 25) arrested a Russian man wanted for his role in the Boat Avenue shooting in June

Russianviolencecrimepoliceimmigration

By The Phuket News

Tuesday 26 December 2023 02:28 PM

Photo: Phuket Immigration Checkpoint / Facebook

The man was arrested at the Immigration Checkpoint in the international arrivals hall at about 10:30am while the man was attempting to enter the country, reported officers at the Phuket Immigration Checkpoint at Phuket airport, now overseen by Pol Col Padthongtew Damapong.

The arrest was made by Immigration Inspector Pol Lt Col Akkhaphon Kaewkiat, joined by officers from the Crime Suppression Investigation Team and police officers from Cherng Talay Police Station, the report noted.

The man was described as a male suspect, Russian national, 53 years old. His name was not revealed.

However, the brief report posted online by Phuket Immigration Checkpoint at the airport explained that the man was wanted for committing the crime of causing others to commit crimes, whether by using force, threats, hiring or inducing or by any other means.

The report posted noted clearly that the case related directly to the attempt to kill MR. DMITRY ALEYNIKOV by using a firearm.

The man was taken to Cherng Talay Police Station for further legal action, the report said.

Dmitry Aleynikov was shot in an assassination attempt outside a cafe at Boat Avenue in Cherng Talay on June 7. He survived the shooting.

The gunman, a Kazakh national, opened fire four times in broad daylight on the 44-year-old Russian businessman while he sat in a small car in the car park. The Kazakh then fled on a Yamaha N-Max scooter.

The gunman, not named in any official reports, was described as of Korean ethnicity born in 1974. He was later apprehended at Phuket airport while trying to leave Thailand on initial charges of overstaying his visa.

Maj Gen Sermphan Sirikong, Phuket Provincial Police Commander at the time, later confirmed that the Kazakh man had been charged with attempted murder.

Investigators believe that the motive for the attack may be related to Mr Aleynikovs business interests in Phuket.

Mr Aleynikov, who turned 44 years old on June 9, is known to be involved in the restaurant business in Phuket.

See also:

Russian man shot outside Boat Avenue bar

Suspect in Boat Avenue shooting apprehended at Phuket Airport

Business interests suspected as motive for Boat Avenue shooting

Boat Avenue shooting suspect charged with attempted murder
Egg prices touched Rs 8 per piece and it may rise further within a couple of days amidst the festive season of Christmas and New Year celebrations. The price per egg in the retail markets in the city and districts by Rs 1.50 since last week as the countdown for the Christmas festival begins.

According to stakeholders in the poultry business, prices are likely to shoot up by another Re 1 by this week. There has been a shortfall in supply of eggs particularly at a time when demand increases usually during Christmas and New Year festivals every year.

But this time, normal supply of eggs has been affected because of the recent cyclone with heavy rain in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, two southern states that provide bulk supply across the country. Some poultry businessmen in the wholesale markets felt that the shortfall in supply of eggs from the two cyclone-hit states has prompted retailers to increase prices.

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A majority of retail outlets in the city and adjoining towns like Howrah, Salt Lake, New Town, Bally and several other areas sold poultry eggs between at Rs 225 and Rs 240 per crate. Both retailers and poultry farmers felt that there has been a noticeable demand-supply gap of eggs shooting up the prices of the essential item during Christmas and New Year in the state. We are buying eggs at Rs 1,400 to Rs 1,500 per 200 pieces.

We would have nothing to profit if we dont sell it at Rs 225 or Rs 240 per crate, said Haaru, a retailer residing in Shibpur in Howrah. Owing to the expensive cost of poultry feed and related material its getting difficult for farm owners to run their business.

Poultry farmers will face major losses in coming days if the two major factors like costs of feed and fuel are not taken into consideration by the central government immediately, said Mr Madan Maity, secretary of Bengal Poultry Association (BPA).

Costs of poultry products are fluctuating from time to time with rise and fall in prices though there has been a regular alarming hike of 88 to 90 per cent feed since 2018, he said. Egg prices shoot up every year during this time. I hope prices will come down soon. Bengal gets around 80 lakh to a crore eggs everyday from southern states in the country, said Mr Maity
With the parliamentary election drawing near, Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee will address a workers conference in North 24-Parganas on Thursday. Party leaders and workers are eager to listen to the instructions to be given by the party chairperson. Miss Banerjee has been emphasising that the leaders should develop contacts with people and highlight the deliberate withdrawal of funds by the centre.

She along with her party MPs recently met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought his intervention to release the money. Trinamul Congress is going all out campaigning against the BJP for the inordinate delay in giving the money. The party will also campaign against the divide and rule policy of the BJP.

It was learnt that from January, Trinamul Congress will carry out an intense campaign against the local BJP leaders who have played vital roles in withdrawing the central funds. Trinamul Congress has already held meetings up to the block level to make people understand how the state BJP had connived with its headquarters in Delhi to malign Bengal. North 24-Parganas is politically very important. It has five MPs.

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Except Bongaon, where Shantanu Thakur of BJP, the Union minister of state for Shipping is the MP, Trinamul Congress has four MPs, namely Saugata Roy from Dum Dum, Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar from Barasat, Nusrut Jahan from Basirhat and Arjun Singh from Barrackpore.

Trinamul Congress is putting all effort to win the Bongaon seat. It was learnt that Miss Banerjee will first go to Chakla Dham, the birth place of Loknath Baba and inaugurate the newly-constructed temple complex built at an estimated cost of Rs 16 crore. She will go to Chakla by helicopter. Senior officials of North 24-Parganas district administration held a meeting with the representatives of the temple committee on Sunday.

Senior district police officers were also present. Narayan Goswami , Trinamul Congress North 24-Parganas district president said the MLAs and MPs from the district are likely to be present at the workers conference.
Within 24 hours following the murder of notorious criminal Hatkata Masood in Padmamala area of Chapra in Nadia, the police have apprehended a 28-year-old youth named as Istanul Halsena from his hideout in Chapra today.

The youth was produced before the chief judicial magistrate court in Krishnagar where the magistrate after hearing pleas remanded him in police custody for six days, police said. M Meetkumar Sanjay Kumar, Additional SP (HQ), said, It is too early to make any comment over the incident.

We are thoroughly probing this matter and after interrogation of the arrested youth, some clues may come out. The body of Masood, a notorious miscreant with a history of criminal activities, was discovered in Padmamala field under Chapra police station on Sunday morning.

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The police were alerted by local residents who noticed Masood lying with a bullet wound. Sources within the police department disclosed that Masoods demise resulted from multiple gunshot wounds, possibly inflicted by a professional using an automatic weapon.

A significant revelation in the ongoing investigation points toward the involvement of a hired gunman from Bangladesh.
Uttar Pradesh attracted investment proposals worth over Rs 40 lakh crore in 2023 and is moving forward towards becoming a trillion-dollar economy.

After the Uttar Pradesh Global Investors Summit 2023, the flow of investment is progressing in the state. This initiative is expected to create employment opportunities for one crore youth in the state.

Notably, efforts are underway to implement these investment proposals on the ground. In the initial months of 2024, projects worth Rs 15 lakh crore will be launched in the first phase of the Ground Breaking Ceremony. Some of these projects have grabbed headlines and are swiftly moving towards implementation.

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The Yogi government is in the process of developing a Bulk Pharma/Drug Park in Lalitpur in two phases over 1,472 acres across five villages. Currently, the first-phase work of preparing the detailed project report, mapping, soil sampling, and the process of structural development is underway, covering an area of 300 acres.

In Greater Noida, the development work of Film City, Logistics Park, Medical Device Park, Data Centre Park, Electronic Manufacturing Cluster, Dedicated MSME Apparel, Handicrafts, and Toy Park in Sector 21 is progressing well. The allocation of land and the structural development process for investors in Logistics Park, Medical Device Park, Data Centre Park, and Electronic Manufacturing Clusters are underway. The focus is on facilitating the establishment of manufacturing plants for major companies in the Electronic Manufacturing Cluster by allocating land and completing other processes.

Meanwhile, the process of developing industrial and commercial spaces in Dedicated MSME Apparel, Handicrafts, and Toy Parks has been initiated. All related land allocation schemes and development processes for these projects are being completed by the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority, Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority, and the Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Authority.

In Lucknow, the process of developing an Artificial Intelligence (AI) City has begun in Nadarganj. The Uttar Pradesh Electronics Corporation Limited (UPECL) will undertake the development of this proposed city under the Uttar Pradesh Electronics Manufacturing Policy (UPEMP). In the first phase of the project, construction will take place for an AI-based Cyber City on a 40-acre land parcel.

This project will include well-designed Grade-A certified commercial spaces for IT companies, state-of-the-art data centres, Grade-A flexible workspaces, and tech labs. Additionally, the development plan includes the construction of luxury and affordable housing complexes along with commercial spaces, a recreation area, green spaces, and various world-class amenities.

The Gorakhpur Industrial Development Authority (GIDA) is in the process of developing Plastic and Toy Parks in Gorakhpur in several phases. Many plants have already been established while work is underway to develop others. In 2023, GIDA allocated plots to investors through various plot allocation schemes for setting up plants under this project. The state government is providing incentives and necessary facilities to such investors to encourage their efforts.

The Uttar Pradesh Defence Corridor initiative aims at meeting the defence requirements of the country and making the nation self-reliant. Under this project, the manufacture of various defence equipment, including BrahMos missiles, will be undertaken in the state in the coming years. With this objective, the Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority is conducting surveys and carrying out air, water, and soil tests in various designated areas under the Defence Corridor.

After the completion of these processes, it is expected that the projects will gain momentum in 2024.

The development process of the Purvanchal Industrial Corridor was initiated in Uttar Pradesh in 2023. It spans 5,800 hectares along the banks of five expressways. The Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority is overseeing the development of corridors along the Agra-Lucknow Expressway, Purvanchal Expressway, Bundelkhand Expressway, Gorakhpur Link Expressway, and the Ganga Expressway.

In particular, the development of the Purvanchal Industrial Corridor is taking place on 1,586 hectares of land across five sites along the Purvanchal Expressway. This project incurs a cost of Rs 2,300 crore. Similarly, along the Ganga Expressway, 11 sites covering 1,522 hectares of land are undergoing development with a budget of Rs 2,300 crore. Along the Bundelkhand Expressway, development is underway on 1,884 hectares of land across six sites, with a budget of Rs 1,500 crore. The Agra-Lucknow Expressway is witnessing development on 532 hectares across five sites with a budget of Rs 650 crore. Lastly, along the Gorakhpur Link Expressway, two sites covering 345 hectares of land are undergoing development with a budget of Rs 320 crore.

Aiming to develop Bundelkhand, plans were made in 2023 to create another industrial city and promote the regions development near Jhansi on the lines of Noida. The Bundelkhand Industrial Development Authority (BIDA) is in the process of acquiring land for this city, spanning 35,000 acres across 33 villages near Jhansi. Simultaneously, the administrative procedures for the operation of the authority are also underway.

It is hoped that in 2024, this project will progress rapidly. The Yogi government has allocated a budget of Rs 5,000 crore for the development of this city.

In Lucknow, Ashok Leyland, counted among the countrys largest commercial vehicle manufacturers, is in the process of establishing and developing its e-bus manufacturing plant. It is noteworthy that in September, the company obtained approval from CM Yogi for setting up the plant on a 70-acre site. As part of the project, it is anticipated that by the Mahakumbh event in 2025, the state government will have 5,000 e-buses manufactured at this facility. It is believed that the plant will be fully operational by mid-2024.

Japanese company Fuji Silvertech has committed to the Uttar Pradesh government to establish a plant in the state with a significant investment in 2023. This is the first company to benefit from the new FDI policy in UP. It is being provided with 25 acres of land by the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority. The company specializes in manufacturing large concrete mixer vehicles, and it will develop the plant in the state in three phases. The establishment of this plant is expected to generate employment opportunities for 700 people.
2023 was a year filled with multiple developments in the trade and commerce sector of India. A range of developments were witnessed this year ranging from Foreign Trade Policy 2023, G20 under Indias Presidency, signing bilateral MoUs among other.

FTP 2023 had the key approach based on four pillars: Incentive to Remission, Export promotion through collaboration  exporters, states, districts, Indian missions, ease of doing business, reduction in transaction cost and e-initiatives and emerging areas  e-Commerce Developing Districts as Export Hubs and streamlining SCOMET policy.

DGFT implemented the Advance Authorisation Scheme allowing duty-free import of inputs for export purposes. Also, an initiative to issue system based automatic Status Holder certificates was introduced.

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The Commerce Ministry led the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting wherein high-level principles on digitalisation of trade documents were adopted. Jaipur Call for Action for enhancing access to information for MSMEs was also issued at the meet. The leaders also endorsed a G20 Generic Mapping Framework for Global Value Chains (GVCs) which contained key building blocks of data, analysis, and representation of GVC data.

Another important development was that the PM Modi dedicated to nation the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) complex in New Delhi, and urged the nation to move ahead with the principle of Think Big, Dream Big, Act Big.

Some key bilateral agreements were also made this year. India and the US held the 13th Ministerial-level meeting of Trade Policy Forum (TPF) in beginning of the year launching a new working group on Resilient Trade to deepen bilateral dialogue on a range of issues. Also, six disputes were resolved during the visit of the PM Modi to USA in June 2023 and last one was resolved in September 2023 during visit of the President of the United States for G20 Summit.

Also, a MoU on establishing semiconductor supply chain and innovation partnership was signed between two countries on semiconductor supply chain resiliency and diversification in view of US CHIPS and Science Act and Indias Semiconductor Mission.

India also held the first meeting of the Joint Committee (JC) of the India-UAE CEPA in June. They reviewed the bilateral trade under the CEPA, agreed to operationalise the established committees, and mutual exchange of preferential trade data on quarterly basis.

Piyush Goyal also interacted with 15 ambassadors from key African nations. The minister also addressed the 18th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India-Africa Growth Partnership in June.

A few other key developments that took place in terms of building a strong bilateral relationship were Piyush Goyals participation in the third in-person IPEF Ministerial Meeting in California to make supply chains more resilient, robust, and well-integrated. Also, the 20th ASEAN-India Economic Ministers meeting was held in August to review ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement signed in 2009.
A drug addict was arrested for allegedly stabbing a man to death in West Delhis Madipur, the police said on Tuesday.

The accused drug addict, who has been identified as Abdulla, a resident of Paschim Vihar, used to repair electronic gadgets at his house. The victim was identified as Vinod.

According to the Delhi Police, the incident came to light on December 22 after the police received a call informing about the stabbing occurred at the JJ Colony Madipur.

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A police team reached the spot along with Crime and FSL teams and took stock of the situation and recovered the exhibits of crime.

According to a police official, On receipt of the call, a sub-inspector reached the crime site and found a male body lying on the mattress as blood spilled all over the floor.

Later, a case of murder was registered in this regard and multiple CCTV footages were scanned, finally zeroing down the accused with technical surveillance.

During raids, the accused was arrested from Samta Vihar, Mukundpur and the knife used in commission of offence was also recovered from his possession

Later during the course of investigation, it was revealed that Abdulla owed Vinod around Rs 1,500. When the deceased visited Abdullas residence, not finding him there he got angry. Later, Abdulla was informed that Vinod scolded at his family members.

Vinods alleged misbehaviour with his family irked Abdulla. He visited Vinod at his place and picked up an argument with him. Following a heated exchange, the accused stabbed Vinod multiple times in a fit of rage which caused his death.

According to the police, the deceased was unemployed and was staying with his brother.
Cyberabad police on Monday filed a case for alleged sale of tickets for Sunburn music festival on New Years Eve even before obtaining police permission for the event.

A police officer said a case has been registered against Sunburn at Madhapur Police Station while notices were also being served on nodal officer and MD of online ticketing platform BookMyShow for selling the tickets.

The police action came a day after Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy took serious note of the online sale of tickets for the event though police have not given permission for the event.

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He had asked Cyberabad Police Commissioner Avinash Mohanty to conduct an inquiry.

Additional Commissioner of Police N. Narasimha Reddy told media persons on Monday that a meeting was held with the organisers on December 16, where they were explained how to apply.

The organisers were told that the police will give the permission after analysing the history of the event and if there is permission from the Excise Department and the permission for the venue.

He said since the sale of tickets for the event began on BookMyShow even before police permission for the event, a case was registered.

Arrangements were made for the event near HITEC City, the information technology hub in Madhapur under the limits of Cyberabad Police Commissionerate.

The Chief Minister, during a conference with District Collectors and SPs on Sunday, directed the Police Commissioner to inquire into the sale of tickets for the event. He wanted to know if the permission was given and when informed that no permission was given, he asked the police chief to inquire into the sale of tickets.

He mentioned that states like Goa, Maharashtra, and Karnataka cancelled Sunburn.

Revanth Reddy took note of this while giving directions to collectors and SPs to curb the drug menace with an iron hand.

The officials were asked to keep a tight vigil on the events on New Year Eve to ensure that drugs are not consumed at such parties. He directed officials not to treat the New Years Eve events as revenue earners as such events are spreading destructive culture and spoiling the careers of youth.

Meanwhile, Cyberabad Additional Commissioner of Police said that if any illegal activity like drugs and harassment takes place during New Year events, the organisers will be held responsible and action will be taken against them as per law.
Heritage conservators and enthusiasts, who had been fighting against the previous BRS government for the preservation of various heritage structures in Telangana, have taken a sigh of relief after the change in government.

In the past ten years, the government under K Chandrasekhar Rao demolished one heritage building after another ignoring the objections raised by heritage conservators or members of the civil society. Being the outcome of decades-long struggle for Telangana statehood the BRS was expected to be keen to preserve its rich heritage. But it was not to be as historical structures were razed to the ground bypassing all the rules.

Even when the activists moved courts, the powers that be ignored the stay issued by judges and brazenly demolished the protected structures. For instance, the BRS government demolished a heritage colonial-era bungalow which housed the IAS Associations Club to build KCRs camp-office cum residence, the palatial Pragathi Bhavan.

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Public outcry and a petition in the high court were disregarded and the government counsel merely informed the court that the beautiful bungalow had already been razed to the ground.

Similarly, another key piece of history  the Saifabad Palace or G block built during the reign of Nizam VI Mir Mahboob Ali Khan in 1885 was lost forever when the government under KCR razed all the buildings in the old Secretariat in 2020 to build a brand new one.

Again, the 135-year-old Warangal central jail of Nizam era was demolished overnight in 2021 to make way for a super-speciality hospital. The jail housed many prominent personalities including those who had participated in freedom struggle, Telangana peasants movement and statehood movement.

Although Rao had promised to make Hyderabad another Istanbul by preserving history while developing the city with modern facilities, in reality the dark cloud of demolition loomed over the magnificent Osmania Hospital and Errum Manzil Palace as long as Rao was at the helm though heritage conservators had moved high court to restore the heritage tag to 137 historical structures.

Deepak Kant Gir of Hyderabad Heritage Trust was instrumental in filing two PILs for the restoration and protection of the 137 structures. The high court had passed a favourable order declaring the Cabinet order of 2019 illegal. Yet Rao conducted bhoomi puja for the construction of a new assembly building after razing the beautiful but derelict Errum Manzil Palace.

Though the Urban Development Department restored some structures, including the Moazzam Jahi Market and Bansilalpet Stepwell, purists have doubts about the way they tackled the restoration.

Gir is hopeful of the Congress implementing its manifesto that promises to protect heritage restructures and restore them. I will suggest the government to set up a trust and shift all such heritage buildings held by the government to the trust and draw up a separate fund, said Gir.

Anuradha Reddy, city convenor of INTACH, said, I hope this government will respect and restore heritage buildings and not demolish them.
Delhi police has been alerted about a blast near Israeli embassy in New Delhi, according to news agency ANI. A team of Delhi Police Crime Unit and forensic experts rushed the spot after recieving the call about the explosion.

However, they have not found any explosives near the embassy.

Meanwhile, Israeli embassy has claimed that there was a blast at close proximity to the embassy at around 5:10 pm.

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We can confirm that around 5:10 pm there was a blast at close proximity to the embassy. Delhi Police and the security team are still investigating the situation, Israel Embassy in New Delhi said.

#WATCH | Visuals from outside the Israel Embassy in Delhi As per the Israel Embassy, around 5:10 pm there was a blast at close proximity to the embassy. pic.twitter.com/KsSot9LGgF  ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2023

Delhi Fire Services director Atul Garg said that they recieved a call about a bomb blast near the Israeli Embassy.

So far nothing has been found at the location, he was quoted as saying by ANI.

Israels foreign ministry, as reported by Reuters, said that an explosion took place near the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi and that all of its staff members are safe.

According to eyewitnesses, the blast sounded more like a tyre blast.

The incident comes amid Israels war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. While most countries, including India stood with Israel in their retaliatory action after the brutal October 7 attack, the country is facing global condemnations over civilian casualties in Gaza.

In 2021, a low intensity explosion had occured outside the Israeli embassy in Delhi.
Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj has expressed displeasure over the Chief Secretarys no response on the emergency note sent by him about the sexual harassment issue relating to a hospital in Burari.

Responding to a media query about the matter, Bharadwaj said that it has been 24 hours and Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar is yet to give a response.

The Minister stated that what was reported from the Burari Hospital was very shocking and it required immediate action by the government machinery.

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He said: This is very unfortunate that even in the case of such high sensitivity where allegations have been leveled by the women workers against their manager about seeking sexual favors, the Chief Secretary chose not to respond to the urgent note sent to him.

One can imagine how the elected government functions and how will the safety of women be ensured when the Chief Secretary doesnt act on an urgent note, he added.

Bharadwaj further mentioned that on Sunday the messenger was sent along with the urgent UO note to the residence of the Chief Secretary. However, the staff at the CS residence refused to accept the same stating they have instructions not to accept any note.

Later, the note was sent to Kumar through an e-mail and the note also was physically delivered at his place on Monday morning, he informed.

Whenever any untoward incident, the questions are asked from the elected Government. However, all the control over the officer lies with the L-G,

Bharadwaj said.

A female housekeeping staff member who worked on a contractual basis at a government hospital in Burari has alleged that she was harassed by her manager and other employees.

As per the police, the accused manager and three supervisors have been booked under relevant sections of law and have been asked to join the investigation.
As dense fog continued to reduce visibility at the Delhi airport on the second day, several flights got delayed and those coming to Delhi had to be diverted to other airports in the morning hours on Tuesday.

The flights that got affected were those not compliant with the CAT- III  a system in the aviation sector which refers to a kind of an instrument landing system approach that allows for landing in affected visibility conditions due to fog, rain and difficult weather conditions.

The authorities also issued an advisory for the passengers in the morning, requesting them to check with the airlines concerned about the revised flight timings.

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Delhi Airport in its advisory said, While landing and take-offs continue at Delhi Airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may get affected. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information. Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted.

As per the airports flight Information display data, there were delays in both arrivals and departures for over 20 flights.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the visibility was reduced to as low as 50 meters due to the dense fog in the morning at the Delhi airport.

An IMD official said that the visibility remained affected between 7 am to 10 am at the airport, which improved later on.

The national capital is likely to experience fog conditions till December 28, the weatherman said.

The delay and diversions of the flights caused congestion at the airport, as airlines informed their passengers regarding the same.

Flight UK972 from Pune to Delhi (PNQ-DEL) has been diverted to Jaipur (JAI) due to air traffic congestion at Delhi airport and is expected to arrive in Jaipur at 1205 hours.

Please stay tuned for further updates, Vistara airlines posted on platform X.

Due to bad weather in Delhi (DEL), all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights may be affected. Passengers are requested to keep a check on their flight status, a post by SpiceJet said on platform X.
A dunki flight carrying 303 passengers, mostly Indians, landed in Mumbai early Tuesday morning.

However, only 276 passengers were aboard the flight and 25 people, including minors, chose to stay in France. Two others were detained by French authorities to investigate whether they had a different role than the other passengers.

According to French media reports, the 25 passengers have sought asylum in France. They have either applied or are in the process of applying for the same and will remain there until a decision on their request is taken.

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The two detainees, who were produced before a judge, have been released and placed on assisted witness status. They will also remain in the country till the investigation into alleged human trafficking is completed.

The passenger plane Airbus A340 had taken off from Dubai and was heading towards Nicaragua. The plane was grounded last week at a small Vatry airport near Paris following an anonymous tip-off that its passengers may be victims of human trafficking.

According to reports, the passengers were Indian workers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the plane was going to Nicaragua as a jumping off spot for the United States or Canada.

Donkey or dunki flight is a term used mostly in Punjab for an illegal immigration technique used for unauthorized entry into countries like the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

French Authorities questioned the passengers for two days following which they were allowed to leave on Sunday.

However, some passengers reportedly expressed their wish to remain in France and sought asylum.

The passengers were questioned by the CISF teams upon arrival on Mumbai airport. They, however, refrained from speaking to media persons outside the airport.

After the flight took off from Vatry airport, the Indian embassy in Paris thanked the French authorities for the quick resolution of the incident.
Reacting for the first time to the recent attacks on Merchant Vessel (MV) Chem Pluto in the Arabian Sea and on MV Sai Baba in the Red Sea, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said Indias growing economic and strategic power has filled some forces with jealousy and hatred.

The government, he said, has taken the attacks very seriously and the Navy has increased its surveillance while assuring that the perpetrators of these attacks will soon be brought to justice and strict action will be taken against them.

The minister was commissioning INS Imphal, a Project 15B stealth guided missile destroyer, into the Indian Navy at an impressive ceremony held at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.

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Singh defined INS IMPHAL as a conglomeration of different strengths of the nation at the event which marks the formal induction of the third of four indigenous Visakhapatnam class destroyers, being designed by the Navys Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai.

Brahmos Aerospace installed a Brahmos missile on the ship. Torpedo tube launchers are of Larsen & Toubro (L&T). Rapid Gun Mount has been installed by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), and medium range missiles by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). In addition, many start-ups and MSMEs are involved in its construction.

The minister described INS Imphal as a shining example of Aatmanirbharta in defence and a reflection of the commitment of the Navy, MDL and all other stakeholders towards national security. INS Imphal is a symbol of Indias growing maritime power and it will strengthen it further. It will bolster our principle of Jalmev Yasya, Balmev Tasya (One Who Controls the Sea is All Powerful) in the Indo-Pacific region, he said.

The ship measures 163m in length, 17m in breadth with a displacement of 7,400 tonnes and is amongst the most potent warships built in India. It is propelled by four powerful gas turbines, in a combined gas and gas configuration, and is capable of speeds in excess of 30 knots.

Singh also reiterated the governments resolve to lay equal emphasis on the modernisation of all the three services to safeguard national interests, stating that earlier governments focused only on protecting the country from land-based threats.

He pointed out that with the Himalayas in the north and the hostile behaviour of Pakistan in the west, most of Indias goods trade comes through sea, which makes it an island country from the trade perspective.

He stressed the need to continuously develop the Navys capabilities as global trade is of great importance to India to secure its national interests.

India plays the role of a net security provider in the entire Indian Ocean Region. We will ensure that maritime trade in this region touches greater heights. For this, together with our friendly countries, we will keep the sea lanes secure. We have full confidence in the ability and strength of our Navy, said the minister.

In his address, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar stated that INS Imphal possesses the distinction of being a shining symbol of the Indian Navys unflinching commitment towards achieving the vision of self-reliance in defence.

He also termed it a testament to Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat vision of the government. He added that the ship will not only tackle physical threats that emanate from the seas, but will also demonstrate the strength of an integrated country. INS Imphal will deter the various designs that try to harm national unity. It will breathe fire upon the enemy and demonstrate unflinching resolve in the face of adversity, he said.
The Delhi Police has recovered a letter addressed to the Israeli ambassador during its investigation into a bomb blast call near the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi on Tuesday, news agency ANI reported citing sources.

While the exact content of the letter has not been made public yet, it reportedly used abusive language against the ambassador.

Delhi police recieved a PCR call informing about an explosion-type sound at 5:53 pm today. A team of bomb disposal unit, dog squad along with forensic experts and other police personnel rushed to the spot to investigate the matter.

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However, they didnt find any explosives from the location. Police said that after examining the spot, the experts have lifted exhibits and sent them for forensic examination.

Today at 5:53 pm, a PCR call was received conveying the information that a loud sound was heard from the back side of the Israel Embassy. Considering the sensitivity of the location and the mention of explosion-type sound, senior officers rushed to the location. In close follow-up, the dog squad, crime team and BDS team of Delhi Police reached the spot where the alleged sound of the explosion was reported to have been heard, the Delhi police said in a statement.

The area was cordoned off and subjected to a thorough search. The experts have examined the spot and lifted exhibits that may have evidentiary relevance, the same are being sent for forensic examination. Further enquiry is in progress, the statement further added.

Meanwhile, Deputy Ambassador of Israel to India, Ohad Nakash Kaynar said that an explosion occurred in close proximity of the Embassy around 5 pm and all the diplomats and staff are unharmed.

This is evening several minutes after 5, an explosion occurred in close proximity of the Embassy. All our diplomats and workers are safe. Our security teams are working in full cooperation with local Delhi security and they will investigate the matter further, he said.

According to news agency ANI, eyewitnesses said that they also heard the blast which sounded more like a tyre burst. A further investigation into the incident is underway.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday hit out at Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Mauryas over his alleged anti-Hindu remarks. BJP MP Subrat Pathak said Maurya is a puppet of Sonia Gandhi and demanded an FIR against him.

In UP, SP leader Swami Prasad Maurya has again insulted the Hindus. I believe that he is just a puppet in the hands of SP president, Akhilesh Yadav, and Sonia Gandhi. I request that UP CM Yogi Adityanath immediately register an FIR against (Akhilesh) Yadav and take strict action against him, said BJP MP Subrat Pathak.

Union minister and BJP leader Narayan Rane also slammed the SP leader, saying We cant tolerate when someone says something about our religion.

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Maurya is known for stoking controversies with his remarks against Hindu religion. In the latest incident, he purportedly said Hinduism is deception.

The roots of Brahminism are very deep and the reason for all the disparity is also Brahminism. There is no religion called Hindu; Hinduism is just a deception. There is a conspiracy to trap the Dalits, tribals and backward people of this country by calling the same Brahmin religion as Hindu religion, he had said.

He claimed ,In 1955, the Supreme Court said in its order that Hindu is not a religion but a way of life. It is a conglomeration of more than 200 religions. Even Mohan Bhagwat had said, not once but twice, that Hindu is not a religion but a way of life. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also said that Hindu is not a religion. Even Gadkari had said the same thing in a media conclave.

The SP leader didnt stop there and further called Hindu religion a dokha (betrayal) and business for some people.

when they say these, no ones sentiments get hurt but when Swami Prasad Maurya says that Hindu is not a religion but a betrayal (dhokha) and what we refer to as Hindu religion is a business for some people, the whole country is hit by a storm, Maurya added.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath emphasised on Tuesday that Veer Bal Diwas serves as a reminder of the profound sacrifice made by the Sikh Gurus.

All four sons of Guru Gobind Singh happily sacrificed their lives for the protection of religion and country, he said at a special sankirtan programme held at the CM residence.

Adityanath stated, The tales of this historic sacrifice need to be imparted to the younger generation so that they know about the glorious story of these martyrs.

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Earlier, Chief Minister Adityanath extended a warm welcome to Guru Granth Sahib and carried it respectfully on his head. On the occasion, Gurbani, Ardas, and Langar were organised at the Chief Ministers residence.

The Chief Minister was honoured with a Siropa (scarf or a length of cloth generally of orange or saffron colour) by Sikh representatives from across the state.

During the programme, CM Yogi said brave children should be honoured at every division and district level of the state. Additionally, he mentioned that all places in the state related to Sikh Gurus will be identified, and efforts will be made for their development.

The Chief Minister, while paying tribute to tenth and last Sikh Guru Gobind Singh Ji, stated that he sacrificed all four of his sons to protect the country and religion. When Guru Govind Singh Ji was asked about his four sons becoming martyrs, he responded So what if four were sacrificed, thousands are still alive. Such programmes provide an opportunity to express gratitude towards them. Todays programme at the CMs residence is an opportunity to pay homage to Sikh Gurus.

He further mentioned that the values imparted to four Sahibzade in the presence of their mother Gujri are the reason they did not bow down to injustice. They sacrificed their lives fighting for religion and country. This day provides a new inspiration for every youth and child.

The Chief Minister expressed gratitude to the Sikhs in Lucknow, stating that everyone has consistently raised the question since 2020 as to why the sacrifice of Sahibzade, who gave the supreme sacrifice in the history of India, is being forgotten. Instead of celebrating the martyrdom day of Sahibzadas as Bal Diwas, some other event was linked to Childrens Day, he stated.

Under the leadership and inspiration of Prime Minister Modi, the entire country is celebrating the martyrdom day of both Sahibzadas Baba Zorawar Singh and Baba Fateh Singh as Veer Bal Diwas, he added.

The Chief Minister emphasised that the sacrifices made by Sikh Gurus were not driven by personal or familial motives but were dedicated to the service of the country and religion. Guru Nanak, a saint deeply devoted to spiritual enlightenment, fearlessly challenged Babur during his time. The Sikh Gurus, characterised by their selflessness, consistently worked for the greater good.

CM Adityanath expressed that Guru Granth Sahib serves as an inspiration, guiding people to dedicate efforts with hard work and determination to the welfare of both country and religion.

The Chief Minister emphasised the importance of imparting the history of Sahibzadas to schoolchildren. He mentioned that it is fortunate that every year, a recitation of Gurbani is organised at the Chief Ministers residence on this occasion. It is our responsibility to convey the story of the courage, hard work, and steadfastness of Sahibzadas to future generations, even in adverse situations. This should be the duty of every Indian.
As Dastkari Haat Samiti enters its 38th year of dedicated work towards the preservation of Indias crafts heritage and sustaining the livelihoods of crafts people. It offers a new theme to the public at Dastkari Haat Samitis annual crafts bazaar at Dilli Haat this year from 1 st -15 th January, 2024.

Dastkari Haat Samiti has conducted over 150 bazaars over the years, created major interventions like conceptualising Dilli Haat and working for its continued service as a market for craftspeople. It has reintroduced calligraphy into crafts and created major online documentation of 52 crafts all over India for the Google Arts & Culture platform. Its artistic crafts maps of all the states of India are iconic as are its many publications on crafts practices and projects. A special feature at its Dilli Haat annual bazaar has been craft exchange workshops with Craftspeople from abroad. This has not been possible due to Covid uncertainties and travel restrictions.

To greet you, 170 stalls with a large range of weaves, hand block prints, embroideries, Lehariya, crafts in grass, bamboo, metal, wood and other plant material, leheriya, Jewellery, stationery, ceramic and terracotta, and traditional art from tribal Gond to Kalighat, Phads, Pattachitra. Brass from Orissa, West Bengal, Terracotta from Rajasthan, Ceramic from UP, Maharashtra and Delhi, Block Prints from AP and Rajasthan, Ikat from AP, Ajrak Printing from Gujarat, Weaving from UP and Gujarat,

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There are artisans coming from 22 states, including 65 national and state awardees and there will be 45 demonstrations.

Some unique crafts from different states are:

Leaf Printing on textiles from Gujarat, Lehariya from Rajasthan, Jute products from Maharashtra, Cane and bamboo from Assam, Handcrafted mura from West Bengal, Bamboo leaf from Madhya Pradesh, Mud work and mirror from Gujarat, Leather work from Gujarat, Recycled products from Delhi, fine Soof embroidery from Kutch, Natural grass baskets from Orissa, Sholapith Flowers from West Bengal, Dry flower from Jharkhand and Phad painting, Rajasthan. The annual bazaar will also showcase stationery made of handmade paper in the most organic of raw materials including Elephant Poo from Jaipur.

While visiting the annual crafts bazaar be on the look out for these skills creating art including Sanjhi Craft from Uttar Pradesh, Terracotta from Rajasthan and Delhi, Madhubani Painting from Bihar,

Pattachitra Painting from Orissa, and West Bengal, Gond Painting from Madhya Pradesh Miniature Painting from Rajasthan, Glass objects and jewellery from Firozabad, Pichwai painting from Rajasthan, Worli painting from Maharashtra and Basket making from Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.

Dastkari Haat Craft Bazar at Dilli Haat is known for its vivacious selection of cultural performances. This time you can find Rajasthanis folk music and Kalbelia dance from Barmer, Rajasthan and Chaau Dancers, group of Bhiwani Kalindi from West Bengal.

First time ever workshop combining concepts of Graphic Design with Traditional Art Forms is being conducted. This collaborative workshop will seamlessly intertwine the artistic finesse of graphic design with the skilled craftsmanship of artisans, fostering a dynamic synergy where structured creativity meets hands-on expertise. Participating craftspeople will delve into the world of visual storytelling, while also immersing themselves in practical techniques. The aim is to create a unique fusion of contemporary visual design pedagogy with tangible craftsmanship. This experiment is conceptualized and will be conducted by Dr. Dimple Bahl in collaboration with Dastkari Haat Samiti.
The visit of Dr Raghuram Rajan, a former Governor of Reserve Bank of India, and a former Chief Economic Advisor, has generated a great deal of controversy. Known to be both scholarly and acerbic, Dr Rajan has challenged the current narrative of India landing in the company of developed countries in the next twenty-five years.

Also, he has questioned the economic growth trajectory charted by Government economists. No wonder, WhatsApp warriors are baying for his blood. During his governorship of RBI, Rajan became a controversial figure by reason of his tendency to speak out of turn. At the end of his tenure, Rajan revealed that going against tradition, the Government had not offered him a second term of Governorship.

Afterwards, at the time when demonetisation was under challenge in the Supreme Court, Rajan stated that the RBI was against demonetisation, and that he had warned the Government of its potential negative effects. To rub it in, Rajan said One cannot in any way say it (demonetisation) has been an economic success ~ a controversial statement, if there was one. Then, Rajan joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra of Rahul Gandhi, which put him squarely in the bete noir category for the present Government. Currently, Rajan is the Katherine Dusak Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at the University of Chicagos Booth School of Business.

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To his credit, even Rajans worst enemies do not question his scholarship. Rajan worked as the Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund between October 2003 to December 2006. At the age of forty, Rajan was the youngest person, and the first born outside the West, to be appointed to this position.

At the 2005 Annual Jackson Hole Conference, Rajan warned of the 2007-2008 economic meltdown ~ more than two years before it actually hit the US. Going against extant economic thinking, Rajan warned about the growing risks in the financial system, and suggested policies to counter them. Rajan was widely castigated for his counterintuitive views, with a former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers calling the warnings misguided and Rajan himself a luddite (member of a 19th-century movement of English textile workers which opposed the use of cost-saving machinery, often by destroying the machines in clandestine raids).

However, Rajans intelligence was lauded, and brickbats turned to bouquets, when the financial crisis actually unfolded, as predicted by him. The 2010 Academy Awardwinning documentary on the meltdown, Inside Job, extensively features Rajan. Probably with an eye on promoting his newest book Breaking the Mould: Reimagining Indias Economic Future, Rajan has given a series of interviews to newspapers and periodicals.

Rajans narrative, in essence, is that given a growth rate of 6 per cent, Indias per capita GDP will quadruple in the next twenty-four years to US$10,000, placing it in the lower middleincome category and not in the developed economy bracket. Rajan also said that with the demographic dividend running out by that time, India will grow old before it grows rich.

According to Rajan, the Indian economy needs a much higher rate of growth, to achieve the status of a developed country in the next twenty-five years. Flagging unemployment as the biggest socio-economic problem, Rajan wants Government to focus on development of human capital and eradicate social evils like malnutrition. Rajan also made some controversial statements about election funding.

Rajans book suggests that rather than manufacturing, the services sector can be a much better driver for the growth of the Indian economy. What Rajan said, is based more on common sense and basic arithmetic; in this context, readers will remember Our Amrit Kaal (The Statesman, 27 September 2023). Taking Rajans criticism constructively, the Government could improve its economic management.

For example, Union Budget expenditure doubles every three years but commensurate output is not noticed. Then, though the largest component of the Union Budget, more than forty per cent, regularly goes to the more than seven hundred Central Schemes, aimed at promoting social welfare and social security, over the years, little of their purpose seems to have been achieved. Interestingly, the Fifteenth Finance Commission, in its report tabled in Parliament on February 1, 2021, had questioned the efficacy of Central Schemes and recommended a third-party review of all such schemes. In a significant shortcoming, hardly any novel initiative has been brought in to increase agricultural productivity, which is the key to the countrys economic development.

Rajan is an acclaimed economist, and not an overtly political person. The advice he has for the Government is definitely for the benefit of the Indian people. Even otherwise, Governments should err on the side of caution; a time period of twenty-five years is too long to make an accurate prediction ~ there may be wars, disturbances, technological innovations, and pandemics in the interregnum. Unfortunately, the mandarins of North Block do not appreciate any criticism of their theories or actions.

Till date, no economist worth his salt has taken on Rajan, and it has been left to trolls to puncture Rajans narrative in any manner they can ~ mostly in underhand ways. Rajan is alive to their machinations, saying: it was an organised effort and I dont even see them. Earlier in 2016 when Rajan was the RBI Governor, Subramanian Swamy had mounted a personal attack on him. Choosing not to join issue, Rajan simply said: There are certain allegations which are fundamentally wrong and baseless and addressing them would amount to giving them legitimacy.

Rajan further clarified that he welcomes genuine criticism of our policy, but will not address ad hominem attacks. The controversy over Rajan gives rise to the question of the Government listening patiently and not stifling contrarian voices and honouring the timeless dictum of the opposition having its say, before the Government has its way.

As such, this quality seems to be lacking in the present dispensation, which the suspension of a record 141 opposition MPs, would show. The intolerance to criticism can be understood by the words of BJP MP Hema Malini, who said, They keep raising questions and displaying strange behaviour. So, they have been suspended. The value of dissent has been understood since ancient times.

According to the Ramcharitmanas: If influenced by greed or fear a guru praises his shishya unnecessarily, then dharam is destroyed, likewise if a physician does not tell the truth to his patient then the body is destroyed, and if a minister does not give true advice to the King, then a kingdom is destroyed. In modern times, US President Theodore Roosevelt equated healthy dissent with patriotism: Patriotism means to stand by the country.

It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else.

One hopes that as democracy takes root in our country, both the Government and the opposition will appreciate the nuances of principled dissent.

(The writer is a retired Principal Chief Commissioner of Income-Tax)
Many nations have elections in 2024. In some cases, there could be a change in government implying a shift in policies, whereas in others it would strengthen current regimes. The outcome of elections could have a bearing on their immediate region or ongoing conflicts. In South Asia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India will conduct national elections in the first half of the year.

American interference in Bangladeshs internal matters, including conduct of elections, has witnessed an increase as the nation heads for polls. It has repeatedly called out the current leadership for undermining democratic processes. A change of guard in Dhaka could add to Indias security concerns, whereas continuation of the Sheikh Hasina regime would result in Washington further side-lining the country on democratic principles.

For India and Pakistan there can be no change in status quo till elections are held in both countries. In Pakistan, it is likely that Nawaz Sharif may be sworn in for the fourth time. His return from self-exile, imprisonment of Imran Khan and the silence of Bilawal Bhutto, signify this possibility. In Delhi, the reading on the wall is the return of Narendra Modi. The presence of Nawaz and Modi in Islamabad and Delhi respectively could signal a thaw in relations, provided Asim Munir, the Pakistani army chief, is on board.

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The US is likely to pressurize Pakistan to move forward in its ties with India, as a precondition for allocation of aid. This could result in a reduction in Pakistani interference in Kashmir, though resolution is still some distance away. Grant of statehood to J and K could be the first step to reconciliation. If the Modi government returns to power in India, ongoing policies would continue. This could lead to an increase in foreign investment spurring growth.

The domestic defence industry would also witness a quantum leap in investments. Indias global standing, currently at an alltime high, would gain further. India could become a major global player. Europe is also likely to witness changes in the coming year. In March 2024, Russia goes to the polls, where President Putin is expected to retain power.

The opposition in Russia is almost non-existent. Simultaneously, Ukraine is scheduled to have elections by 31 March, though thus far President Zelenskky has claimed that they would be postponed on account of the ongoing conflict. He has also demanded additional grants to enable him to conduct elections. Pressure is bound to increase in the coming months on Zelenskky to conduct elections, which in all probability would be closely monitored by the European Union, to ensure they remain free and fair. If held, and if a new leadership takes power in Ukraine, peace talks with Moscow could commence. 

If Zelenskky retains power, there could be some hesitation but dialogue appear to be the only way forward. Putin has already hinted at discussions with the US, Europe and Ukraine, mentioning as a precondition, we will do it based on our national interests. We will not give up what is ours. Russia currently controls almost 20 per cent of Ukrainian territory.

With the Israel-Hamas war pushing Ukraine to the side-lines, there appears to be little option but dialogue. Divisions amongst European nations on backing Ukraine are on the rise. The opening of European Union membership talks with Kiev resulted in Hungary blocking Euro 50 billion aid to it. The new government in Poland has already stopped supplying military equipment to Ukraine. Geert Wilders, whose party won the recently concluded Netherlands election stated, We believe we shouldnt give military support to Ukraine while we are unable to defend our own country.

Displaying neutrality, he also termed Putin as a terrible dictator. While the UK is scheduled to hold elections latest by January 2025, Rishi Sunak has vowed to conduct them in the latter part of 2024, which could witness the arrival of the Labour party, as the Conservative party is losing ground. Europe too will elect a new parliament in June next year. A new European Commission is expected to be in place by the end of the year.

The new EU parliament and commission will be in place as US elections conclude. Though a US court has barred Donald Trump, currently the favourite, from contesting state primaries, its ruling is likely to be overturned by the Supreme Court. The arrival of Trump in the White House could dent US-Europe relations as also Ukraine would lose US backing, which is already waning. Trump has often criticized President Bidens military and financial support for Ukraine.

Zelenskky mentioned, I think he (Trump) will surely have a different policy. Trump had insisted during his last tenure as president that Europe should increase its defence spending. He had desired that Europe must possess the capability to defend itself, rather than banking on the US. Europe would be unable to support Ukraine without US backing; this would play into Russian hands for talks. Trump has always been proIsrael.

He had announced the shifting of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, much against global objections including from the Palestinians. His personal relations with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli PM were always strong, though Netanyahu may not remain the PM till then. US confrontation with China would remain with either Trump or Biden in the White House.

For the US, China will be a challenge. Keeping it under check and preventing an expansion of conflict in the region is a US priority considering they have security agreements with Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.

Taiwan presidential elections are due in early January 2024. China is already running a campaign to keep the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which seeks an independent Taiwan, from regaining power. It is backing the opposition Kuomintang, which welcomes closer ties with Beijing. China has enhanced its forays into Taiwanese airspace threatening aggression in case the DPP returns to power.

Thus, the results will be keenly watched. In case the DPP returns, the region will witness enhanced tensions. 2024 will be a year to watch. With elections in major countries, changes in approach can be expected. Policies of incoming incumbents will either reduce or enhance tensions in their immediate neighbourhood as also influence ongoing conflicts.

(The writer is a retired Major-General of the Indian Army.)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured the northern Gaza Strip and vowed to continue the fight, his office has said.

Netanyahu on Monday visited the Palestinian enclave, where an ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has raged, together with Deputy Chief of Staff Major General Amir Baram, the Prime Ministers office was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying.

We dont stop. The war continues to the end until we finish them, nothing less, Netanyahu told Israeli soldiers.

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Meanwhile, at least two soldiers were killed on Monday in battles in Gaza, said the Israeli military, bringing the total death toll of Israeli soldiers since the outbreak of the conflict to 156.

Since the army began its offensive in response to Hamas surprise attack on October 7, in which about 1,200 Israelis were killed and 240 hostages were taken, large parts of Gaza have been devastated and most of its 2.3 million population have been displaced.

At least 20,674 Palestinians were killed and 54,536 others wounded in the enclave, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry on Monday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law that authorizes the government to temporarily reduce or fully eliminate export duties of certain goods to friendly countries.

The law signed on Monday will empower the Russian government to lower export duties on shipments to friendly countries for a period of up to six months. The government can also temporarily reduce or cancel export duties for a certain amount of products for no longer than one year, Xinhua news agency reported.

When this measure was first introduced in August, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said it aimed to increase Russian exports to friendly countries.

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To incentivize the growth of grain, fertilizer, and raw material supplies to friendly countries, the government suggests introducing a special flexible tool for tariff preferences, the government cited Mishustin as saying.

This measure will make it possible to support Russian businesses faced with external restrictions, he said, regions where changes in logistical routes have led to an increase in transportation costs and, as a consequence, to a rise in the price of exports for local businesses.


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As the internet witnesses a surge in deepfake videos and the government steps in, asking online platforms like Google, Facebook, and Youtube to take down deepfakes within 24 hours of complaint, the countrys top police brass is expected to brainstorm on threats from advancements in artificial intelligence mechanisms that blur the line between real and fake.

Whether it is used against political adversaries, heads of adversary nations or to manipulate media and mislead the public, there is a growing concern within the security establishment about battling the new threat in cyber space.

In the first week of January, when police chiefs of all states and central intelligence and law enforcement agencies gather in Jaipur for the annual police conference, the rising threats from cyber world, especially the impact of deepfakes, is expected to be discussed to create a roadmap for police agencies in 2024.

A number of state police forces have been stressing the need to develop an indigenous framework to reduce dependency on vendors from foreign nations, which can help develop an Atma Nirbhar Bharat policy in cyber forensic tools and also create more trust in data protection law.

A senior security official said deepfakes have the potential to create a zero-trust society as AI algorithms are used to artificially produce, manipulate, and modify mediaeither audio or visualof real persons and its impact can cause serious concerns. Already, deepfakes are used as 'revenge porn, a criminal offence, where sexual or private images are shared without consent and manipulated to create falsified imagery, he said.

The legal challenges of identifying deepfakes and categorising them under the IT Act and extending them beyond privacy laws to data protection law would be the next challenge after the law enforcement and criminal aspects are discussed threadbare by the police forces. At the same time, the annual meet, which will be attended by DGPs of all states and Union territories and central police organisations, will also brainstorm on how to tackle the dark web which has grown exponentially to disguise criminal activities of organised gangs demanding immediate attention of states for capacity building and coordinated action.
This week brings a good mix of thriller, drama, action and animation. Here are the movies and series that you can stream until New Year's Eve!



Berlin: Netflix

December 29

Watch this prequel to the Money Heist series, based on one of the characters of the series if you like thrillers. This is a prequel to Money Heist. The terminally ill jewel thief is played by Pedro Alonso.

Pokemon Concierge: Netflix

December 28

This breezy comedy will let you relax and have fun at the Pokemon Resort with the help of concierge Haru.

Thank you, I'm Sorry: Netflix

December 26

A pregnant, lonely woman, finds solace when her estranged sister comes to visit unexpectedly. The movie stars Sanna Sundqvist, Charlotta Bjorck, Ia Langhammer.

Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare: Netflix

December 27

This documentary is about the true story of out-of-control teens who are sent to the harsh desert in Utah for therapy camp. The staff members are even harsher.

12th Fail: Disney+ Hotstar

December 29

This movie starring Vikrant Massey follows the tale of an IPS officer who attempts to restart his academic journey.

Kho Gaye Hum Kahan: Netflix

December 26

Starring Kalki Koechlin and Ananya Pandey, this movie showcases the tale of three friends in their twenties navigating life in Mumbai.

Tiger 3: Prime Video

December 31

This Salman Khan action flick, which also stars Katrina Kaif, has Khan reprising his character as Raw agent Avinash Singh Rathore.

Shastry Virudh Shastry: Netflix

December 29

This film starring Paresh Rawal is the story of a seven-year-old who is left in the care of his grandparents. His parents visit him on weekends.

Dono, Safed and Once Two Times: Zee5

December 29

Dono, the debut film of Sunny Deol's son Rajveer; Safed, the story of a lonely widow and a eunuch and Once upon Two Times, the tale of a family trip gone wrong, all will release on Zee5 this weekend too.
More than one-third of the ministers in the Mohan Yadav cabinet in Madhya Pradesh have criminal records, with 12 out of 31 declaring cases in their election affidavits.

Three of the ministers have declared serious criminal cases, an analysis by the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Madhya Pradesh Election Watch has revealed.

Among the ministers with serious criminal cases is Kailash Vijayvarigya who faces five cases with four charges of serious nature. These include two charges related to deliberate and malicious acts, intending to outrage religious feelings or any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs' (Section 295A of IPC) and two charges related to promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race etc. (Section 153A of IPC). These cases were registered against Vijayvargiya in West Bengal when he was BJP in-charge of the state.

The other newly appointed minister with serious criminal charges is Dilip Jaiswal who faces five charges related to forgery and cheating (Sections 467, 468, 409, 413 and 430 of IPC). Inder Singh Parmar faces two criminal cases with one serious charge of attempt to murder (Section 307 of IPC).

Rich ministers

Out of the 31 ministers, including CM Yadav and deputy chief ministers Rajendra Shukla and Jagdish Devda, 30 (97 per cent) are crorepatis, meaning they own assets worth over Rs 1 crore. The average assets of 31 ministers analysed is Rs 18.54 crore.

The minister with the highest declared total assets is Chetanya Kumar Kashyap from Ratlam City constituency with assets worth Rs. 296.08 crore, while, the minister with the lowest declared total assets is Gotam Tetwal from Sarangpur (SC) constituency with assets worth Rs. 89.64 lakh.

Also, 25 ministers have declared liabilities out of which the minister with the highest liabilities is again Kashyap with Rs. 20.17 crore in liabilities.

84 pc ministers over the age of 50

The analysis shows that in all, eight (26 per cent) ministers have declared their educational qualification to be between 8th pass and 12th pass, while 23 (74 per cent) ministers have declared having an educational qualification of graduation and above. CM Yadav has a doctoral degree while Aidal Singh Kansana from Sumawali is 8th pass.

Only five (16 per cent) ministers have declared their age to be between 31 and 50 years while 26 (84 per cent) ministers have declared their age to be between 51 and 70 years. Of these, 13 ministers are over 60 years of age. The oldest minister is Karan Singh Verma at 68, while the youngest is Pratima Bagri at 31 years of age.
In a massive outreach to Sikhs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several chief ministers of the BJP ruled states attended programmes to mark the Veer Bal Diwas, commemorating the martyrdom of sons of 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh.

Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief J.P. Nadda, who are on a tour of West Bengal, also visited Kolkata gurudwara to pay their obeisance on the day.

Modi attended a special function at the newly built Bharat Mandapam. A day earlier, he had met Christian priests and personalities at his residence on the occasion of Christmas. PM Modis engagements came ahead of the January 22 consecration of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, aimed at giving a message of cultural integration.

Veer Bal Diwas is a symbol of the never-say-die attitude for the protection of Bhartiyata, PM Modi said.

Modi has been leading efforts to engage with the Sikh community as his government had taken multiple steps including opening up of the Kartarpur Corridor and celebrating the birth anniversaries of Sikh Gurus. In January 2022, Modi had announced observing December 26 as Veer Baal Diwas.

The government and the BJP had sped up the efforts to engage with the community, which comprises around two per cent of the countrys population, after the farmers agitation which had created a wedge between the both. The breaking up of Akali Dal-BJP alliance over the farmers agitation further led to BJP missing a vital link in the border state of Punjab. Since then, the BJP has been building bridges with the community, inducting Sikh faces into the party, even including a former police officer-turned-politician, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, into the BJPs highest decision making body, the parliamentary board.

Both Akali Dal and the BJP fought the last assembly election separately, thus paving the way for the AAP to sweep the polls. The Akali Dal, independently, is trying to regain its stature among the Sikhs by requesting the old timers to return to the fold. Akali Dal supremo Sukhbir Badal had even apologised for the 2015 sacrilege incidents in the state.

The alliance between the Akali Dal and the BJP was hailed as an alliance in national interest as it kept the two communities - Sikhs and Hindus  close to each other after decades of militancy. As the alliance broke, there were apprehensions of polarisation.

The BJP is now trying to increase its base among the Sikhs without the help of Akali Dal. Its chief ministers across various states participated in the state level functions to mark the Veer Baal Diwas. This also holds significance when the radical elements in other countries have been rallying against the government and trying to assert a separate identity for the Sikhs while talking about alleged atrocities against the community.

As Sikhs are spread across the country and have their areas of influence owing to their contribution to the society, the BJP is also wooing them with an eye on Lok Sabha polls. The BJP would need crucial votes and more seats in Punjab as the 2024 battle approaches near.
Amid growing concerns over the AI-deepfake videos, the government has issued an advisory to all social media platforms, directing them to ensure compliance with existing IT rules.

The advisory mandates that intermediaries communicate prohibited contentparticularly those specified under Rule 3(1)(b) of the IT Rulesclearly and precisely to users.

The content not permitted under the IT Rules, in particular those listed under Rule 3(1)(b) must be clearly communicated to the users in clear and precise language including through its terms of service and user agreements and the same must be expressly informed to the user at the time of first-registration and also as regular reminders, in particular, at every instance of login and while uploading/sharing information onto the platform, it said.

The intermediaries must ensure that users are informed about penal provisions, including those in the IPC and the IT Act 2000, in case of the IT rules are violated.

In addition, the terms of service and user agreements must clearly highlight that intermediaries/platforms are under obligation to report legal violations to the law enforcement agencies under the relevant Indian laws applicable to the context, the advisory further stated.

In an official statement, the IT ministry noted that under Rule 3(1)(b), intermediaries should communicate their rules, regulations, privacy policy, and user agreement in the users preferred language. They are also obliged to ensure reasonable efforts to prevent users from hosting, displaying, uploading, modifying, publishing, transmitting, storing, updating, or sharing any information related to the 11 listed content prohibited on digital intermediaries.

This rule aims to ensure platforms identify and promptly remove misinformation, false or misleading content, and material impersonating others, including deepfakes, the ministry said.

It noted that the fresh advisory was issued following the discussions held by IT minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar with digital intermediaries during the Digital India dialogues over the last one month. During those meetings, the minister highlighted the urgency for all platforms and intermediaries to strictly adhere to the current laws and regulations, emphasizing that the IT rules comprehensively address the menace of deepfakes.

Misinformation represents a deep threat to the safety and trust of users on the Internet. Deepfake which is misinformation powered by AI, further amplifies the threat to safety and trust of our Digital Nagriks, Chandrasekhar said.

He said after Prime Minister Narendra Modi alerted the country to the dangers of deepfakes on November 17, the ministry had two Digital India dialogues with all the stakeholders of the Indian Internet to alert them about the provisions of the IT Rules.

Emphasizing that Rule 3(1)(b)(v) explicitly prohibits the dissemination of misinformation the minister asked all intermediaries to exercise due diligence in promptly removing such content from their platforms.

He also claimed that those platforms had been duly informed about the legal consequences associated with any violations under the IT rules.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to chair a high-level meeting at Raj Bhawan, Jammu on December 27 to review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch. Singh will also visit these districts for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation.



His scheduled day-long visit follows Army Chief Gen Manoj Pandes tour to Poonch, which included the site of the terror attack at Dera Ki Gali, where four soldiers lost their lives, and three others were injured. These areas have witnessed a surge in terror attacks, resulting in the killing of 19 soldiers in four attacks.

The defence minister will first hold a meeting with top Army Commanders at the 16 Corps Headquarters in Nagrota regarding the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir, including the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan, as well as the border districts of Poonch and Rajouri. Later, he will chair a meeting at Raj Bhawan where a fresh strategy is expected to be devised to deal with increasing attacks by terrorists.

The meeting will be attended by J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, top Army officials, paramilitary forces, Jammu and Kashmir police, civil administration, and intelligence agencies. Singh will then visit the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch to meet with Army officials and civilians, gaining firsthand information about the prevailing situation. He is likely to address the civilians in Poonch before returning to New Delhi in the evening.

On December 21, three to four foreign terrorists, armed with M4 rifles and other sophisticated weapons, ambushed two Army vehiclesa Gypsy and a truckkilling four soldiers and injuring three others before fleeing. The following day, three civilians were found dead in the area near the site of the terror attack. There are allegations that they died while in Army custody. The Army has initiated an inquiry and transferred four senior officers of the unit. Additionally, the police have filed an FIR in the case.

Relatives of the deceased civilians and locals alleged they were among 13 civilians picked up for questioning by the security forces.

Amid allegations of their deaths due to torture, the J&K government announced jobs and compensation for the dependents of the families of the three deceased civilians. Political parties including the National Conference, the PDP, and Mission Statehood demand a probe into the incident and allege the three civilians died due to custodial torture.
Delhi Police, on Tuesday, received a call about an explosion near the Israel embassy in New Delhi but no explosive has been found yet in the area.

According to news agency PTI, the police found a letter addressed to Israeli ambassador behind the embassy premises.

Israeli embassy spokesperson Guy Nir said, "We can confirm that around 5:48 pm there was a blast in close proximity to the embassy. Delhi Police and the security team are still investigating the situation."

Deputy Chief of Mission (Israel) Ohad Nakash Kaynar said, "All our diplomats and workers are safe. Our security teams are working in full cooperation with local Delhi security and they will investigate the matter further."

According to Delhi Fire Services officials, they received a call about the blast at 5:45 pm and it was transferred from the Delhi Police PCR (police control room). The fire department immediately sent two fire engines to the spot.

Sources said the caller told police that there was a blast behind the embassy.

"This happened around 5 pm, I was on my duty and heard a huge sound. When I came out, I saw smoke coming from the top of a tree, that's all I saw...Police have taken my statement," news agency ANI quoted an eyewitness as saying.

The area has been cordoned off and security personnel have been deployed.

With PTI inputs
Just 217 nautical miles off Gujarats Porbandar coast is uncomfortably close to Indias Exclusive Economic Zones territorial limit of 200 nautical miles. Yet it was here that a suspected drone hit the MV Chem Pluto, a Liberian flagged, Japanese-owned, and Netherlands-operated chemical tanker on December 23.



The ship was carrying 21 Indians and one Vietnamese crew.

And then on December 24, a Gabon-flagged tanker MV Sai Baba with Indian crew on board that was heading to India also reported a drone attack in the Red Sea area.

Asked if India was planning to join Operation Prosperity Guardian, a top Navy official told THE WEEK: At the moment, there is no reason to involve ourselves in the Operation as our interests are being protected. But of course, if we find that they are being threatened at any point of time, we are ever-ready to do the needful.

A multinational security initiative to thwart Houthi attacks in the crucial Red Sea route, Operation Prosperity Guardian was announced by US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on December 19. Besides the US, it includes the UK, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, and Spain and a few other countries. The navies of these countries will conduct joint patrols in the region to provide an umbrella of protection to merchant vessels.

On Tuesday, speaking at the commissioning of the INS Imphal in Mumbai, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said: Indias growing power has filled some forces with jealousy and hatred Perpetrators of attacks on merchant vessels Chem Pluto and Sai Baba will soon be brought to justice.

Speaking at the same event, Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar said: Even as we speak, we have four destroyers of Project 15B & 15A class deployed to counter piracy and drone attacks on merchant shipping. Also the P8I Aircraft, Dorniers, Sea Guardians, Helicopters and Coast Guard Ships all deployed jointly to counter these threats.

INS Imphal is the first warship to have successfully undertaken test firing of the BrahMos surface-to-surface missile. Third in a row, the fourth destroyer is slated for commissioning in 2024 after the INS Visakhapatnam in 2021, and the INS Mormugao in 2022.

In the Arabian Sea, it is the trio of guided missile destroyersINS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkatathat are maintaining a deterrent presence in various areas in the region.

Meanwhile, an Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS), Vikram, escorted the Chem Pluto towards Mumbai, where it arrived on Monday.

A Navy statement had said: Analysis of the area of attack and debris found on the ship points towards a drone attack. However, further forensic and technical analysis will be required to establish the vector of attack, including type and amount of explosive used. A joint investigation by various agencies has commenced on completion of the analysis by the Navy's Explosive Ordnance Team.

While investigations are ongoing, it is interesting that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has recently introduced a new force multiplierdrone carrierto conduct combat operations in the Arabian Sea area.

These forward base ships and sustainment vessels would be used to project force in the waters far and near including the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman.

These ships carrying drones, fighter aircraft, helicopters, and missile launchers include the Shahid Roudaki commissioned in November 2020, the Shahid Soleimani in September 2022, and the Shahid Mahdavi in March 2023.

In addition, the IRGC Navy is also building a fourth forward base shipShahid Bahman Bagheri that many have specifically described as a drone carrier.

Iran has also helped the Houthis in producing the Shahed-136 drone, which has an operational range of more than 2,000 km.
INS Imphal, which can fire extended range supersonic BrahMos missile, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in Mumbai on Tuesday. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar were present at the ceremony.



Here are key points about India's new warship
The charter plane with 303 Indians, which was detained in France over suspicions of human trafficking last week, landed in Mumbai in the wee hours on Tuesday.

The Airbus A340 had onboard 276 passengers after 25, including 2 minors, decided to stay back in France to seek asylum. Two others were held and produced before a judge before being released and placed on assisted witness status, a French news channel said.



The flight which was sequestered for four days, was freed on Sunday night. It took off from Vatry airport near Paris around 2.30 pm local time.



Just after the flight took off, the Indian Embassy in France took to X to thank the French government for resolving the issue. "Thank French Gov and Vatry Airport for the quick resolution of the situation enabling Indian passengers to return home & hospitality. Also for working closely with the embassy team, present throughout the site to ensure the welfare and smooth & safe return. Thank agencies in India, too," the post read.



The plane was sequestered while it stopped for refuelling in Vatry airport in the Marne region of eastern France on suspicions of human trafficking. The flight took off from Fujairah Airport in the United Arab Emirates and was headed to Managua in Nicaragua.



The plane was allowed to leave on Monday after the emergency hearing held at the airport to determine whether to keep the Indians sequestered any longer was halted midway over procedural disputes. The airport was turned into a makeshift courtroom Sunday as judges, lawyers and translators filled the terminal to carry out emergency hearings.



However, Legend Airline's lawyer Liliana Bakayoko said many of the passengers were reluctant to board the flight back to India. Bakayoko told BFMTV that some passengers did not want to return to their country of origin and that they had refused to board the plane initially this Monday morning. "Some of the passengers would be unhappy with this return because they wanted to continue their journey to Nicaragua as planned, the French news broadcast television and radio network reported.



#WATCH | Maharashtra | Plane with Indian passengers that was grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking arrived in Mumbai, earlier today



(Outside visuals from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport) pic.twitter.com/OIMPO0c4Hx  ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2023

The lawyer also promised to cooperate with the investigation and will seek damages from its client because it has suffered significant harm.



Nicaragua has become a popular destination for those seeking asylum in the US. As many as 96,917 Indians attempted to enter the US illegally in the financial year 2023, signalling a 51.61 per cent jump from the previous year, according to data made available by the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). At least 41,770 of those Indians attempted to enter the US via the Mexican land border, CBP data shows. Flights to Nicaragua or third countries where obtaining travel documents is easy have come to be known as 'dunki' flights.


In a groundbreaking development, researchers have unleashed the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to unravel the mysteries of human life. Brace yourself for the mind-boggling predictions made by the extraordinary life2vec tool!

Harnessing the might of transformer models, the very same technology behind the mesmerizing ChatGPT, life2vec delves deep into sequences of life events. From health history and education to job and income, this cutting-edge tool can predict not only an individual's personality but even their lifespan!

But hold your horses! The researchers, wise beyond their years, caution against using this awe-inspiring creation to predict the futures of real people. Professor Tina Eliassi-Rad from Northeastern University warns, "This prediction model is based on a specific data set of a specific population."

To ensure a human-centered approach to AI development, the research team enlisted the aid of social scientists. They wanted to keep the focus on the humans amidst the vast sea of data that their tool has been trained on. Finally, an AI that sees the world through our eyes!

The heart and soul of life2vec lies in its colossal data set, meticulously gathered from the entire population of Denmark. The researchers then weaved intricate patterns of recurring life events, transforming the transformer model's language prowess into a sequence of human experiences.

Professor Sune Lehmann from the Technical University of Denmark beautifully explained, "The whole story of a human life, in a way, can also be thought of as a giant long sentence of the many things that can happen to a person."

Venturing further into the astonishing capabilities of life2vec, the model utilizes its vast knowledge of millions of life event sequences to construct vector representations. These representations allow the model to categorize and establish connections between crucial life events such as income, education, and health factors.

Hold on tight, because life2vec even predicts an individual's probability of mortality! Professor Lehmann revealed, "When we visualize the space that the model uses to make predictions, it looks like a long cylinder that takes you from low probability of death to high probability of death." Prepare to be amazed as the predictions align with reality, with high probability cases sadly ending in death, while low probability cases may succumb to unpredictable causes like car accidents!

The future is here, my friends. Brace yourself for the seismic impact of life2vec, the AI model that unravels the secrets of your very existence. But remember, tread with caution, for this remarkable creation is but a stepping stone towards even greater wonders yet to come!
Chinese President Xi Jinping has promoted two naval officers, including a submarine expert, as top naval commanders which involves the Chinese navy's operations in the disputed South China Sea.

Xi, who is also the chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), the overall high command of the armed forces besides being the President and head of the ruling Communist Party, has presented certificates of order to promote two military officers to the rank of General, official media reported on Tuesday.

General is the highest rank for officers in active service in China.

The promoted officers included Political Commissar of the Southern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Wang Wenquan, and Commander of the PLA Navy Hu Zhongming, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Hu was a submarine specialist with extensive experience at sea, having taken part in the Navy's first global mission and numerous exercises.

Hu's submarine detachment was awarded a rare first-class merit in 2013, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

Little else has been said publicly about the unit except that Hu avoided a serious accident during a test run of an unspecified new type of submarine, according to a 2008, the Post report said.

China has expanded its naval power significantly in recent years with three aircraft carriers.

The PLA Navy has three major fleets.

The South Sea Fleet has significantly increased its presence in the South China Sea, where China's sovereignty claims overlap with those of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

Equally, the East Sea Fleet would play a major role in conflicts involving Japan and Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as part of its mainland and has ratcheted military drills around the island raising concerns of military action.

China's military leadership has undergone several changes this year. Former Defence Minister Gen. Li Shangfu who headed the country's missile forces was suddenly removed in October this year and expelled from the CMC.

China has not given any reason for his dismissal and the position has remained vacant.

Vietnam, The Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims over the South China Sea. For its part, China claims most of the South China Sea, which now has become a new theatre of confrontation.
US President Joe Biden ordered a retaliatory attack on Iranian-backed militia groups in Iraq after a one-way drone fired by Iran-aligned militants left one US service member in critical condition and wounded two other personnel.

A statement by General Michael ErikKurilla, head of US Central Command, said the US military carried out the strikes in Iraq at 1:45 GMT at President Joe Biden's direction. The strikes likely killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants and destroying multiple facilities used by the group. "These strikes are intended to hold accountable those elements directly responsible for attacks on coalition forces in Iraq and Syria and degrade their ability to continue attacks. We will always protect our forces," the statement added.



According to National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson, the attack on US troops stationed at the base in Iraq's Erbil occurred earlier on Monday. Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, under an umbrella of Iranian-backed militants, claimed credit for the attack. "The President places no higher priority than the protection of American personnel serving in harms way. The United States will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue," Watson said.



The base has been repeatedly targeted, including on October 25 when a drone managed to penetrate the US air defenses but failed to detonate.



On Monday incident, the Pentagon did not disclose details about the identity of the service member who was critically wounded or offer more details on the injuries sustained in the attack.

Biden, who is spending Christmas at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, was briefed on the attack following which he ordered the Pentagon to prepare response options.



Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and national security team quickly drew up plans and presented him with options in a call and Biden directed strikes against three locations utilised by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups. Austin described the strikes as "necessary" and "proportionate".



The US has blamed Iran, which has funded and trained Hamas, for the rising violence by its network of proxy groups across the region, including attacks by Yemen's Houthis against commercial and military vessels thorough a critical shipping choke point in the Red Sea.


A high-ranking general of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Monday in the Syrian capital of Damascus.

A report by Iranian state media said Sayyed Razi Mousavi died after Israel struck the Sayida Zeinab neighbourhood, located near a Shiite Muslim shrine, in Damascus.



Iran's state television announced that Mousavi was posted at the embassy as a diplomat and was killed by Israeli missiles after returning home from work. Irans president Ebrahim Raisi vowed that Israel "will certainly pay for this crime." He added that the assassination of Mousavi showed weakness on the part of Israel. "This act is a sign of the Zionist regime's frustration and weakness in the region for which it will certainly pay the price," Iranian media cited Raisi as saying.



Neither the Israeli military nor Syrian state media immediately issued a statement about the attack. "I am not referring to this or that operation in the Middle East reported by non-Israeli media," said Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari. chief spokesman of the Israel Defense Forces. "The I.D.F. has a role, of course: to protect and safeguard the security interests of the state of Israel".



Israel's traditional stance has always been not to acknowledge the strikes it carried out on Syria. Its forces has allegedly carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of war-torn Syria in recent years.



However, the IDF has been on high alert since Sunday as it expects the possible use of rockets or drones launched from Syria and Lebanon. More road closures were also expected in northern Israel, where some routes had already been shut down because of the fighting with Hezbollah.



Close aide of Soleimani



Iranian representatives said Mousavi was a close companion of Gen. Qassim Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force who was slain in a US drone strike in Iraq in January 2020. One of the IRGC's oldest advisers in Syria, Mousavi has been among those accompanying Qassem Soleimani. The state media also published a photograph of him and General Suleimani posing close together.

According to Israeli media, Mousavi was responsible for coordinating the military alliance between Iran and Syria. The Israeli defence also believes him to be involved in Tehrans efforts to supply weapons to terror proxies in the area, including Lebanons Hezbollah terror group.



He is also said to have lived in Syria for 30 years and had his own office inside the Syrian Defense Ministry.


Kolkata, Dec 24 (PTI) The health condition of music maestro Ustad Rashid Khan, who is undergoing treatment in a city-based hospital for prostate cancer, remained critical on Sunday, said an official.

The 55-year-old Khan is still on ventilation, he added.

"His condition remained critical. Our doctors are keeping him under watch," the official of the hospital, where Khan is undergoing treatment, told PTI.

The musician's health condition deteriorated following a cerebral attack on Friday, he added.

Khan, who belongs to the Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana, is the great-grandson of gharana founder Inayat Hussain Khan.
Mumbai, Dec 25 (PTI) Actor Kamaal R Khan was detained at Mumbai international airport on Monday in connection with an old case for allegedly posting vulgar text on social media against some female actors and models, police said.

He was taken to Versova police station and a notice was served to him before he was allowed to go, an official said.

The actor was detained based on a lookout circular (LOC) issued against him by Versova police in the 2016 case for allegedly posting vulgar and lewd text on Twitter (now X) against more than a dozen actresses and models, the official said.

"Khan was brought to the police station. He was allowed to go after a notice was served to him," he added.
Islamabad, Dec 26 (PTI) Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Pakistan's former foreign minister and a close aide of former prime minister Imran Khan, was on Tuesday detained at the Adiala Jail at Rawalpindi for 15 days, a day after the Supreme Court granted bail to him in the cipher case.

While issuing the directives, the Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner said the release of Qureshi, who is the vice chairman of Imran Khans Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, would pose a threat to peace and security, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.

The directives mentioned that the CPO had proposed a 45-day detention period on the recommendation of the relevant Station House Officer even as the district intelligence committee too concurred with the assessments of the police and security authorities.

The cipher case pertains to a piece of paper, purported to be a diplomatic cable -- the cipher -- that Khan had waved at a public rally on March 27, 2022, and naming the US claimed that it was evidence of an international conspiracy to topple his government.

While granting Qureshi the right to appeal, the order detained Qureshi in the Adiala Jail for 15 days. The development comes days after the Supreme Court granted bail to former prime minister Imran Khan and Qureshi in the cipher case.

However, both leaders were not released immediately due to their involvement in other ongoing cases, the Express Tribune said.

Qureshi, 67, was serving as a foreign minister at the time when he was indicted in the case on October 23.

Incarcerated Khan and Qureshi are facing multiple cases and have been fighting cases in various courts ahead of the February 8 general elections.
New Delhi, Dec 26 (PTI) A former engineer with the South East Central Railway (SECR), who called his transfer days before retirement "sheer madness", has complained to the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) alleging harassment in getting post-retirement benefits.

In his complaint dated December 21, K P Arya said even after three weeks of his superannuation, he has not received his settlement papers and his pension is in jeopardy.

I am unable to draw my railway passes and my full settlement amount hasnt been paid yet, Arya said in his complaint to the CVC and attached a copy of a letter which he had written to the secretary, Railway Board, on November 23 this year after he was transferred three days before his retirement.

Arya's problems started on November 23 when he received a letter from the Railway Board for his transfer from the Bilaspur division of SECR to the Northern Railway headquarters in New Delhi. Arya was then chief communication engineer.

He was asked to join on November 28 in New Delhi while his retirement was due on November 30.

"This order seems well in order at the surface, but when seen in the complete perspective of my imminent superannuation within a week on 30th Nov 2023, the madness shines brightly," Arya had said in the November 23 letter.

He added, "Because this is nothing but sheer madness only to transfer one employee, who has served the IR (Indian Railway) organisation his whole life, in the week of his superannuation so that his superannuation settlement gets disrupted and he gets harassed in the last days in the organisation."

Arya worked in the NR headquarters in New Delhi for three days - November 28 to November 30 - and got superannuated.

He said that his apprehension regarding disruption of his settlement process has now come entirely true.

I am disappointed that no action has been taken against officials who put me to so much hardship, Arya told PTI.




Ukraines air force on Monday reported that it shot down two Russian fighter jets during the night along with two cruise missiles and 28 Shahed-type drones.

The report said the attacks were aimed at southern and central regions of Ukraine, but that no casualties were immediately known. It said that 31 drones were launched in all, but details of what the three that werent intercepted may have struck werent given.

A summary from the Ukrainian presidential office said that one civilian was killed and at least four wounded in Russian attacks over the previous 24 hours. The death occurred in the town of Chornobaivka in the Kherson region, which is partly under Russian control and experiences daily fighting.

(AP)




The IDF on Tuesday revealed a discovery at the Indonesia Hospital in Gaza  a white Toyota pickup truck with weapons, similar to those used by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.

They also found a Toyota Corolla with Israeli license plates that belonged to the family of Samar Talalka, an Israeli hostage who was mistakenly killed by IDF troops. Inside the car, there were blood stains belonging to another hostage and parts of an RPG launcher.

The IDF accuses Hamas of utilizing medical centers in Gaza, including the Indonesian Hospital, as bases for their operations.

A Hamas tunnel network was recently uncovered and destroyed in the Jabaliya area, with branches extending beneath the medical center. The IDF claims to have identified armed members of Hamass elite Nukhba forces inside the hospital, alleging it was being used as a staging ground during the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




The Metropolitan Police are currently investigating a suspected arson incident at the constituency office of Conservative MP Mike Freer in North London, which occurred around 7pm Sunday night. Freer, who represents Finchley and Golders Green  which has a very large Orthodox Jewish community  and serves as a justice minister, was not present at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported.

Freer described the fire, which originated in a shed at the rear of his office in Finchley and caused damage to the building, as one of several worrying incidents he has encountered. Notably, in 2021, the individual who later murdered MP David Amess visited Freers office, but Freer was unexpectedly absent.

Expressing gratitude towards the police for their prompt response to the fire, Freer commented, Thankfully I wasnt doing my normal routine of getting through paperwork. Im thankful the upstairs tenants werent in the house too, otherwise this would be a completely different story. Until the police catch the suspect, I wont know if it was deliberate, but its one of many threats Ive faced.

The Metropolitan Police stated, The cause of the fire is under investigation as it is believed it may have been started deliberately. Further inquiries will take place.

Freer has taken heightened security measures since the murder of Amess, including wearing a stab vest and carrying panic alarms, Ali Harbi Ali, convicted for Amesss murder.

Freer has been an MP since 2010 and has been a vocal supporter of Israel, including urging the government to arrange repatriation flights for Britons in Israel following Hamass attack on October 7.

The arson attack follows concerns raised by Labour MPs about their safety amid pro-Palestinian protests targeting their offices over the partys stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict.

In the wake of these events, MPs considered to be at higher risk have been advised on security measures. This focus on MPs safety follows the 2016 murder of Labour MP Jo Cox and subsequent enhanced security measures for MPs homes and offices. Recently, Michael Gove, the levelling up secretary, altered his constituency meeting arrangements due to security concerns, opting for a booking system over an open-invite meeting.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




Rabbi YY Jacobson in a recent address echoed a sentiment and perspective long espoused by YWN, saying that the repulsive members of Neturei Karta cannot be considered Jewish.

Neturei Karta are just paid agents by Iran. Thats it. Iran pays them off, they pay tuition from Iran. Its fine, it works for them. Dont take them so seriously, Rabbi Jacobson said.

I dont think theyre Jews. I doubt theyre really Jewish khalacha  I doubt theyre Jewish, he continued. I cant say for sure  ich bin nisht der Berditchever  I cant open a Chumash and tell you theyre not Jewish  but Ill be surprised [if they are]. Something is off over there.

Its like somebody marching with Hitler, he continued. And theres also Jews that dont look like Neturei Karta but they speak the same way. Theres something very, very off with them also. Either theyre very sick or theyre still traumatized from the Holocaust  they think maybe we deserve it There are some Jews who are very, very sick. You have to have compassion for them, but you cant tolerate their views because theyre lethal, theyre poison, its pikuach nefesh.

YWN has been reporting on these terrorists for many years. usually, YWN receives a heathy dose of its lashon Hara, while others say dont give them a platform. But we feel overwise, and wont stop.

Since the Simchas Torah massacre, these animals have been attending the most violent and horrifying anti-Jewish and pro-Hamas rallies, where the calls for the deaths of jews have been chanted by thousands of people  including Neturei Karta. There are hundreds of videos available on social media of them chanting intifada, intifada, long live the intifada, as well as openly calling for the genocide of millions of Jews living in Israel. They are openly Michalel Shabbos every single Shabbos, as they attend pro-Hamas rallies.

This group has dressed in Chasidic garb and openly supported terrorists (literallty) for many years. In fact, just weeks before the Simchas Torah massacre, the group met with the Butcher of Tehran, Ibrahim Raisi, at the United Nations. Before that, a delegation from the Palestinian Neturei Karta group met with former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad multiple times.

Neturei Karta Reshoyim flew to Iran when Ahmadinejad held a Holocaust Denial Conference, where one of the main Reshonim in this group stood up  Mr Achmed (Yisroel David) Weiss and literally hugged and kissed the Iranian Hitler. You can consider these animals nothing less than holocaust deniers.

At another meting of terrorists, Mr. Weiss told Ahmadinejad that he was a light to the nations, and that he was exemplary in his recognition of what Zionism really is and his warmth for Judaism. [SEE VIDEO BELOW]

They have met with Irans Foreign Minister, to thank the worlds largest sponsor of Terror for friendship with Jews worldwide.

They met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan just days after he called Israel a terror and apartheid state.

They have visited the U.S. Capital to show their unwavering support for anti-Semite Rep. Ilhan Omar and her courageous stance against Israel.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




The Turkish Parliaments foreign affairs committee gave its consent to Swedens bid to join NATO on Tuesday, drawing the previously non-aligned Nordic country closer to membership in the Western military alliance.

Swedens accession protocol will now need to be approved in the general assembly for the last stage of the legislative process in Turkey. No date has been set.

Turkey, a NATO member, has delayed ratifying Swedens application for more than a year, accusing the country of being too lenient toward groups that Ankara regards as threats to its security, including Kurdish militants and members of a network that Ankara blames for a failed coup in 2016.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier this month threw up another obstacle by openly linking ratification of Swedens NATO membership to the U.S. Congress approval of a Turkish request to purchase 40 new F-16 fighter jets and kits to modernize Turkeys existing fleet.

Erdogan also also called on Canada and other NATO allies to life arms embargoes imposed on Turkey.

The White House has backed the Turkish F-16 request but there is strong opposition in Congress to military sales to Turkey.

The Turkish parliaments foreign affairs committee had begun discussing Swedens membership in NATO last month. The meeting however, was adjourned after legislators from Erdogans ruling party submitted a motion for a postponement on grounds that some issues needed more clarification and that negotiations with Sweden had not matured enough.

On Tuesday, a majority of legislators in the committee voted in favor of Swedens application to join.

Sweden and Finland abandoned their traditional positions of military nonalignment to seek protection under NATOs security umbrella, following Russias invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Finland joined the alliance in April, becoming NATOs 31st member, after Turkeys parliament ratified the Nordic countrys bid.

NATO requires the unanimous approval of all existing members to expand, and Turkey and Hungary are the only countries that have been holding out. Hungary has stalled Swedens bid, alleging that Swedish politicians have told blatant lies about the condition of Hungarys democracy.

The delays have frustrated other NATO allies who were swift to accept Sweden and Finland into the alliance.

(AP)




Ukrainian warplanes damaged a Russian ship moored in the Black Sea off Crimea, both countries said Tuesday, bolstering Ukrainian morale after battlefield disappointments and doubts about the future of Western aid.

The planes fired guided missiles at the landing ship Novocherkassk, which is moored at a base in the city of Feodosia, Russias Defense Ministry said. Video on Russian and Ukrainian social media showed an explosion in the port.

Ukrainian authorities claimed the ship was destroyed. They said it was likely carrying ammunition and possibly drones.

The 360-foot Novocherkassk can carry 10 tanks and 225 sailors.

We saw how powerful the blast and detonation were. Its extremely difficult for a ship to survive something like that, Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said on U.S.-backed Radio Liberty.

The Russian fleet has become smaller, Ukrainian air force Cmdr. Mykola Oleschuk said in a mocking message on the social media app Telegram. He urged Russians to leave Crimea while its not too late.

Over the last few months, Ukrainian forces have conducted a string of attacks around Crimea, a Black Sea peninsula invaded and illegally annexed by Russia in 2014. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy credits those attacks, mostly with naval drones, with allowing Ukraine to restore navigation in the Black Sea and export of millions of tons of grain.

In September, a Ukrainian attack hit the headquarters of Russias Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean city of Sevastopol, killing one serviceman. Ukraine launched more missiles against the city the following day.

But despite high hopes for a broader Ukrainian summer counteroffensive, the front line barely moved, and political disputes in allied countries have left billions of dollars of aid in doubt.

This week, President Joe Biden is struggling to secure congressional support for continuing American assistance to Ukraine. Even though hes repeatedly promised that the United States would back Ukraine for as long as it takes to defeat the Russian invasion, theres no sign of a bipartisan deal to maintain the flow of supplies as the war approaches its third year.

Showing Ukrainian forces difficulties on the battlefield, commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi said Tuesday that his troops had retreated to the northern outskirts of the city of Marinka.

Russia said Monday that it had taken Marinka, which sits about 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of Donetsk, the largest city in Russian-held territory.

Zaluzhnyi told journalists Tuesday that Ukrainian troops had held Marinka for almost two years but Russians were destroying it street by street, house by house.

Our forces prepared a defensive line beyond this settlement. But I can say that this town no longer exists, Zaluzhnyi said. He compared Russian tactics in Marinka to its tactics in Bakhmut, which was reduced to rubble by the time the Russian army captured the city.

Against that backdrop, the attack on the Novocherkassk offered some hope to Ukraines allies.

U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps wrote on X that, This latest destruction of Putins navy demonstrates that those who believe theres a stalemate in the Ukraine war are wrong!

They havent noticed that over the past 4 months 20% of Russias Black Sea Fleet has been destroyed, Shapps wrote. Russias dominance in the Black Sea is now challenged.

Russia also said Tuesday two Ukrainian fighter jets were destroyed by anti-aircraft fire during the attack. Ihnat, of the Ukrainian air force, denied that.

The Russia-appointed head of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said one person was killed in Tuesdays attack and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu briefed Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Russian news agencies that provided no details.

Shoigu touted Russian accomplishments in the war this year, saying, The main efforts in the outgoing year were focused on achieving the goals of the special military operation. The main one is to disrupt the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian armed forces, loudly announced by Ukraine and its NATO allies. This task has been successfully completed.

Russian authorities use wording special military operation for the war it started in Ukraine nearly two years ago.

The Novocherkassk was damaged in an attack in March 2022, about a month after the war started, but Ihnat said it has been recently used to transport weapons and soldiers to the Zaporizhzhia region, which is partly held by Russian forces.

The Ukrainian air forces Tuesday morning update said that Russia launched 19 drones, mostly against the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions  13 of which were shot down  over the past night. The remaining drones caused infrastructure damage, but no casualties were reported, according to Ukraines presidential office.

(AP)




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As IDF troops penetrate deeper and deeper into the Gaza Strip, soldiers have noticed a change in the enemies tactics, Kan News reported on Sunday evening.

Hamas terrorists have begun to engage in actual guerrilla warfare from within the civilian population  no longer wearing Hamas or Islamic Jihad uniforms but civilian clothing. Additionally, notes were found on slain terrorists specifying when to launch attacks against IDF forces  apparently orders given to the terrorists in case contact with their commanders was severed.

The ground operation in the Gaza Strip continues with intense battles between IDF soldiers and terrorists in the northern, central, and southern parts of the Strip.

The IDF has not yet announced full operational control of the northern part of the Strip but is expanding its military operations in the central part towards the refugee camps. In the Khan Younis area, the battles are expected to continue for several more months due to the complexity of the terrain and the underground tunnel networks. This is the area where the command centers of senior Hamas leaders are presumed to be located, both above and below ground, and it is also believed that the Israeli captives are being held in the same area.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




Numerous packs of feral dogs from the Gaza Strip have entered Israeli border towns in recent weeks, raising concerns about the spread of disease, Ynet reported.

Dr. Yehoshua Shkedy, the chief scientist and director at Israels Nature and Parks Authority, said, I was in the Gaza border area of Beeri and Reim yesterday. The number of stray dogs entering from the Gaza Strip is immense. In the small area I surveyed, there were dozens of dogs.

These dogs are a problem for nature because they prey on any animal they encounter. And if they spread diseases, they also pose a danger to human life. Weve already seen a girl who died from a stray dogs bite in Bir Hadaj [a Bedouin town in the Negev].

The Agriculture Ministry said it was monitoring the situation and supporting local authorities which are responsible for dealing with stray animals in general and particularly in the Western Negev.

The budget includes funding for the capture of hundreds of dogs, their maintenance in quarantine, vaccination with two rabies shots, microchipping and spaying and neutering them, the ministry said.

Although the increased number of dogs in the Gaza border communities is due to the fact that the residents have evacuated the area, the problem of feral dogs in Israel is not new. Last year, there were over 25,000 feral dogs in the Negev area in southern Israel and another 10,000 in other parts of the country.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outlined his vision for peace in the Middle East in a Monday op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal. In his article, Netanyahu detailed three critical conditions for achieving peace: the destruction of Hamas, the demilitarization of Gaza, and initiating a deradicalization process within Palestinian society.

Netanyahu asserted that only once these conditions are met, there is potential for rebuilding Gaza and advancing broader peace in the Middle East.

In his advocacy for the destruction of Hamas, Netanyahu emphasized the necessity of this action, citing Hamas leaders vows to repeat their brutal Oct. 7 attack. He wrote, That is why their destruction is the only proportional response to prevent the repeat of such horrific atrocities. Anything less guarantees more war and more bloodshed.

Netanyahu pledged Israels compliance with international law in its efforts to destroy Hamas but highlighted the challenges posed by Hamass reported use of Palestinian civilians as human shields. He stressed that Israel endeavors to minimize civilian casualties and argued that unjustly blaming Israel for these casualties only encourages the use of human shields by terrorist organizations.

Regarding the demilitarization of Gaza, Netanyahu suggested that Israel would need to maintain a significant security presence in the area. He dismissed the idea of the Palestinian Authority overseeing Gaza, a proposal put forth by President Biden, instead proposing a temporary security zone around Gaza and a rigorous inspection mechanism on the border with Egypt.

The third condition, deradicalizing Palestinian society, according to Netanyahu, requires change both in leadership and in educational content. He expressed optimism about the possibility of such change, drawing parallels with post-World War II Germany and Japan.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




Iran on Tuesday published a video with fluent Hebrew narration threatening senior Israeli security officials following the assassination of Brig. Gen. Razi Mousavi, a high-ranking commander in Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in an airstrike in Damascus on Monday attributed to Israel.

In the video, published in Israel by Channel 12 News reporter Assaf Rosenzweig, the backs of Prime Minister Netanyahu and other officials are seen sitting in a conference room in the Kirya in Tel Aviv and watching a screen presenting the Israeli strategy against Iran.

The explanation of the strategy against Iran suddenly stops and reveals that spies infiltrated the Israeli system and the screen shows photos of senior Israeli security officials. The video then shows a stopwatch attached to the underside of the table where Netanyahu is sittingcounting down until an explosion is heard. The words then appear on the screen    and signs off with   .

On Monday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on state TV that the savage Zionist regime will pay for this crime

Raisi, otherwise known as the Butcher of Tehran, claimed that the assassination was another sign of the occupying Zionist regimes frustration and helplessness.

Hours after the assassination, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian threatened Tel Aviv, saying that Tel Aviv awaits a tough countdown.

Mousavi, who was very close to Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, was the IRGC commander in Syria and coordinated the funding and transfer of weapons to Iranian proxies, including Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

Israeli media reported the elimination of Mousavi as the highest-profile targeted assassination since the elimination of Soleimani, who was killed by a US drone strike in 2020. Senior Israeli defense officials say that Israel expects an Iranian response to the assassination. According to sources quoted by the New York Times, Israel is preparing for an Iranian response on its northern border and is on high alert for rocket and drone threats from Syria or Lebanon.

The video below shows an explosion following the strike that allegedly killed Mousavi near the Damascus International Airport.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




The directors of Machon Yerushalayim, Rabbi Moshe Buxbaum and his brother Rabbi Shlomo had the privilege to personally visit HaRav Dov Landau and HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, Rosh Yeshivas of Slabodka Yeshiva to present them with the new releases of Machon Yerushalayim. They studied them with tremendous enthusiasm and showered them with brachos to continue their holy projects.

Machon Yerushalayim is currently running its Annual Sale in the USA. Known as the once-a-year opportunity, the awaited sale offers all the classic texts, reprinted and reformatted, as well as newly printed  and newly discovered  sifrei kodesh. Individual sefarim and sets are available at reduced prices, and with the current dollar-exchange rate, American buyers are enjoying an additional 10% off.

Among the works Machon Yerushalayim is famous for is the monumental Shulchan Aruch Friedman edition. 30 years in the making and with a budget of millions of dollars, this work is one of the greatest Torah research projects in recent history. Based on comparisons with manuscripts and earlier printings, thousands of errors and misprints were corrected, deleted passages were restored, and abbreviations were spelled out. To add, sources were cited and numerous annotations and improvements were incorporated into this monumental achievement.



Based on this model, Machon Yerushalayim continues to reprint classic sefarim, making them more user-friendly and as learners say A pleasure to learn from. The research

institute also discovers lost and unknown works from the world over and brings them to life, as well as publishing new sefarim designed to promote and spread Torah study among Jews everywhere.

One of this years much-awaited new releases is the latest volume of Bshulei HaMinchah  the perfect accompaniment to the best-selling Minchas Chinuch, Machon Yerushalayims revised, corrected edition, including a comprehensive treasury of chiddushim, annotations and commentaries from Acharonim.

Another exciting development is the first edition of sefer Divrei Chachamim , by the renowned posek, Rabbi Avraham Danzig, the Chayei Adam. Incredibly, the manuscript was found by accident, inside a different manuscript, which had been purchased at an estate sale in France. The sefer was penned by the author when he was a young scholar in Prague, learning from Rav Yonason Eibeschutz and Rav Yechezkel Landau, the Noda bYehudah, among others.

Disproving all the naysayers. Machon Yerushalayims monumental Shoel UMeishiv project is now nearing completion, with ten volumes in print and the final four volumes projected to be published by the end of this winter. The importance of the work is highlighted by the fact that all contemporary poskim, dealing with sheeilos on any topic from matzos to esrogim, are based upon it.

One of Machon Yerushalayims pioneering projects is the Otzarot series, treasuries with tens of thousands of relevant commentaries on different topics. The best-seller in this

category is Otzar Mefarshei HaTorah , arranged according to the weekly parshah. With commentaries from Chazal, Rishonim and Acharonim up to the present day; its perfect for rebbeim and schoolteachers, avreichim and balebatim. An elite team of scholars has been working on Vayikra for the past two years, and the second volume will be available by the end of the winter. We offer dedication opportunities in memory of a loved one, for an incomparable zechus, says Rabbi Buxbaum.

Established close to 60 years ago, Machon Yerushalayim is one of the largest Torah research institutes today. Beyond its role as a prestigious publishing house, with a staff of 150 talmidei chachamim researching and redacting ancient texts, it plays a major role in

supporting lomdei Torah and spreading Torah across the globe.



CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MACHON YERUSHALAYIM SALE!








The great vision of Victorian thinkers and engineers lives on in the railways, the Bazalgette sewers, Brunel bridges and the town halls which grace the nations industrial cities.

Contemporary political leaders fail us with a lack of resolve essential to guiding imaginary projects through to completion.

There is much hand-wringing about low productivity and growth in the UK. How much better the output potential of Britain would have been if the Tories fully backed not just Hinkley but Heathrow and HS2 as well.

Of the three Hs, only Hinkley in Somerset  the super-nuclear power station  looks as if it will be completed.

And why is that possible? It is being managed by French-state owned EDF with the support of Chinese finance and an intelligent pricing policy.

The vision of the Victorians lives on in the railways, bridges such as the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol (pictured) and the glorious town halls which grace the nation's industrial cities

Former chancellor George Osborne was castigated for using a strike price for the electricity generated at twice the grid tariff at the time of commission. It has proved to be a judgement that has served the nation.

Contrast Osbornes willingness to overrule penny pinching in Whitehall with the pricing foul-up over the most recent auction of offshore wind licences.

A pre-Christmas decision in Whitehall to raise the strike price for wind power off the Norfolk coast by as much as 66 per cent was required to stop Swedens Vattenfall pulling out and to bring German utility RWE in as an investor.

All the wrangling delayed the project and cast economic uncertainty over job prospects.

The second H, Heathrow, is vital to the national interest. Business and financial services generate much of the nations wealth and Heathrow needs to be a superb hub to support Britains role.

But instead, our biggest airport has a reputation for overcrowding, poor passenger experience, take-off and landing delays, over-charging for parking and long, uncomfortable bus rides from airside to terminals.

A third runway would not on its own solve these problems. But it would put in place the infrastructure which could overcome delays and provide the essential capacity to compete with Frankfurt, Paris and Dubai.

Haphazard Spanish control by construction group Ferrovial largely is responsible for the lack of investment which has contributed to the nightmare.

Finally, there is HS2. Rishi Sunaks decision to cancel the Birmingham to Manchester leg of the project is the biggest economic blunder of his trouble-strewn administration.

Transport experts and businesses have been making plans for almost a decade on the basis of a HS2 backbone.

High-speed transport is one of the keys to reviving investment in the industrial North-West. Instead of showing the managerial willpower to overcome problems, Sunak dealt a fatal blow to levelling-up.

We also learn that Labours biggest idea, a 28billion-a-year investment to turn Britain into a green energy superpower, could be watered down.

In her first retreat, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves delayed the proposed start date until half way through the next Parliament. A further scaling back is also on the cards.

Our politicians must learn that sticking to long-term goals is the path to boosting productivity and building towards a carbon-free future.
AstraZeneca has agreed to buy a Shanghai-based pharmaceutical company for just under 1bn as it places its bets on Chinas medical technology.

Britains biggest drugmaker yesterday said it would buy Gracell Biotechnologies for up to 950million.

It comes as pharmaceutical giants are increasingly eyeing investments in China and its biotech industry.

The takeover  which is one of AstraZenecas first outright acquisitions in China  represents a bold move by long-serving boss Pascal Soriot.

It is expected to complete in the first quarter of 2024, according to a statement from the Cambridge-based firm. It means AstraZeneca will invest further in cancer cell therapy treatment.

China deal: AstraZeneca's takeover of Shanghai-based Gracell Biotechnologies represents a bold move by long-serving boss Pascal Soriot (pictured)

A potential new treatment for multiple myeloma, a form of bone marrow cancer, could be added to what AstraZeneca calls its own growing pipeline of cell therapies.

Susan Galbraith, executive vice president of oncology research and development at AstraZeneca, said: The proposed acquisition will complement AstraZenecas existing capabilities and previous investments in cell therapy.

The company has already established a presence in complex cancer treatments  known as CAR-T and T-cell receptor therapies  targeted at tumours.

The addition of Gracell means AstraZeneca can also explore using cell therapy to help people with autoimmune diseases, Galbraith added.

Earlier this year Soriot said there had been an explosion of biotech companies that are coming up with innovative medicines and new technologies in China.

AstraZeneca has the biggest sales of any overseas pharmaceutical company in China and has already agreed a handful of licensing agreements there over the twelve months.

It is another purchase in a recent shopping spree after AstraZeneca said it would buy Seattle-based Icosavax  its first vaccine company  for 875million earlier this month.

Rival GSK is also searching for deals in China after chief commercial officer Luke Miels recently told the Financial Times that it was working on deals in the country.

GSK signed a licensing agreement in October worth up to 1.2billion for a cancer drug developed by Hansoh Pharma.
Several analysts have recently updated their ratings and price targets for Ciena (NYSE: CIEN):

12/16/2023  Ciena was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a sell rating to a hold rating.

12/8/2023  Ciena had its price target lowered by analysts at Raymond James from $63.00 to $60.00. They now have a strong-buy rating on the stock.

12/8/2023  Ciena was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a hold rating to a sell rating.

12/8/2023  Ciena had its price target raised by analysts at Barclays PLC from $59.00 to $60.00. They now have an overweight rating on the stock.

12/8/2023  Ciena had its price target raised by analysts at B. Riley from $67.00 to $68.00. They now have a buy rating on the stock.

12/8/2023  Ciena had its buy rating reaffirmed by analysts at Rosenblatt Securities. They now have a $65.00 price target on the stock.

12/7/2023  Ciena was upgraded by analysts at TheStreet from a c rating to a b- rating.

11/28/2023  Ciena had its buy rating reaffirmed by analysts at Needham & Company LLC. They now have a $60.00 price target on the stock.

11/28/2023  Ciena had its buy rating reaffirmed by analysts at Rosenblatt Securities. They now have a $65.00 price target on the stock.

Ciena Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of CIEN stock traded up $0.41 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $44.17. 1,148,000 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,701,629. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.96. Ciena Co. has a 12-month low of $39.94 and a 12-month high of $54.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 3.84 and a quick ratio of 2.71. The businesss fifty day moving average is $43.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $43.91.

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Ciena (NYSE:CIEN  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 7th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.06. Ciena had a net margin of 5.81% and a return on equity of 10.28%. The business had revenue of $1.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.49 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Ciena Co. will post 2.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ciena

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

In other Ciena news, CEO Gary B. Smith sold 4,166 shares of Ciena stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.68, for a total value of $181,970.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 538,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,502,766.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link . In other news, SVP Jason Phipps sold 3,833 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.30, for a total value of $181,300.90. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 82,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,907,784.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink . Also, CEO Gary B. Smith sold 4,166 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.68, for a total value of $181,970.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 538,067 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $23,502,766.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Over the last quarter, insiders sold 30,587 shares of company stock valued at $1,373,163. 0.99% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in Ciena by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 36,296 shares of the communications equipment providers stock worth $2,227,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares during the period. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ciena by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,252 shares of the communications equipment providers stock valued at $351,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ciena by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 28,651 shares of the communications equipment providers stock valued at $1,737,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Janney Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ciena by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Janney Capital Management LLC now owns 9,774 shares of the communications equipment providers stock valued at $462,000 after acquiring an additional 264 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Ciena by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 28,563 shares of the communications equipment providers stock valued at $1,214,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.02% of the companys stock.

Ciena Corporation provides hardware and software services for delivery of video, data, and voice traffic metro, aggregation, and access communications network worldwide. The company's Networking Platforms segment offers convergence of coherent optical transport, open optical networking, IP routing, and switching services.

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AAR (NYSE:AIR  Free Report) had its price target upped by Truist Financial from $68.00 to $81.00 in a research note published on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the aerospace companys stock.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on AIR. Benchmark reiterated a buy rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of AAR in a research note on Wednesday, September 27th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of AAR from $66.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 27th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of AAR from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of AAR in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $74.25.

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AAR Trading Down 10.2 %

NYSE AIR opened at $63.57 on Friday. AAR has a one year low of $42.20 and a one year high of $73.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 3.07. The firms fifty day moving average is $65.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $61.21. The firm has a market cap of $2.24 billion, a PE ratio of 33.46 and a beta of 1.65.

AAR (NYSE:AIR  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 21st. The aerospace company reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.01. AAR had a net margin of 3.19% and a return on equity of 9.90%. The business had revenue of $545.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $557.04 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.69 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that AAR will post 3.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AAR news, CEO John Mcclain Holmes III sold 11,810 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.58, for a total transaction of $691,829.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 321,766 shares in the company, valued at $18,849,052.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other AAR news, CAO Jessica A. Garascia sold 8,598 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.56, for a total value of $512,096.88. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 35,517 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,115,392.52. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO John Mcclain Holmes III sold 11,810 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.58, for a total transaction of $691,829.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 321,766 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,849,052.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 77,332 shares of company stock worth $4,621,798. 4.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of AAR

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AIR. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of AAR during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale purchased a new position in shares of AAR during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of AAR during the first quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of AAR during the second quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its stake in shares of AAR by 56.4% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 957 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 345 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.87% of the companys stock.

AAR Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

AAR Corp. provides products and services to commercial aviation, government, and defense markets worldwide. It operates through Aviation Services and Expeditionary Services segments. The Aviation Services segment engages in lease and sale of new, overhauled and repaired engine, and airframe parts and components, as well as aircrafts; and offers customized flight hour component inventory and repair, warranty claim management, and outsourcing programs for engine and airframe parts and components.

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StockNews.com upgraded shares of Core Laboratories (NYSE:CLB  Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on CLB. TheStreet downgraded Core Laboratories from a b- rating to a c rating in a research note on Thursday, November 2nd. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Core Laboratories from $21.00 to $20.00 and set a sell rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and two have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Core Laboratories has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $21.88.

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Core Laboratories Trading Up 0.2 %

CLB opened at $18.17 on Friday. Core Laboratories has a one year low of $16.69 and a one year high of $27.94. The company has a market cap of $848.98 million, a P/E ratio of 21.13, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 2.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.82 and a current ratio of 2.71. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $19.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.52.

Core Laboratories (NYSE:CLB  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 1st. The oil and gas company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.23 by ($0.01). Core Laboratories had a net margin of 8.10% and a return on equity of 16.85%. The firm had revenue of $125.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $129.81 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.18 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Core Laboratories will post 0.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Core Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 4th. Investors of record on Monday, November 13th were issued a $0.01 dividend. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.22%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 10th. Core Laboratoriess dividend payout ratio is currently 4.65%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Core Laboratories

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Raymond James & Associates acquired a new position in shares of Core Laboratories during the first quarter worth approximately $1,980,000. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in Core Laboratories by 15.3% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 5,945 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $188,000 after purchasing an additional 790 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. lifted its position in Core Laboratories by 57.8% in the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 39,192 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $1,240,000 after purchasing an additional 14,354 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in Core Laboratories by 9.4% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 68,839 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $2,177,000 after purchasing an additional 5,931 shares during the period. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lifted its position in Core Laboratories by 14.0% in the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 39,895 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $1,262,000 after purchasing an additional 4,909 shares during the period. 97.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Core Laboratories Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Core Laboratories Inc provides reservoir description and production enhancement services and products to the oil and gas industry in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates through Reservoir Description and Production Enhancement segments. The Reservoir Description segment includes the characterization of petroleum reservoir rock, reservoir fluid, and gas samples to enhance production and improve recovery of oil and gas from its clients' reservoirs.

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ATB Capital set a $33.00 price target on NOV (NYSE:NOV  Free Report) in a research report report published on Friday, BayStreet.CA reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the oil and gas exploration companys stock.

NOV has been the topic of a number of other research reports. TD Cowen raised their price objective on NOV from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on NOV from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 3rd. StockNews.com lowered NOV from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Saturday, December 16th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on NOV from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Monday, October 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised NOV from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and raised their target price for the company from $22.00 to $25.00 in a report on Friday, December 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $24.94.

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NOV Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NOV opened at $20.45 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $8.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a current ratio of 2.39, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. NOV has a 1-year low of $14.05 and a 1-year high of $24.83. The businesss 50 day moving average is $19.51 and its 200-day moving average is $19.25.

NOV (NYSE:NOV  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 26th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.35 by ($0.06). NOV had a return on equity of 9.28% and a net margin of 6.00%. The company had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.13 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.08 EPS. NOVs revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that NOV will post 1.41 earnings per share for the current year.

NOV Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, December 8th were issued a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 7th. NOVs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.87%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NOV

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of NOV by 18.6% during the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 3,268 shares of the oil and gas exploration companys stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 512 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its holdings in NOV by 85.4% during the 3rd quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,259 shares of the oil and gas exploration companys stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 580 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its holdings in NOV by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 18,956 shares of the oil and gas exploration companys stock worth $306,000 after buying an additional 598 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in NOV by 94.4% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,287 shares of the oil and gas exploration companys stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 625 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in NOV by 19.7% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,904 shares of the oil and gas exploration companys stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 642 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.19% of the companys stock.

About NOV

(Get Free Report)

NOV Inc designs, constructs, manufactures, and sells systems, components, and products for oil and gas drilling and production, and industrial and renewable energy sectors worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Wellbore Technologies, Completion & Production Solutions, and Rig Technologies.

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Glaukos (NYSE:GKOS  Free Report) had its target price raised by Piper Sandler from $90.00 to $105.00 in a research note released on Friday, Benzinga reports. Piper Sandler currently has an overweight rating on the medical instruments suppliers stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Glaukos from $88.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Glaukos from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $75.00 to $83.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 8th. TheStreet cut shares of Glaukos from a c- rating to a d+ rating in a research report on Friday, November 24th. StockNews.com cut shares of Glaukos from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Glaukos in a research report on Monday, December 4th. They set an equal weight rating and a $65.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and nine 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 target price of $85.55.

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Glaukos Trading Down 3.3 %

GKOS opened at $82.34 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 5.95, a quick ratio of 5.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.02 billion, a PE ratio of -30.61 and a beta of 1.11. Glaukos has a 1-year low of $40.45 and a 1-year high of $86.53. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $67.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $70.83.

Glaukos (NYSE:GKOS  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported ($0.50) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.56) by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $78.05 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $75.25 million. Glaukos had a negative net margin of 42.61% and a negative return on equity of 20.82%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.45) EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Glaukos will post -2.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Marc Stapley sold 16,250 shares of Glaukos stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.93, for a total transaction of $1,233,862.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 31,316 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,377,823.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Marc Stapley sold 16,250 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.93, for a total value of $1,233,862.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 31,316 shares in the company, valued at $2,377,823.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Thomas William Burns sold 45,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.98, for a total transaction of $3,239,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 54,785 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,943,424.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 227,787 shares of company stock valued at $18,390,219 in the last 90 days. 7.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Glaukos by 0.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,380,720 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock worth $286,470,000 after purchasing an additional 23,473 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Glaukos by 6.8% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,684,699 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock worth $234,703,000 after purchasing an additional 299,043 shares during the last quarter. Brown Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Glaukos by 7.1% during the first quarter. Brown Capital Management LLC now owns 2,904,658 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock worth $145,523,000 after purchasing an additional 191,849 shares during the last quarter. Braidwell LP boosted its holdings in Glaukos by 8.7% during the first quarter. Braidwell LP now owns 1,806,651 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock worth $90,513,000 after purchasing an additional 144,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Glaukos by 1.8% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,782,347 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock worth $126,921,000 after purchasing an additional 31,471 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.04% of the companys stock.

Glaukos Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Glaukos Corporation, an ophthalmic medical technology and pharmaceutical company, focuses on the development of novel therapies for the treatment of glaucoma, corneal disorders, and retinal diseases. It offers iStent, iStent inject, iStent inject W micro-bypass stents that enhance aqueous humor outflow inserted in cataract surgery to treat mild-to-moderate open-angle glaucoma.

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Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM  Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of Moderate Buy from the ten brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $109.27.

Several analysts have commented on PM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 29th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating for the company. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $116.00 to $112.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, November 16th. They issued a neutral rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.00 to $111.00 in a research note on Friday, September 29th.

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Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Philip Morris International

In other news, insider Wilde Frederic De sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.25, for a total value of $942,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 198,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,703,629.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link . Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock.

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PM. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 10.4% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 213,136 shares of the companys stock worth $20,806,000 after purchasing an additional 20,104 shares during the last quarter. Aspen Grove Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 13.0% in the 2nd quarter. Aspen Grove Capital LLC now owns 4,756 shares of the companys stock worth $470,000 after purchasing an additional 547 shares during the last quarter. Berger Financial Group Inc grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Berger Financial Group Inc now owns 3,902 shares of the companys stock worth $381,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Green Square Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 2nd quarter worth about $232,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 120,894 shares of the companys stock worth $11,802,000 after purchasing an additional 1,764 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.70% of the companys stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 0.1 %

PM stock opened at $92.94 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $144.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.77. Philip Morris International has a 12 month low of $87.23 and a 12 month high of $105.62. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $92.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $94.35.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 19th. The company reported $1.67 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $9.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.21 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.62% and a negative return on equity of 129.48%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.53 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Philip Morris International will post 6.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 20th. Philip Morris Internationals payout ratio is currently 100.97%.

Philip Morris International Company Profile

(Get 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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Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:USMV  Free Report) by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 22,904 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 1,389 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NAs holdings in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF were worth $1,658,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Welch & Forbes LLC raised its holdings in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 1.0% in the second quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 14,495 shares of the companys stock worth $1,077,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 2.9% during the second quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,252 shares of the companys stock worth $390,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Dohj LLC grew its stake in shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 0.5% during the second quarter. Dohj LLC now owns 33,830 shares of the companys stock worth $2,515,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. grew its stake in shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 4.3% during the third quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. now owns 3,749 shares of the companys stock worth $271,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. grew its stake in shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 5.6% during the second quarter. Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. now owns 3,114 shares of the companys stock worth $231,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter.

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iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Stock Performance

Shares of USMV stock opened at $77.42 on Tuesday. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $74.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $74.38. iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF has a fifty-two week low of $47.44 and a fifty-two week high of $55.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.17 and a beta of 0.75.

About iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF

The iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (USMV) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI USA Minimum Volatility (USD) index. The fund tracks an index of US-listed firms selected and weighted to create a low-volatility portfolio subject to various constraints. USMV was launched on Oct 18, 2011 and is managed by BlackRock.

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Strategic Blueprint LLC increased its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT  Free Report) by 25.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 43,342 shares of the retailers stock after buying an additional 8,718 shares during the quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLCs holdings in Walmart were worth $6,932,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Holland Advisory Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 65.0% in the third quarter. Holland Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,179 shares of the retailers stock valued at $349,000 after buying an additional 858 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in Walmart by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 16,032 shares of the retailers stock valued at $2,564,000 after purchasing an additional 1,007 shares in the last quarter. Nikulski Financial Inc. grew its stake in Walmart by 18.7% during the 3rd quarter. Nikulski Financial Inc. now owns 8,036 shares of the retailers stock valued at $1,285,000 after purchasing an additional 1,264 shares in the last quarter. KFG Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. KFG Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,588 shares of the retailers stock valued at $1,214,000 after purchasing an additional 432 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Walmart by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter. Summit Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,433 shares of the retailers stock valued at $709,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 33.18% of the companys stock.

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Walmart Trading Up 0.0 %

NYSE:WMT traded up $0.04 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $156.69. 579,903 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,297,795. The companys 50 day moving average is $158.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $158.76. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $136.09 and a twelve month high of $169.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The company has a market capitalization of $421.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.48.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Walmart ( NYSE:WMT Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 16th. The retailer reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.53. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.20% and a net margin of 2.55%. The firm had revenue of $160.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $159.65 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.50 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 6.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Walmart from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 17th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Walmart from $187.00 to $177.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 17th. Stephens lifted their target price on Walmart from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, November 13th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Walmart from $169.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Monday, November 13th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Walmart from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, November 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $179.44.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 90,436 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.90, for a total value of $14,098,972.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 234,917,525 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $36,623,642,147.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 4,375 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.00, for a total value of $708,750.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 269,119 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $43,597,278. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 90,436 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.90, for a total value of $14,098,972.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 234,917,525 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,623,642,147.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,493,089 shares of company stock valued at $544,456,070. 46.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Profile

(Free Report)

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, and other units worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com, walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, and samsclub.com; and mobile commerce applications.

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Griffon Co. (NYSE:GFF  Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $60.08 and last traded at $59.73, with a volume of 14759 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $59.91.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GFF has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Griffon from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, October 27th. TheStreet raised Griffon from a c+ rating to a b rating in a report on Friday, November 24th. Raymond James boosted their price objective on Griffon from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a strong-buy rating in a research report on Thursday, November 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Griffon in a research report on Friday, October 27th. They issued a buy rating and a $65.00 price objective for the company.

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Griffon Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $46.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $42.60. The company has a market cap of $3.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.79 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.63, a current ratio of 2.73 and a quick ratio of 1.32.

Griffon (NYSE:GFF  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 15th. The conglomerate reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $641.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $653.83 million. Griffon had a return on equity of 60.20% and a net margin of 2.89%. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.09 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Griffon Co. will post 4.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Griffon Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 28th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 27th. This is a positive change from Griffons previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. Griffons dividend payout ratio is 42.86%.

Griffon declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, November 15th that allows the company to repurchase $200.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the conglomerate to buy up to 8.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the companys leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Griffon

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of GFF. Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new position in Griffon during the 1st quarter worth about $478,000. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in Griffon by 128.6% during the 2nd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 944 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 531 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in Griffon by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 26,030 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $730,000 after purchasing an additional 542 shares during the period. Summit Global Investments increased its holdings in Griffon by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 28,419 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $1,127,000 after purchasing an additional 554 shares during the period. Finally, Great West Life Assurance Co. Can increased its holdings in Griffon by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 41,660 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $856,000 after purchasing an additional 594 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.88% of the companys stock.

Griffon Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Griffon Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides consumer and professional, and home and building products in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, and internationally. The company operates through two segments: Home and Building Products, and Consumer and Professional Products. The Home and Building Products segment manufactures and markets residential and commercial sectional garage doors, rolling steel service doors, fire doors, shutters, steel security grilles, and room dividers for the use in commercial construction and repair, and home remodeling applications.

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Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF  Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $94.08 and last traded at $93.36, with a volume of 103780 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $92.58.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an outperform rating and set a $83.00 price objective (up previously from $74.00) on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a report on Tuesday, November 21st. UBS Group raised their price objective on Abercrombie & Fitch from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, November 22nd. StockNews.com raised Abercrombie & Fitch from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 14th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Abercrombie & Fitch from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Abercrombie & Fitch from $53.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 22nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Abercrombie & Fitch currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $63.00.

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Abercrombie & Fitch Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $72.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $54.63. The firm has a market cap of $4.63 billion, a PE ratio of 23.15 and a beta of 1.46.

Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.65. The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $980.99 million. Abercrombie & Fitch had a return on equity of 27.95% and a net margin of 5.16%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 20.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.01 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Abercrombie & Fitch Co. will post 5.74 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Abercrombie & Fitch

In other news, Director Sarah M. Gallagher sold 13,225 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.36, for a total value of $983,411.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,800 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $208,208. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 3.77% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ANF. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 12,439.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,313,894 shares of the apparel retailers stock valued at $299,544,000 after acquiring an additional 5,271,516 shares during the period. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 172.1% in the 4th quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 1,843,459 shares of the apparel retailers stock valued at $42,234,000 after purchasing an additional 1,165,872 shares in the last quarter. Candlestick Capital Management LP increased its stake in Abercrombie & Fitch by 76.9% during the 2nd quarter. Candlestick Capital Management LP now owns 1,563,618 shares of the apparel retailers stock worth $58,917,000 after buying an additional 679,544 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 149.9% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,121,848 shares of the apparel retailers stock worth $18,982,000 after purchasing an additional 672,933 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Abercrombie & Fitch by 48.4% in the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management LLC now owns 1,811,477 shares of the apparel retailers stock valued at $28,168,000 after acquiring an additional 590,747 shares during the last quarter.

Abercrombie & Fitch Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Abercrombie & Fitch Co, through its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty retailer in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the Asia-Pacific, Canada, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Hollister and Abercrombie. It offers an assortment of apparel, personal care products, and accessories for men, women, and kids under the Hollister, Gilly Hicks, Social Tourist, Abercrombie & Fitch, and abercrombie kids brands.

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Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV  Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $110.26 and last traded at $110.11, with a volume of 12139 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $109.40.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on ALV shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Autoliv from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Monday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Autoliv from $126.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, October 26th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Autoliv in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Danske cut shares of Autoliv from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, October 6th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Autoliv from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Monday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Autoliv has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $109.10.

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Autoliv Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $99.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $96.01. The stock has a market cap of $9.28 billion, a PE ratio of 22.60, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 1.01.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 20th. The auto parts company reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $2.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.61 billion. Autoliv had a return on equity of 20.97% and a net margin of 4.15%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.23 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Autoliv, Inc. will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Autoliv Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 28th were paid a dividend of $0.68 per share. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 27th. This is a boost from Autolivs previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Autolivs payout ratio is 56.20%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Autoliv

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ALV. Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new position in Autoliv during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Autoliv during the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund purchased a new position in Autoliv during the 1st quarter valued at about $49,000. CWM LLC grew its stake in Autoliv by 43.5% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 683 shares of the auto parts companys stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 207 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main purchased a new position in Autoliv during the 2nd quarter valued at about $72,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 56.70% of the companys stock.

Autoliv Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Autoliv, Inc, through its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and supplies passive safety systems to the automotive industry in Europe, the Americas, China, Japan, and rest of Asia. It offers passive safety systems, including modules and components for frontal-impact airbag protection systems, side-impact airbag protection systems, seatbelts, steering wheels, and inflator technologies.

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Valicenti Advisory Services Inc. decreased its position in Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE:TDY  Free Report) by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,763 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Teledyne Technologies comprises about 1.2% of Valicenti Advisory Services Inc.s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. Valicenti Advisory Services Inc.s holdings in Teledyne Technologies were worth $3,580,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kistler Tiffany Companies LLC acquired a new position in Teledyne Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC acquired a new position in Teledyne Technologies in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its position in Teledyne Technologies by 137.9% during the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 69 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Clear Street Markets LLC boosted its stake in Teledyne Technologies by 91.7% in the 1st quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 92 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its holdings in Teledyne Technologies by 32.2% in the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 115 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.57% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TDY has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on shares of Teledyne Technologies from $455.00 to $522.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Teledyne Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, September 27th. They set a buy rating and a $495.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com upgraded Teledyne Technologies from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, December 6th. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on Teledyne Technologies in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They set an outperform rating and a $530.00 price objective for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Teledyne Technologies presently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $517.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Teledyne Technologies

In related news, Director Michael T. Smith sold 1,071 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $395.00, for a total transaction of $423,045.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 56,492 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $22,314,340. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, Director Michael T. Smith sold 1,071 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $395.00, for a total transaction of $423,045.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 56,492 shares in the company, valued at $22,314,340. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Cynthia Y. Belak sold 5,389 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total value of $2,206,903.28. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,991 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,043,914.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 70,766 shares of company stock valued at $29,178,338 over the last 90 days. 2.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Teledyne Technologies Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE TDY traded up $2.28 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $435.73. The company had a trading volume of 30,381 shares, compared to its average volume of 240,883. Teledyne Technologies Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $364.98 and a fifty-two week high of $448.71. The company has a market capitalization of $20.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firms 50 day moving average is $397.78 and its 200 day moving average is $402.68.

Teledyne Technologies (NYSE:TDY  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 25th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $5.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $4.76 by $0.29. Teledyne Technologies had a return on equity of 10.86% and a net margin of 14.02%. The business had revenue of $1.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.43 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.54 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Teledyne Technologies Incorporated will post 19.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Teledyne Technologies Company Profile

(Free Report)

Teledyne Technologies Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, provides enabling technologies for industrial growth markets in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and internationally. The company's Instrumentation segment offers monitoring and control instruments for marine, environmental, industrial, and other applications, as well as electronic test and measurement equipment; and power and communications connectivity devices for distributed instrumentation systems and sensor networks.

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Boston Pizza Royalties (TSE:BPF  Get Free Report) announced a monthly dividend on Monday, December 18th, Zacks reports. Shareholders of record on Sunday, December 31st will be given a dividend of 0.107 per share on Wednesday, January 31st. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of ?. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 28th.

Boston Pizza Royalties Stock Performance

Boston Pizza Royalties has a 1-year low of C$19.36 and a 1-year high of C$23.48.

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Boston Pizza Royalties (TSE:BPF  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 9th. The company reported C$0.06 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of C$12.76 million for the quarter.

Boston Pizza Royalties Company Profile

Boston Pizza Royalties Income Fund is a limited purpose open-ended mutual fund trust. The Trust indirectly, through the Boston Pizza Royalties Limited Partnership (Royalties LP), acquires the trademarks and trade names owned by Boston Pizza International Inc (BPI), including Boston Pizza and other related items, logos and designs used in connection with the operation of Boston Pizza restaurants in Canada.

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Tellurian Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:TELL  Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders acquired 9,749 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 110% compared to the typical volume of 4,646 call options.

Insider Transactions at Tellurian

In related news, Director Jonathan S. Gross purchased 120,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 15th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $0.67 per share, with a total value of $80,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 460,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $308,200. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.20% of the companys stock.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On Tellurian

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of TELL. Level Four Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Tellurian in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Toroso Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Tellurian in the first quarter worth about $26,000. Eqis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Tellurian in the second quarter worth about $27,000. American Century Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in Tellurian in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Foundations Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Tellurian in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 32.62% of the companys stock.

Tellurian Stock Up 6.6 %

TELL stock traded up $0.06 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $0.89. 27,081,655 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 15,881,072. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Tellurian has a 52 week low of $0.48 and a 52 week high of $2.15. The firms fifty day moving average price is $1.05. The stock has a market cap of $568.05 million, a PE ratio of -4.10 and a beta of 2.22.

Tellurian (NYSEAMERICAN:TELL  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The oil and gas producer reported ($0.07) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by ($0.01). Tellurian had a negative net margin of 53.11% and a negative return on equity of 14.44%. The firm had revenue of $43.25 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $43.43 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Tellurian will post -0.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Tellurian

(Get Free Report)

Tellurian Inc engages in the natural gas business worldwide. The company is developing a portfolio of natural gas production, liquefied natural gas (LNG) marketing, and infrastructure assets that includes an approximately 27.6 million tons per annum LNG export facility and an associated pipeline. It owns interests in 27,689 net acres of natural gas assets and 143 producing wells located in the Haynesville Shale trend of northern Louisiana.

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GeoPark Limited (NYSE:GPRK  Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 96,693 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 58% from the previous sessions volume of 227,886 shares.The stock last traded at $8.81 and had previously closed at $8.74.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on GPRK. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of GeoPark in a research report on Thursday, September 21st. They set a buy rating and a $14.50 price target for the company. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of GeoPark in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a buy rating for the company.

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GeoPark Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10. The company has a market cap of $513.39 million, a P/E ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 1.37. The companys 50-day moving average price is $9.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $9.68.

GeoPark (NYSE:GPRK  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 8th. The oil and gas company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.64 by ($0.20). The company had revenue of $192.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $194.15 million. GeoPark had a return on equity of 107.40% and a net margin of 17.39%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that GeoPark Limited will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current year.

GeoPark Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 11th. Investors of record on Monday, November 27th were issued a $0.134 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 24th. This represents a $0.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.02%. This is an increase from GeoParks previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. GeoParks dividend payout ratio is currently 22.69%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GeoPark

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of GeoPark in the first quarter worth $30,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of GeoPark by 44,737.2% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 42,147 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $630,000 after purchasing an additional 42,053 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in GeoPark by 111.3% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 22,683 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $339,000 after acquiring an additional 11,948 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management lifted its stake in GeoPark by 36.8% in the 1st quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 55,798 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $834,000 after acquiring an additional 14,998 shares in the last quarter. Finally, INCA Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of GeoPark by 15.0% during the 1st quarter. INCA Investments LLC now owns 1,211,586 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $18,101,000 after purchasing an additional 157,586 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.79% of the companys stock.

GeoPark Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

GeoPark Limited engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas reserves in Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, and Ecuador. GeoPark Limited has a strategic partnership with ONGC Videsh to jointly acquire, invest in, and create value from upstream oil and gas projects across Latin America.

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Greenwood Capital Associates LLC grew its holdings in iShares MSCI Japan ETF (NYSEARCA:EWJ  Free Report) by 20.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 130,953 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after acquiring an additional 22,396 shares during the period. iShares MSCI Japan ETF accounts for 1.1% of Greenwood Capital Associates LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Greenwood Capital Associates LLCs holdings in iShares MSCI Japan ETF were worth $7,895,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EWJ. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in iShares MSCI Japan ETF by 15.7% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 202,282 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $12,462,000 after acquiring an additional 27,428 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in shares of iShares MSCI Japan ETF by 37.8% in the first quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 92,661 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $5,807,000 after purchasing an additional 25,415 shares in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of iShares MSCI Japan ETF by 15.3% in the first quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 89,447 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $5,511,000 after purchasing an additional 11,850 shares in the last quarter. Wit LLC purchased a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI Japan ETF in the first quarter worth $239,000. Finally, Founders Financial Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI Japan ETF in the first quarter worth $2,797,000.

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iShares MSCI Japan ETF Stock Performance

Shares of NYSEARCA EWJ traded down $0.07 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $63.26. The stock had a trading volume of 2,176,446 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,066,160. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $61.35 and a 200-day moving average of $61.50. The company has a market capitalization of $13.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.76 and a beta of 0.68. iShares MSCI Japan ETF has a 12-month low of $53.27 and a 12-month high of $64.11.

iShares MSCI Japan ETF Profile

iShares MSCI Japan ETF (the fund), formerly Ishares Msci Japan Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of publicly traded securities in the Japanese market, as measured by the MSCI Japan Index (the Index).

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RDA Financial Network lifted its position in shares of Edwards Lifesciences Co. (NYSE:EW  Free Report) by 4.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,758 shares of the medical research companys stock after purchasing an additional 928 shares during the quarter. RDA Financial Networks holdings in Edwards Lifesciences were worth $1,438,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its stake in Edwards Lifesciences by 98,836.3% in the second quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 759,315,387 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $71,626,220,000 after buying an additional 758,547,908 shares in the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Edwards Lifesciences by 104,971.3% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,399,249 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $1,148,938,000 after acquiring an additional 15,384,593 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Edwards Lifesciences in the 4th quarter worth $658,390,000. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main increased its holdings in Edwards Lifesciences by 655.9% during the 4th quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 2,325,457 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $173,502,000 after purchasing an additional 2,017,801 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can acquired a new stake in shares of Edwards Lifesciences in the 2nd quarter valued at about $121,091,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.25% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Edwards Lifesciences

In other news, CFO Scott B. Ullem sold 7,255 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.54, for a total value of $504,512.70. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 19,248 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,338,505.92. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Scott B. Ullem sold 7,255 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.54, for a total value of $504,512.70. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 19,248 shares in the company, valued at $1,338,505.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Daveen Chopra sold 7,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.25, for a total value of $547,750.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 23,950 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,874,087.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 171,538 shares of company stock valued at $12,002,987 in the last ninety days. 1.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Edwards Lifesciences Stock Performance

Shares of EW stock traded up $0.49 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $76.32. 874,585 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,589,890. The firms fifty day moving average price is $68.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $76.73. Edwards Lifesciences Co. has a twelve month low of $60.57 and a twelve month high of $94.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.29 billion, a PE ratio of 32.41, a PEG ratio of 4.57 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 2.45, a current ratio of 3.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 25th. The medical research company reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.59. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.48 billion. Edwards Lifesciences had a net margin of 24.59% and a return on equity of 24.54%. The companys revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.61 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Edwards Lifesciences Co. will post 2.51 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on EW. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Edwards Lifesciences from $83.00 to $68.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 26th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Edwards Lifesciences from $87.00 to $70.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 26th. Citigroup lowered shares of Edwards Lifesciences from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, December 11th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Edwards Lifesciences from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $90.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Edwards Lifesciences from $102.00 to $80.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Edwards Lifesciences currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $81.94.

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Edwards Lifesciences Company 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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O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM  Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 2,437 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $226,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Marion Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Marion Wealth Management now owns 9,855 shares of the companys stock valued at $912,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Holland Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $731,000. Wagner Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,211 shares of the companys stock valued at $760,000 after buying an additional 606 shares during the period. Meridian Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 97.4% in the 3rd quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 26,360 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,441,000 after buying an additional 13,005 shares during the period. Finally, Howland Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC now owns 6,346 shares of the companys stock valued at $596,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.70% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus restated a buy rating and issued a $114.00 price objective on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Monday, October 2nd. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $116.00 to $112.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 21st. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.00 to $111.00 in a research note on Friday, September 29th. 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 companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $109.27.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In related news, insider Wilde Frederic De sold 10,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.25, for a total value of $942,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 198,447 shares of the companys stock, valued at $18,703,629.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.15% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of PM stock traded up $0.04 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $92.98. 352,876 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,325,491. The businesss fifty day moving average is $92.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $94.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $144.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.77. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.23 and a 12-month high of $105.62.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 19th. The company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $9.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.21 billion. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 129.48% and a net margin of 9.62%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.53 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 21st will be issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.59%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 20th. Philip Morris Internationals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 100.97%.

About Philip Morris International

(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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IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd lessened its holdings in Americold Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:COLD  Free Report) by 11.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 187,429 shares of the companys stock after selling 24,526 shares during the quarter. Americold Realty Trust comprises 1.2% of IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltds portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd owned approximately 0.07% of Americold Realty Trust worth $5,700,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Americold Realty Trust in the 4th quarter worth about $441,452,000. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in shares of Americold Realty Trust by 30.4% in the first quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 8,724,508 shares of the companys stock worth $243,239,000 after buying an additional 2,034,178 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Americold Realty Trust by 17.1% during the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,546,934 shares of the companys stock valued at $324,412,000 after buying an additional 1,685,692 shares during the last quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Americold Realty Trust by 983.5% during the second quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP now owns 1,792,325 shares of the companys stock valued at $57,892,000 after acquiring an additional 1,626,902 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in Americold Realty Trust by 75.9% in the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,656,710 shares of the companys stock worth $85,699,000 after acquiring an additional 1,146,165 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.14% of the companys stock.

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Insider Transactions at Americold Realty Trust

In other Americold Realty Trust news, EVP Robert Scott Chambers sold 9,100 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.22, for a total transaction of $256,802.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, insider Thomas C. Novosel sold 6,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.36, for a total value of $170,160.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 4,616 shares of the companys stock, valued at $130,909.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Robert Scott Chambers sold 9,100 shares of Americold Realty Trust stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.22, for a total value of $256,802.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.25% of the companys stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on COLD. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Americold Realty Trust from $38.00 to $34.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 7th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Americold Realty Trust from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 24th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Americold Realty Trust from $37.00 to $35.00 in a research note on Monday, October 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Americold Realty Trust from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $33.40.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Americold Realty Trust

Americold Realty Trust Stock Performance

Americold Realty Trust stock traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $30.16. 205,141 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,571,141. Americold Realty Trust, Inc. has a 12-month low of $24.31 and a 12-month high of $33.90. The businesss 50-day moving average is $27.61 and its 200-day moving average is $30.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.17 and a quick ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.55 billion, a PE ratio of -75.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.57.

Americold Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 29th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 28th. Americold Realty Trusts payout ratio is currently -220.00%.

Americold Realty Trust Profile

(Free Report)

Americold is a global leader in temperature-controlled logistics real estate and value added services. Focused on the ownership, operation, acquisition and development of temperature-controlled warehouses, Americold owns and/or operates 243 temperature-controlled warehouses, with approximately 1.5 billion refrigerated cubic feet of storage, in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and South America.

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IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd lifted its stake in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI  Free Report) by 8.8% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 12,421 shares of the industrial products companys stock after purchasing an additional 1,003 shares during the quarter. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltds holdings in Valmont Industries were worth $2,984,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 2,113,347 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $615,090,000 after buying an additional 20,399 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,067,641 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $555,409,000 after buying an additional 71,967 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 13.7% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 727,266 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $211,671,000 after buying an additional 87,720 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc boosted its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 650,449 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $189,313,000 after buying an additional 30,436 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its holdings in Valmont Industries by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 628,741 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $201,119,000 after purchasing an additional 11,847 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.15% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on VMI. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Valmont Industries from $334.00 to $298.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 10th. StockNews.com lowered Valmont Industries from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 12th. TheStreet lowered Valmont Industries from a b rating to a c rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 25th. Finally, Northcoast Research lowered Valmont Industries from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, October 26th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $294.00.

Valmont Industries Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of Valmont Industries stock traded up $3.26 on Tuesday, hitting $235.67. 25,206 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 164,568. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $215.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $244.65. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 52 week low of $188.63 and a 52 week high of $341.81. The company has a market cap of $4.92 billion, a PE ratio of 32.19, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.11.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 25th. The industrial products company reported $4.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.70 by $0.42. The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.12 billion. Valmont Industries had a net margin of 3.62% and a return on equity of 20.32%. The companys revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.49 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 14.82 EPS for the current year.

Valmont Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 16th. Investors of record on Friday, December 29th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 28th. Valmont Industriess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.24%.

Valmont Industries Profile

(Free Report)

Valmont Industries, Inc produces and sells metal products in the United States, Australia, Brazil, Denmark, and internationally. The company operates through two segments: Infrastructure and Agriculture. It manufactures and distributes steel, pre-stressed concrete, composite, and hybrid structures for lighting, transportation, and telecommunications equipment, as well as electrical transmission, distribution, substations, and renewable energy generation equipment; and provides coatings services to preserve metal products.

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IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd lessened its stake in shares of Perrigo Company plc (NYSE:PRGO  Free Report) by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 76,012 shares of the companys stock after selling 18,834 shares during the period. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd owned 0.06% of Perrigo worth $2,429,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of PRGO. Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Perrigo during the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Perrigo by 132.3% during the 3rd quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,157 shares of the companys stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 659 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in Perrigo by 345.5% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,430 shares of the companys stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 1,109 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in Perrigo by 5,903.6% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,681 shares of the companys stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 1,653 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Group One Trading L.P. grew its stake in Perrigo by 117.0% during the 1st quarter. Group One Trading L.P. now owns 2,182 shares of the companys stock valued at $78,000 after acquiring an additional 14,981 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.74% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on PRGO shares. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Perrigo in a research note on Friday, November 17th. They set an overweight rating and a $37.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of Perrigo from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $44.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Alison Ives acquired 2,040 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 16th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $29.34 per share, with a total value of $59,853.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,380 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $304,549.20. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Alison Ives acquired 2,040 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 16th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $29.34 per share, with a total value of $59,853.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,380 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $304,549.20. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Patrick Lockwood-Taylor bought 11,000 shares of Perrigo stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 14th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $28.99 per share, for a total transaction of $318,890.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 11,000 shares in the company, valued at $318,890. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders purchased 23,590 shares of company stock valued at $696,749. Company insiders own 0.80% of the companys stock.

Perrigo Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of Perrigo stock traded up $0.16 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $31.86. The stock had a trading volume of 901,186 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,327,537. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $29.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $32.71. Perrigo Company plc has a 12-month low of $26.81 and a 12-month high of $40.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market cap of $4.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 634.13 and a beta of 0.90.

Perrigo (NYSE:PRGO  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 7th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.03. Perrigo had a net margin of 0.15% and a return on equity of 6.98%. The business had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.56 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Perrigo Company plc will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Perrigo Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 19th. Investors of record on Friday, December 1st were given a dividend of $0.273 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 30th. This represents a $1.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.43%. Perrigos payout ratio is currently 2,180.44%.

Perrigo Company Profile

(Free Report)

Perrigo Company plc provides over-the-counter health and wellness solutions to enhance individual well-being in Ireland, the United States, France, Belgium, China, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Australia, Greece, and Spain. It operates through Consumer Self-Care Americas and Consumer Self-Care International segments.

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Washington Trust Advisors Inc. reduced its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS  Free Report) by 0.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 116,982 shares of the transportation companys stock after selling 964 shares during the quarter. United Parcel Service accounts for 1.9% of Washington Trust Advisors Inc.s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $18,234,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. IMA Wealth Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 100.0% during the second quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 142 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Pacific Center for Financial Services purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 216.0% in the 2nd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 158 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. 58.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UPS traded down $0.76 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $157.49. 335,515 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,421,411. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The companys 50-day moving average price is $150.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $163.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $134.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.02, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.09. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $133.68 and a 1-year high of $197.80.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

United Parcel Service ( NYSE:UPS Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 26th. The transportation company reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $21.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.40 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 43.46% and a net margin of 9.19%. The companys quarterly revenue was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.99 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 13th were paid a $1.62 dividend. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.11%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 10th. United Parcel Services dividend payout ratio is currently 65.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on United Parcel Service in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Stephens reissued an equal weight rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Tuesday, September 12th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $177.00 to $167.00 in a research note on Friday, September 29th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 14th. Finally, Susquehanna dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $173.00 to $160.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 2nd. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $186.48.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on UPS

United Parcel Service Company 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.

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Caprock Group LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT  Free Report) by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,891 shares of the industrial products companys stock after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the quarter. Caprock Group LLCs holdings in Caterpillar were worth $2,700,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 5.1% in the third quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 3,232 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $882,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Holland Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the third quarter valued at approximately $215,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 3.8% in the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 10,829 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $2,956,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares during the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the third quarter worth approximately $751,000. Finally, New Hampshire Trust grew its position in Caterpillar by 1.5% in the third quarter. New Hampshire Trust now owns 11,944 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $3,261,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.20% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on CAT. Tigress Financial increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $282.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Caterpillar from $315.00 to $274.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $315.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, October 16th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Caterpillar from $323.00 to $297.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 11th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Caterpillar from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday, November 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $269.78.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT traded up $4.70 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $295.06. 524,233 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,066,616. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 0.92. Caterpillar Inc. has a twelve month low of $204.04 and a twelve month high of $298.27. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $254.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $261.84. The company has a market capitalization of $150.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.45, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.09.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $5.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $4.75 by $0.77. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 56.29% and a net margin of 13.69%. The firm had revenue of $16.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.57 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.95 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 20.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 22nd will be issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 19th. Caterpillars dividend payout ratio is presently 29.46%.

Caterpillar Company Profile

(Free Report)

Caterpillar Inc manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives in the United States and internationally. Its Construction Industries segment offers asphalt pavers, compactors, road reclaimers, forestry machines, cold planers, material handlers, tractors, excavators, telehandlers, motor graders, and pipelayers; compact track and multi-terrain, wheel, track-type, backhoe, and skid steer loaders; and related parts and tools.

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Koshinski Asset Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO  Free Report) by 2.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,099 shares of the companys stock after selling 26 shares during the period. Koshinski Asset Management Inc.s holdings in AutoZone were worth $2,791,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AZO. Independence Bank of Kentucky acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the third quarter worth about $25,000. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the second quarter worth about $32,000. MUFG Americas Holdings Corp increased its position in shares of AutoZone by 166.7% during the third quarter. MUFG Americas Holdings Corp now owns 16 shares of the companys stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mascoma Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the third quarter worth about $38,000. 90.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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AutoZone Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:AZO traded down $33.69 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $2,575.00. 36,562 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 154,741. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $2,607.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $2,540.06. The company has a market cap of $44.52 billion, a PE ratio of 18.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.63. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12-month low of $2,277.88 and a 12-month high of $2,750.00.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AutoZone ( NYSE:AZO Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 5th. The company reported $32.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $31.57 by $0.98. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.19 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 57.23% and a net margin of 14.62%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $27.45 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 150.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Oppenheimer cut AutoZone from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and cut their target price for the stock from $2,850.00 to $2,600.00 in a research report on Friday, October 6th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on AutoZone in a research report on Tuesday, October 10th. They issued an outperform rating and a $2,975.00 price target on the stock. William Blair restated an outperform rating on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, December 13th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on AutoZone from $2,740.00 to $2,750.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 20th. Finally, Argus boosted their price target on AutoZone from $2,775.00 to $2,920.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, September 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $2,851.50.

View Our Latest Stock Report on AZO

Insider Activity at AutoZone

In related news, VP Charles Pleas III sold 3,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,717.36, for a total value of $8,152,080.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 3,416 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $9,282,501.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, SVP Preston Frazer sold 6,754 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,476.97, for a total value of $16,729,455.38. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 709 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,756,171.73. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Charles Pleas III sold 3,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,717.36, for a total value of $8,152,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,282,501.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 14,949 shares of company stock valued at $38,497,878. 2.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

AutoZone Profile

(Free Report)

AutoZone, Inc retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories in the United States, Mexico, and Brazil. The company provides various products for cars, sport utility vehicles, vans, and light trucks, including new and remanufactured automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products.

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Flagstar Advisors Inc. trimmed its position in shares of iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF (BATS:FLOT  Free Report) by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,810 shares of the companys stock after selling 699 shares during the quarter. Flagstar Advisors Inc.s holdings in iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF were worth $601,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of FLOT. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF by 17,845.3% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 13,189,239 shares of the companys stock valued at $664,606,000 after buying an additional 13,115,742 shares during the last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its position in iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF by 98,060.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 7,484,721 shares of the companys stock valued at $380,224,000 after acquiring an additional 7,477,096 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. boosted its stake in iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF by 13.5% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 7,322,667 shares of the companys stock valued at $368,989,000 after purchasing an additional 869,248 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,717,934 shares of the companys stock worth $188,945,000 after purchasing an additional 131,995 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York Life Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF by 435.0% in the 2nd quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 3,298,572 shares of the companys stock worth $167,633,000 after purchasing an additional 2,681,989 shares in the last quarter.

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iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of BATS:FLOT traded up $0.01 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $50.56. 727,249 shares of the companys stock traded hands. iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF has a one year low of $50.76 and a one year high of $51.10. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $50.70 and a 200 day moving average of $50.72.

iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF Increases Dividend

iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF Profile

The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.247 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, October 2nd. This is a boost from iShares Floating Rate Bond ETFs previous dividend of $0.23.

(Free Report)

The iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF (FLOT) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in investment grade fixed income. The fund tracks a market value-weighted index of USD-denominated, investment-grade floating rate notes with maturities of 0-5 years. FLOT was launched on Jun 14, 2011 and is managed by BlackRock.

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Liberty Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO  Free Report) by 0.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,312 shares of the medical research companys stock after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the quarter. Thermo Fisher Scientific accounts for 2.6% of Liberty Capital Management Inc.s holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Liberty Capital Management Inc.s holdings in Thermo Fisher Scientific were worth $8,763,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich boosted its position in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 100,798.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 406,539,228 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $212,111,842,000 after acquiring an additional 406,136,310 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 31,423,285 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $18,111,439,000 after purchasing an additional 633,163 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,116,956 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $8,414,693,000 after purchasing an additional 55,458 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 17.7% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,730,063 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $6,459,629,000 after purchasing an additional 1,764,312 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 104,536.8% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,355,245 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $4,601,150,000 after acquiring an additional 8,347,260 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.06% of the companys stock.

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Thermo Fisher Scientific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:TMO traded down $1.52 on Tuesday, hitting $527.53. The companys stock had a trading volume of 154,548 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,587,946. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $479.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $509.98. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has a 1 year low of $415.60 and a 1 year high of $609.85. The company has a market capitalization of $203.82 billion, a PE ratio of 34.67, a PEG ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 1.25.

Thermo Fisher Scientific ( NYSE:TMO Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 25th. The medical research company reported $5.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.61 by $0.08. Thermo Fisher Scientific had a return on equity of 18.88% and a net margin of 13.68%. The firm had revenue of $10.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $10.60 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.08 EPS. The companys revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. will post 21.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Thermo Fisher Scientific declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, November 14th that authorizes the company to buyback $4.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical research company to purchase up to 2.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the companys board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 15th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 14th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.27%. Thermo Fisher Scientifics dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.17%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Marc N. Casper sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $454.41, for a total transaction of $4,544,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 131,175 shares in the company, valued at approximately $59,607,231.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.32% of the companys stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TMO has been the topic of several analyst reports. KeyCorp lowered Thermo Fisher Scientific from an overweight rating to a sector weight rating in a report on Thursday, October 26th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Thermo Fisher Scientific from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating and set a $475.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 25th. HSBC began coverage on Thermo Fisher Scientific in a research note on Monday, December 18th. They set a buy rating and a $610.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Thermo Fisher Scientific from $660.00 to $530.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on Thermo Fisher Scientific from $657.00 to $579.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $597.53.

Read Our Latest Report on TMO

Thermo Fisher Scientific Company Profile

(Free Report)

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc provides life sciences solutions, analytical instruments, specialty diagnostics, and laboratory products and biopharma services in the United States and internationally. The company's Life Sciences Solutions segment offers reagents, instruments, and consumables for biological and medical research, discovery, and production of drugs and vaccines, as well as diagnosis of infections and diseases; and solutions include biosciences, genetic sciences, clinical next-generation sequencing, bio production to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agricultural, clinical, healthcare, academic, and government markets.

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Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC grew its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO  Free Report) by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 76,247 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 2,106 shares during the quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLCs holdings in Altria Group were worth $3,206,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Simmons Bank grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Simmons Bank now owns 39,392 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,784,000 after acquiring an additional 1,011 shares during the period. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 31,007 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,304,000 after buying an additional 2,122 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 20.9% during the second quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 773,980 shares of the companys stock valued at $35,050,000 after purchasing an additional 133,685 shares during the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 18.7% in the second quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 1,276,258 shares of the companys stock valued at $57,814,000 after purchasing an additional 200,981 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 70,564,529 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,262,710,000 after buying an additional 1,240,150 shares in the last quarter. 58.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Altria Group Price Performance

MO stock traded down $0.08 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $40.28. 2,717,841 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,076,598. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.22, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $41.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.03. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $39.06 and a 12 month high of $51.57.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

Altria Group ( NYSE:MO Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $5.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.43 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 35.58% and a negative return on equity of 237.91%. Altria Groups revenue for the quarter was down 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.28 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 4.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 21st will be given a dividend of $0.98 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 20th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.73%. Altria Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.84%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Robert Matthews Davis acquired 1,200 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 6th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $40.50 per share, for a total transaction of $48,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,473 shares of the companys stock, valued at $343,156.50. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MO. Bank of America reduced their price target on Altria Group from $49.00 to $47.00 in a research report on Monday, October 9th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Altria Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, December 19th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $46.50 to $45.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 18th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, October 13th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Altria Group from $40.40 to $39.20 and set a sell rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $47.53.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Altria Group

About Altria Group

(Free Report)

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company provides cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; cigars and pipe tobacco principally under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco products and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; and on! oral nicotine pouches.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO  Free Report).

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Flagstar Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:AGG  Free Report) by 42.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 49,453 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 14,762 shares during the quarter. iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF accounts for 1.8% of Flagstar Advisors Inc.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Flagstar Advisors Inc.s holdings in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF were worth $4,651,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AGG. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF in the second quarter worth $28,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 191.1% during the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 294 shares of the companys stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Steph & Co. grew its stake in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 80.4% in the 2nd quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 359 shares of the companys stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the period. First Manhattan Co. increased its position in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 697.9% in the 4th quarter. First Manhattan Co. now owns 375 shares of the companys stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 328 shares in the last quarter. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC acquired a new position in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. 83.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF Trading Up 0.2 %

iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF stock traded up $0.19 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $99.02. The stock had a trading volume of 3,107,641 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,930,229. iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF has a fifty-two week low of $91.58 and a fifty-two week high of $101.15. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $95.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $95.94.

iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF Company Profile

IShares are index funds that are bought and sold like common stocks on national securities exchanges as well as certain foreign exchanges. iShares are attractive because of their relatively low cost, tax efficiency and trading flexibility. Investors can purchase and sell shares through any brokerage firm, financial advisor, or online broker, and hold the funds in any type of brokerage account.

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[December 25, 2023] APX Accelerates Growth with ADB Ventures Funding, Eyes Singapore and Malaysia for 2024 Launch Tweet

BANGKOK, Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- APX Solutions, a Thailand-based logistics technology (LogTech) startup, today announced it has secured new funding from ADB Ventures to support the launch of its operations in Singapore and Malaysia in 2024. The capital will also aid in further developing APX's logistics platform by incorporating AI and advanced analytics capabilities. The funding round, which includes ORZON Ventures and WV Fund II participation, is expected to close in early 2024. Rapid Scaling Fuelling Momentum Since beginning operations in mid-2022, APX has seen immense growth, including a four to fivefold revenue increase to over USD 460,000 from its Thailand domestic services as of November 2023. It has successfully managed nearly 27,000 pallets, equivalent to over 18,900 tons of cargo, through its nationwide hub-and-spoke distribution network centred around its central distribution hub in Pathum Thani Province. APX currently serves over 90 clients spanning electronics, automotive, food and beverage, and other industries. Eyes on the Horizon "We are thrilled and honoured to announce the incredible support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as we continue on our mission to revolutionise the space-sharing economy in the overland trucking sector for partial truck loads (LTL)," stated Uwe Dettmann, CEO of APX. "ADB's unwavering commitment is a powerful endorsement of our goal to reduce CO2 emissions by eliminating wasteful journeys and optimising truck space utilisation. We will forge ahead into other ASEAN countries, beginning with Malaysia and Singapore." Paving New Regional Trade Lanes APX has set its sights on expansion to Singapore and Malaysia in 2024. By leveraging Singapore's/span> position as a preeminent Asia-Pacific cargo hub, APX aims to quickly develop a solid customer base for its cross-border, door-to-door LTL services connecting Thailand and Singapore. Singapore is the first international market that APX is making its foray into.



In Malaysia, APX will establish domestic LTL trucking services in Q1 2024, alongside regional operational hubs in Penang, Johor Bahru, Pahang, and a headquarters in Shah Alam. The launch in Malaysia will enable APX to service key existing cross-border clients shipping goods between Thailand and Malaysia. In the long term, APX is focused on building a sustainable LTL palletised trucking network across Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. Driving Positive Change

"We are enthusiastic about the transformative impact that APX brings to the logistics landscape. Their palletised model addresses the critical issue of trucking backhaul and promises substantial efficiency gains, fostering a more sustainable supply chain," said Thitirat Sittakaradej, Investment Specialist at ADB Ventures. "At optimal efficiency, the APX model reduces emissions by at least three times on each route. We look forward to working with APX to scale its regional impact." Innovative Systems to Power Strategic Aims Beyond regional expansion, the new capital injection will support advancing APX's proprietary logistics platform through initiatives including integrating third-party software systems, boosting analytics capabilities with artificial intelligence, and refining customer- and partner-facing platforms  such as a proprietary Warehouse Management System currently in development. Delivering the Future of Logistics APX's ultimate vision is to build a seamless, sustainable LTL trucking network spanning Southeast Asia, starting with Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, that brings improved efficiency, flexibility, and sustainability to shippers through technology and innovation. To learn more about APX or explore partnership opportunities, visit https://apx.group/ or follow on social media @APXSolutions. About APX APX Solutions is a pioneering company revolutionising the overland trucking industry in Thailand and Southeast Asia. They are leveraging the untapped potential of trucks by utilising a robust digital platform and physical hubs to simplify the booking and management of less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments. Their approach significantly reduces CO2 emissions, optimises trucking operations, and maximises truck space utilisation, contributing to a greener and more sustainable transportation system. APX also empowers local trucking owners (APX Members) to expand their businesses nationwide and across Asia, fostering economic growth and creating opportunities for entrepreneurs. Furthermore, the APX network plays a vital role in reducing logistics costs for ASEAN countries, enhancing their competitiveness in global markets. By streamlining LTL shipment processes, APX improves efficiency and cost-effectiveness in the logistics sector. In summary, APX Solutions is at the forefront of digitising overland trucking, benefiting the environment, trucking owners, and ASEAN's economic growth. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/apx-accelerates-growth-with-adb-ventures-funding-eyes-singapore-and-malaysia-for-2024-launch-302022219.html SOURCE APX Solutions

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[December 25, 2023] Yihu International Blockchain Technology Co., Ltd. (BVI), a subsidiary of TGGI, and China Energy Australia Bank Capital (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. officially signed a strategic cooperation agreement. Tweet

China Shenzhen, Dec. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (Sina News Agency) On December 20, 2023, Wing Tiger International Block Chain Technology Co., Ltd., the holding company of American Global Group (stock code: TGGI), and China Energy Aoyin Capital (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. officially signed a cooperation agreement on artificial intelligence technology and blockchain technology. The strategic cooperation agreement on R&D and operations confirms the in-depth cooperative relationship of mutual trust between the two parties. The main content of this strategic cooperation is: Wing Tiger International Block Chain Technology Co., Ltd will officially become the global operator of the artificial intelligence products (Lianxin APP, Shuan quantum encryption software and hardware) of Zhongneng Aoyin Capital (Hong Kong) Company suppliers and joint development partners.

China Energy Aoyin Capital (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. is a group company focusing on global capital operations and emerging technology development. In addition to the financial sector business that radiates around the world with Hong Kong as the center, the company also wholly controls a number of mainland high-tech enterprises, and its investment scope includes artificial intelligence (data security privatized data model), integrated circuits and new energy sectors.

Wing Tiger International Block Chain Technology Co.,Ltd is a new blockchain technology company developed and operated by blockchain technology. Its main direction is to promote new trends in global blockchain financial investment through the combination of artificial intelligence plus blockchain finance. At the same time, we also hope that in the future, through the perfect combination of artificial intlligence and blockchain technology, we can create more value in the fields of culture, education, medical care and other fields.





About Trans Global Group Inc.



Trans Global Group Inc. is a U.S. holding company incorporated in Delaware. The Company conducts business through PRC subsidiary Shenzhen Zui Xian Gui Brewery Technology Ltd. (ZXGSZ), which is a wine distribution and retail sales company based in Guangdong province, China. With the mission to let the world taste Chinese wine, and let the world fall in love with ZuiXianGui. Through the offline and online promotion, TGGI hopes to deepen the customers impression of the brand and promote sales in China and globally. For more information, please visit: https://zuixianguijiufang.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "estimate", "plan", "outlook", and "project" and other similar expressions that indicate future events or trends or are not statements of historical matters. These statements are based on our management's current expectations and beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions concerning future events.

Such forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside of our control and all of which could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any subsequent date, and we do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in forward-looking statements can be found in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available, free of charge, on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

For more information, please contact:

Investor Relations

BO-SI INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LIMITED

Ms. Sherry, Wang

Email: [email protected]



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[December 26, 2023] Chandigarh University honours 179 educationalists during Indian School Awards Tweet

National Education Policy: Experts call for innovative, student-oriented approach to teaching, faculty upskilling, use of EdTech CHANDIGARH, India, Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- To recognize and felicitate educationalists for their commendable contribution in the implementation of National Education Policy, 2020 (NEP), the Indian School Awards (ISA) were honoured to as many as 179 educationalists from across India on 22 December (Friday) at the campus of Chandigarh University, Gharuan (Mohali). Lieutenant General Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon, PVSM, UYSM, YSM, VSM retired General Officer (Indian Army), presided over the Awards ceremony as the Chief Guest, while Vivek Atray, Former IAS, Motivational Speaker and Author, was the Guest of Honour. Lt. Col. Umang Kohli (Retd.), Veteran, Executive Editor India Strategic; Prof. (Dr.) R.S. Bawa, Pro Chancellor Chandigarh University; Akshay Ahuja, Co-Founder Robochamps and Curator of ISA Events; Prof. (Dr.) Manpreet Singh Manna, CU Vice Chancellor; Prof. (Dr.) Sanjeet Singh, CU Pro Vice Chancellor were also present on the occasion. Other eminent guests present on the occasion included Sagar Bishnoi, Associate, United Nations Development Program; Kritika Seth, Principal, BCM Arya School, Dr. Rita Vats, Founder and Director, Well Being Special School; Kritika Kaushal; Anandhapadmanabhan, Researcher, Sandepani School Trivandrum; Virat Kumar, Regional Office Manager  Avicenna International College (AIC) South Asia Office; Khalid Samadi, Chief Administrative Officer, Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow; Anirudhh Gupta, Director, DCM Group of Schools; Kavita Das, Principal, St. John's High School Chandigarh; Neha Kashyap, Principal, R Rudra International School; Ritu Arora, Principal, Mount Olympus Juniors Gurugram; and Kanika Kaushik, Owner Kaushik Public School. As many as 890 applications were received from 18 States and Union Territories for the prestigious Indian School Awards, of which 179 awardees were selected across 61 categories. Held annually, Indian School Awards is a platform to recognize and celebrate the efforts, contributions, and achievements of schools, principals, teachers, and counsellors across the country in the field of education. During the awards, panel discussions were held on the Role of EdTech in Revolutionizing Indian Schools and National Education Policies Impact on Indian Schools. Additionally, essential sessions were conducted on topics like 'Innovations in Education: Navigating the Digital Age' and 'Empowering Students for Tomorrow's World.' Chief Guest, Lieutenant General Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon, in his address, stressed on the importance of selection and maintenance of aim to achieve success, quoting Guru Gobind Singh Ji's words 'Nishchay kar apni jeet karo'. Emphasizing on the role of the teachers and educators in shaping the future of the students, he said, "As a teacher and mentor, it is your responsibilty to clarify any confusion in the minds of students, helping them set their goals clearly, since you are the best guide for them, especially for those who do not have a background to receive good advice. Only teachers can provide guidance to the students across various fields, and education's powerful influence can steer students away from wrong paths, such as involvement in terrorism."



He added, "Teaching is a noble profession, endowed with the ability to shape a mediocre child into a future leader. Even the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) aims to make education system flexible and enhance its standards. Hereby, I assert that 100% of the children will serve as India's workforce for the next 40 years and drive nation's progress. However, today's youth is burdened with information and confusion, and needs to be guided. It is imperative to develop a structured system where principal and the teachers can set goals and provide guidance to the students." The Guest of Honor, Vivek Atray, while addressing the gathering, emphasized that a teacher's ability to lead is what matters, regardless of the subject they teach. He said, "India's tomorrow requires not just leaders but role models, who can be from any field and teachers have embraced the responsibility of nurturing the country's future. Since children observe and emulate our actions more than our words, teachers must strive to be exceptional leaders and serve as role models for them." He urged the educationists to  regardless of the circumstances  strive to be exemplary role models for the society.

Mr. Atray further emphasized the need for maintaining a broader perspective in today's fast-paced era. Quoting 'Beware the barrenness of a busy life', he said, "Nothing is achieved from busy life, but it only leaves one uncertain about your accomplishments. Turmoil is a part of life, but successful leaders are those who are able to handle the burdens. Their burdens are not minimized, their shoulders are broader, encompassing the challenges of mind, heart and soul. Only by raising the consciousness and maintaining a broad perspective, one can find solutions to problems." Prof. (Dr.) R.S. Bawa, Pro Chancellor Chandigarh University, while expressing his perspective on school leadership, said, "The role of a school principal involves greater responsibility compared to a corporate or organizational leader. A school principal must possess a vision for the school, serve as a leader for colleagues, and guide students. However, introducing complex concepts like AI and its global applications to teachers and students can be particularly challenging for those lacking technology knowledge themselves. So, whether in a school or any educational institution, it's crucial for the leader to ensure continuous faculty upskilling, which becomes even more important in terms of technology." Prof. Bawa emphasized the importance of fostering intelligence quotient, emotional quotient, and physical quotient in school-aged children. "It is imperative to nurture curiosity in children. Success is more likely when a child is both curious and has a career goal. It is essential to ensure that exposure to technology is not solely detrimental. Instead, we should pursue technology with innovation and flexibility," he added. Dr Rita Vats, Founder and Director, Well Being Special School underlined the need of student-centric approach in schools and involving students in the decision-making as it makes 'a positive impact on their self-esteem and participation'. Kritika Seth, Principal, BCM Arya School, emphasizing on the importance of new initiatives in order to nurture innovation and fostering creative thinking in students in order to help them learn more effectively. Anandhapadmanabhan, Researcher, Innovative Research Wing, Sandepani School, Trivandrum, highlighted the significant potential of educational technology (EdTech) to democratize the classrooms, marking a shift from the traditional model where students primarily received information from their teachers. "It is essential to integrate a technology-oriented course into the educational curriculum," he said. Virat Kumar, Regional Office Manager, Avicenna International College, South Asia Office, said, "EdTech has replaced traditional blackboards with smart whiteboards, benefiting every child. This shift has allowed students to achieve more through self-learning, utilizing EdTech and technology. With the help of EdTech, even small schools in smaller cities are thriving, contributing to an improvement in the gross enrolment ratio." Prof. (Dr) Manpreet Singh Manna, Vice Chancellor, Chandigarh University said, "Its universally acknowledged that the curiosity level among today's youth is remarkably high which has led to a significant surge in technology, tools, and skills." Kavita Das, Principal at St. John's High School, Chandigarh, said today's children are likely to pursue careers that don't exist at present so it's crucial to cultivate a flexible mindset that encourages exploration and creativity in youth. Prof. (Dr.) Sanjeet Singh, Pro Vice Chancellor, Chandigarh University, expressed strong support towards the concept of Startups in India, terming them as 'Aii' as they are accessible, interactive and innovative. He said, "Chandigarh University operates an incubator within the campus having numerous startups, many of which are engaged in the EdTech sector. And the EdTechs are going to boom very soon as they stand out by actively engaging with schools interacting with both students and teachers  striving to build personalized systems utilizing psychometric tools to tailor the learning experiences based on individual needs of the students." About Chandigarh University Chandigarh University is a NAAC A+ Grade University and QS World Ranked University. This autonomous educational institution is approved by UGC and is located near Chandigarh in the state of Punjab. It is the youngest university in India and the only private university in Punjab to be honoured with A+ Grade by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council). CU offers more than 109 UG and PG programs in the field of engineering, management, pharmacy, law, architecture, journalism, animation, hotel management, commerce, and others. It has been awarded as The University with Best Placements by WCRC. Website address: https://www.cuchd.in/ Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2307553/Indian_School_Awards.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/chandigarh-university-honours-179-educationalists-during-indian-school-awards-302022235.html

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[December 26, 2023]

Crypto Exchange OrangeX Bolsters Position as Premier BRC20 Exchange with Strategic Investments

VICTORIA, Seychelles, Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- OrangeX, a global cryptocurrency exchange, has solidified its standing as a leading trading platform with a focus on BRC20 tokens. Following its recent launch, the OrangeX Innovation Zone has attracted the attention of diverse projects and communities, eager to explore innovative assets in collaboration with OrangeX.

OrangeX Innovation Fund has responded to the growing demand for BRC-20 standard token projects. In just the past 7 days, OrangeX has successfully listed more than 8 BRC20 tokens, including high-performing assets like Ordi, Mubi, SATS, Rats, BTCs, Dovi, Mice, and Cats. Notably, these tokens experienced an impressive 100% surge within 24 hours of listing.

BRC20 Surge: Riding the Cryptocurrency Wave with OrangeX

BRC20 marks a significant stride in the evolution of Bitcoin and the DeFi space. Its potential to unlock new use cases and enhance interoperability is unmistakable. However, addressing challenges related to scalability, security, and adoption is imperative for BRC20 to realize its full potential in shaping the future of decentralized finance.

Highlighting the significance of memecoins, these BRC20 tokens, created on the BRC2 standard, provide users with a daily dose ofamusement. Simultaneously, Web3 projects facilitate collaborative ownership through native tokens, fostering a deeper connection between individuals and society.







Visit and Trade on OrangeX BRC20 Zone now!

OrangeX is pleased to announce that additional hot tokens will be added to the platform in the future. As a hub for bitcoin ecosystem tokens, OrangeX emphasizes that these assets often exhibit high volatility, presenting opportunities for substantial profits and losses. Traders are urged to exercise caution, trade within their risk tolerance, and employ proper money management techniques.

About OrangeX

Founded in 2021 in Seychelles, OrangeX stands as a worldwide cryptocurrency trading platform renowned for its cutting-edge technology, proficient team, and seasoned financial knowledge. With more than 1 million active users, OrangeX has built a comprehensive product line, dedicated to empowering investors to make a better future. OrangeX futures trading offers 3 service options: USDT-M Perpetual Contracts, One-Click Copy Trading and Powerful API. According to CoinMarketcap(CMC) and CoinGecko, OrangeX Spot now supports over 100 coins with approximately 157 trading pairs.

For more information, please visit: Website | Twitter | Telegram | CoinMarketCap | CoinGecko

For media inquiries, please contact: [email protected]

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SOURCE OrangeX
[December 26, 2023] KENT RO pioneers emerging trend in CSR by buying AquaKredits - Water Credits from Art of Living Tweet

BENGALURU, India, Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Art of Living, an internationally acclaimed humanitarian organisation led by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji, announced its latest initiative to solicit corporate social responsibility (CSR) of qualified companies by investing in AquaKredits - water credits. This strategic move is a part of the organisation's broader commitment to sustainable business practices and responsible water management. KENT RO, world's leading manufacturers of water purifiers and home appliances, has pioneered this initiative by being the 1st company to buy AquaKredits under its CSR. AquaKredits, issued by AqVerium  World's 1st Digital Water Bank, is an innovative approach to assess and value water quality. AquaKredits are issued based on a stringent water audit, verification & validation of impact data and other evaluating factors. Each Art of Living was the first non-profit to onboard all its water conservation projects on AqVerium, which went through stringent verification & validation of the reported impact basis which AquaKredits were issued. In the 1st phase, AqVerium has issued 467,054 AquaKredits for creating an additional 46,70,54,025 Litres through recharge pits. Each AquaKredit represents 1000 litres of water saved, conserved or harvested. Water scarcity is a critical global issue, and businesses play a crucial role in addressing this challenge. In line with KENT RO's dedication to environmental stewardship, the company has proactively engaged in purchasing AquaKredits under its CSR obligations. Shri Mahesh Gupta, Chairman of KENT RO commented on the initiative, saying, "At KENT RO we recognize the importance of sustainable water management in preserving our environment and supporting communities. Our decision to invest in AquaKredits is a testament to our commitment to responsible business practices and cororate social responsibility. Through our CSR we are actively contributing to the conservation and sustainable use of this precious resource."



"We are very excited with this pioneering & benevolent gesture by Shri Mahesh Gupta ji, which opens a whole new vista to qualified corporates to participate in Sustainable Water Management through purchase of AquaKredits - Water Credits under CSR. Our partnership with AqVerium, founded by Dr. Subramanya Kusnur, New Waterman of India, is a testament to provide complete transparency to donors powered with a data scientific tool of the impact achieved though AquaKredits. These AquaKredits, bought at Rs. 100/- each, not only are a representative of cost involved in conserving water, but also the genuine intent, effort and commitment of all stakeholders which is priceless," said Prasana Prabhu, Chairman  Art of Living Social Projects. AqVerium provides a platform to all stakeholders to demonstrate their commitment to water sustainability and stewardship by incentivising good behaviour with AquaKredits which can be offset to balance water deficit or bought by qualified corporates under CSR.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Bhaskar Chatterjee (ex IAS), architect of CSR law and widely acclaimed as the Father of CSR in India said, "It is a very momentous occasion as we celebrate 10 years of CSR in India and what better to have AquaKredit as an effective tool for impact assessment and measurement for water sustainability. Water is core to sustainability and human life and investing in AquaKredits qualifies for CSR under The Companies Act 2013, section 135, schedule 7, Item 4. It also aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation. I take this opportunity to invite corporates to emulate this pioneering partnership between Art of Living, Kent RO and AqVerium and exemplify their commitment to water sustainability." The Art of Living's contribution to addressing India's water scarcity: 70+ rivers/streams being rejuvenated

rivers/streams being rejuvenated 90,000+ recharge structures built

recharge structures built 3, 45,00,000+ people benefitted

people benefitted 59,000+ sq km area influenced

sq km area influenced 19,000+ villages covered

villages covered 8 states work-in-progress About The Art of Living - Social Projects The Art of Living Social Projects has resolved to create positive societal impact through transformative initiatives. With a focus on holistic development, the organisation strives to contribute to the well-being of individuals and communities alike. Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/artofliving.sp/

Like us at: https://www.facebook.com/artoflivingsocialprojects

Tweet us at: https://twitter.com/artofliving_sp

Message us at: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/artofliving-sp Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2307590/Art_of_Living_KENT_RO.jpg

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[December 26, 2023] "Bleach: Brave Souls" New Year's Campaign Begins Saturday, December 30 Tweet

TOKYO, Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- KLab Inc., a leader in online mobile games, announced that its hit 3D action game Bleach: Brave Souls, currently available on smartphones, PC, and PlayStation 4, will be holding Round 1 of the New Year's Campaign as a big thank you to the Brave Souls community from Saturday, December 30, 2023. See the original press release ( https://www.klab.com/en/press/ ) for more information. New Year's Campaign: Round 1 Overview New Year Special - Thousand-Year Blood War Zenith Summons: Unveil Event Period: Saturday, December 30, 2023 16:00 to Friday, January 12, 2024 15:59 (JST/UTC+9) A special Zenith Summons will be held featuring Thousand-Year Blood War 2024 versions of Ichigo Kurosaki, Yhwach, and Orihime Inoue. One of the featured 5 Star characters are guaranteed every five Steps of the x10 Summons except for Step 25 and Step 50. On Step 25 and Step 50, players will receive a "Choose a New 5 Star Character Summons Ticket" that can be used to receive one of the new characters of their choosing. New Year Special - Thousand-Year Blood War Zenith Summons: Unveil Trailer:

https://youtu.be/conqvqjNS38 Additional limited time campaigns will also be held including the New Year 2024 Choose a 6 Star Summons, New Year Login Bonuses: Round 1, and A New Year's Present from Kon. See the in-game news for more details. The End-of-Year Quest Challenge: An Interactive Social Media Post Campaign End-of-Year Quest Challenge: Post Campaign Round 1 Campaign Period:

Tuesday, December 26 to Sunday, January 7 (JST/UTC+9) How to Enter: X

1. Follow the official Bleach: Brave Souls X account ( @Bleachbrs_en ).

2. Post content of the quest shown in the campaign picture such as a screenshot of your Results screen, a video of a quest attempt, or some advice with the hashtag #BraveSoulsChallenge. Instagram

1. Follow the official Bleach: Brave Souls Instagram account ( @bleachbravesouls_official ).

2. Post content of the quest shown in the campaign picture such as a screenshot of your Results screen, a video of a quest attempt, or some advice with the hashtag #BraveSoulsChallenge. Discord

1. Follow the official Bleach: Brave Souls Discord server.

2. Post content of the quest shown in the campaign picture such as a screenshot of your Results screen, a video of a quest attempt, or some advice in the Discord channel titled "End-of-Year Quest Challenge". Rewards: If we reach 500 posts about the relevant quest, all players will receive 50 Spirit Orbs. *Posting on X or Instagram without the #BraveSoulsChallenge hashtag will not count as an entry into the campaign.

*Rewards will be given out to all players after Monday, January 22, 2024.

*Rewards will be sent to the in-game Gift Box.

*Please note that the reward distribution date is subject to change. End-of-Year Quest Challenge: Video Contest Round 1 Campaign Period:

Tuesday, December 26 to Sunday, January 7 (JST/UTC+9) How to Enter: X

1. Follow the official Bleach: Brave Souls X account ( @Bleachbrs_en ).

2. Post a video (YouTube URL or video file) of the quest shown in the campaign picture and include your Brave Souls player ID and server (Japan, Global, or All Asia) in the replies of our official X account's campaign post. *For those sharing a YouTube video on X

- To ensure that the person who has shared the video is the owner of said video, we ask that participants add their X account's URL to the description box of the YouTube video that is being shared. Discord

1. Follow the official Bleach: Brave Souls Discord server.

2. Post a video (YouTube URL or video file) of the quest shown in the campaign picture and include your Brave Souls player ID and server (Japan, Global, or All Asia) in the thread available in the Discord channel titled "End-of-Year Quest Challenge".

3. To ensure that the person who has shared the video is the owner of said video, we ask that participants add their Discord username to the description box of the YouTube video that is being shared. Rewards: Three winners chosen by the dev team will be awarded a Rainbow Special Move Source. *Rewards will be given out after Friday, February 9, 2024.

*Rewards will be sent to the in-game Gift Box.

*Please note that the reward distribution date is subject to change.

*Please read the "Video Contest Terms and Conditions" found in the notice in-game or on the official website before entering the video contest. Please check the news on the official website for more details on the Terms and Conditions for this campaign. Check out the link below for more details: https://tinyurl.com/yc6msmbt Overview of Bleach: Brave Souls







Platform: iOS /Android/PC/PS4 Genre: 3D Action Price: Free-to-play (In-game purchases available) Official Website: https://www.bleach-bravesouls.com/en/ Official X Account: @bleachbrs_en Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/BleachBS.en Official YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1QJ4uNQeijEx0jlo4nqauA Official Instagram: @bleachbravesouls_official Official Discord: https://discord.com/invite/bleachbravesouls Official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bleachbrs_en_official Copyright:  Tite Kubo/Shueisha, TV TOKYO, dentsu, Pierrot

 KLabGames

Download Here: App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1003168863 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.klab.bleach Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1201240/BLEACH_Brave_Souls PlayStation Store: https://store.playstation.com/concept/10002097 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bleach-brave-souls-new-years-campaign-begins-saturday-december-30-302022214.html SOURCE KLab Inc.

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[December 26, 2023] Exploring Yunnan's Outdoor Wonders: Unveiling the #YunnanOutdoorChallenge Tweet

KUNMING, China, Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Yunnan Innyo Co., Ltd., in collaboration with @visityunnan, is set to embark on a thrilling adventure, inviting global adventurers to partake in the #YunnanOutdoorChallenge. From November 15, 2023, to February 15, 2024, this wonderful challenge encourages outdoor enthusiasts to capture the essence of Yunnan's diverse ecological wonders and share their adrenaline-pumping experiences on TikTok. Yunnan, renowned for its breathtaking ecological diversity, stands as a haven for outdoor enthusiasts. The province offers a myriad of exhilarating activities, from trekking through beautiful landscapes to embracing the adrenaline rush of daring adventures. Against this backdrop, Yunnan Innyo Co., Ltd. and @visityunnan are proud to present the #YunnanOutdoorChallenge, an opportunity for global explorers to showcase their unforgettable outdoor escapades in this captivatingregion.



The #YunnanOutdoorChallenge will harness the power of TikTok to showcase Yunnan's diverse outdoor activities. Participants are encouraged to share original short videos that encapsulate the thrill of their outdoor adventures, using the hashtag #YunnanOutdoorChallenge and tagging @visityunnan. This social media journey aims to spotlight the natural wonders, cultural richness, and adventure opportunities that define Yunnan. As an extra incentive for participants, the video that accumulates the most likes during the challenge period will be rewarded with a remarkable prize worth $100. Yunnan Innyo Co., Ltd. is excited to celebrate and reward those who embrace the spirit of adventure, sharing their love for Yunnan's outdoor wonders with the global community.

To be a part of this exhilarating challenge, outdoor enthusiasts can start posting their original TikTok videos from November 15, 2023. The adventure will continue until February 15, 2024, providing ample time for participants to explore, create, and share their outdoor escapades. To follow the unfolding excitement of the #YunnanOutdoorChallenge, follow the official TikTok account @visityunnan. And please feel free to contact us at [email protected] if there are any questions regarding the event. Engage with fellow adventurers, discover hidden gems, and immerse yourself in the outdoor wonders that Yunnan has to offer. Embrace the challenge, share the adventure, and let the world witness the outdoor wonders of Yunnan! View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/exploring-yunnans-outdoor-wonders-unveiling-the-yunnanoutdoorchallenge-302022284.html SOURCE Yunnan Innyo Co., Ltd.

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[December 26, 2023] Spreading Festive Cheer, "One Wish at a Time": Godrej Vikhroli Cucina Initiative adds a sparkle of joy amongst children Tweet

MUMBAI, India, Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Godrej Vikhroli Cucina, an owned media platform established by Godrej Industries dedicated to the food and culinary realm, recently launched its heartwarming initiative, "One Wish At A Time", at the International Food and Beverage Awards 2023. This initiative set out to celebrate the "Joy of Giving" month by featuring a Christmas wishing tree. Three wishes were incorporated into Christmas ornaments for everyone to pick up and hang on the wishing tree installation. Every wish made for the children was fulfilled by Godrej Vikhroli Cucina along with partner brands Godrej Yummiez and Godrej Jersey. The wishing tree was then moved to Godrej One, Vikhroli, where employees, residents, and visiting public alike picked up wishes. To amplify the impact, a digital wishing tab was set up on the Vikhroli Cucina blog, allowing people across the country to participate. The response was overwhelming, with close to 1000 wishes collected both online and offline. Going beyond numerical milestones and simply delivering gifts to the children, Godrej Vikhroli Cucina further extended its impact, collaborating with Godrej Good and Green and Teach for India to host joyful celebrations for nearly 200 children across Mumbai and Hyderabad. These celebrations included engaging activities like paint stations, Christmas games with Santa, and a special dessert decoration session with senior leadership, including Tanya Dubash, Executive Director & Chief Brand Officer, Godrej Industries, Sujit Patil, Abhay Parnerkar and BhupendraSuri.



"At Godrej Industries Limited and Associate Companies, we believe in creating Goodness. #OneWishAtaTime has been one such initiative that aspired to spread joy and greetings of the festive season amongst underprivileged kids," said, Sujit Patil, Vice President & Head - Corporate Brand & Communications, Godrej Industries Limited. "Unveiled at a celebrity event, the initiative witnessed celebrity chefs, content creators and influencers from the food space making a wish that would be fulfilled by Godrej Vikhroli Cucina through Godrej Jersey and Godrej Yummiez. We further expanded the initiative to the larger public through our digital platforms to garner more wishes allowing people to feel the joy of giving." Sharing the vision, Abhay Parnerkar, CEO, Godrej Tyson Foods Limited, said, "Godrej Yummiez's collaboration with Vikhroli Cucina for One Wish At A Time, goes beyond a mere partnership as it reflects our dedicated commitment to creating a lasting and meaningful impact on the lives of individuals. Through this initiative, we seek to uplift the festive occasions for kids and infuse their lives with joy. As a ready-to-cook food brand known for offering wide range of products, Godrej Yummiez aims to touch the lives of households positively and add to their special moments."

Commenting on the initiative, Bhupendra Suri, CEO, Godrej Jersey said, "We have always believed in giving back to the community and making a positive impact in the lives of people. In sync with the same, it was an honor for us at Godrej Jersey to partner with Godrej Vikhroli Cucina for the 'One Wish at a Time' initiative. Seeing the excitement and delight in the eyes of the children as they participated in the festivities and received their Christmas wishes was truly heartwarming. We're proud to play a part in creating memories that will last a lifetime, and we hope that this gesture brightens their holiday season." Vikhroli Cucina's One Wish at a Time initiative offered a distinctive chance for individuals to celebrate with purpose, proving that the greatest gift is the spirit of giving itself. About Godrej Vikhroli Cucina Godrej Vikhroli Cucina is the owned media platform by Godrej Industries platform for food brands, writers, chefs, influencers, bloggers, food lovers, and others to engage, network, and collaborate. The genesis of Vikhroli Cucina was the result of the Godrej vision to bring all its brands operating in the food category together. It is a destination to find curated content from stories, recipes, news, and other gastronomic delights from food lovers, culinary chroniclers, and experts in the industry. We welcome all the connoisseurs of the food world to share their unique recipes or food-related experiences, remain updated with what's happening in the world of food, network and engage with influencers, and read personalized content according to topics that interest you. For more information, visit https://www.vikhrolicucina.com Godrej Vikhroli Cucina Social Media handles: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2307655/Godrej_Vikhroli_Cucina_Initiative.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2307667/Godrej_Vikhroli_Cucina_Logo.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/spreading-festive-cheer-one-wish-at-a-time-godrej-vikhroli-cucina-initiative-adds-a-sparkle-of-joy-amongst-children-302022302.html

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[December 26, 2023] MEXC's Unprecedented Airdrop Campaign Surpasses 1,000 Events, Sets New Industry Standard Tweet

Singapore, Dec. 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a groundbreaking move, MEXC, a prominent player in the cryptocurrency exchange arena, has elevated the concept of airdrops to unprecedented heights by orchestrating over 1,000 free airdrop events in the year 2023. This remarkable initiative has not only captured the attention of the crypto community but has also set a new benchmark for airdrop campaigns, signaling a paradigm shift in the way users engage with digital assets. Key Takeaway:  1,287 free airdrops from MEXC in 2023

 An Average of 1,800 USDT Profits From Airdrop

 Total Prize Pool of $97 Million Understanding Airdrops: Your Ticket to Free Tokens Airdrops, strategic distributions of free tokens to existing and potential cryptocurrency holders, have become a cornerstone of MEXC's approach to community engagement. This innovative move by MEXC provides investors with a unique opportunity to diversify their portfolios without any financial commitment. Insights into MEXC's Airdrop Strategy MEXC's free airdrop events stem from its Launchpad and Kickstarter programs. To participate, users are required to hold a minimum of 1,000 MX tokens for a consecutive 30 days in their spot wallet. After this period, users can commit their MX tokens on a non-lockup syste, enabling them to receive free airdrops on a daily basis. As long as the spot wallet maintains a balance of 1,000 MX tokens or more, participants can continue benefiting from these airdrop events.



Unprecedented Popularity and Profitability in 2023 The surge in MEXC's airdrop events' popularity is directly attributed to the substantial profits users are accruing. In the year 2023 alone:

 MEXC has organized a staggering total of 1,287 free airdrop events.

 The cumulative prize pool for these events has reached an impressive $97 million.

 Participants, on average, are earning $1,800 USDT worth of airdrops, showcasing the profitability of MEXC's initiative. Community Success Stories Numerous success stories have emerged from the MEXC community, highlighting substantial earnings made through these free airdrop events. Members of the MEXC community have seized the opportunity to bolster their portfolios and capitalize on the generous distribution of free tokens. Future Prospects of MEXC's Airdrop Events Given MEXC's sustained momentum and outstanding performance, the likelihood of the free airdrop events concluding in 2023 appears slim. As of the latest update, MEXC has surpassed its own record for the most airdrop events in a single week, concluding an impressive 62 events just before December 25, 2023. The unwavering support from the community further solidifies the notion that it is not too late for cryptocurrency enthusiasts to join the event and partake in the potential profits offered by MEXC's free airdrop initiatives. In conclusion, MEXC's commitment to fostering community engagement through innovative and lucrative airdrop events has positioned the platform as a trailblazer in crypto space, reshaping industry standards and providing users with unparalleled opportunities for financial growth. Disclaimer: This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies (including product offerings, regulatory plans and business plans) and may change without notice. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.



Isabella Kensington MEXC marketing-at-mexc.com

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[December 26, 2023] Console & Associates, P.C.: LoanCare Reports Data Breach Exposing the Social Security Numbers of Over 1.3m Consumers Tweet

Approximately 1.3 million consumers are being notified that their Social Security numbers and other confidential information were compromised when an unauthorized party was able to access the computer system of Fidelity National Financial, the parent company of LoanCare. The data breach lawyers at Console & Associates, P.C. are investigating claims on behalf of anyone affected by the LoanCare breach, hoping to fully inform them of the risks they face in the wake of the breach as well as their legal rights. MARLTON, N.J., Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The sensitive personal data of 1,316,938 consumers has been compromised. Now, victims' names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and loan numbers may be in the hands of criminals, putting victims at a greater risk of identity theft and other frauds. On December 20, 2023, LoanCare filed a notice with the Attorney General of Maine describing a data breach affecting consumers nationwide. LoanCare notes that the incident stemmed from an apparent cyberattack against Fidelity National Financial. As a result, hackers were able to access and steal confidential information belonging to over 1.3 million consumers who have or had loans being serviced by LoanCare. However, because LoanCare is a mortgage subservicer, consumers may not be aware that the company was in possession of their information. The list of sesitive information that was exposed includes:



Names,

Addresses,

Social Security numbers, and

Loan numbers. If you receive a data breach notice from LoanCare or Fidelity National Financial, you could now be at risk of identity theftand the devastating financial and legal consequences that go along with it. What Should You Do if You Receive a LoanCare Data Breach Letter?

Individuals who receive a data breach letter from LoanCare should take steps to protect themselves. (See our Guide for Victims of Data Breach for more details at https://www.myinjuryattorney.com/consumer-privacy-data-breach-lawyers/if-your-information-has-been-compromised-in-a-data-breach/ ). Additionally, victims should consider contacting a data breach attorney immediately, as anyone who receives a data breach letter from LoanCare may be entitled to financial compensation. If you wish to discuss this data security incident, please contact Console & Associates, P.C. at (866) 778-5500. You can also learn more about this data breach and potential lawsuit at https://www.myinjuryattorney.com/loancare-data-breach-class-action-investigation-and-lawsuit-assistance/ . This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/console--associates-pc-loancare-reports-data-breach-exposing-the-social-security-numbers-of-over-1-3m-consumers-302022449.html SOURCE Console & Associates, P.C.

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[December 26, 2023] NTHU Cracks the Dioxin Pollution Challenge Tweet

National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Taiwan has achieved a milestone in addressing persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including the "Century Toxins"-dioxins, PCBs, and pesticides (DDT). These highly toxic and hard-to-degrade pollutants have posed a major threat to ecosystems and human health. The team simulated atmospheric ozone-ultraviolet light reactions to transform dioxins into harmless oxalic acid at room temperature. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231226794432/en/ NTHU Distinguished professor Kuo Chu Hwang (right) and postdoctoral researcher Vaibhav Pramod Charpe have developed a method to successfully decompose persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as dioxins. (Photo: National Tsing Hua University) The research, which offers a promising solution to the global challenge of POPs, appeared in the December 2023 ssue of the esteemed journal Green Chemistry, published by the United Kingdom's Royal Society of Chemistry. Led by Professor Kuo Chu Hwang from the Department of Chemistry at NTHU, the research team was assisted by the expertise of Ph.D. student Ayyakkannu Ragupathi and postdoctoral researcher Vaibhav Pramod Charpe.



The study primarily focuses on degrading pollutants like dioxins, known for their resilience to high temperatures and resistance to traditional decomposition methods. Dioxins pose severe risks to both the environment and human health, triggering gene mutations, congenital disorders, miscarriages, cancers, and neurological disorders. Hwang's team simulated ozone's photochemical reaction conditions in the atmosphere, utilizing an ozone generator and UV light in the laboratory to decompose the hard-to-degrade POPs. The simulation led to the discovery of a gentle yet effective method for breaking the persistent pollutants into non-toxic oxalic acid.

The research team demonstrated the ability of this method to reduce the concentration of "2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin" by 47% after 16 hours of mercury lamp exposure. Additionally, the chemical "hexachlorobenzene" underwent a remarkable 98% decomposition into non-toxic oxalate after 20 hours of ozone-ultraviolet irradiation. Hwang emphasized the interdisciplinary nature of this research, which seamlessly merged atmospheric chemistry with organic chemistry to craft an innovative solution. The atmospheric reactions were mostly driven by hydroxyl radicals, known as "atmospheric cleaners," to oxidize gaseous pollutants and contribute to their degradation or elimination. The adverse effects of POPs on both the environment and human health are well documented. Hwang recalled the PCB poisoning incident in Taiwan in 1979, where over 2,000 people consumed rice bran oil contaminated with PCBs, resulting in 16 deaths and long-term genetic repercussions for the affected and their descendants. Additionally, the widespread use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War led to severe deformities in 150,000 Vietnamese newborns, perpetuating the impact across generations. These incidents underscore the urgency of finding solutions for the elimination of POPs. The research outcome showcases the potential of this environmentally friendly approach to tackle longstanding challenges in organic chemistry. Hwang anticipates that this research will pave the way for numerous practical applications, significantly contributing to global efforts to mitigate the environmental burden from these POPs. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231226794432/en/

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Tonight we share a few more stories on good deeds and the current state of our world by way of pop culture, politics, community news and top headlines.

Check TKC news gathering . . .

Kansas City Holiday Survival Skills Shared

Shelter KC is brightening Christmas for the homeless in Kansas City A local Christian ministry for the homeless and addicted is providing community and resources for hundreds of struggling people this Christmas.

Midtown KC Acceptance

Missie B's Christmas dinner tradition, serving LGBTQ community for 50 years Missie B's in Westport, opens their doors to serve a warm holiday meal, a tradition that started 50 years ago.

News From Our Betters

Kansas City stories that brought us joy in 2023, from the KCUR newsroom Looking back on the year, Kansas City was filled with plenty of weird and wonderful moments - and not just when we won the Super Bowl. KCUR's newsroom picked out the stories that brought us happiness to report and read in 2023.

Help For The Troops Today

'This feels like home': Transitional housing center serves veterans on Christmas, year-round Footprints: Heroes Home Gate is a transitional housing center for veterans living in the Kansas City area that was open Christmas Day to serve its residents.

White House To Do List Exposed

5 critical issues Biden must tackle to win reelection President Biden will spend the next 11 months balancing the job of governing with his reelection bid, traveling the country as he seeks to convince voters he deserves a second term. The president has already signaled what key issues will be consistent parts of his pitch to voters, and he has in many ways already...

MAGA Troll Celebration

Trump wishes electric car supporters 'rot in hell' in Truth Social Christmas message Trump also shared a meme claiming Santa voted for him, even though Santa is not a US citizen.

Prez On Warpath

Biden directed strikes in Iraq against Kataib Hezbollah on Monday after 3 US military members wounded | CNN Politics US President Joe Biden directed strikes in Iraq against three locations used by Kataib Hezbollah and "affiliated groups" on Monday night, the White House said.

Holy Land Hot Mess Cont'd

No let-up in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza as Christmas dawns Authorities in Gaza said one attack alone killed at least 68 people at a refugee camp. Pope Francis called for the release of hostages, freeing up of humanitarian aid and an end to the war during his annual Christmas Day mass.

Ukraine Trolls Vlad

There are memes already - Air Force spokesman on Russian fake news about downed F-16s The Air Force of Ukraine has made fun of Russian propaganda reports that the Russian army has supposedly detected and shot down Western F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine.

South Of Border Road Trip

Migrant caravan in southern Mexico marks Christmas Day by trudging onward Christmas Day meant the same as any other for thousands of migrants walking through southern Mexico: more trudging under a hot sun

Congress Lady Confronts Nasty Tactics

Marjorie Taylor Greene targeted by failed Christmas swatting attempt Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has been targeted with another swatting attempt at her Georgia residence.

Snow Daze Ahead

FORECAST: First Warn in place Tuesday for possible snow showers Winter made a strong come back on Christmas Day! We should stay mostly dry through the rest of our evening, minus maybe a few flurries late tonight.

And this is the OPEN THREAD for right now . . . Hopefully, we'll have more for the morning update . . . STAY TUNED!!!
Right now hottie Kylie and her celeb life inspires a quick peek at pop culture, community news and top headlines.



Check TKC news gathering . . .

Local Holiday Season Tribute

Friends of Chiefs Super Fan carry on his legacy at first home game since his passing The Kansas City Chiefs Christmas game against the Las Vegas Raiders was the first home game that tailgaters experienced without Chiefs super fan, "Da Beard" since his recent passing.

Another Way To Save Earth

Recycle holiday lights at the KC Zoo and be environmentally friendly If you have old, broken holiday lights gathering dust in your garage, the Kansas City Zoo and Aquarium will recycle them for you.

Pay Bump For Plebs

In the Kansas City metro, these 82 occupations saw their annual compensation increase by at least 10% - Kansas City Business Journal Three unexpected professions landed raises in excess of 50% between 2021 and 2022. Read on for a look at those and all the other jobs winning big increases in pay.

Crafting New Digs

KC Clay Guild needs help raising money for new space Over the years, KC Clay Guild has provided a space for artists of all backgrounds. Now, the community arts center aims to raise $750,000 for a new space.

Artsy Highlights

GREAT MOMENTS: Highlights of Kansas City's arts year 2023 Kansas City brought so much exceptional work to local stages this year that narrowing this list to 10 became a Solomon-like exercise. It's hardly a comprehensive survey (and it's in chronological order): No mortal could attend every presentation of classical music, theater, and dance here (more than 500 annually, by my estimate).

Celeb Shares Glitter Pix

Kylie Jenner displays shrinking waist in matching gold gown with daughter Stormi KYLIE Jenner showed off her shrinking waist in a tight gold gown while attending her family's lavish Christmas Eve party. The Kardashians star, 26, matched with her daughter Stormi, 6, who wo...

Supreme Push Back Against Right-Wing Media

Project Veritas' First Amendment Claim To the Diary of Biden's Daughter Denied By Judge The self-described news organization has long argued that the right to free speech protects its controversial activities.

Arguing Against MAGA

GOP claims that Trump is facing 'partisan' legal attacks are just nonsense The GOP's reaction to Trump's ballot disqualification in Colorado is a reminder that Republicans love to trot out out baseless claims of petty "partisanship."

Progressives Make House Calls

Pro-Palestinian activists protest in front of homes of Biden admin officials Pro-Palestinian activists had early Christmas Day messages for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan Monday, as groups protested outside the pair's homes in an attempt to wake them early. The activists urged the Biden administration to stop support for Israel and push for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, citing increasing...

Holy Land Earns Tech Victory

Intel will build $25 billion chip factory in Israel's 'largest investment ever' | CNN Business The Israeli government said Tuesday that Intel has confirmed plans build a $25 billion chipmaking factory in the south of the country, an investment Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described as the biggest in Israel's history.

Europe Plays Battleship For Holiday Season

Ukraine says it has destroyed Russian warship in Crimean port Air force claims to have struck Novocherkassk landing ship as footage shows fires in city of Feodosia

War Always Worsens

Israeli forces bombard central Gaza in apparent move toward expanding ground offensive Israeli forces have bombarded Palestinian refugee camps in central Gaza in apparent preparation to expand their ground offensive into a third section of the besieged territory

Sketchy Hip-Hop Spin

Kanye West Apologizes to the Jewish Community - in Hebrew - in Curiously Generic Message Kanye West took to social media to issue a blanket apology to the Jewish community, written in Hebrew, without citing any specific past actions.

Tasty Midday Selection

A Banh Mi Sandwich Shop Opens In Westport Paris Banh Mi Cafe and Bakery is now open in Westport and serves banh mi sandwiches, baked goods and boba tea.

Snow Day Double Down

Snow blows into the metro starting Tuesday afternoon Tuesday will have high temperatures around 37 degrees; light snow starts in the morning and chances for heavier snowfall start at noon and continue throughout the day and night.

K-391 & Victor Crone - Lonely World is the song of the day and this is the OPEN THREAD for right now.
The students presented the customs and traditions of Greece, sang traditional carols, and declared the importance of winters holy days, spreading pride to parents and grandparents

Christmas was celebrated at the Greek School of Plato in Brooklyn on Thursday, December 21. The students presented the customs and traditions of Greece, sang traditional carols, and declared the importance of winters holy days, spreading pride to parents and grandparents.

In his greeting message, the principal, Petros Fourniotis, thanked the guests who honored the celebration with their presence, congratulated the teachers and students for their dedication and efforts, and wished for 2024 to be a year full of progress and prosperity. On these holy days, I feel grateful not only for my family and friends but for the entire family of Plato School.

The president of the Schools board of directors, Spiridon Geroulanos, expressed through The National Herald the joy and pride of everyone for the progress of the school and congratulated parents, teachers, the principal, the Parents Association, and the Parish Council, who are fighting, as he said, for Hellenism.

The president of the School Board and vice president of the Board of Directors, Kostas Karkas, stated that everyone wants to visit New York these days to experience up close the magic of Christmas that this city offers.

Read more at thenationalherald.com

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons License: CC-BY-SA Copyright: Beyond My Ken
Toronto police say a man has died after being struck by an object while riding his bike Tuesday morning, Dec. 26.

Officers responded to the incident in the area of Roncesvalles and Boustead avenues shortly after 9 a.m.

The victim, a man in his 60s, was taken to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Police told the Star that a man had been seen throwing objects at random people and buildings in the area.

Police are searching for a suspect, described as a white man in his 40, standing 5-foot-9-inches tall with a medium build and brown hair.

The suspect was wearing a black jacket, black pants and was also on a bike, according to police.

Due to a police investigation in the area, Boustead Avenue is closed between Roncesvalles Avenue and Indian Road.

Anyone with information can contact Toronto Police at 416-808-7400 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).

 With files from the Toronto Star
At least three more crossing points should be opened on Ukraines border with EU countries to minimize the economic losses caused by the border blockade.

The relevant statement was made by Zakarpattia Regional Military Administration Head Viktor Mykyta in an interview with Ukrinform.

At least three more crossing points [on Ukraines border with EU countries  Ed.] are critically needed, and this can be done within the next two years. Border crossing points can be set up anywhere along the state border adjacent to international highways, Mykyta told.

In his words, the border blockade is currently suffocating Ukraines economy. Border infrastructure development efforts would change the situation.

Slovakia, Hungary and Romania are very interested in becoming transit countries. The Zakarpattia region plays a very important role in this regard The region will transform into a powerful logistic hub. This means jobs, investment and business operations, Mykyta noted.

In order to accelerate such efforts, Mykyta suggested that border crossing points should be built as part of public and private partnership. In his opinion, as the state is mostly focused on financing Ukraines Armed Forces at the moment, businesses should be allowed to invest.
In a phone call, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I exchanged Christmas greetings.

The relevant statement was made by the Head of State on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

I had a call with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I to exchange Christmas greetings. Ukraine celebrated Christmas together with the Mother Church this year. I expressed gratitude to His All-Holiness for his heartfelt Christmas greetings to the Ukrainian people, his prayers for peace in Ukraine, and the Ecumenical Patriarchates participation in the Peace Formula meetings of advisors, Zelensky wrote.

The President of Ukraine also invited a representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the next meeting of advisors on the Peace Formula in Switzerland.

A reminder that the next meeting of national security advisors on the Ukrainian Peace Formula will take place in Switzerland in mid-January 2024.

Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine
As high school students embark on the journey of college admissions, a myriad of advice often comes their way, some of it well-intentioned but misleading.

In the pursuit of securing a coveted spot at their dream institution, applicants may be swayed by pervasive myths that can influence their choices and actions. To navigate this process successfully, it's crucial to separate fact from fiction. Let's explore and dispel five persistent myths surrounding college admissions.

Myth 1: Achieving Straight A's Is the Ultimate Goal

While academic performance holds significance, it's not a one-size-fits-all metric. Colleges employ a holistic admissions review process, considering the context of each applicant's academic journey. High school curricula vary widely, and admissions officers are attuned to these differences. Factors such as the rigor of courses and an upward grade trend often carry as much weight as the final GPA. Moreover, the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a flexible evaluation of transcripts, understanding the disruptions in education.

Clark Brigger, executive director of admissions at the University of Colorado-Boulder, recommends pushing your limits in areas where you excel and subsequently putting in the effort to excel in all your courses. Finding equilibrium between a demanding course load and maintaining consistent performance sends a signal to colleges that you possess the resilience and discipline necessary for success in higher education.

READ ALSO: Beyond 'College For All': Rethinking Education For Inclusive Pathways To Success

Myth 2: Test Scores Are the Sole Determinant

Contrary to popular belief, standardized test scores are just one facet of the application package. A growing number of institutions, including prestigious ones, have shifted to test-optional or test-blind policies. This trend predates the pandemic, reflecting an acknowledgment that intellectual abilities extend beyond what test scores can reveal.

Admissions officers emphasize the importance of other elements, such as extracurricular activities, essays, and recommendations. However, students should carefully consider individual circumstances, as some scholarships and specific programs may still require standardized test results. In essence, while test scores can be significant, they rarely serve as the sole determinant of an applicant's fate.

Myth 3: Quantity Trumps Quality in Extracurriculars

Quality beats quantity when it comes to extracurricular activities. Admissions officers seek depth and progression of leadership, not just a laundry list of clubs. Passionate involvement in key interests and meaningful contributions to organizations carry more weight than superficial participation.

While the pandemic has disrupted extracurricular engagement for some students, admissions officers understand these challenges. What matters is how applicants utilized their time, whether engaging in online initiatives or taking on responsibilities outside traditional club settings. Admissions officers appreciate authenticity and a genuine commitment to making a positive impact.

Myth 4: Recommendations Must Come from A-Grade Teachers Only

Choosing the right recommender is about showcasing different facets of your character, work ethic, and growth. A teacher who challenged you or witnessed your persistence in overcoming difficulties might provide a more insightful recommendation than one who simply awarded high grades. Admissions officers value recommendations that offer rich context and provide a holistic understanding of an applicant.

Myth 5: Creativity Is a Mistake in Essays

Creativity is not a mistake; it's an opportunity. The college essay is a chance to authentically showcase who you are and what you care about. While addressing the prompt is crucial, the most compelling essays reveal personality and a genuine voice. Students should avoid contrived narratives and instead focus on expressing their true selves, steering clear of sensitive topics that may elicit caution from readers.

Understanding the reality behind these myths is crucial for navigating the college admissions process successfully. By focusing on holistic aspects, embracing authenticity, and adapting to evolving circumstances, students can present compelling applications that reflect their true selves. As the landscape of higher education continues to shift, dispelling these myths empowers students to make informed decisions and pursue their educational aspirations with confidence.

RELATED ARTICLE: Controversy Surrounds Ivy League Schools' Shift Away From SAT Requirements
In the realm of international education, the United States stands as a beacon, attracting over a million students during the 2022-2023 academic year. According to the latest Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, this marks a remarkable 12% increase from the previous year, showcasing the fastest growth rate in more than four decades.

A Surge in Enrollment

The surge in new international student enrollment is equally impressive, with a 14% increase during the 2022-2023 academic year, building on an 80% increase from the previous year. The report, jointly released by the Institute of International Education and the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, paints a picture of the U.S. as an undisputed global leader in higher education.

Lee Satterfield, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, emphasizes the diverse educational landscape the U.S. offers. "Students from around the world are continuing to recognize the United States' global leadership in higher education, ranging from two-year community colleges to four-year universities and beyond," says Satterfield. "There's something for everyone - whether learning a trade or pursuing a degree in technology."

Mirka Martel, IIE's Head of Research, Evaluation, and Learning, notes that the 2022-2023 enrollment of 298,523 new international students surpassed pre-pandemic levels, reaching a nearly record-breaking figure close to the peak in the 2015-2016 academic year.

The surge in enrollment isn't confined to specific degree levels or fields of study. For the first time since the 2014-2015 academic year, enrollment has risen across all degree levels and fields of study, with a notable concentration in graduate programs, witnessing a remarkable 21% increase.

READ ALSO: Mental Health Tips: A Comprehensive Guide For International Students

A Record Number of Students from India

International students are choosing colleges and universities across all U.S. states and territories, with 48 states reporting an increase in international students. Notably, the 2022-2023 academic year recorded a 35% increase in students from India, reaching an impressive 268,923.

According to Adarsh Khandelwal, a college counselor based in New Delhi, the U.S. stands out due to American institutions' proactive engagement. "Their responsive approach and active presence make the U.S. a distinctive leader," he notes. The allure for Indian students lies in the U.S.'s top-tier universities and cutting-edge research opportunities.

Karan Gupta, head of Karan Gupta Consulting in Mumbai, emphasizes the appeal of fields such as engineering, computer science, and business. Additionally, the U.S. job market, especially in tech and business sectors, remains a significant draw for Indian students.India holds the position as the second-largest sender of students to the U.S., following China. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that the U.S. job market, especially in technology and business sectors, remains highly attractive to Indian students.

Growth Among Students from Sub-Saharan Africa

While India takes a significant share, Sub-Saharan Africa has witnessed a remarkable 18% growth in U.S. enrollment, marking the highest growth rate among world regions. Ghana, with over 6,000 students in U.S. institutions in the 2022-2023 academic year, joined the list of top 25 countries sending the most students.

Martel highlights the substantial growth seen across various African countries, with Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, and South Africa showing robust increases. The U.S. government's efforts to foster connections between U.S. universities and African students contribute to this positive trend.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a dip in international student numbers, has been overcome. Martel mentions that 95% of international students in 2022-2023 were physically studying on U.S. campuses, indicating a strong preference among international students to travel for their U.S. education.

The academic year 2022-2023 witnessed the most popular fields of study for international students in the U.S., including math and computer science, engineering, business and management, social sciences, and physical and life sciences.

Looking ahead, experts anticipate a continuation of the growth trend, with an 8% increase in international students taking courses or participating in work-training programs compared to the previous year. The U.S. education system's resilience, adaptability, and global appeal position it as a premier destination for international students seeking a transformative educational experience.

RELATED ARTICLE: 15 US Colleges That Offer Low Costs For International Students
Selecting the right college is a monumental decision that can evoke stress for both students and their families. However, contrary to popular belief, gaining admission to a quality institution doesn't hinge solely on perfect grades or test scores.

The U.S. News A-plus Schools for B Students list has been meticulously curated to showcase highly ranked National Universities that readily admit high school students with a B grade average.

In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the 10 highest-ranked schools from this list, providing in-depth insights into their admission criteria and unique offerings.

With a strong emphasis on academic excellence, Clark University stands out for its commitment to fostering an inclusive and dynamic learning environment. Students with a B grade average can thrive in a community that values intellectual curiosity.

National Universities rank: 103 (tie)

Average high school GPA: 3.7

ACT 25th-75th percentile: 27-32

SAT 25th-75th percentile: 1150-1350

READ ALSO: Top 10 Universities With The Highest SAT Scores In The US

Renowned for its Jesuit values and a commitment to holistic education, Creighton University provides a supportive atmosphere for students with diverse academic backgrounds. The institution's focus on personal development enhances the overall college experience.

National Universities rank: 103 (tie)

Average high school GPA: 3.9

ACT 25th-75th percentile: 24-30

SAT 25th-75th percentile: 1140-1340

Loyola University Chicago offers a well-rounded education that goes beyond the classroom. Students with a B average can benefit from a curriculum that encourages critical thinking and active engagement in various fields of study.

National Universities rank: 103 (tie)

Average high school GPA: 3.8

ACT 25th-75th percentile: 25-31

SAT 25th-75th percentile: 1130-1330

Known for its picturesque campus and strong sense of community, Miami University provides an enriching experience for students. The university's acceptance of B students reflects its dedication to creating a diverse and inclusive student body.

National Universities rank: 103 (tie)

Average high school GPA: 3.8

ACT 25th-75th percentile: 24-30

SAT 25th-75th percentile: 1160-1370

The University of Arizona welcomes students with diverse academic backgrounds, embracing the richness that different perspectives bring to the campus community. B students can find a home at this institution committed to academic excellence.

National Universities rank: 103 (tie)

Average high school GPA: 3.4

ACT 25th-75th percentile: 21-29

SAT 25th-75th percentile: 1090-1350

With a focus on research-driven education, the University of Illinois-Chicago caters to students seeking a vibrant urban experience. The university's commitment to inclusivity opens its doors to B students, fostering a collaborative and intellectually stimulating environment.

National Universities rank: 103 (tie)

Average high school GPA: 3.4

ACT 25th-75th percentile: 21-29

SAT 25th-75th percentile: 1030-1250

A commitment to social justice and global perspectives sets the University of San Francisco apart. B students can thrive in an atmosphere that encourages critical thinking and prepares them for a socially responsible future.

National Universities rank: 103 (tie)

Average high school GPA: 3.5

ACT 25th-75th percentile: 24-30

SAT 25th-75th percentile: 1140-1330

The University of South Florida provides a diverse and vibrant campus environment where B students can excel. The institution's focus on innovation and research creates an exciting academic landscape for students with varied interests.

National Universities rank: 103 (tie)

Average high school GPA: 3.9

ACT 25th-75th percentile: 25-30

SAT 25th-75th percentile: 1160-1320

9. University of Colorado Boulder

Known for its stunning location and emphasis on innovation, the University of Colorado Boulder is an excellent choice for B students seeking a transformative educational experience. The university's diverse academic programs cater to a wide range of interests.

National Universities rank: 99 (tie)

Average high school GPA: 3.6

ACT 25th-75th percentile: 24-31

SAT 25th-75th percentile: 1130-1350

As part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system, the University at Buffalo offers a comprehensive education to B students. The institution's commitment to affordability and academic excellence makes it an attractive choice for aspiring students.

National Universities rank: 93 (tie)

Average high school GPA: 3.7

ACT 25th-75th percentile: 23-29

SAT 25th-75th percentile: 1140-1310

These institutions, with rankings ranging from 68 to 103, present diverse academic opportunities for students with varying academic achievements. It's imperative to delve into each institution's unique qualities, academic programs, and campus culture to determine the best fit for individual educational goals.

Choosing a college is a pivotal decision, and the U.S. News A-plus Schools for B Students list provides valuable insights for those with a B grade average. These 19 institutions exemplify the diversity of options available to students, proving that there's a quality education for everyone. By considering factors such as average GPA, ACT/SAT percentiles, and unique campus offerings, students can make informed decisions on their journey toward higher education. Each institution on this list offers a unique environment, ensuring that B students can find their academic home and thrive in their college experience.





RELATED ARTICLE: Top 10 Colleges In The US With High Acceptance Rates And Quality Education
In a surprising turn of events, Harvard University's president, Claudine Gay, is under scrutiny for allegations of plagiarism, prompting the House Committee on Education and the Workforce to initiate an inquiry into the matter. Led by Representative Virginia Foxx, the committee aims to uncover details about Harvard's response to the accusations and assess the consistency in applying its academic integrity policies.

Background of Allegations

The controversy first surfaced in October when reports of potential plagiarism involving President Gay reached the Harvard Corporation. An independent review conducted by the governing board concluded that there was no violation of Harvard's standards. However, corrections were made for two previously published articles. Recent developments acknowledge additional instances of "duplicative language without appropriate attribution" in Gay's 1997 dissertation.

Representative Foxx, in a letter addressed to the Harvard Corporation, has requested a comprehensive set of documents and emails pertaining to the plagiarism allegations. The committee emphasizes the importance of a meticulous investigation, urging Harvard to treat allegations against faculty with the same gravity as those against students.

READ ALSO: News Update: University Of Arizona Announces Budget Cuts And New CFO To Address Multimillion Miscalculation

Threat to Federal Funding

Foxx issued a stern warning, highlighting the potential impact on Harvard's access to federal funds if consistent academic integrity standards are not upheld. She expressed concern that overlooking faculty misconduct could tarnish the university's mission and diminish the value of its education.

Committee's Oversight Authority

The letter underscores the committee's authority to conduct oversight over postsecondary education programs. This authority enables the committee to scrutinize Harvard's responses to plagiarism allegations and ensures that the university adheres to recognized accreditor standards, particularly in maintaining academic integrity.

Plagiarism Allegations Amid Antisemitism Testimony

The timing of the plagiarism allegations is significant, coinciding with President Gay's involvement in a House hearing on campus antisemitism. Despite calls for her resignation, the Harvard Corporation has publicly supported Gay in the face of the plagiarism accusations.

Broader Investigation into Antisemitism

It's noteworthy that the House Committee on Education and the Workforce is already conducting a broader investigation into Harvard's responses to incidents of antisemitism. This overarching inquiry positions the committee to evaluate the university's handling of various challenges related to academic conduct.

Foxx underscored the gravity of the situation, particularly for an institution like Harvard, which positions itself as one of the top educational institutions in the country. The committee expects a detailed response from Harvard by December 29, seeking clarification on the university's approach to the allegations and its commitment to upholding academic standards.

Potential Consequences and Broader Implications

As the investigation unfolds, the outcome could have broader implications for how universities address allegations of plagiarism involving high-ranking officials. The risk of losing federal funding adds a layer of accountability for institutions to prioritize and maintain academic integrity standards.

Harvard's Response and Defense

Harvard, in response to the committee's inquiry, is expected to provide a thorough account of its internal investigation into the plagiarism allegations against President Gay. The university has staunchly defended its president, emphasizing the findings of the independent review that deemed the allegations unsubstantiated. However, with the acknowledgment of additional instances in Gay's dissertation, the university now faces the challenge of maintaining its defense.

Consistency in Applying Policies

One of the central concerns raised by the committee is the consistent application of Harvard's policies. Representative Foxx questions whether the university is treating allegations against faculty members with the same rigor it applies to students. The committee seeks transparency in understanding the procedures followed in assessing and addressing plagiarism claims involving high-profile figures.

Foxx's warning about potential repercussions on Harvard's federal funding underscores the seriousness with which the committee views academic integrity. Federal funds are a critical lifeline for universities, and the threat of their withdrawal serves as a powerful incentive for institutions to ensure that their internal processes are robust and fair.

Impact on Harvard's Leadership

The allegations against President Gay come at a time when Harvard is already under scrutiny for its handling of antisemitism on campus. The outcome of this investigation could not only impact Gay's leadership but also influence the broader perception of Harvard's commitment to ethical and academic standards.

Reflection on Academic Integrity

This case brings to the forefront broader questions about academic integrity within prestigious institutions. The expectation of exemplary conduct from leaders in academia is heightened, and any deviation raises concerns about the institutional commitment to upholding the principles of honesty and originality.

The House Committee's inquiry into plagiarism allegations against Harvard President Claudine Gay adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing discussions about academic integrity, leadership accountability, and the reputation of esteemed educational institutions. As the investigation progresses, the spotlight on Harvard's response and the potential consequences for federal funding may set a precedent for how universities handle similar situations in the future. The outcome could shape not only the fate of President Gay but also the broader narrative around the intersection of academic standards and institutional leadership.

RELATED ARTICLE: Harvard President Claudine Gay To Retain Position Amid Antisemitism Hearings In Congress
In a surprising turn of events, Saint Mary's College, a Roman Catholic women's institution in Indiana, has reversed its previous decision to admit transgender women after facing considerable backlash.

The decision, initially made in June, was met with opposition from the local bishop and concerned alumnae. The recent announcement, conveyed through an email from the college's president, Katie Conboy, and Board of Trustees chair, Maureen Karantz Smith, has reignited discussions about inclusivity, Catholic identity, and the challenges faced by institutions navigating societal shifts.

Underestimating Stakeholder Engagement

The reversal comes in the wake of mounting opposition, particularly from Fort Wayne-South Bend bishop Kevin Rhoades and segments of the alumnae community. The college leadership admitted in their statement that they "clearly underestimated" the extent to which stakeholders wished to be involved in decisions surrounding a policy of such significance. The controversy gained momentum when a student news organization highlighted the June decision late in November, sparking a wave of discussions both within and outside the Saint Mary's community.

READ ALSO: Texas Public Schools And Colleges Prepare Implementation Of Anti-Diversity, Equity And Inclusion Bill

Unintended Consequences

Initially, the college believed that the decision to admit transgender women affirmed its identity as an inclusive, Catholic women's institution. However, the recent statement acknowledges that this perspective was not universally shared within the community. Concerns were raised about the decision being perceived as more than just a policy shift, with some viewing it as a potential dilution of the college's mission and even a threat to its Catholic identity.

"We regretfully acknowledge the loss of trust and unintended division resulting from a decision aimed at fostering inclusivity," the statement conveys.

Navigating Catholic Values and Inclusivity

The leaders of Saint Mary's College emphasized their unwavering commitment to maintaining a welcoming and safe environment for all. In an effort to heal the rifts within the community, the college plans to initiate a series of "listening sessions" to facilitate discussions about the intersection of Catholic values and the desired level of inclusivity. This move signals a recognition of the need for open dialogue and engagement to navigate the complex landscape of balancing tradition with the evolving expectations of inclusivity.

Lessons Learned and Moving Forward

The Saint Mary's case underscores the challenges faced by educational institutions, particularly those with religious affiliations, in addressing societal shifts and diverse perspectives within their communities. The unintended consequences of decisions related to inclusivity and identity highlight the importance of thorough stakeholder engagement and understanding the varied sentiments within an institution.

As Saint Mary's College moves forward, the focus will likely be on rebuilding trust, fostering open communication, and finding common ground on issues that intersect with religious values and contemporary societal expectations. The incident serves as a reminder to educational institutions globally about the need for thoughtful consideration and dialogue when navigating sensitive topics that impact the identity and mission of an institution.

Saint Mary's College case offers valuable insights into the delicate balance institutions must strike when addressing societal changes. It prompts reflection on the complexities of aligning tradition with evolving perspectives, emphasizing the necessity of inclusive decision-making processes to build a stronger, more united community.







RELATED ARTICLE: Missouri Women's College Adapts Admissions Policy To Include Transgender And Non-Binary Students
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With the completion of 97 percent of the renovation and expansion works, the historic Bibi Pakdaman shrine is set to reopen its doors to pilgrims before December 31st

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Dec, 2023) With the completion of 97 percent of the renovation and expansion works, the historic Bibi Pakdaman shrine is set to reopen its doors to pilgrims before December 31st.

Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited the site on Tuesday to review the progress firsthand.

Accompanied by provincial ministers and officials, Chief Minister Naqvi closely inspected the ongoing finishing touches on the main shrine structure and iconic domes. He emphasized the importance of high-quality craftsmanship and directed officials to prioritize the completion of the widened pathway surrounding the shrine to ensure smooth movement for pilgrims.

Furthermore, Chief Minister Naqvi stressed the need for a dedicated space for lamp-lighting rituals and instructed the installation of aesthetically pleasing lighting arrangements within the central chamber. He expressed his hope that the rejuvenated shrine would serve as a beacon of faith and tranquility, fostering peace and prosperity within the community.

Chief Minister Naqvi also offered prayers for Pakistan's continued development, stability, and security. The occasion was graced by the presence of provincial ministers, advisors, police chief, secretaries of relevant departments, and senior officials.
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ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Dec, 2023) Caretaker Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Murtaza Solangi on Tuesday said the government would explore maximum options to redress the problems of journalist fraternity, and seek legal action, in accordance with the Constitution, to restrict forced job layoffs of media persons.

Talking to the media after the walkout of journalits during the 334th session of the Senate in the press gallery, he expressed full solidarity with the journalist community regarding the forced dismissal by some media houses.

Solangi said the legal provisions would be explored to take punitive action and extend support to safeguard the rights of media workers.

"I stand with journalists and media workers; the issue of forced dismissals of journalists is not acceptable," he said.

He said he had an earlier discussion with the Chairman of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) regarding the forced dismissal of journalists and media workers.

He said the meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting would be held on Friday afternoon, adding :"This issue will also be discussed with Chairperson of the Standing Committee, Senator

Fauzia Arshad."

Murtaza Solangi said the interim government would take all the steps under the law to effectively tackle issue.

"Government's sympathies are with media workers. It is our responsibility to implement the legal protection that media workers and journalists have in the Constitution," he said.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Dec, 2023) The All Parties Hurriyat Conference has said that India is continuously trampling international laws by using black laws to kill, arrest, summon any one to Indian army camps, police stations and investigation agencies' head offices in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and India.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference spokesman in a statement issued in Srinagar said Indias propaganda of so-called peace in the territory is meant to hide its crimes against humanity in the territory.

The statement deplored the silence of the international community over the revocation of the disputed Kashmirs special status in flagrant violation of international laws.

The spokesman said that Hindutva BJP regime while issuing domicile to non-Kashmiris including Indian troops has snatched all rights of the people of Jammu and Kshir, guarenteed under UN Charter.

APHC leader and Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Social Peace Forum Advocate Divender Singh Behal in a statement in Jammu said the systematic human rights violations by Indian occupation forces in the territory have broken all past records. He said that one million trigger-happy troops have caged the entire population in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, turning the Kashmir valley into an open-air prison.

All the government institutions especially the so-called security forces have been saffronised by the Hindutva Indian government.

The Indian corporate media on one hand distorts the true picture of Kashmir, dubs every Kashmiri, killed extrajudicially, a terrorist and on the other hand sells the invisible peace and development mantra to the outside world.

The local media is barred from reporting the factual ground situation barring outsiders from knowing what really is happening on the ground, he added. The saffronised and biased judicial system has failed to give any relief to the people rather by design causing unnecessary delays in hearing the cases of those who are languishing in different jails on fabricated charges for years, he said.

Jammu and Kashmir Awami Party in a statement in Jammu strongly denounced the killing of three civilians in the custody of Indian army in Poonch district, saying that New Delhi, upset by the strong resistance of pro-freedom activists, has started targetting innocent Kashmiris in the territory.
The Lahore Ring Road Southern Loop 3 project marks a significant stride towards completion, reaching the 60% milestone

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Dec, 2023) The Lahore Ring Road Southern Loop 3 project marks a significant stride towards completion, reaching the 60% milestone.

Today, Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi conducted a comprehensive review of the ongoing progress at Adda Plot Raiwind, personally inspecting the Lahore Ring Road Southern Loop 3 project.

The Chief Minister personally examined the ongoing construction activities spanning 8 km from Adda Plot Raiwind to Maraka-Multan Road. He closely observed the works on the entire route, including the construction of bridges. In response, Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi issued directives for the expeditious completion of the project.

During a meeting at the FWO camp office chaired by Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Colonel Jamal and Colonel Ahmed provided a detailed briefing on the project's progress. The meeting addressed various issues related to the project.

Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi emphasized that the completion of Ring Road Southern Loop 3 would enhance transportation facilities for the public. He highlighted the adherence to high standards in executing the project and expressed confidence in achieving its timely completion.

Speaking to the media after the visit, Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi underscored the significance of SL 3, Gujranwala Expressway, and Band Road projects. He assured relentless efforts to complete these projects with the highest quality, overcoming challenges and working round the clock.

The SL3 project, valued at over 17 billion rupees, spans 8 km and consists of three lanes.

Naqvi informed that the project, initially planned for two years, is on track to completion in the coming months.

Responding to a question, the Chief Minister acknowledged weather-related challenges, particularly fog affecting motorway operations and causing traffic congestion. He assured the resolution of issues without allowing an increase in project costs.

Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi stated that SL3 and other projects are under continuous monitoring, with ministers overseeing critical locations even during the night. He affirmed full support for the dedicated teams working on project completion.

Regarding elections, the CM stated that in accordance with the court's order, individuals accused cannot submit their nomination papers. He assured that transparent and free elections would be conducted. Furthermore, he mentioned that if any issues arose concerning the election, government would take action before the Election Commission for resolution.

Discussing environmental concerns, Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi acknowledged the need for favorable conditions for artificial rain to combat smog. He affirmed the government's commitment to taking necessary measures for a sustainable solution.

Present during the occasion were Provincial Ministers Azfar Ali Nasir, Bilal Afzal, Chief Secretary, Secretary Communication and Works, Secretary Information, Commissioner Lahore, Deputy Commissioner Lahore, Chairman Lahore Ring Road Authority, FWO officials, and other officers.
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Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervez Ashraf on Tuesday said that the sacrifice rendered by Shaheed Benazir Bhutto for the restoration and strengthening of democracy in the country would ever be remembered in the political annals of history

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Dec, 2023) Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervez Ashraf on Tuesday said that the sacrifice rendered by Shaheed Benazir Bhutto for the restoration and strengthening of democracy in the country would ever be remembered in the political annals of history.

He said that Shaheed Benazir Bhutto sacrificed her life for the restoration and strengthening of democracy in the country.

He said that Shaheed Benazir Bhutto had the honour of being the first elected woman Prime Minister of the Islamic world. He expressed these views on the 16th martyrdom anniversary of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto.

He said that Shaheed Benazir Bhutto was conscious of threats and dangers posed by anti-national elements but she remained resolved to resist terrorism and extremism.

BB had fought against terrorism for the development and prosperity of the country and the strengthening of democracy, he said.

Raja Pervez Ashraf said that Shaheed Benazir Bhutto was the pioneer of democratic struggle in Pakistan and she always stood for the protection of the downtrodden classes of the society, the rights of minorities, and the development and independence of women.

She was an advocate of civil liberties harmony and unity in the Federal units.

The speaker further said that Benazir Bhutto's mission was to establish a democratic system and a society based on equality.

She carried forward the mission of the People's Leader Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and said that Shaheed Benazir Bhutto remained committed to her mission with patience and courage till the last breath of her life.

Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said that Shaheed Benazir Bhutto promoted the politics of tolerance and dialogue instead of imposing ideas.

Her struggle to fight and eliminate the scourge of terrorism is of key importance.

The speaker said that by adopting the mission of Ms. Benazir Bhutto Shaheed, we can take the country on the path of development. After the martyrdom of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, the way Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto led the party and the country is admirable. He expressed his determination that the mission of Ms. Benazir Bhutto Shaheed will be completed.
The Sindh cabinet on Tuesday approved several financial allocations for various development projects, including Rs. 29.379 billion for the payment of government electricity bills, Rs. 768.6 million for the operation of 50 electric buses on the city roads, and a subsidy of Rs. 579.756 million for intra-district people's buses

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Dec, 2023) The Sindh cabinet on Tuesday approved several financial allocations for various development projects, including Rs. 29.379 billion for the payment of government electricity bills, Rs. 768.6 million for the operation of 50 electric buses on the city roads, and a subsidy of Rs. 579.756 million for intra-district people's buses.

Additionally, the cabinet has approved Rs. 1.1 billion for the construction of a Link Road Interchange, Rs. 33.956 million for Khirthar National Park boundary demarcation and fixing of boundary pillars, Rs. 1424.720 million for the reconstruction of three West district schools, and Rs. 115 million for the restoration of the Hindu Gymkhana.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Caretaker Chief Minister Justice Maqbool Baqar at CM House. Provincial caretaker ministers, chief secretary Dr Fakhre Alam, Chairman P&D Sahkil Mangnejo, and other concerned officers attended the meeting.

Chief Secretary Dr Fakhre Alam told the cabinet that an amount of Rs300 million (Rs10 million to each of all 30 DCs), may be provided to all the returning officers/Deputy Commissioners for election expenditures. In case of any shortfall further funds may also be provided separately, on a case-to-case basis.

The cabinet also approved an amount of Rs168 million to be given to deputy commissioners to clear the old liabilities of the local body's elections. The cabinet was told that a central payment process against all the Sindh government electric connections throughout the province started in 2019. A lump sum budget was being fixed for payments every year.

However, due to continuous increases in electricity prices and increases in Sindh government connections, the allocated budget of Rs41.5 billion is insufficient. The Energy dept said that against an allocated budget of Rs41.5 billion, they have paid Rs35.736 billion to HESCO, SEPCO and KE up to September 2023, and now they are left with only Rs5.764 billion which was hardly enough for one and half months of electricity charges.

The cabinet was told that the current monthly electricity charges on average come to Rs5300 million and for the next eight months of the current financial year, 2023-24, an amount of Rs42400 million [5300X8= 42400 million] would be required up to June 2024. The cabinet after deliberation approved an amount of Rs29.376 billion so that power distribution companies could be made power bills of the Sindh government up to April 2024.

The provincial transport department has initiated the Electric Bus Service, being operated by Telephone Industries of Pakistan (TIP) under a Rent to Own Model. Currently, 40 of the 50 buses have been put into operation on three routes in Karachi, with 10 buses on standby. TIP has requested the provincial government to formalize contractual commitments with them for the operational Electric Buses, as well as an investment proposal. The project includes the supply and operation of Electric buses, the development of a Green Energy Facility, and the development of Assembly Kit Plants for EVs in Sindh.

TIP has proposed a Rent to Own Financial Model for the supply, operation, and maintenance of Electric Buses, along with EV Charging, Depot Infrastructure, and Alternative Energy Production. Under this model, TIP will invest 100% of the funds required to supply and operate EV buses and charge the public transport passengers ticket prices to be mutually agreed upon. The Sindh government will have to provide a monthly lease payment (rent to own) as agreed between the parties on a per-bus basis to TIP for lease, operations, and maintenance of public transport for eight years.

The monthly payment for nine meters Electric Buses is $3,350, and for 12 meters, it is $4,500. The ownership of the buses would be transferred to the Sindh Government after eight years of bus operations. The cabinet has approved Rs. 768.6 million per annum for 50 Electric Buses (215/per km x 50 x 71500) for eight years, inclusive of O&M and lease payments. Additionally, the cabinet has approved Rs. 200 million to engage reputed consultants for technical, financial, and legal evaluation of TIP Electric Buses' proposal with budgetary allocations up to Rs. 200 million.

The transport department proposed to increase the fare of BRT Green Line (from Rs15 to 30 and Rs55 to Rs70) and Intra-District Peoples Bus Service which the caretaker chief minister turned down. The cabinet was told that the BRT Green Line would be handed over to the Sindh government in 2024. The Cabinet was told that under Peoples Bus Service 204 buses in Karachi (36 in Hyderabad and Larkana) were plying on 13 routes, including two routes of Pink Buses.

The transport department proposed an extension of ongoing subsidy for another six months, Jan 24 to June 24, and the addition of 30 new buses would increase the ridership of 12000 more passengers per day which would transform into an additional subsidy of Rs 86.4 million (Jan 24 to June 24) on the previous grounds at Rs.40/per passenger, therefore funds amounting to Rs 579.

756 million may be provided as subsidy from the outside budget. The cabinet approved the subsidy.

The Link Road dual carriageway connects the National Highway (N5) to the Motorway (m9). It is a commercial corridor providing upcountry access to the traffic from Port Qasim, Industrial area Landhi, Korangi and Steel Mill. It is a 22 km long carriageway.

The Sindh cabinet, in August 2023, approved the construction of the interchange along with the remodelling of the Kathore Interchange by NHA through SCORE at Rs2.4 billion. While in October NHA provided an estimated cost of Rs 3.5 billion.

The cabinet after discussion approved the balance amount of Rs 1.1 billion along with land compensation of Rs 250 million.

The Sindh cabinet approved additional funds of Rs.135.85 million for the Reimbursement of Medical Charges for the 465 cases of the School Education dept. The cabinet also approved additional funds of Rs.1424.720 million for financial assistance to the 1800 families of deceased employees who died while in Service.

The cabinet also approved Rs. 50.220 million for the repair and maintenance of three school buildings in District West, Karachi. These three schools have been adopted by the Pakistan Navy.The Agriculture Department approved Rs4.012 billion for 52,800 MMTs of Urea imported by the TCP/federal government. The CM said that there was a shortage of urea in the market and the growers complained to him during his visits to Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Sukkur.

The Sindh cabinet expressed reservations that the province was producing 70 per cent of the total national gas even then it was being forced to procure imported urea. The cabinet urged the federal government to provide urea to Sindh as per its share.

The Hindu Gymkhana was established in 1925 on a plot of 47000 square yards. Before Independence, it was a club for the Hindu Upper classes.The Hindu Gymkhana is a beautiful amalgamation of Mughal Revival and Colonial Era styles. This historic building is widely considered an architectural gen in Karachi.

Key architectural elements are cupolas, balustrades, octagonal corner towers, ornamental brackets, Gizri stone walls, and Jodhpur Stone's carved elements.It has suffered terribly, and the building exterior has been eaten away by pollution and dust. Due to leakage from the top of the roof, rising dampness, salinity and weathering the condition of the building is deteriorating. The building has grown feeble, its retrofitting does not go along with the building's architecture. Therefore, a project may be prepared to restore the Gymkhana.

The cabinet was told that on the directives of the caretaker chief minister, the cost analysis of the project has been reviewed and reduced to Rs109.680 million from the earlier proposed amount of Rs. 115.716 million. The cabinet approved Rs109.680 million.

RHC Hala: On the request of the people Hala the cabinet decided to hand over the newly constructed Rural health Centre Hala Old to PPHI and approved Rs40 million, including Rs15 million for salary, Rs15 million for non-salary component and Rs10 million one time development cost.The CM said that he has visited several PPHI centres but none of them was working at its full staff strength. He ordered a forensic audit and inspection of PPHI centres.

The cabinet was told that Khirthar National Park was the first ever National Park of Pakistan declared in 1974. The adjacent areas Mahal Kohistan, and Hab Dam are Wildlife Sanctuaries and Sumbak, Eri, Hothiano and Surjano are Game Reserves. Therefore, Khirthar National Park, and Wildlife Sanctuary Game Reserves make a complex called Khirthar Protected Area Complex (KPAC), comprising 1407.25 sq. miles.

Sindh High Court has directed the Sindh govt to ensure that the notified boundary of the park must remain protected. The entire area within the notified boundary of the park remains preserved and or is not diverted to any other use, failing which the concerned officials shall render themselves liable to appropriate proceedings.

The S&GAD constituted a committee under the Secretary of Forest & Wildlife with the director of Survey & Settlement, the Representative of Survey of Pakistan and the concerned DC have been made its members.

The task of the committee is to carry out a full-scale Cadastral Survey of Khirthar National Park and Protected Complex. It would also recommend permanent survey marks encircling the bounds of the Protected Complex, Cadastral Mapping and recommend its incorporation in the Revenue Deh Maps within sixty days.

The designated committee worked out the cost of Rs. 33,956,520/- for boundary demarcation and fixing of boundary pillars. The cabinet approved the funds for allocation of funds equal to Rs. 260,81,770 to complete the task within 75 days, initiating from the date of release of funds.

The committee or re-notifying the KPAC areas using GEO-referenced coordinates/boundaries after completion of the task and its due entry in the Revenue Record as Khirthar National Park and Protected Areas Complex.
Bokkos, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Dec, 2023) Armed groups have killed at least 160 people in central Nigeria in a series of attacks on villages, local government officials said on Monday.

"As many as 113 persons have been confirmed killed as Saturday hostilities persisted to early hours of Monday," Monday Kassah, head of the local government in Bokkos, Plateau State, told AFP.

Military gangs, locally called "bandits", launched "well-coordinated" attacks in "not fewer than 20 different communities" and torched houses, Kassah said.

"We found more than 300 wounded people" who were transferred to hospitals in Bokkos, Jos and Barkin Ladi, he said.

A provisional toll by the local Red Cross reported 104 deaths in 18 villages in the Bokkos region.

At least 50 people were also reported dead in several villages in the Barkin Ladi area, according to Dickson Chollom, a member of the state parliament.
Russian air strikes on the last major armed opposition stronghold in Syria killed five civilians from the same family, including three children, rescuers and a war monitor said on Tuesday

Armanaz, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Dec, 2023) Russian air strikes on the last major armed opposition stronghold in Syria killed five civilians from the same family, including three children, rescuers and a war monitor said on Tuesday.

Moscow is one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's key backers, providing him with military, political and economic support in the country's 12-year civil war.

"On December 25 at 10:00 pm (0700 GMT) Russian warplanes targeted civilian houses" on the outskirts of the town of Armanaz, in Idlib province, said Abdel Halim Shehab of the White Helmets voluntary search-and-rescue group.

Members of the White Helmets, which operates in rebel-held areas of northern Syria, pulled the victims from under the rubble of their house, he said.

"The victims were from the same family of six: five of them were killed and a child survived," he said, identifying the dead as the father, mother and three of their children.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor with a network of sources across the war-torn country, also said Russia carried out the strikes.

The Britain-based organisation reported the same toll of five dead and said the family's house was located on farmland near Armanaz.

On Tuesday, Syrian state news agency SANA reported that the army had downed and destroyed "eight terrorist drones in Idlib and Aleppo provinces".

Citing the defence ministry, it said forces responded to attempts to attack villages, towns and "military points".

A brutal Syrian government crackdown on Arab Spring-inspired protests that erupted in 2011 spiralled into a devastating war involving foreign armies, militias and jihadists.

More than half a million people have been killed in the conflict.

Russia's intervention in the war since 2015 has helped forces loyal to Assad claw back much of the territory they lost to rebels early in the conflict.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a jihadist group led by Al-Qaeda's former Syria branch, controls swathes of Idlib province and parts of neighbouring Aleppo, Hama and Latakia provinces.

The HTS is considered a terrorist organisation by Syria, the United States and the European Union. It regularly clashes with Syrian and allied Russian forces.

On Sunday, Syria's defence ministry said its forces had shot down seven drones launched by "terrorist organisations" in Hama and Aleppo provinces.

Since 2020, a ceasefire deal brokered by Russia and rebel-backer Turkey has largely held in Syria's northwest, despite periodic clashes.

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Israeli forces killed two Palestinians on Tuesday in a raid on a refugee camp near the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, the Palestinian health ministry said

Ramallah, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Dec, 2023) Israeli forces killed two Palestinians on Tuesday in a raid on a refugee camp near the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, the Palestinian health ministry said.

The two -- aged 17 and 31 -- were shot dead in the Fawwar refugee camp, south of Hebron, the ministry said.

The army said it carried out a "counter-terrorism" operation in the town of Fawwar.

It said during the operation "assailants hurled rocks, Molotov cocktails and fireworks at Israeli security forces".

The forces "responded with riot dispersal means and live fire. Hits were identified," the army added in a statement.

A resident from the camp told AFP that troops stormed the camp from its southern and northern entrances.

"The two men were killed just outside their homes," he said, asking to remain anonymous over security concerns.

He said after the death of the first man there were clashes in which five others were wounded and one of them later died.

Violence across the West Bank has flared since the war between Israel and Hamas militants erupted in the Gaza Strip following an attack on Israel by the Islamist group on October 7.

That attack left around 1,140 people, mostly civilians, dead in Israel, according to an AFP tally based on the latest official Israeli figures.

In Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza, 20,915 people have been killed, most of them women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

More than 300 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers since the Gaza war erupted, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah.

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Rescue teams battled in torrential rain Tuesday to find victims of flash floods across a South African province that left at least seven dead and 11 missing, officials said

JOHANNESBURG, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Dec, 2023) Rescue teams battled in torrential rain Tuesday to find victims of flash floods across a South African province that left at least seven dead and 11 missing, officials said.

A muddy deluge up to 10 metres (33 feet) deep swept through a district of Ladysmith, in KwaZulu Natal province, destroying homes and carrying away cars, rescuers said.

Six people were confirmed dead and 10 missing, provincial authorities said.

Further south, an overflowing river at Mandeni carried away three people. One eight-year-old boy was confirmed dead and one man was missing, the IPSS rescue organisation said.

Rainstorms held up the search for bodies in Ladysmith, 230 kilometres (140 miles) northwest of Durban, where the torrent hit late Sunday.

Tereza van den Berg, a team leader for IPSS, said that the torrent "in places 10 metres deep" tore through a caravan park and carried away vehicles crossing a bridge.

"Nobody had a chance to grab anything," she said. Some of the cars were found three kilometres downstream.

Three bodies were found in a minibus carrying nine passengers. The other six are still missing.

One body was found in a house that was completely destroyed while two other people who were also inside are still unaccounted for.

At least two other people were killed after becoming trapped in their cars by the floods that swept off the Bellspruit river.

More severe storms were predicted across the province on Tuesday.

KwaZulu Natal has been hit by worsening floods and weather disasters amidst the global rise in temperatures.

More than 450 people died in floods and landslides after a fierce storm hit Durban, the province's main city, in April 2022.

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Kyiv, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Dec, 2023) Ukraine's air force said Tuesday it had destroyed a Russian fleet ship off the Crimean peninsula suspected of carrying drones for use in Moscow's war against Kyiv.

"Around 2:30 am (0030 GMT) on December 26, tactical aviation of the Air Force attacked with cruise missiles the Novocherkassk large landing ship of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation in the area of Feodosia," it said in a post on messaging platform Telegram.

Feodosia is home to a major Russian naval base on the occupied Crimean peninsula.

In an earlier message, it said the Novocherkassk had been "destroyed", adding that "people say that it transported Shaheds.

Air force commandant Mykola Olechtchouk posted a video of a fiery explosion at the Russian naval base in Feodosia.

Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlin-backed head of Crimea, said: "An enemy attack was carried out in the area of Feodosia".

"The port area is cordoned off," he wrote on Telegram.

"As of now, the detonation has stopped and the fire has been localised. All relevant services are on site. Residents of several houses will be evacuated."

Ukraine frequently carries out strikes in Crimea, particularly targeting the Russian military.

In April 2022, it sank the cruiser Moskva, the flagship of the Black Sea fleet.
Vietnam Updates Regulations on Pharmaceutical Product Labeling

Vietnams Ministry of Health introduced new amendments to pharmaceutical products labeling and packaging regulations, effective starting January 15, 2024.

On November 30, 2023, Vietnams Ministry of Health (MoH) issued Circular 23/2023/TT-BYT (hereinafter referred to as the new Circular). The new Circular brings forth amendments to the existing regulations governing the labeling of pharmaceutical products, providing updates to the provisions established by the previous Circular No. 01/2018/TT-BYT, dated January 18, 2018.

Scheduled to become effective on January 15, 2024, the new Circular offers a transitional period allowing drugs or pharmaceutical materials manufactured or imported before January 01, 2025, to continue utilizing approved labels and package inserts until the respective batchs expiration.

For ongoing applications as of the circulars effective date, adherence to existing regulations is permissible unless the registrant voluntarily opts to align with the updated requirements. However, its imperative to emphasize that strict compliance with the new Circulars labeling and package insert specifications will be mandatory for drug introductions in Vietnam by January 01, 2025.

In this article we delve into the key details emerging from the new Circular, shedding light on the specific modifications introduced to labeling and packaging regulations in Vietnams pharmaceuticals industry.

Regulatory flexibility in packaging

Radioactive drugs

The amendments reflect an acknowledgment of the unique characteristics inherent in radioactive drugs. Unlike their conventional counterparts, these pharmaceuticals come with inherent risks and complexities that require a specialized regulatory approach.

Thus, recognizing that traditional packaging norms may not align with the nature of these substances, Clause 3 Article 3 states that labels and package inserts of radioactive drugs can be accompanied with drug delivery records sent to treatment facilities or stuck or affixed to packages used for storage or transport of drugs.

Emergency drugs

Clause 4 specifies regulatory flexibility for imported drugs that have obtained marketing authorization for purposes related (but not limited) to:

National defense and security;

Epidemic prevention and control; or

Disaster and calamity recovery.

Acknowledging the critical role of these pharmaceuticals in emergency situations, the revised provisions permit them to affix their package inserts onto their secondary packaging.

Labels information compliance

Secondary labeling for imported pharmaceuticals

The updated regulations in Article 5 of the new Circular focus on improving the information completeness of imported drugs.

By introducing secondary labeling for drugs lacking compulsory information, the regulatory framework aims to fill potential transparency gaps. After customs clearance, this initiative ensures that imported drugs include all necessary details, meeting regulatory standards and promoting increased transparency in the pharmaceutical supply chain

Customs clearance and language adaptation

The new Circular aims to simplify regulatory procedures by allowing easier customs clearance for adding or replacing package inserts in the Vietnamese language.

This modification supports clearer communication, ensuring that pharmaceutical information is readily accessible to local stakeholders. Moreover, by meeting language requirements, these changes facilitate a smoother market entry for imported pharmaceuticals.

Ingredients and composition

Article 16 of the new Circular introduces a crucial amendment mandating the specification of active ingredients and concentrations in the smallest units. This aims at enhancing accuracy in conveying information about pharmaceutical composition, promoting safer usage.

Guidelines for multi-dose liquid or semi-solid drugs

Building on this, the amendments provide comprehensive guidelines for expressing content in multi-dose liquid or semi-solid drugs. This step promotes standardized practices and clarity in presenting information about drug content.

Article 29 brings about significant changes, notably:

The requirement for information on the manufacturing date, expiry date, and batch number, originally in a foreign language on the original label, is now replaced with Vietnamese language. This ensures that the information is presented in the local language for better understanding.

Clear guidance is provided on the lifespan of certain drugs after opening the primary package. This applies to products like eye drops, nose drops, ear drops, ointment, gel, and orally administered multi-dose liquid drugs.

Inclusion of barcodes and QR codes

Embracing technological advancements, Article 35 facilitates the integration of barcodes, QR codes, DataMatrix Codes, or other relevant codes into labels.

This aligns with the MoHs roadmap for electronic instructions and labeling, contributing to the heightened traceability and efficiency of pharmaceutical products.

Ensuring information currency

Article 38 establishes a requirement for consistent updates for generic drugs, aligning their standards with those of original brand-name drugs. This commitment ensures that generic medications stay current and in compliance with evolving standards.

To further streamline this process, the new Circular delineates specific timelines for registrants and manufacturers of generic drugs to review and update information on labels and package inserts. This timeline spans 12 months from the date when the Drug Administration of Vietnam announces and publishes package inserts of original brand-name drugs on its website.

Its noteworthy that registrants and manufacturers are empowered to initiate these updates without notifying the MoH, unless explicitly requested by the Ministry.

Conclusion

Actively understanding and following new regulations on drug and pharmaceutical labeling in Vietnam is crucial to ensure compliance with evolving standards, fostering transparency and trust in the pharmaceutical supply chain.

Staying abreast of regulatory changes also facilitates seamless market entry, minimizing risks and enhancing the overall effectiveness of pharmaceutical operations in the dynamic Vietnams market.
Azerbaijan's foreign ministry said Tuesday that two French diplomats had been ordered to leave over actions "incompatible with their diplomatic status."

The ministry said in a statement it had summoned French ambassador Anne Boillon to express a "strong protest over the actions of two employees of the French Embassy."

Without providing further details, it said the two had been declared personae non gratae and ordered to leave the country within 48 hours.

The move came amid tense relations between the countries as Baku has accused France of being biased towards Armenia during European-mediated peace talks with its arch-foe.

In November, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev accused France of inciting conflicts in the Caucasus by arming Armenia.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have fought two wars over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Baku reclaimed the enclave in September after a lightning offensive against Armenian separatists who had controlled it for three decades.

Armenia and Azerbaijan had said a comprehensive peace agreement could be signed by the end of the year, but internationally mediated negotiations between the ex-Soviet republics have made little progress.

Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have met on several occasions for talks under the mediation of the European Union.

But in October, Aliyev refused to attend negotiations with Pashinyan in Spain, over what he said was France's "biased position".

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had been set to mediate the talks along with European Council President Charles Michel.

Home to a large Armenian diaspora, France has been routinely accused by Azerbaijan of pro-Armenian bias over the Caucasus countries' territorial conflict.
The death toll following the explosion of a smelting furnace at a Chinese-owned nickel plant on Indonesias Sulawesi island rose to 18 on Tuesday, as police ordered the plant to stop operations until an investigation into the incident is completed.

The accident, which occurred on Sunday, was the latest in a series of deadly incidents at nickel smelting plants in Indonesia that are part of Chinas ambitious transnational development program known as the Belt and Road Initiative.

Nickel is a key component in global battery production for electric vehicles.

Four Chinese and nine Indonesian workers died instantly on Sunday when the furnace exploded while they were repairing it, said Central Sulawesi police chief Agus Nugroho. Three more victims died a day later while being treated at a local hospital.

Two more workers died on Tuesday at the hospital, bringing the total number of fatalities to 18, including eight workers from China, said Deddy Kurniawan, a spokesperson for PT Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park, known as PT IMIP, the parent company of PT Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel, where the accident occurred.

The plant is in the Bahodopi neighborhood of Morowali regency.

We have ordered PT Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel to stop its operation until our entire investigation is completed, said Nugroho, the police chief, adding that authorities had set up a team to determine whether negligence by the company led to the deaths.

The blast was so powerful it demolished the furnace and damaged parts of the side walls of the building, Nugroho said.

PT IMIP said in a statement on Sunday that the furnace was under maintenance and not operating at the time of the accident. However, residual slag in the furnace came in contact with flammable items, causing the furnace walls to collapse and the remaining steel slag to flow out.

Rescuers extinguished the fire and evacuated workers after a nearly four-hour operation, Kurniawan said.

About 44 workers are still being treated at a hospital and the companys clinic on Tuesday with serious to minor injuries, including 11 Chinese nationals, Kurniawan said.

In a news briefing on Monday, Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning expressed condolences for the victims and said that China is saddened by the casualties caused by the accident.

She said her ministry is working closely with authorities in Indonesia and has instructed the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta to assist in the aftermath, including ensuring medical treatment is provided to the injured and helping to determine the cause of the accident.

It was the third deadly incident this year at Chinese-owned nickel smelting plants in Central Sulawesi province, which has the largest nickel reserves in Indonesia.

Two dump truck operators were killed when they were engulfed by a wall of black sludge-like material following the collapse of a nickel waste disposal site in April.

In January, two workers, including a Chinese national, were killed in riots that involved workers of the two nations at an Indonesia-China joint venture in neighboring North Morowali regency.

Last year, a loader truck ran over and killed a Chinese worker while he was repairing a road in PT IMIPs mining area, and an Indonesian man burned to death when a furnace in the companys factory exploded.

Nearly 50% of PT IMIPs shares are owned by a Chinese holding company, and the rest are owned by two Indonesian companies. It began smelter operations in 2013 and is now the largest nickel-based industrial area in Indonesia.


The U.S. has retaliated against an Iran-back militia in Iraq following an attack on an American base there, and Ukraine has damaged a Russian Navy ship in Crimea. We look at journalists amid a culture of political misinformation and we look at the crisis facing people who need organ transplants.
Gunmen attacked remote villages over the weekend in north-central Nigeria's Plateau state, killing at least 140 people, officials and survivors said Tuesday, the latest case this year of such mass killings blamed on the farmer-herder crisis in the West African nation.

The assailants targeted 17 communities in "senseless and unprovoked" attacks on Saturday and Sunday, burning down most houses in the area, Plateau Governor Caleb Mutfwang said in a broadcast on the local Channels Television.

"As I am talking to you, in Mangu local governorate alone, we buried 15 people. As of this morning, in Bokkos, we are counting not less than 100 corpses. I am yet to take stock of [the deaths in] Barkin Ladi," Mutfwang said. "It has been a very terrifying Christmas for us here in Plateau."

Amnesty International's Nigeria office told The Associated Press that it has so far confirmed 140 deaths in the Christian-dominated Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi areas of Plateau, based on data compiled by its workers on the ground and from local officials. There were fears of a higher death toll as some people remained unaccounted for.

Some of the locals said that it took more than 12 hours before security agencies responded to their calls for help, a claim the AP couldn't independently verify. The claim echoes past concerns about slow interventions in Nigeria's deadly security crisis, which has killed hundreds this year, including in Plateau.

"I called security, but they never came. The ambush started [at] 6 in the evening, but security reached our place by 7 in the morning," said Sunday Dawum, a youth leader in Bokkos. At least 27 people were killed in his village, Mbom Mbaru, including his brother, he said.

No group took responsibility for the attacks, although blame fell on herders from the Fulani tribe, who have been accused of carrying out such mass killings across the northwest and central regions where the decadeslong conflict over access to land and water has further worsened the sectarian division between Christians and Muslims in Africa's most populous nation.

The Nigerian army said it has begun "clearance operations" in search of suspects, with the help of other security agencies, although arrests are rare in such attacks.

Abdullsalam Abubakar, who commands the army's special intervention operation in Plateau and neighboring states, said his forces "will not rest" until they find those responsible.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who was elected this year after promising to tackle security challenges his predecessor had failed to address, instructed security agencies to "scour every stretch of the zone and apprehend the culprits," according to a statement from his office. He also ordered the "immediate mobilization of relief resources" for the survivors and prompt medical treatment for the wounded, it said.

Amnesty's Nigeria director, Isa Sanusi, said Tinubu's government and others have failed to take "tangible action" to protect lives and ensure justice for victims in the conflict-hit northern region.

"Sometimes they claim to make arrests, but there is no proof they have done so," he said. "The brazen failure of the authorities to protect the people of Nigeria is gradually becoming the norm."
Students in the United States usually fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, once a year. The form determines your eligibility for scholarships and need-based aid.

Next years FAFSA has changed in some important ways; Sarah Wood of the US News & World Report explains. (December 2023)
Their first battle plan was outdated the moment the dam crumbled. So the Ukrainian special forces officers spent six months adapting their fight to secure a crossing to the other side of the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine.

But it wasn't enough just to cross the river. They needed backup to hold it. And for that, they needed proof that it could be done. For one of the officers, nicknamed Skif, that meant a Ukrainian flag  and a photo op.

Skif, Ukrainian shorthand for the nomadic Scythian people who founded an empire on what is now Crimea, moves like the camouflaged amphibian that he is: calculating, deliberate, until the time to strike.

He is a Center 73 officer, one of Ukraine's most elite units of special forces.

Their mission on the more dynamic of the two main fronts in the six-month counteroffensive reflects many of the problems of Ukraine's broader effort. It's been one of the few counteroffensive successes for the Ukrainian army.

By late May, the Center 73 men were in place along the river's edge, some almost within view of the Kakhovka Dam. They were within range of the Russian forces who had controlled the dam and land across the Dnipro since the first days after the February 2022 full-scale invasion. And both sides knew Ukraine's looming counteroffensive had its sights on control of the river as the key to reclaim the occupied south.

In the operation's opening days, on June 6, an explosion destroyed the dam, sending a wall of reservoir water downstream and washing out the Ukrainian army positions. An AP investigation found evidence Russia was responsible.

"We were ready to cross. And then the dam blew up," Skif said.

The water rose 20 meters (66 feet), submerging Skif's supply lines, the Russian positions and everything else in its path. The race was on: Whose forces could seize the islands when the waters receded, and with them, full control of the Dnipro?

AP joined one of the clandestine units several times over six months along the Dnipro. The frogmen are nocturnal. They transform themselves from nondescript civilians into elite fighters, some in wetsuits and some in boats. In the morning, when their operations end, they're back to anonymity.

Ukraine created the special services operations in response to Russia's lightning-fast annexation of Crimea in 2014, a precursor to the widescale invasion of Ukraine eight years later.

"We realized that we were much smaller in terms of number than our enemy," said Oleksandr Kindratenko, a press officer for Special Operations Forces. "The emphasis was placed on quality. These were supposed to be small groups performing operational or strategic tasks."

He said they were trained and equipped in part by Europeans, including those from NATO countries, but their own recent battle experience means they are now as much teachers as students.

Skif knew he first had to plan and persuade the generals that if his men could secure a bridgehead, it would be worthwhile to send troops. And that would mean high-risk river missions.

But a lucky thing happened in early autumn. A Russian officer who claimed he'd been opposed to the war since its beginning was sent to the front in Kherson. It was, he later said, every bit as bad as he'd feared.

He contacted Ukrainian intelligence and said he had 11 comrades who felt similarly. The group surrendered together, and Skif ended up taking custody of the Russian officer and his men.

The surrendered Russians told him exactly what he needed to know about their unit on the little island they were now tasked with taking, just outside the village of Krynky.

He was sure he could take the island and more with 20 experienced men. But not without the promise of sufficient backup so Ukrainian regular forces could hold the territory. Fine, his commander said. He'd get the backup  if he returned with footage of his unit in the village hoisting the Ukrainian flag.

And that's how, in mid-October, a Ukrainian drone carrying the national blue and yellow flag came to fly above Krynky at just the moment Skif and his men made their way to the occupied village across the river. They got their photo op, sent it to the military headquarters and established the bridgehead.

Multiple Ukrainian brigades were sent to hold the position and have been there ever since, including those men from Center 73 still in shape to fight.

But nighttime temperatures are dipping well below freezing, and Ukrainian forces are vastly underequipped compared with the Russians nearby. Holding and advancing in winter is much harder on soldiers' bodies and their morale.

In recent weeks, Russia has sent waves of glide bombs  essentially enormous munitions retrofitted with gliding apparatus to allow them to be launched from dozens of kilometers away, as well as swarms of grenade-launching drones and Chinese all-terrain vehicles, according to the Institute for the Study of War and the Hudson Institute, two American think tanks analyzing open-source footage from the area.

But Ukrainian forces and Center 73 keep fighting.

"My phone book is a little graveyard," Skif said one evening, coordinating over the radio with his men on another boat mission. "This is our work. No one knows about it, no one talks about it, and we do it with little reward except to benefit our country."
The Indian army ordered on Monday a Court of Inquiry to probe the circumstances around the deaths of three civilians on Friday in Poonch district on the Indian side of Jammu and Kashmir.

India and Pakistan each control parts of Muslim-majority Kashmir, where militants have fought Indian security forces for decades.

Troops from 48 Rashtriya Rifles  a counterinsurgency force of the Indian army  had detained eight people from Topa Pir village in the Poonch district for questioning after a deadly ambush on security forces on Dec. 21.

In the attack by anti-India rebels, four Indian soldiers were killed and three others injured.

Local residents and family members of those detained alleged all eight civilians were tortured, with three of them  identified as Safeer Hussain, Mohammad Showkat and Shabir Ahmed  dying while in military custody.

Videos allegedly showing the torture of the detained civilians were circulated on social media, which triggered anger among local residents.

Two of the three men, including my nephew, seen in the video died in army custody due to inhumane treatment, Mohammad Siddiq, a shopkeeper and an elected member of the local self-government body known as Panchayat, told VOA. Five other people are battling for their lives.

In a statement released late Saturday, the Indian military said reports have been received regarding three civilian deaths in Poonch, The Associated Press reported. The statement continued, The matter is under investigation. Indian army stands committed to extending full support and cooperation in the conduct of investigations, according to AP.

Local media on Sunday reported that four senior officers were removed from their unit following the demands by locals and regional pro-India political parties to ensure a fair investigation into the matter.

Lieutenant Colonel Devender Anand, public relations officer of the Indian army in the Jammu region, told VOA. I am not aware of any incident as I am on leave.

Haseeb Mughal, deputy inspector general of police in Rajouri-Poonch range, confirmed to VOA that police have filed a first information report in the case at Surankote police station in Poonch.

He refused to provide any additional information.

The alleged custodial killings triggered protests on the Indian side of Kashmir led by politicians affiliated with pro-India political parties.

We condemned the killing of our security forces and similarly we condemn the killings of civilians, National Conference General-Secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar told VOA. We demand [a] fair probe into this matter and punishment should be given to everyone involved in this criminal activity."

Guftar Ahmed Chowdhary, an advocate and political activist from the region, told VOA that people in and around the village are terrified after the incident.

The sad part is that the people living in Rajouri and Poonch have stood for the nation and the army, Chowdhary said. People demand exemplary punishment to be given to the culprits involved in heinous crime.

Choudhary Mohd Yasin, deputy commissioner of Poonch, did not respond to calls from VOA for comment.

In a separate incident, militants on Sunday morning killed the former senior superintendent of police, Mohammad Shafi, in Jammu and Kashmirs Baramulla district. Shafi was offering morning prayers at a local mosque.
Israel on Tuesday said it plans to expand ground fighting in central Gaza Strip's densely populated refugee camps and that its war on Hamas could last several more months, raising concerns from the United Nations.

"There are no short cuts in dismantling a terrorist organization," army chief Herzi Halevi said Tuesday, referring to Hamas militants.

The Israeli military said it attacked more than 100 targets, including tunnel shafts and sites used by Hamas militants to organize attacks against Israeli forces.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said, "We have expanded the fighting to an area known as the central camps."

The expansion of fighting in central Gaza prompted the United Nations on Tuesday to voice alarm over Israeli attacks that killed more than 100 Palestinians in the past two days.

"We are gravely concerned about the continued bombardment of Middle Gaza by Israeli forces, which has claimed more than 100 Palestinian lives since Christmas Eve," U.N. Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango said on Tuesday.

"Israeli forces must take all measures available to protect civilians. Warnings and evacuation orders do not absolve them of the full range of their international humanitarian law obligations," Magango said.

Residents reported airstrikes and shelling in the areas of the Nuseirat, Maghazi and Bureij refugee camps in central Gaza.

Radwan Abu Sheitta, who lives in Bureij, told The Associated Press by phone, "The bombing was very intense."

Israeli army chief Halevi told reporters in a televised statement on Tuesday from the Gaza border that the war would go on "for many months."



"There are no magic solutions, there are no shortcuts in dismantling a terrorist organization, only determined and persistent fighting," Halevi said. "We will reach Hamas' leadership too, whether it takes a week or if it takes months."

On Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke by phone with Qatari Emir Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, a White House statement said.

"The two leaders discussed the urgent effort to secure the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas, including American citizens," the White House readout said, adding the two leaders also talked about increasing access to humanitarian aid.

Qatar and Egypt mediated the brief cease-fire and hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas in late November. However, current diplomatic efforts have fallen short.

The White House said Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer met on Tuesday with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan for talks on a number of matters related to the conflict in Gaza.

Late Tuesday, a White House official said Sullivan and Dermer discussed transitioning to a different phase of the war to focus on high-value Hamas targets, and planning for the day after fighting ends, including governance and security in Gaza.

Earlier Tuesday, Israel returned the bodies of 80 Palestinians killed in Gaza after taking them from morgues and graves to check that there were no hostages among them, sources in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Health Ministry said.

Gaza authorities buried the unidentified bodies on Tuesday, the Health Ministry said.

On October 7, Hamas militants poured over the border with Gaza and attacked southern Israeli communities, killing about 1,200 people, according to Israel. The group, designated a terrorist group by the U.S. and others, also seized around 240 hostages, of whom 129 remain in Gaza.

In response, Israel vowed to crush Hamas and launched an air, land and sea offensive on Gaza. The Israeli offensive has left vast parts of Gaza in ruins and killed nearly 21,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The fighting has also displaced most of Gaza's 2.3 million people, with many trying to find safety in overcrowded, U.N.-run shelters in southern Gaza.

The Israeli army said Tuesday that 158 Israeli soldiers have been killed inside Gaza since fighting began in October.

VOA's Mykhailo Komadovsky contributed to this report. Some material for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian naval landing ship in Crimea on Tuesday, inflicting another blow to Russias Black Sea fleet.

The Ukrainian air force said it used cruise missiles and that the attack destroyed the Novocherkassk.

Yurii Ihnat, spokesperson of Ukraines Air Forces Command, told VOA the Ukrainian military had information about the ships location and cargo, as well as Russian air defenses protecting the region.

Ihnat called the attack an extremely difficult operation because it is not easy to sink such a ship.

Ukraines military is getting better at delivering high-precision strikes, Ihnat said, adding that Russia is losing, little by little, the Black Sea fleet and its influence in the Black Sea.

Ihnat said he could not confirm whether the Novocherkassk was carrying Iranian-made drones, but said that could not be ruled out, nor whether the ship had ammunition Russia had received from its allies for use in Ukraine.

The Russian defense ministry said the Ukrainian attack damaged the Novocherkassk at a base in Feodosia.

Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-installed governor of Crimea, said on Telegram the attack killed one person and injured two others.

Ukrainian Vice Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa, commander of the Ukrainian Navy, told VOA the Tuesday attack will have an effect on the presence of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea.

Now the ships of the Black Sea Fleet, which is located in Feodosia, understand that they are also the objects of attack by the armed forces of Ukraine, including at this base point, he said.

Russian news agencies reported President Vladimir Putin was briefed about the attack.

Ukraines military also reported Tuesday downing 13 of 19 drones that Russia used in attacks overnight. It said the drones were destroyed in the Odesa, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Khmelnytskyi regions.

Russia claimed Monday that its forces had captured the strategic town of Maryinka in eastern Ukraine, but Kyiv disputed the claim, reporting that its troops had repelled three unsuccessful attacks near the ruined and nearly deserted community.

"It's not correct to talk about seizing Maryinka," Ukrainian military spokesman Oleksandr Shtupun told Ukrainian TV following claims made by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during a televised meeting with President Vladimir Putin.

"The fighting for Maryinka continues, Shtupun said. Currently, our servicemen are within the administrative borders of Maryinka, but the city has been completely destroyed, he added.

Maryinka is a relatively small town  with a prewar population under 10,000  but, according to British intelligence, the Russian military has been seeking to capture it in order to advance further west and better protect occupied Donetsk city.

Ukraine also said Monday it had received $1.34 billion in financing, mostly through the World Bank  funds that will be partially used to compensate social programs for monies lost to security and defense financial needs.

The Finance Ministry said the package consisted of a $1.086 billion loan from the World Bank, a $190 million grant from Norway, $50 million from the United States, and $20 million from Switzerland.

"International financial assistance is a significant contribution to maintaining the financial and economic stability of Ukraine and allows us to ensure priority social expenditures during the war," Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said.

"Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the governments of Japan, the United States, Norway, and Switzerland have repeatedly demonstrated their unwavering support and solidarity to Ukraine," he added.

Late Monday, the text of a draft law posted on the website of Ukraine's parliament proposed lowering the age of those who can be mobilized for combat duty to 25 from 27.

The draft text detailed which Ukrainian citizens would be subject to enrollment for military registration of conscripts and said it would apply to those "who have reached the age of 25."

President Zelenskyy told his end-of-year news conference on Dec. 19 that the military had proposed mobilizing 450,000-500,000 more Ukrainians, but that it was a "highly sensitive" issue that the military and government would discuss before deciding whether to send the proposal to parliament.

Zelenskyy, who has yet to back the proposal publicly, said on Dec. 19 that he wanted to hear more arguments for mobilizing additional people. "This is a very serious number," he said.

VOA's Myroslava Gongadze, Ihar Tsikhanenka and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty contributed to this report. Some material for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
U.S. and Mexican officials are due to meet Wednesday in Mexico City to discuss what the White House has described as a dramatic increase in the flow of migrants through the region in recent months.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and White House Homeland Security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall are representing the U.S. side, with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador hosting the talks which include Mexicos security cabinet.

Speaking to reporters Friday, Lopez Obrador said Mexico and the United States would continue to work together, highlighting the need to have migration proceed in an orderly manner and to address the root causes of what makes people leave their homes. He said the phenomenon of migration is not by choice, but by necessity.

Mexicos foreign ministry said in a statement that Wednesdays meeting represents an opportunity to reaffirm cooperation on migration matters, including the expansion of legal pathways for migrants.

Mexico agreed in May to take in migrants from countries such as Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba who were turned away from the U.S. border for not following rules providing pathways to asylum or other forms of migration.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 242,418 migrant encounters in November, similar to October and the same period last year, but about 70,000 more than in November 2022.

The U.S. last week briefly closed a pair of rail crossings with Mexico, citing migrants using freight trains to travel to areas near the border and the need to redirect CBP personnel to assist U.S. Border Patrol with taking migrants into custody.

Days ahead of Wednesdays meeting, a group of migrants estimated at 6,000 people departed from Tapachula, near Mexicos southern border with Guatemala, marking one of the largest such groups in more than a year trying to make their way to the U.S. border.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said U.S. President Joe Biden and Lopez Obrador discussed in a phone call what steps could be taken within Mexico to slow the increase in migrants heading for the U.S. border.

Kirby cited rail and highway checkpoints, as well as the presence of the Mexican military in the southern part of the country, and said Wednesdays meeting will include working on those kinds of actions in further detail.

A way to get at this is to work with neighboring nations to try to get at these root causes, Kirby told reporters at a White House briefing Thursday. He added that the U.S., at the same time, could work on its own immigration policies and border security.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters
Israeli forces carried out fresh airstrikes Tuesday in multiple parts of the Gaza Strip as the countrys military chief said the conflict will likely go on for many more months.

"There are no short cuts in dismantling a terrorist organization," army chief Herzi Halevi said Tuesday referring to Hamas militants.

The Israeli military said it attacked more than 100 targets, including tunnel shafts and sites used by Hamas militants to organize attacks against Israeli forces.

Residents reported airstrikes and shelling in the areas of the Nuseirat, Maghazi and Bureij refugee camps in central Gaza.

U.N. officials expressed concern Tuesday about the recent deadly Israeli military strikes in Gaza.

"We are gravely concerned about the continued bombardment of Middle Gaza by Israeli forces, which has claimed more than 100 Palestinian lives since Christmas Eve," said UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in comments to members of his Likud party Monday, said Israel needs to apply military pressure against Hamas if it is to succeed in freeing the remaining hostages held by the militant group.

We are expanding the fight in the coming days, and this will be a long battle and it isnt close to finished, Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu also outlined similar parameters in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, reiterating his governments position that Hamas must be destroyed, the Gaza Strip must be demilitarized, and Palestinian society must be deradicalized.

The White House said Israels Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer was meeting with Secretary of State Tony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan Tuesday for talks on a number of matters related to the conflict in Gaza and the return of hostages held by Hamas.

The Israeli offensive, which has included thousands of airstrikes in addition to ground operations, has left vast parts of Gaza in ruins and killed 20,600 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry.

The fighting has also displaced most of Gazas 2.3 million people, with many trying to find safety in overcrowded, U.N.-run shelters in southern Gaza.

Hamas militants poured into the Gaza border on October 7 and attacked southern Israeli communities, killing about 1,200 people, according to Israel. The group, designated a terrorist group by the U.S. and others, also seized around 240 hostages, of whom 129 remain in Gaza.

In response, Israel vowed to crush Hamas and launched an air, land and sea offensive on Gaza.

Israel said Hamas is to blame for the high civilian death toll, citing its use of crowded residential areas and a system of tunnels throughout the enclave.

Egypt Monday proposed a plan to end the current conflict with a cease-fire, a phased hostage release and the formation of a Palestinian government of experts to administer the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, according to a senior Egyptian official and a European diplomat familiar with the proposal.

Israel and Hamas were cool to the initial proposal but stopped short of an outright rejection, leaving open the possibility of a new round of diplomacy between the two long-standing enemies.

The Egyptian official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the proposal, said the details were worked out with the Gulf nation of Qatar and presented to Israel, Hamas, the United States and European governments, according to The Associated Press.

VOAs Mykhailo Komadovsky contributed to this report. Some material for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has raised concerns about the prevalence of foreign films in Vietnam, both on television and in cinemas, during the inaugural National Conference on the Development of Cultural Industries.

The event, which took place on Dec. 22 and was presided over by the Prime Minister, witnessed participation from numerous governmental departments, UNESCO's Vietnam representatives, heads of industry organizations, businesses, specialists, and artists. The focus was on the evolution of Vietnam's cultural sector, including its challenges and potential strategies for improvement.

Prime Minister Chinh highlighted that approximately 70% of the films screened in cinemas and on television are international productions. He expressed his discomfort, stating: "I feel gut-wrenching seeing foreign films on TV every time I turn it on."

He further commented on the constraints in the content and form of domestic cultural offerings, mentioning the absence of significant works that reflect the nation's socio-economic progress and the susceptibility to external influences, such as pandemics.

In response, he suggested more investment in movies that connect with the audience.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh addressing the conference on Dec. 22, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Nhat Bac

Support for the Prime Minister's perspective was apparent among various attendees.

The Culture, Sports, and Tourism Minister Nguyen Van Hung acknowledged Vietnam's intermediate status in cultural production and recognized its substantial potential for growth.

Agriculture Minister Le Minh Hoan highlighted the pivotal role of culture, particularly film, in diverse sectors such as the economy, agriculture, and tourism. He stressed the need to reevaluate the "power of culture" and utilize it to enhance Vietnam's global image.

From the business perspective, Ngo Thi Bich Hanh, CEO of BHD, a company specializing in content creation and distribution, urged for governmental support and improved conditions for film production, citing the current intricate bureaucratic procedures.

She advocated for the construction of more cinemas and studios, reduction in land-rental and utility expenses for cinemas, easier access to loans for cultural projects, and tougher penalties for copyright violations.

"Stealing a motorbike leads to imprisonment, but illegally recording and broadcasting a film worth VND30-40 billion (US$1.2-1.6 million) results in mere administrative fines," she noted.

Representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Information and Communications, Union of Literature and Arts Associations of Vietnam, state-owned companies, and artists also offered their viewpoints and suggestions during the conference.
The Kremlin on Tuesday acknowledged a Ukrainian attack had damaged a warship in the occupied Crimean port of Feodosia in what Ukraine and its Western allies called a major setback for the Russian navy.

Ukraine said its air force destroyed the Novocherkassk landing ship, with President Volodymyr Zelensky joking on social media that the vessel had now joined "the Russian underwater Black Sea fleet".

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu informed "about the damage to our large landing ship" to President Vladimir Putin in "a very detailed report", the president's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

Russia's defence ministry said that the ship was damaged by guided aerial missiles.

Ukraine's military said its air force destroyed the Russian naval ship in a missile attack on the eastern Crimean port.

The Ukrainian defence ministry wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the "Novocherkassk landing ship was destroyed in Feodosia tonight".

It published an unattributed photo showing flames and smoke in a port at night.

- Black Sea dominance -

"Ukraine's aviation did an excellent job. Crimea is Ukraine. There is no place for the occupier's fleet here," the ministry wrote.

In his post on social media, Zelensky wrote: "The occupiers will not have a single peaceful place in Ukraine".

The attack comes after Ukraine struck the Black Sea fleet's headquarters in Sevastopol in September, forcing Moscow to move warships to ports further east.

British defence minister Grant Shapps wrote on Twitter that "this latest destruction of Putin's navy demonstrates that those who believe there's a stalemate in the Ukraine war are wrong!"

"Russia's dominance in the Black Sea is now challenged," he added.

Ukraine nevertheless announced a setback on the eastern front Tuesday.

Commander-in-chief Valeriy Zaluzhny said that troops had pulled back in the town of Maryinka, which is close to the key Russian-held city of Donetsk.

He said troops were still present on the outskirts, after Russia on Monday claimed to fully control the town.

- Ship 'transported Shaheds' -

Ukraine's air force said that its tactical aviation attacked the Novocherkassk with cruise missiles at around 0030 GMT in the area of Feodosia.

Videos posted on social media showed a fire on the horizon in a port area, followed by a loud explosion that sent up a ball of fire and was apparently followed by multiple explosions.

Ukraine's armed forces said that "on board of the ship were Shahed drones that Russia uses for attacks on Ukrainian cities".

Ukraine frequently carries out strikes in Crimea, particularly targeting the Russian military.

In April 2022, it sank the cruiser Moskva, the flagship of the Black Sea fleet.

The Novocherkassk was previously used by Russia for its military intervention in Syria.

The governor of the Russian-annexed peninsula, Sergei Aksyonov, wrote on Telegram: "Sadly, one person was killed and two others were wounded in an enemy attack on Feodosia."

Crimea's Krym 24 television reported that two had been hospitalised in a moderately severe condition.

Aksyonov said earlier that the city's port was cordoned off following "an enemy attack" that caused a "detonation" and fire.

Six buildings were damaged, mostly with broken windows, the governor said, and some local residents have been evacuated.

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While Phu Quoc is trying to revive its tourism industry, readers pointed to a vexing problem: flying to the island costs much more than to other countries in Southeast Asia.

"A cheapest Hanoi  Phu Quoc return ticket for the New Year holidays costs VND6.8 million and for very inconvenient hours. A Hanoi  Bangkok return ticket costs less than VND4.9 million. It is hard to understand that flying domestically costs more than for flying overseas. Why?"

Nguyenbaminh

"A return ticket from Hanoi to Bali costs less than VND5 million, much more than to Phu Quoc, while the distance is twice as long. Even a ticket from Hanoi to several Philippine islands that includes two halts costs less than for a direct flight to Phu Quoc. I expect an explanation from people in the Vietnamese aviation industry and tourism businesses in Phu Quoc."

Phubivietnam

"Higher airfares only bring more difficulties for Phu Quoc tourism. A visit to Phu Quoc will simply become unaffordable for many people. It costs nearly VND7 million just to fly to Phu Quoc while a whole package tour to Thailand costs only VND8 million. When Phu Quoc tourism is struggling, airfares should have been reduced to boost demand."

Haipham

"Many countries make travel price cuts during holidays to stimulate consumption. But in Vietnam, travel prices go through the ceiling every holiday. Its very odd."

Ngocphu
SPF, supermodels and sustainability: these were some of the hallmarks of the multimillion and billion-dollar deals this year that led to iconically Australian brands such as Bondi Sands and Zimmermann being sold to international conglomerates.

In early April, luxury cosmetics brand Aesop  founded in Melbourne in 1987 and famous for its hand wash and hand cream  changed owners from Brazilian parent company Natura & Co Holding to LOreal in a $3.7 billion deal, the highest price tag on record paid for an Australian luxury brand.

An Aesop boutique on Regent Street in London. Founded in Melbourne, Aesop has 400 stores around the world. Credit: Bloomberg

Then in July, Four Pillars came under full Japanese ownership (though the founders swear that nothing will change to its beloved gin) after Lion acquired the remaining 50 per cent of the business for $50 million.

In early August, self-tanning and skincare brand Bondi Sands surprised consumers when it revealed it had sold to Tokyo-listed chemicals and cosmetics giant Kao Corporation for a reported $450 million.
Like many couples, when Pia and Amanda Salvatore began IVF they found the experience physically, emotionally and financially challenging. Being in a queer relationship, they sought to orientate themselves by seeking out stories like their own. Despite attending a queer-friendly IVF clinic and witnessing friends go through fertility treatments, Instagram helped demystify the process and created a sense of connection. I feel like there was so much unknown when we started fertility treatment in late 2020, admits Pia. It all felt very clinical and faceless. Communication was just like: This is the information you need, these are the results of your blood test, this is whats happening next. Pia and Amanda Salvatore are expecting their first child. Credit: Ben Thomson While the intentions of IVF influencers are good, not everyone is comfortable with their growing presence. Dr Karin Hammarberg is a senior research fellow at Monash Universitys School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, and has more than 20 years experience as a clinical coordinator of IVF programs. Observing the preconceptions her patients draw from social media, she worries about how fertility is presented online. I think [influencers] potentially oversell the possibilities of IVF. Most talk about successes, very few talk about failures, she says. The reality of IVF is that about half of the people who use it will have a baby  the other half wont. But we hear much more about the people who do have a baby than dont. The social media picture is much rosier than the reality.

That disconnect hit Pia too. While she appreciated witnessing other families like hers, she admits: Eventually [following influencers] stressed me out. It was emotionally taxing to see these people with this beautifully curated experience of IVF while we were struggling. Eventually, she unfollowed most of them. In April, another aspect of fertility influencer culture became national news when Big Brother star Tully Smyth announced a sponsorship deal with Monash IVF to freeze her eggs. In an Instagram video she said: I did some research, and Ive heard so many glowing recommendations, so many beautiful stories about peoples experiences with the Monash IVF team. Smyths news was met with criticism from followers, media and healthcare providers who shared discomfort about seeing such a personal and loaded procedure being given the branded content treatment. When I saw the paid posts it felt quite sinister, says Pia. Because people are having to pay so much to access these services, and then some person who is obviously doing pretty well for themselves is getting it for free or cheap. Its like, I dont need to see this person doing this thing thats really a slog, and putting a nice filter and hashtag on it.

In a statement to this masthead, Zoe Schwarz, outsourced general counsel leader at Burch&Co who provide legal council for Monash IVF, defended the use of influencers. There can be a lot of stigma around services like IVF, so engaging influencers with a platform who can speak to their lived experience with services, like egg freezing, can empower people to make considered decisions and create a societal shift in how people think and behave in relation to their fertility, says Schwarz. Loading When approached, Monash IVF declined to comment. Smyth might have received the most public criticism, but shes not alone. In 2021, The Bachelor star and podcast host Brittany Hockley froze her eggs as part of a partnership with Sydney clinic Genea. When former AFLW player Moana Hope and her then partner Isabella Carlstrom announced the birth of their child, they tagged Monash IVF, though it wasnt marked as a paid partnership. Speaking to IVF influencers, the parameters of what actually counts as a partnership can be difficult to define. Many say theyre often sent products as gifts they may choose to share on social media if they feel aligned to the brands. Others form alternative commercial relationships.

Ive done paid posts. But with my clinic, I did their marketing campaign, says Amy. It was a whole day of filming, so of course we got paid. It was no different than if I was going to do a Best and Less campaign  its still my time and my familys time. In her online community, Amy has noticed that compensated relationships between influencers and fertility clinics have become more common. It remains a divisive topic. Ive heard people complain in IVF circles about clinics offering discounted cycles to influencers, she says. People feel its in bad taste to be offering a discount on a baby. Personally, I would have liked a half-priced cycle when I was paying tens of thousands of dollars, but its a weird space to be in. Hannah McElhinney is a creative director and content creator. When she decided to freeze her eggs earlier this year she turned to social media. Initially, she found the experience positive and appreciated how it demystified the process. She even began sharing updates on Instagram and TikTok that documented the daily injections, bloating, discomfort and financial stress associated with egg freezing. But she soon became disturbed by the commercial response. When I was making the content, a couple of IVF clinics contacted me about sharing it and I said no, admits Hannah. Im happy I didnt do it  not because I think its a bad thing to get this information out there, but because I wouldnt want to be seen as endorsing a process that for me was really complex and personal, and also isnt financially accessible to everyone.

The financial aspect of IVF is often where the morality of influencing becomes complicated. While access to IVF is broadening, its still deeply financially prohibitive. According to Finder, the average cycle costs $8015, with a Medicare rebate of $3027. But thats for a single cycle  most people will require several. Medicare doesnt cover associated costs like specialist appointments, medication, embryo transfer, theatre hire, anaesthetics or egg freezing and storage. And this doesnt include the non-direct costs, such as psychology appointments, vitamins, specialty foods and time off work. Many people choose to do IVF rather than buying their first home or withdraw money from their super accounts  an occurrence thats becoming common. While access to IVF is broadening, its still deeply financially prohibitive. The choice by influencers to do paid promotions or accept discounted treatments is understandable. As Amy  who began saving for IVF in her twenties  points out, influencing work is time-consuming. When it comes to IVF, Im so welcoming of people doing paid partnerships. At the end of the day, Im doing all the free stuff in that space and I have been for years. But if brands want to pay me to make content for them, Id 100 per cent take that work.

While Amys position is logical on a personal financial level, this collision of fertility and commerce still raises issues. Despite increases in publicly funded services, the majority of IVF treatments in Australia occur in private facilities. And with the growing demand, the fertility market has proven to be profitable. Business Insider has reported: Globally, the fertility-services market will be worth about $54 billion this year and is expected to grow to $90 billion by 2027. Loading In that light, Hammarberg sees fertility influencers paid posts as less about individuals trying to make ends meet, and more as a ripple in the larger trend of IVF capitalism. I have seen [branded IVF social content] and Ive been disturbed by it, says Hammarberg. Big IVF clinics are corporatised and listed on the stock exchange and really have a profit-making imperative. That focus on profit has also influenced whats on offer, as growing competition creates a greater need to stand out. Increasingly, fertility providers are boasting about more than their conception success rates. Theyre borrowing tactics from beauty and wellness industries to sell fertility as a luxury product.

With tens of thousands of followers, board certified infertility specialist and fertility queen Lynn Burmeister is a fertility influencer herself. Shes also the medical director of No. 1 Fertility, a boutique style fertility clinic located in the heart of Melbourne centred around wellness, science and a holistic approach. Loading When Hannah was looking to freeze her eggs, she chose No. 1 Fertility. Taking in the clinics pink walls, satin furnishings, fresh flowers and terrazzo floors she says it was like the Coco Chanel of IVF clinics. Hannah is open about selecting a specialist like she would a facialist or masseuse. She did some Googling, liked an aesthetic, scanned their socials and booked in because it felt familiar to other places she might spend an expensive afternoon. Scanning through hashtags like #ivf, #ttc, #fertility, #ivfsupport, #ivfsuccess and #ivfcommunity is a journey through thousands of personal stories of pain, success, disappointment and solidarity. And even as these feeds become more complex  cluttered by sponsored posts and the promotion of services whose price and impact can feel problematic  its hard to ignore the value of that wider community.
I havent seen CCTV footage with such good pixilation, he said. Excerpt from draft report of lip-reader Tim Reedy, showing instructions given to Reedy by lawyers for Network Ten, tendered in evidence in Bruce Lehrmanns defamation case. Credit: Federal Court of Australia Lehrmanns speech easier to follow Reedy said that Lehrmann, whom he described as the man in glasses, was easier to follow partly because he didnt seem too inebriated. The woman in the dress [Higgins] speaks clearly and pleasantly at the beginning, but the speed of her speaking becomes tired and slow towards the end, presumably because she had drunk a lot, Reedy said.

The most difficult clip was the bar, not just because it was black and white; the back of the mans head faced the camera and blocked any sight of the womans face, so she could not be lipread. Loading In the courtyard, they were generally easier to lipread because there was good light. All hers, all hers A key part of the footage analysed by Reedy involved a sequence in which Lehrmann was shown moving three drinks in front of Higgins on a table at The Dock.

Reedy believed the words spoken by Lehrmann were all hers; all hers, and that Higgins had said, Oh, stop; oh, stop. He said she had potentially also said, oh, come on. During his evidence, Lehrmann denied he had said the words all hers; all hers, and that he had encouraged Higgins to get drunk. The video showed Higgins smile and pat Lehrmann on the arm. Collins put to Lehrmann that she had said, oh, stop; oh, stop. Lehrmann told the court he disagreed those words were said, but said he could not recall what she said.

Drink that all Lehrmann also disagreed during his cross-examination that he gestured towards a drink at The Dock at about 11.50pm and told Higgins: Drink that all. Now. Excerpt from report of lip-reader Tim Reedy, tendered in evidence in Bruce Lehrmanns defamation case. Reedy used the letter M (man) to denote Lehrmann and W (woman) for Higgins. Credit: Federal Court of Australia Reedy had opined in his report that he said those words and that Higgins had said I dont want to before she eventually skolled the drink. Lehrmann disagreed that she said those words.

Objection to report Lehrmanns barrister Steven Whybrow SC had argued Reedys report should not be admitted in evidence. He noted that lip-reading is an inexact science, Reedy had never given evidence before in court, and there was no way of objectively verifying his opinions. Justice Michael Lee ultimately admitted the report in evidence, but said Reedys cross-examination and the arguments raised by Mr Whybrow are matters which will need to be considered carefully when I assess the weight of the evidence, including my personal observations and assessments of the interactions captured by the relevant CCTV footage [emphasis in original]. Dialects, accents and cliches Reedy said in his report that he had been a forensic lip-reader since 2010 and had worked for a range of clients, including media outlets.

He had also analysed CCTV for private clients, and in one instance assisted in investigating an extra-marital affair. Loading Reedy was born into a hearing family, he said in his report, but became profoundly deaf after he contracted meningitis at the age of four. He taught himself to lip-read from childhood, and learned or picked up dialects, accents and cliches such as McDonalds famous phrase: Would you like fries with that? During his cross-examination of Reedy, Lehrmanns barrister put to him: You have not had any experience with Australian accents?

Yes I have. Ive met Australian people throughout my life, Reedy replied. Reedy gave evidence in court with the assistance of a lip-speaker, who repeated the words said by a participant in the courtroom. Channel Ten presenter Lisa Wilkinson leaves the Supreme Court in Sydney. Credit: Max Mason-Hubers Lee said in his judgment on the admissibility of Reedys report that the lip-speaker provided easy to follow, relayed speech for the benefit of Mr Reedy, in real time. While I have no doubt Mr Reedy would have been able to pick up on what was conveyed to him without the assistance of [the lip-speaker] ... the process would have been cumbrous, lengthy, and somewhat disjointed, Lee said.

This is particularly important because Mr Reedy is, of course, profoundly deaf and it would not be possible for him to ascertain who was speaking to him if the person was beyond his ken [field of vision]. The judge said that it became clear in court that forensic lipreading, and the skills associated with the task, differ substantially from the skill of capturing all that is said in a courtroom environment, in real time, particularly when there are numerous interlocutors to the lipreader located in different parts of the room. The lawsuit Lehrmann alleges Tens interview with Higgins defamed him by suggesting he is guilty of raping Higgins. The court heard closing submissions from the parties last week. The judge will deliver his decision at a later date.

Lehrmann not named Lehrmann was not named in the interview. A preliminary issue in the case is whether he was identified because of the details provided in the broadcast. If the court finds Lehrmann was identified, Ten and Wilkinson are seeking to rely on defences of truth and qualified privilege. Bruce Lehrmann outside the Federal Court in Sydney on December 22. Credit: Flavio Brancaleone The truth defence Under the truth defence, Ten must prove on the balance of probabilities that Lehrmann raped Higgins.

While this is less onerous than the criminal standard of proof beyond reasonable doubt, the so-called Briginshaw principle applies in civil cases involving serious allegations and requires courts to proceed cautiously in making grave findings. Reedys report was tendered as part of Tens truth defence. Sexual assault charge dropped Lehrmanns ACT Supreme Court trial for sexual assault was aborted last year due to juror misconduct. The charge against Lehrmann was later dropped altogether owing to concerns about Higgins mental health. If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 131 114, or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636.
A leading pain physician has resigned from the board of Australias peak pain body after it published a report on the benefits of spinal cord stimulators  paid for by a group with links to manufacturers of the devices.

That group also supplied nearly all the patients surveyed for the study.

Spinal cord stimulators are small computers wired into the nerves, often to treat chronic pain. Advocates claim they are effective and low-risk; critics argue they are expensive and point to studies suggesting they come with serious risks and are ineffective.

An X-ray showing a spinal cord stimulator in situ.

The paper, released by peak body Painaustralia last Wednesday, surveyed 73 Australian stimulator users. The consumers sampled in this study were overwhelmingly positive about their experience of their spinal cord stimulator, it concluded.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size This article is part of our Behind the Headlines series, where Age reporters reveal unforgettable moments in their careers. See all 7 stories . Sometimes, the best thing you can do in this job is to just go for a walk. I learnt this seven years ago when I was sitting at my desk, making one fruitless phone call after the next, trying to report on a terrible thing that had happened in this city. A few days earlier, James Gargasoulas had driven on a murderous rampage through central Melbourne, killing five people. A sixth person died later from her injuries. It was, in the words of sentencing judge Mark Weinberg, one of the worst mass murders in Australia, the horror of which profoundly affected the lives of many of those who were present that day in Bourke Street. My editors had given me what sounded like a simple assignment. Until that point, there had been an intense focus on Gargasoulas movements and motives leading up to the killings and the police failings that allowed him to drive into the city. What was missing was a detailed account of what happened on Bourke Street: who the victims were, where they were when they died and why they were in the city that day. The story of the Bourke Street massacre revealed itself in unexpected ways at tribute sites throughout the city. Credit: Jason South It was an important story that needed to be sensitively told. With neither the coroner nor Victoria Police willing to share information at such an early stage of their investigations, the essential facts remained elusive. Id made dozens of calls and little progress.

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After another inquiry was greeted with polite denial, I decided to get out of the office for a while and walk the route driven by Gargasoulas on that tragic Friday afternoon. It was here that the story of Bourke Street revealed itself in unexpected ways. Through the Bourke Street Mall and along the city footpaths where Gargasoulas careered his maroon Commodore, people had left hundreds of bouquets, cards and other tributes. Some were left by people whose only connection to the victims was the city in which they died. Others were left by witnesses. Some of them were written by people who had comforted Gargasoulas victims as they drew their final breaths. When read together, the messages provided a vivid, first-hand account of the Bourke Street tragedy. A group marked the spot in the mall where 25-year-old Japanese student Yosuke Kanno was struck and killed after having lunch with a friend in nearby Chinatown. One described an angel in blue, 22-year-old Jessica Mudie, who was killed near the corner of Bourke and McKillop streets after travelling down from Sydney for work and to stay with her brother. A coronial inquest later found that she had her back to the oncoming car and died almost immediately upon impact.

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At the corner of Bourke and William Streets, among scented candles and cards left at a makeshift shrine, a letter was left for Zachary Bryant, just three months old and the youngest Bourke Street victim. The letter was written by Nektarios Hondros, a nearby office worker who was the first person to reach Zacharys tiny body after it was dislodged from his pram and hurled across the intersection by the force of Gargasoulas car. I will always remember you lying on your back, eyes closed, limp, the note read. I am truly sorry that more couldnt be done to help save your beautiful young life. A message left for the victims among the flowers. Credit: Penny Stephens While I was standing at the corner, trying to picture what happened to Zachary and the terror his nanny must have felt when the car rushed past, Hondros approached me. Hed been quietly sitting at the intersection, watching me read his letter. He described the horrific scene hed witnessed. He said the baby was dressed in a white jumpsuit. By the time Id reached the place a little further down the road where Gargasoulas finally crashed his car and was arrested by police, it was getting dark. Rain had started to run the ink on some of the cards and letters, making them difficult to read. But the clues they contained led me to other witnesses who were willing to talk about what they saw. They also revealed something beyond the horror of Bourke Street. There is a powerful bond that comes from being with someone at the moment of their death. It is something understood by anyone who has sat by the deathbed of a beloved family member or friend. After Bourke Street, it was also something that people felt towards complete strangers.

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This is why, in the days after Gargasoulas rampage, people were drawn back to the places marked by the cards and letters. They wanted to reconnect, or perhaps reconcile, with people theyd known only in death. A rain-streaked message for 10-year-old Thalia Hakin, written by the off-duty nurse who tried to save her life. Credit: Penny Stephens One of them was an off-duty nurse named Jessica. Thalia and Maggie Hakin had just seen a magic show with their mum inside the RACV Club when Gargasoulas sped past the venues front entrance. Thalia, 10, was killed; her mother and sister were critically injured. Loading Amid scenes resembling a conflict zone, Jessica tried to revive Thalia. Later, she wrote a short note to the little girl and left it on the footpath outside the club. Dearest Thalia, Ive only met you in your final minutes. Im sorry that we couldnt save you. Rest well, beautiful. The morning after my walk, I went back to the office, sat at my desk and cried at my keyboard. Then I wrote the story of Bourke Street.
The volunteer firefighter killed while responding to an out-of-control bushfire near Esperance on Tuesday has been identified as Harry Stead.

Its understood Stead, 20, was fatally injured after falling from a private firefighting vehicle while conducting fire suppression activities on a farm.

Harry Stead died while battling a bushfire in Esperance on Boxing Day. Credit: Nine News Perth/Instagram

The 2020 Hale School graduate was the son of prominent farmer Simon Stead, who is the chairman of CBH Group.

A WA Police spokesman said authorities were investigating the cause of the fire and the circumstances around Steads death.
A current public service announcement on Australian television starkly warns of the deadly consequences of driver fatigue. It specifically mentions that most fatigue-related casualties are close to the drivers home.

The ad makes me think of Ukraines situation in relation to the world, including its allies. As Russias unprovoked, full-scale invasion approaches its third year, some seem to have become fatigued by the war. Or, the war has been overtaken in the media cycle by other world events, such as the images from the Middle East that fill our feeds. Worse still, polarised American politics now threatens Ukraine aid.

President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Washington to try and convince Congress to renew funding his war effort. Credit: AP

Fatigue (or forgetting, ignoring or even neglecting Ukraine for domestic political gain) is truly dangerous, not only for Ukrainians but also their allies such as Australians. It is especially dangerous at this point when the war hangs in a balance.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has admitted that the war on Ukraine is really Russias war on the West and the values that it stands for. If the West gives up on Ukraine, it gives up on its own democracies in favour of aggression and autocracy.
Amsterdam: Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders called for a new leader in Turkey elected by the citizens who support secularism in a veiled rebuke of the countrys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

I won the Dutch elections. And I wish that Turkish citizens who support secularism and Kemalism will elect a new leader who can win the next elections, Wilders, who delivered a shock election victory on November 22, said in a post on social media platform X on Sunday.

Geert Wilders is negotiating to become the Netherlands PM. Credit: Getty

Wilders, who has long called for limiting immigration of Muslims into the Netherlands and has previously attacked Erdogan, called for a new Turkish leader who halts the influx of more Arabs in Turkey, protects Turkish women, supports the working class and stops corruption.

Erdogan defeated Turkeys pro-secular party earlier this year to take his 20-year rule well into a third decade. The next presidential election there is scheduled for 2028.
A police officer talks with tourists in front of the Bali Bomb Monument in Indonesia in 2016. Photo by Reuters

Indonesia has started offering a five-year visa policy that allow maximum stays of up to 60 days, as Southeast Asias largest economy seeks to attract more visitors.

The visa policy, which took effect from Dec. 20, is for multiple entries as part of the governments efforts to speed up the economy, said immigration chief Silmy Karim as cited by Antara news agency.

Foreigners now can apply online and pay with a credit card.

A regular tourist visa for Indonesia is valid for 30 days and one entry and visitors can extend it for another 30 days before it expires.

As of Dec. 8, nearly 10 million foreign tourists had arrived in the country, surpassing this years target of 8.5 million.

However, the figure was still lower than neighboring countries such as Malaysia (26 million), Thailand (24 million) and Vietnam (11.2 million).

Indonesia has set a target of attracting 40 million foreign tourists in 2025.

Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore have also been racing to offer flexible visa policies and have eased entry requirements to attract foreign visitors, especially from emerging markets like China and India.
The Malaysian government has announced relaxed conditions for its 10-year visa program following repeated calls from tourism insiders amid a drop in the number of applicants.

Under the revised version of the My Second Home program, there will be three tiers of silver, gold and platinum, with each having different requirements, New Strait Times reported.

Under the platinum tier, participants are required to show a fixed deposit of RM5 million (US$1 million). After one year, they can withdraw half of the amount after a year to purchase properties priced at RM1.5 million minimum or use for healthcare and domestic tourism.

Those in the gold category must have a fixed deposit of RM2 million while those in the silver tier must have RM500,000 minimum.

Participants of all tiers must fulfill the requirement of residing in Malaysia for a total of 60 days annually instead of 90 as previously.

The new minimum age requirement for the revised visa program is now 30, instead of 35.

The new conditions have been put under a year-long trial period starting from Dec. 15, Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, said as quoted by The Star.

The My Second Home program, which was launched in 2002, allows foreigners to stay in Malaysia for up to 10 years.

In 2021, the government imposed stricter conditions, such as requiring a minimum stay of 90 cumulative days in Malaysia annually, having an offshore income of at least RM40,000 per month and maintain a fixed deposit account of at least RM1 million.

Since the conditions were tightened, the program has seen a 90% drop in the number of applicants, according to the schemes consultant association.

Just over 1,900 of 2,160 applications for the visa program were approved between November 2021 and the end of September this year.

Several Southeast Asian countries have raced to attract wealthy foreigners with flexible visa policies that allow a maximum stay of 5-20 years.
A group of foreign tourists at Phu Bai International Airport in the central Thua Thien-Hue Province, April 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Vo Thanh

Though the tourism industry achieved all its targets, 2023 was not a particularly successful year for it, with the recovery rate much lower than that of countries in the region.

The number of foreign visitors this year is estimated at 12.5 million, far above the target of eight million.

The number of domestic tourists is 108 million, also above the target.

Tourism revenues are estimated at VND672 trillion (US$27.6 billion), equal to 93% of the 2019, pre-pandemic, figure, according to data released by the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism.

But analysts said it was not really a successful year for the tourism industry.

Nguyen Tien Dat, CEO of Hanoi-based AZA travel company and vice president of the city Tourism Club, said it is necessary to look at the recovery index to evaluate the success of tourism.

Vietnams tourism recovery rate is only 44%, and he said: "That number is low."

Malaysia has completely recovered to pre-pandemic levels, receiving over 26 million visitors this year.

Thailand welcomed more than 24 million visitors, a 75% rate.

Pham Ha, CEO of luxury cruise operator Lux Group, pointed to these figures and said Thailand and Malaysia "have good recovery strategies."

"We lack short-, medium- and long-term strategies."

This year many tourism businesses laid off staff and scaled down operations amid the gloomy economic situation and some popular tourist destinations like Phu Quoc faced crises.

Once a top holiday destination, the island suffered a slump in tourist arrivals, especially during national holidays, as tourists rejected soaring airfares, exorbitantly priced hotels and various scams.

The number of daily arrivals was 160,000-170,000 in the first half of this year, but it decreased by 30-50% in the last three months.

The slump in demand even caused the suspension of flights to the island from Da Nang, Nha Trang and Can Tho.

The number of domestic tourists this year exceeded the target, but many preferred short trips to nearby destinations to avoid expensive airfares.

Bright spot

The highlight of Vietnam's tourism this year was its visa relaxation policy.

In August the country started accepting online visa applications from citizens of all countries and territories, and issued visas valid for 90 days and multiple entries.

It also tripled the duration of stay in Vietnam to 45 days for citizens of 13 countries unilaterally exempted from visas.

South Korea topped the list of countries sending tourists to Vietnam followed by the U.S., Japan, Thailand, and Singapore.

Future plan

Dat said Vietnam should open more tourism promotion centers in key markets such as the U.S., South Korea and Japan.

"Thailand is doing this very well with 29 representative offices globally."

Vietnam's current tourism promotion campaigns in the international market are still "limited" and "uninteresting," he pointed out.

The majority of visitors coming to Vietnam depend on travel reviews by TikTokers and social media influencers, he said.

"Many of my customers say that they know about Vietnams destinations through watching tourism videos posted by TikTokers and travel bloggers and not from Vietnams official promotion channels."

High-quality human resources in the tourism industry is also an urgent requirement, he said.

After the pandemic many outstanding tourism workers quit the industry, leading to a shortage of human resources.

Ha said Vietnam should soon map out a tourism strategy for next year.

"Thailand outlined a clear strategy for next year in November. We still do not have a clear strategy, making many businesses worried."
Recently, I spent a pleasant morning with Tommy Noone, the proprietor of the Moy Hotel in Foxford. His wife Maureen, nee Reynolds, who he married in 1974 was also with us and we reminisced on how life used to be. Tommy is a proud man when he recalls with fondness how hard his father worked during his childhood.

Tommy continued this family tradition of hard work with his construction business which he founded. Before that, he worked in Manchester in 1965 where he met his wife Maureen at the Carousel Ballroom in the city.

His latest dream come true is the opening of the Moy Hotel in October 2022. In this piece, Tommy recalls how his father introduced him to hard work through his example of maximising the use of his smallholding in Belgarrow, near Foxford. His father emigrated to the USA when he was 20 in 1920 where he earned enough money to buy a horse and mowing machine on his return to Foxford.

Tommy recalls that there was a market each week on Tuesday in the Market Square and there were four fairs held annually - they were on May 15th, October 3rd, November 9th and December 10th. This latter fair was for Christmas and the family would buy their Christmas needs with the money made at the December Fair.

Tommy and Maureen Noone with music composer Michael Rooney at the opening of the Moy Hotel in Foxford in October 2022. Picture: Frank Dolan

Toms dad used to bring hay, potatoes, turkeys and vegetables to the market and he would bring cattle and weanlings to the fair, especially to the October Fair when they would be ready for sale. The cattle were sold on the side of the street to the jobbers who would come from near and far to buy at the fair. The jobbers wore brown boots and had a short stick with them. They would spit on their hand and clasp the hand of the seller to clinch the deal. The handshake sealed the bargain and the farmer went away with the agreed price.

There was a weigh-house in the Square in front of the Church of Ireland. The farmers used to weigh the cart of hay, which would determine the price the farmer got. The same was true for the potatoes and the vegetables. The bar in the Moy Hotel is named after this market, hence the Haymarket Bar.

There was a larger weighbridge at the Woollen Mills and the farmers would drive the cart onto it to be weighed.

Tom used to get a day off school when his father Bill would bring the flour by horse and cart from the station to OHaras Bakery on the Main Street. The horse had to be kept calm because he would bolt when the steam engine revved up when leaving the railway station.

His father worked very hard and used every acre of land that he had as well as taking con acre to grow potatoes for sale and for the household table. They ploughed the land and Tom used to lead the horse and keep the plough straight before setting the potatoes and vegetables. The single mowing machine was used to mow the grass and the oats. The grass was saved as hay and then the oats were cut and put into sheaves and stooks before it was brought to the thresher. This was a big day for the area when they would have the meitheal.

Youngsters crossing the road from Foxford National School in the 1930s with teacher Annie Jones.

The horse and cart were used for a variety of purposes. Once they were bringing a piano for the local guard from one house to another and the keys started to play and the horse bolted and set off down the road! Bill could hardly keep up with him. Fortunately, there was a meter reader with the ESB coming down the road and he threw his jacket in front of the horse and this calmed the horse.

Bill used to deliver milk to the people of the town as well. He had a dairy at the house and had six cows which he sometimes fed on the long acre because he did not have much land for them.

When Bill had finished his work at home he would leave for England to work on the hay and the harvest and then return around Christmas with his hard-earned and much-needed money to run the household and the farm.

This was the nature of life when Tom was a boy and his father and his neighbours were hard-working people who toiled day and night to make a living in the difficult days of former years. They would be tremendously proud of Tom and Maureen's achievement in taking over and restoring the Moy Hotel in the heart of Foxford. Here's to its future success.
E. ALLEN TWP., Pa.  An East Allen Township warehouse at the intersection of Airport Road and Route 329 has been sold for $60.25 million.

Northampton County recorded the sale of 7378 Airport Road, a 450,000-square-foot building, on Tuesday, Dec. 19.

The warehouse, known as The Cubes, was developed by CRG, a St. Louis-based real estate investment firm. County records list the buyer's address as a Prologis Inc. office in Denver.

The open land was acquired for $9.25 million in 2017, according to county records, for a more than five-fold return through development.

Prologis is a titan in the warehouse industry, and it manages about 30 million square feet of space in the Lehigh Valley.

Prologis was Air Products' chosen developer for 2.61 million square feet of warehouse space at the industrial gas company's former headquarters in Upper Macungie Township. Then in February, that project was put "on pause," according to Air Products.

That project may have been paused, but San Francisco-based Prologis kept moving ahead and in June announced the purchase of $3.1 billion in industrial properties from asset manager Blackstone, which also owns Lehigh Valley properties.

The Cubes at Airport Road Distribution Center is on 40 acres at the southeast corner of the intersection of Airport Road and Nor-Bath Boulevard. The location was farmland before the big-box building went up.

The appeal of that field was its location in the northeastern U.S.

Developer CRG touted its location in promotional materials: "With excellent access to U.S. Route 22, I-78 and I-476, the site is strategically located 60 miles from the Port of Newark and in close proximity to FedEx's largest ground hub in the United States at Lehigh Valley International Airport."

Shares of Prologis are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PLD. The closing price Friday was $132.40, giving the company a market capitalization (current share price times number of shares outstanding) of $122.3 billion.
Northampton County's government did not agree on everything in 2023, but perhaps the biggest happening was what did not happen: Property taxes did not go up.

County Executive Lamont G. McClure has proposed six budgets since he was first elected in 2017. Five have kept taxes level, and the 2022 plan cut the property tax. County Council approved the 2023 no-tax-increase budget with minor changes.

"We had another year of keeping our promises," McClure said in a statement on the year. "Taxes stayed level; we preserved more farmland and environmentally sensitive space than ever. We kept Gracedale Nursing Home county-owned and -operated." he said. Also this year, McClure said he would oppose any property-tax breaks for warehouses.

McClure's administration and the nine-member County Council did not concur on everything, but both sides took the high road at the final Council meeting on Dec. 14.

"We cut taxes together," McClure, a Democrat, told Council. "We reduced the size of county government together," he said, and noted how the administration and Council helped residents and businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We may not always agree, but you always do the right thing for the people," Council President Kerry Myers responded at the Dec. 14 meeting.

Things did not always go smoothly. McClure and Council could not agree on an employee health center, a popular County Controller died and a top administrator left after a troubled election.

The year started with some history.

In January, Myers became the first African American president of Council. He was then a Democrat; he later switched to the Republican Party in an unsuccessful bid to get on the fall ballot.

Council created a bit of a stir Jan. 19 when it met but could not vote on anything. Blogger Bernie O'Hare had noted that the meeting agenda was not posted 24 hours in advance, violating the Pennsylvania open meetings law. Council Solicitor Chris Spadoni advised the members against making any decisions.

The meeting was held but the only vote taken was to adjourn.

In February, David C. Collins Sr. took over as Northampton County Prison's public safety administrator after the retirement of Ken Kraft. Former Council president Kraft, a Democrat, said he would run again for Council. He won will be sworn in next month.

Council also heard pitches in February for studies of pay for county employees and of the operations of the Gracedale home in Upper Nazareth Township. McClure objected to both studies, saying they would waste money. Council prevailed and moved ahead with the reviews.

In March, McClure discussed a potential "divorce" from the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission over the LVPC's move to the Allentown waterfront from a building near the Lehigh Valley International Airport. He objected to the additional distance Northampton County members would have to travel to attend meetings and to the cost of the new office.

McClure also did not allocate as much money in 2024 to the LVPC as it requested, but Northampton and Lehigh counties both remained in the commission. Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong said the move into Allentown will save money over time.

Also in March, Council considered a tax break known as a LERTA (Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance) for Lou Pektor's huge River Pointe Logistics development in Upper Mount Bethel Township.

Project Manager Lisa Pektor, Lou Pektor's daughter, told Council that the project would proceed with or without the break but that it would be able to bring in more attractive businesses with the LERTA. The property-tax reduction of a LERTA, which declines over 10 years, would promote investment at RPL that would create more and better jobs, she said.

In April, Council voted to extend the expiring LERTA for five years. Executive McClure vetoed the LERTA and proposed that the break be limited to manufacturing buildings, not warehouses. Lou Pektor agreed to discuss that compromise, but Council overrode the veto by a 6-3 vote.

Council Vice President Ron Heckman said the county was intruding into issues such as zoning that are the purview of local government, not the county.

Voting in favor of the LERTA were Myers, Heckman, Thomas Giovanni, John Goffredo, John Brown and Lori Vargo Heffner. Opposed were council members Tara Zrinski, Kevin Lott and John Cusick.

McClure reiterated after the vote that he will veto any future tax breaks that promote what he calls "warehouse proliferation."

One topic the administration and Council could agree on was open space. In May, County Council voted in favor of McClure's proposed $1.1 million in grants to protect open space and add to the county trail system.

McClure continued the "green" theme during his annual State of the County address that month, given at the Hotel Bethlehem. He said Northampton County has a green future.

The county lost Controller Richard "Bucky" Szulborski, who died at age 74 on June 30. Szulborski stepped in twice to serve as the county's fiscal watchdog when vacancies arose. He was a former member of Bethlehem City Council

Szulborski was remembered as a man of faith who was dedicated to service, but also a jokester. Bucky, as he was known by all, was active in many groups, including the Sun Inn Preservation Association and his church, Incarnation of Our Lord Parish in South Bethlehem.

He was appointed Controller in 2018 when Stephen J. Barron Jr. resigned to serve as director of fiscal affairs in 2018. He completed that term and returned in 2021 after the death of Tony Bassil.

County Council appointed retiree Scott Parsons in July to fill out the remaining months of the term. Council member Zrinski won the Nov. 7 election for Controller and will take that office in January and resign as a member of Council.

In July, Council voted down a McClure plan for a health center for employees and dependents. Some members said they had not heard enough details about costs, and they were reluctant to expand into the medical business.

McClure said the center would have helped employees and cut costs.

"We had an opportunity to save $10 million over five years of taxpayers' money and make employees' lives just a little bit better," McClure said. The health-center issue might come back in 2024 under a County Council with some new members.

In August, McClure and some members of County Council said the region's long-range guidelines for transportation short-change Northampton County versus Lehigh County.

"We will always get the short end of the stick," said Commissioner Lott (council members are known as commissioners).

That spending roadmap is set by the Lehigh Valley Transportation Study, an affiliate of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission. Council President Myers, then 69, said he would not live to see equality in spending in the region.

LVPC officials responded that federal guidelines dictate how much of the money is spent and that Lehigh County communities made more requests for projects.

On Oct. 3, McClure proposed his $582.5 million budget, with no tax increase. After some minor changes, Council approved the budget in December.

Then during the Nov. 7 election, a printing problem showed incorrect results in a retention election for the state Superior Court. The paper trail given to voters did not always match the selections they had made on touchscreen voting machines provided by Election Systems & Software.

During a county Election Commission meeting Nov. 21, angry voters said some precincts closed temporarily and voters were told to come back later. Some residents voted on paper ballots supplied in case of an emergency but not enough were available.

Residents complained that the Nov. 7 problems shook their faith in local elections, and some asked that the voting machines be done away with in favor of paper ballots.

Still, the Election Commission certified the results, as it was required to. The only way to challenge the election was through the courts, and no such challenge was filed.

Executive McClure said the election was fair and accurate, and that votes were recorded correctly. The error was in the printout. He also said Election Systems & Software is "on the clock" after problems this year and in 2019. The voting-machine vendor took responsibility for the error, which it said was clerical.

Director of Administration Charles Dertinger had the ultimate oversight for elections. He resigned Nov. 24, 17 days after the election.

Vargo Heffner and Heckman said Dertinger was a good administrator who got a lot done.

"Charles has been an asset to the county in many ways," Vargo Heffner said.

In December, County Council voted unanimously to create an Election Integrity Committee to oversee future races.

"We need to do everything we can to make sure that every election, every vote counts," Council President Myers said. "If we can't do that, why are we here?"

McClure will be working with a Democrat majority again in 2024. He has already said he will run again at least one more time.

Council will change with Democrats Kraft, Kelly Brauchle-Keegan and Jeff Warren being sworn in while Myers, Lott and Cusick will leave.

The new council will have a 5-3 Democrat majority, including incumbents Heckman and Vargo Heffner, with Republicans represented by Thomas Giovanni, John Brown and John Goffredo.

That leaves a vacancy as Zrinski, a Democrat, becomes County Controller. Council will have the first shot at filling the spot. If they cannot agree on a candidate, the county courts will make the selection.

So, McClure will be working with a different Council, now with a Democrat majority, in the New Year after some disputes in the last 12 months.

"Unfortunately, County Council had some hiccups in their failure to establish an employee health center, which would have saved both employees and taxpayers millions of dollars," extending the tax break for River Pointe and shifting funds from a program to protect children from lead paint, he said.

"However, we are very optimistic for the New Year, making progress for the people of Northampton County together with County Council," he concluded.

New Council members and Controller-elect Zrinski will be sworn in Jan. 2.
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP)  Gunmen attacked remote villages over the weekend in north-central Nigerias Plateau state, killing at least 140 people, officials and survivors said Tuesday, the latest case this year of such mass killings blamed on the farmer-herder crisis in the West African nation.

The assailants targeted 17 communities in senseless and unprovoked attacks on Saturday and Sunday, burning down most houses in the area, Plateau Gov. Caleb Mutfwang said in a broadcast on the local Channels Television.

As I am talking to you, in Mangu local governorate alone, we buried 15 people. As of this morning, in Bokkos, we are counting not less than 100 corpses. I am yet to take stock of (the deaths in) Barkin Ladi, Mutfwan said. It has been a very terrifying Christmas for us here in Plateau."

Amnesty International's Nigeria office told The Associated Press that it has so far confirmed 140 deaths in the Christian-dominated Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi areas of Plateau, based on data compiled by its workers on the ground and from local officials. There were fears of a higher death toll as some people remained unaccounted for.

Some of the locals said that it took more than 12 hours before security agencies responded to their call for help, a claim the AP couldn't independently verify, but which echoes past concerns about slow interventions in Nigerias deadly security crisis, which has killed hundreds this year, including in Plateau.

I called security but they never came. The ambush started 6 in the evening but security reached our place by 7 in the morning, said Sunday Dawum, a youth leader in Bokkos. At least 27 people were killed in his village, Mbom Mbaru, including his brother, he said.

No group took responsibility for the attacks though blame fell on herders from the Fulani tribe, who have been accused of carrying out such mass killings across the northwest and central regions where the decadeslong conflict over access to land and water has further worsened the sectarian division between Christians and Muslims in Africas most populous nation.

The Nigerian army said it has begun clearance operations in search of suspects, with the help of other security agencies, although arrests are rare in such attacks.

Abdullsalam Abubakar, who commands the armys special intervention operation in Plateau and neighboring states, said his forces will not rest until they find those responsible.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who was elected this year after promising to tackle security challenges his predecessor had failed to address, instructed security agencies to scour every stretch of the zone and apprehend the culprits, according to a statement from his office.

He also ordered the immediate mobilization of relief resources for the survivors and prompt medical treatment for the wounded, it added.

Amnesty's Nigeria director Isa Sanusi said Tinubus government and others have failed to take tangible action to protect lives and ensure justice for victims in the conflict-hit northern region.

Sometimes they claim to make arrests but there is no proof they have done so, he said. The brazen failure of the authorities to protect the people of Nigeria is gradually becoming the norm."
Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

Partly sunny and pleasant; still a bit of a breeze, from the southwest 10-15mph with gusts to 20mph..

Tonight

Partly to mostly clear and seasonably cold.
Mining reform bills are often on the table in Congress, and with all the talk of the need for more domestic mining to produce minerals needed for the clean energy transition, many people are saying there is an increased urgency for mining reform.

Clean Energy Minerals Reform Act

In May, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) introduced House and Senate versions of the Clean Energy Minerals Reform Act of 2023.

Grijalva has introduced several mining reform bills through the years, and the 2023 version is a 20,500-word document which, according to a news release on Heinrichs bill, updates requirements and standards for hardrock mining operations to be more similar to those that apply to oil, gas, and coal development on public lands.

The new requirements in the bills include a leasing system and royalty payments. Heinrichs bill includes a royalty of 5% to 8% for new mines, based on gross income, while Grijalvas bill includes a 12% royalty on new mining operations and an 8% royalty on existing operations. The bills say some of the royalty revenue would go to abandoned hardrock mine reclamation.

Interagency Working Group on Mining Laws

In February 2022, the Biden administration announced the formation of a Department of the Interior-led Interagency Working Group on Mining Laws, Regulations, and Permitting, and the group released its final report on Sept. 12.

The report provides more than 60 recommendations to Congress and federal agencies, a DOI news release said, including for increasing public and Tribal engagement, making permitting processes more consistent and predictable for industry, and protecting impacted communities and workers, as well as the environmentally and culturally sensitive lands they cherish.

The report was informed by input received at dozens of meetings  including with industry, states, stakeholders, and the public  multiple government-to-government consultations with Tribes, and a review of over 26,000 comments from the mining industry, state officials, equipment manufacturers, academics, legal experts, environmental justice experts, the public and more, the news release said.

The working groups report recommends a 4% to 8% royalty on the net proceeds of minerals from mining operations on federal public lands.

Jake Ward-Herzik, a Reno associate with the Parsons Behle & Latimer law firm, said in his response to the IWG report that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law required DOI to submit a report identifying legislative and regulatory recommendations to increase the timeliness of permitting activities for exploration and development of domestic critical minerals. Few of the recommendations in the Final Report, however, address this objective and, in fact, most will further complicate the permitting process and make domestic mining more expensive.

Rich Nolan, president and chief executive of the National Mining Association, said in a statement most of the recommendations made by the IWG reveal a fundamental lack of understanding of our industry and the laws that govern it, and will throw insurmountable obstacles in the way of responsible domestic projects and would-be investment.

In June, S&P Global published the results of a study of how long it takes for a mine to move from discovery to production. The study looked at 127 precious and base metals mines that began production within the past 22 years, and found it took from six to 32 years for the mines to begin production. The average lead time was 15.7 years, which included 11.9 years of exploration and studies.

A 2021 information sheet from the National Mining Association said it takes an average of 7 to 10 years for a mine project to secure the permits required to begin operations.

A typical mining project loses more than one-third of its value as a result of bureaucratic delays in receiving the numerous permits needed to begin production, the National Mining Association said, based on information from an SNL Metals and Mining report.

Mining Regulatory Clarity Act

In April, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.) introduced the Senate and House versions of the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act of 2023, which addresses the potential roadblocks to mining operations which could be created by the 2022 Rosemont decision.

In 2019, a federal judge in Tucson, Arizona, ruled the Forest Service was incorrect in assuming Hudbay Minerals Rosemont Copper Co. had valid claims to the mineral rights in a proposed dumping area. In May 2022, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, upheld the 2019 ruling.

The Service thus gave to Rosemont, essentially free of charge, the right to permanently occupy 2,447 acres of National Forest land with 1.9 billion tons of its waste rock based on an improper assumption, Circuit Judge William Fletcher wrote.

The Rosemont decision means mines cannot dump mine waste on public land unless they can prove they have valid mining claims on that land  which essentially means they can only bury land under mine waste if the land contains valuable minerals.

Mining industry lawyers James Allen and Michael Ford of the Phoenix-based law firm Snell and Wilmer wrote in an online article that the Rosemont decision is likely the most significant federal court decision on federal mining law in several decades. They said the decision will likely be received with shock throughout the hardrock mining industry.

Sen. Cortez Mastos Mining Regulatory Clarity Act of 2023 is a short bill of just 479 words. It would change some of the wording in the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, so the 1993 act would say, A claimant shall have the right to use, occupy, and conduct operations on public land, with or without the discovery of a valuable mineral deposit, if the claimant meets several requirements, such as paying fees and complying with the required assessment work.

Hearings, environmentalist responses

On Dec. 12, the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committees Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining heard testimony on both Cortez Mastos Mining Regulatory Clarity Act and Heinrichs Clean Energy Minerals Reform Act.

This gave environmental groups the opportunity to highlight their calls for mining regulation reform. A news release from Earth Justice said 115 conservation, environmental and justice groups sent a letter to senators urging them to support the Clean Energy Minerals Reform Act, and 90 organizations sent a letter to senators urging them to oppose the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act.

A news release from the Center for Western Priorities said the Clean Energy Minerals Reform Act is a long overdue update of the nations mining laws which would bring hardrock mining into the 21st century, and the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act would be worse than the Civil War-era status quo in its giveaway of the nations public lands for mining companies to use as free trash dumps.

A news release from Cortez Mastos office on the Dec. 12 hearing said, Expert witnesses confirmed the Rosemont decision is slowing down critical mineral mining projects across the U.S., threatening good-paying mining jobs, and making it more difficult to meet the nations climate goals.

Cortez Masto said the Rosemont decision makes no economic sense  if [mines] are forced to store waste rock or build administrative offices on mineral-rich land, they cant access the resource.

During the hearing, Cortez Masto said the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act does not give mining companies unrestricted access to federal land, prohibit the construction of renewable energy projects on public lands, or undermine Tribal rights.

The key to our clean energy transition is to invest in the production of clean energy technologies that reduce our carbon emissions, but we cannot create those technologies without critical minerals  and that begins with mining, Cortez Masto said. As we take the necessary steps to address climate change  we must produce minerals in the United States and not solely rely on foreign sources, some of whom threaten our national security and dont uphold the same environmental and labor standards. All of this means we must address the complications created by the Rosemont decision.

Environmental groups have expressed strong support for the Rosemont decisions requirement that mining companies can only put their mine waste over land which contains valuable minerals. The letter to senators from 90 organizations prior to the Dec. 12 hearing said the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act is a highly problematic, unprecedented giveaway of Americas cherished public lands to mining corporations, upending and reversing over a hundred years of public land law precedent.  Despite what proponents contend, this legislation does NOT return the mining law to the status quo. This bill would tip the scales away from communities, the environment, and our clean energy future  giving the mining industry the power to dictate how we use our public lands.

In their statements in support of the Clean Energy Minerals Reform Act and the need for mining regulation reform, members of Congress and environmental groups expressed an idea that is often conveyed to the public  that mines are operating under the Mining Law of 1872, so mining companies have almost no regulations to deal with.

For more than a century and a half, the mining industry has operated under an outdated, free-for-all claims system that gives them carte blanche to pollute and destroy, while American taxpayers get stuck with the cleanup bill, a May press release from the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Democrats said.

This antiquated law has become a driving force behind centuries of legacy mining pollution that is leaking toxic heavy metals and acid mine drainage into streams and rivers all across the West, Heinrich said in a news release.

Our nations current mining laws have remained virtually unchanged since first being established in 1872. It offers little to no environmental protection to our public lands and adjacent national park units, vulnerable water resources and nearby communities, said a press release from the National Parks Conservation Association.

The law that governs mining operations on federal lands has remained virtually unchanged since it was passed in 1872, a September news release from the Center for Biological Diversity said. This law has no environmental or community protections, does not require consultation with or consent from affected communities, and overwhelmingly privileges multinational mining corporations over frontline communities.

The Dec. 12 news release from the Center for Western Priorities said its Winning the West Poll conducted in July surveyed voters in Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada on their concerns around mining on public lands. When asked how important it is to update the General Mining Law of 1872, 84% of respondents said its important, with 36% indicating its very important.

The center said the poll showed 63% of voters understand that the reason the U.S. hasnt updated the General Mining Law of 1872 is that the mining industry has spent millions of dollars lobbying decision-makers and donating to political campaigns.

National Mining Association response

In a collection of differing viewpoints on U.S. mining published in the May/June 2023 issue of the Environmental Forum, Katie Sweeney, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the National Mining Association, countered these types of statements about the Mining Law of 1872 and the need for regulatory reform.

Theres a stubborn belief by some in the administration  and anti-mining voices in Congress  that a sweeping overhaul of the General Mining Law must be a precondition to expansion of domestic mining, Sweeney wrote. This view  a Trojan Horse of mining opponents who dont want new U.S. mining  claims the law is outdated and lacks needed environmental and community engagement protections.

This criticism of the Mining Law stems from a misperception about the legislations intent and the complementary legal framework. The law is not  nor was it intended to be  an environmental statute. Importantly, it is complemented by exhaustive federal and state environmental, ecological, reclamation, and financial-assurance regulations.

Given the applicability of over three dozen major environmental laws  including the National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act, and National Historic Preservation Act  duplicating these existing standards in a misguided overhaul of the Mining Law would provide no additional environmental benefit.

Rather, there is a pressing need for recognition that the last five decades have ushered in a sea change in environmental awareness in all industrial activities, including mining, that account for federal and state laws and regulations, environmental management systems, design standards, engineering controls, environmental monitoring requirements, best management practices, improved technology, training, and financial assurance, Sweeney wrote.
Cambridge Advisors Inc. cut its position in Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN  Free Report) by 4.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,780 shares of the information technology services providers stock after selling 445 shares during the quarter. Accenture accounts for 0.8% of Cambridge Advisors Inc.s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Cambridge Advisors Inc.s holdings in Accenture were worth $3,004,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Accenture during the 4th quarter worth $1,850,765,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of Accenture by 2,444.1% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 5,922,292 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $75,320,000 after acquiring an additional 5,689,509 shares in the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Accenture by 101,214.0% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,040,402 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $1,078,141,000 after acquiring an additional 4,036,414 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in shares of Accenture by 14.9% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 16,642,841 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $4,440,976,000 after acquiring an additional 2,163,582 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of Accenture by 21.7% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 11,535,663 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $3,297,009,000 after acquiring an additional 2,060,646 shares in the last quarter. 70.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Accenture Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of ACN traded down $2.44 on Tuesday, reaching $352.01. The stock had a trading volume of 165,009 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,225,865. The firm has a market capitalization of $221.04 billion, a PE ratio of 32.85, a PEG ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 1.23. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $323.89 and a 200 day moving average of $317.22. Accenture plc has a twelve month low of $242.80 and a twelve month high of $354.90.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

Accenture ( NYSE:ACN Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, December 19th. The information technology services provider reported $3.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $16.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $16.17 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 29.08% and a net margin of 10.65%. Accentures quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.08 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Accenture plc will post 12.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.29 per share. This represents a $5.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 17th. Accentures dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.82%.

Accenture declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, September 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $4.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the information technology services provider to purchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the companys management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ACN has been the subject of several research reports. Wedbush boosted their target price on Accenture from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, December 14th. Piper Sandler Companies reduced their target price on Accenture from $314.00 to $312.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 22nd. StockNews.com raised Accenture from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Thursday, November 9th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Accenture from $340.00 to $356.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, September 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Accenture from $350.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $348.59.

View Our Latest Report on ACN

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In related news, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 9,000 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Monday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.41, for a total value of $2,622,690.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 35,830 shares in the company, valued at $10,441,220.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Ellyn Shook sold 5,250 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.48, for a total transaction of $1,567,020.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 20,265 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,048,697.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 9,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $291.41, for a total value of $2,622,690.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 35,830 shares of the companys stock, valued at $10,441,220.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 36,334 shares of company stock worth $10,939,027 over the last quarter. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Accenture

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Accenture plc, a professional services company, provides strategy and consulting, industry X, song, and technology and operation services worldwide. The company offers application services, including agile transformation, DevOps, application modernization, enterprise architecture, software and quality engineering, data management; intelligent automation comprising robotic process automation, natural language processing, and virtual agents; and application management services, as well as software engineering services; strategy and consulting services; data and analytics strategy, data discovery and augmentation, data management and beyond, data democratization, and industrialized solutions comprising turnkey analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions; metaverse; and sustainability services.

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ARK Investment Management LLC lessened its position in shares of Unity Software Inc. (NYSE:U  Free Report) by 3.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,477,199 shares of the companys stock after selling 458,541 shares during the quarter. Unity Software comprises 2.8% of ARK Investment Management LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. ARK Investment Management LLCs holdings in Unity Software were worth $360,269,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in U. Front Row Advisors LLC lifted its position in Unity Software by 15,550.0% during the 2nd quarter. Front Row Advisors LLC now owns 626 shares of the companys stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 622 shares during the period. Meitav Investment House Ltd. acquired a new stake in Unity Software during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Bessemer Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Unity Software during the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC lifted its position in Unity Software by 1,151.0% during the 3rd quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 1,251 shares of the companys stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,151 shares during the period. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position in Unity Software by 373.7% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 919 shares of the companys stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 725 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.74% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Unity Software from $45.00 to $29.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 13th. Citigroup reissued a buy rating and issued a $49.00 price target on shares of Unity Software in a report on Tuesday, October 10th. Cannonball Research initiated coverage on Unity Software in a report on Monday, September 18th. They issued a neutral rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised Unity Software from an underperform rating to a hold rating and reduced their price target for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a report on Thursday, October 19th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut Unity Software from an outperform rating to a peer perform rating in a report on Monday, November 13th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $37.75.

Unity Software Price Performance

U stock traded up $1.84 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $41.05. 4,788,341 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,330,797. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $30.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $35.14. The stock has a market cap of $15.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.78 and a beta of 2.43. Unity Software Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.20 and a fifty-two week high of $50.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.35.

Unity Software (NYSE:U  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 9th. The company reported ($0.12) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.22) by $0.10. The company had revenue of $544.21 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $550.48 million. Unity Software had a negative return on equity of 13.50% and a negative net margin of 42.31%. Research analysts predict that Unity Software Inc. will post -0.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Unity Software news, insider Tomer Bar-Zeev sold 150,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.92, for a total transaction of $6,138,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,200,332 shares of the companys stock, valued at $49,117,585.44. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, insider Tomer Bar-Zeev sold 150,000 shares of Unity Software stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.92, for a total value of $6,138,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,200,332 shares of the companys stock, valued at $49,117,585.44. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Luis Felipe Visoso sold 3,186 shares of Unity Software stock in a transaction on Monday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.50, for a total value of $100,359.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 710,075 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $22,367,362.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 993,943 shares of company stock valued at $28,486,997. Corporate insiders own 9.00% of the companys stock.

About Unity Software

(Free Report)

Unity Software Inc operates a real-time 3D development platform. Its platform provides software solutions to create, run, and monetize interactive, real-time 2D and 3D content for mobile phones, tablets, PCs, consoles, and augmented and virtual reality devices. The company offers its solutions directly through its online store and field sales operations in North America, Denmark, Finland, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, China, Singapore, and South Korea, as well as indirectly through independent distributors and resellers worldwide.

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Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV  Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $110.26 and last traded at $110.11, with a volume of 12139 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $109.40.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on ALV shares. StockNews.com started coverage on Autoliv in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a buy rating for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Autoliv from $126.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, October 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Autoliv from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Monday, October 23rd. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Autoliv from $99.00 to $95.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 11th. Finally, Danske downgraded Autoliv from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, October 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Autoliv presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $109.10.

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View Our Latest Report on Autoliv

Autoliv Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $99.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $96.01. The company has a market cap of $9.28 billion, a PE ratio of 22.60, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.73.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 20th. The auto parts company reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.13). Autoliv had a net margin of 4.15% and a return on equity of 20.97%. The firm had revenue of $2.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.61 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.23 EPS. Autolivs quarterly revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Autoliv, Inc. will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Autoliv Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 28th were paid a $0.68 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 27th. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.47%. This is a boost from Autolivs previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Autolivs payout ratio is currently 56.20%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Autoliv

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Autoliv during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Autoliv during the third quarter worth approximately $46,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund purchased a new stake in shares of Autoliv during the first quarter worth approximately $49,000. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of Autoliv by 43.5% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 683 shares of the auto parts companys stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main purchased a new stake in shares of Autoliv during the second quarter worth approximately $72,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 56.70% of the companys stock.

About Autoliv

(Get Free Report)

Autoliv, Inc, through its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and supplies passive safety systems to the automotive industry in Europe, the Americas, China, Japan, and rest of Asia. It offers passive safety systems, including modules and components for frontal-impact airbag protection systems, side-impact airbag protection systems, seatbelts, steering wheels, and inflator technologies.

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Proficio Capital Partners LLC cut its position in Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Free Report) by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,023 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 380 shares during the quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLCs holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb were worth $988,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. SevenBridge Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. SevenBridge Financial Group LLC now owns 49,112 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $3,141,000 after acquiring an additional 797 shares during the period. Plancorp LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 3.2% in the second quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 8,973 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $574,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the period. Security Asset Management lifted its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 20.3% in the first quarter. Security Asset Management now owns 9,230 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $640,000 after purchasing an additional 1,558 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Architects LLC lifted its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 4.8% in the second quarter. Wealth Architects LLC now owns 8,012 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $512,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 69.6% in the second quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,049 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $323,000 after purchasing an additional 2,072 shares in the last quarter. 74.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Bristol-Myers Squibb Price Performance

Shares of BMY traded down $1.10 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $51.19. 4,894,650 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,278,504. The company has a market cap of $104.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.34. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a fifty-two week low of $48.25 and a fifty-two week high of $75.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The firms fifty day moving average is $51.58 and its 200 day moving average is $57.95.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Increases Dividend

Bristol-Myers Squibb ( NYSE:BMY Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $10.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.96 billion. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a return on equity of 51.59% and a net margin of 18.44%. Bristol-Myers Squibbs quarterly revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.99 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 7.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This is a positive change from Bristol-Myers Squibbs previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.69%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 4th. Bristol-Myers Squibbs dividend payout ratio is 57.87%.

Bristol-Myers Squibb declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, December 7th that permits the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the biopharmaceutical company to repurchase up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the companys management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on BMY shares. TheStreet lowered shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Thursday, November 9th. BMO Capital Markets cut Bristol-Myers Squibb from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and set a $60.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday, October 27th. Barclays cut their price target on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $60.00 to $51.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 27th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $80.00 to $66.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 15th. Finally, William Blair cut Bristol-Myers Squibb from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a report on Friday, October 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Bristol-Myers Squibb presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $63.59.

Read Our Latest Analysis on BMY

Insider Activity at Bristol-Myers Squibb

In other Bristol-Myers Squibb news, Director Theodore R. Samuels II acquired 8,500 shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 20th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $49.81 per share, with a total value of $423,385.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 35,500 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,768,255. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Bristol-Myers Squibb news, Director Theodore R. Samuels II acquired 8,500 shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 20th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $49.81 per share, with a total value of $423,385.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 35,500 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,768,255. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher S. Boerner acquired 2,000 shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $49.78 per share, for a total transaction of $99,560.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 82,672 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,115,412.16. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired 13,571 shares of company stock valued at $672,994 over the last ninety days. 0.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Bristol-Myers Squibb

(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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Photo for illustration. (Source: dantri.com.vn)

In December, the number of Vietnamese tourists to the RoK is forecast to reach about 420,000.

Along with the general recovery of the whole market, Korean MICE tourism also made many outstanding achievements in Vietnam. By the end of November, 38,435 MICE tourists visited the RoK, an increase of 228% over the same period last year. Of these, there were 16 groups of over 300 guests, an increase of 167%; tourist groups of Korean-invested enterprises in Vietnam with 457 guests, an increase of 400% compared to 2022.

In 2023, Vietnam will be the leading tourist market in Southeast Asia and ranked 5th among international markets sending tourists to the RoK.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Promotion Center, the RoK is currently the market sending the most tourists to Ho Chi Minh City. In the 11 months of 2023, the city welcomed more than 486,000 visitors. In 2023, Vietnam is expected to welcome about 3.6 million tourists from the market./.
British Land Company PLC (OTCMKTS:BTLCY  Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of Reduce by the six analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has assigned a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company.

A number of analysts have recently commented on BTLCY shares. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded British Land from a hold rating to an underperform rating in a report on Wednesday, September 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded British Land from an overweight rating to a neutral rating in a report on Monday, September 4th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded British Land from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a report on Friday, October 13th.

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British Land Price Performance

British Land Increases Dividend

Shares of BTLCY opened at $5.26 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $4.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $4.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. British Land has a fifty-two week low of $3.48 and a fifty-two week high of $5.88.

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 24th will be given a $0.1049 dividend. This is a boost from British Lands previous dividend of $0.10. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 22nd.

British Land Company Profile

(Get Free Report

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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Shares of Brunswick Co. (NYSE:BC  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $98.34 and last traded at $98.22, with a volume of 8633 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $97.89.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Brunswick from $102.00 to $92.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 19th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Brunswick from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, October 27th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Brunswick from $84.00 to $77.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 27th. Raymond James lowered their price target on shares of Brunswick from $90.00 to $88.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 19th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a buy rating and set a $91.00 price target on shares of Brunswick in a research report on Tuesday, September 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a 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 $94.86.

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Check Out Our Latest Analysis on BC

Brunswick Stock Performance

The firms fifty day moving average price is $79.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $80.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.94 and a beta of 1.50.

Brunswick (NYSE:BC  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.06. Brunswick had a net margin of 7.57% and a return on equity of 32.09%. The firm had revenue of $1.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.66 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.67 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Brunswick Co. will post 9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Brunswick Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 21st. Brunswicks payout ratio is currently 22.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Nancy E. Cooper sold 414 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.57, for a total transaction of $28,387.98. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 21,887 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,500,791.59. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.74% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brunswick

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of BC. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Brunswick in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its holdings in shares of Brunswick by 140.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 41,387 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,496,000 after buying an additional 24,171 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS boosted its holdings in shares of Brunswick by 10.5% in the 1st quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 28,255 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,286,000 after buying an additional 2,694 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Brunswick by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 6,426,552 shares of the companys stock valued at $519,843,000 after buying an additional 46,519 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Great West Life Assurance Co. Can boosted its holdings in shares of Brunswick by 9.7% in the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 45,006 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,746,000 after buying an additional 3,992 shares in the last quarter. 94.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Brunswick

(Get Free Report)

Brunswick Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets recreation products worldwide. It operates through three segments: Propulsion, Parts & Accessories, and Boat. The Propulsion segment provides outboard, sterndrive, and inboard engines for independent boat builders and governments through marine dealers and distributors, specialty marine retailers, and marine service centers; and propulsion-related controls, rigging, and propellers to original equipment manufacturers and aftermarket retailers, distributors, and distribution businesses.

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Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lowered its stake in Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (NYSE:CP  Free Report) (TSE:CP) by 12.3% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 10,022 shares of the transportation companys stock after selling 1,400 shares during the quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.s holdings in Canadian Pacific Kansas City were worth $746,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Cedar Brook Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City in the third quarter valued at about $206,000. Kirr Marbach & Co. LLC IN grew its stake in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 0.4% in the third quarter. Kirr Marbach & Co. LLC IN now owns 176,058 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $13,125,000 after buying an additional 770 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City in the third quarter valued at about $259,000. First Affirmative Financial Network grew its stake in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 19.2% in the third quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 4,584 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $341,000 after buying an additional 739 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City in the third quarter valued at about $384,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.93% of the companys stock.

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Canadian Pacific Kansas City Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CP traded down $0.34 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $79.13. The company had a trading volume of 348,801 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,085,158. The stock has a market cap of $73.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.86, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.00. Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited has a 12 month low of $68.92 and a 12 month high of $85.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $72.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $76.51.

Canadian Pacific Kansas City Cuts Dividend

Canadian Pacific Kansas City ( NYSE:CP Get Free Report ) (TSE:CP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 25th. The transportation company reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $2.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.49 billion. Canadian Pacific Kansas City had a return on equity of 8.45% and a net margin of 37.10%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited will post 2.9 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 29th. Investors of record on Friday, December 29th will be given a $0.1384 dividend. This represents a $0.55 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 28th. Canadian Pacific Kansas Citys dividend payout ratio is currently 16.82%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Susquehanna reduced their price target on Canadian Pacific Kansas City from $93.00 to $90.00 and set a positive rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 26th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Canadian Pacific Kansas City from $85.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, September 21st. StockNews.com downgraded Canadian Pacific Kansas City from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Thursday, December 7th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Canadian Pacific Kansas City from $91.00 to $83.00 in a report on Thursday, October 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Canadian Pacific Kansas City in a report on Tuesday, September 5th. They set an equal weight rating and a $100.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $95.83.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on CP

About Canadian Pacific Kansas City

(Free Report)

Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates a transcontinental freight railway in Canada and the United States. The company transports bulk commodities, including grain, coal, potash, fertilizers, and sulphur; and merchandise freight, such as energy, chemicals and plastics, metals, minerals and consumer, automotive, and forest products.

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Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 24.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 35,077 shares of the financial services providers stock after acquiring an additional 6,893 shares during the period. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLCs holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $1,392,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WFC. Studio Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 288.0% during the 2nd quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 741 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 550 shares in the last quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Central Bank & Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 444.8% during the 3rd quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. now owns 899 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.47% of the companys stock.

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Wells Fargo & Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WFC traded up $0.36 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $49.54. 2,670,369 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 19,298,768. The companys 50 day moving average is $43.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $179.91 billion, a PE ratio of 10.62, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. Wells Fargo & Company has a 52 week low of $35.25 and a 52 week high of $50.77.

Wells Fargo & Company Announces Dividend

Wells Fargo & Company ( NYSE:WFC Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 13th. The financial services provider reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.24 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $20.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.09 billion. Wells Fargo & Company had a return on equity of 11.18% and a net margin of 17.06%. The companys revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.30 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.04 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 3rd were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 2nd. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.83%. Wells Fargo & Companys payout ratio is 30.24%.

Insider Activity

In other Wells Fargo & Company news, Director Richard K. Davis acquired 3,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 9th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $41.22 per share, for a total transaction of $144,270.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,244 shares in the company, valued at $174,937.68. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WFC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Wells Fargo & Company from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, December 4th. StockNews.com started coverage on Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Friday, December 8th. HSBC started coverage on Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Thursday, September 7th. They set a hold rating and a $45.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $51.00 to $53.00 in a report on Thursday, October 12th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Wells Fargo & Company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $49.56.

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Wells Fargo & Company Profile

(Free Report)

Wells Fargo & Company, a diversified financial services company, provides banking, investment, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through four segments: Consumer Banking and Lending; Commercial Banking; Corporate and Investment Banking; and Wealth and Investment Management.

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Shares of CBIZ, Inc. (NYSE:CBZ  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $63.00 and last traded at $62.62, with a volume of 2636 shares. The stock had previously closed at $62.65.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on CBZ. StockNews.com began coverage on CBIZ in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Sidoti raised CBIZ from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $63.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, October 30th.

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CBIZ Trading Down 0.1 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 1.40. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $56.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $54.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.06 and a beta of 0.77.

CBIZ (NYSE:CBZ  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The business services provider reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $410.54 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $395.53 million. CBIZ had a return on equity of 16.22% and a net margin of 7.84%. The companys revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.51 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that CBIZ, Inc. will post 2.4 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Ware H. Grove sold 6,849 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.99, for a total transaction of $397,173.51. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 267,675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,522,473.25. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Ware H. Grove sold 3,911 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.21, for a total transaction of $215,926.31. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 274,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,156,470.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Ware H. Grove sold 6,849 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.99, for a total value of $397,173.51. Following the sale, the insider now owns 267,675 shares of the companys stock, valued at $15,522,473.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 12,019 shares of company stock worth $682,921. 5.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CBIZ

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of CBZ. Huntington National Bank grew its stake in CBIZ by 8.0% during the second quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,247 shares of the business services providers stock worth $173,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in CBIZ by 5.8% during the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,580 shares of the business services providers stock worth $244,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co grew its stake in CBIZ by 2.6% during the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 9,881 shares of the business services providers stock worth $513,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its stake in CBIZ by 6.2% during the third quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 4,381 shares of the business services providers stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the period. Finally, American International Group Inc. grew its stake in CBIZ by 1.1% during the second quarter. American International Group Inc. now owns 23,086 shares of the business services providers stock worth $1,230,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the period. 88.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About CBIZ

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CBIZ, Inc provides financial, insurance, and advisory services in the United States and Canada. It operates through three segments: Financial Services, Benefits and Insurance Services, and National Practices. The Financial Services segment offers accounting and tax, financial advisory, valuation, risk and advisory, and government healthcare consulting services.

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Colliers International Group Inc. (TSE:CIGI  Get Free Report) declared a dividend on Thursday, December 28th, TickerTech reports. Investors of record on Friday, January 12th will be paid a dividend of 0.15 per share on Friday, January 12th. This represents a yield of 0.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 28th.

Colliers International Group Trading Up 1.5 %

TSE:CIGI traded up C$2.52 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching C$165.28. The companys stock had a trading volume of 26,139 shares, compared to its average volume of 70,235. The firm has a market capitalization of C$7.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 262.35, a PEG ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.57. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of C$140.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of C$139.76. Colliers International Group has a 1 year low of C$115.00 and a 1 year high of C$165.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 116.22, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 1.07.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Colliers International Group from C$130.00 to C$121.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 3rd.

About Colliers International Group

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Colliers International Group Inc provides commercial real estate professional and investment management services to corporate and institutional clients in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It offers transaction brokerage services, including sales, leasing, and debt finance services, as well as landlord and tenant representation services; capital markets and investment services; and mortgage investment banking services.

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Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (NYSE:SID  Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $3.95 and last traded at $3.95, with a volume of 158662 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $3.88.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Companhia Siderurgica Nacional from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, November 16th. Bank of America raised shares of Companhia Siderurgica Nacional from an underperform rating to a buy rating and set a $4.10 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, November 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Companhia Siderurgica Nacional presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $3.20.

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View Our Latest Stock Report on SID

Companhia Siderurgica Nacional Stock Up 2.1 %

The company has a market cap of $5.49 billion, a PE ratio of -77.60, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.99. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $2.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $2.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.53.

Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (NYSE:SID  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $2.28 billion during the quarter. Companhia Siderurgica Nacional had a negative net margin of 0.74% and a negative return on equity of 1.56%. On average, analysts predict that Companhia Siderurgica Nacional will post 0.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Companhia Siderurgica Nacional Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a  dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 24th were given a dividend of $0.1526 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 dividend payout ratio is presently -720.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Companhia Siderurgica Nacional

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. boosted its position in Companhia Siderurgica Nacional by 724.6% during the 1st quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 6,828 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 6,000 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Companhia Siderurgica Nacional during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in Companhia Siderurgica Nacional by 272.5% during the 3rd 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 during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Companhia Siderurgica Nacional in the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Ethic Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Companhia Siderurgica Nacional in the 1st quarter worth about $64,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 2.38% of the companys stock.

Companhia Siderurgica Nacional Company Profile

(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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Boston Trust Walden Corp lifted its stake in Core Laboratories Inc. (NYSE:CLB  Free Report) by 3.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,277,774 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after buying an additional 79,166 shares during the quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned approximately 4.88% of Core Laboratories worth $54,689,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. State of Wyoming boosted its stake in shares of Core Laboratories by 43.1% in the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,447 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 436 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in shares of Core Laboratories by 9,913.3% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,502 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,487 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of Core Laboratories by 33.1% during the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 395 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG raised its holdings in shares of Core Laboratories by 171.6% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 3,200 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 2,022 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Core Laboratories during the first quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.81% of the companys stock.

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Core Laboratories Price Performance

NYSE:CLB opened at $18.50 on Tuesday. Core Laboratories Inc. has a one year low of $16.69 and a one year high of $27.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.82 and a current ratio of 2.71. The stock has a market cap of $864.32 million, a PE ratio of 21.13, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 2.44. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $19.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $22.52.

Core Laboratories Announces Dividend

Core Laboratories ( NYSE:CLB Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 1st. The oil and gas company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.23 by ($0.01). Core Laboratories had a net margin of 8.10% and a return on equity of 16.85%. The company had revenue of $125.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $129.81 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.18 EPS. Core Laboratoriess revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Core Laboratories Inc. will post 0.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 13th were paid a dividend of $0.01 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 10th. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.22%. Core Laboratoriess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.65%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CLB has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their target price on Core Laboratories from $21.00 to $20.00 and set a sell rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 18th. StockNews.com raised Core Laboratories from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday. Finally, TheStreet cut Core Laboratories from a b- rating to a c rating in a report on Thursday, November 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and two have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Core Laboratories presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $21.88.

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Core Laboratories Profile

(Free Report)

Core Laboratories Inc provides reservoir description and production enhancement services and products to the oil and gas industry in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates through Reservoir Description and Production Enhancement segments. The Reservoir Description segment includes the characterization of petroleum reservoir rock, reservoir fluid, and gas samples to enhance production and improve recovery of oil and gas from its clients' reservoirs.

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Coterra Energy Inc. (NYSE:CTRA  Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of Moderate Buy from the sixteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $32.07.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on CTRA. UBS Group upgraded Coterra Energy from a neutral rating to a buy rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $33.00 to $31.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 14th. Raymond James decreased their price objective on Coterra Energy from $34.00 to $32.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 19th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Coterra Energy from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, October 18th. Citigroup upgraded Coterra Energy from a neutral rating to a buy rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $28.00 to $30.00 in a report on Monday, December 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Coterra Energy from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and set a $30.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, December 14th.

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Get Our Latest Analysis on CTRA

Coterra Energy Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of CTRA opened at $25.78 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Coterra Energy has a 1 year low of $22.25 and a 1 year high of $29.89. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $26.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $26.76. The firm has a market cap of $19.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.20 and a beta of 0.30.

Coterra Energy (NYSE:CTRA  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 6th. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.38 billion. Coterra Energy had a net margin of 33.97% and a return on equity of 17.14%. On average, equities analysts expect that Coterra Energy will post 2.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Coterra Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 16th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 15th. Coterra Energys payout ratio is 27.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Coterra Energy

In related news, Director Dan O. Dinges sold 68,275 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.22, for a total transaction of $1,858,445.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 3,152,392 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $85,808,110.24. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Coterra Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in Coterra Energy by 133.3% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,295 shares of the companys stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 740 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Coterra Energy by 54.8% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 753,719 shares of the companys stock valued at $20,388,000 after acquiring an additional 266,700 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its stake in shares of Coterra Energy by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 26,314 shares of the companys stock valued at $712,000 after buying an additional 503 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its stake in shares of Coterra Energy by 12.1% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 176,843 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,784,000 after buying an additional 19,143 shares during the period. Finally, Comerica Bank boosted its stake in shares of Coterra Energy by 42.6% in the 3rd quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 225,238 shares of the companys stock valued at $6,093,000 after buying an additional 67,341 shares during the period. 90.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Coterra Energy

(Get Free Report

Coterra Energy Inc, an independent oil and gas company, engages in the development, exploration and production of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the United States. The company primarily focuses on the Marcellus Shale with approximately 183,000 net acres in the dry gas window of the play located in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania.

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IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd lessened its position in Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK  Free Report) by 8.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 190,674 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 17,537 shares during the period. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd owned about 0.06% of Graphic Packaging worth $4,248,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of GPK. Private Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Graphic Packaging during the 1st quarter worth $519,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Graphic Packaging in the 1st quarter valued at about $184,000. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in Graphic Packaging by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 15,105,236 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $302,709,000 after buying an additional 377,055 shares during the period. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can increased its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 25,660 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $547,000 after acquiring an additional 792 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Graphic Packaging by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 11,619 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $233,000 after acquiring an additional 955 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.67% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GPK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Graphic Packaging from $29.00 to $26.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 10th. StockNews.com lowered Graphic Packaging from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, December 21st. Bank of America upgraded shares of Graphic Packaging from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, October 31st. Raymond James downgraded Graphic Packaging from a strong-buy rating to a market perform rating in a research note on Monday, November 27th. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a buy rating and issued a $31.00 price target on shares of Graphic Packaging in a research note on Tuesday, September 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $27.89.

Graphic Packaging Stock Performance

Shares of GPK traded up $0.29 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $24.90. The stock had a trading volume of 419,889 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,483,963. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. Graphic Packaging Holding has a fifty-two week low of $20.07 and a fifty-two week high of $27.56. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $22.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $22.91. The company has a market cap of $7.62 billion, a PE ratio of 11.14, a PEG ratio of 0.34 and a beta of 0.87.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.47 billion. Graphic Packaging had a return on equity of 35.97% and a net margin of 7.14%. The businesss revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.67 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Graphic Packaging Holding will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Graphic Packaging Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 15th will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 14th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.61%. Graphic Packagings dividend payout ratio is presently 18.10%.

Graphic Packaging Company Profile

(Free Report)

Graphic Packaging Holding Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides fiber-based packaging solutions to food, beverage, foodservice, and other consumer products companies. It operates through three segments: Paperboard Mills, Americas Paperboard Packaging, and Europe Paperboard Packaging. The company offers coated unbleached kraft (CUK), coated recycled paperboard (CRB), and solid bleached sulfate paperboard (SBS) to various paperboard packaging converters and brokers; and paperboard packaging products, such as folding cartons, cups, lids, and food containers primarily to consumer packaged goods, quick-service restaurants, and foodservice companies; and barrier packaging products that protect against moisture, hot and cold temperature, grease, oil, oxygen, sunlight, insects, and other potential product-damaging factors.

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Ukrnafta launched another high-yield well in eastern Ukraine with an initial daily output of over 50 tonnes of oil, the company reported.

The total depth of the new exploration well is 2,919 meters. The initial flow rate is 51.4 tonnes per day of practically anhydrous oil, water cut is 2-3%, said company director Serhiy Koretsky.

Ukrnafta explained that its specialists worked with their own drilling rig. During the drilling process, they used their own developments: the department of industrial chemistry and core analysis, based on a basic recipe, developed a drilling fluid that was used to a depth of 2,013 meters.

This made it possible to reduce the coefficient of cavernousness of the shaft and minimize the cost of chemicals and materials, which saved the company millions of hryvnias, the company noted, adding that a promising deposit in the Serpukhivske deposits was discovered by a pilot shaft in the range of 2,894-2,898 meters.

The well section revealed three more promising deposits in Serpukhivske and Bashkirske deposits. Therefore, after mining the underlying deposits, the horizontal part of the well will be drilled in order to develop oil reserves in Bashkirske deposits, Ukrnafta shared its plans.

As reported, in early December, Ukrnafta drilled a new directional well with an initial daily oil flow rate of 25-30 tonnes in western Ukraine to explore reserves in the Stry deposits.
Greenwood Capital Associates LLC grew its stake in shares of PPG Industries, Inc. (NYSE:PPG  Free Report) by 113.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,772 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock after buying an additional 21,689 shares during the period. Greenwood Capital Associates LLCs holdings in PPG Industries were worth $5,292,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Harbour Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of PPG Industries by 84.9% during the 1st quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 220 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of PPG Industries during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in shares of PPG Industries during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Intrepid Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of PPG Industries during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Clear Street Markets LLC bought a new position in shares of PPG Industries during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors own 79.18% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on PPG. Citigroup cut their price objective on PPG Industries from $154.00 to $152.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 20th. Barclays upgraded PPG Industries from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and set a $160.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 11th. KeyCorp cut their target price on PPG Industries from $172.00 to $166.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 20th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on PPG Industries in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $155.44.

PPG Industries Stock Performance

Shares of PPG stock traded up $1.19 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $149.94. 237,769 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,502,424. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.36 billion, a PE ratio of 25.12, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.24. PPG Industries, Inc. has a twelve month low of $120.32 and a twelve month high of $152.89. The firms fifty day moving average price is $135.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $138.17.

PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 19th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $4.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.64 billion. PPG Industries had a return on equity of 23.51% and a net margin of 7.84%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.66 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that PPG Industries, Inc. will post 7.64 EPS for the current year.

PPG Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 12th. Investors of record on Friday, November 10th were paid a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 9th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.73%. PPG Industriess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.55%.

PPG Industries Profile

(Free Report)

PPG Industries, Inc manufactures and distributes paints, coatings, and specialty materials worldwide. The company operates through Performance Coatings and Industrial Coatings. The Performance Coatings segment offers coatings, solvents, adhesives, sealants, sundries, and software for automotive and commercial transport/fleet repair and refurbishing, light industrial coatings, and specialty coatings for signs; and coatings, sealants, transparencies, transparent armor, adhesives, engineered materials, and packaging and chemical management services for commercial, military, regional jet, and general aviation aircraft.

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Greenwood Capital Associates LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Barrick Gold Corp (NYSE:GOLD  Free Report) (TSE:ABX) by 1.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 403,820 shares of the gold and copper producers stock after selling 4,983 shares during the period. Greenwood Capital Associates LLCs holdings in Barrick Gold were worth $5,876,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GOLD. Snider Financial Group purchased a new position in Barrick Gold during the 1st quarter worth $185,000. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its position in Barrick Gold by 60.1% in the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 15,183,895 shares of the gold and copper producers stock valued at $256,868,000 after purchasing an additional 5,697,106 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in Barrick Gold by 13.9% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 42,464,736 shares of the gold and copper producers stock valued at $788,570,000 after purchasing an additional 5,188,456 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Barrick Gold by 40.8% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 17,824,320 shares of the gold and copper producers stock valued at $437,387,000 after purchasing an additional 5,164,698 shares during the period. Finally, Kopernik Global Investors LLC acquired a new stake in Barrick Gold in the second quarter valued at about $74,934,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.20% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Barrick Gold from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 28th. TD Securities reduced their price objective on shares of Barrick Gold from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Barrick Gold from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, November 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Barrick Gold from $18.00 to $15.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 4th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Barrick Gold from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $22.18.

Barrick Gold Price Performance

Shares of Barrick Gold stock traded down $0.07 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $18.09. 3,564,756 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 16,197,501. The company has a quick ratio of 2.28, a current ratio of 3.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. Barrick Gold Corp has a fifty-two week low of $13.82 and a fifty-two week high of $20.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 605.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.49. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $16.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $16.39.

Barrick Gold (NYSE:GOLD  Get Free Report) (TSE:ABX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The gold and copper producer reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.93 billion. Barrick Gold had a net margin of 0.52% and a return on equity of 3.88%. Barrick Golds revenue for the quarter was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.13 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Barrick Gold Corp will post 0.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Barrick Gold Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 30th were paid a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 29th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.21%. Barrick Golds payout ratio is currently 1,300.00%.

Barrick Gold Company Profile

(Free Report)

Barrick Gold Corporation is a sector-leading gold and copper producer. Its shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol GOLD and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol ABX.



In January 2019 Barrick merged with Randgold Resources and in July that year it combined its gold mines in Nevada, USA, with those of Newmont Corporation in a joint venture, Nevada Gold Mines, which is majority-owned and operated by Barrick.

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Hanlon Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Terex Co. (NYSE:TEX  Free Report) by 14.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,933 shares of the industrial products companys stock after purchasing an additional 757 shares during the period. Hanlon Investment Management Inc.s holdings in Terex were worth $342,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in Terex by 17.7% during the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 39,745 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $1,417,000 after acquiring an additional 5,990 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Terex during the first quarter worth approximately $291,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in Terex by 106.6% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,369 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $368,000 after purchasing an additional 5,351 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Terex by 42.6% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 4,984 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $177,000 after purchasing an additional 1,488 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Terex by 40.1% during the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 80,649 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $2,876,000 after purchasing an additional 23,093 shares during the last quarter. 93.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on TEX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Terex from $72.00 to $63.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Terex from a buy rating to a hold rating and cut their price target for the company from $73.00 to $63.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Terex from $60.00 to $52.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 30th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Terex from $66.00 to $60.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 18th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Terex from $63.00 to $62.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 13th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Terex presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $62.00.

Terex Stock Performance

Terex stock traded up $0.98 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $58.84. The companys stock had a trading volume of 91,579 shares, compared to its average volume of 892,588. Terex Co. has a 12-month low of $41.69 and a 12-month high of $65.64. The company has a market capitalization of $3.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.30, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 2.11. The firms fifty day moving average price is $50.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $55.84.

Terex (NYSE:TEX  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 27th. The industrial products company reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.26 billion. Terex had a net margin of 9.39% and a return on equity of 35.61%. Terexs revenue was up 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.20 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Terex Co. will post 7.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Terex Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 9th were issued a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 8th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.16%. Terexs payout ratio is currently 9.62%.

Insider Transactions at Terex

In other news, CEO John L. Garrison, Jr. sold 45,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.00, for a total value of $2,655,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 492,121 shares of the companys stock, valued at $29,035,139. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CFO Julie A. Beck bought 1,100 shares of Terex stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 31st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $45.59 per share, with a total value of $50,149.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 66,353 shares in the company, valued at $3,025,033.27. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO John L. Garrison, Jr. sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.00, for a total value of $2,655,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 492,121 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,035,139. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have bought 34,730 shares of company stock valued at $1,716,344. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Terex Profile

(Free Report)

Terex Corporation manufactures and sells aerial work platforms and materials processing machinery worldwide. It operates in two segments, Aerial Work Platforms (AWP) and Materials Processing (MP). The AWP segment designs, manufactures, services, and markets aerial work platform equipment, utility equipment, and telehandlers under the Terex and Genie brands.

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Holland Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT  Free Report) by 65.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,179 shares of the retailers stock after buying an additional 858 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up about 0.4% of Holland Advisory Services Inc.s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Holland Advisory Services Inc.s holdings in Walmart were worth $349,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kozak & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,490.0% during the 3rd quarter. Kozak & Associates Inc. now owns 159 shares of the retailers stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Union Savings Bank purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the second quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the first quarter worth $38,000. 33.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WMT. StockNews.com lowered shares of Walmart from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, November 17th. Truist Financial upped their target price on Walmart from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Friday, November 17th. TD Cowen reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $185.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, September 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $168.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, November 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Walmart from $187.00 to $177.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $179.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 9,708 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.40, for a total transaction of $1,576,579.20. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,461,509 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $237,349,061.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 1,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.37, for a total transaction of $164,370.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 167,735 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $27,570,601.95. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 9,708 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.40, for a total transaction of $1,576,579.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,461,509 shares in the company, valued at $237,349,061.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 3,493,089 shares of company stock worth $544,456,070. 46.51% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walmart Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:WMT traded down $0.44 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $156.21. 452,876 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,297,206. The firms 50 day moving average price is $158.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $158.76. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $136.09 and a 12-month high of $169.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $420.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.98, a PEG ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 16th. The retailer reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts consensus estimates of $1.53. The company had revenue of $160.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $159.65 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.55% and a return on equity of 21.20%. Walmarts quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.50 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 6.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Walmart

(Free Report)

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, and other units worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com, walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, and samsclub.com; and mobile commerce applications.

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Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (NYSEARCA:RSP  Free Report) by 1.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 42,792 shares of the companys stock after selling 474 shares during the quarter. Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF comprises about 2.2% of Pinnacle Bancorp Inc.s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest position. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc.s holdings in Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF were worth $6,063,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. NovaPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,201,000. Strategic Blueprint LLC purchased a new stake in Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $728,000. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF by 22.6% in the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 18,720 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,652,000 after purchasing an additional 3,448 shares in the last quarter. Lionsbridge Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,860,000. Finally, New Hampshire Trust purchased a new stake in Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $294,000.

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Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF Stock Performance

RSP traded up $0.79 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $157.80. The companys stock had a trading volume of 1,553,087 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,868,026. Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF has a 52-week low of $133.34 and a 52-week high of $158.25. The companys fifty day moving average price is $145.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $147.11. The company has a market capitalization of $44.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.13 and a beta of 1.05.

Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF Profile

Guggenheim S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF, formerly Rydex S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF, seeks to replicate as closely as possible, the daily performance of the S&P 500 Equal Weight Index (the Index). The Index is a capitalization-weighted index covering 500 industrial, utility, transportation and financial companies of the United States markets (mostly NYSE Euronext issues).

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IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd raised its stake in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET  Free Report) by 1.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 57,412 shares of the financial services providers stock after buying an additional 1,091 shares during the period. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltds holdings in MetLife were worth $3,612,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 55,059,523 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $3,112,515,000 after purchasing an additional 578,699 shares during the last quarter. Dodge & Cox boosted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 54,069,754 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $3,132,802,000 after buying an additional 486,544 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of MetLife by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 27,540,294 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,595,686,000 after buying an additional 1,930,271 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in MetLife by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,584,674 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $838,383,000 after purchasing an additional 418,477 shares during the period. Finally, Macquarie Group Ltd. boosted its stake in MetLife by 6.2% during the 1st quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. now owns 7,466,099 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $432,585,000 after purchasing an additional 436,260 shares during the period. 88.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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MetLife Price Performance

MET traded up $0.22 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $66.08. The company had a trading volume of 810,686 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,583,399. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.13 and a current ratio of 0.13. The company has a market capitalization of $48.91 billion, a PE ratio of 24.21, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.05. MetLife, Inc. has a twelve month low of $48.95 and a twelve month high of $73.92. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $62.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $61.46.

MetLife Announces Dividend

MetLife ( NYSE:MET Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 1st. The financial services provider reported $1.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.99 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $15.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.49 billion. MetLife had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 19.14%. The companys revenue was down 28.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.21 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 7.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 9th were given a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 8th. MetLifes payout ratio is presently 76.47%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MET. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of MetLife in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of MetLife from a hold rating to a buy rating and increased their target price for the stock from $58.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of MetLife in a research note on Wednesday, October 4th. They set a hold rating and a $71.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of MetLife from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, November 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of MetLife from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $75.58.

View Our Latest Research Report on MetLife

MetLife Profile

(Free Report)

MetLife, Inc, a financial services company, provides insurance, annuities, employee benefits, and asset management services worldwide. It operates through five segments: U.S.; Asia; Latin America; Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and MetLife Holdings. The company offers life, dental, group short-and long-term disability, individual disability, pet insurance, accidental death and dismemberment, vision, and accident and health coverages, as well as prepaid legal plans; administrative services-only arrangements to employers; and general and separate account, and synthetic guaranteed interest contracts, as well as private floating rate funding agreements.

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IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd decreased its position in Perrigo Company plc (NYSE:PRGO  Free Report) by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 76,012 shares of the companys stock after selling 18,834 shares during the period. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltds holdings in Perrigo were worth $2,429,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Perrigo by 1.5% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,328,895 shares of the companys stock valued at $510,968,000 after purchasing an additional 215,794 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Perrigo by 4.8% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 12,112,154 shares of the companys stock valued at $465,469,000 after purchasing an additional 554,915 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Perrigo by 1.7% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,625,123 shares of the companys stock valued at $224,921,000 after purchasing an additional 109,441 shares during the period. Wolf Hill Capital Management LP raised its position in Perrigo by 35.6% during the second quarter. Wolf Hill Capital Management LP now owns 5,367,678 shares of the companys stock worth $182,233,000 after acquiring an additional 1,408,044 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its position in Perrigo by 4.8% during the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,270,353 shares of the companys stock worth $164,110,000 after acquiring an additional 193,783 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.74% of the companys stock.

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Perrigo Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:PRGO traded up $0.16 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $31.86. The stock had a trading volume of 901,186 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,327,537. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $29.67 and a 200-day moving average price of $32.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market cap of $4.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 634.13 and a beta of 0.90. Perrigo Company plc has a fifty-two week low of $26.81 and a fifty-two week high of $40.28.

Perrigo Dividend Announcement

Perrigo ( NYSE:PRGO Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 7th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. Perrigo had a net margin of 0.15% and a return on equity of 6.98%. The companys revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.56 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Perrigo Company plc will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 1st were given a $0.273 dividend. This represents a $1.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 30th. Perrigos dividend payout ratio is presently 2,180.44%.

Insider Activity at Perrigo

In related news, EVP Robert Willis bought 5,550 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 24th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $31.01 per share, for a total transaction of $172,105.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president now owns 19,105 shares in the company, valued at $592,446.05. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Robert Willis bought 5,550 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 24th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $31.01 per share, for a total transaction of $172,105.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president now owns 19,105 shares in the company, valued at $592,446.05. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Alison Ives bought 2,040 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 16th. The stock was bought at an average price of $29.34 per share, with a total value of $59,853.60. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president now owns 10,380 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $304,549.20. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders purchased 23,590 shares of company stock worth $696,749. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on PRGO shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Perrigo from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 15th. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Perrigo in a research report on Friday, November 17th. They set an overweight rating and a $37.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $44.25.

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About Perrigo

(Free Report)

Perrigo Company plc provides over-the-counter health and wellness solutions to enhance individual well-being in Ireland, the United States, France, Belgium, China, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Australia, Greece, and Spain. It operates through Consumer Self-Care Americas and Consumer Self-Care International segments.

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LaFleur & Godfrey LLC lifted its stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 1.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,835 shares of the payment services companys stock after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the period. LaFleur & Godfrey LLCs holdings in American Express were worth $2,959,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Express by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 6,756 shares of the payment services companys stock valued at $1,008,000 after acquiring an additional 565 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC increased its position in American Express by 17.1% in the 3rd quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC now owns 2,734 shares of the payment services companys stock worth $408,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its position in American Express by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 225,355 shares of the payment services companys stock worth $33,621,000 after buying an additional 1,251 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in American Express by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 44,386 shares of the payment services companys stock worth $6,622,000 after buying an additional 2,553 shares during the period. Finally, Meridian Wealth Management LLC increased its position in American Express by 92.7% in the 3rd quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,880 shares of the payment services companys stock worth $1,176,000 after buying an additional 3,791 shares during the period. 83.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AXP. Piper Sandler raised American Express from an underweight rating to a neutral rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $150.00 to $151.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on American Express from $185.00 to $175.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 23rd. Bank of America decreased their price objective on American Express from $203.00 to $202.00 in a report on Thursday, October 5th. Barclays began coverage on American Express in a report on Wednesday, November 15th. They set an overweight rating and a $184.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, HSBC began coverage on American Express in a report on Friday, October 13th. They set a buy rating and a $181.00 price objective on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, American Express has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $171.78.

American Express Price Performance

American Express stock traded down $0.05 on Tuesday, reaching $185.52. The companys stock had a trading volume of 201,260 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,173,185. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 1.60. The company has a market cap of $135.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.41, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.23. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $161.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $162.82. American Express has a twelve month low of $140.91 and a twelve month high of $186.37.

American Express (NYSE:AXP  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 20th. The payment services company reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.96 by $0.34. The company had revenue of $15.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.36 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 30.60% and a net margin of 13.61%. The businesss revenue was up 13.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.47 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that American Express will post 11.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 5th will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 4th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.29%. American Expresss payout ratio is currently 22.51%.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In other news, Vice Chairman Jeffrey C. Campbell sold 21,008 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.33, for a total transaction of $3,536,276.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 125,646 shares in the company, valued at $21,149,991.18. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, Vice Chairman Jeffrey C. Campbell sold 21,008 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.33, for a total transaction of $3,536,276.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 125,646 shares in the company, valued at $21,149,991.18. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Vice Chairman Douglas E. Buckminster sold 11,344 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.87, for a total value of $1,802,221.28. Following the sale, the insider now owns 88,376 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $14,040,295.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About American Express

(Free Report)

American Express Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides charge and credit payment card products, and travel-related services worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Global Consumer Services Group, Global Commercial Services, and Global Merchant and Network Services. Its products and services include payment and financing products; network services; accounts payable expense management products and services; and travel and lifestyle services.

Further Reading

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Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY lessened its holdings in shares of CMS Energy Co. (NYSE:CMS  Free Report) by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 885,105 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 30,829 shares during the quarter. CMS Energy makes up 1.7% of Miller Howard Investments Inc. NYs portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NYs holdings in CMS Energy were worth $47,008,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Covington Capital Management acquired a new stake in CMS Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. American National Bank raised its stake in CMS Energy by 1,213.6% during the 3rd quarter. American National Bank now owns 578 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 534 shares during the period. Clear Street Markets LLC raised its stake in CMS Energy by 94.9% during the 1st quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 573 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 279 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its stake in CMS Energy by 41.5% during the 1st quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 644 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the period. Finally, Centerpoint Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CMS Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.98% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Brandon J. Hofmeister sold 1,000 shares of CMS Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.90, for a total transaction of $57,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 61,156 shares in the company, valued at $3,540,932.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, SVP Brandon J. Hofmeister sold 1,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.90, for a total transaction of $57,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 61,156 shares in the company, valued at $3,540,932.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John G. Russell sold 19,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.53, for a total value of $1,055,070.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 169,899 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $9,434,491.47. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 25,000 shares of company stock worth $1,387,470. Company insiders own 0.40% of the companys stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on CMS shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on CMS Energy from $60.00 to $56.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 25th. UBS Group dropped their price target on CMS Energy from $66.00 to $59.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 4th. StockNews.com started coverage on CMS Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a sell rating on the stock. Guggenheim dropped their price target on CMS Energy from $61.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Monday, October 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on CMS Energy from $71.00 to $64.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, CMS Energy presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $62.09.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on CMS Energy

CMS Energy Stock Performance

CMS Energy stock traded up $0.32 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $57.55. 223,895 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,172,807. CMS Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $49.87 and a 52 week high of $65.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market cap of $16.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.40. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $56.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $57.20.

CMS Energy (NYSE:CMS  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The utilities provider reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.63 by ($0.02). CMS Energy had a return on equity of 10.49% and a net margin of 9.61%. The business had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.56 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 17.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that CMS Energy Co. will post 3.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CMS Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 30th. Investors of record on Friday, November 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.4875 per share. This represents a $1.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 2nd. CMS Energys payout ratio is currently 76.77%.

CMS Energy Profile

(Free Report)

CMS Energy Corporation operates as an energy company primarily in Michigan. The company operates through three segments: Electric Utility; Gas Utility; and Enterprises. The Electric Utility segment is involved in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity. This segment generates electricity through coal, wind, gas, renewable energy, oil, and nuclear sources.

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NovaPoint Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX  Free Report) by 3.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,923 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock after acquiring an additional 502 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for 1.4% of NovaPoint Capital LLCs holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. NovaPoint Capital LLCs holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,600,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 23,794,080 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock valued at $5,889,987,000 after buying an additional 1,281,866 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 12,762,618 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock valued at $3,369,459,000 after buying an additional 76,244 shares in the last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98,105.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 6,929,375 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock valued at $1,829,424,000 after buying an additional 6,922,319 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,134,645 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock valued at $1,351,490,000 after buying an additional 113,425 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Providence Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 25,185.5% in the 1st quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,492,216 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock valued at $18,147,000 after buying an additional 4,474,450 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.72% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 2,156 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.47, for a total value of $514,141.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,120 shares in the company, valued at $982,496.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the companys stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE:BDX traded up $0.78 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $243.78. The companys stock had a trading volume of 644,250 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,249,801. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $243.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $258.46. The company has a market capitalization of $70.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.99, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 0.81. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $228.62 and a twelve month high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.42 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $3.42. The business had revenue of $5.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.02 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 7.66%. Becton, Dickinson and Companys revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.75 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 8th will be given a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 7th. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Companys previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56%. Becton, Dickinson and Companys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 76.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on BDX. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $280.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 10th. TheStreet lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a b rating to a c+ rating in a report on Thursday, November 9th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $282.00 to $260.00 in a report on Monday, October 2nd. Raymond James reduced their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $304.00 to $269.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 10th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $279.57.

Read Our Latest Analysis on Becton, Dickinson and Company

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

(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 operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional.

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Ukrposhta, together with Estonian National Post Omniva, Slovak Interport and Ukrzaliznytsia, for the first time since 2002, carried out the first delivery of international parcels to Ukraine by rail, the press service of the postal operator reported on Tuesday.

"In the first test delivery by rail, Omniva and Ukrposhta jointly delivered three wagons with almost 80,000 customer parcels from global marketplaces," the statement said.

It is noted that when delivered by rail, parcels cross the border within 24 hours.

"Ukrposhta accepted imported international mail by freight rail cars for the first time since 2002. Thanks to Ukrzaliznytsia and Estonian Post, which is a key transit partner of Ukrposhta when delivering parcels from global marketplaces, in particular from Chinese online stores, the traffic will be regular," the statement said.

Ukrposhta emphasized that the new transport solution will allow companies not to depend on the situation at the border and deliver any volume of customer parcels.

"Taking into account the blockade of most automobile checkpoints on the border with Poland and Slovakia, as well as the increase in queues at checkpoints that remain open, delivery by rail allows Ukrposhta to cross the border, despite force majeure situations," it says message.

It is noted that the new logistics scheme facilitates the prompt delivery of parcels during peak seasonal sales on international trading platforms.

Earlier, at the final meeting of the Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, the general director of Ukrposhta, Igor Smilyansky, said that Ukraine does not lose hope of launching the Warsaw-Kyiv mail train, which will reduce the delivery time for parcels from Europe to one day. At the same time, the delivery time for parcels to the United States will be reduced from the current 8-10 days to three to four days.

Ukrposhta, before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, sent international shipments from Boryspil International Airport (Kyiv) in cooperation with 15 airlines. At the same time, direct flights were operated to New York, Toronto and Beijing. After the start of the war and the closure of Ukrainian airports, the operator switched to delivering international shipments to Europe, including to European airports, by road.
NovaPoint Capital LLC lifted its position in Eaton Co. plc (NYSE:ETN  Free Report) by 3.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,183 shares of the industrial products companys stock after acquiring an additional 220 shares during the period. NovaPoint Capital LLCs holdings in Eaton were worth $1,319,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ETN. RB Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Eaton by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. RB Capital Management LLC now owns 2,759 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $419,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its stake in Eaton by 74.8% during the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 101,412 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $15,390,000 after purchasing an additional 43,381 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Eaton by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 374,204 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $56,790,000 after purchasing an additional 2,057 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. increased its stake in Eaton by 9.1% during the 1st quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 2,682 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $407,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ergoteles LLC bought a new stake in Eaton during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,188,000. 81.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Eaton

In other Eaton news, insider Sternadt Paulo Ruiz sold 2,639 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.05, for a total transaction of $601,823.95. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 11,636 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,653,589.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.53% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on ETN shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Eaton from $220.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Eaton from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and set a $230.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, October 6th. HSBC increased their target price on Eaton from $161.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, August 31st. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Eaton from $235.00 to $238.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, September 25th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Eaton in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They set a buy rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $222.85.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on ETN

Eaton Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:ETN traded up $1.62 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $240.26. The stock had a trading volume of 244,355 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,015,031. Eaton Co. plc has a 12 month low of $150.86 and a 12 month high of $240.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $221.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $215.05. The company has a market cap of $95.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.08, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.06.

Eaton (NYSE:ETN  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.34 by $0.13. Eaton had a net margin of 13.24% and a return on equity of 19.49%. The business had revenue of $5.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.89 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.02 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Eaton Co. plc will post 9.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eaton Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 6th were issued a dividend of $0.86 per share. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 3rd. Eatons dividend payout ratio is 46.05%.

Eaton Company Profile

(Free Report)

Eaton Corporation plc operates as a power management company worldwide. The company's Electrical Americas and Electrical Global segment provides electrical components, industrial components, power distribution and assemblies, residential products, single and three phase power quality and connectivity products, wiring devices, circuit protection products, utility power distribution products, power reliability equipment, and services, as well as hazardous duty electrical equipment, emergency lighting, fire detection, explosion-proof instrumentation, and structural support systems.

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NovaPoint Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:DLR  Free Report) by 16.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,565 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after buying an additional 635 shares during the period. NovaPoint Capital LLCs holdings in Digital Realty Trust were worth $552,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. First Financial Corp IN increased its stake in Digital Realty Trust by 93.9% in the second quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 221 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. City State Bank bought a new stake in Digital Realty Trust in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its stake in Digital Realty Trust by 4,560.0% in the second quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 233 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC boosted its holdings in Digital Realty Trust by 156.1% during the first quarter. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC now owns 274 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quilter Plc acquired a new position in Digital Realty Trust during the first quarter worth $284,991,000. 99.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Digital Realty Trust Stock Up 0.3 %

DLR stock traded up $0.37 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $135.49. 219,772 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,402,238. The firms fifty day moving average price is $130.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $123.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The company has a market cap of $41.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.55. Digital Realty Trust, Inc. has a 52 week low of $86.33 and a 52 week high of $139.35.

Digital Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.22 per share. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 14th. Digital Realty Trusts dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 170.04%.

Several brokerages recently commented on DLR. HSBC began coverage on shares of Digital Realty Trust in a report on Friday, December 1st. They set a reduce rating and a $112.00 target price for the company. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Digital Realty Trust from $136.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, December 8th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Digital Realty Trust from $98.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Friday, December 8th. StockNews.com cut shares of Digital Realty Trust from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Friday, December 8th. Finally, Scotiabank began coverage on shares of Digital Realty Trust in a research note on Friday, October 13th. They issued a sector perform rating and a $132.00 price target for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $122.00.

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Digital Realty Trust Profile

(Free Report)

Digital Realty brings companies and data together by delivering the full spectrum of data center, colocation, and interconnection solutions. PlatformDIGITAL, the company's global data center platform, provides customers with a secure data "meeting place" and a proven Pervasive Datacenter Architecture (PDx) solution methodology for powering innovation and efficiently managing Data Gravity challenges.

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NovaPoint Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Weyerhaeuser (NYSE:WY  Free Report) by 19.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,459 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after buying an additional 2,707 shares during the quarter. NovaPoint Capital LLCs holdings in Weyerhaeuser were worth $505,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Putnam Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Weyerhaeuser by 49.6% during the first quarter. Putnam Investments LLC now owns 356,313 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $10,736,000 after buying an additional 118,152 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Weyerhaeuser by 93.9% during the second quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 4,020 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $135,000 after purchasing an additional 1,947 shares in the last quarter. Bartlett & Co. LLC increased its stake in shares of Weyerhaeuser by 90.5% during the second quarter. Bartlett & Co. LLC now owns 13,944 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $467,000 after purchasing an additional 6,625 shares in the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust grew its stake in Weyerhaeuser by 16.4% during the 1st quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 12,315 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $371,000 after acquiring an additional 1,737 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in Weyerhaeuser by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 61,774,884 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $2,070,076,000 after acquiring an additional 1,385,408 shares in the last quarter. 79.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WY has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. TheStreet lowered shares of Weyerhaeuser from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a report on Friday, October 27th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Weyerhaeuser from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, December 19th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Weyerhaeuser in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Raymond James downgraded shares of Weyerhaeuser from a strong-buy rating to a market perform rating in a research report on Monday, November 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $38.14.

Weyerhaeuser Stock Performance

Weyerhaeuser stock traded up $0.20 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $34.56. 553,563 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,914,597. Weyerhaeuser has a 12-month low of $27.65 and a 12-month high of $36.00. The stock has a market cap of $25.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.76 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.79. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $31.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $31.88.

Weyerhaeuser Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 1st were paid a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 30th. Weyerhaeusers dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 87.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Weyerhaeuser

In related news, CEO Devin W. Stockfish sold 29,008 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.54, for a total value of $1,001,936.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 711,070 shares in the company, valued at $24,560,357.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CFO David M. Wold sold 923 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.51, for a total value of $29,083.73. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 60,436 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,904,338.36. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Devin W. Stockfish sold 29,008 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.54, for a total transaction of $1,001,936.32. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 711,070 shares in the company, valued at $24,560,357.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 30,854 shares of company stock worth $1,059,292. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Weyerhaeuser

(Free Report)

Weyerhaeuser Company, one of the world's largest private owners of timberlands, began operations in 1900. We own or control approximately 11 million acres of timberlands in the U.S. and manage additional timberlands under long-term licenses in Canada. We manage these timberlands on a sustainable basis in compliance with internationally recognized forestry standards.

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Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. grew its position in The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA  Free Report) by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,996 shares of the aircraft producers stock after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co.s holdings in Boeing were worth $369,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Coston McIsaac & Partners raised its position in shares of Boeing by 62.5% in the second quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 130 shares of the aircraft producers stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. IFS Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Boeing by 523.8% during the second quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 131 shares of the aircraft producers stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Boeing by 54.3% during the second quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 142 shares of the aircraft producers stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Boeing by 90.7% during the second quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. now owns 143 shares of the aircraft producers stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Boeing during the second quarter worth about $32,000. 61.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Boeing in a report on Friday, December 1st. They issued a buy rating and a $265.00 target price on the stock. William Blair initiated coverage on shares of Boeing in a report on Tuesday, December 12th. They issued an outperform rating on the stock. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Boeing from $285.00 to $271.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 26th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Boeing from $270.00 to $230.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Boeing from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $200.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 28th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Boeing has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $258.12.

Boeing Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE:BA traded up $1.62 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $262.06. The stock had a trading volume of 1,868,492 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,682,581. The stock has a market capitalization of $158.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -55.58 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $216.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $215.11. The Boeing Company has a 52 week low of $176.25 and a 52 week high of $267.54.

Boeing (NYSE:BA  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 25th. The aircraft producer reported ($3.26) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($3.21) by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $18.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $18.01 billion. The firms revenue was up 13.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($6.18) EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Boeing Company will post -5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

About Boeing

(Free Report)

The Boeing Company, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, sells, services, and supports commercial jetliners, military aircraft, satellites, missile defense, human space flight and launch systems, and services worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Commercial Airplanes; Defense, Space & Security; Global Services; and Boeing Capital.

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Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. reduced its position in Parker-Hannifin Co. (NYSE:PH  Free Report) by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,368 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 128 shares during the quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co.s holdings in Parker-Hannifin were worth $1,324,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PH. Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Parker-Hannifin by 1.0% in the second quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 2,520 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $983,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Parker-Hannifin by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 1,152 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $449,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Acropolis Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Parker-Hannifin by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Acropolis Investment Management LLC now owns 563 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $219,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. lifted its stake in Parker-Hannifin by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. now owns 2,021 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $788,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sigma Planning Corp raised its stake in shares of Parker-Hannifin by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 669 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $261,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. 82.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research reiterated a peer perform rating on shares of Parker-Hannifin in a research note on Monday, December 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Parker-Hannifin from a hold rating to a buy rating and upped their price objective for the company from $462.00 to $506.00 in a report on Thursday, November 9th. StockNews.com started coverage on Parker-Hannifin in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a $500.00 price objective on shares of Parker-Hannifin in a report on Monday, December 4th. Finally, Bank of America raised Parker-Hannifin from a neutral rating to a buy rating and increased their target price for the stock from $435.00 to $475.00 in a report on Thursday, October 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $458.93.

Parker-Hannifin Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:PH traded up $3.57 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $461.76. 124,568 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 785,204. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. Parker-Hannifin Co. has a 12 month low of $286.79 and a 12 month high of $462.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.50. The firms fifty day moving average price is $418.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $404.02.

Parker-Hannifin (NYSE:PH  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $4.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.88 billion. Parker-Hannifin had a return on equity of 29.56% and a net margin of 11.92%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.74 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Parker-Hannifin Co. will post 23.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Parker-Hannifin Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 13th were paid a $1.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 10th. This represents a $5.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.28%. Parker-Hannifins dividend payout ratio is currently 32.87%.

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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WESCO International (NYSE:WCC  Get Free Report) had its price target reduced by equities researchers at Royal Bank of Canada from $198.00 to $187.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday. The brokerage presently has an overweight rating on the technology companys stock. Royal Bank of Canadas target price indicates a potential upside of 5.93% from the companys current price.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised WESCO International from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and set a $180.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, October 6th. StockNews.com downgraded WESCO International from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, November 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $189.57.

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Read Our Latest Report on WESCO International

WESCO International Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE WCC traded up $0.35 on Tuesday, hitting $176.53. The company had a trading volume of 13,581 shares, compared to its average volume of 591,627. WESCO International has a 12-month low of $119.75 and a 12-month high of $185.23. The business has a 50 day moving average of $150.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $156.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.78, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 2.02.

WESCO International (NYSE:WCC  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The technology company reported $4.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.85 by $0.64. WESCO International had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 3.75%. The company had revenue of $5.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.64 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that WESCO International will post 15.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at WESCO International

In other WESCO International news, EVP Hemant Porwal sold 13,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.12, for a total transaction of $2,003,560.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,089 shares in the company, valued at $2,171,396.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of WESCO International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WCC. KB Financial Partners LLC raised its position in shares of WESCO International by 76.8% during the 3rd quarter. KB Financial Partners LLC now owns 198 shares of the technology companys stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Park Place Capital Corp acquired a new stake in shares of WESCO International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. RFP Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of WESCO International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $55,000. Fred Alger Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of WESCO International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $60,000. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of WESCO International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $66,000. 99.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About WESCO International

(Get Free Report)

WESCO International, Inc provides business-to-business distribution, logistics services, and supply chain solutions in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Electrical & Electronic Solutions (EES), Communications & Security Solutions (CSS), and Utility and Broadband Solutions (UBS).

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RXO, Inc. (NYSE:RXO  Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $24.09 and last traded at $24.08, with a volume of 7754 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $23.89.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on RXO shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on RXO from $20.00 to $18.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on RXO from $19.00 to $17.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 16th. Susquehanna cut their target price on RXO from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a negative rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded RXO from a neutral rating to an underweight rating and cut their target price for the company from $17.00 to $16.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, RXO has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $20.08.

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Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on RXO

RXO Stock Up 1.1 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $20.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.09.

RXO (NYSE:RXO  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 7th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.01 by $0.04. RXO had a positive return on equity of 10.55% and a negative net margin of 0.05%. The business had revenue of $976.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $957.88 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.11 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that RXO, Inc. will post 0.28 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Mfn Partners, Lp bought 30,522 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $18.15 per share, with a total value of $553,974.30. Following the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 12,705,891 shares in the company, valued at $230,611,921.65. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Christine S. Breves purchased 5,100 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 17th. The stock was bought at an average price of $19.90 per share, with a total value of $101,490.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 6,948 shares in the company, valued at approximately $138,265.20. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Mfn Partners, Lp purchased 30,522 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $18.15 per share, with a total value of $553,974.30. Following the purchase, the insider now owns 12,705,891 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $230,611,921.65. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought a total of 205,948 shares of company stock valued at $4,013,364 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On RXO

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of RXO in the second quarter valued at about $1,058,000. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in shares of RXO by 9.3% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 32,822 shares of the companys stock valued at $744,000 after purchasing an additional 2,803 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of RXO during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,181,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of RXO by 39.5% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,241,295 shares of the companys stock valued at $50,810,000 after purchasing an additional 635,109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kirr Marbach & Co. LLC IN boosted its position in shares of RXO by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Kirr Marbach & Co. LLC IN now owns 191,062 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,331,000 after purchasing an additional 1,035 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.73% of the companys stock.

About RXO

(Get Free Report)

RXO, Inc provides full truckload freight transportation brokering services. The company also offers brokered services for managed transportation, last mile, and freight forwarding. RXO, Inc was founded in 2022 and is based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Valicenti Advisory Services Inc. reduced its holdings in Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE:TDY  Free Report) by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,763 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Teledyne Technologies comprises about 1.2% of Valicenti Advisory Services Inc.s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Valicenti Advisory Services Inc.s holdings in Teledyne Technologies were worth $3,580,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Teledyne Technologies by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 944 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $378,000 after buying an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH raised its holdings in shares of Teledyne Technologies by 1.8% during the second quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 1,568 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $645,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of Teledyne Technologies by 6.2% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 481 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $198,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its stake in shares of Teledyne Technologies by 32.2% during the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 115 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Manhattan Co. raised its stake in shares of Teledyne Technologies by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. First Manhattan Co. now owns 4,466 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $1,786,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. 87.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Michael T. Smith sold 1,071 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $395.00, for a total transaction of $423,045.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 56,492 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,314,340. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, VP Cynthia Y. Belak sold 5,389 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total value of $2,206,903.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,991 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,043,914.32. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Michael T. Smith sold 1,071 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $395.00, for a total transaction of $423,045.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 56,492 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $22,314,340. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 70,766 shares of company stock valued at $29,178,338 in the last three months. Company insiders own 2.14% of the companys stock.

Teledyne Technologies Stock Performance

TDY traded up $2.28 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $435.73. The stock had a trading volume of 30,381 shares, compared to its average volume of 240,883. The firm has a market cap of $20.56 billion, a PE ratio of 26.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.01. Teledyne Technologies Incorporated has a 12 month low of $364.98 and a 12 month high of $448.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $397.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $402.68.

Teledyne Technologies (NYSE:TDY  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 25th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $5.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $4.76 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.43 billion. Teledyne Technologies had a return on equity of 10.86% and a net margin of 14.02%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.54 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Teledyne Technologies Incorporated will post 19.31 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on TDY shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Teledyne Technologies from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 6th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on shares of Teledyne Technologies from $455.00 to $522.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Teledyne Technologies in a report on Wednesday, September 27th. They set a buy rating and a $495.00 price target on the stock. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on Teledyne Technologies in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They set an outperform rating and a $530.00 target price on the stock. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $517.67.

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About Teledyne Technologies

(Free Report)

Teledyne Technologies Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, provides enabling technologies for industrial growth markets in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and internationally. The company's Instrumentation segment offers monitoring and control instruments for marine, environmental, industrial, and other applications, as well as electronic test and measurement equipment; and power and communications connectivity devices for distributed instrumentation systems and sensor networks.

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Hubbell Strickland Wealth Management LLC cut its position in shares of Vanguard Total World Stock ETF (NYSEARCA:VT  Free Report) by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,906 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 165 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Total World Stock ETF accounts for 0.6% of Hubbell Strickland Wealth Management LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Hubbell Strickland Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Vanguard Total World Stock ETF were worth $923,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Vanguard Total World Stock ETF by 681,735.5% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 251,713,227 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $21,695,163,000 after purchasing an additional 251,676,310 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich increased its position in shares of Vanguard Total World Stock ETF by 94,998.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 153,374,063 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $14,874,217,000 after purchasing an additional 153,212,783 shares during the period. Cambridge Associates LLC MA ADV increased its position in shares of Vanguard Total World Stock ETF by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Cambridge Associates LLC MA ADV now owns 2,463,680 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $238,928,000 after purchasing an additional 39,381 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of Vanguard Total World Stock ETF by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,985,542 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $192,557,000 after acquiring an additional 72,465 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG grew its holdings in shares of Vanguard Total World Stock ETF by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,771,551 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $163,142,000 after acquiring an additional 103,391 shares during the last quarter.

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Vanguard Total World Stock ETF Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSEARCA VT traded up $0.32 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $102.54. The company had a trading volume of 502,786 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,761,895. The stock has a market cap of $30.18 billion, a PE ratio of 14.20 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $96.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $96.50. Vanguard Total World Stock ETF has a 1-year low of $85.18 and a 1-year high of $102.63.

About Vanguard Total World Stock ETF

Vanguard Total World Stock Index Fund ETF (the Fund) is an open-end investment company. The Fund seeks to track the performance of the FTSE Global All Cap Index, which covers both well-established and still-developing markets. The Fund invests in both foreign and the United States stocks. The fund offers three classes of shares: Investor Shares, Institutional Shares, and ETF Shares.

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Wagner Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Hartford Multifactor Small Cap ETF (NYSEARCA:ROSC  Free Report) by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 53,838 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 3,155 shares during the quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC owned approximately 5.67% of Hartford Multifactor Small Cap ETF worth $1,942,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northwest Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hartford Multifactor Small Cap ETF during the second quarter worth about $200,000. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. lifted its stake in Hartford Multifactor Small Cap ETF by 53.4% in the second quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 155,775 shares of the companys stock worth $5,770,000 after acquiring an additional 54,205 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC grew its holdings in Hartford Multifactor Small Cap ETF by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 77,349 shares of the companys stock worth $2,772,000 after acquiring an additional 4,337 shares in the last quarter. Mariner LLC acquired a new position in Hartford Multifactor Small Cap ETF during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,786,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC increased its position in shares of Hartford Multifactor Small Cap ETF by 590.7% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 35,794 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,377,000 after purchasing an additional 30,612 shares during the last quarter.

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Hartford Multifactor Small Cap ETF Price Performance

Shares of NYSEARCA ROSC opened at $41.57 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $37.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $37.13. The company has a market capitalization of $39.49 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.00 and a beta of 1.03. Hartford Multifactor Small Cap ETF has a 1 year low of $33.69 and a 1 year high of $42.00.

Hartford Multifactor Small Cap ETF Company Profile

The Hartford Multifactor Small Cap ETF (ROSC) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the Hartford Multifactor Small Cap index. The fund invests in US companies with small market capitalizations screened for risk, valuation, momentum and quality factors. ROSC was launched on Mar 24, 2015 and is managed by Hartford.

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The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine is studying the French experience and is collaborating with the French State Holding Agency to develop options for consolidating the functions of the owner, the department said in a press release on Tuesday.

"Difficulties in managing strategic state-owned enterprises are due to the fact that they are managed by 89 different government agencies. Their functions and responsibilities are often duplicated. Consolidation will help solve this and avoid excessive political interference," the Ministry of Economy said.

One of the necessary elements of the reform is the adoption of bill No. 5593-d, improving corporate governance, which is being considered by MPs and is almost ready for the second reading. According to the ministry, finalization of some proposals and amendments continues.

The Ministry of Economy said that for the transparent management and efficient operation of state-owned enterprises in 2023, it continued to introduce the best global practices in their management - the principles of corporate governance recommended by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), of which Ukraine plans to become a member.

Ukraine has just applied for membership in this organization, but the Ministry of Economy has already filled out an OECD questionnaire regarding monitoring compliance with certain sections of the organization's Guidelines on Corporate Governance of State-Owned Enterprises.

Among the important achievements of the year, the press release says, is the improvement of the selection of members of supervisory boards and managers of the largest state-owned enterprises, including by government resolution No. 1282 of December 1, in particular, the inclusion of verification of business reputation and independence of candidates for positions, which was one of conditions for the implementation of the Memorandum with the European Union, to which macro-financial assistance of up to EUR 18 billion is tied.

"Clear and transparent governance influences an increase in investment due to increased confidence in state-owned companies. This is important in order to receive financial support in the reconstruction of the country. Therefore, a corporate governance system must be fully implemented in enterprises that remain state-owned," Deputy Minister of Economy Oleksiy Sobolev said.

He added that this will allow the state to make a profit from strategic enterprises that cannot be privatized, and the enterprises themselves will be able to attract finance on more favorable terms.

"In 2024, the Ministry of Economy will continue to work on introducing the principles of corporate governance in strategic state-owned enterprises. In particular, it will organize the selection of supervisory boards, approve the procedure for assessing their work and conduct such an assessment at several enterprises," the ministry said.

Among other key changes that were introduced in 2023 for better management of state-owned enterprises, the Ministry of Economy named the formation of the supervisory board of the Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine (GTSOU), whose members were elected through a transparent competition with the involvement of recruiters. The appointment of the supervisory board was one of the important conditions of the memorandum with the IMF; the government fulfilled it in due time, and this, among other things, allowed Ukraine to receive from the Fund the third tranche under the EFF Extended Fund Facility in the equivalent of $900 million in December, the ministry recalled.

The transformation of National Nuclear Generating Company Energoatom into a joint stock company is being completed and work has begun with a recruiter to prepare for the announcement of a competition for the selection of members of the supervisory board. These steps are important for the stable operation of the energy sector and will help attract investment in the energy sector, the Ministry of Economy said.

It added that the government also decided to announce a competition for the vacant position of an independent member of the supervisory board of NPC Ukrenergo, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) allocated a grant for the selection of a recruiter company that will search for a candidate.

"In 2023, the Ministry of Economy joined the formation of the supervisory boards of NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy and JSC Ukrposhta. Their composition was approved by the government at the beginning of the year. During 2023, the appointment of independent members to the board of the Fund for Partial Credit Guarantee in Agriculture continued with the participation of personnel selection companies. The Fund's Supervisory Board became operational in the summer," the ministry said, listing other achievements in the press release.

According to the Ministry of Economy, an example of successful corporate governance is the stable operation of state-owned banks during the war, in particular, thanks to the supervisory boards of Ukreximbank and Sberbank renewed by the government this year.
Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lowered its position in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO  Free Report) by 0.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 64,203 shares of the companys stock after selling 600 shares during the quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $3,594,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 103,297.9% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 57,734,303 shares of the companys stock worth $3,672,479,000 after acquiring an additional 57,678,466 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,937,315,000. Morgan Stanley raised its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 15.7% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 79,101,856 shares of the companys stock valued at $5,031,669,000 after purchasing an additional 10,722,435 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 164.7% in the 2nd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 14,430,093 shares of the companys stock valued at $868,981,000 after purchasing an additional 8,979,379 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $429,854,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.96% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 20,534 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.12, for a total value of $1,152,368.08. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 143,383 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $8,046,653.96. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO James Quincey sold 92,029 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.86, for a total transaction of $4,956,681.94. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 442,546 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $23,835,527.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 20,534 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.12, for a total value of $1,152,368.08. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 143,383 shares of the companys stock, valued at $8,046,653.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 349,315 shares of company stock valued at $19,805,715. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the companys stock.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:KO traded up $0.05 on Tuesday, hitting $58.37. The companys stock had a trading volume of 1,053,790 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,792,367. The Coca-Cola Company has a 12 month low of $51.55 and a 12 month high of $64.99. The company has a market capitalization of $252.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 0.58. The stocks 50-day moving average is $57.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.14.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 24th. The company reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.05. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 42.44% and a net margin of 23.92%. The business had revenue of $11.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.45 billion. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.68 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 15th. Investors of record on Friday, December 1st were given a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 30th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.15%. Coca-Colas dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.90%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered Coca-Cola from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, October 13th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 25th. Barclays cut their target price on Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $59.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Coca-Cola from $59.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 25th. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on Coca-Cola from $74.00 to $60.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Coca-Cola currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $66.20.

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About Coca-Cola

(Free Report)

The Coca-Cola Company, a beverage company, manufactures, markets, and sells various nonalcoholic beverages worldwide. The company provides sparkling soft drinks, sparkling flavors; water, sports, coffee, and tea; juice, value-added dairy, and plant-based beverages; and other beverages. It also offers beverage concentrates and syrups, as well as fountain syrups to fountain retailers, such as restaurants and convenience stores.

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Washington Trust Advisors Inc. decreased its stake in Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF (NYSEARCA:GSLC  Free Report) by 7.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,673 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,063 shares during the quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.s holdings in Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF were worth $1,152,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of GSLC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF by 147.9% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 20,945 shares of the companys stock worth $1,865,000 after buying an additional 12,495 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. purchased a new position in Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF during the first quarter worth approximately $257,000. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF by 1.8% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 28,043 shares of the companys stock worth $2,497,000 after purchasing an additional 499 shares in the last quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. boosted its position in Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF by 2.3% during the first quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 78,387 shares of the companys stock worth $6,980,000 after purchasing an additional 1,739 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF during the first quarter worth approximately $346,000.

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Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF Price Performance

GSLC stock traded down $0.16 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $93.73. 45,429 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 302,647. The company has a market cap of $12.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.56 and a beta of 0.98. The stocks 50 day moving average is $88.23 and its 200 day moving average is $87.40. Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF has a 12-month low of $75.09 and a 12-month high of $94.35.

About Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF

The Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF (GSLC) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in large cap equity. The fund tracks an index of US large-cap stocks comprising 4 sub-indexes: value, momentum, quality, and low volatility. The index uses multiple factors to pick stocks, and each sub-index receives equal weight.

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Washington Trust Advisors Inc. trimmed its stake in BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK  Free Report) by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,491 shares of the asset managers stock after selling 45 shares during the period. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.s holdings in BlackRock were worth $964,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich increased its stake in shares of BlackRock by 98,608.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 96,772,169 shares of the asset managers stock worth $66,883,117,000 after purchasing an additional 96,674,131 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of BlackRock by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,152,336 shares of the asset managers stock worth $4,252,126,000 after purchasing an additional 138,455 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of BlackRock by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,294,389 shares of the asset managers stock worth $2,276,884,000 after purchasing an additional 135,871 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of BlackRock by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,174,621 shares of the asset managers stock worth $2,249,634,000 after purchasing an additional 129,335 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in shares of BlackRock by 9.0% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 3,096,970 shares of the asset managers stock worth $2,140,439,000 after purchasing an additional 255,249 shares in the last quarter. 77.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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BlackRock Price Performance

Shares of BlackRock stock traded up $3.69 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $806.11. 34,734 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 647,560. The company has a market capitalization of $119.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.33. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $704.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $695.01. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $596.18 and a 52-week high of $819.00.

BlackRock Dividend Announcement

BlackRock ( NYSE:BLK Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 13th. The asset manager reported $10.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $8.34 by $2.57. BlackRock had a net margin of 30.66% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The firm had revenue of $4.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.55 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that BlackRock, Inc. will post 36.84 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, December 7th were issued a $5.00 dividend. This represents a $20.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 6th. BlackRocks payout ratio is 56.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on BLK shares. Bank of America cut their price target on BlackRock from $921.00 to $868.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered BlackRock from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and set a $708.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Friday, December 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on BlackRock from $719.00 to $793.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, November 30th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on BlackRock from $781.00 to $754.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 10th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded BlackRock from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and set a $885.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 12th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $771.54.

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Insider Activity at BlackRock

In related news, CEO Laurence Fink sold 15,385 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $652.03, for a total value of $10,031,481.55. Following the completion of 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 legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About BlackRock

(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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Washington Trust Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT  Free Report) by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 29,561 shares of the retailers stock after selling 500 shares during the quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.s holdings in Walmart were worth $4,728,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. LCM Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.3% in the second quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc now owns 9,456 shares of the retailers stock worth $1,486,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Inspirion Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 7.8% in the second quarter. Inspirion Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,071 shares of the retailers stock worth $326,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. LMG Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.3% in the second quarter. LMG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 66,651 shares of the retailers stock worth $10,476,000 after purchasing an additional 858 shares during the period. Avitas Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.7% in the second quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC now owns 51,561 shares of the retailers stock worth $8,104,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the period. Finally, WJ Interests LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the second quarter worth about $247,000. 33.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, November 17th. HSBC started coverage on Walmart in a research note on Friday, September 22nd. They set a buy rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com lowered Walmart from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, November 17th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Walmart from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Walmart from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $179.44.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 4,375 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.00, for a total transaction of $708,750.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 269,119 shares in the company, valued at $43,597,278. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 4,375 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.00, for a total value of $708,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 269,119 shares of the companys stock, valued at $43,597,278. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 90,436 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Monday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.90, for a total transaction of $14,098,972.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 234,917,525 shares of the companys stock, valued at $36,623,642,147.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,493,089 shares of company stock worth $544,456,070 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 46.51% of the companys stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $156.73. 655,424 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,298,205. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $136.09 and a 52 week high of $169.94. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $158.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $158.76. The firm has a market cap of $421.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 16th. The retailer reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.53. The business had revenue of $160.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $159.65 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.55% and a return on equity of 21.20%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.50 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 6.45 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Profile

(Free Report)

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, and other units worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com, walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, and samsclub.com; and mobile commerce applications.

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IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd grew its stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM  Free Report) by 5.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,961 shares of the business services providers stock after buying an additional 2,122 shares during the period. Waste Management makes up 1.4% of IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltds portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltds holdings in Waste Management were worth $6,854,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Spirit of America Management Corp NY acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Waste Management in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the third quarter worth $28,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in Waste Management in the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Beacon Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Waste Management by 179.4% during the 2nd quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 190 shares of the business services providers stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. 78.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of WM traded up $0.54 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $177.49. The companys stock had a trading volume of 343,603 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,580,352. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1-year low of $148.31 and a 1-year high of $179.50. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $169.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $164.62. The stock has a market cap of $71.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.32, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.70.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

Waste Management ( NYSE:WM Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 24th. The business services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.02. Waste Management had a return on equity of 34.14% and a net margin of 11.47%. The business had revenue of $5.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.56 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 1st were issued a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 30th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.58%. Waste Managements dividend payout ratio is currently 49.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 4,167 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.00, for a total transaction of $716,724.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 177,321 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $30,499,212. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Waste Management news, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 4,167 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.00, for a total value of $716,724.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 177,321 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $30,499,212. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 5,383 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.00, for a total value of $925,876.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 171,938 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,573,336. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 43,598 shares of company stock worth $7,517,269 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.27% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WM. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Waste Management from $160.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Thursday, October 26th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Waste Management from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $181.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, October 16th. UBS Group raised shares of Waste Management from a neutral rating to a buy rating and raised their target price for the company from $170.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Monday, October 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Monday, November 27th. They set an equal weight rating and a $175.00 price target on the stock. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $179.93.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on WM

About Waste Management

(Free Report)

Waste Management, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of environmental solutions to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in the United States and Canada. It offers collection services, including picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility (MRF), or disposal site; and owns and operates transfer stations, as well as owns, develops, and operates landfill facilities that produce landfill gas used as renewable natural gas for generating electricity.

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Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Waste Management (NYSE:WM  Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Friday, Benzinga reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on WM. Raymond James lowered their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $179.00 to $175.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 26th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They set a buy rating for the company. UBS Group raised shares of Waste Management from a neutral rating to a buy rating and raised their price target for the stock from $170.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Monday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $183.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $160.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Thursday, October 26th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waste Management currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $179.93.

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Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Waste Management

Waste Management Stock Up 0.1 %

Waste Management stock opened at $176.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.32, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.70. Waste Management has a 1-year low of $148.31 and a 1-year high of $179.50. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $169.75 and a 200-day moving average price of $164.62.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 24th. The business services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $5.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.27 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 34.14% and a net margin of 11.47%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.56 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Waste Management will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 1st were issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 30th. Waste Managements payout ratio is 49.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Management

In related news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 14,288 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.44, for a total value of $2,435,246.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 41,428 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,060,988.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 14,288 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.44, for a total value of $2,435,246.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 41,428 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,060,988.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 4,167 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.00, for a total value of $716,724.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 177,321 shares of the companys stock, valued at $30,499,212. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 43,598 shares of company stock valued at $7,517,269 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of Waste Management

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Spirit of America Management Corp NY purchased a new position in Waste Management during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Waste Management during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO purchased a new position in Waste Management during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in Waste Management during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Beacon Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Waste Management by 179.4% during the 2nd quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 190 shares of the business services providers stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. 78.34% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Management Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Waste Management, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of environmental solutions to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in the United States and Canada. It offers collection services, including picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility (MRF), or disposal site; and owns and operates transfer stations, as well as owns, develops, and operates landfill facilities that produce landfill gas used as renewable natural gas for generating electricity.

Further Reading

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Every year, without fail, the New Year and Spring Festival bring anticipation for the future, and provide opportunities to cherish precious moments with loved ones. Understanding the importance of companionship during such special occasions, staff members of the Spring Bud Project launched an annual initiative, to encourage people to create Spring Bud New Year's greeting cards for Spring Bud girls. Numerous people have participated in the annual activity, and they have conveyed their love and wishes to the girls.

Yu Hui, from Zhuhai, in South China's Guangdong Province, is a donor of the Spring Bud one-on-one companion program. She drew eight famous scenic spots in Zhuhai on the greeting cards she created for the children. Yu signed each card with the pen name, All-Powerful Little Fish, and she added a simple, yet profound, message: "I hope, one day, you can become the 'all-powerful' person in the eyes of your friends and help more people." Yu hopes to motivate the Spring Bud girls to strive for personal growth, achieve their dreams, and create their own value.



Yang Hongling not only became a donor of the Spring Bud one-on-one companion program, but also encouraged her friends to participate in charitable activities. In 2021, Yang and two of her friends sponsored 12 children. In 2022, another friend joined them, and, together, they sponsored 20 children. Yang has named the greeting cards she created for the girls Spring Bud Blessings.

More than 40 students from the Luxun Academy of Fine Arts, in Shenyang, in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, created cards for Spring Bud girls. One message on a card moved Shan Sirui. The message read: "May you have an everlasting love as you journey toward the future, shining like a star and free as the wind." Through their participation, Shan and her classmates have gained a deeper understanding of the Spring Bud Project, and they have been inspired to participate in more charitable activities.

Jiang Zhou is a member of the Nanyue Youth Public Welfare Society, at Nanjing University, in Nanjing, in East China's Jiangsu Province. He participated in the activity twice. In 2022, he designed a greeting card featuring Nanjing University. This year, he organized his classmates to participate in the activity.





Ran Jing is deputy secretary-general of a youth education volunteer association in Wanzhou District, in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, and she is head of the team responsible for implementing the Spring Bud one-on-one companion program in Chongqing. For many years, she and the team members have been conducting home visits and organizing various activities, forging a deep friendship with the children they have been assisting.

Last year, when the children received the cards from Ran and her team, they also expressed their desire to make greeting cards for other Spring Bud girls. The girls made exquisite cards, and exchanged them with each other.

"From receiving cards and feeling the care from caring people to making cards for the others, the children want to pass on love. Each child is like a little sun, using all of their abilities to bring warmth to others," Ran says.

Photos Provided by Interviewees

(Women of China English Monthly August 2023 issue)


Ning Manli, a woman from east China's Anhui Province, has devoted her life to helping Miao women, in Danzhai (a county in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, in southwest China's Guizhou Province), develop and promote the traditional batik craft during the past decade. While leading the women in reviving their traditional, hometown craft, Ning has helped them realize their dreams of getting rich, through hard work.

Loud, clear singing can be heard every evening in a four-story building (in Danzhai), in which Ning teaches 48 Miao women how to sing Blue Lotus, her favorite song. Guizhou Danzhai Ninghang Batik Craft Co., Ltd., established by Ning in November 2009, is situated in the building. In 2014, China's Ministry of Culture included the company on the list of China's State-level experimental bases that protect intangible cultural heritage.

Ning "fell in love" with the Miaos' traditional batik craft, at first sight, 14 years ago when she visited Kaili, another county in the prefecture. She made special trips to several villages (in the prefecture), to conduct market surveys on the craft. Eventually, she decided to lead women in Paimo (a village in the prefecture) in developing and promoting the traditional craft.



During the first few months, Ning had a difficult time persuading Miao women (in Paimo) to join her in promoting the craft. Why? In accordance with Danzhai's customs, every Miao woman teaches the craft to her daughter(s). The women could hardly believe they could earn a profit by selling batik items. However, Ning did not give up hope. Eventually, several Miao women joined Ning's company.

Based on Ning's description of the scenes depicted in a book, the Miao women in early 2016 created an 80-meter batik painting, which vividly depicted the daily lives of 540 people of various minority groups (including the Miaos, Yis and Dongs).

In May 2016, experts and scholars, from the Chinese National Museum of Ethnology (in Beijing), visited the prefecture, to conduct field research on cultural heritage. Impressed by the Miao women's batik works, including the above-mentioned batik painting, the experts and scholars persuaded the museum's leaders to house the works.

Ning will never forget how excited she was when she led dozens of Miao craftswomen (who worked for her company) in attending the opening ceremony of the exhibition of Danzhai Miaos' batik artworks, in the Cultural Palace of the Nationalities (in Beijing) in July 2016. "For the first time in our lives, we attended an art show in the capital," recalls Ning.



When Cheng Hao, an art designer in Beijing, entered the palace in October 2016, the Miao women's exquisite batik works immediately caught his eyes. Within a short time, he made a special trip to Danzhai, to visit Guizhou Danzhai Ninghang Batik Craft Co., Ltd., to find inspiration (for his fashion design) from the Miao women's batik works. Several months later, Cheng held a fashion show (in Beijing), during which the custom-made fashionable batik dresses, created by him and the Miao craftswomen (with the company), were a hit.

In February 2020, the 36 batik dresses, created by Cheng and the craftswomen, debuted during the Autumn/Winter London Fashion Week. Given the ingenious designs and the exquisite workmanship, numerous people the world over were fascinated with the dresses.

The revival of Miaos' traditional batik craft, in a way, has changed many Danzhai women's lives. For example, given her superb workmanship, Yang Naijin, a craftswoman with Ninghang Batik Studio (under Ning's company), has been employed by Qiandongnan Nationalities Polytechnic (in the prefecture), as a guest professor, to teach students how to create batik works. Yang has also provided courses at Guangxi Arts University (in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), to help students better understand the unique charm of the Miaos' batik craft.

Yang Changlan, a young deaf-mute woman, has been working in the studio for nearly 10 years. Given Yang's outstanding talent at creating exquisite batik works, Ning has often referred to her as a "genius."

"Previously, we, who lived in the mountainous areas, had little chance to get to know the outside world ... During the past several years, Ning has taken us to different parts of the world, to attend national and international cultural events. The trips were really eye openers for us, as they helped us understand the broad, colorful world," a Miao craftswoman (with Ning's company) has been quoted as saying.

Photos Supplied by VCG

(Source: Xinhua/Women of China)
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy again noted the air defense forces, who shot down five Russian SU aircraft during the pre-Christmas week.

"Once again, I extend my Christmas greetings to everyone. And right now, on this Christmas evening, it is important to speak about many of our people who are on duty, at combat posts, in battle, defending our state and people at any time of day or night, on holidays and ordinary days. Yesterday, on Christmas Eve, our warriors shot down nearly 30 Shahed drones, several missiles and two more Russian military aircraft. All in one evening," the president said in a video address on Monday.

In total, he said, "five Su aircraft were shot down in the week before Christmas." "This is really impressive, thank you. Every Russian pilot must make a clear choice whether to continue participating in this war," the president said.

Our air defense, he noted, will become increasingly powerful. "Especially when we receive additional systems that have already been agreed upon, including F-16s."

Zelenskyy also thanked the employees of the State Emergency Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and energy workers "for a bright Christmas."

"And please, if you haven't done so yet, get in touch with your loved ones or those you just know who are in the Defense Forces now and thank them," he said.


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Weather Alert

...Very active weather and dangerous cold forecast for the next week... A very strong storm system will move through the region Friday. Very strong winds are expected and a wind advisory has been issued for the entire region for 40-50 mph wind gusts. Stronger winds are possible. Widespread rain may lead to localized flooding in areas where thunderstorms form with up to 2 inches of rain possible in those areas. Severe thunderstorms are not currently expected but there is a small potential over the southern Pennyrile region of Kentucky Friday morning. A change to sleet and snow is forecast at the end of the day but accumulations are still not anticipated. If temperatures do not rise above freezing Saturday it is expected to mark the first of 5 to 6 days where temperatures will not rise above freezing. Lows Saturday through Tuesday night are forecast to fall into or near the single digits. Below zero wind chills are likely most of Monday and Tuesday. This extended cold snap will be dangerous to those without adequate shelter and will likely challenge plumbing and other cold-sensitive infrastructure. Accumulating snow remains possible Monday but forecast amounts have trended a little lower, and will remain subject to change for the next few days as more data becomes available.

...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM CST /7 AM EST/ FRIDAY TO MIDNIGHT CST /1 AM EST/ FRIDAY NIGHT... * WHAT...Southwest winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph expected. * WHERE...Portions of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, western Kentucky and southeast Missouri. * WHEN...From 6 AM CST /7 AM EST/ Friday to midnight CST /1 AM EST/ Friday night. * IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Wet ground may result in some trees being uprooted, and tree limbs will be blown down. A few power outages are likely. High profile vehicles will have difficulty. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...A corridor of stronger winds, with gusts up to 60 mph is possible over the Pennyrile region of west Kentucky ahead of the front, and across the entire quad-state behind the front. If that begins to appear likely a high wind warning will be issued. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high profile vehicle. Secure outdoor objects. &&
The European Union will decide early next year on providing assistance to Ukraine, Deputy Head of the Presidents Office of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva is sure.

"There is confidence. There is a political solution. The amount that we all know about, EUR 50 billion, will be allocated to Ukraine. There are peculiarities in technology. Why was this decision postponed to the informal meeting of the European Council on February 1? As far as I understand, the leaders failed to write out the tools," he said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

"There are several options. For example, in terms of using the joint budget of the European Union. In the same place, it is not only about Ukraine  these are changes to the budget of the European Union. This is the first option. If it fails, there is another option  bilateral agreements. The work of the donor platform continues, for example, where our officials work together with the European Commission. I am sure that the solution will be technologically advanced, this money will appear very soon," Zhovkva said.
"Der Geschmack der kleinen Dinge (Umami)" Premiere In Berlin - Credit: Tristar Media/Getty Images

Nearly 60 actors and public figures, including British actress Charlotte Rampling and former French first lady Carla Bruni, have signed an open letter claiming that French actor Gerard Depardieu is the victim of a torrent of hatred.

Depardieu, who was previously charged with rape in 2021, is currently facing a new sexual assault allegation after a French actress, Helene Darras, filed a police complaint claiming he groped her in 2007. Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron defended the actor in an interview, saying he makes France proud.

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The letter, published in French newspaper Le Figaro on Christmas Day, says that when Gerard Depardieu is attacked in this way, it is art that is being attacked.

It continues, Gerard Depardieu is probably the greatest of all actors. The last sacred monster of cinema. We can no longer remain silent in the face of the lynching that is being heaped on him, in the face of the torrent of hatred that is being poured out on his person, without nuance, in the most complete amalgam and with contempt for a presumption of innocence that he would have enjoyed, like everyone else, if he were not the giant of the cinema that he is.

Other signees include Bertrand Blier, Nathalie Baye, Carole Bouquet, Jacques Weber, Pierre Richard, Gerard Darmon, and Jacques Dutronc. Depardieu responded to the letter by calling it courageous and beautiful.

The letter arrives after numerous women came forward with accusations against the actor in a new documentary, Gerard Depardieu: La chute de logre, which aired in France earlier this month. Among those women was Darras, who alleges that Depardieu sexually assaulted her when they were working on the 2007 film Disco. The Paris prosecutors office confirmed to Variety that it received the new sexual assault complaint and was investigating the allegations.

Depardieu has faced numerous allegations of sexual assault in the past, which he has denied. But the documentary  which also features footage of Depardieu making sexist remarks during a trip to North Korea in 2018  led to a new wave of scrutiny and backlash: His likeness was removed from a Paris wax museum, and Frances culture minister said there would disciplinary proceedings to potentially strip Depardieu of his Legion of Honor.

In his recent interview, Macron appeared dismayed by this in particular. Am I going to start stripping the Legion of Honor from artists or officials when they say things that shock me? he said. The answer is no You can accuse someone  maybe there are victims, and I respect them, and I want them to be able to defend their rights. But there is also a presumption of innocence.

The comments unsurprisingly garnered sharp criticism from feminist organizations and activists in France. Manhunts remain prohibited. The hunt for women, on the other hand, remains open, the group Osez Le Feminisme wrote on Twitter.

Depardieu is one of Frances most famous and acclaimed actors, having been nominated for 17 Cesar Awards and winning two: His first in 1981 for La Dernier Metro and his second in 1991 for Cyrano de Bergerac. Depardieu also managed to make the leap into Hollywood, earning an Oscar nomination for Cyrano de Bergerac and appearing in films like 1492: Conquest of Paradise, Green Card, The Man in the Iron Mask, and Life of Pi. But the actor has also been dogged by controversy: In 2011, he infamously urinated in a bottle while on a flight, and the following year, he was accused of punching a motorist in a road rage incident as well as drunk driving.

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Three's still a crowd for Rose Delaney (played by Kirsty Marillier) on Home and Away (1:15pm - see our TV Guide for listings).



Rose's boyfriend, Mali Hudson's (Kyle Shilling) one-time wife-to-be, Zara Campbell (Matilda Brown), is still in town.



And it doesn't look like she's planning to return home to Mantaray Point anytime soon!



Rose has been trying to play it cool.



But after Zara crashes her and Mali's date night dinner, Rose decides enough is enough!



Rose gives Mali an ultimatum.



It's time for him to choose between Rose and Zara!

Home and Away spoilers, Mali Hudson

Home and Away spoilers, Zara Campbell

Felicity Newman (Jacqui Purvis) continues to feel guilty over her lie.



Felicity's husband, Tane Parata (Ethan Browne), has been over-the-moon since she agreed to start a family with him.



But Tane remains unaware that Felicity has no intention of getting pregnant.



She is still secretly taking her contraceptive pills!



During a romantic meal at the Parata house, Tane starts to caution Felicity about her drinking of alcohol.



Can Felicity continue to deceive Tane, knowing she is ultimately going to break his heart?

Home and Away spoilers, Felicity Newman, Tane Parata

Roo Stewart (Georgie Parker) panics when she discovers her dad, Alf (Ray Meagher), is on his way back to Summer Bay from visiting his wife, Martha in Merimbula.



Roo is worried that Alf will find out the truth about the big fallout between her and family friend, Marilyn Chambers (Emily Symons).



Will Marilyn agree to cover-up the truth when Roo asks her to lie to Alf?

Home and Away spoilers, Roo Stewart

Home and Away continues weekdays at 1:15pm on Channel 5

Switch over for FIRST LOOK episodes at 6:30pm on 5STAR

The series is also available to stream on My5
Theresa Cachuela was with her 11-year-old daughter when she was shot and killed

GoFundMe Theresa Cachuela

A Hawaii mother was shot and killed in front of her 11-year-old daughter by her estranged husband, who later died by suicide, authorities said, according to multiple reports.

Theresa Cachuela, 33, was killed Friday at a shopping center in Honolulu, authorities said, reported Hawaii News Now, Island News and KHON2. Theresa and her daughter were heading to the bank when police said Jason Calchuela, 44, approached them and shot his wife, according to police.

Jason was later found dead behind a residence, KHON2 reported, citing police.

Weeks before the shootings, Theresa filed for a temporary restraining order, which was granted, against Jason, court records indicate.

According to the petition, reviewed by PEOPLE, Theresa said Jason threatened suicide while her children were present and later held a knife to his own neck. Following a wellness check, according to the petition, Jason showed up at her home again and hid in the garage.

Court records show that Jason and Theresa agreed to a one-year protection order. As part of the protection order, Jason surrendered his guns.

Theresa was an Instagram influencer who had 20,000 followers and posted frequently about her religious beliefs.

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Theresas family started a GoFundMe to raise money for funeral expenses.

She was coming to have breakfast with me that morning because I wanted to give her and my grandkids their Christmas gifts, wrote Theresas mother in the GoFundMe description. My daughter did not deserve this. She was trying so hard to get help, but the Justice system failed her. We are so devastated with the loss of our beloved Tita.

The GoFundMe has raised over $38,000.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.



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France hands over second pilot ship to Ukraine to help export grains

France has handed over a second pilot ship to Ukraine to help export grains, French Transport Minister Clement Beaune says.

"France has handed over a second pilot ship to support Ukraine, as promised. The ship left Dunkirk. It will help export grains to help feed the world. Our commitment is total, our solidarity will not stop," the minister wrote on X (Twitter) on Monday.
Celebrity sightings were big this year in Iowa. Movie stars such as Mark Wahlberg and Jason Momoa brought long lines to area grocery stores, while a Des Moines native courted controversy alongside country star Jason Aldean.

The constant celebrity appearances paved the way for one of the most star-studded Hawkeye state years in recent history. From "American Pickers" to David Letterman picking up a shift at Hy-Vee, here are the Register's picks for the top five celebrity moments.

5. David Letterman surprises shoppers in Grimes during summer promotional visit

Late-night talk show host David Letterman stopped by a Hy-Vee grocery store in Grimes to bag some groceries, stock some shelves and amuse shoppers.

Late-night talk show legend David Letterman picked up a shift over the summer at the Grimes Hy-Vee. Letterman was in town for the Hy-Vee IndyCar race at Iowa Speedway in Newton when he surprised shoppers in the Des Moines suburb. Letterman chatted with supermarket employees and filmed a skit with two of them during his promotional visit. He even opened a pair of Campbell's soup and fed it to himself with a pair of tongs. Letterman, who has a promotional partnership with Hy-Vee, co-owns the No. 45 race car that competed in the IndyCar race.

More: David Letterman surprises shoppers by bagging groceries at Iowa Hy-Vee supermarket

4. Jason Aldean addresses 'Small Town' controversy at State Fair

Jason Aldean performs to a near capacity crowd to close out the 2023 Iowa State Fair on Aug. 20, 2023, in Des Moines.

Jason Aldean stoked controversy this year as his hit single, "Try That In A Small Town," flew to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. After the song hit No. 1, Aldean took to the grandstand to perform "Small Town," which was co-written by Des Moines native Kurt Allison, who grew up on the city's southside. The song's video contained references that offended some viewers. During his Iowa State performance, Aldean signed an American flag after draping it over his shoulder and pacing across the stage.

"You can't do anything these days without offending somebody," Aldean told the crowd of 12,581. His performance closed the 2023 Iowa State Fair grandstand performances.

More: Jason Aldean addresses 'Try That in a Small Town' controversy during Iowa State Fair show

3. Comedy star Matt Rife

Matt Rife (right) with his fan and friend Christina Reeder.

Iowa mom Christina Reeder first went viral after a cheeky NSFW video from Matt Rife's March show at the Funny Bone comedy club in West Des Moines captured the internet's heart.

You are so hot, Rife told Reeder who brought him cookies and a suggestive T-shirt.

Then, in November, the pair went viral again after a show in Ames. Reeder has amassed nearly 800,000 Instagram followers since the interaction. She has donated funds from her famous cookie recipe sales to charity and inspired a "Hot Moms Are Made In Iowa" T-shirt from Historic East Village-based Raygun.

After the show in Ames, the pair met up for a picture and Christina gifted Rife a John Lennon vinyl.

More: Comedy star Matt Rife's 'hottest' mom Christina Reeder says she's 'average on the looks'

2. Frank Fritz and Mike Wolfe of 'American Pickers' reunite after 3 years

The original "American Pickers" duo Frank Fritz and Mike Wolfe reunited for the first time in three years over Memorial Day weekend in a tear-fueled moment. The childhood friends reached fame on reality TV in 2010 for their relatable on-air personas as they traversed the nation searching for rare antique relics. Then, in 2021, Fritz exited "Pickers" and had a stroke, which Wolfe announced on his Instagram in an emotional post. A longtime friend became Fritz's guardian, and a local bank took over the conservatorship of his finances. But for a moment in May, they reunited.

1. Jason Momoa runs into high school ex-girlfriend in Norwalk

Lindsey Aaron, left, reunited with her high school boyfriend, Jason Momoa, during his fall 2023 stop at Fareway in Norwalk to promote his new vodka line.

Jason Momoa and his high school ex-girlfriend, Lindsey Aaron, had a different kind of Norwalk High School reunion in October. Momoa returned to his hometown Fareway to sign bottles of his new Meili Vodka, which he created with best friend Blaine Halvorson. He also stopped at Hy-Vee in Urbandale.

But Aaron stood in line at her hometown store to see Momoa, sharing a brief moment of conversation before going their separate ways  again. Aaron was invited for drinks with fellow Norwalk alumni but didn't attend because her daughter had a debate tournament.

Jay Stahl is an entertainment reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow him on Instagram or reach out at jstahl@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa celebrity moments from Matt Rife to Jason Momoa and Jason Aldean
During the week between Christmas and New Year, Kwanzaa takes place this year from Tuesday, Dec. 26, to Monday, Jan. 1, and includes seven nights of celebrations.

The holiday was created by a professor and department chair of Africana Studies at California State University Long Beach, Maulana Ron Karenga, in 1966 during the Black Freedom Movement as a celebration of culture meant to unify the Black diaspora.

The holiday highlights seven principles: Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperation), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity) and Imani (faith), with a focus on one principle each day.

The holiday is cultural, not religious, and can be celebrated along with other major religious and secular holidays. Kwanzaa is celebrated by roughly 12.5 million Americans and 30 million people worldwide.

What is Kwanzaa and why is it celebrated?

As created by Karenga, Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday that celebrates shared history, values, family, community and culture.

The holiday was created in an effort to restore and reaffirm African heritage and culture in the United States and to introduce and reinforce Nguzo Saba or the Seven Principles.

The ideas and concepts of Kwanzaa are shared in the Swahili language, which is one of the most widely spoken languages in Africa, according to the National Museum of African American History & Culture.

Kwanzaa is named after the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza which means first fruits. The holiday itself has roots in first fruit celebrations found in ancient and modern cultures throughout Africa.

When is Kwanzaa?

Kwanzaa starts on Tuesday, Dec. 26, and is celebrated for seven nights until Monday, Jan. 1.

Who celebrates Kwanzaa?

Although Kwanzaa is primarily an African American holiday, it has also been celebrated outside the United States, specifically in the Caribbean and other countries where there are large African diasporas.

What are the 7 principles of Kwanzaa?

The seven principles of Kwanzaa drawn from values found throughout the African continent are:

Umoja or unity

Kujichagulia or self-determination

Ujima or collective work and responsibility

Ujamaa or cooperative economics

Nia or purpose

Kuumba or creativity

Imani or faith

What are the seven symbols of Kwanzaa?

Kwanzaa has seven basic symbols and two supplemental ones, according to the official Kwanzaa website:

Kinara: A candle holder symbolic of continental African roots.

Mushumaa Saba: Seven candles symbolic of the Nguzo Saba, the seven principles  a set of values that African people are urged to live by as they reconstruct their lives in their own image and according to their own needs.

Mkeka: Mat that is a symbol of tradition and foundation.

Mazao: Crops to represent the African harvest celebrations and rewards of productive and collective labor.

Muhindi: Corn to represent the children and the future they embody.

Kikombe Cha Umoja: Unity cup that symbolizes the foundational principle and practice of unity, which makes everything else possible.

Zawadi: Gifts are symbols of labor and love of parents and the commitments made and kept by children.

The supplemental symbols are:

Bendera: The colors of the Kwanzaa flag are black, red and green: black for the people, red for their struggle and green for the future.

Nguzo Saba Poster or art: Some written form of the Nguzo Saba should always be a part of the Kwanzaa set, because it is the seven principles that give Kwanzaa its core and cultural focus.

'Important to know where you come from': Valley chefs celebrate Kwanzaa 2023

What food do people eat during Kwanzaa?

The largest meal is eaten during the sixth night of Kwanzaa, which begins with the lighting of the black candle to symbolize the sixth principle of Kuumba. This night features the Kwanzaa feast known as the Kwanzaa Karamu.

Many of the foods eaten during the feast come from the African Diaspora, traditions of the people who were a part of the mass forced movement from the African continent during the Transatlantic Slave Trade between the 1500s and 1800s. This food can include hybridized cuisines such as Afro-Caribbean dishes like salt-fish, guava and red beans and pigeon peas or Southern soul food like okra, collard greens, tomatoes and shrimp.

Reach the reporter at dina.kaur@arizonarepublic.com. Follow @dina_kaur on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What is Kwanzaa and why is it celebrated? The 7 principles and feast
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When Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016, his wife, Melania, didnt exactly seem thrilled about the idea. It took her months to move into the White House after son Barron finished out his school year, and once she was in Washington, D.C., she didnt appear to love the job as first lady. Now, there are reports that shes done a complete 180-degree turn on a second stint in the White House.

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After being largely absent from the public eye since Donald Trump left the Oval Office in 2021, Melania is reportedly ready to get onboard the Trump train for 2024. According to a New York Post source, it may have been former First Lady Rosalynn Carters memorial that set the stage for her comeback. Melania is feeling more sure of herself  as both her husbands representative and her own position as a diplomatic figure after her positive reception at the Carter funeral.

First lady Melania Trump speaks during the anniversary celebration of the BeBest campaign, an initiative advocating against cyberbullying and drug use.

Melania isnt the only one in the family who thinks the time to act is now, Donald Trump and his presidential campaign staffers are ready for her. Trump and his family are so secure that he will become president again that insiders at Mar-a-Lago say hes reached an agreement with Melania to step up top-tier diplomatic appearances in 2024, they noted. She apparently wants to join the ranks of historic first ladies and leave her mark on history.

The political insider seems to think that Melania wasnt very confident the first time around and is better prepared to fulfill the first ladys duties, especially since her son will be off to college by then. But Melania will have to work harder to polish up her image since her former senior adviser and BFF, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, continues to be one of her most vocal critics.

The author of Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady, called out her appearance at the National Archives, describing the former first ladys words to be lacking of any real meaning. She told CNN that its unfortunate because she had an opportunity as the first lady of the United States to make a difference, and she didnt at all. It may be a tough comeback for Melania, but she is reportedly up to the task of becoming first lady again in what will be another tumultuous fight for the White House.

Before you go, click here to see the biggest presidential scandals in US History.

Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton

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According to an arrest affidavit, Jamilla Smith can be heard saying, "No, dont touch me, dont hurt me please" on a 911 call

Aiken County Sheriffas Office Daniel Harmon, Jamilla Smith

A woman in South Carolina allegedly called 911 asking for help and claimed her ex was chasing her before she was found dead, police say, according to multiple reports.

An arrest affidavit for 34-year-old Daniel Harmon from the Aiken County Sheriffs Office obtained by WACH, WLTX and the Augusta Press alleges that Jamilla Smith called emergency services on Dec. 2, saying that her ex  identified as Harmon  had broken into her house and was chasing her.

According to the affidavit, when Smith was on the phone with a dispatcher, she sounded short of breath, and a car engine could be heard revving in the background, per WACH and WLTX.

Jamilla is heard screaming and the phone appears to drop, the affidavit continues, per the Augusta Press. A male voice could then be heard telling Smith to get in the car so he could take her to the emergency room, the affidavit alleges.

Jamilla continues to scream and can be heard yelling no, dont touch me, dont hurt me please, and you hit me, the affidavit alleges. According to the affidavit, on the 911 call, Smith can be heard saying that the man had struck her with his car. But the man denies it, instead claiming that Smith had jumped in front of his car, the affidavit alleges.

A day later, Smiths family reported that she was missing, and on Dec. 4, police located Harmon and his vehicle, a 2023 black Dodge Charger, at a home in North Augusta, per WACH. Police obtained a search warrant for the residence and the car, allegedly finding blood on the spare tire and in the trunk of the car, authorities say, according to the affidavit.

Some of the blood found was submitted to DNA testing to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the results came back on Sunday, but were redacted from the affidavit, per WLTX and WACH.

According to the affidavit, investigators also obtained a search warrant for Smiths phone and noted that there was no activity since Dec. 2. Authorities claim in the affidavit that they believe Harmon hit Smith with his car and did not take her to the hospital.

The Aiken County Sheriffs Office charged Harmon with murder in connection with Smith's death. He had already been in police custody on a kidnapping charge in connection with Smiths disappearance.

It's not immediately clear if Harmon has entered a plea or retained an attorney.

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The Aiken County Sheriffs Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on the case.

Smiths body has not yet been found, and police say they will continue the search for her remains. Her family is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to her location, per WACH.



If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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Read the original article on People.
It's been a busy year for Akron-area restaurants, with dozens of new openings enriching the local foodie scene in 2023. Choices run the gamut from a ramen and bao bar, cafes and a new brewery to finer dining with craft cocktails downtown and beyond. That means there's something new in the local restaurant scene for everyone.

Along with the new and exciting, some businesses  both newer and old  closed in greater Akron this year. Like any year, it's out with the old and in with the new. Here's a sampling of restaurant openings and closings in the Akron area for 2023.

2023 restaurant openings in Akron area

 Meow Bao, Akron. Square Scullery's rebranded Highland Square eatery officially opened as Meow Bao Nov. 29 after running as a pop-up ramen and bao bar since March. The pop-up started at 783 W. Market St. while Square Scullery owners Matt and Heather Ulichney have been renovating their new, larger Square Scullery restaurant in Akron's North Hill. Meow Bao hours are 4 to 10 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. See meowbaoakron.com or call 330-983-9387.

Meow Bao closes abruptly Dec. 23, 2023: Owners say they're spread thin with new Square Scullery opening

Crispy chicken ramen at Meow Bao in Akron.

 Circle of 5ths, Akron. The 50-seat restaurant that focuses on classic cocktails and small plates had its grand opening Nov. 22 above BLU Jazz+ at 45 E. Market St., where BLU Plate used to be. The restaurant's name refers to both a music theory term  in homage to the jazz club downstairs  and the owners' favorite spirits being measured in fifth gallons. The restaurant's goal is to offer a metropolitan vibe at a more casual fine dining price. Hours are 6 p.m. to midnight Thursday-Saturday. See The Circle of 5ths on Facebook.

More on Circle of 5ths: Newest restaurant in downtown Akron with cocktails, small plates

A trio of small plates - from left, wellington bites, wasabi falafel and chicken fritters - at the new restaurant and bar The Circle of 5ths, located above Blue Jazz+ in Akron.

 United States Potato Service (U.S.P.S.), downtown Akron. Owner Danny Basone's newest concept for the space next to his Lockview restaurant at 209 S. Main St.  which formerly housed Funny Noodle and El Gato Taqueria  is all about potatoes. Basone, a longtime Akron musician and former owner of the Lime Spider music venue (now Lockview), made a special nod to Devo on Facebook regarding the new U.S.P.S. saying, "Akron is all about Spuds!" The menu features a variety of baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, hand-cut fries and poutine. U.S.P.S. opened Nov. 20 for DoorDash and is now open from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday for carryout orders, too. See www.unitedstatespotatoservice.com or @united_states_potato_service on Instagram.

Embedded content: https://www.instagram.com/p/C0CV6x6OnAR/

 Ryes and Shine, Cuyahoga Falls. This all-day breakfast bar opened Nov. 17 at 2704 Front St., a space that once housed longtime restaurant The Silver Swan. Patrons can choose from their bourbon collection, classic breakfast items and sweeter plates like peanut butter and jelly French toast. Ryes and Shine also serves a solid meatloaf and reuben after 11 a.m.

Chicken and waffles are among the dishes available at Ryes and Shine, located in the former Silver Swan in Cuyahoga Falls.

Hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. See ryesnshinefalls.com or call 234-208-9828.

 Ki Asian Cuisine, Fairlawn. The restaurant at 2717 W. Market St., which opened Nov. 1 in the space where House of Hunan was housed for nearly 40 years, has a new look and a modern, clean vibe with its neutral decor. The owners of the the new restaurant, the Lin family, offer Chinese and Japanese food. There's a sushi bar, separate bar area, a dining room and private back room. The owners are waiting for a liquor permit.

The menu includes numerous sushi choices and lot of traditional Chinese dishes and chef's specials. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. See www.kiasiancuisine.com or call 330-805-4888.

Local Flavor: New Ki Asian Cuisine in Fairlawn offers Chinese dishes, serene vibe

The Angel Roll at Ki Asian Cuisine features shrimp tempura, cream cheese, crab meat, spicy mayor, eel sauce, scallions and masago fish eggs.

 Peninsula Coffee House, Peninsula. Owners Mark and Deb Anzelc opened their business in late October at 1653 Main St. on the ground floor of the historic Peninsula Banking Company Building, built circa 1910. The boutique cafe, nestled in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, provides a view of the Cuyahoga River while offering coffee, light food and a sundry market.

The accompanying Peninsula Wine Cellar also opened Dec. 14 downstairs offering wine, charcuterie, beers and seltzers.

Hours are 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. See peninsulacoffeehouse.com or call 330-242-2661.

 Green Valley Brewing Co., Hudson. Couples John and Emily McGroarty and Nick and Beth Speck opened the new brewpub Oct. 28 at 53 Milford Drive. The brewpub features 10 craft beers on tap  seven by brewmaster John and three of which are collaborations with other local breweries. Wood-fired pizzas are the stars of the small menu, which also includes sandwiches, salads and appetizers. The taproom also offers cocktails and wine. Hours are 3 to 10 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, noon to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. See greenvalley.beer or call 234-602-2006.

New Hudson brewery: Green Valley Brewing in Hudson features 10 draft beers, homemade wood-fired pizzas

 Revival Room, Hudson. The new restaurant and bar opened Oct. 12 in Hudson's square at 200 N. Main St., in an 1834 building that originally was a general store. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places. The restaurant features classic cocktails and classic dishes with a twist. Seven Old Fashioned cocktails are inspired by the medieval trickster character Reynard the Fox. The menu features smaller dishes such as duck confit pot pie and appetizers including pickled scotch eggs that are meant to be shared.

Hours are 3 to 10 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, which includes brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. See revivalroomhudson.com or call 234-269-6600.

Revival Room: Restaurant owners have fun with historical aspect of Hudson building

The Revival Room features Braised Pork Cheek with sauteed Asian sesame bean salad, turmeric cream sauce and brined sprouts on the menu on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, in Hudson, Ohio. [Phil Masturzo/ Beacon Journal]

 DeJuan's, downtown Akron. De'Juan Kelker II opened his first restaurant Sept. 1 at 1 W. Exchange St., offering casual dining with a fine dining feel. The restaurant is in the building at the corner of Main and Exchange where Bricco formerly was. The restaurant offers a variety of seafood from twin lobster tails to a whole red snapper entree. Also on the menu are six steak entrees ranging from $29 to $72 as well as lamb loin, pork chop and half chicken entrees. On the more casual end are pizzas, turkey burgers, soups and salads.

Hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. See dejuansdining.com or call 234-334-0281.

September opening: DeJuan's is the place to be in downtown Akron

Cajun chicken pasta at DeJuan's in downtown Akron.

 Floods Urban Seafood, Akron. Floods, which specializes in seafood boils and other seafood plates, opened in September at 77 Westgate Circle. The most popular menu items are gator bites, fried green tomatoes, orange roughy and seafood alfredo.

Owner David Parker opened the local chain's first location in Warrensville Heights in 2019 and its Euclid site in 2021. Floods Urban Seafood also won the 2020 Taste of Black Cleveland. Hours are 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday-Friday and noon to 2 a.m. Saturday-Sunday. See floodsurbanseafood.com.

Cleveland restaurant opens Akron site: Floods Urban Seafood makes a splash in Akron's Wallhaven neighborhood

 Noodle King, Copley. This restaurant, opened Aug. 25 at Montrose Center plaza, offers Japanese, Vietnamese and Chinese fare, namely ramen and pho. The ramen is pork-based and pho dishes are beef-based options. Vegetarian options also are available.

The full-service restaurant's also offers appetizers, including bao buns and gyoza dumplings and fun Chinese and Japanese sodas. Noodle King is owned by Eddy Wang, who also owns the adjoining Sakura Sushi. Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Sunday at 3900 Medina Road W. See noodlekingakron.com or call 330-576-3166.

Local Flavor: Noodle King offers journey through Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese fare in Copley

Gyoza dumplings are pan-seared and served with dipping sauce at Noodle King.

 Barrelhouse, Akron. Longtime bartender Nick Jones opened this eatery, his first restaurant, Aug. 23, after buying the former Arnie's Public House from retired owner Steve Arn. The restaurant, at 1682 W. Market St. in Akron's Wallhaven neighborhood, has new decor with custom chandeliers and a wall featuring wood bourbon barrel lids. The menu features shareable small plates from casino oysters to cauliflower steak. The restaurant offers all-day brunch entrees for $10 to $16.

Kitchen hours are 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, and 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday. See barrelhouseakron.com or call 234-334-7800.

In former Arnie's: Barrelhouse opens in West Akron, emphasizing shareable small plates

Chick n Waffles is among the available dishes at Barrelhouse in Akron.

 Town Tavern, Copley. Town Tavern's newest location, which opened Aug. 21, is in a beautifully renovated space on Restaurant Hill where TGI Fridays used to be. The eatery at 125 Montrose W. Ave. has a new 2,500-square-foot addition to the back of the original building, which features a four-season dining room with a wood cupola ceiling and accordion-style doors that open to a large patio.

The menu includes casual starters and higher-end entrees. Hours are 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Saturday-Sunday. Town Tavern, whose kitchen is open until 1 a.m. every day, serves lunch, dinner and an abbreviated late-night menu after 10 p.m. See towntavernohio.com or call 234-466-0227.

In former TGI Fridays: Bright, airy Town Tavern offers casual and upscale dining offerings in laid-back setting

 T-Bubbles, Stow. The bubble tea shop, which also offers smoothies, Vietnamese coffee and lemonade, had its grand opening on Aug. 15 at 3490 Hudson Drive. The Stow spot is the second for owner Vu Nguyen, who opened the original T-Bubbles location four years ago in Green. Customers can create their own bubble tea using a combination of 14 flavors and 15 toppings. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. See t-bubbles.com or call 234-208-9355.

A chilled pineapple flavored green tea with tapioca pearls from T-Bubbles in Stow.

 Twisted Tomato Pizzeria, Stow. The pizzeria at 3031 Graham Road, which opened Aug. 14, is the latest of three locations that the local chain has opened in as many years. Like the Cuyahoga Falls location, the Stow Twisted Tomato location is only open for takeout and delivery. The restaurant serves a variety of pizza, calzones, subs, pasta, wings, salads and desserts. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. See twisted-tomato.com or call 330-673-9410.

A pepperoni and mushroom pizza from Twisted Tomato Pizzeria in Stow.

 Double Shot Coffee Drive Thru, Stow. This drive-through opened Aug. 8 in Stow Towne Center at 1580 Norton Road. The shop offers hot and iced coffees, teas, fresh-squeezed lemonade, Red Bull energizers and various pastries. Double Shots churro americano and strawberry pop tarts are best sellers. Hours are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. See Double Shot Coffee on Facebook or call 440-479-3289.

More on Stow restaurants: 3 new restaurants opened in Stow in August. We tried them all and here's what we thought

Double Shot Coffee Drive Thru worker Margie Ivens hands a choco nut breve to a customer.

 Pitchfork, Bath. The highly anticipated Bath restaurant launched its full menu in July after months of offering a raw bar, charcuterie and limited menu along with drinks from Eden wine bar. At this high-end restaurant, you can dine on open fire-grilled steaks from owners Mel and Jeff Brunty's Farmer's Rail Artisanal Meats and Butcher Shop or go for seafood, duck, chicken or other entrees. Guests can also sample 36 wines from Eden wine bar's self-serve wine dispensers inside the restaurant. You can also do a more casual visit with a burger or sandwich for lunch or hot or cold appetizers to share.

Pitchfork is located at Corner Provisions, 1070 Ghent Road. Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Saturday. See visitcornerprovisions.com/pitchfork or call 330-754-2551.

Local Flavor: Long-awaited visit to Pitchfork a great evening in fine dining, wines

Hailbut with cucumber pico and chilled Asian noodles at Pitchfork.

 Poke and Roll, Cuyahoga Falls. Build your own poke bowl or sushi burrito at this eatery, which first-time restaurant owner Michael Ren opened June 15 at 3464 Hudson Drive. The sushi burritos, wrapped in seaweed, are like a really big sushi roll that isn't cut into pieces. A wide variety of ultra fresh ingredients make for a great option for a healthy, high-quality lunch or dinner. The boba bar offers six milk teas, six fruit teas and eight add-ins.

Hours 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. See eatpokenroll.com or call 330-615-2666.

Local Flavor: Poke & Roll fun new spot to build poke bowl, sushi burrito in Cuyahoga Falls

A build-your-own poke bowl at Poke & Roll features rice, spicy salmon, cucumber, carrot, edamame, red cabbage and avocado. Toppings are spicy mayor, Gochujiang sauce, toasted sesame seeds, masago (fish roe) and sushi ginger.

 Wink's Drive-In, Barberton. This landmark joint, which reopened May 19, is known for its signature burgers, fries, shakes, hot dogs and hand-breaded, fried chicken sandwiches. The new owners have renovated the restaurant, which had been well-known since 1991 for its 50s-style carhop and diner and closed in 2020. The eatery has an all-new menu but the original neon Wink's signs, now repaired, still grace the carhop area. Customers have the option of eating in their cars at the drive-in, dining in or, in warm weather, eating at the outside patio and bar at 75 Fifth St. SE.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. See winksdrive-in.com or call 234-334-7761.

Wink's Drive-In: Owners gear up for lots of burgers, outdoor fun in Barberton

Dylan Pierce dresses a burger in the kitchen at Wink's Drive-In in Barberton on Tuesday, April 18, 2023.

 F.A.T.'S Backroom, Akron. Frank Anthony Todaro's Backroom is back by popular demand as of May 18 in Akron's Merriman Valley. Todaro opened the restaurant as a socially distanced option inside Todaro's Party Center from 2020 to 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic at 1820 Akron-Peninsula Road. Now it's reopened as an intimate, supper-club style restaurant in Todaro's smallest banquet room. The menu features moderately priced Italian cuisine, chop house items, specialty pastas and a large wine selection. Hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. See fatsbackroom.com or call 330-929-7875.

F.A.T.'S returns: F.A.T.'S restaurant is back by popular demand at Todaro's in Akron

 Sal's Gelato, Akron. Cafe Arnone co-owners Michael Maghes and Rocco LaRose's second eatery in the Akron area focuses on Italian ice cream as well as handmade artisanal chocolates, Italian pastries and an espresso menu. The cousins' gelateria and cafe opened May 7 in Akron's Merriman Valley at 1821 Merriman Road. Sal's offers up to 24 flavors of gelato made from scratch, sundaes, non-dairy gelato options, Italian ice and a flight of four flavors that can be shared. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. See salsgelato.com or call 234-312-9255.

Cafe Arnone expands: Cafe Arnone to spread wings with Sal's Gelato in Akron's Merriman Valley

 Crafty Steere, Fairlawn. The Crafty Steere artisanal food market opened March 24 in the former Pandora's Cupcakes location at 3571 Brookwall Drive in Copley. It sells West Point Market's beloved cheese spreads, brownies and cookies and deli salads, as well as Pandoras Cupcakes. That includes four cheese spreads and five cookie varieties, including the former market's thumbprint cookies. Rick Vernon also makes 11 varieties of West Point's famous triple-layer brownie. West Point recipes are all from Vernon's father Russ' collection of 350 recipes he developed at the longtime West Akron store.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. See craftysteere.com or call 330-665-2253.

 Heera Indian Cuisine, downtown Akron. Owner Shailendra Sahu, who opened the restaurant in March at 117 E. Market St., said his menu offers the best of India. He serves a large variety of classic dishes from both north and south India, including 13 appetizers, 17 chaat (savory snacks) and 28 entrees. Entrees include vegetable, chicken, lamb, goat, shrimp or fish curry; matar paneer (cottage cheese with peas in onion tomato sauce); saag (fresh pureed spinach in creamy sauce) served vegan or with proteins; tandoori chicken and two types of marinated chicken kebabs.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday-Tuesday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. See heeraindiancuisine.com or call 330-400-4019.

Local Flavor: Heera in downtown Akron offers delicious blend of Indian flavors

Masala dosa is an Indian crepe filled with potatoes and served with lentil soup and coconut chutney at Heera Indian Cuisine in downtown Akron.

 Mexibachi Grill, Cuyahoga Falls. The restaurant at 4065 State Road, which opened in March, has a menu full of Mexican and Japanese fare plus some dishes that fuse the two. That includes the Burrito Mexibachi with hibachi-style chicken, steak and shrimp, served with fried rice or noodles. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. See mexibachigrilloh.com or call 234-334-6755.

Mexibachi Grill's signature dish, burrito Mexibachi, on Tuesday, August 1, 2023 in Cuyahoga Falls.

More: Cuyahoga Falls' Mexibachi Grill puts Japanese, Mexican cuisine fans in state of yum fusion

 Watson Speakeasy, Cuyahoga Falls. The 26-seat speakeasy, which opened March 10, is dark and elegant, evoking the Prohibition era while at the same time paying homage to inventors. The joint, located at 1846 Front St., has a secret entrance from a vestibule resembling an abandoned post office. The craft cocktail and bourbon bar focuses on creative cocktails and presentation, also offering light appetizers and several desserts.

Hours are 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 4 p.m. to midnight Friday-Saturday. See watsonspeakeasy.com.

Cocktails at The Watson Speakeasy focus on creativity.

 Daily Pressed, downtown Akron. The bistro and cocktail lounge opened Feb. 6 at 323 S. Main St. The restaurant features a breakfast menu served until 3 p.m., including build-your-own omelets and custard-dipped brioche filled with peanut butter and jelly. Sandwiches, wraps and salads also are offered, plus entrees ranging from Swedish meatballs to an Italian hamburger made from homemade pressed meatballs. Here, you can get everything from a French press coffee to elegant, speakeasy-style cocktails. The restaurant's current Miracle on Main Christmas pop-up bar with holiday cocktails will continue through mid-January.

Hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. See The Daily Pressed on Facebook or call 330-535-4000.

An Empress gin cocktail and a signature breakfast sandwich at the opening of The Daily Pressed on South Main Street in downtown Akron Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023.

 Mickey's Irish Pub, Cuyahoga Falls. The restaurant opened Jan. 25 at 1846 Front St., at the site of the former Craft Social, after Pavona's Pizza Joint and Mickey's Irish Pub were destroyed in a fire in Akron in October 2022. The reopened restaurant and bar had its grand opening on St. Patrick's Day. It serves everything from shepherd's pie and fish and chips to Italian wood-fired pizzas.

Hours are 3 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 3 to 11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. See mickeysirish.pub or call 330-849-5089.

Akron-area restaurant closings in 2023

 Larry's Main Entrance, West Akron. Owner Alan Perella will close the West Akron institution Dec. 29 after his family has owned it for 21 years. His father Harry bought Larry's in 2002. Perella and his brother Anthony bought the restaurant/bar from their father nine years ago and ran it together a couple years before Alan became the sole owner. Bar-only service will be 4 to 10 p.m. Dec. 27-28. Perella and his wife, Charlotte, will hold a going-away party 4 to 10 p.m. Dec. 29 with drinks and a DJ. A going-out-of-business sale will be noon to 4 p.m. Dec. 30.

'End of an era': West Akron institution Larry's Main Entrance to bid adieu Dec. 29

Alan Perella, owner of Larry's Main Entrance, chats with a customer at the Akron bar in October.

 Big Mamma's Burritos, downtown Akron. The restaurant, which opened in May 2022, at 357 S. Main St., has permanently closed. It had previously closed shop in November 2022, six months after it opened, but reopened under new ownership in June.

 Bomba Tacos + Rum, Fairlawn. Bomba closed Sept. 17 at the Copley Township location after operating at the Montrose Center plaza at 3900 Medina Road since 2016. Its closing was coupled with the closing of the Chagrin Falls location the same day. The Beachwood location closed in May.

 Salsitas Mexican Restaurant, Tallmadge. Owner Oscar McBenttes, who converted his former Oscar's Place in Tallmadge into Salsitas Mexican restaurant in early January, closed Salsitas at 137 East Ave. in September.

 Funny Noodle, downtown Akron. Owner Danny Basone closed the eatery in April after not being able to find cooks to run the place. It had opened in December 2021. Basone has since opened United States Potato Service (U.S.P.S.) Akron in the space at 209 S. Main St.

 Arnie's Public House, West Akron. Longtime owner Steve Arn retired from the Westgate Plaza restaurant and bar at 1682 W. Market St. in late July. Arn had owned Arnie's Standing Room Only, which originally opened further west on West Market Street, since 1990. It underwent a makeover in 2015, when it was renamed Arnie's Public House.

Arts and restaurant writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Restaurant openings, closings in Greater Akron in 2023
Utah business owners Chloe Stott and Parker Stott planned to announce their pregnancy to family on Christmas before a Dec. 20 car crash in Arizona, per reports

GoFundMe Parker and Chloe Stott via GoFundMe

A Utah couple is dead days after a car crash in Arizona, which took place while they traveled to share news of their pregnancy with family.

Chloe Stott, 24, was killed in the crash last Wednesday as she and her husband Parker Stott traveled to Arizona to visit family, according to Utah news outlets KUTV and KSL-TV, which cited Arizona Department of Public Safety officials.

The crash occurred around 8:20 p.m. on southbound U.S. 93 in Wickenburg, Arizona on Dec. 20., when the couple's vehicle collided head-on with a truck, according to reports.

Chloe, a passenger in the Toyota truck, was killed on impact, according to reports. Her husband Parker was transported to a hospital and died days later, according to Facebook and Instagram posts shared by the couple's family members Saturday on accounts created to update loved ones about the incident.

Arizona Department of Public Safety officials confirmed with KUTV that Chloe was pregnant with a baby boy at the time of her death. Scout Whiteley, a friend of the couple's and a colleague of Chloe's at the boutique spa she owned in Lindon, Utah, told the outlet Saturday the couple were planning to announce their pregnancy to family as a Christmas surprise. Whiteley also told KSL-TV that Chloe Stott was roughly 10 weeks pregnant.

Related: Couple Who Welcomed Twins via Embryo Adoption Celebrates Their First Christmas at Home (Exclusive)

Parker and Chloe forever/instagram Parker and Chloe Stott, via Instagram

Friends of the couple established a GoFundMe fundraiser on Parker's behalf Friday before the announcement of his death; as of Monday morning, the page had received more than $200,000 from some 4,400 donations.

"They had just found out they were pregnant with a baby and were so excited to be parents and share the news with their loved ones over Christmas," a description of the fundraiser reads. "At 8:30pm Wednesday evening they were involved in a tragic car accident that took the life of Chloe and their precious baby boy."



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Parker had undergone three surgeries following Wednesday's crash when surgeons told the couple's family that his "injuries were even more extensive than what we were already aware of and the outlook was extremely bleak," according to the family's social media posts announcing his death. Parker died at 6:47 p.m. Saturday, according to the post.



Chloe and Parker owned Clover Skin Bar, a small business in Lindon, that opened roughly one-and-a-half years ago. The business has shared on its website and Instagram page that it plans to reopen this Wednesday and is offering a "forever facial" service, for which proceeds will go toward the GoFundMe fundraiser.



"We know they are in a better place and get to be together," the couple's family wrote on social media as they announced Parker's death. "We know they will be watching over us, cheering us all on until we get to reunite with them again."



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Read the original article on People.
Greg Iwinski, a late-night TV writer, walked off the job this year amid a dramatic surge of workers going out on strike -- and he says the trend made its presence felt at the bargaining table.

"The ammunition that a company has, whether it's an automaker or a TV studio, is telling you that a strike won't work -- your collective action won't help," Iwinski, who helped broker an agreement that delivered significant pay increases for 11,000 Hollywood writers, told ABC News.

A slew of contract breakthroughs over the course of 2023 dispelled that notion, Iwinski said. "If you hold out long enough, you will break them and win," he said.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, or AMPTP, which negotiated on behalf of the TV studios, did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.

Iwinski was among more than 500,000 workers who went out on strike nationwide in 2023, nearly tripling the figure recorded over the same period a year earlier, according to data through the end of October from Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations shared with ABC News.

The sharp escalation in worker protests arose from widespread dissatisfaction with sluggish wage gains, which in many cases had failed to keep up with rapid price hikes, experts told ABC News.

MORE: Inside an alleged Amazon union-busting campaign in Kentucky: 'They want to scare us'

Emboldened by a tight job market and growing approval of unions, workers took a step that often frightens employees concerned about losing their livelihoods, they added.

"This is a demonstration of the anger that American workers have about their position in the economy," Erik Loomis, a labor professor at the University of Rhode Island and author of "A History of America in 10 Strikes," told ABC News.

"We're in an era where people are seeing the strike as a tool once again," Loomis added, noting that the number of workers on strike this year was last seen in the early 1980s.

Labor militancy will continue in 2024 since worker disaffection remains, experts added, though the potential for fewer contract disputes at large unions could result in a decline in the number of workers walking off the job.

Over a four-decade period beginning in the late-1970s, wages largely flattened, increasing 0.2% per year on an inflation-adjusted basis for a typical worker, a Harvard Business Review analysis found.

The cumulative effects of sluggish wage growth collided with sky-high inflation in recent years, leaving workers frustrated over diminished spending power, Johnnie Kallas, project director of Cornell University's Labor Action Tracker, told ABC News.

"The root cause is the pent up pressure of long-term wage stagnation," Kallas said. "That has really come home to roost."

This year, that upswell of anger coincided with contract disputes involving some of the nation's largest unions.

SAG-AFTRA, a union representing roughly 160,000 actors, went out on strike for nearly 120 days, culminating in a 3-year contract that raised wages by roughly 14%.

The United Auto Workers, a union representing 150,000 employees at major car markers, ended a weekslong strike after a set of agreements that delivered a roughly 25% raise over a 4-year period.

PHOTO: Workers picket outside of the Ford Assembly plant as the UAW strike against the Big Three U.S. automakers continues, Oct. 10, 2023, in Chicago. (Scott Olson/Getty Images, FILE)

Roughly 75,000 health care workers at Kaiser Permanente won major wage gains after a work stoppage, as did thousands of TV writers like Iwinski.

While the number of workers on strike increased significantly this year, the total work stoppages remained roughly flat. Through Dec. 20, there were 405 strikes in 2023 compared with 407 strikes over that same period a year prior, according to Cornell University's Labor Action Tracker.

The major uptick in striking workers this year owes in part to the incidental confluence of contract deadlines at large unions, Thomas Kochan, an emeritus management professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told ABC News.

"Some of it is contingent because we did have a significant number of larger contracts," Kochan said, acknowledging that the scale of work stoppages could ebb next year.

Still, the certainty of some strikes, as well as the credible threat of others, should deliver workplace improvements for workers, Kochan added.

MORE: Worker strikes are surging. Strains of technology may be to blame in part.

"It's clear that rank-and-file workers are prepared to strike," Kochan said.

Potential workplace disputes dot next year's calendar, even if few approach the size of the high-profile confrontations of 2023.

Contracts covering 60,000 film and television crew workers are set to expire in July; while an agreement concerning 220,000 postal workers will come up for renewal in September 2024, according to an analysis from the pro-worker outlet Labor Notes.

"I don't know if we'll see the same number of high-profile strikes next year but I think we're still going to see a lot of strikes," Lynne Vincent, a professor of industrial and labor relations at Syracuse University, told ABC News.

"2023 set the stage that things are different," Vincent added. "That conversation will continue in 2024."

Unions made 2023 the year of the strike. What will happen next? originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Gabriel Garcia Marquez's final novel will appear this spring - Steve Pyke

Argylle by Elly Conway

This Bond-esque spy caper speeds from Thailand to Monaco, and comes with a blockbuster film (next month) and a real-life enigma: whos its mysterious unknown writer, Elly Conway?

Bantam; Jan 4

Judgement at Tokyo by Gary J Bass

A decade in the making, this account of the 1946-48 Tokyo war crimes trials shows how the Japanese reckoned with the brutal legacy of the Second World War.

Picador; Jan 25

What Will Survive of Us by Howard Jacobson

The Booker winner returns with a lushly emotional tale of midlife desire and infidelity, in which a filmmaker and playwright collaborate, then begin a secret affair.

Vintage; Feb 1

The Lodgers by Holly Pester

In the crafty debut novel by one of Britains best young poets, a woman moving into a sublet flat is preoccupied by thoughts of the one shes left, and whos living there now.

Granta; Feb 1

Alphabetical Diaries by Sheila Heti

A funny experiment: the idiosyncratic Canadian novelist has re-shuffled 10 years of her selected journal entries, so that the sentences all start in alphabetical order.

Fitzcarraldo; Feb 6

An adaptation of Argylle, directed by Matthew Vaughn, is out next year - Peter Mountain

Dear Oliver by Susan R Barry

The author once wrote to her fellow neuroscientist Oliver Sachs out of the blue; it led to a close friendship, preserved here in 10 years of their warm letters to one another.

Bonnier; Feb 16

Burma Sahib by Paul Theroux

George Orwell branded his 1920s stint in the Burmese police five boring years within the sound of bugles. But as this novel shows, it may have been the political making of him.

Hamish Hamilton; Feb 22

How to Win an Information War by Peter Pomerantsev

The extraordinary life of Sefton Delmer  essentially the Allies answer to Lord Haw Haw  who as Der Chef undermined Hitler with his secret radio broadcasts to Germany.

Faber; Mar 7

Until August by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The literary event of the spring: a rediscovered novel by the great Colombian writer. A married woman makes a strange annual pilgrimage, during which she always has a one-night stand.

Viking; Mar 12

A Year of Last Things by Michael Ondaatje

The Booker Prize-winning author of The English Patient makes a long-overdue return to his original love  verse  with his first new poetry collection in 18 years.

Cape; Mar 21

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.
Many diners steer clear of shellfish at restaurants, fueled by a fear of spending the night hunched over the porcelain throne. But are they missing out on the best paella of their lives for no good reason, or are their fears justified?

HuffPost spoke with food safety experts about the foods they avoid when they eat out and why you might also want to.

Steak Tartare

Istetiana / Getty Images

A favorite of fancy French bistros, steak tartare is raw ground steak mixed with shallots, capers, olive oil, mustard and a raw egg on top. If it sounds like a food safety experts nightmare, it is.

Home cooks know to cook ground beef to 160 degrees Fahrenheit before eating it to prevent foodborne illness, and theres a good reason. Beef is produced in such a way that during the slaughtering process, its inevitable that some of the fecal material within the animals intestines has touched or spread onto the raw meat, said Bryan Quoc Le, a food scientist and author of 150 Food Science Questions Answered.

Normally, the butchered meat is disinfected with a number of sanitizing compounds, he explained. But some pathogenic microorganisms found in the intestines of cattle, such as E. coli subvariant O157:H7, are very resistant to these treatments. According to Le, it takes only a few cells of a pathogen like E. coli to survive to cause a foodborne illness, which is why cooking beef is essential to killing all potential pathogens.

Ensuring that this dish of raw meat doesnt make everyone sick comes down to trusting the establishment to prepare it safely. Martin Bucknavage, the senior food safety extension associate at Penn State Department of Food Science, explained, It is not that I dislike it, but it does have a higher risk of contamination from bacterial pathogens such as pathogenic E. coli. One really puts a lot of faith into the restaurant that they have prepared it in a way to eliminate any of these pathogens.

Raw Sprouts

Nataliya Kushnir / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Often stuffed in sandwiches and wraps to add a crunch or used as a garnish on a beautifully plated entree, raw sprouts like alfalfa, clover, mung and bean sprouts have been linked to many food poisoning outbreaks.

How come these little leafy veggies cause so much damage? Sprouts are grown from non-sterile seeds that carry microbial spores or colonies, which are kept in a moist environment at a temperature of 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, Le told HuffPost. As this is well above refrigeration conditions, these temperatures allow microorganisms to grow fairly rapidly. They are sprouted in soil or a porous material such as coconut coir, peat moss or perlite. These are also not sterile materials. A number of pathogens can grow, including salmonella, E. coli and listeria. Because it can take up to three to four days to complete the sprouting process, the cell counts for these microorganisms can reach billions.

Washing the sprouts doesnt remove the microorganisms that can cause foodborne illness. Instead, cook sprouts to kill any bacteria, though this diminishes their crisp and fresh texture.

Raw Shellfish, Specifically Oysters

Carlo A / Getty Images

Long associated with aphrodisiac properties for lovers, these shellfish are on the no-no list for food safety experts, especially when consumed raw. They tend to be scavengers or bottom feeders and can concentrate a high amount of bacteria, viruses and other contaminants, Le told HuffPost. In 1995, one particular outbreak saw 84 people get sick with the Norwalk virus after consuming raw oysters, and the study cited the likely cause thusly: This outbreak was caused by contamination of oysters in the oyster bed, probably by stool from one or more ill harvesters.

Another major issue with shellfish is vibriosis, an illness that comes from Vibrio bacteria. Especially pernicious, this bacteria lives in coastal water and is in its highest concentration during part of the oyster harvesting season. People can become infected with vibriosis by eating raw oysters or shellfish, and it can have serious consequences like requiring amputation of limbs.

Improper handling of raw oysters by restaurant staff, including poor temperature control (not keeping raw shellfish cold enough), can encourage pathogen growth in shellfish. For this reason, Bucknavage focuses more on the establishment than food items. I look for restaurants that are clean and well run, have good online ratings and good inspection results, he said. When there are outbreaks, it is more about failure in proper procedures of the establishment.

Raw Milk

Naturalbox / Getty Images/iStockphoto

This is the only contraband item on our list. The federal government prohibits distribution of raw milk across state lines, and its illegal to consume in 23 states. But in some states, like California and South Carolina, unpasteurized milk is on the menu, and its a concern for the food safety experts we interviewed.

Ellen Shumaker, director of outreach and extension for Safe Plates at North Carolina State University, explained of raw milk, Because it has not been pasteurized, bacteria like salmonella, E. coli, Brucella, Campylobacter and listeria have a high likelihood of being present.

Raw milk proponents argue that pasteurization kills beneficial enzymes and nutrients, but that isnt true. Instead, pasteurization, the process of heating milk and holding it at that high heat for a period, kills pathogens that can cause paralysis, kidney failure and even death. This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Japan is on the cutting edge of everything as the country has a centuries-long knack for technological, culinary, and artistic innovation. It should be no surprise that some of fashions most inventive talents hail from the region. Interior design practices such as wabi-sabi, as well as the notion of kaizenconstant self-improvementpoint to the nations inspiring ability to ritualize the mundane, elevating the most minute tasks or arranging an environment just to make ones entire life better.

Brands like Comme des Garcons and Issey Miyake demonstrate Japans reverential approach to tailoring and construction, sharing elegant yet avant-garde garments with the world. Keep reading to discover six of the best Japanese brands.

andwander.com

Founded in 2011 by former Issey Miyake designers Keita Ikeuchi and Mihoko Mori, and wander is fiercely committed to presenting a refined yet rugged aesthetic, bridging the gap between thoughtful fashion and practical outdoor garments. Nestled in the heart of Shibuya, the pleasure of playing in the mountains serves as and wanders North Star. Driven by the founders own hiking experience, the brands offerings are made to withstand a myriad of climates and are tested in both Japan and global locations, proving and wanders devotion to quality.

The brands expert craftsmanship is demonstrated through its plethora of innovative silhouettes and keen attention to detail, delivering unparalleled technical fabrics. Using a precise pattern-cutting method, items such as the quilted diamond stitch-down hoodies and longline PRIMALOFT rip coats utilize sturdy, water and wind-resistant materials. The inimitable label is grounded in a mostly subdued color palette with a sporadic splash of color to mirror pigments found in nature.

Getty Images

Rooted in a sense of timeless elegance, AURALEE defies fleeting trends, welcoming refined, minimalistic garments. Founded by Ryota Iwai in 2015, the brand name is borrowed from an American folk song and means The Lands That Lights Up. While Iwai was unaware of the meaning at the time, his choice was nonetheless serendipitous as he imagined his collections to be worn in the morning light. Evoking the twinkling effervescence of dawns early hours, AURALEEs collections are filled with clothing that are both soft in tone and texture. The brand prioritizes comfort above all else, using raw textiles and yarn sourced in Japan and globally for its items, resulting in the brands superior quality.

Dreamy knit dresses and billowing sets join wool maxi skirts and ultra-light nylon puffers, creating a capsule wardrobe that sets itself apart with its color palettes and material choice. AURALEEs attention to detail transforms staples into must-have essential pieces, confidently whispering, quiet luxury. The understated brand also recently launched a collaboration with New Balance, unveiling the expectedly sleek and simple Warped Runner during the Spring/Summer 2024 season for Paris Fashion Week, alongside the dynamic 1906R this past month, proving AURALEEs versatility.

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No list of Japanese fashion brands would be complete without Comme des Garcons. The avant-garde label has been paving the way and breaking barriers in fashion since its inception. Alongside Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld, founder Rei Kawakubo is one of the only three designers to have a dedicated Met Gala theme. While the tried and true streetwear brand bears a French name, it was established in Tokyo in 1969 by Kawakubo, making its runway debut in Paris in 1981 and becoming the first Japanese brand to present a collection in the city of lights. Additionally, Kawakubo never graduated from fashion school, having worked in advertising at a textile company and later pivoted to freelance stylist work before starting her now legendary brand.

In typical icon behavior, Kawakubos designs were initially misunderstood but soon began to attract a discerning crowd. Her first collection drew criticism because of its abundance of black, theatrical pieces. The gothic theme led CDGs fans to earn the nickname, Karasu, which is Japanese for crow. If I could do an all-black collection, then I would, she shared with The Sunday Times in 1986. CDGs inventive designs are truly works of art as the brand entertains exaggerated silhouettes and enigmatic shades, bordering on unwearable  at least for those who arent brave enough. Kawakubos creations tend to incite controversy, but a closer inspection reveals a decidedly modern and playful approach to fashion. The brand has gone on to become a high fashion staple, worn by celebrities and enjoying partnerships with H&M, Nike, The North Face, and Converse All Star. Since its start, Comme des Garcons has stretched itself beyond its limits, introducing fragrance, as well as its Homme Plus line for men.

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Famous for his pleats and progressiveness, Issey Miyake was in a league of his own, democratizing fashion and leading with technology. The designer founded his ground-breaking brand in 1970, eventually changing the world of fashion. Having survived the Hiroshima atomic bombs as a child, Miyake fell in love with his craft in Paris, studying at the Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture in 1960, just as Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld did prior. Miyake later apprenticed to none other than Hubert Givenchy.

As the student revolutions in France were underway, Miyake concluded that he wanted to make clothes for everyday people rather than just the elite. I realized that the future was in making clothing for the many, not the few. I wanted to make clothing that was as universal as jeans and T-shirts, he told WSJ Magazine in 2012. The visionarys inclusive approach didnt stop there as Miyake later featured models over the age of 60 in his 1996 Carrousel du Louvre show, well before age acceptance became trendy. Miyakes most known for his micropleating, utilizing a heat press to shape the polyester fabric. A Piece of Cloth or A.P.O.C. arrived in 1999, debuting the tubular fabric, which was fashioned from a single thread. 2010 welcomed 132 5. Issey Miyake, an ingenious inventive collection, reimagining the way clothing takes up space. Thanks to strategic folds, fabric forms the building blocks of 3-D garments, turning them into geometric works of art. Miyake died in August 2022 of liver cancer, leaving behind an incredible legacy.

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After her tenure as a pattern maker at Comme des Garcons and Junya Watanbes design team, Chitose Abe brings her one-of-a-kind sense of tailoring to sacai. Abe founded her cult-classic brand in 1999 after the birth of her first child, looking for a way to channel her creativity. With layering techniques at its heart, the brand is known for its elegant construction, fluidly shifting between genders with its androgynous silhouettes and high-low aesthetic.

Abe initially made her start with sacai luck, rolling out a lingerie line in 2006, growing her offerings into a fully-fledged womenswear collection with her debut at Paris Fashion Week in 2009. Its recent Spring/Summer 2024 collection boasted utilitarian trench coats made more intriguing with buoyant stitching, while generously oversized sleeves add levity to otherwise stiff denim jackets. Business as usual oxford shirts could easily turn the morning commute into a runway, thanks to its inflated outline. The brand subtly pays homage to Abes Japanese heritage, elevating classics with masterful attention to shape and careful consideration of fabrics, allowing the garments to speak for themselves.

Superior tailoring is a hallmark of Japanese fashion and its no mistake that Yohji Yamamoto has been leading the way with his exceptional designs. Typically arriving in enigmatic black, Yamamotos collections are ripe with his signature draping and provocative cut-outs. A glimpse into the brands Spring/Summer 2024 collection reveals a romantic gothic taste, showcasing tattered lace gowns and frocks with frothy dome-like skirts, alongside sensual dresses with midriff-baring layering and cropped waistcoats. Yamamotos origami-like structures are amplified by his restrained color palette, emphasizing his unmatched techniques.

Yamamoto began his career in fashion after graduating from Keio University with a law degree in 1966. Compelled by a change of heart, the Tokyo-born designer decided to follow in his dressmaker mothers footsteps, joining her as an assistant at her shop. Yamamoto eventually enrolled in Bunka Fashion College, which has an alma mater including Kenzo Takada and Junya Watanabe. Since then, the creative has split his time between Japan and Paris, where he opened his first brick-and-mortar store. Yamamoto has also worked with the likes of Adidas, resulting in the Y-3 brand, as well as Hermes and Supreme.



Related: The 10 Best French Clothing Brands, According to Fashion Insiders

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First cohort of Ukrainian pilots learning to fly F-16s in Denmark after completing basic training in UK

The UK is conducting basic training for Ukrainian combat pilots as a contribution to the international coalition to build the capacity of the Ukrainian Air Force, the UK government press service said.

"The first cohort of Ukrainian pilots to receive training from the Royal Air Force are now learning to fly F-16 fighter jets in Denmark, having completed a basic programme of training in the UK," the government said in the statement.

The Royal Air Force (RAF) began delivering flying and English language training in August as part of the UK contribution to the international Air Force Capability Coalition for Ukraine, which sees allies and partners working together to bolster Ukraines air capabilities. The group was formed of six experienced Ukrainian combat fighter pilots who received aviation-specific English language training to increase their ability to engage with coalition training and support.

A further ten Ukrainian trainee pilots took part in the language training and remain in the UK to continue with practical basic flight training, as well as to learn important skills such as aviation medicine and centrifuge training.

"I am proud of the support the Royal Air Force is providing to the next generation of Ukraine's combat air pilots and ground crew, who will be the first line of defence in protecting Ukraine's skies," British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said.

He recalled that Britain has been instrumental in building Ukraine's air defences since Putin launched his full-scale invasion, providing hundreds of missiles and munitions, as well as radar and weapons systems.

"While Ukraine was highly vulnerable to attack from Russian aircraft, drones, and missiles in the early months of the invasion  with support from the UK and our allies, its Armed Forces are now able to intercept and destroy the overwhelming majority of incoming ordnance  protecting their civilian population and vital infrastructure. Together were now going further by ensuring Ukraine has a modern air force in the future, formed around the highly capable fourth-generation F-16 fighter jet. Combined with training from the world-leading RAF, this is a significant step forward from Ukraines current Soviet-era capabilities," the minister said.

According to the UK government, the programme is designed to give trainee pilots the skills required to advance to the next phase of training on fighter jets with partner nations and bring future Ukrainian pilots closer to a NATO standard approach to flying. Pilots undergoing the basic flight training scheme are conducting practical lessons in Grob Tutor aircraft with experienced RAF instructors, learning general handling procedures, instrument flying, medium and low-level navigation, and formation flying.

Alongside the pilot training, dozens of Ukrainian aircraft technicians are also receiving English language training, geared towards engineering.

"Ukraine highly values the pilot training that the UK and other partners are providing, to help us prepare for operating F-16s in Ukraine. It is a rapid and effective programme to equip Ukrainian pilots with the skills they need in the war against Russia," Defence Minister of Ukraine Rustem Umerov said.

Once they have completed their training with the RAF, pilots will be trained by another European nation on advanced flying training. This will prepare them for training on the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, overseen by Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United States, which lead the Air Force Capability Coalition.

The UK will continue this support to Ukrainian pilots and ground crew in 2024.
rdegrie

When it comes to the United States Constitution, there is a lot to understand. Namely, the way it can and has changed since its inception via amendments. It can be confusing. So, if you ever found yourself asking, What is an amendment, dont worry, were here to help.

While the term amendment can be applied to pending bills, according to Cornells Legal Information Institute, a constitutional amendment is a formal revision or addition to the US Constitution.

Number of amendments

There are 27 amendments to the United States Constitution that was last amended in May 1992, as noted by the National Constitution Center. The Constitution was written, ratified, and started operating within the span of three years, from 1787 to 1789, and is the oldest surviving written government charter in the world.

List of amendments

Lawmakers have proposed nearly 12,000 measures to amend the Constitution between 1789 and January 3, 2019, as noted by the official United States Senate page. From those, 33 amendment proposals were submitted, 27 were ratified by congress and state legislatures and six were not.

The Bill of Rights is the first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution, which were ratified on December 15, 1791. It includes important protections for individual liberties and was added to the Constitution to ensure that the federal government would not infringe upon the rights of individual citizens. You can learn more about this on the National Archives page for the Bill of Rights. The full list of amendments is as follows:

Also of note, Miranda rights, which entail being given a verbal description of your rights, including the right to remain silent, before being taken into the custody of law enforcement, are a result of the Supreme Court case Miranda v. Arizona, which was decided in 1966. They are based on rights outlined in the Fifth and Sixth Amendments. If youre interested in learning more about each amendment, the Reagan Library Education Blog has a Constitutional Amendment series that goes into each one in-depth. It is published via the National Archives.

How to amend the Constitution

To amend the United States Constitution, a proposal must first pass through Congress and be approved by two-thirds of the votes in both houses. Then, each state will be notified and the governors will receive the material for review. To be approved, an amendment must be ratified by three-fourths of the states. State legislatures are not allowed to change the language or their ratification will be considered invalid.

Legally, it is also possible for state legislatures to propose a constitutional amendment by calling for a constitutional convention. This is generally referred to as the Article V Convention, and requires two-thirds of the states to agree in order to move forward. It would then still need to be ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures.

State constitutions can also be amended, though the requirements to do so vary by state. Every state but Delaware requires constituents to vote on any new amendment to the state constitution for it to go into effect.

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Theres a growing appetite for expedition travel, including cruising, among intrepid families. From gazing at serrated teal icebergs in Antarctica to island-hopping in the Galapagos, there are a slew of exhilarating expedition voyages designed to meet the needs of families looking for more meaningful shared travel experiences. As an added boon for parents, some even offer onboard kids programming, nature guides for younger travelers, and interconnecting cabins to accommodate larger broods.

To help make next year's family vacation the best one yet, we pulled together five of the best new routes to book in 2024.

All listings featured on Conde Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you book something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

US Alaska AK595 David Vargas/Lindblad Expeditions

Lindblad Expeditions

Itinerary: Exploring Alaska's Coastal Wilderness

Departures: Weekly between May 11 and September 1, 2024, and May 10 and September 7, 2025

Experience: Breaching orcas in sapphire waters and brown bears preying on wild salmon are just two of the possible wildlife encounters on this seven-night Alaskan adventure. Take in this cinematic landscape on Lindblad Expeditions identical 100-passenger National Geographic Quest or National Geographic Venture from Juneau to Sitka (or vice versa). Cruisers can look forward to taking in ravishing fjords, thundering waterfalls, and snow-capped mountains on guided kayak tours, forest hikes, and zodiac rides in destinations such as Tracy Arm fjord and Icy Straitcomplemented by a day sailing the eye-popping Glacier Bay. Plus, children and teens can opt into the National Geographic Global Explorers program, with the chance to earn a zodiac drivers license and record wildlife sightings in a field notebook among the activities.

HX (formerly Hurtigruten Expeditions)

Itinerary: In Darwins Footsteps in the Eastern Galapagos Islands

Departures: 26 departures between March 2024 and March 2025

Experience: Embark on a 10-day carbon-neutral Galapagos expedition with HX on the recently refurbished MS Santa Cruz II (minimum age to sail is six). The itinerary begins with two nights in Quito, Ecuador, with a visit to the smoldering Cotopaxi volcano. Travelers are then whisked to the Galapagos, where its all about taking in the endemic wildlife. Hike, swim, snorkel, and kayak in several of the eastern islandsincluding San Cristobalwhere Charles Darwin first landed in 1835. Here, you can witness endangered giant tortoises and catch sight of pink flamingos. Spot curious sea lions and blue-footed boobies on Mosquera, land iguanas on South Plaza Island, and prowling black-tip reef sharks and green turtles off pristine-white beaches. The intimate 90-passenger MS Santa Cruz II is excellent for families, thanks to interconnecting cabins and suites for larger groups. For younger cruisers, the Young Explorer program was created for kids ages 6-12and there are dedicated kids naturalists aboard.

Silversea

Itinerary: Broome (Kimberley) to Darwin, Australia

Departures: June 8, 2024, through July 29, 2024

Experience: Savor the unfathomable beauty of the Kimberleys on a 10-day voyage from Broom to Darwin (or vice versa), aboard Silverseas luxurious Silver Cloud. The 254-passenger vessel features spacious all-suite accommodation, a pool deck with sumptuous sunbeds, 20 zodiacs, and 10 kayaks. Since there are no dedicated childrens facilities onboard, older children and teens are more suited to this mind-expanding voyage. Take in the vibrant Ashmore Reef, deep in the Indian Ocean. Its home to 500 marine species, including turtles, dugongs, and dolphinswith swimming, snorkeling, and kayaking on the agenda. This breathtaking voyage features the Kimberleys Ord River, home to freshwater crocodiles and fruit bats. Step on a zodiac to King George Falls, with its twin 260-foot drop surrounded by soaring ochre rock formations. Additionally, don't miss Hunter Rivers thick mangrove system, which shelters rapacious saltwater crocodiles and Indigenous rock art scribed thousands of years ago in Vansittart Bay.

Abercrombie & Kent

Itinerary: Antarctica, South Georgia & Falklands

Departures: December 20, 2024

Experience: Families with children seven and older can join Abercrombie & Kent on this 19-day expedition aboard the plush 199-passenger Le Lyrial to the frigid waters of Antarctica. Following two nights in Buenos Aires, adventurers depart Ushuaia, Argentina, in search of rockhopper penguins, black-browed albatrosses in the Falkland Islands, and fur seals and king penguins in South Georgia. In the stark Antarctic Peninsula, younger passengers will get to handle a zodiac tiller (weather permitting) in the shadow of colossal icebergs and gob-smacking glaciers in search of penguins, seals, and whales. Part of the luxury operators family program, there will be A&K Young Explorers guides, kids activities, such as marine mammal identificationand Father Christmas makes an appearance onboard. After a thrilling day of wildlife spotting, gather to sip velvety hot cocoa in the panorama lounge, soak up pristine views from your spacious suite, and splash in the heated outdoor pool.

Ponant

Itinerary: Christmas Magic with Renaud Capucon

Departures: December 20, 2024

Experience: Pack your crew's thermals for this nine-day expedition on Ponants exquisite 245-passenger icebreaker, Le Commandant Charcot (minimum age to sail is eight). This parent-pleasing voyage features Ponants stellar Kid Explorers Club in partnership with the Maud Fontenoy Foundation, with special appearances by French classical violinist Renaud Capucon. The LNG-powered (liquefied natural gas) ship departs Helsinki for Stockholm, before zigzagging north to the Narnia-like wilderness of the Gulf of Bothnia. Marvel at starry pitch-black skies from the promenade deck as you sail by snowy peaks toward Laplands thick boreal forests. Visit cinnamon-scented Christmas markets in the capital cities and the Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, Finland. A highlight is Lulea, Swedish Lapland, where snowmobiling, naturalist-led snowshoeing walks, and ice fishing on a frozen lake are on offer.

Originally Appeared on Conde Nast Traveler

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A brisk walk or hike can really get your heart racing  but the prospect of doing that in the cold and rain doesnt exactly inspire commitment to healthy living goals. At this time of year, everything is more tolerable when you have the appropriate kit. A properly warm coat can turn a dog walk into something truly uplifting. City pavements, treacherous when slick with rain, are barely noticeable in grippy, waterproof boots. And sub-zero temperatures? No problem when your head is cosseted in a cosy snood.

Anne Hathaway at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival - Bryan Steffy/GC Images

Its not all substance over style either; theres plenty of outerwear that looks good and performs well, and this marriage can have huge potential as a mood-lifter during SAD season. Nobody understands this better than Georgia Dant, founder of the luxury modular outerwear brand Marfa Stance. For me, the idea of bleak weather is kind of exciting, she says.

I wanted to create something that allowed others to feel that way, because you can customise your coat depending on how cold it is.

You can add a hood thats bright fuchsia, or switch it for a pastel collar. These are things that I think make it a joyful experience when youre dressing for the outdoors, because you have these layers that create warmth, but also add to your look.

Marfa Stance - CATHY KASTERINE

Adidas x Spezial

Of course, you dont need to splash out on a new winter coat to imbue your cold-weather wardrobe with a bit of life if you already have one that does the job. Well-chosen accessories can deliver plenty of joy on their own. Consider the comfort of a scarf so big you can lose yourself in it, or the reassuring feel of boots in which you could walk for miles, or the colour-block hat that somehow transforms your tired face into one thats rather photogenic.

Oversized scarves make a splash on the Adeam runway during New York Fashion Week - Getty

And its all going to be on sale any second now, because retailers seem to be under the impression that spring is imminent  even April showers are some way off.

Great outerwear in inclement weather can make you feel unstoppable  which, as we set out our intentions for 2024, is a sentiment we can all get on board with.

Cosy staples

Cold weather clothes

Quilted wax jacket, 475, Barbour x Ganni; Alpaca blend scarf, 190, Holzweiler

Cold weather clothes

Cashmere gloves, 69, Gobi Cashmere; Cashmere pom pom beanie, 184, Helen Kaminski; Leather boots, 285, Fracap at Toast

Cold weather clothes

Insulated hard shell jacket, 354, Cortazu; Leather hiking boots, 140, Salomon

Cold weather clothes

Merino wool scarf, 110, Sheep Inc; Lambswool hat, 95, Le Bonnet; Wool blend socks, 24.99, Pairs Scotland

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Wherever you are on the night of December 31, the celebrations for the new year might look a little different. In New York City, people watch a 700-pound ball drop from Times Square, a tradition thats over 100 years old in New Year's history. While the ball drop has become an iconic tradition in America, countries around the world will ring in 2024 with other special New Year traditions, many of which represent good luck.

In some cultures, starting off the year with good luck foods is customary. Others believe following New Year superstitions, whether wearing a certain underwear color or decorating the house in a unique way, will help bring health, wealth and happiness in the upcoming months.

And while we can't be sure that any New Year tradition will make the year ahead a better one, it certainly doesn't hurt to try one or two out to see if they work. After all, a big part of starting 2024 off on the right foot is all about being in a positive headspace on New Year's Eve, and these will definitely get you there. And if anything, at least you'll have learned an interesting New Year's fact.

For more ways to welcome 2024, be sure to check out these stories:

Achievable New Year's Resolutions | Best New Year Quotes | Happy New Year Wishes

Have Hoppin' John on New Year's Day

Many believe that anyone who makes this dish of black-eyed peas, pork and rice on January 1 will experience luck and peace for the rest of the year. And maybe prosperity, too: According to History.com, "Hoppin John was, and still is, often eaten with collard greens, which can resemble paper money, and 'golden' cornbread. The peas themselves represent coins. Some families boost the potential of their Hoppin John by placing a penny underneath the dishes  or adding extra pork, which is thought to bring more luck."

Get the recipe for Hoppin' John with Greens 

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Or Try Something Else Round

Many cultures believe eating round foods on New Year's Eve will lead to prosperity. In Italy, lentils serve the same function as the black-eyed peas in Hoppin' John, with their round shape representing coins. And in the Philippines, it's customary to eat 12 round fruits, one for every month, to ensure a year of abundance. The fruits usually take center stage at the table for the media noche, or the midnight meal.

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Dress in Dots

And in the Philippines, revelers don't just try to eat circles  partygoers wear them, too. Polka dots are all the rage on December 31, increasing the chances for good luck in the new year.

Fred Froese - Getty Images

Watch the Ball (or Something) Drop

Crowds have been gathering in New York City's Times Square to watch the ball drop since 1907. And while the first one was just iron and wood, today you can watch a 12-foot, 11,875-pound geodesic sphere covered in 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles and 32,256 LEDs make its descent, even from the warmth and comfort of your own home. Or, you can see something else fall as a visual countdown to the new year: Plymouth, Wisconsin hosts a Big Cheese Drop; Kennett Square, PA uses a giant mushroom and New Orleans drops a fleur de lis (formerly a big gumbo pot). No matter what symbol is used, it does make for a dramatic countdown.

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Wear White

Brazil makes it easier to choose your New Year's Eve outfit  everyone wears white for good luck and peace. Plus, matching outfits make for classy-looking photos!

RELATED: Fascinating New Year's History Facts Everyone Should Know

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Jump Seven Waves

Also in Brazil, if you head to the beach, you can increase your luck by heading to the water and jumping over seven waves. You get one wish for each wave, so think up your want list before heading into the water.

Anadolu Agency - Getty Images

Give Gifts

Christmas was forbidden in Soviet Russia, so New Year's became the big gift-giving occasion during that time. Presents were delivered not by Santa but by Ded Moroz, or Father Frost, often aided by his granddaughter, Snegourochka. Anyone ready for another round of gift-giving?

Yegor Aleyev - Getty Images

Make a Resolution

You might think that making resolutions for the new years is a relatively recent trend, historically speaking, but the tradition is very old  and likely dates back more than 4,000 years. Historians believe Babylonians, one of the first cultures to actually celebrate the changing of the year, made promises to pay debts or return borrowed objects. If they could do it, so can you. Need help figuring out your 2024 goal? We've got plenty of achievable New Year's resolution suggestions ready and waiting.

Isabel Pavia - Getty Images

Make a Fish Dish

Fish is considered another good New Year's entree, since fish only swim in one direction  forward, like the movement of time.

VICUSCHKA - Getty Images

Smash a Plate

In Denmark, broken dishes are a good thing: people go around breaking dishware on the doorsteps of their friends and family. The more shards there are in front of your home the next day, the luckier and more well liked you are (unless you're the one who has to sweep them all up). But try to keep it on the doorstep: I once threw a cup at my friends house," a reveler told the University of Copenhagen's University Post. "The cup didnt break  his window did!

Christine Welter / EyeEm - Getty Images

Eat 12 Grapes

Yes, exactly 12, one at each stroke of midnight to represent each month of the New Year. "Eating one grape at each of midnights 12 clock chimes guarantees you a lucky year  if and only if you simultaneously ruminate on their significance," according to Atlas Obscura. "If you fail to conscientiously finish your grapes by the time the clock stops chiming, youll face misfortune in the new year." Now, that's a lot to chew on!

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Smooch a Loved One

You've probably heard of this one before. When the clock strikes midnight, you're supposed to kiss someone you love. It's not just about stealing a smooch, either. According to the Washington Post, the tradition comes from English and German folklore, which believed that it's "the first person with whom a person came in contact that dictated the years destiny." Choose your partner wisely!



Martin Dimitrov - Getty Images

Find Your Love

No one to kiss? The Irish believe that if you put a sprig of mistletoe (or holly or ivy) under your pillow on December 31, you'll dream of your future partner. Now that's what we call sweet dreams.

Jacky Parker Photography - Getty Images

Decorate Your Front Door

To Greeks, onions are a symbol of good luck and fertility, because they sprout even when no one is paying attention to them. On New Year's Eve, families in Greece hang bundles of onions above their doors as a means of inviting that prosperity into the home. On New Year's Day, parents also wake up their children by gently bonking their kids on the head with the onions that were outside.

JannHuizenga - Getty Images

Jump Into 2024

In Denmark, people stand on their chairs and "leap" into January at midnight to bring good luck and banish bad spirits. Just look before you leap, so you don't end up breaking the chair or starting off 2024 with a bruised shin.

Mike Kemp - Getty Images

Buy a New Lucky Charm

In Germany and Austria, there are a few different lucky symbols that you can gift to friends and family to bring them good fortune. These include pigs, mushrooms, clovers and chimney sweeps. You can buy little tokens of these lucky charms at a Christmas market  or get edible ones made out of marzipan. Yum!

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Wish *Everyone* a Good Year

Walloon and Flemish farmers in Belgium make sure everyone can get in on the festivities, and that includes the livestock. They rise early on January 1 to wish a "Happy New Year" to all the cows, horses, pigs, chickens and other farm animals. That way, they'll have a good farming year.

JOHN THYS - Getty Images

Swing That Bread

While lots of countries have food-related traditions, Ireland's most interesting tradition doesn't involve eating. Instead, the Irish bang Christmas bread on the walls of their homes. It's supposed to chase any bad spirits out of the house to start the new year off with a clean slate. (A good house-tidying, presumably after bread-banging, is also an Irish tradition.)

GMVozd - Getty Images

Pack Light

In fact, pack nothing at all. In Colombia, people take empty suitcases and run around the block as fast as they can. It's supposed to guarantee a year filled with travel. One writer for the Tampa Bay Times tried it with her Colombian husband in her Florida neighborhood. "Upon seeing two silhouettes tearing down the street at midnight with backpacks in their arms, our neighbors who were outside to watch fireworks made a beeline to their front doors. We worried they were calling the police." The writer did, however, travel to Colombia that year. So hey, maybe it works!

Anna Perkas - Getty Images

Hide a Surprise

In Greece, New Year's dessert isn't just a treat, it's a game of chance. Guests eat vasilopita, or a cake or sweet bread that has a coin baked into it. Whoever finds the coin will have good luck for the next year! In Scandinavian countries, they do something similar with rice pudding, served either at New Year's or Christmas. One portion will have a peeled almond in it, and whoever finds it in their bowl is assured of luck in the new year and might even win a prize.



x3mwoman - Getty Images

Keep the Windows Open. Doors too!

It's a common superstition that opening the doors and windows will let the old year out, and the new year in unimpeded. Let's hope this old year goes out as quickly as possible, so you don't let all the warm air out with it.



Seseg Zhigzhitova / EyeEm - Getty Images

Smash the Peppermint Pig

In upstate New York, they sell special peppermint pigs all throughout the holiday season. Everyone gets to take a turn hitting it with a special candy-size hammer and eating a piece for good fortune in the coming year. The peppermint is very strong, so only take a small piece. At least you'll start the year with fresh breath!

Buy a peppermint pig

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Try to Predict What'll Come Next

In Germany, you can buy a Bleigieen (Bleigiessen) kit which will supposedly give you hints for what's to come in the year ahead. The tradition is to melt lead (now tin or wax, since lead is poisonous) on a spoon over a candle and then pour the metal into cold water. The resulting shape will reveal your fortune. Round balls represent good luck rolling your way, for example, while swords predict risk-taking.

Guido Mieth - Getty Images

Eat Long Food for a Long Life

In Japan, it's traditional to eat "toshikoshi soba," a dish with long, buckwheat noodles that's served hot or cold. The noodles symbolize longevity, and the hearty buckwheat plant represents resilience.

Westend61 - Getty Images

Choose Your Underwear Carefully

Certain countries, especially in Latin America, believe that the color of your underwear can bring good things to you in the next 12 months. Yellow is for luck, red is for love and white undies bring peace. And for heaven's sake, make sure they're clean and free of holes!

AFP - Getty Images

Break Fruit

In Turkey, pomegranates are symbols of abundance. Eating them is great, sure  but if you really want a good 2024, you'll smash the fruit on your doorstep. The more pieces there are and the farther they spread, the more prosperous you'll be. For a little extra luck, try sprinkling salt in front of your door to bring peace.

Panga Natalie Ukraine - Getty Images

Sing "Auld Lang Syne"

"Auld Lang Syne" is often credited to Scottish poet Robert Burns, who sent it to the Scots Musical Museum in 1788. But the writer himself admits that he didn't write the lyrics; he was just the first to transcribe an old folk song. If you really want to impress the other members of your party, learn the other verses (there are 10 in total).

Heritage Images - Getty Images

Send Your Wish Down the River

Singapore decorates its Singapore River with the wishing spheres containing the hopes and dreams of New Year revelers. In the past, tens of thousands of spheres have floated down the river, making quite a beautiful sight.

ROSLAN RAHMAN - Getty Images

Throw Water out the Window

Look out below! In Puerto Rico, they believe that dumping a bucket of water out the window drives away evil spirits. If that seems a little too unfair to the people who might be passing by, Puerto Ricans also sprinkle sugar outside their houses to invite the good luck in, which is a little sweeter (sorry).

tytyeu - Getty Images

Listen for Bells

In Japan, for omisoka, buddhist temple bells ring out 108 times as in the lead-up to midnight. Each chime is supposed to root out a worldly passion, such as anger, suspicion or lust. The last toll comes at midnight, to start the next year out on a vice-free foot.

GYRO PHOTOGRAPHY/amanaimagesRF - Getty Images

Burn Up the Old Year

In Ecuador, the bad parts of the old year  or ano viejo  are turned into effigies and burned. People make sawdust-filled dummies out politicians, pop-culture figures and other characters, and then burn them at midnight as a sort of cleansing ritual. For extra good-luck points, participants try to jump over the flames 12 times, once for every month.

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Go for a Dip

Since the early 1900s, it's been a tradition to start off January 1 by submerging in freezing cold water, a ritual known as a Polar Bear Plunge. Often, participants with a high tolerance for the cold use the chilly dip as an opportunity to raise money for local nonprofits, so all of that teeth-chattering goes for a good cause.

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Be Choosy About Your First Guest

The first person you allow through your doors in the New Year may set the tone for the coming months. In Scotland, the Isle of Man and some other parts of Northern England, the "first footer," as it was called, was extremely important. Tradition in those parts of the world states to select a man who is tall and dark (as a protection against Vikings), who would come with simple gifts of coal, salt, shortbread and whisky, representing the basic needs of heat, food and drink.

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Spice Up Your Champagne

In Russia, Champagne gets an extra ingredient on New Year's: Revelers write a wish down on a piece of paper, burn it and add the ashes to the drink. Bottoms up!

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Save a Wish for Next Year

Instead of burning your wishes, ask your guests to write down a resolution, goal, wish or note to their future selves, put it in a jar, then save it for the year. On the next New Year's Eve, retrieve the jar and read the notes to see how far everyone has progressed.

Helen Schryver Photography - Getty Images

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Catherine McQueen

Given the tumultuous state of politics in the United States, its understandable that many people are asking themselves, What is democracy? By definition, democracy is a form of government that allows its citizens to participate in the decision-making process, either directly or through freely elected representatives.

Democracy is based on the principle of equality and freedom, and it is considered to be an essential part of modern society, though its origins date back to the ancient Greeks.

The word originates from the Greek words "demos," meaning people, and "kratos," "kratos" meaning power or "rule," it can be thought of as power of the people. It has evolved as a concept over time to become one of the most popular forms of government in the world, according to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.

History of Democracy

The first known democracy in the world emerged in Athens, in the 5th century BC, following a long turbulent period of aristocracy and tyranny. The Greek idea of democracy at the time differs from how we view democracies today. This is partly because, in Athens, all adult citizens were required to take an active part in their government or be fined (countries like Brazil, Australia and Switzerland follow a similar model of compulsory voting). The biggest difference, however, is how the concept of citizens has evolved over time. For the Athenians, this meant only free men which was only roughly 10-20% of the population.

Notably, while the U.S. Constitution has passed amendments to allow women and people of color to vote, voter suppression and inadequate access remains a pressing issue for minorities, students, and Americans with disabilities. In many states, there are also still laws in place to prevent people with felony convictions from voting.

Types of Democracy

There are several types of democracy, each with its own unique characteristics. Some of them include:

Principles of democracy

According to the Bureau of International Information Programs, the principles of democracy are the foundation upon which democratic societies are built. These include:

Equality: All citizens have the right to participate in the political process, regardless of their social status. Freedom: Citizens have the right to express their opinions and beliefs freely, without fear of persecution. Justice: The law is applied equally to all citizens, and everyone is treated fairly. Participation: Citizens have the right to participate in the decision-making process, and they have the power to hold their elected officials accountable.

Is the U.S. a Democracy?

The United States is often referred to as a representative democracy, though it can be more accurately categorized as a constitutional republic. This means that while citizens have the power to participate in the political process, their power, and the power of their representatives is limited by the Constitution. Republican Utah Senator Mike Lee, has claimed as much, and even argued democracy itself is not the goal.

According to the Economist Intelligence Units (EIU) democracy index, however, the U.S. is now considered a flawed democracy, having slid four places from its previous ranking and been demoted from full democracy in 2015. While still placing 30 (out of 167), this is nevertheless a cause for concern.

Since 2006, the United States' average rating has consistently dropped every few years. The EIU uses five criteria to measure their scores: electoral process and pluralism, functioning of government, political participation, political culture, and civil liberties. Notably, a growing number of young people in the country are in favor of a form of democratic socialism after noticing the failing nature of the United States political status quo.

There are also those that would argue the U.S. is becoming a capitalist oligarchy. An oligarchy is defined as a government in which a small group exercises control, with some positing that lobbying practices influence political decisions with a bias towards wealthy corporate interests.

If youre curious about how money influences politics in the U.S., Open Secrets is an independent nonprofit that tracks the flow of money during and after elections and its effect on results and policies.

Countries with Democracy

According to the EIUs measure of democracy, almost half of the worlds population (45.3%) live in a democracy of some sort, with 43.1% of total countries evaluated being considered democracies. The top 10 most democratic countries are:

Norway New Zealand Iceland Sweden Finland Denmark Switzerland Ireland Netherlands Taiwan

Democracy vs Republic

A republic is a form of government that is based on the rule of law (such as the U.S. Constitution), where elected officials represent the interests of the citizens in place of a monarch. Democracy, on the other hand, is a form of government where citizens have the power to participate in the decision-making process directly or through representatives. Early examples include the Roman Republic (509 BCE) and Athenian democracy (500 BCE).

Political terminology can and does overlap, which is why the U.S. is known as a constitutional or democratic republic.

Pros and Cons of Democracy

Like any form of government, democracy has its advantages and disadvantages. Some of the pros of democracy include respecting the will of the people, promoting accountability, and encouraging citizen participation. Some of the cons of democracy include slow decision-making, favoritism to donors, and a tendency toward political turmoil.

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'Ferrari'

This post contains spoilers for the movie Ferrari.

As awards season heats up, so does the buzz surrounding Ferrari, Michael Manns latest opus. Based on Brock Yates 1991 biography Enzo Ferrari: The Man, The Cars, The Races, The Machine, the film tells the story of Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver), who founded his namesake luxury car company in 1939.

Manns film focuses on the year 1957, at which point Ferrari decided to enter his racing team into the Mille Miglia, an open-road distance race held in Italy. At the time, Ferrari was also struggling with the death of his son Dino, who died of Duchenne muscular dystrophy at age 24. Dinos death put an enormous strain on Ferraris marriage to his wife, Laura (Penelope Cruz), as did the fact that he was having an affair with a woman named Lina Lardi (Shailene Woodley), with whom he shared son Piero (Giuseppe Festinese).

As viewers will soon learn, however, the Mille Miglia did little to ease Ferrari the mans woes. A fatal crash during the race killed nine spectators and soon led to the permanent end of the Mille Miglia. Ferrari, meanwhile, stood trial for manslaughter.

Everything hes been collides with what he might become, and the company has gone bust, Mann said of the movie during an August 2023 interview with Variety. His wife finds out about the other woman. Its a spectacularly operatic melodrama in real life.

The real life portion is key hereMann took some liberties with the details, of course, but the Mille Miglia crash is depicted in gruesome detail. All I can say is that is exactly how it happened, Mann told Variety when asked about how he directed the scene in the film.

Keep reading for the true story behind the crash in Ferrari.

Related: Adam Driver Details 'Terrifying' Experience While Driving Old Racing Car in 'Ferrari'

What is the Mille Miglia?

The Mille MigliaItalian for thousand mileswas an open-road motorsport endurance race established in 1927 by Count Francesco Mazzotti and Count Aymo Maggi. The event spanned two days and followed a round-trip route from the northern city of Brescia to Rome and back that roughly totaled 1,000 miles. The race was notoriously dangerous, with a total of 56 people (including spectators) dying over the course of the events 30-year history.

What happened at the 1957 Mille Miglia?

The Mille Miglia was often dangerous to both drivers and spectators, but the 1957 edition of the race was unusually deadly because of one crash in particular. The first crash killed Ferrari driver Alfonso de Portago, his co-driver and navigator Edmund Nelson and nine spectators in the village of Guidizzolo in the Lombardy region. A second crash killed driver Joseph Gottgens in Brescia.

How did the 1957 Mille Miglia crash happen?

Less than 30 miles from the finish line in Brescia, Spanish driver Alfonso de Portagos front tire exploded while he was driving more than 150 miles per hour. He lost control of the vehicle and hit a telephone pole and was killed immediately before the vehicle jumped over a brook and hit several spectators. His car then bounced back on the pavement and hit several more race viewers before landing in a canal on the other side of the road.

Prior to the race, de Portago had been apprehensive about participating because he thought it would be impossible for a driver (even one with a navigator) to know every detail of the race over such a long course. He and his navigator, Nelson, had entered the Mille Miglia twice before but had never completed it. On their first attempt, their car caught fire hours into the race, and on their second try, they hit a mile marker within the first few minutes.

Dutch driver Joseph Gottgens, meanwhile, crashed his car into a wall in Florence.

Related: Adam Driver's Net Worth From 'Star Wars' and More

How many people died in the 1957 Mille Miglia crash?

A total of 13 people died in the 1957 Mille Miglia. Both de Portago and Nelson died in the Ferrari crash, as did nine spectators (five of whom were children), and 20 more spectators were injured. In addition to Gottgens, a motorcycle policeman died during the race, bringing the death toll to 13.

Is the Mille Miglia still raced?

The short answer is noat least not in the same format that it was in 1957. Three days after the 1957 race ended, the Italian government banned racing on all public streets in the country and decreed the end of the Mille Miglia. From 1958 to 1961, a rally-like version of the race happened, with drivers forced to run at legal speeds with a few special sections where they could drive at racing speed. In 1977, the race was revived as the Mille Miglia Storica, which is a parade for cars manufactured before 1957.

What happened to Enzo Ferrari after the 1957 Mille Miglia crash?

Following de Portagos crash at the 1957 Mille Miglia, Ferrari was charged with manslaughter and causing grievous bodily harm by negligence. The prosecution accused him of using racing tires that were not equipped to handle the high speeds traveled by drivers in the race. He was ultimately acquitted of all charges, but Ferrari the company continued to be plagued by tragedy on the track, with drivers Luigi Musso and Peter Collins dying in 1958 and Wolfgang von Trips dying in 1961. When you drive for Ferrari, you are headed one way only: for that little box under the ground, driver Harry Schell said in 1959. (Schell died in 1960 at age 38 while racing for a rival team.)

How accurate is Ferraris depiction of the 1957 Mille Miglia crash?

Some critics have been harsh about the way Mann handled the crash in Ferrari, in part because the scene is quite graphicbut de Portagos death was extremely gruesome, as his body was found in two sections. One viewer, meanwhile, described the scene as cheesy during a Q&A with Driver, who replied, Fk you.

Mann, for his part, has emphasized the importance of accuracy while promoting the film. Everything in the movie that happened, happened within 500 meters of everything else, he told The Guardian in December 2023. The barbers shop is round the corner; the hotel Enzo went to for drinks is opposite; the opera is next door. And he never wanted to go anyplace else. He even stopped going to races and never left the country. So, you have to try and build that sense of intense compression into one neighborhood, making the location that the action is going to take place in as believable and real as possible.

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Getting a Brazilian bikini wax can be a nerve-wracking experience. You lie naked with your most vulnerable body parts not only exposed but inviting pain, and wondering whether the waxer can tell that youd rather be waiting in line at the DMV, or if they know exactly how you like it in the bedroom.

During a Brazilian wax, the technician removes hair from the front all the way to the back, plus a strip for the butt. As the name implies, the service started in Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s before popping up in the United States in the 90s thanks to the Padilha sisters Jocely, Jonice, Joyce, Janea, Jussara, Juracy and Judsela, better known as the J Sisters, who ran a salon offering Brazilian waxes in New York City.

The trend took off because it lasts longer than shaving and removes the entire hair follicle versus just cutting it like during shaving. Still, it can cause discomfort and a severe level of awkwardness between clients and their waxers.

We talked to professional waxers to figure out exactly what they can tell about clients during a session  and what they learn about clients hygiene habits and sex lives.

They can tell how nervous you are.

Skin Studio Arizonas Rachel Berg said the top question she receives from clients pertains to the level of pain they can expect. The biggest question is, Does it hurt? she said. When somebody asks that, right off the bat, theyre nervous.

Questions about before and aftercare show they are eager, because they want to be prepared, Berg said. A lot of people dismiss the before and aftercare, which is very unfortunate, because thats probably one of the most important parts of waxing [to get] optimal results.

Berg looks at body language for some cues. Theyre kind of gripping onto what theyre bringing in, like a purse or something. That body language [shows] theyre nervous, she said.

Jamie Conner, a senior field trainer at European Wax Center, said another non-verbal clue indicates a clients hesitancy.

How many folds of the pants tells me how nervous someone is to be waxed, Conner said. Someone who doesnt really have a fear, theyre undressed before you can tell them to get undressed. Someone whos a little bit more hesitant has folded the underwear, has folded the shirt, has folded the pants and socks, tied the shoes back up  anything they can do to delay the process.

They can tell how much it hurts, even if you try to hide it.

Before Waxxpot head trainer Mallori McGuire even applies a strip, she sees the jitters come out.

When you go and wipe them, sometimes people will be jumpy even then, McGuire said. I try to be good about announcing what Im doing as Im doing it. I dont like to startle people.

Once the service really gets going, a client doesnt need to yell or scream to indicate their pain level.

When somebodys clenching their hands or if their eyes are closed, also just not talking a lot, McGuire said. Or youll be asking them a question and then youll go to pull and the conversations going to stop for like 30 seconds. Theyre like, Oh my gosh, sorry, I just had to breathe for a second. Thats obviously a sign that it probably didnt feel the best.

They can tell when your last shower was and whether youve cleaned up beforehand.

We can tell if they have showered or not that day. We can definitely tell how long it has been, Purele Waxings Purnima Relekar said. We have this big poster in our salon that tells them step by step what to do and the No. 1 point in that poster is shower the day of. You will be surprised how many people dont.

Relekar knows this because of the way the skin looks and how much dead skin they have. She said the wax works differently with unwashed, dirty skin.

Conner can even tell what kind of products her clients use down there. Irritation, redness and hyperpigmentation usually mean a client applies scented products in their nether regions. Usually it looks angry; its just very red, she said. A lot of products are not meant to hit our inner labia or to get [near] the vagina at all.

What's left behind on a used wax strip can say a lot about how much you prepped before your wax. Tatyana Aksenova / 500px via Getty Images

When the waxer goes around back, theyll know who followed directions at the top of the appointment. Before our clients sit down, we leave wipes out for them. We tell them, go ahead and take it from front to back, McGuire said. I can tell when somebody has not done that.

The evidence shows up in the form of a brown waxing strip. That does happen sometimes, McGuire said. Ive never had it that it was so horrible that I dont just ignore it. Normally, Im moving on with my day.

Same goes for when a client starts menstruating on the table. Im just going to kind of go around it. Im also not going to embarrass them, Berg said. I always tell people, You might have started your period, and the amount of times that people are so embarrassed by it, its honestly kind of sad. Its a totally normal thing.

When it comes to business around back, youll be surprised how many people have hemorrhoids, Relekar said. You can definitely tell. Theres a lot of pressure going on there.

And they may even be able to tell some things about your sex life, too.

The only thing I can tell is that you actively had sex and then came in, Conner revealed.

But providers cant deduce how often a client does the deed. If they have sex a lot or if they dont, theres nothing that you can tell by, Berg said.

How a client decides to style the hair down there can also be a sign of how they approach their intimate life. It tells me how conservative someone is, Conner said. Some people are very bashful about removing all of the hair. Some people say, I hear the people are out here doing landing strips. I hear you can color it. I hear you can do a stencil. They want to get creative.

Relekar claims to know when a female client is pregnant, which should be disclosed ahead of the service, because of how the waxed area swells up. I have asked a couple of girls, Are you pregnant? she said. You can definitely tell a pregnant woman from a non-pregnant woman.

The good news: Theyre not paying too much attention to your anatomy.

At the end of the day, the pros consider removing hair from the bodys most sensitive areas all in a days work.

As a professional, Im not looking at what your anatomy is, Conner said. Im looking at the hair that needs to be removed. I think most of us dont care. And I dont care what youre doing with it afterward. Im just going to tell you to keep it clean, because youre more susceptible to bacteria because you waxed today.

Casarsaguru / Getty Images/iStockphoto

McGuire agrees. Once youve been a waxer for at least a year, you become pretty immune to anything that the average person might think is crazy or weird, she said. Everyone always asks me if I have any stories and Im like, honestly, it doesnt really surprise you anymore. Your waxer is going to forget about what your vagina looks like as soon as you leave the building. So its nothing to be shy or anxious about.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Community fridges began to pop up during the pandemic as a way for communities to help those struggling with food insecurity. And although many have since shuttered, the SMac Community Fridge in Manhattans East Village is still going strong.

The fridge was started by Sarita Ekya, owner and chef of a restaurant called SMac. Ekya talked to the Parents YouTube channel about what led her to start the fridge and to keep it going.

Part of the motivation, she said, came from wanting to get her children involved in community service and volunteering. A lot of shelters and places wont allow kids [to volunteer,] she said. But when it comes to the community fridge and pantry, our kids can be involved. They can help.

Ekya said other volunteers have also brought their kids along to help pick food out at the grocery store and deposit it in the fridge and pantry.

Its definitely for the community. Its not for us to judge or pick who gets it to use it, who needs it, she said.

Food insecurity is a massive problem in the United States. According to Feeding America, 44 million people are food insecure in the U.S., and 13 million of those people are children. Considering that almost 40% of the total American food supply ends up in a landfill, community fridges are a great way to ensure that available food gets to the people who need it most.

Ekya said she hopes more fridges are launched and maintained across New York City.

Its take what you need, leave what you can, and no questions asked. If it fills, everything will be empty within an hour. So, theres that much need, she said.

The YouTube video is a couple of years old, but the SMac Community Fridge is still operating. It even got a recent makeover from a local artist.

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more, waste less, and help yourself while helping the planet.
As a high school student, UCLA senior Maddie Ward knew fellow students who overdosed on fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid.

At the time, she didn't know what the drug was, but the tragic incidents inspired her to learn about how she could respond to overdoses. While at college, an organization called End Overdose came to her campus, giving out naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses. Naloxone is best known by the brand name Narcan, which is available over the counter. Ward continued working with End Overdose, eventually becoming a co-founder of one of their first campus groups.

"Naloxone had always been so expensive and kind of confusing on how to get and where it was available ... Realizing it could be made so easy was really a great feeling," said Ward, whose campus organization now provides naloxone, fentanyl testing strips and educational resources to other students. "Being able to provide these resources and knowing that people are now able to be educated and potentially prevent someone else from dying is a really great feeling."

Amid a rise in overdose deaths and increasing overdoses in young people, educators and experts are taking naloxone into the classroom to try to prevent student deaths.

Monthly overdose deaths among young people aged 10 to 19 increased by 109% from 2019 to 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ninety percent of those deaths involved opioids, the CDC said, and 84% involved illicitly manufactured fentanyl. Bystanders were present in two-thirds of the cases, but most provided no overdose response like administering naloxone, which is now available over-the-counter.

The American Medical Association has called for school staff to "put naloxone in schools so it can save lives," and more recently issued a statement in conjunction with other organizations encouraging states, schools and local communities to allow students to carry naloxone in schools of all grade levels. State and federal legislators have introduced legislation to require schools carry naloxone, and the Biden administration recently encouraged schools to keep the medication on-hand and teach staff how to use it.

Lynn Nelson, the president-elect of the National Association of School Nurses, said that the evolving overdose crisis is affecting ever-younger students, making it more important for schools to carry the medication and teach staff and students how to use it.

"Everybody's assumption was that it's not K-12 kids, it's people in their 20s and 30s (using drugs and overdosing)," Nelson said. "Then, I think the assumption was 'Well, we need to take care of this in high schools, but not in middle schools,' but I think we're starting to see it at the middle school level and have a few odd cases at the elementary school level."

Nelson said that in her experience, parents and other community members have grown to accept the need for naloxone in schools and are supportive of initiatives to reduce drug use and overdoses among students. In areas where parents and community members don't support such policies, she said, it's just because they haven't seen the effects of the overdose crisis for themselves.

"There really are areas where it has not yet been an issue, and I think in those areas, people are surprised and perhaps want to deny it's an issue," Nelson said. "If you haven't seen overdoses in your schools, as a parent, you might think it's an overreach, you might assume that it's still more of a young adult problem than a K-12 problem ... This is one more tool."

Theo Krzywicki, the founder and CEO of End Overdose, said that his group focuses on teaching high school students on how to use naloxone. Younger students learn about how to identify the signs of an overdose and alert an adult. Both of these techniques are meant to help bystanders intervene during an overdose.

"The fact that young people may not have access to naloxone is mind-boggling. It should be as common as a first aid kit in their education place," Krzywicki said. "The reality is that people are doing drugs right now. The data is showing we are skyrocketing, and so being able to have peers carry it is really, really important because then they're going to talk about it. If you're not making it available to students, to their peer groups, you are missing out."

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Visitors to Kenya from across the world will no longer require a visa from January, President William Ruto said on December 12.

Ruto said his government had developed a digital platform to ensure all visitors would receive an electronic travel authorisation in advance, instead of needing to apply for a visa.

It shall no longer be necessary for any person from any corner of the globe to carry the burden of applying for a visa to come to Kenya, he said in a speech in the capital Nairobi at an event to mark 60 years of independence from Britain.

Ruto has long advocated for visa-free travel within the African continent.

At a conference in the Republic of Congo in October he said people from African countries would not require a visa to visit Kenya by the end of 2023.

The tourism industry plays a vital role in Kenyas economy, offering beach holidays along its Indian Ocean coastline and wildlife safaris inland.

Kenya has a simple message to humanity: Welcome Home! he said.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Headquarters, during which details of planning for 2024 were discussed.

"Held a meeting of the Headquarters. There were a lot of details, mainly on planning for the next year and providing for our Defense and Security Forces," Zelenskyy said on the Telegram channel on Tuesday.

The president said that during the Headquarters, reports from the Ministry of Strategic Industry, the Ministry of Defense, approvals from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were heard, and the distribution of orders and an increase in the number of manufacturers in the defense industry were discussed.

"Now hundreds of companies are already involved in key industries, and I am grateful to every enterprise that provides the desired result for our soldiers. The year of 2024 should be a time of significant growth in domestic defense production. We are securing contracts and the budget," the head of the Ukrainian state said.

He also noted that special attention at Headquarters meeting was paid to the production of all types of necessary drones, in particular FPVs and ammunition for them. According to the president, "Ukraine must become capable of providing all the necessary needs for drones."

In addition, reports were heard from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny and the commanders of the directions on the situation at the front, specific positions and needs were discussed.

"I am grateful to our Air Force for the spectacular replenishment of the Russian submarine Black Sea Fleet with another vessel. The invaders will not have a single quiet place in Ukraine," Zelenskyy said.
There is a shot in Sheridan Smiths new survival drama The Castaways, the story of two sisters torn apart after a plane crash in Fiji, adapted from Lucy Clarkes bestselling novel, that the actress is quietly proud of. For this scene Im out on a raft, says Smith, covered in mud, after a baking hot days filming in Greece. They were going to put my stunt double on it because Im not a great swimmer. Before shooting this series, I couldnt even go underwater without holding my nose, but Id had a day with our brilliant stunt coordinator. So I was like, Please let me do it. I can stand out there. Im not going to fall off. They were like, Ooh, Im not sure we can let you because of insurance. But they did. I was so pleased because its a great shot of me in the middle of the sea going, Yessss!

The day after Smith completed her acclaimed West End run in Shirley Valentine, Willy Russells one-woman show, she hopped onto a plane to Greece where Plaka Beach, a secluded cove on the south coast near Volos, doubled for the Fijian desert island where her character, Lori Holme, finds herself stranded with a dangerous assortment of fellow passengers  plus a crocodile  for company.

It is so different to anything I have ever done before, acknowledges Smith, who celebrated her 42nd birthday with her three-year-old son Billy whilst on location. And its surreal that I am doing this having just finished Shirley Valentine. I finished the play on the Saturday night and flew out here on the Sunday morning. Usually, Im in rainy Manchester or London on a night shoot, freezing, wrapped in blankets, playing cardigan-wearing mums. But here my character goes from wearing twee dresses and being a bit of a wallflower to starting to take charge on the island and becoming a badass.

Celine Buckens and Sheridan Smith in The Castaways on Paramount+ - Marq Riley/Paramount+

Its a very exciting role for an actress to play, says Andy Tohill, co-director with twin brother Ryan. Sheridan wanted to go to the place that Lori goes, which Ryan and I have been massively championing. We told her, Were going to have you an Amazon warrior by the end of this.

For those already familiar with Clarkes holiday pageturner there has been a double-down on the action by showrunner Ben Harris. There are motorbikes, seaplanes and spear guns. But it is the relationship between the two sisters, Lori and Erin, the latter played by Bafta and Emmy award-nominated Celine Buckens, that remains the heart of it.

Buckens first appeared on screen aged 13 in Steven Spielbergs adaptation of War Horse, alongside Emily Watson, Benedict Cumberbatch and David Thewlis. But it was the 2021 BBC courtroom drama Showtrial that put her into the spotlight. In the drama, Buckens found humour and empathy in the darkest of places without giving two hoots about likeability and followed that with another potentially unsympathetic role as the other woman in the psychological drama The Ex-Wife.

Smith and Buckens had barely met before they were filming their biggest scene together in Greece. Buckens had at least managed to see her co-star on the stage.

I bought tickets to Shirley Valentine  note bought rather than blagged  when I found out we were going to be playing sisters, says Buckens. Because it was sold out, the only ticket I could get was in a box with another woman. I was chatting to her in the interval, and it did seem like a lot of the people in the audience were Shirley Valentines in a certain way. Sheridan is such a force. I have rarely worked with somebody so present. On screen, the sisters relationship is not so warm.

Has Smith found there to be sisterhood when it comes to acting? There are definitely people who have helped me, says Sheridan whose early television break was in Caroline Ahernes sitcom classic, The Royle Family. I didnt go to drama school, so I have learned on the job. Walking onto a set with Caroline Aherne and Sue Johnston and Liz Smith, I just watched in awe and took it all in. I didnt have a clue really what I was doing. Liz Smith was just so funny.

I also got to work with Maggie Smith who was lovely and took me under her wing. She said, Smiths stick together! She was wonderful. When I opened in Hedda Gabler she sent me this beautiful gift and a handwritten letter. Then when my dad passed, she sent me a hamper and another handwritten letter. I just thought how lovely that was from someone who was like a superstar to me.

Buckenss recollections of her big Spielberg break are understandably a little hazier. Its one of those disappointing things where people are always, What was he like? I was in my early teens when your memories arent that reliable. I was more interested in the catering than what Steven Spielberg was like as a person or as a director. But Spielberg worked very closely with me. I think he must just be really, really good with young actors. I mean, E.T.

Arriving at a time of year when everyone freezing in the UK is in dire need of some escapist action set in sunnier climes The Castaways should hit the spot whilst also chiming with any siblings busy navigating those traditional Christmas family flashpoints.

For Smith it also provides a live-action photo album of a particularly happy adventure with her young son. Billy has had the time of his life, she says. Hes the opposite to me with the water. He is like a little water baby. Hes got arm bands and he is having swimming lessons. He loves it.

The Castaways is on Paramount+ from Boxing Day

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Chris Kennedy in Santa Camp

Finding a Black Santa for Christmas photos and events is becoming more and more common across communities of color across the United Statesand internationally. In Arkansas, one Black father was inspired to put on his Santa suit after an incident of racism in his neighborhood.



Since 2021, Chris Kennedy has been donning his red suit and white beard to show a more diverse representation of the iconic holiday figure and bring joy to children of all ages. Kennedy, who calls himself Santa Chris, says he got the idea after receiving racist hate mail in response to a Black Santa inflatable he had in his yard at his home in North Little Rock.

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We [wanted to] send the message that not only are we not taking our decorations down, but now [I was] going to be Santa Claus, Kennedy told The Guardian.

Even in fictional characters like Santa, Black kids need to see themselves reflected, he added.

Kennedy says he loves that his interpretation of Santa allows Black people of all ages to see a little bit of themselves in such an iconic character.

The Black kids that see Santa being Black love it and freak out, Kennedy said. [The older Black people] will tell you theyve never seen a Black Santa. So theyre super happy.

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Coffee, the bittersweet beverage that awakens senses and soothes souls, hails from all around the globe  but it's particularly prevalent within the "Bean Belt," an area comprised of roughly 70 equatorial countries in Central and South America, Central Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. However, South America's largest nation reigns supreme. Brazil, with its sprawling landscapes and vibrant culture, has deservingly earned its status as the coffee capital of the world. This prestigious ranking is the result of a combination of factors that position Brazil as the planet's dominant coffee producer, namely its geography, climate, rich history, and devotion to innovation.

For starters, Brazil possesses an expansive landmass that accommodates diverse ecosystems, making it ideal for cultivating a variety of coffee beans (which are actually fruit, not legumes). Characterized by assorted climates and altitudes, the terrain provides the optimal conditions for growing multiple types of coffee. The two primary coffee varieties cultivated in Brazil are arabica and robusta, with the former being particularly esteemed for its nuanced flavors. The Brazilian states of Minas Gerais and Bahia are renowned for harvesting arabica beans, which contribute significantly to Brazil's coffee supremacy, while Rondonia is a hub for robusta. The tropical climate yields warm temperatures and abundant rainfall, creating an environment conducive to the rapid growth of coffee plants. The steady weather patterns allow for year-round harvest, ensuring a continuous, reliable supply.

Read more: How To Get More Flavor From Your Coffee Pods & Other Keurig Hacks

Coffee Is Deeply Ingrained In Brazilian Culture

Brazilian flag with coffee - Fotografiabasica/Getty Images

First introduced to Brazil in the 18th century, coffee quickly became a key driver of economic prosperity. Eventually, vast plantations, known as fazendas, became synonymous with the production of superior coffee. The country's dedication to the modernization of farming practices has further propelled its coffee industry forward. Throughout the centuries, Brazil has pioneered advancements such as mechanized harvesting and processing techniques, greatly enhancing overall efficiency and virtuosity.

Moreover, Brazil's influence in the coffee business extends well beyond its domestic borders. As a major player in coffee commerce, Brazil actively participates in the International Coffee Organization through initiatives that shape the commodity's future. For instance, the nation's active engagement in discussions on sustainability and fair trade reflects its commitment to ensuring the long-term viability of the coffee sector.

Brazil's dominance in the global coffee market is evident in its output. According to the Foreign Agricultural Service, an estimated 66 million 60-kilogram bags of coffee will be exported out of Brazil between 2023 and 2024  a testament to the region's agricultural prowess and ability to meet the ever-thriving demand for coffee. For this, Brazil prides itself as the top exporter of coffee beans, the source of the delightful libation coveted by caffeine enthusiasts worldwide.

Read the original article on Mashed.
The ceremonies have become a growing practice to reduce the astronomical cost of traditional weddings

A mass wedding ceremony involving 50 couples has been held in Afghanistan.

Such ceremonies have become more common as low-income couples seek to avoid the high costs of a traditional wedding.

The brides-to-be were kept out of sight in a separate wing - it was only after lunch they appeared, local media say.

The event, in Kabul, was organised by a charity which also provided the newly-weds with items including a carpet and household appliances to start their married life.

An official from the ministry for the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice spoke at the low-key ceremonies.

While recitations from the Koran were read out, dancing and music remain effectively banned by the country's Taliban rulers since they returned to power in August 2021.

The brides and grooms were then carried away in cars decorated with green ribbons and red plastic roses in the form of hearts.

Roohullah Rezayi, 18, explained to AFP news agency he could not have afforded a solo wedding.

"A traditional wedding would have cost us at least 200,000 to 250,000 Afghanis [2,220 to 2,770; $2,800 to $3,600] but this time it will be between 10,000 and 15,000 Afghanis," he said.

The young man, a member of the Hazara Shia Muslim minority and from Ghor province, earns barely 350 Afghanis per day doing odd jobs, the agency says.

"We invited 35 people from our two families, otherwise it would have been 300 to 400," he added.

For some of the grooms-to-be it had been a long wait, AFP notes.

"I've been waiting for this day for three years," said Samiullah Zamani, a 23, a farmer from Kabul province. "I can't wait to see her."

The Afghan grooms arrived on Monday for the mass wedding ceremony at a wedding hall in Kabul

The brides-to-be were kept out of sight in a separate wing - it was only after lunch they appeared, local media reported

Relatives of grooms and brides attended the mass wedding ceremony at the wedding hall in Kabul

Dancing and music has been effectively banned after Taliban authorities deemed such activities un-Islamic.
Every year has its memorable astronomical events.

Some are predictable while some surprise us and draw our gaze skyward with little prior notice.

Here are a few of the known, predictable events playing out over our heads during 2024, starting with the most anticipated one.

That would be the total solar eclipse on April 8.

For the first time since August of 2017 the moon will totally eclipse the sun for parts of the United States. From Texas to Maine, folks at some clear spots along the narrow track will see the sun vanish for almost 4-1/2 minutes or about twice as long as the 2017 eclipse.

The sun's corona surrounds the totally eclipsed sun in this photo from the Aug. 21, 2017 eclipse made near Silverton, Oregon. Another total solar eclipse will cross the US from Texas to Maine on April 8, 2024.

The total eclipse wont happen over parts of the Carolinas like the 2017 event, though its still a driveable eclipse but its not a short drive. The best likelihood of clear skies along the eclipse track in the US on April 8 is south Texas with increasing cloudiness predicted the further we travel northeast from there.

If youre looking to drive to the eclipse center line Indiana would be about the closest state we could drive to that is crossed by the total eclipse track. Downtown Indianapolis is being treated to the total eclipse.

Here in southeastern North Carolina, about three-fourths of the sun will be eclipsed, creating a deep crescent sun at mid-eclipse that will require special filters to observe directly.

Ill cover more about the April eclipse in future columns.

Oh, and if you decide to miss this total eclipse of the sun, the next one visible over the U.S. is a long wait and a longer drive. It happens on Aug. 23, 2044, over Montana.

Comet Pons-Brooks appeared faint and fuzzy in this Dec. 7 photo made through the author's telescope. The inbound comet may brighten to naked-eye visibility during April 2024 as it rounds the sun.

Two bright comets?

We always need a question mark ending that statement.

Comets are notoriously unpredictable but two of them may reach naked-eye visibility in 2024 evening skies.

These dirty snowballs made of ice and dust left from the formation of the solar system can brighten and become very interesting to follow as they near the sun. Or they can fizzle and be nothing special to see.

In April, Comet P/12 Pons-Brooks will appear low in our western evening skies and may be detectable to the unaided eye. Discovered in 1812 by Jean-LouisPons, Comet Pons-Brooks has an orbital period similar to more famous Halleys Comet. Pons Brooks is making a once every-71-year appearance, compared to a 76-year trip for Halley. The comet may even be visible in the eclipse-darkened daytime sky east of the eclipsed sun on April 8.

Comet TsuchinshanATLAS in the fall

In mid-October, inboundComet C/2023 A3 (TsuchinshanATLAS) will be positioned low in our southwestern evening sky as darkness falls.

Discovered in February of 2023 by an automated program that searches for comets, Comet TsuchinshanATLAS should put on its best show between Oct. 12 and Oct. 19. It will appear higher in the sky each successive evening.

October is a favorable time for a bright comet to appear because its generally the clearest month of the year. Unfortunately, the moon will be in the evening sky then with a full moon on Oct. 17. A bright moon could brighten the sky enough to wash out the fainter comet, making it more difficult to see.

Photographers photograph the Market House sunrise on the morning of Jan. 29, 2020. The next Market House sunrise opportunity is Jan. 29, 2024.

A downtown Fayetteville sunrise

Jan. 29 brings the winter version of the Market House sunrise in downtown Fayetteville. On that date and around Nov. 11, an observer standing in the middle of Hay Street can see the rising sun perfectly framed by the arches of the 1832 building.

Skies need to be clear in the direction of the sunrise to see the event, something we didnt have back on Nov. 11 when the sky was cloudy.

Its too early to tell if skies will be clear on Jan. 29, but, speaking from experience, the January sunrise morning is way colder than the November one.

If skies are cloudy Jan. 29, a morning on either side of that date will also work. Stretching it out much further before or after the Jan. 29 date results in a less optimum position of the sun in the arches.

Sunrise in Fayetteville comes at 7:16 a.m. on Jan. 29.

If you have a question about astronomy send it to Backyard Universe, P.O. Box 297 Stedman, NC 28391 or email johnnyhorne937@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Total solar eclipse happening in April 2024
President Joe Biden leaves the beach near his home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., in July. An increase in the value of Biden's two homes in the state accounts for much of the growth in his wealth since he entered the White House, according to Forbes.

Statement: Joe Bidens net worth was $41 million in 2022.

Before he was vice president or president, Joe Biden was one of Congress least wealthy members. Now one critic says Bidens net worth has more than quadrupled since before he moved into the White House.

Actor James Woods shared an image on social media that said Bidens net worth has increased from $9 million in 2019 to $41 million in 2022. Net worth is the value of peoples income and assets minus the debt and other liabilities they owe.

"Im shocked," Woods, an outspoken supporter of former President Donald Trump, wrote Dec. 10 on X, formerly Twitter. The image Woods shared also questioned Vice President Kamala Harris assets, but we focused on the Biden claim.

Financial disclosures, tax filings and news reports show that Bidens net worth has grown slightly since entering the White House, but nothing on the scale Woods suggests.

Forbes in August wrote that Bidens net worth was at $10 million, up from about $8 million when he entered the White House in 2020.

"The increase has nothing to do with family business dealings in far-flung countries," Forbes wrote. "Instead, he is getting richer by doing what a lot of 80-year-old Americans are doing: sitting on real estate. The president owns two homes in Delaware that are worth an estimated $7 million combined, $1.8 million more than they were when he took office."

Much of the Bidens current net worth is from the combined value of their two Delaware homes, which include a six-bedroom mansion in Rehoboth Beach that they purchased in 2017, Forbes reported.

After leaving the vice presidency in 2017, Bidens income increased substantially. In 2017 alone, Forbes found, Joe and Jill Biden brought in $11.1 million  nearly double their total earnings from 1998 to 2016. In 2018, they brought in another $4.6 million.

Speaking engagements and book deals drove much of that new wealth before 2020.

As president, Biden earns $400,000 a year. His 2022 financial disclosures, published by the White House in May, show he has assets between $1 million and $2.65 million. But these figures showed little change from 2021, his first full year as president.

We rate the claim that Bidens net worth was $41 million in 2022 False.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: PolitiFact: Bidens net worth is about $10 million, not $41 million
A drone attack by an Iran-affiliated terrorist group on a military base in Iraq early Monday morning left three U.S. service members wounded, the Pentagon said, and prompted President Biden to order retaliatory strikes.

The attack on the Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq was conducted by Kataib Hezbollah militants, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. One of the three service members wounded is in critical condition, Austin disclosed.

In response, Mr. Biden  after being briefed and holding a call with Austin and his national security team  ordered retaliatory strikes on "three locations utilized by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups focused specifically on unmanned aerial drone activities," National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

According to U.S. Central Command, the retaliatory strikes on the three sites, all located in Iraq, were conducted at 8:45 p.m. Eastern Time and "likely killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants."

No civilians were believed to have been wounded or killed, CENTCOM said.

Iraqi officials said the U.S. strikes killed one militant and injured 18, the Associated Press reports.

In a statement, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani condemned both the militia attack and the U.S. response, calling the U.S. strikes a "hostile act" that infringed on Iraqi sovereignty, the AP reported.

Iraqi security forces stationed by the Freedom Monument in Baghdad's Tahrir Square on Dec. 26, 2023. Iraq denounced U.S. airstrikes in the country as a

There have been dozens of attacks by Iranian-backed militias targeting U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria since the violent Oct. 7 terrorist assault on Israel by Hamas  a group that U.S. officials have long said receives financial and material support from Iran.

In response, U.S. forces have conducted several rounds of strikes on what defense officials say are Iran-linked weapons facilities and Iran-backed fighters.

On Nov. 20, several U.S. service members were injured in a ballistic missile attack by Iran-backed militias on Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq, the Pentagon said. In similar fashion to Monday's retaliation, the U.S. immediately launched strikes on militia-linked facilities and personnel.

This also comes as Iranian-linked Houthi rebels in Yemen have also been conducting numerous attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. Last week, the White House accused Iran of being "deeply involved" in those Red Sea attacks, an allegation Tehran denied.

In a Nov. 15 interview with CBS News, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian denied that Iran was responsible for a drone fired from Yemen that was shot down by the guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner. The drone appeared to be targeting the Hudner, U.S. officials said at the time.

"We really didn't want this crisis to expand," Amir-Abdollahian told CBS News, referencing the Israel-Hamas war. "But the U.S. has been intensifying the war in Gaza by throwing its support behind Israel. Yemen makes its own decisions and acts independently."

Last week, energy giant BP announced it was temporarily suspending all gas and oil shipments in the Red Sea because of the attacks.

David Martin, Eleanor Watson, S. Dev, Arden Farhi, Olivia Gazis and Brian Dakss contributed to this report.

U.S. military carried out airstrikes against Iran-backed group in Iraq

How to maximize your 2024 tax refund, according to a CPA

Major 2024 events to mark on your calendar
In the Plaster Student Union one day before graduating from Missouri State, Hanna Smulczenski listed many of the friends, family, teachers and others who supported her goal of earning a high school diploma and  the morning of Dec. 15  a bachelor's degree.

She had an inkling what she was capable of, and so did they.

"It was my family  my parents, my sister, my aunts, uncles, both grandparents," said Hanna, 28. "I also had support through my education career, starting in kindergarten."

Not everyone had Hanna's back. Her mom, Kelly Smulczenski, recalled a difficult comment she heard years ago from a classroom teacher.

"The teacher told me 'Hanna doesn't need to know how to spell, she is not going to make it too far in life,'" she said.

Hanna said she grew up knowing certain goals might be harder to accomplish. But, she refused to use that as an excuse not to try.

"I didn't give up on my education," she said.

Hanna Smulczenski graduated Dec. 15 from Missouri State University.

Hanna was born 23 weeks premature, arriving March 4 instead of the expected July 4, and spent months recovering in a neonatal intensive care unit.

She was diagnosed with autism, asthma and a mild form of cerebral palsy. Her vision impairment, which includes no peripheral vision, has grown worse.

"I literally have tunnel vision," Hanna said, adding she may soon need a service dog. "Have you ever looked through a kaleidoscope? It is like that. You just see the pretty colors and everything else is black."

Hanna's schooling started in the St. Louis area but her father, who is part of the Cardinals organization, took a job in Springfield.

She graduated from Kickapoo High School in 2014. Three years later, she earned an associate's degree from Ozarks Technical Community College.

Hanna wanted more education but didn't have a specific direction and was unsure what options were available.

"So I took a year and a half break," she said.

Hanna Smulczenski, a graduate of Missouri State University, with Caleb Hatz, program coordinator for Bear POWER, and Kim Roam, clinical assistant professor at MSU.

Her mother, an administrative assistant at Missouri State, learned about a new program at the university called Bear POWER. It provides an entire system of support for students with intellectual or development disabilities to pursue higher education.

Students who enroll have the option of living independently on campus. They take courses, for credit or not, learn job-readiness skills and complete internships.

They have the guidance of program staff and Bear POWER Ambassadors, a team of trained student volunteers, who help the participants navigate campus life.

"They're going and getting their degree but are involved in the program and also giving back to kids like Hanna and giving the support," said Kelly Smulczenski, Hanna's mom. "She has had some wonderful ambassadors."

Hanna joined the program for the spring 2020 semester but only lived on campus for 2-1/2 months because of the global pandemic.

"One of my goals is to eventually live independently," she said. "But at the same time I know I'm going to need help from services."

Hanna Smulczenski and other graduates of the Bear POWER program.

She stayed the course, taking one class after another  all for college credit.

"I will admit there are some times I did have a few meltdowns, especially between doing the Bear POWER program and regular classes," Hanna said. "It got overwhelming."

She said "pep talks" with the program staff and ambassadors kept her on track. "They were great when I just needed an ear to listen."

Asked about participating in campus events and activities, Hanna said that was limited but mostly because she was focused on her studies.

"I had to sacrifice one thing to achieve another," she said.

The Bear POWER program is typically five semesters, including one summer session, and participants who finish earn a non-degree certificate.

Since its inception in 2019, 14 students have completed the Bear POWER program and earned certificates including this year's graduates: Madison Stamps, Jacob Lackey, and Paul Broske II.

Hanna earned that certificate but didn't stop. She is the first Bear POWER graduate to also earn a bachelor's degree in general studies, with an emphasis in history and religion.

Hanna Smulczenski graduated from Missouri State University on Dec. 15. She was part of the Bear POWER program

April Phillips, director of Bear POWER, said each student enters the program with different goals, She said staff then come alongside students to "keep them moving forward and helping them."

Phillips turned to Hanna, in the interview, and said: "You are showing the proof that hard work and that desire to do more can make things happen."

Caleb Hatz, program coordinator for Bear POWER, said pride about what Hanna achieved gets him "teary-eyed."

"She is really breaking down barriers and breaking down stereotypes. She is a goal-setter and she goes out and gets what she wants and that determination is amazing to see in our students," Hatz said.

Hatz said programs like Bear POWER are needed because they help students with special needs who may not be able to access higher education through traditional routes.

"It is shining a light that just because you have a different ability level, it does not stop you from achieving your goals," he said.

Through the program, Hanna completed an internship with the Wonders Of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium. She wants to find a job that marries her love of history and working with animals.

"I know this will help me further with whatever career I want to do," she said.

More: Inclusive MSU program opens doors to students with intellectual, developmental disability

Kelly Smulczenski said some of Hanna's friends with special needs attempted to go to college but gave up because they did not have the supports available through the Bear POWER program.

"Had they had the right resources, they could succeed. Just because someone has a disability doesn't mean you should treat them any different," she said. "You have to figure out their strengths and weaknesses and how they can contribute not only to society but to their community."

Claudette Riley covers education for the News-Leader. Email tips and story ideas to criley@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: MSU program for students with special needs celebrates first graduate
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has denied reports previously spread online about the death of more than 100 Ukrainian military personnel in Avdiivka direction.

"Information on social networks about supposedly 108 deaths in one of the brigades in Avdiivsky direction on the eve of Christmas is fake," the AFU General Staff said in a Facebook post.
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  Percha Dam State Park, a popular fishing and camping spot in Southern New Mexico, is getting bigger.

The New Mexico State Parks Division of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department announced Tuesday, Dec. 26 that a new lease with the Bureau of Reclamation is adding 165 acres to the park in Sierra County.

The park is about 25 miles south of Truth or Consequences.

Map of newly leased acreage at Percha Dam. Courtesy of the New Mexico State Parks Division

Under the updated lease agreement, the land owned by the Bureau of Reclamation is now managed by New Mexico State Parks for preservation and recreation purposes. The new acreage is located just north of Percha Dam along the Rio Grande in Caballo.

With the acquisition of the property, State Parks will work to update the Management Plan for Percha Dam State Park. The plan update will include adding the new acreage, in addition to taking public input about other potential changes because of this new acreage, said Saul Baquera, NM State Parks Southwest Region manager. Our initial plans call for enhancing the property recreational activities by adding walking trails and bird blinds throughout the property.

Under New Mexico State Park management rules, hunting is no longer allowed within the acquired property boundaries. All New Mexico State Parks are closed to hunting except in designated areas for specific species.

Percha Dam State Park offers camping, interpretive trails, education programs, picnicking, and more. To make a camping reservation, go to reserveamerica.com.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
Spirit Airlines has apologized after it mistakenly put an unaccompanied child on the wrong flight during the holiday season travel rush.

The child was supposed to fly from Philadelphia International Airport to Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers on Thursday. But the minor was incorrectly boarded on a flight to Orlando, according to the airline.

The child was always under the care and supervision of a Spirit Team Member, and as soon as we discovered the error, we took immediate steps to communicate with the family and reconnect them, Spirit said in a statement Saturday.

We take the safety and responsibility of transporting all of our Guests seriously and are conducting an internal investigation, the airline added. We apologize to the family for this experience.

Read the full story on NBC News.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
CHICAGO -- Avery Smith, a senior at Thornwood High School, in suburban Chicago, said his favorite moment at the 28th annual United Nations Climate Change, or COP28, conference hosted in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates was listening to a panel discussion with Indigenous people from Canada about how climate change affects them.

It was a panel of four women, and the elder was talking about how the hunters and the trappers in their culture rely very heavily on nature, Smith said. With climate change, they didnt know what to do. They didnt have anything to pass down to the next generation because their knowledge was antiquated. It didnt apply anymore because the climate changed that much.

Smith, of South Holland, said he had the opportunity to interview the elder and they had a powerful conversation about the effects of climate change.

Thats the crux of everything, but especially the climate conversation, Smith said. If you have a group of people who think that the problem only affects them or that the problem doesnt affect them, then youll never fix the problem, because the truth is the problem affects everybody. If the problem affects one of us it affects all of us.

Smith said he first became interested in learning about climate change three years ago when he joined Community and Economic Development Association of Cook Countys Green Generation, or G2, summer program. Through G2, Smith said he learned about home performance and urban sustainability. Now, he is the G2 Sustainability Youth Council president.

It felt like an opportunity, and so I took advantage of it. It turned out being one of the better, most memorable experiences of my high school career, Smith said. Through that, I kind of became entrenched in the climate crisis.

In June, Smith gave two speeches at GreenTown Climate & Equity conference at Triton College, organized by Seven Generations Ahead. His speeches caught the attention of representatives with Its Our Future, Seven Generations Aheads youth environmental advocacy program, who ultimately invited him to be one of six area student COP28 delegates.

He made a huge impression. He was an excellent speaker, said Its Our Future manager Rachel Rosner.

The summit, which ran through Dec. 12, brought together thousands of people, including politicians, business leaders, climate experts and environmental advocates from around the world. The global summits are convened to find ways to address the climate crisis, such as limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, helping vulnerable communities adapt and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Smith said the delegations trip from Dec. 1-9 was his first time out of the country. The conference was divided into the green zone and the blue zone.

The green zone, which was open to the public, felt more like a museum where people could learn about climate change. The blue zone, which required tickets, was where policymakers held talks, panels and where the real U.N. stuff happens, Smith said.

For example, the first day Smith went to the blue zone was to listen to former Vice President Al Gore give a presentation on a new technology called Climate Trace that tracks and measures greenhouse gas emissions.

They can now fairly accurately, or at least more accurately, tell which countries are polluting and from where and what those sources are. Now, the idea is, that the nations of the world have no choice but to be accountable, Smith said.

Another moment he enjoyed was listening to former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton moderate a panel about the need for women in the climate change conversation.

If women are included in the conversation, if women are not repressed from the conversation, if you open your mind enough to listen to what a woman has to say, the climate conversation can at least take a step forward in a new direction, Smith said.

The delegates, Rosner said, enjoyed talking with people experiencing climate change in real time and returned energized.

Smith said his main takeaway is the interconnection of climate change.

Were all connected. We need to be kinder to one another. We need to help people where we can. It may not seem that way, but we help people when we live sustainable lives, Smith said.

___
WASHINGTON  The traffic jam of four criminal trials pending against Donald Trump has left prosecutors and judges struggling to get any of them moving while avoiding collisions.

The result leaves open the question of which  if any  will begin before the November election. Prosecutors are eager to get verdicts before Election Day, but legal experts say the first trial might not start until summer, as issues are debated and appealed.

The first trial, on federal charges the former president tried to overturn the 2020 election, is tentatively scheduled for March 4 in Washington. But preparations are on hold while Trump argues that he is immune to the charges at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals  and potentially at the Supreme Court.

Another appeal before the Supreme Court  with potentially no answer for months  could upend two of the four charges against Trump, as well as those against hundreds of defendants in the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021.

Next up is a trial set for May 20 on federal charges Trump retained national defense records after leaving the White House. But legal disputes about how to handle classified records in the case could postpone it.

If either case slips too far, Justice Department policy is to not try politically sensitive cases within months of an election. But state prosecutors in Georgia and New York dont face that restriction.

Steering a wide berth around the federal cases, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis proposed to start her election racketeering trial against Trump and 14 co-defendants on Aug. 5, which could overlap with the election. Trump lawyer Steven Sadow called the schedule potentially the "most effective election interference in the history of the United States."

Idling in the wings, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has also waited on the federal cases for his trial on charges that Trump falsified business records.

Trump has argued that each case represents Democratic political interference against his Republican campaign to return to the White House, so all should be postponed until after the election. If he wins, Sadow contends the Constitution would prevent any state or federal trial while Trump serves as president.

The preference would be that hes not on trial while hes campaigning," Sadow told Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee earlier this month. But McAfee has not yet set a date.

Here is what we know about the four trials and their potential delays:

President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in front of the White House on Jan. 6, 2021. Soon after, rioters marched to the U.S. Capitol.

What could delay Trump's federal election interference case?

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan rejected Trumps request to dismiss the federal election interference case, when he argued he is immune to the charges for actions he took as president. But she put the case on hold while he appeals.

Rather than wait for the circuit court, Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith asked the Supreme Court to decide the case quickly. But the high court sent it to the circuit court, which could spend weeks or months weighing the case first at a three-judge panel and potentially before the full appeals court.

"The United States recognizes that this is an extraordinary request, Smith wrote. This is an extraordinary case."

Legal experts said the eventual Supreme Court decision could take time for such a historic decision.

The fact that Jack Smith wants to go to trial by March 4, I dont think theyre going to cause them to act precipitously, Clark Cunningham, a law professor at Georgia State University, told USA TODAY. Then they have to come up with a majority thats going to be for the history books.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, former President Donald Trump and special counsel Jack Smith.

What other Supreme Court case could delay Trump's trial?

The Supreme Court could face another urgent case dealing with Trump over the holidays. The Colorado Supreme Court decided Tuesday to disqualify Trump from the states 2024 ballot for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection, which his aides said they would quickly appeal.

Colorados secretary of state must certify the primary ballot by Jan. 5, which legal experts said might cause justices to cancel their holiday plans.

This likely takes priority over Jack Smiths request for quick SCOTUS review of immunity question, Barb McQuade, a former U.S. attorney and now law professor at the University of Michigan, said on social media.

In another case the Supreme Court agreed to hear Dec. 13, the justices will decide whether to overturn two of the charges pending against Trump. The ruling might not come until the end of June.

The case was filed by Joseph Fischer, who was one of more than 200 people charged in the Jan. 6 riot with corruptly obstructing an official proceeding.

An 'anti-shredding' law for walking through the Capitol for a few minutes?

Fischer described the statute as an anti-shredding law that shouldn't apply to his walking through the Capitol for a few minutes. Congress approved the legislation in 2002 after Enrons financial meltdown, and Fischer argued it was intended to punish people for tampering with evidence rather than participating in a riot.

But the Justice Department argued the official proceeding he obstructed was Jan. 6, when Congress was interrupted while counting Electoral College votes. The law could cover someone lying to a grand jury or burning a building to conceal the bodies of murder victims, prosecutors wrote.

Circuit courts have upheld the statute through several challenges, but the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case for potentially a different outcome. Two of Trumps charges are based on the same statute.

Flags fly at half-staff on the front plaza of the U.S. Supreme Court Building before the funeral service for retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on December 18, 2023 in Washington, DC.

Classified documents case could be delayed: legal experts

Trump's Florida trial features 40 federal charges associated with storing hundreds of national defense records at his Mar-a-Lago club after leaving the White House in 2021. The challenges in the case include how to allow lawyers for Trump and his two co-defendants to deal with classified documents to prepare their defenses.

At a November hearing, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon pushed back several deadlines in the case and stuck to her May 20 trial date. But she said she would reconsider the schedule at a March hearing about classified documents.

I think the classified documents issues will in fact prove to be more difficult than the judge in Florida has anticipated, and it will in fact get pushed back, Stephen Saltzburg, a law professor at George Washington University, told USA TODAY.

McQuade, the former U.S. attorney, agreed that dealing with disputes over the Classified Information Procedures Act in March could postpone the trial.

That trial could get pushed until after the election interference case later in the summer, she told USA TODAY.

Federal prosecutors expected to keep election interference case ahead of documents case

If both federal trials are delayed, legal experts expect prosecutors to aim for keeping the Jan. 6 trial first.

Legal experts say the documents case may be easier to prove than election interference because the documents shouldnt have been outside a secure government facility and the FBI seized the documents at Mar-a-Lago. But former Vice President Mike Pence and President Joe Biden also mishandled classified documents and have not been charged.

In any other environment, the classified documents would be a slam dunk for the prosecutors, Saltzburg said. As bad as what happened in Mar-a-Lago was, I dont think the public will respond to that in the same way they are likely to respond to a conviction for trying to steal the presidency.

If the election interference trial is delayed a few months, it could basically take the place of the documents trial and coincide with a Supreme Court decision in the Fischer case resolving which charges are valid against Trump.

A June trial date seems about right, McQuade said of the election interference case.

FBI Director James Comey testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 7, 2016, before the House Oversight Committee to explain his agency's recommendation to not prosecute Hillary Clinton.

Justice Department policy discourages politically sensitive trials months before election

The challenge with federal cases slipping into August is that the Justice Department has an informal policy  not a formal regulation or law  against trying politically sensitive cases within two to three months of an election.

The risk that an investigation could influence an election was illustrated in 2016. Then-FBI Director James Comey announced days before the election that he was reopening an investigation into Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clintons emails. She then lost to Trump.

Michael Horowitz, the Justice Departments inspector general, reported on the tradition of an unwritten 60-day rule for delaying overt investigative steps close to an election. But he found the practice was "not written or described in any Department policy or regulation."

Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch told Horowitzs team the general practice was not to take actions that might have an impact on an election, even if it wasn't an election case. Matt Axelrod, a former principal associate deputy attorney general, said there wasnt a 60- or 90-day rule, but the closer you get to the election, the more fraught it is.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks in the Fulton County Government Center during a news conference on Aug. 14, 2023, in Atlanta.

Could Georgia or New York prosecutors leapfrog the federal cases?

In contrast to the federal policy, state prosecutors face no similar restrictions on the timing of their trials. Trump faces 13 charges in Georgia alleging he conspired to overturn the 2020 election and 34 charges in New York alleging he falsified business records to pay hush money to women who claimed to have had sex with him.

So far, the local prosecutors have waited for federal prosecutors to try their cases. But legal experts speculated that Willis or Bragg could start their trials in February or March if the federal cases are postponed.

Neither prosecutor has actually proposed setting their case that early.

But Cunningham suggested Willis could hold a trial in February against Trump and a few co-defendants, such as campaign lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman, to resolve the case before the election. Giuliani spread baseless accusations of election fraud and Eastman developed a strategy for Republicans to field alternate presidential electors for Congress to count in states President Joe Biden won.

Buddy Parker, one of Eastmans lawyers, asked to separate his case from others to avoid having it delayed into 2025.

There are a number of defendants as noted who are not running for president of the United States, Parker told McAfee during a Dec. 1 hearing. We would like possibly to be earlier if we could be accommodated."

Judge Scott McAfee speaks during a hearing in Superior Court of Fulton County as part of the Georgia election indictments on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023 in Atlanta.

Willis has said she was prepared for trial in October, when co-defendants Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro pleaded guilty before their scheduled trial.

McAfee said he was inclined to divide the 15 remaining defendants and hold at least two trials to avoid straining the judicial system. The prosecutors could choose the order, if that happens, he said.

If youre judge McAfee, certainly you would like for this trial to be over as early as possible in the election season, Cunningham said.

New York, where Trump was first indicted, is another option. Bragg was initially given a trial date in March. His case has been on hold amid the legal jockeying, but would be another option for an early trial if the federal cases are postponed.

That trial seems to be under the radar at the moment, but might be ready to go first, McQuade said. The Georgia case seems unlikely to start until fall, and then, the judge may find it too close to the election to begin.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Timeline for Trump's trials has become an extraordinary juggling act
A Russian strike on a hotel in Kharkiv has injured 13 people as it has been claimed Vladimir Putins exhausted troops have been hitting their own towns.

Two Russian missiles struck a hotel late on Wednesday in the centre of Ukraines second-largest city, Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synehubov wrote on Telegram. Kharkivs prosecutors office said that among the 13 wounded is a 35-year-old man who was seriously injured and two Turkish journalists covering the war.

Meanwhile, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) has claimed Russian forces have been accidentally bombing territories in their own country, or in occupied Ukraine. In its latest intelligence update, the MoD said the likelihood of these accidents had increased due to inadequate training and crew fatigue.

It comes as Ukrainian shelling injured three people in the Russian region of Belgorod late on Monday and air defences downed 10 RM-70 Vampir rockets, Russian officials and the defence ministry said.

Belgorod has come under repeated attack from Ukrainian forces in recent weeks. A missile and drone attack late last month killed 25 civilians, including five children.

Key Points

Russian missiles hit hotel in Ukraines Kharkiv injuring 13, says regional governor

Exhausted Russian troops accidentally hit own territories, claims British MoD

Ukraine now test site for North Korean missiles shipped to Russia, warns South Korea

Nine people injured in attack on Kharkiv

Russian missile attacks kill at least four people

Hard for Ukraine to survive without EU aid, Zelenskiy says

13:00 , Tara Cobham

It will be difficult for Ukraine to survive unless it receives a delayed package of financial support from the European Union, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday.

Zelenskiy spoke during a visit to Estonia while on a wider tour of the Baltic region as Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine is nearing its second anniversary.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas shake hands during a joint meeting in Tallinn, Estonia, on Thursday (via REUTERS)

Kremlin accuses US of pressuring Europe over Russian asset seizures, reports news agency

12:15 , Tara Cobham

The Kremlin accused the United States on Thursday of trying to pressure European countries into backing what it said was an illegal idea to seize frozen Russian assets to help finance the rebuilding of Ukraine, the RIA news agency reported.

RIA said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was responding to a US media report which suggested that the Biden administration had in principle backed proposed US legislation to facilitate such a seizure.

"They (the US) are trying to put pressure on the Europeans. There is a very paradoxical situation here because the main body of our assets is in Europe and not in America," RIA quoted Peskov as saying.

Europe will face "inevitable" legal consequences if it gives in to American pressure, he added.

RIA also cited Peskov as saying that Moscow had not been informed of the development.

Peskov was responding to a Bloomberg report published on Wednesday that US President Joe Biden's administration is backing legislation that would allow it to seize some of the frozen Russian assets to help pay for the rebuilding of Ukraine.

Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria ink deal to clear floating Black Sea mines

11:30 , Tara Cobham

Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria signed an agreement on Thursday on a joint plan to clear mines floating in the Black Sea as a result of the war in Ukraine, following months of talks between the NATO allies.

Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler, his Romanian counterpart Angel Tilvar and Bulgaria's Deputy Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov signed a memorandum of understanding in Istanbul to form a trilateral initiative to clear the explosives.

"With the start of the war, a threat of floating mines in the Black Sea has arisen. To combat it...we agreed to form a Black Sea mine counter-measures task group," Guler said at the signing ceremony.

Sea mines have posed a threat to Ukraine's export routes via the Black Sea since Russia's invasion in February 2022 and several commercial ships have been hit, including a bulk carrier heading to the River Danube port to load grain in December.

Three minehunting ships from each country and one command control ship, will be assigned to the initiative, a Turkish defence ministry official said.

Naval commanders of the three countries will form a committee to run the operation, Guler said, adding that it might include other Black Sea states after the war in Ukraine ends.

Guler said Turkey viewed potential contributions to this initiative by non-Black Sea NATO allies as "valuable" but that it will only be open to ships of the "three littoral allied countries."

Turkey's Defense Minister Yasar Guler (centre), Romania's Defense Minister Angel Tilvar (left), and Bulgaria's Deputy Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov shake hands after signing the Mine counter-measures task group Black Sea joint agreement in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday (AP)

Russian pro-war leftist charged with justifying terrorism, reports TASS citing lawyer

10:45 , Tara Cobham

Sergei Udaltsov, a prominent Russian left-wing political activist, was arrested and charged with "justifying terrorism" on Thursday, state news agency TASS quoted Udaltsov's lawyer as saying.

Udaltsov, who has supported the war in Ukraine, had written on the Telegram messenger app earlier on Thursday morning that police were breaking down his front door.

Udaltsov's lawyer provided no further information about the charges levelled at her client.

Udaltsov is the leader of the Left Front, a coalition of Russian left-wing groups affiliated with Russia's Communist Party. His wife Anastasia serves as a communist member of Russia's parliament.

Udaltsov rose to prominence during 2011-2012 protests in Moscow after allegations of widespread electoral falsification, and was allied at the time with now-jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. Udaltsov was jailed in 2014 for organising protests and released in 2017.

While remaining critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Udaltsov has, since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, broken with former opposition allies by supporting the Kremlin's military campaign.

Sergei Udaltsov, a prominent Russian left-wing political activist (REUTERS)

Ukraine's Zelenskiy says a ceasefire would only benefit Russia

10:00 , Tara Cobham

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday that a ceasefire in the Russian-Ukrainian war would not lead to political dialogue, and would only benefit Russia as this would allow Moscow to boost its supply of munitions.

Zelenskiy said Russia was negotiating missile purchases from Iran and that Russian forces had received more than one million rounds of ammunition from North Korea.

The Ukrainian president spoke during a visit to Estonia as part of a wider tour of the Baltic region.

Turkish journalists among 11 injured in Russian missile strike on hotel in Ukraines Kharkiv

09:15 , Tara Cobham

A Russian missile attack on a hotel in Ukraines second largest city of Kharkiv has injured at least 11 people, including Turkish journalists covering the war, local officials said.

The strike involved S-300 missiles, officials confirmed.

Nine of those injured have been taken to medical facilities, said Kharkivs regional governor Oleh Synehubov on his official Telegram channel. One of them, a 35-year-old man, is in serious condition, he said.

Arpan Rai reports:

Turkish journalists among 11 injured in Russian missile strike on hotel

Russian missiles hit hotel in Ukraines Kharkiv injuring 13, says regional governor

08:30 , Tara Cobham

Two Russian missiles struck a hotel late on Wednesday in the centre of Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, injuring 13 people, one person seriously, the regional governor said.

Pictures posted online showed many of the windows blown out and balconies destroyed with large piles of rubble in the street below. Emergency teams made their way through gaping holes in the facade to sift through rubble inside.

Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synehubov said the strike at about 10.30 pm local time involved S-300 missiles in the city's Kyiv district.

"Nine of those injured have been taken to medical facilities," Synehubov wrote on the Telegram messaging app. "One of them, a 35-year-old man, is in serious condition."

Visiting Turkish journalists were among the injured, he wrote.

Firefighters examine the site of Russia's missile attack that hit a hotel in Kharkiv, Ukraine, late on Wednesday (AP)

Ukraine now test site for North Korean missiles shipped to Russia, warns South Korea

07:45 , Tara Cobham

North Korea is using Ukraine as a test site for its nuclear-armed missiles, officials in South Korea said amid reports that Kim Jong-un might sell new types of weaponry to his Russian ally Vladimir Putin.

Speaking at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Wednesday, South Korean ambassador Hwang Joon-kook urged Russia to end its military cooperation with North Korea and also withdraw its military forces from the territory of Ukraine.

By exporting missiles to Russia, the DPRK uses Ukraine as the test site of its nuclear-capable missiles, the envoy told the gathering of international leaders in Washington, using the abbreviation for the official name of Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

Arpan Rai reports:

Ukraine now test site for North Korean missiles given to Russia, warns South Korea

North Korea 'may sell new missiles to Russia

07:00 , Jane Dalton

North Korea may be poised to provide a new type of missiles to Russia, and may conduct further weapons tests to escalate tensions ahead of South Korean and US elections, South Koreas defence chief said.

North Korea, which needs money, is actively selling new weapons that Russia wants, Defence Minister Shin Won-sik said.

Shin cited North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns visit this week to munitions factories, where he inspected what may be recently developed close-range ballistic missiles capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons.

Kims visit to arms factories came as nearly 50 countries condemned Russias procurement and use of North Korean ballistic missiles against Ukraine.

Freedom will prevail, predicts Zelensky

05:30 , Jane Dalton

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has buoyed his citizens spirits, saying: We cannot mark a specific day when Russia will retreat, nor can we detail every aspect of how it will unfold. But we know that it will happen. Our freedom will prevail, and there will be that day, the first day after this war. Our day.

He spoke after visiting Lithuania, where he agreed deals to support joint projects on subjects including drones and electronic warfare, demining equipment and software.

We cannot mark a specific day when Russia will retreat, nor can we detail every aspect of how it will unfold.



But we know that it will happen.



Our freedom will prevail, and there will be that day, the first day after this war. Our day.  Volodymyr Zelenskyy /   (@ZelenskyyUa) January 10, 2024

Recap: Russian missile attacks kill at least four people

04:30 , Jane Dalton

Reminder of how Russia attacked on Monday: Moscow launched its latest barrage of hypersonic and cruise missiles against Ukrainian targets, striking near the front lines of fighting in the east as well as in central and western parts of the country, officials said. At least four civilians were reported killed and at least 30 injured:

A heavy wave of Russian missile attacks pounds areas across Ukraine, killing at least 4 civilians

Russia says it plans to produced new cluster bomb

03:00 , Jane Dalton

Russia plans to begin production of a new glide bomb, Drel, this year, Russian state-run media TASS has reported, citing the Russian state-owned arms manufacturer Rostec.

The bombs are designed to be dropped by jets far from their targets, then use a guided flight path to accurately deliver a payload that Western analysts consider to be a cluster munition.

Russia already has glide bombs in its arsenal and has used them against Ukraine.

The Drel is designed to destroy armoured vehicles, ground-based radar stations, power plant control centres and anti-aircraft missile systems, TASS said.

Military analysts say it is also resistant to jamming and to radar detection, making it difficult to destroy.

Opinion: Western support for Kyiv has to stay strong

01:30 , Jane Dalton

Editorial: Vladimir Putin cannot sustain the current level of Russian casualties for long:

Editorial: Ukraine and its people need us  our support for Kyiv has to stay strong

Russia summons Moldovan ambassador

Wednesday 10 January 2024 23:58 , Jane Dalton

Russias foreign ministry summoned the Moldovan ambassador on Wednesday and issued a protest against unfriendly acts in the latest of a series of jabs exchanged between the Kremlin and the ex-Soviet states pro-European authorities.

A ministry statement denounced the systematic character of Moldovan actions it said were directed against Russian citizens. These, it said, included politically motivated persecution of Russian and Russian-language journalists.

Moldovas leadership continues to make aggressive anti-Russian declarations, the statement said Moldovan ambassador Lilian Darie was told.

Since taking power in 2020, President Maia Sandu has moved to abandon the Soviet legacy of the country lying between Ukraine and Romania and move it into the European mainstream.

She has denounced Russias invasion of Ukraine and accused Moscow of trying to interfere in last Novembers local elections in Moldova and of trying to foment a coup to remove her.

Zelensky agrees defence production deals with Lithuania

Wednesday 10 January 2024 22:45 , Jane Dalton

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says he and officials reached significant agreements on joint defence production in meetings with Lithuanian counterparts.

After a visit to Vilnius, he said: I appreciate the Lithuanian governments support for Ukraine. It holds great significance for us.

Today in Vilnius, we reached a number of significant agreements on joint defense production.



Ukraines Ministry of Strategic Industries and the Lithuanian Defense and Security Industry Association signed a memorandum of understanding to support joint projects on drones and pic.twitter.com/KvULDXmaAc  Volodymyr Zelenskyy /   (@ZelenskyyUa) January 10, 2024

Nine people injured in attack on Kharkiv

Wednesday 10 January 2024 21:42 , Jane Dalton

Nine people have been wounded in a Russian missile attack on Ukraines second-largest city, Kharkiv, the regional governor has said.

It is the fourth day in a row the city has been targeted.

Kharkiv governor Oleh Synehubov, writing on Telegram, said the strike involved a S-300 missile, but provided no further details. He said emergency crews were at the scene.

Theres no word yet of whether anyone was killed.

This is happening again. Kharkiv is under russian missile attack right now. Loud explosion in the city. I have no more words.  Iryna Voichuk (@IrynaVoichuk) January 10, 2024

We will never help Europe under attack, Trump said'

Wednesday 10 January 2024 21:25 , Jane Dalton

The United States would never help Europe if it came under attack and would leave Nato, which is dead, Donald Trump told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in 2020 while he was still president, according to a European Commissioner.

You need to understand that if Europe is under attack, we will never come to help you and to support you, Thierry Breton quoted Trump as saying during a meeting he also attended at the World Economic Forum in Davos three years ago.

By the way, Nato is dead, and we will leave, we will quit Nato, Trump also said, according to the European Union official.

And by the way, you owe me $400 billion, because you didnt pay, you Germans, what you had to pay for defence.

Trump has offered few clues about what kind of foreign policy he would pursue were he to win the US election, beyond broad claims including ending the Ukraine war in 24 hours, prompting concern in European capitals.

Nato pledges more military and economic aid to Kyiv

Wednesday 10 January 2024 20:25 , Jane Dalton

Nato allies have made clear to Ukraine they will continue to provide the country with major military, economic and humanitarian aid, officials have said.

Member states had outlined plans to provide billions of euros of further capabilities this year to Ukraine, a statement after the video conference said.

Nato strongly condemns Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian civilians, including with weapons from North Korea and Iran, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said.

As Moscow intensifies its strikes on Ukrainian cities and civilians, Nato allies are boosting Ukraines air defences.

Russia has intensified attacks over the New Year period and this month pounded Ukraines two biggest cities, Kyiv and Kharkiv, in a new wave of heavy air strikes.

The NATO-Ukraine Council met following recent waves of Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure.



Allies strongly condemned the attacks and outlined plans to provide billions of euros of further capabilities to Ukraine in 2024#StandWithUkraine   NATO (@NATO) January 10, 2024

Woman, 48, killed in Russian bombing of village

Wednesday 10 January 2024 19:45 , Jane Dalton

A 48-year-old woman has been killed when Russian forces launched two guided aerial bombs on a village, officials have reportedly said.

One bomb hit a residential area in Vilkhuvatka in the Kharkiv region near the Russian border, killing the woman, according to Oleh Syniehubov, head of Kharkiv oblast military administration, on Telegram.

A shop and at least 10 houses were also damaged. The other bomb started a fire in a school, the State Emergency Service reported, according to the Kyiv Independent.

Moscow has been intensifying its military operations in the Kupiansk area, hoping to capture the city, the Ukrainian military warned.

Vilkhuvatka, southwest of Kharkiv (Google Maps)

UN to seek $3.1 bln in aid for Ukraine in 2024

Wednesday 10 January 2024 16:51 , Tom Watling

United Nations agencies will next week ask for $3.1 billion to finance aid to Ukraine this year, a senior humanitarian official official told the UN Security Council on Wednesday.

The comment - made by Edem Wosorno, director of the Operations and Advocacy Division for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) - comes as OCHA and the UN refugee agency prepare to launch their response plans for Ukraine on 15 January.

OCHA has said that more than 14.6 million people, or 40 percent of Ukraine's population, will require humanitarian assistance this year due to Russia's full-scale invasion. The conflict has also forced some 6.3 million people to flee abroad.

Russia exploits UN position by acquiring N.Korean missiles - US

Wednesday 10 January 2024 16:05 , Tom Watling

The United States and seven other nations on Wednesday accused Russia of exploiting its position as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council by acquiring North Korean missiles and firing them into Ukraine in violation of Council resolutions.

A permanent Security Council member that willingly engages in these violations demonstrates a clear exploitation of its position, said the statement by permanent Council members Britain, France and the United States, non-permanent members Malta, Slovenia and South Korea as well as Japan and Ukraine.

Russia is trying to divert attention from cooperation with the DPRK despite the arms embargo, which is why it convenes so many meetings in the UN Security Council - the US permanent mission to the organization



The United States also accuses the Russian Federation of repeatedly pic.twitter.com/OEbKp0JXZ4  NEXTA (@nexta_tv) January 10, 2024

Russian oil executive who fled to UK took his own life after assets frozen over war in Ukraine

Wednesday 10 January 2024 15:30 , Tom Watling

A Russian oil executive who fled to the UK and claimed political asylum has died by suicide after some of his assets were frozen over the war in Ukraine, The Independent can reveal.

Mikhail Anatolyevich Trushin, 61, worked for Yukos oil company, which was worth nearly $40bn at its peak in the early 2000s, but was effectively renationalised by Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Trushin was among a group of Yukos executives who fled Russia in 2004 after the chief executive, and prominent Russian dissident, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, was thrown in jail.

Russian oil executive who fled to UK took his own life after assets frozen

Ukraine seeks Indian investments to reconstruct war-hit economy

Wednesday 10 January 2024 15:00 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian leaders have pitched for India to help rebuild its war-ravaged economy at a business summit organised by India primarily to seek inward global investment.

Suggesting that Ukraines recovery would be a win-win for Ukraine and international partners, Kyivs deputy economy minister Volodymyr Kuzyo proposed a recovery vision for Ukraine in a presentation in Indias western Gujarat state.

The presence of senior Ukrainian officials marks a shift in bilateral ties, strained since Moscows invasion nearly two years ago and Indias unwillingness to call Russia out.

India has instead increased energy purchases from Russia to all-time highs, to the chagrin of some Western nations who support Ukraine in the war. India has traditionally strong ties with Russia, and beyond energy, it remains significantly dependent on it for arms, ammunition and nuclear technology.

At the seminar in Gujarat titled Ukraine and India: Investment Opportunities for a Better Future, the Ukrainian officials stressed that despite the war, momentum was strong for both Kyivs economy and its accession to the European Union.

Ukraine pegs private sector investment opportunities at over $30 billion (23.6bn), led largely by energy, but also seeks investment in reconstruction and infrastructure including motorways, sea and river ports, railroads, storage and distribution.

It also wants investment into demining, saying that of 156,000 square km of potentially-contaminated territories, only 50,000 have initial surveys, with equipment needed.

Mr Kuzyo said Indian investments could be supported by import duty relief, subsidies and international financial bodies and insurers support.

Kim Jong-un tours weapons factories amid global condemnation over Russia arms transfers

Wednesday 10 January 2024 14:30 , Tom Watling

Kim Jong-un has been photographed touring weapons factories in North Korea amid widespread international condemnation over his countrys arms shipments to Russia.

North Korea has emerged as an increasingly important ally to Russias Vladimir Putin after his decision to invade Ukraine left him otherwise largely isolated on the world stage.

US intelligence says Moscow has repeatedly fired North Korea-supplied missiles at Ukrainian targets in recent days, believed to be the first such incidents since Kim and Putin met to discuss arms deals and other increased cooperation.

Kim Jong-un tours weapons factories amid global condemnation over Russia transfers

Ukraine's Zelenskyy opens a visit to the Baltic nations, seeking more aid against Russia's invasion

Wednesday 10 January 2024 14:00 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in Lithuania ahead of visits to Estonia and Latvia, as Ukraine seeks more help to bolster its air defenses amid Russias intensified missile and drone onslaughts in the latest development of the 22-month war.

Ukraine's Zelenskyy opens a visit to the Baltic nations, seeking more aid against Russia's invasion

Lithuania to send 200m to Ukraine

Wednesday 10 January 2024 13:30 , Tom Watling

Lithuania will send an additional 200m (172m) support package to Ukraine, the countrys president has announced during a sit down with Volodymyr Zelensky.

Lithuanian president Gitanas Nauseda, speaking from the capital of Vilnius, said they would send ammunition, generations and denotation systems to Ukraine later this month, while they would also provide M5777 armoured personnel carriers in February.

Mr Zelensky is in Lithuania for the first leg of his Baltic tour.

Glad to welcome in Vilnius my dear friend @ZelenskyyUa, symbol of Ukraine's resistance to Russia's aggression and heroic fight for freedom.



We believe in Ukraine's victory and will continue supporting you!  ,   !  pic.twitter.com/XStydB83zX  Gitanas Nauseda (@GitanasNauseda) January 10, 2024

Alexei Navalny seen on video for first time since transfer to Arctic prison

Wednesday 10 January 2024 13:00 , Tom Watling

Zelensky says there is no pressure from Ukraines partners to stop fighting

Wednesday 10 January 2024 12:29 , Tom Watling

Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky has said there is no pressure from the countrys partners to stop the fight against Russia.

His comments come after Italys defence minister said now was the time to enter into serious negotiations with Russia about a ceasefire.

Time for diplomacy in Ukraine, Italy's defence minister says

Wednesday 10 January 2024 12:00 , Tom Watling

The time has come for diplomacy to pave the way for peace between Russia and Ukraine, Italys defence minister has said, adding that firm Western support for Kyiv was crucial to ensure serious negotiations.

From this perspective ... it would seem that the time has come for incisive diplomacy, alongside military support, because there are a number of important signals coming from both sides, Guido Crosetto said.

Russia is progressively showing willingness to negotiate and safeguard its economy, while Ukraines stance appears less uncompromising than before, he said.

All of this must be taken into consideration on the path towards negotiations to stop the conflict and the subsequent process of normalisation of relations, not only of Russia with Ukraine, but also with Western countries, he said.

Russia has claimed it is ready for peace talks if Ukraine takes account of new realities, suggesting an acknowledgement that Russia controls about 17.5% of Ukrainian territory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, has rejected any notion that Moscow is interested in talks, telling the Economist magazine this month that Russia would only agree to a pause in fighting if it needed a break to replenish its army.

Zelensky has said Russia is only interested in recouping its military, not a ceasefire

Zelensky arrives in Lithuania

Wednesday 10 January 2024 11:13 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Lithuania and is now on his way to his first meeting with his Lithuanian counterpart.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived on an unannounced visit to Lithuania



Today he will hold talks with the Lithuanian authorities in Vilnius and later visit Riga and Tallinn. pic.twitter.com/EIJGUTP8Bj  NEXTA (@nexta_tv) January 10, 2024

Russia's Navalny jokes about 'naked party' in first video link from new prison

Wednesday 10 January 2024 10:46 , Tom Watling

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny has cracked jokes in his first court appearance since being transferred to an Arctic penal colony, but a judge rejected his latest challenge against his treatment in prison.

Mr Navalny appeared by video link from the Penal Wolf colony to which he was transferred last month from a prison in Melekhovo, east of Moscow, in an arduous three-week journey by road and rail.

He drew laughter from the judge when he asked on the call whether the Melekhovo colony had thrown a party to celebrate his departure, and whether it had included karaoke.

He later inquired if the prison department in Melekhovo had staged a naked party - a reference to a gathering of scantily clad celebrities in Moscow last month that caused a national scandal.

The exchanges showed Mr Navalnys ability to find humour even in his grim situation and to connect with the outside world despite being sent to one of Russias most remote and inhospitable regions.

His frequent court hearings have provided him with a platform to keep up his attacks on President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine and to challenge and mock his incarcerators.

He told judge Kirill Nikiforov, who has presided over many such sessions, that "a tear is flowing down my cheek" from the pleasure of seeing him again.

Navalny, 47, is serving sentences totalling more than 30 years on a range of charges, from fraud to extremist activity, that he says were trumped up to silence him. In 2020 he survived an attempt to poison him with a nerve agent.

1/4 Tomorrow, January 11, I will appear in the Supreme Court via video. It's about my lawsuit to invalidate the clauses in the internal regulations limiting the amount of religious literature.  Alexey Navalny (@navalny) January 10, 2024

Russia inadvertently bombing own territories and occupied Ukraine due to inadequate training and crew fatigue

Wednesday 10 January 2024 10:15 , Tom Watling

Russian forces have inadvertently dropped munitions on two positions populated either by native Russians or occupied Ukrianians, the British Ministry of Defence has reported.

In its latest intelligence update, the MoD said Russia had accidentally discharged two aerial munitions on two separate occasions in the past week.

The first, the MoD said, damaged nine residential properties in Russias Voronezh Oblast, which borders northeast Ukraine.

The second incident led to an unguided munition being dropped over the village of Rubizhne in occupied Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine. It was confirmed by the pro-Russian head of the Luhansk Peoples Republic, a militia that has ruled parts of the region since 2014.

The MoD said the potential for these accidents to occur was likely exacerbated by inadequate training and crew fatigue, leading to poor execution of tactics during missions.

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine  10 January 2024.



Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/iwtfBkgxq1 #StandWithUkraine  pic.twitter.com/4EAceNIJRT  Ministry of Defence  (@DefenceHQ) January 10, 2024

What the Republican candidates have said on the war in Ukraine

Wednesday 10 January 2024 09:45 , Tom Watling

As President Joe Biden likes to remind anyone who will listen, This is not your grandfathers Republican Party.

That has never been more evident than when examining the way the 2024 Republican presidential candidates approach the topic of Ukraine.

Support for Ukraine is dividing the GOP field. Several candidates believe the US should continue to support the war effort  a stance that adheres to more traditional Republican foreign policy beliefs.

For years, leaders in the GOP like George W Bush sounded alarms about Russia and supported Nato membership for Ukraine.

What are the Republican candidates views on the war in Ukraine

Ukraines Zelensky makes surprise visit to Baltic region

Wednesday 10 January 2024 09:20 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has begun a multi-nation tour through the Baltics to drum up further support for a difficult year ahead.

Mr Zelensky travelled to Lithuania on Wednesday and will continue on to Latvia and Estonia in the coming days.

The Ukrainian president will hold a joint press conference scheduled for 1125 GMT on Wednesday with the Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Lithuania separately said.

Mr Zelensky will also give a public speech, Mr Nausedas office said.

The surprise visit to Vilnius, a staunch supporter of Kyiv, comes as Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine is nearing its second anniversary.

The presidents will discuss the war in Ukraine, support for Ukraine and its integration in the European Union and NATO, Mr Nausedas office said in a statement.

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are our reliable friends and principled partners.



Today, I arrived in Vilnius before going to Tallinn and Riga.



I will hold talks with the President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Seimas, as well as meet with politicians, the media, and the  Volodymyr Zelenskyy /   (@ZelenskyyUa) January 10, 2024

Zelenskyy, Blinken, Israeli president and more will come to Davos to talk about global challenges

Wednesday 10 January 2024 09:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

More than 60 heads of state and government and hundreds of business leaders are coming to Switzerland to discuss the biggest global challenges during the World Economic Forums annual gathering next week, ranging from Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The likes of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and many others will descend on the Alpine ski resort town of Davos on Jan. 15-19, organizers said Tuesday.

Attendees have their work cut out for them with two major wars  the Israel-Hamas conflict and Russias invasion of Ukraine  plus problems like climate change, major disruptions to trade in the Red Sea, a weak global economy and misinformation powered by rapidly advancing artificial intelligence in a major election year.

Zelenskyy, Blinken, Israeli president and more will come to Davos to talk about global challenges

A US citizen has been arrested in Moscow on drug charges

Wednesday 10 January 2024 08:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A U.S. citizen has been arrested on drug charges in Russia, officials said Tuesday, a move that comes amid soaring Russia-U.S. tensions over Ukraine.

The arrest of Robert Woodland Romanov was reported by the press service of the Moscow courts. It said the Ostankino District Court ruled on Saturday to keep him in custody for two months on charges of preparing to get involved in illegal drug trafficking pending an official investigation. It didnt offer any details of the accusations.

There was no immediate comment from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.

A US citizen has been arrested in Moscow on drug charges

US's Sullivan, South Korean official discuss North Korea arms transfers -White House

Wednesday 10 January 2024 08:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan discussed North Koreas transfer of missiles to Russia in a call on Tuesday with his South Korean counterpart Chang Ho-jin, the White House said in a statement.

Sullivan and Chang condemned in the strongest possible terms North Koreas transfer of the missiles, the White House said. They also discussed the provocative actions (North Korea) has taken along the demilitarized zone, it said.

(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Russian billionaire who bought Trumps mansion blames Sothebys after losing millions on art

Wednesday 10 January 2024 08:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Sothebys has defended itself at a trial against accusations that it helped defraud a Russian oligarch out of tens of millions of dollars, saying it knew nothing of wrongdoing by an art buyer who advised the billionaire on buying works by famed artists like Amedeo Modigliani and Leonardo da Vinci.

Sothebys attorney Sara Shudofsky told a jury in an opening statement in Manhattan federal court that billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev was trying to make an innocent party pay for what somebody else did to him.

Shudofsky said the fertilizer magnate had good reason to be angry with himself after spending hundreds of millions of dollars to buy art masterpieces without taking the most basic steps to protect himself from a broker who cheated him.

Russian billionaire who bought Trumps mansion blames Sothebys after losing millions

Russia to start serial production of Drel glide bombs this year

Wednesday 10 January 2024 07:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia plans to start serial production of its new glide Drel bomb this year, the state TASS news agency cited a representative of the Rostec state defence conglomerate as saying in remarks published on Wednesday.

The bombs, some of Russias newest weapons, are capable of flying independently using a gliding flight path onto a target at a greater distance and opening above it at the right moment, TASS reported.

To date, the product has passed all types of tests, TASS cited an unnamed representative at Rostec as saying.

The production of the first batch of the Drel aerial bomb is planned for 2024.

The Drel is designed to destroy armoured vehicles, ground-based radar stations, power plant control centres and anti-aircraft missile systems, TASS said. Military analysts say it is also resistant to jamming and to radar detection, making it difficult to destroy.

Russian and Western sources say Drel is a type of cluster bomb. Cluster munitions are prohibited by more than 100 countries. They typically release large numbers of smaller bomblets that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area. Those that fail to explode can pose a danger for decades.

Kim Jong-un tours weapons factories amid global condemnation over Russia arms transfers

Wednesday 10 January 2024 07:13 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Kim Jong-un has been photographed touring weapons factories in North Korea amid widespread international condemnation over his countrys arms shipments to Russia.

North Korea has emerged as an increasingly important ally to Russias Vladimir Putin after his decision to invade Ukraine left him otherwise largely isolated on the world stage.

US intelligence says Moscow has repeatedly fired North Korea-supplied missiles at Ukrainian targets in recent days, believed to be the first such incidents since Kim and Putin met to discuss arms deals and other increased cooperation.

Kim Jong-un tours weapons factories amid global condemnation over Russia transfers

Ukrainian hackers target Russia

Wednesday 10 January 2024 06:00 , Alexander Butler

Hackers linked to Ukraines main spy agency have breached computer systems at a Moscow-based internet provider in retaliation for a Russian cyber attack against Ukrainian telecom giant Kyivstar, a source with direct knowledge of the operation told Reuters on Tuesday.

The hacking group, dubbed Blackjack, has previously been linked to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The hackers deleted 20 terrabytes of data at M9 Telecom, a small Russian internet and TV provider, leaving some Moscow residents without internet, the source said.

The digital intrusion was a warm-up for a larger cyber attack which would be serious revenge for Kyivstar, the source said, citing the hackers. The source did not say when the hack took place.

Woman killed in Ukrainian shelling of Russia

Wednesday 10 January 2024 05:00 , Alexander Butler

A woman was killed in Ukrainian shelling of Russias Kursk region and drones struck a fuel facility in the neighbouring region of Oryol, the two regions governors said on Tuesday, amid an escalation of cross-border attacks.

In a statement posted on the Telegram messaging app, Kursk region governor Roman Starovoit said a woman had been killed by shelling in the village of Gornal, near the border with Ukraine.

At least five drones were shot down over the Kursk region on Tuesday, Starovoit and Russias defence ministry said.

Wednesday 10 January 2024 04:00 , Alexander Butler

Ukrainian manufacturers have ramped up output of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to the extent that Kyivs current drone procurement budgets are not sufficient to buy everything being produced, Ukraines technology minister said on Tuesday.

Mykhailo Fedorov, a deputy prime minister who also handles the digital brief, has championed the use of drones to fight off the Russian invasion since its early days.

As of today, the market has accelerated much faster than the amount of money to buy all the UAVs, Fedorov told Ukrainian national television.

Therefore we need to increase financing and open up markets further, so that prices fall thanks to competition and localisation of part (production) begins, he said.

UAVs have been widely used by both Ukraine and Russia in the 22-month war, providing armies with constant eyes in the sky and allowing them to destroy into targets hundreds of times the drones value, such as air defence systems and advanced radars.

Ukraine speaks with Poland about Kyivs defence needs

Wednesday 10 January 2024 03:00 , Alexander Butler

Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda and discussed Polish support of Ukraines defence needs, Kyiv said.

The statement did not mention the blockade of Ukraines border by Polish farmers and truckers, which started in November and has caused significant disruption to Ukraines economy.

In September, Warsaw said it would stop exporting weapons to Ukraine and would instead invest the money in arming Poland, which has been one of Ukraines staunchest allies since Russia invaded last year, with the most modern weapons.

The row between the neighbouring countries began when Poland imposed an import ban on Ukrainian grain, including wheat and maize, after an EU-brokered deal expired.

The deal, which ended on 15 September 2023, allowed Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia to ban the sale of Ukrainian grain, which they claim has flooded the European market and undercut domestic grain prices since Putins invasion, damaging their economies.

But Ukraine launched a legal challenge at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on Monday after Poland reinstated the ban, claiming the country had failed to meet its international obligations.

Zelensky spoke with Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda, who is under pressure by Polish farmers over exports (AP)

Hundreds of Russian soldiers surrender to Ukraine using I want to live hotline

Wednesday 10 January 2024 02:00 , Alexander Butler

Hundreds of Russian soldiers have defected from Vladimir Putins army using an I want to live hotline set up by Ukraine, military intelligence officials in Kyiv have revealed.

Created just days before Russias partial mobilisation of 300,000 reservists in September 2022, the hotline has reportedly received tens of thousands of calls and has led to 220 soldiers defecting to Ukraine.

Kyivs military intelligence unit (GUR), which launched the initiative, said a website that accompanies the hotline has been visited more than 48 million times in 15 months.

Hundreds of Russian soldiers surrender to Ukraine using I want to live hotline

Jailed Putin critic Navalny jokes about freezing penal colony

Wednesday 10 January 2024 01:00 , Alexander Butler

Jailed Putin critic Alexei Navalny quipped that there was nothing more invigorating than a walk in freezing Yamal, Siberia, in the early hours of the morning, following his exile to a remote penal colony in December.

After weeks of speculation around his wellbeing, Mr Navalny was tracked down to the IK-3 penal colony in Kharp in the Yamal-Nenets region, about 1,200 miles northeast of Moscow, last month.

But in a Telegram message, Mr Navalny has joked about the freezing conditions and the walks he has to do during the early hours of the morning.

It has not been colder than -32C yet. Nothing quite invigorates you like a walk in Yamal at 6.30am in the morning. Even at this temperature, you can walk for more than half an hour only if you manage to grow a new nose, new ears and new fingers, he said.

Navalny has joked about the freezing conditions of the penal colony he was moved to last month (REUTERS)

More than 1,000 Ukrainian towns and villages without electricity

Wednesday 10 January 2024 00:01 , Alexander Butler

Ukraines power grid operator has said severe winter weather has left more than 1,000 towns and villages without electricity in nine regions.

Electricity consumption was at this weeks highest levels as temperatures fell to about -15C in many parts of the country, grid operator Ukrenergo said.

The consumption level continues to grow due to the considerable drop in temperature across the country, it said on the Telegram messaging app, adding that electricity consumption in the morning was already 5.8 per cent higher than the day before.

Israel-Hamas war taking attention away from Ukraine, Cameron says

Tuesday 9 January 2024 23:00 , Alexander Butler

The war between Israel and Hamas is taking attention away from the Ukraine conflict, the UK foreign secretary has said.

It is certainly taking attention away from Ukraine, which I think is a pity, Lord Cameron told MPs at the foreign affairs select committee.

I think its the job of the strongest supporters of Ukraine - of which I would say Britain is rightly one - to do everything we can to keep it as high up the agenda as possible, he added.

The UK Foreign Secretary said it was a pity the conflict between Israel and Hamas was taking attention away from Ukraine (PA Wire)

US citizen arrested in Moscow on drug charges

Tuesday 9 January 2024 22:00 , Alexander Butler

A US citizen has been arrested on drug charges in Russia amid tensions between Washington and Moscow over Putins war in Ukraine.

Robert Woodland Romanov, who is reported to have been born in Russia and later adopted by an American couple, was ordered to remain in custody for two months on charges of preparing to get involved in illegal drug trafficking pending an official investigation.

It comes as Washington has sought to win the release of jailed Americans Paul Whelan and journalist Evan Gershkovich, but said offers so far have been rejected by the Kremlin.

A US citizen has been arrested in Moscow on drug charges

Ukrainian poet fighting Russian invasion killed in war, says mother

Tuesday 9 January 2024 21:00 , Alexander Butler

A Ukrainian poet who was serving as a volunteer on the war frontline against Russias invasion has been killed, his mother said in a Facebook post, Arpan Rai reports.

The writers association PEN Ukraine also confirmed the death of poet Maksym Kryvtsov.

Poet and soldier Maksym Kryvtsov died in the war. This was reported by his mother, and later by Ukrainian writers on their pages in social networks, it said in a statement on Facebook on Sunday.

Ukrainian poet fighting Russian invasion killed in war, says mother

Is Russia reviving Soviet anti-spy agency?

Tuesday 9 January 2024 20:00 , Andy Gregory

Russian operatives have been pictured wearing uniform patches bearing the name of a Soviet counter-intelligence agency set up by Joseph Stalin during the Second World War, Britains Ministry of Defence has said.

In late 2023, Russian politicians claimed that the Soviet counter-intelligence (CI) organisation Smersh was being re-established. In early January 2024, an open-source image showed operatives apparently wearing Smersh uniform patches, the ministry said.

An abbreviation of the Russian phrase for death to spies, Joseph Stalin established the original organisation which existed from 1941-1946. In the West, it became known via its fictionalised portrayal in Ian Flemings James Bond books.

It is unclear whether the new name indicates any substantive new capabilities or role for Russias CI function, or whether it is merely a re-badging. However, it provides another example of how the Russian authorities consciously couch the Russia-Ukraine conflict in the spirit of the Second World War, and their strong focus on the supposed infiltration of external threats into the country.

Nuclear fuel gets 300m boost as ministers say Putin will not hold UK to ransom

Tuesday 9 January 2024 19:00 , Alexander Butler

The UK is to launch a 300m drive to push Vladimir Putin further out of the global energy market through an investment in hi-tech nuclear fuel, The Independents Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports.

Ministers will vow to end what they say is Russias reign as the only commercial producer of a type of enriched uranium needed for the next generation of reactors.

It comes as the world prepares for the second anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine next month.

Nuclear fuel gets 300m boost as ministers say Putin will not hold UK to ransom

Russia puts exiled tycoon and opposition leader on wanted list

Tuesday 9 January 2024 18:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russias Ministry of Internal Affairs has put exiled Russian tycoon and opposition leader Mikhail Khodorkovsky on its wanted list, accusing him of spreading false information about the Russian army, Russian state news agency Tass said.

The charge carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, Tass said.

A criminal case was opened against Mr Khodorkovsky in September regarding comments he made online about payments for Russian soldiers killed in the war in Ukraine, Tass said.

Mr Khodorkovsky already spent a decade in prison in Russia on charges widely seen as political revenge for challenging President Vladimir Putins rule in the early 2000s.

He now lives in London and has frequently criticised Mr Putins war in Ukraine on his social media accounts.

In December, Mr Khodorkovsky said Russia is a fully-fledged totalitarian dictatorship and that he wants to fight for a Russia governed by the rule of law and political pluralism.

Mr Khodorkovsky was previously put on Russias wanted list in 2015 after Russian authorities accused him of involvement in the 1998 killing of a Siberian mayor, accusations which he dismissed as a sham.

Ukraine producing more drones than state can purchase, minister says

Tuesday 9 January 2024 17:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian manufacturers have ramped up output of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to the extent that Kyivs current drone procurement budgets are not sufficient to buy everything being produced, Ukraines technology minister said on Tuesday.

Mykhailo Fedorov, a deputy prime minister who also handles the digital brief, has championed the use of drones to fight off the Russian invasion since its early days.

As of today, the market has accelerated much faster than the amount of money to buy all the UAVs, Fedorov told Ukrainian national television.

Therefore we need to increase financing and open up markets further, so that prices fall thanks to competition and localisation of part (production) begins, he said.

UAVs have been widely used by both Ukraine and Russia in the 22-month war, providing armies with constant eyes in the sky and allowing them to destroy into targets hundreds of times the drones value, such as air defence systems and advanced radars.

Aerial vehicles are the most commonly used type of drone, although sea and land-borne devices are also being deployed.

According to the minister, there are now about 200 companies in Ukraine making drones, and approximately 70 local firms have now signed contracts to supply drones to the state.

One killed in Ukrainian shelling of Russia's Kursk region, drones hit fuel complex

Tuesday 9 January 2024 17:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A woman was killed in Ukrainian shelling of Russias Kursk region and drones struck a fuel facility in the neighbouring region of Orlyov, the two regions governors said on Tuesday, amid an escalation of cross-border attacks.

In a statement posted on the Telegram messaging app, Kursk region governor Roman Starovoit said a woman had been killed by shelling in the village of Gornal, near the border with Ukraine.

At least five drones were shot down over the Kursk region on Tuesday, Starovoit and Russias defence ministry said.

The governor of Oryol region, Andrei Klychkov, said two drones had hit a fuel facility, injuring three and causing a fire that was later extinguished. He said three drones had been shot shown.

In a statement posted on Telegram, Klychkov called the events an enemy attack.

Russian border regions have repeatedly come under fire from Ukraine in recent months. On Dec. 30, at least 20 people were killed in a missile strike on the city of Belgorod, 40 km (25 miles) from Ukraine, Russian media said.

Russia has also recently fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Ukrainian cities, including some far behind the frontline, Ukrainian officials have said.

In the latest strike this week, Russia fired 51 missiles of various types, killing at least four people and hitting civilian infrastructure, they said.

Italian city halts event appearing to promote Russian war in Ukraine

Tuesday 9 January 2024 16:36 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Italian city of Modena on Tuesday blocked the use of a public hall to host a private event on the reconstruction of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, saying it appears to openly support Russias war in Ukraine.

Mariupol, a port on the Sea of Azov in southern Ukraine, was the scene of some of the heaviest fighting in the early stages of Moscows invasion in 2022. It had been almost completely destroyed by shelling when Russia captured and occupied it in May 2022 after a protracted siege.

The conference and exhibition Mariupol. Rebirth after the War, organised by the Russia Emilia-Romagna cultural association, aims to showcase the citys reconstruction with invited panelists including the Russian consul general in Milan, Dmitry Shtodin, according to the organisers website.

The council in Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region, withdrew its approval to use a civic hall for the Jan. 20 event after new information arose, it said in a statement.

It added that the makeup of the panel did not appear consistent with the commitment not to practise fascist and racist ideologies, and it violates Italys commitment to promote peace and international relations.

Ukraines ambassador, Yaroslav Melnyk, had called it an open insult to the memory of thousands of civilian victims.

The decision protects the community from the spread of Russian propaganda in Italy, the Ukrainian embassy in Rome said on the X social media platform.

The Embassy of the Russian Federation in Rome and the Russia Emilia-Romagna cultural association did not reply to requests for comment.

Detention of Russian theatre director and playwright accused of 'justifying terrorism' extended till March

Tuesday 9 January 2024 16:03 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Moscow court said on Tuesday it had extended until March 10 the detention of a prominent Russian theatre director and a playwright who have been held since last May on charges of justifying terrorism.

Director Yevgenia (Zhenya) Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk are accused of vindicating terrorism in the award-winning play, Finist, the Brave Falcon, which is about Russian women who married Islamic State fighters.

Investigators opened the case against the two women last May over Petriychuks play, which premiered in 2020 under Berkovichs direction.

Since Russia sent its armed forces into Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has intensified a clampdown on freedom of expression, and encouraged citizens to report anyone they suspect of demonstrating disloyalty.

The detention of the two women has drawn condemnation from several prominent Russian artists and cultural figures. The play won two Golden Mask national theatre awards in 2022 and Berkovich also received a nomination for best director.

Russian theatre director Yevgenia Berkovich (REUTERS)

Ukrainian poet fighting Russian invasion killed in war, says mother

Tuesday 9 January 2024 15:24 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Ukrainian poet who was serving as a volunteer on the war frontline against Russias invasion has been killed, his mother said in a Facebook post.

The writers association PEN Ukraine also confirmed the death of poet Maksym Kryvtsov.

Poet and soldier Maksym Kryvtsov died in the war. This was reported by his mother, and later by Ukrainian writers on their pages in social networks, it said in a statement on Facebook on Sunday.

Ukrainian poet fighting Russian invasion killed in war, says mother

Ukrainian shelling injures three in Russia's Belgorod, governor says

Tuesday 9 January 2024 14:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian shelling injured three people in the Russian region of Belgorod late on Monday and air defences downed 10 RM-70 Vampir rockets, Russian officials and the defence ministry said.

Belgorod has come under repeated attack from Ukrainian forces in recent weeks. A missile and drone attack late last month killed 25 civilians, including five children.

The city of Belgorod was shelled again last night, and people were injured, Gladkov said on the Telegram messaging app.

Now there are three people in intensive care, all of them have undergone surgeries. Doctors assess their condition as stable and severe.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Gladkov said the attack blew out windows in two multi-story apartment buildings and several cars were damaged.

Russias defence ministry said air defences had shot down 10 rockets fired from the RM-70 Vampir multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS). Since the start of the war, the Ukrainian military reportedly received a number of the RM-70 Vampir rockets systems from the Czech Republic.

Gladkov said he had turned to other regions for help in accommodating children from Belgorod and that if necessary teachers would also be sent out of the region.

(AP)

Putin's forces suffering significant losses in east

Tuesday 9 January 2024 14:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraines military has claimed to be causing Russia significant losses as Vladimir Putins army surrounds Adviivka.

In an update today, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said: In the area of responsibility of the operative and strategic grouping of troops Tavriya in the Avdiivka direction, Ukrainian defenders continue to restrain the enemy who does not abandon attempts to surround Avdiivka.

Our soldiers are steadfastly holding the defense, causing the occupiers significant losses. Yes, the Defense Forces over the past day repelled 3 attacks of the enemy near Avdiivka, Northern, Tonenky and 15 more attacks near Pervomayskogo and Nevelsky Donetsk region.

(General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine)

One killed in Ukrainian shelling of Russias Kursk region

Tuesday 9 January 2024 13:43 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A woman was killed in Ukrainian shelling of Russias Kursk region and drones struck a fuel facility in the neighbouring region of Orlyov, the two regions governors said on Tuesday, amid an escalation of cross-border attacks.

In a statement posted on the Telegram messaging app, Kursk region governor Roman Starovoit said a woman had been killed by shelling in the village of Gornal, near the border with Ukraine.

At least five drones were shot down over the Kursk region on Tuesday, Starovoit and Russias defence ministry said.

The governor of Oryol region, Andrei Klychkov, said two drones had hit a fuel facility, injuring three and causing a fire that was later extinguished. He said three drones had been shot shown.

In a statement posted on Telegram, Klychkov called the events an enemy attack.

Russian border regions have repeatedly come under fire from Ukraine in recent months. On Dec. 30, at least 20 people were killed in a missile strike on the city of Belgorod, 40 km (25 miles) from Ukraine, Russian media said.

Russia has also recently fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Ukrainian cities, including some far behind the frontline, Ukrainian officials have said.
Geologists recently uncovered a unique ecosystem in the high plateau desert of Argentina.

The life found in the areas lagoons could give clues to how life could have existed on primordial Earthwhen our planet had almost nonexistent oxygen in the atmosphere.

The 12-lagoon network features microbial communities that may still be growing, even though they are located in one of Earths harshest climates.

Scientists are still discovering unknown and exciting environments on Earth. The latest findlocated 12,000 feet above sea level in Argentinas Puna de Atacamanot only boasts 12 stunning crystal-clear lagoons spread across about 25 acres, but may also hold clues to what the early days of life on Earth (and Mars?) may have looked like.

Its all thanks to stromatolitescomplex microbial communities (formed primarily by microbes called cyanobacteria) that grow giant mounds of rock as they age. This particular stromatolite community is developing unlike any other in the modern world, even amidst the harsh Atacama climate of rare rainfall and unrelenting sun.

This lagoon could be one of the best modern examples of the earliest signs of life on Earth, Brian Hynek, a University of Colorado geologist who helped document the unique ecosystem, said in a statement. Its unlike anything Ive ever seen or, really, like anything any scientist has ever seen.

Finding this alien environment, as Hynek describes itwhich was previously entirely unknown, let alone unexploredwas somewhat of an interesting happenstance. After traveling for nine hours on a dirt road to northwest Argentina, Hynek was searching through satellite images of the surrounding desert when he saw what he thought could have been a network of lagoons.

Hynek and microbiologist Maria Farias then hiked several miles to reach the region, at times sinking to their knees in salt slush. Once they arrived at the lagoon network, Hynek said, he knew theyd trekked into the unknown for a reason. Before them were massive stromatolitesmounds of green growth, some up to 15 feet wide and several feet high.

We think these mounds are actually growing from the microbes, he said, which is what was happening in the oldest ones. The layers are formed from gypsumcommon in stromatolite fossils, but absent in almost all modern examplesand include layers of single-celled organisms associated with Earths most extreme locations.

Modern stromatolites, most commonly found off the coast of the Bahamas, are relatively small and grow simply by trapping sand. Ancient stromatolites, though, are known to reach 20 feet in height and used various minerals to reach that size. The Atacama lagoon is reminiscent of those ancient examples.

Understanding why and how these mounds have been able to form in Argentina is the next step. The team thinks that the lagoons environment may resemble that of an ancient Earth, with salty and acidic waters and extreme levels of solar radiation. This would make this region an area with huge potential for researching the earliest days of life on Earth.

And is could have off-world scientific potential as well. If life ever evolved on Mars to the level of fossils, it would have been like this, Hynek said. Understanding these modern communities on Earth could inform us about what we should look for as we search for similar features in the Martian rocks.

Unfortunately, the team will need to search for more clues quickly. Acompany has already secured a lease to mine the area for lithium, which would allow drilling to begin shortly. This entire, unique ecosystem could be gone in a matter of years, Hynek said. Were hoping that we can protect some of these sites, or at least detail whats there before its gone or disturbed forever.

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In December, more than 330 guided bombs were dropped by the enemy from tactical aircraftt; their use has not been recorded since December 22, Head of the press center of the Defense Forces of southern Ukraine Natalia Humeniuk said.

"The work on aviation in our area of responsibility was essential and indicative, because we remember: the enemy very powerfully used tactical aviation, using in the direction of the combat line with the dropping of guided bombs. Both on the populated areas of the right bank, and later on the bridgehead of the left bank. In general, we can say that there were more than 330 guided bombs in December alone, which were dropped from tactical aircraft," Humeniuk said at a briefing in Odesa on Tuesday.

She said after December 22, when two planes were destroyed in Kherson direction, "the enemy seriously thought about what to do and how to counteract."

"Since December 22, we have not recorded a single launch of guided bombs in our area of responsibility. Not only on dry land, but also in the Black Sea," Humeniuk said.
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In December, the enemy was especially active in using FPV drones; in some areas they are beginning to replace enemy artillery, Head of the press center of the Defense Forces of southern Ukraine Natalia Humeniuk said.

"A characteristic feature of December was the enemy's increased use of FPV drones. FPV drones in some areas are beginning to replace enemy artillery, which we destroy, knock out, and strike firing positions. We counted 112 strikes by FPV drones," Humeniuk said at a briefing in Odesa on Tuesday.

According to her, a UAV complex operates in parallel, to which the enemy attaches fragmentation ammunition.

"More than 220 such ammunition was fired at the civilian population of Kherson region. The right bank especially suffers from such defeats. Over the past two weeks, the enemy has intensified this activity on the opposite bank of Dnipro-Buh estuary," Humeniuk said.

The Defense Forces also said almost every night in December the Russians attacked with drones in the south.

"If we talk from December 1 to today, there were four nights without drone attacks in our area of responsibility. Let me remind her once that our area of responsibility is Vinnytsia, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson regions, Kryvy Rih district of Dnipropetrovsk region and part of Kirovohrad region," Humeniuk said.

According to her information, in total in December there were 270 drones that were released in the specified area of responsibility.
Netanyahu says peace depends on Hamas end, demilitarized Gaza Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outlined three prerequisites to achieving peace in its war with Hamas: the destruction of the group, the demilitarization of Gaza and for Palestinian society to be deradicalized, according to Bloomberg. The comments, made in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal published Monday, come amid rising pressure on Israel to [] The post Netanyahu says peace depends on Hamas end, demilitarized Gaza appeared first on Stiri online, ultimele stiri, presa online, ziar online - Sursazilei.ro . Citeste articolul mai departe pe sursazilei.ro

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- The United States vetoed a resolution at the United Nations Security Council Friday demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, as civilian casualties rise amid Israels military campaign against the Palestinian militant group Hamas, according to Politico. The resolution, introduced by the United Arab

- Israel is coming under increasing pressure to agree to an extension of a four-day pause in its war with Hamas, according to Bloomberg. US President Joe Biden said he supports prolonging the cease-fire, which is due to end on Tuesday morning and part of a deal to free hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

- Hamas said the group is close to reaching a truce agreement with Israel via Qatari mediation in rare public comments that suggest talks over freeing some hostages are progressing and could lead to a limited pause in fighting, according to Bloomberg. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyehs announcement came

- French President Emmanuel Macron called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas for the first time at the Gaza aid conference in Paris on Thursday, adding that France will increase its financial support to Gaza, according to Euractiv. On Thursday, France hosted an international humanitarian conference

- The United Nations said no foreigners, dual-nationals or injured Palestinians were able to leave the Gaza Strip over the weekend and its unclear whether theyll be able to anytime soon, according to Bloomberg. The development came after Hamas accused Israel of endangering a deal that allowed some to

- Luptatorii miscarii extremiste Hamas, care au comis seria de atentate de pe 7 octombrie din Israel, au fost antrenati in Iran, potrivit unor surse citate de Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Aproximativ 500 de militanti din organizatiile Hamas si Jihadul Islamic din Palestina au participat in septembrie la

- Orice escaladare a razboiului dintre Israel si organizatia islamista Hamas, care controleaza Fasia Gaza, genereaza riscuri majore pentru economia globala, in special prin efectele asupra preturilor la energie si asupra blocarii unor rute comerciale esentiale, potrivit unei analize a publicatiei CNBC,

- Israeli forces kept up their bombardment of Gaza on Monday after diplomatic efforts to arrange a ceasefire to allow foreign passport holders to leave and aid to be brought into the besieged Palestinian enclave failed, according to Reuters. Residents of Hamas-ruled Gaza said overnight air strikes were
Google concediaza sute de angajati

Google a declarat ca va concedia sute de persoane la unitatea sa de asistenta vocala, in acelasi timp, cateva sute de roluri vor fi eliminate in echipa de hardware responsabila pentru Pixel, Nest si Fitbit, si majoritatea persoanelor din echipa de realitate augmentata (AR) vor fi concediate. Sute de roluri in echipa centrala de [citeste mai departe]
Telangana citizens now have the opportunity to pay their pending challans at only the fractional value of the fine. The new Congress government has announced a waiver on the pending traffic challans for the state road users. Hyderabad Traffic Police received multiple tweets until today morning as the violators were not able to get access to declared discounts. The traffic police took it to platform X and revealed that it had not received any official confirmation from the government yet. Soon after, the government issued a go for the announced waiver on old challans.

@HYDTP sir I am trying to pay the amount of challan but the discount of 80% isn't showing is the started aren't  Shaikh Akif BRS (@AKIFSAHIKH) December 26, 2023

Waiver On Challan For RTC Drivers

The government has offered a 90 per cent discount in respect of push carts. The owners will have to pay only 10 per cent of the challan amount while the remaining 90 per cent will be waived off. The same discount is offered for RTC drivers.

Waiver For 2-Wheelers, 3-Wheelers, & 4-Wheelers

For two-wheelers and three-wheelers, 80 per cent of the challan amount is waived off. The discount in case of cars and other light motor vehicles and trucks and other heavy motor vehicles is 60 per cent.

GM to all Netizens, we are receiving multiple tweets and msg's on social media platforms regarding discount. But yet, we havent received any official confirmation. Once we receive we will update the same on Social Media platforms.

Thanks



Regards

Hyderabad Traffic Police.  Hyderabad Traffic Police (@HYDTP) December 26, 2023

The Congress, in its election manifesto, had promised to offer a discount on traffic challans to provide relief to vehicle owners.

Also Read - Mahindra Thar SUV Makes Way Through River To Skip Traffic In Manali: Watch Video

People have been advised to visit the Telangana traffic e-challan website, check pending challan against their vehicles and pay the discounted amount online. It is estimated that about two crore traffic challans are pending across the state.

Till March 31, 2022, a total of 2.4 crore challans were pending.

Last year, the then BRS government offered a discount to enable vehicle owners to clear their challans. For two-wheelers, a 75 per cent discount was offered while for the rest of the categories, a 50 per cent challan amount was waived off. The traffic police had earned Rs 300 crore during the 45-day period. About 65 per cent of the challans were cleared.
The construction of the grand Ram temple at Ram Janmabhoomi Ayodhya has captured the attention of the nation and the world. Currently, the final preparations for the consecration of Ramlala in the temple are underway, with the designated date being January 22, 2024.

However, the noteworthy aspect is that Lord Ram's consecration will take place within a brief and auspicious window of only 84 seconds! This brief interlude, devoid of Panch Baan, is anticipated to serve as a crucial moment for India. Let's delve into the details.

As per the insights provided by the pundits of Kashi regarding the auspicious Muhurat, this micro moment of 84 seconds holds significant importance and is considered highly propitious. The pundits believe that this specific Muhurt will act beneficial for India, i.e. free from the influences of five arrows: fire, death, thief, disease, and death arrows.

The Shubh Muhurt for the consecration of Lord Ram is scheduled to commence at 12:29:8 PM on January 22, 2024, and conclude at 12:30:32 PM.

In this brief span of 1 minute and 24 seconds, Ramlala's consecration will take place. Preceding this event, there will be a one-hour Yagya and the recitation of 'Havan' rituals.

Esteemed scholars and astrologers have affirmed the profound auspiciousness of this designated time. Out of the 16 qualities associated with this Muhurta, 10 are considered highly favorable. Additionally, Abhijeet Muhurta will coincide with this auspicious moment, promising growth and prosperity through the consecration of Lord Ram.

From January 23 onwards, Lord Ram will be accessible for darshan by the devotees at the Ayodhya Ram Temple. A representative from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust revealed that following the sanctification, devotees from both within the country and abroad are expected to visit Ayodhya to seek the blessings of Lord Ram. The Trust has made arrangements to accommodate over 3 lakh devotees daily, ensuring that prasad is distributed to Ram devotees after their darshan.
New Delhi: In a significant move, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, during a cabinet meeting convened after December 5, approved a major decision. The decision entails granting state employee status to four lakh contractual ('Niyohjit') teachers, marking a crucial milestone. The cabinet, in its session, gave the green light to a total of 29 agendas, underscoring the government's commitment to addressing key issues.

In the wake of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's commitment to regularize the state's 4 lakh contractual teachers, the education department has formulated the requisite regulations. To secure government employment, contractual teachers must successfully complete a competency exam administered by the Bihar School Examination Board. Notably, those who have previously cleared the Teacher Recruitment Exam (TRE) conducted by the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) will be exempt from such an examination.
New Delhi: The Delhi police said they received a call about the blast at Israel Embassy on Friday and rushed to the spot to investigate. The Delhi Fire Services received the call around 6 pm, but found nothing at the scene of the incident, according to Atul Garg, the Director of the department. The Delhi Police Crime Unit and the forensics team are investigating the matter. The Forensic Science Laboratory also confirmed that nothing has been discovered at the spot so far.

We are still searching. A security official who was there heard the sound of a blast, the FSL sources said. A security guard who was near the embassy said, Around 5 pm, I heard a loud noise. It sounded like a tyre had burst. I also noticed some smoke rising from near a tree. However, sources in the special cell have denied that any blast took place here. More information is expected soon.

Delhi Fire Service received a call of a blast near the Israel Embassy in the Chanakyapuri area this evening.



"So far nothing has been found at the location," says Atul Garg, Director, Delhi Fire Services pic.twitter.com/Ipd23kciBS  ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2023

The Israel Embassy is located in the high-security diplomatic enclave near the India Gate. The police have cordoned off the area and are probing the matter. More details are awaited.
NEW DELHI: In a major political development, Lalan Singh, the president of Bihar's ruling party, Janata Dal-United (JDU), has tendered his resignation from his position, sources said on Tuesday. As per sources, Lalan Singh, a key figure in JDU's leadership, has forwarded his resignation to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. This decision comes amid speculations and political discussions about the party's future course of action.

Resignation Not Accepted Yet

As of now, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has not accepted Lalan Singh's resignation. The political circles are abuzz with discussions about the possible reasons behind this unexpected move. The development is set to be officially addressed on December 29th during a crucial meeting in Delhi.

Speculations Surrounding The Resignation

While the exact motives behind Lalan Singh's resignation remain unclear, political observers are actively speculating about its potential implications on the party's internal dynamics. This unexpected move has added an element of uncertainty to the political landscape in Bihar, leaving many to ponder the possible ramifications.

December 29th Meeting To Seal Fate

All eyes are now on the crucial JDU meeting scheduled for December 29th in Delhi, where the fate of Lalan Singh's resignation is expected to be determined. The party leadership is likely to provide insights into the reasons behind this development and outline the future course of action for the Janata Dal (United).

This sudden turn of events within the JDU has not only triggered discussions within the party but also caught the attention of political analysts, making it a significant development in the current political scenario. Recent speculations hint at the possibility of Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar, making a significant move within the Janata Dal (United). Although there's no official confirmation, insiders earlier suggested that Rajiv Ranjan Singh, also known as Lalan Singh, might soon be replaced as the party chief. Moreover, there are whispers that Nitish Kumar might assume the role himself.

Rumours Of Nitish Kumar's Takeover

Sources revealed that Nitish Kumar has been contemplating taking charge of the party, a move advised by his close associates to prevent any internal discord. The rationale behind this advice is to avert potential unrest that could arise if a new leader were to replace Lalan Singh.

Nitish Kumar's Discontent With Lalan Singh

Reports suggest that Nitish Kumar is dissatisfied with Lalan Singh's recent conduct, particularly his growing proximity to RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav. There are indications that Lalan Singh may be considering contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Munger on an RJD ticket, adding to Nitish Kumar's concerns.

Nitish Kumar is reportedly upset with Lalan Singh for his alleged failure to coordinate effectively with INDIA bloc partners to fulfill the party's national ambitions. This dissatisfaction raises questions about Lalan Singh's continued role as the party chief.

If the speculated leadership changes materialize, Lalan Singh would join the ranks of other senior party leaders, including George Fernandes, Sharad Yadav, RCP Singh, Upendra Kushwaha, and poll strategist Prashant Kishor, who were previously replaced despite their close ties to Nitish Kumar. The unfolding developments within the JDU indicate a dynamic shift in the party's leadership landscape.
The Border Security Force (BSF) said on Tuesday that its personnel have shot down or recovered over 100 Pakistani drones this year till date. The drones were allegedly used to smuggle narcotics, arms and ammunition into India.

In an attempt to deter the movement of drugs via Punjab, the BSF employed a three-pronged operation to either successfully strike down or recover enemy drones.

Apart from intercepting the drones, authorities have also apprehended smugglers who took part in facilitating the smuggling of narcotics from Pakistan.

In a post on X, BSF Punjab Frontier said, BSF has implemented a three-pronged strategy, with the objectives of curtailing the drug supply, fostering awareness against drug abuse, and empowering the youth with skills to channelize their energy, thereby facilitating meaningful employment opportunities.



Till now, in 2023, @BSF_Punjab has successfully shot down/ recovered 100 Pakistani drones being used by Anti National Elements to smuggle narcotics, arms, and pic.twitter.com/v4TZB2uoUi December 26, 2023

Meanwhile on Monday, the BSF seized 434 grams of narcotics wrapped in adhesive tape from Amritsars Ranian village. The contraband was dropped by a Pakistani drone which violated the Indian airspace to enter the Indian territory.





BSF troops launched a search operation after a pakistani drone violated Indian Airspace. In the search operation, @BSF_Punjab troops seized 434gms of heroin wrapped with adhesive tape pic.twitter.com/UM88tvMgLe  BSF PUNJAB FRONTIER (@BSF_Punjab) December 25, 2023

In November, the BSF recovered eight drones from Punjabs border in a week alone.
In a significant move, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has announced its rejection of an invitation to the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

Ayodhya is all decked up to host scores of people from across the country for the consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir on January 22.

Our party will not attend the ceremony. Although we respect all religious beliefs that are practised in India, Bhartiya Janata Party has linked Ram Mandir with politics. We do not support the politicisation of religion as it is not right, CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat said.

#WATCH | Delhi: CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat says, "Our party will not attend the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya...We respect the religious beliefs but they are connecting a religious programme with politics...This is the politicization of a religious pic.twitter.com/K7EoNZnhxL  ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2023

"Politics and religion must be separated and kept at a distance. Mixing them only advances the RSS agenda. When religion is used as a political weapon or a tool to advance an idea or agenda, it loses respect," she added.

Meanwhile, security in the sacred town has been heightened ahead of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also inaugurate Ayodhyas first airport on December 30.

CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, similarly announced his absence from the grand event.

He said, As far as the Indian Constitution and the Supreme Court are concerned they have very clearly said that the state shall not profess any particular religion or have any religious affiliation, adding that the inauguration ceremony is being converted into a state-sponsored event.

#WATCH | On Pran Pratishtha of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury says, "I've not told anybody anything so far. Nripendra Mishra was escorted by a VHP leader who came and gave me the invitation...Religion is a personal choice of every pic.twitter.com/tfwkQe5Xsw  ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2023

In a reprisal, BJPs Meenakshi Lekha said, An invitation has been sent to all. Only those people will show up who have been called by Lord Ram.

#WATCH | Delhi: Union Minister Meenakashi Lekhi says, "...The invitations have been sent to all. Those called by lord Ram will only reach (Ayodhya, for Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of Ram Temple) https://t.co/1YawlSfT3c pic.twitter.com/5fTgTezDgi  ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2023

Apart from this, some members of the saffron party have been urging Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) not to invite leaders from the Samajwadi Party as they are the killers of Ram devotees.

The Ram Temple, spread over an area of 71 acres, will have the idol of Ram Lalla on the ground floor and will be consecrated by PM Modi.
Mumbai: An email sender, who identified themselves as 'Khilafat India', threatened to blow up the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and two private banks in Mumbai on Tuesday, unless the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the RBI governor Shaktikanta Das stepped down from their positions. The email, which had the subject line "Breaking News" and was copied to several officials, claimed that 11 bombs were hidden in various locations in the city, including the RBI New Central Office Building in Fort, HDFC House at Churchgate, and ICICI Bank Towers at Bandra Kurla Complex. The email said that the bombs would go off at 1.30 pm if the demands were not met.

The email also accused the RBI, the Finance Minister, the RBI governor, and some other top bankers and ministers of being involved in the "biggest scam in the history of India". The email said that they had enough evidence to prove their allegations.

The Mumbai Police swung into action and searched all the locations mentioned in the email, but did not find any bombs or suspicious objects. The police have registered a case of criminal intimidation and are probing the origin and motive of the email. The police have also increased the security around the banks and the RBI office.

The RBI and the banks have not issued any official statement on the email threat so far. The Finance Minister and the RBI governor have also not reacted to the demand for their resignation.
The decision to convene an Intergovernmental Conference by the European Commission will be the physical beginning of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU, Head of Ukraine's Mission to the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community Vsevolod Chentsov has said.

As the ambassador said during the telethon, "physically" negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU could start at the beginning of next year. He said "Ukraine has essentially fulfilled all the conditions proposed by the EU."

"The only act that remains is the law on lobbying. It has already been submitted to the Rada; there is every reason to believe that during the next few months, these conditions will be fully met. The European Commission shall prepare a corresponding report and submit it in March for consideration by the member countries to decide on convening the so-called Intergovernmental Conference, that is, this is the physical beginning of negotiations," Chentsov said during the telethon.

The ambassador said that by March, the Ukrainian side and the EU side shall prepare a negotiating framework  the basis on which negotiations will take place.

"Each side must prepare its negotiating position. Also, the EU side, in this case the European Commission, must do an analytical screening of our legislation for compliance with EU requirements," he said.

As reported, on December 14, the European Council at the summit decided to begin negotiations on Ukraine and Moldova's accession to the EU.
Ayodhya: In a sharp response to Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya's latest controversial remark on 'Hinduism', Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya minced no words on Tuesday, suggesting that individuals like Swami Prasad have lost their mental clarity. "By making such statements, these people are doing wrong for themselves," remarked the Deputy Chief Minister, emphasizing the adverse impact of such divisive rhetoric.

#WATCH | Ayodhya: On Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya's statement, UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya says, "God has made the brain of the opposition leader incapable and he's not able to understand what to speak and what not. Nobody can weaken or erase Sanatana, pic.twitter.com/SLu6amIU4Q  ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) December 26, 2023

UP Deputy CM Reflects On Political Shifts

Taking a trip down memory lane, Keshav Prasad Maurya reminded Swami Prasad Maurya of the Samajwadi Party's past dominance in Uttar Pradesh. He noted the significant deterioration in their present condition compared to the time when they held sway over the state.

"God has made the brain of the Opposition leader incapable, and he's not able to understand what to speak and what not," asserted the UP Deputy CM. He added, "Nobody can weaken or erase Sanatana, Hindutva and stop the construction of Ram temple by saying such things."

UP Deputy CM Pays Homage At Hanuman Garhi Mandir

Keshav Prasad Maurya also paid homage to Lord Hanuman at the revered Hanuman Garhi Mandir in Ayodhya. The temple priest, Mahant Raju Das, presented him with a mace, symbolizing strength and authority.

"Today is Tuesday. It is important to have a 'darshan' of Bajrangbali before seeing Lord Ram. After seeing Bajrangbali, my mind has become refreshed. I have also been presented with a mace," shared the Deputy Chief Minister.

Swami Prasad Maurya's Controversial Remark Sparks Debate

On Sunday, Swami Prasad Maurya stirred a fresh controversy with his assertion, "Hindu ek dhoka hai" (Hinduism is a deception). He cited prominent figures like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, claiming they had made similar statements in the past.

"In 1955, the Supreme Court said in its order that Hindu is not a religion but a way of life. It is a conglomeration of more than 200 religions. Even Mohan Bhagwat had said, not once but twice, that Hindu is not a religion but a way of life. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also said that Hindu is not a religion. Even Gadkari had said the same thing in a media conclave," Maurya said while speaking at National Buddhist and Bahujan Rights Conference in New Delhi on Monday.

The Samajwadi Party leader's comments have reignited a heated discussion, drawing diverse reactions and condemnation from various quarters.

Concerns Over Core Identity: Reactions Pour In

Maurya's statement challenging the core identity of the Hindu community has raised concerns about likely political repercussions over the issue. Many top politicians, individuals and religious leaders have expressed their displeasure, condemning the SP leader's remarks as "misleading and disrespectful."
NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya has courted controversy once again and, this time, he has said that ''Hinduism is not a religion but just a deception.'' In a video shared by news agency ANI, the Samajwadi Party leader cited RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's past remarks highlighting that ''there is no religion called Hinduism but instead, it is a way of living.''

"Hindu bus ek dhokha hai...RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat has said twice that there is no religion called Hindu but instead, it is a way of living. Prime Minister Modi has also said that there is no Hindu religion...Sentiments don't get hurt when these people make such statements but if Swami Prasad Maurya says the same, it causes unrest..." Maurya was quoted as saying by ANI in a video.

#WATCH | Delhi: Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya says, "Hindu ek dhokha hai...RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat has said twice that there is no religion called Hindu but instead, it is a way of living. Prime Minister Modi has also said that there is no Hindu religion...Sentiments pic.twitter.com/1qnULH1rqt  ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2023

Samajwadi Party leader's remarks have once ignited a heated discussion and prompted diverse reactions from various quarters.

Impact On the Hindu Community

Maurya's statement challenges the core identity of the Hindu community, raising concerns about the potential repercussions on its members. Many individuals and religious leaders within the community have expressed their displeasure and condemned the assertion as misleading and disrespectful.

In response to Maurya's statement, Swami Chakrapani said, "Swami Prasad Maurya is spewing venom. The vessel of his sins is now full... It's time to run a bulldozer over him. We request the Chief Minister of the state to take a bulldozer action on him. Instead of taking action against him, Akhilesh Yadav has promoted him... His name is Swami Prasad Maurya, but his work aligns with that of a venomous Maulana. He resides here in India bus speaks like a Pakistani."

Condemning his statement, UP Congress chief Ajay Rai said strict action should be taken against Maurya. He is a public figure and he should refrain from making such statements that hurt the religious sentiments of a majority of people, Rai added.

Debate Over Definition Of Religion

This incident has fuelled a broader debate about the definition of religion and how different communities perceive and practice their faith. Scholars, theologians, and religious experts are engaging in discussions to dissect the implications of such statements on religious harmony and understanding.

Calls For Clarification and Apology

In response to the backlash, there are calls from the Hindu outfits demanding clarification on the intent behind Maurya's words. Additionally, some have demanded a public apology, citing the potential harm caused by such a sweeping declaration about a major religious tradition.

It may be recalled the Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav has consistently advised leaders of his party to refrain from making any comments related to caste and religion, but this directive seems to have had little effect on Swami Prasad Maurya.

Now, it remains to be seen how Swami Prasad Maurya responds to the assurance given by Akhilesh Yadav to Brahmins, Rajputs and other upper caste communities during the recent Samajwadi Party gathering, where efforts were made to unite Brahmins.
NEW DELHI: Veteran National Conference leader, Farooq Abdullah, has slammed the Narendra Modi government for not initiating talks with Pakistan to resolve disputes. He highlighted the importance of dialogue, citing former Prime Minister Vajpayee's wisdom that "we can change our friends but not our neighbours." Abdullah questioned the absence of dialogue despite positive indications from Pakistan's side.

Speaking to reporters, the NC MP said, "Prime Minister Modi also said that war is not an option now and the matters should be resolved through dialogue. Where is the dialogue? Nawaz Sharif is about to become the Prime Minister (of Pakistan) and they are saying that we are ready to talk (to India), but what is the reason why we are not ready to talk?" "If we do not find a solution through dialogue, we will meet the same fate as Gaza and Palestine, which are being bombed by Israel," he said.

#WATCH | National Conference MP Farooq Abdullah says, "Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said that we can change our friends but not our neighbours. If we remain friendly with our neighbours, both will progress. PM Modi also said that war is not an option now and the matters should be pic.twitter.com/EcPx9B70jJ  ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2023

Parallel With Gaza And Palestine

Abdullah issued a stark warning, stating that without dialogue, India could face a fate similar to Gaza and Palestine, currently experiencing conflict and devastation. He emphasized the need for a peaceful resolution to avoid such dire consequences.

Recent Unrest In Jammu And Kashmir

Abdullah's remarks follow a series of unsettling events in Jammu and Kashmir, including the killing of soldiers, a retired cop in a mosque, and the death of civilians in custody. He dismissed claims of normalcy by the ruling BJP, urging a deeper understanding of the root causes of terrorism rather than superficial measures.

Call For A Comprehensive Solution

The former Chief Minister stressed that addressing terrorism requires more than military or police action. He called for a comprehensive approach, understanding the root causes, and finding the right perspective to end the bloodshed in Jammu and Kashmir.

Plea For Neighbourly Relations

Abdullah urged the Indian government to seek ways to end terrorism without merely claiming normalcy or focusing on tourism. He emphasized the need for a nuanced strategy and warned against alienating the local population, stating that winning the war against terrorism requires the support of the people.

Pakistan's Willingness For Dialogue

Abdullah referenced Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's willingness for dialogue earlier this year. In response, the Ministry of External Affairs reiterated India's desire for normal relations but emphasized the necessity of an environment free from terror and violence.

In summary, Farooq Abdullah's strong warning underscores the urgency of India-Pakistan dialogue to prevent potential dire consequences, while also addressing the complex challenges faced in Jammu and Kashmir.
In an event that will be earmarked in history, the Indian Navy on Tuesday commissioned its latest warship INS Imphal, named after Manipurs capital.

The stealth-guided missile was launched from Mumbais Naval Dockyard in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

VIDEO | "The commissioning of INS Imphal is an example of India becoming 'Atmanirbhar' in the defence sector. I am confident that commissioning of INS Imphal will strengthen India's naval powers," says Defence Minister @rajnathsingh, speaking at the commissioning ceremony of 'INS pic.twitter.com/b8cjR71GxP  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 26, 2023

INS Imphal is a symbol of India's growing maritime power and it will strengthen it further. It will bolster our principle of Jalmev Yasya, Balmev Tasya in the Indo-Pacific region, Singh said.

The event was also attended by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar.

INS Imphal will not only tackle physical threats that emanate at or from the seas, but more importantly, through the demonstrated strength of an integrated Bharat, she will deter nefarious designs, trying to subvert our national unity...Even as we speak, we have four destroyers of 15 Alpha and Bravo class deployed to counter piracy and drone attacks on merchant shipping," Admiral Kumar said.

The Indian Navy currently operates 132 warships with 67 vessels under construction. Admiral Kumar says that by 2035, India will have a fleet of 170-175 ships.

Features of INS Imphal

Delivered to the Indian Navy on October 30, INS Imphal is constructed with 75 per cent of indigenous components. A state-of-the-art vessel, INS Imphal is designed to strengthen Indias maritime defence.

The latest warship underwent rigorous trials, both in the harbour and at the sea. It is part of Project 15B.

One of Indias most potent warships, the ship measures 163 m in length, 17 m in breadth with a displacement of 7,400 tonnes.

INS Imphal includes medium range surface-to-air missiles, BrahMos surface-to-surface missile, indigenous torpedo tube launchers and 76 mm super rapid gun mount.

It is also equipped with modern surveillance radar. INS Imphal is built to weather Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare conditions.

The latest warship is designed by the Indian Navys Warship Design Bureau and is a testament of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.






The government of Madhya Pradesh has razed the houses of four people accused of inflicting harm to a cow, eventually leading to its death in the district of Agar Malwa.

The development came after a Hindu rights group protested against the act of cruelty against the cattle. On December 25, the group staged a protest leading to a massive roadblock in Badod, demanding the houses of the perpetrators to be bulldozed.

MP| Govt razed residential structures of 4 men accused of killing an (OX) in Agar Malwa district.



Complaint of Deepak Sen,police arrested Sonu Mansouri,Razzaq Khan, Rahul Gujjar & Durga Shankar.



Demolition came after Bajrang Dal & VHP men blocked a highway for 4 Hrs pressing pic.twitter.com/0l6GJvzgED    (@iamharunkhan) December 26, 2023

Following a long-drawn demonstration by the rights group, the district administration finally assured that their residence would be razed.

Reports suggest that the four men, identified as Sonu Mansuri Isak, Rahul Gujjar, Durga Shankar and Razak Khan, tied up the cattle and beat it up late at night. The cow was reportedly also subjected to inhuman acts.

The four accused have now been arrested by the police and a case has been registered under sections 429, 34 and 11.

CSP Motilal Kushwaha said that information about the crime was provided by one of the cow devotees in the town. After receiving details of the case, a veterinarian doctor was called on the spot but the cow died during treatment. A post-mortem was conducted on the body of the deceased cow.

Earlier this year in June, a similar case was reported in Khandwa city where members of Bajrang Dal thrashed two men for carrying beef on the occasion of Eid.

In this case, Bajrang Dal workers stopped two people riding in a motorcycle for carrying meat. The workers accused the men of carrying beef. However, when they refuted the claims, they were beaten with sticks.
Harsh winter conditions in the Kashmir Valley have engulfed Srinagar in dense fog, decreasing visibility and disrupting normal life.

On Monday, temperatures plunged to minus three degree celsius in the capital city. Cold weather conditions persisted in the valley on Tuesday too, especially during the early hours of the day.

Poor visibility has forced the suspension of flight services. Surface traffic has also been hit while the traffic department of Jammu and Kashmir has issued an advisory for people to maintain caution while driving.

Train services have similarly been affected. Railway authorities have urged people not to move around tracks owing to low visibility in the region.

VIDEO | Commuters face visibility challenges as dense fog envelops Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar. pic.twitter.com/YNtEyyfaTB  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 26, 2023

Foggy conditions in the region have added to the problems of Kashmiri residents who were already withstanding chilly weather.

For tourists, low visibility and extreme weather conditions did not deter their plans to explore the Valley. Many travellers were seen seeking an early check-in at hotels and houseboats on the infamous Dal Lake.

However, movements of Shikaras have been restricted in the morning due to poor visibility but usually picks up pace during the day.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted dry weather conditions in Central Kashmir, Pulwama and Baramulla till December 31.

The weather office has also forecast that temperatures in Jammu and Kashmir will dip further in the coming days.






New Delhi: In honor of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the central government has initiated various schemes under his name, aiming to provide social security to citizens. Among these, the Atal Pension Scheme is a popular choice, allowing individuals to secure their old age with modest investments.

Key Features Of Atal Pension Scheme

The Atal Pension Scheme enables individuals to save a small amount regularly and receive a pension in their retirement. By contributing as little as 7 rupees per day, participants can secure a pension ranging from Rs 1,000 to 5,000 rupees per month during their post-retirement years. (Also Read: Home Loan Benefits For Women In India: Check What Advantage They Can Avail)

Atal Pension Yojana: Launch Date

Launched by the Modi government in 2015, this scheme has already benefited over 6 crore subscribers. (Also Read: Android Users Beware: 'Chameleon' Malware Poses Serious Threat - Read Details)

Atal Pension Yojana: Return Calculator For 5,000 Rupees Pension

According to the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority, if you start investing at 18 with a daily contribution of just 7 rupees, you can receive a monthly pension of 5,000 rupees after turning 60.

This means a monthly investment of 210 rupees, accumulating over 42 years to provide financial security in your golden years.

Atal Pension Yojana: Scheme Eligibility And Conditions

- Any Indian citizen falling within the age group of 18 to 40 years can participate.

- An amendment in October 2022 specifies that individuals paying income tax cannot avail of the benefits of the Atal Pension Scheme.

- Both spouses can benefit from the scheme, with the surviving spouse receiving the pension in case of the subscriber's demise.

- Subscribers must continue their investments until they reach the age of 60.

- In the unfortunate event of a subscriber's demise, the nominated individual will receive the pension amount.

Atal Pension Yojana: How To Invest

For those with a bank account and Aadhaar card, investing in the Atal Pension Scheme is a straightforward process. Simply visit the bank, apply for the scheme, submit the necessary documents, and your pension account will be opened after Know Your Customer (KYC) verification.
New Delhi: In the spirit of the holiday season, Flipkart has kicked off its Winter Fest sale, offering substantial discounts on a wide range of smartphones across different budget categories. The sale is live now and will run until December 31, 2023, providing consumers with a great opportunity to grab a new handset at attractive discounted prices.

Flipkart Winter Fest Sale 2023: Offers On iPhone 14 Series

One of the standout deals includes impressive discounts on last year's iPhone 14 series. The base model of the iPhone 14, featuring 128 GB storage, is now listed at a discounted price of Rs 57,999. (Also Read: 5 Anticipated Apple Products Set To Launch In 2024: In Pics)

Similarly, the larger iPhone 14 Plus, originally priced at Rs 89,900, is available at a reduced rate of Rs 65,999 for the 128 GB storage variant. These discounts come with no strings attached, providing consumers with a straightforward flat discount. (Also Read: Want Monthly Regular Income After Retirement? Check Return Calculator, Tenure, Eligibility, And Other Benefits)

Flipkart Winter Fest Sale 2023: Offers On Poco C55

For budget-conscious consumers, Flipkart's Winter Fest sale brings discounts on the Poco C55. Launched in February, this device, powered by a MediaTek Helio G85 processor, has witnessed a significant price drop.

The 4 GB + 64 GB variant, initially priced at Rs 9,499, is now available at an attractive Rs 6,499. Additionally, the 6 GB + 128 GB configuration, which entered the market at Rs 10,999, is now up for grabs at Rs 7,499.

Flipkart Winter Fest Sale 2023: Offers On Samsung Galaxy F14 5G

Discounted price of Rs 11,990.

Flipkart Winter Fest Sale 2023: Offers On Motorola Edge 40 Neo

Discounted price of Rs 22,999

Flipkart Winter Fest Sale 2023: Offers On Vivo T2 5G

Discounted price of Rs 16,999

Flipkart Winter Fest Sale 2023: Offers On Redmi Note 12 Pro

Discounted price of Rs 21,999

Flipkart Winter Fest Sale 2023: Offers On Samsung Galaxy F34 5G

Discounted price of Rs 18,499

Flipkart Winter Fest Sale 2023: Offers On Poco M6 Pro 5G

Discounted price of Rs 10,999.

Flipkart Winter Fest Sale 2023: Offers On Pixel 7a

Discounted price of Rs 38,999.

Flipkart Winter Fest Sale 2023: Offers On Poco X5 Pro

Discounted price of Rs 16,999.
Kannauj: In a tragic incident, a police constable lost his life in the line of duty during a fierce exchange of gunfire at the residence of a notorious history-sheeter in the Kannauj district of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday. The incident unfolded as a police team attempted to serve a notice for the attachment of the criminal's property.

Constable Succumbs, History-Sheeter, Son Injured

The confrontation turned deadly as gunfire erupted, resulting in severe injuries to a police constable who tragically succumbed to his wounds. Simultaneously, the history-sheeter and his son were also injured in the exchange. The targeted attack prompted the swift deployment of an additional police team to the scene.

Village Turned Into A Temporary Cantonment

Authorities were promptly alerted, leading to the swift arrival of the Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) and a robust police force to the village. Responding decisively, the police have encircled the entire village, converting it into a temporary cantonment to maintain order.

Intensive Manhunt: Police Seal Off Village, Pursue Stringent Actions

In the aftermath of the attack, a massive police operation is underway, with the entire village under lockdown. Stringent actions are being taken against those responsible for the gunfire directed at the police team. The incident unfolded in the jurisdiction of Dharanidhirpur Nagariya, under the Bishunagadh police station.

Who Is Munna Lal Yadav?

The police action was initiated based on information regarding the notorious history-sheeter, Ashok Kumar alias Munna Lal Yadav. With a criminal history marked by multiple cases, Yadav faced legal consequences after a court order mandated the serving of a notice for property attachment. The confrontation ensued during this attempt, leading to tragic casualties.

Constable Sachin Rathi's Scheduled Wedding Cut Short

The operation claimed the life of police constable Sachin Rathi, a promising officer from Muzaffarnagar whose wedding was scheduled for February 5. Injured during the gunfire, Rathi was initially admitted to Chhibramau Hospital and later referred to Kanpur, where he succumbed to his injuries.

ASP Amit Kumar Anand Leads Probe

ASP Amit Kumar Anand and investigative teams from various police stations arrived at the scene to unravel the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident. The village remains sealed off, and discussions are underway regarding significant actions against those responsible for the fatal attack on the police team.

Munna Yadav - A Notorious Criminal

Despite facing charges in several criminal cases, Munna Yadav had successfully evaded police arrest. His name featured prominently in the list of history-sheeters, prompting the police action following a court order to serve the notice in Kurki. The tragic loss of life and injuries occurred during this attempt, underscoring the risks faced by law enforcement in the pursuit of justice.
New Delhi: Pakistan is going to have general elections in February and the candidates have filed their nominations for them. Among the nominees for the elections is a Hindu woman contesting a general elections in the country for the first time. Dr. Sawera Parkash is a resident of Buner district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. She is a medical graduate and is preparing to contest the elections from PK-25 general seat on the ticket of Bilawal Bhutto Zardaris Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

According to a report by Dawn, Sawera Parkash is the secretary-general of the womens wing of PPP. Her father, Dr. Om Parkash, has been a member of PPP for more than three decades. Sawera completed her MBBS degree from a private college, Abbottabad International Medical College, in 2022. She told Dawn that her medical background confirms that serving humanity is in her blood. She expressed her desire to work in the field of women empowerment in Pakistan.

Saweras Motivation To Fight Elections

She said that she had experienced the poor condition of government hospitals in Pakistan herself. This motivated her to contest the elections. The elections in Pakistan will be held on February 8, 2024, during which candidates will contest for 266 general seats of the National Assembly. By Monday, at least 28,626 candidates had filed their nomination papers for the elections. In Pakistan, 60 seats are reserved for women, while the number of seats for non-Muslims is 10. In addition, they can contest on all 266 seats.

Sawera Among The Rising Number Of Women candidates

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said that out of the total 28,626 candidates, 3,139 women (more than 11 percent) had filed nomination papers for the general elections this time. This is much higher than the number of women who filed nomination papers for the general elections in 2018 and 2013. During the general elections in 2018, 1,687 women had filed nomination papers, which was slightly more than the 1,171 women who filed nomination papers in the 2013 elections. ECP officials are verifying the documents and also accepting objections against the nominations. This process will continue till December 30.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valeriy Zaluzhny, has said that the military command on an ongoing basis generates requests for shells, weapons and human resources, all the rest is carried out by the relevant authorities that have the authority to do so.

On the air of the telethon, Zaluzhny explained that the Armed Forces of Ukraine form requests for ammunition, military equipment, requests for people, that is, we are forming requests for a resource, including planning for the next year and showing approximate figures that are necessary to complete tasks next year.

We submit all these proposals to the Ministry of Defense, as for the subject of a legislative initiative, which further decides how to meet these needs. Or by forming some kind of legislative initiatives, concluding contracts, etc. Therefore, our position is quite simple: we need shells, we need weapons, we need people. Everything else is carried out by the relevant authorities that have the authority to do so, he said.

Speaking about the new draft law on mobilization, Zaluzhny explained that the Armed Forces or the General Staff cannot create motions and bills, since they are not endowed with the right of legislative initiative.

The Armed Forces or the General Staff have not made any motions or bills to the Cabinet of Ministers, and they cannot do so, since the Armed Forces and the General Staff are deprived of such a function as a legislative initiative. Therefore, the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not submit any documents to the Cabinet of Ministers, and accordingly, they did not submit any bills. At the same time, the Armed Forces of Ukraine worked directly with the subject of the legislative initiative - the Ministry of Defense, which forms the state policy in the field of defense, Zaluzhny said.

He noted that specialists of the Armed Forces of Ukraine worked in the working group, which was monitored, first of all, so that the mechanisms used in military administration were not violated.

So that certain points that could interfere with the activities of the military command are not adopted at the legislative level. And we worked in such a working group, together with the Ministry of Defense. And accordingly, I understand that the Ministry of Defense probably submitted these legislative initiatives directly to the Cabinet of Ministers, Zaluzhny said.
Kyiv: Text of a draft law posted on the website of Ukraine's parliament late on Monday proposed lowering the age of those who can be mobilized for combat duty to 25 from 27. The proposed change comes as Ukraine's 22-month-old battle against Russia drags on. On Sunday, Ukraine and Russia exchanged claims over downed military aircraft, and on Monday Ukraine denied Russia's claim that its forces had seized the regional centre Maryinka in eastern Ukraine.

The draft text detailed which Ukrainian citizens would be subject to enrolment for military registration of conscripts and said it would apply to those "who have reached the age of 25."

An explanatory note signed by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov summarized key provisions of the draft law, saying they included the "change of conscription age from 27 to 25 years."

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told his end-of-year news conference on Dec. 19 that the military had proposed mobilising 450,000-500,000 more Ukrainians, but that it was a "highly sensitive" issue that the military and government would discuss before deciding whether to send the proposal to parliament.

Zelenskiy, who has yet to back the proposal publicly, said on Dec. 19 that he wanted to hear more arguments for mobilising additional people. "This is a very serious number," he said.

Ukraine's troop numbers are not known, but in the past it has been said the country has around 1 million people under arms. U.S. officials estimate that hundreds of thousands have been killed and wounded since Russia invaded Ukraine. Neither country publishes its casualty figures.

David Arakhamia, the head of Zelenskiy's party in parliament, said the government was working on the bill at the request of the military and that it was due to be introduced on Monday.

"The military needs a solution to its problems," he said in a post on the Telegram messaging app earlier on Monday. "Society wants to hear answers to all sensitive questions."
Tel Aviv: In a big warning to the Palestinian armed group Hamas, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has once again affirmed the nation's unwavering commitment to securing the release of each hostage held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Prime Minister emphasized that every possible effort is being exerted, including necessary military pressure, to achieve this crucial goal.

Addressing the Knesset, Netanyahu stated, "We aren't stopping, and we won't stop until victory because we have no other land and no other path." Despite stiff opposition from the hostages' families, who voiced their concerns over their delayed release, Netanyahu has stood firm in his commitment.

Families Demand Action Now

In a special parliamentary session attended by the families of the hostages, emotions ran high as Netanyahu asserted, "We won't stop fighting," while acknowledging the need for time. Urgency echoed through the Knesset gallery as one relative exclaimed, "We don't have time," prompting the families to chant, "Now! Now! Now!" demanding the immediate release of their loved ones.

Global Diplomatic Appeals

Netanyahu revealed diplomatic efforts to seek international support, having reached out to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Additionally, his wife, Sara, directly appealed to the Pope, aiming to rally global backing for the hostages' cause.

Israeli Raids Uncover Cache Of Explosives

As the conflict persists, the Nahal Brigade, representing Israel's military presence, executed raids on two schools in Gaza City's Daraj and Tuffah neighborhoods. Intelligence reports suggested Hamas operatives were using these complexes. The troops encountered and neutralized several Hamas gunmen, discovering dozens of explosive devices, assault rifles, and 15 explosive belts.

Long Battle Ahead

During a visit to the war zone in Gaza, Netanyahu asserted that the war against Hamas is far from over. Speaking at a Likud faction meeting, he emphasized the continuation of the fight, deepening efforts in the coming days. Netanyahu highlighted the significance of patience, unity, and unwavering commitment to the mission.

Soldiers' Plea: 'Don't Stop Until the End'

Netanyahu shared insights from his visit to a reservist brigade in Gaza, revealing the soldiers' unified plea: "Everyone asked me only one thing  that we don't stop and continue until the end." As Israel braces for an extended battle, the Prime Minister remains steadfast in the pursuit of victory against Hamas.
Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valeriy Zaluzhny, has said that today the Ukrainian wars are still in the northern part of Maryinka, but the withdrawal to the vicinity is not something resonant, it is war.

"Therefore, Maryinka, which has been holding on for almost two years, began street by street, then house by house, as of today, our troops are still in the northern part of it. Our troops have prepared a defensive line behind this settlement, but I can say that this settlement no longer exists," he said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Zaluzhny noted that the occupiers are following the same methodology as in Bakhmut, "street by street, block by block is being destroyed."

"The fact that we have now retreated to the vicinity of Maryinka, and in some places we have already equipped positions beyond Maryinka. It seems to me that there is nothing in this that can cause such a public outcry as, let's say, a war. Unfortunately, it is like that," explained the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

He stressed that Ukraine will defend its settlements as long as it has the strength to do so.

"Every piece of our land is precious to us. And whether it's Bakhmut or Avdiyivka, we will defend as much as we have the strength to do it. If there are not enough forces, we will see that it is better to save people, of course, we will make such a decision. And we will save people. And then we'll win it back. It will all depend on the situation. There is no need to do something around this that resembles a show from afar," said Zaluzhny.

According to him, today it is difficult to predict how many more losses the enemy needs to inflict in order for the war to stop.

"I believe that it is necessary to do this constantly, until the war ends, until the enemy refuses to conduct military operations against our country," Zaluzhny said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a telephone conversation with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on Tuesday.

I had a call with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I to exchange Christmas greetings. Ukraine celebrated Christmas together with the Mother Church this year, Zelenskyy said on his Telegram.

He said he expressed gratitude to His All-Holiness for his heartfelt Christmas greetings to the Ukrainian people, his prayers for peace in Ukraine, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate's participation in the Peace Formula meetings of advisors.

Zelenskyy also invited its representative to the next such meeting in Switzerland.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. In today's world, with the global security setup and international order feeling the heat, the threats to regional peace are on the rise, retired Colonel Azer Garayev told Trend.

Protecting our independence and ensuring the country's sociopolitical stability are important priorities. Azerbaijan's security forces, who are continuously on alert for our sovereignty, undertake this critical mission admirably, he said.

He pointed out that the security forces' activities and their unwavering stance in bolstering national interests and sovereignty remain rock-solid.

No foreign state can establish, extend, or pose risks to Azerbaijan's operative network. That was just brought to our attention. A gang attempting to construct a network here was successfully prevented. The discovery of a vast intelligence network from French intelligence services in Azerbaijan, active in numerous activities across Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, several Eastern European countries, the Middle East, and Central Asia, is entirely due to the efforts of our intelligence services. It just goes to show how well our security services are doing, with pros in these structures who know their job inside and out, Garayev stated.

The colonel pointed out that Azerbaijan has become one of the most respected countries not just in the region but globally.

This also breeds envy towards our country. At different times, powerhouse nations and players, like France, couldn't handle Azerbaijan's growth and tried various ways to mess with our country's affairs. It just shows the biased politics and double standards they have towards us. The chance of these attempts happening again isn't off the table. In this age of globalization and complicated global politics, our security forces in Azerbaijan are doing a solid job handling the tasks and duties given to them in our pretty fragile region. Our citizens need to stay sharp too  never become pawns for foreign agencies or fall under their influence, he explained.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. The expert platform Baku Network has aired the latest episode of the analytical video project "Dialogue with Tofig Abbasov", Trend reports.

Azerbaijani member of Milli Majlis (parliament) Elnur Allahverdiyev was the guest of the program.

Allahverdiyev stated that for decades, Armenian citizens of Karabakh had been duped by separatists and the Armenian government.

"They forced people to accept lies. The Armenians who live in Karabakh don't understand why they left. The entire globe is aware that we are prepared to welcome them. The Armenian government wants to use the former residents solely for the purpose of receiving a monthly remuneration," Allahverdiyev stated.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his government, according to the MP, require subsidies as soon as feasible.

"They need to get subsidies from whoever they can get and as much as they can, for they can no longer get subsidies solely from the West and by cutting political ties with Russia or vice versa," he went on to say.

According to the MP, the West does not desire peace in the South Caucasus and does not support the "3+3" model (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Turkiye and Russia).

"They are currently drowning in their disarray and require new instability in other nations so that their internal difficulties do not prevent them from remaining in power," he added.

Trend presents the full issue of the program:
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. An extended meeting was held in video format between General Prosecutor of the Republic of Azerbaijan Kamran Aliyev and General Prosecutor of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad Kazem Movahedi Azad on December 23, the press service of Azerbaijani General Prosecutor's Office told Trend.

"The meeting covered the conduct of court proceedings in the criminal case of the terrorist attack on the Republic of Azerbaijan's Embassy in Tehran on January 27, this year, as well as the acceleration of the final decision and legal cooperation mechanisms," says the press service.

In addition, during the meeting, the prosecutor's offices of the two countries exchanged views on other issues of mutual interest in the field of legal cooperation.

"The meeting was also attended by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Azerbaijan to the Islamic Republic of Iran Ali Alizadeh and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Republic of Azerbaijan Seyed Abbas Mousavi," states the office.

On January 27, 2023, at approximately 8:30 a.m. (GMT+4), an armed attack occurred at the Azerbaijan Embassy in Iran. The attacker was identified as a man in his 50s who drove up to the administration building armed with a Kalashnikov automatic weapon.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree on the application of the law "On the budget of the Unemployment Insurance Fund for 2024," Trend reports.

The decree instructs the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan to solve issues arising from Law No. 1030-VIQ of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated December 5, 2023, "On the budget of the Unemployment Insurance Fund for 2024.".

The full text of the decree can be found at the link
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has held a meeting with President of the Republic of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg, Trend reports.

The Presidents commended the successful development of bilateral friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Belarus across various areas, emphasizing the considerable potential for further cooperation. The sides highlighted that high-level meetings and contacts contribute to cementing bilateral ties.

The heads of state expressed confidence in the continued strengthening of bilateral relations and exchanged views on future contacts and prospects for cooperation.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. Russia's 'Nezavisimaya Gazeta' newspaper has included a solution to the Karabakh issue by Azerbaijan in the key events of 2023, Trend reports via the newspaper.

The relevant article noted that in 2023, an end was put to the separatist regime in Karabakh, which had existed for 32 years.

The article author said that its fate was largely determined in 2020, following the second Karabakh war.

"However, it took several more years for a final resolution of the issue," the article said.

The publication highlighted that in September 2023, the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan conducted local antiterrorist measures in Karabakh, culminating in the capitulation of the separatists.

The author pointed out that, simultaneously, Armenian residents began to leave Karabakh.

Baku claims that only a few dozen Armenians remain in Karabakh, the author said.

"To lead a full life in Azerbaijan, they should accept Azerbaijani citizenship and abide by all the country's laws," the article explained.

Furthermore, as the article emphasized, former leaders of the separatists were detained.

"They are accused of financing terrorism, creating illegal armed formations, and waging war," the author noted.

The publication underscored that discussions about signing a peace treaty between Baku and Yerevan have also been restored.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. France has historically been a colonizer and supported aggression, demonstrating the most vile behavior in the world under the mask of democracy, Milli Majlis (Parliament) MP Tahir Rzayev told Trend.

He noted that the current position of France, as in the past 30 years, is well known to everyone - it is propaganda against Azerbaijan.

"For 30 years, France has constantly supported Armenia. It goes without saying that during this period, it formed a spy network in Armenia, which conducted a propaganda campaign against Azerbaijan. The discovery of the spy network in Azerbaijan itself shows once again that France resorts to vile actions to gain a foothold in the South Caucasus, to commit provocations against the peoples, and to establish control over them. However, the law enforcement bodies of Azerbaijan are always on guard: major operations have been carried out, spy networks have been neutralized, and traitors have been exposed," the MP said.

Rzayev also mentioned that the discovery of the French spy network in Azerbaijan showed that any policy directed against Azerbaijan would be prevented from developing as soon as possible.

"Azerbaijani people are supporters of truth and justice. They fight for its rights, and no force can prevent them from doing so. We are capable of overcoming any pressure brought on us," he added.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. Baku and Yerevan are ready to finalize the peace treaty, Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said, Trend reports via TASS.

"They are not opposing sides, they state their full readiness to reach a single document, to finalize the peace talks, to reach a single document, a peace treaty. There is no risk here," the Kremlin spokesman said when asked whether it was scary to bring together "opposing sides."

An informal CIS summit is taking place in Saint Petersburg on December 26, attended by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. Human Rights Commissioner (Ombudsperson) of Azerbaijan Sabina Aliyeva took part in an international symposium on "Deportation and its psychological impact on society, particularly on women", the Ombudsman's Office told Trend.

The international symposium on "Deportation and its psychological impact on society, particularly on women" was held in Ankara by the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye and the Turkish-Azerbaijani Friendship, Cooperation and Solidarity Foundation.

During her speech at the event, Aliyeva spoke in detail about the ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijanis living in Armenia, the destruction of historical and cultural heritage of Azerbaijanis in this territory. At the same time, it was noted that the policy of hatred and intolerance against Azerbaijan on ethnic grounds is still maintained in Armenia. It was emphasized that women and children, among others, have suffered seriously from the consequences of this policy.

She said the reports on hate crimes against Azerbaijanis were prepared and sent to the relevant international organizations.

At the same time, Sabina Aliyeva reminded that the Chief Ombudsman of the Republic of Turkiye carries out fact-finding missions in the regions of Azerbaijan where civilians were attacked from the Armenian side, as well as in the territories destroyed during Armenian occupation.

The Ombudswoman noted that the indifferent attitude of international organizations towards these crimes, which resulted in massive and gross violations of human rights and freedom, and the approach with double standards hinder peace-building, and the atmosphere of impunity leads to the repetition of such crimes.

In conclusion, Aliyeva said that the Armenian side should create conditions to ensure the return of Azerbaijanis who had been deported and compensate them for the damage caused.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. With the New Year and December 31 - the Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis - around the corner, the Euronews Bulgaria television channel aired a lengthy report on Azerbaijan, Trend reports.

In an interview with Huseyn Huseynov, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Republic of Bulgaria, he discussed current Azerbaijani-Bulgarian relations, the broad potential and prospects of bilateral relations between the countries, our people's rich culture, multicultural traditions, regional security, and the process of normalizing Armenian-Azerbaijani relations.

It was highlighted that Azerbaijani-Bulgarian ties are based on friendship and strategic collaboration, are dynamically developing, and include a wide range of sectors of cooperation. Azerbaijan's assistance to Bulgaria during difficult times was also underlined, and it was emphasized that Azerbaijan continues to support Bulgaria's attempts to convert it into a regional gas and transportation hub. The Ring of Solidarity project, signed in April this year in Sofia with the involvement of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, will give Bulgaria enough prospects to become a transit country for the transportation of Azerbaijani gas. At the same time, numerous prospects for developing linkages in the domains of transportation, industry, information and communication technology, tourism, and agriculture were identified.

In response to the correspondent's questions about the regional situation, the ambassador stated that the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict has been settled and that the liberation of Azerbaijani territories from occupation has created historical opportunities for long-term peace and stability in the region. Azerbaijan's efforts to repair relations between the two countries and establish a peace treaty were discussed. It was also highlighted that the Armenians attempted unsuccessfully to involve the Bulgarian press in their defamatory campaign against Azerbaijan. The Ambassador emphasized that the Armenians in Azerbaijan's Karabakh region freely left their homes and went to Armenia; no violence was used against them, as confirmed by the UN mission. It was stated that Azerbaijan has designed and launched an electronic portal for the reintegration of Armenian nationals in Karabakh.

The interview also touched on Azerbaijan's rich culture, religious and ethnic diversity, and centuries-old cosmopolitan traditions. The documentary featured samples of Azerbaijan's traditional cuisine, such as dolma and pilaf, as well as desserts such as baklava and shekerbura, as well as Azerbaijani national dances and festive sketches from Baku.
Azerbaijan's national air carrier, AZAL, is offering a special discount campaign from Baku to popular destinations. Travellers can book the discounted tickets from December 26 to 29.

Fo flights to Mineralnye Vody, Astrakhan, Volgograd, Samara, Sochi, Ufa, and Minsk one-way tickets start from AZN 79, while round-trip tickets are available from AZN 149.

Travellers heading to Moscow (Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports), Kazan, Yekaterinburg, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Almaty, and Astana can purchase one-way tickets from AZN 129, and round-trip tickets from AZN 249.

This offer is valid for flights between January 15 and May 25, 2024, excluding peak periods. Hurry, as the number of discounted tickets is limited!

Please note that the cost of tickets does not include check-in baggage, but passengers are allowed to carry up to 10 kg of hand luggage.

To purchase tickets, please visit the official website www.azal.az, use the renewed mobile app of the airline, or approach to the ticket offices or accredited agencies of Azerbaijan Airlines.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. One more facility of civilian purpose, used by Armenians as an arms depot, has been revealed in Karabakh, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry told Trend.

During the inspection of a civilian facility once used by Armenians in Ortakend settlement in Karabakh region, a significant number of various types of mines, homemade explosive devices, and a large amount of other ammunition were found.

The ministry said the mines and improvised explosive devices were taken away by Azerbaijani army engineers and sapper units.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. A number of people attempting to smuggle a large quantity of narcotics from Iran to Azerbaijan have been detained on the territory controlled by the Goytapa border guard unit of the State Border Service (SBS) of Azerbaijan, the press center of the SBS told Trend.

On December 24 at 23:50 (GMT +4), on the territory of the border post located near Azerbaijan's Ostayir village, Yardimli district, the border patrol detected the movement of four unidentified persons from the side of Iran.

The territory was immediately sealed off, and law enforcement agencies were informed about conduct of search operations.

One of the border violators, a resident of Ostayir village Khalid Rahimov was detained.

During the inspection of the area, a total of 64.3 kilograms of narcotics (marijuana and of opium) were discovered and confiscated, along with 100 tablets of a drug containing psychotropic substances.

As a result of operational and investigative measures conducted on December 25 in collaboration with the police department of the Yardimli district, the identities of other members of the criminal group were established.

They had earlier managed to escape by taking advantage of the complex terrain. Thus, residents of the Yardimli district, Saig Rahimov, Javid Jabbarov, and Nurlan Gasimov were detained.

Previously, drug smuggling from Iran to Azerbaijan, as a result of the vigilance of the Lankaran Border Guard of the SBS, was prevented on the territory of the border post located near the village of Sym, Astara district on October 28.

As a result of operational measures, narcotic drugs with a total weight of 52 kilograms, 875 grams, as well as 9,980 methadone M-40 tablets were discovered and seized.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. Elimination of the mine threat against Azerbaijan should become an international priority, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry wrote on X (Twitter), Trend reports.

"One more person has become a victim of mines planted by Armenia. The total number of mine victims has reached 341 since the end of the war in 2020 until now, of which 65 have died (50 civilians, 15 military)," said the ministry.

The statement noted that eliminating the mine threat against Azerbaijan should become an international priority.

An employee of the Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency Zaur Mahmudov, born in 1982, was wounded on December 26, as a result of mine explosion in the territory of Sarijali village of Azerbaijan's Aghdam district liberated from Armenian occupation.

Following the liberation of its lands, Azerbaijan from Nov. 2020 started carrying out operations on clearing its lands from mines, booby traps, and various weapons left behind by the Armenian troops.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. Chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs of Azerbaijan Rovshan Rzayev met with former IDPs from Khojaly district who lost both parents and residents of Malibeyli village of Shusha district, the Committee told Trend.

Large-scale reconstruction and construction work is being carried out in Azerbaijan's territories liberated from Armenian occupation by order of President Ilham Aliyev, and the return of IDPs is going full scale.

It was brought to attention that implementation of measures envisaged by the I State Program "Big Return" will allow reviving Karabakh and East Zangezur economic regions, ensure sustainable settlement and employment of population in these territories, and it was noted that safe and dignified return of residents of Khojaly and Shusha to their native lands will start soon.

The Head of State keeps under personal control the progress of reconstruction and construction work in the territories liberated from Armenian occupation, creation of favorable living conditions for the returning population. As of today, more than 4,500 former IDPs have returned to their native lands, and soon the process of "Great Return" will cover Khojaly and Shusha.

Residents of Khojaly and Shusha thanked the Head of State and Azerbaijani Armed Forces for full restoration of state sovereignty of Azerbaijan, honored the memory of Martyrs.

The Chairman of the State Committee also listened to the appeals of citizens who had pre-registered for the reception, answered their questions. Citizens' appeals mainly concerned improvement of living conditions, public utilities, employment, return to Azerbaijan's territories liberated from Armenian occupation and other issues.

The citizens were informed that their appeals and issues raised by them would be considered and solved in accordance with the legislation.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. To decrease the population's tax burden and encourage long-term deposit placement, new revisions to the Tax Code on taxation of interest income on bank deposits based on the amount in Azerbaijan have been made, the State Tax Service said, Trend reports.

The bill amending the Tax Code and other associated draft regulatory legislative acts developed to strengthen tax legislation and administration was adopted in its third reading by the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis (Parliament).

From February 1, 2016, annual interest income paid on deposits of individuals by a local bank and a branch of a foreign bank operating in Azerbaijan was excluded from income tax for 7 years. Because the exemption period expired on February 1, 2023, banks began taxing interest income on deposits at a rate of 10 percent at source on that day.

To decrease the population's tax burden and encourage long-term deposit placement, new adjustments to the Tax Code have been adopted regarding the taxation of interest income on bank deposits based on the amount. Thus, when a local bank and a branch of a foreign bank in Azerbaijan place an individual deposit in national currency in each bank (branch of a foreign bank in Azerbaijan) for a period of 18 months or more, and the deposit amount is paid not earlier than after 18 months, the full part of the accrued interest income is exempt from taxation for a period of three years.

Furthermore, the legislation was revised to exempt from personal income tax the portion of monthly interest income earned on deposits in national currency held by each bank up to 200 manat. In other circumstances, banks are required to tax interest income at the source at a rate of 10 percent. This will apply to both domestic and foreign currency interest income.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. At the "Red Bridge" customs post on the Azerbaijan-Georgian border, 508 trucks are currently awaiting departure, Azerbaijan Land Transport Agency told Trend.

This was reported to Trend on Tuesday by the Land Transport Agency of Azerbaijan.

Besides that, as the information gives out, 45 trucks are waiting for departure at the customs border checkpoint "Bilasuvar", 58 at "Mazimgara", 37 at "Samur", and 15 at "Khanoba". Meanwhile, no trucks are waiting for departure at the customs-border checkpoint at "Astara".

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. The Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers has ordered to allocate over 300 hectares of land in Pirsaat settlement of Garadagh district of Baku for construction of a solar power plant (SPP), Trend reports.

The relevant decree was signed by Prime Minister Ali Asadov.

The document was published on the government's website.

According to the document, 300.77 hectares of land of the State Reserve Fund is defined as a zone of renewable energy sources for construction of the SPP.

Azerbaijan's Ministry of Energy is ordered to select a power producer, the State Committee for Architecture and Urban Planning is ordered to issue a permit for construction of the power plant.

According to Azerbaijani Ministry of Energy, the territory was allocated not for any specific project, and it will be determined which company (structure) will operate on the allocated site.

Azerbaijan has been actively developing projects on renewable energy sources, in particular SPP and wind power plants for the past few years.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. The Global Gateway Investors Forum on Sustainable Transport Connectivity between Europe and Central Asia will take place on January 29-30, 2024, Peter Stano, the European Commissions Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, told Trend.

"The diversification of trade routes has been on the table for quite some time," he said.

According to Peter Stano, following the war in Ukraine, there is an increased urgency to identify alternative, reliable and efficient trade routes between Europe and Asia that do not pass through Russia.

"The EU wants to be a reliable and predictable partner in a rapidly changing world," he said.

As Peter Stano noted, the importance of transport connectivity was discussed during the EU-Central Asia Ministerial, which took place on 23 October 2023 in Luxembourg.

"We hosted a very successful connectivity conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, last year, and the Global Gateway Forum from October 25-26 in Brussels underscores our strong commitment to strengthening our engagement on transport connectivity. This Forum will be followed by an Investors' Forum on the 29th and 30th of January 2024, which should result in operational measures for the execution of the Study (on sustainable transport corridors connecting the enlarged Trans-European Transport Network and the five Central Asian nations)," he noted.

The European Commission's Lead Spokesperson pointed out that ahead of the Investors Forum, the EU is planning the first steps towards the implementation of the soft measures included in the study.

"Before the end of the year, we will adopt a Prosperity Program, which will contribute to improving cross-border coordination and interoperability across Central Asian countries to foster business connectivity along the strategic Trans-Caspian corridor," Peter Stano said.

Meanwhile, the Global Gateway Transport Investors Forum takes forward the conclusions of the EU-commissioned Study on Sustainable Transport Corridors between the EU and Central Asia, and aims to translate the political commitments of the EU and the five countries in Central Asia to enhance and reinforce connectivity into tangible operational deliverables.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. The EAEU (Eurasian Economic Union) acts as a strategic link connecting the entire Eurasian region, and the member states have every opportunity to consolidate this status, the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said during a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, Trend reports.

"First and foremost, the focus is on the development of the North-South corridor with access to the countries of the Middle East, Iran, Pakistan, and India. In this regard, it is gratifying to note that the Kazakh initiative to launch the Chelyabinsk  Bolasak  Iran route is finding practical implementation," he emphasized. "In our part, we are prepared to upgrade the bottlenecks in our railway and road networks. This pertains to the Beineu  Mangystau, Makat  Kandagash railways, and the Beineu  Shalkar road section."

According to Tokayev, a joint venture of logistics companies from Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan is being established for the further development of the corridor.

"I propose that the railway administrations of other EAEU countries join this effort. Kazakhstan actively strengthens the transport and logistics framework and connectivity of the EAEU. We are completing the construction of Kazakh terminals in the Chinese city of Xi'an and the Georgian port of Poti," the president noted. "We plan to launch five transboundary transport and logistics hubs on the borders with Russia, China, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and the Caspian Sea. In the near future, we aim to build 1,300 kilometers of new railway tracks, dry ports in Bakhty and Kalzhat, as well as a maritime port in the Iranian Bandar Abbas."

"We invite EAEU countries to collaborate on mutually beneficial projects, including a network of major strategic ports, logistics centers, and postal hubs," Tokayev added.

The International NorthSouth Transport Corridor (INSTC) is a 7,200-km-long multi-mode network of ship, rail, and road routes for moving freight between India, Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia, and Europe. The route primarily involves moving freight from India, Iran, Azerbaijan, and the Russian Federation via ship, rail, and road. The objective of the corridor is to increase trade connectivity between major cities such as Mumbai, Moscow, Tehran, Baku, Bandar Abbas, Astrakhan, Anzali, etc.

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ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, December 26. The trade exchange between Turkmenistan and EU member states reached a total of more than 1.5 billion euros from January through October 2023, the source at Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, told Trend.

During the reporting period, the trade volume between Turkmenistan and EU countries surged by 84 percent in contrast to the initial ten months of the prior year (816.85 million euros).

Turkmenistan's exports to the EU reached nearly 962.4 million euros from January through October 2023, reflecting a 2.9-fold increase compared to the corresponding months of 2022 when it was 323.11 million euros.

At the same time, Turkmenistan increased its imports from EU countries by 10 percent in the initial ten months of this year in contrast to the period of January through October 2022 (493.74 million euros), reaching a total of 543.3 million euros.

Turkmenistan's economic turnover with EU countries totaled 1 billion euros last year, 25.9 percent less than in 2021, when it was 1.35 billion euros.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 26. Uzbekistan supplied $54.58 million worth of gas to China in November of 2023, Trend reports.

As per data by General Administration of Customs of China (GACC), the recorded number reflects a 29 percent increase compared to October of 2023 ($38.75 million).

Cumulative gas exports from Uzbekistan to China amounted to $509.03 million from January through November of 2023.

Turkmenistan continues to hold the leadership in gas supplies to China, having supplied $8.82 billion worth of natural gas in 11 months.

Next comes Russia, having almost doubled its natural gas exports to $5.88 billion.

China is one of the top gas markets for Uzbekistan's supplies. Meanwhile, the gas exports from the Central Asian country have been falling, including a full stop of supplies from January through March 2023.

Uzbekistan has resumed the export of gas to China in April 2023. The value of gas supplied to China for that month amounted to $40.47 million.

Moreover, in 2022, the Uzbek Uztransgaz JSC reported the possibility of completely abandoning gas exports in 2025-2026 due to the growth of its consumption in the local market.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 26. Russian Pobeda low-cost airline will start operating flights to Uzbekistans capital city of Tashkent, Trend reports.

As per the airline, Pobeda will start flights on the Moscow  Tashkent  Moscow route daily starting from April 3 of 2024.

Tashkent will become the airline's second destination in Uzbekistan. The low-cost airline is already flying to Samarkand.

Earlier this year, the aviation authorities of Uzbekistan and Russia have agreed on a significant increase in the number of flights. As per data by the Ministry of Transport of Russia, the increase is expected for a number of routes, including the Tashkent - Moscow - Tashkent route with a boost from 39 to 50 flights a week.

In November of 2023, Uzbekistan's Tashkent and Russia's Moscow have inked a Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of tourism, which presupposes the increase in the number of tourists in both directions up to 1 million people, organization of tourist and cultural festivals, as well as media coverage of national tourist routes and destinations.

As per latest available data by Uzbekistans Statistics Agency, 345,000 Russian tourists visited Uzbekistan from January through June 2023, which is 11.1 percent of the whole tourist influx (3.1 million).
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 26. Polish LOT Airlines is set to launch direct flights between Polands Warsaw and Uzbekistans Tashkent starting from March 2024, Trend reports.

The news followed a meeting between LOT Airlines CEO Michal Fijol and Uzbek diplomats on a working visit to Warsaw.

During the meeting, the parties considered the growing demand for flights on the WarsawTashkent route. Thus, the flights will be carried out 4 times a week.

It was also noted that a total of 40,000 tourists will be able to travel via this route per year.

Meanwhile, Uzbekistan expects increase in number of tourists from Poland in 2024. As was revealed during the visit of the Polish Chamber of Commerce to Uzbekistan, the volume of tourist influx is expected to reach 2,000.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. If the Iranian side intends to negotiate with Western countries on its nuclear program, it can enter into the negotiations with a new proposal, a former head of the Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy committee, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, said, Trend reports.

According to Falahatpisheh, Iran can propose that the enrichment of uranium at the level of 60 percent be taken as a basis, and it can produce certain products in this regard. However, in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which came into force in 2016, it was envisaged that the Iranian side would enrich uranium at the level of 3.67 percent.

The former MP added that 60 percent enriched uranium can be used as fuel in submarines. Even Iran can propose to organize a consortium in this regard and to produce fuel for submarines in Iran.

He also noted that before the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, one could expect the restoration of the JCPOA. But the situation has already changed; along with this conflict, there are also conflicts in the Middle East. The world's attention is more focused on these conflicts. From this point of view, there is still no interest in discussions about Iran's nuclear program. Therefore, there is no reason to expect the restoration of the JCPOA.

Recently, some world media reports cited the IAEA as saying that Irans 60 percent enriched uranium reserves had increased from 6.7 kg to 128 kg.

Irans nuclear program was the subject of the JCPOA, a deal signed by Iran and the P5+1 group (US, Russia, China, UK, France, and Germany) on January 16, 2016. However, on May 8, 2018, the US withdrew from the JCPOA and imposed new sanctions on Iran as of November 2018.

Iran claims that its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes, but the IAEA has reported that Iran has increased its highly enriched uranium by 27 percent in the last three months and now has 4,745 kilograms of enriched uranium. This is 15 times more than the amount allowed for Iran in the JCPOA.

Iran has been trying to resume talks with the other parties on its nuclear issue and revive the JCPOA. The main goals of Iran are to end the sanctions imposed by the US and Western countries, access funds frozen abroad, and resume its crude oil exports.

In late 2020, the Iranian parliament decided to implement a strategic plan to tackle the sanctions, citing the non-implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed between Iran and six countries and the imposition of sanctions on Iran. According to the decision of the Iranian parliament, as of February 23, Iran suspended the implementation of additional steps and an additional protocol provided for in the nuclear deal. As a result, the control mechanism of the IAEA decreased by 2030 percent.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. Iran's nuclear industry and nuclear activities will boost the country's development in many areas, said Mohammad Eslami, Vice President and Chief of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Trend reports.

He made the remark in a meeting with a group of Iranian citizens regarding the nuclear industry in Tehran on December 26.

According to Eslami, Iran has complete self-confidence in the nuclear industry and nuclear activities. This self-confidence is the basis of Iran's great development in agriculture, electricity, environmental protection, and other fields. Iran is advancing in this direction with its resources.

Eslami added that some countries are trying to present Iran as a very dangerous country by showing that Iran's nuclear program is dangerous. While Iran declares that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, it clearly and transparently declares that it intends to use it for its own development. All of Iran's nuclear activities are within the framework of International Atomic Energy Agency laws, and all parties already know this.

Irans nuclear program was the subject of the JCPOA, a deal signed by Iran and the P5+1 group (US, Russia, China, UK, France, and Germany) on January 16, 2016. However, on May 8, 2018, the US withdrew from the JCPOA and imposed new sanctions on Iran as of November 2018.

Iran claims that its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes, but the IAEA has reported that Iran has increased its highly enriched uranium by 27 percent in the last three months and now has 4,745 kilograms of enriched uranium. This is 15 times more than the amount allowed for Iran in the JCPOA.

Recently, some world media reports cited the IAEA as saying that Irans 60 percent enriched uranium reserves had increased from 6.7 kg to 128 kg.

Iran has been trying to resume talks with the other parties on its nuclear issue and revive the JCPOA. The main goals of Iran are to end the sanctions imposed by the US and Western countries, access funds frozen abroad, and resume its crude oil exports.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish parliament approved Sweden's bid to join NATO, Trend reports.

The issue will now be put to a vote by a full parliament. The date of the vote has not been set yet, but procedural rules indicate the vote can happen at any time once 48 hours pass after the committees approval.
Famous Ukrainian blogger Anna Alkhim, who continues to speak Russian and listen to Russian music, including songs by traitors to Ukraine, has shown off her wardrobe. The celebrity has a collection of expensive fur coats, including a real leopard coat, as well as a 5,000 euro jacket from the Ukrainian brand Gasanova, which she has never worn.

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At the same time, the influencer assures that she easily buys replicas of global brands such as Gucci, Balenciaga, etc. in order not to spend thousands of euros for the original. A video of Alkhim showing off her wardrobe was posted on the YouTube channel Lux FM.

Alkhim's wardrobe has separate shelves for her perfume. There are more than 50 bottles, or even more.

The blogger admits that she has very expensive jeans and branded bags, but one of the most expensive items in her wardrobe is a jacket by Ukrainian designer Elvira Hasanova. According to Alkhim, the shimmering silver piece with black lettering is very heavy, and she has never worn it. The cost of the jacket is 5 thousand euros or 207 thousand hryvnias. A designer item worth such a tidy sum hangs on a hanger in a case and does not see the light of day.

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Alkhim has a separate room for fur coats, because they simply do not fit in the wardrobe. Here you can find luxurious vintage pieces made of black and brown fox, sable, and even leopard. The star did not even disclose their price, but proudly demonstrated her favorite items in the collection.

"My favorite and most expensive is sable. I wear leopard with a black turtleneck and red lips. I also wear sable for everyday," commented Alkhim.

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As a reminder, Alkhim recently called residents of Ukraine's western regions "corrupt roosters" and later caused a scandal over the state language. She called Ukrainian-speaking people "Nazis" and said that Ukrainian is spoken only in Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA wrote that Alkhim got into a scandal again because of the music she listens to and promotes among her subscribers. This time, the influencer's fans did not like the track with elements of the legendary "Shchedryk" by Mykola Leontovych and Russian-language rap. Details are in the article.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
On Tuesday, December 26, the world-famous American actor and musician Jared Leto celebrates his birthday. It's hard to believe, but the Hollywood star and one of the world's main sex symbols is 52 years old! Fan theories that the actor has sold his soul to the devil to stay forever young seem more and more realistic. Tests were repeatedly created on the Internet, asking people to guess which photos showed Leto older and which younger. It's almost impossible to cope with this task without making mistakes, because the idol of millions hasn't changed much in the last 20 years (except for his roles). The funny thing is that Jared himself failed this test.

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An Oscar winner, a leading man in cult films, a master of transformation, he positions himself more as a musician than an actor. However, for Ukrainians, Jared Leto is first and foremost a loyal friend and a man with a clear position. He was one of the first world stars to support Ukraine after the full-scale invasion. And most importantly, he did so until February 24, 2022. In honor of the legendary artist's birthday, OBOZ.UA decided to recall his relationship with Ukraine and collect other impressive facts from the birthday boy's life.

1. He played a Ukrainian in the 2005 movie The Gun Baron, where he made a map of Ukraine out of cocaine. This is a drama about a family of Ukrainian immigrants who settled in the United States. The Orlov brothers from Odesa were played by Jared Leto and Nicolas Cage. The protagonists quickly adapted to the streets of Brighton Beach and started an illegal arms business there. At one point, Jared Leto's character Vitaly misses Ukraine so much that he makes a map of it out of cocaine.

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2. He sang a song about Odesa and promised to come to Kyiv. Obviously, Jared Leto was preparing for the role of an Odessan, which is why after February 24, he sang the famous song "Ah, Odesa, the pearl by the sea" in one of his Instagram live streams. The actor dedicated this broadcast to Ukraine and Ukrainians to once again express his support for the backgammon that is fighting the great aggressor. The star was joined by Ukrainians, including a guy from Odesa. Leto sang a song for him. And when a Kyiv resident joined the broadcast, the artist expressed hope that he would soon be able to return to the capital of Ukraine.

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3. He came to Ukraine in 2014. After the Revolution of Dignity took place in Ukraine and the situation in Crimea and Donbas escalated, many world musicians began to cancel their tours in Ukraine due to the potentially dangerous situation. However, not the band Thirty Seconds to Mars, whose frontman is Jared Leto. In March 2014, the rockers came to Kyiv and expressed their support for our country by raising a huge blue and yellow flag on stage. A few days later, Leto received an Oscar and said at the ceremony that he "supports Ukrainians who dream of living in a democracy."

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4. He started working at the age of 12. As a teenager, the future musician and actor decided that he wanted to earn money. That is why at the age of 12 he was washing dishes for $1.57 per hour. He carefully saved his salary from his first job, and soon bought a guitar with it. That's how his passion for music began. By the way, the artist gives a personalized name to each new guitar in his collection.

5. Jared Leto grew up surrounded by hippies. The star's mother was a representative of this subculture. Leto's surname belongs to his stepfather, whom Jared's mother met after her husband's tragic death by suicide. The actor has never met his biological father.

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6. His role in the cult drama Requiem for a Dream. In order to better embody the drug addict Harold on the screen, Leto lived on the streets of New York for a while. He wanted to fully experience the atmosphere of the underclass. In addition, for the role, the actor lost 13 kilograms, went on a hunger strike and did not have sex for two months.

7. He does not agree to nude photo shoots. Women's magazines have repeatedly offered Leto substantial sums of money for nude photography, but he always refuses.

8. He hasn't eaten food of animal origin for more than 20 years. Jared Leto calls himself a vegan liar. He said in an interview: "I don't eat meat, of course, but if I'm on the bank of a beautiful river teeming with trout, I'll gladly catch the biggest fish and eat it."

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9. A fan sent him his severed ear. The musician-actor said he found this "gift" when he was sorting through the mail. Along with the severed ear, the envelope contained a note that read "Are you listening?" Leto himself shocked with his prank in response. He made a hole in the part of his body sent by a fan and wore the ear as a pendant for a while. At the same time, Jared asked that fans not make such unexpected gifts anymore, joking that he would have no place to put them.

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10. Jared Leto has never been married. However, the eternally young sex symbol has had love affairs with many celebrities, including Scarlett Johansson, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Katarina Damm, Ashley Olsen and others. And once Leto even courted Angelina Jolie. The star failed to win the favor of his colleague.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA wrote that cult Hollywood actor Brad Pitt celebrated his 60th birthday. How he changed and what is the secret of his youth - read in the article.

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At the government's session on December 25, the administration discussed a draft law mandating all institutions offering assisted reproductive technologies to register information on reproduction-related activities in the Unified National Registry. The change will come into force starting January 2024.According to the information, the purpose of the change is to enhance traceability of used tissues, cells, embryos, and associated data and materials in contact.As of today, the administration has noted that 19 institutions provide services with assisted reproductive technologies.The government stated that the implementation of the unified national register of activities related to reproduction complies with the requirements outlined in the Association Agreement with the European Union.The director and pharmacist of the COVID-19 treatment clinic in Kvemo Kartli artificially inflated the cost of medical services for patients, fraudulently obtaining 108,032 GEL, according to the information provided by the investigative service of the Ministry of Finance."Employees of the Investigative Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia, in coordination with the Kvemo Kartli District Prosecutor's Office, exposed two individuals through operational search measures and investigative actions. The individuals were found to have fraudulently obtained a significant amount of money belonging to the state by abusing their official positions.The investigation found that one of the medical centers located in the Kvemo Kartli region, operating from August 1, 2021, to January 1, 2022, served as a medical facility for treating confirmed cases of COVID-19. During this period, the director and pharmacist of the mentioned institution artificially increased the cost of medical services provided to patients in the same hospital. Through this means, they fraudulently obtained a total of 108,032 GEL," the statement reads.
Often, homemade pizza is more like a pie. The dough is rather coarse, and there are no crispy sides or appetizing golden color. And this is not surprising, because pizza has its own special cooking technology and you need to understand its intricacies.

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The well-known American publication INSIDER told us about the mistakes that housewives often make when making pizza.

Incorrect sequence of adding ingredients

The sequence of adding ingredients is important for the taste of pizza. You should start with flour and yeast, then slowly add water, and then salt. Never add salt and yeast at the same time, as the dough will not rise.

Letting the dough sit in the refrigerator

This is the wrong decision. The dough is best at room temperature. And it needs time for that. You can even leave it overnight. The longer the better.

Using regular flour

If you use ordinary flour, the dough will be quite clogged and even giving it time to sit won't help. To make the structure elastic, add corn or semolina flour.

Put the pizza in a cold oven

To ensure that the dough is evenly baked, fluffy, and golden, the oven should be preheated for at least 45 minutes at the maximum temperature before cooking. High temperatures will help the dough to rise.

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Using the wrong baking dish

Pizza should be cooked on a surface that conducts heat. A special stone is ideal for this. It warms up the bottom of the dough and contributes to the formation of a crispy golden crust. If you don't have such a device, you can use an inverted baking sheet.
In 2023, Russia harvested almost 8 million tons of grain in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine: 6.4 million tons of wheat and almost 1.5 million tons of sunflower seeds. A clear understanding of the harvest volume is important for assessing possible reparations that Ukraine may demand from Russia.

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This was reported by Bloomberg. It notes that it is difficult to say exactly where and in what volumes Russia is using the stolen grain, especially given that it can mix it with grain grown on its own territories.

This is already causing problems for international traders. The fact is that trading in such products "may increase legal risks" for them.

"Last year, the chief prosecutor of Switzerland warned traders to stay away from food products that were stolen from Ukraine. Otherwise, they risk committing a war crime," the statement said.

Estimating the amount of stolen food is difficult

However, it is impossible to speak of 8 million tons of grain as an exact figure. The problem is, analysts explain, that the longer the war lasts, the "harder it is to get reliable information about how much grain is sown and harvested."

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However, they emphasize that there is no doubt that we are talking about millions of tons. "Millions of tons of the most important crops are grown in the Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine. The problem is that it is difficult to know exactly how much and where it really goes," the analysts summarized.

Why it is important to conduct calculations

At the same time, it is noted that it is necessary to estimate the amount of stolen goods by Russia. The reason is that in the future, it may help Ukraine determine the amount of possible reparations.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, at the same time, Russia is trying to increase its influence on the African continent by supplying free grain cargo ships there. It is expected that by the end of 2023, the volume of supplies to Somalia and Burkina Faso, which have close ties with Moscow, will reach 200 thousand tons.

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In 1992, the second part of the cult movie Home Alone about Kevin McCallister and the "sticky bandits" who ended up in New York was released. Some scenes of the Christmas comedy are set in The Plaza Hotel. At the time of filming, it was owned by Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States from January 20, 2017 to January 20, 2021. As you know, Trump joined the cast of his favorite holiday movie, and it happened for a reason.

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The fact is that the billionaire gave the film's director, Chris Columbus, an ultimatum: he allowed the movie to be filmed at The Plaza only if he himself appeared in one of the episodes. The director spoke about this in an interview with Business Insider.

"Like most places in New York, you just pay a fee and they let you shoot in that place. We approached the Plaza Hotel, which Trump owned at the time, because we wanted to shoot in the lobby. We paid the fee, but he also said: 'The only way you can use the Plaza is if I'm in a movie,'" Columbus recalled.

According to the director, Trump was filmed in many movies for the sake of permission to shoot, and at the editing stage, the scene was often simply cut out. However, Columbus decided to keep the 10-second fragment with the hotel owner.

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"When we showed it for the first time, the strangest thing happened: people cheered when Trump appeared on the screen. So I told my editor: "Leave him in the movie. This is a moment for the audience." But he did make his way into the movie through intimidation," the director added.

It should be noted that Trump himself is very proud of his role in Home Alone 2. While still president, in 2019, he said: "It's a good movie, and I was, to put it mildly, younger. And it was an honor to do it."

As OBOZ.UA wrote earlier, Ukrainians have created their own version of Home Alone, which is no worse than the original. The events take place in Rivne.

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At least 190 new criminal cases have been opened in the Russian Federation against the Wagner members pardoned for their participation in the war against Ukraine. Most of them are related to theft.

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This is the data for 2023 that Verstka journalists managed to find and confirm. Some former prisoners from the private military company Wagner, who were granted amnesty and returned to Russia, continued to commit crimes.

According to the publication, the so-called top crimes include:

- theft - 83 cases;

- traffic violations - 27 cases;

- drug-related crimes- 23 cases;

- murder or attempted murder - 20 criminal cases.

In addition, cases were opened against the ex-mercenaries under articles on causing grievous bodily harm, carjacking, assault or insulting a government official, fraud, kidnapping, and rape.

Some of the former Wagnerites were tried not under one, but under several criminal articles. At least ten occupants are being tried on two or three criminal cases at once, and one on six.

Verstka noted that the Russian Federation is trying to conceal the fact that the defendants participated in hostilities. Therefore, the actual number of criminal cases against former PMC mercenaries may be much higher.

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As OBOZ.UA wrote:

- In September 2023, in Sol-Iletsk, Orenburg region of Russia, Yuriy Gavrilov, a previously convicted mercenary of the private military company Wagner, raped a child. The victim is a fifth-grade girl, only 11 years old.

- Recently, a former prisoner and war criminal, Alaberdy Karazhayev, gave a lesson to students at boarding school No. 88 "Smile" in Ulyanovsk, where children with special needs are educated. He was sentenced to nine years in prison for the murder of his mother-in-law's partner.

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The State Film Agency of Ukraine reported that in 2023, Ukraine banned the screening of two films featuring Russian actor Alexei Kravchenko, who supports the Putin regime and the terrorist war. The ban applies to the Russian film Little Devil (1995) and the Czech-Slovak-Ukrainian film The Painted Bird (2019).

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This decision was made by the State Film Agency after Kravchenko was included in the list of persons who pose a threat to Ukraine's state security. This was reported by Interfax-Ukraine.

"In 2023, the state registration was canceled and the state certificates for the right to distribute and show two films with the participation of Russian actor Alexei Kravchenko were invalidated due to his inclusion in the list of persons who pose a threat to state security," the agency reports, citing data from the State Film Agency.

Such bans are part of Ukraine's policy of limiting Russian cultural influence. In total, the source notes, the State Film Agency issued state certificates for the distribution and screening of 328 films in the past year.

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It should be noted that Alexei Kravchenko is a fan of Russian aggression. He fervently promotes Kremlin narratives to the masses. In particular, in 2021, the actor played one of the main roles in the false propaganda film Solntsepek, which takes place in Luhansk in May 2014.

Kravchenko himself called the war a huge tragedy. However, he cynically added that the "huge sin" is not on the aggressors but on those who allegedly "provoked" the war.

The actor also spoke dismissively of his colleagues who opposed the war. In particular, he criticized Artur Smolyaninov, with whom he co-starred in the 9th Company. He said that the former ex-army officer had no "strength of character" and lashed out at him for his "unpatriotic" position.

As OBOZ.UA wrote, earlier, the State Agency of Ukraine for Cinema reacted to the excitement around the propaganda Russian series Slovo Patsana in the Ukrainian information space, which romanticizes the U.S.S.R., robbery and crime. The State Film Agency stated that the distribution and demonstration of the Russian film product "is clearly regarded as a violation of the law, which is punishable." Read more in the article.

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Ukrainians in the Czech Republic, Finland, and Norway will be paid up to 5,300 euros for returning home early. Norway, which is not a member of the European Union, was the first to introduce this practice. However, the initiative has now been taken up by EU countries.

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The amounts and conditions of "departure" payments differ from country to country. OBOZ.UA has collected key information.

Norway

Since 2023, Norway has been paying 17.5 thousand kroner (1.2 thousand dollars) to every Ukrainian who has a collective protection status, a residence permit in the country and is ready to return home. The money is given only to those who are ready to buy a ticket to Ukraine and return home immediately.

You need to apply for the payment to the Norwegian Immigration Directorate (UDI). Along with the application, you will need to provide tickets and documents, as well as describe the route.

"The tickets must state that whatever mode of transportation you use will take you as close to your final destination as possible," the organization notes. You will also need to prepare documents for moving from Norway. You will need the following papers:

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a copy of the notice of moving (leaving Norway) with a confirmation or stamp from the State Population Register (Folkeregisteret)/tax office;

confirmation from NAV, a municipality or a government agency that a notice of relocation has been submitted;

a digital receipt from the Norwegian Tax Administration (Skatteetaten) confirming that a notice of relocation has been submitted.

Children under the age of 18 must apply together with their parents. If only one of the parents is traveling with the child, the other parent in Norway must provide written confirmation that he or she agrees to this.

Finland

The provision on the payment to Ukrainians appeared in the updated temporary protection regulations, which will come into force at the beginning of 2024. According to the new provision, the amount of the grant for voluntary return will be EUR 5,300 if the application is submitted within 30 days after notification of a negative asylum decision or withdrawal of the application by the applicant.

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If the application is submitted after 30 days, the amount of the grant will be reduced. In this case, it will be 2000 euros.

It is important to note that the subsidy can be provided in the form of a cash payment or in the form of "in-kind assistance". This can be, for example, a service or equipment that allows you to return to study or start a small business.

Czech Republic

Temporary protection for Ukrainians in the Czech Republic has been extended until March 2025. However, those who want to leave the country before that date can count on financial assistance.

The new rules, like in Finland, will come into effect in 2024 - the relevant amendments to the lex Ukraine law were signed by Czech President Petr Pavel. However, the amount of the Czech payment has not yet been disclosed.

It is already known that Ukrainians will receive a one-time payment no later than three months before the expiration of their right to stay in the Czech Republic. If the refugees decide to apply for a long-term visa, they will have to return up to 50% of the amount received to the Czech state budget.

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By the way, a similar initiative was considered in Switzerland, but it was never finally approved. It was assumed that this country could introduce an additional payment to Ukrainians in the amount of up to $4355 for early return home.

The situation is similar in Ireland, where an exit payment program is under development. The amounts have not yet been specified. At the same time, the Irish government notes that financial assistance is intended for those Ukrainians who still have housing in their homeland. According to the Irish authorities, such people are prevented from returning, in particular, by financial difficulties, and therefore they want to help them.

The return of refugees to Ukraine is an important condition to prevent a crisis in the labor market. After all, Ukraine is already facing a shortage of personnel, which, according to analysts, will only get worse in the future.

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As reported by OBOZ.UA, according to expert estimates, a total of 1.3 to 3.3 million refugees will not return to Ukraine. As a result, Ukraine's economy will lose from 2.7 to 6.9% of GDP annually (depending on the number of people who will not return home).

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At the end of 2023, the Russians summarized their tourism results. After counting tourists from abroad and travelers who went to foreign countries, it was possible to determine that Russian citizens almost never traveled to places where there were many Ukrainians.

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Curated destinations such as Egypt and Bulgaria have now been replaced by Turkey and occupied Abkhazia. The results of the study were reported by propagandists.

Allegedly, Russian tourists most often traveled to neighboring Belarus, where there is no language barrier. The country, which is close to Russia in terms of the number of sanctions imposed on it for its assistance in the hostilities against Ukrainians, welcomed guests, most of whom stayed in Minsk.

Turkey, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Abkhazia took the next four positions. It is specified that most often Russians lived in the capitals.

Comically, there was no return tourism from the above countries. To summarize, the Russian Federation said that the Chinese and Indians most often visited them.

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It is also worth mentioning the mythical "European tourists" who allegedly continue to visit the terrorist state.

Russians were proudly told that residents of "some European countries" are still interested in traveling to Russia. Of course, no statistics or even the names of these countries were provided.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA wrote that loud Russian tourists started a showdown in the Kingdom of Tonga and scared fellow citizens who were passing by. Read more about the incident in the article.

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Croatia is a pearl of the Mediterranean located in the west of the Balkan Peninsula. The country is washed by the Adriatic Sea and is rightfully considered the sunniest in Europe, so it's no wonder that this region is so popular among travelers.

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If you have long dreamed of visiting picturesque Croatia, we have prepared a selection of the best tourist destinations for every taste.

Zagreb

A capital city with a rich history and countless interesting locations worth seeing with your own eyes. Zagreb is conventionally divided into the Upper Town - the old part with historical buildings - and the modern Lower Town.

Those who enjoy cultural recreation will definitely find something to do, as there are 16 theaters, 22 museums, and 31 art galleries. The most popular museum is Mimara, which has a collection of more than 3,500 works of art. Another highlight is the Museum of Broken Relationships, which houses the belongings of former lovers.

Go for a walk along the cobblestone streets of the medieval Old Town, where you can explore the famous stone gates that were built in the 13th century. Visit the incredible churches: St. Mark's Church, the Cathedral, St. Catherine's Church, or St. Francis Church. Alternatively, immerse yourself in the atmosphere of modernity in the Lower Town by going shopping or to trendy restaurants.

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What to visit:

Lotrscak Tower;

Maksimir Park;

Museum of Contemporary Art;

Old Masters Picture Gallery;

Ilica Street.

Pula

Istria is a city of incredible beauty on the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The region is famous for its ancient Roman buildings, one of which is a beautifully preserved amphitheater located on the outskirts of the historic center.

The mild climate, calm sea, and pine forests attract tourists from all over Europe like a magnet. Here you can relax on luxurious beaches covered with fine pebbles or explore the ancient traditions of winemaking or fishing.

We also recommend visiting the neighboring town of Porec, where you can admire the temples and fortress walls, and the ordinary courtyards will amaze you with the variety of greenery. By the way, you can go on an excursion to Venice from the local port.

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What to visit:

the main square, the Forum;

The Golden Gate;

Brijuni National Park;

Valsaline Bay;

Crveni Otok, Duga Uvala, and Bijeca beaches.

Zadar

The capital of the province of the same name is located in the middle part of the Adriatic coast. The nature of the region is strikingly beautiful: steep cliffs hanging over the deep and clear sea. Here you can hide from the world in cozy bays or enjoy the special air of coniferous forests.

The history of the city dates back to the 9th century BC, so you will definitely find something to see while walking around the old part of Zadar. One of its main symbols is the Church of St. Donatus, which works as a museum and hosts classical music concerts in the summer.

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The hallmark of the region is the Sea Organ, which has become a vivid example of how something new can be harmoniously combined with ancient architecture and powerful elements. This organ was designed by a local architect who placed the pipes of the instrument so that the sea waves and wind "play" on it, reproducing the melody of nature itself.

What to visit:

University of Zadar;

the ruins of the Roman Forum;

Kolovare and Sharun beaches;

Kornati National Park;

Plitvice Lakes National Park.

Hvar

The island, which stretches for sixty-eight kilometers along the coast of Central Dalmatia, attracts travelers with its fabulous bays and coves.

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Going for a walk in the city of the same name, you will be impressed by its main square, Piazza. We recommend that you take this opportunity to wait for the sunset by climbing the walls of the fortress, which offers a magical view of the neighboring islands.

One of the most famous events of the warm season is the Summer Festival in Hvar, which lasts from early June to late August and is accompanied by concerts, performances and folklore ensembles. Wine festivals and Fishermen's Nights are also popular among tourists.

What to visit:

Hvar Arsenal;

Spanjola Fortress;

Dubovica, Amfora, Hula Hula, Bocic, and Soline beaches;

Lastovo Nature Park;

Split city.

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Dubrovnik

One of the most famous resort towns in Croatia is located in the south of the country. It is famous for its mild Mediterranean climate. Dubrovnik is included in the UNESCO list of the best Renaissance monuments.

While here, be sure to set aside time to walk around the historic center. There you will see the ancient walls, visit the Gothic Sponza Palace, and admire the unusual fountains. We recommend observing the city from Mount Saj, where there is an observation deck.

The coastline in this area is rich in countless unspoiled bays, which offer unsurpassed views of the Elafiti Islands. We also recommend visiting the cable car to get a bird's eye view of the city and the coast.

What to visit:

Vlach Church;

Dominican and Franciscan monasteries;

the palace of the prince;

the oldest synagogue in Europe;

Cava, Galija, and Lokrum beaches.

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Discover Croatia and experience the true magic of the Mediterranean. This country will enchant you with a harmonious combination of rich history and vibrant beach vacations. The sunny country is waiting for you!

Earlier, OBOZREVATEL reported how to have a budget vacation in Greece.

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Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is confident that the European Union will decide to provide our country with 50 billion euros. In his opinion, a positive step in this matter should be expected even despite Hungary's possible veto.

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The Foreign Minister said this on Monday, December 25, during a telethon. Kuleba said that the decision on this aid for Kyiv was postponed not because of Budapest's position.

According to him, the European states wanted to give Hungary time to agree on joining the allocation of funds, as "the EU does not want a situation where a decision is constantly made without one country."

The Minister is confident that there will be a decision on Ukraine receiving 50 billion.

"There is only one question left: either 27 countries will do it together - all EU members including Hungary, and Hungary has been given a month to hold additional negotiations - or 26 EU countries will allocate this money without Hungary," the minister said.

He added that the issue is the internal unity of the bloc. And now 26 countries are making every effort to preserve it. But if they fail, "the money will still be allocated."

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Earlier, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that Hungary's failure to disburse 50 billion in EU aid to Ukraine did not mean that the country would not receive the money. The EU Council did reach an agreement in principle on this issue, although the decision itself was postponed. And in case Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is called "Putin's friend," continues to veto the bill, the EU will have a backup option.

As OBOZ.UA reported earlier, the EU had to unblock 10 billion in aid to Hungary to make it stop blocking aid to Ukraine. At the time, it was the government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban that was slowing down the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU.

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The first group of Ukrainian pilots was trained by the Royal Air Force in the UK. After completing the basic training program, the pilots traveled to Denmark to fly F-16 fighter jets.

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The training in the UK has been taking place since August and included the study of piloting theory and English. This was reported by the press service of the British government.

Six Ukrainian pilots received special English training to improve their ability to participate in training and support the coalition. Another 10 Ukrainian trainee pilots took part in the language training and remained in the UK to continue their practical basic flight training, as well as to learn important skills such as aviation medicine and centrifuge training.

According to Defense Secretary Grant Shapps, the United Kingdom has played an important role in building Ukraine's air defense since Russian dictator Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion. He recalled that the UK has provided hundreds of missiles and ammunition, as well as radars and weapon systems to Ukraine.

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"While Ukraine was highly vulnerable to Russian aircraft, drones and missile attacks in the early months of the invasion, with the support of the UK and our allies, its Armed Forces are now able to intercept and destroy the vast majority of munitions, protecting civilians and vital infrastructure," Shapps said.

He also expressed confidence that in the future, Ukraine will have a modern air force based on the highly effective fourth-generation F-16 fighter jet. Shapps emphasized that in combination with training in the world's leading Air Forces, this is a significant step forward compared to Ukraine's current capabilities.

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We would like to remind you that the first batch of F-16s to be sent to Ukraine will be modified. The countries that have these fighters in service have been improving them "to the best of their ability."

Earlier, it was reported that Russia decided to boast about the "destruction" of F-16s in Ukraine. Thus, Russian Telegram channels began spreading a fake about the destruction of several fighters at once.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, on the morning of December 22, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a telephone conversation. During the conversation, the head of the Dutch government announced the preparation of the first 18 F-16 fighters for delivery to our country.

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China News Service: Premier Li Qiang attended the fourth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Leaders Meeting on December 25. Do you have more information to share about the meeting and the outcomes of the meeting?



Mao Ning: Yesterday, the fourth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Leaders Meeting was held via video link. The meeting was a success. Premier Li Qiang and the leaders of the five Mekong countries attended the meeting. Focusing on the theme Join Hands on the Building of a Community of Shared Future and Modernization among Lancang-Mekong Countries, the leaders took stock of the progress of Lancang-Mekong cooperation and jointly planned for the future of the LMC.

Premier Li pointed out that over the past seven years since the launch of the Lancang-Mekong cooperation mechanism, under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and the leaders of the Mekong countries, the six countries have built a powerful engine to promote development, a solid backing for common security, and a strong bond of mutual understanding. In particular, China announced with Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam respectively the bilateral decision to build a community with a shared future, which will further boost efforts to build a Lancang-Mekong community with a shared future and provides a great example for building a community with a shared future for mankind.

China put forward a four-point proposal on the future of the LMC. First, deepen integrated development and stick to openness and cooperation. China will launch a special loan for LMC common development to support the key projects in each country. Second, promote green cooperation. The six countries need to fully respect each others legitimate right to develop and utilize water resources rationally and advance cooperation in energy transition and ecological conservation. Third, strengthen security governance, advance the Operation of The Safety of the Lancang-Mekong Region and effectively crack down on telecom fraud and online gambling. Fourth, deepen people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cultivate new bright spots such as think tanks and subnational cooperation.

Parties spoke highly of the fruitful results from Lancang-Mekong cooperation, and stressed that the six countries will share opportunities, jointly respond to challenges, plan future LMC together, further deepen and substantiate it and develop the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Economic Development Belt and a Lancang-Mekong community with a shared future.

The meeting adopted the Nay Pyi Taw Declaration of the Fourth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Leaders Meeting, Five-Year Plan of Action on Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (2023-2027), and Joint Initiatives on the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Innovation Corridor Development.

China Review News: On December 22 local time, US President Joe Biden signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, which contains negative China-related content. Whats Chinas comment?

Mao Ning: Despite Chinas opposition, the US passed and signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 that contains negative China-related content. China strongly deplores and firmly opposes this and has made serious demarches to the US side.

The Act interferes in Chinas internal affairs, preaches US military support to Taiwan, and violates the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques. We urge the US to honor the commitment of its leader of not supporting Taiwan independence, stop manipulating the Taiwan question and stop endangering peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

The Act pictures China as a threat, suppresses Chinese companies and limits normal economic, trade and people-to-people exchanges between China and the US, which serves no ones interest. The US needs to abandon the Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice and create a favorable environment for China-US cooperation in trade and other sectors.

We urge the US to work with China to deliver on the important outcome and common understandings of the San Francisco summit. Negative China-related content in the Act should not be implemented. If the US insists on going ahead with it, China will take resolute and strong measures to firmly safeguard its sovereignty, security and development rights and interests.

Al Jazeera: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in his speech on Monday that he asked China to do more to free an Israeli hostage held by Hamas. Can you confirm that and provide more details? Does China plan to mediate for this?

Mao Ning: Since the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke out, China has repeatedly called for the release of all those held captive as soon as possible and has been making active efforts for this. We will work with the international community to continue to play a constructive role for realizing a ceasefire and the release of all those held captive.

Al Jazeera: The Prime Minister also said that he asked China and Russia to make greater effort for releasing the Israeli hostage. Can the Foreign Ministry confirm this?

Mao Ning: China is in communication with all parties on relevant issues and stands ready to work with all sides to facilitate the release of all those held captive as soon as possible and the realization of a ceasefire to bring lasting peace to the Middle East.

AFP: Indonesian police said today that the death toll following the explosion of a Chinese-funded plant in Indonesia rose to 18 and dozens are being treated in the hospital. Can you give us more details?

Mao Ning: In the wake of the accident, our Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia immediately contacted Indonesia and made every effort jointly to respond to the accident. The Embassys task force together with Indonesian officials arrived at the scene in the industrial park yesterday to provide the company concerned with guidance on dealing with the accident.

We will continue to work with competent authorities and local government to assist the Embassy in staying in close communication with Indonesia and make sure that everything is properly handled. As to the details about injuries and deaths, we are still in the process of collecting and verifying the information.

Asahi TV: Today marks the 130th anniversary of the birth of Chairman Mao Zedong. Will the Foreign Ministry hold commemoration for the occasion?

Mao Ning: Comrade Mao Zedong was at the core of the first generation of CPC central collective leadership and a great man deeply loved and respected by the whole Party and people of all ethnic groups in China. Across China, various forms of commemoration activities are held today.

Reuters: Russian media Kommersant reported yesterday that foreign shareholders in a project controlled by Russias Novatek, suspended the participation. This is the Arctic LNG 2 project and this is due to sanctions. Has Chinese participation through state oil majors like CNOOC and China National Petroleum Corp, in this project ended? And if so, how might this impact the ties between China and Russia?

Mao Ning: China and Russia conduct normal economic and trade cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit. Such cooperation should not become the target of any intervention or restriction by a third party. What has happened shows that sanction and pressuring does not serve to achieve anything but can only cause negative spillover. We oppose unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction that lack basis in international law and UN Security Council mandate. China and Russia will remain committed to normal economic and trade cooperation based on mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.

Xinhua News Agency: The US issued an annual human rights report related to Xinjiang and sanctioned Chinas two officials and three companies. China said it will take resolute countermeasures. What are these specific measures?

Mao Ning: By issuing the report, the US once again spread false stories on Xinjiang and illegally sanctioned Chinese officials and companies citing so-called human rights issues. This move constitutes grave interference in Chinas internal affairs and violates the international law and the basic norms of international relations. The move is designed to vilify China and harmful to the lawful rights and interests of relevant Chinese officials and companies. We firmly oppose and strongly condemn the move and have made serious demarches to the US over this.

In accordance with Chinas Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law, we will take countermeasures against American intelligence data company Kharon, which has long collected Xinjiang-related sensitive information and provided so-called evidence for Americas illegal sanctions related to Xinjiang, Edmund Xu, director of investigations of Kharon, and Nicole Morgret, former researcher of the Center for Advanced Defense Studies. The two persons will be prohibited from entering China (including Chinas mainland, the Hong Kong SAR and the Macau SAR). China will freeze the property of Kharon and the two persons in China, including their movable and immovable property, and prohibit organizations and individuals in China from transactions and cooperation with them.

We again urge the US to stop smearing China, cancel the illegal unilateral sanctions on Chinese officials and companies, and stop implementing wrongful acts such as the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. If the US refuses to change course, China will not flinch and will respond in kind.

CCTV: President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Viet Nam not long ago. This is a capstone in head-of-state diplomacy this year and an important practice of Chinas principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness in neighborhood diplomacy. How will China advocate this principle and consolidate friendship and cooperation with neighboring countries?

Mao Ning: This year marks the 10th anniversary of the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness in neighborhood diplomacy. Over the past decade, China has actively implemented this important principle and put neighborhood diplomacy front and center in foreign relations. President Xi Jinping has drawn up a blueprint for Chinas exchanges with neighboring countries, visited them, and guided the expanding landscape of good-neighborliness and friendship. China has established strategic cooperative partnership with extensive neighboring countries and reached common understandings with more than ten countries on building a community with a shared future.

General Secretary and President Xi Jinpings successful state visit to Viet Nam is another vivid illustration of Chinas principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness in neighborhood diplomacy. Under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, China will continue to advocate the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, and deepen friendship, cooperation and intertwined interests with neighboring countries. We will carry forward Asian values featuring peace, cooperation, inclusiveness and integration and provide new assistance for solidarity, openness and progress in the region. We are ready to deliver more benefits to neighboring countries through Chinese modernization, jointly advance the modernization drive in Asia, and build a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful, amicable and harmonious Asian home with other countries in the region.

Reuters: The Philippines said today that the country is not provoking conflict in the South China Sea. This is in response to Chinas accusation that Manila is encroaching on Beijings territory. Our question is if the Philippines constant denials and rejection of Chinas warnings in South China Sea go on indefinitely, does China have any bottom line at all on this issue? And if so, what is Chinas bottom line to this?

Mao Ning: The recent developments involving China and the Philippines in the South China Sea are caused by the Philippines change of policy and position, refusing to honor its commitment, violation of the international law and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and deliberate infringement of Chinas sovereignty and provocations. The responsibility lies with the Philippines. China will resolutely protect its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. We hope that the Philippines will make the wise choice, return to the right track of properly handling disputes through dialogue and consultation, and work with China to properly handle and manage the situation at sea.
The Ukrainian Defense Forces have dealt a significant blow to the combat potential of the Russian army by shooting down four Su-34 aircraft of the aggressor state. These aircraft are among the most modern fighter-bombers of the Russian Federation, the number and production capabilities of which are limited.

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This is stated in a message from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security, published on Monday, December 25, on Facebook. The institution emphasized that the destruction of enemy aircraft is a great success, as the attacks of the occupiers' aircraft cause serious damage at the front and losses in the rear.

The Center also noted that by shooting down these four enemy aircraft, Ukrainian air defense forces surpassed their success in destroying Su-35 and Su-34 aircraft and two Mi-8MTPR-1 helicopters over the Bryansk region of the Russian Federation in May 2023.

"The Patriot air defense system is proving its effectiveness on the battlefield," the agency emphasized.

They added that an increase in the number of units of these air defense systems in Ukraine's arsenal can really bring the victory of our country closer, and most importantly, save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians.

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"The expected transfer of the first 18 F-16 fighters to Ukraine by the Netherlands will significantly improve the statistics of destroyed enemy targets," the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security summarized.

As a reminder, four units of army aviation crashed in the Bryansk region of the aggressor state of Russia during the day: two Mi-8 helicopters, as well as Su-34 and Su-35 attack aircraft. It happened in May 2023.

One of the helicopters went down near Klintsy, the other near the village of Volkustychi in the Unetsky district. The Su-34 was burning up in Istrovka, Starodubsky municipal district, and the Su-35 crashed in the village of Shkryabin. All crew members died on the spot.

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On December 24, Ukrainian air defense forces shot down a Su-34 fighter and a Su-30SM bomber at the Mariupol and Odesa directions, respectively. These losses were confirmed by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the morning of December 25.

Earlier, the Ukrainian Armed Forces had canceled three Russian Su-34 bombers in southern Ukraine. They took off to attack the positions of Ukrainian soldiers in the Kherson region.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Russian pilots against attempts to attack Ukraine, reminding them that over the past week, the defenders of Ukrainian skies have shot down five invaders' warplanes.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
The Novocherkassk landing ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet was attacked in the port of Feodosia by tactical aviation of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine using cruise missiles. The ship was carrying Shaheds from Iran.

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The attack took place around 2:30 am on the night of December 26. This is stated in the message of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"At about 2:30 a.m. on December 26, tactical aviation of the Air Force attacked a large landing ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Novocherkassk near Feodosia with cruise missiles. The result is clear! Let's keep the sea! Together - to victory!" the ministry said.

As a reminder, local media reported an explosion in Feodosia at night, which was followed by a fire and detonation. A photo of the port fire was also published, which showed a tall column of black smoke.
Given the power of the explosion and the duration of the detonation of the large amphibious assault ship Novocherkassk in the port of Feodosiia, the ship had virtually no chance of "surviving." Therefore, the occupiers' statements that the ship was only "damaged" are most likely an attempt to downplay the losses. The claim that two Ukrainian Su-24s were shot down is a complete lie as well.

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This was stated by the spokesman for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Yurii Ihnat, on Radio Liberty. He also revealed the details of the defeat of another combat unit of the enemy fleet.

Analyzing the video footage of the moment of the strike and the subsequent fire in the port of the temporarily occupied Feodosiia, Ihnat expressed doubts that the Russian ship could be restored after such a thing.

"We can see how powerful the explosion was and what the detonation was like. It is extremely difficult for a ship to survive after such an explosion," the Air Force spokesman said.

Ihnat also denied the statements of the Russian Defense Ministry that Russian air defense allegedly shot down two Ukrainian Su-24 bombers, which, according to the occupiers, were firing missiles at the port in Feodosiia.

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The Ukrainian Air Force spokesman added that the enemy warship was hit using Western weapons.

"We have Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles in service, which are provided by our partners. Of course, we would also like to have German Taurus missiles, which are cruise missiles with a slightly longer range; they can fly further than the previous two. But for now, we have only these two types of missiles in service," he said.

In order to hit the Novocherkassk, Ukrainian soldiers launched "more than one" Western missile.

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"They were obviously launching more than one missile. We understand that the enemy can shoot them down. This is a subsonic target. It flies at a speed similar to Russian missiles. The Kalibr, for example, flies at 650-900 km/h, in this speed range. That's why Russian air defense systems can destroy them. They may even have destroyed them, and we won't say that it didn't happen. But they can not destroy everything. Thanks to tactical techniques, most missiles reach their targets. You have seen this more than once," he stated.

On the night of December 26, residents of the temporarily occupied Feodosiia were also able to see Western missiles in action with their own eyes.

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As a reminder, it became known that explosions occurred in occupied Feodosiia. The Ukrainian Armed Forces hit the Novocherkassk ship around 3 a.m. The occupation "authorities" remained silent for some time, and later the governor, Sergei Aksenov, announced an "enemy attack" without going into details. He also promised residents of houses near the port to be "resettled" as the explosion and subsequent detonation caused windows to fly out of the buildings.

In the morning, the Air Force confirmed the destruction of the Novocherkassk, which could have been transporting batches of Shahed drones. Even the Russian Defense Ministry was forced to admit the damage, though they only managed to make a statement about "damage," adding that the Ukrainian planes that had launched the missiles were allegedly shot down by Russian air defense.

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Aksenov, having thought it over, claimed "one dead and two wounded," which the Crimean Wind Telegram channel categorically disagrees with.

"As we are informed, there are dozens of dead and wounded at the Novocherkassk military-industrial complex. Ambulances are driving back and forth," Crimean Wind notes.

According to Natalia Humeniuk, head of the Joint Coordination Press Center of the Southern Defense Forces, the force and nature of the explosion and fire on the ship indicate that it is not just fuel or chemicals.
Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi said that the town of Marinka in Donetsk region no longer exists. He said this against the backdrop of statements by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu about the complete capture of Marinka.

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Zaluzhnyi also said that Ukrainian troops had withdrawn to the outskirts of Marinka in some places and dug in, while in other places they had dug in a little further. He said this at a press conference on December 26.

"We are defending every piece of our land. But the lives of our soldiers are more important to us," said the Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief.

Zaluzhnyi added that our troops are still in the northern part of the settlement and have prepared a defensive line outside the settlement, but "we can say that it is no longer there." The enemy's methodology in Marinka is exactly the same as in Bakhmut. The occupiers are destroying street by street and block by block, digging up every stone.

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Earlier it was reported that since 2014, Russian occupants have been trying to capture the town of Maryinka in Donetsk region. Over the years of fighting, which is still ongoing, the town has been completely destroyed. For more than a year now, there has been no civilian population in Marinka, and not a single building has survived.

As OBOZ.UA reported earlier, heavy fighting was going on for the city, according to British intelligence. Russia is likely seeking to take control of two highways to further advance toward Kurakhove, but despite some successes, a major Russian breakthrough is highly unlikely.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
The Russian authorities are trying to hide information about the increase in crime in the regions bordering Ukraine. In particular, the aggressor has classified data on crimes in the Kursk and Belgorod regions.

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It is known that in 2023, these regions became leaders in the number of crimes involving weapons. This was reported by the National Resistance Center.

During the year, the Russian military, including the occupiers who fought on the territory of Ukraine, systematically committed crimes in the Kursk and Belgorod regions. It is also known that the invaders often used weapons.

It is worth noting that most crimes committed by Russians in the temporarily occupied territories are not registered at all, and therefore not investigated.

The National Resistance Center assured that all occupiers involved in crimes against the Ukrainian people would not escape punishment.

As a reminder, in October, Russian terrorists shot dead nine people in the city of Volnovakha, Donetsk region. Children were among the victims.

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Earlier, it was reported that on December 24, the Russian army shelled the central part of Kherson with artillery. An elderly couple and one man were killed as a result of the war criminals' actions.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, the Russian occupiers are accelerating their efforts to integrate the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine into the political and legal field of the Russian aggressor country. They are trying to do this by the end of 2023.

Only verified information is available on OBOZ.UA Telegram and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
The explosion that occurred on the night of December 26 in the temporarily occupied Feodosia may have led not only to the destruction of the Novocherkassk. There is a possibility that another occupier's ship was damaged as a result of the high explosive force.

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This was reported by the spokesperson for the Joint Coordination Press Center of the Southern Defense Forces of Ukraine Natalia Humeniuk on the Kyiv 24 TV channel. She noted that everything in the port infrastructure is located close to each other.

"We need further reconnaissance in Feodosiia and comprehensive information on all the targets hit. It is likely that another ship was damaged because everything in the port infrastructure is located close to each other," Humeniuk said.

She noted that, unlike the enemy, the Armed Forces provide complete and truthful information that is always verified.

According to Humeniuk, even taking into account the necessary safe distance between combat units, an explosion of this magnitude could have caused damage to other objects.

She also noted that it is worth waiting for confirmation from Ukrainian intelligence.

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As a reminder, local media reported an explosion in Feodosiia at night, followed by a fire and detonation. A photo of the port fire, showing a column of black smoke, was also published.

Later, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Mykola Oleshchuk, said that the Russian fleet was becoming smaller and that the Novocherkassk was joining the cruiser Moskva. Oleshchuk also thanked the Ukrainian pilots and everyone involved for their precise work.

The Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged the defeat of the Novocherkassk ship and claimed that the occupiers had allegedly destroyed "two Ukrainian Su-24 bombers" that were launching "guided missiles." Crimea's governor Aksenov reported one killed and two wounded.

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Only verified information on our Telegram OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that the Novocherkassk large amphibious assault ship, which was hit in occupied Crimea, was transporting Iranian Shahed kamikaze drones. The ship was hit in Feodosia on the night of December 26.

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This was reported on the official Telegram channel of the Ukrainian Air Force. The ship was in the port of the seized city when it arrived.

"Air Force Commander Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk thanked the Air Force pilots and everyone involved for the destruction of the Novocherkassk large amphibious assault ship. Rumor has it that he was transporting "Shaheds"," the statement said.

Earlier, Oleshchuk wrote on his Telegram channel that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had hit the Novocherkassk large amphibious assault ship in Feodosia.

"And the fleet in Russia is getting smaller and smaller! This time, after the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the cruiser Moskva, comes the large amphibious assault ship Novocherkassk. I thank the pilots of the Air Force and everyone involved for their filigree work!" he said in a statement.

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"The Novocherkassk ( BDK-46 ) is a large amphibious assault ship of Project 775 (775/II), which is in service with the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy.

It is designed for landing amphibious assault on an unequipped coastline and for the transfer of troops and cargo by sea. It is capable of transporting various types of armored vehicles, including tanks.

On March 24, 2022, the ship was attacked by Ukrainian missiles in the port of the temporarily seized Berdiansk and was damaged. Then the Ukrainian Defense Forces destroyed the large landing ship Saratov.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, on the night of Tuesday, December 26, a series of explosions occurred in occupied Feodosia (Crimea). Eyewitnesses complained of a "bavovna" in the port area, after which a fire broke out and detonations were heard.

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Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Headquarters. In particular, they discussed the production of drones for the Armed Forces and other weapons. In addition, the head of state thanked the Air Force for the destruction of the Russian ship Novocherkassk in occupied Feodosia.

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"I held an HQ meeting. A lot of details, mainly about planning for the next year and providing our Defense and Security Forces," Zelenskyy said on his official Telegram channel on December 26.

The President added that at the meeting, he heard reports from the Ministry of Strategy and Defense, the Ministry of Defense, and approvals from the General Staff. They also discussed the distribution of orders and an increase in the number of manufacturers.

"Hundreds of companies are now involved in key production facilities, and I am grateful to every enterprise that provides the desired result for our soldiers. 2024 should be a time of significant growth in domestic defense production. We provide the contracting and budget," he said.

According to Zelenskyy, special attention was paid to the production of all types of necessary drones, including FPVs and ammunition.

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"Ukraine must become capable of meeting all the necessary needs for drones," the President said.

The Head of State added that he had also listened to the reports of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and the commanders of the directions on the situation at the front, in particular, specific positions and needs were voiced.

"I am grateful to our Air Force for the effective replenishment of the Russian Black Sea submarine fleet with another vessel. There will be no peaceful place for the occupiers in Ukraine," Zelenskyy thanked for the defeat of the Russian landing ship Novocherkassk in Feodosia overnight.

As reported by OBOZ.UA:

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- A powerful explosion was reported in the port of Feodosia in the occupied Crimea at night, after which a fire broke out and detonation began. A tall column of black smoke rose above the explosion site, and windows were smashed in nearby houses.

- Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykola Oleshchuk said that the occupiers' large landing ship Novocherkassk was joining the missile cruiser Moskva. He thanked the Ukrainian pilots for their precise work.

- The Russian Federation acknowledged the defeat of the Novocherkassk and claimed to have destroyed "two Ukrainian Su-24s" that launched the missiles, but the Ukrainian Armed Forces denied it. Crimea's governor Aksenov reported one killed and two wounded.

- In March 2022, the Novocherkassk vessel was already attacked in the port of Berdiansk, and another large landing ship, Saratov, was destroyed. Read more about the Novocherkassk here.

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Only verified information is available on our Telegram OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
The Russian Ministry of Defense acknowledged the defeat of a large landing ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Novocherkassk, which was stationed in the port of Feodosiia. They claim that the occupiers allegedly destroyed "two Ukrainian Su-24s bombers" that were launching "airborne guided missiles," but the Ukrainian Air Force denied this information.

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The occupying "head of Crimea" Sergei Aksenov said that the attack allegedly killed one person and wounded two others. Meanwhile, a photo of the Novocherkassk after the attack was posted online.

According to Aksenov, six buildings were damaged, namely "broken windows" were recorded.

"Six people have been evacuated to temporary accommodation centers, the rest of the residents are staying with relatives and friends. The transport infrastructure is operating normally, there are no restrictions on passenger transportation," the collaborator said on his Telegram channel.

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At the same time, the Crimean Wind Telegram channel writes that, according to its data, there are dozens of dead and wounded on the Novocherkassk now-submarine.

According to the channel's authors, Aksenov lied about the number of casualties, as did the "governor of Sevastopol" Mikhail Razvozhayev after the destruction of the Minsk battleship and the Rostov-on-Don submarine in the dry dock of Sevmorzavod.

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In turn, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, Yurii Ihnat, said that judging by the power of the explosion and the duration of the detonation, the Novocherkassk had virtually no chance of "surviving." Therefore, the occupiers' statements about the slight "damage" to the ship are most likely an attempt to downplay the losses, and the statement about the alleged two downed Ukrainian Su-24s is a complete lie as well.

Residents of Feodosiia say that the wreckage of the ship flew along the streets near the port. The shock wave smashed windows in many houses.

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As a reminder, the Ukrainian Air Force confirmed the defeat of the Novocherkassk ship and said that tactical aviation attacked it with cruise missiles.

The commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Mykola Oleshchuk, thanked the Ukrainian pilots and everyone involved for their fine work and said that the Novocherkassk was transporting Shahed drones from Iran.

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As reported by OBOZ.UA, local media reported an explosion in the port of Feodosiia at night, which was followed by a fire and detonation. A photo of the fire, which showed a column of black smoke, was also published.

At the same time, it is known that on March 24, 2022, the Novocherkassk was already hit in the port of Berdiansk, and another large landing ship, Saratov, was destroyed. Read more about the Novocherkassk here.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
The Ukrainian Defense Forces have attacked the large landing ship Novocherkassk in the temporarily occupied Crimea with two British-French Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles. Moreover, the port of Feodosia, where the ship was docked, is protected by several S-400 Triumph divisions, which have recently been found to have problems with target identification.

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New details of the landmark attack by Ukrainian troops on the Russian invaders were provided by the Telegram channel Dossier of the Spy. It is noted that after the strike, the detonation of cargo began on the ship.

According to the channel's author, the ship was carrying 4,400 artillery shells, as well as 280 missiles for Grad multiple rocket launchers.

"I cannot confirm the information about the presence of Shahed-131/136 strike UAVs on board (as previously reported by many tg channels)," he added.

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In addition, the report noted that at least 62 crew members were on board the ship at the time of the attack. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that one of them was killed. However, as the author of the channel noted, the completion of the evacuation of the personnel only 1.5 hours after the strike due to a severe fire suggests that the figures announced by the Russian agency are somewhat underestimated.

Also, according to the "spy", the rescue tugboat "Captain Guryev", which was parked at a nearby berth, suffered non-critical damage as a result of the attack.

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Earlier, it was reported that the Russian S-400 Triumph air defense system malfunctioned in Crimea, causing the occupiers to lose 3 air defense missiles. It turned out that the system's radar malfunctioned and detected targets that did not exist. The Russians fired three missiles, two of which exploded in the air and another fell in a field.

As reported by OBOZ.UA:

- Last night explosions were heard in occupied Feodosia. The Ukrainian Armed Forces hit the Novocherkassk ship at about 3 am. The occupation "authorities" kept silent for some time, and then the governor Sergey Aksyonov announced an "enemy attack" without going into details.

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- In the morning, the Air Force confirmed the destruction of the Novocherkassk, which could have been transporting a batch of Shahedis. Even the Russian Defense Ministry was forced to admit the defeat, though it only managed to make a statement about "damage."

- Forbes reported that the cost of the Novocherkassk aircraft destroyed in Crimea was $85 million. Judging by the photos from the explosion site, the ship is beyond repair.

- Ukraine's Defense Ministry trolled the Russian occupiers after the attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet's Novocherkassk. The ministry joked that the Ukrainian military had "modified" the enemy vessel, turning it into a "submarine."

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Chinese premier calls for integrated development, security cooperation among Lancang-Mekong countries

Xinhua) 08:02, December 26, 2023

Chinese Premier Li Qiang attends the fourth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Leaders' Meeting via videolink in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 25, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

BEIJING, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Monday called on Lancang-Mekong countries to enhance integrated development and security governance cooperation, and announced China's decision to put in place a loan specially designated for the common development of Lancang-Mekong countries.

Li made the remarks at the fourth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Leaders' Meeting held via video link, co-hosted by Li and Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing and attended by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Noting Lancang-Mekong cooperation is an important undertaking initiated and advanced by the six countries of the region, Li called on the six countries to set an example in building high-quality Belt and Road and implementing the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative.

Li went on to put forward four proposals on strengthening Lancang-Mekong cooperation.

First, he urged deepening integrated development, jointly planning and implementing relevant interconnectivity projects in the Lancang-Mekong region, promoting the upgrading of cooperation projects in cross-border economy, trade, production capacity and agriculture, maintaining the security and stability of industrial and supply chains, and strengthening cooperation in smart manufacturing and big data.

Second, Li called on all sides to promote green cooperation, fully respect the legitimate rights and interests of all countries in rational development and utilization of water resources, and accommodate each other's concerns, adding that China is ready to explore cooperation with other countries on Lancang-Mekong whole-basin governance and promote cooperation on energy transition and ecological protection.

Third, he said all sides should strengthen security governance, advance common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and forcefully crack down on crimes such as online gambling and telecom fraud.

Fourth, Li called for deepening people-to-people exchanges.

Leaders attending the meeting expressed sincere condolences to the Chinese side over the casualties caused by the earthquake in Gansu Province.

All parties thanked China for its outstanding contribution to advancing LMC, vowing to strengthen cooperation in areas including agriculture, innovation, poverty reduction, interconnectivity, digital economy, green development, water resources, and tourism.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Abbas Ganbay

At the meeting, Minister of Digital Development and Transport of Azerbaijan Rashad Nabiyev and Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the Republic of Azerbaijan Issam bin Saleh al-Juteili, discussed issues of cooperation in the field of aviation and innovations, Azernews reports.

The information about this was posted by the minister in his account on social network X.

"We met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Saudi Arabia to our country, Issam bin Saleh al-Juteili, and discussed the possibilities of cooperation between the two countries in the field of transport, particularly in the field of aviation and innovation," the minister said.
The 670th day of Russia's large-scale armed aggression against Ukraine continues. Over the last day, 76 combat engagements took place, 12 of which took place on the left bank of the Dnipro River in the temporarily occupied part of Kherson region.

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The Armed Forces of Ukraine are steadfastly holding the line, continuing to hold their positions and inflicting fire on the enemy. This is stated in the daily report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"There were 76 combat engagements over the last day. The enemy launched 1 missile and 19 air strikes, fired 30 times from multiple rocket launchers at Ukrainian troops' positions and populated areas. Unfortunately, Russian terrorist attacks resulted in civilian casualties. Private houses and other civilian infrastructure were destroyed and damaged," the statement said.

It is also noted that the occupiers did not remain unanswered: during the day, the aviation of the Defense Forces struck 4 areas of concentration of enemy personnel, weapons and military equipment, and the units of the missile forces struck 4 areas of concentration of personnel, weapons and military equipment, 2 ammunition depots and 3 enemy anti-aircraft missile systems.

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The situation is as follows by direction:

In the Volyn and Polissya sectors, the operational situation has not changed significantly. No signs of the formation of offensive groups were detected. Designated units of the Belarusian armed forces are performing tasks in the areas bordering Ukraine.

On the Siversky and Slobozhansky directions, the enemy maintains a military presence in the border areas, conducts sabotage and reconnaissance activities, shells settlements from the territory of the Russian Federation, and increases the density of minefields along the state border of Ukraine. More than 20 settlements were subjected to artillery and mortar attacks by the enemy, including: Volfine Ryasne, Sadky in Sumy region; Ivashky, Udy, Vovchansk, Budarky, Ambarne in Kharkiv region.

In the Kupyansk sector, Ukrainian defenders repelled 6 enemy attacks near the town of Synkivka in Kharkiv region, where the enemy unsuccessfully tried to break through the defense of our troops. About 10 localities came under artillery and mortar fire, including: Dvorichna, Synkivka, Petropavlivka, Ivanivka, Berestove in Kharkiv region.

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In the Lyman sector, the Defense Forces repelled 24 enemy attacks near Serebryanske forestry, Bilohorivka, Luhansk region, and Vesele, Donetsk region, where the enemy, with the support of aviation, tried to break through the defense of our troops. The enemy launched air strikes in the vicinity of populated areas: Terny, Dibrova, Siversk, Vyymka, Spirne, Vesele in the Donetsk region. More than 10 localities suffered from enemy artillery and mortar attacks, including: Nevske, Bilohorivka in Luhansk region and Torske, Serebryanka, Verkhnekamianske, Spirne, Rozdolivka in Donetsk region.

In the Bakhmut sector, the Defense Forces repelled four enemy attacks near Bohdanivka, Donetsk region. About 10 localities came under artillery and mortar fire, including: Vasyukivka, Kalynivka, Ivanivske, Stupochki, Andriivka, and New York in the Donetsk region.

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In the Avdiivka sector, our defenders repelled 20 enemy attacks in the areas east of Novobakhmutivka, Stepove, Avdiivka, and another 12 attacks in the areas of Pervomaiske and Nevelske in the Donetsk region, where the enemy unsuccessfully tried to break through the defense of our troops. The enemy also launched an air strike near Novobakhmutivka, Donetsk region. About 10 localities came under enemy artillery and mortar fire, including: Ocheretyne, Berdychi, Stepove, Avdiivka, Severne, Pervomayske in the Donetsk region.

In the Mariinka sector, the Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to hold back the enemy near Novomykhailivka in Donetsk region, where the enemy, supported by aviation, launched three unsuccessful attacks on the positions of our defenders. The following settlements of the Donetsk region came under artillery and mortar fire of the occupiers: Heorhiivka, Maryinka, Pobeda, Novomykhailivka and Kostyantynivka.

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In the Shakhtarsk sector, our defenders repelled three enemy attacks near Staromayorsk, Donetsk region. About 10 localities came under artillery and mortar fire, including: Vodiane, Vuhledar, Prechystivka, Urozhayne, Staromayorske in Donetsk region.

In the Zaporizhzhia sector, the Defense Forces repelled two attacks near Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia region, where the enemy unsuccessfully tried to force our units out of their positions. About 20 settlements came under artillery and mortar fire, including: Levadne, Malynivka, Gulyaypole, Mala Tokmachka, Orikhiv, Pyatikhatky in Zaporizhzhya region.

In the Kherson sector, the following areas came under enemy artillery fire in the area of responsibility of the Odesa separate military unit: Tyahynka, Antonivka, Kherson and Solonchaky, Kutsurub in Mykolaiv region.

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Earlier, OBOZ.UA reported that during the 22 months of the full-scale war with the Russian occupation army, the Ukrainian Defense Forces eliminated 353,950 occupants. Also, during this time, the enemy army was deprived of 5.8 thousand tanks and more than 650 airplanes and helicopters.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and in Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was visiting Eritrea on Monday, just a week after the breakaway region of Somaliland reached a deal with Ethiopia that has raised tensions in the Horn of Africa.
Telecom Egypt announced an increase in the prices of its landline internet plans by over 30 percent, with the new rates set to take effect from 5 January, according to the companys website.
Indiscriminate Israeli airstrikes on anything that does not move and everyone who moves in the Gaza Strip has forced Palestinians to bury the dead anywhere they can before the next round of bombardment arrives.

Palestinians in Jabalia in northern, who have lived through massacre after massacre since 7 October, survivors bury the dead in school yards and hospital grounds and any place they can find to ensure some decency for lost ones as thousands leave us for a better place

This video, posted on Al Jazeera, depicts displaced Palestinians camping around a makeshift cemetery on the grounds of the Al-Yamen Al-Saeed (Happy Yemen) Hospital in Jabalia.

Displaced civilians improvised a fence with water jerrycans all around the area of the head tombs to mark where life ended and where life continues.

Some of those buried beneath the hospital grounds are among the tens of victims of the Israeli bombardment and raid against the hospital itself.

There is nothing happy about the hospital anymore - except the perseverance of the medical staff inside the facility and the survivors around it - as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians refuse to leave northern Gaza despite al

           ##_ pic.twitter.com/PK8np4312M    (@AJArabic) December 25, 202

Israeli airstrikes and bombardment against hospitals across the Gaza Strip, denounced by all major humanitarian organizations as a crime against humanity, have destroyed most of the healthcare system for 2.4 million Palestinians under-siege and under-bombardment in the strip.

Moreover, the Israeli blockade on fuel supplies to the strip has strangled the remaining functioning healthcare facilities in Gaza

On Monday, the Palestinian health ministry said that the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip since early October has killed at least 20,674 people, 70 percent of them children and women.

The ministry also added that 54,536 people have been wounded since the start of the war

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No cases of the Omicron coronavirus subvariant, known as JN.1, have been reported in Egypt so far, Mohamed Awad Tag El-Din, presidential adviser for health affairs, said in a TV comment on Sunday evening.

However, Tag El-Din stressed that it is still possible for the variant, which was first detected in the US and currently prevails in other nations, to arrive in Egypt.

Coronavirus has not disappeared yet; its variants continue to emerge from time to time, he underscored.

Egypt is currently only witnessing an increase in respiratory infections, ranging between minor and moderate cases, which are normal at this point of the year, Tag El-Din said.

On Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified the JN.1 coronavirus strain as a "variant of interest," noting that its risk to public health remains low.

The JN.1 has been spotted in 41 countries as of mid-December, the WHO added.

The new subvariant now makes up 44.2 percent of COVID-19 cases in the US, causing almost half of the infections nationwide, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday.

The symptoms of the new variant are cough, fever or chills, body aches, congestion, loss of smell and taste, sore throat, and fatigue.

COVID-19 infection rates in Egypt have reached their lowest point since the pandemic began, with no reported deaths since 16 March, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Health and Population Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar said in August.

The pandemic took a heavy toll on Egyptians in 2020-2021 before it subsided in 2022.

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More than a hundred people have been killed in central Nigeria in a series of attacks on villages, local government officials said Monday.

The toll marked a sharp rise from the initial figure reported by the army Sunday evening of just 16 dead in a region plagued for several years by religious and ethnic tensions.

"As many as 113 persons have been confirmed killed as Saturday hostilities persisted to early hours of Monday," Monday Kassah, head of the local government in Bokkos, Plateau State, told AFP.

Military gangs, locally called "bandits", launched "well-coordinated" attacks in "not fewer than 20 different communities", Kassah said.

"We found more than 300 wounded people" who were transferred to hospitals in Bokkos, Jos and Barkin Ladi, he said.

The attacks which started in the Bokkos area spilled into neighbouring Barkin Ladi where 30 people were found dead, according to local chairman Danjuma Dakil.

On Sunday, state governor Caleb Mutfwang condemned the attack, calling it "barbaric, brutal and unjustified".

"Proactive measures will be taken by the government to curb ongoing attacks against innocent civilians," said Gyang Bere, the governor's spokesperson.

Gunfire could still be heard late afternoon Sunday, according to a source from the region.

Amnesty International criticised the government in the wake of the attacks, saying "the Nigerian authorities have been failing to end frequent deadly attacks on rural communities of Plateau state," in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Northwest and central Nigeria have been long terrorised by bandit militias operating from bases deep in forests and raiding villages to loot and kidnap residents for ransom.

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Qabil Ashirov

The Azerbaijani Embassy in Pakistan established the Heydar Aliyev Auditorium at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), one of the most prestigious higher education institutions in this country, Azernews reports, citing the Embassy.

Sitara Ayaz, Secretary General of the International Congress of Parliamentarians, ambassadors of foreign countries in Pakistan, diplomats, officials of the Pakistani Foreign Ministry, representatives of the public, cultural, and business circles of this country, management, and students of NUST, as well as representatives of media and think tanks, took part in the event held on this occasion.

At the entrance of the auditorium, the participants were first introduced to the Heydar Aliyev corner, which reflects the various periods of the National Leader's rich life and activities, as well as his official visit to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

In the official part of the event, after the playing of the national anthems of Azerbaijan and Pakistan, a video was screened about different periods of the life and service activities of National Leader Heydar Aliyev.

Later, the Azerbaijani Ambassador to Pakistan, Khazar Farhadov, spoke at the event held in the Heydar Aliyev Auditorium, spoke about the first and second periods of the leadership of the National Leader to Azerbaijan, and brought to the attention of the guests extensive information about the invaluable work done by Heydar Aliyev for the preservation and development of the independence of Azerbaijan.

During his speech, the ambassador touched on Azerbaijan-Pakistan relations and emphasized that the foundation of the development of relations between the two fraternal countries was laid by the National Leader.

Stating that Heydar Aliyev attaches great importance to Pakistan, the ambassador recalled the National Leader's official visit to Pakistan in 1996 and pointed out that this visit played a special role in the development of Azerbaijan-Pakistan relations.

Speaking at the event, Rizvan Riaz, vice-rector of NUST, spoke about the friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan and emphasised that this university has already signed memoranda of cooperation with Azerbaijani universities such as ADA and AzTU. The vice rector noted that numerous events will be held in the Heydar Aliyev Auditorium that will contribute to the further development of relations between the two countries.
Iran has resumed enriching uranium at a similar rate as at the start of the year, the IAEA said Tuesday, as the country accelerates its nuclear programme while denying it is developing a bomb.

Iran has "increased its production of highly enriched uranium, reversing a previous output reduction from mid-2023", the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement.

Iran has increased its production of 60 percent enriched uranium to a rate of about 9 kilogrammes (20 pounds) a month since the end of November.

That's up from about 3 kilogrammes a month since June, and a return to the 9 kilogrammes a month it was producing during the first half of 2023, the IAEA said.

"On 19 and 24 December, IAEA inspectors verified the rate of production of uranium enriched to this level at the two facilities where Iran is carrying out these activities, the Natanz Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant and the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant," it said.

Nuclear weapons require uranium enriched to 90 percent, while 3.67 percent is enough for nuclear power stations.

Iran appeared to have slowed its enrichment as a gesture while informal talks for a nuclear treaty had resumed with the United States.

But animosity between the two countries has intensified in recent months, with each one accusing the other of exacerbating the war between Israel and Hamas.

In November, a confidential IAEA report seen by AFP indicated that Iran's enriched uranium stocks were 22 times the limits authorised in the 2015 accord limiting Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for lifting sanctions.

That accord fell apart in 2018 when then president Donald Trump pulled out the United States.

His successor Joe Biden has tried to revive the accord through talks in Vienna, but the process has been at a standstill since the summer of 2022.

Iran, which has supported Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has prevented IAEA inspections and disconnected surveillance cameras installed at its nuclear programme sites.

In November, it held 567.1 kilogrammes of uranium enriched at 20 percent and 128.3 kilogrammes at 60 percent, three times what would be needed to build an atomic bomb if enriched to 90 percent.

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The death toll from Chinas most powerful earthquake in years has risen to 149, with two people still missing after the tremor hit northwestern parts of the country last week.

Related An earthquake in northwestern China kills at least 127 people and is the deadliest in 9 years

The 6.2-magnitude quake struck a remote mountainous area between Gansu and Qinghai provinces on Dec. 18, reducing homes to rubble and triggering heavy mudslides that inundated two villages in Qinghai province.

State broadcaster CCTV said Monday the death toll in Donghai city in Qinghai has risen by one, to 32, and rescuers were still searching for two missing people. In neighboring Gansu, authorities had reported 117 dead.

Nearly 1,000 were injured and more than 14,000 homes were destroyed in Chinas deadliest earthquake in nine years.

Primary schools in Jishishan county in Gansu resumed classes in tents on Monday, state media reported. Local authorities said they would use the upcoming winter break to repair damaged schools and erect temporary structures so that classes could resume as normal in the spring semester.

Authorities also rushed to erect temporary housing units for survivors facing temperatures well below freezing. CGTN, the state broadcasters international arm, said the first batch of 500 temporary housing units had been built for residents in Meipo, a village in Gansu, on Friday night.

More than 87,000 people have been resettled after the quake.

The tremor caused economic losses estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars in the agricultural and fisheries industries, according to state media.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Saturday visited several villages in Gansu and a county in Qinghai and urged authorities to improve living conditions for the survivors, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

Li said the top priority of relief efforts was to make sure people stay warm and safe in winter.

Funerals were held throughout the week, some following the Muslim traditions of much of the population in the affected area.

Most of Chinas earthquakes strike in the western part of the country, including Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, as well as the Xinjiang region and Tibet.

The countrys deadliest earthquake in recent years was a 7.9-magnitude tremor in 2008 that left nearly 90,000 dead or presumed dead and devastated towns and schools in Sichuan province, leading to a yearslong effort to rebuild with more resistant materials.

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TradeHub, an Egyptian startup, has launched a digital platform to simplify exports and trade operations for local manufacturers, according to a company statement released on Tuesday.

The platform supports domestic manufacturers in expanding their presence in both local and international markets, as per the statement.

Manufacturers struggle to reach new buyers, while buyers face the challenge of finding the right manufacturer. Our platform was launched to improve communication between both sides, the statement added.

TradeHub enables manufacturers to showcase their factories and products through detailed images, while buyers can requesting quotes, create tenders, and communicate directly with manufacturers.

TradeHub, founded by Ahmed Gaber, co-founder of logistics and delivery startup Bosta, and Ahmed Atef, former software engineer at Meta, has set a target to empower 10,000 manufacturing companies by the end of 2024.

These developments align with Egypt's recent efforts to improve its business and investment climate, particularly in supporting startups.

In June, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly established a permanent cabinet unit dedicated to proposing policies, laws, and regulations that facilitate the growth and prosperity of local startups.

In December, Egypt came first in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in terms of startup funding, with a total of $45.7 million.

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The Palestinians had nothing to celebrate this Christmas. Santa could not deliver any presents to thousands of children in Gaza because they were killed by Israeli bombs. In a message of peace, Pope Francis called for an end to the war and the suffering of 2.4 million civilians.

23:00 Egypts Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry discussed on Monday the latest developments in Gaza as well as the Egyptian efforts to achieve a comprehensive ceasefire with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said.

According to the Egyptian foreign ministry, Shoukry emphasized in the telephone call that he received from his Iranian counterpart the necessity of full implementation of Security Council Resolution 2720.

He stressed the importance of ensuring full and sustained access to humanitarian aid to Gaza, underscoring the need for complete implementation of the recent Security Council resolution regarding the establishment of a UN mechanism to facilitate the entry and monitoring of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The UN Security Council resolution 2720 calls for taking urgent steps to immediately allow the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip.

The resolution demands parties to the conflict allow, facilitate and enable the immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale, to the Palestinian population of Gaza. It also calls for the urgent suspension of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered access

21:00 Indiscriminate Israeli airstrikes on anything that does not move and everyone who moves in the Gaza Strip has forced Palestinians to bury the dead anywhere they can before the next round of bombardment arrives.

Palestinians in Jabalia in northern, who have lived through massacre after massacre since 7 October, survivors bury the dead in school yards and hospital grounds and any place they can find to ensure some decency for lost ones as thousands leave us for a better place

This video, posted on Al Jazeera, depicts displaced Palestinians camping around a makeshift cemetery on the grounds of the Al-Yamen Al-Saeed (Happy Yemen) Hospital in Jabalia

Some of those buried were victims of Israeli bombardment of the hospital.

Displaced civilians improvised a fence with water jerrycans all around the area of the head tombs to mark where life ended and where life continues.

There is nothing happy about the hospital anymore - except the perseverance of the medical staff inside the facility and the survivors around it.

           ##_ pic.twitter.com/PK8np4312M    (@AJArabic) December 25, 2023

18:30 On Monday, more than 90 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes and bombardment on areas in central Gaza and Khan Younis in the southern part of the strip on Christmas day, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

The health ministry said on Monday that the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip since early October has killed at least 20,674 people, 70 percent of them children and women.

The ministry also added that 54,536 people have been wounded since the start of the war

#Gaza: After yesterdays bombings of Al-Maghazi & Al-Bureij refugee camps, Al-Aqsa hospital reports having admitted 209 injured and 131 dead, so far. Around half were women & children. MSF doctors & staff are providing trauma wound care for the variety of war-related injuries...  MSF International (@MSF) December 25, 2023

On the other side, the Israeli army said 17 of its officers and soldiers were killed in fierce battles in Gaza in the last 48 hours.

18:00 Families of captives taken by Gaza militants booed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday as he addressed parliament, vowing to bring the captives home but saying "more time" was needed.

"Now! Now!" the families chanted from the gallery when Netanyahu said Israeli forces first needed to increase military pressure on Hamas.

"We wouldn't be able to secure the release of hostages without military pressure," he said.

Netanyahu said he spoke to Israeli field commanders who said they needed "more time" to finish the mission.

"We won't stop until victory," Netanyahu said over the cries of protesters.

17:00 Egypt has put forward an ambitious, initial proposal to end the Israeli war on Gaza with a cease-fire, a phased detainees exchange and the creation of a Palestinian government of experts who would administer the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank, a senior Egyptian official and a European diplomat told AP on Monday.

The proposal worked out with Qatar and has been presented to Israel, Hamas, the United States, and European governments but still appeared preliminary.

It does not meet Israels goal of outright crushing Hamas nor meet Israels insistence on keeping military control over Gaza for an extended period after the war.

16:30 Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur OPT, says national justice systems should be urged to investigate and prosecute their citizens who may have committed atrocity crimes abroad, including in the occupied Palestinian territory

National justice systems should be urged to investigate and prosecute their citizens who may have committed atrocity crimes abroad, including in the occupied Palestinian territory. https://t.co/TuMPqxlV2R  Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) December 24, 2023

16:00 The death toll of Palestinians killed by Israel in Gaza has reached 20,674, the health ministry announced.



Palestinians mourn their relatives, killed in an overnight Israeli strike on the Al-Maghazi refugee camp, during a mass funeral at the Al-Aqsa hospital in Deir Al-Balah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on December 25, 2023. AFP

15:00 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he visited Gaza and vows to intensify fighting.

"I just came back from Gaza... we're not stopping, we're continuing to fight and we're intensifying the fighting in the coming days," he told members of his Likud party according to a statement.

"It's going to be a long war that's not close to ending.

14:00 Liverpool's Mo Salah took to X to share a poignant Christmas message, urging not to forget the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza or become desensitized to the suffering of its people.

"Christmas is a time when families get together and celebrate. With the brutal war going on in the Middle East, especially the death and destruction in Gaza, this year we get to Christmas with very heavy hearts and we share the pain of those families who are grieving the loss of their loved ones," he posted.

"Please do not forget them and do not get used to their suffering. Merry Christmas."

Christmas is a time when families get together and celebrate. With the brutal war going on in the Middle East, especially the death and destruction in Gaza, this year we get to Christmas with very heavy hearts and we share the pain of those families who are grieving the loss of pic.twitter.com/NqynT2LsST  Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) December 25, 2023

13:30 Pope Francis deplored the desperate humanitarian situation of Palestinians in Gaza and called for an immediate ceasefire in his Christmas message.

"I plead for an end to the military operations with their appalling harvest of innocent civilian victims, and call for a solution to the desperate humanitarian situation by an opening to the provision of humanitarian aid," he told thousands of faithful gathered in Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

12:00 An unusual silence fell over the streets of Zababdeh, a Palestinian village that is home to one of the biggest Christian communities in the occupied West Bank.

On any other Christmas Day, Palestinian Christians would have flocked from surrounding towns to enjoy the fairy lights and a festive market in the village of some 5,000 people.

But as the war rages in Gaza and violence also surges in the West Bank, the Christian community here is in no mood to celebrate Christmas on Monday.

This year its members are praying for peace and mourning the dead, worried too about violence even closer to home.

Early on Christmas Day, AFP journalists heard gunfire and sirens in nearby Jenin, the city that has seen near-daily raids by Israeli forces.

"How can we celebrate?" said Nazeria Yousef Deabis, 76, who has lived in Zababdeh all her life and never known the atmosphere so sombre.

There is no Christmas tree in her house.

"People don't feel festive -- they've lost friends and relatives in Gaza," she said. "The occupation is destroying Jenin and children are being brutally killed."

In Zababdeh's hushed streets, Gabi Khadar's Christmas decoration shop is crammed with unsold festive stock -- tinsel, boxloads of baubles and more than 20 plastic Christmas trees.

Not a single tree has been bought this year.

Amid the Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip, where the Christian community and churches have also been targeted by Israel, Christians in the occupied Jerusalem and West Bank are experiencing an increasing wave of Israeli violence and harassment, particularly from Israeli settlers.

Video of ultra-Orthodox Jews spitting on the ground beside Christian worshippers, including foreigners has ignited intense outrage and a flurry of condemnation.

Elisha Yered, an ultranationalist settler leader and former adviser to a lawmaker in Netanyahus governing coalition, defended the spitters, arguing that spitting at Christian clergy and churches was an ancient Jewish custom.

According to the Palestinian Information Center, Israel unleashes its rabid settlers to torch and damage Christian property in occupied Palestinian territories.

Anti-Christian graffiti is a radical Israeli habit, especially in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, the centre says.

11. Israelis spit on, and attack, a Christian Armenian family in front of an Armenian Monastery in Jerusalem.



They also pepper spray them. pic.twitter.com/VYC6Rx9R5K  Censored Men (@CensoredMen) December 24, 2023

11:20 Iran's foreign ministry rejected Monday as "worthless" Washington's claims that a drone attack targeting a tanker off the coast of India was "fired from Iran".

Saturday's targeting of a Japanese-owned chemical tanker came amid a flurry of drone and missile attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is battling Hamas militants.

The Pentagon later openly accused Tehran of the attack.

"We declare these claims as completely rejected and worthless," said foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani when asked about the US accusations.

"Such claims are aimed at projecting, distracting public attention, and covering up for the full support of the American government for the crimes of the Zionist regime (Israel) in Gaza," he added.

11:15 The spokesperson for the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital reported that the death toll of Palestinians killed in the Israeli strikes targeting the Al-Maghazi refugee camp has risen to 95.

10:20 The OMS says it is alarmed by the number of hungry patients its teams encountered in several Gaza hospitals over the weekend.

Rising desperation due to acute hunger witnessed during joint mission by @WHO, @UNOCHA, @UNICEF, @WCKitchen to hospitals in north #Gaza; partners demand immediate scale-up of food and water to ensure population health and stability.

On 23 December, WHO and partners visited, and pic.twitter.com/uNQep7Ig6T  Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) December 24, 2023

9:47 The Israeli army announces the deaths of two soldiers during battles with the Palestinian resistance groups in the northern Gaza Strip, raising the ground offensive toll to 156.

It also recovered the bodies of 5 detainees, including 3 soldiers.

9:10 A 17-year-old Palestinian was struck in the neck by live ammunition during an Israeli forces' raid in the town of Aqaba, north of Tubas, as reported by WAFA news agency.

Additionally, Israeli forces arrested a resident of Tubas before withdrawing from the area.

In separate operations, Israeli occupation forces conducted raids in various areas, including the Jenin refugee camp, the City of Jenin, the Deir Ammar refugee camp in Ramallah, Aqabat Jabr refugee camp in Jericho, and Al-Jalama village northeast of Jenin in the occupied West Bank.

Several Palestinians were arrested, and wounded during these operations.

9:00 Israel intensified overnight devastation in the central Gaza Strip, primarily striking the Al-Maghazi area, killing at least 70 individuals, including at least 12 women and seven children.

Associated Press journalists at a nearby hospital watched frantic Palestinians carry the dead, including a baby, and wounded following the strike on the Maghazi refugee camp east of Deir al-Balah. One bloodied young girl looked stunned while her body was checked for broken bones.

What is happening at the Maghazi camp is a massacre that is being committed on a crowded residential square, the Palestinian health ministry spokesperson, Ashraf al-Qidra, said, adding that the death toll was likely to climb.

Israeli strikes severely affected the main roads between Maghazi, Bureij, and Nuseirat refugee camps, impeding ambulance and paramedic crews' ability to reach and rescue the injured.

     :            #_ # pic.twitter.com/QCPFbO2Zp1    (@AJArabic) December 25, 2023

An Israeli strike overnight also hit a house in a refugee camp west of the city of Rafah, on Gazas border with Egypt. At least two men were killed, according to Associated Press journalists in the hospital where the bodies were taken.

At least two people were killed and six others wounded when a missile struck a building in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.

The Ministry of Health said early in the morning that Israeli strikes had killed at least 18 people in the southern city of Khan Yunis, the centre of recent fighting.

Dozens of bodies were transported to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, while reports from the Al Jazeera team in Khan Younis indicate an increase in casualties, predominantly women and children.

And Palestinians reported heavy Israeli bombardment and gunfire in Jabaliya, an area north of Gaza City that Israel had claimed to control.

A bereaved father carrying his severely wounded daughter to a hospital following over 50 Israeli strikes and several fire belts that targeted Al Nuseirat, Al Bureij, and Al Maghazi refugee camps in central Gaza tonight.



Israel's military targeted main roads connecting the pic.twitter.com/qyHIlRmgTH  Quds News Network (@QudsNen) December 25, 2023

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Pope Francis on Monday deplored the desperate humanitarian situation of Palestinians in Gaza in his Christmas message.

"I plead for an end to the military operations with their appalling harvest of innocent civilian victims, and call for a solution to the desperate humanitarian situation by an opening to the provision of humanitarian aid," he told thousands of faithful gathered in Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

"My heart grieves for the victims of the abominable attack of 7 October, and I reiterate my urgent appeal for the liberation of those still being held hostage," the 86-year-old also said in his traditional Urbi et Orbi message.

Nearly three months after the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is catastrophic according to the United Nations, with 85 percent of the population displaced.

Israel controls access to Gaza and aid has been trickling in from Egypt. Last week Israel approved the delivery of aid via its Karm Abu Salem crossing but it is hugely insufficient to meet the needs in the devastated territory.

The pope also called for the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict "through sincere and persevering dialogue between the parties, sustained by strong political will and the support of the international community".

In his Christmas Eve message late Sunday, the pontiff had called for peace in the Holy Land.

"Tonight, our hearts are in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace is once more rejected by the futile logic of war, by the clash of arms that even today prevents him from finding room in the world," the pope said.

'Peace for Ukraine'





The head of 1.3 billion Catholics in his address also evoked the conflicts in Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen saying he prayed "that political and social stability will soon be attained".

Francis also said he implored "peace for Ukraine", which is celebrating Christmas on December 25 for the first time, snubbing the traditional Orthodox date of January 7 feted in Russia.

"Let us renew our spiritual and human closeness to its embattled people, so that through the support of each of us, they may feel the concrete reality of God's love," he said.

The pontiff also urged peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which have been locked in a territorial conflict for decades, saying: "May it be advanced by the pursuit of humanitarian initiatives, by the return of refugees to their homes in legality and security, and by reciprocal respect for religious traditions and the places of worship of each community".

Francis also touched on the "conflicts that trouble the region of the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and Sudan, as well as Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan".

He said he hoped tensions on the Korean peninsula would be resolved "by undertaking processes of dialogue and reconciliation capable of creating the conditions for lasting peace".

The Argentinian pontiff reserved his last words for the Americas, calling on "people of goodwill" to "devise suitable ways to resolve social and political conflicts, to combat forms of poverty that offend the dignity of persons, to reduce inequality and to address the troubling phenomenon of migration movements".

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President Joe Biden ordered the U.S. military to carry out retaliatory airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia groups after three U.S. servicemembers were injured in a drone attack in northern Iraq.

National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said one of the U.S. troops suffered critical injuries in the attack that occurred earlier Monday. The Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, under an umbrella of Iranian-backed militants, claimed credit for the attack that utilized a one-way attack drone

Biden, who is spending Christmas at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, was alerted about the attack by White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan shortly after it occurred on Monday and ordered the Pentagon and his top national security aides to prepare response options to the attack on an air base used by American troops in Erbil.

Sullivan consulted with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Biden's deputy national security adviser, Jon Finer, was with the president at Camp David and convened top aides to review options, according to a U.S. official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity.

Within hours, Biden convened his national security team for a call in which Austin and Gen. CQ Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, briefed Biden on the response options. Biden opted to target three locations used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, the official said.

The U.S. strikes were carried out at about 4:45 a.m. on Tuesday in Iraq, less than 13 hours after the U.S. personnel were attacked. According to U.S. Central Command, the retaliatory strikes on the three sites, "destroyed the targeted facilities and likely killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants.

"The President places no higher priority than the protection of American personnel serving in harms way," Watson said. The United States will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue.

The latest attack on U.S. troops follows months of escalating threats and actions against American forces in the region since the Oct. 7 Hamas Al-Aqsa Flood operation on Israel that sparked the devastating Israeli war on Gaza.

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. Iranian-backed militias have carried out dozens of attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza more than two months ago.

Last month, U.S. fighter jets struck a Kataib Hezbollah operations center and command and control node, following a short-range ballistic missile attack on U.S. forces at Al-Assad Air Base in western Iraq. Iranian-backed militias also carried out a drone attack at the same air base in October, causing minor injuries.

The U.S. has also blamed Iran, which has funded and trained Hamas, for attacks by Yemens Houthi militants against commercial and military vessels through a critical shipping choke point in the Red Sea.

The Biden administration has sought to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spiraling into a wider regional conflict that either opens up new fronts of Israeli fighting or that draws the U.S. indirectly. The administrations measured response  where not every attempt on American troops has been met with a counterattack  has drawn criticism from Republicans.

The U.S. has thousands of troops in Iraq training Iraqi forces and combating remnants of the Islamic State group, and hundreds in Syria, mostly on the counter-IS mission. They have come under dozens of attacks, though as yet none fatal, since the war began on Oct. 7, with the U.S. attributing responsibility to Iran-backed groups.

"While we do not seek to escalate the conflict in the region, we are committed and fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities," Austin said in a statement.

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Israel said it was intensifying its war on Gaza, where relentless strikes exacerbated the dire conditions for civilians in the war's 12th week. The war has heightened tensions across the Middle East where Israel killed a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards general in Syria.

22:10 In his first TV interview with Egyptian satellite TV channel ON, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says: Our people never witnessed such a war even in the 1948 Nakba [catastrophe]. What is happening is bigger than a new Nakba [catastrophe]."

21:10 Israeli forces expanded their ground offensive into urban refugee camps in central Gaza after bombarding the crowded Palestinian communities and ordering residents to evacuate. Gaza's main telecom provider announced another complete interruption of services in the besieged territory.

The military's announcement of the new battle zone threatens further destruction in a war that Israel says will last for many months.

19:40 Israel says it will no longer grant automatic visas to U.N. employees, accusing the United Nations of being complicit partners in Hamas tactics.

The move ratchets up tensions between the United Nations and Israel, which has long claimed the world body directs unfair and disproportionate criticism at it.

Government spokesman Eylon Levy said Tuesday that Israel would consider visa requests from U.N. employees on a case by case basis rather than automatically.

18:30 The Israeli war on the Palestinian resistance group Hamas in Gaza will last "for many more months," Israel's army chief Herzi Halevi said on Tuesday.

The war "will continue for many more months, and we will work with different methods so that our achievements are preserved for a long time," Halevi said at a televised press conference.

16:30 Internet and telephone services were cut again across the war-torn Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the Palestinian telecommunications company Paltel said.

"We regret to announce a complete breakdown of fixed telecommunications and internet services in the Gaza Strip due to the ongoing offensive," the company said, announcing the fourth such breakdown since the war began on October 7.

16:00 The United Nations said it was "gravely concerned" by Israel's continued bombardment of the central Gaza Strip and urged Israeli forces to take all available measures to protect civilians.

"We are gravely concerned about the continued bombardment of middle Gaza by Israeli forces... all attacks must strictly adhere to the principles of international humanitarian law, including the distinction, proportionality, and precaution," UN Human Rights Office Spokesman Seif Magango said in a statement.

15:30 The health ministry in the Gaza Strip said at least 20,915 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since Israel launched its war on 7 October.

The ministry said another 54,918 people have been wounded in more than 11 weeks of Israeli bombardment.

15:00 Explosions were heard and missiles were sighted near a vessel transiting the Red Sea, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.

"Explosions heard, missiles were sighted" near the port of Hodeida on Yemen's west coast, UKMTO said, adding that the ship and its crew are safe.

It followed two other explosions earlier Tuesday that struck near a vessel also off Hodeida, according to the British maritime authority.

The ship later continued its voyage, without reporting any major damage or crew injuries, UKMTO said.

There was no immediate claim for Tuesday's attacks.

14:00 A flying object was downed approximately two kilometres off the coast of the Egyptian city of Dahab, according to Al-Qahera News, citing several eyewitnesses who confirmed hearing explosions in Dahab.

This is not the first time a drone has been downed in the Egyptian coastal cities across the Red Sea since the start of the Gaza war crisis in early October.

On 27 October, two drones coming from south of the Red Sea crashed in Taba and Nuweiba: one of the drones was targeted outside Egypts airspace in the Gulf of Aqaba, resulting in some debris falling into an uninhabited area in Nuweiba, while the other one fell in Taba.

Moreover, on 16 December, the Egyptian Air Defense Forces intercepted a flying object, which crashed into the Egyptian territorial waters approximately one and a half kilometres off the coast of Dahab.

           #_ pic.twitter.com/fNwJbv02Wd    (@AlArabiya_EGY) December 26, 2023

Last week, Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry affirmed, during a presser with his British counterpart, that Egypt is currently coordinating with the countries bordering the Red Sea to secure maritime navigation, as Houthi attacks against ships passing the Red Sea continue, leading to the establishment of an international US-led coalition.

The Houthis, who control much of Yemen but are not recognized internationally, said previously they were targeting Israeli ships near the strategic Bab Al-Mandeb strait to pressure Israel over its deadly war on the Gaza Strip.

12:00 The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said that its headquarters in Khan Younis, in the south of Gaza, are being shelled by the Israeli army.

Several people were injured in the attack on its headquarters, where thousands are sheltering, the PRCS said in a tweet.

 Urgent: Artillery shelling targets the upper floors of the PRCS headquarters in #KhanYounis, causing several injuries among the displaced individuals, as thousands of IDPs are sheltering in the building.#Gaza#NotATarget  pic.twitter.com/zCHyva5Pu7  PRCS (@PalestineRCS) December 26, 2023

11:00 Two Palestinians were killed by gunfire from the Israeli army, and two others were injured during confrontations in Fawar refugee camp, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, according to medical and local sources.

Ahmad Yousef Yaghi, 17, and Ibrahim Majed Al-Titi, 31, were killed, the health ministry said.

The soldiers also fired sound grenades, according to local sources.

The daily life of displaced Palestinians in Rafah, southern Gaza. pic.twitter.com/C7EzMyrLz8  Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) December 26, 2023

10:45 The southern Gaza Strip has become overcrowded, and there are no longer enough places for new displaced people, said Gemma Connell, an official at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Connell, who has been in Gaza for weeks, described the strip as a human chessboard, where thousands of people have been displaced several times from one place to another.

"There is no guarantee that there are safe areas in Gaza," the UN official points out.

This picture released by the Israeli army shows troops on the ground in the Gaza Strip on December 7, 2023. AFP

Connell, who visited the Deir Al-Balah area in the central Gaza Strip on Monday, said that she saw "displaced people carrying luggage heading south in an attempt to find a safe place."

She noted that she spoke to many people heading to the city of Rafah, who expressed their fear that there would be no place for them in the city.

For weeks, the United States has been pressing Israel to take further measures to reduce harm to civilians, including identifying safe areas and opening humanitarian roads for displaced people.

Clothes are hung to dry at a temporary camp for the internally displaced Palestinians in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip on December 24, 2023 AFP

10:15 Iraq denounced US air strikes in the country as a "hostile act" after the Pentagon said it had targeted three sites used by pro-Iran forces after coming under fire, AFP reported.

The government said the strikes that killed one member of the security forces and wounded 18 other people, including civilians, were an "unacceptable attack on Iraqi sovereignty" that damaged bilateral relations.

10:00 One member of pro-Iranian forces in Iraq was killed and 24 people were wounded in strikes after the United States said it had conducted retaliatory strikes in the country, an Iraqi security source said.

An Iraqi interior ministry official said the strikes targeted a Hashed Al-Shaabi site in the central city of Hilla, one of two locations targeted in Babylon province.

One person was killed and 20 wounded, while four others were wounded in another strike in the southern province of Wassit, the official said. Two security sources in Babylon and Wassit provinces gave the same information.

9:30 Israeli forces bombarded Palestinian refugee camps in central Gaza in apparent preparation to expand their ground offensive into a third section of the besieged territory.

Residents of central Gaza described a night of shelling and airstrikes shaking the Nuseirat, Maghazi and Bureij camps. The camps are built-up towns, housing Palestinians driven from their homes in what is now Israel during the 1948 war and their descendants - and now also crowded with people who fled from the north.

The bombing was very intense, Radwan Abu Sheitta, a Palestinian teacher said by phone from his home in Bureij. It seems they are approaching, he said of the Israeli troops.

The Qassam Brigades, Hamas military arm, said its fighters struck an Israeli tank east of Bureij in suggestion that Israeli forces might be moving toward the camp.

Warplanes and artillery also hammered areas east of Nuseirat camp. We couldnt sleep because of the bombing, said Ezzel-Din Mohammed Abdallah al-Masry, a Palestinian fisherman who was displaced to the area from northern Gaza with his five children and another family. The children are terrified. We are terrified.

9:00 President Joe Biden ordered the US military to carry out retaliatory airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia groups after three US servicemembers were injured in a drone attack in northern Iraq. The US strikes were carried out at about 4:45am on Tuesday in Iraq. According to US Central Command, the retaliatory strikes on the three sites, "destroyed the targeted facilities and likely killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants.

"No way would I leave my homeland."



Mohamed Qadoura, an elderly Palestinian man, describes Israel's current war on Gaza as the most brutal he's seen, stressing that he will stay on his land  pic.twitter.com/mDCAyX0Rpi  Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) December 26, 2023

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One member of pro-Iranian forces in Iraq was killed and 24 other people were wounded in strikes Tuesday, security sources said, after the United States said it had conducted retaliatory strikes in the country.

An Iraqi interior ministry official said the strikes targeted a Hashed al-Shaabi site in the central city of Hilla, one of two locations targeted in Babylon province.

One person was killed and 20 wounded, while four others were wounded in another strike in the southern province of Wassit, the official said. Two security sources in Babylon and Wassit provinces gave the same information.

Hours earlier the United States said its forces had carried out strikes on three sites used by pro-Iran groups in Iraq in response to a series of attacks on US personnel.

US forces have repeatedly targeted sites used by Iran and its proxy forces in Iraq and Syria in response to dozens of attacks on American and allied forces in the region since the October 7 outbreak of the Israeli war on Gaza.

"US military forces conducted necessary and proportionate strikes on three facilities used by Kataeb Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq," US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

The Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah, or Hezbollah Brigades, forms part of the Hashed al-Shaabi, a coalition of former paramilitary forces that are now integrated into Iraq's regular armed forces.

"These precision strikes are a response to a series of attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias, including an attack by Iran-affiliated Kataeb Hezbollah and affiliated groups on Arbil Air Base" on Monday, Austin said.

That attack wounded three US military personnel, one critically, US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said.

US President Joe Biden was briefed on the attack -- which was carried out with a one-way attack drone -- and directed the US strikes in a call with Austin and other national security officials after ordering the defense department to prepare a response, the statement said.

Biden "places no higher priority than the protection of American personnel serving in harm's way. The United States will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue," the statement added.

The drone attack was claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose formation of armed groups affiliated with the Hashed al-Shaabi.

A tally by US military officials has counted 103 attacks against its troops in Iraq and Syria since October 17, most of which have been claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which opposes US support for Israel's war on Gaza.

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India's navy said it is deploying three warships and reconnaissance aircraft in the Arabian Sea to "maintain a deterrent presence" after a string of recent shipping attacks.

Three guided-missile destroyers as well as P8I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft were being deployed following "the recent spate of attacks in the Arabian Sea", it said in a statement late Monday.

Washington accused Tehran of carrying out a drone attack on Saturday on the MV Chem Pluto tanker 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres) off the coast of India, claims Iran's foreign ministry dubbed "worthless".

It was the first time Washington has openly accused Iran of directly targeting ships since the start of Israel's war on Gaza.

The Liberian-flagged and Japanese-owned MV Chem Pluto was moored off India's port of Mumbai on Monday.

"Analysis of the area of attack and debris found on the ship points towards a drone attack," India's navy said, adding "further forensic and technical analysis will be required".

Elsewhere, in the Red Sea, Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels have carried out a string of drone and missile attacks in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel's campaign has killed at least 20,674 people, two-thirds of them women and children, in Gaza, according to the health ministry.

Yemeni rebel attacks have prompted major firms to reroute their cargo vessels around the southern tip of Africa, a much longer voyage with higher fuel costs.

New Delhi is also boosting its anti-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden after Somali pirates this month hijacked the bulk carrier MV Ruen.

India's navy said it had shadowed the Bulgaria-owned and Malta-flagged vessel after it was seized by Somali pirates 380 nautical miles east of the Yemeni island of Socotra on December 16.

The Somali pirates, who released one injured sailor into the care of the Indian navy, took the MV Ruen and its remaining 17 crew members to Somalia's semi-autonomous state of Puntland, where it is now moored off the city of Bosaso, the navy said.

India had also sent a guided-missile destroyer to the region as part of "augmenting the anti-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden", the navy added.

Pirate attacks off the Somali coast peaked in 2011 -- with the gunmen launching attacks as far as 3,655 kilometres (2,271 miles) from the Somali coast in the Indian Ocean -- before falling off sharply in recent years.

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GIG Gulf, one of the largest regional insurers in the Gulf region, has announced that Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (Fairfax) has acquired Kipcos stake in its parent company, Gulf Insurance Group (GIG), increasing its shareholding in GIG to 90.01%.

The Fairfax Group is now one of the top 20 global insurance and reinsurance groups with annual gross premiums of approximately $30 billion and a presence across 40 markets. This transaction marks another key milestone in GIGs journey in the MENA region, said a statement.

Paul Adamson, CEO of GIG Gulf, noted the significance of this developmentm saying: We are thrilled to officially become a part of the Fairfax Group. This increased investment from a well-respected international insurance group is testament to our strong track record and leading position in each of our markets. It also reinforces Fairfaxs robust commitment to invest in the MENA region and leverage the significant growth potential. GIG Gulf will continue to deliver innovative, digital and best in class insurance solutions to our customers. I would like to extend my gratitude to the regulatory authorities for their continued support throughout this transaction.

With the transition to a Fairfax company, GIG Gulfs position as a leading regional insurer, A rated by AM Best, with proven operational strategies and leadership teams will be further elevated with the backing of a strong international insurance group. This alignment with the Fairfax Group will help leverage the regional footprint and further strengthen GIG Groups presence across markets, said the statement.

Prem Watsa, Chairman and CEO of Fairfax, said: GIG Gulf is a standout player in the regional insurance landscape. I am truly excited about the culture we have built in all our decentralized companies in Fairfax and warmly welcome GIG Gulf to the Fairfax Group. Under the experienced and talented team led by Paul Adamson, I am confident that GIG Gulf will make a significant contribution to the future of Fairfax. Our people, cultures and values are closely aligned, and I see this as a fantastic opportunity for growth in the region.

As GIG Gulf embarks on this new journey, it reinforces its dedication to maintaining its legacy of trust and quality, now backed by the global expertise and support of Fairfax. Stakeholders and customers can rest assured that GIG Gulfs commitment to excellence and innovation in the insurance sector remains unchanged, it added. -TradeArabia News Service
Israeli forces bombarded Palestinian refugee camps in central Gaza on Tuesday, residents said, in apparent preparation to expand their ground offensive into a third section of the besieged territory.

Despite international pressure for a cease-fire and U.S. calls for a reduction in civilian casualties, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday warned that the fight isnt close to finished.

Israels war on Gaza has been one of the most devastating military campaigns in recent history. More than 20,600 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and children, have been killed, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza.

Meanwhile, there were new signs of the Israeli war on Gaza enflaming tensions around the region. An Israeli airstrike in Syria killed an Iranian general, bringing vows of revenge from Iran. U.S. warplanes hit Iranian-backed militias in Iraq who had carried out a drone strike that wounded American soldiers there.

Residents of central Gaza on Tuesday described a night of shelling and airstrikes shaking the Nuseirat, Maghazi and Bureij camps. The camps are built-up towns, housing Palestinians driven from their homes in what is now Israel during the 1948 war and their descendants - and now also crowded with people who fled from the north.

The bombing was very intense, Radwan Abu Sheitta, a Palestinian teacher said by phone from his home in Bureij. It seems they are approaching, he said of the Israeli troops.

The Qassam Brigades, Hamas military arm, said its fighters struck an Israeli tank east of Bureij. Its report could not be independently confirmed, but it suggested Israeli forces were moving toward the camp.

Warplanes and artillery also hammered areas east of Nuseirat camp. We couldnt sleep because of the bombing, said Ezzel-Din Mohammed Abdallah al-Masry, a Palestinian fisherman who was displaced to the area from northern Gaza with his five children and another family. The children are terrified. We are terrified.

REGIONAL SPILLOVER



Iranian-backed militias in Iraq carried out a drone strike on a U.S. base in Irbil in northern Iraq on Monday, wounding three American servicemembers, one of them critically, according to U.S. officials. In response, American warplanes before dawn Tuesday hit three locations in Iraq connected to one of the main militias, Kataib Hezbollah.

The Israeli strike Monday hit a neighborhood of the Syrian capital Damascus, killing Gen. Seyed Razi Mousavi, an adviser of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in Syria. The strike hit as he was entering a farm reportedly used as an office of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in the district of Sayeda Zeinab on Damascus outskirts, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Throughout the war, a constellation of Iranian-backed militia groups around the region have stepped up attacks in support of Hamas. So far, all sides have appeared to calibrate the violence to stay short of sparking an all-out conflict, but the fear is that an unexpected escalation could spiral out of control.

Hezbollah and Israel almost daily exchange volleys missiles, airstrikes and shelling across the Israeli-Lebanese border. Iran-backed militias in Iraq have launched more than 100 attacks on bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria.

In the Red Sea, attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen against commercial ships have disrupted trade and prompted a U.S.-led multinational naval operation to protect shipping routes.

ISRAELI WAR ON GAZA



Israeli troops have been engaged in nearly two months of ground combat with Hamas and other militants in northern Gaza and weeks of urban fighting in Khan Younis. The battles and bombardment have levelled large swaths of both areas, and strikes have continued across the territory.

Still, Hamas fighters have shown a tough resilience. The Israeli military announced the deaths of two more soldiers Tuesday, bringing the total killed in the ground offensive to 158. Militants late Monday launched a barrage of rockets into Israel, triggering air raid sirens in the southern city of Ashkelon. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

Israel has vowed to continue fighting to eliminate Hamas military and governing capabilities in Gaza, after the militants carried out their Al-Aqsa Flood operation on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking some 240 captives. Israel says it also aims to free the more than 100 captives who remain in captivity in Gaza.

Israel faces international criticism for the civilian death toll. It blames Hamas, citing the militants use of crowded residential areas and tunnels. Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas militants, without presenting evidence.

In Khan Younis, the Palestinian Red Crescent said Tuesday morning its medics evacuated several dead and wounded after a house in the citys al-Amal neighborhood was bombed overnight. In nighttime footage posted by the charity, first responders and residents pulled a dead person from the rubble, using lights from mobile phones.

An Associated Press cameraman on the scene saw at least two dead and 15 wounded, mostly children.

The expanding fighting has pushed the population into a shrinking area, particularly the central city of Deir al-Balah and Rafah, at the far south of Gaza on the Egyptian border. More than a million people have squeezed into U.N. shelters, and many more displaced people are crowded into houses.

U.N. officials have warned that a quarter of the population is starving under Israels siege of the territory, which allows in only a trickle of food, water, fuel, medicine, and other supplies.

The U.N. Security Council last week called for immediate speeding up aid deliveries to desperate civilians in Gaza. But so far there has been little concrete sign of a change in entry of aid, which the U.N. has said it struggles to distribute because many areas are cut off by fighting.

Meanwhile, negotiations have seemed to make little headway toward a pause in fighting to allow the exchange of more hostages held in Gaza for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Egypt has put forward an ambitious peace proposal aiming not only to end the Israeli war on Gaza but also to lay out a plan for the day after. It calls for a phased captive release and the formation of a Palestinian government of experts to administer the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank, according to a senior Egyptian official and a European diplomat familiar with the proposal.

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Israel on Tuesday returned the bodies of 80 Palestinians killed in Gaza after taking them from morgues and graves to check there were no hostages among them, sources in the territory's health ministry said.

The bodes, which had been transported to Israel, were returned through the Red Cross to Hamas authorities who buried them in a mass grave in Gaza, the sources said.

An AFP photographer saw a digger lowering the blue body bags into a trench in Rafah, in the far south of the narrow territory.

Following inspection of the corpses, they were returned to the Red Cross through the Karm Abu Salem crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip. They were then transported in a truck to the mass grave, the sources said.

Since October 7, more than 20,900 people have been killed in the Israeli assault on Gaza, 70% of the dead women and children, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Some 55,000 have also been wounded.

* This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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President Alexander Lukashenko said at a meeting of a Moscow-led economic bloc in St. Petersburg that the shipments were completed in October, but he did not give details of how many weapons were sent or where they have been deployed.

The president of Belarus said Monday that Russia has completed its shipments of tactical nuclear weapons to his country, an initiative that raised strong concerns in neighboring Poland and elsewhere in the region.

Tactical nuclear weapons, which are intended for use on the battlefield, have a short range and a low yield compared with much more powerful nuclear warheads fitted to long-range missiles. Russia said it would maintain control over those it sends to Belarus.

Lukashenko has said that hosting Russian nuclear weapons in his country is meant to deter aggression by Poland, a NATO member. Poland is offering neighbor Ukraine military, humanitarian and political backing in its struggle against Russia's invasion and is taking part in international sanctions on Russia and Belarus.

Russian troops based in Belarus invaded Ukraine from the north in the war's opening days, but Belarusian forces are not known to have participated.
The poet Sharon Olds, pictured in the creative writing school where she has taught since the 1980s in New York City.

No one has written about their dying fathers spit, or the Popes penis, or being left for another woman after 32 years of marriage like Sharon Olds, one of the most admired poets in the United States. She has a crystalline style, as well as the courage to reach a hand out to regions of the human condition that, although universal, not so many touch. Theres a certain frankness in the verses she pens about sexuality, death, guilty motherhood and difficult upbringings.

Olds holds the title of poet laureate of the beauty and ruin of domestic life, as well as a loyal base of readers and almost every major award given to poets in the United States. The Joan Margarit Poetry Award was recently added to her collection. She received it in New York City from the hands of the King of Spain. Margarit  the Catalan poet, who died in 2021 was a friend of hers. She recalled his humor and talent for writing about ordinary lives, love and his left-wing stance on poetry.

He was a very attractive and sensitive person, not at all selfish, the author tells EL PAIS, on a splendid September morning.

The meeting was in her small office in a building from the early-20th century, which serves as the headquarters of a creative writing school associated with New York University in the Village. She has taught there since 1984. The window overlooks a small patio with a black birch tree being attacked by woodpeckers. I sit here and watch the migratory birds. Once, a peregrine falcon landed, the poet remembers.

Her interest in birds came after moving to New York from Berkeley, where she was born on November 19, 1942. She suffers from certain ailments that come with old age, but notes that contact with her students (who she defines as open, intelligent and fun) helps her, she smiles, to stay young.

Question. When you were the age of your students, did you feel part of a poetic scene?

Answer. My first book (Satan Says, 1980) didnt come out until I was 37. It seems like a young age now, but it wasnt then. I wasnt part of any movement. In Berkeley, there were the beatniks I tried to get close to them in high school. In my debut, many of the poems had to do with being a mother with young children. So, I wasnt exactly cool.

Q. A young mother and a late poet. Were the two things connected?

A. Yes. We often write about what we love most [and] there werent that many poets writing about having children. It didnt seem like a good idea, but in my case, it ended up being one. I also wrote about my childhood and adolescence and about my parents. I was a kind of family writer.

Q. Some critics dismissed your work in those years as feminine.

A. They considered it rude. Impolite and, yes, fundamentally feminine. At first  especially when I wrote openly about my sexuality  I received hateful letters. I was a weirdo. I dedicated myself completely to raising my children, so, when I wrote  since I wasnt in any university, nor did I have any job to lose  I did it freely.

Q. Was it easy to move from one coast to the other?

A. When I was little, I heard people talk about New York as a very daring place. They said that nice people didnt live there. I come from a politically conservative family, so, as soon as I could, I went to New York. Graduate school was very difficult for me, because Im not smart in that way. But I did it.

Q. In what sense are you smart?

A. Actually, it wouldnt occur to me to say [that Im smart]. I feel comfortable with poets. Its like being at home. Theres a certain language between us that I master a certain way of being quick and witty. Maybe that counts as being smart.

Q. Was Berkeley a liberal city as early as the 1950s?

A. Yes, but not where I lived. I used to go to coffee shops with a friend. There, we would see real artists, painters, people reciting their poems. I was a fan, an aspiring beatnik. A bourgeois beatnik!

Q. Did you take any walks on the wild side?

A. I felt different from the California Republican Party background that I came from. But did I actually have the daring and the freedom of a real Beatnik? Not at all. I wanted a family life, a home life. I started writing. And I was happy. Obviously, today, Ive become a character at my age, everyone is  but I dont know how that happened.

Q. Is it easy for you to write?

A. Its not easy to write well.

Q. I was referring to the act of writing itself

A. No, I enjoy it. Problems with hand tremors and my eyes have started. Its not as easy for me as it was for decades.

Q. Does a lot of your production never see the light of day?

A. A lot. I would say an unusual amount. I write a lot, by hand, in a notebook. For me, handwriting is related to dance. I always danced. I dont do it as much as before, I have some arthritis and back problems. For me, writing has more to do with hand movement than typing. I like to see the shape of my lines. I have a physical relationship with my poems.

Sharon Olds, in an image provided by the organization that awards the Joan Margarit International Poetry Prize.

Q. What role would you say poetry plays in the United States today?

A. An extremely important one, but not so influential. I think that if children were given the opportunity to write lots of poems at school and share them  if they had time to dance or draw  it would have a huge effect. It would allow them to know what they think and feel it would give them the courage to act on those thoughts and feelings. The potential of art in this country is enormous.

Q. Youre an optimistic woman

A. Yes, I am. Absolutely. But do I really believe in my optimism? Lets just say that, most of the time, I work hard to believe in it.

Q. Do you see many differences between the poet you are now and the one you were at 40 years old?

A. I think my verses are a little longer and more irregular. I also think I sometimes change the subject halfway through now. I share my poetry with a group of close friends. Since the pandemic, we meet on Zoom. It was in those meetings that it occurred to me that its okay to change the subject in the middle of a poem.

Q. Galway Kinnell was one of your mentors.

A. More than that, he was my best friend.

Q. He aspired to create verses that could be understood without needing a university degree.

A. Very important. When I push my cart at the grocery store, I sometimes wish there were poems at the checkout line, along with People magazine. If so, I would post my poems that can be understood without [academic] qualifications. [But I do] enjoy using strange words, so a university degree helps to understand them.

Q. What kind of words?

A. Scientific terms, species of birds, or long, complicated words that catch my attention. My children make fun of me because now they say that they need a dictionary to read my poetry.

Q. Do they read your poems?

A. Well, no. When they were little, I told them that they could read my poems when they were 21. One of them listened to me. The other one ran to my office to do it secretly.

Q. If your poems were in the supermarket, some might have to be covered, like adult magazines at gas stations.

A. [Laughs]. Some would think that I write about topics that shouldnt be written about. Theres a lot of virulent conservatism in this country and, fortunately, I live in an environment where I dont encounter it much. At first, my work was considered scandalous. But then, gradually, the world changed. Nowadays, its only half-shocking.

Q. Did the fact that you were a woman have anything to do with the way you were received at first? Some of your contemporaries  such as John Updike or Philip Roth  wrote very explicitly and nobody scolded them.

A. And they didnt write from a womans point of view very often, which is why I thought it was important to do so. Its not easy to write in an interesting and fresh way about your own experiences. When it really works, theres as much luck as hard work.

Q. Have you ever asked permission to write about someone?

A. Most of what I write about other people doesnt see the light of day. Because its simply not my business. I know it seems like I feel very free, but if you knew how much [I keep to myself], you would understand that Im not. Writing about parents seems correct to me, because one didnt ask to be born [we were all small once] and they were enormous, powerful. Writing about a lover, a spouse, or a friend seems good to me, because it starts from a relationship of equality. Asking permission may be necessary at times. It probably depends on how loyal you want to be. Your children are something else, though, [because] they didnt ask to be born.

Q. Do you get embarrassed easily?

A. I feel scared or nervous sometimes, but embarrassed not so much. Im not sure why. I think I learned as a child to ignore other peoples opinions. I felt afraid, because of the religion in which I was [brought up in]. Theres a lot of pleasure in writing about what no one dares to write about...

Q. When you conceive a poem such as Ode to a Blowjob, do you consider the reaction it may provoke?

A. I imagine people will laugh when they hear the title. But I think its an interesting poem. It contains a lot of ideas. For someone who grew up in a Puritan and Calvinist home, censorship is a source of exhaustion, so its a pleasure to skip it. I want to believe that Odes (the collection from 2016) may please someone whos tired of so much silence. That book came about in part because I was immersed in a relationship that I didnt want to write about. I expressed myself through abstractions, almost in a philosophical or historical way. It was fun to cover topics like that. Not so much in an intimate way, but as something everyday.

Q. Has poetry helped you with grief or pain?

A. Oh, sure. But I dont believe in writing for healing purposes. Nor in forcing yourself to write to overcome pain or sadness. Now, if it comes out [naturally], its wonderful.

Q. Do you believe in the myth that good literature is born from unhappiness?

A. No, no. I dont know where good literature comes from. If I knew, I would create more. Good literature comes from anything, including joy.

Sharon Olds at her home in New York, in 2015. Pascal Perich

Q. Stags Leap  which earned you a Pulitzer Prize in 2013  is a book about your divorce from your ex-husband, which caught you by surprise. Did you write it as a way to have the last word?

A. [Laughs]. Many of those poems are love poems. Love should have the last word. Oh, no, no, its very pitiful to have the last word. Its not fair. Anyone who associates with a writer who writes about their personal life knows that its not fair. But, at the same time, if you start writing with a destructive spirit, youll discover that poems are useless. Thats not art. And the opposite  trying very hard to do something beautiful  doesnt work, either.

Q. In another of your most admired collections of poems, The Father (1992), you detail the agony and death of your father, a recurring character in your work. He usually appears as a guy with a penchant for drinking  someone cold and somewhat misogynistic. You said you were born to write that book.

A. I said that a long time ago. I meant that its about an extremely important character, [someone who I felt] fear and admiration for, very mixed feelings. Today, I would say that its a book that I wouldnt have imagined I could have written. But thats true of all my books. Also for Stags Leap. Many people criticized it because it wasnt a sufficiently angry book...

Q. And who can judge that?

A. True. But there are many love poems in it. There are decades of love, which ended in a certain way, a very common way. It was good that it was that way. It contains moments of cold anger. And thats a good thing. But theres also a lot of tenderness.

Q. Do you know what your ex-husband thought about Stags Leap?

A. Thats a topic I dont go into. Im sorry.

Q. Do you still read Emerson?

A. It has been many, many years since I read Emerson. It made sense to me to try to write a dissertation on prosody (the patterns of rhythm) in one of his books. He wasnt prepared to be a poet. That is, he wrote bad poems. Studying [his work] was my way of listening to the rhythm. Its like listening to jazz, classical or rock.

Q. How important is music in your life?

A. Hugely important. There are languages in which theres only one word for both music and dance. So theres no dance without music, nor music without dance. I feel that way. To read another persons poem is to join their breathing and the beating of their heart. The poet Robert Hass has written about that how you give many of the rhythms of your body over to the poet whose work youre reading.

Q. Filmmaker John Cassavetes argued that you can only be a true artist by being faithful to the truth, regardless of whether you harm someone. Do you agree?

A. Thats a very important topic for me. And I remember Muriel Rukeyser  the great feminist poet  when she said that she had never known a poem that hurt anyone. Hurt someones feelings? Yes, sure, but they dont really hurt. The desire to do harm doesnt produce good art. But if youre very sincere... will you hurt peoples feelings? Maybe. Am I willing to see mine hurt so that someone can write a real poem? Absolutely.

Q. Balladz (2022)  your latest book  marks a certain return to politics for you, the poet who rejected an invitation from Laura Bush to the White House in protest of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

A. I largely wrote it during the pandemic. During that time, I became aware of my privilege. It affected my view of the world. I think the poems show that. I spent two years alone, living alone in an old house in the woods. Isolation affected my poetry; the verses lengthened and became more prosaic. I wasnt in contact with other poets. I didnt listen to poetry, [I only] read it. That makes the book different from the rest.

Q. Do you feel guilty about your privilege?

A. Of course.

Q. Your bestseller  The Dead and the Living (1984)  has poems that deal with the Vietnam War or Pinochet. Is the personal necessarily political?

A. Yes. It doesnt usually work for me to write about people I dont know. [In that collection], I was inspired by photographs. What I write about my own life  or about something that appears to be my own life  works best. I dont know why.

Q. Do you consume news?

A. If I do, its very difficult for me not to fall into the rabbit hole of despair. And I get lost in its details, rather than the ordinary details. For example: how sunlight reflects off the ground. I know that the news is more important than that reflection, but at the same time, the possibility of feeling joy in existence is already tenuous enough. If I focus too much on the terrible things that are happening, its not good for me. Thats why I tend not to have the strength to stay up to date. All my friends read newspapers and they tell me [about whats going on]. Its not something Im proud of. Its like a defense mechanism. It works for me.

Q. I would say that something youve defended in your poetry is the possibility of being able to completely love someone. Do your young students agree with that?

A. I disagree with anyone who says that its impossible to fully love a man, a woman, a child, or an animal. Love is very complicated. And many of us have suffered too much damage at too young an age. Its natural that its somewhat difficult to think about [unconditional love] after that.

Q. Is it difficult for you to connect with new ways of seeing love?

A. I dont think it is, because it has so much to do with respect for each individuals soul and body. I dont think we choose who were going to love.

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Georgetown University, the oldest Catholic and Jesuit college in the U.S., issued a circular to its students in the fall of 1972: Extras Wanted for The Exorcist. Saturday, October 14. Marriott Motel-Key Bridge. 1:00-2:00 p.m. Monroe Suite. 3rd Floor. Three hundred students ended up as extras in a film whose impact on popular culture was unprecedented. While few in Hollywood seemed convinced by the idea of the film, William Friedkins The Exorcist is still considered one of the most disturbing horror films of all time 50 years after its release on December 26, 1973.

Traces of The Exorcist are still very much in evidence in Georgetown. The cinematic iconography of the U.S. capital is overshadowed by the omnipresence of the White House, but specifically in the neighborhood of Georgetown where it was shot, there are cinematic landmarks such as the streets walked by the characters of Alan J. Pakulas 1976 All the Presidents Men and the favorite pub of the friends in St. Elmos Fire, Joel Schumachers 1980s teen classic. But the only stairs that can compete with those of the Lincoln Memorial are the grim 75 steps that connect 36th street and Prospect to M. Street. A commemorative plaque placed in 2015 points out that those are the iconic stairs from The Exorcist down which Father Karras plunged to his death.

Father Karras, dead at the end of the stairs.

In Georgetown, shortly before Christmas, almost a dozen onlookers gathered at the stairway. Peruvian Willy Revilla has been in town for 21 years and every time a family member comes to visit he brings them here. Before, the steps were marked with the blows made by Father Karras fall, but these have been erased with time. Now its more neglected, he says. The staircase is used by people looking to keep fit and by Exorcist fans who still score Exorcist words and symbols between each step.

Built in 1895, the staircase is awe-inspiring, but not only because its steep. There is something remote and dark about it. In the panoramic view of Georgetown in The Exorcist, it looms menacingly. The skeptical detective Kinderman, played by Lee J. Cobb, examines it. Narrow and hidden, it looks like it could lead to Hell, encouraging visitors to hold tightly to the rail.

Queues in 1973 to watch 'The Exorcist.' Bettmann (Bettmann Archive)

Antonio Ayala, a Salvadoran who has lived in the U.S. for 23 years, has come to see the stairs with his cousin, Cecilia Fernandez. Ive been traumatized by this film since I was eight years old, says Cecilia. After I saw it, I spent some time sleeping with the Bible on my chest and the light on. In the upper reaches of the staircase, where metal railings have been installed, you can see the windows of the house where Chris MacNeil and her daughter Regan, played by Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair respectively, lived. I worked on installing the new windows. The current owners changed them, Ayala says. The metal fence that surrounded the house has also been replaced by a wooden one and a few meters away, in another house on Prospect Street, there are two giant sculptures that reproduce the robots from the Transformers saga, two giant statues put there during the pandemic to become yet another tourist attraction that outrages a number of this distinguished neighborhoods residents.

Fathers Merrin and Karras in 'The Exorcist.' Warner (Cordon Press)

When The Exorcist began filming in 1972, Georgetown students were aware of its backstory. The film was based on the novel of the same name written by a former student, William Peter Blatty, who, a year before graduating, gathered information about the alleged exorcism of a 14-year-old boy in nearby Cottage City, Maryland in 1949. The details of that event have been questioned after the parish priest William Bowdern downplayed the paranormal aspect of the event as he felt it had been exaggerated by his two assistants and by his own suggestion. According to Bowdern, the most striking thing was a flying consecrated host. The rest involved spitting, the child repeating the Latin word dominus and, yes, wounds on the childs skin on which at times the word Hell could be read.

Blatty published The Exorcist in 1971. He wrote the novel after gathering inspiration from Roman Polanskis Rosemarys Baby (1968). The 14-year-old boy ended up as the fictitious Regan MacNeil, the daughter of a famous Hollywood actress who for a few months moves with her mother and her entourage to a house in Georgetown for the filming of her new movie.

An image from William Friedkins 'The Exorcist.' Alamy

Shortly after publishing his bestseller, Blatty was already on board as screenwriter and producer of this record-breaking piece of horror, but his involvement meant the making of the film was dogged by tension, often between Friedkin, an agnostic Jew who cared little for theology, and Blatty, a Catholic who cared greatly about the religious debate. The director settled the matter with this is not an advertisement for the Church and, years later, in 2000, Blatty would release The Exorcist III, a failed attempt to bring his Catholic imaginary to the story. It was not the only sequel. There is also the almost comical The Exorcist: Believer, directed by David Gordon Green and released a couple of months ago.

Back in 1973, The Exorcist was released in only 24 theaters in the U.S., as the cast seemed lackluster and Warner studios had little faith in it. Ellen Burstyn and Max von Sydow were not considered famous enough to pull an audience in. Linda Blair was an unknown and Jason Miller, who played father Karras, was a playwright without much experience as an actor. But then there was the audiences reaction to the film: vomiting and fainting spells, prompting some theaters to set up a permanent help desk. The critics were divided, and so was the Church. The image of a girl masturbating with a crucifix was not, so to speak, very Catholic. Meanwhile, the audience grew.

William Friedkin, Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn and writer William Peter Blatty at the re-release of 'The Exorcist' in 2000. Jeff Kravitz (FilmMagic)

Other events during its filming seemed to suggest that the movie was cursed. A fire destroyed the set several times and delayed the shoot for weeks. The budget doubled. An experienced carpenter working on the set lost the fingers on one hand, and actor Jack MacGowan, who played Burke Dennings, the first victim of Georgetowns staircase, died in his sleep shortly after finishing his part in the film.

Linda Blair, possessed in 'The Exorcist.'

But the myths surrounding The Exorcist have not detracted from the fact that it remains a fascinating and terrifying film. Nobody is calling out the pea puree or the dirty satanic words in the mouth of a little girl anymore. It is an icon of popular culture sustained by ancestral fears, but also by the drama of a single mother faced with the maddening personality changes of a prepubescent daughter. Theirs is a relationship tinged with absence and guilt, in which a woman engrossed in her career ends up becoming a courageous mother who calls on all the men of Washington, D.C.  a symbol of power in itself  who are unable to help her. And then there is Father Karras, in a cassock, having a crisis of faith. A young, attractive and tormented priest rushing down Satans staircase.

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The prison swap between Venezuela and the United States has been met with disapproval from certain sectors of Venezuelas opposition. While the deal led to the release of dozens of political prisoners and put the election agreement back on track, it has also meant that Alex Saab  a key ally of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro  is no longer behind bars. The Colombian businessman-turned-diplomat  who became the Maduro governments international operator in times of economic sanctions  has been freed, despite facing charges of money laundering and bribery.

After being arrested in Cape Verde in 2020 and spending several months in pre-trial detention in Florida, Saab has returned to Caracas. Such an outcome  which seemed impossible just a few weeks ago  is a win for the Chavismo government. With Saab released, opponents of the ruling party have one less piece of leverage to use against them. Maduro has pulled off a seemingly impossible feat, in what Maryhen Jimenez  a doctor in Political Science and academic at the University of Oxford  describes as a new display of political power in his confrontation with the United States.

On social media and WhatsApp groups, there are growing comments about how Maduros ability to negotiate in decisive moments is underestimated. The Chavismo government made Saabs release a prerequisite to any conversation around a path to free and fair elections. In previous agreements, the United States also made other important concessions to Maduro, most notably releasing his relatives who had been charged with corruption, and clearing them of charges. Energy sanctions on Venezuela were also lifted, with some conditions, after the Maduro government and opposition signed the Barbados agreement, a document that paves the way for elections in 2024.

While writer and academic Diego Bautista Urbaneja agrees that many Venezuelans are indignant about Saabs release, due to the seriousness of the charges against him, he argues that the key issue is that Saab, as a prisoner, had lost all value. Urbaneja points out that Saab had collaborated with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Any value he still had was as a bargaining chip. He had already said everything he knew, he was questioned, he must have collaborated and told the U.S. justice system everything. If handing him over would free 30 opposition prisoners, including 12 Americans, perhaps it was worth it.

Urbaneja does not expect Saabs release to have a big impact on the internal order in Venezuela. We have the same problem: achieving political change peacefully, through electoral and probably negotiated means. This hinges on whether Maria Corina Machado, the winner of the primaries, can participate as a candidate.

Shortly after the prison swap was announced, Corina Machado issued a statement in which she hinted that she participated in the negotiations. It is public knowledge that the United States and the Maduro regime have established a negotiation complementary to the Barbados talks. While we are not part of it, we have become involved, to help achieve the goal of free elections and the interests of Venezuelans being fully represented.

The opposition leader did, however, address the anger over Saabs release. The electoral route is complex and faces multiple threats. Those in power use all their resources to demoralize us; that is why they turn a criminal who has exploited the hunger of our people into their favorite bargaining chip, she said.

Julio Castillo, a columnist, activist and political analyst, says whats key is ensuring that negotiations dont reach a stalemate. The expectations of the United States are one thing, and the expectation of the Venezuelan opposition is another, he says. The most important thing is that there is an open flow of communication, that conversations are taking place, that it is a process and negotiations continue.

It is too early to draw definitive conclusions about the immediate usefulness of these exchanges, says Jimenez. Minimizing the impact of the release of these 30 political prisoners  some sentenced to serious sentences  as some do in the opposition, is a mistake. These leaders are returning to their communities, their influence will be amplified, and their families will receive enormous relief.

Jimenez says that Corina Machados new tone in the current context is particularly interesting, arguing that the prison swap may be a good thermometer to measure her influence. He explains: Maria Corina has realized that she is no longer the leader of a niche of the radical sectors, but rather is at the head of a complex process for national unity, which must be incremental, but not maximalist. Her behavior is different.

Corina Machado overwhelmingly won the opposition primaries in October, despite being banned from running for office by the Maduro administration. She appealed the ban to the Supreme Court, and is now waiting for their ruling on whether she can take part in the presidential election. In the meantime, the opposition leader has limited herself to pointing out that once all Maduros demands are met  the lifting of sanctions, the release of Saab and the end of the legal cases against some of his relatives  he would have no excuse not to face her in free, honest and verifiable presidential elections in 2024.

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This Tuesday, after the Christmas recess, Argentine President Javier Milei resumed working on his goal of dismantling the State. In just his third week of government, the far-right president has signed a decree that terminates the contracts of government employees hired in 2023. The government estimates that more than 5,000 workers are affected, while other sources, such as the Association of State Workers (ATE), estimate that the figure exceeds 7,000. Nevertheless, that number could grow, since the government will also review in the next 90 days the contracts of government employees hired before January 1, 2023. Needless to say, the unions are on alert.

The decree, published this Tuesday in the Official Gazette, establishes that government workers hired since January 1, 2023, will not have their contracts renewed. The measure does lay out some exceptions: for example, workers who are part of quotas regulated by law or other types of special protections, such as people with disabilities, or personnel who are considered indispensable. The text also anticipates that the rest of government contracts will be subject to an exhaustive review in the next 90 days.

In his first speech as president, Milei had already anticipated that the changes his administration would embark on would be heavily paid for by the State, not by the private sector. The cutbacks began with the Cabinet of Ministers: the far-right leader cut the positions down to just nine, half of those of the previous administration. And Minister of Economy Luis Caputo announced, as part of the first economic measures, the reduction of the State workforce. The decree published this Tuesday is one more step in the governments roadmap and aims to lead to a better functioning public administration.

The Argentine public sector has almost 3.5 million salaried employees, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Labor, of which one tenth work for the federal administration. 2.2% of the countrys GDP is spent on paying federal workers, according to a report by the consulting firm Ieral-Fundacion Mediterranea, a percentage that has been reduced since 2015, when it accounted for 3.3% of the countrys GDP. According to that analysis, the share of public employment in the budget is similar to Scandinavian countries and Japan and Germany.

In a statement, the Association of State Workers (ATE) described the move as an aggression and expressed that public employees perform tasks that are indispensable. Let no one expect us to accept even a single dismissal, warned Rodolfo Aguiar, secretary general of the ATE.

Protests have been called for this Wednesday, as unions prepare to demonstrate against this decree and the one Milei signed a week ago, which included 300 measures to scale back the State. The Dec. 21 decree repeals laws, eliminates dozens of state regulations, enables the privatization of state companies such as the oil giant YPF, and opens the door to operations in dollars. The move also kick-started the process to make the countrys labor market and the health system more flexible.

Workers  who consider that the consequences of Mileis reforms fall on the shoulders of the most vulnerable sectors of the population  will take to the streets despite the fact that the presidents administration has instituted new protocols against street blockades during demonstrations. The new security plan  announced by Minister of Security Patricia Bullrich almost simultaneously with the economic measures  was first put into practice on December 20, when tens of thousands of people came out to protest surrounded by heavy security measures.

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Eighty-one days after the start of Israels war against Hamas in Gaza, the conflict is increasingly taking on a regional scale. On Tuesday, Israels Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant told the Israeli Parliaments Defense Committee that the country is fighting on seven fronts and has responded to attacks in six of them thus far. In addition to the Gaza Strip, where nearly 21,000 people have already died, and the West Bank  which Gallant referred to as Judea and Samaria and where incursions occur almost daily  the minister said that hostilities have spread to Iran, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. Im saying it here explicitly, Gallant warned during his speech. Anyone who acts against us as a potential target will not be immune.

Until Monday, Israels clashes beyond its borders and those of the occupied territories had been limited to secondary actors allied with Iran, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, whose attacks on the north of the country have forced tens of thousands of Israelis to evacuate. But two days ago, Tehran accused the Israeli Defense Forces of assassinating Iranian Revolutionary Guard General Razi Mousavi and three others by firing several missiles while he was in Sayyidah Zaynab, a neighborhood south of Damascus, the Syrian capital. Israel has not confirmed its involvement in the attack, but it accused the Iranian general of trafficking arms from Iran and financing Lebanese Shiite guerrillas and other Islamist organizations in Syria.

Iranian public television interrupted its broadcast to break the news. The countrys president, Ebrahim Raisi, said that the attack was a sign of the frustration and weakness of the Zionist regime, for which it will surely pay a price. For its part, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard issued a statement that was similar in tone. Undoubtedly, the savage usurper Zionist regime will pay for this crime, it said in the press release, which predicted suffering for Israel. Mousavi was responsible for coordinating the military alliance between Syria and Iran, as well as one of the main collaborators of Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Quds Force (Irans intelligence and asymmetric warfare unit), killed by the U.S. in a drone strike on January 3, 2020, in Baghdad, Iraq.

If it is confirmed that Israel was responsible for the senior Iranian military officers death, that would mean an escalation in the conflict. Thus far, Tehran has not taken any direct action against Israel; it has only increased its threatening rhetoric. Since October 7, Iran has stepped up its activity against Israel considerably, by funding and arming not just Shiite militias in Lebanon and Syria but also the Houthi rebels in Yemen. The International Atomic Energy Agency has warned that in recent weeks Israels arch-enemy Iran has tripled production of enriched uranium to 60%, below the 90% needed to make atomic weapons but well above the 3.67% maximum imposed by the agreement on its 2015 nuclear program, which the United States unilaterally abandoned three years later.

Gallant mentioned Yemen as another front in the war. Since the conflict began, the Iranian-sponsored Houthi guerrillas have launched several drone attacks against southern Israel. For weeks now, they have been harassing ships crossing the Red Sea, forcing the U.S. to organize a multinational force to confront them and facilitate maritime traffic to and from the Suez Canal.

The latest two incidents in that area just occurred on Tuesday. The U.K. Merchant Navys maritime authority recorded two explosions and announced the sighting of two drones within five nautical miles of a ship traveling off the coast of the Yemeni port of Al-Hudaydah. Missiles hit another vessel in the same area. The rockets landed half a mile and four miles away. The same source confirmed that the missiles did not damage the cargo ship and that the crews did not suffer any casualties.

On the Lebanese front, Israel once again attacked Hezbollah targets in the south of the country in the umpteenth skirmish between the two sides since the October 7 attacks. According to a military spokesman, the Israeli Defense Forces responded to the launch of an anti-tank missile that hit the St. Marys Orthodox Church in the Israeli town of Iqrit on the Lebanese border. Nine Israeli soldiers were wounded in the attack, one of whom is in serious condition. Hezbollah rockets also hit an agricultural cooperative in the Israeli town of Dovev.

On the Iraq front, the United States military acted on Monday after the pro-Iranian Kataib Hezbollah militia attacked the U.S. base in Erbil by dropping a drone on it that left one U.S. soldier in critical condition and wounded two others. That was not the first attack on Erbil and other U.S. military installations in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 7. These attacks are intended to hold perpetrators accountable and damage their ability to continue attacks. We will always protect our forces, General Michael Kurilla, the head of U.S. Central Command, said in a press release, as quoted by Reuters.

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An attack that doesnt kill you makes you stronger and stronger and stronger. Palestinian journalist Mohamed Balousha wrote this message after being shot in his left leg on December 15, while recording Israeli troop positions in Gaza City. Its unknown how he is recovering. The day before, Balousha relayed via to EL PAIS via voice messages the attacks that were taking place in the Sheik Radwan neighborhood. He is one of the few reporters who, risking their lives on a daily basis, remains in the north of Gaza. His exclusive reports, broadcast by the Emirati television network Al Mashhad, are one of the most widely watched of the war.

In an uncensored video from November 27, which EL PAIS has seen without pixelated images, he puts a face to the ignominy of the conflict. The video shows at least four babies, abandoned in the ICU of the Al Nasr hospital, in a state of putrefaction. They have been eaten by worms and flies, and are still attached to cables and respirators. Two and a half weeks earlier, the hospital was besieged, attacked and evacuated by order of the Israeli army. If the world can see tragedies like this and the others that are taking place daily in Gaza, it is thanks to him and the other journalists who are reporting the war from the ground for Palestinian and international media.

EL PAIS contacted some of these unique witnesses of a war, in which the main battlefield  Gaza, where more than 20,000 people have died  is being blocked by Israel. Mohamed Balousha is still alive in Gaza for the moment, but 68 reporters and media workers (61 Palestinians, four Israelis and three Lebanese) have been killed since October 7, and another three are missing, according to the Committee to Protect of Journalists (CPJ). In 10 weeks of war, more journalists were killed in Gaza than in any other country in the whole year, CPJ reported last Thursday.

Mahmud, 30, tries to dispel the idea that reporters in Gaza are emotionally immune to what is happening around them. We are being treated as if we were less than human. I have every right to feel pain. I have every right to mourn my murdered family members. I have every right to feel afraid, says the reporter. Mahmud works for a large international media outlet and is not authorized to make statements: he only agrees to speak on the condition that neither the company he works for nor his real name be published.

Like the other journalists who spoke to EL PAIS, Mahmud has to deal with the daily struggle of finding food and water, he says from the three-story home he shares with about 70 people in Rafah, at the southern end of the Gaza Strip, where he has been staying since escaping Gaza City. Unlike other journalists, he has his own solar panel system, provided by his company, and that makes his work easier, although his batteries are lasting for shorter and shorter periods of time.

Priority: survival

Amid the uncontrolled violence, the reporters covering the conflict in Gaza  an open-air cage with 2.3 million inhabitants  must prioritize survival over reporting.

Almost all the journalists who spoke to EL PAIS escaped from the north of Gaza to the middle and southern areas of the Palestinian enclave, where they are sheltering in overcrowded conditions with relatives or acquaintances. In the midst of the brutal humanitarian crisis that is gripping Gaza, reporters must find food, water and shelter, as well as transportation, power to charge the batteries of their electronic devices, and internet connection to send their work to their publishers.

As seen in other modern wars, social media is playing a key role: it has thrown some Palestinian reporters into the limelight and helped share their work. For example, photographer Motaz Azaiza, who is reporting on the conflict from southern Gaza, has more than 17 million followers on Instagram. Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups share their own propaganda videos, but do not give reporters access to their operations or the places where they are holding hostages.

I have covered the displacement of people from the north to the south and also between cities in the south. I myself was one of them. Sometimes, I had to walk or ride a donkey-pulled cart pulled to get to the places to cover the stories, explains Sami Alajrami, 55, who has been working for the Italian agency Ansa as a correspondent for 12 years. He has already moved seven times since he left his home in the north to settle first in Deir al Balah, in the center of the country, and now in Rafah. At the beginning of the war, Alajrami says in a written message, he paid 10 times the normal price for fuel so he could move around and do his job. I have covered the murder of 14 members of my family who were also displaced, he says, giving an idea of how difficult it is to separate the journalist from the victim, as nearly all reporters fall into this category.

With most of the reporters displaced along with 1.8 million inhabitants, the most difficult situation is in the north of Gaza, where only a handful remain on the ground. The north of Gaza has been the hardest hit by the Israeli army, which continues to strike the area. Hardly any residents are left. There, journalists  now seasoned in current conflict given that replacements or colleagues cannot access Gaza  try to move in groups in the midst of constant fighting and bombings such as the one that wounded Islam Bader in the neck on Tuesday. The freelance reporter, who works for the Qatari network Al Araby, was in the Jabalia refugee camp when a bombing killed dozens of people.

In a two-story house in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp, in the center of Gaza, another freelance reporter, Aseel Musa, 26, has taken refuge with 50 other people. It has a generator, but no fuel to power it. This means there is no electricity in the house, so she uses a neighbors solar panels to charge her computer and phone, her main work tools. With no fuel for cars either, she has to move on foot. We depend on firewood to heat water and cook. What we have is only canned food, pasta or rice, Musa explains in responses sent through voice notes.

Journalists in Gaza are not protected, and we are working in an extremely difficult situation, laments Akram al Satarri, a 47-year-old reporter, who says he has not witnessed such a degree of violence despite covering all the wars in Gaza since 2005, when Israel left the enclave. Like Alajrami and Musa, this freelance journalist also fled from Gaza City to the south with his family. I dont think there is a safe haven in all of Gaza, he says from Khan Younis in a phone call and voice messages.

Six hours with two bullets

Two bullets hit me in the leg and I fell to the ground. After six hours, I crawled to the second floor, where I had a first aid kit, with which I stopped the bleeding. [] A friend came to see me with four others, and they transported me on a wooden board for two or three kilometers to the nearest medical point, says Mohamed Balousha in a message.

Journalists in the Palestinian enclave have paid, and continue to pay, an unprecedented toll and face exponential threats. Many have lost colleagues, families, and media facilities, and have fled seeking safety when there is no safe haven or exit, Sherif Mansour, CPJ coordinator in the region, says in an alert.

As well as risking their lives, reporters also face threats, arrests, censorship and the loss of their own family members. The main problem of being a journalist in Gaza is that I dont feel safe. Israel attacks journalists and their families, adds Aseel Musa, who has lost six family members in the conflict, adding that he is also threatened and insulted on social media.

Mahmud  who has lost a large number of family members, acquaintances and colleagues in these weeks  says he receives threats from Israeli settlers who want to kill me, rape my wife or murder my son with the intention of stopping my work or intimidating me.

One of the most recent journalists to be killed was Samer Abudaqa, an Al Jazeera cameraman, who was hit by the projectile launched from an Israeli drone. It took hours for him to be rescued due to the intense bombing, and he did not survive the attack, according to Al Jazeera and his colleague, Wael al Dahdouh, who was wounded in that same bombing. Al Dahdouh lost his wife, a son, a daughter and a grandson in another Israeli attack in October, but within hours he was back in front of the camera.

It is very important to understand that we are also victims of this conflict and that we can and are being killed, says Mahmud. But, despite the determination and strength of colleagues like Al Dahdouh, he insists: We are not machines. I mean, we have feelings, and we need to cry sometimes, but we are almost always treated like machines. And, in any case, we have to end up doing the job.

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Until the 1980s, the Dutch Domestic Security Service (BVD) monitored Jewish citizens in Amsterdam who were survivors of the Holocaust, considering them a potential danger to democracy. Those spied on included members of the Dutch Auschwitz Committee, which was founded in 1956 and dedicated to commemorating the liberation of the concentration camp. The secret services classified the organization as extremist, according to declassified documents from the National Archives between 1945 and 1998, analyzed by the Dutch media outlet Het Parool. The military police, in charge of customs, also took part in the espionage, informing on people who participated in trips to Poland, where Auschwitz, the largest Nazi concentration camp, was located.

The documents  a total of 71,000 declassified files  have been accessible to the public since 2022. They reflect the extensive surveillance carried out by the intelligence services. The documents are not redacted, but cannot be copied. The profiles of those spied on range from politicians, journalists and lawyers, to intellectuals, activists, artists and other representatives of civil society in Amsterdam.

The BVD is the predecessor of the current General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD), which on Saturday issued a statement explaining that Holocaust survivors were not seen as a threat. However, an exception was made for those associated with the Dutch Auschwitz Committee, as this was considered a communist front organization. The AIVD statement added that it must be remembered that the monitoring took place in the context of the Cold War, and pointed out that several historical studies showed that the committee was dominated by communists. At that time, communism was the great threat to national security. From the content of a letter dated 1964 accessed by Het Parool, it is clear that the BVD saw the committee as a communist organization.

The Dutch Communist Party itself was also spied on, and some of its members also belonged to the Dutch Auschwitz Committee. No one ever knew this, Jacques Grishaver, current chair of the committee, told NOS public television. These were different times, but the fact that you are going to make a report about Auschwitz commemorations, about the people who came there to remember their family that had been massacred, to embed the BVD there? It defies any idea of civilization. That cannot be justified, not even with time.

The Dutch secret services had an informant whose testimonies were added to the police lists of travelers, who visited Auschwitz in Poland. One of the issues discussed by the committee, according to the moles report, was the release of German chief Willy Lages, who was responsible for the deportation of more than 70,000 Dutch Jews. Lages  who was the head of the citys Security Service  was sentenced to death for these crimes, but in 1949, it was commuted to life imprisonment. In 1966, he was released from prison, on the grounds that he was reportedly suffering from a terminal illness. At the meeting reported by the BVD infiltrator, everyone present thought it was scandalous to release a subject who was meant to be in prison, according to Het Parool. Lages traveled to Germany after his release and died five years later.

Another issue analyzed by the committee, and closely followed by the BVD, was the campaign for compensation for Jewish survivors of the war and their families. In 1973, almost 30 years after World War II, the Netherlands passed a benefits act intended to compensate the victims of Nazi persecution. Of the 140,000 Jews residing in the Netherlands in 1940, only 35,000 remained. Of the 107,000 deported to the extermination camps, 102,000 died. According to the Dutch Auschwitz Committee, 220 members of the Roma and Sinti communities also perished.

In 1947, at least 342 Jewish residents of Amsterdam had to pay taxes on properties they were forced to abandon when they were sent to the concentration camps. In most cases, their homes were confiscated by the Nazis and sold to Dutch collaborators. The facts were uncovered in 2011 by Charlotte van den Berg, an intern who worked on the digitization of municipal archives. Receiving no response from the Amsterdam City Council, she went to Het Parool (founded by the Dutch resistance in 1941) in 2013. The City Council then commissioned a report, made public in 2014, which resulted in a 10 million ($11 million) fund to be distributed among the citys Jewish community.

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It is now possible to sign up for the public beta testing of the human-like AI assistant Yasmina, announced Yango, the company that transforms global technologies into everyday services for local enrichment.

The assistant is built and trained to understand various Arabic dialects and can respond in Khaleeji and English. Saudi residents are now welcome to enroll in the beta testing and be among the first to interact with Yasmina.

Yasmina has a unique capability to engage in authentic, consistent, and enjoyable conversations, making interactions feel remarkably natural and relatable. Yasmina knows local jokes, recognises whether the user is male or female, and puts on only age-appropriate content when interacting with children.

Khaleeji personality

Yasminas ability to maintain an engaging conversation is based on a large language model. Dozens of copywriters and hundreds of individual content contributors edited and perfected dialogs to fine-tune the model, allowing it to learn and grow into Yasminas unique Khaleeji personality.

Hundreds of local residents across Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam, took part in training Yasminas speech recognition, so she can understand a wide variety of speech patterns, intonations, and dialects.

More than just an app on ones phone, Yasmina can be built into other apps and smart home devices, making them friendlier and easier to use, ultimately bringing new user experiences.

Samer Mohamad, Yasmina Regional Director for Mena, Yango: Our mission at Yango is to transform global technologies into everyday services for communities around the world. This is why we created an Arabic-speaking smart assistant that helps complete everyday chores more efficiently, fits perfectly in any GCC home, and can, among other things, inform users of prayer times. Right now, were fine-tuning Yasminas LLM to make the assistant even more fluent, creative, and emotionally intelligent.--TradeArabia News Service
Three days a week, Marina and Artem go to class underground. Their school is a prefabricated cubicle installed in the Kharkiv metro. The choice of location is meant to protect children from Russian attacks, in what was once Ukraines second-most populous city.

To the south in the recovered city of Kherson  the administration has built armored booths in several streets, to provide some protection against the hail of artillery that the Kremlin launches with relish. It was in Kherson where the Russians suffered their worst defeat of the invasion, in the fall of 2022.

In Ukraine, a whole host of temporary solutions have acquired a certain permanence. Today, Western support appears to be waning and some doubt whether it will endure. The Ukrainian counteroffensive hasnt achieved its desired objectives, while Russian forces have embedded themselves, trying to gain ground on the eastern flank. Amidst this reality, Ukraine is looking into the abyss of a long war.

No one knows when it will end, admitted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last Tuesday. Even experts  our commanders and our Western partners  dont know this, the leader remarked, in his annual press conference. Still, he has offered a resounding no to the question about whether Ukraine is losing the war. Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, hasnt achieved his objectives of destroying Ukraines sovereignty. Hes now fighting to take back pieces of combat-ravaged terrain and gain footholds to improve his positions, so that new large-scale attacks can be launched.

Moscow hasnt abandoned its goals. And several U.S. intelligence reports indicate that the decline in Western support  especially economic, but also diplomatic  could lead to the collapse of Ukraines defensive capacity. The current situation isnt a stable stagnation the current unstable balance could tilt in any direction, due to decisions made in the West, notes the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank that closely follows the situation in Ukraine.

Analyst Maria Avdeeva points out that the political turbulence in the United States  namely, infighting between Republicans and Democrats  has frozen some $61 billion in promised aid to the government in Kyiv. Meanwhile, Donald Trumps return to the White House in the fall of 2024 cannot be ruled out. The populist former president hasnt only questioned Joe Bidens foreign policy: he also has a complicated relationship with Ukraine.

Closer, in the European Union (EU)  which has given Kyiv its biggest victory in months, by opening accession negotiations with Ukraine  leaders are looking for a formula to launch an economic lifeline of 50 billion euros ($55 billion) to Kyiv, to be paid out between 2024 and 2027. However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban vetoed this measure a week ago.

The money will arrive no matter what, a high-ranking EU source assures EL PAIS. There are several creative solutions, such as plan B and even plan C. Still, the source acknowledges that the delay is hurting Ukrainian efforts to repel Russia.

American funds are more flexible and can be used to pay for military equipment, but the European lifeline is aimed at covering current expenses. This is according to Maria Mezentseva, a Ukrainian legislator who belongs to Zelenskiys Servant of the People party. She heads the parliamentary committee for National Affairs. The EU has designed the new financial instrument as a long-term security commitment to keep the country afloat.

Josep Borrell  the vice-president of the European Commission  has tried to unlock new funds for military materials, while pushing for Ukraine to receive the million rounds of artillery that the EU promised Kyiv back in March. This coming June, there will also be elections to the European Parliament, with Ukraine surely marking the political campaign across 27 member states.

Slow progress on the frontlines

With the collapse of the counteroffensive (little ground has been made, with Ukrainian troops only advancing a few feet a day) and the lack of goals in the short and medium-term mean that no advantageous turning point is visible at the moment. Theres fear of a freeze in the war, but also of new large-scale attacks, Avdeeva notes. The prospect of joining the EU is also perceived more as a long-term gain, she adds. Ukraine is looking for closer targets.

At the same time, faltering Western support for Ukraine  as well as the fact that the focus is now on supporting the Israeli war on Gaza  has meant that the Kremlin is taking advantage of the situation, announcing that its willing to open peace talks to freeze the conflict, now that it controls 20% of Ukrainian territory. Moscows troops have suffered heavy losses. A Western intelligence source warns that Putins insinuations  also collected by The New York Times via several senior Russian and American officials  are a way of sowing possible fatigue both in Ukraine and in the West.

In Dnipro, in the center of the country, a certain normality has established itself. Restaurants and cafes are open and full. A Christmas tree has been installed on one of the large boulevards. At the same time, a large part of the citizenry is exhausted. Theres fatigue, a certain sadness. But theres no defeatism. Several recent surveys indicate that the population isnt willing to give up territory to Russia.

Maybe we quickly forget the much worse moments that weve experienced, like last winter, remarks Serhii Moliasov, with a wool hat in his hand. Its cold, but at the moment, winter is being more benevolent than in the past. Additionally, this year, air defenses  reinforced with Western aid  have prevented the Kremlin from reaching the energy infrastructure and taking advantage of the cold weather. Last December, many Ukrainians had to spend weeks without light or heating, while getting a generator was difficult. At the end of 2022, the Christmas celebrations in Dnipro and other cities took place in the dark. Not so in 2023.

At the front, many soldiers are beyond exhausted. Its like living the same day every day. Over and over again, Maksim sighs. He fights in an infantry brigade in the mud of the Donbas region. But withdrawing isnt an option  its an existential question for us here and for our families at home, he clarifies, while finishing a cigarette in Kostiantynivka, a few miles from Bakhmut, the city that fell into Russian hands at the beginning of summer.

Theres little turnover at the front. There are few new volunteers. Given the lack of recruits, theres been a draft imposed in certain parts of Ukraine although the way in which this has been carried out has caused controversy, while there have been cases of bribery to avoid being called up. Zelenskiy has hinted that he may decree a large-scale mobilization. According to the Ukrainian president, the army needs half-a-million new soldiers.

The decision could create anger against the government and the president. His popularity has fallen, while there are certain political rifts, along with an opposition that wants to take him on. The decision about the draft, however, hasnt been made, Zelenskiy clarifies. A Western intelligence source points out that while the new mobilization measures could indeed be implemented, the number of recruits may be lower than what the president has stated.

Ukraine is now living through different realities. Theres the battle at the front, in the trenches. Theres combat with drones and the exchange of artillery, along with hand-to-hand fighting in places like Avdiivka. Soldiers complain about the lack of fuel in Kherson. And, in the capital  or in other vibrant cities across western Ukraine, or in Odessa, the pearl of the Black Sea  theres abundance and smuggling.

Oleksandra Bolshakova is a psychologist. She explains that these differing realities  in which some Ukrainians perceive the war as distant, while others deal with it as a matter of physical survival  can directly impact recruitment.

Finding a balance is complicated. Citizens emphasize that the final objective is to recover the territory of Ukraine up to the internationally-recognized borders. That is, with the Crimean Peninsula  illegally annexed by Russia in 2014  and the occupied territories of the Donbas region. But there are those who demand a closer horizon, with concessions.

The government in Kyiv, meanwhile, has stressed that it wont put specific objectives on the table again  as it did with the failed spring counteroffensive  since this could harm the fight. Its normal, were at war, but this uncertainty of not knowing whats going to happen in a month, a week it grips your brain, Moliasov concludes.

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In 2012, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) announced the discovery of the Higgs boson. This particle, which explains why matter has mass, confirmed predictions made in 1964 and is a fundamental piece of the Standard Model, the theory that explains the behavior of the particles that make up the world. The discovery was possible thanks to a huge infrastructure known as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a ring 27 kilometers (17 miles) in diameter built near Geneva, Switzerland, that cost approximately $9 billion. Inside, protons circulate directed by large magnets, colliding with each other and recreating situations that have not existed in nature since the Big Bang.

The extraordinary interest in fundamental physics that this milestone attracted has since faded, but the machine continues to work in search of information with which to understand what the cosmos is made of. Spanish physicist Carla Marin is one of the scientists who continue to test the limits of the Standard Model; Marin, a professor at the University of Barcelona, was recently awarded as a top young researcher in experimental physics by the Spanish Royal Society of Physics and the BBVA Foundation.

In Geneva, Marin collaborates on the LHCb detector, one of the four large experiments in which the LHC makes protons collide to test the limits of physics between the disintegrations that remain after the impact. We specialize in studying b-type quarks, the heaviest we know, says Marin. We measure very precisely how they are created, how they associate with other quarks or how they disintegrate, because they are unstable particles, and compare that behavior with what the theory says, to see if at some point it breaks down. We look for new physics, indirectly, she explains.

Question. Can you remind us what it is that you are doing at the LHC?

Answer. We accelerate protons at a very high speed, giving them a lot of energy, and when they reach their highest possible level of energy we make them collide. The fact of having so much energy is what produces these particles that have more mass. They dont just appear out of thin air; we are transforming energy into matter.

Q. Have these particles that appear after the collisions ever existed in the universe?

A. We think so, but we dont know. It is believed that at the beginning of the universe, when it was very energetic, very hot and very dense, it was concentrated in a very small space. The Big Bang Theory tells us that, at that moment, there was a state, a quark soup, with all these quarks that we know, the six quarks that the Standard Model predicts, which circulated freely due to the amount of energy that there was. We try to reproduce the conditions that existed at the origin of the universe.

Q. You have been awarded a Starting Grant from the European Research Council to carry out the CLIMB project. What are you going to look for?

A. We want to study the decays of a b quark, which is one of the most massive, to a d quark, which is one of the lightest, and two leptons. Why? In the Standard Model, this is possible, but it happens very rarely; once in every 100 million times a b quark decays. If there is another particle, another force that we do not know so far, that the standard model does not predict, but that exists in nature, it can affect these types of decays. The rarer this decay is in the Standard Model, the more sensitive it will be to any effect, no matter how small, that falls outside the model and that could indicate that there is a new particle or a new force interacting with the b quarks.

Q. Einstein looked for a unifying theory that could explain the entire universe. Is it reasonable to continue to search for this type of theory, or does reality work differently?

A. We dont really know. There are unified theories with which we try to explain the forces that exist in nature from a common origin, but they are not very fashionable right now. The problem is verifying if what they predict happens in nature or not. We would need much more energy than we can now create in experiments to see its effects. There might be a point where the forces we study behave a little differently, but from what we know now, this will almost certainly happen at a very high energy, which we dont have access to right now.

There has been talk  in a somewhat science fiction idea  of creating an accelerator around the Earth. You would need something at this scale, and with the technology we have it is not feasible. What we are doing is looking for new ways to accelerate particles, beyond those we currently use with superconducting magnets. Plasmas and other technologies are being studied to achieve greater accelerations in less space, but we do not know how long it may take to develop these new technologies.

Q. One of the particles that are sought, but not found, is the one that would make up dark matter.

A. We have very clear evidence, especially on the scale of the universe, when we observe galaxies, that we need matter that we dont know in order to explain the gravitational effects that we see. Weve looked in many places and havent found anything so far; sometimes I wonder if were looking for dark matter in the wrong places, if we have to turn the problem around. Variations on the theory of gravity have been proposed, for example, but they dont seem very promising. We are looking in all possible places, in very small masses that interact a lot and very large masses that interact very little, but we havent seen anything anywhere, so I wonder if we are not misapplying the knowledge we have.

Q. It feels like there were much more spectacular advances at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, with the atomic model, the quantum theory, relativity or the Big Bang. Is progress slower now?

A. I think its true, progress is a little slower, but I think the difference is precisely that at the time that you mention we surpassed the technical barrier to be able to see, for example, quarks. You were able to see that level of small things that is related to the energy you need to put into your system. Since then, we have moved forward, but we have done so in a very linear way. We have been able to create and observe the Higgs boson in our collisions, but in the end we are talking about the same energy range. We are not talking about different orders of magnitude. We may have already seen everything there is to see in this range were in and need a leap, not just a linear advance in technology, to get to the next state. Without this technology, without being able to make this technological leap to have the new accelerators that I mentioned before, it will be very difficult for us to reach the next level.

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It may seem like science fiction, but the first artificial wombs are already on the way. Several research teams  in the U.S., China, the Netherlands, Australia and Spain  have been developing them for years. The ultimate aim is to help babies survive, particularly those who were born before 26 weeks of gestation.

One team has achieved a successful prototype. This past September, the researchers requested permission from the FDA to move on to the human experimentation phase. The project, called EXTEND, is led by Alan Flake and Marcus Davey, researchers at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. Like the other projects, it aims to help save premature babies, since  at the moment  only 30% of babies born at 22 weeks of gestation survive, according to a study published in the medical journal JAMA.

Spain leads Europe in this technology. In the future  although we dont know when exactly  there will be artificial placentas, Eduard Gratacos claims. He directs the research on this subject at the Clinic de Barcelona and Sant Joan de Deu hospitals. His team has designed an artificial placenta that has kept three sheep fetuses alive for 12 days. The success achieved makes them confident that, within three years or so, theyll have a prototype that guarantees three or four weeks of survival in premature babies.

An artificial uterus is a much more sophisticated concept than a mere incubator, since it replicates the functions of the mothers uterus. Its capable of providing babies with oxygen, nutrients and hormones, until they finish developing. An artificial uterus involves amniotic fluid created in a laboratory and an external device that connects to the babys umbilical cord, to oxygenate the babys blood. However, this is a technology that  if used for the complete gestation of a fetus  could involve ethical problems.

Are we on the verge of witnessing pregnancies that take place outside the womans body? In 1932, Aldous Huxley prophetically recounted the process of ectogenesis in Brave New World, a satire about the contemporary culture of his time (which increasingly resembles our reality).

Woman? Very simple, say the fanciers of simple formulas: she is a womb, an ovary; she is a female  this word is sufficient to define her, wrote Simone de Beauvoir in The Second Sex (1949), where she pointed to motherhood as the beginning of patriarchy. Biological motherhood has long been used as a reason for condemning women to a role of powerlessness and subservience in the social order, wrote Adrienne Rich  another major activist against heteropatriarchy  in her 1972 essay The Anti-Feminist Woman. Rich defended a reinterpretation of the concept of motherhood that wasnt linked to a womans ability to gestate physiologically or to her responsibility for raising children.

If pregnancy was no longer linked to women, it would change history, allowing for the construction of a feminist society, where women could free themselves from a role that has been assigned to them since ancient times. This was the vision of the Canadian activist Shulamith Firestone, who promoted the most radical stream of feminism in the late-1960s. She advocated for the abolishment of pregnancy, which she described as barbaric.

Could artificial wombs be the solution to the gender gap and patriarchal system? Vicente Bellver  a professor of Philosophy of Law at the University of Valencia (Spain)  warns EL PAIS in a video interview that making pregnancy separate from the body could backfire against women. In a society that still isnt feminist, ectogenesis could be very risky, since women may suffer disregard and marginalization [at even greater levels] than today, losing part of the social value that theyve had throughout history.

According to Bellver  who has recently been appointed as president of the Bioethics Committee of the Valencian Community  its not necessary to revise biology. Rather, its best to restructure the social norms that have conditioned biology. The main source of meaning in human existence is caring [for others] and the paradigm of all care is motherhood. I believe that society must create the conditions so that motherhood isnt a heroic exercise. [It should be] compatible with the development of women as individuals, in the workplace, or at the artistic level. Measures must also be implemented  such as paternity leave  to ensure that the partners in this life project can feel fully co-responsible.

At the moment, the experimental trials comply with current regulations. Hence, theres no project underway that attempts to implant embryos in an artificial uterus. But the technology to carry out ectogenesis is getting closer and speculation is beginning. Hashem Al-Ghaili  an award-winning producer who hails from Yemen, specializing in science communications  presented EctoLife a couple of years ago, an idea that has since gone viral. He proposed the creation of an incubation factory for 30,000 babies a year in artificial wombs, arguing that it could solve both infertility and problems derived from C-sections, prematurity, or genetic diseases. This could contribute to repopulating countries with low birth rates.

However, French philosopher Henri Atlan  author of the book The Artificial Womb (2015) stresses in an interview with EL PAIS that these advances in biology [are unable to] suppress the beauty and grace of living creatures even in the slightest, nor can they [replace] the extraordinary richness of human behaviors, nor the sacredness of the human experience.

An example of how a supervised technology has proven to be beneficial can be found in assisted reproductive technology (ART). When the first baby conceived as the result of IVF was born in 1978, part of the population was shocked. But today, this is a standardized procedure. The International Committee for Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ICMART) estimates that, to-date, 12 million children have been born using this technique. In addition, ART has allowed for previously unimaginable options (such as women acting as surrogates for their daughters, carrying their grandchildren in their wombs) and new family models. In this sense, the American writer Jamie Metzl  who is part of the World Health Organization expert advisory committee on developing global standards for governance and oversight of human genome  points out in an email that humans exist within a cultural context. Our biology, technology and culture are constantly co-evolving. He also notes that our values are also changing.

Still, procreation through artificial wombs would be controversial from a legal perspective. Josep Santalo  a professor of cellular biology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona  says in an email that the concept of motherhood would also have to be redefined in these cases. Since there [would be] no surrogate mother, the motherhood of the born child could not be attributed to her.

Glen Cohen  a vice dean and professor at Harvard Law School  goes even further, noting by email that it would be interesting to start thinking about how ectogenesis could interact with other available technologies. Since a sperm donor, an egg donor and an artificial uterus can be obtained, children could be conceived without any connection (gestationally speaking) to the people who brought them into the world. This opens up scenarios regarding the commodification of human life: who would be responsible for the fetus?

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The migration crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border has put diplomatic relations on alert. Washington has decided to send a delegation to visit Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Wednesday in a bid to negotiate measures to stop the mass flow of people to the southern border, where there has been an unprecedented surge of arrivals. The delegation  led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken  comes after U.S. President Joe Biden spoke to his Mexican counterpart about the border crisis in a phone call last Thursday.

The situation  which was already a hot potato for the U.S. administration  worsened between the end of November and the beginning of December. Due to the unusual spike in illegal border crossings  which rose by 31%, according to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) data  some border crossings were shut in order to stem the large number of arrivals.

In response to the spike, Biden requested to speak with Lopez Obrador about the crisis at the border on Thursday. The numbers this year have not stopped rising. Last week alone, more than 10,000 migrants were intercepted after crossing irregularly into the United States. The president and President Lopez Obrador agreed that additional enforcement actions are urgently needed so that key ports of entry can be reopened across our shared border, the White House said in a readout of the call.

Reopening border crossings is one of the top priorities of the negotiations with the U.S. delegation, which will also include Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Homeland Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall. During Thursdays call, Mexico insisted on the need to reopen border crossings as soon as possible to guarantee dynamic trade flows and enhance the economic relationship [between the U.S. and Mexico], the Mexican Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday. The statement added that Mexico will call on the U.S. delegation to further collaborate in addressing the structural causes of migration based on the results of the Palenque Meeting.

The Palenque Meeting, which was held over five days in Mexico in October, brought together a dozen Latin American and Caribbean governments. One of its main focuses was on lifting U.S. sanctions on Cuba and Venezuela. The event  which was attended by Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro and Cuban leader Miguel Diaz-Canel, but not Biden  came to the conclusion that the unilateral coercive measures imposed against some countries in the region were a major factor in instigating migration to the United States.

The last time Biden and Lopez Obrador met in person was at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in California in November. The invitation from the president of Mexico continues the understanding reached by both leaders in San Francisco, regarding the appreciation of the positive contribution of the Mexican community in the United States and the conviction that the immigration problem will only find an effective response by addressing the structural causes in the countries of origin, the Mexican Foreign Minister stated on Friday.

The Lopez Obrador government is doubly affected by the migration crisis. On the one hand, thousands of migrants cross Mexico every month to reach the United States. On the other, it is facing a massive outflow of Mexican nationals who have joined the caravans in order to cross illegally to the north. Lopez Obradors government estimates that of the 307,000 people expected to be detained at the border by the end of the year, almost 75,000 will be Mexicans.

These unprecedented numbers have led to the closure of border crossings. On November 27, the U.S. government decided to close the bridge linking Piedras Negras, Coahuila, with Eagle Pass, Texas, to people and vehicles coming from Mexico. The CBP said it made this decision due to the increase in irregular arrivals. For the same reason, on December 4 the crossing from Sonoyta, Sonora, to Lukeville, Arizona, was also closed. And on December 9, the crosswalk from El Chaparral, in Tijuana (Baja California), to San Ysidro (California), one of the busiest borders in the world, was shut down.

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Lies usually have greater reach than truths. They spread much faster, a phenomenon that has been exacerbated by globalization. Misinformation spreads more and more quickly across countries and continents through social media and other channels of information. Hoaxes tend to create a lot of media confusion around current events, such as the war on Gaza and the geopolitical tensions between Israel and other countries, the recent elections in Argentina, or the announcement of new immigration laws in the United States. Events that currently have the world in suspense can be twisted by fake news.

From different coordinates across the planet, fact-checkers trace the journey of fake news and create evidence-based content to debunk the most viral hoaxes. These scams usually always revolve around the same themes: politics, armed conflicts, health and human rights.

The Spanish-speaking community in the United States is especially vulnerable, explains Tamoa Calzadilla, a Venezuelan journalist and one of the founders of Factchequeado  a platform that tracks the misinformation that most affects Spanish speakers. The organization is fighting back against the toxic media thats poisoning America, a country thats a desert of information when it comes to Spanish.

Hispanic citizens represent almost 20% of the U.S. population, but theyre orphaned by news in their language, Calzadilla notes. Quality journalism in Spanish is a very scarce commodity and barely has funding. Translations from English are usually of poor quality they dont take into account the way in which Latinos express themselves. And the sections aimed at them are the first to be eliminated when the media suffers from budget cuts, she explains.

Agents of disinformation churn out content that undermines democratic institutions, affects human rights, immigration, access to voting, or health care, Calzadilla emphasizes. This past September, for example, conservative groups and Republican politicians pushed a false narrative in which they claimed that the Democratic Party had proposed allowing abortion  under any circumstances  up to the ninth month of pregnancy. Something completely false, which was widely spread in Spanish, Calzadilla clarifies.

In addition to the language factor, many members of the Hispanic community face other barriers to accessing reliable sources of information. This exposes them to certain dangers, as the pandemic clearly demonstrated, Calzadilla affirms. The narratives about the safety of the Covid-19 vaccines were among the most widespread and impactful hoaxes that circulated on social media, taking a serious toll on many American citizens. This was explained in 2021 by an analysis from First Draft, a project against online misinformation founded in 2015 by some of the most important data companies, such as Google.

According to this study, misinformation about vaccines brought about serious consequences for Latinos, who were 2.8 times more likely to be hospitalized for Covid-19 and 2.3 times more likely to die from the disease than non-Hispanic whites. Fake news generated widespread confusion and unscientific rumors, such as alternative treatments to cure the infection, or absurd claims, [alleging] that the vaccines contained microchips, altered DNA, or were made from aborted fetuses and were the work of the Antichrist, Calzadilla laments.

Pablo Hernandez is a journalist. Hes also an academic research coordinator at Maldita, a pioneering Spanish language platform that detects fake news and verifies content. He explains that the pandemic was a before and after in the viralization of hoaxes. The amount of disinformation posted on social media and messaging applications like WhatsApp  with supposed miraculous remedies to deal with the virus  was tremendous. When hoaxes influence the making of important decisions, that can mean life or death, Calzadilla adds.

In addition to the problems in accessing accurate health information, linguistic obstacles also encourage the spread of other types of hoaxes for Spanish speakers, who make up many diverse communities. These are citizens who experience very difficult social realities that misinformation narratives take advantage of. We continually observe this with the news about immigration, the journalist from Factchequeado warns. The platform has teamed up with Maldita to analyze precisely what type of misinformation is harming Latino communities in the United States.

In a survey we conducted, all journalists who cover issues in Spanish expressed concern about the confusing news thats spread around immigration policies and processes. This constitutes some of the most dangerous fake news. Not only because this is the type of cumbersome information that usually reaches Spanish speakers, but also because of the fear of deportation that exists [among immigrants], Hernandez says. Its very easy to play with fear when the bureaucratic processes surrounding immigration laws are complicated and almost always in English, Calzadilla adds.

This past May, her organization worked tirelessly to debunk a video that was circulating on all social media sites. It was warning about how Latinos in Florida were supposedly abandoning the state due to new immigration laws. The video was from a previous year and, in reality, it showed citizens fleeing from Hurricane Ian, the Venezuelan explains. She offers another example: Theres lots of misinformation being created about the highly controversial reform of the immigration law in Texas, which targets undocumented immigrants. It doesnt affect other states  such as California  but [fake news] is being spread about how it affects the immigration status of Latinos who live [beyond Texas].

This type of fake news reaches them through applications that they use on a daily basis to communicate with their families, Hernandez says. Its through these apps that they find out about current events, he adds. According to research by Factchequeado, Hispanic Americans not only spend more time on social media than other groups, but theyre more than twice as likely to use messaging applications such as Telegram and WhatsApp. In fact, [WhatsApp] is the favorite network [for Latinos] to communicate and get information, Calzadilla points out. Its an application through which its very easy to sneak in fake news, especially for those who live in a country that theyre not originally from. [WhatsApp] offers a free way to communicate with those they left behind [in their countries of origin], so as to not lose their roots. The circumstances make them very vulnerable to misinformation. She warns that a key factor for fake news to acquire virality is when it appeals to the emotional component.

During the pandemic, we were all watching the news, with emotions running high. Above all, because there was no reliable information to turn to, not even from leading organizations, such as the WHO. So, any content that came from someone you trusted  a friend, a cousin,  was very credible, explains the researcher from Maldita. This organization has identified certain patterns behind the hoaxes that reach the entire world. One objective of misinformation is to generate emotional responses, to make the recipient react immediately, without stopping to think if what theyre sharing is a lie or the truth.

Fake news also takes advantage of manipulating a narrative thats already part of the international context. When global interest is directed at a specific event, misinformation moves more quickly. As a result of the war in Ukraine, we realized that, if the media focuses on one issue, misinformation skyrockets! Hernandez says.

When the Russian invasion began in February 2022 and news about the war began to spread virally, the team at Maldita decided to launch Ukrainefacts, a tool to debunk all the false content that was circulating on social media. This included images from the past, from other conflicts, from events not related to war, and even clips taken from video games. The same hoaxes appeared in different countries with very little difference in time, the journalist says. If each piece of disinformation generally takes weeks to jump from one country to another, in the case of Ukraine, disinformation was going viral in different parts of the world simultaneously, circulating in as many as 17 countries at the same time.

While techniques and dynamics are repeated to spread the same hoax in different places, its very difficult to do a global analysis of the same [piece of] disinformation, because it acquires local characteristics in each country, Hernandez notes. What is proven, he says, is that if an influencer or public figure spreads this disinformation, the impact throughout the world is tremendous. This occurred in 2020, when Donald Trump  then the president  came out to defend the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid-19 symptoms. This was despite the fact that the health authorities didnt endorse it, Calzadilla sighs. When someone with so much influence and authority publicly supports that type of information, it only makes the problem multiply and become much more dangerous, the Maldita journalist emphasizes.

This has also occurred under the current administration. On October 11, 2023, the White House had to come out to retract a statement from Joe Biden, in which he falsely claimed to have seen a video of Israeli babies beheaded by Hamas. Politicians and analysts from around the world made statements about it from their personal social media accounts, but no one has ever been able to prove the existence of these events.

Following the trail of news like this  with so much emotional impact and global influence  is very complicated. Many times, the same hoax is replicated word for word in different places but we need to homogenize the databases [put together by] the different fact-checkers in many countries and look for [commonalities] to have a complete vision, Hernandez explains. His goal is to ultimately create a kind of map of disinformation. At the moment, his platform already has different allies in Latin America and the United States, such as Factchequeado. From this collaboration between Spanish and Latin American fact-checkers, various initiatives  such as LatamChequea  have emerged, bringing together 32 media outlets from 15 countries.

In a panorama like that of the United States  which continues to be devoid of information in Spanish  its essential that more and more journalists join together to fight against hoaxes, Calzadilla affirms. The Venezuelan journalist recalls that the lives of citizens are governed by the policies of the countries where they reside. Theyre limited by a very particular context. But hoaxes  which do so much damage  have no borders.

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KYODO NEWS - Dec 26, 2023 - 12:09 | All, Japan

Daihatsu Motor Co. suspended all domestic production on Tuesday, with it unclear exactly when its plants will restart operations amid a safety testing scandal that affects most of its models.

The automaker on Tuesday halted operations at its factory in Osaka Prefecture where the Copen minivehicle is assembled. Of the company's four factories in Japan, it is the last to pause.

The suspension will last at least through the end of January, Daihatsu said Monday, dealing a blow to its more than 8,000 suppliers as well as its parent company Toyota Motor Corp.

The small-car unit of Toyota normally makes 4,000 cars per day in Japan. The automaker, which had about 9,000 employees at its domestic factories as of April, produced about 870,000 units in the last fiscal year.

The production halt has been a concern to Daihatsu employees, but the company said Monday it has agreed on a compensation package with its labor union to pay part of its employees' wages during the production halt.

A 36-year-old male worker at the Osaka plant said, "There has been no explanation about if the company can resume production. I'm worried."

Daihatsu said last week that a total of 64 models were found to be affected in the safety test falsification scandal, up from the six it found in spring.

The company subsequently decided to stop all shipments both in and outside Japan, though they have resumed in Indonesia and Malaysia after the countries' government regulators approved continued sales.

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KYODO NEWS - Dec 26, 2023 - 17:56 | All, Japan

Four senior members of a crime ring were indicted Tuesday for orchestrating a robbery from the Philippines that resulted in injuries in western Tokyo last year.

Police suspect one of the four ringleaders, Kiyoto Imamura, 39, used the pseudonym "Luffy" when planning the crime and instructing subordinates.

With the four indictments, including Yuki Watanabe, 39, Toshiya Fujita, 39, and Tomonobu Kojima, 46, all perpetrators who allegedly gave instructions to their subordinates in eight main robbery cases now face criminal charges.

The crime ring is suspected of being involved in a total of over 50 cases of robbery, theft and other crimes across 14 prefectures. While those who gave the instructions called themselves Luffy, "Kim," and "Mitsuhashi," among others, perpetrators of the actual robberies were individuals enticed via social media with promises of lucrative "part-time jobs."

Tokyo police and the prefectural police of Chiba, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Yamaguchi have been jointly investigating those incidents.

The four ringleaders are accused of planning the execution of a home invasion in Inagi, western Tokyo, in October last year, beating its residents and robbing them of gold and cash, according to police investigation.

Tokyo prosecutors indicted Watanabe and Fujita with a charge of robbery resulting in injury over the crime in Chiba Prefecture in January as well.

Imamura, Watanabe and Fujita were also indicted on charges of robbery resulting in the death of a 90-year-old woman at her home in Komae, western Tokyo, in January.

The four are suspected of coordinating robberies using an encrypted messaging app while being held at an immigration facility in Manila. They were deported to Japan from the Philippines in February this year.

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KYODO NEWS - Dec 26, 2023 - 19:46 | Japan, All

The Japanese health ministry on Tuesday decided to ban six synthetic cannabinoids with structures similar to HHCH, which was recently designated an illicit drug after gummies containing the compound made a number of people fall ill.

Possession and distribution of the six substances, which include HHCP, or hexahydrocannabiphorol, will be prohibited from Jan. 6.

HHCH, or hexahydrocannabihexol, had not been banned in Japan until earlier this month, although the substance has a structure similar to THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, which is derived from cannabis and had already been prohibited in the country.

Even after HHCH was regulated, products containing HHCP and other substances have been marketed and caused health issues, prompting the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry to prohibit last week sales of 38 items such as gummies and cookies that contain the compounds at stores and online.

A ministry panel on Tuesday approved adding the six compounds to the list of controlled substances, prohibiting their manufacture, sale and possession except for medical purposes.

The moves to tighten control on synthetic cannabinoids came amid a series of incidents involving so-called cannabis gummies. On Nov. 4, five individuals, ranging in age from their teens to their 50s, fell ill after consuming gummies in packages labeled HHCH distributed by a man at a festival in western Tokyo.

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KYODO NEWS - Dec 26, 2023 - 14:52 | All, Japan

Japan's financial watchdog on Tuesday ordered four major property insurers to improve their business operations after finding they colluded to set inflated insurance premiums for corporate customers and government agencies.

Japan's major insurers have not been subject to collective administrative punishment from the country's regulator for 16 years. The last time was when a group of firms was penalized for not properly paying out insurance claims to customers in 2007.

The four companies are accused of colluding to inflate the baseline insurance premium charged to customers, the Financial Services Agency said.

Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki criticized a lack of compliance in the industry and condemned the companies' conduct at a press conference, saying, "It is extremely malicious."

The four companies in question are Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Sompo Japan Insurance Inc., Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co. and Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance Co.

In the order, the regulator demanded the companies clarify to what degree their management is responsible for the breach and execute drastic reforms to improve compliance.

The scandal revolved around a type of insurance multiple insurers jointly underwrite. Insurance firms typically provide shared coverage for large customers such as big corporations to protect against incurring potentially large compensation claims individually.

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KYODO NEWS - Dec 26, 2023 - 19:56 | All, Japan

A 25-year-old man was arrested Tuesday after he turned himself in for fatally stabbing a woman in a central Japan karaoke establishment, police said.

The man, Haruki Soga, told the police he had also drowned another woman in a bathtub and the police found a body at a nearby residence connected to him, investigative sources said.

The stabbing took place at a karaoke box located near Nagoya Station. A woman in her 20s was later confirmed dead.

A 25-year-old man was arrested Tuesday after he turned himself in for fatally stabbing a woman in a central Japan karaoke establishment, police said.

The man, Haruki Soga, told the police he had also drowned another woman in a bathtub and the police found a body at a nearby residence connected to him, investigative sources said.

The stabbing took place at a karaoke box located near Nagoya Station. A woman in her 20s was later confirmed dead.
Al Islami Foods, a UAE pioneer in the halal and wholesome food products sector, is concluding the year on a high note, securing a coveted position among the Top 5 Halal Products Companies in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

This significant achievement comes as a result of the brand's commitment to excellence and adherence to the highest halal standards, said a statement.

The debut ranking published by the leading financial insights platform, Salaam Gateway, in partnership with DinarStandard, presented a list of the top 30 halal products companies based in OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) member countries.

The OIC markets represent the majority of the $1.595-trillion halal food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics consumer market.

Al Islami Foods came in fifth in the overall OIC ranking while topping the regional halal food brands ranking, which underscores the company's notable contributions to the halal industry, showcasing its strategic prowess and market dominance within the OIC region.

Zubair Ahmad, the Marketing and International Sales Director of Al Islami Foods, said: Being ranked among the Top 5 Halal Products Companies within the OIC is a testament to our relentless dedication to delivering premium halal products.

At Al Islami Foods, the essence of 'Real Halal' is not just a label; it is ingrained in our existence. It defines every facet of our operation, from sourcing the ingredients and processing techniques to our interaction with our suppliers, consumers and partners.

Consumers can rest assured that all Al Islami products are aligned with Islamic laws and guidelines. In addition, we have established sustainable facilities that ensure the continual production and supply of Halal products across the globe. This underscores our dedication to providing not just products but a way of life that is nourishing and healthy.

A leader in Halal Foods for five decades, Al Islami Foods is an Emirati brand with an unrivalled global presence that embodies the principles of quality and innovation. The brand has been recognised as one of the top halal brands by industry-leading research firm Imarc Group and was also awarded the prestigious title of iHalal Brand of the Year in 2021.  TradeArabia News Service
KYODO NEWS - Dec 26, 2023 - 18:36 | All, Japan

Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japan's recently-installed top government spokesman, expressed readiness on Tuesday to support Prime Minister Fumio Kishida if the premier seeks reelection in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential race slated for next year.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi's remarks came at a time when speculation has intensified that he plans to run against Kishida, whose popularity has slumped.

As a member of the Kishida administration, "what I can do is to support" him and "devote myself to my duties," Hayashi, who assumed the current post earlier this month amid a political funds scandal that claimed his predecessor, said in an interview.

The Harvard-educated Hayashi replaced Hirokazu Matsuno, who is a key member of the LDP's largest faction that is accused of creating slush funds by failing to declare hundreds of millions of yen in revenue from fundraising parties in political funding reports.

Asked about expectations he will make a run at Japan's top job in the future, Hayashi, a former foreign minister, made no secret of his ambition, saying he is "glad" to hear people in his constituency believe in him.

"I want to keep having that ambition," said Hayashi, who belongs to the fourth-largest faction headed by Kishida until earlier this month. The chief Cabinet secretary represents a House of Representatives district in Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan.

Regarding the latest money scandal, Hayashi said, "It is extremely regrettable for the public to cast a stern eye toward the LDP's political activities," adding he will play a role to restore public trust.

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KYODO NEWS - Dec 27, 2023 - 09:03 | All, Japan

Former Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Koichi Hagiuda has voluntarily submitted to questioning by prosecutors investigating a political fundraising scandal involving the Japanese ruling party's largest faction, sources close to the matter said Tuesday.

Four other senior members of the faction, including former Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, have already been questioned amid allegations that the group failed to declare hundreds of millions of yen in revenue from fundraising parties in political funding reports and created slush funds for its members.

Each of the five has told the prosecutors that they "were not aware" of the off-the-book funds, according to the sources.

The prosecutors are considering building a criminal case against the faction's accountant in charge while also looking into the level of involvement of the senior members of the faction, previously led by the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, over potentially systematic efforts to raise backdoor funds.

The Political Funds Control Act requires an accountant to submit a report on income and expenditures, and a failure to report can be punishable by imprisonment for up to five years or a fine of up to 1 million yen. Lawmakers could also face criminal charges if suspected of colluding with accountants.

The prosecutors suspect the Abe faction circulated back extra revenues raised by its member lawmakers from selling tickets for the faction's gatherings.

The amount is believed to have totaled around 500 million yen ($3.5 million) over five years through 2022, a period for which the statute of limitations has not expired under the political funds control law, according to the sources.

In the latest case, the prosecutors are focusing on discussions that took place in the Abe faction in 2022 to halt the practice of reimbursing the extra funds to its members. However, this proposed change did not materialize due to opposition from faction members.

Hagiuda, who quit as LDP policy chief as the scandal unfolded, is a six-term House of Representatives member and was a close aide to Abe, has been regarded as the next prospective leader of the faction.

Matsuno, who also stepped down as the top government spokesman earlier this month, previously served as the faction's secretary general for two years through October 2021.

The three others who have been questioned are former LDP Diet affairs chief Tsuyoshi Takagi, who has been in the secretary general post since August 2022, Hiroshige Seko, former secretary general of the party in the House of Councillors, and Ryu Shionoya, who is currently the de facto head of the Abe faction.

Former trade minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who served as the faction's secretary general until August 2022, could also be questioned.

Struggling with low Cabinet support rates, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday in a speech in Tokyo that it is "possible" for discussions to take place to revise the political funds control law, which has often been criticized for containing loopholes enabling lawmakers to generate slush funds.

Kishida, who doubles as LDP president, has also pledged to set up a "new framework" inside his party to implement necessary measures aimed at preventing similar scandals from happening again, although he has not disclosed the specific steps.

Meanwhile, the government and the ruling parties are making arrangements to convene next year's regular diet session from around Jan. 26, according to a senior official.

They apparently believe that a later start of the session would give them more time to see how the investigation will unfold, which is expected to continue into next year. The ordinary session is held for 150 days.

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KYODO NEWS - Dec 26, 2023 - 08:17 | All, World, Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is making arrangements to visit the United States as a state guest in early March at the invitation of President Joe Biden, bilateral relations sources said Monday.

Tokyo and Washington will finalize Kishida's itinerary by factoring in the schedules of Japan's parliament and the U.S. Congress, as well as global political issues, according to the sources.

If realized, Kishida would become the first Japanese political leader to visit the United States as a state guest since former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did so in 2015 during the administration of then President Barack Obama.

Biden invited Kishida to the United States as a state guest in early 2024 when they met in November in San Francisco on the sidelines of an annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit.

Japan and the United States are seeking to schedule Kishida's trip as early as possible, considering that Biden will become increasingly busy with the U.S. presidential election scheduled for November 2024, the sources said.

Kishida, whose popularity has plunged due to a political fundraising scandal involving his Liberal Democratic Party, may be hoping that his envisioned visit, which may involve a congressional speech, could help boost support for his Cabinet, pundits said.

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This aerial photo taken on May 9, 2023 shows the container terminal at Lianyungang Port, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Photo by Geng Yuhe/Xinhua)

By You Huiyuan

BEIJING, Dec. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- China's economy is displaying positive signs of recovery and China remains attractive to foreign investment with the expanding market access, some global business leaders have said.

China's economic performance in 2023 demonstrated an upward recovery, with market demand gradually recovering and production and supply continuing to increase, Jean-Christophe Pointeau, Pfizer China President, told Xinhuanet in a written interview.

China's gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 5.2 percent year on year in the first three quarters, marking the strongest performance among the world's major economies.

Meanwhile, forecasts from international financial institutions predict that China's 2024 growth rate will exceed global rates: the World Bank estimates 4.5 percent, and the International Monetary Fund forecasts 4.6 percent.

We are full of confidence in the long-term positive development of China's economy, Pointeau said, adding that he believes China will also inject strong impetus into promoting global economic recovery and stability.

Pointeau also casts his vote of confidence in the Chinese market, saying that as a witness of rapid development of China's market economy, Pfizer believes Chinese market has become a great opportunity for the world.

He noted that China's efforts and achievements in steadily promoting economic development while continuing to optimize the business environment have strengthened the confidence of foreign companies in building up trade, investment and cooperation with China.

Pfizer s confidence in Chinas economy and market is echoed by other foreign firms.

China has become one of the top three key growth markets for Unilever globally, Jasmine Dang, Head of Communication & Corporate Affairs, Unilever North Asia said in a recent written interview with Xinhuanet.

Eyeing China's vast, remarkable and dynamic market, Unilever is confident in Chinas ongoing economic revival and positive trends, she said, adding that China's economic resurgence is opening new opportunities for Unilever.

Unilever has been investing in China for a century, actively participating in and witnessing the nation's reform and opening-up, she added.

Rio Tinto also set its sight on China and chose to put down roots in the country.

Chinas opening up over the past 45 years has provided multinationals like Rio Tinto with abundant opportunities, Alf Barrios, Rio Tinto Chief Commercial Officer, told Xinhuanet.

Chinas efforts to optimize its business environment and attract foreign investment are important signals of Chinas commitment to promoting trade and openness to the continued growth of foreign businesses operating in China, he noted.

Over 40,000 new foreign-invested enterprises were established in the first 10 months of 2023, a 32.1 percent increase year-on-year, according to China's Ministry of Commerce.

The People's Bank of China said China will continue to improve its business environment and better facilitate foreign financial institutions that expand their businesses in the country.

We look forward to collaborating with Chinese partners to jointly develop decarbonization solutions and boost the industrys low-carbon transformation through innovation, Barrios added.
"China has developed hugely in the last few decades and Foshan is part of this fast, huge development."

An Italian businessman who has been working in China for more than 20 years said he's impressed by China's rapid growth, and that he feels more at home than a guest in Foshan.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service




HOHHOT, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Manzhouli, China's largest land port, handled 4,681 China-Europe freight trains in the first 11 months of 2023, up 5.9 percent year on year, according to data from the customs of Manzhouli in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Lei Jianjun, director with the customs of Manzhouli railway station, said that in recent years the port has implemented measures to improve the business environment and facilitate cross-border customs clearance for China-Europe freight trains.

By the end of November this year, more than 23,000 China-Europe trains had passed through the Manzhouli port since the China-Europe freight train service via the port was launched in 2013.

At present, there are 57 China-Europe freight train routes running through this land port, connecting China with more than 10 European countries. 
A man holds the body of a victim at a hospital in central Gaza Strip city of Deir el-Balah, on Dec. 23, 2023. (Xinhua)

GAZA, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian refugees in Gaza endured a night of horror on Christmas Eve as Israeli airstrikes hit residential areas, killing and wounding many.

Residents of al-Maghazi and al-Bureij refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip told Xinhua that they fled their homes at dawn on Monday after a "hellish night."

Islam al-Hamid, a 40-year-old mother of three from al-Maghazi, said the Israeli military warned them to evacuate the camps days ago as part of its campaign against Hamas, however, she did not expect such heavy attacks on those who were reluctant to be displaced.

"My family and I were all wounded," she recalled, adding "when a man took me out of my house, I saw many bodies lying on the ground."

Al-Maghazi camp is one of the smallest refugee camps in the Strip, both in terms of size and population. It is characterized by its narrow alleys and high population density, with about 27,000 people inhabiting an area not exceeding 0.6 square kilometers.

This photo taken on Dec. 25, 2023 shows damaged buildings after an Israeli airstrike in al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. At least 70 Palestinians were killed on Sunday in an Israeli airstrike on the al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, reported the state-run Palestine TV. (Xinhua)

Khalil Al-Dakran, a spokesman for Al-Aqsa Hospital, said at least 95 people, mostly children and women, were killed or wounded by the attacks in Al-Maghazi.

The Palestinian Civil Defense said many victims were still under the rubble as they were short of rescue equipment. What's worse was that Israeli airstrikes on main roads blocked the access of ambulances and civil defense vehicles.

Mahdi Manasrah, a resident of the al-Bureij camp, lost about 30 relatives in an Israeli strike on his neighborhood.

"We are all civilians who used to work inside Israel. It seems that all the Palestinians are under Israeli attacks now," he said.

The Gaza media office said more than 50 Israeli airstrikes hit the al-Nuseirat, al-Bureij, and al-Maghazi camps over the night before Christmas.

The UN humanitarian office warned of the dire situation, citing widespread open defecation and the risk of disease outbreaks, especially in bad weather.

About 1.9 million people, or 85 percent of Gaza's population, are displaced, facing worsened living conditions, protection and mental health issues, and disease transmission.

Gaza, under siege and bombardment since Oct. 7, has seen at least 20,674 Palestinians killed, said the Gaza-based Health Ministry on Monday.

Israel said the escalation was a response to a Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 Israelis and captured more than 200, according to Israeli reports. 
HOHHOT, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed and four others injured after a section of a highway collapsed in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, local authorities said Tuesday.

Four vehicles plunged following the road collapse in the city of Ulanqab at around 7:30 p.m. Monday, according to the regional public security department.

Probe into the cause of the accident is underway. 
BEIJING, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Feodosia region of Crimea has been attacked, resulting in the blockade of the port area, Russia Today reported on Tuesday.

The explosions have stopped, the fire is under control and all specialized teams are on-site. Residents of several buildings will be evacuated, said Russia Today, citing Crimea's leader Sergey Aksyonov. 
ABUJA, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- At least 160 people have been killed in central Nigeria in a series of attacks on villages, local authorities said Monday.

It marks a sharp rise from the initial figure of 16 deaths in a clash between herders and farmers in Mushu, a village in the Bokkos local government area.

At least 113 people have been confirmed killed and more than 300 wounded people were transferred to hospitals in Bokkos, Jos, and Barkin Ladi, Monday Kassah, head of the local government in Bokkos, Plateau State, was quoted by AFP as saying.

A provisional toll by the local Red Cross reported 104 deaths in 18 villages in the Bokkos region.

At least 50 people were also reported dead in several villages in the Barkin Ladi area, according to Dickson Chollom, a member of the state parliament.

It is the worst outbreak of violence in Plateau since May when more than 100 were killed in farmer-herder clashes.

Armed attacks have been a major security threat in Nigeria's northern and central regions, leading to deaths and kidnappings. 
The global travel and tourism sector is delivering soaring employment opportunities to women and young people around the world, new research, published by World Travel & Tourism Council, says.

New research from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Sustainable Tourism Global Center (STGC), initiated by the Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, has reveals that the sector directly employed a rapidly rising number of women between 2010 and 2019, increasing from 38.6 million to 47.8 million, an increase of 24%.

It also found hospitality to be the leading employer of women within the sector, accounting for more than half of female employment.

Young workers are shown as an important component of the sectors workforce, representing 15% of all jobs in the sector in both 2010 and 2021.

By contrast, the share of young workers in overall global employment fell from 16.5% in 2010 to 12.5% in 2021, highlighting the importance of travel and tourism to youth employment.

Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, said: Providing insights and data on the sectors status quo, the report allows countries and regions to set clear goals to empower women and engage youth.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues to play a major role in investing in the talent required to meet the needs of this thriving sector. This is strategically aligned with Saudi Vision 2030 goals in relation to youth empowerment and women. As an illustration, we have increased female labour force participation by 64% since 2021.

Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: As part of our Environmental & Social Research, we are incredibly proud to have worked alongside the Sustainable Tourism Global Center and to be releasing this incredibly important report.

For the first time ever, we can show that the sector has an incredibly positive impact globally, supporting more high wage jobs, a level playing field for women, and provides long-term, sustainable, economically attractive jobs to young people across the world.

Gloria Guevara, Chief Special Advisor of the Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, said: We see this joint report as another milestone for the global travel and tourism sector. By supporting quality employment for young people and for women, we develop a more sustainable sector. This approach is in alignment with Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to create a vibrant Saudi society in which all citizens can thrive.

The report provides a regional breakdown of employment across Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific, and is the first analysis of travel and tourisms global social footprint, broken down by age, gender and income.

Women in Travel & Tourism

The report reveals that the sector employed a marginally higher share of women compared to other sectors globally in 2021  39.3% compared to a 39.2% average.

According to the report, hospitality is the leading employer within the Travel & Tourism sector for women, accounting for more than half (52%) of all female employment in 2019.

Around the world, women make up a larger share of Travel & Tourism employment than the economy-wide workforce in Asia-Pacific and the Americas. The share of women working in Travel & Tourism in Africa has been rising since 2010, and female employment across the economy in the Middle East has also grown significantly.

Youth in Travel & Tourism

The research highlights the consistent, steady growth of young people employed directly by the sector over the last decade, with a total of 39.7 million jobs supported by travel and tourism around the world in 2019, up 28% since 2010.

However, this figure was significantly impacted by Covid-19, where youth employment dropped 27%.

Notably, in all the years analysed, more than half of the global youth employment in the travel and tourism sector was in the Asia-Pacific region, at 9.2 million in 2021. With a youth employment growth rate of nearly 37% between 2010 and 2019, the region outpaced all other areas which were all closer to 20%.

High Wage Jobs

In 2021, nearly 34% of jobs in the global travel and tourism sector were categorised as high wage, an increase from 29.6% in 2010.

Regionally, Asia-Pacific had the largest share of high wage jobs in the sector (38.7%), followed by Africa (36.2%), and the Americas (30.6%).  TradeArabia News Service
ISTANBUL, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- The November shopping spree has pushed Turkiye's e-commerce turnover near 1.5 trillion Turkish liras (51.1 billion U.S. dollars), the state-run Anadolu agency reported Tuesday, citing a business insider's estimation.

"The sector has largely achieved its turnover target of 1.5 trillion liras set for this year (2023) with the November campaigns," Turkish E-Commerce Association Chairman Hakan Cevikoglu was quoted by the report as saying.

He added that shopping campaigns like Black Friday, which falls on Nov. 29 in the United States and traditionally marks the start of the Christmas shopping season, as well as China's online shopping event known as "Double Eleven" on Nov. 11, contributed to the growth.

Turkish online retail website Hepsiburada said its sales on Nov. 11 alone hit 2 billion liras, with the best-selling categories being fashion, home products, and accessories.

The e-commerce sector also expected a further boom with a local campaign scheduled on the last Sunday of 2023 to offer a wide range of opportunities to melt their stock at a more affordable price, according to Cevikoglu.

According to the report, the sector expects a turnover of 2.7 trillion liras in 2024. 
Ji Bingxuan, president of the Chinese Association for International Understanding, speaks during a Chinese-Tunisian cultural and civilizations exchange conference in Tunis, Tunisia, Dec. 25, 2023.

The Chinese-Tunisian cultural and civilizations exchange conference was jointly held here in the Tunisian capital by Chinese Association for International Understanding and the Tunisian National Heritage Institute with the participation of Chinese and Tunisian researchers, academics, and historians. (Xinhua)

TUNIS, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Exchanges and dialogues on civilizations between China and Tunisia will promote the two countries' common development and prosperity, the president of the Chinese Association for International Understanding (CAFIU) Ji Bingxuan said on Monday.

He made the remarks at a Chinese-Tunisian cultural and civilizations exchange conference jointly held here in the Tunisian capital by CAFIU and the Tunisian National Heritage Institute (INP) with the participation of Chinese and Tunisian researchers, academics, and historians.

The China-proposed Global Civilization Initiative aims for coexistence and mutual learning among different civilizations, and plays an important role in promoting the modernization process of human society and the different civilizations in the world, Ji said.

Cultural cooperation between China and Tunisia has seen an increase in recent years, and the China-Tunisia joint archaeological project launched this year is proceeding smoothly, Tarek Baccouche, director of the INP, said in his speech.

2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Tunisia, and cooperation between the two sides will reach a higher level, Baccouche said.

M'hamed Hassine Fantar, a Tunisian historian, briefly introduced the ancient Tunisia civilization at the conference, particularly the history of Carthage. 

Tarek Baccouche, director of the Tunisian National Heritage Institute, speaks during a Chinese-Tunisian cultural and civilizations exchange conference in Tunis, Tunisia, Dec. 25, 2023.

The Chinese-Tunisian cultural and civilizations exchange conference was jointly held here in the Tunisian capital by Chinese Association for International Understanding and the Tunisian National Heritage Institute with the participation of Chinese and Tunisian researchers, academics, and historians. (Xinhua)

Ji Bingxuan, president of the Chinese Association for International Understanding, speaks during a Chinese-Tunisian cultural and civilizations exchange conference in Tunis, Tunisia, Dec. 25, 2023.

The Chinese-Tunisian cultural and civilizations exchange conference was jointly held here in the Tunisian capital by Chinese Association for International Understanding and the Tunisian National Heritage Institute with the participation of Chinese and Tunisian researchers, academics, and historians. (Xinhua)
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech at a symposium held by the CPC Central Committee to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the birth of Comrade Mao Zedong at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

BEIJING, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on Tuesday morning held a symposium at the Great Hall of the People to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the birth of Comrade Mao Zedong.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered an important speech at the symposium.

Xi stressed the importance of pushing forward the cause pioneered by Comrade Mao Zedong and called for efforts to build China into a stronger country and rejuvenate the Chinese nation on all fronts by pursuing Chinese modernization.

Mao Zedong Thought is an invaluable spiritual wealth for our Party and will guide our action in the long term, Xi said, underscoring that the best way to commemorate Comrade Mao Zedong is to continue to advance the cause pioneered by him.

Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Ding Xuexiang, and Li Xi, and Vice President Han Zheng attended the symposium. Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the symposium.

In his speech, Xi said that the life of Comrade Mao Zedong was one devoted to national prosperity, rejuvenation, and people's happiness.

Mao led the people in blazing a trail for adapting Marxism to the Chinese context, forging the great, glorious and correct CPC and founding the New China with the people being masters of the country, Xi said.

He also led the people in establishing the advanced socialist system and founding a new model of people's army that is invincible, Xi said.

Mao made indelible historic contributions to the Chinese nation and the Chinese people, which will go down in history, Xi said.

Comrade Mao Zedong devoted his life to the Party and the people, and his noble spirit will be forever remembered by posterity.

Noting that the central task of the whole Party and the entire nation on the new journey of the new era is to build China into a stronger country and rejuvenate the Chinese nation on all fronts by pursuing Chinese modernization, Xi said it is a cause passed down from veteran revolutionaries including Mao Zedong, and is the solemn historical responsibility of today's Chinese Communists.

On the new journey, we must never forget our original aspiration and founding mission, and must remain confident in our history and grasp historical initiative, so as to steadily advance the great cause of Chinese modernization, said Xi.

Chinese modernization is the cause of all Chinese people, emphasized Xi. He called for efforts to stimulate the historical initiative of the people, and reiterated that the gains of modernization should benefit all the people fairly.

He also stressed the importance of breaking new frontiers in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times.

Reform and opening-up is a major reason why China has been able to catch up with the times at such an extraordinary pace, and is a crucial move that determines the fate of Chinese modernization, said Xi.

He stressed that to advance Chinese modernization, it is a must to further deepen reform and opening-up across the board, and remove all institutional barriers hindering the advancement of Chinese modernization, so as to continue expanding its development space.

Chinese modernization is the socialist modernization led by the CPC, said Xi, stressing that only by making the Party stronger can Chinese modernization realize steady and sustained development.

He said that it is necessary to improve the systems for exercising full and rigorous Party self-governance, and ensure the Party will never change its nature, its conviction, or its character.

Noting that the advancement of Chinese modernization calls for the efforts of all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation in solidarity, Xi underscored the need to uphold and improve the systems for implementing the "one country, two systems" policy and ensure that the central government exercises overall jurisdiction over the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.

He stressed the need to see that Hong Kong and Macao are administered by patriots, and ensure both the central government's overall jurisdiction and a high degree of autonomy in the special administrative regions.

Xi said that realizing China's complete reunification is an inevitable trend, stressing that it is where the greater national interest lies, and it is what the people desire.

Highlighting the need to implement the Party's overall policy for resolving the Taiwan question in the new era, and uphold the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, Xi called for efforts to advance integrated development in all fields across the Taiwan Strait, and promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.

We will resolutely prevent anyone from making Taiwan secede from China by any means, Xi underscored.

He stressed that Chinese modernization is the modernization of peaceful development, which not only benefits Chinese people, but is also conducive to promoting modernization of other countries.

Dedicated to peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit, we will carry forward the shared values of humanity, and advance the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, Xi said.

By doing so, we will bring about an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity, he added.

China's development strengthens the world's forces for peace, Xi said, stressing that no matter what stage of development it reaches, China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansionism.

While presiding over the symposium, Cai Qi urged earnest study and full implementation of Xi's speech and called for concerted efforts in advancing the great cause of building China into a stronger country and rejuvenating the Chinese nation on all fronts by pursuing Chinese modernization.

Members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, members of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, and relevant leading officials of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, the State Council, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the Central Military Commission attended the symposium.

Before the symposium, leaders including Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi and Han Zheng came to the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, where they made three bows toward Mao's seated statue and paid respects to the remains of Mao. 

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech at a symposium held by the CPC Central Committee to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the birth of Comrade Mao Zedong at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 26, 2023. Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi, and Vice President Han Zheng attended the symposium. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech at a symposium held by the CPC Central Committee to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the birth of Comrade Mao Zedong at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 26, 2023. Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi, and Vice President Han Zheng attended the symposium. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech at a symposium held by the CPC Central Committee to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the birth of Comrade Mao Zedong at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 26, 2023. Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi, and Vice President Han Zheng attended the symposium. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Xi Jinping and other leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the state, including Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi, and Han Zheng, visit the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall before attending a symposium held by the CPC Central Committee to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the birth of Comrade Mao Zedong at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)
YINCHUAN, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Liu Kerui said it was a dream come true when he moved into a livable home in the Hongsibu District of Wuzhong City, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The development of the district began over 20 years ago for people relocated from many parts of the impoverished Xihaigu area in the south of Ningxia.

Liu's courtyard house was built with government support and is a comfortable home with electric appliances and running water, as well as a kitchen, flushing toilet, water heater and heating system. He also has a cattle hut in his backyard.

More than two decades ago, government in Ningxia launched a large-scale relocation project, moving people from desolate, sparsely populated regions in the south of the region to the central area of Hongsibu, where they would be able to work together to seek common development.

Over the last 20-plus years, more than 200,000 people like Liu have been relocated there from Xihaigu area, and they have since witnessed the construction of a modern city and modern agricultural infrastructure.

But when the first group of these people arrived in Hongsibu, they had their work cut out for them as it was still a part of the Gobi Desert. The area is located at the base of Luoshan Mountain, which rises high amid a vast plain and is the third-largest mountain in Ningxia.

The popular TV series "Minning Town" was released in 2021 to tell the story of the people of Hongsibu. The show described the area they arrived in as a place where grass could not survive, where no birds cared to visit, and where the ground was only sand and stones.

People relocated to Hongsibu in earlier days had to adapt to the unlivable environment. Many elderly people remember that their bowls and cups were always full of sand and dirt due to frequent sandstorms.

In 1995, the government launched a huge project to pump Yellow River water into the area, constructing a multi-stage channel approximately 50 kilometers in length. The river water was pumped to a height of 300 meters -- the height of a 100-story building -- to supply irrigation facilities.

At the same time, the local government launched a forestation campaign to plant 1.24 million mu (about 82,667 hectares) of trees to fend off desertification and protect villages and towns.

Agricultural and industrial infrastructure has been built where nothing existed before, and a wide variety of commodities are produced locally today -- wines, goji berries, daylilies, beef, mutton, green power and textiles.

At a large fruit and vegetable greenhouse farm, locals now plant produce throughout the year using soilless cultivation equipment and technology, thanks to investment from businesspeople in east China's Fujian Province.

"We are building a three-dimensional planting structure in order to increase production and efficiency," said Li Qi, director of a greenhouse project in the Fujian-Ningxia industrial park. The project has equipment worth a total of 6 million yuan (over 845,000 U.S. dollars), Li added.

Liu Sisheng, 50, works at the greenhouse farm. He is in charge of five greenhouses and has earned 50,000 yuan over three months of harvests. "The company has improved management by helping us purchase seeds and fertilizers, and by selling the products for us."

Ningxia is an ideal wine production area thanks to its dry environment and sufficient sunshine, and Hongsibu is catching up with other parts of the region in the field of winemaking.

At wineries in Hongsibu, employees can always be seen selling products online, and deals totaling 20,000 bottles can be made in just five minutes of livestreaming.

With vineyards occupying 108,000 mu of its land, the district now has 22 wineries producing 15 million bottles of wine annually, worth a total of 700 million yuan.

"Our winery produces 130,000 bottles, or 100 tonnes, of wine each year. We have opened a branch in Fujian Province, where wine sells very well," said Lyu Zhenjie, a manager at the Pengsheng Zhenlu Wine Mansion.

And it is not only local industry that has improved -- local education has also advanced to become more forward-looking.

Many of the first group of people relocated to Hongsibu were illiterate or semi-literate. Now, they are watching their children and grandchildren graduate from colleges and even universities in big cities.

Hongsibu high school was established 20 years ago and has since been nurturing future college students, with the number of students enrolling in colleges seeing an annual increase of 10 percent over the past three years.

This is the result of the construction of a comprehensive education system in the new district, which now has 144 schools of various kinds, and all children complete their compulsory education years.

The district has also built a comprehensive health care and elderly care system, which has eased the difficulties faced by the aging population. 
BEIJING, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Tuesday announced China's decision to take countermeasures against American intelligence data company Kharon and two individuals, urging the U.S. side to stop smearing China.

According to media reports, the United States recently issued an annual human rights report related to Xinjiang and sanctioned China's two officials and three companies. China said it will take resolute countermeasures.

"By issuing the report, the United States once again spread false stories on Xinjiang and illegally sanctioned Chinese officials and companies citing so-called human rights issues," spokesperson Mao Ning said at a daily news briefing when answering a relevant query, adding that this move constitutes grave interference in China's internal affairs and violates the international law and the basic norms of international relations. The move is designed to vilify China and harmful to the lawful rights and interests of relevant Chinese officials and companies.

"We firmly oppose and strongly condemn the move and have made serious demarches to the United States over this," Mao said.

Mao said in accordance with China's Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law, China will take countermeasures against American intelligence data company Kharon, which has long collected Xinjiang-related sensitive information and provided so-called evidence for America's illegal sanctions related to Xinjiang, Edmund Xu, director of investigations of Kharon, and Nicole Morgret, former researcher of the Center for Advanced Defense Studies.

The two persons will be prohibited from entering China. China will freeze the property of Kharon and the two persons in China, including their movable and immovable property, and prohibit organizations and individuals in China from transactions and cooperation with them, Mao added.

"We again urge the U.S. side to stop smearing China, cancel the illegal unilateral sanctions on Chinese officials and companies, and stop implementing wrongful acts such as the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act," said Mao.

If the United States refuses to change course, China will not flinch and will respond in kind, she said. 
GAZA, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian refugees in Gaza endured a night of horror on Christmas Eve as Israeli airstrikes hit residential areas, killing and wounding many.

Residents of al-Maghazi and al-Bureij refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip told Xinhua that they fled their homes at dawn on Monday after a "hellish night."

Islam al-Hamid, a 40-year-old mother of three from al-Maghazi, said the Israeli military warned them to evacuate the camps days ago as part of its campaign against Hamas, however, she did not expect such heavy attacks on those who were reluctant to be displaced.

"My family and I were all wounded," she recalled, adding "when a man took me out of my house, I saw many bodies lying on the ground."

Al-Maghazi camp is one of the smallest refugee camps in the Strip, both in terms of size and population. It is characterized by its narrow alleys and high population density, with about 27,000 people inhabiting an area not exceeding 0.6 square kilometers.

Khalil Al-Dakran, a spokesman for Al-Aqsa Hospital, said at least 95 people, mostly children and women, were killed or wounded by the attacks in Al-Maghazi.

The Palestinian Civil Defense said many victims were still under the rubble as they were short of rescue equipment. What's worse was that Israeli airstrikes on main roads blocked the access of ambulances and civil defense vehicles.

Mahdi Manasrah, a resident of the al-Bureij camp, lost about 30 relatives in an Israeli strike on his neighborhood.

"We are all civilians who used to work inside Israel. It seems that all the Palestinians are under Israeli attacks now," he said.

The Gaza media office said more than 50 Israeli airstrikes hit the al-Nuseirat, al-Bureij, and al-Maghazi camps over the night before Christmas.

The UN humanitarian office warned of the dire situation, citing widespread open defecation and the risk of disease outbreaks, especially in bad weather.

About 1.9 million people, or 85 percent of Gaza's population, are displaced, facing worsened living conditions, protection and mental health issues, and disease transmission.

Gaza, under siege and bombardment since Oct. 7, has seen at least 20,674 Palestinians killed, said the Gaza-based Health Ministry on Monday.

Israel said the escalation was a response to a Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 Israelis and captured more than 200, according to Israeli reports. 
SHANGHAI, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese court on Tuesday sentenced Hu Wenming, former chairman of China Shipbuilding Industry Company Limited (CSIC), to 13 years in prison for bribery and abuse of power.

Hu was also fined 5 million yuan and had all of his illegal gains from bribery recovered and turned over to the state treasury, according to the verdict of the First Intermediate People's Court of Shanghai.

He was found guilty of taking advantage of his former positions at state-owned enterprises between 2001 and 2020 to help relevant organizations and individuals in project contracting, business cooperation, asset acquisition, personnel promotion and deposits collection, the court ruling stated. Hu took money and valuables worth over 59.86 million yuan (about 8.43 million U.S. dollars) in return.

Between 2013 and 2015 he also abused his power as CSIC chairman in a restructuring project of a CSIC subsidiary and caused huge losses to national interests, the court said. 
BAGHDAD, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- A security member was killed and 18 people were wounded Tuesday in U.S. airstrikes on Iraqi security sites south of Baghdad, the Iraqi government said in a statement.

"The Iraqi government condemns the targeting of Iraqi security sites by the U.S. side at dawn Tuesday, which led to the martyrdom of a security member and the injury of 18 people, including civilians," said the statement by the media office of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani.

The attack was "a clear and unconstructive hostile act that contradicts the declared desire of the U.S. side to strengthen relations with Iraq," it said.

"We stress that this step harms bilateral relations and will complicate ways to reach understandings through joint dialogue to end the presence of the international coalition, and, above all, it represents an unacceptable violation of Iraqi sovereignty," the statement added.

An Iraqi official told Xinhua that the U.S. airstrikes hit bases of the paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces in the provinces of Babil and Wasit in central Iraq, which led to human and material losses.

Earlier in the day, the White House said that U.S. President Joe Biden ordered the military to launch airstrikes against three locations utilized by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq after a drone attack on Monday on a U.S. base near Erbil Airport in northern Iraq wounded three U.S. service members, one critically. 
Passengers pose for photos on the high-speed train G8738, the first train marking the operation of the Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway, in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 26, 2023.

China on Tuesday opened the Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway in the southwestern province of Sichuan, linking the provincial capital of Chengdu with the cities of Zigong and Yibin.

The Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway boasts a designed speed of 350 km per hour and has 12 stations along its 261-km line. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)

CHENGDU, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday opened a new high-speed railway in the southwestern province of Sichuan, linking the provincial capital of Chengdu with the cities of Zigong and Yibin.

The Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway boasts a designed speed of 350 km per hour and has 12 stations along its 261-km line.

Due to complicated terrain, the new line has 231 bridges and 29 tunnels, according to Zhang Zongwei, commander of the Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway company.

The new rail line is a supplement to an existing one between Chengdu and Guiyang with a designed speed of 250 km per hour. The two form a loop between Chengdu and Yibin.

Through cutting travel time, the line is designed to help cities like Yibin and Zigong in south Sichuan and other cities in the neighboring provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou further integrate into the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle.

The railway is part of China's high-speed rail network that centers around eight main vertical lines linking the north and south and eight horizontal lines connecting the east and west. 

Passengers pose for photos on the high-speed train G8738, the first train marking the operation of the Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway, in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 26, 2023.

China on Tuesday opened the Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway in the southwestern province of Sichuan, linking the provincial capital of Chengdu with the cities of Zigong and Yibin.

The Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway boasts a designed speed of 350 km per hour and has 12 stations along its 261-km line. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)

Passengers take photos on the high-speed train G8738, the first train marking the operation of the Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway, in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 26, 2023.

China on Tuesday opened the Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway in the southwestern province of Sichuan, linking the provincial capital of Chengdu with the cities of Zigong and Yibin.

The Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway boasts a designed speed of 350 km per hour and has 12 stations along its 261-km line. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)

Crew members and local people pose for photos marking the operation of the Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway on the platform of the Yibin railway station in Yibin, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 26, 2023.

China on Tuesday opened the Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway in the southwestern province of Sichuan, linking the provincial capital of Chengdu with the cities of Zigong and Yibin.

The Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway boasts a designed speed of 350 km per hour and has 12 stations along its 261-km line. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)

This aerial photo taken on Dec. 17, 2023 shows the Yibin east railway station along the Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway in Yibin, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

China on Tuesday opened the Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway in the southwestern province of Sichuan, linking the provincial capital of Chengdu with the cities of Zigong and Yibin.

The Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway boasts a designed speed of 350 km per hour and has 12 stations along its 261-km line. (China Railway Chengdu Group Co., Ltd./Handout via Xinhua)

This aerial photo taken on Dec. 18, 2023 shows the Zizhong west railway station along the Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway in Zizhong County, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

China on Tuesday opened the Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway in the southwestern province of Sichuan, linking the provincial capital of Chengdu with the cities of Zigong and Yibin.

The Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway boasts a designed speed of 350 km per hour and has 12 stations along its 261-km line. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)

This aerial photo taken on Dec. 18, 2023 shows the Baiyunshan tunnel along the Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

China on Tuesday opened the Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway in the southwestern province of Sichuan, linking the provincial capital of Chengdu with the cities of Zigong and Yibin.

The Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway boasts a designed speed of 350 km per hour and has 12 stations along its 261-km line. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)

This aerial photo taken on Dec. 18, 2023 shows a test train pulling into the Longquanshan No. 1 tunnel along the Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

China on Tuesday opened the Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway in the southwestern province of Sichuan, linking the provincial capital of Chengdu with the cities of Zigong and Yibin.

The Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway boasts a designed speed of 350 km per hour and has 12 stations along its 261-km line. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)

Train G8738, the first train marking the operation of the Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway, is seen running on the railway in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 26, 2023.

China on Tuesday opened the Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway in the southwestern province of Sichuan, linking the provincial capital of Chengdu with the cities of Zigong and Yibin.

The Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway boasts a designed speed of 350 km per hour and has 12 stations along its 261-km line. (Photo by Song Shunzhi/Xinhua)

This aerial photo taken on Dec. 26, 2023 shows a high-speed train running on a bridge across the Yangtze River along the Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway in Yibin, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

China on Tuesday opened the Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway in the southwestern province of Sichuan, linking the provincial capital of Chengdu with the cities of Zigong and Yibin.

The Chengdu-Zigong-Yibin high-speed railway boasts a designed speed of 350 km per hour and has 12 stations along its 261-km line. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)
A worker cleans at a workshop of Baofeng Baijiu Co., LTD in Baofeng County, central China's Henan Province, Dec. 21, 2023. Baofeng County has a time-honored brewing industry of Baijiu (Chinese liquor), and is one of the birthplaces of traditional Chinese distilled liquor. Because of the suitable temperature, autumn and winter are the busiest time for local liquor production in a year.

Liquor produced in Baofeng adopts the brewing techniques that have been passed on for nearly one thousand years, with more than 100 production processes.

In 2008, the traditional brewing skills of distilled liquor of Baofeng County were listed in the national intangible cultural heritage representative items. (Xinhua/Li An)

Workers put the fermented unfiltered liquor into a pot for distillation at a workshop of Baofeng Baijiu Co., LTD in Baofeng County, central China's Henan Province, Dec. 21, 2023. Baofeng County has a time-honored brewing industry of Baijiu (Chinese liquor), and is one of the birthplaces of traditional Chinese distilled liquor. Because of the suitable temperature, autumn and winter are the busiest time for local liquor production in a year.

Liquor produced in Baofeng adopts the brewing techniques that have been passed on for nearly one thousand years, with more than 100 production processes.

In 2008, the traditional brewing skills of distilled liquor of Baofeng County were listed in the national intangible cultural heritage representative items. (Xinhua/Li An)

A worker checks the fermentation condition of liquor at a workshop of Baofeng Baijiu Co., LTD in Baofeng County, central China's Henan Province, Dec. 21, 2023. Baofeng County has a time-honored brewing industry of Baijiu (Chinese liquor), and is one of the birthplaces of traditional Chinese distilled liquor. Because of the suitable temperature, autumn and winter are the busiest time for local liquor production in a year.

Liquor produced in Baofeng adopts the brewing techniques that have been passed on for nearly one thousand years, with more than 100 production processes.

In 2008, the traditional brewing skills of distilled liquor of Baofeng County were listed in the national intangible cultural heritage representative items. (Xinhua/Li An)

Workers are busy at a workshop of Baofeng Baijiu Co., LTD in Baofeng County, central China's Henan Province, Dec. 21, 2023. Baofeng County has a time-honored brewing industry of Baijiu (Chinese liquor), and is one of the birthplaces of traditional Chinese distilled liquor. Because of the suitable temperature, autumn and winter are the busiest time for local liquor production in a year.

Liquor produced in Baofeng adopts the brewing techniques that have been passed on for nearly one thousand years, with more than 100 production processes.

In 2008, the traditional brewing skills of distilled liquor of Baofeng County were listed in the national intangible cultural heritage representative items. (Xinhua/Li An)

A worker is busy at a workshop of Baofeng Baijiu Co., LTD in Baofeng County, central China's Henan Province, Dec. 21, 2023. Baofeng County has a time-honored brewing industry of Baijiu (Chinese liquor), and is one of the birthplaces of traditional Chinese distilled liquor. Because of the suitable temperature, autumn and winter are the busiest time for local liquor production in a year.

Liquor produced in Baofeng adopts the brewing techniques that have been passed on for nearly one thousand years, with more than 100 production processes.

In 2008, the traditional brewing skills of distilled liquor of Baofeng County were listed in the national intangible cultural heritage representative items. (Xinhua/Li An)

A worker checks the condition of distiller's yeast at a workshop of Baofeng Baijiu Co., LTD in Baofeng County, central China's Henan Province, Dec. 21, 2023. Baofeng County has a time-honored brewing industry of Baijiu (Chinese liquor), and is one of the birthplaces of traditional Chinese distilled liquor. Because of the suitable temperature, autumn and winter are the busiest time for local liquor production in a year.

Liquor produced in Baofeng adopts the brewing techniques that have been passed on for nearly one thousand years, with more than 100 production processes.

In 2008, the traditional brewing skills of distilled liquor of Baofeng County were listed in the national intangible cultural heritage representative items. (Xinhua/Li An)

Lu Zhenying (2nd L), an inheritor of intangible cultural heritage, gives technical guidance to workers at a workshop of Baofeng Baijiu Co., LTD in Baofeng County, central China's Henan Province, Dec. 21, 2023. Baofeng County has a time-honored brewing industry of Baijiu (Chinese liquor), and is one of the birthplaces of traditional Chinese distilled liquor. Because of the suitable temperature, autumn and winter are the busiest time for local liquor production in a year.

Liquor produced in Baofeng adopts the brewing techniques that have been passed on for nearly one thousand years, with more than 100 production processes.

In 2008, the traditional brewing skills of distilled liquor of Baofeng County were listed in the national intangible cultural heritage representative items. (Xinhua/Lu Peng)

A worker takes sample of unfiltered liquor to check the fermentation condition at a workshop of Baofeng Baijiu Co., LTD in Baofeng County, central China's Henan Province, Dec. 21, 2023. Baofeng County has a time-honored brewing industry of Baijiu (Chinese liquor), and is one of the birthplaces of traditional Chinese distilled liquor. Because of the suitable temperature, autumn and winter are the busiest time for local liquor production in a year.

Liquor produced in Baofeng adopts the brewing techniques that have been passed on for nearly one thousand years, with more than 100 production processes.

In 2008, the traditional brewing skills of distilled liquor of Baofeng County were listed in the national intangible cultural heritage representative items. (Xinhua/Li An)

A worker evaluates liquor at a workshop of Baofeng Baijiu Co., LTD in Baofeng County, central China's Henan Province, Dec. 21, 2023. Baofeng County has a time-honored brewing industry of Baijiu (Chinese liquor), and is one of the birthplaces of traditional Chinese distilled liquor. Because of the suitable temperature, autumn and winter are the busiest time for local liquor production in a year.

Liquor produced in Baofeng adopts the brewing techniques that have been passed on for nearly one thousand years, with more than 100 production processes.

In 2008, the traditional brewing skills of distilled liquor of Baofeng County were listed in the national intangible cultural heritage representative items. (Xinhua/Li An)

A worker puts the fermented unfiltered liquor into a pot for distillation at a workshop of Baofeng Baijiu Co., LTD in Baofeng County, central China's Henan Province, Dec. 21, 2023. Baofeng County has a time-honored brewing industry of Baijiu (Chinese liquor), and is one of the birthplaces of traditional Chinese distilled liquor. Because of the suitable temperature, autumn and winter are the busiest time for local liquor production in a year.

Liquor produced in Baofeng adopts the brewing techniques that have been passed on for nearly one thousand years, with more than 100 production processes.

In 2008, the traditional brewing skills of distilled liquor of Baofeng County were listed in the national intangible cultural heritage representative items. (Xinhua/Li An)

A worker cleans at a workshop of Baofeng Baijiu Co., LTD in Baofeng County, central China's Henan Province, Dec. 21, 2023. Baofeng County has a time-honored brewing industry of Baijiu (Chinese liquor), and is one of the birthplaces of traditional Chinese distilled liquor. Because of the suitable temperature, autumn and winter are the busiest time for local liquor production in a year.

Liquor produced in Baofeng adopts the brewing techniques that have been passed on for nearly one thousand years, with more than 100 production processes.

In 2008, the traditional brewing skills of distilled liquor of Baofeng County were listed in the national intangible cultural heritage representative items. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

Technicians of Baofeng Baijiu Co., LTD evaluate the quality of distilled liquor in Baofeng County, central China's Henan Province, Dec. 21, 2023. Baofeng County has a time-honored brewing industry of Baijiu (Chinese liquor), and is one of the birthplaces of traditional Chinese distilled liquor. Because of the suitable temperature, autumn and winter are the busiest time for local liquor production in a year.

Liquor produced in Baofeng adopts the brewing techniques that have been passed on for nearly one thousand years, with more than 100 production processes.

In 2008, the traditional brewing skills of distilled liquor of Baofeng County were listed in the national intangible cultural heritage representative items. (Xinhua/Lu Peng)

A worker is busy at a workshop of Baofeng Baijiu Co., LTD in Baofeng County, central China's Henan Province, Dec. 21, 2023. Baofeng County has a time-honored brewing industry of Baijiu (Chinese liquor), and is one of the birthplaces of traditional Chinese distilled liquor. Because of the suitable temperature, autumn and winter are the busiest time for local liquor production in a year.

Liquor produced in Baofeng adopts the brewing techniques that have been passed on for nearly one thousand years, with more than 100 production processes.

In 2008, the traditional brewing skills of distilled liquor of Baofeng County were listed in the national intangible cultural heritage representative items. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

Lu Zhenying, an inheritor of intangible cultural heritage, checks the preservation condition of distilled liquor in Baofeng Baijiu Co., LTD in Baofeng County, central China's Henan Province, Dec. 21, 2023. Baofeng County has a time-honored brewing industry of Baijiu (Chinese liquor), and is one of the birthplaces of traditional Chinese distilled liquor. Because of the suitable temperature, autumn and winter are the busiest time for local liquor production in a year.

Liquor produced in Baofeng adopts the brewing techniques that have been passed on for nearly one thousand years, with more than 100 production processes.

In 2008, the traditional brewing skills of distilled liquor of Baofeng County were listed in the national intangible cultural heritage representative items. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

A worker transports distiller's yeast at a workshop of Baofeng Baijiu Co., LTD in Baofeng County, central China's Henan Province, Dec. 21, 2023. Baofeng County has a time-honored brewing industry of Baijiu (Chinese liquor), and is one of the birthplaces of traditional Chinese distilled liquor. Because of the suitable temperature, autumn and winter are the busiest time for local liquor production in a year.

Liquor produced in Baofeng adopts the brewing techniques that have been passed on for nearly one thousand years, with more than 100 production processes.

In 2008, the traditional brewing skills of distilled liquor of Baofeng County were listed in the national intangible cultural heritage representative items. (Xinhua/Lu Peng)

A worker checks the preservation condition of liquor in Baofeng Baijiu Co., LTD in Baofeng County, central China's Henan Province, Dec. 21, 2023. Baofeng County has a time-honored brewing industry of Baijiu (Chinese liquor), and is one of the birthplaces of traditional Chinese distilled liquor. Because of the suitable temperature, autumn and winter are the busiest time for local liquor production in a year.

Liquor produced in Baofeng adopts the brewing techniques that have been passed on for nearly one thousand years, with more than 100 production processes.

In 2008, the traditional brewing skills of distilled liquor of Baofeng County were listed in the national intangible cultural heritage representative items. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

Lu Zhenying, an inheritor of intangible cultural heritage, checks the production at a workshop of Baofeng Baijiu Co., LTD in Baofeng County, central China's Henan Province, Dec. 21, 2023. Baofeng County has a time-honored brewing industry of Baijiu (Chinese liquor), and is one of the birthplaces of traditional Chinese distilled liquor. Because of the suitable temperature, autumn and winter are the busiest time for local liquor production in a year.

Liquor produced in Baofeng adopts the brewing techniques that have been passed on for nearly one thousand years, with more than 100 production processes.

In 2008, the traditional brewing skills of distilled liquor of Baofeng County were listed in the national intangible cultural heritage representative items. (Xinhua/Lu Peng)
BEIJING, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- In commemoration of the 130th anniversary of the birth of late Chinese leader Mao Zedong, three radio programs have been broadcast on the China Media Group.

A three-episode radio drama, aired from Dec. 26 to 28, narrates the tale of a young Mao Zedong during the transformative period from the May Fourth Movement in 1919 to the convening of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 1921.

Another program, broadcast since Dec. 11, delves into Mao's personal journey seeking truth, as chronicled in his diaries. It explores the reasons behind Mao's intermittent diary-keeping and highlights the evolving style and content of his diaries across different phases.

In addition, a separate radio program aired since Dec. 12 sheds light on the interactions between Mao and the local residents in northern Shaanxi, providing insights into his engagement with the public during that period. 
COLOMBO, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Maldivian government will launch a nationwide program to control mosquito populations following the recent discovery of Filariasis cases in the country, local media reported on Tuesday.

Maldivian health authorities identified over 30 foreign nationals who tested positive for Filariasis during the recent medical screening camps, according to the report.

Minister of Cities, Local Government and Public Works Adam Shareef Umar said the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology, and the Ministry of Defense, Waste Management Corporation, the Maldives Police Service, and the Maldives National Defense Force will join the campaign, which would commence next week.

The last reported case of Filariasis in the country was in 2004.

In 2016, the country was certified to have eliminated the disease as a public health problem by the World Health Organization. 
ST. PETERSBURG, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- The leaders of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries adopted a declaration on further development of the union at a meeting in the Russian city of St. Petersburg on Monday, said the Kremlin.

During a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, heads of EAEU member states summarized the union's achievements over the past few years, discussed prospects for future cooperation and approved a declaration on the further development of economic processes within the framework of the union until 2030 and for the period until 2045.

They also adopted a document on the main directions of the union's international activities in 2024 and a document on the union's main macroeconomic policy guidelines from 2024 to 2025.

The declaration includes specific measures to step up the joint efforts in key sectors and defines additional areas of interaction, such as the climate agenda, healthcare and tourism, said Russian President Vladimir Putin at the meeting.

According to Putin, in the first nine months of 2023, trade between the five EAEU countries increased by 8.9 percent. Over the years since its inception, trade between EAEU member states has almost doubled and their aggregate GDP has grown from 1.6 trillion U.S. dollars to 2.5 trillion dollars.

Earlier in the day, the EAEU and a representative of the Iranian government signed a full-fledged free trade agreement, replacing the temporary agreement in effect since 2019. The two sides also agreed to expand cooperation in mining, education, medicine and other fields.

The EAEU groups Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. Starting from Jan. 1, 2024, Armenia will take over from Russia the rotating EAEU chairmanship with a one-year tenure. 
BUCHAREST, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Four adults and a child are confirmed dead in a fire that engulfed a guesthouse about 80 km north of Romania's capital Bucharest, local authorities said on Tuesday.

Another three individuals were reported missing in the fire that broke out Tuesday morning in Gura Vadului of Prahova County, according to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the flames had been put out and firefighters were still searching for victims, sources with the Department for Emergency Situations (DSU) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs said.

Local media reported that the guesthouse caught fire during a Christmas party hosted by its owner and 26 people were inside. Eighteen of them managed to flee the fire scene, including a child and an adult who suffered burns.

Investigation is still underway, but authorities said the guesthouse had received six warnings in the past for failing to comply with fire safety regulations. 
This photo released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Dec. 25, 2023 shows Israeli troops conducting military operations in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis. (Xinhua)

Israel on Tuesday vowed to expand ground offensive in central Gaza to achieve its military objectives as Palestinian death toll in the territory is nearing 21,000. The UN warned that the escalated Israeli bombardment is deepening an already catastrophic humanitarian situation.

JERUSALEM, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Israel declared on Tuesday the expansion of its ground offensive in the central Gaza Strip, as the United Nations warned that the escalation of attacks is exacerbating a "catastrophic" humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave.

Israel previously urged the residents of Gaza to move from the northern region to the central and southern regions, which it claimed as "safe zones." However, the Israeli forces later expanded their strikes across the strip, including the central and southern parts.

In a statement, UN Human Rights Office's spokesperson Seif Magango reported that more than 50 strikes occurred in central Gaza on Dec. 24-25, targeting the refugee camps of Bureij, Nuseirat, and Maghazi, where two strikes hit seven residential buildings, killing at least 86 people.

"An unknown number of people are still believed to be trapped under the rubble," Magango said.

This photo taken on Dec. 25, 2023 shows damaged buildings after an Israeli airstrike in al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. (Xinhua)

The escalated Israeli bombardment, said Magango, is "deepening an already catastrophic humanitarian situation," with all roads connecting the three camps destroyed, hindering the delivery of relief aid. Shelters and hospitals, operating at a minimal capacity, are grappling with critical overcrowding and limited resources.

Palestinian health authorities have reported that approximately 21,000 people, predominantly children, women, and the elderly, were killed during the 81-day conflict, with thousands more missing and presumed to be buried under the rubble. A majority of the 2.3 million population has been displaced, and the UN reports widespread hunger.

Meanwhile, an Israeli military spokesperson told reporters that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) believes that "thousands" of Hamas militants are located in the refugee camps of central Gaza.

IDF Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi said in an address to soldiers that the attacks will now concentrate on central and southern Gaza.

According to Halevi, the military "is close to completing the dismantling of Hamas' battalions in the northern Gaza Strip."

A man holds the body of a victim at a hospital in central Gaza Strip city of Deir el-Balah, on Dec. 23, 2023. (Xinhua)

He said that the military killed "many" militants and Hamas commanders, some surrendered to the Israeli forces and "hundreds" were taken prisoner. However, "it cannot be said that we killed them all. It seems likely that we will still encounter fighters in this area."

He acknowledged that the ongoing attack has exacted a "heavy and painful toll" on soldiers' lives, with official figures indicating that the number of Israeli troops killed has reached 161 since the beginning of Israel's ground invasion.

The Israeli objectives -- eliminating Hamas and bringing back home about 129 hostages who are still held in Gaza -- "are not simple to achieve," Halevi noted, saying that the fight would continue "for many more months."

Addressing the parliament Security and Foreign Affairs Committee, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also emphasized that Israel faces "a long fight."

Palestinians mourn a victim at a hospital in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on Dec. 26, 2023. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua)

He said that since Hamas launched its surprise attack on Oct. 7, Israel has been "in a multi-front war. We are being attacked from seven different arenas: Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), Iraq, Yemen, and Iran."

Israel has "retaliated in six of these arenas," Gallant said. "Anyone who acts against us is a potential target, there is no immunity." 
A Long March-3B carrier rocket and the Yuanzheng-1 (Expedition-1) upper stage attached to the carrier rocket, carrying two new satellites for the BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3), blast off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 26, 2023. The two satellites, the 57th and 58th satellites of the BeiDou system, were launched at 11:26 a.m. (Beijing Time). (Photo by Qiu Lijun/Xinhua)

XICHANG, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday sent two new satellites for the BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3) into space successfully from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The two satellites, the 57th and 58th satellites of the BeiDou system, were launched at 11:26 a.m. (Beijing Time) by a Long March-3B carrier rocket and the Yuanzheng-1 (Expedition-1) upper stage attached to the carrier rocket.

They are the first medium-Earth orbit (MEO) satellites launched since BDS-3 was formally commissioned to provide satellite navigation services worldwide. After entering their orbit and completing in-orbit tests, they will be connected to the BeiDou system.

Compared to previous MEO satellites of the BeiDou system, the newly launched satellites have upgraded functions and performance in various areas, including global short message communication capacity, onboard atomic clock technology, and intelligent payloads.

They will upgrade the reliability and service capabilities of the BeiDou system. They will also lay the foundation for the development of next-generation BDS satellites.

The launch was the 504th mission for the Long March series carrier rockets.

The satellites and launch vehicle were respectively developed by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) and the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, both of which are affiliated with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

The two satellites will play multiple roles by effectively expanding the communication capacity of BeiDou's global short messages, upgrading the performance monitoring of the integrity of its navigation signals globally, and more, said Xie Jun, deputy chief designer of the BDS.

On July 31, 2020, China commissioned BDS officially, opening BDS-3 to global users, making China the third country around the world to have an independent global navigation satellite system. 

A Long March-3B carrier rocket and the Yuanzheng-1 (Expedition-1) upper stage attached to the carrier rocket, carrying two new satellites for the BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3), blast off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 26, 2023. The two satellites, the 57th and 58th satellites of the BeiDou system, were launched at 11:26 a.m. (Beijing Time). (Photo by Qiu Lijun/Xinhua)

A Long March-3B carrier rocket and the Yuanzheng-1 (Expedition-1) upper stage attached to the carrier rocket, carrying two new satellites for the BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3), blast off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 26, 2023. The two satellites, the 57th and 58th satellites of the BeiDou system, were launched at 11:26 a.m. (Beijing Time). (Photo by Qiu Lijun/Xinhua)

A Long March-3B carrier rocket and the Yuanzheng-1 (Expedition-1) upper stage attached to the carrier rocket, carrying two new satellites for the BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3), blast off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 26, 2023. The two satellites, the 57th and 58th satellites of the BeiDou system, were launched at 11:26 a.m. (Beijing Time). (Photo by Qiu Lijun/Xinhua)
KAMPALA, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- At least three people, including two children, were killed Monday night in an arson attack by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a rebel group, in Uganda's western district of Kamwenge.

"Last night, the same group that committed atrocities last week, killing 10 people, attacked another village where they were scavenging for food, and they killed a 75-year-old woman and her two grandchildren," Felix Kulayigye, the military spokesperson, told local media Tuesday, adding that the group set ablaze the house of the victims.

Kulayigye said the army will continue to hunt for these groups until they are killed. "The army will, starting Wednesday, recruit local defense units to ensure the villages are safeguarded."

Byarugaba Isaiah Kanyamahane, the resident district commissioner for Kamwenge, told Xinhua earlier Tuesday that the attackers also looted 10 goats and some foodstuffs.

"The mode of attack is similar to that of the ADF rebels as witnessed recently. We suspect that the same rebels launched this attack," he added. 
JERUSALEM, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Israel has approved the U.S. computer chip giant Intel's plan to establish a factory with an investment of 25 billion U.S. dollars, said a joint statement issued by Israel's finance and economy ministries and Israel Tax Authority (ITA) on Tuesday.

This is the largest investment by a foreign company in Israel, under which Intel will complete building the plant in the southern city of Kiryat Gat by 2028.

The investment could bring big economic benefits to Israel, including the hiring of thousands of high-wage workers in the plant, according to the statement.

According to Israeli law to encourage capital investments, the company will receive a grant of 12.8 percent of the investment amount, equivalent to 3.2 billion dollars.

Intel, which has been operating in Israel since the 1970s, employs about 12,000 workers in the country at three development centers and a manufacturing facility. 
CAIRO, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- A suspected drone was downed off the coast of Egypt's Red Sea resort city of Dahab on Tuesday, according to security sources.

Speaking to Xinhua on condition of anonymity, the two sources confirmed that explosions were heard in the city.

Earlier, local Al-Qahera TV news reported that sounds of explosions were heard in Dahab as a flying object was shot down about 2 km off the city's coast, citing eyewitnesses.

One of the sources told Xinhua that the drone is believed to be launched by Yemen's Houthis and directed at the Israeli territory.

The incident came after Egypt's air defense forces downed a suspected drone off the coast of Dahab on Dec. 16, amid a surge of drone attacks on vessels transiting the Red Sea.

On Oct. 27, the Egyptian army said its probe showed two unmanned drones were the falling objects that had injured six people in South Sinai province in the morning.

The two drones were heading from the south of the Red Sea to the north, and one of them was targeted outside Egyptian airspace in the Gulf of Aqaba region, according to the Egyptian army.

Both Dahab and the only Israeli port in the Red Sea, Eilat, sit on the Gulf of Aqaba, with a distance of about 150 km. Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Oct. 7, Eilat and Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea have come under recurrent Houthi attacks, which were launched as a gesture of solidarity with the Palestinian people. 
Smoke rises from Lebanese village of Marwahin following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon, as seen from northern Israel, on Dec. 26, 2023. Two Hezbollah fighters and a member of the Lebanese Civil Defense were killed on Tuesday in confrontations between Hezbollah and Israeli forces on the border, Lebanese military sources told Xinhua. Israeli artillery fired about 250 shells on 34 border villages and towns in Lebanon in addition to airstrikes targeting Lebanon's southern city of Nabatieh, which is about 25 km from the borderline, the sources said. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua)

BEIRUT, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Two Hezbollah fighters and a member of the Lebanese Civil Defense were killed on Tuesday in confrontations between Hezbollah and Israeli forces on the border, Lebanese military sources told Xinhua.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that five civilians were also injured during the clashes.

Israeli artillery fired about 250 shells on 34 border villages and towns in Lebanon in addition to airstrikes targeting Lebanon's southern city of Nabatieh, which is about 25 km from the borderline, the sources said.

The Israeli bombing also destroyed eight houses and caused damage to 29 homes and five civilian cars, according to the sources.

Meanwhile, Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said its fighters bombed Israeli sites, including buildings in the settlements of Motella and Miskav Am and an Israeli command headquarters in Kiryat Shmona, a city in northern Israel.

Hezbollah also said that it targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the al-Raheb site and the Doviev barracks.

The confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel have killed 180 on the Lebanese side, including 128 Hezbollah members and 32 civilians, according to Lebanese security sources. 

Smoke rises from Lebanese village of Marwahin following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon, as seen from northern Israel, on Dec. 26, 2023. Two Hezbollah fighters and a member of the Lebanese Civil Defense were killed on Tuesday in confrontations between Hezbollah and Israeli forces on the border, Lebanese military sources told Xinhua. Israeli artillery fired about 250 shells on 34 border villages and towns in Lebanon in addition to airstrikes targeting Lebanon's southern city of Nabatieh, which is about 25 km from the borderline, the sources said. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua)

Smoke rises from Lebanese village of Marwahin following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon, as seen from northern Israel, on Dec. 26, 2023. Two Hezbollah fighters and a member of the Lebanese Civil Defense were killed on Tuesday in confrontations between Hezbollah and Israeli forces on the border, Lebanese military sources told Xinhua. Israeli artillery fired about 250 shells on 34 border villages and towns in Lebanon in addition to airstrikes targeting Lebanon's southern city of Nabatieh, which is about 25 km from the borderline, the sources said. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua)

Smoke rises from Lebanese village of Marwahin following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon, as seen from northern Israel, on Dec. 26, 2023. Two Hezbollah fighters and a member of the Lebanese Civil Defense were killed on Tuesday in confrontations between Hezbollah and Israeli forces on the border, Lebanese military sources told Xinhua. Israeli artillery fired about 250 shells on 34 border villages and towns in Lebanon in addition to airstrikes targeting Lebanon's southern city of Nabatieh, which is about 25 km from the borderline, the sources said. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua)
Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, attends the second plenary meeting of the seventh session of the 14th NPC Standing Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 26, 2023. Zhao delivered a report on the implementation of the Seed Law. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese lawmakers met on Tuesday to deliberate reports at an ongoing session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.

Zhao Leji, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, attended the second plenary meeting of the seventh session of the 14th NPC Standing Committee. Zhao delivered a report on the implementation of the Seed Law.

An inspection launched by the NPC Standing Committee on the law's implementation has found that, the overall situation of China's seed industry is safe, Zhao said.

The effective implementation of the Seed Law has vigorously promoted the revitalization of the seed industry, laying a solid foundation for ensuring stable and secure supply of food and important agricultural products, and advancing the building of a strong agricultural nation, Zhao said.

To further implement the law, Zhao called for efforts to promote innovation in the breeding of quality seeds, cultivate and strengthen advantageous seed enterprises, step up the protection of intellectual property rights, enhance the enforcement of seed quality supervision, and improve the legal system for the seed industry.

The session heard a report on the implementation of the Workplace Safety Law, two reports on the midterm evaluation of the implementation of the outline of the 14th five-year plan for national economic and social development and the long-range objectives through 2035.

Lawmakers heard a report on the rectification of problems found in the execution of the 2022 central budget and other fiscal matters, a report on the allocation and utilization of cultural funds in the fiscal budget, and a report on mental health services.

Lawmakers also heard a report on the handling of the suggestions, criticisms and comments submitted by lawmakers during the first session of the 14th NPC, and a report on the recording and review work in 2023 submitted by the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee.

Zhao also presided over a meeting of the Council of Chairpersons of the NPC Standing Committee on Tuesday to hear reports on law deliberations. 

Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, attends the second plenary meeting of the seventh session of the 14th NPC Standing Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 26, 2023. Zhao delivered a report on the implementation of the Seed Law. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, presides over the 17th meeting of the Council of Chairpersons of the 14th NPC Standing Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, presides over the 17th meeting of the Council of Chairpersons of the 14th NPC Standing Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)
SANAA, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi rebels on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a fresh attack on a commercial cargo ship sailing in the international water in the Red Sea. 
MOSCOW, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Russian defense enterprises have fulfilled the country's orders in 2023 and doubled the production of Su-57 fighters, local media on Tuesday cited Yury Slyusar, general director of the United Aircraft Corporation.

"We have fulfilled the state defense orders. We have fulfilled all signed contracts according to the schedule. Everything has been delivered on time, and sometimes even ahead of the schedule," he told local media.

Some orders have increased significantly, and the production of Su-57 aircraft have literally doubled under the state defense orders this year, he noted.

Slyusar said that the Russian defense ministry have received all the ordered aircraft, and the state defense orders would increase in 2024.

A 5th-generation multirole fighter capable of aerial combat as well as ground and maritime strike, the Su-57 incorporates stealth, super-maneuverability, super-cruise, integrated avionics, and large internal payload capacity. 
BAGHDAD, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi security forces on Tuesday found two bodies of Kuwaiti and Saudi tourists who were killed in a roadside bomb explosion in a desert in western Iraq, the Iraqi military said.

One Saudi citizen and one Kuwaiti citizen, who entered Iraq with a tourist visa, went missing in the vast desert that extends across the three provinces of Anbar, Salahudin, and Nineveh, according to a statement issued by the Security Media Cell, a media outlet affiliated with the Iraqi Joint Operations Command.

Iraqi security forces conducted a large-scale search in the Anbar desert looking for the missing tourists, and found their burned bodies, the statement said.

It was suspected that they were killed after their vehicle was hit by an old roadside bomb left behind by the terrorist group Islamic State (IS), the statement added.

Meanwhile, a security source from Anbar province told Xinhua that the Kuwaiti and Saudi citizens were on a hunting trip in the desert, which is not completely safe due to IS militants' activities.

The security situation in Iraq has improved since the defeat of the IS in 2017. However, IS remnants have melted into urban centers, deserts, and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. 
TUNIS, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Tunisian Parliament adopted Tuesday a law approving the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Tunisia and China to host Chinese medical teams, reported the Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP).

During a plenary session in the presence of Health Minister Ali Mrabet, 118 representatives voted in favor of this law while seven representatives had reservations about it, and only one representative rejected it, the report said.

Under the MoU signed between Tunisia and China on April 28, 2022, China would send four medical teams to Tunisia consisting of 38 individuals, including academics and doctors operating in a number of specialties.

The Chinese medical teams would work in four Tunisian hospitals in several provinces, including the Traditional Chinese Medicine Center in the Mongi Slim Hospital in the capital Tunis.

The MoU also stipulated that China would be exempt from customs duties and taxes for delivering medical equipment and tools used in the acupuncture treatment and given to Tunisia in the form of donations. 
Members of the Turkish parliament's foreign affairs committee attend a meeting on Sweden's NATO bid in Ankara, Turkiye, on Dec. 26, 2023. The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs committee on Tuesday approved Sweden's NATO bid following deliberation, a first step necessary for putting it to a full parliament vote. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

ANKARA, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs committee on Tuesday approved Sweden's NATO bid following deliberation, a first step necessary for putting it to a full parliament vote.

The bill regarding the approval of Sweden's accession protocol to NATO was adopted by the committee with votes by the ruling Justice and Development Party, the Nationalist Movement Party, and the main opposition Republican People's Party.

The IYI (Good) Party voted against the bill, while the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party did not participate in the voting.

Fuat Oktay, the committee's chairman, said that Sweden has taken steps, especially regarding the financing of terrorism, but added that Turkiye has "not yet seen the expected results in the fight against terrorism."

The parliament might debate the bid at the general assembly later this week for the final vote. But if the parliament enters recess, the vote will be delayed to the coming new year.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed Sweden's NATO accession protocol and submitted it to the parliament in October.

Turkiye approved Finland's NATO bid in March but has slow-walked Sweden's accession, demanding the Nordic country further address Ankara's security concerns.

Turkiye is under pressure from the United States to approve Sweden's accession to NATO, but Ankara has been holding up its ratification to press Washington to allow the sale of F-16 fighter jets. 

Members of the Turkish parliament's foreign affairs committee attend a meeting on Sweden's NATO bid in Ankara, Turkiye, on Dec. 26, 2023. The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs committee on Tuesday approved Sweden's NATO bid following deliberation, a first step necessary for putting it to a full parliament vote. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

Members of the Turkish parliament's foreign affairs committee attend a meeting on Sweden's NATO bid in Ankara, Turkiye, on Dec. 26, 2023. The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs committee on Tuesday approved Sweden's NATO bid following deliberation, a first step necessary for putting it to a full parliament vote. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

Members of the Turkish parliament's foreign affairs committee attend a meeting on Sweden's NATO bid in Ankara, Turkiye, on Dec. 26, 2023. The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs committee on Tuesday approved Sweden's NATO bid following deliberation, a first step necessary for putting it to a full parliament vote. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

Members of the Turkish parliament's foreign affairs committee attend a meeting on Sweden's NATO bid in Ankara, Turkiye, on Dec. 26, 2023. The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs committee on Tuesday approved Sweden's NATO bid following deliberation, a first step necessary for putting it to a full parliament vote. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)
ABUJA, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian police on Tuesday confirmed that at least 96 people were killed in a series of attacks on villages in the country's central region.

The coordinated attacks took place on Christmas Eve in 15 communities across Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi local government areas of Plateau State, Alfred Alabo, the state's police spokesperson, told reporters in the state capital of Jos.

At least 221 houses were set ablaze and destroyed during the attacks on Sunday, Alabo said.

He said a total of 12 villages were attacked in Bokkos, while three communities were affected in Barkin-Ladi. "More than 79 persons were killed in Bokkos and 17 others killed in Barkin-Ladi."

According to him, the police have already launched an investigation into the killings.

The recent killing is the worst outbreak of violence in Plateau since May when more than 100 were killed in farmer-herder clashes.

Armed attacks have been a major security threat in Nigeria's northern and central regions, leading to deaths and kidnappings. 
YANGON, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Over 140,000 students registered for the nationwide matriculation examination of Myanmar for the academic year of 2023-2024, U Htay Naung, a deputy director of the Ministry of Education, told Xinhua on Tuesday.

According to the figures, the number of students registered to take the exam this academic year is slightly down compared to the more than 160,000 students recorded last year, he said.

The nationwide matriculation exam for this academic year will be held from March. 11 to March 19 in 2024, according to the Department of Myanmar Examinations. 
PHNOM PENH, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia exported 7.21 billion U.S. dollars worth of products to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) members in the first 11 months of 2023, up 27 percent from 5.67 billion dollars in the same period last year, a Ministry of Commerce report said on Tuesday.

During the January-November period, the kingdom's top five export destinations under the regional mega trade deal are Vietnam, China, Japan, Thailand and Singapore, the report said.

Cambodian Ministry of Commerce's Secretary of State and Spokesperson Penn Sovicheat said the RCEP, which took effect in 2022, is a catalyst for long-term export growth and a magnet to attract more foreign direct investment inflows to the kingdom.

"RCEP is a huge market for Cambodia, accounting for about 34 percent of our 21.3 billion U.S. dollars total export in the first 11 months of this year," he told Xinhua.

"With preferential tariffs provided under the RCEP agreement, I believe that Cambodia's exports to other RCEP members will continue to rise in coming years," he added.

Sovicheat said this world's largest trade deal, together with other bilateral free trade agreements, will help Cambodia achieve its goals of becoming an upper-middle income country by 2030 and a high-income nation by 2050.

The RCEP agreement comprises 15 Asia-Pacific countries including 10 ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member states, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, and their five trading partners, namely China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. 
NEW DELHI, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- India's central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday said it received a bomb threat through an email saying that its offices along with three other banks will be blown off on Wednesday.

The sender of the email alleged that RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das along with the country's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had committed a huge financial scam, and that they should be asked to resign and punished for the same.

The identity of the sender of the email could not be ascertained yet.

The text contained in the email carried the threat that a total of 11 bomb attacks would occur at as many as 11 places in Mumbai at 13:30 hours (Indian Standard Time) on Wednesday.

A senior cop of the Mumbai Police was quoted as saying they had gone to all the places mentioned in the email, but did not find anything incriminating. 
People pose for photos with a model of a high-speed electrical multiple unit (EMU) train of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway at Halim Station in Jakarta, Indonesia, Dec. 25, 2023. The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR), the first HSR in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, has handled over 1 million passenger trips since its official operation on Oct. 17, China State Railway Group Co. said on Monday. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

JAKARTA, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR), the first HSR in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, has handled over 1 million passenger trips since its official operation on Oct. 17, China State Railway Group Co. said on Monday.

With the yearend approaching, Halim Station in Jakarta has become increasingly crowded with passengers taking the high-speed train, locally known as "Whoosh," for their vacation or family reunions in Bandung, West Java.

The rapidly rising passenger flows have prompted PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China (KCIC), a joint venture consortium between Indonesian and Chinese firms that constructs and runs the HSR, to increase the train services to 48 trips per day from the previous 14.

With a design speed of 350 km per hour, the HSR connects Jakarta's Halim station to Tegalluar station in the fourth largest city Bandung, shortening the journey from over three hours to about 40 minutes.

The railway, the first overseas high-speed railway project that fully uses Chinese railway systems, technology and industrial components, has made Bandung easily accessible from Jakarta, offering more choices for travelers, commuters, and families living apart, as well as boosting local tourism and unleashing new opportunities.

BETTER RIDE

It was Anashtasyah Kaetlyn's third trip with Whoosh, which she said has now become her favorite transportation. As a Bandung resident who works in Jakarta, she returns to Bandung every weekend.

"Since this train operates, I always take it for my trip home, because it is very fast and time-efficient. I don't like long trips," she told Xinhua. She usually gets off at Padalarang Station in West Bandung Regency, and it takes her another 10 minutes home by motorcycle or taxi.

Working in Jakarta with family living in Bandung, West Java province, 36-year-old Bagus Ahli Ramadhan has recently canceled the plan to move his pregnant wife to live in Jakarta thanks to the railway.

"I usually go back to Bandung once every two weeks to visit my wife, but now the HSR has made it easier. After office hours I can go to Bandung, which only takes 46 minutes, then in the morning I would return to Jakarta before office hours. That's amazing," said Ramadhan.

Bandung also became a new choice for 49-year-old Enny Nuraeni to spend the weekend to escape from busy Jakarta. Previously, she rarely went to Bandung for vacation because going there cost her too much time. "The trip by train or car was exhausting. We would have been tired even before arriving in Bandung," she said.

Dzulfikar Muhammad Aziz, 29, also took a vacation in Bandung. He said Halim Station, where he started his trip, is "very decent, spacious, clean and comfortable."

"For a station, it is very big. Looks more like an airport. But with more affordable food stands," Aziz said.

BETTER JOBS

Desy Setiawati, 24, felt her life has changed when she was chosen from thousands of applicants to become one of the first train attendants on the HSR. "This is what my family and I are most proud of in 2023," she said.

After two months of systematic theoretical training and practical operation on the train, she took up her post and began a new career as a high-speed rail attendant.

"I remember once helping a passenger in a wheelchair. With specially designed toilet on the train, the passenger said he felt he was taken good care of," she said, adding that such moments make the most unforgettable experiences in her career.

The behind-the-scenes train technicians also take great pride in their work. Galang Swandaru, a 27-year-old civil engineering graduate, became a quality-control engineer at the high-speed railway project department of China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group after taking one-on-one training lessons with his Chinese teacher.

"There are many young Indonesian technicians like me along the railway who have learned professional skills from Chinese teachers as well as from working on-site," said Swandaru.

Apart from cultivating young talents, project departments prioritize hiring nearby villagers, for whom they also organize specific training like welding, forklifting and hoisting operations.

KCIC data shows that 45,000 Indonesian employees were trained on-site during the railway's construction, and the project has created about 51,000 jobs in Indonesia.

BETTER OPPORTUNITIES

Passengers like Nuraeni and Aziz also discovered another benefit of taking the high-speed train -- the ticket offers free entry to a number of famous tourism destinations in Lembang, a city in West Bandung Regency that houses several tourism attractions, including Floating Market Lembang, Dusun Bambu, and Farmhouse.

According to Whoosh operator KCIC, the promotion, which began in October, aims to offer bonuses for passengers and boost local tourism.

"The HSR ticket is well worth it," Aziz said. "There is also free shuttle bus service which we can take at the Padalarang station after getting off the HSR to the tourism attractions."

According to Ridwan Kamil, former governor of West Java province, the Jakarta-Bandung HSR improves transportation and holds immense potential for creating new opportunities.

He believes the HSR will catalyze transit-oriented development, leading to an emerging new economy and more employment opportunities.

"We are designing a master plan for a new city with more buildings around the high-speed railway stations," said Kamil. "With new infrastructure being built and more investment coming, an increase of job opportunities will be given to the younger generations of West Java people," Kamil said.

Garibaldy Thohir, chairman of the China Committee of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is bullish on the potential of Whoosh, saying it is a combination of "very friendly service from Indonesian people with very good Chinese technology," which makes it very attractive.

"I see economic improvement, at least in Bandung-West Java, which has quite good impacts," he said. 

A comprehensive inspection train (R) enters the platform of Halim Station while a high-speed electrical multiple unit (EMU) train (L) stops on the platform in Jakarta, Indonesia, Dec. 25, 2023. The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR), the first HSR in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, has handled over 1 million passenger trips since its official operation on Oct. 17, China State Railway Group Co. said on Monday. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

A crew member welcomes passengers on the platform of Halim Station in Jakarta, Indonesia, Dec. 12, 2023. The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR), the first HSR in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, has handled over 1 million passenger trips since its official operation on Oct. 17, China State Railway Group Co. said on Monday. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

This aerial photo taken on Dec. 6, 2023 shows a high-speed electrical multiple unit (EMU) train on the platform of Tegalluar Station in Bandung, Indonesia. The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR), the first HSR in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, has handled over 1 million passenger trips since its official operation on Oct. 17, China State Railway Group Co. said on Monday. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

This aerial photo taken on Dec. 6, 2023 shows a running high-speed electrical multiple unit (EMU) train in Bandung, Indonesia. The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR), the first HSR in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, has handled over 1 million passenger trips since its official operation on Oct. 17, China State Railway Group Co. said on Monday. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

Passengers pose for photos with a high-speed electrical multiple unit (EMU) train on the platform of Halim Station in Jakarta, Indonesia, Dec. 25, 2023. The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR), the first HSR in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, has handled over 1 million passenger trips since its official operation on Oct. 17, China State Railway Group Co. said on Monday. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

Passengers wait in line in the waiting hall of Halim Station in Jakarta, Indonesia, Dec. 25, 2023. The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR), the first HSR in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, has handled over 1 million passenger trips since its official operation on Oct. 17, China State Railway Group Co. said on Monday. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)
TOKYO, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Japan's unemployment rate came in at 2.5 percent in November, unchanged from the previous month, government data showed Tuesday.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the number of unemployed people in the reporting month increased 40,000 from the same period last year to 1.69 million.

Among them, 440,000 people were dismissed, up 18.9 percent from the previous month, while 760,000 people left their jobs voluntarily, down 1.3 percent, the ministry added.

Separately, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said Japan's job availability ratio for November fell 0.02 points from the previous month to 1.28, marking its first decline in four months.

The ratio equates to there being 128 job openings for every 100 job seekers.

The latest drop was attributed to more companies becoming cautious about posting job openings as persistently high material prices weighed on their earnings, the ministry said. 
NEW DELHI, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Indian government Tuesday issued an advisory to all platforms to comply with Information Technology (IT) rules amid growing concerns around deepfakes and misinformation powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The advisory was issued by the Federal Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

"The content not permitted under the IT Rules, in particular those listed under Rule 3(1)(b) must be clearly communicated to the users in clear and precise language including through its terms of service and user agreements and the same must be expressly informed to the user at the time of first-registration and also as regular reminders, in particular, at every instance of login and while uploading/sharing information onto the platform," reads the advisory.

According to the ministry, the advisory is the culmination of the discussions held by the federal junior minister for electronics and information technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar during Digital India dialogues with intermediaries for one month.

The terms of service and user agreements must clearly highlight that intermediaries/platforms are under obligation to report legal violations to law enforcement agencies, the advisory further said.

The measure aims to ensure platforms identify and promptly remove misinformation, false or misleading content, and material impersonating others, including deepfakes.

Deepfake is a video of a person made by using AI tools to digitally alter faces and bodies so that they appear to be someone else. It is typically done maliciously or to spread false information.

Recently deepfake videos of Indian film actresses surfaced on social media, triggering an outrage among the public. 
KIEV/MOSCOW, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Ukrainian military said Tuesday it hit a Russian naval ship in Crimea with cruise missiles.

Mykola Oleshchuk, commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, said Novocherkassk, a large landing ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, was struck in the raid.

Meanwhile, Yuriy Ignat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, said the ship stationed in the port of Feodosia was hit by cruise missiles.

Ukraine is armed with Storm Shadow and Scalp missiles, Ignat said, not specifying which of them was used in the attack.

The Kremlin confirmed earlier that the large landing ship Novocherkassk was damaged in a Ukrainian missile attack on the port town of Feodosia in Crimea on Tuesday.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has briefed Russian President Vladimir Putin on the overnight attack, the Kremlin said.

Shoigu said the Ukrainian armed forces conducted the attack using aircraft-guided missiles, targeting the Feodosia base in Crimea.

The Russian air defense destroyed two Ukrainian Su-24 tactical aircraft near the city of Nikolaev.

Sergey Aksenov, head of Crimea, said earlier in the day that one person was killed and at least two others injured in the attack. 
Drita Ziri, a dazzling Albanian beauty, claimed the prestigious Miss Earth 2023 crown, captivating the global audience with her grace and charm.

Outshining 84 other formidable contestants, Ziri's blend of beauty, intelligence, and unwavering commitment to environmental advocacy secured her victory on the grand stage.

With a background in tourism studies and a flourishing career as a TV host, Ziri is no stranger to the pageant world. Her remarkable journey includes a notable achievement as the 2nd runner-up at the Miss Globe 2022 competition. Beyond her enchanting presence on stage, Ziri's heartfelt dedication to combating breast cancer has touched hearts far and wide.

Among the other standout contenders, Yllana Marie Aduan from the Philippines soared to claim the title of Miss Air, while Vietnam's Do Thi Lan Anh shimmered brightly as Miss Water. Thailand's Cora Blialt heated up the stage, earning the title of Miss Fire and securing the 3rd runner-up position.

Before the grand finale, Miss Earth Albania faced an unforeseen challenge when the evening gown she had purchased from a Filipino brand encountered customs complications, resulting in its inability to reach her on schedule. Faced with a time crunch, Drita Ziris representative sought assistance from designer Tuan. Visiting his store, they selected two designs for Drita Ziri, tasking Tuan with the urgent job of tailoring the dresses to perfectly suit the contestant within an extremely tight deadline. Remarkably, the chosen dress carries significant symbolism for Drita Ziri's crowning moment as Miss Earth 2023.

Vietnam, having previously hosted Miss Earth in 2010, once again showcased its splendor as the backdrop for this year's pageant. Ho Chi Minh City, brimming with its rich and vibrant culture, provided a captivating setting that left an indelible mark on the contestants and viewers alike.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi's extensive international engagements in 2023 have been instrumental in bolstering India's global ties and fostering cooperation across diverse realms. Here is a chronological breakdown of his notable visits throughout the year:

1. Japan, Papua New Guinea & Australia (May 19 - May 25)

G7 Summit in Japan: PM Modi's presence at the G7 Summit in Hiroshima showcased India's consistent involvement in this prestigious event.

Papua New Guinea Visit: Making history, PM Modi became the first Indian prime minister to visit Papua New Guinea, co-chairing the 3rd Summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC III Summit).

Australia Visit: Responding to PM Anthony Albanese's invitation, PM Modi engaged with the local Indian community in Sydney, announcing the designation of 'Little India' in the Harris Park area.

2. USA & Egypt (Jun 20 - Jun 25)

United States Visit: Commencing in New York with celebrations for the International Day of Yoga, PM Modi's itinerary included engagements in Washington, including a state dinner hosted by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, addressing a joint sitting of the US Congress, and interactions with various stakeholders and the Indian diaspora.

Egypt Visit: At President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's invitation, PM Modi visited Egypt, engaging in talks, meetings with dignitaries, and interactions with the Indian community.

3. France & UAE (Jul 13 - Jul 15)

France Visit: As the chief guest at the Bastille Day military parade, PM Modi's presence marked a significant honor. Formal talks with President Macron, interactions with French leaders, and engagements with the Indian diaspora and business leaders were part of the visit.

UAE Visit: In Abu Dhabi, PM Modi held discussions with President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, emphasizing global cooperation, especially in light of the UAE's COP28 presidency and India's G20 presidency.

4. South Africa & Greece (Aug 22 - Aug 26)

South Africa Visit: Attending the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, PM Modi reinforced India's commitment to multilateral cooperation.

Greece Visit: A historic visit focused on upgrading bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership, marking the first visit by an Indian premier in 40 years.

5. Indonesia (Sep 6 - Sep 7)

East Asia Summit & ASEAN-Indian Summit: At the invitation of President Joko Widodo, PM Modi attended these summits, emphasizing India's commitment to regional cooperation before the G20 Summit in New Delhi.

6. Dubai (Nov 30 - Dec 1)

World Climate Action Summit: PM Modi participated in this significant event held during COP28, emphasizing India's dedication to global climate action and cooperation among nearly 200 nations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's globetrotting endeavors in 2023 have solidified India's position as a key player on the world stage, fostering relationships, and advancing crucial dialogues on global challenges.

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COLOMBO: Get ready for a boost in luxury cruise ship visits in Colombo, as Sri Lanka's Port Authority gears up to handle the surge in tourists expected not just for the upcoming season but in the years to come. Plans are underway to convert the Bandaranaike Quay jetty in Colombo harbor temporarily, aiming to ensure smooth operations for passenger arrivals.

The decision comes as concerns arose regarding the current capacity and facilities available at the existing passenger terminal. Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Aviation, Nimal Siripala de Silva, has instructed officials to clear the space at Bandaranaike Quay, currently occupied by warehouses, to make room for a dedicated area to efficiently process the expected influx of tourists.

The Maritime Division of the Sri Lanka Port Authority has disclosed that approximately 35 luxury cruise liners are set to dock in Colombo during the upcoming holiday season. This surge indicates a substantial increase in cruise tourism. Furthermore, contracts have been sealed for numerous additional luxury ship visits in the forthcoming years, promising a continuous rise in tourist arrivals.

The move to repurpose the Bandaranaike Quay underscores Sri Lanka's proactive stance in catering to the escalating demand for cruise tourism. With these strategic preparations, Colombo is poised to become an even more inviting destination for travelers seeking a blend of luxury and cultural experiences.



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In this article, we will look at 20 countries with highest income tax rates in the world. If you want to skip our detailed analysis, head straight to 5 Countries with Highest Income Tax Rates in the World.

Governments run on taxes, which is one of the major means of capital generation for a state. The state imposes income tax on income generated by individuals or businesses within their domain. Income tax helps in funding public services, providing goods for citizens, and paying government obligations. Income taxes vary from country to country, where income taxes are inquired by the federal government and state governments. Income taxes are of two types including personal income tax and corporate income tax. Personal income tax applies to an individuals salary, wage, and other types of income. While, corporate tax is levied on corporations, businesses, partnerships, and the self-employed.

Global Tax Competitiveness

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the dynamics of global economies. Many countries adopted temporary changes to their tax systems during the COVID-19 period. Countries including the United States and France have reduced their corporate income tax rates by several percentage points. On the other hand, Colombia has increased its corporate income tax rate. Among the OECD countries, Portugal has improved its corporate tax base, while Belgiums corporate tax base has been made less competitive. The United States, the United Kingdom, and Chile are discontinuing temporary improvements to their corporate tax bases.

The countrys tax code structure is a key factor that determines its economic performance. A well-structured tax code provides an easy gateway for taxpayers to apply tax policies and promote economic development through their taxes. According to the Tax Foundation, marginal tax rates on individual and corporate income have dropped significantly across the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) over the past few decades. Most of the OECD countries generate a large amount of revenue from broad-based taxes such as value-added taxes (VAT) and payroll taxes. Taxes are hard to collect in the countries with highest wealth inequality due to the complex economy and taxation system.

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Estonia is ranked number one among the OECD countries with the best tax code for a straight tenth year, according to the Tax Foundations International Tax Competitiveness Index. Estonia has a 20% tax on both corporate income and individual income, respectively. Latvia has the second most competitive tax system, which has adopted the Estonian system for corporate taxation. Latvia also has an efficient taxing system for labor income. Following Estonia and Latvia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Luxembourg, and Turkey are among the top countries with the most efficient and competitive tax systems. Estonia has a competitive tax score of 100, while Latvia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Luxembourg, and Turkey have competitive tax scores of 88.5, 86.1, 84.7, 81.2, 78.9, and 78.6, respectively. On the contrary, Colombia, Italy, France, and Chile have the least competitive tax systems having competitive tax scores of 46.4, 48.4, 49.1, and 50.5, respectively.

Leading Tax Service Providers

Despite the economic constraints, people are finding ways to earn higher each year. In 2022, the global wealth stood at $454.38 trillion. According to Credit Suisses Global Wealth Report 2023, global wealth is projected to reach $629 trillion by 2027, rising by 38% over the next five years. The wealth per adult is expected to reach $110,270 in 2027. The primary growth driver of global wealth will be the middle-income markets. With the increase in global wealth, taxation will be an important segment all over the world. As per The Business Research Company, the global tax preparation services market is estimated to have reached $31.29 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $38.28 billion in 2027, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 5.2%. There are some of the leading accounting and tax service providers that offer a wide range of consultancy and other services including H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB), Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU), and CBIZ, Inc. (NYSE:CBZ).

H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) is a top tax preparation firm in the world. The tax service provider has been offering trusted tax expertise for over 70 years. On December 14, H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) announced its generative AI tool for the tax preparation process, H&R Block AI Tax Assist. H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) has introduced this AI tax tool to provide tax preparation services to individuals, the self-employed, and small business owners. H&R Block AI Tax Assist will efficiently work through the tax preparation process by assisting with tax information, tax knowledge, tax preparation, and tax changes. H&R Block AI Tax Assist uses the power of Microsoft Corporations (NASDAQ:MSFT) Azure OpenAI Service.

Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU) is another leading financial technology firm that owns several tax service platforms including TurboTax, QuickBooks, Credit Karma, and Mailchimp. On November 28, Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU) announced its results for the fiscal first quarter of 2024. The company posted revenue of $2.98 billion, beating consensus estimates by $94.53 million. Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU) reported an earnings per share of $2.47, surpassing the estimates by $0.49. The company continues to enhance its tax service platforms which play a vital role in the company's revenue generation. Here are some of the comments from the Q1 2024 earrings call:

With the strong start to the year, we are reiterating our full-year guidance for fiscal year 2024. Consumer Group revenue growth reflects a strong finish to the tax extension season. We remain focused on transforming the assisted consumer and business tax categories with TurboTax Live. Our innovation in tax has accelerated in several areas. First, the Credit Karma platform is leveraging data and AI to deliver personalized experiences and compelling tax offers. Second, is the innovation with TurboTax Live to deliver speed and confidence to prior year-assisted customers, particularly with full service, where we can get taxes done in as little as an hour using data, AI, and our expert platform at scale. And third, Intuit Assist, our GenAI-powered financial assistance, helping customers in key areas where confidence matters most.

CBIZ, Inc. (NYSE:CBZ) is a renowned tax, accounting, and advisory services provider. CBIZ, Inc. (NYSE:CBZ) was part of 20 hedge fund portfolios at the close of the third quarter of 2023, compared to 17 positions in the previous quarter. The total stakes of these hedge funds amounted to $277 million at the close of Q3 2023. As of September 30, Claus Mollers P2 Capital Partners is the largest shareholder in CBIZ, Inc. (NYSE:CBZ) and has a position worth $133.86 million. The stock covers 17.51% of the fund's portfolio.

These were a few leading tax consulting companies offering a wide range of accounting and tax services to individuals and businesses around the world. Now, lets take a look at the countries with the highest income tax rates in the world.

20 Countries with Highest Income Tax Rates in the World

20 Countries with Highest Income Tax Rates in the World

Our Methodology

We have gathered data for the countries with individual income tax rates from Trading Economics. Our ranking is based on the countries with the highest individual income tax rates in the world. For the countries with similar individual income tax rates, we have used their GDP per capita as a tie-breaker. The country with a higher GDP per capita is ranked higher. For the GDP per capita of the country, we sourced data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), updated as of October 2023.

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20 Countries with Highest Income Tax Rates in the World

20. South Africa

Individual Income Tax Rate (2023): 45%

GDP Per Capita: $16,210

South Africa is one of the wealthiest countries in Africa. The country has a GDP per capita of $16,210. South Africa is placed 20th among the countries with highest income tax rates in the world with an individual income tax rate of 45%.

19. China

Individual Income Tax Rate (2023): 45%

GDP Per Capita: $23,310

China is the second-largest economy in the world. The country takes almost 45% of individual income tax. With a GDP per capita of $23,310, China is one of the top countries with highest income tax rates in the world.

18. Slovenia

Individual Income Tax Rate (2022): 45%

GDP Per Capita: $51,410

Slovenia is a Central European country with a GDP per capita of $51,410. Slovenia has an individual income tax rate of 45% and ranks among the countries with highest income tax rates in the world.

17. South Korea

Individual Income Tax Rate (2023): 45%

GDP Per Capita: $56,710

South Korea has a GDP per capita of $56,710 and an individual income tax rate of 45%. Ranked 17th on our list, South Korea is one of the countries with highest income tax rates in the world.

16. United Kingdom

Individual Income Tax Rate (2023): 45%

GDP Per Capita: $56,840

The United Kingdom is one of the largest economies in the world. With an individual income tax rate of 45% and a GDP per capita of $56,840, the United Kingdom ranks among the countries with highest income tax rates in the world.

15. France

Individual Income Tax Rate (2023): 45%

GDP Per Capita: $58,770

France is another leading economy and one of the richest countries in Europe. The country has a GDP per capita of $58,770. With an individual income tax rate of 45%, France ranks among the countries with highest income tax rates in the world.

14. Australia

Individual Income Tax Rate (2023): 45%

GDP Per Capita: $64,670

Australia is one of the fastest-growing economies in the region. The country has a GDP per capita of $64,670. Australia is placed 14th among the countries with highest income tax rates in the world having an individual income tax rate of 45%.

13. Germany

Individual Income Tax Rate (2022): 45%

GDP Per Capita: $66,040

Germany has a GDP per capita of $66,040 and an individual income tax rate of 45%. Germany is one of the countries with highest income tax rates in the world.

12. Iceland

Individual Income Tax Rate (2023): 46.25%

GDP Per Capita: $69,830

Iceland is an island country between the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. The country has a GDP per capita of $69,830 and an individual income tax rate of 46.25%. Iceland ranks among the countries with highest income tax rates in the world.

11. Spain

Individual Income Tax Rate (2023): 47%

GDP Per Capita: $50,470

Spain is one of the largest economies in Europe. The country takes almost 47% of income tax from individuals. With a GDP per capita of $50,470, Spain is one of the top countries with highest income tax rates in the world.

10. Portugal

Individual Income Tax Rate (2023): 48%

GDP Per Capita: $45,230

Portugal has a GDP per capita of $45,230 and an individual income tax rate of 48%. Portugal is placed 10th among the countries with highest income tax rates in the world.

9. Netherlands

Individual Income Tax Rate (2023): 49.50%

GDP Per Capita: $73,320

The Netherlands is one of the richest economies in the region. The country has a GDP per capita of $73,320 and an individual income tax rate of 49.50%. The Netherlands ranks among the countries with highest income tax rates in the world.

8. Israel

Individual Income Tax Rate (2023): 50%

GDP Per Capita: $54,770

Israel has an individual income tax rate of 50% and a GDP per capita of $54,770. Israel is placed eighth among the countries with highest income tax rates in the world.

7. Belgium

Individual Income Tax Rate (2023): 50%

GDP Per Capita: $65,810

Belgium is a Western European country and has a GDP per capita of $65,810. Belgium has an individual income tax rate of 50% and ranks among the countries with highest income tax rates in the world.

6. Aruba

Individual Income Tax Rate (2022): 52%

GDP Per Capita: $51,350

Officially known as the Country of Aruba, is a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Aruba has a GDP per capita of $51,350 and an individual income tax rate of 52%. Aruba is ranked sixth among the countries with highest income tax rates in the world.

Click to continue reading and see the 5 Countries with Highest Income Tax Rates in the World.

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Disclosure: None. 20 Countries with Highest Income Tax Rates in the World is originally published on Insider Monkey.
Scott O'Neill / iStock.com

Pennies are everywhere. While most arent worth much more than, well, a penny, there are others worth a lot more.

See: If You Find a Rare Doubled Die Penny, It Could Be Worth $1.14 Million

Do Not Spend This Wheat Penny: How to Spot Them

According to the American Numismatic Association, there are a variety of factors that influence coin value. One of the biggest factors is the mintage number. Some mint marks are rarer (and more valuable) than others, and some come with historical significance that can make them more desirable. Other key factors include variety, the coins popularity or demand, its grade or condition and strike characters or special designations.

Here are some of the most valuable pennies from the 1900s.

1914-S Lincoln Penny

The 1914-S Lincoln penny was issued from the San Francisco Mint. This penny was part of the Lincoln cent series, which began in 1909 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincolns birth. The obverse features a portrait of Lincoln, while the reverse has two wheat ears. A penny in mint condition could be valued at around $3,200.

Auction record: $105,800

1922 No D Lincoln Penny

The 1922 No D Lincoln penny is by far the most valuable of the 1922 cent types. A coin in mint state could be valued at around $6,000, according to Coin Trackers. There is a regular 1922 and weak D type, but the no D is worth five to twenty times more than the regular and weak D

Auction record: $57,500

1924 S Wheat Penny

The 1924-S wheat penny was minted in San Francisco. According to Coin Trackers, the Red (RD) flavors of the coin are worth the most. A coin in average condition is only around $4, but a mint-condition 1924-S wheat penny could be valued at around $12,000.

Auction record: $45,600

1943 Bronze Lincoln Penny

In 1943, the U.S. switched to zinc-coated steel to help save copper during World War II. More than one billion 1943 steel cents were struck, Gainesville Coins reported, but some were accidentally made from bronze planchets. There are only two dozen from Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco, and they sell for around $125,000 and up.

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Auction record: $1.7 million (Denver)

1944-D Lincoln Penny on a Zinc-Coated Steel Planchet

The 1944-D Lincoln penny is also referred to as steel pennies or silver pennies. In 1944, pennies were supposed to transition from steal back to copper. These pennies were mistakenly minted using leftover steel planchets in 1943. Only seven Denver-minted steel pennies are known to exist, according to USA Coin Book, and a coin in average condition is estimated to be worth over $34,800.

Auction record: $115,000

1969-S Lincoln Penny-Doubled Die Obverse

The 1969-S Lincoln penny is one of the most valuable double die varieties ever produced, according to Gainesville Coins. Doubling is seen on the obverse in the inscription and date, but not the S mintmark. Experts believe this issue is worth more than $30,000.

Auction record: $126,500

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 6 Pennies from the 1900s Worth a Lot of Money
Sam Altman studied under Prof Andrew Ng at Stanford - DUSTIN CHAMBERS/BLOOMBERG

A professor who taught Sam Altman, the entrepreneur behind ChatGPT, has warned US tech giants are hyping up fears over artificial intelligence (AI) in order to suffocate potential rivals with regulation.

Andrew Ng, a former Google executive, said AI labs were using concerns around the nascent technology to raise funds so they can fight phantoms that they conjure themselves.

Despite concerns the technology could pose an existential threat to humanity, Mr Ng said some of the fears about AI were overhyped.

The biggest US labs were using these concerns to push for rules that would make it harder for challengers to emerge, he said.

Mr Ng taught Mr Altman when he was studying at Stanford University, before he dropped out in 2005.

After working for various start-ups and a career as a technology investor, Mr Altman went on to found OpenAI in 2015, which a year ago launched ChatGPT.

ChatGPT can generate text in human-like English from simple prompts, with uses such as writing emails or summarising reports.

OpenAI has worked on adding more capabilities to the tool, such as image and audio recognition.

The sudden popularity of these AI tools, and their new abilities, has prompted debate among scientific experts over the dangers of the technology.

Some have warned humans could lose control of powerful AI bots, which could threaten mankinds future.

However, Mr Ng, who helped set up Googles Brain division in 2011 and now leads online learning company Coursera, said: I feel like being fearful that this piece of software which predicts the next word at a time could lead to human extinction is a massive leap that I just struggle to understand.

For some companies there is the incentive to hype up fears and dangers as part of regulatory capture.

Mr Ng said this could lead to strict requirements to new entrants, which would hamper competition and be a tragedy for the industry. Regulatory capture is a standard, well-known, well-understood playbook, that is playing out in AI, he said.

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The UK has been a vocal outlet for concerns of the risks of AI. A paper commissioned by the Government warned that AI systems could seek to reduce human control.

Several advisers have warned over potentially dystopian scenarios that could be triggered by powerful AI bots.

Yoshua Bengio, a key adviser to the Governments AI Safety Institute, was among the signatories of an open letter in May this year which warned the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority.

The UK has so far not launched a major crackdown on AI companies, demurring from introducing new legislation despite calls from MPs for an AI bill.

Mr Ng said many of the concerns over AI were disconnected from his conversations with technology experts in Silicon Valley. He said the vast majority of his peers were not worried about AI safety. It is a strange concept, he said.

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RichVintage / Getty Images

AI Generators are a part of your life. AI is behind the scenes, from the movie recommendations you receive on your streaming services to the clothing suggestions in your retail app and quotes for the best insurance for your needs. AI is what makes it possible for machines to learn from experience, adjust to new inputs and perform human-like tasks, according to SAS. Because of this ability to learn from experience, AI is in use in medicine today to analyze large datasets for indications of cancerous cells or to train medical students. A July 2023 paper in the American Journal of Translational Research stated, The main role [of AI] is to assist physicians to improve their efficiency and accuracy. With AI already in use for research and training in the medical field, will AI generators for diagnosis be far behind? Will AI diagnostics save you money on your medical bills when they arrive?

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Why AI?

AI for diagnosis is attractive because it has the potential to pick up on markers that would otherwise require extensive testing or go unnoticed. In an October 10, 2023, article in The Wall Street Journal, author Vipal Monga addressed the question of AI tools used for the diagnosis of Alzheimers through the use of visual scans. During ophthalmological exams, physicians already use visual scans to assess a persons vision and eye health. Using visual scans to diagnose Alzheimers is a logical next step, incorporating AI to run through the diagnostic criteria, apply it to the scan, and produce a diagnosis.

Alzheimers could be the beginning of a new diagnostic methodology. If AI can detect cancerous cells, using those capabilities and other diagnostic criteria could become a valuable tool for physicians. It could also bring stronger diagnostic capabilities to areas without a full range of medical facilities nearby. If an AI survey were conducted at the start of each appointment, with the questions designed to provide early indications of serious health conditions, AI would be a tremendous use.

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Will It Cost Less?

The cost to develop the AI systems will be high initially, as the systems are perfected. But, in the same way that the cost of personal computers has come down dramatically since their introduction in the late 1980s, the costs of AI systems will come down as methods become standardized. Businessware Technologies estimates the cost of a custom AI system can range from $8000 for the most basic to $1,000,000 for a more complex system. They report, Costs vary depending on the necessary level of intelligence and performance, how much data apps will process, and the recognition accuracy.

AI generators for diagnosis will still require insurance for missed or misdiagnoses, which physicians and laboratories already have in place. There will also be a cost due to a lack of human connection with the AI system. However, especially if the AI is used for screening or confirmation in conjunction with time with a physician, the overall cost would be offset by the number of lives saved.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Will AI Generators Be Able To Diagnose You and Save You Money on Your Medical Bills?
Alison Rose was forced to step down in July after outrage over the closure of Nigel Farage's bank accounts with Coutts - Andrew Lloyd / Alamy Stock Photo

Dame Alison Roses name is to be axed from an official government review into female entrepreneurship over her role in the Nigel Farage debanking scandal.

The former NatWest chiefs surname is to be dropped from the Rose Review, an annual report she has overseen since 2019 into how to boost women in business.

Dame Alison was forced to step down from her role leading the annual review in July in the wake of the scandal over NatWests handling of Mr Farages account. However, the project continued to bear her name.

Business secretary Kemi Badenoch has now decided to rebrand the review and has ordered a pause on all official communications while a new title is drawn up.

Dame Alison is understood to have accepted the decision.

It is understood that the Government is currently considering how best to continue the reviews work and the potential of new leadership. A source stressed the project itself would continue.

Dame Alison was asked by then Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Robert Jenrick to lead the Rose Review in 2018 amid concerns that too few women were starting businesses. The project was meant to identify barriers faced by women and propose solutions to help overcome them.

As well as producing a yearly report, the Rose Review claims to have provided support, training and opportunities for hundreds of thousands of female business owners across Britain.

News of the reviews rebranding was first reported by the Guardian, citing a letter to the board of directors. Kevin Hollinrake, the minister for small business, sits on the Rose Review board and is understood to have been involved in the decision to rebrand the venture.

The renaming of the Rose Review is the latest fallout from the debanking scandal, which led to the resignation of both Dame Alison and the chief executive of Coutts, a NatWest subsidiary.

NatWest was plunged into crisis Coutts told Mr Farage in June that his bank account would be closed.

A BBC report inaccurately claimed the former UKIP leader was being debanked because he fell below the wealth threshold.

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However, internal documents obtained by Mr Farage subsequently showed staff at Coutts had decided his views did not align with its values.

A 40-page dossier, which included minutes from a meeting last November reviewing Mr Farages account, raised concerns that he was xenophobic and racist and questioned whether having him as a client risked damaging the banks reputation.

The BBC subsequently apologised to Mr Farage for its reporting.

Dame Alison stepped down as chief of NatWest in July after admitting she leaked private banking information about Mr Farage to the BBC. Her resignation came after pressure from ministers. Dame Alison has since forfeited 7.6m in pay and benefits over the crisis.

The scandal sparked a major row about cancel culture within financial institutions and led to debanking being listed as one of HarperCollins English Dictionarys words of the year.

Complaints about bank account closures have soared since the scandal. The Financial Ombudsman opened 1,613 new cases related to bank closures in the six months to the end of September - the equivalent of around 268 cases each month.

Regulators have also launched investigations into NatWest and Coutts over the handling of the saga. The City watchdog said earlier this month that Coutts may have breached the rules by failing to give Mr Farage a proper explanation for his account closure.

MPs have launched an inquiry into the problems that small and medium-sized businesses are encountering when trying to access finance.

Harriett Baldwin, chairman of the cross-party Treasury Select Committee, said in November that MPs were concerned about the rise in debanking complaints.

The Department for Business & Trade declined to comment. Dame Alison and NatWest were contacted for comment.

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Understanding the Dividend Profile of a Leading REIT in the Telecommunications Sector

American Tower Corp (NYSE:AMT) recently announced a dividend of $1.7 per share, payable on 2024-02-01, with the ex-dividend date set for 2023-12-27. 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 American Tower Corp's dividend performance and assess its sustainability.

What Does American Tower Corp Do?

Warning! GuruFocus has detected 11 Warning Signs with AMT.

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How to calculate the intrinsic value of a stock?

American Tower owns and operates more than 220,000 cell towers throughout the U.S., Asia, Latin America, Europe, and Africa. It also owns and/or operates 28 data centers in 10 U.S. markets after acquiring CoreSite. On its towers, the company has a very concentrated customer base, with most revenue in each market being generated by just the top few mobile carriers. The company operates more than 40,000 towers in the U.S., which accounted for roughly half of the company's total revenue in 2022. Outside the U.S., American Tower operates over 75,000 towers in India, almost 50,000 towers in Latin America (dominated by Brazil), 30,000 towers in Europe, and nearly 25,000 towers in Africa. American Tower operates as an REIT.

American Tower Corp's Dividend Analysis

A Glimpse at American Tower Corp's Dividend History

American Tower Corp has maintained a consistent dividend payment record since 2011, with dividends currently distributed on a quarterly basis. The company has increased its dividend each year since 2012, earning it the status of a dividend achiever. This honorable designation is reserved for companies that have consistently raised their dividends for at least the past 11 years. Below is a chart illustrating the historical trends of American Tower Corp's annual Dividends Per Share.

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American Tower Corp's Dividend Analysis

Breaking Down American Tower Corp's Dividend Yield and Growth

As of today, American Tower Corp currently has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.93% and a 12-month forward dividend yield of 3.16%. This suggests an expectation of increased dividend payments over the next 12 months. Over the past three years, American Tower Corp's annual dividend growth rate was 15.70%. This rate increased to 17.70% per year over a five-year horizon, and over the past decade, American Tower Corp's annual dividends per share growth rate stands at an impressive 21.00%. Based on American Tower Corp's dividend yield and five-year growth rate, the 5-year yield on cost of American Tower Corp stock as of today is approximately 6.62%.

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 2023-09-30, American Tower Corp's dividend payout ratio is 3.13, which may suggest that the company's dividend may not be sustainable. American Tower Corp's profitability rank, offers an understanding of the company's earnings prowess relative to its peers. GuruFocus ranks American Tower Corp's profitability 8 out of 10 as of 2023-09-30, suggesting good profitability prospects. The company has reported positive net income for each year over the past decade, further solidifying its high profitability.

Growth Metrics: The Future Outlook

American Tower Corp's growth rank of 8 out of 10 suggests that the company's growth trajectory is good relative to its competitors. Its revenue per share, combined with the 3-year revenue growth rate, indicates a strong revenue model. American Tower Corp's revenue has increased by approximately 10.80% per year on average, outperforming approximately 82.74% 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, American Tower Corp's earnings increased by approximately 11.50% per year on average, outperforming approximately 68.67% of global competitors. Lastly, the company's 5-year EBITDA growth rate of 19.60%, outperforms approximately 86.08% of global competitors.

Next Steps

In conclusion, American Tower Corp's consistent dividend payments, robust dividend growth rate, and a moderate payout ratio, combined with strong profitability and growth metrics, present a compelling case for investors looking for sustainable income. While the payout ratio may raise questions about dividend sustainability, the company's overall financial health and growth prospects suggest that it is well-positioned to maintain its dividend achiever status. As value investors, it's crucial to keep an eye on these factors to ensure that dividend income remains reliable in the long term. Will American Tower Corp continue to be a beacon of stability for dividend-seeking investors? Only time will tell, but the current indicators are promising. For those looking to expand their portfolio with high-dividend yield stocks, GuruFocus Premium users can leverage the High Dividend Yield Screener for informed investment decisions.

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.


fizkes / Getty Images/iStockphoto

If you want to get your finances in shape to live your dream life, you might think youll need to make major sacrifices. However, David Bach, author of Automatic Millionaire and The Latte Factor, has a different view. Known for his timeless truths on managing money, he teaches that making small changes and keeping a long-term perspective can help you get rich.

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In a video on his YouTube channel, Bach discussed these three secrets that can guide you toward achieving financial freedom.

Secret No. 1: Pay Yourself First

Bachs philosophy emphasizes prioritizing saving for your financial goals and overpaying for your everyday expenses. In his words, You have to decide that when you earn a paycheck, whether youre self-employed or an employee, the first person youre going to pay is you.

This pay-yourself-first approach means youll put money in your savings and investing accounts before spending anything on housing, debts, taxes and other costs. Bach recommends saving an hours earnings daily  much more than the 15 minutes Americans save on average.

He also advises using a tax-deferred account, such as an IRA or 401(k), for your retirement savings. You can then use options like high-yield savings accounts for your other savings goals. For example, you may want separate savings funds for a big vacation and your childrens college.

Secret No. 2: Dont Pay Yourself First by Budgeting

If youve tried sticking to a traditional budget, you may have given up due to frustration or all the effort into using one. Acknowledging the challenges of budgeting and the roadblocks it creates to achieving financial freedom, Bach offered some unconventional advice: Youve got to throw the budget out.

Instead of trying to follow a budget and having some money left over for your goals, keep the concept of paying yourself first in mind. Bach suggests automating your investing and savings by periodically transferring money from your pay. That way, theres no doubt whether youll put aside money.

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To make this work more seamlessly, use direct deposit for all income. Keeping the daily savings goal in mind, you can then set up recurring deposits to your savings and investment accounts.

Secret No. 3: Live Rich Now

Making financial changes to achieve financial freedom shouldnt mean completely sacrificing a joyful life now. Bach explained, I dont want you to wait until retirement to live rich.

He suggests looking at what matters in your life and using your savings plan to get you where you want to be as soon as possible. For example, maybe youre considering escaping debt or making a major investment. Along the way, youll want to make careful spending decisions and find ways to cut back. However, this doesnt have to mean extreme sacrifice.

Check Out: 6 Ways To Build Wealth Slowly but Efficiently

Additionally, Bach reminds you about some non-financial steps to live a richer life. These can include spending time in nature, helping others and keeping yourself in good physical health. The key is taking some time to enjoy life.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Automatic Millionaire Author David Bach Shares His 3 Secrets to Financial Freedom
SolStock / Getty Images

The Oxford English Dictionary defines jargon as special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand. Studies show that when you use jargon to try to sound smarter, it has the opposite effect.

Discover: ChatGPT Suggests 10 Business Ideas That Will Make You $1 Million

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A 2022 survey from Enreach revealed that 90% of people believe people use business jargon to cover up the fact they had no idea what they were talking about. And 21% of those surveyed said they would run a mile if they heard business jargon at a job interview.

Im a Financial Advisor: Heres the No. 1 Piece of Advice I Would Give My Younger Self

If you are going to take one tip for business (and social) success into the new year, make it this one: Avoid jargon.

Why Warren Buffett Avoids Jargon

Billionaire Warren Buffett makes a point to deliver his annual shareholder letter using language he would use if he were talking to his sisters, Doris and Bertie.

Far from being an insult to his sisters intelligence, its an acknowledgement that they are not steeped in the business world and wouldnt understand a letter filled with jargon. Berkshire is pretty much their whole investment, he told CNBC in a Squawk Box interview.

Because they arent active in business, the only time they might hear about the company is from Buffetts shareholder letter. I pretend that theyve been away for a year and Im reporting to them on their investment, he told CNBC.

Elon Musk Banned Jargon at Tesla

Elon Musk would be the type to disregard a job candidate if they used jargon or overly complicated language, based on a letter he wrote to Tesla employees in 2018.

In the letter, reported by CNBC, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX wrote, Dont use acronyms or nonsense words for objects, software or processes at Tesla. In general, anything that requires an explanation inhibits communication. We dont want people to have to memorize a glossary just to function at Tesla.

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Mark Cubans Least Favorite Word

Shark Tanks Mark Cuban agreed with his fellow billionaires avoidance of jargon. Always use the simpler word, he said in a video by Wired in which he answered business questions from the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

Based on the interview, Cuban specifically detests jargon that falls into the category of buzzwords. For example, he told Wired, Theres no reason to ever use the word cohort when you could use the word group. A cohort is a group of people. Say group. You sound stupid when you use the word cohort because youre trying to sound smart.

The Most Annoying Buzzwords of 2023

As we round out the year, what are the most annoying buzzwords to avoid moving into 2024?

Inc. explored the most hated words of the year by polling its X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn followers. If you want to sound smarter in 2024, you may want to avoid these buzzwords.

I hear you Lets parking lot this See if the juice is worth the squeeze Lets circle back Synergy

After all, you probably wont hear Elon Musk saying Lets circle back unless hes talking about putting Starship back on the launch pad for another test.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Billionaires Cuban, Musk and Buffett Thrive on This Simple Advice  and You Can, Too
Bonita Smith may be the mother of one of the most popular rap artists today, but she has also been forging her own lane as an entrepreneur.

Smith, who gave the world Tyler, The Creator, owns health and wellness spa Inside Out Restorative in Woodland Hills, CA.

Interest In The Holistic Field

Smiths mother, who battled with leukemia, led to her interest in learning about the holistic field and establishing a career, according to the Los Angeles Sentinel.

I knew I wanted to learn about holistic ways as opposed to Western medicine, and I understood the chemo and radiation, which is very harsh, I wanted to move over to the holistic role and learn more about it, Smith told the Los Angeles Sentinel.

She added, Unfortunately, I wasnt able to save her because she passed away before learning and taking on this field and opening the spa.

Experience

VoyageLA shared Smith would study diverse approaches to treat diseases and medical conditions. This path allowed her to receive a certification as a colon therapist and membership into the national board of colon hydrotherapists. She also has several years of experience as a surgical technician, and she is skilled in infectious control & UltraSound (Anatomy).

Smiths academic background includes a bachelors degree in social work and an associates degree in interdisciplinary studies.

Driven by her expertise and desire to educate, Smith founded Inside Out Restorative in 2019, emphasizing the significance of making healing services more accessible, especially for the Black community.

A lot of us just arent fully into this vein, and we are not educated about holistic wellness, Smith explained to the Los Angeles Sentinel.

She added, While I was going to school [for wellness training] I was the only African American in that course. I was like Wow, I can really help and benefit our community.

Challenges

Smith nearly reached a standstill due to the wake of COVID-19, which caused her spa to shut down after the grand opening. However, she followed the calling in her heart and prevailed through initial financial hardships.

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Even with COVID-19 showing up almost immediately after the grand opening of Inside Out Restorative Spa and our mandate to shut the doors. This created an immediate challenge as it relates to finances. However, there was a demand inside of my soul, not to give up and to remain relevant, while safeguarding my staff and to shift and move with these challenging times and changes in not just my region but the entire country, she expressed to Vogaye LA.

Services

According to the companys website, the spa offers colon hydrotherapy, lymphatic drainage, yoni steaming, and more.

Our prices are very fair, and theyre not astronomical, Smith said to the Los Angeles Sentinel. I believe in helping the community and helping us with affordable services.

Additionally, the team is compromised of health specialists who are certified by the International Association for Colon Hydrotherapy (I-ACT), Smith said.

The Inside Out Restorative Spa team is comprised of qualified health specialists ready to put their energy and skills towards helping you reach your goals. Everyone at our center believes in establishing an energy balance and flow in the chakras and energetic field of the body. Our team is curated from the best possible wellness therapists in the world. All of our staff is I-ACT certified and trained to the highest standard, Smith said to VoyageLA.
By Bhanvi Satija

(Reuters) -Bristol Myers Squibb said on Tuesday it would buy RayzeBio for about $4.1 billion to bolster its cancer drug business, marking the second multi-billion dollar deal struck by the drugmaker in less than a week.

Bristol Myers had announced a $14 billion buyout of schizophrenia drug developer Karuna Therapeutics on Friday, nearly two months after newly-appointed CEO Chris Boerner officially took the helm at the drugmaker.

Recent deals show Bristol's urgency to bring in more products, said William Blair analyst Matt Phipps, as some of the drugmaker's older therapies are set to face a loss of patent protection later this decade.

With the RayzeBio deal, Bristol gains a late-stage targeted radiopharma therapy, RYZ101, that acts like a 'canon ball' to kill cancer cells by delivering radioactive particles to the tumorous tissue or tumor-associated cells.

Bristol also gains access to RayzeBio's manufacturing site in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Bristol will pay $62.50 for each share of RayzeBio in cash, representing a premium of 104% to the stock's last close.

RayzeBio shares, which had risen 27% since their market debut in September, more than doubled to $61.40 in early trading. Shares of Bristol were down 1.5%.

"There's still a lot of...firepower in the large pharma balance sheets and companies that have drugs that are going to lose exclusivity," said Phipps, referring to a spree of acquisitions in the biotech sector in recent weeks.

AbbVie has struck two multi-billion dollar deals since November, while AstraZeneca on Tuesday said it will buy China's Gracell Biotechnologies for up to $1.2 billion.

In October, Bristol announced an up to $5.8 billion deal to buy cancer drugmaker Mirati Therapeutics, while Eli Lilly had said it will buy radiopharmaceutical firm Point Biopharma for $1.4 billion.

(Reporting by Bhanvi Satija in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)
Key Insights

Significantly high institutional ownership implies British Land's stock price is sensitive to their trading actions

51% of the business is held by the top 14 shareholders

Insiders have bought recently

To get a sense of who is truly in control of British Land Company PLC (LON:BLND), 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 86% ownership. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

Since institutional have access to huge amounts of capital, their market moves tend to receive a lot of scrutiny by retail or individual investors. Therefore, a good portion of institutional money invested in the company is usually a huge vote of confidence on its future.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of British Land.

Check out our latest analysis for British Land

LSE:BLND Ownership Breakdown December 26th 2023

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About British Land?

Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index.

British Land already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of British Land, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

LSE:BLND Earnings and Revenue Growth December 26th 2023

Since institutional investors own more than half the issued stock, the board will likely have to pay attention to their preferences. We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in British Land. BlackRock, Inc. is currently the largest shareholder, with 9.3% of shares outstanding. Norges Bank Investment Management is the second largest shareholder owning 6.2% of common stock, and Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP holds about 5.3% of the company stock.

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Looking at the shareholder registry, we can see that 51% of the ownership is controlled by the top 14 shareholders, meaning that no single shareholder has a majority interest in the ownership.

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 a reasonable number of analysts covering the stock, so it might be useful to find out their aggregate view on the future.

Insider Ownership Of British Land

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.

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 information suggests that British Land Company PLC insiders own under 1% of the company. But they may have an indirect interest through a corporate structure that we haven't picked up on. It is a pretty big company, so it would be possible for board members to own a meaningful interest in the company, without owning much of a proportional interest. In this case, they own around UK3.3m worth of shares (at current prices). 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 12% stake in British Land. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.

Next Steps:

I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Like risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for British Land (of which 1 is significant!) you should know about.

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.
Assessing the Sustainability and Growth of CME Group Inc's Dividends

CME Group Inc (NASDAQ:CME) recently announced a dividend of $5.25 per share, payable on 2024-01-18, with the ex-dividend date set for 2023-12-27. 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 CME Group Inc's dividend performance and assess its sustainability.

What Does CME Group Inc Do?

Warning! GuruFocus has detected 8 Warning Signs with CME.

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Based in Chicago, CME Group operates exchanges giving investors, suppliers, and businesses the ability to trade futures and derivatives based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign currencies, energy, metals, and commodities. The CME was founded in 1898 and in 2002 completed its initial public offering. Since then, CME Group has consolidated parts of the industry by merging with crosstown rival, CBOT Holdings in 2007 before acquiring Nymex Holdings in 2008 and NEX in 2018. In addition, the company has a 27% stake in S&P Dow Jones Indices, making the Chicago Mercantile Exchange the exclusive venue to trade and clear S&P futures contracts. Through CME's acquisition of NEX in 2018 it has also expanded into cash foreign exchange, fixed income trading, and collateral optimization.

CME Group Inc's Dividend Analysis

A Glimpse at CME Group Inc's Dividend History

CME Group Inc has maintained a consistent dividend payment record since 2003, distributing dividends on a quarterly basis. Below is a chart showing annual Dividends Per Share for tracking historical trends.

Breaking Down CME Group Inc's Dividend Yield and Growth

As of today, CME Group Inc currently has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.05% and a 12-month forward dividend yield of 4.50%. This suggests an expectation of increased dividend payments over the next 12 months. However, CME Group Inc's dividend yield of 2.05% is near a 10-year low and underperforms 54.6% of global competitors in the Capital Markets industry, suggesting that the company's dividend yield may not be a compelling proposition for income investors.

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Over the past three years, CME Group Inc's annual dividend growth rate was 15.60%. Extended to a five-year horizon, this rate decreased to 8.70% per year. And over the past decade, CME Group Inc's annual dividends per share growth rate stands at an impressive 10.30%.

Based on CME Group Inc's dividend yield and five-year growth rate, the 5-year yield on cost of CME Group Inc stock as of today is approximately 3.11%.

CME Group Inc'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 2023-09-30, CME Group Inc's dividend payout ratio is 1.05, which may suggest that the company's dividend may not be sustainable.

CME Group Inc's profitability rank, offers an understanding of the company's earnings prowess relative to its peers. GuruFocus ranks CME Group Inc's profitability 9 out of 10 as of 2023-09-30, suggesting good profitability prospects. The company has reported positive net income for each of year over the past decade, further solidifying its high profitability.

Growth Metrics: The Future Outlook

To ensure the sustainability of dividends, a company must have robust growth metrics. CME Group Inc's growth rank of 9 out of 10 suggests that the company's growth trajectory is good relative to its competitors. However, CME Group Inc's revenue has increased by approximately 0.90% per year on average, a rate that underperforms approximately 64.84% of global competitors. Additionally, the company's 3-year EPS growth rate decreased by approximately -15.90% per year on average, and its 5-year EBITDA growth rate of -14.50%, which underperforms approximately 92.41% of global competitors, may raise concerns about the company's future earnings potential.

Next Steps

In conclusion, while CME Group Inc offers a history of consistent dividend payments and a promising dividend growth rate, the company's current yield is relatively low compared to industry peers. Furthermore, the payout ratio and recent growth metrics present a mixed picture, suggesting that while the dividend may be sustainable in the short term, the long-term outlook could be more challenging. Investors should consider these factors in conjunction with CME Group Inc's strong profitability rank and growth rank when evaluating the stock for their income portfolios. For more in-depth analysis and to find other dividend-paying stocks, GuruFocus Premium users can utilize 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.


Cuvex, the first device created exclusively to increase the security of sovereign self-custody.

Tallin, Estonia, Dec. 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cuvex is born, the first device created exclusively to increase the security of sovereign self-custody. Being able to safeguard private keys, seed phrases or any secret in a completely decentralized manner. Providing people with freedom, autonomy and security, being the sovereign custodians of their valuable data.



Without your seeds you do not own your Cryptos, this is something tremendously widespread in the sector, owners have to deal with self-custody, a situation that has not generated great tranquillity, storing a seed phrase in a paper, memorizing sometimes more than 12 words or carving it in steel has never created enough trust. Documents can be lost, stolen or damaged.

In response to these challenges, Cuvex addresses these difficulties, with the goal of increasing security to the maximum that technology allows today, empowering people as sovereign custodians of their valuable data. Obsolete are the times when storage techniques were susceptible to vulnerability. The client will be freed from the burden of memorization or the worry of storing their seed phrase, private key or secret in plain text. Instead, these sensitive items will be encrypted, securely stored on an NFC card, safeguarded by a robust and highly advanced solution that adheres to rigorously tested and robust security standards. This ensures that customers become the sole guardians of their keys from any wallet such as MetaMask, Trezor or Ledger.

Cuvex is a cold encryption device without an internet connection with which anyone without any technical knowledge can store their seed phrase, their private keys or any text data in a cryptogram, created with the most powerful algorithm of today AES 256. It uses a masterfully simple technology, extensively tested by governments, institutions and militaries to create maximum protection through a device that anyone can use without specific technical knowledge in a simple way.

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With a Cuvex device, people can create a single-signature or multi-signature password of up to 6 passwords, so that the encryption created by the device has the highest security required. Once the cryptogram is created with the passwords generated by the client, it is stored on an NFC card, a low-cost storage method used in multiple industries, which allows the creation of the necessary redundancy optimizing costs. Cuvex has verifiable, visible and editable source code, which guarantees total transparency and trust. Cuvex code can be compiled by yourself.

In a statement from the CTO, Christian Pinzon. He emphasizes Cuvex's methodology for improving security measures in the cryptocurrency space, stating, "In a strategic move towards improving the user experience, we empower our customers to engrave their cryptogram on NFC cards, either with Cuvex's design or fully customized designs. Customers can clone copies of their cryptogram at the lowest cost available on the market today, guaranteeing a card lifetime of up to 10 years."

As a gesture of appreciation to early customers, Cuvex announces a limited-time offer with free shipping at the start of sales scheduled for December 27th 2023. Therefore, interested people can take this opportunity to be among the first to try it out.

About Cuvex

Cuvex is a pioneering project dedicated to revolutionizing data storage. It is a device for cold encryption without an internet connection and is supplied with maximum protection. The company provides clients with freedom, autonomy and security in the storage of valuable information. With a commitment to decentralized sovereignty and cutting-edge security, Cuvex is reshaping the security landscape.

Contact

SOURCE - CUVEX

Christian Pinzon, Cuvex CTO

+34607562701

Maria del Mar Zea, Cuvex Product Owner & Marketing Advisor.

+34674811016

team@cuvex.io



Disclaimer: Investors/interested parties must do their own research before making an investment or purchase decision. Cuvex, its represented products, the financial value or potential growth of the digital tokens are not endorsed nor guaranteed by the distribution company or any of its partners. Press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, tax or any other type of advice. Neither the distribution company nor its partners are responsible for any potential losses incurred. All must contact the source company directly for further information




China releases plan to promote common prosperity through digital economy

Xinhua) 08:07, December 26, 2023

BEIJING, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- China has released an implementation plan on facilitating common prosperity through a greater and better digital economy, sources with the national data bureau said on Monday.

The plan, jointly released by the bureau and the National Development and Reform Commission, aims to facilitate an in-depth integration of digital technologies and the real economy and solve the problem of unbalanced and inadequate development through digital means.

By 2025, positive progress shall be made in closing the gaps between regions, urban and rural areas, different population groups as well as in basic public services through the development of digital economy.

By 2030, substantial progress will be achieved in promoting common prosperity through the digital economy, with a set of innovative practices on the collaboration between eastern and western regions ready to be replicated and promoted nationwide.

The plan has made arrangements on four key aspects, namely promoting coordinated regional development through digital economy, advancing digital development in the rural, enhancing digital competence of the public for better employment, and facilitating the inclusive supply of social services through digital means.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
DENZA D9 at the Bangkok International Motor Show (Photo: Business Wire)

SHENZHEN, China, December 26, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As a luxury new energy brand co-created by BYD, a leader in new energy vehicles, and Mercedes-Benz, the inventor of the gasoline car, DENZA has globalization in its DNA. Not only are all its products designed for a global audience, but it also aspires to be a leading global new energy luxury car brand. Guided by a global strategy, DENZA actively embraces and implements the "Belt and Road" initiative, building a global brand image, honing its internal strengths, and achieving remarkable success both domestically and internationally.

2023 marks DENZA's inaugural year on the international stage, with significant appearances at top global auto shows, such as the Bangkok International Motor Show in March, visited by former Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha; the Munich International Motor Show in September, where its European debut was widely acclaimed; the Japan Mobility Show in October, where it stood out as the sole Chinese luxury car brand and secured its first international order; the Thailand International Motor Expo in November, where the DENZA N7 continued its international journey following the DENZA D9; and the Hong Kong International Auto Show in December, where the DENZA D9 made its debut and opened for pre-orders. With a steady and orderly international expansion, DENZA has not only won the hearts of global media and customers but has also laid a solid foundation for becoming a leading international high-end brand, poised to be the "business card" of Chinese new energy luxury cars, redefining China's automotive industry and introducing DENZA to a global audience.

Beyond its international success, DENZA has also achieved remarkable results in the domestic market. Its first MPV, the DENZA D9, with its luxurious features in design, comfort, intelligence, control, and safety, and its suitability for both family and business use, became the fastest Chinese new energy luxury model to deliver 100,000 units in just 11 months, setting a new industry record. As of early December 2023, the DENZA D9 has been the top-selling luxury MPV over RMB 300,000 for 11 consecutive months and is expected to be the annual sales champion for MPVs in 2023.

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Notably, the DENZA D9 excels in both sales volume and pricing, boasting an average selling price exceeding RMB 420,000, making it the highest-priced model among Chinese automotive brands. Additionally, it holds the top position in resale value within the new energy MPV segment after one year, setting a new standard in the luxury MPV market. Beyond its popularity among mainstream families, the DENZA D9 is the vehicle of choice for many modern elites, including national actress Hai Qing, famous TV host Yang Lan, and prominent entrepreneur Cao Hui, all embracing this new luxury.

As a pioneer combining BYD's leading new energy technology and Mercedes-Benz's luxury manufacturing heritage, each step in DENZA's global journey not only opens infinite possibilities for the brand but also showcases the charm and strength of Chinese new energy luxury car brands. In the future, DENZA will continue to accelerate its global development, enrich its luxury product lineup, and create an unparalleled luxury travel experience for global users, further supporting China's journey towards becoming an automotive powerhouse.

About DENZA

In 2010, DENZA, a luxury new energy car brand, was jointly established in Shenzhen by BYD, a leader in new energy vehicles, and Mercedes-Benz, the inventor of the gasoline car. It was the first brand dedicated to the new energy luxury car market. Over the past thirteen years, DENZA has gone through three phases: initiation, accumulation, and innovation. Meanwhile, the Chinese market has witnessed a wave of technological revolution in new energy vehicles, rapidly changing peoples understanding of cars and significantly transforming the luxury car market with the development of new energy. On May 16, 2022, DENZA underwent a brand renewal, embodying three distinct attributes and three leading advantages from the outset. We possess an independent brand, products, and team, and have three core competitive advantages in our products and services. First is the leading new energy and intelligent technology endowed by the BYD Group; second is the leading luxury product quality resulting from thirteen years of joint development with Mercedes-Benz; third is the soft power that DENZA has built to meet the current and future needs of new energy vehicle users  a leading user ecosystem service system. In the future, we aim to create a new luxury and comprehensive travel experience for our users and build a more valuable smart and safe new luxury car brand.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231225949027/en/

Contacts

Asia-Pacific: Liya Huang, pr@byd.com tel: +86-755-8988-8888-69666

Europe: Penny Peng, PressEU@byd.com tel: +31-102070888

North America: Frank Girardot, frank.girardot@byd.com tel: +1 213 245 6503

Latin America: Jose Miranda, jose.miranda@byd.com tel: +56 9 96443906

Brazil: Pablo Toledo, pablo.toledo@byd.com tel: +19 3514 2554

Middle East and Africa: Nikki Li, meapr1@byd.com tel: +86-755-8988-8888-62319
Home improvements product retailer Lowes Cos. Inc. (NYSE:LOW) stock closed at $225.59 at the end of trading hours on Dec. 15. The stock price is close to its 52-week high price of $237.205. The 52-week low price for the stock was $181.85.

The company filed its Form 10-Q on Nov. 29 for the quarter from Aug. 4 to Nov. 3 on Nov. 3. According to the cash flow statement, dividend expenses for the quarter were $633 million. The cumulative dividend expense for the first three quarters of 2023 was $1.899 billion. According to consolidated statements of shareholders' deficit, the cash dividend per share per share for the three quarters was $3.25. For the same period in 2022, the cash dividend was $2.90 per share.

Based on the cash dividend of $3.25 per share for the first three quarters, the annualized dividend is approximately $4.33. Considering the stock price on Dec. 15, Lowe's Cos.'s dividend yield is 1.92%

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How Can You Earn $1,000 Per Month As A Lowe's Cos. Investor?

If your earnings target is $1,000 per month  $12,000 annually  from Lowe's dividends, you need to invest close to $625,000, which is 2,771 shares at $225.59 each. If you choose an earnings target of $200 per month, your investment value decreases to $125,000 or 554 shares.

Calculating an estimated value of investments with the help of dividend yields: To determine your estimated investment value, you will need two key parameters. The first is your annual earnings target  $12,000 or $2,400  and the second is the dividend yield of a stock, which is 1.92% for Lowe's. So, $12,000 / 0.0192 = $625,000 for generating earnings of $1,000 per month, and $2,400 / 0.0192 = $125,000 for $200 per month.

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To calculate the dividend yield of a stock, divide its annual dividend payments by the current price of the stock. The dividend yield of a stock tends to change on a rolling basis. This is because of the fluctuations in the market price of the stock as well as the company's dividend policies over time.

These calculations have not considered the appreciation of a stock. If those are not factored into the capital appreciation, the dividend value and its yield are positively correlated.

For instance, assume a stock that pays $2 as an annual dividend is priced at $50. Its dividend yield would be $2 / $50 = 4%. If the stock price rises to $60, the dividend yield drops to 3.33% ($2 / $60). A drop in stock price to $40 will have an inverse effect and increase the dividend yield to 5% ($2 / $40).

Disclaimer: This calculation is according to the price per share on Dec. 15 using an annualized dividend. The price of Lowe's Co. stock at the end of the extended trading hours of Dec 20 was $222.03

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This article How To Earn $1,000 Per Month From Lowe's Cos. Stock originally appeared on Benzinga.com

 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Singapore, Singapore--(Newsfile Corp. - December 26, 2023) - Eclipse Fi ("Eclipse"), a modular multi-chain launch protocol built on Cosmos and integrating with leading Layer-2 protocols, has announced the closing of its $1.9 million raise and successful TGE conducted on December 22 which sold out in seconds.





Revolutionizing Web3 Launches: Eclipse Fi to Establish Decentralized Hub on Cosmos and Prominent Layer 2 Chains



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8556/192372_d195d7ce5487da4a_001full.jpg

The fundraise was representative of the ethos of Eclipse, creating a fair cap table with a diverse group of leading Web3 VCs, angel investors, and influencers. Participants include Big Brain Holdings, Rarestone Capital, Momentum 6, NxGen, Crypto Banter, Cogitent Ventures, Token Metrics, Kyros Ventures, Faculty Group, Master Ventures, Ivan on Tech, Brian D Evans, Danish Chaundry, Gainzy and more.

The news followed a successful year of business development for Eclipse that included over 35 secured partnerships and collaborations, a strong pipeline of projects for the inaugural launchpad lineup, an extensive KOL network, 200,000 testnet participants, and over 250,000 community members across social media platform.

Eclipse is unique from other launchpads in that it is looking to solve the cross-chain user experience and sustainability issues that plague most launchpads. This will be done using innovative features such as Smart Accounts and a cross-chain architecture that simplifies the whole use journey. Eclipse is also committed to deep ecosystem building and has selected to focus on the Cosmos ecosystem with a home base on Neutron blockchain, as well as emerging Layer-2s like Mantle, Linea and Base. These ecosystems hold immense potential for robust foundations and collaborative ecosystem growth.

Eclipse Founder, Simon Chadwick, says, "We have spent nearly two years developing a token launch model that is sustainable and focuses first and foremost on community. Eclipse removes many of the hurdles seen in most launchpads, while providing the incentives across stakeholders to remain active participants in both our internal community and each respective project's communities. In summary, we are offering the simplicity of Web2 for the future of all Web3 token launches - an experience we coined 'onboard your grandma'."

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Other features of the platform include the first application of fully decentralized privacy-preserving zk-KYC, a modular toolkit for customizable community-aligned launch, on and off-chain reputation scoring, and a comprehensive due diligence process for prospective launchpad projects.

Eclipse's native token $ECLIP had its TGE on December 22 after rapidly selling out in IDOs on EnjinStarter, Neutron, Impossible Finance, SpartaDex, and GameFi. The token launch included listings on Astroport, the leading DEX on Cosmos, Neutron, Arbitrum on Camelot DEX, and Gate.io. Token holders will be able to stake their $ECLIP tokens immediately following the launch, ensuring they are provided a chance to participate in upcoming token launches on the platform.

You can learn more about Eclipse on the company's official social media channels:

Website: https://eclipsefi.io/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Eclipsefi

Telegram: https://t.me/EclipseFi

Discord: https://discord.gg/ybDkvQ2Qp5

Media Contact: Simon Chadwick, simon.c@eclipsepad.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/192372
For beginners, it can seem like a good idea (and an exciting prospect) to buy a company that tells a good story to investors, even if it currently lacks a track record of revenue and profit. But as Peter Lynch said in One Up On Wall Street, 'Long shots almost never pay off.' A loss-making company is yet to prove itself with profit, and eventually the inflow of external capital may dry up.

So if this idea of high risk and high reward doesn't suit, you might be more interested in profitable, growing companies, like 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad (KLSE:SEM). Even if this company is fairly valued by the market, investors would agree that generating consistent profits will continue to provide 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad with the means to add long-term value to shareholders.

See our latest analysis for 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad

How Fast Is 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad Growing?

The market is a voting machine in the short term, but a weighing machine in the long term, so you'd expect share price to follow earnings per share (EPS) outcomes eventually. Therefore, there are plenty of investors who like to buy shares in companies that are growing EPS. It certainly is nice to see that 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad has managed to grow EPS by 28% per year over three years. If growth like this continues on into the future, then shareholders will have plenty to smile about.

It's often helpful to take a look at earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margins, as well as revenue growth, to get another take on the quality of the company's growth. While 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad did well to grow revenue over the last year, EBIT margins were dampened at the same time. So it seems the future may hold further growth, especially if EBIT margins can remain steady.

The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. Click on the chart to see the exact numbers.

KLSE:SEM Earnings and Revenue History December 26th 2023

The trick, as an investor, is to find companies that are going to perform well in the future, not just in the past. While crystal balls don't exist, you can check our visualization of consensus analyst forecasts for 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad's future EPS 100% free.

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Are 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

It should give investors a sense of security owning shares in a company if insiders also own shares, creating a close alignment their interests. So it is good to see that 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad insiders have a significant amount of capital invested in the stock. We note that their impressive stake in the company is worth RM702m. Coming in at 32% of the business, that holding gives insiders a lot of influence, and plenty of reason to generate value for shareholders. So there is opportunity here to invest in a company whose management have tangible incentives to deliver.

Should You Add 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad To Your Watchlist?

You can't deny that 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad has grown its earnings per share at a very impressive rate. That's attractive. This EPS growth rate is something the company should be proud of, and so it's no surprise that insiders are holding on to a considerable chunk of shares. The growth and insider confidence is looked upon well and so it's worthwhile to investigate further with a view to discern the stock's true value. We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 2 warning signs for 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) that you need to be mindful of.

Although 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad certainly looks good, it may appeal to more investors if insiders were buying up shares. If you like to see companies with insider buying, then check out this handpicked selection of Malaysian companies that not only boast of strong growth but have also seen recent insider buying..

Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction.

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.
With the Fed adopting a dovish stance and increasing estimates of a 75-basis point rate cut in 2024, investors are exhibiting bullish sentiments. The optimistic investor outlook is evident from the 12.16% surge in the S&P 500 Index from the start of November till Dec 21. However, even with a promising future, the economy faces some headwinds.

The possibility of a mild recession in early 2024, along with rising fears of an economic slowdown and significant debt levels cast a pall over the economys outlook.

Early 2024 Recession Estimates

Amid conflicting market projections regarding a potential 2024 recession, the economy remains under pressure due to the compounding effects of prior financial tightening. Given the market's strong reliance on investor sentiment, even the slightest suggestion of a recession could trigger a significant downturn in stock prices.

Deutsche Bank forecasts a modest U.S. recession in the initial half of 2024, according to Reuters. According to JP Morgan, the likelihood of a recession persists, with its projection of the S&P concluding the year at 4,200. Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs estimates a remote likelihood of a recession.

While market projections suggest the potential for an economic downturn in the first half of 2024, there's an expectation of economic growth toward the latter part of the following year.

Mounting Household Debt

Over the course of this year, there has been a notable escalation in household debt within the markets. According to Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the cumulative household debt surged to $17.29 trillion, driven by surge in mortgage, credit card, and student loan balances, reaching $12.14 trillion, $1.08 trillion, and $1.6 trillion, respectively. Additionally, auto loan balances rose to $1.6 trillion.

Rising levels of debt increases the probability of consumer defaults, resulting in consumer spending taking a hit. With increasing estimates of a government slowdown, reduced consumer spending can cause further headwinds for the economy.

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Sluggish Consumer Demand to Fuel a Slowdown

According to Reuters, both companies and investors continue to make preparations for an anticipated slowdown driven by muted consumer demand. Per Deutsche Bank, as quoted on the Reuters article, based on insights gathered in November from 150 earnings calls during the third-quarter reporting season, companies generally described demand as moderately weak.

Walmarts WMT statement in early December indicates that the retailer observed a shift in consumer behaviour, turning more careful. According to Reuters, in its most recent earnings transcript, discount chain Dollar General DG reported a decrease in gross profit and foresees potential constraints in customer spending in 2024, especially in discretionary space.

Additionally, surveys by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) indicate moderating consumer spending.

ETFs in Focus

Below, we highlight a few ETFs areas that investors could use to navigate the uncertain environment in a better way to protect themselves from the potential headwinds in the economy.

Investors can increase their exposure to these funds to safeguard their portfolios amid expected increase in market volatility.

Quality ETFs

Amid market uncertainty, quality investing emerges as a strategic response as a potential buffer against the potential headwinds. This approach prioritizes identifying firms with robust fundamentals, consistent earnings and lasting competitive strengths. Investing in such high-quality companies can mitigate volatility for investors.

Investors can look at funds like iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF QUAL, Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF SPHQ, JPMorgan U.S. Quality Factor ETF JQUA and SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF QUS (See: High-Quality ETFs for Long-Term Investors).

Consumer Staples ETFs

The potential slowdown in the economy could benefit consumer staple stocks, as these companies manufacture everyday necessities such as food, beverages and household items. Additionally, surging household debt levels could burn a significant hole in consumers pockets and prove to be a positive factor for these funds.

Funds like Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund XLP, Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF VDC, iShares U.S. Consumer Staples ETF IYK and Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Consumer Staples ETF RSPS can be beneficial.

Healthcare ETFs

The healthcare sector is non-cyclical nature, providing a defensive tilt to the portfolio amid market turmoil. Further, the long-term fundamentals remain strong, given encouraging industry trends.

Investors can look at funds like Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund XLV, Vanguard Health Care ETF VHT, iShares Global Healthcare ETF IXJ and iShares U.S. Healthcare ETF IYH.

Utility ETFs

Being a low-beta sector, utility is relatively protected from large swings (ups and downs) in the stock market and is thus, considered a defensive investment or a safe haven amid economic turmoil.

Investors should gain from funds like Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund XLU, Vanguard Utilities ETF VPU, Fidelity MSCI Utilities Index ETF FUTY and iShares U.S. Utilities ETF IDU.

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Walmart Inc. (WMT) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Dollar General Corporation (DG) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP): ETF Research Reports

Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV): ETF Research Reports

iShares U.S. Healthcare ETF (IYH): ETF Research Reports

Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT): ETF Research Reports

Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU): ETF Research Reports

Vanguard Utilities ETF (VPU): ETF Research Reports

iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (QUAL): ETF Research Reports

Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF (SPHQ): ETF Research Reports

Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC): ETF Research Reports

iShares U.S. Consumer Staples ETF (IYK): ETF Research Reports

Fidelity MSCI Utilities Index ETF (FUTY): ETF Research Reports

iShares U.S. Utilities ETF (IDU): ETF Research Reports

SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF (QUS): ETF Research Reports

iShares Global Healthcare ETF (IXJ): ETF Research Reports

JPMorgan U.S. Quality Factor ETF (JQUA): ETF Research Reports

Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Consumer Staples ETF (RSPS): ETF Research Reports

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Zacks Investment Research
Warmer temperatures make the south-east of England capable of producing wines to rival French regions - John Nguyen/PA Wire

Farmers are swapping crops for vines to cash in on the English wine boom as it becomes a more promising proposition than growing food.

An increasing number of farmers are either selling up completely or leasing their land to English winemakers amid record grape harvests in the UK.

Andrew Carter, chief executive of English winemaker Chapel Down, said: Viticulture is the fastest-growing agricultural sector.

So for farmers and generations of farmers that are owning land for arable or fruit, there is a far more profitable model to move to vines if they have the right characteristics, terroir or altitude.

Tamara Roberts, chief executive of Ridgeview, a winemaker based in East Sussex, added: With there being very high demand for vineyards currently the pricing on land suitable for viticulture  leasing and purchase  is currently way above the returns from farming or other alternative uses.

It comes amid strained relations between supermarkets and farmers over alleged unfair payment practices. In addition, farmers are facing soaring costs and concerns about the transition from EU payments to new green subsidies, forcing many to leave the sector altogether.

While some are selling up, others are converting their land to vineyards and starting their own English wine brands.

Some farmers have been selling up, while others have converted their land to vineyards and started their own wine brands - Chris Gorman/Big Ladder

The reality is we have to keep diversifying, said Hannah Buisman, who has overseen the planting of 15-acres of vines at her family farm in Hertfordshire, Lokkelebery Vineyard.

How do you make ends meet when youre in a changing climate and we perhaps dont have joined up policies yet? she added. We are effectively having to mitigate all of that risk ourselves. The reality is you get people packing up or looking for other options.

A lot of people forget that farmers are price takers, not price makers. Not only is it incredibly volatile due to the climate, but weve obviously had our diminishing Basic Payment Scheme [EU payments that are being phased out post-Brexit], weve had Brexit to contend with, not to mention Covid.

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While the business of growing food and other crops has become more precarious, demand for English wine has soared, spurring a rapid expansion by domestic producers seeking out suitable land.

The amount of land under vine in Britain is predicted to rise from 4,600 hectares in 2023 to 7,600 hectares by 2032, according to industry association WineGB.

Warming temperatures mean the south and south-east of England are now capable of producing wines said to rival those of Champagne and other prominent French regions. Some French champagne houses have bought up land in England themselves.

Ms Buisman said: Although its risky in itself, in the grand scheme of farming this is actually our risk mitigator, because we can expect a generally good crop every year, we set the price.

As long as we dont get frost or some awful disease, weve got a product and, not only that, we can spin off into hospitality and various other things.

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The excitement of investing in a company that can reverse its fortunes is a big draw for some speculators, so even companies that have no revenue, no profit, and a record of falling short, can manage to find investors. But as Peter Lynch said in One Up On Wall Street, 'Long shots almost never pay off.' While a well funded company may sustain losses for years, it will need to generate a profit eventually, or else investors will move on and the company will wither away.

Despite being in the age of tech-stock blue-sky investing, many investors still adopt a more traditional strategy; buying shares in profitable companies like North European Oil Royalty Trust (NYSE:NRT). Even if this company is fairly valued by the market, investors would agree that generating consistent profits will continue to provide North European Oil Royalty Trust with the means to add long-term value to shareholders.

See our latest analysis for North European Oil Royalty Trust

North European Oil Royalty Trust's Improving Profits

In the last three years North European Oil Royalty Trust's earnings per share took off; so much so that it's a bit disingenuous to use these figures to try and deduce long term estimates. As a result, we'll zoom in on growth over the last year, instead. In impressive fashion, North European Oil Royalty Trust's EPS grew from US$1.25 to US$3.07, over the previous 12 months. It's not often a company can achieve year-on-year growth of 145%. That could be a sign that the business has reached a true inflection point.

One way to double-check a company's growth is to look at how its revenue, and earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margins are changing. North European Oil Royalty Trust shareholders can take confidence from the fact that EBIT margins are up from 94% to 97%, and revenue is growing. Both of which are great metrics to check off for potential growth.

In the chart below, you can see how the company has grown earnings and revenue, over time. To see the actual numbers, click on the chart.

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Since North European Oil Royalty Trust is no giant, with a market capitalisation of US$54m, you should definitely check its cash and debt before getting too excited about its prospects.

Are North European Oil Royalty Trust Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

Prior to investment, it's always a good idea to check that the management team is paid reasonably. Pay levels around or below the median, can be a sign that shareholder interests are well considered. The median total compensation for CEOs of companies similar in size to North European Oil Royalty Trust, with market caps under US$200m is around US$724k.

The CEO of North European Oil Royalty Trust only received US$140k in total compensation for the year ending October 2022. First impressions seem to indicate a compensation policy that is favourable to shareholders. CEO remuneration levels are not the most important metric for investors, but when the pay is modest, that does support enhanced alignment between the CEO and the ordinary shareholders. Generally, arguments can be made that reasonable pay levels attest to good decision-making.

Does North European Oil Royalty Trust Deserve A Spot On Your Watchlist?

North European Oil Royalty Trust's earnings have taken off in quite an impressive fashion. With increasing profits, its seems likely the business has a rosy future; and it may have hit an inflection point. What's more, the fact that the CEO's compensation is quite reasonable is a sign that the company is conscious of excessive spending. So North European Oil Royalty Trust looks like it could be a good quality growth stock, at first glance. That's worth watching. Don't forget that there may still be risks. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for North European Oil Royalty Trust that you should be aware of.

While opting for stocks without growing earnings and absent insider buying can yield results, for investors valuing these key metrics, here is a carefully selected list of companies in the US with promising growth potential and insider confidence.

Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction.

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.
boxing day

Costly parking fees are damaging the high street, a FTSE retail chief has warned, amid a tepid turnout to Boxing Day sales.

Gavin Peck, chief executive of stationery and crafts retailer The Works, told The Telegraph that a rise in parking fees had become a big challenge for shops as cash-strapped councils hike prices to replace other income streams.

His warning came on what looked like a subdued year for Boxing Day sales. Bargain-hunters queued to get into some shops but others, such as Next and Marks & Spencer, stayed shut.

Preliminary figures showed visits to shopping locations such as high streets and retail parks were up 1.4pc on last year but down 30pc on pre-pandemic levels, according to data provider MRI Software.

Shopping was also constrained by the lack of public transport available, with the vast majority of train services not set to resume until Wednesday.

Tufael Ahmed, 47, one of those out on Oxford Street, London, said: We were here last year and the queues were much longer  theres a marked difference.

I just dont think people have money and you get the impression that the retailers have already discounted things before and now theyre taking it for granted.

Consumers were forecast to spend 3.7bn on Boxing Day, down 2.9pc compared to a year earlier, according to research for the VoucherCodes website.

In his warning about parking fees, Mr Peck said towns and cities were trying to replace other falling revenues but had ended up creating a self-fulfilling prophecy, because fewer people will come into the town centre.

He said shops like his faced just one thing after another as high parking fees add to existing woes such as more online shopping, high business rates and the impact of strikes hitting visits to town centre stores in some locations.

Shares in The Works plunged by a fifth last month after the company warned that unusually wet weather had harmed sales. As a result, The Works said it would have to discount more items to meet its sales targets and the company cut its profit forecast from 10m to 6m.

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The Works has more than 500 stores across the UK in areas including Bicester, Hull and Blackpool.

Mr Peck, who took over as chief executive of The Works in early 2020, called for councils, the Government and landlords to work together to reinvigorate high streets.

He also urged the Government to review business rates, a tax charged to companies based on the value of their buildings. Retailers argue the levy unfairly penalises shopkeepers and favours online retailers.

Mr Peck said a change to the levy could help make the high street much more alive and thered be more stores.

Richard Pennycook, the former Co-op chief executive who co-chairs the Retail Sector Council, warned over summer that towns and cities risked becoming retail wastelands because of a lack of incentives for companies to invest in stores.

It follows a series of high profile collapses, including Wilko, that have left gaps on high streets.

Mr Peck said The Works would always be store-based, thats the life-blood of our business.

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Melbourne, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 26, 2023) - HL Yin, a leader in the entrepreneurial investment sector, has officially released 'ist' on app stores, transforming how entrepreneurs connect with investors and industry professionals in the startup investment game.

Photo - HL Yin ist app

HL Yin founder Hachi Yin, an angel investor and a self-made entrepreneur, understands the challenges of starting a business. He has crafted 'ist' to simplify the journey of aspiring entrepreneurs from their innovative ideas to successful ventures, reducing the barriers to entry in the business world.

"Our aim with 'ist' is to address the gap in startup financing by connecting their ideas to funding through perfect investors," he mentions.

The app's debut at the app stores comes at a pivotal moment when entrepreneurial aspirations are at an all-time high, with studies showing a significant percentage of younger generations keen on owning businesses. 'ist' addresses this growing demand by offering a streamlined platform for entrepreneurs to present their ideas concisely and connect with industry professionals.

With the app's innovative 60-second pitching rule, entrepreneurs are challenged for brevity and precision, focus straight on their ideas, and make them more appealing to interested parties.

Hachi shares, "The 'ist' app is born from what I experienced when I started my entrepreneurial journey. It's designed to be a sanctuary for ideas, offering support and nurturing potential, regardless of background."

For Hachi, the app's availability on the app store could open opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs. For investors, it is a time to discover the next big thing an industry is looking for.

This development is crucial in democratizing entrepreneurial success, allowing more individuals to bring their business ideas to fruition with greater ease and speed.

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Aspiring entrepreneurs can download the 'ist' app at https://www.ist.app/.

About HL Yin

HL Yin, spearheaded by entrepreneur and former property developer Hachi Yin, is an angel investment company renowned for its commitment to fostering the growth of budding entrepreneurs. The firm excels in providing helpful tools to connect promising talents with suitable investors. This venture adds to Hachi Yin's impressive portfolio of achievements, highlighting his profound expertise and influence in the areas of entrepreneurship and investment.

Contact Details:

Contact Person: Julia Khaver

Company Name: HL Yin

Company website: http://www.hlyin.com

Email Address: info@hlyin.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/192115
Key Insights

The projected fair value for Iluka Resources is AU$9.11 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

Iluka Resources is estimated to be 27% undervalued based on current share price of AU$6.68

Analyst price target for ILU is AU$8.28 which is 9.1% below our fair value estimate

How far off is Iluka Resources Limited (ASX:ILU) from its intrinsic value? Using the most recent financial data, we'll take a look at whether the stock is fairly priced by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. We will take advantage of the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model for this purpose. Models like these may appear beyond the comprehension of a lay person, but they're fairly easy to follow.

Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. For those who are keen learners of equity analysis, the Simply Wall St analysis model here may be something of interest to you.

See our latest analysis for Iluka Resources

The Method

We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars:

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10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Levered FCF (A$, Millions) -AU$437.0m -AU$63.0m AU$130.7m AU$180.1m AU$218.1m AU$251.7m AU$280.4m AU$304.5m AU$324.8m AU$341.9m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x2 Analyst x4 Analyst x2 Analyst x2 Est @ 21.11% Est @ 15.40% Est @ 11.41% Est @ 8.61% Est @ 6.65% Est @ 5.28% Present Value (A$, Millions) Discounted @ 7.5% -AU$406 -AU$54.5 AU$105 AU$135 AU$152 AU$163 AU$169 AU$171 AU$169 AU$166

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = AU$768m

After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (2.1%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 7.5%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033  (1 + g)  (r  g) = AU$342m (1 + 2.1%)  (7.5% 2.1%) = AU$6.4b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= AU$6.4b ( 1 + 7.5%)10= AU$3.1b

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is AU$3.9b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of AU$6.7, the company appears a touch undervalued at a 27% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind.

ASX:ILU Discounted Cash Flow December 26th 2023

The Assumptions

Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Iluka Resources as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 7.5%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.087. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

SWOT Analysis for Iluka Resources

Strength

Debt is not viewed as a risk.

Weakness

Earnings declined over the past year.

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Metals and Mining market.

Opportunity

Annual revenue is forecast to grow faster than the Australian market.

Good value based on P/E ratio and estimated fair value.

Threat

Dividends are not covered by cash flow.

Annual earnings are forecast to decline for the next 3 years.

Looking Ahead:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. Why is the intrinsic value higher than the current share price? For Iluka Resources, we've compiled three pertinent elements you should look at:

Risks: To that end, you should learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with Iluka Resources (including 2 which don't sit too well with us) . Future Earnings: How does ILU's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Australian stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

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.
When we invest, we're generally looking for stocks that outperform the market average. Buying under-rated businesses is one path to excess returns. For example, the Halyk Bank of Kazakhstan Joint Stock Company (LON:HSBK) share price is up 35% in the last 5 years, clearly besting the market return of around 5.9% (ignoring dividends). However, more recent returns haven't been as impressive as that, with the stock returning just 50% in the last year , including dividends .

Let's take a look at the underlying fundamentals over the longer term, and see if they've been consistent with shareholders returns.

View our latest analysis for Halyk Bank of Kazakhstan

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement.

During five years of share price growth, Halyk Bank of Kazakhstan achieved compound earnings per share (EPS) growth of 30% per year. This EPS growth is higher than the 6% average annual increase in the share price. Therefore, it seems the market has become relatively pessimistic about the company. This cautious sentiment is reflected in its (fairly low) P/E ratio of 2.56.

The image below shows how EPS has tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).

LSE:HSBK Earnings Per Share Growth December 26th 2023

We know that Halyk Bank of Kazakhstan has improved its bottom line over the last three years, but what does the future have in store? If you are thinking of buying or selling Halyk Bank of Kazakhstan stock, you should check out this FREE detailed report on its balance sheet.

What About Dividends?

It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. We note that for Halyk Bank of Kazakhstan the TSR over the last 5 years was 156%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence!

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A Different Perspective

It's good to see that Halyk Bank of Kazakhstan has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 50% in the last twelve months. Of course, that includes the dividend. That's better than the annualised return of 21% over half a decade, implying that the company is doing better recently. Given the share price momentum remains strong, it might be worth taking a closer look at the stock, lest you miss an opportunity. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with Halyk Bank of Kazakhstan , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies we expect will grow earnings.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on British exchanges.

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.
(Bloomberg) -- Iron ore rallied to its highest since June 2022, showing Beijings efforts to stem the property markets decline in recent months may be paying dividends.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Futures in Singapore rose above $140 a ton amid thin trading on Tuesday. Optimism is building that Chinas economic recovery and its steel-intensive property sector are finally gaining momentum, after a subdued post-pandemic reopening in the past year disappointed investors.

On Thursday, Chinas biggest state-owned banks launched this years third round of rate cuts as authorities boost efforts to lift economic activity. The salvo comes after Beijing in November announced a 1 trillion yuan ($127 billion) plan to boost urban revitalization, providing relief for the steel-intensive property sector amid a wave of developer defaults.

With heightened anticipation for better demand, steel mills that have depressed iron ore stockpiles to keep operations lean may now face restocking pressure should needs exceed supplies.

The recent weekly commercial housing transaction data showed positive improvement and bolstered bullish sentiment, said Atilla Widnell, managing director at Navigate Commodities Pte in Singapore. We maintain that Iron Ore futures should quite easily target $145-158 a ton at least by next quarter. said Widnell.

READ: Shanghai, Beijing Home Sales Surge After Policy Easing

Iron ore climbed 1.5% to $140.55 a ton at 3:58 p.m. in Singapore. Futures in Dalian were 1.3% higher, while steel rebar and hot-rolled coil both advanced in Shanghai.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
LegoChem Biosciences to receive up to potentially USD1.7 billion in total, including an upfront payment and option exercise fee

DAEJEON, South Korea, December 26, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The contact person's name should read: Daeyoung Jeong.

The updated release reads:

LEGOCHEM BIOSCIENCES ANNOUNCES LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR LCB84 TROP2-TARGETED ADC

LegoChem Biosciences to receive up to potentially USD1.7 billion in total, including an upfront payment and option exercise fee

LegoChem Biosciences, Inc. (KOSDAQ: 141080) announced on December 22 that it has entered into a license agreement with Janssen Biotech, Inc. (Janssen), a Johnson & Johnson company, to develop and commercialize LCB84, a Trop2 directed antibody drug conjugate (ADC).

Under the terms of the agreement, LCB will grant Janssen an exclusive, worldwide license for the development and commercialization of LCB84. LCB is eligible for up to potentially USD 1.7 billion in total consideration including an upfront payment of USD 100 million, an option exercise payment of USD 200 million as well as potential development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, plus tiered royalties on net sales. The companies will collaborate during the ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial, with Janssen solely responsible for clinical development and commercialization after option exercise.

LCB84, a Trop2 directed ADC applying LCBs next-generation ADC platform technology and Trop2 antibody licensed from Mediterranea Theranostic, S.r.l, is being studied in a recently initiated Phase 1/2 clinical trial in the U.S. The ADC has a distinctive targeted mechanism, binding a unique cleaved form of the Trop2 antigen, which is highly expressed in cancer cells. Preclinical data demonstrated a differentiated safety and efficacy profile compared across multiple cancers, showing LCB84s promise as a Trop2-targeting ADC.

"We are very pleased to collaborate with Janssen on LCB84, our first wholly in-house developed clinical stage ADC," said Yong-Zu Kim, President and CEO of LCB. "We look forward to continuing to build our global clinical development capabilities and advance other ADC programs into the clinic."

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About LegoChem Biosciences, Inc.

LegoChem Biosciences, Inc. (KOSDAQ: 141080), is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of next-generation novel therapeutics utilizing its proprietary medicinal drug discovery technology LegoChemistry and ADC platform technology ConjuAll. Since its foundation in 2006, LCB has focused on researching and developing Antibody-Drug-Conjugates (ADCs), anticancer therapeutics, antibiotics, and anti-fibrotic based on proprietary platform technologies. For more information, visit LegoChem Biosciences, Inc. at https://www.legochembio.com/index.php?lang=e.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231225841872/en/

Contacts

LegoChem Biosciences

Daeyoung Jeong

+82-42-861-0688

jdy@legochembio.com
Assessing the Sustainability of Lojas Renner SA's Dividend Payments

Lojas Renner SA (LRENY) recently announced a dividend of $0.04 per share, payable on 2024-01-16, with the ex-dividend date set for 2023-12-27. 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 delve into Lojas Renner SA's dividend performance and evaluate its long-term viability.

What Does Lojas Renner SA Do?

Warning! GuruFocus has detected 5 Warning Signs with LRENY.

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How to calculate the intrinsic value of a stock?

Lojas Renner SA operates a chain of retail stores across Brazil, offering a variety of products under the Renner, Camicado, and Youcom brands. The Renner and Youcom stores provide customers with apparel, sports goods, accessories, and cosmetics, while Camicado specializes in houseware and home decor, including appliances, towels, linen, and kitchenware. The retail segment is the main revenue driver for Lojas Renner SA, complemented by a financial products segment that issues credit cards. The company's presence is predominantly in Brazil, with a vast network of stores catering to a diverse customer base.

Lojas Renner SA's Dividend Analysis

A Glimpse at Lojas Renner SA's Dividend History

Since 2017, Lojas Renner SA has upheld a steady track record of dividend distributions, opting for a quarterly payout schedule to its shareholders. Below is a chart illustrating the historical trends for Lojas Renner SA's annual Dividends Per Share, which provides a clear view of the company's commitment to returning value to its investors over time.

Lojas Renner SA's Dividend Analysis

Breaking Down Lojas Renner SA's Dividend Yield and Growth

Currently, Lojas Renner SA boasts a trailing dividend yield of 4.21% and an identical forward dividend yield, indicating market expectations of consistent dividend payouts in the forthcoming year. Over the past three years, the company's annual dividend growth rate was 10.50%, which further accelerated to 14.60% over a five-year period. Looking at the past decade, the annual growth rate of dividends per share for Lojas Renner SA stands at 7.80%. Reflecting on these figures, the 5-year yield on cost for Lojas Renner SA stock is approximately 8.32% as of today.

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Lojas Renner SA's Dividend Analysis

The Sustainability Question: Payout Ratio and Profitability

Evaluating the sustainability of Lojas Renner SA's dividends requires an analysis of the company's payout ratio. With a current dividend payout ratio of 0.76 as of 2023-09-30, there is an indication that the dividends may not be sustainable in the long term without adjustments. However, Lojas Renner SA's profitability rank of 9 out of 10, as per GuruFocus, coupled with its consistent positive net income over the past decade, suggests strong profitability that could support future dividend payments.

Growth Metrics: The Future Outlook

Lojas Renner SA's impressive growth rank of 9 out of 10 positions it favorably among its competitors, indicating a promising growth trajectory. The company's revenue per share and 3-year revenue growth rate, averaging 6.60% annually, outperforms approximately 56.95% of global competitors. Moreover, the 3-year EPS growth rate of 12.60% per year surpasses the performance of about 52.57% of global peers. Lastly, Lojas Renner SA's 5-year EBITDA growth rate of 8.00% also stands out, outperforming nearly 47.96% of competitors worldwide.

Engaging Conclusion: Reflecting on Lojas Renner SA's Dividend Prospects

Lojas Renner SA's dividend payments, growth rate, payout ratio, profitability, and growth metrics paint a comprehensive picture for investors. The company's consistent dividend history, solid yield, and growth rates are promising, but the payout ratio warrants caution. The strong profitability and growth metrics, however, suggest a potential for continued dividend sustainability and growth. As investors contemplate their next move, it's essential to consider whether Lojas Renner SA's financial health and market position align with their investment strategy. Will the company's retail dominance in Brazil and financial services continue to fuel its dividend payments? For those seeking high-dividend yield stocks, GuruFocus Premium offers a tailored High Dividend Yield Screener to discover similar investment opportunities.

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.


Dec 13, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbia Gas of Ohio is replacing a major pipeline that runs from Clintonville to North Linden. As part of the project, it is buying three parcels of land in Clintonville -- including the first two houses pictured here: 476-482 East Weber and 466 East Weber -- and demolishing the homes on those parcels.

Columbia Gas of Ohio will start work this spring replacing a decades-old, major natural gas line that runs from Clintonville to North Linden, a key piece of infrastructure that brings gas to thousands of homes throughout central Ohio.

As part of the project, the natural gas distribution company is buying three parcels on West and East Weber Road in Clintonville.

The company will demolish the buildings  a four-unit apartment building at 204-210 W. Weber Rd., a vacant house at 476 E. Weber Rd., and a duplex at 480-482 E. Weber Rd.  on those parcels, worrying Clintonville residents who fear the work will take away from the neighborhood's appearance, eliminate affordable housing and drag down property values.

Columbia Gas executives say the project is needed for safety reasons and to comply with federal law. They have repeatedly promised to work with residents to make sure the lots they are using for what are called regulator stations will blend in with the neighborhood when finished.

"We want them to understand what the project is, where it's going to be, when it's going to be there, and hopefully have some patience with us while we do it because they are going to be inconvenienced for a while," said Vince Parisi, Columbia's president and chief operating officer. "We know that."

What is Columbia Gas doing?

Columbia Gas is replacing a 4.2-mile-chunk of 20-inch-diameter pipe that is under the street. It is part of a bigger line that extends from Upper Arlington to Gahanna.

The work is scheduled to begin in April and finish by the end of the year.

"It's our backbone of Columbus," Parisi said of the line, which serves more than a half-million homes in Columbus. "It's pretty critical."

The existing line that runs primarily along Weber Road from Clintonville to North Linden will be abandoned, according to the company. That line extends mostly from High Street to east of Cleveland Avenue.

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In its place will be a new line that runs mostly south of the existing pipe, starting on Tulane Avenue west of High Street. The line moves east along several roads, crossing Cleveland Avenue and Joyce Avenue into Linden and finishes on Parkwood Avenue.

Columbia said it is not always possible to put a new line in the location of the old one. In some instances there isn't enough space in the area for workers and equipment.

Columbia has not said how much the project will cost.

There are 7,181 structures within 1,000 feet of the pipeline corridor route, according to the company.

David Vottero, outgoing chair of the Clintonville Area Commission, says he's been trying to alert residents in the neighborhood about the project and the potential for restrictions on traffic and parking during construction.

"It's going to be difficult living through it," he said.

In addition to the three parcels on Weber Road, Columbia is buying a vacant lot at 2552 Cleveland Ave. in Linden.

The parcels, along with one that Columbia already has at 466 E. Weber Rd., will be used for regulator stations, which are a series of pipes and valves used to control the pressure of the gas as it moves through the Columbia system and into homes and businesses.

Columbia has indicated that the Clintonville buildings will be demolished this spring as the project gets underway.

Why are Clintonville residents concerned?

Residents have a variety of concerns about the project, ranging from the appearance of the regulator stations to the project's impact on property values to environmental issues, Vottero said.

The route for the pipeline is filled with mature trees that have been part of the neighborhood since it was first platted, Vottero said.

A major concern is how the lots will look once the regulator stations are in place and their utilitarian structure, he said.

"We're hoping that they can do some things to fit better into the neighborhood," he said.

The lots should have fences, trees and pollinating flowers, he said. The fences should look like other fences in the neighborhood, he said.

"The gas company will have to be flexible as they can to make (the parcels) as park-like as possible," he said. "It might require them to do things they might not want to do."

Columbia officials say they are committed to working with residents as they have in other neighborhoods of the city where the company has had projects. The company has held several meetings with Clintonville residents on the project.

"We try to work with the community on what's important to them, and try to blend in as best we can the features they have in the community," said Luka Papalko, Columbia's public affairs manager.

The company has worked with affected residents to help them relocate, he said.

Clintonville resident Mitch Lindsay is concerned about the loss of affordable housing in a city where that is in short supply.

"Demolishing housing in the area is going to be affect people's ability to afford housing," he said. "It's going to be change the neighborhood in a bad way."

Lindsay said he doesn't believe the project can be stopped so the goal is to "mitigate the effect it will have on the neighborhood."

For now Columbia Gas is saying the right things and has promised to do the right thing and make the sites as attractive as possible, but he said he wonders who will hold Columbia accountable.

Why is the work being done?

Safety is a main reason for the project, in addition to compliance with federal law, according to Columbia Gas.

While functioning well, parts of the pipe are decades old.

"The reality is the pipe has to be replaced. It's time," Parisi said.

Also, new federal rules require companies such as Columbia to document the history of each part of the pipeline, he said.

Columbia Gas has some documentation, but not all of what's necessary, he said.

"Where we don't have it, we look at different ways of ultimately meeting this requirement," Parisi said. "For this vintage pipe, really the best way to meet it is to replace it."

mawilliams@dispatch.com

@BizMarkWilliams

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbia Gas to replace key pipeline in Clintonville, Linden
It was the year of artificial intelligence, and no Big Tech company leaned into the trend like Microsoft.

In 2023, the companys CEO Satya Nadella made a multi-billion dollar investment in AI, commercialized and added AI tools like ChatGPT into its suite of products before rivals, and stunned industry onlookers with his ability to handle a crisis quickly, calmly and thoughtfully.

Under his leadership, the company is re-emerging as a tech innovator after years of riding the success of Windows. Wall Street has noticed, too: Microsofts stock is up 55% this year.

Thats why CNN Business staff chose Nadella as the CEO of the Year, beating out other contenders including Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.

Theres no question 2023 was the year of AI, Nadella told CNN in an emailed response. Were no longer just talking about innovation in the abstract; were seeing real product-making, deployment and productivity gains. At the end of the day, though, this innovation will only be useful if its empowering all of us in our careers, in our communities, in our countries.

Since 2018, the CNN Business team of writers and editors have met at the end of each year to select one person whose executive performance stood out. The process is admittedly subjective  we choose someone based on criteria that shifts year to year.

Maybe the companys stock outperformed its rivals. Maybe the CEO righted the ship after a messy product launch or the company developed a lifesaving vaccine that altered the course of human history (tip of that hat to 2021s CEO of the Year, Pfizers Albert Bourla).

This years CEO of the Year is once again a man, indicative of a larger representative problem in corporate Americas top positions. About 10% of CEOs at Fortune 500 companies are women, according to Fortune. But our aim has never been to endorse any one executive over another. Rather, we hold a mirror up to the business world and tell a story about what we see. (We also considered non-CEO leaders, and chose Taylor Swift as our business leader of the year.)

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For 2023, Nadellas decisions have heavily impacted and influenced the direction of AI, the most significant innovation to come from Silicon Valley in decades.

As Gil Luria, a senior research analyst at wealth management firm DA Davidson, puts it: His ability to steer the aircraft carrier that is Microsoft into this new era has been nothing short of remarkable.

Microsoft's headquarters in Seattle, Washington. - I Ryu/VCG/Getty Images

Changing the narrative

Nadellas background doesnt entirely fit the Ivy League dropout archetype of Silicon Valley. Born in India, Nadella came to the US in the late 1980s to pursue a masters in computer science at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, later receiving an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Nadellas standout performance is a culmination of his work from prior years. He joined the company in 1992 as an engineer, at a time Microsoft was characterized by regulators as a monopoly.

When he was promoted to CEO nearly 10 years ago, Microsoft had developed a reputation for being slow to adapt to major trends, such as mobile. Fast forward to now and tech companies are lining up to partner with Microsoft and align with its mission to commercialize artificial intelligence for the masses.

In Nadellas 2017 book, Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsofts Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone, he wrote about his experience reworking everything internally, team by team and product by product, so Microsoft would be better set up for employees to collaborate with others.

He also worked to soften and revitalize Microsofts image. As far back as 2016, the company partnered with OpenAI  a then-emerging company with new AI tools  and allowed them to operate the technology on its Azure cloud servers in exchange for access to those tools.

But after a massive $13 billion investment in OpenAI earlier this year, following the viral launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, Microsoft rolled out AI-powered versions of its flagship products, such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel, breathing new life into otherwise dulled software. Nadellas push to commercialize these tools quickly gave it a head start against competitors such as Google and Amazon, who were working on similar technologies, and helped ignite an arms race across the industry.

Now as more companies, from Instacart to Snapchat, add ChatGPT and other OpenAI technologies to their own services, Microsofts cloud business is poised for deeper growth. Microsoft has reported strong Azure growth over the last three quarters.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Nadella shared the stage at OpenAIs first developer conference to discuss their partnership. - Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Nadellas remarkable moment

While Nadella had an impressive year across the board, his leadership shined even brighter during the string of events that followed the surprising ousting of OpenAIs Altman, the Friday afternoon before Thanksgiving week.

The timing was noteworthy too: Just four days before, Nadella joined Altman on stage at OpenAIs first developer conference to discuss the future of artificial intelligence and their partnership together.

The executives represented one of the most dynamic and key relationships in the tech industry, not only of the year but in years: Altman had clearly emerged as the face of the generative AI movement, and Nadella was one of the most powerful tech leaders funding the development of these tools.

You guys have built something magical, said Nadella at the time. Its been fantastic for us.

But despite his long-standing relationship with OpenAI, Nadella reportedly found out about Altmans removal from the company just before OpenAI released a statement, rendering Microsoft with no control over the situation.

The company in a statement said an internal investigation found that Altman was not always truthful with the board.

Microsofts stock sank in response, perhaps because OpenAI was to serve as a linchpin to their plans to expand AI across its products. It was not a good look for Microsoft, Luria said.

Nadella swiftly picked up the phone and offered to hire Altman at Microsoft to lead a new AI research lab, along with one of the co-founders, Greg Brockman, and any of the 700 Open AI employees who wanted to leave the company.

He also spoke to some OpenAI board members  the people who initially kept him out of the loop  and was able to get them on board with a solution that would be favorable to Microsoft, according to Luria.

Altman ultimately returned to OpenAI, with a new board intact.

He turned what looked like a bad and embarrassing situation into a way to improve Microsofts standing with this very important partner, Luria added. What we saw from Mr. Nadella is an interpersonal skill you dont always find with CEOs, who can be visionaries and luminaries and great at product, but arent necessarily able to pick up a phone, talk to people and get them to see things your way.

As Fred Havemeyer, a senior enterprise software analyst at the Macquarie financial services firm, said in a letter to investors, Mr. Nadella may have pulled off his own coup, acquiring the most important part of OpenAI  its ambitious talent.

By Monday morning, Microsoft was in better shape than they were a week before. Its stock reached a record that day; shares rose 2.1% to an all-time high close of $377.44, beating the previous record of $376.17.

Nadella said he remains focused on empowering both people and organizations to achieve more. - Brad Barket/Getty Images

Whats ahead

According to Stuart Carlaw, chief research officer at ABI Research, Nadellas successful year can be largely attributed to the fact that hes remained extremely focused.

His approach to the mechanics of leadership remains people driven, Carlaw said. He understands that people drive outcomes, and remained true to that ethic in the way he dealt with Sam Altman and the wider OpenAI team.

Nadella also narrows in on where he wants to spend his energy. He hasnt been on a scattergun spree of investment ever since he took the reins, Carlaw said. He has been very focused on accretive areas that take the Microsoft brand forward.

Takeshi Numoto, Microsofts chief marketing officer who has been employed in various roles at the company for 25 years, said he felt an internal culture shift this year, saying the company feels fresh and energizing.

There is a sense that we are contributing to building the next wave of computing broadly for the world, and doing so thoughtfully, he said.

Nadella told CNN he indeed remains focused on empowering both people and organizations to achieve more, as it continues to make and deploy new products.

Thats our mission at Microsoft  and what we continue to focus on as we look to 2024 and beyond, he said. Just imagine if 8 billion people had access to a personalized tutor, a doctor that provided them medical guidance, a mentor that gave advice for anything they needed. I believe all thats within reach. Its about making the impossible possible.

The biggest challenge, however, is if Nadella can take Microsoft to the next level by making these AI-powered products profitable.

You are only as good as your last results release, Carlaw said. [But] he is not the only one facing this dilemma.

CNNs Allison Morrow contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
(Bloomberg) -- Another group of Japanese investors sued Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc.s joint brokerage venture with Morgan Stanley, the latest litigation over losses on Credit Suisses riskiest debt that became worthless.

Most Read from Bloomberg

A suit representing 26 plaintiffs was submitted to the Tokyo District Court on Tuesday seeking to recover losses from so-called Additional Tier 1 notes that were sold to them by Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. They are demanding a combined 1.73 billion yen ($12.2 million) in compensation, according to the filing led by Yamazaki Marunouchi Law Office.

A representative of the company jointly owned by Japans largest lender and the major US investment bank declined to comment. Two of the plaintiffs are companies, according to the complaint.

The move followed a separate 5.2 billion yen suit filed earlier this year by the same law firm against the company on behalf of 66 different plaintiffs. In Japan, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities sold the securities more aggressively than any other firm, making up about two-thirds of the 140 billion yen of the notes taken up.

Global bondholders lost everything when Switzerlands regulator wrote down about $17 billion of Credit Suisses AT1 notes during its rescue by UBS Group AG, sparking lawsuits around the world. Investors in Japan have also sued the brokerage arms of SBI Holdings Inc., Rakuten Group Inc. and Monex Group Inc.

It is uncommon in Japan for this many adversely impacted investors to file a group action against their brokerage, said Matthew J. Wilson, president and dean of Temple University, Japan Campus. At the same time, it is equally uncommon for Japanese investors to lose their entire investment in a product due to the actions of a foreign government.

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The crux of the debate in Tokyo hinges around whether sellers met know-your-customer rules as well as adequately explained to buyers the risks associated with the debt, including so-called viability events that would trigger a writedown.

The latest group of plaintiffs allege that Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities violated a suitability principle by selling the bonds to regular investors even though the products are for professional institutions. Also, while the firm mentioned the write-down clause in a brochure, it fell short of offering extra explanations needed for such investors to assess what could constitute viability events, according to the complaint.

The brokerage has mostly properly done our work in handling the sales, Shinjiro Yamamoto, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities managing executive officer, said earlier this year.

(Updates with company declining to comment in the third paragraph)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
SEOUL, KOREA, Dec. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In collaboration with the Korea Fintech Industry Association, the Lab will host the 'Seoul Fintech Lab Performance Sharing Meeting and Fintech Year-End Greeting Event' on the 28th. This event will take place at the WeWork Yeouido Station branch on the 20th-floor lounge.





Seoul Fintech Lab is the largest fintech startup support organization in South Korea, established by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Since its inception in 2018, starting with support for 14 companies, it now houses 100 startups and has fostered over 250 fintech startups to date. Since its establishment, its annual revenue has shown a steep upward trend, overcoming the pandemic and economic downturn.

The support benefits for companies residing in Seoul Fintech Lab are diverse. They include a year of office space with the possibility of extending the residency for up to three years based on performance evaluations. Additionally, the Lab offers various programs, such as promotional support to enhance the companies' visibility, networking opportunities, and customized training programs for practical skill enhancement.

Moreover, the Lab provides continuous support for fintech startups in various areas, including 1:1 mentoring services with industry experts, assistance with financial regulations, investment attraction, Demo Day, open innovation, talent recruitment, global acceleration, and support for international expansion.

Throughout 2023, the Lab has worked with various organizations to promote programs for the growth of its resident companies. Recently, it held a GROWTH Demo Day in collaboration with Eugene Investment & Securities to provide IR opportunities to companies, and conducted open innovation with Hana Bank to advance fintech technology. Furthermore, an agreement with DGB Financial Group has been concluded to continually discover potential opportunities for these companies.

The upcoming Performance Sharing Meeting and Fintech Year-End Greeting Event on the 28th is a special occasion for the startups that have grown through the support programs of Seoul Fintech Lab. It will be an opportunity for resident companies and related organizations to communicate and share various achievements made in 2023.

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For instance, Habit Factory, which surpassed 10 billion won in commission revenue last year through its insurance comparison and recommendation app 'Signal Planner', has already exceeded 7.4 billion won in the first half of this year. It recently raised 20.6 billion won in a Series C funding, bringing its total investment to 34.4 billion won, which will further enhance its technology. The K-content investment platform 'Funderful' has also expanded its foreign investment by signing an MOU with the security token offering (STO) platform 'IX Swap'. Additionally, 'Moin', a company offering overseas remittance services, is strengthening its position as a B2B fintech specialist, successfully attracting corporate clients including e-commerce and purchasing agencies, recently surpassing 1,500 registered institutions.

Seoul Fintech Lab stated, "In line with the goal of producing unicorns in Seoul by 2030, we are developing and providing the most suitable growth support programs for fintech startups to spawn future unicorns. We will continue to enhance our startup support programs and strive to create a global environment for Seoul's fintech startups.

Social Links

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seoul.fintechlab/?igshid=18davgo3cplgq

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seoulfintechlab/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SeoulFintechLab_official/featured

Media Contact

Brand: SEOUL FINTECH LAB

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SOURCE: SEOUL FINTECH LAB




When Captain Barrington Irving turned 23 years old, he became the youngest person and first Black pilot to fly solo around the world, Frost Science reports.

Today, Irving is looking to inspire and educate the youth to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). He is carrying out this calling in various ways, including through the Barrington Irving Technical Training School.

According to a news release, the professional and technical training center was established in partnership with the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), Miami-Dade County, Miami-Dade Aviation Department, Atlantic Aviation, and Bombardier, to offer programs, training, specialized technical and professional certification to students pursuing careers in aviation, per FLYING Mag.

The goal was to enroll 100 students by 2023.

I not only use business aviation to grow our company and recruit students to our industry, but I, along with our partners, are living testimony of how business aviation can help you achieve your highest self, said Irving in a news release.

Barrington Irving Technical Training School is located at Miami-Opa locka Executive Airport, which became Irvings launch pad into aviation.

Recently, 15 students have become graduates of the school, moving the goal post of diversifying the sector.

Overwhelmed with gratitude for the support shown in our hanger, Irving wrote on Instagram. We have the first ever graduates of the Barrington Irving Technical Training School (BITTS)! 15 young men and women are beginning their lives in Aviation, many of them hired on the spot by our generous partners in business aviation in South Florida.

Tremaine Johnson, among the 15 graduates, is thankful and is looking forward to his journey ahead in aviation.

I persisted and kept going, so I just thank God, Johnson told WSVN. [I want to] just expand my knowledge of aviation. Fueling trucks, parking airplanes, networking with everybody aviation and lending a helping hand for people behind me that want to get into aviation as well.

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Graduate Victor Zupiera has a new career outlook, thanks to his time at the school. Soon, he will be transitioning to a role as a line service technician with Atlantic Aviation.

Working here for Barrington truly changed my whole perspective on that and my whole career path and what I wanted to pursue, explained Zupiera, according to WSVN. I found a passion in aviation and its truly changed my life.

Irving said, These young people are signing with various companies in the community who said you know what, Were going to give you a chance, were going to give you an opportunity to flourish within our industry.'
The pause between Christmas and New Years is a moment when many of us begin to contemplate the looming labors of tax season.

When is the earliest I can file a return? When is the latest? Have the income brackets changed? What about deductions?

Here are answers to 13 common questions that crop up in the weeks before tax season begins:

When is the tax deadline in 2024?

April 15. Tax Day always falls on that date, unless April 15 falls on a weekend or holiday. Next year, it comes on that darkest of days, a Monday.

Tax season typically starts in late January. Last year, the IRS set Jan. 23 as the official start of tax season, marking the date the agency began accepting 2022 tax returns.

When does tax season start?

Late January. In 2023, the IRS set Jan. 23 as the official start of tax season, marking the date the agency began accepting 2022 tax returns.

How early can I file my 2023 taxes?

Again, late January. The IRS has not yet set the date it will begin accepting 2023 returns.

What are the new income tax brackets?

Income tax brackets jumped by 7% for 2023. Income tax is progressive: the more you earn, the more you pay as a percentage of your earnings. Each bracket represents a range of incomes subject to a particular income tax rate. Tax brackets will rise again in 2024.

Here are the 2023 tax brackets:

For individual filers:

 37% for incomes over $578,125.

 35% for incomes over $231,250.

 32% for incomes over $182,100.

 24% for incomes over $95,375.

 22% for incomes over $44,725.

 12% for incomes over $11,000.

 10% for income below $11,000.

For married couples filing jointly:

 37% for income greater than $693,750.

 35% for incomes over $462,500.

 32% for incomes over $364,200.

 24% for incomes over $190,750.

 22% for incomes over $89,450.

 12% for incomes over $22,000.

 10% for income below $22,000.

What is the new standard deduction?

The standard deduction for 2023 also increased by about 7%, to $13,850 for individuals and $27,700 for married couples filing jointly.

What is the standard deduction for seniors?

People over 65 qualify for an additional standard deduction. For 2023, its $1,850 if you are single or filing as a head of household, and $1,500 for married taxpayers. Both figures increased by $100 over 2022.

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Have itemized deductions changed?

Itemized deductions mostly remain the same in 2023, according to Charles Schwab. A few specifics:

 State and local taxes: Taxpayers who itemize may deduct up to $10,000 in property, sales, or income taxes they have already paid to local or state governments.

 Mortgage interest: You can generally deduct interest paid on the first $750,000 of mortgage debt, according to NerdWallet. People who bought a house before Dec. 16, 2017, may deduct interest on the first $1 million.

 Medical expenses: You may deduct only medical and dental expenses that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income.

What are the new IRA and 401(k) contribution limits?

Employees who participate in company retirement plans could generally contribute $22,500 to their 401(k) this year, up from $20,500 in 2022. Those who didnt participate in an employer-sponsored plan could contribute $6,500 to an individual retirement account (IRA). People 50 and older have higher limits.

For 2024, the limits rise to $23,000 and $7,000.

What is the new health savings account (HSA) contribution limit?

HSA contribution limits were $3,850 for individual coverage and $7,750 for family coverage in 2023, according to Fidelity. In 2024, they rise to $4,150 and $8,300.

What is the income limit for child tax credits?

The 2023 child tax credit is worth up to $2,000 per qualifying dependent under age 17, according to NerdWallet. The credit decreases if your modified adjusted gross income exceeds $200,000, or $400,000 for a married couple filing jointly.

Whats the difference between filing as single or head of household?

You can claim Head of Household status if you are single or unmarried and maintain a household that includes a child or relative. The status provides for a larger standard deduction and more generous tax rates, according to H&R Block.

Early birds: Your single largest payday may be a 2023 tax filing away. File early to get a refund sooner

Where can I find a tax refund estimator?

TurboTax, H&R Block, NerdWallet and AARP all offer tax refund estimators.

When can I expect my refund?

In a month or less, in most cases. The IRS says it issues most refunds within 21 calendar days. Paper returns, however, can take four weeks or more. Allow for time for the refund check to reach your bank account or mailbox.

More of your 2024 tax season questions answered

IRS announces new tax brackets for 2024. What does that mean for you?

Flush with new funding, the IRS zeroes in on the taxes of uber-wealthy Americans

Need a new tax strategy? These money-saving tips taken by Dec 31 may help pad your pockets

Your single largest payday may be a 2023 tax filing away. File early to get a refund sooner

Is it better to pay someone to do your taxes or do them yourself? We'll help you decide.

New IRS tax brackets and standard deductions for 2024: See how much they were raised

IRS delays 1099-K rules for ticket sales, announces new $5,000 threshold for 2024

IRS to offer pandemic-related relief on some penalties to nearly 5 million taxpayers

Driving for work will pay more next year after IRS boosts 2024 mileage rate

What is OASDI tax on my paycheck? Here's why you and your employer pay this federal tax.

A 30% national sales tax? Abolishing the IRS? Here's what the FairTax Act of 2023 would do

These 8 states dont have an income tax. Does yours make the list?

What is net pay? How it works, how to calculate it and its difference from gross pay

Daniel de Vise covers personal finance for USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tax season 2024 explained: Your biggest questions answered
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TCS Property Management, a prominent single-family property management firm based in Philadelphia, with regional offices in New Jersey and Delaware, has proudly announced its expansion into several key U.S. markets. This significant step in growth capitalizes on the firm's proprietary processes, enabling real estate firms across the nation to offer comprehensive property management services.

TCS Management

With a strategic emphasis on joint venture partnerships, TCS Property Management has successfully initiated operations in Nashville, Tennessee; Phoenix, Arizona; Charleston, South Carolina; and Atlanta, Georgia. These markets were meticulously chosen for their high density of rental properties, aligning seamlessly with TCS Management's proficiency in managing single-family homes.

Benjamin Oller, Partner at TCS Property Management, articulates, "Our expansion is more than geographical growth; it's about equipping local real estate entities with the tools and processes to excel in property management. We're excited to bring our proven solutions to these dynamic markets and collaborate with influential local real estate professionals."

This innovative approach to property management has been instrumental in TCS Management's success in Philadelphia. Now, this model is poised to revolutionize the property management sector in these new regions. The company's expansion underscores its dedication to delivering exceptional service and support to both property owners and tenants.

The Tennessee branch of TCS Property Management, situated just outside Nashville, marked the firm's initial expansion venture. Collaborating with David Huffaker of The Huffaker Group, Keller Williams, the firm has achieved notable success in offering professional property management to individual single-family investors.

Joseph Puggi, Director of Business Development at TCS Management, states, "Integrating real estate-centric brokerage firms into property management is essential."

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As TCS Management partners with forward-thinking real estate executives in other markets to expand service offerings, the firm also opens valuable opportunities for individual realtors. These realtors can generate alternative income streams through their existing client relationships by providing management services.

Rebecca Oller, Partner at TCS Management, emphasizes, "Our strength lies in leveraging our human talent, technology, and processes as we explore new markets."

TCS Management empowers real estate professionals to leverage their networks, offering a substantial value addition to their businesses.

For further information about TCS Property Management and its services, please visit www.Tcsmgt.com or contact Benjamin Oller.

About TCS Property Management

Headquartered in Philadelphia and serving Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, TCS Property Management stands as a leading provider of single-family property management services. Celebrated for its proprietary processes and client-focused approach, TCS Management has established itself as a frontrunner in the property management industry. Through fostering robust relationships with real estate firms and local realtors, TCS Management guarantees top-tier service and efficient property management in the markets it serves.

As TCS Management partners with forward-thinking real estate executives in other markets to expand service offerings, the firm also opens valuable opportunities for individual realtors. These realtors can generate alternative income streams through their existing client relationships by providing management services.

Gaurav Gambhir, Partner at TCS Management, adds, "We're thrilled to share our decade-long achievements with industry professionals looking to enhance their client services."

TCS Management empowers real estate professionals to leverage their networks, offering a substantial value addition to their businesses.

CONTACT: Benjamin Oller, ben@tcsmgt.com

Cision

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SOURCE TCS Management
Wei-Ling Gallery, Rissim Contemporary, and The Back Room will showcase works by Malaysia's leading contemporary artists, while other galleries also highlight notable Malaysian art practitioners

SINGAPORE, Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time, three new Malaysian galleries will present at the second edition of ART SG  the international contemporary art fair bringing the world to Singapore and Southeast Asia  while Malaysian artists are also highlighted in other galleries.

ART SG returns to Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore in January 2024. Image courtesy of ART SG

Running from 19 to 21 January 2024 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, ART SG is one of the highlights of Singapore Art Week, the city's annual celebration of the visual arts.

ART SG 2024, organised by The Art Assembly and presented by founding and lead partner UBS, features 115 exceptional galleries from 33 countries and territories. A total of 39 new galleries will be joining the fair for the first time, of which three will be from Malaysia.

The world-class art fair comprises three main sectors:

GALLERIES , a showcase of diverse, multi-artist exhibitions;

FOCUS which features galleries presenting solo or duo artist programs, or curated thematic presentations; and

FUTURES, which supports younger galleries under the age of 10 years, presenting specially created presentations for ART SG.

Throughout the fair, visitors will also encounter dynamic, large-scale, site-specific installations as part of the PLATFORM sector; experience a curated FILM program hosted in collaboration with ArtScience Museum and participate in a TALKS program featuring art world thought leaders.

PROGRESSIVE PERSPECTIVES FROM DEBUTING MALAYSIAN GALLERIES

Three galleries from Kuala Lumpur will show for the first time at ART SG, offering insights into differing expressions and mediums from the Malaysian capital's burgeoning contemporary art scene.

Wei-Ling Gallery, part of ART SG 2024's FOCUS sector, will feature Malaysian trailblazer Wong Chee Mung's latest series, where he merges traditional painting with the cutting-edge realm of Augmented Reality (AR). Executed masterfully with layers of acrylic paint, each work by Wong Chee Meng unfolds as a multi-layered creation. Augmented Reality (AR) transforms passive observation into active interaction by the audience, forging a symbiotic relationship between observer and art.

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The Back Room, part of ART SG's FUTURES sector, will present large, textile-based works broadly revolving around themes of identity and independence by three emerging talents from Southeast Asia and Central America: Marcos Kueh (Malaysia/Netherlands), Red Hong Yi (Malaysia), and Antonio Pichilla Quiacain (Guatemala). The booth will be anchored by a fluorescent, multi-work woven installation by Marcos Kueh that touches on themes of the postcolonial subject, flanked by woven works by Antonio Pichilla Quiacain inspired by his indigenous identity and Red Hong Yi's investigations into womanhood.

Spotlighting emerging Malaysian artists, Rissim Contemporary, part of the FUTURES sector, will showcase paintings by Paul Nickson Atia from his series "Torun Tana? (There Is Something About Home)" which delves deep into the artist's personal relationship with Sarawak and his Bidayuh heritage. Alongside are collage works by Saiful Razman from his series "Apartments", made from medical gauze and rolled tissue paper, inspired by the design of low-cost apartments in 1990s Kuala Lumpur.

OTHER MALAYSIAN ARTISTS TO WATCH

ART SG's main and largest sector  GALLERIES  will feature 68 leading international and regional galleries.

Chok Yue Zan  the winner of the 2017 UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) Competition  is one of two featured artists for Singapore gallery Art Porters Gallery's presentation, "Dual Realities: Unraveling the Upside Down World". The booth juxtaposes the works of Zan alongside Bestrizal Besta (Indonesia) to reveal two perspectives of our upside-down world. Zan's adept fusion of creativity, emotion, and technicality solidifies his stature as a multifaceted emerging artist in the region.

Returning gallery Richard Koh Fine Art (Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Singapore) will spotlight the evolving tapestry and rich visual language that characterises Southeast Asia's contemporary art scene through a group of artists from the region. Justin Lim and Yeoh Choo Kuan, both from Malaysia, are on show alongside Htein Lin (Myanmar), Oca Villamiel (Philippines), Ruben Pang (Singapore), and Yim Maline (Cambodia).

Over at Singapore gallery Art Seasons, contemporary Malaysian ceramic artist Umibaizurah is part of the presentation "TIME AND CHANGE". The seriousness of Umibaizurah's subject matter is camouflaged by the playful visual quality of her ceramic sculptures and assemblages.

THE WORLD AT ART SG 2024

In 2024, ART SG will host once again some of the world's best-known galleries including Gagosian, White Cube, Thaddaeus Ropac, Lehmann Maupin, neugerriemschneider, Xavier Hufkens, Galerie Gisela Capitain, Annely Juda Fine Art, Goodman Gallery, Kukje Gallery, P.P.O.W, Peres Projects, ShanghART Gallery, Ota Fine Arts, MadeIn Gallery, albertz benda and more.

"We are delighted to welcome the international art world back to Singapore once again with the second edition of ART SG," said Shuyin Yang, Fair Director, ART SG. "Collectors and visitors to the fair will be able to observe exceptional art presentations from Singapore and Southeast Asia, including established names and exciting new talents, alongside the best of global contemporary art from galleries across the world, through the fair's thoughtfully curated sectors and programs."

For more information about ART SG:

Website: artsg.com

Instagram: @art.sg

Facebook: @artsgfair

For more information about the Singapore Art Week:

Website: artweek.sg

Information and visuals can be found in the ART SG 2024 press kit .

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SOURCE ART SG
In a tumultuous year for ship routing, there was no supply chain crisis. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreighttWaves)

Ocean shipping routes are always in flux, but 2023 took it to a whole new level.

Trade routes were blocked or impeded by geopolitics, labor and weather: sanctions on Russia, U.S.-China tensions, dockworker union unrest, drought-driven cuts at the Panama Canal, and attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

Ocean trade detoured around each obstacle. When vessels divert in large numbers, it makes headlines, but that flexibility is one of ocean shippings greatest strengths. Ship diversions, as the software saying goes, are a feature, not a bug.

Heres a look back how FreightWaves covered of a year when ships kept on changing course:

Russia-Ukraine war reroutes tanker and bulker flows

The EU shift away from Russia began in December 2022, with the EU ban on Russian crude, and accelerated in February 2023, with a ban on Russian diesel and other refined products.

The shuffle of global trade flows went into full swing. Russian crude went to China and India instead of the EU. Russian diesel went to Africa and South America. The EU replaced its Russian crude and diesel with volumes from the U.S. and Middle East (story here)  and none of these changes caused fuel prices to spike.

Not only did the destinations change for Russian exports, the fleet of tankers carrying those cargoes changed.

A tanker loads in Russia. (Photo: Shutterstock/Igor Grochev)

In response to sanctions, Russian cargoes were initially carried by the so-called shadow fleet, tankers outside Western financial and insurance circles (story here). Then, courtesy of the price-cap loophole, they switched to European tankers (story here). And then, when the price cap was breached, they switched back to shadow tankers (story here).

Trade routes for liquified natural gas (LNG) shipping also saw a huge shift due to the war. Previously, two-thirds of U.S. LNG went to Asia, one-third to Europe. This year, two-thirds went to Europe, one-third to Europe (story here).

The Russia-Ukraine war likewise reshuffled dry bulk routes.

Russian coal that previously went to the EU went to India and China instead. The EU replaced Russian supply with coal from Colombia, South Africa, the U.S. and Australia (story here). Ukrainian wheat impeded from leaving via the Black Sea due to the war was replaced by Russian wheat (story here). Global trade reflowed to keep markets supplied.

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Trouble ahead: Tensions with China mount

The separation of Russian and Western supply chains was only part of a broader trend that involved China, as well. More Chinese military exercises off Taiwan this year heightened tensions with the U.S.

In general, shipping fleets and cargo flows grew increasingly bifurcated, with the U.S. and EU on one side, and Russia and China on the other (story here).

Geopolitical tensions coincided with a much-weaker post-COVID economic recovery in China than expected, a negative for shipping demand (story here).

More Chinese containerized exports went to Asian countries in 2023, and less to the U.S., with the U.S. sourcing more containerized imports from Southeast Asia and India. But this trade reshuffle has a long way to go.

The U.S. remains extremely reliant on Chinese cargo, which still represented 37% of total containerized imports in November (story here). Thus, the stage is set for a massive supply chain shock in the years ahead if China invades Taiwan.

Leland Miller, CEO and founder of China Beige Book, warned FreightWaves in November: The odds of something happening before the end of the decade are much, much higher than the markets are giving credit for. The market understanding of this  that its way too damaging so its not going to happen  is just wrong (story here).

Labor unrest and the coastal shuffle

Meanwhile, on the domestic front, the first half of this year was dominated by fears of dockworker labor unrest at West Coast ports as the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) engaged in contentious negotiations over pay and COVID bonuses (story here).

Importers reacted by rerouting some of their supply chains to the East Coast and Gulf Coast ports, causing volumes in Los Angeles and Long Beach to plummet (story here).

In the second half of the year, trade flows began to shift in the opposite direction. The ILWU reached a contract agreement in June, removing concerns about West Coast ports, and water-level restrictions at the Panama Canal increased, raising importer concerns about East and Gulf Coast ports. West Coast volumes bounced back (story here).

Then the labor threat switched coasts. In November, the International Longshoremens Association (ILA), representing East and Gulf Coast dockworkers, warned members to prepare for a strike in October 2024, when the current contract expires (story here).

That deadline may be 10 months away, but importers are already planning which coast to send their cargo to next year.

Importers are very aware of the risk, Flexports global head of ocean procurement, Nerijus Poskus, told FreightWaves. Next year, its inevitable that some share will temporarily shift back to the West Coast (story here).

Panama Canal slashes transit capacity

The Panama Canal began warning about a historic drought and the potential effect on transits in August. At that point, delays for some vessel types were not as extreme as they had been in past droughts, and the seriousness of the situation was still unclear (story here).

In the coming months, however, it became obvious that this time was different. The canal had its driest October on record. In November, the canal announced extreme measures to slash transits and preserve water (story here).

Prior to November, one of the major impacts of canal restrictions involved larger tankers designed to carry liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)  propane and butane. Uncertainty over delays caused larger LPG carriers to avert the Panama Canal and reroute to the Suez Canal or Cape of Good Hope, increasing average voyage distance and pushing up spot rates (story here).

Panama Canal transits fell sharply in November. (Photo: ACP)

In November, waiting times for ships without reservations at the Panama Canal surged (story here).

Canal restrictions began hitting Asia-U.S. container shipping flows for the first time (story here).

Two of the three global container shipping alliances  Ocean Alliance and THE Alliance  rerouted their Asia-East Coast services from the Panama Canal to the Suez Canal. And that ultimately led to even more diversions..

Israel-Hamas war and Red Sea attacks

The onset of the Israel-Hamas war in October spurred concerns over two key shipping chokepoints: the Strait of Hormuz off Iran and the Suez Canal (stories here and here).

As it turned out, the risk was at the Suez  not because of issues related to the canal, but because any ships transiting the waterway had to pass through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait off Yemen.

An Israeli-linked car carrier was hijacked in November.

Yemens Houthi rebels began attacking ships in the strait in retaliation for Israels treatment of Palestinians, initially attacking Israeli-linked ships (story here).

Israeli carrier Zim (NYSE: ZIM) was one of the first companies to divert from the Suez/Red Sea route (story here).

Then the Houthi attacks became more indiscriminate (story here). All of the container shipping lines, as well as numerous operators of bulk commodity vessels, opted to switch to the much-longer Cape of Good Hope route and avoid the Suez and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait (stories here and here).

It was yet another case of a double switch in 2023 routing. Just as some U.S. importers opted to leave the West Coast earlier in 2023 and switch back to that coast later this year, some ocean carriers that switched from the Panama Canal to the Suez Canal had to change course yet again, and divert to the Cape of Good Hope.

The saving grace for supply chains is that theres plenty of excess capacity in container shipping, due to a historic tidal wave of newbuilding deliveries hitting the water just as the dual canal issues emerged (story here). There is enough capacity to handle the diversions.

For all of the ship detours due to war, labor and weather, there was no supply chain crisis in 2023. The inherently flexible networks of ocean shipping worked as designed.

Click for more articles by Greg Miller

Related articles:

The post Top ocean shipping stories of 2023: War, drought and detours appeared first on FreightWaves.
FALL RIVER  This past year has been a rough one for drivers in Fall River.

A major thoroughfare along the citys waterfront vanished from use this year, causing confusing detours and ever-changing traffic patterns likely to last for a couple more years. An infusion of millions in American Rescue Plan Act money has made it possible for the city to replace miles of badly aging water mains, at the expense of causing weeks of traffic tie-ups and frustration. The MBTA's promised ticket to ride has been postponed due to construction delays. And now the regions largest city has been crippled thanks to aging bridge infrastructure.

Heres what went on in the local transportation scene in 2023, and whats to come in 2024:

Route 79 expressway reconstruction project on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023.

How do you get there from here? Your Route 79 shutdown and construction questions answered

Route 79 expressway demolished

What happened in 2023: In the works for years, the Route 79-Davol Street Corridor improvement project finally kicked off in February when the state Department of Transportation closed part of the Route 79 expressway permanently.

The four-year $135 million project was designed to eliminate the elevated expressway lanes and transform Davol Street into a pedestrian-friendly street-level boulevard. The project gives people more access points to the waterfront, is aimed at slowing down high-speed traffic, makes the neighborhood more walkable, and frees up nearly 20 acres of real estate for development.

Route 79 expressway reconstruction project on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023.

But first that meant weeks of demolition and ensuing traffic headaches. The most drastic and visible portion of the project tore down elevated highway lanes and bridges that had been in place and blocking views for almost 50 years. In their place, drivers have a mile-long construction site to navigate through, weaving past newly built mountains of construction material through detours that change periodically to accommodate work.

A WWI hero: Fall River's Route 79 bridge was named for a man killed in action. Who was he?

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What will happen in 2024: The project remains in Stage 2B of a four-stage process. It will likely remain in that stage throughout 2024 as detours continue and work underground takes place. Construction will continue, but will not be as noticeable to drivers tooling past as it was during the destruction of the overpasses. The whole project is due to be completed in 2026.

A pedestrian walks along Robeson Street where New Boston Road is blocked off to vehicle traffic due to roadwork. The area just beyond has several businesses, including hair salons, a craft shop, a bakery and a cafe, but access has been limited due to construction.

Street repaving causes traffic tie-ups

What happened in 2023: The city used millions in ARPA funding to undertake a massive project of replacing old water mains across the city. In the process, the city has also repaved the roads above them, refinishing streets like President Avenue from curb to curb with completely fresh, smooth asphalt.

This has also caused some frustration for drivers attempting to get around town, and for businesses with limited street access and parking, like those on New Boston Road.

What will happen in 2024: City Director of Community Utilities Paul Ferland said there are no water main replacements on the schedule for the spring 2024 construction season. But we will be doing paving and sidewalks on some of the streets that we installed water mains on this year," he said.

Streets that will be affected include North Belmont, Vestal, Archer, Reading, Orchard and Merchant streets and Oak Grove Avenue from Locust to New Boston Road.

You may still see construction crews occasionally blocking off streets to dig up underground pipes in 2024  but itll be shorter and much more limited in scope, to one house at a time.

Were going to be going pretty hard with lead service replacements," Ferland said. Through the winter and into the spring, were going to continue with our lead service abatement program thats mandated by DEP and EPA.

As part of that program, the city is looking to inspect about 5,000 homes citywide that have been contacted by mail and may have lead pipes running to their meter. If lead pipes are present, the city will dig up and replace them from the main in the middle of the street all the way into the house to the meter, Ferland said. We have funding to pay for the full cost of that.

The Freetown station of the South Coast Rail has been completed.

South Coast Rail promised for late 2023, but running late

What happened in 2023: The decades-in-the-works South Coast Rail project to connect Fall River to Boston via MBTA commuter rail finally became something more than a dream. Miles of track from here to Berkley were replaced, and the line pronounced 100% complete. Rail bridges were rebuilt to accommodate the new trains. The MBTA published safety awareness materials for people to stay off railroad rights-of-way, and held emergency seminars to train first-responders in the event of an emergency.

Work on the Fall River Depot and Freetown commuter rail stations and the Weavers Cove layover station proceeded at a quick pace and were completed for good  Fall River even got its own glowing T sign on Davol Street.

No train tickets yet: South Coast Rail passenger service is being delayed

What didnt happen was train service.

T officials and politicians had projected since at least 2021 that South Coast Rail would be ready for passengers by the end of 2023. MBTA Chief Operating Officer Ryan Coholan noted at a board of directors meeting in September that revenue service was delayed.

A look at the South Coast Rail platform on Depot Street in Fall River.

What will happen in 2024: Construction of the East Taunton station is lagging, along with the Church Street station in New Bedford. Those will need to be completed. The rail line from New Bedford to Middleboro will also need to be finished.

Then the MBTA will begin what Coholan called a monumental testing phase lasting several months where all systems are checked; then workers will operate the line without passengers for another three months to make sure it runs smoothly.

Its expected that South Coast Rail will be ready for passengers by summer.

Traffic is backed up on the Henderson Bridge as drivers work their way through the new rotary while detouring around I-195's Washington Bridge westbound lane shutdown

'A lot of road rage': Greater Fall River drivers share commutes from hell into Providence

Commuting to Providence becomes a nightmare

What happened in 2023: On Dec. 11, drivers were hit with a doozy of a detour  the westbound lanes of the Washington Bridge in Providence were suddenly closed by emergency decree due to aging components that could cause a catastrophic failure.

Closing this key entry point into the regions largest city has created chaos for tens of thousands of drivers who use the bridge, many from Greater Fall River. Outrageous traffic jams have limited  or entirely cut off  access to hospitals, schools, offices, the airport, shopping malls, restaurants and more.

Heavy midday traffic clogs the Washington Bridge on Tuesday.

A plan to convert two eastbound lanes to westbound traffic is in the works, but in the meantime drivers have sought alternative routes, which have also been choked with traffic.

What will happen in 2024: The Rhode Island Department of Transportation has initially estimated a permanent fix for the Washington Bridge could take three months. Presuming no construction delays, the bridge could open by spring.

Dan Medeiros can be reached at dmedeiros@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: 2023 in transportation: Fall River drivers faced traffic, construction
Key Insights

Tsakos Energy Navigation's significant individual investors ownership suggests that the key decisions are influenced by shareholders from the larger public

A total of 25 investors have a majority stake in the company with 50% ownership

Institutions own 20% of Tsakos Energy Navigation

To get a sense of who is truly in control of Tsakos Energy Navigation Limited (NYSE:TNP), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 45% to be precise, is individual investors. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

And private companies on the other hand have a 27% ownership in the company.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Tsakos Energy Navigation.

Check out our latest analysis for Tsakos Energy Navigation

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Tsakos Energy Navigation?

Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.

Tsakos Energy Navigation already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This implies the analysts working for those institutions have looked at the stock and they like it. But just like anyone else, they could be wrong. 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 Tsakos Energy Navigation's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Tsakos Energy Navigation. First Tsakos Investments Inc. is currently the company's largest shareholder with 8.4% of shares outstanding. With 7.8% and 5.2% of the shares outstanding respectively, Nikolas Tsakos and Kelley Enterprises Inc. are the second and third largest shareholders. Nikolas Tsakos, who is the second-largest shareholder, also happens to hold the title of Chief Executive Officer.

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On studying our ownership data, we found that 25 of the top shareholders collectively own less than 50% of the share register, implying that no single individual has a majority interest.

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 some analyst coverage of the stock, but it could still become more well known, with time.

Insider Ownership Of Tsakos Energy Navigation

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. Management ultimately answers to the board. However, it is not uncommon for managers to be executive board members, especially if they are a founder or the CEO.

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.

We can report that insiders do own shares in Tsakos Energy Navigation Limited. It has a market capitalization of just US$707m, and insiders have US$56m worth of shares, in their own names. Some would say this shows alignment of interests between shareholders and the board. But it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 45% stake in Tsakos Energy Navigation. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Private Company Ownership

It seems that Private Companies own 27%, of the Tsakos Energy Navigation stock. 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:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Tsakos Energy Navigation better, we need to consider many other factors. For example, we've discovered 4 warning signs for Tsakos Energy Navigation that you should be aware of before investing here.

Ultimately the future is most important. You can access this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

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.
(Bloomberg) -- The head of a Vietnamese province was arrested by police for allegedly helping a company illegally mine sand, in part blamed for shoreline erosion and sinkholes across the Mekong Delta  the nations rice bowl.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Nguyen Thanh Binh, chairman of An Giang province, was accused of assisting Trung Hau Investment JSC to use local mines to extract the construction material beyond the permitted quantity and gaining a significantly huge amount of money, the public security ministry said late Monday. It didnt provide more details.

Binh couldnt be reached on phone for comment while three calls to his office went unanswered.

The arrest is the latest in an ongoing crackdown on corruption ordered by the nations Communist party since 2021, which has claimed top politicians and corporate executives. In August, a deputy of Binh was held in a related case as sinkholes spread across the Mekong Delta, prompting Premier Pham Minh Chinh to term it as very serious.

The delta has seen the appearance of more than 120 sinkholes this year through mid-June, nearly the same number recorded in 2022, state-run Vietnam Television reported. Sinkholes and erosion in the delta have risen in terms of number, speed and scope, Deputy Agriculture Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep was quoted as saying at a conference this year.

Trung Hau was permitted to mine about 1.5 million cubic meters of sand to supply to four road projects, but it ended up in extracting nearly 4.8 million cubic meters of sand, pocketing about 253 billion dong ($10.4 million), the security ministry said in August.

Leaders of Trung Hau Investment and more than a dozen other individuals were arrested as part of the widening probe, the government said in a separate statement Tuesday.

Story continues

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2023 Bloomberg L.P.
(Bloomberg) -- One of the worlds biggest share market rallies this year in Japan may be extended if foreign investors become even more bullish in 2024.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The Topix index and the Nikkei 225 Stock Average both touched 33-year highs and rose more than 20% so far for 2023, beating most equity benchmarks in the rest of Asia. Gauges that track Japanese automakers and electronics companies surged at least 33% as the yen depreciated against all major currencies. That was fueled by signs that the Bank of Japan isnt in a hurry to alter its ultra-loose monetary policy.

Even with the yens rally since early November, Japanese stocks may stay solid given that the currency remains relatively cheap and corporate earnings have become less susceptible to foreign exchange fluctuations. Overseas investors have also cheered Japans push to increase companies shareholder value.

Investors outside of Asia, such as those in the US, Europe, and the Middle East, are also interested in Japanese equities, said Masashi Akutsu, chief equity strategist at BofA Securities in Tokyo. If they are really convinced that Japan will improve, they will raise their rating, and then funds will come in line with the fundamentals.

Foreign investors were net sellers for only three months this year as of November, according to data calculated by the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Other sector winners included trading companies that climbed after billionaire Warren Buffett increased his stake in the sectors largest firms. Among the Topixs 33 sub-indexes, pharmaceutical companies were the only group to decline this year after a series of clinical trials faced setbacks.

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Heres a list of some notable sectors:

Semiconductors

Shares of Screen Holdings Co. have surged 172% this year, making it one of the Nikkei 225s best performing stocks, while Advantest Corp. and Renesas Electronics Corp. both more than doubled. Semiconductor-equipment suppliers have been in focus as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. considers building a third plant in Japan, which is pushing to use extra budgeting to support chip infrastructure. Analysts have also pointed out that semiconductor-equipment suppliers are seeing signs of a recovery.

Japan Chip Stocks Rise to Record on Signs Demand Is Recovering

Automakers

The automobile sector made the list of top performers as the yen depreciated in November to a one-year low of 151.91 per dollar, helping exporters post record earnings. The Topix subindex for car companies is set for a year-to-date gain of 36%. Toyota Motor Corp. is on course for its best year since 2013 with a gain of 40%.

Trading Companies

The five trading firms that Buffett favored earlier this year  Mitsubishi Corp., Mitsui & Co., Sumitomo Corp., Marubeni Corp. and Itochu Corp.  are all up at least 35% since a report in April said he raised holdings in the sector. Investors are watching for what he buys next after Berkshire Hathaway Inc. sold yen bonds in November. The Topixs Wholesale Trade index, which includes those companies, has climbed more than 37% this year.

Berkshire Sells Yen Debt Amid Talk Its Eying More Japan Stocks

Pharmaceuticals

A slew of bearish signals emerged from the pharmaceutical sector, the years only Topixs sub-index loser. Those included a more-than 50% slump in Sumitomo Pharma Co. that made it the biggest decliner in the Nikkei 225. In July, the drugmaker and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. said their schizophrenia treatment Ulotrant didnt meet the primary endpoint in phase 3 Developing Innovative Approaches for Mental Disorders 1 and 2 clinical studies. Eisai Co. also lost 20% this year after a Keytruda trial to treat a type of cancer in the uterus didnt meet the dual primary endpoints of overall survival and progression-free survival.

Going ahead, I think investors need to be very picky for Japan health-care sector, said Tina Banerjee, a health-care analyst who publishes her insights on the Smartkarma platform, based in Mumbai. Companies with promising late-stage pipeline should be the winners.

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2023 Bloomberg L.P.
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Gov. Jared Polis granted seven prison sentence commutations and 21 pardons just before Christmas.

Commutations involve reducing a judicial sentence to one less severe, while pardons exempt people from punishment. His office announced the pardons on Friday.

In 2019, Polis re-created the Executive Clemency Advisory Board, which reviews clemency applications and makes recommendations to Polis regarding commutations and pardons.

Polis granted full and unconditional pardons to the following people:

James Bell pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana with intent to distribute in El Paso County in 1987. Bell has helped others with addictions, reached near 30 years of sobriety and is serving as a positive role model, Polis wrote in his pardon letter.

Adam Bennett pleaded guilty to first-degree trespass at a home in Mesa County in 2002. He started a safe swim nonprofit and has demonstrated devotion to his family and community, Polis wrote.

Amber Breay pleaded guilty to theft between $1,000 and $20,000 and attempted theft under $500 in 2009. In 2011, Breay pleaded guilty to unauthorized use of a financial transaction device under $1,000 and theft under $500 in Jefferson County. She has taken responsibility for her actions and showed commitment to work and becoming a nurse, Polis said.

Donna Chavez pleaded guilty to first-degree trespassing with conspiracy at a home in Jefferson County in 2013. She has made continued change in her life to benefit her children and has gotten a degree, Polis wrote.

Eric Christensen pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary in Boulder County in 1983. He has since earned degrees and found success in work, Polis said.

Todd Cummings pleaded guilty to theft in Alamosa County in 1983. He has had a successful career in loss prevention and is described as a community leader and commendable volunteer, Polis said.

Gregory Fanger pleaded guilty to unlawful distribution of a schedule II controlled substance in Garfield County in 1985. He built a successful small business and has been active in helping people in his community, Polis wrote.

Kimberly Finley pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a schedule II controlled substance in Arapahoe County in 1988. She has lived out her commitment to staying drug-free and has dedicated her time to care and service, Polis wrote.

Robbie Finley pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary in Boulder County in 1983 and possession of a schedule III controlled substance in Arapahoe County in 1988. He and his wife, Kimberly Finley, were both pardoned, with Polis writing he hopes they continue to serve communities in need.

Robert Glenister pleaded guilty to theft between $500 and $15,000 in Lake County in 2003; fraud by check for less than $100 along with fraud by check between $50 and $200 in Routt County in 2004. In 2005, he pleaded guilty to forgery of a check in Otero County. He is an active volunteer and described as an "upstanding citizen with a huge heart," Polis wrote.

Valencia Green pleaded guilty to theft between $500 and $15,000 and criminal impersonation for benefit in 2006 in Arapahoe County. She has earned several degrees and worked to combat homelessness, Polis said.

Michael Hartnett pleaded guilty to possession of a schedule II controlled substance in Logan County in 2000. He sets a positive example for his community and has stayed on the right path through hard work and dedication, Polis wrote.

Gunnison Hunt pleaded guilty to forgery of a check or commercial instrument in Mesa County in 2008. His letters of reference spoke to "perseverance and dedication" and he has been striving for a better life, Polis wrote.

Jonathan Hunt pleaded guilty to possession of a schedule II controlled substance and criminal mischief between $100 and $500 in Morgan County in 2006. He has overcome a difficult childhood and addiction and worked his way up in his career, Polis said.

Edward Nestor II pleaded guilty to first-degree introducing contraband in Fremont County in 1989. In 1992, Nestor II pleaded guilty to theft in Morgan County. He created a successful business and has been a loving and supportive father, Polis wrote.

Michael Robinson pleaded guilty to cultivating marijuana in Larimer County in 2005. He sets a positive example for his community and has a "readiness" to take on the burdens of others, Polis wrote.

Andrea Smith pleaded guilty to felony menacing with a real or simulated weapon in El Paso County in 2011. She has served her country and community as a volunteer and is getting a counseling degree to help those in need, Polis said.

Traci Smith pleaded guilty to possessing, or using, marijuana in a detention facility in Broomfield County in 2006. She is a consistent volunteer with steady employment, dedicated to her family and to bettering herself, Polis said.

Rebbecca Soper pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance in Larimer County in 1990. She has stayed sober and dedicates time to her family and overcoming breast cancer, Polis said.

Alma Vidauri was convicted of theft between $20,000 and $100,000, along with three counts of check or commercial instrument forgery in Garfield County in 2017. She is an active member of her community and church, and is a leader and speaker about female empowerment, Polis said.
The Gazette file First gentleman Marlon Reis with animal rights activist Ellen Kessler, whose appointment to the state veterinary board brought about criticism from eastern Colorado residents and livestock organizations.
Colorado Supreme Court Justice Monica Marquez questions an attorney as Chief Justice Brian Boatright, back, looks on during a hearing before the court this month in Denver. The oral arguments before the court were held after both sides appealed a ruling by a Denver district judge on whether to allow former President Donald Trump to be included on the states general election ballot.
Will this ruling stand?

Thats the question the whole country is asking right now about the Colorado Supreme Courts unprecedented decision ordering Donald Trump removed from the 2024 presidential ballot, finding him constitutionally ineligible to hold future office.

The Dec. 19 unsigned opinion was the first by any state supreme court to address head-on the substantive arguments of Trump's  or any presidential candidate's  eligibility, given the allegations that Trump engaged in an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.

Anyone who tells you they know for sure this will be thrown out by the U.S. Supreme Court, or even taken up by the Supreme Court, doesnt know what they are talking about, because this case is truly a first of its kind.

We are also cognizant that we travel in uncharted territory, the justices themselves wrote in their opinion.

Investigative reporter David Migoya, who has written extensively on Colorados court system in recent years, asked several legal experts he knows to review the decision, and they agreed wholeheartedly that the case is unprecedented.

Anyone who says they have an idea of whats going to happen cant because there is no book on this, said Larry Pozner, a defense attorney and founding partner of Reilly Pozner who is widely regarded as an expert on cross-examination and criminal defense in high-profile cases. The word unprecedented needs to be taken literally here. There is no history on how to resolve this issue.

Youre trying to take a modern election problem that weve never encountered and shoehorn it into a post-Civil War statute with an entirely different purpose, said Pozner. Weve never had to work out the procedures of this situation.

That statute, Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, was ratified in the wake of the Civil War to keep Confederates who had defied the countrys Constitution from running for office after the war.

Heres the exact wording: No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability."

For me, it boils down to whether or not Donald Trump engaged in "insurrection." The Colorado justices were very clear that they believe he did, but the courts dissenters say there was a rush to judgment, that the question of whether or not Trump truly engaged in insurrection is too big to be decided in five days by District Court in Colorado. The dissenting judges, including Chief Justice Brian D. Boatright, point out that Trump not only has never been convicted of insurrection, hes never been charged specifically with "insurrection."

Boatright, in his dissent, wrote that the "absence of an insurrection-related conviction" against Trump should have called for the case to be dismissed. He also dissented in part because Colorados election code has a limited scope and was not enacted to decide whether a candidate engaged in insurrection, especially on an expedited timeline.

The legal experts we talked to think the U.S. Supreme Court will zero in on Boatrights objection.

What troubles me the most is it seems to me there has to be some sort of trial for the insurrection charge, where lawyers on both sides have discovery rights, and thats not present in the Colorado case and, more importantly, its basically unworkable, said Pozner.

David Lane, a partner at Killmer, Lane & Newman in Denver and one of the most noted criminal defense attorneys in the state, said the same thing.

Boatright makes the point that insurrection is a criminal violation, and if someone is accused of a criminal violation under federal law, an indictment must issue, followed by the full panoply of due process rights associated with a criminal trial  including a trial by jury, the presumption of innocence, proof beyond a reasonable doubt and a unanimous jury verdict, Lane told us.

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Given the conservative nature of the U.S. Supreme Court, this argument will carry a great deal of weight and I believe they will adopt Chief Justice Boatrights dissenting opinion as the primary ground for reversing the Colorado Supreme Courts opinion, Lane concludes.

The only hesitation I have with that argument is that Section 3 doesnt say convicted of insurrection. It says what it says: Government officers who engage in insurrection cannot be officers of the government again.

And the four Colorado justices who made the decision point out that there was a trial, a five-day trial in U.S. District Court, to decide whether there was an insurrection. The district court found that evidence from the congressional investigation into Trump, news reports on the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, the presidents own speeches and tweets and other testimony "from the record" indicate beyond a doubt in their minds that there was an insurrection.

Their approach to the wording of the statue could be considered textualist, that they take the text of the Constitution very literally and dont try to read meaning into it, such as adding the idea of conviction. The statue says engage in insurrection, and the justices say the evidence they weighed clearly shows Trump engaged in insurrection.

The justices, in their decision, even quote a definition of insurrection from Noah Websters dictionary from 1860, written at the time the statue was created:

"A rising against civil or political authority; the open and active opposition of a number of persons to the execution of law in a city or state. It is equivalent to SEDITION, except that sedition expresses a less extensive rising of citizens. It differs from REBELLION, for the latter expresses a revolt, or an attempt to overthrow the government, to establish a different one, or to place the country under another jurisdiction."

The justices went on to review other definitions of insurrection ad nauseam.

In light of these and other proffered definitions, the district court concluded that an insurrection as used in Section Three is (1) a public use of force or threat of force (2) by a group of people (3) to hinder or prevent execution of the Constitution of the United States, the justices wrote.

Although we acknowledge that these definitions vary and some are arguably broader than others, for purposes of deciding this case, we need not adopt a single, all-encompassing definition of the word insurrection. Rather, it suffices for us to conclude that any definition of insurrection for purposes of Section Three would encompass a concerted and public use of force or threat of force by a group of people to hinder or prevent the U.S. government from taking the actions necessary to accomplish a peaceful transfer of power in this country.

"We have little difficulty concluding that substantial evidence in the record supported each of these elements and that, as the district court found, the events of January 6 constituted an insurrection.

So if the U.S. Supreme Court intervenes and overrules Colorado, it will have to decide that the Colorado court didnt have a right to decide what the plain text of the 14th Amendment means. The tricky part will be, if they decide that, then how do they argue that the U.S. Supreme Court has a right to decide what it means? Why are they different from the Colorado Supreme Court or District Court judges in Colorado in deciding what the Constitution says?

Given that likely legal game of Twister, Pozner wonders if the U.S. Supreme Court might not bother with the case at all.

By not dealing with it, it has no effect outside of Colorado, Pozner argues. "Its earth-shaking in terms of its uniqueness, but it doesnt seem to have a big play in the overall Electoral College. Trump isnt likely to win Colorado anyway.

If they dont take the case, they dont have to decide whether an insurrection took place, and whether Trump is disqualified for office. They wouldnt have to set some sort of national precedent, thus politicizing the whole ball of wax even more. They could just decide this is a states rights thing, and let the states decide for themselves, something theyve been inclined to do on other hot topics such as abortion.

If Colorados decision was not reviewed, it wouldnt necessarily stand as a precedent for other states. And in fact, no other state has found yet that Trump should be disqualified. All the states where the issue has been raised have found just the opposite so far.

So the U.S. Supreme Court might just leave this one alone, let Colorado be Colorado and do its own Colorado thing. Colorados 10 electoral votes arent going to make much of a difference in the election anyway, and even if Trump were on the ballot in Colorado, past voting indicates there is no way he would win here.

The Supremes may decide that Colorados case is a moot point.
We havent given wildfire the respect it deserves this side of the Cascades.

That's Albany Fire Chief Shane Wooton's opinion, which he shared earlier this month during a talk to promote ways people can protect their property  and the environment  from wildfires.

A Place to Sleep, episode 10: Wrapping up We check back with some of the people we've met along our travels and we catch up with politicos who are trying to come up with solutions.

Wooton also serves as chief of the Linn County Fire Defense Board.

Referencing the 2020 Labor Day fires, he said: Really, it took 2020 to happen and all the tragedy that occurred for everybody to raise their awareness. We thought it could only happen on the eastside or Southern Oregon, but it can happen here.

Linn County Wildfire Ready Night was held Dec. 6 at Fire Station 21 in Sweet Home, aimed to enhance safety and reduce wildland fire risk in Linn County communities and rural areas.

It was a chance for the public to learn about, and give input on, the Community Wildfire Protection Plan, a 2007 wildfire plan that several state and local agencies have been involved in updating over the past year. The new plan is expected to be adopted sometime in early 2024.

Community Wildfire Protection Plans are really a community-focused plan developed to achieve common goals and identify those local projects and priorities for the community for wildfire protection, adaptation and natural resource management, said Susan Millhauser, natural hazards planner with the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development.

Millhauser pointed out that Linn County has seen a number of large fires in recent years, including 2020 devastation in the Santiam Canyon, and this years Priceboro and Wiley Creek fires.

Wildfire risk is measured by four factors: likelihood of a fire based on historic patterns; intensity of a fire due to fuels, slope and weather; exposure to fire based on distance; and susceptibility of assets/resources in the area.

One of the best ways to reduce risk is clearing out potential fire fuels to create defensible space around properties, as several speakers noted, including one of the more unique methods for removing vegetation: calling in a herd of goats to do the work.

We talked to fire district chiefs and other fire specialists at fire districts, plus the Oregon Department of Forestry has wildland fire experts, said Kate Bentz, a Linn County associate planner. We asked those people who have been in these communities responding to fires  boots on the ground for years  to tell us places that theyre concerned about, she said.

Linn County was assessed to have an overall low risk rating, according to Bentz.

Now, that doesnt mean that we are overall low risk for everywhere, she said, noting some portions of the county as you go east have more significant risk to consider. He added that fire in certain locations and at lower intensity can have some positive effects on the natural landscape.

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Linn County Community Wildfire Protection Plan goals include:

Enhance wildfire and emergency response and recovery capabilities to protect life, the built environment and natural systems.

Empower residents and other stakeholders with knowledge, decision-making tools and resources to understand and reduce wildfire risks and increase preparedness.

Reduce structural ignitability through the use of nonregulatory incentives.

Prioritize and implement fuels treatment projects on private and public land to reduce risk, increase resiliency, and create defensible landscapes.

Increase opportunities for collaboration, coordination, and building capacity to implement wildfire projects.

Related stories:
Events

Wednesday, Dec. 27

Open house hosted by the Brownsville Women's Study Club, noon to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 27, through Saturday, Dec. 30, Moyer House, 204 N. Main St., Brownsville.

Sunday, Dec. 31

Santas on Vacation Ride, 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., Santiam Excursion Trains, 750 S. Third St., Lebanon. Tickets: adults, $27 and up; military, free to $13; seniors, $20 and up; children, $22 and up; toddlers, free to $3. Tickets: https://santiamexcursions.com.

Noon Year's Eve 2023, 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Marys River Grange Hall, 24707 Grange Hall Road, Philomath. Free, family-friendly fun. Countdown item drop, art supply walk, STEAM activities, hot cocoa and coffee bar, cotton candy and popcorn. Food sales and raffle entries benefit Maxtivity.

New Years Eve Hoof N Holler, 7:30 p.m., Linn County Expo Center, 3700 Knox Butte Road E., Albany. The biggest New Years Eve Event of its kind, featuring rodeo, special effects, pyrotechnics, concert sound and lighting. Heated arena and free parking. Bull- and bronc-riding champions from around the country will put it all on the line to determine whos number No. 1. The Rough Stock Event features the top cowboys in the business and world-renowned bucking bulls and broncs. All-around champions and circuit finalists will compete. Riders compete for over $25,000 in cash and prizes, including a trophy saddle and a handmade trophy buckle. The rodeo is followed by a dance and New Years Eve Celebration with a balloon drop and prizes to ring in the new year. All ages are welcome. If you exit the event, you will not be allowed reentry. Tickets: $52 at https://bit.ly/41wx3A8; $56 at the door (limited seats); no childrens discount.

Maxtivity's Mardi Gras New Year's Eve Party, 8 p.m. to 12:15 a.m., Marys River Grange Hall, 24707 Grange Hall Road, Philomath. Live blues and zydeco by the Monkey See Monkey Duo, and the New Iberians. Midnight countdown. Hors d'oeuvres, desserts, mocktails, masks, photo booth. Wine served by Cardwell Hill Cellars. Live auction, costume contest. No stiletto heels or loose glitter. Carpool if possible. Tickets: $99 each or $150 for a pair; tables: $500 each; visit https://givebutter.com/c/MaxtivityNYE2023.

New Year's Eve Celebration on a Train, 8 p.m., Santiam Excursion Trains, 750 S. Third St., Lebanon. Age 21 or over only. Tickets: https://santiamexcursions.com.

Monday, Jan. 1

First Day Hike, 9 a.m., Thompson's Mills State Heritage Park; meet in parking lot, 32655 Boston Mill Drive, Shedd. The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is partnering with Americas State Parks for free guided First Day Hikes in state parks on New Years Day. Come explore Thompson's Mills and get a sneak peek of the planned nature trail. The 1-mile walk-and-talk will focus on the mill property and new trail. As participants walk along the Calapooia River, they may see river otters, kingfishers, hawks, eagles and a variety of other creatures. Learn about the rich history of land use at the mill. A tour of the mill building will be offered after the hike. Visitors who choose not to hike can join staff at the wheelchair-accessible area to use the spotting scope and bird watch. The trail is a natural surface that may be uneven or muddy in areas. Friendly dogs are welcome on 6-foot leashes. Participants should dress in layers, wear sturdy shoes appropriate for ice and snow, and bring water and snacks, as well as a camera or binoculars for wildlife viewing. Those who have questions about access or want to request any reasonable accommodations needed for their participation can call Park Ranger Rye Guessford at 503-798-3674. Requests must be submitted at least three days prior to Jan. 1. The $5 day-use parking fee is waived that day for all state parks that require a parking permit and are open. Share photos of First Day Hikes via social media by using the hashtag #ORfirstdayhikes. First Day Hikes is a national initiative to welcome the coming year in the outdoors, promote exercise and encourage connecting with nature.

First Day Hikes, 10 a.m. and noon, Silver Falls State Park, 20024 Silver Falls Highway SE, Sublimity. The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is partnering with Americas State Parks for free guided First Day Hikes in state parks on New Years Day. Meet at 10 a.m. or noon at the North Canyon trailhead near Milepost 28 on Highway 214. The parking lot is three miles north of the South Falls day-use area. GPS directions may not be accurate for this location. When you arrive, look for "First Day Hike" signs leading you to the meeting point. Join in exploring the new North Rim Trail that opened last summer. The hike is one and a half miles round trip through the forest. Participants will stop at the spectacular North Falls Viewpoint before the return trip. The trail surface is compacted gravel; the trail is 6 feet wide and has a slope of 5% or less. Most mobility devices can navigate this trail. Leashed dogs are welcome. Participants should dress in layers with rain gear and gloves, wear shoes appropriate for the activity, and bring water and snacks, as well as a camera or binoculars for wildlife viewing. If you have questions about access or want to request any reasonable accommodations needed for your participation, call Park Ranger Matt Palmquist at 503-689-5122. Requests must be submitted at least three days prior to Jan. 1. The $5 day-use parking fee is waived that day for all state parks that require a parking permit and are open. Share photos of First Day Hikes via social media by using the hashtag #ORfirstdayhikes. First Day Hikes is a national initiative to welcome the coming year in the outdoors, promote exercise and encourage connecting with nature.

Polar Brrr Swim, 1 to 4 p.m., Osborn Aquatic Center, 1940 NW Highland Drive, Corvallis. Start the New Year by riding down the great white waterslide and taking the plunge into the cold outdoor pool. Warm up in the indoor pools and enjoy a treat on the OAC on the way out. All ages welcome. Regular admission rates apply.

Ongoing

Teal Cooperative Art Gallery, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 26, through Thursday, Dec. 28, 328 SW Second St., Corvallis. The gallery is a place to shop for handcrafted, unique, made-in-Oregon gifts. Each November, a team of artists transforms an empty storefront into a world of color, light and beauty, open for business. A portion of the gallery's sales will be donated to the Bessie Coleman Elementary School. Information: www.tealartistcoop.com.

Pastega Christmas Light Display, 5 to 9 p.m. daily through Sunday, Dec. 31, Benton County Fairgrounds, 110 SW 53rd St., Corvallis. Admission is free; donations of nonperishable foods are encouraged.

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Its the time of year to visit the Willamette National Forest and find the perfect Christmas tree and ornament for your celebrations. Christmas tree permits are available online at Recreation.gov, in person from local vendors or from one of the Willamette offices (in the mid-Willamette Valley, visit the Sweet Home Ranger District, 4431 Highway 20, phone 541-367-5168). Permits allow the holder to cut one tree in designated areas; each household can purchase up to five permits. Permits are $5 each; online purchases have an additional $2.50 service fee. For downloadable maps of tree-cutting areas and a list of local vendors selling tree permits, visit https://bit.ly/WNFtree. Fourth-grade students can receive a free tree permit by getting their Every Kid Outdoors pass and entering the voucher or pass number when prompted on Recreation.gov or by visiting a Forest office. While hunting for a Christmas tree, be sure to search for ornaments. The Willamette Valley Visitors Association's sixth annual ornament hunt has begun and will run through Dec. 31. In partnership with Cascade Volunteers, 200 locally crafted wooden ornaments have been hidden along non-wilderness trails on the Willamettes Detroit, Sweet Home, McKenzie River and Middle Fork ranger districts. The hunt encourages local communities and travelers to connect with public lands and increase outdoor recreation activities. The tradition was born when the Willamette National Forest provided the Capitol Christmas Tree that went to Washington, D.C. For more information on the ornament hunt contest and a list of participating trails, visit https://willamettevalley.org/ornament. Be mindful of safety and your surroundings when searching for trees or ornaments. Cutting trees in some areas of the forest is prohibited. Tree hunters should remain outside closed areas and check maps prior to heading out. Forest roads are not maintained for winter driving. Be sure to bring traction devices, a shovel, extra food, drinking water, winter clothing, blankets, a flashlight and a first aid kit. Let someone know where you are going, get an early start and leave the woods before dark.

Give the gift of the outdoors and save this season with the Oregon State Parks 12-month parking permit sale during the month of December. The permit hangtag once again features whimsical designs by Portland artist El Tran. Holiday shoppers can buy the annual parking permits for only $25, a $5 savings, running through Dec. 31. The permit is good for 12 months, starting in the month of purchase. You can purchase permits at https://bit.ly/3T7lJIv. Permits are also sold at some state park friends' group stores and select local businesses throughout the state. For a complete list of vendors, visit stateparks.oregon.gov. Parking costs $5 a day at 25 Oregon state parks unless you have a 12- or 24-month parking permit or a same-day camping receipt. The 24-month pass is $50 and is also available at store.oregonstateparks.org. The permits are transferable from vehicle to vehicle.

Giving Opportunities

Holiday pet supply drive, Linn County Animal Rescue, 39389 Plagman Drive, Lebanon. This is a sanctuary/rescue for neglected, abandoned and abused horses, and hospice dogs. In existence for 15 years, the rescue is 100% run by volunteers. The rescue provides Healing Hearts with Horses events for the developmentally disabled/handicapped and individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder. For more information, to consider volunteering at the rescue and to participate in fundraisers (Bottle Drop and Points for Profit), visit www.lcarhorse.org or call 541-258-3422. If horses and dogs speak to your heart, consider donating gift certificates; cash; cleaning supplies; senior horse grain; or small blankets, beds or pee pads for dogs. Donations can be sent to PO Box 2669, Lebanon, OR 97355.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  After years of combing through military records and making some key deductions, a team of U.S. government historians and researchers has finally put a name to case file X-3212, identifying an Army private from eastern New Mexico named Homer Mitchell who died during World War II.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency this past week announced the findings, which were confirmed by laboratory testing and brought closure to Mitchell's family members.

Mitchell is one of nearly 160 service members who have been accounted for over the last fiscal year as part of a massive, yearslong effort headed by the federal agency. The list of service members from various conflicts who have yet to be accounted for tops 81,000, but officials say more than 37,000 of those  mostly from WWII  are considered to be recoverable.

Each case can take years and involves poring through old reports and medical records, said Sean Everette, a spokesperson for the agency.

Work on Mitchell's case began in 2018. Researchers determined that X-3212 had to be one of three soldiers who went missing in the Pachten Forest along Germany's western border, with Mitchell being the strongest possibility.

It took nearly three years just for the historical research part. It then took the lab almost two more years before Mitchell could be positively identified, Everette said.

Hearing the news was surreal for Mitchell's family, many of whom are military veterans themselves. Scattered from New Mexico to Oklahoma and Texas, they will be gathering next spring in Portales to bury the soldier.

Mind-blowing is how his great niece, Sonja Dennin, described the news, noting that it's been nearly 80 years since Mitchell died.

Mitchell, the youngest among his siblings, had enlisted in 1943 and underwent training at military bases on the other side of the country before shipping out to Europe.

His parents were devastated by his death and the lack of information back then added to the grief, Dennin said Wednesday.

A hero among heroes: WWII veteran finally laid to rest 80 years after bomber downed over Europe Edward T. McGuire volunteered not only for combat but also for the last mission he flew. Eighty years after his death, the heroic WWII pilot has been laid to rest.

He was so young and it was so painful to them  the way he was lost and not being able to properly bury him, she said.

Mitchell, 20, was killed on Dec. 10, 1944, as his battalion was hammered by heavy fire from German forces. The battle came just months after he and tens of thousands of other troops landed in Normandy and began their push toward Germany.

The intensity of the mortar and artillery strikes during that December battle made recovering the casualties impossible. It wasn't until after the war that the American Graves Registration Command was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel in Europe.

They conducted investigations in the area between 1946 and 1950. They were unable to identify Mitchells remains among what was found and officially declared him Killed in Action in November 1951.

It was learned that after the battle someone buried Mitchell along with three other soldiers at the civilian cemetery in Huttersdorf, Germany. Those unidentified remains were eventually interred in France, where they had remained until 2021 when historians were able to solidify the link to Mitchell.

Work by the agency's laboratory then ensued.

They do have a methodical way of going about it, Dennin said. But, yes, it was comforting to know that when he was initially buried, whoever it was, took care to make sure that he was laid to rest.

Despite remaining family members never getting the chance to know Mitchell, Dennin said they all know of him. An old oval framed portrait of him hung in the home of Dennin's great-grandmother until her death. It was passed down to her grandmother and then to her father, who insisted that she take it one day.

That portrait will accompany Dennin and her family for the trip to Portales in the spring so it can be displayed during Mitchell's burial.

Horrors and hope: See how National WWII Museum's Liberation Pavilion preserves legacy
enigma123 wrote:

How long, in minutes, did it take a bicycle wheel to roll along a flat, straight 300-meter path?



(1) The wheel made one full 360-degree rotation every 1.5 meters.

(2) The wheel made 18 360-degree rotations per minute.

Statement 1

how long

NOT SUFF

Statement 2

very important!

NOT SUFF

Combining both statements

Answer C

This can be solved with simple logic without making a single calculation:We know that one full rotation would move the bicycle 1.5 meters.To move 300 meters, the tire would have to rotate 200 times.Butdoes one rotation take?If it's a really fast bike and one rotation takes 1 second, then the bike would travel 200 seconds.But what if it is really slow and one rotation takes 1 minute? Then the bike would travel 200 minutes.2 different answers ->We know that the wheel made 18 rotations per minute.At this point, your inner voice might tell you that this is the missing piece from Statement 1. It is tempting to click C but first check whether Statement 2 can be sufficient on its own (We don't know how far the bike travels through 1 rotation.Again, if it's a really big bike and the tire has a circumference of 100 meters, then it would take 3 rotations and not even take a minute.But if the bike is really small and the circumference is 1 meter, then we would need 300 rotations and much more time.Again, 2 different answers ->From (1) you know the circumference of one rotation and from (2) you know how many rotations per minute.Combining those facts, you know how many meters the bike travels per minute.This is enough to calculate how long it would take to travel 300 meters.
Kerry Hartman and Matthew Anderson have endured illness, addiction and homelessness.

But they hope to achieve their dream of starting their own business after graduating Dec. 5 from the Danville Police Departments Incarceration Doesnt Define Us program.

If my life could be summed up, I would say it was one struggle after another, Hartman, 35, told the Register & Bee during an interview at the police department headquarters last week.

She became addicted to drugs after receiving prescription medication  percocet  for pain management following a car wreck when she was 20.

I was on that off and on for six years, Hartman said.

But after a while, it wasnt enough. She moved on to heroin, which was cheaper, before it lost its strength for her. So she switched to fentanyl in 2018.

I didnt care, she said. I had to have it.

As for Anderson, Hartmans husband, he began drinking 30 years ago when he was 8. From there, he eventually became dependent on methamphetamine and then marijuana, to numb the pain from a rare nerve disease that would temporarily paralyze him from the waist down.

Marijuana came as a self-medication, Anderson said.

This past May and June, they were homeless, living under the King Memorial Bridge in downtown Danville.

Now they are working on turning their lives around.

They have been clean and sober for about three months, since Sept. 19.

Hartman and Anderson credit the IDDU program, and especially the departments community relations liaison Ashtyn Foddrell, who heads the initiative, for giving them the hope and confidence to begin piecing their lives together.

The eight-week program provides help with housing, job-readiness, education options, interview skills, filling out resumes and job applications, budgeting and other skills.

Designed by Foddrell and established by the police department in September 2021, the program is offered to anyone who has been previously incarcerated and is also provided under substance abuse programs.

The program has graduated about 60 participants so far.

Neither Anderson nor Hartman were incarcerated, but were referred to the IDDU program through Calm Source, a service for those suffering from addiction and mental illness.

About 40 of the programs graduates have come from Calm Source, Foddrell said. In fact, six IDDU graduating classes have been made up entirely of clients from Calm Source, she said.

Working with Hartman and Anderson has been absolutely amazing, Foddrell told the Register & Bee.

They were extremely committed from the start, she said. They engaged with the rest of the participants. They took everything seriously and asked questions about things they didnt understand.

Under the IDDU program, the couple attended classes every Tuesday, where they learned the skills needed to start them on the path to success.

Hartman was especially impressed it taught her how to answer interview questions from potential employers about her weaknesses.

The couple also appreciated Foddrells patience while she answered questions from program participants during classes.

There never was a judgmental aspect to it, Anderson said of the experience.

She really went in-depth in her classes, Hartman said.

Law enforcement agencies in other areas have reached out to the Danville Police Department expressing interest in adopting adopting their own IDDU programs, Foddrell said.

Its been a really great program for the community, Foddrell said. Were glad to be able to see the help it provides individuals that need these resources.

Growing up

Calling themselves the black sheep of their respective families, Hartman and Anderson told stories of uneasy lives where they did not fit.

To describe Anderson as the black sheep of his family is putting it mildly, he said.

The second oldest of five children growing up in Northern Virginia, Anderson was kept locked in his room. He was only let out for school and he endured emotional and physical abuse.

There wasnt a spot on my body that didnt have a bruise, Anderson said.

He was kicked out of school due to anger issues, he said.

Schooling wasnt fun, said Anderson, 38.

Of the five siblings, I was the only child they [his parents] didnt want, Anderson said.

There wasnt a family behind me to support me, he said.

Anderson didnt graduate high school, but later earned his GED.

As for Hartman, she grew up in Louisa and was adopted into a well-off family when she was 5.

Her dads job as a vibration engineer took him to different parts of the world working on contracts.

He would go for months at a time, Hartman said.

His profession also included performing work on submarines in Norfolk, Hartman said.

From ages 9-13, she lived in parts of Asia, including China, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia.

Later on as an adult, Hartman has worked a variety of jobs  horse trainer, veterinary technician, dental assistant, house cleaner, auto mechanic and other positions.

She said her family and others in her life have always told she would never accomplish anything, that she could never finish projects or attain goals.

Drugs squelched the pain for her.

I wanted to numb everything and eff life, Hartman said.

She contemplated suicide at times, but after her brother killed himself in 2005, she swore she would never take that route.

She and Anderson have known each other for 20 years, having been together eight years and married for three.

Both have battled health issues. Hartman has epilepsy and Anderson suffers from causalgia, a nerve disease that forced him to stop working as an electrician in 2013.

I went from working 60-70 hours a week to being paralyzed from the waist down and crawling around the house, Anderson said. Hes had six strokes and collects disability income.

Weve been through a lot of crap, said Hartman, who was accompanied by her service dog, Bellamissio, a Catahoula leopard dog.

Hartman and Anderson moved from Clover to Florida, where they lived for three years, so Anderson could get the medical help needed for his condition.

For Anderson, who had lived in different places in Virginia all of his life, it was an eye-opening experience.

Florida was a whole new world for me, he said.

The couple had a 42-foot RV, and Hartman worked odd jobs.

They returned to the commonwealth to stay with a friend in Nathalie, but the friend told them they had to leave after one night and dropped them off in Danville.

They had no food, no money.

What we had on our back is what we had, Anderson said.

They lived under King Memorial Bridge for two months this past spring.

Since September, they have focused on sobriety. That was also around the same time they began their IDDU classes.

Currently, they are staying at a motel in Ridgeway with help from Calm Source. They have been living there for about three weeks.

Graduating from the IDDU program has enabled Hartman and Anderson to hold their heads a little higher.

Its given me a big sense of pride, Hartman said.

Hartman is studying criminal justice, homeland security and emergency management online under the University of Arizonas global campus. Anderson is taking classes at Southern New Hampshire University. He wants to get into cybersecurity.

They want to start their own business in which clients pay them to hack into their computer systems to identify vulnerabilities in their networks.

For Hartman, who was homeschooled, experiencing a graduation ceremony was a novel event for her.

Id never been to a graduation before, she said.

For Anderson, It helped me learn, at least, that anythings possible.

They face challenges finding housing, and a petit larceny charge from 2020 has hindered Hartman from getting jobs.

But Foddrell said she has been able to identify employers in Danville that allow individuals with felony convictions to work for them (petit larceny is a misdemeanor, Foddrell pointed out).

Hartman expressed appreciation for Foddrells willingness to be a job reference for her.

Between three months of sobriety and completing the IDDU program, Hartman and Anderson are optimistic about their future.

Thats the cleanest weve ever been, Anderson said of their period of being drug-free so far.

I havent felt this alive in years, Hartman said.
A new charter school that will provide Chinese and Spanish language immersion instruction won approval last week to open in Guilford County.

Members of the North Carolina Charter School Review Board voted unanimously to give the school the go-ahead.

Triad International Studies Academy looks to open in August 2025 with 144 students in grades K-2, and eventually grow to 936 students in grades K-8. TISAs planned location, at least for its early years, is a church campus on Oak View Road in High Point. The school expects to lease space in the building.

It would be the first public school in Guilford County to offer a Chinese program for elementary and middle school students.

We want to make a multilingual, multicultural school, said TISAs board chairman Chaowei Zhu, a Wake Forest University faculty member who has previously been involved with Chinese language immersion schools in Charlotte and Greenville, S.C.

Students entering the school would pick either the Spanish or Chinese learning track but would not not need to know either language ahead of enrolling.

Leaders expect the school could add additional languages besides Chinese and Spanish down the road.

According to the schools application, math, science and social studies will be taught in Chinese or Spanish at the elementary level, while English Language Arts will be taught in English. Young students have innate skills for learning language through mimicry if they get enough exposure. TISA plans to front load that learning, and so, for the youngest students, most of their day will be in Spanish or Chinese, with time in those languages gradually decreasing after second grade.

Leaders also plan on a world culture curriculum with students rotating through learning about cultures in Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The proposed schools mission is to educate its students to think and behave as global citizens with multilingual proficiency, intercultural competence, strong academics, and leadership skills.

Charter schools in North Carolina are tuition-free and publicly financed, with local district schools required to pass along a portion of their funding to charter schools. Generally, charter schools are founded and created by nonprofit organizations with their own boards of directors who receive a charter from the state to operate. They get flexibility on some typical major requirements for public schools and in return are subject to some extra accountability from the state about meeting certain goals.

TISA was one of three new charter schools that applied this year to open in Guilford County in 2025. The North Carolina Charter School Review Board approved Movement School Greensboro in November and Liberty Charter Academy on Dec. 11.

Due to legislation passed earlier this year, the former charter school advisory board has been renamed as the review board and is now the authorizing body for charter schools in the state. New charter schools no longer need to be approved by the State Board of Education.
RALEIGH  More arguments in education funding litigation that goes back nearly 30 years are scheduled for early next year at the North Carolina Supreme Court.

The states highest court is revisiting the case originally known as Leandro with oral arguments it has now set for Feb. 22.

That will be less than 16 months after a majority of justices  then all of the courts registered Democrats  ruled a trial judge could order taxpayer dollars be transferred without the General Assemblys express approval from government coffers to state agencies to carry out a plan to address longstanding education inequities.

Since the 4-3 opinion in November 2022, the court has flipped to a 5-2 GOP majority.

Republican justices agreed in October to hear an appeal by Republican legislative leaders as to whether Judge James Ammons had the authority last spring to enter an order declaring that the state owed $678 million to fulfill two years of the eight-year plan. The justices are expected to examine whether the judge could rule about public education statewide.

Republican legislative leaders are opposed to the November 2022 ruling and argue state funds can only be allocated with General Assembly approval.

They also said in court filings this year that there was never a legal determination made that school districts statewide had failed to live up to the requirement affirmed by the Supreme Court in rulings in 1997 and 2004 that the state constitution directs all children must receive the opportunity to receive a sound basic education.

Associate Justice Anita Earls, a Democrat, wrote in October that the matter should not be revisited. She said an earlier trial judge managing the case did find a statewide constitutional violation of education inequities, and so a statewide remedy was needed.

Lawyers representing several school districts in poor counties also argued in court filings that the case was settled in November 2022 and should not be reheard.

The case began in 1994, when several school districts and families of children  one whose last name was Leandro  sued the state over alleged state law and constitutional violations involving education.
"Anyone who knows anything about Southern writing knows that Fred Chappell is our resident genius, our shining light, the one truly great writ
Three Montana places named in honor of the former president of the Confederate States of America have been given new names that honor their Native American past.

For members of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe, this is a great opportunity to put our names back on the landscape, and get rid of the derogatory names that arent so great, said Sadie Peone-Stops, director of the Selis-Qlispe Culture Committee (SQCC), a department of the CSKT, which worked on the project.

In 2021, Wild Montana (then known as the Montana Wilderness Association) joined other organizations and the CSKT in petitioning the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to rename three places on public lands in Montana honoring Jefferson Davis, who headed the Confederacy.

Davis was an unrepentant defender of slavery, white supremacy and racism. He had been the secretary of war in the Franklin Pierce administration, but defected to the Confederacy in 1861, those who support the name change said. These places were given their names by Confederate sympathizers who had moved to Montana after the Civil War and wanted to honor Davis.

The board, which approved the name change in September, maintains uniform geographic names throughout the federal government.

Peone-Stops and other representatives from CSKT were at that meeting.

We really had to work hard, she said of the name change process.

Davis Gulch, northwest of Helena near Birdseye and Marysville and east of the Continental Divide, is now In-qu-qu-leet  a rough phonetic rendering of the Salish word that means Place of Lodgepole Pines. At one time it was incorrectly reported the name change would be for the Davis Gulch south of Helena.

"Lodgepole is a tree of great importance in the traditional way of life of the Selis (Salish or "Flathead") and Qlispe (Kalispel or "Pend d'Oreille") people, including for food (the cambium layer of the bark), light rope or twine (made from bark strips), medicine, and tipi poles. The area in which the gulch is located has always been well known to the Salish for its abundance of lodgepole," the SQCC said.

Jeff Davis Peak in the Beaverhead Mountains southwest of Dillon is now Three Eagles Peak, which the Elders Cultural Advisory Committee recommended in honor of Salish Chief Three Eagles.

"In September 1805, Salish scouts spotted an approaching group of strangers. It was the Lewis and Clark expedition. Chief Three Eagles met with his elders and warriors to discuss the situation and evaluate whether the strangers presented a threat to the people," the SQCC said. "He decided they did not, and instructed his warriors to do no harm. Instead, Lewis and Clark were welcomed into the Salish camp at K ti P up m (Big Open  Ross's Hole), and given gifts of food, horses, and material items. It is the encounter depicted in Charlie Russell's masterpiece, 'Lewis and Clark Meeting the Flatheads,' the mural on the wall in the Montana House of Representatives. Chief Three Eagle's decision, described in numerous tribal accounts and reflected in the expedition's journals, set the precedent for Salish policy toward non-Indians ever since: a steadfast commitment to peace, and an equally resolute insistence on tribal sovereignty, rights, and justice."

And Davis Creek, flowing from Three Eagles Peak, has been renamed Doyavinai Baa Oogwaide at the recommendation of the Idaho-based Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, who also recognize southwest Montana as their homeland. The name means water flowing from the mountain creek, according to the Wild Montana blog at https://bit.ly/3RVIkqx.

Peone-Stops said a rededication will likely take place in the spring.

The change did not come quickly.

From 2018-2020, a coalition of organizations led by Wild Montana, represented by Paul Spitler, began working to change the names of three Montana places named for Davis.

That coalition included the Montana Racial Equity Project, the Forward Montana Foundation, the Montana Wilderness Association (now Wild Montana), the Montana Human Rights Network, and the Mai Wah Society.

By 2020, the coalition had reached agreement on three new place names, and produced detailed write-ups about all three.

Spitler approached the CSKT, seeking their support, the tribe said.

The tribal council referred the issue to its culture committee, which reviewed information gathered as part of its Selis-Qlispe Ethnogeography Project. The project draws from sources that include tribal oral histories and archival records, CSKT officials said in a Dec. 20 email from its Selis-Qlispe Culture Committee detailing how the names were changed.

The CSKT said they expressed gratitude and support for the name change.

However, we also respectfully told the coalition that we could not support adopting other non-Indian names in tribal territories, they said. Our mission is to restore to the land names that in some way refer to tribal history and culture.

They said the coalition, to its great credit, welcomed the CSKT response and invited the tribe to offer new names for the three places.

Despite the considerable time and work they had already devoted to the issue, they pledged to support whatever we proposed, the CSKT said. It was a remarkable act of flexibility and respectful consultation.

The SelisQlispe Elders Cultural Advisory Council met several times, reaching consensus on names.

But there was some dispute among tribes.

The Char-Koosta News reported the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes claim some of the area in Montana. They reported some bureaus of the federal government negotiated about the name change with the Shoshone rather than the CSKT. The Shoshone were not receptive to efforts by the CSKT to reach an agreement.

The CSKT said it continued to work on the issue.

The BGN voted April 13 to approve the name In-qu-qu-leet Gulch at a meeting. However, the BGN continued to delay consideration of the other two names, Three Eagles Peak and Choos-wee Creek, the Char-Koosta News reported.

The Shoshone Bannock Tribes reportedly petitioned the BGN with counterproposal names for the two places.

The U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management wrote to the BGN, saying they supported changing the names. But, they were neutral on the specific replacement names, because they did not want to choose between tribes, the newspaper reported.

The coalition and CSKT got the proposal on the BGNs September agenda. The BGN approved the name Three Eagles Peak. In a compromise with the Sho-Ban Tribes, they voted to adopt the Sho-Bans proposed name for the creek. The Shoshone Bannock Tribes did not return an email seeking comment for this story.

Peone-Stops said most people have had a positive response to the change.

We have a deep connection to place, to have (our) names back on the landscape  is pretty meaningful, she said.

She said Native Americans typically did not call the places by the Davis names, saying they used the names their people had called it.

But it just wasnt always about a name.

A place name is really the tip of the iceberg, she said, adding the name can be associated with creation stories and trails.

There have been other changes made in Montana when it comes to honoring the Confederacy. On Aug. 18, 2017, the city of Helena removed a memorial to Confederate soldiers that had resided in a public park since 1916.

On the federal level, in late 2021, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland formally established a process to replace derogatory names of the nations geographic features. She also declared squaw to be a derogatory term and ordered the Board on Geographic Names to implement procedures to remove the term from federal usage, according to a U.S. Department of the Interior news release.

Kayje Booker, Wild Montana deputy director, said they would continue to explore other opportunities for renaming other offensive and inappropriately named public lands in Montana.

The board ridded "three places in western Montana of a name that our public lands should never have acquired ..." she said in a blog post, adding she could not be "more delighted at the outcome, which was encouraged by the hundreds of Wild Montana members and supporters who joined our petition to the Board on Geographic Names."

Public lands belong to all Americans, and all Americans have the right to enjoy those lands and feel welcome to use them, Booker said in a Dec. 18 blogpost. But that cant happen if these lands bear names that clearly represent hatred and division.
A family had their stuff stolen on Christmas Eve in Helena, but some was recovered in a dumpster on Christmas Day with the help of Apple AirTags.

Skye Sinclair and his family were staying at the Comfort Inn Suites by the Helena Regional Airport, visiting family for the holidays.

On Sunday, the family came outside to their vehicle only to find all of their belongings had been stolen from a storage rack atop the vehicle.

Some of the items stolen included clothes, documents and his son's Christmas gift, which the family could not replace.

Sinclair said the family was losing hope until he realized there were AirTags in his son's backpack with the rest of the stolen luggage.

Sinclair activated the AirTags on Christmas Day and located them at a home in East Helena. Police were contacted and arrived on scene.

They located the AirTags in a dumpster by the residence, so Sinclair and a Helena police officer jumped in and began digging.

The two located the backpack with the AirTags and found other clothing that did not belong to the family.

Sinclair said he could not believe it when the officer helped him dig through the dumpster and then came out of the East Helena home with his son's Christmas gift.

"It's rare to see someone actually save Christmas," Sinclair said.

Some of the documents included his passport, which he needs before February. Sinclair is attending graduate school in New Zealand, but will have to forfeit his opportunity if the passport is not found or if he cannot acquire a new one in time.

The documents from the heist are still missing, but the Helena Police Department said that the situation is still under investigation and two men were arrested as suspects connected to the crime. East Helena police and the Lewis and Clark Sheriff's Office were on scene as well.
Smoke rises following an Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023. (Leo Correa/AP)

RAFAH, Gaza Strip  Israeli forces on Tuesday expanded their ground offensive into urban refugee camps in central Gaza after bombarding the crowded Palestinian communities and ordering residents to evacuate. Gazas main telecom provider announced another complete interruption of services in the besieged territory.

The militarys announcement of the new battle zone threatens further destruction in a war that Israel says will last for many months as it vows to crush the ruling Hamas group after its Oct. 7 attack. Israeli forces have been engaged in heavy urban fighting in northern Gaza and the southern city of Khan Younis, driving Palestinians into ever-smaller areas in search of refuge.

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The U.S. said Israels minister for strategic affairs, Ron Dermer, was meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

Despite U.S. calls for Israel to curb civilian casualties and international pressure for a cease-fire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military was deepening the fighting.

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We say to the Hamas terrorists: We see you and we will get to you, Netanyahu said.

Israels offensive is one of the most devastating military campaigns in recent history. More than 20,900 Palestinians, two-thirds women and children, have been killed, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, whose count doesnt differentiate between civilians and combatants. The agency said 240 people were killed over the past 24 hours.

The U.N. human rights office said the continued bombardment of middle Gaza had claimed more than 100 Palestinian lives since Christmas Eve. The office noted that Israel had ordered some residents to move there.

Israel said it would no longer grant automatic visas to U.N. employees and accused the world body of being complicit partners in Hamas tactics. Government spokesman Eylon Levy said Israel would consider visa requests case by case. That could further limit aid efforts in Gaza.

Residents of central Gaza described shelling and airstrikes shaking the Nuseirat, Maghazi and Bureij camps. The built-up towns hold Palestinians driven from their homes in what is now Israel during the 1948 war, along with their descendants.

The bombing was very intense, Radwan Abu Sheitta said by phone from Bureij.

The Israeli military ordered residents to evacuate a belt of territory the width of central Gaza, urging them to move to nearby Deir al-Balah. The U.N. humanitarian office said the area ordered evacuated was home to nearly 90,000 people before the war and now shelters more than 61,000 displaced people, mostly from the north.

The military later said it was operating in Bureij and asserted that it had located a Hamas training camp.

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The telecom outage announced by Paltel follows similar outages through much of the war. NetBlocks, a group that tracks internet outages, confirmed that network connectivity in Gaza was disrupted again and likely to leave most residents offline.

Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said several countries had sent proposals to resolve the conflict following news of an Egyptian proposal that would include a transitional Palestinian government in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. He did not offer details of the proposals.

REGIONAL SPILLOVER

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel faces a multi-arena war on seven fronts  Gaza and the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Iran. We have responded and acted already on six of these, he told the Knessets Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Iranian-backed militia groups around the region have stepped up attacks in support of Hamas.

Iranian-backed militias in Iraq carried out a drone strike on a U.S. base in Irbil on Monday, wounding three American service members, according to U.S. officials. In response, U.S. warplanes hit three locations in Iraq connected to a main militia, Kataib Hezbollah.

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Almost daily, Hezbollah and Israel exchange missiles, airstrikes and shelling across the Israeli-Lebanese border. On Tuesday, Israels military said Hezbollah struck a Greek Orthodox church in northern Israel with a missile, wounding two Israeli Christians, and fired again on arriving soldiers, wounding nine.

Hezbollah is risking the stability of the region for the sake of Hamas, said Israels military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.

In the Red Sea, attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen against commercial ships have disrupted trade and prompted a U.S.-led multinational naval operation to protect shipping routes. The Israeli military said a fighter jet on Tuesday shot down a hostile aerial target above the Red Sea that the military asserted was on its way to Israeli territory.

The USS Laboon, a Navy destroyer, and American fighter jets shot down 12 drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles and two land-attack cruise missiles in the southern Red Sea that were fired by the Yemen-based Houthis over a 10-hour period Tuesday, according to the Pentagon. U.S. Central Command said there was no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries.

A MASS GRAVE

More than 85% of Gazas 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes. U.N. officials say a quarter of the territorys population is starving under Israels siege, which allows in a trickle of food, water, fuel, medicine and other supplies. Last week, the U.N. Security Council called for immediately speeding up aid deliveries, but there has been little sign of change.

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In an area Israel had declared a safe zone, a strike hit a home in Mawasi, a rural area in the southern province of Khan Younis. One woman was killed and at least eight were wounded, according to a cameraman working for The Associated Press at the nearby hospital.

In response, Israels military said that it wouldnt refrain from operating in safe zones, if it identifies terrorist organization activity threatening the security of Israel.

Hamas Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 240 others hostage. Israel aims to free the more than 100 hostages who remain in captivity.

President Joe Biden and Qatars ruling emir, Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, spoke on Tuesday, discussing the urgent effort to secure the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas, including American citizens. The leaders also discussed the ongoing efforts to facilitate increased and sustained flows of life-saving access to humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Israel blames Hamas for the high civilian death toll in Gaza, citing Hamas use of crowded residential areas and tunnels. Israel says it has killed thousands of fighters, without presenting evidence.

At the Kerem Shalom border crossing, U.N. and Gazan medical workers unloaded a truck carrying about 80 unidentified bodies that had been held by Israeli forces in northern Gaza. They were buried in a mass grave.

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Medical workers called the odors unbearable. We cannot open this container in a neighborhood where people live, Dr. Marwan al-Hams, health emergency committee director in Rafah, told the AP. He said the health and justice ministries would investigate the bodies for possible war crimes.

The Israeli military announced the deaths of two more soldiers, bringing the total killed since the ground offensive began to 161.

Wafaa Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, and Samy Magdy from Cairo. Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed to this report.
Wells Fargo has announced it will be closing its 415 Fuller Ave. branch in downtown Helena on March 20.

In a Dec. 15 letter to customers from Brandon Martinez, district senior manager, the financial services company says other remaining bank branches will remain open, including the 350 N. Last Chance Gulch location near Fuller Avenue.

The bank also has a branch at 2950 Prospect Ave. on the east end of town. The letter notes the ATM at the Fuller Avenue branch will close as well.

A Wells Fargo spokeswoman said it was not an easy decision and there may be more changes.

"Over the last several years, we have rightsized our branch network, and we may continue to combine two older existing branches into one better situated location," Jessica Ngai, Wells Fargo communications lead for Arizona, Idaho and Montana said in an email. "Doing so does not take away the importance of our customers and the communities we serve."

Ngai said every attempt will be made to place employees in positions in other branches.

"Additionally, since the branch wont be closing until late March, were considering future options but no decisions have been made yet," Ngai said.

Customers are told the change will not affect accounts and people are told that, other than other branches, there are other options such as online banking and the Wells Fargo Mobile app.

Ngai said branches play an important role in how the bank serves customers in combination with our online and mobile channels and ATMs.

For more information on those options, people can go to wellsfargo.com/online-banking.

Wells Fargo did not return queries seeking more information.

Wells Fargo has ATMs and banking branches across 36 states and Washington, D.C., its website states. It has 5,200 locations, the company states on its website.

The founders of the original company were Henry Wells and William George Fargo, who had earlier helped establish the American Express Co., according to Britannica.com.

They and other investors established Wells, Fargo & Co. in 1852 to handle the banking and express business prompted by the California Gold Rush.
A non-profit on the Crow Reservation just got a boon to its efforts to keep families in Lodge Grass intact and in good health.

The Mountain Shadow Association, based in Lodge Grass, received a six-figure grant toward the creation of a family healing center with the ambition of preventing trauma or addiction from leading to children being pulled from their homes and potentially off the reservation.

What we want is support for the whole family unit, said Megkian Doyle, executive director for the Mountain Shadow Association. What we want is for kids and their parents to be engaged in services for emotional and social support.

With a population of roughly 450, Lodge Grass is unique in being the only incorporated town on the reservation. Located about 80 miles southeast of Billings, the Lodge Grass District of the Crow Reservation is home for about 2,000 people. Over 90% of its population is Native American.

Doyle, who earned a doctorate in education from Montana State University, came to Lodge Grass to teach at Lodge Grass High School. She met her husband in town, a Crow man, and the two have since had five children. After teaching for three years, she said, seeing the conditions in Lodge Grass inspired her to find a position to improve life for its residents.

She moved to Bozeman with her family, where she and her husband got masters and doctorate degrees. During that time, Doyle stayed in touch with her former students. Talks with them evolved into discussions on how best to assist a town in which nearly half of the population lives beneath the poverty line.

I asked them, If theres anything you could do besides pray, what would you do? she said.

In 2017, a coalition of Lodge Grass residents banded together to apply for a grant from the Raising Places Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which gave them the resources to exhaustively study the factors contributing to the economic and health disparities in town.

It meant brining in everyone, including people who are not normally asked for their opinion, like children, Doyle said.

The results were stark. Nearly 90% of newborns in Lodge Grass are born to single mothers, roughly one in five of whom are teenagers, and about half of all children in Lodge Grass are raised by their grandparents.

As recently as 2020, according to federal data, about 9% of the children in Montana were Native American. However, they made up 35% of the children in the states foster care system.

Earlier this year, Gov. Greg Gianforte signed into law the Montana Indian Child Welfare Act, which gave Native American families legal preference in foster and adopting Indigenous children in the state. The Montana legislation was modeled after the federal Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, which was passed in response to Indigenous children being adopted and fostered outside of their respective tribes only to face physical and emotional abuse.

Nationwide, Indigenous children are four times more likely to enter the foster care system than white children, according to the National Indian Child Welfare Association. Among the leading causes for Native American kids entering the foster care system in the respective states were allegations of neglect and substance abuse on the part of their parents.

Separating a child from their family, Doyle said, can have long-term physiological effects, despite a child entering an ideal foster home. Per research published by the National Institute of Health, children separated from their families at an early age experienced higher rates of anxiety and depression and engaged in unhealthy coping behaviors like smoking and alcohol abuse.

We can have a great foster care system  we dont  but even if we did it can still cause damage just by pulling a kid away from their home and their parents, Doyle said.

From that Lodge Grass coalition that applied from the Raising Places grant came the Mountain Shadow Association. Coming to the aid of children often means coming to the aid of parents, Doyle said. The non-profit currently assists parents in enrolling in treatment for addiction, but programs that allow them to bring their children along are a 19-hour drive away.

The solution members of Mountain Shadow reached was the construction of a facility in Lodge Grass where whole families can get treatment without any separation. Its called Kaales Village; kaale is the Crow word for grandmother.

We wanted to interrupt family separation on the spot before they would lose their kids, Doyle said. But we wanted to do it, obviously, in a safe and healthy way.

Mountain Shadow has the land for Kaales Village, 13 acres in Lodge Grass. Now, thanks to a $750,000 grant from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, the non-profit can start designing it. The center will be a single location for counseling and housing for two families. That space, Doyle said will be for children who need to be removed from their home in Lodge Grass to stay.

We want people to become functional in their own ecosystem, Doyle said.

Once the architectural designs are completed, Doyle said, the non-profit hopes to see Kaales Village opened in two years.
PEORIA  A federal judge sentenced a Normal woman to 8 years in prison on Friday for her role in illegally purchasing a firearm that was used in the 2021 shooting death of Champaign police officer Chris Oberheim.

In May, Regina Lewis pleaded guilty to conspiracy to illegally purchase and transfer a firearm and conspiracy to engage in misleading conduct, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Peoria.

Lewis admitted in court that she conspired with co-defendants Ashantae Corruthers and Darion M. Lafayette to purchase and transfer a firearm to Lafayette since he could not purchase one himself because of his status as a convicted felon.

According to prosecutors, Corruthers purchased 9mm Glock 48 semiautomatic pistol in November 2020 from a federal firearms licensee in Indianapolis. She falsely certified to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms that she was the actual buyer.

Lewis also admitted she conspired with the co-defendants to cover up the purchase by having Corruthers falsely report to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department in April 2021 that the gun was stolen from her, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Prosecutors previously said Lafayette used the firearm to fatally shoot Oberheim on May 19, 2021, 23 days after the firearm was falsely reported as stolen. Lafayette was then shot and killed by another Champaign officer who had been struck with gunfire.

Lewis later continued to cover up the illegal purchase by agreeing to have Corruthers tell an ATF investigator the gun was purchased for herself, it had been stolen in March and she did not know Lafayette, prosecutors said.

Although U.S. sentencing guidelines recommended 18 to 24 months of imprisonment for Lewis, prosecutors requested 9 years because of the nature and circumstances of the offense.

U.S. District Judge Colin S. Bruce sentenced Lewis to 8 years in federal prison.

Lewis remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transfer to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Corruthers' sentencing is set for Feb. 12 in Urbana.
After a three-year hiatus, the Catawba County Schools Education Foundation has resumed operation under new Executive Director DeAnna Finger.

Stephanie Wilson is the new chairwoman of the board.

Why now? With the pandemic behind them, it was just time to restart, Finger said.

The education foundation is a nonprofit organization that primarily focuses on teacher recruitment and retention but is expanding its scope to include students, Finger said.

Finger said the foundation will provide mini-grants of about $100 to help teachers fund innovative classroom activities. There is also the possibility of a stipend for teachers who wish to pursue their national board certification or a masters degree.

The student component of the education foundation will be geared toward helping students enter the workforce or secure college scholarships, Finger said. She added, We are very interested in helping create a future teacher pipeline for Catawba County Schools.

Finger said the foundation is also partnering with The Chamber of Catawba County, which will help the foundation market its efforts and leverage more support.

Because the COVID-19 Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding is coming to an end, another goal of the foundation is to support schools financially, Finger said.

Finger said that the education foundation is separate from Catawba Valley Community Colleges K64 initiative, but that the two organizations have a great working relationship.

K64 is a collaboration between CVCC and local businesses, school districts and more to increase student opportunities for career development, according to CVCCs website.

Want to learn more? Catawba County Schools Education Foundation website is located at www.ccs-foundation.org. It is still being updated to current information.
North Carolina lawmakers passed many new laws this year. Several are set to take effect on Jan. 1, including changes for voters, teenagers learning to drive, people who access adult websites, and more.

Heres the full New Years list.

Teen drivers license changes

Senate Bill 157: Limited Provisional License Modification.

Starting Jan. 1, teens who obtain a limited learner permit, which allows them to drive under the supervision of a parent or guardian, will have to keep it for nine months before seeking a limited provisional license.

The limited provisional license allows teens older than 16 to drive unsupervised between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. Previously, to obtain this license teens had to wait six months.

Age verification on pornographic sites

House Bill 8: Various Statutory Changes.

Going into effect is a section requiring age verification on pornographic websites. Websites will need to verify users in North Carolina are over the age of 18 through a commercially available database or another commercially reasonable method for age and identity verification, according to the bill.

These sites will not be allowed to keep users identifying data. Users will be able to sue sites if information is retained in violation of the law. Parents or guardians whose minor was allowed to access porn will also be able to sue.

Another section of the bill requires the UNC Systems Board of Governors to establish a commission to study alternatives to the current accreditation process.

Election laws changes and lawsuits

Senate Bill 747: Elections Law Changes.

Most provisions in this expansive new elections law will take effect in the new year, barring any injunction from the courts.

The law, which Republicans passed in a party-line vote this year includes a variety of what are called election integrity measures by the conservative groups pushing for them. Arguably the most notable change is the elimination of the three-day grace period for receiving absentee ballots. Now, all mail-in ballots will need to be received by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day for them to be counted.

The new law also makes several changes to same-day registration. Voters registering and voting on the same day during in-person early voting will need to show proof of residence and a photo ID and cast a retrievable ballot. One notice will then be sent to the voters address; if it is returned as undeliverable, then the voter will not be registered and their ballot will be thrown out.

Partisan poll observers will also be given more power under the new law. A maximum of three observers from each party will be allowed at each voting place. These observers will be allowed to take notes, listen to conversations between voters and election workers, move about the voting enclosure and take photos before and after voting ends. They will not be allowed to take photos of voters or see their ballots.

At least three lawsuits are currently challenging this law, two of which are seeking a preliminary injunction to block parts of the law from taking effect. On Dec. 28, a federal judge will hear oral arguments on the motion for an injunction.

Another major elections law, Senate Bill 749, was set to take effect on Jan. 1 but has been temporarily blocked by a Superior Court.

This law would drastically restructure state and local election boards, taking all appointment power away from the governor and giving it instead to legislative leaders.

Currently, election boards have a 3-2 majority of the governors party, meaning they currently all have a Democratic majority. Under the new law, these boards would have an equal number of Republicans and Democrats, raising concerns about potential deadlocks on major votes.

A three-judge panel granted plaintiffs a preliminary injunction last month to prevent the law from going into effect, though a higher court could reverse this.

Abortion law changes

Senate Bill 190: Dept. of Health and Human Services Revisions.

This law makes various changes to health codes, with the part going into effect in the new year requiring practitioners to prescribe codeine cough syrup electronically.

But another section of the bill that has already gone into effect caused a stir. In late June, just one week before the states new 12-week abortion ban took effect, GOP lawmakers through SB 190 eliminated language in the abortion bill. The deleted language had stated physicians providing drugs for medication abortions needed to verify that the gestational age for a developing fetus is no more than 70 days, or 10 weeks.

GOP lawmakers said this amendment was meant to clarify that medication abortions are lawful through 12 weeks. This was a point of contention in a lawsuit before a court allowed the 12-week ban to go into effect on July 1.

Late local government audits

Senate Bill 299: Reimburse Late Audit Costs with Sales Tax Revenue.

The part of the law going into effect allows the Local Government Commission  which provides oversight to more than 1,100 local governments  to withhold a small portion of sales tax distributions from local governments that submit audits more than a year late. The amount withheld would be equivalent to 150% of the cost of the required audit.

This bill was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, but his veto was overridden by the Republican-led legislature. The bill also had support from both Republican State Treasurer Dale Folwell and Democratic State Auditor Beth Wood.

Protections for people addicted to drugs and alcohol

House Bill 415: Stop Addiction Fraud Ethics Act of 2023.

The entire law goes into effect in January. It establishes new laws for advertising and marketing materials for substance use disorder treatment providers and facilities.

This includes requiring people be provided with accurate information on the length of the stay at the facilities and a summary of any relationships between the treatment center and the publisher of the ads.

Debt collection requirements

Senate Bill 477: Amend Business Corporation Act/Business Opportunity Disclosures.

Sections going into effect delineate what has to happen before entering a judgment against a debtor.

In debt collection cases where the claim is based on credit card debt, this law specifies which authenticated business records are accepted, including an itemized accounting of the basis for an interstate charge, the date an account was opened and more. If a debt buyer fails to provide proper documentation, the motion for default judgment or summary judgment would be denied and any favorable judgments for them would be voided.

Other new state laws

 Sections of Senate Bill 615: Adoption Law/Notary Changes/ Guardianship Rights.

 Sections of Senate Bill 409: Various Changes to Criminal and Civil Laws.

 Sections of House Bill 600:Regulatory Reform Act of 2023.

 Sections of House Bill 181: Unclaimed Property Division Changes.

 House Bill 203: Department of State Treasurer Technical Corrections.

 House Bill 201: Retirement Administrative Changes Act of 2023.

 Sections of House Bill 125: NC Health & Human Services Workforce Act.
Last week the Raleigh News & Observer named Myrick Howard its 2023 Tar Heel of the Year. Last month this column about Myricks book, Buying Time for Heritage: How to Save an Endangered Historic Property, explained that Myrick is a hero to thousands of North Carolina people who live near a precious old building that, but for Myrick Howard, would have been destroyed.

Because of Howards work, scores of old school buildings, historic homes, commercial buildings, and other treasures have been restored and remain a part of North Carolinas landscape.

During the past year this column featured other important North Carolina books that are summarized below.

In his Lessons from North Carolina: Race, Religion, Tribe, and the Future of America, UNC-CH law Professor Gene Nichol takes on the role of North Carolinas prophet. He writes about the abuses by those in power. He writes most eloquently about the poor and North Carolinas exploitation and inattention to them, condemning other ways the states powerful oppress the powerless.

Food expert and retired UNC-CH professor Marcie Cohen Ferris and the group of food experts she assembled for her book, Edible North Carolina, show how the states food scenes are changing. There is a growing awareness of conflicts between the goals of low-cost food productions, fair compensation of food workers, and protection of the environment.

Beloved author Lee Smiths latest, Silver Alert: A Novel, is full of quirky characters like those her fans treasure. Central characters are Herbert Atlas, a wealthy retired businessman, and Renee (real name Dee Dee), a manicurist new on the scene. She quickly becomes essential because only she can calm Herbs third wife, Susan, from her many violent episodes. Once beautiful, active, and glamorous, Susan has slipped into early onset dementia. Other quirky characters compete for the readers attention and sympathy.

Hurricane expert Jay Barness Fifteen Hurricanes That Changed the Carolinas: Powerful Storms, Climate Change, and What We Do Next gives a good background of some of the most memorable storms.

UNC-CH Professor Daniel Wallaces best-selling Big Fish, and other novels have demonstrated that he is one of Americas great storytellers. His latest book, This Isnt Going to End Well: The True Story of a Man I Thought I Knew, shows that he also can use those gifts to create compelling non-fiction.

His account of his relationship with his brilliant, but troubled brother-in-law and great friend is powerful, moving and memorable.

DeShawn Charles Winslows latest book, Decent People, is set in March 1976. It gives readers a painful inside look at Black communities in northeastern North Carolina.

I Cannot Write My Life: Islam, Arabic, and Slavery in Omar ibn Saids America is the product of Duke Associate Professor Mbaye Lo, and UNC-CH retired professor Carl W. Ernst. They assemble the available writings by Omar ibn Said, a scholar of Islam Omar who was enslaved in pre-Civil War North Carolina. Ernst and Lo have carefully translated his work from the Arabic into English.

Although most boardinghouses might be gone today, strong memories remain. Elizabeth Engelhardt, Kenan eminent professor of southern studies at UNC-CH, has collected hundreds of them for her book, Boardinghouse Women: How Southern Keepers, Cooks, Nurses, Widows, and Runaways Shaped Modern America, published by UNC Press in November.

Engelhardt cites examples of how women escaped irrelevance and became accomplished and independent businesspeople as the owners and operators of boardinghouses in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The latest book about the fate of the Lost Colony, Excavating the Lost Colony Mystery, was published by the First Colony Foundation and UNC Press. Authored by several recognized experts, it sets out and explains the latest theories about the fate of Sir Walter Raleighs 1587 Lost Colony on Roanoke Island.

Finally, Mimi Hermans debut novel, The Kudzu Queen, tells an engaging story of life in 1940s rural North Carolina featuring the excitement and tragedy during the time of government-sponsored kudzu planting.
KANNAPOLIS  For close to 90 years, as Kannapolis has evolved from a textile manufacturing city to being known for its research campus, there has always been one constant: The venerable Gem Theatre, in the heart of downtown, with its iconic green-and-red marquee ablaze each night.

At a time when more people than ever are watching movies from home through streaming devices like Netflix, movie theaters are struggling, with attendance in decline in the years since the pandemic. Movie theaters have always played a crucial part in American culture, and ones with such a robust and celebrated history like the Gem  even more so.

After surviving depressions and recessions, world wars and a pandemic, the theatre will soon receive a much need facelift.

The public is encouraged to help preserve the Gem, as it will soon undergo a $1.2 million renovation of its interior, including the seats, projector, screen, curtains and historic plaster motifs, all of which either need to be repaired or replaced.

The City of Kannapolis, which acquired the theatre in 2015, recently launched a campaign giving people the chance to own a piece of history by sponsoring a new seat, which cost $275; purchasing a pair of the vintage seats, which cost $100; or sponsoring a marquee sidewalk brick, which cost $125.

As of Dec. 11, the city has sold 190 pairs of vintage seats, more than 300 bricks and 42 new seats, according to the citys Director of Communication Annette Keller. Roughly $73,000 has been raised.

Weve got a long ways to go, and thats okay, Keller said. We knew that it might be slow around this time of year.

The renovations are slated to begin in January, during which time no movies will be shown. The renovations should be completed within four months.

Keller has enjoyed hearing about the Gems widespread impact on the community, as it has been used for all kinds of purposes, from engagement proposals and wedding ceremonies to special dates where couples shared their first kiss.

I had one lady call and say, I want to buy a pair of the vintage seats because my mom and dad went every single week and sat in the same seats, Keller said. Those stories have just been so amazing.

The city has already refurbished other key elements of the theatre, including the marquee, the roof, heating and air conditioning and restrooms, which are now handicap accessible.

More than 4,000 people participated in a master plan survey several years ago, indicating what improvements and programs they would like to see incorporated into the theatre going forward. The overwhelming response was a clear sign of the enduring popularity and importance of the theatre.

It was a crazy response, Keller said. Ive never had a survey like that. People are passionate about the Gem.

The city is aware of the delicate balance of preserving a space that is included in National Register of Historic Places while also making sure it is as accessible to the public as possible.

It is a historic building, Keller said. You want to preserve as much of the history as you can but you also need it to keep being a livable, usable space for all the people coming every day to see a movie.

History of the Gem

The original theatre opened on Dec. 31, 1936. It was built by Cannon Mills to provide recreational opportunities for its millworkers. The Gem did not last long  it was destroyed in a fire in 1942. The facade, offices, projection booth and portions of the lobby were saved but the balcony, auditorium and stage were destroyed.

A few years later, in 1948, the theatre was rebuilt and included a balcony and 916 seats. It is one of the oldest single-screen movie theaters in continuous operation in the United States.

Compared with the larger and glitzier multiplexes in the area, the Gem more than holds is own due to its longevity and the elegance and grandeur of the theater itself, with its Art Deco designs and iconic red curtains, which seem more befitting of a Broadway play than a movie theater.

While the balcony is no longer used, the Gems immense seating capacity (there are around 585 seats on ground level) dwarfs many of the other movie theaters in the area.

It is very unique and people like the feel of it, said former general manager Steve Morris. This is a different experience than going to a regular movie theater.

A Kannapolis native, Morris attended movies as a kid before being encouraged in 1995 by J. Carlyle Rutledge, longtime president and one of the Gems co-owners, to purchase a stake in the theatre.

Morris, who is also chair of the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners, managed the day-to-day operations of the theatre for much of the past 30 years and was the sole owner for several years. While the city manages the employees, Morris, who is now more of a consultant, still works with the major studios to book the movies.

Morris has always viewed his role as a caretaker, because in his view, the Gem has always been owned by the community.

Everybody feels a sense of ownership in this theatre, he said.

Boost from The Grinch

For a long time, the Gem showed movies in their second run, after they had already been released. The cost for a movie ticket was $1, but the theatre struggled to compete with larger movie theaters, like Carolina Mall Cinemas, which were showing first-run movies that had just been released.

Morris wanted to attract first-run movies, but understood that movie studios, which get paid by the percentage of the tickets sold, would want to increase the prices in order to do so.

At the end of 2000, Universal Pictures was releasing How the Grinch Stole Christmas, starring Jim Carrey  a prime opportunity for Morris to try change things up. He was told by the studio that the only way the Gem could show the film was by increasing the price of tickets from $1 to $4.

Morris was receptive to the idea though his mentor Rutledge was adamantly opposed.

I said, Okay, this is going to be a challenge because he was so committed to serving the community and being affordable, Morris recalls. After much back and forth, Rutledge relented and backed Morris in his efforts to be allowed to show the Grinch film.

The gamble to increase ticket prices paid off, as the Grinch was the Gems most popular movie of the year.

During opening night, several local reporters came to the Gem to interview customers. Morris remembers an individual being asked what he thought about the uptick in prices.

And he said, I think its a deal. I cant believe they didnt do it years ago, Morris recalled. From that point forward, the theatre has shown movies, including many blockbusters, which have recently been released. Tickets for adults have remained largely the same, as they are now $5.

That was one of those memorable times where I just had a sigh of relief, he said. Thank God it worked.
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The world's lone superpower has been unable to protect one of the most important commercial arteries on Earth from a band of Third World rebels.

Welcome to the latest humiliation of a Biden administration foreign policy premised on not being overly provocative toward our enemies.

Shipping companies have announced they are going to avoid the Red Sea and Bab-al-Mandab, a narrow strait connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, after a sustained campaign of attacks from Houthi fighters in Yemen.

This is a blow to freedom of navigation  one of the jewels of the US-led order  and a tremendous success for the Iranian-aligned Houthis, who have leveraged drones, missiles and attempted seizures of ships to gain the upper hand over the world's foremost navy.

We are not talking about a backwater but a key passageway for East-West commerce.

Nearly 12% percent of global trade passes through the Red Sea, including a prodigious amount of oil from the Persian Gulf.

Disrupting this trade allows the Houthis to have, in effect, global reach.

Insurance rates for shipping are going up, and companies are forswearing the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, that great shortcut connecting Europe and Asia.

Instead, they are adding significant time, and expense, to their journey by going around the Cape of Good Hope, at the southern tip of Africa.

Eventually, additional costs will be passed along to consumers.

In short, the Houthis are punching above their weight.

US, partners to combat Iran-backed strikes on Red Sea shipping. They are a combatant in a years-long Yemeni civil war, not a state actor with significant naval capabilities like, say, the Chinese in the South China Sea.

That the US Navy can't, or isn't being allowed to, suppress cut-rate acts of banditry with outsize economic effects should be a cause of national embarrassment.

The Houthis maintain they are only going after ships heading to Israel, but if so, they have not been particularly discriminating.

The attacks have also been escalating.

Just over the weekend, the US destroyer Carney shot down 14 drones.

The Houthis believe they won't pay a price, or a very limited one, for their brazen aggression.

Who can say they're wrong?

The Biden doctrine  whether it comes to arming Ukraine, responding to Iranian proxies' attacks on US bases, or protecting shipping in the Red Sea  is to stop short of decisive action lest the other side escalate.

So instead of malign actors fearing what we will do, we constrain ourselves out of fear of how they will respond to us.

The legendary nuclear strategist Herman Kahn came up with a 44-rung so-called escalation ladder during the Cold War.

The Biden administration evidently prefers not to get on the ladder at all, since it represents a fall risk.

Or it's content to stop somewhere between rung two, "political, economic, and diplomatic gestures," and rung three, "solemn and formal declarations."

Sure enough, we are asking the Houthis to stop.

We are also forming a multinational coalition to patrol the Red Sea, called Operation Prosperity Guardian.

This is fine as far as it goes, but is no substitute for sending an unmistakable, material message that targeting shipping is intolerable.

We should launch attacks against Houthi stores of missiles and their missile launchers.

If that doesn't work, we should hit Iranian targets directly.

The stakes ultimately involve our modern way of life.

In The Atlantic this year, the navalist Jerry Hendrix noted, "Because freedom of the seas, in our lifetime, has seemed like a default condition, it is easy to think of it  if we think of it at all  as akin to Earth's rotation or the force of gravity: as just the way things are, rather than as a man-made construct that needs to be maintained and enforced."

The essay's title: "The Age of American Naval Dominance Is Over."

The Biden administration shouldn't act like it is trying to prove him right.

(COMMENT, BELOW)
Regardless, Biden concurred with Colorado's Supreme's. He told journalists in Milwaukee Wednesday that Trump "certainly supported an insurrection. No question about it. None. Zero."

Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Virginia, and Wisconsin are among 15 states considering barring Trump from their ballots.

Rather than encourage this anti-democratic insanity, Biden should beg the U.S. Supreme Court to drop kick Colorado's ruling into the Potomac  ideally unanimously. Legalities aside, the political repercussions could be disastrous for America in general and Biden in particular.

If SCOTUS affirms Colorado's decision, Democrat states gleefully would pry Trump from their ballots.

Democrats should not expect Republicans to curl up like armadillos and cry. The GOP would have no choice but to retaliate.

Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which Colorado's four Democrat judges weaponized to get Trump, disqualifies federal candidates who have "given aid or comfort to the enemies" of the U.S. Constitution.

Republicans could argue that Biden does exactly this.

Biden's calamitous withdrawal delivered Afghanistan to the Taliban, the same murderers who coddled al-Qaeda before September 11. Biden left behind a fabulous housewarming gift: $7.12 billion in weapons that he should have removed or destroyed, not bequeathed.

Biden's deliberate obliteration of the southern border has turbocharged America's foes. Mexico's drug cartels are earning an estimated $12 billion in annual human-smuggling revenues.

Under Biden, 6,553,837 illegal aliens have been apprehended on the southern frontier through October, including 294 on the terrorist-watch list. Another 1.7 million Known Got-aways have escaped into the interior with zero scrutiny. A daily-record 12,600 illegals invaded on Monday. One illegal received an immigration-hearing date: January 23, 2031!

The cartels are exporting fentanyl, the No. 1 cause of death for those aged 18 to 45. It fatally poisons some 70,000 Americans annually. Biden could not care less as bodies stack up like bricks.

Biden's priority is to keep the "border" as open as a machete wound and wave in as many Future Democrats of America as possible. Biden and the Left reckon that these illegals will be grateful for all the freebies and, thus, vote at least 51% Democrat  immediately or eventually. If so, Mission Accomplished. All else is collateral damage.

Meanwhile, thanks to Biden's flaccid "response" to drone and rocket attacks on commercial and military vessels by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen, freight and oil carriers are shunning the Suez Canal and diverting at least 120 ships around Africa's Cape of Good Hope.

This route slows the ride from Singapore to Rotterdam from 34 days to 43. This logically increases CO2 emissions by 26.5%. Container-shipping costs from China to the Mediterranean already have soared 70% since November 19.

This catastrophe is largely due to Biden's chest-feeding of Iran's ayatollahs. Biden's desperation to revive the wretched Iran-nuclear deal has fueled an appeasement policy that makes Neville Chamberlain resemble Douglas MacArthur.

Just 23 days after becoming president, Biden delisted the Iranian-sponsored Houthis as terrorists. The Houthis show gratitude byperpetrating terrorism.

Biden has unfrozen or approved a staggering $87.02 billion to Iran, Earth's No. 1 state sponsor of terrorism. That is a heaping helping of aid and comfort to one of America's most cutthroat enemies.

Biden's appeasement of China  e.g., his failure to confront Xi Jinping on COVID-19's origins or prevent Beijing's spy balloon from snooping on US military facilities  also aids and comforts a U.S. enemy.

If cornered, Republicans justifiably could block from state ballots Joe Biden, the best friend of these and other U.S. foes.
CHARLESTON  Booth Library is proud to announce a milestone in the preservation and sharing of the creative and scholarly work of Eastern Illinois University.

The Keep, EIUs digital archive, has posted its 100,000th object.

The historic object, posted on Dec. 12, is a photograph from the investiture ceremony of Jay Gatrell. The photograph captures a significant moment in the universitys history, and through serendipity represents a historic accomplishment for The Keep.

The image was created by Jay Gabriec, the university photographer, who has contributed a remarkable collection of over 1,300 entries to The Keep.

The Keep is the EIU institutional repository, a digital archive of faculty scholarship, student and professional journals, graduate theses, undergraduate honors papers, EIU historical documents, committee documents and more.

The mission of The Keep is to digitize, preserve and promote the scholarly and creative output of EIU, optimizing the content for easy online discovery.

I am beyond thrilled that we have passed the milestone of 100,000 works posted in The Keep, making our institutional repository one of the largest in the state of Illinois, second only to the University of Illinois Champaign Urbana, Todd Bruns, head of scholarly communications.

Since it was launched in the fall of 2010, there have been more than 5.5 million downloads to over 235 countries and over 57,500 institutions from Greenland to New Zealand.

Library Services will soon be providing new digital scholarship tool with a digital exhibit platform and a research portal, a research information management system.

These combined resources will tell the story of EIU as a research institution, digitally archiving and preserving institution, digitally archiving and preserving EIU history, student life, academic scholarship, events, and more for the benefit of current and future scholars. This milestone achievement is one that truly belongs to all of us, Bruns said.

Photos of Charleston's past Ashmore Estate Psychiatric Hospital Coles County Daily Times Community Memorial Hospital Country Club Downtown Renovations Food Pantry Haunted mansion High School Movie theater Water Supply Shortage
A photo taken during an organized tour by Yemen's Houthi rebels on Nov. 22, 2023, shows the Galaxy Leader cargo ship, seized by Houthi fighters two days earlier, at a port on the Red Sea in Yemen's province of Hodeida. The Houthis said the capture was in retaliation for Israel's war against Hamas. (AFP via Getty Images)

A decade ago, the Houthis were a ragtag group of fighters based in the north of Yemen that most people hadnt even heard of. Today, the movement-turned-de facto government in Yemen is causing so much trouble in the Red Sea that some of the worlds largest shipping companies are no longer sailing through its waters.

Since the Israel-Hamas war erupted Oct. 7, the Houthis have taken potshots against civilian vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait chokepoint heading into the Red Sea. Attack drones and ballistic missiles have been launched from Houthi-controlled areas along Yemens coastline, some of which have caused minor damage. U.S. warships in the area have responded to multiple distress calls. On Dec. 16, the USS Carney shot down 14 one-way drones in what has been the most significant armed engagement in those waters to date.

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As you would expect, companies arent thrilled with the idea of taking their chances and traveling through an area that looks increasingly like a war zone. Insurance for ships carrying everything from oil to agricultural products are now at sky-high rates. BP, the energy conglomerate, is no longer using the Red Sea out of abundance of caution. More than 100 container ships that would ordinarily sail through the Red Sea as a shortcut toward the Suez Canal have taken the longer journey around Africa to get to the same destination.

President Joe Bidens administration recognizes it has a problem. U.S. officials have weighed military options against the Houthis. Yet for a president who is seeking to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spreading to the regions other fault lines, U.S. strikes on the Houthis would run the risk of doing exactly that. Analysts and pundits advocating for U.S. military action in Yemen fail to appreciate the escalatory nature of their recommendation. Some key countries in the Middle East would agree; Saudi Arabia has advised restraint on the part of the U.S. over concern that its own set of peace talks with the group would collapse otherwise.

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The U.S., however, cant be seen to do nothing. The administration therefore has organized a multinational task force to preserve freedom of navigation. The Pentagons chief spokesman described the task force as similar to a highway patrol, responsible with assisting vessels if requested.

These are very general comments, and there are more questions than answers about how the maritime task force will actually work. The entire project feels like a haphazard enterprise. Assuming the rules of engagement have been agreed upon, they remain mysterious to the public. Presumably, the task force is strictly a defensive mission.

What that means in practice, though, is to be determined. Does this mean the U.S., United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain and the rest of the coalition will stick with neutralizing Houthi drones and missiles as they screech through the air, akin to establishing an ad hoc air defense system off Yemeni waters? What happens if a missile or drone manages to cause severe damage to a ship? Would such a scenario prompt the U.S. and its partners to return fire, perhaps by striking at the source? And is the coalition prepared for Houthi retaliation?

It wouldnt be a surprise if the coalition were still working through the answers to these questions.

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Its membership has also come under for scrutiny  for good reason. Outside of Bahrain, the states most affected by trade flows through the Red Sea have chosen to stay away. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates arent participating, the former because it doesnt want to do anything the Houthis could misconstrue as an aggression. (The two remain locked in peace talks over the civil war in Yemen.) Egypt, which administers the Suez Canal and received more than $9 billion in transit revenue this year, isnt a part of the effort either.

China sources most of its oil from the Middle East and yet has stayed on the sidelines despite U.S. attempts to cajole Beijing into taking a greater share of the responsibility for enforcing freedom of navigation in the regions waters. Such a rejection isnt a surprise since China is in no mood to grant the U.S. any favors when it sees U.S. policy as overtly hostile to its interests.

Of course, all of this is coming at a time when combat between Israeli and Hamas forces continues at a steady clip, with no sign the fighting is about to taper off. While truce talks have gained momentum, they are designed to create the conditions for more prisoner and hostage releases, not to necessarily end the conflict. More than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in the 11-week war, health officials said..

The Houthis claim that attacks on ships in the Red Sea will persist until one of two things happens: Israel stops bombing Gaza, or the international community finds a way to send far more humanitarian aid into the enclave. At the time of writing, the United Nations Security Council is in the closing stages of negotiations that would establish a monitoring mechanism in the area to ensure aid gets to where it needs to go. Whether or not the Houthis position is genuine is difficult to say. But if it is genuine, then the Biden administration has even more of an incentive to push Israel into winding down operations in Gaza.

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At best, the U.S.-led maritime coalition is a placeholder between now and when the Israel-Hamas war ends. At worst, it will instigate a whole new set of problems that Washington and its partners will be forced to contend with.

Daniel DePetris is a fellow at Defense Priorities and a foreign affairs columnist for the Chicago Tribune.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
Q: I bought a gift card for a friend, but it was not the right one. When I tried to exchange it I was told that once the card is sold it cannot be returned or exchanged. Is that legal?  A.P.

Answer: Yes, it is legal. Once a gift card has been activated, it cannot be deactivated. At the bottom of the gift card receipt, it says No Refunds.

Lechelle Yates, a spokeswoman for the Better Business Bureau of Central and Northwest North Carolina, explains how the gift card works.

Gift cards are a way retailers allow consumers to give money to their friends to shop at a retail store or restaurant, gas station or other locations  both online and in the brick-and-mortar variety, Yates said.

Theyre basically a substitute for cash but they have to be used at a particular place. You load money onto the card and the gift card recipient, or you can then spend the money at the designated location.

There is an exception  branded cards, which can be used anywhere the brand of the card is accepted. For example, if you have a branded card with a Visa logo on it, you can use it to buy items anywhere Visa is accepted.

Q: I remember when I was a kid, my mother always called crackers soda crackers. Now, everybody calls them saltine crackers. Is there a difference between soda crackers and saltine crackers?  N.R.

Answer: SAM asked Michael Hastings, the Journals food editor, to explain what, if any, difference there is between soda and saltine crackers.

Soda crackers today are more commonly called saltines. But they originally got their name from the fact that they contain baking soda.

The first crackers were simply flour, water and salt. They were not leavened with yeast  as for bread  or baking soda  as with biscuits.

Those flat or unleavened crackers were useful, though, because they had a very long shelf life.

The first crackers were called ships biscuits because they could remain edible on long sea voyages. Later, the same kind of cracker was called hard tack  something a traveler could put in their saddle bag to eat over a long land journey.

By the 1840s, cracker recipes began to change, adding shortening, baking soda and other ingredients, according to The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink.

These soda crackers had perforations to keep the crackers from puffing up too much during baking. By the 1870s, the addition of coarse salt to the top of crackers led to the name saltine. Now soda cracker is less commonly used than the term saltine, but a saltine is still a soda cracker, Hastings said.

Q: When stoplights arent working, arent drivers supposed to treat it like a four-way stop?  R.P.

Answer: You are correct. Unfortunately, many people dont know or dont remember what to do at a four-way stop intersection.

If you arrive at an intersection and the traffic-control signal is out or malfunctioning, please treat the intersection as a four-way stop, according to the Winston-Salem Police Department.

If there are officers present, follow their direction.

At a four-way stop, if two vehicles reach the intersection at the same time, the vehicle on the right has the right-of-way.

If the lights are flashing, the side with the yellow does have the right-of-way, however, some people may not pay attention or care about who has the right-of-way.

A spokesperson for the Winston-Salem Police Department gave us this information about dealing with flashing stoplights.

If you are approaching an intersection and you see flashing red lights, treat the intersection as a four-way stop. If you have flashing yellow lights, you have the right-of-way; however, proceed with caution and beware of drivers who may not know you have the right-of-way.
A Winston-Salem businessman has pleaded guilty to securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud involving a New Jersey delicatessen and two publicly-traded companies, according to a Dec. 20 news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of New Jersey.

U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said James Patten, 64, has admitted to orchestrating a large-scale market manipulation scheme related to Hometown International Inc. and E-Waste Corp. Sentencing is scheduled for April 3.

The securities fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $5 million fine. The conspiracy to commit securities fraud carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and at least a $250,000 fine.

According to an ongoing separate but related investigation, the Securities and Exchange Commission said the companies had a combined $220 million market capitalization via grossly inflated prices at the peak of the alleged share-price manipulation.

Patten moved to Winston-Salem in August 2017, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office indictment filed Sept. 22, 2022. The SEC complaint, filed four days later, listed Pattens address in the 200 block of Lucerne Lane.

According to the U.S. Attorney indictment, from 2014 through September 2022, Patten and co-defendants Peter Coker Sr. of Chapel Hill and Peter Coker Jr. of Hong Kong conspired to enrich themselves through a scheme to manipulate securities prices via a pattern of coordinated trading, which injected inaccurate information into the marketplace, creating false impressions of supply and demand for these securities.

The Paulsboro, N.J., deli was open for business on and off through the indictment period, producing less than $40,000 in annual revenue.

Hometown International, utilizing the HWIN ticker symbol, was listed as the umbrella corporation with the deli as a wholly-owned subsidiary. E-Waste Corp. utilized the EWST ticker symbol.

The defendants, through the coordinated trading, were able to manipulate Hometown Internationals share price from $1 per share in October 2019 to nearly $13 per share by April 2021, producing a grossly inflated market capitalization of $100 million.

Meanwhile, E-Wastes share price jumped from 10 cents to $10, which was a market capitalization of $120 million for a shell company with no revenue.

According to the indictment, Patten worked as a stockbroker before being barred by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority in 2006.

During 2014, two New Jersey residents began the process of opening a local deli in Paulsboro. One of them discussed his interest in opening the business with Patten, a long-time friend, who suggested the creation of Hometown International.

Unbeknownst to the deli owners, after Hometown International was formed, Patten and his associates began positioning (it) as a vehicle for a reverse merger that would yield substantial profit to them.

A reverse merger is a stock transaction in which an existing public company merges with a private entity. A successful reverse merger would allow the defendants to sell shares of each entity at a significant profit.

In October 2019, Hometown International began trading on the OTC Marketplace  part of a U.S.-based financial market providing price and liquidity information for almost 10,000 over-the-counter securities that are lightly traded.

Patten told the deli owners that creating Hometown International would allow for easy expansion in the event the deli was successful, according to the indictment.

The defendants took similar actions to gain control of E-Wastes stock and management.

The defendants also arranged for the transfer of millions of shares of stock to other entities, including those controlled by Coker Jr., in an effort to mask their control of the shares.

The defendants transferred shares to family members, friends and associates. Although some of those individuals were set up as officers, Patten remained in charge.

According to the indictment, three unidentified investors lived in Greensboro, included one listed as an immediate family friend of Coker Sr.

The defendants used those accounts to commit a number of coordinated trading events involving stock on both sides of the transaction. These tactics artificially inflated the share price of both stocks by giving the false impression there was a genuine market interest.

According to the indictment, the scheme began to fall apart following an April 2021 news article exposing Hometown International and E-Wastes ever-inflated market valuations. There were subsequent articles by national and business media outlets.
Content advisory: This article discusses sensitive topics, including suicide. Reader discretion is advised.

No one told Kristine Cecava that one day her job would lead her to clean up the scene of a suicide. Yet when the time came, she knew what needed to be done to help support the deceaseds family.

Cecava, a former district judge and county attorney in Cheyenne County, was called to the home of a friends son who had committed suicide. In sparsely populated areas, part of a county attorneys duties entails serving as a county coroner. However, after the body had been removed, the job of cleaning the scene remained.

Its a situation most people cant imagine being left with and its often beyond what most people prepare for. But when the unimaginable occurs, what happens?

This was beyond what normal people can do, Cecava said. These people were left with all of this grief in their house and it took a lot to get the surfaces that had been hit and soaked in.

When the suicide occurred, Cecava said her friends son was sitting on the edge of a waterbed.

It happened to be done like most of the suicides that I saw, which is a gun to the head, Cecava, who is now retired, said.

The mortuary personnel helped clean up most of the visible surfaces and removed the body. While there were no pools of blood left, there were obvious stains. Knowing the parents would return soon, Cecava and a deputy county attorney decided to set up fans to clear the air and wash the bedsheets.

After trying to clean the sheets and while tucking them back in, Cecava said they found more remnants underneath the waterbed.

Thats when we decided we were way over our head, Cecava said.

After they did what they could, Cecava called a cleaning service from out of state, as there werent any local cleaning companies.

Adam Frerichs is accustomed to seeing the worst scenes. Frerichs is a sergeant with the Grand Island Police Department on the night shift. Prior to that, he worked as a detective for more than two decades with the Investigations Division.

While he hasnt helped clean up after a suicide like Cecava has, hes been to many crime scenes, including suicides and homicides of people of all ages.

They truly do vary from one situation to the next, Frerichs said. Almost always youre going to be dealing with some degree of odor control or mitigating the foul stench.

As law enforcement officials, Frerichs said they dont advocate or advertise for private businesses, whether thats legal assistance, tow companies, funeral homes or clean-up companies. For death scene clean-ups, Frerichs said they have provided resource cards to help a family find local providers for the specific services.

For gunshot wounds, Frerichs said it typically requires cleaning and sanitization of the entire room.

If there is a blood splatter type of scene from a high-velocity gunshot wound, there could be ceilings and multiple walls and surfaces and floors that are going to need to be cleaned and sanitized and likely painted over, Frerichs said.

The cleaning process can also depend on how long the body has been at the scene and the decomposition stages it passes. Typically, Frerichs said bodies are found within 24 hours. Depending on the situation, bodies can be removed in another 24 hours with more delays for homicides versus natural deaths.

Oftentimes, its going to come down to a biological-type situation of the amount of bacteria and such that are going to be present, Frerichs said.

During the decomposition process, Frerichs said fluids from a body on a bed will leak through the mattress and box spring, as well as through the floors and subfloors.

As I was clearing the house, I ultimately got dripped on, and we didnt want to believe that drip from the ceiling in the basement was what it was, but unfortunately, thats exactly what it was, Frerichs said.

In those instances, a thorough cleaning would require removing the flooring and disinfecting some of the bracing under the floor rather than just covering the mess up. Failure to do so can cast off a putrefied smell from fluids that have soaked through supportive beams in the floor.

Derek Myers, co-owner of Bio-One in Nebraska, often sees people on one of the worst days of their lives. Bio-One is a professional crime scene and biohazard decontamination cleaning service company with nearly 140 locations across the majority of the United States. Nebraskas Bio-One is located in Omaha but serves the entire state.

Generally speaking, we enter someones home when theres something very sensitive that needs to be taken care of with discretion and compassion, Myers said.

In addition to Myers and his wife, Bio-One now has one full-time operation manager, two full-time technicians and two part-time technicians. The full-time employees are always on call and expected to pick up the phone whenever a call comes.

Each new employee undergoes about 90 days of probationary training with both internal and external training. The three months allow the employees to get a chance to see what the work is like on scene so they can make the decision if the job is right.

Theres an emotional component too that they need to get, Myers said. You never know what youre going to, how youre going to react when handling the type of situations that we handle.

Half of the jobs that Bio-One tackles are schedulable jobs for biohazard cleanups, odor removals, hoarding removal and mold remediation. Biohazardous jobs require some specialized training.

The other half of their jobs are the emergency services where, often, someone has died. These include undiscovered and decomposing deaths, suicides, blood spills and crime scenes. Before Myers and his team enter the scene, the coroner or medical examiner has often removed the bodily remains with the police.

Unfortunately, theres still a lot of cleaning left to be done before the family can really come back into the home and either possibly sell the home and move on in that fashion or possibly reinhabit the home, Myers said.

Before getting into this job, Myers was a safety officer in the Air Force. During his service, he unfortunately saw a lot of soldiers die by suicide. Myers began to think about the difficult situations for families and questioned who they would call for the next steps.

As a business graduate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Myers and his wife knew they wanted to run their own business. While working a few other jobs, the thoughts from his time in the military continued to stick in the back of his mind.

Its a really needed service. Its very niche, but its something that when you need it, you need it handled correctly, Myers said. You need it handled the way that it should be, handled with compassion and the sensitivity that needs to be done.

Top Journal Star photos for December 2023
The Lincoln Hygiene Network has been providing hygiene products for Lincoln community members since 2020, with an emphasis on period care. Now theyre expanding to address a different population: seniors aged 55 and up.

A new initiative, called the Senior Hygiene Closet Program, will provide collections of hygiene products specifically for senior residents starting in January.

The closets will be located in four local organizations, including the Asian Community and Cultural Center, Barnabas Community, Good Neighbor Community Center and Ponca Tribe Nebraska.

Suzi Dearmont, Lincoln Hygiene Network president and executive director, said the program is meant to address the critical need to support the health and well-being of seniors aged 55 and up in Nebraska.

We wanted to start making a more dedicated effort to serve some of the older population in Lincoln, Dearmont said. We had noticed that was a population we had not been purposefully serving. We were reaching them at some of the agencies we serve, but we wanted to do some very specific outreach.

There was a 21% increase in poverty among adults aged 65 and up in Nebraska between 2017 and 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2023 Health Ranking Senior Report. This increase leads more seniors to rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which can only be used for food, not hygiene products.

The Lincoln Hygiene Networks mission aims to fill the gap in hygiene access by providing community members with these products for free.

The four organizations that will house the senior hygiene products were chosen for their commitment to serve the senior population in Lincoln and the surrounding areas, but their location was also important, Dearmont said.

We wanted to get a little bit of variance in where the hygiene closets were going to be located so they werent all on the same corner of Lincoln, Dearmont said.

The closets will include incontinence products, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, bar soaps and lotion. Dearmont said hair products will include products for textured hair, with the goal of ensuring individuals receiving the products will be getting what they need.

The four agencies provided the numbers of people age 55 and up they currently serve, which will dictate the amount of products initially stored in the closets. As the program continues, the organizations will be able to tailor their order quantities for the community they serve.

Nebraska Presbyterian Foundation is providing the initial funding  more than $28,000 for 2024  to kick-start the program.

Providing hygiene products, which can be difficult to afford, to agencies whose programs serve our aging population will help to promote and preserve their health and dignity, Audrey Richert, executive director of Nebraska Presbyterian Foundation, said in a news release.

Access to hygiene products for seniors builds health equity and remediates social isolation, Dearmont said.

We want to ensure seniors on fixed incomes have access to proper hygiene products to remain healthy while allowing them to feel comfortable and confident to continue to actively participate in our community, Dearmont said.

Healthiest states for seniors Which states are the most and least healthy for senior populations? #50. Mississippi #49. Louisiana #48. Kentucky #47. West Virginia #46. Oklahoma #45. Alabama #44. Arkansas #43. Nevada #42. Missouri #41. New Mexico #40. Georgia #39. Tennessee #38. Texas #37. Ohio #36. South Carolina #35. Indiana #34. North Carolina #33. Illinois #32. New York #31. Michigan #30. Pennsylvania #29. New Jersey #28. Florida #27. Kansas #26. California #25. Wyoming #24. Alaska #23. Arizona #22. North Dakota #21. Iowa #20. Montana #19. Delaware #18. Rhode Island #17. South Dakota #16. Virginia #15. Idaho #14. Wisconsin #13. Maine #12. Oregon #11. Nebraska #10. Massachusetts #9. Maryland #8. Washington #7. Hawaii #6. New Hampshire #5. Colorado #4. Connecticut #3. Minnesota #2. Vermont #1. Utah
There are several ways to become a teacher in Nebraska, but a new option allows people interested in the job to get a certificate online, at your own pace and in under a year.

Nebraskans can now participate in an online teacher certification program called American Board, which was founded in 2001 by the U.S. Department of Education to offer an alternate path for future teachers who didnt go to school for education. It operates in 13 other states, including Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin and North Dakota.

The option was made possible following education legislation passed this spring that gives anyone with a bachelors degree the opportunity to get teaching credentials through an alternative teacher certification program like American Board.

The pathway allows people to get their teaching certificate without attending a traditional in-person teacher preparation program, or even an online program through a college or university.

At American Board, people can get their credentials in under a year and for $1,900 or less, depending on financial aid. The website states it takes the average American Board student 7-10 months to earn their certification, though some students have completed the program in two months.

It all depends on how much time you can devote to studying and learning the material, the website says.

The new legislation requires that any alternative teacher certification program like American Board to be in operation for at least 10 years and in five states. Candidates also have to pass at least two exams and a background check before receiving their certificate.

The legislation was initially introduced by state Sen. Lou Ann Linehan to address Nebraskas teacher shortage. It was later amended into a hefty education package of 23 bills at the end of the legislative session.

For years, Nebraska has had alternative ways to get teacher certification. David Jespersen, spokesman for the Nebraska Department of Education, said the options were put in place to give future teachers a way to get in the classroom while they finished their schooling. But depending on the persons background, their alternative permit could expire after two years.

With this legislation, it specifically does not call for an expiration of any permit, Jespersen said. The way it is right now, at least, if they got the American Board certificate, they would get an alternative permit to teach and it would not have an expiration.

Jespersen said the departments website will eventually be updated to reflect the new option.

Melanie Olmstead, director of American Board, said the program offers certificates in a variety of areas, including elementary education, special education or specific subjects for grades 7-12 like biology, history, math, English and more. After passing a background check, all participants need is a bachelors degree, no matter the subject, to qualify for the program.

There might be the misunderstanding that its a fast track into the classroom, Olmstead said. But in reality, people who use this program already do have a degree in a subject other than education, and then they use American Boards program to get that additional pedagogical training and demonstrate their competency in the subject area they want to teach.

Olmstead said 50% of the program is the subject area someone wants to teach and participants will spend their time studying online materials, watching webinars and taking practice quizzes. Each person has to pass a final exam in the subject area.

The remainder of the program is pedagogy, which is learning how to teach others, Olmstead said. Participants learn about things like classroom management, instructional design and assessments.

Linehan said one complication of an alternative certification program is that some educators believe its not enough preparation to become a classroom teacher.

The concerns around the quality of these programs is frequently argued, according to a 2017 research brief by the Midwestern Higher Education Compact.

The expansion of expedited alternative preparation programs might be an efficient method for increasing the number of teachers, the report said. But many have questioned whether such a singular focus on efficiency sacrifices quality in terms of teacher skills and knowledge and, ultimately, student learning outcomes.

Research studied in MHECs report found mixed results comparing traditional four-year teacher colleges to streamlined alternative programs with student achievement.

Some studies found that alternative programs were less effective, but others found they were equally effective in specific states, like Texas and New York.

The brief did conclude that traditional preparation offered better instructional knowledge and teacher retention than alternative preparation across all grade levels except kindergarten.

Olmstead said she understood the concerns about the quality of teachers with alternative certification. While American Board doesnt require classroom experience, Olmstead said the average participant is 39 years old and is going into teaching after decades of other lived experiences that can contribute to the job.

What we have heard from employing principals is that theres a trade off when youre trying to fill an open teaching position, and employing principals know that when they hire an American Board teacher there, they dont have that previous classroom experience, Olmstead said. But they bring other things to the table that a younger hire may not have and so its just a bit of a trade-off.

Nebraskas alternative certification opportunity was created along with several other efforts put into action this year to improve the states educator shortage, such as the elimination of testing or creation of funding for educators.

Theres been an 114% increase in Nebraska teacher vacancies from 2011 to 2023, according to state data. Last year, there were nearly 769 unfilled educator positions across the state, meaning they were either left vacant or filled by an underqualified employee.

Thats a massive number of classrooms where students are being taught by uncertified or out-of-field teachers, and thats not whats best for kids, Olmstead said. So I think that people whove considered making a change to teaching in the past are more likely to pursue it right now because they see that they can contribute something to their local school.

Top Journal Star photos for December 2023
A federal appeals court panel has reversed former Nebraska Rep. Jeff Fortenberrys conviction for making false statements to FBI agents investigating foreign campaign contributions because he was tried in California.

Fortenberrys trial took place in a state where no charged crime was committed, and before a jury drawn from the vicinage of the federal agencies that investigated the defendant. The Constitution does not permit this, Judge James Donato wrote in Tuesdays opinion. Fortenberrys convictions are reversed so that he may be retried, if at all, in a proper venue.

In other words, in Nebraska or Washington, D.C., where Fortenberry, then a member of the House of Representatives, made the statements.

In a statement through his attorney, Fortenberry said: We are gratified by the Ninth Circuits decision. Celeste and I would like to thank everyone who has stood by us and supported us with their kindness and friendship.

His appeal came after he got probation, community service and a $25,000 fine after a federal jury in Los Angeles found him guilty last year of one count of concealing conduit campaign contributions and two counts of lying to federal agents in an interview at his home in Lincoln and in a follow-up interview he requested in Washington in 2019.

The FBI investigation was related to a controversial Nigerian billionaire, Gilbert Chagoury, funneling $30,000 to Fortenberry at a fundraiser in Los Angeles in February 2016 as a reward for his support of a group formed to protect Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East.

Fortenberry didnt initially know it, but he later learned about the money and ultimately donated it to charity because it is illegal for U.S. elected officials to accept foreign money.

But it was the false statements that got him charged.

The question at the heart of the appeal was why the case had been tried in California.

Defense attorney Kannon Shanmugam argued the convictions could not stand because the statements at issue had been made in in-person interviews in Nebraska and Washington, D.C.

He contended that trying him in California violated the venue clause in the Sixth Amendment, which says defendants are tried in the community where they were accused of committing their crime.

A mans life lies in ruins as a result of the governments decision to prosecute this case and prosecute him in the central district of California, Shanmugam said then.

On the other side, Alexander Robbins of the U.S. Attorneys Office argued that Fortenberry was tried in California because he chose to have a fundraiser in Los Angeles and made false statements material to the investigation there.

But, in the three-judge panels decision Tuesday, Donato said there was no support in the Constitution for an effect-based test for where a case is tried.

The likelihood of highly problematic venue outcomes is another reason to decline the governments effects test, the judge said.

For instance, here, the investigation was staffed by agents in California, who traveled to Nebraska and Washington, D.C. to interview Fortenberry, who made false statements. But what if the investigation had been conducted by agents in L.A. and Oklahoma or Massachusetts?

Could the case be tried in any of those states?

This outlandish outcome cannot be squared with the Constitution. The Venue and Vicinage Clauses command that a trial be held where the crime was committed, Donato said, adding that thats not necessarily a boon to a defendant.

Shanmugam declined to comment on the opinion when reached Tuesday by the Journal Star.

Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorneys Office in Los Angeles said: The ruling does not preclude a retrial on the charges that then-Congressman Fortenberry made multiple false statements to federal agents. We are evaluating potential next steps before deciding how best to move forward.
For the group of lawmakers who entered Nebraska's latest legislative session as freshmen, mere weeks  or less  removed from their Election Night wins or gubernatorial appointments, 2023 marked a "trial by fire."

That's according to Lincoln Sen. George Dungan, a former public defender and a first-year lawmaker who learned, quickly, this year how the Legislature does and does not work, he said.

Dungan  along with Sens. Jane Raybould and Beau Ballard, both of Lincoln  walked into the Capitol in January as the city's latest senators to join a unicameral Legislature that has long been defined by its nonpartisanship.

"I think, historically, Nebraska and the unicameral has avoided a lot of these hyper-partisan fights that we've seen at the national level in D.C., as well as a lot of other statehouses, by virtue of the fact that our system is focused on just trying to help people and kitchen table issues, as opposed to these hot-button political issues that we've seen crop up everywhere else," Dungan said.

"This last session, I think, was different."

Instead, rancorous and sometimes personal debates over abortion and health care for transgender youth brought lawmaking to a standstill in a session that longtime observers remarked was unlike any other.

Battle lines were drawn largely along party lines in the formally nonpartisan body.

"I felt that many of us were playing defense on a lot of issues to prevent harm to our state of Nebraska, our working families, and to just the legislative traditions that have made our unicameral so special," Raybould said during a December town hall.

Though the Legislature ultimately did pass hundreds of pieces of legislation through "Christmas tree" bills in the final weeks and days of the session, the acrimony that consumed its initial months has prompted some senators to seek rule changes ahead of the upcoming 60-day session to avoid a repeat of 2023.

And though it's unclear what fate such proposed rule changes might meet come January, what is clear is that all of Lincoln's lawmakers entering their second sessions at the statehouse  regardless of which side of the fierce debate they found themselves on this year  are seeking a return to normalcy.

"My hope is that, over the interim, everyone took a moment to step back and say, 'That was ugly. Let's do better. Let's be better," said Sen. Carolyn Bosn, who joined Lincoln's crop of freshman lawmakers in April, on Day 72 of the 90-day session, when she was appointed to the Legislature to replace former Sen. Suzanne Geist, who resigned to focus on her unsuccessful campaign for mayor.

"And let's help each other to get to a place where we can be proud of what we did for 60 days, and not what we did for the last 10 days," Bosn said, referring to the rush of bill passages that came after months of debate finally halted. The filibuster ended when a filibuster-proof majority of 33 senators attached a 12-week abortion ban onto a bill restricting trans health care access for youths, passing both in one vote.

Lincoln's freshmen lawmakers were divided on that divisive vote, with Ballard and Bosn voting to send the bill (LB574) on to Gov. Jim Pillen as Dungan and Raybould voted no.

Who is responsible for that division depends on which lawmaker you ask.

All of Lincoln's delegation, though, insists that they do not intend to spend another legislative session opposing one another.

"We should not be a Republican-Democrat Legislature. We should be (focused on) how we grow Nebraska and work on issues that are important to our constituency," Ballard said, later adding: "We can find common ground on 80, if not 90, if not 95, percent of issues."

For Ballard, those issues include the three he plans to prioritize in the upcoming legislative session: property tax relief for the state's home and landowners, investing in infrastructure in Lancaster County and across the state, including in water and broadband projects, and getting "the ball moving" on the East Beltway project.

The 13-mile project would run along a north-south corridor between Nebraska 2 east of Lincoln and Interstate 80 near Waverly and has long been identified as a priority by city and county officials.

Ballard and six other Lincoln-area lawmakers  including Dungan and Geist, who was succeeded by Bosn  co-sponsored a bill in this year's session appropriating $25 million in general fund tax dollars to begin planning for the next section of the East Beltway. The Legislature's Transportation and Telecommunications Committee held a hearing over the bill (LB721) in February but did not vote to advance it.

Raybould, who said she also supports the East Beltway, intends to focus on the state's water in 2024  along with issues that deal directly and indirectly with Nebraska's workforce challenges, including affordable housing and child care, particularly after, she said, the tax relief efforts passed by the Legislature this year "went to the wealthiest Nebraskans" and corporations.

"Workforce families were left out of this tax cut," she said. "And workforce families are who we should stay focused on."

Though nearly every senator in Lincoln's delegation has said providing property tax relief is among their highest priorities, how to go about doing it  and how far the state should go to ease that burden  seems primed to be the subject of debate next year.

That's in part because the state's tax-cutting spree," which includes three rounds of income tax cuts over the past three years, will reduce state revenues by $3.1 billion over the next five years and will cost an estimated $1 billion annually by 2028, according to a November report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a national think tank.

And the school aid fund that Nebraska lawmakers established and poured $1 billion into this year as part of an effort to reduce property taxes will dwindle faster than state officials initially projected and could be depleted as soon as the early 2030s, according to a November report from the state's Legislative Fiscal Office.

Those projections are of varying concern to Lincoln's delegation.

Ballard said he isn't worried about the tax cuts causing a revenue shortfall down the line as long as the state continues to spend responsibly. Bosn, meanwhile, said she is worried  warning that the state needs to be cautious about its obligations as it cuts its revenue streams.

"My hope is that we can sort of thread that needle in a way that doesn't have some of the extreme outcomes," Bosn said, referring to the projected declines in revenue. "Those things cause you to kind of pause and go, 'OK, I have good intentions, but am I missing the mark here and really making life for everyday Nebraskans worse?' I think we have to be very cautious that we don't do that."

A mother and former prosecutor who intends to take up a "fentanyl bill" next year that could bring harsher punishments for fentanyl dealers who provide drugs that lead to an overdose, also plans to bring legislation to aid pregnant mothers in the upcoming session.

Bosn's legislation, among her top priorities for 2024, will seek to provide continuous glucose monitors for mothers suffering from gestational diabetes  an issue that, she said, affected her own mom.

Dungan, too, said he has mounting concerns about what the state's revenue projections could mean for Nebraska's long-term  and even short-term  fiscal health.

Nebraska's sophomore lawmakers, only a year into their first terms, could be among the legislators responsible for responding to the shortfalls they helped create.

"It weighs on me significantly when we're looking at passing legislation that has major effects on revenue," Dungan said. "I absolutely agree that we need to address our property taxes here in Nebraska. ... Our property taxes are completely out of whack.

"But when we're talking about our tax system as a whole we have to be responsible and ensure that we're giving tax relief to the people who need it the most, as opposed to providing to this drastic cut in revenue across the board in a way that's not targeted and in a way that, I think, ultimately is resulting in a lack of revenue going forward."

The District 26 senator plans to focus next year on bringing a "prenatal plus" program to Nebraska, which would come with an expansion of services offered to low-income mothers who are at risk for low birthweight pregnancies, he said.

"That's an issue that I think we can all agree on," Dungan said. "That we should be helping moms have healthy babies and have those moms be healthy during their pregnancies."

Photos: Last day of the 108th Nebraska Legislature
RACINE  Deputy Preston Kite is the only law enforcement official at the Racine County Sheriffs Office who knows American Sign Language.

Kite started his career in law enforcement with RCSO more than four years ago, and said he has met more deaf people in Racine County than he anticipated.

One of my supervisors didnt realize that there were as many deaf people in the county until I worked here, Kite said. Hes surprised by the amount of times Im called out somewhere.

Kite said he was introduced to ASL in first grade, when his class had to learn how to sign the alphabet for a play.

He further developed his signing in high school with help from friends who were deaf.

They would get frustrated with me because I would spell out my whole sentence to them, Kite said. So then they would teach me word for word, each word that I would sign, they would teach me that sign.

Kite took a formal ASL class while studying at Marquette University in Milwaukee and has since had plenty of opportunities to practice his skills at work.

Kite remembers one call when he assisted an officer who had pulled over a deaf woman driving on the interstate.

In order for the woman to see and communicate with the deputies, Kite asked his partner to shine his flashlight on him, rather than on the woman in the vehicle.

I walk up to the car, and I hand my partner my flashlight, and I said, Here, point this at me, Kite said. You have to come out of your comfort zone a little bit.

In November, Kite went out of his way to meet a family with a deaf child in Union Grove while he was investigating another call.

He saw a Deaf Child street sign, asked a neighbor if she knew which house that family lived in, and then introduced himself.

A story about Kites interaction with the family was posted to RCSOs Facebook page a few weeks later.

The family praised Kite for his kindness, saying he left them his card and told them to reach out if their child ever wanted to meet him.

Public Information Officer Lt. Michael Luell said the RCSOs Training Unit is considering having Kite train deputies on some basic ASL skills. The Racine County Communications Center also has policies, procedures and technology that assist with calls from people with disabilities, he said.

At the moment, though, while Kite is a tremendous resource, Luell said he is not always available to provide assistance.

Therefore, deputies must be creative in dealing with unpredictable situations which includes people with disabilities, people in a mental health crisis, people in long-term relationship problems, people battling (addictions), people who do not speak English, and much more, he said.

City of Racine police officers mainly use pen and paper to communicate with people who are deaf or hard of hearing, according to Racine Police Department Public Information Officer Sgt. Kristi Wilcox.

Some officers have also used various translator apps with video communication, she said.

Kite said it is important to connect with the deaf community, as well as other communities who may not have the best relationships with law enforcement.

The deaf community kind of bumps heads with cops just simply because of the communication (issues), he said. The deaf person cant hear you, so (officers) have to be cognizant of that.

Connecting with everyone in the community is important, Kite said, because it shows both sides that people are still people, regardless of disability or race or culture or religion.
Linda Hautzinger-Ham, a UW-Parkside alum and leader at NASA, has unveiled plans for the Artemis program at the annual College of Natural and Health Sciences alumni event in October.

The ambitious initiative aims to put the first woman and person of color on the moon by 2025, marking a historic milestone for space exploration.

Ham, who graduated in 1982 with a degree in Mathematics and Applied Science, currently serves as the Human Landing System Government Task Agreement Integrator at NASAs Johnson Space Center. She credits Parkside for fueling her passion for science which laid the foundation for her journey to NASA.

Before embarking on her career at NASA, Ham had never traveled outside Wisconsin or Illinois, let alone in an airplane, but that didnt deter her from pursuing her dreams.

She made history by becoming NASAs first female Propulsion Officer in Mission Control, breaking barriers and advancing female leadership at NASA.

The unwavering support and cutting-edge education I received was instrumental in shaping my career as a visionary leader at NASA. At Parkside, the sky is never the limit, but merely a starting point of endless possibilities, Ham shared.

Hams list of accolades also include:

First female Section Head in the Systems Division;

First and only female Manager of Space Shuttle Program Integration;

First and only Space Shuttle Program Launch Integration Manager;

First female Flight Director, leading Mission Control for 14 Space Shuttle missions.

Although the Artemis III mission is facing delays due to various challenges with flight tests, the development of the human landing system, the creation of space suits and the explosion of Elon Musks SpaceX rocket, Ham remains undeterred in her pursuit to put diverse individuals on themoon.

The mission is expected to be delayed until 2027, but Hams resilience and leadership continue to drive the mission forward.

Diverse teams are more innovative and creative, solving problems from different perspectives. I look forward to the day where color and gender diversity in science, technology, engineering and math roles is so commonplace, it is no longer noteworthy, Ham said..
The opinion section is predominantly serious-minded. Our intention as an opinion team is to offer you, our readers, strong voices that express multiple views on an issue to encourage critical thinking and rigorous, productive debate. But we also like to provide plenty of space for the softer side of things, for opinion pieces that speak very personally to the human experience.

We are fortunate to have so many op-ed contributors write with awakened authority about issues that can resonate with us in a deep way. Here, in excerpts, is a look back at the some of the best of them. (And because there are so many to choose from, we are publishing more on Saturday.)

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Destiny and William Haggett, from left, and their son Chansen Savakinus on a trip to Chicago in November 2022. Chansen came to the city for treatment of a rare cancer at Rush University Medical Center. (Family photo)

In 2007 ... my oldest son, Chansen, at age 6, was diagnosed with leukemia. It was a devastating diagnosis. Dealing with it was supposed to last only three years but ended up lasting seven years in total because he relapsed at 11. It wasnt until 2014 that Chansen had his last treatment for leukemia. ...

... Then in May 2021, ... a routine ultrasound found a 7-centimeter tumor on my sons liver. What would follow in the days and weeks after was a spiral of heartbreak, worry and desperation. ...

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... A medical team at Rush University Medical Center was doing groundbreaking work on this disease. ... Our local medical team collaborated with them, and Chansen started treatment led by pediatric oncologist Dr. Paul Kent. ... These doctors spirit and willingness to trailblaze a path to survival have left me in awe.

However, I had not related it to the city until I took the time on our second trip to have a mini-vacation with my family in which I learned the history of Chicago and experienced the spirit of Chicagoans. I discovered that not only does this city harbor some of the most innovative and impressive museums, science facilities and architecture, but also the city is a place of incredible resilience, rebuilding, and growing over and over again.

Dr. Alfredo F. Gurmendi, left, and wife Kobi at the 2018 graduation of their son Alfredo A. Gurmendi, center. (Family photo)

The Saturday night before last Thanksgiving, Dr. Alfredo F. Gurmendi, 57, pulled his Toyota onto the interstate in Dallas heading west. More than three hours later, just outside of Abilene, Texas, as he sipped coffee to keep himself awake, a call came through from his son.

What are you doing? the son, age 26 and also named Alfredo, asked from his home in Austin, Texas. His father, a surgeon, told him he was driving more than 580 miles to Alamogordo, a desert town of 31,000 people in south-central New Mexico where he lived.

In the middle of the night? his son asked. Why? Why are you driving back at this hour?

Dr. Gurmendi explained. A few weeks earlier, he had operated on retired chef Paul Olivent, but now Olivent was in the emergency room. The surgeon was going to drive through the night  across more than one-fifth the length of the continental United States  to operate on his suffering patient.

His son then told Dr. Gurmendi that he would stay on the line to keep his father awake. Not necessary, the doctor said. But his son insisted. He said it would be a privilege.

... I was born with two inner ears but only one outer ear. So, on the left side, I have a typical ear that I hear from. I have never been able to hear from my right ear because there is no opening.

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The surgery I had about a week ago implanted a small anchor in my head near the right side of my inner ear. It will take about two months for the bone to grow around the anchor to firmly hold it into place. At that point, I will be fitted with an external hearing aid that will connect with the new internal anchor inside my head, and I will be hearing from the right side for the first time!

... But if I had the choice of being born with hearing on both sides or to have to struggle as I have struggled all my life to hear well, I likely would choose to have been born exactly the way I am and to be given the struggles to hear that I have been given.

I work as a principal at a therapeutic day school with children and young adults with autism and intellectual disabilities. Many of our students are nonverbal. My limited hearing has allowed me to understand the nonverbal communication in a deeper way than I ever would have been able to had I been born with hearing on both sides. It is more than empathy. It is true communication and a gift that I will always be grateful for.

My mom was not a nice person.

I never knew who I was going to get. But I learned a few invaluable things from her.

My mother was rude, angry, irritable, judgmental and ill-tempered; she was neither compassionate nor understanding. We fought quite a bit. ...

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As a child, I never knew what was going to happen when I woke up in the morning. Would I get the nice mom or the angry mom who lashed out for no logical reason? ...

But she did teach me a few things.

Tina Akouris' mother, Calley, shows her grandson Nicholas how to sew a button on a coat in 2017. (Family photo)

I learned to be a better mother, giving my sons the childhood I didnt have and breaking the cycle of generational abuse. My sons dont have to wonder each day if theyre going to get Angry Mom or Normal Mom.

When my experiences became intolerable  crippling anxiety that prevented me from leaving the house and a battle with cancer  I knew that if my mom came out of two wars alive, then I could overcome pretty much anything.

Chicago Tribune Opinion Weekdays Read the latest editorials and commentary curated by the Tribune Opinion team. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >

Not long ago, I moved from a tiny town to a small city of about 8,000 people in central Illinois to be closer to the action. You know: band concerts, ice cream socials, veterans sandwich sales in the park and even a professional summer theater festival, as well as a mayor who personally waters the huge flower-bedecked urns along Main Street. (Talk about good politics.)

A broken-down professor, I have been conducting a social science experiment in and around my new town. My finding to date: Waving is good; more would be better.

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An inveterate walker, I give a rather hearty wave to every car and pedestrian I confront along city streets, country roads, park lanes and rails-to-trails paths. Nine of 10 folks I meet wave back. The fraction may be higher, but the suns glare on windshields sometimes blocks my view.

Some wavers seem a bit startled. After all, they neither know me from Adam, nor whether I am progressive, a Donald Trump supporter or maybe even a believer in QAnon. Yet wave back, they do. Most accompany their wave with a smile, which is an added bonus. The only thing they know is that I am a human, like them, and, somehow, were all in this together.

Editors note: More excerpts of some of our best heartfelt op-eds of the year will appear in Saturdays edition.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
1. Yes. More than 70% of the downtown buildings are occupied; the area is thriving now.

2. Yes. With the new E-Center , a brewery and the county annex moving in, its on the rise.

3. No. There may be a lot of new businesses, but foot traffic is still slow on most days.

4. No. Its improving, but the issues of crime and homelessness are still major obstacles.

5. Unsure. The area seems to be rebounding, but its hard to say if the trend will continue.

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Representatives from VISIT Lake Geneva will have more room tax revenue to help promote the Lake Geneva area as a tourist destination.

Members of the Lake Geneva Tourism Commission approved a new contract with VISIT Lake Geneva to continue to serve as the citys tourism entity, Dec. 11, by a 4-1 vote with Alderwoman Mary Jo Fesenmaier voting no. The Tourism Commissions current contract with VISIT Lake Geneva, which began in 2021, is set to expire Dec. 31.

As part of the new contract, VISIT Lake Geneva will receive 51% of Lake Genevas total room tax revenue. The organization receives 34% of the citys total room tax revenue under the current contract.

The city of Lake Geneva will retain 30% of the room tax revenue, and the Tourism Commission will receive 19%, as part of the new agreement. Lake Genevas portion of the room tax revenue goes into the citys general fund, and the Tourism Commissions portion is used to award grants for municipal development and event promotion.

The new contract is for about five years and is set to begin Jan. 1, 2024 and end Dec. 31, 2028. The contract will renew for another three years unless either party wants to terminate the agreement.

Both parties may renegotiate the contract at least 180 days before it expires.

As part of the five-year deal, the contract would be renegotiated should VISIT Lake Geneva President and CEO Stephanie Klett and VISIT Lake Geneva Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Development Deanna Goodwin both leave their positions.

Representatives from the Tourism Commission and VISIT Lake Geneva have been working on the new contract for at least six months.

Dave Sekeres, chairman of the VISIT Lake Geneva Board, is pleased that the contract has been approved after several months of discussion.

I feel that we both have a very good agreement that we can stand by and continue the great relationship we have to promote the area to the visitors who are coming here, Sekeres said.

Fesenamaier feels the contract should have been for three years instead of five years.

I feel like were not negotiating if we give into the five years, Fesenmaier said. So I would like to see us return to the previous three years, especially because you have the clause about retaining leadership staff. So it would be nice to have a little bit of take.

Under state statute, municipalities may establish a tourism commission which then contracts with a local tourism entity to help attract visitors to the community.

The Tourism Commission contracts with VISIT Lake Geneva to serve as the citys tourism entity.

The contract was originally created by the city attorney, but the contract is between the Tourism Commission and VISIT Lake Geneva, Brian Waspi, chairman for the Tourism Commission, said. So as chair, I execute the agreement based on approval.

As part of the contract with the Tourism Commission, VISIT Lake Geneva is responsible for helping to promote the Lake Geneva area to tourists and to manage four community events including Winterfest, Restaurant Week, Concerts in the Park and Electric Christmas Parade.

Watch now: Downtown Ice Sculpture Walk in Lake Geneva Watch now: Ice sculptures in Downtown Lake Geneva The Lake Geneva School of Cooking has an ice sculpture featuring a chef Thumbs Up Saloon has an ice sculpture in front of its establishment for this year's ice sculpture walk Geneva Tap House has an ice sculpture depicting a beer stein Avant Cycle Shop's ice sculpture is in full bloom this year Caldwell Banker Real Estate Group has an ice sculpture featured outside of its storefront Paws for Treats has an ice sculpture featuring a dog SoHo Boutique is one of several businesses to have an ice sculpture featured for Winterfest Delaney Street Mercantile has an ice sculpture featuring a dragon for this year's walk The Market of Lake Geneva has a deer head ice sculpture mounted in front of the mall Queen Bee Artisan Market has an ice sculpture depicting a bee A Big Foot sculpture is displayed at Clearwater Outdoor Sopra Bistro has a lobster sculpture featured in front its establishment Compass Real Estate's ice sculpture looks like it is all heart this year Pink Moon Bay's ice sculpture features a Wisconsin Badger Evr Drygds has an ice sculpture depicting a jukebox Edie Boutique's ice sculpture is ready for a snow fight Bloomingbyrd's ice sculpture depicts a bird Jayne Boutique's ice sculpture features a large boot It's anchors away at the Olive Oil Shop during this year's ice sculpture walk
Four Southland College Prep seniors, form left, Eriyana Woolfolk, Nehemiah James, Danielle Mambo and Isaiah Adegoye, were recently awarded four-year full scholarships as part of the QuestBridge National College Match Program. (Southland College Prep)

QuestBridge scholars named at Oak Lawn and Southland College Prep

Oak Lawn Community High School students, from left, Leonardo Orbea, Malik Adi and Patrycia Szlembarski have been awarded full, four-year scholarships through the QuestBridge National College Match program. (OLCHS)

Out of over 20,800 applicants, QuestBridge selected 6,683 finalists to be considered for the QuestBridge National College Match Scholarship. This year, QuestBridges 50 college partners matched with 2,242 finalists, who are recognized as Match Scholarship Recipients. Locally, at least seven area students have earned full four-year scholarships, including room and board, books and supplies, fees and travel expenses with no loans attached.

QuestBridge is a national program that connects high-achieving high school seniors from underserved backgrounds to the programs college partners, which include top liberal arts colleges and research universities.

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Southland College Prep seniors Isaiah Adegoye (Vanderbilt), Nehemiah James (University of Chicago), Danielle Mambo (University of Chicago) and Eriyana Woolfolk (Rice) were selected as Match Scholarship Recipients along with Oak Lawn Community High School seniors Malik Adi (Stanford), Leonardo Orbea (Northwestern) and Patrycia Szlembarski (Denison).

Palos Heights Heafey receives DAR Community Service Award

Swallow Cliff Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution members Gale Shafer, left, and Audra Gray flank Palos Heights residents Jack Heafy and his wife, Katherine Heafey, as they present Jack with the DAR Community Service Award for his volunteer activities at Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital. (Swallow Cliff DAR)

Jack Heafey, a Palos Heights resident, was given the DAR Community Service Award during the Swallow Cliff Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution luncheon on Dec. 9.

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Heafey was selected for his outstanding volunteer activities at Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital.

The 89-year-old Heafey started volunteering as a docent for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1997. Later, his own health concerns and a stay and what is now known as Northwest Medicine Palos Hospital in Palos Heights motivated Heafey to volunteer there. During the recent National Volunteer Week, his volunteer hours were tabulated at over 11,530.

Volunteering has given Heafey an opportunity to connect with people and build friendships that he might not otherwise have and to give back to his community in a very tangible way.

We value him as part of our family, said Donna Nadelhoffer, the manager of the volunteer services at Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital.

Cerney introduced at Crisis Center for South Suburbia

The Crisis Center for South Suburbia has hired Kristina Cerney as its new director of Donor Relations

The Crisis Center for South Suburbia has been providing free emergency shelter, housing, counseling, advocacy and education services for almost 45 years in Chicagos south suburbs.

Cerney, who grew up on the South Side of Chicago, currently resides in Lockport. While studying public relations at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Cerney discovered a passion of helping others, with a focus on training and development. After returning to Illinois in 2008, she earned her masters degree in organizational leadership.

Her new role is to build meaningful relationships in the community, expanding the mission of the Crisis Center, according to a release from the organization.

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New Lenoxs Hull earns honors at symposium

New Lenoxs Paige Hull was among the Trine University students who were honored for projects presented at the universitys seventh annual STEM Research and Design Symposium on Dec. 5.

Hulls team received the Peoples Choice, Research Project in Biomedical Engineering award for Kinematics and kinetics of foot and ankle motion in relation to custom foot orthotics. She presented along with two other biomedical engineering majors from Kansas and Ohio.

Locals participate in Carthage College Christmas Festival

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >

Several area natives were among the 175 Carthage College students who participated in the Christmas Festival in December. The program is a long-standing tradition for the college and Kenosha, Wisconsin community.

Frankforts Drake Thomas, Oak Forests Madison Edge and Oak Lawns Colin Campbell, Emma Faucault-Miller, Layla Nemri and Joyce Reising participated.

Georgia Tech summer graduates list

Flossmoor: Christin Salley; Oak Lawn: Thomas Mendez

Georgia Tech summer deans list

Jocelyn Lounsbury, Frankfort

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PennWest fall deans list

Jennifer Wisanwanit, Palos Park

Young Harris College fall deans list

McKenna Graf, Lockport

Send news to communitynews@southtownstar.com.
The disease dengue is spreading across the Western Hemisphere in numbers not seen since record-keeping began in 1980. Experts are warning that rising temperatures and growing cities are increasing the rate of infection.

More than 4 million cases have been reported throughout the Americas and the Caribbean so far this year, breaking a record set in 2019. Officials from the Bahamas to Brazil are warning of crowded health centers and new infections daily. Reports say there have been more than 2,000 deaths across the wide area.

Thais dos Santos is with the Pan American Health Organization, the area office of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Americas. She said diseases like dengue, provide us a really good sentinel of what is happening with climate change."

A lack of good sanitation and strong health systems have added to the rise in cases. But experts say droughts and floods linked to climate change are causing greater spread of the virus. That is because stored water and heavy rains appeal to mosquitoes.

Dr. Gabriela Paz-Bailey is chief of the dengue branch for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Puerto Rico. She noted that higher temperatures also are expanding the mosquito's habitat and helping the virus develop faster inside the mosquito. That leads to higher viral loads and a higher chance of transmission.

This years Northern Hemisphere summer was the hottest ever, with August about 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial period averages. And Copernicus, the European climate service, reported that 2023 is the second hottest year on record.

Worldwide, more than 4.5 million cases of dengue had been reported as of early November. There have been more than 4,000 deaths reported in 80 countries.

Countries like Bangladesh are seeing a record number of cases and deaths. The government in the South Asian country has reported more than 313,700 cases and more than 1,600 deaths. Most of the deaths happened within three days of hospitalization.

The mosquito that carries dengue also has been identified in 22 European countries, with local spread of the disease seen in France, Italy and Spain. In August, the central African country of Chad reported its first dengue outbreak in history.

Dengue affects some 129 countries, with roughly half the worlds population at risk, says the WHO. Infected female mosquitoes pass the virus when they feed on animals. The sickness can cause severe headaches, fever, vomiting, rash and other signs. While most infected people do not get symptoms, severe cases can lead to plasma leakage and death.

What is worse, experts say, repeated infections means a higher risk of developing severe dengue.

The Caribbean also is battling an increase in cases. The area had reported a 15 percent increase in confirmed cases by early October compared with the same period last year, says the Caribbean Public Health Agency.

Officials on the French Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique declared an epidemic in August that is still ongoing. Martinique is reporting an average of 800 cases a week on the island of some 394,000 people.

Meanwhile, Jamaica and the Bahamas declared an outbreak in September followed by Barbados in October.

Poor countries struggle the most with dengue. Bad sanitation creates a good reproduction environment for infected mosquitoes. Poor housing conditions leave people at greater risk of exposure to mosquitoes. Dengue outbreaks can crush already poor and overworked health systems.

Jeremy Farra is chief scientist for the WHO. He said dengue is very difficult to treat partly because patients often delay in seeking medical care. The virus can progress so quickly, he said. Treating those with the disease requires very close patient supervision and a lot of time.

Farra said, Imagine that you have a thousand people like that requiring all that delicate clinical care. It can very quickly overwhelm a system.

Im Dan Novak.

Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting The Associated Press.

Quiz - Millions Infected with Dengue as Temperature Rises Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

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Words in This Story

sentinel  n. sometimes used figuratively

drought  n. a long period of time during which there is very little or no rain

pre-industrial  adj. relating to a time before industrialization

plasma  n. the watery part of blood that contains blood cells

delicate  adj. easily broken or damaged
The Rohingya girl from Myanmar wanted to do anything she could to provide some money for her parents and three younger siblings. They needed food.

The 14-year-old and her family are members of the Muslim minority in Myanmar. The group is always in danger of attack by government forces and others there.

Last year, the girl, M, agreed to marry a man in Malaysia who promised to send about $4,000 to her family.

She and all the girls in this report are identified by only the first letter of their names for their safety.

M told the Associated Press she was not ready for marriage. But she had an urgent need to help her family.

Now, a year later in Kuala Lumpur, her 35-year-old husband rapes her almost every night.

Ms experience is not unusual, the AP reports.

Many underage girls are now in Malaysia living in forced marriages to older men.

The girls say conditions for Rohingya in Myanmar and refugee camps in Bangladesh were very bad. Soldiers and others were raping and killing people. Others had their homes burned and property stolen. Malaysia seemed like a possibility for a safer life.

Difficult journey

The AP interviewed 13 Rohingya for the report. All had arrived in Malaysia since 2022. The youngest girl was 13. They all say they feel like hostages. They are rarely permitted outside their homes. They say they are not prepared to be mothers. About half are pregnant and some have children already.

The path to flee the refugee camps or Myanmar is dangerous. Some try crossing the Andaman Sea by boat although many die on the long trip. The United Nations said most Rohingya who survived the crossing this year were women and children.

The people who take the girls on dangerous trips to Malaysia are called traffickers. The girls are crowded onto boats and vehicles for the trip. There is little food. The traffickers also rape and beat the girls.

When M arrived in Malaysia, the man she was to marry called for the ceremony to take place at once. M was still bleeding from the rapes she suffered on her journey. A person who helps the Rohingya girls took her to a hospital for care.

When M got home, she found out the man who was now her husband already had a wife and two children. M does not tell her parents what happened to her. She thinks it might cause her husband to stop sending monthly payments to her family.

Pain and unwanted pregnancy

Another girl, D, is in the same situation. She is 13. She plays with a little toy whale as she talks. She wants to play outside or visit a market nearby. But, her husband does not permit her to leave the home. She is forced to have sex every day. She does not want a baby, but she knows there is a good chance she will get pregnant.

I want to run, D said.

R is 16. She has a newborn. She is one of several girls in a building filled with child brides who now have their own children. You can hear the babies crying.

She said life as a refugee in Bangladesh was difficult. But, as one of 11 children in her family, she was never lonely there. She had no one in Malaysia except her husband. She would be alone all day while he was at work.

R gave birth recently. When I saw my babys face, I was happy, because now I have a friend, she told the AP.

However, being a mother is not easy. She said she does not know how to be a mother.

I miss my mom, she said. I want my parents.

S is pregnant and homeless. Her Malaysian husband forced her to leave when he found out she was pregnant. Without a job, S walks the streets of Kuala Lumpur asking strangers for money.

I once dreamed of having a happy family, S says. I dont dream much anymore.

Im Dan Friedell. And Im Caty Weaver.

Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press.

________________________________________________

Words in This Story

bride n. a word for the female in a traditional marriage

We want to hear from you. What do you think of the difficulties faced by the girls?
Editors note: Information for this article was provided by Crystal Werger, executive director of the Dawson County Historical Museum, and files located at the museum.

Nestled in northeast Lexington, the Harry Vane Temple House at 305 E. 13th St. stands as a testament to the citys rich history. This distinguished residence, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has witnessed the ebbs and flows of time, and reflects the dreams and achievements of its first owner, Harry Vane Temple.

Temple, a native of Wadestown, West Virginia, was born in 1853. After pursuing higher education at the State University of West Virginia and establishing himself as a banker and lawyer, Temple moved to Nebraska. In 1881, he married Jennie and the couple settled in Lexington, then known as Plum Creek, with their three sons and two daughters.

Temples impact on the budding city was profound. Between 1882 and 1885, he played a pivotal role in the creation of two banks in his new hometown  the First National Bank of Plum Creek and Dawson County Bank. The local newspaper at the time celebrated this accomplishment.

These early contributions set the stage for the construction of the Temple House around 1900. Collaborating with designer and contractor Harry Mills and abstractor Hanford Smith, Temple created a three-story architectural marvel that captivated the community. The houses design quickly became a symbol of innovation in Lexington. At the time, there was no other three-story building in Lexington, giving citizens a big reason why they should admire Temples work.

Crystal Werger, executive director of the Dawson County Historical Museum, shared insights into the houses history. Werger said Harry and his family lived in the Temple house for about 20 years. After Harrys passing in 1912, Werger said, the Temple House remained a residence for his wife and children until it was sold eight years later.

The news of Harrys illness, previously undisclosed to the public, reverberated through the town shortly after his death. Many citizens were left in shock since only a few individuals were aware of Harrys health condition.

Harry was at the bank one afternoon a call was made that he wasnt feeling well. An automobile arrived to take him home. After several doctors tried to treat Harrys extreme agony caused by an attack of gallstones, it was determined that no operation could be performed. He passed away three days later.

His funeral three days later was documented as one of the largest ever held in the county at the time and the floral offering was described as most elaborate and profuse.

After Harry Temples death, Werger said, the legacy of Temple House continued by taking on various roles over the years.

After Jennie sold the house years after her husband died, there were plans for the Catholic church to purchase the house to become a school and home for the nuns teaching there. However, that plan never officially came to life. Instead it was purchased and used as a hospital from 1928 to 1936.

As the Temple House changed hands over the years, each owner undertook efforts to preserve its historical essence. Before Annette and Gregory Mariel moved into the home, some of the previous owners meticulously maintained its charm by repainting the exterior, replacing roof shingles, refinishing floors and restoring original woodwork.

Werger noted that stepping into the Temple House is like taking a journey back in time, a sentiment echoed by many Lexington residents who have had the chance to view the inside of the house as a former apartment building or during tours.

Today, Annette and Gregory Mariel continue the legacy of the Harry Vane Temple House, cherishing its architectural history while also making new modifications with the help of Jerry Schroeder and Sorensen Group, Inc. based in Kearney, NE.
ELWOOD  In Elwood, a brand new restaurant has emerged, and its name is quickly becoming synonymous with community warmth and delectable cuisine.

The Press, owned by the husband-and-wife duo Susie and Jay Edwards, has been making waves since its recent opening, garnering positive responses from both local residents and out-of-state visitors.

Since the official opening a few weeks ago, our experience has been fantastic. Weve had such a great response from the area, Jay Edwards said. Of course, they havent had anything for a long time. So they feel a sense of ownership that this is an Elwood place.

Susie chimed in, expressing gratitude for the towns support. Everyones been understanding during those first few days we were open.

One standout moment for Susie and Jay was the visit of a friendly couple who stopped in the new Elwood restaurant during their long road trip from Alberta, Canada, to New Orleans. The pair not only relished the culinary delights but also snapped pictures inside and outside The Press, later capturing the essence of Elwoods Main Street.

Jay shared some memorable moments, mentioning the satisfaction patrons experience when entering the building. Many have personal connections to the location, remembering it as the former newspaper office.

The small crew at The Press  Sharon Oelkers, the cook and administrator of the restaurants Facebook page, and Bobbie Hort, the barista  has been pivotal to the restaurants success so far.

The Press boasts a diverse menu that caters to breakfast and lunch enthusiasts alike. From the sausage gravy and biscuits to the selection of paninis and daily specials, each dish is crafted with care. The breakfast menu offers a range of options, including burritos and the satisfying Scrambler. Lunch options feature paninis, daily specials, soups, salads and a tempting kids menu.

Susie and Jay said the first few days after opening were hectic as they tried to remember everyones name and order without writing any information down. Once they started asking for names and putting them on order tickets, the flow of the restaurant was more under control and communication among employees improved.

The couple said they would be open to hiring more people in the future if the conditions are right. Susie and Jay are aware that during the summer, high school and college students living near Elwood will likely need jobs. Susie and Jay will make a decision closer to that season if they need extra hands.

The retaurants name was inspired by the food the restaurant makes as well as the buildings historical roots as the old newspaper office.

Jay said, It just struck me  we can make French press coffee, we can make panini press sandwiches in the old newspaper office that created the local press. So The Press was just a natural fit. Susie created the logo after sifting through 15 different designs.

Susie and Jay credit the success of The Press to the collaboration with local businesses. The Elwood Grocery Store has been a valuable partner, ensuring a seamless supply chain. Terry Galloway of Galloway Financial Advisors provided financial guidance, while Elwood Public Schools and Security First Bank extended unwavering support.

For those dreaming of opening their own restaurant, Jay expressed the importance of reaching out to the right people and getting in touch with how a restaurant business should be operated correctly. Go about it in a very methodical way and talk to people, ask questions. People will be supportive, Jay said.

Susie expressed her appreciation that Elwood now has a place where individuals can get to know one another while enjoying their meal.

Its nice to have a place for people where they can come in and sit down, relax, and visit with their neighbors. And so thats been really cool, Susie said.

The Press is at 309 Smith Ave. in Elwood. At the time of this writing, the restaurant is open Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Breakfast is served from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and lunch begins at 11 a.m.

To learn more about The Press, call the restaurant during business hours at 308-408-0105.
A Utah mother of six who gave parenting advice via a once-popular YouTube channel called 8 Passengers" pleaded guilty Monday to four felony counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse for abusing and starving two of her children.

Ruby Franke, wearing gray and white jail clothing, pleaded guilty to each of the first three charges individually and on the fourth said: With my deepest regret and sorrow for my family and my children, guilty.

Judge John J. Walton accepted the plea agreement and scheduled sentencing for Feb. 20. The agreement leaves the sentencing up to the judge and does not rule out prison time, her attorney, LaMar Winward, acknowledged.

Winward Law announced in a statement Friday that the alleged abuse occurred while Ruby Franke was influenced by a relationship counselor who led her to a distorted sense of morality.

Ruby Franke is a devoted mother and is also a woman committed to constant improvement, Winward Law said in a statement. Franke initially believed that Jodi Hildebrandt had the insight to offer a path to continual improvement, but said that Hildebrandt took advantage of this quest and twisted it into something heinous.

Hildebrandt systematically isolated Ruby Franke from her extended family, older children, and her husband, Kevin Franke," the statement said.

Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested on Aug. 30 after Franke's 12-year-old son escaped from Hildebrandt's house in the southern Utah city of Ivins and asked a neighbor to call police, according to the 911 call released by the St. George Police Department.

The boy was emaciated and had duct tape around his ankles and wrists but wouldnt say why, the caller reported.

I think hes been ... hes been detained, the caller said, his voice breaking up. Hes obviously covered in wounds.

Franke's 10-year-old daughter was also found at Hildebrandt's house, court records said. Both children were taken to the hospital. Eventually, Franke's four youngest children were taken into state custody.

Franke and Hildebrandt are each charged with six felony counts of aggravated child abuse. They have remained jailed since their arrests.

During Franke's incarceration, she has actively engaged in an introspection that has allowed her to reset her moral compass and understand the full weight of her actions. Ms. Franke is committed to taking responsibility for the part she played in the events leading up to her incarceration, the statement said.

The 12-year-old boy told investigators that Jodi put the ropes on his ankles and wrists and that they used cayenne pepper and honey to dress the wounds caused by the ropes, according to a search warrant.

Kevin Franke has filed for divorce.

Hildebrandt has agreed not to see patients until the allegations are addressed by state licensing officials. Her next court hearing is set for Dec. 27, according to court records. Her attorney, Douglas Terry, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment on the allegations made against Hildebrandt in the statement by Franke's attorney.

The Franke family was criticized online for its 8 Passengers video blog showing parenting decisions including banning their oldest son from his bedroom for seven months for pranking his younger brother. In other videos, Ruby Franke talked about refusing to take lunch to a kindergartener who forgot it at home and threatening to cut the head off a young girls stuffed toy to punish her for cutting things in the house.

In one video, Franke said she and her husband told their two youngest children that they would not be getting presents from Santa Claus one year because they had been selfish and werent responding to punishment like being kept home from school and cleaning the floorboards.

The YouTube channel, which started in 2015, ended after seven years.

How 8 platforms pay content creators, from TikTok to YouTube How 8 platforms pay content creators, from TikTok to YouTube Facebooks bonus programs Instagrams Reels Pinterests Creator Rewards Snapchats Spotlight Spotifys Creator Fund TikToks pay-per-view plan Twitchs Ads Incentive Program YouTubes Partner Program
Experts hail lawsuit settlement between chipmakers

08:10, December 26, 2023 By Ma Si ( China Daily

United States-based chip producer Micron Technology has settled an intellectual property lawsuit with Chinese memory chip maker Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co, a move that experts said can pave the way for the positive development of both companies in the future.

The comments came after a Micron spokeswoman said in a statement that "the two companies will each globally dismiss their complaints against the other party and end all lawsuits between them".

Roger Sheng, vice-president of research at US market research company Gartner Inc, said that a global settlement agreement between Micron and Fujian Jinhua can create a better development environment for both companies in the future.

The move also shows that Micron is committed to the Chinese market and is making efforts to revive its business in the country, Sheng said.

After South Korean chip companies Samsung and SK Hynix, Micron is the world's third-largest maker of dynamic random access memory chips, which are flash memory semiconductors widely used in smartphones, personal computers and servers.

The Chinese mainland is a big market for Micron, accounting for around 11 percent of the company's $30.8 billion global sales in 2022, according to its financial report.

The dispute between Micron and Fujian Jinhua had been going on for years. In 2017, Micron sued Fu-jian Jinhua and the latter's partner United Microelectronics Corp. Fu-jian Jinhua did not respond to requests for comments on the settlement.

In November, Sanjay Mehrotra, president and CEO of Micron, visited Beijing and met China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao. Wang said during the meeting that China welcomes Micron to continue to take root in and deeply cultivate the Chinese market, and achieve better development while complying with Chinese laws and regulations.

Mehrotra expressed a willingness at the meeting to continue expanding investments in China.

The meeting came after Micron said in June that it would invest about 4.3 billion yuan ($600 million) in its chip packaging plant in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, as part of its long-term commitment to the Chinese market.

Micron said part of the planned investment will go toward the purchase of packaging equipment from a Xi'an-based subsidiary of Powertech Technology, which Micron has been using in the factory since 2016.

Micron said it would offer job contracts to 1,200 employees of Powertech's Xi'an subsidiary and that the investment would create an additional 500 jobs. This would bring Micron's workforce on the Chinese mainland to more than 4,500.

Before the announcement of the investment plan, the Cyberspace Administration of China had said in May that products of Micron sold in China had not passed a recent cybersecurity review, and operators of the country's key information infrastructure should stop purchasing its products.

Xiang Ligang, director-general of the Information Consumption Alliance, a telecom industry association in Beijing, said this is also good news for the development of China's memory chip industry, as Fujian Jinhua can be an important player in producing memory chips.

The World Semiconductor Trade Statistics has forecast the size of China's memory chip market to hit 650 billion yuan ($91 billion) in 2023. In comparison, the global size of the memory chip market is expected to stand at $165.8 billion.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun)
Acme Industrial Co. is planning a $4.1 million redevelopment of its Maple Avenue building with some financial help from the village of Carpentersvilles Old Town District Tax Increment Financing district.

Acme has received village approval to build a 10,900-square-foot addition, expand its parking lot and make stormwater improvements, Village Manager John OSullivan said.

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The expansion will allow the company to hire 15 to 20 new employees, he said.

Carpentersville created the Old Town TIF District in 2016. Acme, located at 441 Maple Ave., is part of the district and eligible to $300,000 in funds.

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Village staff also was able to connect Acme officials with other state funding sources to provide additional incentives for the project, OSullivan said.

The impact of the Acme TIF project for the village is meaningful for our long-term health as a manufacturing center, for local employment and for our tax base, OSullivan said. We are pleased to have a reinvestment in our community by Acme.

The company started manufacturing shaft seals, drill bushings, dowel pins and liner pins in 1914 and printed its first catalog in 1921. It survived the Great Depression and its production line switch over to support World War II efforts in the 1940s.

According to its website, its a leading manufacturer of components for industrial, commercial, aerospace and military markets.

At last weeks Carpentersville Village Board meeting, Village President John Skillman thanked George Margelos, Acmes executive vice president/general manager, for the companys commitment to the village.

OSullivan said Skillman has made working with businesses like Acme on agreements like this a priority for village staff.

The company moved its manufacturing facilities to Carpentersville in the mid-1960s, the village manager said. We would love to have them here for a long, long time to come.

Construction on the addition is expected to start in 2024 and be completed by the summer.

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Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
There is just one week left in 2023. That small nugget of factual information is almost as hard to process as some of the beer news that developed over the past year. But then I think about ringing in 2024, putting this year behind me and all the imbibing to be done in the months to come and I cant help but think of the good that the industry has seen over these 12 months.

As both myself and the Beer Baron have covered thus far, it has been quite the year in beer if we do say so ourselves.

Brewery closures, high performers, and beer-adjacent trends are just a few of the high  and low!  lights 2023 paid witness to.

The two biggest headlines for me were Modelo Especial not only overtaking the No. 1 position as highest-grossing beer, but maintaining that status and the closing of the highly esteemed Anchor Brewing. The former made omnipotent by ousting the longtime frontrunner, Bud Light, thus paving the way for Mexican imports and craft Mexican-style lagers. The latter producing the shock and awe factor, and reactions thereof, of a craft beer stalwart shuttering.

In the grand scheme of beer in America, neither Bud Light falling in status nor the daunting reality of the final hours of the brewery that paved the way for most of craft beer seemed fathomable. Until it was. Some argue marketing and rebranding mishaps. I argue it is mostly the state of beer here in the U.S., one that still seems to be driven by hype and fast fashion.

Wisconsin beer had some highs and lows as well. Karben4 announced the rebirth of Ale Asylums Hopalicious Pale Ale and a return to its original home on Madisons East Side; a joyous and momentous occasion for everyone saddened by the brewerys closure in 2022.

Lake Louie opened up the Dockhaus, a new five-barrel pilot brewery located in Wisconsin Brewing Company Park in Oconomowoc and home of the Lake County DockHounds; innovation is at the helm of this venture for both Lake Louie and Wisconsin Brewing.

Funky beer producer Black Rose Blending Co. officially took over the former Funk Factory Geuzeria space on the south side of Madison, and Minocqua Brewing announced plans to open a secondary taproom location near Madisons Atwood neighborhood. Bodihow Brewing has found immense success in its short tenure with beer, coffee and Mesoamerican-inspired food in Oregon.

On the less bright side, Fermentorium and One Barrel closed the doors to the Wauwatosa and Madison taprooms, Westallion Brewing in West Allis closed for good and Valkyrie Brewing in Dallas, Wisconsin, and Madison-based Parched Eagle are looking for buyers.

2023 wasnt just a year marked by openings, relaunches and closures, though the impact of such will remain steadfast in Wisconsin beer identity. As with breweries, it would seem, trends come and go. Some more long-lasting than others. Here are a few that show no signs of slowing down in 2024:

Nonalcoholic beer

The trend that is here to stay across all sectors of adult beverages. Whether from a brewery specializing in nonalcoholic beer, like Untitled Art in Waunakee, or a brewery just looking to expand its portfolio and garner more supporters, booze-free and near beer is everywhere. And, everything about it is great: the marketing, the liquid and the purpose. One can take a gander that so long as the general public is drinking NA products, the technology behind producing top-notch products will only improve upon itself.

Lager beer and more

Predominately in the form of Mexican-inspired or dark, lagers are seeing a huge resurgence and not solely from lager-specific breweries, though one could argue the importance that Eurocentric breweries here in the States do play in garnering popularity of this cold-fermented family of beers. Whether dark and Czech-style or biscuity, light and Vienna- or Mexican-inspired, chances are excellent your neighborhood brewery is making one. In a recent conversation with the Beer Baron himself, he mentioned the delicious nature of Lakefront Brewerys newest limited release in the My Turn series: Stodola Czech dark lager. I cant wait to try it.

Hop water

Perhaps beer-adjacent, but produced in mass quantities by breweries nonetheless with an integral beer component as an additional attempt to grab the non-beer, non-alcohol and seltzer water drinker. Hop water is refreshing, excellent with a slice of pizza or cheeseburger and a thoughtful contribution to the non- and low-alcohol game. As a subset to this trend, THC- and CBD-infused beverages grew fast and will continue to grow rapidly in the upcoming years.

12-packs

Some say less is more, but in the world of beer when a 12-pack of excellently brewed beer is often the same price as a hype-driven 4-pack, more is more ... inviting? Regardless, 12-packs, whether one beer specifically or as a mixed variety pack, is the most fun and shareable package to date and can often satisfy an array of palates in a single gesture. I recently caught wind that 3 Sheeps is dropping a brand new 12-pack in January and I could not be more excited for this very Wisco-inspired variety pack.

More please

What do you want to see more of in 2024? Here is what I hope to see more of in the upcoming year.

West Coast IPAs and the refocus on hops for bittering and dank aromatics. Less juice.

More umami and savory flavors in the form of pickle beers, micheladas, hot beers and smoked beer available at taprooms.

Lagers, lagers and more lagers. In all forms, brewed properly and with care.

Happy New Beer, Wisconsin! May your holidays be sudsy and the New Year full of great food, drink and friends.
Charity care at SSM Health St. Marys Hospital in Madison has declined in recent years, even as the hospital has seen significant financial gains and charity care has been relatively steady at other hospitals in Madison and statewide.

St. Marys spent about 1.2% of total revenue on free or discounted care for qualified patients with low incomes in 2018 and 2019, a greater share than UW Hospital, UnityPoint Heath-Meriter and the statewide average.

But St. Marys figure dropped to 0.6% in 2020, 0.4% in 2021 and 0.2% last year, putting it well below the other hospitals the past two years. The amount St. Marys spent on charity care declined from $4.8 million in 2019 to $1 million last year, while the number of patients helped annually during that period dropped from 2,501 to 571, according to reports by the Wisconsin Hospital Association.

St. Marys operating margin  or revenue after deducting operating costs  was an average of 13.7% from 2018 to 2022, compared to a statewide average for hospitals of 8.4%. During that time, St. Marys had an average annual net income, which includes operating income and investment gains or losses, of $72.5 million.

Charity care has decreased at some hospitals since 2020 because the COVID-19 pandemic initially reduced demand for many services and the federal government allowed people to stay on Medicaid even if they became ineligible, according to WHA. People ineligible for Medicaid are now being dropped from the state-federal program nationwide, which WHA said is expected to increase the need for charity care.

UW Hospitals charity care was 0.9% of revenue last year after dipping to 0.7% in 2021, with the hospital helping 44,109 patients last year, up from 32,017 the previous year.

Meriters average proportion of charity care over the past five years was slightly lower than at St. Marys, but Meriters share hasnt dipped below 0.5%. Last year, Meriter provided $2.8 million in charity care, nearly three times as much as the larger St. Marys, and helped 1,984 patients, about 3 times as many as St. Marys.

Matt Kinsella, SSM Healths regional vice president for finance in Wisconsin, said that in 2019, St Marys started providing automatic discounts of 35% of hospital charges, up from 23% before, to patients without insurance, who pay out of pocket for medical services. He declined to say how many patients have been affected by the change, but said it has reduced the amounts reported as charity care.

Kinsella also attributed the drop in charity care at St. Marys to the hospitals increase in patients on Medicaid starting in 2020. He said he couldnt explain why that factor would impact charity care at St. Marys more than at other similar hospitals.

The level of charity that we feel weve provided to our community, or uncompensated care, has remained consistent, Kinsella said.

Contract change

Bobby Peterson, executive director of ABC for Health, a nonprofit law firm in Madison that helps people access health care, said the organization had a contract with St. Marys to help patients needing financial assistance sign up for Medicaid, other insurance or charity care. The contract, which started about 20 years ago, ended in October 2021, when St. Louis-based SSM Health announced an agreement with Minnesota-based Optum, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, for such services.

Peterson said the switch to Optum at least partly explains the recent drop in charity care at St. Marys. ABC for Health shared data about the charity care trends at Dane County hospitals with health care advocates early this month, bringing attention to the decline at St. Marys.

Theres all kinds of hoops and hurdles that SSM and their vendor, Optum, have thrown in our path to make it much more difficult for people to get charity care, Peterson told the Wisconsin State Journal. Were seeing people who are facing challenges working through the charity care process.

Kinsella said he couldnt comment on whether the shift to Optum contributed to the decrease in charity care at St. Marys.

St. Marys spokesperson Kim Sveum said SSM Health and Optum have ended their contract. She declined to say when or provide other details.

Charity care is a key way nonprofit hospitals such as those in Madison justify their tax-exempt status, though no specific amounts are required. Hospitals also count unpaid bills, subsidized health services, Medicaid losses and other costs toward offsetting their tax breaks, with WHA saying the states hospitals provided $2.1 billion in such community benefits last year.

St. Marys said its community benefits last year included COVID-19 vaccination clinics and donation of equipment to a free clinic. Megan Timm, SSM Healths regional director of community health, also highlighted St. Marys participation in Saving Our Babies initiatives aimed at improving birth outcomes of Black babies in Dane County.

Charity trends

Charity care at St. Marys and Madisons other hospitals has fluctuated over the years.

A unions criticism and other pressures led the hospital to change its policies and increase its charity care beginning in 2005.

From 2008 to 2010, charity care doubled at St. Marys and declined by a third at Meriter and a fourth at UW Hospital, the State Journal reported in 2011. St. Marys financial director at the time said the hospital wasnt necessarily providing more charity care, but better identifying it.

Charity care at St. Marys decreased from $9.6 million in 2013 to $3.6 million in 2016, the State Journal reported in 2017. Other hospitals in Madison and around the state had similar declines, after insurance rates climbed following the start of the Affordable Care Acts subsidized insurance exchanges in 2014.
A Janesville man was charged in federal court Friday with possessing an undisclosed destructive device, authorities reported.

James Morgan, 30, was arrested in Janesville on Thursday and charged Friday in federal court in Madison, U.S. Attorney Timothy OShea said in a statement.

According to a criminal complaint, the FBI received information indicating that Morgan was involved in making and possessing destructive devices, which include explosives, incendiaries and poison gas, OShea said.

Investigators searched Morgans travel trailer Thursday and reported finding six homemade destructive devices in a safe inside the trailer, as well as materials that could be used to make more devices, including two 1-pound containers of Pyrodex, a black powder substitute, OShea said.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen L. Crocker ordered Morgan be held in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for Friday. He faces a maximum 10 years in prison if convicted.

The charge is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Janesville Police Department, and the Whitewater Police Department.
Jim Van Boxtel has owned the popular Movin Shoes shop for runners and walkers on South Park Street for decades, but hes concerned that if the city eliminates street parking to accommodate Bus Rapid Transit, it could put him out of business.

Preliminary plans for the second phase of BRT, which will run north and south, are for buses to run on the center lanes with stations in the medians along South Park Street. That would relocate the two traffic lanes toward the curb and eliminate the bus/parking lane there.

But after hearing concerns, Metro Transit is now studying options to preserve or replace as much parking as possible along South Park Street when construction on a north-south BRT line begins as soon as 2026, depending on federal funding.

BRT is a high-frequency, high-capacity, limited-stop service using elongated electric buses running on city streets and dedicated lanes  sometimes in the center lanes  with special stations.

An initial east-west BRT route, roughly from East Towne to West Towne, is scheduled to be up and running in late 2024.

The city is in the early planning stages for a second, north-south route, roughly from the Knutson and Northport drives intersection on the North Side to the McKee and Fish Hatchery roads intersection in Fitchburg.

Much of the east-west route doesnt have street parking, but some parking on East Washington Avenue will be restricted during peak hours in each direction, city Transportation Director Tom Lynch said.

For the north-south route, much of it also doesnt have street parking, but several issues must be addressed on South Park Street, he said.

Every section of both routes has its own special challenges, Lynch said.

Language barrier

Van Boxtel and other businesses and property owners on the corridor that could be impacted are accusing the city of a lack of engagement and outreach, especially because many merchants do not speak English as a first language.

To lose these parking spaces will in all likelihood put us out of business, said Van Boxtel, whose business is at 528 S. Park St. All the other businesses we have spoken to are also upset. They believe that their very livelihood is at stake.

The parking will be hard, said Jenny Wong, who works at Ichiban Sichuan restaurant, 610 S. Park St. It will be more difficult for customers.

Metro is in the early part of planning for the north-south route and is using public input to guide and refine project concepts, Lynch said.

The city, Lynch said, is considering several options, including:

Removing parking where its use is low and/or businesses have off-street parking.

Using peak hour parking restrictions in each direction.

Relocating some parking to side streets.

Having buses travel in mixed traffic on certain blocks.

The north-south BRT project is complex with many needs along the corridor, which we heard at the initial meetings, including the need for better pedestrian crossings, bike facilities, transit service and parking, Lynch said. Some parking along the corridor is well used and relied on by business, mainly between about Olin Avenue and West Washington. Some of these businesses have little or no on-site parking, while some do.

Merchants respond

Some business and property owners are frustrated by the citys level of outreach, especially to multi-ethnic businesses.

Dave Vogel, who owns a building at 1021-1023 S. Park St. holding two businesses and apartments on the second floor, and a vacant building at 961 S. Park St., said he understands what the city is trying to achieve with BRT, but it must engage those making a living on the street.

The city doesnt tell anybody whats going on, Vogel said.

Carrie Rothburd, a neighborhood activist who attended a city public information meeting at the Urban League of Greater Madison on Nov. 1, said the lack of outreach to the business community was evident.

The absence of a local business presence and a business voice at the South Side meeting about the North-South BRT was striking, Rothburd said. This was supposed to be a meeting where the community had input, but an important part of the community was missing.

Right now, the majority of properties in South Madison are locally owned, she said. About half of South Madison businesses own their place of business and the other half rent. These businesses have said that they need places for their customers to park in order to thrive. Yet the plans presented at that BRT meeting showed no awareness of this.

The meeting, and three others in early November on the North Side, in Fitchburg and online, are just a start, Lynch said.

Every project begins with a kick-off meeting and that was the intent of the November meeting series, he said. We have from 13 to 17 miles of property owners and stakeholders. We believe an initial set of meetings is the best way to broadly provide information and gather input early in the process.

No easy answers

Ben Gottlieb, who has run University Audio at 402 S. Park St. for 31 years, and also owns a series of adjacent storefronts holding Falbo Bros Pizza, The Mason Lounge, Waynes Barber Shop and office space, said hes not opposed to BRT but that the removal of parking would incredibly harm businesses on the block.

We have some parking in the back but its very limited, he said. Its just going to push parking onto the side street. If they cant find parking, theyre not going to stop.

The elimination of street parking also raises safety concerns, especially at the corner of Park Street and West Washington Avenue, which has seen many accidents over the years, he said.

Sherry Novotny, whose family has owned Quality Hardware Co. 1201 S. Park St. since 1971, said she also has limited off street parking and that the street spaces are vital, especially for large delivery trucks.

I dont want to lose my street parking, she said. How do you do this without harming small businesses? How is this going to work?

I have heard the concerns expressed by business owners regarding the potential loss of street parking. Staff are aware of these concerns as well, said Ald. Tag Evers, 13th District, who represents the area.

Its early in the planning process and there are no easy answers given the limitations of the streets width. I expect more engagement to take place, addressing the concerns of business owners in the context of the design challenges and inherent competing interests.

Addressing concerns

Metro is evaluating parking options of businesses on the southbound side of Park Street between Fish Hatchery Road and West Washington Street, and those on the northbound side of the street generally between Olin Avenue and Parr Street, Lynch said.

Among the four options under consideration, several business or property owners said it makes most sense to keep the street parking and have BRT buses travel in mixed traffic for blocks where possible.

That would be the only option for this area, Novotny said.

Right now, we are developing and evaluating a couple of options to address all of the concerns we have heard, including those regarding parking, Lynch said. Because of the holidays, it may be late January before we can discuss specific options with Park Street businesses.

Metro has not yet scheduled a next series of public meetings.

Madison appears on a lot of 'best of' lists. Here are 24 of them Happiest city Most caring city Most dog-friendly city Best place to live Best Beer Best biking Best city for the young and broke Best state capitals Best remote work situation Best city for recent grads Best city to rent with pets Best School Best place for kids Best food truck Best college football Sportiest city Best outdoor activities Best work-life balance Best city for runners Best scientists Best place to walk Most successful women Greenest city Best place to retire
KABUL, Afghanistan  Bahara Rustam, 13, took her last class at Bibi Razia School in Kabul on Dec. 11 knowing it was the end of her education. Under Taliban rule, she is unlikely to step foot in a classroom again.

In September 2021, a month after U.S. and NATO troops withdrew from Afghanistan following two decades of war, the Taliban announced that girls were barred from studying beyond sixth grade.

They extended this education ban to universities in December 2022. The Taliban have defied global condemnation and warnings that the restrictions will make it almost impossible for them to gain recognition as the countrys legitimate rulers.

U.N. special envoy Roza Otunbayeva recently expressed concern that a generation of Afghan girls is falling behind with each day that passes.

An official in the Education Ministry said Afghan girls of all ages are allowed to study in religious schools known as madrassas, which have traditionally been boys-only. But Otunbayeva said it was unclear if there was a standardized curriculum that allowed modern subjects.

Bahara is holding onto her education and pores over textbooks at home. Graduating (from sixth grade) means we are going to seventh grade, she said. But all of our classmates cried and we were very disappointed.

There was no graduation ceremony for the girls at Bibi Razia School.

In another part of Kabul, 13-year-old Setayesh Sahibzada wonders what the future holds for her. She is sad she cant go to school anymore to achieve her dreams.

I cant stand on my own two feet, she said. I wanted to be a teacher. But now I cant study, I cant go to school.

Analyst Muhammad Saleem Paigir warned that excluding women and girls from education will be disastrous for Afghanistan. We understand that illiterate people can never be free and prosperous, he said.

The Taliban have barred women from many public spaces and most jobs, all but confining women to their homes.

Photos: A new view of life under the Taliban emerges
FASS BOYE, Senegal  The voyage from the struggling Senegalese fishing town of Fass Boye to Spains Canary Islands, a gateway to the European Union where they hoped to find work, was supposed to take a week.

But the wooden boat carrying 101 men and boys was getting blown further and further away from its destination.

No land was in sight. Yet four men believed  or hallucinated  they could swim to shore. They picked up empty water containers and wooden planks  anything to help them float. And one by one, they leapt.

Dozens more would do the same before disappearing into the ocean. The migrants still in the boat watched as their brothers faded. Those who died onboard were tossed into the ocean until the survivors had no energy left and bodies began accumulating.

On day 36, a Spanish fishing vessel spotted them. It was Aug. 14 and they were 180 miles northeast of Cape Verde, the last cluster of islands in the eastern central Atlantic Ocean before the vast nothingness that separates West Africa from the Caribbean.

For 38 men and boys, it was salvation. For the other 63, it was too late.

Too often, migrants disappear without a trace, without witnesses, without memory.

As the number of people leaving Senegal for Spain this year surged to record levels, The Associated Press spoke to dozens of survivors, rescuers, aid workers and officials to understand what the men endured at sea, and why many are willing to risk their lives again. Theirs is a rare chronicle of the treacherous migration route from West Africa to Europe.

Senegalese fisherman Papa Dieye was struggling to survive on earnings of 20,000 CFA francs ($33) a month. There are no fish left in the ocean, he laments.

Years of overfishing by industrial vessels from Europe, China and Russia had wiped out Senegalese fishermens livelihoods  pushing them to desperate measures.

We want to work to build houses for our mothers, little brothers and sisters, he explains.

For the first few days, the voyage proceeded slowly but smoothly. On day five, the winds rebelled.

Tensions on board rose, explains Ngouda Boye, 30, another fisherman from Fass Boye. When we could almost see Spain, the fuel ran out, Dieye says. It was day 10.

Back in Fass Boye, relatives were beginning to grow anxious. The 932-mile voyage from Senegal to the Canaries normally takes a week. Ten days later, they had no news.

Migrant arrivals to the Canaries hit a record 35,000 people this year, more than double the previous year. For others, the migration journey has ended in tragedy. Entire boats have gone missing in the Atlantic, becoming what are known as invisible shipwrecks.

Spanish authorities routinely fly over a massive area of the Atlantic around the Canary Islands looking for lost migrants. But the vast distances, volatile weather conditions and relatively small boats mean they are easily missed.

Massive cargo ships passed the would-be migrants by almost every day, destabilizing their shaky wooden canoe-like boat, known as a pirogue. No one came to their rescue. Under international law, captains are required to render assistance to any person found at sea in danger of being lost. But the law is hard to enforce.

It didnt take long for passengers to start pointing fingers at the captain, who was not a native of Fass Boye. He did things like a sorcerer. He spoke gibberish, Dieye recounts. Belief in witchcraft and the power of curses is strong across West Africa.

They tied him up, Dieye says. He was the first to die.

Into their third week, they ran out of water. There was nothing left but the ocean. Those who tried to quench their thirst with saltwater died. Those who took only tiny sips survived. The hunger tortured them as much as the thirst.

Sometimes I sat at the ledge of the pirogue, Bathie Gaye, a 31-year-old survivor from Diogo Sur Mer, Senegal, recalls, so if I died, I wouldnt have to tire the others  they could just push me over.

Fernando Ncula, a 22-year-old from Guinea-Bissau, was one of only two foreigners on board. His friend succumbed to thirst and hunger around day 25, Ncula recalls.

When he opened his eyes the next morning, his friends body was gone. Others had thrown it in the ocean. He was the only outsider left, and became terrified he would be thrown overboard, too.

Why are you not tired like the rest of us? Ncula remembers being interrogated. They tied him up.

Unable to move, and without food or water, he fell in and out of consciousness for two days. Finally, an older man took pity on him and cut him loose. His savior later died, too.

Death seemed inevitable; waiting for it was unbearable. As they reached the one-month mark, people started to jump in a desperate attempt to swim to safety, or perhaps to put themselves out of misery. Thirty men and boys died that way, survivors say.

Two nights after the last men jumped, lights appeared in the sky. It was the Zillarri, a Belize-flagged, Spanish-owned tuna fishing support vessel.

They were so skinny. I saw their eyes and teeth and only bones, Abdou Aziz Niang, a Senegalese mechanic working on the ship, remembers. How long have you been here? he asked them.

It had been 36 days. Now these men  who were fleeing for Europe because industrial overfishing had made their livelihoods untenable  were being rescued by a European fishing vessel.

They were alive, yes. But at what cost? Relatives had invested in their journey to Europe, selling possessions to pay for their trip, hoping the young men would get jobs and send money back home. Instead, they would return with empty hands and terrible news.

Among them is Boye. Boarding another boat could leave his wife a widow and his two children fatherless. But when you have no work, he says, its better to leave and try your luck.

Greece searches for hundreds missing after migrant boat sank
The owners and patrons of Wisconsin bars, breweries, wineries, wedding barns and other businesses where alcohol is consumed can expect to see some changes due to a sweeping law signed into law earlier this month.

Supporters of the new law, which Democratic Gov. Tony Evers signed on Dec. 6, say most of the changes will be largely unnoticed by consumers, though some business groups, including those representing wedding barns, have raised concern that the new law could drastically harm their businesses.

In addition, the conservative law firm Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty has already signaled plans to file a legal challenge against provisions in the new law, which could overturn some components of the measure.

So what changes under the new law?

Breweries

Under the new changes, brewers can now sell out-of-state beers, marking a change from previous law, which only allowed those businesses to sell their own product and other Wisconsin-made brews.

What's more, brewers can now own retail locations not located at their brewery. Previously, brewers could only sell alcohol at retail locations on the same site as a tap room or brewery.

Wineries

The new law allows wineries to stay open as late as bars, meaning they can now open as early as 6 a.m. and don't have to close until 2 a.m. on weekdays and 2:30 a.m. on weekends. Previously, wineries could only operate between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Wedding barns

One of the most contentious components of the new law relates to wedding barns and private event venues  businesses that rent out venue areas for parties, where the renter is responsible for purchasing and providing alcohol to guests.

Under the new law, wedding barn owners will have the option of getting a "no sale event venue" permit, which allows the venue to operate as it has in the past, with patrons providing their own alcohol. However, the law limits the number of such events at one per month and no more than six total events in a year. Wedding barn owners also have the option of getting a liquor license, which would allow them to sell alcohol at their venue or prohibit the serving of alcohol on the premises.

The changes have been opposed by many in the wedding barn industry, though several groups, including the powerful lobbying group the Tavern League of Wisconsin, have largely supported the effort as a means to hold private event venues to the same standards as other establishments where liquor is served.

Lawmakers specifically included in the legislation a two-year delay before the changes for wedding barns go into effect.

RNC closing times

The law also creates a four-day exemption to bar closing times during the Republican National Convention, which is scheduled for July 15-18 in Milwaukee.

Bars within 14 counties  Kenosha, Racine, Walworth, Rock, Milwaukee, Waukesha, Jefferson, Dane, Ozaukee, Washington, Dodge, Columbia, Sheboygan and Fond du Lac  would be able to stay open as late as 4 a.m. in that four-day span.

Individual cities, towns or villages have the ability to opt out of the extended hours, or to deem a specific establishment as ineligible for the exemption.

Regulatory changes

One of the biggest areas of change under the new law are likely going to be the least noticeable to consumers.

The new law transfers all alcohol beverage regulations to a newly created Division of Alcohol Beverages within the state Department of Revenue. The new division will enforce state laws that pertain to breweries, wineries and distilleries, as well as retailers and distributors of alcoholic beverages.

Alcohol in Wisconsin is distributed and sold through a roughly 90-year-old, three-tier system in which producers of beer, wine and spirits sell to wholesalers, who then sell the products to retailers to sell to consumers.

The three-tiered system was created in the 1930s to prevent monopolies by barring any one company from producing and selling alcohol at the wholesale level. The framework has been a point of criticism over the years for failing to keep up with the industry and new businesses in craft beers or wedding barns.

The law expands and clarifies regulations related to the production, sale and distribution of alcohol in the state, as well as licensing and enforcement, which proponents say better address the state's evolving alcohol industry.

Other changes

The new law also:

Allows ax-throwing businesses to obtain a liquor license. Unaccompanied minors would also be allowed at such businesses.

Allows alcohol producers who also own event venues to now serve spirits beyond the ones they make.

What's next?

While many of the changes in the law are now in place, the component relating to wedding barns comes with a two-year delay to allow time for businesses to adjust.

Lucas Vebber, deputy counsel with the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, said there "definitely will be" a lawsuit filed, likely in early 2024, challenging the wedding barn provisions.

Vebber said the law expands the definition of what public spaces are barred from providing alcohol without a permit to include any space "available for rent to a member of the public for an event or social gathering."

The new law essentially gives wedding barn and private event venue owners three options: getting a liquor license, which could also require modifications to their conditional use permits and investments to comply with tavern requirements; operating as a "no sale event venue," which limits the number of events they can host; or no longer allowing alcohol at events.

Vebber said the hope is that any lawsuit is concluded before those new rules go into effect.

This is an industry that has never faced this kind of regulation because they dont sell alcohol and theyve never been classified as a public place before," Vebber said. "So this is all new to them, and so many of them now are grappling with what are they going to do moving forward?"

"Unfortunately, I think the practical reality is that many of them are going to close," Vebber said.
Michelle Salazar moved from Chihuahua, Mexico, to Richfield with her mother five years ago. Without any prior exposure to English, she had to scramble to learn on her own with little to no help in adapting to the language at her high school.

She finally felt a bit of confidence, however, after discovering ESL classes through the College of Southern Idaho  something she wanted her family to experience with her as well.

Salazar, 20, started ESL classes in February after years of feeling stuck because of the language barrier. But through classes and the professors advice to learn three words a day, she is seeing and feeling improvements, both in her speaking abilities and her self-esteem.

Salazar even got her 57 year-old mother, Elba Gritton, and her 80-year-old grandmother, Elba Hernandez-Villa, to join her in the classes.

Before taking these classes, I was so embarrassed  I couldnt even order McDonalds because I didnt want people to laugh at my accent, Salazar said. But seeing other people in these classes really motivated me and let me know that Im not the only one struggling.

Theres other people in my shoes.

Salazar said she was 15 years old when she started at Richfield High School, and she went from having a bubbly personality to anxiously waiting for class to end to communicate her struggles with her teachers.

Gritton blamed herself for that.

I saw in Michelle this detachment, and I started to get worried, because when we were in Mexico, she was always getting good grades, always so social, and here she had this rapid change, Gritton told the Times-News. I started to feel guilty because I brought her here for better opportunities.

Salazar added that it was hard for her to make friends when she started high school, which affected her self-esteem.

I completely closed myself off and didnt even want to socialize because I thought, Well, theyre not going to want to be my friends anyway, she said.

In her last year of high school, Salazar worried less about what her peers and her teachers were thinking and she used her phone or her computer to translate questions.

Salazar graduated from high school in 2021 and started at CSI in 2022 to study psychology.

Officially four years after arriving in the U.S. and taking a few classes, she found that what she was learning was interesting, but she still struggled to understand English, especially with presentations and essays.

I would get really nervous just thinking about presenting or essays so I was like, I need to keep learning, because in the high school they never helped me. I had to learn on my own, Salazar said.

So right when I found the classes, I told my mom that she should take them with me because she had told me she wanted to go to school again to study business  then we were able to convince my grandma after she got her visa approved. It was perfect.

Salazar had been translating documents for her mother since their arrival to the U.S. even though she struggled to understand it herself. Bringing her mother into these classes allowed Gritton to not only get an understanding of the language but also to connect with her husband.

Gritton was working at a dairy farm when a mutual friend of hers asked if she wanted to learn how to make canned food.

But first, she would have to learn how to preserve the vegetables and the foods before getting them into the cans.

She told me she has a friend with a farm who harvests pumpkins, chili peppers, all of that and so, anyway, sometime in between he had told our mutual friend he was interested (in me), Gritton said. But I really wanted to focus on my daughter.

So for the first two years, the two would smile, nod and use gestures to communicate but could never get a full conversation. Eventually, they used their phones to translate and communicate with one another.

Now married, she said these classes have been the push she needed for her to engage social situations, her marriage and her academic ambitions.

Nodding in agreement, Salazars grandmother said she witnessed it.

Hernandez-Villa said that she only joined the classes to accompany her family and spend time with them more than to learn the language but has seen them improve drastically since they started.

It can be really frustrating to not understand what theyre trying to say to you, so this has been really important and necessary, Hernandez-Villa said. At my age, I just cant learn the language fully and am content with a smile because I know thats like a hello, but its really beautiful to learn about other cultures and converse.

With a full semesters worth of ESL classes under her belt, she hopes that more schools hire bilingual educators to help students who struggle with English, Gritton also told the Times-News.

Teenagers go through a hard time already during the age of 15, like she was when we first got here, Gritton said. We all go through a hard phase. But its harder when you dont know the language and feel like you cant communicate with anybody.

So like for example, when she told me, recently, that she wanted to start going to the doctor by herself, I felt so happy because little by little shes getting rid of that shell she put herself in. These classes have made a huge difference.

CSIs ESL classes are free of charge for all interested non-native English speakers. Classroom and homework materials are also provided.

For more information, go to https://www.csi.edu/college-career-readiness-adult-education/english-language-acquisition-ela-esl.aspx or call 208-732-6534.
Q: Why is the Salmon River called that if theres no salmon in it?

A: The river was named for the salmon found in it, said Ashley Haycock, Twin Falls County Historical Society museum administrator.

The book Idaho Place Names by Lalia Boone and other sources talk about William Clark originally naming the river Lewis River in 1805 because they believed Meriweather Lewis to be the first white man to visit its waters, Haycock said. It was also called the River of No Return since you could float or row downstream but not upstream but was finally named Salmon River for the bounty of salmon in the waters. Several Native American tribes lived near the river to harvest the salmon.

The Salmon River from the North Fork to Long Tom Bar hosts four federally listed fish species and provides designated critical habitat for Snake River sockeye and Snake River spring/summer chinook (salmon). It is a key area for the survival and recovery of federally listed salmon, steelhead, and bull trout. In terms of habitat, this reach is an important migratory route for salmon, the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System website says.

At one time Idaho had some of the most abundant salmon runs but the numbers have decreased dramatically from the early days of the area. The U.S. Geological Survey cites logging, dams, overfishing, weather, pollution, and disease as the cause for decline in salmon, Haycock said.

The Salmon River is the longest river in the contiguous U.S. that is completely contained with the boundaries of one state, wrote author Boone.

Your news on your smartphone Your story lives in the Magic Valley, and our new mobile app is designed to make sure you dont miss breaking news, the latest scores, the weather forecast and more. From easy navigation with the swipe of a finger to personalized content based on your preferences to customized text sizes, the Times-News app is built for you and your life. Dont have the app? Download it today from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
A program to help low-income families cover expenses such as computers and software, instructional materials, and tutoring has been a success, officials say, and another round of applications is open.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little and Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield reflected on the success of the Empowering Parents grant program last week, noting the micro-grants to support educational needs outside the classroom have served more than 49,000 students and 25,000 families in Idaho, with another round of funds open for application now.

Public, private, and homeschool families are eligible to apply.

In addition, Little announced that an independent audit on the program concluded 99.9% of total funds were administered properly.

Empowering Parents has been a resounding success, helping students with their learning needs outside the classroom, Little said.

Critchfield said the Parent Advisory Council, which she chaired, has held meetings statewide to gather input from parents and provided recommendations on ways to strengthen the Empowering Parents grant program.

Input from parents is essential, and the Parent Advisory Council was one more way we can tap into parents to help shape Idaho education, Superintendent Critchfield said. The council was productive this year as we traveled the state to hear directly from parents on how we can take advantage of all that Empowering Parents offers our state.

Empowering Parents grew out of the pandemic, and state officials realized the need to apply a portion of relief funds to help families address the learning gaps their children experienced from disruptions in education during the pandemic, Little said. The grants have been used to purchase things like tutoring, computers, and other technological devices to help with educational needs outside the classroom.

After the program successfully served more than 49,000 Idaho students and 25,000 families the first round, and the Legislature approved its continuation earlier this year.

Idaho is in the second year of deploying Empowering Parents grants to Idaho families. Applications are open now and parents can go to EmpoweringParents.Idaho.Gov to apply.

More than 22,000 student applications have been received for the second year of implementation, State Board of Education Executive Director Matt Freeman said.
Ted Quiballo has taken an interesting career path starting in the world of IT, then being a stay-at-home father and then stepping into the world of libraries.

That last step in the journey has now led to national recognition as Quiballo was recently named one of 10 honorees of the American Library Associations annual I Love My Librarian Award, a national recognition saluting public service contributions of librarians.

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Quiballo, a Skokie native is an Instructional Technologies Librarian at Northwestern University, where he has worked for the last 15 years.

We could not think of a more deserving librarian who has gone above and beyond the title librarian and been a friend, mentor and so much more for us, wrote a group of Northwestern students as part of Quiballos nomination.

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Specifically, Quiballo was honored for two areas of his work at the university.

In one aspect, he assists incarcerated students in Northwesterns Prison Education Program supplying inmates with research and resources, with physics and astronomy being a main subject.

Looking at the whole prison system there was something broken to it as the students who are in the prison have this cyclical schedule as sometimes when they go out, they come back in, Quiballo said. We needed to find a way to break that cycle. Education, we thought, was the best way to give them a chance to break that cycle.

Separately, he works with the humanitarian relief organization World Relief Chicago where he assists refugees and asylum-seeking children between the ages of 10 and 16, familiarizing them with STEM skills such as video production and 3D printing.

He spoke of the summer program that started in 2022 with over 70 students the first year and about 40 in 2023.

It was very challenging because not only did we have to convey to them STEM skills, but also they did not speak much English so we had to get over that language barrier as well, Quiballo recalled.

Once they were able to connect regarding language he would talk to the students about challenges and any adjustments they will have to make as they were acclimating to the United States culture.

We really wanted to bring it home and have them learn something while they are creating these relationships, he said.

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His efforts impressed ALA officials.

Its the kind of library work we find most impressive given the kind of outreach to communities that perhaps have been left behind or excluded from programs, noted ALA President Emily Drabinski. You dont see a combination of the work he was doing with the work around STEM and the prison education program. You can find the kind of work Ted is doing in the work of librarians everywhere but what makes his distinctive is both his contribution to the community as well as the support he has from the people at Northwestern.

The honor marks a large accomplishment for Quiballo, who was born in the Philippines and moved to the United States as a child when his father got a job in the Chicago area.

Quiballo received an electrical engineering technology degree and worked in the IT industry for about 10 years. Eventually he discovered it was not a schedule conducive for his wife and three children. For the next seven years, he became a stay-at-home dad.

When his wife wanted to make a professional change, the couple switched places. Quiballo pursued a career in libraries and there were a series of stops before he arrived at Northwestern.

When I started working at libraries I discovered different perspectives of what the libraries can do each time I had a different role in libraries, he said. With each additional role I started to care for what libraries can do for the community.

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Quiballo has been in his current role for the last five years after receiving a masters degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois in 2017.

I really like making connections and creating relationships with students and faculty, he said.

Quiballo will receive a $5,000 cash prize and will be formally recognized at a mid-January ceremony in Baltimore.

He spoke of the greater meaning he gets from the ALA award.

It really gives me great confidence of recognition of being a librarian, Quiballo said. In the world of the history of librarians a good majority of people employed by libraries are white women. To be a man and a person of color and to be accepted in this recognition as a librarian was another step in acceptance in the library community.

Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.
It was just about 50 years ago that Richard Butler, an expatriate Californian, came to Kootenai County and founded the Aryan Nations, physically established near Hayden Lake.

It established some notoriety within a few years as a hub of activity for extremist and racist people and groups. After a lawsuit effectively extinguished it in 2000, Coeur dAlene Mayor Sandi Bloem reflected, we had people living in this community and in this area that were full of fear. We had many people that lived outside of this community that wouldnt come here because they were afraid.

That was true, but within this context: The Aryan Nations compound included only a small number of people, serving as an outpost in a society that emphatically did not accept it. When the compound was razed, the community overwhelmingly cheered. The racists were largely unconnected to the larger community.

Kootenai County still is a target for extremism, as the Patriot Front group showed in June 2022 when 31 people associated with it were arrested by law enforcement when they apparently were planning to disrupt a pride parade. They poured into Coeur dAlene from around the nation.

The difference now is that some elements of extreme groups are much better connected.

Consider the national and Idaho linkages of one recent newcomer to the state  as just one example among many, this one being different for having picked up strong news attention.

The best known recent far-right event nationally was the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginiano doubt you remember it. One of the people there was a talk radio host named Dave Reilly, who said he attended to write about the event, which he did (notably on Twitter). But a report in InvestigateWest says he also was part of a private invitation-only online group involved with brainstorming, planning and promoting the rally, courtroom testimony and leaked chat messages subsequently revealed. You dont get that kind of invite without close connections to the people running it.

Online posts also indicate his support for the America First Political Action Conference, founded, as the Spokane Spokesman-Review reported, by Nick Fuentes, a former co-host of a podcast with James Allsup, the former Washington State University student who was ejected from the Whitman County Republican Party and whose appearance at a Spokane County Republican Party gathering prompted the resignation of the partys chair. Both Fuentes and Allsup have been banned from social media platforms for views espousing white nationalism.

Reilly has moved to Idaho, where in 2021 (a year after his arrival) he ran for a seat on the Post Falls school boardwith the endorsement of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee. He lost, but running against a lifelong Post Falls resident who had organized backing, and after Reillys own past was aired in news reports, he pulled a respectable 46.6% of the vote.

Michelle Lippert, a school board member who worked with Citizens for Post Falls Schools in opposition to Reillys candidacy, was quoted, You want to know the difference between back in the 80s and now? When the Aryan Nations were big in this area you saw young men with shaved heads and jackets with patches on them and saw men with sort of a pseudo-Nazi uniform? Today they wear ties and jackets and dont shave their heads. They dont stick out.

Reilly turned up in Idaho news again this fall, with reports that the Idaho Freedom Foundation, which is as influential as any organization in Idaho Republican politics, had hired him as a contractor on communications. The IFF is extremely well connected in Idaho politics; its word carries major weight in the Idaho Legislature.

The InvestigateWest article noted a raft of ironies: The Idaho Freedom Foundation, which began in 2009 as a libertarian-leaning free-market think tank, has been contracting with the self-described Christian nationalist  whos said free markets are a problem, who hates libertarianism more than any other political ideology, and who compares conservatives who make capitalism their highest value to being a slave and BEGGING your massa to keep you in chains.

A half-century has indeed made a big difference in Idaho, and thats going beyond appearances.
The Philippines is not provoking any conflict in the South China Sea, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Tuesday, in response to Beijings accusation that Manila is repeatedly encroaching on Chinese territory.

The Philippines is not provoking conflict. We follow international law and we are only implementing our domestic law, AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said in an interview with state-run PTV4.

He added that the Philippines is not conducting activities that put vessels and seafarers in danger, and instead accused China of performing dangerous maneuvers that sometimes result in collisions at sea.

They are the ones committing all the violations, Aguilar said, pointing out that the Philippines was just conducting activities within its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone without endangering other countries passing through the area.

Aguilar said it was the Chinese that were conducting shadowing activities, dangerous maneuvers, and water cannon attacks, as well as causing collisions.

Earlier, Chinese state media falsely accused the Philippines of repeatedly infringing on Chinas territory in the South China Sea and colluding with the United States to cause trouble.

The Philippines has relied on US support to continually provoke China, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China, the Peoples Daily, wrote in a commentary on Monday.

This extremely dangerous behavior seriously harms regional peace and stability, the commentary said.

But Aguilar said many countries are siding with the Philippines because they acknowledge that Manilas concerns are valid, a fact that can help strengthen the implementation of international law.

This is the only way to peacefully resolve maritime disputes, the AFP spokesperson said.

Tensions between China and Philippines have heightened in recent months as both sides trade accusations over a spate of run-ins in the South China Sea, including charges that China rammed a ship this month carrying AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr.

The Philippines regularly deploys resupply missions for Filipino soldiers living aboard an aging warship, the BRP Sierra Madre, deliberately run aground in Ayungin Shoal in 1999 to protect Manilas maritime claims.

Aguilar said the AFP is considering building a permanent structure as a shelter for fishers in Ayungin Shoal.

Maybe it is still being planned because it should be an inter-agency program, Aguilar said. It was mentioned that it would be like a shelter for fisherfolk and therefore it will involve different government agencies.

Aguilar also said the military is ready to perform its part in carrying out the construction project.

On Dec. 12, former Supreme Court senior associate justice Antonio Carpio said the Philippines should build a structure on the Ayungin Shoal following the latest attacks against Filipino vessels in the WPS.

We [should] put up a civilian structure at the Ayungin Shoal. For example, lets build a lighthouse, or a marine scientific research center. Because Ayungin Shoal is part of our exclusive economic zone (EEZ), only we can build a structure there exclusively, the former Supreme Court justice said.

Thats what we should do. Instead of sending military supplies, we will be sending civilian supplies later. We will convert the activity from military to civilian, Carpio added.

In August, Senator Chiz Escudero said he was planning to propose an allocation of at least P100 million in the 2024 national budget for the construction of a lodging facility in Ayungin Shoal.

Also on Tuesday, House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro blamed the past administration for its handling of Chinas aggression in the WPS.

Castro, nominee of ACT Teachers, was referring to the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

The Duterte administrations handling of Chinas bullying and incursions in the WPS borders on the traitorous that even now not even one of the Duterte family has condemned Chinas more aggressive attacks on Philippine vessels, she said.

Castro issued the statement as Chinas top diplomat Wang Yi warned his Philippine counterpart that Manila must act with caution, following a flurry of tense maritime confrontations in the disputed South China Sea.

We would like to reiterate to the Chinese Foreign Ministry that no country in the world aside from China recognizes its right to the West Philippine Sea. The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling on the South China Sea Arbitration is the one recognized by the world. It is Chinas claim that is illegal, null and void,' Castro said.

The House of Representatives recently adopted a resolution reiterating that it was China that has intruded into Philippine territory in the West Philippine Sea, countering Chinas unfounded claims.

China should wake up from its delusion and face reality. The Philippines has every right to protect its territorial integrity and ensure the welfare of its people. China has no right to dictate our actions within our own territory, she said.

Furthermore, Castro called on the government to assert its sovereignty and safeguard the rights of Filipino fishers in Scarborough Shoal, urging diplomatic action by the Department of Foreign Affairs to address Chinas baseless accusations.

We must stand firm against Chinas attempts to undermine our sovereignty. The Philippine government must prioritize the welfare and interests of our people, especially our fisherfolk who heavily rely on the resources in Scarborough Shoal, Castro said.

In other developments:

* Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said marine research centers will soon be built in the islands of the WPS following the inclusion of funds for it in the P5.768 trillion 2024 General Appropriations Act. These research centers, he noted, will bolster the Philippiness right to the islands in the WPS as well as its exclusive economic zone, as upheld in 2016 by the ruling of the United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration.

* Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III dismissed the Peoples Daily commentary as it was aimed at the Chinese people. He also said Filipinos should not be influenced by the position of others.

* Senator JV Ejercito renewed his call for China to stop following President Xi Jinpings expansionist policies. We hope that China honors the verdict of the Hague-based tribunal, constituted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which ruled that Chinas claim of historical rights within its nine-dash line lacks any legal foundation, he said. We can only achieve peace and a sound relationship between China and the Philippines if both countries acknowledge each others maritime rights. In this case, it is essential to recognize that the West Philippines Sea belongs to usthe Philippines.
Accuses Filipinos of extremely dangerous behavior in WPS

The mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, the Peoples Daily, on Monday accused the Philippines of extremely dangerous behavior in the South China Sea, saying falsely that Philippine ships repeatedly infringed on Chinese territory, and that Manila was colluding with extraterritorial forces to cause trouble.

In a commentary published on Monday, the Peoples Daily deplored that the Philippines has relied on US support to continually provoke China, adding that this behavior seriously harmed regional peace and stability.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) did not immediately respond to the commentary.

Tensions between Beijing and Manila have heightened in recent months as both sides trade accusations over a spate of run-ins in the South China Sea, including charges that China rammed a ship this month carrying the Philippine Armed Forces chief of staff.

China claims most of the South China Sea, parts of which are also claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

However, the United Nations-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration issued a decision in 2016 invalidating Chinas massive nine-dash line claims in the South China Sea, in a case brought by the Philippines, which Beijing rejects.

Last week, in an unusually direct warning, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said any miscalculation in the dispute with the Philippines would bring a resolute response from China and called for dialogue to address serious difficulties.

The souring of bilateral ties coincides with Manilas moves to bolster military relations with Japan and the United States, its former colonial power and defense ally of seven decades.

China expressed anger at the US this month for sending a navy ship into waters near the disputed area where China and the Philippines have had several maritime confrontations.

The Peoples Daily said the United States has frequently used its Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines to threaten China, blatantly supporting Philippine violation of Chinese sovereignty and peddling security anxieties.

That is extremely irresponsible and dangerous, said the commentary, written under the pen name Zhong Sheng, or Voice of China, often used to offer the newspapers views on foreign policy matters.

On Dec. 17, President Marcos declared that the Philippines will continue to counsel peace in the South China Sea, but at the same time forge strong alliances with other countries to maintain regional stability.

Mr. Marcos told Japanese media that a more assertive China posed a real challenge to its neighbors in Asia, which prompted the Philippines to seek new solutions.

Mr. Marcos said the Philippines will continue to forge strong alliances with like-minded allies.

Meanwhile, Political science analysts in Manila agreed there was a significant improvement in the way the government is dealing with issues involving the West Philippine Sea under the leadership of President Marcos.

I think we are dealing with the conflict in the West Philippine Sea issue now in a better position, political scientist Cleve Arguelles told CNN Philippines.

I think were very much well-placed to develop a good strategy to defend our territory against territorial incursions by foreign powers, particularly by Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea, he added.

Political analyst Froilan Calilung agreed that this is one of the current administrations strongest points.

International relations expert Chester Cabalza also pointed out that the Philippines now has robust alliance and strategic partnerships compared with the previous administration.

He was referring to the stronger ties the current administration is making with other nations like the United States, Japan, and Australia  a turnaround from the Duterte governments approach of appeasing Beijing and antagonizing Manilas traditional allies.

On Dec. 10, the China Coast Guard water cannoned Philippine vessels on a regular rotation and resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.

The BRP Sierra Madre is a World War II ship deliberately grounded at the Ayungin Shoal since 1999, standing as a symbol of the Philippines claim to the West Philippine Sea.

The CCG also rammed one of the Philippine vessels on the resupply mission, the Unaizah Mae 1.

The Philippines then filed a diplomatic protest against China following the incident.

But China said CCGs moves against Philippine vessels in the disputed South China Sea were professional and restrained, adding it had lodged stern representations with Manila.
Methamphetamine continues to be the source of most of the fatal drug overdoses in the Martinsville region, followed by fentanyl.

In the most recent Fatal Drug Overdose Quarterly Report for the second quarter of this year, as reported by the Virginia Department of Health, the city of Martinsville and the counties of Henry and Patrick are no longer at the top of the list statewide for deaths by drug overdose, but the area still remains plagued by high numbers, particularly for the illegal use of methamphetamine and fentanyl.

The number of methamphetamine overdoses began to increase in 2014, and in 2022 nearly three out of every four fatal overdoses most frequently had fentanyl (prescription and illicit) causing or contributing to death. The preliminary number of fatal methamphetamine overdoses increased by 5.3% statewide in 2022 compared to 2021.

Rates of overdoses are listed in six categories with zero deaths being the lowest and 51 to 64 deaths per 100,000 being the highest attributed to methamphetamine.

Henry County led the local area in methamphetamine deaths with the highest rate of 51-64 deaths per 100,000, followed by Martinsville and Patrick County with 13-26 deaths per 100,000.

Fentanyl overdose death rates were also highest in Henry County at 48-70 per 100,000 (the third highest category) while Martinsville was slightly lower between 26-48 per 100,000 followed by Patrick County with a rate of 4-26 per 100,000.

The number of fatal benzodiazepine-related overdoses has fluctuated each year. The report shows that it is very uncommon for a decedent to fatally overdose on benzodiazepines alone, but when a person ingests other substances, such as alcohol, opiates, and methamphetamine, in addition to benzodiazepines, the user potentially creates a lethal dose of mixed substances.

Henry and Patrick counties are highest in the local region with a rate of 4-8 deaths per 100,000 (the fourth highest category) while Martinsvilles rate was slightly less at 1-4 deaths per 100,000.

The number of fatal cocaine-related overdoses statewide has been slowly increasing since 2013. Of the 983 fatal cocaine overdoses in 2022, nearly 82% also included fentanyl. The number of fatal cocaine overdoses in 2022 increased by 22% compared to 2021.

Martinsville and Henry County were both rated at 1-15 deaths per 100,000 in cocaine overdose deaths (the fifth highest category) while Patrick County had no deaths attributed to cocaine use during the quarter.

Fatal heroin use has been on the increase since 2010 and often occurs as the primary drug causing death, but more recently, heroin and fentanyl combinations caused a large portion of fatal drug overdoses. Overall, heroin overdose deaths decreased by almost 38% in 2022 compared to 2021.

Patrick County had no deaths attributed to heroin use in the second quarter of this year, while Martinsville and Henry County were in the next to lowest category at 0-5 deaths per 100,000.

Excluding fentanyl, prescription opioid overdoses have been the leading category of drugs causing or contributing to death in Virginia, with oxycodone being the most common drug.

Martinsville and the counties of Henry and Patrick are all rated in the next to lowest category at 1-7 deaths per 100,000 in the most recent quarter.

When all substances are included in fatal drug overdoses, Henry County rates in the second highest category at 83-109 deaths per 100,000. Martinsville is in the fourth highest category with 31-57 deaths per 100,000 and Patrick County was in the next to lowest category at 5-31 deaths per 100,000.

Since 2013, drug overdose has been the leading method of unnatural death in Virginia, followed by gun-related deaths, and then motor vehicle collisions.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner noted in the report that since 2015 statewide, the number of illicit opioid deaths surpassed prescription opioid death and the trend has continued at a greater magnitude in 2016 to present. Overall, fentanyl caused or contributed to death in nearly 76% of all fatal overdoses in 2022.

In 2022, fatal cocaine overdoses increased 22% and fatal methamphetamine overdoses increased more than 5% compared to 2021.

In 2022, the most common combination of substances causing fatal overdoses was cocaine and fentanyl, representing more than 30% of all overdose deaths, the report stated.
If you live in northwestern Henry County, its only by a near miss that you dont have to say you live on Wart Mountain.

Thats the original English name of Chestnut Knob. Another early difference is that the Smith River used to be called the Irvine. Those and other details were revealed by Zack Fleming, in his program The Maps of Thomas Jefferson, which he gave recently as part of the Martinsville-Henry County Historical Societys Sunday Afternoon Lecture Series.

Fleming runs a YouTube channel, @GeographyGeek, with geography videos, with his favorite being on historical maps, he said. They have geography, history and art all in one. It also is interesting reading the primary sources to see the world from the point of view of people of the time period, he said.

Jefferson (1743-1826) was a Founding Father, the primary writer of the Declaration of Independence, the third president of the United States, a lawyer, an architect and much more. An overlooked side of his personality and achievements is his interest in cartography (maps), Fleming said.

Jeffersons library at Monticello was the most extensive in the world on the subject of geography of North America, he said.

Jefferson learned surveying, geography and cartography from his father, Peter Jefferson. Peter Jefferson arguably created one of the most important maps during the Colonial era, and certainly for Virginia, he said.

An early map of the area that now is Martinsville and Henry and Patrick Counties was made by a survey team put together in 1728. Their mission was to define the sometimes unclear border between Virginia and the Carolinas, because back then, many colonists on or near the border didnt pay taxes to one colony, claiming that they lived in the other colony, Fleming said.

What is now Smith River was then called Irvine River, which the map shows, along with the Mayo River and Dan River, and Matrimony Creek between the Irvine and the Mayo. There was a little bit of confusion between the Dan River and the branches of the Mayo, he said.

As settlers continued moving west, more maps were needed, and thats where Peter Jefferson came in. Peter Jefferson and Joshua Fry, a College of William & Mary professor, were chosen to continue the boundary line between Virginia and North Carolina, in 1749.

That map shows more information on the local area, between the Irvine River in present-day Bassett and the Dan River, in North Carolina just north of and parallel to the Colonial (now state) border:

The Great Wagon Road, now called The Great Road, perpendicular to the Irvine.

Blackberry, which meets the Irvine.

Reedy Creek, now called Reed Creek, which meets the Irvine after it has turned more sharply south.

Leatherwood Creek, southeast of Reedy Creek, and meeting the Irvine.

Sandy River, in present-day Axton, running into the Dan.

Crooked Creek, more west, meeting the Mayo South Branch.

Wart Mountain, now called Chestnut Knob.

Wart Mountain was named by William Byrd of the 1728 map, though he didnt mark it on that map. He named it that because he said it simply looked like a wart, Fleming said.

The Great Wagon Road was a semi-improved Colonial road that went from Pennsylvania all the way down to Georgia.

The first map to completely outline Virginia was the (Peter) Jefferson-Fry map, first published in 1753. Fleming gifted the Historical Society a framed copy of the French version of that map.

The Jefferson-Fry map went on to be the source of many, many other maps, he said. The most notable of those was the John Mitchell map, which has been called the most important map in American history.

That map was used as propaganda for disputes between the French and British, cited by some as one of the reasons the French-Indian War occurred. Another reason for its importance was that it was used by the British, Americans and Spanish for the Treaty of Paris in 1783 at the conclusion of the Revolutionary War to decide the borders that would become the United States.

In 1784 Thomas Jefferson was appointed as Minister to France, and while in Paris he used his fathers map to compile his own map, which accompanied the only book he ever wrote, Notes on the State of Virginia.

One of the sources Thomas Jefferson wanted to use but couldnt get was John Henrys 1770 map on counties. John Henry was the father of Patrick Henry.

Thomas Jefferson made some of his own interesting additions to the geography of the region, Fleming said. He proposed three new states.

A decade after his map, Thomas Jefferson became president, and in that role he oversaw five major expeditions, all of which came back with new geographic information, which affected how maps would be made.

A video of Flemings presentation can be seen on the YouTube page Martinsville-Henry County Historical Society with the title The Maps of Thomas Jefferson.

Flemings YouTube page, Geography Geek, has 89 videos on geography and maps. He also has a website, zacksmapshop.com.

The Sunday Afternoon Lecture Series is held at 3 p.m. on the third Sunday of each month at the Martinsville-Henry County Heritage Center & Museum at 1 E. Main St., Martinsville. Upcoming topics are:

Founders Day: Film, Jan. 21

Toys of Colonial Times with Gail Vogler, Feb. 18

The Blue Ridge Regional Library: Enriching Our Communities for 110 Years with Margaret Caldwell, chair of the Blue Ridge Regional Library Board of Trustees.

Holly Kozelsky is the executive director of the Martinsville-Henry County Historical Society. She welcomes visitors to the Societys Heritage Center & Museum, at 1 E. Main St., from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
Twenty people, including 19 civilians, were killed in western Burundi, the government announced on Saturday, in an attack claimed by the RED-Tabara rebel group, which in turn claimed to have killed ten members of the security forces.

The attack was carried out on Friday evening in the locality of Vugizo, some twenty kilometers from the economic capital Bujumbura and bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the country where the rear base of RED-Tabara (Resistance pour un Etat de Droit au Burundi), the main armed group fighting the regime led by Evariste Ndayishimiye, is located.

In a statement, the government claims that this cowardly attack deliberately targeted civilians, killing a total of 20 people, including 12 children, including five under the age of five; three women, two of whom were pregnant; and five men, including one of the police officers who intervened to rescue the civilians.

Nine others were wounded and hospitalized, the government added, condemning a despicable and barbaric act of terrorism.

The RED-Tabara group claimed that its fighters () based in Burundi attacked the Vugizo border post and that 9 soldiers and 1 policeman were killed, in a message on X (ex-Twitter).

Two military and security sources said the attack had targeted a military position.

Civilians were caught in the crossfire and killed, then the attackers retreated into the DRC, explained a senior army officer, who requested anonymity, confirming a death toll of 20.
Hong Kong police announced on Saturday night that they had arrested two passengers who flew from Mozambique to the Chinese region with 33.5 kilos of methamphetamine, worth 1.9 million euros.

In a statement, Hong Kong Customs revealed that on Friday it had detected a 29-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman who had arrived at the territorys airport from Mozambique via Doha, Qatar.

Agents found 10 oil paintings and 54 pieces of handicrafts inside the suitcases of the two travelers, used to hide a total of 33.5 kilos of methamphetamine, worth 16.5 million Hong Kong dollars (1.9 million euros).

The two passengers were arrested and the police stressed that the investigation is still ongoing.

The authorities stressed that following the resumption of normal travel and trade with the interior [of China] and other parts of the world, the number of visitors to Hong Kong has steadily increased.

Since December 2022, the metropolis has abandoned Chinas zero covid policy, restricting entry into the territory, relying on mass testing, confinement of risk zones and quarantines.

Hong Kong Customs has promised to continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on screening passengers from high-risk regions.

The crime of drug trafficking is punishable in the Chinese region by a fine of up to 5 million Hong Kong dollars (585,000 euros) and a prison sentence of up to life.

In May, the territorys police arrested three passengers on two consecutive days who had flown from Brazil to the region with a total of 1.6 kilos of cocaine, worth 1.3 million Hong Kong dollars (152,000 euros), inside their bodies.

In September 2022, the police announced the seizure of 16.5 kilos of cocaine, with a market value of 14 million Hong Kong dollars (1.6 million euros), inside containers with cotton fibers from Brazil.
Cole Hauser really announced himself to Montanans in 2018, the year he began starring in Yellowstone. But his ties to the state go back a lot further than that.

On Yellowstone, Hauser plays Rip Wheeler, the brutal enforcer and right hand man of Kevin Costners John Dutton. The TV show, helmed by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson, regularly racks up millions of viewers an episode. Itll end next year, but Sheridan has created enough spin-offs and prequels that he could probably start his own channel. Like it or not, Yellowstone isnt going anywhere.

Neither is Hauser. Hes from Hollywood royalty. His great-grandfather Harry Warner founded Warner Bros. His first role was in 1992s School Ties, a movie best remembered for introducing a generation of superstar actors, like Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Brendan Fraser and Anthony Rapp. Hauser later starred alongside Affleck in Dazed and Confused, and Good Will Hunting with both Affleck and Damon.

But Hauser has a streak of Montanan running through his blue blood. His great-great-grandfather was Samuel Thomas Hauser, who served as the seventh governor of Montana Territory from 1885-1887. Granddaddy Hauser arrived in what would become Montana in 1862. He tried his hand at mining in Bannack and Alder Gulch, but soon learned the same thing that copper King William Andrews Clark picked up on: the easiest way to get rich in Montana Territory wasnt prospecting  it was banking.

The S.T. Hauser Bank opened in 1865, one of Virginia Citys first banks. Hauser later built Montanas first smelter. Pretty quickly he was invested in railways, mines, cattle  pretty much anything he could make money with. He was part of the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition, the first large group of white men to explore what would become Yellowstone National Park.

Hauser was in the banking industry during Montanas boom, but he was also holding the levers when the system busted. When silver collapsed during the panic of 1893, Hausers First National Bank of Helena failed, and as its president, he was investigated by a federal grand jury.

Afterwards, he invested in hydroelectric dams, and was instrumental in the series of obstructions that slow and swell the Missouri around Helena, including Holter Dam, Canyon Ferry and, of course, Hauser Dam. Hauser died in 1914, but that last dam and reservoir still bear the family name.

Thats the legacy Cole Hauser was born into, one as remarkable and full of twists as his Hollywood pedigree.

Long before Yellowstone I was spending summers [in Montana] with my uncles, Hauser said. He reckons hes been visiting Montana since he was about four years old.

Maybe that history is why hes embarking on his next career move: a top-shelf Kentucky bourbon thats only available in Montana.

Its called Lazy K Bar Whiskey, and the spirit is a collaboration between Hauser, Britt West and David Leuschen.

Their partnership is simple, Hauser said.

It all fell together, he noted. Theyre great people. Britt has a strong history in the liquor industry and David and I like to drink it.

West is a Livingston resident, and the VP and GM of spirits for E & J Gallo Winery. Leuschen is the co-founder and senior managing director of a private equity firm, and he also owns the namesake Lazy K Bar Ranch.

Speaking of Montana history, youd be hard pressed to find a place with more of it than the Lazy K Bar. The ranch was established in 1880, along the eastern slopes of the Crazy Mountains, in between Melville and Big Timber. In 1920, they started accepting guests, making them one of the states oldest guest ranches (the OTO near Gardiner started taking guests in 1912, but the Lazy K was established as a ranch over 30 years before then).

The Lazy K Bar is best known for being the home of the Van Cleve family. Paul Spike Van Cleve III grew up on the ranch and wrote A Day Late and a Dollar Short and Forty Years Gatherins, still two of the best books about Montana ranching.

Spikes daughter Barbara Van Cleve made their last name immortal. Shes one of the Wests all-time greatest photographers, with an unparalleled skill for capturing real, unromanticized black and white portraits of life on the plains.

The Van Cleves sold the ranch to Leuschen in 2013. But still, if youre going to name something after the Lazy K Bar Ranch, it better be pretty good.

Turns out Lazy K Bar Whiskey is pretty good. They scored a 98 from the Tasting Panel Magazine. And Hauser is ecstatic about the stuff.

Ive been drinking bourbon since the dinner table at my dads house when I was 11, Hauser laughed, noting that at that age he was confined to drinking out of a thimble. This is about as smooth and delicious as possible.

The whiskey is distilled in Kentucky from a mash of 74% corn, 18% rye, 8% malted barley. It's then aged for a minimum of eight years, and finally bottled in Bozeman. And for right now, its only available in the state. In Billings you can pick it up at State Liquor Store #3 (1420 Grand Ave.) and 24th Street State Liquor Store (110 S. 24th St. W.), and you can see a full list at lazykbarwhiskey.com/locations.

Right now were focused on Montana, Hauser said. We love that were starting with a grassroots campaign. The whole idea is to let Montanans and visitors to Montana enjoy it for a while.

Anybody from Montana knows that Yellowstone has been a bit controversial around here since it premiered five years ago. If only because were all tired of answering out-of-staters questions about it.

And thats just kind of what happens when a national spotlight is shown on your little corner of the world. You have to imagine that Alaskans are still a little grumpy about Northern Exposure.

But what Hausers doing here is coming from a place of genuine appreciation and love for Montana. Celebrity liquors arent rare, but one like this  that feels like its from a real place and not just a cash grab  is.

Its a great drive out there [to the Lazy K Bar Ranch], he said. I never go very fast. I like taking my time. From the dirt road to the mountains, its breathtaking.

And hes got a great sales pitch  one thats short, but not necessarily sweet.

Just go [expletive] drink it, he said, laughing.
A Forsyth man died at a Billings hospital over the weekend after crashing in a pickup truck just outside his hometown.

Michael Cahill, 77, was pronounced dead Sunday, Rosebud County Coroner Joshua Jonas said. Although the Billings doctor treating Cahill will determine Cahill's official cause of death, Jonas said blunt force injuries were a factor.

Late on the night of Dec. 22, Cahill was traveling alone in a pickup truck east on U.S. Highway 12, according to Montana Highway Patrol. He crossed the bridge over Interstate 94 just west of Forsyth, but continued onto private property. His truck ran head-on into cobblestone building at the entrance to the property.

Cahill was allegedly speeding prior to the wreck, according to preliminary details gather by MHP, and was not wearing a seatbelt.

Emergency crews first took Cahill to Rosebud Health Care Center in Forsyth before bringing him to a Billings hospital, Jonas said. He was pronounced dead Sunday evening.

Two other people were killed in crashes during the weekend leading up to Christmas, per MHP data. Also on Dec. 22, a Great Falls woman died on Montana Highway 200 when icy conditions caused a Subaru to slide into the lane she was traveling in. One woman was killed and another hospitalized Dec. 23 after a rollover crash in rural Roosevelt County.

At the close of 2023, Montana is on track for a decline in deadly crashes compared to last year. Intoxicated driving is suspected in about half of the roughly 185 fatalities tracked by MHP this year, while not wearing seat belts contributed to about a third of deaths on Montanas roads.
A Helena man was sentenced to six years, all deferred, for felony assault with a weapon, two counts of partner or family member assault, a misdemeanor and criminal destruction of or tampering with a communication device, a misdemeanor.

Ryan Nicholas Ranalli, was given a six-year deferred sentence on Thursday by District Court Judge Mike Menahan after the charges were filed June 10, 2022.

According to court documents, officers were sent out on a report of a domestic disturbance on the 1400 block of Knight Street on May 19, 2022.

The victims older daughter called dispatchers, even though the victim wanted to call the police, but Ranalli had thrown their phone into the walls and repeatedly grabbed them to push them away from the device, documents said.

Court documents said the victim mentioned another incident on May 15, 2022, where Ranalli had entered the kitchen and threatened the victim while making suicidal comments and cutting himself with the knife.

During the sentencing, a written letter from Ranallis victim was read, and said that he began cutting himself on the throat, chest and neck.

The letter said the abuse the victim went through was constant for the 13 years they were together and that, he was either high or drunk."

Helena Police Department Detective Steven Cornish said that Ranalli had been involved in incidents of assault and partner or family member assaults dating back to 1998.

In 1998 after Ranalli graduated high school and attended Carroll College, he assaulted and strangled his partner at the time.

In 2008, he threw pictures at another partner and in 2009 with the same partner he threw their keys and phone out of the residence to prevent them from leaving or contacting police.

Cornish also stated that due to the statute of limitations on most general felonies charges could not be filed.

Miriikai Walter, Ranallis therapist, said she had been seeing Ranalli for a couple months.

Walter, a witness for the defense, said she specializes in mental health disorder counseling and said he has done very well and that he always works hard at his clinical plans.

Walter does not believe that he is being manipulative or pretending to be in recovery of trauma even though she said he is prone to be manipulative due to his trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Before the final sentencing by Menahan, the state recommended Ranalli receive 20 years with 15 suspended, while the defense request was six years, all deferred.

Under Montana state law the defendant has the right to make a statement before sentencing.

I understand the accountability issue  I have taken accountability, Ranalli said.

He said he did not choose to be an alcoholic, but it happened and that he was sorry to all those involved, including his stepchildren, children, ex-wife and family members from both sides.

Previously, he was in nursing school, but that was cut short due to the charges. Ranalli said he plans to continue his schooling at Dawson Community College in Glendive.
Hinsdale Township District 86 will be lacking a communications team for the foreseeable future as its Director of Communications Chris Jasculca, and Communications Coordinator Alyssa Barry resigned Thursday after accepting jobs at other school districts.

Jasculca, who was the head of the districts communications team for four and a half years, took the role of Director of Marketing and Communications at the Latin School of Chicago, a private school near the citys Gold Coast neighborhood.

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We want to thank both Chris and Alyssa for all that youve done during your time in district 86 and we wish you the very best of luck. interim-superintendent Ray Lechner said during Thursdays school board meeting.

Lechner and Cheryl Moore, the director of human resources for District 86, will conduct three interview sessions before making their recommendations to the board on Jan. 25.

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According to job postings for director of communications, the district is offering $125,000- $150,000 per year.

In the meantime the consulting firm CESO (Center for Effective School Operations) will be working with the district on communication matters until the position is filled, Lechner said.

Barry and Jasculca leaving coincides with the departure of interim co-superintendent Linda Yonke who last week announced her early resignation from the districts top administrative position.

Yonke was hired alongside Lechner in July to act as temporary superintendents for the 2023-24 school year while the school board searches for a permanent replacement.

I want to thank the board for letting me work with you these past five months, and I want to thank the administrative team who were outstanding, Yonke said during her last board meeting Thursday. I learned from you and I appreciated your hard work and dedication to this district.
A Helena man was sentenced to 20 years in Montana State Prison with 12 years suspended for felony sexual assault.

Richard Lawrence Veach was accused in 2021 of sexually assaulting a teenager after the teen reported they had been sexually touched by Veach on multiple occasions, according to court documents.

The victims therapist reported the allegations to the police, documents said. Veach denied all allegations and the documents said that he had no explanation why the teen would make the comments.

Veach, who was 32 when charged in 2021, was also described as manipulative in court documents by witnesses and the victim.

In a statement from the victim, read by the states attorney, it said that they still have the aching fear of running into him on the street.

The state requested that Veach receive 35 years in prison, with none of those years suspended, while the defense requested 20 years all suspended.

District Court Judge Kathy Seeley sentenced him to 20 years in Montana State Prison with 12 years suspended, citing that she believes the protection of the community is at risk.
On the Flathead Indian Reservation north of Missoula, a concrete bridge arcs high over Highway 93. This ramp in the sky is one of America's first animal bridges," ensuring the survival of many threatened species. Driving beneath it last June on a visit to my newly discovered relatives, I couldnt help but see it as a metaphor, too. A bridge is what writing a novel can also be: a story can connect disparate cultures and people.

Before embarking on the history that underpins my new book about the Montana McDonalds, I didnt think of myself necessarily as a member of that clan. If anything I was a Fraser, in whose tartan I twirled as a young Highland dancer. But my great-great grandmother was Maggie McDonald of Inverness, and her father was Duncan McDonald, a farm manager who left no mark on history  unlike his celebrated younger brother, Angus.

Dr. Joe McDonald, who died last week in Ronan at the age of 90, was that Angus McDonalds great-grandson. Until very recently he still walked with the spring of the smoke jumper he was in the 1950s on the Flathead reservation. As near as we could tell, Joe and I were third cousins twice removed. In his beaded regalia he participated as a revered elder of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes at powwows and ceremonial events. As a clan elder he wore tartan a few years back at a gathering of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of Clan Donald USA. We had never met on the summers day in 2015 when I showed up and asked permission to write a novel about his great-grandparents: Angus McDonald, the last chief fur trader in the United States for the Hudsons Bay Company, and Catherine Baptiste, known as Tipyelehne Kitalah, the Eagle Rising Up, descended from Nez Perce medicine women and headmen.

I remember clearly how graciously Joe and his late wife Sherri welcomed me to the library at Salish Kootenai College, which Joe, a longtime teacher and high school principal, had founded in 1977. They were deeply involved not just in education and tribal and national leadership, but in preserving the oldest surviving structure in the state of Montana: Fort Connah, the rough log trading post surrounded by grassland north of St Ignatius which their ancestor Angus finished building in 1847.

It was at Fort Connah the following summer that I watched a Highland pipe band parade past bright white tipis and grasped for the first time how deeply history can bind us. I am of entirely European descent: Scots and English and Norwegian. Yet through coming to know my Native relatives, I now see how connected we McDonalds were, despite our wildly differing histories and lives. How, like the roots of redwoods and mushrooms, we were linked by a deep and invisible networkand how, with effort, we might learn through such networks to come together again in this fractured land.

Angus and Catherine's descendants are numerous. As Joe liked to joke, on the reservation the woods are filled with McDonalds. They include several past and present tribal chairmen; a woman rancher, the namesake of our respective great-great-grandmothers, Maggie, who served as the first Native representative on the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation; a filmmaker whose documentary on Native adoption has screened across the world; college professors and teachers and officials of the Bureau of Indian Affairs both on the Nez Perce Reservation and in Washington, D.C., one of whom now sits on the board of the Clan Donald Foundation. Each is evidence of what Eric Wilson, a Nez Perce descendant of the couples daughter Annie, first called the cultural bridge represented by that long-ago marriage of Native and White. Its a bridge that we could all be the richer for, if we were able to seek out and honor such bridges in our own families and lives.
Both the Lolo National Forest and the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest (NP-C) are developing forest plans to prescribe future management and uses of lands they administer. The NP-C will accept written objections to their just-released draft final plan through January 29, 2024.

The Lolo and NP-C national forests adjoin along the Montana and Idaho state line that follows the crest of the Bitterroot Mountains west of Missoula. Within this vast forest complex sprawls the 252,000-acre Great Burn (also known as the Hoodoo roadless area). For 50 years, the Forest Service has managed this magnificent landscape of mountains, meadows, lakes, and streams to preserve its wilderness character. That management has afforded solitude for non-motorized recreational use.

Importantly, past management of the Great Burn provided secure habitat and a vital dispersal corridor between the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area to the south and the Cube Iron/Cataract area and Cabinet Mountains to the north. As such, it serves to facilitate gene flow across these landscapes for threatened species such as grizzly bears, Canada lynx, and wolverines. Other species sensitive to human disturbance occupy the Great Burn, including hoary marmots and mountain goats.

During the 1970s I spent two years in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness studying mountain goat ecology and conservation needs. That time forged a lifelong appreciation for the inherent values of wildlands and wilderness  including a secure place for species that require space away from human activities.

Recently, another scientist and I completed a statewide status review of Montanas mountain goat populations  the first undertaken since the 1940s. Our review of population data collected by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologists across those seven decades revealed that Montanas native goat populations have declined by 70 percent. Hunting permits and observational opportunities have plummeted as a result. Montana is pursuing both research and management strategies to hopefully arrest and reverse the decline. Importantly, the Lolo National Forests planning process treats the mountain goat as a species of special conservation concern. Elements of the Lolo Forest Plan will help safeguard the viability of the species.

Goat populations elsewhere in the US and southern Canada have likewise fallen. This includes the Blacklead population inhabiting the Idaho side of the Hoodoo, which has declined from over 100 animals to less than 20, according to Idaho Fish and Game records. Those records indicate unauthorized recreational snowmobile activity near wintering goats as a suspected contributing factor.

The NP-Cs plan does not recognize the mountain goat as a species of special conservation concern even though Idahos 2017 state wildlife action plan recognizes it as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need, priority Tier 3. And the NP-C forest plan fails to manage the Hoodoo as recommended wilderness. Instead, 40,000 acres would be opened to motorized access, including snowmobiles and snowbikes.

Biologists continue to learn why goat populations are in decline and about their conservation needs. Its a species sensitive to disturbance and changes in its environment, more than we realized not many years ago. Goats do best where conflicts with human activities are limited, like many other obligate wilderness species.

From 50 years of experience observing, photographing, and studying the animal in Montana and Idaho, one thing I do know: Perhaps more than any large mammal, the mountain goat is emblematic of truly wild lands  lands featuring the rare character defined in the 1964 National Wilderness Act. Where you find mountain goats, you find wilderness.

We humans enjoy many choices for recreating and trammeling Americas wildland heritage. Grizzly bears, lynx, wolverines, and mountain goats do not. Before January 29th please write the Nez PerceClearwater National Forest. Tell them to manage the Great Burn/Hoodoo to protect sensitive and threatened wildlife and recommend the areas inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System.
Fifty-two years ago, a group of eleven University of Montana students fell in love with a place. And that began a relationship that has lasted throughout our lives.

I was one of those students. That summer of 1971, we lived and studied the wilderness characteristics in a little-known part of the northern Bitterroot Mountains  the Hoodoo Roadless Area, or Great Burn  named for its unique ecological legacy of fire. I could not know it at the time, but this life-changing experience eventually led me to dedicate most of my adult life to preserving the unique characteristics of the Great Burn.

This magical place is worth saving. Its a critical and unprotected piece of the largest wildland complex in the lower 48 U.S.  a huge region that also includes the Frank Church-River of No Return, Gospel Hump and Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness areas, along with hundreds of thousands of acres of designated roadless lands. As our planet warms, these connected landscape expanses will increasingly be the only hope for the full panoply of species that Lewis and Clark documented in our region to persist.

My fellow students and I founded the Great Burn Study Group, now working as the Great Burn Conservation Alliance, that initial summer in 1971. We and the community of citizens who love it have been advocating to protect the wild character of the Great Burn ever since.

Along the way, weve made great progress in securing meaningful protections to keep the Great Burn wild. But those protections are ultimately not permanent. The Great Burn has been included in 16 congressional wilderness bills over the years. Although forest plans provide some level of protection, our ultimate goal for the Great Burn is permanent protection through wilderness designation or other congressional action.

And thats the heart of my message to you today. Because the forest plans governing the Great Burn are now being revised, the protection and progress weve made is at stake, more so than ever before in the last 50 years. And Im asking you personally to help.

On Nov. 28, the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest released forest management documents that would, for the first time ever, remove 32,000 acres of recommended wilderness in the Great Burn, opening these areas up to snowmobile use.

These measures will legitimize illegal snowmobile use that has been occurring for at least a decade. And, although its required to do so by law, the plan does not contain standards for sensitive wildlife species like wolverine, mountain goat, and grizzly bears. The proposed forest plan will irreparably harm the capacity of this landscape to provide critical wildlife habitat connectivity.

Prohibiting winter motorized use and other recreational uses in this area is the only way to prevent detrimental impacts to habitat and migration corridors. And dont forget  this forest plan could determine how the Forest Service will manage the Great Burn for 20-30 years.

National forests belong to the people of the United States. The plan proposed for the Nez-Perce Clearwater represents the agency caving in to small but vocal and well-funded group of special interest users. If youre reading this, Im hoping you will act today to object to this plan in the strongest possible terms.

First, learn more about the specifics by going to the Great Burn Conservation Alliance at www.greatburn.org.Next, submit an objection through the Forest Service webform by Jan. 29. The Lolo National Forest is also currently developing its forest plan, which dictates how the Montana portion of the Great Burn will be protected for decades to come. I encourage you to stay involved in this important process.

Its been the joy of a lifetime for me to work to protect this special place. If you care about the Great Burn as I do, I urge you to submit an objection and also share with your networks why the Great Burn is so special and deserving of protections.
Editors note: Calendar items must be submitted at least five days before an event. Email all items to news@morganton.com.

THURSDAY, JAN. 4

Good Grief Meal

AMOREM will hold its next monthly Good Grief Meal at 3 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 4, at Frankies Pizza, 1018 Harper Ave., Lenoir. The informal time of food and fellowship is open to anyone who is experiencing grief and loss. The meal is a Dutch treat. The Good Grief Meal is sponsored through Ashewood Grief and Counseling Services, grief support services of AMOREM, and is one of many opportunities offered to help individuals of all ages and families cope with the loss of their loved ones. Because of the generous support of our community and the belief that grief support services improve quality of life, AMOREM offers community grief support services to anyone who needs help in coping with grief. For more information about the upcoming Good Grief Meal or other grief support services, call 828-754-0101 or visit www.amoremsupport.org.

NAACP annual meeting

The Burke County NAACP #5367 will be holding their annual meeting on Thursday, Jan. 4, at 6 p.m. at the Mountain View Community Recreation Center located at 645 1st St., Morganton. All members are encouraged to attend the meeting, in addition to any citizens that are interested in joining the branch. Please keep in mind that because it is the flu season and the uptick in COVID reporting, COVID-19 protocols will be followed.

SATURDAY, JAN. 27

Docent training

The Exploring Joara Foundation invites people interested in telling the story of the Berry archaeological site and Living History Village at Catawba Meadows Park to the first session in a docent training, which will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Wall Center for Archaeological Research at 220 New St. in Morganton. Additional sessions will take place Feb. 10 and 24 and will involve working with school groups at the Living History Village and the Berry site. Those sessions also will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. For more information or to register, visit https://exploringjoara.org/ejf-docent-volunteers/.

SATURDAY, APRIL 27

Cruise Unifour Christian Ministries will be embarking on a cruise to Grand Turk and Dominican Republic. Members of the public are invited to join. A down payment of $75 is required to reserve your spot and the remaining balance must be paid by Jan. 1. Call Annette Guffey at 828-493-1723 or 828-396-1906 for more information.
Around Uptown, through downtown and into the flat, folks around Butte were searching for answers Sunday and Monday after apparently hearing really loud noises.

Knee-jerk reactions might suggest a blown transformer and/or work at the Montana Resources open-pit copper and molybdenum mine.

NorthWestern Energy confirmed none of its equipment  like a transformer  made any such noises in the Butte area over the holiday weekend.

MR's Vice President of Environmental Affairs Mark Thompson said blasting at the mine happens after lunchtime at around 1 p.m. He also said there had been no secondary blastings at unusual hours recently.

He added that migratory bird hazing on the Berkeley Pit and equipment malfunctions were also unlikely culprits.

"Sometimes when a tire on a truck blows, that sounds like a bomb," Thompson said. "No blown tires in the past couple of days."

People took their crowd sourcing to social media. One post noted a "boom" at around 4:30 a.m. Christmas morning near Park and Montana streets. Other residents in the area confirmed this was no ordinary boom.

Santa Claus, perhaps?

The sound was heard again by some around 3 p.m. Monday.

Santa would have to be awfully far behind schedule for such clatters to arise late into Christmas Day. There was in fact no evidence of a sleigh crash as some people pontificated. Among the abundance of stray dogs, there were no reindeer sightings.

Another boom was heard "loud and clear" by residents near The Derby on Harrison Ave.

Others posted after they were startled by an explosion-like sound near Clark Park and behind the Civic Center on Christmas Eve.

Sheriff Ed Lester weighed in.

"We had (a call) on Christmas Eve around 11 p.m.," he told The Standard in an email Tuesday. "Couldnt locate anything. Probably Santa breaking the sound barrier!"

The Butte-Silver Bow Fire Department said it did not send anyone out to tend to a possible explosion over the holiday weekend.

Several commenters chalked it up to their own gas leakage, to which another replied, "Blame it on the eggnog!!"

Reporter Tracy Thornton contributed to this story.
Israel and Hamas have given cool public receptions to an Egyptian proposal to end their bitter war. But the longstanding enemies on Monday stopped short of rejecting the plan altogether.
NEW YORK  It could be a cold, grim New Year for thousands of migrant families living in New York Citys emergency shelter system. With winter setting in, they are being told they need to clear out, with no guarantee theyll be given a bed elsewhere.

Homeless migrants and their children were limited to 60 days in city housing under an order issued in October by Mayor Eric Adams, a move the Democrat says is necessary to relieve a shelter system overwhelmed by asylum-seekers crossing the southern U.S. border.

That clock is now ticking down for people like Karina Obando, a 38-year-old mother from Ecuador who has been given until Jan. 5 to get out of the former hotel where she has been staying with her two young children.

Where she will end up next is unclear. After that date, she can reapply for admission to the shelter system. A placement might not happen right away. Her family could wind up getting sent to one of the city's huge tent shelters far from where her 11-year-old son goes to school.

I told my son, Take advantage. Enjoy the hotel because we have a roof right now, Obando said in Spanish outside Row NYC, a towering, 1,300-room hotel the city converted into a shelter for migrants in the heart of the theater district. Because theyre going to send us away and were going to be sleeping on the train, or on the street.

A handful of cities across the U.S. dealing with an influx of homeless migrants have imposed their own limits on shelter stays, citing a variety of reasons, including spiraling costs, a lack of space and a desire to put pressure on people to either find housing on their own, or leave town entirely.

Chicago imposed a 60-day shelter limit last month and is poised to start evicting people in early January. In Massachusetts, Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, has capped the number of migrant families in emergency shelters at 7,500.

Denver had limited migrant families to 37 days but paused the policy this month in recognition of winters onset. Single adults are limited to 14 days.

In New York, the first families were expected to reach their 60-day limits just days after Christmas, but the mayors office said those migrants will receive extensions through early January. Roughly 3,500 families have been issued notices so far.

Unlike most other big cities, New York has a decades-old right to shelter obligating the city to provide emergency housing to anyone who asks.

But officials have warned migrants there is no guarantee they will get to stay in the same hotel, or the same city borough, for that matter.

Adult migrants without children are already subject to a shorter limit on shelter stays: 30 days.

Those who get kicked out and still want help are told to head for the city's so-called  reticketing center  that opened in late October in a former Catholic school in Manhattan's East Village.

Dozens of men and women, many with their luggage and other belongings in tow, line up every morning in freezing weather where they must petition for a renewed stay.

They are offered a free, one-way ticket to anywhere in the world. Most people decline.

Some are able to secure another shelter for 30 days, but many others say they leave empty-handed and must line up again the next day to try their luck.

Im scared of dying, sleeping on the street, Barbara Coromoto Monzon Pena, a 22-year-old from Venezuela, said as she spent a second day waiting in line on a recent weekday.

Obando said her eldest son, who is 19, hasnt been able to find a place to rent since he and his wife exhausted their 30 allowed days at the Row NYC hotel.

As a mother, it hurts, she said, breaking down in tears. Hes sleeping on the train, on the street, in the cold. Hes in a lot of pain, and now its our turn. They told me that this country was different, but for me its been hell.

Adams has insisted the city is doing a lot more for migrant families than almost anywhere else. New York is on track to spend billions of dollars opening shelters, paying for hotel rooms, buying meals and offering assistance overcoming bureaucratic hurdles for asylum-seekers.

The mayor also has warned repeatedly that the city's resources are stretched thin, with more than 67,200 migrants still in its care and many more arriving every week.

Were doing everything in our power to treat families as humanely as possible, said Kayla Mamelak, a spokesperson for Adams. We have used every possible corner of New York City and are quite simply out of good options.

She stressed that the administration intends to avoid having families sleeping on the streets and said there will be an orderly process for them to request another 60-day stay.

Advocates for immigrants say the end result will still uproot vulnerable families during the coldest months of the year and disrupt schooling for new students just settling into classes.

Its maybe the most Grinch move, ever, said Liza Schwartzwald, a director at the New York Immigrant Coalition. Sending families with children out like in the middle of winter right after the holiday season is just cruel.

Adams has stressed that migrant children would not be required to change schools when they move. But some kids could potentially face epic commutes if they are placed in new shelters far from their current schools.

Migrant parents say two months simply isnt enough time to find a job, get kids settled into child care or school and save up enough for rent.

Obando, who arrived in the U.S. three months ago, said that outside of the odd cleaning job, she has struggled to find consistent work because there is no one to care for her 3-year-old daughter with her husband still detained at the border in Arizona.

Its not that we Ecuadorians come to take their jobs or that were lazy, she said. Were good workers. More time, thats all we ask.

20 facts about homelessness in the US 20 facts about homelessness in the US The U.S. has seen a 0.3% increase in homelessness since 2020 Experts from HUD believe that resources from the American Rescue Plan directed toward homelessness assistance lessened the impact of COVID-19 on homelessness The end of the federal eviction moratorium in August 2021 made millions of Americans' housing situations more precarious during the long tail of the COVID-19 pandemic As of August 2022, one year after the federal eviction moratorium was lifted, nearly 12% of Americans experienced a rent increase of $250 or more per month The marked increase in rental prices during COVID-19 likely contributed to the recent rise in homelessness HUD's Emergency Rental Assistance program received more than 12 million applications for assistance between August 2021 and January 2022 40% of all people experiencing homelessness in the U.S. during 2022 were unsheltered Veteran homelessness has decreased by 11% since 2020 and more than 50% since 2010 50,767 families with children experienced homelessness in 2022 Since 2020, unaccompanied youth homelessness has decreased by 12% 6,398 parenting youth taking care of 7,898 children experienced homelessness in 2022, down 13% since 2020 From 2020 to 2022, the number of people who identified as Hispanic or Latino who experienced homelessness rose by 8% The number of people who identify as Hispanic and experienced unsheltered homelessness in 2022 rose 16% since 2020 Natural disasters often have a significant impact on the number of people using shelters
Employees at Upper Valley Disposal Service and Clover Flat landfill say they were exposed to contamination and other hazardous conditions, as well as racial discrimination, according to a complaint they filed with the California Environmental Protection Agency.

The 24 current and former Latino workers filed the complaint on Dec. 14, with copies sent to agencies like the U.S. Department of Justice, California Department of Civil Rights, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration and its state equivalent, Cal Fire, and the Mexican consulate.

The complaint alleges various hazards and wrongdoing, including improper use of contaminated leachate wastewater, lack of training, and discrimination against vulnerable employees. The allegations involve the Upper Valley Disposal Service (UVDS) facility on Whitehall Lane outside St. Helena and Clover Flat landfill outside Calistoga.

Jose Garibay Jr., a former UVDS/Clover Flat employee who filed a previous complaint against the companies, gave the Star a redacted copy of the new complaint with the workers names blacked out.

The ideal outcome is for a full-scale investigation from state and federal agencies into the issues of fires, contamination and discrimination, and ultimately the de-commissioning of the sites to locations in less environmentally/agriculturally sensitive, less fire-prone areas, Garibay said.

John Perkey, legal counsel for Waste Connections, which acquired UVDS and Clover Flat at the end of 2022, said he hasnt seen a copy of the complaint or been notified of it by any agency.

He declined to comment on the specific allegations without reading them. He said the company doesnt comment on active regulatory complaints or litigation.

Generally, Waste Connections ensures to the best of its ability that it complies with all rules and regulations, Perkey said. The proper disposal, processing or other use of leachate or other liquid is done in accordance with those rules and regulations.

Waste Connections takes all allegations made against the company and its operations seriously, he added. We will investigate to the fullest extent of our ability all allegations made against us, and we will vigorously defend against unfounded allegations.

Workers allegations

The workers say they were pressured to operate trucks and heavy equipment they hadnt been trained to use. They claim the trucks lacked proper maintenance and would experience problems including engine and steering failures and catching on fire while on routes.

According to the complaint, workers were directed to use contaminated leachate wastewater to put out hot spots during the Glass Fire of 2020. They say they also cut down burning trees, used heavy chainsaws, and performed wood chipping and hauling without proper training or safety equipment.

The workers say they feared retaliation if they spoke out, and some kept quiet out of fear over their immigration status.

The threat of immigration authorities was used by at least one management level employee in the company to create fear in employees to keep them from reporting environmental problems or communicating with others about the problems, the complaint states.

The workers say the landfills previous owners used a cost saving measure of re-spraying leachate wastewater at Clover Flat and the Whitehall Lane facility instead of trucking it away for treatment.

There has been significant contact between UVDS employees and untreated leachate garbage wastewater over time without protective protocols or proper equipment, the complaint states.

Leachate was sprayed onto piles of compost at the Whitehall Lane facility that were then sold and given away as organic compost, the workers claim.

The complaint says workers were pressured to fight waste and compost fires themselves instead of calling in firefighters.

The complaint notes that one worker, Gabriel Diaz-Cervantes, a married father of four kids, was killed in an accident at the Whitehall Lane facility in 2013.

It is only a matter of time before another employee is seriously injured or killed, the workers say.

Previous complaints

The complaint is just the latest criticism aimed at UVDS and Clover Flat, which have faced a series of regulatory actions and legal challenges.

In 2018 the county agency that inspects Clover Flat ordered the landfill to take various fire suppression measures, after a string of 13 fires between July 2013 and August 2018.

In 2019 Napa County notified Clover Flat of more violations, including contaminated water entering a creek, erosion, and failure to install fire protection infrastructure.

The Upper Valley Waste Management Agency, a joint-powers authority that has long-term franchise agreements with UVDS and Clover Flat, threatened to revoke the Clover Flat franchise unless the landfill came into compliance. According to county officials, most of the violations were resolved within months.

In 2021 neighbors sued UVDS' Whitehall Lane facility over odors, noise and fire risks.

In 2021 a group called WhataWasteNV.org sued the Upper Valley Waste Management Agency, arguing Clover Flats franchise agreement shouldnt have been updated without further environmental study. That lawsuit was dismissed in September.

The nonprofit California Sportfishing Protection Alliance sued Clover Flat in federal court in 2022, claiming the landfill had discharged polluted stormwater into an unnamed creek that flows into the Napa River.

At the end of 2022 the Pestoni family of St. Helena sold UVDS and Clover Flat to Waste Connections, North Americas third largest garbage company. At the time, then-chief operating officer Christy Pestoni said Waste Connections will be better poised for Californias future regulatory environment.

In January San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board fined Clover Flat $619,400 over runoff that allegedly polluted a creek that flows into the Napa River in 2019.

Former employees, Ellsworth raise alarms

In February Jose Garibay Jr. filed a complaint with the California Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration seeking $150 million to compensate workers and residents he said were exposed to contamination. He says he was demoted and fired for speaking out about unsafe working conditions.

A former UVDS driver, Gary Hernandez, filed another complaint saying the company should pay $300 million in restitution.

In a statement issued in July, Hernandez said that during the Glass Fire he and other workers were sent into evacuation and fire zones with no protective equipment, not even masks.

Geoff Ellsworth, St. Helenas mayor from 2018 to 2022, has been a vocal critic of UVDS and Clover Flat. He said Wednesday that in addition to the environmental and safety issues identified by the workers, now the full extent of the social/racial justice issues with respect to the workers are coming to light.

He said Clover Flat and the Whitehall Lane facility should both be decommissioned, with a full state/federal investigation into contamination, pollution and fires at both sites.

UVDS and Clover Flat operate under long-term franchise agreements with the Upper Valley Waste Management Agency, which is controlled by elected representatives from Napa County, St. Helena, Calistoga and Yountville.

The Whitehall Lane and Clover Flat facilities are overseen by regulatory agencies like the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Napa County Fire Department and the Local Enforcement Agency, a collaboration between Napa County Public Works and CalRecycle.

Photos: Napa business gets your trash bins 'truly clean'
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Libertyville deserves better

I am so proud of all of my neighbors in Libertyville  including my actual neighbors  who attended various public meetings to show their support for affordable housing in our village. Seniors, parents, doctors and parishioners shared stories about how housing costs harmed them, or their loved ones, and jeopardize our business community.

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I am disappointed in our mayor and the trustees who voted against the ordinance and thoughtlessly dismissed the communitys concerns, and instead chose to do nothing to address them. Our community, and the amazing people who live here, deserve better.

Alejandra Dominguez, Libertyville

Border crisis unites us

Ive been reading about Americas imminent civil war. Nearly 260 years ago now, our nations unifying moment came after our Civil War ended. Both the North and the South mourned the death of President Lincoln, the one who gave his life to preserve the Union and thereby preserve the nation.

What is it that continues to preserve this great nation?

I believe that unifying moments such as the assassination of President Lincoln have been that which has preserved us. We struggled together through the Great Depression in unity. We fought together through World War II in unity.

Lake County News-Sun Twice-weekly News updates from Lake County delivered every Monday and Wednesday By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >

You certainly recall how all Americans defended hope together through the tense and dark days following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in unity.

I believe that our current unifying moment in American history concerns the open-border crisis.

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Today, we are neither Democrat nor Republican concerning disgust at the open-border crisis. Our home is no longer our home, and were offered no rational reason for the current administrations bold invite to all nations to walk on in.

Regardless of which political party, and no matter whether you are Black or white, we all have come to agree that America is under invasion. Recent Fox News polls indicate that, Eight in 10 Americans describe the Southern Border situation as a major problem, if not an emergency.

According to CBS News, a bipartisan group of senators are working together to confront the border issue. Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema remarked, Theres growing concern, from folks on both sides of the aisle that we have to act now, as a national security measure, to protect our border.

Who would have thought that the demoniacal plan of the ruling class to divide America would result in uniting America?

Charles Danyus, Round Lake Beach
Regardless of the occasion, including New Years Eve, my father always demurred when it came to any wine with bubbles. He simply didnt like the feel of effervescence.

He preferred something other than Champagne. Since he wasnt a serious wine lover, his beverage of choice usually was an elegant Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay.

As we approach yet another New Years Eve, sparkling wines and Champagnes will be prevalent at almost every gathering of groups of people celebrating the arrival of 2024. But recalling my fathers preference, Im aware that not everyone wants the harshness of the bubbles.

Still, its a festive time, so most revelers will opt for Champagnes and their sparkly cousins more than any other beverages. But theres really no reason we shouldnt celebrate with any excellent wine, as long as its not too serious!

In almost all cases, my fixation with Riesling has me focused on that varietal grape and my choice most often is a dry Riesling. Whether its from Germany (my preference), New York, Michigan, or even British Columbia, quality dry Rieslings almost always are at the top of my list.

This year my choice on New Years Eve will be the sensational 2021 Fox Run Dry Riesling designated Silvan, from New Yorks Finger Lakes ($20). This is a stunningly crisp and delicious wine that won a triple gold medal at my recent wine competition (https://www.dbiwc.com). The judges comments: Classic varietal character of lime, well-balanced.

To order this superb white wine, call the winery at 315-536-4616. Or see the website, https://foxrunvineyards.com.

On festive evenings leading up to New Years Eve, the wine choices that are best usually arent particularly complicated or serious, and have an affinity for finger foods that seem to be widely served on such occasions.

If you have yet to select wines for Dec. 31, below are a few suggestions that dont break the budget, are widely available, and offer excellent taste without having to worry about putting them in a wine cellar, or breaking the budget.

If you prefer Sauvignon Blanc, California produces literally dozens of excellent choices. One of the best and most reliable for the last 50 years (!) is from Dry Creek Vineyards in Sonoma County. Dry Creeks 2022 version, which it calls Fume Blanc ($20), is a gold medal winner. It offers a change of pace from the assertive, often-sweet SBs from New Zealand.

Dry Creek Fume has delightful varietal precision of herbs and fruit, with elegance and an affinity for food. Moreover, this widely available wine has proven that it can age beautifully in a good wine cellar for a decade or more!

Dry Creek also makes superb Zinfandels, and an excellent value is its 2021 Heritage Vines Zin ($28) with 19% Petite Sirah is deep, rich, and loaded with blackberry and cherry flavors.

This year, winemaker Greg Burns of Jessies Grove Winery in Lodi made a stunning 2023 Steel Chardonnay that offers dramatic floral aromatics and perfect balance in a wine that just a few weeks ago was still in the form of grapes on the vine! Order from https://www.jessiesgrovewinery.com/

The 2022 King Estate Pinot Gris from Oregon ($19) has a charming personality with a trace of fresh fennel, lilting fruit, and superb crispness in the aftertaste. From year to year, its a reliable and enchanting choice.

King Estates other brand, North by Northwest, also produced an excellent value red wine in 2019 ($15). Its called simply Red Blend and its a 43% Merlot, 37% Syrah cuvee from Washington fruit that has won several medals.

One of the best values in elegant, easy-quaffing red wines is the 2021 Bonny Doon Le Cigare Volant ($16), an Americanized version of a Cotes-du-Rhone. Made with 65% Grenache, 18%, Syrah, and 15% Cinsault, its a fruity and flavorful lighter red wine that can be served slightly chilled. Its a delight and often is discounted.

For a more serious version of Grenache, try the spectacular 2021 Miro Cellars Grenache ($24), Cuvee Sasha. Its complex with exotic spices, pomegranate fruit and has a deliciousness that simply cannot be described. Its unerringly accurate in its varietal expression.

Jeff Runquist Wines, one of the states best wine producers, makes many different wines of exceptional quality. One of the best is a 2022 red wine simply identified by the initial R on the bottle followed by the designation 1448. Its a blend of five different red wines including 58% Petite Verdot, and it has wonderful depth and beautiful aromatics. It pairs beautifully with red meat dishes or hardy cheeses. Its quite a bargain at $17.

Wine of the Week: 2021 Aveleda Vinho Verde, Solos de Granito ($19)  Vinho Verde from Portugal usually is produced as a very light, almost evanescent, kind of pale white wine with very low alcohol. As such, it is not made to be complex. The house of Aveleda has long made such wines, but it also makes a more serious version of Vinho Verde. This one has 13.5% alcohol, delicate, aromatic notes in the aroma, and a bit more weight in the mid-palate. It works nicely with triple-cream cheeses.
Half the Ford dealers in the US, or some 1,550, have chosen to stick with selling hybrid and internal combustion engine vehicles only in 2024, waiting to decide whether to make the investments needed to sell and service electric vehicles, the Detroit Free Press reported.

"EV adoption rates vary across the country and we believe our dealers know their market best," Ford spokesman Marty Gunsberg told the Detroit Free Press. "As Ford dealers have completed their own local market assessments, enrollments for 2024 are just over 50% of the network, placing 86% of the population within 20 miles of a Ford dealership that can sell and service a Ford EV."

Earlier, Ford had to ease the requirements for dealerships that sell electric cars, and now it is possible to make less investments and have fewer charging devices, Motor.ru reported.

Ford dealers are declining to sell electric cars because the "battery" models are no longer in demand, and the automaker is slowing down the program of electrification of the model line.

Although the development scenario of Ford's electric cars is not the most optimal for this auto giant, the sales of "battery" models are increasing and renewing the maximum indicators.

The Ford F-150 Lightning has become the best-selling electric pickup truck in the eleven months of 2023. So far there are no strong competitors, but the Tesla Cybertruck and the GMC Sierra will be on the market in 2024.
Armenia ruling force MP: Without guarantors, peace treaty with Azerbaijan is meaningless document

Saudi Arabia issues $12 billion in bonds

Maersk: Red Sea shipping disruption will hit global economy

Ex-Deputy FM Vahe Gevorgyan replaces Sergey Manassarian as Armenia Ambassador to China

Dollar falls, euro rises in Armenia

Everything said by Azerbaijan president should be taken seriously, Armenia ruling force legislator states

Armenia ruling power MP on signing peace treaty with Azerbaijan without mediators: Very tempting proposal

Armenia will no longer be at war in any period of time, ruling force lawmaker says

Nikol Pashinyan to new PM of France: I will be happy to host you in Armenia on official visit

Iran envoy: What would be violation of Armenias territorial integrity is not acceptable to us

Czech Rep. supplies first batch of mobile diesel generator sets to Armenia nuclear plant

Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria sign memorandum on clearing floating mines in Black Sea

Deputy defense minister on Armenia soldiers non-combat deaths: Such incidents have occurred, still exist today

Ombudsperson on non-combat deaths in Armenia army: State should have proper prevention structures

Armenia Security Council head to attend 4th meeting on Ukraine peace formula

Ecuador security forces arrest 329 people, kill 5 criminals, says head of army Joint Command

Armenia government to help those forcibly displaced from Karabakh to get training, jobs

Moving Yeraskh village steel plant project to Ararat city costs Armenia government 3.5 billion drams

Davit Khudatyan is appointed governor of Armenias Armavir Province

Cigarette smuggling prevented at Georgia borders with Turkey, Armenia, Russia

Newspaper: Ruling force MP speaks on EU's termination of European Peace Facility for Armenia

Open-air exhibition on Karabakh being held in Paris (PHOTOS)

Why most people cradle babies in left arm?

Deputy PM Grigoryan chairs meeting of commission coordinating measures to ensure Armenia-EU CEPA implementation

Greece FM statement after Armenia visit: Important to help our ally country on all international platforms

Armenia ruling force legislator: Army is the sector where the more closed and secret, the better

Central Bank governor: I can't say banks in Armenia make super profits

Armenia Security Council chief, Greece FM discuss regional, extra-regional security

Central Bank official: Banking services very accessible for Armenia citizens, businesses

Dollar down, euro up in Armenia

Suren Papikyan, Rory Domm discuss Armenia-EU cooperation prospects (PHOTOS)

Gerapetritis to Pashinyan: Greece government ready to support Armenia in all possible directions

FM: Greece clearly supports preservation of Christian sites in Karabakh

George Gerapetritis: Armenia's prosperity is possible only with Europe

Ararat Mirzoyan: Armenia should be able to make use of Azerbaijan railway

Greece official on South Caucasus situation: We rule out use of force, aggression

Sargis Khandanyan: Not aware of any arrangements for Armenia-Azerbaijan meeting in January

Armenia lawmaker: Peace treaty can be signed when Azerbaijan accepts our principles

About $70M allocated to programs for persons forcibly displaced from Karabakh to Armenia, minister says

Armenia FM on relations with EU: There is long way to go

Armenia ruling force MP: Azerbaijan statements about bilateral negotiations are just statements

TASS: Germany offers Armenia financial assistance for anti-Russian steps, source says

Gunmen take TV journalists hostage live on air in Ecuador, police manage to free them

ARARATBANK attracts USD 5 million from EFSE to support MSMEs in Armenia

Researchers discover ancient temple ruins thanks to Emperor Constantine's letter to group of Romans

Armenia ex-ruling party: Court once again proved it is submissive tool of current authorities

Armenia, Greece FMs' private conversation kicks off

Volkswagen to equip Golf, Tiguan with artificial intelligence

MFA: Armenia established diplomatic relations with 3 more countries in 2023 (VIDEO)

Newspaper: Attacks on judges gaining new momentum in Armenia

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin treated for prostate cancer

China recreational area breaks world record as largest temporary ice, snow theme park

Copernicus: World dangerously close to global warming limit

Greece FM arrives in Armenia on official visit

Armenia army officer found dead with gunshot wound

Crime gang leader escapes from Ecuador prison, state of emergency declared in country

Indonesia police rescue 226 dogs sent to slaughter

Lemkin Institute condemns recent attack on Armenian Quarter in East Jerusalem

Armenia economy minister, businessmen discuss major investment programs planned for 2024

Dollar, euro gain value in Armenia

Greece FM to arrive in Armenia Wednesday on official visit

MFA: In 2023 Armenia was elected to all international organizations where it nominated its candidacy

Azerbaijan ambassador to France confirms arrest of Frenchman Martin Ryan, suspected of espionage

Armenia records 2% inflation in 2023

US Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations visiting Yerevan, discusses efforts to bring peace, stability to region

World of Buzz: Son didn't know for 20 years that his father was actually a millionaire

Yerevan to host European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Annual Meeting, Business Forum in May

Russia media report details about Armenian mans murder in Noginsk city

ARARAT Museum Celebrates 100th Anniversary of Sergei Parajanov with "Uninterrupted Flight" Exhibition

Ruben Rubinyan, Louis Bono discuss Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process

Criminal investigation launched, Armenia serviceman detained in case into killing of fellow soldier at combat position

Sergei Parajanov statue unveiled in Yerevan

Protest being stage outside Armenia education ministry

Bloomberg: Researchers find out waters nanoplastics content dangerous for humans

MFA: Matter of Armenia driver's licenses recognition in Russia is on bilateral discussions agenda

Armenia soldier found dead, with gunshot wound, in combat position

Bitcoin exceeds $47,000 for first time since March 2022

China researchers develop electronic skin

PM: Armenia foreign policys highest goal is to ensure country's sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity

Newspaper: Yerevan mayor unaware that Karabakh has been de-Armenianized?

US embassy in Baku: Louis Bono holds regular talks to support Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process

Armenia economy minister to go on business trip to India

Armenia Security Council chief: We have no expectations from CSTO any longer

Armenia Security Council head: Contractual obligations with Russia regarding weapons not fulfilled

Armen Grigoryan. There is agreement that Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation commissions will meet in late January

Ararat Mirzoyan and Louis Bono discussed regional security issues

Tourism Committee chair: 50% of tourists arriving in Armenia are from Russia

Quake hits Turkey

One of French spies arrested in Azerbaijan identified

Armenia unemployment rate dropped sharply over last 3 years, economy minister says

Economy minister: US is for first time on list of Armenia's largest trade partners

Pope Francis expresses concern about Armenia-Azerbaijan disagreements

Kanaani: Iran has clear positions regarding situation in South Caucasus

Armenian National Committee member: Heavy equipment removed from Jerusalem Armenian Quarter Cows Garden

Zangezur is crucial route for north-south and east-west directions, Thomas de Waal says

Stratfor: Armenia will probably accept Azerbaijan's demands

de Waal strongly doubts EU, NATO will invest in Armenia army

Armenia Security Council chief meets with OSCE Minsk Group US co-chair

Thomas de Waal: Karabakh de-Armenianization is price of Armenian politicians maximalism, wrong actions as well

de Waal: Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement not only about its signing, also about its implementation
Hamas must be destroyed, Gaza must be demilitarized, and Palestinian society must be deradicalized. These are the three prerequisites for peace between Israel and its Palestinian neighbors in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted this in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal.

First, Hamas, a key Iranian proxy, must be destroyed. The U.S., U.K., France, Germany and many other countries support Israels intention to demolish the terror group. To achieve that goal, its military capabilities must be dismantled and its political rule over Gaza must end, he added.

As Netanyahu noted, in order to demilitarize Gaza, it will require establishing a temporary security zone on the perimeter of Gaza and an inspection mechanism on the border between Gaza and Egypt that meets Israels security needs and prevents smuggling of weapons into the territory.

In the op-ed, the Israeli PM that the Palestinian civil society needs to be transformed so that its people support fighting terrorism rather than funding it.

Once Hamas is destroyed, Gaza is demilitarized and Palestinian society begins a deradicalization process, Gaza can be rebuilt and the prospects of a broader peace in the Middle East will become a reality, he concluded.
Azerbaijani "human rights advocates" have visited the former high-ranking officials of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) who are illegally arrested in Azerbaijan.

Chairman of the Azerbaijan Committee Against Torture Tural Huseynov, Deputy Chairman Elchin Shirinov, and Head of Legal Department Rovshan Mammadov visited Arayik Harutyunyan (former Artsakh President), former Minister of State Ruben Vardanyan, former Commander of the Defense Army Levon Mnatsakanyan, and former Deputy Commander of the Defense Army Davit Manukyan, who are held in the Main Investigation Department of the State Security Service of Azerbaijan, Report informed.

According to Shirinov, the purpose of their visit was to inspect the conditions of detention of the aforesaid persons, and the procedures for treating them. He noted that these individuals were satisfied with the conditions of their detention.

"They said that walks are regularly organized for them, and they have been given an opportunity for weekly phone talks with their family members. They are provided with necessary books, have access to TV and electronic library, and can also use the gym. At the request of their family members, a lawyer was appointed for them. Representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross have handed parcels sent by the arrestees relatives from Armenia," added Shirinov.
A statement on territorial claims to Armenia has been adopted in the parliament of Azerbaijan.

The document is entitled "Statement on the return of Western Azerbaijanis to their historical homeland," APA informed, and it is a claim for the entire territory of Armenia.

This statement was read by MP Aziz Alakbarli, chairman of the hastily created " Western Azerbaijan Community."

"Azerbaijani have lived in the territory of present-day Armenia for centuries. Historical documents and maps prove that the majority of the population living there consists of Azerbaijanis. Unfortunately, as a result of step-by-step ethnic cleansing, not a single Azerbaijani remained in Armenia. 20% of Azerbaijani lands were occupied after the complete cleansing of the territory of Armenia from Azerbaijanis," the statement reads.
Armenia ruling force MP: Without guarantors, peace treaty with Azerbaijan is meaningless document

Saudi Arabia issues $12 billion in bonds

Maersk: Red Sea shipping disruption will hit global economy

Ex-Deputy FM Vahe Gevorgyan replaces Sergey Manassarian as Armenia Ambassador to China

Dollar falls, euro rises in Armenia

Everything said by Azerbaijan president should be taken seriously, Armenia ruling force legislator states

Armenia ruling power MP on signing peace treaty with Azerbaijan without mediators: Very tempting proposal

Armenia will no longer be at war in any period of time, ruling force lawmaker says

Nikol Pashinyan to new PM of France: I will be happy to host you in Armenia on official visit

Iran envoy: What would be violation of Armenias territorial integrity is not acceptable to us

Czech Rep. supplies first batch of mobile diesel generator sets to Armenia nuclear plant

Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria sign memorandum on clearing floating mines in Black Sea

Deputy defense minister on Armenia soldiers non-combat deaths: Such incidents have occurred, still exist today

Ombudsperson on non-combat deaths in Armenia army: State should have proper prevention structures

Armenia Security Council head to attend 4th meeting on Ukraine peace formula

Ecuador security forces arrest 329 people, kill 5 criminals, says head of army Joint Command

Armenia government to help those forcibly displaced from Karabakh to get training, jobs

Moving Yeraskh village steel plant project to Ararat city costs Armenia government 3.5 billion drams

Davit Khudatyan is appointed governor of Armenias Armavir Province

Cigarette smuggling prevented at Georgia borders with Turkey, Armenia, Russia

Newspaper: Ruling force MP speaks on EU's termination of European Peace Facility for Armenia

Open-air exhibition on Karabakh being held in Paris (PHOTOS)

Why most people cradle babies in left arm?

Deputy PM Grigoryan chairs meeting of commission coordinating measures to ensure Armenia-EU CEPA implementation

Greece FM statement after Armenia visit: Important to help our ally country on all international platforms

Armenia ruling force legislator: Army is the sector where the more closed and secret, the better

Central Bank governor: I can't say banks in Armenia make super profits

Armenia Security Council chief, Greece FM discuss regional, extra-regional security

Central Bank official: Banking services very accessible for Armenia citizens, businesses

Dollar down, euro up in Armenia

Suren Papikyan, Rory Domm discuss Armenia-EU cooperation prospects (PHOTOS)

Gerapetritis to Pashinyan: Greece government ready to support Armenia in all possible directions

FM: Greece clearly supports preservation of Christian sites in Karabakh

George Gerapetritis: Armenia's prosperity is possible only with Europe

Ararat Mirzoyan: Armenia should be able to make use of Azerbaijan railway

Greece official on South Caucasus situation: We rule out use of force, aggression

Sargis Khandanyan: Not aware of any arrangements for Armenia-Azerbaijan meeting in January

Armenia lawmaker: Peace treaty can be signed when Azerbaijan accepts our principles

About $70M allocated to programs for persons forcibly displaced from Karabakh to Armenia, minister says

Armenia FM on relations with EU: There is long way to go

Armenia ruling force MP: Azerbaijan statements about bilateral negotiations are just statements

TASS: Germany offers Armenia financial assistance for anti-Russian steps, source says

Gunmen take TV journalists hostage live on air in Ecuador, police manage to free them

ARARATBANK attracts USD 5 million from EFSE to support MSMEs in Armenia

Researchers discover ancient temple ruins thanks to Emperor Constantine's letter to group of Romans

Armenia ex-ruling party: Court once again proved it is submissive tool of current authorities

Armenia, Greece FMs' private conversation kicks off

Volkswagen to equip Golf, Tiguan with artificial intelligence

MFA: Armenia established diplomatic relations with 3 more countries in 2023 (VIDEO)

Newspaper: Attacks on judges gaining new momentum in Armenia

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin treated for prostate cancer

China recreational area breaks world record as largest temporary ice, snow theme park

Copernicus: World dangerously close to global warming limit

Greece FM arrives in Armenia on official visit

Armenia army officer found dead with gunshot wound

Crime gang leader escapes from Ecuador prison, state of emergency declared in country

Indonesia police rescue 226 dogs sent to slaughter

Lemkin Institute condemns recent attack on Armenian Quarter in East Jerusalem

Armenia economy minister, businessmen discuss major investment programs planned for 2024

Dollar, euro gain value in Armenia

Greece FM to arrive in Armenia Wednesday on official visit

MFA: In 2023 Armenia was elected to all international organizations where it nominated its candidacy

Azerbaijan ambassador to France confirms arrest of Frenchman Martin Ryan, suspected of espionage

Armenia records 2% inflation in 2023

US Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations visiting Yerevan, discusses efforts to bring peace, stability to region

World of Buzz: Son didn't know for 20 years that his father was actually a millionaire

Yerevan to host European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Annual Meeting, Business Forum in May

Russia media report details about Armenian mans murder in Noginsk city

ARARAT Museum Celebrates 100th Anniversary of Sergei Parajanov with "Uninterrupted Flight" Exhibition

Ruben Rubinyan, Louis Bono discuss Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process

Criminal investigation launched, Armenia serviceman detained in case into killing of fellow soldier at combat position

Sergei Parajanov statue unveiled in Yerevan

Protest being stage outside Armenia education ministry

Bloomberg: Researchers find out waters nanoplastics content dangerous for humans

MFA: Matter of Armenia driver's licenses recognition in Russia is on bilateral discussions agenda

Armenia soldier found dead, with gunshot wound, in combat position

Bitcoin exceeds $47,000 for first time since March 2022

China researchers develop electronic skin

PM: Armenia foreign policys highest goal is to ensure country's sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity

Newspaper: Yerevan mayor unaware that Karabakh has been de-Armenianized?
Our biggest problem is that we don't know what our cybersecurity challenges are. Armenian information security expert Samvel Martirosyan said this at a press conference Tuesday.

He considered it important what kind of system will be created in Armenia after the adoption of the law on the creation of the cyber environment in the country because the draft law is presented in a very abstract form.

"What does the state see under it? How will this work in a state system? The NSS [(National Security Service)] and the army are also linked to this. It is important to create such a system that it does not interfere with the work and interaction of all state institutions. During military operations, we cannot decouple the army from other state structures. The army and the rear should become one body, as possible attacks on civilian infrastructure will affect the military potential," Martirosyan said.

The information security expert reminded that the aforesaid bill proposed by the Armenian authorities provides that the authorized agency will deal with cybersecurity matters during martial law.

"A question rises: How will this civil body and the army interact with each other? It is difficult to include all aspects in one unified law, so sub-legislative acts will also be necessary," he emphasized.

Martirosyan explained that after the brief April 2016 war, Azerbaijan began to actively form hacking teams, and simultaneously used mercenaries from Russia, Ukraine, and some other countries.

"In 2020, everything became more serious. Baku began to engage the Turkish side as well, which has serious potential in this domain. In addition, major cooperation has been established with Israel, which is a threat to us [Armenia] not only from the point of view of supplying weapons to Azerbaijan, but also the realm of cyberspace," he concluded.
Ardshinbank has announced a decision to opt out of traditional New Year corporate celebrations. Instead, the bank will redirect the earmarked funds towards assisting one hundred families from Artsakh who have faced displacement.

In a formal statement released today, Ardshinbank declared, "In light of the challenges witnessed this year, Ardshinbank, along with its dedicated team, has unanimously chosen to forgo corporate events and New Year gifts for employees. The resources saved from this decision will be dedicated to supporting one hundred displaced families from Artsakh. This assistance will specifically cover essential winter-related expenses, including utility and housing costs."

Ardshinbank explained that candidates were selected from the list of bank clients most in need of financial support. The bank emphasized that this decision was unanimously supported by all employees.

This initiative aligns with Ardshinbank's ongoing dedication to corporate social responsibility: the bank stands firm in its commitment to contributing positively to the well-being of the communities it serves.

The activities of Ardshinbank are regulated by the Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia.
A Florida man has been charged with murdering his half-brother on Christmas Day at a home in unincorporated Naperville, authorities said.

Kendall Yarborough, 28, of Palm Harbor, is accused of firing a 9mm handgun from the second floor of a home in the 25W0-100 block of Wood Court in response to his half-brother slamming a card table on the first floor because he could not find his cell phone, reports said.

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The bullet struck James Watson, no age or address available, in the abdomen in an incident that took place at about 3 p.m., according to a news release from the DuPage County States Attorney and DuPage County Sheriffs offices.

Family members attempted to help Watson, who was taken to a local hospital and pronounced deceased.

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A 9mm Sig Sauer P-365X gun and one spent 9mm bullet casing were recovered at the scene, the report said. Yarborough was taken into custody without incident and has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

On Christmas day, James Watson lost his life after his half-brother, Kendall Yarborough, allegedly shot him in the abdomen while James was looking for his cell phone, States Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement. This senseless act of violence will not go unpunished.

Yarborough is being held in the DuPage County jail pending a Wednesday hearing at which a judge will decide if he is to be detained until the case is resolved.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday visited the Pavlovsk State Museum-Reserve in Saint Petersburg, Russia, together with his colleagues from the other Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) member countries.

Before the informal summit of the leaders of the CIS countries, Putin showed his guests the palaces of Saint Petersburg.

The respective video shows that Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and Vladimir Putin are actively talking with each other during this tour.

Subsequently, a small concert was performed for the leaders of the CIS countries.
Speaker of the National Assembly (NA) of Armenia, Alen Simonyan, does not consider Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's going to Saint Petersburg, Russia as a step backwards.

"You know that we [Armenia] are in the same economic union with Russia, our economy is experiencing great growth, and we cannot miss the opportunity to assume the chairmanship of the organization where we are; Armenia needs that," Simonyan told reporters in the NA park Tuesday.

"Armenia has never made an official statement that it is making a U-turn. You know that I also did not go to the CSTO meeting on December 19; we have serious reservationsthat still exist todayin connection with the CSTO activities. I have said what they are due to and how long they will continue. A step back, a step forward. In connection with that please neither hurry, say they [i.e. Armenia] have left, nor hurry, say they came back. Armenia will continue to pursue its interests. If they will be in the meeting that will take place in Saint Petersburg, we will go there. If not, we will not go, as has happened several times this year," added the speaker of the Armenian parliament.
Zhoghovurd daily of the Republic of Armenia (RA) writes as follows: Yesterday it became known that RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan went on a working visit to the RF [(Russian Federation)], Saint Petersburg. Nikol Pashinyan participated there in the session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council [of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU)]. And today, December 26, he will participate in the informal summit of the CIS [(Commonwealth of Independent States)].

Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman of the Russian president, considered this a good opportunity for Pashinyan-[Russian President Vladimir] Putin contact after a long pause.

As our sources convey, Pashinyan's visit to the RF is expected especially by the Russian authorities, as they have many questions for Pashinyan, and the RF president has explanations to receive personally from Pashinyan.

According to the information we have received, the RF authorities are very serious this time and will demand Pashinyan not to give another choppy and fuzzy answers, but clear and concrete answers about RF-Armenia cooperation and relations, which still are in an overstrained situation.

It is also noteworthy that Armenias authorities were avoiding all meetings organized with the mediation of Russia for a long time, but now, it seems, Pashinyan's government has regretted the idea of destroying relations with Russia once and for all and decided to restore them. In this sense, Nikol Pashinyan's visit to the RF can be said to be historic.
This year was a momentous one to report on. From public opinion in the U.S. to views around the globe, 2023 was chock full of shifts creating some notable highs and lows. Spanning U.S. politics and economics, global conflict, the workplace, wellbeing, and more, here are the 12 most notable findings our team uncovered this year.

1. Russias Soft Power Fades

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As the war raged on in Ukraine, Russia lost much of its soft power around the world -- even in many key parts of Europe and Central Asia. Whether its a decline in approval of Russias leadership or a decline in those identifying as Russian in key parts of Moscows historical sphere of influence, the war in Ukraine has cost Russia more than soldiers and hardware. As a new year begins, and the war drags on, how much more soft power Russia loses will be a key question for 2024.

2. China as Greatest Enemy of U.S.

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This year was also defined by the growing tensions between China and the U.S. Despite efforts to quell those tensions throughout 2023, Americans perceive China as the No. 1 enemy to the U.S. Not long ago, Russia (in 2019) and North Korea (in 2018) earned that status among the U.S. public -- but both the pandemic and Beijings lukewarm support for Russia in the Ukraine war have brought Chinas image to an all-time low among Americans.

3. The Manager Squeeze

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In the workplace, we found that while disruptive change and fears of economic uncertainty loom large, the biggest threat to productivity and talent retention may be overwhelmed managers. Our reporting uncovered a major shift taking place in Americas workforce: managers feeling the squeeze and seeking greener pastures elsewhere.

4. Trust in Media

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One of the megatrends of our times unfolding in the U.S. has been the collapse in public confidence in the news that Americans consume. After a brief measured recovery in 2018, mostly driven by Democrats as former President Donald Trump increased his expressions of ire toward the news media, the percentage of Americans expressing a great deal or fair amount of trust in the news media is back to a historic low. A record-high 39% say they have no trust at all in the media.

5. NATO and EU Aspirations

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Another outcome of the war in Ukraine in 2023 has been the growth of NATO to include Finland. Ukrainians have recently moved one step closer to joining the EU, with the EU agreeing to start negotiations. This is echoed in public sentiment among Ukrainians to join NATO and the EU -- a sentiment that has not lost any strength and is likely quite troubling for Moscow.

6. Public Confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court

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After overturning the landmark abortion decision Roe v. Wade last year, public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court remains at a relative low. As the court continues to take on more cases that place it at the center of public discourse -- a discourse now highly defined by the hyper-partisanship of our times -- it will be critical to track Americans level of confidence in the institution.

7. Safety of Money in Banks

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On the economic front, amid a series of bank failures earlier this year, we discovered that nearly half of Americans were worried about the safety of their cash in U.S. banks. The concerns were highest among those on the lower spectrum of the income scale as well as among Republicans and independents. In an era of low confidence in major U.S. institutions, banks are suffering a confidence drought as well.

8. Young Adults Drinking Less

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As mocktails became all the rage in 2023, a three-year analysis of our drinking habits data revealed that younger Americans reported drinking less than previous generations of young adults. With the legalization of marijuana and other substances, this trend may have been partly explained by young peoples reliance on other substances that are now easier to access. But will the lull in young adults' drinking stand the test of time? Stay tuned to this one for our reporting in August.

9. Black Life and Tainted Water

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One of the most important findings of the year out of the Gallup Center on Black Voices was the relatively high concern among Black and Hispanic Americans about pollution in the water they drink. Black and Hispanic Americans were over 20 percentage points more likely than White Americans to say they worry a great deal about pollution in the water they consume.

10. Watching Our Weight

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With the New Years resolution season upon us, we took a longer look at how Americans are doing when it comes to their physical health and found a six-point increase since 2019 in the percentage of U.S. adults falling into the obese category. We also found that healthy eating habits have eroded over that same period, with the sharpest decline in healthy eating occurring among those aged 30 to 44.

11. Bad Grades for Higher Education

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Our coverage this year also revealed a consistent decline in Americans confidence in higher education institutions. What has been described by many as the great equalizer in American society is facing an image crisis as the rate of those expressing a great deal of confidence in colleges and universities declined for a third time.

12. Party ID Shifting?

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Our reporting this year found a slight rebound in 2022 in the percentage of U.S. adults identifying as Republicans. But the real elephant in the room is that dotted line, showing the staying power in the percentage of those identifying as independents. Gallup will provide an update on 2023 party identification in January, which will serve as an important marker for the presidential contest that will begin in earnest next month.

And those are our 12 most notable findings of 2023. From all of us at Gallup, we wish a fruitful and wellbeing-rich 2024 for you and your loved ones.

To stay up to date with the latest Gallup News insights and updates, follow us on X.

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PRNewswire Gurugram (Haryana) [India], December 26: Nissan Motor India (NMIPL) in collaboration with the White Lotus Trust, introduced the 'Blossom Bus' initiative under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The project provides safe and affordable transportation for girl students attending Government Senior Secondary School in Hathin, Haryana. The initiative involves a dedicated bus service that caters to girls from eight villages, namely Swamika, Ghighraka, Ghirghraka Colony, Garhi Vinoda, and Ferozpur Rajput. The bus service addresses the safety and financial challenges that the girls faced while commuting to school. The joint effort between Nissan and White Lotus aims to make transportation more accessible and convenient for these girls and bring positive change to their lives. Since its inception in FY2021, the 'Blossom Bus' initiative has ensured safe mobility for more students by making two daily rounds across the villages. With the implementation of the initiative, the girl enrolment in the school has increased from 409 to 626, significantly reducing the dropout rate by overcoming the financial and safety barriers and fostering education continuity for girls in the local communities. Rakesh Srivastava, Managing Director, Nissan Motor India, said, "At Nissan, we take pride in our humane CSR initiatives that support access to education and a better quality of life with freedom of mobility. Our partnership with the White Lotus Trust has enabled our commitment to education, with mobility as a force of societal good. We are inspired by the substantial impact that the initiative has had in encouraging education to women and girls in the community transforming their lives." Sabrina Fawcett, Trustee & Executive Manager, Programs at White Lotus Trust, said, "The impact of this initiative extends far beyond the confines of the schoolyard. It is born from a deep understanding of the community's unique needs and aims to transform the lives of young girls in Hathin. Through our collaboration with Nissan, we have not only provided a bus, but a pathway to a brighter tomorrow." This CSR initiative supported from July 2021 to 2023, illustrates how small steps can create meaningful social change. Providing a bus service not only improves the girls' lives but also fosters empowerment and future leadership. It emphasizes the responsible role of CSR in addressing the unique needs of the communities. About Nissan Motor India Pvt. Ltd. Nissan Motor India Private Ltd. (NMIPL) incorporated in 2010 is a 100 percent subsidiary of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. Japan, serving both the domestic and export markets with a manufacturing plant and R&D Centre in Chennai. Nissan with its Global Alliance partner Renault has made an investment of $1.8 billion in the Indian economy facilitating over 70,000 direct and indirect employment and skilling opportunities. Please visit www.nissan.in for more information. FOR FURTHER MEDIA QUERIES PLEASE CONTACT: Naraayan KannanDirector - Communications, Nissan Motor India Pvt. Ltd. Email: naraayan.kannan@email.nissan.in Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2307066/Nissan_Blossom_Bus.jpg (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday, hosted a special Christmas program at his residence in the national capital. Several members of the Christian community attended the luncheon to mark Christmas celebrations. Actor Dino Morea also met with PM Modi on Christmas. Sharing pictures from the special meeting, Dino took to Instagram and wrote, "Christmas lunch was beautiful this year. Dear Sir, the Honourable Prime Minister, @narendramodi ji, thank you for inviting us to your home for a lovely Christmas lunch. To meet you and listen to you speak, and experience how gracious a host you are has been truly memorable. Thank you Sir." https://www.instagram.com/p/C1TbeQKqxaF/?hl=en&img_index=1 While addressing the Christian community, PM Modi said Jesus Christ's life is a message that is centered on compassion and service. "Christmas is a day when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. This is also an occasion to remember his life's message and values. He lived the ideals of kindness and service... He worked on making an inclusive society that had justice for everyone... These ideals are working as a guiding light for the development journey of our country," PM Modi said. Prime Minister Modi also praised the contributions of the Christian community to the freedom movement and highlighted the various intellectual thinkers and leaders. He underlined that Gandhiji himself had said that the Non-Cooperation Movement was conceived under the patronage of Sushil Kumar Rudra, Principal of St. Stephen's College. He highlighted the crucial role played by the Christian community in giving direction to society and mentioned active participation in social service towards the poor and the deprived. He also noted their contributions in important areas of education and healthcare. Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, commemorated on December 25. (ANI)
American actor Eva Mendes praised Ryan Gosling and music producer Mark Ronson for their new version of the hit song 'I'm Just Ken' from 'Barbie'. She corrected herself and called Ryan "Our Man" in a lighthearted way as she reacted to a comment by one of the social media users on her post, reported People. She took to her Instagram handle to share a video in which Gosling can be seen playing a piano while the camera moves around the studio, focusing on the actor at first, then moving to Ronson working on a mixing board. Gosling and Ronson can be heard talking about how to begin the song while the lyrics "I'm Just Ken / Merry Kristmas Barbie" emerge on the screen. In her caption, she wrote, "So grateful to @iammarkronson for getting my man to make more music. Dead Man's Bones is my favorite band ....when I first heard Ryan sing, MY HEART EXPLODED. More Ryan & Ronson musica por favor!" https://www.instagram.com/p/C1FmUz7Sq08/?hl=en According to People, however, some in the comments jokingly took offence to Mendes referring to Gosling as "my man." "Eva, I really live [sic] you, but please don't say my man, please try with our man, we all love him," one commenter wrote. "@rosemontes.o you're right ! Our Man. It'll never happen again. Merry Christmas! Lots of love !!" Mendes hilariously responded. Mendes, who has been promoting his role as Ken in 'Barbie' this year, has already supported Gosling from the sidelines on past occasions. Gosling appreciates the support that the actress has shown him throughout the process, as seen by her wearing his face on a T-shirt and reposting positive remarks from the film's director Greta Gerwig. Mendes and Gosling have been linked since 2011, after meeting on the set of their movie 'The Place Beyond the Pines'. Although the couple has never married, they share two children, Esmeralda, 9, and Amada, 7. Barbie emerged as 2023's highest-grossing movie. Gosling isn't afraid to play the same part in a future follow-up, even if there aren't any formal plans for one yet. "Can it be a husky Ken? Can I play Husky Ken, like Sandwich Ken? Can I play that Ken next time?" he joked during a panel conversation at London's BFI Southbank earlier this month, per Variety. Although Gosling may be interested, Margot Robbie, who co-produced the film and starred as 'Barbie' herself, isn't quite so sure. In an interview with Cillian Murphy for Variety Actors on Actors, the actress discussed the prospects of a 'Barbie' sequel. She said she wasn't sure the world needed another version of the film, but she wouldn't completely rule it out either. "We put everything into that movie and it's so good, that I'm like, 'Oh, no!' " said Robbie, 33. "And I was also so proud of the fact that it wasn't a sequel or a prequel or a remake, which is getting rarer and rarer these days ... that part of me is like 'Oh, no, if we do a Barbie 2 ... I don't know.' " 'Barbie' is now streaming on Max. (ANI)
Actor Varun Dhawan has once again suffered an injury during the shooting of his upcoming film 'VD18'. In a post, shared on Instagram, Varun shared a video of his bandaged leg which he placed on a chair. He captioned the video, "Another day on shoot #vd18." Recently, the 'October' actor suffered a leg injury. He posted a picture of his swollen leg on his Instagram stories. The film tentatively titled 'VD18' is directed by Kalees and produced by Atlee and Murad Khetani. The film also stars Keerthy Suresh and Wamiqa Gabbi. Excited about the project, Wamiqa said in a statement: "Being a part of 'VD18' is a thrilling experience for me. Collaborating with exceptional talents like Varun Dhawan and Keerthy Suresh under Atlee sir's visionary direction is a creative journey I'm eager to explore. I have been and will always be eternally grateful to 2023, the year that plunged things to new beginnings. And to end the year by being on sets now for my next is truly the perfect curtain call for the year. The moments like these remind me why I love what I do, and I can't wait for audiences to witness the magic we are creating on screen." The makers have not officially any details regarding the project yet. Meanwhile, Varun was last seen in director Nitesh Tiwari's romantic drama film 'Bawaal' opposite Janhvi Kapoor. The film premiered exclusively on the OTT platform Amazon Prime Video and received positive responses from the audience. He will also be seen in the Indian adaptation of the Hollywood series 'Citadel' opposite actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu. It is an Indian adaptation of the Russo Brothers' series of the same name. Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden headlined the international version. The release date of the Indian version of Citadel is awaited. Raj and DK have created the Indian version. (ANI)
Columnist Donna Vickroy and her sister, Terese Langdon. It's impossible to look forward to a new year knowing it's the one in which you will lose your sister to cancer, Vickroy says. (Donna Vickroy)

For the first time, I am not looking forward to the new year.

I should, given how godawful 2023 has been. But I already know 2024 will bring even more sadness.

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Impending hurt must happen to everyone at some point. Divorce, job loss, foreclosure are all events that can straddle the holidays and knock at the door of a new year like an apocalyptic horseman.

Columnist Donna Vickroy is seen her with her sister, Terese, in a childhood photo. (Donna Vickroy)

Yet, how do you welcome a year that will bring the death of your beloved sister?

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She was diagnosed two years ago with pancreatic cancer, an aggressive and deadly beast. Because she was lucky to catch it early, all of us believed she could at least derail it for a good amount of time. She underwent wrenching chemotherapy, searing radiation and three invasive surgeries, including the Whipple.

Most of 2022 was hell for her. We figured the universe owed her a decent reprieve.

And this past August, barely a year into her recovery, it seemed shed gotten it. The cancer seems to be at bay, everyone whispered.

The experts laid odds of five to 10 years so, of course, we expected her to get at least five.

But anyone who knows cancer knows it cares not about a persons age or past suffering or life plans.

I just happened to be visiting her in the hospital this past October when her surgeon walked in to deliver the grim timeline. With luck, shed get to the new year.

Is this the only sadness on earth? Of course not. There are children battling deadly illness. There are young parents struck down in their prime. There is war, famine, terrorism, accidents, babies who die en route to what is supposed to be a better life.

My sister has enjoyed a relatively long, and relatively good life. She married her high school sweetheart and traveled much of the world, courtesy of her husbands military career.

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Of course, she endured challenges, many of them in childhood. I know, because I was there. She struggled with an undiagnosed reading impairment that she paid for with mediocre grades, lifelong anxiety and a few rounds of summer school. When she was 8, she was bitten by the neighbors dog, which left her fearful of animals. And, because she was the oldest, she was too often left in charge of her many younger siblings.

Her childhood was harder than mine in so many ways. And yet it seems whenever I needed help, she was there.

On my first day of kindergarten, she walked me to school. Our mother had given her strict orders to walk me home. Her second grade class was dismissed earlier than mine and she mistakenly opened the door to my classroom, walked in and announced she was there to pick me up.

I cant remember my teachers name but it could have been Sister Merciless because she marched over to my sister, picked her up and threw her out the door. All of us were terrified, especially my sister who suffered a scraped knee and no doubt countless nightmares. But she stood her ground, shaking, and waited for me.

Once when I was about 5 and our family was at Rainbow Beach, my sister and I waded out a bit too far. Soon, I was in over my head. Not knowing how to swim, I panicked, bobbing up and down, heart racing. My sister, who at 7 also didnt know how to swim, dog paddled over to me, grabbed my arm and pulled me to safety.

Another day that same summer, a couple of neighborhood sisters did the unthinkable  invited us to play inside. Back then, there were rules in our South Side Chicago neighborhood that was teeming with kids. You all played together but you all played outside.

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It was enough for parents to deal with their own brood making a mess than to allow entry to neighborhood riffraff. But on this occasion, we were assured the adults werent home. The friends cajoled us to come inside. We were playing in the basement when someone yelled, Grandma! and everyone  else  headed for the back door.

In my panic, I ran straight for the front door, swung it open and felt someone push it closed behind me. I was trapped between the heavy main door and the metal screen door. I stood there, like a slice of bread in a toaster, and watched my breath fog the glass.

Suddenly my sister was there, on the other side, tugging at the screen door handle. Unsuccessful, she did the unthinkable: She rang the bell.

Noooooo, I screamed. Far better to die in a toaster than at the hands of an angry grandma. Within seconds, the matriarch was back, whipping open the main door, releasing the lock and pushing me with what I imagine was a Polish expletive right onto the porch.

I didnt care about the trauma or my bloody palms or even if someone told my parents. I was free. And I had my sister to thank for that.

Not that we didnt fight. For many years, we shared a bed, a bunch of clothes and housekeeping duties. We often tussled over space, outfits and whose turn it was to wash dishes.

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But it seems that whenever I needed something, it was my sister to the rescue. She helped me navigate high school and land my first job. Once when the heat went out in my college dorm on a frosty winter day, she and her husband drove three hours to bring me a space heater and a slow cooker full of spaghetti.

Of course, Ive done nice things for her over the years, including delivering some of Chicagos finest food  Palermos, Rubinos, El Milagro  to wherever she and her husband were living.

Because of her, the world has been a safer, more joyful place for me. Whenever I had big news, or even small news, she was the first person Id call.

Naperville Sun Twice-weekly News updates from the Naperville area delivered every Monday and Wednesday By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >

Is it selfish to want more time?

Now, the clock ticks loudly. The days pass quickly. The new year is ready to pounce. And while it seems the whole world will celebrate, I am terrified for the calendar to flip.

The inevitable punctuates everything I do, everything that happens. but she is going to die.

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She is adrift in a tiny boat and a storm is bearing down.

And I am watching in horror from the safety of the shore, unable to do for her what she has done for me so many times.

donnavickroy4@gmail.com

Donna Vickroy is an award-winning reporter, editor and columnist who worked for the Daily Southtown for 38 years.
Stating that tourism in the state has reduced by 10-20 per cent, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has appealed to the people to stop violence and start a peaceful dialogue to end the ethnic crisis. Over 180 people have died and thousands have been internally displaced since the ethnic violence began on May 3 in the northeastern state. "We cannot deny (tourism) is little affected. But particularly in the Imphal area and other parts of the hills except two districts, normalcy is there. But (tourism) has reduced by 10-20 per cent. During the crisis time, even in the Imphal valley, security vehicles were not allowed to move. We have to take some time because all are our people. We cannot use force against them. Slowly, normalcy is returning. We have to convince the people," he said, addressing a press conference here. On being asked about the violence in Manipur in the year 2023, the CM said that "we should not count 8 months" as there were 4-5 months when there was no crisis in the state. "From May 3, you are counting 8 months but for 4-5 months, there was no crisis. Everything was peaceful. We should not count 8 months but only the time when the crisis took place. Problem-solving takes time. But in the meantime, I want to appeal to all the citizens of the country, particularly those in Manipur, to stop violence and start peaceful dialogue. We have to live together. We have to resettle the displaced person in their respective places. Children have to go to school," he added. The ethnic violence involving the Kuki and Meitei communities erupted after a rally by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) on May 3. With the violence and rioting persisting and many lives lost, the Centre had to deploy paramilitary forces to restore peace in the state. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court asked the Manipur government to furnish to the court-appointed committee the details about the steps it had taken to restore the places of worship that had been destroyed in the ethnic violence. Meanwhile, Assam Rifles, in a joint search operation with Manipur police, recovered arms and ammunition in the general area of Kouburu Ridge in Noney district on Saturday, according to an official statement. Based on inputs about the presence of arms and ammunition, a joint team of Assam Rifles and Manipur Police launched a joint search operation on December 23. A detailed joint search of the general area was carried out, leading to the recovery of one AK 56 rifle, one single-barrel gun, ammunition, six grenades and war-like stores, according to the release. (ANI)
An LGBTQ Fashion Show was organised in Siliguri where more than 28 participants from various districts of North Bengal participated in it. Siliguri Pride Walk, a platform for LGBTQ communities, organised the community-based LGBTQ Fashion Show in Siliguri. The show was organised to make the stakeholders, especially the people holding important positions in society, aware of the problems and issues faced by the LGBTQ community. Bodhi Satta, one of the organising members, said, "Our all participants did their own design and make-up. The community people want to show their talents and speak about personal rights from this platform. There is no marriage law, no adoption law, no inheritance law. So, we want the government to look into the issue and see the community people as normal as part of society. People should also make their thinking smart and accept the community as human beings." Chandni Roy, a participant from Siliguri, said that it's great that the committee organised such a kind of show, through it, they can show their talents. There is still some negativity in society about the activities of the LGBT community. "But we can prove that they are like others in society." "There is still a lot of discrimination in society. He likes to dress up like a woman. He likes to wear a saree and do make-up. But people use slang language while passing through them. That should be stopped," Vivek Ghosh, a participant from Raiganj, said. The transgender community is still trying to prove themselves and make themselves acceptable in society after the Supreme Court scrapped Article 377, decriminalising same-sex relations between consenting adults in 2018. (ANI)
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will soon flag off the newly made Amrit Bharat train which features push-pull technology. Vaishnaw highlighted the innovative push-pull technology, which he claims significantlyincrease the speed of the trains as well as passenger comfort. "Amrit Bharat train has better acceleration due to push-pull technology. This means that the vehicle accelerates quickly and also stops quickly, thereby saving time wherever there are curves and bridges on the way. It is equipped with semi-permanent couplers which eliminate the scope of shocks in the train. Charging points are provided near every seat. Special toilets have also been made for the disabled, with wide doors and special ramps," he said. "Total new technology has been used in engines. Like Vande Bharat, an absolute locomotive cab has been installed in Amrit Bharat train also," he said after inspecting the newly built 'Amrit Bharat' train at the New Delhi Railway station here on Monday. The Railway Minister also mentioned that a lot of changes have been made in the design of train toilets in which minimum water usage is promoted. "Vestibules in train are fully covered because when the vehicle moves at speed the air starts to move inside which has the possibility of impairing the stability of the vehicle. This will keep the car stable and safe. For the comfort of the passengers, Cushions are installed at the luggage berth above," Vaishnaw said. The Railway Minister further informed that the technology used in Vande Bharat trains and the upcoming Amrit Bharat trains are Made in India. "The two most important technologies of the world are - Distributive Power which has created Vande Bharat Transit and Push-Pull technology which has created Amrit Bharat, both technologies are made in India under PM Modi's Make in India initiative," he said. Recently, PM Narendra Modi flagged off a second Vande Bharat Express between Varanasi and New Delhi on December 18. The Varanasi-New Delhi Vande Bharat Express, Dohrighat-Mau MEMU train and a pair of Long Haul goods trains were flagged off by the PM at the newly inaugurated Dedicated Freight Corridor. The highlight of the event was the 10,000th locomotive made by Banaras Locomotive Works. (ANI)
Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya, who is infamous for his controversial statements, explained his "Hindu ek dhoka hai" remark, saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had said the same thing. "In 1955, the Supreme Court said in its order that Hindu is not a religion but a way of life. It is a conglomeration of more than 200 religions. Even Mohan Bhagwat had said, not once but twice, that Hindu is not a religion but a way of life. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also said that Hindu is not a religion. Even Gadkari had said the same thing in a media conclave," Maurya said while speaking at National Buddhist and Bahujan Rights Conference in New Delhi on Monday. The Samajwadi Party leader questioned why no one's sentiments get hurt when they say the same thing on Hinduism that he had said. "But when they say these, no one's sentiments get hurt but when Swami Prasad Maurya says that Hindu is not a religion but a betrayal and what we refer to as Hindu religion is a business for some people, the whole country gets into a storm," Maurya said. "When the Supreme Court said the same thing in 1955, no one took offence. But when Swami Prasad Maurya says it, FIRs are registered throughout the country. I am saying the same thing that the Indian Constituion is saying," he added. The Samajwadi Party leader said that the Hindu upper classes make use of the Bahujan vote bank to come into power, but after doing so they cancel reservations for them. "Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas together make up eight per cent of the population. These eight per cent cannot form a government on its own. These have expolited the backward classes and formed the government in the name of Hindu. For the purpose of votes, we are Hindus. But after forming the government, we are no longer Hindus. If it had been the case, they would have never cancelled reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes or backward castes," Maurya said. The Samajwadi Party MLC said that those sitting at the top echelons of power are weakening democracy by doing away with reservations. "Those who swear by the Constitution, the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers, those who are at the helm of power are prioritizing Manuvaad. The Constitution is being made ineffective...Reservations are being done away with. Even democracy is being weakened. Almost 150 MPs were disqualified from Parliament. Is it not a conspiracy against democracy? Is the government not imposing its say on its people?" Maurya said. Swami Prasad Maurya, who came to limelight after stoking a major controversy with his 'Ramcharitmanas' comments had earlier said in August the Hinduism is a "betrayal". In a video posted on 'X' Maurya was heard saying, "The roots of Brahminism are very deep and the reason for all the disparity is also Brahminism. There is no religion called Hindu, Hinduism is just a hoax. There is a conspiracy to trap the Dalits, tribals and backward people of this country by calling the same Brahmin religion as Hindu religion." (ANI)
Taking a swipe at the Opposition alliance on the 99th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Monday, the BJP's West Bengal president Sukanta Majumdar said the leaders in the rival alliance to old videos of the departed saffron stalwart in Parliament and learn how to behave and conduct themselves in the temple of democracy. Speaking to ANI on a day suspected Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee dared the Centre to arrest him over his mimicry of Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, saying he would do it many times over as he considered it as an 'art form', Majumdar said, "The 99th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is being celebrated not just by our party members across the state but various social organisations as well. We are paying our tributes to him on 'Good Governance Day'. He laid the foundation for good governance in the country, which is now being carried forward by Prime Minister Narendra Modi." "Today is a day when we should all take a solemn pledge to follow the path of good governance and fulfill Atal Bihari Vajpayee's vision to take India towards progress," he added. "The opposition should see the videos of how the Parliament was conducted during the tenure of PM Vajpayee. They should see how he used to speak and how the Opposition members conducted themselves at the time. He would never rush to the Well of the House and foul-mouth the Chair. Our Opposition members should learn a lesson or two from him," the BJP's Bengal chief said. The BJP, on Monday, organised several events across the country to mark the 99th birth anniversary of Vajpayee, which is also observed as 'Good Governance Day'. Several prominent leaders, including Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, paid glowing tributes to the former PM on his birth anniversary, while party heavyweights led by Prime Minister Modi, along with President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar also laid floral tributes at Vajpayee's memorial in the national capital. Taking to his official handle on X, Prime Minister Modi posted, "On behalf of all the family members of the country, I pay my deepest respects to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji on his birth anniversary. He remained engaged in accelerating nation-building throughout his life. His dedication and service towards Mother India will remain a source of inspiration even in his immortal age." Born on December 25, 1924, in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, Vajpayee served the nation as the PM thrice. He passed away at AIIMS, New Delhi, on August 16, 2018. (ANI)
In reaction to Trinamool Congress (TMC) Minister Shashi Panja commenting on internal squabbles in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership in West Bengal, BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul questioned if the former had joined the BJP. "Has Shashi Panja joined the Bharatiya Janata Party recently? I haven't seen her. Why does any internal matter or fight in the BJP trouble her then? What I knew was that she was in TMC till yesterday," Paul said, speaking to ANI on Monday. Paul said that Panja needs to worry about her own party, especially the alleged fight between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee. "What does Shashi Panka think of the fight between Mamata Banerjee and her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, in the TMC? Based on what information, the senior citizens in the party are being sidelined one after the other. She should think about whatever internal squabbles are there in the TMC and the corruption charges. Almost 50 per cent of their leaders are in jail while others are bag packing," the BJP leader said. Paul asserted that the problems in the BJP is their "family matter" and Panja has no right to comment on the BJP's internal matters. "Whatever problem is there in the BJP is ours. This is a democratic party. This is the world's largest party as well. Here, we have the freedom to voice our thoughts. This is our family matter. If Shashi Panja is in our family, I do not know. If she has not joined BJP, she has no right to comment on our party's internal matters," Paul said. Earlier, speaking about Union Home Minister Amit Shah's upcoming visit to West Bengal, Shashi Panja had said that it is possible that Shah is coming to the state to look into the internal fights in the BJP in Bengal. "He (Union Home Minister Amit Shah) is welcome in Bengal. But we don't know their (BJP) agenda. They have serious internal fights in their party in West Bengal, lobbying is going on in the BJP in Bengal. They have too many leaders but no workers. They have so many internal differnces," the TMC leader said. "Maybe he (Shah) is coming to solve these issues, how to make the BJP more powerful in Bengal. This is their internal matter but it is clear among everyone that there are many fights among them and no one takes anyone's dictates," she added. (ANI)
The day after hosting a delegation from the Christian community at his residence in the national capital on Christmas Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a programme marking 'Veer Baal Diwas' at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam in the national capital on Tuesday, further advancing his idea of 'Sabka Saath'. Later in the day, Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to flag off a youth march to mark 'Veer Baal Diwas'. The government would also organise participatory programmes all over the country to inform and educate the citizens, especially young children, about the exemplary courage of the Sahibzades (the two young Khalsas who are commemorated on this day). A digital exhibition detailing the life story and sacrifice of the Sahibzades will be displayed in schools and childcare institutions across the country. A film on 'Veer Baal Diwas' will also be screened nationwide. Various online competitions, including interactive quiz shows, will be organised through the MYBharat and MyGov portals. On the day of the Prakash Purab of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, on January 9, 2022, Prime Minister Modi announced that December 26 would be marked every year as 'Veer Bal Diwas', to mark the martyrdom of his sons Sahibzadas Baba Zorawar Singh Ji and Baba Fateh Singh Ji. The day also marks the birth anniversary of Udham Singh, a great revolutionary, who avenged the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Amritsar on Baisakhi in 1919 by killing General O'Dwyer, who ordered his forces to open fire on peaceful protesters, in March 1940. Shaheed Udham Singh was later hanged by the British in London. Born on December 26, 899, at Sunam in Punjab, Udham Singh was known as Sher Singh as a child. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre on April 13, 1919, left a life-long impact on Udham Singh. The people who had gathered to celebrate Baisakhi at Armitsar's Jallianwala Bagh were fired upon by General Dwyer, who blocked off the main entrance and ordered his troops to open fire on the crowd. The British officer was scheduled to give a speech at Caxton Hall in London on March 13, 1940. Uddham Singh hid a revolver in a book, entered the hall and shot O'Dwyer. He was formally charged with the murder on April 1, 1940. While in custody, he called himself "Ram Mohammad Singh Azad." He was hanged in London on July 31, 1940. (ANI)
Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday remembered the sacrifice of last Sikh guru- Guru Gobind Singh's four sons on the occasion of 'Veer Bal Diwas' and mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spread the saga of their sacrifice to every corner of the country and the world. Remembering their unmatched valour, Shah also said the sacrifice will continue to inspire generations to come. "On Veer Bal Diwas, I bow to Guru Gobind Singh Ji's four Sahibzade and Mata Gujri Ji. With supreme courage they stood against the brutal Mughal rule and chose martyrdom, refusing to convert. Their unmatched valor will continue to inspire generations to come. Proclaiming their Martyrdom Day as Veer Bal Diwas, Prime Minister Modi Ji has spread the saga of their sacrifice to every corner of the country and the world," Shah posted on 'X', formerly Twitter. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri also paid tribute to the valor of the Guru's sons "I join members of the Sikh Sangat in India & around the world to thank PM Sh @narendramodiJi for honouring the sentiments of our entire community to honour the valour, courage & shahadat of our Chaar Sahibzaade at a young age, & declare 26 December as #VeerBaalDiwas" the Minister posted on X. PM Modi on the day of the Prakash Purab of Guru Gobind Singh, on January 9, 2022, had declared that December 26 will be marked as 'Veer Baal Diwas' to pay homage to the courage of the 'Sahibzades'-- the four sons of Guru Gobind Singh. While all four sons of Guru Gobind Singh were martyred, the date is observed as the martyrdom day of the Sahibzadas-- Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh who are said to have been martyred at the tender ages of six and nine in Sirhind (Punjab) by Mughal forces on the orders of the then ruler Aurangzeb. The place where the sons of the last Sikh Guru were buried alive is today's Fatehgarh Sahib The Sikhs respect the sons of the 10th Guru as warriors who are usually referred to as Sahibzadas. (ANI)
After facing a defeat in recently concluded Madhya Pradesh assembly polls, the Congress party is gearing up for the upcmoing Lok Sabha election and held a meeting for the same at the state Congress office in Bhopal on Tuesday. Party MLAs, district president, district in-charge, AICC in-charge of Madhya Pradesh Jitendra Singh, State Congress President Jitu Patwari, former CM Digvijaya Singh, Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar and others leaders were present in the meeting. Ahead of the meeting, Patwari said, "The members of our party have been gathered here for contemplation and for review. It is the first step of the Congress party for the preparation of Lok Sabha election and its roadmap. I believe that the coming time will be of the people of Madhya Pradesh and Congress workers." Meanwhile, Jitendra Singh, who visited the city for the first time after becoming the state in-charge, has said that he is very happy that the party did not perform well in the recent assembly polls but there is still a lot of enthusiasm among all the party workers. "I have talked to many party workers and I am very happy that the Congress Party may not have given a good performance in the last assembly elections but there is still a lot of enthusiasm among all the workers. Today we have organised a meeting to discuss the preparations and process for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections," Singh said. Earlier today, Singh was welcomed by state Congress president Patwari, senior party leaders and others at Bhopal airport. "Today, we welcomed National General Secretary of Congress and newly appointed in-charge of Madhya Pradesh Jitendra Singh at Bhopal airport along with senior leaders and Congressmen," Patwari posted on X. "Who is there who has never fallen? Only those who fall and do not get up again are defeated. It is definitely a challenging situation, but with the joint efforts of each and every soldier of the Congress Party, it is not impossible for the Congress to perform better in Madhya Pradesh" the newly elected Congress state President Jitu Patwari added. Speaking to reporters Patwari said that the Party was enthusiastic about its chances in Upcoming Lok Sabha Polls. "The truth is that, the future belongs to Congress. Congress stands for positive thinking. It also stands for public trust. With the organizational skills and support and dedication of Congress's dedicated soldiers, Congress has started preparing for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The first goal is to increase the 40% vote percentage in the assembly elections and to take the ideology of Congress to every home" Patwari said. (ANI)
The Oak Brook Police Departments most popular employee now has a finished office  newly painted and filled with essentials.

Bandit, a 14-month-old Golden Doodle, arrived in Oak Brook a year ago from South Carolina to be the police departments comfort/therapy dog and has been a big hit with everyone who has met him.

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And now, thanks to a painting job by Butler Junior High art teacher Nina Angelillo, Bandit is settled in to what certainly is the most brightly-painted office in the building.

Nina Angelillo relaxes with Bandit after finishing the painting of his office (Oak Brook Police Department/HANDOUT)

His office was available before he arrived, but it wasnt painted and pictures werent hung until later, Deputy Police Chief Reid Foltyniewicz said. We converted a storage room into his office. We thought it would be fun and functional to provide all his equipment, including his food, pictures, bed, etc. We decided this before he arrived.

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One wall in Bandits office is painted with bones that have the names of the past and current K9s who have served in Oak Brook, said officer Katie Yager.

We thought it would be nice to honor them in his office too, she said.

When it came time to look for assistance in painting Bandits office, Oak Brook police used the same method as they did in finding a name for their comfort/therapy dog.

As we did with naming him, we reached out to the community for assistance in painting his office, Foltyniewicz said.

When police reached out to the community for suggestions in naming Bandit, students from Butler Junior High and Brook Forest School came up with the moniker. This time, it was Angelilio, the Butler Junior high art teacher. She worked on painting Bandits office, periodically throughout the past year, making trips to the police department when she had free time.

Angelillo said the idea to paint a mural in Bandits office was proposed to her last year by Yager, the Butler Junior High D.A.R.E. officer.

I was honored to be asked, Angelillo said. As a Butler alum, Oak Brook resident, and now teacher at Butler Junior High, it was an automatic ,yes without hesitation and the perfect opportunity to give back to the community I will always call home.

Angelillo said she wanted the design for Bandits office to be welcoming, fun, and vibrant with touches that would make sense in a space designed for a dog.

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I appreciated so much the creative freedom the Oak Brook Police Department let me have in the space, she said. I knew I also wanted to create a mural design reflective of my own artistic style, which is so colorful, flowy, and abstract.

I worked on the mural throughout 2023, starting in January and finishing in November. It was truly a labor of love and a space I enjoyed coming to, she said. As with any passion, when one is immersed with it, they get lost in the process, and I spent many hours at the Oak Brook Police Department, listening to music, painting, and vibing out.

The experience of painting Bandits office was unique and wonderfully fulfilling, Angelillo said.

It was a plus that Bandit would poke his head in every now and then as I was painting, which was a great motivation to keep going, she said.

The timing of the project proved to be and added plus for Angelillo, too.

When I started the project, I had recently lost my family dog of over 16 years, Dolce, she said. I felt that this project was not only a passion project to do for the community, but a therapeutic project as well for me.

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I am really proud of what came together and the mix of personal style as well as tributes to former service dogs that are on the bones scattered throughout the piece. It is something that I will look back on fondly and am grateful for the experience.

Foltyniewicz said Bandit seems quite pleased with his newly-painted office.

He continues to love it more and more, Foltyniewicz said. He enjoys taking naps on his bed with the lights off.

Foltyniewicz also shared a message from Bandit.

I am trained to bring comfort and reduce the anxiety to all that I meet, he said. I love to meet new faces and attend community events.

Yager said Bandit has been well received by the community and his followers on Instagram at @Pawfficerbanditk907.
A day after Samajwadi Party Leader Swami Prasad Maurya justified his "Hindu religion is betrayal" remark and set off a political storm, a Delhi advocate has taken offence at his remark and filed a complaint against him with Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora. In a post on 'X' Advocate Vineet Jindal said that he has filed a complaint with Delhi Police against Swami Prasad Maurya over his "Hindu religion is betrayal" comment. "Advocate Vineet Jindal filed a complaint with Delhi Police against Swami Prasad Maurya @SwamiPMaurya for saying "betrayal of Hindu religion". Filed a complaint with Delhi Police Commissioner. Vineet Jindal demanded the arrest of Maurya," he posted on 'X'. Earlier in a video message on 'X', Vineet Jindal said that his religious sentiments were hurt by Maurya's comment. "Samajwadi Party Leader Swami Prasad Maurya is known for his controversial comments on Hinduism, Hindu gods and goddesses for a long time. Yesterday, while addressing a public meeting in Delhi, he called the Hindu religion a 'betrayal'. He has given such comments before," Jindal said in his video message. "Criminal proceedings should be conducted against those who want to create communal disharmony in our country for political gains. The Election Commission has also directed that FIRs be filed against those who engage in hate speech...," he added. Earlier on Monday, Maurya, who is infamous for his controversial statements, justified his "Hindu ek dhoka hai" remark, saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had said the same thing. "In 1955, the Supreme Court said in its order that Hindu is not a religion but a way of life. It is a conglomeration of more than 200 religions. Even Mohan Bhagwat had said, not once but twice, that Hindu is not a religion but a way of life. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also said that Hindu is not a religion. Even Gadkari had said the same thing in a media conclave," Maurya said while speaking at National Buddhist and Bahujan Rights Conference in New Delhi. (ANI)
On the occasion of 'Veer Bal Diwas', West Bengal Legislative Assembly Leader of Opposition (LoP) Suvdendu Adhikari said that the way Sahibzadas fought against the Mughals to protect their religion and sacrificed themselves sets a proud example for our country and our society. "Our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi celebrated the Veer Bal Diwas for the first time in our history. Earlier, we did not have such a program on a grand scale. But all of us know their history. The way they fought against the Mughals to protect their religion and sacrificed themselves, this is a proud example for our country and our society," Adhikari said. Speaking about the significance of the day, Adhikari said, "Everyone knows that today is Veer Bal Diwas. Sahibzadas sacrificed their lives to protect their religion. Today all patriots, the Sikh community and nationalists come to the gurudwara to bow down their heads and engage in prayers and kirtans." The West Bengal LoP said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Bharatiya Janata Party national president JP Nadda visited and offered prayers at Gurudwara Bara Sikh Sangat in Kolkata. "Today we are very happy that in the land of Kolkata, where we have one of the prestigious Gurdwaras, our Union Home Minister, our party national president and we came to offer our prayers. It was a nice program where we along with those engaged with the Sikh community came together and held kirtan, read the Guru Granth Sahib, ardas, took prasad and bowed down our heads together" Suvendu Adhikari said. In reply to a question asked by a reporter on the timing of the event as Amit Shah and JP Nadda had a party program in Kolkata on Tuesday, Adhikari said, "This has nothing to do with election. They have a program in Kolkata there. They started it with the Gurdwara." "All people associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party, including MPs, MLAs and even the Prime Minister started their day after praying for Veer Bal," he added. On the day of the Prakash Purab of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, on January 9, 2022, Prime Minister Modi announced that December 26 would be marked every year as 'Veer Bal Diwas', to mark the martyrdom of his sons Sahibzadas Baba Zorawar Singh Ji and Baba Fateh Singh Ji. The day also marks the birth anniversary of Udham Singh, a great revolutionary, who avenged the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Amritsar on Baisakhi in 1919 by killing General O'Dwyer, who ordered his forces to open fire on peaceful protesters, in March 1940. (ANI)
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai participated in the 'Veer Bal Diwas' celebration on Tuesday at Raipur to mark the martyrdom of Sri Guru Gobind Singh's sons Sahibzadas Baba Zorawar Singh ji and Baba Fateh Singh ji. "Today, on the 26th of December, we remember Baba Zorawar Singh and Baba Fateh Singh, who at the tender ages of 9 and 6 respectively, sacrificed their lives for their faith as sons of Guru Gobind Singh. These souls were subjected to a horrific ordeal by the Mughal rulers, and we gather here to pay our respects to their unwavering courage," said Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai while addressing a press conference at Raipur. "It is a moment of pride that last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the occasion of Prakash Parv, declared December 26th as Veer Bal Diwas to permanently honor the martyrdom of the Guru's sons. This ensures that their sacrifice will forever be etched in our national memory, and Veer Bal Diwas will be celebrated with utmost reverence each year," added the Chhattisgarh CM. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath observed 'Veer Bal Diwas', in Lucknow and paid obeisance to Guru Granth Sahib, by carrying the Holy Book on his head, at a program at his official residence in Lucknow. Earlier, speaking at an event in the national capital to mark 'Veer Bal Divas', Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday noted how fellow Indians were taking pride in the country's heritage saying that the world, today, is viewing the country in a different light. Advancing his vision of a new India, PM Modi said the country now has more confidence and belief in its people as well as their potential, dreams and aspirations. Addressing the event to mark the martyrdom of the two sons of Sikh Guru Sri Gobind Singh, Prime Minister Modi said, "Veer Bal Diwas' represents and symbolises a national urge to safeguard and carry forward the idea of Bharatiyata." "This year, America, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, the UAE and Greece have organised programmes related to 'Veer Bal Diwas'," PM Modi added. "Even as we are taking pride in our national heritage, the world has started looking at us differently. The India of today has more confidence in the confidence, ability, and potential of its people," PM Modi added. "We don't have even a second to waste. The (Sikh) gurus gave us these teachings. Our life's mission should be to restore and safeguard our nation's pride and glory. We need to live for the betterment of the country," PM Modi said. The martyrdom of Mata Gujri, Guru Gobind Singh Ji and their four Sahibzadas inspires every Indian, he said. After his address at the event, Prime Minister Modi flagged off a youth march to mark 'Veer Baal Diwas'. The government will also organise participatory programmes all over the country to inform and educate the citizens, especially young children, about the exemplary courage of the Sahibzades (the two young Khalsas who are commemorated on this day). A digital exhibition detailing the life story and sacrifice of the Sahibzades will be displayed in schools and childcare institutions across the country. A film on 'Veer Baal Diwas' will also be screened nationwide. Various online competitions, including interactive quiz shows, will be organised through the MYBharat and MyGov portals. On the day of the Prakash Purab of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, on January 9, 2022, Prime Minister Modi announced that December 26 would be marked every year as 'Veer Bal Diwas', to mark the martyrdom of his sons Sahibzadas Baba Zorawar Singh Ji and Baba Fateh Singh Ji. (ANI)
Ahead of the grand consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the district administration and Municipal administration of Ayodhya have launched a drive to overhaul the Kunds or Water Ponds of Ayodhya. Ayodhya has 108 Kunds (Water Ponds) across all the districts. Visuals of Dant Dhavan Kund Ganesh Kund show that renovation work is underway and will be completed soon. The Kunds were built to provide water as a resource for the pilgrims for their basic needs. Earlier, The general secretary of Sri Ram Janambhoomi Trust, Champat, Rai on Saturday the installation of the idol of Ram Lalla at the shrine would mark the restoration of India's honour. Speaking to ANI on December 24, Rai said, "The eventual installation of the idol of Ram Lalla at the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple will give me a feeling of immense satisfaction. I believe that the strides we have made so far in raising the temple marks the restoration of India's honour." Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the installation of the idol of Lord Ram at the grand temple on January 22. Preparations are underway on a war footing for the event, which will draw dignitaries and people from all walks of life. Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama, holds great spiritual, historical and cultural significance for the people of India. Apart from political and religious leaders, Bollywood actors, including Amitabh Bachchan, have been invited to the 'Pran Pratishtha' of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust has decided to enthrone Ram Lalla at the sanctum-sanctorum of the Ram Temple at noon on January 22, next year. The trust has also invited 4,000 saints of all sects for the ceremony. Vedic rituals for the Pran-Pratishtha (consecration) ceremony of Ram Lalla (infant Lord Ram) in Ayodhya will begin on January 16, next year, a week before the main ceremony. A priest from Varanasi, Lakshmi Kant Dixit, will perform the main rituals of the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla on January 22. From January 14 to January 22, Ayodhya will mark the Amrit Mahautsav. A 1008 Hundi Mahayagya will also be organised, in which thousands of devotees will be fed. Several tent cities are being erected in Ayodhya to accommodate thousands of devotees, who are expected to arrive in the temple town of Uttar Pradesh for the grand consecration of the Ram Temple. According to the Sri Ram Janambhoomi Trust, arrangements will be made for 10,000-15,000 people. Local authorities are gearing up for the anticipated surge in visitors around the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony and are in the process of implementing enhanced security measures and making logistical arrangements to ensure a smooth and spiritually enriching experience for all attendees. (ANI)
Headlining an event in the national capital to mark 'Veer Bal Divas', Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday noted how fellow Indians were taking pride in the country's heritage saying that the world, today, is viewing the country in a different light. Advancing his vision of a new India, PM Modi said the country now has more confidence and belief in its people as well as their potential, dreams and aspirations. Addressing the event to mark the martyrdom of the two sons of Sikh Guru Sri Gobind Singh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "'Veer Bal Diwas' represents and symbolises a national urge to safeguard and carry forward the idea of Bharatiyata."This year, America, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, the UAE and Greece have organised programmes related to 'Veer Bal Diwas'," PM Modi added. Remembering their unmatched valour,Union Home Minister Amit Shah also said the sacrifice will continue to inspire generations to come. "On Veer Bal Diwas, I bow to Guru Gobind Singh Ji's four Sahibzade and Mata Gujri Ji. With supreme courage they stood against the brutal Mughal rule and chose martyrdom, refusing to convert" the Home Minister said. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami paid obeisance at Tila Sahib Gurdwara in New Tehri on the occasion of Veer Bal Diwas. A digital exhibition detailing the life story and sacrifice of the Sahibzades will be displayed in schools and childcare institutions across the country. A film on 'Veer Baal Diwas' will also be screened nationwide. Various online competitions, including interactive quiz shows, will be organised through the MYBharat and MyGov portals. On the day of the Prakash Purab of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, on January 9, 2022, Prime Minister Modi announced that December 26 would be marked every year as 'Veer Bal Diwas', to mark the martyrdom of his sons Sahibzadas Baba Zorawar Singh Ji and Baba Fateh Singh Ji. Sikh community across the World thanked PM Modi for taking "historical" steps to celebrate Veer Bal Diwas. (ANI)
The Assam Chief Minister took to his social media X and posted, "Really grateful to Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami for meeting me during my stay in Uttarakhand. His hands-on leadership during the Silkyara Tunnel rescue was truly inspiring."

Earlier on Monday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Dhami addressed the swearing-in ceremony of the 'Prantiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal' in Udham Singh Nagar district and urged the businessmen to promote 'Vocal for Local'.

The 'Vocal for Local' initiative aims to promote local products for the speedy progress of the country and to achieve the goal of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'.

CM Dhami said, "I would like to urge you to promote 'Vocal for Local', which was early voiced by Prime Minister Narendra Modiji so that small vendors can also contribute to strengthening the economy. PM Modi has inculcated a sense of confidence among the people of the country. He has empowered the people."

Heaping praise on PM Modi, CM Dhami said, "Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modiji, the country continued to progress. We are now the fifth-largest economy in the world. Like a parent and a guardian, he stood with the people of the country." (ANI)
During the meeting, CM Yadav held a discussion regarding the strengthening of law and order in the state and other important issues. He also gave necessary directions to them on the occasion.

"Today, a meeting was held with the officers in-charge (ACS /ADG) of various divisions at Mantralaya. Discussion was held on strengthening of law and order in the state, other important issues and also gave necessary directions," CM Yadav posted on X.

In the beginning of the meeting, Additional Chief Secretaries gave details to CM Yadav about implementation of public welfare schemes and meetings of officers in the divisions.

The Chief Minister office posted on X, "CM Yadav held a discussion with the officers in-charges of the divisions, Additional Chief Secretaries and Additional Directors General of Police at the Mantralaya conference hall. At the beginning of the meeting, Additional Chief Secretaries gave details about the visits made to the divisions, implementation of public welfare schemes and meetings of officers in the divisions to CM Yadav."

Chief Secretary Veera Rana and senior officials were also present in the meeting. (ANI)
The meeting likely involved discussions on cultural initiatives and the progress of the construction of the Shri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

The interaction aimed to apprise the President of the developments in these significant projects.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir Construction Committee invited former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and the party's leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury for the consecration ceremony.

The attendance of senior Congress leaders has not yet been confirmed by the party.

The ceremony scheduled for January 22 will witness the installation of the idol of Ram Lalla at the grand temple. It is expected to be attended by hundreds of officials, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The trust has also invited 4,000 saints of all sects for the ceremony.

The trust has decided to enthrone the idol of Lord Ram at the sanctum sanctorum between noon and 12.45 pm on January 22. Lakshmi Kant Dixit, a Vedic priest, is scheduled to perform the main rituals of the consecration ceremony on the day. (ANI)
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday hit out at the Central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing it of "betraying" people of Jammu and Kashmir. In a post on X after the meeting with party leaders from J-K and Ladakh, Kharge said that his party is 'deeply concerned about the rise in terror attacks in Pir Panjal and the targeted killings of Kashmiri Pandits in the last few years'. Kharge and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held a meeting on Tuesday with party leaders of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in the national capital to discuss the strategy for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. "We had a detailed discussion with the Congress party leaders from Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, regarding the Lok Sabha elections. Modi Govt has left no stone unturned in betraying the people of Jammu & Kashmir... We are deeply concerned about the rise in terror attacks in Pir Panjal and the targeted killings of Kashmiri Pandits in the last few years," Kharge said. He further said that post Galwan clash, the national security and strategic interests have been 'endangered'. "Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh are inalienable and indistinguishable part of India, but PM Modi's clean chit to China, post Galwan has endangered our national security and strategic interests," the Congress chief said. He further expressed his hope for restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. "We hope to see full statehood restored to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh being made a state at the earliest," he added. Kharge also alleged that the Modi government has 'deceived' the people of Ladakh who are demanding safeguards for the tribal people of the region under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. "People of Ladakh are unitedly demanding safeguards for the tribal people of the region under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. But the Modi Govt has time and again, deceived them," Kharge added. Kharge further said that the opposition bloc- INDIA are strongly committed to the welfare, development and empowerment of J-K and Ladakh. "People of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh want change and want their voices to be heard to, and they conveyed the same to us, by the kind of strong support they gave to Shri @RahulGandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Congress party and are allies are strongly committed to the welfare, development and empowerment of J&K and Ladakh," the Congress chief said. (ANI)
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi held a meeting with Bihar Congress leaders here on Tuesday to discuss the strategy for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Party General Secretary KC Venugopal was also present in the meeting. Several leaders from the state attended the meeting. Bihar Congress chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh and newly appointed state in-charge Mohan Prakash, along with leaders like Ranjeet Ranjan, and Shakeel Ahmed, were among those present in the meeting. After the meeting with Bihar Congress leaders, party chief Kharge took to X, and said that every worker of his party is ready to reach out to the people and live up to the aspirations of the people of Bihar for the progress, prosperity and peace of the state. "The Grand Alliance government in Bihar is working firmly as per the expectations of the people of Bihar. We are committed to social justice. For the progress, prosperity and peace of Bihar, every Congress worker is ready to reach out to the people and live up to the aspirations of the people of Bihar," he said. Though the Congress-RJD-JDU-Left alliance is in power in the state, 17 of the 40 MPs in the state are from the BJP. The opposition bloc INDIA has announced to contest the elections jointly. However, there is continuing suspense over a seat-sharing agreement between the partners in the opposition alliance. Amid this suspense, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on Tuesday that talks would be held with an 'open mind'. Speaking to ANI on Monday, Ramesh, the Congress general secretary in charge of communications, said, "Khule mann aur band muh se hi hum seat sharing pe baat aage challenge (We will carry forward seat-sharing talks with an open mind and refraining from public statements)." The Congress leader added that different states would pose different challenges with regard to advancing seat-sharing talks and the discussions would hence be held, taking all aspects into consideration. "The seat-sharing talks are ongoing and will continue. We will do what needs to be done. There are different conditions and challenges in different states. We will be having discussions on seat sharing, keeping in mind the different (political) realities there," Ramesh said. While the INDIA partners came together for their fourth meeting in the national capital recently, the potentially thorny issue of seat-sharing was left unaddressed. (ANI)
Demarius Toney, 10, of Gary, smiles as he chooses a book during the "Gift of Reading" book fair at the Gary Teachers Union on Saturday, December 23, 2023. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan/Post-Tribune)

Dozens of local children huddled around tables at the Gary Teachers Union on Dec. 23 to pore over new books to read over their holiday break.

The books spanned the spectrum from preschool to high school, from STEM to sports. There were comics, alphabet books and biographies, and a little Harry Potter.

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The American Federation of Teachers provided the books at the Gift of Reading event coordinated by the Gary AFT Local 4, the AFL-CIO and the Gary Community School Corp.

Empress Hodge, 2, chooses a book with help from Gary Community School Corporation Family and Community Engagement employee Kimberly Brown during the "Gift of Reading" book fair at the Gary Teachers Union on Saturday, December 23, 2023. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan/Post-Tribune)

Aaliyah Isabel, 10, checked out a biography of Olympic track start Florence Griffith Joyner. I like track and want to do it, said the Williams Elementary fifth-grader. She quickly filled her bag with other books, as well, demonstrating a wide variety of interests.

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I want to be a doctor, she said.

Demarius Toney, 10, of Portage, picked High School Musical, saying he saw the movie and its the type of book he likes to read.

Legend Hodge, 4, browses books during the "Gift of Reading" book fair at the Gary Teachers Union on Saturday, December 23, 2023. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan/Post-Tribune)

Tomeka Pope, a Project Lead the Way teacher at Williams, said another popular book was a biography, Opal Lee and What it Means to Be Free. Only one or two copies remained midway through the event.

It chronicles the campaign of Black activist Opal Lee, a retired teacher, who championed a Juneteenth national holiday. At age 89 in 2016, she walked from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington to galvanize Congressional support for the holiday that marks the end of slavery in the U.S.

President Joe Biden signed the law establishing it as a national holiday in 2021 with Lee at his side.

Laila Thomas, 9, of Gary, browses books during the "Gift of Reading" book fair at the Gary Teachers Union on Saturday, December 23, 2023. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan/Post-Tribune)

Lovely Bowman, a special education teacher at the Glen Park Academy, brought her two boys, Jaxon, 6, and Dominick, 7, Cobb to find new books.

Im a union member and theres a big push for boys to read  Dominick doesnt like to read and Jaxon loves nonfiction books with pictures of real animals.

Kiarica Law, of Portage, brought her three children King 11, Legend, 4, and Empress, 2, Hodge.

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The kids checked out books on the tables and Empress, a Head Start student, stared wide-eyed at some of the covers.

Empress always wants me to read her stories, said Law.

Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
In the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National President JP Nadda held organisational meetings with the West Bengal party's core members to chalk out strategies for the party ahead of the coming elections. Amit Shah and JP Nadda are scheduled to hold a series of organisational meetings during the day with West Bengal BJP workers. After the meeting, Amit Shah said that the people of Bengal trust PM Modi and are all set to bless the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections with 35 seats. "Today, along with National President Shri @JPNadda Ji held a meeting of the@BJP4Bengal core group in Kolkata and discussed the strategies for the upcoming election. The people of Bengal trust PM Modi Ji and are all set to bless the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections with 35 seats," he said in a post on X. The union minister has set a target to win 35 out of the 42 parliamentary seats in West Bengal. At a rally in Suri in Birbhum district in April this year, Shah targeted Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool Congress's National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee and said, "Give us 35 seats in 2024 and the Mamata Banerjee government will be out. There is corruption in Bengal. And only the BJP can stop it." There are 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal. In 2019, the Trinamool Congress won 22 seats but faced stiff competition from the BJP, which won 18 seats. The remaining two seats went to Congress. Earlier in the day, Amit Shah, along with BJP national president JP Nadda, visited and offered prayers at Gurudwara Bara Sikh Sangat in Kolkata on the occasion of Veer Baal Diwas. (ANI)
Assam Director General of Police, GP Singh, on Tuesday ordered an inquiry into the death of a man who was recently questioned in connection with the grenade blast in the state's Jorhat district. Assam DGP GP Singh, in a post on X, said that the Assam police have ordered an inquiry into the suicidal death of a youth of Jorhat district a day after questioning him relating to the recent grenade blast at Jorhat. The Assam DGP said that the IGP Eastern Range will conduct probe into the incident, including the procedural part, analysing the CCTV footage of police station, contents of report of medical examination at the time of release after questioning, etc. "Reference suicidal death of Dipankar Gogoi@Tiseng of Titabor Jorhat a day after questioning relating to the recent grenade blast at Jorhat - An enquiry has been ordered by @assampolice Hq to be conducted by IGP Eastern Range into the incident, including the procedural part, analysing the CCTV footage of police station, contents of the report of the medical examination at the time of release after questioning, etc," Singh said. He further said that the state police remain committed to following procedures as laid down in law while taking action against criminal and terrorist activities. Gogoi, hailing from Birinasayek Garikuri village of Titabor in Jorhat district, committed suicide nearby his house on Tuesday. Later, police recovered the body and sent it to the hospital for a post-mortem. Gogoi was picked up by the police after a blast took place near an Army camp in Jorhat on December 14. However, no casualties were reported in the incident. (ANI)
Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar questioned the government's position on the security breach incident in Parliament on Tuesday and blamed that the investigation is being carried out at a very slow pace. "This is a serious incident. Serious action should be taken on this security breach incident. I am not able to understand why no major action is being taken on this incident," Meira Kumar told ANI. Meira Kumar further stated that, with the slow pace of the investigation being carried out, it seems that the government has no intention to answer the public on this incident. "When you want to delay or you don't want to answer on some issue, then this method is adopted. Multiple agencies have been given the responsibility to investigate the incident and then we are told that a matter is struck between them. But ultimately, it is the Lok Sabha speaker who is responsible for the House; sadly, nothing has come from him yet on this incident," the former Speaker said. The security breach happened on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack. Two people--Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D--jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow gas from canisters and shouted anti-establishment slogans before being overpowered by the MPs. Outside it, in another incident, two protestors -- Neelam (42) and Amol (25) -- protested outside the Parliament with similar gas canisters. The Patiala House Court has extended the custodial remand of four accused individuals, Manoranjan, Neelam, Sagar, and Anmol, to the Special Cell of Delhi Police for 15 more days until January 5, 2024, in the parliament-security breach case. Earlier Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Saturday hit out at the BJP government at the Centre over the security breach in Parliament and asserted that it is the responsibility of Home Minister Amit Shah to explain how the security breach happened. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said, "It is the responsibility of the Home Minister to tell how the security breach happened. Parliament Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi refuses to take accountability for suspending 146 MPs and shifting blame to Rahul Gandhi. People are asking the centre that they gave them the mandate to run the government and what is the centre doing to keep them safe." (ANI)
Union Minister Piyush Goyal paid obeisance at the Gurdwara Shri Bangla Sahib on the occasion of 'Veer Bal Diwas' and commemorated the great vigour of the "Chaar Sahibzaade", four sons of Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th guru of the Sikhs. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Minister Goyal said, "It is my good fortune that I got to visit the Gurudwara on the occasion of Veer Bal Diwas, I paid obeisance at the Shri Bangla Sahib Gurudwara and also had the delicious langar." "These (the four Sahibzade) are those children who sacrificed their lives for their religion and country with great pride. By sacrificing their lives, the heroes maintained the integrity, security and unity of the country," he said. Paying his respect to the "Chaar Sahibzaade," Goyal said, "The four Sahibzade sacrificed their lives for the nation. I bow before them." Earlier in the day, headlining an event in the national capital to mark 'Veer Bal Divas', Prime Minister Narendra Modi noted how fellow Indians were taking pride in the country's heritage, saying that the world today is viewing the country in a different light. Addressing the event to mark the martyrdom of the two sons of Sikh Guru Sri Gobind Singh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "'Veer Bal Diwas' represents and symbolises a national urge to safeguard and carry forward the idea of Bharatiya. Remembering the unmatched valour of the four Sahibzade, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also said the sacrifice will continue to inspire generations to come. The martyrdom of the four "Sahibzaade" (sons) is an important and integral part of Sikh history and the occasion of their martyrdom is remembered and commemorated both with great vigour and very acute sadness by the Sikh community every year in December, also known to be the month of "Poh." Chaar Sahibzaade, ('Chaar' means four and 'Sahibzaade' refers to the sons or scions, young men of genteel birth) is a term endearingly used for the four sons of Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th guru of the Sikhs. On the day of the Prakash Purab of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, on January 9, 2022, Prime Minister Modi announced that December 26 would be marked every year as 'Veer Bal Diwas', to mark the martyrdom of his sons or Sahibzadas. (ANI)
In an official statement released on Monday evening, an ECP spokesperson categorically denied that the 'Bat' symbol had been granted to PTI-P or any other political party.

Earlier, Pervaiz Khattak, the head of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P), had claimed that the party was offered the 'bat' as an election symbol but declined the offer.

Recently, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) faced a setback when the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced its reserved verdict on the party's intra-party elections, leading to the loss of the electoral symbol 'bat,' according to ARY News.

The five-member bench of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, declared the PTI's intra-party elections null and void after considering arguments from all parties involved.

In the aftermath of the ECP verdict, Gohar Ali Khan, the newly elected PTI chairman who replaced Imran Khan, will no longer retain his position as the party's head. The developments surrounding the allocation of the 'bat' symbol and the nullification of intra-party elections have stirred controversy within the political landscape, ARY News reported.

On December 24, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said they would approach the Peshawar High Court (PHC) or the Supreme Court against the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) decision to strip the former party's symbol 'Bat', Geo News reported.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan announced on Saturday.

The ECP on Friday decided against letting the PTI retain its 'bat' electoral symbol for the February 8 general election, Dawn newspaper reported.

The ECP's verdict was announced a day after the Peshawar High Court (PHC) directed the electoral watchdog to decide on PTI's intra-party polls and electoral symbol by Friday in 'accordance with the law'. (ANI)
Of these, 142 trucks were inspected at the Nitzana Crossing and transferred to Gaza via the Rafah Crossing in Egyptian territory.

76 of the trucks were inspected and transferred to Gaza via the recently opened Kerem Shalom crossing which is located in the corner where the Egyptian, Israeli and Gazan borders meet.

COGAT also reported that 80,000 vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella, donated by UNICEF - the UN Children's Fund - arrived in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, December 24. (ANI/TPS)
Authorities in Mashhad, Iran, have issued a ban on mobile Afghan vendors in the city's bazaars, citing concerns and challenges associated with their presence, TOLO News reported. The notice, placed at the entrance of Mashhad's bazaar, comes as approximately half a million Afghan citizens reside in the city. Afghan residents in Iran express worries about the impact on their livelihoods and report mistreatment by the country's police. Afghan refugees advocate for diplomatic solutions and adherence to international laws to address the challenges they face. Enayatullah Alokozai, an Afghan refugee in Iran, emphasised the need for diplomatic paths to ensure refugees' fair treatment. "The demand of the refugees from the Islamic Emirate is to address the challenges of the refugees through diplomatic paths, so that the refugees be treated based on international laws," he said. Another Afghan refugee in Iran, Ghulam Ghobar, highlighted the difficult situation of Afghan refugees, urging countries hosting them, particularly Iran and Pakistan, to comply with international refugee laws. "The situation of the Afghan refugees is very difficult. I hope the countries, particularly Iran and Pakistan, which host most Afghan refugees, treat them based on international refugees laws," he said. Refugee rights activist Asifa Stanikzai urged Iran to adopt a long-term vision for Afghan refugees, emphasising their potential contribution to the country's economic development. She encouraged Iran to effectively integrate Afghan refugees based on its territory. "Iran should have a deep vision for the long-term and effective use of the Afghan refugees based on its territory, in economic development," she said. Afghanistan Deputy Minister of Refugees and Repatriation Abdul Rahman Rashid reveals that talks between Islamic Emirate officials and their Iranian counterparts are ongoing to address the issue. "The Islamic Emirate's officials have talked with Iranian delegations and now that the acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has travelled, he will discuss this problem with them," he said. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran's foreign minister, has previously appealed to the United Nations to facilitate the return of Afghan refugees. Acknowledging Iran's hosting of Afghan refugees for over 45 years, he seeks UN cooperation in ensuring a smooth and organised return process, TOLO News reported. (ANI)
After two weeks of continued search, Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has been found at a penal colony in Siberia, Russia, according to his team, reported CNN. "We have found Alexey," his spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, said in a statement on X. "He is now in IK-3 in the settlement of Kharp in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District." She further said that Navalny's lawyer had visited him earlier on Monday and that the jailed activist was "doing well." According to Navalny's lawyers, they lost contact with him on December 11. Until then, he was imprisoned in a penal colony about 150 miles east of Moscow, as reported by CNN. Navalny had "never been hidden for so long," his team said after he missed two scheduled court hearings last week. Meanwhile, they also warned that he had been in poor health before his disappearance after being "deprived of food" and "kept in a punishment cell without ventilation." Moreover, his disappearance has been linked to President Vladimir Putin's announcement to run again in the elections scheduled in 2024, which had further sparked concerns for his well-being and safety, reported CNN. Director of Navalny's anti-corruption foundation, Ivan Zhdanov, said that the IK-3 penal colony in Kharp where Navalny is now being held, known as "Polar Wolf," is "one of the northernmost and most remote colonies." "The conditions there are harsh, with a special regime in the permafrost zone. It is very difficult to get there, and there are no letter delivery systems," Zhdanov wrote on X. He further said that Navalny's lawyer had not been allowed into the penal colony "right away." "It seems that the colony was prepared for his arrival in advance. The head of the Federal Penitentiary Service, Arkady Gostev, was there in April, and perhaps it was then that they decided to transfer Alexey there," he added. Navalny had been sentenced to 19 years in prison in August after being found guilty of creating an extremist community, financing extremist activities and numerous other crimes. He was already serving 11 and a half years in a maximum security facility on fraud and other charges that he denies, according to CNN. However, his supporters claimed that his arrest and incarceration were a politically motivated attempt to stifle his criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to CNN, Navalny has been one of the most serious threats to Putin's legitimacy during his rule. He used his blog and social media to expose alleged corruption in the Kremlin as well as Russian business and organised anti-government street protests. The dissident was taken from Russia to Germany in 2020 after he was poisoned with Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent. Navalny had to be airlifted from the Siberian city of Omsk and arrived comatose at a hospital in Berlin. Navalny was immediately incarcerated upon his return to Russia in January 2021 on charges of violating the terms of his probation related to a fraud case brought against him in 2013, which he also dismissed as politically motivated, CNN reported. He has also campaigned from prison against Russia's war against Ukraine and has even attempted to mobilise public opposition to the war. (ANI)
The parents of a Gary 1-month-old girl who died at a Chicago hospital earlier this month were charged Dec. 22 with killing her.

Gerard Dante Coger, 21, of Gary, was charged with murder and aggravated battery in the death of Royal Coger and faces up to 65 years in prison, Gary Police spokesman Cmdr. Sam Roberts said in an email Tuesday.

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Additionally, he and Royals mother, Janaya Kimberly Hobson, 19 of Gary, were both charged with two felony counts of Level 1 neglect of a dependent resulting in death; two counts of Level 3 neglect of a dependent resulting in serious injury; two counts of Level 5 neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury; and two counts of Level 6 neglect of a dependent, for which Hobson faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted.

Police started investigating after the babys death Dec. 18, when a caseworker with the Indiana Department of Child Services reported that medical staff indicated Royal appeared to have been suffering from abusive head trauma, according to a probable cause affidavit.

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When a doctor approached Coger and Hobson to tell them Royals prognosis was grave, the doctor said the couple, who smelled of marijuana, stared like a deer in headlights when she told them someone shook their baby, the case workers report said.

The case worker also reported that Coger and Hobson said they were told to feed Royal  who was born prematurely Nov. 12 and with THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, in her system  every three to four hours before they brought her to Methodist Hospitals Northlake campus Dec. 15, court records said she wrote in her report, but that Royal was sleeping a lot between Dec. 13 and the time they brought her to the hospital.

The doctor, according to the DCS case workers report in court records, noted that Coger did most of the talking and that Janaya Hobson appeared flat, that neither were angry, and that both admitted to using marijuana generally. Both denied shaking Royal, court records said, though both said they were the only two who watched her.

Another social worker involved in the case noted that Coger took control of the conversation when he was in the room and that Hobson said Coger is possessive of her and she finds it hard to talk without him, records said.

In a subsequent interview with police, Coger again denied shaking the baby but then said on Dec. 4, shed fallen out of her carrier and hit her head on the concrete when he took her out while the couple were visiting a relative, court records said. Coger told police he put a hat on Royal to cover a grapefuit-sized bump and was afraid to tell Hobson what happened, opting to talk to Royals doctor during an upcoming doctors visit 11 days away, records said.

In the ensuing days, however, the baby would not eat as much, would become irritable, and would cry a lot, continually crying between Dec. 11 and Dec. 12, the affidavit said, and Coger said he shook her out of irritation, asking the baby why she was crying.

Hobson, on the other hand, told police the only injury she knew Royal had was a minor bump from Nov. 22 and that Royal had eaten only twice because Coger wanted to test to see if she would wake up and cry for food during the 34 hours before they took her to the hospital, court records said. Hobson told police she knew this was neglectful, records said.

When the couple finally decided to take Royal to the hospital a mile way on foot, Coger told police it was because he felt they could get her there quicker, while Hobson told police both she and Gerard Coger decided not to call 911 because the Police and Fire Department would ask too many questions and Royal Coger was dead anyways, the affidavit said.

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Hobson, appearing emotionally detached during the interview, admitted she knew it was wrong not to call 911 to avoid law enforcement and that it was her responsibility to feed and care for Royal Coger, records said.

Both Coger and Hobson are in custody at the Lake County Jail, Coger without bail and Hobsons bail set at $100,000, according to court records.

Anyone with information regarding the investigation should contact Detective James Nielsen at 219-755-3855.

Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
The two leaders also discussed the situation in West Asia amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. They expressed concerns regarding terrorism and the loss of civilian lives.

They further agreed to work together for peace, security and stability in the region.

"Held a good conversation with my Brother HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on the future of Strategic Partnership between India and Saudi Arabia. We exchanged views on the West Asia situation and shared concerns regarding terrorism, violence and the loss of civilian lives. Agreed to work together for peace, security and stability in the region," PM Modi posted on X (formerly Twitter).

https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1739648068847607840?s=20

Earlier this year, Salman visited India for the G20 summit in New Delhi. During his visit, he also held bilateral talks with PM Modi and President Droupadi Murmu.

The two leaders also held the first leaders' meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council.

After the meeting, PM Modi said that the economic corridor between India, West Asia and Europe will provide economic growth and digital connectivity between these regions. He noted that the cooperation between India and Saudi Arabia in the economic sector is vital for the peace and stability of the entire region.

President Droupadi Murmu also hosted a banquet in honour of the Saudi Crown Prince and noted that the two nations shared cultural experiences, economic synergies and a common commitment towards a peaceful and sustainable world. (ANI)
It reported that the Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner issued directives stating the Qureshi release may pose a threat to peace and security.

It mentioned that the CPO had proposed a 45-day detention period on the recommendation of the relevant station house officer (SHO). The district intelligence committee also concurred with the assessments of the police and security authorities, The Express Tribune reported.

While granting Qureshi the right to appeal, the order detained Qureshi in the Adiala Jail for 15 days.

Earlier on Friday, the Pakistan Supreme Court granted bail to former Prime Minister Imran Khan and ex-Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cypher case, Dawn reported.

The court directed the PTI leaders to submit surety bonds of Pakistan Rupee (PKR) 1 million each.

The three-member bench, headed by Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and including Justices Athar Minallah and Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, issued the order based on a set of PTI petitions.

The cypher case involves a diplomatic document that the Federal Investigation Agency alleges was never returned by Imran, with the PTI asserting the document contained a threat from the United States to remove Imran as prime minister.

The Special Court (Official Secrets Act) restarted the cypher trial at Adiala district jail last week after Imran and Qureshi were indicted for the second time on December 13, as reported by Dawn.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi was serving as the foreign minister at that time and was indicted in the case on October 23.(ANI)
Kotalwar is an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer from the 1996 batch.

He is expected to take up the assignment shortly, according to MEA.

Last month, the 12th round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between India and Finland was held in New Delhi.

During the FOC, both sides reviewed the bilateral relations between both nations, including political engagements, trade and investments, education, digital partnerships, sustainability partnerships, mobility, cultural relations and people-to-people contacts.

The meeting also focused on multilateral cooperation, including the Arctic and the reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

India and Finland enjoy close and friendly relations and have regular exchanges at both political and official levels. 2024 will be the 75th year of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and both sides decided to celebrate it in a befitting manner.

Earlier, the Ambassador of Finland to India, Kimmo Lahdevirta, said that over the decades, both India and Finland have seen a significant deepening of the relationship in different sectors, including trade, technology, education and culture.

He further expressed hope for the growing relationship between the two countries in terms of technology. (ANI)
"Ms. Smita Pant (IFS:2001), presently Joint Secretary in the Ministry, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Uzbekistan. She is expected to take up the assignment shortly," MEA said in a press release.

Smita Pant replaced Manish Prabhat who assumed charge as Ambassador of India to Uzbekistan on 24 September 2020.

As per the MEA official document, trade relations between India and Uzbekistan are governed by the Agreement on Trade and Economic Co-operation, signed in May 1993.

It covers such elements as mutual MFN treatment, promotion of economic, industrial, scientific and technical cooperation, including in the field of training of personnel, active participation of small and medium sized enterprises in bilateral economic cooperation, and counter-trade, etc. (ANI)
The two leaders also finalised the program of cooperation in the Russian Far East and also expressed hope for the early meeting of EaEU-India FTA negotiators.

Taking to X, EAM Jaishankar shared about his meeting saying, "A comprehensive and productive meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov of Russia on our bilateral economic cooperation. Noted the significant progress in trade, finance, connectivity, energy, civil aviation and nuclear domains. Appreciated the greater focus on exploring new opportunities."

He said further, "Discussed making our cooperation more balanced and sustainable in different dimensions. Finalized the program of cooperation on Russian Far East. Expect to hold early meeting of EaEU-India FTA negotiators."

EAM also shared that both leaders signed agreements on nuclear power and in areas of medicines and others.

Jaishankar said, "Will jointly organize connectivity events across land and maritime corridors. Witnessed signing of agreements on nuclear power and in areas of medicines, pharmaceutical substances and medical devices."

Later on, EAM Jaishankar visited the Russian Industry and Trade exhibition with the Russia's Deputy PM and affirmed greater collaboration between two countries.

EAM shared on X, "Visited the Russian Industry and Trade exhibition with DPM Denis Manturov. An interesting exposition on Russia's contemporary capabilities. Holds promise for greater collaboration between our two countries."

Earlier on Monday, Jaishankar held a meeting with leading representatives of the Russian strategic community and discussed connectivity, multilateralism, big power competition and regional conflicts. They spoke about the importance of rebalancing and the emergence of multipolarity.

Jaishankar arrived in Moscow on Sunday for a four-day visit to Russia from December 25-29. After he arrived in Moscow, Jaishankar said he looked forward to his engagements in Russia. (ANI)
One civilian has been killed, and three others have been injured by Russian strikes on Kherson Oblast on 26 December.

Source: Oleksandr Prokudin, Head of Kherson Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram

Quote: "A man, 56, sustained light injuries in [the city of] Kherson. He will undergo outpatient treatment after receiving medical aid.

[The settlement of] Mykilske came under fire again. A man, 70, sustained fatal injuries. Another local resident, 50, is currently in hospital. Doctors assess her condition as moderate."

Details: A man, 50, was also injured in a Russian bombardment of the settlement of Shyroka Balka. He was taken to a medical facility.

There were also casualties in the settlements of Stepanivka and Chornobaivka. The information is being ascertained.

Updated: Prokudin reported that four people were injured in Chornobaivka, all of them were hospitalised.

Quote: "Two men, 43 and 47, had been in a civilian vehicle at the time of the attack. They sustained moderate injuries. The condition of a 39-year-old local resident is also assessed as moderate. She came under fire in her own home.

A 57-year-old local resident also sustained heavy injuries."

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NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY)  One person is without a home after an apartment fire in Norfolk.

Monday around 5:36 p.m., Norfolk Fire-Rescue responded to an apartment complex on the 9000 block of Selby Place.

Courtesy of Norfolk-Fire Rescue

Courtesy of Norfolk-Fire Rescue

When they arrived on the scene, crews found smoke coming from the two-story building. Crews aggressively attacked the fire and had it under control just before 6 p.m.

Officials say the unit was damaged to the point that the resident could not remain in the home. The Red Cross was contacted to assist the resident.

No one was hurt and the fire is still under investigation.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com.
MADERA, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE)  One person sustained non-life-threatening injuries after a shooting occurred in the Vallarta parking lot in Madera, according to the Madera Police Department.

Police say earlier this evening a shooting occurred in the parking lot of Vallarta on Country Club Drive and all available officers responded to the scene.

According to police, both the victim and the suspect shooter fled the scene in different directions.

The male victim later returned to the scene where he was found to have non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital.

This is an ongoing investigation but detectives say they believe the shooting is an isolated incident.

If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact the Madera Police Department at (559) 675-4220.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com.
Ten sharks decided to make their presence known off the U.S. East Coast on Christmas Day, including one named Frosty.

Two sharks have pinged off Florida recently, including one on Christmas Day and another that showed up like an early guest two days earlier.

Research group OCEARCH tags sharks. The sharks get a tag on their dorsal fin. They're tracked when the fin breaks the surface of the water long enough to transmit location information.

A Z-ping is when the tag breaks the surface doesn't remain above water long enough for the satellite to log a location.

White shark Frosty seems to enjoy waters off Georgia, especially in December

Fostry, a male juvenile white shark, was 9 feet 2 inches long and weighed 393 pounds when it was tagged off St. Simon's Island, Georgia, in December 2022.

Frosty was an early riser on Christmas Day, popping up at 5:48 a.m. off the coast of Savannah.

The male juvenile shark was 9 feet 2 inches long and weighed 393 pounds when it was tagged off St. Simon's Island, Georgia, in December 2022.

Map: See where Frosty has been

White shark Breton enjoying his stay off Florida's coast

Breton, a 1,400 pound OCEARCH-tagged white shark seemingly created a self-portrait with pings of his journey received by the research group's shark tracker.

Breton, a massive, 13-foot great white shark pinged off Jacksonville Dec. 21.

Breton, a 1,437 pound male, pinged again close to the same general area  this time east of St. Augustine  at 1:58 p.m. Christmas Day.

A bit of trivia about Breton: he seems to enjoy making art.

Breton spent a little over two years making a "self-portrait." His pings between September 2020 and January 2022 connect to show what appears to be the outline of a huge shark, with the tail in Nova Scotia, the body along the east coast and head pointed at Florida's east coast.

Map: See where Breton has been

White shark Penny pops up on Florida's doorstep 2 days before Christmas

Penny, a female white shark, was 10 feet, 3 inches long and weighed 522 pounds when she was tagged off Ocracoke, North Carolina, in April 2023.

Penny, a juvenile female white shark, showed up early for the holidays.

The shark pinged off Boynton Beach Dec. 23 at 10 p.m.

Penny was 10 feet, 3 inches long and weighed 522 pounds when she was tagged off Ocracoke, North Carolina, in April earlier this year.

Map: See where Penny has been

Two white sharks ping off South Carolina Christmas Day

White sharks Bob and Simon pinged off South Carolina on Christmas Day 2023. Bob, top, was an adult white shark weighing in at 1,308 pounds and was 13 feet four inches long when he was tagged September 2022. Simon, a juvenile, was 9 feet 6 inches long and weighed 434 pounds when he was tagged in December 2022.

Who knows if they're traveling together, but white sharks Bob and Simon both pinged east of Charleston, South Carolina, Christmas Day.

Simon pinged at 5:45 p.m. and Bob pinged at 10:18 a.m.

Bob is the larger of the two, an adult white shark weighing in at 1,308 pounds and was 13 feet four inches long when he was tagged September 2021 off Nova Scotia.

Juvenile Simon was 9 feet 6 inches long and weighed 434 pounds when he was tagged  like Frosty  off St. Simon's Island, Georgia, in December 2022.

What other sharks pinged off US on Christmas Day?

You'll have to look farther north for some of the other sharks that pinged on the holiday.

Although several didn't stay above the surface long enough to get their exact location, so ....

Rose: 10:31 p.m. Female white shark, 10 feet 5 inches, 600 pounds. East of New York.

Jekyll: 4:29 p.m. Male white shark, 8 feet 8 inches, 395 pounds. Z-ping. Last known location was off South Carolina.

Andromache: 12:01 p.m. Female white shark, 10 feet 8 inches, 341 pounds. Z-ping. Last known location Dec. 23 southwest of Naples in the Gulf of Mexico.

Keji: 11:17 a.m. Male white shark, 9 feet 7 inches, 578 pounds. Z-ping. Last known location Dec. 17 southwest of Naples in the Gulf of Mexico.

Miss May: 10:11 a.m. Female white shark, 10 feet 2 inches, 846 pounds. Z-ping. Last known location February off North Carolina.

Gladee: 8:12 a.m. Female white shark, 8 feet, 8 inches, 396 pounds. Z-ping. Last known location Dec. 15 northeast of Jacksonville.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: White sharks appear off Florida, US coast Christmas Day or earlier
Bartlett National Bank opened in 1904 before shuttering during the Great Depression.

Jennifer Tucker helped restore the bank and transform it into a cozy vacation rental.

The three-bedroom home maintained many original features, including vault doors.

Jennifer Tucker was exploring the downtown streets of Bartlett, a quaint town nestled in southeast Texas, when she stumbled upon an abandoned bank in 2019.

"It was dilapidated, and nobody had opened the front door in many, many years," Tucker, 49, told Business Insider. "It was in pretty bad shape."

Tucker owns Amazing Realty, a real-estate brokerage based in Austin, and is passionate about historic preservation. The bank building  a relic of Bartlett's heyday in the early 20th century  was a shell of its former self.

According to the Texas State Historical Association, the town is named after John. T. Bartlett, who donated the land that would become Bartlett. The town had early economic success by shipping cotton and wool, but opportunities began to dwindle amid the Great Depression in the 1930s, per the TSHA.

Tucker recalled walking up to the bank's front windows and peeking inside, where the phrase "Bartlett Natl. Bank" was carved on the tile floor.

"At that moment, I just knew I had to have this building," Tucker said.

Now Bartlett National Bank has three bedrooms and two bathrooms on two floors and is available for rent at $248 a night on Airbnb.

Here's how Tucker restored a 119-year-old bank into an idyllic vacation rental.

Bartlett National Bank was built in 1904 and has a tumultuous history spanning over a century.

A photo of downtown Bartlett. Erik Fossum/Fossum Studios

A plaque on the building's brick exterior touches on the history of Bartlett National Bank, which opened in June 1904 with $25,000. It remained operational until 1931, when it closed for a federal holiday amid the Great Depression and did not reopen for several decades.

Bartlett National Bank made a brief three-year return in the 1990s but was shuttered again because it lacked drive-up teller windows, according to the plaque. Although the bank survived an ill-fated attempted robbery in the 1960s and appeared in the 1998 film "Newton Boys," starring Matthew McConaughey, it remained relatively quiet until Tucker stepped in.

Tucker told BI that she viewed ledgers written when the bank opened, indicating that John Bartlett's wife played a significant role in managing the bank. Tucker said Mary Bartlett became president of the bank because John died two months before it opened.

"She ran that bank into the 1920s successfully, so her signature and all of her documents are there," Tucker said.

Tucker acquired the bank in December 2019 and began renovations in 2020.

The bank's restoration took around six months in 2020. Courtesy of Jennifer Tucker.

Tucker said the restoration process started soon after she purchased the bank in December 2019. She and a work crew experienced with preservation spent about six months renovating the building, between January and July.

It cost about $200,000 to renovate the 1,200-square-foot building, Tucker told BI.

There were many challenges during the restoration process, but also some victories.

The restoration cost around $200,000. Courtesy of Jennifer Tucker

One of Tucker and the team's biggest challenges was working with the building's archaic structure. Since the bank was built in the early 1900s, there was limited electricity, zero plumbing, and no bathrooms.

As a result, they had to rewire the electricity and briefly remove the original hardwood floors to install plumbing. They also installed air conditioning, fixed broken tiles, and added UV coating to the windows to block the unforgiving Texas heat.

On the other hand, Tucker is ecstatic that they preserved so much history. The staircase, windows, doors, vaults, and some flooring are original to the bank.

Guests can see the bank's original craftsmanship in the living room on the first floor.

Bartlett National Bank's living room. Erik Fossum/Fossum Studios

Bartlett National Bank's living room features floral-themed tile, hardwood, and a glimpse at the teller station. One of the original vaults sits in a corner near the front door.

"It's got a huge living room, which was the main bank area," Tucker said.

Tucker told BI that she and the renovation team managed to find a teller cage.

The original teller cage is near the kitchen. Erik Fossum/Fossum Studios

Tucker and her team went the extra mile by fixing up the bank-teller station, including finding an antique teller cage.

"We were able to find a teller cage that was built in the exact same year. We had to drive to Bells, Texas, to rescue that," Tucker said. "It's not exact, but it's very similar to the two photos that I do have from the inside of the bank."

As you walk through the living room, visitors will also see historic finds in the kitchen.

The kitchen and staircase in Bartlett National Bank. Erik Fossum/Fossum Studios

Walking further into Bartlett National Bank leads you to the kitchen with exposed brick, hardwood floors, and an original staircase.

Tucker said the original stairs were removed when "Newton Boys" filmed at the bank, but a local woodworker kept the pieces in a workshop.

"He had kept all the wood from it because he was the woodworker back in the '90s they had hired to take that out," Tucker said. "He thought, 'This old Victorian wood might be useful one day.'"

He later helped the restoration process by reinstalling the stairs, she told BI.

Behind the kitchen is a cozy dining room.

Bartlett National Bank's dining room. Erik Fossum/Fossum Studios

The dining room features dark wood furniture and a light fixture hanging overhead. The dining-room and living-room walls are painted sage green, the same color as the bank's original interior, Tucker said.

A bedroom with an en suite bathroom is located on the first floor.

One of the bedrooms in Bartlett National Bank. Erik Fossum/Fossum Studios

This spacious bedroom is painted green and white and includes a bank deposit box to drive home the aesthetic, although it's not original to the bank.

The nearby bathroom has white tile walls and a green bathtub.

Another is located on the second floor of Bartlett National Bank.

A second bedroom inside Bartlett National Bank. Erik Fossum/Fossum Studios

There's another bedroom on the bank's top floor, which Tucker said was built in the 1990s during the filming of "Newton Boys."

"Thanks to Matthew McConaughey and Hollywood, they've added a floor upstairs, which would've been the downstairs loan manager or loan officer space," Tucker said.

There's a third bedroom on the top floor, where guests can get a closer look at the bank's intricate gray ceiling.

A bedroom and bathroom on the bank's second floor. Erik Fossum/Fossum Studios

The third bedroom features carpeting, white walls, and a gray ceiling with designs. The bathroom connected to the room has a shower instead of a bathtub.

Guests raved about Bartlett National Bank online.

Guests seem to enjoy their stay at the Bartlett National Bank on Airbnb. Erik Fossum/Fossum Studios

Guests have left positive reviews of the restored building on Airbnb.

"If you like history or unique spots, this is a wonderful gem. The preservation is a nice balance of time period and modern," one person wrote. "Bring your favorite creature comforts and shift your mind to adventure mode. The space can be your personal hideaway or memorable group gathering spot!"

Another added: "The host and property were 5-stars. Loved the theme and the details to the era. Thank you for the unique stay. Absolutely recommend spending time at the Bartlett National Bank!"

Read the original article on Business Insider
Last year, video blogger and wheelchair user Zhao Hongcheng spoke at the UK-China Disability Arts Forum, sharing her everyday life experience and reviewing barrier-free facilities at public places, including the metro, sightseeing spots and theaters.

Just a year later, Zhao attended the fifth edition of the forum, but this time she has taken on the role of a theater performer, with her own one-woman show Be Seen, which won Best Innovative Play at the Seventh Chinese Theatre Awards.

Not only is the play a solo performance, it is also based on her true story. In the production, she talks of her experience of being "othered", her relationship with her mother, as well as the complexity of her personality, with both optimism and anger, tenacity and insecurity.

"For so many years, I think I'm ill. In a world where most people see me as an unwell person, it's really hard for me to believe that I am not," one of the monologues in the play goes.

"Now I understand, being disabled is not an illness. It's a fact that I can't change. But what I can change is to no longer see myself as an ill person. And even better, I can tell my story, so those who are similar to, or different from me, can hear my voice."

While Zhao has been reviewing accessibility in theater venues and going to performances, encouraged by her husband, before this play she never thought that she could become a performer on the stage.

In 2022, she attended the Shanghai edition of the inclusive theater production Gala by French choreographer Jerome Bel, and saw for the first time a wheelchair user dancing onstage alongside other performers without inhibition.

"It left a deep impression on me. I thought about how wonderful it would be, if a domestic production could feature a wheelchair user onstage," Zhao says.

Coincidentally, producer of Be Seen, Shen Lujun, came in contact with her shortly afterward. At the time, Shen was using a crutch due to an injury.

Zhao says this is one of the contributing factors of her accepting the role, because from her own experience, individuals temporarily using crutches or wheelchairs due to injuries often recognize the importance of barrier-free facilities.

Accepting to participate in the production marked the beginning of a journey with immense challenges, including the inadequacy of barrier-free facilities during rehearsals, Zhao's need to lie down every four to six hours because of her spinal surgery, the difficulties of acting, as well as her loneliness as a theater performer with reduced mobility.

The production crew helped her overcome these obstacles, by providing her with an environment of equality, mutual respect and support.

"Everyone needs to be seen, with or without disability. We need to be seen by strangers, and also by our own family," says Shen, who also attended the forum as a guest speaker.

She says that when first working on this production, she had a clear vision of aiming for a production that will be staged in mainstream theaters, with high artistic standards and long-term commercial sustainability.

The play premiered at the Shanghai Grand Theatre this May with eight performances, and then graced the Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center with three performances.

"To break down bias, we need to leverage the platforms of mainstream theaters so as to reach a broader audience, who will see these performances and learn more about people with disabilities," Shen adds.

The play is scheduled to tour next year in cities including Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong province, as well as Shanghai. She also hopes that more interested theaters and performing arts platforms could contact the team, so that the play will be seen by more people.

At the forum, Zhao also expressed that she received motivation and inspiration by discussing with artists and practitioners who had a similar experience.

"I used to think of art as something lofty and distant, but after becoming a performer, I've realized that art is simply a form of expression, whether it's theater, dance, painting, video, or writing," Zhao says.

"Everyone has the right to appreciate art, of course including people with disabilities. That's why it is essential to provide accessible services in art facilities. Meanwhile, we can be creators of art. People with disabilities also possess talent, creativity, knowledge and rich life experiences that make compelling stories and provide the value of beauty."

The fifth edition of the UK-China Disability Arts Forum, hosted by the British Council and Beijing Body On&On Cultural Exchange Center, took place at the Yun Theater in Guangzhou from Dec 2 to 3.

As the annual event's first time outside Beijing, the forum continues to invite guest speakers from both home and abroad, to promote equality, diversity and inclusion in arts, as well as to facilitate the exchanges and collaboration between China and the United Kingdom in the disability arts field.

Themed on "historical encounters", this year's forum aimed to offer a chance for reflection and evaluation of the two countries' past endeavors in disability arts, while calling for the attendees to envision building a more accessible future.

"Five years mark a crucial milestone, which allows us to reflect on the past and also envision the future. Five years are able to validate the vitality of a cause. The fact that we are still here and influencing more and more people over the past five years demonstrates that disability arts is becoming a new force for artistic innovation and cultural exchange," says Ge Huichao, founder of Body On&On.

This year's events include eight keynote speeches, 10 promotional pitches on latest arts projects and two roundtable dialogues  the Creation Space for Disabled Artist and the Inclusive Development of Disabled Arts in China.

Barrier-free support was offered at the event, hosted at a guide dog-friendly venue and livestreamed, including sign language interpretation, simultaneous interpretation in Chinese and English, as well as real-time Chinese subtitles.

"I hope that in the future, a broader public will pay attention to and engage in inclusive art. We firmly believe that art is always the best conduit and the most effective way of storytelling to present the life experiences of people with disabilities to a diverse audience. Despite our differences, these experiences contain many fascinating aspects that allow for mutual understanding, fostering a more inclusive society," Ge says.
A 14-year-old girl turned herself into police after being accused of assaulting a fellow student, Delaware police said.

The 14-year-old student walked into a Lake Forest High School classroom in Felton and stomped and punched a 14-year-old girls head on Dec. 19, according to a Dec. 24 news release by Delaware State Police.

The girls parent took her to the hospital for serious head injuries, state police said.

Police didnt specify what led to the incident.

McClatchy News reached out on Dec. 26 for more information and was awaiting a response.

On Dec. 23, the 14-year-old suspect turned herself in to police and was charged with felony assault, troopers said.

The girl was released to a guardian, the release said.

Felton is about 10 miles south of Dover.

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An 18-year-old woman who went missing from her Reading home early this month is dead, according to the Hamilton County Coroner's Office.

Na'Shya Gowdy was last seen on the afternoon of Dec. 6, Reading police said. She left Lighthouse High School in Madisonville and never returned home.

She was active on social media following her disappearance but wasn't sharing her location.

The coroner's office said Gowdy was declared dead on Friday, though officials have yet to release any details regarding the circumstances of her death.

The Cincinnati Police Department is the agency handling the death investigation.

Gowdy suffered from PTSD, ADHD and an intellectual disability, police said.

She was supposed to be under the 24/7 care and custody of Hamilton County Job and Family Services, police said.

The Enquirer will update this story as more information becomes available.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Coroner: 18-year-old missing from Reading is dead
EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU)  State police report that nearly 200 arrests for DUI were made over the Christmas holiday in Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania State Police released their annual Christmas holiday crash and enforcement report, which included 198 arrests of people who drove under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Over the three days, December 23-25, PSP investigated 404 crashes, where three individuals died, and 70 others were injured. Investigators noted alcohol was a factor in 36 crashes.

Muzzleloader malfunction sends two to hospital

Troopers also issued:

1,036 speeding citations.

123 citations for failing to wear a seat belt.

22 citations for not securing children in safety seats.

Below you can find a comparison between this years and last years crash, enforcement data:

Table 1: Christmas Weekend Crash Data

Year Total Crashes Fatal Crashes People Killed People Injured Alcohol-Related Crashes Alcohol-Related Fatal Crashes 2023 (3 days) 404 3 3 70 36 0 2022 (3 days) 661 5 7 113 36 2

Table 2: Christmas Weekend Enforcement Data

Year DUI Arrests Speeding Citations Child Seat Citations Seat Belt Citations Other Citations 2023 (3 days) 198 1,036 22 123 2,853 2022 (3 days) 116 451 11 110 2,248

More information on the 2023 Christmas holiday crash and enforcement report, broken down by troop, is available.

With New Years Eve celebrations coming up, state police will once again be on the lookout for impaired, aggressive, and distracted drivers.

PSP reminds people to plan for a safe ride home, especially if your holiday plans involve alcohol.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com.
Two Corning residents with prior criminal records face felony drug charges after a police search of an apartment in the city over the weekend.

Around 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Corning police officers, assisted by police K-9 Mikey, executed a no-knock warrant issued by City of Corning Court in an apartment at 67 Bridge St., the former Stanton Hotel.

The search warrant was issued following a two-month investigation into the alleged sales and possession of methamphetamine by occupants of that residence.

Large quantities of methamphetamine and cash were seized during the search, police said. Specific amounts aren't being released at this time since it's an ongoing investigation, according to Police Chief Kenzie Spaulding.

As a result of the investigation, police charged Cory M. Johnson, 33, and Carissa J. Thompson, 32, both of Corning, with second-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony.

Politics How will state legislation impact Southern Tier in 2024? Local reps detail top issues

The minimum penalty for that crime upon conviction is three to eight years in prison if the defendant has no prior criminal history, and can be up to life in prison in some circumstances.

Johnson and Thompson are both two-time convicted felons, police said, and Thompson is currently on parole for drug-related convictions.

The suspects were arraigned in Steuben County Centralized Arraignment Part Court, and committed to the Steuben County Jail without bail to await further court action.

The investigation is continuing and additional charges may be filed, police said.

Follow Jeff Murray on Twitter @SGJeffMurray. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Corning police charge two with felony drug counts after meth seized
UPDATE: The two missing girls from Alamogordo have been found, New Mexico State Police said in an update issued about 40 minutes after their initial report about the missing girls.

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  The New Mexico State Police are seeking two missing girls who were last seen in Alamogordo and may be in Las Cruces with their father.

Krishna Hill, 10, and Jasmine Hill, 6, were last seen at about 10 a.m. Dec. 20 at the Full House childcare at 1815 N. Florida Ave. in Alamogordo. They are believed to be with their father, Christopher Hill, 45, at or near the Best Western Hotel at 1765 N. Main St. in Las Cruces.

Krishna Hill is 4 feet tall, weighs 60 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a blue GAP hoodie, blue jeans and orange Crocs.

Jasmine HIll is 4 feet tall, weighs 50 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing bell bottom blue jeans, a tie-dyed shirt and purple jacket.

Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of Krishna Hill and Jasmine Hill are asked to contact the New Mexico State Police at (575) 382-2500 or dial 911.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
ELMHURST, Ill. - Two unscheduled migrant buses arrived at the Elmhurst train station Saturday night.

According to police, the first bus arrived before 9 p.m. and was carrying 58 migrants.

The bus originated from Texas and someone on board, who was acting as a leader, purchased Metra tickets for all passengers.

The migrants then boarded a 9:13 p.m. train to Chicago. Everyone remained on the bus until the train arrived.

A second unscheduled bus carrying 33 migrants arrived at the train station sometime before 11 p.m.

They boarded the 11:15 p.m. Metra train to Chicago.

Elmhurst police and fire were on the scene coordinating and answering questions.
It could have been immeasurably worse. But holding back from the brink in 2023 has simply deferred vast crises to 2024. The post-Covid world is exhausted, cash-strapped, but ultimately more fraught than for decades.

Overshadowing it all will be a flagging hyperpower, at best distracted with presidential elections, at worst tearing itself apart in voting disputes and political extremism.

The likelihood the United States will be occupied by its own traumas amplifies each risk. The geopolitical given of a US response will be absent, fuelling authoritarian ambition, or a radical upending of the global order. 2024 could make 2023 seem rational and sober.

Rockets are fired toward Israel from the Gaza Strip on Saturday, October 7. - Fatima Shbair/AP

First, it is important to take comfort that Hamas brutal attack on Israel, and Israels brutal assault on Gaza in pursuit of Hamas, has not yet led to the regional conflagration many had feared. The Iran-backed Islamist movement Hezbollah seems to be limiting its involvement so far to manageable and predictable tit-for-tat exchanges around the border between Lebanon and Israel.

It is notable for a group founded, on the surface, to resist the Israeli occupation, to decide that the death of almost 20,000 Gazans  of whom only a third, at most, were militants, according to one IDF officials estimate  did not merit its intervention.

Hezbollah may still be exhausted after expending experienced fighters in Syria and beyond over the past decade and has probably seen less Iranian cash in recent years. Its leadership may have calculated that a clash with Israel would spell the wide-scale bombing of Lebanon, render the group much less popular in its homeland, and potentially weaken it further.

Or it may simply be that large-scale conflict with Israel is not in the interests of Hezbollahs main backer, Iran. Tehran, most analysis suggests, did not order, appreciate, or have foreknowledge of Hamas October 7 attack. Iran is still reeling from internal dissent not seen for decades, economic turmoil, and probably also from the death of its pre-eminent military figure, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Qasem Soleimani.

Palestinians inspect the rubble of the Yassin Mosque, destroyed after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike. - Adel Hana/AP

Iran has turned its back on the nuclear deal former US President Donald Trump tore to pieces. It is enriching uranium at an alarming pace  as far as we know publicly. It is perhaps at a point where the breakout time for it to enrich enough uranium for a nuclear weapon  something it avows it does not want  might be only 12 days, US officials assess.

Could an Iranian nuclear bomb be the next crisis to hit the region? Is Hezbollah being held in reserve to respond if Israel and the US attack Irans nuclear resources? Or are the Middle Easts authoritarian states so focused on calm, unity against Iran, and economic cooperation that the Palestinian cause is something to rage about, not act upon?

The first decision of major concern in 2024 may come from Israels most right-wing government yet. Does it use this moment of relative internal unity and public US backing to shun all advice from its allies, and try to attack Hezbollah?

The Israeli public may be steeled enough by October 7 they may stomach the likely losses caused by the inevitable waves of rockets Hezbollah would send in response. The US might be forced to deploy military assistance, given its public display of unity. But the damage to both sides and the civilian toll would be astronomical. And Israels politicians are not displaying caution at present. This potential clash has been building since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, a clear understanding growing with each year that has passed that it would be monstrous when it came, and perhaps better avoided. But has that calculus changed for Israel?

The Middle East notwithstanding, the weightiest global security crisis remains Russias invasion of Ukraine. Stalling by the US and European Union on aid has already damaged Ukrainians morale, and likely their assessment of what they can hope to achieve in the winter and spring ahead. The billions NATO spent on Ukraines summer counteroffensive did not achieve the results badly needed to counter the likely impacts of the US electoral turmoil of 2024.

Now, Ukraine is toying with mobilizing another 500,000 troops to bolster its frontline losses, as Russia sends well-trained, well-equipped convict recruits  some of them drugged-up, according to the Ukrainians  in waves of suicide missions. Moscows tolerance for pain  the near-zero value it places on human life  is combining with its patience and unipolar decision-making to bring it a resurgence on the battlefield. It is unlikely to suddenly become the Russian army feared by NATO in 2021. But it can drain Ukraine, take back Ukrainian land that had been liberated, and brutally persist where Western allies will tire.

Having spent two weeks around the frontlines, it is clear Kyiv faces an existential crisis in the coming winter. It will not survive without Western help. It cannot admit to the scale of challenges it faces without being dubbed by some US Republicans a loser, unworthy of US funding.

At a recent press conference, President Volodymyr Zelensky was asked about his relationship with his chief of military staff, Valery Zaluzhny. He said it was a working one. But the question even being asked exposes the depths of the rifts in the administration, as blame is traded for the failed summer, and the money looks set to run out soon.

2023 was, in Russia and Ukraine, also a year in which the worst did not yet materialize. Ukraine repeatedly attacked the Russian mainland, with missiles, drones and with foot soldiers, and found Moscow unable to wreak the apocalyptic vengeance it had long threatened were its sovereignty to be disturbed. The Wests challenge is to be mindful of this Russian frailty, but not recklessly dismiss the Kremlin as a paper tiger.

In 2023, Vladimir Putin also faced down the most serious challenge to his rule yet. The 48-hour rebellion led by Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, which started as a dispute between military top brass and wildly escalated into a mercenary march on Moscow, has not left an obvious dent in the Kremlins power. But its elite now surely grasp the myth of Putins invincibility and know, too, that traitors and their entire entourage can end up in convenient plane crashes.

It is stunning that Putin survived this threat to his rule so calmly, with little enduring, public disruption. But the fact the attempted coup happened at all must have altered the nature of his once unassailable vertical power.

The wars crises have been deferred to 2024. We will learn next year if the Russians resurgence on the front lines forebodes a strategy that will gain them ground, or just a temporary spike in fortune. We will learn, too, if Western aid is drying up, and how quickly that translates into a Ukrainian collapse. And we will also learn if Kyivs elite  impressively solid until now despite the Zelensky-Zaluzhny rift  can put country before interpersonal sniping, and regain the initiative.

The stakes for European security are monumental. Gains for Russia in Ukraine leave Moscow closer to NATOs borders, and the Wests penchant for disunity and debacle painfully exposed. The main metric for the Wests response to this crisis was always its persistence, and this has folded in less than two years. It is truly a desperate moment.

A fishing boat passes by a setting sun in the Sulu Sea. - Aaron Favila/AP

One tiny bright spot is that China has not invaded Taiwan yet, despite countless military maneuvers around it, and in the South China Sea around the Philippines. A clock is ticking in Beijing as a demographic crisis looms in the form of an aging population and shrinking workforce, and with it, a likely economic showdown. The Chinese Dream of Xi Jinping may struggle to deliver, and this could lead to foreign policy excesses  to be euphemistic. Taiwan is going to the polls next year, and its fate  with Biden publicly committed to put US boots on the ground in its defense  remains the wild card of the decades ahead.

The state of the worlds nuclear powers is as fraught as it has ever been. We have discussed the turmoil in the US, Russia, China and Israel. India is cosying up to worrying authoritarian and nationalist trends. Pakistan is again seeing an Islamist insurgency, coupled with revolving political crises. And North Korea is giving old artillery munitions to Moscow so it can shell Eastern Europe, and firing rockets over Japan.

The arrival of 2024 does not mean we need to dig fallout shelters in the backyard or move to southern Argentina. But it does leave the world in a place more precarious than we have seen in decades. The good news is the very worst did not happen this year, so it might not in the next, or ever.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA)  Pasco County deputies are searching for a missing 21-year-old.

Jacob Wood was last seen at about 12:45 p.m. Christmas Day in the Dublin area of New Port Richey, deputies said.

Wood was last seen wearing a dark jacket and dark shorts.

He is 59 and 180 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes, according to deputies.

Anyone with information is asked to call 727-847-8102 and press option 7.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  Some West Michigan staples shuttered their doors this year, from a decades-old consignment shop in Ada to a Greek restaurant in Kalamazoo.

Compared to recent years, when the pandemic was the main driving force behind local closures, this year the reason businesses shut their doors varied, from retirements to new beginnings.

Inside WOODTV.com: Building West Michigan

Here are 23 West Michigan businesses we said goodbye to in 2023:

THE PLANT PARLOR

Closed Jan. 10

The Plant Parlor in Grand Rapids. (Dec. 8, 2023)

The Plant Parlor, a house-plant store on Wealthy Street in Grand Rapids, announced shortly after the New Year it was closing. It wasnt an easy decision, owner Danny Parker said in a Facebook post, adding the store was his greatest accomplishment.

I want everyone to know how endlessly grateful I am for every human that stepped foot into this store. For every plant bought and loved. Every kind word, every excited reaction, every question, he wrote. It means the world to me and was my reason for showing up every day.

It was time for him to step into the unknown, he said, and move in a different direction. The owner of the shop, which was open for five years, thanked the community.

I am not parting ways in negativity. The opposite, actually, he wrote. I am saying goodbye to customers that have become friends, to employees that have become family, to a community of devoted and passionate plant lovers, and most of all  Im saying goodbye to a part of myself.

THEO & STACYS

Closed Jan. 29

Theo and Stacys in Kalamazoo on Jan. 26, 2023.

A Kalamazoo staple closed its doors five decades after opening in downtown near the end of January. First opened in 1973, the downtown Theos & Stacys was the last remaining location. It offered a taste of Greece, where Theo and Stacy Skartsiaris are from.

At age 77, Stacy Skartsiaris was still staying at the restaurant from 6 a.m. to close. She decided to close the doors so she could spend more time with her grandkids.

I want you to come to our games, to come to swim meets. I never make it to anything  because my plan for us is to stay here until I die, Skartsiaris told News 8 at the time. (The family said) we want you to be able to enjoy it, whatever life I have left, and enjoy my grandkids and my family.

Several customers stopped in before the restaurant closed to say goodbye, including a man who flew in from Arizona  who had spent hours there in college doing his homework.

Berries Famous Pancake House and More has since opened up in the Michigan Avenue spot.

MR. GYROS

Closed Feb. 9

Mr. Gyros Drive-Thru and Take Out. (Dec. 8, 2023)

On Feb. 8, Mr. Gyros Drive-Thru & Take-Out announced it would be closing the next day, so the owner could retire. The restaurant had opened in Walker 12 years prior.

The owner and his family would like to thank everyone for making this journey memorable, a post on Facebook read. You all will remain close to his heart. It was his dream to open a restaurant and share his love for food with all, and his dream came true.

It said the last day open would be hard for the owner, who had been a restaurateur for 23 years. The restaurant invited patrons to stop by to say goodbye, a call the community answered: Mr. Gyros sold out of almost everything on its last day by 5 p.m.

The owner didnt realize how much his community loves Mr Gyros, the restaurant wrote. He thought he would have leftover inventory and it would just be a day that he closed. He was wrong. The love came pouring in as soon as he opened this morning.  (The couple) held back tears most of the day and especially when they were visited by their regulars. Thank you again to everyone who could make it today and everyone for the kind messages.

CASCADE ELECTRIC CHEETAH

Closed Feb. 24

The Electric Cheetah.

Cascade Electric Cheetah, a restaurant that opened shortly before the pandemic shutdowns, closed in February, News 8 partner Crains Grand Rapids Business reported.

We were dealt a tough hand with COVID, even though business has stabilized since then, it seems like we have faced more obstacles that have made it difficult for our style of restaurant to exist successfully at this location, Crains reported Cory DeMint said in a post about the closure.

DeMint, who has been in the restaurant industry for around three decades, opened the first Electric Cheetah location on Wealthy Street around 15 years ago. The restaurateur now owns multiple Grand Rapids-area spots including Testa Rossa Pizzeria, which opened this year.

Tacos El Cunado took over the 28th Street location.

A CHARMED LIFE NAIL SALON

Closed May 2

A Charmed Life Nail Salon in Rockford closed in May. (May 2, 2023)

The closure of A Charmed Life Nail Salon in Rockford surprised customers, leading to other small businesses honoring their gift cards at face value or offering discounts to gift card holders.

I feel like were just a really tightknit community, and thats one of the great things about being a business owner down here, Andrea Nostrant, who owns Skinfluencer and accepted the salons gift cards, told News 8. We can kind of all come together and step up and help however way we can.

The salon closed after 16 years. While business was good, they couldnt hire enough people, the owners said in a Facebook post.

RINALDI

Closed June 11

Rinaldi Pizza & Sub Shop in Grand Rapids. (Dec. 8, 2023)

As the Creston Neighborhood in Grand Rapids thrived this year, with housing developments underway, Kingmas Market reopening after an expansion and multiple businesses opening their doors, Rinaldi Pizza and Sub Shop closed its doors.

In a Facebook post announcing the restaurants closure, Rinaldi said some things are so very hard to express  like the love we at Rinaldis have always had for our customers.

It thanked its customers for their support and pointed people to its Marne location.

EL SOMBRERO

Closed in July

El Sombrero in Grand Rapids. (Dec. 8, 2023)

El Sombrero in Grand Rapids garnered social media buzz when it closed this summer, with no known closure announcement from the Westside Mexican restaurant.

Though a phone call and emails from News 8 went unanswered in July, it is now listed as permanently closed on Google and was visibly shut down when a News 8 crew stopped by in December.

This makes me incredibly sad, one social media user wrote on Reddit.

WAHLBURGERS

Closed Aug. 1

Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss cutting the ribbon at the new Wahlburgers on Nov. 1, 2021.

Grand Rapids residents were shocked to find out Whalburgers closed less than two years after its grand opening. In a since-deleted Facebook post announcing its Aug. 1 closure, the burger chain did not say why it was closing.

Workers at the restaurant told News 8 they had been informed of its closure that day.

The restaurant franchise is the brainchild of actors Mark and Donnie Wahlberg and their brother, Chef Paul Wahlberg.

The Foolery, a sibling to next-door restaurant Social Misfits, took its place.

OTISCO BAKERY AND BASICS

Closed Aug. 31

Otisco Bakery owner and head baker Karlene Johnson, left, with her daughter, Joana Johnson, right, the manager and baker. (Aug. 25, 2023)

When Karlene Johnson first opened her Otisco Township bakery in 2011, the little town she grew up in was looking really sad, she said, with a closed-down bar across the street and torn-up buildings.

But she left the town better than she found it when she closed the bakery just over a decade later.

The little place next door became vibrant.  People were just more interested in the town. And we started doing Christmas lights and people were wanting to help do things like that, she told News 8. It usually just takes a little enthusiasm on one persons part to get more going.

Otisco Bakery attracted people from all over, from Grand Rapids-area cyclist groups that would stop by during 60-mile rides to a man who would drive to the bakery from Muskegon just for its peanut butter cookies. So when they announced the bakery would be closing a few years after Karlene Johnson had a stroke, its no surprise the support from the community was overwhelming.

Everybody who walks in the door is sad. Its been nonstop. Everybody who comes in is sad. They want someone to come in and buy it and take it over and do exactly the same thing, Joana Johnson, the bakerys manager and Karlene Johnsons daughter, said.

OCONNORS HOME BREW SUPPLY

Closed in September

OConnors Home Brew Supply in Grand Rapids. (Aug. 18, 2023)

OConnors Home Brew Supply owner Ben OConnor told News 8 that he was sad to go, but he was ready to start the next chapter of his life as he got ready to shut down the small business so he could spend more time with his kids.

The homebrewing supplies shop had opened on Lyon Street in Grand Rapids 12 years earlier. It hosted annual homebrew contests and helped local coffee shops set up nitro cold brew systems.

The tight-knit homebrewing community was a loyal customer base, OConnor said.

We just had this big group of people who supported us through the years, he said, adding that many customers come frequently, some as often as twice a week.

GEORGIES CONSIGNMENT

Closed Sept. 15

Georgies Consignment in Ada. (Aug. 3, 2023)

It was a tearful goodbye as Georgie Roth prepared to close up shop inside the iconic red building in Ada. She opened Georgies Consignment inside the former home more than four decades earlier, something she said was hard to believe.

Roth, described by an employee as the kindest person Ive ever met, was beloved by her customers and said every time she went to her business it was like Christmas.

But a few months earlier her longtime friend and employee, Cathy Russ, died following a fight with cancer.

That loss was too much for me, she said. And the building around here has changed. Theyre building everything around me.  Im 71, its time to retire.

It wasnt an easy decision, she said, but she was ready to focus on art, photography and her kids.

Calder Financial Group bought the building, promising to preserve it and keep it red.

KELSEY HOSPITAL

Closed in October

Kelsey Hospital in Lakeview.

Citing aging infrastructure and fewer patients, Corewell Health decided to close Kelsey Hospital in Lakeview in the fall. The hospital faced competition from well-equipped hospitals, the hospital system said.

We have an incredible team inside this building. Many generations of our team members have worked here. Some have been born in this community, Andrea Leslie, the regional market leader for Corewell Healths Northwest Region, told News 8. This is a very sad day for us and very difficult decision, especially when we think about our team members.

The 16-bed hospital had served the community for more than a century and, at the time of its closure, mostly handled outpatient services.

In June, Corewell Health opened the $12 million Lakeview Care Center just four minutes away.

SLOWS BAR-B-Q

Closed Oct. 8

Slows Bar-B-Q at the Grand Rapids Downtown Market. (Oct. 4, 2023)

Slows Bar-B-Q opened in the Grand Rapids Downtown Market to long lines and happy customers in 2015. But eight years later, the Detroit-based barbecue joint closed, having never fully recovered from the pandemic economic hit.

It wasnt an easy or anticipated decision, it said.

Grand Rapids and West Michigan have been good to Slows Bar-B-Q. The Downtown Market has been an ideal location as we expanded our business in order to connect with fans across the state. Unfortunately, the business never fully recovered post-Covid, Slows said in a statement.

FRESHII

Closed Nov. 3

Health food franchise Freshii closed the doors to two locations in Grand Rapids this year, one downtown and one on the Beltline, News 8s partner Crains Grand Rapids Business reports: the downtown location closed in November, while the Beltline location closed in January.

Franchise owner Nathan Ashcraft told Crains it was not able to recover from the pandemic.

It all happened very fast, Ashcraft told Crains. We knew that our lease was coming up and that a franchise agreement was going to have to be renewed. There were just a lot of factors that were playing in the decision, and we just found that its not worth it. Its just too much risk.

GLAD RAGS

Closed Nov. 10

Glad Rags in downtown Holland closed on Nov. 10, 2023. (Nov. 20, 2023)

The clothing store Glad Rags closed in downtown Holland in November after offering mens apparel for five years. The store did not cite a reason for closing in a Facebook post, but said it had decided to not continue its lease.

We want to thank each and every one of you that have shopped with us over the last 5 years, the post says. Your support has meant the world to us.

The post invited customers to stop by its two sister stores in Saugatuck, For the Love of Shoes and Saugatuck Traders.

UNIVERSITY CLUB

Closed late November

The Fifth Third Bank building at 111 Lyon Street NW in Grand Rapids. (Feb. 8, 2021)

In July, the University Club held an open house inside the Pen Building, where it was planning on moving to as it celebrated its 100th anniversary.

But less than half a year later, it announced it was closing, telling Crains it needed at least 150 more members to survive.

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of The University Club, a notice on its website said. We want to express our deepest gratitude for your unwavering support and loyalty over the years. It has been a privilege to serve you, and we have cherished the relationships weve built with each and every one of you.

Its closure followed in the footsteps of several other private clubs. The University Clubs general manager in July told News 8 that many clubs in Chicago, where he previously worked, closed during the pandemic due to waning membership numbers.

GODFATHERS PIZZA

Closed Dec. 10

FILE  An undated photo of Godfathers Pizza.

A pizzeria that served Kalamazoo since 1989 closed in December. The Godfathers Pizza location announced its owner, Richard Johnson, died, and his family decided to close up shop.

It was an end of an era, the family said.

It has been a privilege to serve the best pizza for the last 34 years, the family wrote in a Facebook post. We have met so many special people over the years. We have so many memories that we will treasure forever. We hope you will find another pizza restaurant to serve your needs.

BOONZAAIJER BAKERY

Closed Dec. 23

A worker decorates a cake at Boonzaaijer Bakery in Kalamazoo on Dec. 6, 2023.

Bakers in Kalamazoo put down the frosting just before Christmas after serving up cakes and cookies for generations. Boonzaaijer Bakery was started by a couple who immigrated from the Netherlands in 1961.

The couples daughter, Maria, and her husband Marty Horjus took it over and ran it for almost three decades. The 70-hour work week was taking its toll, Marty Horjus said, explaining his kids werent interested in taking over.

I wish I could continue, but Im not 40 anymore, Horjus said with a laugh.

His daughter, Monica Bogard, said there was some relief from the decision.

I know that he is going to have time to relax and be able to rest for the first time in 30 years, Bogard said. Ive stood by my dad through COVID, through the pandemic over the past few years, through some really, really hard times.

ROCKYS

Closed in December

Rockys Bar and Grill on Ottawa Avenue NE in Grand Rapids on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023.

Rockys Bar and Grill closed in Grand Rapids after Corewell Health bought the property, Crains reported. It reported the health system has been purchasing land in the area over the past few years.

We continue to plan for future growth in the Monroe North neighborhood and have purchased the building at 633 Ottawa Ave. NW, a spokesperson for Corewell Health told Crains in a statement. This property is contiguous to our campus and will fit nicely into our future development plans. We are engaging with local leaders and neighbors before proposing future plans for the site.

GOOD EARTH CAFE

Closing Dec. 30

The Good Earth Cafe in downtown Holland. (Courtesy Holland Sentinel)

Good Earth Cafe in downtown Holland is set to close on Dec. 30. The owners, Dave and Cheryl Koeman, said they decided to retire as they believed God released them from the business.

After talking with many qualified people interested in purchasing the business but not being able to obtain a lease for this building space we feel He has accomplished what He wanted, they said in a Facebook post announcing the closure.

The couple purchased the 7th Street cafe in January 2000. They thanked the community for making it a special place.

If these walls could talk we would hear stories of shared laughter and tears, Bible studies and prayers and just quiet times, they wrote. You have enriched our lives by sharing yours with us and our staff. We have seen children newborn, grow, marry and now bringing their children to see the fish and wear cream cheese smiles.

AL & BOBS

Closing soon

Al & Bobs Sports in Byron Township.

Community staple Al & Bobs is closing after offering sporting goods for more than five decades. Getting its start on South Division, it moved in with Millbrook in Byron Township in 2018 when Matthew Howell bought it.

It saw some challenges while there, including a break-in in 2022 when two brothers stole 53 guns. Only 21 of the firearms were recovered.

Those challenges, and wanting to spend time with his nine grandkids, contributed to Howells decision to close it down.

Ive gotten to the point where I would like to have more time to play and do this stuff instead of selling it, he told News 8.

ROSIES DINER

Crews removed the Rosies sign from the iconic diner on Oct. 20, 2023.

Though it closed more than a decade ago, West Michigan gave a final goodbye to Rockford-area diner Rosies this year, as it began its move to Missouri.

The decades-old diner has a storied history, seen around the world in commercials, posters and three Diners, Drive-ins and Dives episodes. It moved from New Jersey and reopened near Rockford in 1991 when artist Jerry Berta bought it. He sold it in 2006, and it ultimately closed in 2011.

But Berta was there when it got a new chance at life on a rainy day in October, as crews removed its iconic sign for its move to Missouri. Its new owners, Dawn Perry and her husband, plan to restore it to its former glory and reopen it.

Its good that these are getting saved, Berta said. Most of the diners now are actually getting wrecked. There are a lot of diners, but people arent doing it. And so Im so happy this ones getting saved after all the work I put into it.

JAMES DE YOUNG POWER PLANT

A still image taken from drone video courtesy of the city of Holland shows the demolition of the James DeYoung power plant. (Aug. 10, 2023)

Hundreds gathered in Holland in August  both at Kollen Park and on boats in Lake Macatawa  as crews imploded the decommissioned James De Young power plant, cheering as it produced a loud boom and a cloud of dust.

The coal power plant, first built in 1939 as part of the New Deal, closed in 2017 after supplying the city of Holland with electricity for years.

Plans are underway to redevelop the 17-acre property. Verplank Dock Co. may be moved to the plant site to free up space at the end of 8th Street.

Its a historic moment, Holland resident Deborah Jedynak told News 8 the day of the demolition. To me, it means progress for the future, for future generations. Maybe I wont be around to see the development to fruition, but I think its a good sign that we are moving forward.

Have a business opening in 2024? Contact Digital Business Reporter Madalyn Buursma at madalyn.buursma@woodtv.com.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
Nations urged to boost cooperation

08:14, December 26, 2023 By Cao Desheng ( China Daily

Premier Li Qiang (top) greets leaders of Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam on Monday as they attend the fourth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Leaders' Meeting via video link. [WANG ZHUANGFEI/CHINA DAILY]

Li hails Lancang-Mekong mechanism's achievements since its launch in 2016

Premier Li Qiang commended the achievements of Lancang-Mekong cooperation on Monday and called for continued efforts to promote the building of a community with a shared future among the countries involved in the cooperation mechanism  China, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

Li made the remarks in Beijing when addressing the fourth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Leaders' Meeting via video link. The Lancang-Mekong region refers to the countries along the Mekong River, known as the Lancang River in China.

Li co-chaired the meeting with Myanmar's leader, Min Aung Hlaing. Prime Minister Hun Manet of Cambodia, Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone of Laos, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin of Thailand, and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh of Vietnam also attended the meeting.

Li said that since the Lancang-Mekong cooperation mechanism was launched seven years ago, the six nations have built powerful engines for development, established a strong backing for common security, and strengthened the bonds of mutual understanding.

The building of a Lancang-Mekong community with a shared future has made positive progress, he added.

Li put forward proposals for enhancing Lancang-Mekong cooperation, saying that the countries should deepen planning for integrated development, implement strategic projects with mutual connectivity, and enhance partnership in economy and trade, industrial capacity, agriculture and intelligent manufacturing.

He underlined the need to fully respect the legitimate rights and interests of each country in the rational development and use of water resources, and explore cooperation in the management of the whole Lancang-Mekong river basin.

Efforts should be made to strengthen security governance and vigorously crack down on crimes such as cybercrime, illegal gambling and telecommunications fraud, Li said.

He also called for deepening people-to-people exchanges and fostering new growth drivers in youth exchanges, think tanks and subnational cooperation.

The foreign leaders expressed their sincere condolences to China regarding the casualties caused by the recent earthquake in Gansu and Qinghai provinces.

They also thanked China for its outstanding contributions to promoting Lancang-Mekong cooperation.

They said that the six countries should be committed to sharing opportunities and meeting challenges together, jointly plan for the future development of Lancang-Mekong cooperation, and build the Lancang-Mekong Economic Development Belt, thus creating a community with a shared future among Lancang-Mekong countries.

During the meeting, the leaders issued a joint declaration, the Five-Year Action Plan for Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (2023-27) and the joint initiative on building the Lancang-Mekong innovative corridor.

Thailand will take over the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation co-chairmanship with China this year.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun)
Renowned Japanese animator Makoto Shinkai returned to China last week to unveil and promote a new exhibition based on his blockbuster film "Suzume."

Japanese animator Makoto Shinkai tours an exhibition themed on his film "Suzume" in Shanghai, Dec. 22, 2023. [Photo courtesy of GuGuGuGu]

The animated film follows the unlikely encounter between a 17-year-old girl and a mysterious young man who embarks on a journey to prevent a series of disasters across Japan. It has grossed more than 807 million yuan ($113 million) since its debut in China in March, becoming the highest-grossing Japanese film in the Chinese market.

GuGuGuGu, a new company founded by Road Pictures, aims to integrate and operate resources of major franchises. Its special "Suzume"-themed exhibition opened on Dec. 22 at a mall in Shanghai, including iconic scene reenactments, original drawings, storyboards and merchandise, and will run until Feb. 16, 2024. After a high-profile promotional tour in March for the film, Makoto Shinkai returned to China this year from Dec. 20-22 to interact with his fans.

"Thanks to our partner Road Pictures, we have the opportunity to host this exhibition, which I believe is a valuable platform for Chinese-Japanese cultural exchanges," Shinkai told China.org.cn. "We have been considering how to present our delicate work to Chinese audiences. This serves as a means of exchange, and we anticipate more collaborations in various formats in the future."

Japanese animator Makoto Shinkai poses with fans at a screening of "Suzume" in Shanghai, Dec. 20, 2023. [Photo courtesy of China Film Co. Ltd.]

The animator first met with fans at special screenings of "Suzume" in a packed theater in Shanghai on the night of Dec. 20. Although the film's theatrical run concluded some time ago, it is now part of China Film Co. Ltd.'s new "appointment screening" program. This means that from Dec. 20 to Feb. 29, 2024, fans of the film can make an appointment at any nearby theater. When the number of movie ticket purchases reaches a certain number, a screening will be arranged for them.

Shinkai said he was very nervous when coming to China earlier this year because he didn't know if Chinese audiences would like his film. But now he was excited and even anticipated his second visit because he knows his film is loved by Chinese people. "I feel like going to a friend's home for fun," he said. He added that Chinese audiences' enthusiasm has inspired him to deliver his next film as soon as possible.

Japanese animator Makoto Shinkai and Chinese animator MTJJ pose for a photo as they hold the renowned cat characters from each other's films at an event in Shanghai, Dec. 21, 2023. [Photo/China.org.cn]

On Dec. 21, the Japanese animator also took part in a dialogue event with MTJJ, the director of the critically acclaimed Chinese animated feature "The Legend of Hei," which also received praise on its Japanese release. The two animators held in-depth exchanges about creating animation. During the dialogue, MTJJ revealed that the sequel to "The Legend of Hei" will be released in 2025, and a new online series is scheduled for 2026. Shinkai mentioned that his new film will be released in almost the same time frame but remained tight-lipped about the details. However, he promised to consider drawing inspiration from his tours and sightseeing experiences in China and integrating them into his new film.

Shinkai noted that he was very interested in Chinese culture and the development of Chinas animation industry, and had been touched by the Chinese animated film "I Am What I Am" by Sun Haipeng. He also shared that he loved Chinese sci-fi work "The Three-Body Problem" and even wrote a recommendation for the Japanese edition of the book. "How I wish I could read Chinese! The last book of the 'Three-Body' was just published in Japan this year, otherwise I can read the ending of the novel a decade ago and find inspiration from it to add to my film," he said.

On Dec. 22, Shinkai launched his "Suzume" exhibition in front of a crowd of passionate fans. Cai Gongming, president and CEO of GuGuGuGu, also expressed the company's willingness to cooperate further with Shinkai in the future, to which Shinkai positively responded.

Japanese animator Makoto Shinkai at the launch of his "Suzume" exhibition in Shanghai, Dec. 22, 2023. [Photo courtesy of GuGuGuGu]

"The birth of GuGuGuGu originates from our passion for anime, our confidence in the future development of the franchise IP industry, and, more importantly, the demand from the ACG (anime, comic and games) community for an integrated one-stop service encompassing content, merchandise and experiences," Cai explained.

The company has launched a WeChat mini-program, will release a variety of limited products related to franchises during Spring Festival, and plans to open IP experience stores in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Wuhan, where fans can participate in merchandise designing and fan communication events.
A 25-year-old died after being thrown from a sedan during a crash, Vermont police said.

Tyler A. Brouillard was driving a 2013 Dodge Dart in light rain when he veered off a street in Bridport, tried to overcorrect and entered the center of the other side of the road, according to a news release by Vermont State Police.

Troopers said the crash happened between Dec. 24 and Dec. 25.

The car continued north until it went completely off the road and rolled, state police said.

Brouillard, who police say wasnt wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the car and died from his injuries, troopers said.

They didnt specify if weather conditions were a contributing factor to the crash.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, Adam Silverman, the public information officer with Vermont State Police, told McClatchy News in an email.

The street was blocked off for a short period of time so the Crash Reconstruction Team and Drone Team could investigate, troopers said.

Vermont State Police ask anyone with information to call 802-388-4919, according to the release.

Bridport is about 60 miles southwest of Montpelier.

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Three American service-members were injured by a drone attack in Iraq on Monday, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said. One of the three was "critically" injured.

The strike by the "one-way attack drone" was met with U.S. retaliation, according to the statement from Watson, with President Joe Biden ordering American forces to strike multiple targets "focused specifically on unmanned aerial drone activities."

American military personnel in the Middle East have increasingly come under attack in the region since Hamas' intrusion into Israel on Oct. 7 led to an Israeli invasion of Gaza. Commercial shipping in the region has also come under fire.

"The Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, under an umbrella of Iranian-backed militants, claimed credit for the attack," Watson said in the statement Monday night.

None of the three service-members were identified, nor was it specified in which branch of the military they served.

Watson said the Biden administration would consider further counter-strikes.

"The President places no higher priority than the protection of American personnel serving in harms way," Watson said. "The United States will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue."

Biden and first lady Jill Biden spent part of Christmas Day calling American military personnel in Michigan, Hawaii and around the world to offer Christmas greetings and thank them for their service.
While responding to a business dispute, Marietta police officers ended up arresting three people.

According to a department spokesman, officers were dispatched to a Marietta home regarding a business dispute. The homeowner told a vendor she was calling the police but they would not leave immediately.

The Marietta Police Department told Channel 2 Action News that the business dispute arose from three people working for a moving company returning to a home theyd already moved the residents from and tried to get more money after.

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When officers arrived, the vendors tried to leave but police stopped their vehicle.

While giving the three people criminal trespass warnings, which were requested by the homeowner, the police said they found the driver did not have a valid license.

Both of the passengers in the vehicle also had a combination of drugs and firearms, including mushrooms, marijuana and cocaine.

All three were arrested for six felonies and three misdemeanors, according to officers, and one of the people arrested was a convicted felon who had a firearm.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
Only a handful of Ukrainian passenger airlines are still flying despite the Russian invasion.

The planes are not flying in Ukraine but mostly operate under charter or leasing contracts abroad.

Budget carrier SkyUp is now Ukraine's largest airline as the nation's flag carrier faces bankruptcy.

Passenger flights were effectively halted when Ukraine fell under martial law, as much of the country became an active warzone after Russia invaded in February 2022.

This left Ukrainian airlines scrambling as they canceled flights and quickly moved their planes into storage. Some aircraft got stuck in Ukraine, but dozens of others were scattered around places like Romania, France, Estonia, and Spain.

Many of these jets were evacuated ahead of time at the direction of aircraft insurers who did not want their planes still in Ukraine given warnings of the potential invasion, the aviation media company Key Aero reported.

Although many of these planes remain grounded or have been reclaimed by their lessor, there are still 18 Ukrainian-registered jets in service, according to Cirium data collected on November 29 and shared with Business Insider.

A handful of Ukrainian carriers represent these aircraft, including SkyUp Airlines, Windrose Airlines, and Skyline Express Airlines  the latter previously known as Azur Air Ukraine but rebranded this year.

Skyline's previous Azur name was affiliated with the Russian carrier Azur Air, and it wanted to avoid association. Nimdamer/iStock

SkyUp has been the most vocal about its operations. In September 2022, the privately owned budget airline published a round-up of its missions over the first six months of the war, including signing leasing and charter contracts and operating humanitarian flights.

"When the war started, it was absolutely necessary for us to set up these humanitarian flights, despite any possible risks," SkyUp CEO Dmytro Seroukhov told Business Insider in an interview on Friday. "We flew more than 20 flights in March and April."

The company has 10 planes in operation, including one jet that got left behind when the war broke out and had to be rescued from Ukraine in April 2023. Seroukhov told BI this was a significant task that took about 1,000 people to organize.

Since February 2022, SkyUp has flown thousands of flights and carried millions of people on behalf of close to 20 airlines, Seroukhov said. These include Air Albania, Air Moldova, Corendon Dutch Airlines, Hungary's Wizz Air, and Tunisia's national airline Tunisair, among others.

SkyUp is famous for letting its female cabin crew wear sneakers and pants instead of heels and pencil skirts. Reuters

More recently, the carrier received permission to operate some of its Boeing 737 planes in the US and Canada as it hopes to enter the lucrative North American aircraft leasing market.

"We are in negotiations with several possible partners," Seroukhov told BI.

SkyUp has also set up a Malta subsidiary, known as SkyUp Malta, and has received its air operator certificate to officially become an EU airline.

Seroukhov told BI that the Malta-based arm will have three operations: leasing, charters, and scheduled flights. The company is already using two of its 10 Boeing 737 planes for SkyUp Malta, with plans to add passenger flights in 2024.

"All of these three different parties need to be connected in the same base where the aircraft are located, allowing us to shift to high utilization per aircraft and higher revenue for SkyUp," he said, noting the planes will fly to leisure destinations.

While SkyUp quickly adapted its operation for wartime, charter airlines Windrose and Skyline have only resumed flights as of 2023.

According to the Ukrainian media outlet Avianews, Windrose has two Boeing 737s and one Embraer E190 in service. The E190 has been leased out to Air Montenegro, while the two 737s are being operated by Windrose, the Cirium data sent to BI shows.

Planespotters data shows the pictured Windrose ATR 72, registered UR-RWC, is currently parked at Dnipro International Airport in Ukraine. Francois LOCHON

Regarding Skyline, only two Boeing 757s in its fleet of 10 aircraft are in service, according to Cirium.

Avianews reported these aircraft were received in 2023 and are flying on behalf of tour operators. Skyline's website lists destinations like Burgas, Bulgaria, and Heraklion, Greece.

Another small Ukrainian airline called YanAir also has a Boeing 737 plane flying, but it was leased out to Mali's Sky Mail in May 2021  before the war started. And charter carrier Air Urga has operated four turboprop planes for the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service since 2019.

Ukraine's flag carrier is not on the list

A Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 777 over New York's JFK airport in November 2018. Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The list of airlines still flying does not include Ukraine's national carrier, Ukraine International Airlines, which was also the nation's largest pre-war.

Despite flying on behalf of foreign airlines like airBaltic in 2022, UIA has not flown for over a year due to non-payments for things like maintenance and fuel, Forbes Ukraine reported.

Shortly after ceasing flights last fall, some UIA aircraft were de-registered and sent to new homes, including the three that Windrose is currently flying, according to data from Planespotters.

And UIA is now facing a lawsuit from the Ukrainian state-owned bank, Ukreximbank, asking it to declare bankruptcy, per Forbes, noting the airline has total debts of more than $500 million.

"They no longer have assets in civilized countries to guarantee payment," a former UIA employee who worked in the company's top management told Forbes in October. "UIA as such is an office, that's all."

The airline's assets  including its logo and subsidiaries  have been sold, too, Avianews reported in October. With UIA's collapse, SkyUp is now Ukraine's biggest airline.

Ukraine is evaluating the resumption of civil flight operations

Ukrainian military men at Kyiv airport in 2022. Sergei Supinky/AFP via Getty Images

Although passenger flights are still currently suspended amid the ongoing war with Russia, Ukraine has actively discussed how and when to resume civilian operations.

In July, European low-cost giant Ryanair announced a $3 billion plan to return to Ukraine soon after the war ends as a way to help rebuild the battered country. The news came after meetings in Kyiv with Ukraine's government and airport leaders.

"The fastest way to rebuild and restore the Ukrainian economy will be with low-fare air travel," Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary said, noting the airline plans to base 30 new MAX planes in Ukraine's three main airports in Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa.

During a recent trip to the US, the head of the president's office, Andrii Yermak, suggested Ukraine could open one of its airports for civilian use before the war ends, the BBC reported.

"Strengthening air defense will be the key to recovery," he said at a press conference at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC on November 13. "To restore Ukraine, a reliable umbrella is needed."

"In particular, its strengthening will allow us to reopen one of Ukraine's airports," Yermak continued. "We are already working on it with our partners. This is a sign that a turning point in the war is approaching. The next year will be decisive in this regard."

The Ukrainian Air Force has expressed concerns about a pre-mature resumption of civil flights, though. A spokesperson told the Kyiv Post in July that the idea poses "significant risks," noting there are uncertainties surrounding insurance for planes and passengers.

"Currently, all Ukrainian airfields, which serve various purposes, are operational," he said. "However, in a war-torn country like ours, missiles and enemy drones can appear anywhere at any time."

Read the original article on Business Insider
President Joe Biden ordered the United States military to carry out retaliatory airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia groups after three U.S. service members were injured in a drone attack in northern Iraq on Monday.

National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said one of the U.S. troops suffered critical injuries in the attack that occurred earlier Monday. The Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, under an umbrella of Iranian-backed militants, claimed credit for the attack that utilized a one-way attack drone.

Iraqi officials said U.S. strikes targeting militia sites early Tuesday killed one militant and injured 18. They came at a time of heightened fears of a regional spillover of the Israel-Hamas war.

U.S. CENTCOM conducts strikes against Kataib Hezbollah terrorist group targets in Iraq



In response to multiple attacks against coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, U.S. military forces conducted airstrikes against multiple facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups pic.twitter.com/mmL4WqFXq9  U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 26, 2023

Iran announced Monday that an Israeli strike on the outskirts of the Syrian capital of Damascus killed one of its top generals, Razi Mousavi, who had been a close companion of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the former head of Irans elite Quds Force. Soleimani was slain in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq in January 2020.

Iranian officials vowed revenge for the killing of Mousavi but did not immediately launch a retaliatory strike. The militia attack Monday in northern Iraq was launched prior to the strike in Syria that killed Mousavi.

Biden, who was spending Christmas at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, was alerted about the attack by White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan shortly after it occurred Monday and ordered the Pentagon and his top national security aides to prepare response options to the attack on an air base used by American troops in Irbil.

US troops in Iraq and Syria attacked two dozen times in two weeks

Sullivan consulted with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Bidens deputy national security adviser, Jon Finer, was with the president at Camp David and convened top aides to review options, according to a U.S. official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity.

Within hours, Biden convened his national security team for a call in which Austin and Gen. CQ Brown, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, briefed Biden on the response options. Biden opted to target three locations used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, the official said.

The U.S. strikes were carried out at about 4:45 a.m. Tuesday in Iraq, less than 13 hours after the U.S. personnel were attacked. According to U.S. Central Command, the retaliatory strikes on the three sites destroyed the targeted facilities and likely killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants.

The President places no higher priority than the protection of American personnel serving in harms way, Watson said. The United States will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue.

The latest attack on U.S. troops follows months of escalating threats and actions against American forces in the region since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the devastating war in Gaza.

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 Oct. 17, the date that a blast at a hospital in Gaza killed hundreds. Iranian-backed militias have carried out more than 100 attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria since the start of the Israel-Hamas war more than two months ago.

In November, U.S. fighter jets struck a Kataib Hezbollah operations center and command and control node, following a short-range ballistic missile attack on U.S. forces at Al-Assad Air Base in western Iraq. Iranian-backed militias also carried out a drone attack at the same air base in October, causing minor injuries.

The U.S. has also blamed Iran, which has funded and trained Hamas, for attacks by Yemens Houthi militants against commercial and military vessels through a critical shipping choke point in the Red Sea.

The Biden administration has sought to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spiraling into a wider regional conflict that either opens up new fronts of Israeli fighting or draws the U.S. in directly. The administrations measured response  where not every attempt on American troops has been met with a counterattack  has drawn criticism from Republicans.

Number of troops injured in drone attacks jumps to 56

The U.S. has thousands of troops in Iraq training Iraqi forces and combating remnants of the Islamic State group, and hundreds in Syria, mostly on the counter-IS mission. They have come under dozens of attacks, though as yet none fatal, since the war began on Oct. 7, with the U.S. attributing responsibility to Iran-backed groups.

While we do not seek to escalate conflict in the region, we are committed and fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities, Austin said in a statement.

The clashes put the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in a delicate position. He came to power in 2022 with the backing of a coalition of Iranian-backed parties, some of which are associated with the same militias launching the attacks on U.S. bases.

A group of Iranian-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces were key in the fight against Islamic State militants after the extremist group overran much of Iraq in 2014. The PMF is officially under the command of the Iraqi army, but in practice the militias operate independently.

In a statement Tuesday, Sudani condemned both the militia attack in Irbil and the U.S. response.

Attacks on foreign diplomatic mission headquarters and sites hosting military advisors from friendly nations  infringe upon Iraqs sovereignty and are deemed unacceptable under any circumstances, the statement said.

However, it added that that the retaliatory strikes by the U.S. on Iraqi military sites  referring to the militia  constitute a clear hostile act. Sudani said some of those injured in the strikes were civilians.
Federal prison sentences were handed down to three women for their roles in a human smuggling operation, which resulted in the deaths of two migrants in the West Texas desert, court records show.

Guadalupe Quezada, 35; Veronica Quezada, 39; and Elizabeth Miranda Lozano, 39, were sentenced in December to prison after each woman pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal charge of conspiracy to bring an alien to the U.S. resulting in death.

"The dangerous smuggling of human beings across our border has become far too prevalent and those engage in or facilitate this activity must account for their deadly dealings," U.S. Attorney for Western District of Texas Jaime Esparza said in a statement. "I commend the joint multi-district efforts of our local, state, and federal partners to bring this case to a successful close. We will continue working together at all levels of law enforcement to aggressively prosecute human smugglers as long as their operations persist."

U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback search for undocumented migrants in West Texas.

Guadalupe Quezada, of Mesa, Arizona, was sentenced Dec. 19 to 11 years and three months in federal prison on one count of conspiracy to bring an alien to the United States resulting in death, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas officials said.

Federal court records show she also was sentenced to 11 years and three months on one count of conspiracy to launder money. Quezada also received three years of supervised release on each charge after she serves her prison terms. The sentences will be served concurrently. Guadalupe Quezada pleaded guilty to the charges March 21.

Veronica Quezada, also of Mesa, Arizona, was sentenced Dec. 13 to five years and three months in federal prison on one count of conspiracy to bring an alien to the United States resulting in death. She also received five years of supervised release after she serves her prison term. Veronica Quezada pleaded guilty March 27.

Immigration: 'It's heartbreaking': Day after day, New Mexico investigator recovers migrant remains

Lozano, of Dallas, was sentenced Dec. 13 to eight years and one month in federal prison on one count of conspiracy to bring an alien to the United States resulting in death. She also was sentenced to five years of supervised release after she serves her prison term. Lozano pleaded guilty May 10.

The sentences were handed down by U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone at the Albert Armendariz Sr. Federal Courthouse in Downtown El Paso.

Several other smuggling and money laundering charges were dismissed against the women as part of plea agreements made with federal prosecutors, court records show.

"As demonstrated by these defendants, human smugglers have a callous disregard for the value of life," Homeland Security Investigations El Paso Division Special Agent in Charge Francisco B. Burrola said in a statement. "Tragically, their inhumane practices all too often result in serious injury or death. HSI will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue transnational criminal organizations that jeopardize the lives of others for their personal profit."

Two migrants die in smuggling operation run by the three women

The three women "actively participated in an ongoing conspiracy to bring in, transport, and harbor undocumented immigrants into the U.S. from Mexico from on or about November 2019 through on or about August 2021," U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas officials said.

A federal indictment filed against the three women states the smuggling operation started as early as December 2016.

The migrants were smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border through the Chihuahuan Desert near Van Horn, Texas.

Guides would direct migrants to walk through the desert and meet with drivers, who would pick up the migrants and take them to stash houses or staging areas, officials said.

Members of the smuggling operation twice abandoned migrants who were unable to keep pace with the larger group, officials said. Two of the abandoned migrants died because of the harsh conditions in the desert, officials added.

The migrants who died are only identified as S.A.T.D. and M.R.M. in a federal indictment.

Eventually, the migrants would be moved from West Texas to stash houses near Dallas or Phoenix, court documents state.

More: 'Where is the humanity?' Migrant deaths soaring at El Paso-Juarez border with few ways to document them

Guadalupe Quezada was accused of receiving the human smuggling proceeds in bulk, as well as through financial institutions, officials said. She would then redirect the funds to promote human smuggling and invest in real property.

As part of the sentencing, Guadalupe Quezada was forced to forfeit three properties in Phoenix, officials said.

Veronica Quezada provided logistical support to the guides, drivers and others by registering vehicles used by the operation to smuggle the migrants, officials said. She traveled daily to the U.S. from Mexico to overseeoperations on behalf of the organization.

Lozano's role in the organization was to take and harbor the migrants in staging areas before releasing them to their final destination. She moved to Dallas from Arizona to manage the stash house on behalf of the organization, officials said.

Aaron Martinez may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on Twitter @AMartinezEPT.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: 3 women sentenced in fatal West Texas migrant smuggling operation
Four children were hospitalized Tuesday afternoon after a van crashed into the YMCA in Foxborough, according to police.

Police responded to the crash around 4:30 p.m. at the Hockomock Area YMCA location at 67 Mechanic St.

The children, who were at a daycare inside the building, were transported to an area hospital with injuries that were not considered to be life-threatening, Foxborough police said.

The rest of the Hockomock YMCA was open Thursday as crews worked to clean up the Child Watch area.

We are devastated that children in our facility were injured and are thankful for the fast response by first responders from Foxboro Fire & Police. The van company and our YMCA are fully cooperating with this ongoing investigation, said Hockomock Area YMCA CEO Jim Downs in a statement. I am thankful for all those who responded quickly and appropriately, and we will be here to support all those involved in this unfortunate incident. Thank you.

Police did not release the ages and genders of the injured children.

The driver of the van remained on scene and is cooperating with investigators.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

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 look at police dramas over the past 30 years with the most realistic depictions of law enforcement on TV.

America loves cops. Thats been the case for decades. As a result, our entertainment industry has sold us on the brilliance and courageousness of police officers. The proper term for this is copaganda, which is propaganda to help create a positive image of the police.

Whether its movies or television shows, cops have historically been portrayed as upstanding altruistic heroes who can do no wrong. In the 20th century, shows like Hawaii Five-0, Miami Vice, and Hill Street Blues presented this image. The more present-day examples are other popular procedural series like Law & Order, Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds, and NCIS.

We also cant forget reality series like Cops and Live PD.

But we all know the truth about the police. Despite the good that they can do, theyre flawed, they can bring a lot of harm, and in some cases, they can be straight-up evil. While most of the popular shows around policing wont sincerely touch on those realities, there are some that represent more of the nuances and complexities around law enforcement.

While these shows arent necessarily anti-police, theyre certainly anti-copaganda. Theyre rooted in more realism. With that, here are the five greatest anti-copaganda shows of all time.

(Beware of some spoilers ahead.)

5. NYPD Blue (1993-2005)

A groundbreaking network police drama, NYPD Blue came out just a few years after Law & Order and it quickly separated itself as the grittier and tougher police procedural. Taking place in a fictional New York City police precinct, the ABC series followed the lives of officers as they navigated their personal and professional tribulations. It sounds straightforward, but in the early 90s, there wasnt another broadcast network drama that would push the limits the way NYPD Blue did. The show faced controversy for airing curse words, partial nudity, and certain levels of violence over Federal Communications Commission (FCC) airwaves.

Despite the controversy, the show was a ratings hit. What made this show textbook anti-copaganda is how the cops were portrayed. For example, the pseudo-main character, Detective Andy Sipowicz (portrayed by Dennis Franz), started the series as a racist alcoholic. Although his temperament dwindled as the series went on, no one watching it would believe this guy could do no wrong. All the main characters had their flaws on full display and up to that point, no one had dared to show cops in this light on network TV.

NYPD officers stand guard during a rally on Oct. 9, 2023, in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

4. Homicide: Life on the Street (1993-1999)

Perhaps someone could look at an episode of the Baltimore-based Homicide: Life on the Street series and walk away thinking it fits into the same box of other police procedurals. Theyd be wrong. Based on the David Simon book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, the NBC drama took a similar stance that NYPD Blue did. It depicted homicide detectives in a city ravaged by violence as everyday people who clock in to work each day.

The murders they investigated were horrible but because they dealt with them on a regular basis, it just became second nature to them. They didnt look over a dead body and say, Ill stop at nothing to solve this case. They just took their notes, collected what evidence they could, and tried to close the case. Homicide featured an ensemble cast with memorable performances, and while the series was never a huge hit, it had a level of depth that other police dramas couldnt begin to touch.

3. We Own This City (2022)

Based on the 2021 nonfiction book by reporter Justin Fenton, We Own This City is the only show on this list thats based on a true story. The six-part miniseries followed the rise and fall of a Baltimore Police Department elite squad known as the Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF). The team was assembled to get guns and violent criminals off the streets of Baltimore. Instead, they engaged in criminal activity so abhorrent in the city that the DEA and FBI had to bring them down.

Due to the premise, theres no way this show could be viewed as copaganda but creators David Simon and George Pelecanos didnt use the real-life story to denigrate cops. They showed how corruption and bad policing can destroy an entire community. When members of the GTTF terrorized people for no reason, it created tension between the police and the community. That tension makes it harder for good police to do their job and provide public safety for taxpayers. We Own This City reveals the true cost of bad policing.

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2. The Shield (2002-2008)

When network television and HBO dominated the TV drama space, a small cable network (FX) decided to take a crack at the genre when it green-lit a little series about a rogue cop and his team of anti-gang officers. Thus, The Shield was born and helped change the landscape of cable television. With a classic anti-hero, Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), at the center of the show, The Shield followed the ruthless detective and his team as they broke the very laws they enforce to take down criminals and enrich themselves, all while other police officers tried to bring them down.

Now, many viewers would probably say it was hard not to root for Mackey throughout the course of the series  especially when he came face to face with a motivated yet deranged Internal Affairs Lieutenant named Jon Kavanaugh (played brilliantly by Forest Whitaker). But the show somehow didnt glorify Mackey or any of the corruption he and his fellow cops took part in. Instead, it tricked you into seeing how easily cops can abuse their power, even when their fellow officers want to hold them accountable. The Shield took the tired stereotypes of the police drama and turned it on its head. If you make it to the final episode and think the series was trying to dignify Mackeys actions, then you missed the point.

1. The Wire (2002-2008)

The Wire is arguably the single greatest television show of all time. It would take too long to go into all the reasons why. Covering every aspect of a city in constant turmoil, The Wire chronicled the city of Baltimore and its various institutions, from the police department to the drug trade, the port system, the city government, the schools, and the local newspaper. The show explored how these different sections fail the people who work in them and ultimately fail the city. The most consistent lens the show followed is the police department. The Wire ran for five seasons on HBO, and while it built a nice niche audience, it could never grab mainstream attention. Today, though, the show is more popular than it ever was when it aired.

While it would be a mistake to label this as a traditional cop drama, each season of the show heavily featured the citys police department and did so with more nuance and accuracy than any television has ever done. From the way the police investigated drug crimes to overemphasizing the war on drugs to police leaders focusing on stats rather than building a real effective investigative strategy, The Wire showed it all. Its the antithesis of copaganda. Its a fair and balanced portrayal of law enforcement. There has never been a more precise portrayal of American policing on the small screen.

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The post The 5 greatest anti-copaganda shows of all time appeared first on TheGrio.
WASHINGTON - The Exorcist was released on December 26, 1973  50 years ago.

The horror film 'The Exorcist' showing at the Warner Rendezvous cinema in the West End of London, UK, 14th March 1974. The film was directed by William Friedkin from a book by William Peter Blatty. (Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The movie, which takes place largely in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington D.C., scared audiences of sold-out shows on opening day, prompting some cities to try and ban the horror film altogether.

But in the decades since, the movie has been named one of the best horror films of all time. Tourists and locals alike have flocked to notable locations from the film, including the famous (or infamous) Exorcist Steps in Georgetown featured in the final scene of the movie.

Tourists take a selfie at the bottom of the stairs made famous by the 1973 movie "The Exorcist" in Georgetown in Washington, DC, on October 29, 2018. - The 75 steps served as the final scene for one of the most troubling films in the history of cinema. "The Exorcist." The famed stairs could soon be classified as a historical monument. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo credit should read ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Here are five things you may not have known about The Exorcist  and its connections to the D.C. area.

1. The Exorcist was based on a true story

The 1974 movie The Exorcist was based on a 1971 novel of the same name by American writer William Peter Blatty.

Blattys novel was inspired by the exorcism of a 14-year-old boy in the 1940s, which Blatty learned about when he was a student at Georgetown University.

The 14-year-old, often referred to as Roland Doe, lived with his family in Prince Georges County, Maryland. The boy reportedly played with a ouija board his aunt had given him (just like the ouija board Regan plays with in the film.)

After the death of the aunt, the whole family was subject to household objects moving on their own accord, and a priest was brought in to assist.

The story goes that an exorcism was attempted at Georgetown Hospital, before the boy was taken to St. Louis for a second exorcism.

2. The Exorcist steps used to have a connection to another horror film

Before they were known as the "Exorcist Steps" the M Street Steps near Georgetowns campus were sometimes referred to as the Hitchcock steps  in honor of Alfred Hitchcock.

The stairs themselves, which date back to the 19th century, "always evoked something spooky and suspenseful," according to Blatty in a 2013 USA Today interview.

3. The Exorcist production was supposedly cursed

The set and production experienced a number of accidents throughout filming. A carpenter lost several fingers while working on the set, leading a professor of theology at Georgetown to bless the production. The set itself mysteriously caught fire and had to be rebuilt.

Nine people reportedly died during the production. Jack MacGowan, the actor who played Burke Dennings, died in his sleep not long after the film was finished.

"We were plagued by strange and sinister things from the beginning, it is simply the hardest thing I have ever done in my life," said director William Friedkin in an interview with the horror magazine Castle of Frankenstein in 1974.

4. Hundreds Georgetown students appeared in the film

According to Georgetown University, some 300 students, faculty and staff joined the film as extras. The 1972 Georgetown mens rowing team was featured doing a workout on the Exorcist steps. The protestors at Healy Hall were made up largely of students and faculty.

5. The Exorcist steps are now a historic landmark  but not for the reason youd think

The 97 steps at M Street NW, the retaining wall on one side and the old Capitol Traction Station building on the other side were declared a historical landmark in 2019  but not because of the Exorcist.

The Historic Preservation Office granted the site historical landmark status instead because of the Capital Traction Station, which was built in the 19th century as a three-story transit hub for four streetcar companies. The buildings soaring clock tower and arched windows also serve as an example pf Romanesque Revival architecture. The steps and the retaining wall next to the Capitol Traction Station building were included due to the "historical and architectural significance of the site," according to the report.

The historical status isnt due to the steps connection to the movie  which at the time were to recent to be considered necessary for protection. Either way, the area is protected from modern development in the area both by its historical status, as well as being protected due to its location in the Old Georgetown Historic District.

Where to watch The Exorcist 1974

The Exorcist 1974 is available to watch for free on Pluto TV and Sling TV. It is available for rent through Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play and YouTube TV.

A new movie, Exorcist: Believer was released in 2023, and features the return of Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil. Its available to watch on Peacock.
The Black maternal mortality crisis has gotten renewed attention in recent weeks amid growing concerns over the disparity in deaths between Black and white people.

The U.S. is among the wealthiest nations on Earth, yet it has the highest rate of death during pregnancy for up to a year afterward, according to the United Nations.

Black people are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than their white counterparts.

For years, Black leaders have worked to address these disparities, but with the newfound focus on the issues, advocates say the lives of Black mothers could be saved.

Here are five things to know about the maternal health crisis.

Implicit bias

There are a number of underlying causes for maternal mortality, and they range from mental health conditions such as postpartum depression to physical disorders such as hypertension.

While Black patients are more likely to exhibit comorbidities such as high blood pressure, research also points to implicit and structural bias in the medical system.

In 2020, Harvard Global Health Institute reported that physicians are twice as likely to underestimate Black patients pain, while 60 percent of medical students and residents thought the skin of Black patients was thicker than that of white patients. Twelve percent thought Black patients nerve endings were less sensitive than those of white people.

These pervasive false beliefs affect Black mothers such as Stacey Brayboy, who was pushed into having a cesarean section delivery by her doctor.

When they began removing Brayboys stitches, she tried to tell her doctor she was in pain.

And she says to me, Oh, we can do this now because youre acting like the baby, Brayboy, now senior vice president for public policy and government affairs at March of Dimes, told The Hills The Switch Up podcast.

I let her remove the staples. I leave and four hours later, they have to rush me to the hospital because where they removed the staples, the body opened up and there was a wound and my blood pressure shot extremely high.

Brayboy was in the hospital with an infection for three days. Eventually, Brayboy said her doctor came in and admitted she should have listened to Brayboys protests more.

There was some bias that was there when I was trying to have a conversation with my health care provider about what I was experiencing and why I wanted us not to choose one form of birthing over another, as well as how we were going to go about removing the sutures at that time, Brayboy said.

Nearly all deaths are preventable

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last year reported that 22 percent of maternal deaths occurred during pregnancy, 25 percent occurred on the day of delivery or within 7 days after and 53 percent occurred within one year after pregnancy.

But 84 percent of all deaths were preventable.

For Black women, cardiac and coronary conditions were the leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related deaths.

Challenges facing birthing people also depend on where they happen.

March of Dimes found that more than 2.2 million women of childbearing age live in maternity care deserts, or areas without hospitals offering obstetric care, birth centers or obstetric providers.

Women living in rural areas have a 9 percent increased probability of maternal mortality or morbidity as compared with women in urban areas with greater access, according to the CDC. Rural hospitals also report higher rates of hemorrhage and blood transfusions as compared with urban hospitals.

Socioeconomic status

The racial disparities in the maternal health crisis transcend socioeconomic status, meaning that a Black person with a college education could still face worse health outcomes than a white person without a high school diploma, according to the Equal Justice Society.

Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) last year shared with The Hill that her friend Dr. Shalon Irving died just weeks after giving birth to her daughter.

She has a dual doctorate in sociology and gerontology. We met in the masters of public health program. After we graduated, she went on to serve at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. And I remember the CDC director was at her funeral, and in her remarks was just stunned like, how could this happen? Underwood said.

There are also economic barriers exacerbating the racial disparities in the crisis.

Researchers at Stanford University found that death rates among low-income mothers are three times higher than wealthy mothers.

Black Americans are more likely to be uninsured than their white counterparts and have less wealth and income, affecting their ability to afford high-quality care both during and after pregnancy.

But those who are insured could still face difficulties. Though 43 percent of births are financed by Medicaid, Medicaid is only required to provide coverage for 60 days after the pregnancy, despite a majority of deaths occurring up to a full year after delivery.

Newborns unspared

Black babies are more than two times likely to die compared with their white counterparts, according to the Office of Minority Health. They are also nearly four times more likely to die from complications related to low birth weight.

Reasons for the newborn disparities arent all that different from the disparities behind the maternal mortality rates, but the office also reports that in 2020, Black mothers were twice as likely to receive late or no prenatal care than white mothers.

The March of Dimes report found that the widespread maternal care deserts saw 16 percent of Black babies born in areas with limited or no access to maternity services.

Brayboy said infant deaths, just like maternal deaths, could be prevented.

Its access. Its location. It is making sure that were able to take care of the mom as shes going through the pregnancy journey, she said. Its on society being able to set the parameters and look at where we are.

Congressional work

Congressional leaders have been working to pass legislation to end the maternal mortality crisis.

In 2019, Underwood teamed up with Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.) to create the Black Maternal Health Caucus.

The caucus has worked to pass the Momnibus, a package of legislation that would address economic, social and cultural barriers perpetuating the maternal health crisis.

Earlier this year, Illinois Democrats Rep. Robin Kelly and Sen. Dick Durbin introduced the CARE For Moms Act, which would help address some of the most pressing issues including extending Medicaid coverage for postpartum mothers in all 50 states and establishing grants for rural obstetric mobile units.

Advocacy groups like the March of Dimes have continued to push elected officials on enacting legislation such as the PREEMIE Reauthorization Act, which would help address newborn deaths.

Weve got to put the onus on all of us. Weve got to educate our community and people who dont look like me to know why this is important, why what happens impacts all of us, said Brayboy.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
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. [Photo/Xinhua]

China has released an implementation plan on facilitating common prosperity through a greater and better digital economy, sources with the national data bureau said on Monday.



The plan, jointly released by the bureau and the National Development and Reform Commission, aims to facilitate an in-depth integration of digital technologies and the real economy and solve the problem of unbalanced and inadequate development through digital means.

By 2025, positive progress shall be made in closing the gaps between regions, urban and rural areas, different population groups as well as in basic public services through the development of digital economy.

By 2030, substantial progress will be achieved in promoting common prosperity through the digital economy, with a set of innovative practices on the collaboration between eastern and western regions ready to be replicated and promoted nationwide.

The plan has made arrangements on four key aspects, namely promoting coordinated regional development through digital economy, advancing digital development in the rural, enhancing digital competence of the public for better employment, and facilitating the inclusive supply of social services through digital means.
Junebug announced the winners of its 2023 Best of the Best Wedding Photography Contest.

The 50 winning photos were taken around the world, from Utah to Iceland.

The images capture intimate moments, stunning scenery, and newlyweds' joy.

Junebug Weddings revealed the winners of its annual wedding photography contest in December.

The winners showcased weddings of all types, all around the world.

From small elopements on Icelandic beaches to crowded ceremonies in the US, here are Junebug's 50 winning photos.

This wedding photo, showing a bride and groom laughing at their Toronto wedding, is pure joy.

Image by Cassie Cetlin of Cassie Cetlin Photography taken in Toronto, Canada. Cassie Cetlin of Cassie Cetlin Photography

This bride and groom appear to be on cloud nine in Banff, Canada.

Image by Andrew Pavlidis of Willow and Wolf taken in Banff, Canada. Andrew Pavlidis of Willow and Wolf

A couple shares an intimate moment at Gljufrabui waterfall on the south coast of Iceland.

Image by Bettina Vass Photography taken in Gljufrabui waterfall, Iceland. Bettina Vass Photography

Any book-loving couple should seriously consider taking their wedding photos in a library, like this couple in Birmingham, Alabama.

Image by Kelsey Justice taken in Birmingham Public Library in Birmingham, Alabama. Kelsey Justice

Riding off on a motorcycle in a Utah state park is the coolest way to celebrate a new marriage.

Image by Carissa Cannizzaro of Carissa Marie Photography taken in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. Carissa Cannizzaro of Carissa Marie Photography

But riding horses in Aspen Grove, Canada, is a close second.

Image by Sara Rogers of Sara Rogers Photography taken in Aspen Grove, Canada. Sara Rogers of Sara Rogers Photography

Confetti cannons were a great addition to this Canadian wedding.

Image by Josh & Emilie Ford of Lonely Wolf Productions taken in Miska Haven, Canada. Josh & Emilie Ford of Lonely Wolf Productions

This home wedding in San Francisco is peaceful and cozy.

Image by Will Khoury of Will Khoury Photography taken in San Francisco, California. Will Khoury of Will Khoury Photography

Some of the winning photos were taken in otherworldly locations. This couple looks like they're on another planet, not a beach in Iceland.

Image by Jane Iskra of ISKRA Photography taken in Iceland. Jane Iskra of ISKRA Photography

In this photo, another black-sand beach in Iceland provides a dramatic backdrop.

Image by Sharyn Hodges of Sharyn Hodges Photography taken in Reynisfjara, Iceland. Sharyn Hodges of Sharyn Hodges Photography

This mind-bending photo was taken inside Kielder Forest in Northumberland, England.

Image by Peter Robinson of Eye of the Tyne Photography taken in Kielder Forest, Northumberland, England. Peter Robinson of Eye of the Tyne Photography

These newlyweds are truly embarking on their own path in the Scottish Highlands.

Image by Raini Rowell of Raini Rowell Photography taken in the Highlands, Scotland. Raini Rowell of Raini Rowell Photography

This bride and groom reach for the stars in Moab, Utah.

Image by Traci Edwards of Adventure and Vow taken in Moab, Utah. Traci Edwards of Adventure and Vow

This beautifully framed snapshot could be a postcard.

Image by Anna Ascari of HAKUNA MATATA. Anna Ascari of HAKUNA MATATA

Another photographer perfectly framed a bride and groom under a tree in Portugal's Fanal Forest.

Image by Nico Friedrichs Fotografie taken in Fanal Forest, Portugal. Nico Friedrichs Fotografie

An underwater shot captures this bride's beautiful dress, which makes her look like a mermaid.

Image by Valerie Fernandez of Salt and Shores Photography. Valerie Fernandez of Salt and Shores Photography

Falling cherry blossoms set the scene at a wedding in India.

Image by Harsh Mehta of The Photo Lab taken in India. Harsh Mehta of The Photo Lab

Bounce houses are a must for any kid-friendly wedding, like this one in Missouri.

Image by Juliana Jumper of Juliana Noelle Jumper taken in Kansas City, Missouri. Juliana Jumper of Juliana Noelle Jumper

And more weddings should have pool, like this one in Minnesota.

Image by Cassandra Oldenburg of Narrowleaf Photography taken in International Falls, Minnesota. Cassandra Oldenburg of Narrowleaf Photography

At this Indonesian wedding, a surprise guest made everyone smile.

Image by Tania Salim taken in Jakarta, Indonesia. Tania Salim

An Icelandic horse wanted to take a sniff of a bride's fragrant bouquet.

Image by Natallia Nikolaichik of Nikolaichik Photo taken in Iceland. Nikolaichik Photo

This wedding in Portugal looks like a truly fun affair.

Image by Valter Antunes of Fotolux taken in Quinta dos Machados, Portugal. Valter Antunes of Fotolux

And there's never been a more Italian wedding than this Tuscan party filled with wine and laughter.

Image taken by Orsolya Lazar of LOOKIMAGINARY taken in Tuscany, Italy. Orsolya Lazar of LOOKIMAGINARY

A bride and groom skateboard at their wedding in Latvia.

Image by Juris Zigelis taken in Jurmala, Latvia. Juris Zigelis

Running on a California beach with a bottle of Champagne seems like the perfect way to celebrate.

Image by Sebastien Bicard of Sebastien Bicard Photography taken in Marin Headlands, San Francisco, California. Sebastien Bicard of Sebastien Bicard Photography

Not even a little drizzle could wipe the smile of this bride's face in Whistler, Canada.

Image by Tara Lilly of Tara Lilly Photography taken in Whistler, Canada. Tara Lilly of Tara Lilly Photography

Similarly, a photographer captured a sweet moment of a groom checking out his new wedding band at this Italian wedding.

Image by Emanuele Guadgno of In Bianco e Nero taken at Campo Imperatore, Italy. Emanuele Guadgno of In Bianco e Nero

It's all too much excitement for some loved ones. A bride has her makeup done in Singapore while her flower girl gets some rest.

Image taken by Andri Tei Photography taken in Hotel Fort Canning, Singapore. Andri Tei Photography

A couple is surrounded by birds on a beach in Tofino, Canada.

Image by Levi Hriczo of Levi Hriczo Photography taken in Tofino, Canada. Levi Hriczo of Levi Hriczo Photography

This looks more like a painting than a photograph.

Image taken by Elsa Romo of FREESOULS. Elsa Romo of FREESOULS

A photo taken in Scotland shows newlyweds supporting each other.

Image by Dylan Kitchener of The Kitcheners taken in Scotland, UK. Dylan Kitchener of The Kitcheners

This photo is the definition of "newlywed bliss."

Image by David Conaty of David Conaty Photography. David Conaty of David Conaty Photography

The photographer caught these two during an intimate moment at their wedding in Bucharest, Romania.

Image by Dana Minciuna of Land of White Deer taken in Bucharest, Romania. Dana Minciuna of Land of White Deer

Somehow, this moment looks like it's straight out of the '50s.

Image by Autumn Marshall of Autumn Marie Photography. Autumn Marshall of Autumn Marie Photography

This elegant photo also has a vintage feel.

Image by Margo Ermolaeva. Margo Ermolaeva

A wedding dress takes center stage in Slovakia.

Image by Andrej Horsky taken in Lozorno, Slovakia. Andrej Horsky

This magical image was captured at Northern Ireland's Causeway Coast.

Image by Caragh Camack of Caragh Isla Photography taken in Causeway Coast, Northern Ireland. Caragh Camack of Caragh Isla Photography

Appropriately, this photo from an Italian wedding looks like a Renaissance painting.

Image by The Ferros taken in Italy. The Ferros

The bride and groom's shadows took center stage at this celebration in Moab, Utah.

Image by Callen Hearne of The Hearnes Adventure Photography taken in Moab, Utah. Callen Hearne of The Hearnes Adventure Photography

A drone captured this breathtaking overhead shot in North Carolina's Outer Banks.

Image by Kasey Powell of Kasey Powell Weddings taken in Outer Banks, North Carolina. Kasey Powell of Kasey Powell Weddings

It might take a minute to tear your eyes from the New York City skyline to find the happy couple.

Image by Manuel Aldana of Manuel Aldana Fotografia taken in Central Park, New York City. Manuel Aldana of Manuel Aldana Fotografia

A bride and groom took a post-wedding dip in Sproat Lake, Canada.

Image by Kristen Cook of Freya Photography taken in Sproat Lake, Canada. Kristen Cook of Freya Photography

These brides look ethereal at an Icelandic waterfall.

Image by Christina LePage of Juniper Woods Photography LLC taken in Skogar, Iceland. Christina LePage of Juniper Woods Photography LLC

Newlyweds or the cast of "Yellowstone"? This photo was actually taken in Glencoe, Scotland.

Image by Jim Caryl of The Caryls taken in Glencoe, Scotland. Jim Caryl of The Caryls

Unique architecture makes an interesting backdrop.

Image by Anneri Wasserman of Basque Imagery. Anneri Wasserman of Basque Imagery

This bride and groom look like they're in a maze to find each other in Singapore.

Image by Dahalan Sarlip of Dahalan Sarlip Pictures taken in Raffles Blvd, Singapore. Dahalan Sarlip of Dahalan Sarlip Pictures

A bride looks like she's getting ready at the Palace of Versailles.

Image by Martina Ruffini of Martina Ruffini Wedding Photography. Martina Ruffini Wedding Photography

Mirrors can be used in many ways in photography, like at this Vancouver wedding.

Image by Mike Vallely of Shari + Mike Photographers taken in Vancouver, Canada. Mike Vallely of Shari + Mike Photographers

This photo is simple, yet moving.

Image taken by Shari Vallely of Shari + Mike Photographers taken in Vancouver, Canada. Shari Vallely of Shari + Mike Photographers

As is this photo, taken in Norway.

Image taken by Jaakko Perala taken in Lofoten Islands, Norway. Jaakko Perala

Read the original article on Business Insider
Six people have been arrested as part of a prostitution sting conducted by the Los Angeles Police Department.

The operation was conducted along the Figueroa Corridor in South L.A. on Dec. 22, just before 8 a.m.

As part of the operation, undercover officers posed as sex workers and targeted sex purchasers and human traffickers.

During the operation, six people were arrested and cited for solicitation of prostitution.

Those arrested have been identified as Raul Ocampo Maya, 63; Daniel Alejandro Arceo, 29; Pedro Sanchez-Gonzalez, 54; Bryan Garcia Orellano, 30; and Anthony O. Williams, 57.

This operation is an ongoing effort to prevent the trafficking of women and minors along the busy corridor, LAPD officials said.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is urged to contact the Southeast Area Vice Detail at 213-972-1017. Anonymous tips can be submitted through LACrimestoppers.org.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
A 6-year-old boy flying alone from Philadelphia to Fort Myers was incorrectly boarded onto a flight to Orlando on Dec. 21, a Spirit Airlines spokesperson said Thursday.

The Spirit Airlines spokesperson said that the boy was always under the care and supervision of a Spirit ream member and that the boys family was contacted as soon as they discovered the error. The spokesperson did not say how the mistake was made, but said that an internal investigation was underway.

The boys grandmother, Maria Ramos, told southwest Florida TV station WINK-TV that it was the boys first time on a plane.

They told me, No, hes not on this flight. He missed his flight, Ramos told the station. I said, No, he could not miss his flight because I have the check-in tag.

Ramos said that she ran inside the plane and asked the flight attendant where her grandson was. She said that the flight attendant told her that she had no kids with her on the flight.

Spirit Airlines has offered to reimburse for the drive, but Ramos told WINK-TV all she wants is answers.

I want them to call me. Let me know how my grandson ended up in Orlando. How did that happen? Ramos told the TV station.

Read more at winknews.com.
A 6-year-old boy flying alone from Philadelphia to Fort Myers was incorrectly boarded onto a flight to Orlando on Dec. 21, a Spirit Airlines spokesperson said Thursday.

The Spirit Airlines spokesperson said that the boy was always under the care and supervision of a Spirit ream member and that the boys family was contacted as soon as they discovered the error. The spokesperson did not say how the mistake was made, but said that an internal investigation was underway.

The boys grandmother, Maria Ramos, told southwest Florida TV station WINK-TV that it was the boys first time on a plane.

They told me, No, hes not on this flight. He missed his flight, Ramos told the station. I said, No, he could not miss his flight because I have the check-in tag.

Ramos said that she ran inside the plane and asked the flight attendant where her grandson was. She said that the flight attendant told her that she had no kids with her on the flight.

Spirit Airlines has offered to reimburse for Ramos' drive from Fort Meyers to Orlando, but Ramos told WINK-TV all she wants is answers.

I want them to call me. Let me know how my grandson ended up in Orlando. How did that happen? Ramos told the TV station.

_____
PHILADELPHIA  Heavy rains soaked the Northeast Wednesday night, triggering some flooding in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

A large plume of moisture continued to work its way up the Eastern Seaboard on Thursday, pushing into New England after leaving widespread rainfall totals measured in multiple inches.

The National Weather Service received over 60 reports of heavy rain and flooding Wednesday into Thursday morning, stretching from northern Maryland across eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Several streets were closed due to standing water, including Pennsylvania State Highway 32 near Taylorsville and New Jersey Highway 91 in North Brunswick. NWS storm spotters reported some water into homes and basements, with one report of a water rescue in Cheynay, Pennsylvania.

COMPLEX JANUARY FORECAST SHOWS EL NINO, POLAR VORTEX, LACK OF SNOW ALL COMING INTO PLAY THIS WINTER

All Flood Watches have been dropped as the heaviest rains have moved out of the region. But Flood Warnings remain in effect for several rivers in New Jersey, along with some near the Philadelphia metro area. While Philadelphia reported 1.48 inches at its airport through midnight Thursday morning, some areas in the region have received as much as 2-3 inches of rain so far.

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER

The heaviest rain will push into New England later Thursday and will be over by Thursday night, but the slow-moving system will keep a chance of showers in the forecast through late Friday and even into Saturday morning.

TRAVEL WEATHER LIVE TRACKER: CURRENT RADAR, AIRPORT STATUS, FLIGHT DELAYS AND MORE

Roads will be wet, too, but not super slippery. This is a warm system, and most of the precipitation will fall as rain, though there is a possibility of some flurries late Friday.

"Maybe you're traveling. Maybe you're heading home," Morgan said. "AAA is expecting that Thursday is going to be one of the busiest days as folks are going to be hitting the road, heading back home Thursday. Wednesday into Thursday is going to be also the wettest day of this week. So, we'll watch that along that I-95 corridor."

WHY DROP A BALL ON NEW YEAR'S EVE WHEN POTATOES, TACOS AND CHEESE ARE OPTIONS?

New Year's Eve will not necessarily be a washout, though, as a weak ridge forms over the Northeast and sets up dry conditions.

"Don't be deceived by this  these next three days  because in New York City, things are going to be improving," Morgan said. "We're dealing with the cloudy, sort of gloomy conditions followed by the rain, but, overall, we're going to see things dry out for the New Year."

THE NATIONWIDE NEW YEAR'S EVE FORECAST

The coast is clear but rain and snow are in the New Year's Eve forecast from Pittsburg to Buffalo, New York.

Inland areas from West Virginia through Pittsburgh and into Buffalo, New York, will not be so lucky, though. While the coast is clear, a mix of rain and snow is forecast from western New York into the Appalachians.





Original article source: Flood Warnings cover part of I-95 corridor as drenching rains soak Northeast
The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana has released a statement in response to a jury's decision that seven Lafayette Police officers did not use or fail to intervene in excessive force in the arrest of a Black man in 2018.

We respect the ladies and gentlemen of the jury who took their time in reaching this decision," the ACLU news release said. "We are a nation of laws with a jury system that is entrusted to decide issues we hold so dear to our heart. At the core of this fight is qualified immunity. And we will continue to fight its draconian impacts that allow this conduct to go unpunished.

The statement comes after after a jury found that the officers did not violate the Fourth and 14th Amendment rights of Raynaldo Sampy Jr., who was asleep and pulled from his parked truck, repeatedly thrown onto the pavement face first, and pinned down with officers knees on his neck, back and legs, according to the news release.

The seven officers who responded to the dispatch encountered Mr. Sampy sleeping, seated upright, in his truck, according to complaint.

Over the course of the four-day trial, which started Monday, the jury watched body-cam footage of the incident and heard testimony from Sampy, the officers involved, a police practices expert and a police trainer with the Lafayette Police Department. After one hour of deliberation, the jury returned with its decision.

According to the complaint, in the early morning of May 5, 2018, Sampy was sleeping in his truck, which was parked and turned off, in the parking lot of Sids One Stop, at 803 Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr., Lafayette, when a security guard at a nearby apartment complex called 911.

The suit accused the officers of using excessive force against Sampy, among other claims. It sought damages for the physical and emotional harm that Sampy endured, including stitches on his chin, a herniated disc, a dislocated shoulder, head trauma and enduring psychological distress.

The lawsuit was filed against the Lafayette Parish Communications District, Lafayette City Parish Consolidated Government, and the seven Lafayette Police Department officers: Jonathan Price Rabb, Brandon Lamar Dugas, Segus Ramon Jolivette, Michael Nicholas Darbonne, Asher Reaux, Jordan Kamal Colla, and Ian Journet.

The lawsuit was the first brought by the Justice Lab, a program by the ACLU of Louisiana to "challenge racially discriminatory policing practices and combat police violence against people of color.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Jury finds officers did not use excessive force against Lafayette man
Well-known Ukrainian activist Serhii Sternenko said on Dec. 26 that an Odesa court closed a case against him for the death of a man who attacked him in 2018. The decision means his guilt was not proven, according to Sternenko.

"I can't believe it myself, but the decision was made by the Prymorskyi District Court of Odesa," he said in a Facebook post.

In one of the three incidents when Sternenko was attacked, the activist inflicted a fatal injury to an attacker whilst protecting himself and his girlfriend, according to his lawyer Illia Vorobiov's column published in Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda.

It is unclear to this day who had organized the attack that appeared to be an attempt to silence Sternenko, an active participant during the 2013-2014 EuroMaidan Revolution and a vocal critic of local authorities in Odesa, Vorobiov added.

Of the two professional athletes who attacked Sternenko that night in March 2018, the survivor  who had fled the attack site with an injury likely to meet the organizer of the plan  is wanted by the authorities, according to the lawyer, adding that he is likely in Russia.

Citing Ukraine's Criminal Code, the lawyer said an individual has the right to use a weapon or any object to repel an attack by an armed person or group of people  and that the victim would not be under criminal liability no matter what happens to the attackers.

"Therefore, the death of one of the attackers is not a reason to punish Serhiy," he wrote in the column.

Sternenko, 28, is well-known for his YouTube channel, with over 1.8 million subscribers, and his Telegram channel, with over 600,000 readers.

Known for also helping the military, Sternenko organized a "revenge" crowdfunding campaign last year with volunteer Serhiy Prytula to buy Ukrainian-made RAM  kamikaze drones for the army following Russia's multiple missile strikes on major Ukrainian cities on Oct. 10, 2022.

Read also: Zaluzhnyi denies requesting mobilization of 500,000 conscripts

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
The Ada County Coroners Office has identified the pedestrian who was struck and killed by a vehicle on Friday night in West Boise.

Just after 9:30 p.m. Friday, a vehicle struck Lars Johnson, 50, of Boise, at Cloverdale Road and West Mesquite Drive, according to a news release from the coroner. Johnson died from multiple blunt force injuries and his death was ruled an accident by the coroners office.

The Boise Police Department is investigating the crash. The Idaho Statesman reached out to police for additional information.

Police previously asked anyone who might have any information to contact the countys dispatch at (208) 377-6790.
The affectionate side of the Royal family will be seen in a BBC documentary on the Coronation on Boxing Day - Christopher Openshaw/Oxford Film and Television/BBC/PA

They are not renowned for their public displays of affection.

But the Royal family will be seen on camera hugging and kissing, as the King greets his beloved grandchildren behind the scenes of his Coronation rehearsals.

The King welcomes Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to Westminster Abbey in the days leading up to the May 6 event.

Richard Jackson, Bishop of Hereford, says in an interview: I think what struck me particularly was how extraordinarily affectionate they are.

Theyre clearly a very close family, all the generations, and in a sense you felt youre part of a family occasion as well as a royal occasion and a national occasion.

The new documentary shows the family's affectionate side - BBC/Oxford Film and Television/PA

The Kings younger son, Prince Harry, made it to the Coronation itself, but he was not present at the rehearsals. His children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, the Kings other grandchildren, stayed at home in California with their mother.

A BBC One documentary about the Coronation films the Wales family attending a rehearsal at Westminster Abbey.

The Prince holds the hand of his younger son Prince Louis, who is dressed in a blazer and smart shorts for the occasion.

Princess Charlotte wears a pale blue patterned dress and white cardigan, while 10-year-old Prince George, holding his mothers hand, is in a suit.

The King greets them with a double kiss on the cheek for his son and daughter-in-law, and hugs and kisses for his grandchildren. The Princess is seen to curtsey to him, with Princess Charlotte appearing to perform a polite bob.

The Prince of Wales goes on to a laughter-filled practice of the kiss of homage, a central part of the Coronation tradition, with his father.

It is the most personal and affectionate display ever seen among the three generations of kings.

It is a far cry from the royal life described by the Duke of Sussex who, in his memoir, said the older generation maintained a nearly zero-tolerance prohibition on all physical contact.

No hugs, no kisses, no pats, he wrote in Spare. Now and then, maybe a light touching of cheeks...on special occasions.

He added: No matter how much you might love someone, you could never cross that chasm between, say, monarch and child. Or Heir and Spare.

Charles III: The Coronation Year is on BBC One at 6.50pm on Boxing Day.

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.
Chinese lawmakers are deliberating a draft revision to the Mineral Resources Law in a bid to "reasonably" develop and utilize mineral resources.

The draft amendment was submitted to the ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, on Monday.

The discussed new version of the law, which comprises 76 articles in 8 chapters, would revise the current legislation, which has been effective for over 30 years, in a comparatively comprehensive manner.

The bill stipulates to strengthen the exploration and development of mineral resources, establish a reserve and emergency response system, promote the reasonable development and utilization of mineral resources, ensure China's mineral resources security, and boost the high-quality development of the mining industry.

In a newly added chapter, the draft requires the state to establish a reserve system for mineral resources of strategic significance, and outlines measures in response to emergencies regarding mineral resources. The amendment also accentuates ecological restoration in mining areas.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  A data breach at a Corewell Health vendor has reportedly impacted over a million Michigan residents, according to the attorney generals office.

This is the second time in recent months that Corewell Health patients have been notified of a data breach.

Corewell Health, Priority Health patients affected by data breach

The Michigan Department of Attorney General on Tuesday announced the cybersecurity breach at HealthEC, LLC, a population health management platform that serves Corewell Healths southeastern Michigan locations. Its not clear when the breach happened, but notice letters were mailed out Dec. 22.

While not all patients had the same impacted data, the AGs office says the following data could have been affected:

Name

Address

Birthday

Social Security number

Medical record number

Medical information, like diagnosis, diagnosis code, mental and physical condition, prescription information and providers name

Health insurance information, like beneficiary number, subscriber number, Medicaid identification number and Medicare identification number

Billing and claims information, like patient account number, identification number and treatment cost information

HealthEC will offer 12 months of credit monitoring and identity protection services, according to the attorney generals office. Enrollment instructions will be mailed to patients who may have been impacted. You can also call 1.833.466.9216 to learn more.

The Michigan Department of Attorney General says a smaller number of residents were also affected through Beaumont ACO, which has a separate contract with HealthEC. Separate notice letters are being mailed to those impacted. The affected data is the same.

Tuesdays announcement is not the first of its kind. In November, Corewell Health announced that over a million patients had been impacted by a May data breach at Welltok, Inc., a portal used by Corewell Health and Priority Health to communicate with patients and promote a healthy lifestyle.

The AGs office says Corewell Health reached out to the office before announcing the HealthEC breach.

If youd like to learn more about data breaches, the Michigan Department General has published an online guide. To file a complaint with the AGs office, you can call 877.765.8388 or use the online form.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
AUSTIN (KXAN)  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton last week filed an amicus brief supporting Google users in a lawsuit against the company for deceptively collecting, using, and profiting from their private information, according to a release from his office.

Attorneys General from 18 other states joined Texas in filing the brief.

Related: AG Paxton expands Google lawsuit to include private browsing, calls it deceptive

According to the release, the plaintiffs allege that Google violated its agreements and profited from users personal information that was collected after the consumers had opted out of syncing their Chrome web browser to a Google account. It says Google collected the data and claimed the users consented despite their objection to linking their browser activity to a Google account. A federal district court sided with Google.

In the brief, Paxton urges the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to reverse the lower courts ruling. The brief argues that Googles activity is part of a larger pattern of the company exploiting consumers by abusing access to their data.

The brief explains: This case represents just one front in a larger conflict in which federal and state governments, along with private plaintiffs, are fighting to rein in alleged abuses by tech giants like Google, and the Courts decision here may have repercussions well beyond this case.

Attorney General Paxton has previously fought to protect Texans from Googles expansive history of data privacy violations, suing the company for tracking user location without consent, capturing biometric data without authorization, and pushing misleading endorsements designed to deceive customers.

Read the brief below:

Calhoun-v-Google-Amicus-FilestampedDownload

KXAN reached out to Google to ask for a comment in response to the brief and will update this story when we hear back.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
(BCN)  The Bay Area Air Quality Management District asks Bay Area residents to refrain from burning wood in their fireplaces or woodstoves over the Christmas holiday to keep air quality from becoming unhealthy.

The district said Sunday that gathering around a fireplace may be a Christmas tradition for many, but there are serious health impacts associated with wood burning.

Salvation Army holds its Christmas meal program

Without additional wood burning activity, air quality is expected to be in the moderate range throughout the Bay Area on Monday.

However, wood burning during the Christmas holiday can significantly impact localized areas and neighborhoods. Wood burning can also significantly impact indoor air quality. A Spare the Air Alert is not in effect and wood burning is not illegal. However, wood burning is strongly discouraged at this time.

The district said decorative wrapping paper is manufactured using synthetic inks, plastic film, metallic finishes and other chemicals which release toxic and carcinogenic compounds into the air when burned. The smoke is released into your home and neighborhood where family and friends will breathe it in. It is always illegal to burn wrapping paper, trash and scrap wood.

Like cigarette smoke, wood smoke contains carcinogenic substances such as particulate matter, benzene and formaldehyde, which are harmful when inhaled. Wood smoke is the major source of air pollution in the Bay Area in the wintertime and is especially harmful to children, the elderly and people with respiratory conditions.

Copyright  2023 Bay City News, Inc.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
Ukraines Air Force on Dec. 26 downed two Russian Kh-59 guided air missiles in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, the Eastern Air Command reported.



No damages or casualties have been reported.



Russian attacks continued unabated over the holidays.



On the night of Dec. 25 and 26, Russia launched 19 Shahed drones at four regions in the south of Ukraine.

Air defense shot down 13 drones, although an unspecified infrastructure site was damaged in Odesa Oblast, as well as an industrial facility and warehouses in Mykolaiv Oblast.



Russian forces also targeted 15 locations in Kharkiv Oblast on Dec. 26, killing one person and injuring another. Houses and other buildings were also damaged.

The previous day, Ukraines military shot down 28 out of 31 Shahed drones and two missiles launched by Russia overnight on Dec. 25.

Read also: Zelensky to Russian pilots: Our air defense will only get stronger

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
An air-raid warning was issued in the city of Kyiv and in Kyiv Oblast early on 26 December.

Source: Kyiv City State Administration; Kyiv Oblast Military Administration; Ukraines Air Force

Details: An air-raid warning was issued in the city of Kyiv at 05:18 on 26 December.

Later, a warning was also issued in Kyiv Oblast.

Ukraines Air Force said there was a threat of a missile strike.

Another air-raid warning was also issued in Chernihiv Oblast.

Updated: At 05:39, the all-clear was issued in Kyiv and in both Kyiv and Chernihiv oblasts.

Quote from Ukraines Air Force: "The threat is no longer present."

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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  Airlines are looking to bounce back after a series of delays and cancellations on Christmas. Nearly 70 of the delays came out of Tampa International Airport.

Many people said they were rushing to make it to their early morning flights on Tuesday.

While it may have looked busy, traffic was moving quickly through the airport.

For those like Brandon Helman, taking off from Tampa International seemed to be a good choice.

Everythings been going well so far, Helman said. I mean, theres no real delays.

Departures and arrivals were both on time Tuesday morning and no cancellations were in sight. That may have been disappointing to those wishing to stay.

What are the most common destinations from Tampa International Airport?

I was on vacation here, Christal Talavera Barrios said. I had so much fun.

Terminal lines got long around boarding times but cleared fast.

Perhaps the only probable issue Tuesday morning was having an overweight bag.

Talavera Barrios was in Tampa to celebrate both Christmas and her birthday.

My birthday was on December 21 so I passed a year and they gave me so many gifts, Talavera Barrios said as she traveled through the airport with her big family.

If you have a flight out of TPA, you can check the flight status here.

Airport officials expect the next big travel rush to be on New Years Day. They predict 90,000 passengers to pass through the airport.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
South Carolina legal scion Alex Murdaugh is pictured in mugshot, taken on March 7, at the Kirkland Reception and Evaluation Center in Columbia, S.C. File Photo courtesy of the South Carolina Department of Corrections

Dec. 26 (UPI) -- The author of a true crime book about the convicted killer Alex Murdaugh has accused the court clerk that oversaw the trial of plagiarizing a 12-page section that she wrote for the book's preface.

Becky Hill, the clerk, allegedly admitted to co-author Neil Gordon that she plagiarized a 12-page section of the book from a BBC reporter without Gordon's knowledge. Gordon said he confronted Hill after the BBC reporter shared the passage along with an article they had written.

"When I confronted Becky about this, she admitted she plagiarized the passage due to deadline pressures," Gordon said . "As a veteran journalist myself, I cannot excuse her behavior, nor can I condone it."

Gordon said he was "blindsided" by the revelation and has stopped sales of the book he co-wrote with Hill, Behind the Doors of Justice: the Murdaugh Murders.

Hill is also at the center of Murdaugh's push for a new trial. Attorneys for Murdaugh claim that Hill tampered with the jury.

Hill is serving her first term as the Colleton County, S.C., court clerk.

Murdaugh was convicted in a South Carolina court for the 2021 murders of his wife Margaret and adult son Paul in March. He has maintained his innocence and is sentenced to life in prison.

In an unrelated case, Murdaugh pleaded guilty to 22 federal financial fraud counts. He was charged with defrauding clients of millions of dollars. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison for these crimes.
The court clerk who helped steer the murder trial of South Carolinas Alex Murdaugh and has since been hit with accusations of jury-tampering  potentially leading to a retrial  is now embroiled in a plagiarism controversy.

Soon after the trial, in which Murdaugh was convicted of killing his wife and son near a dog kennel at their Low Country home, Becky Hill published a book named Behind the Doors of Justice: the Murdaugh Murders.

But her co-author Neil Gordon said on Tuesday that the book had been unpublished and sales suspended after revelations that Hill may have plagiarized passages from a BBC article about the case.

Gordon told South Carolinas WCIV he discovered the plagiarism while reviewing thousands of Hills emails that were released through the federal Freedom of Information Act and compared them to a 12-page portion of the books preface.

When I confronted Becky about this, she admitted she plagiarized the passage due to deadline pressures, Gordon said in a statement.

Gordon said that as a veteran journalist he could neither excuse her behavior nor  condone it. He said Hills plagiarism had blindsided him, adding: I cant be associated with anything like plagiarism and will no longer partner with Becky Hill on any projects.

Id like to apologize to our readers, and publicly to the BBC and the reporter.

Attorneys for the broadcaster are said to be investigating.

In a foreword to Behind the Doors of Justice, author Rona Rich described how Hill ran the Colleton county court with an iron fist deceptively wrapped in the softest silk.

Hill has been submerged in controversies since Murdaughs conviction and sentencing.

In September, defense attorneys for Murdaugh demanded a new trial. They said they had spoken to three jurors and collected sworn affidavits by two panelists alleging Hill had improper discussions that hastened their deliberations, which lasted three hours after a six-week trial.

The attorneys allege Hill improperly influenced the jury, telling its members to not trust Murdaugh when he testified.

She also was accused of holding one-on-one conversations with the jury foreperson in a bathroom, giving reporters business cards to jurors, and pressuring them to come back with a quick verdict by denying them smoking breaks as well as threatening them with sequestration.

She asked jurors about their opinions about Mr Murdaughs guilt or innocence, the attorneys alleged in writing. Hill, they said, instructed them not to believe evidence presented in Mr Murdaughs defense, including his own testimony. She lied to the judge to remove a juror she believed might not vote guilty. And she pressured jurors to reach a guilty verdict quickly so she could profit from it.

Murdaughs defense team, led by Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, also filed motions demanding a new judge for the case based on what they described as improper statements by the presiding judge, Clifton Newman, during sentencing and in public appearances and media interviews.

Newman then requested to be removed from all post-trial matters related to Murdaughs murder cases. Judge Jean Hoefer Toal has since been appointed to assume jurisdiction over matters related to Murdaughs convictions and a motions for a new trial.

Hill has also been caught up in a separate scandal after state investigators found evidence linking her to a public corruption case involving wire-tapping charges against her son and former Colleton county employee Jeff Hill, 34, who is accused of abusing his position to illegally intercept and listen to a phone conversation in July.

A state police investigation uncovered evidence of a plot to listen in on internal county discussions about the formal ethics complaint against his mother for potentially abusing her role as clerk of court for financial gain, according to the local news station WYFF.

Earlier this month, South Carolinas attorney general, Alan Wilson, announced his office would assume jurisdiction of the investigation into Jeff Hill as part of a broader corruption inquiry. The investigation into Hills actions took another turn when his employment termination letter also cites sexual and other forms of illegal harassment.
Almost half of government departments are on course to miss new targets for getting civil servants back into the office, official figures show as ministers vow to crack down on working from home.

Fresh analysis of Whitehall data by The Telegraph reveals that just 11 out of 19 ministries have scored an average staff attendance rate of 60 per cent or more this year.

Ministers have pledged to end the post-pandemic working from home culture, and have ordered departments to increase the numbers of staff present in their offices.

It comes in response to broad concern within the Government that remote working is harming the civil services productivity and ability to deliver.

Jeremy Quin, the former Cabinet Office minister, wrote to Whitehall heads in November telling them officials must be in the office 60 per cent of the time.

He was especially concerned by a new trend for many civil servants to only physically turn up on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Civil servants who continue to work from home are not working to their full capacity, ministers believe - ALEXANDER SPATARI/MOMENT RF

Senior Tory MPs have also repeatedly urged Downing Street to take tougher action to ensure that more civil servants return to their desks.

On Tuesday, John Glen, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, indicated he wanted civil servants to be in the office even more than three days a week.

Mr Glen told The Times that being in the office 60 per cent of the time was a minimum, adding: If HSBC and Amazon have got people working three days a week, its perfectly realistic.

But analysis of official occupancy data published by the Government shows approximately 40 per cent of departments, eight out of 19, would not have met the new target this year.

HMRC and the Foreign Office were the worst performing departments according to the data, with both registering just 48pc of staff in the office.

Tax helpline shut down

Earlier this year, HMRC was urged to investigate Britons who are still working from home post-pandemic while claiming millions in tax breaks. MPs also criticised the revenue department over the summer when it suddenly announced a decision to shut its self-assessment helpline for three months.

The Foreign Office faced criticism in April when it emerged fewer than half of its staff were at their desks when fighting erupted in Sudan, leading to a mass evacuation of Britons.

Other departments that fell below the 60pc threshold this year included the Home Office (54pc), Wales Office (54pc) and Scotland Office (57pc).

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (58pc), the Culture Department (59pc) and the Department for Education (59pc) also missed the cut.

In contrast, the Ministry of Defence was the best performing ministry, with 82pc of staff at their desks as it led Britains response to the invasion of Ukraine.

The Telegraph analysed official Government figures for the period from January 1 up to December 15, the last week for which data was available.

They show that most departments have improved their record on working from home compared with last year, though many only marginally so.

Despite its still low rates, the Foreign Office made some of the strongest progress, seeing its average attendance rise by 11 percentage points from a low last year of just 37pc.

But the most improved was the Department for Work and Pensions, where the number of staff in the office shot up by almost 20 percentage points to more than six in 10.

Mr Glen, the former chief secretary to the Treasury, took up the Cabinet Office role in charge of the civil service following last months reshuffle.

Whitehall productivity review

While at No 11, he led a review into Whitehalls productivity for Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, which included looking at the impact of working from home.

In an interview shortly before taking his new role, he said officials should be expected to spend more time at their desks to increase their output.

Over time, relationships are less strong and collaborations are less intense, when staff log in remotely, he told The House magazine.

The purpose of work is to deliver outcomes, be it public service delivery or productivity in the private sector.

Mr Hunt ordered the review because the public sectors productivity remains well below pre-pandemic levels, whilst the private sector has bounced back.

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Photo: The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

A total of 98 combat engagements took place at the front on 25 December: 40 attacks were repelled by the Ukrainian Defence Forces on the Avdiivka front, 29 on the Lyman front and 7 on the Zaporizhzhia front.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, information as of 06:00 on 26 December

Quote from the General Staff: "A total of 98 combat engagements took place yesterday. The enemy launched a missile strike and 42 airstrikes, and fired 56 times from multiple-launch rocket systems on our troops' positions and populated areas."

Details: In the area of responsibility of the Khortytsia Operational Strategic Group on the Kupiansk front, Ukrainian defenders repelled six Russian attacks near the settlement of Synkivka (Kharkiv Oblast), where the Russians were trying to break through the Ukrainian defences.

On the Lyman front, the defenders repelled 29 Russian attacks near Serebrianka Forest (Luhansk Oblast) and Vesele (Donetsk Oblast).

On the Bakhmut front, Ukrainian soldiers repelled four Russian attacks near the settlement of Bohdanivka (Donetsk Oblast).

In the area of responsibility of the Tavriia Operational Strategic Group on the Avdiivka front, Ukrainian Defence Forces persisted in holding back the Russians, as they kept trying to encircle the town of Avdiivka. Ukrainian soldiers are steadfastly holding the line, inflicting significant losses on the Russians. Ukrainian defenders repelled 27 Russian attacks east of Novobakhmutivka, Stepove and Avdiivka, and 13 more near Pervomaiske and Nevelske (Donetsk Oblast).

On the Marinka front, Ukrainian defenders are holding back the Russians near Novomykhailivka (Donetsk Oblast), repelling six attacks in the area.

On the Shakhtarsk front, Ukrainian defenders repelled three Russian attacks near Staromaiorske (Donetsk Oblast).

On the Zaporizhzhia front, Ukrainian troops repelled seven Russian attacks near Robotyne and west of Verbove (Zaporizhzhia Oblast).

In the area of responsibility of the Odesa Operational Strategic Group on the Kherson front, Ukrainian soldiers continue their efforts to expand their bridgehead. The Russians, despite their significant losses, keep trying o drive Ukrainian units from their positions. They carried out 12 unsuccessful assault operations but received a worthy response from Ukrainian defenders and retreated.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian defenders are taking active steps to inflict losses in military personnel and equipment on the occupation forces, exhausting the enemy along the entire line of contact.

Ukraine's Air Force struck four areas where Russian military personnel, weapons and equipment were concentrated.

Units from Ukraines Rocket Forces and Artillery struck four clusters of Russian military personnel, weapons and equipment, two ammunition storage points and three anti-aircraft missile systems belonging to the Russians.

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This photo taken on March 17, 2023 shows a freight train at the railway port in Manzhouli, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. [Photo/Xinhua]

Manzhouli, China's largest land port, handled 4,681 China-Europe freight trains in the first 11 months of 2023, up 5.9% year on year, according to data from the customs of Manzhouli in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.



Lei Jianjun, director with the customs of Manzhouli railway station, said that in recent years the port has implemented measures to improve the business environment and facilitate cross-border customs clearance for China-Europe freight trains.

By the end of November this year, more than 23,000 China-Europe trains had passed through the Manzhouli port since the China-Europe freight train service via the port was launched in 2013.

At present, there are 57 China-Europe freight train routes running through this land port, connecting China with more than 10 European countries.
The father of an Israeli hostage taken by Hamas is blaming former first lady Michelle Obama for allegedly being silent on the matter.

Nineteen-year-old Israel Defense Force soldier Naama Levy was taken from the Oz army base by Hamas during its attack on Israel on Oct. 7, where more than 240 hostages were taken and at least 1,200 were killed in their homes in several small towns, kibbutzim and at the SuperNova Music Festival in the Negev Desert.

According to The New York Post, Levys father, 52-year-old Yony Levy, is blaming Obama for not speaking out for the return of the female hostages taken. Obama is a founder of The Girls Opportunity Alliance  a group committed to empowering adolescent girls worldwide through education  and recently traveled to Malawi and southern Africa with Amal Clooney and Melinda Gates to work on ending child marriage globally.

TACOMA, WASHINGTON  MARCH 24: Michelle Obama speaks with a local book group about her book Becoming at the Tacoma Public Library main branch on March 24, 2019, in Tacoma, Washington. (Photo by Jim Bennett/Getty Images)

Obama also led the campaign BringBackOurGirls after at least 300 Nigerian schoolgirls were kidnapped by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram in 2014. Levy says his daughter idolizes Obama, but he is disappointed and questioned why the Becoming author and others have stayed silent.

What I want to know, why has she, and all these other famous women Naama looked up to, and all of the global human rights organizations she believed in, stayed silent about what has happened to my Naama and all the other girls who have still held hostage? It is like they have disappeared, said Levy. Their silence shouts loudly. Naama believed in the power of women helping each other. She believed in the power of women. I am disappointed for her.

Our prayers are with the missing Nigerian girls and their families. It's time to #BringBackOurGirls. -mo pic.twitter.com/glDKDotJRt  First Lady- Archived (@FLOTUS44) May 7, 2014

Naama Levy volunteered for a global peace organization that brought Arab, Jewish and American people together while also volunteering at a kindergarten in Israel that helped Ethiopian immigrants, her father says. Disturbing video of a bloody Levy wearing pajamas while being violently taken hostage circulated on social media following the attack, but her father says he hasnt been able to look at the footage.

Here is the horrific video of Naama Levy being dragged by her hair by #Hamas.



Note how her pants are torn at the knees and her backside is bloodied. https://t.co/xT82sjPBsj  Dena Grayson, MD, PhD (@DrDenaGrayson) December 9, 2023

We talked about Michelle Obama often, he said to the Post, a conservative Rupert Murdoch-controlled outlet that frequently is critical of the Obamas and Democrats in general. She believed her to be someone who not only cared about global women but also someone with a really good heart.

More than 100 hostages have been released so far, including three white flag-waving Israelis who were shot to death by Israel Defense Forces soldiers in Gaza before they could be repatriated. Israel began bombing Gaza following the Oct. 7 terror attack and has so far killed at least 20,000 people, including civilians.

The former first lady did offer comments about the Oct. 7 attacks shortly afterward while attending an event in New York City, according to The Messenger.

Im like all Americans watching the images coming out of the region, she said. I can say that, as a mother, I cannot wrap my arms around how people must be feeling. I cant get the images of those young people who were gunned down attending a music festival because those kids were the age of my daughters.

After noting that words couldnt be helpful with such trauma, Obama added, What I think about and what I pray for is that seeing those images gives people strength rather than hardens their hearts, because when our hearts get hardened because of those kinds of acts, then we lose sight, and we lose our resolve for peace, and thats something that we cannot do.

While Mrs. Obama didnt directly mention releasing the hostages, her husband and former President Barack Obama did. The 44th U.S. president prayed for the safe return of those whove been held hostage in a post on X, formally Twitter, two days after the attack.

All Americans should be horrified and outraged by the brazen terrorist attacks on Israel and the slaughter of innocent civilians. We grieve for those who died, pray for the safe return of those whove been held hostage, and stand squarely alongside our ally, Israel, as it  Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 9, 2023

According to The Jerusalem Post, Gwyneth Paltrow and other women prominent in the #metoo movement were called out as well for being largely silent after reports surfaced of Israeli women being raped by Hamas terrorists during the attack.
He has an image as a serious-minded and hard working politician.

But Rishi Sunak has sought to show a different side to his character in a Home Alone-style video message filmed in 10 Downing Street for Christmas Day.

The Prime Minister can be seen asking aloud Am I the only one here? in an empty, darkened office before bowling a ball against stacked cans of Coca Cola, his favourite drink.

He goes on to eat a plate of spaghetti with maple syrup while watching the 2003 film Elf. And Larry the cat makes an appearance.

The short video then cuts to Mr Sunak answering a phone call in the No 10 press office before saying Harry, you have got the wrong number, a likely reference to Harry Cole, The Suns political editor.

Even Larry the cat makes an appearance

He goes on to eat a plate of spaghetti with maple syrup while watching the 2003 film Elf

He always takes charge of cooking the turkey

Mr Sunak had joined fellow politicians earlier in the day in sharing with the new outlet Politico their festive traditions and rituals.

He disclosed how he always takes charge of cooking the turkey on Christmas Day.

I always brine then cook the turkey, I hate the cooking, but no one else will do it! And watch The Snowman with my daughters on Christmas Eve followed by The Holiday on Christmas Day, Mr Sunak said.

Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour Party leader, who is hoping this Christmas is Mr Sunaks last as leader of the country, told the website: My kids get up at stupid oclock to open presents, and afterwards we go to the memorial stone for Vics mum, who died three years ago.

Then the pub is open for a couple of hours, so we go in there for a drink.

I always well up when ET is presumed dead

Liz Truss, the former prime minister, said that she watches the 1982 Steven Spielberg film ET, as well as the musical The Sound Of Music, starring Julie Andrews.

I always well up when ET is presumed dead in the river, she said.

Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said that his festive season is similar to the rest of the country.

Stockings in bed, church, presents, turkey, speech, snooze, fight. Like everyone.

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An adult sharp-shinned hawk flies up the Missouri River at Giant Springs State Park. Sharp-shinned hawks are not uncommon, and are often found hiding in trees and bushes near bird feeders since their diet is primarily small songbirds.

On a warm but blustery morning 22 birders crisscrossed Cascade County's fields, streams and wetlands to take the measure of local bird populations. Dec. 17 marked the 50th annual Christmas Bird Count hosted by the Upper Missouri Breaks chapter of the National Audubon Society.

With temperatures in the mid-40s to low-50s, it was far more pleasant for the birders than the single-digit temperatures and arctic winds they faced in 2022. The participants were divided into 10 areas of our 15-mile radius count circle. The count circles longitude and latitude are registered with National Audubon Societys Christmas Bird Count registry, so the data gathered is specific the area. Participants counted 59 distinct bird species and 8,602 individual birds on count day, but the unseasonably warm temperatures and gusty southwest winds complicated things as well.

Being warm was lovely as far as us being out there, explained Nora Gray, a primary organizer of the days event, but with no ice the water birds are not congregated where theres open water. So, there werent that many birds to count on the water because they can be anywhere. They dont have to be near where we could easily count them.

The mallards and the geese were much lower this year, Gray noted. We saw quite a few, but not like weve had in the past for numbers. For Canada Geese we saw 3,690 this year, and back in 2018 we had 18,636. Thats a huge drop. I think it has to do with avian flu. Last year we saw quite a few dead geese.

Troubling declines for American kestrels

Another concerning trend occurring in Cascade County and being observed nationally is a continued decline in the numbers of American kestrels.

Kestrels are a type of falcon, Gray explained. They used to be called Grasshopper Hawks. Theyll sit on telephone poles or wires, and theyll fly down and catch insects, grasshoppers, and mice. We did not see any kestrels this year, even over count week  so thats looking for seven days. That is unusual.

The Audubon Society notes that while Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, and other raptor species have rebounded in North America since the banning of DDT in the 1970s, American kestrel numbers have continued to drop, plunging by an estimated 50 percent. Although the birds are still common, the decrease has scientists worried.

The American kestrel species is just declining all over its range, Gray added. Theyre not really sure why theyre in such decline. It could be the pesticides used, so their food is less available or toxic in some areas.

Montana warblers and Bohemian waxwings are also species of concern. Sightings of Yellow-rumped warblers, Wilsons warblers and Bohemian waxwings are in decline across the state, with few or any reported recently in the annual December tally.

We just dont see the number of warblers anymore like we used to way back when, Gray said. The birds that have the most trouble are the ones who are married to one species of plant  if they're what we call a 'specialist' for feeding. The birds that are what we call 'generalists'  in other words, depending upon what season it is they'll eat different things  those birds have a better long-range survival rate."

While decline of many bird species across the United States may be disturbing, not all the surprises at the Christmas Bird Count were unpleasant. One was the number of Pine grosbeaks spotted. The Pine grosbeak is a plump finch that uses its thick, stubby beak to crush seeds and nip off tree buds. They are native to central Montana, but most typically migrate further south during the winter.

We saw 39 Pine grosbeaks this year, said Gray. I dont see any on our lists going back several years. Its not like theyre never here in the winter, but 39 for the count in a single day? Thats a lot for Great Falls. Its an outlier. I dont know if its because the weathers been so pleasant and abundant food.

A male Pine Grosbeak enjoying the December sun. It is an infrequent winter visitor in central Montana, but this year 39 were counted in Cascade County during the annual Christmas Bird Count

The birders also recorded seeing a Glaucous Gull, three Yellow-rumped Warblers, a Song Sparrow, and a Piliated Woodpecker  all of which are rare for this area, especially in winter.

New app identifies bird song

Another exciting development is new technology thats been developed by Cornell Universitys Lab of Ornithologys that can identify bird song.

The free Merlin Bird ID app can now recognize the sounds of more than 400 species from the U.S. and Canada, with that number set to expand rapidly in future updates, Cornell Universitys website states. As Merlin listens, it uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology to identify each species, displaying in real time a list and photos of the birds that are singing or calling.

The app records whatever birds are singing, and it will tell you whatever matches their library audio files, Gray added. They might have 10 or 12 sound recordings you can listen to of that species. Its not always perfect. Sometimes its wrong, so youve got to take it with a grain of salt, but if it hears the bird song a couple of times it kind of certifies it.

The Christmas Bird Count is meant to be fun, but its also real science. Each year the count produces the most comprehensive data set depicting the fluctuation, range and movement of bird populations across the North American and European continents. Scientists rely on this trend data to better understand how birds and the environments in which they live are faring, and what needs to be done to protect them.

Data from annual Christmas Bird Counts are at the core of hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific studies and help to inform decisions made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Department of the Interior, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Because birds are early indicators of environmental threats, the Audubon Christmas Bird Count has also become a vital survey of North America and Western Hemisphere ecosystems.

In Cascade County the Upper Missouri Breaks chapter of the National Audubon Society (UMBA) is facing the challenge of an aging membership and decline in the number of people interested in birding.

We need more people, Gray admitted. We had 22 this year. We had 33 a few years ago. It varies year to year, but 22 is a real base number. More eyes see more birds. We wish we had more than that, and we need some younger people who are able to walk further. Some of our people just cannot walk very far at all because of arthritis, canes, bad balance. Some of them werent covering the ground like weve been able to do in the past.

To learn more about the Upper Missouri Breaks Chapter of the Audubon Society go the group's website at www.umbaudubon.com. There you can learn about local birding opportunities, sign up to receive their newsletter, and join in on their regular series of remote lectures.

Gray also had some suggestions on how you can help birds in your community.

If you have a cat keep it inside, she said. I know cats are independent and people like to let them have some freedom, but cats are one of the biggest killers of not only birds but insects and small animals. Theyre hunters, and when people let them out, they proliferate. House cats and feral cats are a huge problem.

Another thing, turn your lights off at night, during bird migration particularly. The light confuses the birds, and we have parking lots that have these huge sodium lights lighting it up.

Watch out where youre using pesticides, and if you have bird feeders make sure you wash them out regularly with soap and water so there isnt mold and parasites getting in that will make the birds sick. Leave some brush in your yard, and if youre going put up a feeder make sure they have someplace that they can safely get to quickly.

15 most abundant birds of the 2023 Christmas Bird Count

Species Number Counted Species Origin Canada Goose 3,690 Native Common Goldeneye Duck 1,272 Native House Sparrow 712 Introduced Mallard Duck 463 Native Rock Pigeon 438 Introduced European Starling 403 Introduced Bufflehead Duck 263 Native House Finch 160 Introduced Black-billed Magpie 141 Native American Coot 132 Native Eurasian Collard Dove 131 Introduced Black-capped Chickadee 93 Native Ring-necked Pheasant 82 Introduced Cackling Goose 40 Native Pine Grosbeak 39 Native

This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: Kestrel declines, Pine grosbeak sightings at Christmas Bird Count
Amtrak ridership surged in New York this year, exceeding pre-pandemic totals on a popular Albany-to-Manhattan route as intercity rail travel gains momentum in the northeast.

Amtraks New York stations had ridership of 12.3 million in the fiscal year that ended in September, with the bulk (10.2 million) coming through its Penn Station hub in midtown Manhattan. Thats around 43% of the 28.5 million rides on all of Amtraks nationwide routes during the same time frame.

Overall, ridership in the northeast corridor has been exceeding pre-pandemic levels by 15% to 20% since early summer.

Some of the biggest gains have come on the Empire South route, which includes a run from Manhattan to Albany popular with state government workers. Empire Souths ridership of 1.24 million in the 2023 fiscal year exceeded the 1.21 million total tallied in 2019 before the pandemic hit.

Its the second busiest Amtrak route in the nation, behind the west coasts Pacific Surfliner, which tallied 1.5 million rides.

A different story on Metro-North

Amtraks gains come as Metro-North Railroad, the nations second busiest commuter rail after the Long Island Rail Road, struggles to get back to pre-pandemic ridership levels.

At the end of November, Metro-Norths ridership was at 53.8 million, 24% above 2022 levels for the same stretch but 32% below the 79.3 million tallied during the same 11 months in 2019.

Commuters get off the Metro-North train arriving at 8:48 am in White Plains, which originated at Grand Central Terminal, Oct. 27, 2020.

Metro-Norths totals, while improving, reflect the railroads dependence on the daily commuter heading into New York City from the Hudson Valley and Connecticut.

Many of the railroads most dependable commuters  those in the professional and financial sectors  continue on a hybrid schedule, going into the office three days a week, typically Tuesday through Thursday. Weekend travel on the commuter rail has fared better in recent months, at roughly 86% of pre-pandemic levels.

A Metro-North Railroad passenger train travels on the Moodna Viaduct steel railroad trestle in Cornwall, New York, on Thursday, April 27, 2023.

Amtrak, meanwhile, benefits from heavy weekend travel as well as the hybrid commuter, according to Gary Prophet, the president of the Empire State Passenger Association, an advocacy group with 1,400 members.

Prophet says Amtraks intercity routes allow hybrid workers to travel between Albany and New York City or Buffalo and Syracuse a few days a week.

With remote work people can do that trip a couple times a week and come home a couple times a week, Prophet said. Whereas, if you had to be in there five days a week its a lot harder to do a two and a half hour commute every day from Albany to New York.

Penn: Westchester, Bronx commuters could see faster transit with Penn Access Project. Here's how

The Albany-Rensselaer stations ridership of 790,517, was second to Penn Station in ridership among New York stations last year. In third, was the Hudson station with 245,000. Fort Edward-Glens Falls had the lowest ridership total  7,588  among regular New York stations.

Prophet says Amtrak has done a good job in recent years adopting an airline pricing model, increasing and decreasing prices depending on anticipated demand.

An Amtrak train emerges from the Hudson River rail tunnel in New Jersey.

NY routes to Canada, New England see increases

Night Owl fares as low as $5 to $20 have been introduced on some northeast corridor routes.

Some other ridership highlights this year:

The Empire West/Maple Leaf, which runs west to Toronto, had ridership of 452,711, nearly 18% above 2022 levels.

The Ethan Allen, which crosses into Vermont, had ridership of nearly 90,000, up 37%. And the Amtrak Downeaster in Maine set a record with ridership of 542,639, a 22% bump.

Congestion: Hudson Valley leaders react to possible $15 congestion pricing toll to drive into Midtown

Ridership has Amtrak investing millions in infrastructure

Nationally, Amtraks ridership of 28.5 million was still below 2019s 32.5 million rides.

The surging numbers have Amtrak, which relies on state and federal subsidies, looking to double ridership by 2040.

Routes: Amtrak vows Northeast expansion under Biden's infrastructure plan. See proposed routes

Its invested $124 million in annual track improvements along the northeast corridor and in the years to come will be able to increase capacity in New York and New Jersey with the rehabilitation of the East River Tunnel as well as the Gateway tunnels project.

Were inspired by the soaring demand for intercity passenger rail and are eager to continue connecting more people and places, Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said last month, in announcing the latest ridership figures.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Amtrak sees surge in NY ridership in 2023. What's behind the increase?
Sara Hayden Parris will never forget reading "The Giver" when she was a student.

Lois Lowry's 1993 young adult dystopian novel  about a society that is without hunger or suffering but that also lacks color or emotion  taught Hayden Parris to question authority and shaped who she is today.

In some school libraries at the time, Hayden Parris wouldn't have had access to the book. "The Giver," with its violent scenes, dark depictions of death and sexual references, was one of the most challenged books in the U.S. in the 1990s.

Now, Hayden Parris is the president and founder of Annie's Foundation, a volunteer nonprofit that strives to ensure students have access to challenged books as Iowa school districts strip their shelves of titles with sexual content or LGBTQ themes to comply with sweeping new laws that have transformed education in the state.

Her efforts to help students have access to banned books has landed her among the Des Moines Register's 15 People to Watch in 2024.

Hayden Parris' work reflects local organizing efforts to counter conservative influence over local school districts and blunt the impact of Senate File 496, which bans books depicting sex acts from schools and prohibits instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in younger grades. Republican legislators who passed the law, which Gov. Kim Reynolds signed in May, have said their aim is to protect children from inappropriate content and pornographic material in schools.

Sara Hayden Parris from Annie's Foundation talks to residents while distributing free books during a Banned Book Wagon tour at Nevada Library in November.

There were 99 documented book challenges in Iowa school districts from August 2020 to May 2023 as parents objected to books  often featuring stories of LGBTQ people, people of color or sexual violence  that they felt were too profane, violent or explicit for schools. Republican legislators criticized the challenge process, which sometimes ended with districts deciding to keep books on the shelves, as too difficult. They channeled their frustration into Senate File 496, which now faces two federal lawsuits that accuse officials of violating the U.S. Constitution and discriminating against LGBTQ people.

Proponents of the law take issue with calling the books "banned," saying that the books are available through other means and that the goal is to make sure school collections are age appropriate. Meanwhile, Annie's Foundation gives out free copies of books that have been challenged or removed around the country to draw attention to the issue. The group believes its work boosts access to pieces of literature that reflect the diversity and the complexity of the world readers live in.

More: Which banned books have been removed from Iowa schools? Our updated database lists them

"We think that those stories need to be shared, and we should be making it easier for people to get access to those books and stories," Hayden Parris said.

It's a tall order for Hayden Parris and her foundation: Roughly 470 books have been banned from at least one school in Iowa as of mid-December  and counting, according to a database built by the Des Moines Register and based on public records requests.

Johnston school board controversies were her wake-up call

Annie's Foundation kicked off its work in 2022 with a goal of improving access to books and events, such as a farmers market read-in. The group's name honors the late Ann Lohry-Smith, an Ankeny mother who was involved in school board issues.

Hayden Parris, who lives in Johnston, said she started paying more attention to the Johnston school board in the fall of 2021. That year, against the backdrop of COVID-19 school policies and debate over how racial issues should be taught in schools, a conservative slate swept the Johnston school board elections.

Further controversy erupted over the three conservative candidates' ties to 1776 Action, a Republican Party-affiliated group. In 2022, the school board approved a Johnston High School chapter of Turning Point USA, a group that promotes conservative causes on school campuses. Hayden Parris was part of a group that appealed the board's decision, unsuccessfully, to the state Board of Education.

What stuck out most to Hayden Parris were two Johnston book challenges in late 2021, when two parents challenged the use in school curriculums of "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas and "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie. The parents objected to the way the books, which are about teenagers of color, portrayed race and felt they contained inappropriate content, including profanity and sexual language.

More: Iowa senator calls for felony penalty for distribution of 'obscene' materials in schools

High-profile book challenges popped up across the metro area in late 2021. Hayden Parris opposed what she saw as censorship, particularly of stories about LGBTQ people and people of color that she said could enlighten students in predominantly white suburbs like Johnston while reflecting people from underrepresented backgrounds.

"How do we help them find that empathy and that understanding and that desire to learn more when they're literally never exposed to it in their day-to-day lives?" Hayden Parris said. "And one of the best ways to do that is through books."

Public records requests reveal book challenges, removals

Sara Hayden Parris distributes free banned books at Nevada Library in November. Hayden Parris and Annie's Foundation have also held pop-up book giveaways in Sioux City and Sergeant Bluff.

Alongside public-facing book giveaways, Annie's Foundation made aggressive use of public records requests to peel back the curtain on book challenges before Senate File 496 was passed and to reveal challenges that fell outside the formal process.

With the new law in effect, the group now uses records requests to detail the impact as districts remove books from shelves to comply. Annie's Foundation publicized the first known removal list in Iowa, a spreadsheet of nearly 400 books in Urbandale from July, which was soon whittled down to a few dozen entries after public outcry. The Des Moines Register's own reporting about book challenges and bans has leaned on data first obtained by Annie's Foundation.

More: Illustrated anatomy book among 73 removed by Iowa school district to comply with law

Emily Harris, an Annie's Foundation board member, said records work will continue to help people understand the effects of Senate File 496 while making clear the potential consequences for educators, who face state discipline for noncompliance.

"There's so much gray area in how this law is going to be interpreted or is being interpreted," Harris said. "And each district is doing things differently with different crazy results."

Annie's Foundation could grow with new local chapters, 'banned book wagon'

Annie's Foundation has also hit the road with a "banned book wagon" to hand out books at pop-up giveaways in various communities around the state as more lists become public. The group has traveled to Nevada, Sioux City, Sergeant Bluff and elsewhere.

Harris said it's one thing to read a list, but seeing the books themselves helps people understand what is happening and could inspire them to fight back.

"You're looking at little kids' picture books, and you're looking at board books, all the way up to the classics that you read in high school yourself," she said. "People have a very visceral reaction to that. It's very much like, 'Wait, what? These aren't in school anymore?'"

More: Largest US publisher, bestselling authors sue over Iowa law banning K-12 books with sex acts

Hayden Parris said the organization, which relies on small donations, will start to look at grants and long-term funding sources. She's also heard from people who want to start local chapters in their own communities.

"That might be something that we see in the future, which is exciting to think about, if not a little daunting," Hayden Parris said.

Annie's Foundation will have handed out 5,000 books by the end of this year and hopes to hit 10,000 by the end of 2024. The group also plans to continue drawing awareness to the work of state legislators and asking political candidates to sign a "freedom to read" pledge. Other work, which doesn't always deal with challenged books, has included filling Little Free Libraries and donating books to the Polk County Juvenile Detention Center.

"This is already beyond our wildest dreams," Hayden Parris said.

Access to books could help with student mental health and belonging, advocates say

Sara Hayden Parris, founder of Annie's Foundation, at a book giveaway in Nevada. The volunteer group believes librarians and parents should be trusted to decide what's appropriate for students.

Soneeta Mangra-Dutcher, a Johnston school board member who was reelected in November in this year's progressive wave, has worked on anti-bullying, suicide prevention and mental health advocacy causes. She said Hayden Parris and Annie's Foundation provide crucial support to those efforts.

"She really has used her voice to speak up for those that haven't been able to speak up," Mangra-Dutcher said. "She's unafraid to put herself out there and take the backlash that comes with that."

Mangra-Dutcher said the work of Annie's Foundation helps children access books in which they see themselves and can help them understand that being different is not something to hide.

More: Most Moms for Liberty, Republican-backed candidates defeated in Iowa school board elections

She hopes to partner with Annie's Foundation on an animal rescue reading event.

Mangra-Dutcher also recalled a time she learned of a colleague's 16-year-old daughter who wanted banned books for her birthday. Hayden Parris made that happen.

"She goes above and beyond what she has to do in our community," Mangra-Dutcher said.

Book removals, Hayden Parris said, can impact students' mental health and demonize their identities. The group also believes librarians and parents should be trusted to decide what's appropriate for students.

"It's about affirming to others that everyone's voices deserve to be heard, you have a story worth telling and there are people who want to hear it," Hayden Parris said. "Censorship is never the right path to go down."

Chris Higgins covers the eastern suburbs for the Register. Reach him at chiggins@registermedia.com or 515-423-5146 and follow him on Twitter @chris_higgins_.

Meet Sara Hayden Parris

AGE: 41.

LIVES IN: Johnston.

EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University in world economy and business; master's degree from Des Moines University in health care administration.

CAREER: Associate director of administrative services for the Thielen Student Health Center at Iowa State University.

FAMILY: Husband, Luke; sons Jackson, 14, and Henry, 12.

About the Des Moines Register's 2024 People to Watch

It's a Des Moines Register tradition to close out each year and open the next by introducing readers to 15 People to Watch  individuals expected to make an impact on Iowa in the coming year.

This year's nominations from readers and our journalists totaled nearly 60 people and posed hard decisions for staff members charged with winnowing them to just 15.

The final 15 include people in business and the arts, those who train the world-class athletes of the future, chefs on the cutting edge, farmers teaching refugees how to run their own farms, and people fighting for representation through cosmetics and medicine. We hope that you are as inspired by reading about them as we were in profiling them.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: How a Johnston volunteer is battling school book bans across Iowa
A third inmate this month died at Central State Prison in Macon on Christmas Day from unknown causes, according to Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones.

Joseph Akins, 66, was found dead at about 3 p.m. Monday in an open area of the prison on Fulton Mill Road in southwest Macon, Jones said Tuesday morning.

Jones said Akins body had no outward signs of trauma or foul play and that the cause of death was unknown. An autopsy will be completed in the coming days to determine Akins cause of death.

Akins had been in prison since 2019 for committing arson in Crisp County, court records and Department of Corrections records show. He also served time in prison from 1992 to 2012 for voluntary manslaughter charges, records show.

Akins death is the third in Central State Prison this month after two men died in two days from separate stabbings at the prison.

Marquis Johnson, 26, died at a local hospital Dec. 18 after he was stabbed at the prison, Jones said.

Johnson began his time in prison in June after he was convicted of armed robbery, gang participation and other crimes he committed in Muscogee County in 2017, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections website.

Johnsons death came one day after Hollis Bryant, 28, died about 1:30 a.m. Dec. 17 in a stabbing at the prison. Bryant was serving a life sentence after he pleaded guilty to murder in 2019 in Toombs County, reports show.

Officials did not say whether the two stabbings were connected to Akins death or to each other.
When Sean Hannity famously asked, indeed virtually pleaded with, Donald Trump to reassure the public that, if reelected president, he was not serious about using the office in a dictatorial fashion, Trump responded by saying he would not be a dictator except for Day 1.

There is no way to know whether Trump is seriousor whether he has the discipline to follow through if he is. Trumps supporters claimed he was just trolling his critics. Those same critics, however, noted that Trump has been making similar statements for months now and that its foolish not to take him seriously. Looking at worst-case scenarios, what could Trump do?

Imagine, for a moment, a newly elected President Trump ending Americas membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). He repeatedly disparaged the alliance while he was president, and as the New York Times previously reported, Several times over the course of 2018, Mr. Trump privately said he wanted to withdraw from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.  Mr. Trump told his top national security officials that he did not see the point of the military alliance, which he presented as a drain on the United States. So its not inconceivable that, on Day 1 in the Oval Office, President Trumpsurrounded by national security advisers far more acquiescent to his views than those in 2018formally announces the United States will be leaving an alliance we have led for nearly three-quarters of a century.

It would be a dangerous strategic step to take. The Biden administration has used NATO as the core of the effort to help support Ukraine since the 2022 Russian invasion: It has added more forces to the European theater and has seen NATO expand to include Finland and, at some point in the future, Sweden. To say Washingtons credibility as an ally and partner on the world stage would be undermined is to state the obvious. But its also the kind of move that Trump might see as playing to the isolationist instincts of much of the conservative base here at home.

While the Constitution is clear about the process by which the country enters into a treatya president shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concurthe text of the Constitution has nothing specific to say about the requirements for ending the countrys commitment to a treaty.

Arguments have been made that Congress must approve such a decision or that the Senate, given its role in sanctioning a treaty, should also have a say in terminating that pact. Yet presidents acted on their own in the two most recent decisions to end Americas adherence to a security-related treaty. In late 1979, President Jimmy Carter announced that the 1954 security accord with the Republic of China (Taiwan) would end on January 1, 1980. And then, in December 2001, not long after 9/11, George W. Bush announced that the U.S. was pulling out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

Carters decision did not go unchallenged. Republican Sen. Barry Goldwater filed a lawsuit in federal court arguing that treaty termination required Senate concurrence. Eventually, the case made it to the Supreme Court, where six of the nine justices ruled that it should be dismissed, with no hearing or oral arguments required. Justice William Rehnquist, concurring with that judgment, issued a statement along with three other justices that said the issue at hand was a political questiona dispute between Congress and the president over how foreign affairs should be conductedand, therefore, not something for the court to decide. It was up to Congress to defend its claimed prerogatives. Justice Lewis Powell also concurred in the decision, but argued in a separate statement that the case might in fact have been one for the court to hear if the Congress had acted as a whole by passing a resolution formally opposing Carters decision.

Goldwater v. Carter (1979) undoubtedly influenced how Congress reacted to Bushs decision to pull out of the ABM Treaty two decades later. While there were certainly Democrats who criticized the decision, the party itself was in the minority in the House and held a slim, one-vote margin in the Senate. With the precedent of Goldwater v. Carter, individual members stood no chance of contesting the White House in court and, just as importantly, they lacked the political wherewithal to challenge the decision by passing a resolution that the court might have then taken cognizance of.

To meet the potential challenge of a President Trump decision to bail on NATO and also meet the Powell criteria for possibly being able to take such a decision to court, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio sponsored a measure that was added to the recently passed National Defense Authorization Act that prohibits a president from withdrawing from the alliance without the approval of two-thirds of the Senate or by an act of Congress. To give the measure some teeth, the bill also prohibits the use of appropriated funds for suspending or withdrawing from the treaty in the absence of prior Senate or congressional approval. For those concerned about the mixed signals Congress has been sending about the American commitment to allies and friends in recent weeks and months, the Kaine-Rubio provision is to be commended.

However, the issue is whether the legislation would in fact stop Trump from deciding he had had enough of NATO. The first thing his White House lawyers might say is that Congress action was unconstitutional, perhaps quoting Thomas Jefferson in a note to French envoy Citizen Genet in 1790: The transaction of business with foreign nations is executive altogether. It belongs, then, to the head of that department, except as to such portions of it as are specially submitted to the Senate. Exceptions are to be construed strictly. As for the prohibition on using monies to carry out a withdrawal, here a White House fact sheet could point to the presidents authority as commander in chief to deploy the armed forces as he sees fit and, in his judgment, as required for the security of the nation. Indeed, falling short of actually pulling troops out of the European theater, President Trump could simply state that because in his judgment allied states were not meeting their commitments to fully reform and rearm their militaries, he was suspending Americas commitment to Article V of the North Atlantic Treatythe core article that commits each member to consider an attack against another as an attack against them all. There would undoubtedly be an enormous uproar at such a statement but preventing Trump from carrying out that pledge requires more than loud criticism here and abroad.

A presidents institutional capacity to act first and act unilaterally is considerable. And the real check in such a dispute has to be a Senate or Congress in which the majority is willing to put aside party allegiances in favor of institutional loyalties to the chambers themselves. If Trump is elected this November, it seems likely that the GOP will retake the Senate and possibly the House. What is the evidence that a Republican majority might buck the president on NATO? Having the Kaine-Rubio measure on the books is one thing, but forcing a president to bend to its strictures is another.

Perhaps individual members, with the law on the books in hand, would try to involve the court once again. But it remains doubtful, given the silence in the Constitution about how treaties are to be terminated, that the Supreme Court would want to act as the final arbiter over what most of the justices would likely still see as a political question.

All of which leads to a more fundamental point: A presidents character is just as important as his policy positions. The office is the man in the end, and how he reads his obligations to faithfully execute the laws of the nation and his office is singularly dependent on that character. Trump may not on Day 1or on any daywithdraw from NATO. But we do know that, in comparison with the chaos of 2016, his team is far ahead in its planning on what to do if he wins. There will be no Jim Mattis, John Kelly, or John Bolton to hold him back. In short, the best way to keep the United States in NATO is to keep Trump out of the White House.

Read more at The Dispatch

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FILE PHOTO: Yekaterina Duntsova, former journalist who plans to run for Russian president in 2024, visits election commission office in Moscow

FILE PHOTO: Yekaterina Duntsova, former journalist who plans to run for Russian president in 2024, visits election commission office in Moscow

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A former TV journalist who opposes Russia's war in Ukraine and who was disqualified on Saturday as a candidate for Russia's upcoming presidential election has lodged an appeal with the Supreme Court.

Members of the central electoral commission voted unanimously to reject the candidacy of Yekaterina Duntsova, citing "numerous violations" in the papers she had submitted in support of her bid.

Speaking to Reuters after submitting an appeal to the Supreme Court, Duntsova - who is not well known across Russia and by her own admission commands a core support base of thousands in a country of over 140 million people - made it clear that she did not expect her appeal to be successful.

But the 40-year-old said she had been unfairly barred from taking part in a contest widely expected to be won by incumbent Vladimir Putin who has been in power as either president or prime minister for more than 20 years.

By not letting her run, she said the authorities had deprived some young Russians of a way of expressing their views within what is a tightly controlled political system.

That, she asserted, risked stoking apathy and a boycott of the March election by some voters.

"I have a sense that the field (of candidates) is being cleared... It's not advantageous to you (the authorities) above all that nobody is left, that the list of candidates (only) lists people aged over 70," she said.

"Where are the representatives of young people? Where are the representatives of people who want to talk about peace, about democratic values, about reform, about trust in the institute of power?"

The central election commission says its decisions are purely rules-based and that its job is to make sure that would-be candidates follow the right procedures.

Speaking on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not mention Duntsova by name, but said the constitution allowed people with political ambitions to run for president if they met the legal criteria to do so.

The Kremlin points to opinion polls which give Putin, 71, an approval rating of around 80% and says most Russians support what it calls Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine.

Putin has cast the war in Ukraine as an existential struggle for a new world order with the West and portrayed himself as the right person to steer Russia to a promised victory.

Tough laws on "fake news" introduced after Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022 mandate long jail terms for anyone judged to have spread false reports about the Russian military.

Putin's critics have either fled the country or, like Alexei Navalny, are doing time in prison.

Duntsova, who said her supporters would try to monitor the way the election was held, said it was obvious that some people would spoil their ballot papers in protest over what she said was the narrow selection of candidates.

"Why do this (disqualify me) and provoke citizens? They should come to polling booths with a sense that they are making a real contribution," said Duntsova.

She chose her words carefully. When Duntsova said last month that she wanted to stand, she said that "any sane person taking this step would be afraid".

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Nick Macfie)
(KRON)  Antisemitic and racist graffiti was found on the campus of a middle school in Pleasant Hill, KRON4 has learned. Last week, the campus of Pleasant Hill Middle School was defaced with graffiti that included swastikas and derogatory racial language, including the n-word, according to Mt. Diablo Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Adam Clark.

This act of vandalism involved the defacement of our school grounds with antisemitic symbols (swastikas) and derogatory racial language, said Clark. We are taking these actions with the utmost seriousness and have promptly reached out to the Pleasant Hill Police Department to assist in this matter.

Serial Bay Area shoplifter arrested 90 times

According to Pleasant Hill PD, approximately five male juveniles walked onto the campus around 1:30 a.m. on the morning of Thursday, Dec. 21. The juveniles, police said, used their fingers to draw the swastikas on several school windows after fogging them with their breath.

They also drew swastikas on the infield dirt of the baseball and softball fields. Approximately eight swastikas were found. No permanent property damage was found.

Police are investigating it as a hate incident. The investigation is ongoing, according to police.

The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our foremost concern, Clark said, and we unequivocally condemn any form of prejudice, bigotry, or hate.

Campuses in the Mt. Diablo USD are currently closed for winter break with no students on-site. However, the district urges community members to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities on school premises to Pleasant Hill PD.

The incident at Pleasant Hill Middle School follows a similar incident last week on the campus of a junior high school in Los Altos.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
A federal appeals court on Tuesday threw out former US Rep. Jeff Fortenberrys conviction for lying to federal authorities about illegal campaign contributions, saying the case against the Nebraska Republican was charged in the wrong jurisdiction.

Fortenberrys 2022 convictions on three felony charges were based off allegations that he lied in two separate meetings with the FBI by saying he wasnt aware of any illegal contributions to his 2016 reelection campaign made by a foreign national.

The appeals court unanimously concluded that prosecutors erroneously charged Fortenberry in Los Angeles, where the campaign finance investigation was based, instead of Nebraska or Washington, DC  where Fortenberry met with and allegedly lied to the agents.

Fortenberrys trial took place in a state where no charged crime was committed, and before a jury drawn from the vicinage of the federal agencies that investigated the defendant, Judge James Donato wrote in an opinion, adding that this outlandish outcome cannot be squared with the Constitution.

Fortenberrys convictions are reversed so that he may be retried, if at all, in a proper venue, he wrote.

It is not yet clear whether the Justice Department will retry Fortenberry. If they decide to do so, federal prosecutors will need to bring charges in either Nebraska or Washington, DC, effectively starting the case over.

The office of the US attorney for the Central District of California did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

We are gratified by the Ninth Circuits decision, Fortenberry said in a statement to CNN on Tuesday. Celeste and I would like to thank everyone who has stood by us and supported us with their kindness and friendship.

Fortenberry resigned from office last year after he was convicted, saying at the time that he could no longer effectively serve. The former congressman was never charged with violating federal election laws.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Exhibitors of the Uruguay Beef & Lamb booth talk with merchants during the fifth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 7, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]

China will allow the import of Uruguayan beef starting on Tuesday, according to a statement issued by the General Administration of Customs.



The statement specifies that companies that export beef to China should be located in areas free of foot-and-mouth disease, as recognized by the World Organization for Animal Health.

The companies should also be under the supervision of Uruguayan authorities and in compliance with the requirements of veterinary health and public health regulations of both sides, the statement says.

Exporters should register with the General Administration of Customs, while unregistered ones are not allowed to export their beef to China, according to the statement.
A federal appeals court on Tuesday overturned a federal conviction against former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, saying the decision to try the Nebraska lawmaker in California over alleged foreign campaign donations violated his due process rights.

In a decision published Tuesday, three judges of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco found that the nine-term Republican should not have been tried in Los Angeles, since the specific crimes he was prosecuted for occurred in Washington, D.C., and Nebraska. The panel also rejected prosecutors arguments that criminal conduct also occurs where it would have an effect on a federal investigation.

Fortenberry resigned from his seat in Congress in March 2022 after a Los Angeles jury convicted him of lying to federal authorities about receiving an illegal campaign contribution from a foreign national. Fortenberry faced pressure to step down both from congressional leadership and Nebraskas then-Gov. Pete Ricketts.

Fortenberry and his wife praised Tuesday's decision. In a statement to The Associated Press, Fortenberry said we are gratified by the Ninth Circuits decision, and Celeste and I would like to thank everyone who has stood by us and supported us with their kindness and friendship.

A Justice Department spokesperson said the decision could allow a retrial.

The ruling does not preclude a retrial on the charges that then-Congressman Fortenberry made multiple false statements to federal agents," Thom Mrozek, a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles, said in a statement. "We are evaluating potential next steps before deciding how best to move forward.

Federal prosecutors allege that Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigerian-Lebanese businessman living in Paris, gave Fortenberry a $30,000 campaign contribution at a 2016 Los Angeles fundraiser by way of strawman donors. The organizer of that fundraiser, Elias Ayoub, became a cooperating witness with the FBI and told Fortenberry about the source of the funds in a 2018 phone call recorded by investigators.

But in 2019, Fortenberry denied awareness of any foreign campaign contributions when approached by federal investigators in Nebraska and Washington, D.C. Fortenberry was charged in 2021 with making false statements to investigators and scheming to falsify and conceal material facts. Federal prosecutors insisted on trying the Nebraska lawmaker in Los Angeles, noting that the illegal contributions were given there, though he was never charged with receiving illegal contributions.

Fortenberry was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to pay a $25,000 fine.

The ruling from the Ninth Circuit wasnt completely unexpected. During oral arguments in July, Judge James Donato, one of the three judges reviewing Fortenberrys case and the author of Tuesdays ruling, indicated his support for the lawmakers arguments that the Justice Department violated his rights by trying him in Los Angeles.

Josh Gerstein contributed to this report.
A federal appeals court on Tuesday threw out the conviction of former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska for lying to the FBI about illegal contributions made to his reelection campaign, determining that he was tried in the wrong venue.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals said in an opinion that Fortenberry should have been tried in Nebraska or Washington, D.C., where he made the alleged false statements to investigators and not in California, where his trial was held.

"Fortenberry's trial took place in a state where no charged crime was committed, and before a jury drawn from the vicinage of the federal agencies that investigated the defendant. The Constitution does not permit this. Fortenberry's convictions are reversed so that he may be retried, if at all, in a proper venue," U.S. District Judge James Donato wrote in a 23-page opinion.

A jury in 2022 found the Republican guilty of lying to federal authorities about an illegal $30,000 contribution to his campaign by a foreign national at a 2016 fundraiser in Los Angeles.

He was accused of lying during two interviews in 2019 with FBI agents who were looking into the illegal contributions and whether Fortenberry knew about them. The interviews occurred at Fortenberry's home in Nebraska and his lawyer's office in Washington.

As such, Fortenberry was not charged with violating election law but rather with lying to investigators. Donato noted in the decision that the district court had found that this type of violation could be tried "not only where a false statement is made but also where it has an effect on a federal investigation," but the appeals court said that "the Constitution plainly requires that a criminal defendant be tried in the place where the criminal conduct occurred."

Fortenberry, who resigned from Congress after the conviction, was sentenced to two years of probation and a $25,000 fine.

Fortenberry said in a statement that he and his wife were "gratified by the Ninth Circuit's decision."

"Celeste and I would like to thank everyone who has stood by us and supported us with their kindness and friendship," he said.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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RICHMOND, Ind.  The Indiana Court of Appeals has upheld a Wayne County man's conviction for battering a juvenile.

A Wayne Superior Court 3 jury in May found William Charles Summers Jr., 49, of Cambridge City, guilty of battery on a person under 14 years old, a Level 5 felony carrying up to 30 months in prison.

Testimony indicated Summers  on Oct. 9, 2022  was intoxicated while at a relative's home, wanted to watch television and ordered a juvenile, who was playing video games, to leave the room.

After the boy told Summers to leave him alone and "go back to bed," the Cambridge City man hurled a step ladder at the youth, striking him in the shoulder.

Summers, described as having slurred speech, announced he intended to kill the juvenile, witnesses said, and struck him on the head and arms with his fists.

More: Wayne County man faces felony charge; accused of striking child in face

The attack left the child with a "fairly deep laceration" on his right eyebrow, according to court documents.

Witnesses said Summers later called authorities and claimed the teen had threatened to kill him.

The Cambridge City man was sentenced to a year of incarceration by Judge Darrin Dolehanty.

In an appeal, Summers called the testimony of his victim "incredibly dubious." In a recent 3-0 ruling, the Indiana Court of Appeals did not agree with that assessment.

"There is nothing about (the victim's) testimony that is inherently improbable," Judge Robert Altice wrote. "And there was ample circumstantial evidence of Summers' guilt."

According to court records, Summers had earlier convictions for battery with a deadly weapon, battery against a public safety official and strangulation.

The Indiana Department of Correction website indicates he recently completed serving his sentence in the domestic battery case.

Douglas Walker is a news reporter for The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Wayne County man's conviction for battering juvenile upheld
A federal appeals court panel wiped ex-Rep. Jeff Fortenberrys (R-Neb.) conviction of lying to the FBI about an illegal campaign contribution, ruling Tuesday that he was not tried in the proper venue.

Last year, a jury sitting in Los Angeles convicted Fortenberry for false statements he made during interviews in Nebraska and the nations capital.

He resigned from his seat in Congress and was sentenced to two years of probation, a $25,000 fine and 320 hours of community service. Tuesdays decision reverses that sentence, although Fortenberry could still be retried.

Fortenberrys trial took place in a state where no charged crime was committed, and before a jury drawn from the vicinage of the federal agencies that investigated the defendant, wrote U.S. District Judge James Donato, who sat on the appeals court by designation.

The Constitution does not permit this. Fortenberrys convictions are reversed so that he may be retried, if at all, in a proper venue, the 23-page opinion continued.

FILE  U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., arrives at the federal courthouse for his trial in Los Angeles, Wednesday, March 16, 2022. Just hours after a judge sentences the ex-congressman from Nebraska for lying to federal agents, voters in his district are expected to elect a different conservative Republican to represent the GOP-dominated district. Fortenberry will learn Tuesday, June 28 in a Los Angeles courtroom whether hell get prison time for misleading the FBI about $30,000 in illegal, foreign contributions to his campaign. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

Authorities charged Fortenberry after interviewing him, as they investigated a $30,200 donation from a Nigerian businessman to the then-congressmans campaign at a 2016 fundraising event in California.

Federal law prohibits campaign contributions from foreign nationals to any local, state or federally elected official.

But prosecutors did not charge Fortenberry over the contribution itself, instead prosecuting him on two counts of making false statements and one count of scheming to falsify and conceal material facts.

During interviews with the FBI, Fortenberry told investigators that he was unaware of any illegal contributions to his campaign. But court filings indicate the agency had listened into an earlier phone call, in which a cooperating witness told Fortenberry that the Nigerian businessman was likely the source of the $30,200 donation.

More Courts coverage from The Hill

The FBI interviews took place at Fortenberrys home in Lincoln, Neb., and in his lawyers office in Washington, D.C.

The trial judge enabled a jury trial to move forward in California by ruling that false statement violations occur not only where they are uttered, but also where they have an effect on a federal investigation. The donation investigation was run out of the FBIs Los Angeles field office.

We conclude that an effects-based test for venue of a Section 1001 offense has no support in the Constitution, the text of the statute, or historical practice, wrote Donato, who was appointed by former President Obama.

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Also on the panel were Circuit Judges Gabriel Sanchez and Salvador Mendoza Jr., who were both appointed by President Biden.

We are gratified by the Ninth Circuits decision. Celeste and I would like to thank everyone who has stood by us and supported us with their kindness and friendship, Fortenberry said in a statement.

The Hill has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
FILE - U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., arrives at the federal courthouse for his trial in Los Angeles, Wednesday, March 16, 2022. On Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023, an appellate court reversed a 2022 federal conviction against Fortenberry, ruling that he should not have been tried in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP)  An appellate court on Tuesday reversed a 2022 federal conviction against former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska, ruling that he should not have been tried in Los Angeles.

Fortenberry was convicted in March 2022 on charges that he lied to federal authorities about an illegal $30,000 contribution to his campaign from a foreign billionaire at a 2016 Los Angeles fundraiser. He resigned his seat days later following pressure from congressional leaders and Nebraskas GOP governor.

In its Tuesday ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit wrote that the trial venue of Los Angeles was improper because Fortenberry made the false statements during interviews with federal agents at his home in Lincoln, Nebraska, and in his lawyers office in Washington.

Fortenberrys convictions are reversed so that he may be retried, if at all, in a proper venue, the decision said.

A federal jury in Los Angeles found the nine-term Republican guilty of concealing information and two counts of making false statements to authorities. He vowed to appeal from the courthouse steps.

Fortenberry and his wife, Celeste Fortenberry, praised the courts decision.

We are gratified by the Ninth Circuits decision, Jeff Fortenberry said in a statement. Celeste and I would like to thank everyone who has stood by us and supported us with their kindness and friendship.

Thom Mrozek, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys Office in Los Angeles, noted that the appellate court left a path open for future proceedings against Fortenberry.

The ruling does not preclude a retrial on the charges that then-Congressman Fortenberry made multiple false statements to federal agents," Mrozek said in a statement. "We are evaluating potential next steps before deciding how best to move forward.

Patricia Hartman, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia, declined to comment on the rulings potential impact for federal prosecutors in Washington.

We cannot comment on matters where we dont have charges filed, she said in an email Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys Office in Nebraska did not immediately return a phone message.

Fortenberry was charged after denying to the FBI that he was aware he had received illicit funds from Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigerian billionaire of Lebanese descent.

At trial, prosecutors presented recorded phone conversations in which Fortenberry was repeatedly warned that the contributions came from Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigerian billionaire of Lebanese descent. The donations were funneled through three strawmen at the 2016 fundraiser in Los Angeles.

The case stemmed from an FBI investigation into $180,000 in illegal campaign contributions to four campaigns from Chagoury, who lived in Paris at the time. Chagoury admitted to the crime in 2019 and agreed to pay a $1.8 million fine.

It was the first trial of a sitting congressman since Rep. Jim Traficant, D-Ohio, was convicted of bribery and other felony charges in 2002.
Apple appealed the U.S. International Trade Commissions (ITC) decision to bar imports of certain Apple Watches on Tuesday, after the Biden administration declined to veto the ban.

The tech giant also filed an emergency motion for an immediate interim stay, arguing it will suffer irreparable harm if the ITCs orders are left in place while the issue is decided because Apple will be barred from importing and selling its two most popular Apple Watch models.

Apple pulled the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 from stores just before Christmas in preparation for the ban.

The company urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to at a minimum grant a stay long enough for U.S. Customs and Border Protection to decide whether a redesigned version of the two Apple Watches falls outside of the ITCs orders. The agency is set to make a decision on Jan. 12.

At Apple, we work tirelessly to create products and services that meaningfully impact users lives, the company said in a statement.

We strongly disagree with the USITC decision and resulting exclusion order, and are taking all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. as soon as possible.

The ITC upheld an earlier ruling in late October that sided with the medical technology company Masimo, which in 2021 sued Apple for patent infringement at the ITC over the Apple Watch Series 6.

Masimo accused the tech giant of poaching employees and stealing trade secrets related to the light-based technology for measuring blood-oxygen levels, which was first featured in the Apple Watch Series 6 smartwatch.

Masimo originally sued Apple in federal court in 2020, but the case ended in a mistrial in May. Apple also counter-sued Masimo, accusing the company of copying its technology.

The Biden administration had 60 days to decide whether to veto the import ban or to let it go into effect. On Tuesday, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representatives issued a statement saying it would not intervene.

Since 2005, the Office of the United States Trade Representative has been delegated the Presidents authority under Section 337 of the Trade Act of 1930 to review the ITCs decision for a 60-day period, the statement read.

After careful consultations, Ambassador Tai decided not to reverse the ITCs determination and the ITCs decision became final on December 26, 2023, the statement continued.

Updated at 4:29 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Apple can no longer sell its latest Apple Watch models in the U.S. after losing a patent dispute before the International Trade Commission (ITC).

The ban follows a years-long legal battle between Apple and the medical technology company Maismo. Heres what to know about the ban and what happens next.

Masimo sues Apple in federal court, at ITC

Masimo initially sued Apple in federal court in 2020, accusing the iPhone maker of poaching employees and stealing trade secrets related to its light-based technology for measuring blood-oxygen levels.

The medical technology company also sued Apple for patent infringement at the ITC in 2021 over the Apple Watch Series 6, the first model to feature blood-oxygen monitoring capabilities.

Apple countersued in 2022, accusing Masimo of copying its technology.

Why Apple is set to pull some Apple Watches from US shelves

Federal case ends in mistrial while ITC rules in favor of Masimo

A federal judge in California ultimately declared a mistrial in Masimos federal case in May, after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict.

However, an ITC judge ruled in favor of Masimo in January, prompting the full commission to decide whether to implement an import ban. The commission upheld the decision in late October, finding that Apple infringed on Masimos patent rights.

Apple loses bid to delay ban, pulls Apple Watches from stores

Apple lost a last-ditch bid to delay the import ban Wednesday when the ITC rejected the tech giants request for a motion to stay the decision pending appeal.

The company pulled the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 from its stores Sunday in preparation for the ban.

Biden administration declines to overturn ban

The Biden administration declined to veto the ban Tuesday, letting it officially take effect.

The administration had 60 days to decide whether to veto the import ban. On Tuesday, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representatives issued a statement saying it would not intervene.

Since 2005, the Office of the United States Trade Representative has been delegated the Presidents authority under Section 337 of the Trade Act of 1930 to review the ITCs decision for a 60-day period, the statement read.

After careful consultations, Ambassador Tai decided not to reverse the ITCs determination and the ITCs decision became final on December 26, 2023, it continued.

Apple appeals decision, asks for immediate stay

Apple appealed the decision and filed an emergency motion for an immediate interim stay, as the ban went into effect Tuesday.

The tech giant argued that it will suffer irreparable harm if the ITCs orders are left in place because Apple will be barred from importing and selling its two most popular Apple Watch models.

It urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to at a minimum grant a stay long enough for U.S. Customs and Border Protection to decide whether a redesigned version of the two Apple Watches falls outside the ITCs orders.

The agency is set to make a decision on Jan. 12.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Biden administration has decided to uphold an import ban on some Apple watches in a health care patent infringement case brought by two companies in Irvine, Calif.

The U.S. International Trade Commission ruled in October that Apple, Inc. infringed two patents owned by Masimo Corporation and Cercacor Laboratories, Inc. for a blood oxygen sensor that can read a person's pulse.

The decision was made by U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, who is delegated authority from the president to review and potentially overturn import ban orders imposed by the ITC under U.S. trade law.

"After careful consultations, Ambassador Tai decided not to reverse the ITCs determination and the ITCs decision became final on December 26, 2023," Tai's office said Tuesday in a statement.

Apple, which already has appealed the ITC decision to the Federal Circuit, announced earlier this month that it would stop selling the Series 9 and Ultra 2 versions of its popular watch while its legal challenge continues.

"We strongly disagree with the USITC decision and resulting exclusion order, and are taking all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. as soon as possible," the company said after Tai's decision was announced Tuesday.

A Masimo spokesperson called Tai's decision "a win for the integrity of the U.S. patent system, and ultimately American consumers who will benefit from an ecosystem that rewards true innovation." Masimo also sells watches that monitor health data.

ITC rulings of this type can be overruled by the president within 60 days. Such overrides are rare, but former President Barack Obama used his authority to stop an import ban on certain iPhones and iPads back in 2013.

President Joe Biden declined to overturn a similar patent ruling involving Apple and another medical device company AliveCor earlier this year, but that import ban is still on hold due to ongoing litigation between the firms. And the president narrowly avoided a tough decision in an ITC case on electric vehicle batteries in 2021, when he was saved by a settlement between the competing firms.

Apple, which denies using Masimo's patent in the creation of its blood oxygen feature, said it has submitted a proposed redesign of its Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches for U.S. Customs approval. The company said there would no impact to service for customers in the U.S. who purchased the watches before Monday.
David Arakhamia says Cabinet of Ministers should submit draft law on mobilisation on 25 December

Ukraines Cabinet of Ministers must accelerate the submission of a new bill regulating conscription, the head of the ruling Servant of the People party, David Arakhamia, said on Telegram on Dec. 25.

Read also: Defense Ministry mulling e-notifications to replace draft notices

"Today [December 25] the government was supposed to submit a bill on mobilization, on which it is working at the request of the military, Arakhamia wrote.

I hope that colleagues from the Cabinet of Ministers will finish their part of the work soon. The absence of this bill breeds uncertainty and a large number of fakes about checkpoints, about Diia, etc."

Updating Ukraines conscription policy has become a priority for the government following the militarys request to mobilize another half a million military personnel.

"The President clearly emphasized that he requires a comprehensive approach to military service in the Armed Forces, Arakhamia wrote.

Simply recruiting new people and not solving the problems of those who are serving now is not a solution. Parliament is waiting for a ready-made document that can be discussed at the committee. The military needs to solve their problems. Society wants to hear answers to all sensitive questions."

According to a statement made by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Dec. 19, he would need a convincing argument in order to authorize a large expansion of conscription and military recruitment.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  The Arkansas Stop the Violence group hosted their annual bike giveaway on Christmas Day.

This is the 17th year that the group has hosted the event, and this year they gave away over 500 bikes.

Arkansas Stop the Violence hosting Christmas day bike giveaway

Founder Benny Johnson said that he knows what it feels like to wake up to nothing under the Christmas tree.

It was that feeling that he said made him want to change that for children in central Arkansas.

Johnson said seeing children light up when they get their bikes brings him joy that will last a lifetime.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.
Students play games during a class break at a primary school in Liugou Township of Jishishan County, northwest China's Gansu Province, Dec. 25, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

After getting dressed and packing her school bag, Fan Yumiao was ready to wave goodbye to her parents in a makeshift house by 8 a.m. on Monday.

"I'm finally off to school today," said the 11-year-old.

After about a 10-minute walk, she arrived at a temporary tent school set up in a shelter in Shiyuan Township, northwest China's Gansu Province.

A week ago, at midnight, a 6.2-magnitude earthquake rocked her home in the Bonan-Dongxiang-Salar Autonomous County of Jishishan in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, causing hundreds of casualties. Strong tremors were felt throughout the region, leveling buildings and destroying infrastructure, forcing many like Fan's family to move into makeshift shelters erected by local authorities to house displaced residents.

Timely and swift relief measures were soon in place, with efforts to treat injured people, restore disrupted transportation and guarantee sufficient supply of necessities.

Like Fan, students at nearly 200 temporary schools in Jishishan resumed classes on Monday.

Fan's new classroom, though tiny, had drawn more than 30 students. It was equipped with computers, a blackboard and access to the internet, while heating facilities were installed to counter biting outdoor cold as low as minus 10 degrees Celsius.

Their first lesson featured instructions on how to respond to an earthquake. "We conduct emergency drills for disasters such as earthquakes regularly at school," said Fan, adding that such lessons had proved useful in enabling her and her family to survive the recent quake.

According to Ma Yonghong, deputy director of the education bureau in Jishishan, multiple drills have been organized by the department since the fall semester of 2019 to improve disaster cognition and response, covering more than 60,000 students in over 240 schools.

Within about five minutes after the quake hit, over 14,000 students at all 13 local boarding schools had been evacuated in a safe and orderly manner.

The tent school Fan attends will only be used for one day. "New prefabricated houses have been built, and the students can have classes in warmer and brighter rooms tomorrow," said Zhang Qianqi, a dean at the school.

Zhang said the earthquake had caused three school buildings to crack, while adding that a restoration project will be launched during the upcoming winter vacation. "We hope the project will be finished before the students get back to school after the holiday."
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON)  An armed man was arrested on board a BART train on Christmas Eve after bothering other passengers, according to the BART Police Department. Around 11:20 p.m., a train operator noticed the man bothering riders aboard a Richmond bound train and notified BART police.

Rarest insect in the world now on display at San Diego Zoo

BART PD officers intercepted the train at Fruitvale Station and made contact with the man, identified as Archie Hansbury, 36 of Oakland. Hansbury, according to police, had a concealed pistol grip AR-style rifle in his pants.

Hansbury was arrested and transported to Santa Rita jail.

Through the watchful eye of our frontline staff and the quick response by police officers we were able to get this gun out of our system and the suspect off our train, BART PD said. From new fare gates to increased police presence to speed up response times, BART is working on a number of safety efforts to keep our system safe and inviting.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
The Peach Drop has been a New Years Eve tradition for more than three decades, but unlike in years past, this years celebration will be held inside.

The city announced earlier this week that they would not fund the free event, which usually attracts tens of thousands of people to Underground Atlanta and usually costs around a million dollars.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Atlanta police said the property owners failed to hire enough security to host the event outside.

Channel 2s Michael Seiden learned that now, organizers of a new event are hoping to keep the party going, calling it Atlanta Peach Fest.

TRENDING STORIES:

Promotors said partygoers can expect to be entertained by live music, art and plenty of drinks and food, but it wont be free. Tickets are now on sale ranging in price from $20 to $1,200.

Lakeya Matthew had plans to attend the Peach Drop and was bummed it was canceled.

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Theyre not having it? Oh my gosh, Matthew said. I was actually looking forward to that.

The organizers of the new event told Seiden in a statement that they have hired plenty of security and off-duty officers to make a safe and fun event. They also said they have sold more than 2,000 tickets and plan on selling more before New Years Eve.
A Russian attack drone hit a manufacturing plant in Mykolaiv on the night of 25-26 December, and another struck open ground at an infrastructure facility near Odesa.

Source: Vitalii Kim, Head of Mykolaiv Oblast Military Administration; Defence Forces of Ukraine's South; Khmelnytskyi Oblast Military Administration.

Details: The Defence Forces of Ukraine's South reported that the Russians had attacked the south of Ukraine from temporarily occupied Crimea and the eastern coast of the Sea of Azov on the night of 25-26 December.

During two waves of attacks lasting 2 and 4 hours, Ukrainian air defence units managed to destroy 9 Shahed-131/136 attack UAVs: 4 each in Odesa and Mykolaiv oblasts and 1 in Kherson Oblast.

Quote from Defence Forces of Ukraine's South: "Despite intense combat operations, it was not possible to avoid strikes in Odesa and Mykolaiv oblasts.

The enemy struck an open area at an infrastructure facility in Odesa district. The resulting fire was promptly extinguished, and no casualties were reported.

In Mykolaiv Oblast, a manufacturing plant was also hit, causing damage to warehouses. No casualties were reported.

Details: Kim also reported that despite the downing of 4 drones in Mykolaiv Oblast, the Russians targeted an industrial facility with a drone and damaged one of its warehouses in Mykolaiv. There was no information about casualties.

Background:

In total, Ukrainian defenders downed 13 of 19 Russian Shahed drones launched on the evening of 25 December and overnight on 25-26 December.

Air defence forces destroyed one drone in Khmelnytskyi Oblast. There were no reports of casualties or damage there.

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AUSTIN (KXAN)  Its a decision Austin City Council Member Natasha-Harper Madison said was one of the most difficult shes had to make. For the first time, were hearing from the council member about mental health challenges shes faced and the medical leave she took earlier this year to address them.

Harper-Madison announced in September that she was taking a weeks-long break from City Hall and her role at the dais to seek treatment tied to mental health, something she said was the right call. But she told KXAN the decision was also hard, especially because shes the only Black Austin City Council member. She worried about the lack of representation in her absence.

Natasha Harper-Madison at City Hall (KXAN photo/Grace Reader)

Being the only one comes with a whole lot of expectations and I feel very responsible for meeting those expectations as frequently as possible, Harper-Madison said.

Without help, she didnt have much to give. Her cup was empty. In a sit-down interview with KXAN, Harper-Madison described the feeling of being busy, but not getting anything done. She needed to take a knee.

I was terrified to come forward. I already worry so much about what people think about me in this role, she said.

Her decision to step away was not only met with support from her colleagues, it started a conversation. And as it turns out, Harper-Madison wasnt alone on the dais.

At that point I decided it was time for me to just be a good advocate for mental health problems and talk about it rather than just hide it, Council Member Mackenzie Kelly said.

Kelly has been diagnosed with PTSD and an anxiety disorder, but she wasnt talking about it, something she said really took a toll.

Franks City-issued badge (KXAN photo/Grace Reader)

It wasnt until Harper-Madison stepped out for treatment that Kelly decided it was time. She started bringing her specially trained service dog, Frank, to work every day. Hes become a regular at City Hall and even has a City-issued badge.

It has been an incredible difference to have him [Frank] in my life. I got to the hospital less, I take less medication, Im overall in a much better and mood and I dont feel like Im always just like on edge waiting for the next shoe to drop, Kelly said.

Frank  who went through roughly a year of training for his certification  is able to detect when Kelly is on the verge of a panic attack, able to wake her from night terrors and alert her when someone is coming up from behind to avoid her being startled.

Frank navigates Austin City Hall with Council Member Mackenzie Kelly (KXAN photo/Grace Reader)

Franks City-issued badge (KXAN photo/Grace Reader)

Frank sits at Austin City Council Member Mackenzie Kellys feet as she interviews (KXAN photo/Grace Reader)

He also wears a vest with lots of patches, a conversation starter that Kelly said has allowed her to bring up the challenges shes faced. A common ground between the two members, who dont often see eye-to-eye politically, that Harper-Madison said feels wonderful.

Harper-Madison returned to City Hall in November and said she has a renewed focus. She hopes to introduce new resolutions next year tied to mental health  including looking at help for temporary employees  and to support initiatives already in the works.

This building that I work in, our city manager, I offer him my applause. Our mayor, my colleagues, my applause and my deep gratitude. Not everybody has colleagues that will stand by your side and have your back when you need to take a minute, Harper-Madison said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
Authorities have identified the 29-year-old man who was shot and killed in a bar in Lawrence on Christmas Eve.

Lawrence police responded to a report of shots fired at Energy Lounge at 459 Broadway around 12:20 a.m.

Upon arrival, officers located 29-year-old Edward Javier-Perez suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. He was transported to Lawrence General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The shooting remains under investigation by Lawrence Police Detectives, Massachusetts State Police and the Essex County District Attorneys Office.

No arrests have been made,

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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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Portland police are on scene of a fatal car crash in Southeast Portland, authorities announced Monday evening.

Officials responded to the crash at the intersection of Southeast 122nd Avenue just south of Powell Boulevard around 5:02 p.m., where one driver was found with critical injuries.

The man was taken to a local hospital and later died of his injuries, police say.

Investigators close Barbur Blvd. after driver died in single-car crash

Police say the intersection will be blocked to traffic for several hours while investigators process the scene. Avoid the area.

The Portland Police Bureau says anyone with information should contact them at crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov. Reference case no. 23-331614.

Stay with KOIN 6 as we receive further information.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
Zoos and other animal attractions are preparing for new year wintry weather with heat lamps, warm drinks and lots of hay.

Icy conditions are among concerns and West Midland Safari Park in Worcestershire said animals such as giraffes may have to stay indoors.

The winter also brings extra energy costs, with Telford's Exotic Zoo saying it was "more important than ever" it attracted visitors to make ends meet.

And in Dudley Zoo, sledges are on hand.

It is a precaution in case staff need to move animal feed about the site in snow.

Manager Matt Lewis said many of the attraction's indoor dens were heated, insulated and kept at a constant temperature, but food itself was a source of warmth.

For instance, orangutans, he said, enjoyed sugar-free squash made with warm water and the red pandas had a type of cake served warm.

Additional heat lamps could also be brought in if temperatures dropped, Mr Lewis said, adding it was particularly important for primates and lemurs, which could get frostbite in extreme cold.

Angela Potter, head of wildlife at West Midland Safari Park, said because its animals came from all around the world, it already had in place "well-insulated and heated housing".

Extra care had to be taken with some animals, she said, if they wanted to venture outdoors during wintry blasts, but giraffes may have to be kept inside if there was a danger of them slipping.

Ms Potter added other species such as the red panda were "naturally equipped to tolerate colder conditions" and their activity actually increased in the winter.

She said they particularly enjoyed playing in snow.

Scott Adams, who runs the Exotic Zoo in Telford, said energy bills were "the biggest challenge" at the moment.

A high proportion of his animals come from tropical climates and their habitats need extra heating.

He pointed out the costs were coming at a time when income was at its lowest, because the zoo was usually closed from Christmas week until mid-February.

In 2024, the zoo will break with tradition and open at weekends over the winter in the hope of generating some extra revenue.

Mr Adams is also considering installing solar panels to bring down energy bills over the longer-term.

He said after a "terrible" 2023 because of energy costs, it was "more important than ever that we have a good year next year".

He said he hoped a number of events in the pipeline, and the opening of a "British woodland nature reserve" in 2024, would help.

The Shropshire Cat Rescue shelter near Shrewsbury said it had not only got heating in the wooden cabins where its elderly cats lived, but decorations and lights too.

It has also got knitted jumpers for those cats which struggle to keep warm because of the poor state of their coats.

The cats were also promised a turkey dinner on Christmas Day and a visit from a volunteer dressed as Santa Paws, delivering gifts donated by the "generous animal-loving public".

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk
An emergency call on the afternoon of Christmas Eve led authorities to a 61-year-old who was killed inside his New Jersey home, law enforcement officials said.

A bloody ax and a battery-operated pole saw were found near the body of Gregory Meyer in Boonton Township on Dec. 24, according to charging documents provided to McClatchy News.

Hours later, the mans son, 33-year-old Kyle Meyer, was arrested, police and Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll announced in a Dec. 25 news release.

Kyle Meyer is charged with murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon in connection with his fathers death, according to officials.

Information regarding his legal representation wasnt immediately available Dec. 26.

The investigation into Gregory Meyers death is underway, authorities said.

Kyle Meyer, who lived with his father, is considered the only suspect, according to the release.

His potential motives werent specified by officials.

On Dec. 24, Gregory Meyers mother told police that she heard her son arguing with Kyle Meyer, then she heard screaming before authorities responded to the home,

Gregory Meyers body was found in the basement, where a large amount of blood was observed, according to the affidavit.

A trail of blood, originating from the basement, led up the stairs and to Kyle Meyers bedroom, the affidavit says.

In any community, something like this shatters the community, especially during the holidays,  Boonton Township Administrator Douglas Cabana told News 12 New Jersey. Here, especially when the family was known in the community, it really strikes a chord with many in the community.

Gregory Meyers cause of death and a finalized autopsy report have not been released as of Dec. 26, according to the TV station.

According to a medical examiners external examination, Gregory Meyer had wounds on his leg, head, fingers and hands that appeared to be from the ax and the saw discovered near his body, according to the affidavit.

Officials encourage anyone who may have relevant information about Gregory Meyers death to call the Morris County Prosecutors Office Major Crimes Unit at 973-285-6200, the Boonton Township Police Department at 973-402-4000, or Morris County Crime Stoppers at 973-267-2255.

Boonton Township is about 35 miles northwest of New York City.

Christmas custody exchange ends with mom shooting dad in front of 5 kids, Florida cops say

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Azerbaijan's foreign ministry said Tuesday that two French diplomats had been ordered to leave over actions "incompatible with their diplomatic status."

The ministry said in a statement it had summoned French ambassador Anne Boillon to express a "strong protest for the actions of two employees of the French Embassy that were incompatible with their diplomatic status and which contradicted the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

"It was brought to the attention of the French Ambassador that they were declared "personae-non-gratae" (undesirable persons) by the Government of Azerbaijan," according to the statement, which was published in English at the website of Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry.

Without providing further details, it said the two had been declared personae non gratae and ordered to leave the country within 48 hours.

The move came amid tense relations between the countries as Baku has accused France of being biased towards Armenia during European-mediated peace talks with its arch-foe.

In November, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev accused France of inciting conflicts in the Caucasus by arming Armenia.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have fought two wars over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Baku reclaimed the enclave in September after a lightning offensive against Armenian separatists who had controlled it for three decades.

(With newswires)



Read more on RFI English



Read also:

Paris agrees to deliver military equipment to Armenia

French FM visits Armenia to reaffirm support amid Nagorno-Karabakh crisis

One third of Karabakh population flees Azerbaijan's control
Staff members of State Grid Qinghai branch install a bulb at a prefabricated house of a temporary relocation site in Lajia Village, Guanting Township, Minhe County in Haidong City, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Dec. 22, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

Construction workers in Gansu province are racing against time to build prefabricated homes for residents affected by the recent magnitude 6.2 earthquake so that they can move from tents to warmer shelters before the upcoming New Year festival.

As of Monday morning, 8,793 prefabricated homes had been transported to the province's Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture, with 8,096 already being erected, local officials said at a news conference on Monday.

The quake, which mainly jolted Jishishan county in Linxia around midnight on Dec 18, has so far killed 149 people in Gansu and neighboring Qinghai province.

"More than 3,800 workers and over 1,000 items of machinery and equipment are involved in the construction work," Mao Hongbo, deputy head of the prefecture government, said at the news conference.

The prefecture plans to build 15,000 prefabricated homes, equipped with beds, bedding, stoves, electric heaters and carbon monoxide alarms, with the goal of providing a home for each family.

"We will make every effort to ensure the timely and efficient completion of the construction, to allow the affected people to welcome the New Year in warm accommodation," Mao said.

After moving into a warm home, Ma Zhiying, from Chenjia village, Jishishan county, immediately went to help his fellow villagers.

"We use tricycles to help each other transport daily articles between the tents and the prefabricated homes," said Ma.

Schools in the county fully resumed classes on Monday, and production and daily life are gradually returning to normal.

Han Shujun, a spokesman for the Gansu Provincial Emergency Management Department, said that the authorities have actively organized the resumption of classes and facilitated online teaching.

"We have one tent school at the centralized resettlement site of Dahejia town. Children from grade one to six are studying in the same tent," said Ma Yinglu, the principal of Dahejia Primary School.

A total of 1,136 teachers are currently working in 152 tent schools across the county.

Commercial establishments such as shopping malls, supermarkets, restaurants and e-commerce logistics centers have swiftly resumed operations. Market supplies are guaranteed, and circulation channels are unobstructed, meeting the consumption needs of the locals, said Han, the spokesman.

Various sectors of society had donated funds and supplies to support quake relief efforts.

According to Han, in order to facilitate smooth channels for donations and regulate the procedures for disaster relief contributions, the quake relief headquarters has established a provincial treasury account for donations and formed a dedicated team to receive, manage and allocate funds and materials at the provincial level.

As of Sunday, incomplete statistics indicate that a total of over 1.85 billion yuan ($260 million) has been received as donations by various sections of society and funds allocated by central departments and ministries.

On Monday, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management allocated an additional 400 million yuan to support disaster-relief efforts in Gansu and Qinghai provinces.

The new batch of financial support brought the total quake-relief funds allocated by the central government to 1.1 billion yuan, with 845 million yuan aiding Gansu and 255 million yuan supporting Qinghai.
By Ahmed Rasheed

BAGHDAD (Reuters) -Iraq's government on Tuesday condemned overnight U.S. air strikes on Iraqi military positions that it said killed one serviceman and wounded 18 people, calling them a "clear hostile act".

The United States carried out retaliatory air strikes on Monday in Iraq after a one-way drone attack earlier in the day by Iran-aligned militants that left one U.S. service member in critical condition and wounded two others.

The government condemned the U.S. strikes as "an unacceptable violation of Iraqi sovereignty" while stressing that attacks by armed groups against military bases hosting U.S-led coalition advisers are hostile acts and violate Iraqi sovereignty, a government statement said.

Two Iraqi security sources said overnight U.S. strikes targeted the headquarters of Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah in the Iraqi city of Hilla south of Baghdad.

One fighter from Kataib Hezbollah was killed in the strikes and 16 were wounded, said two security sources on condition of anonymity.

The Iran-aligned Kataib Hezbollah criticised the government position for condemning the Iraqi militia attacks against the U.S.-led coalition targets, a security official from the group said in a social media post.

"...We warn those with weak souls, from the highest level to the lowest, not to test our patience," Abu Ali al-Askari said.

In a clear challenge to the government of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Askari vowed to continue attacks against U.S. forces.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani has limited control over some Iran-backed factions, whose support he needed to win power a year ago and who now form a powerful bloc in his governing coalition. Many of the factions also do not see eye-to-eye on actions against U.S. forces.

The United States has 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq on a mission it says aims to advise and assist local forces trying to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, which in 2014 seized large swaths of both countries before being defeated.

(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed and Ahmed Elimaml , Editing by Angus MacSwan and Nick Macfie)
A 41-year-old passenger went missing after falling into the Atlantic Ocean from a Royal Caribbean cruise to the Bahamas (Royal Caribbean)

A 41-year-old passenger is missing after falling into the Atlantic Ocean from a Royal Caribbean cruise to the Bahamas.

The Coast Guard says that the incident took place on 23 December about 100 miles off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina.

The agency dispatched a rescue plane to carry out an aerial search for the unnamed passenger. The search was suspended after rescuers searched more than 1,625 square miles for eight hours.

A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean Group confirmed that a guest on its Vision of the Seas cruise ship had been lost overboard.

The ship and crew immediately reported the incident to local authorities and launched a search and rescue mission, the spokesperson told The Post and Courier newspaper.

Out of privacy for the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share.

The companys 8 Night Bahamas & Perfect Day Holiday Cruise departed from Baltimore, Maryland, on 21 December.

Fellow passenger Jake Utzinger, a 21-year-old from New Jersey, told the newspaper he was in his cabin at around 7.45pm when the captain announced that someone had fallen overboard.

I instantly felt sick to my stomach knowing that one of our fellow travellers had been lost at sea, he told the newspaper.

He said that passengers rushed to the pool deck to help try to spot the missing man and that the liner stopped for six hours as they desperately and unsuccessfully searched.

The liner is due to stop in Port Canaveral, Florida, before continuing to the Bahamas and returning to Baltimore on 30 December.

It has a total capacity of 2,000 passengers and 700 crew members, according to Royal Caribbean.
President Biden is set to face what could be the toughest battleground test in his bid for re-election in 2024 as he prepares for a potential rematch with former President Donald Trump.

Georgia, long a bastion of Republican support, has been one of the most closely watched states in recent election cycles, and could ultimately determine who ends up in the White House on Inauguration Day 2025.

Recent polls have shown Trump with an early advantage in the Peach State, strengthened by Biden's lackluster support from Black voters, and growing concerns among Democrat activists over funding and enthusiasm have emboldened Republicans hoping to reverse the state's battleground status.

AS DEMOCRATS LEAN ON JAN 6, CRITICS ARGUE BIDEN'S PARTY IS THE REAL THREAT TO DEMOCRACY

President Biden and former President Donald Trump.

According to a recent New York Times report, Democrat grassroots organizers in Georgia who helped boost Biden to victory in 2020, as well as Democrat Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, are beginning to grow concerned that the party's attention on the state has begun to wane, evidenced by less money flowing in from national liberal groups and increased "apathy" among voters in key constituencies.

The report added that cost-cutting and delayed voter initiatives had "privately stoked fears among some organizers about their ability to replicate their successes."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

One activist told the outlet that Georgia wasn't being treated as "first tier" by national Democrats, and that there were indications the state was "not going to get top-level prioritization."

VETERANS SHAME DEMOCRAT IN TOP 2024 HOUSE RACE FOR WEARING ARMY UNIFORM DURING EVENT DESPITE NEVER SERVING

A poll released in early November by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution showed Biden narrowly trailing Trump 44%-45%, with just 78% of Black voters expressing support for the president. That surprising number was down from the 88% support from Black voters Biden garnered in 2020.

Georgia Democratic Senate candidate U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) (R) and Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) wave to students before speaking at a Dawgs for Warnock rally at the University of Georgia December 4, 2022, in Athens, Georgia.

A New York Times poll released the same week showed Biden trailing Trump by a wider margin, 43%-49%, a trend that continued in a December CNN poll that showed the president trailing the former president 44%-49%.

Despite those early signs that winning Georgia could be a bigger hurdle for the Biden campaign this time around, some argue the state is very much in play for Democrats.

FORMER TRUMP ADVISER KELLYANNE CONWAY LEADS CHARGE TO OVERHAUL GOP ABORTION STRATEGY, END DEMS' 2024 ADVANTAGE

"Georgia is a highly competitive state, and I think that really speaks to just how much progress Democrats have made there over the period of a few cycles," one Democratic strategist with extensive experience in Georgia politics told Fox News Digital. "You'd be hard-pressed, I think, to find someone on any side of the political aisle at this point who disagrees with that."

"I think that says a lot about the ability of Georgia Democrats and the president's campaign to get out and win this thing. The fact that you now have two Democratic senators in the state, one of whom was just reelected in the last cycle, says a lot about how there is a strong path to victory," they said.

People use voting machines to fill out their ballots as they vote in the Georgia primary at the Metropolitan Library on May 24, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia.

The strategist argued that voters seeing "a more positive economic reality," combined with the investment made by the Biden administration on infrastructure projects in Georgia, and some Republican voters in the state hesitant to embrace Trump, could pose a greater challenge for Republicans to overcome.

"We're talking about the kind of swing voters that make up a lot of the suburban areas. Trying to convince them to return to Donald Trump, particularly in a situation in which the state's sitting governor has already expressed his own reservations about the president, is going to be a challenge for them," they said.

BIDEN SCRAMBLES TO WIN OVER SWING STATE BLACK VOTERS AS SUPPORT FROM THE TRADITIONALLY BLUE BLOC FALTERS

"And this kind of anti-democratic, anti-choice agenda that Republicans really haven't leaned away from in any way, I think just complements the president's strengths. They're not necessarily ready to take this kind of new radical agenda you see a lot of the 2024 Republican candidates pushing," they added.

Others, however, argue that Biden being at the top of the 2024 Democrat ticket will continue to drive Georgians' sentiment toward Republicans.

Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., speaks to a kick-off event for Greater Georgia on February 21, 2021, in Atlanta.

"Georgians want an end to the non-stop crises coming out of Washington, from high prices, reckless spending and harebrained climate activism, to a partisan justice system, indoctrination in the classroom, and a declining commitment to our military," former Republican Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler told Fox News Digital.

Upon leaving the Senate in 2021, Loeffler founded Greater Georgia, a non-profit that aims to register more conservative voters in the state, engage a more diverse slate of voters, and turn out the vote with the necessary ground game infrastructure. The group played a major role in the down-ballot success of Georgia Republicans in the 2022 midterm elections.

According to Loeffler, the "political prosecution" of Trump in Fulton County, Georgia for allegedly trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state runs in stark contrast to Democrats' "refusal to prosecute actual criminals," and is contributing to Republicans' advantage in the state compared to the losses they suffered in 2020.

"With Americas strength being dramatically diminished in the last three years, and the majority of Georgians saying our country is on the wrong track, Georgians know they are not better off than they were four years ago," she said.

"Whether paying higher bills with stagnant wages, rising credit card balances, and mortgage rates at 8%, the weight of the Biden Administrations out-of-control spending and regulatory regime is weighing on hardworking Georgians from all walks of life," she added.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub .





Original article source: Battleground state poses Biden's toughest 2024 challenge in potential Trump rematch
When a police officer shoots someone in Ohio, it is becoming increasingly common for local law enforcement to call on the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation to conduct an investigation.

But what does it mean when BCI investigates?

What is BCI?

The state agency reports to the Ohio Attorney General's Office and performs multiple law enforcement services. Agents there can identify people, perform background checks, gather and analyze forensic evidence and more.

In recent years, the bureau says it can offer an independent eye in the wake of a fatal shooting. Between 2020 and 2022, the agency reports it has investigated 178 officer-involved critical incidents. While many of these incidents involve civilians shot by police, this number also includes some instances of police officers being killed or injured.

In the wake of George Floyd's death, the nation began taking a closer look at what was happening to police officers who took the lives of people. With that, came more investigations by the state agency.

No government does anything thats more serious than when a use of deadly force results in the death of a citizen. That is the biggest deal a government ever does outside of conducting a war," Yost said, but noted nearly all the investigations show the officers were in the right.

The Ohio Attorney General operates the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which offers crime lab, ballistics analysis and investigation support for local law enforcement across Ohio.

Bureau investigations are limited

Experts and activists agree these independent investigations are a great first step toward reaching fair conclusions to critical incidents, but the state's criminal investigation bureau is limited.

Currently, the agency must be invited to investigate by the police department that was involved in the incident.

Some departments have standing agreements with the bureau, but these agencies represent a fraction of the more than 900 agencies in Ohio.

The bureau cannot, by law, declare whether an officer committed a crime or committed any wrongdoing. It cannot bring charges against officers.

The final bureau report into a shooting or death is turned over to the local elected country prosecutors who work closely with police on a daily basis.

Some have criticized these prosecutors calling them biased, but prosecutors argue that if they are being biased, they can be voted out.

What else Ohio could be doing

While the bureau's investigations have their limits, independent investigations are only one tool to increase police accountability. Governor Mike DeWine and Yost have backed other reform efforts, the most significant being a professional licensing system for police officers in Ohio.

However, legislators have failed to enact any of these reforms.

The license system, as proposed, would work like the systems for lawyers, doctors, teachers and nurses.

You have to have a license to practice law, to be plumber to be a home health aide emptying bedpans at a nursing home, Yost said, but added that creating the system is complicated. "While I would like to see them move more quickly, we also have to take the time to get this right.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: BCI investigates police shootings, but what can the agency really do?
A Southie business owner is feeling the Christmas spirit this year after her business was robbed during the peak holiday season.

Colleen Dunleavy, co-owner of Love Child on West Broadway, said the crime at her flower and bottle shop traumatized the employee who was working at the time.

The unarmed suspect only got away with several bottles back on Friday night, three days before Christmas.

Dunleavy was eating with her husband at Capo, one block away, when she found out about it.

To have this violation, especially at Christmas, is really unfortunate, she said. It was a very scary thing for her to go through.

A complete stranger at Capo overhead what had just happened at Love Child and took it upon himself to alert the community on Facebook.

A young couple, taking a chance, opening and trying to make a small business work, he wrote. For those of us who grew up here, if a neighbor was in need, we all responded.

He called on others to show their support to the small business to counter the disheartening crime and uplift the business owners spirits.

Whether its tomorrow, or sometime in the near future, I ask that you do the same, stated the post. Good prevails over Evil, every time!

Dunleavy credits the compassionate gesture for the record breaking sales day that her business experienced on Christmas Eve.

Love Child has also been inundated with community kindness, including messages and visits from people who have shown they truly care.

Its just been beautiful to witness. I was waterworks all day Saturday seeing people come in, added Dunleavy. Its just so kind, and its been truly amazing.

Dunleavy believes the masked suspect who stole from her store may have been casing the area with a second person earlier in the day.

Boston Police responded after the larceny and are still investigating.

No arrests had been made as of Monday night.

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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Becky Hill, the Colleton County clerk of court accused of jury tampering in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial, has a new controversy on her hands: Shes facing allegations of stealing from a draft of a BBC news article for her book.

The allegations of plagiarism against Hill were made in an early Tuesday morning news release by Neil Gordon, a Georgia journalist who co-authored with Hill a book called Behind the Doors of Justice, which purported to be Hills insider account of behind-the-scenes actions in the six-week Murdaugh murder trial last winter. As clerk of court, Hill oversaw various aspects of the trial and had access to information the public didnt.

Gordon said he  together with Hill  have decided to cease sales of the book immediately. The book was published by Wind River Media LLC, according to Hills and Gordons book. Wind River Media is a Georgia domestic limited liability company whose registered agent is Gordon.

This has blindsided me, Gordon said in a news release early Tuesday. Journalism has been my lifes work; my credibility and integrity are paramount to everything I do. I cant be associated with anything like plagiarism and will no longer partner with Becky Hill on any projects. Id like to apologize to our readers, and publicly to the BBC and the reporter.

Hills attorneys, Will Lewis and Justin Bamberg, released a statement Tuesday afternoon that said in part, Becky Hill is deeply remorseful regarding an allegation of plagiarism that has recently surfaced from her new book, Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders.

The pressures of developing additional content under tight time deadlines resulted in Ms. Hill taking material written by BBC reporter Holly Honderich and submitting it to her co-author Neil Gordon as if it were her own words.

Ms. Hill accepts full responsibility for this unfortunate lapse in judgment and has personally reached out to (BBC reporter) Ms. Honderich to express her sincere apologies.

Ms. Hill has great respect for the tireless work journalists do every day and sincerely regrets using Ms. Honderichs words as her own.

BBC stands for British Broadcasting Company, a decades-old news organization known for the quality of its reports.

In his news release, Gordon said he had been reading through a trove of hundreds of Hills official emails last week when he came across an email exchange between Hill and a BBC reporter in which the reporter shared a long excerpt from an upcoming article about the Alex Murdaugh trial. As he read, it became clear that Hill had lifted passages from the BBC reporters unpublished article and inserted them into an 11-page preface Hill wrote for the book, Gordon said.

Gordon said in his news release that he has talked with Hill about the issue. When I confronted Becky about this, she admitted she plagiarized the passage due to deadline pressures, Gordon said. As a veteran journalist myself, I cannot excuse her behavior, nor can I condone it.

More than 2,000 pages of emails dating from early January of this year to early December were released last week by Colleton County officials after FOIA requests from The State, FitsNews, The Post & Courier of Charleston, and WCIV-TV in Charleston. The emails were released without attachments and were subject to some redactions.

Plagiarism is defined as a literary theft  when one writer steals passages and ideas from another writer and passes them off as their own, according to Websters Third New International Dictionary.

Writers found to have plagiarized the work of others can have sales of their books halted by publishing houses. Journalists who plagiarize can be fired or disciplined, depending on the severity of the offense. The president of Harvard University, Claudine Gay, is now enmeshed in a highly public plagiarism controversy and people are calling for her resignation.

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A comparison of passages in the preface of the Hill-Gordon book with a Feb. 20, 2023, email from BBC journalist Holly Honderich reveals nearly identical language in various places. Honderichs article had not yet been published and was published on March 3, according to the BBC.

BBC reporter Honderich did not respond to an email query from The State asking her about Hills admitted plagiarism.

However, the Feb. 20, 2023, email from Honderich to Hill was apparently sent by mistake by Honderich.

About three hours later on Feb. 20, Honderich realized her mistake and wrote Hill, Please disregard and delete the last email I sent you  I have an editor named Rebecca and I confused the addresses when I sent it.

Hill replied, I will do that, but what a well written article. Really good!!

 In her unpublished article emailed to Hill, Honderich wrote: Two rows behind him (Murdaugh) in the courtroom sat his other son, 25-year-old Buster, the only surviving member of Mr Murdaughs immediate family. Amid all the spectacle of the trial  the out of town license plates, food trucks and media vans crowding this small city  Buster sat quietly every day in support of his father. Behind him, on the rear wall of the courtroom, there was a rectangular-shaped sun stain where a painting used to be  a portrait of his namesake, his great-grandfather Rudolph Buster Murdaugh, which had been taken down for the trial.

Hill wrote in the books preface: Two rows behind Alex in the courtroom sat his other son, twenty-five-year-old Buster, the only surviving member of Alexs immediate family. Amid all the spectacle of the trial  the out-of-town license plates, food trucks and media vans crowding this small city  Buster sat quietly every day in support of his father.

Behind him, on the rear wall of the courtroom, there was a rectangle-shaped sun stain where a painting used to be  a portrait of Busters namesake, his great-grandfather Randolph Buster Murdaugh, which had been taken down for the trial.

 In another passage in the unpublished article emailed to Hill, Honderich had written about the Murdaugh familys power: ...as both public prosecutors and private attorneys, the Murdaughs established themselves as a de facto authority of the Lowcountry. Their influence was not wide  it did not even span the width of the state  but it was deep. In the small, insular community where they lived, residents said, the Murdaugh family ruled.

From Hills preface: From these two offices, as both public prosecutors and private attorneys, the Murdaughs established themselves as a de facto authority of the Lowcountry. Their influence was not wide  it did not even span the. width of the state  but it was deep. In the small, insular community where they lived, residents said the Murdaugh family ruled.

 Elsewhere in the unpublished article, Honderich wrote, For nearly a century, the Murdaugh family dominated this rural pocket of South Carolina  a flat expanse of marshlands, palm trees, white clapboard churches and porch-ringed houses. Three generations of Murdaugh men had served as chief prosecutor of the local judicial circuit, a 3,200 square mile stretch in the states south, while running a private litigation firm that made them rich.

From Hills preface: For nearly a century, the Murdaugh family dominated this small pocket of South Carolina  a flat expanse of marshlands, palm trees, white clapboard churches, and porch-ringed homes. Three generations of Murdaugh men had served as chief prosecutor of the local judicial circuit, a 3,200-square-mile stretch in the states south, while running a private litigation firm that made them rich.

Several of Honderichs passages were edited before the BBC posted the article online. For example, in the reference to Randolph Buster Murdaughs portrait, the subject was apparently changed from Alex Murdaughs son Buster to Alex himself.

Directly ahead of him, on the rear wall of the courtroom, there was a rectangular-shaped sun stain where a painting used to be  a portrait of his namesake, his great-grandfather Randolph Buster Murdaugh, which had been taken down for the trial.

In another section, the online article merged parts of two passages:

For nearly a century, the Murdaugh family reigned in this southern corner of South Carolina  a flat expanse of marshlands, palm trees and porch-ringed houses  presiding over the local prosecutors office and the private law firm that made them rich.

Hills son, Jeff Hill, the former Colleton County technology director, is also caught in a controversy. In November, he was arrested by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and charged with wiretapping.

In her preface, Hill also apparently lifted out parts of an interview that Honderich, the BBC reporter, had with former U.S. Attorney for South Carolina, Bill Nettles.

Hill quoted Nettles about Murdaughs crimes and the unraveling of his family dynasty: This is what happens when average people have no checks and balances, said Bill Nettles, former U.S. Attorney for South Carolina. And there were no checks and balances on him.

In her BBC draft, Honderich had quoted Nettles as saying, This is what happens when average people have no checks and balances, said Bill Nettles, former U.S. Attorney for South Carolina. And there were no checks and balances on him.

In an interview Tuesday, Nettles recalled talking with the BBC reporter earlier this year.

And Nettles said he did not give Hill an interview on any subject. Let me be clear  I have never communicated with Becky Hill in any way, shape or form.

During Murdaughs trial, Hill quickly gained a reputation for being friendly, competent and helpful to the public, media and court officials.

After the trials verdict was announced on the evening of March 2, State Attorney General Alan Wilson publicly praised Hill at a press conference in front of the Colleton County courthouse, calling her by her nickname, Becky Boo, before using her formal title.

I want to thank you, Madame Clerk, for you, the entire team, the bailiffs, the court security, the staff here, there was no role that was too small they werent willing to do for us, said a jubilant Wilson, whose team of prosecutors had just convinced the Murdaugh jury to return guilty verdicts in less than three hours.

Until Gordon issued his press release, he had been an enthusiastic supporter of Hill.

In an interview with CNN after Murdaughs lawyers, Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian, made allegations of jury tampering in early September, Gordon said he didnt believe Hill would do anything like try to influence a jury.

Hill is a potential key witness for upcoming hearings in January about the jury tampering for both the attorney generals prosecution team and Murdaughs defense lawyers. Prosecutors have said in court filings they have found no evidence of jury tampering. It remains to be seen how much, if any, the plagiarism allegations will tarnish Hills reputation and credibility if she is a witness.

Gordon, however, said although Hill committed plagiarism, he doesnt believe she tampered with the Murdaugh jury.

I dont think its in her DNA, Gordon said in the interview.
Self-proclaimed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has claimed that all Russian nuclear weapons which Russia planned to deliver to Belarus are already on the territory of the country.

Source: European Pravda with reference to Lukashenko press service

Quote: "[It has been here] For a long time. I already said the delivery was completed. Back in September, maybe, in October. The last batch arrived at the beginning of October. Everything is in its place in good condition."

Details: Responding to a question when the closest military training will take place, Lukashenko said: "We train every day. Even former Wagner Group members who remained in Belarus work in our units and share their experience."

Background:

On 25 May, defence ministers of Russia and Belarus signed documents on deployment of tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus. Next month, Russian President Vladumir Putin claimed that a part of Russian nuclear weapons is already in Belarus.

In late June, Lukashenko ordered to work out an "application algorithm" of the nuclear weapons Russia is storing in Belarus.

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Few disciplines are as full of drama and surprises as archaeology, and this year was no exception. Archaeologists and anthropologists mined ancient genomes, excavated Roman weaponry from caves near the Dead Sea, and found a still-standing shipwreck at the bottom of Lake Huron. Click through for some of our favorite archaeological news from 2023.

5,000-year-old horseback riders

Photo: Micha Podsiadlo

Archaeologists and bioanthropologists studying several Neolithic burial mounds in Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary found evidence that the Yamnaya steppe pastoralists rode horses. Read more about the 5,000-year-old find.

Read more

Photo: Tuija Lauren

In November, a team of archaeologists announced that a Stone Age cemetery in Finland may be three times larger than previously thought. The 6,500-year-old site may hold more than 200 graves. [T]he notion that a large cemetery seems to have existed near the Arctic Circle should cause us to reconsider our impressions of the north and its peripheral place in world prehistory, the group wrote in their paper. Read all about it here.

Roman swords in a Dead Sea cave

Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority

One of the most jaw-dropping finds this year came in the shape of four 1,900-year-old Roman swords and a pilum, a Roman spear. The weapons were hidden away in a cave near the Dead Sea, leading the archaeologists who found the objects to conclude that they may have been stowed there by Judean rebels.

A 3,000-year-old priests burial site

Photo: Ministerio de Cultura

A team of archaeologists studying 3,000-year-old human remains in northern Peru said in August that they believe he was a priest for the regions temples. The find is extremely important because he is one of the first priests to begin to control the temples in the countrys northern Andes, said a member of the team.

A 2,300-year-old mummy boy

Image: SN Saleem, SA Seddik, M el-Halwagy

A group of scientists CT-scanned the sarcophagus of a 2,300-year-old mummified boy. Their work revealed details of the golden boys health before he died, along with amulets wrapped in his linens. This mummys body was extensively decorated with 49 amulets, beautifully stylized in a unique arrangement of three columns between the folds of the wrappings and inside the mummys body cavity, said researcher Sahar Saleem. Their purpose was to protect the body and give it vitality in the afterlife.

Pompeii victims suffocated to death

Photo: Giorgio Cosulich (Getty Images)

X-ray analysis of the remains of six people from the doomed city of Pompeii revealed that they asphyxiated during the volcanic eruption that buried the town in 79 CE. Previous research had suggested other causes of death in the cataclysm, but the research published in August posited that inhaling toxic gases may have done the residents in.

Otzis ancestry revealed

Photo:  South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology/Eurac/Marco Samadelli-Gregor Staschitz

The famous natural mummy Otzi had his genome scrutinized this year by a team of scientists who determined that the famous Iceman hailed directly from Anatoliaor, his ancestors did. Past research had revealed Otzis final meal of ibex, deer, and cereals.

Bronze Age cemetery found near space pad

Photo: SaxaVord

One find poetically connected humankinds present and future with our ancient past. In July, preparations for a rocket launch site in the Shetland Islands were paused when workers found an apparent cremation cemetery that dated to the Bronze Age.

Flatbread mural at Pompeii

Photo: Archaeological Park of Pompeii / Italian Ministry of Culture

In June, archaeologists in Pompeii revealed a beautiful still-life fresco of a food platter, including a Roman mensa flatbread that had the internet abuzz.

57,000-year-old Neanderthal carvings

Photo: Kristina Thomsen

A study determined that 57,000-year-old engravings on the walls of La Roche Cotard, a cave in France, were the work of Neanderthals. Read all about it (and see a remarkable fly-through of the cave) here.

Shipwrecks in the Mediterranean

Photo: UNESCO / Angel Fitor

In June, a UNESCO-coordinated mission revealed the discovery of three shipwrecks near Keith Reef in the Mediterranean Sea. Two of the vessels were dated to the turn of the 20th century, and one of the wrecks dated to antiquity. The team also described three Roman wrecks in their research.

Possibly the oldest smooches on record

Image: The Trustees of the British Museum

In May, a team of researchers found cuneiform mentions of kissing dating to 2,500 BCE4,500 years ago, making them the earliest known references to smooching. (Though, needless to say, kissing is probably a more ancient practice than that.)

A Viking hall in Denmark

Photo: Nordjyske Museer

In January 2023, archaeologists in Denmark found the remains of a thousand-year-old homestead, which they suspect was once a Viking hall.

Ancient plans for animal traps

Image: Crassard et al. 2023 PLOS ONE.

In May, a group of researchers found evidence that ancient hunters in the Middle East were etching plans for their animal trapslarge structures called kitesinto rock.

Ancient Egyptian boxes filled with lizards

Image: The Trustees of the British Museum

A team of scientists at the British Museum X-ray imaged six 2,500-year-old animal coffins and found lizard remains within them. You can check out all the images here.

Bronze Age brain surgery

Graphic: Kalisher et al., 2023, PLOS ONE, CC-BY 4.0

Earlier this year, a 3,500-year-old medical case reared its headwith a gaping hole in it, I might add. A team of archaeologists found that two Bronze Age brothers suffered from chronic disease, and one of their skulls had a slice cut out of it, in an apparent early attempt at brain surgery.

125,000-year-old evidence of Neanderthals butchering elephants

Photo: Wil Roebroeks, Leiden University

In February, a group of researchers published a paper in Science Advances detailing evidence of both Neanderthal hunting and butchery, in the form of 125,000-year-old proboscidean bones bearing cut marks. Imagine that: Neanderthals working together to bring down elephants.

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Beyonces childhood home erupted in flames on Christmas morning, KPRC reported, citing the Houston Fire Department.

The family who now lives in the Houston home escaped safely, with no injuries reported, the fire department told KPRC.

The brick house on Rosedale Street has become a local landmark. When it was on the market in 2018, the realtor told Good Morning America that the Knowles family bought the home on 1982 and lived there until Beyonce was about 5 years old.

On Monday, the Houston Fire Department responded to reports of a fire at the home at about 2:07 a.m. local time, according to KPRC.

By the time firefighters arrived, the house was already engulfed in flames, and the couple living there had evacuated with their two young children.

The Houston Fire Department did not immediately respond to requests for additional information.

This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
A 24-year-old bicyclist was killed Christmas morning in what police believe to be a DUI crash, the Sacramento Police Department said.

Officers responded at 12:45 a.m. to reports of a single-vehicle collision at a scene near East Commerce Way and North Park Drive in the Creekside section of North Natomas. When they arrived, they found a bicyclist who had been hit.

The bicyclist was pronounced dead at the scene and the driver of the vehicle was transported to a hospital for treatment. The Sacramento County Coroners Office identified him as Jaskarn Sidhu, of Sacramento.

DUI is believed to be a factor and the driver has been arrested, police said in a news release. The driver will be booked once medically cleared from the hospital.

Detectives from the Major Collision Investigation unit responded to the scene, collected evidence and contacted witnesses.

Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact the Sacramento Police Department by calling the dispatch center at 916-808-5471 or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at 916-443-4357. Anonymous tips may be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward.
From expanding international cooperation to refining interdepartmental coordination, China's comprehensive campaign against telecom fraud has achieved notable progress since it was launched earlier this year.

In the first 10 months of 2023, more than 34,000 people suspected of telecom fraud were prosecuted, an increase of 52 percent year on year, according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP).

The number of telecom fraud prosecutions will continue to increase in the following months as more suspects are returned to China, said Zhang Xiaojin, a senior SPP prosecutor.

Thanks to a joint China-Myanmar operation targeting criminal organizations involving cross-border telecom scams since September, more than 31,000 suspects have been handed over to China, including 63 alleged leaders, organizers and key members.

Among those figures were Ming Guoping, Ming Julan and Ming Zhenzhen, ringleaders of a telecom and online fraud criminal gang in northern Myanmar's Kokang Self-Administered Zone. Gang chief Ming Xuechang committed suicide before he was located.

Police in various localities said they have noticed the changes brought by cross-border crackdowns. Since August, the number of telecom fraud cases reported each month to the city police of Haikou in south China's Hainan Province has dropped year on year.

Since the beginning of this year, the number of telecom fraud cases reported to the city police of Tongliao in northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has decreased by 17.6 percent year on year, and the number of suspects detained has increased by 5.6 percent, said Wang Dawei, a senior officer of the Tongliao police's anti-fraud division.

Clearer punishment

A new law that took effect on Dec. 1, 2022 has given law enforcement agencies more legal tools to fight telecom and online fraud.

The law allows police to impose administrative penalties, such as brief periods in custody, on minor offenders, including those who lease their SIM cards, bank cards or online payment accounts to telecom fraud operations or provide forms of identification to assist in the fraudulent opening of bank accounts.

More than 210,000 people involved in telecom scams have received administrative penalties over the past year.

These penalties have served as strong deterrents for minor offenders, whose actions facilitate telecom fraud but are not subject to criminal prosecution, said Huang Yuewen, a Haikou police officer working in the local telecom and internet fraud division.

The Ministry of Public Security is also drafting a set of regulations for the imposition of comprehensive punishments on telecom fraud criminals, with punishments including the restricted use of bank accounts, mobile phones and social media accounts, and inclusion on a blacklist of credit defaulters for a certain period of time.

Interdepartmental coordination

The notable progress in the campaign against telecom fraud is not only the result of effective police work but also the concerted efforts of agencies ranging from the central bank to industry regulators.

Over the past year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has launched five inspections, covering 22 telecom and internet services providers across the country. The People's Bank of China has inspected 17 financial institutions to close loopholes.

Smooth communication channels with telecom services providers help in tracing suspicious phone numbers and identifying the hideouts of fraud rings as quickly as possible, said Xiong Meng, a police officer in the telecom and internet fraud division of the Kunming city police in southwest China's Yunnan Province.

The long-term interdepartmental coordination mechanism will allow Chinese authorities to keep up with evolving telecom fraud crimes and crack down on those crimes effectively, said Chen Tianhao, an assistant professor at Tsinghua University's School of Public Policy and Management.
(FOX40.COM)  A bicyclist is dead after being hit by a person who was allegedly driving under the influence on Christmas morning.

Around 12:45 a.m., the Sacramento Police Department responded to reports of a solo vehicle collision near E. Commerce Way and N. Park Drive. Upon arrival, officers said they discovered a bicyclist who was hit by a vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Person and child in critical condition after fire in Sacramento on Christmas

Law enforcement suspected the driver of the vehicle was driving under the influence (DUI). The driver was transported to an area hospital for treatment of injuries and arrested. Sacramento police said the driver will be booked once medically cleared from the hospital.

The Sacramento County Coroners Officer will reportedly release the identity of the victim after the next of kin has been notified.

The crash is still under investigation. Sacramento Police Department encourages any witnesses with information to contact the dispatch center at 916-808-5471 or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at 916-443-HELP (4357). Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40.
The Biden administration declined to veto the ban on certain Apple Watch imports into the U.S., letting the ban officially take effect Tuesday.

On Oct. 26, the International Trade Commission (ITC) upheld a January ruling that sided with the medical technology company Masimo, which in 2021 sued Apple for patent infringement at the ITC over the Apple Watch Series 6.

Masimo accused the tech giant of poaching employees and stealing trade secrets related to the light-based technology for measuring blood-oxygen levels, which was first featured in the Apple Watch Series 6 smartwatch.

Masimo originally sued Apple in federal court in 2020, but the case ended in a mistrial in May. Apple also counter-sued Masimo, accusing the company of copying its technology.

The Biden administration had 60 days to decide whether to veto the import ban or to let it go into effect. On Tuesday, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representatives issued a statement saying it would not intervene.

Since 2005, the Office of the United States Trade Representative has been delegated the Presidents authority under Section 337 of the Trade Act of 1930 to review the ITCs decision for a 60-day period, the statement read.

After careful consultations, Ambassador Tai decided not to reverse the ITCs determination and the ITCs decision became final on December 26, 2023, the statement continued.

Apple appealed the import ban to the U.S. Appeals Court for the Federal Circuit and asked the court to lift the ban until federal officials could determine whether a redesigned model would still violate the ITC order.

In a statement to Nexstar earlier this month, Apple said it was taking steps to make sure the Apple Watch products would return to customers as soon as possible, if the ITC ban went into effect

A Presidential Review Period is in progress regarding an order from the U.S. International Trade Commission on a technical intellectual property dispute pertaining to Apple Watch devices containing the Blood Oxygen feature, Apple said in a statement to Nexstar. While the review period will not end until December 25, Apple is preemptively taking steps to comply should the ruling stand.

The company added that it strongly disagrees with the order and is pursuing a range of legal and technical options to ensure that Apple Watch is available to customers.

Should the order stand, Apple will continue to take all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. as soon as possible.

As it currently stands, only the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 models would be affected. The Apple Watch SE will still be available, according to the company, and other models that include the blood oxygen feature are not affected by the ban.

Updated at 3:13 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
By Blake Brittain

(Reuters) -Apple on Tuesday appealed a decision to ban imports of its watches based on a complaint from medical monitoring technology company Masimo, after U.S. President Joe Biden's administration declined to veto a government tribunal.

The tech giant also filed an emergency request on Tuesday for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to halt the ban.

It asked the Federal Circuit to pause the ban at least until U.S. Customs and Border Protection decides whether redesigned versions of its watches infringe Masimo's patents, and to put the ban on hold while the court considers Apple's request. The customs office is due to make its decision on Jan. 12, Apple said.

Masimo has accused Apple of hiring away its employees, stealing its pulse oximetry technology and incorporating it into the popular Apple Watch.

The U.S. International Trade Commission's (ITC) order bars imports and sales of Apple Watches that use technology for reading blood-oxygen levels. Apple has included the pulse oximeter feature in its smart watches starting with its Series 6 model in 2020.

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai decided not to reverse the ban following careful consultations, and the ITC's decision became final on Dec. 26, the Trade Representative's office said on Tuesday.

An Apple spokesperson said the company has appealed the ban to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington.

"We strongly disagree with the USITC decision and resulting exclusion order, and are taking all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. as soon as possible," Apple said in a statement on Tuesday.

The ITC last week rejected Apple's request to pause the ban during the appeal process and opposed Apple's request for the Federal Circuit to halt the ban in a court filing on Tuesday.

A Masimo spokesperson called the ITC decision "a win for the integrity of the U.S. patent system, and ultimately American consumers."

While companies usually settle such disputes, Apple may think it can design around the patents quickly or remove the infringing feature, said Nicholas Matich, an intellectual property attorney with law firm McKool Smith.

"There's nothing legally extraordinary about the ITC issuing an exclusion order," Matich said. "What's extraordinary here is that the product at issue is high profile and that Apple has chosen to live with the ITC order rather than settle."

Stifel analysts said in a note that their litigation expert predicted a potential Apple appeal would extend the "final" ITC case verdict roughly another year.

Apple has paused its sales of its Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches in the United States since last week, though the watches remain available from other retailers including Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart as of Tuesday.

The ban does not affect Apple Watch SE, a less-expensive model, which will continue to be sold. Previously sold watches will not be affected by the ban.

A jury trial on Masimo's allegations in California federal court ended with a mistrial in May. Apple has separately sued Masimo for patent infringement in federal court in Delaware and has called Masimo's legal actions a "maneuver to clear a path" for its own competing smart watch.

A presidential administration has not vetoed an ITC ruling since 2013, when President Barack Obama's administration overturned an import ban on Apple's iPhones and iPads in the company's patent dispute with Samsung.

The Biden administration in February chose not to veto a separate import ban on Apple Watches based on a patent-infringement complaint from medical technology company AliveCor. The ITC has placed the ban on hold for other reasons.

Apple's wearables, home and accessory business, which includes the Apple Watch, AirPods earbuds and other products, brought in $8.28 billion in revenue during the third quarter of 2023, according to a company report.

(Reporting by Blake Brittain and David Shepardson in Washington and Samrhitha Arunasalam in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Akash Sriram and Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Mark Porter and Rosalba O'Brien)
Americans may soon be clamoring for their ticket to ride after the Biden administration announced $8.2 billion in funding for passenger rail projects, including a world-class high-speed rail system in the United States.

These historic projects will create tens of thousands of good-paying, union jobs, unlock economic opportunity for communities across the country, and open up safe, comfortable, and climate-friendly travel options, the White House stated in a news release.

The California Inaugural High-Speed Rail Service Project received $3.07 billion, with a connection between Los Angeles and San Francisco supporting travel with speeds up to 220 mph.

Would you want a high-speed railway in your state?

Click your choice to see results and speak your mind

The Brightline West project, which was allocated $3 billion, will run between California and Nevada and is expected to have more than 11 million passengers each year.

High-speed rail travel has received rave reviews, with China, Spain, and Indonesia among the countries investing in its infrastructure, but this project will be the first of its kind in the U.S.

While a significantly reduced commute time is exciting in itself, the high-speed rail projects intention to use all-electric trainsets powered entirely by renewable energy, as detailed in the release, should have even more people jumping on board.

Photo Credit: Brightline West

Taking any type of public transportation is already better for the environment than driving, with the average gas-powered car producing more than 10,000 pounds of carbon pollution annually, but the electric trains wont emit any planet-warming gases.

The United Nations has called for a transition away from dirty energy, such as oil, coal, and gas, to avoid the worst impacts of climbing global temperatures.

Dirty energy sources produce almost 90% of carbon pollution linked to rising temperatures, severe weather events, and potential food insecurity.

This is not just an investment in high-speed rail, its an investment in jobs, the climate, and our future. This project is proof that America can still do  and build  big things, former California Gov. Jerry Brown said in a statement published by the state High-Speed Rail Authority.

This investment by the Biden Administration represents a milestone in advancing our progress and making us competitive with the 26 nations that currently have fast, clean, and safe high-speed trains, U.S. High-Speed Rail President and CEO Andy Kunz added.

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Joe Biden, who is spending Christmas at Camp David, ordered retaliatory strikes against Iranian-backed militia groups - JULIA NIKHINSON/SHUTTERSTOCK

Joe Biden was accused of carrying out a hostile act by the Iraqi government after he ordered airstrikes in the country in revenge for attacks on US troops.

The US president told Pentagon officials to carry out retaliatory strikes against Iran-backed militants who injured three US soldiers in a drone attack earlier this week.

American warplanes struck three locations in Iraq before dawn on Tuesday connected to the Kataib Hezbollah group.

But the airstrikes also killed an Iraqi soldier, leading to a stinging rebuke from Baghdad, which hosts US troops in bases across the country.

It runs counter to the pursuit of enduring mutual interests in establishing security and stability, and it opposes the declared intention of the American side to enhance relations with Iraq, the Iraqi foreign ministry said.

The tit-for-tat attacks in Iraq have become routine following the terror attack of October 7 in Israel by Hamas, which is also backed by Iran.

Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, had earlier defended the airstrikes in Iraq as necessary and proportionate.

The US has become active in responding to threats from Iranian proxies in the Gulf region in recent weeks, leading a patrol protecting ships from Houthi missiles from Yemen.

Regional tensions spiked further on Tuesday, with explosions reported off the coasts of Egypt and Yemen.

Meanwhile, Americas support for Israels war in Gaza has waned, with the White House sharply warning against killing civilians and calling for more aid deliveries.

Ron Dermer, the Israeli minister of strategic affairs, was due to meet US secretary of state Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Tuesday night to discuss the conflict in Gaza and the return of hostages held by Hamas, the White House said.

Blinken also held a call with Dermer earlier this month. The days around Christmas have seen an upsurge in the war, particularly in a central area just south of the seasonal waterway that bisects the Gaza Strip.

A British maritime agency said explosions were heard and missiles were sighted off the coast of Yemen on Tuesday, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched attacks on commercial ships transiting the Red Sea in solidarity with Gaza.

There was no immediate claim for the latest attacks. Explosions were also heard off the coast of Egypts Sinai Peninsula, state-linked media said.

Israel launched fresh air strikes against central Gaza on Tuesday, where the United Nations said it was alarmed by an intensification of Israeli attacks that killed more than 100 Palestinians in one part of the enclave since Christmas Eve.

While international pressure to end the war is mounting, Israel has refused to back down or scale back its invasion. An Israeli military chief said on Tuesday it still has many months to fight in Gaza to achieve its goal of dismantling Hamas.

This war has necessary and difficult tasks to achieve, it takes place in complex territory, thats why the war will continue for many more months, Lt Gen Herzi Halevi, the IDFs chief of staff, told Israeli media on Tuesday evening, adding that the Israeli forces are close completing the dismantling of Hamas forces in Gazas north.

Israels military said Tuesday an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon had struck a church in northern Israel and injured a civilian in the latest cross-border attack amid the Gaza war.

It said the missile hit the Greek Orthodox Church on a hilltop in Iqrit - an abandoned Palestinian Christian village whose people were forced to leave during the 1948 war and creation of Israel.

The army accused the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah of continued firing at Israeli civilian and religious sites.

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After two years of chaos at the southern border, 2023 was seen as a year the migrant crisis could be brought under control.

But it was not to be, and the border enters 2024 in the grips of a record-setting surge.

The year started after December 2022 saw a record 252,000-plus encounters at the border with the Title 42 public health order, which allowed for the rapid expulsion of migrants at the border, still in place but facing a looming legal challenge before the Supreme Court.

In early January, the Biden administration announced a number of new measures to bring order to the border, while pushing Congress for more funding and immigration reform.

MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AT BORDER SOAR PAST THE 200K MARK IN DECEMBER

Biden visited the border and later announced a program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans that would allow 30,000 to fly directly into the U.S. each month and be paroled into the country. Its part of a strategy to expand "lawful pathways" for migrants so they dont enter the U.S. illegally.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"The actions were announcing today will make things better but will not fix the border problem completely," Biden said.

Separately, the administration expanded the use of the CBP One app, which had been primarily used for inspections at ports of entry, to allow migrants to make appointments to be exempted from the Title 42 order and released into the U.S.

Republicans blasted it as a "concierge" service for migrants.

Immigrants wait to be transported and processed by U.S. Border Patrol officers at the U.S.-Mexico border May 12, 2023, in El Paso, Texas.

Numbers dropped sharply over the coming months, down to 156,000 encounters in February, but a new challenge loomed as the Biden administration moved to end the COVID-19 national emergency. That meant Title 42, instituted in March 2020 due to the pandemic for rapid removals, was also ending. The halt to that policy was met with delight by activists and Democrats who said it was cruel and outdated.

The administration announced expulsions would end May 11 and drew up a broad strategy to deal with an expected surge that would follow. It included continued use of CBP, increased use of expedited removal, anti-smuggling actions and a rule to make migrants ineligible for asylum if they crossed illegally and failed to claim asylum at a country through which they have previously traveled.

UNION PACIFIC WARNS BORDER CROSSING CLOSING DUE TO MIGRANT CRISIS HURTS CROSS-BORDER TRADE AS CHRISTMAS NEARS

Numbers surged in the weeks leading up to May 11, with over 10,000 encounters a day as migrants rushed to the border. Chaos was predicted once the order ended, and both Democrats and Republicans demanded the administration extend the order.

But the opposite happened. Numbers dropped, both through the end of May into June, when numbers hit a low of 144,000 encounters. While still high compared to pre-2021 numbers, the June numbers were the lowest since early 2021. Numbers went up in July, but only slightly. The administration hailed it as a sign its post-Title 42 strategy was working.

"Our approach to managing the borders securely and humanely even within our fundamentally broken immigration system is working," DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said at a House hearing in July. "Unlawful entries between ports of entry along the southwest border have consistently decreased by more than half compared to the peak before the end of Title 42."

Migrants camped out near Lukeville, Ariz., Dec. 5, 2023.

But the celebrations were premature. Numbers shot up to 232,000 in August and 269,735 in September, a new monthly record. October's 240,000 encounters were the highest on record for that month.

The political implications of the crisis increased, and budget discussions began to snarl as conservatives demanded sweeping changes, calling for asylum limits and restrictions on the administrations use of parole and additional border security.

5,000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS RELEASED EVERY DAY INTO US, ADMIN OFFICIALS PRIVATELY TELL LAWMAKERS

Meanwhile, Democratic mayors in cities like New York City and Chicago, where migrants had flocked in the tens of thousands, increased pressure on the administration to do more, in addition to the billions of funding the feds had already provided.

The administration granted temporary protected status (TPS) to hundreds of Venezuelans, allowing them to get work permits, but those mayors said it wasnt enough, and they called for $5 billion in additional funding.

The White House called for an additional $14 billion in supplemental funding, including for increased removals, funding for communities and more processing and border agents. But Republicans have continued to press for asylum limits. House Republicans have called for their entire border package passed earlier this year to be included, while a Senate working group offered a slimmed-down package.

The White House has said it is open to "significant compromises" and has reportedly opened the door to a Title 42-style authority, greater detention and greater expedited removal. Liberal Democrats balked at that suggestion, some saying any policy changes must be accompanied by amnesty for illegal immigrants already in the U.S.

Lawmakers attempted to thrash out a deal before the Christmas break but have so far been unsuccessful.

Late 2023 saw yet another surge at the border, breaking multiple records. Sources told Fox that December was on track to break the record for monthly encounters, marking an unfortunate end to a tough year at the border for the administration.





Original article source: Biden has another calamitous year at the southern border in 2023 as records shatter
This is a developing story. ABC4 will update this post as more information becomes available.

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  Five Utah counties are now eligible for federal disaster assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency for flooding that occurred between May 1-27, 2023, due to snow melt.

FEMA announced Tuesday that U.S. President Joe Biden has approved the disaster declaration, meaning that state, tribal, and eligible local governments, as well as certain private nonprofits, can get assistance. Counties include Iron, Morgan, Sanpete, Utah, and Wasatch. Assistance will be available on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by flooding.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures across Utah.

FEMA has named Jon K. Huss as the federal coordinating officer for the project. FEMA stated that further assessments may be done, and if the state requests, could expand the declaration.

Record-breaking snowfall at the start of 2023 led to flooding across portions of central Utah. Utah County alone counted $10 million worth of damages from the flooding. Rising waters closed portions of U.S. 89 for four days.

While a number of other counties also sustained flooding during May, such as Salt Lake and Rich counties, they were not included in Tuesdays declaration.

ABC4.com has reached out to FEMA for additional information and clarification. Updates will be published as that information becomes available.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
Protestors gathered outside the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of the oral arguments in two cases that challenged President Joe Biden's $400 billion student loan forgiveness plan.

Life led Elizabeth Hadzic and Kim Coles to bankruptcy court.

Hadzic, 50, a psychotherapist in Maryland, doesnt make enough to support herself and her adult son, whose health struggles set her back thousands of dollars. Coles, an accountant in Oregon in her late 60s, was laid off last year.

Both have tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. Although they have been making payments on those loans for years, they no longer can. And both, in the absence of an alternative, have resorted to taking the costly, typically unsuccessful route of trying to get their loans discharged in bankruptcy court.

Thats where things diverge.

For Hadzic, bankruptcy is proving to be the answer to her financial woes. After months of litigation, shes on track for a full discharge. In Coles case, the government is putting up a fight  though she is of retirement age  against discharging the balance of a loan shes been paying down for more than a decade.

I always paid my student loans, Coles said in an interview. I was never late.

The disparity in how the government is treating their cases is indicative of the intractability of one of the countrys most extreme and inaccessible forms of student debt relief, as the Biden administration grapples with finding alternatives to the kind of sweeping student loan forgiveness option that the Supreme Court struck down in June.

Student loan debt holders protest outside the White House staff entrance in July in Washington, D.C.

Historically, only about 1 in 1,000 student-loan discharges have been successful in bankruptcy court. Last year, the Justice Department released new guidance for federal lawyers meant to streamline the process and, theoretically, lead to more discharges. In November of this year, the department said roughly 630 cases had been filed in 10 months using the new system, and that the vast majority of those borrowers received full or partial discharges.

Because the new process is working well, the Justice Department is not making any changes to the guidance at this time, said Vanita Gupta, an associate attorney general in a statement last month.

While many acknowledge the system has indeed improved, the process hasnt been a total overhaul, according to a USA TODAY review of recent discharge cases, as well as interviews and emails with more than a dozen borrowers, lawyers and student loan experts. Whether a bankrupt borrower can actually have their student loans discharged still depends on which federal lawyer is assigned to the case and in which jurisdiction their case is filed. The timeline varies, too.

Despite the changes, some say its too early for the administration to be claiming success.

I do think that its better than it was before, said Dalie Jimenez, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine, and the director of the Student Loan Law Initiative. But that was a very low bar.

Bankruptcy rarely erases student loans. Even when it does, the US government has put up a fight

Ending absurd rules

Escaping student debt is never simple. From working multiple jobs to living with their parents, millions of Americans go to great lengths to try to manage the crushing economic burden that a modern college degree imposes.

For many reasons, the road to relief through bankruptcy court is one less traveled. The success rate for such cases has been abysmal. The process can be long. And critics argue the legal standard borrowers must meet to qualify for a discharge is exceedingly high.

Even President Joe Biden is one of those critics, despite supporting a 2005 law that made the process tougher when he was a senator. His views evolved over time, and by his 2020 presidential campaign, he promised to "end the absurd rules that make it nearly impossible to discharge student loan debt in bankruptcy."

Daniel Zibel, vice president of National Student Legal Defense Network, said despite the more streamlined process, outcomes can still differ depending on where a case is litigated.

Its not like theres one central office where this all gets done, he said.

Much of the irregularity, some advocates say, can be traced to an aggressiveness with which some assistant U.S. attorneys have historically fought such cases. Before the 2022 guidance, discharge cases were completely adversarial, according to Ed Boltz, a North Carolina-based bankruptcy attorney. When bankruptcy judges ruled in favor of borrowers, assistant U.S. attorneys often saw it as a failure, he said.

The knee-jerk reaction of a lot of assistant U.S. attorneys is to just fight as hard as possible, said Persis Yu, the deputy executive director of the Student Borrower Protection Center. At the end of the day, it is in some places the same people.

Now, theyre being compelled to shift their thinking about just how collectible student loan debt really is.

Thats an adjustment that some are adapting to much more quickly than others are, Boltz said.

The Justice Department, while lauding the progress it has made over the past year, acknowledged the frustrations in a statement to USA TODAY.

We nevertheless appreciate that cases are not always moving as expeditiously as we would like, and we understand  including from conversations with attorneys and practitioners whose clients are going through the process  that this can be difficult for borrowers during an already uncertain time, spokesperson Terrence Clark said.

Clark said the agency, along with the Education Department, remains committed to improving the ability to address student loans via bankruptcy.

A pretty brutal process

Coles, the accountant, doesnt know what shes going to do.

In March, she set out to have her student loan, which she took out in 2009, discharged in bankruptcy court. Court documents from July valued it at more than $26,000 with interest, though the original loan was about $38,000, she said.

The only reason she hasnt retired is because she has these student loans hanging over her head, said her lawyer, Rex Daines.

But the federal government denied her request in July, arguing in court filings that she didnt make a good enough case for a full discharge. According to court documents, on Dec. 13 the assistant U.S. attorney assigned to her case offered to recommend a partial discharge.

If Coles agrees to those terms, shell still have to pay roughly $500 a month for the next three years. Thats an expense she says she simply cant afford, at least not without considering selling her house and moving into a smaller apartment to free up cash. (She previously filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy and did not have to sell her home, unlike in other forms of bankruptcy.)

I dont know who the policymaker was on that, saying, Make this person keep working until shes 70, Daines said. Its pretty brutal.

Daines said his firm has filed almost two dozen student loan discharge cases in Oregon since the new Justice Department guidance came out a year ago. A few resulted in full relief; a few others were denied and dismissed.

For some, much-needed relief

For Elizabeth Hadzic, the Maryland psychotherapist, however, the guidance may soon help wipe out her student loan debt.

She graduated with a masters degree in psychology in 2012, but her earnings havent risen substantially since then. A mother of three, she also took out three loans to pay for her kids schooling. Though she made payments consistently, the debt across five loans eventually swelled to more than $120,000.

I had this idea that Im going to borrow this money, but itll be OK because Im going to make so much more money as a therapist, she said. I do make more money as a therapist, but it doesnt matter.

She was approved for bankruptcy this year. Her lawyer, Timothy Chambers, said shes now on track for a full loan discharge, too.

For somebody like her, it really alleviates the financial stress that she had been living in, Chambers said.

According to a Justice Department memo sent to federal lawyers in November 2022, the new process was intended to streamline the handling of student loan discharge cases for both Department attorneys and debtors, ensure greater transparency for everyone involved in these cases, and lead to fairer, more consistent results, in which the government agrees to recommend discharge in situations where the facts support it.

What the guidance set out to do is working, and its working quite well, Chambers said. That doesnt mean theres not more the government can do. Theres always going to be more.

A lot more, some would say.

So far there has been no improvement in how these cases are handled despite what (the) Biden administration is claiming, California bankruptcy attorney William Winfeld wrote in an email. It seems to me it is business as usual.

Future of broader student loan forgiveness uncertain

The ongoing challenges also bring new urgency to Bidens latest attempt at student debt relief.

This fall, the Education Department held a series of talks with a panel of borrowers, lawyers and advocates to brainstorm its next steps. Over the course of those negotiations, it became clear that the Biden administration, still scarred by this summers Supreme Court ruling, doesnt seem eager to take its chances with another attempt at far-reaching relief.

Student loan relief talks end without a final answer on who should get help

Bankruptcy was one of many topics that came up in those talks, which concluded somewhat bitterly. As the department mulls the possibility of another meeting to take more recommendations, borrowers can expect a full proposal by May at the earliest.

The line-drawing, it sucks, said Boltz, the bankruptcy lawyer. So much of this debt is uncollectible.

Contributing: Chris Quintana, USA TODAY

Zachary Schermele is a breaking news and education reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Does student loan forgiveness lie in bankruptcy court? For some, maybe
President Biden will be ringing in 2024 from the Caribbean island of St. Croix.

The White House says Biden and first lady Jill Biden will depart Wednesday morning for the trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The White House didnt disclose who will be accompanying the first couple on the jaunt, but the Bidens spent last New Years with family there, as they have several times over the years.

Biden and his family spent Christmas at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, but returned to the White House at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The Virgin Islands Consortium reported that security on the island will be heightened for Bidens visit, which coincides with the annual Crucian Christmas Festival.

The Bidens will return to Washington, D.C., after the New Years holiday.

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Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech at a symposium held by the CPC Central Committee to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the birth of Comrade Mao Zedong at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 26, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on Tuesday morning held a symposium at the Great Hall of the People to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the birth of Comrade Mao Zedong.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered an important speech at the symposium.

Xi stressed the importance of pushing forward the cause pioneered by Comrade Mao Zedong and called for efforts to build China into a stronger country and rejuvenate the Chinese nation on all fronts by pursuing Chinese modernization.

Mao Zedong Thought is an invaluable spiritual wealth for our Party and will guide our action in the long term, Xi said, underscoring that the best way to commemorate Comrade Mao Zedong is to continue to advance the cause pioneered by him.

Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Ding Xuexiang, and Li Xi, and Vice President Han Zheng attended the symposium. Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the symposium.

In his speech, Xi said that the life of Comrade Mao Zedong was one devoted to national prosperity, rejuvenation, and people's happiness.

Mao led the people in blazing a trail for adapting Marxism to the Chinese context, forging the great, glorious and correct CPC and founding the New China with the people being masters of the country, Xi said.

He also led the people in establishing the advanced socialist system and founding a new model of people's army that is invincible, Xi said.

Mao made indelible historic contributions to the Chinese nation and the Chinese people, which will go down in history, Xi said.

Comrade Mao Zedong devoted his life to the Party and the people, and his noble spirit will be forever remembered by posterity.

Noting that the central task of the whole Party and the entire nation on the new journey of the new era is to build China into a stronger country and rejuvenate the Chinese nation on all fronts by pursuing Chinese modernization, Xi said it is a cause passed down from veteran revolutionaries including Mao Zedong, and is the solemn historical responsibility of today's Chinese Communists.

On the new journey, we must never forget our original aspiration and founding mission, and must remain confident in our history and grasp historical initiative, so as to steadily advance the great cause of Chinese modernization, said Xi.

Chinese modernization is the cause of all Chinese people, emphasized Xi. He called for efforts to stimulate the historical initiative of the people, and reiterated that the gains of modernization should benefit all the people fairly.

He also stressed the importance of breaking new frontiers in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times.

Reform and opening-up is a major reason why China has been able to catch up with the times at such an extraordinary pace, and is a crucial move that determines the fate of Chinese modernization, said Xi.

He stressed that to advance Chinese modernization, it is a must to further deepen reform and opening-up across the board, and remove all institutional barriers hindering the advancement of Chinese modernization, so as to continue expanding its development space.

Chinese modernization is the socialist modernization led by the CPC, said Xi, stressing that only by making the Party stronger can Chinese modernization realize steady and sustained development.

He said that it is necessary to improve the systems for exercising full and rigorous Party self-governance, and ensure the Party will never change its nature, its conviction, or its character.

Noting that the advancement of Chinese modernization calls for the efforts of all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation in solidarity, Xi underscored the need to uphold and improve the systems for implementing the "one country, two systems" policy and ensure that the central government exercises overall jurisdiction over the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.

He stressed the need to see that Hong Kong and Macao are administered by patriots, and ensure both the central government's overall jurisdiction and a high degree of autonomy in the special administrative regions.

Xi said that realizing China's complete reunification is an inevitable trend, stressing that it is where the greater national interest lies, and it is what the people desire.

Highlighting the need to implement the Party's overall policy for resolving the Taiwan question in the new era, and uphold the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, Xi called for efforts to advance integrated development in all fields across the Taiwan Strait, and promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.

We will resolutely prevent anyone from making Taiwan secede from China by any means, Xi underscored.

He stressed that Chinese modernization is the modernization of peaceful development, which not only benefits Chinese people, but is also conducive to promoting modernization of other countries.

Dedicated to peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit, we will carry forward the shared values of humanity, and advance the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, Xi said.

By doing so, we will bring about an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity, he added.

China's development strengthens the world's forces for peace, Xi said, stressing that no matter what stage of development it reaches, China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansionism.

While presiding over the symposium, Cai Qi urged earnest study and full implementation of Xi's speech and called for concerted efforts in advancing the great cause of building China into a stronger country and rejuvenating the Chinese nation on all fronts by pursuing Chinese modernization.

Members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, members of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, and relevant leading officials of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, the State Council, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the Central Military Commission attended the symposium.

Before the symposium, leaders including Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi and Han Zheng came to the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, where they made three bows toward Mao's seated statue and paid respects to the remains of Mao.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech at a symposium held by the CPC Central Committee to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the birth of Comrade Mao Zedong at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 26, 2023. Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi, and Vice President Han Zheng attended the symposium. [Photo/Xinhua]
Bill Granger, dubbed the King of Breakfast, passed away peacefully on Christmas Day - Andrew Crowley

Bill Granger, the renowned Australian chef, died aged 54 in London on Christmas Day.

He passed away peacefully in hospital surrounded by his wife, Natalie Elliott and three daughters, Edie, Ines and Bunny, an Instagram post from his family read.

He will be deeply missed by all, with his loss most profoundly felt by his adored family, who are grateful for all the love and support that has been given, the post read.

He will be remembered as the King of Breakfast, for making unpretentious food into something special filled with sunshine and for spurring the growth of Australian informal and communal eating around the world.

The chef is credited with bringing breakfast staple avocado toast to the masses, after the dish was listed on the menu of his cafe, Bills, in 1993.

Chefs including Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson paid tribute to Granger and his legacy.

Lawson, 63, wrote on social media: Im heartbroken to hear this. So cruel. Deepest love to N, E, I and B.

Oliver, 47, said he was devastated by the news of Grangers death and described the chef as a wonderful human who made good food.

This is devastating news, Im so sad to hear this, what a guy he was... a wonderful human, kind calm soul.

Granger, a self-taught cook and author of 14 cookbooks, had 19 restaurants across Sydney, London, Greater Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Seoul in his 30-year-long career.

After dropping out of art school, Granger opened his first restaurant, Bills, in Sydney in 1993 at the age of 22. In January this year he was honoured with the Medal of the Order of Australia.

In London he established the chain Granger & Co, which included branches in Chelsea, Clerkenwell and Notting Hill.

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College is more expensive than its ever been, but applying for aid is about to get easier.

News Center 7s Samantha Manning explains whats changing when it comes to filling out those financial aid forms.

>>RELATED: FAFSA made easy? Overhauls to college financial aid form could streamline it to 10-minute process

FAFSA, short for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is meant to help students find out what kind of money they could get to pay for college.

For years its been a complicated process, but when enrollment opens this year, education officials say itll be much simpler.

Financial aid is supposed to help students get to college.

Its been quite stressful, FAFSA student Kimberly said.

Students told News Center 7s Samantha Manning that filling out FAFSA forms can feel like it requires its own degree.

My moms always talked about how once I get to high school, Kimberly said. Shes gonna have to figure out FAFSA with me again.

As a high school student, senior year, learning about FAFSA in general was such a daunting and like complicated experience, a spokesperson from the National College Attainment Network said.

This year, thats changing.

>>RELATED: New program available to help college graduates pay their student loans

Starting Dec. 31, students will be able to fill out a simplified FAFSA form.

We saw that FAFSA the form itself was a barrier to students accessing the aid they needed to be able to afford college, the spokesperson said.

These forms will have fewer questions and use direct data exchange, which means families wont have to track down tax information.

Instead, they will be able to get permission from the IRS to automatically provide their information.

They will mean fewer headaches over paperwork and more aid reaching more people, United States Senator Patty Murray (WA-D) said.

These changes are the result of a bipartisan effort in Congress.

Murray said it also expands eligibility for those who qualify for aid.

>>A real Grinch; Hundreds of dollars worth of presents stolen from local womans car

We have to be opening the doors to higher education as wide as we can, Murray said.

Every high school senior is encouraged to fill out a FAFSA.

It can provide Pell grants and other federal aid students might be aware they qualify for.

The Department of Education said the updated FAFSA form will be available online by Dec. 31.
A Black mother called the police earlier this month for help after her ex-boyfriend was allegedly getting violent with her. However, when the police arrived to the scene, they shot her dead instead. Now the womans family wants answers from the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department.



Nina Finlayson, 27, called the police on Dec. 4 saying her ex-boyfriend wouldnt leave her alone. According to a statement from the Sheriffs Department, the dispatcher recalled hearing screams and the sounds of a struggle on the phone. Officers also said they heard screams when they arrived to Finlaysons home. They said they located Finlayson inside the home with her 9-year-old daughter, armed with a knife threatening to stab her ex-boyfriend. However, Finlaysons family said she was armed to protect herself because the man has injured her and her daughter in the past.

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The sheriffs department released a statement saying the shooting is being investigated. The Department has not officially received this claim but takes all deputy-involved shootings seriously. In the effort of transparency, the Department will be releasing the body-worn camera footage of the incident by next week, which is earlier than the required timeframe. With any deputy-involved shooting, there is a robust review process, which includes the Office of Inspector General, where every aspect of the shooting is thoroughly examined and evaluated to see if Department policies and procedures were followed.

Gage claimed Finlayson was executed when she was shot in the back while sitting on the ground. Her daughter also said in the press conference last weekend that the police lied about her mother threatening the man.

She was my best friend. She was always there for me. Its unbelievable that shes gone and shes not coming back. I miss my mom, Finlaysons daughter told reporters.

Finlaysons family filed a wrongful death claim against the County and Sheriffs department ahead of Christmas claiming that the mothers civil rights were violated, the report says. The family is seeking $30 million in damages.

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WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 22: Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) speaks at the Just Majority Supreme Court press conference on June 22, 2023 in Washington, DC.

Its been an interesting year in Black politics. Here are the figures were keeping a close eye on going into 2024!

Vice President Kamala Harris

Vice President Kamala Harris, speaks during the Summit on Methane and Other Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases on day three of the COP28 climate conference at Expo City in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.



Vice President Kamala Harris, speaks during the Summit on Methane and Other Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases on day three of the COP28 climate conference at Expo City in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.

As we head into a contentious election year, Vice President Kamala Harris is a vital political figure to watch. The first Black and first Indian American Vice President has been taking more of a lead role as a public face of the administration.



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WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 01: Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-CA) arrives to a press conference on the recent election of U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) at the U.S. Capitol Building on November 01, 2023 in Washington, DC. Senate Democrats held the press conference to discuss Johnsons voting history regarding womens access to abortion and the rights of the LGBTQ community.



WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 01: Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-CA) arrives to a press conference on the recent election of U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) at the U.S. Capitol Building on November 01, 2023 in Washington, DC. Senate Democrats held the press conference to discuss Johnsons voting history regarding womens access to abortion and the rights of the LGBTQ community.

The former Emilys List President turned California Senator will be an interesting person to watch inside and outside of the halls of Congress. Senator Laphonza Butler has vowed not to run in the contentious primary race, but her endorsement could sway things.



Lt. Governor Mark Robinson

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 23: Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson delivers remarks at the Faith and Freedom Road to Majority conference at the Washington Hilton on June 23, 2023 in Washington, DC. Former U.S. President Donald Trump will deliver the keynote address at tomorrow evenings Patriot Gala dinner.



WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 23: Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson delivers remarks at the Faith and Freedom Road to Majority conference at the Washington Hilton on June 23, 2023 in Washington, DC. Former U.S. President Donald Trump will deliver the keynote address at tomorrow evenings Patriot Gala dinner.

North Carolina Lt. Governor Mark Robinson is worth keeping a close eye on. The Trump ally, who is running to be Governor, once said that the Civil Rights movement was a communist plot to steal our freedoms.

Los Angeles, CA - October 08: Rep. Barbara Lee participates in a debate on stage with other democrats who are running to succeed Sen. Feinstein at Westing Bonaventure Hotel on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023 in Los Angeles, CA.



Los Angeles, CA - October 08: Rep. Barbara Lee participates in a debate on stage with other democrats who are running to succeed Sen. Feinstein at Westing Bonaventure Hotel on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023 in Los Angeles, CA.

Congresswoman Barbara Lee has been a steadfast presence in the House for decades. Now, shes running for the late-Senator Dianne Feinsteins seat.



Rep. Cori Bush

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 14: U.S. Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) attends a press conference calling for a ceasefire in the Middle East outside of the U.S. Capitol on December 14, 2023 in Washington, DC. Democratic lawmakers held a press conference with union supporters urging Israel to call for a ceasefire in their war against Hamas



WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 14: U.S. Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) attends a press conference calling for a ceasefire in the Middle East outside of the U.S. Capitol on December 14, 2023 in Washington, DC. Democratic lawmakers held a press conference with union supporters urging Israel to call for a ceasefire in their war against Hamas

Congresswoman Cori Bush emerged as even more formidable leader in the progressive coalition, with her bold calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. Rep. Bush will be worth watching in the New Year!

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 13: U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) speaks at a news conference calling for a ceasefire in Gaza outside the U.S. Capitol building on November 13, 2023 in Washington, DC. House Democrats held the news conference alongside rabbis with the activist group Jewish Voices for Peace.



WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 13: U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) speaks at a news conference calling for a ceasefire in Gaza outside the U.S. Capitol building on November 13, 2023 in Washington, DC. House Democrats held the news conference alongside rabbis with the activist group Jewish Voices for Peace.

Representative Ayanna Pressley lead the charge to get The FDA to address the dangers of chemical relaxers. Shes also been a voice in the House for an end to the bombardment of Gaza. Pressley will be interesting to watch in 2024 as the House gears up for an important election.



Congresswoman Summer Lee

WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 13: United States Representative Rashida Tlaib, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, United States Representative Ilhan Omar, Representative Cori Bush, Representative Jonathan Jackson, Representative Nydia M. Velazquez, United States Representative Jamaal Bowman, and Representative Summer Lee (seen) hold a press conference with Rabbis in front of the US Capitol to call for a ceasefire and end to the Israeli attacks on Gaza in Washington DC, United States on November 13, 2023.



WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 13: United States Representative Rashida Tlaib, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, United States Representative Ilhan Omar, Representative Cori Bush, Representative Jonathan Jackson, Representative Nydia M. Velazquez, United States Representative Jamaal Bowman, and Representative Summer Lee (seen) hold a press conference with Rabbis in front of the US Capitol to call for a ceasefire and end to the Israeli attacks on Gaza in Washington DC, United States on November 13, 2023.

Congresswoman Summer Lee is another progressive member of Congress worth keeping a close watch over. Shes relatively new to Congress, but that hasnt stopped her from leading on critical issues.



Congressman Jamaal Bowman

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 19: Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) watches as New York Gov. Kathy Hochul greets people after signing legislation creating a commission for the study of reparations in New York on December 19, 2023 in New York City.



NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 19: Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) watches as New York Gov. Kathy Hochul greets people after signing legislation creating a commission for the study of reparations in New York on December 19, 2023 in New York City.

Congressman Jamaal Bowman had an interesting year in 2023. Representative Bowman was censured for pulling a fire alarm in Congress, but that hasnt stopped him from continuing to be a strong progressive voice in the House. It will be interesting to see how he addresses the censure and his role in the party going into the new year!



Rep. Ilhan Omar

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 13: U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) speaks during a news conference calling for a ceasefire in Gaza outside the U.S. Capitol building on November 13, 2023 in Washington, DC. House Democrats held the news conference alongside rabbis with the activist group Jewish Voices for Peace.



WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 13: U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) speaks during a news conference calling for a ceasefire in Gaza outside the U.S. Capitol building on November 13, 2023 in Washington, DC. House Democrats held the news conference alongside rabbis with the activist group Jewish Voices for Peace.

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has been another strong progressive voice in the House pushing for a ceasefire and other progressive priorities. Shes facing a difficult re-election bid that will be worth following closely.



Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 13: U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) speaks during a press conference held to address MAGA Republicans decision to prioritize the impeachment of President Joe Biden over other domestic issues in the United States on December 13, 2023 in Washington, DC.



WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 13: U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) speaks during a press conference held to address MAGA Republicans decision to prioritize the impeachment of President Joe Biden over other domestic issues in the United States on December 13, 2023 in Washington, DC.

Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett is another important Black political figure to watch! Shes gained a reputation for speaking her mind and calling out double-standards.



Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 13: U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) speaks to reporters as she is joined by fellow House Democrats in the Rayburn House Office Building on December 13, 2023 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Joe Bidens son Hunter Biden defied a subpoena from Congress to testify behind closed doors ahead of a House vote on an impeachment inquiry against his father. (



WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 13: U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) speaks to reporters as she is joined by fellow House Democrats in the Rayburn House Office Building on December 13, 2023 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Joe Bidens son Hunter Biden defied a subpoena from Congress to testify behind closed doors ahead of a House vote on an impeachment inquiry against his father. (

Another Texas Congresswoman to watch is Representative Sheila Jackson Lee. Congresswoman Lee recently lost her bid for the Houston Mayoral race, but she has another race for her Congressional seat underway.



Congressman Jonathan Jackson

Congressman Jonathan Jackson stands with UAW Local 551 president Chris Pena after recording a solidarity message during a union rally on Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023.



Congressman Jonathan Jackson stands with UAW Local 551 president Chris Pena after recording a solidarity message during a union rally on Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023.

Congressman Jonathan Jackson is the son of civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson. Rep. Jackson has been leading the fight for connecting HBCUs to the digital infrastructure, and was early in the fight for a ceasefire in Gaza.



Senator Tim Scott

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 05: Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) arrives for an all-senators closed briefing where they will hear from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky via video conference at the U.S. Capitol on December 05, 2023 in Washington, DC. In addition to hearing from Zelensky, high-level Ukraine officials are scheduled to brief the senators in-person to make a last-minute appeal for additional aid in their war against Russian aggression as funding will expire at the end of December.



WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 05: Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) arrives for an all-senators closed briefing where they will hear from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky via video conference at the U.S. Capitol on December 05, 2023 in Washington, DC. In addition to hearing from Zelensky, high-level Ukraine officials are scheduled to brief the senators in-person to make a last-minute appeal for additional aid in their war against Russian aggression as funding will expire at the end of December.

Senator Tim Scott may have suspended his Presidential run, but that doesnt mean we should take our eyes off of him in 2024 as the remaining candidates battle it out.

New York Mayor Eric Adams

Mayor Eric Adams flanked by City Commissioners is pictured during his week off topic press conference at City Hall Blue Room, Tuesday Nov. 28, 2023.



Mayor Eric Adams flanked by City Commissioners is pictured during his week off topic press conference at City Hall Blue Room, Tuesday Nov. 28, 2023.

New York Mayor Eric Adams is facing a heap of trouble going into the new year. Adams is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in the early 90s, and his campaign is being federally investigated.



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Lynijah Russell debated the opening lines of her video application to Brown University for weeks before deciding to be as candid about her identity as possible.

Hi Brown! My name is Lynijah, and I am a Black girl in STEM, she says in the applications opening line.

Russell said that the decision to mention her race at all felt complicated. The 17-year-old is among millions of students applying to college in the first application season since the US Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions. Many Black students are torn about how  and even if  they should disclose their race in their bid for college admission.

The Supreme Court decision in June left Russell, a high school senior in Maryland, nervously navigating a changing system that will soon decide where she spends her college years.

Students like her tell CNN the fallout from the high courts decision has added a new level of anxiety to an already brutally stressful application process.

It was a bit unfair, because my chances of getting into a college of my choice would be less than someone who applied maybe just a year before me, she said. It made me doubt myself. Like, Are my numbers good enough?

As a result, Russell said she expanded her college list and removed several schools she suddenly assumed would be impossible to get into.

Lynijah Russell, a 17-year-old Maryland student, said the decision to mention her race in applications felt complicated. - CNN

While it took Russell a while to determine if she should highlight her experience as a Black student in her applications, she told CNN when she sat down to write her college essays, she ultimately decided it was more important than ever to discuss her racial identity as part of her life story.



The ruling made me emphasize that I was Black a bit more than I probably would have. I would include things like my hair or things that Ive gone through as a Black person, she said. The thing that is important to me is my identity, who I am as a person. And race is a big part of that.

Russell wrote her primary college essay about growing up in a rough part of Baltimore, and the hardships her family has overcome. She believes including those parts of her racial identity will increase her odds of getting into college.

I think putting it in there just gives me a better chance, she said. I think [colleges] are still looking for diversity.

Harmony Moore, a high school senior in Texas, took a starkly different approach.

Earlier this year, Moore said she wrote several college essays about her experience as a Black student navigating her predominately White high school in Houston. But after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action, she decided to revise the essays.

I completely just removed that from my essays, Moore said. I didnt want to have the wrong admissions officer read it and then, all of a sudden, they dont want to let me into their school because they feel like Im trying to push my race on them.

Harmony Moore rewrote her essays after the decision came down. - CNN

Moores applications still mention extracurriculars that indicate her racial identity, like her work with several Black-led organizations like the NAACP and the National Council of Negro Women.

But she believes avoiding more blatant discussion of race in her essays will boost her chances of getting into a school.

I dont want to just have the exact same story as hundreds of other Black students, she said. I think I stand out on my own with my extracurriculars and with my honors that Ive received.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are seeing an increase in applications and enrollment, according to the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education.

But Angel Perez, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), said the high courts ruling adds a dose of confusion to an admissions process that has always been mysterious, nuanced and ambiguous.



To add this layer on top of it, and for [students] not to really know, Do I talk about race? Do I not talk about race? If so, where do I talk about it? Is this going to be valued?  Its creating this fear. And that fear for some students is actually paralyzing, Perez said.

College advisers tell CNN the biggest misconception theyre hearing from students is that colleges are no longer prioritizing diversity and that students of color are no longer wanted at those schools.

Some advisers, like Tracy Ramos, co-founder of College Bound Parenting, are urging students of color not to shy away from race on their applications.

Do not ignore such a crucial part of your identity, Ramos said. It paints a holistic picture of who you are.

Plus, Ramos said its more important than ever for students of color to write about racial identity in their essays.

A lot of elite colleges are looking for ways to identify these students, she said. The key piece of advice is: Make it easy for the colleges to know who you are. To know all of who you are.

But, Perez said, providing insight into your identity does not mean students need to write about adversity and trauma to get into school.

Its literally mentioning it in the context of your lived experience, Perez said. [Students] should not feel the pressure to tell stories that they are uncomfortable about.

Many schools have added supplemental essay questions to their applications so students can discuss their life experiences and how they would add to diversity on campus.

Sean Manley was nervous about capturing his experience as a Black student growing up in rural Maryland.

The high school senior plans to study biomedical engineering and wants to build prosthetics for those in need. He admits he felt demoralized after the Supreme Court decision.

Sean Manley said his group of applicants represents an "experiment class." - CNN

I was scared at first that they wouldnt be able to see my race and see all the challenges that come with it, so I wanted to write about it more, he said. Im very proud of who I am. And its a very important part of why I am here.

Manley followed his college counselors advice to subtly highlight his racial identity in his essays, referencing his impressive list of extracurriculars, like his leadership roles with the Black Student Union and the National Society of Black Engineers. He said hes glad he did so, but hes not sure if it will benefit his chances of getting into schools.

I dont know if writing it in my essay is good or bad, because were kind of like the experiment class, he said. Its kind of unfair. I dont have any basis to go off. Everybody thats giving me advice is just trying to guess, just like me.

Sydney Switzer is taking a far more calculated approach to her admissions essays.

She opted to write about her racial identity on applications to certain schools, but on others, she intentionally left it out.

I pretty much did it based on the school and whether or not I felt like that school would value having diverse perspectives in their students, and whether that was something that they would want to hear us talk about, versus other accolades and accomplishments.

Several college advisers told CNN that a student likely would not want to attend a school with which they feel uncomfortable discussing any aspect of their identity. But Switzers strategy speaks to the uncertainty surrounding race on this years college applications and the calculations students are making as they anxiously look for the best way to get into schools.

I think when youre competing with so many different students, I think it comes down to what you prioritize talking about, Switzer said.

She added, Its just a little bit disheartening when it comes down to having to make those choices.

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A seven-year-old boy has donated hundreds of items to children who will be in hospital over the festive period.

Jack handed over chocolate selection boxes, teddies, colouring books and sweets to staff at King's Mill Hospital in Nottinghamshire.

He said he felt "happy and joyful" when he gave the presents, adding that he would like to do the same next year.

Sherwood Forest Hospitals Foundation Trust said it was "very grateful" to Jack for his "generous gesture".

The schoolboy, from Blidworth, handed over 230 selection boxes, 14 tubes of sweets, 12 colouring books and four teddies to the children's ward.

Jack said: "I decided to give them [children] something because they might not get many presents.

"It made me feel happy and joyful."

'Incredibly kind'

Jack received a Certificate of Appreciation from hospital staff in recognition of his donation.

Jack's mother, Rebecca, said he had bought many of the chocolates with his own money while others were donated by friends and family.

"He's an amazing little boy and we are all so proud of him," she said.

"His school sent him a letter to say they were really proud of him too.

"Jack has now started to save his pocket money to buy gifts for the children next year."

The 32-year-old said her son had previously also raised money for the neonatal unit at the hospital.

Jo Thornley, community involvement manager at the hospital trust, said: "We are very grateful to Jack and everyone who supported his incredibly kind and generous gesture.

"Sherwood Forest Hospitals Charity could not provide the support it does to patients, families and visitors across our three hospitals without the help of businesses, groups and individuals like Jack who make donations all year round."

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.
How many people do you know over 65 years old? Over 80 years old?

When I count, its a higher number than I first thought. And, according to the U.S. Census, in less than a decade Americans older than 65 will outnumber those under 18 for the first time in history.

While todays older adults are living longer, healthier, and more active lives, some experience isolation or loneliness, which can affect their well-being. So what can help?

Nancy Napier: Creativity

Research from Stanford University on aging and creativity suggests that engaging in artistic and cultural activities supports overall well-being in older people. I just learned about an exciting program in our own community that seeks to do just that.

In 2022, E.A. Michelson Philanthropy launched the Vitality Arts Project, which offered more than $5 million in grants to 25 art museums across the United States. These grants support the design and implementation of creative aging programs aimed at art museum audiences who are 55 years and older. The programs engage older adults in artistic creation, and that engagement can help generate social, emotional, and physical benefits.

The Boise Art Museum was one of the 25 museums to receive a grant. The funding allowed the museum to develop six multisession, hands-on workshops for adults 55 and up. The programs range from printmaking to mosaics, from painting to mixed-media artwork. These courses fill up quickly, suggesting that many older people in Boises want to be creative and engaged.

For me, creativity is the ultimate renewable resource, and I love that this program connects older people and creativity. No matter the age, creativity can help us grow, learn, and perhaps stay engaged in our future worlds.

If you want more information, check out Boise Art Museums Seniors Create! Lifelong Learning Arts Masterclass, visit www.boiseartmuseum.org.

Nancy Napier is a distinguished professor emerita and coach for the executive MBA program in the College of Business and Economics at Boise State University in Idaho. nnapier@boisestate.edu. She is co-author of The Bridge Generation of Vietnam: Spanning Wartime to Boomtime.

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Photos and video from earlier Tuesday show several Hamilton County Sheriffs Office vehicles parked outside Jewish Hospital.

Bomb threat incidents made toward synagogues or other institutions are hoaxes, according to the FBIs Cincinnati field office.

On Tuesday, FBI Cincinnati Public Affairs Specialist Todd Lindgren said the bureau is aware of numerous hoax incidents.

Photos and video from earlier Tuesday show several Hamilton County Sheriffs Office vehicles parked outside Jewish Hospital.

Northeast Communications, a 911 service for the city of Loveland, said police and firefighters were called to the Congregation Beth Adam synagogue around 9:30 a.m. for a bomb threat. Everyone there is safe.

The hoax bomb threats do not appear to be credible, according to the statement from Lindgren and FBI Cincinnati.

While we have no information to indicate a specific and credible threat, we will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information as it comes to our attention.

Hoax threats are taken very seriously by the FBI due to innocent people being put in harms way, Lindgren added.

This report was provided by Enquirer media partner FOX19.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Feds: Bomb threats made to Greater Cincinnati synagogues are hoaxes
WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  Volunteers opened their hearts and their kitchens for the hungry on Christmas Day in the District.

The day was full of generosity and caring in McPherson Square.

High Bey is a photographer who scrapes by day-to-day, not earning enough to make ends meet.

But on this sunny Christmas Day in the Square, the Brea Herrera Foundation is serving a hot buffet meal.

They are giving people who are charitable and that is very delightful, Bey said.

It is a rewarding venture for the foundation and its volunteers.

Restaurants, movies and more: Whats open in the DMV on Christmas Day?

Its an opportunity for us to teach our children it is not always what we are going to get but what we are going to give, said Karen Hall-Hicks with Brea Herrera.

We decided on the Christmas holiday we are going to use our time. Instead of staying home, we are going to serve the less fortunate, said Moriah Franklin McGruder with the foundation.

The success of the effort is owed to many foundation partners, such as Memorial Baptist Church and Capitol Hill Church, said Jonathan Hall with Brea Herrera.

Oh man, Hall exclaimed. A big thanks is owed to all the volunteers, everyone who donates to Bren and Friends. Its a big production. Its nice to see the community come together for a good cause.

Its just a joy to see and be a part of this and see all the unity, remarked Bey.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
Bridgerton fans are freaking out about new photographs from the Netflix shows forthcoming third season, after a release date was announced earlier this month.

Netflix confirmed a third season of its hit Regency Era drama, focussing on the love story between Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), will be released in two parts next summer.

The first part will premiere on 16 May 2024, before the second instalment arrives on 13 June.

The show, like Julia Quinns romance novels that it was adapted from, is set in Regency Era London. Each season follows a different sibling of the noble Bridgerton family as they try to find a suitable match for marriage.

In season one, Daphne (Phoebe Dyvenor) scandalously found love with her brother Anthonys best friend Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings (Rege-Jean Page). In season two, Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) was mesmerised by Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley), his fiancee Edwina Sharmas (Charithra Chandan) older, half-sister.

Now, in season three, Colin will wrestle with newly discovered romantic feelings for his friend Penelope, who also happens to be the towns resident gossip, Lady Whistledown.

On Christmas Day, which marked the shows third anniversary, Netflix released five new stills from the forthcoming third season on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The caption read: If these portraits are any indicator, the upcoming season is certainly sure to be overflowing with intrigue and scandal.

If these portraits are any indicator, the upcoming season is certainly sure to be overflowing with intrigue and scandal. pic.twitter.com/oz8OghDQWm  Bridgerton (@bridgerton) December 25, 2023

Fans declared they were freaking out over one image in particular, which showed Kate happily resting in Anthonys arms at their home.

Mild spoilers for season two follow

Bridgerton viewers will remember season two ended with fan-favourite couple, Kate and Anthonys union after a dramatic declaration of love.

Fans were pleased to discover that their relationship is still going strong in season three, amid speculation that Kate might be pregnant with her and Anthonys first child, the newest member of the Bridgerton clan.

Netflix also released a picture of the shows newest romantic leads, Colin and Penelope, together at a ball. A closer look at it reveals Colins right hand is bandaged, as one fan asked: now tell me WHAT HAPPENED.

Referring to Kate and Anthony, and Penelope and Colin, by their couple names, another person wrote: Married Kanthony and were getting Polin Endgame?!!???!! SOMEONE GET MY SMELLING SALTS THIS IS TOO MUCH EXCITEMENT FOR ME TO HANDLE!

Others noted that Newton was looking every bit the romantic hero in the stills, referring to his characters makeover for the new season.

The streamer also released a new picture of Enola Holmes 2 actor Hannah Dodd as the second youngest Bridgerton sibling Francesca, after taking over the role from Ruby Stokes.

According to season threes synopsis, Penelope is ready to move on from Colin after she overhears him saying he would never be interested in her. Instead of pursuing him, the 18-year-old decides to take a husband but lacking in confidence, Penelopes attempts on the marriage mart fail spectacularly.

Rejoice in this most thrilling news. Bridgerton Season 3 shall debut in two parts: Part 1 on May 16th and Part 2 on June 13th. pic.twitter.com/oAnT5f8fCC  Bridgerton (@bridgerton) December 12, 2023

Meanwhile, Colin has returned from his summer travels with a new look and a serious sense of swagger. the synopsis continues. But hes disheartened to realise that Penelope, the one person who always appreciated him as he was, is giving him the cold shoulder.

Eager to win back her friendship, Colin offers to mentor Penelope in the ways of confidence to help her find a husband this season. But when his lessons start working a little too well, Colin must grapple with whether his feelings for Penelope are truly just friendly.

Bridgerton season one premiered on Netflix on 25 December 2020, with the Shondaland-produced series quickly becoming one of its most-watched shows of all time.
Around one in five people in Africa face hunger - Bartosz Hadyniak/E+

Britain will send 67 million in aid to a body trying to improve the worlds agricultural supplies in an attempt to help stop the food crisis reaching unconscionable proportions.

The money will go to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (Ifad), which supports more than 100 million people in rural areas across the globe, over the next three years.

Food poverty is on the rise, with the number of people facing a serious lack of nutrition up 34 per cent since 2021.

On average, around one in five people in Africa face hunger.

Ifad, of which the UK is a founding member, has programs aimed at improving food security, helping protect the planet and empowering women and girls.

Serious food security crisis

Andrew Mitchell, the minister for development and Africa who attends the Cabinet, is announcing the new funding in The Telegraph.

Mr Mitchell said: Christmas is a good moment to reflect that the world is in the throes of a serious food security crisis.

Feeding the world may sound like a cliche at this time of year, but hunger and malnutrition are a scourge, putting lives and livelihoods under grave threat.

The tragic irony is that we live in a world of plenty. It is scandalous that anyone should go to bed hungry for reasons that we have the power to fix.

That is why the UK is investing 66.7 million in Ifads work for the next three years.

Simple steps like better land management and smarter farming practices can help produce more crops and reduce waste.

Renewable technology will help farmers rise to the climate challenge in a way that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and protects the natural environment.

We must act before the food crisis reaches unconscionable proportions.

We need to increase food production

In less than 30 years time. there will be two billion more mouths to feed in the world than there are today. We urgently need to increase food production and make food systems sustainable.

The UK in recent years has spent less on overseas development than when the Tories first took office back in 2010, when Lord Cameron was Tory leader and prime minister.

Back then, Lord Cameron had made the promise to spend 0.7 per cent of the countrys GDP on foreign aid a flagship pledge, with Tory strategists seeing it as showing how the party had modernised.

But Rishi Sunak as chancellor effectively abandoned the approach, which had been written into law, during the pandemic, announcing that the UK for now would spend 0.5 per cent instead.

While the 0.7 per cent target theoretically remains, the Government says it will only return to that level when the public finances have improved.

No specifics have been named for when that might happen.

Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, recently said he did not expect the 0.7 per cent level to be readopted in the next five years.

Both Mr Mitchell and Lord Cameron, two of the most prominent Tory advocates for foreign aid spending in the last decade, have accepted Mr Sunaks approach since returning to ministerial posts.

Projects that have been supported by Ifad include helping farmers to get higher yields through enhanced soil and pest management, fertiliser use and better quality seeds.

We are grateful for the UKs generous contribution

Others have helped women rural farmers grow more food, get better access to markets, increase their income, improve their literacy and become more financially skilled.

Alvaro Lario, president of Ifad, said: We are grateful to the United Kingdom for their generous contribution to Ifads 13th Replenishment, which confirms their unwavering commitment to eradicating rural poverty and hunger.

This contribution will further strengthen our long-standing partnership, a relationship that has played a vital role in transforming the livelihoods of millions of the worlds poorest and most vulnerable rural people.

The UKs pioneering investments in small-scale agriculture climate adaptation have been instrumental in empowering smallholder farmers and building resilient food systems in the face of climate change.

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.
An educational psychologist says the twins could be "electively mute" and had "quite extraordinary synchronised movement" between them

They're the sisters that inspired a film, a hit song and were friends with a Kray twin, but for years they only ever spoke to each other.

At 19, they became the youngest female patients at Broadmoor - sharing the high security psychiatric hospital with notorious killers like Charles Bronson and Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe.

One psychologist said June and Jennifer Gibbons needed help and intervention.

Now surviving twin June tells her story in her own voice for the first time.

"We had a speech impediment. Our parents couldn't understand a word that we were saying, nobody understood - so we stopped talking," June told the new BBC podcast, June: Voice of a Silent Twin.

"Then we were ridiculed and bullied. It was a feeling of despair, desolation, being let down by everybody, hated and being made to feel horrible.

"It was almost like an unfolding horror story of mystery and intrigue, ending in tragedy. We were trying all these things to try to get help. We didn't know how it would end."

June and Jennifer decided to become writers in their teens so got a typewriter and started reading Jane Austen, DH Lawrence and Kingsley Amis books

How the 'Silent Sisters' story started

Their story - that included arson, Broadmoor and mixing with murderers - started in Yemen in 1963 when the Gibbons sisters were born to Barbadian parents, who settled in Wales because of their father's job in the Royal Air Force.

June, now 60, said both sisters were keen to integrate in their new rural community, where they were the only black family.

"I thought: 'I can be normal'," June recalls. "But it all faded away.

"I must have lost confidence, maybe it was a look, gesture or someone said something, I just clammed up. I went back to square one."

Educational psychologist Tim Thomas helped and he remembers the twins being bullied, which led to them becoming "electively mute".

They were separated in an attempt to make them integrate and communicate - and even the twins were up for a "new start".

The sisters were born in Yemen before moving with their family to Yorkshire, Devon and finally west Wales

"We were desperate, we were trapped in our twinship and trapped in that language, we tried everything to separate ourselves," said June.

One sister was moved to boarding school, the other remained nearer home - but June said she stopped eating and speaking to people during that time so the experiment was quickly abandoned.

How did the sisters end up in Broadmoor?

After leaving school at 16, the twins felt more isolated than ever in "their own little prison" of their bedroom and that was when their story spiralled.

At 18, the aspiring writers felt their youth was "passing them by" so started spending time with boys they knew from school in west Wales and it ultimately led to Broadmoor.

"They introduced us to glue sniffing, smoking cigarettes and drinking vodka by the bottle," June recalled.

"The two of us were out of our minds. We were out of our depth, beyond help.

"So from going to being writers, we started destroying the town... vandalising places.

Western Telegraph story of June and Jennifer Gibbons being sent to Broadmoor

"We were sort of saying 'we'll ring the police and see if they can catch us'. We'll smash a window, we'll set fire to this and say 'come and catch us if you can'. We were trying things to try to get help."

Newspaper reports from the time described the girls going on "a five week crime spree", which included setting fire to a local tractor shop and breaking into a college and stealing supplies.

"They read both our diaries and in our diaries was the confession so they had us," admitted June.

"We were the ones doing all this crime, they had it there in black and white."

Parents Aubrey and Gloria, described as "delightful and very hospitable people", had no idea their twinnies - as they used to call them - had been setting fire to the buildings in Haverfordwest and getting into trouble with the police.

While in prison awaiting trial, the 19-year-olds were assessed by a psychiatrist who suggested they be moved to Broadmoor Hospital under the Mental Health Act.

"He said it was a hospital for people like us, who were psychopaths," June recalled.

"'There's nothing really wrong with me,' I was saying to myself, but then the psychiatrist said: 'There's work you can do, there's parties, discos.'

"I thought: 'Oh wow, its going to be great.'"

Around the BBC - Sounds

The story of the Gibbons twins: a tale of isolation, ambition, love, crime and tragedy.

June: Voice Of A Silent Twin

Listen to the new June: Voice of a Silent Twin podcast on BBC Sounds.

Around the BBC footer - Sounds

"We were excited to go to Broadmoor. We were too young to understand."

In court, the twins agreed to plead guilty on the advice of their solicitor, but journalist Marjorie Wallace, who reported on their case, recalls important information from their diaries being omitted.

"There were these counts of arson, but what the people judging them didn't know is that before they set fire they checked there was nobody in the building," she said.

Living with killers

June said they were expecting a sentence of about six months, but the judge committed them to the notorious Broadmoor institution for an indefinite period based on psychiatric reports. It was then that they began sharing their days with the UK's most dangerous criminals.

"My first boyfriend was there for armed robbery," said June. "Jennifer's boyfriend killed two women.

June Gibbons used to get Christmas and birthday cards from Ronnie Kray after they met in Broadmoor

"I saw the Yorkshire Ripper having a hamburger across the field and he looked like he's looking at me. I thought he could pounce so I didn't really look at him."

She recalls another incident: "Ronnie Kray came over to my table, he took my hand and kissed it and says 'hello June, I've been hearing about you'. We used to get Christmas and birthday cards from Ronnie."

Disgraced paedophile TV presenter Jimmy Savile was brought in to chair a taskforce to strengthen Broadmoor's therapeutic regime - and he was given his own set of keys.

June does not remember meeting Savile, later uncovered as one of the UK's most prolific sex offenders, but Marjorie Wallace did.

"He leapt onto our table, looked at the two girls, pointed and said to June 'I'll have you first' and then to Jennifer 'I'll have you second'," she recalled.

"June and Jennifer looked to me in astonishment and said 'they thought we were the mad ones'."

Both sisters kept a diary and here's part of Jennifer diary's of her time in Broadmoor

Both continued to write while locked up - both fiction and poetry.

Losing a sister

It also took years of writing to the Home Office before the twins would be moved to a lower security hospital after 11 years at Broadmoor, in 1993.

But there was a tragic twist for the sisters during their move nearer to their west Wales home.

June thought her sister was joking when she said: "I think I'm going to die soon."

"As we got in the minibus, Jennifer said: 'At last we're out of Broadmoor,'" June recalled.

"We'd planned to keep talking to people and we mustn't fight, argue or make a mess of it this time. We kept saying to each other 'be happy'."

But when they arrived at the Caswell clinic in Bridgend, psychiatrist Tegwyn Williams noticed Jennifer was under the weather and she soon took a turn for the worse.

June Gibbons still lives in Pembrokeshire and has not married or had children

"We knew very early on that this wasn't a psychiatric condition but the physicians didn't know what the medical condition was either," recalled June.

"They couldn't make sense of it... this young woman who apparently several hours earlier had been as right as rain was dying slowly in front of their eyes and they couldn't work out why."

An inquest later found Jennifer died of natural causes due to acute myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle.

Silent Sisters immortalised

In 1994, surviving twin June was released after nearly 13 years locked away - but she feels her experience in institutions affected her.

"Every other day I think of Broadmoor and when I think of Broadmoor, I think of Jennifer," she said.

"She's still with me after 30 years. Every other morning I think I'm in Broadmoor, I wake up in the morning, hear the jangling of the keys, it's still with me even to this day."

June has continued writing - while others have written about their story.

Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers' 1999 top 20 hit Tsunami was inspired by the sisters and Marjorie Wallace wrote a book based on their experiences called The Silent Twins. A feature film was made in 2022 about their story.

June plans to publish more of her writing, including the poetry inspired by her sister during some of their most difficult times.

"Every day I wake up and say to myself, one more day for me and one more day for my sister," she said. "I live for her. What I see and do, she does as well."

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story, the BBC Action Line has links to organisations which can offer support and advice
Wales has become the first country in the world to map its most important areas for insects, conservationists say.

A five-year project analysed 45 million records collected by naturalists to identify key sites.

Wales has suffered "drastic declines" in recent decades, according to the charity Buglife.

England and Scotland are also being mapped by experts, with hopes that a full Great Britain map can be produced.

Wales is home to over 20,000 different invertebrate species.

There were 17 so-called Important Invertebrate Areas (IIAs) identified in Wales, covering 1,344km2 or 6.5% of the country.

The areas were home to more than 10,800 species in total, 350 of which were classed as being "of conservation concern", while 15 were critically endangered.

They included the cliff mason bee - found nowhere else in Britain apart from on two short stretches of clifftop on the Llyn Peninsula, in north west Wales.

And the scarce yellow sally stonefly, found only on the River Dee in the north east, and once feared extinct.

What is an IIA?

While not a formal designation - like a national park or site of special scientific interest - IIAs are designed to highlight places that are home to nationally or internationally significant invertebrate populations and their habitats.

They are decided upon by a panel of experts in the field, using data from 80 national invertebrate recording schemes.

In recent years, work to map them at a fine-scale, one-by-one has been taking place working with local naturalists - flagging up key species, the threats they face and opportunities to improve the landscape.

Crymlyn Bog on the outskirts of Swansea is one of only three locations throughout the UK where you'll find one of the country's largest spiders.

Clare Dinham, Wales manager for Buglife, hopes the new maps will help people celebrate wildlife

The fen raft spider is semi-aquatic, and is described by Clare Dinham, Wales manager for Buglife, as a "very cool species".

It can walk on water thanks to its hairy legs, which are also very sensitive and help it detect its prey - which can be anything from other insects, to tadpoles and even small fish.

Ms Dinham said she hoped the new maps would help people "learn about and celebrate their local wildlife".

buglife map

The information could also be used by wildlife charities and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to plan future conservation work, and inform decisions taken by local authorities on planning applications, she said.

"Overall invertebrates are in decline, which is a huge concern - they're a key part of the food chain for a wide variety of wildlife, they're essential in pollination, healthy soils and water - so they're so important to us as humans," she said.

Programmes manager at Buglife Jamie Robins added that mapping Wales' IIAs was "only the beginning".

"We need decision makers to recognise the important role that invertebrates play and use our IIAs to prioritise much needed conservation action," he said.

Hefin Jones from Cardiff University's school of biosciences says the new maps as "a real godsend"

Crymlyn Bog is part of a five year peatland restoration project run by NRW with EU and Welsh government funding.

It's targeting quaking bogs - so-called because the ground should quake underfoot when conditions are right - as well as other peatland landscapes - seen as vital in the fight against climate change due to their ability to soak in and store carbon dioxide.

Mark Bond, the scheme's communication and engagement officer said 90% of Wales' peatlands were currently in an unsatisfactory state and a "number of interventions were being put in place".

"Through addressing the hydrology and removing invasive plants, we will hopefully be able to promote the healthy growth of the peatland which is then home to incredible species like the fen raft spider," he said.
ATLANTA - Atlanta police have charged a man with terroristic acts after he was caught stealing from a tip jar.

Police say the man entered a business on Pryor Street and threatened to "shoot up the place" on Dec. 19 before swiping the money and fleeing.

An employee was able to provide a description of the suspect, and officials eventually found him walking in the area.

During the arrest, police say the suspect would not comply. Body camera footage shows them deploying their Tasers, but failing to get them to connect. Eventually, police were able to take the suspect down and bring him into custody.

Maxie Stewart Adams (Credit: Atlanta Police Department)

Police identified the suspect as Maxie Stewart Adams. He was charged with robbery, terroristic acts, and obstruction.

He's being held at the Fulton County Jail.
The Cabinet of Ministers has officially presented a bill to the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraines Parliament, addressing critical aspects of conscription, military accounting, and military service in Ukraine on Dec. 25, according to the bills profile on the parliamentary website.

The proposed legislation will now be considered by the Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence before being submitted to a wider vote.

Read also: Parliament to consider demobilization after 36 months of service

While the detailed text of the bill is not yet available on Rada's website, the urgency of the matter was underscored by David Arakhamia, the head of the ruling Servant of the People party. He said there was a need to swiftly submit a comprehensive bill to regulate mobilization issues, citing the current lack of such legislation as a source of "uncertainty and numerous fakes."

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov shed light on the forthcoming changes in an interview with public broadcaster Suspilne on Dec. 24. According to Umerov, the new bill aims to overhaul the conscription process for military service, and offers provisions for a partial exemption or rest for active military personnel. He stated the Ministry of Defense has meticulously devised all requisite solutions to address these issues.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
California lawmakers next year face huge political and financial challenges as they seriously consider reparations for Black descendants of slaves.

While Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative lawamakers tend to agree theres a great historic injustice that needs to be righted, implementing any reparations policy faces these flashpoints:

 The budget. The $68 billion state budget gap could make the already daunting task of paying for any reparations a lot tougher.

 The voters. Theyre about to start casting primary election ballots in a just a few weeks, and Californians have mixed opinions about how to handle the issue.

 The governor. As Newsom actively seeks to boost his national stature, will he be eager to defend reparations?

The Legislative Black Caucus next month plans to unveil the first handful of bills addressing recommendations the states reparations task force spent years developing.

Newsom and Democrats in 2020 cheered the creation of the group, which held meetings throughout the state to discuss the best ways to begin repairing centuries of racism Black Californians have endured.

But 2024 is a particularly fraught year for them to start making progress. Democrats  especially those in purple districts  will be considering how their votes and budget priorities will look in campaign ads. They must balance their desire to promote equity and right historic wrongs with concerns that voters may want the state to spend time and money on other issues.

Then theres that big budget shortfall.

The budget deficit makes it easier to say, Oh geez, this isnt going to happen, said Wesley Hussey, Sacramento State professor of political science.

Reparations legislation

Newsom in 2020 signed legislation establishing the task force, and members in June produced a full report with more than 115 policy recommendations ranging from making direct cash payments to descendants of slaves to collecting data on housing discrimination and removing lead in drinking water.

Although the groups proposals were wide-ranging, the idea of cash payments attracted the most attention. This was especially true after task force advisers suggested Black Californians are owed hundreds of billions of dollars due to inequities they have suffered in almost every facet of life.

The entire reparations program is more than just cash payments, said Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, D-Los Angeles, one of two lawmakers on the task force. Theres (115) recommendations, and thats just one of the recommendations.

Sen. Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, the other lawmaker on the task force, in 2023 introduced pieces of legislation related to the groups recommendations.

Reparations Task Force member state Sen. Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, listens during a task force meeting at the CalEPA Building in Sacramento on Friday, March 3, 2023. The California Legislature in 2024 will begin debating reparations bills.

Bradford authored Senate Bill 50, which would have limited police traffic stops to reduce racial profiling. The senator chose to hold the measure until next year after it did not get the support it needed on the last night of session in September.

Late in the session, Bradford also put forward a bill creating a new state agency to administer reparations programs that he will likely continue working on in 2024.

Jones-Sawyer said the 12-member Black Caucus is in the process of trying to narrow down a list of 30 potential bills to create a comprehensive package. Each member will carry one bill this year.

Assemblywoman Lori Wilson, a Suisun City Democrat who serves as Black Caucus chair, expects enacting the task force recommendations will be at least a three-year process. That means lawmakers who introduce bills in 2025 would get a new two-year legislative cycle and more of a runway to push measures through the Capitol.

Wilson and Jones-Sawyer would not yet go into specifics about potential bills. But Jones-Sawyer said the caucus does agree an initial priority should be crafting an apology from the state to Black Californians for the harms caused by slavery and racist policies.

They know the first impression the caucus makes with its initial bill package will be important to selling the policies to the public. That is why members plan to hire a marketing firm to help them craft their message. Jones-Sawyer said lawmakers would seek philanthropy and private donations to pay for it, and may kick in their own money.

Assemblywoman Lori Wilson, D-Suisun City, announces the reintroduction of a bill that would outlaw involuntary servitude in Sacramento at the California Capitol in February 2023. Wilson is chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, which will push reparations bills in 2024.

Newsom on reparations

The governor has said little publicly about his views on the task forces recommendations. In May, Newsom said dealing with the legacy of slavery and racism is about much more than cash payments.

Wilson said the Black Caucus has wanted to take the lead on reparations and is pleased the governor has not been especially vocal.

In recent months, Newsom has made moves to become more of a national figure. Hes visited more conservative states, debated Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on national television, and set up fundraising committees to help promote him and his message.

Newsom has repeatedly said hes not running for president next year, but the steps hes taken are in line with those of future candidates seeking to become better known.

Wilson and Black Caucus members have recently had meetings and exchanged phone calls and texts with the Newsom administration about the bill package. They are in the process of putting together a reparations working group with the governors office, Wilson said.

The administration continues to have productive conversations with the California Legislative Black Caucus, said Izzy Gardon, a Newsom spokesman, in a statement. The governor is committed to further building upon Californias record of advancing justice, opportunity, and equity for Black Californians.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announces the May budget revision in Sacramento on Friday, May 12, 2023. Newsom must negotiate with the Legislative Black Caucus over reparations while dealing with a $68 billion budget gap.

Reparations politics

Hussey, the Sacramento State professor, said it will be tough to rally all Democrats around reparations, even though Black lawmakers and white liberals might favor them.

I dont think theres a majority of the Democratic caucus in either chamber thats for the full report, he said.

The states budget issues could provide a smoke screen that would allow lawmakers an easier path away from supporting some of the policies, Hussey said.

Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher of Yuba City has already started moving in this direction. He said Californians view of reparations is tied to cash payments, which are not realistic.

Were facing a $68 billion deficit, Gallagher said. I dont see any scenario where youre going to be able to justify paying out billions of dollars of reparations.

To me, its just another broken promise from the Democrats, he added. Theyre the ones that are promising something that is just not feasible. Once again, theyre not coming through for Black Americans.

Black lawmakers remain committed to pushing reparations bills, even in a challenging legislative cycle. Polling shows Californians think racism is a problem, but they are not entirely sold on the reparations task force.

Assemblyman Isaac Bryan, D-Los Angeles, gives his opinion on a bill during an Assembly floor session on June 1, 2023. Bryan and other members of the Legislative Black Caucus will push reparations bills in 2024.

Even in a down budget year, sometimes you want to put a financial stake in the ground to remind folks that our budget is a statement of values, said Assemblyman Isaac Bryan, D-Los Angeles, a Black Caucus member. And I think one of those values has to be to repair some of the harms in the past. And if were not looking to ground our budget in principles of equity and justice and fairness and inclusivity, then we might miss the mark altogether.

A Public Policy Institute of California survey of more than 1,500 people conducted in May showed most Californians polled viewed racism as a problem in the United States today. About seven in 10 also thought racial discrimination plays a role in economic inequality, and 53% thought the legacy of slavery continues to affect Black Americans.

Forty-three percent of those polled said they had a favorable opinion of the reparations task force after reading a brief summary of its purpose, while 54% had an unfavorable view. It was more popular among Democrats, with 58% saying they saw the task force favorably.

Fifty-nine percent of all those polled supported a formal apology from the Legislature and the governor for human rights violations against slaves and their descendants. The poll had a 3.2% margin of error.

Chris Hoene, executive director of the nonpartisan California Budget and Policy Center, a nonpartisan research group, said the issue of reparations will not disappear after just one budget cycle.

State leaders have a responsibility to make progress for all Californians, regardless of the realities of the budget, Hoene said in an email. Their options in an individual year may be more limited than in other years, but they can still make policies that commit the state to doing what it can as part of a multi-year, longer-term commitment to justice.
The stifling heat inside some warehouses where workers might spend 10-hour days isnt just a summer problem. In Southern California, it can feel like summer all year.

Its easy to break into a sweat and grow tired, workers say. The ventilation feels inconsistent, they say, and workers have testified in a public hearing about nosebleeds, nausea and dizziness. In some warehouses, the walk to find a place to cool down is at least half a mile.

We are in constant motion. Throughout the day, my shirt is soaked in sweat three to four times, said Sara Fee, a former worker at an Amazon warehouse in San Bernardino, California, who testified before a state workplace safety board in May. I have been nauseous, dizzy.

As the climate warms and the threat of extreme heat spreads, California is poised to protect people who work in poorly ventilated warehouses, steamy restaurant kitchens, and other indoor job sites where temperatures can soar to potentially dangerous levels. The state has had heat standards on the books for outdoor workers since 2005, and indoor workplaces are next.

Only two other states, Minnesota and Oregon, have adopted heat rules for indoor workers, according to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Nationally, legislation has stalled in Congress, and even though the Biden administration has initiated the long process of establishing national heat standards for outdoor and indoor work, the rules are likely to take years to finalize.

If California adopts its proposal in the spring, businesses would be required to cool worksites below 87 degrees Fahrenheit when employees are present and below 82 degrees in places where workers wear protective clothing or are exposed to radiant heat, such as furnaces. If businesses are unable to lower the temperatures, they must provide workers with water, breaks, areas where they can cool down, cooling vests or other means to keep employees from overheating.

It is only getting hotter every year, said Alice Berliner, director of the Worker Health & Safety Program at the University of California-Merced. Having protections for both indoor and outdoor workers, it empowers someone to feel like they can ask for access to drinking water, and access to a break when they feel like theyre hot.

Neither workers nor businesses are satisfied with the plan. Some businesses fear they wont be able to meet the requirements, even with the flexibility the regulation offers. Workers argue buildings should be kept even cooler.

Heat stress can lead to heat exhaustion, heatstroke, cardiac arrest and kidney failure. In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 1,600 heat-related deaths, which is likely an undercount because health care providers are not required to report them. Its not clear how many of these deaths are related to work, either indoors or outdoors.

In California, 20 workers died from heat between 2010 and 2017, seven of them because of indoor heat, according to the Rand Corp., which analyzed the states proposed indoor heat rules.

After a record-breaking heat wave in the Pacific Northwest in 2021, Oregon last year adopted protections for indoor workers that trigger when temperatures hit 80 degrees. Minnesotas threshold temperatures range from 77 degrees to 86 degrees, depending on the type of work. The sheer size of Californias workforce, estimated at about 18 million, could usher in changes for the rest of country, said Juanita Constible, senior climate and health advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

As California goes, so goes the nation on so many things, she said.

A RiteAid worker holds a heat and humidity index device that some workers wear when working at the RiteAid warehouse in Lancaster, California, on July 11, 2021. - Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

California regulators have crafted the indoor rules to complement the states protections for outdoor workers. Those say that when temperatures exceed 80 degrees, employers must provide shade and observe workers for signs of heat illness. At or above 95 degrees, they must come up with ways to prevent heat illness, such as reducing work hours or providing additional breaks. Colorado, Oregon, and Washington also have rules for outdoor workers.

The California Occupational Safety and Standards Board, which is charged with setting worker protections, is weighing the regulation that would require employers to cool their buildings with air conditioning, fans, misters, and other methods when the temperature or the heat index hits 82 or 87. Some employees would be exempt from the rule, including employees who work remotely and those involved in emergency operations.

The board is expected to vote on the rules in March, and they would take effect by next summer, board Chief Counsel Autumn Gonzalez said.

Workers say buildings should be cooler than the proposed temperatures, especially in warehouses, food-processing plants, and other places where employees routinely move and lift.

These temperature thresholds are too high, said Robert Moreno, a UPS driver in San Diego who told the board in May that he has spent most of his life working in warehouses. At the proposed temperatures, its too hot to sit outside and eat lunch, let alone work inside a building thats been baking in the sun all day, he said.

Most of these warehouses are sheet metal, zero to no airflow.

At the Amazon facility in San Bernardino where Fee worked, company spokesperson Steve Kelly said the building is air-conditioned and outfitted with ceiling fans, and workers are encouraged to take cooldown breaks anytime they need to.

Weve seen the positive impacts of an effective heat-mitigation program and believe all employers should be held to the same standard, said Kelly, who declined to say whether the company supports the California proposal.

The temperature inside the 658,000-square-foot building hasnt risen above 78 degrees, Kelly said.

Regulators have acknowledged that some businesses wont be able to cool their workplaces, such as laundries or restaurant kitchens, where commercial boilers, ovens, and fryers operate, and have offered them the option of giving workers cooldown areas and other relief.

But those solutions arent always feasible, Katie Davey, former legislative director of the California Restaurant Association, told the board in May. For instance, there isnt room for a cooldown area in many small restaurants, she said. And lowering temperatures in a kitchen could put restaurants in violation of food safety laws that require food to be heated to specific temperatures, she added.

We are concerned that the proposed indoor-heat illness regulations may conflict with regulations which affect our ability to heat and hold food to the necessary temperatures to protect the public health from foodborne illness, Davey said.

Vehicles drive past a heat warning in Los Angeles on September 2, 2022. - Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images

California regulators have spent years drafting their proposal, and it appears unlikely they will lower the threshold temperatures of 82 degrees and 87 degrees. Doing so would increase the number of businesses that have to comply and the cost, triggering a new review that would delay the regulations release, said Eric Berg, deputy chief of health and research and standards at Californias Division of Occupational Safety and Health, which would enforce the regulation.

I think that the threshold should be lowered, in general, said board member Laura Stock, at the May meeting. But equally, if not, more importantly, is that we dont hold the process up so that we can get a standard in place as quickly as possible.

The urgency comes, in part, because of federal inaction. Legislation has stalled in Congress to require OSHA to publish an emergency rule to enact temporary standards for all workers while the agency pursues a permanent standard. The bill is unlikely to pass the Republican-controlled House, which hasnt favored regulations on business.

Rep. Greg Casar, a Texas Democrat and a co-sponsor of that bill, said the situation has become dire in his state. In June, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law eliminating existing local ordinances in Austin, Dallas, and other cities that required employers to give outdoor construction workers water breaks.

As the climate worsens, and as summers get hotter, we should be doing more to protect workers, rather than taking their rights away, Casar told KFF Health News. Too often, worker protection rules have been allowed to die a slow death in a prolonged rulemaking process, and we cant let that happen here.

This article was produced by KFF Health News, formerly known as Kaiser Health News (KHN), a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF  the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism. KFF Health News is the publisher of California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.

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SAN FRANCISCO (KRON)  Weather officials are urging Bay Area residents to get on top of storm prep now as wet, unsettled weather returns to the Bay Area this week. The first of two rain systems is expected to hit Wednesday through Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

The second is due to arrive on Friday through Saturday morning.

Two successive low pressure systems bring rain and dangerous coastal conditions to the Bay Area this week, said KRON4 Meteorologist Kyla Grogan. The first system rolls in overnight Tuesday and impacts will be felt on Wednesday.

High Surf Warning issued for Thursday along Bay Area coastline

High winds along with rain

Beginning Wednesday, the systems will bring increased chance for high winds along with the rain. Heavy showers could begin as early as Wednesday morning, making for a soggy morning commute, according to Grogan.

We start with gusty wind and a rainy morning commute, said Grogan. Showers will diminish into the afternoon and the breezy conditions will also ramp down later into Wednesday evening.

Officials urge storm prep Tuesday

Now is the time to prepare, the NWS tweeted. Wet and unsettled weather returns tomorrow, with periods of wet an unsettled weather continuing through the weekend.

Steps the NWS recommends taking ahead of the wet weather arriving include:

Clear leaves and debris from storm drains

Clean your house gutters

Check your windshield wiper blades

Get out umbrellas, rain coats and galoshes

The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management is also urging residents to be prepared. SFDEM is advising residents to close and latch windows, remove loose or unsecured objects from balconies, roofs and outside areas.

Holiday decorations and outdoor furniture may be especially vulnerable to high winds, SFDEM said on X, formerly Twitter.

Take advantage of the nice weather Tuesday to make any preparations and take down the blow-up Santa, the NWS Tweeted on Monday.

The active weather pattern could continue into early January, according to the NWS.

High Surf Warning Thursday

A High Surf Warning also goes into effect Thursday with the NWS warning of potentially deadly conditions at the coast.

The coast is already seeing waves upwards of 10 feet and we are currently under a High Surf Advisory which warns against dangerous surf, sneaker waves and rip currents, advised Grogan. This will get worse unfortunately before it gets better and by Thursday morning, our advisory turns into a High Surf Warning where breaking waves could exceed 20 feet.

This is an exceptionally dangerous situation and its really important to avoid the coast if you can Thursday and Friday when conditions are at their worst, Grogan added. We have seen stories of people who have been swept into the cold ocean by sneaker waves. Please make sure all of your guests visiting this holiday season know that although our coastline is beautiful, it is also a source of great danger.

Spare the Air alert issued for Tuesday, wood burning banned in Bay Area

Between now and Saturday my advice would be to avoid the coast completely, Grogan added. If you must go, stay a good distance away from the shoreline at all times. We should see improvement in conditions by Sunday.

This weeks weather system could also impact viewing for New Years Eve fireworks, according to Grogan.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
StreetVet volunteers say the pets of homeless owners are often very well cared for

A charity is offering care and support to the four-legged friends of a city's rough sleeping community.

Volunteers with StreetVet provide medical check-ups, treatment and outreach care in Cambridge city centre every week.

Clinicians say the pets they see are often as well or better cared-for than those seen in general practice.

One rough sleeper told the BBC he could not have afforded his dog's care without the help of charity.

The team meets on Thursday nights close to the city's Grafton shopping centre and also reach out to local homeless shelters.

'Warm fuzzy feeling'

Jo Brand help establish StreetVet in Cambridge in 2018 and volunteers have seen hundreds of pets in that time

Jo Brand helped set up the Cambridge outreach and said the team had completed 789 consultations since 2018.

It currently has 30 volunteers.

"I get a warm fuzzy feeling from doing it," she said.

"The clients are really appreciative, some of the clients wouldn't be able to access normal vet practices, they certainly wouldn't be able to pay up front for a consultation.

"So we are a bit of a lifeline to them.

"The animals are so important to their owners and also a lot of pets, all they want is human company, and actually I think a lot of these homeless dogs have a really good life.

"They're with their human 24/7 and their owners will make sacrifices to make sure that animal is safe and warm."

'I'd have been in trouble without them'

Vinny Easey said he might not have been able to keep Cali without the help of StreetVet

One-year-old dog Cali has had lameness and skin irritation, which the StreetVet team assessed and treated over the last month.

Her owner Vinny Easey is currently sofa-surfing and said: "I wouldn't have been able to afford the problems she's had, I'd have been in trouble really."

He said the thought of having to give Cali up was "unbearable" and he was "so grateful" for everything the StreetVet team did.

"I just feel safe with her, especially when I was on my own on the street. It's given me someone to be with," he added.

Marie Swann, a friend who sometimes looked after Cali, said the volunteers did a "wonderful job".

"There's a lot of people who need their animals, especially ones who live on the streets," she said.

"People that actually live on the streets, they need them for companionship and protection and these people make it possible for them to be able to keep that."

'Dogs have the best life'

The StreetVet Cambridge team has treated hundreds of animals since they began in 2018

Veterinary nurse Matt Wright, 38, said he enjoyed getting to connect with people through their animals, who were "usually very well looked after".

He said: "My experience is I find most of these dogs have the best life, they have one-on-one time with their owner all the time and are usually in great conditions."

Most of the issues animals come to StreetVet with were the same as the volunteers saw in general practice, he said.

Mr Wright said the clients he met would often choose to sleep rough because shelters won't accept their dogs.

"So they're putting their pets first because they won't give the pets up and that's their family, that's their comfort," he said.

"That pet has probably been with them through the worst point of their lives and we shouldn't have to ask them to give them up and they will do anything for them and feed the pet before they feed themselves."

'Clients always grateful'

Vet Joana Momkute said she sympathised with owners not having a permanent home

Vet Joana Momkute has been volunteering with StreetVet for about a year and said she sympathised with clients' struggles to find a permanent address.

She moved to the UK from Lithuania 13 years ago.

She said: "I can really feel for people who are in a similar position, it's nowhere near what our clients end up going through but I kind of always felt a bit like the system is not well prepared for people to get out of those situations - and I just wanted to help.

"I've never had negative feedback from people, they're always grateful we're there to help."

Volunteer Laura George says the owners she meets always want the best for their pets

Volunteer Laura George, a registered veterinary nurse, said she was always struck by the "love and devotion" of owners.

She said: "The thing that sticks with me most is just how kind all of the owners are, how much they love their pets, that is undeniable.

"You can see how much they care for them and how much they just want to do the best they can for them.

"And it comes through in spades," she added.

Follow East of England news on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a story? Email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp 0800 169 1830
(Reuters) - Canada's government is willing to sign off on multimillion-dollar settlement packages for Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig to compensate them for the near three years they were incarcerated in Chinese prisons, the Globe and Mail reported on Tuesday, citing government sources.

Federal lawyers are in compensation talks with the two men, who were detained in 2018, and are hoping to conclude financial settlements early in the new year, the media outlet said, adding that Canada was concerned by a potential lawsuit from Spavor that could put a spotlight on a government security reporting program.

The Canadian government has offered around C$3 million ($2.27 million) to each but Spavor's lawyer sought C$10.5 million, alleging gross negligence on how Ottawa handled security reporting operations in China, the report added.

The Globe and Mail said the government was not prepared to offer C$10.5 million and that it was going to make the same offer to both men.

The government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The two Canadian men could not immediately be reached.

Spavor and Kovrig were taken into custody in China shortly after Canadian police detained Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, on a U.S. warrant.

China had detained the two Canadian men for more than 1,000 days in a step that was at the center of Ottawa and Washington's dispute with Beijing. The men were released in 2021 on the same day the U.S. Justice Department dropped its extradition request for Meng and she returned to China.

Canada and the United States say that the detention of the Canadian men - dubbed by Canadian media as "the two Michaels" in a case followed closely - was illegal and arbitrary, an accusation Beijing denies.

($1 = 1.3213 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Mark Porter)
China continues to make efforts for peace, stability in Middle East: spokesperson

Xinhua) 08:15, December 26, 2023

BEIJING, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- China will continue to work with all parties to enhance coordination and galvanize more responsible and meaningful actions in the UN Security Council for an early cessation of hostilities in Gaza, the implementation of the two-state solution and peace and stability in the Middle East, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks when asked to comment on Resolution 2720, which was passed by the UN Security Council with 13 votes in favor and two abstentions last Friday, calling for urgent action to expand humanitarian assistance to Gaza and creating the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities.

Mao said that China voted in favor of Resolution 2720, which is the second resolution adopted by the Security Council since the start of the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict. She also added that the resolution does not quite come up to international expectations and has certain gaps that needed to be filled.

Mao said as the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict has killed and injured tens of thousands of civilians and the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, China has urged for the resolution to be implemented effectively, humanitarian assistance to be expanded and a monitoring mechanism to be established as soon as possible.

Realizing a ceasefire remains the absolute priority and prerequisite for everything else, Mao said. China will continue to work with all parties to enhance coordination and galvanize more responsible and meaningful actions in the Security Council to make relentless efforts for an early cessation of hostilities in Gaza, the implementation of the two-state solution and peace and stability in the Middle East, she added.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Grace N. DeWalt, 21, of Massillon becomes emotional as her mother speaks Tuesday on her behalf. Stark County Common Pleas Judge Frank G. Forchione sentenced DeWalt to 10 to 13.5 years in prison for attempted murder and other charged tied to an October shooting.

CANTON  Since being shot in the face at a Halloween party on Oct. 22, Tariyah Robinson has struggled with jaw fractures, tooth loss, permanent scars, being fed through a tube, dying and coming back to life.

And when she faced the woman who shot her, she had this to say:

I just want to say that I forgive. I dont hate. I've never been a hateful person. And I pray that God has mercy on your soul because I do."

Robinson said she struggles with the effects of the shooting that occurred at a home in the 2900 block of 15th Street NW in Canton Township.

"I still have a lot of work to do as far as being out in public, not being anxious everywhere I go, the post-traumatic stress and not being able to sleep at night because that's the time of day that I got shot."

Robinson spoke Tuesday before Stark County Common Pleas Judge Frank G. Forchione sentenced Grace N. DeWalt to 10 to 13.5 years in prison for attempted murder, felonious assault and specifications that a gun was used in both crimes.

Dewalt, a 21-year-old Massillon resident and graduate of North Canton's Hoover High School, will spend two to five years on parole following her release from prison.

Sheriff George T. Maier has said the defendant was believed to have been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crime. Maier said that after a fight broke out in the home, DeWalt went to a nearby vehicle, got a gun and shot the other woman on the patio. Deputies responded at 2 a.m.

Rev. Howard Robinson Jr. speaks during Tuesday's sentencing hearing for Grace DeWalt in Judge Frank Forchione's courtroom.

A grandfather speaks about grace and Grace

The victim's grandfather indicated in court that the violence occurred as Tariyah was trying to keep somebody from bothering somebody else. He said she wasnt bothering anybody, and only tried to defend herself because she was approached physically.

Try to keep trouble from happening, and then trouble happens to you," Rev. Howard Robinson Jr. said.

He marvelled at the speech she gave at the sentencing hearing.

She probably should have been the preacher or pastor," he said. "In our family, she's that calming spirit. Shes the flower that spreads the pollen for the rest of us to flourish."

Robinson said he cannot count the number of lives disrupted by the shooting, nor can he explain the pain felt across the U.S. by those who love Tariyah.

Grace is Gods unmerited favor. Its what we get that we dont deserve," the pastor said. "Thats transpiring here today. Two people got, and are getting, what they dont deserve. Tariyah didnt deserve to be shot. (DeWalt) had time not to shoot her. She left out of a door and came back in and shot her."

He said that as a grandfather, he believes DeWalt deserves a longer sentence.

"As a pastor, I have to forgive. But I dont have to accept what I know is terribly wrong, Robinson said. He said he was once sentenced to one to 10 years in prison for just having a pistol.

Robinson said his family, like DeWalt, are North Canton people as well.

I know the community. I know what they poured into you, the pastor said.

DeWalt played softball at Hoover. She told Forchione that she was a state-tested nursing assistant who studied nursing at Ashland University on a scholarship, then studied in the same field at Stark State College in Jackson Township.

Anita Robinson Muhammad, accompanied by her brother, the Rev. Howard Robinson Jr., speaks at the sentencing of Grace N. DeWalt, who shot her great niece Tariyah Robinson in the face at a Halloween party on Oct. 22 in Canton Township.

Great aunt says shooter's friends were 'devils in disguise'

Tariyah's great aunt, Anita Robinson Muhammad, said DeWalt had a caring family. She had somebody to put time and money into her.

I feel sorry for you because I know you allowed some people in your head that didnt even really know you," she said. "You allowed them to change who your parents groomed you to be. Do you know how much hard work goes into a parent grooming a child to do the right thing in the community? Its time, money, love, heartache, pain. The pain is unbearable.

She said peer pressure from DeWalt's friends led to the shooting.

Those were not your friends. They were your devils in disguise, Robinson Muhammad said.

She expressed hope that the defendant's mother, Karrie DeWalt, would have the strength to raise the perpetrator's young son, but get a different result than she did with her daughter.

Karrie DeWalt, mother of Grace N. DeWalt, speaks on her daughter's behalf in Judge Frank Forchione's courtroom Tuesday.

Defendant's mother says daughter is beautiful person

Karrie DeWalt apologized to the victim and her family.

"As a mother, I can't even imagine the fear and pain you must have felt. I don't know the circumstances of what happened that night, but what I do know is the total shock that I have felt since this has happened.

"I am so sorry that this is all you know of my daughter. The Grace I know, says, 'I love you' five times before she walks out the door. The Grace I know and love is a beautiful person. I know she regrets and replays that night every day since it happened and wishes she could have made different choices," Karrie DeWalt said.

Defense attorney Jacob Will said his client expressed to him deep remorse for her actions.

Obviously, Grace wishes she could undo what she did," he said. "We express our sympathies to the Robinson family because this clearly has irreparably harmed their family."

He asked the judge to impose the sentence recommended as part of the plea agreement that included DeWalt pleading guilty to the criminal charges and gun specifications.

Forchione judge followed the sentencing recommendation.

Judge Frank G. Forchione speaks to Grace N. DeWalt as she pleads guilty to attempted murder for shooting another woman in the face at a Halloween party Oct. 22 in Canton Township.

Judge: "You wasted 10 of the best years of your life"

You wasted 10 of the best years of your life, he told Grace DeWalt. This whole courtroom is full of sadness today. I see a family out there whose hearts are broken.

"This is a lesson to young people that one bad decision, in one small second, youve destroyed your life and youve destroyed the life of your son. Someone else is going to have to raise him. Someone else is going to have to hug him. Someone else is going to have to wipe his tears away."

Forchione said DeWalt's son's only worry this week should have been, "Is Santa Claus coming?" not, "Will my mom be going to prison?

The judge said the community has too much violence and too many guns.

"I really dont know what to do to get this message across," Forchione said. "Young people are throwing their lives away over the stupidest things and its just not getting any better. Why anybody would take a loaded gun to a Halloween party just makes absolutely no sense to me. This isn't the wild west."

To DeWalt he said, "You werent raised like that. I just dont know how you could have been that selfish that night.

Tariyah Robinson expressed the hope that in the future, the kind of injury that she suffered wont happen to anybody again.

Her great aunt told the judge that she prayed before she went out on the night she was shot.

I know she was covered." Robinson Muhammad said. "I know shes here for a reason. Shes here for an amazing reason.

Attempted murder: Massillon woman, 21, pleads not guilty to charge of attempted murder at Halloween party

Reach Nancy at 330-580-8382 or nancy.molnar@cantonrep.com.On X, formerly known as Twitter: @nmolnarTR

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Grace DeWalt sent to prison for shooting Tariyah Robinson at party
The year that was 2023 is on its way out, and 2024  along with its consequential and increasingly complicated presidential election  are quickly approaching.

Between a historic ousting of a House speaker to cocaine found at the White House, 2023 proved to be an eventful year in America.

Here are the top six political stories of 2023.

DEM-APPOINTED COLORADO JUSTICE SAYS TRUMP BALLOT BAN UNDERMINED BEDROCK OF AMERICA IN FIERY DISSENT

Arguably the biggest political story of the year, the House of Representatives saw the ousting of its leader for the first time in American history this October.

Now-former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was removed from his post by eight Republicans, led by Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz.

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The House Republicans who voted McCarthy out were joined by every Democrat in the chamber in the vote.

Now-former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was removed from his post by eight Republicans, led by Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz.

McCarthy's ouster led to a near-monthlong fight to determine the House Republican who would take the gavel.

Three top House Republicans  Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio, and Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota  made gambits for the gavel, but all were shot down by their conference.

The speaker fight culminated with the election of Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to the position.

Just weeks after being elected to the speakership, Johnson made a massive move in congressional transparency. He released 40,000 hours of footage from the January 6 Capitol riots.

"When I ran for Speaker, I promised to make accessible to the American people the 44,000 hours of video from Capitol Hill security taken on January 6, 2021. Truth and transparency are critical," Johnson said in a statement.

"Today, we will begin immediately posting video on a public website and move as quickly as possible to add to the website nearly all of the footage, more than 40,000 hours. In the meantime, a public viewing room will ensure that every citizen can view every minute of the videos uncensored."

He continued, "This decision will provide millions of Americans, criminal defendants, public interest organizations, and the media an ability to see for themselves what happened that day, rather than having to rely upon the interpretation of a small group of government officials."

Johnson said that roughly 5% of the footage would likely be held back due to "sensitive security information related to the building architecture," and that some faces would be blurred "to avoid any persons from being targeted for retaliation of any kind."

While drugs may not be far removed from politics, they typically do not make public appearances at the White House.

However, that is exactly what happened this July as Americans geared up to celebrate Independence Day.

While President Biden and his family were at Camp David, the Secret Service found a bag of cocaine in a White House locker.

EXPERTS BAFFLED BY WHITE HOUSE INVOKING HATCH ACT TO DODGE HUNTER COCAINE QUESTION: RIDICULOUS

A photo of the bag of cocaine discovered in the White House on July 2.

The Secret Service launched an investigation into how the July snowstorm happened at the White House.

Speculation surged on how the nose candy ended up in the White House, and legal experts were baffled when the Biden administration invoked the Hatch Act to dodge a question about former President Trump's claim that the cocaine belonged to either the president or Hunter Biden.

The Secret Service investigation was closed 11 days later with no conclusive cocaine culprit.

In general, Hunter Biden has been at the center and center-adjacent of several controversies throughout 2023. The president's son is also facing several criminal tax charges as his father seeks re-election in 2024.

The younger Biden's federal charges are in connection with an alleged "four-year scheme" in which he did not pay his federal income taxes from January 2017 to October 2020 while also filing false tax reports.

Special Counsel David Weiss alleged Hunter "engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019, from in or about January 2017 through in or about October 15, 2020, and to evade the assessment of taxes for tax year 2018 when he filed false returns in or about February 2020."

Weiss said Hunter spent millions to fund an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills.

Hunter will make his initial appearance in a California federal court on nine tax-related charges on Jan. 11, 2024.

In another first, now-disgraced GOP New York former Rep. George Santos became the first Republican to be expelled from the House of Representatives.

In another first, now-disgraced GOP New York former Rep. George Santos became the first Republican to be ousted from the House of Representatives.

The lower chamber voted to remove Santos after a damning House Ethics Committee report alleged campaign finance abuses and that the congressman had "engaged in fraudulent conduct."

Expelling a member of Congress takes a two-thirds majority vote. The last time a House lawmaker was expelled was more than two decades ago, when late former Rep. Jim Traficant, D-Ohio, was voted out of Congress in 2002.

Prior to his ousting, Traficant had been convicted of 10 felony counts, including racketeering and taking bribes.

Santos has not been convicted of a crime, but he has been indicted on 23 counts related to wire fraud, identity theft, falsification of records, credit card fraud and other charges. Santos has been accused of using campaign funds on a number of luxury goods and treatments such as Botox. He has pleaded not guilty.

The 311 to 114 vote was strongly bipartisan, although slightly more Republicans voted to keep Santos than to oust him.

EMBATTLED GOP REP GEORGE SANTOS EXPELLED FROM HOUSE

Former President Trump is facing criminal charges of his own in Georgia after the former president was indicted on state charges out of Fulton County related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the crucial southeastern battleground state.

The current GOP presidential primary frontrunner is facing charges that include violating the Georgia RICO Act  the Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations Act; Solicitation of Violation of Oath by a Public Officer; Conspiracy to Commit Impersonating a Public Officer; Conspiracy to Commit Forgery in the First Degree; Conspiracy to Commit False Statements and Writings; Conspiracy to Commit Filing False Documents; Conspiracy to Commit Forgery in the First Degree; Filing False Documents; and Solicitation of Violation of Oath by a Public Officer.

Former President Trump is facing criminal charges of his own in Georgia after the former president was indicted on state charges out of Fulton County.

However, Trump is also facing criminal charges elsewhere.

Trump was first charged in March through Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs yearslong investigation related to hush-money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Bragg alleged that Trump "repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election."

Trump pleaded not guilty to all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree in New York.

Fox News Digital's Brandon Gillespie, Cameron Cawthorne, Elizabeth Elkind, Brooke Singman, Joe Schoffstall, Paul Steinhauser, Louis Casiano, Chris Pandolfo, Anders Hagstrom and Andrew Mark Miller contributed reporting.





Original article source: Capping off an eventful year: Here are the top 6 political stories of 2023
Former President Donald Trumps lawyers on Saturday asked a federal appeals court to toss his D.C. election subversion case, arguing that he has presidential immunity.

Trumps lawyers in a 71-page filing to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, argued that the former presidents actions to undo his loss following the 2020 election "constitute quintessential presidential acts" and "fell within his "official duties."

"During the 234 years from 1789 to 2023, no current or former president had ever been criminally prosecuted for official acts. That unbroken tradition died this year, and the historical fallout is tremendous," the filing argues. "The indictment of President Trump threatens to launch cycles of recrimination and politically motivated prosecution that will plague our nation for many decades to come and stands likely to shatter the very bedrock of our republicthe confidence of American citizens in an independent judicial system."

The filing argued that Trumps case should be dismissed because he was not convicted by the Senate in his second impeachment trial, claiming that being prosecuted constitutes double jeopardy even though he was charged with different offenses in the impeachment trial.

The filing asks the appeals court to stay the case if they disagree with Trumps argument so that the Supreme Court could take up the issue instead.

The Saturday filing came a day after the Supreme Court rejected special counsel Jack Smiths request to fast-track the case. Trumps lawyers opposed Smiths request, arguing that the matter should make its way through the appellate court process first.

Former U.S. Attorney Harry Litman predicted that the appellate court judges are not going to like Trumps argument.

I think the court of appeals is not going to be very welcoming of this general immunity argument. What he's trying to say, basically, is he was acting as president not as a candidate, not trying to do anything wrong just looking out for the election integrity, Litman told CNN.

"I don't think that's a position that's going to fly," he continued. "On the other hand, right now it does delay the start of the trial and in that sense, he gets an important advantage on one level."

Litman predicted that Trump would try to delay the case further if his immunity bid is rejected, asking the full appeals court panel to hear the case before taking it to the Supreme Court.

But if the court of appeals gives us a stay with a short fuse, which is just what the Colorado court did a few days ago, that will hand him in and that's going to be the real lookout, he said.

"Will they keep him from delaying?" he added. "They seem to be onto his game and worried about letting things trail along too long."

Dave Aronberg, the state attorney for Palm Beach County, predicted the filing could backfire.

I think now we know why Donald Trump didn't want the Supreme Court to weigh in on this yet. It's such a ridiculous argument. He knows he's going to lose and this is all about delay. The courts will throw coal in his stockings after reading these briefs, he told MSNBC.

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"He is essentially saying that once you are acquitted by the Senate, by a bunch of political cronies in the Senate, he will become a king  it's a permanent get out of jail free card," he continued. "That's not how any of this works."

Aronberg warned that one thing judges dont like is to be told they have no power.

"That is what Trump is telling the courts. 'Hey, you judges have no power over me. I can do what I want.' By the way, be careful what you ask for, he added. If immunity like this, this absolute immunity applies to Trump, it would apply to Joe Biden. Joe Biden could say arrest Trump and then go through the impeachment and get acquitted and then the president for life. It's not so funny when it happens to you, right?"
National Amusements, CBS and Paramounts parent company, reported a year-old hack this month affecting 82,128 people. TechCrunch first covered the breach, revealed in a company legal filing with Maines Attorney General under a 2005 state digital privacy law. National Amusements hasnt commented publicly on the intrusion outside of the legal filing, and it isnt clear if customer (or only employee) data was stolen.

Maines data breach notification says the hack occurred over a year ago, from December 13 to 15, 2022. It states 82,128 people were affected, 64 of whom were Maine residents. National Amusements senior vice president of human resources filed the notice, which may suggest (but not confirm) that it revolved largely or entirely around internal employee data. The filing says the company began notifying customers in writing on December 22, 2023  372 days after the breach.

On or about December 15, 2022, National Amusements became aware of suspicious activity in our computer network, the notification letter to victims reads. We immediately took steps to secure our network and minimize any disruption to our operations.

However, that last sentence contains an inconsistency, as the notice posted by Maines Attorney Generals office lists the date breach discovered as August 23, 2023. That suggests the company didnt know about the intrusion until eight months after the incident, hardly qualifying as immediately taking steps.

The filing says hackers accessed financial information, including account number or credit/debit card number (in combination with security code, access code, password or PIN for the account). National Amusements wrote in Maines notice that its offering victims 12 months of Experian credit monitoring and identity theft services to customers whose social security numbers were taken.

Engadget contacted National Amusements for confirmation or additional info. We will update this article if we hear back.

National Amusements gained a controlling stake in Paramount and CBS in 2019 following the Viacom-CBS merger. This hack appears separate from one Paramount disclosed in August through Massachusetts Attorney Generals Office. The company listed that breachs date as between May and June 2023.
Starting in mid-January, Ceres will ban camping and the storing of personal property within 25 feet of what it deems critical infrastructure, joining other cities that have passed similar ordinances in response to the homelessness crisis.

The question the City Council still has to answer is what constitutes critical infrastructure.

Some cities across the state have said the answer includes schools, parks, government buildings, sidewalks, homes, water treatment plants, bridges and fire stations.

Ceres City Attorney Nubia Goldstein said in an interview that her recommendation to the council will be that it limit critical infrastructure to city-owned facilities. She said cities enter a gray area in the law when they designate infrastructure they dont own as critical.

The City Council approved the critical infrastructure ordinance on a 3-2 vote at its Nov. 13 meeting. On a 4-1 vote at the same time, it OKd a companion ordinance that allows the city to remove camping sites within 25 feet of critical infrastructure with 72 hours notice  though the city can take immediate action if the conditions warrant it.

Both ordinances received their second and final approvals at the councils Dec. 11 meeting and take effect 30 days after that. Goldstein said from a practical standpoint, the ordinances wont be enforced until the council comes up with a list of infrastructure.

Ceres City Hall on Second Street in Ceres, Calif., Friday, Dec. 22, 2023.

Coming up with list of critical sites

That could happen at the councils Jan. 22 meeting, but its more likely to happen at the councils Feb. 12 meeting, City Manager Doug Dunford said. Goldstein said staff from such departments as engineering, parks and recreation and public works will work on coming up with recommendations.

Ceres like other California cities faces a growing crisis with homelessness, including limited services and housing, as well as encampment-related blight and public health hazards.

Dunford said in an interview that the two ordinances are not an attempt to move homeless people from site to site or to push them out of the city. He said the ordinances come as Ceres looks at how it can provide a more comprehensive approach to homelessness.

A 2018 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in Martin v. Boise found that cities cant make it a crime for people to sleep on public property when they dont have a viable alternative, such as a bed in a shelter. But cities can regulate camping at particular locations and during particular times, according to Goldstein.

She said the two ordinances comply with Martin v. Boise and strike a balance between protecting the due process rights of people who are homeless and maintaining a safe, healthy community.

Homeless people settle in front a vacant business on Hatch Road in Ceres, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023.

The idea behind them, the premise, is to protect certain areas, Goldstein said. We know that we cannot prohibit or outlaw homelessness.

Interim Police Chief Chris Perry gave the council at its Dec. 11 meeting an update on his departments efforts to deal with homelessness.

He said code enforcement had cleared and cleaned 216 homeless encampments from Sept. 1 through Nov. 26. The city takes this action after posting a notice, Perry said. Workers picked up 18,328 pounds of debris and returned 227 shopping carts to stores.

Forming homeless outreach team?

Perry said at the Nov. 13 meeting that code enforcement often deals with the same people at these encampments, who then pop up at another location.

He said the Police Department is looking at forming its own version of Modestos Community Health and Assistance Team. CHAT outreach specialists work with homeless people on getting services and off the streets.

Perry said Ceres would look to apply for state funding in January for what he called a homeless outreach team. He said it would consist of a supervisor, crime analyst and two outreach workers.

In an interview, Dunford said Ceres is discussing with Stanislaus County and Modesto how to bring more services to people who are homeless in Ceres.

He said that could include Ceres having its own version of a Downtown Streets Team. The Bay Area-based nonprofit operates in 20 communities, including Modesto, and provides work, case management and a path out of homelessness. Dunford stressed this is a proposal and would require City Council approval.

Council members James Casey and Rosalinda Vierra cast the two no votes at Nov. 13 meeting against the critical infrastructure ordinance. Casey also voted against the second ordinance, while Vierra voted in support of it.

Homeless people store their possessions behind a retail center on Hatch Road in Ceres, Calif., Friday, Dec. 22, 2023.

Vierra said at the Nov. 13 meeting that the ordinance as written is too broad and could ban camping anywhere in the city. This is basically making homelessness illegal, she said, and that goes against Boise.

Goldstein said at the Nov. 13 meeting that the council is engaged in a two step process, with the ordinance as the first step. The next step will be to come up with the list of critical infrastructure.

Vierra said in an interview that shed have liked a list of critical infrastructure when the council approved the ordinance. She still has concerns it will have too many sites and violate the Boise decision.

A key in trying to make a difference with homelessness in Ceres is more services, Vierra said, adding that part of her campaign for council in the November 2022 election was the creation of a homeless outreach team.

Ive been homeless before, Vierra said, recalling the two weeks in December 1994 that she and her 2-year-old daughter spent in a budget hotel room in Modesto provided by the county.

Vierra, 49, said the county then helped get her and her daughter into an affordable triplex. Vierra said she now has a masters degree and works as a student success specialist at Modesto Junior College.

None of this would have been possible for me if I didnt have help when I was at the bottom, she said. If you really want help, I want to make sure we offer that help. Not all want help. We have to figure out how to address the people who dont want out of homelessness.
For more than 600 days, New York City has scrambled to house thousands of migrants arriving from the southern border. This month, some migrants hoping for a bed slept on the sidewalk. (The New York Times)

NEW YORK  Nearly 70,000 migrants crammed into hundreds of emergency shelters. People sleeping on floors, or huddled on sidewalks in the December cold. Families packed into giant tents at the edge of the city, miles from schools or services.

And New York City is spending hundreds of millions of dollars a month to care for them all.

This fall, an official in the administration of Mayor Eric Adams referred to the citys obligation to house and feed the 500 new migrants still arriving each day as our new normal.

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It is a normal that could scarcely have been imagined 18 months ago, when migrants began gravitating to the city in large numbers from the nations southern border.

The migrant crisis in New York is the product of some factors beyond the citys control, including global upheaval, a federal government letting migrants enter in record numbers without giving most of them a way to work legally, and a unique local rule requiring the city to offer a bed to every homeless person.

But the dimensions of the problem  the $2.4 billion cost so far, the harsh conditions, the number of migrants stuck in shelters  can also be traced to actions taken, and not taken, by the Adams administration, The New York Times found in dozens of interviews with officials, advocates and migrants.

As the city raced to improvise a system that has processed more than 150,000 people since last year, it stumbled in myriad ways, many never reported before.

For most of the crisis, the city failed to take basic steps to help migrants move out of shelters and find homes in a city famed for its sky-high rents. It waited a year to help large numbers of migrants file for asylum, likely closing a pathway to legal employment for thousands.

The city has signed more than $2 billion in no-bid contracts, some with vendors that have been accused of abusing migrants. It has paid more than twice as much to house each migrant household as it did to house a homeless family before the crisis.

And again and again, Adams, a Democrat with a prickly streak, seemed to make his own job harder by berating state and federal officials whose help he sought.

The timeline is a series of late responses and antagonistic postures, said Christine Quinn, head of the citys biggest network of family shelters and a former City Council speaker.

City officials note that New York has received far more migrants than any big city outside the border states and that only New York must shelter them indefinitely. It has met that obligation over 99% of the time.

While all of us have expertise in serving an aspect of this crisis, none of us are experts in essentially running a refugee system, which is what we are doing, Molly Wasow Park, the mayors social services commissioner, said in October.

But too often, critics say, the city has made avoidable mistakes.

The Pioneers

On the warm spring morning of April 13, 2022, shortly after 8 a.m., a bus pulled up to a corner in Washington, D.C. Passengers got out looking lost, clutching manila folders of paperwork after a 26-hour ride from the Mexican border.

At least six men continued to New York City, in a van hired by Catholic Charities.

They were, in a sense, pioneers: passengers on the first migrant bus sent north by Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas as a stunt to protest border policy, and the first group of those migrants headed to New York.

More migrants came as the coronavirus pandemic subsided, fleeing destabilized countries. Venezuelans, whom the United States did not deport in the early days of the influx, arrived by the tens of thousands. Others came from Ecuador, Senegal, Mauritania, China.

Some found their way to a Catholic Migration Services office in Brooklyn, where employees found them sleeping outside. Aid groups sent them on to the citys homeless intake offices.

As the vacancy rate at family shelters dropped below 1%, officials scrambled to avoid defying the court decree guaranteeing a right to shelter.

Julia Savel, then a spokesperson for the citys social services commissioner, Gary Jenkins, said that Jenkins pressured her to hide a looming disaster from the public. We dont have a single answer on how we were going to deal with this, she thought.

By July 12, 2022, the situation was dire. On the phone with a relative, Savel broke down in tears: I really think were about to break the law.

A week later, Adams made his first extensive comments on the migrants. He said the city welcomes newcomers with open arms. After all, from New Yorks historical perspective, this influx was unexceptional. What was unusual was how many migrants had no connections here and ended up at shelters.

The mayor added that the city had a moral  and legal  obligation to house anyone who is experiencing homelessness. He was confident help would come soon from Washington.

Savel visited the family intake office in the Bronx and found chaos. Everyone coming in spoke Spanish; everyone working there spoke English. There was a woman in labor nine months pregnant sitting on the floor, she said. Children were crying because they were starving; we did not have enough food. It was wall-to-wall bodies.

The city had violated its duty to house everyone. When the story broke, it had a minor scandal on its hands.

At one City Hall meeting that summer, nonprofits told officials that they should interview all the migrants to figure out what services could get them into permanent housing, according to three advocates who attended. The city and its contractors began doing some of this, but city officials acknowledged it was a year before they undertook a more comprehensive effort.

Without doing basic case management, critics said, the city did not know migrants immigration status, what benefits they were eligible for or whether they might have relatives they could live with.

Adams accused Abbott of manufacturing New Yorks migrant influx. Abbott insisted he had sent buses only to Washington. It never became clear whose version was true.

But the governor did shift focus: Gov. Abbott decided that if Texas was going to get blamed for recent migrant arrivals to New York City, we may as well be sending them ourselves, Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesperson for Abbott, told the Times.

Early on Aug. 5, the first official Abbott bus arrived at the Port Authority terminal, the citys main bus station. By months end, the city was sheltering nearly 6,000 migrants.

Most were grateful for a place to lay their heads. They came because the buses were free, but also because New York was an international symbol: the place where immigrants could make it.

Even if there were other places, said Kelvin Ortega, 28, who arrived that month, we always knew we wanted to come here.

As migrants spread word on social media about free shelter in New York, the numbers climbed.

Scrambling for Beds

One day in early October 2022, it rained in the Bronx.

Less than an inch fell. But puddles formed in the parking lot at Orchard Beach, where a city contractor who had built part of the Trump-era border wall was erecting a tent complex for migrants.

Critics had warned that the lot was flood-prone and impractically remote. But the migrant population had doubled, to 12,000. The city, desperate for emergency housing, had looked at 50 locations and found the best location, the mayor said.

Besides, he said, People live in flood zones.

The citys first solution was to drill holes and pump water out. Then it discovered that the parking lot was built on old lumber, landfill and barges, and at risk of sinkholes.

City Hall about-faced and found a new spot: Randalls Island, farther south. But then migration temporarily slowed. The facility sat mostly empty for a month until the city took it down.

It was a herky-jerky, costly approach to crisis management that would come to typify the citys struggle to keep up with the ebb and flow of migrants.

That September, the agencies that might have been expected to run a homelessness emergency, the Department of Homeless Services or the Office of Emergency Management, said they were too overwhelmed. City Hall held a meeting and asked agencies to volunteer.

There was a pause.

Well do it, said Mitchell Katz, the head of the citys public hospitals. Early in the pandemic, his agency ran isolation hotels. This seemed like a very similar undertaking, he noted.

The hospital operator had been praised for its COVID response, but it had also made costly mistakes. As the hospital agency built tent dormitories and converted hotels into shelters, it returned to many of the same companies it used during the pandemic, though they lacked experience housing homeless people or serving migrants.

The Adams administration, in consultation with state officials, also explored an outside-the-box solution: cruise ships. To Frank Carone, then the mayors chief of staff, they were the best of the worst options.

Carone got an estimate from an Estonian company that had housed Ukrainian refugees. He spoke with Norwegian Cruise Line. But when the administration floated the idea publicly, it was ridiculed. Some said the idea was cruel. Others argued it was too luxurious.

Then there was the question of sewage. Cruise ships, said Jackie Bray, the state commissioner of emergency services, empty their sewage and things at sea, and so you have to either have a way to do that on shore or you have to put them out to sea every once in a while.

The idea was abandoned but soon resurfaced in another form: a 1,000-bed shelter at the cruise terminal in Brooklyn. The mayor spent a night on a cot there. The team at the terminal is giving new meaning to the words love thy neighbor, he said.

Antagonizing Allies

By January, the migrant shelter population had doubled again, to 27,000. The city was offering people tickets out of town, including to the Canadian border.

Rosiel Ramirez, from Venezuela, was among those who wished for a warmer welcome elsewhere. Her family headed north, hoping, she said, that a new country would finally be our Israel.

Canadian officials angrily accused Adams of trying to export his migrant problem, just as Adams had accused Abbott of doing.

In January, a White House official met with a national mayors group. Conversation quickly turned to migrants.

During the closed-door gathering, Adams said the federal government seemed to have no plan to address the tremendous burden its immigration policies imposed on big cities, according to three people who were not authorized to discuss the situation publicly: an official who was present and two who were told about the interaction, including one briefed by the mayor.

The White House official, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, director of intergovernmental affairs, pushed back strongly.

Three months later, before meeting with White House officials, the mayor declared at a news conference, The president and the White House have failed New York City on this issue.

A White House statement at the time said that it was proud of the significant investments weve made in New York City.

As the mayors rift with the White House widened, his pleas for money and help were mostly ignored.

City Hall has argued that it was only after the mayor ramped up his rhetoric that the federal government began paying attention and sending aid. But even that was scant  $156 million for a problem that the mayor said will cost $12 billion over three years.

City officials decided to look within the state for help. In May, Adams told Steven Neuhaus, the Republican executive of Orange County, that he planned to send several dozen migrants to a hotel there. Neuhaus recalled that the mayor promised to do nothing until he gave him details.

I never heard anything back, Neuhaus said. Soon, two buses of migrants, with New York City police escorts, arrived at an Orange County hotel.

That week, Adams castigated upstate officials on a conference call. Every state lawmaker should have been in Washington, D.C., with me on my trips to say, This cant happen to our state, he said on a recording obtained by the Times.

The county executives did not respond as he hoped. More than two dozen issued orders to stop the city from housing migrants on their turf.

In July, there was a brief rapprochement when upstate officials shared a vegan dinner at Gracie Mansion with the mayor. But within weeks, the city sent more migrant buses upstate, and officials again felt they were not given adequate warning.

It angered everybody, said Daniel McCoy, the Albany County executive.

Since then, City Hall has made a concerted effort to communicate better, he said. City Hall has argued that with thousands of migrants arriving each week, officials provide notice as early as they can.

For months, the mayor demanded that Gov. Kathy Hochul send more help. But his teams tendency to describe the migrant situation as worse than COVID alienated public officials who had helped manage the response to a pandemic that has killed 81,000 New Yorkers.

Tensions spilled into public view in August, when the state criticized the city for not making use of shelter sites the state had offered and for shipping migrants upstate with little-or-no notice.

The state has committed nearly $2 billion to the migrant response.

A Sluggish Exit Strategy

In May, a reporter asked Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom how many of the 72,000 migrants who had passed through the portals of the shelter system had applied for asylum. Very few, she answered, adding Were going to be working on that.

Why so few, the reporter asked.

They probably didnt know where to get connected to services, didnt know who to give their paperwork to, Williams-Isom said.

It was a surprising admission for City Halls point person on the migrant response.

Applying for asylum  a complex, lengthy process with a one-year deadline  is one of few paths for people who cross the border to work legally.

The city had begged the federal government to expedite work authorization. But for a year, the city did little itself to get migrants on track to work, opening an asylum help center only in late June. If it had acted sooner, state officials wrote, It is likely that thousands more migrants would be able to work today.

The sluggishness was part of a pattern. For most of the crisis, the city seemed to ignore calls to provide more services to help migrants move out of shelters faster, a lapse that grew more costly with time.

Keeping a migrant family in a shelter for a month costs about $12,000. Moving 10,000 families out of shelter would save over $1 billion a year. But the city often appeared so overwhelmed trying to find a bed for everyone each night that it had little bandwidth for planning.

City Council member Diana Ayala described the process like this: You get here, they put you in a shelter, you stay in a shelter and a year passes.

City Hall argues that the asylum help center, staffed with lawyers, had not been made before and has become a national model.

We are a municipality doing the federal governments job, said Ingrid Lewis-Martin, the mayors chief adviser. They need to do their jobs.

The Legal Aid Society had urged the city to file public assistance applications for migrants who had submitted asylum applications, since that income would help them obtain housing.

They say they dont have the staff to do that, said Joshua Goldfein, a staff attorney for the group. We said, Why dont you hire temps? and they kind of stare blankly.

A city official said the city was prohibited from using temporary workers to process benefit applications and that Department of Homeless Services contractors are already supposed to help migrants in its shelters apply for benefits.

Outside a jail-turned-shelter in Harlem in August, three friends spoke about the grind of finding work and a home. One, Gregorio Velasco, 40, was on crutches after wiping out on his delivery motorcycle in the rain. His friend Obson Bruteis, a 29-year-old from Haiti, said they struggled to stay optimistic as they searched for odd jobs.

So far, everything has been temporary, he said. But we keep going out every day to look for it.

It was only when hospital officials opened an arrival center in May at the Roosevelt, a faded but once-grand midtown hotel, that the city began more thoroughly canvassing migrants to find out what they needed to become self-sufficient.

Were starting to have those conversations now, Dr. Ted Long, who leads the hospital agencys migrant response, told the City Council in August.

Obscured by the migrant crisis was another factor crowding the shelters: rising homelessness among people who already lived here. According to a Times analysis of city data, the non-migrant population of the main shelter system is up 20% under Adams.

Out of Room, Again

On a warm July day, a line formed outside the Roosevelt Hotel. Inside, beneath a sparkling chandelier, families were signed in and vaccinated. Long said he imagined the old luxury hotel as a new Ellis Island.

But for some migrants, the doors did not open.

Men stood outside for hours, waiting to be assigned a shelter bed. Then they sat.

And then, as hours and then days passed, they slumped to the ground, onto the backpacks they had hoisted on their backs for weeks, or onto each other. Some shielded themselves from the summer sun with cardboard boxes.

One migrant, Abdelkerim, 30, from Chad, said he had expected better from New York. Weve been sleeping on the floor since we got here, he said. Its really pathetic.

Adams said the system had finally broken. From this moment on, its downhill, he said. There is no more room.

In truth, there were hundreds of empty shelter beds, but the city said it had to reserve them for other homeless New Yorkers.

Conditions at some shelters were desperate. Migrants were housed for weeks in respite centers that sometimes lacked basics like showers. One shelter in a converted Manhattan office building had no air conditioning.

In September, Adams said that without more federal aid, this issue will destroy New York City. He called for a 15% city budget cut, citing migrant costs.

But the mayors critics said the budgetary damage was partly self-inflicted. Throughout the crisis, the city has relied heavily on no-bid emergency contracts with private companies that increased costs dramatically. Of course, the migrant crisis is an emergency, and extra spending is inevitable. But the amount, City Council members have said, was not.

Before the migrant influx, the city paid an average of $188 per day to shelter a family with children. Now it is paying nearly $400 for each migrant household, which includes single adults.

Some of the more eye-popping charges have been from DocGo, a medical services firm enlisted by the hospital system to run services at the Roosevelt. During the pandemic, DocGo swabbed half a million noses for the citys testing program. For the migrants, the hospitals paid DocGo millions to handle jobs far beyond its expertise, including security, casework and school enrollment.

DocGo was allowed to charge $33 a day per migrant for shelter meals, triple some other vendors rates. It charged $150 an hour for registered nurses while another provider, MedRite, charged $80.

This spring, hospital leaders recommended DocGo for a $432 million contract with the citys housing department that included moving migrants to upstate motels. It hired unregistered security guards, gave some migrants fake work authorization papers, and guards threatened migrants with violence, some migrants said.

Now, DocGo faces investigations by the state attorney general and the city comptroller.

DocGo officials have pushed back against criticism of their management of the migrant contracts. The city has said it took the allegations seriously and would cooperate with investigations.

This month, the comptroller, Brad Lander, restricted the mayors emergency power to contract for migrant services without review. His spokesperson pointed to extensive failures by the city.

An Unimaginable New Normal

The city recently opened its first tent complex for families at a disused airport so far on the fringes that it has long been used as a campground. Families stay in drafty warrens of tiny cubicles; the shelter rules entitling them to private kitchens and bathrooms were suspended in May.

The city that the mayor said welcomes newcomers with open arms is offering more and more of them plane and bus tickets out of town, and forcing some migrants to leave shelters every 30 days and reapply if they want to get back in.

The tactic works: Most do not try to return. But those who do sometimes sleep on the sidewalk outside an office to hold their place in line. Shoving matches have broken out.

Power Malu, who runs a volunteer aid group, Artists Athletes Activists, called the scenes fabricated chaos.

President Joe Biden, whose options on immigration are limited by Republican control of the House, eventually granted special status to many Venezuelans, allowing them to apply for work permits. About 5,000 people in New York have applied, and 3,500 have been approved.

Adams returned this month from at least his 10th trip to Washington convinced, he said, of the cold reality that help is not on the way in the immediate future.

New Yorkers patience has frayed. This fall, as the mayor also confronted an investigation into potential corruption in his campaign, his approval rating sank to a dismal 28%.

In an interview, Williams-Isom, the deputy mayor, dismissed the carping of critics, saying that 20-20 hindsight is wonderful. Why didnt you do this sooner? Why didnt you know that sooner? She said New Yorkers should be proud of how the city responded to what is ultimately a national problem with dignity, care, innovation and love for the people that are coming here: our newest New Yorkers.

One such newcomer, John Rodriguez, 20, arrived from Venezuela in August 2022. Except for a doomed one-month excursion to Ohio, where he couldnt support himself, he has been in shelters here ever since. In July, he married a woman he met in a shelter.

Rodriguez eventually filed for asylum with help from a church, not the city. Despite the citys expanded outreach, he was not aware that under Bidens program for Venezuelans, he probably qualifies for a work permit.

Like many migrants, he is thankful for the help the city has offered. Even as the city urges him and thousands of others to go elsewhere, he hopes he can instead stay and find his footing.

So far, the only job he has been able to find is off the books as a deliveryman. But eventually, Rodriguez said, I would love to have a company that would put all the Venezuelans to work.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
ST. LOUIS  The St. Louis Circuit Attorneys Office has filed charges in connection with a Christmas Eve homicide on the citys northside.

Officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department were called to a shooting in the 5900 block of Lillian Avenue, in the Walnut Park West neighborhood, just before 10 p.m. on Sunday.

Police found the victim, an unidentified man in his 40s, suffering from a gunshot wound inside an SUV. Paramedics rushed the man to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

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Police identified a suspect, Angelo McNeal, and took him into custody.

Prosecutors charged McNeal, 51, with second-degree murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, shooting a firearm at/from a motor vehicle, and two counts of armed criminal action. McNeal remains jailed without bond.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
A new version of ChatGPT will be able to call a restaurant and book a reservation over the phone next year, an expert has said.

ChatGPT Five is expected to launch in 2024 by OpenAI, the Silicon Valley company that made the large language model powered by AI, and will bring yet more firsts.

The technology took the world by storm in late 2022 when ChatGPT-3.5 was released as a chatbot and has gone from strength to strength over the last 12 months.

Ethical issues have been widely debated and rivals, including Googles Bard, have also been launched.

Aidan Meller, director of the Ai-Da Robot Project, described 2024 as a very big year for AI with the fifth version of ChatGPT set to be released.

Day-to-day applications

The update will be able to make actions rather than just act as a text-based editor. The fourth version was launched in Spring 2023 and had improved memory and also enabled data-to-text functions as well as fixing some of the early bugs.

The release of ChatGPT Five is expected to broaden the reach of AI even further and have more day-to-day applications.

Mr Meller said: You could say to your phone Can you book me the restaurant on Monday at seven? and ChatGPT Five will be able to phone up the restaurant, speak to them audibly, say Hi, Im trying to get an appointment for seven and book it for you, and then come back to you and say weve now done that.

Can you imagine how thats going to be useful in business?

Mr Meller also said the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) will create a seismic change in all industries within four years.

Ai-Da Robot is prepared for the Royal Institution's Christmas Lectures in London - Kate Green/Getty

Known as the worlds first ultra-realistic robot artist, Ai-Da can create drawings, performance art and collaborative paintings and sculptures.

The robot will help Oxford University professor Mike Wooldridge to deliver the Royal Institutions annual Christmas lectures on the BBC this week.

AI will transform society

Speaking to BBC Radio 4s Today programme, ahead of Ai-Das speech this week, Mr Meller said: AI is incredibly powerful  its going to transform society as we know it, and I think were really only at the very beginning.

We have these explosions of development, things like ChatGPT that people know about, but in actual fact as more and more people get to grips with it, we think that by 2026 or 2027, theres going to be a seismic change as AI is in all industries.

Mr Meller said the medium of art allows scientists to discuss and study issues around AI without the risk of any threat to humans because it is benign.

Talking about the Royal Institution lectures, he said: I think AI is going to enable us to have very fake situations, and were not going to know whether theyre fake or not  that is where lies the problem.

We dont know what were dealing with, and we hope that these lectures by the Royal Institution are going to be able to really open that topic up.

Remember weve got the elections next year, very worrying times for things that are fake and not fake, so in actual fact it is a very serious matter.

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 38-year-old woman faces charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder following a shooting on Christmas Day outside a Walgreens in northwest Gainesville.

According to the arrest report, Amanda Marie Janzen drove from her home in Alachua to the Walgreens at 3909 NW 13th St. on Monday to turn over her 11-month-old child to the child's father as part of custody agreement ordered on Dec. 20.

Janzen and the man had been in an intimate relationship since September 2021 and, shortly after the birth of the child, she had accused him of having an affair with a woman, the report said.

Local news: Foreclosure lawsuit filed against owner of Great Outdoors Restaurant dismissed

Janzen arrived at the Walgreens with five children in her vehicle just before 2 p.m. Monday, according to the report, and waited with a "cocked" firearm for the victims to arrive.

After their arrival, Janzen exited her vehicle and walked around to the driver's side door where she fatally shot that woman three times, the report said. She then went back around to the passenger's side and confronted the child's father. He jumped back into the vehicle and was shot by Janzen three times, the report said.

"You made this happen!" Janzen reportedly said while shooting at him.

She then fled the scene north on Northwest 13th Street with the five children still in the vehicle. A nearby Gainesville Police Department officer heard the gunshots and witnessed the fleeing vehicle.

Janzen proceeded to lead officers from GPD, the Alachua Police Department and the Alachua County Sheriff's Office on 13-mile chase that reached speeds up to 100 mph. During the chase, Janzen reportedly called 911 and said that she had shot two people. She also said that police were following her. The children in the vehicle could be heard pleading for her to stop, the report said.

After finally coming to a stop, Janzen discarded the loaded firearm from the vehicle. During her arrest, officers found two additional loaded magazines on her, the report said.

The shooting was captured on surveillance video, the report said. In addition to the murder and attempted-murder charges, Janzen also faces five counts of child neglect without great bodily harm.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Woman charged in shooting death outside Gainesville, Florida Walgreens on Christmas
 Flash

Two Hezbollah fighters were killed and five civilians were wounded on Monday in confrontations on the Lebanese-Israeli borders, Lebanese military sources told Xinhua.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the casualties were due to Israeli heavy artillery bombing at least 21 border villages and towns in southern Lebanon and Israeli warplanes launching 16 raids on many areas of south Lebanon.

The sources noted that the Israeli bombing led to the destruction of seven houses and caused damage to 22 homes and five vehicles.

Hezbollah also announced on Monday that its fighters carried out a series of attacks on Israeli sites, including buildings in the Miskav Am settlement, a gathering of Israeli soldiers at the Birkat Risha site, and so on.

The confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel have killed 177 on the Lebanese side, including 126 Hezbollah members and 32 civilians, according to Lebanese security sources.
A childrens hospital in Atlanta owes a former employee thousands of dollars after federal officials said he was fired for not getting a flu shot.

The Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta employee, who is Jewish, wanted an exemption from the hospitals mandatory flu vaccine policy because of his religious beliefs in 2019, a religious discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says.

After he was hired as a maintenance assistant in May 2016, the employee converted to Judaism months later, the complaint says.

Around the time of his conversion, his hospital supervisor began trying to convince (him) not to convert, telling him he was not a real Jew, calling him a gentile, according to the complaint.

In 2017 and 2018, the hospital granted the employees requests for religious exemption and didnt require him to get the flu shot  but denied his request in 2019, according to the complaint.

When the employee resubmitted his request and/or appealed the denial, he was asked to elaborate on his sincerely held religious beliefs, which (he) did, to no avail, the complaint says.

McClatchy News contacted attorneys who represented the hospital for comment on Dec. 26 and didnt receive an immediate response.

The employee is fired

The childrens hospital fired the man on Dec. 6, 2019, because of his failure to obtain the flu vaccination, according to the complaint, which says he was replaced by an employee who wasnt Jewish and received a flu shot.

That same year, seven employees werent required to get the flu shot because the hospital granted their requests for religious exemption, the complaint says.

On the day of the employees firing, the hospital confiscated his keys and employee badge, and security escorted him from the facility, according to the complaint.

The settlement

The EEOCs lawsuit accused the hospital of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by firing the maintenance employee and not accommodating his religious beliefs, according to officials.

Now, the hospital will pay him $45,000 in damages to settle the lawsuit, the EEOC announced in a Dec. 22 news release.

As a maintenance assistant, the man didnt work near patients or his co-workers since he was in charge of groundskeeping duties, according to the complaint.

As part of the settlement, the hospital will adjust its influenza vaccine religious exemption policy to presume the exemption eligibility of employees with remote workstations or who otherwise work away from the presence of other employees or patients, the release said.

The settlement also requires the hospital to protect employees who seek alternative positions within CHOA if their religious exemption request is denied, according to officials.

Certain hospital employees will also be trained on how Title VII protects employees religious rights, the release said.

It is the responsibility of an employer to accommodate its employees sincerely held religious beliefs, Marcus G. Keegan, the regional attorney for the EEOCs Atlanta district office, said in a statement.

Unless doing so would require more than a minimal cost, an employer may not deny requested religious accommodations, let alone revoke those previously granted without issue, Keegan added.

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The winner of a Xiangqi, or Chinese chess, tournament has been stripped of his title after allegations of inappropriate behaviour.

Yan Chenglong has also been accused of cheating by using a communication device analogous to anal beads.

The 48-year-old has been stripped of his title and banned from playing for a year.

However, the Chinese Xiangqi Association (CXA) says it's impossible to prove accusations of cheating.

Xiangqi has been hugely popular across Asia for hundreds of years.

According to the CXA, Mr Yan started drinking with friends in his hotel room shortly after winning the title of "Xiangqi King" at a national tournament held on the Chinese island of Hainan last week.

He then defecated in the bathtub of his room in an act "that damaged hotel property and violated public order and good morals", said the CXA statement.

The CXA was forced to address rumours circulating online that Mr Yan had cheated using anal beads equipped with wireless transmitters to send and receive signals.

"Based on our understanding of the situation, it is currently impossible to prove that Yan engaged in cheating via 'anal beads' as speculated on social media," the CXA said.

As punishment for bad behaviour, Mr Yan was stripped of his title and banned from playing for a year.

The association did not disclose the amount of prize money Yan was forfeiting, but Xiangqi tournaments often promise winners tens of thousands of yuan (thousands of dollars), according to AFP.
Allyn Woghin, 49, Lucy Gleim, 12, and Robert Gleim, 57, have dinner at Twin Dragon on Christmas in Los Angeles. (Michael Blackshire/Los Angeles Times)

Allyn Woghin was introducing her boyfriend, Robert Gleim, and his 12-year-old daughter, Lucy, to Christmas, the Jewish way.

Theyd spent the morning in the San Gabriel Valley  the heart of Chinese L.A. and its cuisines  before landing at Twin Dragon in Pico-Robertson for the holiday meal.

Blending her Jewish traditions and Gleim's Christian ones was especially meaningful because of Lucy.

And this year, with the Israel-Hamas war and the rising threat of antisemitism at home, there was an undercurrent of fear.

Its scarier to be in the place Jews go on Christmas, said Woghin, 49. But the pull of barbecue pork ribs won out.

For many American Jews, Christmas simply isn't Christmas without kung pao chicken and afternoon tickets to the latest holiday blockbuster.

For Twin Dragon, a 61-year-old landmark in the heart of Jewish L.A. and one of the oldest Chinese restaurants in the area, that makes Dec. 25 nothing short of the Super Bowl.

"It's the busiest day of the year," manager Amanda Tang said.

The Wren family has dinner at Twin Dragon on Christmas. (Michael Blackshire/Los Angeles Times)

The ritual emerged around the turn of the 20th century with Jews on New York's Lower East Side, around the same time as the Yiddish term for dining out, oysessen.

Back then, Chinese restaurants were some of the few eateries open on Christmas. Today, they're some of the hardest to get into, with restaurants from Flatbush, N.Y., to Fairfax booked solid for holiday meals.

The Chinese feast is not a universal Jewish custom. Relatively few Orthodox Jews observe it. Nor is it particularly widespread among L.A.'s large Persian, Israeli and Russian Jewish communities.

Still, red and white takeout carriers are now as much a part of Christmas in Los Angeles as tamales and artificial snow.

Read more: 'Always the darkest house on the street': What it's like to not celebrate Christmas in L.A.

Many non-Jews  including atheists, Buddhists and Christians too lazy to cook  also congregate at Chinese restaurants on the holiday.

Twin Dragon has neither the Michelin listing of Chengdu Taste nor the winking, in-on-the-joke kitsch of neighboring Genghis Cohen. Its most beloved dishes are Americanized favorites, its lion statues and elaborately painted pagoda facade at once charming and a little cringe.

But that's the point, adherents say. The key to a great Chinese meal on Christmas isn't authenticity, or exclusivity, or glamour  although fans insist their favorite has all of the above.

Older Angelenos are strictly loyal to their neighborhood spot, longtime residents said, whether Twin Dragon, Fu's Palace or a kosher Chinese eatery. In Pico-Robertson, the preference often stems from when someone put down roots in the area.

Most people who come to Twin Dragon on Christmas keep coming because they always have. They count their loyalty in decades. To paraphrase Tevye the Milkman, it's tradition.

"This is something we do every year," said Gaye Wren, whose extended family was gathered in Twin Dragon's dark, neon-trimmed dining room for an early lunch on Christmas Day. "It was their grandmother and great-grandmothers idea, since no one wanted to cook."

Like many patrons, Wren's family has been coming to the restaurant almost since it first opened in 1962. Family members travel from Inglewood, Glendale and Canoga Park. For about the last decade, they've made it their Christmas ritual as a Christian family, exchanging Secret Santa gifts and sharing their favorite dishes. Monday was one of their first Christmases without their beloved matriarch, Sandi Wren.

"Coming here has made it a favorite," said Gaye Wren's granddaughter, Jazmen Thomas, 28.

"And they're open," cut in her mother, Deanna Webb, 50.

"Its consistency in a world thats constantly changing," Thomas said.

That's also what brought Clifford Slobod, 81 and Kit Hudson, 77, for their annual Christmas meal of hot and sour soup and kung pao shrimp.

Clifford Slobod, 81, left, and Kit Hudson, 77, have lunch on Christmas Day at Twin Dragon. (Michael Blackshire/Los Angeles Times)

"Weve been coming here for 40 years," Slobod said.

While most patrons had come to take part in the tradition, others were surprised  and in some cases, modestly inconvenienced by it.

On Christmas Day, frustrated drivers circled the block for parking, a few abandoning their cars in the walkway alongside the disabled spot or directly in front of the curb to pick up takeout orders.

"We know it's a thing in New York, so we literally got here right at 11 when it opened," said LaKisha Tillman, 51. "We were the first to put in our order. People were already sitting inside, caterers picking up their orders. It's already busy."

Some found special significance in the ritual this year  particularly in a neighborhood where antisemitic incidents have surged since the Israel-Hamas war started.

At the same time, it was part of an irreverent and lighthearted tradition, following a Hanukkah season that was both religiously and politically fraught.

The holiday, which ended Dec. 15, celebrates Jewish victory in a war for control of Jerusalem more than 2,000 years ago. Its central miracle  the persistence of holy light through darkness  felt especially urgent to many amid the war in Gaza.

Many Jewish Angelenos shied away from public displays and celebrations out of fear of antisemitic violence, and several large public menorahs were vandalized or destroyed.

"Everything feels different this year," said Shuli Kupchan, who was dining at Twin Dragon with another Jewish family on Christmas Eve.

For her, the Christmas ritual is a way to connect with the majority without assimilating into it.

"Its our version of celebrating along with the rest of the world," the educator said. "Its a way of doing it without having a Christmas tree in our house."

Still others were adopting the custom anew.

"I've actually never done it before," said Jewish New Yorker Philip Santos Schaffer, who ate at Twin Dragon on Christmas Eve. "I'm reclaiming it."

What tied Woghin and the Gleims to the Wren family to the Kupchans was not a particular dish or a drink or a table, but an experience passed from one generation to the next.

On Christmas Eve, a few bewildered would-be diners loitered outside under the floodlights in the Twin Dragon parking lot, stomachs growling as they scanned the paper menu and waited for a free moment to put in their order.

Hazard lights twinkled in the darkness, the sounds of laughter and car horns mingling in the air as families spilled onto West Pico Boulevard, their arms laden with grease-stained cardboard boxes and a century of holiday tradition.

"We like to destroy a restaurant  it's our minhag," said Molly Hoffman of Eagle Rock, who had just dined with the Kupchan family, using the Hebrew word for a Jewish custom not rooted in religious law.

"It's something we did with our parents," her wife, Yael Zinkow, explained, as their daughter Norah Hoffman Zinkow, 2, flounced through the parking lot in her Elsa dress and teal crown, tired but delighted at the conclusion of yet another winter festival.

"Chag sameach!" the toddler called, waving happily to a stranger  happy holiday!

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Pine Ridge Nature Trail winds through forest and marsh on the Seney National Wildlife Refuge.

EASTERN UPPER PENINSULA  Conservation efforts in the EUP have been recognized with a prestigious statewide award.

The Chippewa Luce Mackinac Conservation District (CLMCD) was recently awarded the 2023 Conservation District of the Year award from the Michigan Association of Conservation Districts at the 2023 MACD Annual Convention at Shanty Creek Resort.

CLMCD is responsible for various environmental efforts across the Upper Peninsula, taking care of the three counties of parks, forests, trails and more. Conservation districts help in many ways, such as providing funding and resources, directly implementing conservation efforts and helping local groups and landowners connect with grants and other resources.

"We help local groups connecting them with larger programs and providing expertise in the various areas to help them accomplish their goals," said Mike McCarthy, executive director of the district.

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Pictured are the CLMCD staff and board of directors (from left) Pat Carr, Jacob Hartman, Louis Radecki, Megan Bertucci, Rich Hanna, Andrew Truax, Marquita Mullen, Chuck Cullip, Tom Allan, Mike McCarthy, Jane Bishop and Michael Hindy.

In total, 75 conservation districts exist in Michigan, most of them covering a single county of land. Covering all three counties of the EUP, CLMCD is the largest district in the state.

"Being such a large district definitely gives us a new perspective, but it also creates challenges. We have a larger variety of projects and landowners," said McCarthy.

The size of the district can also create logistical issues, such as driving across the district multiple times a day with only a few employees.

Founded in 1949 as the Chippewa Conservation District, it has grown over the years and became the CLMCD in 2012.

In the past 75 years, the district has provided more than $16 million in conservation program money to over 2,300 local landowners, supplied more than 1 million hours of technical assistance and planted nearly 10 million trees.

In 2023, the district implemented more than $2.6 million of conservation efforts with the help of over 50 partners. It was the first time the district has passed $1 million in conservation efforts in a single year.

"We had a lot of work done this year. Our work has helped funnel millions of extra dollars into Michigan," said McCarthy. "This is a big accomplishment for us."

 Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com

This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Chippewa Luce Mackinac Conservation District wins statewide award
A mother is accused of shooting her childs father and a woman he was with, killing her, during a Christmas Day custody exchange in the parking lot of a Walgreens, Florida deputies said.

On Dec. 20, two adults who share an 11-month-old baby were granted 50/50 joint custody of their child by a court in Putnam County, according to a Dec. 25 arrest report from the Alachua County Sheriffs Office.

The child was with the mother, so the parents arranged to meet in a Walgreens parking lot on Christmas Day in Gainesville to pass the baby to the father, deputies said.

McClatchy News is not identifying the parents to protect the identity of children involved.

The mother drove to a store near the Walgreens on Dec. 25 with the 11-month-old and four of her other children and stopped nearby, deputies said.

The mom handed her debit card and food stamp card to her oldest son in the car and gave him instructions on how to pay his cell phone bill, which the son told deputies she had never done before, according to the report.

She then drove the car to the Walgreens and pulled out a gun and cocked it while she waited for her childs father to arrive, deputies said.

The childs father then arrived in the parking lot in a car driven by another woman, according to the report. The mom had concluded the woman and her childs father had an affair for years, deputies said.

The mom got out of her car and walked up to the driver with a gun held behind her back, then shot into the car and hit her three times, deputies said.

The father climbed into the drivers seat to try and get away from the mother as she walked around the car before the mother also shot him three times, according to the report.

You made this happen! the woman shouted while shooting, deputies said in the report.

The mother ran back to her car where the five children were still sitting and drove off, deputies said.

A nearby Gainesville police officer heard the shots and started to follow her, soon joined by Alachua Sheriffs Office deputies and Alachua police, according to the report.

The mother drove for 13 miles as she was chased, reaching speeds of 100 mph, deputies said.

She was eventually stopped and taken into custody.

The childs father survived his gunshot wounds, but the woman with him died of her injuries, deputies said.

The mom was charged with premeditated murder, premeditated attempted murder and five counts of child neglect, according to arrest records.

Gainesville is about 110 miles northwest of Orlando.

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LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  A procession to honor Warren Whitney, Deputy Fire Chief for the Clark County Fire Department, paraded past his house Monday, officials said.

The Christmas Day procession was led by police motorcycles, department fire trucks, and ambulances and paraded past Whitneys house. Whitney, 53, had been with the department since 1995 and had served as firefighter, engineer, captain, and deputy fire chief, officials said.

CCFD Deputy Fire Chief Warren Whitney (Clark County)

According to CCFD officials, Warren, a founding Clark County Honor Guard member, was a long-time paramedic and served many years on the countys technical rescue team. Warren worked as a suppression captain and as a captain in charge of the training division, officials said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
Two children were killed in Haiti on Christmas Day by an armed group that has ramped up its campaign of violence despite having its leader sanctioned by both the United States and United Nations.

The children, both girls under age 10, were killed along with two adults when the gang, 400 Mawozo, carried out a deadly assault on Monday on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince in the Croix-des-Bouquets neighborhood, the United Nations said. Additionally, four family members were kidnapped.

The gang has been intensifying its attacks in communities east of the capital. The week before Christmas, at least five people were killed, including a mother and her child, in nearby Ganthier, according to the local daily, Le Nouvelliste. Residents told the newspaper that 400 Mawozo was behind the deaths, which were part of successive attacks being carried out by the gang in the sprawling area.

Bruno Maes, country director for UNICEF, said the U.N. child welfare agency is deeply shocked and outraged by the latest attacks, which have left behind a trail of unimaginable sorrow and despair.

We extend our deepest sympathy to the victims, families, and communities affected by these barbaric attacks, Maes said.

UNICEF has been increasingly sounding the alarm over Haitis unprecedented escalation in violence and its deadly impact on children. In gang-controlled areas, the places children rely on for protection and support including schools, health facilities and protection services  are increasingly coming under attack and leading to the deaths of children, Maes noted.

Major crimes, including intentional homicides and kidnappings, are escalating at an unprecedented rate, particularly in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince and the Artibonite department, he said. The national police recorded a staggering 1,239 homicides between July and September, compared to 577 in the same period the previous year. Abductions have surged to 701 victims, a shocking 244 percent increase.

The repeated attacks, and restricted access to aid workers are hampering UNICEFs ability to reach those most in need, said Maes.

UNICEF and others have repeatedly called for the protection of civilians, in particular children and women, and for the respect of international humanitarian law. Killing children is a grave violation of human rights, he added. UNICEF strongly urges all parties to stop attacks on children and their families and keep them out of harms way.

In recent weeks, 400 Mawozo has intensified its attacks, unleashing violence in Ganthier and other communities as it seeks to also move into territory controlled by its sometime ally and sometime rival, the Kraze Barye gang led by Vitelhomme Innocent.

Earlier this month, Innocent and Joseph Wilson, alias Lanmo San Jou, the leader of 400 Mawozo, were among four Haiti gang leaders named to a U.N. global sanctions list. They were also hit with economic sanctions by the U.S. Department of Treasury. Joseph and Innocent also have criminal indictments against them in the United States for their roles in the 2021 kidnapping of 16 American missionaries in Haiti.

In October, the U.N. Security Council approved the deployment of an armed security mission to Haiti led by Kenya. Despite being approved by the East African nations parliament, the effort has been stalled by a legal challenge brought by an opposition leader and former presidential candidate. Kenyas High Court in Nairobi has set a hearing for Jan. 26 to decide on the matter, including lifting its block preventing 1,000 Kenyan police officers from deploying to Port-au-Prince to assist the Haiti National Police as part of a Multinational Security Support Mission.
Two Republican lawmakers were targeted with attempted swatting incidents on Christmas Day. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.) both said that local police received a false report of an emergency situation at their homes.

I was just swatted. This is like the 8th time. On Christmas with my family here, Greene wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday morning. My local police are the GREATEST and shouldnt have to deal with this. I appreciate them so much and my family and I are in joyous spirits celebrating the birth of our savior Jesus Christ!

Our home was swatted this afternoon, Williams posted to X on Monday. Thanks to the Deputies and Troopers who contacted me before arriving. They left with homemade cookies and spiced nuts! Merry Christmas everyone!

Swatting is a practice where a person makes a false report to law enforcement in hopes of sending many armed officers to the targets door. Perpetrators will often use spoofing technology to hide their identity or make it appear that the call to first responders is coming from the victims phone. Swatting has become more frequent in recent years as it is used as a form of online harassment. In some instances, it has led to accidental deaths.

According to the Associated Press, a man located in New York phoned Georgias suicide hotline around 11 a.m. Monday. He alleged that he had shot and killed his girlfriend at Greenes address and was intending to kill himself. Police were notified and then reached out to Greenes private security to check that she was safe, and the officers turned around before reaching her home.

We determined before our personnel could get to her location that there was no emergency and there was no reason to respond, Madden said. Her security detail had it all under control, and there actually was nothing going on.

Greene has been targeted with attempted swatting eight times during the course of her congressional career, the Rome Police Department confirmed to the AP. She criticized the FBI for not being able to identify the individuals responsible, writing on X, The FBI cant seem to figure out who is responsible for the swatting and says the law doesnt allow them to track them down. The FBI can do so many things, has even abused FISA to spy on hundreds of thousands of Americans, but can not figure out who wants me killed by a hail of bullets fired by a SWAT team responding to murder suicide calls supposedly coming from me.

In August, a New York man was sentenced to three months imprisonment for making threatening phone calls to Greenes congressional office in 2022.

Around 2 p.m. on Monday, the Cayuga County Sheriffs office in central New York received a report of a reported confessed shooting incident at Williams home, said Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck, according to CNN.

This report was quickly confirmed to be false, Schenck added. An investigation is ongoing.

Swatting has become such a concern that the FBI launched a national database this year to track and hopefully prevent such incidents. The database is a collaborative effort between the FBI and law enforcement partners to track and create a real-time picture of swatting incidents, the bureau said in a statement. During May and June 2023, the FBI said it tracked 129 swatting incidents nationwide.

Swatting may be motivated by revenge, used as a form of harassment, or used as a prank, but it is a serious crime that may have potentially deadly consequences, the bureau said in a 2020 statement.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
In late August, amid a rising outcry over revelations that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas had received decades of undisclosed gifts and free luxury travel, a lawyer in Chicago fired off an email to her fellow former Thomas clerks.

Many of us have been asked recently about the justice, wrote the lawyer, Taylor Meehan. In response, theres not always the opportunity to tell his story and share what it was like to work for him. And theres rarely the opportunity for us to do so all together.

Meehan attached a letter in support of Thomas. Minutes later came a reply. I just had to jump up right away and say bravo for this, wrote Steven Bradbury, a Heritage Foundation fellow who served in the George W. Bush and Trump administrations. Within days, Fox News viewers were hearing about the letter, now signed by 112 former clerks and testifying that the justices integrity is unimpeachable. Among the signers was popular Fox News host Laura Ingraham.

Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times

In turn, the justices wife, conservative activist Virginia Thomas, soon took to the clerks private email Listserv. We feel less alone today, because of you all!!! she wrote, offering special thanks to the letters coordinators and all who stepped into our fire!!!

In the 32 years since Clarence Thomas came through the fire of his confirmation hearings and onto the Supreme Court, he has assembled an army of influential acolytes unlike any other  a network of like-minded former clerks who have not only rallied to his defense but carried his idiosyncratic brand of conservative legal thinking out into the nations law schools, top law firms, the judiciary and the highest reaches of government.

The former clerks public defense of Thomas was unparalleled in the history of the court, said Todd Peppers, a professor of public affairs at Roanoke College and the author of Courtiers of the Marble Palace: The Rise and Influence of the Supreme Court Law Clerk. Its frankly astonishing.

For Thomas, the letter came at a time of both trial and triumph. He had become the face of long-simmering questions about the high courts ethical guidelines. But he was also at the height of his influence. The courts senior justice, he had spent years on the losing side of cases, writing minority opinions grounded in his strict originalist interpretations of the Constitution. Now that former President Donald Trump had given the court a conservative supermajority, Thomas was a guiding voice for a new judicial mainstream.

He was playing a long game, and his former clerks were among its most important players. The Thomases did not respond to requests for comment, but in a 2008 interview, the justice said, I tell my law clerks that were not writing current events  were writing for a much longer period, adding that his opinions were based on principles that are locked down and that will be here when the tides turn in 50 years.

Now, the tides have turned, and at least 18 of those former clerks have served as state, federal or military judges, nearly three-fourths of them appointed by Trump to federal courts, where they have ruled on issues such as voting rights and access to the abortion pill. Roughly 10 others served in Trumps administration; nearly a dozen made his Supreme Court shortlists. Former Thomas clerks have argued, and won, several of the most momentous Supreme Court cases of recent years.

The network also includes a number of adopted clerks who never worked for Thomas but are invited to events and receive clerk communications. Among them are high-profile conservatives such as Leonard Leo, the judicial kingmaker of the Federalist Society; Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah; and Alex Azar, a Trump Cabinet secretary.

Supreme Court clerks are, by definition, the sort of ambitious lawyers likely to wield significant influence in their post-clerk lives. What makes Thomas clerks so remarkable, in large part, is their success as loyal standard-bearers of his singular ideology. Indeed, an examination of what the justice and his wife call Thomas Clerk World  based on interviews with people in and around it and a review of private emails and the Thomases public statements  shows how meticulously the couple have cultivated the clerk network over the decades.

It is common for justices to maintain close ties with their clerks, but Stephen McAllister, a former clerk who served as the United States attorney for Kansas during the Trump administration, said Thomas was quite extraordinary in terms of keeping in touch with his clerks, helping clerks and having everyone be in touch with each other.

The Thomases have tended to their network through monthly lunches at Mortons The Steakhouse or the Capital Grille in Washington, open to any alumni who happen to be in town. They have hosted clerks and their families at ski resorts and summer retreats, complete with inside jokes stenciled on T-shirts and swag bags with Thomas-themed challenge coins, stress balls and playing cards. The justice has encouraged camaraderie through group screenings of the film version of Ayn Rands manifesto of individualism, The Fountainhead, and pilgrimages to the Civil War battlefield at Gettysburg.

At the heart of the organizing is Virginia Thomas  jokingly designated law clerk emeritus  who manages the networks discourse as a sort of den mother. Hers has been a particularly active role for a Supreme Court spouse  overseeing production of a directory with a page for each clerk, as well as the email Listserv and a private Facebook group. All of it, she has said, is meant to build connective tissue across and throughout this amazing community of leaders.

Virginia Thomas, whose right-wing political activism has included involvement in efforts to overturn Trumps 2020 election defeat, has insisted that she and her husband operate in separate lanes. But some of her interactions with the clerk network show the degree to which theirs is, in fact, a shared ideological project. She cheered when Trump appointed members of the Thomas clerk roster as judges: Thank God, she told an interviewer, rattling off other appointments. He used to tell them, Youre going to be future leaders, its coming your way, youre going to be next. And now they are. Last year, she encouraged clerks to start an email thread in which participants shared articles celebrating the courts decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion.

The network has found its own ways to celebrate Thomas and his legacy. In 1998, one of the justices clerks hunted down and presented him with a memento from one of his first Supreme Court opinions: a mounted taxidermy lobster.

When Thomas speaks of his clerks, he tends to refer to them as his kids. As he put it in a talk a decade ago at Harvard Law School, I really love my clerks.

Trying to Train a Pig

For many years, Supreme Court clerkships were considered largely nonpartisan. Accomplishment  top grades, law review membership, recommendations  rather than ideology was the currency required to win one of the coveted jobs. Aspirants usually worked first for a feeder judge, one of a small group of prominent federal judges with close ties to the justices and track records of sending clerks to the high court. The justices did not uniformly select from Democratic- or Republican-appointed appeals court judges, and prospective clerks were expected to apply to all nine of them.

As the country has become more polarized, so, too, have the clerkship ranks. The current justices have overwhelmingly hired clerks from judges appointed by a president of the same party as the one who appointed them.

Thomas has fully embraced the trend. In 2010, The New York Times noted that all 84 of his clerks had trained with Republican-appointed appeals judges, and that pattern has largely continued in recent years.

Im not going to hire clerks who have profound disagreements with me  thats a waste of my time, Thomas said during an interview in Dallas in 1999. And someone said thats like trying to train a pig. It wastes your time and aggravates the pig.

Thomas, like his peers, typically hires four clerks per term, a process he has likened to selecting mates for a foxhole. He has often said he seeks clerks from modest backgrounds that mirror his own  who havent had the skids greased for them, arent jerks and show they have the horsepower to work long hours. Although many of his clerks come from elite law schools such as Harvard University, the University of Chicago and Yale University, he is known for making a point of venturing beyond this pool. He has hired from George Mason University in Virginia and the University of Kansas, both public schools, and church-affiliated schools such as Creighton University in Nebraska, where his wife studied law. He has spoken of four locker-room-style hooks on a door in his chambers with a sign reading, Hang egos here.

Justice Lewis Powell Jr., who died in 1998, famously said the court operated like nine separate law firms, each its own small world with the justice at the center. Thomas eagerly debates cases with his clerks. His clerks help review the thousands of petitions filed each year, summarizing the requests and making recommendations to grant or deny them, and they work with the justice on pending cases. For Supreme Court clerks, the relationships formed with justices are often described as familial, a club membership that lasts a lifetime.

The Thomas clerk network began to take shape early in the justices tenure on the court. Virginia Thomas used her grassroots-organizing skills to set up a newsletter and small discussion group for clerk spouses. The email Listserv emerged out of heartbreak. In 2010, Greg Coleman, a former clerk who had served as solicitor general of Texas, was killed in a plane crash. Virginia Thomas and Colemans widow, Stephanie, created the Thomas Clerk World Listserv so clerks could support one another.

At the Supreme Court, Virginia Thomas has hosted womens events and included past female clerks on the guest list. In 2013, she invited several to a luncheon about parenting challenges, headlined by a polarizing speaker: Gayle Trotter, a self-described liberty-loving and tyranny-hating conservative lawyer who had just gained notoriety for her congressional testimony that guns make women safer.

Congratulations for being on the IN list! Virginia Thomas wrote in an email.

The couples view of the clerks as family is on display in their glossy, photo-filled Christmas letters. The 2006 edition mentioned two gatherings of clerks, one of which celebrated Thomas first 15 years on the court. We LOVE this extended family, the Thomases wrote.

The 2015 letter showed the justice  in a leprechaun hat  at a Dallas gathering with his frequent benefactor, billionaire conservative donor Harlan Crow, who had hosted Clarences clerks for meetings, study and fun. Later that year, dozens of former clerks and their families traveled to Park City, Utah, for one of the networks retreats  multiday affairs that can include continuing-education courses taught by former clerks, sometimes with appearances by the justice.

As Thomas reached his 30th anniversary on the court in 2021, the Thomases hosted a clerk retreat at the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia. For one event, the clerks surprised the Thomases with a banner that read Liberty and Justice (Thomas) for All. So many people came to the retreat that a group photo was shot from a drone.

Seeding the Field

As a microcosm of the radiating power of the clerk network, consider the career of William Consovoy.

While studying law at George Mason in the early 2000s, Consovoy became enamored of Thomas originalist judicial thinking  a method of interpreting the Constitution that says judges must apply the Founding Fathers understanding of the text. After clerking for the justice in 2008, Consovoy carried that philosophy into battle on some of the signature legal questions of the day. The law firm he helped build before his death last winter, Consovoy McCarthy, has become a boutique go-to litigator for the right.

In 2013, Consovoy was a key member of the team that successfully challenged a central provision of the Voting Rights Act, a law from the civil rights era aimed at insulating Black Americans from attempts to dilute their voting power. The 5-4 ruling in the case, Shelby County v. Holder  with Thomas in the majority  largely gutted the legislation, clearing the way for nine states, mainly in the South, to change election laws without federal clearance. Shock waves from the case are still being felt, including in recent fights over voting maps in Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana. And last month, another Thomas clerk, David Stras, a Trump appointee to the appeals court in Minneapolis, wrote an opinion that could further weaken the Voting Rights Act. The ruling is almost certain to be appealed to the Supreme Court.

Consovoys work also built on Thomas harsh critique of affirmative action  that such programs stigmatized Black people while providing cover to failures to address the true needs of disadvantaged Americans and discriminated against other applicants. Consovoy worked on a case challenging race in college admissions, Fisher v. University of Texas, which began in 2008 and twice came before the Supreme Court. The case didnt succeed in ending affirmative action, but Consovoy would join conservative groups in mounting another attack, steering two challenges  at Harvard and at the University of North Carolina  to the Supreme Court. With Consovoy battling cancer, two of his law-firm colleagues argued the cases, both former Thomas clerks. Last June, the court struck down race-based admissions policies, with Thomas in the majority.

At Consovoy McCarthy, five partners are Thomas clerks. Overall, more than one-third of the justices clerks have become law partners, many helping lead influential firms such as Jones Day, Kirkland & Ellis and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

Although many Thomas clerks have gone on to teach, there are clusters at two schools that are centers of conservative legal scholarship: George Masons Scalia Law School and Notre Dame. Thomas, who has co-taught with several former clerks, has been a visiting professor at both schools.

He has filled the judiciary with his disciples, in far greater numbers than Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, recent justices with a similar length of service.

After clerking for Thomas, teaching at Scalia Law and serving in the Trump administration, Neomi Rao was appointed to the federal appeals court in Washington, considered a Supreme Court feeder. In 2019, she cast the lone dissenting vote on a three-judge panel that allowed congressional investigators to seek Trumps financial records.

In the New Orleans-based 5th Circuit, James Ho is one of the three judges who upheld part of a Texas decision to limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone. This month, the Supreme Court announced that it would hear the challenge to federal approval of the drug. That case follows on the heels of the courts striking down Roe v. Wade  in a case argued successfully by Mississippi Solicitor General Scott Stewart, a 2015 Thomas clerk.

When the Trump administration needed conservatives to fill key positions, it pulled from the Thomas network. Although they were hardly the only former Supreme Court clerks to sign on, the ideology nurtured by Thomas proved a fit with the administrations focus on executive power, skepticism of welfare and social benefits and pushback at gun regulation. A second Trump administration would probably again draw on the Thomas clerk roster.

Three Thomas clerks  Patrick Philbin, John Eisenberg and Kate Todd  became deputy White House counsels. Two more  Heath Tarbert and Sigal Mandelker  held high posts in the Treasury. Steven Bradbury had several jobs in the Transportation Department, including, briefly, acting secretary.

Jeffrey Wall, a 2004 clerk and star Supreme Court litigator while in private practice, served as principal deputy solicitor general and then acting solicitor general in the Trump administration, where he argued on behalf of Trumps travel ban and his plan to include immigration status on the 2020 census.

In October, back in private practice, Wall argued an admiralty case that focused on a yacht that had run aground. The ethics questions surrounding Thomas were in full flare.

During oral arguments, Thomas jokingly asked if the yachts engines still worked after the accident.

Later, during his rebuttal, Wall answered: Justice Thomas, to your central question, the boat is available for sale online if you have a half-million dollars.

The courtroom filled with laughter.

Deploying the Network

In February 1998, Christopher Landau, a Thomas clerk in both the appeals and Supreme courts, wrote to a Virginia man named Angelo Cordova. Landau was hoping to buy a lobster.

Several years earlier, writing one of his first Supreme Court opinions in a case that dealt with the standard courts should apply when reviewing states criminal convictions, Thomas had rejected the appeal of a man who had burglarized the Cordova familys summer home. Among the stolen items was the crustacean in question, a lobster from the Philippines, preserved, stuffed and mounted.

The Cordovas gladly handed over the lobster, which Landau presented to Thomas, to his amusement, at a clerk reunion.

Thomas has frequently said he promises his clerks that they will leave their jobs with clean hands, clean hearts and clean consciences. Over the years, the clerks have not only bestowed tokens of loyalty such as the lobster  several clerks also bought him batteries for his recreational vehicle  but defended him and his legacy in trying times. When two Wall Street Journal reporters published a bestseller in 1994 detailing sexual harassment allegations against the justice and the politics of his confirmation, two former clerks  Ingraham and Stephen Smith  defended him in The Washington Post. The autumnal pounding of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has resumed, they wrote, adding, The maligning of him as a person has been both heart-wrenching and frustrating.

When allegations surfaced in 2016 that Thomas had groped a woman during a 1999 dinner party, his former clerk Carrie Severino wrote in National Review, I look forward to the day when the Left has had enough of trying to destroy this worthy and admirable man.

In the wake of an HBO series that year dramatizing the confirmation hearings, some members of the clerk network began working on a flattering documentary film and book project, aimed at portraying the real Clarence Thomas, in the words of Mark Paoletta, an adopted clerk who helped with the project.

In recent years, fissures have formed in the network.

The conflicts came to the fore after Virginia Thomas and John Eastman, a 1996 clerk, attended the Stop the Steal rally on Jan. 6, 2021. Eastman, who spoke at the rally, was a chief architect of the scheme to create slates of fake electors and pressure Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to certify the election. (Virginia Thomas broader activism to overturn the election would emerge later.)

In a message to the Listserv, first reported by The Washington Post, Eastman said he would continue to challenge the election, writing: Rest assured that those of us involved in this are working diligently to ascertain the truth.

That provoked a sharp rebuke from Smith, a law professor at Notre Dame. If by truth you mean what actually happened, as opposed to a false narrative, then I agree, he wrote. Others spoke up, too.

Virginia Thomas later apologized. Even as she bemoaned the loss of the election, she wrote, Lets pledge to not let politics divide THIS family, and learn to speak more gently and knowingly across the divide.

That wasnt the end of the discussion. After the California State Bar announced an ethics investigation of Eastman in March 2022, Wendy Stone Long, a 1997 clerk, wrote to the Thomas network.

Dear Clerk Family, John Eastman is being put through a sham disbarment proceeding by the bar of the state of California, she wrote, encouraging fellow clerks to speak out on his behalf and providing a link to donate to his defense fund.

She added a postscript warning the group not to leak the email. This family was created by Ginni and CT, and you are hurting them more than anyone if you assault the integrity and sanctity of it, she wrote. We can disagree over issues, but we are a family, and CT has told us to help each other and look after each other.



Thomas Clerk World

Justice Clarence Thomas has filled the legal world with scores of his former clerks, acolytes who have carried forward his idiosyncratic brand of conservatism and rallied to his defense. Over the years, others have been adopted into their fold even though they didnt clerk for Thomas. This is a sampling of some of the roles they have held, which shows the justices far-reaching influence.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

The Trump administration stocked its ranks with numerous appointees from the Thomas clerk roster.

Mark Paoletta

Former general counsel, Office of Management and Budget (adopted clerk)

Christopher Landau

Former ambassador to Mexico

Patrick Philbin

Former deputy White House counsel

LAW PROFESSORS

Many clerks have gone on to academia. Several have co-taught classes with Thomas.

John Yoo

Professor, University of California, Berkeley, law school

Peter Rutledge

Dean, University of Georgia School of Law

John Eastman

Former dean, Chapman Universitys law school

CONSERVATIVE ORGANIZATIONS

Former and adopted clerks are leaders of influential conservative groups.

Leonard Leo

Co-chair, Federalist Society (adopted clerk)

Carrie Severino

President, Judicial Crisis Network

GOVERNMENT

Many clerks and adopted clerks serve in the federal and state governments.

Scott Stewart

Solicitor general, Mississippi

Mike Lee

U.S senator, Utah (adopted clerk)

LAW FIRM PARTNERS

More than one-third of the clerks have gone on to become law partners, often at influential firms.

Taylor Meehan

Partner, Consovoy McCarthy

William Consovoy

Founder, Consovoy McCarthy (deceased)

FEDERAL JUDGES

At least 18 former clerks have gone on to serve as state, federal or military judges.

David Stras

8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

Kathryn Kimball Mizelle

U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida

Gregory G. Katsas

U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

Neomi Rao

U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

James C. Ho

5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

TELEVISION HOST

One of Thomas first clerks went on to become a popular TV personality.

Laura Ingraham

Fox News host

c.2023 The New York Times Company
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A boy stands among the rubble of buildings destroyed in an Israeli bombing at Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza Strip, on Nov. 13, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

At least 20,674 Palestinians were killed, and 54,536 others wounded in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict since Oct. 7, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said Monday.

In the past 24 hours, 250 Palestinians have died in the 25 air and ground operations launched by Israeli forces across the enclave, the ministry said.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned Israel for disregarding international calls for a halt of the military offensive against Palestinian civilians and for restraining settler militias.

Meanwhile, the ministry emphasized the need for a United Nations Security Council ceasefire resolution to be adopted to allow for a safe and speedy delivery of aid and ensure the security of Palestinian civilians.
A New York Times report describes close relationships Clarence Thomas maintains with former clerks.

The former clerks have sometimes given the Supreme Court justice gifts, the report says.

The gifts, according to the Times, have included batteries for the justice's RV.

A New York Times report describes close relationships Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas maintains with his former clerks  and says he's even gotten some gifts out of it.

The Times report, published Sunday, said that Thomas had built a tight-knit network of his former clerks and that his relationships with them have kept them loyal, defending him as he's come under scrutiny over his ties to billionaires and gifts he's failed to disclose.

The report said Thomas had stayed in touch with his clerks over the years by arranging monthly lunches at Morton's The Steakhouse or another restaurant as well as trips to places like Gettysburg's Civil War battlefield.

Those favors haven't gone unreturned. For example, the report says, one of Thomas' former clerks procured and gifted Thomas a taxidermy lobster in 1998 from a Virginia man whose summer home had been burglarized; the lobster was one of the stolen items. Thomas had years earlier rejected the appeal of a man involved in the burglary.

The report said that over the years other clerks also presented Thomas with gifts, like batteries for the justice's RV, as tokens of loyalty.

Stephen McAllister, a former clerk, told the Times that Thomas was "quite extraordinary in terms of keeping in touch with his clerks, helping clerks and having everyone be in touch with each other."

The report suggests those relationships have persisted even amid reporting that Thomas has gone on lavish vacations with billionaires and accepted gifts he failed to disclose, inviting concerns about the lack of a clear ethics code at the nation's highest court.

A ProPublica report in August found that the justice had received gifts including at least 38 vacations, 26 private-jet flights, and private stays at luxury resorts, some of which he failed to disclose.

Some Democratic lawmakers have advocated scrutiny of whether Thomas' undisclosed gifts were "in defiance of his duty under federal law." Thomas has denied any wrongdoing, and, as the Times reported, his network has stood by him.

After ProPublica published its report in August, over 100 of Thomas' former clerks signed an open letter defending him. "We all saw with our own eyes the same thing: His integrity is unimpeachable," they said.

"We are proud to have been his clerks and to remain his friends," they wrote, "and we unequivocally reject attacks on his integrity, his character, or his ethics."

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LEON VALLEY, Texas (KXAN)  A CLEAR Alert was issued Monday for an 18-year-old girl who was last seen on Friday afternoon.

The Leon Valley Police Department is searching for Savanah Soto, who was last seen at 2 p.m. on Dec. 22 in the 6000 Block of Grissom Rd, Leon Valley, TX, in a Gray, 2013, Kia Optima bearing TX TEMP TAG 4289D57.

What is a CLEAR Alert, and when is it issued?

Leon Valley on the northwestern side of San Antonio and is part of the San Antonio-New Braunfels metropolitan statistical area.

Soto is described as a white female, 18 years old, with brown hair and brown eyes, 501 in height, and 115 lbs.

CLEAR-Alert-Activation-Leon-Valley-PD-Soto-English-FlyerDownload

Law enforcement officials believe this persons disappearance poses a credible threat to their own health and safety.

If you have any information regarding Soto, contact the Leon Valley Police Department at 210-812-3259.

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In 2008, Hillary Clinton had the good sense to not float the idea that her then-top rival, Barack Obama, serve as her vice president until after the Chicago senator had proven himself at the ballot box. Donald Trump is so threatened by his top rival, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, he couldnt wait for the first primary to begin floating the idea of Haley as his running mate.

The clicky-clack of Haleys high heels still seem to be ringing louder in Trumps ears by the day. Just think about how scared Trump must be to risk giving the Haley campaign even more oxygen  and more positive headlines  by letting it be known he is considering her as a running mate. Haleys recent rise in the polls, including strong numbers in New Hampshire and growing momentum in Iowa, has so caught the attention of Trump, hes asking people outside of his campaign What do you think of Nikki? according to Politico.

Thats despite Trump maintaining a stranglehold on the party and the polls. While Haleys rise is real, she remains 15 percentage points down to Trump in New Hampshire and further behind overall. Trump remains a favorite to win the South Carolina GOP primary. Besides, theres little evidence Trumps base would ever choose anyone else or that Trump or Trump voters would simply accept results that dont show him victorious. Its the ultimate dilemma for establishment Republicans enamored by Haley. They see why shed be a formidable general election candidate against President Joe Biden, as well as a way for the party to move beyond Trump. They also know what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, and likely understand better than most that pushing Trump aside would lead to a Republican Civil War. Since 2016, theyve benefited from the fire of the MAGA base but know if they arent careful they can be burned by it in 2024.

Thats what makes Trumps inquiries about a Haley vice presidency intriguing. The party remains in his pocket despite, or maybe because of, dozens of criminal indictments, the Nazi-era rhetoric hes been spouting about immigrants, and his declaration of becoming a dictator (if only for one day, wink wink) if he recaptures the White House. His base has proven it is willing to violently attack the heart of our democracy on his behalf. And yet, he cant stop thinking about Haley.

In 2008, Clinton understood Obama was a real threat, but maybe not until after he broke through by winning the Iowa caucuses and earning more delegates and votes during the primary season than she had amassed. With Haley, it is for now just the promise of a threat, though I think a real one. She hasnt earned a single primary vote, because not one has been cast. She hasnt been tested on a stage next to Trump, because hes been too scared to show up for any of the early debates. All she has is good vibes, increasing poll numbers and a growing number of positive headlines.

Or maybe Trump sees what I see, that a woman of color could not become governor of a state like South Carolina without immense political talent. Maybe thats why his base, including former Fox News star Tucker Carlson and former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon, is unnerved by all this Haley talk. Trump was supposed to cake walk to a third consecutive GOP presidential nomination, and now this woman from rural South Carolina is at least challenging what was supposed to be a foregone conclusion.

I want to see neither Trump nor Haley in the White House in any capacity, though I understand that Haley is less of a clear-and-present threat to our democracy than Trump. But it is beyond obvious that Haley has done what not many thought could be done: provide a real alternative to the would-be GOP king.

Issac Bailey is a North and South Carolina opinion writer for McClatchy.
Climate change in pictures: 2023 was a year of deadly weather, protest crackdowns and historic deals

This year is almost certain to be the hottest on record, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service.

In November, Earth briefly crossed the 2C of global warming line for the first time. While temperatures have to be higher for a sustained period to breach the Paris Agreement limit of 1.5C officially, it is still a worrying milestone to have reached.

And our changing climate is having devastating consequences for people around the world.

A security guard wearing an electric fan on his neck wipes his sweat on a hot day in Beijing, Monday, July 3, 2023. - AP Photo/Andy Wong

This summer, extreme heat and dry weather in Europe saw hundreds of firefighters battle fires in Greece. On the island of Rhodes, one fire burned for days forcing holidaymakers and local people to flee.

In the end, the Greek wildfires were declared the largest ever seen in the EU, burning an area of around 190,200 hectares and releasing the same amount of CO2 as 500,000kg of coal.

Flames burn a forest during wildfires near the village of Sykorrahi, near Alexandroupolis, Greece in August this year. - AP Photo/Achilleas Chiras

Flooding and rainstorms rocked Europe this year too, bringing deadly consequences across Italy, Slovenia and much of central Europe.

Storm Adrian was followed by Storm Babet, then Ciaran and Daniel. Each turning roads into rivers and causing devastating damage to people's homes.

People make their way across a flooded street in Flensburg, Germany in October as Storm Babet causes havoc. - Axel Heimken / AFP

2023's climate news has also been dominated by El Nino. This oceanic and atmospheric phenomenon sees a warming of the ocean surface and above-average sea temperatures in the Pacific Ocean.

A ferry boat travels through a section of the Amazon River affected by a severe drought, near Manacapuru, Brazil in September. - AP Photo/Edmar Barros

But it has consequences worldwide. South America has been hard hit by drought and floods from El Nino. And in Central America, water levels have been so low in the Panama Canal that restrictions on the number of ships that could pass through had to be put in place.

Cargo ships wait in Panama Bay for their transit through the Panama Canal in September. - AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco

As one of the world's busiest shipping routes, it has disrupted supply chains around the world as ships wait to pass through the canal.

Heavy rain has brought deadly flooding in parts of Africa. A relentless downpour that started in October has brought death, destruction and displacement to people across Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.

Residents cross a road damaged by El Nino rains in Tula, Tana River county in Kenya in November. - AP Photo/Brian Inganga

As temperature records were smashed, Europe started to crack down on protesters taking to the streets to call out government inaction on climate change.

Across the continent, from France and Germany to Sweden and the Netherlands, authorities have responded with mass arrests, repressive new laws and harsh sentences for non-violent protests.

Police officers carry Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg (C) out of a group of demonstrators and activists in Erkelenz, western Germany in January. - Christoph Reichwein / dpa / AFP

Perhaps the most famous climate activist of all, Greta Thunberg has been in court several times this year after being detained at protests in Germany, Sweden and the UK.

In the UK, two Just Stop Oil activists were handed lengthy jail time after they scaled a bridge in Kent.

Morgan Trowland climbed the QEII bridge back in October 2022 but faced jail time this year. - Just Stop Oil

Marcus Decker and Morgan Trowland's sentencing prompted criticism from the UN over the right to protest - but Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hit back, saying "selfish protesters" should feel the full force of the law.

And finally, this record-breaking year saw a "historic" deal struck at the COP28 UN climate conference that may finally signal the beginning of the end for fossil fuels.

Activist Ina-Maria Shikongo takes photos during a demonstration to end fossil fuels at COP28. - AP Photo/Peter Dejong

After days of tense negotiating, a deal was agreed with no objections on the morning of 13 December. It came as a bit of a shock to everyone following along - and many were sceptical about the progress made - but the relief in the room was tangible.

United Nations Climate Chief Simon Stiell embraces COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber, right, after the final gavel. - AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili

Here we see controversial COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber hugging UN climate chief Simon Stiell after the gavel came down on the deal.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The U.S. Coast Guard was searching for a 46-year-old kayaker who went missing near St. Augustine over the weekend, but has since suspended its search after a day, according to a press release.

A group of kayakers first reported Eiffel Gilyana went missing just before 10:40 a.m. on Saturday near the ocean side of the North Jetties in St. Augustine on Saturday, according to the Seventh Coast Guard District.

#FinalUpdate: The @USCG has suspended the search for a missing kayaker near St. Augustine Inlet, Florida, Sunday.

Missing is 46-year-old Eiffel Gilyana, who went missing near the ocean side of the North Jetties in St. Augustine, Saturday.

Press release: https://t.co/3bwDFsP5Mp pic.twitter.com/8z04rV1V8G  USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) December 24, 2023

"Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends affected by this tragic event," said Commander Nick Barrow, search and rescue coordinator of the Coast Guard Sector in Jacksonville. "This was an intensive search with the hope of finding Mr. Gilyana. I want to thank our partners from the city of St. Augustine, St. Johns County, Florida Fish and Wildlife and Customs and Border Protection for their contributions to this unified effort."

Photo: U.S. Coastguard Southeast

The search for Gilyana included about 341 square miles and 90 asset hours, officials said. Weather conditions in the area featured 4- to 6-foot seas with 10-knot winds. There was also a rip current advisory in effect. Gilyana went missing without a life jacket, officials said.

Photo: U.S. Coastguard Southeast

Anyone with information regarding the search for Gilyana is urged to contact the Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville at 904-714-7561.
New College of Florida will host daily tours of the Ellen and Ralph Caples Estate starting Feb. 5 as part of a Historic Preservation Campaign.

New College of Florida will host tours of the Ellen and Ralph Caples Estate,351 Caples Drive, Sarasota from Feb. 5 to March 2 to kick off a campuswide Historic Preservation Campaign.

The Mediterranean Revival-style mansion was constructed in the 1920s and is part of the Caples-Ringling Estates Historic District in Sarasota, which includes the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, the John Ringling's Ca' d'Zan mansion, the Powel Crosley Estate, the Edith and Charles Ringling residence, and the Hester Ringling Lancaster Sandford residence. It still features many original construction and design elements that were preserved during recent interior renovations.

The primary purpose of the campaign  coordinated by Joyce and Jeff Hart in conjunction with the New College Foundation  is preservation, awareness and enhancement of all historic sites and building on the New College campus.

The history surrounding New Colleges most iconic buildings is a defining part of its identity and contributes to the bond between the college and the Sarasota community, New College President Richard Corcoran said. The Harts vigor for historic preservation and sharing their knowledge and love for these landmark structures is commendable, and these tours will be important for our ongoing efforts to preserve the significant pieces of history entrusted to us.

Ralph Caples was a friend and business associate of the Ringling brothers and played a leading role in Sarasotas development, including bringing the railroad to the area. Ellen Caples bequeathed the estate to New College in 1962. In 1971, New College used it to create the Caples Campus.

The Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation named the Caples mansion on its Six to Save Program list of historic buildings in 2021 and continues to advocate for its preservation.

"It's worth whatever it takes, it's a really important building," Alliance vice president Dave Baber said. "If you understand the importance of how historic buildings contribute to the character and the soul of a community and you know this building you would absolutely say it's worth whatever it takes. It's kind of a small version of Ca' d'Zan really."

Other historically significant structures on the campus include the Charles Ringling Mansion, Cook Hall, the Pei Dorms, Four Winds Cafe, and Robertson Hall.

The Harts own J. Hart Interior Design. Joyce currently sits on the city of Sarasotas Historic Preservation Board and is a past board member of the Alliance for Historic Preservation.

After more than a decade of requests, we are grateful to President Corcoran for granting us permission to open the mansion to the public, the Harts said in a statement. As graduates of Ringling College of Art and Design, and along with 12 other local designers, we get to combine our passion for restoring and showcasing historic homes and bring the rooms of the historic mansion to life again.

Baber said historic buildings such as the Caples Estate help communities like Sarasota stand out during a time of heavy development.

"If we're not careful they are just going to overwhelm the city and we are going to lose that special feeling, character and comfort that Sarasota has," he said. "That's what the historic buildings do. They express the character and soul of the community."

A ribbon cutting will take place on Feb. 4 from 3-5 p.m. Daily tours will be available Feb 5 to March 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed on Sundays). The admission fee is $25 with all proceeds benefitting the New College Historic Preservation Fund. For event sponsorships and more information, visit ncf.edu/alumni/caplestour, call 941-487-4800 or email foundation@ncf.edu.

Submitted by Nate March

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: New College of Florida launching Historic Preservation Campaign
If traveling to or from Colorado the day after Christmas, you will definitely want to plan ahead as much of the eastern half of the state is under some kind of weather warning causing the closure of many roads.

Here's the latest on the storm:

Fort Collins under a high wind warning

The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning for the city, the foothills west and south of the city and east to Sterling and Fort Morgan until midnight Tuesday.

Northwest wind 35 mph to 45 mph, gusting to 65 mph will take place over the warned area.

For Fort Collins specifically, northwest winds of 38 mph gusting to 55 mph are forecast through Tuesday night. No snow is forecast for Fort Collins and the surrounding area. The wind will largely subside by Wednesday.

That will create hazardous driving conditions in the form of blowing dust and snow and the threat to high profile vehicles of blowing over, especially on Interstate 25.

Blizzard warning for the Eastern Plans, impacting I-70, I-76

The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning until 5 a.m. Wednesday for the far Eastern Plains stretching from Julesburg to Akron to Castle Rock and Limon east to the Kansas state line.

Travel should be restricted to emergencies only, the weather service warned.

Additional snow accumulation of 2 to 7 inches is possible and wind gusts to 60 mph will make driving extremely dangerous to due to snow and blowing snow creating slick roads and low visibility.

Many roads are closed on the Eastern Plans, including I-70 from Denver to the Kansas line and I-76 to the Nebraska state line.

I-70 reopened as of Wednesday morning but I-76 remained closed east from Brush.

I-80 is open but from Cheyenne east to the Nebraska state line there is a blizzard warning with snowfall, strong wind and blowing snow creating low visibility and slick road in spots.

For Colorado travel conditions, visit the Colorado Department of Transportation's cotrip.com or call 511.

For Wyoming travel conditions, visit https://wyoroad.info/ or call 511.

DIA flights

If flying, make sure to check with your airlines before you head to Denver International Airport.

As of 8 a.m. Tuesday (Dec. 26), there were 64 flight delays and 18 cancellations at the airport, according to FlightAware.com.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Snow, strong wind causing major Christmas travel headaches in Colorado
A woman wears a long strand of beads that assist her in keeping track of her prayer recitations on Dec. 8 at Abubakar Assidiq Islamic Center on Columbus' West Side.

A father hurries his children along as they rush to make it on time to Asr, or afternoon prayers, at the Abubakar Assidiq Islamic Center on Columbus' West Side. One of the little girls with him, wearing a black hijab, hurries along at his heels as they rush down the wide hallway and disappear into the crowd.

Soon after, an elderly man shuffles into the lobby of the mosque, donning his traditional Islamic robe and prayer cap, along with a cane in his right hand. As he makes his way to the red and yellow tape on the ground instructing worshippers to remove their shoes before entering the prayer rooms area, he utters a soft "Assalam alaikum" to other nearby worshippers.

"Wa alaikum as-salum," or "and may peace be upon you," they respond in unison.

The Abubakar Assidiq Islamic Center has established itself as a pillar within the Islamic community in Greater Columbus. As the mosque heads toward its 10-year anniversary in October 2024, its leaders and members  especially its young adult members  say they look forward to assisting the Greater Columbus Islamic community in building a stronger relationship with their faith and spirituality.

"Our mission is to provide a peaceful and family-oriented Islamic atmosphere, based on the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) with the understanding of the Salaf (pious predecessors) for all Muslims. It is also to provide the necessary Islamic education for our community in general and particularly for our youth," the center proclaims on their website.

Women and children wait for a prayer session to begin Dec. 8, 2023, at Abubakar Assidiq Islamic Center on Columbus' West Side.

As others remove their footwear and prepare to perform the wudu ritual, where they cleanse themselves before entering the prayer rooms, they talk, laugh, and catch up with each other and the events in their lives that have transpired since the previous Friday.

Inside one of the prayer rooms for the women, young girls and older women sit and pass the time as they wait for the prayer session to start. Other worshippers are catching up on their verses from the Quran, the faith's holy book.

The center started off more than nine years ago as a community endeavor by those who saw a vision for Muslims to congregate and establish close-knit bonds. For many, it was a way for immigrants to integrate as they adjusted to a new land, a new culture, and a new community.

A small storefront and a growing need

Prayer books and copies of the Quran are seen Dec. 8, 2023, at Abubakar Assidiq Islamic Center on Columbus' West Side.

Like other mosques in Columbus, the Abubakar Assidiq Islamic Center grew from a group of people who found themselves fulfilling a growing need as the Islamic community in the city has grown. While it is difficult to confirm the population growth since it's not data that the U.S. Census tracks, in 2014 the Pew Research Center estimated the Muslim population of Ohio at approximately 1% of the state's population.

But given the age of the data, this is more than likely an undercount. The Council on Islamic Relations (CAIR) Ohio chapter estimates that the state's Muslim population is closer to around 2%, with 100,000 Muslims living in Greater Columbus alone.

Somali Americans make up a majority of the local Muslim population, and Ohio has the second largest Somali population in the United States at between 45,000 and 50,000 residents, according to estimates from the Somali Community Association of Ohio. Minnesota has the highest population, with almost 65,000.

The Columbus area has about 20 mosques, with some serving a few thousand members to smaller ones with a few hundred members, said Imran Malik, the interfaith and outreach coordinator for Noor Islamic Cultural Center in Dublin, in an email to The Dispatch.

The Abubakar Assidiq Islamic Center sits on 10 acres of land and is just over 30,000 square feet.

The Abubakar Assidiq mosque started out in 2004 in a small storefront at 3437 Sullivant Ave. in the Hilltop area. Ten years later, in order to accommodate the growing Islamic community in Columbus, the group launched an ambitious fundraising campaign to open the current mosque at 591 Industrial Mile Road, located off the north side of Sullivant Avenue just east of the Interstate 270 western outerbelt.

The current mosque has more than 30,000 square feet of space and sits on approximately 10 acres of land. About 7,000 worshippers attend every week, according to Horsed Nooh, director of the Abubakar Assidiq Islamic Center.

"The community came together and approved the idea to start a mosque. Before, this place was empty," Nooh said.

While many worshippers who attend live within Greater Columbus, there are also transient worshippers who while visiting or traveling from other places stop at the mosque to fulfill their five daily prayers, Nooh said.

The center also offers Quran study, social services and youth activities, and interfaith activities to teach others about the life and culture of Islam.

Young members see mosque as second home: 'We didn't feel alone'

Women watch a prayer session in a room separate from men on Dec. 8, 2023, at Abubakar Assidiq Islamic Center on Columbus' West Side.

While the elders within the Abubakar Assidiq mosque have laid the foundation, the young adult members who frequent the mosque have developed their leadership skills and sense of community under the tutelage of their mentors and each other.

For some, like Miriam Elie, 21, whose family came to Columbus from Egypt in 2014, the mosque has become a place of refuge and was vital in helping her family integrate into the community.

"For me, the mosque has been a special place, near and dear to my heart," Elie said. "It's always been nurturing. It took care of us. We had people who would help us with anything that we need."

Elie said the Islamic center helped her family adjust to their new life in the United States, providing socialization and community building. Many of the friends she's made since arriving in Columbus almost a decade ago are also regular attendees at the mosque.

"We didn't feel alone. We didn't feel isolated," Elie said.

People retrieve their shoes after attending a Dec. 8 prayer service at Abubakar Assidiq Islamic Center.

Fowzia Mohamud, 24, said the Abubakar Assidiq Islamic Center has provided young adults such as herself with a "nurturing environment" filled with mentors to guide them through life's challenges. Fowzia's parents have regularly attended events held by the mosque.

"The community has given us a nurturing environment that has cultivated us and helped us build our futures," she said.

Mohamud and her peers have also taken charge in addressing topics such as gun violence and drug use within the community, and have also held conversations about preserving the Muslim identity amid Western culture. She expressed optimism in the continuing community support among youth.

"I see the community growing even stronger, and together, continuing to solve the many problems that we face, especially with the youth."

@ShahidMeighan

smeighan@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Abubakar Assidiq Islamic Center grew from storefront, community need
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhniy announced in a press conference on December 26th that Russia could do to Avdiivka in two to three months what it did to Bakhmut, and will be strategic about its defense.

Read also: Russians persist in attempting to encircle Avdiivka  General Staff

He noted that Ukraine values every piece of its land, but the Ukrainian Armed Forces will defend Avdiivka as long as they have the strength to do so.

"If there are not enough forces, it is better to save people. Of course, we will make such a decision and save people, and then we will win it back," said Zaluzhny.

He added that the defense of Avdiyivka will depend on the situation at the front, but urged not to make a " show" out of it.

Russian troops stepped up their offensive on Avdiivka on October 10th and have been continuously assaulting the city since then.

Read also: North Korea provides over a thousand containers of military equipment to Russia

In November, Zaluzhny said that during the month of active assaults on Avdiivka in the Donetsk region, the aggressor country of the Russian Federation took about 10,000 casualties.

According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, the occupiers are losing soldiers and equipment near Avdiivka "faster and more extensively than, in particular, near Bakhmut."

Read also: Russian troops alter approach in grueling Avdiivka fighting as losses mount, says local governor

However, the occupiers did not change their intentions on the city. On December 20, the military reported from the front line that the occupiers wanted to cut the " road of life" that leads to Avdiivka.

On December 25, the Defense Forces said that the troops of the aggressor country Russia in the Avdiyivka area were losing 300-400 people and "a lot" of military equipment every day. At the same time, Ukrainian forces are steadily maintaining their defenses and raising reserves.

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
Ourside, which helps youngsters in Worcester, was among the organisations awarded funding

Community groups across the West Midlands are among hundreds in England to get part of a 76m government package aimed at helping vulnerable people.

Organisations benefiting include SHAPE Birmingham, which offers shelter to homeless young women.

Bosses said they were facing an increased need for their services due to rises in the cost of living and in running costs of the hostel.

The funding, worth more than 35,000, would help them hire a part-time worker and support more women, they said.

The projects to get some of the money from the Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund (CCLF) include those tackling food poverty and homelessness as well as offering financial support to families.

Many groups in the region said they have seen increased demand as vulnerable families struggle this winter.

Carly Elwell, chair and trustee of Ourside, which helped support young people in Worcester, said the organisation was over the moon after being given 11,000.

"It's so nice as a small charity to be recognised," she said. "It gave us massive warm feelings and everyone was really chuffed."

Ourside said the money would make a difference

Carriers of Hope in Coventry, which supports refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants, was handed 75,000.

Interim chief executive Andrew Sayers said the money would help its food bank which had grown more expensive to run.

"The cost of food has really dramatically gone up," he said. "I'm sure everyone will recognise that."

Other groups to receive money include 75,000 for Worcester Community Trust and 72,260 for Wolverhampton Youth Zone.

Staffordshire South West Citizens Advice Bureau was granted 75,000 and there was 50,000 for Telford Crisis Support.

The funds from the CCLF were awarded by the National Lottery Community Fund.

Were proud to be distributing government funding to enable front line projects in England," said the fund's chief executive David Knott.

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, X, and Instagram, Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk
 Flash

People walk past damaged buildings after an Israeli airstrike in Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Dec. 10, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

China will continue to work with all parties to enhance coordination and galvanize more responsible and meaningful actions in the UN Security Council for an early cessation of hostilities in Gaza, the implementation of the two-state solution and peace and stability in the Middle East, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks when asked to comment on Resolution 2720, which was passed by the UN Security Council with 13 votes in favor and two abstentions last Friday, calling for urgent action to expand humanitarian assistance to Gaza and creating the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities.

Mao said that China voted in favor of Resolution 2720, which is the second resolution adopted by the Security Council since the start of the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict. She also added that the resolution does not quite come up to international expectations and has certain gaps that needed to be filled.

Mao said as the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict has killed and injured tens of thousands of civilians and the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, China has urged for the resolution to be implemented effectively, humanitarian assistance to be expanded and a monitoring mechanism to be established as soon as possible.

Realizing a ceasefire remains the absolute priority and prerequisite for everything else, Mao said. China will continue to work with all parties to enhance coordination and galvanize more responsible and meaningful actions in the Security Council to make relentless efforts for an early cessation of hostilities in Gaza, the implementation of the two-state solution and peace and stability in the Middle East, she added.
Tea lights on a table at the Salvation Army Harbor House in Columbia represent the 23 unsheltered residents who died over the last year.

As the winter solstice brought the longest and darkest night of the year Thursday, so did it bring out the Columbia community to mourn its unsheltered residents.

The city lost 23 residents through the year, a 44% increase from last year when The Salvation Army counted 16 lives lost. The service this year as part of National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day was once gain held at the Salvation Army Harbor House. It was held there in 2021, while the 2022 service was held outside of Columbia City Hall.

The trend line of unsheltered deaths continues to go up. There were 10 deaths in 2021.

This increase again brought some anger out of John Trapp, who regularly works and interacts with the city's unsheltered, encouraging city and county leaders present to change zoning regulations to be able to bring in more housing.

"If any other population were dying at this rate it would be a public emergency. ... We're not throwing resources at ending homelessness. The problem is we don't have enough housing," he said. "The people who are causing homelessness are doing it in the name of neighborhood or historic preservation. They are in their houses and they don't want apartment buildings in their neighborhoods.

"So, people are dying in the street, so those people can live in a museum. It's unacceptable."

Even if things are turned around, Trapp estimates it will take 10 to 15 years.

Those lost in 2023 were Sarah Danner, known as Red; Terrell Page, known as Chief; George Nichols; Paul Powell; William Franklin, known as Shorty; Roy Kohrs; Mary Jo Reynolds; Brandon Lee; David Sharrock; Tina Johns-Duke; Ann Quarles; Tony Washington; Anthony Bell; Joseph Mercier; Rosalee Gross; Lisa Smith Lowe; Jermain Burnett; Ron Shivers; Darita Williams; Ralph Anthony; Ryan Wilkerson; Wilford Cross and Gary Faust.

Columbia Salvation Army Capt. Amy Cedervall speaks Thursday evening at the Salvation Army Harbor House on North Ann Street during a memorial service for the city's unsheltered residents who died in 2023.

Faust's death hit close to home for the Salvation Army Harbor House said Capt. Amy Cedervall. He came to the shelter on Dec. 23, 2022 and died by a quiet suicide at the facility. He had no names of other people he relied on.

"I wish I had the information on someone, anyone to contact them to tell them Gary had passed," Cedervall said. "And I wish Gary had someone that he felt he could talk to, and that he could have hope things would get better, but he felt that he had no other way out. We live in a broken world and some of our people are broken, and they need help.

"We take the time to remember the people who have passed. ... We need everyone to feel like they matter, they are cared for, they have value and their dreams are valid and even attainable. We need to do everything we can to make sure they don't die alone or are forgotten."

More resources are being put toward unsheltered support programs, said Mayor Barbara Buffaloe in remarks she gave prior to reading a proclamation that marked Thursday as National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day in Columbia.

Gary Busiek with the Columbia Salvation Army works to light candles Thursday held by Amelia Lewis and Jean Gruenewald at the Salvation Army Harbor House before a memorial service starts for the city's unsheltered residents who died in 2023.

This includes planned upgrades at the Ashley Street Center where Room at the Inn now can operate year round, rather than just over the winter months. American Rescue Plan Act funds also are dedicated to go toward the adjacent Opportunity Campus from Voluntary Action Center. Other ARPA funds are marked for Love Columbia transitional housing, True North's housing assistance program, and the CoMo Mobile Aid Collective, which provides direct and immediate assistance to the city's unhoused.

Strong words were continued by a poem reading by Kimberly Estrada.

"If I were to die, would you even care," she said reading. "... As long as you can paint an image, you're able to continue the damage. ... My image is painted by my housing status."

Stories of those lost this year were shared by Alfred Patenaude, who spoke about the personalities of several individuals on this year's list and Catherine Armbrust, CoMo Mobile Aid Collective director, who spoke about Powell.

In the middle of rainstorm, Powell was found at his camp needing immediate care. He was taken to University of Missouri Hospital, but left within hours against medical advice. He was again lost, but because Armbrust had put her card in his pocket an intensive-care unit nurse at Boone Hospital was able to call Armbrust and tell her where Powell was.

Candle light is shared among guests Thursday at a memorial service from the Salvation Army Harbor House in Columbia for the city's unsheltered residents who died in 2023.

"He had been found non-responsive at a gas station. Our team finally found his sister in Colorado who had come to visit for a few days," she said. "Fast forward a couple weeks, the ICU nurse called me and told me it was time. He had never really woken up and there was no chance for survival."

Making a playlist of songs she and Powell's sister thought he would like, they were played and Armbrust held his hand until he died, calling his sister afterward to let her know.

"I sang to him, told him I loved him, that it was OK to go and that we would take care of his cat."

From 2022: 15 unsheltered Columbia residents died this year. Community gathers to mourn their loss

Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Salvation Army hosts Homeless person memorial service in Columbia
DOVER  Community Partners announces Pete Eldredge as the first recipient of The Brian Collins Impact Award. The award honors Collins legacy and his service as the Community Partners executive director for 27 years.

In 2022, Collins retired and shortly thereafter passed away from glioblastoma. During his 27 years at Community Partners, he brought the designated community mental health center under the umbrella of the Strafford County area agency for people with developmental disabilities. He later added the ServiceLink Aging and Disability Resource Center to Community Partners' repertoire of social services. The organization now reaches over 4,000 individuals per year. The award committee sought statewide nominations of people making a positive impact in human services.

Pete Eldredge is winner of the first Brian Collins Impact Award from Community Partners.

Eldredge is a familiar face and volunteer at Community Partners. As the single parent of a daughter with developmental disabilities, Eldredge is a knowledgeable and tireless advocate for his daughter and others with developmental disabilities, all while educating families about the New Hampshire developmental disability system, according to Community Partners. Eldredge was among the first organizers who sought and monitored the closing of Laconia State School, where people with developmental disabilities were warehoused until the 1980s. Eldredge has served for 30 years on the Family Advisory Council for Community Partners, where he uses his unique perspective to ensure the agency delivers high-quality services.

Chris Kozak, Community Partners President and CEO said, The committee made a wonderful selection. Pete has tirelessly advocated at the local and state level as did Brian. He is always helping families new to the developmental disability system understand its painful history and looking forward to improving services and outcomes for people.

The award committees unanimous selection of Eldredge was inspired by his many years of collaborating with Collins to empower and motivate others to become champions for people with disabilities.

Brian Collins was executive director for Community Partners for 27 years. The Strafford County area agency serves people with developmental disabilities.

At the recent Community Partners annual meeting held at the Cochecho Country Club in Dover, Eldredges daughter accepted the award presented by the late Collins son.

Pete Eldrege said, I am truly humbled. Brian possessed a very special skill set that I had never seen before. These skills are what made him so very successful in his chosen field. I have never heard anyone speak an ill word about him."

For more information about Community Partners, go to www.communitypartnersnh.org

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Community Partners names first Brian Collins Impact Award winner
A plan from big fishing company Nueva Pescanova to farm a million octopuses a year in the Canary Islands and slaughter them for food using ice water has friends of the intelligent sea creature boiling.

The BBC reported on the plan after being given details about it by an animal rights group, Eurogroup for Animals, which is still acting as a watchdog and recently released a new video on the topic.

Why raise octopuses?

This would be the first octopus farm in the world, according to the BBC. The creature is fished for food in the wild and eaten in many cultures.

Compared to 2021 numbers, the industry could grow by as much as $318 million by 2025, according to Technavio, a market analysis site. Nuevas farm would be unique, as successfully breeding and raising the creature in captivity has been difficult, the BBC reports.

Why is there concern?

Octopuses are praised for their intelligence. The National Museum of London lists eight ways that the creature surprises biologists with their abilities: Cleverness, using tools, and the ability to recognize people are among them.

Whats more, the BBC reports that they feel pain and pleasure. So, biologists and others are alarmed by Nuevas plan, which includes keeping the animals in crowded tanks, sometimes under constant light. Ultimately, they would be killed by being put in water thats about 27 degrees Fahrenheit.

To kill them with ice would be a slow death  it would be very cruel and should not be allowed, Peter Tse, a cognitive neuroscientist at Dartmouth University, told the BBC.

For Nuevas part, the company said that sea life raised on its farms is cared for humanely. Nueva has 12,000 employees on four continents and claims to have respect for the environment and the communities where we operate, according to the company website.

Increased hunting has also impacted octopus populations. The BBC notes that about 386,000 tons of the creature are caught each year. Nueva claims its strategy would help with sustainability.

Whats being done to stop the farm?

Biologists following the proposal in the Canary Islands fear that cramming a bunch of octopuses into tanks is a bad idea. The BBC reports that efforts are on to lobby Canary Islands authorities to ban the project. Certain grocers are not selling sea life that is killed using ice.

Elena Lara, with Compassion in World Farming, is among those lobbying the Canary Islands authorities to stop the farm. It will inflict unnecessary suffering on these intelligent, sentient, and fascinating creatures, she said to the BBC.

Online petitions are one way to join the effort to stop the octopus farm.

Join our free newsletter for cool news and actionable info that makes it easy to help yourself while helping the planet.
Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, Ukraine's Air Force Commander, has commented that his figure being put on the wanted list of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs is a proof of the effectiveness of his work.

Source: Oleshchuk in a comment for Ukrainska Pravda; a pro-Kremlin Russian news outlet TASS with reference to the search database of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs

Details: The Russian media, with reference to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs' database, said Oleshchuk was accused in absentia of a "terrorist act after a drone attack on the Russian territory".

Quote from Oleshchuk: "Such a decision of the 'judicial' system of the terrorist state's criminal regime is only a confirmation that I am doing everything right, a confirmation of the Air Force combat works effectiveness."

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By Ange Kasongo and Sonia Rolley

KINSHASA (Reuters) -Opposition candidates in Democratic Republic of Congo's chaotic presidential election plan to march in the capital on Wednesday, despite authorities banning the protest and early results showing the incumbent with a large lead.

Martin Fayulu, one of the main challengers to President Felix Tshisekedi in the Dec. 20 election, said in an interview that the opposition candidates who had called the joint demonstration over alleged election irregularities would proceed with the march because they were convinced the vote was a fraud.

"We are going to protest because we can't accept another electoral coup d'etat," Fayulu told Reuters by telephone.

He was speaking hours after Vice Prime Minister Peter Kazadi said the march had no legal basis and was aimed at undermining the work of the election commission which was still compiling results.

"No government in the world can accept this, so we will not let it happen," Kazadi told a news conference, adding that the opposition should wait for the full results rather than protest.

Election disputes often fuel unrest in Congo and risk further destabilising Africa's second-largest country, a major cobalt and copper producer plagued by widespread poverty and insecurity in its eastern region.

After a violent campaign, the vote itself was messy, with delayed election kit deliveries, malfunctioning equipment and disorganised voting registers.

The protest organisers have heavily criticised the decision of the election commission known as CENI to extend voting at polling stations that failed to open on election day, calling it unconstitutional and demanding a full re-run of the election.

Some independent observers also said the extension compromised the credibility of the vote.

CENI has acknowledged there were delays on Dec. 20 but has denied that the credibility of the election was compromised by extending some voting.

It started releasing results over the weekend, and its latest tally on Tuesday put Tshisekedi ahead of his 18 challengers, with almost 79% of around 6.1 million votes counted so far.

Businessman Moise Katumbi and former energy executive Martin Fayulu were second and third respectively with about 14% and more than 4% of the vote.

The commission has not disclosed how many of the approximately 44 million registered voters cast ballots, nor given any indication of what the latest given figure represents in relation to the total number of votes.

(Reporting by Ange Kasongo and Sonia Rolley; Editing by Daniel Wallis Writing by Sofia Christensen and Anait MiridzhanianEditing by Alexander Winning)
A congressional oversight committee has launched an investigation into the V-22 Osprey program following a deadly crash in Japan which killed eight Air Force special operations service members.

The entire Osprey fleet remains grounded following the Nov. 29 crash with the exception of limited Marine Corps flights in emergencies. More than 50 U.S. service members have died in Osprey crashes over the lifespan of the program, and 20 of those died in four crashes over the last 20 months.

Ospreys had history of safety issues long before they were grounded

The Osprey is a fast-moving airframe that can fly like both a helicopter and an airplane  but its many crashes have led critics to warn it has fatal design flaws.

The government of Japan, the only international partner flying the Osprey, has also grounded its aircraft after the Nov. 29 crash.

On Thursday the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Accountability sent a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin requesting a massive amount of documentation on the Ospreys safety record to be delivered to the committee by Jan. 4.

Our servicemembers remain in harms way without resolution of known mechanical issues, " wrote the committee chairman, Kentucky Republican James Comer. While, statistically, the Osprey is not considered as dangerous as some other military aircraft, the Committee remains alarmed that most fatalities involving the aircraft have happened during training exercises, not combat operations.

On Friday Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, and Rep. Richard Neal, all Massachusetts Democrats, also announced they were also pressing Austin for answers on the Ospreys safety record. The three lawmakers represent the home state of Staff Sgt. Jacob Galliher, one of the eight Air Force special operations service members killed in the Japan crash.

We urge the Defense Department, and the Departments of the Air Force and the Navy to ensure that the V-22 Osprey is safe to fly before allowing servicemembers from across the Commonwealth and the United States back on board, the lawmakers wrote.

The Osprey only became operational in 2007 after decades of testing. Since then, its become a workhorse for the Marine Corps and Air Force Special Operations Command, and was in the process of being adopted by the Navy to replace its C-2 Greyhound propeller planes, which transport personnel on and off aircraft carriers at sea.

Shortly after the Nov. 29 crash, the Air Force said that a malfunction of the aircraft, not a mistake by the crew, was probably the cause. If it is the case, it will be the second known fatal crash caused by a mechanical problem with the aircraft in a year.

The Osprey is produced through a partnership between Bell Textron and Boeing. Both companies have declined to discuss the most recent crash, but have said they will work with the military however needed to support the investigation.

All three versions of the Osprey, the Marine Corps MV-22; the Air Forces CV-22 and the Navys CMV-22 programs are overseen by the Pentagons Osprey Joint Program Office.

The Joint Program office said in a statement to the Associated Press that its engineering team has been integrated into the Air Force Special Operations Command investigation team looking at the Japan crash, and sharing as much information as possible without compromising the ongoing investigation to find a path forward for the V-22.

The Osprey has faced persistent questions about a mechanical problem with the clutch that has troubled the program for more than a decade. There also have been questions as to whether all parts of the Osprey have been manufactured according to safety specifications and, as those parts age, whether they remain strong enough to withstand the significant forces created by the Ospreys unique structure and dynamics of tiltrotor flight.

Marine Corps Ospreys also have been used to transport White House staff, press and security personnel accompanying the president. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said those Ospreys are also grounded.
Rep. Laurel Lee (R-Fla.) said Tuesday that U.S. Border Patrol agents under President Bidens administration are working as travel agents.

We have brave men and women of Border Patrol who are down there, ready, willing and able who want to enforce our laws, who want to fight for our country, and instead as you point out, theyre being assigned tasks like passing out blankets and working as travel agents to just bring people into this country, Lee said in a Fox News interview.

Lees comments come after U.S. Customs and Border Protection released data last week reporting close to a quarter of a million migrant encounters at the southern border in November.

The agency reported 242,418 migrant encounters that month, up from Octobers 240,986 recorded encounters, but down from Septembers record of 269,735 encounters.

CBP continues to execute its important mission to protect the American people, safeguard our borders, and enhance the nations economic prosperity by implementing operational plans, surging personnel and decompressing areas along the southwest border while processing and vetting migrants who are encountered humanely, safely, and efficiently, consistent with our laws, Troy A. Miller, a senior official for the CBP, said in a Friday statement on the data.

Miller said earlier last week, prior to the datas release, that the encounter levels we are currently seeing across the southwest border are presenting a serious challenge to the men and women of [Customs and Border Protection].

Republicans have been critical of Bidens handling of the southern border. In an op-ed for The Hill earlier this month, Lee placed blame on the president and Department and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for the unprecedented and unsustainable number of border encounters seen this year and said they had failed our Border Patrol agents and other DHS law enforcement.

The Senate worked in recent weeks to reach a deal on border security that would unlock additional aid for Ukraine and Israel. Last week, however, the chamber adjourned until 2024 without an agreement.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Floridas Board of Medicine has revoked the medical license of a Plantation gynecologist for what happened when she administered anesthesia  a 26-year-old mother of two died after Brazilian butt lift surgery.

The final order revoking Dr. Millicent Muirs license states the facts are not in dispute about Muirs role in Jaynisha Williams death at Plantations The Best U Now on Oct. 20, 2021.

Williams consented to receive Level 2 sedation, which is defined as moderate or conscious sedation. But Muir, who was not certified to provide anesthesia, gave her 50 mg of Benadryl, 2 mg of Versed, 50 mg of Ketamine followed 20 minutes later by 50 mg of Demerol, another 2 mg of Versed, 200 mg of ketamine and 10 mg per minute of propofol.

Thats Level 4 sedation, what would be considered general anesthesia.

Muir administered this deep level of anesthesia although the patient was consented for anesthesia services to a level 2 sedation with propofol, signed by [Muir] and the patient, the states anesthesia expert wrote in his analysis. In the consent form, the choices of the anesthesia administration were surgeon, anesthesiologist or certified registered nurse anesthetist or registered nurse. However, [Muir] added a fifth handwritten option that identified herself as a sub RN under supervision of the surgeon.

Williams was put in a prone position, but never intubated  no tube was placed in her trachea to keep an open air flow route. The expert said intubation would have likely averted this outcome.

Williams heart rate slowed and she began suffering an oxygen deficiency. Neither emergency medical services nor emergency staff at Planation General Hospital could save her.

The states expert summed up the tragedy:

The patient suffered cardiac arrest and death due to an anesthetic administered in higher doses than the patient consented for, with an inappropriate combination of medications, with an unprotected airway, in a surgery performed both in the prone and supine positions, with an underwhelming resuscitative effort, by a non-certified anesthesia provider.

Muir had been licensed in Florida since Dec. 14, 2005. This was the second disciplinary action against her.

READ MORE: Third complaint filed after a mother of two didnt come out of a Brazilian butt lift

Others involved in The Best U Now

Other parties involved in The Best U Now, which closed its license in 2022.

 Muir was allowed to be the anesthesiologist on Williams surgery by the surgeon, Dr. John Nees. As The Best U Nows designated physician, the doctor in charge of compliance, Nees knew Muirs qualifications or lack of them. A Florida Department of Health administrative complaint against Nees says he listed Muir only as recovery personnel, not an anesthesia provider.

Nees was hired as designated physician, despite being twice suspended by the state, once for flouting rules by doing surgeries on suspension.

 The Best U Now was the business name for Serenity Capital Investments, which the state says was run by Dr. Dorian Wilkerson. Wilkerson, Williams cousin, was called Dr. Body on the website and pictured with a stethoscope in medical coat and scrubs on one of his LinkedIn pages, although he holds neither medical degree nor medical license.

Dorian Wilkersons first LinkedIn page gave the impression he had medical training.

Wilkersons most recent LinkedIn page removes Emory University and epidemiology degree references and shows him in business attire. He didnt answer a Miami Herald email asking why Muir was allowed to be an anesthesiologist on the surgery that killed his cousin.

Dorian Wilkersons current LinkedIn page removed some of the educational claims made on his previous LinkedIn page about epidemiology and Emory University.

 Serenity Capitals registered agent was Shareza Wilkerson, then Dorians wife, now going by Shareza Jackson again. Jackson has filed two legal actions against Wilkerson in Broward County: a divorce and a lawsuit claiming her Lauderdale Lakes Boyd Anderson High School schoolmate defrauded her out of several hundred thousand dollars.

Jackson says she didnt know about Wilkersons 2002 theft conviction (sentence of five years probation, $50,000 restitution) and that he lied about being a medical doctor, and an epidemiologist once employed by the CDC.

Wilkerson has filed a counterclaim for libel, slander, pain and suffering and unjust enrichment. In another filing on the same case, he claims to be unemployed, indigent, and living in what public property records say is a 2008-built, 5,417-square-foot house in Fayetteville, Georgia.

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COSHOCTON  After nearly 35 years of working for soil and water conservation, Deb Bigelow said it's time to see what else life has to offer.

Bigelow will retire at the end of the year as administrator of the Coshocton County Soil and Water Conservation District. District Technician Ryan Medley will be taking over her post. Medley started with the office in 2007.

"I thought it would be the next best step forward and best for the district to not go find someone who might be new to it," Medley said of taking the position. "(Board of Supervisors) encouraged me to do it and look at the position and we talked about it a bunch."

Deb Bigelow shows sixth grade students at Coshocton Elementary School a tree seedling during an Arbor Day presentation earlier this year. Bigelow is retiring after working close to 35 years in the field of soil and water conservation.

The agency has two other district technicians, Zach Wallace and Michaela Savage, with Samantha Daugherty as administrative assistant. The agency has been in Coshocton for 81 years.

Bigelow came to Coshocton in 2008 from working for Knox County SWCD. She plans to stay in Coshocton County and continue to be active in the community, including supporting local agriculture.

"I feel like we're in a very good situation here with a lot of young people behind me and it's just time to step away," she said on retirement.

Ryan Medley will takeover as administrator of the Coshocton County Soil and Water Conservation District from Deb Bigelow at the end of the year. Medley has worked for the agency since 2007 and Bigelow came to Coshocton in 2008 from Knox County. She's been in the soil and water conservation field for almost 35 years.

Bigelow doesn't want to draw attention to herself as she exits, but she does see it as an opportunity to put a focus on the conservation district and its importance to the community.

Soil and water conservation districts are political subdivisions of the State of Ohio focused on natural resource conservation in the areas they operate. The local district has five supervisors elected by county residents to oversee activities. The board is comprised of Beth Mullen, Greg Waters, David Lapp, Kristy Leindecker and Adrian Garber.

"Those members, when we have events, they are there. When we're at board meetings, they're engaged and doing what they're supposed to be doing. We couldn't ask for better support from the board than what we have," Bigelow said. "I think the program is well thought of too for what they bring to it."

The conservation district works closely with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Ohio Department of Agriculture's Division of Soil and Water Conservation.

Operating fund comes from the Coshocton County Commissioners Soil and Water Fund and matching dollars from the Ohio General Assembly. A small portion also comes from the City of Coshocton. The annual average budget is about $300,000.

Medley said they try to provide leadership to educate and assist landowners in wise management and improvement of natural resources with the purpose of being recognized as a community leader committed to a cooperative approach.

"We help producers in the county apply conservation practices to their land, whether that's farmers or homeowners. Any landowner in the county that wants to do a practice or a has a question or concern on conserving natural resources, we try to have some part in that," Medley said.

Bigelow said education has always been important to her, whether it's adults or children.

"It's important for us to educate them on the importance of soil and water and the fact that all of our food comes from the soil. If we don't take care of it, we're not going to have food to eat at the grocery store like we should have," she said.

Both said community support for the agency is strong and an important part in some public events they sponsor, like the First Farm Friday every August.

"We've always been an agency well favored in the community," Medley said. "All the districts were started by community support and we wouldn't be here if that wasn't there years ago."

Coshocton Soil and Water Conservation District can be found online and called at 740-622-8087, ext. 4.

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on X 9 (formerly Twitter) at @llhayhurst.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Coshocton County Soil and Water Conservation District has new leader
State officials claim the Okmulgee County jail is violating state and federal law by holding juvenile prisoners without proper certification and housing them alongside adults.

The jail has held youths facing charges in tribal and federal court in the past and claims state officials have no authority over those prisoners.

State inspectors found in 2022 that some of the juveniles were not kept separate from adults. In one case, a juvenile was housed with an adult prisoner, according to an inspection report.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health and the Office of Juvenile Affairs filed separate civil actions in Okmulgee County earlier this month against the trust that runs the Okmulgee County jail, asking a judge to order the facility to stop housing juveniles until it receives state certification.

The judge denied the Office of Juvenile Affairs motion last week. Eric Stall, an attorney representing the jail, said the state Health Department's request for an emergency order to stop the jail from holding juveniles was also denied because the judge ruled there was no emergency.

If you believe their allegation about juveniles being housed with adults, that allegation first came to light in July 2022, Stall told The Frontier. That was almost 18 months ago.

More: These Oklahomans needed mental health care. Instead, they died in jail

The state has notified the court of its intent to appeal.

We are disappointed in the judges ruling, said Health Department spokeswoman Erica Rankin. The agency is exploring all available options.

What to know about Oklahoma laws for holding juveniles in jails

After a federal law change in 2021, all Oklahoma jails lost their certifications to hold juveniles in October, 2021, and the Health Department notified the jails of the changes in August of that year. Okmulgee County jail officials said they believe the restriction only applies to prisoners who are in state custody, and not those being held at the jail for tribes and federal authorities.

Jails that house juveniles are governed by strict state and federal rules, said Ben Brown, general counsel for the Office of Juvenile Affairs. Youths must be separated from the sight and sound of adult prisoners and are not allowed to be placed in solitary confinement for long periods. Jails also are required to provide time for educational activities, Brown said.

Juveniles who are housed in adult prisons and jails report being more afraid for their safety and can be at greater risk for physical and sexual assault, some research shows.

Okmulgee County jail officials maintain that the facility follows all federal and tribal requirements for holding juvenile prisoners and has a full-time school teacher for youths.

The state moved to take legal action after jail staff blocked inspectors in November from reviewing records and speaking with juveniles being held at the facility for the Cherokee Nation and U.S. Marshals Service. Julie Hubbard, a spokesperson for Cherokee Nation, told The Frontier last week that Cherokee juveniles were not currently being held in the Okmulgee jail. She did not respond when asked if juveniles would return to the jail in the future.

More: Tensions rise as Muscogee Nation accuses county jailer of assaulting officer

The Okmulgee County Criminal Justice Authority, which operates the jail, claims it did not bar state inspectors from the jail. Jail officials claim they only told inspectors they could not bring cellphones inside or inspect records for and visit prisoners in tribal or federal custody.

Tim Lawson, director of operations at the Okmulgee County Criminal Justice Authority, told The Frontier the state tried to overstep its bounds. The jail doesnt house any juveniles in state custody, he said.

It was a losing battle for them from the start, in that they had no legal standing as it related to federal juveniles or sovereign tribal juveniles, he said.

The Okmulgee County Criminal Justice Authority has repeatedly argued with state officials over access to federal and tribal prisoners and has been cited for violating Oklahoma jail standards, records show.

State health inspectors dinged the Okmulgee County jail in 2022 for failing to conduct routine checks on prisoners, unsanitary conditions and fire hazards. An inspection also found that the jail was holding six juveniles for tribal and federal authorities, although the facility was not certified by the state to house minors. A jail administrator also refused to provide information to a Health Department inspector about federal prisoners being housed at the facility, the report states.

Jail officials denied state Health Department inspectors access to federal inmates again during an inspection in August, according to inspection reports.

Lawson said during the August inspection that Health Department inspectors demanded access to juveniles held at the jail, which put the jail in an awkward situation with the tribal and federal authorities it has contracts with to house prisoners.

More: Activists argue federal authorities should take over Oklahoma County's troubled jail

They are, for lack of a better term, bullies, Lawson said. We will let them talk to them in passing  Hey, how are you being taken care of and fed? But we cant give them an opportunity to get into a case. Were just protecting them. Theres nobody there on their behalf other than us. We dont hide anyone from the inspectors when they come through, we give them access, but its minimal in that we cant jeopardize the relationship with those that are paying us to house them.

Lawson said the jail plans to continue holding juveniles for the tribal and federal authorities.

The Frontier is a nonprofit newsroom that produces fearless journalism with impact in Oklahoma. Read more at www.readfrontier.org.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Officials say Okmulgee County jail is violating state, federal laws
A 41-year-old man remains missing after he fell from a Christmas-themed cruise off South Carolina, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Vision of the Seas cruise ship was 127 miles east of Charleston when the man went overboard, the USCG reported in a tweet.

His identity has not been released, and investigators have not said if there were witnesses.

#FinalUpdate: The @USCG has suspended the search efforts for the missing cruise ship passenger 127 mi east of #Charleston.



Coast Guard crews searched more than 1,625 square miles and 8 hours.



Anyone with new information is asked to call @USCG Sector Charleston: 843-740-7050  USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) December 25, 2023

It happened around 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 23, and the ship stopped for about six hours to scan the spot with lights, the Charleston Post and Courier said. The cruise resumed around 2 a.m., the outlet reported.

Coast Guard officials continued the search through the night, covering 1,625 square miles before suspending the effort Sunday, Dec. 24, officials said.

The Vision of the Seas was on the second day of an eight-day round trip, with a Christmas-themed itinerary planned, according to Cruisemapper.com. It departed Baltimore on Dec. 22 and is expected to dock Dec. 27 at Freeport in the Bahamas, the site reports.

Vision of the Seas is affiliated with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd and has a guest capacity of just over 2,000 passengers, Royal Caribbean International says. It did not have any stops scheduled in the Carolinas.

Boater not heard from for days found adrift 270 miles off North Carolina, rescuers say

Search suspended for man who vanished from cruise in Gulf of Mexico, Coast Guard says

Fishing boat with 3 men aboard vanishes off Georgia. Coast Guard search now suspended
Toyota-owned carmaker Daihatsu has closed all four of its plants until the end of January, after admitting it had falsified safety tests.

Daihatsu admitted that it had been manipulating safety tests on 64 makes for three decades.

Its headquarters in Osaka, Japan was the last to close, on 25 December.

The scandal puts in jeopardy 9,000 workers in the country and could affect global car giant Toyota's reputation.

Of the 64 models involved in the scandal, 24 are sold with Toyota branding.

The closure of its Osaka plant follows closures in its production lines in Oita, Shiga and Kyoto prefectures.

Daihatsu said on Wednesday that it had stopped shipments of all its vehicles after its latest admission, which followed a transport ministry investigation.

It seems test results were falsified because of pressure to keep production rolling.

The company said it would work with its main suppliers to address the fallout from the scandal, adding that it may also help its smaller subcontractors that do not receive compensation to access support funds from Japan's transport ministry.

It also said that during the time plants are idle it would compensate 423 domestic suppliers with which it has direct business relations.

Established 1907, Daihatsu sells around 1.1 million cars per year, which make up around 10% of Toyota's 10 million vehicle sales per year.

"This first started in April where the issue was about collision tests being falsified", motor industry analyst David Bailey told the BBC's World Service. "Then, an independent commission by Toyota found more issues including air bags and speed tests.

"There's no suggestion at the moment that the actual products were unsafe, but what seems to have happened is that they tested a car with components in and then sold a car with different components in, so that's become a major issue".

Toyota's reputation was damaged in 2009 by a recall over a fault with some floor mats and accelerator pedals, and in 2012 it recalled more than seven million vehicles worldwide, including some Yaris, Corolla and Camry models over faulty window switches.

The recalls led to a "fundamentally changed" Toyota, says Mr Bailey.

"It stopped growing so quickly, it focussed again on quality, it brought in outsiders to really check quality - yet that doesn't seem to have applied to its subsidiary Daihatsu", he said.

Many analysts are suggesting that the pressure to grow has affected many carmakers, citing the example of Volkswagen whose diesel vehicles were found to emit more emissions than advertised. In 2015, the US said VW had violated its Environmental Protection Act.
This Day in History: Dec. 26, 1862 Most commonly revered as the United States President who freed the slaves, Abraham Lincoln is known for something different in Indian Country. On this day 160 years ago, 38 Dakota men were hanged following orders from Lincoln in the largest mass-hanging in U.S. history.

The execution happened in Mankato, Minnesota in front of some 4,000 spectators. Some historical accounts say that the men each held hands and sang a traditional Dakota song in the moments leading up to their deaths.

Often erased from history, the mens hangings were direct consequences of the U.S. and Dakota War of 1862. The war was the result of broken treaties and broken promises from the U.S. government after Dakota land continued to be diminished.

The war lasted for over 37 days and resulted in the deaths of an estimated 77 U.S. soldiers and 29 Dakota warriors. The U.S. took more than 2,000 Dakota leaders into custody where many were eventually sentenced to prison, and others to death.

Lincoln ended up only approving the execution of Dakota leaders who were proven to have committed civilian massacres. While the 38 men approved for execution were awaiting their demise, 3,000 other tribal members and prisoners were being sent to Fort Snelling.

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American Indian author Mark Charles wrote for Native News Online:

In the fall of 1862, after the United States failed to meet its treaty obligations with the Dakota people, several Dakota warriors raided an American settlement, killed five settlers and stole some food. This began a period of armed conflict between some of the Dakota people, the settlers, and the US Military. After more than a month, several hundred of the Dakota warriors surrendered and the rest fled north to what is now Canada. Those who surrendered were quickly tried in military tribunals, and 303 of them were condemned to death.

The trials of the Dakota were conducted unfairly in a variety of ways. The evidence was sparse, the tribunal was biased, the defendants were unrepresented in unfamiliar proceedings conducted in a foreign language, and authority for convening the tribunal was lacking. More fundamentally, neither the Military Commission nor the reviewing authorities recognized that they were dealing with the aftermath of a war fought with a sovereign nation and that the men who surrendered were entitled to treatment in accordance with that status. (Carol Chomsky)

President Lincoln

Because these were military trials, the executions had to be ordered by the President Abraham Lincoln.

Three hundred and three deaths seemed too genocidal for President Lincoln. But he didnt order retrials, even though it has been argued that the trials which took place were a legal sham. Instead he simply modified the criteria of what charges warranted a death sentence. Under his new criteria, only two of the Dakota warriors were sentenced to die. That small number seemed too lenient, and President Lincoln was concerned about an uprising by his white American settlers in that area. So for a second time, instead of ordering retrials he merely changed the criteria of what warranted a death sentence. Ultimately, 39 Dakota men were sentenced to die.

And on December 26, 1862, by order of President Lincoln, and with nearly 4,000 white American settlers looking on, the largest mass execution in the history of the United States took place. The hanging of the Dakota 38.

The New York Times provides a haunting recount of the days events:

Precisely at the time announced  10 A.M.  a company, without arms, entered the prisoners quarters to escort them to their doom. Instead of any shrinking or resistance, all were ready, and even seemed eager to meet their fate. Rudely they jostled against each other, as they rushed from the doorway, ran the gauntlet of the troops, and clambered up the steps to the treacherous drop.

As they came up and reached the platform, they filed right and left, and each one took his position as though they had rehearsed the programme. Standing round the platform, they formed a square, and each one was directly under the fatal noose. Their caps were now drawn over their eyes, and the halter placed about their necks. Several of them feeling uncomfortable, made severe efforts to loosen the rope, and some, after the most dreadful contortions, partially succeeded.

The signal to cut the rope was three taps of the drum. All things being ready, the first tap was given, when the poor wretches made such frantic efforts to grasp each others hands, that it was agony to behold them. Each one shouted out his name, that his comrades might know he was there. The second tap resounded on the air. The vast multitude were breathless with the awful surroundings of this solemn occasion. Again the doleful tap breaks on the stillness of the scene.

Click! goes the sharp ax, and the descending platform leaves the bodies of thirty-eight human beings dangling in the air. The greater part died instantly; some few struggled violently, and one of the ropes broke, and sent its burden with a heavy, dull crash, to the platform beneath. A new rope was procured, and the body again swung up to its place. It was an awful sight to behold. Thirty-eight human beings suspended in the air, on the bank of the beautiful Minnesota; above, the smiling, clear, blue sky; beneath and around, the silent thousands, hushed to a deathly silence by the chilling scene before them, while the bayonets bristling in the sunlight added to the importance of the occasion.

In a separate historic order, Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the slaves, went into effect six days later on Jan. 1,

About the Author: "Levi \"Calm Before the Storm\" Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation) is the founder, publisher and editor of Native News Online. Rickert was awarded Best Column 2021 Native Media Award for the print\/online category by the Native American Journalists Association. He serves on the advisory board of the Multicultural Media Correspondents Association. He can be reached at levi@nativenewsonline.net."

Contact: levi@nativenewsonline.net
PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now)  A man was shot and killed in the early hours of Tuesday morning in Oxon Hill.

Officers responded to the shooting in the 5100 block of Deal Drive at about 12:45 a.m. There, they found a man in a stairwell suffering from gunshot wounds. He died there.

Frederick County program offers free rides home for you and your car on New Years Eve

He was identified as 41-year-old Tracy Williams Jr. of Washington, D.C.

Detectives are still working to determine a motive and identify suspects.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at (310) 516-2512. A reward of up to $25,000 is offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction for those responsible.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  Detectives with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) are searching for a suspect wanted for a murder that happened in November in Southeast, D.C.

On Nov. 4 at about 3:45 p.m., officers responded to the 1400 block of L St., S.E. for the report of a shooting. There, they found a man suffering from gunshot wound injuries. Though DC Fire and EMS attempted to provide life-saving efforts, the man died.

He was identified as 22-year-old Charles Towels, of Southeast, D.C.

One dead, one injured in Prince Georges County shooting

Police say the man suspected of killing Towels is 20-year-old Tremon Jackson, of Southeast, D.C. He has been charged with second-degree murder while armed.

Anyone with information is asked to call MPD at (202) 727-9099 or text the departments tip line at 50411. A reward of up to $25,000 is offered to anyone with information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)  Erie County is looking to add public safety dispatchers to its rosters, and Wednesday is the last day to get an application for the required, upcoming civil service exam postmarked.

Cheektowaga police sent out a reminder on social media Tuesday morning, noting that theyre looking for dispatchers. The job listing describes it as a highly responsible and moderately difficult position.

Working as a PSD in Hamburg is a challenging and rewarding experience, Town of Hamburg police wrote on Facebook. Our dispatchers answer 911 and administrative telephone calls, communicate with numerous partner agencies, dispatch

Online, where you can download an application, shows a salary of $25-$32 per hour.

There are education requirements. The exam cost is $20 and it will take place on Jan. 27. More information can be found by calling 716-686-7455.

Latest Local News

Evan Anstey is an Associated Press Award, JANY Award and Emmy-nominated digital producer who has been part of the News 4 team since 2015. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo.
Victims get treatment at Morowali Regional Hospital after an explosion at the nickel smelter furnace owned by Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel (ITSS) in Morowali

JAKARTA (Reuters) - The death toll from a fire at an Indonesian nickel smelter has risen to 18 as of Tuesday from 13 on Sunday, local police said, while operations at the smelter remain suspended as authorities investigate the cause of the incident.

Fire broke out early on Sunday morning at a nickel smelter furnace on Sulawesi island owned by Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel (ITSS), a unit of China's Tsingshan Holding Group.

Indonesia, the world's biggest nickel producer, has banned unprocessed nickel ore exports while promoting major investments in smelting and processing, but several fatal accidents have hit the sector in recent years.

President Joko Widodo, while identifying nickel processing as a priority for economic development, has called for improved safety and enhanced monitoring of environmental standards.

Central Sulawesi police spokesperson Djoko Wienartono said on Tuesday that the victims included eight foreign workers, and that the police are still investigating the cause of the fire. China's foreign ministry said four Chinese were among the initial 13 confirmed dead.

A spokesperson for the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park where the plant is located, Dedy Kurniawan, said on Tuesday that operations would remain suspended during the investigation.

(Reporting by Fransiska Nangoy; Editing by Edmund Klamann)
Police officers and workers stand near the site where a furnace explosion occurred at PT Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel smelting plant in Morowali, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023. A smelting furnace has exploded at the Chinese-owned nickel plant on Indonesia's Sulawesi island, killing a number of workers and injuring dozens of others. The explosion on Sunday was the latest of a series of deadly accidents in nickel smelting plants in Indonesia that are part of China's ambitious transnational development program known as the Belt and Road Initiative. (AP Photo)

PALU, Indonesia (AP)  The death toll following the explosion of a smelting furnace at a Chinese-owned nickel plant on Indonesias Sulawesi island rose to 18 on Tuesday, as police ordered the plant to stop operations until an investigation is completed.

The blast, which occurred on Sunday, was the latest in a series of fatalities at nickel smelting plants in Indonesia that are part of Chinas ambitious transnational development program known as the Belt and Road Initiative.

Nickel is a key component in global battery production for electric vehicles.

Four Chinese and nine Indonesian workers died instantly on Sunday when the furnace exploded while they were repairing it, Central Sulawesi police chief Agus Nugroho said. Three more victims died a day later while being treated at a local hospital.

Two more workers died on Tuesday while hospitalized, bringing the total number of fatalities to 18, including eight workers from China, said Deddy Kurniawan, a spokesperson for PT Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park, known as PT IMIP, the parent company of PT Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel, where the explosion occurred.

The plant is in the Bahodopi neighborhood of Morowali regency.

We have ordered PT Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel to stop its operation until our entire investigation is completed, said Nugroho, the police chief, adding that authorities had set up a team to determine whether negligence by the company led to the deaths.

The blast was so powerful that it demolished the furnace and damaged parts of the side walls of the building, Nugroho said.

The head of central Sulawesis manpower and transmigration office, Arnold Firdaus, said that joint investigation team is made up of 18 members, and it includes officials from the central government in Jakarta and a working group from the Chinese Embassy.

PT IMIP said in a statement on Sunday that the furnace was under maintenance and not operating at the time of the explosion. However, residual slag in the furnace came into contact with flammable items, causing the furnace walls to collapse and the remaining steel slag to flow out.

Rescuers extinguished the fire and evacuated workers after a nearly four-hour operation, Kurniawan said.

About 41 workers were still being treated at a hospital and the companys clinic on Tuesday with serious to minor injuries, including 11 Chinese nationals. Three of them who suffered serious burns will be flown to China for further treatment, Kurniawan said.

In a news briefing on Monday, Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning expressed condolences for the victims and said that China is saddened by the casualties caused by the accident.

She said her ministry is working closely with authorities in Indonesia and has instructed the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta to assist in the aftermath, including ensuring medical treatment is provided to the injured and helping to determine the cause of the explosion.

A three-member working group from the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta has arrived at the site on Monday to guide the company to carry out aftermath care and follow-up work, Mao said.

It was the third tragedy this year at Chinese-owned nickel smelting plants in Central Sulawesi province, which has the largest nickel reserves in Indonesia.

Two dump truck operators were killed when they were engulfed by a wall of black sludge-like material following the collapse of a nickel waste disposal site in April.

In January, two workers, including a Chinese national, were killed in riots that involved workers of the two nations at an Indonesia-China joint venture in neighboring North Morowali regency.

Last year, a loader truck ran over and killed a Chinese worker while he was repairing a road in PT IMIPs mining area, and an Indonesian man burned to death when a furnace in the companys factory exploded.

Nearly 50% of PT IMIPs shares are owned by a Chinese holding company, and the rest are owned by two Indonesian companies. It began smelter operations in 2013 and is now the largest nickel-based industrial area in Indonesia.

___

Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Emily Wang Fujiyama in Beijing, contributed to this report.
A reporter works outside the Israeli embassy, following a reported explosion nearby, in New Delhi

A reporter works outside the Israeli embassy, following a reported explosion nearby, in New Delhi

By Anushree Fadnavis and Krishn Kaushik

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -An explosion near the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi on Tuesday did not kill or wound any staff members, authorities said, adding that investigations into its cause were ongoing.

Officials were still inspecting the area but it had been reopened to the general public. There was no information suggesting anyone on the street had been hurt.

Israel urged its citizens in India, specifically in New Delhi, to exercise caution. The blast "may have been an attack", Israel's National Security Council said in a statement issued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

Israeli missions around the world have been on alert amid a rise in antisemitic attacks since Israel launched its counteroffensive against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

"We can confirm that around 5:20 pm there was a blast at close proximity to the embassy," Israeli Embassy spokesperson Guy Nir told Reuters, adding that local police and security teams were investigating.

Nothing had been found in the search operation three hours after the blast, an official involved in the investigation told Reuters.

In January 2021, a small bomb went off near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi without harming anyone. An Israeli official said at the time that Israel was treating the blast as a terrorist incident.

(Reporting by Anushree Fadnavis, Tanvi Mehta, Kanjyik Ghosh and Krishn Kaushik; Editing by David Goodman, William Maclean and Nick Macfie)
Deputies spread holiday cheer to children in Horizon area

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  El Paso County Sheriffs Office deputies spread some holiday cheer on Christmas morning in Horizon City.

Photos from El Paso County Sheriffs Office

Deputies hosted a Christmas toy giveaway at the Starbucks at Horizon and Darrington Boulevard.

The event was organized by deputies from the Crisis Intervention Team and the Montana and Clint patrol stations.

Deputies collected donations and distributed gifts to about 30 kids in the area.

The event was made possible by contributions from local businesses and community memnbers.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
The real high speed train from Spains Madrid to Barcelona is about the same length as the yet-mythical ride in California from San Jose to Los Angeles. Boarding in Madrid just after Thanksgiving, my train took two hours and 45 minutes at a one-way price as low as about $40. Leaving slowly from Madrids Atocha station, the gleaming red train known as Iryo quickly launched us at speeds approaching 180 miles per hour to an on-time arrival.

Opinion

The high speed rail that transformed Spain and much of Europe has remained elusive here in California. For years, the maiden north-south effort has sputtered and faltered. Heading into this year, the last time the federal government gave it some big help was when Joe Biden was vice president.

President Biden changed that earlier this month. Dipping into funds from his 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, he gave the California High-Speed Rail Authority a much-needed infusion of $3.1 billion.

If history is any indication, the nations first high-speed rail project faces two potentially formidable adversaries. First, the CHSRA is banking on another $4.9 billion help from Washington, and that can only happen if the next president is supportive of the project. Second, the project cannot afford another round of cost increases that would trigger more delays, overruns and skepticism.

The United States ... is building the most expensive high speed rail projects in the world, New York University Professor Eric Goldwyn said at a May conference of the worlds high rail executives in Washington, D.C.

Based on NYUs global research, that 386-mile line from Madrid to Barcelona cost approximately $25 million a mile, adjusted to todays dollars, when it was completed in 2008. Meanwhile, in California, the goal is to stick to a budget  and receive that final bucket of federal support  to keep costs for the initial 172-leg at $33 billion. Thats more than $192 million a mile. The difference is breathtaking.

Why?

Infrastructure is expensive, whether it is highways or airports, said Brian Annis, the chief financial officer for CHSRA. Any other new California transportation project by road or plane to move as many people as envisioned by this project would be more expensive.

Spain, with a combination of fortune and savvy, has become high speed rails equivalent of The Little Engine that Could.

Mercedes Sierra, chief executive of a Spanish engineering firm that helped build the 2,500-mile system (second in miles only to China), attributes the countrys success to three ingredients: steady funding, an early success and some risk taking.

Unlike the federal government, the European Union helped us catch up with the other European countries, said Mercedes, who leads Sener Engineering and Systems. It is very difficult to build this mega-project based on a stop and go system.

The first high speed line from Madrid to Seville, constructed in 1992 in just four years, gave the country an early taste of what was coming.

If you are mired in delays and overruns, it has to be demoralizing, she said. And when Spain made the bold decision to open the tracks to operators, ticket costs on the routes dropped by 50%.

Here in California, its been 15 years since California voters narrowly agreed to borrow nearly $10 billion to begin building a high-speed rail system in the state. The project has neither experienced steady funding since then or an early success. And Gov. Gavin Newsom fundamentally altered the strategy in his first year, abandoning attempts to build a line connecting Northern and Southern California and focusing on this 171-mile stretch within the Central Valley instead.

At the May high speed rail conference, Goldwyn of NYU said his research suggests that the country simply has more regulations, inter-government problems and higher labor costs. As one example, it took three years for workers in New York to build a shaft to launch a machine to dig a new subway tunnel.

When they do it in any other part of the world that does it cheaply, it takes six months, he said.

Brian Kelly, CEO of the CHSRA, told the conference that in California, were going to spend $1.3 billion on the environmental (permitting). That is a staggering figure.

In May, Kelly did not know whether the Biden administration would contribute the $8 billion that is needed to help complete the Merced-Bakersfield portion of the project, extending the 119 middle miles largely constructed to the 171-mile system. Without the funding, I am building a 119-mile test track and waiting, he said. With the money, I am building an operational segment.

That appears in reach depending on who is in the White House come 2025.

The $3.1 billion announced by the administration earlier this month represents largely what the CHSRA requested. It should finish all design and build the line from the Meadows Field Airport in Bakersfield north towards Wasco. There are ongoing grant application cycles in the immediate years ahead, Annis said.

But this process is expected to take about three more years  meaning unprecedented support from consecutive presidents.

We arent Spain. That is true in patterns of growth, governance and most definitely how we build rail. But California is now more than $30 billion into this grand experiment. Abandoning the Bakersfield-Merced first phase, when service could begin as early as 2030, would be utter folly.

Driving down future costs is the only realistic way to build a north-south system. A Democrat in leadership needs the bravery to champion the lowering of rails cost in Sacramento. The labor, environmental and government lobbies will hate it.

When it comes to taking the tough steps to learn from the rest of the world and save ourselves from the automobile, California is in the proverbial caboose.
One Friday night at 9 p.m., instead of going out to celebrate my co-workers birthday, I found myself glued to the Evernote app. When Id opened it earlier that evening, hoping to add a new note, I discovered that the app had more or less killed its free tier. With my Cambridge rent, nonprofit salary, and recent parachute out of academia, I couldnt justify paying the yearly subscription of $129 a yearbut I also couldnt abandon this treasury of my life. My digital notebooks were filled with gems like films I enjoyed in 2014 (incomplete), imperfect regular German verbs, and completely f-ing random unordered thoughts/ideas. I had over 2,000 notes dating all the way back to my junior year of high school. Where would they go, my recipes, poems, and scattered thoughts, now they no longer had a home?

I opened a word processor instead. A warning popped up: There is not enough space to save this document to iCloud. Purchase additional storage or remove some documents from iCloud.

The death of free Evernote is just one example of how our datafied lives are entangled with the fates and whims of tech companies. In August, users on X (formerly known as Twitter) lost three years worth of photos. And last month, Google Drive started hemorrhaging files, with some users losing years of data. Our digital life has become increasingly impermanent and is mostly outside of our control, making the threat and pain of digital loss ever more acute.

The days of true digital ownership are long gone. Streaming companies like Spotify and Netflix have changed the status quo, so that instead of permanently owning a media library, we only temporarily license one. Meanwhile, the terms and costs of cloud storage services like Dropbox and iCloud mean that access to your data is always asterisked. In 2012, the file-sharing website Megaupload was shut down by regulators for hosting pirated content; in the process, users with legal data were locked out of their accounts for years, unable to access their files. The situation only gets worsethis year, from bankruptcy to hacks to fires, cloud-based services are dying faster than lanternflies.

Even if we apparently own a digital good, continued access to our digital purchases is not guaranteed. Since the late 90s, digital rights management has enabled companies to copyright and thus fence off digital goods. DRM is at the root of everyday frustrations like the inability to play music, games, audiobooks, or e-books on a different platform than the vendor used to purchase them. Cant read a Kobo book on a Kindle? Thank DRM.

Most alarmingly, DRM accelerates the transience of our digital goods. A few years ago, a Tron video game stopped working after Disney ended its business relationship with a DRM provider. And in an Orwellian twist, in 2009, Amazon remotely wiped the e-book 1984 off consumers Kindles due to a copyright dispute. DRM affects all sorts of digital devices, not just media. After one company merger, patients with retinal implants were left wondering if the proprietary software behind their sight-enabling devices would continue to be supported.

Thanks to tech monopolies, we have even less agency than before over our data and digital goods. After Amazon acquired Audible in 2008, they promised to kill its DRM. But 15 years later, consumers are still waiting. Because Amazon dominates more than 90 percent of the audiobook market, we are forced to choose between yielding to Amazon or not being able to listen to audiobooks at all. Consumers will suffer as power gets increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few tech giants. When those companies are cut at the knees, as was the case for Google Drivewhich holds the largest market share of file-sharing softwarethere is little recourse.

To be fair, nonprofit, open-source alternatives are also fallible to a fragile economy. Open-source software relies on a community of volunteers that are liable to burnout. And decisions are sometimes still beholden to the interests of very fewaka benevolent dictators for life. The funding model for nonprofits can also threaten digital longevityeither relying on crowdfunding, like Wikipedia, or relying on grants from foundations that still favor corporate interests. The problem is not the digitization of our life, its in the lack of real options for securing the durability of our digital world.

A Google search for how to archive my digital life only returns suggestions for backing up my data to the cloud. With the precarity of cloud-based services and subscription-reliant models, Im not reassured. But one thing gives me hope: Were starting to come full circle. In a study by the American Library Association in November, millennials and Gen Z were found to prefer print books over e-books. And film photography has been on the rise among young people, with film sales increasing twentyfold from 2020 to 2022. Ever the mainstream hipster, Ive started to carry a disposable camera on vacations, printing hard copies in addition to keeping digital copies. Call me a Luddite, but Ill take it as a complimentafter all, Luddites started the original rebellion against Big Tech.

Downloading my files off Evernote wasnt impossible, but it wasnt easy. Hours later, I had saved most of my most important notes to my hard drive. As a sentimental person, it hurt to think that I might someday lose this digital scrapbook, this time capsule of my teenage and college years. But then I remembered the time when, six years ago, I lost all the photos on my phone when my phone was snatched off a bus; I was sad, but also relieved to be free of the burden of my digital baggage. Today, I cant remember a single photo I had saved on that phone.

Maybe the real trick to unchaining ourselves from the clutches of Big Tech is to free ourselves from our attachment to our digital things. Only then, we might rely a little less on ephemeral tech. And maybe, just maybe, we might have a real stake in our digital destinies.
WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  As the holiday shopping season ends, some recipients of gifts may wish to return unwanted items. In 2023, however, consumers may face fees to return products, but also opportunities to resell unwanted gifts.

Among ways to add cash on unwanted products, consumers can consider auctioning off gifts on eBay, utilizing Facebook Marketplace, and apps like OfferUp that allow users to list items from toys, clothes, tech, and more.

Two people injured after car crash in Montgomery County

People who dont wish to utilize gift cards can sell them  The Penny Hoarder lists the following sites to use:

CardCash

ClipKard

Gameflip

GiftCash

Raise

Consumers should read the terms of service to anticipate possible fees.

If consumers opt to return products and be reimbursed, the Consumers Checkbook (CC) says recent Amazon and Walmart purchases can be returned until Jan.31; Amazon will charge $1 for some UPS drop-off services if Amazon drop-off locations are nearby like, Whole Foods or Kohls.

CC adds that Macys charges $9.99 For shipping for nonloyalty members, while Kohls wont pay for return shipping. T.J. Maxx and Marshalls increased their mailed returns fee from $1 to $11.99 this year, CC said.

Before returning products, shoppers can be prepared by reading return policies and can save time during the return process by having their IDs out, as well as email, purchase number and receipts nearby.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
Doctor Who and Emmerdale star Richard Franklin has died from an undisclosed long-term illness on Christmas Day, aged 87

The news was confirmed by a spokesperson for his family in a statement, which was obtained by the PA news ageny.

Franklin, best known for playing Captain Mike Yates in the long-running BBC series, sadly died in his sleep after fighting long-term illness according to the statement.

We are deeply saddened by his loss, we will fondly remember him for his generosity, creative spirit and fantastic story telling, the message read. He is also well remembered outside the family for his long-running career in TV and theatre where he delighted audiences of all ages.

This gave him great joy and we know his legacy will last.

Franklin passed away peacefully in his sleep, according to Liam Rudden, a friend of the late actor.

Rudden, who had been given his first professional acting job by the stage and screen star, announced the news when he posted to the late TV stars social media page on Monday.

On X/Twitter, he wrote: It is with great sadness, that the family of Richard Franklin have asked me to share news of his passing, early this morning.

Richard passed away peacefully in his sleep. Details of funeral arrangements will be shared here when announced. Sleep well Richard. #RIP  Liam Rudden.

In a post to his own social media account, Rudden said he was devastated, adding: Farewell to a mentor and friend.

It is with great sadness, that the family of Richard Franklin have asked me to share news of his passing, early this morning. Richard passed away peacefully in his sleep. Details of funeral arrangements will be shared here when announced. Sleep well Richard. #RIP

- Liam Rudden pic.twitter.com/TgsSADbQYt  Richard Franklin (@PlanetFranklin) December 25, 2023

Born in west Londons Marylebone on 15 January 1936, Franklin enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1963 and began his acting career on stage at the Century Theatre in Coalville in Leicestershire.

After landing the role of Joe Townsen on British soap Crossroads in 1969, Franklin was cast as UNIT member Captain Mike Yates on Doctor Who during Jon Pertwees reign as the Time Lord in the Seventies.

An adjutant in the fictional military organisation, Yates helped the doctor and his companions ward off alien invasions of Earth, with Franklin appearing in episodes from 1971 until 1974.

In 2002, Franklin wrote The Killing Stone, a novel with Yates as its protagonist, which was released as an audio book narrated by the late actor.

It was later published as Operation HATE by Fantom Films in 2013, after Franklin removed all references to the original characters from Doctor Who to avoid copyright infringement claims.

Franklin also unsuccessfully stood as a parliamentary candidate for a number of parties, including the Liberal Democrats and the UKIP, as well as founding the Silent Majority Party.
Doctor Who fans have been left mystified by an unexpected mid-credits scene featured in the latest Christmas special.

The BBC series returned on Monday (25 December) for a brand new instalment, titled The Church on Ruby Road,. The episode marked the first full adventure for Ncuti Gatwa, who knocked it out of the park after arriving earlier this month in a scene that broke from tradition.

The latest episode also introduced new companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson)  but its another character that has generated frenzied intrigue among the shows fandom.

Mrs Flood, played by Anita Dobson, is introduced as Rubys nosy next door neighbour, who gets particularly frustrated by the arrival of the TARDIS due to the fact its obstructing the street. By the end of the episode, though, the TARDIS departs, leaving Mrs Floods fellow neighbour, Abdul (Hemi Yeroham), in shock.

In a mid-credits scene, Dobsons character, unfazed, tells Abdul to stop making such a fuss. She then turns to the camera and says with a wink: Never seen a TARDIS before?

Fans immediately rushed to social media to share their reactions to the moment, with fan account @BadWolfArchives posting: Now gonna spend the next few months obsessing over who SHE is.

So who could Mrs Flood actually be? The main theory is that she has something to do with the Master. Backing this up is the fact that the doctor did not recognise Ms Flood  the Radio Times theorised that the TARDIS she previously saw could be one belonging to the Master? Meanwhile, others believe the name Flood could be a nod to the name River Song.

One excited fan wrote: IT HAS TO BE RIVER RIGHT?? POSSIBLY THE MASTER?? BUT LIKE MS FLOOD = WATER = RIVER.

Theres a contingent of viewers who think a younger version of Mrs Flood will be shown to meet Gatwas Doctor in a future episode, with one person theorising that perhaps the character is no one special at all.

Anita Dobson as the mysterious Mrs Flood in Doctor Who (BBC)

I wonder if Mrs Flood is actually anyone at all. Perhaps they just realised at the end that they hadnt used the word TARDIS yet, and needed to slip it in somewhere for the new viewers, they shared on X/Twitter.

The BBC has revealed more details about the forthcoming series, which will start in May 2024. New episodeswill see the return of Yasmin Finney and Bonnie Langford, who will reprise their roles as Rose Noble and Mel Bush, alongside Jinkx Monsoon as a character described as the Doctors most powerful enemy yet.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Groff will appear in a mysterious key role, with Indira Varma playing the Duchess and Lenny Rush playing Morris. Doctor Who airs on the BBC in the UK and Disney+ globally.
Sign up for CNNs Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.

Resurrection biology  attempting to bring strings of molecules and more complex organisms back to life  is gaining traction in labs around the world.

The work is a far cry from the genetically engineered dinosaurs that escape in the blockbuster movie Jurassic Park, although for some scientists the ultimate goal is de-extinction and resurrecting animals and plants that have been lost.

Other researchers are looking to the past for new sources of drugs or to sound an alarm about the possibility of long-dormant pathogens. The field of study is also about recreating elements of human history in an attempt to better understand how our ancestors might have lived and died.

Here are four fascinating research projects in this emerging field that launched or made significant progress in 2023.

Reviving zombie viruses

Warmer temperatures in the Arctic are thawing the regions permafrost  a frozen layer of soil beneath the ground  and potentially stirring viruses that, after lying dormant for tens of thousands of years, could endanger animal and human health.

Jean-Michel Claverie, a professor emeritus of medicine and genomics at the Aix-Marseille University School of Medicine in Marseille, France, is seeking to better understand the risks posed by what he describes as zombie viruses by resurrecting viruses from earth samples from Siberia.

Cores of earth drilled from Siberian permafrost have been analyzed to detect frozen viruses. - Jean-Michel Claverie/IGS/CNRS-AM

Claverie managed to revive a virus in 2014 that he and his team isolated from the permafrost, making it infectious for the first time in 30,000 years by inserting it into cultured cells. In his latest research, published in February, Claverie and his team isolated several strains of ancient virus from multiple samples of earth representing five new families of viruses. For safety, he had chosen to study a virus that could only target single-celled amoebas, not animals or humans.

The oldest was nearly 48,500 years old, based on radiocarbon dating of the soil, and came from a sample of earth taken from an underground lake 52 feet (16 meters) below the surface. The youngest samples, found in the stomach contents and coat of a woolly mammoths remains, were 27,000 years old.

That amoeba-infecting viruses are still infectious after so long is a signal of a serious potential public health threat, Claverie said.

We view these amoeba-infecting viruses as surrogates for all other possible viruses that might be in the permafrost, Claverie told CNN earlier this year.

Our reasoning is that if the amoeba viruses are still alive, there is no reason why the other viruses will not be still alive, and capable of infecting their own hosts.

Hunt for new antibiotics goes back to the ice age

For bioengineering pioneer Cesar de la Fuente, Presidential Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, the past is a source of opportunity that has opened up a new front in the fight against drug-resistant superbugs.

Advances in the recovery of ancient DNA from fossils mean that detailed libraries of genetic information about extinct human relatives and long-lost animals are now publicly available.

The machine biology group he leads at UPenn uses intelligence-based computational methods to mine this genetic information and identify small protein, or peptide, molecules they believe to have bacteria-fighting powers. He has discovered promising compounds from Neanderthals and ice age creatures such as the woolly mammoth and giant sloth.

Ancient molecules, including those from extinct human relatives such as the Neanderthals, may offer hope in the fight against superbugs. - Mike Kemp/In Pictures/Getty Images

It has enabled us to uncover new sequences, new types of molecules that we have not previously found in living organisms, expanding the way we think about molecular diversity, de la Fuente said. Bacteria from today have never faced those molecules so they may give us a better opportunity at targeting the pathogens that are problematic today.

Most antibiotics come from bacteria and fungi and have been discovered by screening microorganisms that live in soil. But in recent decades, pathogens have become resistant to many of these drugs because of widespread overuse.

While de la Fuentes approach is unorthodox, the urgency to identify possible candidates has never been greater as the global population faces nearly 5 million deaths every year that are associated with microbial resistance, according to the World Health Organization.

Plotting the resurrection of the dodo, woolly mammoth and Tasmanian tiger

Extinctions are happening at a faster pace than ever. For some scientists, a path to staunching this loss could be trying to resurrect lost creatures from the past.

Biotechnology and genetic engineering startup Colossal Biosciences announced in January that it wants to bring back the dodo  an odd-looking flightless bird that lived on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean until the late 17th century  and reintroduce it to its once native habitat.

The dodo is one of several extinct creatures that Colossal Biosciences is trying to resurrect. - Ranjith Jayasena

The company is working on other equally ambitious projects that will incorporate advances in ancient DNA sequencing, gene-editing technology and synthetic biology to bring back the woolly mammoth and the thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger.

Geneticists at Colossal Biosciences have found cells that act as a precursor for ovaries or testes in the Nicobar pigeon, the dodos closest living relative, that can grow successfully in a chicken embryo. The scientists are now investigating whether these cells  called primordial germ cells, or PGCs  can turn into sperm and eggs.

The company plans to compare the genomes of the dodo and the Rodrigues solitaire, an extinct bird closely related to the dodo, to identify how they differ. Then it will edit the PGCs of a Nicobar pigeon so it expresses the physical traits of a dodo.

The edited cells will then be inserted into the embryos of a sterile chicken and rooster. With the introduction of the edited PGCs, the chicken and rooster will be capable of reproducing, and, in theory, their offspring will resemble the dodo thanks to the hybridized pigeon DNA in their reproductive systems.

Physically, the restored dodo will be indiscernible from what we know of the dodos appearance, said Matt James, chief animal officer of Colossal Biosciences, told CNN in a November email.

Even if the researchers are successful in this high-stakes endeavor, they wont be making a carbon copy of the dodo that lived four centuries ago but an altered, hybrid form instead.

Colossal Biosciences has partnered with the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation to conduct a feasibility study to assess where to best locate the birds if the experiment is successful. However, finding a home may prove challenging.



Mauritius is a relatively small island that has changed significantly since the dodo went extinct.

Despite being one of the most famous birds in the world, we still know virtually nothing about the dodo, so how it interacted with its environment is impossible to know, said Julian Hume, an avian paleontologist and research associate at Londons Natural History Museum, who has studied the bird.

Because of the complexity of recreating a species from DNA, even if it was possible, (it) can only result in a dodo-esque creature. It will then take years of selective breeding to enhance a small pigeon into a large flightless bird. Remember, nature took millions of years for this to happen with the dodo, he added.

What Egyptian mummies smelled like

One of two canopic jars that are part of the Museum August Kestner's collection in Hanover, Germany, once contained the remains of ancient Egyptian noblewoman Senetnay. - Christian Tepper/Museum August Kestner

Visitors to Denmarks Moesgaard Museum can sniff the scent of an Egyptian mummification balm last used 3,500 years ago.

The evocative smell was recreated from ingredients identified by studying residues left in two canopic jars discovered in Egypts Valley of the Kings in 1900. The two jars once contained some of the remains of an ancient Egyptian noblewoman known as Senetnay.

The exact recipes used in the mummification process have long been debated because ancient Egyptian texts dont name precise ingredients.

The invesetigation, led by Barbara Huber, a doctoral researcher of archaeological chemistry at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology in Germany, identified the balm ingredients using a variety of highly advanced analytical techniques.

She found the balms contained beeswax, plant oils, animal fats, resins and the naturally occurring petroleum product bitumen. Compounds such as coumarin and benzoic acid were also present. Coumarin, which has a vanilla-like scent, is found in pea plants and cinnamon, while benzoic acid occurs in resins and gums from trees and bushes.

The balms differed slightly between the two jars, which means that different ingredients may have been used depending on which organ was being preserved.

In the jar used to store Senetnays lungs, researchers detected fragrant resins from larch trees and something thats either dammar from trees found in India and Southeast Asia, or resin from Pistacia trees that belong to the cashew family.

The presence of such a vast array of ingredients, including exotic substances like dammar or Pistacia tree resin, indicates that extremely rare and expensive materials were used for her embalming, Huber told CNN when the research was published in August. This points to Senetnays exceptional status in society.

The scent was then recreated with the help of French perfumer Carole Calvez and sensory museologist Sofia Collette Ehrich.

The first time I encountered the scent, it was a profound and almost surreal experience, Huber said.

After spending so much time immersed in the research and analysis, to finally have this tangible, aromatic connection to the ancient world was moving. It was like holding a faint echo from the past.

CNNs Ashley Strickland and Tom Page contributed to this report

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
People living in a Florida town, located in a food desert, were treated to free pizza on Christmas Eve.

Food pantry Positive Impact Worldwide gave away over 600 free pies to families in need in St. Petersburg, Florida. The organization partnered with the city's police department and Domino's Pizza to put together the drive.

Karen Rae, the non-profit executive director, said the event was a major success as all the pizzas ran out within a few hours.

"It was a light-hearted atmosphere and they were just grateful," Rae told USA TODAY on Monday. "They were grateful to see that we were doing this for them (and) that we care cared enough to take our time on Christmas Eve."

The executive director of the non-profit added it's "a special treat" to be able to gift people a "hot pizza from Domino's" rather than a frozen pizza from the corner gas station."

Christmas gifts for people in their 30s: Funny responses from 7th graders go viral

A new tradition is born

The food pantry, which provides free groceries for around 2,000 people every week, did not hesitate when Domino's reached out with the idea of throwing a holiday pizza drive just a month prior, according to Rae.

Rae said the success of Sunday's drive made her hopeful that a pizza drive would become an annual holiday tradition.

Over 600 pizza boxes from Domino's were given to St. Petersburg families on Dec. 25, 2023.

"It's an opportunity to spend time with my babies here, so that's what Im doing, any chance I get," resident Terry Jones said, according to local station FOX 13.

Jay Brubaker, a retired St. Petersburg officer and co-founder of Positive Impact Worldwide told USA TODAY that it was a blessing to support "this area that's known as a food desert."

One in seven of the town's children goes hungry

Families in St. Petersburg have restricted access to healthy foods due to limited income and the status of the economy, according to Brubaker. Through partnerships with chains like Publix and Sam's Club, Rae said the non-profit provides whole foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and quality dairy products to families who cannot afford proper nutrition.

Brubaker said one in seven children in St. Petersburg go to sleep hungry every night. He added that the holidays are often extra challenging because kids are not going to school and therefore losing access to free meals.

"It just keeps growing because as the economy worsens, the food disparity becomes greater," Brubaker said. "Especially when they don't have school in the summers they're missing meals. So we're trying to stop that and fill that gap."

The St. Petersburg Police Department partnered with Positive Impact Worldwide to run the Christmas pizza drive.

Non-profit's deeds go beyond the unhoused

In addition to supporting people experiencing homelessness, Positive Impact Worldwide is there to help anyone facing food insecurity. Rae said their effort is to give people the dignity to pick out the foods they want and better themselves.

They plan to implement a complementary market experience where people shop under a point-based system that teaches budgeting skills, she said. She added that they will provide educational programs where people can learn basic nutrition and food-prepping skills and plan to roll out new personal development workshops in 2024.

"We are serving working-class people who may just be one medical emergency, one car repair, one layoff or one natural disaster away from needing our help," Rae added. "Those who do need our help I want them to know that there's no shame."

The organization has spent 20 years addressing the hunger crisis but Rae said support is continuously needed for them to continue their deeds.

Anyone hoping to contribute to their efforts can donate on their page.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida food desert community get free Domino's pizza for Christmas
Hes making a list. Hes checking it twice. Hes posting it on Truth Social. No, not Santa Claus. Donald Trump gave us an angry, multiday rant about all his perceived enemies and slights on social media for Christmas.

Trumps screed, which spanned Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, highlighted the former presidents growing anger over the ways he feels he has been wrongedas well as how dangerous a second Trump presidency would be. He took aim at President Joe Biden and special counsel Jack Smith and spewed multiple falsehoods about the 2020 election for good measure.



2024 WILL GO DOWN AS THE YEAR OF GREAT AND FULLY COORDINATED ILLEGAL ELECTION INTERFERENCE BY CROOKED JOE BIDEN, THE WORST AND MOST CORRUPT PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, THE DOJ, FBI, A.G.s, & D.A.s THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, Trump wrote on Monday morning. BUT DESPITE IT ALL, IN THE END, THERE WILL BE A BIG AND GLORIOUS VICTORY FOR THOSE BRAVE AND VALIANT PATRIOTS WHO WANT TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!



A few hours later, he branded Biden, Smith, and the Democratic Party in general as thugs who are looking to destroy our once great USA.



MAY THEY ROT IN HELL. AGAIN, MERRY CHRISTMAS! Trump wrote.



Some of Trumps other posts accused the House January 6 investigative committee of unethical practices. He also accused Biden of weaponizing the Department of Justice (a favorite Republican talking point, rich with irony given the GOPs plans to reengineer the federal workforce as an engine of retribution against their political opponents), of spying on Trumps 2020 presidential campaign, and of rigging the 2020 presidential election. No evidence has been found to support any of these claims.



Trumps unfiltered social media spew is emblematic of his current presidential campaign, which is less about policy proposals or a vision of the future and more focused on his plans to get revenge on those who he feels have wronged him. Trump has already explicitly stated that his 2024 campaign is about retribution.



As The New Republic has reported recently, the other worrying feature of Trumps holiday season rhetoric has been his newfound love of paraphrasing Adolf Hitler. Trump has lately seemed determined to make parallels to the worlds best-known avatar of monomaniacally retributive politics a central part of his campaign persona.
URBANDALE, Iowa  As he wrapped up an intimate gathering of Donald Trump loyalists at the campaign's state headquarters in early December, senior adviser Alex Meyer let the crowd in on some "insider information."

Any volunteer "caucus captain" who persuades 10 or more Iowans to support the former president on Caucus Day, and they all show up, will be invited "to a special, small event with President Trump at the Republican National Convention," Meyer said.

"For every single Trump caucus captain in this room, you are a member of this campaign," Meyer told the group, gathered in the small office plastered wall to wall with signs and memorabilia. "What you are doing is a part of this campaign."

Supporters of former President Donald Trump grab signs at a campaign rally in Waterloo on Dec. 19, 2023. The Trump campaign has constructed a ground game in Iowa centered on dedicated "caucus captains" and turning out first-time caucusgoers.

Even as he wages an unprecedented primary battle as a former incumbent facing 91 criminal charges, Trump remains the Republican front-runner in Iowa, steadily increasing support in polling over the last year. In the latest Iowa Poll, conducted earlier this month, he leads by 32 percentage points.

He's been far from subtle about his projected results on Caucus Day: a "historic" and "landslide" victory over Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and the rest of his Republican opponents.

"The poll numbers are scary because we're leading by so much. The key is you have to go out and vote," Trump told supporters in Waterloo on Dec. 19. "If we win in a massive number, but it's a little bit less than that, they'll say, 'Oh, he didn't meet expectations.'"

Iowa caucuses: Trump repeats 'poisoning' rhetoric, rebuffs Hitler comparisons saying 'I never read Mein Kampf'

His campaign team in Iowa has sought to build a grassroots operation that meets those expectations, recruiting what one official called a "field army" of volunteer captains who double as frontline recruiters now and precinct representatives on caucus night.

After coming in second place in 2016 with a scattershot campaign operation and effectively running unopposed in 2020, Trump's revamped Iowa team was tasked with "expanding the electorate" of the caucuses ahead of 2024  mobilizing passionate supporters and reaching what officials call "low-propensity voters," who need a nudge to show up on caucus night. The aim: bury their opponents in the Hawkeye State.

"President Trump has done more to expand the Republican Party and shift Iowa red than any other official in this state," said Alex Latcham, the campaign's early states director. "Under President Trump and his policies, Iowans were more secure, free and prosperous than any other time."

Trump "inspires and energizes voters like no other," Latcham said, which is why the campaign expects "tens of thousands of Iowans" to show up and caucus for him for the first time.

Iowa Poll: Donald Trump holds overwhelming lead; Ron DeSantis edges ahead of Nikki Haley

How the Trump campaign lured and trained an army of volunteers

Among the sea of ubiquitous red hats worn to rallies for the former president, a new white-and-gold variation of the MAGA hat began to dot the crowds of supporters at recent Iowa events.

The "limited edition" TRUMP CAUCUS CAPTAIN caps, complete with a gold-stitched Iowa state flag on the side, are given only to Iowans who volunteered to serve as a caucus captain  an amped-up volunteer role that the campaign has designated as their front line of support.

A Trump caucus captain wears a white caucus captain hat during a campaign rally at Waterloo Convention Center on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in Waterloo.

More than 2,000 of these captains have been charged with delivering a three-minute speech in support of Trump on caucus night, as well as observing and reporting to the campaign the final vote tally at their precinct. They range from local couples serving as co-captains to county Republican chairs and elected officials such as Attorney General Brenna Bird.

"This campaign has the best organization I've ever seen," Bird told supporters in Coralville in December.

Captains are required to attend a roughly hour-long training session, either in person or virtually. The campaign says it's held roughly 350 of these Iowa sessions by mid-December and plans to have around 500 completed by Caucus Day.

Captains each receive a 20-page handbook outlining their role and responsibilities, and it provides them with a suggested speech to deliver at their precinct. It also includes a checklist for caucus night  reminding captains to bring their photo ID, credentials and campaign literature, cold-weather attire and five to 10 yard signs.

Wendy Robbins, 66, of Coralville is serving as a precinct captain along with her husband, Andy.

"They called me and asked if I'd be willing to do it," Robbins told the Register ahead of Trump's speech in December. "I never really thought about it, and yet, I have no reason not to. I can speak well for him, and I really believe in him."

Left: The handbook provided to "caucus captains" volunteering with Donald Trump's 2024 campaign in Iowa. Right: The handbook outlines the role and responsibilities of a captain ahead of and on caucus night.

In addition to the white-and-gold hats, the campaign has sought at events across Iowa to make caucus captains feel like VIPs.

Some had reserved seats toward the front of the room at Trump's recent rallies. Three captains were brought on stage for a panel in which they talked about how they got involved with the campaign. And incentives like the RNC meeting and Trump-signed certificates are designed to get captains to stay committed through Jan. 15.

Yvonne Wessels, 76, is a co-caucus captain in southern Des Moines with her daughter Renee Wessels-Baker. They both signed up as captains as firm supporters of Trump but aren't taking a potential victory for granted.

"I think this one is harder," Wessels said, referring to the 2024 cycle. "With all of the people running against him."

Iowa caucuses: Organizing is key in Iowa. Who has the ground game to take on Trump?

A campaign's quest for first-time caucusgoers: Data, grassroots and 'Ten for Trump'

Trump has spent far less time on the ground in Iowa than his opponents  holding 17 public events here since March, according to the Des Moines Register's candidate tracker  far fewer than DeSantis' stops across 99 counties and Haley's 60-plus total events.

When Trump does fly in, the campaign aims to make it count. At his Iowa rallies, billed as "Commit to Caucus" events held in population centers across the state, the former president's speech is the main affair.

But the operation's real currency comes in the form of supporters' contact info, which they gather when attendees register and bring family and friends along to the event.

These heat maps show the areas of Iowa where Republican candidates for president have held scheduled public events. Areas in blue had few events for that candidate, while areas in red had the most events.

Around almost every corner in these convention centers, volunteers mill about crowds or stand behind tables and ask if attendees have signed a card or if they are interested in becoming a caucus captain.

A newly eligible voter from Cedar Falls, 18-year-old Ryan Bennett attended a December rally in Waterloo with a group of friends. They'd hardly made it through security before being approached by a volunteer who asked if they'd signed caucus cards.

"This is my first time ever going to an event like this," said Bennett, who said he was still getting a grip on how the caucus process works. "Currently, it's kind of a learning experience."

The campaign has collected more than 51,000 commit-to-caucus cards as of mid-December.

Beyond the Commit to Caucus events, the campaign's legion of volunteers serve as a vital recruiting corps. Caucus captains are given a list of 25 voters and asked to get 10 to commit to supporting Trump in January  an initiative the campaign calls "Ten for Trump."

Officials have prioritized targeting Iowans who haven't ever attended a caucus but have supported Trump in some way before  having attended a rally, voted for him in the 2016 or 2020 general elections, or donated to his campaign.

"You look at the volume of folks we've had, the precinct trainings, we've had the commit-to-caucus events," state Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, a senior adviser to the campaign in Iowa, told the Register. "We are truly a data-driven, disciplined campaign that is doing an excellent job of turning out these first-time voters."

Donald Trump's 2024 campaign in Iowa has instructed its volunteer "caucus captains" to reach ten additional Iowans to commit to caucus for Trump.

The latest Iowa Poll shows Trump expanding his lead with first-time caucusgoers in the state, with 63% saying the former president is their first choice. That's up from 49% support for Trump from first-timers in October. By comparison, DeSantis earned support from 12% of first-timers and Haley 11%.

More: Why does Trump keep saying migrants are 'poisoning' America? Many GOP caucusgoers like it

First-time caucusgoers differ from the overall likely caucusgoing population in a couple of key ways, the December poll found. A majority of them are age 45 or younger (59%, compared with 42% overall).

They also tend to have lower levels of education  28% have completed high school or less, and an additional 39% have completed some college or an associate's degree, which combine for 67%. Thats compared to a combined 52% among all likely GOP caucusgoers.

"Traditionally, young people have not been all that plentiful in the Republican caucusgoing public," said respected pollster J. Ann Selzer, who conducts the Iowa Poll. "It suggests that there are some things going on here that make this group of first-timers look a little different from what we have seen in the past."

Among those younger, first-time caucusgoers is Gunnar Neal, a 27-year-old from North Liberty who attended a Trump rally in Coralville. He said Trump's challengers weren't of interest to him  at least not this cycle.

"I think Nikki Haley is kind of a RINO (Republican in name only). DeSantis isn't as bad," Neal said. "If Trump didn't run this time, I would probably vote for DeSantis, but it's just not DeSantis' time yet."

Rachel Walgren, a 19-year-old from Cedar Falls who saw Trump in Waterloo, will be caucusing for the first time, having observed one other caucus when she was younger.

"2024 is going to be ours, with the way Biden is going and everything that's been happening," she said.

Galen Bacharier covers politics for the Register. Reach him at gbacharier@registermedia.com or (573) 219-7440, and follow him on Twitter @galenbacharier.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: How Trump's 2024 campaign built an Iowa Caucuses grassroots juggernaut
URBANDALE, Iowa  As he wrapped up an intimate gathering of Donald Trump loyalists at the campaign's state headquarters in early December, senior adviser Alex Meyer let the crowd in on some "insider information."

Any volunteer "caucus captain" who persuades 10 or more Iowans to support the former president on Caucus Day, and they all show up, will be invited "to a special, small event with President Trump at the Republican National Convention," Meyer said.

"For every single Trump caucus captain in this room, you are a member of this campaign," Meyer told the group, gathered in the small office plastered wall to wall with signs and memorabilia. "What you are doing is a part of this campaign."

Supporters of former President Donald Trump grab signs at a campaign rally in Waterloo on Dec. 19, 2023. The Trump campaign has constructed a ground game in Iowa centered on dedicated u0022caucus captainsu0022 and turning out first-time caucusgoers.

Even as he wages an unprecedented primary battle as a former incumbent facing 91 criminal charges, Trump remains the Republican frontrunner in Iowa, steadily increasing support in polling over the last year. In the latest Iowa Poll, conducted earlier this month, he leads by 32 percentage points.

He's been far from subtle about his projected results on Caucus Day: a "historic" and "landslide" victory over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and the rest of his Republican opponents.

"The poll numbers are scary because we're leading by so much. The key is you have to go out and vote," Trump told supporters in Waterloo on Dec. 19. "If we win in a massive number, but it's a little bit less than that, they'll say, 'Oh, he didn't meet expectations.'"

Iowa caucuses: Trump repeats 'poisoning' rhetoric, rebuffs Hitler comparisons saying 'I never read Mein Kampf'

His campaign team in Iowa has sought to build a grassroots operation that meets those expectations, recruiting what one official called a "field army" of volunteer captains who double as frontline recruiters now and precinct representatives on caucus night.

After coming in second place in 2016 with a scattershot campaign operation and effectively running unopposed in 2020, Trump's revamped Iowa team was tasked with "expanding the electorate" of the caucuses ahead of 2024  mobilizing passionate supporters and reaching what officials call "low-propensity voters," who need a nudge to show up on caucus night. The aim: bury their opponents in the Hawkeye State.

"President Trump has done more to expand the Republican Party and shift Iowa red than any other official in this state," said Alex Latcham, the campaign's early states director.

Trump "inspires and energizes voters like no other," Latcham said, which is why the campaign expects "tens of thousands of Iowans" to show up and caucus for him for the first time.

Iowa Poll: Donald Trump holds overwhelming lead; Ron DeSantis edges ahead of Nikki Haley

How the Trump campaign lured and trained an army of volunteers

Among the sea of ubiquitous red hats worn to rallies for the former president, a new white-and-gold variation of the MAGA hat began to dot the crowds of supporters at recent Iowa events.

The "limited edition" TRUMP CAUCUS CAPTAIN caps, complete with a gold-stitched Iowa state flag on the side, are given only to Iowans who volunteered to serve as a caucus captain  an amped-up volunteer role that the campaign has designated as their front line of support.

A Trump caucus captain wears a white caucus captain hat during a campaign rally at Waterloo Convention Center on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in Waterloo.

More than 2,000 of these captains have been charged with delivering a three-minute speech in support of Trump on caucus night, as well as observing and reporting to the campaign the final vote tally at their precinct. They range from local couples serving as co-captains to county Republican chairs and elected officials such as Attorney General Brenna Bird.

"This campaign has the best organization I've ever seen," Bird told supporters in Coralville in December.

Captains are required to attend a roughly hour-long training session, either in person or virtually. The campaign says it's held roughly 350 of these Iowa sessions by mid-December and plans to have around 500 completed by Caucus Day.

Captains each receive a 20-page handbook outlining their role and responsibilities, and it provides them with a suggested speech to deliver at their precinct. It also includes a checklist for caucus night, reminding captains to bring their photo ID, credentials and campaign literature, cold-weather attire and five to 10 yard signs.

Wendy Robbins, 66, of Coralville, Iowa, is serving as a precinct captain along with her husband, Andy.

"They called me and asked if I'd be willing to do it," Robbins told the Register ahead of Trump's speech in December. "I never really thought about it, and yet, I have no reason not to. I can speak well for him, and I really believe in him."

Left: The handbook provided to "caucus captains" volunteering with Donald Trump's 2024 campaign in Iowa. Right: The handbook outlines the role and responsibilities of a captain ahead of and on caucus night.

In addition to the white-and-gold hats, the campaign has sought at events across Iowa to make caucus captains feel like VIPs.

Some had reserved seats toward the front of the room at Trump's recent rallies. Three captains were brought on stage for a panel in which they talked about how they got involved with the campaign. And incentives like the RNC meeting and Trump-signed certificates are designed to get captains to stay committed through Jan. 15.

Yvonne Wessels, 76, is a co-caucus captain in southern Des Moines, Iowa, with her daughter Renee Wessels-Baker. They both signed up as captains as firm supporters of Trump but aren't taking a potential victory for granted.

"I think this one is harder," Wessels said, referring to the 2024 cycle. "With all of the people running against him."

Iowa caucuses: Organizing is key in Iowa. Who has the ground game to take on Trump?

A campaign's quest for first-time caucusgoers: Data, grassroots and 'Ten for Trump'

Trump has spent far less time on the ground in Iowa than his opponents, holding 17 public events here since March, according to the Des Moines Register's candidate tracker. That's far fewer than DeSantis' stops across 99 counties and Haley's 60-plus total events.

When Trump does fly in, the campaign aims to make it count. At his Iowa rallies, billed as "Commit to Caucus" events held in population centers across the state, the former president's speech is the main affair.

But the operation's real currency comes in the form of supporters' contact info, which they gather when attendees register and bring family and friends along to the event.

These heat maps show the areas of Iowa where Republican candidates for president have held scheduled public events. Areas in blue had few events for that candidate, while areas in red had the most events.

Around almost every corner in these convention centers, volunteers mill about crowds or stand behind tables and ask if attendees have signed a card or if they are interested in becoming a caucus captain.

A newly eligible voter from Cedar Falls, Iowa, 18-year-old Ryan Bennett attended a December rally in Waterloo with a group of friends. They'd hardly made it through security before being approached by a volunteer who asked if they'd signed caucus cards.

"This is my first time ever going to an event like this," said Bennett, who said he was still getting a grip on how the caucus process works. "Currently, it's kind of a learning experience."

The campaign has collected more than 51,000 commit-to-caucus cards as of mid-December.

Beyond the Commit to Caucus events, the campaign's legion of volunteers serve as a vital recruiting corps. Caucus captains are given a list of 25 voters and asked to get 10 to commit to supporting Trump in January, an initiative the campaign calls "Ten for Trump."

Officials have prioritized targeting Iowans who haven't ever attended a caucus but have supported Trump in some way before, having attended a rally, voted for him in the 2016 or 2020 general elections, or donated to his campaign.

"You look at the volume of folks we've had, the precinct trainings, we've had the commit-to-caucus events," state Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, a senior adviser to the campaign in Iowa, told the Register. "We are truly a data-driven, disciplined campaign that is doing an excellent job of turning out these first-time voters."

Donald Trump's 2024 campaign in Iowa has instructed its volunteer "caucus captains" to reach ten additional Iowans to commit to caucus for Trump.

The latest Iowa Poll shows Trump expanding his lead with first-time caucusgoers in the state, with 63% saying the former president is their first choice. That's up from 49% support for Trump from first-timers in October. By comparison, DeSantis earned support from 12% of first-timers and Haley 11%.

More: Why does Trump keep saying migrants are 'poisoning' America? Many GOP caucusgoers like it

First-time caucusgoers differ from the overall likely caucusgoing population in a couple of key ways, the December poll found. A majority of them are age 45 or younger (59%, compared with 42% overall).

They also tend to have lower levels of education. Twenty-eight percent have completed high school or less, and an additional 39% have completed some college or an associate's degree, which combine for 67%. Thats compared to a combined 52% among all likely GOP caucusgoers.

"Traditionally, young people have not been all that plentiful in the Republican caucusgoing public," said respected pollster J. Ann Selzer, who conducts the Iowa Poll. "It suggests that there are some things going on here that make this group of first-timers look a little different from what we have seen in the past."

Among those younger, first-time caucusgoers is Gunnar Neal, a 27-year-old from North Liberty who attended a Trump rally in Coralville. He said Trump's challengers weren't of interest to him  at least not this cycle.

"I think Nikki Haley is kind of a RINO (Republican in name only). DeSantis isn't as bad," Neal said. "If Trump didn't run this time, I would probably vote for DeSantis, but it's just not DeSantis' time yet."

Rachel Walgren, a 19-year-old from Cedar Falls who saw Trump in Waterloo, will be caucusing for the first time, having observed one other caucus when she was younger.

"2024 is going to be ours, with the way Biden is going and everything that's been happening," she said.

Galen Bacharier covers politics for the Register. Reach him at gbacharier@registermedia.com or (573) 219-7440, and follow him on Twitter @galenbacharier.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: How Donald Trump's 2024 campaign built an Iowa Caucuses juggernaut
A motorists Christmas got off to a rough start after her vehicle caught on fire along a Northern California roadway, leading one of her dogs to run away, but authorities said the canine was found within 24 hours.

The Smartsville Fire Protection District went at about 11:30 a.m. to Hammonton Smartsville Road in Yuba County for reports of a single-vehicle accident, according to a social media post by the department.

The front end of the vehicle, a minivan, suffered significant damage, and firefighters poured water on the front engine that had burst into flames, according to the post.

The driver and two of her dogs safely escaped the fiery wreck, but her third dog, a Rottweiler, had run away.

The Smartsville Fire Protection District initially asked residents to be on the lookout for the Rottweiler, but in an update posted Tuesday morning said he had been found safe.
The waiting time for lorry drivers to leave Poland through the border crossing with Ukraine in Dorohusk has increased to more than 30 days due to the intensification of the protest of hauliers who let one truck through every three hours.

Source: Tax Administration Office in Lublin; European Pravda, citing RMF FM

Details: According to the Lublin Tax Office, there are 1,500 lorries queuing to leave Poland for Ukraine through the Dorohusk checkpoint. The queue is about 40 kilometres long.

Quote: "The estimated waiting time  given the current speed of vehicle passage permitted by hauliers  is more than a month," the statement said.

Usually, the waiting time for such a number of vehicles to pass through Dorohusk is about 68 hours.

Edyta Ozygaa, the head of the protest action in Dorohusk, explained the intensification of the protest by the need to "somehow change tactics" so that the Ukrainian side would fulfil the protesters' demands.

Reminder:

The blockade by Polish hauliers has been going on since 6 November. On Monday, 18 December, the hauliers resumed the blockade of the Dorohusk-Yahodyn checkpoint after it was interrupted due to a ban by local authorities.

They demand, among other things, the introduction of commercial permits for Ukrainian companies to transport goods, with the exception of humanitarian aid and supplies for the Ukrainian military.

Separately, representatives of the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure and the Ukrainian Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure agreed on an action plan to unblock the border during a meeting in Kyiv on Friday, 22 December.

The Polish government admitted that the border could be unblocked by Christmas.

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A Plant City man was arrested on charges of DUI manslaughter for hitting a woman riding a motorized wheelchair on Christmas Eve, the Polk Countys Sheriffs Office said Monday.

On Sunday, around 6 p.m., Leslie Stone, 40, was heading east on West Pipkin Road when Howard Bennett, 67, struck her in his 2019 Mazda.

When deputies responded to the scene they said Bennett was observed stumbling and slurring his speech. His eyes were bloodshot and he used a patrol car to keep steady, according to the Sheriffs Office.

Bennett agreed to provide two breath samples that showed his blood-alcohol levels were nearly .16  about double the legal limit for Florida drivers.

In a provided statement, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd advised residents to celebrate the holidays responsibly.

Our prayers are with Ms. Stones family, he said. To lose a loved one this way is awfully tragic, but especially during the holiday season. We hope and pray our citizens will make better choices than this suspect did.

Bennett was was booked into Polk County Jail and faces charges of DUI manslaughter, DUI .15 or higher with property damage and DUI with property damage.

arabines@orlandosentinel.com
It would not occur to most people to think about the semantic legal difference between procedural and substantive. But in Florida, its a question of life or death.

Depending on how the courts eventually answer that question, prisoners could be put to death under a law that was passed after they committed their crimes. That is not justice.

Our federal and state constitutions both prohibit retroactive laws, but Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody insists they dont apply to the the states death statute because it is only procedural.

The new procedure, which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law April 20, makes it much easier for prosecutors to send convicted killers to death row. Thats highly substantive.

The law (SB 450) allows judges to impose a death sentence if as few as eight of 12 trial jurors recommend it. The old law, adopted in 2017, required all 12 to agree.

Some 50 prisoners still await new sentencing hearings the courts awarded them under a 2016 U.S. Supreme Court decision that effectively set aside their death sentences but not their convictions. Those cases long predate the passage of SB 450, but prosecutors are trying to apply it anyway. An unknown number of defendants awaiting their first trials are also affected.

Harshest death penalty in U.S.

The change makes Floridas the nations harshest death penalty regime. Alabama is the only other state that does not require a unanimous jury, but even there, the minimum is 10 votes. (Indiana and Missouri give the decision to judges when juries cannot agree.)

SB 450 was the politicians knee-jerk response to the 9-3 vote by a Broward County jury last year that meant a life sentence rather than death for Nikolas Cruz, who killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland in 2018.

The new law doesnt apply to Cruz, nor is it going to thwart future mass killers. They rarely intend to be taken alive.

It will inevitably pack death row with more people who dont belong there. Floridas nation-leading total of 30 death row exonerations shows that this states criminal justice system is too fallible to entrust it with manufacturing even more executions.

Headed to the Supreme Court

The extreme change, which DeSantis sought and the Legislature approved overwhelmingly, is certain to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Justices have never ruled on whether a jury must be unanimous in recommending death  only that it must unanimously find the existence of at least one aggravating circumstance.

And yet, the way cases are progressing means that Florida may spend millions of dollars trying and defending prisoners under the new law, only to have it all wasted if the high court eventually overturns the law, as it should.

The Florida Supreme Court gave the green light to that on Dec. 14, when it passed up an opportunity to rule on the constitutionality of the new law and refused to bar a circuit court in Pensacola from applying it to the scheduled resentencing hearing of Leonard Gonzalez Jr., who killed two people in a home invasion.

Whether Gonzalez is evil enough to be executed or should be resentenced to life without parole is not the point here. Bad people are often the subjects of important legal precedents.

The issues here are important. Should Florida be so far out of step with the rest of the nation to kill more people in the guise of protecting society? Should it apply such a harsh new law to old cases?

A court dodges its duty

As it often does, the Florida Supreme Court cited arcane technicalities to avoid addressing either point.

The review (Gonzalez) seeks must come at a later time, if at all, the opinion said.

He would have no appeal if he is not sentenced to death. Inevitably, though, someone will have grounds for an appeal on the merits.

A possible test case fizzled last month when Circuit Judge Heidi Davis in suburban Orlando overruled a 10-2 jury death recommendation and sentenced a prisoner to life instead. She said mitigating circumstances, including mental health, outweighed aggravating ones. Any appeal would be moot.

The Gonzalez case is already out of the ordinary for what appears to have been a power struggle within the attorney generals office on how to deal with it, as well as for the defense second-guessing its own strategy.

Perhaps sensing a premature defeat on the merits, Gonzalezs attorneys, Ira Still III of Coral Springs and Joseph Chambrot of Miami, attempted to dismiss the appeal voluntarily. The state objected.

Due to the importance of the constitutionality and proper application of Floridas recently amended death penalty, this court should not dismiss this case, wrote Charmain Millsaps, a senior assistant attorney general.

Subsequently, however, Jeffrey DeSousa, the chief deputy solicitor general, filed as co-counsel, and then Millsaps withdrew. In his own court filing, DeSousa argued strongly in favor of the constitutionality of the law and for applying the new law to Gonzalez. Yet he urged the court to dismiss the prisoners petition and let the hearing proceed.

So trials will continue under a drastic new law that may, and should, be found unconstitutional eventually. If that makes sense, it does so only to lawyers. Taxpayers should rightly believe otherwise.

____

The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board includes Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson, Opinion Editor Krys Fluker and Viewpoints Editor Jay Reddick. The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Editorial Page Editor Dan Sweeney, editorial writer Martin Dyckman and Anderson. Send letters to insight@orlandosentinel.com.
Four years after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a landmark consolidation of police and firefighter pensions with a promise of delivering property tax relief across Illinois, the measures effect on taxes remains murky while the constitutionality of the law itself is under challenge.

The legal question is now before the Illinois Supreme Court, which is expected to rule shortly on whether the law violates a state constitutional guarantee that public employee pension benefits shall not be diminished or impaired.

Whether the consolidation of hundreds of suburban and downstate police and firefighter pension funds reduces the property tax burden for homeowners and businesses, however, may take longer to become clear, and would depend on a host of political and economic factors.

Required pension contributions could go up, even with the benefits of consolidation, because funding levels deteriorate because of other factors  because people are living way longer than expected, because actuaries assumptions are totally off, said Amanda Kass, a public finance and pensions expert at DePaul University.

Potentially, you could have a situation where taxpayers dont see true property tax relief, but their property taxes arent as high as they would have been had there not been consolidation, Kass said.

That scenario is unlikely to appease residents in a state with some of the highest property taxes in the country, she said, given the expectation thats been sold  that people are going to see a decrease.

The promise of tax relief was an essential part of Pritzkers sales pitch for the consolidation, and the pension change has been one of the governors go-to responses when pressed on what his administration is doing to address high property taxes.

The idea is so central that the state raised it in defending the law before the state Supreme Court, explaining in a brief filed this fall that the law was designed to reduce total expenses and increase total investment returns across all funds, thereby lowering the tax burden on local municipalities and their residents, who are ultimately responsible to pay all promised benefits.

Before Pritzker capped a whirlwind first year in office by signing the measure in late 2019, there had been discussion in Springfield for decades about combining the hundreds of local pension funds charged with securing the retirement of tens of thousands of police officers and firefighters across the state.

Much like the states more-publicized problem with $141.4 billion in unfunded pension liabilities, local governments across Illinois have seen their budgets squeezed by soaring debt in their retirement funds for first responders. The year Pritzker signed the consolidation, unfunded liabilities across roughly 650 funds totaled more than $13 billion, according to a recent report from the legislatures bipartisan Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability.

At the time, the $15.8 billion in total assets held by those funds was only enough to cover about 55% of liabilities, according to the report, down from a peak of 77% funding in 1999 and well short of the funding target of 90% by 2040 thats set in state law.

Even before the consolidation took full effect last year, when assets were transferred to the statewide funds, those numbers had improved, with unfunded liabilities dropping to just under $11 billion and the funding level reaching 65% in the states 2021 budget year.

A variety of factors contributed to low funding levels over the years, from inaccurate actuarial assumptions and poor market performance to inadequate contributions from municipal governments and benefit enhancements approved by the General Assembly.

Shortly after taking office, Pritzker put together a task force to tackle the seemingly intractable problem. Months later, its recommendation to pool the investments of each individual fund  which any town with at least 5,000 residents and one full-time police officer or firefighter is required to have  was adopted with bipartisan support in the legislature and embraced by municipal officials and leaders of police and fire unions alike.

Chicagos police and fire pension funds are not part of the consolidation.

In combining the funds, the state also did away with restrictions on the types of investments that could be made depending on the size of the fund and eliminated the need for local pension boards to hire their own fund managers.

While each fund maintains its own account under the consolidation, investment decisions now are overseen by two statewide boards, one for police and one for firefighters.

Local boards, with some members appointed by municipal leaders and some elected by active police and firefighters and retirees, continue to administer benefits.

The argument in favor of consolidation was that pooling assets into two large funds would reap better returns by opening up a wider range of investment opportunities while also reducing administrative costs. In turn, that would hypothetically lead to lower costs for municipalities and, eventually, lower property taxes.

The law, however, must withstand the constitutional challenge pending before the states highest court.

That challenge hinges largely on whether taking away the power of local pension boards to make investment decisions represents a change that diminishes or impairs retirees benefits.

The lawsuit challenging the consolidation, filed in February 2021, was brought by 18 local pension funds and about three dozen active or retired police officers and firefighters. Two lower courts have ruled against the argument that participants diluted role in electing representatives to make investment decisions under the new law violates the state constitutions pension protection clause. A circuit court also dismissed the pensions funds from the case, finding they lacked standing.

Prior to consolidation, each local board was composed of five members: two appointed by the mayor or village president, two elected by active police or firefighters, and one elected by retirees.

In other words, attorneys for the plaintiffs wrote, no one from outside the municipality or its local police and fire department had any say in who would be a member of the board of trustees for that municipalitys local police or fire fund, and in turn, no one from outside the municipality had any say in who would be responsible for management of the funds assets.

While the local boards still exist with the same composition, theyve lost all authority over investment decisions, which are now made by managers for the two statewide funds.

Each fund is overseen by a nine-member board. The police board is made up of three members elected by active officers, two elected by retirees, three chosen by local municipalities, and one representative of the Illinois Municipal League appointed by the governor. The fire board is similarly composed, except retirees elect only one representative, with the remaining seat going to a person recommended by the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois union and appointed by the governor.

As a result, the Act substantially impacted and diluted each police officers and firefighters voting rights and ability to determine who their personal retirement assets are invested, attorneys for the plaintiffs wrote in a court filing.

They also argued that the requirement to transfer assets to the combined funds violates state constitutional protections for property rights.

In its argument to the high court, the state rejected as unsound the argument that the constitutions pension protections extend to ancillary issues such as voting rights.

Illinois Supreme Court precedent has established the constitutional pension protections, while ironclad, extend only to payments promised to participants in the retirement systems, not to changes to state law that affect their funding level, the state argued in its filing defending the law before the Supreme Court.

The investment of local fund assets, which likewise affects the level of local fund assets but has no effect on the payments (retirees) are entitled to receive, is constitutionally no different, the state argued in its brief. And because those investments are not constitutionally significant, the Pension Protection Clause cannot lock in a procedure for choosing who makes them.

The Supreme Court has cited that clause in striking down previous legislative attempts to shore up underfunded public pensions, most notably a 2013 law that would have reduced benefits for retired teachers and state workers. But during arguments in November, several justices appeared skeptical of the contention that those protections extended to issues such as the weight of a persons vote in electing members to a board that oversees investments.

In questioning, Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis noted that previous rulings found protections covered issues such as health care, disability, life insurance, survivor annuity but not issues involving the funding of the retirement systems themselves.

Theis line of questioning suggested the courts test for whether a change to pension law violates the constitution could be whether it has an impact on, as she said, what does the monthly check look like?

The court has not set a date for issuing its opinion.

In the meantime, after some delays prompted by the legal wrangling, the two newly created pension systems have consolidated the assets of nearly all of the police and fire pension funds across the state.

Aside from the legal issues, the timing of consolidation proved inauspicious, aligning with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the attendant volatility in the markets.

The firefighter funds began pooling assets in October 2021, and the police funds in March 2022.

From inception until June 30, 2022, the firefighters saw a negative rate of return of 12.6%, while police saw a 10% loss, according to the report from the legislatures forecasting commission. Pension fund officials point to the down economy during that time period and note that they outperformed the broader stock market.

Returns stabilized the following year, with the fire fund seeing 9.6% growth in the year that ended June 30, 2023, and police seeing 8.2% returns. Both did better than their assumed rates of return.

Despite a slow and at times rocky start, the consolidation is beginning to live up to its promise, officials with both funds said.

The Firefighters Pension Investment Fund, for example, outperformed the portfolios of the pre-consolidation funds to the tune of $40.4 million in the last budget year, while annual costs are $34 million lower, said William Atwood, the funds executive director.

What Ive said all along is that the ultimate program evaluation of consolidation is pretty straightforward: Are there improved returns and are there lower costs? Atwood said. And to date thats holding true.

Overall, the contributions required from local governments to the fire fund have been lower than before consolidation, Atwood said.

Officials with the Illinois Police Officers Pension Investment Fund likewise expressed confidence that they will be able to consistently produce better returns at a lower cost, due in large part to the size of the combined fund compared with its much smaller predecessors.

As of mid-December the police fund had nearly $10 billion in assets, while the firefighter fund had more than $8 billion.

Before consolidation, the largest individual fund had about $300 million in assets.

We get substantial economies of scale and scope, and we now have the ability to really  meaningfully build into, over time, asset classes that were not available to especially the smaller funds  and an investment complexity that maybe (would) not have been appropriate for a smaller fund, said Kent Custer, chief investment officer for the police fund.

Those better returns and lower costs may eventually translate to a consistent reduction in the contributions municipalities have to make to the funds, but that will take time to prove out, said Brad Cole, executive director of the Illinois Municipal League, who served on Pritzkers pension task force and helped write the law.

The Illinois Municipal League has always said if you want property tax reform, youve got to have pension reform, said Cole, who also sits on the boards of both funds but expressed the views of local government lobbying organization.

Whether better returns and lower administrative costs will allow local governments to reduce property taxes depends on a variety of factors, Cole said, including whether lawmakers in Springfield decide to enhance pension benefits in the future.

So its not just as simple as saying this is going to reduce fees and increase earnings, he said.

Pritzker, meanwhile, put the onus on local governments to pass any pension savings on to taxpayers.

The governor points to this reform as just one way hes worked to alleviate the burden on local property taxes, but ultimately those rates are decided at the local level, Pritzker spokesman Alex Gough said. Local governments are already seeing reductions in the payments they are required to make into the system. Whether they are returning those savings to local taxpayers or spending those savings elsewhere is a question for local governments.

dpetrella@chicagotribune.com
Egypts newly proposed peace plan to end Israels war with the militant group Hamas is drawing mixed reactions.

Even so, neither side of the conflict appeared to reject the proposal altogether, sparking the possibility for new diplomatic talks.

International pressure for a cease-fire is growing amid the wars climbing death toll in Gaza, where more than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed in the violence since early October, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Israel has largely rejected calls for a cease-fire, reiterating the countrys mission to destroy Hamas following the groups Oct. 7 surprise assault on Israel that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

Heres a breakdown of Egypts proposed plan, including what it would entail and what each side and other government leaders are saying about it.

What is Egypts proposed peace plan?

Egypts proposal includes a phased hostage release and the creation of a Palestinian government of experts to temporarily lead the Gaza Strip and Israeli-occupied West Bank, a senior Egyptian official and a European diplomat familiar with the proposal told The Associated Press (AP).

The proposal calls for an initial cease-fire of up to two weeks where Palestinian militants could free 40 to 50 hostages, including women, the sick and elderly, in exchange for 120 to 150 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisoners, the Egyptian official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the AP.

Negotiations would continue during the initial cease-fire to extend the truce and release more hostages and bodies held by Palestinian militants, the official said. He reportedly added Egypt and Qatar would work with all Palestinian factions, including Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, to reach an agreement on the government of experts.

This government would control Gaza and the West Bank during a transitional period while Palestinian factions work on holding presidential and parliamentary elections, the official said.

Meanwhile, Israel and Hamas would discuss an all-for-all deal that would see the release of all of the remaining hostages in Gaza in return for all Palestinian prisoners in Israel, the official said. The comprehensive deal would also require Israel to withdraw its military from Gaza and Hamas to halt its rocket fire into Israel.

The Egyptian official told the news wire the details were discussed with Qatar and presented to Israel, Hamas, the U.S. and the European governments.

Egypt and Qatar have served as mediators between Israel and Hamas, and both played a large role in negotiating last months temporary cease-fire between Israel and Gaza that saw the release of about 100 hostages kidnapped during Hamass Oct. 7 attacks.

The temporary cease-fire also allowed multiple aid convoys to enter the territory, which was under siege and depleted of humanitarian resources.

Former NBC News correspondent Martin Fletcher agreed the proposal is the first comprehensive plan for ending Israels war with Hamas, calling it a ray of light. Fletcher said the proposal will hopefully spark conversations through intermediaries between the two sides, though it does not appear either side is taking the proposal seriously yet.

Plan initially receives cold reception

While the plan sparked renewed hopes of further diplomacy talks between Israel and Hamas, it was initially met with a cool reception from both sides, though neither side directly rejected it.

While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not directly comment on the proposal, he told members of his Likud party Monday he was focused on moving forward with Israels offensive, per the AP.

We are expanding the fight in the coming days and this will be a long battle, and it isnt close to finished, he said Monday.

While Hamas did not officially response to the proposal, top official Izzat al-Rishq said in a statement that it will not negotiate without a complete end to the aggression, per the AP.

Rishq said Hamas would not agree to a temporary or partial truce for a short period of time, the news wire added.

Meanwhile, a delegation from the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is slated to go to Cairo soon to talk about the proposal and what a unified government running both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank may look like, The Wall Street Journal reported. The PLO, which Hamas is not part of, initially said it rejected certain parts of the proposal.

Israel considers proposal

Despite Netanyahus determination to move forward with the offensive, Israels war cabinet appears to be looking into Egypts proposal.

The Wall Street Journal reported Israels war cabinet took the proposal to a wider group of ministers, who are expected to review the proposal Tuesday night. Israeli officials noted it is unlikely it will agree to any deal that would allow Hamas to keep a role in Gaza after the war ends, the Journal reported.

A person familiar with the agenda for Tuesday nights meeting told the Journal the 14 voting members of the security cabinet are not expected to vote on the proposal Tuesday but will be briefed on hostage release efforts and other issues related to the war.

Danny Danon, a senior lawmaker in Netanyahus Likud party, reportedly said Israel is willing to discuss the proposals framework for the release of the hostages. As for the later stages, Danon said Israel is very determined to make sure that Hamas will not be part of any future agreement in Gaza, per the Journal.

What are people saying about it?

Neither President Biden nor National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby have spoken publicly about the matter. The Hill reached out to White House and the National Security Council for further comment Tuesday.

The White House declined APs initial request for comment about the proposal.

U.S. officials are in close contact with Egypt and Qatar about the release of more hostages as several proposals circulate on the negotiating table, a person familiar with the matter told the AP on the condition of anonymity. The person added the U.S. questions if the plan will have a breakthrough.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A normal night of riding her motorcycle with friends ended with a mother of three placed in a headlock after a Socorro school district police officer crashed into her motorcycle, a lawsuit alleges.

Samantha Magallanes, 27, filed a lawsuit Dec. 1, against Socorro Independent School District and former district police officer Armando Ulloa Jr. claiming negligent, carelessness, recklessness and use of excess force.

Samantha Magallanes speaks with her attorneys, Sergio Saldivar and Gabriel S. Perez, on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023, at the Law Offices of Sergio Saldivar in El Paso, Texas, about a lawsuit they have with the SISD Police Department about an excessive force incident that happened on June 23, 2023.

Magallanes and her attorneys, Sergio Saldivar and Gabriel Perez, said Ulloa crashed into Magallanes' motorcycle, confronted her, placed her in a headlock, violently threw her to the ground and left when more officers arrived at the scene.

Magallanes was never charged with a crime in connection with the incident.

"I was just shocked," Magallanes said. "I willingly put my hands behind my back and he still felt the need to choke me. I'm 5'3" and he was like a lot bigger than me, so I don't understand why he thought he needed to take those measures. It's pretty traumatic to talk about. He gave me no reason why he was doing this."

Ulloa said he could not go into details about the lawsuit since it is pending.

"It's a frivolous lawsuit," Ulloa said. "It is completely false. We will take it to court and the real facts will be presented, and the facts will show what is being claimed in the lawsuit is not true."

Socorro Independent School District officials declined to comment on the lawsuit since they "are not able to discuss personnel matters nor pending litigation."

Magallanes claims she suffered injuries to her neck. She had difficulties breathing and bruising to her neck. Months after the incident, she still can't fully turn her neck and continues to have issues with her trachea, she said.

The lawsuit alleges Ulloa "had a duty to exercise the degree of care that a reasonably careful person would use to avoid harm to others."

More: Socorro Police Department officer severely injured, mother killed in hit-and-run crash

The lawsuit claims Ulloa was negligent, careless and recklessly, failed to keep a proper lookout, and failed to turn his motor vehicle to the left or right in an effort to avoid the collision.

Socorro Independent School District is liable because Ulloa was working as a district police officer and using a district vehicle at the time of the incident, and the district negligently entrusted a district police vehicle to a "reckless driver," according to the lawsuit.

Prior to filing the lawsuit, Magallanes filed a complaint June 27  four days after the incident  with the district against Ulloa.

"I feared for my life. I could not breath. My arms started flailing," she wrote about the incident in the complaint obtained by the El Paso Times.

Ulloa resigned July 29 from the SISD Police Department before district officials made a decision on Magallanes' complaint.

District officials wrote in a letter, obtained by the El Paso Times, sent Sept. 9 to Magallanes that "no further investigation" would be conducted since Ulloa resigned from his position.

Socorro Independent School District officials confirmed Ulloa was no longer an employee with the district.

Crash allegedly turns violent

Magallanes was riding her motorcycle with a group of friends and stopped at a red light on the night of June 23 at the intersection of Joe Battle Boulevard and Montana Avenue when Ulloa crashed into the back of her motorcycle, the lawsuit states.

Ulloa was driving an SISD Police Department vehicle at the time of the collision.

This is when things took a turn for the worse, Magallanes and her attorneys said.

"It was just a terrible series of events," Perez said. "He basically hit her motorcycle. She was on a motorcycle, which already is a precarious situation. He hits her with his patrol car from Socorro Independent School District. She and some other friends were on motorcycles and proceeded to pull over a little bit on the side of the road. He (Ulloa) starts to grab at her handle bars through his rolled down window trying to get her to, and I don't know, I guess to get her to fall."

She told Ulloa that she had turned off her motorcycle and was not going to leave the scene, Magallanes said. At no point did she get confrontational with the officer nor attempted to flee from him, she said.

"I was shocked," Magallanes said about Ulloa allegedly grabbing her handlebars while he was still in his vehicle.

Ulloa, who was in his district police uniform, got out of his patrol car and confronted her, she said.

A photo taken by a bystander allegedly showing Samantha Magallanes being placed in a headlock by a Socorro Independent School District Police Department officer during a June 23 incident in East El Paso.

He then allegedly placed her in a chokehold and threw her to the ground, Magallanes said.

"I don't know exactly how long it was," Magallanes said. "It probably felt longer than it was. But there was a man who was with his wife and their kids in a car and he got out of the car. He started yelling at (Ulloa) saying that that was police brutality and I was a little girl and he needed to let me go.

"In the video you can hear the kids crying, so he still felt he needed to get out of his vehicle, even with his kids there to try and stand up for me. The officer was just yelling and cussing at him saying, 'you're gonna be next, get back in your car.'"

The video is not being publicly released as it will be key evidence presented in the case, Magallanes' attorneys said.

The El Paso Times was allowed to view the video.

The video, which starts in the middle of the incident, was recorded by a passerby. Magallanes is seen in her helmet in a chokehold being dragged behind a police vehicle.

The woman recording the video is heard saying, "What the (expletives)? That's police brutality."

A man then yells, "What the (expletives) are you doing to her? Just pull her to the side, bro. Why you got to do all that (expletives) for?"

More than 24 seconds into the video, the officer is still seen holding her in a chokehold and then putting his arms around her and walking her away from the patrol vehicle.

The man then tells the officer, "You are lucky you have a badge on."

The woman yells, "she is a girl, you jackass."

Magallanes is then heard crying and asking for someone to call "the real cops."

More: Campus intruder enters girls' restroom at Andress High School, EPISD investigating

Magallanes said she requested for El Paso Police Department officers to be called to the scene as more Socorro ISD police officers arrived, she said.

"I requested that he call the El Paso Police Department because he didn't have a body cam and I was freaking out," Magallanes said. "I asked if he would call the El Paso Police Department. He said I already called back up. So I thought, 'okay, awesome. They'll show up.' But more SISD people just kept showing up and kept showing up."

Paramedics arrived and began treating Magallanes.

"While the paramedics were checking me, they couldn't get my heart rate to go down and (Ulloa) would keep coming toward me," Magallanes said. "Then my heart rate would go back up. The other officers didn't have control of the situation because he was still able to come up to me while I was being evaluated by paramedics."

Samantha Magallanes speaks with her attorneys, Sergio Saldivar and Gabriel S. Perez, on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023, at the Law Offices of Sergio Saldivar in El Paso, Texas, about a lawsuit they have with the SISD Police Department about an excessive force incident that happened on June 23, 2023.

She then requested photos be taken of the vehicle, but was denied the opportunity by officers, Magallanes said. The officers allowed Ulloa to leave in his patrol vehicle, she claimed.

Magallanes was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Lawsuit seeks accountability, shines light on excess force

Magallanes is seeking compensation for the physical injuries she suffered, medical bills and other damages. The lawsuit states the monetary relief being sought is more than $250,000.

While Magallanes is seeking money to pay for her injuries, the main goal of the lawsuit is to bring attention to excessive force being used by a school district police officer, Saldivar said.

"This was a school district police officer who deals with kids everyday," Saldivar said. "When they deal with kids at schools, what is going to happen? Are they going to put the students in a chokehold because they're skipping class? This incident is alarming and just unacceptable.

"We just want these officers to treat citizens the way they deserve to be treated. We're not anti-law enforcement. We're pro-law enforcement, but we expect them to give fair treatment to all citizens."

Aaron Martinez may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on Twitter @AMartinezEPT.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso woman sues SISD, police officer alleging excessive force
A disabled driver has made the decision to move back to petrol after difficulties in using an electric vehicle (EV).

Shae Morgon, from Edinburgh, was "forced to compromise" as a disabled person after trying to do the right thing for the environment.

Shae, 33, has a connective tissue disorder, which affects mobility.

Initially, Shae chose a fully electric Nissan Leaf to reduce environmental impact.

However, with a deteriorating condition, a larger electric wheelchair was needed.

"We can't fit my main power chair into the car right now," said Shae, whose husband drives the car.

"As a result, we're changing to a wheelchair-accessible vehicle, which will be available in January. It's going to be a petrol vehicle."

The wheelchair-accessible vehicle that best meets their needs was thought to be the petrol Berlingo, which requires an advanced payment of 4,000 to Motability Operations Ltd, a UK-wide company that enables people to use disability benefits to lease a vehicle.

In contrast, the equivalent payment for the electric equivalent was 10,000, an "impossible task" on an income of disability benefits.

"I've had no option but to revert to petrol," Shae said.

"We can't be green in our travel choices and have a vehicle that suits our needs," Shae added. "It's a massive frustration not being able to practice what I preach."

There are thousands of charging points across Scotland, but Shae said they could be the source of further frustrations for disabled people beyond the cost of the vehicle.

"Most of the chargers are up a kerb, making them inaccessible for a wheelchair. I can't reach them to push any buttons or scan our card to start or stop the charging."

Scotland's national electric vehicle charging network Charge Place Scotland is owned and developed by the Scottish government.

They have funded the installation of 2,700 charging points since 2011 and are working on developing standards for accessible chargers to ensure future projects meet these criteria.

'Charging network disappointing'

A spokesperson for Transport Scotland said: "Ensuring electric charge points are accessible and user friendly for all is a core part of our approach to building out Scotland's charging infrastructure."

They added that all future Transport Scotland funding for installation of public EV charge points would require guarantees to "demonstrate appropriate measures will be taken to meet requirements and recommendations" specified in British standards.

By 2035, an estimated 2.7 million disabled people in the UK will either be drivers or passengers of electric vehicles, with half of them expected to depend on public charging infrastructure.

Disabled drivers and disabled people's organisations have raised concerns that this infrastructure is not accessible, adding another challenge in the transition to electric vehicles.

In the 2022/23 period, the UK government-backed Motability Scheme allocated 74.5m in grants and supported about 700,000 customers with a fleet of petrol, diesel, electric, and hybrid models.

Operated by an independent company called Motability Operations, the scheme covers vehicle purchase, insurance, and maintenance costs.

Running parallel to this is the Motability Foundation, a charity previously known as Motability which operates grant programmes, covering costs like advance payments and vehicle adaptations for those unable to afford them.

Motability Foundation head of innovation Catherine Maris said the new charging network was "disappointing".

"This is one of the biggest infrastructure shifts we've seen for generations," she said.

"So it should be an exciting opportunity to design inclusively and accessibly from the start. But unfortunately, in many cases, that's not what we're seeing."

She added: "A lot of the research that we've carried out to date has identified high kerbs, really heavy cables, inadequate spacing between bollards."

Is charging accessible for disabled people like me?

Julie

Julie McIlroy has a big decision to make in the New Year. Does she purchase an electric or fossil fuel vehicle?

The 38-year-old has cerebral palsy, a condition that affects her mobility.

Like Shae, Julie wants to do the right thing for the environment, but is the charging infrastructure accessible for disabled people like her?

Julie visited the Arnold Clark Innovation Centre in Glasgow to try out electric vehicles and the charging system for accessibility.

It was set up to give people like Julie the opportunity to try before they buy.

Speaking to BBC Scotland before delving into the world of EVs, Julie said: "The primary concern I have relates to the accessibility of charging stations.

"It forces me to consider whether the places I visit will allow me to charge it for several hours. Is that feasible in terms of accessibility?"

She added: "I need to examine the manual dexterity required to operate these charging stations."

Julie tried out a possible car, liked it, but said she still had reservations.

"I am certainly planning to switch to electric. However, I anticipate that using the charging stations will present some challenges."

Julie's experiences, like Shae's, reflect a wider issue in a green transition - the challenge of balancing environmental responsibility with the needs of disabled people.

According to critics, the poor charging network is inexcusable.

Graham Footer, chief executive of Disabled Motoring UK, said there were significant challenges for disabled motorists transitioning to EVs.

The group's recent survey suggested key barriers are prohibitive costs of accessible vehicles and poor accessible charging infrastructure. This is particularly impacting those without home charging options.

Disabled motorists felt neglected in the EV revolution, according to Mr Footer, who perceived a failure in making EVs and related infrastructure accessible.

"This situation contradicts government promises of inclusive green energy transitions," he said. "Despite willingness to adopt EVs for environmental reasons, many feel left behind by an industry that hasn't prioritised inclusive design."
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has teased plans to bring a low-cost Tesla to the electric vehicle market.

Appearing on the Munro Live YouTube channel, Musk said the company has made significant progress on the development of an affordable model.

I review the production plans for that every week, he told host Sandy Munro. The revolution in manufacturing that will be represented by that car will blow peoples minds.

Its a bold statement, but its also a bold project. Musk said in 2020 that he was looking to deliver such a model at around the $25,000 mark, per The New York Times, and it appears hes standing by that desire.

Musk added in the Munro Live interview that the first production line will be in the Texas Gigafactory, but it will be moved to the Mexico Gigafactory when that facility is completed  and Tesla recently received a boost on that development after Mexico granted the company a land-use permit.

Teslas energy seems to be on rolling out the Cybertruck at full capacity, with only a handful making their way to customers after the November delivery event, so it may still be some time yet before the expected affordable car hits the road.

But that doesnt mean motorists looking to swap their dirty-fuel powered vehicles for a cleaner, all-electric Tesla have to wait until then to grab a bargain.

As Forbes contributor Brooke Crothers observed, the Tesla Model 3 is perhaps the cheapest it has ever been, and with customers in the United States able to access the $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles until the end of 2023, in addition to possible state rebates, the savings could be even greater.

Crothers says that a rear-wheel drive Tesla Model 3 could be possible to buy at around $25,000 with these discounts factored in, not to mention the possibility that Tesla may reduce prices further as it looks to clear stock ahead of the upcoming Model 3 Highland variation.

That puts the Model 3 in the region of what Musk had predicted the companys low-cost model will cost, and you wont have to wait.

For those looking to limit the pollution they produce on a daily basis, theres a relatively cheap way to invest in a zero-tailpipe-emission vehicle now rather than hoping the new affordable Tesla emerges sooner rather than later.

Join our free newsletter for cool news and actionable info that makes it easy to help yourself while helping the planet.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo.  The St. Louis County Police Department issued an Endangered Silver Advisory for a Spanish Lake man reported missing on Christmas morning.

The advisory states the incident occurred at 7 a.m. in the 11000 block of Del Rosa Way.

According to police, Albert Lee Hill, 77, left his home and drove away in his vehicle without telling anyone where he was headed.

While Hill does have family in Illinois, they have not heard from him. Hill, who has Alzheimers, is also without his medication.

Storm system returns, this time with snow

Hill is described as a Black man, 511 tall, 185 pounds, with gray hair and brown eyes, wearing a blue and gray long-sleeve shirt and blue jeans.

Hill is driving a gray 2017 Nissan Sentra with Missouri license plates NA7N7W.

Anyone with information on Hills whereabouts should dial 911 immediately to contact their nearest law enforcement agency or call the St. Louis County Police Department at 636-529-8210.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
PALM CITY, Fla. - A Florida man has found himself behind bars after he allegedly shot his girlfriend and her daughter, according to deputies.

Shaun Dougherty, 60, was arrested and charged with two counts of attempted murder after the incident that unfolded at a condominium in a gated community in Palm City on Thursday, according to the Martin County Sheriff's Office.

The alleged shooting happened after Dougherty became "enraged" after a disagreement. Dougherty allegedly shot his girlfriend in the neck and in the leg as she tried to run from him, and then her adult daughter as she was trying to run out of her bedroom after hearing the first gunshots, according to deputies.

Photo: Martin County Sheriff's Office

Both women were able to make it outside and to a neighbor's, where they called 911, deputies said. They were transported to a local hospital and are expected to recover, deputies said.

The Martin County Sheriff's Office SWAT Team arrived to the scene and surrounded the home, forcing Dougherty out.

MORE HEADLINES :

He was taken into custody shortly after.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is convinced that the EU will, in any case, decide to allocate 50 billion to Ukraine.

Source: Kuleba on air during the national joint 24/7 newscast, reported by European Pravda

Details: Kuleba noted that the decision to hold a special summit on this issue was not made because of Hungary's veto, "but because the other 26 European countries are giving Hungary time to agree on accession".

"They [the EU  ed.] do not want to have a situation where decisions are constantly made without one member," Kuleba said.

He added that Hungary has been given a month to negotiate, but if there is no result, the funds will still be allocated.

The question now is whether all EU countries, including Hungary, or 26 countries, respectively, will approve the allocation of funds, Kuleba said.

Background:

Following the EU leaders' talks on 14-15 December, European Council President Charles Michel said that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had not allowed the EU to adopt a budget decision that would have included a 50 billion medium-term assistance programme for Ukraine.

In this regard, the leaders agreed to hold a special summit on this issue on 1 February.

Read more on this topic: Orban's Defeat or Victory for Ukraine. Why Is EU Summit Historic?

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The EU allocated 2.4 billion in total to humanitarian aid for different countries around the world in 2023. Ukraine took the fourth spot in the list of recipients, along with a group of Baltic countries and those of the Caucasus.

Source: European Pravda with reference to the infographics by the European Commission

Details: In total, the EU has allocated 2.4 billion for humanitarian projects worldwide.

The largest region-recipient of aid is Africa, with 893 million directed to African countries.

Countries in the Middle East and Turkiye that received 582 million took second place.

339 million were allocated for humanitarian aid in Central Asia, countries in the Pacific region and the Caribbean region.

Ukraine, along with the countries of the Western Balkans and the Caucasus, took fourth place. The amount of 335 million was allocated for this group of countries.

Growing humanitarian needs remain a persistent concern over the years.



In 2023, our commitment to address this challenge has not changed.



A significant allocation of 2.4 billion in humanitarian aid worldwide.



Our mission to alleviate human suffering continues. pic.twitter.com/upj6Uc5G0t  European Commission (@EU_Commission) December 26, 2023

This number most likely does not include the funds provided as bilateral aid for humanitarian needs or through other EU mechanisms.

It is stated in another report by the European Commission that 785 million worth of humanitarian aid and almost 100,000 tonnes of corresponding equipment were provided for Ukraine through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

Background:

On 21 December, the Netherlands announced the allocation of the first tranche of over 2 billion planned for Ukraine in 2024.

The Czech government allocated US$10 million for strengthening the medical sector in Ukraines Kharkiv Oblast.

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The city of Eugene offers electronic candles at a memorial vigil for the 71 people who died while homeless in Lane County in 2023.

Dec. 27, 10 a.m.: This story was updated to include a more comprehensive list of the names of the deceased.

The city of Eugene held a vigil on Thursday for the 71 people who died while homeless in Lane County in 2023.

According to the Oregon Health Authority, 71 people died while homeless in Lane County between January and October, a 25% increase from the 57 who had died by that point last year, which was the first year OHA provided Lane County-specific data.

Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis reads the names of some of the 71 people who died while homeless in Lane County in 2023.

The event, "is a moment for me, and I think for many of us, of despair," Vinis said.

"Every year we come and the numbers this year are higher than last year," she said. "More people are suffering. More people have died. For all the work we do we are still struggling to meet the needs that are out on our streets and of course we are here to mourn the people who did not survive that struggle  and our own failure as a society that we did not provide the services, we did not provide the shelter, we were not able to help them."

David Strahan, a member of the leadership team for Egan Warming Centers, speaks at a memorial vigil for the 71 people who died while homeless in Lane County in 2023.

The event was hosted by the city of Eugene Human Rights Commission, a volunteer advisory group to the city council whose charge is "to promote the implementation of universal human rights values and principles in all City of Eugene programs and throughout the community."

The Eugene Raging Grannies prepare to sing at a memorial vigil for the 71 people who died while homeless in Lane County in 2023.

Speakers besides Vinis included members of that commission, local musical activist group Eugene Raging Grannies and David Strahan, a member of the leadership team for Egan Warming Centers.

Strahan used his time to thank Egan's volunteers and encourage more people to volunteer. The Raging Grannies primarily spoke of barriers to shelter and urged more compassion from community members and city leadership.

"People despise me; They treat me badly; Why does the city let it be?" They sang from the perspective of a person experiencing homelessness in Eugene. "I want a safe place; To lay my head down; But there is no place; For me to bed down; If I had power; I'd try to change things; so these streets would be the same for all."

Members of the Human Rights Commission primarily advocated for more housing availability.

Richard Self, an advisor to Eugene City Council and Lane County Commissioners on the lived experience of homelessness, speaks at a memorial vigil for the 71 people who died while homeless in Lane County in 2023.

"Housing is health care. Housing is also a basic human right," said Richard Self, a member of Eugene's Human Rights Commission and chair of the group of people with lived experience of homelessness that advise Lane County.

"Housing and services work. Prevention is the key to solving homelessness. This is the longest night, the winter solstice, and it may be inescapable but these deaths are not inevitable," he said.

An overlapping vigil centered around distributing food and harm reduction supplies was hosted by Black Thistle Street Aid, a nonprofit that provides healthcare to people experiencing homelessness. Black Thistle produced a list of 64 of the people who died this year, many of whom were known by first name or nickname.

Richard Dormer Sr.

Antonio

Gene Philips

Ernie

Charles

Dave

Isaac

James

Rory

Big Jim

Eric Jackson

Saim-Ty

Trina

Chrissy

Rowdy

Ricky

Celeste

JJ

Koi

Matthew

Jarett

Troy

Dilin Nathaniel

Cowboy

Stacey

Aaron

Shane

Robert

Daniel

Matthew F.

Genelle Edwards

Spiderhorse

Dane

Spot

Spider

Mikey

Kemo

Heather

Rowland

Andre

Ember

Ginger

Youssef

Amber

Jetero Klock

Michael Plum

Daniel Hoznor

Sativa

TJ

Jojo

Curtis

Jose Flores-Mora

Lestat

Joshua Draven

Kaylan

Trina

Asher

Little David

Midas

David Margolis

Wade Miller

Cloud

Joey

Elizabeth Olsan

According to Lane County's Homeless by Name Count, the number of people experiencing homelessness in the county gradually increased throughout 2023, going from 4,426 in January to 4,842 in November. Of those, 75% live in Eugene.

Black Thistle Street Aid lights candles for some of the 71 people who died while homeless in Lane County in 2023.

Alan Torres covers local government for the Register-Guard. He can be reached over email at atorres@registerguard.com or on X @alanfryetorres.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Eugene holds vigil for people who died while homeless in 2023
JERUSALEM  A leading evangelical Christian leader, the Rev. Johnnie Moore, accused Hamas of pulling the plug on Christmas lights and festivities in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ. This comes as the number of Christians in the city continues to dwindle.

"It is Hamas, not Israel, which cut off the Christmas lights in Bethlehem. Hamas tried to sabotage Christmas in the Holy Land for the worlds 2 billion Christians. Jesus is the prince of peace. Hamas hates peace," Moore, who is the president of the Congress of Christian Leaders, told Fox News Digital.

The U.S. government and the European Union have classified Hamas as a foreign terrorist organization.

IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS: A YEAR OF BIBLICAL DISCOVERIES IN THE HOLY LAND

The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is shown on Dec. 24, 2023.

Moore added, "Instead of taking a page from Hamas by further politicizing religion, the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah and in Bethlehem should have defied Hamas hate by having the biggest celebration they could imagine to spread the message of the Prince of Peace, Jesus  from Bethlehem."

He continued, "But, thats fine. One only has to drive a mile to Jerusalem where Christmas is alive and well. Jerusalem is alive with holiday celebrations because Israel is, even now, fiercely protecting its sanctity during this time of terror and war. Or, if you want a dose of hope that peace is not only possible but will come, then drive up north to beautiful Haifa. It is a city where Jews, Christians and Muslims live in peace with one another and not only side-by-side but by sharing their lives, joys and sorrows together."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Palestinian Christian leaders said during the war that celebrations would not unfold in the West Bank, where Bethlehem is located. Many Israelis refer to the West Bank by its biblical name Judea and Samaria.

While the number of Christians in Middle East countries has plummeted, Israel continues to experience growth of its minority Christian population.

According to newly released data from Israels Central Bureau of Statistics, roughly 187,900 Christians live in Israel, which is a 1.3% rate of growth when contrasted with last years statistics. Israels current population is approximately 9.795 million people and is expected to soar past 10 million in 2024.

Yet for Bethlehem, things aren't as rosy. In 2016, the National Catholic Reporter wrote that Bethlehem and its surrounding villages had a Christian population of 86% in 1950. In 2016, the paper reported, the number of Christians sunk to a mere 12%. According to the National Catholic Reporter, there were just 11,000 Christians in Bethlehem.

In 2023, an estimated 10,000 Christians lived in Jesus birthplace among a total Bethlehem population of roughly 75,500 residents.

IRAN PROXIES ENGAGED IN 'INVISIBLE JIHAD' AGAINST CHRISTIANS IN MIDDLE EAST, REPORT WARNS

The Rev. Petra Heldt, a leading Christian scholar who has lived in Israel for 40 years, told Fox News Digital that she pins the blame on the Palestinian Authority (PA), which rules over Bethlehem, for the lack of Christmas festivities.

"The PA ordered the demolition of Christmas decorations in Bethlehem. This came in the wake of the statements of the heads of churches in Jordan (Greek Orthodox, Anglican and Catholic; they have churches in Gaza) on Dec. 1. The statement is written in the spirit of Hamas, if not dictated by Hamas. The heads of churches are hostages of Hamas," Heldt said.

She added, "In Jerusalem, the Orthodox and the Catholics do not take their statements too seriously. For instance, yesterday the Catholic Church and the International Christian Embassy joined forces in a joyful open Christmas sing-along in Mamilla Mall. There is a huge Christmas tree in front of the YMCA in King David Street."

The rapid decline of the Christian population in Bethlehem under the rule of the Muslim-majority Palestinian Authority has been the subject of some news reporting over the last decade.

"There are no reliable figures for the numbers of Christians in Bethlehem," Heldt said. "The numbers are extremely low in comparison to 1993, before [the Oslo Accords established a peace framework between Israel and the Palestinian leadership]. Conservative estimates speak of 5% of Christians in Bethlehem as [contrasted] to some 90-plus percent before 1993. The hardship for Christians in Bethlehem is beyond words. Fear, threats and intimidation is the norm, not because of Israel, because of the PA."

Yet, some dissenting voices suggested Israels response via its declaration of war on Hamas in self-defense to the jihadi movements Hamas massacre of 1,200 people, including more than 30 Americans, on Oct. 7 is why Christian leaders canceled Christmas in Bethlehem.

The Rev. Dr. Jack Sara, the general secretary of the Middle East and North Africa Evangelical Alliance, told Fox News Digital, "Sadly, this is not the first time that Palestinian Christians have decided to cancel all the festivities in Bethlehem. It was done before, during the first intifada and second intifada, and now."

Intifada is an Arabic word that means "shaking off" and has been frequently interpreted as "uprising" to describe violent Palestinian protests against Israel in the disputed West Bank territory in 1987. A second intifada erupted in 2000 with Palestinian suicide bombing attacks against Jews in Israel.

Sara said about the cancelation of Christmas festivities in Bethlehem: "The reasons are obvious. How can Christians celebrate when their own people are going through such tragedy? Its tragedy after tragedy. We lament the killing of all civilians, including those who fell on the 7th of October. But what followed that is also very tragic and makes us lament more innocent lives, over 20,000 now, over 1.5 million refugees; and, in addition, even our Christian community in Gaza is struggling to survive because of the war on Gaza." The 20,000 deaths are numbers provided by the Hamas-run ministry of health.

People attend Christmas celebrations around the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on Jan. 6, 2022.

Israels government and many Mideast experts reject the number of 1.5 million Palestinian refugees because of an allegedly biased and antiquated U.N. definition of what constitutes a Palestinian refugee.

In contrast to other standard definitions of a refugee that refer to a person (and not his or her descendants) who has fled a conflict zone, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) says that descendants of a Palestinian refugee who were displaced during Israels War of Independence in 1947-1949 warrants refugee status.

FAITH GROUP TO MARCH ON WASHINGTON TO RAISE AWARENESS FOR RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION

When asked about the demise of Christian life in Bethlehem, Sara, who runs a Bible college in Bethlehem, said, "True, but the numbers were higher before 1948 and before 1967. I dont believe its related to the Oslo agreements, the Christians' numbers dwindled always, even in what we call better time, meaning no escalation of the conflict."

Franciscan friars join believers in prayer at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, during the Good Friday procession in Jerusalem's Old City.

He added, "Christians have had families immigrate or leave the country since 1948, so they have relatives all over the world and that connection makes it easier for them to immigrate. Christians in general, like anyone else, fear for their childrens future living in a conflict zone, under occupation, so they opt to find a safer place with no fear of uninvited violence."

Fox News Digital sent numerous press queries to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Bethlehem municipality for comment.





Original article source: Evangelical Christian leader says Hamas stole Christmas in Bethlehem: Cut off the 'lights'
Cancer patients on the verge of homelessness call the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee often.

They're behind on rent and facing eviction because they lost their job when working through chemotherapy and radiation treatments became too much to bear.

"That exact call, I get at least once a month," said Elizabeth Leiserson, Legal Aid Society project director for Davidson County's Eviction Right to Counsel pilot program.

Another common call comes from tenants who lost their jobs due to a difficult pregnancy.

"Then the eviction notice comes in while or immediately after they're giving birth," Leiserson said.

Davidson County is on track to surpass 13,000 eviction filings in 2023. Landlords almost always have legal representation in eviction cases, according to a third-party review of Metro eviction data. Typically, less than 1% of tenants have an attorney by their side in the courtroom.

People crowd the hallway outside courtrooms where eviction proceedings are happening in the Justice A. A. Birch Building in Nashville, Tenn., on Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021.

But the pilot program Leiserson leads alongside the Nashville Hispanic Bar Association and other community partners is working to change that. In its first year, the program's free education and legal aid for low-income renters facing eviction has saved Metro residents an estimated $3.4 million, according to an evaluation by consulting firm Stout.

As of June 30, the Legal Aid Society and the Nashville Hispanic Bar Association assisted 1,010 clients  a significant number but just 7% of tenants believed to be eligible for the program's assistance. Three days a week, the Eviction Right to Counsel program also operates a table in the courthouse, offering basic information about tenants' rights and options to an estimated 200 tenants each week.

"We've already surpassed Metro Council's original $3 million investment in this program in terms of savings of residents, and in the next year, we're on track to more than double it," Legal Aid Society Executive Director DarKenya W. Waller said in a December news release.

The pilot's funding comes from one-time American Rescue Plan Act dollars awarded in 2022, which will run out in June 2024.

Julie Yriart, the program's legal director in conjunction with the Nashville Hispanic Bar Association and Conexion Americas, said she's hopeful Metro will continue to fund and possibly expand the program to impact more residents.

Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell, along with several other then-mayoral candidates, pledged to continue funding for the initiative during the 2023 campaign. On Dec. 22, O'Connell confirmed he is looking to preserve the program in the coming year's budget.

"We're also aware state revenue forecasts are down and I don't think this is going to be a year where we look to create a large number of new initiatives  but I would say that is one of the programs that we want to continue because it is such an important segment of our overall affordable housing conversation," he said.

"The housing crisis in Nashville is too big a problem for any one strategy to solve," Leiserson said. "The Eviction Right to Counsel program cannot solve it, but we are one piece of a good, comprehensive program, and among the various pieces, we are one of the cheapest."

Who the program benefits

Low- and moderate-income renters at risk of eviction in Davidson County are eligible for free legal assistance through the program.

About 85% of program clients identified as non-white, according to data collected by the Legal Aid Society and Hispanic Bar Association. Conexion Americas Co-Executive Director Martha Silva said immigrant communities are particularly impacted by unjust evictions.

The majority  78%  are female, and 54% live in public or subsidized housing. Forty-seven percent reported having children in the household, and 28% said they have a disability. About half receive extended services.

Having eviction attorneys in the courthouse more often led to the identification of more than 400 evictions that had been filed over the last several years by individuals often not on record as the properties' owners, according to Stout's report. While cases that were filed incorrectly can be dismissed, Tennessee does not allow expungement, meaning evictions still show up on tenants' court records and can be held against them, Leiserson said.

Yriart said Davidson County judges have been generally receptive to those concerns, and some have begun having clerks review eviction cases filed pro se  without legal counsel  to check for proper standing before cases proceed. Yriart would like to see the court require proof of standing when these cases are filed, in the form of a property record, deed or lease.

Counsel representation can help:

Reduce or eliminate judgement amounts, attorney's fees, court costs and/or late fees

Expedite or secure emergency rental assistance funding

Avoid housing subsidy termination

Of the cases with financial impact, the average savings was around $10,900 for each client assisted, according to Stout's report.

Some cases don't result in direct financial savings, but can still be "huge wins" for clients, Leiserson said. In cases such as those with cancer patients or new parents facing eviction, program staff can request accommodation from the court, including extra time to move out.

"That case may have zero financial outcome, but if it can ... get them two weeks or a month so that this person with a brand new baby or this cancer survivor doesn't actually have to be homeless, that can mean everything," she said.

Yriart and Leiserson said medical issues are often a factor in inability to pay rent, something Tennessee law allows no legal defense for.

"Because your healthcare is linked to your employment, is linked to your housing, if any one of those pieces fall out, all of it falls, and there's not much of a social safety net to catch you," Leiserson said.

Yriart added that these issues impact the middle class as well as lower-income families. One woman she worked with drained her 401K when she became medically unable to work. When that was gone, the woman faced eviction with no where else to go. Many other clients don't know how to navigate a fast and furious court system, or don't know what rights or options they have in the process.

"To help people who are navigating that, just to give them a sense of relief, I think that is the best part of the job," Yriart said. "Giving people hope."

What comes next

Stout will produce additional reports focused on other services offered by partnering organizations, including free mediation services provided by the Nashville Conflict Resolution Center and outreach materials and events provided in multiple languages in partnership with Conexion Americas and the American Muslim Advisory Council.

Future reports will also draw from interviews with landlords and their attorneys.

"Even if the plaintiff's counsel, the landlords' counsel, isn't always fully appreciative of our court announcements about people's rights, the refer people to us, and I think that speaks volumes," Yriart said.

Resources

Davidson County residents seeking eviction help can contact the Legal Aid Society at 833-837-HOME (833-837-4663).

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Report: Eviction counsel pilot program saves Nashville residents $3.4M in first year
TechCrunch

Microsoft has ticked off the second phase of its rollout of a data localization offering in the European Union. The latest deployment to the "EU Data Boundary for the Microsoft Cloud", as it brands the infrastructure, kicked off in at the start of last year. Microsoft had said it expected the second phase of the rollout to be completed at the end of 2023 so it's keeping roughly to schedule.
Police conduct a search and verification drive for undocumented Afghan nationals, on the outskirts of Karachi

Police conduct a search and verification drive for undocumented Afghan nationals, on the outskirts of Karachi

By Jonathan Landay and Charlotte Greenfield

WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Pakistan's huge deportation drive has forcibly repatriated scores of Afghans awaiting resettlement in the United States, an advocacy group and Afghan applicants say, adding that Pakistani authorities often ignored U.S. embassy letters of protection.

That complicates the efforts of such Afghans, as the U.S. has shuttered its embassy in Kabul and they must also grapple with human rights restrictions and stubborn financial and humanitarian crises in their homeland.

Islamabad began expelling more than a million undocumented foreigners, mostly Afghans, on Nov. 1, amid a row over accusations that Kabul harbours Pakistani militants, a charge the ruling Taliban deny.

More than 450,000 Afghans have returned home, the United Nations says, many now living in difficult winter conditions near the border.

At least 130 Afghans being processed for U.S. special immigration visas or refugee resettlement in the United States have been deported, said Shawn VanDiver, president of #AfghanEvac, the main coalition of groups helping such efforts.

He cited data from coalition members and details provided to the U.S. government by its Islamabad embassy, which he has seen.

Pakistani police have arrested more than 230 such Afghans, although about 80 have since been released, he added.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior State Department official said the United States had "no formal way to track these kinds of cases", adding that the number of Afghans deported while awaiting U.S. resettlement was "very small".

Pakistan's foreign and interior ministries did not respond to requests for comment.

As the clock ticked down to Nov. 1, the embassy e-mailed protection letters to some 25,000 Afghans to prove to Pakistani authorities they were being processed for resettlement in the United States, after its last troops left Kabul in 2021.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said Washington had also supplied Pakistan with a list of Afghans "in the U.S. resettlement pipelines" after it unveiled the deportation plan in October.

VanDiver and two Western diplomatic sources, who requested anonymity to discuss the issue, said local authorities had ignored the letters in many instances.

"The letters matter in some cases and not in others," said VanDiver. "Not all local officers are abiding by it."

The senior State Department official said the United States has examples of Pakistani police respecting the letters, but gave no details.

Reuters spoke with two Afghan families whose members were deported after showing police the letter, and an Afghan who was detained despite the letter.

The latter said he was released with a warning that he would be arrested again without a visa extension.

Refugee advocates and Afghans say the deportations and arrests underscore the precarious nature of the long wait facing Afghans whom Washington has vowed to protect and resettle, many of them told to travel to a third country for processing.

UNDOCUMENTED

Many Afghans entered Pakistan with visas that expired as the processing of their SIV or refugee resettlement applications languished, facing them with long renewal times and high fees.

One applicant for refugee status, whom Reuters is not naming for security reasons, said he sold almost all he owned in Oct 2022 to move his family to Pakistan from the Afghan capital for processing.

All seven had passports and visas, he said.

But mounting costs ate into his savings, and though he turned to selling street food to earn money, he could barely meet rent and utilities, putting out of reach the hundreds of dollars in fees needed to renew the one-year visas that expired.

"We had no money for food, how could we apply for visas?" he said.

Last month, police knocked on his door, but would not accept the embassy letter - seen by Reuters - that carried his refugee application number.

"They gave us two hours' time to pack our belongings," said the former employee of a U.S.-funded women's advocacy organisation.

He tried calling the U.S. embassy, but could not get through. Now, he is lying low with his family in Kabul.

"I have five children, have no house, I'm currently living in the home of one of my relatives," he said. "I can't apply for a job here. I don't know what to do."

U.S. officials say they are trying to keep in touch with the thousands of Afghans in Pakistan through an emergency hotline based on the WhatsApp communications app in the languages of Dari, Pashto and English.

The state department has successfully averted deportations in several cases flagged up on the hotline, the senior State official said.

Ahmadullah, a former U.S. government worker resettled to the United States in 2021, said his stepmother and two sisters had been waiting in Pakistan for the processing of applications for P1 visas, meant for those at risk of persecution, but were deported and living in fear in Kabul.

Police came to his uncle's home in Pakistan's northern city of Peshawar on a mid-November night, saw the expired visas in the women's passports, ignored their embassy letters, drove them to the border and ordered them to leave, Ahmadullah said.

"They didnt even let them pack," said Ahmadullah, who was evacuated with his family from Kabul as the last U.S. troops left in August 2021.

Ahmadullah, who wanted his last name withheld to protect his family, said the women had sought extension of their Pakistani visas.

Now, they feel at risk because of his work and the Taliban's curbs on women appearing in public unaccompanied by a close male relative. They switch between their Kabul house and relatives' homes to avoid attention, he added.

The Taliban, who oppose Pakistan's mass deportation, say they have a general amnesty for former foes of their 20-year insurgency and will support those returning.

Few Afghans accept those assurances and live in fear of the Taliban's curbs on women and a humanitarian crisis fuelled by foreign aid cuts and the severance of ties to global banking.

Islamabad says it is battling economic and security crises and cannot host the 600,000 Afghans who have arrived since the Taliban takeover, swelling the burden of hosting millions who fled during decades of war.

This month, the caretaker government said it would extend to February a Dec. 31 deadline for Afghans seeking resettlement in third countries to renew paperwork, while halving an overstay fee for those leaving with expired visas.

Three senior U.S. officials, including Afghanistan Special Representative Thomas West, recently visited Islamabad for talks on the issue, but the outcome is not clear.

(Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield in Islamabad and Jonathan Landay in Washington; Additional reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar in Kabul; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Claim:

An image shared in December 2023 authentically showed former U.S. President Donald Trump while serving in the military.

Rating:

Rating: Fake

In late December 2023, an image was circulated on social media, allegedly depicting former U.S. President Donald Trump while serving in the Army. "So grateful for Donald Trump who has led our troops to victories in every major war since our Nations birth," one post on X captioned the viral image.

Stollen valor, stollen lives, stollen documents and lies, lies, lies. America deserves better than this failure of a human as our POTUS. pic.twitter.com/isRAXOnl9D  Paul Muad'Dib "Worm Boss" (@Paul_Is_Muadib) December 18, 2023

Some social media users suggested the photograph was generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI) software, while others claimed it was an example of "stolen valor."

We used Google reverse-image search to investigate the photograph's origins. We found that the image was first shared online on July 5, 2023:

President Trump is relentless in pursuit of our freedom. pic.twitter.com/HjJCc1fyPP  Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) July 5, 2023

"So who is behind this Twitter account?" a post shared on July 6, 2023, asked, with three other clearly absurd images allegedly showing Trump in different eras of U.S. history.

So who is behind this Twitter account? pic.twitter.com/mgeYNII4A8  Marina Medvin  (@MarinaMedvin) July 6, 2023

A screenshot of the X post with the image in-question was also shared on Reddit with a caption that read, "Ah yes, lets portray the man who was able to get out of the draft for Vietnam because of bone spurs, as a leader in 'freedom' and serving."

Importantly, as Snopes reported back in 2016, Trump has never served in the military, as four times he received college draft deferments:

1964: Donald Trump became eligible for the draft on his 18th birthday (14 June 1964) and registered with the Selective Service System 10 days later. He received the first of four 2-S (college) deferments on 28 July 1964. 1965: Trump received his second college deferment on 14 December 1965. 1966: Trump's previous deferment expired and he was reclassified 1-A (available for military service) on 22 November 1966. His 2-S deferment was renewed on 13 December. 1967: No record. 1968: Trump received his fourth and final college deferment on 16 January 1968. After graduating from Wharton, he was reclassified 1-A on 9 July 1968. Trump underwent an Armed Forces physical examination (with a result listed only as "DISQ") on 19 September 1968 and was reclassified 1-Y (qualified for service only in time of war or national emergency) on 15 October 1968.

Trump's fifth draft deferment, Snopes reported, was related to "bone spurs in both heels."

According to a statement from the Trump campaign, the 1-Y classification stemmed from Trump's having bone spurs in both heels. [...] The details of that medical exemption remain unclear and controversial, and most draft-related government medical records from the Vietnam era were not preserved. 1972: Despite the supposedly "short-term" nature of Trump's disqualifying physical condition, on 17 February 1972 he was reclassified 4-F (not qualified for military service), presumably due to the abolishment of the 1-Y classification the previous year.

The New York Times also published an article in 2016 saying as much, with the title, "Donald Trumps Draft Deferments: Four for College, One for Bad Feet."

To confirm that the in-question photograph was fake, we used tools designed to detect AI-generated footage. AI or Not tool rated the photo as "likely AI," and Illuminarty tool indicated that the image's "AI Probability" equaled 97.2%.

Finally, no reputable sources have ever shared the image allegedly showing Trump serving in the military. Because Trump did not serve in the military and the photograph had signs of being artificially created, we have rated the claim as "Fake."

In September 2023, we investigated a similar image allegedly showing Trump dressed as a firefighter, as one of the first responders on the scene of the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York City.

(X user @Trump_History45)

If you don't want to be deceived by AI-generated images and videos in the future, read our tips here.

Sources:

Eder, Steve, and Dave Philipps. Donald Trumps Draft Deferments: Four for College, One for Bad Feet. The New York Times, 2 Aug. 2016. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/02/us/politics/donald-trump-draft-record.html.

Emery, David. Donald Trumps Draft Deferments. Snopes, 2 Aug. 2016, https://www.snopes.com/news/2016/08/02/donald-trumps-draft-deferments/.

Wrona, Aleksandra. Viral Pic Captures Trumps Heroic Efforts on 9/11? Snopes, 11 Sept. 2023, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-wtc-photo/.

Interpretation: Commander in Chief Clause | Constitution Center. National Constitution Center  Constitutioncenter.Org, https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/articles/article-ii/clauses/345. Accessed 26 Dec. 2023.
Claim:

The entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned in Texas because it contains a formula for making beer at home.

Rating:

Rating: False

Texas is known for southern hospitality, cowboy culture, and its dont tread on me attitude. For more than a decade, the Lone Star State has also been rumored to be home to a ban on the Encyclopedia Britannica because within its pages is a formula for making beer at home.

Iterations of the claim have circulated for years and resurfaced most recently when the Austin, Texas, ABC affiliate KVUE repeated it as fact in March 2023 (archive).

Snopes also found the claim stated in a 2006 post on The Straight Dope Message Board. A user wrote at the time:

I was just listening to Kojo Nnamdi on the radio and he stated that the entire Encyclopedia Britannica was banned in Texas because it contained a recipe for beer. Snopes was no help, and when I googled, I found a site where people claimed it was a crock, but no definitive cites.

Were here to correct that, and to do so, we went straight to the source.

No, it's not true, and it never has been. It's just one of those urban myths that lives forever on the Internet, Tom Panelas, a communication specialist for the Britannica Group, wrote Snopes in an email.

Snopes determined that the claim originated in a 1996 issue of the satirical magazine Spy, in an article titled, "God Help America," a humorous survey of what the magazine's writers deemed the "most annoying states" in the country. The relevant passage, on page 46 of the magazine, read:

Dumbest Laws: The entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned in Texas because it contains a formula for making beer at home.

Texans' reactions to the claim ranged from indignance to amusement. An April 22, 1996 story in the Clute, Texas, newspaper The Facts documented some of those reactions:

Over at the Clute branch of the Brazoria County Library, Head Librarian Carolyn Weatherly said she has proof that the Encyclopedia Britannica is, indeed, NOT banned in Texas, beer recipe or not. "I've checked in every place I know to check," said Weatherly, whose library carries the reference volumes. Furthermore, Agent Donna Nix of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission office in Dickinson laughed aloud when asked whether the encyclopedia has been banned in Texas because of a recipe for making beer at home. "I've never heard anything about that," she said. "It's not illegal to make beer for your own consumption."

There are several references to making beer in the Encyclopedia Britannica online edition, including a page titled What are the steps in making beer? and another that highlights The brewing process.

Renewed interest in the claim that the Britannica was banned may have been the result of a new Texas state law that expanded a ban on the books students can check out of school libraries. According to a report from the American Library Association, Texas saw the most attempts in 2022 to ban or restrict books of any state in the union.

But Encyclopedia Britannica was not one of those books.

PEN America, a New York-based literature and human rights nonprofit, annually compiles an index of school book bans. Snopes found no mention of Encyclopedia Britannica on the list for any state, much less in Texas.

It remains legal in Texas to brew alcoholic beverages at home in small quantities. The American Homebrewers Association cites the 1995 Texas Statute Title 4, Chapter 109, Subchapter B, 109.21, which provides that a license or permit is not required for the manufacture of not more than 200 gallons of wine, malt liquor, or beer.

As the First Amendment Museum writes, official ordinances and rules that 'ban' books are extremely difficult to make stick on any large scale in the United States because of our First Amendment rights to free speech and free press.

Snopes often comes across rumors about banned books, which can be read in our fact check archive.

Sources:

1p21.admin. The 10 Most Absurd Laws in Texas. Law Office of David A. Breston, 17 Oct. 2016, https://www.houston-criminalattorney.com/the-10-most-absurd-laws-in-texas-2/.

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CODE CHAPTER 109. MISCELLANEOUS REGULATORY PROVISIONS. https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/AL/htm/AL.109.htm. Accessed 17 Dec. 2023.

Banned Book List: 3,362 Books Banned in 2022-2023. PEN America, 21 Sept. 2023, https://pen.org/2023-banned-book-list/.

Banned Books Articles | Snopes.Com. https://www.snopes.com/search/banned%20books/. Accessed 17 Dec. 2023.

Banned in the USA: The Growing Movement to Ban Books. PEN America, 19 Sept. 2022, https://pen.org/report/banned-usa-growing-movement-to-censor-books-in-schools/.

Beer - Ales, Lagers, Stouts | Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/beer/Types-of-beer. Accessed 17 Dec. 2023.

COLLIS. Censorship by the Numbers. Advocacy, Legislation & Issues, 20 Apr. 2023, https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/by-the-numbers.

---. Censorship by the Numbers. Advocacy, Legislation & Issues, 20 Apr. 2023, https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/by-the-numbers.

Encyclopedia Britannica Banned in Texas?? Straight Dope Message Board, 20 Feb. 2006, https://boards.straightdope.com/t/encyclopedia-britannica-banned-in-texas/345344/3.

Funny Outdated Laws in Texas  RCL Adda. https://adda.royalcapitalbd.com/funny-outdated-laws-in-texas/. Accessed 17 Dec. 2023.

Heres a Look at Some Odd Texas Laws That Are Still on the Books. Kvue.Com, 12 Jan. 2023, https://www.kvue.com/article/news/politics/texas-legislature/odd-texas-laws-still-effect-2023/269-205aead6-1ac8-4a66-8133-b1da90e03f34.

---. Kvue.Com, 12 Jan. 2023, https://www.kvue.com/article/news/politics/texas-legislature/odd-texas-laws-still-effect-2023/269-205aead6-1ac8-4a66-8133-b1da90e03f34.

How Do Books Get Banned? First Amendment Museum, https://firstamendmentmuseum.org/how-do-books-get-banned/. Accessed 17 Dec. 2023.

ProPublica, Jeremy Schwartz, The Texas Tribune and. Book Bans in Texas Spread as New State Law Takes Effect. The Texas Tribune, 11 Oct. 2023, https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/11/texas-library-book-bans/.

Stupid Laws : The Entire Encyclopedia Britannica Is Banned in Texas Because It Contains a Formula for Making Beer at Home. 5 Sept. 2011, https://web.archive.org/web/20110905214900/https://www.stupidlaws.com/the-entire-encyclopedia-britannica-is-banned-in-texas-because-it-contains-a-formula-for-making-beer-at-home/.

Texas. American Homebrewers Association, https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/homebrewing-rights/statutes/texas/. Accessed 17 Dec. 2023.

What Are the Steps in Making Beer? | Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/question/What-are-the-steps-in-making-beer. Accessed 17 Dec. 2023.
The city of Fresno has settled a lawsuit that alleged the Fresno Police Department bungled its response to domestic violence that led to the death of one woman and paralyzed another, their attorney said Tuesday.

The $500,000 settlement was reached on behalf of Pamela Motley and Cindy Raygoza, according to attorney Kevin Little.

The city of Fresno and the Fresno City Attorneys Office did not immediately comment on the settlement, and a Fresno Police Department spokesperson directed questions to the attorneys office.

Little said a portion of the fees won in the settlement would be directed into a fund for domestic violence education and services.

The families of both women said they saw the settlement as a victory.

A photo of Pamela Motley from sometime in the 1980s, according to her family. Motley survived being shot in the face by her estranged husband though it left her paraplegic. She died in 2020 after contracting COVID-19, according to her family.

She was loving and giving, and she would be there for anyone, said Amanda Sylvester, the daughter of Motley. The time that she needed help, no one was there to protect her.

Motley was shot in the face by her estranged husband, who was lying in wait for her on April 12, 2014, as she arrived to her parents home. He shot her at close range, which would leave her paraplegic, before killing himself.

She used a wheelchair until she died in 2020 after contracting COVID-19, her family said.

The estranged husband, Paul Motley, had admitted to police to being aggressive and in physical confrontations with Pamela Motley, but he wasnt arrested. Police at the time considered the confrontation mutual combat, a court document says.

Cindy Raygoza was killed in 2014 by an ex-partner, according to her family. She was one of the women at the center of a lawsuit that said Fresno police bungled their response to domestic violence.

The harassment was ongoing before he shot her. A 2017 court document says Paul threatened Pamela Motley in person that he would kill her with his gun if she did not return to him by the day she was ultimately shot.

The document also said an officer was rude, insensitive, made sexist remarks to Motley and stayed just 10 to 15 minutes. Police have denied making the comments.

Raygoza was killed July 14, 2014, by an ex-boyfriend, Michael Reams, who stabbed her to death. Reams had broken into her home about six months earlier, but Raygoza was able to escape with her life.

A court record said when Raygoza told police she had been a victim of domestic violence in a prior marriage, she said an officer criticized her choices in men. Police previously also denied making those statements.

Instead, police told Raygoza to avoid associating with Reams and offered to get her an emergency restraining order, which she declined. She wanted a permanent restraining order, the court record says.

Police told her she would be crying wolf if she made more domestic violence reports, her family said. She stopped calling 911.

The day she was killed, neighbors called police but she was dead before they arrived. Responding officers killed Reams.

Raygozas daughter Valerie Caldera said her mother always thought of others first and loved helping people.

Its just sad shes not here, said Caldera, holding back tears. Its good that were going to be doing a foundation to keep their names alive, and hopefully get the city of Fresno to push the issue to protect victims.

The lawsuit was filed in 2015 and was rejected in 2017 by U.S. District Court Judge Dale A. Drozd, according to Bee archives. The families appealed that decision before the case was reinstated against the city by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal, Little said.

More than 30 women were witnesses of the plaintiffs who alleged substandard responses by Fresno police related to domestic violence calls, Little said. The case was set to go to trial before the settlement in October.

This case was never about money for them (the family). It was about an acknowledgment of wrongdoing on behalf of the city, Little said. This settlement reflects an acknowledgment of wrongdoing.

The city of Fresno has previously denied any wrongdoing by police, and did not agree to any new training or other requirements beyond the monetary settlement.

Mayor Jerry Dyer was police chief at the time of the killings, and he defended the department when asked in 2015.

We do everything that we possibly can to combat domestic violence and to prevent people from becoming victims of domestic violence, Dyer said in 2015.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  A family of six was assisted by a nonprofit humanitarian organization after their northeast Las Vegas home burned, officials said.

According to staff from the American Red Cross of Southern Nevada, the fire started at 10:17 a.m. on Monday at an apartment complex on Las Vegas Boulevard near Craig Road. Las Vegas Fire and Rescue responded to the blaze.

Red Cross officials said that although the fire was limited to one unit at the apartment, a woman and five children would have been left without a place to stay, were it not for the organization.

The fire was contained to the oven and kitchen cabinets, according to the Clark County Fire Department. Crews were also able to save a pet rabbit which was found in a bedroom.

Volunteers met with the family and arranged for them a temporary place to stay, and basic needs like clothes, food, and prescription medications, Red Cross officials said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Denver Police Department are investigating threats made against Colorado Supreme Court justices who ruled that former President Trump is prohibited from appearing on the state's ballots in next year's presidential election.

A spokesperson for Denver police confirmed to Fox News Digital that it is "currently investigating incidents directed at Colorado Supreme Court justices and will continue working with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners to thoroughly investigate any reports of threats or harassment."

The spokesperson would not provide details of these probes due to the "open investigations and safety and privacy considerations."

Denver police are "providing extra patrols around justice's residences in Denver and will provide additional safety support if/as requested" in response to the threats against the justices who ruled last week that the insurrection clause under the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment applied to Trump for his actions surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, the spokesperson said.

CALLS GROW FOR BIDEN TO DENOUNCE COLORADO'S REMOVAL OF TRUMP FROM 2024 BALLOT: SMARTEST MOVE

The FBI and Denver police are investigating threats made against the Colorado Supreme Court justices who ruled that former President Trump cannot appear on the state's ballots in next year's presidential election.

This comes after an analysis by nonpartisan research nonprofit Advance Democracy showed "significant violent rhetoric" online from Trump supporters targeting the justices and Democrats in the aftermath of the court's decision, according to NBC News.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

The names of the four justices who ruled to disqualify Trump from the 2024 ballot have appeared frequently in posts on pro-Trump online forums, which have included calls to disclose the judges' personal information.

Some posts on these forums have featured calls for the justices and Trump's opponents to be killed by guns, hangings or bombs, and some told their followers to stock up on weapons and proposed a civil war against Democrats.

One post urged Trump supporters to "behead judges" and "slam dunk a judge's baby into the trash can" while another said, "this ends when we kill these f---ers."

GAVIN NEWSOM BLASTS EFFORT TO BLOCK TRUMP FROM CALIFORNIA BALLOT: WE DEFEAT CANDIDATES AT THE POLLS

Users have also been replying directly to Trump's posts on his social media platform Truth Social with similar rhetoric.

The FBI said in a statement to Axios that the agency is aware of the situation and is working with local law enforcement.

"We will vigorously pursue investigations of any threat or use of violence committed by someone who uses extremist views to justify their actions regardless of motivation," the agency told the outlet.





Original article source: FBI, Denver police investigating threats against Colorado judges who barred Trump from state's ballots
Federal law enforcement is working with police in Colorado to investigate alleged threats to state Supreme Court justices who found Donald Trump ineligible to appear on the states 2024 presidential ballots.

A ruling from Colorados highest court earlier this month determined that the former president is disqualified from the presidency under the 14th Amendment, which bars anyone who has sworn an oath to uphold the constitution and engaged in insurrection or rebellion from holding public office.

The historic 4-3 ruling, the first among any state supreme court to consider the question of his eligibility, follows a wave of lawsuits seeking to block Mr Trump from next years presidential election ballots for his actions surrounding the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Mr Trump and his allies have unleashed a vitriolic campaign against the lawsuits and court rulings that followed, casting his mounting legal battles alongside his criminal indictments as part of an alleged Democratic conspiracy to keep him out of office.

On social media, Mr Trumps supporters have echoed his attacks and rhetoric, fuelling reportedly credible threats against the judges, prosecutors and others involved in his cases, as well as their family members.

One post, on a far-right pro-Trump message board, read: All f****** robed rats must f****** hang.

The FBI is aware of threats made against Colorado Supreme Court justices and is working with local law enforcement, according to an agency spokesperson.

We will vigorously pursue investigations of any threat or use of violence committed by someone who uses extremist views to justify their actions regardless of motivation, FBI Public Affairs Officer Vikki Migoya said in a statement.

The Denver Police Department (DPD) said law enforcement responded to a court justices residence last week on what appears to be a hoax report and is continuing an investigation.

A DPD spokesperson also told Axios that officers are also providing extra patrols around justice's residences in response.

Posts on pro-Trump message boards and other social media platforms have sought justices personal information and addresses.

Online posts that appeared to threaten Colorado justices spread rapidly in the 24 hours after the courts decision was announced, according to analysis by non-partisan public interest research group Advance Democracy reported by NBC News.

Social media threats included significant violent rhetoric against the justices and Democratic officials, often in direct response to Mr Trumps posts about the ruling from his Truth Social platform, the report found.

Its a familiar pattern that has followed Mr Trumps indictments and courtroom challenges as he seeks the Republican nomination for president in 2024: his outrage fuels vague calls for civil war and violence among his supporters online, while law enforcement monitors threats of real-world action.

That pattern also is at the centre of criminal charges, gag orders and court documents surrounding his criminal and civil cases.

In court documents related to a gag order in his federal election interference case, prosecutors argued that Mr Trump relies on a well-established practice of using his public platform to target his adversaries with inflammatory, derogatory rhetoric aimed at his political rivals, the judges overseeing the cases against him and the prosecutors challenging him, as well as their family members.

Special counsel Jack Smiths team described that dynamic as part of a pattern, stretching back years, in which people publicly targeted by Mr Trump are subject to harassment, threats, and intimidation.

The former president seeks to use this well-known dynamic to his advantage, according to a filing from Mr Smiths office, and it has continued unabated as this case and other unrelated cases involving the defendant have progressed.

In New York, state appellate court judges upheld a pair of gag orders in his civil fraud trial. A top security official had outlined a spike in credible death threats and abusive messages following Mr Trumps attacks against the New York County Supreme Court judge overseeing the case as well as his chief clerk.

The threats against them are serious and credible and not hypothetical or speculative, the court official wrote in an affidavit that included several transcribed voicemails of threats directed at the courts staff.

The implementation of the limited gag orders resulted in a decrease in the number of threats, harassment, and disparaging messages that the judge and his staff received, he wrote.

However, when Mr Trump violated the gag orders, the number of threatening, harassing and disparaging messages increased.
Federal employee resigned after being caught with 8,166 pornographic images  some of which were 'potentially unlawful'  on his government-issued laptop

Federal Election Commission headquarters in Washington, DC. Sarah Silbiger/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images

There's yet another porn scandal in Washington, DC.

An FEC employee was caught storing 125 gigabytes of porn on his government-issued laptop.

Some of those images were even deemed "potentially unlawful." The employee has since resigned.

An employee of the Federal Election Commission resigned last year after being caught storing a rather large amount of pornography on government-issued devices.

According to a little-noticed report released last week by the Office of the Inspector General at the FEC, investigators began looking into the matter in January 2022 after top staff flagged several videos of a nude person on a shared drive.

Altogether, the resulting investigation dug up the following:

5 video clips of a "nude female performing various sexually suggestive acts" on the shared drive.

22 files containing "inappropriate material" on a laptop issued by the agency in 2021.

687 pornographic videos on a laptop issued by the agency in 2017.

8,166 sexually explicit or suggestive photos on the 2017 laptop.

Adult tourism guides and prostitution maps for Costa Rica, Italy, Mexico, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Investigators said that a total of 125 gigabytes of "potentially inappropriate material" were discovered on the 2017 laptop via a forensic analysis  despite the employee denying its existence.

The employee admitted to uploading the images and videos from his personal cellphone to the shared drive and the 2021 laptop, which was issued during an agency-wide migration that year.

The report also suggested that the employee "used his 2017 laptop exclusively for inappropriate and unofficial purposes after he received his 2021 laptop."

Investigators also said they found "potentially unlawful" sexually explicit images and referred the matter to external law enforcement authorities, who ultimately closed the case due to insufficient evidence.

The employee  whose identity was not disclosed  resigned on June 30, 2022, and the investigation ultimately determined that he had violated agency policies.

It's an unusual scandal to rock the FEC, an otherwise low-profile federal agency tasked with enforcing federal campaign finance laws and maintaining public data on political contributions.

But the release of the report comes on the heels of two scandals that rocked Capitol Hill in recent weeks, including a Democratic staffer allegedly filming himself having sex in a Senate committee room earlier this month and the revelation that a Republican staffer allegedly filmed sex acts in a House office in 2022.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A white man who fatally stabbed a Black father of two outside a Kansas City, Missouri, gas station will be charged with federal hate crimes, even as local prosecutors struggle with charging him for the mans slaying.

Witnesses describe the attack as being marked by racially bigoted slurs specifically targeting the Black victim.

A federal grand jury indicted Sean Walter Tonkin, 36, on Dec. 20 for committing a racially-motivated hate crime that resulted in the death of Jon Rone Jr., 41.

Sean Tonkin (right) is alleged to have stabbed Jon Rone Jr. (left) to death on July 4. (Photos: @SeanWalterTonkin & @KanishaPearson/ Facebook screenshot)

Additionally, Jackson County prosecutors have charged Tonkin with misdemeanor disturbing the peace and possession of methamphetamine, and the Florida resident was being held in a local jail.

According to the Department of Justice, Tonkin was armed with a knife and knuckles when he walked up to Rone during the Fourth of July holiday around 2:30 p.m. It is alleged that Tonkin started to spew racial epithets and threats at the Black man before stabbing him twice, once in his chest and then in his abdomen during the deadly encounter.

Rone later succumbed to his injuries. Law enforcement successfully located and apprehended the assailant a few miles from the crime scene. The Justice Department asserts that Tonkin targeted the man due to his race, specifically because he was Black.

A few of Rones friends and family members said they believed Tonkin was looking for a fight on that afternoon.

Witnesses to the stabbing told police that the white man had used the slurs to them and continued to say it after he was told to stop before directing them to Rone. They also say Tonkin threw the first punch, which led to the two fighting.

Surveillance video showed Rone following Tonkin to the side of the business with a club in his hand until he was out of the cameras view. Minutes later, Rone stumbled back into the store and said, he stabbed me, before falling to the ground.

Rones girlfriend, Misty Beck, told The Kansas City Star that she and Rone would frequent the gas station to play casino games. Beck said she tried to convince Rone to walk away after Tonkin, who was staying at a local motel, started spewing the racial slurs, but he told her calmly that he would handle it.

A representative from the local prosecutions office, Mike Mansur, said in July 2023 that the prosecution is being very careful as those working on the case examine who started the incident, what weapons were used by the people involved and Missouris law on self-defense.

The goal is to present charges they can prove.

We vigorously and categorically condemn that language and its usage in any circumstance, Mansur said, Law and Crime reported. We have filed the available Missouri charges that address those racist comments which were made to Jon Rone in a face-to-face manner.

Rones family wants Tonkin to be charged with murder. His sister told the Kansas City Star that a witness told her that before the incident, Tonkin asked that witness, Do you wanna see a white man f*ck up a n**ger?

So how can (Tonkin) not be the aggressor? she asked.

Reportedly, in Tonkins residence are images featuring him in camouflage attire adorned with a camouflage mask concealing his face.

Additionally, there are photographs depicting a knife wrapped in the American flag logo, expressions of hate speech targeting Black people, visuals of guides titled Explosive Limits of Gases & Vapors, and a tattoo displaying three triangles stacked on top of each other, purportedly symbolizing Valknut  a symbol associated with reincarnation.
A fight involving 31 prisoners broke out Saturday afternoon at Idahos maximum-security prison south of Boise and sent one prisoner to a local hospital with injuries that were deemed not life threatening.

The brawl, which started just before 2 p.m., was brought under control when corrections officials used pepper spray to subdue prisoners in a day room, while others in the outdoor recreation yard complied when they were ordered to lie on the ground, Idaho Department of Correction spokesperson Jeff Ray told the Idaho Statesman by email. The internal report did not say how long the incident took to resolve, but it was not considered to be a significant event, he said.

No corrections officials were injured in the incident, and the injured prisoner returned to the prison several hours after being hospitalized, Ray said.

The maximum-security prison was placed on secure status afterward and the A block housing unit remained at that heightened level into Tuesday afternoon, Ray said. The prison houses up to 535 prisoners to confine Idahos most disruptive male residents, according to the agencys website.

The other prison facilities that make up the South Boise Correctional Complex in Kuna also were immediately placed on alert to prevent the spread of violence, Ray said, but no other fights broke out.

The source of the fight is under investigation. The residents who were involved will be held accountable per IDOCs disciplinary process, Ray said.

The fight Saturday took place less than two weeks after a 45-year-old prisoner was beaten to death by another prisoner at the Idaho State Correctional Center, also located at the prison campus in Kuna, the Statesman previously reported. The victim, Milo Warnock, died from multiple blunt-force trauma injuries about an hour after he was attacked, according to the Ada County Coroners Office.

Idaho State Police is investigating Warnocks death. The prisoner suspected of the attack, whose name has yet to be released, was moved to maximum-security prison, where he remains today, Ray said.

That fatal incident was at least the second in Idaho this year where an incarcerated person was killed during a physical assault by another prisoner. In June, Junior Garcia, 26, of Idaho Falls, died at a local hospital four days after he was attacked by two men at the same maximum-security prison south of Boise.

One prisoner, Juan Santos-Quintero, 28, was indicted by a grand jury on one count of felony first-degree murder. His trial is scheduled for April. If convicted, Santos-Quintero could have faced the death penalty, but the Ada County Prosecutors Office chose last week not to seek it, according to spokesperson Emily Lowe. Instead, Santos-Quintero faces a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.

The other prisoner accused of being involved in Garcias beating death, Joshua R. Pedroza, 31, also was indicted by a grand jury on one count of felony aggravated battery. He pleaded guilty to the charge last week as part of a plea deal with the prosecutors office, according to court records. He faces up to 15 years in prison.

Pedroza is scheduled for sentencing in February at the Ada County Courthouse.
LAKELAND, Tenn.  A home in Lakeland, Tennessee, is destroyed after it caught fire Monday afternoon.

The Shelby County Fire Department says three people inside the home reported hearing a pop in the attic before one of them noticed smoke coming from the garage.

Garret McAdams, who lives in the area, shared a video of crews responding to the large fire.

SCFD said it took almost an hour and a half to put the fire out. It is unknown how long the home was burning before firefighters arrived.

No injuries were reported, but the fire department said the home is a total loss.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
CHARLOTTE, N.C (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  A Charlotte Fire truck was involved in an accident in University City Tuesday afternoon.

According to the Charlotte Fire Department, Engine 27 was involved in a motor vehicle accident at approximately 2:50 p.m. Dec. 26. It occurred near the corner of University City Boulevard and Ikea Blvd.

 Track issues along your commute with the QCN Traffic Interactive Map

One person was treated with minor injuries, Medic said.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police is investigating, Charlotte Fire said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Criminal prosecutors may soon get to see over 900 documents pertaining to the alleged theft of a diary belonging to President Joe Bidens daughter after a judge rejected the conservative group Project Veritas First Amendment claim.

Attorney Jeffrey Lichtman said on behalf of the nonprofit Monday that attorneys are considering appealing last Thursdays ruling by U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres in Manhattan. In the written decision, the judge said the documents can be given to investigators by Jan. 5.

The documents were produced from raids that were authorized in November 2021. Electronic devices were also seized from the residences of three members of Project Veritas, including two mobile phones from the home of James OKeefe, the groups since-fired founder.

Project Veritas, founded in 2010, identifies itself as a news organization. It is best known for conducting hidden camera stings that have embarrassed news outlets, labor organizations and Democratic politicians.

In written arguments, lawyers for Project Veritas and OKeefe said the governments investigation seems undertaken not to vindicate any real interests of justice, but rather to stifle the press from investigating the Presidents family.

It is impossible to imagine the government investigating an abandoned diary (or perhaps the other belongings left behind with it), had the diary not been written by someone with the last name Biden, they added.

The judge rejected the First Amendment arguments, saying in the ruling that they were inconsistent with Supreme Court precedent. She also noted that Project Veritas could not claim it was protecting the identity of a confidential source from public disclosure after two individuals publicly pleaded guilty in the case.

She was referencing the August 2022 guilty pleas of Aimee Harris and Robert Kurlander to conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property. Both await sentencing.

The pleas came two years after Harris and Kurlander  two Florida residents who are not employed by Project Veritas  discovered that Ashley Biden, the presidents daughter, had stored items including a diary at a friends Delray Beach, Florida, house.

They said they initially hoped to sell some of the stolen property to then-President Donald Trumps campaign, but a representative turned them down and told them to take the material to the FBI, prosecutors say.

Eventually, Project Veritas paid the pair $20,000 apiece to deliver the diary containing highly personal entries, a digital storage card with private family photos, tax documents, clothes and luggage to New York, prosecutors said.

Project Veritas was not charged with any crime. The group has said its activities were newsgathering and were ethical and legal.

Two weeks ago, Hannah Giles, chief executive of Project Veritas, quit her job, saying in a social media post she had stepped into an unsalvageable mess  one wrought with strong evidence of past illegality and post financial improprieties. She said shed reported what she found to appropriate law enforcement agencies.

Lichtman said in an email on behalf of Project Veritas and the people whose residences were raided: As for the continued investigation, the government isnt seeking any prison time for either defendant who claims to have stolen the Ashley Biden diary, which speaks volumes in our minds.
Bostons annual New Years Eve celebration is back to ring in 2024 in style.

Sunday, Dec. 31, will mark the 49th year the city has hosted a First Night celebration. The 12-hour event starts at City Hall Plaza at noon and ends with a midnight fireworks show over the Boston Harbor.

We are excited to ring in the new year full of joy and community and health and peace and that starts with keeping ourselves safe on the First Night, said Boston Mayor Wu.

Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox have informed the public that law enforcement officials will be stepping up their presence around Boston on Sunday.

We will have officers in abundance in and around the activities for First Night, for both day and evening, Cox said.

Officers in abundance pledged for Bostons First Night

Musical and dance performances start the day, run through the first hours of the new year, and include activities for people of all ages.

Visitors are encouraged to use public transportation to get to and from events.

FIREWORKS:

Fireworks will be displayed over Boston Common at 7 p.m. and Boston Inner Harbor at midnight.

PARKING:

First Night does not have specified event garages, however, the following are close by to City Hall: Center Plaza Garage, City Place Garage, Pi Alley Parking Garage, Dock Square Parking Garage, and Garage at Post Office Square. Boston Common parking can be found at Boston Common Garage. Street parking is available on some streets, but extremely limited. If parking on area streets, please obey area signs as several parking bans and restrictions will be in place.

ICE SCULPTURES:

The ice sculptures will be located at City Hall, Boston Common, and other locations. Ranging in size and style, the sculptures will be in place by the afternoon of December 31 (exact timing will vary depending on the weather) and illuminated at night.

SCHEDULE OF PERFORMERS AND EVENTS:

City Hall Plaza

Sweet Harmony, 11:11 a.m. - 11:51 a.m.

Ava & Cam, 12:10 p.m. - 12:40 p.m.

Boston Music Project, 2 p.m. - 2:40 p.m.

Tristan & Delaney, 3 p.m. - 3:40 p.m.

LIZJE, 5 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.

Sons Of Levin, 7:20 p.m. - 8 p.m.

LaQuandra Seymore, 8:10 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Guess Method, 8:50 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Nancia, 9:50 p.m. - 10:10 p.m.

Ayla Brown & Rob Bellamy, 10:30 p.m. - 11:10 p.m.

Sammy Adams, 11:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.

Boston Harbor

Boston Harbor Fireworks, midnight

City Hall Pavilion

Boston Saxophone Quartet, 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.

The Lied Tos, 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

City Hall

First Night Parade, 6 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Boston Common

Frog Pond Skating Spectacular, 6 p.m. - 7 p.m.

City of Bostons Family Fireworks, 7 p.m. - 7:15 p.m.

First Church of Christ, Scientist - The Mother Church Extension

How Do You See the World? Experience + Mapparium, 11 a.m.

Organ Concert, 2 p.m

Improv Asylum

Improv Show, 2 p.m.

Improv Show, 3 p.m.

Improv Show, 4 p.m.

Old South Church

Pipes and Pops Concert, 7 p.m.

Advertisement

Rose Kennedy Greenway

Greenway Carousel, 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Offering free carousel rides.

All events are free and open to the public.

For more information about First Night Boston 2024, visit the link here.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

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SEBASTIAN  Overlooking the Indian River Lagoon at Riverview Park is a bronze figure, standing approximately 5 feet tall, smoking a pipe and surrounded by birds. The man has a mustache and is facing towards a small, 3-acre island. His face is curious, focused and unwavering.

The statue was erected in 2003, created by local resident Rosalee Hume. She actually knew the subject from her childhood. Hume passed away in 2010.

In 1903 the subject became the first manager of what was to become Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, a position he held until 1926. He's now risen to almost mythical status and become well known throughout Indian River County: Paul Kroegel.

"He is an example of an early pioneer who came to the area and made a difference," said county Historian Ruth Stanbridge. "More than 150 years later his presence is still felt."

The man

A bronze statue of Paul Kroegel, who became the first wildlife refuge manager in the United States, is seen on Dec. 14, 2023, overlooking the Indian River Lagoon in Sebastian on Riverside Drive. The statue, erected in 2002, faces Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge's 3-acre island in the lagoon, so that Kroegel permanently watches over his beloved birds.

Kroegel's story begins in the less-tropical climate of Chemnitz, Germany in 1864.

Around the age of 17, he and his father immigrated to the Sunshine State and settled on a shell midden. It's where he saw his first glimpses of the area that would become his legacy  Pelican Island.

The mustache-clad young man made an early name for himself as a boat builder.

Around the turn of the 20th century, feathered hats were all the rage. During a period of Florida history known as the Feather Wars, hunters killed pelicans, egrets, herons and spoonbills to sell their feathers. Kroegel could hear the gunshots from his homestead.

"Snowbirds would come down on boats, as well as the plume hunters, and take potshots at the birds on the island," said Stanbridge. "Anything that moved they would shoot indiscriminately. So Paul would just take his boat and go out there with his shotgun and just patrol the island."

Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge's centennial walking trail features an observation tower with a view of Pelican Island, located in the Indian River Lagoon.

Some of the snowbirds were vehemently against plume hunting, including one Frank Chapman. Chapman was an ornithologist and curator of the American Museum of Natural History. He brought Kroegel's story back to Washington, D.C., where it eventually gained the ear of President Theodore Roosevelt.

On March 14, 1903, Roosevelt signed an executive order creating Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge. Two weeks later, Kroegel was appointed the first wildlife refuge warden in the United States.

"Roosevelt only wrote six lines creating Pelican Island," said Stanbridge. "By the time he left office he would create more than 50 more. However, while Teddy was a conservationist, he never ever made it down to Sebastian. He never visited."

Kroegel Homestead Produce, is seen on Dec. 14, 2023, in Sebastian.

Despite, going down in history, Kroegel is described as down to Earth.

"He was a very gentile man, and a renowned boat builder," said Stanbridge. "It seemed like he could talk to pelicans, he would pet them. He also raised bees at his homestead. During the Feather Wars, one of his fellow wardens, Guy Bradley, was killed in the Everglades and Kroegel actually built the boat he was in when he died. That boat was sent back to Paul."

He also had a clever side.

"After it became a wildlife refuge, the government sent down a flag to put on the island," said Stanbridge. "Instead, he put it on his dock on the opposite side of the lagoon. So instead of shooting at the island, passersby would salute the flag and ignore the birds."

The statue

Knowing the centennial of Pelican Island was approaching, Hume set out to pay homage to the man she knew.

"She began by creating a clay model," said Stanbridge. "Then everyone went out and secured funding. Originally, she wanted to put it on the original Kroegel homestead, but the family still lived there, so it found its home at Riverview Park, and its perfect."

The statue was placed facing the 3-acre island so that Kroegel could permanently watch over his beloved birds and it could be finished well before the centennial. More than 200,000 people flocked to the city for the centennial in 2003.

Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuges centennial walking trail features an observation tower with a view of Pelican Island, located in the Indian River Lagoon.

The statue's inscription reads, "One person can make a difference."

"Paul made a difference by doing what he thought was right," said Stanbridge. "We still say that to volunteers at Pelican Island. Just because you think you cannot make a difference doesn't mean you can't. Paul was one man who did."

Nick Slater is TCPalms Indian River County Watchdog reporter. You can reach him at Nick.Slater@tcpalm.com and 224-830-2875.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Paul Kroegel statue in Sebastian turns 20 this year, honors first warden
Flags representing 35 tribal nations fly in the Tribal Flag Plaza just north of the Oklahoma Capitol building. The display was finished in 1996, eight years after it was proposed.

They have flown outside the Oklahoma Capitol since 1996.

Theres a dark blue flag with a bald eagle soaring above land and water. A purple flag with an unstrung bow and three arrows at its center. A red and blue flag with O-gah-pah written in bold.

The flags belong to the Modoc, Choctaw and Quapaw nations, and they flutter among dozens of others in the Tribal Flag Plaza just north of the state Capitol building.

The circular display was meant to honor all of the federally recognized tribal nations based in Oklahoma. But if you count the red, white, blue, yellow, purple and orange flags today, youll notice the numbers dont add up: 35 flags, 36 flagpoles and 38 tribal nations.

Tribal nation flags that fly north of the Oklahoma Capitol building are arranged in a circle by alphabetical order.

Brad Kills Crow, chief of the Delaware Tribe in Bartlesville, noticed his tribes flag was missing on a trip to Oklahoma City. He said he has tried for months to figure out whom he should talk to about adding the Delaware Tribes white and red flag.

We were going to offer to buy our own flagpole or pay the state, to put one up, he said.

Tension, disputes between tribal governments and state lawmakers have a history as old as Oklahoma itself

The story behind the missing flags and the plaza itself speaks to the complicated nature of Oklahomas relationships with tribal governments. Gov. Kevin Stitt has become known for downplaying the need to consult with tribal officials over shared concerns, drawing scrutiny in a state where one in six people are tribal citizens.

More: Governor announces a plan for sports betting in Oklahoma, surprising tribal leaders, state lawmakers

But undercurrents of tension have run through state-tribal relationships since Oklahomas founding. The flag plaza is a colorful example. It was born out of controversy, delayed for years and caught in the middle of disputes over tax dollars. And still, some tribes are left out of the display.

Sen. Enoch Kelly Haney, a longtime state lawmaker who went on to lead the Seminole Tribe, proposed that the Oklahoma Capitol start displaying tribal flags in 1988. The flag plaza was finished in 1996. Haney passed away in 2022.

The light blue flag of the Shawnee Tribe in northeast Oklahoma is one of those absent.

Chief Ben Barnes said in a statement that it would be nice for the Shawnee Tribes flag to be included. But he said improving state-tribal relations is a much bigger conversation.

Flag plazas and other modes of tribal inclusion such as land acknowledgements, are ultimately meaningless if theres no genuine desire or effort on the part of the state to work with tribes and respect our tribal nations sovereignty and self-determination, he said.

Barnes also leads the United Indian Nations of Oklahoma. Several tribal leaders formed the advocacy group in 1985, at a time when Oklahoma officials were trying to thwart tribes from opening bingo halls. State leaders questioned the rights of tribal nations and insisted Oklahoma could tax their operations.

How the tribal flags became a part of the landscape of the Oklahoma Capitol

In 1987, as the dispute deepened, then-Gov. Henry Bellmon announced plans to meet with tribal officials. His adviser described the talks as the first-ever conversation between an Oklahoma governor and tribal leaders about tribal sovereignty.

The idea of flying every tribal nations flag outside the state Capitol came up the following year.

Sen. Enoch Kelly Haney, a longtime lawmaker and citizen of the Seminole Nation, inserted the plan into a contentious resolution that called on state officials to resume flying the Confederate flag at the Capitol.

Haneys amendment required the appropriate display of all tribal flags, as well.

A flag representing the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, of Tahlequah, flies in the Tribal Flag Plaza at the Oklahoma Capitol.

Organizers planned to build the display north of the Capitol between two state office buildings. They expected it would cost at least $400,000. The Legislature appropriated $99,000.

Efforts to raise more money from tribes and others did not come close to filling the funding gap. Construction stopped. The site became so overgrown with weeds that when a groundskeeping crew arrived to clean it up in the summer of 1991, the yard work was statewide news.

Lawmakers agreed to spend $300,000 in bond money to cover the remaining construction costs in 1993. Haney told The Oklahoman he believed the funding signaled a more cooperative spirit between the state of Oklahoma and tribal governments.

He also noted the state stood to receive millions of dollars every year through new tax compacts with tribal governments  the same deals that now, 30 years later, are caught in a legal fight between Stitt and legislators.

More: Hearing ends without a 'permanent solution' for state-tribal compacts

The flag plaza  called The Meeting Place  was finished in 1996. It features a landscaped granite mound encircled by 36 flagpoles.

The Tribal Flag Plaza, which sits between two state office buildings north of the Oklahoma Capitol, was formally dedicated in 1996.

Even from the beginning, one of the poles was bare. It still is. Visitors can tell it was meant for the Kickapoo Tribe, based in McLoud, because the flags are arranged in alphabetical order.

We do not have an official flag and never have, said Trey Ervin, who works in the Kickapoo administration office.

He said state officials periodically have reached out asking about adding a Kickapoo flag. The answer has never changed.

Weve never had a flag, Ervin said.

An empty flag pole in the Tribal Flag Plaza stands where the flag of the Kickapoo Tribe would have flown, but the tribe has never had a flag.

Why are the Delaware and Shawnee tribe flags missing?

What about the missing flags of the Delaware and Shawnee tribes?

Federal officials did not recognize the Delaware and Shawnee as standalone tribal governments when the plaza opened in March 1996. The Delaware Tribe regained that status months later (before it would later lose and regain recognition again in 2009). The Shawnee Tribe secured federal recognition in 2000.

Neither of the tribes had received their own reservations when they were forced into Indian Territory. They had moved onto parts of the Cherokee Nations reservation, eventually leading to decades of conflict over their governmental rights.

Thats why our flag wasnt there, Kills Crow said.

The flags of the Apache Tribe, left, and Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town fly in the Tribal Flag Plaza north of the Oklahoma Capitol.

After the Delaware and Shawnee tribes regained federal recognition, Oklahoma officials never expanded or reconfigured the Capitol plaza to incorporate their flags. Christa Helfrey, a spokesperson for the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, said agency leaders in charge of maintaining the plaza know of no plans to expand or add additional flags.

Kills Crow said hes not upset about the exclusion, but still would like to find the right person to talk to about including the Delaware Tribe flag.

If we can get one up there, great, Kills Crow said. If not, were still going to be here. The Delawares are still going to be here.

Molly Young covers Indigenous affairs. Reach her at mollyyoung@gannett.com or 405-347-3534.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: A flag display at the Oklahoma Capitol leaves some tribal nations out
ASHEVILLE - While not a white Christmas for the Asheville area, Dec. 25 brought a slew of showers to Western North Carolina, and a hazardous weather outlook issued for Buncombe and surrounding counties cautions heavy rain, isolated thunderstorms and possible flooding through Dec. 26.

A flood advisory was issued for the French Broad river near Fletcher, impacting Buncombe and Henderson counties, with the river expected to exceed its banks, cresting at 10.5 feet the night of Dec. 26, according to National Weather Service Meteorologist Doug Outlaw.

It will sit well below the flood stage of 13 feet, Outlaw said, but has swelled several feet higher than its pre-rainfall level of 4.2 feet. Isolated flooding may occur, likely mainly impacting some farmland from Etowah downstream to Avery Creek.

Rain fell on Asheville April 7, 2023.

The flood advisory is expected to last through the night. Outlaw said it will fall back late Dec. 26 and into the rest of the week.

If you encounter a flooded roadway, turn around and find an alternative route.

How much rain has Asheville seen?

Since Christmas Day, Asheville has seen 1.5-2 inches of rain, though Outlaw said rain is decreasing over the Western North Carolina Mountain as a "big patch" of heavy rain is forecast to move away from the city the afternoon of Dec. 26 and into the eastern mountains.

Candler: 2 inches.

Montreat: 3 inches.

Black Mountain: 2 inches.

Eastern Henderson County: 3.3 inches.

Northern Hendersonville: 3.6 inches.

Rain lessens toward the Tennessee border, with 1.1 inches in Marshall and .6 inches in Hot Springs, Outlaw said.

Asheville could get another half inch of rain Dec. 26.

The holiday's rainfall brings the month to nearly 2 inches above normal, with a total rainfall through Dec. 25 of 5.04 inches. Normal rainfall for Asheville in December to-date is 3.37 inches. It brings the year to a total of 37 inches, still 11.7 inches below normal.

What about snow?

Later this week, Western North Carolina's higher elevations, specifically near the North Carolina/Tennessee border, could see 2-3 inches of snow, Outlaw said. The National Weather Service forecasts shows a 30% chance of rain and snow showers the night of Dec. 28.

Asheville could see a few flurries, Outlaw said, but likely a minimal impact.

More: Asheville Zen Tubing owner Heath White dies; remembered as 'steward' of French Broad River

More: WNC hiking: Best winter hiking spots for the holidays

Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email shonosky@citizentimes.com or message on Twitter at @slhonosky. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Flood advisory in effect for areas of WNC; How much rain in Asheville?
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. - A crash on Interstate-95 threatened to derail the Christmas joy for one family traveling with gifts  but bystanders and first responders were able to restore the holiday spirit.

A woman and three young children  the oldest of which was about 5 years old  were injured in a car crash in Volusia County after their car veered off the highway, struck a pole, rolled and ended up in a water-filled ditch, according to the Volusia Sheriff's Office. The incident happened around 11:45 a.m. on the southbound lanes of I-95.

Photo: Volusia Sheriff's Office

Bystanders helped get the family out of the car before first responders arrived  but left inside the vehicle were all of the kids' Christmas gifts.

"After the victims were transferred to an ambulance, (Volusia Sheriff's Office deputies and Ormond Beach firefighters) went above and beyond by using a ladder to access the submerged vehicle and were able to salvage most of the gifts from the vehicle," deputies said.

Photo: Volusia Sheriff's Office

First responders were able to form a "human chain" and the gifts were passed to deputies, who moved them to dry land.

"Because of these efforts, deputies were able to transport the gifts to the VSO office, where they were sorted, dried, supplemented with a few extra donated gifts, and then brought to the hospital for the children," deputies added.

Photo: Volusia Sheriff's Office

MORE CHRISTMAS HEADLINES :

Thankfully, everyone is OK.

"This familys Christmas is a little bit brighter despite the crash," deputies said.
UNINCORPORATED NAPERVILLE, Ill. - A Florida man has been charged with murdering his half-brother in a home in unincorporated Naperville on Christmas Day.

Shortly after 3 p.m., deputies with the DuPage County Sheriff's Office responded to a shooting at a home in the 25W0-100 block of Wood Court, according to a statement from prosecutors.

Inside the home, deputies located the victim, James Watson, with a gunshot wound to his abdomen. He was taken to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead, DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said.

Investigators later determined Watson was downstairs when he became upset that he couldn't find his cell phone, and slammed a card table on the floor.

Kendall Yarborough, 28. (DuPage County States Attorneys Office)

Watson's half-brother, 28-year-old Kendall Yarborough, was upstairs at the time and fired a gunshot down towards Watson, striking the man in the abdomen. After the shooting, family members called 9-1-1 and attempted to perform life-saving measures on Watson while they waited for authorities to arrive.

Yarborough remained at the home until authorities arrived, and was taken into custody without incident, the statement said. Officials later located a 9mm Sig Sauer P-365X pistol and a single spent 9mm bullet casing.

"On Christmas Day, James Watson lost his life after his half-brother, Kendall Yarborough allegedly shot him in the abdomen while James was looking for his cell phone," Berlin said in a statement. "This senseless act of violence will not go unpunished."

"It is horrible that a tragedy occurred on Christmas," DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick said in a statement. "It goes to show that domestic violence can occur in any home and thats why we take domestic related incidents seriously at the DuPage County Sheriff's Office."

Yarborough, of Palm Harbor, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, prosecutors said. He made his first court appearance on Tuesday where he was ordered to remain in custody until Wednesday afternoon.
A 14-year-old boy allegedly fatally shot his older sister in Florida after a family argument over Christmas presents, officials said Tuesday.

The teen had been out shopping on Christmas Eve with Abrielle Baldwin, his 23-year-old sister, as well as his mother, 15-year-old brother and sister's children, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said during a news conference.

The teenage brothers got into an argument about who was getting more Christmas presents.

"They had this family spat about who was getting what and what money was being spent on who, and they were having this big thing going on in this store," Gualtieri said.

The boys continued to argue at their grandmother's house in Largo  a city about a half hour's drive from Tampa  Gualtieri said. They'd gone there so the grandmother could babysit Baldwin's baby boy and her 6-year-old son while Baldwin was at work.

Once inside, the 14-year-old boy allegedly pulled out a semiautomatic handgun, pointed it at his brother and told him he was going to shoot him in the head, Gualtieri said. The older teen said he didn't want to fight and told his brother to get out of the house. One of their uncles separated the teens and got the 14-year-old boy outside, where Baldwin was with her baby.

"'You all need to leave that stuff alone,'" Baldwin said to her brother, according to Gualtieri. "'Why you trying to start it? It's Christmas.'"

The 14-year-old boy called his sister several derogatory words and told her he was going to shoot her and her baby. He allegedly shot her in the chest around 1:45 p.m. local time.

The baby, who was in a carrier, was not injured, Gualtieri said.

The 15-year-old brother came outside with his own semiautomatic handgun and allegedly shot the younger teen in the stomach, police said. He then ran, throwing the gun into a nearby yard. The teen was taken into custody at a relative's house.

Baldwin was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead, Gualtieri said. The bullet traveled through her left arm and into her chest, popping both of her lungs. She suffered internal bleeding and was unable to breathe.

The wounded 14-year-old boy underwent surgery and is now in stable condition at a hospital. He's been charged with first-degree murder, child abuse and being a delinquent in possession of a firearm, police said. The Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office will review the case and decide whether the teen will be charged as an adult.

His brother was charged with attempted first-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence. Both teens have prior arrests for car burglaries.

"These young kids  14, 15 years old  routinely carry firearms and this is what happens when you got young delinquents that carry guns," Gualtieri said. "They get upset, they don't know how to handle stuff, and they end up shooting each other."

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A 71-year-old woman died on Christmas when she was involved in a head-on crash in Cherokee County.

According to the Cherokee County Sheriffs Office, Vickie Walker, of Panama City Beach, Florida, was driving down Cumming Hwy. around 1:45 p.m. on Christmas Day.

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Deputies say a Toyota Tacoma being driven by a 17-year-old boy crossed the center line of the highway near Hwy. 369 and crashed into Walkers Lexus.

Walker was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital where she later died of her injuries.

The teenage driver suffered minor injuries.

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Investigators say the cause of the crash is still under investigation.

No charges have been filed and its unclear if the driver will be charged.

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